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HISTORICAL 

ENCYCLOPEDIA 

OF 

ILLINOIS 

EDITED  BY 
Neavton  Batejian,  LL.  D.  Paul  Selby,  A.  M. 


AND    HISTORY  OF 


LEE  COUNTY 


EDITED  BY 


Mr.  a.  C.  Bardwell. 


ILLUSTRATED. 


CHICAGO  ; 

M  U  N  S  E  L  L     P  i;  B  L  I  S  H  I  N  G     COMPANY 

PUBLISHERS. 

1904 


SAUK  VALLEY  COLLEGt 

LRC       56735 


;red  according  to  Act  of  Congres: 
1  the  years  1S94,  1S99  and  1900,  by 
'  I  1, 1,  I  A  M  W.  M  U  N  S  E  r<  L. 
;  office  of  the  Librarian  of  Congt 


TERRiroRV    IiRAIXI:D   HV  the  ILLINOIS  RIVER. 


J\7l^^<y'Oy--\^^f\XfX.JLy*^^^-u^.^^ 


PREFACE. 


Why  publish  this  book?  There  should  be  many  and  strong  reasons  to  warrant  such  an 
nndertaking.  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  Eiver — the  unique  character  of  its  early  civilization,  due  to  or  resulting  fi-om  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'taients  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 
cai'efully  examined  and  sifted  before  acceptance.  Especial  cai'e  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  Illinois  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  drawn  from  the  almost  innumerable  sources 
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, 
tbe  jifiBce,  and  the  home.     Hence,  no  attempt  at  fine  writing,  no  labored,  irrelevant  and 


4  PKEFACE. 

long-drawn  accounts  of  matters,  persons  or  things,  which  really  need  but  a  few  plain  words 
for  their  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  jjursued  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  biogi'aphical  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  regretted  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. 
Perhajas  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.  Hurd,  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  tliousands  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,  convenient  and  useful  for  the  purposes  for  which  it  was  designed. 


nj)M 


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  placing  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  various  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  gi'owth  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  character — 
all  arranged  under  topical  heads,  and  convenient  for  ready  reference  by  all  seeking  informa- 
tion on  tliese  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  biographies  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  pai't,  to  special  localities  and 
particular  periods  or  classes.  Kich  as  the  annals  of  Illinois  are  in  the  records  and  character 
of  its  distinguished  citizens  who,  by  their  services  in  the  public  councils,  upon  the  judicial 
bench  and  in  the  executive  chair,  in  the  fornm  and  in  the  field,  have  reflected  honor  upon 
the  State  and  the  Nation,  there  has  been  hitherto  no  comijrehensive  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  they  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  gi-aces  of  style  or 


6  PKEFATORY    STATEMENT. 

elaboration  of  narrative.  The  object  has  been  to  present,  in  simple  laugi^age  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  has  been 
spared,  and  every  available  authority  consulted,  to  arrive  at  complete  accuracy  of  statement. 

In  view  of  the  important  bearing  which  railroad  enterprises  have  h^d  upon  the  extraor- 
dinary development  of  the  State  within  the  past  fifty  years,  considerable  space  has  been  given 
to  this  deijartment,  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.  Eaum, 
Dr.  Samuel  Willard,  and  Dr.  Garrett  Newkirk,  of  Chicago  (the  latter  as  author  of  the  prin- 
cipal portions  of  the  article  on  the  "Undergi-ound  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  tliis  final  tribute  to  the  memory  of  my  friend  and 
associate.  Dr.  Bateman,  whose  death,  at  his  liome  in  Galesburg,  on  October  21,  1807,  was 
deplored,  not  only  by  his  associates  in  the  Faculty  of  Knox  College,  his  former  pupils  and 
immediate  neighbors,  but  by  a  large  cb-cle  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  the  larger  proportion  of  the  volume  as  it  now  goes  into  the  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  admhation,  his  con- 
nection with  the  work  will  be  its  strongest  commendation  and  the  sin-est  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,  scholarly  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. 


^-^^^L,^^'-<.(.a^  ^:?^^:fe>' 


LIST   OF   ILLUSTRATIOXS. 


PAGE 

Abraham  Lincoln  (Fi'oniispiece) 1 

Annex  Central  Hosijital  for  Insane,  Jacksonville 84 

Asylnm  for  Feeble-Minded  Children,  Lincoln 237 

Asylum  for  Incurable  Insane,  Bartonville 85 

Bateman,  Xewton  (Portrait) 3 

Board  of  Trade  Building,  Chicago 377 

"Chenn  Mansion,"  Kaskaskia  (1898),  where  La  Fayette  was  entertained  in  1835  ....  315 

Chicago  Academy  of  Sciences 394 

Chicago  Drainage  Canal 94 

Chicago  Historical  Society  Building 394 

Chicago  Public  Buildings 395 

Chicago  Thoroughfares 93 

Chief  Chicagou  (Portrait)  246 

Comparative  Size  of  Great  Canals 95 

Day  after  Chicago  Fire 92 

Early  Historic  Scenes,  Chicago 170 

Early  Historic  Scenes,  Chicago  (No.  3) 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 236 

Illinois  Soldiers'  and  Sailors'  Home,  Quincy 438 

Illinois  State  Normal  University,  Normal 504 

Illinois  State  Capitol,  Springfield 240 

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

Illinois  State  Penitentiary,  Joliet 306 

Illinois  State  Penitentiary — Cell  House  and  Women's  Prison 307 

Illinois  State  Reformatory,  Pontiac 493 


8  LIST   OF   ILLUSTEATIOXS. 

PAGE-  , 

Institution  for  Deaf  and  Dumb,  Jaclisonville 300 

Interior  of  Room,  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  1825  (as  it  appeare.l,  1S'J3)   314 

La  Salle  (Portrait) ^^6 

Library  Building,  University  of  Illinois 334 

Library  Building— Main  Floor— University  of  Illinois 335 

Map  of  Burned  District,  Chicago  Fire,  1871   , 276 

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

Map  of  Illinois • Following  Title  Page 

Map  of  Illinois  River  Valley 

McCormick  Seminaiy,  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 

Xewberry  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 

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

Selby,  Paul  (Portrait) 5 

Soldiers'  Widows'  Home,  Wilmington 439 

Southern  Illinois  Normal,  Carbondale ■    505 

Southern  Illinois  Penitentiary  and  xVsylum  for  Incurable  Insai:e,  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 

Yiew  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  '^^ 

Views  of  Drainage  Canal   97 

War  Eagle  (Portrait) 246 

Western  Hospital  for  the  Insane,  Watertown 403 


Lee    County 


INDEX. 


CHAPTER  I. 

General  History.  page. 

Foreword    619 

Treaty  of  Prairie  du  Chien 619 

Cession  of  Indian  Lands 619-620 

Ouilmette  and  Ogee  Reservations.  .   620 

First  County  Commissioners 620 

Property  \'aluation,  1850 621 

Origin  of  County's  Name 621 

The  Kellogg  Trail 621 

Elevations  in  Lee  County 62 1 

Telephones    fi2i 

Bridges  across  Rock  River 621 

Courts  and  Court  Houses (121-622 

Dedication    of    new     Court     House. 

1900    '122 

County-Seat  Contests '122-1123 

Circuit   Court  Judges 623 

Members   General   Assembly (123 

County   Officers 024-(i25 

Lee  County  in  Civil  \\'ar '  123-' 12(1 

Railroads    (i2(i-(i27 

Swamp  Land  Drainage 627 

Tornado    627-6128 

Early  Markets  and  Prnduct-  Prices.  .    628 

CHAl'TI-:k  II. 

Black  Hawk  War. 

Treaty  of  1804 628 

Black  Hawk's  "British  Band" 629 

Other   Treaties 62tj 

Gov.   Reynolds'   Proclamation 629 

Father  John  Dixon 629 

Capt.  John  Dement 630 

Chief   Shabbona 630 

The  Stillman  Defeat 630 

Col.  Zachary  Taylor,  .Abraham  Lin- 
coln, Col.  Robert  Anderson.  Gen. 
Atkinson    and    other    Notables    at 

Dixon's   Ferrv 630 

Battle   of   the    i3ad-Axe— Defeat    of 

Black  Hawk 631 

.\rrival  of  Gen.  ^^'infield  Scutt 631 


CHAPTER  in. 

Alto  Township. 

First  \\'hite  Settlers 631 

Alto    set     off    from    WilldW    Creek 

Township    632 

First   Town   Officers 632 

Railroad  Subscription 632 

Church    History 632 

\'illage  of  Steward 632 

Grain-Elevator    632 

First  National   Bank 632 

CHAPTER   W. 
A.\ii;iiv  TdW.xsHip  .\xi)  City. 

l-'irst  White  Settler 632 

Palestine  Grove  Settlement 633 

John  Dexter  and  Andrew  Bainter.  .  633 

C)ther  Early  Arrivals 633 

Binghamton    and    Rocky    Ford    \"il- 

lages   (133 

City  of  Ambo}- 633 

Illinois   Central   Railroad 634 

Fires  in  Amboy 634 

Schools  and  Churches 634-636 

Newspapers    636-637 

Amboy  Post  G.  A.  R 637 

Local   Banks 637 

Distinguished  \'isitors — Lincoln  and 

Grant    638 

City    Officers 638-639 

CHAPTER  \'. 

AsiiTox  Towxsiiii'. 

Ashton  set  oft'  fn.ni   Bradford O30 

Town  first  called  (  )glc 030 

Church    History 639 

Destructive  Fires 630 

Business    Houses    and    Banking    In- 
stitutions      640 

Building  Stone 640 

Schools  and  \'illage  Imprdvciiients.  .  640 


LEE     COUNTY     INDEX. 


CHAPTER  \1. 

Bradford  Tow  xs i i  i i'. 

Organization  and  Xaniing-  of  Town- 
ship        640 

First  Town  Officers 640 

Some  Earl_v  Settlers 640-641 

Evangelical  Lutheran  Church 641 

Farmers"     Mutual     Fire     Insurance 

Company    641 

Present   Cffficers 641 

CHAPTER  \TL 
Brooklyn  Township. 

Pioneer  Settlers 641 

First  Marriage 642 

Compton    \'illage 642 

West    Brooklyn 642 

Business      Houses,      Churches      and 
Schools    643 

CHAITER  Vlll. 
Chin.v  TowNSHir. 

Town  first  called  Fremont 643 

First   Town  Officers 643 

Cummings  Noe  builds  first  Cabin .  .  .   643 

Thoroughbred  Stock-Growers 644 

Franklin  Grove  \''illage 644 

Churches  and  Schools 645-646 

Factories  and  Banks 646-647 

Newspapers 647 

CHAPTER  IX. 
Dixon  Township  and  ('nv. 

Ogee  Ferry  established 647 

Postoffice  established,   1829 647 

John  Dixon  and  Family  Arrive....   647 

Other  Early  Settlers ..." 648 

Government  Land-Office  at  Dixon.  .   648 
William  Cullen  Bryant  a  \'isitor.  . .  .   648 

The  First  Newspaper 648 

Galena  &  Chicago  Union  R.  R 648 

Rapid  Growth  of  Dixnn 64c) 

Cholera  \"isitation 649 

List  of  A'ictims 649 

Qironological      List     of     Important 

Events    649-650 

Partial  List  of  Old  Settlers 650 

Fire   Visitations 650-651 

Father  Dixon    ( Sketch  ) 651-652 

Distinguished  Visitors 653-655 

Church  History 655-659 

Young  Men's  Christian  Association.   659 


CHAPTER  X. 

Dixox  T(jWNSiiip  AXD  CiTV   (Continued). 

r\lanufacturing  Enterprises 659-662 

Newspapers    662-663 

Schools  and  Colleges 663-665 

Dams  and  Bridges 665-667 

Bridge   Disaster 666 

List  of  Victims 666 

Hotels    667 

Banks    667-668 

Dixon  in  Civil  War 668-669 

Spanish-American   War 669 

Patriotic    and    Charitable     Associa- 
tions    669-670 

Dixon  Public  Library 670-671 

Rock  River  Assembly 671 

City  Officers ' 672 

Lighting  and  Water  Plants 672-673 

Growth  and  Population 673-674 

Postmasters 674 

CHAPTER  XI. 

E.\ST  Gro\e  Township. 
East   Grove   set  off  from   Hamilton 

Township    674 

First   Settler 674 

Later  Arrivals 674 

An   Early   Murder 674 

Union   Church 674 

Peoria,     Dixon     and     Galena     State 

Road    674 

CHAPTER  XII. 

H  A .M ILTON   T(  iW N SH  I  P. 

Original  Dimensions  of  Township..    674 

First    Supervisors 674 

Early  Settlers 675 

Rev.'  N.  G.  Collins 675 

First   Schools 675-676 

First  Qiurch  Service 676 

CHAPTER  XIII. 

H.VRMON    TOWXSHIP. 

Organization   of    Township 676 

Some  Early  Settlers 676 

Mrst  Elections 676 

Wild  Game 676 

Harmon  \4llage 676 

Grain   Elevators 677 

Churches    677 

General   Stores 677 


LEE    C  O  T-  X  T  Y    INDEX 


CHAPTER  XI\'. 
Lee  Center  Towxship. 

First  White  Settler 677 

C)ther  Early  Arrivals 677 

Rev.  Peter  Cartwright  preachei  first 

Sermon    677 

First  School  House 678 

Pioneer  Teacher 678 

Lee  Center  Academy 678 

Earlv   Churches .  .  . '. 678-679 


CHAPTER  XV. 
I\L\RiON  Township. 

Organization  of  Township 680 

First  Town   Officers 680 

Daniel  Welty  first  Settler 680 

An  Elegant  Pioneer  Home 680 

Later  Arrivals 680 

Town  of  Walton 680 


CHAPTER  X\'L 

yi.W    TOWN.SHIP. 

Set  off  from  Hamilton  Township.  .  .   681 

The  Early  Settlers 681 

Catholic  Church  and  Academv 681 


CHAPTER  XVn. 
X.-\CHL'S.\  Township. 

Originally     West     Half     of     China 

Township    681 

Road  and  Bridge  History 682 

Early  Settlers  at  Grand  Detour 682 

"The   Kingdom" 682 

Cyrus  Chamberlain  first  Settler,  first 
County    Commissioner    and     first 

Justice  of  the  Peace 682 

Chester  Herrington  first  Teacher.  .  .   682 
First  Mill  and  Iron  Foundry.  .  .  .082-683 

Galena  &  Chicago  L'nion  R.  R 683 

Franklin   Grove   Settlement 683 

Other  Early  Settlers 683 

Pioneer  Churches  and  Cemeteries .  .  .   683 
First     Sunday     School     and     First 

Teacher    684 

Nachusa  Village 684 

Col.  A.  P.  Dysart.  first  Grain-dealer.   684 


CHAPTER  X\  in. 

XeLSON    TOWN.SHIP. 

Is  set  off  from  Dixon 685 

Luther  Stone  first  Settler 685 

Other  Earlv  Settlers 685 

The  "Bluff'  Boys" 685 

Zion  Lutheran  Church 685 

Pine  Grove  Cemetery 685 

Peoria    Branch    Chicago    &    Xorth- 

western  R.   R ^ 685 

CHAPTER  XIX. 
P.xLMYR.v  Township. 

First  Settlers 686 

The  New  York  Colony 686 

Indian  Sugar-makers 687 

Sugar   Grove 687 

The  first  Saw-mill 687 

A  Pioneer  Wagon-shop 687 

Early  Churches  and  Schools 687 

Some  First  Teachers 687 

Prairieville — Soldiers'  Monument.  .  .  688 

Palmyra  Insurance  Company 688 

CHAPTER  XX. 
Reynolds  Township. 

Organization    689 

First  Election  and  first  Town  Offi- 
cers     689 

Earlv  Settlers 689 

Churches    689 

CHAPTER  XXI. 
South  Dixon  Township. 

Set  apart  from  Dixon 689 

Joseph    Cartwright    first    Permanent 

Settler 689 

Other  Early  Arrivals 689 

Edson  Family  and  School 690 

Campbell    Family 690 

Churches  and  Schools 690 

Eldina  Milage 690 

CHAPTER  XXII. 
Sublette  Township. 

First  Settlers 690 

Other  Early  Settlers 691 


LEE    COUNTY    INDEX, 


Settlers'  Claim  Snciety (,,,1 

Original   Xaim-  nf  the  Town  "I  Ian- 
no"     I>l)2 

First  Town   .Meeting  and   first   (  )ffi- 

cers 692 

Church   History 692-693 

First  Schools  and  School  Houses.  .  .   693 

\'illage  of  Henkel 693 

Sublette  Milage 693 

First  Grain-Elevator 694 

Sublette  Exchange   Bank 694 

CHAPTER  XXni. 
\'inL.\  Towxsinr. 

Stockton    organized    from    I'.rooklvn 

Township    694 

Name  Changed  tu  \  iola 694 

First   Town   Officers 694 

Melugin's  Grove  Settlement 694 

First    School 694 

An  Agricultural  Township 694 

CHAPTER  XX I\-. 
Wii.i.nw   Creek  Township. 

The  Four  Groves 695 

Large  Foreign-born  Population 695 

The"^  First  s'ettlers 695 

The  Gonzolas  Tract 695 

Robert  and  David  Smith 695 

Indian  Trail   tu  (  )ttawa 695 


Twin   (jroves 695 

( ierman  and   Norwegian   Settlers .  .  .    696 

Schools    and   Churches 696 

\\'illow  Creek  formerly  part  of  l^aw 

Paw   696 

Chicago  &  Rock  River  R.  R 696 

Church  History 696-697 

Destructive  Tornado 697 

\^illage  of  Lee 697 

CHAPTER  XX\". 
Wyoming  Townsh ip. 

Originally  Part  of  Paw  Paw 698 

Levi    Kelsey   and    Joel    Griggs    first 

Land   Claimants 698 

Other  Early  Settlers 698 

The  Simms  Tavern 699 

Ogee  and  LeClaire  Reservations ....  699 
William  Rogers  first  Postmaster.  .  .  .  699 
"Underground  Railroad"  Station...   699 

Four-Mile  Grove  Settlement 699 

Paw  Paw  Grove  an  Lnportant  Center  700 
Horse-thieves     and      Counterfeiters' 

Resort    700 

Paw   Paw   \'illage 701 

Village  Schools 701 

Newspapers   702 

Churches    702-703 

Banks   703 

Water   System 703 

East  and  Snuth  Paw  Paw  \illages.  .    704 


Citizens  of  Lee  Countv 


Abell,  Jabez 74y 

Abell.  John  M 749 

Adrian,  Harry 757 

Adrian,  John /^j 

Alexander,  PhiHp  M 715 

Althaus,  John   j~,~ 

Anderson,  Erastus   j^'.j 

Anderson.  John  \\' 754 

Andrus,  Leonard    714 

Angier,  Ambrose  X 730 

Argraves,   Lawrence  W 758 

Argraves,  Linn  C 758 

Argraves,  Samuel  (J 758 

Arnould,   Mncent   C 758 

Aschenbrenner,  Andrew    742 

Aschenbrenner,  Reinhart 741 

Avery,  Wilbur  ^l 758 

Ayres.  Jason  C 708 

Badger,  Chester   762 

Badger,  Warren  H 762 

Banks,  John  W 763 

Bardwell,  Abalino  C 710 

Barge,  William 759 

Barlow,   Augustus    746 

Barth.  George  J 738 

Bartlett,  Prescott   759 

Baum,  William  D 762 

Baurne.  Lemuel    ~;^2 

Beitel,   C.    T 764 

Berry,  Ezra 761 

Berry,  Wilson  S 761 

Bethea,  \\'illiam  W 724 

Bieber,  Paul    j(\t, 

Bliss,   A'olney    751; 

Boardman.  Isaac  S 755 

Bodine,  Albert  Z 761 

Bothe,  Henrv    7^4 

Bowers,   C.   \\' -6^^ 

Bradshaw.  Aid   y^2 

Brechon.   Gustave   P 746 

Bremmer,  II.  A 760 

Briggs,    I .   S 740 

Briggs,    ().    W 764 

Brookner,  Henry  C /2t, 

Brown,  Clark  S 760 

Brown,  George  ^^^  1 764 

Brown,  Thomas  W 762 

Brucker,   William   H jfv-, 

Bryant,   Frank   I' 7(11 

Biu^ket,  Luther  E jt'12 

Burnett,   Alfred    73  r 

Burns  Brothers 764 

Burns,  Owen  E 764 


1  iurns,  Thomas   E 764 

llurright,  Perrv  A 760 

Cady,"  William  ^^■ 767 

Cahill,  James    767 

Carnahan,    Andrew   J 768 

Carnahan,  Hiram 767 

Caruth,  Alexander 767 

Caruth,   Thomas  A 767 

Case,   Francis   j\I 768 

Case,  Frank  W 768 

Case,  John  A 768 

Chadwick,  Charles  ^\' 709 

Chaffee,   Fernando  H 766 

Chaft'ee,  \\'ilbur  T 766 

Charters,  James  B 714 

Chase,    Albion    P /2^ 

Chase,  Everett  E 731 

Cheney,  Person j;^/ 

Cheney,  Mrs.  Person J^J 

Childs,  Frank  L 756 

Christeance,   George   W 769 

Clapp,  John  L '/22 

Clark,  Daniel  S 765 

Clink,   Alpheus  H 768 

Cobb,   Henry   B 7^7 

Cortright,  Nathan  A 739 

Cotton.  Elmer 713 

Crabtree,  John  D 708 

Crawford.  Albert  W 767 

Crawford,  Calvin  B 766 

Crawford,  Joseph 715 

Crawford,  Joseph  D 7^17 

Crawford.  ^lilton   A 755 

Crawford.  Samuel    766 

Crawford,  Wilson    766 

Cumins,  Theron   711 

Daehler,  William    771 

Dement,  Henry  D 770 

Dement.  John    770 

Detrick,  Martin 771 

Dinges.   Peter   772 

Dixon.  Frank  F 748 

Dixon.    Father  John 7of:) 

Dixon,  Henry  S 7(iQ 

Dixon,  Sherwood   7(19 

Dodge,  Orris  B '. 724 

Douglass,  John  B 771 

Durin,  James  M 772 

Durin,  Lewis  G 772 

Durr,  Henrv   1 771 

Dyer,  ^Irs.'^lary   E 770 

Dysart,  Edward  E 770 

Dysart,  Ernest  E 769 


LEE    COUNTY    INDEX. 


Dysart,  Harry  W 770 

Dysart,  John 744 

Dysart,  Samuel "jzz 

Dysart,  William  C 744 

Dysart,  Wilson 770 

Eden,  Martin  P 774 

Edmonds,  Isaac    775 

Edwards,  Isaac 774 

Edwards,  William  J 774 

Eells,  Samviel  C 709 

Emmert,  Frank  G 773 

Emmert,  Henry    "/"jt^ 

Emmert,  Liirten  S jj^^ 

Emmert,  Zachariah    •/■^'t^ 

Erbes,  Philip 775 

Ericsson,  John  M ■]-]t^ 

Eustace,  John  A' 775 

Everett,  Oliver   774 

Ewald,  Charles j-jt, 

Faber,  Christian  C 778 

Faber,  George 77S 

Faber,   William  C 735 

Fagan,  Edward 778 

Fahrney,  David  M -^-j-j 

Fairchiid,  David  0 776 

Farrand,  Richard  S 711 

Fassig-,  John  P -j-j-j 

Fauble,  Philip  G 778 

Felker,   John    B -j-]-] 

Fischer,  David  J 750 

Fischer,  Henry 776 

Fitzsimons,  Edward 779 

Fleming,  Peter   775 

Foley,  Michael    776 

Fordham,  Harry  L -j-jj 

Franklin,  William  E ~-j-j 

Frantz,  Benjamin   F 719 

Freese,  Anton  F -j-j-j 

Frost,  S.  Donald 756 

Frost,  William  S 776 

Fry,  Josiah    778 

Fuestman,   Godfrey   776 

Fuller,  Giampion 775 

Gaertner,   Ferdinand    780 

Gaffaney,  Michael 781 

Gantz,  Samuel  M 780 

Garland,  John  J 781 

( ieliant,   Frank  J 779 

<  lehant.  Henr)-  F 779 

<  iehant,  Laurent   779 

( lilbert,  Abram    780 

(Hlbert,    Wilber   W 779 

( "lilniore,  Alexander   780 

(ilessner,  Jeremiah -jz,! 

(loble,  James 780 

Gonnermann,  Conrad 781 


( irim.  Adam    780 

Gross,  Christian   745 

( jrube,  Henry  A 781 

Guffin,  W.  1 719 

Hallock,  Israel  F 735 

Hanne,  John   787 

Hanne,  Robert    T 787 

Harck,  Fred    .  . ". 783 

Harden,  Dennis  C 787 

Harper,  John    786 

Hart,  Charles  D 782 

Hart,  Levi   E 788 

Hartzell,  John  Z 789 

Hartzell,  Lincoln  A 787 

Hartzell,  ;\Iarcus  0 789 

Haskell,  Airs.  Abigail  L 781 

Hansen,  Charles  F 735 

Hausen,  Sylvanus  C 788 

Hansen,  William  H 734 

Heaton,  William  W 782 

Heckman,  Jacob  C 787 

Heckman,  "lohn  R 788 

Hendrix,    Ralph   H 785 

Henry,  Eugene  A 784 

Henry,  Joseph  E 750 

Henry,  Lewis   786 

Henrv,  William    782 

Herbst,  John  S 785 

Hetler,  Hiram 785 

Hetler,  Jeremiah    784 

Hetler,  Jesse   785 

Hetler,  John    785 

Hetler,  Nathan   784 

Hilleson,  Helge  A 786 

Hills,  Willis  N 784 

Hoerner.   Frank    786 

Hoffman,  Henry 786 

Hoklren,  Benjamin  F 784 

Holdren,  Sherman  J 783 

Hopps,  Robert  A 783 

Howell,  George  L 715 

Howell,  George  A\' 789 

Hewlett,   Tames  C 736 

Hubbard,  Charles  F 783 

Hunt,  Isaac  E 783 

Hussey,  Columbus  D 788 

Hutchinson,  A.  E 783 

Hutchinson,  John  X 789 

Huyett,  Jacob  H 788 

Jeanblanc,  Constant  A 790 

Johnston,  Oliver  P 791 

Johnson,  Benjamin  F 790 

Johnson,  Edward  L 789 

Johnson,  Ralph  E 790 

Jones,  Royal   791 

Jones,  Pryce   790 


LEE     COUNTY     INDEX 


Judd,  \\'allace  A 791 

Kearns,  ^lichael 793 

Kelley,  Peter 792 

Kersten,  Hartman  M 794 

Kersten,  John   794 

Kilhner,  John  AI 791 

Killmer,  William    792 

King,  Elijah  L 792 

Kirke,  Alexander  J 794 

Knetsch.  Fred 793 

Knight,  Edward   B 793 

Knight,  Mrs.  Harriet  E 791 

Kost,  Charles  C 791 

Kopp.  Conrad 794 

Koons,  Nathan   794 

Kreiter,  Edward  H 793 

Kugler,  \\'illiam  H 793 

Lahman.  John  D 798 

Larabee,  James  \\'..  Sr 795 

Larabee,  James  W.,  Jr 795 

Larkin,   Hugh.   Sr 797 

Larkin,    Hugh,   Jr 797 

Lauer,  Andrew  J 79() 

Lauer,  Anton  H 797 

Lauer,  George 797 

Lauer,   Mike  J 798 

Lawrence,  John  T 799 

Leake,  Daniel  C 793 

Leake,   F"red  W 796 

Leake,  John  C 795 

LeFever,  Leander  L 798 

Lehman,  Ira  M 799 

Leivan,  William   796 

Lewis,  Ira  W 798 

Lindeman,  Herman    743 

Lincoln,  James  H 796 

Little,  Andrew    799 

Little,  Joseph  T 798 

Lord,  John  L 713 

Lvman,  George  A 725 

]\iadden,  William  H 805 

Martin,  Willard   H 803 

]\Iau,  Frank 807 

j\lav,  Andrew   8ofi 

jMc'Bride,  Frank   807 

McBride,  John  B 807 

McCaffrey,  Bernard 80^, 

McCarty,  William    804 

McCleary,  John  C 740 

]\IcCune,  Thomas 804 

McGinnis,  Michael 808 

McGinnis,  William  G 800 

Alcf^Towan,   Michael   T 802 

^IcGuirk,  Hugh    803 

McMahan,  William    807 

McMillan.  Charles  W 806 


:\lc\\'ethv.  George  P 804 

Alead,  Riley  A 805 

]\Ieese,  Calvin 804 

:\Ienk,  Rudolph  W 807 

■\Ienz,  Henry  C 749 

Aleppen,  William   731 

^lerriman,  Avery 806 

;Merriman,  J.   B 712 

Alerriman,  Walter  B 712 

Messer,  G.  William 803 

;\Iiller,  Henry  E 745 

ililler,  Jacob 803 

:\Iiller,  Llewellyn  W 802 

]\Iiller,  Rinear 806 

:\Iills,  George    801 

-Mills,   S.   F': 720 

2iIinor,  David    807 

Aloffatt,  William    753 

^lontarin.  Frank  J 808 

Morey,   George   E 800 

Alorris,  James  H 804 

I\l()rrisse\".   Edward    801 

^Imss,  Zachariah  W 801 

Mnsshr>liler,    Nicholas    753 

Moulton.  :\lrs.  Ida  C 800 

Clover,   John   E 802 

IMuilins.  George   805 

:Munn,  M.  C 801 

Murphy.  E.  S y^^, 

^hers.   Abram    800 

Neer,  Barton  B 808 

Nelles,  G.  Lafayette 809 

Nichols,  Andrew  T 734 

Nicholson,  \Mlliam    808 

Noble,  Henry  T 808 

Northrup,  C.  K '/22 

Oberhelman,   Fred    809 

Oberhelman,   John  \\' 810 

(TMallev.   Michael   809 

Owens,  'E.    B 809 

Pankhurst,  William   81 1 

Petrie,  Nathan  A 721 

Phillips,  Richard    752 

Phillips,  William  W 811 

Pierce,  Philip  S 811 

Pitcher,   Lester   D 748 

Plein.  Nicholas 812 

Plummer.  Joseph  P 810 

Powers.  Abijah 717 

Powers,   Austin    718 

Pratt,   Wilbur   A 810 

Preston,   Charles   F 810 

Preston,  Horace   812 

Preston,  Lorenzo  T 811 

Preston,  ^^'illianl  T 812 

Rhoads,   Jacob  W 813 


LEE     COUNTY     INDEX 


Richardson,   IV.hn  S 813 

Richardson,  Nathan  W 814 

Ripley,   John   E 814 

Roberts,    Benjamin    812 

Roberts,  Henry  L 813 

Rogers,  Francis  E 813 

Rosenkranz.  Andrew  H 813 

Rossiter,  Cornehus   S 814 

Sartorious,  Henry    818 

Sawyer,   Darius    821 

Schafer,    George    \V 815 

Schmidt,   John    817 

Schnuckel,  George 820 

Scofield,  Seely 821 

Scott,  Henry  J 743 

Seavey,  Albion  M 7^9 

Seavey.   Fletcher    819 

Seavev,  ^^'illiam  W 7^0 

Seidef,  John  T 816 

Sevbert".    James    W 816 

Shaddick,"  Richard  AI 819 

Shaw,    r.enjamin   V 706 

Shaw,  Eustace  E 707 

Shaw,  G.  H.  T 7i?, 

Shaw,   Mary    814 

Shaw,  Samuel   814 

Shell,  Elias    815 

Sickels,  Edward   A 716 

Sickels.  Edward  C "16 

Siglin,  Amos 822 

Sitts,   John  D 820 

Sloggett,   John    H 819 

Smith,  Charles  G 818 

Smith,  Christopher 817 

Smith.  Edwin  W 73^ 

Smith,   lanKS  A 815 

Smith.  J.   .M 756 

Smith,    Xelson    82c 

Smith,  Schuyler  E 816 

Steel,  George 73)~ 

Stein,    Henry    P 817 

Steinman,  Charles  A 820 

Stephan,  Louis   754 

Stiles,  Forest  E 815 

Stiteley,    Frank   E 816 

Stone,  Samuel 820 

Stoner,  Alelchior  S 817 

Stunkel.  yi.  ] 817 

Sullivan,  Michael   739 

Sun. lav,  Ilenrv  \V 815 

Sundav,  Snlniii.m   821 

Sutton'.   William    821 

Swartz,  Uaniel    821 

Swope,  Elijah   E 817 

Tarr,   Stephen   A 824 

Tasche,  Conrad 757 


Tavlor.  William  E 824 

Teal,  Alanley  Al 823 

Terhune,  John  A 823 

Terhune,  John  H 823 

Thomas,  John  V 824 

Thompson.  Gardner  W 824 

Thompson,  William  C 823 

Tilton,  Francis  J 75 1 

Titus,  Abraham  B 726 

Titus,   Edgar  L 7-8 

Titus,  Ira^R 7^7 

Todd,  John   822 

Tompkins,   A.  J 822 

Tourtillott,  Albert  T 730 

Traverse,   Edmond   R 822 

Treadwell,  Rensselaer  P 822 

Trowbridge,  Reuben    74- 

Truckenbrod,   lohn  X 823 

Ultch,  Edwani  C 825 

Utley,  Joseph    710 

\'ail  Morrison  H 825 

\'an  Epps.  William  H 7^,2 

\'ann,  Samuel  A 825 

\'an   Patten,   Harmon 826 

\ogel,  Jacob   826 

Wagner,  Charles  W 827 

^\'agner,  Jacob 829 

^Vatson,   Frederick  A 720 

^^'atson,  James  A 720 

\\'edlock;   John    .' ^21) 

Weishaar,  "John  W 828 

Weisz,  Charles  E S27 

Weltv.  Charles  F 740 

Welty,   David    829 

Wertman.   Jacob 82S 

Wertman.  "Willard   L 828 

Wheeler.  1'..  J 826 

^^■hite,  Care\-  J 829 

White,    Edwin   J 829 

\Miitney,  xAlexis  R 830 

Whitney,  Nathan   830 

Wicher,  Clvde  L 7^7 

Will,  Charles  1 828 

\\"ingert,  Edward  E 830 

Wood,  Lorenzo 829 

Woodbridge,  Ebenezer   827 

\\'oods,  Albert 827 

\\'oods,  George 830 

Woods,   Isaac   X 828 

^Vright,  Stephen  A 827 

Wyman,  John  B 821) 

'S'etter.  John    747 

Young.  George  E 830 

Young,  Simon  P 747 

Yoimg,  Thomas   831 

Zcller';  S.  T 831 


Historical  Encyclopedia  of  Illinois. 


ABBOTT,  (Lieut.-(Jov,)  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 
Country. ' '  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  tlie 
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  reoap- 
tm-e  Vincennes. 

ABINGDON,  second  city  in  size  in  KnoxCounty, 
at  the  junction  of  the  Iowa  Central  and  the 
Chicago,  Burhngton  &  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 
woi'ks,  sash,  blind  and  swing  factories,  two  banks. 


three  weekly  papers,  public  library,  fine  high 
school  building  and  two  ward  schools.  Hedding 
College,  a  flourishing  institution,  under  auspices 
of  the  M.  E.  Church,  is  located  here.  Population 
(1900),  2,023;  (est.  1904),  3,000. 

ACCAULT,  Michael  (Ak-ko),  Fi-ench  explorer 
and  companion  of  La  Salle,  who  came  to  the 
"Illinois  Country"  in  1780,  and  accompanied 
Hennepin  when  the  latter  descended  the  Illinois 
Ri^•er  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.) 

ACKERMAjV,  William  K.,  Railway  President 
and  financier,  was  born  in  New  York  City,  Jan. 
29,  1832,  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  Stony 
Point  during  the  Revolutionary  War,  while  his 
father  served  as  Lieutenant  of  Artillery  in  the 
War  of  1812.  After  receiving  a  high  school  edu- 
cation in  New  York,  Mr.  Ackerm'an  engaged  in 
mercantile  business,  but  in  1852  became  a  clerk 
in  the  financial  department  of  the  Illinois  Central 
Railroad.  Coming  to  Chicago  in  the  service  of 
tlie  Company  in  1860,  lie  successively  filled  the 
positions  of  Secretary,  Auditor  and  Treasurer, 
until  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  progress 
of  the  World's  Columbian  Exposition  at  Chicago 
(1892-93)  Mr.  Ackerman  served  as  Auditor  of  the 
Exposition,  and  was  City  Comptroller  of  Chicago 
under    the   administration    of     Mayor    Hopkins 


10 


HISTORICAL   EXCYCLOPEDIA    OF    ILLINOIS. 


(1893-95).  He  is  an  active  member  of  the  Chicago 
Historical  Society,  and  has  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.D.,  educator  and  philan- 
thropist, was  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  there  twenty-three 
J  ears.  In  addition  to  his  educational  duties  he 
participated  in  the  organization  of  several  great 
charitable  associations  which  attained  national 
importance.  On  retiring  from  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  years.  He  then  became  Agent  of  the  Ameri- 
can Sunday  School  Union,  in  the  com-se  of  the 
next  few  years  founding  several  hundred  Sunday 
Schools  in  different  parts  of  the  State.  He  re- 
ceived the  degree  of  LL.  D.  from  Yale  College  in 
185i.  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  \"ork  and  for  seven  years  (1873- 
80)  President  of  Union  Theological  Seminary. 

ADAMS,  John  McGregor,  manufacturer,  was 
born  at  Londonderry,  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 
office  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 
manufactm-e  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.)  Saninel,  physician  and  edu- 
cator, was  born  at  Brunswick,  Me.,  Dec.  19,  1806, 
and  educated  at  Bowdoin  College,  where  he 
graduated  in  both  the  departments  of  literature 
and  of  medicine.     Then,  having  practiced  as  a 


physician  several  years,  in  1838  he  assumed  the 
chair  of  Natural  Philosophj',  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  imcompromising  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  philosophic  topics  may  be  enumer- 
ated articles  on  "The  Natural  History  of  Man  in 
his  Scriptural  Relations;"'  contributions  to  the 
"Biblical  Repository"  (1844);  "Auguste  Comte 
and  Positivism"  ("New  Englander,''  1873),  and 
"Herbert  Spencer's  Proposed  Reconciliation  be- 
tween Religion  and  Science"  ("New  Englander," 
1873).  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.,  June  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 responsibiUty  was  that  of  State  Senator,  to 
which  he  was  elected  in  1880.  In  1883  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 
County,  N.  Y.,  in  1809,  and,  in  1821,  removed  to 
Springfield,  111.,  being  the  first  la-n-yer  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- 


HISTOEICAL   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,  the  name  of  Quincy  being  given 
to  the  coimty  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  agricultiu'e,  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  Coimty,  Pa.,  July  12, 
1823;  educated  at  Trappeand  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  1854  he  was  elected  to  the  State  Senate  from 
Stephenson  County,  serving  continuously  in  tliat 
body  by  successive  re-elections  until  1870 — first  as 
a  Whig  and  afterwards  as  a  Republican.  In  1865 
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  founder  of  the  "Hull 
House,"  Chicago,  is  a  daughter  of  Mr.  Addams. 

ADDISON,  village,  Du  Page  County;  seat  of 
Evangelical  Lutheran  College,  Normal  School 
and  Orphan  Asylum  ;  lias  State  Bank,  stores  and 
public  school.     Pop.  (1900),  591;  (1904),  614. 

ADJUTANTS-GENERAL.  The  office  of  Adju- 
tant-General for  tlie  State  of  Illinois  was  first 
created  by  Act  of  the  Legislature,  Feb.  2,  1865. 
Previous  to  the  War  of  the  Rebellion  the  position 
was  rather  honorary  than  otherwise,  its  duties 
(except  during  the  Black  Hawk  War)  and  its 
emoluments  being  alike  unimportant.  The  in- 
cumbent 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,   1828-39;   Moses 


K.  Anderson,  1839-57;  Thomas  S.  Mather,  1858-61. 
In  November,  18G1,  Col.  T.  S.  Mather,  who  had  held 
the  position  for  three  years  previous,  resigned  to 
enter  active  service,  and  Judge  Allen  C.  Fuller 
was  appointed,  remaining  in  office  until  January 
1,  1865.  The  first  appointee,  under  the  act  of 
1865,  was  Isham  N.  Hayuie,  who  held  office 
until  his  death  in  1869.  The  Legislature  of  1869, 
taking  into  consideration  that  all  the  Illinois 
volunteers  had  been  mustered  out,  and  that  the 
duties  of  the  Adjutant-General  had  been  materi- 
ally lessened,  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  dm-ation  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,  1898-96;  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 
beginning  in  Jackson  Comity  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  adajited  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  raising  of  cereals. 
In  the  value  of  its  oat  crop  Illinois  leads  all  the 
States,  that  for  1891  being  §31,106,674,  with  3.068,- 
930  acres  under  cultivation.  In  the  production 
of  corn  it  ranks  next  to  Iowa,  the  last  census 
(1890)  showing  7,014,336  acres  under  cultivation, 
and  the  value  of  the  crop  being  estimated  at 
586,905,510.  In  wheat-raising  it  ranked  seventh, 
although  the  annual  average  value  of  the  crop 
from  1880  to  1890  was  a  little  less  than  829,000,- 
000.  As  a  live-stock  State  it  leads  in  the  value  of 
horses  (883,000,000),  ranks  second  in  the  produc- 
tion of  swine  (830,000,000),  third  in  cattle-growing 
(832,000,000),  and  fourth  in  dairy  products,  the 
value  of  milch  cows  being  estimated  at  $24,000,- 
000.     (See  also  Farmcis'  Institute. ) 


13 


HISTORICAL   EXCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


AGRICULTURE,    DEPARTMENT     OF.       A 

department  of  the  State  administration  which 
grew  out  of  the  organization  of  the  Illinois  Agri- 
cultural Society,  incorporated  by  Act  of  the 
Legislatiu-e  in  1853.  The  first  appropriation  from 
the  State  treasury  for  its  maintenance  was  §1,000 
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- 
cultvu-ists.  The  department  has  well  equipped 
oflSces  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  ofiicers 
(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  §30,000  and 
§25,000  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.  D.,  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  16,  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 
1821  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  assmned  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  1887  to 
1852  was  spent  as  stationed  minister  or  Presiding 


Elder  at  Springfield,  Quincy  and  Jacksonville.  In 
the  latter  year  he  was  again  appointed  to  the 
Presidency  of  McKendree  College,  where  he 
remained  five  years.  He  was  then  (1857)  trans- 
ferred to  the  Minnesota  Conference,  but  a  year 
later  was  compelled  by  declining  health  to  assume 
a  superannuated  relation.  Returning  to  Illinois 
about  1865,  he  served  as  Presiding  Elder  of  the 
Jacksonville  and  Pleasant  Plains  Districts,  but 
was  again  compelled  to  accept  a  superannuated 
relation,  making  Jacksonville  his  home,  where 
he  died,  Feb.  21,  1886.  While  President  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  vast  research.  Dr. 
Akers  was  a  man  of  profoimd  convictions,  exten- 
sive learning  and  great  eloquence.  As  a  pulpit 
orator  and  logician  he  probably  had  no  superior 
in  the  State  during  the  time  of  his  most  active 
service  in  the  denomination  to  which  he  belonged. 

AKIN,  Edward  C,  lawyer  and  Attorney-Gen- 
eral, was  born  in  Will  County,  111.,  in  1852,  and 
educated  in  the  public  schools  of  Joliet  and  at  Ann 
Arbor,  Mich.  For  four  years  he  was  paying  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  the  Republi- 
can candidate  for  City  Attorney  of  Joliet,  and  was 
elected  by  a  majority  of  over  700  votes,  although 
the  city  was  usually  Democratic.  The  follow- 
ing year  he  was  the  candidate  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  ticloet  by  a  plurality 
over  his  Democratic  opponent  of  132.248  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  success  as  a  candidate,  in  the 
face,  at  times,  of  strong  political  majorities. 

ALBANY,  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- 


EXPERniKNT    lAKM    iTHE    VINEVARDi    fXIVERSITY   OF    II.I.IXOI 


EXPERIMENT   EAR 


LTIVATION),   UNIVERSITY   OF   II,I<INOIS. 


HISTORICAL   EXCYCLOPEDLV    OF    ILLINOIS. 


13 


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

ALCORN,  James  Lusk,  was  born  near  Gol- 
conda.  111.,  Nov.  4,  1816;  early  went  South  and 
held  various  oflSces  in  Kentuckj'  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  County,  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  furnitirre  and  wooden  ware, 
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  Chicago,  where  he 
embarked  in  the  wholesale  grocery  business.  In 
1875  he  was  elected  to  the  City  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  La<j,  Wis., 
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  also 
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,  Joliii  T.,  agriculturist  and 
stock-grower,  was  born  in  Western  Virginia, 
Sept.  15,  1820;  removed  with  his  father,  at  six 
j-ears  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-faims  in  the  State.  After  the 
war  he  became  the  owner  of  the  celebrated 
"Sullivant  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,  wlien  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,  took  part  in  the  Black 


14 


IIISTOEICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


Hawk  War  as  Brigadier-General  of  the  Second 
Brigade,  Illinois  Volunteers.  On  the  inception  of 
the  internal  improvement  scheme  in  1837  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  lie  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  Teunessee- 
ans  named  Bird,  who  occupied  the  delta  and  gave 
it  the  name  of  Bird's  Point,  wliich,  at  the  date  of 
the  Civil  War  (1861-05),  had  been  transferred  to 
the  Missouri  shore  opposite  the  mouth  of  the  Ohio. 
Other  early  settlers  were  Clark,  Kennedj'  and 
Philijis  (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)  tlie  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,  which  was  incorporated  in 

1820.  Population  (1900),  19,384. 

ALEXIAN  BROTHERS'  HOSPITAL,  located 
at  Chicago;  established  in  1800.  and  under  the 
management  of  tlie  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,  onlj*to  be  de- 
stroyed in  the  great  fire  of  1871.  Tlie  following 
year,  through  the  aid  of  private  benefactions  and 
an  appropriation  of  818,000  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  nationality  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  $250,- 
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. 

ALGONQUINS,  a  group  of  Indian  tribes. 
Originally  tlieir  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  Puritans  in 
New  England  and  by  Catholic  missionaries  in  the 
great  basin  of  the  Mississippi.  One  of  tlie  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  spoils  of  the 
chase,  the  Algonquins  were  to  some  extent  tillers 
of  tlie  soil  and  cultivated  large  tracts  of  maize. 
Various  dialects  of  their  language  liave  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  witliin  the  United 
States. 

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


HISTORICAL   EXCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


15 


infancy  he  was  brought  by  his  parents  to  Soutli- 
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  John  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  1802  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  AUen  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. 

ALLE>",  Willis,  a  native  of  Tennessee,  who 
removed  to  Williamson  Covmty,  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  aftervs-ard  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,  lie  was  commissioned  Judge  of  the 
Twenty-sixth  Judicial  Circuit,  but  died  three 
months  later.  His  son,  William  Joshua,  suc- 
ceeded him  in  the  latter  office. 

ALLERTOX,  Samnel  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  County.  N.  Y..  but  about  1852  he  ( 


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,  Jersey  City  and 
Omaha.  Mr.  AUerton  is  one  of  the  founders  and 
a  Director  of  the  First  National  Bank  of  Chicago, 
a  Director  and  stockholder  of  the  Chicago  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,  he  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.  25,  1817,  being  a  direct  descend- 
ant in  the  eighth  generation  of  Captain  Robert 
Allyn,  who  was  one  of  the  first  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  pubUc  library,  from 
which  he  acquired  a  good  degi-ee  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,  graduating  in  1841.  He  im- 
mediately engaged  as  a  teacher  of  mathematics 
in  the  Wesleyan  Academy  at  Wilbraham,  Mass., 
and,  in  1846,  was  elected  principal  of  the  school, 


16 


niSTOIilCAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF    ILLINOIS. 


meanwhile  (1843)  becoming  a  licentiate  of  the 
Providence  Conference  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church.  From  1848  to  1854  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  1857  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  (1863) 
becoming  President  of  McKeudree  College  at 
Lebanon,  111.,  where  he  remained  imtil  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  and  higliest  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  liank, 
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,  (1900),  1,335. 

ALTGELD,  John  Peter,  ex-Judge  and  ex-Gov- 
ernor, was  born  in  Prussia  in  1848,  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  County  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 
tlie  Superior  Court  of  Cook  County,  but  resigned 
in  August,  1891.  The  Democratic  State  conven- 
tion of  1893  nominated  him  for  Governor,  and  he 
was  elected  the  following  November,  being  the 
first  foreign-born  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 


ALTON,  principal  city  in  Madison  County 
and  important  commercial  and  manufacturing 
point  on  Mississippi  River,  25  miles  north  of 
St.  Louis;  site  was  first  occupied  as  a  French 
trading-post  about  1807,  the  town  proper  being 
laid  out  by  Col.  Rufus  Easton  in  1817;  principal 
business  houses  are  located  in  the  valley  along 
the  river,  while  the  residence  portion  occupies 
the  bluff's  overlooking  the  river,  sometimes  rising 
to  the  height  of  nearly  350  feet.  The  city  has 
extensive  glass  works  employing  (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  newspapers,  three  of  them  daily.  A  monu- 
ment to  the  memory  of  Elijah  P  Lovejoy,  who 
fell  while  defending  his  press  against  a  pro-slav- 
ery mob  in  1837.  was  erected  in  Alton  Cemetery, 
1896-7,  at  a  cost  of  S30.000,  contributed  by  the 
State  and  citizens  of  Alton.  Population  (1890), 
10,294;  (1900),  14,210. 

ALTON  PENITEXTIARY.  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  any 
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 
Congress,  and  a  considerable  portion  of  the  money 
received  from  their  sale  was  apijropriated  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  upon  building  a  new  peniten- 
tiary, which  was  located  at  Joliet  (see  Northern 
Penitentiari/).  and,  in  1860,  the  last  convicts  were 
transferred  thither  from  Alton.  The  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  under  the  super- 
vision of  a  Commissioner  appointed  by  the  State, 
and  who  handled  all  the  products  of  convict 
labor. 


HISTORICAL   EXCYCLOrEDIA    OF    ILLIXOIS. 


ALTON  RIOTS.  (See  Lovejoy.  Elijah  Par- 
rish.) 

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

ALTON  &  SAXiAMOX  RAILROAD.  (See 
Clticago  &  Alton  Railroad.) 

AMBOT,  city  in  Lee  County  on  Green  River,  at 
junction  of  Illinois  Central  and  C,  B.  &  Q.  Rail- 
roads, 95  miles  soutli  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 
seven  churches,  graded  and  high 
is  on  line  of  Northern  Illinois  Electric 
Ry.  from  De  Kalb  to  Dixon;  extensive  bridge 
and  iron  works  located  here.     Pop.  (1900),  1,826. 

AMES,  Edward  Raymond,  Methodist  Episcopal 
Bishop,  born  at  Amesville,  Athens  County,  Ohio, 
May  30,  1806;  was  educated  at  the  Ohio  State 
University,  where  he  joined  the  M.  E.  Church. 
In  1838  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,  1S32; 
graduated  at  Rochester  University  in  1854  and  at 
the  Theological  Seminary  there  in  1856;  spent 
ten  years  in  Baptist  pastoral  work  at  Janesville, 
V\''is.,  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  j'ears,  when  he  again  be- 
came a  pastor  at  Salem,  Mass.,  but  soon  after 
assiomed  the  Presidency  of  Denison  University, 
Ohio.  On  the  organization  of  the  new  Chicago 
Universit}',  he  accepted  the  chair  of  Homiletics 
and  Pastoral  Theology,  which  he  now  holds 

ANDERSON,  George  A.,  lawj-er  and  Congress- 
man, was  born  in  Botetourt  County,  Va.,  March 
11,  1853.  When  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,  legi-slator,  was  born  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,  '92  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  Covmty,  Tenn.,  in  1800; 
came  to  Jefferson  County,  111.,  in  his  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  re-elected  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  under  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  tlirough  the  grades  of  Captain  and 
Lieutenant-Colonel  to  a  Colonelcy,  and,  at  the 
close  of  the  war,  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  vacancy.   In  1874  he  was  electeil  to  the  Forty- 


18 


IIISTOEICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


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

ANDRUS,  Rer.  Reuben,  clergyman  and  edu- 
cator, was  born  at  Rutland,  Jefferson  County, 
N.  Y.,  Jan.  29,  1824;  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  1850,  foimded  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  '75  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  newspapers.  The  Southern '(111. )  Hos- 
pital for  the  Insane  is  located  here.  Population 
(1890),  2,295;  (1900),  2,618;  (est.  1904),  3,000. 

ANTHONY,  EUiott,  jurist,  was  born  of  New 
England  Quaker  ancestry  at  Spafford,  Onondaga 
County,  N.  Y.,  June  10,  1837;  was  related  on 
the  maternal  side  to  the  Chases  and  Phelps  (dis- 
tinguished lawyers)  of  Vermont.  His  early  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  1851,  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— being  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  1893,  after  which  he 
resumed  the  practice  of  his  profession,  being 
chiefly  employed  as  consulting  counsel.  Judge 
Anthony  was  one  of  the  founders  and  incorpo- 
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  important  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,  Feb.  24.  1898. 

AMI-NEBRASKA  EDITORIAL  CONVEN- 
TION, a  political  body,  which  convened  at 
Decatur,  Feb.  23,  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  opposition  to  the  principles 
of  the  Kansas-Nebraska  bill.  Twelve  editors 
were  in  attendance,  as  follows:  Cliarles  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  Republican";  George  Schneider  of  "The 
Chicago  Staats  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;  W^illiam 
H.  Herndon,  Springfield;  R.  J.  Oglesby,  Deca- 
tur; Joseph  Gillespie,  Edwardsville ;  D.  L.  Phil- 
lips, Jonesboro;  and  Ira  O.  Wilkinson  and 
Gustavus  Koerner  for  the  State-at-large.     Abra- 


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- 
ner,  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  ISSij. ) 

APPLE  RIVER,  a  village  of  Jo  Daviess 
County,  on  the  Illinois  Central  Railroad,  21  miles 
east-northeast  from  Galena.  Population  (1880), 
626;  (1890),  572;  (1900),  576. 

APPLINGTON,  (Maj.)  Zeiias,  soldier,  was  born 
in  Broome  County,  N.  Y.,  Dec.  24,  1815;  in  1837 
emigrated  to  Ogle  County,  111.,  where  he  fol- 
lowed successively  the  occupations  of  farmer, 
blacksmith,  carjjenter  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),  arid  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: 

Legislative. — 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  nmnber  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,  '26,  '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.  Thereafter 
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  established  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  imchanged,  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  population.  This  arrange- 
ment continued  in  force  for  only  one  Legislature 
— that  chosen  in  1870. 

In  1872  this  Legislature  proceeded  to  reappor- 
tion the  State  in  accordance  with  the  principle  of 
"minority  representation,"  which  had  been  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.  The  ratio  of  representa- 
tion in  the  lower  house  was  ascertained  by  divid- 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


ing  the  entire  population  by  153  and  each  county 
to  be  allowed  one  Representative,  provided  its 
population  reached  three-fifths  oif  the  ratio ;  coun- 
ties having  a  population  equivalent  to  one  and 
thi-ee-flfths  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  1873,  '83  and  "93. 
Members  of  the  lower  house  are  elected  bienni- 
ally; Senators  for  fom-  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 sufRcient  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,  1833. 
At  that  time  Illinois  comprised  fifty-five  coun- 
ties, which  were  appoi-tioned  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,  Jefiierson,  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, 
McDonough.  AVarren,  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  nimiber 
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, 
JIarion;  Third  —  Lawrence,  Richland,  Jasper, 
Fayette,  Crawford,  Effingham,  Christian,  Jlont- 
gomery,  Shelby,  Moultrie.  Coles.  Clark,  Clay, 
Edgar,  Piatt,  Macon,   De  Witt;     Fourth — Lake, 


McHenry,  Boone,  Cook,  Kane,  De  Kalb,  Du  Page, 
Kendall,  Will,  Grundy,  La  Salle,  Iroquois, 
Livingston,  Champaign,  VermiUon,  McLean, 
Bureau;  Fifth  —  Greene,  Jersey,  Calhoim,  Pike, 
Adams,  Marquette  (a  part  of  Adams  never  fully 
organized),  Brown,  Schuyler,  Fulton  Peoria, 
Macoupin;  Sixth  —  Jo  Daviess,  Stephenson, 
Winnebago,  Carroll,  Ogle,  Whiteside,  Henry, 
Lee,  Rock  Island,  Stark,  Mercer,  Henderson, 
Warren,  Knox,  McDonough,  Hancock;  Seventh 
— Putnam,  Slarshall,  Woodford,  Cass,  Tazewell, 
Mason,  ;\lfii:ird,  Sci.U.  Morgan,  Logan,  Sangamon. 
The  iii'xt  ( 'oiiL;irssi(inal  apportionment  (August 
22,  IS'i'i)  iliviilcd  till' 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, McLean,  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,  La\vi-ence,  Richland,  Fayette ; 
Eighth  —  Randolph,  Monroe,  St.  Clair,  Bond, 
Madison,  Clinton,  Washington,  Jefferson,  Mar- 
ion; Ninth — Alexander,  Pulaski,  Massac,  Union, 
Johnson,  Pope,  Hardin,  Gallatin,  Saline,  Jack- 
son, Perry,  FrankUn,  W^illiamson,  Hamilton, 
Edwards,  White,  Wayne,  Wabash. 

The  census  of  18G0  showed  that  Illinois  was 
entitled  to  fourteen  Representatives,  but  through 
an  error  the  apportionment  law  of  April  24,  1861. 
created  only  thirteen  districts.  This  was  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;  Fom-th — Adams,  Han- 
cock, Warren,  Mercer,  Henderson,  Rock  Island; 
Fifth— Peoria,  Knox,  Stark,  Marshall,  Putnam, 
Bureau,  Henry;  Sixth— La  Salle,  Grundy,  Ken- 
dall, Du  Page.  Will,  Kankakee;  Seventh  — 
Macon,  Piatt.  Champaign.  Douglas.  Moultrie, 
Cumberland,  Vermilion,  Coles.  Edgar,  Iroquois, 
Ford;  Eighth— Sangamon,  Logan,  De  Witt,  Mc- 
Lean, Tazewell,  Woodford,  Livingston ;    Ninth— 


HISTORICAL   EXCYCLOPEDIA    OF    ILLIXOIS. 


21 


Fulton,  Mason,  Menard,  Cass.  Pike,  McDonough, 
Schuyler,  Brown ;  Tenth  —  Bond,  Morgan,  Cal- 
houn, Macoupin,  Scott,  Jersey,  Greene,  Christian, 
Montgomery,  Shelby ;  Eleventh  —  Marion,  Fay- 
ette, Richland,  Jasper,  Clay,  Clark,  Crawford, 
Franklin,  Lawrence,  Hamilton,  Effingham, 
Wayne,  Jefferson;  Twelfth— St.  Clair,  Madison, 
Clinton,  Monroe,  Washington,  Randolpli: 
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— Wanls 
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;  Eighth — 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, 
^Menard,  Sangamon,  Cass,  Christian;  Thirteenth — 
Mason,  Tazewell.  McLean,  Logan.  De  Witt ;  Fovir- 
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  —  Macoupin,  Madison,  St. 
Clair,  Monroe ;  Eighteenth  —  Randolph,  Perr}', 
Jackson,  Union.  Johnson,  Williamson,  Alex- 
ander, Pope,  Massac,  Pulaski;  Nineteenth — 
Richland,  Wayne,  Edwards,  White,  Wabash, 
Saline,  Gallatin,  Hardin,  Jefferson,  Franklin. 
Hamilton. 

In  1883  (by  Act  of  April  29)  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  oth  to 
7th  and  part  of  8th  in  Chicago;  Third — Wards 
9th  to  14th  and  part  of  8th  in  Chicago ;  Fourth 
— The  remainder  of  the  City  of  Chicago  and  of 
the  county  of  Cook;  Fifth  —  Lake.  McHenrj-, 
Boone,  Kane,  and  De  Kalb ;  Sixth — Winnebago. 
Stephenson,    Jo    Daviess,     Ogle,     and    Carroll; 


Seventh  —  Lee,  Whiteside,  Henry,  Bureau,  Put- 
nam; Eighth — 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,  Calhoim,  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, 
Jloultrie,  Shelby,  Effingham,  Fayette;  Eight- 
eenth— Bond,  Madison,  St.  Clair.  Jlonroe.  Wash- 
ington; Nineteenth  —  Marion.  Clinton  Jefferson. 
Saline,  Franklin,  Hamilton,  White.  Gallatin,  Har- 
din ;  Twentieth  —  Perrj',  Randolph.  Jackson. 
LTnion,  Williamson,  Johnson,  Alexander,  Pope, 
Pulaski,  Massac. 

The  census  of  1890  showed  the  State  to  be  entit- 
led to  twent.v-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, Stephen.son,  Jo  Daviess,  Carroll,  Ogle,  Lee: 
Tenth— Whiteside,  Rock  Island,  Mercer.  Henry, 
Stark,  Knox ;  Eleventh  —  Bureau,  La  Salle. 
Living.ston.  Woodford;  Twelfth— Will,  Kanka- 
kee. Iroquois.  Vermilion;  Thirteentli — Ford.  Mc- 
Lean, DeWitt,  Piatt,  Champaign,  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, Wabash,  Franklin,  White,  Gallatin, 
Hardin;  Twenty- first— Marion,  Clinton,  Wash- 
ington, St.  Clair.  Monroe,  Randolph,  Perry; 
Twenty-second  —  Jackson.  Union.  Alexander. 
Pulaski,  Johnson,  Williamson.  Saline.  Pope. 
Massac.     (See  also  Rc2}resentativcs  it'   Congress.) 


22 


niSTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLIXOIS. 


ARCHER,  WilUam  B.,  pioneer,  was  born  in 
Warren  County,  Ohio,  in  1790,  and  taken  to  Ken- 
tucky at  an  early  day,  wLiere  he  remained  until 
ISIT,  when  his  family  removed  to  Illinois,  finally 
settling  in  what  is  now  Clark  Coimty.  Although 
pm-suing  the  avocation  of  a  farmer,  he  became 
one  of  the  most  prominent  and  influential  men  in 
that  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  brancli  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; 
was  appointed  by  Governor  Duncan,  in  183.5,  a 
member  of  the  first  Board  of  Commissioners  of 
the  Illinois  &  Michigan  Canal;  in  1838  was 
retmned  a  second  time  to  the  House  of  Repre- 
sentatives and  re-elected  in  1840  and  "46  to  the 
same  body.  Two  years  later  (1848)  he  was  again 
elected  Circuit  Clerk,  remaining  imtil  1852,  and 
in  1854  was  an  Anti-Nebraska  Whig  candidate 
for  Congress  in  opposition  to  James  C.  AUen. 
Although  Allen  received  the  certificate  of  elec- 
tion. Archer  contested  his  right  to  the  seat,  with 
the  result  that  Congress  declared  the  seat  vacant 
and  referred  the  question  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 
in  that  section  of  the  State,  especially  the  old 
Chicago  &  Vincennes  Road,  the  first  projected 
southward  from  the  City  of  Chicago.  His  con- 
nection with  the  Illinois  &  Michigan  Canal  was 
the  means  of  giving  his  name  to  Archer  Avenue, 
a  somewhat  famous  thoroughfare  in  Chicago 
He  was  of  tall  stature  and  great  energy  of  char- 
acter, with  a  tendency  to  enthusiasm  that  com- 
municated itself  to  others.  A  local  history  has 
said  of  him  that  '  'he  did  more  for  Clark  County 
than  any  man  in  his  day  or  since,"  although  "no 
consideration,  pecuniary  or  otherwise,  was  ever 
given  liim  for  his  services."  Colonel  Archer  was 
one  of  the  founders  of  Marshall,  the  county-seat 
of  Clark  County,  Governor  Dmican  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  years. 

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

AREJiZ,  Francis  A.,  pioneer,  was  born  at 
Blankenberg,  in  the  Province  of  the  Rhein, 
Prussia,  Oct.  31,  1800;  obtained  a  good  education 
and,  while  a  yoimg  man,  engaged  in  mercantile 
business  in  his  native  country.  In  1827  he  came 
to  the  United  States  and,  after  spending  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  Beardstown  a  few 
months  later,  went  into  merchandising  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  shipping  point.  In  1834  he  began  the  publi- 
cation of  "The  Beardstown  Chronicle  and  Illinois 
Bounty  Land  Register,"  and  was  the  projector  of 
the  Beardstown  &  Sangamon  Canal,  extending 
from  the  Illinois  River  at  Beardstown  to  Miller's 
Ferry  on  the  Sangamoii,  for  which  he  secui'ed  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  thrifty  agricultural  com- 
munity composed  largely  of  Germans,  among 
whom  he  exercised  a  large  influence.  Resuming 
the  mercantile  business  here,  he  continued  it 
until  about  1853,  when  lie  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 


HISTORICAL   EXCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLIXOIS. 


23 


of  Arenzville,  and  which  had  been  in  dispute, 
v.-as  transferred  by  vote  of  the  citizens  to  Cass 
County.  In  18.52  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  1853, 
and  served  as  the  Vice-President  for  his  district 
until  his  death,  and  was  also  the  founder  and 
President  of  the  Cass  County  Agricultural  Soci- 
ety.    Died.  April  2.  18.50. 

AELINtiTON,  a  village  of  Bureau  County,  on 
the  Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy  Railroad,  92 
miles  west  of  Chicago.  Population  (1880),  447; 
(1890).  436;  (1900).  400. 

ARLINGTON  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  Banfortli,  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 

.  across  the  Plains  to  California,  where  he  re- 
mained four  years,  achieving  only  moderate  suc- 
cess as  a  miner.     Returning  east  in  1856,  he  soon 

rafter  embarked  in  the  commission  business  in 
Milwaukee,  continuing  luitil  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,  Kansas  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  countrj-.  Mr. 
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  §2,350,000,  as  an  offshoot  of  the  Armour 
Mission  founded  on  the  bequest  of  his  deceased 
brother,  Joseph  F.  Armour.     Died  Jan.  6,  1901. 


ARMSTRONG,  Jolin  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  Jlorgan  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  Count3',  where  they  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  Wasliingtou  (Arm- 
strong), brother  of  the  preceding,  was  born  upon 
the  farm  of  his  parents,  Joseph  and  Elsie  (Strawn) 
Armstrong,  in  Licking  County,  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  construc- 
tion of  the  IlUnois  &  Michigan  Canal,  finally  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  Fourteenth  General  Assembly, 
also  served  in  the  Constitutional  Convention  of 
1847  and,  in  1858,  was  the  unsuccessful  Democratic 
candidate  for  Congress  in  opposition  to  Owen 
Lovejoy.  Re-entering  the  Legislature  in  1860  as 
Representative  from  La  Salle  County,  he  served 
in  that  body  by  successive  re-elections  until  1868, 
proving  one  of  its  ablest  and  most  influential 
members,  as  well  as  an  accomplished  parliamen- 
tarian. Mr.  Armstrong  was  one  of  the  original 
promoters  of  the  Kankakee  &  Seneca  Riiilroad.— 
William  E.  (Armstrong),  third  brother  of  this 
family,  was  born  in  Licking  County,  Ohio,  Oct. 
25,   1814;   came  to  Illinois  with  the  rest  of  the 


24 


HISTORICAL   EXCYC'LOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


family  in  1831,  and  resided  in  La  Salle  County 
iiiitil  1841,  meanwhile  serving  two  or  three  terms 
;is  Shi^vitf  of  the  county.  The  latter  year  he  was 
a|i]H)iiiliMl  one  of  the  Commissioners  to  locate  the 
.■(i\iiity-^cat  of  the  newly-organized  county  of 
Grundy,  linally  becoming  one  of  the  foxmders  and 
tlie  lirst  permanent  settler  of  tlie  town  of  Grundy 
— later  I'alled  Morris,  in  honor  of  Hon.  I.  N.  Mor- 
ris, of  Quiucy,  111,  at  that  time  one  of  the  Com- 
mis.sioners  of  the  Illinois  &  Michigan  Canal. 
Here  Mr.  Armstrong  was  again  elected  to  the 
office  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,  1833,  and  came  to  La 
Salle  County,  111.,  in  1831.  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  C'ount3%  he  managed  to  prepare  himself 
for  collf.ne,  entering  Illinois  College  at  Jackson- 
villi-  in  1S43.  Owing  to  failure  of  health,  he  was 
com] II ■lied  to  abandon  his  plan  of  obtaining  a  col- 
le,i,'iate  education  and  returned  home  at  the  end 
of  his  Freshman  year,  but  continued  his  studies, 
nieanwhile  teaching  district  schools  in  the  winter 
and  working  on  his  mother's  farnr  during  the 
crop  season,  vmtil  1845,  when  he  located  in  Mor- 
ris. Grundy  County,  opened  a  general  store  and 
was  a|i|iointeil  I '( istmastei".  He  has  been  in  pub- 
lic |i(isiiiMii  .ii  saline  sort  ever  since  he  reached  his 
majority,  in.  Imliug  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 
Representative  in  the  General  Assembly  (1863-64 
and  1873-74).  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 
to  his  lot  to  draw  up  the  original  charters  of  the 
Chicago  &  Rock  Island,  the  Illinois  Central,  and 
the  Chicago,  Burhngton  &  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 33d  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  £v  num- 
ber of  poems.  He  takes  much  pleasure  in  relat- 
ing reminiscences  of  pioneer  life  in  Illinois,  one 
of  which  is  the  story  of  his  first  trip  from 
Ottawa  to  Chicago,  in  December,  1831,  when  he 
accompanied  his  olde.st  brother  (William  E. 
Armstrong)  to  Chicago  with  a  sled  and  ox- 
.team  for  salt  to  cure  their  mast- fed  pork,  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  Jf.,  lawyer  and  Congressman, 
was  born  near  Cooperstown,  N.  Y.,  Nov.  30,  1813, 
being  descended  from  one  of  the  companions  of 
Roger  W"illianis.  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  1835.  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  reiJutation  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  partj',  by 
which  he  was  sent  to  Congress  from  18G1  to  18G5. 
Wliile  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  34,  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." 

ARRINGTON,  Alfred  W.,  clergyman,  lawyer 
and  author,  was  born  in  Iredell  County,  N.  C, 
September,  1810,  being  the  son  of  a  Whig  mem- 
ber of  Congress  from  that  State.     In  1839  he  was 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF    ILLINOIS. 


25 


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  lie  began  the 
study  of  law.  and  having  been  admitted  to  the 
bar,  i^racticed  for  several  years  in  Arkansas, 
where  he  was  sent  to  the  Legislature,  and,  in  1844, 
was  the  Whig  candidate  for  Presidential  Elec- 
tor. Later  he  removed  to  Texas,  where  he  served 
as  Judge  for  six  years.  In  1850  he  removed  to 
Madison,  Wis.,  but  a  year  later  came  to  Chicago, 
where  he  attained  distinction  as  a  lawyer,  d3-iug 
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  Jlethodist  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  Coimty, 
on  the  Lake  Erie  &  Western  Railway,  90  miles 
east  of  Bloomington ;  is  in  an  agricultural  and 
stock  region;  has  one  newspaper.  Population 
(1800),  430;  (1900),  317. 

ARTHUR,  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  G.,  lawyer,  was  born  in  Phila- 
delphia, Sept.  17,  1825;  was  educated  in  private 
schools  and  entered  the  ministry  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church ;  later  spent  some  time  in  the 
South,  but  in  1853  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- 
Tember,  1864.  During  1871-73  he  made  an  ex- 
tended trip  to  Europe,  occupying  some  eigliteen 
months,  making  a  second  visit  in  1883.  His  later 
years  were  spent  chiefly  on  a  farm  in  Ogle 
County.     Died  in  Chicago,  Nov.  34,  1898. 

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


ISIO;  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.  Browning;  was  admitted  to  the 
bar  in  1837,  being  for  a  time  the  partner  of  Col. 
Edward  D.  Baker,  afterwards  United  States 
Senator  from  Oregon  and  finally  killed  at  BalVs 
Bluff  in  1862.  In  1849  Sir.  Asbury  was  appointed 
by  President  Taylor  Register  of  the  Quincy  Land 
Office,  and,  in  1864-65,  served  by  appointment  of 
President  Lincoln  (who  was  his  close  personal 
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  Abraham 
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  Douglas 
which  gave  the  latter  so  much  trouble  dm-ing 
the  memorable  debates  of  1858.  In  1886  Captain 
Asbury  removed  to  Chicago,  where  he  continued 
to  reside  until  his  death,  Nov.  19,  1896. 

ASHLAXD,  a  town  in  Cass  County,  at  the 
intersection  of  the  Chicago  &  Alton  and  the 
Baltimore  &  Ohio  South-Western  Railroad,  31 
miles  west-northwest  of  Springfield  and  200 
miles  southwest  of  Chicago.  It  is  in  the  midst  of 
a  ricli  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),  1,201. 

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

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

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


:>AUK  VALLEY  COLLEGt 


LRC 


56735 


20 


HISTOKICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLIXOLS. 


Chicago;  has  one  newspaper.     Population  (1880), 

646;  (1S!H)).  6S();  (1! I.  77(!. 

ASPINWALL.  Hoincr  F..  farmer  and  legisla- 
tor, was  born  in  Steplienson  Cciunty.  111.,  Xov.  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  1892  JMr.  Aspinwall 
was  elected  to  the  State  Senate  and  re-elected  in 
1896.  Soon  after  the  beginning  of  the  Spanish- 
American  War  in  1898,  he  was  appointed  by 
President  McKinley  Captain  and  Assistant 
Quartermaster  in  the  Volunteer  Army,  but 
before  being  assigned  to  duty  accepted  the  Lieu- 
tenant-Colonelcy of  the  Twelfth  Illinois  Pro- 
visional Regiment.  When  it  became  evident  that 
the  regiment  would  not  be  called  into  the  service, 
he  was  assigned  to  the  command  of  the  "Mani- 
toba," a  large  transport  steamer,  which  carried 
some  13,000  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  apparent  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  finall}'  granted  about 
the  middle  of  February,  when  he  resumed  his 
seat  in  the  Senate.  Jlr.  Aspinwall  owns  and 
operates  a  large  farm  near  Freeport. 

ASSUMPTION,  a  town  in  Christian  County,  on 
the  Illinois  Ceniral  Railroad,  33  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  school,  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. 

ATCHISON,  TOPEKA  &  SANTA  FE  RAIL- 
WAY COMPANY.  Tliis  Company  operates  three 
subsidiary  lines  in  Illinois — the  Chicago,  Santa 
Fe  &  California,  the  Atchison,  Topeka  and  Santa 
Fe  in  Chicago,  and  the  IMississippi  River  Rail- 
road &  Toll  Bridge,  which  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 


wliich  395  are  in  Illinois.  The  total  earnings  and 
income  for  the  year  ending  June  30,  1895,  were 
§1,398,600,  while  the  operating  expenses  and  fixed 
charges  amounted  to  82,360,706.  The  accumu- 
lated deficit  on  the  whole  line  amounted,  June  30, 
1894,  to  more  than  §4,500,000.  The  total  capitali- 
zation of  the  whole  line  in  1895  was  852,775,251. 
The  parent  road  was  chartered  in  1859  under  tlie 
name  of  tliQ  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  Railway  Company  (its  present 
name),  which  succeeded  by  purchase  under  fore- 
closure (Deo.  10,  1895)  to  the  property  and  fran- 
chises of  the  Atchison,  Topeka  and  Santa  Fe 
Railroad  Company.  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,  Chicago; 
E.  D.  Kenna,  1st  Vice-President  and  General 
Solicitor,  Chicago;  Paul  Morton,  2d  Vice-Presi- 
dent, Chicago;  E.  Wilder,  Secretary  and  Treas- 
urer, Topeka;  L.  C.  Deniing,  Assistant  Secretary, 
New  York ;  H.  AV.  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  Superintendent,  Topeka; 
W.  A.  Bissell,  Assistant  Freight  Traffic  Manager, 
Chicago;  W.  F.  White,  Passenger  Traffic 
Manager,  Chicago;  Geo.  T.  Nicholson,  Assistant 
Passenger  Traffic  Manager,  Chicago;  W.  E. 
Hodges,  General  Purchasing  Agent,  Chicago; 
James  A.  Davis,  Industrial  Commissioner,  Chi- 
cago ;  James  Dun,  Chief  Engineer,  Topeka,  Kan. ; 
John  Player,  Superintendent  of  Machinery, 
Topeka,  Kan. ;  C.  W.  Koims,  Suiierintendent  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,  Chicago;  P.  Walsh,  General 
Baggage  Agent,  Chicago. 

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


HISTORICAL   E^T'YCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLIIS^OIS. 


37 


&  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 
plant,  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. 
ATKIXS,  Smith  D.,  soldier  and  journalist,  was 
born  near  Elmira,  N.  Y. ,  June  9,  1836 ;  came  with 
his  father  to  Illinois  in  1846,  and  lived  on  a  farm 
till  1850;  was  educated  at  Rock  River  Seminary, 
Mount  Morris,  meanwhile  learning  the  printer's 
trade,  and  afterwards  established  "The  Savanna 
Register"  in  Carroll  County.  In  18.54  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  Chattanooga  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),  763. 

ATLANTA,  a  city  of  Logan  County,  on  the 
Chicago  &  Alton  Railroad,  20  miles  southwest  of 
Bloomingtou.     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 light  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  (1900).  1,270. 

ATLAS,  a  hamlet  in  the  southwestern  part  of 
Pike  County,  10  miles  southwest  of  Pittsfield  and 
three  miles  from  Rockport,  the  nearest  station  on 
the  Quincy  &  Louisiana  Division  of  the  Chicago, 
Burlington  &  Quincy  Railroad.  Atlas  has  an  in- 
teresting history.  It  was  settled  by  Col.  William 
Ross  and  four  brothers,  who  came  here  from 
Pittsfield,  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  1823,  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  aU  the  territory  lying 
north  and  west  of  the  IlUnois  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  Pittsfield. 
During  a  part  of  that  time  it  was  one  of  the 
most  important  points  in  tlie  western  part  of  the 
State,  and  was,  for  a  time,  a  rival  of  Quincy. 
It  now  has  only  a  postoffioe  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  under  the 
Territorial  and  State  Governments,  down  to  the 
present  time  (1899), with  the  date  and  duration  of 
the  term  of  each  incumbent : 

Territori.^l— 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,  1813-18. 

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;  Ninian 
W.  Edwards,  1834-35;  Jesse  B.  Thomas,  Jr., 
183.5-36;  W^alter  B.  Scales,  1836-37;  Usher  F. 
Linder,  1837-38;  George  W.  Olney,  1838-39;  Wick- 
liffe  Kitchen,  1839-40;  Josiah  Lamborn,  1840-43; 
James  Allen  McDougal,  1843-46;  David  B.  Camp- 
bell, 184C-48. 

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


IIISTOEICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF    ILLIXOIS. 


however,  b}^  legislative  enactmeut  in  1S6T,  and 
uu  Feb.  28  of  that  year  Go-veruor  Oglesby 
appointed  Robert  G.  Ingersoll,  of  Peoria,  to  dis- 
charge the  duties  of  the  position,  which  he  con- 
tinued to  do  until  1869.  Subsequent  incumbents 
of  the  office  have  been:  Washington  Bushnell, 
1809-73;  James  K.  Edsall,  18T3-S1;  James  McCart- 
ney, 1881-85;  George  Hunt,  18S.J-93;  31.  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; imder  the  Constitution  of  1848,  as  already 
stated,  it  ceased  to  exist  imtil  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  fom-  years. 

ATWOOD,  a  village  lying  partly  in  Piatt  and 
partly  in  Douglas  County,  on  the  Cincinnati, 
Hamilton  &  Dayton  R.  R.,  27  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,,  arcliitect,  was  born  at 
Millbury,  Mass.,  May  18,  1849;  at  17  began  a  full 
course  in  architectm-e  at  Harvard  Scientific 
School,  and,  after  graduation,  received  prizes  for 
public  buildings  at  San  Francisco,  Hartford  and 
a  number  of  other  cities,  besides  fm-nishing 
designs  for  some  of  the  finest  private  residences 
iu  the  country.  He  was  associated  with  D.  H. 
Burnbam  in  preparing  plans  for  the  Columbian 
Exposition  buildings,  at  Chicago,  for  the  World's 
Fair  of  1893,  and  distinguished  himself  by  pro- 
ducing plans  for  the  "Art  Building,"  the  "Peri- 
style," the  "Terminal  Station"  and  other 
prominent  structures.  Died,  in  the  midst  of  his 
highest  successes  as  an  architect,  at  Chicago, 
Dec.  19,  1895. 

ATJBUBX,  a  village  of  Sangamon  County,  on 
the  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. 

AUDITOBS  OF  PUBLIC  ACCOUNTS.  The 
Auditors  of  Public  Accounts  mider  the  Terri- 
torial Government  were  H.  H.  Maxwell,  1812-16; 
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),  with 
the  date  and  duration  of  the  term  of  eacli; 
Elijah  C.  Berry,  1818-31;  James  T.  B.  Stapp, 
1831-35;  Levi  Davis,  1835-41;  James  Shields, 
1841-43;  WilHam  Lee  D.  Ewing,  1843-46;  Thomas 
H.  Campbell,  1846-57;  Jesse  K.  Dubois,  1857-64; 
OrHn  H.  Miner,  1864-69;  Charles  E.  Lippincott, 
1869-77;  Thomas  B.  Needles,  1877-81;  Charles  P. 
Swigert,  1881-89;  C.  W.  Pavey,  1889-93;  David 
Gore,  ,1893-97;  James  S.  McCullough,  1897  — . 

AUGUSTA,  a  village  in  Augusta  township, 
Hancock  County,  on  the  Chicago,  Burlington  & 
Quincy  Railroad,  36  miles  northeast  of  Quincy. 
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  abounds  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. 

AUGUSTAXA  COLLEGE,  an  educational  insti- 
tution controlled  by  the  Evangelical  Lutheran 
denomination,  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 
men.  More  than  500  students  were  reported  in 
attendance  in  1896,  about  one-fourth  being 
women.  A  majority  of  the  latter  were  in  the 
preparatory  (or  academic)  department.  The  col- 
lege is  not  endowed,  but  owns  property  (real 
and  personal)  to  the  value  of  82.50,000.  It  has  a 
library  of  12.000  volumes. 

AUROEA,  a  city  and  important  railroad  cen- 
ter, Kane  County,  on  Fox  River,  39  miles  south- 
west of  Chicago;  is  location  of  principal  shops  of 
Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy  R.  R.,  has  fine 
water-power  and  many  successful  manufactories, 
including  extensive  boiler  works,  iron  foundries, 
cotton  and  woolen  mills,  flour  mills,  silver-plat- 
ing works,  corset,  sash  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  n-ith  the  principal 
towns  and  villages  in  the  Fox  River  valley. 
Population  (1890),  19,688;  (1900),  24,147. 


HISTORICAL   EXCYCLOPEDIA    OF    ILLIXOI^ 


AUSTIN,  a  suburb  of  Chicago,  in  Cook  County. 
It  is  accessible  from  that  citj'  by  either  the  Chi- 
cago &  Northwestern  Railway,  or  bj'  street 
railway  lines.  A  weekly  newspaper  is  issued,  a 
graded  school  is  siipported  (including  a  high 
school  department)  and  there  are  numerous 
churches,  representing  the  various  religious 
denominations.  Population  (1880),  1,359;  (1890), 
4,031.     Annexed  to  City  of  Chicago,  1899. 

AUSTIN  COLLEGE,  a  mixed  school  at  Effing- 
ham, 111.,  founded  in  1890.  It  has  eleven  teachers 
and  repoi-ts  a  total  of  312  pupils  for  1897-98—163 
males  and  150  females.  It  has  a  library  of  2,000 
volumes  and  reports  property  valued  at  S3~.000. 

AUSTRALIAN  BALLOT,"  a  form  of  ballot  for 
popular  elections,  thus  named  because  it  was 
first  brought  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, mi^mbers  of  Boards  of  Education  and  officers 
of  road  districts  in  counties  not  under  township 
organization.  Under  it,  all  ballots  for  the  elec- 
tion of  ■;  fficers  (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  previously  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),  b}-  tlie  presiding 
officer  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  jirescribed  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  ajjart  for 
his  use,  by  making  a  cross  at  the  head  of  tlie  col- 
umn of  candidates  for  whom  he  wishes  to  vote,  if 
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 
liis  right  of  suffrage. 

ATA,  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  newsijapers.     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  held  here  annu- 
ally.    Population  (1900),  809;  (1904,  est.),  1,000. 

ATEE,  Benjamin  F.,  lawyer,  was  born  in 
Kingston,  N.  H.,  April  23,  1825,  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  Prosecuting  Attorney 
for  Hillsborough  County,  in  1857  he  came  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 
cit}'  charter.  After  the  close  of  his  official  career, 
he  was  a  member  for  eight  years  of  the  law  firm  of 
Beckwith,  Ayer  &  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  Company, 
and  is  at  present  its  General  Counsel  and  a  potent 
factor  in  its  management. 

ATERS,  Marshall  Paul,  banker,  Jacksonville, 
was  born  in  Philadelphia,  Pa.,  July  27,  1833; 
came  to  Jacksonville,  111.,  with  his  parents,  in 
1830,  and  was  educated  there,  graduating  from 
Illinois  College,  iu  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  tlie  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,  Jlr.  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  tlie  sale  of  exchange,  but  which 
finally  grew  into  a  bank  of  deposit  and  has  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  tlie  "Illinois  Farmers'  Rail- 


30 


HISTORICAL   EXCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


road"  between  JacksonTille  and  Waverly,  after- 
wards extended  to  Virdeu  and  finally  to  Centralia 
and  Mount  Vernon.  This  was  the  nucleus  of  the 
Jacksonville  Southeastern  Railway,  though  Mr. 
Avers  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, 
coal-mining,  etc.  About  1877  he  purchased  a 
body  of  23, 600  acres  of  land  in  Champaign  Count)', 
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 
funds  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  Whig,  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,  ca.st  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 
neces.sary  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  tlie  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  Austin,  Tex., 
which  was  undertaken,  in  conjunction  with 
Abner  Taylor  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  County,  Mass.,  July  19,  1830; 
began  life  as  a  coppersmith  at  Lowell;  in  1851 
went  to  Concord,  N.  H.,  and,  in  1856,  reiuoved  to 
Springfield,  111.,  where,  in  1859,  he  joined  a  mili- 
tary company  called  the  Springfield  Greys,  com- 
manded by  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-enli.stment  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  ^-ear  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  by  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 
on  the  deceased  statesman. 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


31 


BAGBT,  John  C,  jurist  and  Congressman,  -n-as 
born  at  Glasgow,  Ky.,  Jan.  2-i,  1819.  After  pas- 
sing thi-ough  the  common  schools  of  Barren 
County,  Ky.,  he  studied  civil  engineering  at 
Bacon  College,  graduating  in  1840.  Later  he 
read  law  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  184.5. 
In  1846  he  commenced  practice  at  Rushville,  111., 
confining  himself  exclusiveh'  to  professional  work 
until  nofninated  and  elected  to  Congress  in  1874, 
by  the  Democrats  of  the  (old)  Tenth  District.  In 
1885  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  County,  N.  Y., 
June  22,  1833,  graduated  from  Rochester  (N.  Y.) 
University  in  1854,  and  was  admitted  to  the 
bar  in  that  citj'  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 
re-elected  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 
bom  in  the  Island  of  Jersey,  May  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  his  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  1812,  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  under  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  Legislatm-e 
(1820),  and  being  elected  Associate  Justice  of  the 
Court  of  Common  Pleas  for  Ross  County.  In 
1828  he  removed  to  Colmnbus,  assuming  charge 


of  "The  Ohio  State  Jom-nal,"  served  one  term  as 
Mayor  of  the  city,  and  for  three  consecutive 
years  was  State  Printer.  Selling  out  "The  Jour- 
nal" in  1836,  he  came  west,  the  next  j'ear  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  he  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  (1842-44).  As  a  man 
and  a  journalist  Judge  Bailhache  commanded  the 
highest  respect,  and  did  much  to  elevate  the 
standard  of  journalism  in  Illinois,  "The  Tele- 
graph," dui'ing  the  period  of  his  connection  with 
it,  being  one  of  the  leading  papers  of  the  State. 
His  death  occmred  at  Alton,  Sept.  3,  1857,  as  the 
result  of  injuries  received  the  day  previous,  by 
being  thrown  from  a  carriage  in  which  he  was 
riding.— Maj.  William  Henry  (Bailhache),  son  of 
the  preceding,  was  born  at  Chillicothe,  Ohio, 
August  14,  1826,  removed  with  his  father  to  Alton, 
Fil.,  in  1836,  was  educated  at  Shurtleff  College, 
and  learned  the  printing  trade  in  the  office  of 
"The  Telegi-aph,"  imder  the  direction  of  his 
father,  afterwards  being  associated  with  the 
business  department.  In  1855,  in  partnership 
with  Edward  L.  Baker,  he  became  one  of  the 
proprietors  and  business  manager  of  "The  State 
Jom-nal"  at  Springfield.  During  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  jom-nal- 
isra  and  was  associated  at  different  times  with 
"The  State  Journal"  and  "The  Quincy  Whig," 
as  business  manager  bf  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  Treasm-y  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  Em-ope  in  the 
interest  of  sanitary  and  hospital  service.  At 
present  (1899)  he  occupies  a  prominent  position 
at  the  headquarters  of  the  United  States  Marine 
Hospital  Service  in  Washington.— Arthur  Lee 
(Bailhache),  a  third  son,  born  at  Alton,  111.,  April 


32 


HISTORICAL   EXCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


12,  1839;  at  the  beginning  of  tlie  Civil  War  was 
employed  in  the  State  comniissaiy  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.  T,  1T92.  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  Ids  profession  and  was  made  Probate  Judge  of 
Randolph  County.  His  opposition  to  the  intro- 
duction of  slavery  into  the  State  was  so  aggres- 
sive tliat  his  life  was  frequently  tlireatened.  In 
1830  Governor  Edwards  appointed  him  United 
States  Senator,  to  fill  the  unexpired  term  of 
Senator  JIcLean,  but  he  served  only  one  month 
when  he  was  succeeded  by  Jolin  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, 
1824,  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  lSo4  he  was  elected  as  an 
Anti-Nebraska  candidate  to  the  lower  branch  of 
the  Nineteenth  General  Assembly,  and,  at  the 
subsequent  session  b£  tlie  General  Assembly,  was 
one  of  the  five  Anti-Nebraska  members  whose 
uncompromising  fidelity  to  Hon.  Lyman  Trum- 
bull 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,  Biurton  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,  IS.JG,  was  a  Repub- 
lican Presidential  Elector  in  1864,  and,  in  186.5, 
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  unsuccessful  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,  was  born  at 
Kaskaskia,  111.,  June  3,  1829;  graduated  at  Shurt- 
leflf  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  185.5.  Previous  to  this  date  Mr.  Baker  had 
become  associated  with  William  H.  Bailhache,  in 
the  management  of  "The  Alton  Daily  Telegraph," 
and,  in  July,  185.5,  they  purchased  "The  Illinois 
State  Journal,"  at  Springfield,  of  which  Mr. 
Baker  assumed  the  editorsliip,  remaining  until 
1874.  In  1869  he  was  appointed  United  States 
Assessor  for  the  Eighth  District,  serving  until 
the  abolition  of  the  office.  In  1873  he  received 
the  appointment  from  President  Grant  of  Consul 
to  Buenos  Ajtcs,  South  America,  and,  assuming 
the  duties  of  the  office  in  1874,  remained  there 
for  twenty-three  years,  proving  himself  one  of 
the  most  capable  and  efficient  officers  in  the  con- 
sular service.  On  the  evening  of  the  20th  of 
June,  1897,  when  Mr.  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  tlie  ampu- 
tation of  his  right  arm,  finally  resulting  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  memory.  —  David 
Jevfett  (Baker),  Jr.,  a  third  son  of  David  Jewett 
Baker,  Sr.,  was  born  at  Kaskaskia.  Nov.  20,1834; 
gi-aduated  from  Shurtleff  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  1869,  was  elected  to  the  bench  of  the  Nineteenth 
Judicial  Circuit.  The  Legislature  of  1873  (bj'  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  tlie  close  of  his  term  on  the 
Supreme  Bench  (1879),  was  re-elected  Circuit 
Judge,  and  again  in  1885.     During  this  period  he 


HISTOKICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF    ILLINOIS. 


33 


served  for  several  years  on  the  Appellate  Bench. 
In  1888  he  retired  from  the  Circuit  Bench  by 
resignation  and  was  elected  a  Justice  of  the 
Supreme  Com-t  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 
Chicago  and  engaged  in  general  practice,  in 
partnership  with  his  son,  John  W.  Baker.  He 
fell  dead  almost  instantly  in  his  office.  March  13, 
1899.  In  all.  Judge  Baker  liad  spent  some  thirty 
years  almost  continuously  on  the  bench,  and  liad 
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  tlie  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,  1840,  to  accept  the  colonelcy  of  the 
Fourth  Regiment,  Illinois  Volunteers,  in  tlie 
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  Congi-ess  from  the  Galena  District;  was  also 
identified  with  the  construction  of  the  Panama 
Railroad;  went  to  San  Francisco  in  18.53,  but 
later  removed  to  Oregon,  where  he  was  elected 
to  the  United  States  Senate  in  1860.  In  1S61  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,  Jehu,  lawyer  and  Congi-essman,  was 
born  in  Fayette  County,  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  scliools 
and  at  McKendree  College.  Although  he  did 
not  graduate  from  the  latter  institution,  he 
received  therefrom  the  honorary  degree  of  A.  M. 
in  18.58,  and  that  of  LL.  D.  in  1883,  For  a  time 
he  studied  medicine,  but  abandoned  it  for  the 
study  of  law.  From  1861  to  18G.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  1883  to  188.5  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  Congress  (1886) 


from  the  Eighteenth  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 
tlie  Twentieth  District  over  Everett  J.  Mm-phy, 
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." 

BALDWIN,  Elmer,  agriculturist  and  legisla- 
tor, was  born  in  Litchfield  County,  Conn.,  March 
8,  1806 ;  at  16  years  of  age  began  teaching  a  coim- 
try  school,  continuing  this  occupation  for  several 
years  during  the  winter  months,  while  working 
on  his  father'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  18.56  he  was  elected 
as  a  Republican  to  the  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  "His- 
tory of  La  Salle  County,"  which  contains  much 
local  and  biographical  history.  Died,  Nov.  18, 
1895. 

BALDWIN,  Theron,  clergyman  and  educa- 
tor, was  born  in  Goshen,  Conn.,  July  31,  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  lie  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  Jackson- 
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. 


BALLAED,  Addison,  mercliaut,  was  born  of 
Quaker  parentage  in  Warren  County,  Ohio.  No- 
vemljer,  18:22.  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  1853  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  Coimty,  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,  1827 ;  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  1853,  and 
consecrated  Bishop  in  1870.  His  diocesan  admin- 
istration was  successful,  but  regarded  by  his 
priests  as  somewhat  arbitrary.  He  wrote  numer- 
ous pastoral  letters  and  brochures  for  the  guidance 
of  clergj'  and  laity.  His  most  important  literary 
work  was  entitled  "Pastoral  Instruction,"  first 
edition,  N.  Y.,  1875;  second  edition  (revised  and 
enlarged^  1880.     Died  at  Alton.  Feb.  15,  1886. 

BALTIMORE  &  OHIO  SOUTHWESTERN 
RAILWAY.  This  road  (constituting  a  part  of  tlie 
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>^  are  in  Illinois,  and  of  the 
latter  (wholly  within  Illinois)  228  miles.  The 
main  line  (originally  known  as  the  Ohio  &  Mis- 
sissippi Railway)  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  jsrincipal  financial  backers  of  the  enter- 
prise. The  line  was  completed  and  opened  for 
traffic.  May  1.  1857.  The  following  year  the  road 
became  financially  embarrassed ;  the  Eastern  Di- 
vision was  placed  in  the  hands  of  a  receiver  in 
1860,  while  the  Western  Division  was  sold  under 
foreclosure,  in  1862,  and  reorganized  as  the  Ohio 
&  Mississippi  Railway  under  act  of  the  Illinois 


Legislature  pa.ssed  in  Februarj',  1861.  The  East- 
ern Division  was  sold  in  January,  1867;  and,  in 
November  of  the  same  year,  tlie  two  divisions 
were  consolidated  under  the  title  of  the  Oliio  & 
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  Railroad,  under  which  name 
the  road  was  built  and  opened  in  March,  1871.  In 
1873,  it  was  placed  in  tlie  hands  of  receivers ;  in 
1874  was  sold  under  foreclosure,  and,  on  March 
1,  1875,  passed  into  the  hands  of  the  Ohio  &  Mis- 
sissippi Railway  Company.  In  November,  1876, 
the  road  was  again  placed  in  the  hands  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  successor  of  the 
Cincinnati,  Washington  &  Baltimore  Railroad, 
the  reorganized  Company  taking  the  name  of  the 
Baltimore  &  Ohio  Southwestern  Railway  Com- 
pany. The  total  capitalization  of  the  road,  as 
organized  in  1898,  was  §84,770,531.  Several 
branches  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  &  CHIC.\GO  RAIL- 
ROAD, part  of  the  Baltimore  &  Ohio  Railroad 
System,  of  which  onl}-  8.21  out  of  205  miles  are  in 
Illinois.  Tlie  principal  object  of  the  company's 
incorporation  was  to  secure  entrance  for  the 
Baltimore  &  Oliio  into  Chicago.  The  capital 
stock  outstanding  exceeds  Sl,500,'000.  The  total 
capital  (including  stock,  funded  and  floating  debt) 
is  §20,339,166  or  .$76,728  per  mile.  The  gross 
earnings  for  the  year  ending  June  30,  1898,  were 
§3,383,016  and  the  operating  expenses  82,493,4.52. 
The  income  and  earnings  for  the  portion  of  the 
line  in  Illinois  for  the  same  period  were  §209.208 
and  the  expenses  §208,096. 

B.VNGS,  Mark,  lawyer,  was  born  in  Vianklin 
County,  Mass.,  Jan.  9,  1822;  spent  liis  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  years  in  farm 
work  and  teaching  in  Central  Illinois.  Return- 
ing east  in  1847,  he  engaged  in  teaching  for 
two  years  at  Springfield,  Mass.,  then  spent 
a  year  in  a  dry  goods  store  at  Lacon,  111., 
meanwhile  prosecuting  his  legal  studies.  In 
1851    he    began    practice,  was  elected   'a  Judge 


HISTOKICAL   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  1854; 
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  office  of  District  Attorney  in 
1879,  lie  removed  to  Chicago,  where  he  is  still 
(1898)  engaged  in  the  practice  of  his  profession. 

B.\>'KSO>',  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  tlie  State  Senate  from 
Washington  Coimty,  serving  four  years,  and  at 
the  session  of  1833-33  was  one  of  those  who  voted 
against  the  Convention  resolution  which  had  for 
its  object  to  make  Illinois  a  slave  State.  He  sub- 
sequently removed  to  Iowa  Territory,  but  died,  in 
1S53,  while  visiting  a  son-in-law  in  Wisconsin. 

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  1790-97,  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  tlie  Regular  (or  Jlission- 
ary)  Baptists,  at  the  head  of  which  was  Rev.  John 
M.  Peck,  a  resident  of  tlie  State  from  1833  until 
his  death  (1858).  By  1835  tlie  sect  had  grown, 
until  it  had  some  350  churclies,  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  iu  what  was  then  an  infant  set- 


tlement. By  1890  the  number  of  Associations 
had  grown  to  forty,  with  1010  churches  891 
ministers  and  88,884  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  "The  Standard."  pub- 
lished at  Chicago. 

B.VEBER,  Hiram,  was  born  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  1806.  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 
comity  in  Wisconsin  (1861-63),  and  Assistant 
Attorney-General  of  the  State  for  1805-66,  in 
the  latter  year  he  came  to  Chicago  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. 

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

BaRNSBACK,  Georc;e  Frederick  Julius,  pio- 
neer, was  l)Orn  in  Germany,  July  25,  1781 ;  came 
to  Pliiladelphia  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  1803,  remaining  until 
1809,  when  he  removed  to  wiiat  is  now  Madison 
(then  a  part  of  St.  Clair)  County,  111. ;  served  in 
the  War  of  1813,  farmed  and  raised  stock  imtil 
1824,  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  Edwardsville,  where  he 
resided  until  his  death  in  1809.  Mr.  Barnsback 
served  as  Representative  in  the  Fourteenth  Gen- 
eral Assembly  (1844-40)  and,  after  '•eturning  from 
Springfield,  distributed  his  salary  among  the  poor 
of  Madison  County. — Julius  A.  (Barnsback),  his 
son,  was  born  in  St.  Francois  County,  Mo.,  May 
14,  1836;  in  1846  became  a  merchant  at  Troy, 
Madison  County ;  was  elected  Sheriff  in  1800 ;  in 
1864  entered  the  service  as  Captain  of  a  Company 
in  the  One  Hundred  and  Fortieth  Illinois  Volun- 
teers (100-days'  men);  also  served  as  a  member  or 
the  Twenty-fom-th  General  Assembly  (1865). 


36 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


BARJi'UM,  WilUam  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  youth.  His  preliminary  educa- 
tion was  obtained  at  Belleville,  111.,  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  1862  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar 
at  Belleville,  and  soon  afterward  opened  an  otHce 
at  Chester,  where,  for  a  time,  he  held  the  office 
of  Master  in  Chancery.  He  removed  to  Chicago 
in  1807,  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,  Granville,  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,  III,  in  1856.  In 
18T3  he  received  the  Republican  nomination  for 
Congress  and  was  elected,  representing  his  dis- 
trict from  1873  to  1875,  at  the  conclusion  of  his 
term  retiring  to  private  life.  Died  at  Canton, 
111.,  Jan.  13,  1889. 

BARRIXGTON,  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;  (1900),  1,162. 

BARROWS,  John  Henry,  D.  D.,  clergyman 
and  educator,  was  born  at  Medina,  Mich.,  July 
11,  1847;  graduated  at  Mount  Olivet  College  in 
1807,  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- 
arj'  and  educational  work.  He  then  (in  1872) 
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  chapel 
in  Paris.  On  his  return  to  the  United  States  he 
spent  six  j'ears  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  Chicago  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,  which  he  did  in 
the  spring  of  1896.  After  spending  the  summer 
in  Germany,  the  regular  itinerary  of  the  romid- 
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  the  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,  three  churches  and  a  high 
school,  besides  scliools  of  lower  grade.  Popula- 
tion (1880),  1,393;  (1890),  1,354;  (1900),  1,643. 

BARTLETT,  Adolphus  Clay,  merchant,  was 
born  of  Revolutionary  ancestry  at  Stratford, 
Fulton  County,  N.  Y.,  June  23,  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. 


BASCOM,  (Rev.)  Flavel,  D.  D.,  clergyman, 
was  born  at  Lebanon,  Conn.,  June  S,  180-1;  spent 
liis  boyhood  on  a  farm  until  17  years  of  age,  mean- 
while attending  the  common  schools;  prepared 
for  college  imder  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  he  became  pastor  of  the  First 
Presbjrterian  Church  of  Chicago,  remaining  until 
1849,  when  he  assumed  the  pastorship  of  the  First 
Presbyterian  Chm-ch  at  Galesburg,  this  relation 
continuing  imtil  18.56.  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,  111  , 
August  8,  1890. 

BATAYIA,  a  city  in  Kane  County,  on  Fox 
River  and  branch  lines  of  the  Chicago  &  North- 
western and  the  Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy 
Raih-oads,  3.5  miles  we.st  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  in.sane  women. 
Population  (1900),  3,871;  (1903,  est.),  4.400. 

BATEMAIV,  Newton,  A.  M.,  LL.D.,  educator 
and  Editor-in-Chief  of  the  "Historical  Encyclo- 
pedia of  Illinois,"  was  born  at  Fairfield,  N.  J., 
July  27,  1G22.  of  mixed  English  and  Scotch  an- 


cestry ;  was  brought  by  his  parents  to  Illinois  in 
1833;  in  his  youth  enjoyed  only  limited  educa- 
tional advantages,  but  graduated  from  Illinois 
College  at  Jacksonville  in  1843,  supporting  him- 
self during  his  college  coiu-se  wholly  by  his  own 
labor.  Having  contemplated  entering  the  Chris- 
tian ministr}',  he  spent  the  following  year  at  Lane 
Theological  Seminary,  but  was  compelled  to 
withdraw  on  accoimt  of  failing  health,  when  he 
gave  a  year  to  travel.  He  then  entered  upon  his 
life-work  as  a  teacher  by  engaging  as  Principal 
of  an  English  and  Classical  School  in  St.  Louis, 
remaining  tliere  two  years,  when  he  accepted  the 
Professorship  of  Mathematics  in  St.  Charles  Col- 
lege, at  St.  Charles,  Mo.,  continuing  in  that 
position  four  years  (1847-51).  Returning  to  Jack- 
sonville, 111.,  in  the  latter  year,  he  assiuned  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  18.57  he  became  Principal  of  Jacksonville 
Female  Academy,  but  the  following  year  was 
elected  State  Superintendent  of  Public  Instruc- 
tion, having  been  nominated  for  the  office  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 
(1863-65),  as  the  result  of  his  defeat  for  re-election 
in  1862.  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  efiiciency  which  it  has  so  well  main- 
tained. He  also  prepared  some  seven  volmnes  of 
biennial  reports,  portions  of  which  have  been 
republished  in  five  different  languages  of  Em-ope, 
hesides  a  volume  of  "Common  School  Decisions," 
originally  published  by  authority  of  the  General 
Assembly,  and  of  which  several  editions  have 
since  been  issued.  This  volume  has  been  recog- 
nized by  the  com-ts,  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  Congress  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  the  latter  for  the  Presidency,  in  1860,  a 


38 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


close  intimacy  sprang  up  between  tlie  two  men, 
which  enabled  the  "School-master,"  as  Mr.  Lin- 
coln plajfuUy  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  1893, 
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,  imder  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  18T7 
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,  imexpeotedly  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  Philadelphia. 
Never  of  a  very  strong  physique,  which  was 
rather  weakened  by  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  trouble 
which  finallj'  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  personally,  and  had  learned  to  admire 
his  many  noble  and  beautiful  traits  of  character. 
His  fvmeral,  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  tlie  satisfaction  of  know- 
ing that  his  work  in  tliis  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  Rush  (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  prosecuting  his 
studies  at  Berlin.  Heidelberg  and  Paris,  finally 
becoming  Professor  of  Administrative  Law  and 
Government  in  Columbia  College — a  position 
especially  created  for  him.  He  had  filled  this 
position  a  little  over  one  year  when  his  career — 
which  was  one  of  great  promise — was  cut  short  by 
death,  Feb.  6,  1883.  Three  daughters  of  Dr.  Bate- 
man survive — all  the  wives  of  clergymen. — P.  S. 

BATES,  Clara  Doty,  author,  was  born  at  Ann 
Arbor,  Mich.,  Dec.  22,  1838;  published  her  first 
book  in  1868;  the  next  year  married  Morgan 
Bates,  a  Chicago  publisher;  wrote  much  for 
juvenile  periodicals,  besides  stories  and  poems, 
some  of  the  most  popular  among  the  latter  being 
"Blind  Jakey"  (1868)  and  "JEsop's  Fables"  in 
verse  (1873).  She  was  the  collector  of  a  model 
library  for  children,  for  the  World's  Columbian 
Exposition,  1893.     Died  in  Chicago,  Oct.  14,  1895. 

BATES,  Erastus  Newton,  soldier  and  State 
Treasurer,  was  born  at  Plainfield,  Mass.,  Feb.  29, 
1828,  being  descended  from  Pilgrims  of  the  May- 
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,  preparing  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  Minnesota,  where  he  served 
as  a  member  of  the  Constitutional  Convention  of 
1856  and  was  elected  to  the  State  Senate  in  1857. 
In  1839  he  removed  to  Centralia,  111.,  and  com- 
menced practice  there  in  AugiLst,  1862 ;  was  com- 
missioned 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 
expo.sed  to  the  fire  of  the  Union  batteries  at  Mor- 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


30 


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  39,  1898,  and  was  buried  at  Spring- 
field. 

BATES,  George  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  California  in  1850,  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  great  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),  830. 

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

BATLISS,  Alfred,  Superintendent  of  Public 
Instruction,  was  born  about  1846.  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  j-ears  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 
northern  part  of  the  State.  He  served  for  some 
time  as  Superintendent  of  Schools  for  the  city  of 
Sterling,  afterwards  becoming  Principal  of  the 
Township  High  School  at  Streator,  wliere  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  Count}',  N.  Y.,  in  1795,  taken  to 
Northeastern  Ohio  in  1800,  and.  in  1818,  removed 
to  IlUnois,  living  for  a  time  about  Edwardsville 
and  Alton.  In  1820  he  went  to  the  locality  of 
the  present  city  of  Beardstown,  and  later  estab- 
lished there  the  first  ferry  across  the  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, Burlington  &  Quincy  Railways,  and  the 
northwestern  terminus  of  the  former.  It  is  111 
miles  north  of  St.  Louis  and  90  miles  south  of 
Peoria.  Thomas  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  cityhas  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),  4,837. 

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  on 
Grand  River,  married  an  Ottawa  woman  for  his 
first  wife,  and,  in  1800,  had  a  trading-post  at  MiS 
waukee,  which  he  maintained  until  1818.  Ho 
visited  Chicago  as  early  as  1804,  bought  a  cabin 
there  soon  after  the  Fort  Dearborn  massacre  of 
1812,  married  the  daughter  of  Francis  La  Fram- 
boise, a  French  trader,  and,  in  1818,  becama' 
agent  of  the  American  Fur  Company,  having 
charge  of  trading  posts  at  Slackinaw  and  else- 
where. After  1823  he  occupied  the  building 
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  1835,  to  enter  seventy-five 


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 
18TS.  but  it  was  reported  upon  adversely  by  a 
Senate  Committee  of  which  the  late  Senator 
Thomas  F.  Bayard  was  chairman.  Mr.  Beaubien 
was  evidently  a  man  of  no  little  prominence  in 
his  day.  He  led  a  company  of  Chicago  citizens 
to  tlie  Black  Hawk  War  in  1833,  was  appointed 
by  the  Governor  the  first  Colonel  of  5Iilitia  for 
Cook  County,  and,  in  1850,  was  commissioned 
Brigadier-General.  In  18,58  he  removed  to  Nash- 
ville, Tenn.,  and  died  there,  Jan.  5,  1863.— Mark 
(Beaubien),  a  younger  brother  of  Gen.  Beaubien, 
was  born  in  Detroit  in  1800,  came  to  Chicago  in 
1820,  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  Calumet,  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  15,  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  Naperville  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  separated,  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  white  wife,  was  born  in  one  of  the 
buildings  belonging  to  Fort  Dearborn,  Jan.   28, 


1822.  In  1840  he  accompanied  his  father  to  hii 
farm  on  the  Des  Plaines,  but  returned  to  Chicago 
in  1863,  and  for  years  past  has  been  employed  on 
the  Chicago  police  force. 

BEBB,  William,  Governor  of  Ohio,  was  born 
in  Hamilton  County  in  that  State  in  1802 ;  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  Tennessee,  but  left  at  the  out- 
break of  the  Civil  War,  removing  to  Winnebago 
County,  111.,  where  he  had  purchased  a  large 
body  of  land.  He  was  a  man  of  uncompromising 
loyalty  and  high  principle;  served  as  Examiner 
of  Pensions  by  appointment  of  President  Lincoln 
and,  in  1868,  took  a  prominent  part  in  the  cam- 
paign which  resulted  in  Grant's  first  election  to 
the  Presidency.  Died  at  Rockford,  Oct.  33,  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  IlUnois  Board  of  World's 
Fair  Commissioners. 

BECKER,  Charles  St.  N.,  ex  State  Treasurer, 
was  born  in  Germany.  June  14,  1840,  and  brought 
to  this  cormtry  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  severely  wounded  that  it  was 
fovmd  necessary  to  amputate  one  of  his  legs.  In 
1866  he  was  elected  Sheriff  of  St.  Clair  County, 
and,  from  1873  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  jurist,  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  practiced  for  two  years.  In  1853  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  bench  he  re- 
sumed pri\ate  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 
Wyalusing,  Pa.,  where  he  was  born  about  1789, 


HISTOKICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


his  mother  being,  in  her  girlhood,  Hannah  York, 
one  of  tlie  survivors  of  the  famous  Wyoming 
massacre  of  1778.  In  1817,  the  senior  Beckwith. 
in  company  with  his  brother  George,  descended 
tlie  Ohio  River,  afterwards  ascending  the  Wabash 
to  where  Terre  Haute  now  stands,  but  finally 
locating  in  what  is  now  a  part  of  Edgar  County, 
111.  A  year  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  survej^or  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  oft  by  him.  In  connection  with  Guy  W. 
Smith,  then  Receiver  of  Public  Moneys  in  the 
Land  Office  at  Palestine,  111.,  he  donated  the 
ground  on  which  the  county-seat  of  VermiHon 
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  1835. 
Hiram,  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 scliools  of  that  period.  Nevertheless,  lie 
began  the  study  of  law  in  the  Danville  office  of 
Lincoln  &  Lamon,  and  was  admitted  to  practice 
in  1854,  about  the  time  of  reaching  his  majority. 
He  continued  in  their  office  and,  on  the  removal 
of  Lamon  to  Bloomington  in  1859,  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 
tlie  author  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,"  be.sides  having  edited  an  edition  of 
"Reynolds'  History  of  Illinois"  (pubhshed  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 
Tribune"  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  the  Board. 

BEECHER,  Charles  A,,  attorney  and  railway 
solicitor,  was  born  in  Herkimer  County,  N.  Y., 
August  27,  1839,  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  tlie  Illinois  Central  in  Effingham  County. 
This  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 — which  Mr.  Beecher  served  for  some  time 
as  Vice-President — now  constitutes  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,  for  a  time, 
had  control  of  its  operation  as  agent  for  the  bond- 
holders. In  1875  the  line  was  conveyed  to  the 
Ohio  &  Mississippi  Railroad  (now  a  part  of  the 
Baltimore  &  Ohio),  when  Mr.  Beecher  became 
General  Counsel  of  tlie  controlling  corporation, 
so  remaining  until  1888.  Since  that  date  he  has 
been  one  of  the  assistant  counsel  of  the  Baltimore 
&  Ohio  sy.stem.  His  present  home  is  in  Cincin- 
nati, although  for  over  a  quarter  of  a  century  he 
has  been  prominently  identified  witli  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  wlio  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. 


HISTOKICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


BEECHER,  Ednard,  D.  D.,  clergyman  anJ 
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  1844,  when  lis 
resigned  and  returned  to  Boston,  serving  as 
pastor  of  the  Salem  Street  Church  in  that 
city  until  18.')(>.  also  acting  as  senior  editor  of 
"The  Congregationalist"  for  four  years.  In  1856 
lie  returned  to  Illinois  as  pastor  of  the  First  Con- 
gregational Church  at  Galesburg,  continuing 
until  18T1,  when  he  removed  to  Brooklyn,  where 
lie  resided  without  pastoral  charge,  e.xcept  1885- 
89,  when  he  was  pastor  of  tlie  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  participa- 
tion in  founding  the  first  Illinois  State  Anti- 
Slavery  Society  and  his  eloquent  denunciation  of 
the  murder  of  Elijah  P.  Lovejoy.  Next  to  his 
brotlier  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  nursery 
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 
nme  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  -\ges" 
(18.53);  "The  Conflict  of  Ages"  (18.54);  "Papal 
Conspiracy  Exposed"  (1854),  besides  a  number 
of  others  invariably  on  religious  or  anti -slavery 
topics.     Died  in  Brooklyn,  July  28,  1895. 

BEECHER,  WilUam  H.,  clergj-man  —  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  .\n- 
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. 

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


Episcopal  preacher,  was  born  in  Buckingham 
County,  Va.,  March  30,  1801.  His  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  liis  own  efforts  in  what 
he  called  "Brush  College."  At  the  age  of  21  lie 
entered  the  ministry  of  the  Jlethodist  Episcopal 
Church,  during  the  next  ten  years  traveling 
different  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  history.  A  volume  of  this 
character  published  by  him,  was  entitled  "Pages 
from  the  Early  History  of  the  West  and  North- 
%vest."  He  died  at  Plainfield,  111.,  Sept.  9,  1895, 
in  the  9.5th  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 
Springfield,  where  he  carried  on  the  grocery 
business  for  five  years,  then  removed  to  Chicago 
and  engaged  in  tlie  lumber  trade  in  connection 
with  a  brother,  afterwards  carrying  on  a  large 
lumber  manufacturing  business  at  JIuskegon, 
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  10,  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  grocery  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  Chicago,  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  tlie  Cumberland,  first  as  Lieuten- 
ant and  afterwards  as  Adjutant  of  the  Eighth 
Iowa  Cavalry,  still  later  being  upon  the  staff  of 
Gen.    E.    M.    McCook,   and    taking  part    in  the 


HISTOKICAL   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 
School  in  1884,  was  appointed  its  Director — a 
position  which  he  has  continued  to  occupy. 
During  1891-93  he  made  a  trip  to  Europe  by 
appointment  of  the  Government,  to  investigate 
the  school  sj'stems  in  European  countries. 

BELK\.4P,  Hugh  Reid,  ex-Memberof  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,  wlien 
he  entered  the  service  of  the  Baltimore  &  Ohio 
Ptailroad,  where  he  remained  twelve  years  in 
various  departments,  finally  becoming  Chief 
Clerk  of  the  General  Manager.  In  1832  he  retired 
from  this  position  to  become  Superintendent  of 
the  South  Side  Elevated  Railroad  of  Chicago, 
lie  never  held  any  political  position  until  nomi- 
nated (1894)  as  a  Republican  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,  March  3,  1899,  when  he  re- 
ceived an  appoir^tment  as  Paymaster  in  the  Army 
from  President  ilcKinley,  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  tlie 
latter  in  18.5.5;  wliile  yet  in  his  minority  edited 
"The  Mount  Carmel  Register,"  during  1851-53 
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  Cliief 
Justice  of  Oklahoma  by  President  Harrison  in 
1890.     In  1869  Mr.   Bell  was  appointed    County 


Judge  of  Lawrence  County,  being  elected  to  the 
«ime  office  in  1894.  He  was  also  President 
of  the  Illinois  Southern  Railroad  Company 
until  it  was  merged  into  the  Cairo  &  Vincennes 
Road  in  1807 ;  later  became  President  of  the  St. 
Louis  &  Mt.  Carmel  Railroad,  now  a  part  of  the 
Louisville,  Evansville  &  St.  Loms  line,  and 
secured  the  construction  of  the  division  from 
Princeton,  Ind.,  to  Albion,  111.  In  1876  he  visited 
California  as  Special  Agent  of  the  Treasury 
Department  to  investigate  alleged  frauds  in  tlie 
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  1881, 
officiated  by  appointment  of  President  Garfield, 
as  Commissioner  to  examine  a  section  of  the 
.^.tlantic  &  Pacific  Railroad  in  New  Mexico. 
Judge  Bell  is  a  gifted  stump-speaker  and  is  known 
in  the  southeastern  part  of  the  State  as  the 
"Silver-tongued  Orator  of  the  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  the 
county-seat  in  1814  and  platted  in  1815.  It  lies 
in  the  center  of  a  rich  agricultural  and  coal-bear- 
ing district  and  contains  numerous  factories  of 
various  descriptions,  including  flouring  mills,  a 
nail  mill,  glass  woiks  and  slioe  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,  CENTR.4LIA  &  E.\STERN 
R.i.ILRO.\D.  (See  Louisville.  Evmisville  &  St. 
Louis  {Consolidated)  Railroad.) 

BELLEVILLE  &  CiRONDELET  R.\ILRO.\D, 
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,  June  1,  1883. 
The  annual  rental  is  §30.000.  a  sum  equivalent  to 
the  interest  on  the  bonded  debt.  T!ie  capital 
stock  (1895)  is  §500,000  and  the  bonded  debt  8485.- 
000.  In  addition  to  these  sums  the  floating  debt 
swells  the  entire  capitalization  to  §995,054  or  §57,- 
317  per  mile. 

BELLEVILLE  &  ELDOB.IDO  R.4ILR0AD, 
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  the  St  Louis,  Alton  & 
Terra  Haute  Railroad  Company  for  480  years,  and 
has  since  been  operated  by  that  corporation  in 
connection  with  its  Belleville  branch,  from  East 
St.  Louis  to  Belleville.  At  Eldorado  the  road 
intersects  the  Cairo  &  Vincennes  Railroad  and 
the  Sha^vneetown  branch  of  the  St.  Louis  & 
Southeastern  Railroad,  operated  by  the  Louisville 
&  Npshville  Railroad  Company.  Its  capital 
stock  (1895)  is  §1,000,000  and  its  bonded  debt 
8550,000.     Tlie  corporate  nftU-e  is  at  Rell.'ville. 

BELLEVILLE  ic  ILLIXOISTOWX  K.VILKOAD. 
(See  St.  Louis.  Alton  d-  Tern-  Haute  Uailroad.) 

BELLEVILLE  &  SOUTHERN  ILLINOIS 
RAILROAD,  a  road  (laid  with  steel  rails)  run- 
ning from  Belleville  to  Duquoin,  111.,  56.4  miles 
in  length.  It  was  cliartered  Feb.  15,  1857,  and 
completed  Dec.  15,  18T3.  At  Duquoin  it  connects 
with  the  Illinois  Central  and  forms  a  short  line 
between  St.  Louis  and  Cairo.  Oct.  1,  1866,  it  was 
leased  to  the  St.  Louis,  Alton  &  Terre  Haute 
Railroad  Company  for  999  years.  Tlie  capital 
stock  is  §1,692,000  and  the  bonded  debt  §1,000,- 
000.     The  corporate  office  is  at  Belleville. 

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

BELT  RAILWAY  COMPANY  OF  CHICAGO, 
THE,  a  corporation  chartered,  Nov.  23,  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  66- 
pound  steel  rails)  is  93.26  miles,  distributed  as  fol- 
lows :  Auburn  Junction  to  Chicago,  Milwaukee  & 
St.  PaulJunction,  15.9  miles;  branches  from  Pull- 
man Junction  to  Irondale,  III,  etc.,  5.41  miles; 
second  track,  14.1  miles;  sidings,  57.85  miles. 
The  cost  of  construction  has  been  §524,549;  capi- 
tal stock,  §1,200,000.  It  has  no  funded  debt. 
The  earnings  for  the  year  ending  June  30,  1895, 
were  §556,847,  the  operating  expenses  §378,012, 
and  the  ta.xes  §51,009. 

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  considerable  manufacturing 
interests,  including  manufactories  of  sewing  ma- 
chines,   bicycles,   automobiles,    besides    a    large 


milk-condensing  factory  and  two  creameries. 
Population  (1890),  3,807;  (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  south -southwest  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. 

BENJAMIN,  Keiiben  Moore,  lawyer,  born  at 
Chatham  Centre,  Columbia  County,  N.  Y. ,  June 
29,  1833;  was  educated  at  Amherst  College,  Am- 
herst, Mass. ;  spent  one  y^ear  in  the  law  depart- 
ment of  Harvard,  another  as  tutor  at  Amherst 
and,  in  1856,  came  to  Bloomington,  111.,  where,  on 
an  examination  certificate  furnished  by  Abraham 
Lincoln,  he  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  repeated, 
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-books. 

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  property  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  by  the  college. 
The  teaching  faculty  (1896)  consists  of  nineteen 
professors,  with  four  assistants  and  demonstra- 
tors. Women  are  admitted  as  pupils  on  equal 
terms  with  men. 

BENT,  Charles,  journalist,  was  born  in  Chi- 
cago, Deo.  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,  1867,  he  purchased  the 
office  of  "The  Whiteside  Sentinel,"  in  ivhich  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. 

BEXTOX,  county-seat  of  Franklin  County,  on 
111.  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  churches  and 
three  weekly  papers.  Pop.  (1890),  939;  (1900),  1,341. 

BERDAX,  James,  lawyer  and  County  Judge, 
was  born  in  New  York  City,  July  4,  180.5,  and 
educated  at  Columbia  and  Yale  Colleges,  gradu- 
ating from  the  latter  in  the  class  of  1824.  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,  1820,  visited 
the  vicinity  of  the  present  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.  Although  possessing  unusual  capabilities, 
his  refinement  of  character  and  dislike  of  osten- 
tation made  him  seek  rather  the  association  and 
esteem  of  friends  than  public  office.  In  1849  he 
was  elected  County  Judge  of  Morgan  County, 
serving  by  a  second  election  until  1857.  Later 
he  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- 
■^late  friend  and  frequent  correspondent  of  the 
poet  Longfellow,  besides  being  the  correspondent, 
during  a  long  period  of  his  life,  of  a  number  of 
other  prominent  Uterary  men.  Pierre  Irving, 
the  nephew  and  biographer  of  Washington  Irving, 
was  his  brother-in-law  through  the  marriage  of  a 
favorite  sister.  Judge  Berdan  died  at  Jackson- 
ville, August  24,  1884. 

BEROEN,  (Rev.)  John  G.,  pioneer  clergyman, 
was  born  at  Hightstown,  N.  J.,  Nov.  27,  1790; 
studied  theology,  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. 

BERGGREN,  Augustus  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  Gales- 
burg;  held  various  offices,  including  that  of 
Sheriff  of  Knox  County  (1873-81),  State  Senator 
(1881-89) — serving  as  President  p»'o  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  Cahokia  from  1700  to  his  death  in  1710. 

BERRY,  Orville  F.,  lawyer  and  legislator,  was 
born  in  McDonough  County,  111.,  Feb.  16,  1852; 
early  left  an  orphan  and,  after  working  for  some 
time  on  a  farm,  removed  to  Carthage,  Hancock 
County,  where  he  read  law  and  was  admitted  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  1896,  the  same  year  was 
a  candidate  for  re-election  to  the  State  Senate, 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


but  the  certificate  was  awarded  to  his  Democratic 
coxnpetitor,  who  was  declared  elected  by  164 
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  affecting  the  vote  of  his  opponent. 

BERRY,  (Col.)  William  W.,  lawyer  and  sol- 
dier, was  born  in  Kentucky,  Feb.  23,  1834,  and 
educated  at  Oxford.  Ohio.  His  home  being  then 
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,  marching  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  Kjqox 
College,  at  Galesburg,  for  .several  years.  He  was 
frequently  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,  1895. 

I$EST(tR,  (jieorge  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, 
Bm-lington  &  Quincy  Railroad),  and  a  Director  of 
the  Toledo,  Peoria  &  Warsaw ;  a  delegate  to  the 
Whig    National    Convention    of    1852;    a  State 


Senator  (1858-62),  and  an  ardent  friend  of  Abra- 
ham Lincoln.  Died,  in  Washington,  May  14, 
1872,  while  prosecuting  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.  liOuis 
Railway,  25  miles  north  of  St.  Louis.  Popula- 
tion (1880),  628;  (1890),  879;  (1900),  477. 

BETHANY,  a  village  of  Moultrie  County,  on 
Peoria  Division  111.  Cent.  Railroad,  18  miles  south- 
east of  Decatur ;  in  farming  district ;  has  one  news- 
paper and  four  churches.  Pop. ,  mostly  American 
born,  (1890),  688;  (1900),  873;  (1903,  est.),  900. 

BETTIE  STUART  INSTITUTE,  an  institu- 
tion for  young  ladies  at  Springfield,  111. ,  founded 
in  1868  by  Mrs.  Mary  McKee  Homes,  who  con- 
ducted it  for  some  twenty  years,  until  her  death. 
Its  report  for  1898  shows  a  faculty  of  ten  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. 

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

BEVERIDGE,  John  L.,  ex-Governor,  was  born 
in  Greenwich  N.  Y.,  July  6,  1824;  came  to  Illi- 
nois, 1842,  and,  after  spending  some  two  years  in 
Granville  Academy  and  Rock  River  Seminary, 
went  to  Tennessee,  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  fir.st  as  Cap- 
tain and  still  later  Major;  two  years  later 
became  Colonel  of  the  Seventeenth  Cavalry, 
which  he  commanded  to  the  close  of  the  war, 
being  mustered  out,  February,  1866,  with  the 
rank  of  brevet  Brigadier-General.  After  the  war 
he  held  the  oflSce  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  January, 
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  EXCYCLOPEDIA   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 
near  Los  Angeles.  Cal. 

BIENVILLE,  Jean  Baptiste  le  Moyne,  Sieur 
de,  was  born  at  Montreal,  Canada.  Feb.  23,  1680, 
and  was  the  French  Governor  of  Louisiana  at  the 
time  the  IlUnois  country  was  included  in  that 
province.  He  had  several  brothers,  a  number  of 
whom  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  Sanvolle,  another  brother,  was  placed  in 
charge.  The  latter  was  afterward  made  Governor 
of  Louisiana,  and,  at  his  death  (1701),  he  was 
succeeded  by  Bienville,  who  transferred  the  seat 
of  government  to  Mobile.  In  1704  he  was  joined 
by  his  brother  Chateaugay,  who  brought  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  foimded  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  1726,  but  reinstated  in  1733  and  given 
the  rank  of  Lieutenant-General.  Failing  in  vari- 
ous expeditions  against  the  Chickasaw  Indians, 
lie  was  again  superseded  in  1743,  returning  to 
France,  where  he  died  in  1768. 

BItrGS,  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  &  Quiucy  Railroad, 
1.5  miles  northeast  of  Burlington;  has  a  bank  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. 

BILLIXGS,  Albert  Merritt,  capitaUst,  was 
born  in  New  Hampshire,  April  19,  1814,  educated 
in  the  common  schools  of  his  native  State  and 
Vermont,  and,  at  the  age  of  22,  became  Sheriff  of 
Windsor  County,  Vt.,  Later  he  was  proprietor 
for  a  time  of  the  mail  stage-coach  line  between 
Concord,  N.  H.,  and  Boston,  but,  having  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  "SO's  he  became  associated  with  CorneUus 
K.  Garrison  in  the  People's  Gas  Company  of  Chi- 
cago, of  which  he  served  as  President  from  1859 
to  1888.  In  1890  Mr.  Billings  became  extensively 
interested  in  the  street  railway  enterprises  of  Mr. 
C.  B.  Holmes,  resulting  in  his  becoming  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  Hudison  River 
steamboat  lines  of  the  latter.  In  addition  to  his 
other  business  enterprises,  he  was  principal 
owner  and,  during  the  last  twentj'-five  years  of 
his  life.  President  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, 
Mass.,  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  1845,  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,  early  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- 
compromising 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:  "Kotes  on  a 
Journey  Through  France"  (181.5);  "Notes  on  a 
Journey  Through  America"  (1818),  and  "Letters 
from  Illinois"  (1818).  Died  from  drowning  in 
182.").  ased  about  63  years.  (See  Slavery  and 
Slave  Laws) 

BISSELL,  William  H.,  first  Republican  Gov- 
ernor of  Illinois,  was  born  near  Cooperstown, 
N.  Y.,  on  April  25,  1811,  graduated  inmedicineat 
Philadelphia  in  1835,  and,  after  practicing  a  short 
time  in  Steuben  County,  N.  Y.,  removed  to  Mon- 
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.  While  in  Congress  he  was 
challenged  by  Jefferson  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  Springfield,  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,  enlisted  in  the  Union  array,  serv- 
ing gallantly  and  with  distinction  until  Aug.  15, 


1865,  when,  as  Colonel  of  the  37th  111.  Vol.  Inf.,  he 
retired  with  the  rank  of  BrevetBrigadier-General ; 
was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1857,  and  after  practic- 
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 
Attorney  (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  tlie  U.  S.  Civil 
Service  Commission,  and  chosen  its  President. 

BLACKBURN  UMTERSITY,  located  at  Car- 
linville,  Macoupin  Coimty.  It  owes  its  origin  to 
the  efforts  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  16,656  acres  of  these 
lands,  situated  in  ten  different  counties,  in  trust 
for  the  founding  of  an  institution  of  learning, 
intended  particularly  "to  qualify  yovmg  men  for 
the  gospel  ministry. "  The  citizens  of  Carlinville 
donated  funds  wherewith  to  purchase  eighty 
acres  of  land,  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  years  later  it  was  little  more  than 
a  high  school,  giving  one  course  of  instruction 
considered  particularly  adapted  to  prospective 
students  of  theology.  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  1767.  (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  ^vTongfully  despoiled  of  lands  belonging 
to  them,  in  1832  he  inaugurated  what  is  com- 
monly known  as  the  Black  Hawk  War.  His 
Indian  name  was  Makabaimishekiakiak,  signify- 
ing Black  Sparrow  Hawk.  He  was  ambitious,  but 
susceptible  to  flattery,  and  while  having  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 


IIISTORrCAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


49 


substantial  sort.  After  his  defeat  he  was  made 
the  ward  of  Keokuk,  another  Chief,  which 
humiliation  of  his  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  month.s  after  death,  and  his  articu- 
lated skeleton  is  alleged  to  have  been  preserved 
in  the  rooms  of  the  BiirHngton  (la.)  Historical 
Society  until  1855,  when  it  was  destroyed  by  fire. 
(See  also  Black  Hmck  War:  Ajjpendix. ) 

BLACKSTOXE,  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  neighboring 
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  thus 
employed  he  applied  himself  diligently  to  the 
study  of  the  theoretical  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  Raih-oad  Company.  Mr.  Black- 
stone  then  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,  wlien  the  road  passed  into  tlie 
hands  of  a  syndicate  of  other  lines.  He  was  also 
one  of  the  original  incorporators  of  the  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,  the  iminterrupted 
success  of  his  management  of  the  enterprises 
entrusted  to  his  hands  and  his  studious  regard  for 
the  interests  of  stockholders.  This  was  illustrated 
by  the  fact  tliat,  for  some  thirty  years,  the  Cliicago 
&  Alton  Railroad  paid  dividends  on  its  preferred 
and  common  stock,  ranging  from  6  to  8}.<  percent 
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-third  of  the  whole 
— which  would  have  netted  him  51,000,000  in 
excess  of  the  amount  received,  because  he  was 
unwilling  to  use  his  position  to  reap  an  advantage 
over  smaller  stockholders.     Died,  May  26,  1900. 


BLACKWELL,  Robert  S.,  lawyer,  was  born 
at  Belleville,  III,  in  1833.  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,  he  was 
appointed  by  Q-overnor  Coles  Secretary  of  State, 
succeeding  Judge  Samuel  D.  Lockwood,  after- 
wards a  Justice  of  the  Supreme  Court,  who  had 
just  received  from  President  Monroe  the  appoint- 
ment of  Receiver  of  Public  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 
the  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 — wliose  name  stands  at 
the  head  of  this  paragraph,  attended  the  common 
schools  at  Belleville  in  his  boyhood,  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  1852  he 
removed  to  Chicago,  having  for  liis  first  partner 
Corydon  Beckwith,  afterwards  of  the  Supreme 
Court,  still  later  being  associated  with  a  number 
of  prominent  la\vyers  of  that  day.  He  is  de- 
scribed by  his  biographers  as  "an  able  lawyer,  an 
eloquent  advocate  and  a  brilliant  scholar." 
"Blackwell  on  Tax  Titles, "from  his  pen,  has  been 
accepted  by  the  profession  as  a  high  authority  on 
that  branch  of  law.     He  also  published  a  revision 


50 


HISTOKICAL   EXCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


of  the  Statutes  in  1858,  and  began  an  "Abstract 
of  Decisions  of  the  Supreme  Court,"  which  had 
reached  the  third  or  fourth  volume  at  liis  death, 
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  take  charge 
of  a  branch  store  which  the  firm  had  established 
there.  The  next  year  iie  purchased  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  nearly 
fifty  years.  During  this  period  he  was  associated 
with  various  partners,  including  C.  B.  Xelson, 
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  the  next  two  or 
three  years,  had  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  1865,  as  also  for  a  time  of  the 
Atlantic  &  Pacific  Telegraph  Company  and  the 
Chicago  Gaslight  &  Coke  Company,  a  Tnistee  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,  Darid,  journalist,  was  born  in 
Franklin  County,  Vt.,  in  1834;  learned  the  print- 
er's trade  and  graduated  from  tlie  University  of 
■Vermont  in  1857.  He  was  a  member  of  a  musical 
family  which,  under  the  name  of  "The  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-ofiicio  Superintendent  of  Schools, 
serving  imtil  1865,  when  he  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  business  in  New 
York,  which  was  his  residence.  He  was  manager 
for  several  years  of  the  celebrated  Gilmore  Band 
of  musicians,  and  also  instrumental  in  organizing 
the  celebrated  Sousa's  Band,  of  which  he  was 
manager  up  to  the  time  of  his  decease  in  New 
York,  Nov.  7,  1896. 

BLAKEMAN,  Curtlss,  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  lie  was  one  of  the  founders.  This  settle- 
ment, of  which  tlie  present  town  of  Marine  (first 
called  Madison)  was  the  outcome,  took  its  name 
from  the  fact  that  several  of  the  early  settlers,  like 
Captain  Blakeman,  were  sea-faring  men.  Captain 
Blakeman  became  a  prominent  citizen  and  repre- 
sented Madison  County  in  the  lower  branch  of 
the  Third  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  the  same  name,  was  a  Represent- 
ative in  the  Thirteentli,  Fifteenth  and  Sixteenth 
General  Assemblies  from  Madison  County. 

BLAXCHAED,  Jonathan,  clergyman  and  edu 
cator,  was  born  in  Rockingliam,  Vt.,  Jan.  19, 
1811;  graduated  at  Middlebury  College  in  1832; 
then,  after  teaching  some  time,  spent  two  years 
in  Andover  Tlieological  Seminary,  finally  gradu- 
ating in  theology  at  Lane  Seminary,  Cincinnati, 
in  1838,  where  he  remained  nine  years  as  pastor 
of  the  Sixth  Presbyterian  Church  of  that  city. 
Before  this  time  he  had  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  two  years  spent  in 
pastoral  work,  he  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  his  death. 
May  14,  1892. 

BLAXBIXSTILLE,  a  town  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  is  a  ship 
ping  point  for  the  grain  grown  in  the  surround- 
ing country,  and  has  a  grain  elevatoi  and  steam 
fiour  and  saw  mills.  It  also  has  banks,  two 
weekly  newspapers  and  several  churches.  Popu- 
lation"(loo'^^   877;  (1900),  995. 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


51 


BLAXEY,  Jerome  Van  Zaiidt,  early  physician, 
born  at  Newcastle,  Del.,  May  1,  1820;  was  edu- 
cated at  Princeton  and  graduated  in  medicine  at 
Philadelpliia  when  too  young  to  receive  his 
diploma;  in  1842  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-in-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  disbm-sing  over  S600,- 
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,  1826;  being  a  grandson  of  Samuel 
Blatchford,  D.D.,who  came  to  New  York  from 
England,  in  179.5.  He  prepared  for  coUege  at  Lan- 
singburg  Academy.  New  York,  and  at  Marion 
College,  Mo. ,  finally  graduating  at  IlUnois  College, 
Jacksonville,  in  the  class  of  184.5.  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  18.50,  engaged  in  busi- 
ness for  himself  as  a  lead  manufacturer  in  St. 
Louis,  Mo.,  afterwards  associating  with  him  the 
late  Morris  Collins,  under  the  firm  name  of  Blatch- 
ford &  Collins.  In  1834  a  branch  was  established 
in  Chicago,  known  as  ColUns  &  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.  Wliile  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  Chicago 
Academy  of  Sciences;  a  member,  and  for  seven- 
teen years  President,  of  the  Board  of  Trustees  of 
the  Chicago  Eye  and  Ear  Infirmai-y ;  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 
married  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  Cliristian,  educational  and  benevo- 
lent enterprises,  he  has  been  conspicuous  for  his 
generosity,  and  noted  for  his  valuable  counsel  and 
executive  ability  in  carrying  these  enterprises  to 


BLATCHFORD,  John,  D.D,,  was  bom  at  New- 
field  (now  Bridgeport),  Conn.,  May  34,  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  chm-ches  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  West,  spend- 
ing the  following  winter  at  Jacksonville,  lU.,  and, 
in  1837,  was  installed  the  first  pastor  of  the  First 
Presbyterian  Church  of  Chicago,  where  he 
remained  until  compelled  by  failing  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 
assuming  the  Presidency.  The  institution  having 
been  purchased  by  the  Free  Masons,  in  1844,  he 
removed  to  West  Ely,  Mo.,  and  thence,  in  1847, 
to  Quiriey,  111.,  where  he  resided  during  the 
remainder  of  his  Ufe.  His  death  occurred  in  St. 
Louis,   April  8,   1855.     The   churches   he  served 


52 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


testified  strongly  to  Dr.  Blatcliford's  faithful, 
acceptable  and  successful  performance  of  his 
ministerial  duties.  He  was  married  in  ISi.i  to 
Frances  "Wickes,  daughter  of  Eliphalet  Wickes, 
Esq. .  of  Jamaica,  Long  Island,  X.  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 
1832.  During  1833-34  he  was  Adjunct  Professor 
of  Mathematics  and  teacher  of  French  at  Kenyon 
College,  Ohio,  and,  in  1835-36,  Professor  of 
Mathematics  at  Miami  University.  Then,  hav- 
ing studied  theology,  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  he 
removed  to  Washington,  D.  C.  Later  he  became 
Professor  of  Mathematics,  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  ilethodist  Church. 
He  gained  considerable  reputation  for  eloquence 
during  his  residence  in  Illinois,  and  was  the 
author  of  a  number  of  works  on  reUgious  and 
political  subjects,  the  latter  maintaining  the 
right  of  secession;  was  a  man  of  recognized 
ability,  but  lacked  stability  of  character.  Died  , 
at  Alexandria,  Va.,  Dec.  8.  1877. 

BLODGETT,  Henry  Williams,  jurist,  was  born 
at  Amherst,  Mass.,  in  1S21.  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  surveying.  In  1842  he 
began  the  study  of  law  at  Cliicago,  being 
admitted  to  the  bar  in  1845,  and  beginning  prac- 
tice at  Waukegan,  111.,  where  he  has  continued 
to  reside.  In  1852  he  was  elected  to  the  lower 
house  of  the  Legislature  from  Lake  County,  as 
an  anti-slaverj-  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  & 
Northwestern,   the   Chicago,  Milwaukee    &    St. 


Paul,  the  Michigan  Southern  and  the  Pittsburg 
&  Fort  Wayne  Companies.  Of  the  second  named 
road  he  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  position  he 
continued  to  occupy  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,  which  was  his  last  official  service. 

BLOOMIJfGDALE,  a  village  of  Du  Page  County, 
30  miles  west  by  north  from  Chicago.  Population 
(1880),  226;  (1890),  463;  (1900),  235. 

BLOOMINGTON,  the  county-seat  of  McLean 
County,  a  flourishing  city  and  railroad  center,  59 
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.  Tlie  business  sec- 
tion suffered  a  disastrous  fire  in  1900,  but  has  been 
rebuilt  more  substantially  than  before.  The  prin- 
cipal streets  are  paved  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. 
BLOOMI>fciTOX  COXVEXTlOy  OF  ISoB. 
Although  not  formally  called  as  such,  tUs  was 
the  first  Republican  State  Convention  held  in 
Illinois,  out  of  which  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  1854  (on  Oct.  4  and  5), 
and,  although  it  adopted  a  platform  in  harmony 
with  the  principles  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  Bloomington 
Convention  of  1856  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  22,  1856.     (See  Anti-Neb- 


HISTOKICAL   E^-CYCLOPEDIA   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  Conven-tion 
met  on  May  29,  1856,  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  vv'ere  represented  by  delegates,  ranging 
from  one  to  twenty-five  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  C(jles ;  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  Instruction.  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 ; 
Asaliel  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,"  vrriting  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  had  been 
touched  and  their  souls  warmed  up  to  a  generous 
enthusiasm."  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  successful  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  high  school,  churches  and  two 
newspapers,  besides  brick,  smelting  and  oil  works. 
Population  (1890),  2.521;  (1900),  6,114. 

BLUE  ISLAND  RAILROAD,  a  short  line  3.96 
miles  in  length,  lying  wholly  within  Illinois; 
capital  stock  §25,000;  operated  by  the  Illinois 
Central  Railroad  Company.  Its  funded  debt 
(1895)  was  .5100,000  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),  690;    (1900),  714. 

BLUFFS,  a  village  of  Scott  County,  at  the 
junction  of  the  Quincy  and  Hannibal  branches  of 
the  Wabash  Railway,  53  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  five  years 
old  and  educated  at  Cincinnati,  graduating  from 
the  Ohio  Medical  College  in  1828;  settled  at 
Lacon,  111.,  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 Bissell,  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  Medical  Board  in  1883.  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 
District. 

BOARD  OF  ARBITRATION,  a  Bureau  of  the 
State  Government,  created  l>y  an  act  of  tlie  Legis- 
lature, approved  August  3,  1895.  It  is  appointed 
by  the  Executive  and  is  composed  of  three  mem- 
bers (not  more  than  two  of  whom  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  office  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  controversy  arises  between  an 
individual,  firm  or  corporation  employing  not  less 
than  twenty -five  persons,  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- 
sion 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  administer  oaths  to  witnesses.  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 
the  Board  shall  learn  that  a  disagreement  exists 
between  emplo}'es  and  an  employer  having  less 
than  twenty-five  persons  in  his  employ,  and  that 
a  strike  or  lock-out  is  seriously  threatened,  it  is 
made  the  duty  of  the  body  to  put  itself  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  jjrescribing  penalties  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  1873  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  August.  Tlie 
abstracts  of  the  property  assessed  for  taxation  in 
the  several  counties  of  the  State  are  laid  before 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


55 


it  for  examination  and  equalization,  but  it  may 
not  reduce  the  aggregate  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,  (2)  John  J. 
McKenna,  (3)  Solomon  Simon,  (4)  Andrew  Mc- 
Ansh,  (5)  Albert  Oberndorf,  (6)  Henry  Severiu, 
(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,  (31)  John 
W.  Larimer,  (22)  William  A.  Wall,  besides  the 
Auditor  of  Public  Accounts  as  ex-ofRcio  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.  Tlte  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  tlie  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  accoimts  of  the  various 
State  charitable  institutions,  and,  under  its  man- 


no  charge  of  peculation  against  any 
official  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  supervision  of  the  county  jails  and 
almshouses  has  been  careful  and  conscientious, 
and  has  resulted  in  benefit  alike  to  the  tax-payers 
and  the  inmates.  The  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. 

BOtrARDUS,  Charles,  legislator,  %vas  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  1802,  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,  III,  where  he  has  been  a  success- 
ful operator  in  real  estate.  He  has  been  twice 
elected  to  the  House  of  Representatives  (1884  and 
'80)  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  the 
session  of  1895  he  was  chosen  President  jwo  tern. 
of  the  Senate. 

BOGGS,  Carroll  C,  Justice  of  the  Supreme 
Coiu-t,  was  born  in  Fairfield,  Wayne  County, 
111.,  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 
tlie  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  salarj'  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 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


Derry,  X.  H.,  and  in  t)ie  high  school  at  Law- 
rence, Mass. ;  also  served  as  School  Commissioner 
for  Rockingham  County,  N.  H.  In  1S64  he  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'  Association.  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," 
besides  many  contributions  to  educational  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. 

BO>'D,  Lester  L.,  lawyer,  was  born  at  Raven- 
na, Ohio,  Oct.  2T,  1829;  educated  in  the  common 
schools  and  at  an  academy,  meanwhile  laboring 
in  local  factories ;  studied  law  and  was  admitted 
to  the  bar  in  1853,  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  Chicago  City 
Council,  was  Republican  Presidential  Elector  in 
1868,  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  1813  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  h-om  St.  Clair  County  (then 
comprehending  all  Illinois)  to  the  Territorial 
Legislature  of  Northwest  Territory,  in  1799,  and, 
in  180-t,  to  the  Legislative  Coimcil  of  the  newly 
organized  Territory  of  Indiana. 

BOAD  COUNTY,  a  small  county  lying  north- 
east from  St.  Louis,  having  an  area  of  380  square 
miles  and  a  population  1900)  of  16,078.  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  scarcely 
twenty-five  log  cabins  in  the  county.  The 
county-seat  is  Greenville,  where  the  first  cabin 
was  erected  in  1815  by  George  Davidson.  The 
county  was  organized  in  1818,  and  named  in 
honor  of  Gov.  Shadrach  Bond.  Its  original 
limits  included  the  present  counties  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 ;  educated  at  Hamilton  Academy  and  settled 
in  Peoria,  111.,  in  1850,  where  he  pursued  the 
avocation  of  a  teacher  while  studying  law ;  was 
admitted  to  the  bar  in  1852,  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  inember  of  the  American  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  qviestions,  besides  editing 
a  volume  of  "Poems  by  Alfred  W.  Arrington, 
with  a  sketch  of  his  Character"  (1869. )  As  Presi- 
dent of  the  World's  Congresses  Auxiliary,  in  1893, 
Mr.  Bonney  contributed  largely  to  the  success  of 
that  jvery  interesting  and  important  feature  of 
the  great  Columbian  Exposition  in  Chicago. 

BOOXE,  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   EXCYCLOPEDIA    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 
1855  by  a  combination  of  temperance  men  and 
Know-Nothings ;  acquired  a  large  property  by 
operations  in  real  estate.  Died,  February, 
1882 

BOOXE  COUNTY,  the  smallest  of  the  "north- 
em  tier"  of  counties,  having  an  area  of  only  290 
square  miles,  and  a  population  (1900)  of  13,791. 
Its  surface  is  chiefly  rolling  prairie,  and  tlie 
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  tlie  Shattuck 
brothers,  Slaria  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. 

BOURBONNAIS,  a  village  of  Kankakee  County, 
on  the  Illinois  Central  Railroad,  5  miles  north  of 
Kankakee.     Population  (1890),  510;  (1900).  .595. 

BOUTELL,  Henry  Sherman,  lawyer  and  Con- 
gressman, was  born  in  Boston,  Mass.,  ilarcli  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  tliat  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  the 
United  States  in  1885.  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. 

BOUTOX,  Nathaniel  S.,  manufacturer,  was 
born  in  Concord,  N.  H.,  May  14,  1828;  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  the  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  having  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  Eighty-eighth  Illinois 
Infantry  (Second  Board  of  Trade  Regiment) 
from  1862  until  after  the  battle  of  Chickamauga. 
BOYD,  Thomas  A.,  was  born  in  Adams  County, 
Pa.,  June  25,  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  he  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  Lewistown,  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  chvirches  and  good  public  schools. 
Population  (1890),  2,150;  (1900),  1,669. 

BRADFORD,  village  of  Stark  County,  on  Buda 
and  Rusliville  branch  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  12,  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  the  south 
part  of  the  State,  as  far  east  as  Wayne  and  Clay 
Counties.  Died  at  Nasliville,  111  ,  August  21, 
1839. 

BRADTVELL,  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 
fii-st  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,  1852,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Myra 
Colby,  a  teacher,  with  whom  he  w^ent  to  Mem- 
phis, Tenn.,  the  same  year,  where  they  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  re-elected  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  tlie 
reputation  of  a  man  of  courage  and  inflexible 
independence,  as  well  as  an  incorruptible  cham- 
pion of  justice.  In  1872  he  was  elected  to  the 
lower  branch  of  the  Twenty-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  corruption  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  18-18 ;  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,"  foimded  by 
his  wife  thirty  years  ago,  and  with  which  he  has 
been  identified  in  a  business  capacity  from  its 
establishment.— Myra  Colby  (Bradwell),  the  wife 
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.  Chase,  the  latter 
Secretaiy  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,  1852,  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 
jjart  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  1868  and  in 
1865.  After  the  war  she  commenced  the  study 
of  law  and,  in  1868,  began  the  publication  of 
"The  Chicago  Legal  News,"  with  which  she  re- 
mained identified  until  her  death — also  publishing 
biennially  an  edition  of  tlie  session  laws  after 
each  session  of  the  General  Assembly.  After 
passing  a  most  creditable  examination,  applica- 
tion was  made  for  her  admission  to  the  bar  in 
1871,  but  denied  in  an  elaborate  decision  rendered 
by  Judge  C.  B.  Lawrence  of  the  Supreme  Com-t 
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  the  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  Congi-ess  Auxiliary  of  1893.  Although 
much  before  the  public  during  the  latter  years  of 
her  life,  she  never  lost  the  refinement  and  graces 
■which  belong  to  a  true  woman.  Died,  at  her 
home  in  Chicago,  Feb.  14,  1894. 

BRAID"n'OOD,  a  city  in  Will  County,  incorpo- 
rated in  1860 ;  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,G41 ;  (1900),  3,279. 

BRANSOjV,  Jfathaniel  Yf.,  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 
estabhshing  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  discharge  of  their  duties. 

BRAYMAN,  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  1843  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 


lie  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,  opposite 
Cairo,  into  Arkansas,  which  was  partially  com- 
pleted before  the  war.  and  almost  wholly  de- 
stroyed during  that  period.  In  1861  he  entered 
the  service  as  Major  of  the  Twenty-ninth  IlUnois 
Volunteers,  taking  part  in  a  number  of  the  early 
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, 1863,  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 
South;  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.  37,  1895. 

BREESE,  a  village  in  CUnton  County,  on 
Baltimore  &  Ohio  S.  W.  Railway,  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  Wliitesboro,  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 
1830,  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. 
Sleanwhile,  having  served  as  Postmaster  at  Kas- 
kaskia, he  became  Assistant  Secretary  of  State, 
and,  in  December,  1830,  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, 
issuing  its  first  volume  of  decisions;  served  as 
Lieutenant-Colonel    of    volunteers     dm-ing    the 


GO 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


Blfwjk  Hawk  War  (1832) ;  in  1835  was  elected  to 
the  circuit  bench,  and,  in  1841,  was  advanced  to 
tlie  Supreme  bench,  serving  less  than  two  years, 
when  lie  resigned  to  accept  a  seat  in  tlie  United 
States  Senate,  to  which  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.  Wliile  in  the  Senate  (1843-49)  he 
served  as  Chairman  of  tlie  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  1851 ,  again 
became  Circuit  Judge  in  1805  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. 

BREXTANO,  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  County,  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  18G8,  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  Chicago,  located  at  the  jimction  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  &  Xorthern  Pacific  Railroad.) 

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;  has  a  newspaper.  Population  (1880),  691; 
(1890),  697;  (1900),  600. 

BRIMFIELD,  a  town  of  Peoria  County,  on  the 
Buda  and  Rushville  branch  of  the  Chicago,  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;  (1900),  077. 

BRISTOL,  Frank  Milton,  clergyman,  was  bom 
in  Orleans  County,  N,  Y.,  Jan.  4,  1851;  came 
to  Kankakee,  111.,  in  boyhood,  and  having  lost 
his  father  at  12  j-ears  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.  Tlirougli  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,  meanwhile  continuing  his 
studies  at  tlie  University  until  1877.  After  com- 
pleting his  course  he  served  as  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  Metropolitan  M.  E. 
Church,  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  office  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  County,  serving 
in  the  Twenty-second  General  Assembly.  Other 
offices  held  by  him  included  those  of  County 
Judge  (1863-65)  and  Mayor  of  the  city  of  Spring- 


HISTOEICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


61 


field,  to  which  last  position  he  was  twice  elected 
(1867  and  again  in  1S69).  Judge  Broadwell  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,  1828;  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  CoUinsville,  Belleville  and 
other  points,  Mr.  Brooks,  who  was  a  member  of 
the  celebrated  "Yale  Band,"  in  1837  assumed  the 
principalship  of  a  Teachers'  Seminary  at  Waverly, 
Morgan  County,  but  three  j-ears  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  3re  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  18.53,  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  18.JG  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  IS.j.j.  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  much  time  to  literary  pursuits,  deliver- 
ing' lectures  in  various  parts  of  the  comitry. 
Among  his  best  known  works  are  a  brief  "His- 
tory of  Chicago,"  "History  of  Camp  Douglas,'' 


'Tom  Quick."     Died,  in  Chicago,  Jan. 


and  ' 
1890. 

BROWX,  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  the 
bench  until  about  1824.  He  then  resumed  prac- 
tice at  Cooperstown,  continuing  until  1836,  when 
he  removed  to  Chicago.  The  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  inaugirral  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  born  in 
Gilmanton,  Belknap  County,  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  18.57  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  also  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  which  he 
was  chosen  the  first  President,  being  re-elected  in 
1854.     He  was  one  of  the  most  enterprising  grow- 


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 
June  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,  III.,  where  he  commenced  practice.  In  1853 
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  veas  promoted  to  the  Su- 
preme Court,  and  \yas  reelected  successively  in 
1873,  in  '79  and  '85.  Died,  at  Rockford,  Jan.  15, 
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  fiat-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,  which  he  continued  to  fill  for  many 
years.  He  served  the  city  as  School  Agent  for 
thirteen  j'ears  (1840-53),  managing  the  city'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  1823-34; 
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  %vestern 
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.  The  county-seat  is  Mount 
Sterling,  a  town  of  no  little  attractiveness. 
Other  prosperous  villages  are  Mound  Station  and 
Ripley.  The  chief  occupation  of  the  people  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  Hahfax,  Vt.,  Dec.  1,  1843,  the 
son  of  William  Goldsmith  Browne,  who  was  a 
teacher,  editor  and  author  of  the  song  "A  Hun- 
dred Years  to  Come."  In  childhood  he  was 
brought  by  his  parents  to  Western  Massachusetts, 
where  he  attended  the  public  schools  and  learned 
the  printing  trade  in  his  father's  newspaper 
office  at  Chicopee,  Mass.  Leaving  school  in  1803, 
he  enlisted  in  the  Forty-sixth  Regiment  Massa- 
chusetts Volunteers,  in  which  he  served  one 
year,  chiefly  in  North  Carolina  and  in  the  Army 
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  1866,  but  abandoning 
his  intenton  of  entering  the  legal  profession, 
removed  to  Chicago  in  1867,  where  he  engaged  in 
journalistic  and  literary  pursuits.  Between  1869 
and  '74  he  was  editor  of  "The  Lakeside  Monthly," 
when  he  became  literary  editor  of  "The  Alliance, " 
but,  in  1880,  he  established  and  assumed  the 
editorship  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  pub- 
lishing house  of  McClurg  &  Co.  Besides  his 
journalistic  work,  Jlr.  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  American  Authors"  (1881); 
"The  Golden  Treasury  of  Poetry  and  Prose" 
(1886),  and  the  "Laurel  Crowned"series  of  stand- 
ard ]ioetry  (1891-93).  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  C,  early  jurist,  was  born  in 
Kentucky,  studied  law  there  and,  coming  to 
Shawneetown  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  1813  he  was  appointed 
Prosecuting  Attorney  and,  on  the  admission  of 
Illinois  as  a  State,  was  promoted  to  the  Supreme 
bench,  being  re-elected  by  joint  ballot  of  the 
Legislature  in  1825,  and  serving  continuously 
imtil  the  reorganization  of  the  Supreme  Court 
under  the  Constitution  of  18-18,  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  John  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  liad  clear  and  distinct  views 
of  his  own.  An  attempt  was  made  to  impeach 
him  before  the  Legislature  of  1843  "for  want  of 
capacity  to  discharge  the  duties  of  his  office," 
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  fom-  candidates  for  Governor — in 
the  final  retm-ns  standing  third  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  18.33,  removed  with  his  son-in-law, 
ex-Congressman  Joseph  P.  Hoge,  to  San  Fran- 
cisco, Cal.,  where  he  died  a  few  j-ears  later — 
probably  about  1856  or  1838. 

BROWNISGl,  OrvlUe  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  1832  he  served 
in  the  Black  Hawk  War,  and  from  1836.  to  1843, 
was  a  member  of  the  Legislature,  serving  m  both 
bouses.  A  personal  friend  and  political  adherent 
of  Abraham  Lincoln,  he  aided  in  the  organization 
of    the    Republican    party  at    the    memorable 


Blooniington  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  Johnson,  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,  which 
was  his  last  participation  in  public  affairs,  his 
time  thereafter  being  devoted  to  his  profession. 
He  died  at  his  home  in  Quincv,  111. ,  August  10, 
1881. 

BRYAX,  Silas  Lillard,  legislator  and  jm-ist, 
born  in  Culpepper  Count}-,  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, 
5Io.  The  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  to 
the  State  Senate,  in  which  body  he  served  for 
eight  years,  being  re-elected  in  1856.  In  1861  he 
was  elected  to  the  bench  of  the  Second  Judicial 
Circuit,  and  again  chosen  in  1867,  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  Congress  on  the  Greeley 
ticket  in  1872.  .  Died  at  Salem,  March  30,  1880.— 
William  Jennings  (Bryan),  son  of  the  preceding, 
was  born  at  Salem,  111.,  March  19, 1860.  The  early 
life  of  young  Bryan  was  spent  on  his  father'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,  gi-aduated  from  the  coUege  proper  as 
the  valedictorian  of  his  class.  Then  he  devoted 
two  3-ears  to  the  study  of  law  in  the  Union  Law 
School  at  Chicago,  meanwhile  acting  as  clerk  and 
studying  in  the  law  office  of  ex-Senator  Lyman 
Triunbull.  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.  Four  years  later  (1887) 
found  him  a  citizen  of  Lincoln,  Neb.,  which  has 
since  been  his  home.     He  took  a  prominent  part 


64 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF    ILLINOIS. 


in  the  politics  of  Nebraska,  stumping  tlie  State 
for  the  Democratic  nominees  in  1SS8  and  "89,  and 
in  1890  received  the  Democratic  nomination  for 
Congress  in  a  district  which  had  been  regarded 
as  strongly  Republican,  and  was  elected  by  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  imlimited 
coinage  of  silver"  at  the  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  nearly 
every  Northern  and  Middle  Western  State,  but 
was  defeated  by  his  Republican  opponent,  Maj. 
William  McKinley.  Mr.  Bryan  is  an  easy  and 
fluent  speaker,  possessing  a  voice  of  imusual 
compass  and  power,  and  is  recognized,  even  by 
his  political  opponents,  as  a  man  of  pure  personal 
character. 

BRYAN,  Thomas  Barbour,  lawyer  and  real 
estate  operator,  was  born  at  Alexandria,  Va., 
Dec.  23,  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  mo.st  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  (1865),  where  some 
§300,000  were  cleared  for  disabled  soldiers,  were 
especially  conspicuous.  At  this  time  he  became 
the  purchaser  (at  $3,000)  of  the  original  copy  of 
President  Lincoln's  Emancipation  Proclamation, 
which  had  been  donated  to  the  cause.  He  also 
rendered  valuable  service  after  the  fire  of  1871, 
though  a  heavy  sufferer  from  that  event,  and  was 
a  leading  factor  in  securing  the  location  of  the 


World's  Columbian  Exjjosition  in  Chicago  in  1890, 
later  becoming  Vice-President  of  the  Board  of 
Directors  and  making  a  visit  to  Eiuope  in  the 
interest  of  the  Fair.  After  the  war  Mr.  Bryan 
resided  in  Washington  for  some  time,  and,  by 
appointment  of  President  Hayes,  served  as  Com- 
missioner of  the  District  of  Columbia.  Possessing 
refined  literary  and  artistic  tastes,  he  has  done 
much  for  the  encouragement  of  literature  and 
art  in  Chicago.  His  home  is  in  the  suburban 
village  of  Elmhurst.— Charles  Pa^e  (Bryan),  son 
of  the  preceding,  lawyer  and  foreign  minister, 
was  born  in  Chicago,  Oct.  3,  1855,  and  educated 
at  the  University  of  Virginia  and  Columbia  Law 
School;  was  admitted  to  practice  in  1878,  and 
the  following  year  removed  to  Colorado,  where 
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  the  Illinois  National  Guard, 
serving  upon  the  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  Exposition  Commis- 
sioners in  1891-92.  In  the  latter  part  of  1897  he 
was  ai>|iiiiiit(Ml  by  President  McKinley  Minister 
to  Cliiiia,  lull  bclore  being  confirmed,  early  in 
1898,  was  assigned  to  the  United  States  mission  to 
the  Repulilic  of  Brazil,  where  he  now  is,  Hon. 
E.  H.  Conger  of  Iowa,  who  had  previously  been 
appointed  to  the  Brazilian  mission,  being  trans- 
ferred to  Pekin. 

BRTAXT,  John  Howard,  pioneer,  brother  of 
William  CuUen  Bryant,  the  poet,  was  born  in 
Cummington,  Mass.,  July  32,  1807,  educated  at 
the  Rensselaer  Polytechnic  Institute  in  Troy, 
N.  Y, ;  removed  to  Illinois  in  1831,  and  held  vari- 
ous offices  in  Bureau  County,  including  that  of 
Representative  in  the  General  Assembly,  to  whicli 
he  was  elected  in  1843,  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  tlie  movement 
which  resulted  in  the  establishment  of  industrial 
colleges  in  the  various  States.  He  was  one  of  the 
founders  of  the  Republican  partj'  and  a  warm 
personal  friend  of  President  Lincoln,  being  a 
member  of  the  first  Republican  State  Convention 
at  Blooinington  in  1856,  and  serving  as  Collector 
of  Internal  Revenue  by  appointment  of  Mr.  Lin- 
coln in  1862-04.  In  1872  Mr.  Bryant  joined  in  the 
Liberal  Republican  movement  at  Cincinnati,  two 


HISTOEICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLIXOIS. 


C5 


years  later  was  identified  with  the  "Independent 
Eeform''  party,  but  has  since  cooperated  with 
the  Democratic  party.  He  has  produced  two 
Tolumes  of  poems,  published,  respectively,  in  1'85.5 
and  1885,  besides  a  number  of  public  addresses. 
His  home  is  at  Princeton,  Bureau  County. 

BUCK,  Hiram,  clergyman,  was  born  in  Steu- 
ben County,  X.  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  simi  to  the 
endowment  funds  of  the  "Wesleyan  University  at 
Bloomington  and  the  Illinois  Conference  College 
at  Jacksonville,  Died  at  Decatur,  111.,  August 
■22,  1893. 

Bl]DA,a  village  in  Bureau  County,  at  the  junc- 
tion of  the  main  line  with  the  Buda  and  Rush- 
ville  branch  of  the  Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy 
Railroad,  and  the  Sterling  and  Peoria  branch  of 
the  Chicago  &  Northwestern.  12  miles  southwest 
of  Princeton  and  117  miles  west-southwe.st  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 
<1K90),  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  (1834-3o),  then 
resigned  his  commission,  and,  after  some  service 
as  an  engineer  upon  public  %vorks  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  1861 
he  entered  the  volunteer  ser-s-ice,  as  Colonel  of 
the  Twenty-seventh  Illinois,  serving  at  various 
points  in  Western  Kentucky  and  Tennessee,  as 
also  in  the  siege  of  Vicksburg.  and  at  Helena, 
Ark.,  where  he  was  in  command  from  Sejitem- 
ber,  1863,  to  March,  1865.  In  the  meantime,  by 
promotion,  he  attained  to  the  rank  of  Major- 
General  by  brevet,  being  mustered  out  in  August, 
1865.  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. 

BULKLET,  (Rev.)  Justus,  educator,  was  born 
at  Leicester,  Livingston  County,  N.  Y.,  July  23, 
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  simimer.  His  family 
then  removed  to  Illinois,  finally  locating  at 
Barry,  Pike  County.  In  1842  he  entered  the 
preparatory  department  of  Shmtleff  College  fit 
Upper  Alton,  graduating  there  in  1847.  He  was 
immediately  made  Principal  of  the  preparatory 
department,  remaining  two  years,  wlien  he  was 
ordained  to  the  Baptist  ministry  and  became 
pastor  of  a  chmxh  at  Jerseyville.  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  CarroUton,  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,  %vhich  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  oflSce.  During  this  period 
he  was  frequently  called  upon  to  preside  as  Mod- 
erator at  General  Associations  of  the  Baptist 
Church,  and  he  became  widely  known,  not  only 
in  that  denomination,  but  elsewhere.  Died  at 
Upper  Alton,  Jan.  16,  1899. 

BULL,  Lorenzo,  banker,  Quincy,  111.,  was  bom 
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.  Leavmg  Hartford  in  the  spring  of  1838,  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  oifices,  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  yoimg  clerk 
made  himself  acquainted  ^vith  the  people  of  the 
county  (at  that  time  few  in  number),  with  the 
land-system  of  the  coimtry  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  tlie  city, 
remaining  through  various  changes  of  the  firm 
until   1844,  when   he   formed  a  partnership  with 


66 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


his  brother  under  the  firm  name  of  L.  &  C.  H. 
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  1861,  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  he  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  tlie  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  Congregational  Church.  —  Charles  Heniy 
(Bull),  brother  of  the  preceding,  was  born  in 
Hartford,  Conn.,  Dec.  16.  1823,  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 
agricultural  implements.  This  business  was 
continued  imtil  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  S300.000,  held  equally 
by  Lorenzo  Bull,  Charles  H.  Bull  and  Edward  J. 
Parker,  respectively,  as  President,  Vice-Presi- 
dent and  Cashier.  Xear  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  1869— a  road  intended  to  be  built  from 
Quincy,  111.,  across  the  State  of  Missouri  to 
Brownsville,  Neb.,  and  of  which  he  is  now 
(1898)  the  President,  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  has  done  much  to  advance  the  growth 
and  prosperity  of  the  city. 

BUNKER  HILL,  a  city  of  Macoupin  County,  on 
the  Cleveland,  Cincinnati,  Chicago  &  St.  Louis 
Railroad,  37  miles  northeast  of  St.  Louis;  has 
electric-lighting  plant,  telephone  service,  coal 
mine,  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 
handsome  residences;  is  situated  on  high  ground 
in  a  rich  agricultural  and  dairying  region  and  an 
important  shipping-point.     Pop.  (1900),  1,279. 

BUNN,  Jacob,  banker  and  manufacturer,  was 
born  in  Hunterdon  County,  N.  J.,  in  1814;  came 
to  Springfield  in  1836,  and,  four  years  later,  began 
business  as  a  grocer,  to  which  he  afterwards 
added  that  of  private  banking,  continuing  until 
1878.  Dviring  a  part  of  this  time  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 
revulsion  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  was  a  large  stockholder,  and  of  which 
he  became  the  President.  Mr.  Bunn  was,  be- 
tween 1S06  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.  16,  1897.— John  W. 
(Bunn),  brother  of  the  preceding  and  successor 
to  the  grocery  business  of  J.  &  J.  W.  Bunn,  has 
been  a  prominent  business  man  of  Springfield, 
and  served  as  Treasurer  of  the  State  Agricultural 
Board  from  1858  to  1898,  and  of  the  Illinois  Uni- 
versity from  its  establishment  to  1893. 

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


HISTOEICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF    ILLINOIS. 


city  and  at  Berlin  University;  while  still  a 
student  took  part  in  the  Peninsular  War  which 
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  1855,  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. 

BUKCHARD,  Horatio  C,  ex -Congressman,  was 
born  at  Marshall,  Oneida  County,  N.  Y.,  Sept.  22. 
1825;  graduated  at  Hamilton  College,  N.  Y.,  in 
1850,  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 
I860  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  IMint  at  Philadelphia,  with  marked 
ability.  During  tlie  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. 

BUEDETTE,  Robert  Jones,  journalist  and 
humorist,  was  born  in  Greensborough,  Pa.,  July 
30,  1844,  and  taken  to  Peoria,  111.,  in  early  life, 
where  he  was  educated  in  the  public  schools.  In 
1802  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  "The  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 
contributions  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.  Sheflleld  also  has  an  impor- 
tant coal  trade.  Public  lands  were  offered  for  sale 
as  early  as  1835,  and  by  1844  had  been  nearly  all 
sold.  Princeton  was  platted  in  1832,  and.  in  1890, 
contained  a  population  of  3,396.  The  coimty  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  to\vnship,  in  1828.  He  was 
soon  followed  by  the  Anient  brothers  (Edward, 
Justus  and  John  L. ),  and  for  a  time  settlers  came 
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  wliom  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  CuUen  Brvant. 

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  Commissioners,  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  reports. 
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 


IIISTOraCAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLIXOIS. 


from  Brown  University  in  1S38  and  from  the 
General  Tlieological  Seminary  (New  York)  in 
1841.  He  was  made  a  Deacon,  Nov.  3.  1843.  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,  ilass.  He  represented  the  dioceses 
of  JIaine.  Long  Island  and  Massachusetts  fn  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, 
lie  was  chosen  by  the  clergy  of  the  diocese  to  suc- 
ceed him  but  declined  When  the  diocese  of 
Quincy,  III.  was  created,  be  was  elected  its  first 
Bishop,  and  consecrated  at  Christ  Church,  Spring- 
field, Mass-,  on  .Maj^  15,  1878.  Besides  publishing 
a  memoir  of  his  brother.  Bishop  Burgess  is  the 
autlior  of  several  Sunday-school  question  books, 
carols  and  hymns,  and  has  been  a  contributor  to 
periodical  church  literature.  His  residence  is  at 
Peoria. 

BURLET.  Arthur  Oilman,  merchant,  was  born 
at  Exeter,  N.  H.,  Oct.  4,  1813,  received  his  edu- 
cation in  the  local  schools,  and,  in  183.5,  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  crockery,  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  18.j3.  the  business  there- 
after being  conducted  under  the  name  of  Burley 
&  Tyrrell,  with  Mr.  Burley  as  President  of  the 
Company  until  his  death,  whicli  occurred,  August 

37,  1897.— Augustus  Harris  (Burley),  brother  of 
the  preceding,  was  born  at  Exeter,  N.  H.,  March 

38,  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  be  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  18.57  he  dispo.sed  of  liis  book  and 
st;;tionery  business,  and  about  tlie  same  time 
became  one  of  the  founders  of  the  Merchants' 


Loan  and  Trust  Company,  with  which  he  has 
Deen  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  (1870-73).  City 
Comptroller  during  the  administration  of  Mayor 
Medill  (1873-73),  and  again  undar  Mayor  Roche 
(1887),  and  member  of  the  City  Coimcil  (1881-83). 
Politically,  Mr.  Burley  has  been  a  zealous  Repub- 
lican 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. 

BURNHAM,  Daniel  Hudson,  architect,  was 
born  at  Henderson,  N.  Y.,  Sept.  4,  1846;  came  to 
Chicago  at  9  years  of  age;  attended  private 
schools  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.  Root,  architect,  which  extended  to  the 
death  of  the  latter  in  1891.  The  firm  of  Burnham 
&  Root  furnished  the  plans  of  a  large  nmuber  of 
the  most  conspicuous  business  buildings  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  that  contributed 
gi-eatly  to  the  success  of  the  enterprise. 

BURR,  Albert  G.,  former  Congressman,  was 
born  in  Genesee  Coimty,  N.  Y.,  Nov.  8,  1829; 
came  to  Illinois  about  1833  with  his  widovped 
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  1863),  meanwhile  serving 
as  a  member  of  the  State  Constitutional  Conven- 
tion of  1863.  Having  removed  to  Carrollton. 
Greene  County,  he  was  elected  as  a  Democrat  to 
the  Fortieth  and  Forty-first  Congresses  (1866  and 
18(38),  serving  until  March  4,  1871.  In  August, 
1877,   he  was    elected    Circuit    Judge   to    fill    a 


HISTORICAL   EXCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


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  liis 
parents  to  White  County,  111.,  iu  183-t,  growing 
up  on  a  farm  near  Carmi;  received  a  common 
school  education;  in  1850  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  whicli  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,  clergyman  and 
educator,  was  born  in  Stamford,  N.  Y.,  Dec.  7, 
1818;  graduated  at  Yale  College  in  1843,  and 
Madison  Theological  Seminar}-  in  1846.  After 
five  years  spent  as  pastor  of  Baptist  churches  at 
Waterford  and  West  Troy,  N.  Y.,  in  18.53  he 
assumed  the  pastorate  of  the  First  Baptist  Church 
of  Chicago;  about  1856  was  elected  to  the  presi- 
dency of  the  Chicago  University,  tlien  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  A.ssistant  Super- 
intendent of  Public  Schools  of  that  city,  serving 
until  his  death,  April  31,  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  13.  1863;  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  tlie 
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  tlie  Fif- 
teenth Illinois  District,  defeating  Joseph  G.  Can- 
non, Republican,  by  whom  he  was  in  turn 
defeated  for  the  same  office  in  1893. 

BUSHNELL,  a  flourishing  city  and  manufac- 
turing center  in  McDonough  County,  11  miles 
northeast  of  Macomb,  at  the  junction  of  two 
branches  of  the  Chicago.  Burlington  &  Quincy 
with  the  Toledo,  Peoria  &  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 
packinghouses;  also  has  water-works  and  elec- 
tric lights,  grain  elevators,  three  banks,  several 
churches,  graded  public  and  high  schools,  two 
newspapers  and  a  public  library.  Pop.  (1900),  3,490. 

BUSHNELL,  Neliemiah,  lawyer,  was  born  in 
the  town  of  Westbrook,  Conn.,  Oct.  9,  1813; 
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,  111.,  where, 
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  much 
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  Company 
and  the  Quincy  &  Palmyra  (Mo.)  Railroad.  In 
1873  he  was  elected  by  the  Republicans  the 
"minority"  Repre.seutative  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  Pough- 
keepsie,  N.  Y.,  was  admitted  to  the  bar  and 
established  himself  in  practice  at  Ottawa,  111. 
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,  June  80,  1885. 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


BUTLER,  William,  State  Treasurer,  was  born 
in  Adair  County,  Ky.,  Dec.  1"),  1797;  during  the 
war  of  1812,  at  tlie  age  of  16  years,  served  as  tlie 
messenger  of  the  GoTernor  of  Kentucky,  carrying 
dispatches  to  Gen.  William  Henry  Harrison  in 
the  field;  removed  to  Sangamon  County,  111.,  in 
1828,  and,  in  1830,  was  ajipointed  Clerk  of  the 
Circuit  Court  by  Judge  Stephen  T.  Logan.  In 
1859  he  served  as  foreman  of  the  Grand  Jury 
which  investigated  the  "canal  scrip  frauds" 
charged  against  ex-Governor  Matteson,  and  it 
was  largely  through  his  influence  tliat  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  he  was  elected  to  the  same 
office  in  18G0.  Mr.  Butler  was  an  ardent  sup- 
porter of  Abraham  Lincoln,  whom  lie  efficiently 
befriended  in  the  early  struggles  of  tlie  latter 
in  Springfield.  He  died  in  Springfield.  Jan.  11, 
1870. 

BL'TTERFIELD,  Justin,  early  lawyer,  was 
born  at  Keene,  N.  II.,  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  1835  he 
settled  in  Chicago  and  soon  became  a  leader  in 
his  profession  there  also.  In  1841  he  was  appointed 
hy  President  Harrison  United  States  District  At- 
torney for  the  District  of  Illinois,  and,  in  1849,  by 
President  Taylor  Commissioner  of  the  General 
Land  Oflice,  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  Secretary  of  State, 
of  whom  Mr.  Butterfield  was  a  personal  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  tlie  jury.  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  argimient,  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  ^Mexico,  he 
replied.  "I  opposed  one  war" — meaning  his 
opposition  as  a  Federalist  to  the  War  of  1813 — 
"but  learned  the  folly  of  it.  Henceforth  I  am  for 
war,  pestilence  and  famine."  He  died,  Oct.  25, 
1855. 

BYFORl),  William  H.,  physician  and  author, 
was  born  at  Eaton,  Ohio,  March  20,  1817;  in  1830 
came  with  liis  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  1850,  he 
assumed  a  professorship  in  a  Medical  College  at 
Evansville,  Ind.,  also  editing  a  medical  journal. 
In  1857  he  removed  to  Chicago,  where  he  ac- 
cepted a  chair  in  Rush  Medical  College,  but  two 
years  later  became  one  of  tlie  founders  of  the 
Chicago  Medical  College,  where  he  remained 
twerty  years.  He  then  (1879)  returned  to  Rush, 
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  Trustees  until  his  death, 
May  21,  1890.  He  published  a  number  of  medical 
works  which  are  regarded  as  standard  by  the 
profession,  besides  acting  as  associate  of  Dr.  N.  S. 
Davis  in  the  editorship  of  "The  Chicago  Medical 
Journal"  and  as  editor-in-chief  of  "The  Medical 
Journal  and  Examiner."  the  successor  of  the 
former.  Dr.  Byford  was  held  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,  Mil- 
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. 

CABLE,  a  town  in  Mercer  County,  on  the  Rock 
Island  &  Peoria  Railroad,  20  miles  south  by  east 
from  Rock  Island.  Coal-mining  is  tlie  principal 
industry,  but  there  are  also  tile  works,  a  good 
quality  of  clay  for  manufacturing  purposes  being 
found  in  abundance.  Population  (ISSO),  572-, 
(1890),  1,270;  (1900),  697. 

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


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


71 


August  11,  1853.  "When  lie  was  three  years  old 
his  father's  family  removed  to  Rock  Island,  111., 
where  he  has  since  resided.  After  passing 
through  the  Rock  Island  public  schools,  he  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  politician,  and  influ- 
ential in  his  party,  liaving  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. 

CABLE,  Ransom  R.,  railway  manager,  was 
born  in  Athens  County,  Ohio,  Sept.  28,  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  lumberman.  In  1857  he 
removed  to  Illinois,  first  devoting  his  attention 
to  coal  mining  in  the  neigliborliood  of  Rock 
Island.  Later  he  became  interested  in  the  pro- 
jection and  management  of  railroads,  being  in 
turn  Superintendent,  Vice-President  and  Presi- 
dent of  the  Rock  Island  &  Peoria  Railroad.  His 
next  position  was  that  of  General  Manager  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  brought  him  to 
the  favorable  notice  of  those  who  controlled  rail- 
way interests  all  over  the  country.  In  1876  he 
•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  chief 
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  months.  Cahokia  and  Kaskaskia  were 
jointly  made  the  county -seats  of  St.  Clair  County, 
wlien  that  county  was  organized  by  Governor  St. 
Clair  in  1790.  Five  years  later,  when  Randolph 
County  was  set  oflf  from  St.  Clair,  Cahokia  was 
continued  as  the  county-seat  of  the  parent 
county,  so  remaining  until  the  removal  of  the 
seat  of  justice  to  Belleville  in  1S14.  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,"  s»re  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,  III, 
which  was  embraced  in  Lawrence  County  on  the 
organization  of  the  latter  in  1821.  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  (1822-24).  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  1,800  acres,  but  upon  the  death  of  Mr.  Comy- 
ges, the  land  reverted  to  the  Government.  The 
forfeited  tract  was  re-entered  in  1835  by  Sidney 
Breese  and  others,  who  later  transferred  it  to  tlie 
"Cairo  City  and  Canal  Company,"  a  corporation 
chartered  in  1837,  which,  by  purchase,  increased 
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 the  Civil  War  Cairo  was  an  important  base 
for  military  operations.  Its  population,  according 
to  the  census  of  1900,  was  12,566.  (See  also  Alex- 
ander County.) 

CAIRO  BRIDGE,  THE,  one  of  the  triumphs  of 
modern  engineering,  erected  by  tlie  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  prosecuted  for 
twenty-.seven  months,  being  completed,  Oct.  29. 
1889.  The  first  train  to  cross  it  was  made  up  of 
ten    locomotives    coupled     together.     The     ap- 


HISTORICAL   EXCYCLOPEDIA    OP    ILLIXOIS. 


proaclies  from  both  the  lUinois  and  Kentucky 
shores  consist  of  iron  viaducts  and  weil-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  \yithin  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  lOG'^:  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 
foimdations.  The  total  length  of  the  bridge, 
including  the  timber  trestles,  is  20,461  feet — about 
dji  miles.  Tour-fifths  of  the  Illinois  trestle 
work  has  been  filled  in  with  earth,  while  that  on 
the  southern  shore  has  been  virtually  replaced  by 
an  embankment  since  the  completion  of  the 
bridge.  The  bridge  proper  stands  104.43  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  (1895)  between  .$3,250,000  and  §3,500,000. 

CAIRO,  VINCENNES  &  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- 
cennes,  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, Chicago  &  St.  Louis  Railurit/.) 

CAIRO  ii  ST.  LOUIS  RAILROAD.  (See  St. 
Louis  &  Cairo  Railroad  and  Mobile  &  Ohio  Rail- 
u-ay. ) 

CAIRO  &  VI>CE>>ES  RAILROAD.  (See 
Cairo,  Vincennes  <&  Chicago  Railro<id. ) 

CALDWELL,  (Dr.)  George,  early  physician 
and  legislator  (the  name  is  spelled  both  Cadwell 
and  Caldwell  in  the  early  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  (1803-11), 
and  was  elected  the  first  Delegate  in  Congress 
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  Territorj-, 
but  defeated  by  Edward  Hempstead  (see  Hem2> 
stead,  Edward).  Dr.  Caldwell  descended  the 
Ohio  River  in  1799  in  company  with  Lyon's 
family  and  his  brother-in-law,  John  Messinger 
(see  Messinger,  John),  who  afterwards  became  a 
prominent  citizen  of  St.  Clair  County,  the  party 
locating  at  EddyviUe,  Ky.  In  1802,  Caldwell 
and  Messinger  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  latter.  He 
served  as  State  Senator  from  Madison  County 
in  the  First  and  Second  General  Assemblies. 
(1818-22),  and,  having  removed  in  1820  within  thft 
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  coimty  of  Cook.  During  the  following  ses- 
sion of  the  Legislature  he  was  a  sturdy  opponent 
of  the  scheme  to  make  Illinois  a  slave  State.  His 
home  in  Morgan  Coimty  was  in  a  locality  known 
as  "Swinerton's  Point,"  a  few  miles  west  of 
Jacksonville,  where  he  died,  August  1,  1826. 
(See  Slavery  and  Slave  Lairs.)  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,  N.  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 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF    ILLINOIS. 


an  outfit  for  the  publication  of  a  weekly  paper, 
ajid,  on  Nov.  20,  began  the  issue  of  "The  Chicago 
Democrat" — the  first  paper  ever  published  in  that 
city.  Mr.  Calhoun  retained  the  management  of 
the  paper  three  years,  transferring  it  in  Novem- 
ber, 1836,  to  John  Wentworth,  who  conducted  it 
imtil  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  lUinois  Central  Railroad  in  procur- 
ing right  of  waj'  for  the  construction  of  its  lines. 
Died  in  Chicago,  Feb.  20,  1859. 

CALHOUN,  John,  surveyor  and  politician,  was 
born  in  Boston,  Mass.,  Oct.  14,  1806;  removed  to 
Springfield,  lU.,  in  1830,  served  in  the  Black 
Hawk  War  and  was  soon  after  appointed  County 
Surveyor.  It  was  under  Mr.  Calhoun,  and  by  his 
appointment,  that  Abraham  Lincoln  served  for 
some  time  as  Deputy  Surveyor  of  Sangamon 
County.  In  1838  Calhoim  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  '51), 
served  as  Mayor  of  the  city  of  Springfield.  In 
1852  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,  1859. 

CALHOUX,  WilUam  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, 
where  he  became  the  intimate  personal  friend  of 
Maj.  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  (1875)  and  estabhshed 
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-tliird  General  Assembly  and,  during 
the  following  session,  proved  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  expired. 

CALHOUN  COUNTY,  situated  between  the 
Mississippi  and  Illinois  Rivers,  just  above  their 
junction.  It  has  an  area  of  260  square  miles, 
with  a  population  (1900)  of  8,917;  was  organized 
in  1825  and  named  for  John  C.  Calhoun.  Origi- 
nally, the  county  was  well  timbered  and  the 
early  settlers  were  largelj'  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,  althougli  coal 
is  found  and  mined  in  paying  quantities  along' 
Silver  Creek.  Tradition  has  it  that  the  aborig- 
ines found  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  count3"'s  surface  exhibits  some 
peculiarities.  Limestone  bluffs,  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. 
The  side  vaileys  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. 

CALLAH.VN,  Ethelbert,  lawj-er  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  Marshall 
Telegraph."  He  early  identified  himself  with 
the  Republican  party,  and,  in  1864,  was  the 
Republican   candidate  for   Congress  in   his  dis- 


74 


HISTORICAL   EXCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


trict ;  became  a  member  of  the  first  State  Board 
of  Equalization  by  appointment  of  Governor 
Oglesby  in  ISOT ;  served  in  the  lower  house  of  the 
General  Assembly  during  the  sessions  of  1875,  "91, 
'93  and  '9o,  and,  in  1893-95,  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  flows 
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,  Sji  miles  from 
the  mouth  of  the  main  stream.  From  the  south- 
em  limit  of  Chicago  the  general  course  of  the 
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 
point  of  importance  for  heavy  freight  for 
the  Illinois  Steel  Works,  the  PuUman  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  200  feet  wide  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  Michigan  Canal  extends  from 
the  west  branch  (or  Little  Calumet)  to  the  canal 
in  the  vicinity  of  Willow  Springs.  The  stream 
was  knovm  to  the  early  French  explorers  as  "the 
CaUmic,"  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  fimded  debt,  but  has  a  floating  debt  of 
§116,357,  making  atotal  capitalization  of  .§185,087. 
This  road  extends  from  One  Hundredth  Street  in 
Chicago  to  Hegewisch,  and  was  chartered  in  1883. 
(See  Pennsyh-ania  Railroad.) 

CAMBRIDGE,  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  con- 
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,  940;  (1900),  1,345. 

CAMERON,  James,  Cumberland  Presbyterian 
minister  and  pioneer,  was  born  in  Kentucky  in 
1791,  came  to  lUinois  in  1815,  and,  in  1818,  settled 
in  Sangamon  County.  In  1829  he  is  said  to  have 
located  where  the  town  of  New  Salem  (after- 
wards associated  with  the  early  liistory  of  Abra- 
ham Lincoln)  was  built,  and  of  which  he  and 
James  Rutledge  were  the  founders.  He  is  also 
said  to  have  officiated  at  tlie  funeral  of  Ann 
Rutledge,  with  whose  memory  Mr.  Lincoln's 
name  has  been  tenderly  associated  by  his  biog- 
raphers. Mr.  Cameron  subsequently  removed 
successively  to  Fulton  County,  111.,  to  Iowa  and 
to  California,  dying  at  a  ripe  old  age,  in  the  latter 
State,  about  1878. 

CAMP  DOUOLAS,  a  Federal  military  camp 
established  at  Chicago  early  in  the  War  of  the 
Rebellion,  located  between  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  was  utilized  as  a  place  of  confine- 
ment for  Confederate  prisoners  of  war.  (For 
plot  to  liberate  the  latter,  together  with  other 
similar  prisoners  in  Illinois,  see  Camp  Douglas 
Conspiracy.) 

CAMP  DOUGLAS  CONSPIRACY,  a  plot  formed 
in  1864  for  the  liberation  of  the  Confederate 
prisoners  of  war  at  Chicago  (in  Camp  Douglas), 
Rock  Island,  Alton  and  Springfield.  It  was  to  be 
but  a  preliminary  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  Trea.wiiable  Societies.)  Three 
peace  commissioners  (Jacob  Thompson,  C.  O. 
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  been  second 


niSTOKICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


in  command  to  the  rebel  Gen.  John  Morgan  dur- 
ing his  raid  north  of  the  Ohio  River,  while  Col. 
Vincent  JIarmaduke,  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  argument  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  fimds  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  the 
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  aroused, 
and  the  Camp  was  reenforced  by  a  regiment  of 
infantry  and  a  battery.  The  organization  of  the 
proposed  assaiUng  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  justify  an  attack, 
and  the  project  was  postponed.  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  the  arrest 
of  Capt.  C.  H.  Cole,  a  Confederate  oflRcer  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  scheme — 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  torch, 
to  open  fire  plugs,  to  levy  arms,  and  to  attack 
banks.  But  representatives  of  the  United  States 
Secret  Service  had  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  Chicago,  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; Charles  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    liad     made 


:g 


IIISTOKK'AL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


repeated  attempts  to  secure  his  release,  a  brother 
of  his  being  a  General  in  the  British  Army. 
Daniels  managed  to  escape,  and  was  never  recap- 
tured, 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  service  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 
loyal  family,  whom  he  afterwards  married. 
After  the  exposure  of  the  contemplated  uprising, 
the  rebel  agents  in  Canada  offered  a  reward  of 
.$1,000  in  gold  for  the  taking  of  his  life,  and  he 
was  bitterly  persecuted.  The  attention  o-f  Presi- 
dent Lincoln  was  called  to  the  service  rendered 
by  him,  and  sometime  during  1865  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.  Siveet, 
Cam}}  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  maiiufactorj-.  He  soon 
rose  to  the  position  of  superintendent,  managing 
iron-works  in  Pennsylvania,  Kentucky  and  Mis- 
souri, until  1850,  when  he  removed  to  Illinois, 
settling  at  La  Salle.  He  was  twice  (1853  and 
1853)  elected  Mayor  of  that  city,  and  represented 
his  county  in  the  Twenty-first  General  Assembly 
(18o9).  He  was  also  a  member  of  the  State 
Constitutional  Convention  of  18G2,  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  the  debate  with 
Douglas.  He  broke  with  the  Republican  party 
in  187-1  on  the  greenback  issue,  which  won  for 
him  the  title  of  "Father  of  the  Greenback."  His 
death  occurred  at  La  Salle,  August  9,  1898. 

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


in  1S3S;  was  appointed  Master  in  Chancery  for 
Sangamon  County  in  1849,  and,  in  1861,  to  a 
similar  position  by  the  United  States  District 
Court  for  that  district.   .  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  Universit}',  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,  advanced  to  the  .Senate  in  1888,  and 
re-elected  in  '93.  During  his  twelve  years' 
experience  in  the  Legislature  he  participated,  as 
a  Democrat,  in  the  celebrated  Logan-Morrison 
contest  for  the  United  States  Senate,  in  1885,  and 
assisted  in  the  election  of  Gen.  John  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  Spanish-American  War,  Mr.  Camp- 
bell organized  a  regiment  which  was  mustered  in 
as  the  Ninth  Regiment  Illinois  Tolunteers,  of 
which  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  Cuba 
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 
1898. 

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 
'  1846,  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  185.5  to  engage  in  general  practice. 
In  1859  he  made  an  extended  visit  to  Europe 
■with  his  family,  and,  on  his  return,  located  in 
Chicago,  the  following  year  becoming  a  candidate 
for  Presidential  Elector-at-large  on  the  Breckin- 
ridge ticket;  in  18G1  returned  to  California,  and, 
ou  the  breaking  out  of  the  Civil  War,  became  a 
zealous  champion  of  the  Union  cause,  by  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 
wliich  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 ticket.     Died  in  San  Francisco,  Dec.  6,  18G8. 

CA3IPBELL,  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  passing 
through  the  Chicago  public  schools,  Mr.  Camp- 
bell attended  tlie  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).  1,1.50;  (1900),  1,360. 

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  issued  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  work  of  refunding  the  State  indebtedness,  an 
inquiry  was  instituted  in  the  office  of  the  Fund 
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  by  the 
Canal  Board,  to  meet  temporary  demands  in  the 
work  of  construction  —  the  sum  aggregating 
§369,059— 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 
without  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.  Matteson,  then 
Governor,  to  be  taken  by  him  to  Springfield  and 
deposited  there.  Notliing  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  1856  and 
1857  by  larger  sums,  until,  at  the  time  the  legis- 
lative investigation  was  instituted,  it  was  found 
that  bonds  to  the  amount  of  8333,183.66  had  been 
issued  on  account  of  principal  and  interest. 
With  the  exception  of  the  •5300  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 
Conmiittee    led  to  an   offer   from    Matteson  to 


78 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


indemnify  the  State,  in  which  he  stated  that  he 
had  "unconscioiisly  and  innocently  been  made 
the  instrument  througli  whom  a  gross  fraud  upon 
the  State  had  been  attempted."  He  therefore 
gave  to  the  State  mortgages  and  an  indemnifying 
bond  for  the  sum  shown  to  liave  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  §165,340,  for 
which  the  State  never  received  any  compensa- 
tion. A  search  through  the  State  House  for  the 
trunk  and  bo.x  placed  in  the  hands  of  Governor 
Matteson  in  1853,  while  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  the  subject  of  a  protracted  investigation 
bj-  the  Grand  Jury  of  Sangamon  County  in  May, 
18.59,  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." 

CAXBY,  Richard  Spri^^,  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. 

CANXOX,  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  la^^-j^er, 
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  opjwnent.  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  Fifty- 


sixth  Congress  (1899-1901).  Mr.  Cannon  has  been 
an  influential  factor  in  State  and  National  poli- 
tics, as  shown  by  the  fact  that  he  has  been  Chair- 
man of  the  House  Conmiittee  on  Appropriations 
during  the  important  sessions  of  the  Fifty-fourth 
and  Fifty-fifth  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  timber  and  clay  for  manufacturing  purposes. 
There  are  coal  mines  within  the  municipal  limits, 
and  various  manufacturing  establishments. 
Among  the  principal  outputs  are  agricultural 
implements,  flour,  brick  and  tile,  cigars,  cigar 
boxes,  foundry  and  machine-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. 

CAPPS,  Jabez,  pioneer,  was  born  in  London, 
England,  Sept.  9,  1796;  came  to  the  United  States 
in  1817,  and  to  Sangamon  County,  III,  in  1819. 
For  a  time  he  taught  school  in  what  is  now 
called  Round  Prairie,  in  the  present  County  of 
Sangamon,  and  later  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  Count}'  four  years.  Died, 
April  1,  1896,  in  the  100th  year  of  his  age. 

CAKBONDALE,  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  tlie  Southern  Illinois 
Normal  University.  Pop.(1890),  2,382;  (1900),  3,318. 

CAKBONDALE  &  SHAWNEETOWN  RAIL- 
R0.4D,  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 
Murphysboro  &  Shawneetown  Railroad  in  1867; 
its  name  changed  in  1869  to  The  Carbondale  & 


niSTOEICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF    ILLINOIS. 


79 


Shawneetown,  was  opened  for  business,  Dec.  31, 
1871,  and  leased  in  1886  for  980  years  to  the  St. 
Louis  Southern,  tlirough  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,  William,  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  1869-70  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  occupying 
various  offices  at  Deadwood,  Dakota,  and  in  Reno 
County,  Kan.  The  first  office  held  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  the  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  imcompromising  partisan,  he  never- 
theless commanded  the  respect  and  good-will  of 
his  political  opponents.  Died  at  his  home  in 
Carrollton,  Feb.  U,  1852. 

CARLIN,  William  Passmore,  soldier,  nephew  of 
Gov.  Tliomas  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  Sixth  United  States  Infantry  as 
Lieutenant.     After  several  years  spent  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  Tliirtj'-eighth  Illi- 
nois Volunteers.  His  record  during  the  war  was 
an  exceptionally  brilliant  one.  He  defeated  Gen. 
Jeff.  Thompson  at  Fredericktown,  Mo.,  Oct.  21, 
1861 ;  commanded  the  District  of  Southeast  Mis- 
souri for  eighteen  months;  led  a  brigade  imder 
Slocum  in  the  Arkansas  campaign;  served  with 
marked  distinction  in  Kentucky  and  Mississippi ; 
took  a  prominent  part  in  the  battle  of  Stone 
River,  was  engaged  in  the  TuUahoma  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,  1864,  he  was  made 
Colonel  in  the  regular  army,  and,  on  March  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  1893.     His  home  is  at  Carrollton. 

CARLINVILLE,  the  county-seat  of  Macoupin 
County ;  a  city  and  railroad  junction,  57  miles 
northeast  of  St.  Louis,  and  38  miles  southwest  of 
Springfield.  Blackburn  University  (which  see) 
is  located  here.  Three  coal  mines  are  operated, 
and  there  are  brick  works,  tile  works,  and  one 
newspaper.  The  city  has  gas  and  electric  light 
plants  and  water-works.  Population  (1880), 
3,117;  (1890),  3,293;  (1900),  3,502. 

CARLTLE,  the  county-seat  of  Clinton  County, 
48  miles  east  of  St.  Louis,  located  on  the  Kaskas- 
kia River  and  the  Baltimore  &  Oliio  Southwestern 
Railroad.  The  town  has  churches,  parochial  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,  thougli  the  city  has  brick  and 
tile  works,  a  plow  factory  and  foundry.  Popula- 
tion (1880),  2,512;  (1890),  2,785;  (1900),  2,939. 

CARPENTER,  Milton,  legislator  and  State 
Treasurer;  entered  upon  public  life  in  Illinois  as 


IIISTOKICAL    ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF    ILLIISOLS 


Representative  in  tlie  Ninth  General  Assembly 
(1S34)  from  Hamilton  County,  serving  by  succes- 
sive re-elections  in  tlie  Tenth,  Eleventh  and 
Twelfth.  While  a  member  of  the  latter  (1841) 
he  was  elected  by  the  Legislature  to  the  ofiSce  of 
State  Treasurer,  retaining  this  position  until  tlie 
adoption  of  the  Constitution  of  1848,  when  lie  was 
chosen  his  own  successor  by  popular  vote,  but 
died  a  few  days  after  the  election  in  August, 
1848.  He  was  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 — where  his  remains  still  lie 
(1897)  in  a  grave  unmarked  by  a  tombstone. 

CAEPENTER,  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,  where  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  IS.'il, 
withdrew  on  account  of  dissatisfaction  with  the 
attitude  of  some  of  tlie  representatives  of  that 
denomination  on  the  subject  of  slavery,  iilentify- 
ing  himself  with  the  Congregationalist  Church, 
in  wliich  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  8100,000.  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  %vork 
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  iu  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  Count}'.  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    Cliaii' •  '1 


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

CARPENTERSVILLE,  a  village  of  Kane 
County  and  manufacturing  center,  on  Lake  Ge- 
neva branch  of  the  Chicago  &  Northwestern  Rail- 
road. 6  miles  north  of  East  Elgin  and  about  48 
miles  from  Chicago.   Pop.  (1890),  754;  (1900),  1,002. 

CARR,  Clark  E.,  lawyer,  politician  and  diplo- 
mat, was  born  at  Boston,  Erie  County,  N.  Y., 
May  20,  1836;  at  13  years  of  age  accompanied  his 
father's  family  to  Galesburg,  111.,  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  embarked  in  politics,  his 
affiliations  being  uniformly  with  the  Republican 
party.  His  first  office  was  that  of  Postmaster  at 
Galesburg,  to  which  lie  was  appointed  by  Presi 
dent  Lincoln  in  1861  and  which  he  held  for 
twenty-four  years.  He  was  a  tried  and  valued 
assistant  of  Governor  Yates  during  the  War  of 
the  Rebellion,  serving  on  the  staff  of  the  latter 
with  the  rank  of  Colonel.  He  was  a  delegate  to 
the  National  Convention  of  his  party  at  Baltimore 
in  1864,  which  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  the 
Republican  National  Convention,  from  the  State- 
at-large,  and,  in  1887,  a  candidate  for  the  caucus 
nomination  for  United  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  him  Minister 
to  Denmark,  which  post  he  filled  with  marked 
ability  and  credit  to  the  country  until  his  resig- 
nation was  accepted  by  President  Cleveland, 
when  he  retiwned  to  his  former  home  at  Gales- 
burg. While  in  Denmark  lie  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  born  in  Erie 
County,  N.  Y.,  May  20,  1830,  and  graduated  at 
West  Point  in  18.'J0,  entering  the  Mounted  Rifles. 
Until  1801  he  was  stationed  in  the  Far  West,  and 
eng:iged  in  Indian  fighting,  earning  a  First  Lieu- 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


81 


tenancy  through  his  gallantry.  In  ISGl  he 
entered  upon  active  service  under  General  Lyon, 
in  Southwest  Missouri,  taking  jjart  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-Colonelcj-  in 
the  United  States  Army.  He  also  distinguished 
himself  for  a  first  and  second  assault  upon  taking 
Vicksbirrg,  and,  in  the  autumn  of  1862,  com- 
manded the  left  wing  of  the  Sixteenth  Corps  at 
Corinth.  In  December  of  that  year  he  was 
transferred  to  the  Department  of  Arkansas, 
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  1894  he  was 
retired  with  the  rank  of  Brigadier-General,  and 
has  since  resided  in  New  York. 

CARRIEL,  Henry  P.,  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), 
wife  of  Dr.  Carriel,  and  a  daughter  of  Prof. 
Jonathan  B.  Turner  of  Jacksonville,  was  elected 
a  Trustee  of  the  University  of  Illinois  on  the  Repub- 
lican ticket  in  1896,  receiving  a  plurality  of  118,039 
over  Julia  Holmes  Smith,  her  highest  competitor. 


CARROLL  COUNTY,  originally  a  part  of  Jo 
Daviess  County,  but  set  apart  and  organized  in 
1839,  named  for  Charles  Carroll  of  CarroUton.  The 
first  settlements  were  in  and  around  Savanna, 
Cherry  Grove  and  Arnold"s  Grove.  The  first 
Coimty  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  was  changed  from  Savanna 
to  Mount  Carroll,  where  it  yet  remains.  Town- 
ships were  first  organized  in  1850,  and  the 
development  of  the  county  has  steadily  pro- 
gressed since  that  date.  The  surface  of  the  land 
is  rolling,  and  at  certain  points  decidedly  pictur- 
esque. The  land  is  generally  good  for  farming. 
It  is  well  timbered,  particularlj'  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  public 
and  private  schools. 

CARROLLTON,  the  county-seat  of  Greene 
County,  situated  on  the  west  branch  of  the  Chi- 
cago &  Alton  and  the  Quincy,  CarroUton  &  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), 
2,2.58;  (1900),  2,355. 

CARTER,  Joseph  N.,  Justice  of  the  Supreme 
Court,  was  born  in  Hardin  County,  Ky.,  March 
12,  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  1868  graduated 
from  the  Law  Department  of  the  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  the  seat  on  the  Supreme 
Bench,  which  he  now  occupies 

CARTER,  Thomas  Henry,  United  States  Sena- 
tor, born  in  Scioto  County,  Ohio,  Oct,  30,  1854; 
in  his  fifth  year  was  brought  to  Illinois,  his 
father  locating  at  Pana,  where  he  was  educated 
in  the  public  schools;  was  employed  in  farming, 
railroading  and  teaching  several  years,  then 
studied  law  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar.  and.  in 
1882,  removed  to  Helena,  Mont.,  wljere  he  en- 
gaged in  practice:  was  elected,  as  a  Republican 
the  last  Territorial  Delegate  to  Congress  from 
Idaho  and  the  fii-st  Representative  from  the  new 


82 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


St;ite;  was  Commissioner  of  the  General  Land 
(Jttice  (1891-92),  and.  in  1895,  was  elected  to  the 
United  States  Senate  for  the  term  ending  in  19U1. 
In  189-2  he  was  chosen  Chairman  of  the  Repub- 
lican National  Committee,  serving  until  the  St. 
Louis  Convention  of  1896. 

CARTERVILLE,  a  city  in  Williamson  County, 
10  miles  by  rail  northwest  of  Marion.  Coal  min- 
ing is  the  principal  industry.  It  has  a  bank,  five 
churches,  a  public  school,  and  a  weekly  news- 
paper. Population  (1880),  602;  (1890),  969;  (1900), 
1,749;  (1904,  est.),  2,000. 

C.4RTHAGE,  a  city  and  the  county-seat  of 
Hancock  County,  18  miles  east  of  Keokuk,  Iowa, 
on  the  Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincyand  the  Wa- 
bash 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  §32,000.  Instruction  is  given  in  the  classical, 
scientific,  musical,  fine  arts  and  business  depart- 
ments, as  well  as  in  preparatory  studies.  In  1898 
this  institution  reported  a  property  valuation  of 
$41,000.  of  wliich  S:?,-|. 11(111  w;is  in  real  estate. 

cartha(;e  a.  iu  klixgton   railroad. 

(See  Chinuj,,.  nnrUm,t<„i  <t-  Qiiinaj  Railroad.) 

CARTWRUiHT,  James  Henry,  Justice  of  the 
Supreme  Court,  was  born  at  Maquoketa,  Iowa, 
Dec.  1,  1842  —  the  son  of  a  frontier  Methodist 
clergyman;  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  born  in  Amherst  County,  Va., 
Sept.  1,  1785,  and  at  the  age  of  five  years  accom- 
panied his  father  (a  Revolutionary  veteran)  to 
Logan  County,  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  months  later  he  abandoned 
his  reckless  life,  sold  his  race-horse  and  abjured 
gambling.  He  began  preaching  imniediately 
after  his  conversion,  and,  in  1803.  was  regularly 
received  into  the  ministry  of  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church,  althougli  only  18  years  old.  In 
1823  he  removed  to  Illinois,  locating  in  Sangamon 
Coimty,  then  but  sparsely  settled.  In  1828,  and 
again  in  1833,  he  was  elected  to  the  Legislatirre, 
where  his  homespun  wit  and  undaunted  courage 
stood  him  in  good  stead.  For  a  long  series  of 
years  he  attended  annual  conferences  (usually  as. 
a  delegate),  and  was  a  conspicuous  figure  at 
camp-meetings.  Although  a  Democrat  all  his 
life,  he  was  an  uncompromising  antagonist  of 
slavery,  and  rejoiced  at  the  division  of  bis- 
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 
Abraham  Lincoln.  He  -svas  a  powerful  preacher, 
a  tireless  worker,  and  for  fifty  years  served  as  a 
Presiding  Elder  of  his  denomination.  On  the 
lecture  platform,  his  quaintness  and  eccentricity, 
together  with  his  inexhaustible  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 
church  he  was  equally  fearless  and  outspoken, 
and  his  strong  common  sense  did  much  to  pro- 
mote the  success  of  the  denomination  in  the 
West.  He  died  at  his  home  near  Pleasant  Plains, 
Sangamon  County,  Sept.  25,  1872.  His  principal 
published  works  are  "A  Controversy  with  the 
Devil"  (1853),  "Autobiography  of  Peter  Cart- 
■wright"  (1856),  "The  Backwoods  Preacher" 
(London,  1869),  and  several  works  on  Methodism. 
GARY,  Eugene,  lawyer  and  insurance  manager, 
was  born  at  Boston,  Erie  County,  X.  Y.,  Feb.  20, 
1835;  began  teaching  at  sixteen,  meanwhile 
attending  a  select  school  or  academy  at  intervals; 
studied  law  at  Sheboygan,  Wis.,  and  Buffalo, 
N.  Y.,  1855-56;  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  Ciunberland, 
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   EXCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


83 


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

CASAD,  Anthony  TV'ayne,  clergyman  and  phy- 
sician, was  born  in  Wantage  Township,  Sussex 
County,  N.  J.,  May  2,  1791;  died  at  Summerfield, 
111.,  Dec.  16,  1857.  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  1813,  being  a  member  of  Captain 
Wm.  Stephenson's  Company.  In  1818  he  re- 
moved with  his  wife's  father  to  Union  Grove,  St. 
Clair  Coimty,  111.  A  few  years  later  he  entered 
the  ministry  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church, 
and  during  1831-23  was  stationed  at  Kaskaskia 
and  Buffalo,  removing,  in  1833,  to  Lebanon, 
where  he  taught  school.  Later  he  studied  medi- 
cine and  attained  considerable  prominence  as  a 
practitioner,  being  commissioned  Surgeon  of  the 
Forty-ninth  Illinois  Infantry  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  Count}'  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.  CoUu  D.  James  (which  see). 

CASEY,  a  village  of  Clark  County,  at  the  inter- 
section of  the  Vandalia  Line  and  the  Chicago  & 
Ohio  River  Railroad,  35  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 
the  vicinity  of  the  present  city  of  Mount  Veruon, 
in  Jefferson  County,  where  he  acquired  great 
prominence  as  a  politician  and  became  the  liead 


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 
Coimty,  serving  on  the  first  Board  of  County 
Commissioners;  was  an  unsuccessful  candidate 
for  the  Legislature  in  1830,  but  was  elected 
Representative  in  1833  and  re-elected  two  years 
later ;  in  1826  was  advanced  to  the  Senate,  serv- 
ing until  1830,  when  he  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  three  Congressmen  from 
Illinois,  to  which  he  had  been  elected  a  few 
months  previous,  being  subsequentl}'  re-elected 
for  four  consecutive  terms.  In  1842  he  was 
again  a  candidate,  but  was  defeated  bj-  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, 
1863.  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.  Xewton  R.  (Casey), 
son  of  the  preceding,  was  born  in  Jefferson 
County,  111.,  Jan.  37,  1836,  received  his  pri- 
mary education  in  the  local  schools  and  at  Hills- 
boro  and  Mount  Vernon  Academies;  in  1842 
entered  the  Ohio  University  at  Athens  in  that 
State,  remaining  until  1845,  when  be  com- 
menced the  stud}'  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  lectm-es  at 
the  Missouri  Medical  College,  St.  Louis,  the  latter 
year  removing  to  Mound  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 
the  United  States  Government  Hospital  at  Mound 
Citv,  in  1861,  acted  for  some  time  as  a  volunteer 


84 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


surgeon,  later  serving  as  Assistant  Surgeon.  In 
1866,  he  was  elected  Representative  in  the 
Twenty-fifth  General  Assembly  and  re-elected  in 
1868,  when  he  was  an  unsuccessful  Democratic 
candidate  for  Sjjeaker  in  o]iposition  to  Hon.  S.  M. 
CuUom;  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  com-se  receiving  the  degree  of 
A.JI.  from  the  latter;  studied  law  for  three 
years,  being  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1854;  in  1860, 
was  elected  State's  Attorney  for  the  Twelfth 
Judicial  District;  in  September,  1862,  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  Attorney,  serving  until 
18C8;  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  discover}-  of 
the  Illinois  country.  The  earhest  permanent 
white  settlers  came  about  1820,  and  among  them 
were  Thomas  Beard,  Martin  L.  Lindsley,  John 
Cetrough  and  Archibald  Job.  As  early  as  1821 
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 
preiichers,  and  among  the  pioneers  may  be  named 
Messrs.  Robertson,  Toplo,  IMcDonald,  Downing, 
Davis,  Shepherd,  Penny,  Bergen  and  Hopkins. 
Beardstown  was  the  original  county-seat,  ftnd 
during  both  the  Black  Hawk  and  Mormon 
troubles  was  a  depot  of  supplies  and  rendezvous 
for  troops.  Here  also  Stephen  A.  Douglas  made 
his  iirst  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 
coimty  was  set  off  from  Morgan  in  1837.  The 
principal  towns  are  Beardstown,  Virginia,  Chand- 
lerville,  Ashland  and  Arenzville.  The  county- 
seat,  formerly  at  Beardstown,  was  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  born  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  18.j8,  he 
accepted  the  chair  of  Rhetoric,  Oratory  and 
Belles-Lettres  in  Shm-tleff  College,  at  Upper 
Alton,  111.,  remaining  until  his  death,  Jan.  31, 
1892.  Professor  Castle  received  the  degree  of 
LL.D.  from  Denison  University  in  1877. 

CATHERWOOD,  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,  was 
married  to  James  S.  Catlierwood,  with  whom  she 
resides  at  Hoopeston,  111.  Mrs.  Catlierwood  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  Dollard"  and  "The  Bells  of  St. 
Anne"  (18.S9).  During  the  past  few  years  she 
has  shown  a  predilection  for  subjects  connected 
with  early  Illinois  history,  and  has  published 
popular  romances  under  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." 

CATON,  John  Dean,  early  lawyer  and  jurist, 
was  born  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  poverty 
and  manual  labor.  At  1.5  he  was  set  to  learn  a 
trade,  but  an  infirmity  of  sight  compelled  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 
Judiie  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- 


a^. 


UMpEWiMiM., 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


85 


ing  serred  nearly  twenty-two  years.  During 
this  period  he  more  than  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  liis  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,  wliich  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  1812,  and,  in 
1823,  came  to  Illinois,  first  settling  at  Edwards- 
ville,  and  soon  afterwards  at  Carrollton,  Greene 
County.  Here  he  was  elected  Representative  in 
the  Fifth  General  Assembly  (1820),  and  again  to 
the  Twelfth  (184U) ;  also  served  as  Senator  in  the 
Thirteenth,  Fourteenth  and  Fifteenth  Assemblies 
(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.  Jlr.  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. 

CENTERVILLE  (or  Central  City),  a  village  in 
the  coal-mining  district  of  Grundy  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,  Jlor- 
gan  County.  Its  founding  was  largely  due  to  the 
philanthropic  efforts  of  Miss  Dorothea  L.  Dix, 
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,  ids 
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 imder  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  as  the 
exigencies  of  the  institution  demanded,  appropri- 
ations have  been  made  for  the  erection  of  addi- 
tional buildings.  Numerous  detached  buildings 
have  been  erected  within  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  fron.  which  patients  are 
received  in  this  institution  embrace:  Rock 
Island,  Mercer,  Henry,  Bureau,  Putnam,  Mar- 
shall. Stark,  Klnox.  Warren,  Henderson,  Hancock, 
McDonough,  Fulton,  Peoria,  Tazewell,  Logan, 
Mason,  Menard,  Cass,  Schuyler.  Adams,  Pike, 
Calhoim,  Brown,  Scott,  Morgan,  Sangamon, 
Christian,  Montgomery,  Macoupin,  Greene  and 
Jersey. 

CEXTRALIA,  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,  fiour  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),   6,721;    (1903.  est.),  8.000. 

CENTRALIA  &  ALTAMOXT  RAILROAD. 
(See  Cciifirilia  d-  Chester  Railroad.) 

CENTRALIA  &  CHESTER  RAILROAD,  a  rail- 
way line  wholly  within  the  State,  extending 
from  Salem,  in  Marion  County,  to  Chester,  on  the 
Mississippi  River  (Sl.O  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) — 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


total,  99.5  miles.  The  original  line  was  chartered 
as  the  Centralia  &  Chester  Railroad,  in  December, 
1SS7,  completed  from  Sparta  to  Coulterville  in 
1889,  and  consolidated  the  same  year  with  the 
Sparta  &  Evansville  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  1897-98. 
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  .8978,000  is  in  stocks  and  $948,000  in 
bonds. 

CENTRAL  3IILIT.\RY  TRACT  RAILROAD. 
(See  Chicago.  Burlington  &  Quincy  Railroad.) 

CERRO  GORDO,  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  Gordo,  which 
has  also  a  flouring  mill,  brick  and  tile  factories, 
etc.  Tliere  are  three  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  .SS.OOO, 

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 exhibits  of  Wisconsin,  at  the  Interna- 
tional Exposition  of  that  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  Chicago  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- 
sit}^  of  Michigan,  Beloit  College  and  Columbian 
University,  all  on  the  same  date  (1887). 

CHAMPAIGN,  a  flourishing  city  in  Champaign 
County,  128  miles  southwest  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  system  of 
water-works,  well-paved  streets,  and  is  lighted  by 
both  gas  and  electricity.  The  surrounding  coun- 
try is  agricultural,  but  the  city  has  manufac- 
tories of  carriages  and  machines.  Three  papers 
are  published  here,  besides  a  college  weekly  con- 
ducted by  the  students  of  the  University'.  The 
Burnham  Hospital  and  the  Garwood  Old  Ladies' 
Home  are  located  in  Champaign.  In  the  resi- 
dence portion  of  tlie  city  there  is  a  handsome 
park,  covering  ten  acres  and  containing  a  notable 
piece  of  bronze  statuary,  and  several  smaller  parks 
in  other  sections.  There  are  several  handsome 
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),  47,623.  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  Rantoul  (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. 


HISTOrJCAL   EXCYCLOPEDIA    OF    ILLIXOI^ 


87 


CH.VMPAIGX,  HATAXA  &  WESTERX  RAIL- 
"ROAD.  (See  Illinois  Central  Railroad. ) 
.  CHANDLER,  Charles,  physician,  was  born  at 
West  Woodstock,  Conn.,  July  2,  1806;  graduated 
with  the  degree  of  M.D.  at  Castleton,  Vt.,  and, 
in  1829,  located  in  Soituate,  R.  I. ;  in  1833,  started 
with  the  intention  of  settling  at  Fort  Clark  (now 
Peoria),  111.,  but  was  stopped  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  being  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  born  at  Frelighsburg,  Quebec,  July  12,  1S3G; 
at  18  he  began  teaching,  and  later  took  charge  of 
the  business  department  of  "The  Detroit  Free 
Press";  in  1861,  came  to  Chicago  witli  Wilbur  F. 
Storey  and  became  business  manager  of  "The 
Chicago  Times";  in  1870,  disagreed  with  Storey 
^and  retired  from  newspaper  business.  Died,  at 
Yonkers,  N.  Y.,  Jan.  18,  1896. 

CHANDLERTILLE,  a  village  in  Cass  County, 
on  the  Chicago,  Peoria  &  St.  Louis  Railroad,  7 
imiles  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  flour  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, 
at  the  age  of  16  he  obtained  a  position  as  freight 
brakeman  on  the  Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy 
Railroad,  being  steadily  promoted  through  the 
ranks  of  conductor,  train-master  and  dispatcher, 
until,  in  1865,  at  tlie  age  of  24,  he  was  appointed 
'General  Agent  of  the  Eastern  Division  of  the 
Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy.  Other  railroad 
po.sitions  wliich  Mr.  Chappell  has  since  held  are : 
;Superintendent  of  a  division  of  tlie  Union  Pacific 


(1869-70) ;  Assistant  or  Division  Superintendent 
of  tlie  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  the 
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,  wliich  he  has  continued  to  fill  for 
over  twelve  years.  Quietly  and  without  show  or 
display,  Jlr.  Chappell  continues  in  the  discharge 
of  his  duties,  assisting  to  make  the  system  with 
which  he  is  identified  one  of  the  most  successful 
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.  Tliree  newspapers  are 
published  here,  issuing  daily  editions.  Population 
(1890),  4,135;  (1900),  5,488".  The  Eastern  State 
Normal  School  was  located  here  in  1895. 

CHARLESTON,  NEOGA  &  ST.  LOUIS  RAIL- 
ROAD. (See  Toledo,  St.  Louis  d-  Kansas  City 
Railroad.) 

CHARLEVOIX,  Pierre  Francois  Xarier  de, 
a  celebrated  French  traveler  and  an  early 
explorer  of  Illinois,  born  at  St.  Queutiu,  France, 
Oct.  29,  1682.  He  entered  the  Jesuit  Society, 
and  while  a  student  was  sent  to  Quebec 
(1695),  where  for  four  j'ears  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  Mississippi  by  way  of  the 
Illinois  River.  After  visiting  Cahokia  and  the 
surrounding  county  (1720-21),  he  continued  down 
the  Jlississippi  to  New  Orleans,  and  returned  to 
France  b}'  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,  wlien  it  was  undertaken  by 
Shea.     Died  in  France.  Feb.  1,  1761. 


88 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


CHASE,  Philander,  Protestant  Episcopal 
Bishop,  was  born  in  Cornish,  Vt.,  Dec  14.  177.), 
and  graduated  at  Dartmouth  in  1795.  Altliough 
reared  as  a  Congregationalist.  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  IHO."), 
lie  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  fomiding  an 
academy  at  Wortliington ;  was  consecrated  a 
Bishop  in  1819.  and  after  a  visit  to  England  to 
raise  funds,  laid  the  foundation  of  Kenyon 
College  and  Ganibier  Theological  Seminary, 
named  in  honor  of  two  English  noblemen  who 
had  contributed  a  large  portion  of  the  funds. 
Differences  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  Micliigan,  in  183.5  was  cliosen 
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,  111.,  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  until  his  death,  wliich  occurred  Sept. 
20,  1852.  Several  volumes  appeared  from  his  pen, 
the  most  important  being  "A  Plea  for  the  AVest" 
(1826),  and  "Reminiscences:  an  Autobiography, 
Comprising  a  History  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  (1S90),  482;  (19iJ0),  02!)., 

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,  tliree  grain 
elevators,  five  churches,  a  graded  school,  two 
weekly  papers,  water  works,  electric  liglits.  paved 
streets,  cement  sidewalks,  biick  works,  and  other 
manufactories.     Pop.  (1890),  827;  (1900),  1,038. 

CHEBANSE,  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),  fil6;  (1900),  5.55. 

CHENEY,  Charles  Edward,  Bishop  of  the  Re- 
formed Protestant  Episcopal  Church,  was  bom  in 
Canandaigua,  N.  Y.,  Feb.  12,  1830;  graduated  at 


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

CHEXET,  John  Vance,  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,  he  was 
admitted  to  the  bar  successively  in  Massachusetts 
and  New  York ;  but  meanwhile  having  written 
considerably  for  the  old  "Scribner's  Monthly" 
(now  "Century  Magazine"),  while  under  the 
editorship  of  Dr.  J.  G.  Holland,  he  gradually 
adopted  literature  as  a  profession.  Removing  to 
the  Pacific  Coast,  be  took  charge,  in  1887,  of  the 
Free  Public  Library  at  San  Francisco,  remaining 
imtil  1894,  when  he  accepted  the  position  of 
Librarian  of  the  Newberry  Library  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  "Thistle- 
Drift,"  poems  (1887);  "Wood-Blooms,"  poems 
(1888),  "Golden  Guess,"  essays  (1892);  "That 
Dome  in  Air,"  essays  (1895);  "Queen  Helen," 
poem  (1895)  and  "Out  of  the  Silence,"  poem 
(1897).  He  is  also  editor  of  "Wood  Notes  Wild," 
by  Simeon  Pease  Cheney  (1892),  and  Caxton  Club's 
edition  of  Derby's  Pho?nixiana. 

CHEJfOA,  an  incorporated  city  of  McLean 
Coflnty.  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,  dairy  farming,  fruit-growing  and 
coal-mining  are  the  chief  industries  of  the  sur- 
rounding region.  The  city  also  has  an  electric 
light  plant,  water-works,  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,  Ellis  Sylvester,  civil  engineer, 
was  born  in  Baltimore,  Md.,  July  6,  1813;  at  the 


HISTOEICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


89 


age  of  thirteen  was  cliainman  to  an  engineering 
party  on  tlie  Baltimore  &  Ohio  Railroad,  being 
later  employed  on  other  roads.  In  1837,  he  was 
appointed  senior  assistant  engineer  in  the  con- 
struction of  the  Louisville,  Cincinnati  &  Charles- 
ton Railroad,  and,  in  1840,  Chief  Engineer  of  the 
Boston  "Waterworks,  in  1850  becoming  sole  Com- 
missioner of  the  Water  Department  of  that  city. 
In  1853,  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 
ifHce  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  1830,  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  associated  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 
Illinois  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,  70 
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,  Augustus  Louis,  soldier,  was  born 
in  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  Dec.  26,  1824,  of  French  Hugue- 
not stock — his  parents  having  emigrated  from 
Switzerland  in  1828,  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 


1801,  being  chosen  to  the  captaincy  of  a  company 
in  the  Twelfth  Regiment  of  Illinois  Volunteers, 
which  General  Grant  had  declined;  participated 
in  the  campaign  on  the  Tennessee  River  which 
resulted  in  the  capture  of  Fort  Donelson  aiiu  the 
battle  of  Shiloh,  meanwhile  being  commissioned 
Lieutenant-Colonel;  also  distinguished  himself  at 
Corinth,  where  he  remained  in  command  until 
May,  1803,  and  organized  the  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,  1805,  he  commanded  the 
post  at  Memphis,  and  later  the  District  of  Talla- 
dega, Ala.,  until  January,  1800,  when  he  was 
mustered  out  of  the  service.  General  Chetlain 
was  Assessor  of  Internal  Revenue  for  the  District 
of  Utah  (1867-69),  then  appointed  United  States 
Consul  at  Brussels,  serving  until  1872,  on  his 
return  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 
tho  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  3,417  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  503  feet  above  sea-level,  and  its 
highest  point  is  some  IS  feet  above  Lake  Michi- 
gan. The  Chicago  River  is  virtually  a  bayou, 
dividing  into  north  and  south  branches  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  the 
way  of  drainage.  The  Illinois  &  Michigan  Canal 
terminates  at  a  point  on  the  south  branch  of 
the  Chicago  Ri%-er,  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  00 
miles,  the  greater  part  of  which  is  utilized  for 
the  shipment  and  imloading  of  grain,  lumber, 
stone,  coal,  merchandise,  etc.  Another  navigable 
stream  (the  Calumet  River)  also  lies  within  the 


90 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF    ILLINOIS. 


corporate  limits.  Dredging  has  made  the  Chi- 
cago 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  lying  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  there  exceeds  that  of  any  other  port  in 
the  United  States.  During  1897,  9,156  ve.ssels 
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— oovmting  flour  as  its  grain  equiva- 
lent in  bushels — amounted  to  323,097,453  bushels 
of  the  former,  to  289,930,038  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 


Receipts. 
5,316,195 
3.5,741,5.55 
137.426,374 
110,393,647 
4.935.308 
18, 116.  .594 
329,005,346 


Shipments. 

5,033,336 

38,094,900 

130,397,681 

''4!  4.53!  384 

6.755,347 

933,627,722 


110,286,653       1,060,859,808 
9,360,968  1,334,768 


3,502,378 


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  92,459  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  9,959  manu- 
facturing establishments,  with  a  capital  of  S39  .\  - 
477,038;  employing  203,108  hands,  and  turning 
out  products  valued  at  8633,184,140.  Of  the  out- 
put by  far  the  largest  was  that  of  the  slaughter- 
ing and  meat-packing  establishments,  amounting 
to  8203,825,093;  men's  clothing  came  next  ($33,- 
517,336);  iron  and  steel,  831,419,8.54;  foundry  and 
machine  shop  products,  839,938,616;  planed 
lumber,  §17,604.494.  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 
•antering  the  city,  and  cover  many  hundreds  of 


acres.  In  1894,  there  were  received  8,788.049 
animals  (of  all  descriptions),  valued  at  8148,057,- 
636.  Chicago  is  also  a  primary  market  for  hides 
and  leather,  the  production  and  sales  being  both 
of  large  proportions,  and  the  trade  in  manufac- 
tured leather  (notably  in  boots  and  shoes) 
exceeds  that  of  any  other  market  in  the  country. 
Ship-building  is  a  leading  industry,  as  are  also 
brick-making,  distilling  and  brewing. 

Transport.\tion,  etc.— Besides  being  the  chief 
port  on  the  great  lakes,  Chicago  ranks  second  to 
no  other  American  city  as  a  railway  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  transportation.  Since  then  the  multi- 
plication of  railroad  lines  focusing  in  or  passing 
through  Chicago  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. 
The  number  of  trains  daily  arriving  and  depart- 
ing (suburban  and  freight  included)  is  about 
2,000.  Intramural  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. 

HiSTOEV.— 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  jjassed 
under  British  control,  though  French  traders 
remained  in  this  vicinity  after  the  War  of  the 
Revolution.  One  of  these  named  Le  Mai  followed 
Point  du  Sable  about  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  flrist  Government 
survey  was  made,  1829-30.  Early  residents  were 
the  Kinzies,  the  Wolcotts,  the  Beaubiens  and  the 
Millers.  The  Black  Hawk  War  (1833)  rather 
aided  in  developing  the  resources  and  increasing 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


91 


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  the  1st 
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: 


Year. 

Mayor. 

City  Clerk. 

City  attorney. 

City  Trbasiirkr. 

Wm.  B.  Ogden 

Buckner  S.  Morris 

Benj.  W.  Raymond 

Alexander  Lloyd 

P.  C.  Sherman 

Benj.  W.  Raymond 

Augustus  Garrett 

Aug.Garrett.Alson  SSherman  ' 
Aug.Garrett.AlsonS.Shermaii   l 

JohnP.Chapin 

JamesCurtiss    

James  H.  Woodworth 

James  H.  Woodworth  

James  Curtiss 

Walters.  Gurnee 

Walters.  Gurnee 

I.N.Arnold,  Geo.  Davis  il). 

}m9 

Samuel  L.  Smith 

Mark  Skinner 

Geo.  Manierre 

G  Mm i eJ^riienry  Brown ('  3 ) 
ll^iiry  W.Clarke 

Geo.  VV.  Dole. 

1841 

\r^ 

1844 
1845 

1846 

\l% 
1849 
1850 

1853 
1854 

IS 

1858 

li'  -■      '■  '  '  '    ''■■"  "  ' 

Henry  W."zimmerman  l! ! !  i! 
Henry  W.  Zimmerman 

K^iiSSSrrra;;::::;: 

Henry  W.Zimmerman 

Henry  W.  Zimmerman 

H.  Kreisman 

N.  H.  Bolles. 
P.  C.  Sherman. 
Wa'lerS.  Gurnee. 

1      irii-3  H.  Larrabee 

!■    ■ru  k  Ballingall 

;;  i^rSi 

\\7i'"l.  ni'iiirlK 

ll:"Z^-'6\^X :::•:::■ 

Edward  Manierre. 

Ira  L  MiUiken 

John  Wentworth 

Uriah  P  Harris 

J.  A.  Thompson 

J.L    Marsh 

JohnC.Mdler 

Wm.  F  De  Wolf. 
O.  J.  Rose. 
C.  N.  Holrten. 

Alonzo  Harvey'. 

Alonzo  Harvey,C.W.Hunt(6) 

Geo°F.c"ocH?e7:::::::::';::: 

T, 

Julian  S.  Bumsey 

P.C.Sherman  

P  O.Sherman 

j^oh^nfl^rr-::..;:;::;.-:;:::: 

Geo.  A.  Meech 

F.H.Cutting,W.H.Rice(7) 
David  A.  Gage. 
David  A.  Gage. 
A.  G.  Throop. 

wS-RWe^^Worth. 

WZ^ZTeir."n:-v.:.- 

T^ 

1867 

John  B.  Rice 

Wm.  F.  Wentworth. 

1871 
1872 
1873 
1874 
1875 
1876 

B.B.  Mason 

David  A.  Gage. 
David  A.  Gage. 
David  A.  Gage. 

Etni'e^.glfl- 

Israel  N  Stiles                 

Jo.ephMediU  

Harvey  D.  Colvin  

Monroe  Heath.i9)   H.  D.  Colvin 

J,ro?Se?tr"-.-;-.;;; 

Sil^B^lSlbee. 

1877-78 
1879-80 
1S81-82 
1883-84 

R.S.  Tutblll 

Julius  S.' Orinnell .'.'.:  !.■.!:!!. 

Carter  H.  Harrison 

Carter  H.  Harrison 

W.  C.  Seipp. 
Rudolph  Brand. 

P.J.Howard... 

C.  Herman  Plautz 

SlS^S^aTb^bllf;:^:::;:: 

C   Herman  Plautz. 

1889-90   DewittC.  Cregier 

1891-92  Hempstead  Washburne 

1893-94  Carter    H.    Harrison.    Geo.    B 
1     Swift.(ll)  JolinP.  Hopkins.ni 

1895-96   Geo.  B.Swift 

1S97-98  , carter  H.  Harrison,  Jr 

James  R.  B.  Van  Cleave 

Chas.  D.  Gastfleld. 

Bernard  Roesing. 
Peter  Kiolbassa. 

Jacob  J.  Kern.G.A.TrudedO) 

Roy  O.  West 

Miles  J.  Devme 

Adam  Wolf. 

I.  N.  Arnold  resigned,  and  Geo.  Davis  appointed,  October,  1837. 
Gurnee  resigned,  Bolles  appointed  hia  successor.  April,  1840. 
Manierre  resigned.  Brown  appointed  his  auccessor.  July,  1843. 
Election  of  Garrett  declared  illegal,  and  Sherman  elected  at  new 
Brown  appointed  to  HU  vacancy  cau.sed  by  resignation  of  Rucker. 
Harvey  resigned  and  Hunt  appointed  to  till  vacancy. 
Cutting  havim;  failed  to  qualify,  Rice. ' 
Legislature  changed  dateof  election  frc 


City  organized  under  general  In.  nr 
election  omitted  the  otHcL'  m  Mi 
then  in  office  refused  lo  r:\ii.H 
Colvin,  the  incumbent,  rei'n-  l  : 
for  the  office,  which  resuli.-l  I  i 
election  was  (irdered  by  the  City 

City  Attorney  Kern,  having  resign 

Mayor  Harrison,  having  been  ass 
elentPiGen.  B  Swift  (  an  Alderin 
1893,  John  P.  Hopkins  was  electe 


1  office  at  beginning  of  ISfjg  remaining  in  office 

■1-ction  held  until  April.  1876.  The  order  for  a  new 
« liich  gave  a  majority  to  Thomas  Hoyne.  The  Council 
^  tirst  meeting,  did  so.  declaring  Hoyue  duly  elected. 
le  right  to  "  hold  over;"  Hoyne  then  made  a  contest 
ilenying  the  claims  of  b" 
nroe  Heath  was  elected, 
de  was  appointed  to  ser 


ed.  October  23.  1893,  the  City  Council 
n  the  Eleventh  Wardi  Mayo--  a-i  interim 
1  out  the  unexpired  term  of  Mayor  Harj 


92 


niSTOlUCAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


The  Fire  of  1871.— The  city  steadil}-  grew  m 
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.  Tlie  subjoined  statement 
shows  its  growth  in  population : 

1837  .        .        .        .         4,179 

1840  ....         4,470 

1850  ....        28,269 

1860  ....      112.163 

1870  ....      298,977 

1880  ....      503,18.5 

1890  ....  1,099,8.50 

1900  ....  1,698,575 

Notwithstanding  a  large  foreign  population  and 
a  constant  army  of  unemployed  men,  Chicago 
has  witnessed  only  tliree  disturbances  of  the 
peace  by  mobs — the  railroad  riots  of  1877,  the 
Anarchist  disturbance  of  1886,  and  a  strike  of 
railroad  employes  in  1894. 

Municipal  Admixistration.  —  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  Cliicago  River,  with  its  branches,  divides  the 
cit}'  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  township  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  supply  is  obtained  from  Lake  Michigan  by 
means  of  cribs  and  tunnels.  In  this  direction 
new  and  better  facilities  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  the  business  blocks,  are  in  some 
classical,  but  generally  severely  plain. 


Granite  and  other  varieties  of  stone  are  used  in 
the  City  Hall,  Coimty  Court  House,  the  Board  of 
Trade  structure,  and  in  a  few  commercial  build- 
ings, as  well  as  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  being  of  brick.  The  most  approved 
metliods  of  fire-proof  building  are  followed,  and 
the  "Chicago  construction"  has  been  recognized 
and  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.  Jlost  of  them 
are  sumptuous  as  to  the  interior,  and  many  of  the 
largest  will  each  accommodate  8,000  to  5,000 
occupants,  including  tenants  and  their  emplojes. 
In  the  residence  sections  wide  diversity  may  be 
seen ;  the  chaste  and  the  ornate  styles  being  about 
equally  popular.  Among  the  handsome  public, 
or  semi-public  buildings  may  be  mentioned  the 
Public  Library,  the  Newberry  Library,  the  Art 
Institute,  the  Armour  Institute,  the  Academy  of 
Sciences,  tlie  Auditorium,  the  Board  of  Trade 
Building,  the  Masonic  Temple,  and  several  of  the 
railroad  depots. 

Education  and  Libraries.  —  Chicago  has  a 
public  school  system  unsurpassed  for  excellence 
in  any  other  city  in  the  country.  According  to 
the  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  expenditm-es  during  the  year  amounted  to 
86,785,601,  of  which  nearly  S4,.500,000  was  on 
account  of  teachers'  salaries.  The  city  has 
nearly  87,500,000  invested  in  school  buildings. 
Besides  pupils  attenaiug  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  tlie  city  are  also  the  Northwestern  and  the 
Lake  Forest  Universities,  tlie  former  at  Evanston 
and  the  latter  at  Lake  Forest.  Besides  an  exten- 
sive Free  Public  Library  for  circulating  and  refer- 
ence purposes,  maintained  by  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  tlie  Newberry  and  Crerar  Libraries — the  last 
two  the  outgrowth  of  posthumous  donations  by 
public-spirited  and  liberal  citizens — all  open  to 


DAY  AFTER   THE   FIRE. 


CHICAGO   THOROUGHFARES. 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA   OP   ILLINOIS. 


93 


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

CHICAfciO  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,  1850.  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  1856,  the  association  had  overcome 
the  difiBculties  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  tlie 
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  i-egiments,  in  caring 
for  the  wounded  on  Southern  battlefields,  and 
"roviding  for  the  families  of  enlisted  men.     In 


1864,  the  Board  waged  to  a  successful  issue  a  war 
upon  the  irredeemable  currency  with  which  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 
Cliamber  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  precisely 
one  year  after  the  destruction  of  its  predecessor. 
Spacious  and  ample  as  these  quarters  wei'e  then 
considered,  the  growing  membership  and  increas- 
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,  BURLINtJTOJf  &  NORTHERN 
RAILROAD.  (See  Chicago,  Burlington  & 
Quincy  Railroad.) 

CHICAGO,  BURLINGTON  &  QUINCY  BAIL- 
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.  Paul  and 
Minneapolis,  St.  Louis  and  Kansas  City,  Che3'- 
enne  (Wyo.),  Billings  (Mont),  Deadwood  (So. 
Dak,),  and  intermediate  points,  and  having  con- 
nections by  affiliated  roads  with  the  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  vv-hole 
number  of  miles  of  standard-gauge  road  operated 
by  the  Burlington  system,  and  known  as  the 
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.  The  system 
in  Illinois  connects  many  important  commercial 


<.t4 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


point?,  including  Chicago,  Aurora.  Galesburg, 
Quincy,  Peoria,  Streator.  Sterling,  Mendota,  Ful- 
ton, Lewistown,  Rushville.  Geneva.  Keithsburg, 
Rock  Island,  Beardstown,  Alton,  etc.  The  entire 
capitalization  of  the  line  (includin;;-  st..(  k.  bi>uils 
anil  floating  debt)  amounted,  in  l^'.'^,  1"  sj:M.ss4,. 
600,  which  was  equivalent  to  alicmt  .s:;;;,(i(«i  per 
mile.  The  total  earnings  of  the  road  in  Illinois, 
during  the  fiscal  year  ending  June  30.  1898, 
amounted  to  §8,724,997,  and  the  total  disbui-se- 
ments  of  the  Company  within  the  State,  during 
till-  same  period,  to  §7,469,456.  Taxes  paid  in 
1898,  .'i;377,968.— (History).  The  first  section  of 
the  Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy  Railroad  was 
constructed  under  a  charter  granted,  in  1849,  to 
the  Aurora  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, 
ilowa),  and  to  the  Northern  Cross  Railroad  from 
'Quincy  to  Galesburg,  both  of  wliicli  were  com- 
pleted in  1855  and  operated  by  the  Chicago,  Bur- 
lington &  Quincy.  In  1857  the  name  of  the 
Northern  Cross  was  changed  to  the  Quincy  & 
Chicago  Railroad.  In  1860  the  latter  was  sold 
vmder  foreclosure  to  the  Chicago,  Burlington  & 
Quincy,  and,  in  1863,  the  Peoria  &  Oquawka  was 
acquired  in  the  same  way — the  former  constitut- 
ing the  Quincy  brancli  of  tlie  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  year 
began  the  construction  of  its  line  from  Aurora  to 
Chicago,  wliich  was  completed  in  1864.  In  1873 
it  acquired  control,  by  perpetual  lease,  of  the 
Burlington  &  Missouri  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  &  Bm-- 


lington ;  Quincy  &  Warsaw ;  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  Chicago,  Burlington  & 
Quincy  —  is  an  important  part  of  the  system, 
furnishing  a  connection  between  St.  Louis  on 
the  south  and  St.  Paul  and  Minneapolis  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  formally  incorporated  into  the 
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  &  Kansas 
City  Railway,  fi-om  Des  Moines,  Iowa,  to  Caines- 
ville.  Mo.  (112  miles). 

CHICAtiO,  DANVILLE  &  VINCENNES  RAIL- 
ROAD. (See  Chicago  &  Eastern  Illinois  Rail- 
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  Plaines 
River,  about  12  miles  above  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  tlie  proper  drainage  of 
the  region  comprised  within  what  is  called  the 
"Sanitary  District  of  Chicago."  The  feasibility 
of  connecting  the  waters  of  Lake  Michigan  by 
way  of  the  Des  Plaines  River  with  those  of  the 
Illinois,  attracted  the  attention  of  the  earliest 
French  explorers  of  this  region,  and  was  com- 
mented upon,  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  discussed  in  a  report  on  roads  and  canals  by 
Albert  Gallatin,  then  Secretary  of  the  Treasury, 
and  the  project  was  touched  upon  in  a  bill  relat- 
ing to  the  Erie  Canal  and  other  enterprises,  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  report  by  John  C.  Cal- 
houn, as  Secretary  of  War,  in  1819,  in  which  it  is 
spoken  of  as  "valuable  for  military  purposes." 
In  1822  Congress  passed  an  act  granting  the 
right  of  way  to  the  State  through  the  public 
lands  for  such  an  enterprise,  which  was  followed. 


SANITARY     CANAL  -  CHICAGO 


MANCHESTEF? 


NORTH      SEJ^ 

-  3ALTIC- 


NORTH      SEA 

-  AMSTERDAM  - 


i^;5Jg5S^S555:^J5!SSS 


ILLINOISiMICHIGAN 


C0MPAR\T1\E   SIZE   OF   NOTED   CANALS. 


HISTORICAL   EXCYCLOPEDIA    OF    ILLINOIS. 


ftS^ 


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  &  2Iichigan  Canal.)  Under 
an  act  passed  by  the  Legislature  in  1805,  the  work 
of  deepening  the  canal  was  undertaken  bj-  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  bj'  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  issue 
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,  whicli  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  Maj-or  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 


cit}'.  Nothing  was  done  under  this  act,  however. 
At  the  next  session  (1889)  the  commission  made  a 
favorable  report,  and  a  new  law  was  enacted 
embracing  the  main  featui'es  of  the  Hurd  bill, 
though  clianging  the  title  of  the  organization  to 
be  formed  from  the  "Metropolitan  Town,"  as. 
proposed  by  3Ir.  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,  wheu 
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,  Jlemphis  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  froiu 
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  242  against.  The  District,  as  thus 
formed,  embraces  all  of  the  city  of  Chicago 
north  of  Eighty-seventh  Street,  with  fortj'- 
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.  13,  1889,  the  Trustees  then 
elected  to  hold  their  offices  for  five  years  and 
until  the  following  November.  The  second 
election  occun-ed,  Nov.  5,  1895,  when  the  Board, 
as  now  constituted  (1899),  was  chosen,  viz. : 
William  Boldenweck,  Joseph  C.  Braden,  Zina  R. 


90 


IIISTOiaCAL   EXCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


Carter,  Bernard  A.  Eckhart,  Alexander  J.  Jones. 
Thomas  Kelly,  James  P.  Mallette,  Thomas  A. 
Smyth  and  Frank  Wenter.  Tlie  Trustees  have 
]iower  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  asses.sment  upon  property  within  the 
Drainage  District  is  limited  to  one  and  one-half 
per  cent,  up  to  and  including  the  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,  where,  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.  Tliis  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,  under  the  title,  "The  Chicago 
Drainage  Channel  and  Waterway,"  published  in 
the  sixth  volume  of  "Industrial  Chicago"  (1896): 
"Through  that  portion  of  the  channel  between 
Chicago  and  Summit,  which  is  being  constructed 
to  produce  a  flow  of  300,000  cubic  feet  per  minute, 
which  is  supposed  to  he  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  34.448 
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,  with 
the  addition  of  one  foot  in  40,000  feet.     The  rock 


portion  of  the  ciiannel  is  constructed  to  the  full 
capacity  of  600,  (lOO  cubic  feet  per  minute.  From 
tlie  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  constantlv  ever  since.  The  prog- 
ress of  the  work  was  greatly  obstructed  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  city  of  Joliet, 
but  these  were  compromised  near  the  close  of  the 
year,  and  it  was  anticipated  that  the  work  vrould 
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  838,257,707,  while  the  net 
expenditures  had  amounted  to  S38, 331  864. 57.  Of 
the  latter,  820,099,284.67  was  charged  to  construc- 
tion account,  83,1.56,903.13  to  "land  account" 
(including  right  of  way),  and  81,322,093.82  to  the 
cost  of  maintaining  the  engineering  department. 
When  finished,  the  cost  will  reach  not  less  than 
835,000,000.  These  figures  indicate  the  stupen- 
dous character  of  the  work,  which  bids  fair  to 
stand  without  a  rival  of  its  kind  in  modern 
engineering  and  in  the  results  it  is  expected  to 
achieve. 

CHICAGO  GREAT  WESTERN  RAILWAY. 
The  total  mileage  of  this  line,  June  30,  1898,  was 
1,008  miles,  of  which  152.53  miles  are  operated 
and  owned  in  Illinois.  The  line  in  this  State 
extends  west  from  Chicago  to  East  Dubuque,  the 
extreme  terminal  points  being  Chicago  and 
Minneapolis  in  the  Northwest,  and  Kansas  City 
in  the  Southwest.  It  has  several  branches  in  lUi 
nois,  Iowa  and  Minnesota,  and  trackage  arrange- 
ments with  several  lines,  the  most  important 
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  (13.33  miles),  and 
with  the  Chicago*  Nortliern  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-flve-pound 
steel  rails.  Grades  and  curvature  are  light,  and 
the  equipment  well  maintained.  The  outstand- 
ing capital  stock  (1898)  was  853,019,054;  total 
capitalization,  including  stock,  bonds  and  miscel- 
laneous indebtedness,  857,144,345.  (History).  The 
road  was  chartered,  Jan.  5,  1893,  under  the  laws 
of  Illinois,   for  the  pm-pose  of  reorganization  of 


VIEWS   OF   DRAINAGE   CANAL. 


VIEWS   OF   DRAINAGE   CANAL. 


HISTORICAL   EXCYCLOPEDIA    OF    ILLIXOIS. 


97 


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

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

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

CHICAGO  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY,  organized, 
April  34,  1856,  for  the  purposes  of  (1)  establishing 
■a  librai-y  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  ISTl 
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  1893  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.  13,  1896.  The  Society's 
third  collection  now  embraces  about  twenty-five 
•thousand  volumes  and  nearly  fifty  tliousand 
■pamphlets;  seventy-five  portraits  in  oils,  with 
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  Librarian. 

CHICAGO  HOMEOPATHIC  MEDICAL  COL- 
LEGE, organized  in  1876,  with  a  teaching  faculty 
of  nineteen  and  forty-fiv-e  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  eighteen  vears. 
In  1897,  the  matriculating  classnumbered  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  respectable  poor  in  need  of 
medical  and  surgical  aid;  to  treat  the  same 
classes  at  home  by  an  assistant  physician;  to 
afford  a  free  dispensary  for  the  same,  and  to 
train  competent  nurses."  At  the  outset  the 
hospital  was  fairly  well  sustained  through  pri- 
vate benefactions,  and,  in  1870,  largelj^  through 
Dr.  Thompson's  efforts,  a  college  was  organized 
for  tlie  medical  education  of  women  exclusively. 
(See  Northivestern  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  j-ear,  with  the  aid  of 
835,000  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  ■550,000  and  of 
bonds  $3,500,000,  while  the  floating  debt  is 
§3,630,698,  making  a  total  capitalization  of 
§6,170,698,  or  §36,698  per  mile.  (See  also  Illinois 
Central  Railroad. )  This  road  was  opened  from 
Chicago  to  Freeport  in  1888. 

CHICAGO  MEDICAL  COLLEGE.  (See  Xorth- 
icestern  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  6,1.53.83 
miles,  of  which  317.94  are  in  Illinois.  The  main 
line  extends  from  Chicago  to  Minneapolis,  430 
miles,  although  it  has  connections  with  Kansas 
City,  Omaha,  Sioux  City  and  various  points  in 
Wisconsin,  Iov,-a  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  jointh*  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  §230,005,901,  distributed  as 
follows:  capital  stock,  §77.845,000;  bonded  debt, 
§135,285,500;  other  forms  of  indebtedness, 
§5,572,401.  Its  total  earnings  in  Illinois  for 
1898  were  §5,205,244,  and  the  total  expendi- 
tures, §3,320,348.  The  total  number  of  em- 
ployes  in  Illinois  for  1898   was  3,293,    receiving 


98 


HISTORICAL   EXCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


$1,740,(5-27.70  in  aggi-egate  compensation.  Taxes 
paid  for  the  same  year  amounted  to  $151,28.5.— 
(History).  The  Chicago,  iliUraukee  &  St.  Paul 
Railway  was  organized  in  1SC3  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  whole 
receiving  the  present  name  of  the  line  by  act  of 
the  'Wisconsin  Legislature,  passed,  Feb.  14,  1874. 
The  Chicago  &  Evanston  Railroad  was  chartered, 
Feb.  16,  1861,  built  from  Chicago  to  Calvary  (10.8 
miles),  and  opened,  May  1,  1885 ;  was  consolidated 
with  the  Chicago  &  Lake  Superior  Railroad, 
under  the  title  of  the  Chicago,  Evanston  &  Lake 
Superior  Railroad  Company,  Dec.  22,  1885,  opened 
to  Evanston,  August  1,  1886,  and  purchased,  in 
June,  1887,  by  the  Chicago,  Milwaukee  &  St. 
Paul  Railway  Company.  The  Road,  as  now 
organized,  is  made  up  of  twenty-two  divisions 
located  in  Illinois,  Wisconsin,  Iowa,  Minnesota, 
North  and  South  Dakota,  Mis.souri  and  Michigan. 
CHICA(iO,  PADUCAH  &  MEjIPHIS  KAIL- 
EOAD  (Projected),  a  road  chartered,  Dec.  19, 
1893.  to  run  between  Altamont  and  Metropolis, 
III.,  153  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  Marion  (100  miles)  was  com- 
pleted, and  work  on  the  remainder  of  the  line  has 
been  in  pi'ogress.  It  is  intended  to  connect  with 
the  Wabash  and  the  St.  Louis  Southern  systems. 
Capital  stock  anthorized  and  subscribed,  82,500,- 
000;  bonds  issued,  $1,575,000.  Funded  debt, 
authorized,  815.000  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,  1896,  this  road 
passed  into  the  hands  of  the  Chicago  &  Eastern 
Ilhnois  Railroad  Companj-,  and  is  now  operated  to 
JIarion,  in  Williamson  County.  (See  Cliicago  & 
Eastern  Illinulf:  liailruad.) 

CHICAGO,  PEKIN  &  SOUTHWESTER>"  RAIL- 
ROAD, a  division  of  the  Chicago  &  Alton  Rail- 
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  system. 


CHICAGO,  PEORIA  &  ST. LOUIS  RAILROAD 
COMPANY  (of  Illinois),  a  corporation  operating 
two  lines  of  railroad,  one  extending  from  Peoria 
to  Jacksonville,  and  the  other  from  Peoria  to 
Springfield,  with  a  connection  from  the  latter 
place  (in  1893),  over  a  leased  line,  with  St.  Louis. 
The  total  mileage,  as  oflficially  reported  in  1895, 
was  208.66  miles,  of  which  166  were  owned  by 
the  corporation.  (1)  The  original  of  the  Jackson- 
ville Division  of  this  line  was  the  Illinois  River 
Railroad,  opened  from  Pekin  to  Virginia  in  1859. 
In  October,  1803,  it  was  sold  under  foreclosure, 
and,  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  Wabash,  St.  Louis  &  Pacific  Railway. 
(2)  The  Springfield  Division  was  incorporated  in 
1869  as  the  Springfield  &  Northwestern  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 
leased  to  the  Indianapolis,  Bloomington  &  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  with  the 
Jacksonville  Division,  it  was  transferred  to  the 
Wabash,  St.  Louis  &  Pacific  Railway,  and  by 
that  company  operated  as  the  Peoria  &  Spring- 
field railroad.  The  Wabash,  St.  Louis  &  Pacific 
having  defaulted  and  gone  into  the  hands  of  a 
receiver,  both  the  Jacksonville  and  the  Spring- 
field Divisions  were  reorganized  in  February, 
1887,  imder  the  name  of  the  Chicago,  Peoria  & 
St.  Louis  Railroad,  and  placed  under  control  of 
the  Jacksonville  Southeastern  Railroad.  A 
reorganization  of  the  latter  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 
reorganization  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  Decem- 
ber, 1895,  it  has  also  been  reorganized  as  an 
independent  corporation  under  the  name  of  the 
St.  Louis,  Peoria  &  Northern  Railway  (which  see)- 


HISTORICAL   EXCYCLOPEDIA    OF    ILLINOIS. 


99 


CHICAGO  RIYER,  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  b}^  the  union  of  the  "Xorth"  and 
the  "South  Branch,"  which  unite  less  than  a  mile 
and  a  half  from  the  mouth  of  the  main  stream. 
At  an  early  day  the  former  was  known  as  the 
"Guarie"  and  the  latter  as  "Portage  Hiver."  The 
total  length  of  the  North  Branch  is  about  20  miles, 
only  a  small  fraction  of  which  is  navigable.  The 
South  Branch  is  shorter  but  offers  greater  facilities 
for  navigation,  being  lined  along  its  lower  jjor- 
tions  with  grain-elevators,  lumber-yards  and 
manufactories.  The  Illinois  Indians  in  early  daj-s 
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  ISLAXD  &  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  1851,  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  &  Bm-eau  Valley  Railroad  (an  important 
feeder  from  Peoria  to  Bureau  Junct'ion  —  46. 7 
miles)  was  incorporated  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  Hues  owned  and 
operated  by  the  Company  ( '  'Poor's  Manual, "  1898) , 


is  3.  .568. 15  miles,  of  which  236.51  miles  are  in 
Illinois,  189.53  miles  being  owned  by  the  corpo- 
ration. All  of  the  Companj-'s  owned  and 
leased  lines  are  laid  with  steel  rails.  The  total 
capitalization  reported  for  the  same  year  was 
8116.748,211,  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  65,851,875,  and  the  total 
expenses  §3,401,165,  of  which  §233,139  was  in  the 
form  of  taxes.  The  Company  has  received  under 
Congressional  grants  550, 194  acres  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  &  yorthinst.'ni  Ritilway.) 

CHICAGO, ST.  PAUL  Ac  KANSAS  (  ITY  RAIL- 
WAY.    (See  Chicago  Great  ^V.st.  rii  Itaihray.) 

CHICAGO,  ST.  LOUIS  k  PADUCAH  RAIL- 
WAY, a  short  road,  of  standard  gauge,  laid  with 
steel  rails,  extending  from  Marion  to  Brooklyn, 
111.,  53.64  miles.  It  was  chartered,  Feb.  7,  1887, 
and  opened  for  traffic,  Jan.  1,  1SS9.  The  St. 
Louis,  Alton  &  Terre  Haute  Railroad  Company  is 
the  lessee,  having  guaranteed  principal  and  inter- 
est on  its  first  mortgage  bonds.  Its  capital  stock 
is  §1,000,000,  and  its  bonded  debt  §2.000,000, 
making  the  total  capitalization  about  .§56,000  per 
mile.  The  cost  of  the  road  was  §3,950,000;  total 
incumbrance  (1895),  §3,016,715. 

CHICAGO  TERSIIIVAL  TRANSFER  RAIL- 
ROAD, the  successor  to  the  Chicago  &  Northern 
Pacific  Railroad.  The  latter  was  organized  in 
November,  1889,  to  acquire  and  lease  facilities  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  &  Calumet 
Terminal  Railway  also.  The  combination  gives 
it  the  oonti'ol  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  city  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,- 
558,044,  of  which  §30,000,000  was  capital  stock 
and  §13,394,000  in  the  form  of  bonds. 

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


100 


IILSTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


Western  States,  among  whicli  was  Illinois.  A 
special  and  liberal  charter  was  granted,  Feb.  1.5, 
18.55.  The  Seminary  has  always  been  under 
Congregational  control  and  supervision,  its 
twenty-four  trustees  being  elected  at  Triennial 
Conventions,  at  which  are  represented  all  the 
churches  of  that  denomination  west  of  the  Ohio 
and  east  of  the  Rocky  Mountains.  The  institu- 
tion was  formally  opened  to  students,  Oct.  6, 
1858,  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  1852,  and 
the  line  opened  from  Alton  to  Springfield  in 
1853.  Under  the  second  corporation,  the  line  was 
opened  from  Springfield  to  Bloomington  in  1854, 
and  to  Joliet  in  1856.  In  18.55  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,  which  was 
reorganized  in  1857  under  the  name  of  the  St. 
Louis,  Alton  &  Chicago  Railroad  Company.  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  1802,  pm-chased 
the  St.  Louis,  Alton  &  Chicago  Road  at  fore- 
closure sale.     Several   branch   lines  have  since 


been  acquired  by  purchase  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  January,  1868,  and  havin;^; 
Ijeen  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  Roodhouse,  crossing  the  3Iis- 
sissippi  at  Louisiana.  JIo. ;  the  Washington 
Branch  from  Dwight  to  Washington  and  Lacon, 
and  the  Chicago  &  Peoria,  by  which  entrance  is 
obtained  into  the  cit}'  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  has  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  §6.694,850  in  bonds.  The  total 
earnings  and  income  for  the  year,  in  Illinois,  were 
§5,022,315,  and  the  operating  and  other  expenses, 
§4,272,207.  This  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  quarterly  from  1884  to  1896.  For  a  number 
of  years  previous  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  purchase  of  this  historic  line  by  a  syndi- 
cate representing  the  Baltimore  &  Ohio,  the 
Missom-i  Pacific,  the  Union  Pacific,  and  the 
Missouri,  Kansas  &  Texas  systems,  in  whose 
interest  it  will  hereafter  be  operated. 

CHICAGO  &  AURORA  RAILROAD,  (See 
Chicago.  Burlinritoii  d-  Quinci/  liailroad.) 

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


HISTORICAL   EXCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


101 


The  main  line  in  this  State  extends  southerly 
from  Dolton  Junction  (IT  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 (1895)  is  313,594, 400;  funded  debt,  §18,018,000; 
floating  debt,  $916,381;  total  capital  invested, 
$32,570,781;  total  earnings  in  Illinois,  $2,592,072; 
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  $1,484,762.  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  Coimty.  (See 
Chicago,  Paducah  d-  McinitJiis  Railroad.) 

CHICAGO  &  GRA>U  TRUNK  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  $6,000,000,  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  the  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 
Paihcay.) 

CHICAGO  &  GREAT  SOUTHERN  RAILROAD. 
(See  Peoria,  Decatur  d-  Evansville  Raihrai/.) 

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

CHICAGO  &  MISSISSIPPI  RAILROAD.  (See 
Chicago  d-  Alton  Railroad.) 

CHICAGO  &  NASHVILLE  RAILROAD.  (See 
Chicago  cfr  Eastern  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.  Tlie  total  length  of  its  main  line, 
branches,  proprietar)'  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  Cliicago.  Omaha,  St.  Paul 
and  Minneapolis  for  their  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  outgrowth  of 
various  railway  enterprises  which  had  been  pro- 


102 


niSTORICAL   EXCYCLOPEDIA    OF    ILLINOIS. 


jected.  chartered  and  partly  constructed  in  "Wis- 
consin and  Illinois,  between  1848  and  1855, 
including  the  Madison  &  Beloit  Railroad,  the 
Eock  River  Valley  Union  Railroad,  and  the  Illi- 
nois &  Wisconsin  Railroad — the  last  named  com- 
pany being  chartered  by  the  Illinois  Legislature 
in  1851,  and  autliorized  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  e.xist- 
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  con.struction  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  1804.  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  1830. 
Besides,  its  charter  was  the  only  one  of  that 
period  under  wliich  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  Railroad — 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 
8200,908,108,  of  which  $66,408,831  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  §4,374,933, 
and  the  expenditures  83,713,593.  At  the  present 
time  (1899)  the  Chicago  &  Northwestern  is  build- 
ing eight  or  ten  branch  lines  in  Wisconsin,  Iowa, 
Jlinnesota  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  difl'erent  officers  and  under  other 
names.  The  mileage  of  the  whole  system  covers 
nearlv  8.000  miles  of  main  line. 

CHICVGO  &  SPRIMiFIELD  EAILBO.VD. 
(See  Illinois  Central  Bailroad.) 

CHICAGO  &  TEXAS  RAILROAD,  a  line 
sevent3'-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  Tower  &  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  transferred,  under  a  twenty-five 
year  lease,  to  the  Illinois  Central  Railroad  Com- 
pany, by  whom  it  is  operated  as  its  St.  Louis  & 
Cape  Girardeau  division. 

CHICAGO  &  WESTERN  INDIANA  RAIL- 
ROAD. 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  Cragin  (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  &  V/estern  Indiana  Railroad 
Company,  and  the  Chicago  &  Western  Indiana 
Belt  Railway.  It  also  owns  some  850  acres  in  fee 
in   Chicago,    including   wharf    property   on    the 


HISTORICAL  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  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe. 
These  companies  pay  the  expense  of  operation 
and  maintenance  on  a  mileage  basis. 

CHICAGO  &  WISCONSIIV  RAILKOAD.  (See 
Wisconsin  Central  Lines.) 

CHILDS,  Robert  A.,  was  born  at  Malone, 
FrankUn  County,  N.  Y.,  March  23,  1S45.  the  son 
of  an  itinerant  Methodist  preacher,  who  settled 
near  Belvidere,  Boone  Coimty.  111.,  in  18.53.  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  University  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  1893,  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  tlie  Illinois  River,  at  the  head  of  Peoria 
Lake;  is  19  miles  northwest  of  Peoria,  on  tlie 
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),  1,6.33;  (1900),  1,699. 

CHINIQUY,  (ReT.)  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  Mississippi  Valley.  Locat- 
ing at  the  junction  of  the  Kankakee  and  Iroquois 
Rivers,  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  has  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 
tlie  exercise  of  arbitrary  authority  by  the  ruling 
Bisliop,  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  much 
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.  16,  1899,  in  the  90th  year  of  his  age. 

CHOUART,  Medard,  (known  also  as  Sieur  des 
Groseilliers),  an  early  French  explorer,  supposed 
to  have  been  boi-n  at  Tom-aine,  France,  about 
1621.  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  fu-st  white  men  to  reach  Lake  Superior. 
After  spending  the  winter  of  1658-59  at  La 
Pointe,  near  where  Ashland,  Wis.,  no^\-  stands, 
they  are  believed  by  some  to  have  discovered  the 
Upper  Mississippi  and  to  have  descended    that 


104 


IlI:STOi;a'AL    EXCYC'LOPEDIA    OF    ILLINOIS. 


stream  a  long  distance  towards  its  mouth,  us 
they  claimed  to  liave  readied  a  much  milder 
climate  and  heard  of  Spanisli  ships  on  the  salt 
water  (Gulf  of  Mexico).  Some  antiquarians 
credit  them,  about  this  time  (16.59),  with  having 
visited  the  present  site  of  the  city  of  Chicago. 
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  the 
founders  of  the  original  Hudson's  Bay  Company. 
Groseillier's  later  history  is  unknown,  but  he 
ranks  among  the  most  intrepid  explorers  of  the 
"New  World"  about  the  middle  of  the  seventh 
century. 

CHRISMAN,  a  city  of  Edgar  County,  at  the 
intersection  of  the  Cleveland,  Cincinnati,  Chi- 
cago &  St.  Louis  and  the  Cincinnati,  Hamilton  & 
Dayton  Railroads,  24  miles  south  of  Dan  viUe:  has 
a  pipe-wrench  factory,  grain  elevators,  and 
storage  cribs.     Population  (1890),  820;  (1900),  905. 

CHRISTIAN  COUXTT,  a  rich  agricultural 
coimty,  lying  in  the  "central  belt,"  and  organized 
in  1839  from  parts  of  Macon,  Jlontgomery, 
Sangamon  and  Shelby  Counties.  The  name  first 
given  to  it  was  Dane,  in  honor  of  Nathan  Dane, 
one  of  the  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  county  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  exceedingl}'  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  day,  by  horse-power.  The  people  hauled  their 
corn  to  St.  Louis  to  exchange  for  groceries.  The 
fii-st  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,  wliich 
passes  through  the  eastern  part  of  the  county. 
Two  other  railroads  now  pass  centrally  through 
the  county — the  "Wabash"  and  the  Baltimore  & 
Ohio  Southwestern.  The  principal  towns  are 
Taylorville  (a  railroad  center  and  thriving  town 
of  2,829  inhabitants),  Pana,  Morrisonville,  Edin- 
burg.  and  Assumption. 

CHrPtCH.  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  earl)-  age  began  teaching  in  winter  with  a 
view  to  earning  means  to  prosecute  his  studies  in 
law.  In  1843  he  arrived  at  McHenry,  then  the 
county -seat  of  McHenry  County,  III.,  having 
walked  a  part  of  the  way  from  New  York,  paying 
a  portion  of  his  expenses  by  the  delivery  of  lec- 
tures. He  soon  after  visited  Springfield,  and 
having  been  examined  before  Judge  S.  H.  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 
Whig  party  up  to  18.56,  he  was  that  year  elected 
as  a  Republican  Representative  in  the  Twentieth 
General  Assembly,  serving  by  re-election  in  the 
Twenty-first  and  Twenty-second;  in  1860,  was 
supported  for  the  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  1866  he  was  elected  County 
Judge  of  McHenry  County,  to  fill  a  vacancy,  and, 
in  1869  to  the  Constitutional  Convention  of  1869-70. 
Died,  July  23,  1870.  Judge  Church  was  a  man  of 
high  principle  and  a  speaker  of  decided  ability. 

CHURCH,  Selden  Marvin,  capitalist,  was  born 
at  East  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 
was  appointed  Postmaster  of  the  city  of  Rock- 
ford  by  the  first  President  Harrison,  remaining 
in  office  three  years.  Other  offices  held  by  him 
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  (1863-65), 
and  member  of  the  first  Board  of  Public  Charities 
by  appointment  of  Governor  Palmer,  in  1869, 
being  re-appointed  b}-  Governor  Beveridge,  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 


niSTOrJCAL   EXCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLIXOIS. 


the  GoTernnient  bridge  between  Rock  Island  and 
Davenport.  Dm-ing  the  latter  years  of  his  life  he 
was  President  for  some  time  of  the  Rcckford 
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  promote  the  jjrosperity  of  that 
city,  and,  at  the  time  of  his  death,  was  one  of  the 
Directors  of  the  "Winnebago  National  Bank.  Died 
at  Rockford,  June  23.  1892. 

CHUKCHILL,  George,  early  printer  and  legis- 
lator, was  born  at  Hubbardtowu,  Rutland 
County,  Yt..  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  (N.  Y.)  "Sentinel,"  and, 
after  serving  his  time,  worked  as  a  journeyman 
printer,  thereby  accumulating  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  worked  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  IlUnois  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 
Countj-,  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 
Jlissouri  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  1822-24.  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  until  1832. 
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 
slaver}',  was  approved  by  his  constituents.  In 
1838,  he  was  elected  to  the  State  Senate,  seiwing 
four  years,  and,  in  1844,  was  again  elected  to  t]ie 
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  1872,  left  a  mass  of  documents  and 
other  historical  material  of  great  value.  (See 
Slavery  and  Slave  Laws;  Warren,  Hooper,  and 
Coles,  Edward.) 

CLARK  (Gen.)  George  Rogers,  soldier,  was 
born  near  Monticello,  Albemarle  County,  Va., 
Nov.  19,  1752.  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  sm-veyor  to  Kentucky,  and 
the  British  having  incited  the  Indians  against 
the  Americans  in  the  following  year,  he  was 
commissioned  a  Major  of  miUtia.  He  soon  rose 
to  a  Colonelc}',  and  attained  marked  distinction. 
Later  he  was  commissioned  Brigadier-General, 
and  planned  an  expedition  against  the  British 
fort  at  Detroit,  which  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  carried  out 
the  following  year.  On  July  4,  1778,  he  captured 
Kaskaskia  without  firing  a  gun,  and  other 
French  villages  sm-rendered  at  discretion.  The 
following  February  he  set  out  from  Kaskaskia  to 
cross  the  "Illinois  Country"  for  the  purpose  of 
recapturing  Vinoennes,  which  had  been  taken  and 
was  garrisoned  by  the  British  under  Hamilton. 
After  a  forced  march  characterized  bj-  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  fuUest  history  of  General 
Clark's  expedition  and  his  life  will  be  found  in 
the  "Conquest  of  the  Country  Northwest  of  the 
Ohio  River,  1774-1788,  and  Life  of  Gen.  George 
Rogers  Clark"  (3  volumes,  1896).  by  the  late 
William  H.  English,  of  Indianapolis. 

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


106 


HISTOKICAL   EXCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


the  age  of  15,  poming  to  Chicago,  lie  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  various  occupations 
In  Illinois  and  Missouri,  but  finally  returning  to 
his  Ohio  home,  where  he  began  the  stud_v  of  law 
at  Circleville.  In  18B1  he  enlisted  in  an  Ohio 
regiment,  rising  from  the  ranks  to  a  caiitaiucy, 
but  was  finally  compelled  to  leave  the  service  in 
consequence  of  a  wound  received  at  Ciett^sliurg. 
In  186.5  he  settled  at  Mattoon,  111.,  where  he  was 
admitted  to  the  bar  in  1S6S.  In  ISTO  he  was  an 
unsuccessful  candidate  for  the  Legislature  on  the 
Republican  ticket,  but  was  elected  State  Senator 
in  1880,  serving  four  years  and  proving  himself 
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  189G  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  Chicago  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  1806,  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  1863 
he  started  on  a  surveying  expedition  to  Arizona, 
but  was  in  Santa  Fe  when  that  place  was  captm-ed 
by  a  rebel  expedition  from  Texas;  was  also 
present  soon  after  at  the  battle  of  Apache  Canon, 
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  Mr.  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  Legislatm-e  of  1895,  retiring  m  1897. 
In  1881  he  was  the  Republican  candidate  for  Mayor 
of  Chicago,  but  was  defeated  by  Carter  H.  Harri- 
son. 3Ir.  Clark  is  one  of  the  Directors  of  the  Crerar 
Library,  named  in  the  will  of  Sir.  Crerar. 


CLARK  COUXTYj  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),  24,0;j;3;  named  for 
Col.  George  Rogers  Clark.  Its  organization  was 
efiiected  in  1819.  Among  the  earliest  pioneers 
were  John  Bartlett,  Abraham  Washburn,  James 
Whitlock,  James  B.  Anderson,  Stephen  Archer 
and  Uri  Manly.  The  county-seat  is  Marshall,  the 
site  of  which  was  purchased  from  the  Govern- 
ment in  1803  by  Gov.  Joseph  Duncan  and  Col. 
William  B.  Archer,  the  latter  becoming  sole  pro- 
jirietor  in  1835,  in  which  year  the  first  log  cabin 
was  built.  The  original  county-seat  was  Darwin, 
and  the  change  to  Marshall  (in  1849)  was  made 
onlj'  after  a  hard  struggle.  The  soil  of  the 
county  is  rich,  and  its  agricultural  products 
varied,  embracing  corn  (the  chief  staple),  oats, 
potatoes,  winter  wheat,  butter,  sorghum,  honey, 
maple  sugar,  wool  and  i^rk.  Woolen,  flouring 
and  lumber  mills  exist,  but  the  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  (394). 

CLAY,  Porter,  clergyman  and  brother  of  the 
celebrated  Henry  Clay,  was  born  in  Virginia, 
March,  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, 
locating  at  Jacksonville,  111.,  where  he  spent 
most  of  his  life.     Died,  in  1850. 

CLAY  CITY,  a  village  of  Clay  County,  on.the 
Baltimore  &  Ohio  Southwestern  Railroad,  12 
miles  west  of  Olney  ;  has  one  newspaper,  a  bank, 
and  is  in  a  grain  and  fruit-growing  region. 
Population  (1890),  613;  (1900).  907;  (1903),   1,020. 

CLAY  COUNTY,  situated  in  the  southeastern 
quarter  of  the  State ;  has  an  area  of  470  square 
miles  and  a  population  (190U)  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  began  to  locate  homes  in  the 
count}',  although  it  was  not  organized  until  1824. 
During  the  same  year  the  pioneer  settlement  of 
Maysville  was  made  the  county-seat,  but  immi- 
gration continued  inactive  until  1837,  when 
man}-  settlers  arrived,  headed  by  Judges  Apper- 
son  and  Hopkins  and  Messrs.  Stanford  and  Lee, 
who  were  soon  followed  by  the  families  of  Coch- 
ran, SIcCullom  and  Tender.  The  Little  Wabash 
River  and  a  number  of  small  tributaries  drain 
the  county.  A  light-colored  sandy  loam  consti- 
tutes the  gi-eater  part  of  the  soil,  although  "black 


IIISTOEICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLIXOIS. 


107 


prairie  loain"  appears  here  and  tliere.  Railroad 
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 
C3T.  Xenia  and  Flora  are  the  most  important 
towns. 

CLATTOX,  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  raih'oad  repair  shops,  grain 
elevator,  cigar  and  harness  factories.  It  has  a 
bank,  four  churches,  a  high  school,  and  a  weeklj- 
newspaper.     Population  (1890).  1,038;  (1900),  996. 

CLE.4.yER,  William,  pioneer,  was  born  in  Lon- 
don, England,  in  1815;  came  to  Canada  with  his 
parents  in  1831,  and  to  Chicago  in  1884 ;  engaged 
in  business  as  a  chandler,  later  going  into  the 
grocery  trade;  in  1849,  joined  the  gold-seekers  in 
California,  and,  sis  years  afterwards,  established 
himself  in  the  southern  part  of  the  present  city 
of  Chicago,  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  den.sely 
populated  part  of  the  city  of  Chicago.  Died  in 
Chicago,  Nov.  13,  1896. 

CLEMENTS,  Isaac,  ex-Congi-essman  and  Gov- 
ernor of  Soldiers'  and  Sailors'  Home  at  Danville, 
111.,  was  born  in  Franklin  Count}%  Ind.,  in  1887; 
graduated  from  Asbury  University,  at  Green- 
castle,  in  1859,  having  supported  himself  during 
his  college  com-se  by  teaching.  After  reading 
law  and  being  admitted  to  the  bar  at  Greeucastle, 
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  woimded  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  tlie 
Forty-third  Congress  from  the  (then)  Eighteenth 
District.  He  was  also  a  member  of  tlie  Repula- 
lican  State  Convention  of  1880.  In  1889,  he 
became  Pension  Agent  for  the  District  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  the  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  Raih-oad  (132  miles),  and  oper- 
ates, in  addition,  other  lines,  as  follows;  The 
Cairo  Division,  extending  from  Tilton,  on  the 
line  of  the  Wabash,  3  miles  southwest  of  Dan- 
ville, to  Cairo  (259  miles)  ■  the  Chicago  Division, 
extending  from  Kankakee  southeast  to  the 
Indiana  State  line  (34  miles) ;  the  Alton  Branch, 
from  Wann  Junction,  on  the  main  line,  to  Alton 
(4  miles).  Besides  these,  it  enjoys  with  the  Chi- 
cago, Burlington  &  Quincy  Railroad,  joint  owner- 
ship of  the  Kankakee  &  Seneca  Raih-oad,  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  poimds),  laid  on  white  oak  ties, 
and  is  amply  ballasted  with  broken  stone  and 
gravel.  Extensive  repair  shops  are  located  at 
ilattoon  The  total  capital  of  the  entire  system 
on  June  30,  1898— including  capital  stock  and 
bonded  and  floating  debt — was  897,149,361.  The 
total  earnings  in  Illinois  for  the  year  were 
§3,773,193,  and  the  total  expenditures  in  the  State 
§3,611,437.  The  taxes  paid  the  same  year  were 
8124,196.  The  history  of  this  .system,  so  far  as 
Illinois  is  concerned,  begins  with  the  consoUda- 
tion,  in  1889,  of  the  Cincinnati,  Indianapolis,  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  tiiis  system,  see  St.  Louis, 
Alton  &  Terre  Haute,  Peoria  &  Eastern,  Cairo 
&  Vinccnnes,  and  Kankakee  & Seneea  Railroads.) 

CLIMATOLOGY.  Extending,  as  it  does,  thi-ough 
six  degrees  of  latitude,  Illinois  affords  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  neai-er  the  Atlan- 
tic.    The  same  statement  applies,  as  well,  to  all 


108 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


the  North  Central  anil  the  Western  States. 
Warm  winds  from  the  Gulf  of  Mexico  come  up 
the  ilississiiipi  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 — the  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  three  degrees 
colder,  at  the  former  point.  In  comparing  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,  %vhile 
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  highly 
favorable  to  the  growth  of  grasses,  etc.,  but 
detrimental  to  the  growth  of  trees.  Hence  we 
find  luxuriant  forests  near  the  seaboard,  and,  in 
the  interior,  grassj'  plains.  Illinois  occupies  a 
geographical  position  where  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  gi'eatest  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. 
While  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  Mississippi  Valley, 
and  southwesterly  as  thej-  enter  the  Uiiper 
Valley.  It  is  to  this  aerial  current  that  the  hot, 
moist  summers  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. 


CLINTON,  the  county-seat  of  De  Witt  County, 
situated  28  miles  south  of  Blooniington,  at  inter- 
section of  the  Springfield  and  the  Champaign- 
Havana  Divisions  with  the  main  line  of  the  Illinois 
Central  Railroad ;  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),  4,453. 

CLINTON  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 
by  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.  The 
soil  is  varied,  being  at  some  points  black  and 
loamy  and  at  others  (under  timber)  decidedly 
clayey.  The  timber  has  been  mainly  cut  for  fuel 
because  of  the  inherent  diflSculties  attending 
coal-mining.  Two  railroads  cross  the  county 
from  east  to  west,  but  its  trade  is  not  important. 
Agriculture  is  the  chief  occupation,  corn,  wheat 
and  oats  being  the  staple  products. 

CLOUD,  Newton,  clergyman  and  legislator, 
was  born  in  North  Carolina,  in  1805,  and,  in  1827, 
settled  in  the  vicinity  of  Waverly,  Morgan 
County,  111.,  whei'e  he  piursued  the  vocation  of  a 
farmer,  as  well  as  a  preacher  of  the  Methodist 
Church.  He  also  became  prominent  as  a  Demo- 
cratic politician,  and  served  in  no  less  than  nine 
sessions  of  the  General  Assembly,  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  Managar,  was 
born  in  1838 ;  entered  the  service  of  the  Illinois  & 
Mississippi  Telegraph  Company  as 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


109 


boy  at  Joliet  in  185'2,  became  manager  of  the 
office  at  Lockport  six  montlis  later,  at  Sin-ingfield 
in  1853,  and  chief  operator  at  St.  Louis  in  1854. 
Between  1859  and  '63,  he  held  highly  responsible 
positions  on  rarious  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  tlie  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 Conunittee  and  Vice-President,  his  terri- 
tory extending  from  the  Atlantic  to  the 
Pacific. 

COAL  AND  COAL-MIXING.  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  imderlying  sixty  coim- 
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 
accoimt  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  tlie  Illinois  coal  mines  was  given  as 
13,104,272  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  1,073,  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  358,  and  of  the  latter,  714.    These  358  regular 


mines  employed  23,934  men  and  boys,  of  whom 
31,3.50  worked  below  ground,  besides  an  office 
force  of  389,  and  paid,  in  wages,  §8,694,397.  The 
total  capital  invested  in  these  358  mines  was 
SJ7,630,351.  According  to  the  report  of  the  State 
Bureau  of  Labor  Statistics  for  1898,  881  mines 
were  operated  during  tlie  year,  employing  35,026 
men  and  producing  18,599,399  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  the  following 
order:  Sangamon,  1,763,803;  St.  Clair,  1,000,752; 
Vermilion,  1,520,099;  Macoupin,  1,264,926;  La 
Salle,  1,165,490. 

COAL  CITY,  a  town  in  Grundy  County,  on  the 
Chicagc,  Rock  Island  &  Pacific  Railway,  29  miles 
by  rail  south-southwest  of  Joliet.  Large  coal 
mines  are  operated  here,  and  tlie  town  is  an  im- 
portant shipping  point.for  their  product.  It  has  a 
bank,  a  weekly  newspaper  and  five  churches. 
Pop.  (1890),  1,673;  (1900),  2.607;  (1903),  about  3,000. 

COBB,  Emery,  capitalist,  was  born  at  Dryden, 
Tompkins  Coimty,  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  1865,  the  various  com- 
panies having  meanwiiile  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  money  by 
telegraph,  he  declined  all  invitations  to  return  to 
the  key-board.  Having  made  large  investments 
in  lands  about  Kankakee,  where  he  now  resides, 
he  has  devoted  much  of  his  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,  1812; 
came  to  Chicago  in  1833  on  a  schooner  from  Buf- 
falo, the  voyage  occupying  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    been   connected  with  a  number 


110 


HISTORICAL   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, 
lieing  the  result  of  a  contribution  of  his  amount- 
ing to  81,50,000,    Died  in  Chicago,  April  5,  1900. 

COBDEX,  a  village  in  Union  County,  on  the 
Illinois  Central  Railroad,  43  miles  north  of  Cairo 
and  1.5  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  Himdred 
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  189G.  At  the  special  session 
of  1890,  he  was  chosen  Speaker,  and  was  similarly 
honored  in  189.5.  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>'G,  leliabod,  clergyman  and  anti- 
slavery  lectm'er,  was  born  at  Bristol.  N.  Y.,  in 
1811;  at  the  age  of  17  he  was  a  popular  temper- 
ance lectm-er;  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  1854 
and  '58,  lectured  extensively  through  Illinois  on 
the  Kansas-Nebraska  issue,  and  was  a  power  in 


the  organization  of  the  Republican  party.  Died 
at  B;u-aboo,  Wis.,  June  17,  1^00. 

CODY,  Hiram  Hitchcock,  lawyer  and  Judge; 
born  in  Oneida  County,  N.  Y.,  June  11,  1824;  was 
partiallj'  educated  at  Hamilton  College,  and,  in 
1843,  came  with  his  father  to  Kendall  County, 
lU.  In  1847,  he  removed  to  Naperville,  where 
for  six  years  he  served  as  Clerk  of  the  County 
Commissioners'  Court.  In  1851  he  was  admitted 
to  the  bar;  in  1801,  was  elected  County  Judge 
vvith  practical  unanimity ,  served  as  a  member  of 
the  Constitutional  Convention  of  1869-70,  and, 
in  1874.  was  elected  Judge  of  the  Twelfth  Judi- 
cial Circuit.  His  residence  (1896)  was  at  Pasa- 
dena, Cal. 

COLCHESTER,  a  city  of  McDonough  County, 
on  the  Cliicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy  Railroad, 
midway  between  Galesburg  and  Quincy;  is  the 
center  of  a  rich  farming  and  an  extensive  coal- 
mining region,  producing  more  than  100,000  tons 
of  coal  annually.  A  superior  quality  of  potter's 
clay  is  also  niinea  and  shipped  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,  born  in  Albemarle  County,  Ya., 
Dec.  l.j,  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  compelled  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 
early  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  years 
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  liis  slaves  that  tliey  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 


Edwai-dsville  he  entered  upon  the  duties  of 
Register  of  the  Land  Office,  to  whicli  he  had 
been  appointed  by  President  "Monroe.  In  1823 
he  became  the  candidate  for  Governor  of  those 
opposed  to  removing  the  restriction  in  tlie  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  1834  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,  lie 
was  himself  a  most  influential  factor  in  protecting 
Illinois  from  the  blight  of  slavery,  contributing 
his  salary  for  his  entire  term  (84,000)  to  that  end. 
In  1825  it  became  his  duty  to  welcome  La  Fay- 
ette to  Illinois.  Retiring  from  office  in  1826,  he 
contihued  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  lie  married  during  the  following  year,  and 
continued  to  reside  there  until  his  death,  July  7, 
1868,  having  lived  to  see  the  total  e.xtinction  of 
slavery  in  the  United  States.  (See  Slavery  and 
Slave  Laics. ) 

COLES  COUNTY,  originaUy  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  (1900)  of  34,146. 
The  Kaskaskia  River  (sometimes  called  the 
Okaw)  runs  through  the  northwestern  part  of  the 
county,  but  the  principal  stream  is  the  Embarras 
(Embraw).  The  chief  resource  of  the  people  is 
agricultm-e,  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 
and  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  1831,  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 
9,623,  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  Bloomington  branch  of  the  Illinois 
Central  Railroad,  33  miles  northeast  of  Blooming- 
ton.  Farming  and  stock-growing  are  the  leading 
industries;  has  two  banks,  one  newspaper,  three 
elevators,  and  a  coal  mine.     Pop.  (19U0),  1,153. 

COLLEGE  OF  PHTSICIAXS  AND  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  860,000, 
with  a  faculty  embracing  twenty-flve  professors, 
with  a  sufficient  corps  of  demonstrators,  assist- 
ants, etc.  The  number  of  matriculates  was  153. 
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  re.strictions, 
notably  one  to  the  effect  that  no  theological 
department  should  be  established  and  no  pro- 
fessor of  theology  employed  as  an  instructor,  nor 
should  anj'  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  private 
colleges — the  Alton;  the  IlUnois.  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    tlie  amount  of 


112 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF    ILLINOIS. 


property  ti)  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  tlie  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  tlie 
collegiate  department  in  1831.  The  Legislature 
of  1835  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  euphemisticall}-,  "Manual  Labor  Col- 
leges." It  was  believed  that  the  time  which  a 
student  might  be  able  to  "redeem"  from  study, 
could  be  so  profitably  employed  at  farm  or  shop- 
work  as  to  enable  him  to  earn  his  own  livelihood. 
Acting  upon  this  theory,  tlie  Legislature  of  1835 
granted  charters  to  the  "Franklin  JIanual  Labor 
College,"  to  be  located  in  either  Cook  or  La  Salle 
Coimty;  to  the  "Burnt  Prairie  Manual  Labor 
Seminary,"  in  White  County,  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 
(Kno$)  was  successfully  organized.  By  1840, 
better  and  broader  views  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  tlie  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  University.  McKendree  College,  Mon- 
mouth College,  Jacksunvillc  Female  Seminary, 
Monticello  Female  Seminary,  Northivestern  Uni- 
versity, Shurtleff  College.) 


COLLIER,  Robert  Laird,  clergyman,  was  bom 
in  Salisbury,  Md.,  August  7,  1837;  graduated  at 
Boston  University,  1858;  soon  after  became  an 
itinerant  Methodist  minister,  but.  in  1806,  united 
with  the  Unitarian  Church  and  ofliciated  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  gaining  a 
wide  reputation  as  a  lectm-er  and  magazine 
writer.  His  published  works  include;  "Every- 
Day  Subjects  in  Sunday  Sermons"  (1809)  and 
"Jleditations  on  the  Essence  of  Christianity" 
(1876).     Died  near  ids  birtliplace,  July  27.  1890. 

COLLINS,  Frederick,  manufacturer,  was  born 
in  Connecticut,  Feb.  24,  18(14.  He  was  the  young- 
est of  five  brothers  who  came  with  their  parents 
from  Litchfield,  Conn  ,  to  Illinois,  in  1822,  and 
settled  in  the  town  of  L'nionville — now  Collins- 
ville  —  in  the  southwestern  part  of  Madison 
County.  They  were  enterprising  and  public- 
spirited  business  men,  who  engaged,  quite 
extensively  for  the  time,  in  various  branches  of 
manufacture,  including  flour  and  whisky.  This 
was  an  era  of  progress  and  development,  and 
becoming  convinced  of  the  injurious  character 
of  the  latter  branch  of  their  business,  it  was 
promptly  abandoned.  The  subject  of  this  sketch 
was  later  associated  with  his  brother  Michael  in 
the  pork-packing  and  grain  business  at  Naples, 
the  early  Illinois  River  terminus  of  the  Sangamon 
&  Morgan  (now  'VVabash)  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  the  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  prophecy  fulfilled,  dying  at 
Quincy,  in  1878.  Mr.  Collins  was  the  candidate  of 
the  Liberty  Men  of  Illinois  for  Lieutenant-Gov- 
ernor in  1842. 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF    ILLINOIS. 


113 


COLLINS,  James  H.,  lawyer  and  jurist,  -svas 
born  in  Cambridge,  Washington  County,  N.  Y., 
but  taken  in  early  life  to  Vernon,  Oneida  County, 
where  be  grew  to  manhood.  After  spending  a 
couple  of  years  in  an  academy,  at  the  age  of  18 
be  began  the  study  of  law,  was  admitted  to  the 
bar  in  1824,  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,  wlio  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,  be  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,  wliile  attending  court 
at  Ottawa,  in  18.54. 

COLLINS,  Loren  C,  jurist,  was  born  at  Wind- 
sor, Conn.,  August  1,  1848;  at  the  age  of  18 
accompanied  bis  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  tlu-ough 
his  ability  as  a  debater  and  a  parliamentarian, 
soon  became  one  of  the  leaders  of  his  party  on 
the  floor  of  the  lower  bouse.  He  was  re-elected 
in  1880  and  1882,  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  1894,  since  that  time 
devoting  his  attention  to  regular  practice  in  the 
city  of  Chicago. 

COLLINS,  William  H.,  retired  manufacturer, 
born  at  ColUnsville,  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  "The  Jacksonville    Journal,"  which    he 


conducted  some  four  years.  The  Civil  War  hav- 
ing begun,  be  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  iu  the 
battles  of  Chickamauga,  Lookout  Mountain  and 
Missionary  Ridge.  Later  be  served  on  the  staff 
of  Gen.  John  M.  Palmer  and  at  Fourteenth  Army 
Corps  headquarters,  until  after  the  fall  of 
Atlanta.  Then  resigning,  in  November,  1864,  be 
was  appointed  by  Secretary  Stanton  Provost- 
Marshal  for  the  Twelfth  District  of  Illinois,  con- 
tinuing in  this  service  until  the  close  of  1365, 
when  he  engaged  in  the  manufactm-ing  business 
as  head  of  the  Collins  Plow  Company  at  Quincy. 
This  business  he  conducted  successfuU}'  some 
twenty-five  years,  when  he  retired.  Mr.  Collins 
has  served  as  Alderman  and  Mayor,  c(d  interivi, 
of  the  city  of  Quincy ;  Representative  in  the 
Thirty-fom-th  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  Count}',  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  sm-viving  members  of 
this  family  in  1836.  Coal-mining  is  the  principal 
industry,  and  one  or  two  mines  are  operated 
within  the  corporate  limits.  The  city  has  zinc 
works,  as  vvell  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  newspaper  office.  Population 
(1890),  3,498;  (1900),  4,021;  (1903,  est.),  7,500. 

COLLTER,  Robert,  clergyman,  was  born  at 
Keighly,  Yorkshire,  England,  Dec.  8,  1823;  left 
school  at  eight  years  of  age  to  earn  bis  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 


IIISTOKICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


in  a  nif^ht-school,  which  he  attended  two  winters. 
In  1849  lie  became  a  local  Methodist  preacher, 
came  to  the  United  States  the  ne.\t  j'ear,  settling 
in  Pennsylvania,  where  he  pursued  his  trade, 
preaching  on  Sunda3-s.  His  views  on  the  atone- 
ment having  gradually  been  changed  towards 
Unitarianisra,  his  license  to  preach  was  revoked 
by  the  conference,  and,  in  18.j9,  he  united  with 
the  Unitarian  Church,  having  already  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  lie  accepted 
a  call  to  a  church  in  New  York  City,  where  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"  (1866); 
"A  Man  in  Earnest:  Life  of  A.  H.  Conanf  (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  to  Massachu- 
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  him  in  business 
under  the  firm  name  of  C.  S.  Colton  &  Sons.  Mr. 
Colton  was  associated  with  the  construction  of 
the  Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy  Railroad  from 
the  beginning,  becoming  one  of  the  Directors  of 
the  Company;  was  also  a  Director  of  the  First 
National  Bank  of  Galesburg,  the  first  organizer 
and  fir.st  President  of  the  Farmers'  and  ilechan- 
ics'  Bank  of  that  city,  and  one  of  the  Trustees  of 
Knox  College.  Died  in  Galesburg,  July  27,  1885. 
— Francis  (Colton),  son  of  the  preceding;  born 
at  Monson.  Maine,  May  24,  1834,  came  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  1858.  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 
1869.  The  latter  year  he  became  the  General 
Passenger  Agent  of  the  Union  Pacific  Railroad, 
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  1872  he 
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.  C,  where  he  has  since  resided.  Mr.  Colton  is 
a  large  land  owner  in  some  of  the  Western  States, 
especially  Kansas  and  Nebraska. 

COLUMBIA,  a  town  of  Monroe  County,  oa 
Mobile  &  Ohio  Railroad,  15  miles  south  of  St. 
Louis;  has  a  machine  shop,  large  flour  mill, 
brewery,  five  cigar  factories,  electric  light  plant, 
telephone  system,  stone  quarry,  five  churches,, 
and  public  school.    Pop.  (1900),  1,197;  (1903),  1,205. 

COMPANY  OF  THE  WEST,  THE,  a  company 
formed  in  France,  in  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  associates  the 
French  monarch  granted  extraordinary  powers, 
both  governmental  and  commercial.  They  were 
given  the  exclusive  right  to  refine  the  precious 
metals,  as  well  as  a  monopoly  in  the  trade  in 
tobacco  and  slaves.  Later,  the  company  became 
known  as  the  Indies,  or  East  Indies,  Company, 
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  the  Illinois  Country  should  form  a 
part  of  the  Province  of  Louisiana ;  and,  under  the 
shrewd  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  Bois- 
briant  Governor  of  the  Illinois  District.  He 
proceeded  to  Kaskaskia,  and,  within  a  few  miles 
of  that  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  Cahokia  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 
Company  divided  the  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.  The  Commandant,  with  his  secretary 
and  the  Company'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. 

COSCORDIA  SEMINARY,  an  institution  lo- 
cated at  Springfield,  founded  in  1879 ;  tlie  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  $125,000  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  1808.  He  then  began  prac- 
tice at  Butler,  Bates  County,  Mo.,  wliere  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  Assemblies. 
In  1892,  he  was  the  Republican  nominee  for  Judge 
of  the  Superior  Court  of  Cook  County,  but  was 
defeated  with  the  National  and  the  State  tickets 
of  that  year,  since  when  he  has  given  his  atten- 
tion to  regular  practice,  maintaining  a  high  rank 
in  his  profession. 

C'OXGER,  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  1868,  removed  to  Iowa, 
where  he  engaged  in  farming,  stock-raising  and 
banking ;  was  twice  elected  Count}'  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  by  Charles  Page  Bryan  of 
Illinois. 

CONOREGATIONALISTS,  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  by 
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, 
who  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  Foot. 
Other  Congregational  ministers  who  came  to  t'^e 
State  at  an  early  day  were  Rev.  Salmon  Gridley, 
who  finally  located  at  St.  Louis;  Rev.  John  51. 
Ellis,  who  served  as  a  missionary  and  was  instru- 
mental in  founding  Illinois  College  and  the  Jack- 
sonville Female  Seminary  at  Jacksonville;  Revs. 
Thomas  Lippincott,  Cyrus  L.  Watson,  Tlieron 
Baldwin,  Elisha  Jenney,  William  Kirb}^  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  1835,  at 
Big  Grove,  in  an  unoccupied  log-cabin,  was 
convened  the  first  Congregational  Council,  known 
in  the  denominational   historv  of    the  State  as 


IIG 


HISTORICAL   EXCYCLOPEDIA    OF    ILLINOIS. 


that  of  Fox  Ri% 
fifteen  separate  - 
By  1890,  the  .li' 
had  been  sucli  li 
ing  312  ministers, 


line  tv 


s  h:ive  been  organized. 
of  the  denomination 
.'■<i)  cliurche.s,  support- 
120  members.     During 


that  year  tlie  disbursements  on  account  of  chari- 
ties and  liome  extension,  by  the  Illinois  clmrches, 
were  nearly  §1,000,000.  The  Chicago  Theological 
Seminary,  at  Chicago,  is  a  Congregational  school 
of  divinit}',  its  property  Iioldings  being  wortli 
nearly  §700,000.  '"The  Advance"  (publislied  at 
Chicago)  is  the  chief  denominational  organ. 
(See  also  Religious  Denominations. ) 

CONGRESSIONAL  APPORTIOXMEXT.  (See 
Apportionment,  Congressional;  also  Represent- 
atives in  Congress. ) 

CONKLIXO,  James  Cook,  lawyer,  war  born  in 
New  York  City,  Oct.  13,  1816;  graduated  at  Prince- 
ton College  in  1835,  and,  after  studj-ing  law  and 
being  admitted  to  the  bar  at  Morristowii,  N.  J. ,  in 
1838,  removed  to  Springfield,  111.  Here  his  first 
business  partner  was  Cyrus  Walker,  an  eminent 
and  widely  known  lawyer  of  his  tinie,  wliile  at  a 
later  period  he  was  associated  witli  Gen.  James 
Shields,  afterwards  a  soldier  of  the  Mexican  "vVar 
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  througli  life.  It  was  to 
liim  that  Mr.  Lincoln  addressed  his  celebrated 
letter,  wldcli,  by  his  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."'  M.r.  Conkling  was 
chosen  Mayor  of  the  city  of  Springfield  in  1844, 
and  served  in  the  lower  branch  of  the  Seven- 
teentli  and  tlie  Twenty-fiftli  General  Assemblies 
(1851  and  1807).  It  was  largely  due  to  his  tactful 
management  in  the  latter,  tliat  the  first  appropri- 
ation was  made  for  tlie  new  State  House,  which 
establislied  tlie  capital  permanently  in  that  city. 
At  tlie  Bloomington  Convention  of  1856,  where 
the  Republican  party  in  Illinois  may  be  said  to 
have  been  formally  organized,  witli  Mr.  Lincoln 
and  three  others,  lie  represented  Sangamon 
County,  served  on  the  Committee  on  Resolutions, 
and  was  appointed  a  member  of  the  State  Central 
Committee  whioli  conducted  tlie  campaign  of 
that  year.  In  ISOil,  and  again  in  1804,  his  name 
was  on  the  Reimlili'vui  Stnti' ticket  for  Presiden- 
tial Elector,  and,  on  lioth  .inusions,  it  became  his 
duty  to  cast  the  eli-ctmiil  vote  of  Mr.  Lincoln's 
own  District  for  him  for  President.  The  intimacy 
of  personal  friendship  existing  between  him  and 


Mr.  Lincoln  was  fittingly  illustrate<l  by  his  po.si- 
tion  for  over  tliirty  years  as  an  original  member 
of  tlie  Lincoln  Slonument  Association.  Other 
public  positions  held  by  him  included  those  of 
State  Agent  during  the  Civil  War  by  appointment 
of  Governor  Yates,  Trustee  of  the  State  University 
at  Cliampaign,  and  of  Blackburn  University  at 
Carlinville,  as  also  tliat  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  city  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 
1860,  and  in  the  United  States  courts  in  1867. 
After  practicing  a  few  j'ears,  he  tui'ned  his  atten- 
tion to  manufacturing,  but,  in  1877,  resumed 
practice  and  has  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  Monument 
Association,  and  has  served  on  the  Board  of 
County  Supervisors,  which  is  the  only  political 
office  he  has  held.  In  1897  he  was  the  Repub- 
lican nominee  for  Judge  of  the  Springfield  Cir- 
cuit, but,  although  confessedly  a  man  of  the 
liighest  probity  and  ability,  was  defeated  in  a 
district  overwhelmingly  Democratic. 

1  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  in  1861,  and  soon  after 
removed  to  Illinois;  the  following  year  (1803)  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  office ;  tlie  same 
year  ran  as  the  Republican  candi.late  for  Con- 


HISTORICAL   EXCYCLOPEDIA    OF    ILLIXOIS. 


iir 


gress  in  the  Springfield  (then  the  Thirteenth) 
District  in  opposition  to  "\Vni.  JI.  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  18SS,  but,  in  1894, 
was  nominated  for  a  third  time  (this  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,  Md.,July  G,  1817;  educated  at  Belle 
Air  Academy  and  the  University  of  Virginia, 
graduating  from  the  latter  in  1838.  Then,  having 
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  Wayne  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  IS.'JO,  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 
^•ith  secession.  Having  removed  to  Marshall, 
Clark  County,  in  18.52,  he  continued  the  practice 
of  his  profession  there,  but  was  elected  Judge  of 
the  Circuit  Com-t  in  1861,  serving  until  his  death, 
which  occirrred,  Oct.  9,  1865.  While  holding 
court  'at  Charleston,  in  JIarch,  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  officers 
who  had  arrested  them.  He  was  subsequently 
released  by  Judge  Treat  of  the  United  States 
District  Court  at  Springfield,  but  the  affair  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  CONTENTIONS.  Illinois 
has  had  four  State  Conventions  called  for  the 
pm-pose  of  formulating  State  Constitutions.  Of 
these,  three— those  of  1818,  1847  and  1869-70— 
adopted  Constitutions  which  went  into  efi'ect, 
while  the  instrimient  framed  by  the  Convention 
of  1862  was  rejected  by  the  people.  A  synoptical 
histoiy  of  each  will  be  found  below : 

Convention  of  1818.— In  January,  1818,  the 
Territorial  Legislature  adopted  a  resolution 
instructing  the  Delegate  in  Congress  (Hon. 
Nathaniel  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  was  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  da}'  of  election,  and  the 
first  Monday  of  August  as  the  time  for  the  meet- 
ing of  the  Convention.  The  act  was  conditioned 
upon  a  census  of  the  people  of  the  Territory  (to 
be  ordered  by  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  fir.st  United 
States  Senators)  presided,  and  Elias  Kent  Kane, 
also  a  later  Senator,  was  among  the  dominating 
sijirits.  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  IMcLean,  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,  1S18. 

Convention  of  1847.— An  attempt  was  made  in 
1822  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  authorizing  the  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  1822,  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  the  election  of  1846,  was  approved. 
The  election  of  delegates  occurred,  April  19,  1847, 
and  the  Convention  met  at  Springfield,  June  19, 
following.  It  was  composed  of  102  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  body,  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  liad  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  franchise 
for  foreign-born  citizens  to  those  who  had 
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  payment  of  the  State  debt,  and  pro- 
viding for  the  establishment  of  a  sinking  fund. 
The  Constitution  framed  was  adopted  in  conven- 
tion, August  31,  184T;  ratified  by  popular  vote, 
March  6,  1848,  and  went  into  effect,  April  1,  1848. 
Convention  of  1863. —The  proposition  for 
holding  a  tliird  Constitutional  Convention  was 
submitted  to  vote  of  the  people  by  the  Legislature 
of  1859,  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  a.ssembled  at 
Springfield  on  Jan.  7,  18G2,  and  remained  in  ses- 
sion until  JIarch  24,  following.  It  was  in  many 
respects  a  remarkable  body.  The  law  providing 
for  its  existence  prescribed  that  the  members, 
before  proceeding  to  business,  should  take  an 
oath  to  support  tlie  State  Constitution.  This  the 
majority  refused  to  do.  Their  conception  of 
their  powers  was  such  that  tliey  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,  wliich  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,  1862, 
by  a  majority  of  over  16,000  votes. 

Convention  op  1869-70.— The  second  attempt 
to  revise  the  Constitution  of  1848  resulted  in 
submission  to  the  people,  by  the  Legislature  of 
1867,  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.  H. 
Swain,  First  and  Second  Assistants.  There  were 
eighty-five  members,  of  whom  forty-four  were 
Republicans  and  forty-one  Democrats,  although 
fifteen  had  been  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  mercliants,  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  proposed  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  passage  of  any 
law  releasing  any  civil  division  (district,  county, 
city,  township  or  town)  from  the  payment  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  exemption  rights,  the  construction  of 
drains,  the  regulation  of  charges  on  railways 
(which  were  declared  to  be  public  highways), 
etc.,  etc. ;  declaring  all  elevators  and  storehouses 
public  warehouses,  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, 
to%vn  or  dLstrict  —  to  the  support  of  sectarian 
schools  was  prohibited.  The  principle  of  cumu- 
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  tlie  creation  of  the 
offices  of  Attornej'-General  and  Superintendent 
of  Public  Instruction,  these  having  been  previ- 
ously provided  for  only  by  statute.  The  Supreme 
Court  bench  was  increased  bj^  the  addition  of 
foui'  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  Assemblj^.  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  Constitutions,  Elections  and  Repre- 
sentation: also  Minority  Representation.) 

COjN'STITUTIONS.  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 
Assemblj'  are  provided  for,  Senators  holding  their 
seats  for  four  years,  and  Representatives  two 
years.  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- 
palities 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  sessions. 
■  (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  (1835),  locating  first  at 
Hennepin  and  later  at  Ottawa.  Here  he  began 
the  practice  of  his  profession,  and,  in  1846,  was 
elected  by  the  Legislatm-e  State's  Attorney  for 
the  Ninth  Judicial  District,  serving  two  years, 
when,  in  1848,  he  was  re-elected  by  the  people 
under  the  Constitution  of  that  year,  for  four 
years.  From  1852  to  1860,  he  was  State  Senator, 
taking  part  in  the  election  which  resulted  in 
making  Lyman  Trumbull  United  States  Senator 
in  1855.  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 
1856,  and  Chairman  of  the  State  Central  Com- 
mittee in  1863.  In  1864,  he  was  elected  to  Con- 
gress, and  re-elected  in  1866,  "68  and  '70,  but 
resigned  in  1871  to  accept  the  solicitorship  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  1795,  removed  to 
Illinois  and  began  the  practice  of  law  at  Kaskas- 
kia  in  1815.  Earlj^  in  1816,  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  Quincy  Adams, 
then  minister  to  London,  and,  on  liis  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  proposition  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   ior   the   consti'uction   of   the 


120 


HLSTOmCAL   EXCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLIXOIJ^ 


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  Kentucky,  where  he  died, 
Oct.  16,  1827.— John  (Cook),  soldier,  born  at 
Edwardsville,  111.,  June  13,  1825,  the  son  of 
Daniel  P.  Cook,  the  second  Congressman  from 
Illinois,  and  grandson  of  Gov.  Xinian  Edwards, 
was  educated  by  private  tutors  and  at  Illinois 
College ;  in  1855  was  elected  Mayor  of  Springfield 
and  the  following  year  Sheriff  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  Lincohi ;  was 
promoted  Brigadier-General  for  gallantry  at  Fort 
Donelson  in  March,  18G2 ;  in  1864  commanded  the 
District  of  Illinois,  with  headquarters  at  Spring- 
field, being  mustered  out.  August,  1865,  with  the 
brevet  rank  of  JIajor-Geueral.  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  nortlieasteru 
section  of  the  State,  bordering  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  count.v  w-as  organized  in  ISol,  having  origi- 
nally embraced  the  counties  of  Du  Page,  "Will, 
Lake,  JIcHenry  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  Cook, 
Daniel  P.)  The  first  County  Commissioners  were 
Samuel  ^Miller,  Gholson  Kercheval  and  James 
Walker,  who  took  the  oath  of  office  before  Justice 
John  S.  C.  Hogan,  on  March  8.  1831.  AVilliam 
Lee  was  appointed  Clerk  and  Archibald  Clybourne 
Treasurer.  Jedediah  Wormley  was  first  County 
Sm-veyor,  and  three  election  districts  (Chicago, 
Du  Page  and  Hickorj'  Creek)  were  created.  A 
scow  ferry  was  established  across  the  South 
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  countj'  lay 
under  the  waters  of  Lake  Michigan,  whicli  was 
connected  with  the  Mississippi  by  the  Des  Plaines 


River.  This  theory  is  borne  out  by  the  finding 
of  stratified  beds  of  coal  and  gravel  in  the  eastern 
and  southern  portions  of  the  county,  either  under- 
lyin.g  the  jirairies  or  assuming  the  form  of  ridges. 
The  latter,  geologists  maintain,  indicate  the  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  verj-  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  exposure) 
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  Plaines, 
Chicago  and  Calumet  Rivers,  which  is  now  being 
improved  by  the  construction  of  the  Drainage 
Canal.  Manufactui-es  and  agriculture  are  the 
principal  industries  outside  of  the  city  of  Chi- 
cago.    (See  also  Chicago.) 

COOK  COUXTY  HOSPITAL,  located  in  Clii- 
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  infectious  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  18G3  the 
building  was  taken  by  the  General  Government 
for  miUtary  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  a  cost  of  8145.000,  and  began  the  erec- 
tion of  buildings  thereon.  The  two  principal 
pavilions  were  completed  and  occupied  before  the 
close  of  1875;  the  clinical  amphitheater  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  8719,574, 
and  later  additions  and  improvements  have 
swelled  the  outlay  to  more  than  81,000.000.  It 
accommodates  about  800  patients  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  phj'sicians.     The 


IIISTOKICAL   EXCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLIXOIS. 


121 


present  (1836)  allopathic  medical  staff  consists  of 
fifteen  physicians,  fifteen  sui-geons,  one  oculist 
and  aurist  and  one  pathologist ;  the  homeopathic 
staff  comprises  five  phj-siciaus  and  five  surgeons. 
In  addition,  there  is  a  large  corps  of  internes,  or 
house  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, 
1S49;  was  educated  in  the  common  schools  and 
the  high  school  of  Dubuque ;  studied  law  in  that 
city  and  at  Columbian  University,  Washington, 
D.C.,  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  1883  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,  1831;  at  the 
age  of  15  became  clerk  in  a  dry-goods  store  in 
Philadelphia,  but,  in  1843,  opened  a  braucli 
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 
18G3  he  came  to  Chicago  and  opened  the  banking 
house  of  W.  F.  Coolbaugh  &  Co. ,  wliicli,  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' 
As.sociation  of  the  West  and  South,  a  Director  of 
the  Board  of  Trade,  and  ap  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  shock  to 
the  wliole  city  of  JChicago. 

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  first  at  Ru^liville 


and  finally  in  the  city  of  Quincy ;  in  1842  took  a 
prominent  part  in  the  campaign  wliicli  resulted 
in  tlie  election  of  Thomas  Ford  as  Governor— also 
received  from  Governor  Carlin  an  appointment  as 
Quartermaster-General  of  the  State.  On  the 
accession  of  Governor  Frencli  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  3, 
1850. 

CORBUS,  (Dr.)  J.  C,  physician,  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 
tlie  Western  Reserve  Medical  College  at  Cleve- 
land. In  1855  he  began  practice  at  Orville,  Ohio, 
but  the  same  year  located  at  Mendota,  111.,  soon 
thereafter  removing  to  Lee  County,  where  he 
remained  until  1863.  The  latter  year  he  was 
appointed  Assistant  Sm-geon  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  Jlendota.  Dr.  Corbus  served  continuously  as  a 
member  of  the  State  Board  of  Public  Charities 
from  1873  until  the  accession  of  Governor  Altgeld 
to  the  Governorship  in  1803,  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  Charities,  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 
Washington  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 
Coimty,  111.  Here  yoimg  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  tlie  office  of  W.  A. 
Richardson,  at  Rushville,  Schuyler  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  lato 


129 


HISTOEICAL   EXCYCLOPEDIA    OF    ILLINOIS. 


L.  C.  P.  Freer,  Judge  James  H.  Collins  auJ 
Messrs.  Skinner  &  Hoyne;  Knally  entered  into  a 
contract  with  Judge  Skinner  to  i)erfect  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  vasth'  in  value. 
He  also  established  a  %vatch  factory  at  Cornell 
(now  a  part  of  Chicago),  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. 

COB  WIN,  Franklin,  Congressman,  was  born  at 
Lebanon,  Oliio,  Jan.  12,  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  1867, 
and  again  in  1869.  In  1872  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  indifferent  success,  as  hotel-clerk, 
stage-house  keeper,  lumber-dealer,  and  in  the  dis- 
tilling business,  in  1836,  in  comjiany  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  Cliicago,  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  1S26,  set  up 
in  business  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 
opened.  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  saloon  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  gi-ander  scale  at  a  cost 
of  875,000,  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  purchase(J 
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. 

COrLTERVILLE,a  town  of  Randolph  County, 
at  the  crossing  of  the  Centralia  «&  Chester  and 
the  St.  Louis  &  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. 
COUNTIES,  UNORGANIZED.  (See  Unorgan- 
ized Coinifies.) 

COWDEN,  a  village  of  Shelby  County,  at  the 
intersection  of  the  Baltimore  &  Ohio  Southwest- 
ern 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  County,  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   ENCYCLOPEDLV    OF   ILLINOIS. 


123 


ness  manager  of  the  paper,  so  remaining  until  his 
deatli  in  Cliicago,  Dec.  20,  1889. 

COX,  Thomas,  pioneer.  Senator  in  the  First 
General  Assembly  of  Illinois  (1818-22)  from  Union 
Count}-,  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  citj'  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 
1836  he  removed  to  Iowa  (then  a  part  of  Wiscon- 
sin Territory),  became  a  member  of  the  first 
Territorial  Legislatm'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. 

COT,  Irus,  lawyer,  was  born  in  Chenango 
County,  N.  Y.,  July  2.5,  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 
A.ssembly  and,  in  1872,  served  as  Presidential 
Elector  on  the  Republican  ticket;  removed  to 
Chica;go  in  1871,  later  serving  as  attorney  of  the 
Union  Stock  Yards  and  Transit  Company.  Died, 
in  Chicago,  Sept.  20,  1897. 

CRAFTS,  Clayton  E.,  legislator  andpoUtician, 
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 (1883-9.5,  inclusive)  as  Representative  from 
Cook  County,  and  was  elected  by  the  Democratic 
majority  as  Speaker,  in  1891,  and  again  in  '93. 

CRAIG,  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  follo\ving  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.  La'oTence,  and  was  re-elected  in  '82  and 
'91 ;  his  present  term  expiring  with  the  centurj'. 
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  and 
'94— and  is  author  of  the  Crawford  Primary  Elec- 
tion Law,  enacted  in  1885. 

CRAWFORD  COUMY,  a  southeastern  county, 
bordering  on  the  Wabash,  190  miles  nearly  due 
south  of  Chicago — named  for  William  H.  Craw- 
ford, a  Secretary  of  War.  It  has  an  area  of  452 
square  miles;  population  (1900),  19,240.  The 
first  settlers  were  the  French,  but  later  came 
emigrants  from  New  England.  The  soil  is  rich 
and  well  adapted  to  the  production  of  corn  and 
wheat,  which  are  the  principal  crops.  The 
count}'  was  organized  in  1817,  Darwin  being 
the  first  count3'-seat.  The  present  county-seat 
is  Robinson,  with  a  population  (1890)  of  1,887; 
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  grain-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 
resources,  but  contains  some  valuable  woodland 
and  many  well  cultivated  farms.  Tobacco, 
potatoes,  sorghum  and  wool  are  among  the  lead- 
ing products. 

CREAL  SPRIXGS,  a  village  of  Williamson 
County,  on  the  St.  Louis,  Alton  &  Terre  Haute 
Railroad ;  lias  a  bank  and  a  weekh-  paper.  Popu- 
lation (1890),  .539;  (1900),  940. 

CREBS,  John  M.,  ex-Congressman,  was  born  in 
Middlebm-g,  Loudoun  Count}-,  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 
Wliite  County.  In  1862  he  enlisted  in  the 
Eighty -seventh  Illinois  Volunteers,  receiving  a 
commission  as  Lieutenant-Colonel,  participating 
in  all  the  important  movements  in  the  Mississippi 
Valley,  including  the  captm-e  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  1866 
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  26,  1890. 


124 


IIISTOKICAL    ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF    ILLIXOIS. 


CREKiHTOX.  .TaiiU'S  A.,  jurist,  was  born  in 
White  Coimty,  111.,  ilarcli  7,  1S40;  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,  lie  was  admitted  to  the 
bar  in  18T0,  and  opened  an  otflce  at  Fairfield,  but, 
in  1877,  removed  to  Springfield.  In  1885  he  was 
elected  a  Circuit  Judge  for  the  Springfield  Cir- 
cuit, was  re-elected  in  1891  and  again  in  1897. 

CRERAK,  John,  manufacturer  and  philanthro- 
pist, was  born  of  Scotch  ancestry  in  New  York 
Citj-,  in  1827;  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  partnershiji  with  J.  McGregor 
Adams,  he  succeeded  to  the  business  of  Jessup  & 
Co.,  in  that  city,  also  becoming  a  partner  in  the 
Adams  &  Westlake  Compan3',  iron  manufactur- 
ers. He  also  became  interested  and  an  ofiScial  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  Raih-oad,  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  nearlj- 
a  million  dollars,  besides  liberal  legacies  to 
relatives,  he  had  left  the  residue  of  his  estate, 
amounting  to  some  82,000,000,  for  the  pm-pose  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  monmuent  of  so  noble  and  public-spirited 
a  man  could  have  been  devLsed. 

CRETE,  a  village  of  Will  County,  on  the  Chi- 
cago &  Eastern  Illinois  Railroad,  30  miles  south 
of  Chicago.     Population  (1890),  643;  (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  1801  he  entered  the  volunteer 
service  as  Colonel  of  the  Thirty-sixth  Ohio  Infan- 


try- ;  was  promoted  Brigadier-General  in  1^62  and 
ilajor-General  in  1804,  being  mustered  out  of  the 
service,  January,  1866.  Dm-ing  the  war  he 
participated  in  some  of  the  most  important 
battles  in  West  Virginia  and  Tennessee,  fought  at 
Chiokamauga  and  Antietam,  and  commanded 
the  cavalry  in  the  advance  on  Richmond  in  the 
spring  of  186,5.  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  campaigns  against  the  hostile  Indians 
in  the  Northwest  and  in  Arizona.  In  1888  he 
was  appointed  Major-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 
century;  removed  to  Ohio  in  1815  and  to  Illinois 
in  1819,  settling  first  at  Cap  au  Gris,  a  French 
villa,ge  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  La  Salle 
(1829),  and  at  Old  Utica  (1834);  in  the  mean- 
while 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 
steamboat  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),  546; 
(1890),  781;  (1900),  950. 

CUBA,  a  town  in  Fulton  County,  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  vi-hich  the  late  State  Geologist 
Worthen  asserted  that,  in  seven  townships  of 
Fulton  County,  there  are  9,000,000  tons  to  the 
square  mile,  within  150  feet  of  the  surface.  Brick 
and  cigars  are  made  here,  and  tlie  town  has  two 
banks,  a  newspaper,  three  churches  and  good 
schools.  Population  (1890),  1,114;  (1900),  1,198; 
(1903,  school  census),  1,400. 

CULLEN,  William,  editor  and  Congressman, 
born  in  the  north  of  Ireland,  March  4,  1826 ;  while 
yet  a  child  was  brought  by  his  parents  to  Pitts- 
biu'g.  Pa.,  where  he  was  educated  in  the  public 
schools.  At  the  age  of  20  he  removed  to 
La  Salle  County,  111,  and  began  life  as  a  farmer. 
Later  he  took  up  his  residence  at  Ottawa.  He 
has  served  as  Sheriff  of  La  Salle  County,  and  held 


HISTORICAL   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  1883,  as  a  Republican,  he 
represented  the  Eighth  Illinois  District  in  Con- 
gress. 

CULLOM,  Richard  jVortlicraft,  farmer  and 
legislator,  was  born  in  the  State  of  Maryland, 
October  1,  1795,  but  early  removed  to  "VVayne 
Coimty,  K}-.,  where  he  was  married  to  Miss 
Elizabeth  Coffey,  a  native  of  North  Carolina.  In 
183U  he  removed  to  Illinois,  settling  near  "Wash- 
ington, Tazewell  Coimtj-,  where  he  continued  to 
reside  during  the  remainder  of  his  life.  Although 
a  farmer  by  vocation,  Mr.  Cullom  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  1810  he  was  chosen  a  member  of  the 
State  Senate,  serving  in  the  Twelfth  and  Tliir- 
teentli  General  Assemblies,  and,  in  18.52,  was 
again  elected  to  the  House.  Mr.  CuUom's  death 
occm-red  in  Tazewell  County,  Dec.  4,  1872.  his 
wife  having  died  Dec.  5,  1808.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
CuUom  were  the  parents  of  Hon.  Shelby  M. 
Cullom. 

CULLOM,  Shelby  Moore,  United  States  Sena- 
tor, was  born  in  Wayne  Comit}',  Ky.,  Nov.  23, 
1829.  His  parents  removed  to  Tazewell  County, 
111.,  in  1830,  where  his  father  became  a  member 
of  the  Legislature  and  attained  prommence  as  a 
public  man.  After  two  years  spent  in  Rock 
River  Seminary  at  Mount  Morris,  varied  by  some 
experience  as  a  teacher,  in  18.53  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  immediatelj^  elected  City  Attor- 
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 
Assembly  for  Sangamon  County,  as  he  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  Jlassachu- 
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   (1861)   he  was  a  candidate  for  Con- 


gress, defeating  liis  former  preceptor,  Hon.  John 
T.  Stuart,  being  re-elected  in  1860,  and  again  in 
1808,  the  latter  year  over  B.  S.  Edwards.  He 
was  a  delegate  to  the  National  Republican  Con- 
vention of  1872,  and.  as  Chairman  of  the  Illinois 
delegation,  placed  General  Grant  in  nomination 
for  the  Presidency,  holding  the  same  position 
again  in  1884  and  in  1892;  was  elected  to  the  Illi- 
nois House  of  Representatives  in  1872  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  had  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  promi- 
nently identified  have  been  the  laws  for  the  sup- 
pression of  polj'gamy  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 
career  has  been  conspicuous  for  his  long  public 
service,  the  large  number  of  important  ofiices 
wliich  he  has  held,  the  almost  unbroken  uniform- 
ity of  his  success  wlien  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. 

CUMBERLAJfD  COUXTT,  situated  in  the 
southeast  quarter  of  the  State,  directly  south  of 
Coles  County,  from  which  it  was  cut  off  in  1842. 
Its  area  is  350  square  miles,  and  population  (1900), 
16,124.  The  county-seat  was  at  Greenup  until 
1855,  when  it  was  transferred  to  Prairie  City, 
which  was  laid  off  in  1854  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 
the  Cumberland  Road,  which,  as  originally  pro- 
jected,  passed    through   it. 


12G 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF    ILLIXOIS. 


CUMMINS,  (Rev.)  David,  Bishnp  of  tlie  Re- 
furmeJ  Protestant  Episcopal  Cliurch,  was 
born  near  Smyrna,  Del.,  Dec.  11,  1.S22;  gradu- 
ated at  Dickinson  College,  Pa.,  in  1841,  and 
became  a  licentiate  in  the  Methodist  ministry, 
but,  in  1840,  took  orders  in  the  Episcopal 
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-Church 
party,  and,  having  withdrawn  from  the  Episcopal 
Church  in  1873,  became  the  first  Bishop  of  the 
Reformed  Episcopal  organization.  He  was  zeal- 
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  hLs  wife,  was  publishedin  1878. 

Cl'MrLATIVE  VOTE.  (.See  Minority  Repre- 
sentatinn.) 

CURTIS,  Harvey,  clergyman  and  educator,  was 
born  in  Adams,  Jefferson  County,  N.  Y.,  May  30, 
1SU6;  graduated  at  Middlebury  College,  Vt.,  in 
1831,  with  the  highest  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 
iMi.ssionary  Society  for  Ohio  and  Indiana,  between 
1843  and  18.58  holding  pastorates  at  Madison, 
Ind.,  and  Chicago.  In  the  latter  year  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  IS.'il,  meanwhile 
learning  the  art  of  typesetting;  later  served  as  a 
reporter  on  "The  Cleveland  Leader"  and,  in  1872, 
took  a  subordinate  po.sition  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  ag;',inst 
the  Sioux,  spent  several  months  investi;.':atiii.n- 
the  "Ku-Klux"  and  "White  League"  or,i;a'.iiz;i- 
tions  in  the  South,  and,  for  some  years,  wa.s  "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  archa?ological 
e.xhibits.  Mr.  Curtis  has  visited  nearly  every 
Central  and  South  American  country  and  has 
written  elaboiately  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  Washington  Correspondent  of 
"The  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  Academy,  Norwich,  Vt. ; 
at  18  began  a  mercantile  career  at  Middlebury, 
and,  in  1824,  removed  to  La  Salle  County,  111., 
where  he  opened  a  country  store,  also  built  a  mill 
at  Vermilionville ;  later  was  identified  with  many 
large  financial  enterprises  which  generally 
proved  successful,  thereby  accumulating  a  for- 
tune at  one  time  estimated  at  .53,000,000.  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,  1802. 
He  organized  and  was  principal  owner  of  the 
Bank  of  Ottawa,  which,  in  1805,  became  the  First 
National  Bank  of  that  city ;  was  the  leading 
spirit  in  the  Hydraulic  Company  and  the  Gas 
Company  at  Ottawa,  built  and  operated  the 
Ottawa  Machine  Shops  and  Foundry,  speculated 
largely  in  lands  in  La  Salle  and  Cook  Counties — 
his  ojierations  in  the  latter  being  especially  large 
about  Riverside,  as  well  as  in  Chicago,  was  a 
principal  stockholder  in  the  bank  of  Cush- 
nian  &  Hardin  in  Chicago,  had  large  interests  in 
the  lumber  trade  in  Michigan,  and  was  one  of 
the  builders  of  the  Chicago,  Paducah  &  South- 
western Railroad.  The  Chicago  fire  of  1871, 
however,  brought  financial  disaster  upon  him, 
wliich  finally  dissipated  his  fortune  and  de- 
stroyed his  mental  and  physical  health.  His 
death  occurred  at  Ottawa,  Oct.  28,  1878. 

DALE,  Michael  (J.,  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  began  the  study  of  law 
and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1837 ;  coming  tO' 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF    ILLINOIS. 


i2r 


Illinois  the  following  year,  he  was  retained  in  a 
suit  at  Greenville,  Bond  Countj-,  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 
the  Delegate  from  Bond  County  to  the  State  Con- 
stitutional Convention  of  1847.  In  1853  he  re- 
signed the  office  of  County  Judge  in  Bond  County 
to  accept  that  of  Register  of  the  Land  office  at 
Edwardsville,  where  he  continued  to  reside,  fill- 
ing tlie  office  of  County  Judge  in  Madison  County 
five  or  six  terms,  besides  occupying  some  subordi- 
nate positions.  Judge  Dale  married  a  daugliter 
of  Hon.  William  L.  D.  Ewing.  Died  at  Edwards- 
ville, April  1,  1895. 

DALLAS  CITY,  a  town  of  Hancock  County,  at 
the  intersection  of  the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa 
Fe  and  the  Chicago.  Burlington  &  Ouincy  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. 

DAjVENHOWER,  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,  liaving  been  caught  in  an 
ice-pack,  the  vessel  was  held  twenty -two  months, 
Lieutenant  Danenhower  meanwhile  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  imtil 
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,  1882.  He 
has  told  the  story  of  the  expedition   in   '"The 


Narrative  of  the  Jeannette,"  published  in  1882. 
Died,  at  Annapolis,  Md. ,  April  20,  1887. 

DAXVERS,  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. 

DAXVILLE,  the  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  utilized  in  manufacture  of 
sewer-pipe,  paving  and  fire-clay  brick.  The  city 
has  car-sliops  and  numerous  factories,  water- 
works, electric  lights,  paved  streets,  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),  16,354. 

D.4NVILLE,  OLXEY,  &  OHIO  RIVER  RAIL- 
ROAD.     (See  Chicago  cfc  Ohio  River  Railroad.) 

DANVILLE,  URBAJfA,  BLOOMINGTON  & 
PEKIN  RAILROAD.  (See  Peoria  &  Eastern 
Railroad.) 

D'ARTAIGLIETTE,  Pierre,  a  French  com 
mandant  of  Illinois  from  1734  to  1736,  liaving 
been  appointed  by  Bienville,  then  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  ami 
trader,  born  in  Lincolnshire,  England,  in  1783, 
came  to  this  country  in  1804,  and  soon  aftei 
enlisted  in  the  United  States  army,  with  the  ranli 
of  sergeant.  He  served  gallantly  on  various 
expeditions  in  the  West,  where  he  obtained  a 
knowledge  of  the  Indians  which  was  afterward 
of  great  value  to  him.  During  the  War  of  ISl'J 
his  regiment  was  sent  East,  where  he  partici- 
pated in  the  defense  of  Fort  Erie  and  in  other 
enterprises.  In  1S15,  his  term  of  enhstment  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 


IIISTOPJCAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


upper  Mississippi,  and,  in  18'3o,  was  apponited  the 
first  postmaster  at  Rock  Island,  being  the  only 
white  civilian  resident  there.  In  1826  he  united 
his  business  with  that  of  the  American  Fur  Com- 
pany, in  whose  service  he  remained.  Although 
he  employed  every  effort  to  induce  President 
Jackson  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,  bj  \%'hom  he 
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  Davenport,  opposite  Rock 
Island,  which  was  named  in  his  honor.  In  1837 
and  '42  he  was  largely  instrumental  in  negoti- 
ating treaties  by  which  the  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  gi-ave  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,  he  was  a.s.sassinated  at  his 
home  by  robbers.  For  a  long  time  the  crime  was 
shrouded  in  mystery,  but  its  perpetrators  were 
ultimately  detected  and  brought  to  punishment. 
DAVIS,  David,  jurist  and  United  States 
Senator,  was  born  in  Cecil  County,  Md.,  March 
9,  1813;  pursued  his  academic  studies  at  Kenyon 
College,  Ohio,  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  ISo.'J  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  ISS.'i.  He  died  at  his  home  in  Blooming- 
ton,  June  26,  1886. 

DAVIS,  tieorge  R.,  lawyer  and  Congressman, 
was  born  at  Three  Rivers,  Mass.,  January  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 
Mas.5achusetts  Infantry,  and  later  as  Major  in  the 
Third  Rhode  Island  Cavah-y.  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  Chicago  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  candidate  for  Congress,  but  was 
elected  in  1878,  and  re-elected  in  1880  and  1882. 
From  1886  to  1890  he  was  Treasurer  of  Cook 
County.  He  took  an  active  and  influential  part 
in  securing  the  location  of  the  World's  Columbian 
Exposition  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  Nov.  25,  1,899. 

DAVIS,  Hasbrouck,  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  March,  1865,  he  was  brevetted  Brigadier-Gen- 
eral, remaining  in  active  service  until  August, 
1865,  when  he  resigned.  After  the  «'ar  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  1817,  located  in  Bond  County  and  is  said  to 
have  taught  the  first  school  in  that  county.  He 
became  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. 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


DAVIS,  John  A.,  soldier,  was  born  in  Craw- 
ford County,  Pa.,  Oct.  25,  1823;  came  to  Steplien- 
.son  County,  III.,  in  boyhood  and  served  as 
Representative  in  tlie  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 
wovmded  by  a  shot  through  the  lungs,  but 
Tecovered  in  time  to  join  his  regiment  before  the 
battle  of  Corinth,  where,  on  Oct.  i.  1862,  he  fell 
mortally  wounded,  dying  a  few  days  after.  On 
receiving  a  request  from  some  of  his  fellow-citi- 
zens, a  few  days  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  the  torn  banner 
of  my  regiment  in  the  battlefield." 

DAVIS,  Levi,  lawyer  and  State  Auditor,  was 
born  in  Cecil  County,  Md.,  July  20,  1806;  gradu- 
ated at  Jefferson  College,  Pa.,  in  1828,  and  was 
admitted  to  the  bar  at  Baltimore  in  1830.  The 
following  year  he  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,  Nathan  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  tlie 
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 
difiierent  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  prominent  in  State,  National 
and  International  Medical  Congresses,  and  is  one 
of  the  founders  of  the  Northwestern  University, 
the  Chicago  Academy  of  Sciences,  the  Cliicago 
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  Assemblies,  first  as  a 
Democrat  and  next  (1856)  as  a  RepubUcan; 
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. 

DAWSON,  John,  early  legislator,  was  born  in 
Virginia,  in  1791 ;  came  to  Illinois  in  1827,  set- 
tling in  Sangamon  County ;  served  five  terms  in 
the  lower  house  of  the  General  Assembly  (1830, 
"34,  '36,  '38  and  '46),  dm-ing  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,  1850. 

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  unsafe,  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  (1895)  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  quarter  of  a 
century. 

DEARBORN,  Luther,  lawyer  and  legislator, 
was  born  at  Plymouth,   N.   H.,  March  24,   1820, 


IIISTOPJCAL    EXCYCLOPEDIA    OF    ILLINOIS. 


ami  educated  in  I^iymoutli  scliools  and  at  Xe\v 
Hampton  xVcademy ;  in  youtli  removed  to  Dear- 
born County,  Ind.,  wliere  lie  tauglit  scliool  and 
served  as  deputy  Circuit  Clerlj;  tlien  came  to 
Mason  County,  III.,  and,  in  1844.  to  Elgin.  Here 
he  was  elected  Sheriff  and,  at  the  expiration  of 
his  term.  Circuit  Clerk,  later  engaging  in  the 
banking  business,  which  proving  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  Eailway,  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  River — 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 
shops  are  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  higli  schools  in  the  State.  Four 
newspapers  are  publislied  there,  eacli  issuing  a 
daily  edition.     Pop.,  (1800).  10,841;  (1900),  20,7.54. 

DECATUR  EDITORIAL  C<»  VENTIOX.  (See 
Atiti-X(Iirn.~iI:ii  Ediforinl  Vnnrnitiini.) 

DECATUR  k  EASTERN  RAILWAY,  (.See 
Indiuna,  Decatur  &  ]Vcstcni  riailicay.) 

DECATUR,  MATTOOX  k  SOUTHERN  RAIL- 
ROAD. (See  Peoria,  Decatur  <£•  Evansville 
Jiailwaii.) 

DECATUR,  SULLITAX  &  JIATTOON  RAIL- 
ROAD. (See  Peoria,  Decatur  cfc  Eransville 
Railicay.) 

DEEP  SNOW,  THE,  an  event  occurring  in  the 
winter  of  1^80-31  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  Jlorgan  County,  a  few  years  before 
his  death,  gave  the  following  account  of  it:  "In 
the  interval  between  Christmas,  1830,  and  Janu- 
ary, 1881,  snow  fell  all  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,  nearly,  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  upon  us  from  the  north- 
west with  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. 
This  snow-fall  produced  constant  sleighing  for 
nine  weeks."'  Other  contemporaneous  accounts 
say  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  perished  for  lack  of  food.  Birds  and  domestic 
fowls  often  suffered  a  like  fate  for  want  of  sus- 
tenance or  from  the  severity  of  the  cold. 

DEERE,  John,  manufacturer,  was  born  at 
Middlebury,  Vt.,  Feb.  7,  1804;  learned  the  black- 
smith trade,  which  he  followed  until  1838,  when 
he  came  west,  settling  at  Grand  Detour,  in  Ogle 
County ;  ten  years  later  removed  to  Moline,  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 
Company,  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  &  JIansur  Corn 
Planter  Works.  President  of  the  Moline  Water 
Power  Company,  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  j'ears  a  member  and  Chairman  of  the 
State  Bureau  of  Labor  Statistics ;  a  Commissioner 
from  Illinois  to  the  Vienna  International  Exposi- 
tion of  1873 ;  one  of  the  State  Commissioners  of 
the  World's  Columbian  Exposition  of  1893;  a 
Presidential  Elector  for  the  State-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 


DEERIJfG,  William,  manufacturer,  was  born 
at  Pariu,  Oxford  County,  Maine,  April  26,  1826, 
completed  his  education  at  the  Readfield  high 
school,  in  1843,  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  JIanufacturing  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  Northern  State  Nor- 
mal School,  located  in  1895.  Population  (1880), 
1,598;  (1890),  2,5T9;  (1900),  .5,904;  (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  Kishwaukee,  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  RepubUcan  Sentinel." 
Other  prosperous  towns  are  De  Kalb  (population, 
3,579),  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  &  (JREAT  WESTERN  RAILROAD. 
(See  Chicago  Great  Western  Railway.) 

DELAY  AN,  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  west- southwest  of  Bloomington  and  24 
miles  south  of  Peoria.  Grain  is  extensively 
grown  in  the  adjacent  territory,  and  much 
shipped  from  Delavan.  The  place  supports  two 
banks,  tile  and  brick  factor3',  creamery,  and  two 
weekly  papers.  It  also  has  five  churches  and  a 
graded  school.     Pop.   (1890),   1,176,  (1900),  1,304. 

DEMENT,  Henry  Dodg-e,  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  18G1,  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 
1873,  was  re-elected  in  1874  and,  in  1876,  was  pro- 
moted to  the  Senate,  serving  in  the  Thirtieth  and 
Thirty-first  General  Assemblies.     In  1880  he  was 


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. 

DEMENT,  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  which  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  efforts  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  1849 
and  reappointed  by  Pierce  in  18i53.  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. 

DENT,  Thomas,  lawyer,  was  born  in  Putnam 
County,  111.,  Nov.  14,  1831;  in  his  youth  was 
employed  in  the  Clerk's  oflBce  of  Putnam  County, 
meanwhile  studying  law;  was  admitted  to  the 
bar  in  1854,  and,  in  1856,  opened  an  office  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  Illinois 
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  %vith  the 
Kankakee,  about  13  miles  southwest  of  Joliet,  bv 


its  confluence  with  the  latter  forming  the  Illinois 
River.  Its  length  is  about  150  miles.  The 
Chicago  Drainage  Canal  is  constructed  in  the 
valley  of  the  Des  Plaines  for  a  considerable  por- 
tion of  the  distance  between  Chicago  and  Joliet. 

DEWEY,  (Dr.)  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  literary  and  a  three  years'  course  in 
the  medical  department  of  the  Michigan  Univer- 
sity at  Ann  Arbor,  graduating  from  the  latter  in 
1869.  He  then  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  spending  six  months  in  the 
Prussian  military  service  as  Surgeon  during  the 
Franco-Prussian  War.  After  the  close  of  the 
war  he  took  a  brief  course  in  the  University  of 
Berlin,  when,  returning  to  the  United  States,  he 
was  employed  for  seven  years  as  Assistant  Physi- 
cian in  the  Northern  Hospital  for  the  Insane  at 
Elgin.  In  1879  he  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  COUNTY,  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 white  settlers  occupy  this  region.  The  first 
to  come  were  Felix  Jones.  Prettyman  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  Shugest  erected  the  earliest  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  by  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- 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


133 


lation  of  3,598  in  1S90,  and  Farmer  City,  1,367. 
Both  are  railroad  centers  and  have  considerable 
trade. 

DE  WOLF,  Calvin,  pioneer  and  philanthropist, 
was  born  in  Luzerne  Count}-,  Pa.,  Feb.  18,  181.T; 
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  teacliing  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  tlie 
position  for  a  quarter  of  a  century,  winning  for 
himself  the  reputation  of  a  sagacious  and  incor- 
ruptible public  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  De.xter,  Mich. , 
Oct.  25,  1831 ;  was  educated  in  the  scliools  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  1836,  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  expiration  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 
IlUnois  General  Hospital  of  the  Lakes,  now  Mercy 
Hospital.  In  1885  he  left  Chicago  to  take  up  his 
residence  in  his  native  city.  New  York,  where  he 
died.  June  3,  1892. 

DICKEY,  Theophilus  Lyle,  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  Macomb, 
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  War,  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  eighteen  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,  July  22,  1885. 

DISCIPLES  OF  CHRIST,  THE,  known  also  as 
the  Christian  Church  and  as  "Campbellites," 
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  scriptm-al  confession  of  faith 
and  was  baptized  by  immersion.  Alexander 
Campbell  was  an  eloquent  preacher  and  a  man  oi 
much  native  ability,  as  well  as  a  born  conver- 
sationalist. The  sect  has  steadily  grown  in 
numiiers  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)  and  30  parson- 
ages, was  81,167,67.5.  The  denomination  supports 
Em-eka  College,  with  an  attendance  of  between 


134 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


400  and  500  students,  while  its  assets  are  valued 
at  §150,000.  Total  membersbip  in  the  United 
States,  estimated  at  750,000. 

DIXON,  an  incorporated  citj',  the  county-seat 
of  Lee  County.  It  lies  on  both  sides  of  Rock 
River  and  is  the  point  of  inter.section  of  the  Illi- 
nois Central  and  the  Chicago  &  Northwestern 
Railroads;  is  98  miles  west  of  Chicago.  Rook 
River  furnishes  abundant  water  power  and  the 
manufacturing  interests  of  the  city  are  very  ex- 
tensive, including  large  plow  works,  wire-cloth 
factory,  wagon  factory;  also  has  electric  light 
and  power  plant,  three  shoe  factories,  planing 
mills,  and  a  condensed  milk  factory.  There  are 
two  National  and  one  State  bank,  eleven 
churches,  a  hospital,  and  three  newspapers.  In 
schools  the  city  particularly  excels,  having  sev- 
eral graded  (grammar)  schools  and  two  colleges. 
The  Chautauqua  A.ssemblj'  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  business  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  pushed 
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  Jurj-.  The  new  county  of 
Peoria  having  been  established  in  1825,  he  w-as 
offered  and  accepted  the  appointment  of  Circuit 
Clerk,  I'emoving  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  ferrj-man  could  not  endure  prosperity,  Jlr. 
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  j-ears  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 Johnston,  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  from 
Galena  to  Dixon.  Colonel  Dixon  was  a  delegate 
from  Lee  County  to  the  Republican  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  6,  1876. 

DOAXE,  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  which,  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- 
lished and,  in  1872,  transfeiTed  to  other  parties, 
although  Mr.  Doane  continued  to  conduct  an 
importing  business  in  many  lines  of  goods  used  in 
the  grocery  trade.  Having  become  interested  in 
the  Merchants'  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  PuUman  Palace  Car  Company, 
the  Allen  Pajier  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  by  the  citizens  of  Chicago 
to  assure  the  success  of  the  enterprise. 

DOLTON  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  weekly  paper, 
churches  and  a  graded  school.  Population  ( 1880) 
448;   (1890),  1,110;  (1900),  1,229. 

DOXGOLA,  a  village  in  Union  County,  on  the 
Illinois  Central  Railroad,  27  miles  north  of  Cairo. 
Population  (1880),  .599;  (1890),  733;  (1900),  681. 

DOOLITTLE,  James  Rood,  United  States 
Senator,  was  born  in  Hampton,  Wasliington 
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. 


HISTOKICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF    ILLIXOIS. 


135 


removed  to  Wisconsin;  two  years  later  was 
elected  Circuit  Judge,  but  resigned  in  18156,  and 
the  following  year  was  elected  as  a  Democratic- 
Republican  to  the  United  States  Senate,  being 
re-elected  as  a  Republican  in  1863.  Retiring 
from  public  life  in  1869,  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 
1866,  and  of  the  National  Democratic  Convention 
of  1872  in  Baltimore,  which  endorsed  Horace 
Greeley  for  President.  Died,  at  Edgewood,  R.  I., 
July  27,  1897. 

DORE,  John  Clark,  first  Superintendent  of 
Chicago  City  Schools,  was  born  at  Ossipee,  N.  H., 
March  22,  1822;  began  teaching  at  17  years  of  age 
and  graduated  at  Dartmouth  College  in  1847; 
then  taught  several  j-ears  and,  in  ISol,  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  tlie  State 
Senate,  1868-73,  and  has  been  identified  with 
various  benevolent  organizations  of  the  city  of 
Chicago.    Died  in  Boston,  Mass.,  Dec,  14.  1900. 

DOU(tHEETT,  John,  la^vyer  and  Lieutenant- 
Governor,  was  born  at  Marietta,  Oliio,  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  finall}-  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 
1856,  and  to  the  Senate  in  1842,  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  opiJosed  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  1872  (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  1856  he 
removed  to  Chicago,  and,  the  following  year, 
became  one  of  the  solicitors  of  the  Illinois  Central 
Raih'oad,  with  which  he  had  been  associated  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  oflScer.  Died,  in  Chicago, 
March  25.  1891. 

DOUGLAS,  Stephen  Arnold,  statesman,  was 
born  at  Brandon,  Vt.,  April  23,  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  lie  began  the  study  of  law,  but  started  for 
tlie  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  Jlorgan  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  vmtil  the  delegates 
from  nearly  all  the  Southern  States  had  with- 
drawn, the  seceding  delegates  afterwards  nomi- 


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  the  portico  of  the 
Capitol  during  the  inauguration  ceremonies.  As 
politician,  orator  and  statesman,  Douglas  had 
few  superiors.  Quick  in  perception,  facile  in 
expedients,  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  the  sobriquet  of  the  "Little 
Giant."     He  died  in  Chicago,  June  3,  1861. 

DOUGLAS  COUNTY,  lying  a  little  east  of  the 
center  of  the  State,  embracing  an  area  of  410 
square  miles  and  having  a  population  (1900)  of 
19,097.  The  earliest  land  entry  was  made  by 
Harrison  Gill,  of  Kentucky,  whose  patent  was 
signed  by  Andrew  Jackson.  Another  early 
settler  was  John  A.  Richman,  a  West  Virginian. 
who  erected  one  of  the  first  frame  houses  in 
the  county  in  1829.  The  Embarras  and  Kas- 
kaskia  Rivers  flow  through  the  county,  wliicli  is 
also  crossed  by  the  Wabash  and  Illinois  Central 
Railways.  Douglas  County  was  organized  in 
18.57  (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  been 
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,  Du  Page  County, 
onC,  B.  &Q.  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  Ewlngr,  ex-Congressman  and 
lawyer,  was  born  at  Virginia,  111.,  August  24, 
1846 ;  reared  on  a  farm  and  educated  in  the  public 
and  private  schools  of  his  native  town ;  from  1865 
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  by  a 


plurality  of  forty  votes  over  Gen.  John  I.  Rinaker, 
the  Republican  nominee.  A  contest  and  recount 
of  the  ballots  resulted,  however,  in  awarding  the 
seat  to  General  Rinaker.  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., 
Dec.  30,  1830;  early  taken  to  Drakesville,  Iowa, 
which  his  father  founded;  entered  mercantile 
life  at  16  years  of  age ;  crossed  the  plains  to  Cali- 
fornia in  18.j2,  had  experience  in  Indian  warfare 
and,  in  1859,  established  himself  in  business  at 
Union ville,  Iowa;  ser\-ed  through  the  Civil  War, 
becoming  Lieutenant-Colonel  and  retiring  in 
1865  with  the  rank  of  Brigadier-General  by 
brevet.  He  re-entered  mercantile  Life  after  the 
war,  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1866,  subsequently 
engaged  in  railroad  building  and,  in  1881,  contrib- 
buted  the  bulk  of  the  funds  for  founding  Drake 
University ;  was  elected  Governor  of  Iowa  in 
1895,  serving  until  January,  1898. 

DRAPER,  Andrew  Sloan,  LL.D.,  lawyer  and 
educator,  was  born  in  Otsego  County,  N.  Y., 
June  21,  1848 — being  a  descendant,  in  the  eighth 
generation,  from  the  "Puritan,"  James  Draper, 
who  settled  in  Boston  in  1647.  In  1855  Mr. 
Draper's  parents  settled  in  Albany,  N.  Y.,  where 
he  attended  school,  winning  a  scholarship  in  the 
Albany  Academy  in  1863,  and  graduating  from 
that  institution  in  1866.  During  the  next  four 
years  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 
Department,  when  he  began  practice.  The  rank 
he  attained  in  the  profession  was  indicated  by 
his  appointment  by  President  Arthur,  in  1884, 
one  of  the  Judges  of  the  Alabama  Claims  Com- 
mission, upon  which  he  served  until  the  conclu- 
sion of  its  labors  in  1886.  He  had  previously 
served  in  the  New  York  State  Senate  (1880)  and, 
in  1884,  was  a  delegate  to  the  Republican  National 
Convention,  also  serving  as  Chairman  of  the 
Republican  State  Central  Committee  the  same 
year.  After  his  return  from  Europe  in  1886,  he 
served  as  State  Superintendent  of  Public  Instruc- 
tion of  New  York  luitil  1892,  and,  in  1889,  and 
again  in  1890,  was  President  of  the  National 
Association  of  School  Superintendents.  Soon 
after  retiring  from  the  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  University  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;  graduated  from 
Brown  University  in  1823,  went  to  Virginia, 
where  be  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 
1858.  On  Nov.  4,  1842,  Mr.  Dresser  performed  the 
ceremony  uniting  Abraham  Lincoln  and  Mary 
Todd  in  marriage.     He  died,  March  2.5,  1865. 

DRUMMOND,  Thomas,  jurist,  was  born  at 
Bristol  Mills,  Lincoln  County,  Maine,  Oct.  16, 
1809.  After  graduating  from  Bowdoin  College,  in 
1880,  he  studied  law  at  Philadelphia,  where  he  was 
admitted  to  the  bar  in  1833.  He  settled  at 
Galena,  111,  in  1835,  and  was  a  member  of  the 
General  Assembly  in  1840-41.  In  1850  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  1855,  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,  livmg  in 
retirement  until  his  death,  wliich  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  24  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  Harrison  Register  of  the 
Land  OfHce  at  Palestine,  111.,  but  soon  resigned, 
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  liis  home  near  Springfield,  Nov.  22,  1876. 
— Fred  T.  (Dubois),  son  of  the  preceding,  was 
born  in  Crawford  County,  lU.,  May  39,  1851; 
received  a  common-school  and  classical  educa- 
tion, graduating  from  Yale  College  in  1872 ;  was 
Secretary  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-first  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  1893,  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.  Wliile  acting  in  this  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  with  signal  success. 
Died,  at  Downer's  Grove,  111,  Jan.  29,  1896. 

DUELS  Xyv  AXTI-DUELING  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 


IIISTOKICAL   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  English  and  a  French  officer  at  the 
time  of  the  surrender  of  Fort  Chartres  to  the 
British  in  176.5,  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  iiresent  time.  Gov.  John  Eeynolds. 
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  lie  had  seen  the  combat. 

An  affair  of  less  doubtful  authenticity  has  come 
down  to  us  in  tlie  history  of  the  Territorial 
period,  and,  although  it  was  at  first  bloodless,  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  Enghsh-.speaking  lawyer  in  the  "Illinois 
Country."  The  younger  Jones  is  described  as  an 
exceptionally  brilliant  young  man  who,  having 
studied  law,  located  at  Kaskaskia  in  1806.  Two 
years  later  he  bi'canic  ii  iiiiididate  for  Represent- 
ative from  Ranilc>l|ili  ('(uiiityin  the  Legislature 
of  Indiana Territi.>ry,  of  which  Illinois  was  apart. 
In  the  course  of  the  canvass  which  resulted  in 
Jones'  election,  he  became  involved  in  a  qviarrel 
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  the  meeting  took 
place  on  an  island  in  the  Mississippi  between 
Kaskaskia  and  St.  Genevieve.  Bond's  second 
was  a  Br.  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  had  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  the  explanation  of  his 
adversary  that  the  discharge  was  accidental,  and 
the  generosity  which  he  di^|il;iyi-(l  Ic'd  to  expla- 
nations that  averted  a  linal  cmIi.lhl;!/  of  shots. 
The  feud  thus  started  betwrcii  .l.mrs  ami  Dunlap 
gi-ew  until  it  involved  a  large  part  of  the  com- 
munity. '  On  Dec.  7,  1808,  Dunlap  .shot  down 
Jones    in   cold    blood  and   without  warning  in 


the  streets  of  Kaskaskia,  killing  him  instantly. 
The  murderer  fled  to  Texas  and  was  never  heard 
of  about  Kaskaskia  afterwards.  Tliis  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 
which,  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  1813,  though  no  exact 
dates  are  given.  This  affair  took  place  on  the 
favorite  dueling  ground  known  as  "Bloody 
Island,"  opposite  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  betvpeen 
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  the  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  jjroved  to  have  been 
loaded  with  ball.  Stuart  fell  mortally  wounded, 
expiring  almost  immediately.  One  report  says 
that  the  duel  was  intended  as  a  sham,  and  was  so 
understood  by  Bennett,  who  was  horrified  by  the 
result.  He  and  his  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- 
hended by  some  sort  of  artifice,  put  on  his  trial, 
convicted  and  executed — Judge  John  Reynolds 
(afterwards  Governor)  presiding  and  pronouncing 


In  a  footnote  to  "The  Edwards  Papers," 
edited  by  the  late  E.  B.  Washburne,  and  printed 
vmder  the  auspices  of  the  Chicago  Historical 
Society,  a  few  years  ago,  Mr.  Washburne  rebates 
an  incident  occurring  in  Galena  about  1838,  while 
"The  Northwestern  Gazette  and  Galena  Adver- 
tiser" was  under  the  charge  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 


Mr.  'Washburne,  is  as  follows:  "David  G.  Bates 
(a  Galena  business  man  and  captain  of  a  packet 
plying  between  St.  Louis  and  Galena)  ^v^ote  a 
short  communication  for  the  paper  reflecting  on 
the  character  of  John  Tiu-ney,  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  Turnej'  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  tlien 
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  Com-t,  threatened  to  "call  out" 
Hardin.  The  aiiair  was  referred  to  W.  L.  D. 
Ewing  and  W.  A.  Richardson  for  Dodge,  ami 
J.  J.  Brown  and  E.  B.  Webb  for  Hardin,  with 
the  result  that  it  was  amicably  adjusted  "honor- 
ably to  both  parties." 

It  was  dm-ing  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  CarUn,  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  Coui-t  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  m  a  card  denying  the  truth  of  the 
charges,  McClernand  responded  with  the  publi- 
cation of  the  cards  of  persons  tracing  the  allega- 
tions directl}'  to  Smith  himself.  This  brought  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,  wliich  resulted 
in  placing  the  pugnacious  jurist  under  bonds  to 
keep,  the  peace,  when  he  took  his  departure  tor 
Cliicago,  and  the  "affair"  ended. 

An  incident  of  greater  liistorical  interest  than 
all  the  others  yet  mentioned,  was  the  affair  in 
which  James  Shields  and  Abraham  Lincoln — the 
former  the  State  Auditor  and  the  latter  at  that 
time  a  yoimg  attorney  at  Springfield — were  con- 
cerned. A  communication  in  doggerel  verse  had 
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  Trumbull.) 
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,  where 
Lincoln  was  attending  court.  Without  attempt- 
ing to  follow  the  affair  through  all  its  complicated 
details — Shields  having  assumed  that  Lincoln  was 
the  author  without  fm-ther  investigation,  and 
Lincoln  refusing  to  make  any  explanation  unless 
the  first  demand  was  withdrawn — Lincoln  named 
Dr.  E.  H.  Men-iman  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.  22,  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  represent- 
atives of  Shields,  and  Dr.  E.  H.  Merriman, 
Dr.  A.  T.  Bledsoe  and  William  Butler  for  Lincoln. 

Out  of  tliis  affair,  within  the  next  few  days, 
followed  challenges  from  Shields  to  Butler  and 
Whiteside  to  Merriman ;  but,  altliough  these  were 
accepted,  yet  owing  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 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OP   ILLINOIS. 


Anotlier  affair  which  bore  important  results 
without  ending  in  a  tragedy,  occurred  during  tlje 
session  of  the  Constitutional  Convention  in  1847. 
The  parties  to  it  were  0.  C.  Pratt  and  Thompson 
Campbell  —  both  Delegates  from  Jo  Daviess 
County,  and  both  Democrats.  Some  sparring 
between  them  over  tlie  question  of  suffrage  for 
naturalized  foreigners  resulted  in  an  invitation 
from  Pratt  to  Campbell  to  meet  liim  at  the 
Planters'  Ilouse  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  tlieir  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  affair,  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  H.  Bissell,  after- 
wards Governor  of  Illinois,  and  Jefferson  Davis 
were  concerned  in  February,  ISfiO.  During  the 
debate  on  the  "Compromise  Measures"  of  that 
year,  Congressman  Seddon  of  Virginia  went  out 
of  his  way  to  indulge  in  implied  reflections  upon 
the  coiu'age  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  these 
claims  Colonel  Bissell  took  occasion  to  correct  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  way,  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  ball  and  buckshot,  with 
forty  paces  as  the  distance,  with  liberty  to 
advance  up  to  ten — otherwise  leaving  tlie  pre- 
liminaries to  be  settled  by  his  friends.  The  evi- 
dence manifested  by  Bissell  that  he  was  not  to  be 
intimidated,  but  was  prepared  to  face  death 
itself  to  vindicate  his  own  honor  and  that  of  his 
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 
Bissell  should  add  to  his  letter  of  acceptance  a 
clause  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 
unnecessary  by  the  act  of  Davis  himself.  Thus, 
Colonel  BisseU's  position  was  virtually  (though 
indirectly)  justified  by  his  enemies.  It  is  true, 
he  was  violently  assailed  by  his  political  opponents 
for  alleged  violation  of  the  inhibition  in  the  State 
Constitution  against  dueling,  especially  when  he 
came  to  take  the  oath  of  office  as  Governor  of 
Illinois,  seven  years  later ;  but  his  course  in  "turn- 
ing the  tables"  against  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  guilty  of  any  violation  of 
the  laws. 

While  the  provision  in  the  Constitution  of  1848, 
against  dueling,  was  not  re- incorporated  in  that 
of  1870,  the  laws  on  the  subject  are  very  strin- 
gent. Besides  imposing  a  penalty  of  not  less  than 
one  nor  more  than  five  years'  imprisonment,  or  a 
fine  not  exceeding  §3,000,  upon  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  chal- 
lenge: the  law  also  provides  that  any  one  con- 
victed of  such  offense  shall  be  disqualified  for 
holding  "any  office  of  profit,  trust  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  within  the  State ;  and  any  person  who 
may  inflict  upon  his  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  woimded  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  criiue  punishable  by 
fine  or  imprisonment. 

DUFF,  Andrew  D.,  lawyer  and  Judge,  was 
born   of    a  family   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  susi^ended  his 
studies  to  enlist  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  1867,  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  policy  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 
temperance.  In  1885  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  25,  1889. 

DUXCAN,  Joseph,  Congressman  and  Gov- 
ernor, was  born  at  Paris,  Ky.,  Feb.  22,  1794; 
emigrated  to  Illinois  in  1818,  having  previously 
ser\'ed  with  distinction  in  the  War  of  1812,  and 
been  presented  with  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  1825.  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  unassmning, 
although  fearless  in  the  expression  of  his  convic- 
tions. He  was  the  Whig  candidate  for  Governor 
in  1842,  when  he  met  with  his  first  political 
defeat.  Died,  at  Jacksonville,  Jan.  15,  1844, 
mourned  by  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  Rebellion,  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 
distinct  corporations— East  and  West  Dundee — 
but  is  progressive  and  united  in  action.  Dairy 
farming  is  the  principal  industry  of  the  adjacent 
region,  and  the  town  has  two  large  milk-con- 
densing plants,  a  cheese  factory,  etc.  It  lias  good 
water  power  and  there  are  flour  and  saw-mills, 
besides  brick  and  tile-works,  an.extensive  nursery, 
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  he  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  Academy  of  Sciences,  and  an  early  member 
of  the  Board  of  Trade.  Died,  April  28,  1898, 
leaving  a  large  estate. 

DUNHAM,  Ransom  W.,  merchant  and  Con- 
gressman, was  born  at  Savoy,  Mass.,  March  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  provision 
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,  (Jeorge  Lincoln,  civil  engineer  and 
Railway  Superiatendent,  was  born  at  Brunswick, 


IIISTOmCAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLIXOIS. 


Maine,  in  1828;  studied  mathematics  and  engineer- 
ing at  Gorliam  Academy,  and,  after  several 
rears'  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  fourteen  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. 

DU\LAP,  Henry  M.,  horticulturist  and  legis- 
lator, was  born  in  Cook  County,  111.,  Nov.  14, 
1853 — the  son  of  M.  L.  Dunlap  (the  well-known 
"Rural"),  who  became  a  prominent  horticulturist 
In  Champaign  County  and  was  one  of  the  found- 
ers of  the  State  Agricultural  Society.  The  family 
having  located  at  Savoy,  Champaign  County, 
about  18r)7,  the  younger  Dunlap  was  educated  in 
the  Universit}'  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  1896, 
and  has  been  ijrominent  in  State  legislation. 

DU>'LAP,  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  secm-ed 
a  clerkship  in  Chicago,  and  later  became  book- 
keeper for  a  firm  of  contractors  on  the  Illinois  & 
Michigan  Canal,  remaining  two  years.  Having 
entered  a  body  of  Government  land  in  the  western 
part  of  Cook  County,  he  tm-ned  his  attention  to 
farming,  giving  a  portion  of  his  time  to  siu'vey- 
ing.  In  1845  he  became  interested  in  horticultm-e 
and,  in  a  few  years,  built  up  one  of  the  most 
extensive  nurseries  in  the  "West.  In  1854  he  was 
chosen  a  Representative  in  the  Nineteenth  Gen- 
eral Assembly  from  Cook  Coimty,  and,  at  the 
following  session,  presided  over  the  cavicus  which 
resulted  in  the  nomination  and  final  election  of 
Lyman  Trumbull  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   vears   later,  for    the 


prosecution  of  his  nursery  business.  He  was  an 
active  member,  for  many  years,  of  the  State  Agri- 
cultiiral  Society  and  an  earnest  supporter  of  the 
scheme  for  the  establishment  of  an  "Industrial 
University,"  which  finally  took  form  in  the  Uni- 
versity of  Illinois  at  Champaign.  From  1853  to 
his  death  he  was  the  agricultural  correspondent, 
first  of  "The  Chicago  Democratic  Press,"  and 
later  of  "The  Tribune,"  writing  over  the  nom  de 
plume  of  "Rural."     Died,  Feb.  14,  1875. 

DU  PAGE  cor  XT  Y,  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 
was  platted  in  1342  and  named  in  honor  of  Capt. 
Josepli  Naper,  who  settled  upon  the  site  in  1831. 
In  18C9  the  count}-  government  was  removed  to 
Wheaton,  the  location  of  Wheaton  College, 
where  it  yet  remains.  Besides  Captain  Naper, 
early  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  Eoselle  f450).  Hinsdale  and  Roselle  are 
largely  populated  by  persons  doing  business  in 
Chicago. 

DC  (jUOIX,  a  city  and  railway  junction  in 
Perry  County,  76  miles  north  of  Cairo;  has  a 
foundry,  machine  shops,  planing-mill,  flour  mills, 
salt  works,  ice  factory,  soda-water  factory, 
creamery,  coal  mines,  graded  school,  public 
library  and  four  newspapers.  Population  (1890), 
4,052;  (1900),  4,353;  (1903,  school  census),  5,207. 

DURBORO'O',  AUan  Cathcart,  ex-Congress- 
man, was  born  in  Philadelphia,  Nov.  20,  1857. 
When  five  years  old  ho  accompanied  liis  jjarents 
to  Williamsport,  Ind.,  where  he  received  his 
early  education.  He  entered  the  preparatory 
department  of  Wabash  College  Ln  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  Congress.  Mr.  Durborow  is 
Treasurer  of  the  Chicago  Air-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   ILLIXOIS. 


143 


lege  in  1846.  After  practicing  three  years  at 
Corinth,  Vt.,  he  went  to  California  in  1850  and 
engaged  in  mining,  but  three  years  later  resumed 
the  practice  of  his  profession  while  conducting  a 
mercantile  business.  He  was  subsequently  chosen 
to  the  California  Legislature  from  Nevada 
Coxmty,  but  coming  to  Illinois  in  18.58,  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,  1863,  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,  1865,  and 
took  part  in  the  gi-and  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  Coimty  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  imtil  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. 

DWIGHT,  a  prosperous  city  in  Livingston 
County,  74  miles,  by  rail,  south-southwest  of  Chi- 
cago, 52  miles  northeast  of  Bloomington,  and  23 
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  cit}'  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  Volney,  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  Chicago,  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),  1,058;  (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  I^ife  Insm-- 
ance  Company.  Between  1863  and  1866  he  held 
sundry  local  offices,  and,  in  1809,  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  tenr.  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  Presidencv  of  the  Senate,  but  >vas  defeated 


144 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


by  a  coalition  of  Democrats  and  Independents. 
He  died  while  a  member  of  the  Senate,  Sept.  2, 
1877. 

EARTHQUAKE  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.  Wliile  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  Edwardsville,  Madison  Countj',  were  cracked 
bj'  the  convulsion,  the  effects  being  seen  for  more 
than  two  generations.  Gov.  John  Reynolds,  then 
a  young  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  my  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  wei^  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,  wliich  probably  owe  their  origin  to  this  or 
some  similar  disturbance.  "On  the  Kaskaskia 
River  below  Athens,"  says  Governor  Reynolds  in 
his  "Pioneer  History,"  "the  water  and  white  sand 
were  thrown  up  through  a  fissure  of  the  earth."' 

EAST  DUBUQUE,  an  incorporated  city  of  Jo 
Daviess  County,  on  the  east  bank  of  the  ilissis- 
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.  Population 
(1880),  1,037;  (1890),  1,069;  (1900),  1,146. 

EASTOX,  (Col.)  Rnfus,  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  Territorj',  and,  on  the 
organization  of  the  State  of  Missouri  (1821),  was 
appointed  Attorney-General  for  the  State,  serving 
until  1826.  His  death  occurred  at  St.  Charles, 
Mo.,  July  5,  1834.  Colonel  Easton's  connection 
with  Illinois  history  is  based  chiefly  upon  the 
fact  that  he  was  the  founder  of  the  present  city 
of  Alton,  which  he  laid  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  early  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.  LOUIS,  a  flourishing  city  in  St.  Clair 
County,  on  the  east  bank  of  the  Mississippi  di- 
rectly opposite  St.  Louis;  is  the  terminus  of 
twenty-two  railroads  and  several  electric  lines, 
and  the  leading  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  public  and  five  parochial  schools, 
one  high  school,  and  two  colleges;  is  well  sup- 
plied with  banks  and  has  one  daily  and  four 
weekly  papers.  Population  (1890),  1.5,169;  (1900), 
29,6.55;  (1903,  est.),  40.000. 

EASTERN  HOSPITAL  FOR  THE  IXSANE. 
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  building,  three  stories  high,  capable  of 
accommodating  300  to  -100  patients,  and  a  nmiiber 
of  detached  buildings,  technically  termed  cot- 
tages, where  various  classes  of  insane  patients  may 
be  grouped  and  receive  the  particular  treatment 
best  adapted  to  ensure  their  recovery.  The  plans 
were  mainly  worked  out  from  suggestions  by 
Frederick  Howard  Wines,  LL.D.,  then  Secretary 
of  the  Board  of  Public  Charities,  and  liave 
attracted  generally  favorable  comment  both  in 
this  country  and  abroad.  The  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,  Macou,  McLean,  Moultrie^ 
Piatt,  Shelby,  Vermilion  and  Will.  The  whole 
number  of  patients  in  1898  was  2,200,  while  the 
employes  of  all  classes  numbered  500. 

EASTERN  ILLI>'OIS  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  §25,000  and  §50,000, 
respectively,  with  §56,216.72  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  the 
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  oflice  of  "The  Hartford  Pearl,""  at  the  age  of 
18  he  invested  his  patrimony  of  some  §2,000  in 
the  establishment  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  liy 
way  of  Chicago,   working  for  a  time   on    "Tlie 


Peoria  Register,"'  but  soon  after  joined  Benjamin 
Lundy,  who  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  the  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  AboUtionists, 
the  paper  was  removed  to  Chicago,  where  it  was 
issued  under  the  name  of  "The  Western  Citizen," 
in  1858  becoming  "The  Free  West,"  and  finally, 
in  1856,  being  merged  in  "The  Chicago  Tribune." 
After  the  suspension  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  -upport.  In 
1861  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  Lundy,  Benjamin,  and  Warren, 
Hooper. ) 

EBERHART,  John  .T'rederlck,  educator  and 
real-estate  operator,  was  born  in  Mercer  County, 
Pa.,  Jan.  21,  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 
liorn  in  Alsace.  France  (now  Germany),  brouglit 
to  America  in  infancv  and  reared  on  a  farm  in 


146 


HISTORICAL   EXCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


Vernon  County,  Wis. ;  was  educated  at  Milwau- 
kee, and,  in  1868,  became  clerk  in  the  office  of  the 
Eagle  Milling  Companj'  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  has  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  the 
Board  for  the  following  year,  and  re-elected  Pres- 
ident in  December,  1898. 

EDBROOKE,  Willoughby  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  he  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,  Blarch  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  Buffalo ;  came  to 
Shawneetowu,  111,,  in  1818,  where  he  edited  "The 
Illinois  Emigrant,"  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  later. 
He  was  a  Whig  in  politics.  Usher  F.  Linder,  in 
his  "Reminiscences  of  the  Early  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,  jioetry  or  belles  lettres."  Died, 
June  29,  1849. 

EDDY,  Thomas  Moars,  clergyman  and  author, 
was  born  in  Haniill.ni  ('(iiinty,  Ohio,  Sept.  7, 
1823;  educated  at  ( :r.(iiNl,oi-,,u,i;li,  Ind.,  and,  from 
1842  to  18.53,  was  a  iletlu.dist  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  appointed  editor  of  "The  Morthwestern 
Christian  Advocate,"  in  Chicago,  retiring  from 
that  position  in  1868.  Later,  he  held  pastorates 
in  Baltimore  and  Washington,  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  the 
press,  and,  besides  occasional  sermons,  published 
two  volumes  of  reminiscences  and  personal 
sketches  of  prominent  Illinoisans  in  the  War  of 
the  Rebellion  under  the  title  of  "Patriotism  of 
Illinois"  (1865).  Died,  in  New  York  City,  Oct. 
7,  1874. 

EDGAR,  John,  early  settler  at  Kaskaskia,  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  character  who  sympathized  strongly  with  the 
patriot  cause.  Having  become  involved  in  the 
desertion  of  three  British  soldiers  whom  his  wife 
had  promised  to  assist  in  reaching  the  American 
camp,  he  was  compelled  to  flee.  After  remaining 
for  a  while  in  the  American  army,  during  which 
he  became  the  friend  of  General  La  Fayette,  he 
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  became  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  Kaskaskia  which  had  belonged  to  a  French- 
man named  Paget,  and  became  a  large  shipper  of 
flour  at  an  early  day  to  the  Southern  markets. 
When  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  the 
Northwest  Territory,  he  was  chosen,  in  1799,  one 
of  the  members  for  St.  Clair  County — the  Legis- 
lature holding  its  session  at  Chillioothe,  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  Mrs.  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  lionor  of 
General  Edgar.  He  was  Worshipful  Master  of 
the  first  Lodge  of  Ancient  Free  and  Accepted 
Masons  in  Illinois,  constituted  at  Kaskaskia  in 
1806. 

ED«AE  COUNTY,  one  of  the  middle  tier  of 
counties  from  north  to  south,  lying  on  the  east- 
ern border  of  the  State ;  was  organized  in  1823, 
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 
deptli,  though  at  some  points — especially  adjoin- 
ing the  timber  lands  in  the  east — the  soft,  brown 
clay  of  the  subsoil  comes  to  the  surface.  Beds  of 
the  drift  period,  one  hundred  feet  deep,  are  foimd 
in  the  northern  portion,  and  some  twenty-five 
years  ago  a  nearly  perfect  skeleton  of  a  mastodon 
was  exhimied.  A  bed  of  limestone,  twenty-five 
feet  thick,  crops  out  near  Baldwinsville  and  runs 
along  Brouillefs  creek  to  the  State  line.  Paris,  tlie 
county-seat,  is  a  railroad  center,  and  has  a  popu- 
lation of  over  6,000.  Vermilion  and  Dudley  are 
prominent  shipping  points,  while  Chrisman, 
which  was  an  unbroken  prairie  in  1873,  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),  551;  (1890),  806;  (1900),  1,071. 

EDSALL,  James  Kirtland,  former  Attorney 
General,  was  born  at  Windham,  Greene  Coimty, 
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  1853.  The  next  two  years  he  spent  in 
Wisconsin  and  Minnesota,  and,  in  1854,  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  chosen  State 
Senator,  serving  on  the  Committees  on  Munic- 
ipahties   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  Western  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  Henrj'.  This  act  for  the  first 
time  established  the  present  sj-stem  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  otSce  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  tovm- 
ship. "  The  same  reservation  (the  term  "section" 
being  substituted  for  "lot"  in  the  act  of  May  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," 
shall  be  "given  perpetually  for  the  pm-pose  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  encom-aged."  The 
reservation  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  Territory  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   EXCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


togetlier  with  three  per  cent  of  the  net  proceeds 
of  the  sales  of  public  lands  within  the  State,  "to 
be  appropriated  bj-  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  uni%-er- 
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  reserved  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  been  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  Coun- 
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 
Ed  wards  ville,  in  1807,  and  John  Slessinger,  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  which  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  L^pjier 
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  can-ied  into  effect.  The  first  attempt  to 
establish  a  free-school  system  for  the  whole  State 


was  made  in  January,  1825,  in  the  pas.sage  of  a 
bill  introduced  by  Joseph  Duncan,  afterwards  a 
Congressman  and  Governor  of  the  State.  It 
nominally  appropriated  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  1829, 
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  foiir  and  a  half  sec- 
tions) of  the  seminary  lands  were  disposed  of, 
realizing  less  than  860,000.  The  first  sale  of 
township  school  lands  took  place  in  Greene 
County  in  1831,  and,  two  years  later,  the  greater 
part  of  the  school  section  in  the  heart  of  the 
present  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  sj-stem  as  of  those  selected  to 
administer  it — whose  bad  judgment  in  premature 
sales,  or  whose  complicity  with  the  schemes  of 
speculators,  were  the  means,  in  many  cases,  of 
squandering  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  paper  printed  in  the  report  of  the 
State  Superintendent  of  Public  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  Institutions.— 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  passage,  through  the  Territorial  Legislature  at 
Vincennes,  in  November,  1806,  of  an  act  incorpo- 
rating the  University  of  Indiana  Territory  to  be 
located  at  V'incennes.  One  provision  of  the  act 
authorized  the  raising  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. 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


149 


little  progress  was  made.  Twenty-one  years 
later  (1827)  the  first  successful  attempt  to  found 
an  advanced  school  was  made  by  the  indomitable 
Rev.  John  M.  Peck,  resulting  in  the  establish- 
ment of  his  Theological  Seminary  and  High 
School  at  Rock  Springs,  St.  Clair  Count}^  which, 
in  1831,  became  the  nucleus  of  Shurtleff  College  at 
Upper  Alton.  In  like  manner,  Lebanon  Semi- 
nary, established  in  1828,  two  years  later 
expanded  into  McKendree  College,  while  instruc- 
tion began  to  be  given  at  Illinois  College,  Jack- 
sonville, in  December,  1829,  as  the  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  Legislatiu-e,  passed  in  1835.  (See  sketches  of 
these  Institutions.) 

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 
history.  At  first  these  conventions  were  held  at 
the  State  capital  during  the  sessions  of  the  Gen- 
eral Assembly,  when  tlie  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;  Judges.  D.  Lockwood,  then  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  their  day, 
besides  Dr.  J.  M.  Peck,  Archibald  Williams, 
Benjamin  Mills,  Jesse  B.  Thomas,  Henry  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  1810,  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  educational  societies,  finally  result- 
ing, in  December,  1854,  in  the  organization  of  the 
"State  Teachers'  Institute,"  which,  three  years 
later,  took  the  name  of  the  "State  Teachers' 
Association" — though  an  association  of  the  same 
name  was  organized  in  1836  and  continued  in 
existence  several  years. 

State  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  ofiice,  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  School- 
master," which  became  the  organ  of  the  State 
Teachers'  Association,  so  remaining  several  years. 
The  State  Teachers'  Association  has  no  oflicial 
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  bj^  partisan  opposition,  has  been 
followed  by  more  far-reaching  results,  for  the 
country  at  large,  than  any  single  measure  in  the 
history  of  education  since  the  act  of  1785  setting 
apart  one  section  in  each  township  for  the  support 
of  public  schools.  This  was  the  scheme  formu- 
lated bj'  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 
Covmty,  Nov.  18,  1851.  While  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  industrial 
education  in  other  States,  especially  in  New 
York  and  some  of  the  New  England  States,  and 


150 


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,  18.53;  Cliioago,  Nov.  24,  18.53;  Springfield, 
Jan.  4,  1853,  and  Springfield,  Jan.  1,  1855,  at 
which  the  scheme  was  still  further  elaborated. 
At  the  Springfield  meeting  of  January,  1853,  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  tlie  part  of  friends 
of  the  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,  1863 — 
a  similar  measure  having  been  vetoed  by  Presi- 
dent Buchanan  in  February,  1859.  The  State 
was  extensively  canvassed  by  Professor  Turner, 
Mr.  Bronson  Murray  (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  re.solutions  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,  18.55,  pro- 
po.sed,  as  a  part  of  the  scheme,  <the  establishment 
of  a  "Teachers'  Seminary  or  Normal  School 
Department,"  which  took  form  in  the  act  passed 
at  the  session  of  1857,  for  the  establisliment  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  1863.  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, 
Jonctihan  Baldwin. )  On  the  foundation  thus 
furnished  was  established,  by  act  of  the  Legisla- 
ture in  1867,  the  "Illinois  Industrial  University" 
— now  the  Universitj'  of  Illinois — at  Champaign, 
to  say  notliing  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  be 
said  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  office  of  State 
Superintendent  of  Public  Instruction  had  been 
created  by  act  of  the  Legislature  in  Februarj-, 
1854,  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  official  for  its  administration.  Since  then 
there  have  been  many  amendments  of  the  school 
law,  but  these  have  been  generally  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 
privileges  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,  while  the  number- 
less decisions,  emanating  from  the  office  of  the 
State  Superintendent  in  construction  of  these 
laws,  made  up  a  volume  of  still  larger  proportions. 

The  following  comparative  table  of  school 
statistics,  for  1860  and  1896,  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 : 
iseo.  1896. 

Population 1,711,951    (eat.)  4,250,000 

No.  of  Persona  of  School  Age  i  be- 
tween 6  and  21 ) •.549.604  1,384,367 

No.  of  Pupils  enrolled 'i71:Zi7  898.619 

School  Districts 8,956  11,615 

"       Public  Schools 9,162  X2,i>23 

"       aradea       "       294  1,887 

"       Public  High  Schools    27J 

■*       School  Houses  built  during 

theyear 557  267 

Whole  No.  of  School  Houses 8,221  12,632 

No.  of  Male  Teachers 8,223  7,057 

Female  Teachers 6,485  18,359 

Whole  No.  of  Teachers  in  Public 

Schools 14,708  25,416 

Highest  Monthly  Wages  paid  Male 

Teachers S180.00  S300.00 

Highest     Monthly      Wages      paid 

Fetnale  Teachers 75.00  280.00 

Lowest  Monthly  Wages  paid  Male 

Teachers 8,00  14.00 

Lowest      Monthly     Wages      paid 

Female  Teachers 4.00  10.00 

Average  Monthly  Wages  paid  Male 

Teach.TS ....... 2,S.82  67.76 


.lOO  2,619 

$73,450.38  865,583.63 

322,852.00  889.614.20 


children  were  inclu 


HISTOKICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


151 


; received  from  state  Tax.,    f  690,000.00      ?  1,000,000.00 
Special  Dis- 
trict Taxes 1.265.137.00  13,133,309.61 

liigtheyear 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.-13 

"      Female    "          7.186,105.67 

"Wholeamount  paid  Teachers  ....  1.542,211.00  9,95s,934.99 
Amount    paid     for     new     School 

Houses 348,728.00           1,873,757.25 

Amount  paid  for  repairs  and  im- 

Amount  paid  for  School  Furniture.  24.837.00            'l54'.S36.64 
"           •'        "        "        Apparatus  8,563.00              164,298.92 
"       "    Books    for    Dis- 
trict Libraries 30.124  00                13,664.97 

Total  Expenditures 2.259.8ii3,00          14,614,627.31 

Estimated  valueof  School  Property  1.3,304,892.00         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  bj'  the 
State,  increase  the  total  expenditures  by  some 
§600,000  pev  annum.  These  higher  institutions 
include  the  Illinois  State  Normal  University  at 
Normal,  the  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  classes  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  four 
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  the  Sol- 
diers" Orphans'  Home  at  Normal.  The  estimated 
value  of  the  property  connected  with  these 
several  institutions,  in  addition  to  the  value  of 
school  property  given  in  the  preceding  table,  will 
increase  the  total  (exclusive  of  permanent  funds) 
to  847,1.55,374.95,  of  which  §4,375.107.95  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  county.  The  subordi- 
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  duty  to  advise  and  assist 
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,  biennially.  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  by 
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  LTnited  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  special  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  persons,  of  whom  the  Chairman 
of  the  County  Board  and  the  County  Superin- 
tendent of  Schools  shall  be  ex-officio  members. 


153 


HISTORICAL    ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


Boards  of  Education  and  Directors  may  establisli 
kindergartens  (when  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  that  each  child, 
between  the  ages  of  seven  and  fourteen  years, 
shall  be  sent  to  school  at  least  sixteen  weeks  of 
each  j-ear,  imless  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  office  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  Superintendents  of 
Public  Instruction. ) 

EDWARDS,  Arthur,  D.D.,  clergyman,  soldier 
and  editor,  was  born  at  Norwalk,  Ohio,  Nov.  23, 
1834;  educated  at  Albion,  Mich.,  and  the  "Wes- 
leyan  University  of  Ohio,  graduating  from  the 
latter  in  1858 ;  entered  the  Detroit  Conference  of 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  the  same  year, 
was  ordained  in  1860  and,  from  1861  until  after 
the  battle  of  Gettysburg,  served  as  Chaplain  of 
the  First  Michigan  Cavalry,  when  he  resigned  to 
accept  the  colonelcy  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  thereafter  to  the  present  time.  He 
has  also  been  a  member  of  each  General  Confer- 
ence since  1872,  was  a  member^of  tlie  Ecumenical 
Conference  at  London  in  1881,  and  has  held  other 
positions  of  prominence  witliin  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,  III,  in  1815,  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  the  lower  house 
of  the  Legislature  as  a  Whig,  and  again,  in  1840 
and  '60,  the  last  time  as  a  Republican ;  was  State 


Senator  from  183.5  to  "39,  and  was  also  the  Whig 
candidate  for  Governor,  in  1838,  in  opposition  to 
Thomas  Carlin  (Democrat),  who  was  elected.  He 
served  in  the  Black  Hawk  War,  was  a  member  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 
Shurtleflf  College,  to  which  he  was  a  most 
munificent  benefactor,  and  which  conferred  on 
him  the  degree  of  LL.D.  in  1852.  Died  at  Upper 
Alton,  September,  1877. 

EDWARDS,  Ninian,  Territorial  Governor  and 
United  States  Senator,  was  born  in  Montgomery 
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  Chief  Justice  of  the  Court  of 
Appeals.  In  1809  President  Madison  appointed 
him  the  first  Territorial  Governor  of  Illinois. 
This  office  he  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  was  elected 
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  charged  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,  comprising  his  cor- 
respondence with  man}'  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,  the  late  Ninian  Wirt  Edwards,  and 
the  other  "The  Edwards  Papers,"  edited  by  the 
late  Elihu  B.  Washburne,  and  printed  under  the 
auspices  of  the  Chicago  Historical  Society. — 
Ninian  Wirt  (Edwards),  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  Transylvania  University,  graduating 
in  1838.  He  married  Elizabeth  P.  Todd,  a  sister 
of  Mrs.  Abraham  Lincoln,  was  appointed  Attor- 
ney-General in  1834,  but  resigned  in  1835,  when 
he  removed  to  Springfield.  In  1836  he  was 
elected    to    the     Legislature     from    Sangamon 


HISTORICAL   EXCYCLOPEDIA    OF    ILLINOIS. 


153 


County,  as  the  colleague  of  Abraham  Lincolii, 
being  one  of  the  celebrated  "Long  Nine,"  anil 
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  18U, 
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  the  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.  3,  1889. — Benjamin  Stevenson 
(Ed%vards),  lawyer  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  1862,  and,  in  18G8,  was 
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,  Richard,  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  School,  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  this 
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  1863,  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  his  deepest  impress  upon 
the  educational  system  of  the  State  by  personal 
contact  with  its  teachers.  The  next  nine  years 
were  spent  as  pastor  of  the  First  Congregational 
church  at  Princeton,  when,  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  oflSce  of  State  Superintendent 
of  Public  Instruction,  serving  until  1891,  when, 
having  failed  of.  a  re-election,  he  soon  after 
assumed  the  Presidency  of  Blackburn  University 
at  Carlinville.  Failing  health,  however,  com- 
pelled his  retirement  a  year  later,  when  he 
removed  to  Bloomington,  which  is  now  (1898) 
his  place  of  residence. 

EDWARDS  COrXTT,  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 
the  Territorial  period.  Its  territory  was  dimin- 
ished in  1824  by  the  carving  out  of  Wabash 
Covmty  The  surface  is  diversified  by  prairie 
and  timber,  the  soil  fertile  and  well  adapted  to 
the  raising  of  both  wheat  and  corn.  The  princi- 
pal streams,  besides  the  Ohio,  are  Bonpas  Creek, 
on  the  east,  and  the  Little  Wabash  River  on  the 
we.st.  Palmyra  (a  place  no  longer  on  the  map) 
was  the  seat  for  holding  the  first  county  court, 
in  1815,  John  Mcintosh,  Seth  Gard  and  AVilliam 
Barney  being  the  Judges.  Albion,  the  present 
county-seat  (population,  937),  was  laid  out  by 
Slorris  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  220  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  was  named  in  honor  of  Ninian  Edwards, 
the  Territorial  Governor  of  Illinois. 

EDWARDSVILLE,  the  county-seat  of  Madison 
County,  settled  in  1812  and  named  in  honor  of 
Territorial  Governor  Ninian  Edwards;  is  on  four 
lines  of  railway  and  contiguous  to  two  others,  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 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF    ILLINOIS. 


wards.  Coles,  and  others.  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  three  newspapers, 
one  issued  semi-weekly.  Population  (1890),  3,561 ; 
(1900),  4,1.57;  with  suburb  (estimated),  5,000. 

EFFINGHAM,  an  incorporated  city,  the  county- 
seat  of  Effingham  County,  9  miles  northeast  from 
St.  Louis  and  199  southwest  of  Chicago ;  has  four 
papers,  creamery,  milk  condensory,  and  ice  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,  63  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  lines  of  rail- 
way cross  the  county.  Agriculture  and  sheep- 
raising  are  leading  industries,  wool  being  one  of 
the  principal  products. 

EGAN,  William  Bradshaw,  M.D.,  pioneer  phy- 
siean,  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 
1833  he  removed  to  Chicago  and  was  early  recog- 
nized as  a  prominent  'physician ;  on  July  4,  1836, 
delivered  the  address  at  the  breaking  of  gi'ound 
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,  held  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 
Cliicago  &  Northwestern  Railway,  8  miles  west 
of  Geneva.  It  has  banks  and  a  weekly  ne%vs- 
paper.     Population  (1890),  584;  (1900),  606. 

ELDORADO,  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),  1,445. 

ELDRID(;E,  Hamilton  If.,  lawyer  and  soldier, 
was  born  at  Soutli  Williamstown,  Mass.,  August, 
1837;  graduated  at  Williams  College  in  tlie  class 
with  President  Garfield,  in  1856,  and  at  Albany 
Law  School,  in  1857;  soon  afterward  came  to 
Chicago  and  began  practice ;  in  1863  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  and  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.  Subsequently  he  recovered  suffi- 
cientlj'  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  under 
State  laws. 

I.  To  the  first  class  belong:  (1)  the  election  of 
United  States  Senators;  (3)  Presidential  Elect- 
ors, and  (3  )  Representatives  in  Congress.  1. 
(United  States  Senators).  The  election  of 
United  States  Senators,  while  an  act  of  the  State 
Legislature,  is  conducted  solelj^  under  forms  pre- 
scribed 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  to 
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  eitlier  House  has  failed  to  take  proceedings  as 
required  on  the  preceding  day,  then  the  members 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


155 


of  the  two  Houses,  in  joint  assembly,  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  occm-s  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.  (Presidenti.^l 
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.  The  number 
of  Electors  chosen  equals  the  number  of  Senators 
and  Representatives  taken  together  (in  1899  it 
was  twenty-four),  and  tliey  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  oast  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  Elector,s — 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  tlie  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; (3)  Executive;  (3)  Judicial  —  which  are 
chosen  at  different  times  and  for  different  periods. 
1.  (Legisl.^ture).  Legislative  officers  consist  of 
Senators  and  Representatives,  chosen  at  elections 
lield  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  j'ears;  twenty-five 
(those  in  Districts  bearing  even  numbers)  being 
chosen  on  the  years  in  which  a  President  and 
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  oflSce  two  years.  The  qualifications  as 
to  eligibility  for  a  seat  in  the  State  Senate  require 
that  the  incumbent  shall  be  25  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  tlie  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 
officers  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  these,  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  Public  Instruction,  respectively.  (See  Execu- 
tive Officers.)  In  addition  to  the  State  officers 
already  named,  three  Trustees  of  the  Universitv 
of  Illinois  are  elected  biennially  at  the  general 
election  in  November,  each  holding  office  for 
six  years.  These  trustees  (nine  in  number), 
with  the  Governor,  President  of  the  State  Board 
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  such 
other  subordinate  officials  as  may  be  connected 
with   the    administration    of    justice.     For    the 


156 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


election  of  members  of  the  Supreme  Court  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,  Third,  Sixth  and 
Seventh — occur  on  the  first  Jlonday  in  June  every 
ninth  year  from  1879,  the  last  election  having 
occun-ed  in  June,  1897.  The  elections  in  the 
other  t  -vo  Districts  occur  at  similar  periods  of  nine 
years  from  1876  and  1873,  respectively — the  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  Monday  in 
Jmie  every  six  years,  counting  from  1873.  Judges 
of  the  Superior  Court  of  Cook  County  are  elected 
every  six  years  at  the  November  election. — Clerks 
of  the  Supreme  and  Appellate  Courts  are  elected 
at  the  November  election  for  six  years,  the  last 
election  having  occurred  in  1896.  Under  the  act 
of  April  3,  1897,  consolidating  the  Supreme 
Court  into  one  Grand  Division,  the  number  of 
Supreme  Court  Clerks  is  reduced  to  one,  although 
the  Clerks  elected  in  1896  remain  in  office  and  have 
cliarge  of  the  records  of  their  several  Divisions 
until  the  expiration  of  their  terms  in  1902.  The 
Supreme  Court  holds  five  terms  annually  at  Spring- 
field, liegiuning,  respectively,  on  the  first  Tuesday 
of  October,  December,  February,  April  and  June. 

(Other  Officers),  (a)  Members  of  the  State 
Board  of  Equalization  (one  for  every  Congres- 
sional District)  are  elective  every  four  years  at 
the  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  60,000  or  over), 
Coroner  and  County  Surveyor.  (2)  On  inter- 
mediate years— Sheriff,  County  Judge,  Probate 
Judge  (in  counties  having  a  population  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  188.5,  the  hour  of 
opening  the  polls  is  6  a.  m. ,  and  of  closing  4  p.  m. 
(See  also  Ajiatralian  Ballof.) 

ELECTORS,  QIALIFICATIOXS  OF.  (See 
Suffrage.) 


EL(iI\,  an  important  city  of  Northern  Illinois, 
in  Kane  County,  on  Fox  River  and  tlie  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, including  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  works.  The  quotations  of 
its  Butter  and  Cheese  Exchange  are  telegraphed 
to  all  the  great  commercial  centers  and  regulate 
the  prices  of  tliese  commodities  throughout  the 
country.  Elgin  is  the  seat  of  the  Northern  (Illi- 
nois) Hospital  for  the  Insane,  and  has  a  handsome 
Government  (postoffice)  building,  fine  public 
library  and  many  handsome  residences.  It  has 
had  a  rapid  growth  in  the  past  twenty  years. 
Population  (ISilii),  17.823;  (1900),  22,433. 

EL(a>.  JOLIET  \  EASTERN  RAILWAY.  The 
main  line  of  this  mad  e.xtends  west  from  Dyer  on 
the  Indiana  State  line  to  Joliet,  thence  northea.st 
to  Waukegan.  The  total  length  of  the  line  (1898) 
is  193.72  miles,  of  which  159.93  miles  are  in  Illi- 
nois. The  entire  capital  of  the  company,  includ- 
ing stock  and  indebtedness,  amounted  (1898),  to 
§13,799,630— more  than  §71,000  per  mile.  Its  total 
earnings  in  Illinois  for  the  same  year  were  61,212,- 
026,  and  its  entire  expenditure  in  the  State, 
SI,  156, 146.  The  company  paid  in  taxes,  the  same 
year,  §48,876.  Branch  lines  extend  southerly 
from  Walker  Junction  to  Coster,  where  connec- 
tion is  made  with  the  Cleveland,  Cincinnati, 
Chicago  &  St.  Louis  Railroad,  and  northwesterly 
from  Normantown,  on  the  main  line,  to  Aurora. 
—(History).  The  Elgin,  Joliet  &  Eastern  Rail- 
way was  chartered  in  1887  and  absorbed  the 
Joliet,  Aurora  &  Northern  Railway,  from  Joliet  to 
Aurora  (21  miles),  which  had  been  commenced  in 
1886  and  was  completed  in  1888,  with  extensions 
from  Joliet  to  Spaulding,  111. ,  and  from  Joliet  to 
McCool,  Ind.  In  January,  1891,  the  Company 
purchased  all  the  properties  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  opened 
in  1890.  The  system  forms  a  belt  line  around 
Chicago,  intersecting  all  railroads  entering  that 
city  from  every  direction.  Its  traffic  is  chiefly 
in  the  transportation  of  freight. 

ELIZABETHTOWN,  the  county-seat  of  Hardin 
County.  It  stands  on  the  north  bank  of  the  Ohio 
River,  44  miles  above  Paducah,  Ky.,  and  about 


HISTORICAL   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),  653;  (1900),  668. 

ELKH.4.RT,  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. 

ELKIX,  William  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  Sixth,  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  1873.     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 
(1849-53)  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  toRockford,  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  killeil 
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  IlUnois  as  a  home  missionary  of  the 
Presbyterian  Church  at  an  early  day,  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,  which  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,  Ephraim  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  1860  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. 
Bro«-nell,  one  of  Ellsworth's  men.  He  was  the 
first  Union  soldier  killed  in  the  war.  Died,  May 
24,  1861. 

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 interurbau  line,  two  papers,  stone  quarry, 
electric  light,  water  and  sewerage  systems,  high 
school,  and  churches.     Pop.  (1900),  1,728. 

ELMnOOD,  a  town  of  Peoria  County,  on  the 
Galesburg  and  Peoria  and  Buda  and  Rushville 
branches  of  the  Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quinoy 
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  P.4.S0,  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  district;  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. 
EMB.iRRAS  RIVER,  rises  in  Champaign 
County  and  rims  southward  through  the  counties 
of  Douglas,  Coles  and  Cumberland,  to  Newton,  in 
Jasper  County,  where  it  turns  to  the  southeast, 
passing  through  Lawrence  County,  and  entering 
the  Wabash  River  about  seven  miles  below  Vin- 
cennes.     It  is  nearly  1.50  miles  long. 

ESOIERSOX,  Charles,  jmist,  was  born  at  North 
Haverhill,  Grafton  County,  N.  H.,  April  15,  1811; 
came  to  Illinois  in  1833,  first  settling  at  Jackson- 
ville, where  he  spent  one  term  in  Illinois  College, 
then  studied  law  ct  Springfield,  and,  having  been 
admitted  to  the  bar,  began  practice  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 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


the  Legislature,  and,  in  isr.s.  to  the  Circuit  bench, 
serving  on  the  latter  by  re-election  till  1^67.  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. 

EXFIELD,  a  town  of  White  County,  at  the 
intersection  of  the  Louisville  .t  Nashville  with 
the  Baltimore  &  Ohio  Southwestern  Railway,  10 
miles  west  of  Carmi;  is  the  seat  of  Southern  Illi- 
nois College.  The  town  also  has  a  bank  and  one 
newspaper.  Population  (1880),  717;  (1890),  870; 
(1900),  971;  (1903,  est.),  1,000. 

EXGLISH,  Joseph  G.,  banker,  was  born  at 
Rising  Sun,  Ind.,  Dec.  17,  1820;  lived  for  a  time 
at  Perrysville  and  La  Fayette  in  that  State,  finally 
engaging  in  merchandising  in  the  former;  in 
18o3  removed  to  Danville,  111.,  where  he  formed 
a  partnership  with  John  L.  Tincher  in  mercantile 
business ;  later  conducted  a  private  banking  btisi- 
ness  and,  in  1863,  established  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. 
English,  having  practically  retired  from  busi- 
ness, is  spending  most  of  his  time  in  the  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  Covmty,  in  September,  181.5, 
removed  West,  stopping*  first  at  Cincinnati.  A 
year  later  he  descended  the  Ohio  by  flat-boat  to 
Shawneetown,  111.,  crossed  the  State  by  land, 
finally  locating  at  St.  Charles,  Mo.,  and  later  at 
St.  Louis.  Then,  having  purchased  a  tract  of  land 
in  Madison  County,  111.,  he  remained  there  about 
two  years,  when,  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  pm-chasers  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 
laj'ing  out  the  town,  to  which  they  fir.st  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  elected  Representative  in. 
the  General  Assembly  from  Sangamon  County  in 
1852,  and  served  by  appointment  of  Justice 
McLean  of  the  Supreme  Court  as  Clerk  of  the 
United  States  Circuit  Court,  being  reappointed 
by  Judge  David  Davis,  d^-ing  in  office,  Feb.  17, 
1867. — Zimri  A.  (Enos),  another  son,  was  born 
Sept.  29,  1821,  is  a  citizen  of  Springfield  —  has 
served  as  County  Surveyor  and  Alderman  of  the 
citj-. — 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). 

EPLER,  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  blaster  in  Chancery  for  Morgan  County, 
1867-73.  In  1873  he  was  elected  Circuit  Judge 
for  the  Seventh  Circuit  and  was  re-elected 
successively  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. 

EqUALlTY,  a  village  of  Gallatin  County,  on 
the  Shawneetown  Division  of  the  Louisville  & 
Nashville  Railroad,  11  miles  west-northwest  of 
Shawneetown.  It  was  for  a  time,  in  earl}-  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 
paper  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  Railroad,  30  miles  north- 
east of  Rock  Island.  Population  (1880).  537; 
(1890),  535;  (1900),  768. 

EUREKA,  the  county -seat  of  Woodford  County, 
incorporated  in  1856,  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  courthouse  and 
a  jail,  two  weekly  and  one  monthly  paper. 
Eureka  became  the  county-seat  of  Woodford 
County  in  1896,  the  change  from  Metamora  being 


HISTORICAL    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  LS.j."),  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  tlieological  school,  the  latter  being  designed 
to  tit  yoimg  men  for  the  ministry  of  the  denomi- 
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  $144,000,  which  includes  an  endow- 
ment of  845,000  and  real  estate  valued  at  §85,000. 
EUSTACE,  John  V.,  lawyer  and  judge,  was 
born  in  Philadelphia,  Sept.  9.  1821 ;  gi-aduated 
from  the  University  of  Pennsylvania  in  1839,  and, 
in  1843,  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,  three  years  before  the  expiration  of 
his  term. 

EVANGELICAL  SEMIXAET,  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  teachers.  The 
number  of  pupils  during  the  school  year  (1895-96) 
was  133 — all  young  men.  It  has  property  valued 
at  859,305. 

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  finallj-  became  fore- 
man of  the  Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy  ma- 
chine shops  at  that  place.  In  1862  young  Evans 
enlisted  in  the  One  Hundred  and  Twenty-fourth 
Illinois  Volunteers,  serving  until  the  close  of  the 


war.  Since  the  war  he  has  become  most  widely 
known  as  a  member  of  the  General  Assembly,  hav- 
ing been  elected  first  to  the  House,  in  187G,  and 
subsequently  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  business 
enterprises  at  Aurora,  including  the  Aurora  Gas- 
and  Street  Railway  Companies ;  also  served  vyitli 
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  tlie  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church  in  1854,  and,  in  1873,  accepted 
the  presidency  of  Hedding  College  at  Abingdon, 
which  he  filled  for  six  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,  Oliio,  of  Quaker  ances- 
try, Jlarch  9,  1814:  graduated  in  medicine  at 
Cincinnati  and  began  practice  at  Ottawa,  111., 
but  soon  returned  to  Oliio,  finally  locating  at 
Attica,  Ind.  Here  he  became  prominent  in  the 
establishment  of  the  first  insane  hospital  in  In- 
diana, at  Indianapolis,  about  1841-43,  becoming  a 
resident  of  that  city  in  1845.  Three  years  later, 
having  accepted  a  cbair  in  Rush  Medical  College, 
in  Chicago,  he  I'emoved  thither,  also  serving  for 
a  time  as  editor  of  "The  Xorthwestern  Medical 
and  Sm-gical  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  1863,  he  received  the  appointment 
of  Governor  of  the  Territory  of  Colorado,  con- 
tinuing in  office  imtil  displaced  by  Andrew  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 


160 


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. 
EVAXSTON,  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,  1869,  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  voters  of  the  corporate  town 
adopted  village  organizations  under  the  General 
Village  and  City  Incorporation  Act  of  the  same 
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,  1893,  the  ques- 
tion of  the  annexation  of  South  Evanston  was 
submitted  to  the  voters  of  both  corporations  and 
adopted.     On    March    29,    1893,  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  the  census  of  1890,  was 
13,073,  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    19,259.     Evanston   is 
one  of   the  most  attftictive  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 
within    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. 


EWIXG,  William  Lee  Davidson,  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  that,  iu  1823,  he  lost  a 
deposit  of  81,000  by  the  robbery  of  the  bank  there. 
He  was  also  Brigadier-General  of  the  State  militia 
at  an  early  day.  Colonel  of  the  "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  hy  him  included  Clerk  of  the  House  of 
Representatives  two  sessions  (1826-37  and  1828-29) ; 
Representative  from  the  counties  composing  the 
Vandalia  District  in  the  Seventh  General  Assem- 
bly (1830-31),  when  he  also  became  Speaker  of  the 
House;  Senator  from  the  same  District  in  the 
Eighth  and  Ninth  General  Assemblies,  of  which 
he  was  chosen  President  pro  tempore.  While 
serving  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  Congress,  in  March,  1833,  and,  in  Novem- 
ber, 1834,  assumed  the  Governorshiji  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  Representatives  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  session  (December,  1843)  in 
his  old  place  as  Clerk  of  the  House,  but,  before 
the  close  of  the  session  (in  March,  1843),  appointed 
Auditor  of  Public  Accounts  as  successor  to  James 
Shields,  who  had  resigned.  While  occupying  the 
office  of  Auditor,  Mr.  Ewing  died,  March  35,  1846. 
His  public  career  was  as  unique  as  it  was  remark- 
able, in  the  number  and  character  of  the  official 
positions  held  by  him  within  a  period  of  twenty- 
five  j'ears. 

EXECUTIVE  OFFICERS.  (See  State  officers 
under  heads  of  '^Governor,"  " Lieutenant -Oov- 
ernor,"  etc.) 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF    ILLINOIS. 


161 


EYE  AND  EAR  INFIRMARY,  ILLINOIS 
CHARITABLE.  This  institution  is  an  outgrowth 
of  a  private  charity  founded  at  Chicago,  in  1858, 
by  Dr.  Edward  L.  Holmes,  a  distinguished  Chi- 
cago oculist.  In  1871  the  property  of  the  institu- 
tion was  transferred  to  and  accepted  by  the  State, 
the  title  was  changed  by  the  substitution  of  the 
word  "Illinois"  for  "Chicago,"  and  the  Infii-mary 
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  corner  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  Pod- 
tiac,  in  a  fertile  and  thickly-settled  region.  Coal, 
sandstone,  limestone,  fire-clay  and  a  micaceous 
quartz  are  found  in  the  neighborhood.  The 
town  has  banks,  grain  elevators,  flpuring  mills 
and  two  weekly  newspapers.  Population  (1880), 
2,140;  (1890),  2,324;  (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. 

FAIRMOUNT,  a  village  of  Vermilion  County, 
on  the  Wabash  Railway,  13  miles  west-south%vest 
from  Danville;  industrial  interests  chiefly  agri- 
cultural; has  brick  and  tile  factory,  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, 
183.5 ;  removed  with  his  parents  to  Wisconsin  in 
1848,  and  graduated  from  the  State  University 
there  in  18.59,  during  a  part  of  liis  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  Volunteers,  but  later  assisted 
in  organizing  the  Fortieth  Wisconsin,  of  which 
he  became  Colonel,  in  lS6.j  being  brevetted  Briga- 
dier-General. On  his  return  to  civil  life  he 
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  1873  united  with  the 
Reformed  Episcopal  Church,  soon  after  became 
Rector  of  St.  Paul's  Church  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. 

FARINA,  a  town  of  Fayette  County,  on  the 
Chicago  Division  of  the  Illinois  Central  Railroad, 
29  miles  northeast  of  Centralia.  Agriculture  and 
fruit-growing  constitute  the  chief  business  of  the 
section;  the  town  has  one  newspaper.  Popula- 
tion (1890),  618;  (1900),  693;  (1003,  est.),  800. 

FARMER  CITY,  a  city  of  De  Witt  County,  25 
miles  southeast  of  Bloomington,  at  the  jvmction 
of  the  Springiield  division  of  the  Illinois  Central 
and  the  Peoria  division  of  the  Cleveland,  Cincin- 
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,  189.5,  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  constituted  as  follows : 
The  Superintendent  of    Public  Instruction,   the 


1G2 


IIISTOEICAL    ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF    ILLINOIS. 


Professor  of  Agriculture  in  tlie  University  of  Illi- 
nois, and  the  Presidents  of  the  State  Board  of 
Agriculture,  Dairymen's  Association  and  Horti- 
cultural Societ}',  ex-officio,  with  one  member  from 
each  Congressional  Diistrict,  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  livestock.  The  town  has  two  banks 
and  two  newspapers,  five  clrarches  and  a  graded 
school.   Population  (1800),  1,3T!5-  (1903,  est.),  2,103. 

FARNSWORTH,  Elon  John,  soldier,  was  born 
at  Green  Oak,  Livingston  County,  Mich.,  in  1837. 
After  completing  a  course  in  the  public  schools, 
he  entered  the  University  of  Michigan,  but  left 
college  at  the  end  of  his  freshman  year  (1858)  to 
serve  in  the  Quartermaster's  department  of  the 
army  in  the  Utah  expedition.  At  the  expiration 
of  his  term  of  service  he  became  a  buffalo  hunter 
and  a  carrier  of  maijs  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  Fariisworth,  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, 
while  gallantly  leading  a  charge  at  Gettysburg. 

FARNSWORTH,  John  Franklin,  soldier  and 
former  Congressman,  was  born  at  Eaton,  Canada 
East,  March  27,  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.  Charles.  He  was  elected 
to  Congress  in  1856,  and  re-elected  in  1858.     In 


.September  of  1861,  he  was  commissioned  Colonel 
of  the  Eighth  Illinois  Cavalry  Volunteers,  and 
was  brevetted  Brigadier-General  in  November, 
1862,  but  I'esigned,  March  4,  1863,  to  take  his  seat 
in  Congress  to  which  he  had  been  elected  the 
November  previous,  by  successive  re-elections 
serving  from  1863  to  1873.  The  latter  years  of 
his  life  were  spent  in  Washington,  where  he  died, 
July  14,  1897. 

FARWELL,  Charles  Benjamin,  merchant  and 
United  States  Senator,  was  born  at  Painted  Post, 
N.  Y.,  July  1,  1823;  removed  to  Illinois  in  1838, 
and,  for  six  years,  was  employed  in  surveying 
and  farming.  In  1844  he  engaged  in  the  real 
estate  business  and  in  banking,  at  Chicago.  He 
was  elected  County  Clerk  in  1858,  and  re-elected 
in  1857.  Later  he  entered  into  commerce,  becom- 
ing a  partner  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  1868 ;  and  National  Bank  Examiner  in 
1869.  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  tlie  House  at  Washington. 
Again,  in  1880,  he  was  returned  to  Congi'ess, 
making  three  full  terms  in  that  body.  He  also 
served  for  several  years  as  Chairman  of  the 
Republican  State  Central  Committee.  After  the 
death  of  Gen.  John  A.  Logan  he  was  (1887) 
elected  United  States  Senator,  his  term  expiring 
March  3,  1891.  Mr.  Farwell  has  since  devoted 
his  attention  to  the  immense  mercantile  busi- 
ness of  J.  V.  Farwell  &  Co. 

FARWELL,  John  Villiers,  merchant,  was  born 
at  Campbelltown,  Steuben  County,  N.  Y.,  July 
29,  1825,  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.  Letter 
became  associated  with  the  concern  and  received 
their  mercantile  training  under  the  supervision 
of  Mr.   Farwell.     In  1865  the  title  of    the  firm 


HISTORICAL   EXCYCLOPEDIA    OF    ILLINOIS. 


163 


became  J.  V.  Farwell  &  Co.,  but,  in  1891,  the  fam 
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  Lincobi's 
second  election  in  1864 ;  also  served  by  appoint- 
ment of  President  Grant,  in  1809,  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  MorrisviUe,  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 
Coimty,  and,  in  1873,  re-elected  for  a  term  of  six 
years.  During  this  period  he  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  COUXTY,  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 
emigi-ants,  crossed  the  county  at  an  early  date. 
Perryville  was  the  first  county-seat,  but  this  town 


is  now  extinct.  Vandalia,  the  present  seat  of 
county  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.  Ehno. 

FEEBLE-MIiVDED  CHILDREN,  ASYLUM 
FOR.  This  institution,  originally  estabhshed  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  piu-- 
poses,  the  rental  going  to  the  benefit  of  the  insti- 
tution. The  remainder  is  used  for  the  pm-poses 
of  the  institution  as  farm  land,  gardens  or  pas- 
ture, about  ninpty  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.,  Archbi.shop  of 
the  Roman  Catholic  archdiocese  of  Chicago,  and 
Metropolitan  of  Illinois,  was  born  at  Tipperary, 
Ireland,  in  1829,  and  educated  at  Maynooth 
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  opera- 
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 


niSTOIJK'AL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


van,  III,  in  1.S32,  and  the  next  year  located  at 
Bloomington,  being  the  first  lawj'er  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  addressed  his  celebrated 
personal  biography ;  in  the  campaign  of  1800  he 
served  as  Secretary  of  the  Republican  State  Cen- 
tral Committee,  and,  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. 

FERtiUS,  Robert,  early  printer,  was  born  in 
Glasgow,  Scotland,  August  4,  1815;  learned  the 
printer's  trade  in  his  native  city,  assisting  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  years — 
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  was  so  long  the  head  is  continued  by 
his  sons. 

FERNWOOD,  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  1859,  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  served  as 
direct-tax  Commissioner  for  Tennes.see;  in  1869 
was  appointed  Surveyor-General  of  Washington 


Territory  and,  in  1872  and  '76,  Territorial  Gov- 
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  RIVER,  a  small  stream  which  rises  in 
Southern  Wisconsin  and  enters  the  Mississippi  in 
Jo  Daviess  County,  six  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  1884  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;  was  Presidential  Elector 
in  1856,  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 
1862.     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  County,  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,  wliich 
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  Secretary 
of  State  by  Governor  Edwards,  remaining  in 
office  under  Governors  Reynolds  and  Dun- 
can and  through  half  the  term  of  Governor 
Carlin,  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  Lj'man  Trumbull  was  appointed  to 
succeed  him.  Field  (who  had  become  a  Whig) 
was  appointed  by  President  Harrison,  in  1841, 
Secretary  of  Wisconsin  Territory,  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  Tliirty-eighth  Congress  for  Louisiana,  but 
was  refused  his  seat,  though  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,  Engrene,  journalist,  humorist  and  poet, 
was  born  in  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  Sept.  3,  18.50.  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  his  course  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  with  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  Chicago, 
becoming  a  special  writer  for  "The  Chicago 
News,"  his  particular  department  for  several 
years  being  a  pungent,  witty  column  with  tlie 
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,  he  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  183.5,  and  grew  up  on 
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,  the  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  growth  of 
the  business  of  this  great  establishment  is  shown 
by  the  fact  that,  whereas  its  sales  amounted 
before  the  fire  to  some  812,000,000  annually,  in 
1895  they  aggregated  §40.000,000.  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  $300,000  and 
§100,000  in  cash,  to  the  Chicago  University,  and 
§1,000,000  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,  Joseph  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  manufactm-e  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  tlie  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  tlie  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  tlie  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 
ofiice,  through  re-election,  until  1880,  when  he 
was  chosen  State  Senator,  serving  in  the  Tliirty- 
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, 
tliough  running  in  advance  of  the  national  and 
the  rest  of  the  State  ticket. 

FINERTY,  John  F.,  ex-Congressman  and 
journalist,  was  born  in  Galway,  Ireland,  Sept. 
10,    1846.     His  studies  were    mainly   prosecuted 


106 


HISTORICAL   EXCYCLOPEDIA    OF    ILLINOIS. 


under  private  tutors.  At  the  age  of  16  he  entered 
the  iirofession  of  journalism,  and,  in  1864,  coming 
to  America,  soon  after  enlisted,  serving  for  100 
days  during  the  Civil  War,  in  the  Ninety-ninth 
New  York  Volunteers.  Subsequently,  having 
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  weekly  newspaper  devoted  to  the  Irish- 
American  interest,  which  he  continues  to  pub- 
lish. In  1882  he  was  elected,  as  an  Independ- 
ent Democrat,  to  represent  the  Second  Illinois 
District  in  the  Fortyeiglith  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.)  George,  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,  then 
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  1805,  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  iji  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-eyed  pike,  three  kinds  of  bass, 
three  varieties  of  sucker,  carp  and  sturgeon.  Tlie 
"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  836,105  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   are    employed    in   tlie    industry. 


sailing  from  ports  between  Chicago  and  Macki- 
nac, of  which,  in  1890,  Illinois  furnished  94,  or 
about  nine  per  cent.  All  sorts  of  apparatus  are 
used,  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  824,000  and  825,000 
Of  tliis  draught,  the  entire  quantity  was  either 
sold  fresh  in  Chicago  and  adjacent  markets,  or 
shipped,  either  in  ice  or  frozen.  The  Mississippi 
and  its  tributaries  yield  walleyed  pike,  pike 
perch,  buffalo  fish,  sturgeon,  paddle  fish,  and 
other  species  available  for  food. 

FITHIAX,  (Jeorgre  W.,  ex-Congressman,  was 
born  on  a  farm  near  Willow  Hill,  111.,  July  4,  1854. 
His  early  education  was  obtained  in  the  common 
schools,  and  he  learned  the  trade  of  a  printer  at 
Mount  Carmel.  Wliile  employed  at  the  case  he 
foimd  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  m 
1880.  He  was  prominent  in  Democratic  politics, 
and,  in  1888,  was  elected  on  the  ticket  of  that 
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,  Ohio,  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  Mechanics- 
burgh,  and  four  years  at  Urbana,  as  partner  of 
his  preceptor;  in  1830  came  west,  locating  at 
Danville,  Vermilion  County,  where  lie  became  a 
large  land-owner;  in  1832  served  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.  Fithia'n  was 
active  in  promoting  the  railroad  interests  of 
Danville,  giving  the  right  of  way .  for  railroad 
purposes  through  a  large  body  of  land  belonging 
to  him,  in  Vermilion  County.  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. 

FLAGO,  Gershom,  pioneer,  was  born  in  Rich- 
mond, Vt.,  in  1792,  came  west  in  1816,  settling  in 
Madison  County,  111.,  in  1818,  where  lie  was 
known  as  an  enterprising  farmer  and  a  prominent 


IIISTOEICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLIXOIS. 


167 


•and  influential  citizen.  Originally  a  Whig,  he 
became  a  zealous  Republican  on  the  organization 
of  that  party,  dying  in  18.57.— TVillard  Cutting 
(Flagg),  son  of  the  preceding,  was  born  in  Madi- 
son County,  111.,  Sept  16,  1S29,  spent  his  early  life 
on  his  father's  farm  and  in  the  common  schools; 
from  1844  to  '50  was  a  pupil  in  the  celebrated 
high  school  of  Edward  Wyman  in  St.  Louis, 
finally  graduating  with  honors  at  Yale  College, 
in  1854.  During  his  college  course  he  took  a 
number  of  literary  prizes,  and,  in  his  senior  year, 
served  as  one  of  the  editors  of  "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  1863,  by  appointment  of  Gov. 
Yates,  became  Enrolling  Officer  for  jMadison 
■Coimty;  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  the  last  session  of  liis  term 
(1872),  took  a  prominent  part  in  the  revision  of 
the  scliool  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  the  State 
Horticultural  Society  from  1861  to  '09,  when  he 
became  its  President.  He  was  one  of  tlie  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,  Madison 
County.  111.,  April  5,  1878. 

FLEMIXtx,  Robert  K.,  pioneer  printer,  was 
born  in  Erie  County,  Pa.,  learned  the  printers' 
trade  in  Pittsbui'g,  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," which  had  been  established  in  1823,  by 
Elias  Kent  Kane.  Tlie  publication  of  "The 
Advocate"'  having  been  suspended,  he  revived  it 
in  May,  1825,  under  the  name  of  "The  Kaskaskia 
Recorder,"  but  soon  removed  it  to  Vandalia  (then 
the  State  capital),  and,  in  1827,  began  the  publi- 
■  cation  of  "The  Illinois  Corrector, "  at  Edwards- 


ville.  Two  years  later  he  returned  to  Kaskaskia 
and  resumed  the  ijublicatiou  of  "The  Recorder," 
but,  in  1833,  was  induced  to  remove  his  office  to 
Belleville,  where  he  commenced  the  publication 
of  "The  St.  Clair  Gazette,"  followed  by  "The  St. 
Clair  Mercury,"  both  of  which  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,  Job,  pioneer  and  early  legislator, 
was  born  in  Virginia,  in  1793,  removed  to  Sanga- 
mon County,  111.,  in  1819;  was  elected  Represent- 
ative in  1826,  and,  in  1834,  to  the  State  Senate, 
serving  in  the  latter  body  six  years.  He  was  one 
of  the  famous  "Long  Nine"  which  represented 
Sangamon  County  in  the  Tenth  General  xVssem- 
bly.  Mr.  Fletcher  was  again  a  member  of  the 
House  in  1844-45.  Died,  in  Sangamon  County, 
in  1872. 

FLOR.V,  a  city  in  Barter  Township,  Clay 
County,  on  the  Baltimore  &  Ohio  Southwestern 
Railroad,  95  miles  east  of  St.  Louis,  and  Id^*  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 with  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  with  blooded  animals  from  England 
and  other  parts  of  Europe,  but  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  1824,  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  English  Settlement  in  Edn-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,  Philena,  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  1866,  when  she  retired.  For 
some  years  she  resided  at  Rochester,  N.  Y.,  and 
New  Haven,  Conn.,  but.  in  1886,  she  removed  to 
Philadelpliia,  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,  born 
in  Baltimore,  Md.,  in  1823;  was  ordained  a  priest 
in  1846,  and,  two  years  later,  was  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  liis  death,  which  occurred  at  Baltimore,  in 
1879. 

FORBES,  Stephen  Van  Rensselaer,  pioneer 
teacher,  was  born  at  Windham,  Vt.,  July  2(i,  1797; 
in  his  youth  acquired  a  knowledge  of  surveying, 
and,  having  removed  to  Nevvburg  (now  South 
Cleveland),  Ohio,  began  teaching.  In  1829  he 
came  west  to  Chicago,  and  having  joined  a  sur- 
veying imrty,-  went  to  Louisiana,  returning  in 
the  foUovi'ing  year  to  Chicago,  which  then  con- 
tained only  three  white  families  outside  of  Fort 
Dearborn.  Having  been  joined  by  his  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  1833  lie  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 


18.53,  to  Dr.  W.  B.  Egan  at  S20  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  by  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. 

FORD,  Thomas,  early  lawyer,  jurist  and  Gov- 
ernor, was  born  in  Uniontown,  Pa. ,  and,  in  boy- 
hood, accompanied  his  mother  (then  a  widow)  to 
Missouri,  in  1804.  The  family  soon  after  located 
in  Monroe  County,  111.  Largely  through  the 
efforts  and  aid  of  his  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  1835  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  his 
party  (the  Democratic)  for  Governor.  He  was 
regarded  as  upright  in  his  general  policy,  but  he 
had  a  number  of  embarrassing  questions  to  deal 
with  during  his  administration,  one  of  these 
being  the  Mormon  troubles,  in  which  he  failed  to 
receive  the  support  of  his  own  party.  He  was 
author  of  a  valuable  "History  of  Illinois,"  (pub- 
lished posthumously).  He  died,  at  Peoria,  in 
greatly  reduced  circumstances,  Nov.  3,  1850.  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  shaped  like  an  inverted  "T,"  and  has 
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  sui'face  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  out-cropping  of  stone.  The  county 
is  named  in  honor  of  Governor  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. 

FORMAN,  (Col.)  Ferris,  lawyer  and  soldier, 
was  born  in  Tioga  County,  N.  Y.,  August  25, 
1811;  graduated  at  Union  College  in  1833,  studied 
law  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  New  York  in 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF    ILLINOIS. 


1835,  and  in  the  United  States  Supreme  Court  in 
1836;  the  latter  j-ear  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.  EfBngham,  Clay  and  Rich- 
land Counties,  serving  two  years;  before  tlie 
expiration  of  his  term  (1846)  enlisted  for  tlie 
Mexican  War,  and  was  commissioned  Colonel  of 
the  Third  Regiment  Illinois  Volunteers,  and, 
after  participating  in  a  number  of  the  most 
important  engagements  of  the  campaign,  was 
mustered  out  at  New  Orleans,  in  May,  1847.  Re- 
turning from  the  Mexican  War,  he  brought  with 
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  chosen  Presidential' 
Elector  for  the  State-atlarge  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  1801  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  Coimty. 
Later  he  returned  to  California,  and,  at  the 
latest  date,  was  a  resident  of  Stockton,  in  that 
State. 

FORMAIV,  WilUani  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  '93,  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  which  he  attained 
marked  success.  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  the 
Senate  had  refused  to  confirm.  One  ground  for 
the  friendship  between  him  and  Coles,  no  doubt, 
was  the  fact  that  thej'  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  imtil  January,  1883,  when  he  resigned,  hav- 
ing, as  it  appears,  at  the  previous  election,  been 
chosen  State  Senator  from  Sangamon  County, 
serving  in  the  Eighth  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  %vTiter,  but,  in  common 
with  some  of  the  ablest  lawyers  of  that  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 
graded  school.  Population  (1880),  375;  (1900),  952. 


HISTORICAL   EXCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


FORREST,  Joseph  K.  C,  journalist,  was  bora 
in  Cork,  Ireland,  Nov.  26,  182U ;  eame  to  Chicago 
in  1840,  soon  after  securing  employment  as  a 
writer  on  "The  Evening  Journal,"  and.  later  on, 
"The  Gem  of  the  Prairies,"  the  predecessor  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,"  lie  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  Tribmie,"  in  1861.  He  then  became 
the  Springfield  correspondent  of  "The  Tribune," 
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  in  founding  "The  Chicago 
Republican"  (now  "Inter  Ocean"),  in  186.5,  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. 

FORRESTON,  a  village  in  Ogle  County,  the 
terminus  of  the  Chicago  and  Iowa  branch  of  the 
Chicago.  Burlington  &  Quincy  Railroad,  and 
point  of  intersection  of  the  Illinois  Central  and 
the  Chicago,  Milwaukee  &  St.  Paul  Railways;  107 
ni'Ies  west  bj-  north  from  Chicago,  and  12  miles 
south  of  Freeport:  founded  in  18.54,  incorporated 
by  special  charter  in  1868,  and,  under  the  general 
law,  in  1888.  Farming  and  stock-raising  are  the 
principal  industries.  The  village  has  a  bank, 
water-works,  electric  light  plant,  creamery,  vil- 
lage hall,  seven  churches,  a  graded  school,  and  a 
newspaper.    Population  (1890),  1,118;  (1900),  1,017. 

FORSYTHE,  Albert  P.,  ex  Congressman,  was 
born  at  New  Richmond,  Ohio,  May  24,  1830; 
received  his  early  education  in  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  army  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, 
1875,  and  again  in  January,  1878.  In  1S7S  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.  Moulton,  Democrat. 


FORT,  Greenbiiry  L.,  soldier  and  Congress- 
man, was  born  in  Ohio,  Oct.  17,  1825,  and,  in  1834, 
removed  with  his  parents  to  Illinois.  In  1850  he 
was  elected  Sheriff  of  Putnam  County ;  in  1852, 
Clerk  of  the  Circuit  Court,  and,  having  mean- 
while been  admitted  to  the  bar  at  Lacon,  became 
County  Judge  in  1857,  serving  until  1861.  In 
April  of  the  latter  j-ear  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  Armj'  Corps  on  the  "March  to  the 
Sea,"  and  was  mustered  out  with  the  rank  ol 
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  General  Assemblies,  and,  from  1873  to  1881, 
as  Representative  in  Congress.  He  died,  at 
Lacon,  June  13,  1883. 

FORT  CHARTRES,  a  strong  fortification 
erected  by  the  French  in  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 
quarried  from  an  adjacent  bluflf.  In  form  it  was 
an  irregular  quadrangle,  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  period  of 
French  ascendency  in  Illinois,  Fort  Chartres  was 
the  seat  of  government.  About  four  miles  east 
soon  sprang  up  the  village  of  Prairie  du  Rocher 
(or  Rock  Prairie).  (See  Prairie  du  Rocher.)  At 
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.  After  the  occupation  of  Illinois  by  the 
British,  Fort  Chartres  still  remained  the  seat  of 
government  imtil  1772,  when  one  side  of  the 
fortification  was  washed  away  by  a  freshet,  and 
headquarters  were  transferred  to  Kaskaskia. 
The  first  common  law  court  ever  held  in  the  Mis- 
sissippi 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  Randolph  County,  once  con- 
stituted an  object  of  no  little  interest  to  anti- 
quarians, but  the  site  has  disappeared  during  the 
past  generation  by  the  encroachments  of  the 
Mississippi. 

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 


f  J 


1  !  !?  |5 1 


EARLY   HISTORIC  SCENES,  CHICAGO. 


ARLY    HISTORIC   SCKXKS,  CHICAGO. 


HISTOKICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


171 


the  treaty  of  Greenville,  concluded  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, 
ofKcers'  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  surrendered 
with  Burgoyne,  at  Saratoga,,  N.  Y.,  and  who 
subsequently  became  an  American  citizen,  and 
served  with  distinction  throughout  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 
time  numbered  about  70,  including  officers,  a 
large  number  of  the  troops  being  ill.  Almost 
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  wer«  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 
ujjon  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  aborigines  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  1829  and 
re-garrisoned  in  1828.  The  troops  were  once 
more  withdrawn  in  1831,  to  return  the  following 
year  during  the  Black  Hawk  War.  The  final 
evacuation  occurred  in  1836. 

FORT  (iAGE,  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,  who 
held  a  commission  from  Virginia.  The  soldiers, 
with  Simon  Kenton  at  their  head,  were  secretly 


173 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


admitted  to  the  fort  by  a  Pennsylvanian  who 
happened  to  be  within,  and  the  coniiuaudant, 
Eocheblave,  was  surprised  in  bed,  while  sleeping 
with  his  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,  and 
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  pieces 
by  the  enemy,  and  the  fortification  was  aban- 
doned. 

FORT  MASSAC,  an  early  French  fortification, 
erected  about  1711  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  because  of  the  massacre 
there  of  a  large  number  of  French  soldiers  by  the 
Indians.  The  Virginians  sometimes  spoke  of  it 
as  the  "Cherokee  fort."  It  was  garrisoned  by 
tlie  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  trading  post. 

FORT  SACKVILLE,  a  British  fortification, 
erected  in  1769,  on  the  Wabash  River  a  short 
distance  below  Vincennes.  It  was  a  stockade, 
with  bastions  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  fort  and  surrendered 
to  Hamilton,  British  Governor  of  Detroit,  who 
led  a  force  into  the  country  around  Vincennes. 

FORT  SHERIDAN,  United  States  Military 
Post,  in  Lake  County,  on  the  Milwaukee  Division 
of  the  Chicago  &  Northwestern  Railway,  24  miles 
north  of  Chicago.  (Highwood  village  adjacent 
on  the  south.)   Population  (1890),  4.51 ;  (1900),  1,575. 

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  opposite  Utica,  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  1683,  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  post. 
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  been  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  Iroquois  to  attack 
him.  La  Salle  left  the  fort  in  1683,  to  return  to 
France,  and,  in  1703,  it  was  abandoned  as  a 
military  post,  tliough  it  continued  to  be  a  trad- 
ing post  until  1718,  when  it  was  raided  by  the 
Indians  and  burned.     (See  La  Salle.) 

FORT  WAYNE  &  CHIC.400  RAILROAD. 
(See  Pittsburg.  Fort  Wayne  d-  Chicago  Railway.) 

FORT  WAYNE  &  ILLIN(US  R.VILROAD.  (See 
AV;r  York.  Cliieag,,  A-  St.  Limis  Railway.) 

FORTIFR  ATIONS.  PREHISTORIC.  Closely 
related  in  interest  to  the  works  of  the  mound- 
builders  in  Illinois — though,  probably,  owing  their 
origin  to  another  era  and  an  entirely  different 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


17.' 


race — are  those  works  whicli  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 
the}-  must  have  been  intended  for  warlike  pur- 
poses, and  that  they  were  formidable  of  their 
kind  and  for  the  period  in  which  they  were  con- 
structed. It  is  a  somewhat  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  Bock), 
it  is  also  the  site  of  a  larger  number  of  prehistoric 
fortifications,  whose  remains  are  in  such  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  positively  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  the 
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  Count}-,  at  a  point'called  "Old  Town 
Timber,"  about  1823  to  1825.  It  was  beUeved 
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 
1812;  though  this  is  improbable  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  1753,  and  that  it  was  erected  by  the 
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  the  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  1695?  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  1825 
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 
Covmty,  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 


HISTOUKAL    KXCYLLOPEDIA    OF    ILLINOIS. 


erection  is  unknown,  it  [inibatily  lielon.^ed  to  the 
latter  part  of  the  eigliteenth  century.  Tliere  is 
al^so  a  tradition  tliat  a  fort  or  trading  post,  erected 
by  a  Frenchman  named  Garay  (or  Guarie;  stood 
on  tlie  North  Branch  of  the  Cliicago  River  prior 
to  the  erection  of  the  iir.qt  Fort  Dearborn  in  1803. 

FOSS,  (ieorsre  Edmund,  lawyer  and  Congress- 
man, was  born  in  Franklin  County,  Vt.,  July  2, 
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  Law 
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  1896  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,  1TU6.  His  early  years 
were  spent  on  his  father's  farm,  but  at  the  age 
of  16  he  entered  an  academy  at  Meriden,  N.  H., 
and.  three  years  later,  began  teaching  with  an 
older  brother  at  Schoharie,  N.  Y.  Having  spent 
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  Baj'.  Having 
thus  fallen  heir  to  a  considerable  amount  of  real 
estate,  which,  in  subsequent  years,  largely 
appreciated  in  value,  he  became  identified  with 
early  Chicago  and  ultimately  one  of  the  largest 
real-estate  owners  of  his  time  in  the  city.  He 
was  an  active  promoter  of  education  during  this 
period,  serving  on  both  City  and  State  Boards, 
ilis  death  occurred.  May  18,  1874,  in  consequence 
of  injm-ies  su.stained  by  being  thrown  from  a 
vehicle  in  which  he  was  riding  nine  days  previous. 

FOSTER,  John  Wells,  author  and  scientist, 
was  born  at  Brimfield,  Mass.,  in  181.5,  and  edu- 
cated at  Weslej'an  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  years  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  18-14  by 
mining  capitalists  to  make  the  first  systematic 
survey  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  Slassachusetts,  he 
participated  in  the  organization  of  the  "American 
Party"  there,  though  we  find  him  soon  after 
breaking  with  it  on  the  slavery  question.  In 
1855  he  was  a  candidate  for  Congress  in  the 
Springfield  (Mass.)  District,  but  was  beaten  bj-  a 
small  majority.  In  1858  he  removed  to  Chicago 
and,  for  some  time,  was  Land  Commissioner  of 
the  Illinois  Central  Railroad.  The  latter  years  of 
his  life  were  devoted  chiefly  to  archteological 
researches  and  writings,  also  serving  for  some 
years  as  Professor  of  Natural  History  in  the  (old) 
University  of  Chicago.  His  works  include  "The 
Mississippi  Valley ;  its  Physical  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  1809,  Presi- 
dent of  the  American  Association  for  the  Ad- 
vancement of  Science.  He  died  in  Hyde  Park, 
now  a  part  of  Chicago,  June  29,  1873. 

FOUKE,  Philip  B.,  lawyer  and  Congressman, 
was  born  at  Kaskaskia,  III,  Jan.  23,  1818;  vras 
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  tliat 
office  in  1856.  Previous  to  this,  however,  he  had 
been  elected  to  the  lower  branch  of  the  Seven- 
teenth General  Assembly  (1850),  and,  in  1858, 
was  elected  as  a  Democrat  to  the  Thirty-sixth 
Congress  and  re-elected  two  years  later.  While 
still  in  Congress  he  assisted  in  organizing  the 
Thirtieth  i;c--iiiuMil  Illinois  Volunteers,  of  which 
he  was  c^.iiiiiii^sh.iicd  Colonel,  but  resigned  on 
accountof  ill  licaUli  si  mn  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 


IIISTOKICAL   EXCYCLOPEDIA    oF    ILLINOIS. 


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  death  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,  Methodi.st  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  1859.  He  then  began  the  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  the  North- 
western University,  holding  this  office  four  years, 
when  he  was  elected  to  the  editorship  of  "The 
Christian  Advocate"  of  New  York.  In  1884  he 
was  elected  and  ordained  Bishop.  His  residence 
is  in  San  Francisco,  his  labors  as  Bishop  being 
devoted  largely  to  the  Pacific  States. 

FOX  KIVER  (of  lUinois)— called  Pishtaka  by 
the  Indians — rises  in  Waukesha  County,  AVis., 
and.  after  running  soutliward  through  Kenosha 
and  Racine  Counties  in  that  State,  passes  into 
Illinois.  It  intersects  McHeni-y  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  and 
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,  published  a  paper  at 
Buffalo,  N.  Y.  In  consequence  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  1831,  com- 
menced the  publication  of  "The  Sangamo"  (now 
"The  Ilhnois  State")  "Journal"  at  Springfield, 
continuing  his  connection  therewith  until  1855, 
when  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  (1S53).  .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  Wethersfield,  Conn.,  April  14,  1815; 
in  1834,  joined  his  brother  at  Springfield,  111.,  and 
became  a  partner  in  the  publication  of  "The 
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  the  State;  was  organized  in  1818, 
and  lias  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.  The  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  GROTE,  a  town  of  Lee  County,  on 
Council  Bluffs  Division  of  the  Chicago  &  North- 
western Railway,  88  miles  west  of  Chicago. 
Grain,  poulti'y,  and  live-stock  are  shipped  from 
here.  It  has  banks,  water-works,  high  school, 
and  a  weekly  paper.  Population  (1890),  736; 
(1900),  681. 

FRAZIER,  Robert,  a  native  of  Kentucky,  who 
came  to  .Southern  Illinois  at  an  earh'  day  and 
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  mahe 
Illinois  a  slave  State.  He  was  a  fanner  by  occu- 
pation and,  at  tlie  time  he  was  a  member  of  the 
Legislature,  resided  in  what  afterwards  became 
Wabash  County.  Subsequently  he  removed  to 
Edwards  County,  near  Albion,  where  he  died. 
"Frazier's  Prairie,"  in  Edwards  County,  was 
named  for  him. 

FREEBURG,  a  village  of  St.  Clair  County,  on 
the  St.  Louis,  Alton  &  Terre  Haute  Railroad,  8 
miles  southeast  of  Belleville.  Population  (1880), 
1,038;   (1890),  848;  (1900),  1,214. 

FREEMAN,  Normau  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,  ILl.,in  18,'31,  was  admitted  to  the 
Illinois  bar  and  practiced  some  eight  years.  He 
then  began  farming  in  JIarion  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  ofifice,  August  23, 
1894. 

FREE  MASOJiS,  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  Galbraith,  Junior  War- 
den ;  William  Arundel,  Secretary ;  Robert  Robin- 
son, Senior  Deacon.  These  are  names  of  persons 
who  were,  without  exception,  prominent  in  the 
early  hi.story  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  number 
of  Lodges  within  the  same  jurisdiction  in  1895' 
was  713,  with  a  membership  of  50,727,  of  which 
47,335  resided  in  Illinois.  The  dues  for  1895 
were  §37,834. .50;  the  contributions  to  members, 
their  widows  and  orphans,  §25,088.41;  to  non- 
members,  86,306.38,  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,   1845, 


ami  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 
S7. 7.54. 75.  The  principal  olficers  in  1895-90  were 
Henry  Hunter  Montgomery,  Grand  Commander; 
John  Henry  Witbeck,  Grand  Treasurer,  and  Gil- 
bert W.  Barnard,  Grand  Recorder.— The  Spring- 
field Chapter  of  Royal  Arch-Masons  was  organized 
in  Springfield,  Sept.  17,  1841,  and  the  Royal  Arch 
Chapter  of  the  State  at  Jack.sonville,  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  16,414. — The  Grand  Council 
of  Royal  and  Select  Masters,  in  1894,  embraced  32 
subordinate  Councils,  with  a  membership  of 
2,318. 

FREEPORT,  a  city  and  railway  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.  Tlie  Illi- 
nois Central  Railroad  has  shops  here  and  the  city 
has  a  Government  postoflice  building.  Popula- 
tion (1890),  10,189;  (1900),  13.2.58. 

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-slavery  man  and  an  active  supporter  of  the 
Government  during  the  War  of  the  Rebellion ; 
for  many  years  was  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  born  in  New  Hamjishire, 
August  2,  1808.  After  coming  to  Illinois,  he 
became  a  resident  of  Crawford  County,  and  a 
lawyer  by  profession.  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- 


IIISTOmC'AL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLIXOIS. 


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  part.v  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 

FREXCH  AND  INDIAN  WAR,  The  first 
premonition  of  this  struggle  in  the  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 
thereby  to  fortify  her  original  claim,  which  was 
based  on  the  right  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  Ohio  Land  Company  received  a  royal  grant 
of  500,000  acres  along  the  Ohio  River,  with  exclu- 
sive trading  privileges.  The  Company  proceeded 
to  explore  and  survey  and,  about  1752,  established 
a  trading  post  on  Loramie  Creek,  47  miles  north 
of  Dayton.  The  French  foresaw  that  hostilities 
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 
ambassadors  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  which  (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  which, 
while  not  involving  large  forces  of  men,  were 
fraught  with  grave  consequences,  and  in  which 
the  French  were  generally  successful.  In  17.^5 
occurred  "Braddock's  defeat"  in  an  expedition  to 
recover  Fort  Duquesne  (wliere  Pittsburg  now 
stands),  which  had  been  captured  by  the  French 
the  previous  year,  and  the  Government  of  Great 
Britain  determined  to  redouble  its  efforts.     The 


final  result  was  the  termination  of  French  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 
loss  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  hopes  in  Illinois.  The  last  military 
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  by  the  English. 

FRENCH  GOVERNORS  OF  ILLINOIS.  French 
Governors  began  to  be  appointed  by  the  Company 
of  the  Indies  (which  see)  in  1722,  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  onl}-  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- 
oush-  spelled  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  1732  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  tlie  method  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  appointed  in  1734,  but  was 
captured  while  engaged  in  an  expedition  against 
the  Chickasaws,  in  1736,  and  burned  at  the  stake. 
(See  D' Artaguiette.)  He  was  followed  by 
Alphonse  de  la  Buissoniere,  who  was  succeeded, 
in  1740,  by  Capt.  Benoist  de  St.  Claire.  In  1742 
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   EXCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


tive  and  benevolent.  Local  self-government  was 
encouraged  as  far  as  practicable,  and,  while  the 
Governors'  power  over  commerce  was  virtually 
unrestricted,  they  interfered  but  little  witli  the 
ordinary  life  of  the  people. 

FREW,  Calvin  Hamill,  lawyer  and  State  Sena- 
tor, was  born  in  Cleveland,  Ohio,  educated  at 
Finley  (Ohio)  High  School,  Beaver  (Pa.)  Academy 
and  Vermilion  Institute  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  (1865-68) ;  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  important  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  years  he  has 
devoted  his  attention  to  breeding  trotting  horses, 
with  a  view  to  the  improvement  of  his  health 
but  not  with  the  intention  of  pei-manently 
abandoning  his  profession. 

FRY,  Jacob,  pioneer  and  soldier,  was  born  in 
Fayette  County,  Ky.,  Sept.  20,  1799;  learned  the 
trade  of  a  carpenter  and  came  to  Illinois  in  1819, 
working  first  at  Alton,  but,  iu  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  years,  and  was  then  elected  Sheriff,  being 
five  times  re-elected.  He  served  thi-ough  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  Suuiter  fame.  In  1837  he  was  appointed 
Commissioner  of  the  Illinois  &  Jlichigau  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  1847,  retired  from  connection  with 


canal  management.  In  1850  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  President  Buch- 
anan, but  was  removed  in  1859  because  of  his 
friendship  for  Senator  Douglas.  In  1860  he 
returned  to  Greene  County ;  in  1861,  in  spite  of  his 
advanced  age,  was  commissioned  Colonel  of  the 
Sixty-first  Illinois  Volunteers,  and  later  partici- 
pated in  numerous  engagements  (among  them  the 
battle  of  Shiloh),  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  Barnet 
(Fry),  son  of  the  preceding,  was  born  at  Car- 
rollton, IU.,  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  Artillery,  in  Mexico, 
remaining  there  through  1847-48.  Later,  he  was 
employed  on  frontier  and  garrison  duty,  and 
again  as  Instructor  in  1853-54,  and  as  Adjutant  of 
the  Academy  during  1854-59;  became  Assistant 
Adjutant-General,  March  16,  1861,  then  served  as 
Chief  of  StaflE  to  General  McDowell  and  General 
Buell  (1861-62),  taking  part  in  the  battles  of  Bull 
Run,  Shiloh  and  Corinth,  and  in  the  campaign  in 
Kentucky;  was  made  Provost-Marshal-General 
of  the  United  States,  in  March,  1863,  and  con- 
ducted the  drafts  of  that  year,  receiving  the  rank 
of  Brigadier-General,  April  21,  1804.  He  con- 
tinued in  this  ofHce  until  August  30,  1866,  during 
which  time  he  put  in  the  army  1,120,021  men, 
arrested  70,502  deserters,  collected  820.360,316.78 
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,  he  published  a 
"Sketch  of  the  Adjutant-General's  Department, 
United  States  Army,  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).  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 
rendered  valuable  service  to  the  Government. 

FULLER,   Allen   Curtis,   lawyer,    jurist    and 
Adjutant-General,    was     born     in    Farmington, 


HISTORICAL   E^X'YCLOPEDIA    OF    ILLINOIS. 


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  ofRce  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  lie  did  not  formally 
resign  his  place  upon  the  bench  until  July,  1862. 
He  continued  to  discharge  the  duties  of  Adjutant- 
General  until  Januarj',  1865,  when,  having  been 
elected  Representative  in  the  General  Assembly, 
he  was  succeeded  in  the  Adjutant-General's  office 
by  General  Ishani  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  Assemblies.  He  was  also  elected 
a  Republican  Presidential  Elector  in  1860,  and 
again  in  1870.  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. 

FULLEE,  Charles  E.,  lawyer  and  legislator, 
was  born  at  Flora,  Boone  County,  111.,  March  31. 
1849;  attended  the  district  school  until  12  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  i,1869)  he  began  the  study  of  law 
with  Hon.  Jesse  S.  Hildrup,  at  Belvidere,  and 
was  admitted  to  the  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  j'ear  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  lie  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 
1862  and  as  a  member  of  the  Legislature  in  1863, 
after  that  time  devoting  his  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,  born  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. 

FULTON,  a  city  and  railway  center  in  White- 
side County,  135  miles  west  of  Chicago,  located 
on  the  Mississippi  River  and  the  Chicago  & 
Northwestern,  the  Chicago,  Burlington  & 
Quincy,  and  the  Chicago,  Milwaukee  &  St.  Paul 
Railways.  It  was  formerly  the  terminus  of  a 
line  of  steamers  which  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),  2,685. 

FULTON  COUNTY,  situated  west  of  and  bor- 
dering on  the  Illinois  River ;  was  originalh"  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  Illinois  and  Spoon  Rivers 
(the  former  constituting  its  eastern  boundary) 
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  bluffs  rising  to  the  height  of  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 
Slessrs.  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  Lewistown  (population,  2, 166), 
Farmiugton  (1,375),  and  Vermont  (1,158). 

FULTOX  COIXTY  NARROW-GAUGE  RAIL- 
WAY, a  line  extending  from  the  west  bank  of  the 
IlUnois  River,  opposite  Havana,  to  Galesburg, 
CI  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  instance, 
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  j'ard,  road  not 
ballasted.  Capital  stock  outstanding  (1895), 
§636,794;  bonded  debt.  §484.000;  miscellaneous 
obligations,  8462,362;  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. 

FUJTK,  Isaac,  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  Covmty. 
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  live-stock,  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  §2,000,000.  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  Twenty-fourth  (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  condemnation 
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  1863,  enlisting  as  a  private  in  the  Sixty  eighth 
Illinois  Volunteers.  After  five  months'  service 
he  was  honorably  discharged,  and  re-entered  the 
University,  completing  a  three-years'  course. 
For  three  years  after  graduation  he  followed 
farming  as  an  avocation,  and,  in  1869,  took  up 
his  residence  at  Bloomington.  In  1871  he  wa3 
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. — Lafayette  (Funk),  another  son  of  Isaac 
Funk,  was  a  Representative  from  McLean  County 
in  the  Thirty-third  General  Assembly  and  Sena- 
tor in  the  Thirty-fourth  and  Thirty-fifth.  Other 
sons  who  have  occupied  seats  in  the  same  body 
include  George  \V.,  Representative  in  the  Twenty- 
seventh,  and  Duncan  M.,  Representative  in  the 
Fortieth  and  Forty-first  Assemblies  The  Funk 
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,  besides  those  named,  under 
the  State,  County  and  municipal  governments. 

GAGE,  Lyman  J.,  Secretary  of  the  Treasury, 
was  born  in  De  Ruyter,  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  j-ears  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  which 
he  became  the  Vice-President  in  1881  and,  in 
1891,  the  President.  Mr.  Gage  was  also  one  of  the 
prominent  factors  in  securing  the  location  of  the 
World's  Fair  at  Chicago,  becoming  one  of  the 
guarantors  of  the  810,000,000  promised  to  be  raised 
by  the  city  of  Chicago,  and  being  finally  chosen 
the  first  President  of  the  Exposition  Company. 
He  also  presided  over  the  bankers'  section  of  tlie 
"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  McKinley,  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). 

GALATIA,  a  village  of  Saline  County,  on  the 
Illinois  Central  Railroad,  40  miles  southeast  of 
Duquoin;  has  a  bank;  leading  industry  is  coal- 
mining.    Population  (1890),  519;  (1900),  642. 

GALE,  George  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  the  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  183.5  he  con- 
ceived tlie  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  the  head  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  laboi;  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. 
— Wiillam  Selden  (Gale),  oldest  son  of  the  preced- 
ing, was  born  in  Jeflferson  County,  N.  Y.,  Feb. 
15,  1822,  came  with  his  father  to  Galesburg,  111., 
in  1830,  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,  1872-82  and  1891-95; 
member  of  the  Commission  appointed  by  Gov- 
ernor Oglesby  in  1885  to  revise  the  State  Revenue 
Laws;  by  appointment  of  President  Harrison, 
Superintendent  of  the  Galesbm-g  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 


182 


HISTORICAL   EXCYCLUPEDIA    OF    ILLINOIS 


Knox  College.  :Mr.  Gale  was  married,  Oct.  0, 
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. 

(j(ALEXA,'the  county -seat  of  Jo  Daviess  County, 
a  city  and  port  of  entry,  150  miles  in  a  direct  line 
west  by  northwest  of  Chicago;  is  located  on 
Galena  River,  about  4:}^  miles  above  its  junction 
with  the  Mississippi,  and  is  an  intersecting  point 
for  the  Chicago,  Burlington  tt  Quincy,  the  North- 
western, and  the  Illinois  Central  Railroads,  with 
connections  by  stub  with  the  Chicago  Great 
"Western.  It  is  built  partially  in  a  valley  and 
partially  on  the  blulfs  which  overlook  the  river, 
the  Galena  River  being  made  navigable  for  ves- 
sels of  deep  drauglit  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  park,  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  factor}',  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  interests 
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 
settled,  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).  5.635;  (19(10).  5,005. 

GALENA  &  CHICAGO  IMON  RAILROAD. 
(See  Chicago  &  Xorthwestcm  Railway.) 

GALESBURG,  the  county-seat  of  KnoxCoimty 
and  an  important  educational  center.  Tiie  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- 


we.st  of  Chicago;  is  an  important  railway  center, 
being  at  the  junction  of  the  main  line  with  two 
branch  lines  of  the  Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy, 
and  the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  Railroads. 
It  was  incorporated  as  a  village  in  1841,  and  as  a 
citj-  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.  Tiie  city  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  number  of  flourishing  mechan- 
ical industries,  including  two  iron  foundries,  agri- 
cultural implement  works,  flouring  mills,  carriage 
and  wagon  works  and  a  broom  factory,  besides 
other  industrial  enterprises  of  minor  importance. 
The  manufacture  of  vitrified  paving  brick  is  quite 
extensively  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 
school  and  free  kindergarten,  and  a  handsome 
public  library  building  erected  at  a  cost  of  5100,- 
000,  of  which  one-half  was  contributed  by  Mr. 
Carnegie.  Galesburg  enjoj-s  its  chief  distinction 
as  the  seat  of  a  large  number  of  high  class  liter- 
ary institutions,  including  Knox  College  (non- 
sectarian),  Lombard  University  (Universalist), 
and  Corpus  Christi  Lyceum  and  LTniversity,  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. 

GALLATIN  COUNTY,  one  of  three  counties 
organized  in  Illinois  Territory  in  1812 — the  others 
being  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),  15,836.  The  first 
cabin  erected  by  an  American  settler  was  the 
home  of  Michael  Sprinkle,  who  settled  at  Shaw- 
neetowu  in  1800.  The  place  early  became  an 
important  trading  post  and  distributing  point. 


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 
survey  as  earl}-  as  1807,  the  public  lands  were  not 
placed  on  the  market  un*il  1818.  Shawneetown, 
the  county-seat,  is  the  most  important  town, 
having  a  population  of  some  2,000.  Bituminous 
coal  is  found  in  large  quantities,  and  mining  is 
an  important  industry.  The  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  Scotch  ancestry  in  Butler  County, 
Pa.,  Dec.  31,  1814;  came  with  his  father  to  Cory- 
don,  Ind. ,  in  1820,  took  a  course  in  Hanover  Col- 
lege, graduating  as  a  civil  engineer  in  1837 ;  then 
came  to  Mount  Carmel,  White  County,  111. ,  with 
a  view  to  employment  on  projected  Illinois  rail- 
roads, but  engaged  in  teaching  for  a  year,  having 
a,mong  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  tlie 
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  trans- 
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. 

(JALVA,  a  town  in  Henry  County,  45  nules 
southeast  of  Rock  Island  and  48  miles  north- 
northwest  of  Peoria;  the  point  of  intersection  of 
the  Rook  Island  &  Peoria  and  the  Chicago,  Bur- 
lington &  Quincy  Railways.  It  stands  at  the 
summit  of  the  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  agricultviral  and  wealthy,  and  is  rich  in  coal. 
Population  (1890),  3,409;  (1900),  3,683. 


GARDNER,  a  village  in  Garfield  Township, 
Grundy  County,  on  the  Chicago  &  Alton  Rail- 
road, 65  miles  south-southwest  of  Chicago  and  36 
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  churches,  a  high  school,  and  a  weekly 
paper.     Population  (1890),  1,094:  (1900),  1,036. 

GARDNER,  COAL  CITY  &  NORMAXTOWN 
RAILWAY.  (See  Elgin,  Jolicf  &  Eastern  Rail- 
u-ay. ) 

GARY,  Joseph  Easton,  lawyer  and  jurist,  was 
born  of  Pm'itan  ancestry,  at  Potsdam,  St.  Law- 
rence County,  N.  Y.,  July  9,  1831.  His  early 
educational  advantages  were  such  as  were  fur- 
nished by  district  schools  and  a  village  academy, 
and,  until  he  was  33  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  Missom-i,  thence  going  to  Las  Yegas, 
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  courts  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 31, 1839, 
came  to  Chicago  at  ten  years  of  age,  and,  after 
.spending  a  year  at  Shurtleff  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.  Gassette  &  Co.     He  was  t. 


184 


HISTOEICAL   E^'CYCLOPEDIA    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  Chi- 
cago, March  26,  1891. 

GATE  WOOD,  WilUam  Jefferson,  early  lawyer, 
was  born  in  "Warren  County,  Ky.,  came  to 
Franklin  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. 

GAULT,  John  C,  railway  manager,  was  born 
at  Hooksett.  N.  H.,  May  1,  1829;  in  1850  entered 
the  local  freight  ofiice  of  the  JIanchester  &  Law- 
rence Railroad,  later  becoming  General  Freight 
Agent  of  the  Vermont  Central.  Coming  to  Chi- 
cago in  1859,  he  successively  fiUed  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. 

GENERAL  ASSEMBLIES.  The  following  is  a 
list  of  the  General  Assemblies  which  have  met 
since  the  admission  of  Illinois  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.  18,  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  appointing 
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 
the  earnest  protest  of  McLean  and  the  executive 
veto.  A  stay-law  was  also  enacted  at  tliis  session 
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. 
Third  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 
Speaker.  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.  Lockwood.  After  electing 
Mr.  Thomas  and  choosing  State  officers,  the 
General  Assembly  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  E]SrCYCLOPEDIA   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  the 
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  necessary  twenty-four  votes.  Mr.  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  couven- 
tionist)  characterized  as  "a  wild  and  indecorous 
procession  by  torchlight  and  liquor."  (See 
Slavery  and  Slave  Lairs.)  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  unexpired  term  of  ex-Senator  Edwards 
(resigned)  and  the  other  for  the  full  term  begin- 
ning March  4,  182.5.  John  McLean  was  chosen 
for  the  first  and  Elias  Kent  Kane  for  the  second. 
Five  circuit  judgeships  were  created,  and  it  was 
provided  that  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,  1835, 
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  session  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 
Iiad,  resulting,  however,  in  the  exoneration  of  its 
officers.  The  circuit  judgeships  created  by  the 
preceding  Legislature  were  abrogated  and  their 
incumbents  legislated  out  of  oflice.  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  da3's. 

Seventh  General  Assembly  met,  Dec.  6, 1830. 
The  newly-elected  Lieutenant-Governor,  Zadoc 
Casey,  and  WilUam  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 


^I^;TOKIC'AL   EXCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLIXOIS. 


experienced  no  little  difficulty  iu  securing  the 
confirmation  of  his  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.  The  United  States  census  of 
1830  gave  Illinois  thi-ee  Representatives  in  Con- 
gress instead  of  one,  and  this  General  Assembly 
passed  a  re-apportionment  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 
tlie  substitution  of  imprisonment  in  the  peni- 
tentiary as  a  penalty  in  lieu  of  the  stocks  and 
public  flogging.  This  Legislature  also  authorized 
the  borrowing  of  §100,000  to  redeem  the  notes  of 
the  State  Bank  which  were  to  mature  the  follow- 
ing year.  The  Assembly  adjourned,  Feb.  16,  1831, 
the  session  having  lasted  seventy-three  days. 

Eighth  General  Assembly.  The  session 
began  Dec.  3,  1833.  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  presided  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,  nmning  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  "\V.  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  concur.  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,  183.5.  Lieutenant-Governor 
Jenkins  presided  in  the  Senate  and  James  Semple 
was  elected  Speaker  of  the  House  without  oppo- 


sition. On  Dec.  CO,  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.  Tlie 
principal  public  laws  passed  at  this  session  were: 
Providing  for  tlie  borrowing  of  §,500,000  to  bt 
used  in  tlie  construction  of  the  Illinois  &  Michi- 
gan Canal  and  the  appointment  of  a  Board  of 
Commissioners  to  supervise  its  expenditure; 
incorporating  the  Bank  of  the  State  of  Illinois: 
and  authorizing  a  loan  of  §13,000  b}-  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,  1830.  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.  The  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, 
183G,  and  adjourned  March  6,  1837.  The  Whigs 
controlled  tlie  Senate  by  a  large  majority,  and 
elected  William  H.  Davidson,  of  White  County, 
President,  to  succeed  Alexander  M.  Jenkins,  who 
had  resigned  the  Lieutenant-Governorship.  (See 
Jenkins.  Alexander  31.)  James  Semple  was 
re-elected  Speaker  of  the  House,  %vhich  was 
fully  two-thirds  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.  Tlie  two  absorbing  topics  for 
legislative  discussion  and  action  were  the  system 
of  internal  improvements  and  the  removal  of  the 
State  capital.  (See  Intertial  Improvement  Policy 
and  State  Capitals. )  The  friends  of  Springfield 
finally  effected  such  a  combination  tliat  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 


GoTernor,  July  10,  1837,  and  adjourned  July  23. 
An  act  legalizing  the  suspension  of  State  banks 
was  adopted,  but  the  recommendation  of  the  Gov- 
ernor for  the  repeal  of  the  internal  improvement 
legislation  was  ignored.  The  length  of  the  first 
session  was  ninety-two  days  and  of  the  second 
thirteen— total  105. 

Eleventh  General  Assembly.  This  body 
held  both  a  regular  and  a  special  session.  The 
former  met  Dec.  3,  1838,  and  adjourned  March  4, 
1839.  The  Whigs  were  in  a  majority  in  both 
houses,  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. 
Ewing.  At  this  session  §800,000  more  was  appro- 
priated for  the  "improvement  of  water-ways  and 
the  construction  of  railroads, "  all  efforts  to  put  an 
end  to,  or  even  curtail,  further  expenditures  on 
account  of  internal  improvements  nieeting  with 
defeat.  An  appropriation  (tlie  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  So 
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  appeared  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  other  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  appropriation  of 
§100,000  was  made.  The  called  session  adjourned, 
sine  die,  on  Dec.  5,  and  the  regular  session  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  secm-ing  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  the  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  Representatives;  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  existing 
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  currency  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  Deo.  18.  Judge 
Sidney  Breese  was  elected  United  States  Senator, 
having  defeated  Stephen  A.  Douglas  for  the 
Democratic  caucus  nomination,  on  the  nineteenth 
baUot,  by  a  majority  of  one  vote.  The  State 
Bank  (in  which  the  State  had  been  a  large  share- 
holder) was  permitted  to  go  into  liquidation  upon 


IfSS 


HISTORICAL    ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


the  surrender  of  State  bonds  in  exchange  for  a 
like  amount  of  bank  stock  owned  by  the  State. 
Tlie  same  conditional  release  was  granted  to  tlie 
bank  at  Shawneetown.  The  net  result  was  a 
reduction  of  the  State  debt  by  about  .$3,000,000. 
The  Governor  was  authorized  to  negotiate  a 
loan  of  81,600,000  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  Macalister  and  Stebbins 
Bonds.)  The  Congressional  distribution  of  the 
moneys  arising  from  the  sale  of  public  lauds  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,  March  6, 
1843,  after  a  session  of  ninety -two  days. 

Fourteenth  General  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 
Semple  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- 
sufficient 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 
each  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  General  Assembly  convened  Dec. 
7,  1846.     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  B. 
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  Cyrus 
Edwards.  State  officers  were  elected  as  follows : 
Auditor,  Thomas  H.  Campbell;  State  Treasurer, 
Milton  Carpenter— both  by  acclamation;  and 
Horace  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  session  until  Feb.  12 — the  session  being 
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 
McClernand,  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.  A  question  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  General  Assembly  convened 
Jan.  6,  1851,  adjourned  Feb.  17  —  length  of 
session  forty-three  days.  Sidney  Breese  (ex- 
Senator)  was  chosen  Speaker.     The  session  was 


HISTOPJCAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLIXOIS. 


1S9 


cliaracterized  by  a  vast  amount  of  legislation,  not 
all  of  which  was  well  considered.  By  joint  reso- 
lution of  both  bouses  the  endorsement  of  the 
Wilmot  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 
authorized  and  what  was  virtually  free-banking 
was  sanctioned.  The  latter  law  was  ratified  by 
popular  vote  in  Xovember,  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  1852  under  a  call  by 
the  Governor,  lasting  from  June  7  to  the  23d — 
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,  1853,  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 ;  Stephen  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  appropriated 
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,  among  the 
members  being  old-line  Whigs,  Abolitionists, 
Free-Soilers,  Know-Xothings,  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.  Abraliam  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  fift}--one  votes  to  forty-seven  for 
JIatteson  and  one  for  Archibald  Williams— one 
member  not  voting.  Trumbull,  having  received 
a  majority,  was  elected.  Five  members  had 
voted  for  him  from  the  start.  These  were  Sena- 
tors John  M.  Palmer,  Norman  B.  Judd  and  Burton 
C.  Cook,  and  Representatives  Henry  S.  Baker  and 
George  T.  Allen.  It  had  been  hoped  that  they 
would,  in  time,  come  to  the  support  of  Jlr.  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  tliis  was  defeated  at  the  polls. 

Twentieth  General  Assembly  convened  Jan. 
5,  18.57,  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.  Kuykendall,  of 
Johnson  ;  Shelby  M.  Cullom,  of  Sangamon ;  John 
A.  Logan,  of  Jackson;  William  R.  Morrison,  of 
Monroe ;  Isaac  N.  Arnold,  of  Cook ;  Joseph  Gilles- 
pie, of  Madison,  and  S.  W.  Moulton,  of  Shelby. 
Among  the  important  measures  enacted  by  this 
General  Assembly  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,  1859,  and  was  in  session  for  fifty-three 
days,  adjourning  Feb.  2-t.  The  Senate  consisted 
of  twenty-five,  and  the  House  of  seventy-five 
members.  The  presiding  officers  were: — of  the 
Senate,  Lieut. -Gov.  Wood;  of  the  House,  W.  R. 
Morrison,  of  Monroe  County,  who  defeated  his 
Republican  opponent.  Vital  Jarrot,  of  St.  Clair, 
on  a  viva  voce  vote.  Tlie  Governor's  message 
showed  a  reduction  of  $1,106,877  in  the  State  debt 
during  two  years  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-six  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  House,  the 
Democratic  candidate  being  James  AV.  Singleton. 
Thomas  A.  Marshall,  of  Coles  County,  was  elected 
President  pro  tem.  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 
number  of  banks  to  be  110,  whose  aggregate  cir- 
culation was  812.320,964.  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  property  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  days. — Immediately  following 
President  Lincoln'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  and  propert}'  of  the  peojjle. 
The  two  houses  assembled  on  April  23.  On  April 
25  Senator  Douglas  addressed  the  members  on  the 
issues  of  the  day,  in  resjjonse  to  an  invitation  con- 
veyed in  a  joint  resolution.  The  special  session 
closed  May  3,  1861,  and  not  a  few  of  the  legislators 
promptly  volunteered  in  the  Union  army. 
Length  of  the  regular  session,  forty-seven  days; 
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. 


101 


Hoffman;  Samuel  A.  Buckmaster  was  elected 
Speaker  of  the  House  by  a  vote  of  fifty-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  thirtj'-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.  The  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.  51.  Rodgers,  of  Clinton  County 
— died.  This  left  the  Senate  politically  tied,  a 
Republican  presiding  ofBcer  having  the  deciding 
vote.  Consequently  no  action  was  taken  at  the 
time,  and,  on  Feb.  14,  the  Legislature  adjourned 
till  June  2.  Immediately  upon  re-assembling, 
joint  resolutions  relating  to  a  sine  die  adjourn- 
ment were  introduced  in  both  houses.  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,  18G5.''  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  fortli  tlieir  grievance 
and  denouncing  the  State  executive,  they  took  a 
recess  imtil  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 
capitaUsts  came  to  its  aid,  and  no  important 
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  General  Assembly  convened 
Jan.   3,  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  §987,786  in  four 
years.  On  Jan.  4,  186.5,  Governor  Yates  was 
elected  to  the  United  States  Senate,  receiving 
sixty-four  votes  to  forty  three  cast  for  James  C. 
Robinson.  Governor  Oglesby  was  inaugurated  Jan. 
16.  The  Thirteenth  Amendment  to  the  United 
States  Constitution  was  ratified  by  this  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;  52.5,000  for 
the  purcliase  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  scliool  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  §2,607,938 
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  ofiice  of 
Attorney-General  created.  (Under  this  law 
Robert  G.  IngersoU  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    EXCYCLOPEDIA    ()F    ILLINOIS 


vened  on  June  11,  1867,  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  first.  This  convened  on  June  14,  remained 
in  session  until  June  28,  and  adopted  what  is 
substantially  the  present  penitentiary  law  of  the 
State.  This  General  Assembly  was  in  session 
seventy-one  days— fifty-three  at  the  regular, 
three  at  the  first  special  session  and  fifteen  at  the 


Twenty-sixth  General  Assembly  convened 
Jan.  4,  1809.  The  Republicans  had  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  the 
session,  showing  a  total  reduction  in  the  State 
debt  during  his  term  of  §4,743,831.  Governor 
John  M.  Palmer  was  inaugurated  Jan.  11.  The 
most  important  acts  passed  by  this  Legislature 
were  the  following;  Calling  the  Constitutional 
Convention  of  1869;  ratifying  the  Fifteenth 
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- 
lishing the  Southern  Normal  University;  pro- 
viding for  the  erection  of  the  Northern  Insane 
Hospital;  and  establishing  a  Board  of  Com- 
missioners of  Public  Charities.  The  celebrated 
"Lake  Front  Bill,"  especially  affecting  the 
interests  of  the  city  of  Chicago,  occupied  a 
great  deal  of  time  during  this  session,  and 
though  finally  passed  over  the  Governor's  veto, 
was  repealed  in  1873.  This  session  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.  13  following. 
The  body  was  made  up  of  fifty  Senators  and  177 
Representatives.  The  Republicans  again  con- 
-trolled  both  houses,  electing  WiUiam  M.  Smith, 


S[3eaker  (over  William  R.  Morrison,  Democrat), 
while  Lieutenant-Governor  Dougherty  presided  in 
the  Senate.  The  latter  occupied  the  Hall  of  Rep- 
resentatives in  the  old  State  Capitol,  while  the 
House  held  its  sessions  in  a  new  church  edifice 
erected  by  the  Second  Presbj-terian  Church. 
John  A.  Logan  was  elected  United  States  Sena- 
tor, defeating  Thomas  J.  Turner  (Democrat)  by  a 
vote,  on  joint  ballot,  of  181  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  required  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  tlie  State  Government  and 
for  the  continuance  of  work  on  the  new  State 
House.  The  purpose  of  the  Governor  in  sum- 
moning the  second  special  session  was  to  provide 
financial  relief  for  the  city  of  Chicago  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  Palmer  had  already 
suggested  a  plan  by  which  the  State  might 
aid  the  stricken  city  without  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  &  Micliigan 
Canal,  under  the  pledge  of  the  State  that  this 
outlay  should  be  made  good.  The  Legislature 
voted  an  appropriation  sufficient  to  paj'  both 
principal  and  interest  of  this  loan,  amounting,  in 
round  numbers,  to  about  83,000,000.  The  ad- 
journed session  opened  on  Nov.  15,  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  the  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  Representatives;  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 
Hovise.  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  81,000,000  was  made  for  carrying 
on  the  work  on  the  new  capitol  and  various  otlier 
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  house.  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,  house.  The  inauguration  of  State  officers 
took  place  Jan.  8,  Shelby  M.  Cullom  becoming 
Governor  and  Andrew  Shutnan,  Lieutenant-Gov- 
ernor. This  was  one  of  the  most  exciting  years 
in  American  political  history  Both  of  the  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  tlie  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.  La\vTence,  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  Lawrensc 
(Republican)  and  five  scattering,  thus  securing 
Davis'  election.  Not  many  acts  of  vital  impor- 
tance were  passed  bj-  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,  WilUam  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  the  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 


IIISTOrJCAL    ENCYCLOPEDIA    OE    ILLINOIS. 


in  session  146  days,  but  was  called  together  again 
in  special  session  by  the  Governor  on  March  23, 
1883,  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  compliment- 
ary Democratic  vote  was  given  to  Tliomas  M.  Shaw 
in  the  Senate,  and  to  Austin  O.  Sexton  in  the 
House.  Governor  Cullom,  the  Republican  caucus 
nominee,  was  elected  United  States  Senator,  Jan. 
16,  receiving  a  majority  in  each  branch  of  the 
General  Assembly.  The  celebrated  "Harper 
High-License  Bill,"  and  the  first  "Compulsory 
School  Law"  were  passed  at  this  session,  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  "Independent."  The  contest 
for  the  Speakership  continued  until  Jan.  39, 
when,  neither  party  being  able  to  elect  its  nomi- 
nee, t!ie  Democrats  took  up  Haines  as  a  candidate 
and  placed  him  in  the  chair,  with  Haines'  assist- 
ance, filling  the  minor  oflSces  with  their  own 
men.  After  the  inaugm-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  thi-ough  the  election  of 
a  Republican  in  place  of  one  of  the  deceased 
Democrats,  that  the  Republicans  succeeded  in 
electing  their  candidate.  Tlie  session  was  a 
stormy  one  tliroughout,  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 
preferred  and  investigated,  but  no  definite  result 
was  reached.  Among  the  important  measures 
passed  by  this  Legislature  were  the  following :  A 
joint  resolution  providing  for  submission  of  an 
amendment  to  the  Constitution  prohibiting  con- 
tract labor  in  penal  institutions;  providing  by 
resolution  for  the  appointment  of  a  non-partisan 
Commission  of  twelve  to  draft  a  new  revenue 
code ;  the  Crawford  primary  election  law ;  an  act 
amending  the  code  of  criminal  procedure ;  estab- 
lishing a  Soldiers'  and  Sailors'  Home,  subse- 
quently located  at  Quincy :  creating  a  Live-Stock 
Commission  and  appropriating  §531,713  for  the 
completion  of  the  State  House.  The  Assembly 
adjourned,  sine  die,  June  36,  1885,  after  a  session 
of  171  days. 

Thirty-fifth  General  Assembly  convened 
Jan.  5,  1887.  The  Republicans  had  a  majority  of 
twelve  in  the  Senate  and  three  in  tlie  House. 
For  President  pro  tempore  of  the  Senate,  August 
W.  Berggren  was  chosen ;  for  Speaker  of  the 
House,  Dr.  William  F.  Calhoun,  of  De  Witt 
County.  The  death  of  General  Logan,  which 
had  occurred  Dec.  26,  1886,  was  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 trust  companies:  making  the  Trustees  of 
the  University  of  Illinois  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  conspiracy  law;  the  Gibbs  Jury  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)  session,  tlio 
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 
Matthews,  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  January  22,  the  Democrats  again  voting  for 
ex-Gov.  John  M.  Palmer.  The  "Sanitary  Drain- 
age District  Law,"  designed  for  the  beueiit  of  the 
city  of  Cliicago,  was  enacted  at  this  session :  an 
asylum  for  insane  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  had  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  gi-ant  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  (]ualified 
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  the  Exposition.  (See 
also  World's  Columbian  Exposition.)  The  total 
length  of  the  two  sessions  was  150  days. 

TmETY-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  thirteen  at  manual  labor ; 
fixing  the  legal  rate  of  interest  at  seven  per  cent ; 
prohibiting  the  "truck  system"  of  paying  em- 
ployes, and  granting  tlie  right  of  suffrage  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.  Tlie  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-oflicio  President  of  the  Senate, 
and  John  W.  Coppinger,  of  Alton,  was  chosen 
President  pro  tem.  Clayton  E.  Crafts  of  Cook 
County  was  again  cliosen  Speaker  of  the  House. 
The  inauguration  of  the  new  State  officers  took 
place  on  the  afternoon  of  Tuesdaj-,  Jan.  10.  This 
Legislature  was  in  session  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  amended. 

Thirty-ninth  General  Assembly.  This 
Legislature  held  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  tem.  of  the  Senate.  Acts 
were  passed  making  appropriations  for  improve- 
ment of  the  State  Fair  Grounds  at  Springfield ; 
authorizing  the  establishment  of  a  Western  Hos- 
pital for  the  Insane  (8100,000);  appropriating 
§100,000  for  a  Western  Hospital  for  the  Insane; 
$65,000  for  an  Asylum  for  Incurable  Insane;  §50,- 
000,  each,  for  two  additional  Normal  Schools — one 
in  Northern  and  the  other  in  Eastern  Illinois; 
$35,000  for  a  Soldiers'  Widows'  Home— all  being 
new  institutions— besides  §15,000  for  a  State 
exhibition  at  the  Atlanta  Exposition;  §65,000  to 
mark,  by  monuments,  the  position  of  Illinois 
troops  on  the  battlefields  of  Chickamauga,  Look- 
out Mountain  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  special  session 
convened,  pursuant  to  a  call  by  the  Governor,  on 
June  25,  1895,  took  a  recess,  June  28  to  July  9, 
re-assembled  on  the  latter  date,  and  adjourned, 
sine  die,  August  2.  Outside  of  routine  legisla- 
tion, no  laws  were  passed  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  twenty-nine — total  186. 

Fortieth  General  Assembly  met  in  regular 
session  at  Springfield,  Jan.  6,  1897,  and  adjourned, 
sine  die,  June  4.  The  Republicans  had  a  major- 
ity in  both  branches,  the  House  standing  eighty- 
eight  Republicans  to  sixty -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  House,  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 
(Republi(^an)  was  chosen  United  States  Senator 
to  succeed  John  M.  Palmer,  receiving  in  joint 


5  votes  to  seventy-seven  for  John  P. 
Altgeld  (Democrat).  Among  the  principal  laws 
enacted  at  this  se.ssion  were  the  following:  An 
act  concerning  aliens  and  to  regulate  the  right  to 
hold  real  estate,  and  prescribing  the  terms  and 
conditions  for  the  conveyance  of  the  same ; 
empowering  the  Commissioners  who  were  ap- 
pointed at  the  previous  session  to  ascertain  and 
mark  the  positions  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  battle  of  Shiloh ;  to  reimburse  the 
University  of  Illinois  for  the  loss  of  funds  result- 
ing from  the  Spaulding  defalcation  and  affirming 
the  liability  of  the  State  for  "the  endowment 
fund  of  the  University,  amounting  to  §456,713.91, 
and  for  so  much  in  addition  as  may  be  received 
in  future  from  the  sale  of  lands";  authorizing 
the  adoption  of  the  "Torrens  land-title  system"  in 
the  conveyance  and  registration  of  land  titles  by 
vote  of  the  people  in  any  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  Board  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  the 
street  railroad  law  empowering  the  City  Council, 
or  other  corporate  authority  of  any  city,  to  grant 
franchises  to  street  railway  companies  extending 
to  fifty  years.  This  act  was  repealed  by  the 
General  Assembly  of  1899  before  any  street  rail- 
vcay  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.  34,  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.  Tlie  length  of  the  regular  session 
was  150  days,  and  that  of  the  special  session 
eighty  days— total.  330  days. 

(wEJJESEO,  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-growing  region,  and 
has  two  large  grain  elevators.  Manufacturing  is 
also  carried  on  to  a  considerable  extent  liere, 
furniture,  wagons  and  farming  implements  con- 
stituting the  chief  output.  Geneseo  has  eleven 
churches,  a  graded  and  a  high  school,  a  col- 
legiate institute,  two  banks,  and  two  newspapers, 
one  issuing  a  daily  edition.  Population  (1890), 
3,182;  (1900),  3,356. 

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  industry;  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  rocks  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  Silurian  System.— Under  this  heading 
may  be  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 
Magne.sian  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,  Maclurea,  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,  as  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- 


108 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


ing  material,  some  of  the  roc-k  being  susceptible 
i>f  a  high  polish  and  making  a  handsome,  durable 
marble.  About  seventy  feet  are  exposed  near 
Thebes,  in  Alexander  County.  All  through  tlie 
Southwest  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,  although,  in  the 
northwest  portion  of  the  State,  JIagnesian  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  exposed  in  the  vicinity  of  Thebes, 
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  perfect  state  of  preser- 
vation, having  been  exhumed. 

Upper  Siluri.^n  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 
concretionary  and  brecciated,  as  at  Bridgeport  and 
Port  Byron.  Near  Chicago  the  cells  and  pockets 
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  flagging  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 
thickness  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  the  State,  the  Upper  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  portion  hav- 
ing been  washed  away, 

Devoni.^  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  these  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  Rivers.  The  loiver  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  silico-magnesian  limestones,  rather 
compact  in  texture,  and  of  buff  or  light  gray 
to  nearly  white  colors.  When  decomposed  by 
atmospheric  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  polisli,  and  making  an  elegant  and  durable 
building  stone.  The  Onondaga  group  comprises 
some  sixty  feet  of  quartzose  sandstone  and 
striped  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  potter'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  characteristic  fossils  abound. 
The  rocks  composing  the  Hamilton  group  are  the 
most  valuable  of  all  the  divisions  of  the  Devonian 
system,  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  bitmninous.  In  Jersey 
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 
sandstone,  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 


niSTOEICAL   EXCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLIXOIS. 


199 


shales  associated  with  the  coal  seams,  which  cir- 
cumstance has  led  to  the  fruitless  expenditure  of 
much  time  and  nione}'.  The  bituminous  portion 
of  the  mass,  on  distillation,  yields  an  oil  closely 
resembUng  petroleum.  Crystals  of  iron  pyrites 
are  abundant  in  the  argillaceous  portion  of  the 
group,  which  does  nou  extend  north  of  the  coun- 
ties of  Calhoun,  Jersey  and  Pike. 

Lower  Carboniferous  System.  —  This  is  di- 
Tisible  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  BurUngton  in  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  hydraulic  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-crystalUzed  bluisli-gray 
limestone,  and  partly  concretionary,  as  around 
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  fm-nish  a  good  stone  for 
foundation  walls.     In  Hardin  County,  the  rock 


is  traversed  by  veins  of  fluor  spar,  carrying 
galena  and  zinc  blonde.  The  Cliester  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  this  gi'oup,  the 
earliest  traces  of  pre-historic  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  cuhnination  of 
the  arenaceous  sedimentarj-  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  cUffs  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  in  the  northern.  It  has 
afforded  a  few  species  of  fossil  plants,  but  no 
animal  remains.  The  coal  measures  of  IlUnois 
are  at  least  1,000  feet  thick  and  cover  nearly 
tliree-fourths  of  its  entire  area.  The  strata  are 
horizontal,  the  dip  rarely  exceeding  six  to  ten 
feet  to  the  mile.  The  formation  is  made  up  of 
sandstone,  shales,  thin  beds  of  limestone,  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  flre  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,  tliese  clays  are  valuable  for  the 
manufacture  of  fire  brick,  tile  ami  common 
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  appear  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. 

Quaternary*  Sy'stem. — 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  consists  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  clays,  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  120  feet,  and  its  accumulations 
are  probably  due  to  the  combined  influence  of 
water  cirrrents  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  this  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.  Tlie  term 
alluvium  is  usually  restricted    to    the    deposits 


forming  the  bottom  lands  of  the  rivers  and 
smaller  streams.  They  consist  of  irregularly 
stratified  sand,  clay  and  loam,  which  are  fre- 
quently found  in  alternate  layers,  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. 

GEORGETOWN,  a  village  of  Vermilion  County, 
on  the  Cleveland,  Cincinnati,  Chicago  &  St.  Louis 
Railway,  10  miles  south  of  Danville.  It  has  a 
bank,  telegraph  and  express  office  and  a  news- 
paper.    Population  (1890),  062;  (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. 

GERMANTOWN,  a  village  of  Vermilion  County, 
and  suburb  of  Danville ;  is  the  center  of  a  coal- 
mining district.  Population  (1880),  540;  (1890), 
1.178;  (1900),  1,783. 

GEST,  William  H.,  lawyer  and  ex-Congress- 
man, was  born  at  Jacksonville,  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  re-elected  in 
1888,  but  in  1890  was  defeated  by  Benjamin  T. 
Cable,  Democrat. 

GIBAULT,  Pierre,  a  French  priest,  supposed  to 
have  been  born  at  New  Madrid  in  what  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  Legisla- 
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   EXCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


201 


in  what  was  the  original  Northwest  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  &  Western  Railroad,  34 
miles  east  of  Blooniington,  and  at  the  intersec- 
tion of  the  Wabash  Railroad  and  the  Springfield 
Division  of  the  Illinois  Central.  Tlie  principal 
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. 

tJILL,  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,  Chicago  &  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 
was  a  member  of  the  State  Senate  from  1847  to 
1859.     In  1853  he  received  the  few  votes  of  the 


Whig  members  of  the  Legislature  for  United  States 
Senator,  in  opposition  to  Stephen  A.  Douglas, 
and,  in  18G0,  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  1861  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  3-ears  of  his  youth  in  Georgia,  but, 
in  1838,  came  to  Illinois  by  way  of  St.  Louis, 
finally  reacliing  "Bald  Knob,"  in  Logan  County, 
where  an  uncle  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,  August  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  he 
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  for  the  Promotion  of 
Speech  by  the  Deaf,  with  headquarters  in  Wash- 
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  daj'.  The  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch  was  educated  in  the  common 
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  higlily 


IIISTOPJCAL    EXCYCLOPEDIA    OF    ILLINOIS. 


cultivated  portions  of  the  American  Bottom,  a 
few  miles  below  Alton,  but,  in  1872,  removed  to 
Alton,  where  lie  spent  the  remainder  of  his  life. 
He  became  a  member  of  the  State  Board  of  Agri- 
culture in  18(j6,  serving  eight  years  as  Superin- 
tendent and  later  as  its  President;  was  also  a 
Trustee  of  Shurtleflf  College  some  twenty-five 
years,  and  for  a  time  President  of  the  Board.  In 
1870  he  was  elected  to  the  lower  branch  of  the 
TNventy-seventh  General  Assembly,  and  to  tlie 
State  Senate  in  1883,  serving  a  term  of  four  years 
in  the  latter.  On  the  night  of  March  17,  1890,  he 
was  assaulted  by  a  burglar  in  his  house,  receiving 
a  wound  from  a  pistol-shot  in  consequence  of 
which  he  died,  April  6,  following.  The  identity 
of  his  assailant  was  never  discovered,  and  the 
crime  consequently  went  unpunished. 

GILMA>',  a  city  in  Iroquois  County,  at  the 
intersection  of  the  Illinois  Central  and  the  To- 
ledo, Peoria  &  Western  Railways,  81  miles  south 
by  west  from  Chicago  and  208  miles  northeast 
of  St.  Louis.  It  is  in  the  heart  of  one  of  the 
richest  corn  districts  of  the  State  and  has  large 
stock-raising  and  fruit-growing  interests  It  has 
an  opera  house,  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).  1,411. 

(ilLMAN,  Arthur,  was  born  at  Alton,  111.,  June 
22,  1837,  the  son  of  Winthrop  S.  Oilman,  of  the 
firm  of  Oilman  &  Godfrey,  in  whose  warehouse 
the  printing  press  of  Rev.  Elijah  P.  Lovejoy  was 
stored  at  the  time  of  its  destruction  by  a  mob  in 
1837;  was  educated  in  St.  Louis  and  Xew  York, 
l<egan  business  as  a  banker  in  1857,  but,  in  1870, 
removed  to  Cambridge,  Mass.,  and  connected 
himself  with  "The  Riverside  Press."  Mr.  Gilman 
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. 

0IL3I.1X,  CLIXTON  &  SPRINOFIELD  RAIL- 
EO.\D,     (See  niinois  Ceyifral  Railroad. ) 

GIR.\RD,  a  city  in  Macoupin  County,  on  the 
Chicago  &  Alton  Railroad,  25  miles  south  by  west 
from  Springfi'^ld  and  13  miles  north-northeast  of 
Carliuville.  Coal-mining  is  carried  on  extensively 
here.  The  city  also  has  a  bank,  five  churches 
and  a  weekly  newspaper.  Population  (1880), 
1,024;  (1800),  1,524;  (1900).  1,661. 

GlEXCOE,  a  village  of  Cook  County,  on  the 
Milwaukee  Division  of  the  Chicago  &  Northwest- 


ern Railway,  19  miles  north  of  Cliicago.     Popu- 
lation (1880),  387;  (1890),  .569;  (1900),  1.020. 

GLENN,  Arcliibald  A.,  ex-Lieutenant-Oovernor, 
was  born  in  ^acholas  County,  Ky.,  Jan.  30,  1819. 
In  1828  his  father's  family  removed  to  Illinois, 
settling  first  in  VermiUon,  and  later  in  Schuyler 
County.  At  the  age  of  18,  bein,g  forced  to 
abandon  school,  for  six  years  lie  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  ex-officio 
Lieutenant-Governor.  He  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  born 
in  Ashland  County,  Ohio,  March  2,  1831;  gradu- 
ated from  Miami  University  in  1856  and,  in 
was  admitted  to  the  bar  at  Terre  Haute,  Ind. 
Removing  to  Illinois  in  1860,  he  settled  in  Mercei 
County,  a  year  later  removing  to  Monmouth  in 
Warren  County,  where  he  still  resides.  In 
he  was  elected  Judge  of  the  Tenth  Judicial  Cir- 
cuit and  re-elected  in  1879,  '85,  '91,  and  "9' 
After  his  last  election  he  served  for  some  tim( 
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- 
headed,  impartial  Judge  stands  very  high,  and  his 
name  has  been  favorably  regarded  for  a  place  on 
the  Supreme  Bench. 

GLOVER,  Joseph  Otis,  lawyer,  was  born  in 
Cayuga  County,  N.  Y..  April  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  that 
he  was  asked  to  take  charge  of  two  others.  Tliis 
determined  the  bent  of  his  mind  towards  the  latv, 
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,  which 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


203 


lasted  over  thirty  years.  In  1846  he  was  elected 
as  a  Democrat  to  the  lower  branch  of  the  Fif- 
teenth General  Assembly,  but,  on  the  repeal  of 
the  Missouri  Compromise,  lie  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  1858.  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 CuUom  a  memjber  of  the  Board  of  Railway 
and  Canal  Commissioners,  of  wliich  he  afterwards 
became  President,  serving  six  years.  Died,  in 
Chicago,  Dec.  10,  1893. 

yOBFRET,  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,  Jlass. ,  Dec. 
4,  179-1;  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 
1813  coming  on,  he  returned  home,  spending  a 
part  of  the  next  three  years  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  S200.000  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  1832,  came  north, 
locating  near  Alton,  111.,  the  next  year  engaging 
in  the  warehouse  and  commission  business  as  the 
partner  of  Winthrop  S.  Oilman,  under  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  when  it  was  seized 
and  destroyed  by  a  mob,  and  Lovejoy  was  killed, 
in  October,  1837.  (See  Lovejoy,  Elijah  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 
</f  <iodfrey,  four  miles  from  Alton.     (See  Monti- 


cello  Female  SemiJiary.)  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,  1862. 

GOLCONDA,  a  village  and  county -seat  of  Pope 
County,  on  the  Ohio  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  factory.  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,  1854,  and 
emigrated  to  New  York  in  1866.  In  1872  he 
settled  in  Chicago,  where  he  was  admitted 
to  the  bar  in  1877,  and  where  he  has  practiced 
law  ever  since.  From  1890  to  1893  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. 

GOODING,  Jamps,  pioneer,  was  born  about 
1707,  and,  in  1833,  was  residing  at  Bristol,  Ontario 
County,  N.  Y. ,  when  he  removed  to  Cook  County, 
111-,  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,  by 
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  83  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  teaching  and  working  on  the  farm  of 
his  father,  James  Gooding.  Having  devoted 
considerable  attention  to  surveying  and  civil 
engineering,  he  obtained  employment  in  1830  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  engage  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  sliort  time,  but  the  following  j-ear  joined 
his  father,  who  had  previously  settled  in  a  portion 
of  what  is  now  Will  County,  but  tlien  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  18-12,  became  Chief  Engi- 
neer, continuing  in  that  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,  Grant,  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  Cliicago,  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  Trustees  of  Garrett  Biblical  Institute,  besides 
being  identified  with  many  organizations  of  a 
strictly  benevolent  character.  In  18o9  Judge 
Goodrich  was  elected  a  Judge  of  the  newlv  organ- 
ized Superior  Court,  but,  at  the  end  of  his  term, 
resumed  the  practice  of  his  profession.  Died, 
March  1.5,  1889. 

GORE,  David,  ex-State  Auditor,  was  born  in 
Trigg  County,  Ky.,  Aprils.  1827;  came  with  his 
parents  to  Madison  County.  111. ,  in  1834,  and  served 
in  the  Jlexican  War  as  a  Quartermaster,  afterwards 
locating  in  Macoupin  County,  where  he  lias  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  and  elected,  as  a  Democrat, 
Auditor  of  Public  Accounts,  serving  imtil  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 
CarlinviUe. 

GOUDT,  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  office  and  bindery.  In  the  fall  of 
1833  the  family  removed  to  Jacksonville,  and  the 
following  j'ear  he  entered  Illinois  College,  being 
for  a  time  a  college-mate  of  Richard  Yates,  after- 
wards Governor.  Here  he  continued  his  vocation 
as  a  printer,  working  for  a  time  on  "Peck's 
Gazetteer  of  Illinois''  and  "Goudy's  Almanac," 
of  which  his  father  was  publisher.  In  association 
with  a  brother  while  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.  Henry 
and  Merriman  in  Springfield,  finally  graduating 
at  the  St.  Louis  Jledical  College  and,  in  1844. 
began  practice  at  Taylorville ;  in  1847  was  elected 
Probate  Judge  of  Christian  County  for  a  term  of 
four  years;  in  1851  engaged  in  mercantile  busi- 
ness, which  he  continued  nineteen  years.  In  1856 
he  was  elected  to  the  lower  house  of  the  General 
Assembly  and,  in  the  session  of  the  following 
year,  was  a  leading  supporter  of  the  act  estab- 
lishing the  State  Normal  Scliool  at  Normal,  stUl 
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. 

GOUDT,  William  C,  lawyer,  was  born  in 
Indiana.  May  15.  18'24;  came  to  Illinois,  with  liis 
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  Goudy  entered  Illinois  College, 
graduating  in  1845,  when  he  began  the  study  of 
law  with  Judge  Stephen  T.  Logan,  of  Springfield; 
was  admitted  to  tlie  bar  in  1847,  and  the  next  year 
began  practice  at  Lewistown,  Fulton  County; 
served  as  State's  Attorney  (1852-55)  and  as  State 
Senator  (18.j6-60);  at  the  close  of  his  term  re- 
moved to  Chicago,  where  he  became  prominent 
as  a  corporation  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  infiuence  with  the  administration,  and  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,  Joseph  T.,  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 


Tille,  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 
Con%-ention  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  Fourteenth  Illinois  District,  as  a 
Bepublican,  in  November,  189-4.  Mr.  Graff  was  a 
successful  candidate  for  re-election  in  1896,  and 
again  in  '98. 

GRAFTON,  a  town  in  Jersey  County,  situated 
on  the  Mississippi  one  and  a  half  miles  below  the 
mouth  of  the  Illinois  River.  The  bluffs  are  high 
and  fine  river  views  are  obtainable.  A  fine 
quality  of  f ossi  lif erous  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  department  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  Johnson  County  (1816-18);  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.  P.  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.  The  "Woman's  Relief 
Corps"  is  an  auxiliary  organization,  originating 
at  Portland.  Maine,  in  1869.  The  following  is  a  list 
of  Illinois  Department  Commanders,  ohronolog- 


HISTORICAL    ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


ically  arranged:  B.  F.  Stephenson  (ProTisional, 
1866),  John  M.  Palmer  (1866-68),  Thomas  O. 
Osborne  (1869-70),  Charles  E.  Lippiucott  (1871), 
Hubert  Dilger  (1872),  GuyT.  Gould  (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  (1895),  William 
G.  Cochran  (1896),  A.  L.  Schimpff  (1897),  John 
C.  Black  (1898),  John  B.  Inman  (1899).  The  fol- 
lowing lUinoisans  have  held  the  position  of  Com- 
mander-in-Chief: S.  A.  Hurlbut,  (two  terms) 
1866-67;  Jolm  A.  Logan,  (three  terms)  1868-70; 
Thomas  G.  Lawler,  1894;  James  A.  Sexton,  1898. 

GRAND  PRAIRIE  SEMINARY,  a  co  educa 
tional  institution  at  Onarga,  Iroquois  County,  in- 
corporated in  1863 ;  had  a  faculty  of  eleven  teach- 
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  the  usual 
classical  and  scientific  departments,  instruction 
is  given  in  music,  oratory,  fine  arts  and  prepara- 
tory studies. 

GRAND  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. 

GRAND  TOWER  &  CAPE  GIRARDEAU 
RAILROAD.     (See  Chicago  &•  Texas  Railroad. ) 

GRAND  TOWER  &  CARBONDALE  RAIL- 
ROAD.    (See  Chicago  &  Texas  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,  111., 
in  1853.  Here,  having  studied  law,  he  was 
admitted  to  the  bar  in  1855,  removing  to  McHenry 
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  McHenry. 

GRANT,  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  that  place. 
Mr.  Grant  is  described  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  resident  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  as  a 
drill-master  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  Gib.son,  Eaj'mond,  Champion  Hill,  and  Big 
Black  River,  ending  with  the  capture  of  Vicks- 
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  same  year.  Commissioned  a  Major-General 
of  the  Regular  Army  after  the  fall  of  Vicksburg, 
he  became  Lieuteuant-General  in  1864,  and,  in 
March  of  that  year,  assumed  command  of  all  the 
Northern  armies.  Taking  personal  command  of 
the  Array  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^ 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


207 


terized  by  patriotism  and  integrity  of  purpose. 
During  1877-79  lie  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  Uterary 
work  was  his  "Memoirs"  (two  volumes,  1885-86), 
which  was  very  extensively  sold. 

GRAPE  CREEK,  a  surburban  mining  village  in 
VermiUon  County,  on  the  Big  Vermilion  River 
and  the  Chicago  &  Eastern  Illinois  Railroad,  six 
miles  south  of  Danville.  The  chief  industry  is 
coal  mining,  %vhich  is  extensively  carried  on. 
Population  (1890).  778;  (1900).  610 

GRATIOT,  Charles,  of  Huguenot  parentage, 
bom  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  and  formed  a  partner- 
ship with  David  McRae  and  Jolm  Kay,  two  young 
Scotchmen  from  Montreal.  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  spent  in 
Canada  he  was  sent  by  his  ecclesiastical  superiors 
to  the  IlUnois  Mission  (1688),  succeeding  AUouez 
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  recei\-ed  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  cm-e.  Accounts  of  his  death  vary  as 
to  time  and  place,  but  all  agree  that  it  resulted 
from  the  wound  above  mentioned.  Some  of  hij 
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,  Elisha,  electrician  and  inventor,  was 
born  at  Barnesville,  Ohio,  August  2,  1835;  after 
serving  as  an  apprentice  at  various  trades,  took  a 
course  at  Oberlin  College,  devoting  especial 
attention  to  the  physical  sciences,  meanwhile 
supporting  liimself  by  manual  labor.  In  1865  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  telegi-aph  the  handwriting  of  the  sendei 
of  a  telegram — attracted  great  interest  at  the 
"World's  Columbian  Exposition  of  1S93,  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  Coimty,  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  3'ears, 
with  "The  Tifiin  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  charge  of  "The  Interior,"  the 
organ  of  the  Presbyterian  Church,  which  he  has 
since  conducted.  The  success  of  the  paper  imder 
his  management  affords  the  best  evidence  of  his 
practical  good  sense.  He  holds  the  degree  of 
Ph.D.,  received  from  Wooster  University  in  1881. 

GR.A.YVILLE,  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    ILLIXOIS. 


region  and  is  an  important  liard-wood  market. 
Valuable  coal  deposits  exist.  The  industries  in- 
clude fiour,  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.     Population  ^1900),  1,9-18. 

GRAYYILLE  &  MATTOOX  RAILROAD.  (See 
Peoria,  Decatur  &■  EransviUe  Raihvay.) 

GREATHOUSE,  Lucien,  soldier,  was  born  at 
Carlinville,  111.,  in  1843;  graduated  at  Illinois 
Wesleyan  University,  Bloomington.  and  studied 
law  ;  enlisted  as  a  private  at  the  beginning  of  the 
War  of  the  Rebellion  and  rose  to  the  rank  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.  186-1. 

GREAT  WESTERN  RAILROAD  (of  1843  and 
■'49).     (See  IlUnois  Central  Jiailroad.) 

GREAT  WESTERN  RAILROAD  (2)  (See 
Wabauli  liailivay.) 

GREEN  RITER,  rises  in  Lee  County,  and, 
after  draining  part  of  Bureau  County,  flows  west- 
ward through  Henry  County,  and  enters  Rock 
River  about  10  miles  east  by  south  from  Rock 
Island.     It  is  nearly  120  miles  long. 

GREEN,  William  H.,  State  Senator  and  Judge, 
was  born  at  Danville,  Ky.,  Dec.  8,  1830.  In  1847 
he  accomjjanied  his  father's  family  to  Illinois, 
and,  for  three  years  following,  taught  school,  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  1808  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 
his  term  in  1867.  He  was  a  delegate  to  the 
National  Democratic  Conventions  of  1860,  "64, 
'68,  '80,  '84  and  '88,  besides  being  for  many  years 
a  member  of  the  State  Central  Committee  of  that 
party,  and  also,  for  four  terms,  a  member  of  the 
State  Board  of  Education,  of  whicli  he  has  been 
for  several  years  the  President.  He  is  at  present 
(1899)  engaged  in  the  practice  of  his  profession  at 
Cairo. 

GREENE,  Henry  Sacheveral,  attorney,  -was 
bom  in  the  North  of  Ireland,  July,  1833,  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 
Coimty,  where  he  taught  and  studied  law  with 
La\^Tence  Weldon,  now  of  the  Com-t  of  Claims, 
Washington.  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.  CHfton  H.  Moore  of  Clinton;  later 
served  as  Prosecuting  Attorney  and  one  term 
(1867-69)  as  Representative  in  the  General  Assem- 
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  years  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,  xinder 
whom  he  held  an  appointment  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  scliools,  a  seminary,  electric 
light  plant,  steam  flouring  mill,  and  one  weekly 
paper.  It  is  an  important  shipping  point  for 
cattle,  hor.ses.  swine,  corn,  grain  and  produce. 
Population  (1890).  1.131;  (1900),  1,085. 

GREENE  COUNTY,  cut  off  from  Madison  and 
separately  organized  in  1821;  has  an  areatof  544 
square  miles;  population  (1900).  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  clay 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


200 


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  Fr}-)  followed  soon 
afterward.  The  Indians  were  numerous  and 
aggressive,  and  had  destroyed  not  a  few  of  the 
monuments  of  the  Government  surveys,  erected 
some  years  before.  Immigration  of  the  whites, 
however,  was  rapid,  and  it  was  not  long  before 
the  nucleus  of  a  village  was  established  at  Car- 
roUton,  where  General  Fry  erected  the  first  house 
and  made  the  first  coffin  needed  in  the  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  Roodhouse 
(an  important  railroad  center)  with  a  population 
of  2,360. 

GKEEJfUP,  village  of  Cumberland  County,  at 
intersection  of  the  Vandalia  Line  and  Evansville 
branch  111.  Cent.  Ry. ;  in  farming  and  fruit- 
growing region;  has  powder  mill,  bank,  broom 
factory,  five  churches,  public  library  and  good 
schools.     Population  (1890),  858;  (1900),  1,08.5. 

GREENVIEW,  a  village  in  Menard  County,  on 
the  Jacksonville  branch  of  the  Chicago  &  Alton 
Railroad,  23  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  liigh  school.  Popu- 
lation (1890),  1.106;  (1900),  1,019;  (1903),  1,245. 

GREEJiVILLE,  an  incorporated  city,  the 
county-seat  of  Bond  County,  on  the  Ea.st  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),  3,504. 

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 
oquare    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  Fort 
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  pos.ses- 
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  the  Mis- 
sissippi and  south  of  the  great  lakes.  The  cash 
consideration  paid  by  the  Government  was 
5210,000. 

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  1843  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 
1853,  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,  was  appointed 
by  President  Pierce  Commissioner  to  the  Sandwich 
Islands,  still  later  for  a  time  acting  as  the  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,  John  Milton,  clergyman  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  ministry.  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  1,854,  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   EKCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


later  was  called  to  that  of  tlie  newly  founded 
University  of  Illinois,  at  Champaign,  where  he 
remained  until  18IS0.  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  "85  he  was  a 
member  of  the  United  States  Civil  Service  Com- 
mission. The  degree  of  LL.D.  was  conferred 
upon  him  by  Madison  University  (Hamilton. 
N.  Y. )  in  1866.  While  State  Superintendent  he 
published  a  "Compend  of  School  Laws'*  of  Michi- 
gan, besides  numerous  addresses  on  educational 
subjects.  Other  works  of  his  are  "Handbook  of 
History"  and  "Map  of  Time"  (Chicago,  1866)  ;  "A 
New  Political  Economy"  (Cincinnati,  1882);  and 
"Seven  Laws  of  Teaching"  (Chicago,  1883). 
While  holding  a  chair  as  Professor  Emeritus  of 
Political  Economy  in  the  University  of  Illinois 
during  tlie  latter  years  of  his  life,  he  resided  in 
Washington,  D.  C,  where  he  died,  Oct.  20,  1898. 
By  his  special  request  he  was  buried  on  the 
grounds  of  the  University  at  Champaign. 

ORES  HAM,  Walter  Quinton,  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  Thirty- 
eighth  Indiana  Volunteers,  and  was  almost 
immediately  commissioned  Colonel  of  the  Fifty- 
third  Regiment.  After  the  fall  of  Vicksburg  he 
was  promoted  to  a  Brigadier-Generalship,  and  was 
brevetted  Major-Geueral  on  March  13,  1865.  At 
Atlanta  he  was  severely  woimded,  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  stumped  his 
county  for  Fremont.  From  that  time  until  1892 
he  was  always  prominently  identified  with  the 
Republican  party.  In  1866  lie  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 
position  to  accept  the  portfolio  of  Postmaster-Gen- 
eral in  the  Cabinet  of  President  Arthur.  In  July, 
188-t,  upon  the  death  of  Secretary  Folger,  he  was 
made  Secretary  of  the  Treasury.     In  Oct.  1884, 


he  was  appointed  United  States  Judge  of  the 
Seventli  Judicial  Circuit,  and  thereafter  made 
his  home  in  Chicago.  He  was  an  earnest  advo- 
cate of  tlie  renomination  of  Grant  in  that  year, 
but  subsequently  took  no  active  personal  part  in 
politics.  In  1888  he  was  the  substantially  unani- 
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 
Washington,  D.  C,  May  28,  1895. 

GREUSEL,  Nicholas,  soldier,  was  born  in  Ger- 
many, 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 
Volunteers  in  the  Mexican  War;  in  1857,  came  to 
Chicago  and  was  employed  on  the  Chicago,  Bur- 
lington &  Quincy  Railroad,  until  the  firing  on 
Fort  Sumter,  when  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  Thirty  sixth  Illinois;  took 
part  in  tlie  battles  of  Pea  Ridge  and  Perryville 
and  the  campaign  against  Corinth ;  compelled  to 
resign  on  account  of  failing  health,  in  February, 
1863,  he  removed  to  Mount  Pleasant,  Iowa, 
whence  he  returned  to  Aurora  in  1893.  Died  at 
Aurora,  April  25,  1896. 

(iRIDLEY,  Asahel,  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,  locating  at  Bloomington  and 
engaging  in  the  mercantile  business,  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  tlie  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  tha 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF    ILLINOIS. 


ill 


Indiana,  Bloomington  &  Western  and  other  lines. 
In  1858  he  joined  J.  Y.  Scammon  and  J.  H.  Burch 
of  Chicago,  in  the  establishment  of  the  McLean 
County  Bank  at  Bloomington,  of  whicli  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  18T2,  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.)  David  Perkins,  soldier  and  mer- 
chant, was  born  near  Wilkesbarre,  Pa. ,  in  1837 ; 
received  a  common  school  education  and,  in 
1853,  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  Missouri  Volunteers.  With  this  organi- 
zation he  took  part  in  the  capture  of  Forts  Henry 
and  Donelson,  the  battle  of  Shiloli  and  the  siege 
and  capture  of  Corinth.  In  August,  1863,  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  tlie 
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  23, 
1891. 

GRIERSON,  Benjamin  H.,  .soldier,  was  born  in 
Pittsburg,  Pa.,  July  8,  1836;  removed  in  boyhood 


to  TrumbuU  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,  1863,  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  meanwliile 
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  years,  was  promoted  Brigadier- 
General  and  retired  with  that  rank  in  Julj'  fol- 
lowing.    His  home  is  at  Jacksonville. 

GRIGGS,  Samuel  Chapman,  publisher,  was 
born  in  Tolland,  Conn.,  July  30,  1819;  began 
business  as  a  bookseller  at  Hamilton,  N.  Y. ,  but 
removed  to  Chicago,  where  he  established  the 
largest  bookselling  trade  in  tlie  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  imtil  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   EXCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


GRIGGSTILLE,  a  city  in  Pike  County,  on  the 
Wabash  Railroad.  4  miles  west  of  the  Illinois 
River,  and  50  miles  east  of  Quincy.  Flour,  camp 
stoves,  and  brooms  are  manufactured  here.  The 
city  lias  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  born  in  Philadelphia,  Nov.  23,  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  admitted  to  the  bar  at  Harrisburg,  in 
1843.  The  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  1856,  and  was 
twice  an  unsuccessful  candidate  for  Congress 
(1856  and  '58)  in  a  strongly  Democratic  District. 
He  was  a  warm  personal  friend  and  trusted  coun- 
sellor of  Governor  Yates,  on  whose  stafi  he  served 
as  Colonel.  During  1861  the  latter  sent  Mr. 
Grimshaw  to  Washington  with  dispatches  an- 
nouncing the  capture  of  Jefferson  Barracks,  JIo. 
On  arriving  at  Annapolis,  learning  that  the  rail- 
roads had  been  torn  up  b}'  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  appointed  him  Col- 
lector of  Internal  Revenue  for  the  Quincy  Dis- 
trict, which  office  he  held  until  1869.  Died,  at 
Quincy,  Dec.  13,  1875. 

GRIMSHAW,  William  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- 
ville, 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. 


GRIXNELL,  Julius  S.,  lawyer  and  ex-Judge, 
was  born  in  St.  Lawrence  County,  N.  Y.,  in  1842, 
of  New  England  parents,  who  were  of  French 
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,  where  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  Count}',  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.  Mackia 
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,  1886 — 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  Germany,  Feb.  11,  1840;  having  lost 
his  father  by  death  at  13,  came  to  the  United 
States  two  years  later,  spent  a  year  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,  Gettys- 
burg, Lookout  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,  1865,  he  took  a  course  in  a 
commercial  college,  became  deputy  clerk  of  the 
PoUce  Court,  served  three  terms  as  Collector  of 
the  West  Town  of  Chicago,  and  an  equal  number 
of  terms  (12  j-ears)  as  Clerk  of  the  Circuit  Court 
of  Cook  County,  and,  in  1884,  was  elected  State 
Treasurer.  Since  retiring  from  the  latter  office, 
Sir.  Gross  has  been  engaged  in  the  banking  busi- 
ness, being  President,  for  several  years,  of  the 
Commercial  Bank  of  Chicago. 

GROSS,  William  I.,  lawyer,  was  born  in  Her- 
kimer County,  N.  Y.,  Feb.  21,  1839,  came  with 
his  father  to  Illinois  in  1844,  was  admitted  to  the 
bar  at  Springfield  in  1863,  but  abuost  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  tlie  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,  1866,  meanwhile  being 
brevetted  Major  and  Lieutenant-Colonel.  For 
the  next  two  years  he  occupied  various  positions 
in  the  civil  telegraph  service,  but,  in  1868,  resumed 
the  practice  of  law  at  Springfield,  in  conjunction 
with  his  brother  (Eugene  L. )  issuing  the  first 
volume  of  "Gross'  Statutes  of  Illinois,"  followed 
in  subsequent  years  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  L^tah.  Upon  the  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  Stenger,  jurist,  born  in 
Ashland,  Ohio,  Feb.  15,  1853 ;  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  years, 
was  the  partner  of  the  late  Leonard  Swett ;  in 
December,  1892,  was  appointed  by  President 
Harrison  Judge  of  the  United  States  District 
Court  for  the  Northern  District  of  Illinois  as  suc- 
cessor to  Judge  Henr}'  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  the  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  white  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.  Holloway,  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  pollbook  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. 

GULLITER,  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,  1868-72,  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,  William  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. 


21 4 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


HACKER,  John  S.,  pioneer  and  soUiier  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  witli  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  tliirty  years  in 
mercantile  business.  It  is  said  that  he  was 
unable  to  read  until  tauglit  after  marriage  by  his 
wife,  wlio  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  Vandalia  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  Jlissouri 
militia,  and,  in  the  Mexican  War,  as  Captain  of  a 
company  in  the  Second  Regiment,  Illinois  Volun- 
teers—Col. W.  H.  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  party  in 
December,  1837,  but  the  head  of  the  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  18.52,  located  in  Cairo, 
where  he  held  the  position  of  Surveyor  of  the 
Port  for  three  years,  when  he  was  removed  by 
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  1856,  as  Assistant  Doorkeeper  of 
the  House  of  Representatives  in  Washington.  In 
1837  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,  William  F.  L.,  lawyer  and  Con- 
gressman, was  born  near  CoUinsvlUe,  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  Michigan,  and  established  him- 
.self  in  the  practice  of  his  profession  at 
Edwardsville.  He  was  elected  to  the  State  Sen- 
ate, from  Madison  County  in  188G,  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  Cqn- 
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.  Mr. 
Hadley  was  a  candidate  for  re-election  in  1896, 
but  was  prevented  by  protracted  illness  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. 

HAHNEMANN  HOSPITAL,  a  homeopathic  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  Medical 
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  has  also  about 
sixty  private  rooms  for  paying  patients. 

HAHNEMANN  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  professors,  besides  clinical  lecturers,  demon- 
strators, etc.  In  1866-67  the  institution  moved 
into  larger  quarters  and,  in  1870,  the  corner-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. 


1892,  the  corner-stone  of  a  second  building  was 
laid  with  appropriate  Masonic  ceremonies,  the 
new  structure  occupj-ing  the  site  of  the  old,  but 
being  larger,  better  arranged  and  better  equipped. 
Women  were  admitted  as  students  in  1870-71  and 
co-education  of  the  sexes  has  ever  since  continued 
an  established  feature  of  the  institution.  For 
more  than  thirtj'-five  years  a  free  dispensary  has 
been  in  operation  in  connection  with  the  college. 
HAIJfES,  John  Charles,  Mayor  of  Chicago  and 
legislator,  was  born  in  Oneida  County,  N.  Y.. 
May  2G,  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  "50),  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  which  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  home  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  '62.  In 
1867  he  came  into  prominence  as  an  anti-monopo- 
list, and  on  tliis  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  Di.strict  normally  Republican.  He 
served  as  Speaker  during  the  sessions  of  1875  and 
'85,  tlie  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  bj'  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  was  love  rather  than 
argument,  and  in  this  lay  the  secret  of  his  suc- 
cess.    Died,  in  Springfield,  Jan.  30,  1891. 

HALE,  (Dr.)  Eilyyiu  M.,  physician,  was  born 
in  Newport.  N.  H.,  in  1829,  commenced  the  study 
of  medicine  in  1848  and,  in  1850,  entered  the 
Cleveland  Homeopatliic  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  finall}-  accomplished,  he  was 
ofl'ered  the  chair  of  Materia  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  Chicago. 
In  1876  he  made  a  visit  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  lie  retired  with  the  rank  of  Pro- 
fessor Emeritus.  Dr.  Hale  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  home  and  foreign  associations.  Died,  in 
Chicago,  Jan.  18,  1899. 

HALL,  (Col.)  Cyrus,  soldier,  was  born  in  Fay- 
ette County,  111.,  August  29,  1822 — 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  AVar  coming  on,  he 
raised  the  first  company  for  the  war  in  Shelby 
Coimty,  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.  The  Fourteenth 
Regiment  having  been  finally  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,  1864,  was 
brevetted  Brigadier-General  for  gallant  and 
meritorious  service  in  the  field,  in  March,  1805, 
and  mustered  out  Sept.  16,  1865.  Returning  to 
Slielbyville,  he  engaged  in  the  furniture  trade, 
later  was  appointed  Postmaster,  serving  some  ten 
years  and  until  his  death,  Sept.  6,  1878. 

HALL,  James,  legislator,  jurist.  State  Treasurer 
and  author,  was  born  in  Philadelphia,  August 
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  ofiice  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  account  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. 

HAMILTO>',  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  with  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  sanitarium 
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. ,  wliere  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 
with  the  rank  of  First  Lieutenant,  serving  suc- 
cessively at  Jeflferson  Barracks,  St.  Louis;  Fort 
Colville,  Washington,  and  in  the  Jlarine  Hospital 
at  Boston ;  in  1879  became  Supervising  Surgeon- 
General  as  successor  to  Gen.  John  M.  Woodworth 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


21^ 


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 
charge  of  the  camp  of  refugees  from  Jacksonville 
and  other  stricken  points.  Resigning  the  position 
of  Surgeon-General  in  1891,  he  took  charge  of  the 
Marine  Hospital  at  Chicago  and  became  Pro- 
fessor of  Surgery  in  Rush  Jledical  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  Army, 
in  1897  was  appointed  Superintendent  for  the 
Northern  Hospital  for  the  Insane  at  Elgin,  but 
died,  Dec.  24,  1898. 

HAMILTON,  John  L.,  farmer  and  legislator, 
was  born  at  Newry,  Ireland,  Nov.  9,  1829;  emi- 
grated to  Jersey  County,  III,  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  father,  who  settled  on  a  farm  in 
Marshall  County.  In  1864  (at  the  age  of  17;  he 
enlisted  in  the  One  Hundred  and  Forty-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.  CuUom.  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  the  Chicago  bar. 

HAMILTON,  Richard  Jones,  pioneer  lawyer, 
was  born  near  Danville,  Ky.,  August  31,  1799; 
studied  law  and,  about  1820,  came  to  Jonesboro, 
Union  County.  111. ,  in  company  with  Abner  Field, 
afterwards  State  Treasurer ;  in  1821  was  appointed 
cashier  of  the  newly  established  Branch  State 
Bank  at  Brownsville,  Jackson  County,  but,  in 
1831,  removed  to  Chicago,  Governor  Reynolds 
having  appointed  him  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  1832,  took  an  active  part  in  raising  volun- 
ters  for  defense  during  the  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,  WilUam  Stephen,  pioneer  — son 
of  Alexander  Hamilton,  fir.st  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,  111. ;  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  1842-43,  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  1821,  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 


HISTORICAL    ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF    ILLINOIS. 


boundary.  Coal  crops  out  at  various  points  in 
the  southwestern  portion.  Originally  Hamilton 
L'ounty  was  a  dense  forest,  aud  timber  is  still 
abundant  and  saw  mills  numerous.  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 
jM-incipal  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  Biggerstafifs  and  T  Stelle,  in  1818, 
and  W.  T.  Golson  and  Louis  Baxter,  in  1821. 
The  most  important  town  is  lIcLeansboro,  whose 
population  in  1890  was  1.3.").5. 

H.\MMO>D,  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  Michigan,  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  1805  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-President  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 
Seminary  (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  Omaha  Division  of  the  Chicago,  Milwaukee 
tt  St.  Paul  Railway,  51  miles  west-northwest  from 
Chicago.  There  are  brick  and  tile  works,  a  large 
canning  factory,  pickle  factory,  and  machine 
sliop ;  dairy  and  stock  interests  are  large.  The 
f)Iace  has  a  bank,  electric  lights  and  water-works, 
and  a  weekly  paper.     Pop.  (1890),  696;  (1900),  760. 

HANCOCK  COUMY,  on  the  western  border  of 
the  State,  bounded  on  the  west  by  the  Mississippi 
River;  was  organized  in  1825  and  named  for  John 
Ha.ncock ;  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,  the  famous  Indian  Chief,  is  reputed  to 
have  been  born  within  the  limits  of  Camp  Creek 
Township,  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,  Xaiivoo.) 
Carthage  and  Appanoose  were  surveyed  and  laid 
out  in  1835  and  1886.  A  ferry  across  the  IMissis- 
sippi  was  established  at  Montebello  (near  the 
present  site  of  Hamilton)  in  1829,  and  another, 
two  years  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. 

HANDY,  Moses  Purnell,  journalist,  was  born 
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  school- 
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  1809,  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, Jlr.  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  by  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  his  lost  strength  and  vigor,  but 
died,  at  Augusta,  Ga. ,  Jan.  8,  1898. 

HAKKS,  Dennis,  pioneer,  born  in  Hardin 
County,  Ky.,  May  1.5,  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  wliich 
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  that 
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  22d  day  of  September 
previous. 

HANKS,  John,  pioneer,  a  cousin  of  the  mother 
of  Abraham  Lincoln,  was  born  near  Bardstown, 
Ky.,  Feb.  9,  1802;  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  these  rails  being  the  ones  displa}-ed 
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  Offutt,  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  Forty-first  Illinois 
Volunteer  Infantry  during  the  Civil  War.  He 
followed  the  occupation  of  a  farmer  until  1850, 
wlien  he  went  to  California,  where  he  spent  three 
years,  returning  in  1853.  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  tlie  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  California  after  the  war.  Died, 
July  1,  1891. 

HANMIUL  &  NAPLES  RAILROAD.  (See 
}Vabash  Railroad.) 

HA\ON,  Martin,  pioneer,  was  born  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  tliat 
region.  Died,  near  Sharpsburg,  Christian  County, 
April  5,  1879. 

HANOVER,  a  village  in  Jo  Daviess  County,  on 
Apple  River,  14  miles  south-southeast  of  Galena. 
It  has  a  woolen  factory,  besides  five  churches  and 
a  graded  school.     The  Township  (also  called  Han- 


2ao 


IIISTOKICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


over)  extends  to  the  Mississippi,  and  has  a  popu- 
lation of  about  1.700.  Population  of  the  village 
(1890).  743;  (1900),  785. 

HARDIN,  the  county-seat  of  Calhoun  County, 
situated  in  Hardin  To%vnship.  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  18.59,  and  entered  the  service  as 
brevet  Second  Lieutenant  of  the  Third  Artillery. 
a  few  months  later  becoming  full  Second  Lieu- 
tenant, and,  in  May,  1861,  Fir.st  Lieutenant. 
Being  assigned  to  the  command  of  volunteer 
troops,  he  passed  through  various  grades  until 
May.  1864.  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,  1870,  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,  1832,  and  educated  at  the  Female 
Seminary  in  that  place ;  was  married  about  1854 


to  Mansfield  Tracy  Walworth  (son  of  Chancellor 
R.  H.  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  gi%-en  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  Saratoga  Springs,  N.  Y. 

HARDIN  COUNTY,  situated  on  the  southeast 
border  of  the  State,  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,  besides  carboniferous  lime- 
stone of  the  Keokuk  group.  Elizabethtown  is 
the  county-seat.  Population  ( 1880) ,  6, 024 ;  (1890), 
7,234;   (1900),  7,448. 

HARDING,  Abner  Clark,  soldier  and  Member 
of  Congress,  born  in  East  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  1863  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  part  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    OP    ILLINOIS. 


231 


HARGRAVE,  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  IlUnois  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 
PubUc  Instruction  In  Iowa  (1847),  President  of 
Iowa  Wesleyan  University  (1853),  United  States 
Senator  (1855-65),  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  the  Peace 
Conference  of  1861,  and  a  delegate  to  the  Phila- 
delphia Loyalists'  Convention  of  1866;  in  1873, 
after  leaving  the  Senate,  was  editor  of  "The 
Washington  Chronicle,"  and,  from  1882  to  1885, 
presiding  Judge  of  the  Court  of  Commissioners  of 
the  Alabama  Claims.  A  daughter  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. 

HARLA\,  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  18.55.  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,  %vhile  on  a  visit  in  Kentucky,  in  March, 
1879. 

HARLOW,  George  H.,  ex-Secretary  of  State, 
born  at  Sackett's  Harbor,  N.  Y.,  in  1830,  removed 
to  Tazewell  County,  111.,  in  1854,  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 
home  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  1865  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  (1869-73)  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 he  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. 

HARPER,  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, 
Blr.  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  Semi- 
nary at  Morgan  Park,  a  suburb  of  Chicago.  Here 
he  laid  the  foundation  of  the  "inductive  method" 
of  Hebraic  study,  which  rapidly  grew  in  favor. 
The  school  by  correspondence  was  known  as  the 


222 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF    ILLINOIS. 


'■American  Institute  of  Hebrew,"  and  increased 
so  rapidly  that,  by  1885,  it  had  enrolled  !SUO  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  tlie  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  Cliicago  Board  of  Education.  Dr. 
Harper  is  the  author  of  numerous  philological 
text-books,  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,  i8l6;  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  Y'ates  in  1850;  was  re-elected  in  1854, 
'ofi.  and  '.58.  but  died  Nov.  24,  1858,  a  few  days  after 
his  fourth  election  and  before  completing  his 
preceding  term. 

H.iRRIS,  William  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  (1.856-72)  and,  during  1860-72, 
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  Y'ork, 
Sept.  2,  1887.  Bishop  Harris  was  a  recognized  au- 
thority on  Methodist  Church  law,  and  pubUshed 
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. 

H.VRRISBCRG,  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, and  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.  15,  1825;  at  the  age  of 
20  years  graduated  from  Y'ale  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  successive 
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. 


22;i 


tion  of  his  party  for  the  office,  and  was  elected. 
In  Itjyi,  iu  connection  with  a  few  associates,  he 
purchased  the  plant  of "  'The  Chicago  Times, " '  plac- 
ing 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  Pvendergast,  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.  Harrison  was 
educated  in  tlie  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  be.gan  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  1893,  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  1895.  In 
1897,  he  received  the  Democratic  nomination  for 
Mayor  of  Chicago,  liis  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. 

HARRISO?i,  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,  m  1797,  assigned  to  command  of  the 
Fort  with  the  rank  of  Captain.  He  had  pre- 
viously served  as  Aid-de-Camp  to  Gen.  Wayne, 
by  wliom  he  was  complimented  for  gallantry  at 
the  battle  of  Miami.  In  1798  he  was  appointed  by 


President  Adams  Secretary  of  the  Northwest 
Territory,  but  resigned  in  1799  to  become  Dele- 
gate in  Congress ;  in  1800  lie  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  man}'  important  treaties 
with  the  Indians.  In  1811  he  won  the  decisive 
victory  over  Chief  Tecumseh  and  his  followers 
at  Tippecanoe.  Having  been  made  a  Brigadier- 
General  in  the  War  of  1813,  he  was  promoted  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  1830  and  1824;  United  States  Senator 
(1824-1838),  and  Minister  to  the  United  States  of 
Colombia  (1838-39).  Returning  to  the  United 
States,  he  was  elected  Clerk  of  the  Court  of  Com- 
mon Pleas  of  Hamilton  Count)',  serving  twelve 
years.  In  1836  he  was  an  unsuccessful  Whig 
candidate  for  President,  but  was  elected  in  1840, 
dying  in  Washington  City,  April  4,  1841,  just  on& 
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 
1853  he  returned  to  Illinois,  settling  in  Randolph 
County,  which  became  his  permanent  home.  He 
was  brouglit  up  on  a  farm,  but  graduated  at  Mc- 
Kendree  College,  Lebanon,  in  June,  1859.  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. 

HARTARD,  an  incorporated  city  in  McHenry 
County,  63  miles  northwest  of  Chicago  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),  2,603. 

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  1863,  when  she  was  called  to  the  principal- 
ship  of  Castleton  Seminary.     She  resirrned  thii 


224 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


position  in  1867  to  assume  a  similar  one  at  Monti- 
cello  Female  Seminary,  at  Godfrey,  111.,  where 
she  has  since  remained.  The  main  building  of 
this  institution  liaving  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-'6.5),  was  born  at  Hillsborough 
Center,  N.  H.,  April  11,  1814,  and  removed  to 
Origgsville,  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  office  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  1864  he  declined  a  renomi- 
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 
to  some  extent  in  the  banking  business  at  Griggs- 
ville, and  was  influential  in  securing  the  con- 
struction of  the  branch  of  the  Wabash  Railway 
from  Naples  to  Hannibal,  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 
only  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  a.ssumed  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  in 
Evanston  and  Chicago.  In  1886  he  went  to  Sum- 
merfield  Methodist  Episcopal  Chm-ch,  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  temporary  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  Evanston, 
March  31,  1891. 

HATTOX,  Frank,  journalist  and  Postmaster- 
General,  was  born  at  Cambridge,  Ohio,  April  28, 
1846;  entered  his  father's  newspaper  office  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- 
sioned 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  Gresham  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. 

HAVANA,  the  county-seat  of  Mason  County,  an 
incorporated  city  founded  in  1827  on  the  Illinois 
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).  3,525;  (1900),  3,268. 

HAVANA,  RANTOUL  &  EASTERN  RAIL- 
ROAD.    (See  Illinois  Central  Railroad. ) 

HAVEN,  Erastus  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  Michigan 
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  18T2  became  Secretary  of  the  IMethodist 
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 
versatilit)'  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  1854  he  became  proprietor  of  "The 
Prairie  Farmer,"'  of  which  he  remained  in  con- 
trol until  1858.  Mr.  Haven  took  an  active  interest 
in  public  affairs,  and  was  an  vmtiring  worker  for 
the  promotion  of  popular  education.  For  ten 
years  following  1853,  he  was  ofScially  connected 
with  the  Chicago  Board  of  Education,  being  for 
four  years  its  President.  The  comptroUersliip  of 
the  city  was  offered  liim  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  tlie  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,  1839;  came  to 
Carroll  County.  111.,  in  boy  hood,  where  he  attended 
tlie  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  i.i 
Fairfield  County,  Conn.,  Feb.  9,  1831;  accompa- 
nied his  parents  to  Illinois  in  childhood,  residin"; 
in  his  early  manhood  at  Carthage,  Hancoci; 
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  ol' 
Rock  Island  County.  In  1861  he  entered  th- 
Union  army  as  Captain,  but  was  so  severely 
wounded  at  Fort  Donelson  (1862)  that  he  was 
obliged  to  quit  the  service.  In  1865  President 
Lincoln  appointed  him  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. 

HAY,  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  General 


220 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


Hunter  andGilmore,  with  the  rank  of  Major  and 
Adjutaut-Geueral.  After  President  Lincoln's 
assassination  lie  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-vohune  "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  his  home. 
In  1897  President  McKinley  appointed  him  Am- 
bassador to  England,  where,  by  his  tact,  good 
judgment  and  sound  discretion  manifested  as  a 
diplomatist  and  speaker  on  jjublic  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  War.  in  September,  1898,  followed 
naturally  as  a  just  tribute  to  the  rank  which  he 
had  won  as  a  diplomatist,  and  was  universally 
approvetl  throughout  the  nation. 

HAT,  John  B.,  ex-Congressman,  was  born  at 
Belleville,  III,  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  army  dtiring  the  War  of  the  Rebellion, 
and,  in  1868,  was  elected  a  Representative  in  the 
Forty-flrst  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,  III,  in 
1832 ;  in  1838  became  a  student  in  the  law  office 
of  Stuart  &  Lincoln;  was  admitted  to  the 
bar  in  1840,  and  began  practice  at  Pittsfield, 
Pike  County.  In  1858  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  Judiciary  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  the  new  Constitution. 
The  estimate  in  which  he  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  imob- 
trusive  in  manner,  and  of  calm,  dispassionate 
judgment  and  unimpeachable  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  tlie 
active  prosecution  of  his  profession,  devoting  his 
time  to  the  care  of  a  handsome  estate.  Died, 
Sept.  15,  1893. 

HATES,  PhlUp  C,  ex-Congressman,  was  born 
at  Gran  by.  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 
spent  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  weekly  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  Joliet,  111.,  but  retired  some  years  since. 

HATES,  Samuel  Snowden,  lawyer  and  politi- 
cian, was  born  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 
1842,  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 
Count}',  and,  in  1848,  was  a  Democratic  Presi- 
dential Elector.  About  18.52  he  removed  to  Chi- 
cago, where  he  was  afterwards  City  Solicitor  and 
(1862-65)  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  whicli  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)  cuhni- 
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  i:ilatform.  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  midnight,  some  one 
whose  identity  has  never  been  thoroughly  proved, 
threw  a  dynamite  bomb  into  the  ranks  of  the 
pohce,  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  cliaracter.  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  tlie  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'  imprisomuent.  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. 

HAYA'IE,  Isham  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  18,50,  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  year  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  COLLECiE  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 
which  Illinois  then  formed  a  part,  locating  first 


228 


IIISTOPJCAL    ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF    ILLINOIS. 


at  Kaskaskia  and  afterwards  at  Jonesboro,  in 
Union  County;  in  1823  went  to  Butfalo,  N.  Y., 
but  returned  west  in  1827,  arriving  wliere  Clii- 
cago  now  stands  on  July  4 ;  in  1828  was  living 
inside  Fort  Dearborn,  but  subsequently  located 
several  miles  up  the  South  Brancli  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  obtained  a  license  to  keep  a  tavern,  in 
1833  became  a  Justice  of  the  Peace,  and,  in  1835, 
had  a  law  office  in  the  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  memVier  of  tlie  State  Constitutional  Conven- 
tion of  1847.  from  Cook  County. 

HEALTH,  BO.iRD  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  office  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  holds  good,  although  to  a  far  less  ex- 
tent, as  to  its  supervisory  power  over  conta- 
gious diseases,  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. 

HEALY,  Georare  P.  A.,  artist,  was  born  in 
Boston,  July  1.5,  1808,  and  early  manifested  a 
predilection  for  art,  in  which  he  was  encoviraged 
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  18.0.5  lie  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  tliem 
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  Eome.     During  his  several  visits  to  Europe  he 


painted  the  portraits  of  a  large  number  of  royal 
personages,  including  Louis  Phillippe  of  France, 
as  also,  in  this  country,  the  portraits  of  Presidents 
and  other  distinguished  persons.  One  of  his  his- 
torical pictures  was  "Wehster  Replying  to 
Hayne,"  in  wliich  1.50  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. 

HEATOX,  WilUam  Weed,  lawyer  and  jurist, 
was  born  at  Western,  Oneida  County,  N.  Y., 
April  18,  1814.  After  completing  his  academic 
studies  he  engaged,  for  a  sliort  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  death.  In  1861  he  was  elected  Judge  of 
the  Circuit  Court  for  the  Twenty -second  Circuit, 
and  occupied  a  seat  upon  the  bench,  through 
repeated  re-elections,  until  his  death,  which 
occurred  Dec.  26,  1877,  while  serving  as  a  mem- 
ber of  tlie  Appellate  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  1843  and  a 
leader  in  the  Diet  of  1846-47,  ..but,  in  1848,  was 
forced,  with  many  of  liis  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  opposed  to  slavery,  ultimately  joined 
the  Republican  party,  and  took  an  active  part  in 
the  campaigns  of  18.56  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,  ISSl. 

HEDDING  COLLEGE,  an  institution  incorpo- 
rated in  187.5  and  conducted  under  the  auspices  of 
the  ilethodist  Episcopal  Church,  at  Abingdon, 
Knox  County,  111. ;  lias  a  faculty  of  seventeen 
instructors,  and  reports  (1895-96),  403  students, 
of  whom  213  w-ere  male  and  181  female.  The 
branches  taught  include  the  sciences,  the  classics, 
music,  fine  arts,  oratory  and  preparatory  courses. 
The  institution  has  funds  and  endowment 
amounting  to  .$55,000,  and  property  valued  at 
§158,000. 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF    ILLINOIS. 


339 


HEMPSTEAD,  Charles  S.,  pioneer  lawyer  ami 
first  Maj'or  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  across 
the  "Illinois  Country"  on  foot  to  Kaskaskia  and 
finally  to  St.  Louis,  where  be  joined  another 
brother  (Edward),  with  wliom  he  soon  began  the 
study  of  law.  Having  been  admitted  to  the  bar 
in  both  IMissouri  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  IMissouri  Legis- 
lature. In  1829  Sir.  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  LTnion  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  Territorj-, 
under  Gov.  William  Henrj'  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.  10,  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  '50  he  was  a 
member  of  the  lower  house  of  the  Legislature, 
and  State  Senator  from  1857  to  '60.  He  entered 
the  Union  army,  in  1863,  as  Colonel  of  the  One 
Hundred  and  Twelfth  Illinois  Volunteers,  and 


served  until  the  close  of  the  war,  being  brevetted 
Brigadier-General  in  January,  1805.  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.,  jiolitician  and  legis- 
lator, was  born  in  Garrard  County,  Ky.,  Nov.  10, 
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  the  General  Assembly  as  Repre- 
sentative from  Bureau  and  Putnam  Counties, 
being  re-elected  in  1840.  In  1842  he  was  the 
unsuccessful  Whig  candidate  for  Lieutenant- 
Governor,  being  defeated  by  John  Moore.  In 
1845  lie  migrated  to  Iowa,  where  he  died  in  1864. 

HENDERSON  COUNTY,  a  county  comprising 
3S(i  sijuare  miles  of  territor}',  located  in  the  west- 
ern section  of  tlie  State  and  bordering  on  the  Mis- 
sissippi River.  The  first  settlements  -were  made 
about  1827-28  at  Yellow  Banks,  now  Oquawka. 
Immigration  was  checked  by  the  Black  Hawk 
AVar,  but  revived  after  the  removal  of  the  Indians 
across  the  IMississippi.  The  county  was  set  off 
from  Warren  in  1841,  with  Oquawka  as  the 
county-seat.  Population  (1880),  10,722;  (1890), 
9,870.  The  soil  is  fertile,  and  underlaid  by  lime- 
stone. The  surface  is  undulating,  and  well  tim- 
bered.    Population  (1900),  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  soutlieast  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  liver.  Tlie  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),  ."123. 

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  (1075)  by 
his  ecclesiastical  superiors  to  proceed  to  Canada. 
In  1679  he  accompanied  La  Salle  on  his  explo- 
rations of  the  great  lakes  and  tlie  upper  Missis- 
sippi. Having  reached  the  Illinois  by  way  of 
Lake  Michigan,  early  in  the  following  year  ( 1080; , 
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  Creve-Cceur.  In  Februarv, 
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  Eui-ope."  It  was  a  compilation 
describing  La  Salle's  voyage  to  the  mouth  of  the 
Mississippi.  His  three  works  have  been  trans- 
lated into  twenty-four  different  languages.  He 
died,  at  Utrecht,  between  1702  and  I'lOr,. 

HEXXEPIX  CANAL.  (See  Illinois  &  3Iissis- 
sip2)i  Canal.) 

HEXRY,  a  city  in  Marshall  County,  situated  on 
the  west  bank  of  the  Illinois  River  and  on  the 
Peoria  branch  of  the  Chicago,  Rock  Island  & 
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) 
l..')12;  (1900),  1,637. 

HENRY,  James  D.,  pioneer  and  soldier,  was  born 
in  Pennsylvania,  came  to  Illinois  in  1822,  locating 
at  Edwardsville,  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  imtil  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 
the  father  of  William  H.  Herndon,  the  law  part- 
ner of  Abraham  Lincoln. 

HERNDON,  WiUiam  H.,  lawyer,  was  born  at 
Greensbiu-g,  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  years  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  bar 
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. 
TUe  offices  lie  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  York. 
Died,  near  Springfield,  March  18.  1891. 

HERRINGTON,  Augustus  M.,  lawyer  and  poli- 
tician, was  born  at  or  near  Meadville,  Pa.,  in  1823; 


HISTOKICAL   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  "SO.  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 
(Harrington),  brother  of  the  preceding,  was  born 
in  Mercer  County,  Pa.,  June  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  vmtil  1848,  when  he  returned 
to  Geneva,  where  he  engaged  in  farming,  being 
also  connected  for  a  j'ear  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  coimties  of  Kane, 
McHenry,  Boone  and  De  Kalb. 

HERTZ,  Henry  L.,  ex-State  Treasurer,  was 
born  at  Copenhagen,  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  coimtry  in  1869.  After 
various  experiences  in  selling  sewing-machines, 
as  bank-clerk,  and  as  a  farm-hand,  in  1876  Mr. 
Hertz  was  emploj-ed  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  Count}',  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. 

HESIXG,  Antone  Caspar,  journalist  and  politi- 
cian, was  born  in  Prussia  in  1823 ;  left  an  orphan  at 
the  age  of  15,  he  soon  after  emigrated  to  America, 
landing  at  Baltimore  and  going  thence  to  Cin- 


cinnati. From  1.940  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  he  was  elected  Sheriff  of  Cook 
County,  as  a  Republican.  In  1862  he  purchased 
an  interest  in  "The  Chicago  Staats  Zeitung, " 
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  Democi-atic 
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  Cliicago,  serving  four 
years.  His  administration  was  characterized  by 
a  liigh  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  born  at 
Bethel,  Windsor  County,  Vt.,  Nov.  7,  1824,  his 
early  Ufe  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 
18.50.  Then,  having  spent  some  years  in  teach- 
ing, he  entered  the  Dane  Law  School  at  Harvard, 


23-2 


IIISTOrtlCAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLIXOIS. 


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  earh'  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  the 
head  of  the  firm  of  Hibbard,  Rich  &  Noble.  In 
18T0  he  was  appointed  by  Judge  Drummond 
Register  in  Bankruptcy  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  (J,,  lawyer  and  soldier  of 
three  wars,  was  born  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,  1815.  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  was  elected  to  the  lower  branch  of  the  Twelfth 
General  Assembly  (1840)  and  re-elected  succes- 
sively to  the  Thirteenth  and  Fourteenth.  Early 
in  the  Mexican  War  (1840)  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 Tennessee,  including  the  battle  of  Shiloh, 
where  Colonel  Hicks  was  dangerously  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,  1863,  he  was  placed  in  command  at 
Paducah,  Ky.,  where  he  remained  eighteen 
months,  after  which  he  was  transferred  to  Colum- 
bus. Ky,  AVhile  in  command  at  Paducah,  the 
place    was   desperately    assaiilted    by  the    rebel 


Colonel  Forrest,  but  successfully  defended,  the 
rebel  assailants  sustaining  a  lo.ss  of  some  1,200 
killed  and  wounded.  After  the  war  Colonel 
Hicks  retui-ned  tu  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 
soldier  should  have  occurred  on  the  anniversary 
of  that  of  the  "Father  of  His  Country." 

HKiBEE,  Cliauncey  L.,  lawyer  and  Judge,  was 
born  in  Clermont  County,  Ohio,  Sept.  7,  1821, 
and  settled  in  Pike  Comity,  111.,  in  1844.  He 
earl}-  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. 

HIGGIXS,  Van  HoUisi,  lawyer,  was  born  in 
Genessee  County,  N.  Y. ,  and  received  his  early 
education  at  Auburn  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 
Missouri  Argus,"  later  engaging  in  commercial 
pursuits:  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  1858 
he  was  elected  as  a  Republican  Representative  in 
the  Twenty-first  General  Assembty ;  served  sev- 
eral years  as  Judge  of  the  Chicago  City  Court, 
and  was  a  zealous  supporter  of  the  Government 
during  the  War  of  the  Rebellion.  Judge  Higgins 
was  successful  as  a  lawyer  and  business  man,  and 
was  connected  with  a  number  of  important  busi- 
ness enterprises,  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. 

HI{iGI>'SO\,  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   EXCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


233 


chasing  agent  of  the  Toledo,  Peoria  &  Warsaw 
Railroad,  but,  a  j-ear  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.,  Jlay  0, 
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  Men's  Christian  Association  of  Chicago. 

HIGH,  James  L.,  lawj'er  and  author,  was  born 
at  Belleville,  Ohio,  Oct.  6,  1844;  in  boyhood  came 
to  Wisconsin,  and  graduated  at  Wisconsin  State 
University,  at  Madison,  in  1804,  also  serving  for 
a  time  as  Adjutant  of  the  Forty-ninth  Regiment 
Wisconsin  Volunteers ;  studied  law  at  the  Michi- 
gan University  Law  School  and,  in  18G7.  came  to 
Chicago,  where  he  began  practice.  He  spent  the 
winter  of  1871-72  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  Meadow 
Massacre,  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  Prohibi- 
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  hfe.     Died,  Oct.  3,  1898. 

H1GHLA>'D,  a  city  in  the  southeastern  part  of 
Madison  County,  founded  in  1836  and  located  on 
the  Vandalia  line,  3"3  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  churches  and  schools,  a  Roman  Catholic 
Seminary,  a  hospital,  and  has  three  newspaper.? — 
one  German.  The  early  settlers  were  Germans 
of  the  most  thrifty  and  enterprising  classes. 
The  surrounding  country  is  agricultural.  Popu- 
lation (1880),  1,960;  (1890),  1,857;  (1900,  decennial 
census),  1,970. 

HIGHLAND  PARK,  an  incorporated  city  of 
Lake  County,  on  the  Chicago  &  Northwestern 
Railroad,  23  miles  north-northwest  of  Chicago. 
It  has  a  salubrious  site  on  a  blutf  100  feet  above 


Lake  Jlichigan,  and  is  a  favorite. residence  and 
health  resort.  It  has  a  large  hotel,  several 
churches,  a  military  academy,  ami  a  weekly 
paper.  Two  Waukegan  papers  issue  editions 
here.     Population  (1890),  3,163;.  (1900),  2,806. 

HILDBUP,  Jesse  S.,  lawyer  and  legislator, 
was  born  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  that  of  Delegate  to  the 
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  33,  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 
Finst  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  the 
practice  of  his  profession.  In  1868  he  was  elected 
State's  Attorney  for  the  district  comprising  \\  ill 
and  Grundy  Counties,  but  declined  a  renomina- 
tion.  In  1888  he  was  the  successful  Republican 
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.  07 
miles  northeast  of  St.  Louis.  Its  manufactures 
are  flour,  brick  and  tile,  carriages  and  harness. 


334 


IIISTOPJCAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLIXOIS. 


furniture  and  woolen  goods.  It  lias  a  Ingh 
school,  banks  and  two  weekly  newspapers.  The 
surrounding  region  is  agricultural,  though  con- 
siderable coal  is  mined  in  the  vicinity.  Popula- 
tion (issil).  2,858;  (1890),  2,.'500;  (1900),  1,937. 

HIXCKLEY,  a  village  of  De  Kalb  County,  on 
the  Roehelle  Division  of  the  Chicago,  Burlington 
&  Quincy  Railroad,  18  miles  we.st  of  Aurora;  in 
rich  agricultural  and  dairying  region ;  has  grain 
elevators,  brick  and  tile  works,  water  system  and 
electric  light  plant.     Pop.  (1890),  496;  (1900),  587. 

HINRICHSEX,  William  H.,  ex-Secretary  of 
State  and  ex-Congressman,  was  born  at  Franklin, 
Morgan  County,  111.,  May  27,  1850;  educated  at 
the  University  of  Illinois,  spent  four  years  in  the 
office  of  his  father,  who  was  stock-agent  of  the 
Wabash  Railroad,  and  six  years  (1874-80)  as 
Deputy  Sheriff  of  Morgan  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  1893,  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.  Hinrichsen  was  the 
nominee  of  his  party  for  Congress  in  the  Six- 
teenth District  and  was  elected  by  over  6,000 
majority,  but  failed  to  secure  a  renomination  in 
1898. 

HIKSDALE,  a  village  in  Du  Page  County  and 
popular  residence  suburb,  on  the  Chicago,  Bur- 
lington &  Quincy  Railroad,  17  miles  west-south- 
west of  Cliicago.  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,  1837; 
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  13,  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,  becoming  one  of  the  most 
influential  factors  in  the  Methodist  denomination 
in  Northern  Illinois.  Between  that  date  and 
1860  he  was  identified,  as  regular  pa.stor  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  periods 
by  ill-health,  compelling  him  to  assume  a  super- 
annuated relation.  From  1853  to  '80,  inclusive, 
he  was  a  delegate  every  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 Elder  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,  K}-.,  Jime  13,  1810 
— the  son  of  a  Methodist  preacher  who  freed  his 
slaves  and  removed  to  Urbana,  Ohio,  in  1814.  In 
1829  tlie  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  Coxmty,  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  mu.stered  into  the  service 
in  March,  1863,  and  commissioned  its  Lieutenant- 
Colonel.  Tlie  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  imtil  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  AVar.  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,  1838;  in  1S4.5  entered 
the  fresliman  class  at  Asbury  University,  Ind., 
graduating  in  1849.  Then,  removing  to  Ottawa, 
111.,  be  was  engaged  for  a  time  in  farming,  but, 
in  1853,  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,  lie  engaged  in  the  real-estate 
business  there ;  in  1863  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  Xashville.  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  Chicago  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  IlUnois, 
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,  imtil  3Iarch,  '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  1883.  having  been 
elected  to  Congress  from  the  Sixth  IlUnois  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.  ]\Ir. 
-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  tlie  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  Pest"  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  Association.  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  Herford.  Prussia,  in  1833, 
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  1853  he  removed  to  Chicago,  and, 
the  following  j'ear,  entered  tlie  City  Council. 
Later,  he  embarked  in  the  real-estate  business, 
and,  in  1854,  opened  a  banking  house,  but  was 


23tj 


IIISTOUICAL    EXCYCL0PP:DIA    or    ILLINOIS. 


forced  to  assign  in  1861.  He  early  became  a 
recognized  anti-slavery  leader  and  a  contributor 
to  the  German  press,  and,  in  1830,  was  nominated 
for  Lieutenant-Governor  on  the  first  Republican 
State  ticket  with  William  H.  Bissell,  but  was 
found  ineligible  by  reason  of  his  short  residence 
in  the  United  States,  and  withdrew,  giving  place 
to  John  "Wood  of  Quincy.  In  18G0  he  was  again 
nominated,  and  having  in  the  meantime  become 
eligible,  was  elected.  In  1804  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  Chicago  for  several  German  States.  For  a 
number  of  years  past  Mr.  Hoffman  has  been 
editor  of  an  agricultural  paper  in  Southern 
Wisconsin. 

HOGA>',  John,  clergyman  and  early  politician, 
was  born  in  the  city  of  Mallow,  County  of  Cork, 
Ireland,  Jan.  2,  180o;  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, 
preached  at  various  points  in  Indiana,  Illinois 
and  Missouri.  In  1830  lie  was  married  to  Miss 
Mary  Mitchell  West,  of  Belleville,  111. ,  and  soon 
after,  having  retired  from  the  itinerancy,  engaged 
in  mercantile  business  at  Edward'sville  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  lie  engaged  in  the  wholesale  grocery  busi- 
ness. In  his  early  political  life  he  was  a  Whig, 
but  later  co-operated  with  the  Democratic  party ; 
in  1857  he  was  appointed  bj-  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  ilnusual  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." 

HO(iE,  Joseph  P.,  Congressman,  was  born  in 
Ohio  early  in  the  century  and  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  Nauvoo,  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  Thomas  C.  Browne,  one  of  the  Jus- 
tices of  the  first  Supreme  Court  of  Illinois  who 
held  office  until  1848. 

HOLLISTER,  (Dr.)  John  Hamilton,  physi- 
cian, was  born  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  Society,  and,  for  twenty  years,  its  Treas- 
urer. Other  positions  Jield  by  him  have  been 
those  of  Trustee  of  the  American  Medical  Associ- 
ation and  editor  of  its  journal.  President  of  the 
Young  Men's  Cliristian  Association  and  of  the 
Chicago  Congregational  Club.  He  has  also  been 
prominent  in  Sunday  School  and  churcll*work  in 
connection  with  the  Armour  Jlission.  with  which 
he  has  been  associated  for  many  vears. 

HOME  FOR  JUVEMLE  OPFEXDERS,  (FE- 
MALE). The  establishment  of  this  institution 
was  authorized  by  act  of  June  22,  1893,  which 
appropriated  875,000  towards  its  erection  and 
maintenance,  not  more  than  815,000  to  be  ex- 
pended for  a  site.  (See  also  State  Guardians  for 
Gj  rh. )  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 


HISTORICAL    ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF    ILLINOIS. 


237 


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  were  furnished 
for  the  Home  dm-ing  the  first  two  years  of  its 
existence  in  Chicago,  but  permanent  buildings 
for  the  institution  have  been  erected  on  tlie 
banks  of  Fox  River,  near  Geneva,  in  Kane  County. 

HOMER,  a  village  in  Champaign  County,  on 
the  Wabash  Railway,  20  miles  west-southwest 
from  Danville  and  about  18  miles  east-southeast 
from  Champaign.  It  supports  a  carriage  factory ; 
also  has  two  banks,  several  churches,  a  seminary, 
an  opera  -house,  and  one  weekly  paper.  The 
region  is  chiefly  agricultural.  Population  (1880), 
934;  (1890),  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  everj^  householder  hav- 
ing a  family,  and  occupied  as  a  residence, 
whether  owned  or  possessed  under  a  lease,  to  the 
value  of  Si, 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  the 
age  of  21  years.  Husband  and  wife  must  join  in 
releasing  the  exemption,  but  the  property  is 
always  liable  for  improvements  thereon. — In  18G3 
Congress  passed  an  act  known  as  the  "Homestead 
Law"  for  the  protection  of  the  rights  of  settlers 
on  public  lauds  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  tlie 
Illinois  Central  Railway,  23  miles  south  of  Chi- 
cago.    Population,  (1900),  352. 

HOOLEY,  Richard  M.,  theatrical  manager, 
was  born  in  Ireland,  April  13,  1823 ;  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  1848  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, 
Philadelphia,  Brooklyn  and  New  York,  finally 
locating  in  Chicago  in  1869,  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  Chicago  it  East- 
ern Illinois  and  the  Lake  Erie  &  Western  Rail- 
roads, 99  miles  south  of  Chicago.  It  has  grain 
elevators,  a  nail  factory,  brick  and  tile  works, 
carriage  and  machine  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 
(1S90,\  1,911;  (1900),  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  1872,  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  1886  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  oflice 
of  "The  Woodstock  Overseer" ;  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  off  the 
press,   which    was   afterwards    adopted    on  the 


23S 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


Adams  and  Hoe  printing  presses.  His  next 
move  was  to  Marietta,  Oliio,  in  1834,  thence  by 
way  of  Cincinnati  and  Louisville  to  St.  Louis, 
working  for  a  time  in  the  ofEce  of  the  old  "St. 
Louis  Republican."  He  soon  after  went  to 
Galena  and  engaged  in  lead-mining,  but  later 
became  associated  with  Sylvester  I\L  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  1803,  when  he  finally  sold 
out.  He  afterwards  spent  some  time  on  the 
Pacific  slope,  was  for  a  time  American  Consul  to 
the  Sandwich  Islands,  but  finally  returned  to 
Galena  and,  during  the  later  years  of  his  Ufe, 
was  Postmaster  there,  dying  April  30,  18T9. 

HOVET,  Charles  Edward,  educator,  soldier 
and  laivyer,  was  born  in  Orange  County,  Vt., 
April  26,  1827 ;  graduated  at  Dartmouth  College  in 
1853,  and  became  successively  Principal  of  high 
schools  at  Farmington,  Mass.,  and  Peoria,  III. 
Later,  he  assisted  in  organizing  the  Illinois  State 
Normal  School  at  Normal,  of  %vhich  he  was 
President  from  18.57  to  1861 — 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  largely  of  teachers  and  young  men 
from  the  State  colleges.  In  1862  he  was  promoted 
to  the  rank  of  Brigadier-General  and,  a  few 
months  later,  to  brevet  Jlajor-General  for  gallant 
and  meritorious  conduct.  Leaving  the  military 
service  in  May,  1863,  he  engaged  in  the  practice 
of  law  in  "Washington,  D.  C.  Died,  in  Washing- 
ton, Nov.  17,  1897. 

HOWLA>'D,  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  teacliing 
in  the  public  schools,  and  three  years  to  a  tutor- 
ship in  his  Alma  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  1860,  and,  in 
1880,  was  elected  Superintendent  of  Chicago  City 
Schools.  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  ..rEueid  adapted  to  the  use  of 
schools,  besides  translations  of  some  of  Horace's 
Odes  and  portions  of  the  Iliad  and  Odyssej'.  He 
was  also  the  author  of  an  English  grammar. 
Died,  in  Chicago,  Oct.  21,  1892. 

HOY>'E,  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  IMarch,  1856, 
and  appointed  United  States  Commissioner  the 
same  j'ear,  remaining  in  office  until  his  death, 
Nov.  3,  1894.  Mr.  Hoyne  was  an  ofl5cer  of  the 
Chicago  Pioneers  and  one  of  the  founders  of  the 
Union  League  Club. 

Hl'BBARD,  Gurdou  Saltonstall,  pioneer  and 
Indian  trader,  was  born  at  Windsor,  Vt.,  August 
22,  1802.  His  early  j-outh  was  passed  in  Canada, 
chiefly  in  the  employ  of  the  American  Fur  Com- 
pany. In  1818  he  first  visited  Fort  Dearborn,  and 
for  nine  j'ears  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  dm-ing  the  Black  Hawk  and  Winne- 
bago Wars,  was  enterprising  and  public-spirited, 
and  did  much  to  promote  the  early  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  public-spirited 
in  pronaoting  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  early  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 


lIISTOlilCxVL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


239 


for  the  maintenance  of  tlie  Union  cause,  and,  for 
a  year,  held  a  commission  as  Captain  in  the 
Eiglity-eighth  Regiment  Illinois  Volunteers, 
known  as  the  "Second  Board  of  Trade  Regiment. " 

HUGHITT,  JlarTin,  Railway  President,  was 
born,  August,  1837,  and,  in  1850,  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  1S7U,  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. 

HL'LETT,  Alta  M.,  lawyer,  was  born  near 
Eockford,  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  1873,  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. 

HUNT,  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 
A.ssembl3-  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,  Georgre,  lawyer  and  ex-Attorney-Gen- 
«ral,  was  born  in  Knox  County,  Ohio,  in  1841 ; 
having  lost  both  parents  in  childhood,  came, 
with  an  uncle,  to  Edgar  County,  III.,  in  1S55.  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  'S2.  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  them  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 
tliese  cases  was  had  before  the  Supreme  Court  of 
the  United  States  in  January,  1893,  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. 

HUNTEK,  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  1804  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  1893, 
having  been  elected  Congressman  for  the  State- 


240 


HISTORICAL    ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


at-large  on  the  Democratic  ticket.  He  was  a  can- 
didate for  Congress  from  the  Nineteenth  District 
again  in  1896,  and  was  again  elected,  receiving  a 
majority  of  1,200  over  Hon.  Benson  Wood,  his 
Republican  opponent  and  immediate  predecessor. 
HUNTER,  (Gen.)  David,  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  1842,  he 
was  Chief  Paymaster  of  General  Wool's  command 
in  tlie  Mexican  War,  and  was  afterwards  stationed 
at  New  Orleans,  Wasliington,  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, 
18G1,  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  days  later  commis- 
sioned Brigadier-General  and,  in  August,  made 
Major-General.  In  the  Manassas  campaign  he 
commanded  the  main  column  of  McDowell's 
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  May,  1864,  he  was  placed  in  com- 
mand of  the  Department  of  the  West,  and,  in 

1865,  served  on  various  courts-martial,  being 
President  of  tlie  commission  that  tried  Mr.  Lin- 
coln's assassins ;  was  brevetted  Major-General  in 
March,   1S6~).   retired  from  active    service  July, 

1866,  and  died  in  Washington,  Feb.  2,  1886.  Gen- 
eral Hunter  married  a  daughter  of  John  Kinzie, 
the  fir.st  permanent  citizen  of  Chicago. 

HURI),  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  ofiBce-boy  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  is 
not  too  much  to  say  that,  largely  through  his 
earnest  and  poorly  requited  labors,  Kansas  was 
finally  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  consequence  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.  AVhile  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  liome  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  ticliet,  but,  on  tlie  organization  of 
the  Republican  party  in  1856,  promptly  identified 
himself  with  that  party  and  was  elected  to  the 
lower  branch  of  the  General  Assembh'  as  a 
Republican  in  18.58  and  again  in  1860.  During 
the  War  of  the  Rebellion  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- 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


241 


ber.  1862,  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  1872. 
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. 

HUTCHIXS,  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,  be  resigned  his  commission  be- 
cause of  his  sympathy  with  the  patriots.  Three 
years  later  he  was  charged  with  being  in  treason- 
able correspondence  with  FrankUn,  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),  583;  (1900),  743. 


ILLIXOIS. 

(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  instruction  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  surrender  of  this  region  to 
the  Enghsh,  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  the  river  Illinois  on 
the  north,  by  the  Ouabache  and  Sliamis  on  the 
east  and  the  Ohio  on  the  south." 

From  this  it  would  appear  that  the  country  lying 
between  the  Illinois  and  the  Mississippi  Rivers  to 
the  west  and  northwest  of  the  former,  was  not 
considered  a  part  of  the  "Illinois  Country,"  and 


24'; 


IIISTOPJCAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


this  agrees  generally  -svith  the  records  of  tlie 
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  Jlexico— 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  lUini  with  the 
suffix  ois,  signifying  "tribe."  The  root  of  the 
term,  apphed  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  which 
the  earliest  claimants  of  the  appellation,  as  well 
as  their  successors  of  a  different  race,  have  not 
failed  to  be  duly  proud. 

Boundaries  and  Area.— It  is  this  region 
which  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  part  of  the  framers  of 
the  Act  to  our  proud  neighbors  of  the  "Dark  and 
Bloody  Ground."  Geographically,  the  State  lies 
between  the  parallels  of  30'  59'  and  42°  30'  north 
latitude,  and  the  meridian  of  10'  30'  and  1-1°  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  Mis- 
sissippi River  at  a  point  between  Quincy  and 
Warsaw,  of  218  miles.  Owing  to  the  tortuous 
course  of  its  river  and  lake  boundaries,  which 


compri.se  about  tliree-fourths  of  the  wliole,  its 
physical  outline  is  extremely  irregular.  Between 
the  limits  described,  it  has  an  estimated  area  of 
5G,650  square  miles,  of  which  050  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 — Wisconsin  lacking  only  a  few  hundred 
square  nriles  of  the  same. 

AVhen  these  figures  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  Union  and  with  re- 
sources in  agriculture,  manufactures  and  com- 
merce unsurpassed  in  any  country  on  the  face  of 
the  globe,  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- 
sected 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  tlie  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  Illinois  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 
natural  water  courses,  is  now  limited  to  the  Mis- 
sissippi, Illinois  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  heav)-  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. 


HISTOrJCAL   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 
inclined  plane  with  a  moderate  descent  in  the 
general  direction  of  the  streams  toward  the  south 
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  Jlichigan  at 
Chicago  is  583  feet.  The  greatest  elevation  is 
reached  near  Scale's  Mound  in  the  northwestern 
part  of  the  State — 1.2.57  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  spm-,  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,  vrild 
plum,  grape  and  paw-paw,  with  various  kinds  of 
berries,  sucli  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. 

Peaieies. — 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  gi-owth  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  siu-face  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  covereil  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  foimd  scenery  of 
a  most  picturesque  variety. 

AxiMALS,  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,  panther,  fox, 
wolf,  and  wild-cat,  while  swans,  geese  and  ducks 
co%-ered  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  the 
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  imsurpassed  in  natural 
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  wliite  settle- 
ment in  the  Mississippi  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  j'ears  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  mean  winter  temper- 
ature has  ranged  from  25'  in  the  north  to  34'  in 
the  south,  and  the  summer  mean  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  variety  of  climate  is  favor- 
able to  tlie  production  of  nearly  all  the  grains 
and  fruits  peculiar  to  the  temperate  zone. 

Contest  for  Occupation.  —  Three  powers 
early  became  contestants  for  the  supremacy  on 
the  Xorth  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-four  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  Wes^  Indies  and  Peru, 
the  country  was  too  vast  and  her  agents  too  busy 
seeking  for  gold  to  interfere  materially  with  her 
competitors.  The  Dutcli,  Swedes  and  Germans 
established  small,  though  flourishing  colonies,  but 
they  were  not  colonizers  nor  were  thej'  numeric- 
ally as  strong  as  their  neighbors,  and  their  settle- 
ments were  ultimately  absorbed  by  the  latter. 
Both  the  Spaniards  and  the  French  were  ; 


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  the  readiness  with  which  they  adapted  them- 
selves to  the  habits  of  those  whom  they  foimd  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  the  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  has  been  illustrated  in  the  history 
of  every  people  that  has  made  agriculture,  manu- 
factures and  legitimate  commerce  the  basis  of 
their  prosperity. 

Early  Explorations. — 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 
relinquished  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, 
while  the  English  colonists  who  settled  about 
Massachusetts  Bay  named  that  region  "New 
England,"  the  French  gave  to  their  possessions, 
from  the  St.  Lawrence  to  the  mouth  of  the  Mis- 
sissippi, tlie  name  of  "New  France,"  and  the 
Spaniards  called  all  the  region  claimed  by  them, 
extending  from  Panama  to  Puget  Sound,  "New 
Spain."  The  boundaries  of  each  were  very  indefi- 
nite and  often  conflicting,  but  were  settled  by  the 
treaty  of  1703. 

As  early  as  1634,  Jean  Nicolet,  coming  by  way 
of    Canada,    discovered    Lake    Michigan  —  then 


HISTORICAL    ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF    ILLINOIS. 


245 


called  by  the  French,  "Lao  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  1658,  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  Allouez  and  Dablon,  French  mis- 
sionaries, visited  the  Chippewas  on  the  soutliern 
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  tlie  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,  they  reached 
the  country  of  the  Mascoutins  on  Fox  River, 
ascended  that  stream  to  the  portage  to  the  Wis- 
consin, then  descended  the  latter  to  tlie  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  "PiasaBird,"  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  present  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.  which  lias  been 
assumed  to  be  identical  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,  they  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,  wliich  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.  Tliis  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  from  one  of 
his  trips  to  the  Lake  Superior  country.  With  an 
imagination  fired  by  what  he  then  learned,  he 
made  a  visit  to  his  native  country,  receiving  a 


246 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF    ILLIXOIS. 


liberal  grant  from  the  Frencli  Government  which 
enabled  liim  to  carry  out  his  plans.  With  the 
aid  of  Henry  de  Tonty,  an  Italian  who  afterward 
accompanied  liim  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  tlie  "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  tliat 
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.  Witli  a  force  of  seventeen  men 
and  tliree  missionaries  in  four  canoes,  he  started 
southward,  following  the  %vestern  shore  of  Lake 
Michigan  past  the  mouth  of  the  Chicago  River, 
on  Nov.  1,  1CT9,  and  reached  tlie  mouth  of 
the  St.  Josepli  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  tlie  Kan- 
kakee, which  he  descended  to  the  Illinois.  On 
the  first  of  January  lie  arrived  at  the  great  Indian 
town  of  the  Kaskaskias,  wliich  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-Coeur— "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  wa}'  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  Salle  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  Iroquoi3, 
he  and  his  companions  were  again  compelled  to 
flee,  reaching  Green  Bay  the  next  .spring,  after 
having  spent  the  winter  among  the  Pottawato- 
niies  in  the  present  State  of  Wisconsin. 

During  the  next  three  years  (1681-83)  La  Salle 
made  two  other  visits  to  lUinois,  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  Mississippi,  of 
which  he  took  formal  possession  on  April  9,  1683, 
in  the  name  of  "Louis  the  Grand,  King  of  France 
and  Xavarre."  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, 
Parkman,  the  population  of  this  colony,  in  the 


HENRY  DK  T( 


FT    DEA.RB<)R\    FROM    THE    WEST     iV^ 


\\AK   EAGI,E. 


FORT   DEARBORN.   2D,   IN    is.^;,.   KKO.M    THI-    SOrTHWKST. 


HISTOKICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLIXOIS. 


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  1703,  it  was  ordered  by  the 
Governor  of  Canada  to  be  discontinued  on  the 
plea  that  the  charter  had  been  violated.  It  con- 
tinued 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 
Sueur,  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  witli  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  tlie  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  this  time,  as 
AUouez  represents  that  he  found  the  Miamis  and 
tlieir  neighbors,  the  Mascoutins,  about  Green  Bay 
when  he  arrived  there  in  1670.  At  the  same 
time,  tliere  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").  though  within  the  next 
fifty  years  they  had  advanced  southward  along 
tlie  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  brancli  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  Jlichigan  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 


24S 


HISTORICAL    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  1725  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  Sliami,  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-Coeur,  partially 
erected  a  few  months  later  on  the  east  side  of  the 
Illinois  a  few  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  opposite  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  bis 
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  mass,  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  1077  by 
Father  AUouez,  who  had  been  active  in  founding 
missions  in  the  Lake  Superior  region,  and  that  it 
was  maintained  until  the  arrival  of  La  Salle  in 
1080.  The  hostility  of  La  Salle  to  the  Jesuits  led 
to  AUouez'  withdrawal,  but  he  subsequently 
returned  and  was  succeeded  in  1688  by  Father 
Gravier,  whose  labors  extended  from  Mackinaw 
to  Biloxi  on  the  Gulf  of  Mexico. 

There  is  evidence  that  a  mission  had  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  year  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  East  St. 
Louis.  This  was  the  first  permanent  settlement 
by  Europeans  in  Illinois,  as  that  at  Kaskaskia  on 
the  Illinois  was  broken  up  the  same  year. 

A  few  months  after  the  establisliment  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. 


at  Kaskaskia  on  the  Mississippi,  twenty-seven 
years  later. 

Period  of  French  Occupation*.— As  may  be 
readily  inferred  from  the  metliods  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  was  the  head, 
and  under  it  jurisdiction  was  exercised  over  the 
trade  of  Illinois.  On  September  27  of  the  same 
year  (1717),  the  "Illinois  Coimtry,"  which  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  1721  the  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  Goveynwrs.) 

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  tlie  country 
about  the  mouth  of  the  Jlississippi  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 
intere.sts  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  JIaumee 
in  Western  Oliio,  followed  by  the  protracted 
French  and  Indian  War.  which  was  prosecuted 
with  varied  fortunes  until  the  final  defeat  of  the 
French  at  Quebec,  on  the  thirteenth  of  Septem- 
ber, 1T59,  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  only  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,  1763,  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,  %vas  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,  1763,  when  its 
veteran  commandant,  St.  Ange — who  had  come 
from  Vincennes  to  assume  command  on  the 
retirement  of  Villiers,  and  who  held  it  faithfully 
for    the    conqueror  —  surrendered    it    to    Capt. 


Thomas  Stirling  as  the  representative  of  the  Eng- 
lish Government.  It  is  worthy  of  note  that  tliis 
was  the  last  place  on  the  North  American  con- 
tinent to  lower  the  French  fiag. 

British  Occup.\tiox. — The  delay  of  the  British 
in  taking  possession  of  the  "Illinois  Country," 
after  the  defeat  of  the  French  at  Quebec  and  the 
surrender  of  their  possessions  in  America  by  the 
treaty  of  17G3,  was  due  to  its  isolated  position 
and  the  difficulty  of  reaching  it  with  sufficient 
force  to  establish  the  British  autliority.  The 
first  attempt  was  made  in  the  spring  of  1764, 
when  Maj.  Arthur  Loftus,  starting  from  Pensa- 
cola,  attempted  to  ascend  the  Jlississippi  with  a 
force  of  four  himdred  regulars,  but.  being  met 
by  a  superior  Indian  force,  was  compelled  to 
retreat.  In  August  of  the  same  year,  Cupt 
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  was 
made  in  176.5,  when  Maj.  George  Croghan,  a  Dep- 
ut}'  Superintendent  of  Indian  affairs  whose  name 
has  been  made  historical  bj-  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  accompan3' 
him,  proceeded  alone.  Frazer  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  friendly  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  Cliartres.  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  Jlississippi,  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 


IIISTOraCAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF    ILLIXOIS. 


251 


•what,  in  these  later  days,  would  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  Roclieblave.  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  official  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  vi^it  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  families." 
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  Major,  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  quarter  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  t-wenty-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  tliree  months"  service,  and  Governor 
Henry  gave  him  86,000  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  compan}-  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 
h}-  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 
Roclieblave  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  1736, 
and  known  afterward  bj'  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 


niSTOlilCAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF    ILLINOIS. 


placed  in  irons  and  sent  as  a  prisoner  of  war  to 
Williamsburg,  while  his  slaves  were  confiscated, 
the  proceeds  of  their  sale  being  divided  among 
Clark's  troops.  The  inhabitants  were  easily 
conciliated,  and  Cahokia  having  been  captured 
without  bloodshed,  Clark  turned  his  attention  to 
Vincennes.  Through  the  influence  of  Pierre 
Gibault — the  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  body  of  prisoners  but  little  smaller  than 
the  attacking  force,  and  350,000  worth  of  prop- 
erty.    (See  Clark,  Col.  George  Rogers. ) 

Under  Government  of  Virginia.— Seldom 
in  the  history  of  the  world  have  such  important 
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  through  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.  12,  1778,  entering  upon  his  duties  in 
May  following.  The  militia  was  organized, 
Deputy-Commandants  for  Kaskaskia  and  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  1783  one  "Thimothe  Demunbrunt"  sub- 
scribed himself  as  "Lt.  comd'g  par  interim,  etc." 
— but  the  origin  of  his  authority  is  not  clearly 
understood.  He  assumed  to  act  as  Commandant 
imtil  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  the  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  British  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,  toco-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  Ag.unst  Fort  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  La  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-five 
whites,  organized  from  St.  Louis  and  Cahokia, 
with  some  200  Indians,  and  headed  by  Don 
Eugenic  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  alTected  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  Countrj'"  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  tliink 
expedient,  and  to  cede  to  the  Government  its 
claim  to  western  lands.  The  case  was  further  com- 
plicated by  the  claims  of  certain  land 


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  Jlassa- 
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 aflfecting  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  tlien  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  finallj-  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  tlie  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, 


25-i 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


James  Mitchell  Varnum  and  John  Cleres 
Synimes,  Judges.  All  these  were  reappointed  by 
President  Washington  in  1789.  The  new  Terri- 
torial Government  was  organized  at  Marietta,  a 
settlement  on  the  Ohio,  July  1.5,  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  Government  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  county-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  tlie  county-seat  question,  at  least 
in  part,  grew  the  order  of  1795  organizing  the 
second  county  (Randolph),  and  Kaskaskia  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  effect  upon 
conditions  throughout  the  Northwest  Territory 
generally.  St.  Clair,  having  resigned  his  com- 
mand of  the  army,  was  succeeded  by  Gen. 
Anthony  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  witli  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  fir.st  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, 
wlio  had  succeeded  Sargent  as  Secretary  of  the 
Territory,  June  26,  1798,  was  elected  Delegate  to 
Congre.ss,  receiving  a  majority  of  one  vote  over 
Arthur  St-.  Clair,  Jr.,  son  of  the  Governor. 

Ohio  and  Indiana  Territories.— By  act  of 
Congress.  May  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,  who  had  been  the  first  Delegate  in  Con- 
gress from  the  Northwest  Territory,  was  ap- 
pointed Governor  of  Indiana  Territory,  wliich  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  which  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  square  at 
the  old  Peoria  fort ;  the  post  of  Fort  Massac ;  and 
150.000  acres  assigned  to  General  Clark  and  his 
soldiers,  besides  all  other  lands  "in  po.ssession  of 
the  French  people  and  all  other  white  settlers 
among  them,  the  Indian  title  to  wliich  had  been 
thus  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,  1804,  an  act  was 
passed  by  Congress  attaching  all  that  portion  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  13S.  The  two  Illinois 
counties  cast  a  total  of  143  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  coimties.  There  were  in  the  Territory  at 
this  time  six  counties;  one  of  tliese  (Wayne)  was 
in  Michigan,  which  was  set  off,  in  180.5.  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,  1805,  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 
vras  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  Ilhnois,  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  alreadj'  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  tliem  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  180G.  In  1781,  a 
company  of  immigrants,  consisting  (with  one  or 
two  exceptions)  of  members  of  Clark's  command 
in  1778.  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  "lUinois  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  tlie  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  j-ears 
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 family  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  Ha.r.  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  one  time  Secretary  of  State), 
and  Dr.  George  Fisher — all  prominent  in  Terri- 
torial or  State  history.  (See  biographical 
sketches  of  these  early  settlers  under  their  re- 
spective names.) 

The  government  of  the  new  Territory  was 
organized  bj-  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 


256 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


months,  when  tlie  place  was  offered  to  Jolm  J. 
Crittenden — the  well-known  United  States  Sen- 
ator from  Kentucky  at  the  beginning  of  the 
Civil  AVar— but  bj-  him  declined.  Tliomas  T. 
Crittenden  was  then  appointed. 

An  incident  of  the  year  1811  was  the  battle  of 
Tippecanoe,  resulting  in  the  defeat  of  Tecuniseh, 
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  Eussell,  of  Kentucky, 
who  built  Camp  Eussell  near  Edwardsville  the 
following  year.  They  were  commanded  by  Cap- 
tains Samuel  Whiteside,  William  B.  Whiteside, 
James  B.  Jloore  and  Jacob  Short.  The  memo- 
rable earthquake  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  ISll.) 

War  of  1812. — During  the  following  year  the 
second  war  with  England  began,  but  no  serious 
outbreak  occurred  in  Illinois  until  August,  1812, 
when  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 
Eiver  on  the  south  side,  on  land  acquired  from  the 
Indians  by  the  treaty  of  Greenville  in  179.5.  (See 
Fort  Dearborn.)  In  the  spring  of  1812  some 
alarm  had  been  caused  by  outrages  committed  by 
Indians  in  the  vicinity,  and  in  the  earl}-  part  of 
August,  Capt.  Nathan  Heald.  commanding  the 
garrison  of  less  than  seventy-five  men,  received 
instructions  from  General  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,  tliat  his  garrison  should  be 
afforded  an  escort  and  safe  passage  to  Fort 
W^ayne.  On  the  14tli  of  August  he  proceeded  to 
distribute  the  bulk  of  the  goods  as  promised,  but 
the  ammunition,  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  terms  of  friendship  with  the  whites. 


appeared  before  Captain  Heald  and  informed 
him  plainly  that  his  j'oung  men  intended  to 
imbrue  their  hands  in  the  blood  of  the  whites; 
that  he  was  no  longer  able  to  restrain  tliem,  and, 
surrendering  a  medal  he  had  worn  in  token  of 
amity,  closed  by  saying:  'I  will  not  wear  a 
token  of  peace  while  I  am  compelled  to  act  as  an 
enemy."  In  the  meantime  tlie  Indians  were  riot- 
ing upon  the  provisions  ,ih  1  liiii  mini,' so  aggres- 
sive in  their  bearing  tlia  I  /  :  .  d  to  march 
out  the  next  day.  Tlif  :  .  i'  niU  arrived. 
To  each  soldier  was  ui-i  i  ii.iii-  l  twenty-five 
rounds  of  reserved  ammuniticm.  Tlie  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  report,  as  follows:  'The  situation  of 
the  country  rendered  it  necessary  for  us  to  take 
the  beach,  with  the  lake  on  our  left,  and  a  high 
sand  bank  on  our  right  at  about  three  hundred 
yards  distance.  We  had  proceeded  about  a  mile 
and  a  half,  when  it  was  discovered  (by  Captain 
Wells)  that  the  Indians  were  prepared  to  attack 
us  from  behind  the  bank.  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  way  in 
front  and  joined  those  on  our  flanks.  In  about  fif- 
teen minutes  they  got  possession  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  open  prairie  out  of  shot  of  the  bank,  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  spare  the  lives  of  all  the 
prisoners.  On  a  few  moments'  consideration  I 
concluded  it  would  be  most  prudent  to  comply 
with  this  request,  altliough  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 
mihtia,  with  two  women  and  twelve  children, 
were  killed.  Among  the  slain  were  Captain 
Wells,  Dr.  Van  Voorhis  and  Ensign  George 
Eonan.  (Captain  Wells,  when  young,  had  been 
captured  by  Indians  and  liad  "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  was  standing,  'We  have  not  the 
slighte.st  chance  for  life;  we  must  part  to  meet 
no  more  in  this  world.  God  bless  you."  With 
these  words  he  dashed  forward  into  the  thickest 
of  the  fight.  He  refused  to  be  taken  prisoner, 
knowing  what  his  fate  would  be,  when  a  yoimg 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


257 


Ted-skin  cut  him  clown  with  his  tomahawk, 
jumped  upon  his  body,  cut  out  his  lieart  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  twenty-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  garrison.  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  nest  morning."  (See  Fort 
Dearborn;  also  War  of  1813. ) 

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  War.— The  part  played 
by  Illinois  in  the  War  of  1813,  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 
1813;  the  first  of  these,  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 
Dearborn.  A  few  weeks  later  Capt.  Thomas  E. 
Craig,  at  the  head  of  a  company  of  militia,  made  a 
descent  upon  the  ancient  Frencli  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  tlie  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, imder  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.  Louis,  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  31,  1813,  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.  3.5,  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  181.1  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  Congi-ess  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  viUages  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  177.5  and  a  new 


258 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


Tillage  established  on  the  present  site  of  Peoria 
soon  after,  which  was  maintained  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;  Edwardsville,  founded  in 
lS\r>;  Upper  Alton,  in  1816,  and  Alton,  in  1818. 
Carmi,  Fairfield,  Waterloo,  Golconda,  Lawrence- 
ville,  Mount  Carmel  and  Vienna  also  belonged  to 
this  period;  while  Jack.sonville,  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  important  incident  in  this 
connection  was  the  amendment  of  the  act,  mak- 
ing the  parallel  of  42'  30'  from  Lake  Michigan  to 
the  Mississippi  River  the  northern  boundary, 
instead  of  a  Line  extending  from  the  southern 
extremity  of  the  Lake.  This  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  Pojje, 
Kafhanicl.) 

Another  measure  of  great  importance,  which  Mr. 
Pope  secured,  was  a  modification  of  the  provision 
of  the  Enabling  Act  requiring  the  appropriation  of 
five  per  cent  of  the  proceeds  from  the  sale  of  pub- 
lic lands  within  tlie  State,  to  the  con.struction  of 
roads  and  canals.  The  amendment  which  he 
secured  authorizes  the  application  of  two-fifths 
of  this  fund  to  the  making  of  roads  leading  to  the 
State,  but  requires  "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  bestowed  on  a  college  or 
university."  This  was  the  beginning  of  that 
sj'Stem  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,  and  Illinois 
&  Michigan  Canal.) 

The  Enabling  Act  required  as  a  precedent  con- 
dition that  a  census  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  population,  as  afterwards  given,  being  34,020. 
According  to  the  decennial  census  of  1820,  the 
population  of  the  State  at  that  time  was  55,162. 
If  there  was  any  short-coming  in  this  respect  in 
1818,  the  State  has  fully  compensated  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),  thirt3'-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  26.  The 
Constitution,  which  was  modeled  largely  upon 
the  Constitutions  of  Kentucky,  Ohio  and  Indiana, 
was  not  submitted  to  a  vote  of  the  people.  (See 
Constitutional  Conrentio)is,  especially  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  officers  whose  election  was  provided  for 
by  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  j-ears,  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  daj-s,  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  officers  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  Edwards  and  Jesse  B. 
Thomas  were  elected  United  States  Senators,  the 
former  drawing  the  short  term  and  serving  one 
year,  when  he  was  re-elected.  Thomas  served 
two  terms,  retiring  in  1S29.  The  first  Supreme 
Court  consisted  of  Joseph  Phillips,  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  Menard 
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  money?'  Some  said  they  had  and  some  that 
they  had  not,  but  would  pa}-  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  op  the  Capital  to  Vaxdalia.— 
At  the  second  ses.sion  of  the  General  Assembly, 
five  Commissioners  were  appointed  to  select  a 
new  site  for  the  State  Capital.  What  is  now  the 
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  the  late  Sidney  Breese,  who  after- 
wards became  United  States  Senator  and  Justice 
of  the  Supreme  Court,     {fiee  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  Sliawneetown, 
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,  1822,  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  ]\Ionroe,  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  Constit  u- 
tion  being  in  session  at  the  date  of  the  latter 
visit,  he  took  a  deep  interest  in  the  discussion  of 
the  slavery  question  and  exerted  his  influence  in 
securing  the  adoption  of  the  prohibitory  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  himself,  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  100  acres 
of  land.  Arrived  at  Edwardsville,  he  assumed 
the  position  of  Register  of  the  Land  Ofiice,  to 
whicli  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  when 
the  returns  showed  that  Coles  was  elected,  receiv- 
ing 2.854  votes  to  3,687  for  Phillips,  2,443  for 
Browne  and  C22  for  Moore  —  Coles'  plurality 
being  167  in  a  total  of  8,006.  Coles  thus  became 
Governor  on  less  than  one-third  of  the  popular 
vote.  Daniel  P.  Cook,  wlio  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, 
Edivarcl;  also  Cook.  Daniel  Pojx.) 

The  real  struggle  was  now  to  occur  in  the  Legis- 
lature, which  met  Dec.  3,  1823.  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  Secretaiy  of  State  only  three  months,  when  he 
resigned  to  accept  the  position  of  Receiver  for 
the  Land  Oflfice.     (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  thereby  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  House  (Feb.  11,  1823),  it  failed  by  a  single 
vote — Nicliolas  Hansen,  a  Representative  from 
Pike  County,  whose  seat  had  been  unsuccessfully 
contested  by  John  Shaw  at  the  beginning  of  the 
session,  being  one  of  those  voting  in  tlie  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  his  place ;  though, 
in  order  to  do  this,  some  crooked  work  was  nec- 
essary to  evade  tlie  rules.  Shaw  being  seated, 
the  submission  resolution  was  then  passed.  No 
more  exciting  campaign  was  ever  had  in  Illinois. 
Of  five  papers  then  published  in  the  State.  "The 
Edwardsville  Spectator,"  edited  by  Hooper 
Warren,  opposed  the  measure,  being  finally  rein- 
forced by  "The  Illinois  Intelligencer,"  which  had 
been  removed  to  Vandalia;  "The  Illinois  Gaz- 
ette," at  Shawneetown,  published  articles  on 
both  sides  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  W.  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  Newsjjapers,  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,  George 
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  tlie  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 
(11,613),  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  mid  Slave  Laics. ) 

At  the  same  election  Cook  was  re-elected  to 
Congress  by  3,016  majority  over  Shadrach  Bond. 
The  Tote  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- 
latxire  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  1833  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  Coles.  Edu-ard. ) 

A  ridiculous  incident  of  the  closing  year  of 
Coles'  administration  was  the  attempt  of  Lieut. - 
Gov.  Frederick  Adolphus  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  182.5,  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 
§12,381.50,  toward  %vhich  the  people  of  Vandalia 
contributed  S5,000. 

Edwards'  Administr.\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  the  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  ambitious,  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  office.  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  published  his  papers  at  Spring- 
field and  Galena.  At  the  expiration  of  his  term 
of  ofiice  near  the  close  of  1830,  he  retired  to  his 
home  at  Belleville,  where,  after  making  an  un- 
successful campaign  for  Congress  in  1832,  in 
which  he  was  defeated  by  Charles  Slade,  he 
died  of  cholera,  July  20,  1833.  (See  Edwards, 
Xinian.) 

William  Kinney,  of  Belleville,  %vho  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  first  steps 
were  taken  towards  the  erection  of  a  State  peni- 
tentiary at  Alton,  funds  therefor  being  secvired 
by  the  sale  of  a  portion  of  the  saline  lands  in  Gal- 
latin County.   (See  Alton  Penitentiary.)  The  first 


26'-; 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


Commissioners  having  charge  of  its  construction 
were  Shadrach  Bond.  William  P.  MoKee  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  H.\wk  W.a.r. — 
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 rallying  point  of  tlie  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 
tlirough  two  campaigns  (1831  and  1882),  though 
there  was  no  figliting  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  opera- 
tions in  each  of  these  campaigns,  and  that  city 
has  probably  never  witnessed  such  scenes  of 
bustle  and  excitement  since.  The  Indian  village 
at  Rock  Island  was  destroyed,  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  Hawk  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,  tosay  nothing  of  many  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  admission  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. 
{SeeAjijiortioimient,  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  Congress  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  House  and 
President  of  the  Senate;  served  as  Acting  Lieu- 
tenant-Governor and  Governor  bj'  virtue  of  the 
resignation  of  his  superiors;  was  United  States 
Senator  from  1835  to  1837;  still  later  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  years,  he  held 
eight  or  ten  different  offices,  including  the  high- 
est in  the  State.  (See  Ewing,  William  Lee  David- 
son.) 

Duncan's  Administration.— Joseph  Duncan, 
who  had  served  the  State  as  its  only  Represent- 
ative in  three  Congresses,  was  elected  Governor, 
August,   1834,   over    four    competitors — William 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OP   ILLINOIS. 


■263 


Kinney,  Robert  K.  JIcLaughlin,  James  Erans 
and  W.  B.  Archer.     (See  Duncan,  Joseph.) 

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  ISO',' ;  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  e.stimated  cost  of  the 
various  works  undertaken,  was  over  §11,000,000, 
and  though  little  of  substantial  value  was  real- 
ized, yet,  iii  t8.j3,  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  pa3'ments 
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  §.50,000  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,  tlie  famous 
"Long  Nine,"  consisting  of  A.  G.  Herndon  and 
Job  Fletcher,  in  the  Senate;  and  Abraham  Lin- 
coln, Ninian  W.  Edwards,  John  Dawson,  Andrew 
McCormick,  Dan  Stone,  William  F.  Elkin  and 
Eobert  L.  Wilson,  in  the  House — all  Representa- 
tives from  Sangamon  Coimty — played  a  leading 
part. 

The  Murder  of  Lovejoy.— An  event  occurred 
near  the  close  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  removal  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  press  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  partj'  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  tliat  of 
defending  private  property  and  attempting  to 
preserve  the  law.  The  act  of  firing  tlie  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. — 
Duncan  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. 


2C4 


IIISTOmCAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


The  successful  candidate  for  Lieutenant-Governor 
was  Stinson  H.  Anderson  of  Jefferson  County. 
(See Carlin.iGov.) Thomas:  Andcmon,  Stinsun H.) 

Among  the  members  of  the  Legislature  chosen 
at  this  time  -n-e  find  the  names  of  Orville  H. 
Browning,  Robert  Blackwell,  George  Churchill, 
William  G.  Gatewood,  Ebenezer  Peck  (of  Cook 
County),  William  A.  Richardson,  Xewton  Cloud, 
J«sse  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  was  the  last 
Legislature  that  assembled  at  Vandalia,  Spring- 
field becoming  the  capital,  July  4,  1839.  The 
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  8130,000,  but 
§240,000  was  expended  upon  it  before  its  com- 
pletion. 

An  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  ajjportionment,  by  Col.  John 
J.  Hardin,  while  Douglas,  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  oflJce  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  liy  writ  of  quo  warranto. 
The  Judge  of  a  Circuit  Court  decided  the  case  in 
his  favor,  but  this  decision  was  overruled  bj-  the 
Supreme  Court.  A  special  session  having  been 
called,  in  November,  1840,  Stephen  A.  Douglas, 
tlien  of  IMorgan  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  Revolutionized.  —  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  tlie  measure,  but,  after  a 
bitter  struggle,  it  was  adopted,  receiving  a  bare 
majority  of  one  in  the  House.  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 measure,  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  the  political 
campaign  of  that  year.  No  such  popular  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,  under  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,  the  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, 
Thomas:  Syiydei;  Adani  fV.,  and  Moore.  John.) 

Embarrassing  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  S1.5. 6.57,- 
9.50 — within  about  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 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF    ILLINOIS. 


265. 


of  their  faith.  The  popular  indignation  became 
greatly  intensified  by  the  coui-se  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, 
1844,  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  lawless,  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  Foixl,  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  Forman — 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.  Morri.son,  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.  AVallace 
(who  fell  at  Pittsburg  Landing),  Stephen  G. 
Hicks,  Michael  K.  Lawler,  Leonard  F.  Ross, 
Isham  N.  Haynie,  Theophilus  Lyle  Dickey, 
Dudley  Wickersham,  Isaac  C.  Pugh,  Thomas  H. 
Flynn,  J.  P.  Post,  Nathaniel  Niles,  W.  R.  Morri- 
son, and  others.     (See  Mexican  War.) 

Fken'ch's  Administr.\tion-Massac  Rebellion. 
— Except  for  the  Mexican  War,  which  was  still 
in  progress,  and  acts  of  mob  violence  in  certain 
portions  of  the  State— especially  by  a  band  of  self- 


266 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


styled  "regulators"'  in  Pope  and  Massac  Counties 
— tlie  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  Wliig  candidate,  and 
5,112  for  Richard  Eels,  the  Free-Soil  (or  Aboli- 
tion) candidate.  The  Whigs  held  their  first  State 
Convention  this  year  for  the  nomination  of  a 
State  ticket,  meeting  at  Peoria.  At  the  same 
election  Abraham  Lincoln  was  elected  to  Con- 
gress, defeating  Peter  Cartwright,  the  famous 
pioneer  Methodist  preacher,  who  was  the  Demo- 
cratic candidate.  At  the  session  of  the  Legisla- 
ture which  followed,  Stephen  A.  Douglas  was 
elected  to  the  United  States  Senate  as  successor 
to  James  Semple. 

New  Coxvestion  Movement.  —  Governor 
French  was  a  native  of  New  Hampshire,  born 
August  2,  1808;  he  had  practiced  his  profession 
as  a  lawyer  in  Crawford  County,  had  been  a 
member  of  the  Tenth  and  Eleventh  General 
Assemblies  and  Receiver  of  the  Land  Office  at 
Palestine.  The  State  had  now  begun  to  recover 
from  the  depression  caused  by  the  reverses  of 
1837  and  subsequent  years,  and  for  some  time  its 
growth  in  population  had  been  satisfactory.  The 
old  Constitution,  however,  liad  been  felt  to  be  a 
hampering  influence,  especially  in  dealing  with 
the  State  debt,  and,  as  early  as  1842,  the  question 
of  a  State  Convention  to  frame  a  new  Constitu- 
tion had  been  submitted  to  popidar  vote,  but  was 
defeated  by  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 
35,320  in  a  total  vote  of  81,353.  The  State  then 
contained  ninety-nine  counties,  with  an  aggregate 
population  of  663,150.  The  assessed  valuation  of 
property  one  year  later  was  §93,206,493,  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  Illi- 
nois, was  held  April  19,  1847.  Of  one  hundred 
and  sixty-two  members  chosen,  ninety -two  were 
Democrats,  leaving  seventy  members  to  all 
shades  of  the  opposition.  The  Convention 
assembled  at  Springfield,  Jime  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  Constitution  was  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  Constitntional 
Convention  of  1S47.) 

The  provision  imposing  a  special  two-mill  tax, 
to  be  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  the  times,  brought  upon  the 
State  much  opprobrium  and  was  repudiated 
with  emphasis  during  the  AVar  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  forty-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 
absm-dly  low  figure,  that  of  Governor  being 
Sl,.500;  Supreme  Court  Judges,  §1,300  each:  Cir- 
cuit Judges,  81,000;  State  Auditor,  §1,000;  Secre- 
taiy  of  State,  and  State  Treasurer,  §800  each. 
Among  less  objectionable  provisions  were  those 
restricting  the  right  of  suffrage  to  white  male 
citizens  above  the  age  of  21  years,  which  excluded 
(except  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  aid  of  any  individual  association  or  cor- 
poration; fixing  the  date  of  the  State  election 
on  the  Tuesday  after  the  fii-st  Monday  in  Novem- 
ber in  every  fourth  year,  instead  of  the  firs*-. 
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. 


267 


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  oflScers  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  pleasm-e  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  Menard 
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  sis  years.  The  other  State  officers  elected, 
were  William  McJIurtry.  of  Knox,  Lieutenant- 
Governor;  Horace  S.  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  tlie 
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  1824.  the 
Democratic  candidate  for  President  failed  to 
receive  an  absolute  majority  of  the  popular  vote, 
being  in  a  minority  of  12,521,  while  having  a 
plurality  over  the  Whig  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  War,  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 
Breese.  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.  SIc- 
Clernand,  then  a  member  of  Congress,  were 
arrayed  against  each  other  before  the  Democratic 
caucus.  After  a  bitter  contest.  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  issue  had  been  settled  in  the  Compro- 
mise measui-es  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  18(50. 

Illinois  Central  Railro.\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 


2GS 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS 


for  a  road  over  a  part  of  this  line  had  been  passed 
by  the  Legislature  in  1834.  W.  K.  Ackermau.  in 
his  "Historical  Sketch"  of  the  Illinois  Central 
Railroad,  awards  the  credit  of  originating  this 
enterprise  to  Lieut. -Gov.  Alexander  JI.  Jenkins, 
in  the  Legislature  of  1833,  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  1830,  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.j0 
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  the  Ohio  and  Mis- 
sissippi, with  branches  to  Chicago  and  Dubuque, 
Iowa,  respectively,  alternate  sections  of  land  on 
each  side  of  said  railroad,  aggregating  2,595,000 
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  be  used  for  the 
purpose  designated,  under  the  pledge  of  the 
Company  to  build  the  road  by  Jul}'  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  1853,— Joel  A.  Matteson  (Demo- 
crat) was  elected  Governor  at  the  November 
election,  in  1853,  receiving  80,645  votes  to  04,405 
for  Edwin  B.  Webb,  Whig,  and  8,809  for  Dexter 
A.  Knowlton,  Free-Soil.  The  other  State  oiEcers 
elected,  were  Gustavus  Kcerner,  Lieutenant- 
Governor  ;  Alexander  Starne,  Secretarj-  of  State ; 
Thomas  H.  Campbell,  Auditor ;  and  John  Moore, 
Treasurer.     The    Whig     candidates     for     these 


offices,  respectively,  were  James  L.  D.  Morrison, 
Buckner  S.  Morris,  Charles  A.  Betts  and  Francis 
Arenz.  John  A.  Logan  appeared  among  the  new 
members  of  the  House  cliosen  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  Sea  Commission,  was  the  only  Free-Soil 
member,  being  the  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,  Gustavus:  Starne, 
Alexander;  Moore.  John;  Morrison,  James  L.  D.; 
2Iorris,  Buckner  S.;  Arenz,  Francis  A.;  Blodgett 
Henry  W.) 

Reduction  of  State  Debt  Begins.— The 
State  debt  reached  its  maximum  at  the  beginning 
of  Matteson"s  administration,  amounting  to 
§16,734,177,  of  which  §7,359,823  was  canal  debt. 
The  State  had  now  entered  upon  a  new  and  pros- 
perous 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  Insane — 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  led  to  revolutions  which,  for  a  time, 
impaired  their  usefulness. 

Kansas-Nebraska  Excitement.— During  Mat- 
teson's  administration  a  period  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  Jlissouri  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  performed  in  secur- 
ing the  passage  of  the  Illinois  Central  Raih'oad 
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  (both  of  whom  had 
been  prominent  Democrats),  and  other  Demo- 
cratic leaders  were  understood  to  be  ready  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  met  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  the  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  Lincoln,  Abraham.) 

Decatur  Editorial  Convention.— On  Feb. 
22,  1856,  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- 


coln, 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  b}'  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. 
Richardson  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  9,159,  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.  12,  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  the 
celebrated  speech  in  which  he  announced  the 
doctrine  that  "a  house  divided  against  itself  can- 
not stand."     This  was  followed  during  the  next 


270 


HISTORICAL   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 
Debates.) 

About  the  middle  of  Bissell's  term  (February, 
1859),  came  the  discovery  of  what  has  since  been 
known  as  tlie  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  subsequently  redeemed.  A 
legislative  investigation  proved  the  amount  ille- 
gally fimded  to  have  been  §323, 183,  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,  lie  gave  to  the  State  an  indemnity 
bond,  secured  by  real-estate  mortgages,  from 
which  tlie  State  eventually  realized  §308,000  out 
of  §255,000  then  due.  Further  investigation 
proved  additional  frauds  of  like  character,  aggre- 
gating 8165.346,  which  the  State  never  recovered. 
An  attempt  was  made  to  prosecute  Matteson 
criminally  in  the  Sangamon  County  Circuit 
Court,  but  the  grand  jury  failed,  by  a  close  vote, 
to  find  an  indictment  against  him.  (See  Canal 
Scrij)  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  §1,000  bonds  hypothecated  with  Macalis- 
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  38.64  cents  on  the  dollar.  This 
subject  is  treated  at  length  elsewhere  in  this  vol- 
ume. (See  Macalister  &  Stebbins  Bonds. )  Governor 
Bissell's  administration  was  otherwise  unevent- 
ful, altliough  the  State  continued  to  prosper 
under  it  as  it  had  not  done  since  the  "internal 
improvement  craze"  of  1837  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 
office,  March  18,   1860,  a  little  over  two  months 


after  having  entered  upon  the  last  year  of  his 
term  of  office,  and  was  succeeded  by  Lieut.-Gov. 
John  Wood,  who  served  out  the  unexpired  term. 
{See  Biisell,  William  H.;  also  Wood,  John.) 

Political  Campaign  of  I860.— The  political 
campaign  of  1860  was  one  of  unparalleled  excite- 
ment throughout  the  nation,  but  especially  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 
Richard  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  Bateman  for  Superintendent  of  Pub- 
lic Instruction.  If  this  campaign  was  memorable 
for  its  excitement,  it  was  also  memorable  for  the 
large  nmnber  of  National  and  State  tickets  in  the 
field.  The  National  Republican  Convention 
assembled  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  majorit3'  in  the  elect- 
oral colleges  of  fifty-seven.  In  Illinois  he 
received  173.161  votes  to  160,315  for  Douglas,  his 
leading  opponent.  The  vote  for  Governor  stood : 
Yates  (Republican),  172,196;  Allen  (Douglas- 
Democrat),  159.253;  Hope  (BreckinridgeDemo- 
crat),  2,049;  Stuart  (American),  1,626. 

Among  the  prominent  men  of  different  parties 
who  appeared  for  the  first  time  in  the  General 
Assembly  chosen  at  this  time,  were  William  B. 
Ogden,  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  Scammon,  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- 
toni  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  Rebellion. — Almost  simul- 
taneously with  the  accession  of  the  new  State 
Government,  and  before  the  inauguration  of  the 
President  at  Washington,  began  that  series  of 
startling  events  which  ultiniatelj-  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  yeai-s.  On  Jan.  14,  1861,  the  new 
State  adxainistration  was  inaugurated ;  on  Feb.  2, 
Commissioners  to  the  futile  Peace  Conven- 
tion held  at  Washington,  were  appointed  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 
twelfth  of  April  and  its  surrender;  the  call  for 
75,000  troops  and  the  excitement  which  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  31),  Gen.  R.  K.  Swift,  of  Chicago,  at 
the  head  of  seven  companies  numbering  59.5  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  the  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  hastily  organized 
troops.  Following  in  order  the  six  regiments 
which  Illinois  had  sent  to  the  Mexican  War, 
those  called  out  for  the  three  months"  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  TT'a?'  of  the 
Rebellion. ) 

Among  the  many  who  visited  the  State  Capitol 
in  the  early  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  with  Mexico,  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  the 
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 
Qrant,  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  part  in  nearly  every  important 
battle  in  the  Mississippi  Valley  and  in  many  of 
those  in  the  East,  besides  accompanying  Sher- 
man in  his  triumphal  "March  to  the  Sea."  Illi- 
nois blood  stained  the  field  at  Belmont,  at 
Wilson's  Creek,  Lexington,  Forts  Donelson  and 
Henry;  at  Shiloh,  Corinth,  Nashville,  Stone  River 
and  Chickamauga ;  at  Jackson,  during  the  siege 
of  Vicksburg,  at  AUatoona  Pass.  Kenesaw  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 2-14,496.  Tlie  ratio  of  troops  furnished  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 


-2:3 


HISTORICAL    ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF    ILLINOIS. 


and  Nevada,  each  of  which  had  a  much  larger 
proportion  of  adult  male  population.  The  whole 
number  of  regimental  organizations,  according 
to  the  returns  in  the  Adjutant  GeneraFs  office, 
was  lol  regiments  of  infantry  (numbered  con- 
secutively from  the  Sixth  to  tlie  One  Hundred 
and  Fifty-seventh),  IT  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.  McClernand,  S.  A. 
Hurlbut,  B,  M.  Prentiss,  John  M.  Palmer,  R.  J. 
Oglesby,  John  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  list  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.  Alexander  of  the  Twenty-first;  Col. 
Daniel  Gilmer  of  tlie  Thirty-eighth;  Lieut. -Col. 
Duncan  J.  Hall  of  the  Eighty-ninth ;  Col.  Timothy 
O'Meara  of  the  Ninetieth,  and  Col.  Holden  Put- 
nam, at  Chickamauga  and  Missionary  Ridge; 
Col.  John  B.  Wyman  of  the  Thirteenth,  at 
Chickasaw  Bayou;  Lieut. -Col.  Thomas  W.  Ross, 
of  the  Thirty-second,  at  Shiloh;  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. 
Melancthon  Smith,  Maj.  Zenas  Applington,  Col. 
John  J.  Mudd,  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 
would  be  a  grateful  task  to  record  here  the  names 
of  a  ho.st  of  others,  who,  after  acquitting  them- 
selves bravely  on  the  field,  survived  to  enjoy  the 
plaudits  of  a  grateful  people,  %vere  this  within 
t'ne  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. 

Constitutional  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  with  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.4^th  of  Douglas.— A  few  days  before  this 
election  (June  3,  1802),  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.  This  body  having 
been  elected  on  the  tide  of  the  political  revulsion 
which  followed  the  issuance  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  the  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.  These 
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  "usurpation,"  of  "sub- 
verting the  Constitution"  and  attempting  to 
establish   a  "consolidated   military  despotism;" 


IILSTOrJCAL   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 
the  authors  that  its  "further  prosecution  .... 
cannot  result  in  the  restoration  of  tlie  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  ordinarj'  appropriation  bills  being  passed. 

Legislature  Prokogued.— 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  their  constitu- 
tional term.  The  Eepublicans  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  protest,  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-Third 
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  opposing  the  "further 
offensive  prosecution  of  the  war"  were  adopted. 
An  immense  Union  mass-meeting  was  also  held 
at  Springfield  oh  Sept.  3,  which  was  addressed 
by  distinguislied  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  his  war  policy, 
and  especially  his  Emancipation  Proclamation, 
in  a  cliaracteristicallv  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.  McClellau  for  President  by  the  Democratic  Con- 
vention held  at  Chicago,  August  39,  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  Eepublicans  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  tlie  Democratic 
candidate  for  Governor. 

Camp  Douglas  Coxspiracy.  —  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  Rook  Island, 
Springfield  and  Alton — aggregating  over  25,000 
men.  It  was  charged  that  the  scheme  was  to  be 
put  into  effect  simultaneously  witli  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  Douglas 
Conspiracy.) 

At  the  November  election  Illinois  gave  a  major- 
ity for  Lincoln  of  30,756,  and  for  Oglesby,  for 
Governor,  of  38,675,  with  a  proportionate  major- 
ity for  the  rest  of  the  ticket.  Lincoln's  total  vote 
in  the  electoral  college  was  212,  to  21  forMcClellan. 

Legisl.ature  of  1865. — The  Republicans  had  a 
decided  majority  in  both  branches  of  the  Legis- 
lature of  1805,  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 
LTnited  States  Senate.  His  personal  and  political 
integrity  was  never  questioned  by  his  most  bitter 
political  opponents,  while  those  who  had  known 


2n 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


him  lonj;est  and  most  intimately,  trusted  liim 
most  implicitly.  The  service  whicli  he  performed 
in  giving  direction  to  the  patriotic  sentiment  of 
the  State  and  in  marslialing  its  heroic  soldiers 
for  the  defense  of  the  Union  can  never  be  over- 
estimated.    (See  Yates,  Richard.) 

Oglesby's  Administr.^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-General,  was  personally  popular  and 
enjoyed  the  confidence  and  respect  of  the  people 
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  Speaker  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  both  Houses,  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  disgraced  the 
State  for  twelve  years,  were  wiped  from  the 
statute-book  at  this  session.  The  Legislature 
adjourned  after  a  session  of  forty-six  days,  leav- 
ing a  record  as  creditable  in  the  disposal  of  busi- 
ness as  that  of  its  predecessor  had  been  discredit- 
able.    (See  Oglesby,  Richard  J.) 

ASSASSIN.A.TION  OF  LINCOLN. — The  War  was  now 
rapidly  approaching  a  successful  termination. 
Lee  had  surrendered  to  Grant  at  Appomattox, 
April  9,  1865,  and  the  people  were  celebrating 
this  event  with  joyful  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 
these  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  loyal 
States  were  draped  with  the  insignia  of  a  univer- 
sal sorrow.     Millions  of  strong  men,  and  tender, 


patriotic  women  who  had  given  their  hiisbands, 
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  off  of  its  chief  citizen,  the 
grandest  character  of  the  age,  who  had  served 
both  State  and  Nation  with  such  patriotic  fidel- 
ity, and  perished  in  the  very  zenith  of  his  fame 
and  in  the  hour  of  his  country's  triumph. 

The  Funer.^l.  —  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  Slay,  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  the  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  peaceful  as  it  was  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.  re-entered 
Congress,  from  which  he  had  retired  in  1861  to 
enter  the  Union  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; 


HISTOraCAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


275 


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. 

Palmer's  Adjiinistratiom.— 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  31.)  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  nmch  of  the 
legislation  since  had  on  the  subject.  The  cele- 
brated "Lake  Front  Bill,"  conveying  to  the  city 
of  Chicago  and  the  Illinois  Centi-al  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  accoimt 
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  84,50,000,  at  the  session  of  1867, 
the  total  cost  being  limited  to  $3,000,000.  A 
second  appropriation  of  S650,00U  was  made  at  the 
session  of  1869.  The  Constitution  of  1870  limited 
the  cost  to  93,500,000,  but  an  act  passed  by  the 
Legislature  of  1883,  making  a  final  appropriation 
of  §531,712  for  completing  and  furnishing  the 
building,  was  ratified  by  the  people  in  1884.  The 
original  cost  of  the  building  and  its  furniture 
exceeded  §4,000,000.     (See  State  Houses. ) 

The  State  Convention  for  framing  a  new  Con- 
stitution met  at  Springfield,  Dec.  13,  1809. 
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 
&  Jlichigan  Canal  without  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 
tlie  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 consLstsof  204  members— 51  Senators  and  153 
Representatives — one  Senator  and  three  Repre- 
sentatives being  chosen  from  each  district.  (See 
Constitutional  Convention  of  1S69-70;  also  Con- 
stitution of  1S70. ) 

At  the  election  of  1870,  General  Logan  was  re- 
elected Congressman-at-large  by  24,672  majority; 
Gen.  E.  N.  Bates,  Treasurer,  and  Newton  Bate- 
man,  State  Superintendent  of  Public  Instruction. 

Legislature  op  1871.— The  Twenty-,sevpnth 
General  Assembly  (1871),  in  its  various  sessions, 


HISTORICAL   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  the  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  293  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.  General  Logan  having  been  elected 
United  States  Senator  at  this  session,  Gen.  John 
L.  Beveridge  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  history, 
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  biiildings 
out  of  18,000,  leaving  92,000  persons  homeless. 
The  loss  of  life  is  estimated  at  250,  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  tlie  Illinois 
&  Michigan  Canal,  amounting  to  !;?3, 955, 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 
Governor  Palmer,  on  one  side,  and  the  Mayor  of 
Cliicago  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 
o/ Wr7  under  title  Chicago.) 

Political  Campaign  op  1872.— The  political 
campaign  of  1873  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 
Governor  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 
40,690. 

Governor  Oglesby's  second  administration  was 
of  brief  duration.  Within  a  week  after  his  in- 
auguration he  was  nominated  by  a  legislative 
caucus  of  his  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  op  1874.  —  The  election 
of  1874  resulted  in  the  first  serious  reverse  the 
Republican  party  had  experienced  in  Illinois 
since  1862.  Although  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  Fusiouists  secured  a  majority  in 
each  House  of  the  General  Assembly.  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-officio 
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.  Cullom  was  the 
candidate  of  the  Republican  party  for  Governor 
in  1876,  with  Rutherford  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  Governor,   th'e  majority  for 


lARD   OF    TRADE    BUILDING,   CHICAGO. 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF    ILLINOIS. 


277 


Cullom  was  reduced  to  G,798.  The  other  State 
officers  elected  were:  Andrew  Shumau,  Lieu- 
tenant-Governor; George  H.  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  Associate  Justice  of  the 
Supreme  Court  of  the  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  frequently  acted  with  the  Republicans 
than  with  their  opponents.  He  supported  Blaine 
and  Logan  for  President  and  Vice-President,  in 
1884.     (See  Davis,  David.) 

Strike  of  1877. — The  extensive  railroad  strike, 
in  July,  1877,  caused  widespread  demoralization 
of  business,  especially  in  the  railroad  centers  of 
the  State  and  throughout  the  covmtry  generally. 
The  newly-organized  National  Guard  was  called 
out  and  rendered  efficient  service  in  restoring 
order.  Governor  CuUom'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  3.5,000.  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  Legi.slature,  in  Janu- 
ary following,  John  A.  Logan  was  elected  to  the 


LTnited  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.  (See 
Smith.  John  Corson:  Slade,  James  P.;  also  Thirty- 
first  General  Assembly. ) 

Campaign  of  1880.— The  political  campaign 
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  285.  These  were  nullified, 
however,  by  the  action  of  the  National  Conven- 
tion two  weeks  later.  Governor  Cullom  waa 
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  ^-x  third  term)  for  Treasurer, 
and  James  McCartney  for  Attorney-General. 
(See  Dement,  Henry  D.;  Sicigert,  Charles  P.; 
Rutz,  Edward,  and 3IcCartney,  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  2.  After  thirty-six  ballots,  in 
which  806  delegates  stood  unwaveringly  by  Gen- 
eral Grant,  James  A.  Garfield,  of  Ohio,  was 
nominated,  with  Chester  A.  Arthur,  of  New 
York,  for  Vice-President.  Gen.  Winfield  Scott 
Hancock  was  the  Democratic  candidate  and  Gen. 
James  B.  Weaver,  the  Greenback  nominee.  In 
Illinois,  622,156  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  Legislature. 

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  1882, 
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 
Assembly,  amounting  to  twelve  on  joint  ballot. 
Loren   C.    Collins   was    elected    Speaker   of    the 


!78 


HISTORICAL    ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF    ILLINOIS. 


House.  In  the  election  of  United  States  Senator, 
which  occurred  at  this  session,  Governor  Cullora 
was  chosen  as  the  successor  to  David  Davis,  Gen. 
Jolin  M.  Palmer  receiving  the  Democratic  vote. 
Lieut. -Gov.  John  M.  Hamilton  thus  became  Gov- 
ernor, nearly  in  the  middle  of  his  term.  (See 
Ctillom,  Shelby  M.;  Hamilton,  John  M.;  Coll  inn, 
Loren  C,  and  liaab,  Henri/.) 

The  "Harper  High  License  Law,""  enacted  by 
the  Thirty-third  CJeneral  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  Campaign  of  1884. — In  1884,  Gen. 
R.  J.  Oglesby  again  became  the  choice  of  the 
Republican  party  for  Governor,  receiving  at 
Peoria  the  conspicuous  compliment  of  a  nomina- 
tion for  a  third  term,  by  acclamation.  Carter  H. 
Harrison  was  the  candidate  of  the  Democrats. 
The  Republican  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  was  put  in  nomination 
in  the  Convention  by  Senator  Cullom.  The 
choice  of  the  Convention,  however,  fell  upon 
James  G.  Blaine,  on  the  fourth  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  battle- 
field since  18.56,  Grover  Cleveland  and  Tliomas  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  result  was  in  doubt  for  sev- 
eral days,  and  the  excitement  throughout  the 
country  was  scarcely  less  intense  than  it  had 
been  in  the  close  election  of  1876.  The  Green- 
back and  Prohibition  parties  both  Iiad  tickets  in 
Illinois,  polling  a  total  of  nearly  33,000  votes. 
The  plurality  in  the  State  for  Blaine  was  25,118. 
The  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  Gi-oss,  Jacob, 
and  Hunt,  George. ) 

Chicago  Election  Frauds.— An  incident  of 
this  election  was  the  fraudulent  attempt  to  seat 


Rudolph  Brand  (Democrat)  as  Senator  in  place  of 
Henry  W.  Leman,  in  the  Sixth  Senatorial  Dis- 
trict of  Cook  County.  The  fraud  was  exposed 
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  tlie  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  resulted  in  filling  the  vacancy 
with  a  new  member  of  the  same  political  faith  as 
his  predecessor;  but  both  vacancies  in  the  House 
were  filled  by  Republicans.  The  gain  of  a  Repub- 
lican member  in  place  of  a  Democrat  in  the 
House  was  brought  about  by  the  election  of 
Captain  William  H.  Weaver  Representative  from 
the  Thirty-fourth  District  (composed  of  Mason, 
Menard,  Cass  and  Schuyler  Counties)  over  the 
Democratic  candidate,  to  fill  the  vacancy  caused 
by  the  death  of  Representative  J.  Henry  Shaw, 
Democrat.  This  was  accomplished  by  what  is 
called  a  "still  hunt'"  on  the  part  of  the  Repub- 
licans, in  whicli  the  Democrats,  being  taken  by 
surprise,  suffered  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  was  strongly  Democratic.  This  gave  the 
Republicans  a  majority  in  each  House,  and  the 
re-election  of  Logan  followed,  though  not  until 
two  months  had  been  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  quarrymen  at  Joliet  and 
Lemont,  in  May,  1885 ;  by  the  railroad  switchmen 
at  East  St.  Louis,  in  April,  1886,  and  among  the 
employes  at  the  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  had  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  34,810  plurality 
for  the  former  and  29,928  for  the  latter.  (See 
Tanner,  John  R.;  Edwards,  Richard.) 

In  the  Thirty-fifth  General  Assembly,  whicli 
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  Farirell, 
Charles  B. ) 

FiFER  Elected  Governor.  —  The  political 
•campaign  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,  Joseph  W. )  Prohibition  and  Labor  tickets 
were  also  in  the  field  The  Republican  National 
'Convention  was  again  held  in  Chicago,  June 
20-25,  resulting  in  the  nomination  of  Benjamin 
Harrison  for  President,  on  the  eighth  ballot.  The 
■delegates  from  Illinois,  with  two  or  three  excep- 
tions, voted  steadily  for  Judge  Walter  Q. 
Gresham.  (See  Gresham,  Walter  Q.)  Grover 
■Cleveland  headed  the  Democratic  ticket  as  a 
■candidate  for  re-election.  At  the  Xovember  elec- 
tion, 7-17,683  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,  Seore- 
-tary  of  State ;  Gen.  Charles  W.  Pavey,  Auditor ; 
■Charles  Becker,  Treasurer,  and  George  Hunt, 
Attorney-General.  (See  Ray.  Lyman  B.:  Pear- 
son, Isaac  N.;  Pavey,  C^iarles  IT';  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  Cliicago,  -were 
■taken.     (See  World's  Columbian  Exposition.) 

Republican  Defeat  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) 
andonefor  A.  J.  Streeter.     (See  Palmer,  John  M.) 
Elections  of  1892.— At  the  elections  of   1.892 
the  Republicans  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  :\Iay  4.     The  Democrats  put  in 
nomination     John     P.     Altgeld     for     Governor; 
Joseph  B.  Gill  for  Lieutenant-Governor ;  William 
H.  Hiorichsen  for  Secretary  of   State;  Rufus  X. 
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;  Attorney-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.     The    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  Yice-President.     The  Prohibition   and 
People's  Party  also  had  complete  National   and 
State  tickets  in  the  field.     The  State  campaign 
was  conducted  with  great  vigor  on  both  sides,  the 
Democrats,  under  the  leadership  of  Altgeld,  mak- 
ing an  especially  bitter  contest  iipon  some  features 
of  the  compulsory  school  law,  and  gaining  many 
votes  from  the  ranks  of  the  German-Republicans. 
The  result  in  the  State  showed  a  plurality  for 
Cleveland  of  26,993  votes  out  of  a  total  873,646— 
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.),    402,659;    Link 
(Pro.),  25,628 :Barnet  (Peo.),  20.  108— plurality  for 
Altgeld,  22,808.     The  vote  for  Fifer  was  the  high- 


280 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF    ILLINOIS. 


est  given  to  any  Republican  candidate  on  either 
the  National  or  the  State  ticket,  leading  that  of 
President  Harrison  by  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  tliis  time, 
eleven  were  Republicans  and  eleven  Democrats, 
including  among  the  latter  the  two  Congressmen 
from  the  State-at-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  prosperous  condition, 
the  State  out  of  debt  with  an  ample  surplus  in  its 
treasury.  Fifer  was  the  first  private  soldier  of 
the  Civil  War  to  be  elected  to  the  Governorship, 
though  the  result  of  the  next  two  elections  have 
shown  that  he  %vas  not  to  be  the  last — both  of  his 
successors  belonging  to  the  same  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.  Hoffman,  both  Germans. 
Altgeld's  AD1IIXISTR.4-TION.  —  The  Thirty- 
eighth  General  Assembly  began  its  session,  Jan. 
4,  1893,  the  Democrats  having  a  majority  in  each 
House.  (See  Thirtij-cighth  General  Assembly.) 
The  inauguration  of  the  State  officers  occurred  on 
January  10.  The  most  important  events  con- 
nected with  Governor  Altgeld's  administration 
were  the  World's  Colvunbiau  Exposition  of  1893, 
and  the  strike  of  railway  employes  in  1894.  Both 
of  these  have  been  treated  in  detail  under  their 
proper  heads.  (See  World's  Columbian  ExjMsi- 
tion,  and  Labor  Troubles.)  A  serious  disaster 
befell  the  State  in  the  destruction  by  fire,  on  the 
night  of  Jan.  3,  189.5,  of  a  portion  of  the  buildings 
connected  with  the  Southern  Hospital  for  the 
Insane  at  Anna,  involving  a  loss  to  the  State  of 
nearly  §200,000,  and  subjecting  the  inmates  and 
officers  of  the  institution  to  great  risk  and  no 
small  amount  of  suffering,  although  no  lives  were 
lost.  The  Thirty-ninth  General  Assembly,  which 
met  a  few  days  after  the  fire,  made  an  appropri- 
ation of  SI"!.  S'i'O  for  the  restoration  of  the  build- 
ings destroyed,  and  work  was  begun  immediately. 


The  defalcation  of  Charles  W.  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  j-et  fully  known), 
and  operated  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  pur-^ued  by  most  of  his  prede- 
cessors. The  Governor's  course  in  connection 
with  the  strike  of  1894  was  also  severely  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  as  acting  in  open  violation  of  law. 

Election  of  1894.— The  election  of  1894  showed 
as  surprising  a  reaction  against  the  Democratic 
party,  as  that  of  1892  had  been  in  an  opposite 
direction.  The  two  State  offices  to  be  vacated 
this  year — State  Treasurer  and  State  Superintend- 
ent of  Public  Instruction — were  filled  by  the  elec- 
tion of  Republicans  by  unprecedented  majorities. 
The  plurality  for  Henry  Wulff  for  State  Treas- 
urer, was  133,427,  and  that  in  favor  of  Samuel  M. 
IngUs  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  thirty-three  Republicans  to  eighteen 
Democrats  in  the  Senate,  and  eighty-eight  Repub- 
licans to  sixty-one  Democx-ats  in  the  House. 

One  of  the  most  important  acts  of  the  Thirty- 
ninth  General  Assembly,  at  the  following  session, 
was  the  enactment  of  a  law  fixing  the  compensa- 
tion of  members  of  the  General  Assembly  at  $1,000 
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,  which  had  been  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.ynent  Loc.\tion  of  the  State  Fair. — 
In  consequence  of  the  absorption  of  public  atten- 
tion— especially  among  the  industrial  and  manu- 
facturing classes  —  by  the  World's  Columbian 
Exposition,  the  holding  of  the  Annual  Fair  of  the 
Illinois  State  Board  of  Agriculture  for  1893  was 


HISTOKICAL   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  the  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  tlie  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 
tliat  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  155  acres  of 
land — embracing  the  old  Sangamon  County  Fair 
Grounds  immediately  north  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  §139,800,  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  pui-poses  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  political  campaign 
of  1896  was  one  of  almost  unprecedented  activity 
in  Illinois,  as  well  as  remarkable  for  the  variety 
and  character  of  the  issues  involved  and  the 
number  of  part}'  candidates  in  the  field.  As 
usual,  the  Democratic  and  the  Republican  parties 
were  the  chief  factors  in  the  contest,  although 
there  was  a  wide  diversity  of  sentiment  in  each, 
which  tended  to  the  introduction  of  new  issues 
and  the  organization  of  parties  on  new  lines. 
The  Republicans  took  the  lead  in  organizing  for 
the  canvass,  holding  their  State  Convention  at 
Springfield  on  April  29  and  30,  while  the  Demo- 


crats followed,  at  Peoria,  on  June  23.  The  fo^-mer 
put  in  nomina,tion  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.  JIcKay  for  University 
Trustees.  The  ticket  put  in  nomination  by  the 
Democracy  for  State  oflBcers  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.  JIaxwell;  Attorney -General,  George 
A.  Trude,  with  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  McKiuley,  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  the  natural  result  of 
the  business  depression  which  had  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 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF    ILLINOIS. 


section  on  tlie  monetary  question,  and,  adopting 
the  name  of  "Gold  Democrats."  put  in  nomination 
a  ticket  composed  of  John  51.  Palmer,  of  Illinois, 
for  President,  and  Simon  B.  Buckner,  of  Ken- 
tucky, for  Vice-President.  Besides  these,  the  Pro- 
hibitionists, Nationalists.  Socialist-Labor  Party 
and  "Middle-of-the-Road"  (or  "straight-out'') 
Populists,  had  more  or  less  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  parties.  At  the 
November  election  the  Republicans  carried  the 
day  by  a  plurality,  in  Illinois,  of  141,517  for  their 
national  ticket  out  of  a  total  of  1,090,869  votes, 
while  the  leading  candidates  on  the  State  ticket 
received  the  following  pluralities :  John  R.  Tan- 
ner (for  Governor),  113,381;  Northcott  (for  Lieu- 
tenant-Governor), 137,354;  Rose  (for  Secretary  of 
State),  130,611;  McCullough  (for  Auditor),  138,- 
013;  Hertz  (for  Treasurer),  116,064;  Akin  (for 
Attorney-General),  132,650.  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  8,100. 

Gov.  Tanner's  Administration — The  Fortieth 
General  Assembly  met  Jan.  6,  1897,  consisting  of 
eighty-eight  Republicans  to  si.xty-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  member  in  each  house  by  contests. 
Edward  C.  Curtis,  of  Kankakee  County,  was 
chosen  Speaker  of  the  House  and  Hendrick  V. 
Fisher,  of  Henry  County,  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  nth,  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  United  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  Assembly. ) 


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 
tlie  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  history  of  Illinois  during  the 
year  1898  was  the  Spanish-American  War,  and 
the  part  Illinois  played  in  it.  In  this  contest 
lUinoisans  manifested  the  same  eagerness  to 
serve  their  country  as  did  their  fathers  and  fel- 
low-citizens in  the  War  of  tlie  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  Seventh 
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 — tlie  First,  under  the 
command  of  Col.  Henry  L.  Turner  of  Chicago — 
saw  practical  service  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  tvro  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  tlie  first  to  see  service  in  Cuba,  while 
many  lUinoisans  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)  also  took  part  in 
the  movement  for  the  occupation  of  Porto  Rico. 
The  several  regiments  on  their  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  War,  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 
a,dherents  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  much  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,  Remarkable.) 

Campaign  of  1898. — The  political  campaign  of 
1898  was  a  quiet  one,  at  least  nominally  conducted 
on  the  same  general  issues  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  Trastees— the  total 
vote  cast  for  the  former  being  878,623  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  24,193  divided 
between  three  other  candidates;  while  Alfred 
Bayliss  (Republican)  received  a  plurality  of 
68,899  over  his  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  thir- 
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  history  of  the  State  Gov- 
ernment since  the  adoption  of  the  Constitution  of 
1870.  The  House  of  Representatives  consisted  of 
eighty-one  Republicans  to  seventy -one  Democrats 
and  one  Prohibitionist ;  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  employ  a 
private  secretary  at  a  salary  of  $3,000  per  annum, 
to  be  paid  by  the  State;  amending  tlie  State 
Revenue  Law  of  1898 ;  authorizing  the  establish- 
ment and  maintenance  of  parental  or  truant 
schools ;  and  empowering  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  duty  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  this  I^egislature  was  the  repeal, 
by  a  practically  unanimous  vote,  of  the  Street- 


284 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


railwa}-  Franchise  Law  of  the  previous  session, 
tlie  provisions  of  wliioh,  empowering  City  Coun- 
cils to  grant  street-railway  francliises  extending 
over  a  period  of  fifty  years,  had  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  historj'  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  1G73,  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  and  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  present  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  County,"  created  for  the  gov- 
ernment of  the  settlements  northwest  of  the 
Ohio,  expanded  into  five  States,  witli  an  area  of 
2.50,000  square  miles  and  a  population,  in  1890,  of 
13,500,000.  In  1880  the  population  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  1830,  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  any  other  State, 
there  is  little  risk  in  predicting  that  the  next 
forty  years  will  see  it  advanced  to  second,  if  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  Illinoisans  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  Union  arms 
and  Conqueror  of  the  Rebellion,  and  Abraham 
Lincoln,  the  Great  Emancipator,  the  Preserver  of 
the  Republic,  r.nd  its  Martyred  President. 


CHRONOLOGICAL    RECORD. 


Important  Events  in  Illinois  History. 


i.— Joliet  and  Marquett** 

way  of  Ihe  Upper  Mis^ 

1-5.— Marquette  make.s  u  - 


(April  9.  1682)  in  the  name  of  the  King  of  Fn 
).— First  permanent  French  settlement  in  Illin 
.  Sulpice  established  at  Cahokia, 

'rem  the  Uppp 


^*en  Bay  by 
iind  spends 


possession 


-Kaskaskia  Indians 


town  of  ICaskaakia  and  future  capital 
—The  Hrst  Fort  Chartres.  erected  near 
—  Fort  St.  Louis,  on  the  Upper  Illinois 


year  bfcomes  the 
.f  lilinuis, 
:askaskia. 
jurned  by  Indians. 


British  under  t 


rrendered  by  the  Frenc 


t  July  4)  Col.  George  Rogers  Clark,  at  the  head  of  an  c 
dition  organized  under  authority  of  Gov.  Patrick  Hem 
Virginia,  arrives  at  Kaskaskia.  The  occupation  of  111 
by  the  American  troops  I 


Northwest   Terrii 
Ohio,  Indiana,  Illinois.  Michigan  and  Wisconsin. 
-General  Arthur  St.  Clair  appointed  Governor  of  North' 
west  Territory. 
-St  Clair  County  organized. 
-Randolph  Cout  ' 


c>rganized, 
-Northwest  Territory  divided 
[111  nois  being 
Terri  tory 


braced  in  the  latter. 

)ff    from    Indiana,    and    N 
appointed  Governor, 
[liinois  admitted  as  aState. 
•  ]tnl  removed  from  Kaskaskia  to  Vandalia. 


Ter- 


sful 


i  visits  Kaskaskia. 


cted  President, 
his  linal  Proclamati 
<n  to  the  Presidency. 


rOFULATION  OF  ILLINOIS 

At  Each  Decennial  Census  from  isio  to  woo. 


ioO  (11> 861,470         1900  (3) 4,821,550 

Note.— Figures  in  parenthesis  indicate  the  rank  of  the  State 
1  order  of  population. 

ILLINOIS  CITIES 
Having  a  Prypulation  of  io,ooo  and  Over  (1900). 


Name. 

?S°;::;;;;; 

Quiiicy 

Population. 
1,698,755 

;:■::::  S 

29:353 

5J'?!? 

Name. 

itulvml 

Population. 

".'...'.'.:   17.481 

Danvnie 

^^ 

Joliet 

East  St.  Louis.. 

Altou 

ITokakee 

14.210 

il^ 

Bloomington... 

gS.v::: :::: 

23,286 

22,433 

Freeport 

Cairo*^. 

13258 

Evauston 

19,259 

HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 
INDEX. 


This  index  relat( 


ernor.  279-80 :  defeated  for  re-election,  2»1 
Anderson,  Stinson  H.,264. 
Anti-Nebrasica  Editorial  Convention.  2ofi. 
Anti-slavery  contest  of  1822-24;  defeat  of 


Baker,  Col.  E.  D.,  263;  orator  at  laying 
the  corner-stone  of  State  capitol.  264. 

Bateman,  Newton,  State  Superintendent 
of  Public  Instruction.  270.  274.  275. 

Beveridge,  John  L.,  Congressman  and 
Lieutenant-Governor:  becomes  Governor 
by  resignation  of  Governor  Oglesby,  276. 

Birlibeck,  Morris,  260. 

BisseU,  William  H.,  Colonel  in  Mexican 
War.  265;   Governor,  269;  death,  270. 

Black  Hawk  War.  262. 

Blodgett,  Henry  W.,  Free  Soil  member  of 
the  Legislature.  268. 

Blooming         "  "" 


French  villages,  populati 

Gibault.  Pierre.  2.52. 

Grant,  Ulysses  S..  arrival  at  Springfield; 
Colonel  of  Twenty-first  Illinol    '•  ' 
teers,271;  elected  President,  276, 

Qresham.  WalterQ..  supported  by  Illinois 
"       "'■ ''    "  3  Presidency.  279. 


Hardin,  John  J.,  263;  elected  i 


of  Indiana  Territory,  254. 
Henry,  Patrick,  Indian  Commissioner  for 
Illinoia    Country:    assis 
Clark's  expedition,  251; 


Thomas  C,  260. 


Bloomington 


Convention.  269;  U. 

Cahokia,  first  French  settlement  at,  252. 

Camp  Douglas  conspiracy,  273. 

Canal  Scrip  Fraud,  270. 

Carlin,  Thomas,  elected  Governor,  263. 

Casey,  Zadoc,  elected  to  Congress;  re- 
signs the  Lieutenant-Governorship,  262. 

Charlevoix  visits  Illinois, 247 

Chicago  and  Calumet  Rivers,  importance 
of  in  estimation  of  early  explorers,  247. 

Chicago  election  frauds,  278. 


d,248. 

Clark,  Col.  George  Rogers,  expedition  to 
lUmois;  capture  of  Kaskaskia.  251. 

Coles.  Edward,  emancipates  bis  slaves: 
candidate  for  Governor,  259;  his  election, 
260:  persecuted  by  his  enemies.  261. 

Constitutional  Convention  of  1818.  258. 

Constitutional  Convention  of  1847,  266. 

Constitutional  Convention  of  1862,  272. 

Constitutional  Convention  of  1870, 275. 

Cook,  Daniel  P..  255:  Attorney-General, 
258;elected  to  Congress,  260-61. 

Craig,  Capt.  Thomas,  expedition  against 
Indians  at  Peoria.  257. 

Cullom,  Shelby  M.,  Speaker  of  General  As- 
sembly, 270;  elected  Governor,  276;  fea- 
re-elected, 


277;  elected  to  U.  S.  Senate,  278. 
Davis.  David,  United  States  Senal 
Douglas,  Stephen  A..  263;  Justice  S 


r,  277. 


Court.  264,     U.S. 
with  Lincoln.  268-70:  re-elected  U.  S.  Sen- 
ator, 270:  death,  272. 

Duncan,  Josepn,  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;    administration   and 


death,  261. 
Ewing,  William  L.  D.,    becc 

Governor;  occupant  of  man. 
Explorers, early  French, 244-5. 
Farwell,  Charles  B.,279. 
Field-McClernand  contest,  264. 
Fifer,  Joseph  W..  elected 
Fisher,  Dr.  George.  Speaker  of  Territorial 

Houaeof  Representatives,  257. 
Pord,  Thomas,    Governor:    embarrassing 

questions  of  his  administration.  264. 
Fort  Chartres,  surrendered  to  British,  250. 
Fort  Dearborn  massacre,  256-57. 
Fort  Gage  burned,  251 . 
Fort  Massac,  starting  point  on  the  Ohio  of 


xpedition,251 


raided  and  burned  1 


Clark ^.. 

Fort  St.  Louis, 

Indians,  247. 
J'ranklin,  Benjamin.  Indian  Commissioner 

for  Illinois  In  1775.  251. 
Prench,  Augustus  C.  Governor.  265-7. 
French  and  Indian  War,  250. 


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, 
254;  Territorial  Government  organized; 
Ninian  Edwards  appointed  Governor, 
255;  admitted  as  a  State.  258 

Illinois   &  Michigan  Canal,  261 . 

Illinois  Central  Railroad,  267-68. 

"Illinois  Country,"  boundaries  defined  by 
Captain  Pittman,  241;  Patrick  Hemy, 
first  American  Governor.  252. 

Illinois     County    organ! 
House  of  Delegates,  25: 

Dlinois  Territory  organized;  first  Territo- 
rial officers,  255. 

Indiana  Territory  organized.  254;  first 
Territorial  Legislature  elected.  255. 

Indian  tribes;  location  in  Illinois.  247. 

Internal  improvement  scheme.  263. 

Joliet,  Louis,  accompanied  by  Marquette, 
visits  Illinois  in  1673,  245. 


Labor  disturbances,  270,  280,  283. 

La  Fayette,  visit  of,  to  Kaskaskia,  26L 

La  Salle,  expedition  to  Illinois  in  1679-80, 
245;  builds  Fort  Miami,  near  mouth  of 
St.  Joseph:  disaaterof  Fort  Creve-Cceur; 
erection  of  Fort  St.  Louis, 246. 

Lincoln,  Abraham,  Representative  in  the 
General  Assembly,  263;  elected  to  Con- 
gress, 266;    unsuccessful   candidate 

the  United    States   Senate;    " 

Bloomington    Conventio 
'•  House-divided-again 


sination  and  funeral,  274. 
Lincoln- Douglas  debates.  270. 
Lockwood,  .Samuel  D.,  Attorney-General: 

Secretary  of    State:    opponent  of    pro- 
Logan.  Gen.  John  A.,   prominent   Union 

soldier,  272;  Congress 

elected  United  State 

third  election  as  Senator,  :i(a. 
"LongNine,"263. 
Louisiana  united  with  Illinois,  254. 
Lovejoy,  Elijah  P.,  murdered  at  Alton,  263. 
Macalister  and  Stebbins  bonds.  270. 
Marquette.   Father  Jacques  (see  Jolietl; 


;-large.274-75; 

,tor.  276;  Re- 

Vice-Preaideut; 


Morgan.  Col.  George,  Indian  Agent  at  Kas- 

Mormon  War,  264-65. 

New  Design  Settlement,  255. 

New  France,  244,  249. 

Nicolet,  Jean,  French  explorer.  244-5. 

Northwest  Territory  organized:  Gen.  Ar- 
thur St.  Clair  appointed  Governor,  253; 
first  Territorial  Legislature;  separated 
into  Territories  of  Ohio  and  Indiana.  254. 

Oglesby,  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, 
276;  unsuccessful  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. 

"p,  defines  the  bounda- 


thc'llliii 


iCou 


'  Kiiskaskias 


Mason,  Willia 

McLean.  Julin. 

tiveinCnu-:- 

Menard,  Picii 


Pope,  Nathaniel,  Secretary  of  Illinois 
ritory.  2.55;  Delegate  in  Congress:  : 
ice  infixing  northern  boundary,  258. 

Prairies,  origin  of,  243. 


can  slaves  to  Illinois.  249. 
Republican  State  Convention  of  1856,259. 
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. 
Rocheblave,   Chevalier  de,   last     British 

Commandant  in  Illinois.  251;  sent  as  a 

prisoner  of  war  to  Will 
Shawneetown  Bank,  257. 


Shields,  Gen.  James,  263;  elected  U.  S.  Sen- 
ator, 267;  defeated  for  re-election.  269. 

Southern  Hospital  for  Insane  burned,  280. 

.Spanish-American  War.  281. 

Springfield,  third  State  capital.  263;  erec- 
tion of  new  State  cipitol  at,  authorizeu. 


St.  Clair  County  organized,  254. 

reaches  its  maximum.  268. 
State  Fair  permanently  located,  2S1. 
"gation.242. 

i 
elected  Govern 

Thomas.  Jesse  B..  265;  President  of  Con- 
titutional  Convention  of  1818,  258; 
lected  United  States  Senator,  239. 

Todd,  Col.  John.  County-Lieutenant  of  Illi- 
nois County, 252. 

runty,  Henry  de(seeLaSalle). 

Treaty  with  Indians  near  Alton.  257. 

rrurabuU,  Lyman,  Secretary  of  State.  264; 
elected  United  States  Senator,  269-70; 
Democratic  candidate  for  Governor,  277. 

Vandalia,  the  second  State  cxpital,  259. 

U'ar  of  1812,  256;  expeditions  to  Peoria 
L.ake,  237. 

SVar  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  Edwardsville 
Spectator,  260. 

Wayne.  Gen.  Anthony.254. 

\Vhig  mass-meeting  at  Springfield.  264. 

Wilmot  Proviso,  action  of  IllinoiB  Legisla- 


ture of  1863;  elected  United  S 


286 


niSTOPJCAL   EXCYCLOPEDIA    OF    ILLIXOIS. 


ILES,  Elijah,  pioneer  merchant,  was  horn  in 
Kentucky,  March  28,  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,  tlien  a  French  village 
of  3,500  inhabitants,  and,  after  spending  tliree 
years  as  clerk  in  a  frontier  store  at  "Old  Frank- 
lin," on  the  Missouri  River,  nearly  opposite  the 
present  town  of  Boonville,  in  1821  made  a  horse- 
back tour  through  Central  Illinois,  finally  locating 
at  Springfield,  which  had  just  been  selected  by 
a  board  of  Commissioners  as  the  temporary 
coiuity-seat  of  Sangamon  County.  Here  he  soon 
brought  a  stock  of  goods  by  keel-boat  from  St. 
Louis  and  opened  the  first  store  in  the  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  tlie  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  Black  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  "American 
House,"  which  afterwards  became  the  temporary 
stopping-place  of  many  of  IlHnois'  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  IXCCRABLE  IN 
SANE,  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. 
Tlie  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  liospitals  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.  Tlience  it  flows  some 
eight  miles  to  the  valley  of  the  Des  Plaines,  fol- 
lowing tlie  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  proper  is  96  miles  long,  and  it 
has  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  Uft, 
their  dimensions  being  110x18  feet,  and  admitting 
the  passage  of  boats  carrying  150  tons.  At  Lock- 
port,  Joliet,  Du  Page,  Ottawa  and  La  Salle  are 
large  basins,  three  of  whicli  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  ahnost  con- 
tinuous use  until  1870.  It  was  soon  found  that 
these  machines  might  be  utilized  for  the  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  filled  by  pure  water  from  the 
lake.  This  pmuping,  however,  cost  a  large  sum, 
and  to  obviate  this  expense  $2,955,340  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  tlirough 
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  carry- 
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  below  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  through- 
out the  year.  The  cost  of  that  at  Henry  (.?400, 000) 
was  defrayed  by  direct  appropriation  from  the 
State  treasury.  Copperas  Creek  dam  cost  §410,831, 
of  which  amount  the  United  States  Government 
paid  862,360.  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- 
ouglily  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. 
The  project  of  the  construction  of  a  canal  was 
made  the  subject  of  a  report  by  Albert  Gallatin, 
Secretary  of  the  Treasury  in  1808,  and,  in  1811,  a 
biU  on  the  subject  was  introduced  in  Congress  in 
connection  with  the  Erie  and  other  canal  enter- 
prises. In  1823  Congress  granted  the  right  of 
way  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  $689,000  and  $716,000.  Later  suri-eys 
and  estimates  (1833)  placed  the  cost  of  a  canal 
forty  feet  wide  and  four  feet  deep  at  64,040,000. 
In  1836  anotlier  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  Jime  of  that  year ; 
was  suspended  in  1841;  and  renewed  in  1846, 
when  a  canal  loan  of  $1,000,000  was  negotiated. 
The  channel  was  opened  for  navigation  in  April, 
1848,  by  which  time  the  total  outlay  had  reached 
$6,170,236.  By  1871,  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  $9,513,831,  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  upon 
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  fui-nish  a  continuous 
navigable  water-channel  from  Lake  Michigan,  at 
or  near  Cliicago,  by  way  of  the  Illinois  &  Michi- 
gan Canal  (or  the  Sanitary  Drainage  Canal)  and 
the  IlUnois  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  citj'  of  Hennepin,  where  the 
river  makes  the  great  bend  to  the  south.  Ascend- 
ing the  Bureau  Creek  valley,  the  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  Whiteside  County,  for  the 
purpose  of  obtaining  an  adequate  supply  of  water 
for  the  main  canal  on  its  highe.st  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. 

History. — The  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  became  tlio  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 


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  comjjleted  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  eastern  section  was  practi- 
cally completed,  the  feeder  line  under  contract, 
and  five  out  of  the  eighteen  bridges  required  to 
be  constructed  in  place;  and  it  was  estimated 
that  the  whole  line,  with  locks,  bridges,  culverts 
and  aqueducts,  will  be  completed  within  two 
years,  at  the  farthest,  by  1903. 

Dimensions,  Methods  of  Construction,  Cost. 
ETC. — As  already  stated,  the  length  of  the  main 
line  is  seventy-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 
locks  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,  varying  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  with  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  pas.sage  of  vessels  of  one  hundred 
and  forty  feet  in  length  and  thirty -tivo  feet  beam 
and  each  capable  of  carrying  six  hundred  tons  of 
freight. 

The  bulk  of  the  masonry  employed  In  the  con- 
struction of  locks,  as  well  as  abutments  for 
bridges  and  aqueducts,  is  solid  concrete  manufac- 
tured in  place,  while  the  lock-gates  and  aque- 
ducts proper  are  of  steel— the  use  of  these 
materials  resulting  in  a  large  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 
§1,858,000  for  the  Rock  River  feeder— a  total  of 
56,926,000.  This  lias  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 
53,500,000. 

The  completion  of  this  work,  it  is  estimated, 
will  result  in  a  saving  of  over  400  miles  in  water 
transportation  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  indispensable 
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  Illinois  &  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  waterway 
between  the  lakes  and  the  Gulf  of  Jlexico  of 
sufficient  capacity  to  accommodate  steamers  and 
other  vessels  of  at  least  600  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  tlie  first  results 
of  their  efforts  was  the  founding  of  Illinois  Col- 
lege at  Jacksonville,  in  1829,  with  which  all 
became  associated  as  members  of  the  first  Board 
of  Trustees,  several  of  them  so  remaining  to  the 
close  of  their  lives,  while  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  Baldicin,  Theron; 
Brooks,  John  F.;  and  Sturtevant,  Julian  31.) 


HISTOEICAL   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  Centralia  to  Dubuque, 
Iowa,  (340.77  miles),  and  from  Cairo  to  New 
Orleans,  La.  (547.79  miles)— making  a  total  of 
1,253.39  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  June  30,  1898,  3,130.21 
miles. — ( HiSTOE Y . )  The  Illinois  Central  Rai  Iroad 
is  not  only  one  of  the  lines  earliest  projected  in 
the  history  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  1835  under  the  name  of  the  Wabash  & 
Mississippi  Railroad,  and  took  the  form  of  a 
charter  granted  by  the  Dfegislature  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  the 
"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,  Shelbyville, 
Decatur  and  Bloomington.  Considerable  money 
was  expended  under  this  charter,  but  the  scheme 
again  failed  of  completion,  and  the  act  wa.s 
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  Duluth  in 
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  witliin  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  number  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  21,  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,  1852,  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  La  Salle  to  Duluth 
(now  East  Dubuque),  146.73  miles,  on  June  12, 
1855— the  entire  road  (705.5  miles)  being  com- 
pleted. Sept.  37,  1856.— (Financial  Statement.) 
The  share  capital  of  the  road  was  originally 
fixed  at  .?17. 000,000,  but  previous  to  18G9  it  had 
been  increased  to  §25,500,000,  and  during  1873-74 
to  .529.000.000.  The  present  capitalization  (1898) 
is  8163,353,593,  of  which  §52,500,000  is  in  stock, 
$.53,080,925  in  bonds,  and  §51,367,000  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 
535,110,609.  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,  18.5.5, 
when  the  first  payment  of  829,751.59  was  made, 
up  to  and  including  Oct.  31,  1898,  aggregated 
817,315,193.24.  The  last  payment  (October,  1898). 
amounted  to  .8334, .527. 01.  The  largest  payment 
in  the  history  of  the  road  was  that  of  October, 
1893,  amounting,  for  the  preceding  six  months,  to 
8450,176.34.  The  net  income  of  the  main  line  in 
Illinois,  for  the  year  ending  June  30,  1898,  was 
812,299,021,  and  the  total  expenditures  within  the 
State  812,831,161.— (Leased  Lines  )  The  first 
addition  to  the  Illinois  Central  System  was  made 
in  1867  in  the  acquisition,  by  lease,  of  the  Dubuque 
&  Sioux  City  Railroad,  extending  from  Dubuque 
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 
effected,  in  1872,  with  the  New  Orleans.  Jackson  & 
Great  Northern,  and  the  Mississippi  Central  Rail- 
roads— with  which  it  preTiously  had  traffic  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  traffic 
in  December,  1873.  In  1874  the  New  Orleans. 
Jackson  &  Great  Northern  and  the  Mississippi 
Central  roads  were  consolidated  under  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  majority  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  charge  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  leased,  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  Jlay,  1884,  when  it  passed 
into  the  hands  of  a  receiver ;  in  December  of  the 
same  year  taken  in  charge  by  the  bondholders ;  in 
1885  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  Indianapolis, 
Bloomington  &  Western,  and  opened  in  1873;  sold 
under  foreclosure  in  1879  and  organized  as  the 
Champaign,  Havana  &  AVestern;  in  1880  pur- 
chased by  the  Wabash,  St.  Louis  &  Pacific;  in 
1884  taken  possession  of  bj'  the  mortgage  trustees 
and,  in  September,  1886,  sold  under  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  Railroad  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  j-ears 
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  line  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  83,000,000,  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  Cairo  Bridge.) 

ILLIJTOIS  COLLEGE,  an  institution  of  learn- 
ing at  Jacksonville,  111.,  which  was  the  first  to 
graduate  a  collegiate  class  in  the  history  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  Jacks(mville,  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  fiu-nished— 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 
"Illinois  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 
Illinois  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  "a%'ant- 
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.  Jonathan  Spillman,  the 
composer  of  '  'Sweet  Af ton. " "  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 
188.5 — 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  Mather,  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 
purpose.  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  §150,000, 
with  a  library  (1898)  numbering  over  15,000  vol- 
umes and  property  valued  at  §360,000.  Degrees 
are    conferred  in   both  classical    and    scientific 


292 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


courses  in  tlie  college  proper.  The  list  of  alumni 
embraces  some  750  names,  including  many  who 
have  been  prominent  in  State  and  National 
affairs. 

ILIIXOIS  COUNTY,  the  name  given  to  the 
first  civil  organization  of  tlie  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  hereafter  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  Commandantin-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 
accustomed,  necessary  for  the  preservation  of  the 
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  the  Ohio  River  and  east  of  the  Mississippi, 
Illinois  County  nominally  embraced  the  territc«-y 
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, 


•-Seat 


D.\T 


April  27,  1790 


Oct.  5,  1795 


Washington,  originalh"  comprising  the  State  of 
Ohio,  was  reduced,  on  the  organization  of  Hamil- 
ton County,  to    the  eastern  portion,    Hamilton 


County  embracing  the  west,  with  Cincinnati 
(originally  called  "Losantiville,"  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  records, 
resulted  in  the  issue,  five  years  later,  of  an  order 
creating  the  new  county  of  Randolph,  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  the  State  of 
Illinois.  (See  Illinois:  also  St.  Clair,  Arthur, 
and  Todd,  (Cot)  John.) 

ILLINOIS  FARMERS'  R.ilLROAD.  (See 
Jacksoni-ilh-  d- St.  Loui.'i  nailwinj.) 

ILLINOIS  FEMALE  COLLEOE,  a  flourishing 
institution  for  the  education  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  years 
later  the  charter  was  amended  and  the  name 
changed  to  the  present  cognomen.  The  cost  of 
building  and  meager  support  in  early  years 
brought  on  bankruptcy.  The  friends  of  the  insti- 
tution rallied  to  its  support,  however,  and  the 
purcliasers  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  obtained  from  the 
State  in  1803,  and  the  restrictions  imposed  upon 
the  grant  were  such  as  to  prevent  alienation  of 
title,  by  either  conveyance  or  mortgage.  While 
the  college  has  only  a  small  endowment  fund 
(53,000)  it  owns  $60,000  worth  of  real  property, 
besides  §9,000  invested  in  apparatus  and  library. 
Preparatory  and  collegiate  departments  are  main- 
tained, both  classical  and  scientific  courses  being 
established  in  the  latter.  Instruction  is  also 
given  in  fine  arts,  elocution  and  music.  The 
faculty  (1898)  numbers  15,  and  there  are  about  170 
students. 

ILLINOIS  FEMALE  REFORM  SCHOOL.  (See 
Homcfnr  F.inair  ( ltr,mJn:-<.) 

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  oocu- 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


293 


pied  Illinois,  with  adjacent  portions  of  Iowa, 
Wisconsin  and  IMissouri.  Tlie  name  is  derived 
from  mini,  "man,"  the  Indian  plural  "ek"  being 
changed  b}'  the  French  to  "ois."  They  were 
intensely  warlike,  being  almost  constantly  in 
conflict  with  the  Winnebagoes,  the  Iroquois, 
Sioux  and  other  tribes.  They  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 
Chief  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  1713  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;  3Iitchag amies;  Peorias; 
Tamaroas:  and  Winnebagoes.) 

ILLINOIS  INSTITl  TIOX  FOR  THE  EDU- 
CATION OF  THE  BLIXD,  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  house,  early  in  1850, 
under  the  temporary  supervision  of  Sir.  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  build- 
ings and  appointments,  is  now  one  of  tlie  most 
complete  in  the  country.  Instruction  (as  far  as 
practicable)  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  established  in  the  city  of  Chicago 
under  the  auspices  of  the  Masonic  Fraternity  of 
Illinois,  for  the  purpose  of  furnishing  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.  The  number  of  bene- 
ficiaries in  the  Home,  Deo.  31,  1895,  was  61.  The 
Institution  owns  real  estate  valued  at  §75,000. 

ILLINOIS  MIDLAND  RAILROAD,  (See  Terre 
Haute  <t-  rr,,ri.i   Railroad.) 

ILLINOIS  KIVEK,  the  most  important  stream 
within  the  State ;  has  a  length  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  soutliwest  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  Missouri.  The  Illinois  & 
Michigan  Canal  connects  its  waters  with  Lake 
Michigan.  IMarquette  and  Joliet  ascended  the 
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  the  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  associations  were 
formed  all  over  the  State,  and  funds  were  readily 
obtained,  a  considerable  proportion  of  which  was 
derived  from  "Sanitary  Fairs." 

ILLINOIS  SCHOOL  OF  AGRICULTURE  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  legally  defined 
object  is  to  provide  a  home  and  proper  training 
for  such  boys  as  maj'  be  committed  to  its  charge. 
Commitments  are  made  by  the  County  Courts  of 
Cook  and  contiguous  counties.  The  school  is 
located  at  Glenwood,  in  the  county  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, which  payments  are  fixed  by  law  at  ten 
dollars  per  mouth  for  each  boy,  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  Commissioners  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- 
stantially 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 
agriciiltural  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"  emploj'ed 
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 
Hall,  Wallace,  Plymouth,  Beecher,  Pope,  Windsor, 
Lincoln,  Sunnyside  and  Sheridan.  While  never 
a  suppliant  for  benefactions,  the  Home  has  always 
attracted  the  attention  of  philantliropists  who 
are  interested  in  the  care  of  society's  waifs.  The 
average  annual  number  of  inmates  is  about  27.5. 

ILLINOIS  WESLEYAX  UMVERSITT,  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  in  1896 — 158  male  and 
648  female.  Besides  the  usual  literary  and  scien- 
tific departments,  instruction  is  given  in  theology, 
music  and  oratory.  It  also  has  preparatory  and 
business  ooiu-ses.  It  has  a  library  of  6,000  vol- 
umes and  reports  funds  and  endowment  aggre- 
gating §187,999,  and  property  to  the  value  of 
§380,999. 

ILLINOIS  &  INDIANA  RAILROAD.  (See 
Indiana,  Decatur  &  ]]'cst,rn  liailirtii/.) 

ILLINOIS  &  SOUTHEASTERN  RAILROAD. 
(See  Baltimore  &  Ohio  Snuthurstern  Railnnid.) 

ILLINOIS  A;  SOUTHERN  IOWA  RAILROAD. 
(See   ir„/.„.s/,  U,n]rn,„l) 

ILLINOIS  k  ST.  LOUIS  RAILROAD  &  COAL 
COMPANY.  (See  L<niisri!Ie,  Ecansville  &  St. 
Louis  (consolidated)  Railroad.) 

ILLINOIS  Si  WISCONSIN  RAILROAD.  (See 
Chicago  ct  Norfhwesfern  Railway.) 

ILLIOPOLIS,  a  village  in  Sangamon  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  the  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;  (1S90),  689;  (1900),  744. 

INDIAN  MOUNDS.  (See  Mound-Builders, 
Works  of  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, 
1795_ceded  11,808,409  acres  of  land  for  the  sum 
of  §210,000;  negotiated  by  Gen.  Anthony  Wayne 
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  Vincennes, 
August  13,  1803— ceded  8, 91 1,850  acres  for  §12,000; 
negotiated  by  Governor  Harrison  with  the  Caho- 
kias,  Kaskaskias  and  Mitchagamies .  First  Treaty 
of  St.  Louis,  Nov.  3,  1804— ceded  14,803,530  acres 
in  consideration  of  $23,234;  negotiated  by  Gov- 
ernor Harrison  with  the  Sacs  and  Foxes:  Second 
Treatyof  Vincennes,  Dec.  30, 180.5— ceded  2,676,150 
acres  for  64, 100;  negotiated  by  Governor  Harrison 
with  the  Piankeshaws:  Second  Treaty  of  Fort 
Wayne,  Sept.  30,  1809  — ceded  3,900,000  acres; 
negotiated  by  Governor  Harrison  with  the  Dela- 
wares.  Eel  River,  Miamis,  Pottawatomies  and 
Weas:  Third  Treaty  of  Vincennes,  Dec.  9,  1809 
— ceded  138,340  acres  for  §27,000;  negotiated  by 
Governor  Harrison  with  the  Kickapoos :  Second 
Treaty  of  St.  Louis,  Aug.  24,  1816— ceded  1,418,400 
acres  in  consideration  of  812,000;  negotiated  bj- 
Governor  Edwards,  William  Clark  and  A.  Chou- 
teau with  the  Chippewas,  Ottawas  and  Pottawato- 
mies: Treaty  of  Edwardsville,  Sept.  30,  1818— 
ceded  6,865,380  acres  for  86,400;  negotiated  by 
Governor  Edwards  and  A.  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 
$23,000:  Treaty  of  St.  Joseph,  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  8406,121 :  Second  Treaty  of  Chicago,  Sept. 
26,  1833— by  it  the  Chippewas,  Ottawas  and  Pot- 
tawatomies ceded  5,104,960  acres  for  $7,624,389: 
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 
85,195,252:  Second  Treaty  of  St.  Louis,  Oct.  27, 
1832— the  Kaskaskias  and  Peorias  ceding  1,900 
acres  in  consideration  of  $155,780.  (See  also 
Greenville,  7^-eaty  of.) 

INDIAN  TRIBES.  (See  Algonquins:  Illinois 
Indians;  Kaskaskias:  Eickajyoos;  Miasms;  Outa- 
gamies;  Piankeshaws:  Pottawatomies;  Sacs  and 
Foxes;  Weas;  Winnebagoes.) 


INDIANA,  BLOOMINliTON  &  WESTERN 
RAILWAY.     (See  Peoria  &  Eastern  liailroad.) 

INDIANA,  DECATUR  Ac  WESTERN  RAIL- 
WAT.  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  Wabash  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. 


290 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS 


steel,  and  the  ballasting  is  of  broken  stone,  gravel, 
sand,  cinders  and  earth.  A  policy  of  permanent 
improvements  has  been  adopted,  and  is  being 
carried  forward.  The  principal  traffic  is  the 
transportation  of  freight.  The  outstanding  capi- 
tal stock  (Jime  30,  1898)  was  §3.597,800;  bonded 
debt,  §1,800,000;  total  capitalization,  .35, .517,739; 
total  earnings  and  income  in  Illinois  for  1898, 
§413.967;  total  expenditures  in  the  State,  §303,- 
344. — (History.)  This  road  was  chartered  Dec. 
27,  1881,  and  organized  by  the  consolidation  of 
three  roads  of  the  same  name  (Indiana,  Illinois  & 
Iowa,  respectively),  opened  to  Momence,  111.,  in 
1882.  and  through  its  entire  length.  Sept.  15,  1883. 

INDIANA  &  ILLINOIS  CENTRAL  RAIL- 
ROAD. (See  Indiana,  Decatur  &•  Western  Rail- 
way. ) 

INDIANA  &  ILLINOIS  RAILROAD.  (See 
Indiana.  Decatur  d-  Western  Railway.) 

INDIANA  k  ILLINOIS  SOUTHERN  RAIL- 
ROAD.  (See  St.  Louis,  Indianajiolis  &  Eastern 
Railroad.) 

INDIANAPOLIS,  BLOOMINOTON  &  WEST- 
ERN  RAILROAD.  (See  Illinois  Central  Rail- 
road: also  Peoria  d'  Ea!<teni  Railroad.) 

INDIANAPOLIS,  DECATUR  &  SPRING- 
FIELD  RAILROAD.  (See  Indiana,  Decatur  <fc 
We.'^ten,  Railway.) 

INDIANAPOLIS,  DECATUR  &  WESTERN 
RAILWAY.  (See  Indiana,  Decatur  d:  Western 
Railway.) 

INDIANAPOLIS  k  ST.  LOUIS  RAILWAY. 
(See  .SY.  Loui:^.  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  imder  authority  of  an  act 
of  the  I,egislature  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  December,  1897,  had  63  inmates,  of 
whom  12  were  females.  The  Fortieth  General 
Assembly  appropriated  -§13.900  for  repairs,  appli- 
ances, library,  etc.,  and  §8,000  per  annum  for 
ordinary  e.xpenses 

INGERSOLL,  Ebon  C,  Congressman,  was  born 
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  County 


in  the  lower  house  of  the  General  Assembly;  in 
1862  was  the  Republican  candidate  for  Congress 
for  the  State-at-large,  but  defeated  by  J.  C. 
Allen;  and,  in  1864,  was  chosen  to  fill  the  unex- 
pired term  of  Owen  Lovejo}',  deceased,  as  Repre- 
sentative in  the  Thirty-eighth  Congress.  He  was 
re-elected  to  the  Thirty-ninth.  Fortieth  and 
Forty-first  Congresses,  his  term  expiring,  March 
4.  1871.  He  was  a  brother  of  Col.  Robert  G. 
IngersoU,  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,  lawyer  and  sol- 
dier, was  born  at  Dresden,  Oneida  County,  N.  Y., 
August  11,  1838.  His  father,  a  Congregational 
clergyman  of  pronounced  liberal  tendencies, 
removed  to  the  West  in  1843.  and  Robert's  boy- 
hood was  spent  in  Wisconsin  and  Illinois.  After 
being  admitted  to  the  bar,  he  opened  an  ofiSce  at 
Shawneetown,  in  partnership  with  liis  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 party.  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  b_v 
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  throughout 
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  best-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  Ingersoll's 
home  for  some  twenty  years,  in  the  later  part  of 
his  life,  was  in  the  city  of  New  Y'ork.  Died, 
suddenly,  from  heart  disease,  at  his  summer 
home  at  Dobb's  Ferry,  Long  Island,  July  21,  1899. 


HISTOrJCAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


•297 


IXGLIS,  Samuel  M.,  Superintendent  of  Public 
Instruction,  born  at  Marietta,  Pa.,  August  15, 
1838;  received  his  early  education  in  Oliio  and, 
in  1850,  came  to  Illinois,  graduating  with  first 
honors  from  the  Jlendota  Collegiate  Institute  in 
1861.  The  following  year  he  enlisted  in  the  One 
Hundred  and  Fom-th  Ilhnois  Infantry,  but,  hav- 
ing been  discharged  for  disability,  Ids  place  was 
filled  by  a  brother,  who  was  killed  at  KnoxviUe, 
Tenn.  In  1865  he  took  charge  of  an  Academy  at 
nillsboro,  meanwhile  studying  law  with  the  late 
Judge  E.  Y.  Rice ;  in  1868  he  assumed  the  super- 
intendeucy  of  the  public  schools  at  Greenville, 
Bond  County,  remaining  until  1883,  when  he 
became  Professor  of  Mathematics  in  the  Southern 
Normal  University  at  Carbondale,  being  trans- 
ferred, three  years  later,  to  the  chair  of  Literature, 
Rhetoric  and  Elocution.  In  \89i  he  was  nomi- 
nated as  the  Republican  candidate  for  State 
Superintendent  of  Public  Instruction,  receiving 
a  plurality  at  the  November  election  of  128,593 
votes  over  his  Democratic  opponent.  Died,  sud- 
denly, at  Kenosha,  Wis.,  June  1,  1898. 

I>TER1VAL  IMPROTEMEM  POLICY,  a 
name  given  to  a  scheme  or  plan  of  internal  im- 
provement .adopted  by  the  Tenth  General  Assem- 
bly (1887),  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  appropriated  by 
the  act  was  §10,200,000,  of  which  §400,000  was 
devoted  to  the  improvement  of  waterways ;  8250,  - 
000  to  the  improvement  of  the  "Great  Western 
Mail  Route";  89,350,000  to  the  construction  of 
railroads,  and  8200,000  was  given  outright  to 
covmties  not  favored  by  the  location  of  railroads 
or  other  improvements  within  their  borders.  In 
addition,   the  sale  of  81,000,000  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  &  Michigan  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.  Tliis  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  Macallister  &  Stebbins 
Bonds;  State  Debt;  Tenth  General  Assembly; 
Eleventh  General  Assembly.) 

INUNDATIOXS,  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  Rej'uolds  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  naile  from  the  main 
channel.  The  stream  continued  to  advance  in 
this  direction  mitil  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  May  and  June,  1844,  as  the 
result  of  extraordinary  rains  preceded  by  heavy 
winter  snows  in  the  Rooky  Mountains  and  rapid 
spring  thaws.  At  this  time  the  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  fully  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  ilissouri  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  18T6, 
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  propert}'. — 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,  1833,  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  New  Albany,  Ind.,  in  1883,  was 
seventy-three  feet — or  four  feet  higher  than  the 
flood  of  1832.  The  greatest  altitude  reached  in 
historic  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  water  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  Ohio  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 
Slud  Lake,  and  thence,  hy  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.  TVlien  the 
superabundant  mass  of  waters  and  ice  in  the  Chi- 
cago River  began  to  flow  towards  the  lake,  it  bore 
before  it  not  only  the  accumulated  pack-ice,  but 
the  vessels  which  liad  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  tlie  time, 
four  steamers,  six  propellers,  two  sloops,  twenty- 
four  brigs  and  fifty-seven  canal  boats.  Those  in 
the  upper  part  of  the  stream,  being  hemmed  in 
by  surrounding  ice,  soon  became  a  part  of  the 
moving  mass;  chains  and  hawsers  were  snapped 
as  if  they  had  been  whip-cord,  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 
wreck  by  falling  spars,  crushed  keels  and  crashing 
bridge  timbers.  "Opposite  Kinzie  wharf,"  says 
the  record,  "the  river  was  choked  with  sailing- 
craft  of  every  description,  piled  together  in  inex- 
tricable confusion."  While  those  vessels  near 
the  mouth  of  the  river  escaped  into  the  lake  with 
comparatively  little  damage,  a  large  number  of 
those  higher  up  the  stxeam  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. 


20 'J 


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  18.55,  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  18.59  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  tlie  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  were  lost.  At  Warsaw,  111.,  the  water 
reached  a  height  of  nineteen  feet  four  inches 
above  low-water  mark  on  April  24,  and,  at  Quincy, 
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  water  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. 

IP  ATA,  a  town  in  Fulton  County,  on  one  of  the 
branches  of  the  Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy 
Railroad,  10  miles  west-soutliwest  of  Lewistown, 
and  some  44  miles  north  of  Jacksonville.  Tlie 
county  abounds  in  coal,  and  coal-mining,  as  well 
as  agriculture,  is  a  leading  industry  in  the  sur- 
rounding country.  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. 

IRON  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  Oliio  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  616.53.  The  fuel  used 
is  chiefly  the  native  bituminous  coal,  which  is 
abundant  and  cheap.  Of  this,  674,506  tons  were 
used;  of  anthracite  coal,  only  38,618  tons.  Of 
the  total  output  of  pig-iron  in  the  State,  during 
1890,  016,659  tons  were  of  Bessemer.  Charcoal 
pig  is  not  made  in  Illinois. 

IROX  MOUNTAIN,  CHESTER  &  EASTERN 
RAILROAD.  (See  Wabash,  Chester  &  Western 
Railroad.) 

IROQUOIS  COUNTY,  a  large  county  on  the 
eastern  border  of  the  State;  area,  1,120  square 
miles;  population  (1900),  38.014.  In  1830  two 
pioneer  settlements  mere  made  almost  simultane- 
ously,— 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  Cox,  Jloore  and  Stanlej- 
families.  Iroquois  County  was  set  off  from  Ver- 
milion and  organized  in  1833, — named  from  the 
Iroquois  Indians,  or  Iroquois  River,  which  flows 
througli  it.  The  Kickapoos  and  Pottawatomies 
did  not  remove  west  of  tlie  Mississippi  until 
1836-37,  but  were  always  friendlj'.  The  seat  of 
government  was  first  located  at  ilontgomer}-, 
whence  it  was  removed  to  Middleport,  and  finally 
to  Watseka.  The  comity  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  thoroughly  drain  the  county.  An  abun- 
dance of  pure,  cold  water  may  be  found  anywhere 
by  boring  to  the  depth  of  from  thirty  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- 
mink),  rises  in  Western  Indiana  and  runs 
westward  to  Watseka,  111. ;  thence  it  flows  north- 
ward through    Iroquois   and  part  of   Kankakee 


30(» 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


Counties,  entering  the  Kanl;akee  River  some  live 
miles  southeast  of  Kankakee.  It  is  nearly  120 
miles  long. 

IRVINU,  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  Litchfield;  has  five  churches, 
flouring  and  saw  mills,  creamery,  and  a  weekly 
newspaper.     Population  (1890),   630;    (1900),   6T5. 

ISHAM,  Edward  S.,  lawyer,  was  born  at 
Bennington,  Yt.,  Jan.  L"),  1836;  educated  at 
Lawrence  Academy  and  Williams  College,  Mass., 
taking  his  de.:,'ree  at  the  latter  in  1857;  was 
admitted  to  the  bar  at  Rutland,  Vt.,  in  1858, 
coming  to  Chicago  the  same  year.  Mr.  Isham 
was  a  Representative  in  the  Twenty-fourth 
General  Assembly  (1864-66)  and,  in  1881,  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. 

JACKSON,  Hiintingrton  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  Phillips  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  stall  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 
1805,  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  appointment  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  e.state,  and  a  trustee  of  the 
Crerar  Library.  Died  at  Newark, N.  J.,  Jan  3, 1901. 

JACKSON  COUNTY,  organized  in  181G,  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  five  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,  \V.  Boon;  1815, 
Joseph  Duncan  (afterwards  Governor) ;  1817, 
Oliver  Cross,  Mrs.  William  Kimmel,  S.  Lewis,  E. 
Harrold,  George  Butcher  and  W.  Eakin;  1818, 
the  Bysleys,  Mark  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 (1890)  about  13,000.  The  town  was  laid 
out  in  1825,  and  named  in  honor  of  Gen.  Andrew 
Jackson.  The  first  court  house  was  erected  in 
1836,  and  among  early  lawj'ers  were  Josiah  Lam- 
born,  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  ha3 
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   FOR   FOR   DEAF   AND   DI'MB,  JACKSONVILLE. 


Main  Buil.ling  and  Girls'   Cottage. 
INSTITUTION   FOR   THE   BUND,  JACKSONVILLE. 


HISTOEICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


301 


regarded  as  more  distinctively  Xew  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,  the  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  Academy  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  bod}- ;  though  Illinois,  ilcKendree  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  alumnas  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.  BuUard,  A.il. 

JACKSOXVILLE,  LOUISVILLE  &  ST.  LOUIS 
RAILWAY.  (See  Jacksonville  &  St.  Louis  Rail- 
icay. ) 

JA(!KS0>'VILLE,  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  Jackson  ville, 
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),  23  miles;  to  Smith- 
boro  (1882),  29  miles;  to  Centralia  (1883),  2!)  miles 
— total,  112  miles.  In  1887  a  section  between 
Centralia  and  Driver's  (I61/2  miles)  was  con- 
structed by  the  Jacksonville  Southeastern,  and 
operated  imder  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  Southeastern  was  reorganized  in  1890 
under  the  name  of  the  Jacksonville,  Louisville 
&  St.  Louis  Railwaj-,  and,  in  1893,  %vas  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  1896,  the  road  was  sold 
under  foreclosure  and  reorganized  under  its  pres- 
ent title.  (See  Cliicago,  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  Belt'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  imtil  1871,  after  which  he  accepted  a  super- 
annuated relation.  During  liis  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  (1S40);  Shelbyville  (1841);  Grafton 
(1844  and  '45) ;  Sparta  District  (184.5-47) ;  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  year  he  mar- 
ried Amanda  K.  Casad,  daughter  of  Dr.  Anthony 
W.  Casad.  He  removed  from  Normal  to  Evans- 
ton    in    1876,    and    from    the    latter    place    to 


302 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF    ILLIXOIS. 


Kansas  in  1879.  Of  his  surviving  cliildren, 
Edmund  J.  is  (1898)  Professor  in  the  University 
of  Chicago;  John  N.  is  in  cha^rge  of  the  mag- 
netic laboratory  in  the  National  Observatory 
at  Washington,  D.  C. ;  Benjamin  B.  is  Professor 
in  the  State  Normal  Scliool  at  St.  Cloud,  Minn., 
and  George  F.  is  instructor  in  the  Cambridge 
Preparatory  School  of  Chicago. 

JAMES,  Edmund  Janes,  was  born.  May  21, 
1855,  at  Jacksonville,  Jlorgan  County,  111.,  the 
fourtli  sou  of  Rev.  Colin  Dew  James  of  the  Illi- 
nois Conference,  grandson  on  his  mother's  side 
of  Rev.  Dr.  Anthony  Wayne  Casad  and  great- 
grandson  of  Samuel  Stites  (all  of  whose  sketches 
appear  elsewhere  in  this  volume) ;  was  educated 
in  the  :M(.)del  Department  of  the  Illinois  State 
Normal  School  at  Bloomington  (Normal),  from 
which  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,  where  he  continued  during  one 
season  engaged  in  work  on  the  lower  part  of  Lake 
Ontario  and  the  upper  St.  Lawrence.  He  entered 
Harvard  College,  Nov.  2,  1874,  but  went  to 
Europe  in  August,  1875,  entering  the  University 
of  Halle,  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,  1882,  he  went  to  Europe  for  stud}' ;  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"  i.ssued 
by  the  LTniversity  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  with  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  Deo.  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 
Cyclopaedia  of  Political  Science";  was  also  the 
pioneer  in  the  movement  to  introduce  into  the 
United  States  the  scheme  of  public  instruction 
known  as  University  Extension;  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  his  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  College 
of  Commerce,  College  of  Commerce  and  Politics, 
and  Collegiate  Course  in  Commerce,  in  the  Uni- 
versities of  California  and  Chicago,  and  Columbia 
University.  He  lias  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  %vas  founder  of  "The 
Illinois  School  Journal,"  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  them  being  the 
University  of  Iowa,  the  University  of  Illinois, 
and  the  University  of  Cincinnati.  He  has  served 
as  Vice-President  of  the  National  JIunicipal 
League;  of  the  American  Association  for  tlie 
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  the  American  Philosophical  Society, 
of  the  Pennsylvania  Historical  Society,  of  the 
National  Council  of  Education,  and  of  the  Briti!?h 
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  author  of  more  than  one  hun- 
dred papers  and  monograplis  on  various  economic, 
educational,  legal  and  administrative  sulijects. 
Professor  James  was  married,  August  22,  1879,  to 
Anna  Margarethe  Lange,  of  Halle,  Prussia, 
daughter  of  the  Eev.  Wilhelm  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.  2.5,  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  18.j3. 
Coming  west  the  same  year  he  located  at  Free- 
port,  111.,  but  removed  to  Chicago  in  18.56.  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  reformatory  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- 
tury, 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 
Chieu,  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,  especially  in  lands,  built  mills  and 
erected  one  of  the  earliest  and  finest  brick  houses 
in  that  part  of  tlie  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  (18.57),  he  received  the  support  of  the 
Republican  members  for  Speaker  of  the  House  in 
opposition  to  Col.  "VV.  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  povert}-.  President 
Lincoln  appointed  him  an  Indian  Agent,  which 
took  him  to  the  Black  Hills  region,  where  he 
died,  some  years  after,  from  toil  and  exposure,  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  1900)  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, W  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. 
"'A'ool-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  1812,  and  came  to  Illinois 
in  1819,  settling  in  Springfield  in  1821 ;  was  one 
of  the  Commissioners  appointed  to  construct  the 


304 


HISTOKICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


first  State  Penitentiary  (1827),  and  one  of  tlie  first 
Commissioners  of  the  Illinois  &  Michigan  Canal. 
His  oldest  daughter  (Julia  Maria)  became  the 
wife  of  Senator  Trumbull.  Dr.  Jayne  died  at 
Springfield,  in  18G7.— Dr.  William  (Jayne),  son  of 
the  preceding,  was  born  in  Springfield,  111.,  Oct.  8, 
182G;  educated  by  private  tutors  and  at  Illinois 
College,  being  a  member  of  tlie  class  of  1847,  later 
receiving  the  degree  of  A.M.  lie  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. 

JEFFERSON  COUNTY,  a  south-central  covinty, 
cut  off  from  Edwards  and  White  Counties,  in 
1819,  when  it  was  separately  organized,  being 
named  in  honor  of  Thomas  Jefferson.  Its  area  is 
580  square  miles,  and  its  population  (1900),  28,133. 
The  Big  Muddy  River,  with  one  or  two  tributa- 
ries, flows  through  the  county  in  a  southerly  direc- 
tion. Along  the  banks  of  streams  a  variety  of 
hardwood  timber  is  found.  The  railroad  facilities 
are  advantageous.  The  surface  is  level  and  the 
soil  rich  Cereals  and  fruit  are  easily  produced. 
A  fine  bed  of  limestone  (seven'  to  fifteen  feet 
thick)  crosses  the  middle  of  the  county.  It  has 
been  quarried  and  found  well  adapted  to  building 
purposes.  The  county  possesses  an  abundance  of 
running  water,  much  of  wliich  is  slightly  im- 
pregnated with  salt.  The  upper  coal  measure 
underlies  the  entire  county,  but  the  seam  is 
scarcely  more  than  two  feet  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  1873, 
Its  population  in  1890  was  3,233.  It  has  several 
manufactories  and  is  the  seat  of  the  Appellate 
Court  for  the  Southern  Judicial  District  of  the 
State. 

JEFFERY,  EdYvard  Turner,  Railway  President 
and  Manager,  born  in  Liverpool,  Eng.,  April  6, 
1843,  his  father  lieing  an  engineer  in  the  British 
navy ;  about  IS.IO  came  with  his  widowed  mother 
to  Wheeling,  Va  .  and,  in  18.j6,  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  tlie  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  Railway,  with  head- 
quarters .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,  Alexander  M.,  Lieutenant-Governor 
(1834-36),  came  to  Illinois  in  his  j'outh  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  compan}-.  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  tlie  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  18.59,  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. 

JENXEY',  William  Le  Baron,  engineer  and 
architect,  born  at  Fairhaven,  Mass..  Sept.  25, 
1833;  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  18.56.  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,  being  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 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


305 


Df  maps  of  General  Sherman's  campaigns,  wliich 
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  COUXTY,  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  14,613 
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  4.5  miles 
north  of  St.  Louis,  Mo.  The  city  is  in  an  agri 
cultural  district,  but  has  manufactories  of  flour, 
plows,  carriages  and  wagons,  slioe  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  (1890J,  3,207; 
(1900),  3,517;  (1903.  est.),  4,117. 

JO  DAVIESS  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  named  in 
honor  of  Gen.  Joseph  Hamilton  Daviess,  who  was 
killed  in  the  Battle  of  Tippecanoe.  Tlie  original 
tract,  liowever,  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  bj'  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  growth  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  Super-\'isors  of  W^hiteside 
County;  in  1884  was  elected  to  the  House  of 
Representatives  of  the  Thirty-fourth  General 
Assembly,  was  re-elected  in  1880,  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.)  Herrlck,  clergyman  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 


300 


niSTOKICAL    ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


Seminary,  and,  in  1880,  accepted  a  pastorate  in 
Cliicago.  also  becoming  Lecturer  on  Sacred  Rhet- 
oric in  MoCormick  Tlieological  Seminary.  In 
1883  he  resigned  his  pastorate,  devoting  his  atten- 
tion thereafter  to  the  duties  of  his  professorship. 
He  was  Moderator  of  tlie  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  the 
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  1846  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  18.58,  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  Health  of  Chi- 
cago, and  upon  the  National  Board  of  Health.  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)  were  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.  Jolmson  was 
engaged  almost  wholly  in  consultations.  Died, 
Feb.  2G,  1891. 

JOHNSON  COUNTY,  lies  in  the  southern  por- 
tion of  the  State,  and  is  one  of  the  smallest 
counties,  having  an  area  of  only  340  square  miles, 
and  a  population  (1900)  of  15,667— named  for  Col. 


Richard  M,  Johnson.  Its  organization  dates  back 
to  1812.  A  dividing  ridge  (forming  a  sort  of 
water  shed)  extends  from  east  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  bluff's,  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  County,  Va.,  Dec.  20,  1799,  and, 
at  the  age  of  12  years,  emigrated  witli  his  father 
to  Woodford  County,  Ky.  In  1824  he  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  Commissioner  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  Assemblj-.  The  following 
year  he  was  made  Paymaster  in  the  United  States 
Army,  serving  through  the  Mexican  War;  in 
1852  served  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  &  Michigan 
Canal,  and,  in  1854,  was  appointed  Clerk  of  the 
Supreme  Court  for  the  Third  Division,  being 
elected  to  the  same  position  in  1861.  Other  posi- 
tions held  by  him  included  those  of  Deputy  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  Jlount  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  efe  Michigan 
Canal,  and  the  intersecting  point  of  five  lines  of 
railway.  A  good  quality  of  calcareous  building 
stone  underlies  the  entire  region,  and  ;s  exten- 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


307 


sively  quarried.  Hiavel,  sami.  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  405  establishments,  having  $15,452,186 
capital,  employing  6.523  hands,  paying  §3,957,529 
wages  and  §17,891,836  for  raw  material,  turning 
out  an  annual  product  valued  at  §27,705.104.  The 
leading  industries  are  the  manufacture  of  foundry 
and  machine-shop  products,  engines,  agricultural 
implements,  pig-iron.  Bessemer  steel,  steel 
bridges,  rods,  tin  cans,  wallpaper,  matches,  beer, 
saddles,  paint,  furniture,  pianos,  and  stoves, 
besides  quarrying  and  stone  cutting.  The  Clii- 
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), 
33,2.54,  (including  suburbs),  34,473;  (1900),  29,353. 

JOLIET,  AURORA  &  NORTHERN  RAIL- 
WAY.    (See  Elgi7i,  Joliet  &  Eastern  Eaitu-ai/.) 

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  he  was  sent  to  investigate  the 
copper  mines  on  Lake  Superior,  but  his  most 
important  service  began  in  1673,  when  Frontenac 
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  60-lb.  steel  rails. 
The  company  provides  terminal  facilities  at  Joliet, 
although  originally  projected  to  merely  run  from 
that  city  to  a  connection  with  the  Calumet  & 


Blue  Island  Railway.  The  capital  stock  author- 
ized and  paid  in  is  §100,000.  The  company's 
general  offices  are  in  Chicago. 

JOLIET  &  NORTHERN  INDIANA  RAIL- 
ROAD,  a  road  running  from  Lake,  Ind.,  to  Joliet, 
III.,  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,- 
143,201.  Total  earnings  and  income  in  Illinois  in 
1894,  §89,017;  total  expenditures,  §62,370.  (See 
Michigan  Central  Railroad.) 

JONES,  Alfred  M.,  politician  and  legislator, 
was  born  in  New  Hampshire,  Feb.  5,  1837,  brought 
to  MoHenry  County,  HI.,  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  (1858)  he  made  a  trip  to  Pike's 
Peak,  but  meeting  disappointment  in  his  expec- 
tations in  regard  to  mining,  returned  almost 
immediately.  The  next  few  years  were  spent  in 
various  occupations,  including  law  and  real 
estate  business,  until  1872,  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  Jlineral  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 
desertion  of  the  troops,  he  remained  at  Vincennes 
four    years,    part    of  the   time   as   Commissary- 


308 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


General  of  tlie  garrison  there.  In  1790  he  went  to 
Kaskaskia,  but  eleven  years  later  returned  to  Vin- 
cennes,  being  commissioned  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,  tlie  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  he  located 
within  the  present  limits  of  the  State  of  Missouri 
(then  the  Territory  of  Louisiana),  residing  suc- 
cessively 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  by  the  same  a  Justice  of  tlie  Supreme 
Court,  dying  in  office  at  St.  Louis,  Feb.  1,  1824. 
He  appears  to  have  enjoyed  an  extensive  practice 
among  the  early  residents,  as  shown  by  the  fact 
that,  the  year  of  his  return  to  Kaskaskia,  he  paid 
taxes  on  more  than  16,000  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  Territory  when  Illinois  com- 
posed a  part  of  it. — Rice  (Jones),  sou  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,  was 
elected  to  the  Indiana  Territorial  Legislature,  by 
the  party  known  as  "Divisiouists'' — i.  e.,  in  favor 
of  the  division  of  the  Territory — which  proved 
successful  in  the  organization  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  fled,  ending  his  days  in  Texas. — 
tien.  John  Rice  (Jones),  Jr.,  another  son,  was 
born  at  Kaskaskia,  Jan.  8,  1792,  served  under 
Capt.  Henry  Dodge  in  the  War  of  1812,  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 — tlie  year  of  its 
annexation  to  the  United  States.  —  George 
Wallace  (Jones),  fourth  son  of  John  Rice  Junes 
(1st),  was  born  at  Vincennes,  Indiana  Territor\% 
April  12,  1804;  graduated  at  Transylvania  Uni- 
versity, in  1825;  served  as  Clerk  of  the  United 
States  District  Court  in  Missouri  in  1826,  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- 
tory, and,  on  its  admission  as  a  State,  being  elected 
one  of  the  first  United  States  Senators  and  re- 
elected in  1852 ;  in  1859,  was  appointed  by  Presi- 
dent Buchanan  Minister  to  Bogota,  Colombia^ 
but  recalled  in  1861  on  account  of  a  letter  to 
Jefferson  Davis  expressing  sympathy  with  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  his  retirement  from 
office,  General  Jones"  residence  was  at  Dubuque, 
Iowa,  where  he  died,  July  22,  1806,  in  the  93d 
}-ear  of  his  age. 

JOXES,  Michae'',  early  politician,  was  a  Penn- 
sylvanian  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  Shawneetown  and  represented 
Gallatin  County  as  a  Delegate  to  the  Constitu- 
tional Convention  of  1818  and  as  Senator  in  the 
first  four  General  A.ssemblies,  and  also  as  Repre- 
sentative in  the  Eighth.  He  was  a  candidate  for 
United  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  passions, 
a  supporter  of  the  scheme  for  a  pro-slavery  con- 
stitution and  a  bitter  opponent  of  Governor 
Edwards. 

JONES,  J.  Russell,  capitalist,  was  born  at 
Conneaut,  Ashtabula  County,  Ohio,  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  Rocktcn,  when  he  accepted  a 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF    ILLINOIS. 


309 


clerkship  in  a  leading  mercantile  establishment 
at  Galena,  finally  being  advanced  to  a  partner- 
ship, which  was  dissolved  in  1850.  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  1869,  by  appointment  of 
President  Grant,  he  became  Minister  to  Belgium, 
remaining  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  1868.  In  186.3  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.  22,  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  1832  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  earlj-  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 
S50,000  to  the  old  Chicago  University,  of  which 
he  was  a  Trustee  and,  for  some  time,  President  of 
its  Executive  Committee.  Died,  Jan.  18,  1808.— 
Fernando  (Jones),  son  of  the  preceding,  was  born 
at  Forestville,  Chautauqua  County,  N.  Y.,  May 
26,  1820,  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  Chicago, 
in  1835,  he  was  employed  for  some  time  as  a  clerk 
in  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  which,  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  20,  1886. 

JONESBORO,  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  which  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  and  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  1827,  came  to  Illi- 
nois m  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  1864,  was  elected  to  the  Twenty-fourth 
General  Assembly  from  JIcHenry  County,  later 
serving  as  Senator  during  the  sessions  of  the 
Thirtieth  and  Thirty-first  Assemblies  (1876-80). 
After  the  death  of  President  Garfield,  he  was 
appointed  by  President  Arthur  Assistant  Secre- 
tarj-  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 
JIaster  in  Chancery  for  McHenry  County. 

JOUETT,  Charles,  Chicago's  first  lawyer,  was 
born  in  Virginia  in  1773,  studied  law  at  Charlottes- 


310 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


ville  in  that  State;  in  1802  was  appointed  by 
President  Jefferson  Indian  Agent  at  Detroit  and, 
in  1805.  acted  as  Commissioner  in  conducting  a 
treaty  with  the  Wyandottes,  Ottawas  and  other 
Indians  of  Northwestern  Ohio  and  Michigan  at 
Maujuee  City,  Ohio.  In  the  fall  of  the  latter  year 
he  was  appointed  Indian  Agent  at  Fort  Dearborn, 
serving  there  until  the  year  before  the  Fort  Dear- 
bom  Massacre.  Removing  to  Mercer  County, 
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 
lintil  1818,  when  he  again  returned  to  Kentucky. 
In  1819  he  was  appointed  to  a  United  States 
Judgeship  in  the  newly  organized  Territory  of 
Arkansas,  but  remained  only  a  few  months,  when 
he  resumed  his  residence  in  Kentucky,  dying 
there.  May  28,  1834. 
JOURNALISM.  {See  Netcspapers,  Early.) 
JUDD,  >'orman  Buel,  lawyer,  legislator,  For- 
eign Minister,  was  born  at  Rome,  X.  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  position  of  prominence 
and  influence  in  public  affairs,  holding  various 
municipal  offices  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  1801. 
In  1870  he  was  elected  to  the  Forty-first  Congress. 
Died,  at  Chicago,  Nov.  10,  1878. 

JUDD,  S.  Corning,  lawyer  and  politician,  born 
in  Onondaga  County,  N.  Y.,  July  21,  1827;  was 
educated  at  Aurora  Academy,  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 
bis  place  upon  "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  AVilliam  Fitzhugh  White- 
house,  son  of  Bishop  Whitehouse,  and  became 
prominent  in  connection  with  some  ecclesiastical 
trials  which  followed.  In  1800  he  was  a  Demo- 
cratic candidate  for  Presidential  Elector  and, 
during  the  war,  was  a  determined  opponent  of 
the  war  policy  of  the  Government,  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  such  inferior  courts  as 
the  Legislature  might  establish.  The  former 
consisted  of  one  Chief  Justice  and  three  Associ- 
ates, appointed  by  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  appellate 
jurisdiction  in  their  united  capacity.  In  1824  the 
Legislature  divided  the  State  into  five  circuits, 
appointing  one  Circuit  Judge  for  each,  but,  two 
years  later,  these  were  legislated  out  of  office,  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. 
This  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  system  underwent  an  entire  change,  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- 
ture had  the  power  to  create  inferior  civil  and 
criminal  courts  in  cities,  but  only  upon  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   exer- 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


311 


cised.  Appeals  lay  from  the  Circuit  Courts  to  the 
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  §5,000  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-six)  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  the  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  §3,500  per  year, 
except  in  Cook  Coimty,  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  Cocxty. — 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  constitutional 
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 
County. 

JUDY,  Jacob,  pioneer,  a  native  of  Switzer- 
land, who,  having  come  to  the  United  States  at 
an  early  day,  remained  some  years  in  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 


313 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF    ILLINOIS. 


County,  wliere  he  died  in  1807. — .Samuel  (Judy), 
son  of  tlie  preceding,  born  August  19,  1TT3,  was 
brought  by  his  father  to  Illinois  in  1788,  and  after- 
wards became  prominent  in  political  aflfairs  and 
famous  as  an  Indian  fighter.  On  the  organization 
of  Jladison  County  he  became  one  of  the  first 
County  Commissioners,  serving  many  years.  He 
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  (1814-15).  Previous  to  1811  he  built  the 
first  brick  house  within  the  limits  of  Madison 
County,  which  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  Office  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).     His  death   occurred  Oct.  4,  1880. 

JUDY,  James  TVilUam,  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  Jlenard  County, 
111.,  where  he  has  since  resided.  In  August,  1862, 
he  enlisted  as  a  private  soldier,  was  elected  Cap- 
tain of  his  company,  and,  on  its  incorporation  as 
part  of  the  One  Hundred  and  Fourteenth  Regi- 
ment Illinois  Volunteers  at  Camj)  Butler,  was 
chosen  Colonel  by  acclamation.  The  One  Ilim- 
dred  and  Fourteenth,  as  part  of  the  Fifteenth 
Army  Corps  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  Vicksbiirg,  from  Jlay,  18G3,  to  the 
surrender  on  the  3d  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  affiiction,  having  lost  two  children  by 
death  within  eight  days  of  each  other,  while 
others  of  his  family  were  dangerously  ill.  On 
liis  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 
as  President  of  the  Board  from  1894  to  1896.     He 


l:)ore  a  conspicuous  part  in  securing  the  location 
of  the  State  Fair  at  Springfield  in  1894,  and  the 
improvements  there  made  under  his  administra- 
tion have  not  been  paralleled  in  any  other  State. 
Originally,  and  up  to  18.")G,  an  old-line  Whig, 
Colonel  Judy  has  since  been  an  ardent  Repub- 
lican ;  and  though  active  in  political  campaigns, 
has  never  held  a  political  office  nor  desired  one, 
being  content  with  the  discharge  of  his  duty  as  a 
patriotic  private  citizen. 

KANAN,  Michael  F.,  soldier  and  legislator,  was 
born  in  Essex  County,  N.  Y.,  in  November,  1837, 
at  twenty  years  of  age  removed  to  Macon  County, 
111. ,  and  engaged  in  farming.  Dm-ing  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  first  Post  of  the  order  ever 
established — that  at  Decatur. 

KAXE,  a  village  of  Greene  County,  on  the 
Jacksonville  Division  of  the  Chicago  &  Alton 
Railway,  40  miles  south  of  Jacksonville.  It  has 
a  bank  and  a  weekly  paper.  Population  (1880), 
408;  (1890),  .551;  (1900),  588. 

KANE,  Elias  Kent,  early  United  States  Sena- 
tor, is  said  by  Lanman's  "Dictionary  of  Congress"' 
to  have  been  born  in  New  York,  June  7,  1796. 
The  late  Gen.  Geo.  W.  Smith,  of  Chicago,  a  rela- 
tive of  Senator  Kane's  bj-  marriage,  in  a  paper 
read  before  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  born 
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  latter  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  served  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  Assembly  as 
Representative     from     Randolph     County,     but 


HISTORICAL   EXCYCLOPEDIA    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.  12,  18-35), 
having  reached  the  age  of  a  little  more  than  40 
years,  he  died  in  Washington,  deeply  mourned 
by  bis  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. 

KAXE  COUXTT,  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  78,792; 
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  183-3,  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  Jtme,  1886,  and  the 
public  lands  came  on  the  market  in  1842.  Tlie 
Civil  War  record  of  the  cotmty  is  more  than 
creditable,  the  number  of  volunteers  exceeding 
the  assessed  quota.  Farming,  grazing,  manufac- 
turing and  dairy  industries  chiefly  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 
andSf.  Charles.) 

KAjVGLEY,  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. 

KAXK.VKEE,  a  city  and  county-seat  of  Kanka- 
kee County,  on  Kankakee  Ri\er  and  111.  Cent. 
Railroad,  at  intersection  of  the  "Big  Four""  with 
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 (1890),  9,025:  (1900),  13,.595. 

KANKAKEE  COUNTY,  a  wealthy  and  popu- 
lous county  in  the  northeast  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  Yasseur,  a  Frenchman,  and  the  first 
American,  Thomas  Durham.  Population  (1880), 
25.047;  (1890),  28,732;  (1900),  37,154. 

KANKAKEE  RITER,  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 
l3'ing  wholly  in  Illinois,  42.08  miles  in  length.  It 
has  a  capital  stock  of  $10,000,  bonded  debt  of 
8650,000  and  other  forms  of  indebtedness  (1895) 
reaching .5557, 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  bj-  the  former.  (See 
Cleveland,  Cineinnati,  Chicago  d:  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. 

K.^SK.-ISKIA,  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  Yirginia  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  oflSce  there.  I'or  many  j-ears  the  most 
important  commercial  town  in  tlie  Territory,  it 
remained  the  Territorial  and  State  capital  down 


314 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


to  1819,  when  the  seat  of  government  was  re- 
moved to  Vandalia.  Originally  situated  on  the 
west  side  of  the  Kaskaskia  River,  some  six  miles 
from  the  Mississippi,  early  in  1899  its  site  had 
been  swept  away  by  the  encroachments  of  tlie 
latter  stream,  so  that  all  that  is  Veft  pf  the  princi- 
pal town  of  Illinois,  in  Territorial  days,  is  simply 
its  name. 

KASKASKIA  INDIANS,  one  of  the  five  tribes 
constituting  the  Illinois  confederation  of  Algon 
quin  Indians.  About  the  year  1700  they  removed 
from  what  is  now  La  Salle  County,  to  Southern 
Illinois,  where  they  established  themselves  along 
the  banks  of  the  river  which  bears  their  name. 
They  were  finally  removed,  with  their  h-ethren 
of  the  Illinois,  west  of  the  Mississippi,  and,  as  a 
distinct  tribe,  have  become  extinct. 

KASKASKIA  RIVER,  rises  in  Champaign 
County,  and  flows  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 ;  spent 
18.50-54  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.— Elbridge  G.  (Keith),  banker, 
brother  of  the  preceding,  was  born  at  Barre,  Vt., 
July  16,  1840;  attended  local  schools  and  Barre 
Academy ;  came  to  Chicago  in  1857,  the  next  year 
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  tlie  Republican  National 
Convention  of  1880,  and  belongs  to  several  local 
literary,  political  and  social  clubs ;  was  also  one 
of  the  Directors  of  the  World's  Columbian  Expo- 
sition of  1802-93. 

KEITHS15UK(J,  a  town  in  Mercer  County  on 
the  Mississippi  River,  at  the  intersection  of  the 
Chicago,  Burlington  &  (.^uincy  and  the  Iowa  Cen- 
tral Railways;  100  miles  vvest-northwest  of 
Peoria.  Principal  industries  are  fisheries,  ship- 
ping, manufacture  of  pearl  buttons  and  oilers ;  has 
one  paper.     Pop.   (1900),  1,566;  (1903,  est.),  2,000. 


KELLOGG,  Hiram  Huntington,  clergyman 
and  educator,  was  born  at  Clinton  (then  Whites- 
town),  N.  Y.,  in  February,  1803,  graduated  at 
Hamilton  College  and  Auburn  Seminary,  after 
which  he  served  for  some  years  as  pastor  at 
various  places  in  Central  New  York.  Later,  he 
established  the  Young  Ladies"  Domestic  Seminary 
at  Clinton,  claimed  to  be  the  first  ladies'  semi- 
nary in  the  State,  and  the  first  experiment  in  the 
country  uniting  manual  training  of  girls  with 
scholastic  instruction,  antedating  Mount  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.  Y.  Dyer  and  others,  in  the  work  of  extirpat- 
ing slavery.  In  1843  he  vi.sited  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  that  day  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  uutil  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  18.56  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  his  retirement  from  the  army 


wm 


^^^' 


Si 


/ 


I.— Old  Kaskaskia  from  Garrison  Hill  (1S93).  2.— Kaskaskia  Hotel  where  LaFayettt-  was  teterl  in  1S25. 
3.— First  Illinois  State  House,  1S18.  4.— Interior  of  Room  (1S93)  where  LaFayette  banquet  was 
held.     5.— Pierre  Menard  Mansion.     6.— House  of  Chief  Ducoign,  last  of  the  Cascasquias  (Kaskaskias). 


I  -Remnant  of  Old  Kaskaskia  ( iSgS)  2  -View  o 
House  (1891).  4.-House  of  Gov  Bond  U^9l)  5 
tained  as  it  appeared  in  189S.     6.-01d  State  House  (1900) 


Prnicpal  Street  ( ibgD      3  -Gen  John  Edgar's 
-••  Chenu  'Mansion     \Nhere  LaFayette  was  enter- 


HISTOKICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


315 


after  the  battle  of  Corinth.  In  lS6o  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  1868 
to  1871.  and  as  Governor  from  1873  to  1870,  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  1876.  In  1877  he  was 
elected  a  second  time  to  the  United  States  Senate 
by  one  of  two  ri%-al  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. 

KE>'D,^LL  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  county),  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,  Adin  A.,  educator,  was  born  at 
Ticonderoga,  N.  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 Seminar_v  at  Rochester,  N.  Y.,  in  1861  he 
became  pastor  of  the  North  Saptist  Church  in 
Chicago,  but,  in  1865,  removed  to  St.  Louis, 
where  he  remained  in  pastoral  work  until  1873, 
when  he  assumed  the  Presidency  of  Shurtleff 
College  at  Upper  Alton,  111. 

KEJi'NET,  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.  Tlie  town  has  two  banks 


and  two  newspapers ;  the  district  is  agricultural. 
Population  (1880),  418;  (1890).  497;  (1900),  584. 

KENT,  (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  tlian  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 
Missionary  Society.  He  was  prominent  in  laying 
the  foundations  of  Beloit  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, 
altliough  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,  1833,  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.,  Deo.  18,  1823,  and 
educated  under  the  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.  38, 
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 


31t 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


and  Stock  Board  of  Chicago  and  its  first  Presi- 
dent. 

KEWANEE,  a  city  in  Henry  County,  on  the 
Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy  Railroad,  131 
miles  southwest  of  Chicago.  Agriculture  and 
coal-mining  are  chief  industries  of  the  surround- 
ing country.  The  city  contains  eighteen  churches, 
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,  Willard,  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 
months"  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  years  previous.  Mr.  Keyes  thus 
became  one  of  the  three  earliest  settlers  of 
Quincy,  the  other  two  being  John  Wood  and  a 
Major  Rose.  On  the  organization  of  Adams 
Coimty,  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,  thereby  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  eth- 
nology is  closely  related  to  that  of  the  ^Mascou- 
tins.  The  French  orthography  of  the  word  was 
various,  the  early  explorers  designating  them  as 
"Kic-a-pous, "  "Kick-a-poux,"  "Kiok-a-bou,"  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  Kieka- 
Iinos  were  noted  as  a  nation  of  warriors.  They 
fought  against  Christianization,  and  were,  for 
some  time,  hostile  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  (1805  and  1809).  Nearly  a  century 
before,  they  had  left  their  seats  in  Wisconsin  and 
established  villages  along  the  Rock  River  and 
near  Chicago  (171215).  At  the  time  of  the 
Edwardsville  treaty  they  had  settlements  in  the 
valleys  of  the  Wabash,  Embarras,  Kaskaskia, 
Sangamon  and  Illinois  Rivers.  While  they 
fought  bravelj'  at  the  battle  of  Tippecanoe,  their 
chief  military  skill  lay  in  predator}-  warfare.  As 
compared  with  other  tribes,  they  were  indvistri- 
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 
ethnologists  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.  He  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  afl'airs.  and  naturally  eloquent.  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  1850  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. 

KING,  John  Lyle,  lawyer,  was  born  in  Madison, 
Ind.,  in  1825 — the  son  of  a  pioneer  settler  who 
was  one  of  the  founders  of  Hanover  College 
and  of  the  Presbyterian  Theological  Seminary 
tiicre,  which  afterwards  became  the  "Presby- 
terian Theological  Seminary  of  the  Northwest, " 


IIISTOKIL'AL    EXCYCLOPEDIA    OF    ILLINOIS. 


3i: 


now  the  McCormick  Theological  Seminary  of 
Chicago.  After  graduating  at  Hanover,  Mr.  King 
began  the  stud}-  of  law  with  an  uncle  at  JMadison, 
and  the  following  year  was  admitted  to  the  bar. 
In  1852  be  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  18.j6,  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  part}^  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  Chicago,  April  17, 


KING,  William  H.,  lawyer,  was  born  at  Clifton 
Park,  Saratoga  County,  N.Y.,  Oct.  23, 1817;  gradu- 
ated from  Union  College  in  1840,  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  estate,  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.  G,  1892. 

KIXGMA>',  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,  1865,  he  went  to 
Peoria,  where  he  engaged  in  business  and  has  re- 
mained ever  since.  He  is  now  connected  with  the 
following  bu.siness   concerns:     Kingman  &  Co., 


manvifacturers  and  dealers  in  farm  machinery, 
buggies,  wagons,  etc. ;  The  Kingman  Plow  Com- 
pany, Bank  of  Illinois,  Peoria  Cordage  Companj-, 
Peoria  General  Electric  Company,  and  National 
Hotel  Company,  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 — this  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  Kiniead),  William,  a  native  of 
Tennessee,  settled  in  what  is  now  Lawrence 
County,  in  1817,  and  was  elected  to  the  State 
Senate  in  1823,  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. 

KINMUXDY,  a  city  in  Marion  County,  on  the 
Illinois  Central  Railroad,  229  miles  south  of 
Chicago  and  24  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),  1,221. 

KINNEY,  William,  Lieutenant-Governor  of 
Illinois  from  1826  to  1830 ;  was  born  in  Kentucky  in 
1781  and  came  to  Illinois  earlj--  in  life,  finally 
settling  in  St.  Clair  County.  Of  limited  educa- 
tional advantages,  he  was  taught  to  read  bj'  his 
wife  after  marriage.  He  became  a  Baptist 
preacher,  was  a  good  stump-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  pre('ed- 
ing,  was  born  in  Illinois,  served  as  a  member  of 


318 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


the  Constitutional  Convention  of  1847  and  as 
Kepresentative  in  the  Nineteenth  General  Assem- 
bly (1805),  and,  in  1857,  was  appointed  by  Gov- 
ernor Bissell  Adjutant-General  of  the  State, 
dying  in  office  the  following  year. 

KINZIE,  John,  Indian-trader  and  earliest  citi- 
zen of  Chicago,  was  born  in  Quebec,  Canada,  in 
1763.  His  father  was  a  Scotchman  named 
McKenzie,  but  tlie  son  dropped  the  prefix  "Mc," 
and  the  name  soon  came  to  be  spelled  "Kinzie" 
— an  orthography  recognized  by  the  family.  Dur- 
ing his  early  childhood  his  father  died,  and  his 
mother  gave  him  a  stepfather  by  the  name  of 
William  Forsythe.  When  ten  years  old  lie  left 
home  and,  for  three  years,  devoteil  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.  Hi3  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 
massacre  of  1812,  but  returned  to  Chicago  in 
1816.  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  affairs  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  lie  was  appointed 
Registrar  of  Public  Lands  by  President  Harrison, 
but  was  removed  by  Tyler.  In  1848  lie  was 
appointed  Canal  Collector,  and,  in  1849,  President 
Taylor  commissioned  him  Receiver  of  Public 
Moneys.  In  1861  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  taught  several  years  at  St.  Louis  and 
Jacksonville;  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1864, 
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. 

KIRK,  (Oen.)  Edward  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  until  after  the  battle  of  the  first 
Bull  Run,  when  he  raised  a  regiment.  The  quota 
of  the  State  being  already  full,  this  was  not  im- 
mediately accepted;  but,  after  some  delay,  was 
mustered  in  in  September,  1861,  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  Sliiloh,  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  lay  between 
life  and  death  for  some  time.  Having  partially 
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,  lie  had  sufficiently  re- 
covered to  take  part  in  the  series  of  engagements 
at  Stone  River,  where  he  was  again  wounded, 
this  time  fatally.  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,  N.  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  until  1856,  when  he  came  to 
the  city  of  Chicago.  In  1861  he  enlisted  as  a 
private  in  the  Twelfth  Illinois  Infantry  (three- 
months'  men),  was  elected  Second  Lieutenant, 
but   later   became  Aid-de-Camp  on  the  staff  of 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


319 


General  McClellan.  serving  tliere  and  on  the  staff 
of  General  Fitz-John  Porter  until  the  retirement 
of  the  latter,  meanwhile  taking  part  in  the  Pen- 
insular campaign  and  in  the  battle  of  Autietam. 
Returning  to  Chicago  he  gave  attention  to  some 
coal-mining  property  near  Danville,  but  later 
studied  lau-  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  Tr-bune."  His  works 
— several  of  which  first  appeared  as  serials  in  the 
magazines — include  "Zury,  the  ^leanest  Man  in 
Spring  County"  (1885) ;  "The  JlcVeys"  (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.  Jolm  Jloses,  the  work  of 
editing  a  two-volume  "History  of  Chicago,"  pub- 
lished by  Messrs.  Munsell  &  Co.  (1895).  Died,  in 
Chicago,  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  e.special 
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"  read}'  for  the 
hands  of  the  publishers. 

KIRKPATRICK,  John,  pioneer  Methodist 
preacher,  was  born  in  Georgia,  whence  he  emi- 
grated in  1802 ;  located  at  Springfield,  111. ,  at  an 
early  day,  wliere  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  liad  been  placed. 

KIRKWOOD,  a  city  in  Warren  County,  once 
known  as  "Young  America,"  situated  about  six 
miles  southwest  of  Monmouth,  on  the  Chicago, 


Burlington  tt  Quincy  Railroad ;  is  a  stock-.ship- 
ping  point  and  in  an  agricultural  region.  Tlie 
town  has  two  banks,  five  churches,  and  two 
weekly  newspapers.  Pop.  (1890),  949;  (1900),  1,008. 

KISHWAUKEE  RIVER,  rises  in  McHenry 
Count3%  runs  west  through  Boone,  and  enters 
Rock  River  in  Winnebago  County,  eight  miles 
below  Rockford.  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,  about  eight  miles  southeast  of 
Rockford. 

KITCHELL,  Wickliff,  lawyer  and  Attorney- 
General  of  Illinois,  was  born  in  New  Jersey, 
May  21,  1789.  Feb.  29,  1812,  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, 
where  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,  III,  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  Hillsboro,  Montgomery  County,  was 
appointed  Attorney-General  in  1889,  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  he  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 
!iis  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  tlie  Constitu- 
tional Convention  of  1847  and,  in  1849,  was 
elected  Judge  of  Richland  County :  later  assisted 
in  establishing  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 


HISTOKICAL   EXCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLIXOIS. 


the  Ohio  &  Mississippi  Railroad,  and  in  the  con- 
struction of  the  line,  being  an  original  corporator 
and  subsequently  a  Director  of  the  Compan}-. 
Later  he  removed  to  Galesburg,  where  he  died, 
Nov.  11,  1870.— Edward  (Kitchell),  another  son, 
was  born  at  Palestine,  111.,  Deo.  21,  1829;  was 
educated  at  Hillsboro  Academy  until  1846,  when 
he  removed  with  his  father's  family  to  Fort 
Madison,  Iowa,  but  later  returned  to  Hillsboro  to 
continue  his  studies ;  in  1853  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 
oflBce;  in  1854  returned  to  Illinois,  locating  at 
Olney,  Ricliland  County,  forming  a  partnership 
with  Horace  Hayward,  a  relative,  in  the  practice 
of  law.  Here,  having  taken  position  against  the 
repeal  of  the  Missouri  Compromise,  he  became, 
in  1856,  the  editor  of  the  first  Republican  news- 
paper published  in  that  part  of  Illinois  known  as 
"Egypt,"  with  his  brother.  Judge  Alfred  Kitchell, 
being  one  of  the  original  thirty-nine  Republicans 
in  Richland  County.  In  1862  he  assisted  in 
organizing  the  Ninety-eighth  Regiment  Illinois 
Volunteers  at  Centralia,  which,  in  the  following 
year  having  been  mounted,  became  a  part  of  the 
famous  "Wilder  Brigade."  At  first  he  was  com- 
missioned Lieutenant-Colonel,  but  succeeded  to 
the  command  of  the  regiment  after  the  wounding 
of  Colonel  Funkhouser  at  Chickamauga  in  Sep- 
tember, 1863;  was  finally  promoted  to  the  colo- 
nelcy in  July,  1865,  and  mustered  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  Wickliflf  (Kitchell),  youngest  son  of  Wick- 
liff  Kitchell,  was  born  at  Palestine,  Crawford 
County,  111.,  May  30,  1835,  educated  at  Hillsboro, 
read  law  at  Fort  Madison,  Iowa,  and  admitted  to 
the  bar  in  that  State.  At  the  age  of  19  years  be 
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  the  Ninth  Illinois  Volun- 
teers, serve<:l  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. 
26,  1827;  brought  by  his  father  to  Alden,  McHenry 
County,  111.,  in  1844,  and  educated  in  the  com- 
mon schools  of  that  place;  removed  to  Chicago  in 
1860,  studied  law  and  was  admitted  to  practice  in 
1862;  served  on  the  Bo.ard  of  Supervisors  and  in 
the  City  Council  and,  in  1868,  was  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. 

KNIGHTS  OF  PYTHIAS,  a  secret  semi-mili- 
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  by  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  representatives  of  the  five  subordinate 
Lodges — the  total  membership  of  these  Lodges  at 
that  date  being  382.  December  31,  1870,  the 
total  membership  in  Illinois  bad  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  Illinois,  on 
Jan.  1.  1894,  amounted  to  §418,151.77. 

KNOWLTON,  Dexter  A.,  pioneer  and  banker, 
was  born  in  Fairfield,  Herkimer  County,  N.  Y., 
March  3,  1812,  taken  to  Chautauqua  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  the  following  year,  settled 
at  Freeport,  111.,  where  he  opened  a  general  store; 
in  1843  began  investments  in  real  estate,  finally 
laying  off  sundry  additions  to  the  city  of  Free- 
port,  from  which  he  realized  large  profits.     He 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF    ILLINOIS. 


321 


-was  also  prominently  connected  with  the  Galena 
-&  Chicago  Union  Railroad  and,  in  1850,  became 
a  Director  of  the  Company,  remaining  in  office 
some  twelve  years.  In  1852  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  Freex)ort  in  1870,  wliere  he 
engaged  in  banking  business,  dying  in  that  city, 
March  10,  i87G. 

KJiOX,  Joseph,  lawyer,  was  born  at  Elanford, 
Mass.,  Jan.  11,  1805;  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 
Eock  Island,  111. ,  wliere  he  continued  in  practice 
for  twenty-three  years.  During  the  greater  part 
of  that  time  he  was  associated  with  Hon.  Jolm 
"W.  Drury,  under  the  firm  name  of  Knox  &  Drury, 
gaining  a  wide  reputation  as  a  lawyer  throughout 
Northern  Illinois.  Among  the  important  cases  in 
which  he  took  part  during  his  residence  in  Rock 
Island  was  tlie  prosecution  of  the  murderers  of 
Colonel  Davenport  in  1845.  In  1852  he  served  as  a 
Democratic  Presidential  Elector,  but  in  the  next 
campaign  identified  himself  with  the  Republican 
party  as  a  supporter  of  John  C.  Fremont  for  the 
Presidency.  In  1860  he  removed  to  Chicago  and, 
two  years  later,  was  appointed  State's  Attorney 
by  Governor  Yates,  remaining  in  office  until  suc- 
ceeded by  his  jjartner,  Charles  H.  Reed.  After 
coming  to  Chicago  he  was  identified  with  a  num- 
ber of  notable  cases.  His  death  occurred,  August 
6,  1881. 

KNOX  COLLEGE,  a  non-sectarian  institution 
for  the  higher  education  of  the  youth  of  both 
sexes,  Iqcated  at  Galesburg,  Knox  Count}-.  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  library  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  resigned  in  1899. 

KNOX  COUNTY,  a  wealthy  interior  county 
west  of  the  Illinois  River,  having  an  area  of  720 
square  milesand  a  population (1900)  of  43,612.  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  ISoO,  when  Riggs  Pennington,  Philip 
Hash  and  Charles  Hansford  were  named  the  first 
Commissioners.  Knoxville  was  the  first  couutj'- 
seat  selected,  and  here  (in  the  winter  of  1830-31) 
was  erected  the  first  court  house,  constructed 
of  logs,  two  stories  in  height,  at  a  cost  of 
§192.  The  soil  is  rich,  and  agriculture  flour- 
ishes. The  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. 

KXOXVILLE,  a  city  in  Knox  County,  on  the 
Galesburg-Peoria  Division  of  the  Chicago,  Bur- 
lington iSr  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, 
with  seven  Iieads  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. 

KOERNEE,  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  1842  he  was 
elected  to  the  General  Assembly,  and  three  years 
later  was  appointed  to  the  bench  of  the  State 
Supreme  Court.  In  1852  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  part}'  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  1862  President  Lin- 
coln made  him  Minister  to  Spain,  a  post  which  he 
resigned  in  January,  1865.  He  was  a  member  of 
tlie  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  1872  that  named  Hoi-ace 
Greeley  for  the  Presidency.  In  1867  he  served  as 
President  of  the  first  Board  of  Trustees  of  the 
Soldiers'  Orphans'  Home,  and.  in  1870,  was 
elected  to  the  Legislature  a  second  time.     The 


322 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


following  year  he  was  appointed  a  member  of  the 
first  Board  of  Railroad  and  Warehouse  Commis- 
sioners, and  served  as  its  President.  He  is  tlie 
author  of  "Collection  of  the  Important  General 
Laws  of  Illinois,  with  Comments"  (in  German, 
St.  Louis,  1838);  "From  Spain"  (Frankfort  on- 
the-Main,  1866);  "Das  Deutsche  Element  in  den 
Vereiningten  Staaten"  (Cincinnati,  1880;  second 
edition.  New  York,  1885) ;  and  a  number  of  mono- 
graphs.    Died,  at  Belleville,  April  9,  1896. 

KOHLSAAT,  Christian  C,  Judge  of  United 
States  Court,  was  born  in  Edwards  County,  111., 
Jan.  8,  1844 — 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,  wliere  young  Kohlsaat 
attended  the  public  schools,  later  taking  a  course 
in  Chicago  University,  after  which  he  began  the 
study  of  law.  In  1867  he  became  a  reporter  on 
"The  Chicago  Evening  Journal,"  was  admitted 
to  the  bar  in  the  same  year,  and,  in  1868,  accepted 
a  position  in  the  office  of  the  County  Clerk,  where 
he  kept  the  records  of  the  County  Court  under 
Judge  Bradwell's  administration.  During  the 
sessions  of  the  Twenty-seventh  General  Assembly 
(1871-72)  ,  he  served  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 
Board  of  West  Side  Park  Commissioners,  1884-90 ; 
in  1890  was  appointed  Probate  Judge  of  Cook 
County  (as  successor  to  Judge  Knickerbocker, 
who  died  in  January  of  that  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  District  of  Illinois,  as  successor  to  Judge 
Grosscup,  who  had  been  appointed  United  States 
Circuit  Judge  in  place  of  Judge  Showalter, 
deceased. 

KOHLSAAT,  Herman  H.,  editor  and  news- 
paper publisher,  was  born  in  Edwards  Comity, 
111.,  March  22,  1853,  and  taken  the  following  year 
to  Galena,  where  he  remained  until  13  years  of 
age,  when  the  family  removed  to  Chicago.  Here, 
after  attending  the  public  schools  some  three 
years,  he  became  a  cash-boy  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  witlidrew  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.  Althougli  changing  the  political  status 
of  the  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 
whole  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,  WilUam  Henry,  lawyer,  born  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  spend- 
ing his  smumer  months  in  farm  labor  and  teach- 
ing school  during  the  winter,  for  a  year  or  two, 
he  read  law  for  a  time  with  Judge  M,  G.  Dale  of 
Edwardsville,  and,  in  1866,  entered  the  law 
department  of  Michigan  University,  gradu- 
ating in  1809,  though  admitted  the  year  previous 
to  practice  by  the  Supreme  Court  of  Illinois.  Mr. 
Krome  has  been  successively  the  partner  of 
Judge  John  G.  Irwin,  Hon.  W.  F.  L.  Hadley  (late 
Congressman  from  the  Eighteenth  District)  and 
C.  W.  Terry.  He  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  Schoffield,  deceased.  He  is  also  President 
of  the  Madison  County  State  Bank. 

KUEFFNER,  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  Kueffner  studied  law  at  St.  Louis, 
and  having  graduated  in  18T1,  established  himself 
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. 

KUTKENDALL,  Andrew  J.,  lawyer  and  legis- 
lator, was  born  of  pioneer  parents  in  Gallatin 
(now  Hardin)  County,  111.,  March  3,  181.5;  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  1842  he  was 
elected  a  Representative  in  the  Thirteenth  Gen- 
eral Assembly,  and  re-elected  two  years  later;  in 
1850  became  State  Senator,  serving  continuoush' 
in  the  same  body  for  twelve  years ;  in  1861  en- 
listed, and  was  commissioned  JIajor,  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  session  of  1859,  which  had  the  duty 
of  investigating  the  Matteson  "canal  scrip  fraud." 
Died,  at  Vienna,  III,  May  11,  1891. 

LABOR  TROrBLES.  1.  The  Railroad 
Strike  of  18T7. — By  this  name  is  generally  char- 
acterized the  labor  disturbances  of  1877,  which, 
beginning  at  Pittsbiu-g  in  July,  spread  over  the 
entire  country,  interrupting  transportation,  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 
afEected  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  these  cities  angry, 
excited  men  formed  themselves  into  mobs,  which 
tore  up  tracks,  took  possession  of  machine  shops, 
in  some  cases  destroyed  romidhouses,  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.  The  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  suppressed  the  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  CuUom  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  the  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  of  1894.— This  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  tlie  rigliting  of  wrongs  alleged  to 
have  been  suffered  by  emjjloyes  of  the  Pullman 
Palace  Car  Company.  The  latter  quit  work  on 
May  11,  and,  on  June  22,  the  American  Railway 
Union  ordered  a  general  boycott  against  all  rail- 
road companies  hauling  Pullman  cars  after  June 
26.  The  General  Managers  of  the  lines  entering 
Chicago  took  prompt  action  (June  2.j)  looking 
toward  mutual  protection,  protesting  against  the 
proposed  boycott,  and  afRrniing  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  was  necessarily  soon  discontinued;  sub- 
urban traffic  was  interrupted ;  switching  had  to 
be  done  by  inexperienced  hands  under  police  or 
military  protection  (officials  and  clerks  some- 
times throwing  the  levers),  and  in  the  presence  of 
large  crowds  of  law-defying  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  threatened  with  death  should 
they  attempt  to  leave  their  prison  houses.  The 
mobs,  intoxicated  by  seeming  success,  finallj'  ven- 
tured to  interfere  with  the  passage  of  trains 
carrying  the  United  States  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  Marshal.  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.  Service  was  readily 
accepted  by  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  the 
militia  greatly  incensed  the  turbulent  crowds, 
yet  it  proved  most  salutary.  The  troops  displayed 
exemplary  firmness  under  most  trying  circum- 
stances, dispersing  jeering  and  threatening 
cro%vds  by  physical  force  or  bayonet  charges,  the 
rioters  being  fired  upon  only  twice.  Gradually 
order  was  restored.  The  disreputable  element 
subsided,  and  wiser  and  more  conservative  coun- 
sels prevailed  among  the  ranks  of  the  strikers. 
Impediments  to  traffic  were  removed  and  trains 
were  soon  rimning  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  with  the  statutes.  The  entire  execu- 
tive board  of  the  American  Railway  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- 
obeyed the  restraining  order  of  the  Federal 
court,  and  sentenced  to  terms  ia  the  county  jail. 
Eugene  V.  Debs,  the  President  of  the  Union,  was 
convicted  on  two  charges  and  given  a  sentence 
of  six  months  on  each,  but  the  two  sentences  were 
afterward  made  concurrent.  The  other  members 
of  the  Board  received  a  similar  sentence  for  three 
months  each.  All  but  the  Vice-President,  George 
W.  Howard,  served  their  terms  at  Woodstock, 
McHenry  Coimty.  Howard  was  sent  to  the  Will 
County  jail  at  Joliet. 

LACEY,  Lyman,  lawyer  and  jurist,  was  born  in 
Tompkins  County,  N.  Y.,  May  6,  1833.  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  served  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  Sparland  on 
the  opposite  bank  of  the  Illinois.  The  surround- 
ing country  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  cari'iage  factory  and  a  national  bank.  It  also  has 
water  works,  an  excellent  telephone  sj'Stem,  good 
drainage,  and  is  lighted  liy  electricity.  Tliere 
are  seven  churches,  a  graded  school  and  two 
weekly  newspapers.  Population  (1S80),  1,814; 
(1890),  1,649;  (1900).  1,601. 

LA  FAYETTE  (Marquis  de),  VISIT  OF.  An 
event  of  profound  interest  in  the  history  of  Illi- 
nois, during  the  year  1825,  was  the  visit  to  the 
State  by  the  JIarquis  de  La  Fayette,  who  had 
been  the  allj-  of  the  American  people  during 
their  struggle  for  independence.  The  distin- 
guished Frencluuan  having  arrived  in  the  coun- 
try during  the  latter  part  of  1S24,  the  General 
Assembly  in  session  at  VandaUa,  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 
Assembl}'  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  Xew  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  son  of  Alexander 
Hamilton,  and  at  that  time  a  Representative  in 
the  General  Assembly  from  Sangamon  County, 
as  well  as  an  Aid-de-Camp  on  tlie  staff  of  Gov- 
ernor Coles,  was  dispatched  from  the  home  of  the 
latter  at  Edwardsville,  to  meet  the  distingmsheJ 
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  had  fought  under 
La  Fajette  at  Brandywine  and  Yorktown,  consti- 
tuted an  interesting  feature  of  the  occasion.  This 
was  followed  by  a  banquet  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,  Teun.,  Governor  Coles 
accompanying  the  party  and  returning  with  it  to 
Shawneetown,  where  an  imposing  reception  was 
given  and  an  address  of  welcome  delivered  by 
Judge  James  Hall,  on  May  14,  1835.  A  few 
liours  later  General  La  Faj-ette  left  on  his  way  up 
the  Ohio. 

LAFAYETTE,  BLOOMINCTON  &  MISSIS- 
SIPPI RAILROAD.  (See  Lake  Erie  <&  Western 
Railroad.) 

LAFLIX,  Matthew,  manufacturer,  was  born 
at  Southwick,  Hampden  County,  Mass.,  Deo.  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  Mills.  About  1833  he  engaged  in 
the  manufacture  of  axes  at  Saugerties,  N.  Y., 
which  proving  a  failure,  he  again  engaged  in 
powder  manufacture,  and,  in  1837,  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  Cliicago  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  Academ}'  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  &  Qulncy  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  weekly  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  newspapei's. 
Population  (1880),  9.58;  (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  34,504.  It  was 
cut  off  from  JIcHenry  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  foUovring  year.  The  first  County  Commission- 
ers (E.  E.  Hunter,  William  Bro\\-n  and  E.  C. 
Berrey)  located  the  county-seat  at  Libertj'ville, 
but,  in  1841,  it  was  removed  to  Little  Fort,  now 
Wautegan.  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-gro^vth  timber.  At  Waukegan  there  are 
several  maufacturing  establishments,  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 
bluff,  populated  largely  by  the  families  of  Chicago 
business  men. 

LAKE  ERIE  Sc  MISSISSIPPI  RAILROAD. 
(See  Lake  Erie  &  Wetitern  Railnnul ) 

LAKE  ERIE  &  WESTERN  RAILRO.iD.  Of 
the  710,61  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-pouud 
steel  rails,  and  lightly  ballasted.  The  total 
capital  of  the  road  (1898)— including  823,680,000 
capital  stock,  .SIO.87.5,000  bonded  debt  and  a  float- 
ing debt  of  §1,479,809— was  §36,034,809,  or  §50,- 
708  per  mile.  The  total  earnings  and  income  in 
Illinois  for  1898  were  §559,743,  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  &  Mississippi  Railroad,  organ- 
ized to  build  an  extension  of  the  Lake  Erie  & 
Western  from  Bloomington  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  UXH^ERSITT,  an  institution 
of  learning  comprising  six  djstinct  schools,  viz.  : 
Lake  Forest  Academy,  Ferr}-  Hall  Seminary, 
Lake  Forest  College,  Rush  Medical  College,  Chi- 
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 
institution  was  not  opened  until  nineteen  years 
later,  and  the  professional  schools,  which  were 
originally  independent,  were  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  Academy  and  Seminary 
are  preparatory  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  wdthin  a  campus  of  sixty-five 
acres. 

LAKE  MICHIGAN,  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  eastern  bound- 
ary of  Wisconsin,  the  western  boundary  of  the 
lower  peninsula  of  Jlichigan  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  by  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. 


Menominee,  Manistee,  IMuskegon,  Kalamazoo, 
Grand  and  St.  Joseph,  Chicago,  Milwaukee, 
Racine  and  Manitowoc  are  the  chief  cities  on  its 
banks. 

L.iKE  SHORE  &  MICHIGAN  SOUTHERN 
RAILWAY.  The  main  line  extends  from  Buffalo, 
N.  Y.,  to  Chicago,  III,  a  distance  of  539  miles, 
■with  various  brandies  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  8453,946,  and  the  expenditures  for  the  same 
period,  8360,971.— (History.)  The  company  was 
formed  in  1869.  from  the  consolidation  of  the 
Michigan  Southern  &  Northern  Indiana,  the 
Cleveland,  Painesville  &  Ashtabula,  and  tlie 
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  12  j-ears  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- 
Usbed  a  store  at  Chester  and  shipped  the  first 
barrels  of  pork  from  Illinois  to  the  New  Orleans 
market.  In  1881  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.  X.,  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 
1852  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 numerous  papers  on  historical  and  other  sub- 
jects; also  publishing  some  sixteen  volumes,  one 
of  her  most  important  works  being  a  "History  of 
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- 
ney-General; born  in  "Washington  County,  Ky., 


and  educated  at  Transylvania  University;  was 
Attorney-General  of  the  State  by  appointment  of 
Governor  Carlin,  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  farming  and  stock-rai.sing  region; 
has  a  bank,  three  churches,  fine  school-building, 
and  a  newspaper.      Pop.   (1890),  516;  (1900),  576. 

LAMOX,  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 
1853.  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  olfice  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  tlie  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   ilartins- 


328 


mSTOmCAL    ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF    ILLINOI;- 


burg,  W  Va.,  not  far  from  liis  birthplace,  May 
7,  IS'JS.  Cul(.mel  Lainun  married  a  daughter  of 
Judge  Stejihen  T.  Logan,  of  Springfield. 

LANARK,  a  city  in  Carroll  County.  19  miles  by 
rail  southwest  of  Freeport,  and  7  miles  east  of 
Mount  Carroll  The  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  bank.s  (one  Na- 
tional and  one  State),  eight  churches,  a  graded 
and  high  school,  and  a  weekly  newspaper.  Popu- 
lation (ISSO),  1,198:  (1890),  1,295;  (1900),  1,306. 

LANDES,  Silas  Z.,  ex-Congressman,  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  has 
been  in  active  practice  at  Mount  Carmel  since 
1864.  In  1873  he  was  elected  State's  Attorney 
for  Wabash  County,  was  re-elected  in  1876,  and 
again  in  1880.  He  represented  tlie  Sixteenth  Illi- 
nois District  in  Congress  from  1885  to  1889,  being 
elected  on  the  Democratic  ticket. 

LANDRIGAN,  John,  farmer  and  legislator,  was 
born  in  County  Tipperarj-,  Ireland,  in  1833,  and 
brought  to  America  at  one  year  of  age,  his 
parents  stopping  for  a  time  in  New  Jersey.  His 
early  Life  was  spent  at  Lafayette,  Ind.  After 
completing  his  education  in  the  seminary  there, 
he  engaged  in  railroad  and  canal  contracting. 
Coming  to  Illinois  in  1858,  he  purchased  a  farm 
near  Albion,  Edwards  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  j'ears  Vice-Presi- 
dent. 

LANE,  Albert  Grannis,  educator,  was  born  in 
Cook  County,  111.,  March  15,  1841,  and  educated 
in  the  public  schools,  graduating  with  the  iirst 
class  from  the  Chicago  High  School  in  1858.  lie 
immediately  entered  upon  the  business  of  teach- 
ing as  Principal,  but,  in  1869,  was  elected  Super- 
intendent of  Schools  for  Cook  County.  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  Superintend- 
ent of  Schools  for  the  city  of  Chicago,  to  fill  the 
vacancy  caused  by  the  resignation  of  Superin- 
tendent Hciwlaud — a  ixisitiou  which  he  continued 
to  fill  iiiitil  the  appointment  of  E.  B.  Andrews, 


Superintendent,  when  he  became  First  Assistant 
Superintendent. 

LANE,  Ednard,  ex-Congressman,  was  born  in 
Cleveland,  Ohio,  March  27,  1842,  and  became  a 
resident  of  Illinois  at  the  age  of  16.  After  receiv- 
ing an  academic  education  he  studied  law  and 
was  admitted  to  the  IlUnois  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  Ilhnois  District  and  re-elected  for 
three  successive  terms,  but  was  defeated  by 
Frederick  Remann  (Republican)  in  1894,  and 
again  by  W.  F.  L.  Hadley,  at  a  special  election,  in 
1895,  to  fill  the  vacancy  caused  by  the  death  of 
Mr.  Remann. 

LANPHIER,  Charles  H.,  journalist,  was  born 
at  Alexandria,  Va.,  April  14,  1820;  from  4  years 
of  age  lived  in  "Washington  City ;  in  1836  entered 
the  office  as  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  Slexican  war  in  1846,  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 
pubUo  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  paper  until 
1863,  and  then  sold  out.  During  the  war  he 
was  one  of  the  State  Board  of  Army  Auditors 
appointed  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,  born  at 
Beverly,  Mass.,  in  1836;  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  factory  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 
vicinity.  Returning  to  Massachusetts  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   ILLIXOIS. 


329 


LARXED,  Edward  Channing,  lawyer,  was  born 
iu  Providence,  R.  I.,  Jul}-  14,  1820;  graduated  at 
Brown  University  in  1840 ;  was  Professor  of  Mathe- 
matics 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-  celebritj-  by  a  speech 
which  he  delivered  in  1851,  iu  opposition  to  the 
fugitive  slave  law.  He  was  a  warm  friend  of 
Abraham  Lincoln  and,  in  1860,  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  hj-draulic  and 
Portland  cement  are  leading  industries;  also  has 
a  large  ice  trade  with  the  South  annually.  It  is 
connected  with  adjacent  towns  by  electric  rail- 
ways, and  with  Peoria  by  daily  river  packets. 
Population  (1890),  9,855;  (1900),  10,446. 

LA  SALLE,  Rent  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  1606.  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  que.stioued.  Having  re-visited 
France  in  1677  he  was  given  a  patent  of  nobility 
and  extensive  land-grants  in  Canada.  In  1679  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,  where  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  be  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.  la  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  1688  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- 
nists), 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  wliich  had  been 
promised,  leaving  him  to  his  fate. 

LA  SALLE  COU^'TY,  one  of  the  wealthiest 
counties  in  the  northeastern  section,  being  second 
in  size  and  iu  population  in  the  State  It  was 
organized  in  1831,  and  has  an  area  of  1,153  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  the  entire  county,  and 
good  building  stone  is  quarried  at  a  depth  of  150 
to  200  feet.  Excellent  hydraulic  cement  is  made 
from  the  calciferous  deposit,  Utica  being  espe- 
cially noted  for  this  industry.  The  First  Ameri- 
can settlers  came  about  the  time  of  Captain  Long's 
survey  of  a  canal  route  (1816).  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  operations. 

LATHROP,  William,  lawyer  and  Congress- 
man, was  born  in  Genesee  County,  N.  Y.,  April 
17,  1825.  His  early  education  was  acquired  in 
the  common  schools.  Later  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  Rockford  District  in  the  lower  house  of  the 
General  Assembly,  and,  in  1876,  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  Illinois  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.  He  learned  the 
trade  of  a  ship-calker,  and  was  elected  to  the 
Presidency  of  the  Ship-Carpenters'  and  Ship- 
Calkers"  Association.  While  yet  a  young  man  he 
settled  in  Chicago  and,  in  1869,  was  appointed  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  Slieriff  of  Cook 
County;  in  1893  was  an  unsuccessful  applicant 
for  the  Chicago  postmastership,  was  defeated  as 
an  Independent-Democrat  for  Congress  in  1894, 
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  m  County  Kildare,  Ireland,  Nov.  16,  1814, 
brought  to  the  United  States  in  1816,  and,  in  1819, 
to  Gallatin  County,  lU.,  where  his  father  began 


farming.  The  j-ounger  Lawler  early  evinced  a 
military  taste  by  organizing  a  military  company 
in  1842,  of  which  he  served  as  Captain  three  or 
four  years.  In  1846  he  organized  a  company  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  proof  of  his  patri- 
otism by  recruiting  the  Eighteenth  Illinois  Volun- 
teer Infantry — the  first  regiment  organized  in 
the  Eigliteenth  Congressional  District — of  which 
he  was  comniissioned  Colonel,  entering  into  the 
three  years'  service  in  May,  1861.  His  regiment 
took  part  in  mo.st  of  the  early  engagements  in 
Western  Kentucky  and  Tennessee,  including  the 
capture  of  Fort  Donelson,  where  it  lost  heavily, 
Colonel  Lawler  himself  being  severely  wounded. 
Later,  he  was  in  command,  for  some  time,  at 
Jackson,  Tenn.,  and,  in  November,  1862,  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  General  Grant 
for  Ills  service  at  the  battle  of  Big  Black,  pro- 
nounced by  Charles  A.  Dana  (then  Assistant 
Secretary  of  War)  "one  of  the  most  splendid 
exploits  of  the  war. ' '  After  the  fall  of  Vicksburg 
he  took  part  in  the  siege  of  Jackson,  Miss.,  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,  1865,  he  was 
brevetted  Major-General,  and  mustered  out, 
January,  1866,  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  born -in  Liverpool,  Eng.,  April 
7,  1844;  was  brought  to  Illinois  by  his  parents 
in  childhood,  and,  at  17  years  of  age,  enlisted 
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  oflScer 


HISTOEICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLIXOIS. 


331 


of  the  Illinois  National  Guard,  organizing  the 
Rockford  Rifles,  in  1876,  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  j'ear. 

LAWRENCE,  Charles  B.,  jm-ist,  was  born  at 
Vergennes,  Vt.,  Dec.  17,  18'30.  After  two  years 
spent  at  Middlebury  College,  he  entered  tlie 
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  t!ie 
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.  Although 
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- 
em  portion,  and  Allison  prairie,  in  the  nortlieast, 
were  favored  by  the  American  pioneers.  Settle- 
tnent  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  house  was  first  utilized  as  a 
com-t  house.  The  county  is  richer  in  historic 
associations  than  in  populous  towns.  Lawrence- 
ville, the  county-seat,  was  credited  with  865 
inhabitants  by  the  census  of  1890.  St.  Francis- 
ville and  Sumner  are  flourishing  towns. 

LAWRENCEVILLE,  the  county-seat  of  Law- 
rence County,  is  situated  on  the  Embarras  River, 
at  the  intersection  of  the  Baltimore  &  Ohio 
Southwestern  and  the  Cleveland,  Cincinnati, 
Chicago  &  St.  Louis  Railways,  9  miles  west  of 
Vincennes,  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),  1,300;  (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 
essays  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 miU  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 


333 


niSTOKICAL    ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF    ILLIXOIS. 


newspapers  and  is  an  ini[iortant  edueational  cen- 
ter, being  the  seat  of  McKendree  College,  founded 
in  isis.     Population  (1«)0),  1,086:  (1900).  1,812. 

LEE  COUNTY,  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,  Natlian 
R.  Whitney  and  James  P.  Dixon  were  the  first 
County-Commissioners.  Agriculture  is  the  prin- 
cipal pursuit,  although  stone  quarries  are  found 
here  and  there,  notably  at  Ashton.  The  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  .51,800.  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 
OfBce  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. 

LEGISL.iTIVE  APPORTIONMENT.  (See 
A2:>l}ortionment,  Lcgislathv. ) 

LEGISLATURE.     (See  General  Axsemblies.) 

LELAND,  a  village  of  La  Salle  County,  on  the 
Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy  Railway,  29  miles 
southwest  of  Aurora.     Population  (1900),  634. 

LELAND,  Edwin  S.,  lawyer  and  Judge,  was 
born  at  Dennysville,  Me.,  August  28,  1812,  and 
admitted  to  the  bar  at  Dedham,  Mass.,  in  1834. 
In  1835  he  removed  to  Ottawa,  111.,  and,  in  1839, 
to  Oregon,  Ogle  County,  where  he  practiced  for 
four  years.  Returning  to  Ottawa  in  1843,  he 
rapidly  rose  in  his  profession,  until,  in  18.52,  he 
was  elected  to  the  Circuit  Court  bench  to  fill  the 
unexpired  term  of  Judge  T.  Lyle  Dickey,  who 
liad  resigned.  In  1866  Governor  Oglesby  ap- 
pointed him  Circuit  Judge  to  fill  the  imexpired 
term  of  Judge  Hollister.  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  part_v.  whose 
tenets  he  zealously  championed.  He  was  also 
prominent  in  local  affairs,  having  been  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  born  in  Berk- 
eley County,  Va.,  Nov.  20,  1760;  served  as  a  solilier 


in  tlie  War  of  the  Revolution,  being  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,  finally  becoming 
a  minister  of  that  denomination.  Of  a  family  of 
eight  children,  four  of  his  sons  became  ministers. 
Mr.  Lemen's  prominence  was  indicated  by  the 
fact  that  he  was  approached  by  Aaron  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  (Lenien), 
oldest  son  of  the  preceding,  was  born  in  Berkeley 
County,  Va.,  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  United  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  born  in  Berkeley  County, 
Va.,  Sept.  8,  1785,  brought  to  Illinois  in  1786,  and, 
on  reaching  manhood,  married  Mary  Kinney,  a 
daughter  of  Rev.  William  Kinney,  who  after- 
wards became  Lieutenant-Governor  of  the  State. 
Joseph  Lemen  settled  in  Ridge  Prairie,  in  the 
northern  part  of  St.  Clair  County,  and  for  many 
years  supplied  the  pulpit  of  the  Bethel  Baptist 
chm-ch,  which  had  been  founded  in  1809  on  the 
principle  of  opposition  to  human  slavery.  His 
death  occurred  at  his  home,  June  29,  1861.— Rev. 
James  (Lemen),  Jr.,  the  third  son,  was  born  in 
Monroe  County,  III,  Oct.  8,  1787;  early  united 
with  the  Baptist  Church  and  became  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 
labors  were  chiefly  within  his  own.  Mr.  Lemen 
was  the  second  child  of  American  parents  born  in 
Illinois — Enoch  Moore  being  the  first.  Died, 
Feb.  8,  1870.— William  (Lemen),  the  fourth  son, 
born  in  Monroe  County,  III,  in  1791;  .served  as  a 
soldier  in  the  Black  Hawk  War.     Died  in  Monroe 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


County,  in  1857. — Rer.  Josiah  (Lemen),  the 
fifth  son,  born  in  Monroe  County,  111.,  August  15, 
1794;  was  a  Baptist  preacher.  Died  near  Du- 
quoin,  July  11,  1867.— ReT.  Moses  (Lemen),  the 
sixth  son,  born  in  Monroe  County,  111.,  in  1797; 
became  a  Baptist  minister  early  in  life,  served  as 
Eepresentative  in  the  Sixth  General  Assembly 
(IS-^S-SO)  for  Monroe  County.  Died,  in  Montgom- 
ery County,  111.,  March  5,  1859. 

LEMOXT,  a  city  in  Cook  County,  2.i  miles 
southwest  of  Cliicago,  on  the  Des  Plaines  Rirer 
and  the  Chicago  &  Alton  Railroad.  A  thick 
vein  of  Silurian  limestone  (Athens  marble)  is 
extensively  quarried  here,  constituting  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  churche.s,  two 
papers,  five  public  and  four  private  schools,  one 
business  college,  aluminum  and  concrete  works. 
Population  of  the  townsliip  (1890),  5,.539:  (1900), 
4,441. 

LE  MOYXE,  John  V.,  ex-Congressman,  was 
born  in  Washington  County,  Pa.,  in  18'38.  and 
graduated  from  Washington  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  1873  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  by  the  House  in  favor  of  Mr.  Le  Moyne. 

LENA,  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  hanks,  and  two  newspapers.  Pop- 
ulation (1890),  1,270;  (1900).  1,252. 

LEOJfARD,  Edward  F.,  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  during  his 
first  term.  For  several  years  he  has  been  Presi- 
dent of  the  Toledo,  Peoria  &  AVestern  Railroad, 
•with  headquarters  at  Peoria. 


LEROT,  a  city  in  McLean  County,  15  miles 
southwest  of  Bloomington;  has  two  banks,  sev- 
eral churches,  a  graded  school  and  a  plow  factory. 
Two  weekly  papers  are  publislied  there.  Popu- 
lation (1880),  1,068;  (1890),  1.258;  (1900),  1,629. 

LEVER  F.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 
1827  began  a  preparatory  course  of  study  under 
an  elder  brother  at  Roxbury,  Mass.,  entered 
Brown  L^niversity  as  freshmen,  the  next  year,  and 
graduated  in  1833.  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  1868.  Warren,  after  suffering 
from  hemorrhage  of  the  lungs,  tame  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.  Washington,  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  IJfSTITUTE,  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 
Assembly,  and,  in  1880,  was  the  successful  Repub- 


334 


HISTORICAL   EXCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


lican  candidate  for  Congress  from  the  old  Ninth 
District.  In  1882,  he  was  a  candidate  for  re- 
election from  the  same  district  (then  the  Tenth), 
but  was  defeated  by  Nicholas  E.  Worthington, 
his  Democratic  opponent. 

LEWISTOWX,  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  flour  and  saw- 
mills, 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),  2,166;  (1900),  2,504, 

LEXIXGTOX,  a  city  in  McLean  County,  on  the 
Chicago  &  Alton  Railroad,  110  miles  south  gf 
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  school  and  two  weekly  news- 
papers.    Population  (1890),  1,187;  (1900),  1,415. 

LIBERTYVILLE,  a  village  of  Lake  County,  on 
the  main  line  of  the  Chicago  &  Madison  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),  5.50;  (1900).  864. 

LIBRARIES.  (Statistical.  )— A  report  of  the 
Commissioner  of  Education  for  1895-96,  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  Washington. 
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 

lUU.OOO  "  "  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,  42;  College 
Society,  7;  Law,  3;  Theological,  7;  State,  2;  Asy- 


lum and  Reformatory,  4;  Young  Men's  Christian 
A.ssociation,  2;  Scientific,  6;  Historical,  3;  Soci- 
ety, 8;  Medical,  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  belonging  to  tlie 
largest  (or  300,000)  class,  is  that  of  the  University 
of  Chicago,  reporting  305,000  volumes,  with 
180,000  pamphlets,  while  the  Chicago  Public 
Library  and  the  Newberry  Library  belong  to  the 
second  class,  reporting,  respectively,  217,065  vol- 
umes with  42,000  pamphlets,  and  135,244  volumes 
and  35,6.54  pamphlets.  (The  report  of  the  Chi- 
cago Public  Library  for  1898  shows  a  total,  for 
that  year,  of  235,385  volumes  and  44,069  pam- 
phlets. ) 

As  to  sources  of  support  or  method  of  adminis- 
tration, 43  of  tlie  class  reporting  1.000  volumes 
and  over,  are  supported  by  taxation ;  27,  by  appro- 
priations by  State,  County  or  City;  20,  from 
endowment  funds ;  54,  from  membership  fees  and 
dues;  16,  from  book-rents;  26,  from  donations, 
leaving  53  to  be  supported  from  sources  not 
stated.  The  total  income  of  131  reporting  on  tliis 
subject  is  §787,263;  the  aggregate  endowment 
of  17  of  this  class  is  83,383,197,  and  the  value  of 
buildings  belonging  to  36  is  estimated  at  §2,981,- 
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     "            " 18,469 

Elgin,  Gail  Borden  Public  Library        .     .  17,000 

Bloomington,  Withers  "         "          ...  16.068 

Evanston,  Free                "         "          ...  15,515 

Decatur,         "                   "         "          ...  14.766 

BelleviUe,                         "        "         ...  14,511 

Aurora,                               "         "          ...  14,350 

Rock  Island,                      "         "          ...  12,634 

Joliet,                                  "         "          ...  23,325 

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  S3, 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, 


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HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


335 


it  is  destined,  in  the  course  of  a  few  jears.  to  be 
reckoned  one  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  oldest 
library  in  the  State  is  that  of  the  McCormick 
Theological  Seminary,  which  is  set  down  as  hav- 
ing had  its  origin  in  1825,  though  this  occurred 
in  another  State.  The  early  State  College  Li- 
braries follow  next  in  chronological  order:  Shurt- 
lefif  College,  at  Upper  Alton,  1837 ;  Illinois  College, 
at  Jacksonville,  1829;  McKendree  College,  at 
Lebanon,  1834;  Rockford  College,  1849;  Lombard 
University,  at  Galesburg,  1852.  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  Ilunois. 
— The  following  history  and  analysis  of  the  Free 
Public  Library  Law  of  Illinois  is  contributed,  for 
the  "Historical  Encyclopedia,"  by  E.  S.  Willcox, 
Librarian  of  the  Peoria  Public  Library : 

The  Library  Law  passed  by  the  Legislature 
of  lUinois  in  1873  was  tlie  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  Massachusetts,  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  1873  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  equall}'  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- 

"Wherea.s,  a  disposition  for  improvement  in  useful 
linowlediie  has  manifested  itself  in  various  parts  of  this 
.State,  by  associating  for  procuring  and  erecting  public 
libraries:  and,  whereas,  it  is  of  the  utmost  importance  to 
the  public  that  the  sources  of  information  should  be  multi- 
plied, and  institutions  for  that  purpose  encouraged  and  pro- 
moted: Seel.  Beit  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  enUghtened  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  pubhc  libraries 
supported  by  taxation  not  having  come  into 
vogue  in  that  early  day. 

It  is  tlie  one  vivifj'ing  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  Umitations. 

With  a  few  exceptions — notably  the  Boston 
Public  Library,  working  imder  a  special  charter, 
and  an  occasional  endowed  library,  like  the  Astor 
Library — all  public  libraries  in  those  days  were 
subscription  Ubraries,  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  84  a  year,  our  Peoria 
Mercantile  Library,  at  its  best,  never  had  over 
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- 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


son :  the  necessary  cost  of  cannual  dues  stood  in 
the  way;  the  women  and  young  people  who 
wanted  something  to  read,  who  thirsted  for 
knowledge,  and  who  are  the  principal  patrons  of 
the  free  public  library  to-day,  did  not  hold  the 
family  purse-strings;  while  the  men,  who  did 
hold  the  purse-strings,  did  not  particularly  care 
for  books. 

It  was  my  experience,  derived  as  a  Director  in 
the  Peoria  Mercantile  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  the)'  already  did  for  the  sup- 
port of  public  schools.  When,  in  18T0,  I 
submitted  tlie  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  'SO's,  we 
had  no  free  public  schools  in  this  State. 

I  then  drew  up  the  form  of  a  law,  substantially 
as  it  now  stands;  and,  after  submitting  it  to 
Justin  Winsor,  then  of  the  Boston  Public  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  December,  1870,  who  took  it  with  him  to 
Springfield,  promising  to  do  what  he  could  to  get 
it  through  the  Legislature,  of  which  he  was  a 
member  from  Peoria.  The  bill  was  introduced 
by  Mr.  Caldwell,  March  23,  1871,  as  House  bill 
No.  563,  and  as  House  bill  No.  503  it  finally 
received  the  Governor's  signature  and  became  a 
law,  March  7,  1873. 

The  essential  features  of  our  Illinois  law  are : 

I.  Tlie  power  of  initiative  in  starting  a  free 
public  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  very  people  it  was 
most  calculated  to  benefit,  from  fear  of  a  little 
extra  taxation. 

II.  The  amount  of  tax  to  be  levied  is  jxrmissive, 
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, 
plight  invite  extravagance,  as  it  has  in  several 
instances  where  a  mamhitory  law  is  in  force. 

III.  Tin'  T.ihnir)/  Uminl  Ikix  exclusive  control  of 

lihrarll  ni,i,n.in-i„'li,nis 

This  IS  t.)  l.f  mfiprfted  that  Public  Library 
Boards  are  sejiarate  ami  distinct  departments  of 
the  city  administration;  and  experience  has 
shown  t'nat  they  are  as  capable  and  honest  in 
handling  money  as  School  Boards  or  City 
Councils. 

IV.  Library  Boards  consist  of  nine  members  to 
serve  for  th  ree  yea  rs. 

V.  The  members  of  the  Board  are  appointed  by 
the  Mayor,  subject  '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  condition 
of  their  triist  on  the  first  day  of  June  of  each 
year. 

This,  with  slight  modifications  adapting  it  to 
villages,  towns  and  townships,  is,  in  substance, 
the  Free  Public  Library  Law  of  Illinois.  Under 
its  beneficent  operation  flourishing  free  public 
libraries  have  been  established  in  the  principal 
cities  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  imperative  necessity — of  the  widest 
possible  diffusion  of  intelligence  among  the  people 
of  a  free  State.  Knowledge  and  ignorance — the 
one  means  civilization,  the  other,  barbarism. 
Give  a  man  the  taste  for  good  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  paths 
to  follow. 

We  have  no  way  of  foretelling  how  many  and 
how  great  benefits  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  United 
States  History,  by  the  flickering  light  of  a  pine- 
knot  in  a  log-cabin,  rises  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  press  and  our  free  libraries,  lies 
our  only  hope  that  our  free  American  institutions 
shall  not  decay  and  perish  from  the  earth. 


LIEUTEXAXT-GOTERNORS    OF    ILLINOIS. 

The  office  of  Lieutenant-Governor,  created  by  the 
Constitution  of  1818,  has  been  retained  in  each  of 
the  subsequent  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 
admission  into  the  Union  to  the  present  time 
(1899),  with  the  date  and  length  of  each  incum 
bent's  term:  Pierre  Menard,  1818-23;  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),  1833-84;  Alexander  M.  Jenkins,  1834 
William  H.  Davidson  (as  President  of  the 
Senate),  1836-38;  Stinson  H.  Anderson,  1838-42; 
John  Moore,  1842-46;  Joseph  B.  Wells,  1846-49; 
W^illiam  McMurtry,  1849-53;  Gustavus  Koerner, 
18.53-57;  John  Wood,  1857-60;  Thomas  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. 


IIISTOmCAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


337 


Beveridge,  Jan.  13-23,  1ST3;  John  Early  (as 
President  of  the  Senate),  1S73-T5;  Archibald  A. 
Glenn  (as  President  of  the  Senate),  1875-77; 
Andrew  Shuman,  1877-81 ;  John  11.  Hamilton. 
1881-83;  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  $3,190,604.  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  emplo}'  3,388  hands,  and 
represent  a  capital  of  83,316,616,  in  the  latter  par- 
ticular also  ranking  next  to  Pennsylvania.  The 
quarries  are  found  in  various  parts  of  the  State, 
but  the  most  productive  and  most  valuable  are  in 
the  northern  section. 

LINCOLN,  an  incorporated  city,  and  county- 
seat  of  Logan  County,  at  the  intersection  of  the 
Chicago  &  Alton,  the  Champaign  and  Havana 
and  the  Peoria,  Decatur  and  Evansville  Divi- 
sions of  the  Illinois  Central  Railroad;  is  28  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,  eigliteen  churches,  good  schools, 
three  national  banks,  a  public  library,  electric 
street  railways,  and  several  newspapers.  Besides 
possessing  good  schools,  it  is  the  seat  of  Lincoln 
University  (a  Cumberland  Presbyterian  institu- 
tion, founded  in  1865)  The  Odd  Fellows' 
Orphans'  Home  and  the  Illinois  (State)  Asylum 
for  Feeble-Minded  Children  are  also  located  here. 
Population  (1890),  6,735;  (1900),  8,963;  (1903,  est.), 
12,000. 

LINCOLN,  Abraham,  sixteenth  President  of  the 
United  States,  was  born  in  Hardin  County,  Ky. , 
Feb.  13,  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 
Abraham,  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  difiierent  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  the 
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  diff'erent 
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  country,  and  prepared  the  way  for  the 
future  triumph  of  the  Republican  party.  Previ- 
ous to  this  he  had  been  four  times  (1840,  '44,  '53, 
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 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


made  a  pretext  for  secession,  and  he  met  the 
issue  with  promptitude  and  firmness,  tempered 
with  kindness  and  moderation  towards  the  se- 
cessionists. He  was  re-elected  to  the  Presidency 
in  1864,  the  vote  in  the  Electoral  College  standing 
213  for  Lincoln  to  21  for  his  opponent,  Gen. 
George  B.  McClellan.  The  history  of  Mr.  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  yet  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  his  death 
at  the  hands  of  the  assassin,  J.  Wilkes  Booth,  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  army — 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  finally 
laid  to  rest  in  a  mausoleum  in  Springfield.  His 
profound  sympathy  with  every  class  of  sufferers 
during  the  War  of  the  Rebellion ;  his  forbearance 
in  the  treatment  of  enemies;  his  sagacity  in 
giving  direction  to  public  sentiment  at  home  and 
in  dealing  with  international  questions  abroad; 
his  courage  in  preparing  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 
himself,  and  won  for  him  the  respect  and  admi- 
ration of  all  civilized  nations. 

LI>'COLJf,  Robert  Todd,  lawyer,  member  of 
the  Cabinet  and  Foreign  Minister,  the  son  of 
Abraham  Lincoln,  was  born  in  Springfield,  111., 
August  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- 
tary 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,  which 
(1899)  he  still  holds.  Mr.  Lincoln's  name  has 
been  frequently  mentioned  in  connection  with 
the  Republican  nomination  for  the  Presidency, 
but  its  use  has  not  been  encouraged  bv  him. 

LINCOLN  AND  DOUGLAS  DEBATE,  a  name 
popularly  given  to  a  series  of  joint  discussions 
between  Abraham  Lincoln  and  Stephen  A.  Doug- 
las, held  at  different  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  Freeport,  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,  which 
have  become  famous  in  the  political  history  of 
the  Nation,  and  the  campaign  was  the  most  noted 
in  the  history  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  kd  to  the  alienation  of  his 
Southern  following,  the  disruption  of  the  Demo- 
cratic party  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  preparatory  studies.  The  institution 
has  a  library  of  3,000  volumes,  and  reports  funds 
and  endowment  amounting  to  §60,000,  with 
property  valued  at  §55,000. 

LINDER,  Usher  F.,  lawyer  and  politician,  was 
born  in  Elizabethtown,  Hardin  Coimty,  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  txD  the 
Fifteenth  General  Assembly  and  re-elected  to  the 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


339 


Sisteenth  and  Seventeenth,  afterwards  giving  his 
attention  to  the  practice  of  his  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- 
lished in  book  form  in  1876.  Died  in  Chicago, 
June  5,  1876. 

lUTEGAR,  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. 

LIPPI>'COTT,  Charles  E.,  State  Auditor,  was 
born  at  Edwardsville,  111.,  Jan.  26,  IBi'i;  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  jireceding, 
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. 

LIPPIXCOTT,  (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,  he  subsequently  removed  to  Edwards- 
ville, where  he  was  for  a  time  employed  as  clerk 
in  the  Land  Office.  He  afterwards  served  as 
Secretary  of  the  Senate  (1822-28).  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  secviring  the  adoption  of 
a  pro-slavery  Constitution  in  Illinois  in  1824.  In 
1825  he  purchased  from  Hooper  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  up  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. 

LIQUOR  LAWS.  In  the  early  history  of  the 
State,  the  question  of  the  regulation  of  the  sale  of 
intoxicants  was  virtually  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  Assembly, 
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  framers  and  supporters,  and,  in 
1855,  a  prohibitory  law  was  submitted  to  the  elect- 
ors, which  was  rejected  at  the  polls.  Since  that 
date  a  general  license  system  has  prevailed,  except 
in  certain  towns  and  cities  where  prohibitorj- 
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,  henbane,  strychnine,  or  other  poisons. 
In  1S79  the  Woman's  Christian  Temperance 
Union  began  the  agitation  of  the  license  question 
from  a  new  standpoint.  In  JIarch  of  that  year,  a 
delegation  of  Illinois  women,  headed  by  Miss 
Frances  E.  Willard,  presented  to  the  Legislature 
a  monster  petition,  signed  by  80,000  voters  and 
100,000  women,  praying  for  the  amendment  of 
the  State  Constitution,  so  as  to  give  females  above 
the  age  of  21  the  right  to  vote  upon  the  granting 
of  licenses  in  the  localities  of  their  residences. 
Miss  Willard  and  ilrs.  J.  Ellen  Foster,  of  Iowa, 
addressed  the  House  in  its  favor,  and  Miss 
Willard  spoke  to  the  Senate  on  the  same  lines. 
The  measure  was  defeated  in  the  House  by  a  vote 
of  fifty-five  to  fifty-three,  and  the  Senate  took  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  Legislature  enacted  what  is  generally 
termed  the  "High  License  Law,"  by  the  provi- 
sions of  which  a  minimum  license  of  §500  per 
annum  was  imposed  for  the  sale  of  alcoholic 
drinks,  and  6150  for  malt  liquors,  with  the 
authority  on  the  part  of  municipalities  to  impose 
a  still  higher  rate  by  ordinance.  This  measure 
was  made  largely  a  partisan  issue,  the  Repub- 
licans voting  almost  solidly  for  it,  and  the  Demo- 
crats almost  solidly  opposing  it.  The  bill  was 
promptly  signed  by  Governor  Hamilton.  The 
liquor  laws  of  Illinois,  therefore,  at  the  present 
time  are  based  upon  local  option,  high  license  and 
local  suiiervision.  The  criminal  code  of  the  State 
contains  the  customary  provisions  respecting  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,  tlie  principal  city  of  Jlontgom- 
ery  County,  at  the  intersection  of  Cincinnati, 
Chicago  &  St.  Louis,  the  Wabash  and  the  Illinois 
Central,  with  three  other  short-line  railways,  43 
miles  south  of  Springfield  and  47  miles  northeast 
of  St.  Louis.  The  surrounding  country  is  fer- 
tile, undulating  prairie,  in  which  are  found  coal, 
oil  and  natural  gas.  A  coal  mine  is  operated 
within  the  corporate  limits.  Grain  is  extensively 
raised,  and  Litchfield  has  several  elevators,  flour- 
ing mills,  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  Ursu- 
line  convent,  a  Catholic  hospital,  and  two 
monthly,  two  weekly,  and  two  daily  periodicals. 
Population  (IS'JD).  5,811;  (1900),  5,918;  (1903, 
est  ).  T,000. 

LITCHFIELD,  CARROLLTOX  &  WESTERN 
RAILROAD,  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, Carrollton  &  Western  reverted  to  the 
former  owners.  Six  months  later  it  passed  into 
the  hands  of  a  receiver,  by  whom  (iqi  to  1898)  it 
has  since  been  operated.  The  general  offices 
are  at  Carlinville 

LITTLE,  George,  merchant  and  banker,  was 
born  in  Columbia,  Pa.,  in  1808;  came  to  Rush- 
ville.  111.,  in  1836,  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 
business  amassing  a  large  fortune.  Died,  March 
5,  1896. 

LITTLE  TERMILIOX  RIVER  rises  in  Ver- 
milion Count}',  111.,  and  flows  eastwardly  into 
Indiana,  emptying  into  the  Wabash  in  Vermilion 
County,  Ind. 

LITTLE  WABASH  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. 


niSTOEICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


341 


LITTLER,  David  T.,  lawyer  and  State  Senator, 
was  born  at  Clifton,  Greene  County,  Ohio,  Feb. 
7,  1836;  was  educated  in  the  common  schools  in 
his  native  State  and,  at  twentj^-one,  removed  to 
Lincoln,  111.,  where  he  worked  at  the  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  1866  he  was  appointed 
by  President  Johnson  Collector  of  Internal 
Revenue  for  the  Eiglith  District,  but  resigned  in 
1868,  removing  to  Springfield  the  same  year, 
where  he  entered  into  partnership  with  the  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  tlie  revenue  question. 

LITERMORE,  Mary  Ashton,  reformer  and  phi- 
lanthropist, was  born  (Mary  Ashton  Rice)  in 
Boston,  Mass.,  Dec.  19,  1831;  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  pa.storates  at  various  places  in 
Massachusetts  and  at  Quincy,  111.,  becoming 
editor  of  "The  New  Covenant"  at  Chicago,  in 
1857.  Dm-ing  this  time  Mrs.  Livermore  wrote 
much  for  denominational  papers  and  in  assisting 
her  husband;  in  1863  was  appointed  an  agent, 
and  traveled  extensively  in  the  interest  of  the 
United  States  Sanitary  Commission,  visiting 
hospitals  and  camps  in  the  Mississipi^i  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  sufl'rage  and  tem- 
perance, besides  being  the  author  of  several 
volumes,  one  of  these  being  "Pen  Pictures  of 
Chicago"  (186.j).     Her  home  is  in  Boston. 

LIYINGSTOX  COUXTT,  situated  about  mid- 
way between  Chicago  and  Springfield.  Tlie  sur- 
face is  rolling  toward  the  east,  but  is  level  in  the 
west;  area,  1,036  square  miles;  population  (1900), 
42,035,  named  for  Edward  Livingston.  It  was 
organized  in  1837,  the  first  Commissioners  being 
Robert  Breckenridge,  Jonathan  Moon  and  Daniel 
Rockwood.  Pontiac  was  selected  as  the  county- 
seat,  the  proprietors  donating  ample  lands  and 
S3, 000  in  cash  for  the  erection  of  public  buildings. 
Vermilion  River  and  Indian  Creek  are  the  prin- 


cipal streams.  Coal  underlies  the  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  count}'  really  dates 
from  the  opening  of  the  Chicago  &  Alton  Rail- 
road in  1854,  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"  Institute  for  the  cure  of  the 
liquor  habit. 

LOCKPORT,  a  village  in  Will  County,  laid  out 
in  1837  and  incorporated  in  1853-  situated  33 
miles  southwest  of  Chicago,  on  the  Des  Plaines 
River,  the  Illinois  &  Michigan  Canal,  the  Atchi- 
son, Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  and  the  Chicago  &  Alton 
Railroads.  Tlie  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,  pai-ochial  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),  3,449; 
(1900),  3,659. 

LOCKWOOD,  Samuel  Brake,  jurist,  was  born 
at  Poundridge,  Westchester  County,  N.  Y., 
August  2,  1789,  left  fatherless  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  1831  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  1824-35  elected  him  Judge  of  the  Supreme 
Court,  his  service  extending  until  the  adoption 


348 


HISTORICAL  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 
Central  Railroad,  which  office  he  held  until  his 
death.  He  was  always  an  uncompromising 
antagonist  of  slavery  and  a  leading  supporter  of 
Governor  Coles  in  opposition  to  the  plan  to  secure 
a  pro-slavery  Constitution  in  1824.  His  personal 
and  political  integrity  was  recognized  by  all 
parties.  From  1828  to  1853  Judge  Lockwood  was 
a  citizen  of  Jacksonville,  where  he  proved  him- 
self an  elficient  friend  and  patron  of  Illinois  Col- 
lege, serving  for  over  a  quarter  of  a  century  as 
one  of  its  Trustees,  and  was  also  influential  in 
securing  several  of  the  State  charitable  institu- 
tions there.  His  later  years  were  spent  at 
Batavia,  where  he  died,  April  23,  1874,  in  the  85th 
year  of  his  age. 

LODA,  a  village  of  Iroquois  County,  on  the 
Chicago  Division  of  the  Illinois  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),  635;  (1890),  598;  (1900),  668. 

LOGAN,  Cornelius  Ambrose,  physician  and 
diplomatist,  born  at  Deerfield,  Mass.,  August  6, 
1836,  the  son  of  a  dramatist  of  the  same  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,"  Leaven wortli,  Kan.,  and  edited  the 
works  of  his  relative.  Gen.  John  A.  Logan  (1886), 
besides  contributing  to  foreign  medical  publi- 
cations and  publishing  two  or  three  volumes  on 
medical  and  sanitary  questions.  Resides  in 
Chicago. 

LOttAN,  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  Grand  Tower  among  tlie  Shaw- 
nee and  Delaware  Indians.  He  began  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  1832,  later  being  Colonel  of 
the  Forty-fourth  Regiment  State  Militia.  At  the 
close  of  the  Black  Hawk  War  he  settled  in 
Carlinville,  and  having  graduated  in  medicine, 


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  was 
finally  commissioned  Colonel  of  the  Thirty- 
second  Illinois  Volunteers,  and  reported  to  Gen- 
eral Grant  at  Cairo,  in  January,  1862,  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,  1864,  he  was  discharged 
with  the  brevet  rank  of  Brigadier-General.  In 
1866  Colonel  Logan  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  Carlin- 
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  1856.  He  was  a 
man  of  strong  personal  characteristics  and  an 
earnest  patriot.  Died  at  his  home  at  Carlinville, 
August  24,  1885. 

LOGAN,  John  Alexander,  soldier  and  states- 
man, was  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 
Logan  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  M.  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,  1861,  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  Republican  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  tlie 
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  the  Republican 
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.  26, 
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  Trigg,  eminent  Illinois  jurist, 
was  born  in  Franklin  County,  Ky.,  Feb.  2-1,  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 
1832  he  emigrated  to  Illinois,  settling  in  Sanga- 
mon County,  one  year  later  opening  an  oflice  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  1861,  was  commLssioned 
by  Governor  Yates  to  represent  Illinois  in  the 
Peace  Conference,  which  assembled  in  Wash- 
ington. Soon  afterward  he  retired  to  private 
Ufe.  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  cliiefly  a  level  or 
moderately  undulating  prairie,  with  some  high 
ridges,  as  at  Elkhart.  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  chjjnge  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  theological  departments. 
The  collegiate  department  includes  both  classical 
and  scientific  courses,  with  a  specially  arranged 
course  of  three  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  Harriman,  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  the  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- 
in-Chief  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  1861,  chief, 
with  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  the 
Wood.s,  Etc."  He  was  a  member  of  the  Ameri- 
can Philosophical  Society  and  the  author  of  the 


344 


niSTOEICxVL   EXCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


first  original  treatise  on  railroad  building  ever 
publislied  in  this  country,  under  the  title  of 
"Railroad  Manual"  (1829).  During  the  latter 
days  of  his  life  his  home  was  at  Alton,  111. ,  where 
he  died,  Sept.  4,  1864.  Though  retired  from 
active  service  in  June,  1863,  he  continued  in  the 
discharge  of  important  duties  up  to  his  death. 

LONGENECKER,  Joel  M.,  lawyer,  %vas  born  in 
Crawford  County,  111.,  June  12,  1847;  before 
reaching  his  eighteenth  year  he  enlisted  in  the 
Fifth  Illinois  Cavalry,  servinguntil  the  close  of  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  be- 
came the  assistant  of  Luther  Laflin  Mills  in  the 
office  of  Prosecuting  Attorney  of  Cook  County, 
retaining  that  position  with  Mr.  Jlills'  successor, 
Judge  Grinnell.  On  the  promotion  of  the  latter 
to  the  bench,  in  1886,  Mr.  Longenecker  succeeded 
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,  perliaps,  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,  (Bev.)  Hubbell,  clergyman  and  edu- 
cator, was  born  in  Colchester,  Conn.,  May  31. 
1775;  prepared  for  college  in  the  common  scliools 
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  subsequently 
studied  theology,  and,  for  twenty-four  j-ears, 
served  as  pastor  of  a  Congregational  chiu-ch  at 
Willington,  Conn.,  meanwhile  fitting  a  number 
of  young  men  for  college,  including  among  them 
Dr.  Jared  Sparks,  afterwards  President  of  Har- 
vard College  and  author  of  numerous  historical 
works.  About  1829  his  views  on  the  subject  of 
baptism  underwent  a  change,  resulting  in  his 
uniting  himself  with  the  Baptist  Church.  Com- 
ing to  Illinois  soon  after,  he  spent  some  time  at 
Kaska.skia  and  Edwardsville,  and,  in  1832,  located 
at  Upper  Alton,  where  he  became  a  prominent 
factor  in  laying  the  foundation  of  Shurtleff  Col- 
lege, first  by  the  establishment  of  the  Baptist 
Seminary,  of  which  he  was  the  Principal  for 
several  years,  and  later  by  assisting,  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  years  of  his  life  were  sjient  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.  Elias 
Loomis — an  eminent  mathematician  and  natural- 
ist, was  the  author  of  "Loomis"  Algebra"  and 
other  scientific  text-books,  in  extensive  use  in  the 
colleges  of  the  country.  He  held  professorships 
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. 

LORIMER,  William,  Member  of  Congress,  was 
born  in  Manchester,  England,  of  Scotch  parent- 
age, April  27,  1861 ;  came  with  his  parents  to 
America  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  lost  his  father  bj-  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  ilayor 
Roche  and  Maj-or  AVashburne  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. 

LOUISVILLE,  The  county-seat  of  Clay  County ; 
situated  on  the  Little  Waba.sh  River  and  on  the 
Springfield  Division  of  the  Baltimore  &  Oliio 
Southwestern  Railroad.  It  is  100  miles  south- 
southeast  of  Springfield  and  7  miles  north  of 
Flora;  has  a  courthouse,  three  churches,  a  high 
school,  a  savings  bank  and  t«-o  weekly  news- 
papers.    Population  (l8;-)0)   637;  (1900)   646. 

LOUISVILLE,  EVANSVILLE  &  NEW  AL- 
BAXT  RAILROAD.  (See  LoitisviUe.  EvansriUe 
A- St.  Louis  (Consolidated)  Railroad.) 

LOUISVILLE,  EVAXSVILLE  &  ST.  LOUIS 
(Consolidated)  RAILROAD.  The  length  of  this 
entire  line  is  858.55  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  line  leaves  the  Mississippi 
bottom,  the  gradient  is  about  two  per  cent  or 
105.6    feet    per    mile.     The  total    capitalization 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OP   ILLINOIS. 


345 


(1898)  was  §18,236,246,  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 
i,he  line  opened  from  Mount  Carniel  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  months 
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  consolidation,  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  &  NASHVILLE  RAILROAD,  a 
corporation  operating  an  extensive  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  McLeansboro  to  Shawneetown  (40.7 
miles)— total,  180.41  miles.  The  Illinois  Divi- 
sion, though  virtually  owned  by  the  operating 
line,  is  formally  leased  frona  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  81,052,789,  and  the  total  expendi- 
tures (including  647,198  taxes)  were  8057,12."). 

LOUISVILLE  &  ST.  LOUIS  RAILWAY.  (See 
Jacksonville  &  St.  Louis  Railii-ay.) 

LOVE  JOY,  Elijah  Parish,  minister  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  AVhig  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.  Threats  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,  liaving  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  eflfective  appeals  in  oppo- 
sition to  an  institution  which  employed  moboc- 
racy  and  murder  in  its  efforts  to  suppress  free 
discussion.     (See  Alton  Riots.) 

LOVEJOY,  Owen,  clergj-man  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  joui-nal 
there,  and  whose  assassination  by  a  pro-slaveiy 
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  earnestl}'  supported  Abraham  Lincoln 
for  United  States  Senator.  Upon  his  election  to 
the  Legislature  he  resigned  his  pastorate  at 
Princeton,  his  congregation  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 


HISTOKICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF    ILLINOIS. 


did  later  in  upholding  the  cause  of  the  Union  in 
Congress.  He  died  in  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.,  March  25, 
1864. 

LOVINGTOX,  a  village  of  Moultrie  County,  on 
the  Terre  Haute-Peoria  branch  of  the  Vandalia 
Line  and  the  Bement  &  Altamont  Division  of  the 
Wabash  Railway,  33  miles  southeast  of  Decatur. 
The  town  has  two  banks,  a  newspaper,  water- 
works, electric  lights,  telephones  and  volunteer 
fire  department.      Pop.  (1890),  767;  (1900),  815. 

LTJDLAM,  (Dr.)  Reuben,  physician  and  author, 
was  born  at  Camden.  N.  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  homoeopathic 
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  Physiolog)'  and  Pathology  in  the  newly 
estabUshed  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  Homoeopath,''  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,  in  1877,  was  appointed  by  Governor 
Cullom  a  member  of  the  State  Board  of  Health, 
serving,  by  two  subsequent  reappointments,  for  a 
period  of  fifteen  years.  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  text-book,  and  has 
passed  through  seven  or  eiglit  editions.  A  few 
years  after  his  first  connection  with  the  Hahne- 
mann Medical  College,  Dr.  Ludlam  became  Pro- 
cessor of  Obstetrics  and  Gynecology,  and,  on  the 


death  of  President  C.  S.  Smith,  was  chosen 
President  of  the  institution.  Died  suddenly  from 
Zieart  disease,  while  preparing  to  perform  a  surgi- 
cal operation  on  a  patient  in  the  Hahnemann 
Medical  College,  April  29,  1899. 

LUNDY,  Beujamiii,  early  anti-slavery  journal- 
ist, was  born  in  New  Jersey  of  Quaker  par- 
entage; at  19  worked  as  a  saddler  at  Wheeling, 
Va. .  where  he  first  gained  a  practical  knowle<lge 
of  the  institution  of  slavery;  later  carried  on 
business  at  Mount  Pleasant  and  St.  Clairsville,  O., 
where,  in  1815,  he  organized  an  anti-slavery 
association  under  the  name  of  the  "Union 
Humane  Society,"  also  contributing  anti-slavery 
articles  to  "The  Philanthropist,"  a  paper  pub- 
lished at  Mount  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  Moimt  Pleasant,  in  1821,  he  began  the 
issue  of  "The  Genius  of  Universal  Emancipation," 
a  monthly,  which  lie  soon  removed  to  Jonesbor- 
ough,  Tenn.,  and  finally  to  Baltimore  in  1824, 
when  it  became  a  weekly.  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  acquaintance  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  Pennsylvania  Hall,  and,  in  the 
following  winter,  he  removed  to  Lowell,  La  Salle 
Co. ,  111. ,  with  a  view  to  reviving  his  paper  there, 
but  the  design  was  frustrated  by  his  early  death, 
which  occurred  August  22,  1839.  The  paper, 
however,  was  revived  by  Zebina  Eastman  under 
the  nameof  "The  Geniusof  Liberty, "  but  was  re- 
moved to  Chicago,  in  1842,  and  issued  under  the 
name  of  "The  Western  Citizen.''  (See  Eastman, 
Zebina.) 

LUNT,  Orring'ton,  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  the  "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  18T1.  and  his  generous  bene- 
factions to  the  Young  Men's  Cliristian  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, Mr.  Limt's  name  will  stand  beside  that  of 
J.  Young  Scammon,  Walter  L.  Newberry,  John 
Crerar,  and  others  of  its  most  liberal  benefactors. 
Died,  at  his  home  in  Evanston,  April  5,  1S97. 

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  180.5  the  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch  came  to  Madison  County,  111., 
and  settled  near  Edwardsville.  During  the  War 
of  1812-14  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 
iotel  in  the  town  and  a  place  of  considerable 
historical  note.  Mr.  Lusk  held,  at  different 
periods,  the  positions  of  Deputy  Circuit  Clerk, 
€oimty  Clerk,  Recorder  and  Postmaster,  dying, 
Dec.  22,  1857, 

LUTHERANS,  The.  While  this  sect  in  Illi- 
nois, as  elsewhere,  is  divided  into  many  brandies, 
it  is  a  unit  in  accepting  the  Bible  as  the  only  in- 
falhble  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,  Swedisli,  Fin- 
nish and  Hungarian  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;  the  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  made  to  the  fact  that,  of  sixty-three 
Lutheran  chm-ches  in  Chicago,  only  four  use  the 
English  language.  Of  the  remainder,  thirty- 
seven  make  use  of  the  German,  ten  Swedish,  nine 
Norwegian  and  three  Danish.  The  whole  num- 
ber of  communicants  in  the  State,  in  1892,  was 
estimated  at  90,000.  The  General  Synod  sustains 
a  German  Theological  Seminary  in  Chicago. 
(See  also  Religious  Denominations. 

LYONS,  a  village  of  Cook  County,  12  miles 
southwest  of  Chicago.  Population  (1880),  486; 
(1890),  732;  (1900),  951 

MACALISTER     &     STEBBIXS    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  §261,560.83. 
This  was  done  with  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- 
tion 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  §109,215.44 — making  the 
aggregate  of  State  securities  in  their  hands  §913,- 
215.44,  upon  which  the  State  had  received  only 
the  amount  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 
reciting,  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  1865,  for  the  amount  of  princi- 
pal and  interest  of  the  sum  actually  advanced 
and  foimd  to  be  due,  conditioned  upon  the  sur- 
render, by  them,  of  the  original  bonds  and  other 


348 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


evidences  of  indebtedness  received  by  them  in 
1841.  This  the  actual  iiolders  refused  to  accept, 
and  brought  the  case  before  the  Supreme  Court 
in  an  effort  to  compel  the  Governor  (who  was 
then  ex-officio  Fund  Commissioner)  to  recognize 
the  full  face  of  their  claim.  This  the  Supreme 
Court  refused  to  do,  on  the  ground  that,  the 
executive  being  a  co-ordinate  brancli  of  tlie  Gov- 
ernment, they  had  no  authority  over  liis  official 
acts.  In  18.59  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  with  their 
history  and  previous  legislation  on  the  subject. 
Representations  made  to  him  led  to  a  suspension 
of  the  proceeding,  and,  as  the  bonds  were  not 
transferable  except  on  the  books  of  the  Funding 
Agency  in  the  office  of  the  State  Auditor,  they 
were  treated  as  illegal  and  void,  and  were  ulti- 
mately surrendered  by  the  holders  on  the  basis 
originally  fixed,  without  loss  to  the  State.  In 
1865  an  additional  act  was  passed  requiring  the 
presentation,  for  payment,  of  the  portion  of  the 
original  bonds  still  outstanding,  on  pain  of  for- 
feiture, and  this  was  finally  done. 

MACK,  Alonzo  W.,  legislator,  was  born  at  More- 
town,  Vt.,  in  1823;  at  16  years  of  age  settled  at 
Kalamazoo,  Jlich, ,  later  began  the  study  of  medi- 
cine and  graduated  at  Laporte,  Ind.,  in  1844. 
Then,  having  removed  to  Kankakee,  111.,  he 
adopted  the  practice  of  law ;  in  1858  was  elected 
Representative,  and,  in  1860  and  '64,  to  the 
Senate,  serving  tlirough  five  continuous  sessions 
(1858-68),  In  1862  he  assisted  in  organizing  the 
Seventy-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,  1865,  and  was  its  business  mana- 
ger the  first  year  of  its  publication,  but  disagreeing 
with  the  editor,  Charles  A.  Dana,  both  finally 
retired.  Colonel  Mack  then  resumed  the  practice 
of  law  in  Chicago,  dying  there,  Jan.  4,  1871. 

MACKINAW,  the  fir.st  county -seat  of  Tazewell 
County,  at  intersection  of  two  railroad  lines,  18 
miles  southeast  of  Peoria.  The  district  is  agri- 
cultural and  stock-raising.  There  are  manufacto- 
ries of  farm  implements,  pressed  brick,  harness, 
wagons  and  carriages,  also  a  State  bank  and  a 
weekly  paper.    Population  (1890),  .545;  (1900),  859. 

MAC  MILLAX,  Thomas  C,  Clerk  of  United 
States  District  Court,  was  born  at  Stranraer, 
Scotland,  Oct.  4,  18.50;  came  with  his  parents,  in 


1857,  to  Chicago,  where  he  graduated  from  the 
High  School  and  spent  some  time  in  the  Chicago 
University;  in  1873  became  a  reporter  on  "The 
Chicago  Inter  Ocean;"  two  years  later  accom- 
panied an  exploring  expedition  to  the  Black  HiUs 
and,  in  1875-70,  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- 
93in  the  Senate.  In  January,  1896,  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  tlie 
honorary  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  Quincy, 
39  miles  southwest  of  Galesburg.  The  principal 
manufactures  are  sewer-pipes,  drain-tile,  pot- 
tery, and  school-desk  castings.  The  city  has 
interurbau  electric  car  line,  banks,  nine  churches, 
high  school  and  four  new.spapers;  is  the  seat  of 
Western  Illinois  State  Normal  School,  and  West- 
ern Preparatory  School  and  Basiness  College. 
Population  (18'.)0).  4.0.52;  (1900),  .5,37.5. 

MACOX,  a  village  in  Macon  County,  on  the  Illi- 
nois Central  Railroad,  10  miles  south  by  west  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.  Tlie  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  miglit  e.xpect  in  the 
corn  belt  of  the  central  portion  of  the  State. 
Besides  corn,  oats,  rye  and  barley  are  extensively 
cultivated,  while  potatoes,  sorghum  and  wool  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. 

MACOUPIN  COUNTY,  a  south-central  county, 
with  an  area  of  864  square  miles  and  a  population 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


349 


of  42,256  in  1900.  The  word  Macoupin  is  of 
Indian  derivation,  signifying  '•white  potato." 
The  count}-,  originally  a  part  of  Madison,  and 
later  of  Greene,  was  separately  organized  in  1829, 
under  the  supervision  of  Setli  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,  was  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  compelled  to 
abandon  practice  on  account  of  ill-health,  and 
removed  to  Chicago,  in  September.  186.5,  where  he 
embarked  in  business  as  a  wholesale  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  mayoraUty,  but  persistently  refused 
imtil  1894,  when  he  accepted  a  nomination  for 
United  States  Senator  b_v  a  State  Convention  of 
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  head  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  hilly  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  JNIadison,  then  President  of  the 
United  States.  At  that  time  it  embraced  sul>- 
stantiaHy  the  whole  of  the  northern  part  of  tlie 


State,  but  its  limits  were  steadily  reduced  by 
excisions  iintil  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  tlie  neighborhood  of  Alton.  American  settlers 
began  first  to  arrive  about  1800,  the  Judj-s,  Gill- 
hams  and  Whitesides  being  among  the  first,  gen- 
erally locating  in  the  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  sha^jing  its 
destiny.  Among  these  were  Governor  Edwards, 
Governor  Coles,  Judge  Samuel  D.  Lockwood.  and 
many  more  whose  names  are  intimately  inter- 
woven with  State  history.  The  county-seat  is  at 
Edwardsville.  and  Alton  is  the  principal  city. 
Population  (1890),  51,585;  (1900),  64,694. 

MAGRUDER,  Benjamin  D.,  Justice  of  the 
Supreme  Court,  was  born  near  Natchez,  Miss., 
Sept.  27,  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- 
Ijreak  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  the  bench  of  the 
Supreme  Court,  being  re-elected  for  a  full  term 
of  nine  years  in  1888,  and  again  in  1897.  He  was 
Chief  Justice  in  1891-92. 

MAKANDA,  a  village  of  Jackson  County,  on 
the  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  has  a  bank  and  a 
weekly  paper.     Population  (1900),  528. 

MALTBY,  Jasper  A.,  soldier,  was  born  in  Ash- 
tabula Covmty,  Ohio,  Nov.  3,  1826,  served  as  a 
private  in  the  Jlexican  War  and  was  severely 
wounded  at  Chapultepec.     After  his  discharge  he 


350 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


established  himself  in  the  mercantile  business  at 
Galena,  111. ;  in  1861  entered  the  volunteer  service 
as  Lieutenant-Colonel  of  the  Forty-fifth  Illinois 
Infantry,  was  wounded  at  Fort  Douelson,  pro- 
moted Colonel  in  November,  1863,  and  wounded 
a  second  time  at  Vioksburg;  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,  Dec.  12,  1867. 

MANCHESTER,  a  town  of  Scott  County,  on 
the  Jacksonville  Division  of  the  Chicago  &  Alton 
Railway,  16  miles  south  of  Jacksonville;  has 
some  manufactures  of  pottery.  Population 
(1890),  408;  (.1900),  430. 

MANIERE,  (ieorg'e,  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  country.  In 
1835  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  City  Attorney. 
While  filling  the  latter  office  he  codified  the 
municipal  ordinances.  In  18.55  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,  largely  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." 

MANN,  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  reelected  in 
1894,  while  in  the  City  Council  becoming  one  of 
its  most  prominent  members;  in  1894,  served  as 
Temporary  Chairman  of  the  Republican  State 
Convention  at  Peoria,  and,  in  1895,  as  Chairman 
of  the  Cook  County  Republican  Convention.  In 
1896  he  was  elected,  as  a  Republican,  to  the  Fifty- 
fifth  Congress,  receiving  a  plurality  of  28,459 
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.  Mann,  previous  to  his 
election  to  Congress,  include  those  of  Master  in 
Chancery  of  the  Superior  Court  of  Cook  Covmty 
and  General  Attorney  of  the  South  Park  Com- 
missioners of  the  city  of  Chicago. 

MANN,  Orrin  L.,  lawyer  and  soldier,  was  born 
in  Geauga  County,  Ohio.,  and,  in  his  youth, 
removed  to  the  vicinity  of  Ann  Arbor,  Mich., 
where  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,  Mich.  Dr.  Hinman  having, 
two  years  later,  become  President  of  the  North- 
western University,  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 
Michigan,  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  abandoned  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 
Newbern  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. 


HISTOKICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


35L 


Hundreds,  where  Colonel  Mann  was  seriously 
wounded,  necessitating  a  stay  of  several  months 
in  hospital.  Returning  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  District,  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,  1869. 

MAJi'NIXdJ,  Jnlins,  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,  1862. 

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  Bloomington.  It  is  in  the 
heart  of  a  rich  agricultural  region ;  has  one  news- 
paper.    Population  (1890),  533;  (1900),  708. 

MANTEXO,  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),  633;  (1890), 
627;  (1900),  932. 


MA(JUOX,  a  village  of  Knox  County,  on  the. 
Peoria  Division  of  the  Chicago,  Burlington  & 
Quincy  Railway,  16  miles  southeast  of  Gales- 
burg.  The  region  is  agricultural.  The  town  has 
banks  and  a  weekly  paper.  Population  (1880), 
548;  (1890),  501;  (1900),  475. 

MARCY,  (Dr.)  Oliver,  educator,  was  born  in 
Coleraine,  Mass.,  Feb.  13,  1820;  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  numeroxis  trips  for  geologic  investigation 
One  of  these  was  made  in  1849,  overland,  ta 
Puget  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  the  use  of  the  Government.  In  1862- 
he  was  called  to  the  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  liis  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,  189B. 

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  course  is  north  and 
south.— Cat-Tail  Slougrh,  a  similar  depression, 
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. 

MAREJfGO,  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  Cliicago  &  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,  eleo- 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


trie  liglits,  has  six  churches,  good  schools  and 
two  weelvly  newspapers.  Population  (1880) ,  1 ,  264 ; 
(1890),  1,  445;  (1900),  2,005. 

MARINE,  a  village  of  Madison  County,  on  the 
Illinois  Central  Railroad,  27  miles  northeast  of 
St.  Louis.  Several  of  its  earliest  settlers  were 
sea  captains  from  the  East,  from  whom  the 
"Marine  Settlement"  obtained  its  name.  Popu- 
lation (1880)   774;  (1890),  637;  (1900),  666. 

M.4.RI0N,  tlie  county-.seat  of  Williamson 
County,  172  miles  southeast  of  Springfielil,  on  the 
Illinois  Central  and  Chicago  &  Eastern  Illinois 
Railroads:  in  agricultural  and  coal  region;  has 
cotton  and  woolen  mills,  electric  cars,  water- 
works, ice  and  cold-storage  plant,  dry  pressed 
brick  factory,  six  churclies,  a  graded  school,  and 
three  newspapers.    Pop.  (1890),  1,338;  (1900),  2,510. 

MARION  COUXTT,  located  near  the  center  of 
the  southern  half  of  the  State,  with  an  area  of 
580  square  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  theBaltimore  & 
Ohio  (S.W.)  Railroads.  Salem  is  the  county -seat, 
but  Centralia  is  the  largest  and  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  Baltimore  &  Ohio  Southwestern  Railroads. 

MARISSA,  a  village  of  St.  Clair  County,  on  the 
St.  Louis  &  Cairo  Short  Line  Railroad.  39  miles 
southeast  of  St.  Louis.  It  is  in  a  farming  and 
mining  district;  has  two  banks,  a  newspaper  and 
a  magazine.     Population  (1890).  876;  (1900),  1,086. 

MAROA,  a  city  in  Macon  County,  on  the  Illi- 
nois Central  Railroad,  13  miles  north  of  Decatur 
and  31  miles  south  of  Bloomington.  The  city  has 
tliree  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),  1,164;  (1900),  1,213. 

MARQUETTE,  (Father)  Jaoques,  a  French 
missionary  and  e.xplorer,  born  at  Laou,  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  1068,  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  Rivers,  June  17.  (For  an  interesting 
translation  of  Marquette's  quaint  narrative  of  the 
expedition,  see  Shea's  "Discovery  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 
journe}',  and  reached  Kaskaskia,  after  much 
suffering,  on  April  8.  After  laboring  indefati- 
gably  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  present  Mar- 
quette River — on  the  eastern  shore  of  Lake  Michi- 
gan. His  remains  were  subsequently  removed  to 
Point  St.  Ignace.  He  was  the  first  to  attempt  to 
explain  the  lake  tides,  and  modern  science  has 
not  improved  his  theory. 

MARSEILLES,  a  city  on  the  Illinois  River,  in 
La  Salle  County,  8  miles  east  of  Ottawa,  and  77 
miles  southwest  of  Chicago,  orf  tlie  line  of  the 
Chicago,  Rock  Island  &  Pacific  Railroad.  Ex- 
cellent water  power  is  furnished  by  a  dam  across 
the  river.  The  city  lias  several  factories,  among 
the  leading  products  being  flour,  paper  and 
a,gricultural  implements.  Coal  is  mined  in  the 
vicinity.  Tlie  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. 

MARSH,  Benjamin  F.,  Congres.sman,  born  in 
AVy the  Township,  Hancock  County,  111.,  was  edu- 
cated at  private  schools  and  at  Jubilee  College, 
leaving  the  latter  institution  one  year  before 
graduation.  He  read  law  under  the  tutelage  of  his 
brother.  Judge  J.  W.  Marsh,  of  Warsaw,  and  was 


HISTORICAL    ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF    ILLINOIS. 


■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  Governor  Yates.  No 
cavalry  having  been  called  for,  tlie  Governor  felt 
constrained  to  decline  it.  On  his  way  home  Mr. 
Marsh  stopped  at  Quiucy  and  enlisted  as  a  private 
in  the  Sixteenth  Illinois  Infantry,  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- 
pan}'  within  a  few  days,  of  which  he  was  com- 
missioned Captain,  and  which  was  attached  to 
the  Second  Illinois  Cavalry.  lie  served  in  the 
army  until  January,  1866,  being  four  times 
wounded,  and  rising  to  the  rank  of  Colonel.  On 
liis  return  home  he  interested  himself  in  politics. 
In  1869  he  was  a  Republican  candidate  for  tlie 
State  Constitutional  Convention,  and.  in  1876, 
was  elected  to  represent  the  Tenth  Illinois  Dis- 
trict in  Congress,  and  re-elected  in  18T8  and  1880. 
In  1885  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  tlie  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  the 
House  Committee  on  Military  Affairs  and  Chair- 
man of  the  Committee  on  5Iilitia. 

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  1845,  practicing  at  Ithaca 
until  1854,  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  1883,  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  &  St.  Louis 
and  the  "Vandalia  Railroads.  The  surrounding 
coimtry  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  newspapers.  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  the  House.  He 
was  first  elected  to  Congress  in  1854,  re-elected  in 
1856,  and,  later,  served  continuously  from  1865  to 
1875,  wlien  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  1839.  The 
Illinois  River  bisects  the  count}-,  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; 
(1.S90),  13,6.53;  (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  Slarion 
County.  He  served  as  a  non-commissioned 
officer  in  the  war  with  Mexico.  In  1849,  he  was 
elected  Clerk  of  the  Mai-ion  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  military  life.  For  a  number  of 
years  he  was  a  member  of  tlie  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  Coimty  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  Repulilican.   to  represent 


354 


HISTORICAL   EXCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


the  Sixteenth  District  in  the  Forty-third  Con- 
gress. He  was  Commander  of  the  Grand  Army 
for  the  Department  of  Illinois  in  1889-90. 

MARTI>'SVILLE,  a  village  of  Clark  County, 
on  the  Terre  Haute  &  Indianapolis  (Vandalia) 
Railroad.  11  miles  southwest  of  Marshall;  has 
twobanksand  one  newspaper.  Population  (1880), 
668;    (1S90).  779;  (1900).  l.UOO. 

MASCOUTAH,  a  city  in  St.  Clair  County,  25 
miles  from  St.  Louis  and  11  miles  east  of  Belle- 
ville, on  the  Line  of  the  Louisville  &  Xashville 
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),  2,033;  (1900),  2,171. 

MASON,  Rosirell  B.,  civil  engineer,  was  born 
in  Oneida  County,  N.  Y.,  Sept.  19,  1805;  in  his 
boyhood  was  employed  as  a  teamster  on  the  Erie 
Canal,  a  year  later  (i822)  accepting  a  position  as 
rodman  under  Edward  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, 
finalh",  chief  and  superintendent.  Other  works 
with  which  Mr.  Mason  was  connected  in  a  similar 
capacity  were  the  Pennsylvania  Canal  and  the 
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  years  for  its  completion.  The  next  four 
years  were  spent  as  contractor  in  the  construction 
of  roads  in  Iowa  and  Wisconsin,  until  18G0,  when 
he  became  Superintendent  of  the  Chicago  & 
Alton  Railroad,  but  remained  onl}'  one  year,  in 
1861  accepting  the  position  of  Controller  of  the 
land  department  of  the  Illinois  Central  Railroad, 
which  he  retained  until  1867.  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,  and  it  was  in  the  closing  days  of 
his  term  that  the  great  fire  of  1871  occiirred, 
testing  his  executive  ability  to  the  utmost.  From 
1873  to  1883  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  firm  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  the  organizers  of  the  Chicago  Musical 
Festival,  which  was  instrumental  in  bringing 
Theodore  Thomas  to  Chicago.  In  1887  he  became 
President  of  the  Chicago  Historical  Society,  as  the 
successor  of  Ehhu  B.  AVashburne,  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  Ceutury,"  "Kaskaskia  and  Its 
Parish  Records,"  besides  papers  on  La  Salle  and 
the  first  settlers  of  Illinois,  and  "The  Story  of 
James  Willing — An  Episode  of  the  American 
Revolution."  He  also  edited  a  volmue  entitled 
"Early  Chicago  and  Illinois,"  which  was  pub- 
lished under  the  auspices  of  the  Chicago  Histor- 
ical Society.  Mr.  Mason  was,  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  Fra.nklinville,  Cattaraugus  Coimty, 
N.  Y.,  July  7,  18.50,  and  accompanied  his  parents 
to  Bentonsport,  Iowa,  in  1858.  He  was  educated 
at  the  Bentonsport  Academy  and  at  Birmingham 
College.  From  1866  to  1870  he  taught  school,  the 
last  two  years  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  he  has  since  prac- 
ticed his  profession.  He  soon  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. 

MASON  CITY,  a  prosperous  city  in  Mason 
County,   at  the  intersection  of    the    Chicago  & 


IIISTOKICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


355 


Alton  and  the  Havana  branch  of  the  Illinois 
Central  Railroads,  18  miles  west  by  north  of 
Lincoln,  and  about  30  miles  nortli  of  Springfield. 
Being  in  the  heart  of  a  I'ich  corn-growing  district, 
it  is  an  important  shipping  point  for  that  com- 
modity. It  has  fom-  chm-ches,  two  banks,  two 
newspapers,  brick  works,  flour-mills,  grain-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  2,000;  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  Staite,  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  covmty  offers  excel- 
lent opportunities  for  viticultiu'e.  The  American 
pioneer  of  Mason  County  was  probably  Maj. 
Ossian  B.  Ross,  who  settled  at  Havana  in  1833. 
Not  imtil  1837,  however,  can  immigration  be  said  - 
to  have  set  in  rapidly.  Havana  was  first  chosen 
as  the  coimtyseat,  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-Masons.) 

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  Massac,  within  its  borders.  The  surface  is 
hilly  toward  the  north,  but  the  bottom  lands 
along  the  Ohio  River  are  swampy  and  liable  to 
frequent  overflows.  A  considerable  portion  of  the 
natm-al  resources  consists  of  timber — oak,  wal 
nut,  poplar,  hickory,  cj'press  and  cottonwood 
aboimding.  Saw-mills  are  foimd  in  nearly  every 
town,  and  considerable  grain  and  tobacco  are 
raised.  The  original  settlers  were  largely  from 
Ohio,  Kentucky  and  North  Carolina,  and  hosj^i- 
tality  is  traditional.  Metropolis,  on  the  Ohio 
River,  is  the  county-seat.  It  was  laid  off  in  1839, 
although  Massac  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 
wliich  occurred  in  Massac  Comity,  in  1843-46.  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-appointed  "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  efl'orts  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  siu-rendered  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  naight  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  secm-e  juries  unbiased 
by  local  or  jiartisan  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  preacher,  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  born  in  St.  Clair  County,  111. , 
July  31,  1815;  was  assistant  of  his  father  in  the 


356 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


County  Clerk's  office  in  Sangamon  County,  and, 
on  the  death  of  the  latter,  (November,  1839),  was 
elected  his  successor,  and  re-elected  for  eight  con- 
secutive terms,  serving  until  18T3.  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  oflSces ;  was  a 
member  of  the  Constitutional  Convention  of  1847, 
elected  Circuit  Clerk  in  1852,  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. 
1862,  and,  after  the  siege  of  Vicksburg,  served  as 
Judge  Advocate  until  July,  1864,  when  he 
resigned.  He  then  returned  to  his  profession, 
but,  in  1873,  was  elected  County  Judge  of  Sanga- 
mon County,  holding  the  office  by  repeated  re- 
elections  until  his  death,  Sept.  7,  1890, — having 
resided  in  Springfield  68  years. 

MATHER,  Thomas,  pioneer  merchant,  was 
born,  April  24,  1795,  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,  111.,  where 
he  soon  after  became  associated  in  business  with 
James  L.  Lamb  and  others.  This  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  Randolph 
County,  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  Quincy  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 
of  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)  Railroad,  extending  from 
Springfield  to  the  Illinois  river  at  Naples,  and 
was  also  identified,  financially,  with  the  old  Chi- 
cago &  Galena  Union  Railroad.  From  1835  until 
his  death.  Colonel  Mather  served  as  one  of  the 
Trustees  of  Illinois  College  at  Jacksonville,  and 
was  a  liberal  contributor  to  the  endowment  of 
that  institution.  His  death  occurred  during  a 
visit  to  Philadelphia,  March  28,  1853. 

MATTESOiX,  Joel  Aldrieh,  ninth  regularly 
elected  Governor  of  Illinois  (1853-57),  was  born 
in  AVatertown,  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,  where  he 
became  a  contractor  on  the  Illinois  &  Michigan 
Canal,  and  also  engaged  in  manufacturing  at 
Joliet.  After  serving  three  terms  in  the  State 
Senate,  he  was  elected  Governor  in  1852,  and,  in 
1855,  was  defeated  by  Lyman  Trumbull  for  the 
United  States  Senatorship.  At  the  close  of  his 
gubernatorial  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 
the  State  of  the  value  of  nearly  8250,000,  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, 
111. ,  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 


HISTOKICAL   EXCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLIXOIS. 


357 


the  Thirty-sixth  General  Assembly  and  was 
chosen  Speaker  of  the  House.  In  May,  1889, 
President  Harrison  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,  1846, 
educated  in  the  common  schools,  and,  near  the 
close  of  the  war,  served  in  a  100-days'  regiment ; 
began  teaching  in  Champaign  County  in  I860, 
studied  law  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1867 ; 
in  1873  was  appointed  Master  in  Chancery,  served 
two  terms  as  Prosecuting  Attorney,  and,  in  1888, 
was  elected  to  the  State  Senate,  meanwhile,  from 
1879,  discharging  the  duties  of  editor  of  "The 
Champaign  County  Herald,"  of  which  he  was 
also  proprietor.  During  his  last  session  in  the 
State  Senate  (1891-93)  he  served  as  President  pro 
tern,  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. 

MATTOOJf,  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,  which  are  both 
extensively  grown  in  the  surrounding  region.  It 
has  several  banks,  foundries,  machine  shops, 
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  Sacketfs 
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  Surgeon,  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  Represent- 
ative in  the  General  Assembly  (1848-52)  and,  in 
1855,  settled  on  the  shores  of  Lake  Geneva,  Wis. , 
where  he  died,  Nov.  5,  18.59. 

MAT,  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  Assembly  (1828),  and  the  next  year 
removed  to  Springfield,  liaving  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  defeating 
Benjamin  Mills,  a  brilliant  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  teach- 
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  the  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. 

MAYWOOD,  a  village  of  Cook  County,  and 
suburb  of  Chicago,  10  miles  west  of  that  city,  on 
the  Chicago  &  Northwestern  and  the  Chicago 
Great  Western  Railways;  has  churches,  two 
weekly  newspapers,  public  schools  and  some 
manufactures.     Population  (1900),  4,583. 

McAllister,  WJUiam  K.,  jurist,  was  born  in 
Washington  County,  N.  Y.,  in  1818.  After 
admission  to  the  bar  he  commenced  practice  at 
Albion,  N.  Y.,  and,  in  1854,  removed  to  Chicago. 
In  1866  he  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  the  Recorder's  Court,  and,  in  1870,  was 
elected  a  Justice  of  the  Supreme  Court,  which 
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  third  time  in  1885,  but, 
before  the  expiration  of  his  term,  he  died,  Oct. 
29,  1888. 


358 


HISTORICAL   EXCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


MeARTHrR,  John,  soldier,  was  born  in  Ers- 
kiue.  Scotland,  Xov.  17,  1826;  worked  at  his 
father's  trade  of  blacksmith  until  23  years  old. 
when,  coming  to  the  United  States,  he  settled  in 
Chicago.  Here  he  became  foreman  of  a  boiler- 
making  establishment,  later  acquiring  an  estab- 
lishment of  his  own.  Having  joined  the  Twelfth 
Illinois  Volunteers  at  the  beginning  of  the  war, 
with  a  company  of  which  he  was  Captain,  he 
was  chosen  Lieutenant-Colonel,  still  later  Colonel, 
and,  in  March,  1SC2,  promoted  to  Brigadier-Gen- 
eral for  gallantry  in  the  assault  on  Fort  Donelson. 
where  he  commanded  a  brigade.  At  Shiloh  lie 
was  wounded,  but  after  having  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,  winning  a  brevet 
Major-Generalship  by  his  gallantry.  General 
McArthiu-  was  Postmaster  of  Chicago  from  1873 
to  1877. 

McCACKJ,  Ezra  Butler,  lawyer,  was  born  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 becoming  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  the 
fire  of  1871)  of  the  Relief  and  Aid  Society;  is  also 
a  life-member  and  officer  of  the  Chicago  Histori- 
cal Society,  besides  being  identified  with  several 
State  and  municipal  boards.  His  standing  in  his 
profession  is  shown  by  the  fact  that  he  has  been 
more  than  once  ofi'ered  a  non-partisan  nomina- 
tion for  Justice  of  the  Supreme  Court,  but  has  de- 
clined. He  occupies  a  high  rank  in  literarj-  cii'cles, 
as  well  as  a  connoisseur  in  art,  and  is  the  owner  of  a 
large  private  library  collected  since  the  destruction 
of  one  of  the  best  in  the  West  by  the  fire  of  1871. 

McCartney,  James,  lawyer  and  ex- Attorney 
General,  was  born  of  Scotch  parentage  in  the 
north  of  Ireland,  Feb.  14,  1835;  at  two  years  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  185G  he  began  the  study  of  law  at 
Warren,  Ohio,  which  he  continued  a  year  later  in 
the  office  of  Harding  &  Reed,  at  Monmouth,  111. ; 
was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  Januarv,  1858,  and 


began  practice  at  Monmouth,  retnoving  the  fol- 
lowing year  to  Galva.  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  promoted  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,  he  resumed  the  practice 
of  his  profession  at  Fairfield,  111. ;  in  1880  was 
nominated  and  elected,  as  a  Republican,  Attorney- 
General  of  the  State,  and,  during  his  last  year  in 
oiSce,  began  the  celebrated  "Lake  Front  suits"" 
which  finally  terminated  successfully  for  the 
city  of  Chicago.  Since  retiring  from  office.  Gen- 
eral McCartney  has  been  engaged  in  the  practice 
of  his  profession,  chiefly  in  Springfield  and  Chi- 
cago, having  been  a  resident  of  the  latter  city 
since  1890. 

McCartney,  Robert  Wilson,  lawyer  and 
jurist,  was  born  in  Trumbull  County.  Ohio, 
March  19,  1843,  spent  a  portion  of  his  boyhood  in 
Pennsylvania,  afterwards  returning  to  Y'oungs- 
town,  Ohio,  where  he  enlisted  as  a  private  in  the 
Sixth  Ohio  Cavalry.  He  was  severely  wounded 
at  the  battle  of  Gettysburg,  lying  two  days  and 
nights  on  the  field  and  endm-ing  untold  suffering. 
As  soon  as  able  to  take  the  field  he  was  commis- 
sioned, by  Governor  Curtin,  a  Captain  in  the 
Eighty-third  Pennsylvania  Volunteers,  serving  in 
the  arm}-  of  the  Potomac  to  the  close  of  the  war, 
and  taking  part  in  the  grand  review  at  Washing- 
ton, in  May,  1805.  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 
Metropolis,  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1808 ;  also 
edited  a  Republican  paper  there,  became  inter- 
ested in  lumber  manufacture  and  was  one  of  the 
founders  of  the  First  National  Bank  of  that  city. 
In  1873  he  was  elected  County  Judge  of  Massac 
County,  serving  nine  years,  when  (1882)  he  was 
elected  Representative  in  the  Thirty-third  Gen- 
eral Assembly.  At  the  close  of  his  term  in  the 
Legislatui-e  he  was  elected  Judge  of  the  Circuit 
Court  for  the  first  Circuit,  serving  from  1885  to 
1891.  Died,  Oct.  27.  1893.  Judge  McCartney 
was  able,  public-spirited  and  patriotic.  The  city 
of  Metropolis  owes  to  him  the  Free  Public  Library- 
bearing  his  name. 


HISTORICAL   EXCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


359 


McCLAUGHRY,  Robert  Wilson,  penologist, 
was  born  at  Fountain  Green,  Hancock  Count}-, 
111.,  Julj'  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  Monmouth  Col- 
lege, where  he  graduated  in  1860.  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  arm)". 
About  the  first  of  July,  1862,  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,  1863. 
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,  186.5,  when  he  was  honorably  dis- 
charged. A  few  weeks  later  he  was  elected 
County  Clerk  of  Hancock  County,  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 
Tesidence  at  Monmouth  in  1873,  but,  in  1874,  was 


called  to  the  warden.ship  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  JIayor  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 
Refoi'matory  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  satisfactoiy, 
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  Union  College,  Schenectady, 
in  1847,  and  then  studied  law  with  Hon.  Martin  I. 
Townsend,  of  Troy,  being  admitted  to  the  bar  in 
18.50.  The  same  year  he  removed  to  Galena,  111. ; 
during  his  first  winter  there,  edited  "The  Galena 
Gazette,"  and  the  following  .sjiring  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  1864  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  (1876-80),  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  his  locality  and  the  advance- 
ment of  the  interests  of  the  State. 

McCLERNAND,  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  Congress,  serv- 


3G0 


HISTORICAL    ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF    ILLIXOIS. 


ing  four  consecutive  terms,  but  declining  a 
renomination.  being  about  to  remove  to  Jackson- 
ville, where  he  resided  from  1S51  to  1S56.  Twice 
(1S40  and  '52)  he  was  a  Presidential  Elector  on 
the  Democratic  ticket.  In  1806  he  removed  to 
Springfield,  and,  in  1839,  re-entered  Congress  as 
Representative  of  the  Springfield  District;  was 
re-elected  in  1860,  but  resigned  in  18G1  to  accept 
a  commission  as  Brigadier-General  of  Volunteers 
from  President  Lincoln,  being  promoted  Major- 
General  early  in  1863.  He  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- 
cised for  some  of  his  acts  during  the  Vicksburg 
campaign  and  relieved  of  his  command  by  Gen- 
eral Grant.  Having  finally  been  restored  by 
order  of  President  Lincoln,  he  participated  in  the 
campaign  in  Louisiana  and  Texas,  but  resigned 
his  commission  in  1864.  General  McClernand 
presided  over  the  Democratic  National  Conven- 
tion of  1876,  and,  in  1886,  was  appointed  by  Presi- 
dent Cleveland  one  of  the  members  of  the  Utah 
Commission,  serving  through  President  Harri- 
son's administration.  He  was  also  elected 
Circuit  Judge  in  1870.  as  successor  to  Hon.  B.  S. 
Edwards,  who  had  resigned.  Died  Sept.  20,  1900. 
MeCLURti,  Alexander  C,  soldier  and  pub- 
lisher, was  born  in  Philadelphia  but  grew  up  in 
Pittsburg,  where  his  father  was  an  iron  manu- 
facturer. He  graduated  at  Miami  University. 
Oxford,  Ohio. ,  and,  after  studying  law  for  a  time 
with  Chief  Justice  Lowrie  of  Pennsylvania,  came 
to  Chicago  in  18.59,  and  entered  the  bookstore  of 
S.  C.  Griggs  &  Co. ,  as  a  junior  clerk.  Early  in 
1861  he  enlisted  as  a  private  in  the  "War  of  the 
Rebellion,  but  the  quota  of  three-months'  men 
being  already  full,  his  services  were  not  accepted. 
In  August.  1862,  he  became  a  member  of  the 
"Crosby  Guards,"  afterwards  incorporated  in  the 
Eighty -eighth  Illinois  Infantry  (Second  Board  of 
Trade  Regiment),  and  was  unanimously  elected 
Captain  of  Company  H.  After  the  battle  of 
Perryville,  he  was  detailed  as  Judge  Advocate  at 
Xashville,  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  under  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  which  he  was  engaged, 
besides  being  especially  complimented  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  with  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  which  this  extensive 
firm  has  gone.  General  McClurg  has  been  a  lead- 
ing factor  until  now  (and  since  1887)  he  stands 
at  the  head  of  the  most  extensive  publishing  firm 
west  of  Xew  York. 

McCOXXEL,  Murray,  pioneer  and  lawyer,  was 
born  in  Orange  County,  X.  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  years  flat-boating,  trading  and 
hunting  in  the  West,  during  this  period  visiting 
Arkansas,  Texas  and  Kansas,  finally  settling  on  a 
farm  near  Herculaneum,  Mo.  In  1823  he  located 
in  Scott  (then  a  part  of  Morgan)  County,  111.,  but 
when  the  town  of  Jacksonville  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  member  of  the  Board  of  Public  Works  for 
the  First  Judicial  District,  in  this  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  the  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  1.85.5  was  appointed  by  President  Pierce 
Fifth  Auditor  of  the  Treasurv'  Department,  but 
retired  in  1839.  In  1832,  on  his  return  from 
the  Black  Hawk  War.  he  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  rmtil  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  1>S65,  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 


niSTOKICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


361 


some  unknown  person,  in  his  office  at  Jackson- 
ville, Feb.  9,  1809.— John  Ludlum  (MoConnel), 
son  of  the  preceding.  %vas  born  in  Jacksonville, 
III.,  Nov.  11,  1826,  studied  law  and  graduated  at 
Transylvania  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. 

McCOXNELL,  (trcn).  John,  soldier,  was  born 
in  Madison  County,  N.  Y. .  Dec.  5,  1824,  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  1852  which  resulted  in  its 
organization.  His  death  took  place,  Jan.  7,  1807. 
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 imtil  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,  1805,  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  finall)'  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. 


McCOXXELL,  Samuel  P.,  son  of  the  preceding, 
was  born  at  Springfield,  111.,  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,  Cyms  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,  his 
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  tbe  heart  of  the 
region  where  its  use  would  be  most  in  demand. 
One  of  his  early  partners  in  the  business  was 
WiUiam  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  owned,  a  few  months  later  sold  the 
consoUdated  concern  to  Wilbur  F.  Storey.  "The 
Interior,"  the  Northwestern  mouthpiece  of  the 
Presbyterian  faith,  had  been  founded  by  a  joint 
stock-company  in  1870,  but  was  burned  out  in 
1871  and  removed  to  Cincinnati.  In  January, 
1872,  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- 


HISTORICAL   EXCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


dented  success,   and   after  conferring  upon  the 
agriculturists  of  the  country  a  boon  of  inestimable 
value. 
McCOKMICK   THEOLOGICAL   SEMI.VART,  a 

Presbyterian  school  of  theology  in  Chicago,  be- 
ing the  outgrowtli  of  an  institution  originally  con- 
nected with  Hanover  College,  Ind..  in  1830.  In 
1S.")9  the  late  Cyrus  H.  McCormick  donated  §100,- 
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.  }iIcCormick  and  his  heii-s,  besides  nimierous 
donations  to  the  same  end  made  by  others.  The 
number  of  buildings  is  nine,  four  being  for  the 
general  purposes  of  the  institution  (including 
dormitories),  and  five  being  houses  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, Xew  Testament  literature  and  exegesis, 
apologetics  and  missions,  and  homiletics.  The 
faculty  consists  of  eight  professors,  one  adjimct 
professor,  and  one  instructor  in  elocution  and 
vocal  culture.  Between  200  and  300  students  are 
enrolled,  including  post-graduates. 

McCULLOCH,  David,  lawyer  and  jurist,  was 
born  in  Cumberland  County,  Pa.,  Jan.  '2.5.  1832; 
received  his  academic  education  at  Marshall  Col- 
lege. Mercersbtirg,  Pa. ,  graduating  in  the  class  of 
18-52.  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 
1S5.5.  he  began  the  study  of  law  in  the  office  of 
Manning  &  Merriman,  being  admitted  to  the  bar 
in  18-57.  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  llanning,  who  died,  Jtily  4,  1862.  In 
ISTT  he  was  elected  Circuit  Judge  for  the  Eighth 
Circuit,  tmderthelaw  authorizing  the  increase  of 
Judges  in  each  circuit  to  three,  and  was  re- 
elected in  1879.  serving  until  1895.  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  ilcCulloch  entered 
into  partnership  with  his  son,  E.  D.  McCuUoch, 
which  is  still  maintained.  Politically,  Judge 
McCuUoch  was  reared  as  a  Democrat,  but  during 
the  Civil  War  became  a  Republican.     Since  1886 


he  has  been  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 
reUgious  views  he  is  a  Presbyterian,  and  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Board  of  Directors  of  the  McCormick 
Theological  Seminary  at  Cliicago. 

SIcCTLLOrGH,  jaines  Skiles,  Auditor  of 
Public  Accounts,  was  bom  in  Mercersburg, 
Franklin  Cotmty,  Pa.,  May  4,  1843;  in  18o4  came 
with  his  father  to  Urbana,  111.,  and  grew  up  on  a 
farm  in  that  vicinity,  receiving  such  education  as 
could  be  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  tliree  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  alx)ut  Mobile.  On  the  9th  of  April, 
1865,  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  was  a  student  in 
the  Soldiers"  College  at  Fulton,  111.,  for  two  years. 
He  then  (1868)  entered  the  ofiice  of  the  Cotmty 
Clerk  of  Champaign  County  as  a  deputy,  remain- 
ing until  1873,  when  he  was  chosen  Coimty  Clerk, 
serving  by  successive  re-elections  until  1896.  The 
latter  year  he  received  the  nomination  of  the 
Republican  Party  for  Auditor  of  Public  Accounts, 
and,  at  the  November  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. 

McDA>'>"OLD,  John  J.,  lawyer  and  ex-Con- 
gressman, was  bom  in  Brown  County,  111.,  August 
29,  1851.  acquired  his  early  education  m  the  com- 
mon schools  of  his  native  county  and  in  a  private 
school;  graduated  from  the  Law  Department  of 
the  Iowa  State  University  in  1874.  and  was 
admitted  to  the  bar  in  Illinois  the  same  year, 
commencing  practice  at  Mount  Sterling.  In  1885 
he  was  made  Master  in  Chanceiy,  in  1886.  elected 
County  Judge,  and  re-elected  in  1890.  resigning 
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. 


iil1^, 

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^. 


HISTOEICAL   EIS^CYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


363 


McDONOrOH  COUNTY,  organized  under  an 
act  passed,  Jan.  35,  1826,  and  attached,  for  judicial 
purposes,  to  Schuyler  County  until  1830.  Its 
present  area  is  580  square  miles — named  in  honor 
of  Commodore  McDonougli.  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  1826.  James  and  John 
Vance  and  William  Job  settled  in  the  vicinity  in 
the  following  year.  Out  of  this  settlement  grew 
BlandinsTille.  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 
count}',  was  delivered  in  the  Job  settlement  by 
Eev.  Jolin  Logan,  a  Baptist.  Among  the  early 
officers  were  John  Huston,  County  Treasurer; 
William  Southward.  Sheriff;  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),  2.5, 087; 
(1890),  27,467;  (1900),  28,413. 

McDOUGALL,  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  be  was  elected  Attorney-General  of 
California,  served  several  terms  in  the  State 
Legislatm-e,  and,  in  1853,  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  Union  cause. 

McFARLAND,  Andrew,  3I.D.,  alienist,  was 
born  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  Asylum  for  the 
Insane  at  Concord.  Here  he  remained  some 
eight  years,  dui-ing  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  for 
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  bis 
life,  dying,  Nov.  23,  1891.  Dr.  JlcFarland'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  the  Third  and  Fourth  General 
Assemblies  (1832-26),  and  as  Senator  in  the 
Eighth  and  Ninth  (1883-36).  Although  a  native 
of  Tennessee,  Mr.  McGahey  was  a  strong  opponent 
of  slavery,  and,  at  the  session  of  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  sou  of  the  preceding,  was  elected 
to  the  Ninth  General  Assembly  from  Crawford 
County,  in  1834,  but  died  during  his  term  of 
service. 

McGANX,  Lairrence  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   EXCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


magnanimously  surrendered  his  seat  to  his  com- 
petitor without  a  contest.  He  has  large  business 
interests  in  Chicago,  especially  in  street  railroad 
property,  being  President  of  an  important  elec- 
tric line. 

MeHENRT,  a  village  in  McHenry  County,  situ- 
ated on  the  Fox  River  and  tlie  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  has  bottling  works,  a  creamerv, 
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  Hawk  "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  1833,  serving  in  the  latter  as  Major  of 
the  "Spy  Battalion"  and  participating  in  the 
battle  of  Bad  Axe.  He  also  served  as  Represent- 
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,  passed  at  a  second 
session  during  the  winter  of  183.5-36 — was  named 
in  his  honor 

McHENEY  COUNTY,  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 
1836,  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.  Large  quantities  of  milk  are 
daily  shipped  to  Chicago,  and  the  annual  pro- 
duction of  butter  and  cheese  reaches  into  the 
millions  of  pounds.  The  geological  formations 
comprise  the  drift  and  the  Cincinnati  and  Niagara 
groups  of  rocks.  Near  Fox  River  are  found 
gravel  ridges.  "\'egetable  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  been  discovered  forty- 
two  feet  below  the  surface.     Peat  is  found  every- 


where, although  the  most  extensive  deposits  are 
in  the  northern  half  of  the  county,  where  they 
exist  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), 
26,114;  (1900),  29,759. 

MelXTOSH;  (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  1845  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  (1856)  having  been 
elected  Clerk  of  the  Circuit  Court  and  Recorder 
of  Will  County.  In  1863  he  %vas  appointed  by 
President  Lincoln  Captain  and  Assistant  Quarter- 
master, serving  under  General  Sherman  in  1864 
and  in  the  "March  to  the  Sea,"  and,  after  the 
war,  being  for  a  time  Post  Quartermaster  at 
Mobile.  Having  resigned  in  1866,  he  engaged  in 
mercantile  business  at  Wilmington,  Will  Coimty ; 
but,  in  1869,  bought  "The  Wilmington  Independ- 
ent," which  he  published  until  1873.  The  next 
year  he  returned  to  Joliet,  and,  a  few  months 
after,  became  political  editor  of  "The  Joliet 
Republican,"  and  was  subsequent^  connected,  in 
a  similar  capacity,  with  other  papers,  including 
"The  Phoenix"  and  "The  Sun"  of  the  same  city. 
Died,  in  Joliet,  Feb.  2.  1899. 

McKEXDREE,  William,  Methodist  Episcopal 
Bishop,  was  born  in  Virginia,  in  1757,  enlisted  as 
a  private  in  the  War  of  the  Revolution,  but  later 
served  as  Adjutant  and  in  the  commissary  depart- 
ment. He  was  converted  at  30  years  of  age,  and 
the  next  year  began  preaching  in  his  native 
State,  being  advanced  to  the  position  of  Presiding 
Elder;  in  1800  was  transferred  to  the  West,  IIU- 
nois  falling  within  his  District.  Here  he  remained 
until  his  elevation  to  the  episcopacy  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 
5,  1835. 

McKEXDREE  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,  SI. 385.  Instruc- 
tion began,  Nov.  24,  1828,  under  Rev.  Edward 
Ames,  afterwards  a  Bishop  of  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church.  In  1830  Bishop  McKendree  made 
a  donation  of  land  to  the  infant  institution,  and 
the  school  was  named  in  his  honor.  It  cannot  be 
said  to  have  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  890,000,  includ- 
ing an  endowment  of  .525,000,  and  has  about  200 
students,  of  both  sexes,  and  a  faculty  of  ten 
instructors.     (See  Colleges,  Early.) 

McLAKEX,  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  jom-nahstic  work,  entered  Alle- 
gheny Theological  Seminary,  graduating  and 
entering  the  Presbyterian  ministry  in  18C0.  For 
three  years  he  was  a  missionary  at  Bogota.  South 
America,  and  later  in  charge  of  churches  at 
Peoria,  III,  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.  Puring  his  episcopate, 
church  work  has  been  active  and  effective,  and 
the  Western  Theological  Seminary  in  Chicago 
has  been  founded.  His  published  works  include 
numerous  sermons,  addresses  and  poems,  besides 
a  volume  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  by  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  the  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  1887,  became  Register  of  the  Land  OfBce 
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  third  on  the  hst.  He  married  a  Miss 
Bond,  a  niece  of  Gov.  Shadrach  Bond,  under 
whose  administration  he  served  as  State  Treasurer. 
Died,  at  Vandalia,  May  29,  1862. 

McLEAX,  a  village  of  McLean  County,  on  the 
Chicago  &  Alton  Railway,  14  miles  southwest  of 
Bloomington,  in  a  farming,  dairying  and  stock- 
growing  district;  has  one  weekly  paper.  Pop\i- 
lation  (1890),  500;  (1900),  532. 

McLean,  John,  early  United  States  Senator, 
was  born  in  North  Carolina  in  1791,  brought  by 
bis  fatlier  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  chosen  United 
States  Senator  to  succeed  Governor  Edwards  (who 
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 
liad  sustained  by  his  death,  McLean  County  was 
named  in  his  honor. 

McLEAJf  COrXTY,  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 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


creek  bottoms  are  found  black  walnut. 
bucke3'e,  black  ash  and  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  manufactures. 
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  forty-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  (1890),  03,036;  (1900),  67,843. 

McLEANSBORO,  a  city  and  the  county-seat  of 
Hamilton  County,  upon  a  brancli  of  the  Louis- 
ville &  Nashville  Railroad,  102  miles  east  south- 
east of  St.  Louis  and  about  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  published  here.  Popula- 
tion (1880),  1.341;  (1890),  1,3.55;  (1900),  1,758. 

McMULLIN,  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  1800,  when  he 
accepted  the  position  of  Freight  Agent  of  the 
Chicago  &  Alton  at  Springfield.  Here  he  re- 
mained until  Jan.  1,  1803,  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  Assist- 
ant General  Superintendent  (18G7),  General 
Superintendent  (1868-78)  and  General  Manager 
(1878-88).  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. 

McJIURTRY,  William,  Lieutenant-Governor, 
was  born  in  Mercer  County,  Ky.,  Feb.  20,  1801 ; 
removed  from  Kentucky  to  Crawford  Coimty, 
Ind.,  and,  in  1829,  came  to  Knox  County,  III., 
settling  in  Henderson  Township.  He  was  elected 
Representative  in  the  Tenth  General  Assembly 
(1886),  and  to  the  Senate  in  1843,  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 
Volunteers,  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. 

SIcNEELET,  Tliompson  W.,  lawyer  and  ex-Con- 
gressman, was  born  in  Jacksonville,  111.,  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  LouisviUe,  Ky.,  from  which  insti- 
tution he  gi-aduated  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  County,  after  his  retire- 
ment. 

McNULTA,  John,  soldier  and  ex-Congressman, 
was  born  in  New  York  City,  Nov.  9,  1887,  received 
an  academic  education,  was  admitted  to  the  bar, 
and  settled  at  Bloomington,  in  this  State,  while 
yet  a  young  man.  On  May  3,  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  JIcLean  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  serving  as 
Permanent  President  of  the  State  Convention  of 
1890.  In  1896  he  was  one  of  the  most  earnest 
advocates  of  the  nomination  of  Mr.  McKinley  for 
President.  Some  of  his  most  important  work, 
within  the  past  few  years,  has  been  performed  in 
connection  with  receiverships  of  certain  railway 
und  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,  Slmeon  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  3-ear's  service  as  teacher  of  mathematics 
at  his  Alma  Mater,  he  entered  the  Theological 


HISTOEICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


367 


Seminary  there,  and  graduated  from  that  depart- 
ment in  1879,  having  in  the  meantime  traveled 
through  Europe,  Egypt  and  Palestine.  He  was 
licensed  to  preach  by  the  Rochester  Presbytery 
in  1877,  and  spent  three  years  (1879-82)  in  pas- 
toral labor  at  East  Orange,  N.  J.  ;  when  he  ac- 
cepted a  call  to  the  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  13,  1830;  graduated 
from  St.  Mary's  College  (Mo.)  in  1839;  studied 
law  at  Danville,  111.,  with  his  brother  Samuel, 
and,  in  1843,  entered  the  law  department  of 
Transylvania  University,  graduating  in  1844, 
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  18.52  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  '8.5, 
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  fii-st  Circuit  Clerk 
of  his  native  county,  and,  in  1825,  appointed 
Circuit  Judge,  which  office  he  held  for  three 
years.  In  1838  he  was  elected  State  Senator, 
representing  the  district  comprising  Mom-oe, 
Clinton  and  Washington  Counties.  Later  he  was 
appointed  United  States  District  Attorney  by 
President  Jackson,  but  soon  resigned  to  become 
Receiver  of  Public  Jloneys  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,  1822;  thi'own  upon  his  own  resources  by  the 
death  of  his  father  in  infancy  and  the  necessity 
of  assisting  to  support  his  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  characters.  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. 
McVicker  did  not  appear  on  the  stage  after  1882, 
from  that  date  giving  his  attention  entirely  to 
management.  He  enjoyed  in  an  eminent  degree 
the  re-spect  and  confidence,  not  only  of  the 
profession,  but  of  the  general  public.  Died  in 
Chicago,  March  7,  1896. 

Mc'WILLIAMS,  David,  banker,  D wight.  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  he  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  yeai's  later.  In 
the  early  oO'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  82,000  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 
retii'ement  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  contributor  to  the  support  of  vari- 
ous literary  and  theological  institutions  of  the 
church,  and  has  served  for  many  years  as  a  Trus- 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF    ILLINOIS. 


tee  of  the  Northwestern  University  at  Evanston. 
In  politics  he  is  a  zealoiis  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  the 
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  Land,  during  1898-99. 

MECHAJiICSBURG,  a  village  of  Sangamon 
County,  near  the  Wabash  Railway,  13  miles  east 
of  Springfield.  Population  (1880),  396;  (1890), 
406;  (1900),  476. 

MEDILL,  Joseph,  editor  and  newspaper  pub- 
lisher, was  born,  April  6,  1833,  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  years  of  age  he  accompanied 
his  parents  to  Stark  County,  Ohio,  where  lie 
enjoyed  such  educational  advantages  as  belonged 
to  that  region  and  period.  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  bar  in  1840.  and  began 
practice  at  New  Philadelphia,  in  Tuscarawas 
County.  Here  he  caught  the  spirit  of  journalism 
by  frequent  visits  to  the  ofliice  of  a  local  paper, 
learned  to  set  type  and  to  work  a  hand-press.  In 
1849  he  bought  a  paper  at  Coshocton,  of  which  he 
assumed  editorial  charge,  employing  his  brothers 
as  assistants  in  various  capacities.  The  name  of 
this  paper  was  "The  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  "Tlie  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,  18.53,  and,  before 
its  passage  in  May  following,  Mr.  :Medill  had 
begun  to  agitate  tlie  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  resulted  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  Jefiiersonian, " 
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.  Ray,  in  1803,  became  editor-in- 
chief  until  1806,  when  he  gave  place  to  Horace 
White,  now  of  "The  New  York  Evening  Post." 
During  the  Civil  War  period  he  was  a  zealous 
supporter  of  President  Lincoln's  emancipation 
policy,  and  served,  for  a  time,  as  President  of  the 
"Loyal  League,"  which  proved  such  an  infiu- 
eutial  factor  in  upholding  the  hands  of  the  Gov- 
ernment during  the  darkest  period  of  the 
rebellion.  In  1869  Mr.  Medill  was  elected  to  the 
State  Constitutional  Convention,  and,  in  that 
body,  was  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  appointed 
by  President  Grant  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  Mayor  of  the  city  of  Chicago. 
The  financial  condition  of  the  city  at  the  time, 
and  other  questions  in  issue,  involved  great  difH- 
culties  and  responsibilities,  which  he  met  in  a 
way  to  command  general  approval.  During  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  JIayor,  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," 
re.suming  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  infiuence, 
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,  Te.xas,  hoping  to  receive  relief  in  that 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


3G9 


mild  climate  from  a  chronic  disease  which  had 
been  troubling  him  for  years,  but  died  iu  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,  bj'  President 
Garfield,  the  position  of  Postmaster-General, 
which  was  declined,  when  he  wa.?  tendered  the 
choice  of  any  position  in  the  Cabinet  except  two 
which  had  been  previously  promised;  also,  that 
he  was  offered  a  position  in  President  Harrison's 
Cabinet,  in  1889. 

MEDILL,  (Maj.)  William  H.,  soldier,  was 
born  at  Massillon,  Ohio,  Nov.  5,  183.5;  in  18.5.5, 
came  to  Chicago  and  was  associated  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'  service  in  Barker's 
Dragoons  (a  short-time  organization),  in  Septem- 
ber, 1861,  he  joined  the  Eighth  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  he 
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  lungs,  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  1822,  when  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,  186.5. 

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,.592. 

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-Cojur  with  Henry  de  Tonty ;  descended 
the  Mississippi  with  La  Salle  in  1682;  returned  to 
France  and  wrote  a  history  of  the  expedition, 
and,  in  1684,  accompanied  La  Salle  on  his  final 
expedition ;  is  supposed  to  have  landed  with  La 
Salle  in  Texas,  and  there  to  have  been  massacred 
by  the  natives  in  1687.     (See  La  Salle  and  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 
Avas  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  uncoUectable  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  uuderwent  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,  Matthew  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  company  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  last  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,  15  miles  northeast 
of  Quincy ;  has  a  bank  and  a  newspaper ;  is  sur- 
rounded by  a  farming  and  stock-raising  district. 
Population  (1880).  (io2;  (1890)^  640;  (1900),  627. 

MENDOTA,  a  city  in  La  Salle  County  founded 
in  1853,  at  the  junction  of  the  Chicago.  Burlington 
&  Quincy  with  its  Rochelle  and  Fulton  branches 
and  the  Illinois  Central  Railway,  80  miles  south- 
west of  Chicago.  It  has  eight  churches,  three 
graded  and  two  high  schools,  and  a  public  li- 
brary- Wartburg  Seminary  (Lutheran,  opened 
in  18-53)  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  Gen.  Hugh  Mercer.  The 
Mississippi  forms  the  western  boundary,  and 
along  this  river  the  earliest  American  settlements 
were  made.  William  Dennison,  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  first  permanent  hospital  in  the  State — char- 
tered in  1847  or  1848  as  the  "Illinois  General 
Hospital  of  the  Lakes."'  No  steps  were  taken 
toward  organization  until  1850,  when,  with  a 
scanty  fund  scarcely  exceeding  §1.50,  twelve  beds 
were  secm-ed  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  ov 
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  1869,  a  more  capacious  and 
better  arranged  building  was  erected.  This 
'edifice  it  has  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, 
besides  three  internes,  or  resident  practitioners. 

MERED0SI4,a  town  in  Morgan  County,  on 
the  east  bank  of  the  Illinois  River  and  on  the 
Wabash  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  he  now  resides — when  not  oflScially  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  Infantr}-,  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  factor 
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  189T,  was  appointed,  bj-  President 
McKinley,  Pension  Agent  for  the  State  of  Illinois, 
with  headquarters  in  Chicago.  Thoi'oughly  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  Jefferson  County,  Ohio, 
Sept.  16,  182.5,  entered  the  Ohio  Conference  of  tlie 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  in  186-1,  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  HeU"  (1878); 
"Second  Coming  of  Christ"  (1879);  "Aspects  of 
Christian  Experience"  (1882);  "Digest  of  Metho- 
dist Law"  (1885);  and  "Outlines  of  Thought  on 
Probation"  (1886). 

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.-Gen. 


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  1863,  and 
being  mustered  out,  in  186G,  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  Missom-i,  but,  on  his 
last  promotion,  was  transferred  to  the  Depart- 
ment of  the  East,  with  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 
command  at  New  York. 

MESSINGER,  John,  pioneer  surveyor  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,  lie  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  sub-contractor  imder 
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 


HISTOKICAL   EXCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


Count}'  under  the  new  Territorial  GoTernment; 
was  cliosen  a  Delegate  from  St.  Clair  County  to 
tlie  Convention  of  1818,  which  framed  the  first 
State  Constitution,  and,  the  same  year,  was 
elected  a  Representative  in  the  First  General 
Assembly,  serving  as  Speaker  of  that  body. 
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. 

METAMORA,  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  farming  district.  The  town  has  a  creamery, 
soda  factory,  one  bank,  three  churches,  two 
newspapers,  schools  and  a  park.  Population 
(1880)  828;  (1900),  758.  Metamora  was  the 
county -seat  of  Woodford  County  until  1899,  when 
the  seat  of  justice  was  removed  to  Eureka. 

METCALF,  Andrew  W.,  lawyer,  was  born  in 
Guernsey  County,  Ohio,  August  6,  1828 ;  educated 
at  Madison  College  in  his  native  State,  graduating 
in  18-tG,  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  or^ly  a  year,  when  he  removed 
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  1853  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,  111.,  for  more 
than  twenty-five   vears. 

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  tlie  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. 
Matheny  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  W^alker,  in  1826. 
The  first  Methodist  society  in  that  city  was 
organized  by  Rev.   Stephen  R.   Beggs,  in  June, 

1831.  By  1835  the  number  of  circuits  had  in- 
creased to  61,  with  370  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  United  States,  by  the  same  census, 
being  4.980.240.  The  church  property  owned  in 
1890  (including  parsonages)  approached  $111,000,- 
000,  and  the  total  contributions  were  estimated 
at  82,073,923.  The  denomination  in  Illinois  sup- 
ports two  theological  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  Religious  Denominations.) 

METROPOLIS  CITY,  the  county-seat  of  Massac 
County,  156  miles  southeast  of  St.  Louis,  situated 
on  the  Ohio  River  and  on  the  St.  Louis  and 
Paducah  Division  of  the  Illinois  Central  Rail- 
road. The  city  was  founded  in  1839,  on  the  site 
of  old  Fort  Massac,  which  was  erected  by  tlie 
French,  aided  by  the  Indians,  about  1711.  Its 
industries  consist  largely  of  various  forms  of 
wood-working.  Saw  and  planing  mills  are  a 
commercial  factor;  other  establishments  turn 
out  wlieel.  buggy  and  wagon  material,  barrel 
staves  and  heads,  boxes  and  baskets,  and  veneers. 
There  are  also  flouring  mills  and  potteries.  The 
city  has  a  public  library,  two  banks,  water- 
works, electric  liglits.  numerous  churches,  high 
school  and  graded  schools,  and  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,  May  8,  and  ended  with  the  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 


niSTOEICxVL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


35,  Governor  Ford  issued  his  proclamation  calling 
for  the  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  Churchill  was  the  mustering  officer. 
The  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  150  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  IlUnois  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  volimteers  was 
6,123,  of  whom  86  were  killed,  and  160  wounded, 
1'3  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  John  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  iu  the  universitj',  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. 

MIAMIS,  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  before  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 
1670.  The  orthography  of  their  name  is  varied. 
The  Iroquois  and  the  British  generally  knew 
them  as  the  "Tvvightwees, "  and  so  they  were 
commonly  called  by  the  American  colonists. 
The  Weas  and  Piankeshaws  were  of  the  same 
tribe.  When  La  Salle  founded  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  1721),  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  Jliamis  were  able,  not  only  to 
hold  their  own,  but  also  to  extend  their  hunting 
grounds  as  far  eastward  as  the  Scioto,  alternately 
warring  with  the  French,  British  and  Americans. 
General  Harrison  says  of  them  that,  ten  years 
before  the  treaty  of  Greenville,  they  could  have 
brought  upon  the  field  a  body  of  3,000  "of  the 
finest  light  troops  in  the  world,"  but  lacking  in 
discipline  and  enterprise.  Border  warfare  and 
smallpo.x,  however,  had,  by  that  date  (1T95), 
greatly  reduced  their  numerical  strength.  The 
main  seat  of  the  Miamis  was  at  Fort  Wayne, 
whose  residents,  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 
progress  toward  civilization.  (See  also  Pianke- 
shaws; Tl'en.s.) 

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  conflagration  of  that  year,  and  no 
immediate  effort  to  rebuild  was  made.  In  1880, 
however,  Michael  Reese,  a  Jewish  gentleman 
who  had  accumulated  a  large  fortune  in  Cali- 
fornia, bequeathed  S9T,000  to  the  organization. 
With  this  sum,  considerably  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  present 
medical  staff  consists  of  thirteen  surgeons  and 
physicians,  several  of  whom  are  eminent 
specialists. 

MICHIGA]V  CENTRAL  RAILRO.ID.  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  1846,  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  18.i0,  and,  in  May,  18.52,  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  35  miles  of  the  entire  line  are 
operated  in  Illinois,  of  which  29  belong  to  the 
Joliet  &  Northern  Indiana  branch  (which  see). 
The  outstanding  capital  stock  (1898)  was  SIS,- 
738,000  and  the  funded  debt,  §19,101,000.  Earn- 
ings in  Illinois  the  same  year,  §484,002;  total 
operating  expenses,  6540,905;  taxes,  §24,250. 

MICHIOAX,  LAKE.     (See  Lake  Mich igmi.) 

MIHALOTZY,  Geza,  soldier,  a  native  of  Hun- 
gary and  compatriot  of  Kossuth  in  the  Magyar 
struggle;  came  to  Chicago  in  1848,  in  1861  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  fatally  wounded  at  Buzzard's  Roost,  Feb. 
24,  1864,  dying  at  Chattanooga,  March  11,  1864. 

MILAN,  a  town  of  Rock  Island  Count}',. 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. 

MILBLRN,  (Rev.)  William  Henry,  clergy- 
man, was  born  in  Philadelphia,  Sept.  26,  1826. 
At  the  age  of  five  years  he  almost  totally  lost 
sight  in  both  eyes,  as  the  result  of  an  accident, 
and  subsequent  malpractice  in  their  treatment. 
For  a  time  he  was  able  to  decipher  letters  «-ith 
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, 
became  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.  This  resulted  in  his  being  made 
Chaplain  of  the  House  of  Representatives.  From 
1848  to  1850  he  was  pastor  of  a  church  at  Mont- 
gomery, Ala.,  during  which  time  he  was  tried 
for  heresy,  and  later  became  pastor  of  a  "Free 
Church."     Again,  in  1853,  he  was  chosen  Chap- 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


375 


lain  of  Congress.  While  in  Europe,  in  18.59,  lie 
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,  "9.5  and  '97)  elected  to  the  same  posi- 
tion in  the  Senate  He  is  generally  known  as 
"the  bUnd  preacher''  and  achieved  considerable 
prominence  by  his  eloquence  as  a  lecturer  on 
"What  a  Blind  Man  Saw  in  Eui-ope."  Among 
his  published  writings  are,  "Rifle,  Axe  and  Sad- 
dlebags" (1856),  "Ten  Years  of  Preacher  Life'' 
(1858)  and  "Pioneers,  Preachers  and  People  of  the 
Mississippi  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  Cliicago.  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  Bcston.  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  which  he  was  wounded.  In  Sep- 
tember, 1862,  he  was  Colonel  of  the  Sixty- 
first  New  York,  which  he  led  at  Fredericksburg 
and  at  ChanceUorsville,  where  he  was  again 
severely  wounded.  He  commanded  the  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  the 
•  close  of  the  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  Missouri,  with  headquarters  at  Chi- 
cago. Here  he  did  much  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  Shatter, 
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. 

MILFORD,  a  prosperous  village  of  Iroquois 
County,  on  the  Chicago  &  Eastern  Illinois  Rail- 
road, 88  miles  south  of  Chicago;  is  in  a  rich  farm- 
ing region;  lias  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  MiUtai-y 
Tract.) 

MILITARY  TRACT,  a  popular  name  given  to 
a  section  of  the  State,  set  apart  under  an  act  of 
Congress,  passed.  May  6,  1812,  as  bounty-lands  for 
soldiers  in  the  war  %vith  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  tlie  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  Quiucy.  The  north- 
ern border  of  the  "Tract"  was  identical  with 
the  northern  boundary  of  Mercer  County,  which, 
extended  eastward,  reached  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  south,  a  few  miles  west 
of  the  city  of  Peru.  The  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  1815-16.  It  com- 
prised 307  entire  townships  of  six  miles  square, 
each,  and  61  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  lands  that  were  returned  by  the  sur- 
veyors as  unfit  for  cultivation.  In  addition  to 
this,  there  were  large  reservations  not  coming 
within  the  above  exceptions,  being  the  overplus 
of  lands  after  satisfying  the  military  claims,  and 
subject  to  entry  and  purchase  on  tlie  same  con- 
ditions as  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  very  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  prosperous  towns 
and  cities  and  many  of  the  finest  farms  in 
Illinois. 

MILITI,\.  Illinois,  taught  by  the  experiences 
of  the  War  of  1813  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  miUtia  of  the  State  should  "consist  of 
all  free  male  able-bodied  persons  (negroes,  mu- 


lattoes  and  Indians  excepted)  resident  in  the 
State,  oetween  the  ages  of  IS  and  -15  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  persona 
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  e.stablishment 
of  a  general  militia  system  for  the  State ;  and  the 
fact  that  this  was  modified,  amended  or  wholly 
changed  by  acts  passed  at  the  sessions  of  1821, 
'23,  '25,  '26,  "27,  '29,  "33,  '37  and  '39,  shows  the 
estimation  in  which  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  very  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  by  counties, 
each  division  to  be  organized  into  a  certain  speci- 
fied number  of  brigades.  This  act  was  quite 
elaborate,  covering  some  twenty-four  pages,  and 
provided  fur  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  impetus  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  incumbent 
being  merely  Chief -of-staff  to  the  Governor  as 
Commauder-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  had  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. 


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  the  officers  and  men  of  the  various 
regiments  and  other  military  organizations  from 
Illinois,  with  an  outline  of  their  movements  and 
a  list  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.  Jlodifying 
amendments  to  this  act  were  adopted  in  1S79  and 
1885.  While,  under  these  laws,  "all  able-bodied 
male  citizens  of  this  State,  between  the  ages  of  18 
and  45"  (with  certain  specified  e.xceptions),  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  eighty-four 
companies  of  infantry,  two  batteries  of  artillery 
and  two  troops  of  cavalry,"  recruited  by  volun- 
tary enlistments  for  a  period  of  three  j'ears.  with 
right  to  re-enUst  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,  when  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  suppression  of  riot  or  the 
enforcement  of  the  laws,  receive  the  same  com- 
pensation paid  to  officers  of  the  LTnited  States 
army  of  like  grade,  while  the  enlisted  men  receive 
$2  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-Oeneral;  see,  also,  Spanish- 
American  fVai-.) 

MILLER,  James  H.,  Speaker  of  the  House  of 
Representatives,  was  born  in  Ohio,  May  29,  184.3 ; 
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  sufferer  from  ill-health,  he 
was  a  man  of  decided  ability  and  much  influence. 
He  served  as  State's  Attorney  of  Stark  Coimty 
^1872-76)  and,  in  1884,  was  elected  Representative 
in  the  Thirty-fourth  General  Assembly,  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 
Assemblies,  during  the  session  of  the  latter  being 
chosen  Speaker  of  the  House,  as  successor  to 
A.  C.  Matthews,  who  had  been  appointed,  during 
the  session.  First  Comptroller  of  the  Treasurj'  at 
Washington.  In  the  early  part  of  the  summer 
of  1890,  Mr.  Miller  visited  Colorado  for  the  bene- 
fit of  his  health,  but,  a  week  after  his  arrival  at 
Manitou  Springs,  died  suddenly,  June  27,  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  "27,  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 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


counties  of  Peoria,  Jo  Daviess,  Putnam,  La  Salle 
and  Cook,  Including  all  the  State  north  of  Sanga- 
mon (as  it  then  stood),  and  extending  from  the 
Mississippi  River  to  the  Indiana  State  line.  At 
this  session  occurred  the  impeacliment  trial  of 
Theophilus  W.  Smith,  of  the  Supreme  Com't.  Mr. 
Mills  acting  as  Chairman  of  the  Impeachment 
Committee,  and  delivering  a  speech  of  great 
power  and  brilliancy,  which  lasted  two  or  three 
daj-s.  In  1834  he  was  a  candidate  for  Congress 
from  the  Northern  District,  but  was  defeated  by 
William  L.  May  (Democrat),  as  claimed  by  Mr. 
Mill's  friends,  unfairly.  He  early  fell  a  victim 
to  consumption  and,  returning  to  Massachusetts, 
died  in  Berkshire  County,  in  that  State,  in  1841. 
Hon.  R.  H.  McClellan,  of  Galena,  says  of  him: 
"He  was  a  man  of  remarkable  ability,  learning 
and  eloquence,"  while  Governor  Ford,  in  his 
"History  of  Illinois,"  testifies  that,  "by  common 
consent  of  all  his  contemporaries,  Mr.  Mills  ^^■as 
regarded  as  the  most  popular  and  brilliant  lawyer 
of  his  day  at  the  Galena  bar." 

MILLS,  Henry  A.,  State  Senator,  was  born  at 
New  Hartford,  Oneida  County,  N.  Y.,  in  1827; 
located  at  Mount  Carroll,  Carroll  County,  111.,  in 
18,5G,  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  Lafliu,  lawyer,  was  born  at 
North  Adams,  Mass.,  Sept.  3,  1848;  brought  to 
Chicago  in  infancy,  and  educated  in  the  public 
schools  of  that  city  and  at  Michigan  State  Uni- 
versity. In  1868  he  began  the  study  of  law,  was 
admitted  to  practice  three  years  later,  and,  in 
1876,  was  elected  State's  Attorney,  being  re- 
elected in  1880.  While  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  rostrum  are  widely  recognized,  and 
his  services,  as  an  attorney  and  an  orator,  have 
been  in  frequent  demand. 

MILLSTADT,  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,  Milwaukee  &  St.  Paul  Railway.) 

MINER,  Orlin  H.,  State  Auditor,  was  born  in 
Vermont,  May  13,  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  Grey  town.  Returning  to 
Illinois,  he  resumed  his  trade  at  Springfield;  in 
1857  lie  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  oflSce  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  manufactures,  two  banks  and  a  newspaper. 
Population  (1S90),  664;  (1900),  746. 

MIJfONK,  a  city  in  Woodford  County,  29  miles 
north  of  Bloomington  and  53  miles  northeast  of 
Peoria,  on  the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  and 
the  Illinois  Central  Railways.  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;  (1900),  2,-546. 

MINORITY  REPRESENTATION,  a  method  of 
choosing  members  of  the  General  Assembly  and 
other  deliberative  bodies,  designed  to  secure  rep- 
resentation, in  such  bodies,  to  minority  parties. 
In  Illinois,  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 
"cumulative  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 
(lie)  may  distribute  the  same,  or  equal  parts 
thereof,  among  the  candidates  as  he  shall  see 
fit."  (State  Constitution,  Art.  TV,  sections  7  and 
8.)  In  practice,  this  provision  gives  the  voter 
power  to  cast  three  votes  for  one  candidate ;  two 


HISTOEICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


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  Sir.  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  Fifth  Circuit,  under  the  new  Con- 
stitution, in  1848,  and  died  in  office,  early  in  1853, 
being  succeeded  by  the  late  Judge  Pinkney  H. 
Walker. 

MISSIONARIES,  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  Kaskaskia.  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  Allo2iez,  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  Fathers,  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  banisliment  of  the 
early  Jesuit  missionaries,  by  the  Superior  Coimcil 
of  Louisiana  (of  which  Illinois  had  formerly  been 
a  part),  in  1763,  is  a  curious  chapter  in  State  his- 
tory. That  bod}',  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  Loviisiana  Council 
undertook  to  enforce  in  Illinois,  disregarding  tlie 
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  tlie  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.") 

MISSISSIPPI  KIVEK.  (Indian  name,  "Missi 
Sipi,"  the  "Great  Water.")  Its  head  waters  are 
in  the  northern  part  of  Slinnesota,  1,680  feet 
above  tide-water.  Its  chief  source  is  Itasca 
Lake,  which  is  1,575  feet  higher  than  the  sea, 
and  which  is  fed  by  a  stream  having  its  source 
within  one  mile  of  the  head  waters  of  the  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  3,160  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  66  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  boundary  of  Wisconsin,  where  it 
expands  into  the  long  and  beautiful  Lake  Pepin, 
bordered  by  picturesque  limestone  bluffs,  some 
400  feet  high.  Below  Dubuque  its  general  direc- 
tion is  southward,  and  it  forms  the  boundary 
between  the  States  ot  Iowa,  Missouri,  Arkansas 
and  the  northern  part  of  Louisiana,  on  the 
west,  and  Illinois,  Kentucky,  Tennessee  and  Mis- 
sissippi, on  the  east.  After  many  sinuous  turn- 
ings in  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.  39"  north  and  Ion.  89°  12' 
west.  Its  principal  affluents  on  the  right  are  the 
Minnesota,  Iowa,  Des  Moines,  Missouri,  Arkansas 
and  Red  Rivers,  and,  on  the  left,  the  Wisconsin, 
Illinois  and  Ohio.  The  Missouri  River  is  longer 
than  that  part  of  the  Jlississippi  above  the  point 
of  junction,  the  distance  from  its  source  to  the 
delta  of  the  latter  being  about  4,300  miles,  which 
exceeds  that  of  any  other  river  in  the  world. 
The  width  of  the  stream  at  St.  Louis  is  about 
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,  though,  in 
the  vicinity  of  New  Orleans,  the  maximum  is  said 
to  reach  150  feet.  The  principal  rapids  below  the 
Falls  of  St.  Anthony  are  at  Rock  Island  and  the 
Des  Moines  Rapids  above  Keokuk,  the  former 
having  twenty-two  feet  fall  and  the  latter 
twenty-four  feet.  A  canal  around  the  Des 
Moines  Rapids,  along  the  west  bank  of  the  river, 
aids  navigation.  The  alluvial  banks  which  pre- 
vail on  one  or  both  shores  of  the  lower  Mississippi, 
often  spread  out  into  extensive  "bottoms"  which 
are  of  inexhaustible  fertility.  The  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  sums 
have  been  spent  in  the  construction  of  levees  for 
the  protection  of  the  lauds  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  RIYER  BRIDGE,  THE,  one  of 
tlie  best  constructed  railroad  bridges  in  the  West, 
spanning  the  Mississippi  from  Pike,  111.,  to  Loui- 
siana, Mo.  The  construction  company  was  char- 
tered, April  25,  1873,  and  the  bridge  was  ready  for 
the  passage  of  trains  on  Dec.  24,  1873.  On  Dec. 
3,  1877,  it  was  leased  in  perpetuity  by  the  Chicago 
&  Alton  Railway  Compan)',  which  holds  all  its 
stock  and  §150,000  of  its  bonds  as  an  investment, 
imy ing  a  rental  of  860, 000  per  annum ,  to  be  applied 
in  the  payment  of  7  per  cent  interest  on  stock  and 
G  per  cent  on  bonds.  In  1894,  §71,000  was  jjaid  for 
rental,  §16,000  going  toward  a  sinking  fund. 

MOBILE  &  OHIO  RAILROAD.  This  company 
operates  160.6  miles  of  road  in  Illinois,  of  which 
151.6  are  leased  from  the  St.  Louis  &  Cairo  Rail- 
road.    (See  St.  Louis  &  Cairo  Railroad.) 

MOLINE,  a  flourishing  manufacturing  city  in 
Rock  Island  County,  incorporated  in  1873,  on  the 
Mississippi  above  Rock  Island  and  opposite 
Davenport,  Iowa;  is  168  miles  south  of  west  from 
Chicago,  and  the  intersecting  point  of  three 
trunk  lines  of  railway.  Moline,  Rock  Island  and 
Davenport  are  connected  by  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-roofing,  wind-mills, 
milling  machinery,  and  furniture.  The  city  has 
admirable  water-works,  several  churches,  good 
schools,  gas  and  electric  light  plants,  a  public 
library,  five  banks,  tiiree  daily  and  weekly 
papers.  It  also  has  an  extensive  electric  power 
plant;  electric  street  cars  and  interm-ban  line. 
Population  (1890),  13,000;  (1900),  17,248. 

MOLOXET,  Maurice  T.,  ex- Attorney-General,  . 
was  born  in  Ireland,  in  1849 ;  came  to  America  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,  finally  locating  at  Ottawa, 
111.,  where  he  served  three  years  as  State's  Attor- 
ney of  La  Salle  County,  and,  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  miU, 
enameled  brick  factory,  railway  repair  shops,  two 
banks,  two  newspapers,  five  churches  and  two 
schools.     Population  (1890),  1,635;  (1900),  2,036. 

MOXMOUTH,  the  county-seat  of  AVarren 
County,  26  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  country  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  1857,  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  Government  building  at 
Monmouth.   Population  (1890),  5,936;  (1900),  7,460. 

MONMOUTH  COLLEGE,  an  educational  insti- 
tution, controlled  by  the  United  Presbj'terian 
denomination,  but  non-sectarian :  located  at  Jlon- 
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  con,sisted  of  fifteen 
instructors  and  the  number  of  students  was  289. 


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  Jefferson  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  1865  he 
engaged  in  merchandising  as  tlie  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 
wliich  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  influential  members  of 
that  body. 

MONROE  COUNTY,  situated  in  the  southwest 
part  of  the  State,  bordering  on  the  Missi.ssippi — 
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  heavily  timbered.  The 
soil  is  fertile,  embracing  both  upland  and  river 
bottom.  Agricultui-e  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  702  square  miles,  population 
(1900) ,  30,836— derives  its  name  from  Gen.  Richard 
Montgomery.  '  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 


niSTOmCAL    ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF    ILLINOIS. 


John  Tillson,  Hiram  Rountree,  the  Wrights 
(Joseph  and  Charles),  the  Hills  (John  and 
Hemy),  William  McDavid  and  John  Russell. 

MOXTICELLO,  a  city  and  the  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  the  Chicago  and  St.  Louis  Division  of  the 
Wabash  Railways.  It  lies  within  the '  'corn  belt, " 
and  stock-raising  is  extensively  carried  on  in  the 
surrounding  country.  Among  the  city  industries 
are  a  foundry  and  machine  shops,  steam  fiom-  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  system,  numerous  churches  and 
good  schools,  with  banks  and  three  weekly 
papers.     Population  (189U),  1,043;  (lilOO).  1,983. 

MOXTICELLO  FEMALE  SEMINARY,  the 
second  institution  estaliUshed  in  Illinois  for  the 
higher  education  of  women — Jacksonville  Female 
Seminary  being  the  first.  It  was  founded 
through  the  munificence  of  Capt.  Benjamin 
Godfrey,  who  donated  fifteen  acres  for  a  site,  at 
Godfrey,  Madison  County,  and  gave  §53,000 
toward  erecting  and  equipping  the  buildings. 
The  institution  was  opened  on  April  11,  1838, 
with  sixteen  young  lady  pupils.  Rev.  Theron 
Baldwin,  one  of  the  celebrated  "Yale  Band," 
being  the  first  Principal.  In  1843  he  was  suc- 
ceeded by  Miss  Philena  Fobes,  and  she,  in  turn, 
by  Miss  Harriet  N.  Haskell,  in  1866,  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 tliroughout  the  country.  The  new  struc- 
ture is  of  stone,  three  stories  in  height,  and 
thoroughly  modern.  The  average  number  of 
pupils  is  150,  with  fourteen  instructors,  and  the 
standard  of  the  institution  is  of  a  high  character. 

MOORE,  Clifton  H.,  lawyer  and  financier,  was 
born  at  Kirtland,  Lake  County,  Ohio,  Oct.  26, 
1817;  after  a  brief  season  spent  in  two  academies 
and  one  term  in  the  Western  Reserve  Teachers' 
Seminary,  at  Kirtland,  iu  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  soon  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  iu  Illinois  lands,  and 
is  now  one  of  the  largest  land  proprietors  in 
the  State,  besides  being  interested  iu  a  number 
of  manufacturing  ventures  and  a  local  bank. 
The  only  ofiicial  position  of  importance  he  has 
held  is  that  of  Delegate  to  the  State  Constitu- 
tional Convention  of  1869-70.  He  is  an  enthusi- 
astic collector  of  State  historical  and  art  treasures, 
of  which  he  possesses  one  of  the  most  valuable 
private  collections  in  Illinois. 

MOORE,  Henry,  pioneer  lawyer,  came  to  Chi- 
cago from  Concord,  Mass.,  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  subsecjuently  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  1773,  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  July,  1778. 
After  the  Clark  expedition  (in  which  he  served 
as  Captain,  by  appointment  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  point  iu  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  his  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  Militia,  and 
served  in  a  company  of  rangers  during  the  War 
of  1812;  was  also  the  first  County  Treasurer  of 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


38a 


Monroe  County.  Died,  Juh-  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 
block-house  at  Belief  on  taine  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  years.     He  died  in  1848. 

MOORE,  Jesse  H.,  clergj-man,  soldier  and  Con- 
gressman, born  near  Lebanon,  St.  Clair  County, 
lU.,  April  22,  1817,  and  graduated  from  McKen- 
dree  College  in  1842.  For  thirteen  years  he  was 
a  teacher,  dirring  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  Jlethodist  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  the  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 
city,  July  11,  1883. 

MOORE,  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  part  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  he  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  pm-chased  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  1856,  and,  having  qualified 


384 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS 


himself  for  the  practice  of  law,  located  the  fol- 
lowing year  at  Kankakee,  111.,  which  has  since 
been  his  home.  In  1858  he  was  employed  in 
defense  of  the  late  Father  Chiniquy.  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  independence  of  char- 
acter, a  Methodist  in  religious  belief  and  has 
generally  acted  politically  in  co-oi^eration  with 
the  Democratic  party,  though  strongly  anti- 
slavery  in  his  views.  In  1873  he  was  a  delegate 
to  the  Liberal  Republican  Convention  at  Cin- 
cinnati which  nominated  Mr.  Greeley  for  the 
Presidency,  and,  in  1896,  participated  in  the  same 
way  in  the  Indianapolis  Convention  which  nomi- 
nated Gen.  John  M.  Palmer  for  the  same  ofSce,  in 
the  following  campaign  giving  the  "Gold  Democ- 
racy" a  vigorous  support. 

MORAN,  Thomas  A.,  lawyer  and  jurist,  was 
born  at  Bridgeport,  Conn.,  Oct.  7,  1839;  receiv'ed 
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  School,  and  the  same  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  expiration  of  his 
second  term  he  resumed  private  practice.  While 
on  the  bench  he  at  first  heard  only  common  law 
cases,  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. 

MORGAN,  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.  Jlorgan  escaped  to  South  America, 
and.  after  man}-  hardships,  returned  to  Bo.ston. 
In  183-t  he  removed  to  Quincy,  111. ,  and  engaged 
in  mercantile  pursuits;  aided  in  raising  the 
"Quincy  Grays"  during  the  Jlormon  difficulties 
(1844-45) ;  during  the  Jlexioan  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-General 


in  July.  186'.3,  for  meritorious  service ;  commanded 
a  brigade  at  Nashville,  and,  in  March,  1865,  was 
brevetted  Major-General  for  gallantry  at  Benton- 
ville,  N.  C,  being  mustered  out,  August  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. 

MORGAN  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 
probably  Elisha  and  Seymoiu;  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  began  to  arrive  in  large  numbers 
about  1822,  and,  Jan.  31,  1823.  the  county  was 
organized,  the  first  election  being  held  at  the 
house  of  James  G.  Swinerton,  six  miles  south- 
west of  the  present  city  of  Jacksonville.  Olni- 
stead's  Mound  was  the  first  county-seat,  but  this 
choice  was  only  temporary.  Two  years  later, 
Jacksonville  was  selected,  and  has  ever  since  so 
continued.  (See  Jacksonville.)  Cass  Coimty 
was  cut  off  from  Morgan  in  1837,  and  Scott 
County  in  1839.  About  1837  Jlorgan  was  the 
most  populous  coimty  in  the  State.  The  county 
is  nearlj-  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  been  quarried. 

MORGAN  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  preparator}-  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,  foimded  by  Joseph 
Smith,  Jr.,  at  Fayette,  Seneca  County,  X.  Y., 
August  6,  1830,  styling  themselves  the  "Church  of 
Jesus  Christ  of  Latter- Day  Saints. "  Membership 
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,   however,   that    the 
"Book  of  Mormon'' — assumed    to  be   of    divine 
origin  and  a  direct  revelation  to  Smith — is    of 
equal  authority  with  the  Scriptm-es,  if  not  supe- 
rior   to     them.      Among    their    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  assembhng  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  hostility  that  they  were 
forced  to   make  another    removal.     Their    next 
settlement  was  at  Far  West,  Mo. ;  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  answer  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,  who  promptly  discharged  him, 
but  he  positively  refused  to  appear  before   the 
Carthage     magistrate.     Thereupon     the     latter 
issued  a  second  warrant,   charging  Smith  with 
treason.     This  also  was  treated  with  contempt. 
The  militia  was  called  out  to  make  the  arrest,  and 
the  Mormons,  who  had  formed  a  strong  military 
organization,    armed    to      defend    their    leader. 
After  a  few  trifling  clashes  between  the  soldiers 


and  the  "Saints,"  Smith  was  per.suaded  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  the  prison.  Joseph  Smith  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  months  of  intense  popular  excite- 
ment, in  the  following  year  led  his  followers 
across  the  Mississippi,  finally  locating  (184T)  in 
Utah.  (See  also  Nauvoo.)  There  their  history 
has  not  been  free  from  charges  of  crime;  but, 
whatever  may  be  the  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  placed  upon  it 
by  Congressional  legislation,  especially  in  refer- 
ence to  polygamy,  and  by  contact  with  other 
communities.     (See  Smith,  Joseph.) 

MORRIS,  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),  4,273. 

MORRIS,  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 
terras  in  the  Legislatvire  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    election  of    either    Lincoln  or 


386 


IIISTOltlCAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OE   ILLIXOLS. 


BreckenridKe  to  the  Presidenoy,  believing  that 
civil  war  would  result  in  either  event.  A  shadow 
was  thrown  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 
as  a  man  of  genial  and  kindly  disposition,  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  w4th  the 
Camp  Douglas  conspiracy,  as  the  evidence  of  his 
being  in  commimication  with  the  leading  con- 
spirators appears  to  have  been  conclusive.  (See 
Camp  Douglas  Conspiracy.) 

MORRIS,  Freeman  P.,  lawyer  and  politician, 
was  born  in  Cook  County,  III,  March  19.  1854, 
labored  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,  Iroquois  County. 
In  1884  he  was  elected,  as  a  Democrat,  to  the 
House  of  Representatives  from  the  Iroquois  Dis- 
trict, and  has  since  been  re-elected  in  1888,  "94, 
"96,  being  one  of  the  most  influential  members  of 
his  party  in  that  body.  In  1893  he  was  appointed 
by  Governor  Altgeld  Aid-de-Camp,  with  the  rank 
of  Colonel,  on  his  personal  staff,  but  resigned  in 
1896. 

MORRIS,  Isaac  Newton,  lawyer  and  Congress- 
man, was  born  at  Bethel,  Clermont  County, 
Ohio,  Jan.  23,  1812;  educated  at  Miami  Univer- 
sity, admitted  to  the  bar  in  183.5,  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- 
bly (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  supported  General  Grant— who 
had  been  his  friend  in  boyhood — 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  1855;  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  has  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  common  schools  and  the  Masonic 
Seminary  of  his  native  State;  admitted  to  the 
bar,  and  came  to  Illinois  in  1851,  locating  at 
Jacksonville,  where  he  has  become  a  leader  of 
the  bar  and  of  the  Republican  party,  which  he 
assisted  to  organize  as  a  member  of  its  first  State 
Convention  at  Bloomington,  in  1856.  He  was  also 
a  delegate  to  the  Republican  National  Convention 
of  1864,  which  nominated  Abraham  Lincoln  for 
the  Presidency  a  second  time.  Mr.  Morrison  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  public 
speaker,  took  a  high  rank  as  a  leader  in  that 
body.  Of  late  years,  he  has  given  his  attention 
solely  to  the  practice  of  his  profession  in 
Jacksonville. 

MORRISON,  James  Lowery  Donaldson,  poll 
tician,  lawyer  and  Congressman,  was  born  at  Kas- 
kaskia.  111.,  April  12,  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  admitted  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  been  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  was  among  the  first  to 
raise  a  company  of  volunteers,  and  was  coiimiis- 
sioned  Lieutenant-Colonel  of  the  Second  Regiment 
(Colonel  Bissell's).  For  gallant  services  at  Buena 
Vista,  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. 

MORRISOX,  William,  pioneer  merchant,  came 
from  Philadelphia,  Pa.,  toKaskaskia,  111.,  in  1790, 
as  representative  of  the  mercantile  house  of 
Bryant  &  Morrison,  of  Philadelphia,  and  finally 
established  an  extensive  trade  throughout  the 
Mississippi  Valley,  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  Jlexicans  at 
Santa  Fe,  about  1804,  but  was  defrauded  by  the 
agent,  who  appropriated  the  goods  to  his  own 
benefit  without  accounting  to  his  emploj'er. 
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  the  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,  where  he  died  in  184.5. —James, 
another  son,  went  to  Wisconsin;  William  located 
at  Belleville,  dying  there  in  1843;  while  Lewis? 
another  son,  settled  at  Covington,  AVashington 
County,  111.,  where  he  practiced  medicine  up  to 
18.51 ;  then  engaged  in  mercantile  business  at 
Chester,  dying  there  in  1856. 

MORRISON,  William  Ralls,  ex-Congressman. 
Inter-State  Commerce  Commissioner,  was  born, 
Sept.  14,  1825,  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  1855;  in  1852  was 
elected  Clerk  of  the  Circuit  Court  of  Monroe 
County,  but  resigned  before  the  close  of  his  term, 
accepting  the  ofiice  of  Representative  in  the  State 
Legislature,  to  which  he  was  elected  in  1854;  was 
re-elected  in  1856,  and  again  in  1858,  serving  as 
Speaker  of  the  House  during  the  session  of  1859. 
In  1861  he  assisted  in  oi:ganizing  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,  where  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  (1872),  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  oflSce  in  1898. 

JIORRISONVILLE,  a  town  in  Christian 
County,  situated  on  the  Wabash  Railway,  40 
miles  soutliwest  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  has  brick  and  tile  works, 
electric  lights,  two  banks,  five  churches,  graded 
and  high  schools,  and  a  weekly  paper.  Popula- 
tion (1890).  844;  ^1900),  934;  (1903,  est.),  1,200. 

MORTOX,  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  Fifteentli  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-partisan,  faithfully 
representing  the  interests  of  his  constituents. 
Died,  at  his  liome  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 


38f 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


in  Louisiana  University,  under  the  preoeptorsliip 
of  Randall  Hunt  and  otlier  eminent  lawyers  of 
tliat  State.  In  tlie  early  days  of  the  Civil  War 
he  espoused  the  cau.se  of  the  Confederacy,  serving 
some  two  years  as  an  officer  of  the  Twenty-first 
Louisiana  Regiment.  Coming  north  at  the  expi- 
ration of  this  period,  he  resided  for  a  time  in 
Quincy,  III,  but,  in  1809,  removed  to  Chicago, 
where  he  took  a  place  in  the  front  rank  at  the 
bar,  and  where  he  has  resided  ever  since. 
Although  in  sj'mpatliy  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  1868, 
and  supported  the  leading  measures  of  the  Repub- 
lican party  in  1896.  He  is  the  editor  and  pub 
lisher  of  "The  National  Corporation  Reporter," 
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  1856,  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  loyal  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  preliminary  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  Calhoun  Counties ;  served  as  a  delegate 
to  the  National  Republican  Convention  at  Phila- 
delphia, in  1872,  and  as  Secretary  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  1887  he  was  chosen  Sec- 
retary of  the  Chicago  Historical  Society,  serving 
until  1893.  While  connected  with  the  Chicago 
Historical  Library  he  brought  out  the  most  com- 
plete History  of  Illinois  yet  published,   in  two 


volumes,  and  also,  in  connection  with  tlie  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. 

MOULTON,  Samuel  W.,  lawyer  and  Congress- 
man, was  born  at  Wenham,  Mass.,  Jan.  20,  1822, 
where  he  was  educated  in  the  public  schools. 
After  spending  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- 
bh-;  in  1857,  was  a  Presidential  Elector  on  the 
Buchanan  ticket,  and  was  President  of  the  State 
Board  of  Education  from  1859  to  1876.  In  1864 
he  was  elected,  as  a  Republican,  Representative  in 
Congress  for  the  State-at-large,  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  cooperation  with  the  Republican 
party. 

MOULTRIE  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  the  Kickapoos,  who  were 
always  friendly  to  English-speaking  settlers.  The 
earliest  immigrants  were  from  the  Southwest, 
but  arrivals  from  Northern  States  soon  followed. 
County  organization  was  effected  in  1843,  both 
Shelby  and  Macon  Coimties  surrendering  a  portion 
of  territory.  A  vein  of  good  bituminous  coal 
underlies  the  count}',  but  agriculture  is  tlie  more 
important  industry.  Sullivan  is  the  county-seat, 
selected  in  1845.  In  1890  its  population  was  about 
1,700.  Hon.  Richard  J.  Oglesby  (former  Gover- 
nor, Senator  and  a  Major-General  in  the  Civil 
War)  began  the  practice  of  law  here. 

MOUND-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  found  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  others,  and  also  varying  greatly  in  form.  This 
fact,  with  the  remains  found  in  some  of  them,  has 
been  regarded  as  evidence  that  the  pm-poses  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  vmsolved  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  AUeghenies.  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. Prehistoric.)  While  these  works  are 
numerous  in  some  portions  of  Illinois,  their  form 
and  structure  gh-e  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  structui'e  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  bj'  a  community  of  Slonks 
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  structui'es" 
and  the  "best  representative  of  its  class  in  North 
America."  The  late  William  Mc  Adams,  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 
earthworks  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,  the  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  ahnost 
wholly  composed  of  the  black,  stick}'  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  b}'  the 
Trappists  as  a  kitchen  garden,  and  the  top  of  the 
structure  was  sown  in  wheat.  He  also  found 
nmnerous  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  structvu-e,  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 


HISTOEICAL   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 
used  for  sacrificial  purposes.  The  whole  number 
of  these  structures  in  the  American  Bottom, 
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  proximit)',  has  been  accepted  as  evidence 
of  a  large  population  in  the  immediate  vicinitj-. 
Mr.  McAdams  reports  the  finding  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  imearthed  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  contain  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  mounds — though  far  inferior 
to  the  Cahokia  group — exists  near  Hutsonville  in 
Crawford  County.  As  described  in  the  State 
Geological  Survey,  this  group  consists  of  fifty- 
five  elevations,  irregularly  dispersed  over  an  area 
of  1,000  by  1,400  to  1,.500  feet,  and  varying  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,  indicating  that  they  were 
defense-works.  The  location  of  this  group — a 
few  miles  from  a  prehistoric  fortification  at 
Merom,  on  the  Indiana  side  of  the  Wabash,  to 
which  the  name  of  "Fort  Azatlan"  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 
Engelman,   in  the  part  of  the  State  Geological 


Survey  devoted  to  Massac  County,  alludes  to  a 
remarkable  group  of  earthworks  in  the  Black 
Bend  of  the  Ohio,  as  an  "extensive"'  system  of 
"fortifications  and  mounds  which  probably 
belong  to  the  same  class  as  those  in  the  Missis- 
sippi Bottom  opposite  St.  Louis  and  at  other 
points  farther  up  the  Ohio."  In  the  report  of 
Government  survey  by  Dan  W.  Beckwith,  in  1834, 
mention  is  made  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  the 
remains  of  the  chiefs  of  the  two  parties.  In  this 
case,  mounds  of  prehistoric  origin  had  probably 
been  utilized  as  burial  places  by  the  aborigines  at 
a  comparatively  recent  period.  Related  to  the 
Kankakee  mounds,  in  location  if  not  in  period  of 
construction,  is  a  group  of  nineteen  in  number  on 
the  site  of  the  present  city  of  Morris,  in  Grundy 
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  conspicuous  character  of  those  found  in  the 
vicinity  of  St.  Louis  and  attributed  to  the  ilound 
Builders. — A  very  large  and  numerous  group  of 
these  monuments  exists  along  the  bluffs  of  the 
Slississippi  River,  in  the  western  part  of  Rock 
Island  and  Mercer  Counties,  chiefly  between 
Drury's  Landing  and  New  Boston.  Mr.  J.  E. 
Stevenson,  in  "The  American  Antiquarian."  a 
few  years  ago,  estimated  that  there  were  2.  .500  of 
these  within  a  circuit  of  fifty  miles,  located  in 
groups  of  two  or  three  to  100,  varying  in  diameter 
from  fifteen  to  150  feet,  with  an  elevation  of  two 
to  fifteen  feet.  There  are  also  numerous  burial 
and  sacrificial  mounds  in  the  vicinity  of  Chilli- 
cothe,  on  the  Illinois  River,  in  the  northeastern 
part  of  Peoria  County. — There  are  but  few  speci- 
mens of  the  animal  or  effigy  mounds,  of  which  so 
many  exist  in  Wisconsin,  to  be  found  in  Illinois; 
and  the  fact  that  these  are  found  chiefiy  on  Rock 
River,  leaves  no  doubt  of  a  common  origin  vrith 
the  Wisconsin  groups.  The  most  remarkable  of 
these  is  the  celebrated  "Turtle  Mound,"  within 
the  present  limits  of  the  city  of  Rockford — though 
some  regard  it  as  having  more  resemblance  to  an 
alligator.     This  figure,  which  is  maintained  in  a 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OP   ILLINOIS. 


391 


good  state  of  preservation  by  the  citizens,  lias  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  efBgy  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  effig}'  of  a  similar 
character  on  the  north  side  of  the  Pecatonica  in 
Stephenson  County,  some  ten  miles  east  of  Free- 
port.  The  Rook  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  tlie  same  stream 
in  Illinois. 

MOUND  CITT,  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.  Pojuilation 
(1890),  3,550;  (1900),  2,705;  (1903,  est.),  3,.500. 

MOUNT  CARMEL,  a  city  and  the  county-seat 
of  Wabash  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  the  principal 
pursuits  of  the  people  of  the  surrounding  district. 
Population  (1890),  8,376;  (1900),  4,311. 

MOUNT  CARROLL,  the  county-seat  of  Carroll 
County,  an  incorporated  city,  founded  in  1843; 
is  138  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),  1,836;  (1900),  1,965. 

MOUNT  CARROLL  SEMINARY,  a  young 
ladies'  seminary,  located  at  Mount  Carroll,  Carroll 
County;  incorporated  in  1853;  had  a  faculty  of 
thirteen  members  in  1896,  with  126  pupils,  prop- 
erty valued  at  8100,000,  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  &  Quincy  Raih-oad,  108  miles 
west  by  north  from  Chicago,  and  34  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),  3,935. 

MOUNT  PULASKI,  a  village  and  railroad  junc- 
tion in  Logan  County,  31  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), 
1,135;  (1890),  1,3.57;  (1900),  1,643. 

MOUNT  STERLING,  a  city,  the  county -seat  of 
Brown  County,  midway  betvpeen  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 
iiere.  and  three  weekly  newspapers  are  pub- 
lished. Population  (1880),  1,445;  (1890),  1,655; 
(,1900),  1,960. 

MOUNT  TERNON,  a  city  and  county-seat  of 
Jeffer.son  County,  on  three  trunk  lines  of  railroad, 
77  miles  east-southeast  of  St.  Louis ;  is  the  center 
of  a  rich  agricultural  and  coal  region;  has  many 
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.  The 
Appellate  Com-t  for  the  Southern  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. 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


MOUNT  VERNON  &  (IRAYVILLE  RAILROAD. 

(See  Peoria.  Decatur  &  Evansville  Railway.) 

MOWEAqUA,  a  village  of  Shelby  County,  on 
the  Illinois  Central  Railroad,  1(3  miles  south  of 
Decatur;  is  in  rich  agricultural  and  stock-raising 
section;  has  coal  mine,  three  banks  and  two 
newspapers.  Population  (1890),  848;  (1900).  1,478. 
MUDD,  (Col.)  John  J.,  soldier,  was  born  in 
St.  Charles  County,  Mo.,  Jan.  9,  1820;  his  father 
having  died  in  1833,  his  mother  removed  to  Pike 
County,  111. ,  to  free  her  children  from  the  influ- 
ence of  slavery.  In  1849,  and  again  in  1850,  he 
made  the  overland  journey  to  California,  each 
time  returning  by  the  Isthmus,  his  last  visit  ex- 
tending into  1851.  In  1854  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  18(jl, 
was  again  in  prosperous  business.  While  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  escape  a 
mob.  In  September,  1861,  he  entered  the  army 
as  Major  of  the  Second  Illinois  Cavalry  (Col. 
Silas  Noble),  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  suflSciently  recovered  to  rejoin  his 
regiment  soon  after  the  battle  of  Shiloh.  Unable 
to  perform  cavalry  duty,  he  was  attached  to  the 
staff  of  General  McClernand  during  the  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  subsequently 
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 
approaching  Alexandria  on  board  the  steamer, 
was  shot  through  tlie  head  and  instantly  killed. 
He  was  a  gallant  soldier  and  greatly  beloved  by 
his  troops. 

MULBERRY  GROVE,  a  village  of  Bond  County, 
on  the  Terre  Haute  &  Indianapolis  (Vandalia) 
Railroad,  8  miles  northeast  of  Greenville;  has  a 
local  newspaper.     Pop,  (1890).  750;  (1900).  632. 


MULLIGAN,  James  A.,  soldier,  was  born  of 
Irish  parentage  at  Utica,  N.  Y.,  June  25,  1830;  in 
1836  accompanied  his  parents  to  Chicago,  and, 
after  graduating  from  the  University  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  liis 
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 
severely  wounded  and  twice  captured.  He 
declined  a  Brigadier-Generalship,  preferring  to 
remain  with  his  regiment.  He  was  fatally 
wounded  during  a  charge  at  the  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  repeated  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  3'ears,  meanwhile  beginning  the  study  of 
law.  Removing  to  Coles  County,  III,  in  1855,  he 
resumed  his  law  studies,  was  admitted  to  the  bar 
in  1858,  and  began  practice  at  Hillsboro,  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  appointed  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  1866  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  connected  with  a  number 
of  important  cases  before  the  Chicago  courts. 

MUNN,  Sylvester  W.,  lawyer,  soldier  and  legis- 
lator, was  born  about  1818,  and  came  from  Ohio 
at  thirty  years  of  age,  settling  at  Wilmington, 
Will    County,    afterwards    removing    to    Joliet, 


HISTOKICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


393 


where  he  practiced  law.  During  the  War  he 
served  as  Major  of  the  Yates  Phalanx  (Thirty- 
ninth  Illinois  Volunteers) ;  later,  was  State's 
Attorney  for  Will  County  and  State  Senator  in 
the  Thirty-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  Deputy  Circuit 
Clerk  at  Chester,  remaining  until  1882,  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  Jlr.  Murphy  was  appointed 
Warden  of  the  State  Penitentiary  at  Joliet,  to 
succeed  Col.  R.  W.  McClaughry. 

MURPHYSBORO,  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,  52  miles  north  of 
Cairo  and  90  miles  south-southeast  of  St.  Louis. 
Coal  of  a  superior  quality  is  extensively  mined  in 
the  vicinity. '  The  city  has  a  foundr}-,  machine 
shops,  skewer  factory,  furniture  factory,  floirr 
and  saw  mills,  thirteen  churches,  four  schools, 
three  banks,  two  daily  and  three  weekly  news- 
papers, city  aod  rural  free  mail  delivery.  Popu- 
lation (1890),  3,380;  (1900).  6,463;  (1903,  est),  7,500. 

MURPHYSBORO  &  SH.VWNEETOWN  RAIL. 
ROAD.  (See  Carbondale  &  Shawiiectoicn.  St. 
Louis  Southern  and  St.  Louis.  Alton  &  Terre 
Haute  Railroads.) 

NAPERVILLE,  a  city  of  Du  Page  County,  on 
the  west  branch  of  the  Du  Page  River  and  on  the 
Chicago,  Burlington  &  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),  2,629 

NAPLES,  a  town  of  Scott  County,  on  the  IIU- 
nois  River  and  the  Hannibal  and  Naples  branch 
of  the  Wabash  Railway,  31  miles  west  of  Jackson- 
ville.    Population  (1890),  453;  (1900),  398. 

N.4.SHVILLE,  an  incorporated  city,  the  county- 
seat  of  Washington  County,  on  the  Centralia  & 
Chester  and  the  Louisville  &  Nashville  Railways; 
is  120  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), 
2,333;  (1890),  2,084;  (1900),  2,184. 

JfAUVOO,  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), 
1,308;  (per  census  1900),  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  their  early 
explorations,  the  early  permanent  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  heavy  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  impor- 
tance,  or  utterly  insignificant,  as    channels    of 


394 


IIISTOrjCAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


transportation.  Legislation  of  this  character 
began  with  the  first  General  Assembly  (1819), 
and  continued,  at  intervals,  with  reference  to 
one  or  two  of  the  more  Important  interior  rivers 
of  the  State,  as  late  as  18(37.  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  Sluddy,  in  Perry  and  Jackson 
Counties  (law  of  1819);  Big  Bay,  a  tributary  of 
the  Ohio  in  Pope  County  (Acts  of  1833);  Big 
Muddy,  to  the  junction  of  the  East  and  "West 
Forks  in  Jefferson  County  (1835),  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 (1855);  Kankakee  and  Iroquois  Navigation 
&  Manufacturing  Company,  incorporated  (1847), 
with  various  changes  and  amendments  (1851-65) ; 
Kaskaskia  (or  Okaw),  declared  navigable  to  a 
point  in  Fayette  County  north  of  Vandalia  (1819), 
with  various  modifying  acts  (1823-67) ;  Macoupin 
Creek,  to  Carrollton  and  Alton  road  (1837); 
Piasa,  declared  navigable  in  Jersey  and  Madison 
Counties  (18G1);  Rock  River  Navigation  Com- 
pany, incorporated  (1841),  %vith  subsequent  acts 
(1845-67) ;  Sangamon  River,  declared  navigable 
to  Third  Principal  Meridian — east  line  of  Sanga- 
mon County — (1823),  and  the  North  Fork  of  same 
to  Champaign  County  (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  Slocmn'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 
cliiiracter. 


XEALE,  THOMAS  M.,  pioneer  lawyer,  was 
born  in  Fauquier  County,  Va.,  1T9G;  while  yet  a 
child  removed  with  his  parents  to  Bowling  Green, 
Ky.,  and  became  a  common  soldier  in  the  War  of 
1812;  came  to  Springfield,  111.,  in  1824,  and  began 
the  practice  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  Count}',  appointing 
Abraham  Lincoln  as  his  deputy.  He  also  served 
as  a  Justice  of  the  Peace,  for  a  number  of  years, 
at  Springfield.     Died,  August  7,  1840. 

NEECE,  William  H.,  ex-Congressman,  was 
born,  Feb.  26,  1831,  in  what  is  now  a  part  of 
Logan  County.  111. ,  but  which  was  then  within  the 
limits  of  Sangamon ;  was  reared  on  a  farm  and 
attended  the  public  schools  in  McDonough 
County;  studied  law  and  was  admitted  to  the 
bar  in  1858,  and  has  been  ever  since  engaged  in 
practice.  His  political  career  began  in  1861, 
when  he  was  chosen  a  member  of  the  City  Coun. 
cil  of  5Iacomb.  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  represented  the  Eleventh  IlUuois  Dis-  ' 
trict  in  Congress,  as  a  Democrat,  but  was  defeated 
for  re-election  in  1890  by  William  H.  Gest, 
Republican. 

JfEGROES.     (See  Slavery  and  Slave  Laws.) 

>'EO(i!A,  a  village  of  Cumberland  County,  at  the 
intersection  of  the  Illinois  Central  and  the  Toledo, 
St.  Louis  ct  Western  Railways,  20  miles  southwest 
of  Charleston ;  has  a  bank,  two  newspapers,  some 
manufactories,  and  ships  grain,  hay,  fruit  and 
live-stock.     Pop.  (1890),  829;  (1900),  1,126 

NEPOXSET,  a  village  and  station  on  the  Chi- 
cago, Burlington  &  Quincy  Railroad,  in  Bureau 
County,  4  miles  southwest  of  Mendota.  Popula- 
tion (1880),  r,o2;  (1890),  542;  (1900),  516. 

NEW  ALBA\T  &  ST.  LOUIS  RAILWAY. 
(See  Louisville,  Evansville  &  St.  Louis  (Consoli- 
dated) Railroad.) 

NEW  ATHEXS,  a  village  of  St.  Clair  County, 
on  the  St.  Louis  &  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  gi-ain  trade. 
Population  (1880),  603;  (1890),  624;  (1900),  856. 

NEW  BERLIN,  a  village  of  Sangamon  County, 
on  the  Wabash  Railway,  17  miles  west  of  Spring- 
field.    Population  (1880),  403;  (1900),  533. 

NEWBERRT  LIBRARY,  a  large  reference  li- 
brary, located  in  Chicago,  endowed  by  AValter  L. 


.  I  . 


Art  Institute. 


Public  Library. 

Armour  Institute. 
PtBLIC    BUILDINGS. 


Court  House. 


HISTORICAL   EXCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


Newberry,  an  early  business  man  of  Chicago,  who 
left  half  of  his  estate  (aggregating  over  $3,000,000) 
for  the  purpose.  The  property  bequeathed  was 
largely  in  real  estate,  which  lias  since  greatly  in- 
creased in  Talue.  The  library  was  established  in 
temporary  quarters  in  1887,  and  the  first  section 
of  a  permanent  building  was  opened  in  the 
autumn  of  1893.  By  that  time  there  had  been 
accumulated  about  160.000  books  and  pamplilets. 
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 
already  completed  is  massive  and  imposing,  and 
its  interior  is  admirably  adapted  to  the  purposes 
of  a  library,  and  at  the  same  time  rich  and 
beautiful.  When  completed,  the  building  will 
have  a  capacity  for  four  to  six  million  volsumes. 

NEWBERRr,  Walter  C,  ex-Congressman,  was 
born  at  Sangerfield,  Oneida  County,  N.  Y.,  Dec. 
23,  1835.  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  1890  he  was  elected,  as  a  Democrat,  to  represent 
the  Fourth  Illinois  District  in  the  Fifty-second 
Congi'ess  (1891-93).     His  home  is  in  Chica.go. 

NEWBERRY,  Walter  L.,  merchant,  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.  Subsequently  he  embarked  in 
business  at  Buffalo,  N.  Y.,  going  to  Detroit  in 
1828,  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  fortime.  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. ) 

jVEW  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  &  Quincy  Railway.  Population 
(1890),  44.5;  (1900),  T03. 


NEW  BRIGHTON,  a  village  of  St.  Clair  County 
and  suburb  of  East  St.  Louis.     Population  (1890), 

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  &  Western  Railroad  ;  in 
farming  and  fruit-growing  region ;  has  coal  mine, 
flour  mill  and  newspaper.    Population  (1900),  469. 

NEWELL,  John,  Railway  President,  was  born 
at  West  Newburj',  Mass.,  March  31,  1830,  being 
directly  descended  from  "Pilgrim"  stock.  At 
the  age  of  16  he  entered  the  employment  of  the 
Cheshire  Railroad  in  New  Hampshire.  Eighteen 
mouths  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  18.50 
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  the  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  Railroad 
(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  &  Jliohigan 
Southern  Railroad,  of  which  he  was  elected 
President,  in  May,  1883,  and  continued  in  oflSce 
until  the  time  of  his  death,  which  occurred  at 
Young.stown,  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  as.sociated. 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


In  1830  he  became  a  Surgeon  in  the  United  States 
Army,  and  was  stationed  at  Fort  Winnebago, 
but  retired  from  the  service,  in  1833,  and  returned 
to  tialena.  Wlieu  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  had  control  until 
the  close  of  the  war.  The  difficulties  of  the  posi- 
tion were  increased  by  the  appearance  of  the 
Asiatic  cholera  among  the  troops,  but  he  seems 
to  liave  discliarged  his  duties  with  satisfaction 
to  the  military  authorities.  He  enjoyed  a  wide 
reputation  for  professional  ability,  and  had  an 
extensive  practice.     Died,  Sept.  19,  1870. 

SEWMAX,  a  village  of  Douglas  County,  on  the 
Cincinnati,  Hamilton  &  Dayton  Railway,  52  miles 
east  of  Decatur;  has  a  bank,  a  newspaper,  can- 
ning factory,  broom  factory,  electric  lights,  and 
large  trade  in  agricultural  products  and  live- 
stock.    Population  (1890),  990;  (1900),  1,166. 

NEWSPAPERS,  EARLY.  The  first  newspaper 
published  in  the  Northwest  Territory,  of  which 
the  present  State  of  Illinois,  at  the  time,  com- 
posed a  part,  was  "TheCentinel  of  the  Northwest 
Territory,"  established  at  Cincinnati  by  W^illiam 
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 
1796.  "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,  beginning  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  ninet.v-five  years. 

The  first  newspaper  published  in  Illinois  Terri- 
tory was  "The  Illinois  Herald,"  but,  owing  to  the 
absence  of  early  files  and  other  specific  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  Eej-nolds, 
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  placed 
under  a  separate  Territorial  Government.  There 
is  good  reason,  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  W^arren  (the  founder  of  the 
third  paper  established  in  Illinois)  says  it  "was 
for  years  only  used  for  the  public  printing." 
The  earliest  issue  of  "The  Illinois  Herald"  known 
to  be  in  existence,  is  No.  83  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"),  %vhich 
was  established  in  1808,  makes  no  mention  of  the 
Kaskaskia  paper  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 
Government,  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,  which  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  1830,  "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  Slave  Laivs.) 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF    ILLINOIS. 


397 


The  second  paper  establisheil  on  Illinois  soil 
was  "The  Shawnee  Chief,"  which  began  publica- 
tion at  Shawneetown,  Sept.  5,  1818,  with  Henry 
Eddy — who  afterwards  became  a  prominent  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 
writer  of  his  day  in  Illinois.  Later,  he  estab- 
lished "The  IlUnois  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  1823-24,  "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  Jlorris 
Birkbeck  and  others. 

The  third  Illinois  paper— and,  in  1823-34,  the 
strongest  and  most  influential  opponent  of  tlie 
-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  Warren,  Hooper.)  Warren  sold 
"The  Spectator"  to  Rev.  Thomas  Lippincott  in 
1825,  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  1823.  The  first  of  these  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  oflSce  in  1824,  "Tlie  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,  1822,  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  Iiave  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  tliese 
("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  ne-\t  period  of  fif- 
teen years  (1823-40)  was  prolific  in  the  establish- 
ment of  new  newspaper  ventures,  as  might  be 
expected  from  the  rapid  increase  of  the  State  in 
population,  and  the  development  in  the  art  of 
printing  during  the  same  period.  "The  Western 
Sun,"  established  at  Belleville  (according  to  one 
report,  in  December,  1835,  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  1836  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  "Tlie  Cour- 
ier," at  Springfield,  which  was  continued  only  a 
short  time.  The  earliest  paper  north  of  Spring- 
field appears  to  have  been  "Tlie  Hennepin  Jour- 
nal," which  began  publication,  Sept.  15,  1827. 
"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  (lo'wa)  Hawkeye,"  began  the 


39S 


lISTOrJCAL    ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF    ILLINOIS. 


publication  of  "The  Illinois  Patriot'"  at  Jackson- 
ville. Another  paper,  established  the  same  year, 
was  "The  Gazette"  at  Vandalia,  then  the  State 
capital.  (See  Forquer,  George;  Ford,  Thomas: 
Francis.  Simeon.) 

At  this  early  date  the  development  of  the  lead 
mines  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  183.3,  and  his  paper  passed  into 
other  hands.  July  20,  1829,  "The  Galena  Adver- 
tiser and  Upper  Mississippi  Herald"  began  pub- 
lication, with  Drs.  Horatio  Newhall  and  Addison 
Philleo  as  editors,  and  Hooper  Warren  as  pub- 
lisher, but  appears  to  liave  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.  183G.  "The  Northwestern  Gazette 
and  Galena  Advertiser,"  founded  in  November, 
1834,  by  Loring  and  Bartlett  (the  last  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  paper  during  a  part 
of  the  first  year  of  its  publication. 

Robert  K.  Fleming,  who  has  already  been 
mentioned  as  the  successor  of  Elias  Kent  Kane 
in  the  publication  of  "The  Republican  Advocate," 
at  Kaskaskia,  later  published  a  paper  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  Kaskaskia.  In  December, 
1833,  he  removed  to  Belleville  and  began  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  varioxis  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"  (1831);  "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 
(183.5);  "The  Illinois  Argus  and  Boimty  Land 
Register,"  at  Quincy  (1835);  "The  Rushville 
Journal  and  Military  Tract  Advertiser"  (1835); 
"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  first  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  forerimner 
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  associated  with  Warren,  and  became 
one  of  the  most  influential  journalistic  opponents 
of  slavery,  arrived  in  the  State  in  1839,  and,  in 
the  latter  part  of  that  year,  was  associated  with 
the  celebrated  AboUtionist,  Benjamin  Lundy,  in 
the  preliminary  steps  for  the  issue  of  "The 
Genius  of  Universal  Emancipation,"  projected 
by  lAmdy  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,  1S3T,  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  605  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,  1,205  weekly,  28  semi-monthly,  238 
monthly,  and  the  remainder  at  various  periods 
ranging  from  tri-weekly  to  eight  times  a  year. 

NEWTOX,  the  county-seat  of  Jasper  County, 
situated  on  the  Embarras  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.  The  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  system, 
including  parochial  school  and  high  school, 
besides  two  banks  and  tliree  weekly  papers. 
Population  (1890),  1,428;  (1900),  1,630. 

NEW  YORK,  CHICAGO  &  ST.  LOUIS  RAIL- 
WAY (>'lckel  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  §50,223,568,  of  which  §19,425,000 
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  the  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  pre.sent  name.  The 
road  between  Buffalo,  N.  Y.,  and  the  west  line  of 
Indiana  is  owned  by  the  Company,  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. 

KIANTIC,  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. 
JilCOLAY,  John  George,  author,  was  born  in 
Essingen,  Bavaria,  Feb.  26,  1882;  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  pajoer.  In  1857  he 
became  Assistant  Secretary  of  State  under  O.  M. 
Hatch,  the  first  Republican  Secretarj',  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  imtil  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  whom  he  was,received  kindlj-.  From  the 
Mascoutins,  on  the  Fox  River  (of  Wisconsin),  he 
learned  of  the  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  Plainfield,  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 
1842,  when  he  settled  in  Belleville.  111.  In  1840 
he  was  commissioned  a  First  Lieutenant  in  the 
Second  Regiment  Illinois  Volunteers  (Colonel 
Bissell's)  for  the  Mexican  War,  but,  after  the 
battle  of  Buena  Vista,  was  promoted  by  General 
Wool  to  the  captaincy  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  became  Republican  on  the  organiza- 
tion of  the  Republican  party.  In  1861  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,  when  he  resigned — in  March, 
1865,  receiving  the  compliment  of  a  brevet  Briga- 
dier-Generalship. During  the  winter  of  1862-63 
he  ^yas  in  command  at  Memphis,  but  later  took 
part  in  the  Vicksburg  campaign,  and  in  the  cam- 
paigns on  Red  River  and  Bayou  Teche.  After 
the  war  he  served  as  Repre.sentative  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. 

NIXON,  William  Penn,  journalist,  Collector  of 
Customs,   was   born  in  AVayne  County,  Ind.,  of 


North  Carolina  and  Quaker  ancestry,  early  in' 
18o2.  In  is.j:?  he  graduated  from  Farmers'  (now 
Belmont)  College,  near  Cincinnati,  Ohio.  After 
devoting  two  years  to  teaching,  h°  entered  the 
law  department  of  the  University  bi  Pennsyl- 
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.  Nixon,  secured  a 
controlling  interest  in  the  paper,  when  the 
former  assumed  the  position  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. 

JiOKOMIS,  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 
churclies,  high  school,  two  banks  and  three 
papei>;  is  noted  foi  shipments  of  poultry,  butter 
and  eggs.     Population  (1890),  1,305;  (1900),  1,371. 

NORMAL,  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  delivery.     Pop.   (1890),  3,4.59;    (1900),  3,795. 

NORMAL  UNIVERSITIES.  (See  Southern 
Illinois  Normal  University;  State  Normal  Uni- 
versittj. ) 

NORTH  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 


HISTOEICAL   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  Xaval 
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  Sujjervisor  of  the  Census  for 
the  Seventh  District;  in  1883  was  elected  State's 
Attorney  for  Bond  County  and  re-elected  suc- 
cessively in  '8-1  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  1896  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  city  of  Peoria  in  1900. 

NORTHERN  BOUNDARY  QUESTION,  THE, 
The  Ordinance  of  1787,  making  the  first  specific 
provision,  by  Congress,  for  the  government  of  the 
country  lying  northwest  of  the  Ohio  River  and 
east  of  the  Mississippi  (known  as  the  Northwest 
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  o'f  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  tlie  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  (17.5.5)  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  41°  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 
Viitter  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  "tapper  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  tl-o  subject  of  considerable 
controversy  and  has  been  followed  by  almost 
incalculable  results.  The  •■enabling  act,"  as 
originally  introduced  early  in  IS'iS.  empov%-ering 
the  people  of  Illinois  Territoi-y  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  Liike  Michigan. 
While  the  act  was  under  consideration  in  Com- 
mittee of  the  Whole,  Mr.  Pope  oHercd  an  amend- 
ment advancing  the  northern  boundary  to  42° 
30'.  The  object  of  his  amendment  (as  he  ex- 
plained) was  to  gain  for  tlie  new  State  a  coast 
line  on  Lake  Michigan,  bringing  it  into  political 
and  commercial  relations  with  the  States  east  of 


iO-i 


IIISTOMCAL   EXCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


it — Indiana,  Oliio,  Pennsylvania  and  Xew  Yorli — 
thus  •'affording  additional  security  to  the  per- 
petuity of  the  Unjon."  He  argued  that  the 
location  of  the  State  between  the  Mississippi, 
Wabash  and  Ohio  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  the  Lakes,  instead  of  being  left 
entirely  to  the  waters  of  the  south-flowing 
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 foresight,  scarcely  less  convincing  was  his 
argument  that,  in  time,  a  commercial  emporium 
would  grow  up  upon  Lake  Michigan,  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  State  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  super- 
human sagacity  exhibited  in  Judge  Pope's  argu- 
ment, has  been  repeatedly  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.'50,.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,  McHenry, 
Boone,  DeKalb,  Lee,  Ogle,  Winnebago,  Stephen- 
son, Jo  Daviess,  Carroll  and  Whiteside,  with  por- 
tions of  Kendall,  Will  and  Rook  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,  and  there  were  repeated  attempts 
made,  on  the  part  of  the  Wisconsin  Legislature 
and  its  Territorial  Governor  (Doty),  between  1839 
and  1813,  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  of 
that  line."  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. 

XORTHERN  HOSPITAL  FOR  THE  I>SA\E, 
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,  W.  R.  Brown,  M.  L. 
Joslyn,  D.  S.  Hammond  and  William  Adams. 
After  considering  many  offers  and  examining 
numerous  sites,  the  Commissioners  finally  selected 
the  Chisholm  farm,  consisting  of  about  155  acres, 
IM  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,  1873,  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  had  exceeded  8637,000,  and  since  that  date 
liberal  appropriations  have  been  made  for  addi- 
tions,  repairs  and  improvements,   including  the 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF    ILLINOIS. 


403 


addition  of  between  300  and  400  acres  to  tlie  lauds 
connected  with  the  institution  The  first  Board 
of  Trustees  consisted  of  Charles  X.  Holden, 
Oliver  Everett  and  Henry  W.  Sherman,  with  Dr. 
E.  A.  Kilbourne  as  the  first  Superintendent,  and 
D.r.  Richard  A.  Dewey  (afterwards  Superintend- 
ent of  the  Eastern  Ho-spital  at  Kankakee)  as  his 
Assistant.  Dr.  Kilbourne  remained  at  the  head 
of  the  institution  until  Iiis  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  Jlarine  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 
$882,745. 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,  Whi;,eside  and  Winne- 
bago. 

NORTHERN  ILLINOIS  NORMAL  SCHOOL, 
an  institution,  incorporated  in  1884,  at  Dixon,  Lee 
County,  111.,  for  the  purpo.se  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  §200,000,  of 
which  .$160,000  was  in  real  estate  and  545,000  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,  T!IE,  an  insti- 
tution for  the  confinement  of  criminals  of  the 
State,  located  at  Joliet,  Will  County.  The  site 
was  purchased  by  the  State  in  1837,  and  com- 
prises some  seventy-two  acres.  Its  erection  was 
found  necessary  because  of  the  inadequacy  of  the 
first  penitentiary,  at  Alton.  (See  Alton  Pent- 
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  the  institution  the  sum  of  §934,- 
000,  and  its  capacity  was  taxed  to  the  utmost. 
Subsequent  enlargements  have  increased  the 
cost  to  over  81,600,000,  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.  The  system  of  labor  has  varied  at  differ- 
ent times,  the  "lessee  system,"  the  "contract 
s3-stem''  and  the  "State  accoimt  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  .§2,121,308.86,  of  which  §1,644,- 
601.11  was  in  real  estate. 

NORTH  &  SOUTH  RAILROAD.  (See  St. 
Lonis.  Peoria  <£•  Northern  Raiheay.) 

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  tlie  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.  Ell  wood,  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  I^Iississippi,  comprising  the  present  States 
of  Ohio,  Indiana,  Illinois,  Michigan  and  Wiscon- 
sin. The  claim  of  the  Government  to  the  land 
had  been  acquired  partly  through  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  by  Thomas  Jefferson, 
in  his  proposed  Ordinance  of  1784,  which  failed 


404 


HISTORICAL   EXC'YCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLIXOI> 


of  ultimate  passage.  But  three  years  later  a 
broader  scheme  was  evolved,  and  the  famous 
Ordinance  of  1T87,  with  its  clause  prohibiting  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 
much  power  was  not  granted  to  the  residents. 
All  the  officers  were  appointive,  and  each  official 
was  required  to  be  a  land-owner.  The  elective 
franchise  (but  only  for  members  of  the  General 
Assembly)  could  first  be  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  liberal  provisions, 
however,  were  subsequently  incorporated  by 
amendment,  in  1809.  The  first  civil  government 
in  the  Northwest  Territory  was  established  by  act 
of  the  Vii-ginia  Legislature,  in  the  organization 
of  all  the  country  west  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  1TS3.  After  that  the 
Illinois  Country  was  almost  without  the  semblance 
of  an  organized  civil  government,  until  1788, 
■when  Gen.  Arthur  St.  Clair  was  appointed  the 
first  Governor  of  Northwest  Territory,  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  Tazewell,  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  IlUnois  County;  St  Clair,  Arthur; 
and  Todd,  John.) 

XOKTHWESTERJf  COLLEGE,  located  at 
Naperville,  Du  Page  County,  and  founded  in 
18G5,  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 
S8o,000. 

>ORTHWESTER>  GRAXD  TRUXK  RAIL- 
WAY.    (See  Chicago  &  Grand  Trunk  Puiiltcay.) 

XORTHWESTERX  XORMAL,  located  at  Gen'e- 
seo,  Henry  County,  lU.,  incorporated  in  1884;  in 
1894  had  a  faculty  of  twelve  teachers  with  171 
pupils,  of  whom  ninety  were  male  and  eighty-one 
female. 

NORTHWESTERN  UMYERSITY,  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  faculty  of  234  instructors. 
It  embraces  the  following  departments,  all  of 
which  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  ilethodist  Episcopal  Church,  and  the 
University  is  the  largest  and  wealthiest  of  the 
schools  controlled  by  that  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  Arts  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  originallj- the  Union  Col- 
lege of  Law,  both  of  which  have  been  absorbed 
bj-  the  University,  as  have  also  its  schools  of 
dentistry  and  pharmacy,  which  were  formerly 
independent  institutions.  The  property  owned  by 
the  University  is  valued  at  §4,870.000,  of  which 
§1,100,000  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 
§482,389.     Co-education  of  the  sexes  pre- 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


405 


vails  in  the  College  of  Liberal  Arts.     Dr.  Henry 
Wade  Rogers  is  President. 

NORTHWESTERN  UMVERSITY  MEDICAL 
SCHOOL,  located  in  Chicago ;  was  organized  in 
1859  as  Medical  School  of  the  Lind  (now  Lake 
Forest)  University.  Three  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,  1859,  with  thirteen  professors 
and  thirty-three  students.  By  1863  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  Jledical  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  Dispensar\'  afford. resources  for  clinical 
instruction.  The  teaching  faculty,  as  constituted 
in  1898,  consists  of  about  fifty  instructors,  in- 
cluding professors,  lecturers,  demonstrators,  and 
assistants. 

NORTHWESTERX  UXIVERSITT  WOMAN'S 
MEDICAL  SCHOOL,  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  rejiugnant  to 
the  male  students,  wlio  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 profe.ssors.  The  requirements  for  graduation 
were  fixed  mt  four  years  of  medical  study,  includ- 


ing three  annual  graded  college  terms  of  six 
months  each.  The  first  term  opened  in  the 
autumn  of  1870,  with  an  attendance  of  twenty 
students.  The  original  location  of  tlie  school 
was  in  the  "North  Division"  of  Chicago,  in  tem- 
porary quarters.  After  the  fire  of  1871  a  removal 
was  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  tlie  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  25, 
1813,  and  graduated  from  Williams  College  in 
1835.  He  settled  at  JoUet  in  1839,  and  soon 
became  prominent  in  the  affairs  of  Will  County. 
His  first  public  ofBce  was  that  of  City  Attorney, 
after  which  he  served  as  County  Judge  (1846-50). 
Meanwhile,  he  was  chosen  a  Delegate  to  the  Con- 
stitutional Convention  of  1847.  In  1850  he  was 
elected  to  the  Legislature,  and,  in  1853,  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  1854.  At 
the  expiration  of  his  second  term  (1857)  he  was 
chosen  Judge  of  the  eleventh  circuit,  to  fill  the 
unexpired  term  of  Judge  Randall,  resigned.  He 
was  once  more  elected  to  Congress  in  1862,  but 
disagreed  with  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  ofRce  he  filled 
until  1869.  Immediately  upon  his  retirement  he 
began  private  jsractice  at  Chicago,  where  he  died, 
Au.gust  3,  1875. 

NORWOOD  PARK,  a  village  of  Cook  County, 
on  the  Chicago  &  Northwestern  Railroad  (Wis- 
con.sin  Division),  11  miles  northwest  of  Chicago. 
Incorporated  in  City  of  Chicago,  1893. 

NOTES,  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  New  York,  and, 
having  graduated  in  1858,  was  ordained  the  same 
year,  and  installed  pastor  of  the  First  Presby- 
terian Church  at  Laporte,  Ind.    Here  he  remained 


40 1 ; 


HISTORICAL    EXCYCLOPEDIA    OF    ILLINOIS. 


ten  years,  when  he  accepted  a  call  to  the  First 
Presbyterian  Church  of  Evaustoii,  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  mind  was  illustrated  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  Presbytery  —  his  argument  on  that 
occasion  winning  encomiums  from  all  classes  of 
people.  His  death  took  place  at  Evanston,  Jan. 
14,  1889,  as  the  result  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  addresses  in  commemoration 
of  his  services  were  delivered  by  some  dozen 
ministers  of  that  village  and  of  Chicago,  %vhile 
various  social  and  literary  organizations  and  the 
press  bore  testimony  to  his  high  character.  He 
was  a  member  of  the  Literary  Society  of  Chicago, 
and,  during  the  last  year  of  his  life,  served  as  its 
President.  Dr.  Noyes  was  married,  in  18.58,  to  a 
daughter  of  David  A.  Smith,  Esq.,  an  honored 
citizen  and  able  lawyer  of  Jacksonville. 

OAKLAND,  a  city  of  Coles  County  on  the  Van- 
dalia  Line  and  the  Toledo,  St.  Louis  &  Western 
Railroad,  15  miles  northeast  of  Charleston;  is  in 
grain  center  and  broom-corn  belt ;  the  town  has 
two  banks  and  one  daily  and  two  weekly  papers. 
Pop.   (1890),  905  ;(1900),  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  Railroad,  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  offices,  banks  and  two  local  papers. 
Population  (1880),  1,888;  (1890),  4,771. 

OBERLT,  John  H.,  journalist  and  Civil  Serv- 
ice Commissioner,  was  born  in  Cincinnati, 
Ohio,  Dec.  6,  1837;  spent  part  of  his  boyhood  in 
Allegheny  County,  Pa.,  but,  in  1853,  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  study 
of  law,  but,  in  18G0,  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 
Memphis  on  account  of  his  LTnion  principles 
after  the  beginning  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 
by  Governor  Cullom  the  Democratic  member  of 
the  Railroad  and  Warehouse  Commission,  serving 
four  years,  meanwhile  (in  1880)  being  the  Demo- 
cratic candidate  for  Secretary  of  State.  Other 
positions  held  by  liim  included  Jlayor  of  the  city 
of  Cairo  (1869);  President  of  the  National  Typo- 
graphical Union  at  Chicago  (1865),  and  at  Mem- 
phis (1866);  delegate  to  the  Democratic  National 
Convention  at  Baltimore  (1872),  and  Chairman  of 
the  Democratic  State  Central  Committee 
(1883-84).  After  retiring  from  the  Railroad  and 
Warehouse  Commission,  he  united  in  founding 
"The  Bloomington  (111.)  Bulletin,"  of  which  he 
was  editor  some  three  years.  During  President 
Cleveland's  administration  he  was  appointed  a 
member  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,  1S99. 

ODD  FELLO'O'S.  "Western  Star"  Lodge,  No. 
1,  I.  0.  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  Encampment, 
at  Peoria,  in  1850,  with  Charles  II.  Constable 
Grand  Patriarch.  In  1850  the  subordinate  branches 
of  the  Order  numbered  seventy-six,  with  3, 291 
members,  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 


IIISTOIUCAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF    ILLINOIS. 


407 


was  expended  for  relief.  The  Encampment 
branch,  in  1895,  embraced  179  organizations  witli 
a  membership  of  6,812  and  §23,865.2.5  revenue,  of 
which  $6,781.40  was  paid  out  for  relief.  The 
Eebekah  branch,  for  the  same  year,  comprised  423 
Lodges,  with  22,000  members  and  843.215.65 
revenue,  of  which  83,133.79  was  for  relief.  The 
total  sum  distributed  for  relief  b}-  the  several 
organizations  (1895)  was  §144, 972.. 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' 
Oi-jjhan^'  Home.) 

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  836,524.76,  exclusive  of 
forty  acres  of  land  valued  at  .88,000. 

ODELL,  a  village  of  Livingston  County,  and 
station  on  the  Chicago  &  Alton  Railway,  83 
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  Marion  County,  at  the  cross- 
ing of  the  Chicago  branch  of  the  Illinois  Central 
and  the  Baltimore  &  Ohio  Southwestern  Rail- 
ways, 2-14  miles  south  by  west  from  Chicago;  in 
fruit  belt;  has  coal-mine,  two  fruit  evaporators, 
bank  and  a  newspaper.     Pop.  (1900),  1,180. 

O'FALLOX,  a  village  of  St.  Clair  County,  on 
the  Baltimore  &  Ohio  Southwestern  Railway,  18 
miles  east  of  St.  Louis;  has  interurbau  raihvay, 
electric  lights,  water-works,  factories,  coal-mine, 
bank  and  a  newspaper.     Pop.  (1900),  1,367. 

OGDEX,  William  Butler,  capitalist  and  Rail- 
way President,  born  at  AValton,  N.  Y. ,  June  15, 
1805.  He  was  a  member  of  the  New  York  Legis- 
lature in  1834,  and,  the  following  j'ear,  removed 
to  Chicago,  wliere  he  established  a  land  and  trust 
agency.  He  took  an  active  part  in  the  various 
entei-prises  centering  around  Chicago,  and,  on 
the  incorporation  of  the  city,, was  elected  its  first 
Mayor.  He  was  prominently  ideati.leJ  with  tlie 
construction  of  the  Galena  &  Cliica^o  Union 
Railroad,  and,  in  1S47,  bocanio  its  President. 
While  visiting  Em-ope  in  1G53,  he  made  a  careful 
study  of  the  canals  of  Holland,  wliich  convinced 
him  of  the  desirability  of  widening  and  deepen- 
ing the  Illinois  &  Michigan  Canal  and  of  con- 
structing a  ship  canal  across  the  southern 
I  of  Michigan.     In  1855  he  became  Presi- 


dent of  the  Chicago.  St.  Paul  &  Fond  du  Lao 
Railroad,  and  effected  its  consolidation  with  the 
Galena  &  Chicago  Union.  Out  of  this  consoli- 
dation sprang  the  Chicago  &  Northwestern  Rail- 
way Company,  of  which  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  numeroas,  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,  the  Universit^- 
of  Chicago,  the  Astronomical  Society,  and  many 
other  educational  and  benevolent  institutioi;s 
and  organizations  in  the  Northwest.  Died,  in 
New  York  City,  August  3,  1877.  (See  Chicago  cc 
North  western  Ra  ilroad. ) 

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,  1831.  Captain 
Ogle  had  the  reputation  of  being  the  earliest  con- 
vert to  Methodism  in  Illinois.  Ogle  County,  in 
Northern  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  fatlier  in  1785,  and  was  a  "Ranger"  in 
the  War  of  1813.  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  .uetlio- 
dist  and  highly  respected.     Died,  in  1844,  aged  70 

OGLE  COlTJfTY,  next  to  the  "northern  tier"  ot 
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 


40S 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


1839.  In  lOOn  its  area  was  7yu  square  miles,  and 
its  population  29,139.  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  tlie  county  from  north- 
east to  southwest.  A  little  oak  timber  grows 
along  its  banks,  but,  generally  speaking,  the  sur- 
face is  undulating  prairie,  with  soil  of  a  rich 
loam.  Sandstone  is  in  ample  supply,  and  all  the 
limestones  aboimd.  An  extensive  peat-bed  has 
been  discovered  on  the  Killbuck  Creek.  Oregon, 
the  coimty-seat,  has  fine  water-power.  Tlie  other 
principal  towns  are  Rochelle,  Polo,  Forreston  and 
Mount  Morris. 

OGLESBY,  Richard  James,  Governor  and 
United  States  Senator,  was  born  in  Oldham 
County,  Ky.,  July  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  1846  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  last-named  battle.  He 
resigned  his  commission  on  account  of  disability, 
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  he  was  elected 
by  the  Legislature  of  1873.  In  1884  he  was 
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  his  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  political  friends  in  all  parts  of  the  Union, 
who  admired  his  strict  integrity  and  sterling 
patriotism. 

OHIO,  INDIANA    &   WESTERN    RAILWAY. 

(See  Peoria  &  Eastern  Railroad.) 

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 
banks  secured  for  it,  from  the  early  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  Mississippi  at  Cairo,  in  latitude 
37°  N.,  and  about  1.200  miles  above  the  mouth  of 
the  latter  stream.  The  area  which  it  drains  is 
computed  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  lengtli,  except  in  low 
stages  of  water  and  when  closed  bj'  ice  in  winter. 
Its  largest  affluents  are  the  Tennessee,  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,  Louisville,  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 
Inundations,  Remarkable.) 

OHIO  &  MISSISSIPPI  RAILWAY.  (See  Bal- 
timore &  Ohio  Sonthirestern  Railroad.) 

OLNEY,  an  incorporated  city  and  the  county- 
seat  of  Richland  County,  31  miles  west  of  Vin- 
cennes,  Ind.,  and  117  miles  east  of  St.  Louis,  Mo., 
at  the  junction  of  the  Baltimore  &  Ohio  South- 
western and  the  Peoria  Division  of  the  Illinois 
Central  and  the  Ohio  River  Division  of  the  Cin- 
cinnati, Hamilton  &  Dayton  Railroad;  is  in  the 
center  of  the  fruit  belt  and  an  important  shipping 
point  for  farm  produce  and  live-stock;  has  flour 
mills,  a  furniture  factory  and  railroad  repair 
shops,  banks,  a  public  library,  churches  and  live 


HISTORICAL    EXCYCLOPEDIA    OF    ILLINOIS. 


409 


newspapers,  one  issuing  daily  and  anotlier  senii- 
weekl.v  editions.  Population  (1890).  3,831 ;  (1900), 
4,260. 

OMELTESY,  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  1820-22,  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 
1852,  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  1823,  came  to  Southern 
IlHnois,  in  1852,  and  engaged  in  the  practice  of 
law,  being  for  a  time  the  partner  of  Senator 
Thomas  E.  Merritt,  at  Salem.  Early  in  185S  lie 
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  1862,  and  was  named  as  a 
member  of  the  Peace  Commission  pi'oposed  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. 

OXAEGA,  a  town  in  Ii-oquois  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  <Sr  Quincy  Railroad,  12  miles 
nortlieast  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  twent}'  feet  below  the 
surface.     Pop.  (1890),  699;  (1900),  785. 

OQUAWKA,  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  chm-ches,  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 
tlie  Ohio  River,  comprising  the  present  States  of 
Ohio,  Indiana,  Illinois,  Michigan  and  Wisconsin. 
The  first  step  in  this  direction  was  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  3-ears  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  liad  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 
shall  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."  This  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.  Wliile  the  postponement,  in  the  reso- 
lution as  introduced  by  Jefferson,  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 


IIISTOIilCAL    ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF    ILLIXOIS. 


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  constantly  more 
deplorable.  An  appeal  from  the  people  about 
Kaskaskia  for  some  better  form  of  government, 
in  1780,  aided  by  the  influence  of  the  newly 
organized  "Ohio  Company,"  who  desired  to  en- 
courage emigration  to  the  lands  which  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  temporary  self-government  by  the 
people,  its  most  striking  features  are  to  be  found 
in  the  six  "articles" — a  sort  of  "Bill  of  Rights" — 
with  which  the  document  closes.  These  assert: 
(1)  the  right  of  freedom  of  worship  and  religious 
opinion;  (2)  the  right  to  the  benefit  of  habeas 
corjjus  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  United  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  slaveiy  into  the  Northwest  Terri- 
tory, as  proposed  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  importa"t 
and  far-reaching  results — it  seems  remarkable 
that  a  majority  of  the  States  supporting  it  and 
secviring  its  adoption,  were  then,  and  long  con- 
tinued to  be,  slave  States. 

01{K(iOX,  tlie  county-seat  of  Ogle  County, 
situated  on  Rock  River  and  the  Minneapolis 
Urancli  of  the  Chicago,  Burlington  ct  Quincy  RaU- 
roal.  100  miles  west  froni  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  weUs,  cereal  mill,  and  two  weekly  news- 
papers; has  also  obtained  some  repute  as  a  summer 
resort.  Pop. (1880),  1,088;  (1800),  1,506;  (li)00),1..577. 

ORION,  a  village  of  Henry  County,  at  the  inter- 
■section  of  the  Rock  Island  Division  of  the  Chicago 
Burlington  &  Quincy  and  the  Chicago,  Rock 
Island  it  Pacific  Railways,  19  miles  southeast  of 
Rock  Island.     Pop.  (1890),  624;  (1900),  584. 

OSBORN,  AVilUam  Henry,  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  house  of  Peele,  Hubbell  &  Co.  ;  was  subse- 
quently sent  to  represent  the  firm  at  Manila, 
finally  engaging  in  business  on  liis  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,  1805),  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. 

OSBORN,'  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  "Yates 
Phalanx,"  which,  after  some  delay  on  account  of 
the  quota  being  full,  was  r.iustcrcJ  izto  ilie  serv- 
ice, in  August,  ISCl,  as  the  TLirty-nintli  Illinois 
Volunteers,  the  subject  of  this  slietch  being  com- 
missioned its  Lieutenant-Colonel.  His  promotion 
to  the  colonelcy  soon  foUovs-ed,  the  regiment 
being  sent  east  to  guard  the  Ealtimore  &  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 


niSTOEICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OP   ILLINOIS. 


411 


wounded,  losing  the  use  of  his  riglit  arm.  He 
bore  a  conspicuous  part  in  the  operations  about 
Eichmond  which  resulted  in  the  capture  of  the 
rebel  capital,  his  services  being  recognized  by 
promotion  to  the  brevet  rank  of  JIajor-General. 
At  the  close  of  the  war  he  returned  to  the  prac- 
tice of  law  in  Chicago,  but,  in  18T4.  was  appointed 
Consul-General  and  Minister-Resident  to  the 
Argentine  Republic,  remaining  in  that  position 
until  June,  1885,  when  he  resigned,  resuming  his 
residence  in  Chicago. 

OSWEGO,  a  village  in  Kendall  Count}-,  on  the 
Aurora  and  Streator  branch  of  the  Chicago,  Bur- 
lington &  Quincy  Railway,  6  miles  south  of 
Aurora.     Population  (1890),  641;  (1900),  618. 

OTTAWA,  the  county-seat  and  principal  citj' 
of  La  Salle  County,  being  incorporated  as  a  vil- 
lage in  1838,  and,  as  a  city,  in  18.53.  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  &  Quincy,  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  harness  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  which  (South  Park)  contains 
a  medicinal  spring.  There  are  a  dozen  cliurches 
and  numerous  public  school  buildings,  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. 
(1890),  9.985;  (1900),  10,588. 

OTT.VWA,  CHICAGO  &  FOX  EITER  VALLEY 
TAiLROAD.  (See  Chiccirjo.  BurUngton  C-  Quincij 
Bailroad.) 

OUTAGAMIES,  a  name  given,  by  tho  French, 
to  the  Indian  tribe  known  as  the  Foxes.  (See 
Sacs  and  Foxes. ) 

OWEN,  Thomas  J.  V.,  early  legislator  and 
Indian  Agent,  was  born  in  Kentucky,  April  5, 


1801 ;  came  to  Illinois  at  an  early  daj',  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  "VVolcott,  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,  Gaius,  pioneer,  a  native  of  Massa- 
chusetts, was  born  in  1758;  at  tlie  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,  JIo.  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. 

P.IIXE,  (Gen.)  Eleazer  A.,  soldier,  was  born  in 
Parkman,  Geauga  County,  Ohio,  Sept.  10,  1815; 
graduated  at  West  Point  ililitary  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  Eighteenth  General  Assemblj' 
(1852-53).  Before  leaving  Ohio,  he  had  been 
Deput}^  United  States  Marshal  and  Lieutenant- 
Colonel  of  the  State  Militia,  and,  in  IlUnois, 
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  tlie  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,  1862,  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, 


iU 


iriS'I'OKICAL    EXCYCLOPEDIA    OF    ILLIXOIS. 


1880.  A  sturd}-  Union  man,  he  nerformeil  bis 
duty  as  a  soldier  with  great  zeal  and  efficiency. 

PALATINE,  a  village  of  Cook  County,  on  the 
Wisconsin  Division  of  the  Chicago  &  Xorthtvest- 
ern  Railroad,  26  miles  northwest  from  Chicago. 
There  are  flour  and  jilaning  mills  here ;  dairying 
and  farming  are  leading  industries  of  the  sur- 
rounding country.  Population  (1880),  731;  (1890), 
801;  (l'.)iXI),  1.020. 

P.\.LESTINE,  a  town  in  Crawford  County,  about 
2  miles  from  tlie  AVabash  River,  7  miles  east  of 
Robinson,  and  3o  miles  southwest  of  Terre  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  :Manchester, 
Dearborn  County,  Ind.,  Oct.  11,  1827;  learned  the 
printer's  trade  at  Jamestown,  N.  Y.,  afterwards 
edited  "The  Jamestown  Journal,"'  and  served 
two  terms  in  the  New  York  Legislature ;  in  1858 
removed  to  Dubuque,  Iowa,  and  edited  "The 
Dubuque  Times,"  was  elected  to  Congress  in  1860, 
and  again  in  1868  and  1872,  meanwhile  having 
purchased  "The  Des  Moines  Register,"  which  he 
edited  for  several  years.  In  1873  he  removed  to 
Chicago  and  became  editor  of  "The  Inter  Ocean," 
remaining  two  years;  iu  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  Prt-siilent  IMcKinley  in  1897. 

PALM  EI!,  John  Mc.liiley,  lawyer,  soldier  and 
United  Stuti-s  Senator,  was  born  in  Scott  Countj', 
Ky.,  Sept.  13.  1817;  removed  with  his  father  to 
Madison  County,  111.,  in  1831,  and.  four  years 
later,  entered  Shurtletf  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  IMacoupin  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  18r)2,  and  re-elected  in  1804,  as 
an  Anti-Nebraska  Democrat,  casting  his  vote  for 
Lyman  Trumbull  for  L'nited  States  Senator  in 
1855,  but  resigned  his  seat  in  1850 ;  was  President 
of  the  first  Repviblican  State  Convention,  held  at 
Bloomington  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  as  Colonel  of  the  Fourteenth  Regiment 
Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry ;  was  promoted  Briga- 
dier General,  in  November,  186],  taking  part  in 
the  campaign  in  Tennessee  up  to  Chickamauga, 
assuming  the  command  of  the  Fourteenth  Army 
Corps  with  the  rank  of  Major-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  United  States  Senator,  and  was  their 
nominee  for  Governor  in  1888.  but  defeated.  In 
1890  he  was  nominated  for  United  States  Senator 
by  the  Democratic  State  Convention  and  elected 
in  joint  se.ssion  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. 

PALMER,  Potter,  merchant  and  capitalist, 
was  born  in  Albany  County,  N.  Y.,  in  1825; 
received  an  English  education  and  became  a 
junior  clerk  in  a  countrj^  store  at  Durham, 
Greene  County,  in  that  State,  three  j^ears  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.  Palmer 
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.  S)ie  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  4'3  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),  .5,077;  (1900),  .=...530. 

PANA,  SPRINGFIELD  &  NORTHWESTERN 
RAILROAD.  (See  Baltimore  dt  Ohio  South- 
western 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  banks,  three  daily 
and  four  weekly  newspapers,  a  court  house,  ten 
churches,  and  graded  schools.  Pop.  (1890),  4,996; 
(1900),  6,105. 

PARIS  &  DECATUR  RAILROAD.  (See  Tcrre 
Haute  &  Peoria  Railroad.) 

PARIS  &  TERRE  HAUTE  RAILROAD.  (See 
Terre  Haute  &  Peoria  Railroad. ) 

PARKS,  (iavlon  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  1842.  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  1853,  became 
a  Republican  and  served  on  the  first  Republican 
State  Central  Committee  (1856);  the  same  year 
was  elected  to  the  State  Senate,  and  was  a 
Commissioner  of  the  State  Penitentiary  in  1864. 
In  1873  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  offi- 
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),  457;  (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 


414 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


wound  received  av  Chickamauga.  He  was  pro- 
moted successively  to  Sergeant,  Sergeant-ilajur, 
and  commissioned  Second  Lieutenant  of  his  old 
company,  of  wliich  his  father  was  First  Lieuten- 
ant for  six  months  and  until  forced  to  resign  on 
account  of  impaired  health.  Receiving  his  final 
discharge.  June  28,  I860,  he  returned  to  the  farm, 
where  he  remained  until  1869,  in  the  meantime 
being  married  to  Miss  Jennie  E.  Earle,  in  1866, 
and  teaching  school  one  winter.  In  1869  he  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  brother,  H.  E.  Partridge.  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  the  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  lie 
was  called  to  the  service  of  the  Republican  State 
Central  Committee  (of  which  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  tlie  late  William 
J.  Campbell,  then  the  Illinois  member  of  the 
Republican  National  Committee,  and  was  en- 
trusted by  him  with  many  important  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  brilliant  success 
achieved  by  the  party  in  the  campaign  of  that 
year.  From  1893  to  1895  he  served  as  Mayor  of 
Waukegan ;  in  1896  became  Assistant  Adjutant- 
General  of  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic  for 
the  Department  of  Illinois — a  position  which  he 
held  in  1889  under  Commander  James  S.  Martin, 
and  to  which  he  has  been  re-appointed  by  succes- 
sive Department  Commanders  up  to  the  present 
time.  3Ir.  Partridge's  service  in  the  various 
public  positions  lield  by  liim,  has  given  him  an 
acquaintance  extending  to  every  county  in  the 
State. 

PAT0K.4.,   a  village  of  :Marion  County,  on  the 
Western  branch  of  the  Illinois  Central  Railway, 


l.j  miles  south  of  Vandalia.  There  are  flour  and 
saw  mills  here ;  the  surrounding  country  is  agri- 
cultural.    Population  (1890),  502:  (1900).' 640. 

PATTERSON,  Robert  Wilson,  D.D.,  LL.D., 
clergyman,  was  born  in  Blount  County,  Tenn., 
Jan.  21,  1814;  came  to  Bond  County,  111.,  with 
his  parents  in  1822,  his  father  dying  two  years 
later;  at  18  had  had  only  nine  months"  schooling, 
but  graduated  at  Illinois  College  in  1837 ;  spent  a 
year  at  Lane  Theological  Seminary,  another  as 
tutor  in  Illinois  College,  and  then,  after  two  years 
more  at  Lane  Seminary  and  preaching  in  Chicago 
and  at  Monroe,  Mich.,  in  1842  established  the 
Second  Presbyterian  Cliurch  of  Chicago,  of  which 
he  remained  the  pastor  over  thirty  years.  In 
1850  he  received  a  call  to  the  chair  of  Didactic 
Theology  at  Lane  Seminar}-,  as  successor  to  Dr. 
Lyman  Beecher,  but  it  was  declined,  as  was  a 
similar  call  ten  years  later.  Resigning  his  pastor- 
ship in  1873,  he  was.  for  several  years.  Professor  of 
Christian  Evidences  and  Ethics  in  the  Theological 
Seminary  of  the  Xorthwest ;  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  Theological  Seminary.  He 
received  the  degree  of  D.D.  from  Hamilton  Col- 
lege, N.  Y.,  in  18.54,  that  of  LL.D.  from  Lake 
Forest  University,  and  was  Moderator  of  the 
Presbyterian  General  Assembly  (N.  S.)at  Wil- 
mington, Del.,  in  1859.  Died,  at  Evanston,  111., 
Feb.  2-t,  1894. 

PAVEY,  Charles  W.,  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  August,  1862,  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  captm-ed,  was  confined  in  Libby 
Prison,  at  Salisbury,  N.  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 Rousseau,  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  appointed  by  President  Arthiu-  Collector 
of  Internal  Revenue  for  the  Southern  District, 
and.  in  1888,  was  nominated  and  elected  State 
Auditor  on  the  Republican  ticket,   but  was  de- 


IIISToPlICAL    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 
raib'oad  strike  of  1877.  In  1897  he  received  from 
President  JIcKinley  the  appointment  of  Special 
Agent  of  the  Treasury  Department.  His  home 
is  at  ]\Iount  Vernon,  Jefferson  County. 

PAWNEE,  a  village  of  Sangamon  County,  at 
the  eastern  terminus  of  the  Auburn  &  Pawnee 
Eailroad,  19  miles  south  of  Springfield.  The  town 
has  a  bank  and  a  weekly  paper.  Population  ( 1900), 
595;  (1903,  est.),  1,000. 

PAWNEE  RAILROAD,  a  short  line  in  Sanga- 
mon County,  extending  from  Pawnee  to  Auburn 
(9  miles),  where  it  forms  a  junction  with  the 
Chicago  &  Alton  Eailroad.  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  (1805),  $50,000. 

PAW  PAW,  a  village  of  Lee  County,  at  the 
junction  of  two  branches  of  the  Chicago.  Bur- 
lington &  Quincy  Railway,  8  miles  northweist  of 
Earlville.  The  town  is  in  a  farming  region,  but 
has  a  bank  and  one  weekly  paper.  Population 
(1890),  635;  (1900),  765. 

PAXTOX,  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  clmrches,  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  Coimty,  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. 

PATSON,  Lewis  E.,  lawyer  and  ex-Congress- 
man, was  born  at  Providence,  R.  I.,  Sept.  17, 
1840;  came  to  Illinois  at  the  age  of  13,  and.  after 
passing  through  the  common  schools,  attended 


Lombard  University,  at  Galesburg,  for  two  years. 
He  was  admitted  to  the  bar  at  Ottawa  in  1862, 
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 
retiriiiL;  from  Congress  he  has  practiced  his  pro- 
fessiim  in  Wasliington,  D.  C. 

PEABODT,  Selim  Hobart,  educator,  was  bom 
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  three  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  Jlassachusetts  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.  Dming  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;  (WOO),  722. 

PEARSON,  Isaac  N.,  ex-Secretary  of  State,  was 
born  at  Centreville,  Pa.,  July  27,  1842;  removed 
to  Macomb,  McDonough  County,  111.,  in  1858,  and 
has  ever  since  resided  there.  In  1873  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  Assembly,  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. 


416 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF    ILLINOIS. 


V)ut  was  defeated,  although,  next  to  Governor 
Fil'er.  lie  received  the  largest  vote  cast  for  any 
candidate  for  a  jxilitical  office  on  the  Republican 
Stale  ticket. 

PEARSO>',  John  M.,  ex-Railway  and  "Ware- 
house Commissioner,  born  at  Newburyport, 
Mass.,  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  member  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  re-elected,  successively,  in  1880  and  '83.  He 
was  appointed  a  member  of  the  first  Board  of 
Live-stock  Commissioners  in  1885,  serving  until 
1893,  for  a  considerable  portion  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. 

PEARSOXS,  Daniel  K.,  M.D.,  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.  He  then  studied  medicine, 
and,  after  practicing  a  short  time  in  bis  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  tunber 
lands  in  Michigan,  is  a  Du-ector  in  the  Chicago 
City  Railway  Company  and  American  Exchange 
Bank,  besides  being  interested  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,  ].U  gifts  to  colleges,  in 
ditferent  parts  of  the  country,  aggregating  over  a 
million  dollars. 

PECATOMCA,atown  in  Pecatonica  Township, 
Winnebago  County,  on  the  Pecatonica  River.  It 
is  on  the  Cliicago  &  Northwe.'-terri  Railuay,  mid- 
way beween  Freeport  and  Rockford,  being  14 
miles  from  eacli.  It  contains  a  caniage  factory, 
machine  .shop,  condensed  milk  factory,  a  bank, 
six  churches,  a  graded  school,  and  a  weekly  news- 
paper.     Pop.  (ISi)O).  1,059;  (1900),  1,045. 

PECATOXICA  PiIVEP,,  a  stream  formed  by  the 
confluence  of  two  branches,  both  of  wluch  rise 
in  Iowa  County,  Wis.     They  unite  a  little  north 


of  the  Illinois  State  line,  whence  the  river  rims 
southeast  to  Freeport,  then  east  and  northeast, 
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  born  in 
Portland,  Maine,  May  23,  1805;  received  an  aca- 
demical education,  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  the  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  the  Constitutional  Convention  of 
1809-70.  Mr.  Peck  was  an  intimate  personal 
friend  of  Abraham  Lincoln,  by  whom  he  was 
appointed  a  member  of  the  Com-t  of  Claims,  at 
Washington,  serving  until  1875.  Died,  May  25, 
1881. 

PECK,  Ferdinand  Wythe,  lawyer  and  finan- 
cier, was  born  in  Chicago,  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  Union  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  having  died  in 
1871,  the  responsibility  of  caring  for  a  large 
estate  devolved  upon  him  and  has  since  occupied 
his  time,  though  he  has  gi^•en  much  attention  to 
the  amelioration  of  the  condition  of  the  poor  of 
his  native  city,  and  works  of  practical  benevo- 
lence and  public  interest.  He  is  one  of  the 
founders  of  the  Illinois  Humane  Society,  has  been 
President  and  a  member  of  tlie  Board  of  Control 
of  the  Chicago  Atheneeum,  member  of  the  Board 
of  Education,  President  of  the  Chicago  Union 
League,  and  was  an  influential  factor  in  securing 
the  success  of  the  World's  Columbian  Exposition 
at  Chicago,  in  1893,  serving  as  First  Vice-Presi- 
dent of  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  been  connected  with  several 
important  building  enterprises  of  a  semi-public 
cliaracter,  which  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    EXCYCLOPEDIA    OF    ILLINOIS. 


417 


sition  at  Paris  of  1000,  as  successor  to  the  late 
ilaj.  il.  P.  Handy,  aud  the  success  which  lias 
followed  his  discharge  of  the  duties  of  that 
position,  has  demonstrated  the  fitness  of  his 
selection. 

PECK,  George  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  Thirty- 
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  years  there  as  a 
student.  Clerk  of  the  Circuit  Com-t  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  189.5  he  resigned  his  position  with  the 
Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  Railroad  to  accept 
a  similar  position  with  the  Chicago,  Milwaukee 
&  St.  Paul  Railway  Company,  which  (1898)  he 
still  holds.  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  also  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  Count}',  N.  Y.,  in  1811,  %vhere 
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  church  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  183C, 
he  established  the  Rock  Spring  Seminary  for  the 
education  of  teachers  and  ministers.  Out  of  this 
grew  Shurtlefl  College,  founded  at  Upper  Alton 
in  183.5,  in  securing  the  endowment  of  which  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 instiliuidii  at  Covington,  Ky.,  and,  for  two 
yiai-i  r.ill(.\\  iii^;,  was  Corre.sponding  Secretary  and 
Finanrial  ,\i;('iitof  the  American  Baptist  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,  unfiag- 
ging  industry  and  thoroughly  upright  in  conduct, 
for  a  period  of  a  quarter  of  a  century,  in  the  early 
history  of  the  State,  probablj'  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.  Though  giving 
his  attention  so  constantly  to  preaching  and 
teaching,  he  found  time  to  write  mucli,  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'' (1831),  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,  which 
were  unfortunately  destroyed  by  fire  a  few  years 
before  his  death.  In  1853  he  received  the  degree 
of  D.  D.  from  Harvard  University.  Died,  at  Rock 
Spring,  St.  Clair  County,  March  1.5.  18.58. 

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  bj' 
indorsing  for  a  friend.  After  some  years  spent 
in  a  mercantile  house  in  New  York,  he  came  to 
Chicago  on  a  prospecting  torn-,  in  1830;  the  fol- 
lowing year  brought  a  stock  of  goods  to  the 
embryo  emporium  of  the  Northwest — then  a  small 
backwoods  hamlet — and,  by  trade  and  fortunate 
investments  in  real  estate,  laid  the  foundation  of 
what  afterwards  became  a  large  fortune.  He 
died,  Oct.  33,  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 
sufferer  pecuniarily.  Three  of  his  sons,  Walter  L. , 
Clarence  I.  and  Ferdinand  W.  Peck,  are  among 
Chica.go's  most  substantial  citizens. 

PEKIN,  a  flourishing  city,  the  coanty-seat  of 
Tazewell  County,  and  an  important  railway  cen- 
ter, located  on  the  IlUnois  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 


IIISTUlilCAL    ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF    ILLINOIS. 


general  shipping  interests.  It  has  several  dis- 
tilleries, besides  grain  elevators,  malt-houses, 
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 ;  (1900), 
8,420. 

PEKIN,  LINCOLN  &  DECATUR  RAILROAD. 
(See  Peoria,  Decatur  &■  Evansi-ille  Railway.) 

PELL,  Gilbert  T.,  Representative  in  the  Third 
Illinois  General  Assembly  (1822)  from  Edwards 
Coimty,  and  an  opponent  of  the  resolution  for  a 
State  Convention  adopted  by  the  Legislature  at 
that  session,  designed  to  open  the  door  for  the 
admission  of  slavery.  Mr.  Pell  was  a  son-in-law 
of  Jlorris  Birkbeck,  who  was  one  of  the  leaders 
in  opposition  to  the  Convention  scheme,  and  very 
naturally  sympathized  with  his  father-in-law. 
He  was  elected  to  the  Legislature,  for  a  second 
term,  in  1828,  but  subsequently  left  the  State, 
dying  elsewhere,  when  his  widow  removed  to 
Australia. 

PEXNSTLTANIA  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  by  the 
Pennsylvania  System,  in  1898,  was  1,987.21.  of 
which  only  61.34  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  100  miles 
southwest  of  Chicago,  and  at  the  foot  of  an  expan- 
sion of  the  Illinois  River  known  as  Peoria  Lake. 
The  site  of  the  town  occupies  an  elevated  plateau, 
having  a  water  frontage  of  four  miles  and  extend- 
ing back  to  a  bluff,  which  rises  200  feet  above  the 
river  level  and  about  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  172.5, 
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,  the  pres-, 
ent  site  was  occupied,  at  first  receiving  the  name 
of  "La  Ville  de  Maillet,"  from  a  French  Canadian 
who  resided  in  Peoria,  from  176.5  to  1801  (the  time 
of  his  death),  and  who  commanded  a  company  of 
volunteers  in  the  Revolutionary  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  the  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 
Kaskaskia,  about  a  century  before  American 
occupation  of  this  region.  In  1812  the  town  is 
estimated  to  have  contained  about  seventy  dwell- 
ings, wdth  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  Darnielle,  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  his  own  responsibility.  That  the 
latter's  action  was  utterly  unjustifiable,  there  can 
now  be  little  doubt.  He  alleged,  by  way  of 
excuse,  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  assault,  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  taken  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  they  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  liad  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 
1812,  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.  Hamlin  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  dollars,  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  subm-b  of  Peoria,  on  an  eleva- 
tion commanding  a  magnificent  view  of  the  Illi- 
nois River  valley  for  many  miles,  the  State  has 
located  an  asylum  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  establislrments,  representing 
90  different  branches  of  industry,  with  a  capital 
of  915,072,567  and  an  estimated  annual  product  of 
655,504,523.  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  only  to  those  of  the  New  York 
district.  Population  (1870),  22,849;  (1880),  29,259; 
(1890),  41,  024:  (1900),  56,100. 

PEORIA  COUNTY,  originally  a  part  of  Fulton 
County,  but  cut  off  in  1825.  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  qualif}-  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  Covmty  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  1826.  The  first  court 
house  was  a  log  cabin,  and  the  first  term  of 
the  Circuit  Court  began  Nov.  14,  1825,  John 
York  Sawyer  sitting  on  the  bench,  with  John 
Dixon,  Clerk;  Samuel  Fulton,  Sheriff;  and  John 


420 


HISTORICAL   EXCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


Twiuey,  the  jVttorney-General.  present.  Peoria 
County  is,  at  present,  cue  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 
(wliich  see).  The  area  of  the  county  is  615  square 
miles,  and  its  population  (1880),  55,353;  (1890), 
70,378;  (19C0).  Sti.DOS. 

PEORIA  LAKE,  an  expansion  of  the  Illinois 
River,  forming  the  eastern  boundary  of  Peoria 
County,  which  it  sejiarates  from  tlie  counties  of 
Woodford  and  Tazewell.  It  is  about  20  miles 
long  and  2;4  miles  broad  at  the  widest  part. 

PEORIA,  ATLANTA  &  DECATUR  RAIL- 
ROAD.     (.See  Trnv  Haute  it  Proriu  Railnnul ) 

PEORIA,  DECATUR  &  EVAXSVILLE  RAIL- 
WAY. The  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  Gray  ville.  on  the  Wabash  River — is 
single  track,  unballasted,  and  of  standard  gauge. 
Between  Pekin  and  Peoria  tlie  company  uses  the 
tracks  of  the  Peoria  &  Pekin  Union  Railway,  of 
which  it  is  one-fourth  owner.  Between  Hervey 
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, 
chartei;ed  in  1867,  built  in  1869-71,  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  Raib-oad,  (projected  from 
Decatur  to  Mattoon),  was  incorporated  in  1871, 
completed  from  Mattoon  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  under  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 
d\iring  the  same  year,  the  two  lines  were  con- 


solidated under  the  name  of  the  Peoria.  Decatur 
&  Evansville  Railway  Company.  (3)  The  Gray- 
ville  &  Mattoon  Railroad,  chartered  in  1857,  was 
consolidated  in  1872  with  the  Mount  Vernon  & 
Gray  ville  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  nanae  of 
the  Chicago  &  Illinois  Southern  Railway.  Both 
consolidations,  however,  were  set  aside  bj-  decree 
of  the  United  States  District  Court,  in  1876,  and 
the  partially  graded  road  and  franchises  of  the 
Gray  ville  &  Mattoon  lines  sold,  under  foreclosure, 
to  the  contractors  for  the  construction ;  20  miles 
of  tlie  line  from  Olney  to  Newton,  were  completed 
during  the  month  of  September  of  that  year,  and 
the  entire  line,  from  Grayville  to  Mattoon,  in 
1878.  In  1880  this  line  was  sold,  under  decree  of 
foreclosure,  to  the  Peoria,  Decatur  &  Evansville 
Railway  Company,  which  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  Liberty,  in  1878-81 ;  in  the  latter  year  was 
changed  to  standard  gauge  and  completed,  in 
1883,  from  Sidell  to  Olney  (86  miles).  The  same 
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  franchises  of  the  entire  line  passed  into  the, 
hands  of  receivers  in  1894,  and  are  still  (1898) 
under  their  management. 

PEORIA,  PEKIX  &  JACKSONVILLE  RAIL- 
ROAD. (See  Chicago,  Peoria  d-  St.  Louis  Sail- 
road  of  Tllinoi.'i.) 

PEORIA  &  BUREAU  VALLEY  RAILROAD,  a 
short  line,  46.7  miles  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,  1854,  the  annual 
rental    being    §135,000.     The    par  value    of    the 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF    ILLINOIS. 


421 


capital  stock  is  51,500,000.  Auuual  dividends  of 
8  per  cent  are  guaranteed,  payable  semi-annu- 
ally. (See  Chicago,  Bock  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'/i  miles,  133  of  which  lie  in  Illinois 
— 123  being  owned  by  the  Company.  That  por- 
tion within  this  State  extends  east  from  Pekiu  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  wholly  with 
gravel.  The  capital  stock  is  810,000,000.  In  1895 
it  had  a  bonded  debt  of  §13,603.000  and  a  floating 
debt  of  81,261,130,  making  a  total  capitalization 
of  824,864,130.— (niSTORT.)  The  original  of  this 
corporation  was  the  Danville,  Urbana,  Blooming- 
ton  &  Pekin  Railroad,  which  was  consolidated, 
in  July,  1869,  with  the  Indianapolis,  Crawfords- 
ville  &  Danville  Railroad — the  new  corporation 
taking  the  name  of  the  Indianapolis,  Blooming- 
ton  &  Western — and  was  opened  to  Pekiu  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.  The  next  change 
occurred  in  1881,  when  it  was  consolidated  with 
an  Ohio  corporation  (tlie  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  Cleveland,  Cincinnati,  Chicago  &  St.  Louis 
Railway. ) 

PEORIA  &  HANNIBAL  RAILROAD,  (See 
Chicago.  Burlington  d'  Qninct/  Railroad.) 

PEORIA  &  OiJUAWKA  RAILROAD.  (See 
Chicago.  Burlirii/io)i  d-  nuinoj  Railroad.) 

PEORIA  k  PEKIN  UNION  RAILWAY.  A  line 
connecting  the  cities  of  Peoria  and  Pekin,  wliich 
are  only  8  miles  apart.  It  was  chartered  in  1880, 
and  acquired,  by  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  84,350,987.  Its 
total  capitalization  (1898)  was  84,177,703,  includ- 
ing 81,000,000  in  stock,  and  a  funded  debt  of 
82,904,000.  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  Terre  Haute  &  Peoria  and 
the  Iowa  Central  Railways. 

PEORIA  &  SPRINGFIELD  RAILROAD.  (See 
Chicago.  Peoria  &  St.  Louis  Railroad  of  Illinois.) 

PEOTONE,  a  village  of  Will  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  1670  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  surround- 
ing region  and  "all  the  country  southward  to  the 
.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,  interesting  and  a,ccurate.  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  the  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 


HISTOEICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


although  flat  prairies  occupj'  a  cousiilerable  por- 
tion, interspersed  with  "post-oak  flats."  Limestone 
is  found  in  the  southern,  and  sandstone  in  the 
northern,  sections,  but  the  chief  mineral  wealth 
of  the  countj'  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.  Pincknej'ville,  the  coimty-seat,  has  a 
central  position  and  a  population  of  about  1,300. 
Duquoir  is  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  Springfield.  It  is 
connected  by  street  cars  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  important  trade  center,  and 
has  several  manufacturing  establishments,  includ- 
ing zinc  smelting  works,  rolling  mills,  nickeloid 
factory,  metal  novelty  works,  gas  engine  factory, 
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  located  at  Peru, 
and  one  daily  and  one  weekly  paper.  Population 
(1870),  3,650;  (1880),  4,683;  (1890),  5,550,  (1900), 
6,863. 

PESOTTJM,  a  village  in  Champaign  County,  on 
the  IlUnois  Centi'al  Railroad,  5  miles  south  of 
Tolono.     Population  (1890),  575. 

PETERSBURG,  a  city  of  Menard  County,  and 
the  county-seat,  pn  the  Sangamon  River,  at  the 
intersection  Chicago  &  Alton  with  the  Chicago, 
Peoria  &  St.  Louis  Railway;  23  miles  northwest 
of  Springfield  and  28  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  papers  and  nine  churches. 
Tlie  manufactures  include  woolen  goods,  brick 
and  drain-tile,  bed-springs,  mattresses,  and 
canned  goods.     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  imtil  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,  WilUamson 
County,  111.,  now  stands,  Oct.  28,  1823;  came  to 
St.  Clair  Coimty  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  paymaster  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  associated 
with  the  management  of  "The  Jonesboro  Ga- 
zette," a  Democratic  paper,  which,  during  his  con- 
nection with  it  (some  two  years),  he  made  an 
earnest  opponent  of  the  Kansas-Nebraska  Bill. 
At  the  Anti-Nebraska  Editorial  Convention 
(which  see),  held  at  Decatur,  Feb.  22,  1856,  he 
was  appointed  a  member  of  their  State  Central 
Committee,  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-President  for  his  District,  and  was  nomi- 
nated for  Presidential  Elector  on  the  Fremont 
ticket.  Two  years  later  (1858)  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  1801,  and  re-appointed  in  1865,  but  resigned 
after  Andrew  Johnson's  defection  in  1866.  Dur- 
ing 1862  Mr.  Phillips  became  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  Himdred  and 
Ninth  Regiment  Illinois  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. 


4-23 


for  Congress,  in  the  Springfield  District,  in  oppo- 
sition to  William  M.  Springer,  earlj-  the  following 
year  receiving  the  appointment  of  Postmaster 
for  the  city  of  Springfield  from  President  Hayes. 
Died,  at  Springfield,  June  19,  1880. 

PHILLIPS,  tieorge  S.,  author,  was  born  at 
Peterborough,  England,  in  January,  1816 ;  gradu- 
ated at  Cambridge,  and  came  to  the  United 
States,  engaging  in  journalism.  In  1845  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  1866-68,  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  Svm"  for  several  years.  His 
mind  becoming  impaired,  he  was  placed  in  an 
asylum  at  Trenton,  N.  J.,  finally  dying  at  Jlorris- 
town,  N.  J.,  Jan.  14,  1889.  Mr.  Phillips  was  the 
author  of  several  volumes,  chiefl}-  sketches  of 
travel  and  biography. 

PHILLIPS,  Jesse  J.,  lawyer,  soldier  and 
jurist,  was  born  in  Montgomery  County,  111., 
May  22,  1837.  Shortly  after  graduating  from  tlie 
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,  1864,  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- 
iffer,  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  admission  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  Reynolds,  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,  mxd  Slavery  and  Slave 
Laics.)  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  death  is  unknown. 

PIAXKESHAWS,  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-au-qui-shaws,"  and  the  "Py-an-ke- 
sliaws."  They  were  less  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  150.  Subsequent  to  the 
dispersion  of  this  colony  thej^  (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  ihe  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 
dilSculty  in  securing  their  allegiance  to  the  new 
government  which  he  proclaimed.  In  the  san- 
guinary raids  (usually  followed  bj^  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"  Ijlood,  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  protec- 
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  Territorj'.     (See  also  Miamis:  Weas. ) 

"PIAS.V  BIRD,"  LEtiEXD  OF  THE.  When 
the  French  explorers  first  descended  the  Upper 
Slississippi  River,  they  found  some  remarkable 
figures  depicted  upon  the  face  of  the  bluff,  just 


niSTOKICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


above  tlie  site  of  the  present  city  of  Alton,  which 
excited  tlieir  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,  1673,  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  tlie  boldest  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  liead  and  down  be- 
tween the  legs,  ending  at  last  in  a  fish's  tail. 
Green,  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,  they  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  Jlar- 
quette  himself,  they  are  supposed  to  have  been 
the  work  of  some  prehistoric  race  occupying  the 
country  long  before  the  arrival  of  the  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  immense  numbers 
of  the  inhabitants  by  swooping  down  upon  them 
from  its  abode  upon  the  rocks.  At  last  a  chief  is 
said  to  have  offered  himself  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  Mr.  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  authenticated  fact  that  the  Indians,  when 
passing  the  spot,  were  accustomed  to  discharge 
their  arrows — and,  later,  their  firearms — at  the 
figure  on  the  face  of  the  cliff.  Traces  of  tliis 
celebrated  pictograph  were  visible  as  late  as  1840 
to  1845,  but  have  since  been  entirely  quarried 
away. 

PIATT  COUXTY,  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  tlie  Sangamon  River 
flows  centrally  through  the  county  from  north- 
east to  southwest,  and  several  lines  of  railroad 
afford  transportation  for  its  products.  Its  re- 
sources and  the  occupation  of  the  people  are 
almost  wholly  agricultural,  the  surface  being 
level  prairie  and  the  soil  fertile.  Monticello,  the 
county-seat,  has  a  population  of  about  1,700. 
Other  leading  towns  are  Cerro  Gordo  (939)  and 
Bement  (1,1 '39). 

PICKETT,  Thomas  Johnson,  journalist,  was 
born  in  Louisville,  Ky.,  March  17,  1821;  spent 
six  years  (1830-36)  in  St.  Louis,  when  his  family 
removed  to  Peoria ;  le9,rned  the  printer's  trade  in 
the  latter  city,  and,  in  1840,  began  the  publica- 
tion of  "The  Peoria  News,"  then  sold  out  and 
established  "The  Republican"  (afterwards  "The 
Transcript") ;  was  a  member  of  the  Anti-Nebraska 
Editorial  Convention  held  at  Decatur,  Feb.  22, 
1856,  serving  on  the  Committee  on  Resolutions, 
and  being  appointed  on  the  State  Central  Com- 
mittee, which  called  the  fir.st  Republican  State 
Convention,  held  at  Bloomington,  in  May  follow- 
ing, and  was  there  appointed  a  delegate  to  the 
National  Convention  at  Philadelpliia,  which 
nominated  General  Fremont  for  President. 
Later,  he  published  papers  at  Pekin  and  Rock 
Island,  at  tlie  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,  Ivy., 
published  a  paper  there  called  "The  Federal 
Union."  was  appointed  Postmaster,  and,  later. 
Clerk  of  the  United  States  District  Court,  and 


HISTOEICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


4-25 


was  the  Republican  nominee  for  Congress,  in  that 
District,  in  1874.  Removing  to  Nebraska  in  1879, 
he  at  different  times  conducted  several  papers  in 
that  State,  residing  for  the  most  part  at  Lincoln. 
Died,  at  Ashland.  Neb.,  Dec.  24,  1891. 

PIERSON,  David,  pioneer  banker,  was  born  at 
Cazenovia,  N.  Y.,  July  9,1806;  at  the  age  of  13 
removed  west  with  his  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  County,  in  1821.  Here 
they  opened  a  farm,  but,  in  1827,  Mr.  Pierson 
went  to  the  lead  mines  at  Galena,  where  he  re- 
mained a  year,  then  returning  to  Carrollton.  In 
1834,  having  sold  his  farm,  he  began  merchandis- 
ing, still  later  being  engaged  in  the  pork  and 
grain  trade  at  Alton.  In  1854  he  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  Freed  men  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  Assenibh'  (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  southwest  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  again.st  Thomas 
Carlin  (afterwards  Governor) ;  removed  to  St. 
Louis,  in  18.58,  and  died  there  in  1874. 

PIKE  COUJfTT,  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  1830,  and,  in  1821,  the  county  was  organ- 
ized, at  first  embracing  all  the  country  north  and 


west  of  the  Illinois  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  county-seat,  but  the  seat  of 
justice  was  removed,  in  1824,  to  Atlas,  and  to 
Pittsfield  in  1833.  The  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;  (ISOO),  31,59.5. 

PILLSBURY,  Nathaniel  Joy,  lawyer  and 
judge,  was  born  in  York  County,  Maine,  Oct.  21, 
1834;  in  1855  removed  to  lUinois,  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  1809-70,  and,  in 
1873,  was  elected  to  the  bench  of  the  Thirteenth 
Judicial  Circuit.  He  was  re-elected  in  1879  and 
again  in  1885.  He  was  assigned  to  the  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  re-election  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  &  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 
new.spapers,  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  Chicago.  St.  Louis  & 
Pittsburg,  the  Cincinnati  &  Richmond  and  the 
Jeffersonville,  Madison  &  Indianapolis  Railroads. 
The  Pennsylvania  Railroad  Company  controls 
the  entire  line  through  ownership  of  stock. 
Capital  stock  outstanding,  in    1898,    §47,791,601; 


i20 


IIISTOKICAL    ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF    ILLINOIS. 


funded  ilelit,  SiS. 433,000;  floating  debt,  82,214.703 
—total  capital  S98,500,.584.  —  (History.)  The 
Chicago,  St.  Louis  &  Pittsburg  Railroad,  em- 
bracing the  Illinois  division  of  this  line,  was  made 
up  of  various  corporations  organized  under  the 
laws  of  Illinois  and  Indiana.  One  of  its  compo- 
nent parts  was  the  Chicago  &  Great  Eastern 
Railway,  organized,  in  186."),  by  consolidation  of 
the  Galena  &  Illinois  River  Railroad  (chartered 
in  18.57),  the  Chicago  &  Great  Eastern  Railway 
of  Indiana,  the  Cincinnati  &  Chicago  Air-Line 
(organized  18G0),  and  the  Cincinnati,  Logans- 
port  &  Chicago  Railway.  In  1869.  the  consoli- 
dated line  was  leased  to  the  Pittsburg,  Cincinnati 
&  St.  Louis  Railway  Company,  and  operated 
under  the  name  of  the  Columbus,  Chicago  & 
Indiana  Central  between  Bradford,  Ohio,  and 
Chicago,  from  1869  until  its  consolidation,  under 
the  pre.sent  name,  in  1890.  (See  Pennsijlvania 
Railroad) 

PITTSBURfi,  FORT  WAYNE  &  CHICAGO 
RAILROAD.  (See  Pittsburg,  Fort  Wayne  d-  Chi- 
cauo  Eaihraii.) 

PITTSBURG,  FORT  WA¥>E  &  CHICAGO 
RAILWAY.  The  total  length  of  this  line  is 
nearly  470  miles,  but  only  a  little  over  16  miles 
are  within  Illinois.  It  was  operated  by  the  Penn- 
sylvania Railroad  Company  as  lessee.  The  entire 
capitalization  in  1898  was  §52,549.990;  and  the 
earnings  in  Illinois,  8472,228.  — (History.)  The 
Pittsburg,  Fort  Wayne  &  Chicago  Railway  is  the 
result  of  the  consolidation,  August  1,  1856,  of  the 
Ohio  &  Pennsylvania,  the  Ohio  &  Indiana  and 
the  Fort  Wayne  &  Chicago  Railroad  Companies, 
imder  the  name  of  the  Pittsburg,  Fort  Wayne  & 
Chicago  Railroad.  The  road  was  opened  through 
its  entire  length,  Jan.  1,  1859 ;  was  sold  under 
foreclosure  in  1861 ;  reorganized  under  its  present 
title,  in  1862,  and  leased  to  the  Pennsylvania 
Railroad  Company,  for  999  years,  from  July  1, 
1869.      (See  Prnnxijlvania  Pailroad.) 

PITTSFIELD,  the  county-seat  of  Pike  County, 
situated  on  the  Hannibal  &  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  hand.some  court  house  and  graded  and 
high  school  buildings.  The  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. 

PLAINFIELD,  a  village  of  Will  County,  on  the 
Elgin,  Joliet  &  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  Railroad,  14  miles  west- southwest 
of  Aurora.  There  are  manufactories  of  agri- 
cultural implements  and  bedsteads.  The  city  has 
banks,  several  churches,  graded  and  high  scliools, 
and  a  weekly  newspaper.  Pop.  (1890),  1,825; 
(1900),  1,634;  (1903,  est.),  3,250. 

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, 
hank,  five  churches,  college  and  two  newspapers. 
Population  (1890),  518;  (1900),  575. 

PLEASANTS,  George  Washington,  jurist,  was 
born  in  Harrodsburg,  Ky.,  Nov.  24,  1823;  received 
a  classical  education  at  Williams  College,  Mass. . 
graduating  in  1842;  studied  law  in  New  York 
City,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  at  Rochester, 
N.  Y.,  in  1845,  establishing  himself  in  practice  at 
Williamstown,  Mass.,  where  he  remained  until 
1849.  In  1851  he  removed  to  Washington,  D.  C, 
and,  after  residing  there  two  years,  came  to  Illi- 
nois, locating  at  Rock  Island,  which  has  since 
been  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  years  of  this 
period  were  sj^ent  on  the  Appellate  bench.  For 
several  years  past  Judge  Pleasants  has  been  a 
sufl'erer  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. 

PLUMB,  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  he  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  (1881-1883).  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. 

PLTMOl'TH,  a  village  of  Hancock  County,  on 
the  Cliicago,  Burlington  &  Quiucy  Railway,  41 
miles  northeast  of  Quinoy ;  is  trade  center  of  rich 
farming  district ;  has  two  banks,  electric  lights, 
water-works,  and  one  paper.     Pop.  (1900),  854, 

POIXTE  DE  SAIBLE,  Jean  Baptlste,  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  the  Chicago  River,  where  he 
carried  on  a  considerable  trade  with  the  Indians. 
About  1796  he  is  said  to  have  sold  out  to  a  French 
trader  named  Le  Mai,  and  joined  a  countrj'man 
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  Coimty,  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.  Tlie 
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),  1,728;  (1900),  1,869. 

POKTIAC,  an  Ottawa  chief,  born  on  the 
Ottawa  River,  in  Canada,  about  1720.  While  yet 
a  yoimg  man  he  became  the  principal  Chief  of 
the  allied  Ottawas,  Ojibways  and  Pottawatomies. 
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  generally  believed) 
leading  the  Ottawas  in  the  defeat  of  Braddock. 
He  reluctantly  acquiesced  in  the  issue  of  the 
French  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  "Con.spiracy  of  Pontiac."  He 
himself  undertook  to  lead  an  assault  upon  Detroit. 
The  garrison,  however,  was  apprised  of  his  inten- 
tion, and  made  preparations  accordingly.  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  Jbhnson,  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  j'ounger  St. 
Ange,  wlio  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  popularly  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.  Matson,  author  of  several 
volumes  bearing  on  early  histoi-y  in  Illinois,  cit- 
ing Col.  Joseph  N.  Bourassa,  an  educated  half- 
breed  of  Kansas,  as  authority  for  his  statement, 
asserts  that  the  Indian  killed  at  Cahokia  was  an 
impostor,  and  that  the  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  false  Pontiac,  to  be  removed. 
Out  of  the  murder  of  Pontiac,  whether  occurring 
at  Cahokia  or  Joliet,  it  is  generally  agreed, 
resulted  the  extermination  of  the  Illinois  and  the 
tragedy  of  "Starved  Rock. "  (See  Starved  Rock. ) 
PO>'TIjVC,  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,  the 
Wabash  and  the  Illinois  Central  Railroads.  It  is 
33  miles  nortli- north  east  from  Bloomington  and 
93  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  establishments  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),  3,784;  (1900),  4,366. 

POOL,  Orval,  merchant  and  banker,  was  born 
in  Union  County,  Kj'.,  near  Shawneetcwn,  111., 
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  18.50  he 
retired  from  the  dry-goods  trade  and  became  an 
extensive  dealer  in  produce,  pork  and  tobacco. 
In  1871  he  establislied  the  Gallatin  County 
National  Bank,  of  which  he  was  the  first  Presi- 
dent.    Died,  June  30,  1871. 

POOLE,  William  Frederick,  bibliographer, 
librarian  and  historical  writer,  was  born  at 
Salem,  Mass.,  Dec.  34,  1831,  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- 
umes. Here  he  prepared  and  published  tlie  first 
edition  of  liis  now  famous  "Index  to  Periodical 
Literature."  A  second  and  enlarged  addition 
was  published  in  1853,  and  secured  for  its  author 
wide  fame,  in  both  America  and  Europe.  In  18.')3 
he  was  made  Librarian  of  the  Boston  Mercantile 
Library,  and,  from  18.56  to  1869,  liad  charge  of  the 
Boston  Atheneeum,  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  United  States  Naval  Academy,  and 
the  Cincinnati  Public  Library,  finally  becoming 
Librarian  of  the  latter  institution.  In  October, 
1873,  he  assumed  charge  of  the  Chicago  Public 
Library,  then  being  organized,  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  tlie  Northwestern  LTniversity  in  1883.  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 and  management.  He  wrote  much  on  topics 
connected  witli  his  profession  and  on  historical 
subjects,  frequently  contributing  to  "The  North 
American  Review."  In  1874-7.5  he  edited  a  liter- 
ary paper  at  Chicago,  called  "The  Owl,"  and  was 
later  a  constant  contributor  to  "The  Dial."  He 
•was  President  of  the  American  Historical  Society 
and  member  of  State  Historical  Societies  and  of 
other  kindred  associations. 

POPE,  Nathaniel,  first  Territorial  Secretary  of 
Illinois,  Delegate  in  Congress  and  jurist,  was  born 
at  Louisville,  Ky.,  in  1774;  graduated  with  liigh 
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  resident  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 
largely  instrumental  in  securing  the  passage  of 
the  act  autliorizing  the  formation  of  a  State 
go-»ernment,  and  it  was  mainly  through  his 
efforts  that  the  nortliern  boundary  of  Illinois  was 
fixed  at  lat.  43°  30'  north,  instead  of  the  southern 
bend  of  Lake  Michigan.  Upon  the  admission  of 
Illinois  into  the  Union,  he  was  made  United 
States  Judge  of  the  District,  which  tlien  embraced 
the  entire  State.  This  office  he  filled  with  dig- 
nity, impartiality  and  acceptability  until  his 
death,  at  the  home  of  his  daughter,  Mrs.  Lu- 
cretia  Yeatman,  in  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  Jan.  33,  1850. 
Pope  County  was  named  in  his  honor. — Gen.  John 
(Pope),  son  of  the  preceding,  was  born  in  Louis- 
ville, Ky.,  March  16,  1833;  graduated  at  the  United 
States  Military  Academy,  1843,  and  appointed 
brevet  Second  Lieutenant  of  Topographical 
Engineers;  served  in  Florida  (1843-44),  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  topograph- 
ical engineering  service  in  New  Mexico  (1851-.53), 
and  of  the  survey  of  a  route  for  the  Union  Pacific 
Railway  (1853-59),  meanwhile  experimenting  on 
the  feasibility  of  artesian  wells  on  the  "Staked 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


Plains"  in  Northwestern  Texas.  He  was  a  zeal- 
ous friend  of  Abraham  Lincoln  in  the  political 
campaign  of  1860,  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  1861  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  1863 
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  Array  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- 
sequent service  was  performed  chiefly  against 
the  Indians  in  the  Northwest,  until  1865,  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. 
Tinder  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  COUNTY,  lies  on  the  southern  border  of 
the  State,   and    contains  an  area  of  about    360 


square  miles — named  in  honor  of  Judge  Nathaniel 
Pope.  It  was  erected  in  1816  (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  Soutliern  Illinois  is  in  the  north- 
eastern part  of  this  county,  reaching  an  elevation 
of  1,046  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  abimdance,  and  coal  is  found 
here  and  there.  Mineral  springs  (with  copperas 
as  the  chief  in.gredient)  are  numerous.  Iron  is 
found  in  limited  quantities,  among  the  rocks 
toward  the  south,  while  spar  and  kaolin  clay  are 
found  in  the  north.  The  chief  agricultural 
products  are  potatoes,  corn  and  tobacco.  Popu- 
lation (1890),  14,010;  (1900),  13,585. 

PORT  BYROS,  a  village  of  Rock  Island  County, 
on  the  Mississippi  River  and  the  Chicago,  Mil- 
waukee &  St.  Paul  Railway,  16  miles  above  Rock 
Island;  has  lime  kilns,  grain  elevator,  two  banks, 
academy,  public  schools,  and  a  newspaper.  Pop. 
(1000),  732.  The  (Illinois)  Western  Hospital  for 
the  Insane  is  located  at  Watertown,  twelve  miles 
below  Port  Byron. 

PORTER,  (Rev.)  Jeremiali,  pioneer  clergj- 
nian,  was  born  at  Hadley.  Mass.,  in  1804;  gradu- 
ated from  Williams  College  in  1825,  and  studied 
theology  at  both  Andover  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 
missionarj'.  In  1833  he  came  to  Chicago,  where 
he  remained  for  two  years,  organizing  the  First 
Presbyterian  Church  of  Chicago,  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  Chica,go.  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   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


by  Governor  Yates,  and  mustered  out  in  1865. 
The  next  five  j'ears  were  divided  between  labors 
at  Brownsville,  Tex.,  in  the  service  of  the  Sani- 
tary Commission,  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  j-ears  were 
spent  at  the  homes  of  his  children  in  Detroit  and 
Beloit;  died  at  the  latter  city,  July  25,  1893,  at 
the  age  of  89  years. 

POSEY,  (Oeii.)  Thomas,  Continental  and 
Revolutionary  soldier,  was  born  in  Virginia,  July 
9,  1750 ;  in  1774  took  part  in  Lord  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  tlie  State  Senate,  for  a  time  being 
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  his  death  General  Posey 
was  serving  as  Indian  Agent. 

POST,  Joel  S.,  lawyer  and  soldier  of  the  Mexi- 
can War;  was  born  in  Ontario  (now  Wayne) 
County,  X.  Y.,  April  27,  1816;  in  1828  removed 
with  his  father  to  Washtenaw  County,  Mich., 
remaining  there  until  1839,  when  he  came  to 
Macon  County,  111.  The  following  year,  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  which 
resulted  in  the  e.stabUshment  of  the  State  Nor- 
mal School  at  Bloomington.  Capt.  Post's  later 
years  were  spent  at  Decatur,  where  he  died, 
June  7,  1886. 

POST,  Philip  Sidney,  soldier  and  Congress- 
man, was  born  at  Florida,  Orange  County,  X.  Y., 
March  19,  1833;  at  the  age  of  22  graduated  from 
Union  College,  studied  law  at  Poughkeepsie  Law 
School,  and,  removing  to  Illinois,  was  admitted 
to  the  bar  in  1856     At  the  outbreak  of  the  Civil 


War  he  enlisted,  and  was  commissioned  Second 
Lieutenant  in  the  Fifty-ninth  Illinois  Volunteers. 
He  was  a  gallant,  fearless  soldier,  and  was  re- 
peatedly promoted  for  bravery  and  meritorious 
service,  until  he  attained  the  rank  of  brevet 
Brigadier-General.  He  participated  in  many 
important  battles  and  was  severely  wounded  at 
Pea  Ridge  and  Nashville.  In  1865  he  was  in  com- 
mand in  Western  Texas.  After  the  close  of  the 
war  he  entered  the  diplomatic  service,  being 
appointed  Consul-General  to  Austria-Hungary 
in  1874,  but  resigned  in  1879,  and  returned  to  his 
home  in  Galesburg.  From  1882  to  1886  he  was  a 
member  of  the  Republican  State  Central  Com- 
mittee, and,  during  1886,  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,  Trnmaii  Marcellus,  D.D.,  clergyman, 
was  born  at  Middlebury.  Vt.,  June  3,  1810;  gradu- 
ated at  Sliddlebury  College  in  1829,  was  Principal 
of  Castleton  Academy  for  a  j'ear,  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  accejited  the  Professorship  of 
Classical  Languages  in  Illinois  College,  and 
later  that  of  History;  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  Third  Presbyterian  Church  of  St.  Louis, 
and,  in  1851,  to  the  First  Congregational  Church, 
of  which  the  former  furnished  the  nucleus.  For 
a  year  or  two  after  removing  to  St.  Louis,  he 
continued  his  lectures  on  liistory  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  Seminary.  His  splendid 
diction  and  his  noble  style  of  oratory  caused 
him  to  be  much  sought  after  as  a  public  lecturer 
or  platform  speaker  at  college  commencements, 
while  his  pivrity  of  life  and  refinement  of  charac- 
ter attracted  to  him  all  with  whom  he  came  in 
personal    contact.     He    received  the    degree    of 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


431 


D.D.  from  MidJlebuiy  College  in  1855;  was  a  fre- 
quent contributor  to  "The  Biblical  Repository" 
and  other  religious  Dublications,  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,  18S2,  but 
continued  to  be  a  frequent  speaker,  either  in  the 
pulpit  or  on  the  lectui-e  platform,  nearly  to  the 
period  of  his  death,  which  occurred  in  St.  Louis, 
Dec.  31,  18S6.  For  a  quarter  of  a  century  he  was 
one  of  the  Tx-ustees  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  proUfic  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.  Tnese  three  tribes  early 
.separated,  the  Pottawatomies  going  south  from 
Green  Bay  along  the  we.stern  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,"  the  Pottawatomies 
were  first  met  by  the  French,  on  the  north  of 
Lake  Huron,  in  1639-40.  More  than  a  quarter  of 
a  century  later  (1666)  Father  AUouez  speaks  of 
them  as  dwellers  on  the  shores  of  Lake  Michigan. 
The  same  Father  described  them  as  idolatrous 
and  polygamous,  yet  as  possessing  a  rude  civilitj^ 
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  the  head  of  Lake  Michigan,  a  portion  of 
the  tribe  settling  in  Illinois  as  far  south  as  the 
Kankakee  and  Illinois  Rivers,  crowding  the 
Winnebagoes  and  the  Sacs  and  Foxes  on  the  west, 
and  advancing,  on  the  east,  into  the  countr_v  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  1813  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  8850,000,  agreeing  to  accept  576,000  acres  in 
Kansas  in  lieu  of  S87,000  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,  rii.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  IlHnois ;  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 
Volimteers,  he  later  became  a  Captain  of  the 
Second  Illinois  Artillery,  being  finally  promoted 
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  the  close  of  the  war.  In  1865  he  became 
Professor  of  Geology  and  Curator  of  the  Museum 
in  Illinois  Wesleyan  University  at  Bloomington, 
but  resigned  to  accept  a  similar  position  in  the 
State  Normal  University.     In  1867  he  began  his 


HISTORICAL    ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF    ILLINOIS. 


greatest  work  in  connection  with  science  l)y 
leailing  a  class  of  pnpils  to  the  mountains  of 
Colorado  for  the  study  of  geology,  which  he  fol- 
lowed, a  year  later,  bj'  a  more  thorough  survey  of 
the  caiion  of  the  Colorado  RiTer  than  had  ever 
before  been  attempted.  This  led  to  provision  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  charge  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 
Smithsonian  Institute  in  "Washington  City, 
where  tl899)  he  still  remains.  In  1886  Major 
Powell  received  the  degree  of  Ph.D.  from  Heidel- 
berg University,  and  that  of  LL.D.  from  Har- 
vard the  same  year.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the 
leading  scientific  associations  of  the  countr)-, 
while  his  reports  and  addresses  fdl  numerous 
volumes  issued  by  the  Government. 

POWELL,  William  Henry,  soldier  and  manu- 
facturer, was  born  in  South  Wales,  May  10,  182.5; 
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  IMajor,  Lieutenant-Colonel 
and  Colonel ;  was  wounded  while  leading  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  Armj-  of 
the  Shenandoah ;  was  made  Brigadier-General  in 
October,  1864;  after  the  war  settled  in  West  Vir- 
ginia, and  was  a  Republican  Presidential  Elector 
in  1868.  He  is  now  at  the  head  of  a  nail  mill  and 
foundry  in  Belleville,  and  was  Commander  of  the 
Grand  Army  of  the  Republic  for  the  Department 
of  Illinois  during  189.5-96. 

I'R.VIRIE  CITY,  a  village  in  McDonough 
County,  on  the  Cliicngo.  Burlington  &  Quincy 
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  pa|)ers.     Pop    (1890),  812;  (1900),  818. 

PR.VIRIE  I)U  PO>'T,  (in  English,  Bridge 
Prairie),  an  early  French  settlement,  one  mile 
south  of  Cahokia.  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    erected    by    missionaries 


from  St  Sulpice,  in  17.54.  In  176.5  the  village 
contained  fourteen  families.  In  1844  it  was 
inimdated  and  nearly  destroj-ed. 

PRAIRIE  (111  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  be  a  considerable  settlement. 
It  stood  at  the  foot  of  the  Mississippi  bluffs,  about 
four  miles  northeast  of  the  fort.  Like  other 
French  villages  in  Illinois,  it  had  its  church  and 
priest,  its  cominon  field  and  commons.  Many  of 
the  houses  were  picturesque  cottages  built  of 
limestone.  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. 

PRE'nTICE,  WilUam  S.,  Methodist  Episcopal 
clergyman,  was  born  in  St.  Clair  County,  111.,  in 
1819;  licensed  as  a  Methodist  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  Springfield.    Died,  June  28,  1887. 

PRENTISS,  Benjamin  Mayberry,  soldier,  was 
born  at  Belleville,  Wood  County,  Va.,  Nov.  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  1844-4.5  he  was  Lieuten- 
ant of  a  company  sent  against  the  IMormons  at 
Nauvoo,  later  serving  as  Captain  of  Volunteers  in 
the  :\rexican  War.  In  1860  he  was  an  unsuccess- 
ful Republican  candidate  for  Congress;  at  the 
outbreak  of  the  Civil  War  tendered  his  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  General  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  with  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.  Fitzjolm  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    EXCYCLOPEDIA    OF    ILLINOIS. 


433 


years.  At  present  (1898)  General  Prentiss"  resi- 
dence is  at  Bethany,  Mo.,  where  he  served  as 
Postmaster,  during  the  admini-stration  of  Presi- 
dent Benjamin  Harrison,  and  was  reappointed  by 
President  Mc-Kinley.  Died  Feb.  8,  1901. 
PKESIDF.XTI.VL  ELECTORS.  (See  Elections.) 
PKtSBYTERIAX  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  sui-gical  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  Presbyterian  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. 

PRESBTTERIAXS,  THE.  The  first  Presby- 
terian society  in  Illinois  was  organized  by  Rev. 
James  McGready,  of  Kentucky,  in  1816,  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 
society.  The  members  of  the  Sharon  church 
were  almost  all  immigrants  from  the  South,  and 
were  largely  of  Scotch-Irish  extraction.  Two 
other  churches  were  established  in  1819 — one  at 
Shoal  Creek,  Bond  Count}',  and  the  other  at 
Edwardsville.  In  1825  there  were  but  three 
Presbyterian  ministers  in  Illinois — Revs.  Stephen 
Bliss,  Jolm  Brich  and  B.  F.  Spilman.  Ten  years 
later  there  were  SO  churches,  with  a  membership 
of  2,500  and  CO  ministers.  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  year  there  were  405  ministers 
and  52,945  members.  The  Synod  of  Illinois  is  the 
highest  ecclesiastical  com-t  of  the  denomination 
in  the  State,  and,  rmder  its  jurisdiction,  the 
church  maintains  two  seminaries:  one  (the  3Ic- 
Cormick)  at  Chicago,  and  the  other  (the  Black- 
burn University)  at  CarUnville.  The  organ  of 
the  denomination  is  "The  Interior,"'  founded  by 
Cyrus  H.  McCormick,  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,  Aliraliaiu,  pioneer  merchant,  was 
born  near  Lexington,  Ky.,  came  to  Madison 
County,  111.,  in  1808;  was  employed  for  a  time  in 
the  drug  business  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  three  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  Count}'  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  Natchitoches,  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,  In.spector  of  the  State  Penitentiary, 
and,  from  1838  to  '42,  was  Receiver  of  Public 
Moneys  at  Edwardsville,  dying  in  1844. 

PRICKETT,  David,  pioneer  lawyer,  was  born 
in  Franklin  County,  Ga.,  Sept.  21,  1800;  in  earh- 
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  IIH- 
uois  (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. 

PRIXCE,  David,  physician  and  surgeon,  was 
born  in  Brooklyne,  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,  finishing  at  the  Ohio  Medical  College,  Cin- 
cinnati, where  he  was  associated,  for  a  year  and  a 


434 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


half,  with  the  celebrated  surgeon,  Dr.  Muzzy.  In 
1843  he  came  to  Jacksonville,  111.,  and,  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 
Brigade  Surgeon  in  the  Army  of  the  Potomac, 
and,  on  the  capture  of  a  portion  of  his  brigade, 
voluntarily  surrendered  himself  that  he  might 
attend  the  captives  of  his  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  years  of  his  life.  Thoroughly 
devoted  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.  He  was  member  of 
a  number  of  leading  professional  associations, 
besides  local  literarj-  and  social  organizations. 
Died,  at  Jacksonville,  Dec.  19,  1889. 

PRINCE,  Edward,  lawyer,  was  born  at  West 
Bloomfield,  Ontario  County,  N.  Y.,  Dec.  8,  1832; 
attended  school  at  Pay  son,  111.,  and  Illinois  Col- 
lege, Jacksonville,  graduating  from  the  latter  in 
1852;  studied  law  at  Quincy,  and  after  admission 
to  the  bar  in  1853,  began  dealing  in  real  estate. 
In  1861  he  offered  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 
"Grier.son  raid"  through  Mississippi,  in  1863, 
serving  until  discharged  with  the  rank  of  Colonel 
of  his  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  resides. 

PRINCE,  (jJeorge  W.,  lawyer  and  Congressman, 
born  in  Tazewell  County,  111.,  March  4,  18.54;  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 
1880 ;  was  elected  City  Attorney  of  Galesburg  the 
following  year ;  served  as  chairman  of  the  Knox 
County  UepubUcan  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-General  of  the  State  of  Illinois,  but  was 
defeated  with  the  rest  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  votes,  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-southwest  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  flour,  carriages  and  farm  imple- 
ments. Pop.  (1890),  3,396;  (1900),  4,023.  Prince- 
ton is  populated  with  one  of  the  most  intelligent 
and  progressive  comm\inities  in  the  State.  It 
was  the  home  of  Owen  Lovejoy  during  the  greater 
part  of  his  life  in  Illinois. 

PRINCETON  &  WESTERN  RAILWAY.  (See 
Chicago  A-  Xorthwentcrn  Railway.) 

PRINCEVILLE,  a  village  of  Peoria  County,  on 
the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  and  the  Rock 
Island  &  Peoria  Railways,  22  miles  northwest  of 
Peoria;  is  a  trade  center  for  a  prosperous  agricul- 
tural region.     Population  (1890),  041;  (1900),  735 

PROPHETSTOWN,  a  town  in  Whiteside 
County,  on  Rock  River  and  the  Fulton  Bianch 
of  the  Chicago.  Burlington  &  Quincy  Railroiul,  45 
miles  northwest  of  Mendota;  has  some  manu- 
factures, three  banks  and  two  newspapers.  Pop. 
(1890),  604;  (190(1).  1,143. 

PROPORTIONAL  REPRESENTATION. 
3Ii)writi/  Rcpr,.-<,„tatinn.) 

PROTESTANT  EPISCOPAL  CHURCH 
pioneer  Episcopal  clergyman  in  this  State  ^ 
Rt.  Rev.  Philander  Chase,  who  was  made 
of  Illinois  in  1835,  and  was  the  founder  of  Jubi- 
lee CoUege.  (See  Cliase,  Rev.  Philander.)  The 
State  at  present  is  organized  under  the  provincial 


(Se 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


435 


sj'stem,  the  province  comprising  tlie  dioceses  of 
Chicago,  Quiucy  and  Springfield.  At  its  head 
(1898)  is  the  Kt.  Kev.  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.  The  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  Censiis 
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  the  West  is  the 
Western  Theological  Seminary  at  Chicago.  (See 
also  Religious  Denominations.) 

PRIOR,  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  Kentucky  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 
and  early  in  life  adopted  the  calling  of  a 
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  which  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 
Instruction.) 


PU(iH,  Isaac  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 — first  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,  and,  during  the  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 
Donelson  and  Shiloh,  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 
Twent3'-fourth  General  Assembl}',  and,  the  fol- 
lowing year,  was  chosen  County -Clerk  of  Macon 
County,  serving  four  years. 

PUtiH,  Jonathan  H.,  pioneer  lawyer,  was  born 
in  Bath  County,  Ky.,  came  to  Bond  County,  111., 
finally  locating  at  Springfield  in  1823,  and  being 
the  second  lawj^er  to  establish  himself  in  practice 
in  that  city.  He  served  in  the  Third,  Fifth, 
Sixth  and  Seventh  General  Assemlilies,  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  Citj'  is  the  county-seat 
and  was  conceded  a  population,  by  the  census  of 
1890,  of  2,550.  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 


43G 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF    ILLINOIS. 


Central  Railroad.  The  Pullman  Palace  Car  Com- 
pany began  the  erection  of  buildings  here  in  1880, 
and,  on  the  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  countries  as  well.  The 
town  was  named  for  the  late  George  M.  Pullman, 
the  founder  of  the  car-works,  and  was  regarded 
as  a  model  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  town  was  annexed  to  the  city  of  Chi- 
cago in  1890. 

PULLMAN,  George  Mortimer,  founder  of  the 
Pullman  Palace  Car  Company,  was  born  at  Broc- 
ton,  N.  Y.,  March  3,  1831,  enjoyed  ordinary  edu- 
cational advantages  in  his  boyhood  and,  at 
fourteen  years  of  age,  obtained  employment  as  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  1853,  young  Pullman  assumed  the 
responsibility  of  caring  for  the  family  and,  hav- 
ing secured  a  contract  for  raising  a  number  of 
buildings  along  the  Erie  Canal,  made  necessary 
by  the  enlargement  of  that  thoroughfare,  in  this 
way  acquired  some  capital  and  experience  which 
was  most  valuable  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  part  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 


;  completed  and  received  the  name  of  the 
This  car  constituted  a  part  of  the 
funeral  train  which  took  the  remains  of  Abraham 
Lincoln  to  Springfield,  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  safety  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  use 
upon  the  principal  railroads  of  the  United  States 
and  introduced  upon  a  number  of  important  lines 
in  Europe  also.  Mr.  Pullman  was  identified  with 
a  number  of  other  enterprises  more  or  less  closely 
related  to  the  transportation  business,  but  the 
Pullman  Palace  Car  Company  was  the  one  with 
which  he  was  most  closely  connected,  and  by 
which  he  will  be  longest  remembered.  He  was 
also  associated  with  some  of  the  leading  educa- 
tional and  benevolent  enterprises  about  the  city 
of  Chicago,  to  which  he  contributed  in  a  liberal 
manner  dm'ing  his  life  and  in  his  will.  His 
death  occui'red  suddenly,  from  heart  disease,  at 
his  home  in  Cliicago,  Oct.  19,  1897. 

PURPLE,  Norman  H.,  lawyer  and  jurist,  was 
born  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  was  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  Presidential  Elector,  and,  in 
1845,  Governor  Ford  appointed  him  a  Justice  of 
the  Supi'eme  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  comiiiled  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  1863, 


HISTOEICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


437 


and,  during  the  last  ten  years  of  his  life,  promi- 
nent at  the  Chicago  bar. 

PUTERBAUGH,  Sabiu  D.,  judge  and  author, 
was  born  in  Miami  County,  Ohio,  Sept.  28,  1834; 
at  8  years  of  age  removed  with  his  parents  to  Taze- 
well County,  111 ;  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  Cavab-y,  and  took  part  in  numerous 
engagements  in  Western  Tennessee  and  Missis- 
sippi, including  the  battles  of  Shilob  and  Corinth. 
Resigning  his  commission  in  18G3,  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  1807,  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 
W8,s  chosen  Presidential  Elector  on  the  Republi- 
can ticket.  Died,  Sept.  2.5,  1893.  Leslie  D. 
(Puterbaugh),  a  son  of  Judge  Puterbaugh,  is 
Judge  of  the  Circuit  Court  of  the  Peoria  Circuit. 

PUTNAM  COUNTY,  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 
1825,  but  afterwards  became  a  prominent  citizen 
of  Chicago.  The  county  was  created  by  act  of 
the  Legislature  in  1825,  although  a  local  govern- 
ment was  not  organized  until  some  years  later. 
Since  that  date.  Bureau,  IMarshall  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. 

QUINCT,  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  there — and  was  incorporated 


in  1839.  The  site  is  naturally  one  of  the  most  beauti- 
ful in  tlie  State,  the  principal  part  of  the  city  being 
built  on  a  limestone  bluff  having  an  elevation 
of  125  to  150  feet,  and  overlooking  the  Mississippi 
for  a  long  distance.  Its  location  is  113  miles  west 
of  Springfield  and  264  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,  including  the  Wabash,  four  branches  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  important  lines,  or 
extensions  of  raih-oads  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  electricity.  Water  is 
obtained  from  the  Mississippi.  There  are  several 
electric  railway  lines,  four  public  jsarks,  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-hoiise,  a  Government  building  for  the  use 
of  the  Post-office  and  the  United  States  District 
Court.  The  Illinois  Soldiers'  and  Sailors'  Home 
is  located  here,  embracing  a  large  group  of  cot- 
tages occupied  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  excellent  schools  and 
other  educational  advantages.  Among  the 
higher  institutions  of  learning  are  the  Chaddock 
College  (Methodist  Episcopal)  and  the  St.  Francis 
Solanus  College  (Roman  Catholic).  There  are 
two  or  three  national  banks,  a  State  bank  with  a 
capital  of  §300,000,  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  establishments, 
having  an  aggregate  capital  of  §6,187,845,  employ- 
ing 5,058  persons,  and  turning  out  an  annual 
product  valued  at  810,160,493.  The  cost  of 
material  used  was  83,597,990,  and  the  wages  paid 
82,383,571.  The  number  of  different  industries 
reported  aggregated  seventy-six,  the  more  impor- 
tant being  foundries,  carriage  and  wagon  fac- 
tories, agTicultui-al  implement  works,  cigar  and 


438 


HISTORICAL   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),  27,268; 
(1890),  31,494;  (1900),  36,252. 

QUINCT,  ALTON  &  ST.  LOUIS  RAILROAD. 
(See  Chicago,  Burlington  &  Qidncij  Railroad.) 

QUIXCT  &  CHICAGO  RAILROAD.  (See  Chi- 
cago. Burlington  d-  Quincy  Railroad.) 

QUI>'CY  &  TOLEDO  RAILROAD.  (See 
Waba.ih  Railroad. ) 

QUIJfCT  &  WARSAW  RAILROAD.  (See 
Chicago,  Burlington  d-  Quincy  Railroad.) 

RAAB,  Henry,  ex-State  Superintendent  of 
Public  Instruction,  was  born  in  Wetzlar,  Rhen- 
ish Prussia,  June  20,  1837;  learned  the  trade  of  a 
currier  with  his  father  and  came  to  the  United 
States  Ln  18.53,  finally  locating  at  Belleville,  111., 
where,  in  1857,  he  became  a  teacher  in  the  pub- 
lic schools;  in  1873  was  made  Superintendent  of 
schools  for  that  city,  and,  in  1882,  was  elected 
State  Superintendent  of  Public  Instruction  on 
the  Democratic  ticket,  declined  a  renomination 
in  1886;  was  nominated  a  second  time  in  1890, 
and  re-elected,  but  defeated  by  S.  M.  Inglis  in 
1894.  In  the  administration  of  his  oftice.  Pro- 
fessor Raab  showed  a  commendable  freedom  from 
partisanship.  After  retiring  from  the  office  of 
State  Superintendent,  he  resumed  a  position  in 
connection  with  the  public  schools  of  Belleville. 

RADISSON,  Pierre  Esprit,  an  early  French 
traveler  and  trader,  who  is  said  to  have  readied 
the  Upper  IMississippi  on  his  third  voyage  to  the 
West  in  1658-59.  The  period  of  his  explorations 
extended  from  1652  to  1684,  of  which  he  prepared 
a  narrative  which  was  published  by  the  Prince 
Society  of  Boston  in  1885,  under  the  title  of 
"Radisson's  Voyages."  He  and  his  brother-in- 
law,  Medard  Chouart,  first  conceived  the  idea  of 
planting  a  settlement  at  Hudson's  Bay.  (See 
Chouart,  3Iedard.) 

RAILROAD  AND  WAREHOUSE  COMMIS- 
SION, a  Board  of  three  Commissioners,  appointed 
by  the  executive  (by  and  with  the  advice  and  con- 
sent of  the  Senate),  under  authority  of  an  act  ap- 
proved, April  13,  1871,  for  the  enforcement  of  the 
provisions  of  the  Constitution  and  laws  in  relation 
to  raih-oads  and  warehouses.  The  Commission's 
powers  are  partly  judicial,  partly  executive.  The 
following  is  a  summary  of  its  powers  and  duties: 
To  establish  a  schedule  of  maximum  rates,  equi- 
table to  shipper  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  complaints  relative 
to  intersections  and  to  protect  grade-crossings; 
to  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,  montlily  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 
discussed  and  necessary  special  meetings  are 
held.  The  inspection  department  has  no  revenue 
outside  of  fees,  but  the  latter  are  ample  for  its 
maintenance.  Fees  for  inspection  on  arrival 
("inspection  in")  are  twenty -five  cents  per  car- 
load, ten  cents  per  wagon-load,  and  forty  cents 
per  1,000  bushels  from  canal-boat  or  vessels.  For 
inspection  from  store  ("inspected  out")  the  fees 
are  fifty  cents  per  1,000  bushels  to  vessels; 
thirty-five  cents  per  car-load,  and  ten  cents  per 
wagon-load  to  teams.  While  there  are  never 
wanting  some  cases  of  friction  between  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. 
Louis  and  Peoria,  are  also  in  force.  The  first 
Board,  created  under  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  Jolm  M.  Pearson; 
1877-83— William  M.  Smith.  George  M.  Bogue  and 
John  H.  Oberly  (retired  1881  and  succeeded  by 
William  H.  Robinson) ;  1883-8.5— Wm.  N.  Brain- 
ard,  E.  C.  Lewis  and  Charles  T.  Stratton ;  1885-89 
—John  I.  Rinaker,  Benjamin  F.  Marsh  and  Wm.  T. 
Johnson  (retired  in  1887  and  succeeded  by  Jason 
Rogers);  1889-93— Jolm  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,  1895,  by 
George  W.  Fithian) ;  1897-99— Cicero  J.  Lindley, 
Charles  S.  RanneUs  and  James  E.  Bidwell.  (See 
also  Orain  Inspection.) 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


4:5£ 


RAILROADS  (IN  GENERAL).  The  existing 
raib-oad  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  Motmt  Carmel,  from  Bloomington  to  Jlack- 
inaw  Town,  and  from  Meredosia  to  Springfield. 
The  experiment  proved  extremely  unfortunate 
to  the  financial  interests  of  the  State,  and  laid  the 
foundation  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  completed  as  to  be  in 
operation.  It  was  sold,  in  1847,  to  Nicholas  H. 
Ridgely,  of  Springfield  for  §21,100,  he  being  the 
highest  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  maj-  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  103  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  1890, 
(including  capital  stock,  funded  debt  and  current 
liabilities),  was  82,669,164,142— equal  to  §67,550 
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  58,263,860  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 
83,281,655.  The  total  number  of  railroad  em- 
ployes (of  all  classes)  was  61,200.  The  entire 
amount  of  taxes  paid  bj^  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  charters  for  the  construction  of 
railroads  were  granted  by  the  Legislature,  besides 
numerous  amendments  of  charters  ab-eady  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  Vancebm'g,  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  Anti-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,  enlisted  in  an  Iowa 
regiment,  but  died  in  hospital  at  St.  Louis,  from 
wounds  and  exposure,  April  19,  1864. 

RAMSAY,  Rufus  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  1892,  was  nominated 
as  a  Democrat  and  elected  State  Treasurer.  Died 
in  office,  at  Carlyle,  Nov.  11,  1894. 

R.^>rSEY,  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,  Ues  in  the  southwest 
section  of  the  State,  and  borders  on  the  Missis- 
sippi River;  area  560  square  miles;  nanaed  for 
Beverly  Randolph.  It  was  set  off  from  St.  Clair 
County  in  1795,  being  the  second  coimty  organ- 


440 


mSTOKICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


ized  in  the  territory  wliicli  now  constitutes  the 
State  of  Illinois.  From  the  earliest  period  of  Illi- 
nois history,  Randolph  County  has  been  a  pivotal 
point.  lu  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  1723 
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  expedition  for  the  .seizure 
of  the  "Illinois  Country"  met  with  success  in  the 
capture  of  Kaskaskia.  American  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 
Bond  (afterwards  the  fir.st  Governor  of  the  State) 
with  his  imcle  of  the  same  name,  and  the 
Menards  (Pierre  and  Hippo lyte),  the  first  of 
whom  subsequently  became  Lieutenant  -  Gov- 
ernor. (See  Bond,  Shadrach;  Menard,  Pierre.) 
In  outline,  Randolph  County  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  place  of  considerable  trade 
and  the  seat  of  the  Southern  Illinois  Penitentiary. 
The  county  is  crossed  by  several  railroad  lines, 
and  transportation  facilities  are  excellent.  Pop- 
ulation   (1890),  25,049;  (1900),  28,001. 

RANSOM,  (Gen.)  Thomas  Edward  Greenfield, 
soldier,  was  born  at  Norwich,  Vt.,  Nov.  29,  1834; 
educated  at  Norwich  University,  an  institution 
under  charge  of  his  father,  who  was  later  an 
oflScer  of  the  Mexican  War  and  killed  at  Chapul- 
tepeo.  Having  learned  civil  engineering,  he 
entered  on  his  profession  at  Peru,  111.,  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,  1801,  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  Donelson,  where  he 
was  severely  wounded  and  won  deserved  pro- 
motion to  a  colonelcy,  as  .successor  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  liis  regiment,  remained  in  command 
through  the  day.  His  service  was  recognized  by 
promotion  as  Brigadier  -  General.  He  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  officers  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. 

RASTOUL,  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. 

RASLE,  Sebastian,  a  Jesuit  missionary,  born 
in  France,  in  1658;  at  his  own  request  was 
attached  to  the  French  missions  in  Canada  in 
1689,  and,  about  1691  or  "93,  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  many  manuscripts 
descriptive  of  his  journeyings  and  of  the  mode  of 
life  and  character  of  the  aborigines.  From  Illi- 
nois he  was  transferred  to  Norridgewock,  Maine, 
where  he  prepared  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,  1724,  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  monument  to  his  mem- 
ory on  the  spot  where  he  fell. 

RASTER,  Herman,  journalist,  was  born  in  Ger- 
many in  1828 ;  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  Zeitung, "  which  he  continued  to 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


441 


fill  until  June,  1890,  when  he  went  to  Europe  for 
the  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  1869,  received  from  President  Cxrant  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 
expert,  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.  He  was  an 
active  member  of  the  Iowa  State  Medical  Society, 
and,  in  1851,  prepared  and  published  a  "Report 
on  the  Medical  and  Economic  Botany  of  Iowa," 
and,  later,  made  a  collection  of  ichthyologio 
remains  of  the  Upper  Mississippi  and  Missouri  for 
Professor  Agassiz.  From  1857  to  18G0  he  filled 
the  chair  of  Materia  Medica  and  Medical  Botany 
at  Rush  Medical  College,  Chicago,  occupying  the 
same  position  in  1859  in  the  Chicago  College  of 
Pharmacy,  of  which  he  was  one  of  the  organ- 
izers. During  the  Civil  War  he  served,  until 
1864,  as  Assistant  Medical  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 
1867,  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  Mississijipi,  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  Eijidemics,"  "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.  (fcien.)  (:«feen  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, 
18G5).  He  was  with  Rosecrans  in  the  Mississippi 
campaign  of  1863,  took  a  conspicuous  part  in  the 
battle  of  Corinth,  participated  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  Congress  in  1866  from  the  South- 
ern Illinois  District  (then  the  Thirteenth),  serv- 
ing one  term,  and  the  same  year  presided  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  8800,000,000  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   ENCYCLOPEDIxV   OF   ILLINOIS. 


RAUM,  John,  pioneer  and  early  legislator,  was 
born  in  Hummelstown,  Pa.,  July  14,  1793,  and 
died  at  Golconda,  111.,  March  14,  1869.  Having 
received  a  liberal  education  in  his  native  State, 
the  subject  of  this  sketch  settled  at  Shawueetown. 
Ill,,  in  1823,  but  removed  to  Golconda,  Pope 
County,  in  1826.  He  had  previously  served  three 
years  in  the  War  of  1813,  as  First  Lieutenant  of 
the  Sixteenth  Infantry,  and,  while  a  resident  of 
Illinois,  served  in  the  Black  Hawk  War  of  1833  as 
Brigade  Major.  He  was  also  elected  Senator 
from  the  District  composed  of  Pope  and  Johnson 
Counties  in  the  Eighth  General  Assembly  (1833), 
as  successor  to  Samuel  Alexander,  who  had 
resigned.  The  following  year  lie  was  appointed 
Clerk  of  the  Circuit  Court  of  Pope  County,  and 
was  also  elected  Clerk  of  the  County  Court  the 
same  year,  holding  both  offices  for  many  years, 
and  retaining  the  County  Clerkship  up  to  his 
death,  a  period  of  thirty-five  years.  He  was 
married  March  33,  1827,  to  Juliet  C.  Field,  and 
was  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  Aaron,  soldier,  Secretary  of 
War,  was  born  at  East  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  Jlount 
Morris  Academy,  began  the  study  of  law.  He 
was  admitted  to  the  bar  at  Galena  in  1854,  and  at 
once  began  practice.  In  18.j7  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  served  on  the  staff  of  the  latter  from  the  time 
General  Grant  was  given  command  of  a  brigade 
until  the  close  of  the  war,  most  of  the  time  being 
its  chief,  and  rising  in  rank,  step  by  step,  until, 
in  1863,  he  became  a  Brigadier-General,  and,  in 
1865,  a  Major-General.  His  long  service  on  the 
staff  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  H.,  journalist,  was  born  at  Nor- 
-ndch,  Chenango  County,  N.  Y.,  March  13,   1821; 


came  west  in  1843,  studied  medicine  and  began 
practice  at  Muscatine,  Iowa,  afterwards  locating 
in  Tazewell  County,  111.,  also  being  associated, 
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  Jeffer.sonian,"'  a  Democratic  paper,  with 
which  he  remained  until  1854.  He  took  strong 
ground  against  the  Kansas-Nebraska  Bill,  and,  at 
the  session  of  the  Legislature  of  1855,  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  powerful 
writers  ever  connected  with  the  Illinois  press, 
and  his  articles  exerted  a  wide  influence  dvu-ing 
the  period  of  the  organization  of  the  Republican 
party,  in  which  he  was  an  influential  factor.  He 
was  a  member  of  the  Convention  of  Anti-Neb- 
raska editors  lield  at  Decatur,  Feb.  33,  1856,  and 
served  as  C'liairman  of  the  Committee  on  Reso- 
lutions. (See  Anti-Xcbraska  Editorial  Conven- 
ti07i.)  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 
1837  to  1S61.  In  November,  1863,  he  severed  his 
connection  with  "The  Tribune"  and  engaged  in 
oil  speculations  in  Canada  which  proved  finan- 
cially disastrous.  In  1865  he  returned  to  the  paper 
as  an  editorial  writer,  remaining  only  for  a  short 
time.  In  1868  he  assumed  the  management  of 
"The  Chicago  Evening  Post."  with  which  lie 
remained  identified  until  his  death,  Sept.  23, 
1870. 

RAY,  Lyman  Beecher,  ex-Lieutenant-Gov- 
ernor, was  born  in  Crittenden  County,  Vt., 
August  17,  1831 ;  removed  to  Illinois  in  1852,  and 
has  since  been  engaged  in  mercantile  business  in 
this  State.  After  filling  several  local  offices  he 
was  elected  to  represent  Grundy  County  in  the 
lower  house  of  the  Twenty-eighth  General 
Assembly  (1872),  and,  ten  years  later,  was  chosen 
State  Senator,  serving  from  1883  to  1887,  and 
being  one  of  the  recognized  party  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. 
RAY,  William  H.,  Congressman,  was  born  in 
Dutchess  County,  N.  Y..  Dec.  14,  1813;  grew  to 
manhood  in  his  native  State,  receiving  a  limited 


HISTOEICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


US 


education;  in  1834  removed  to  Rusliville,  111., 
engaging  in  business  as  a  merchant  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,  representing 
his  District  from  1873  to  187.5.  Died.  Jan.  25, 
1881. 

RAYMOM),  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  mined  here  and  grain  and  fruit 
grown  in  the  surrounding  country.  Population 
(1880),  543;  (1890),  841;  (1900),  906. 

BAYMOND,  (Rev.)  Miner,  D.D.,  clergyman 
and  educator,  was  born  in  Kew  York  City, 
August  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  Xew 
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  AUyn  (after- 
wards President  of  McKendree  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  189.5,  when  he 
resigned.  For  some  three  years  of  this  period  he 
served  as  pastor  of  the  First  Methodist  Church 
at  Evanston.     His  death  occurred,  Nov.  25,  1897. 

REAYIS,  Logan  Uriah,  journali.st,  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  paper  and  continued  its  publication  under 
the  name  of  "The  Central  lUinoian,"  until  1857, 
when  he  sold  out  and  went  to  Nebraska.  Return- 
ing, in  1860,  he  repm-chased  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  publication  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  consisted 
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  IlHnois,  Mis- 
souri and  Arkansas,  and  afterwards  removed  to 
St.  Louis. — Stephen,  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. 
—  JTelson,  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  strengthen 
Prairie  du  Chien  in  1814,  and  showed  great  com-- 
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,  iu  which  they  came  in  conflict 
with  the  British  and  Indians  at  Rock  Island,  in 
which  Captain  Rector  again  displayed  the  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  the  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  more  than  three 
years. — Thomas,  one  of  the  yoimger  members, 
had  a  duel  with  Joshua  Barton  on  "Bloody 
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   EXCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


descendants   serving  as  Governor  of  that  State 
during  tlie  Civil  War  period. 

RED  Bl'D,  a  city  in  Randolph  County,  on  the 
Mobile  i  Ohio  Railroad,  some  37  miles  south- 
southeast  of  St.  Louis,  and  21  miles  south  of  Belle- 
ville; has  a  carriage  factory  and  two  flouring 
mills,  electric  lights,  a  hospital,  two  banks,  five 
churches,  a  graded  school  and  a  weekly  news- 
paper.    Pop.  (1890),  1,176;  (1900),  1,169. 

REEVES,  Oweu  T.,  lawyer  and  jurist,  was 
born  in  Ross  County,  Ohio,  Deo.  18,  1839 ;  gradu- 
ated at  the  Ohio  Wesleyan  University,  at  Dela- 
vpare,  in  1850,  afterwards  serving  as  a  tutor  in 
that  institution  and  as  Principal  of  a  High 
School  at  Chillicothe.  In  185-4  he  came  to  Bloom- 
ington,  111.,  and,  as  a  member  of  the  School 
Board,  assisted  in  reorganizing  the  school  system 
of  that  city;  also  has  served  continuously,  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  as  City 
Attorney  and  member  of  the  Board  of  Supervis- 
ors. July  1,  1863,  he  enlisted  in  the  Seventieth 
Illinois  Volunteers  (a  100-days'  emergency  regi- 
ment), -was  elected  Colonel  and  mustered  out, 
with  his  command,  in  October,  1863.  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  he  was  elected  to  the  Circuit  bench,  serv- 
ing continuously,  by  repeated  re-elections,  until 
1891— during  the  latter  part  of  his  incumbency 
being  upon  the  Ai:)pellate  bench. 

REEVES,  Walter,  Member  of  Congress  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 
and  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  1896,  and  again  in 
1898. 

REFORMATORY,  ILLINOIS  STATE,  a  prison 
for  the  incarceration  of  male  offenders  under  31 
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  1867,  but  not  opened  for  the 
admission  of  inmates  until  1871.  It  is  located  at 
Pontiac.  The  number  of  inmates,  in  1872,  was  105, 


which  was  increaseil  to  324  in  1890.  The  results, 
while  moderately  successful,  were  not  altogether 
satisfactory.  The  appropriations  made  for  con- 
struction, maintenance,  etc.,  were  not  upon  a 
scale  adequate  to  accomplish  what  was  desired, 
and,  in  1891,  a  radical  change  was  effected. 
Previous  to  that  date  the  Umit,  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 (3)  those 
between  16  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,  morally  and 
industrially),  schools  being  conducted,  trades 
taught,  and  the  inmates  constantly  impressed 
with  the  conviction  that,  only  through  genuine 
and  unmistakable  evidence  of  improvement,  can 
they  regain  their  freedom.  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  134  remained  in 
employment  and  regularly  reporting.  Among 
the  industries  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  clay, 
thus  obtained,  in  the  manufactm-e  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  assault,  or  petit  larceny,  to  the  most  seri- 
ous offenses  known  to  the  criminal  code,  with 
the  exception  of  homicide.  The  number  of 
inmates,  at  the  beginning  of  the  year  1895,  was 
813.  An  institution  of  a  similar  cliaracter,  for 
the  confinement  of  juvenile  female  offenders,  was 
established  under  an  act  of  the  Legislature 
passed  at  the  session  of  1893,  and  located  at  Gen- 
eva, Kane  County.  (See  Home  for  Juvenile 
Female  Offenders.) 

RELIGIOUS  DE^OMI^ATIO^fS.  The  State 
constitution  contains  the  familiar  guaranty  of 
absolute  freedom  of  conscience.  The  chief 
denominations  have  grown  in  like  ratio  with  the 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLIXOIS. 


415 


population,  as  may  be  seen  from  figures  given 
below.  Tiie  earliest  Christian  services  held  were 
conducted  by  Catholic  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  179t).  (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  Bapi- 
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  Pi-esbyterians.)  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  Discijolcs  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,  3,800  members,  78 
churches  and  63  ministers;  Chiu-ch  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,  153  ministers; 
Cmnberland  Presbyterians,  11,804  members.  198 
churches,  149  ministers;  Methodist  Episcopal 
(South)  3,927  members,  34  churches,  33  minis- 
ters; Moravians,  720  members,  3  churches,  3 
ministers ;  New  Jerusalem  Church  (Swedenborgi- 
ans),  663  members,  14  churches,  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  Catholic  Church.) 

RE>iD,  William  Patricli,  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  began  a 
course  of  classical  study.  The  Civil  War  coming 
on,  he  enlisted  in  the  Foiu'teenth  Regiment  New 
York  Volunteers,  serving  most  of  the  time  as  a 
non-commissioned  officer,  and  participating  in  the 
battles  of  the  second    Bull  Run,   Malvern  Hill, 


440 


mSTOEICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


Antietam,  Fredericksburg  and  Chancellorsville. 
After  the  war  )ie  came  to  Chicago  and  secured 
emjiloyment  in  a  railway  surveyor's  office,  later 
acting  as  foreman  of  the  Northwestern  freight 
depot,  and  finally  embarking  in  the  coal  business, 
wiiich  was  conducted  with  such  success  that  he 
became  the  owner  of  some  of  the  most  valuable 
mining  properties  in  the  country.  Meanwhile 
lie  has  taken  a  deep  interest  in  the  welfare  of 
miners  and  other  classes  of    laborers,   and    has 


souglit  to  promote  arbitration  and  conciliation 
between  employers  and  employed,  as  a  means  of 
averting  disastrous  strikes.  He  was  especially 
active  during  the  long  strike  of  1897,  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  Guard  until  compelled,  by 
the  demands  of  his  private  business,  to  tender 
his  resignation. 


REPRESENTATIVES  IN   CONGRESS. 

Tlie  tollowin(>;  taljle  presents  the  names,  residence.  Districts  represented,  politics  (except  as  to  earlier  ones),  and  lengtli  of 
term  or  terms  of  service  of  Illinois  Representatives  in  tiie  lower  House  of  Consiress,  from  tlie  organization  of  Illinois 
as  a  Territory  down  to  the  present  time;  (D,  Democrat;  W,  Whig;  E,  Republican;  G-B,  Greenback;  P,  Populist). 


Name. 

Eesidence. 

DIST.                     Term. 

Kemarks. 

Shadrach  Bond 

Kaskaskia 

Territory l,si:-U 

J^ade  Kec'r  of  Pub.  Moneys. 

Beniamiu  Stephenson 

Edwardsville 

Territory Isi4-Ui 

Territory Il«ir..is 

Josepli  Duncan 

Josepli  Duncan 

i^  1  Duncan. 

John  Keynolds.'D:!;.;!!.;.' 

llllevli;: 

,  :             ,;:,;' 

1  "■■■■!     1' nn  completed  by  Keynolds. 

Zadoc  Casey,  D 

Mt.   Vt'l  : 

Spri[iL-h,  1  ! 

"  '  ■  ■  i         .  1  -  •■  ■  1  .  

John  J.  Hardin,  W... 
Edward  D.  Baker,  W. 
Edward  D.  Baker,  W. 


Richards.  Male  I  lev, 
Tliomp.son  Campbell, 
Richard  Yates,  W.... 
Ricliard  Yates.  W.... 
E.  B.  Washburne,  R. . 
E.  B.  Washburne,  R.. 


J.  L.  D.  Morrison 
Samuels.  Marsii 
Samuel  S.  Marsh 


Galena First .. 

Galena Third. , 

'joliet iThird., 


Resigned, Dec., '(il;  succeeded  by  A.  L.  Knapp. 


Resigned,  Dec,  '4ti;  succeeded  by  John 
Served  Baker's'  une.xpired  term. 


.  by  Chas.  D.  Hodges. 


To  lill  unexpired  term  of  Richardson. 


Died,  Mar.,  'C4;  term  fliled  by  E.C.IngersoU. 
Filled  unexpired  term  of  Thos.'ij.  Harris.     ' 


HISTOEICAL   EXCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


James  C.  Kobinsoll,  D... 
James  C.  Robinson,  D... 
James  C.  Kobinson,  D. . . 
James  C.  Robinson,  D... 

Philip  B.  Fouke.  D 

John  A.  Logan,  R 

John  A.  Logan,  D 

Isaac  N.  Arnold,  R 

Isaac  N.  Arnold,  R 

William  J.  Allen,  D 

William  J.  Allen,  D 

A.  L.  Knapp,  1) 

A.  L.  Knapp.  D 

Charles  M.  Harris,  R  ... 
Ebon  C.  IngersoU,  B  .... 

JohnE.  Eden,  D 

JohnR.  Eden,  D 

JohnR.  Eden,  D 

Lewis  W.  Bos.1,  D 

William  R.  Morrison.  }). 
William  R.  Morrison,  D 
William  R.  Morrison,  D. 

S.  W.  Moulton,  R 

S.W.  Moulton,  D 

a.  W.  Moulton,  D 

AbnerC.  Harding,  B.... 

Burton  O.  Cook,  R 

H.  P.  H.  Bromwell.R... 

Shelby  M.  CuUom,  R 

Anthony  Thornton,  D 

Jehu  Baker,  R 

Jehu  Baker,  R 

Jehu  Baker,  P 

A.J.  Kuykendall,  R 

Norman  B.  Judd.  R 

Albert  G.  Burr,  D 

Green  B.  Raum,  R 

Horatio  C.  Burchard,  R..., 
HoralioC  Burchard,  R..., 

John  B.  Hawley,  B 

John  B.  Hawley,  B 

Jesse  H.  Moore,  R 

Thomas  W.  MoNeeley,    D. 

John  B.  Hay,  R 

John  M.  Crebi.    I ' 
John  L.  Beveriil-.'    I 
Charles  B.  Far"  ■    : 
Charles  B.  Farw.-.i.   I. 

Charles  B.  Farwxll.  II 

Brad.  N.  Steven.f,  R 

Henry  Snapp,  R 

John  B.  Rice,  R.' 

E.G.  Caulfleld.  D 

Jasper  D.  Ward,  R 

Stephen  A.  Hurlbut,  R 


Granville  Barriere,  R. . 
William  H.  Ray,  R... 
Robert  M.  Knapp,  D... 
Robert  M.  K  napp,  D . . . 

JohnMcNulta.R 

Joseph  G.  Cannon,  R 
Joseph  G.  Cannon,  R. 
Joseph  G.  Cannon.  R. 
Joseph  G.  Cannon,  B. 
James S.  Martin.  R. ... 


Richard  H.  WhiKtu:,  1; 

JohnC.  Bagby,  U 

Scott  Wike,  D  

Scott  Wike,  D 

William  M.  Springer.  D. 


Willia 

Adlai  K.  stev 
Adl; 


Philip  C  Hayes, 
Thomas  A.  Boyd, 
Benjamin  P  Mar 


BKStt>..c.. 

DiST. 

Teksi. 

Remarks. 

LawrenceviUe 

Marshall 

Springfield'.'.'.".".'.'!!! 

Sprinlweld 

Belleville 

Carbondale 

Chicago 

Sitof 

Marion 

Jerseyville 

peorTa..'^!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

Sullivan 

Sullivan 

Sullivan 

Lewistown 

Waterloo.'.!'.'.'.'.'.'.!!!!' 
Waterloo 

IK^iJIl!!!!!!!! 

Shelb'yville 

Monmouth 

Ottawa 

iSS""  ■'■'■'•'" 

BeUeviTie.f!!!!!!!!!!!! 

Belleville 

Sixteenth 

ElIvMith.!!!!! 

^I^^IV.'.'.'.-! 

Eighth 

Ninth 

State-at-large. 

p'irst". .!!.!!!!! 

^i^^lenth!!!! 

Fifth 

T.,nlh 

F'.urth 

'FU-tMnth.!!!!! 

f^n^:^™'.'^!!! 

Twelfth 

Seventeenth,. . 

Eighth.!!.!!!. 

Tenth 

Twelfth 

?;sj;;^t',' 

Thirte'enii.,... 

1SS3-SO ' 

I^"i;i-(i2 Res'd,.4pr. '62;  terni'fliied  by  W.J.  Allen!  " 

isBQ  -,                       1  \  Chosen  U.  S.  Senator.  1S71;  resigned;  term 
'*'"■■' l(     filled  by  John  L.Beveridge. 

isoo^s!!!! !!!!.!!!!! '!!  !!!!!!!'!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!':;; 

1862-63 'Served  Logan's  unexpired  term. 

1061-63!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  served  iicCl'erna'nd's 'unexpired  teriii'. 

1^6:1-65!!!!';.'.;!!!!!  !!!!!!!!!!!!!'!.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!.;! 

lM;4-ri l,SG4-'65  filled  Lovejoy's  unexpired  term . 

1SS5-S7!!!!!!!!!! !!!'!!!!!!!!!!!!!.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!'!!!!!!!! !!!!!::; 

1SC3-69 1 

i-     -1 Re-elected,  'To'butres'ij  before  beg'ng  of  term. 

Carrollton jTenth 

Metropolis iTliirteenth 

Fr  eep'ort !!!!!!!!!!!!!!  1  Fifth .'.'.'.'. '.'.'. .". 

Bock  Island Fourth 

IBock  Island Si.vth 

Decatur.... !seveiith 

jilie't'.'."!'.' .'.■.'.■.■.■..'!. . . !  isixth.'!! 

Hillsboro i  Tenth 

8!;lSi^::;!;!;!.!!!!!!f;S^-!!!!!! 

Chicago SfcHiid 

Belvidere IVnirlh 

Peru s,,v..n;li 

Lacon lu^-liili 

CanjMii^.^ Xinlh 

1  lamiiie !!  ■"!!!! !.  ■; ! .  r' veu  t'h .'. ! ! ! ! ! 

isalem Sixteenth 

ICarbondale  Eighteenth.... 

i'itt!^iiHi."i. !'."..!!!.         '  ■   ■    ■' 

IPittsBeld [     • 

Springfield ■■■^ 

''':''';~:;!!!!!!!|i^^ 

,     ,    ...r                 ..         Eighteenth.... 
M      \,.rno'n    .......::  Nineteenth.... 

,    ,  ,  .-" First 

il,„.,TO Isecond 

Lewiston Ninth 

Warsaw Tenth 

11;;;;;;;;:;;;; 

1S69-73 

1S63-7.3'!. !!!!!!!!!!! 
IS73-7& !!!!!.!. 

IIS;;;;;:;;;;;;; 

1S75-7- 

1877-,S3 

l.';77-7ll 

i's77-'si'!!!!! !!!!!!!! 

Fiiicd  iiiie-xpired  term  of  Wash'btirne. 

,M;iy.-7.,.^.!it  ■a'w.iri!e'd"t'o'J!'v'.'LeMi;yi;e!'" 

1;     '■'''__:<                 :    ,  '      i;   i;,"caumeid! 

Awarded 'seat! 'vice 'Farweli! 

IIISTOIilCAL   EXCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLIXOH 


nth 1895 


Thomas  F.  Tipton.  R 

Bloomington 

E.  W.  Townshend,  D 

GoorgeB.  Davis.  B 

Chicago 

Hiram  Barber,  E 

Lewis  E.  Payson,  E 

Lewis  E.  Payson.  E 

Dietrich  C.Smith,  B 

GforseE.  Adams,  R 

Chicago 

Eeuben  Ellwood,  R 

James  M.  Eigsts.  Ji    . 

Jonathan  H.  Bowill,  U 

Albert  J.  Hopkins,  E 

Aurora 

Albert  J.  Hopkins,  B 

Streator 

PhilipSidncyPost.  P. 

•William  H.  Gest.  B 

GeorgeA.  Anderson,  I' 

'■ilHiM 

Died,  '82;  succeeded  by  B,  E,  Hitt. 


Succeeded  R.  M.  A.  Hawk,  deceased. 


Eighth.. 
Eighth.,, 


.iMiir 
.Chic 


Eobert  A.  Childs.  I; 
Hamilton  K,  Wheel.  • 
JohnJ.  McDannold,  1 
Benjamin  F.  Funk.  E. 
William  Lorimer,  E. . 
Hugh  R.  Belknap,  E, 
Churles  \V.  \V.iudmaii 


Awardedseut  altercon.  with  L.  E.  McGann 
Died,  Julie  4',  ''w';'  su'c'd.by  Henry  S.Bouteli. 


Succeeded  E.  D.  Cooke,  deceased. 


HISTOEICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


449 


EETNOLDS,  Jolin,  Justice  of  Supreme  Court 
and  fourth  Governor  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  first  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  1812-13  he  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  1825,  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  office, 
and  %vas  again  elected  in  1838,  always  as  a  Demo- 
crat. He  also  served  as  Representative  in  the 
Fifteenth  General  Assembly,  and  again  in  the 
Eighteenth  (18.52-.54),  being  chosen  Speaker  of  the 
latter.  In  1858  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  imfavorable  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"  (18.J4);  and  "My 
Life  and  Times"  (18.5.5).  His  death  occurred  at 
Belleville,  May  8,  1865. 

RETXOLDS,  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  18T0  he  was  Secretary  of  the  State  Agri- 
cultural Society,  and,  upon  the  creation  of  the 
State  Board  of  Agricultm-e  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  Inspector 
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  1803. 

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  hfe,  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,  1812 ;  after 
graduating  at  Jefferson  College,  Pa.,  in  1832,  wag 
connected  with  various  institutions  in  that  State, 
as  well  as   President  of    Capital    LTniversity  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  seminary  in  Chicago.  Previ- 
ously a  Lutheran,  he  took  orders  in  the  Protestant 
Episcopal  Church  in  1864,  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. 

■RHOADS,  (Col.)  Franklin  Lawrence,  soldier 
and  steamboat  captain,  was  born  in  Harrisburg, 
Pa.,  Got.  11,  1824;  brought  to  Pekin,  Tazewell 
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,  Jlississippi  and  Ohio  Rivers.  In 
April,  1861.  he  was  commissioned  Captain  of  a 
company  of  three  months'  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  being  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  Tennessee,  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  confirmed  invalid,  dying  at 
Shawneetown,  Jan.  6,  1879. 

RHOADS,  Joshua,  M.D.,  A.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  T.,  lawyer  and  jurist,  born  in 
Logan  County,  Ky.,  Feb.  8,  1820,  was  educated  in 
the  common  schools  and  at  Shurtleff  College, 
after  which  he  read  law  with  John  M.  Palmer  at 
Carlinville,  and  was  admitted  to  practice,  in  1845, 
at  Hillsboro ;  in  1847  %vas  elected  County  Recorder 


of  Montgomery  County,  and,  in  1848,  to  the  Six- 
teenth General  Assembly,  serving  one  term. 
Later  he  was  elected  Coimty  Judge  of  Montgom- 
ery County,  was  Master  in  Chancery  from  1853  to 
1857,  and  the  latter  year  was  elected  Judge  of  the 
Eighteenth  Circuit,  being  re-elected  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  Chicago  in  1847,  built  and  opened 
there  the  first  theater.  In  1857  he  retired  from 
the  stage,  and,  in  1865,  was  elected  Mayor  of 
Chicago,  the  city  of  his  adoption,  and  re-elected 
in  1867.  He  was  also  prominent  in  the  early 
stages  of  the  Civil  War  in  the  measures  taken  to 
raise  troops  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  special  election 
to  fill  the  vacancy,  Bernard  G.  Caulfield  was 
chosen  to  succeed  him. 

RICHARDSOX,  William  A.,  lawyer  and  poli- 
tician, born  in  Fayette  County,  Ky.,  Oct.  11, 
1811,  was  educated  at  Transylvania  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  Assembly,  serving  as 
Speaker  of  the  House.  He  entered  the  Mexican 
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  Congress  from  the  Quincy  District;  re-entered 
Congress  in  1861,  and,  in  1863,  was  chosen 
United  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  COUNTY,  situated  in  the  south- 
east quarter  of  the  State,  and  has  an  area  of  361 
square  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  EUjah  Nelson.  In  1820 
there  were  but  thirty  families  in  the  district. 
The  first  frame  houses — tlie  Nelson  and  More- 
house homesteads — were  built  in  1821,  and,  some 
years  later.  James  Laws  erected  the  first  brick 
house.  The  pioneers  traded  at  Vincennes,  but, 
in  1825,  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.  Tlie  first  church  was  erected  by  the  Bap- 
tists in  1822,  and  services  were  conducted  by 
"William  Martin,  a  Kentuckian.  For  a  long  time 
the  mails  were  carried  on  horseback  by  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.  Olney  was  selected  as 
the  county-seat  upon  the  organization  of  the 
county,  and  a  Sir.  Lilly  built  the  first  house 
there.  The  chief  branches  of  industry  followed 
by  the  inhabitants  are  agriculture  and  fruit- 
growing. Population  (1880),  15,54.5;  (1890), 
15,019;  (1900).  16,391. 

RIDGE  FARM,  a  village  of  Vermillion  County, 
at  junction  of  the  Cleveland,  Cincinnati,  Cliicago 
&  St.  Louis  and  the  Toledo,  St.  Louis  &  Western 
Railroads,  174  miles  northeast  of  St.  Louis;  has 
electric  light  plant,  planing  mill,  elevator.'^,  bank 
and  two  papers.     Pop.  (1900),  938;  (1904),  1,300. 

RIDGELY,  a  manufacturing  and  mininfc  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. 

RIDGELT,  Charles,  manufacturer  and  capi- 
talist, born  in  Springfield,  111.,  Jan.  IT.  1830;  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  lie  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. 

RIDGELT,  Nicholas  H.,  early  banker,  was 
born    in    Baltimore,   Md.,   April  27,   1800;   after 


leaving  school  was  engaged,  for  a  time,  in  the 
dry-goods  trade,  but,  in  1829,  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  Sir.  Ridgely 
became  its  cashier,  and,  when  it  went  into  liqui- 
dation, was  appointed  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  Bank,"  which,  in  1866, 
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  §21,100.  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  ?2, 000, 000. 

RIDGWAT,  a  village  of  Gallatin  County,  on  the 
Shawneetown  Division  of  the  Baltimore  &  Ohio 
Southwestern  Railway,  12  miles  nortliwest  of 
Shawneetown;  has  a  bank  and  one  newsjiapor. 
Pop.  (1890),  523;  (1900),  889;  (1903,  est.),  1  000, 

RIDGWAT,  Thomas  S.,  merchant,  ba;iker  and 
politician,  was  born  at  Carnii,  111.,  August  30, 
1826.  His  father  having  died  when  he  was  but  4 
years  old  and  his  mother  when  he  was  14,  Iiis 
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,  wliere  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 
the  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  RepubUcan,  and  served  as  a  delegate 


453 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


to  every  State  and  National  Convention  of  Ins 
party  from  18G8  to  1896.  In  1874  be  was  elected 
State  Treasm-er,  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  was  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,  1897. 

KIGGS,  James  M.,  ex-Congressman,  was  born 
in  Scott  County,  111.,  April  17,  1839,  where  he 
received  a  common  school  education,  supple- 
mented by  a  partial  collegiate  course.  He  is  a 
practicing  lawyer  of  Winchester.  In  1864  he  was 
elected  Sheriff,  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. 

RIGGS,  Scott,  pioneer,  was  born  in  North 
Carolina  about  1790;  removed  to  Crawford 
County,  111,  early  in  1815,  and  represented  that 
county  in  the  First  General  Assembly  (1818-20). 
In  1825  he  removed  to  Scott  County,  where  he 
continued  to  reside  until  his  death,  Feb.  24,  1872. 

RlJf AKEE,  John  I.,  lawyer  and  Congressman, 
born  in  Baltimore,  Md.,  Nov.  18,  1830.  Left  an 
orphan  at  an  early  age,  he  came  to  Illinois  in 
1886,  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  began  reading 
law  with  John  M.  Pahner  at  Carlinville,  and  was 
admitted  to  the  bar  in  1854.  In  August,  1862,  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  1874,  accepted  a  nomina- 
tion for  Congress  against  William  R.  Morrison, 
largely  reducing  the  normal  Democratic  major- 


it}'.  At  the  State  Republican  Convention  of  1880 
he  was  a  prominent,  but  unsuccessful,  candidate 
for  the  Republican  nomination  for  Governor.  In 
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. 

RIPLEY,  Edward  Payson,  Railway  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  General  Manager, 
imtil  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  accepted 
the  Presidency  of  the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa 
Fe  Railroad,  which  (1899)  he  now  holds.  Mr. 
Ripley  was  a  prominent  factor  in  secm-ing  the 
location  of  the  World's  Columbian  Exposition  at 
Cliicago,  and,  in  April.  1891,  was  chosen  one  of 
the  Directors  of  the  Exposition,  serving  on  the 
Executive  Committee  and  the  Committee  of 
Ways  and  Means  and  Transportation,  being  Chair- 
man of  the  latter. 

RIVERSIDE,  a  suburban  town  on  the  Des 
Plaines  River  and  the  Chicago,  Burlington  & 
Quincy  Railway,  11  miles  west  of  Chicago;  has 
handsome  parks,  several  churches,  a  bank, 
two  local  papers  and  numerous  fine  residences. 
Population  (1890),  1,000;  (1900),  1,561. 

RIVERTON,  a  village  in  Clear  Creek  Town- 
ship, Sangamon  County,   at  the  crossing  of  the 


mSTOrjCAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


453 


Wabash  Railroad  over  the  Sangamon  River,  6^ 
miles  east-northeast  of  Springfield.  It  has  four 
churches,  a  nursery,  and  two  coal  mines  Popu- 
lation (1880),  TOo:  (1890),  1,127,  (1900),  1,511;  (1903, 
est),  about  COOO. 

RIVES,  John  Cook,  early  banker  and  journal- 
ist, was  born  in  Franklin  Comity,  Va.,  May  24, 
1795;  in  1806  removed  to  Kentucky,  where  he 
grew  up  under  care  of  an  imcle,  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.  FinaUy,  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.  T\ied,  in  Prince 
George's  County,  Md.,  April  10,  1804. 

ROANOKE,  a  village  of  Woodford  County,  on 
the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  Railway,  26 
miles  northeast  of  Peoria;  is  in  a  coal  district; 
has  two  banks,  a  coal  mine,  and  one  newspaper. 
Population  (1880),  3.55;  (1890).  831;  (1900),  966. 

ROBB,  Thomas  Patten,  Sanitary  Agent,  was 
born  in  Bath,  Maine,  in  1819;  came  to  Cook 
County,  111.,  in  1838,  and,  after  arriving  at  man- 
hood, established  the  first  exclusive  wholesale 
grocery  house  in  Chicago,  remaining  in  the  busi- 
ness until  1850.  He  then  went  to  California, 
establishing  himself  in  mercantile  business  at 
Sacramento,  where  he  remained  seven  years, 
meanwhile  being  elected  Mayor  of  that  city. 
Returning  to  Chicago  on  the  breaking  out  of  the 
war,  he  was  appointed  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  imtil  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 
United  States  Commissioner  to  investigate  Mexi- 
can outrages  on  the  Rio  Grande  border ;  was  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,  clergj-man  and 
educator,  was  born  in  a  small  village  of  Wales, 
England.,  Sept.  23,  1832;  received  his  primary 
education  in  that  countr}-,  but,  removing  to 
America  during  his  minority,  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  Univer- 
sity, which  he  still  retains.  From  1859  to  1863 
he  was  a  Trustee  of  Lafayette  College,  and,  in 
1866,  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  Chm-ches,  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,  1808.  He  received  the  degree 
of  D.D.,  from  Union  College  in  1872,  and  that  of 
LL.D.,  from  Princeton,  in  1887. 

ROBINSON,  an  incorporated  city  and  the 
county -seat  of  Crawford  Courty,  25  miles  north- 
west of  Vincennes,  Ind. ,  and  44  miles  south  of 
Paris,  111. ;  is  on  two  Hues  of  railroad  and  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),  1,083;  (1904),  about  2,000. 


454 


HISTORICAL  EXCYCLOPEDIA   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  Congress  as  a 
Democrat,  as  he  was  again  in  1860,  "02,  '70  and 
'72.  In  1864  he  was  tlie  Democratic  nominee  for 
Governor.  He  was  a  fluent  speaker,  and  attained 
considerable  distinction  as  an  advocate  in  crimi- 
nal practice.     Died,  at  Springfield,  Nov.  3,  1886. 

ROBINSON,  John  31.,  United  States  Senator, 
born  in  Kentucky  in  1793,  was  liberally  educated 
and  became  a  lawyer  by  profession.  In  early  life 
he  settled  at  Carmi,  111.,  where  he  married.  He 
was  of  fine  physique,  of  engaging  manners,  and 
personally  popular.  Through  his  association 
with  the  State  militia  he  earned  the  title  of 
"General.  ■'  In  1830  he  was  elected  to  the  United 
States  Senate,  to  fill  the  unexpired  term  of  John 
McLean.  His  immediate  predecessor  was  David 
Jewett  Baker,  appointed  by  Governor  Edwards, 
who  served  one  month  but  failed  of  election  bj- 
the  Legislature.  In  1834  Mr.  Robinson  was  re- 
elected for  a  full  term,  which  expired  in  1841. 
In  1848  he  was  elected  to  a  seat  upon  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  &  Northwestern 
and  tlie  Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy  Railways. 
It  is  75  miles  west  of  Chicago,  27  miles  south  of 
Rocktord,  and  23  miles  east  by  north  of  Dixon. 
It  IS  in  a  rich  agricultural  and  stock-raising 
region,  rendering  Rochelle  an  important  ship- 
ping point.  Among  its  industrial  establish- 
ments are  water-works,  electric  lights,  a  flouring 
mill  and  silk-underwear  factory-  The  city  has 
throe  banks,  five  churches  and  three  newspapers. 
Pop.  (1890),  1,789;  (1900),  2,073;  (1903),  2,500. 

ROCHESTER,  a  village  and  early  settlement 
in  Sangamon  County,  laid  out  in  1819:  in  rich 
f!.gncultural  district,  on  the  Baltimore  &  Ohio 
S.iutlr.vestern  Railroad,  Tji  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  sy.stem  with  a  high  school,  banks 
and  a  weekly  newspaper.  Agricultural  imple- 
ments, barbed  wire,  furniture,  flour  and  paper  are 
its  chief  manufactures.  Water  for  the  navigable 
feeder  of  the  Hennepin  Canal  is  taken  from  Rock 
River  at  this  point.     Pop.  (1900),  2,176. 


ROCKFOBD,  a  flourishing  manufacturing 
city,  the  county-seat  of  Winnebago  Count}- ;  lies 
on  both  sides  of  the  Rock  River,  92  miles  west  of 
Chicago.  Four  trunk  lines  of  railroad — the  Chi- 
cago, Burlington  &  Quincy,  the  Chicago  &  North- 
western, the  Illinois  Central  and  the  Chicago, 
Milwaukee  &  St.  Paul — intersect  here.  Excellent 
water-power  is  secured  by  a  dam  across  the  river, 
and  communication  between  the  two  divisions  of 
the  city  is  facilitated  by  three  railway  and  three 
highway  bridges.  Water  is  provided  from  five 
artesian  wells,  a  reserve  main  leading  to  the 
river.  The  city  is  wealthy,  prosperous  and  pro- 
gressive. The  assessed  valuation  of  property,  in 
1893,  was  §6,531,235.  Chm-ches  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  product  valued  at  §8,888,- 
904.  The  principal  industries  are  the  manufac- 
ture of  agricultural  implements  and  furniture, 
though  watches,  silver-plated  ware,  paper,  flour 
and  grape  sugar  are  among  the  other  products. 
Pop.  (1880),  13,129;  (1890),  23,584;  (1900),  31.051. 

ROCKFORD  COLLEGE,  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  fine  arts. 
It  has  a  library  of  6,150  volumes,  funds  and  en- 
dowment aggregating  §50,880  and  property 
valued  at  §240,880,  of  which  §150,000  is  real 
estate. 

ROCK  ISLAND,  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  Slissis- 
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  MoHne.  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- 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


ments,  iron,  carriages  and  wagons  and  oilolotb ; 
also  iive  banks  and  three  newspapers,  two  issuing 
daily  editions.     Pop.  (1890).  13,634;  (1900),  19,493. 

ROCK  1SLA>'D  COUNTY,  in  the  northwestern 
section  of  the  State  bordering  upon  the  Missis- 
sippi River  (which  constitutes  its  northwestern 
boundarj-  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,  and  Black  Hawk  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),  5.5.249. 

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  company  is  a 
reorganization  (Oct.  9,  18TT)  of  the  Peoria  & 
Rock  Island  Railroad  Company,  whose  road  was 
sold  under  foreclosure,  April  4,  1877.  The  latter 
Road  was  the  result  of  the  consolidation,  in  1869, 
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. — 
(FINA^XIAL.)  The  cost  of  the  entire  road  and 
equipment  was  62,654,487.  The  capital  stock 
(1898)  is  81,500.000;  funded  debt,  §600,000;  other 
forms  of  indebtedness  increasing  the  total  capital 
invested  to  .82,181,066. 

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,  intersecting 
the  counties  of  Winnebago,  Ogle,  Lee,  Whiteside 
and  Rock  Island,  and  entering  the  Mississippi 
three  miles  below  the  city  of  Rock  Island. 
It  is  about  375  miles  long,  but  its  navigation  is 
partly  obstructed  by  rapids,  which,  however, 
furnish  abimdant  water-power.  The  principal 
towns  on  its  banks  are  Rockford,  Dixon  and 
Sterling.  Its  valley  is  wide,  and  noted  for  its 
beaut,Y  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  raUes  north  of  Rockford;  has  manufactures  of 
paper  and  agricultural  implements,  a  feed  mill, 
and  local  paper.     Pop.  (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,  111., 
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 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OE   ILLINOIS. 


later  eiliting  the  newly  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  geolog}'  of  Illinois, 
which  was  immediately  followed  by  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  18.52,  Dr.  Roe  became  prominent  in  educa- 
tional matters,  being  the  first  Professor  of  Natural 
Science  in  the  State  Normal  University,  and  also 
a  Trustee  of  the  Illinois  Wesleyan  University. 
Having  identified  himself  with  the  Democratic 
party  at  this  time,  he  became  its  nominee  for 
State  Superintendent  of  Public  Instruction  in 
1860,  but,  on  the  inception  of  the  war  in  1861,  he 
promptly  espoused  the  cause  of  the  Union,  raised 
three  companies  (mostly  Normal  students)  which 
were  attached  to  the  Thirty-third  Illinois  (Nor- 
mal) Regiment ;  was  elected  Captain  and  succes- 
sively promoted  to  Major  and  Lieutenant-Colonel. 
Having  been  dangerously  wounded  in  the  assault 
at  Vicksburg,  on  May  33,  1863,  and  compelled  to 
return  home,  he  was  elected  Circuit  Clerk  by  the 
combined  vote  of  both  parties,  was  re-elected 
four  years  later,  became  editor  of  "The  Blooni- 
ington  Pantagraph"  and,  in  1870,  was  elected  to 
the  Twenty-seventh  General  Assembly,  where 
he  won  distinction  by  a  somewhat  notable 
humorous  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  appeared  in  book  form. 
One  of  these,  "Virginia  Rose;  a  Tale  of  Illinois 
in  Early  Days,"  first  appeared  as  a  prize  serial  in 
"The  Alton  Courier"  in  1853.  Others  of  his  more 
noteworthy  productions  are :  "The  Gray  and  the 
Blue'';  "Brought  to  Bay";  "From  the  Beaten 
Path";  "G.  A.  E. ;  or  How  She  Married  His 
Double";  "Dr.  Caldwell;  or  the  Trail  of  the 
Serpent";  and  "Prairie-LanJ  and  Other  Poems." 
He  died  in  Chicago,  Nov.  6,  1893. 

ROGERS,  George  Clarke,  soldier,  was  born  in 
Grafton  County,  N  H.,  Nov.  22,  1838;  but  was 
educated  in  Vermont  and  Illinois,  having  re- 
moved to  the  latter  State  eai'ly  in  life.  While 
teaching  he  studied  law  and  was  admitted  to  the 
bar  in  I860;  was  the  first,  in  1861,  to  raise  a  com- 
pany in  Lake  Count}'  for  the  war,  which  was 
mustered  into  the  Fifteenth  Illinois  Volunteers ; 


was  chosen  Second-Lieutenant  and  later  Captain ; 
was  wounded  four  times  at  Sliiloh,  but  refused  to 
leave  the  field,  and  led  his  regiment  in  the  final 
charge;  was  promoted  Lieutenant-Colonel  and 
soon  after  commissioned  Colonel  for  gallantry  at 
Hatchie.  At  Champion  Hills  he  received  three 
woimds,  from  one  of  which  he  never  fully  re- 
covered ;  took  a  prominent  part  in  the  operations 
at  Allatoona  and  commanded  a  brigade  nearly 
two  years,  including  the  Atlanta  campaign, 
retiring  with  the  rank  of  brevet  Brigadier-Gen- 
eral. Since  the  war  has  practiced  law  in  Illinois 
and  in  Kansas. 

ROGERS,  Henry  Wade,  educator,  lawyer  and 
author,  was  born  in  Central  New  York  in  1853 ; 
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  Faculty,  succeeding  Judge 
C'ooley,  at  the  age  of  33.  Five  years  later  he  was  ' 
tendered,  and  accepted,  the  Presidency  of  the 
Northwestern  University,  at  Evanston,  being  the 
first  laj'man  chosen  to  the  position,  and  succeed- 
ing a  long  line  of  Bishops  and  divines.  The  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  nimiber  of  years  on  its  Committee  on  Legal 
Education  and  Admission  to  the  Bar,  and  was 
the  first  Chairman  of  the  Section  on  Legal  Edu- 
cation. President  Rogers  was  the  General  Chair- 
man of  the  Conference  on  the  Future  Foreign 
Policy  of  the  United  States,  held  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  associate  editor  of  "The  American 
Law  Register,"  of  Philadelphia.  He  is  also  the 
author  of  a  treati.se  on  "Expert  Testimony," 
which  has  passed  through  two  editions,  and  has 
edited  a  work  entitled  "Illinois  Citations,"' 
besides  doing  much  other  valuable  literary  work 
of  a  similar  character. 

ROGERS,  John  Gorln,  jurist,  was  born  at 
Glasgow,  Ky.,  Dec.  28,  1818,  of  English  and  early 
Virginian  ancestry ;  was  educated  at  Center  Col- 
lege, Danville,  Ky.,  and  at  Transylvania  Univer- 
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 


niSTOKICAL   EXCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLIXOIS. 


457 


attained  professional  prominence.  In  1870  he 
was  elected  a  Judge  of  the  Cook  County  Circuit 
Court,  continuing  on  the  bench,  through  repeated 
re-elections,  until  his  death,  wliich  occurred 
suddenly,  Jan.  10,  1887,  four  j-ears  before  the 
expiration  of  the  term  for  which  he  had  been 
elected. 

EOGEES  PARK,  a  village  and  suburb  9  miles 
north  of  Chicago,  on  Lake  jMichigan  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. 

ROMAX  CATHOLIC  CHURCH.  The  earliest 
Christians  to  establish  places  of  worship  in  Illi- 
nois were  priests  of  the  Catholic  faith.  Early 
CathoUo  missionaries  were  explorers  and  histori- 
ans as  well  as  preachers.  (See  Allouez;  Bergier; 
Early  Missionaries;  Gravier;  Marquette.)  The 
church  went  hand  in  hand  with  the  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  eigliteenth  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  Early  Mis- 
sionaries.) The  subsequent  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  chm'ch  has 
been  steady.  By  1840  there  were  thirty-one 
parishes  and  twenty  priests.  In  1896  there  are 
reported  098  parishes,  764  clergymen  and  a 
Catholic  population  exceeding  850,000.  (See  also 
Seligions  Denominations.) 

ROODHOUSE,  a  city  in  Greene  County,  21 
miles  south  of  Jacksonville,  and  at  junction  of 
three  divisions  of  the  Chicago  &  Alton  Railroad ; 
is  in  fertile  agricultural  and  coal-mining  region  ; 
city  contains  a  flouring  mill,  grain-elevator,  stock- 
yards, railway  shops,  water-works,  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  Coimty,  111. , 
was  born  in  Yorkshire,  England,  brought  to- 
America  in  childhood,  his  father  settling  in 
Greene  Count}',  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  18G0  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  hira  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 


HISTOEICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


mental  music.  In  1873  the  University  of  Chicago 
conferred  on  him  tlie  degree  of  Mus.  Doc.  Died, 
near  Portland,  Maine,  August  6,  1895. 

ROOTS,  Benajah  Guernsey,  civil  engineer, 
and  educator,  was  born  in  Onondaga  County 
N.  Y.,  April  20,  1811,  and  educated  in  the  schools 
and  academies  of  Central  New  York;  began 
teaching  in  1837,  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 
Massachusetts  until  1838,  when  he  came  to  Illi- 
nois and  obtained  employment  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  the  present  site  of  Tamaroa,  Perry 
County,  and  soon  after  opened  a  boarding  school, 
continuing  its  management  until  1846,  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  Bloomington  and  the  University  of 
Illinois  at  Champaign;  was  a  member  of  the 
State  Board  of  Education  from  its  organization, 
and  served  as  delegate  to  the  National  Repub- 
lican Convention  of  1868.  Died,  at  his  home  in 
Perry  County,  111.,  May  9,  1888.— Philander  Keep 
(Roots),  son  of  the  preceding,  born  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  Bloomington ;  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.  Later,  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  Arkansas,  first  as  cashier 
of  a  bank  at  Fort  Smith  and  afterwards  of  the 
Jlerchants'  National  Bank  at  Little  Rock,  of 
which  his  brother,  Logan  H.,  was  President. — 
Logran  H.  (Roots),  another  son,  born  near  Tama- 
roa. Perry  County.  111.,  March  23,  1841,  was  edu- 
cated at  home  and  at  the  State  Normal  at 
Bloomington,  meanwhile  serving  as  principal 
of  a  high  school  at  Duquoin ;  in  1862  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  participating  in  the  great  review  in  Wash- 
ington, in  May,  186.5.  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  member  in  that  body — and 
was  appointed  United  States  Marshal  by  Presi- 
dent Grant.  He  finally  became  President  of  the 
Merchants'  National  Bank  at  Little  Rock,  with 
which  he  remained  nearly  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  purposes  and  to  the  city  of  Little 
Rock,  for  the  benefit  of  its  hospitals  and  the  im- 
provement of  its  parks. 

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  University  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  another 
term.  In  1889,  by  appointment  of  Governor 
Fifer,  he  became  one  of  the  Trustees  of  the 
Pontiac  Reformatory,  serving  until  the  next 
year,  when  he  was  transferred  to  the  Board  of 
Commissioners  of  the  Southern  Illinois  Peniten- 
tiary at  Che.ster,  which  position  he  continued  to 
occupy  until  1893.  In  1896  he  was  elected  Secre- 
tary of  State  on  the  Republican  ticket,  his  term 
extending  to  January,  1901. 

ROSEVILLE,  a  village  in  Warren  County,  on 
the  Rock  Island  Division  of  the  Chicago,  Burling- 
ton &  Quincy  Railroad,  17  miles  northwest  of 
Bushnell ;  has  water  and  electric-light  plants,  two 
banks,  public  library  and  one  newspaper  Region 
agricultural  and  coal-mining.     Pop.  (1900),  1,014. 

ROSS,  Leonard  Fulton,  soldier,  born  in  Fulton 
County,  III,  July  18,  1833;  was  educated  in  the 
common  schools  and  at  Illinois  College,  Jackson- 
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  was  chosen  Colonel 
of  the  Seventeenth  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  with  headquarters  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  liis  attention 
largely  to  stock-raising,  having  a  large  stock- 
farm  in  Iowa.  In  his  later  years  was  President 
of  a  bank  at  Lewistown,  111.  Died  Jan.  IT,  1901. 
KOSS,  (Col.)  William,  pioneer,  was  born  at 
Monson,  Hampden  County,  Mass.,  April  24,  1792; 
removed  with  his  father's  family,  in  1805,  to 
Pittsfield,  Mass.,  where  he  remained  until  his 
twentieth  year,  when  he  was  commissioned  an 
Ensign  in  the  Twenty-first  Regiment  United 
States  Infantry,  serving  through  the  War  of 
181314,  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  Sliawneetown,  111.  Here  they 
disembarked  and,  crossing  the  State,  reached 
Upper  Alton,  where  they  found  only  one  house, 
that  of  Maj.  Charles  W.  Hunter.  Leaving  their 
famihes  at  Upper  Alton,  the  brothers  proceeded 
nortli,  crossing  the  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  Mississippi,  removing 
their  families  thither  a  few  weeks  later.  They 
suffered  the  usual  privations  incident  to  life  in  a 
new  country,  not  excepting  sickness  and  death 
of  some  of  their  number.  At  the  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.  Dm-ing  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  Assemblj',  also  serving  in 
the  Senate  during  the  three  following  sessions,  a 
part  of  the  time  as  President  pro  tem.'  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  his  early  home.  He  was  a  member 
of  the  Republican  State  Convention  of  1856,  and  a 
delegate  to  the  National  Republican  Convention 
of  1860,  which  nominated  Mr.  Lincoln  for  Presi- 
dent the  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  tlie  Rebellion. 
Died,  at  Pittsfield,  May  31,  1873. 

EOSSTILLE,  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),  1,435. 

KOUXDS,  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  1845,  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 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


Washington,  serving  until  1885,  when  he  removed 
to  Omaha,  Neb.,  and  wa,s  identified  with  "The 
Kepublican,"  of  that  city,  imtil  liis  death,  Dec. 
17,  1887. 

ROUNTREE,  Hiram,  County  Judge,  born  in 
Rutherford  Coimty,  N.  C,  Dec.  23,  1794;  was 
brought  to  Kentucky  in  infancy,  where  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,  where  he  taught  school  for  two 
years  near  Edwardsville,  but  removed  to  Fayette 
County  aliout  the  time  of  the  removal  of  the 
State  capital  to  Vandalia.  On  the  organization 
of  Montgomery  County,  in  1831,  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  offices  of  Clerk  of  the  County  Commissioners 
Court.  Clerk  of  the  Circuit  Court,  Coimty 
Recorder,  Justice  of  the  Peace,  Notary  Public, 
Master  in  Chancery  and  Judge  of  Probate,  besides 
that  of  Postmaster  for  the  town  of  Hillsboro.  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 
18-17,  and  the  next  year  was  elected  to  the  State 
Senate,  serving  in  the  Sixteenth  and  Seven- 
teenth General  Assemblies.  On  retiring  from 
the  Senate  (18.53),  he  was  elected  County  Judge 
without  opposition,  was  re-elected  to  the  same 
office  in  1861,  and  again,  in  186.5,  as  the  nominee 
of  the  Republicans.  Judge  Rountree  was  noted 
for  his  sound  judgment  and  sterling  integrity. 
Died,  at  Hillsboro,  March  4,  1873. 

ROUTT,  Johu  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  enlisted  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  Jlarshal  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  Eiu-eka  College  and  of  the  Law 
Department  of  the  Chicago  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  1883  he  was  elected  to  Congress  from 
the  Fourteenth  Illinois  District  and  three  times 
re-elected,  serving  until  March,  1891.  His  home 
is  at  Bloom  ington. 

ROWETT,  Richard,  soldier,  was  born  in  Corn- 
wall, England,  in  1830,  came  to  the  United 
States  in  1851,  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 
Allatoona,  especially  distinguishing  himself.at  the 
latter  and  being  brevetted  Brigadier-General  for 
gallantry.  After  the  war  he  retui-ned  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; incorporated  by  act  of  March  2,  1887,  the 
charter  having  been  prepared  the  previous  year 
by  Drs.  Daniel  Brainard  and  Josiah  C.  Goodhue. 
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  fir.st 
faculty  consisted  of  four  professors,  and  the  first 
term  opened  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  that  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  nevr  building  in 
1867,  the  cost  of  which  was  §70,000.  This  was 
destroyed  in  the  fire  of  1871.  and  another,  costing 
$54,000,  was  erected  in  1876  and  a  free  dispensary 


IIISTOrJCAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


461 


added.  In  1844  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  Quincy  and  11 
miles  northwest  of  Beardstown ;  is  the  southern 
terminus  of  the  Buda  and  Rushville  branch  of  the 
Chicago,  Burlington  &  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), 
wliere  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,  brick 
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.  Cliarles  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  soi-t  of  classic.  Leaving  thi.s  locality  he  taught 
a  year  in  St.  Louis,  when  lie  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  jioint  near  the  Illinois  River  to  which  he 
gave  the  name  of  Bluffdale.  Here  he  was  U- 
censed  as  a  Baptist  preacher,  officiating  in  this  ca- 
pacity only  occasionally,  wliile  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  years,  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  Bluafdale. 

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  Schenectady,  N.  Y.,   Sept.   25, 


463 


HISTOEICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


1830;  studied  law  in  Troy  and  removed  to  Illi- 
nois, settling  at  Edwardsville,  and  finally  at 
Alton;  -was  a  Eepublican  candidate  for  Presi- 
dential Elector  in  1856,  and.  in  1860,  a  member  of 
the  National  Republican  Convention  at  Chicago, 
wliich  nominated  Mr.  Lincoln  for  tlie  Presidency. 
In  September,  1863,  he  was  commissioned  Colonel 
of  the  Ninety-seventh  Illinois  Volimteers,  and 
participated  in  the  capture  of  Port  Gibson  and  in 
the  operations  about  Vicksburg — also  leading  iu 
the  attack  on  Arkansas  Post,  and  subsequently 
serving  in  Louisiana,  but  died  as  the  result  of 
fatigue  and  exposure  in  the  service,  June  30, 
1864,  one  week  before  his  promotion  to  the  rank 
of  Brigadier-General.— Reuben  C.  (Rutherford), 
brother  of  tlie  preceding,  was  born  at  Troy,  N.  Y. , 
Sept.  29,  1833,  but  grew  up  in  Vermont  and  New 
Hampshire ;  received  a  degree  in  law  when  quite 
young,  but  afterwards  fitted  himself  as  a  lec- 
turer on  physiology  and  hygiene,  upon  which  he 
lectured  extensively  in  Michigan,  Illinois  and 
other  States  after  coming  west  in  1849.  During 
1854-55,  in  co-operation  witli  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  Cliampaign, 
was  the  outgrowth  of  this  movement.  In  1856  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  tlie  State  Quartermaster's 
Department,  finally  entering  the  secret  service  of 
the  War  Department,  in  which  lie  remained  until 
1867,  retiring  with  the  rank  of  brevet  Brigadier- 
General.  In  1886,  General  Rutherford  removed 
to  New  York  City,  where  he  died,  June  34, 1895.— 
George  T.  (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  witli 
the  rank  of  Brigadier-General.  He  then  returned 
to  Quincy,  111. ,  where  he  resided  until  1873,  when 
he  engaged  in  manufacturing  business  at  North- 
ampton, Mass.,  but  finally  removed  to  California 
for  the  benefit  of  his  failing  health.  Died,  at  St. 
Helena,  Cal. ,  August  28,  1872. 


RUTLAND,  a  village  of  La  Salle  County,  on 
the  Illinois  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. 

RUTLEDliE,  (Rev.)  William  J.,  clergyman, 
Army  Chaplain,  born  in  Augusta  County,  Va., 
June  34,  1830;  was  converted  at  the  age  of  13 
years  and,  at  31,  became  a  member  of  the  Illinois 
Conference  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church, 
serving  various  churches  in  the  central  and  west- 
ern parts  of  the  State — also  acting,  for  a  time,  as 
Agent  of  the  Illinois  Conference  Female  College 
at  Jacksonville.  From  1861  to  1863  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  Chaplain  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  Treasurer,  was  born  in 
a  village  in  the  Duchy  of  Baden,  Germany,  May 
5,  1839;  came  to  America  in  1848,  locating  on  a 
farm  in  St.  Clair  County,  111. ;  went  to  California 
in  1857,  and,  early  in  1861,  enlisted  in  the  Third 
United  States  Artillery  at  San  Francisco,  serving 
with  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  until  his  discharge 
in  1864,  and  taking  part  in  every  battle  iu  which 
his  command  was  engaged.  After  his  return  in 
1865,  he  located  in  St.  Clair  County,  and  was 
elected  County  Surve3'or,  served  three  consecu- 
tive terms  as  County  Treasurer,  and  was  elected 
State  Treasurer  three  times— 1873,  '76  and  '80. 
About  1893  he  removed  to  California,  where  he 
now  resides. 

RYAN,  Edward  G.,  early  editor  and  jurist, 
born  at  Newcastle  House.  County  Meath,  Ireland, 
Nov.  13,  1810;  was  educated  for  the  priesthood, 
but  tm-ned  his  attention  to  law,  and,  in  1830, 
came  to  New  York  and  engaged  in  teaching 
while  prosecuting  his  legal  studies;  in  1836  re- 
moved to  Chicago,  where  he  was  admitted  to  the 
bar  and  was,  for  a  time,  associated  in  practice 
with  Hugh  T.  Dickey.  In  April,  1840,  Mr.  Ryan 
assumed  the  editorship  of  a  weekly  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  1843  Ryan  removed  to  Milwaukee,  Wis., 
where  he  was,  for  a  time,  a  partner  of  Matthew 
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  first  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. 

RTAy,  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  he  removed  to  IlUnois,  attaching 
himself  to  the  diocese  of  Peoria,  and  having 
charge  of  parishes  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  AJfD  FOXES,  two  confederated  Indian 
tribes,  who  were  among  the  most  warlike  and 
powerful  of  the  aborigines  of  the  Illinois  Country. 
The  Foxes  called  themselves  the  Musk-wah-ha- 
kee,  a  name  compounded  of  two  words,  signify- 
ing "those  of  red  earth."  The  French  called 
them  Ou-ta-ga-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,  by  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  Sao  River,  near 
Green  Bay,  but  the  date  of  the  alliance  cannot 
be  determined.     The  origin  of  the  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  by  Father  AUouez,  who  visited 
them  in  166G-67.  He  says  that  they  were  numer- 
ous and  warlike,  but  depicts  them  as  "penurious, 
avaricious,  thievish  and  quarrelsome."  That 
they  were  cordially  detested  by  their  neighbors 
is  certain,  and  Judge  James  Hall  calls  them  "the 
Ishmaelites  of  the  lakes. "  They  were  unfriendly 
to  the  Fi-ench,  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  Ilhnois,  and, 
four  years  later,  through  the  aid  of  the  Mascou- 
tins  and  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  treaty  of  Greenville  in  179,).  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.  Thej^ 
offered  to  co-operate  with  the  United  States 
Government  in  the  War  of  1812,  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 
the}'  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 
M'ar;  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  Nee-ma-ha  River,  near  the 
northwest  corner  of  Kansas.  From  these  reser- 
vations, there  is  httle  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  himter.  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,  5  miles  north  of  Clay  City,  has 
an  academy  and  a  local  paper.  Population  (1900), 
419;  (1903,  est.),  550. 


464 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


SALEM,  an  incorporated  city,  the  county-seat 
of  Marion  County,  on  the  Baltimore  &  Oliio  South- 
western, the  Chicago  &  Eastern  Illinois  and  the 
Illinois  Southern  Railroads,  71  miles  east  of  St. 
Louis,  and  IG  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,G43. 

SALINE  COr>'TT,  a  southeastern  county, 
organized  in  18  IT,  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  swampy,  but  heavily 
timbered,  and  saw-mills  abound.  Oak,  hickory, 
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  4.50  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  says  that  these  hills 
are  rich  in  silver  ore,  but  it  has  not  been  foimd 
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- 
quently removed  to  Harrisburg,  which  was  laid 
out  in  IS.'JO.  Population  of  the  county  (1880), 
1.5.940;  (1890),  19.343;  (1900),  21,685.      . 

SALINE  RITER,  a  stream  formed  by  the  con- 
fluence of  two  branches,  both  of  which  flow 
through  portions  of  Saline  County,  uniting  in 
Gallatin  County.  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  MANUFACTURE.  There  is  evidence 
going  to  show  that  the  saline  springs,  in  GaUatin 
County,  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  hardened  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  square  miles,  the  fee  still  remaining  in  the 
United  States.  These  lands  were  leased  b}-  tlie 
State  to  private  parties,  but  the  income  derived 
from  them  was  comparatively  small  and  fre- 
quently difficult  of  collection.  The  workmen 
were  mostly  slaves  from  Kentucky  and  Tennes- 
see, who  are  especially  referred  to  in  Article  VI., 
Section  2,  of  the  Constitution  of  1818.  The  salt 
made  brought  So  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 
proceeds  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  penitentiary,  and  one-half  to  the  improve- 
ment of  roads  and  rivers  in  the  eastern  part  of 
the  State.  The  manufactm-e  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  facihties. 
Some  salt  was  manufactured  in  Vermilion  County 
about  1834.  The  manufacture  has  been  success- 
fully carried  on  in  recent  years,  from  the  product 
of  artesian  wells,  at  St.  John,  in  Perry  County. 

SANDOVAL,  a  village  of  Marion  Comity,  at 
the  crossing  of  the  western  branch  of  the  Illinois 
Central  Riilroad,  and  the  Baltimore  &  Ohio 
Southwestern,  6  miles  north  of  Centralia.  The 
town  has  coal  mines  and  some  manufactures, 
with  banks  and  one  newspaper.  Population 
(1880),  .564;   (1890).  834;  (1900),  1,2-58. 

SANDSTONE.  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   EXCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


465 


of  the  stone  quarried  being  but  817,896,  repre- 
senting 141,605  cubic  feet,  taken  fi-om  ten  quar- 
ries, which  employed  forty -six  hands,  and  had  an 
aggregate  capital  invested  of  §49,400. 

SANDWICH,  a  city  in  De  Kalb  County,  incor- 
porated iu  1873,  on  tlie  Chicago,  Burlington  & 
Quincy  Railroad,  58  miles  southwest  of  Chicago. 
Tlie  principal  industries  are  the  manufacture  of 
agricultural  implements,  hay-presses,  corn-shell- 
ers,  pumps  and  wind-mills.  Sand^vich  has  two 
private  banks,  two  weekly  and  one  semi-weekly 
papers.  Pop.  (1890),  3,516;  (1900),  3,520;  (1903), 
2,865. 

SANGAMON  COUNTY,  a  central  county, 
organized  under  act  of  June  30,  1831,  from  parts 
of  Bond  and  Jladison  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  population 
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  1821,  the  first  Board  of 
County  Commissioners  being  compo.sed  of  Wil- 
liam Drennan,  Zachariah  Peter  and  Samuel  Lee. 
John  Reynolds  (afterwards  Governor)  lieUl  the 
first  term  of  Circuit  Court,  with  John  Taylor, 
Sheriff ;  Henry  Starr,  Prosecuting  Attorney,  and 
Charles  R.  Matheny,  Circuit  Clerk.  A  United 
States  Lffod  Office  was  established  at  Springfield 
in  1833,  with  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, 
Illiopolis  and  Pleasant  Plains.  The  area  of  the 
county  is  860  square  miles.  Population  (1880), 
52,894;  (1890),  61,195;  (1900),  71,593. 


SANGAMON  RIVER,  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, 
whence  it  runs  southwest  to  the  city  of  Decatur, 
thence  westward  through  Sangamon  County, 
forming  the  north  boundary  of  Christian  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  Coimty,  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  vmsuc- 
cessfuUy)  for  tlie  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  iu  getting  out  of 
the  river  that  the  experiment  was  never 
repeated. 

SANGAMON  &  MORGAN  RAILROAD.  (See 
Wabash  Railroad.) 

SANGER,  Lorenzo  P.,  railway  and  canal  con- 
tractor, was  born  at  Littleton,  N.  H.,  March  3, 
1809 ;  brought  in  childhood  to  Livingston  County, 
N.  Y.,  where  his  father  became  a  contractor  on 
the  Erie  Canal,  the  son  also  being  employed  upon 
the  same  work.  The  latter  subsequently  became 
a  contractor  on  the  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  rook 
excavation  at  Lockport.  He  was  also  connected 
with  the  Rock  River  improvement  scheme,  and 
interested  in  a  line  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  the 
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 


46G 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


was  employed  for  several  rears.  Other  works 
with  which  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  1862  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,  187.5,  whither  he  had  gone  for  the 
benefit  of  his  health. — James  Young  (Sanger), 
brother  of  the  preceding,  was  born  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  brother  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  was  prominently 
connected  with  the  construction  of  the  Illinois  & 
Michigan  Canal — the  aqueduct  at  Ottawa  and 
the  locks  at  Peru  being  constructed  by  them. 
About  1850  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  tlie  Union  Pacific  Railroad. 

SANITARY  COMMISSION.  (See  niiriois  San- 
itary Commission. ) 

SAMTARY  DISTRICT  OF  CHICAGO.  (See 
Chicago  Drainage  Canal.) 

SAUGANASH,  the  Indian  name  of  a  half-breed 
known  as  Capt.  Billy  Caldwell,  the  son  of  a 
British  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  whites.  He  took  up  his 
residence  in  Chicago  about  1820,  and,  in  1826, 
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, 
which  he  occupied  until  his  departure  with  his 
tribe  for  Council  Bluffs  in  1836.  By  a  treaty, 
made  Jan.  3,  1830,  reservations  were  granted  by 
the  Government  to  Sauganash,  Shabona  and 
other  friendly  Indians  (see  Shabona).  and  1,240 
acres  on  the  North  Branch  of  Chicago  River  set 
apart  for  Caldwell,  which  he  sold  before  leaving 
the  country.  Died,  at  Council  Bluffs,  Iowa, 
Sept.  28,  1841. 

SAVAGE,  George  S.  F.,  D.D.,  clergyman,  was 
born  at  Cromwell,  Conn.,  Jan.  29,  1817;  gradu- 
ated at  Yale  College  in  18-14;  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  corresponding  editor  of 
"The  Prairie  Herald"  and  "The  Congregational 
Herald."  For  ten  years  he  was  in  the  service  of 
the  American  Tract  Society,  and,  during  the  Civil 
War,  was  engaged  in  sanitary  and  religious  work 
in  the  army.  In  1870  he  was  appointed  Western 
Secretary  of  the  Congregational  Publishing 
Society,  remaining  two  years,  after  which  he  be- 
came Financial  Secretary  of  the  Chicago  Theo- 
logical Seminary.  He  has  also  been  a  Director 
of  the  institution  since  1854,  a  Trustee  of  Beloit 
College  since  1850,  and,  for  several  years,  editor 
and  publisher  of  "The  Congregational  Review." 

SAVANIVA,  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  important  shipping-point  and  con- 
tains several  manufactories  of  machinery,  lumber, 
fiour,  etc.  It  has  two  State  banks,  a  public 
library,  churches,  two  graded  schools,  township 
high  school,  and  two  daily  and  weekly  news- 
papers.    Pop.  (1890),  3,097;  (1900),  3.325. 

SAYBROOK,  a  village  of  McLean  County,  on 
the  Lake  Erie  &  Western  Railroad,  26  miles  east 
of  Bloomington;  district  agricultural^  ccunty 
fairs  held  here;  the  town  has  two  banks  and  two 
newspapers.     Pop.  (1890),  851;  (1900),  879. 

SCATES,  Walter  Bpn;iett,  jurist  and  soldier, 
was  born  at  South  Boston,  Halifax  County,  V'a., 
Jan.  18,  1808;  was  taken  in  infancy  to  Hopkins- 
ville,  Ky.,  where  he  resided  imtil  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  tlie  same  year 
to  accept  the  judgeship  of  the  Third  Judicial 
Circuit,  and  took  up  liis  residence  at  Shawnee- 
town.  In  1841  he  was  one  of  five  new  Judges 
added  to  the  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  liis  seat 
upon  the  bench  to  resume  practice.  The  same 
year  he  was  a  member  of  the  Constitutional  Con- 
vention and  Chairman  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  May, 
1857,  and  resumed  practice  in  Chicago.  In 
1863  he  volunteered  in  defense  of  the  Union, 
received  a  Major's  commission  and  was  assigned 
to  duty  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  %vas  removed  by  President  Grant, 
during  the  same  period,  being  ex-oflficio  custodian 
of  United  States  funds,  the  office  of  Assistant 
Treasurer  not  having  been  then  created.  Died, 
at  Evanston,  Oct.  26,  1886. 

SCAMMOX,  Jonathan  Youn^,  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  Ilallowell,  in  1835  remov- 
ing to  Chicago,  where  he  spent  the  remainder  of 
his  life.  After  a  year  spent  as  deputy  in  the 
office  of  the  Circuit  Clerk  of  Cook  County,  during 
\\hich  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  Court,  which  office  he 
held  until  1845.  In  the  meantime,  he  was  associ- 
ated with  several  prominent  lawyers,  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  man}'  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  which  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) 
Chicago  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  Whig,  and,  later,  an  ardent  Republican. 
In  1844  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  "The  Chicago  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  tlie 
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  pas.sage  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  Scarritt's  Prairie,  JIadison 
County.  His  sons  afterward  became  influential 
in  business  and  Methodist  church  circles.  Died, 
Dec.  12,  1847. 

SCENERY,  NATURAL.  Notwithstanding  the 
uniformity  of  sm'face  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  the  vicinity  of    Grand 


468 


HISTOrJCAL   EXCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


Tower  in  Jackson  Comitj',  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  occupied  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  cliain  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  promontorj'  near  Alta  Pass  on  the  line  of 
the  Mobile  &  Ohio  Railroad,  in  the  northern  part 
of  Union  County,  with  an  elevation  above  tide- 
water of  985  feet.  The  highest  point  in  this 
range  of  hills  is  reached  in  tlie  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  distance  up  the  latter  stream- 
though  the  landscape  along  the  middle  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.  Louis  (which  see). 
This  rock  rises  to  a  perpendicular  height  of 
about  r35  feet  from  the  surface  of  the  river  at  the 
ordinary  stage.  On  the  oijposite  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  Ri%'er 
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    below  "Starved 


Rock" — is  a  peculiar  grotto-Uke  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  perpen- 
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  spring 
of  water  gushes  from  the  base  of  the  cliff,  and,  at 
certain  seasons  of  the  }"ear.  a  beautiul  water-fall 
pours  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 
mentioned  by  St.  Cosme  in  1C98,  and  has  been 
variously  known  as  Jlonjolly,  Mont  Jolie,  Mount 
Juliet,  and  Mount  Joliet.  It  had  an  elevation,  in 
early  times,  of  about  30  feet  with  a  level  top 
1,300  by  235  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  vallej' 
of  the  Des  Plaines.  Mount  Joliet  was  a  favorite 
rallying  point  of  Illinois  Indians,  who  were 
accustomed  to  hold  their  councils  at  its  base. — 
The  scenery  along  Rock  River  is  not  striking 
from  its  boldness,  but  it  attracted  the  attention 
of  early  explorers  by  the  picturesque  beauty  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  about 
three  miles  south  of  Galena  and  two  miles  from 
the  Mississippi,  has  been  a  landmark  well  known 
and  river  men  ever  since  the  Upper 
began  to  be  navigated.  Towering 
above  the  surrounding  bluffs,  it  reaches  an  alti- 
tude of  some  430  feet  above  the  ordinary  level  of 
Fever  River.  A  chain  of  some  half  dozen  of  these 
mounds  extends  some  fom-  or  five  miles  in  a  north- 
easterly direction  from  Pilot  Knob,  Waddel's  and 
Jackson's  IMounds  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 
already  referred  to,  is  believed  to  be  the  highest 
elevation  in  the  State.  It  stands  near  the  Wis- 
consin State  line,  and,  according  to  Prof.  Rolfe, 
has  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  Cle-re- 
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  Jlr.  Lincoln,  Consul-General  at 
Elsinore,  Denmark.  Returning  to  America  in 
1862,  he  disposed  of  his  interest  in  "The  Staats 
Zeitung"  and  was  appointed  the  first  Collector  of 
Internal  Revenue  for  the  Chicago  District.  On 
retiring  from  this  ofl5ce  he  engaged  in  banking, 
subsequently  becoming  President  of  the  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, 
whicli  he  declined.  In  1880  he  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  Chautauqua  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  McPherson 
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.  Volunteers  as  Major, 
serving  as  Chief  of  Statf  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  Ohio,  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  having 
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. 

SCHOLFIELD,  John,  jurist,  was  born  in  Clark 
County,  111.,  in  1834;  acquired  the  rudiments  of 
an  education  in  the  common  schools  during  boy- 
hood, meanwhile  gaining  some  knowledge  of  the 
higher  branches  through  toilsome  application  to 
test-books  without  a  preceptor.  At  the  age  of 
20  he  entered  the  law  school  at  Louisville,  Ky., 
graduating  two  years  later,  and  beginning  prac- 
tice at  Marshall,  111.  He  defrayed  his  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  coimty  in  the 
Legislature.  After  serving  one  term  he  retiu-ned 
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  that  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   OP   ILLINOIS. 


SCHOOL-HOUSES,  EARLY.  The  primitive 
school-houses  of  Illiuois  were  biiilt  of  logs,  and 
were  extremely  rude,  as  regards  both  structure 
and  fui-nishing.  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  j)urpose,  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  scpiare  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  thickly  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  be 
cut  by  the  older  pupils  in  lengths  suited  to  the 
width  of  the  chimney.  Occasionally  there  was 
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  fiom  side  to  side  as  the 
wind  varied.  Stones  or  logs  answered  for 
andirons,  clapboards  served  as  shovels,  and  no 
one  complained  of  the  la?k  of  tongs.  Roofs  were 
made  of  roughly  split  clapboards,  held  in  place 
by  "weight  poles"  laid  on  the  boards,  and  by  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 
whicli  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  glass  could  not  alwaj's 
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-house  at  Edwardsville,  in 
1834,  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  pretentious 
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  poles 
inserted  through  augur  holes.  No  one  had  a  desk, 
except  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  by  a  brace  extending  from  the  wall. 
When  a  pupil  was  writing  he  faced  the  wall. 
When  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  split -bottomed  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  and  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  COUNTY,  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  earliest  pioneers,  were  Calvin  Hobart, 
William  H.  Taylor  and  Orris  McCartney.  The 
county  was  organized  from  a  portion  of  Pike 
County,  in  183.5,  the  first  Commissioners  being 
Thomas  Blair,  Thomas  McKee  and  Samuel  Hor- 
ney.  The  Commissioners  appointed  to  locate  the 
county -seat,  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 
court  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   EXCYCLOPEDIA    OF    ILLIXOIS. 


471 


pointed,  who,  in  the  early  part  of  1826,  selected 
the  present  site  of  the  city  of  Rushville,  some 
five  miles  west  of  tlie  point  originally  chosen. 
The  new  seat  of  justice  was  first  called  Riishton, 
in  honor  of  Dr.  Benjamin  Rush,  but  the  name 
was  afterwards  changed  to  Rushville.  Ephraini 
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),  16,013;  (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 
"Eotben,"  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  3,351  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  1885, 
and  the  next  year  led  a  special  expedition  to 
Alaska,  under  the  auspices  of  "The  New  York 
Times,"  later  making  a  vo}-age  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  the 
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  Nortli"  ; 
and  "Children  of  the  Cold."  Died,  at  Portland, 
Ore.,  Nov.  2,  1892. 

SCOTT,  James  Y/.,  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  NewYork,  he  became  interested  in  flori- 
culture, at  the  same  time  contributing  short 
articles  to  horticultural  periodicals.  Later  he 
was  a  compositor  in  Washington.  His  first  news- 
paper venture  was  the  publication  of  a  weekly 
newspaper  in  Maryland  in  1873.  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 
secm-ed  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  lie  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  Coimty,  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,  was  elected  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  Ju.stice  of  the  Supreme  Court 


HISTORICAL   EXCYCLOPEDIA    OF    ILLINOIS. 


for  a  term  of  nine  years ;  was  re-elected  in  1879, 
but  declined  a  renomination  in  1888.  The  latter 
years  of  his  life  were  devoted  to  hie  private 
affairs.  Died,  at  Bloomington,  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 
early  occupants  of  the  Supreme  Court  bench  and 
early  lawyers  of  the  State. 

SCOTT,  Matthew  Thompson,  agriculturist 
and  real-estate  operator,  was  born  at  Lexington, 
Ky.,  Feb.  34,  1828;  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  1856 ;  lived  in  Springfield  in  1870-72,  when  he 
removed  to  Bloomington,  where  he  organized  the 
McLean  County  Coal  Companj^,  remaining  as  its 
head  until  his  death;  was  also  tlie  founder  of 
"The  Bloomington  Bulletin,"  in  1878.  Died,  at 
Bloomington,  May  21,  1891. 

SCOTT,  Owen,  journalist  and  ex-Congressman, 
was  born  in  Jackson  Township,  Effingham 
County,  111.,  July  6,  1848,  reared  on  a  farm,  and, 
after  receiving  a  thorough  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,"  which  he 
left  to  become  proprietor  and  manager  of  "The 
Bloomington  Bulletin."  He  was  also  publisher 
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 
Eepublican  opponent,  Benjamin  F.  Funk.  Dur- 
ing the  past  few  years,  Mr.  Scott  has  been  editor 
of  "The  Bloomington  Leader." 

SCOTT  COUJfTY,  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  the  second  and  Adam  Miller 
the  third.  About  the  same  time  came  Stephen 
M.  Umpstead,  whose  wife  was  the  first  white 
woman  in  the  county.  Other  pioneers  were 
Jedediah  Webster,  Stephen  Pierce,  Joseph  Dens- 
more,  Jesse  Roberts,  and  Samuel  Bogard.  The 
country  was  rough  and  the  conveniences  of  civi- 
lization few  and  remote.  Settlers  took  their  corn 
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  oflf  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 
Cape  Girardeau,  Mo.,  Feb.  18,  1818;  v*'as  taken  to 
Rushville,  111.,  in  childhood,  and  educated  at 
McKendree  College;  studied  law  and  came  to 
Chicago  in  1847,  with  the  intention  of  practicing, 
but,  a  year  or  so  later,  bought  a  third  interest  in 
"The  Chicago  Tribune,"  which  had  been  estab- 
lished during  the  previous  year.  In  1853  he 
withdrew  from  "The  Tribune,"  and,  in  conjunc- 
tion with  William  Bross  (afterwards  Lieuten- 
ant-Governor), established  "The  Daily  Demo- 
cratic Press,"  which  was  consolidated  with  "The 
Tribune"  in  July,  1858,  under  the  name  of  "The 
Press  and  Tribune,"  Mr.  Scripps  remaining  one 
of  the  editors  of  the  new  concern.  In  1861  he 
was  appointed,  by  Mr.  Lincoln,  Postmaster  of  the 
city  of  Chicago,  serving  until  1865,  when,  having 
sold  his  interest  in  "The  Tribune,"  he  engaged  in 
the  banking  business  as  a  member  of  the  firm  of 
Scripps,  Preston  &  Kean.  His  health,  however, 
soon  showed  signs  of  failure,  and  he  died,  Sept. 
21,  1866.  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. 

SCROtittS,  George,  journalist,  was  born  at 
Wilmington,  Clinton,  County,  Ohio,  Oct.  7,  1843 
— the  son  of  Dr.  John  W.  Scroggs,  who  came  to 
Champaign  County,  111.,  in  1851,  and,  in  1858, 
took  charge  of  "The  Central  Illinois  Gazette. "  In 
186()-67  Dr.  Scroggs  was  active  in  securing  the 
location  of  the  State  University  at  Champaign, 
afterwards  serving  as  a  member  of  the  first  Board 


HISTOKICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


47; 


of  Trustees  of  that  institution.  The  son,  at  the 
age  of  15,  became  an  apprentice  in  his  father's 
printing  office,  continuing  until  1862,  when  he 
enlisted  as  a  private  in  the  One  Hundred  and 
Twenty-fifth  Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry,  being 
promoted  through  the  positions  of  Sergeant-Major 
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  lUinois.  He  participated  in 
the  battles  of  Perryville,  Chickamauga,  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, 
186.5,  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  CuUom,  and,  the  follow- 
ing year,  was  elected  to  the  Thirty-first  General 
Assembly,  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. 

SEATOJiVILLE,  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  incumbent:  Elias  Kent  Kane, 
1818-33;  Samuel  D.  Lockwood,  1832-33;  David 
Blackwell.  1833-34;  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,  1841-43; 
Thompson  Campbell,  1843-46;  Horace  S.  Cooley, 
1846-50;  David  L.  Gregg,  1850-53;  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  vears. 

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  by  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  partiallj'  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  Libert}'."  The  last  named  order  started  in 
Indiana,  and,  owing  to  its  more  perfect  organi- 
zation, rapidly  spread  over  the  Northwest, 
acquiring  much  more  strength  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,  imder  "major-generals." 
County  lodges  were  termed  "temples."  The 
order  was  virtually  an  officered  army,  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  deaUng  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 


474 


HISTOKICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


acts  were  committed,  but  the  organization,  hav- 
ing been  exposed  and  defeated  in,  its  objects,  dis- 
banded in  1S65.  (See  Camp  Douglas  Consjjiracy.) 
SELUT,  Paul,  editor,  -was  born  in  Pickaway 
County,  Ohio,  July  20,  1835;  removed  with  his 
parents,  in  1837,  to  Van  Buren  County,  Iowa,  but, 
at  the  age  of  19,  went  to  Southern  Illinois,  where 
he  spent  four  years  teaching,  chiefly  in  Madison 
County.  In  1848  he  entered  the  preparatory 
department  of  Illinois  College  at  Jacksonville, 
but  left  the  institution  during  his  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  which 
"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,  1854  (the  first  ever  held  in 
the  State),  and,  on  Feb.  23,  1856,  attended  and 
presided  over  a  conference  of  Anti-Nebraska 
editors  of  the  State  at  Decatur,  called  to  devise  a 
line  of  policy  for  the  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  Bloomington  Convention 
of  May  39,  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  pamphlet  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  the 
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,  %vhose  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  charges  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  as 
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  Januarj', 
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  1886.  Slean- 
while  he  had  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  been  emploved  in  literary 
work.  In  aU  he  has  been  engaged  in  editorial 
work  over  thirty-five  years,  of  which  eighteen 
were  spent  upon  "The  State  Journal."  In  1860 
Mr.  Selby  was  complimented  by  his  Alma  Mater 
with  the  honorary  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  lUinois  in  1838, 
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  (1833,  '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. 


■475 


life.  He  laid  out  the  town  of  Elsah,  in  Jersey 
County,  just  south  of  which  lie  owned  a  large 
estate  on  the  Mississippi  bluffs,  where  he  died, 
Dec.  20.  1866. 

SENECA  (formerly  Crotty),  a  village  of  La 
Salie  County,  situated  on  the  Illinois  River,  the 
Illinois  >fc  Michigan  Canal  and  the  Chicago,  Eock 
Island  &  Pacific  and  the  Cleveland,  Cincinnati, 
Chicago  &  St.  Louis  Railways,  13  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  he  became  attending 
physician  of  the  Milwaukee  Hospital.  In  1877  he 
visited  Europe,  graduated  the  following  year  from 
the  University  of  Munich,  and,  on  his  return, 
became  Professor  of  the  Principles  of  Surgery 
and  .Surgical  Pathology  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  the 
author  of  a  number  of  volumes  on  different 
branches  of  surgery  which  are  recognized  as 
standard  authorities.  A  few  years  ago  lie  pur- 
chased the  extensive  library  of  the  late  Dr.  Will- 
iam Baum,  Professor  of  Surgery  in  the  University 
of  Gottingen,  which  he  presented  to  the  New- 
berry Library  of  Chicago.  In  1893,  Dr.  Senn  was 
appointed  Surgeon-General  of  the  Illinois 
National  Guard,  and  has  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  with  tlie  rank 
of  Colonel,  and  rendered  most  efficient  aid  in  the 
military  branch  of  the  service  at  Camp  Chicka- 
mauga  and  in  the  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  by  President  Lincoln ;  at  the  close  of  his 
term  was  appointed  a  Sergeant,  with  authority  to 
recruit  a  company  which  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.  which  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  retm-ned  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  21 
when,  after  participating  in  the  Mobile  cam- 
paign, he  was  mustered  out  with  the  rank  of 
Lieutenant-Colonel.  After  the  close  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  lie  was  chosen  Department 
Commander  of  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic 
for  the  State  of  Illinois,  and,  ten  years  later,  to 
the  position  of  Commander-in-Chief  of  the  order, 
which  he  held  at  the  time  of  his  deatli.  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  close  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,  (Jeorge  Franklin,  Protestant  Epis- 
copal Bishop,  was  born  in  New  York  City,  Jan.  .5, 
1829;  graduated  from  Columbia  College  in  1850, 
and  from  the  General  Theological  Seminary 
(New  York)  in  1854.     He    received  both  minor 


470 


HISTOKICAL  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  he  was  engaged  in  mis- 
sionary work.  Dm-ing  this  period  he  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- 
ties. 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  extend  tlie 
influence  of  his  church  in  his  diocese. 

SHABBONA,  a  village  of  De  Kalb  County,  on 
the  Iowa  Division  of  the  Chicago,  Burlington  & 
Quincy  Railroad,  35  miles  west  of  Aurora. 
Population  (1890),  503;  (1900),  587. 

SHABONA  (or  Shabbona),  an  Ottawa  Chief, 
was  born  near  the  Maumee  River,  in  Ohio,  about 
1775,  and  served  under  Tecum.seh  from  1807  to 
the  battle  of  the  Thames  in  1813.  In  1810  he 
accompanied  Tecumseh  and  Capt.  Billy  Caldwell 
(see  Sauganash)  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  1833,  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,  but  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 
pubUshed  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),  C78. 

SHAW,  Aaron,  former  Congressman,  born  in 
Orange  County,  N.  Y.,  in  1811;  was  educated  at 
the  Montgomery  Academy,  studied  law  and  was 
admitted  to  tlie  bar  at  Goshen  in  that  State.  In 
1833  he  removed  to  Lawrence  County,  111.  He 
has  held  various  important  public  offices.  He 
was  a  member  of  the  first  Internal  Improvement 
Convention  of  the  State;  was  chosen  State's 
Attorney  by  the  Legislature,  in  which  body  he 
served  two  terms ;  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,  lawyer,  jurist,  was  born  in  Ire- 
land, May  3,  1832,  brought  to  this  country  in  in- 
fancy and  grew  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  re-elected 
in  1872,  '76  and  '78.  He  was  Speaker  of  the 
House  during  the  session  of  1877,  and  one  of  the 
Republican  leaders  on  the  floor  during  the  suc- 
ceeding session.  In  1873  he  was  chosen  a  Presi- 
dential Elector,  and,  in  1891,  to  a  seat  on  the 
Circuit  bench  from  the  Thirteenth  Circuit, 
and,  in  1897  was  re-elected  for  the  Fifteenth 
Circuit. 

SHAWNEETOWiX,  a  city  and  the  county-seat 
of  Gallatin  Coanty,  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  tlie  number 
of  prominent  men  who  resided  there  at  an  early 
day.  Coal  is  extensively  mined  in  that  section, 
and  Shawneetowu  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  system  on  a 
substantial  scale,  which  is  now  believed  to  furnish 


HISTOrJCAL   EXCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLIXOIS. 


477 


ample  protection  against  the  recurrence  of  similar 
disaster.     Pop.  (1900),  1,698;  (1903,  est.),  2,200. 

SHEAHAX,  James  W.,  journalist,  was  born  in 
Baltimore.  JMd.,  spent  bis  early  life,  after  reaching 
manhood,  in  Washington  City  as  a  Congressional 
Reporter,  and,  in  1847,  reported  the  proceedings 
of  tlie  Illinois  State  Constitutional  Convention  at 
Springfield.  Through  the  influence  of  Senator 
Douglas  be  was  induced,  in  18.54,  to  accept  the 
editorship  of  "The  Young  America"'  newspaper 
at  Chicago,  which  was  soon  after  clianged  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  established  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"  —  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, 
Jufle  17,  1883. 

SHEFFIELD,  a  prosperous  village  of  Bureau 
County,  on  the  Chicago,  Rock  Island  &  Pacific 
Railroad,  44  miles  east  of  Rook  Island:  has  valu- 
able coal  mines,  a  bank  and  one  newspaper. 
Population  (1890).  993;  (1900),  1,265. 

SHELBY  COU>TY,  lies  south  of  the  center  of 
the  State,  and  contains  an  area  of  776  square 
miles.  The  tide  of  immigration  to  this  coimty 
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  the  earliest  settler  in 
what  is  now  Shelbyville,  pre-emjating  ten  acres, 
which  he  soon  afterward  sold  to  Joseph  Oliver, 
the  pioneer  merchant  of  the  county,  and  father 
of  the  first  wldte  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  lime-stone  and  sandstone  are  also  found.  The 
surface  is  somewhat  rolling  and  well  wooded. 
The  Little  Wabash  and  KasUaskia  Rivers  flow 
through  the  central  and  southeastern  portions. 
The  county  lies  in  the  very  heai-t  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  the  Kaskaskia 
River  and  two  lines  of  railway,  32  miles  southeast 
of  Decatur.  Agriculture  is  carried  on  exten- 
sively, and  there  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  tlie  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 
be  became  a  lecturer  on  Modern  English  Liter- 
ature and  Rhetoric  in  Chicago  LTniversitv  and, 


478 


HISTORICAL   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. 

SHERMAN,  Alson  Smith,  early  Chicago  Mayor, 
was  born  at  Barre,  Vt.,  April  21,  1811.  remaining 
there  until  1836,  when  he  came  to  Chicago  and 
began  business  as  a  contractor  and  builder.  Sev- 
eral years  later  he  opened  the  first  stone  quarries 
at  Lemont,  111.  Mr.  Sherman  spent  many  years 
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 
1S42,  serving  again  in  1846.  In  1844,  he  was 
chosen  Mayor,  his  administration  being  marked 
by  the  first  extensive  public  improvements  made 
in  Cliicago.  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  (1899)  spending  a 
serene  old  age  at  Waukegan,  111. — Oren  (Sherman) 
brother  of  the  preceding  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  ilr. 
Sherman  continued  in  a  general  mercantile  busi- 
ness until  18.13,  at  the  same  time  being  extensively 
engaged  in  the  provision  trade,  one-half  the  entire 
transactions  in  pork  in  the  city  passing  through 
Lis  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,  Deo.  15,  1898. 

SHEUMAX,  Elijah  B.,  lawyer,  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 
Gan.  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  the 
Union ;  received  a  Lieutenant's  commission,  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  1864 
In  1876  he  was  elected  Representative  in  the 
General  Assembly  from  Cook  Covmty,  and  re- 
elected in  1878,  and  the  following  year  appointed 
Master  in  Chancery  of  the  United  States  District 
Court,  a  position  which  he  still  occupies  He  has 
repeatedly  been  called  upon  to  deliver  addresses 
on  political,  literary  and  patriotic  occasions,  one 
of  these  being  before  the  alumni  of  his  alma 
mater,  in  1884,  when  he  %vas  complimented  with 
the  degree  of  LL.D. 

SHIELDS,  James,  soldier  and  United  States 
Senator,  was  born  in  Ireland  in  1810,  emigrated 
to  the  United  States  at  the  age  of  sixteen,  and 
began  the  practice  of  law  at  Kaskaskia  in  1833. 
He  was  elected  to  the  Legislature  in  1836,  and 
State  Auditor  in  1839.  In  1843  he  became  a 
Judge  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  State,  and,  in 
1845,  was  made  Commissioner  of  the  General 
Land  Office.  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 
wounded  at  Chapultepec,  and  mustered  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  office  in  Oregon.  In  1856  he 
removed  to  IMinnesota,  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  Governmnet.  He  was  commis- 
sioned Brigadier-General,  and  served  with  dis- 
tinction until  March.  1863,  when  the  effect  of 
numerous  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  ot  the  country  who  filled  the 
office  of  United  States  Senator  from  three  differ- 


HISTOKICAL   EXCYCLOPEDIA    OF    ILLINOIS. 


47  9' 


ent  States.  Died,  at  Ottumwa,  Iowa,  June  1, 
1879. 

SHIPMAX,  a  town  of  Macoupin  County,  on  the 
Chicago  &  Alton  Railway,  19  miles  north-north- 
east of  Alton  and  14  miles  southwest  of  Carlin- 
ville.  Population  (1S90),  410;  (1900),  396. 

SHIPMAX,  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,  in  1846,  located  in  Chicago,  where 
he  assisted  in  organizing  the  first  Homeopathic 
Hospital  in  that  city,  and,  in  1855,  was  one  of  the 
first  Trustees  of  Hahnemann  College.  In  18T1  he 
established,  in  Chicago,  the  Foundlings'  Home  at 
his  own  expense,  giving  to  it  the  latter  years  of 
his  life.     Died,  Jan.  20,  1893. 

SHORET,  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  is,"ii ; 
taught  two  years  in  Washington  City,  meanwhile 
reading  law,  afterwards  taking  a  course  at  Dane 
Law  School,  Cambridge ;  was  admitted  to  the  bar 
in  Boston  in  1854,  the  nest  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.  Shorey  was  prominent  in  the  establisliment 
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  F.,  clergyman  and 
educator,  was  born  in  Ohio  in  1829,  brought  to 
Jlorgan  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,  5Io. ;  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 
Jacksonville  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  tlie  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,  Oeora:e  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  Ufe.  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. 

SHOW  ALTER,  John  W.,  jurist,  was  born  in 
Mason  Count)-,  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  member  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,  Deo.  12,  1898. 

SHUMAN,  Andrew,  journalist  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.,  working 
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 
small  weekly  paper  called  "The  Auburnian."  At 
the  conclusion  of  his  apprenticeship  he  was  em- 
ployed, for  a  year  or  two.  in  editing  and  publisli- 
ing  "The  Cayuga  Chief."  a  te;iiporance  journal. 


480 


HISTOEICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


In  IS.")!  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  Joui-nal."  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  Jom-nal  Com- 
pany. From  1805  to  18T0  (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  years 
before  the  expiration  of  his  term.  In  1876  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  home  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,  Dorlce  Dwight,  merchant,  was 
born  at  Williamsburg,  "Worcester  County,  Mass., 
Sept.  28,  1813.  descended  from  French  Huguenot 
ancestry;  came  to  Zanesville,  Ohio,  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  1858,  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,  1843; 
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  COLLEGE,  an  institution 
located  at  Upper  Alton,  and  the  third  e.stab- 
lished  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  1824, 


by  Rev.  John  M.  Peck.  This  became  tlie  "Rock 
Spring  Seminary""  in  1827,  and.  about  1831,  was 
united  with  an  academy  at  Upper  Alton.  This 
w-as  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  by  the  State.  Hubbard  Loomis 
and  John  Russell  were  among  the  first  instruc- 
tors. Later,  Dr.  Benjamin  Slmrtleff  donated  the 
college  §10,000,  and  the  institution  was  named  in 
his  honor.  College  classes  were  not  organized 
mitil  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  tlieo- 
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  Wabash  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  born 
at  Westfield,  Mass.,  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,  iijjon  admission  to  the 
bar,  came  west,  finally  settUug  at  Nauvoo,  Han- 
cock County.  He  maintained  a  neutral  attitude 
during  the  Mormon  troubles,  thus  giving  offense 
to  a  section  of  the  community.  In  1847  he  was 
an  unsuccessful  candidate  for  the  Legislatore, 
but  was  elected  in  1850,  and  re-elected  in  1853. 
In  1853  lie  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  Quinoy, 
where  he  died,  June  18.  1897. 

SIDELL,  a  village  of  "Vermillion  County,  on  the 
Chicago  &  Eastern  Illinois  and  Cincinnati.  Hamil- 
ton &  Dayton  Railroads;  has  a  bank,  electric 
light  plant  and  a  newspaper.     Pop.  (1900),  776. 

SIDNEY,  a  village  of  Champaign  County,  on 
the  main  line  of  the  W^abash  Railway,  at  the  junc- 
tion of  a  branch  to  Champaign,  48  miles  east-north- 
east of  Decatur.  It  is  in  a  farming  district ;  has  a 
bank  and  a  new.spaper.     Population,  (1900),  564. 

SIM,  (Dr.)  TTllliain,  pioneer  physician,  was 
born  at  Aberdeen,   Scotland,   in   1795,   came    to 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


481 


America  in  early  manhood,  and  was  tlie  first  phy- 
sician to  settle  at  Golconda,  in  Pope  Countj", 
which  he  represented  in  the  Foiu-th  and  Fifth 
General  Assemblies  (1824  and  "28).  He  married 
a  Hiss  Elizabeth  Jack  of  Philadelphia,  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  phj'siciau,  and,  for  a  time, 
being  President  of  a  Medical  College  at  Jlemphis, 
Tenn.  The  elder  Dr.  Sim  died  at  Golconda,  in 
1868. 

SIMS,  James,  early  legislator  and  5Iethodist 
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  1822,  as  the 
first  Representative  from  that  county  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. 

SINGER,  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  18.53.  While  thus 
employed  he  became  one  of  the  proprietors  of 
the  stone-quarries  at  Lemont,  managed  by  the 
firm  of  Singer  &  Talcott  until  about  1890.  wlien 
they  became  the  property  of  the  Western  Stone 
Company.  Originally  a  Democrat,  he  became  a 
Republican  during  the  Civil  War,  and  served  as  a 
member  of  the  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. 
He  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  the  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  W^inchester  (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  of  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  indejjendent  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  part}'."'  He  constructed 
the  Quincy  &  Toledo  (now  part  of  the  Wabash) 
and  the  Quincy,  Alton  &  St.  Louis  (now  part  of 
the  Chicago,  Brndington  &  Quincy)  Railways, 
being  President  of  both  companies.  His  death 
occurred  at  Baltimore,  Md.,  April  4,  1892. 

SINNET,  John  S.,  pioneer,  was  born  at  Lex- 
ington, Ky.,  March  10,  1796 ;  at  three  years  of  age, 
taken  by  his  parents  to  Missouri ;  enlisted  in  the 
War  of  1812,  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,  dying  there,  Jan. 
13,  1872. 

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  JIaster 
in  Chancer}'  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  18.51  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  which 
he  was  officially  associated  were  the  Galena  &  Chi- 
cago Union  and  the  Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy 
Railways  (in  each  of  whicli  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  killed  in  the  trenches  before 
Petersburg,  the  last  year  of  the  Civil  War. 

SKINNER,  Otis  Ainsworth,  clergyman  and 
author,  was  born  at  Royalton,  Vt. .  July  8.  1807 ; 


482 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


taught  for  some  time,  became  a  Universalist 
minister,  serving  churclies  in  Baltimore,  Boston 
and  New  York  between  1831  and  1857;  then 
came  to  Elgin,  111.,  was  elected  President  of  Lom- 
bard University  at  Galesburg,  but  the  following 
year  took  charge  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  Carthage,  Hancock  County, 
removing  to  Quincy  in  1844.  During  the  "Mor- 
mon War"  lie  served  as  Aid-de-camp  to  Governor 
Ford.  In  1848  he  was  elected  to  the  lower  house 
of  the  Sixteenth  General  Assembly,  and,  for  a 
short  time,  served  as  Prosecuting  Attorney  for 
the  district  including  Adams  and  Brown  Coim- 
ties.  In  18.51  he  was  elected  Judge  of  the  (then) 
Fifteenth  Judicial  Circuit,  and,  in  1855,  suc- 
ceeded Judge  S.  H.  Treat  on  the  Supreme  bench, 
resigning  this  position  in  April,  18.58,  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  1869,  serving  as  Chairman  of  the 
Committee  on  Judiciary.     Died  in  1877. 

SLADE,  Charles,  early  Congressman;  his  early 
history,  including  date  and  place  of  birth,  are 
unknown.  In  1820  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- 
third  Congress,  while  on  his  way  home,  he  was 
attacked  with  cholera,  dying  near  Vincennes, 
Ind.,  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  boy- 
hood with  his  parents  on  a  farm,  except  while 
absent  at  school;  in  18,56  removed  to  Belleville, 
111.,  where  he  soon  became  connected  with  the 
pubUc  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. 

SLAVERY  AGITATION  OF  1823-24.  (See 
Shn-enj  and  Slave  Laws.) 

SLAVERY  AND  SLAVE  LAWS.  African  slaves 
were  first  brought  into  the  Illinois  country  by  a 
Frenchman  named  Pierre  F.  Renault,  about 
1723.  At  that  time  the  present  State  formed  a 
part  of  Louisiana,  and  the  traffic  in  slaves  was 
regulated  by  French  royal  edicts.  When  Great 
Britain  acquired  the  territory,  at  the  close  of  tlie 
French  and  Indian  War,  the  former  subjects  of 
France  were  guaranteed  secm-ity  for  their  per- 
sons "and  effects,"  and  no  interference  with 
slavery  was  attempted.  Upon  the  conquest  of 
Illinois  by  Virginia  (see  Clark,  George  Rogers), 
the  French  very  generally  professed  allegiance  to 
that  commonwealth,  and,  in  her  deed  of  cession 
to  the  United  States,  Virginia  expressly  stipulated 
for  the  protection  of  the  "rights  and  liberties" 
of  the  French  citizens.  This  was  construed  as 
recognizing  the  right  of  property  in  negro 
slaves.  Even  the  Ordinance  of  1787,  while  pro- 
hibiting slavery  in  the  Northwest  Territory,  pre- 
served to  the  settlers  (reference  being  especially 
made  to  the  French  and  Canadians)  "of  the  Kas- 
kaskias,  St.  Vincents  and  neighboring  viUages, 
their  laws  and  customs,  now  (then)  in  force, 
relative  to  the  descent  and  conveyance  of  prop- 
erty. ' '  A  conservative  construction  of  this  clause 
was,  that  while  it  prohibited  the  extension  of 
slavery  and  the  importation  of  slaves,  the  status 
of  those  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  JIulattoes  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  brouglit  in,  registered,  and  held 
in  bondage  until  they  reached  the  age  of  3.5,  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  saj-,  after  its  adoption.  In  1822  the 
slave-holding  party,  with  their  supporters,  began 
to  agitate  the  question  of  so  amending  the 
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 
108:  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  the  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  Po-st"),  Ben- 
jamin Lundy  (then  of  Missouri),  David  Blackwell 
and  Rev.  John  Dew,  of  St.  Clair  County.  Still 
others  were  Nathaniel  Poise  (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  blather.  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  probably  had  more  to  do 
with  defeating  the  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  the  Chicago  Historical  Society 
(1864),  by  Hon.  William  H.  Brown,  of  Chicago. 
(See  also,  Coles,  Edu-ard;  Warren, Hooj)e7-; Broicn, 
William  H.;  Churchill,  George;  LijJjnncott, 
Tliomas; and  Newspajxrs,  Early,  elsewhere  in  this 
volume. ) 

SLOAN,  Wesley,  legislator  and  juri.st,  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  employed  in  a 
wholesale  grocery.  His  father  dying,  he  returned 
to  Maryland  and  engaged  in  teaching,  at  the 
same  time  studying  law,  and  being  admitted  to 


484 


HISTORICAL   EXCYCLOPEDIA   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,  whicli 
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, 
18.57,  and  took  a  prominent  part  in  the  founding 
and  organization  of  the  State  educational  insti- 
tutions. In  18.57  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,  1887. 

SMITH,  Abiier,  jurist,  was  born  at  Orange, 
Franklin  County,  Mass.,  August  4,  1843,  of  an 
old  New  England  family,  whose  ancestors  came 
to  Massachusetts  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  teacher  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  1897,  his  term  of  service  continuing  until 
1903. 

SMITH,  (Dr.)  Charles  Gilman,  physician,  was 
born  at  Exeter,  N.  H.,  Jan.  4,  18'38,  received  his 
early  education  at  Phillips  Academy,  in  his  native 
place,  finally  graduating  from  Harvard  Univer- 
sity 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  hosijitals  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  phy- 
sician in  the  Women's  and  Children's  Hospital, 
as  well  as  in  the  Presbyterian  Hospital — a  position 
which  he  continued  to  occupj"  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  he  removed  to 
Jacksonville,  where  he  practiced  law  until  his 
death.  Col.  John  J.  Hardin  was  his  partner  at 
the  time  of  his  death  on  the  battle-field  of  Bueua 
Vista.  Mr.  Smith  was  a  Trustee  and  generous 
patron  of  Illinois  College,  for  a  quarter  of  a  cen- 
tury, but  never  held  any  political  office.  As  a 
lawyer  he  was  conscientious  and  faithful  to  the 
interests  of  his  clients;  as  a  citizen,  liberal,  pub- 
lic-spirited and  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  'William 
(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 
boyhood  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.  Later,  he  was  attached  to  the  One  Hun- 
dred and  Thirty-ninth  Illinois  Infantry,  and  was 
mustered  out  of  service  as  Captain  of  Company  C 
of  that  regiment.  His  business  is  that  of  banker 
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.  Steven.son,  after- 
wards Vice-President.  In  1882,  his  county  (Taze- 
well) having  been  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  invested  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 
11,500,000  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  1854,  the  State  of  Wiscon- 
sin having  prohibited  the  circulation  of  the  Wis- 
consin Marine  and  Fire  Insurance  certificates 
above  mentioned.  Mr.  Smith  sold  out  the  com- 
pany to  his  partner,  Mitchell,  and  bought  two 
Georgia  bank  charters,  which,  together,  em- 
powered him  to  issue  §3,000,000  in  cui-rency.  Tlie 
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  prominently 
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,  (Jeorge  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  father'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 
1856  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  office  of  State  Treasurer.  He  was  mus- 
tered into  service,  August  37,  1862,  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  official  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  jiro- 
fession,  and  gained  a  prominent  position  at  the 
bar.  In  1866  lie  was  elected  State  Treasurer,  and, 
after  the  expiration  of  his  term,  in  January, 
1869,  held  no  pubUc  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,  (ieorge  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,  Init 


486 


niSTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF    ILLINOIS. 


later  determined  to  study  law.  After  reading  for 
a  time  at  Fairfield,  111.,  he  entered  the  Law 
Department  of  the  Bloomington  (lud.)  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,  Oiles  Alexander,  soldier,  and  Assist- 
ant Postmaster-General,  was  born  in  JefEerson 
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-Colonel  and  Colonel  in  1802;  led  his 
regiment  on  the  first  attack  on  Vicksburg,  and 
was  severely  wounded  at  Arkansas  Post ;  was  pro- 
moted Brigadier-General  in  August,  1863.  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  JIajor-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  Assistant 
Postmaster-General,  but  resigned  on  account  of 
failing  health  in  1872.  Died,  at  Bloomington, 
Nov.  8,  1876.  General  Smith  was  one  of  the 
founders  of  the  Society  of  the  Army  of  the 
Tennessee. 

SMITH,  Gustavus  Adolphns,  soldier,  was  born 
in  Philadelphia,  Dec.  26,  1820;  at  16  joined  two 
brothers  who  liad  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,  retm-ning  .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  Whig,  he  became  a  Democrat 
on  the  dissolution  of  the  Whig  party,  but  early 
took  ground  in  favor  of  tlie  Union  after  the  firing 
on  Fort  Sumter;  was  ofl'ered  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.  Having  been 
assigned  to  duty  in  Missouri,  in  the  sunime"!-  of 
1861,  he  ijroceeded  to  Jefferson  City,  joined  Fre- 
mont at  Cartilage  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  supposed, 
fatally)  wounded,  not  recovering  until  1868. 
Being  compelled  to  retm-n  home,  he  received 
authority  to  raise  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  commissioned  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  th^  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- 
bama, 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  lie  was  appointed,  by  General 
Grant,  United  States  Collection  and  Disbursing 
Agent  for  the  District  of  New  Mexico,  where  lie 
continued  to  reside. 

SMITH,  John  Corson,  soldier,  ex-Lieutenant- 
Goveruor  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  company,  of 
wliich  he  was  chosen  Captain,  and  which  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- 


HISTOEICAL   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  Steedman,  serv- 
ing through  the  TuUahoma  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 
Kgnesaw  Mountain.  In  February,  18G.5,  he  was 
brevetted  Colonel,  and,  in  June,  1865,  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  1874-76  he  was  a  member  (and  Secretary)  of 
the  Illinois  Board  of  Commissione!'s  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  was  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  tlie 
downfall  of  the  latter,  emigrated  to  Philadelphia. 
The  subject  of  this  sketch  received  an  academic 
education  and  became  a  jeweler ;  in  1801  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.  29,  1897. 

SMITH,  Josepli,  the  founder  of  the  Mormon 
sect,  was  born  at  Sharon,  Vt.,  Dec.  2.3,  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  articles  by  means  of  a  magic  stone. 
In  1820  he  claimed  to  have  seen  a  vision,  but  his 
pretensions  were  ridiculed  by  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  1832,  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  way  to 
their  friends  in  Missom-i,  whence  they  were 
finally  expelled  after  manj-  confiicts  with  the 
authorities.  Snrith,  with  the  other  refugees,  fled 
to  Hancock  County,  111.,  founding  tlie  city  of 
Nauvoo,  which  was  incorporated  in  1840.  Hero 
was  begun,  in  the  following  j-ear,  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  and  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  Hyruin,  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 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF    ILLINOIS. 


from  wliom  onlj-  eight  men  were  detailed  to 
guard  the  jail.  lu  this  condition  of  affairs  a  mob 
of  150  disguised  men,  alleged  to  be  from  Warsaw, 
appeared  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  undoubtedlj-  went  far  to  win  for  him 
the  reputation  of  martyr,  and  give  a  new  impulse 
to  the  Mormon  faith.     (See  Mormons;  Nauvoo. ) 

SMITH,  Justin  Almerin,  D.D.,  clergyman 
and  editor,  was  born  at  Ticonderoga,  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  year  as 
Principal  of  the  Union  Academy  at  Bennington, 
Vt.,  followed  by  four  years  of  pastoral  work, 
when  he  assumed  the  pastorate  of  the  First  Bap- 
tist church  at  .  Rochester,  N.  Y.,  where  he 
remained  five  years.  Then  (1853)  he  removed  to 
Chicago  to  assume  the  editorship  of  "The  Chris- 
tian Times"  (now  "The  Standard"),  with  which 
he  was  associated  for  the  remainder  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  1869,  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,  1890. 

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  1857,  became  Vice-President 
of  the  Chicago,  St.  Paul  &  Fond  du  Lie  Railway, 
retaining  the  same  position  in  the  reorganized 
corporation  when  it  became  the  Chicago  & 
Northwestern.  In  185G  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  interests  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  Sladison  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 Mason  and  a  public-spirited  citizen.  Died, 
at  Alton,  Dec.  20.  1867. 

SMITH,  Samuel  Lisle,  lawyer,  was  born  in 
Philadelphia,  Pa.,  in  1817,  and,  belonging  to  a 
wealthy  family,  enjoyed  superior  educational 
advantages,  taking  a  course  in  the  Yale  Law 
School  at  an  age  too  early  to  admit  of  his  receiv- 
ing a  degree.  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  his  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  principal  speakers,  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  speaker  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, both  at  the  bar  and  on  the  lecture 
platform,  and  had  the  promise  of  future  success, 
which  was  unfortunately  marred  by  hi.s  convivial 
habits.  Died  of  cholera,  in  Chicago,  July  ;Hi,  is."i4. 
Mr.  Smith  married  the  daughter  of  Dr.  Potts,  of 
Philadelphia,  an  eminent  clergyman  of  the 
Episcopal  Church. 

SMITH,  Sidney,  jurist,  was  born  in  Washing- 
ton County,  N.  Y.,  May  13,  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  vrith  Grant  Goodrich  and  Will- 
iam W.  Farwell,  both  of  whom  were  afterwards 
elected  to  places  on  the  bench — 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 


mSTOIilCAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLIXOIS. 


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  retui-ns.  A  recount  was  ordered  by  the  court, 
but  so  much  delay  was  incui-red  and  so  many 
obstacles  placed  in  the  way  of  carrying  the  order 
into  effect,  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  Chi- 
cago Public  Library,  on  its  organization  in  1871. 
Died  suddenly,  in  Chicago.  Oct.  6,  1898. 

SMITH,  Theophilus  Washington,  Judge  and 
politician,  was  born  in  New  York  City,  Sept.  28, 
1784,  served  for  a  time  in  the  United  States  navy, 
was  a  law  student  in  the  oiBce  of  Aaron  Burr, 
was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  his  native  State  in 
1805,  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  ofHce  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  "Conventionisf 
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  1832  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.  As  a  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  coimsel)  had  not  discovered.  He  was 
also  a  member  of  the  first  Board  of  Commission- 
ers of  the  Illinois  &  Michigan  Canal,  appointed  in 
1833.     Died,  in  Chicago,  May  6,  1846. 

SMITH,  William  Henry,  journahst.  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  was  connected  in  a  more  responsible 
position  at  the  beginning  of  the  war,  incidentally 
doing  work  upon  "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- 
gham,  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  Chicago.  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.  ^Ir.  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  ofiicial  duties 
he  found  time  to  do  considerable  literary  work, 
having  published,  several  years  ago,  "TheSt.  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  Forest,  111.,  July  27, 
1896. 

SMITH,  William  M.,  merchant,  stock- breeder 
and  politician,  was  born  near  Fi'ankfort,  Ky., 
May  23,  1827;  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  1866  he  was  elected  to  the 
lower  house  of  the  Legislature,  and  was  re-elected 
in  1868  and  "70,  serving,  during  his  last  term,  as 
Speaker.  In  1877  he  was  appointed  by  Governor 
Cullom  a  member  of  the  Railroad  and  Warehouse 
Commission,  of  which  bod}'  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  18.57  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  Shiloli  and 
Perryville.  In  April,  1862,  he  was  promoted 
Brigadier-General  of  volunteers,  commanding 
divisions  in  the  Army  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 
raib-oad   bridges  across  the  Missom'i   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. 

SMITHBORO,  a  village  and  railroad  junction 
in  Bond  County,  8  miles  east  of  Greenville. 
Population.  393;  (1900),  314. 

SJiAPP,  Henry,  Congressman,  born  in  Livings- 
ton County,  N.  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  life.  In  1868  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) 
Sixth  Illinois  District,  as  successor  to  B.  C.  Cook, 
who  had  resigned.     Died,  at  Joliet,  Nov.  23,  1895. 

SNOW,  Herman  W.,  ex-Congressman,  was  born 
in  La  Porte  County,  Ind.,  July  3,  1836,  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.  Early  in  the  war  he 
enlisted  as  a  private  in  the  One  Hundred  and 
Thirty-ninth  Illinois  Volunteers,  rising  to  the 
rank  of  Captain.  His  term  of  service  having 
expired,  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 Count}'.  In  1890  he  was  elected,  as  a  Demo- 
crat, to  represent  the  Ninth  Illinois  District  in 
Congress,  but  was  defeated  by  his  Republican 
opponent  in  1892. 

SNOWHOOK,  William  B.,  first  Collector  of 
Customs  at  Chicago,  was  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  study  of  law ;  was 
also  emplo3'ed  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. 


attached  to  the  District  of  Detroit) ;  in  1853,  was 
re-appointed  to  the  Collectorship  by  President 
Pierce,  serving  two  years.  During  the  "Mormon 
War"  (1S44)  he  organized  and  equipped,  at  his 
own  expense,  the  ^Montgomery  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  1872. 
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  \vool-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  Je.sse  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  Covmty, 
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,  1S25 ;  educated  at  MoKendree  College,  studied 
law  witli  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  1850,  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.  24,  1892. 

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 
2,813;  the  nmnber  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  8393,636.08.  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 
SlOO  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  323  were  males  and  249  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  §20,000  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  physically  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. 


402 


IIISTOraCAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


Tlie  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 
poHtical  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, 
1890,  with  twenty-six  applications  for  admit- 
tance. The  plan  contemplates  an  early  enlarge- 
ment by  the  erection  of  additional  cottages. 

SOREXTO,  a  village  of  Bond  County,  at  the 
intersection  of  the  Jacksonville  &  St.  Louis  and 
the  Toledo,  St.  Louis  &  Western  Railways,  14 
miles  southeast  of  Litchfield;  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  Snelling,  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  wife  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  salt,  the 
paper  remarking;  "This  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 hare  maintained  their  connection  with  the 


army  ever  since,  a  son  being  a  prominent  artillery 
officer  at  the  Battle  of  Gettysburg.  Mrs.  Soulard 
%vas  married  at  St.  Louis,  in  1820,  and  survived 
her  husband  some  sixteen  years,  dying  at  Galena, 
August  11,  1894.  She  had  resided  in  Galena 
nearly  seventy  years,  and  at  the  date  of  her 
death,  in  the  90th  year  of  her  age,  she  was  that 
citv's  oldest  resident. 

SOUTH  CHICAGO  &  WESTERN  INDIANA 
RAILROAD.  (See  Chicuijo  &  Western  Indiana 
Bailroad.) 

SOUTH  DANVILLE,  a  suburb  of  the  city  of 
Danville,  Vermilion  County.  Population  (1890), 
799;  (1900),  898. 

SOUTHEAST  &  ST.  LOUIS  RAILWAY.  (See 
LovisviUe  &  Nashville  Railroad.) 

SOUTH  ELGIN,  a  village  of  Kane  County, 
near  the  city  of  Elgin.     Population  (1900),  51.5. 

SOUTHERN  COLLEGIATE  INSTITUTE, 
located  at  Albion,  Edwards  County,  incori'orated 
in  1891;  had  a  faculty  of  ten  teachers  with  219 
pupils  (1897-98)— about  equally  male  and  female. 
Besides  classical,  scientific,  normal,  music  and 
fine  arts  departments,  instruction  is  given  in  pre- 
paratory studies  and  business  education.  Its 
property  is  valued  at  $16,. TOO. 

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 
$23,000,  of  which  one-fourth  was  donated  by  citi- 
zens of  the  county.  The  construction  of  build- 
ings was  begun  in  1869,  but  it  was  not  until 
March,  1875,  that  the  north  wing  (the  first  com- 
pleted) was  ready  for  occupancy.  Other  portions 
were  completed  a  year  later.  The  Trustees  pur- 
chased 160  additional  acres  in  1883.  The  first 
cost  (up  to  September,  1876)  was  nearly  §635.000. 
In  1881  one  wing  of  the  main  building  was  de- 
stroyed by  fire,  and  was  subsequently  rebuilt ;  the 
patients  being,  meanwhile,  cared  for  in  temporary 
wooden  barracks.  The  total  value  of  lands  and 
buildings  belonging  to  the  State,  June  30,  1894, 
was  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 
$175,000.  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  UNITER- 
SITT,  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  May,  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  examination  for  a  second- 
grade  teacher'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  paj'  a  tuition  fee.  The  number  of 
students  in  attendance  for  the  year  1897-98  was 
720,  coming  from  forty-seven  counties,  chiefly  in 
the  southern  half  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  Korthern 
Penitentiai-y.)  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,  which  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  insane  convicts,  the  erection  of  which  was 
provided  for  by  the  Legislature  in  1889. 

SOUTH  OROVE,  a  village  of  De  Kalb  County. 
Population  (1890),  730. 


SPALDING,  Jes.se,  manufacturer.  Collector  of 
Customs  and  Street  Railway  President,  was  bom 
at  Athens,  Bradford  County,  Pa.,  April  15,  1833; 
earl}-  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  AViscon- 
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  Railway.  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  fimds  in  the  State  treasury 
were  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. 

SPALDINO,  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  lie  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  JleCloskey  at  New  York.     His 


494 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


administration  has  been  cliaracterized  by  both 
energy  and  success.  He  lias  devoted  much  atten- 
tion to  the  subject  of  emigration,  and  lias  brought 
al)out  tlie  founding  of  many  new  settlements  in 
tlie  far  West.  He  was  also  largely  instrumental 
in  bringing  about  the  founding  of  the  Catholic 
University  at  Washington.  Ho  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  Pensa- 
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 
country,  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  Mackinac,  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  36,  1780,  taking  the  Spaniards 
by  surprise.  Meanwhile  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  tlie  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  Caliokians,  early  in  1781.  Starting 
early  in  Januar}',  this  latter  expedition  crossed 
Illinois,  with  the  design  of  attacking  Fort  St. 
Joseph,  at  the  head  of  Lake  Michigan,  which  had 
been  captured  from  the  English  by  Thomas  Brady 
and  afterwards  retaken.  The  Spaniards  were  com- 
manded by  Don  Eugenio  Pourre,  and  suj^ported 
by  a  force  of  Cahokians  and  Indians.  The  fort 
was  easily  taken  and  the  British  flag  replaced  by 
the  ensign  of  Spain.  The  affair  vk^as  regarded  as 
of  but  little  moment,  at  the  time,  the  post  being 
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  by  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,  the  American 
Commissioners  in  charge  of  the  peace  negoti- 
ations with  England. 

SPARKS,  (Capt.)  David  R.,  manufacturer  and 
legislator,  was  born  near  Lanesville,  Ind.,  in 
1833;  in  1836,  removed  -with  his  parents  to  Ma- 
coupin County,  111. ;  in  1847,  enlisted  for  the 
Mexican  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  he  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  quartz-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  advocates  of  secession  began  to 
develop  their  policy  after  the  election  of  Lincoln. 
In  1861  he  enlisted,  under  the  call  for  500,000  vol- 
unteers following  the  first  battle  of  Bull  Run,  and 
was  commissioned  a  Captain  in  the  Third  Illinois 
Cavalry  (Col.  Eugene  A.  Carr),  serving  two  and  a 
half  years,  during  which  time  he  took  part  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  Litchfield, 
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  sessions  of  1895  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.  19,  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  attendance  at  the  district 
schools  being  limited  to  the  winter  months. 
Later,  he  passed  through  McKendree  College, 
supporting  himself,  meanwhile,  by  teaching, 
graduating  in  1850.  He  read  law  with  Judge 
Sidney  Breese,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in 
1851.  His  first  public  oflSce  was  that  of  Receiver 
of  the  Land  Office  at  Edwardsville,  to  which  he 
was  appointed  by  President  Pierce  in  1853.  re- 
maining until  1856,  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  1868,  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  resi,gnation,  in 
1887.     His  home  is  at  Carlyle. 

SPARTA  &  ST.  GENETIETE  RAILROAD. 
(See  Centralia  &  Chester  Railroad.) 

SPEED,  Joshua  Fry,  merchant,  and  intimate 
friend  of  Abraham  Lincoln ;  was  educated  in  the 
local  schools  and  at  St.  Joseph's  College,  Bards- 
town,  Ky.,  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  1836. 
Mr.  Speed  returned  to  Kentucky  in  1843,  but  the 
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  oflSce,  thougli  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  1861,  lie 
heartily  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  1864  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. 

SPOOJf  RIYER,  rises  in  Bureau  County,  flows 
southward  through  Stark  County  into  Peoria, 
thence  soutliwest  through  Knox,  and  to  the  south 
and  southeast,  through  Fulton  County,  entering 
the  Illinois  River  opposite  Havana.  It  is  about 
150  miles  long. 

SPRINGER,  (ReT.)  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  1839,  removed  to  Springfield,  111., 
wliere  he  preached  and  taught  school;  in  1847 
became  President  of  Hillsboro  College,  which,  in 
1853,  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,  1861,  resigned  to  accept  the 
Chaplaincy  of  the  Tenth  Illinois  Cavalry  :  by  suc- 
cessive resignations  and  appointnients.  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, 
1867.  when  he  was  commissioned  Cliaplain  of  the 
United  States  Army.  This  position  he  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  instnmiental  in  the  founding 
of  Carthage  (111.)  College,  and  was  a  member  of 


406 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


its  Board  of  Control  at  the  time  of  his  death.  He 
«as  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,  188-1,  to  his  death,  which 
occurred  at  Springfield.  Oct.  21,  1892. 

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  }-ear  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar  and 
commenced  practice  in  Logan  County,  but  soon 
after  removed  to  Springfield.  He  entered  public 
life  as  Secretary  of  the  Constitutional  Convention 
of  1802.  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  close  of  the  Fifty-third  Congress  (1895),  he 
served  in  Congress  continuously,  and  was  recog- 
nized as  one  of  the  leaders  of  his  party  on  the 
floor,  being  at  the  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.  Connolly.  In  1895 
President  Cleveland  appointed  him  United 
States  District  Judge  for  Indian  Territory. 

SPRIXGFIELD,  the  State  capital,  and  the 
county-seat  of  Sanganfon  County,  situated  five 
miles  south  of  the  Sangamon  River  and  185  miles 
southwest  of  Chicago;  is  an  important  railway 
center.  The  first  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  authorized  b^v  act  of 
the  Legislature  in  January  previous,  and  the 
name  Springfield  was  given  to  it.  In  1823  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  ami 
Thomas  Cox.     The  town  was  platted  about  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  change  was  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  the  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  gi-ound  to  tlie  west.  The 
city  has  excellent  water-works,  a  paid  fire-depart- 
ment, six  banks,  electric  street  railways,  gas  and 
electric  lighting,  commodious  hotels,  fine 
chm-ches,  numerous  handsome  residences,  beauti- 
ful jjarks,  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  South  Springfield  and  the  village  of 
Laurel,  April  5,  1898.  These  additions  give  to 
the  present  city  an  area  of  5.84  square  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  33,37.1 -population  by  census  (1900), 
34. 159.  Besides  the  State  Hoiise,  the  city  has  a 
handsome  United  States  Government  Building 
for  United  States  Court  and  post-ofiice  purposes, 
a  county  courthouse  (the  former  State  capitol), 
a  city  hall  and  (State)  Executive  Mansion. 
Springfield  was  the  home  of  Abraham  Lincoln. 
His  former  residence  has  been  donateil  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  indiistries, 
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  north  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  &  SOFTH- 
EASTERN  RAILROAD.  (See  St.  Louis,  Indian- 
apolis &  Eastern  Railroad. ) 


HISTOraCAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


497 


SPRIXGFIELD    &.    ILLINOIS    SOUTHEAST- 

ERX  RAILROAD.  (See  Baltimore  <&  Ohio 
SotitJtnrKtcni  Eailroad. ) 

SPRINGFIELD  &   NORTHWESTERN  KAIL- 

ROAD.  (See  Chicago,  Peoria  &  St  Louis 
Railroad  of  Illinois.) 

SPRING  TALLEY,  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  soutliwest  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  (1890).  3,837;  (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  liigher 
branches,  including  music  and  fine  arts.  It 
reported  fifty-five  pupils  in  1894,  and  real  estate 
valued  at  51o,000. 

ST.  ALBAN'S  ACADEMY,  a  boys'  and  young 
men's  school  at  Knoxville,  111.,  incorporated  in 
1896  under  the  auspices  of  the  Episcopal  Church ; 
in  1898  had  a  faculty  of  seven  teachers,  with 
forty-five  pupils,  and  property  valued  at  $61,100, 
of  which  §.54,000  was  real  estate.  Instruction  is 
given  in  the  classical  and  scientific  branches, 
'  besides  music  and  preparatory  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.  Tlie 
city  is  connected  with  Chicago  and  many  towns 
in  the  Fox  River  valley  by  interurbcu  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  1734 ;  came  to  America  in 
1757  as  an  ensign,  having  purchased  his  commis- 
sion, participated  in  the  capture  of  Louisburg, 
Canada,    in    1758,    and    fought   under   "Wolfe   at 


Quebec.  In  1764  he  settled  in  Pennsylvania, 
where  he  amassed  a  moderate  fortune,  and  be- 
came prominent  in  public  affairs.  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  censui'ed  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  jiresided  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 
he  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  badly  crippled  by  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  %vhich  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 
Rogers.)  St.  Clair  County  was  finally  set  off 
by  an  order  ef  Gov.  Arthur  St  Clair,  on  occa- 
sion of  his  first  visit  to  the  "Illinois  Country,"' 
in  April,  1790 — more  than  two  years  after  his 
assumption  of  the  duties  of  Governor  of  the 
Northwest  Territory,  which  then  comprehended 
the  "Illinois  Country"  as  well  as  the  whole 
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, 


iO> 


IIISTOrJCAL   EXC'YCLOPEDIA    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  Coimty.  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  Country  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  Illinois  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  1T96.  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- 
partially 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  1818,  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  hostelry,  Joseph  Kerr  opened  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  mechanics.  Belle- 
ville was  incorporated  in  1819.  In  1825  Governor 
Edwards  bought  the  large  landed  interests  of 
Etienne  Personeau,  a  large  French  land-owner, 
ordered  a  new  survey  of  the  town  and  infused  fresh 
life  into  its  development.  Settlers  began  to  arrive 
in  large  numbers,  mainly  Virginians,  who  brought 
with  them  their  slaves,  the  right  to  hold  which 
was,  for  many  years,  a  fruitful  and  perennial 
source  of  strife.  Emigrants  from  Germany 
began  to  arrive  at  an  early  day,  and  now  a  large 
proportion  of  the  populatio'n  of  BeUeville  and  St. 
Clair  County  is  made  up  of  that  nationality.  The 
county,  as  at  jjresent  organized,  lies  on  the  west- 
ern border  of  the  south  half  of  the  State,  immedi- 
ately opposite  St.  Louis,  and  comprises  some  680 
square  miles.  Three-fourths  of  it  are  underlaid 
by  a  vein  of  coal,  six  to  eight  feet  thick,  and 
about  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),  61,806; 
(1890),  66,571;  (1900),  86,685. 

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.  JOSEPH,  a  village  of  Champaign  County, 
on  the  Cleveland,  Cincinnati,  Chicago  &  St.  Louis 
Railway,  10  niile.s  east  of  Champaign;  has  inter- 
urban  railroad  connection.     Pop.  (1900),  637. 

ST.  JOSEPH'S  HOSPITAL,  (Chicago),  founded 
in  1860,  by  the  Sisters  of  Charity.  Having  been  de- 
stroyed in  the  fire  of  1871,  it  was  rebuilt  in  the 
following  year.  In  189'3  it  was  reconstructed,  en- 
larged and  made  thoroughly  modern  in  its  appoint- 
ments. It  can  accommodate  about  ~oO  patients. 
The  Sisters  attend  to  the  nursing,  and  conduct  the 
domestic  and  financial  aflfairs.  The  medical  staff 
comprises  ten  physicans  and  surgeons,  among 
whom  are  some  of  the  most  eminent  in  Chicago. 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF    ILLINOIS. 


499 


ST.  LOUIS,  ALTON  cV  CHICAGO  RAILROAD. 

(See  CJiiniyit  &■  Alton  Railroad. ) 

ST.  LOUIS,  ALTON  A:  SPKIX(JFIELI)  RAIL- 
ROAD. (See  St.  Louis.  Chicago  &  St.  Paul 
Railroad.) 

ST.  LOUIS,  ALTON  &  TERRE  HAUTE 
RAILOAD,  a  corporation  formerly  operating  an 
extensive  system  of  railroads  in  Illinois.  The  Terra 
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,  1856.  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  lUinoistown  (now  East  St. 
Louis)  to  Alton,  which  was  completed  in  October, 
1856,  giving  the  first  raih'oad  connection  between 
Alton  &  St.  Louis.  Simultaneously  with  this, 
these  two  roads  (tlie  Terre  Haute  &  Alton  and 
the  Belleville  &  lUinoistown)  were  consolidated 
under  a  single  charter  by  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  years  to  the 
IndianapoUs  &  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  IndianapoUs  &  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  which 
the  main  line  is  now  operated.  The  properties 
officially  reported  as  remaining  in  the  hands  of 
the  St.  Louis,  Alton  &  Terre  Haute  Raih-oad, 
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  these  several 
roads  see  headings  of  each. ) 


ST.  LOUIS,  CHICAGO   &   ST.  PAUL  RAIL- 

ROAD,  (Bliiff  Line), a  line  running  from  Spring- 
field to  Granite  City,  111.,  (opposite  St.  Louis), 
103. 1  miles,  with  a  branch  from  Lock  Haven  to 
Grafton,  111.,  8.4  miles— total  length  of  Une  in 
Illinois,  110.5  miles.  The  track  is  of  standard 
gauge,  laid  with  56  to  70-pound  steel  rails.— (His- 
TOEY. )  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  sm-rendered  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,  AUon  &  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 
by  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 
8318,815,  operating  expenses,  §373,270;  total 
capitalization,  84,853,526,  of  which,  §1,500,000 
was  in  the  form  of  stock  and  51,235  000  in  income 
bonds. 

ST.  LOUIS,  INDIANAPOLIS  k  EASTERN 
RAILROAD,  a  railroad  line  90  miles  in  length, 
extending  from  Switz  City.  Ind.,  to  Etfingham, 
111. — 56  miles  being  within  the  State  of  Illinois. 
It  is  of  standard  gauge  and  the  track  laid  chiefly 
with  iron  rails. — (History.)  The  orginal  corpo- 
ration was  chartered  in  1869  as  the  Springfield, 
Effingham  &  Quincy  Railway  Company.  It  was 
built  as  a  narrow-gauge  line  by  the  Cincinnati, 
Effingham  &  Quincy  Construction  Company, 
which  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  &  lUinois 
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  Une  is  operated.     Its  business 


500 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


is  limited,  and  chiefly  local.  The  total  earnings 
in  1S98  were  §65,583  and  the  expenditures  .$69,112. 
Its  capital  stock  was  ST^O.gOO;  bonded  debt, 
.§978.000,  other  indebtedness  increasing  the  total 
capital  inve-stment  to  91,816,736. 

ST.  LOUIS,  JACKSONVILLE  &  CHICAGO 
RAILROAD.     (See  Ch  icago  d-  Alton  Ra ilroad. ) 

ST.  LOUIS,  JERSEYVILLE  &  SPRIJfdiFIELD 
RAILROAD.  (See  St.  Louis,  Chicago  d-  St.  Paul 
Railroad.) 

ST.  LOUIS,  MOUXT  CARMEL  &  NEW  AL- 
BANY RAILROAD.  (See  Loui.n-ille,  Evansrille 
d-  St.  Louis  (Consolidated)  Railroad.) 

ST.  LOUIS,  PEORIA  &  NORTHERN  RAIL- 
WAY, known  as  "Peoria  Short  Line,"  a  corjjo- 
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  Mis- 
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.  OUve  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  property  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  a  part  of 
the  new  organization  under  the  name  of  the  St. 
Louis,   Peoria  &    Nortliern  Railway,   the  North 


&  South  Railroad  going  out  of  existence.  In 
May,  1899,  the  St.  Louis,  Peoria  &  Northern  was 
sold  to  the  reorganized  Chicago  &  Alton  Railroad 
Company,  to  Ije  operated  as  a  sliort  line  between 
Peoria  &  St.  Louis. 

ST.  LOUIS,  ROCK  ISLAND  k  CHICAGO 
RAILROAD.  (See  Chicago,  Burlington  <fc  Quincy 
Railroad.) 

ST.  LOUIS  SOUTHERN  RAILROAD,  a  line 
running  from  Pinckneyville,  111.,  via  Mm-phys- 
boro,  to  Carbondale.  The  company  is  also  the 
lessee  of  the  Carbondale  &  Shawneetown  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. 
The  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  the  year  1896  this  line  passed  under  lease 
from  the  St.  Louis,  Alton  &  Terre  Haute  Rail- 
road Compan}',  into  the  hands  of  the  Illinois 
Central  Railroad  Comjianj'. 

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  &  Mississiiipi 
and  the  Springfield  &  Illinois  Southeastern 
Railways  —  the  former  extending  from  Vin- 
cennes,  Ind.,  to  East  St.  Louis,  and  the  latter 
from  Beardstown  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  c&  Ohio  Southwestern 
Railway.) 

ST.  LOUIS,  TANDALIA  &  TERRE  HAUTE 
RAILROAD.  This  line  extends  from  East  St. 
Louis  eastward  across  the  State,  to  the  Indiana 
State  line,  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,  §218.480.— (His- 
tory )  The  St.  Louis,  Vandalia  &  Terre  Haute 
Railroad  was  chartered  in  1865.  opened  in  1870 
and  leased  to  the  Terre  Haute  &   Indianapolis 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLIXOIS. 


501 


(See 


(See 


Eailroad,  for  itself  and  the  Pittsburg,  Cinoianati, 
Chicago  &  St.  Louis  Railroad. 

ST.  LOUIS  &  CAIRO  RAILROAD,  extends 
from  East  St.  Louis  to  Cairo,  111.,  151.6  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  imder  fore- 
closure, July  14.  1881,  and  was  taken  charge  of 
by  a  new  company  under  its  present  name,  Feb. 
1,  1882.  On  Feb.  1,  1886,  it  was  leased  to  the 
Mobile  &  Ohio  Eailroad  Company  for  forty-five 
years,  and  now  constitutes  the  Illinois  Division 
of  that  line,  giving  it  a  connection  with  St. 
Louis.      (See  Mobile  &  Ohio  Railway. ) 

ST.  LOUIS  &  CENTRAL  ILLINOIS  RAIL- 
ROAD.  (See  St.  Louis,  Chicago  &  St.  Paul 
Railroad.) 

ST.  LOUIS  &  CHICAGO  RAILROAD  (of 
Illinois).  (See  St.  Louis,  Peoria  &  Xorthern 
Raihraij.) 

ST.   LOUIS   &  EASTERN  RAILROAD. 
St.  Louis,  Peoria  d-  Xorthern  Railway.) 

ST.    LOUIS    &    PEORIA    RAILWAY. 
St.  Lnnis.  Peoria  &  Xorthern  Railway.) 

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  purpose,  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  who  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  young  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  property  valued  at  $130,500,  of  which 
§100,000  is  real  estate. 

STAGER,  Anson,  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  various  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  L^nion  Company,  was  retained  in 
this  position.  Early  in  the  Civil  War  he  was 
entrusted  with  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  liis 
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- 
factm-e  of  electrical  appliances  and  other 
branches  of  the  business.  One  of  these  was  the 
consolidation  of  the  telephone  companies,  of 
which  he  became  President,  as  also  of  the  West- 
ern Edison  Electric  Light  Company,  besides  being 
a  Director  in  several  other  corporations.  Died, 
in  Chicago,  March  26,  18S5. 

STANDISH,  John  Tan  IVess,  a  lineal  descendant 
of  Capt.  Miles  Standish,  the  Pilgrim  leader,  was 
born  at  Woodstock,  Vt.,  Feb.  26,  1825.  His  early 
years  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  profession  of  a  teacher,  and  has  spent 


503 


HISTOEICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


over  fifty  years  in  its  pursuit  iu  connection  with 
private  and  public  schools  and  the  College,  of 
which  more  than  forty  years  were  as  Professor  and 
President  of  I,onibard  University  at  Galesburg. 
He  has  also  lectured  and  conducted  Teachers' 
Institutes  all  over  the  State,  and,  in  1859,  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  Midnight  Sun,"  besides  Northern  Africa 
from  the  Mediterranean  to  the  Desert  of  Sahara, 
Egypt,  Palestine,  S.yria  and  Asia  Minor.  A  lover 
of  art,  he  has  visited  nearly  all  the  principal 
museums  and  picture  galleries  of  the  world.  In 
politics  he  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,  James  T.  B.,  State  Auditor,  was  born 
in  "Woodford  County,  Ky.,  Aj^ril  13,  1804;  at  the 
age  of  13  accompanied  his  widowed  mother  to 
Kaskaskia,  111. ,  where  she  settled ;  before  he  was 
20  years  old,  was  employed  as  a  clerk  in  the  office 
of  the  State  Auditor,  and,  upon  the  resignation  of 
that  officer,  was  appointed  his  successor,  being 
twice  thereafter  elected  by  the  Legislature,  serv- 
ing nearly  five  years.  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  Third  Illinois  Volunteers  dur- 
ing the  war  with  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  by  him  in  that  city,  bears  his  name. 

STARK  COUNTY,  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  chief 
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. 
Essex,  who  built  a  cabin  on  Spoon  River,  in  1828, 
and  gave  bis  name  to  a  township.  Of  other  pio- 
neer families,  the  Buswells,  Smiths,  Spencers  and 


Eastmans  came  from  New  England;  the  Thom- 
ases, Moores,  Holgates,  Fullers  and  Wliittakers 
from  Pennsylvania;  the  Coxes  from  Ohio,  the 
Perrys  and  Parkers  from  Virginia ;  the  JlcClana- 
hans  from  Kentucky ;  the  Hendersons  from  Ten- 
nessee ;  the  Lees  and  Hazens  from  New  Jersey ; 
the  Halls  from  England,  and  the  Turnbulls  and 
Olivers  from  Scotland.  The  pioneer  church  was 
the  Congregational  at  Toulon.  Population  (1880), 
11,207;  (1890),  9,982;  (1900),  10,186. 

STARVED  ROCK,  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,  Tonty,  erected  a  fort  in 
1682,  which  they  named  Fort  St.  Louis.  It  was 
one  mile  north  of  the  suj^posed  location  of  the 
Indian  village  of  La  Vantum,  the  metropolis,  so 
to  speak,  of  the  Illinois  Indians  about  the  time  of 
the  arrival  of  the  first  French  explorers.  The 
population  of  this  village,  in  1680,  according  to 
Father  Membre.  was  some  seven  or  eight  thou- 
sand. Both  La  Vantum  and  Fort  St.  Louis  were 
repeatedly  attacked  by  the  Iroquois.  The  IlUnois 
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. 
when  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  1769  they  were  attacked  from  the 
north  by  tribes  who  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  massacred  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  popular  name.  Elmer  Baldwin,  in  his  History 
of  La  Salle  Count}'  (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,  Bobcrt  Cavelier;  Tonty;  Fort  St. 
Louis.) 


HISTOIilCAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLIXOIS. 


603 


STARNE,  Alexander,  Secretary  of  State  and 
State  Treasurer,  was  born  in  Philadelphia,  Pa., 
Nov.  21,  1S13;  in  the  spring  of  1S36  removed  to 
Illinois,  settling  at  Griggsville,  Pike  Count)-, 
where  he  opened  a  general  store.  From  1839  to 
'42  he  served  as  Commissioner  of  Pike  Countj-, 
and,  in  the  latter  year,  was  elected  to  the  lower 
house  of  the  General  Assembly,  and  re-elected  in 
1844.  Having,  in  the  meanwhile,  dispo.sed  of  his 
store  at  Griggsville  and  removed  to  Pittsfield,  he 
was  appointed,  by  Judge  Purple,  Clerk  of  the 
Circuit  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  18.57,  to  assume 
the  Presidency  of  the  old  Hannibal  and  Naples 
Railroad  (now  a  part  of  the  Wabash  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  death,  being,  with  his  sons,  extensively 
engaged  in  coal  mining.  In  1870,  and  again  in 
1873,  he  was  elected  State  Senator  from  San- 
gamon County.  He  died  at  Springfield,  March 
431,  1886. 

STATE  BAXK  OF  ILLIXOIS.  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  Edwards%-ille  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  Vandaha  with  branches  at 
Shawneetown,  Edwardsville,  and  Brownsville  in 
Jackson  County.  This  was,  in  effect,  a  recharter- 
ing  of  the  banks  at  Shawneetown  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  tatter,  on  the  basis 
•of  charges  made  by  Governor  Edwards  in  1836, 
was  made  the  subject  of  a  legislative  investiga- 
tion, wliich  (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  854,000.  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  1835,  legislating  in  the  same  direction  for 
tlie  establishing  of  a  central  "Bank  of  Illinois'' 
at  Springfield,  with  branches  at  other  points  as 
might  be  required,  not  to  exceed  six  in  number. 
One  of  tliese  branches  was  established  at  Van- 
dalia  and  another  at  Chicago,  furnishing  the  first 
banking  institution  of  the  latter  city.  Two 
years  later,  when  the  State  was  entering  upon 
its  scheme  of  internal  improvement,  laws  vrere 
enacted  increasing  the  capital  stock  of  these 
banks  to  §4.000,000  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  1843,  when  tlie  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.  35,  1813.  At  that 
time  there  were  but  five  counties  in  the  State — 
St.  Clair  and  Randolph  being  the  most  important, 
and  Kaskaskia  being  the  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. Tliat  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  sliould  remain  the  seat  of  govern- 
ment for  twenty  years.  The  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  the  proposed  city,  that  town  lots 
■were  soon  selling  at  §100  to  §780  each.  The  Com- 
missioners, in  obedience  to  law,  erected  a  plain 
two-story  frame  building — scarcely  more  than  a 
commodious  shanty — to  which  tlie  State  offices 
were  removed  in  December,  1820.     Tliis  building 


504 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA   OP  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 
816,000.  Of  this  amount  §6,000  was  reimbursed 
b}"  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  tlie  removal 
to  Springfield,  were  Jacksonville,  Vandalia, 
Peoria,  Alton  and  lUiopolis — Springfield  receiv- 
ing the  largest  vote  at  each  ballot.  The  law 
removing  the  capital  appropriated  §.50,000  from 
the  State  Treasury,  provided  tliat  a  like  amount 
should  be  raised  by  private  subscription  and 
guaranteed  by  bond,  and  that  at  least  two  acres 
of  land  should  be  donated  as  a  site.  Two  State 
Houses  have  been  erected  at  Springfield,  the  first 
cost  of  the  present  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.  The  State  debt,  which  proved 
so  formidable  a  burden  upon  the  State  of  Illinois 
for  a  generation,  and.  for  a  part  of  that  period, 
'seriously  checked  its  prosperity,  was  the  direct 
outgrowth  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  .§6,500,000,  while  the  total  valuation  of 
real  and  personal  property,  for  the  purposes  of 
taxation,  was  less  than  .§60, 000, 000,  and  the  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  disparity  continued 
until  the  declining  credit  of  the  State  forced  upon 
the  managers  of  public  aff'airs  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  5  per 
cent,  but  rapidly  declined  until  they  were  hawked 
in  the  markets  of  Xew  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,  only  the  Illinois  &  Michigan  Canal 
brouglit  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  had  been 
issued.  For  two  years  longer  the  State  struggled 
with  its  embarrassments,  increased  by  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 
possession.  Thus  left  without  credit,  or  means 
even  of  paying  the  accruing  interest,  there  were 
those  who  regarded  the  State  as  hopelesslj'  bank- 
rupt, and  advocated  repudiation  as  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  in- 
debtedness, while  the  beneficent  "two-mill  tax*' 
gave  assurance  to  its  creditors  that  its  debts 
would  be  paid.  While  the  growth  of  the  State, 
in  wealth  and  population,  had  previously  been 
checked  by  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 1850  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,- 
637,950;  1844,  §14,633,969;  1846,  §16,389,817;  1848, 
§16,661,795.  It  reached  its  maximum  in  1853— 
the  first  year  of  Governor  Matteson's  administra- 
tion— when  it  was  officially  reported  at  §16,724,- 
177.  At  this  time  the  work  of  extinguishment 
began,  and  %vas  prosecuted  under  successive 
administrations,  except  during  the  war,  wlien 
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,  besides  two  and  a  quarter 
million  paid  on  interest.  In  1880  the  debt  had 
been  reduced  to  §281,059.11,  and,  before  the  close 
of  1882,  it  had  been  entirely  extinguished,  except 
a  balance  of  §18.500  in  bonds,  which,  having  been 
called  in  years  previously  and  never  presented  for 


m-j-'i 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


505 


payment,  are  supposed  to  have  been  lost.  (See 
Macalister  and  Stebbins  Bonds.) 

STATE  t!LARDI.\>S  FOR  GIRLS,  a  bureau 
organized  for  the  care  of  female  juvenile  delin- 
quents, by  act  of  June  3,  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,  1867,  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  153.500,000  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  .3531.712,  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  UMVERSITY,  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  Wilkins  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 
Moseley  and  William  Wells  of  Cook :  Albert  R. 
Shannon  of  White;  and  the  Superintendent  oV 
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  fimdamental  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  may, 
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  §141,725.  The  corner-stone  was 
laid  on  September  29,  1857,  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  organ- 
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,  liigh  school,  normal  department 
and  model  school,  all  of  which  are  overcrowded. 
The  whole  number  of  students  in  attendance  on 
the  institution  during  the  school  year,  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  .§66,528.69  for  1896-97.  Nearly 
§22,000  of  the  amount  expended  during  the  latter 
year  was  on  account  of  the  construction  of  a 
gymnasium  building. 

STATE  PROPERTY.  The  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- 


5()G 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF    ILLINOIS. 


cellaneous  property,  82,050,000— total,  S-2.5, 142,000. 
The  land  may  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),  841,000.  in 
Minnesota  (similarly  donated),  8T9,000.  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  Appellate  Courts  (at 
Ottawa  and  Mount  Vernon),  the  State  House, 
the  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;  S1,9.j9,- 
000  the  value  of  the  movable  property  of  public 
buildings;  $5.50.000  the  endowment  fund  of  the 
University  of  Illinois;  and  $21,000  the  movable 
property  of  the  Illinois  &  Michigan  Canal.  The 
figures  given  relative  to  the  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  TREASUREBS.  The  only  Treasurer 
of  Illinois  during  the  Territorial  period  was  John 
Thomas,  who  served  from  1812  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  Houses  of  the  General  Assembly ;  by 
the  Constitution  of  1848,  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  %vhich  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 
term  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  Miller,  1857-59;  WilUam  Butler, 
1859-63;  Alexander  Starne,  1863-65;  James  H. 
Beveridge,  1865-67;  George  "VV.  Smith,  1867-69; 
Erastus  N.  Bates.  1869-78;  Edivard  Rutz.  1873-75; 
Thomas  S.  Ridgway.  1875-77;  Edward  Rutz, 
1877-79;  John  C.  Smith,  1879-81:  Edward  Rutz, 
1881-83,   John  C.    Smith,    1883-85;  Jacob  Gross, 


1885-87;  John  R,  Tanner,  1887-89;  Charles 
Becker,  1889-91;  Edward  S.  Wilson,  1S91-93; 
Rufus  N.  Ramsay,  1893-95;  Henry  Wulif,  189.5-97; 
Henry  L.  Hertz,  1897-99;  Floyd  K.  Whittemore, 
1899- . 

STAUXTOX,  a  village  in  the  .southeast  corner 
of  Macoupin  County,  on  the  Chicago,  Peoria  & 
St.  Louis  and  the  Wabash  Railways;  is  36  miles 
nortlieast  of  St.  Louis,  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  PRODUCTIOX.  In  the  manufacture 
of  steel,  Illinois  has  long  ranked  as  the  second 
State  in  the  Union  in  the  amount  of  its  output, 
and,  dm-ing  the  period  between  1880  and  1890, 
the  increase  in  production  was  341  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,  22  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 
pounds  of  steel  rails, — more  than  30  per  cent  of 
the  aggregate  for  the  entire  country.  This  fact 
is  noteworthy,  inasmuch  as  the  competition  in 
the  manufacture  of  Bessemer  steel  rails,  since 
1880,  has  been  so  great  that  many  rail  mills  have 
converted  their  steel  into  forms  other  than  rails, 
experience  having  proved  their  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-hearth  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  requiring  special  grades  of  steel  the 
product  of  the  crucible  process  will  be  always 
in  demand,  but  the  high  cost  of  manufacture 
prevents  it,  in  a  majority  of  instances,  from 
successfully  competing  in  price  with  the  other 
processes  mentioned. 

STEPHEXSOX,  Benjamin,  pioneer  and  early 
politician,  came  to  Illinois  from  Kentucky  in 
1809,  and  was  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  sou  of  the  preceding, 
was  a  soldier  during  the  Black  Ilawk  War,  after- 
wards became  a  prominent  politician  in  the  north- 
western part  of  the  State,  served  as  Register  of 
the  Land  Office  at  Galena  and,  in  1838,  received 
the  Democratic  nomination  for  Governor,  but 
withdrew  before  the  election. 

STEPHEXSO',  (Dr.)  Benjamin  Franklin, 
physician  and  soldier,  was  born  in  Wayne 
County,  111.,  Oct.  30,  1823,  and  accompanied  his 
parents,  in  1825.  to  Sangamon  Coimty,  where  the 
family  settled.  His  early  educational  advantages 
were  meager,  and  he  did  not  study  his  pi'ofession 
(medicine)  until  after  reaching  his  majority, 
graduating  from  Rush  Medical  College,  Cliicago, 
in  1850.  He  began  practice  at  Petersburg,  but, 
in  April,  18G2,  was  mustered  into  the  volunteer 
army  as  Surgeon  of  the  Fourteenth  Illinois 
Infantry.  After  a  Uttle  over  two  years  service  lie 
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  lie 
resumed  professional  practice.  He  lacked  tenac- 
ity 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. 

STEPHENSOJf  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  localit}',  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  1826,  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  others  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.  the  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-northeast  of  Rock  Island. 
It  has  ample  railway  facilities,  fui'nished  by  the 
Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy,  the  Sterling  & 
Peoria,  and  the  Chicago  &  Northwestern  Rail- 
roads. It  contains  fourteen  churches,  an  opera 
house,  high  and  grade  schools,  Carnegie  library, 
Government  postoffice  building,  thi-ee  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  agricultural  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.,  ex-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  County, 
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  1.858  and 
began  practice  at  Metamora,  Woodford  County, 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF  ILLINOIS. 


where  he  was  Master  in  Chancery,  1861-65,  and 
State's  Attorney,  1865-69.  In  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,  tliough  defeated  in  1880 
and  1882.  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  (188.i-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  oiBce,  serving  until  1897.  Since 
retiring  from  office  he  has  resumed  his  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  engaged  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.  CuUom.  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. 

STICKNEY,  William  H.,  pioneer  lawyer,  was 
bom  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  Prosecuting  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. 

STILLMAX,  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 
Black  Hawk  War;  has  graded  schools,  four 
churches,  a  bank  and  a  newspaper.     Pop. ,  475. 

STITES,  Samuel,  pioneer,  was  born  near 
Mount  Bethel,  Somerset  Coimty,  N.  J.,  Oct.  31, 
1776;  died,  August  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 


HISTOEICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


509 


the  settlement  of  the  upper  Ohio  Valley  as  early 
as  1T88.  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  la.st  named  of  whom 
he  had  (in  connection  with  John  Cleves  Symmes) 
been  intimately  associated  in  the  purchase  and 
settlement  of  the  Miami  Valley.  In  1800  lie 
removed  to  Hamilton  County,  Ohio,  in  1803  to 
Greene  County,  and,  in  1818.  in  conipany  with  his 
son-in-law.  Anthony  Wayne  Casad,  to  St.  Clair 
County.  111.,  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  prominent  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  the  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,  18G6.  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  Republican  National  Con- 
vention at  Chicago,  and  a  Presidential  Elector. 
He  was  an  inventor  and  patented  various  im- 
provements in  steam  engines  and  boilers;  was 
also  Superintendent  of  Public  Buildings  at 
Charleston.  S.  C,  under  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  oflSce,  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.   3, 


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,  (Rbt.)  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  Ne%vton,  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,  111.  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  j-ears  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  Camp  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  Immanuel  Baptist  Church, 
which  he  labored  to  establish.  Died,  in  July, 
1890. 

STONE,  Melville  E.,  journalist,  banker.  Man- 
ager ot  Associated  Press,  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  ISTI  and  1875,  and,  on  Christmas  Day 
of  the  latter  year,  issued  the  first  number  of  "The 
Chicago  Daily  News."  He  gi-adually  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  JIanager  of  the 
Associated  Press. 

STONE,  Samuel,  philanthropist,  was  born  at 
Chesterfield,  Mass.,  Dec.  6,  1798;  left  an  orphan 
at  seven  years  of  age,  after  a  short  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  IDetroit  and 
interested  in  some  of  the  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  the  Chicago  Historical 
Society,  and  a  liberal  patron  of  many  enterprises 
of  a  public  and  benevolent  character.  Died,  May 
4,  1876. 

STOXE  FORT,  a  village  in  the  counties  of 
Saline  and  Williamson.  It  is  situated  on  the  Cairo 
Division  of  the  Cleveland,  Cincinnati,  Chicago  & 
St.  Louis  Railway,  57  miles  northeast  of  Cairo. 
Population  (1900),  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  12,  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,  Jlich.  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  Northwest,  and,  iu  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,  appeared  as  the  editor  of  "The  Times," 
then  destitute  of  political  ties.     About  1876  his 


health  began  to  decline.  Medical  aid  failed  to 
afford  relief,  and,  in  August,  1884,  he  was  ad- 
judged to  be  of  imsound  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  Hinsdale,  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- 
moving 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  1873.  Erratic  in  habits  and  a  master  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. 

STRAWN,  Jacob,  agriculturist  and  stock- 
dealer,  born  in  Somerset  Count}',  Pa.,  May  30, 
1800;  removed  to  Licking  County,  Ohio,  in  1817, 
and  to  Illinois,  in  1831,  settling  four  miles  south- 
west of  Jacksonville.  He  was  one  of  the  first  to 
demonstrate  the  possibilities  of  Illinois  as  a  live- 
stock state.  Unpretentious  and  despising  mere 
show,  he  illustrated  the  virtues  of  industry,  fru- 
gality and  honesty.  At  his  death — which  occurred 
August  23,  1865 — he  left  an  estate  estimated  in 
value  at  about  81,000,000,  acquired  by  industry 
and  business  enterprise.  He  was  a  zealous 
Unionist  during  the  war.  at  one  time  contributing 
§10,000  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 country,  and  is  underlaid  by  coal  seams 
(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  hgliting,  street  railways,  water- 
works, a  good  fire-depai'tment,  and  a  large,  im- 
proved public  park.  Churches  and  schools  are 
numerous,  as  are  also  fine  public  and  private 
buildings.  One  of  the  chief  industries  is  the 
manufacture    of    glass,    including    rolled-plate. 


HISTORICAL   EXCYCLOPEDIA    OF    ILLINOIS. 


oil 


window-glass,  flint  and  Bohemian  ware  and  glass 
bottles.  Other  successful  industries  are  foundries 
and  machine  shops,  flour  mills,  and  claj-  working 
establishments.  There  are  several  banks,  and 
three  daily  and  weekly  papers  are  published  here. 
The  estimated  property  valuation,  in  1S84,  was 
§12,000,000.  Streator  boasts  some  handsome 
public  buildings,  especially  the  f  Jovernment  post- 
office  and  the  Carnegie  public  library  building, 
both  of  wJiicli  have  been  erected  within  the  past 
few  years.     Pop.  (1890),  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  oiflce,  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  ofl'er  of 
the  clerkship  of  the  new  county  of  Peoria,  but, 
on  visiting  tliat  region,  was  disgusted  with  the 
prospect;  returning  to  Shawneetown,  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  Secretarj'  of 
War.  Mr.  Street  was  a  son-in-law  of  Gen. 
Thomas  Posey,  a  Revolutionary  soldier,  wlio  was 
prominent  in  the  early  history  of  Indiana  and  its 
last  Territorial  Governor.  (See  Posey,  {Gen.) 
Thomas.) 

STREETER,  Alson  J.,  farmer  and  politician, 
was  born  in  Rensselaer  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  3'ears,  and, 
in  1849,  went  to  California,  where  he  spent  two 
years  in  gold  raining.  Returning  to  Illinois,  he 
pm-chased  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,  wliose  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. 

STROXtr,  William  Emerson,  soldier,  was  born 
at  Granville,  N.  Y.,  in  1840;  from  13  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  the  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  (1865-66),  he  located  in  Cliicago,  and 
became  connected  with  several  important  busi- 
ness enterprises,  besides  assisting,  as  an  officer  on 
tlie  staff  of  Governor  CuUom,  in  the  organization 
of  tlie  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  Presbyterian  minister 
and  Professor  of  Languages  in  Transylvania 
University,  and  related,  on  the  maternal  side,  tO' 
the  Todd  family,  of  wliom  Mrs.  Abraham  Lincohi 
was  a  member.  He  graduated  at  Centre  College, 
Danville,  in  1826,  and,  after  studying  law,  re- 
moved to  Springfield,  111.,  in  1828,  and  began 
practice.  In  1832  he  was  elected  Representative 
in  the  General  Assembly,  re-elected  in  1834,  and, 
in  1836,  defeated,  as  the  Whig  candidate  for  Con- 
gress, by  Wm.  L.  May,  thougli  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  51.  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, 


51; 


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.  WiUiams,  where  he  was 
associated  with  two  other  youths,  as  fellow-em- 
ployes, who  became  eminent  bankers  and 
capitalists— W.  W.  Corcoran,  afterwards  the 
well-known  banker  of  Washington,  and  George 
W.  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, 
tlie  latter  author  of  the  popular  national  song, 
"The  Star  Spangled  Banner."  In  1814  Mr. 
Sturges  accepted  a  clerkship  in  the  store  of  his 
brother-indaw,  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  his  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  Bufifalo— the  occasion  of  his  visit  to  Detroit 
being  to  carry  funds  to  General  Cass  to  pay  off 
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  by  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- 
stantially all  the  grain  coming  into  Chicago,  by 
railroad,  passed  into  these  elevators.  In  1857  he 
established  the  private  banking  house  of  Solomon 
Sturges  &  Sons,  which,  shortly  after  his  death, 
under  the  management  of  his  son,  George  Stur- 
ges, became  the  Northwestern  National  Bank  of 
Chicago.  He  was  intensely  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, dming  this  period,  taking  §100,000  in 
Government  bonds.  While  devoted  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. 

STURTEVANT,  JuUau  Munson,  D.D.,  LL.D., 
clergyman  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.,  lie  entered 
Yale  Divinity  School,  graduating  there  in  1829; 
then  came  west,  and,  after  spending  a  year  in 
superintending  the  erection  of  buildings,  in  De- 
cember, 1830,  as  sole  tutor,  began  instruction  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 
been  one  of  the  chief  founders,  serving  until  1876, 
when  he  resigned  the  Presidency,  giving  his 
attention,  for  the  next  ten  years,  to  the  duties  of 
Professor  of  Jlental  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  visited  Europe  in 
the  interest  of  the  LTnion  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"  (1876) 
— a  text-book  on  political  economy,  and  "Keys 
of  Sect,  or  the  Church  of  the  New  Testament" 
(1879),  besides  frequently  occupying  the  pulpits 
of  local  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  born 
at  Jacksonville,  111.,  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  in 
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,  111.,  (1870-73);  Den- 
ver, Colo. ,  (1873-77) ;  Grinnell,  Iowa,  (1877-84)  ; 
Cleveland,  Ohio,  (1884-90);  Galesburg,  lU., 
(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- 
tionalisf  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  viUage  on  tlie  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  jirescribed 
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  31  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  31  years  of  age  and  upwards,  are 
entitled  to  vote  for  school  officers,  and  are  also 
«ligible  to  such  offices  under  the  same  conditions, 
as  to  age  and  residence,  as  male  citizens.  (See 
Elections;  Australian  Ballot.) 

SULLIVAN,  a  city  and  county-seat  of  3Ioultrie 
County,  35  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. 


SULLIA'AX,  William  K.,  journalist,  was  born 
at  Waterford.  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,  in  1864  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  Tribime" 
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  inherited  from  his  father  near  his 
birth-place,  devoting  much  attention,  meanwhile, 
to  the  raising  of  improved  stock — in  1854  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  Alexa7ider, 
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  tlie  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  Soutliwestern  Railroad,  19  miles 
west  of  Vincennes,  Ind. ;  has  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  oflice  of  State  Superintendent  of 
Public  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  formal 


514 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


creation  of  the  office  clown  to  the  present  time 
(1S99),  witli  the  date  and  duration  of  the  term  of 
each  Ninian  W.  Edwards  (by  appointment  of 
the  Governor),  1854-57;  William  H.  PoweU  (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  Raab,  1883-87;  Richard 
Edwards,  1887-91;  Henry  Raab,  1891-95;  Samuel 
M.  Inglis,  1895-98;  James  H.  Freeman,  June, 
1898,  to  January,  1899  (by  appointment  of  the 
Governor,  to  fill  the  unexpired  term  of  Prof. 
Inglis,  who  died  in  ofSce,  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  COrRT,  JUDGES  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.  1818-23  (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),  1833-25;  Wil- 
liam Wilson  (vice  Foster)  1819-48  (term  expired 
on  adoption  of  new  Constitution) ;  Samuel  B 
Lookwood,  1825-48  (term  expired  on  adoption  of 
new  Constitution) ;  Theophilus  W.  Smith,  1825-42 
(resigned);  Thomas  Ford,  Feb.  15,  1841,  to  Au- 
gust 1,  1843  (resigned) ;  Sidney  Breese,  Feb.  15, 
1841,  to  Dec.  19,  1843  (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) ;  John  D. 
Caton  (vice  Ford)  August,  1843,  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.  Purple  (vice  Thomas),  1843-48  (retired 
under  Constitution  of  1848) ;  Gustavus  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);  Pinkney  II.  Walker  (vice  Skinner), 
1858-85  (deceased);  Corydon  Beckwith  (by  ap- 
pointment, vice  Caton),  Jan.  7,  1864,  to  June  6, 
1864;  Charles  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.  McAllister, 
1870-75  (resigned) ;  John  Scholfield  (vice  Thorn- 
ton), 1873  93  (died) ;  T.  Lyle  Dickey  (vice 
McAllister),  1875-85  (died);  David  J.  Baker  (ap- 
pointed, vice  Breese),  July  9,  1878,  to  June  3, 
1879— also,  1888-97;  John  H.  Mulkey,  1879-88; 
Damon  G.  Tunnicliffe  (appointed,  vice  Walker), 
Feb.  15,  1885,  to  June  1,  1885;  Simeon  P.  Shope, 
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. 
Cartwriglit  (vice  Bailey),  elected,  1895,  and  re- 
elected, 1897 ;  Benjamin  D.  Magruder  (vice 
Dickey),  elected,  1885,  '88  and  '97.  The  terms  of 
Justices  Boggs,  Phillips,  Wilkin,  Cartwriglit  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- 
ture, but,  under  the  Constitutions  of  1848  and 
1870,  by  popular  vote  for  terms  of  nine  years 
each.  (See  Judicial  System;  also  sketches  of 
individual  members  of  the  Supreme  Court  under 
their  proper  names.) 

SURYETS,  EARLY  GOVERNMEIVT.  The  first 
United  States  law  passed  on  the  subject  of  Gov- 
ernment surveys  was  dated.  May  20,  1785.  After 
reserving  certain  lauds  to  be  allotted  by  way  of 
pensions  and  to  be  donated  for  school  pm-poses, 
it  provided  for  the  division  of  the  remaining  pub- 
lic lands  among  the  original  thirteen  States. 
This,  however,  was,  in  effect,  repealed  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  ovt  from  principal 
bases,  each  township  containing  thirty-sis  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  lUinois.  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,  Thomas.) 

SWEET,  (Gen.)  Benjamin  J.,  soldier,  was 
born  at  Kirkland,  Oneida  County,  N.  Y.,  April 
24,  1832 ;  came  with  his  father,  in  "l8-18,  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  1802.  Later,  he  resigned  and,  returning  home, 
assisted  in  the  organization  of  the  Twenty-first 
and  Twentj'-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  the  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  1872,  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  Count}', 
Maine,  in  1839;  came  to  Bloomington,  111.,  in 
18.57 ;  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  oflices  of 
trust,  including  those  of  City  Collector  of  Bloom- 
inj^-ton  and  Deputy  Collector  of  Internal  Revenue 
for  the  Springfield  District ;  in  1887  was  elected 
Dej^artment  Commander  of  the  Grand  Army  of 
the  Republic  for  Illinois.  Died,  at  Bloomington, 
March  23.  1896. 

SWETT,  Leonard,  lawyer,  was  born  near 
Turner,  Maine,  August  11,  183.5;  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 
completing  his  term  of  enUstment.  He  so&n 
after  came  to  Bloomington,  111.,  where  he  became 
the  intimate  friend  of  Abraham  Lincoln  and 
David  Davis,  traveling  the  circuit  witli  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  supporter  of  Mr.  Lin- 
coln as  a  Presidential  Elector  for  the  State-at- 
large.  In  1803  he  received  the  RepubUcan 
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. 

SWI&ERT,  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  chiklliood,  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  the  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,  1863.  lie  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,  111,  he  received  his  final 
discharge.  Dec.  21,  1863.  spent  a  year  in  school, 
also  took  a  course  in  Bryant  &  Stratton'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  County,  followed  by  two  terms  (1867- 
69)  as  a  student  in  the  Soldiers"  College  at  Fulton. 


516 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


111.  The  latter  year  he  entered  upon  the  duties 
of  Treasurer  of  Kankakee  County,  serving,  by 
successive  re-elections,  until  1880,  when  he  re- 
signed to  take  the  position  of  State  Auditor,  to 
which  he  was  elected  a  second  time  in  1884.  In 
all  these  positions  Mr.  Swigert  has  proved  him- 
self an  upright,  capable  and  high-minded  public 
oiBoial.  Of  late  years  his  residence  has  been  in 
Chicago. 

SWIJfG,  (Rev.)  David,  clergyman  and  pulpit 
orator,  was  born  of  German  ancestry,  at  Cincin- 
nati, Ohio,  August  23,  1836.  After  1837  (his 
father  dying  about  this  time),  the  family  resided 
for  a  time  at  Reedsburgh,  and,  later,  on  a  farm 
near  Williamsburgh,  in  Clermont  County,  in  the 
same  State.  In  1853,  having  graduated  from  the 
Miami  (Ohio)  University,  he  commenced  the 
study  of  theology,  but,  in  1854,  accepted  the 
position  of  Professor  of  Languages  in  his  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  assumed  in  1866.  His  church 
edifice  was  destroyed  in  the  great  Chicago  fire, 
but  was  later  rebuilt.  As  a  preacher  he  was 
popular ;  but,  in  April,  1874,  he  was  placed  on  trial, 
before  an  ecclesiastical  court  of  his  own  denomi- 
nation, on  charges  of  heresy.  lie  was  acquitted 
by  the  trial  court,  but,  before  the  appeal  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  Church,"  preaching,  first  at  McVicker's 
Theatre  and,  afterward,  at  Central  Music  Hall, 
Chicago.  He  was  a  fluent  and  popular  speaker 
on  all  themes,  a  frequent  and  valued  contributor 
to  numerous  magazines,  as  well  as  the  author  of 
several  volumes.  Among  his  best  known  books 
are  "Motives  of  Life,"  "Truths  for  To-day,"  and 
"Club  Essays."  Died,  in  Chicago,  Oct.  8,  1894. 
STCAMORE,  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    graded   public    schools    and    a 


young     ladies'     seminary.      Population     (18S()), 
3,038;  (1890),  2,987;  (1900),  3,653. 

TAFT,  Lorado,  sculptor,  was  born  at  Elmwood, 
Peoria  County,  111.,  April  39,  1860;  at  an  early 
age  evinced  a  predilection  for  sculpture  and 
began  modeling;  graduated  at  the  University  of 
Illinois  in  1880,  tiien  went  to  Paris  and  studied 
sculpture  in  the  famous  Ecole  des  Beaux  Arts 
until  1885.  The  following  year  he  settled  in  Chi 
cago,  finally  becoming  associated  with  the  Chi- 
cago Art  Institute.  He  has  been  a  lecturer  on 
art  in  the  Chicago  University.  Mr.  Taft  fur- 
nished the  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.  12,  1817;  attended  the  com- 
mon schools  until  17  years  of  age,  wlien  he  set 
out  for  the  West,  traveling  on  foot  from  Detroit 
to  Chicago,  and  thence  to  Park  Ridge,  where  he 
worked  at  farming  until  1850.  Then,  having 
followed  the  occupation  of  a  miner  for  some  time, 
in  California,  with  some  success,  he  united  with 
Horace  M.  Singer  in  establishing  the  firm  of 
Singer  &  Talcott,  stone-dealers,  which  lasted  dur- 
ing most  of  his  life.  He  served  as  a  member  of 
the  Chicago  City  Council,  on  the  Beard  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  freel)'  to  works  of 
charity.     Died,  June  5,  18T8. 

TALCOTT,  (Capt.)  William,  soldier  of  the 
War  of  1812  and  pioneer,  was  born  in  Gilead, 
Conn.,  March  6,  1774;  emigrated  to  Rome,  Oneida 
County,  N.  Y.,  in  1810,  and  engaged  in  farming; 
served  as  a  Lieutenant  in  the  Oneida  County 
militia  dm-ing  the  War  of  1813-14,  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  man,  he  supported  James  G- 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF    ILLINOIS. 


517 


Birney  (the  Liberty  candidate  for  President)  in 
1844,  continuing  to  act  witli  tliat  party  until  the 
organization  of  tlie  Republican  party  in  1856 ; 
was  deeply  interested  in  the  War  for  the  Union, 
but  died  before  its  conclusion,  Sept.  2,  1861. — 
Maj.  Thomas  B.  (Talcott),  oldest  son  of  the  pre- 
ceding, was  born  at  Hebron,  Conn  ,  April  17, 
.806 ;  was  taken  to  Rome,  N.  Y. ,  by  his  father  in 
nfancy,  and,  after  reaching  maturity,  engaged 
in  mercantile  business  with  his  brother  in  Che- 
mung County ;  in  1835  accompanied  his  father  in 
a  tour  through  the  "West,  finally  locating  at 
Rockton,  where  he  engaged  in  agriculture.  On 
the  organization  of  Winnebago  County,  in  1836, 
he  was  elected  one  of  the  first  County  Commis- 
sioners, and,  in  1850,  to  the  State  Senate,  serving 
four  j'ears.  He  also  held  various  local  offices. 
Died,  Sept.  30,  1891.— 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  be  engaged  in  business  at  Booneville  and, 
still  later,  in  Utica ;  in  1838,  removed  to  Illinois 
and  joined  his  father  at  Rockton,  finally 
becoming  a  citizen  of  Rockford,  where,  in  his 
later  years,  he  was  extensively  engaged  in  manu- 
facturing, having  become,  in  18.51,  with  his 
brother  Sylvester,  a  partner  of  the  firm  of  J.  H. 
Manny  &  Co.,  in  the  manufacture  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  1851  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.  Jlr.  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,  1885.— 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.— Dwight  Lewis  (Tal- 
cott), oldest  son  of  Henry  Walter  Talcott.  born 
in  Winnebago  County;  at  the  age  of  17  years 
enlisted  at  Belvidere,  in  January,  1861,  as  a  soldier 
in  the  Ninth  Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry ;  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  be  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. 

TALLULA,  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.OIARO.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-southeast  of 
Belleville.  It  has  a  bank,  a  newspaper  office,  a 
large  public  school,  five  churches  and  two  flour- 
ing mills.  Coal  is  mined  here  and  exported  in 
large  quantities.     Pop.  (1900),  853. 

f  AMAROA  A.  MOUNT  VERNON  RAILROAD. 
(See  ^rllh,lsll,  Clii'st,;- S-  U'cutcni  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  1857;  spent  four 
years  teaching  in  his  native  place  and  at  Jack- 
sonville; then  accepted  the  Professorship  of 
Latin  in  Pacific  University  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  lie  was  appointed 
financial  agent  of  the  latter  institution,  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,  oiBciated  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, 
dm-ing  his  incumbency,  added  materially  to  its 
endowment  and  resources.  Died,  at  Jackson- 
ville, Feb.  8,  1893. 

TAX>'ER,  John  R.,  Governor,  was  born  in 
Warrick  Count}',  lud.,  April  4,  1844,  and  brought 
to  Southern  Illinois  in  boyhood,  where  he  grew 
up  on  a  farm  in  the  vicinity  of  Carbondale, 
enjoying  only  such  educational  advantages  as 
were  afforded  by  the  common  school ;  in  1863,  at 
the  age  of  19,  enli.sted  in  the  Ninety-eighth  Illi- 
nois "Volunteers,  serving  until  June,  1865,  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  dying  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  (1870-73),  Clerk  of  the  Cir- 
cuit Court  (1873-76),  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  1880,  he 
was  the  Republican  nominee  for  State  Treasurer 
and  was  elected  by  an  unusually  large  majority ; 
in  1891  was  appointed,  by  Governor  Fifer,  a 
member  of  the  Railroad  and  Warehouse  Commis- 
sion, but,  in  1893,  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  sue- 
ce.sses  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  majorit3^  over  all,  of  nearly  90,000  votes. 

TANNER,  Tazewell  B.,  jurist,  was  born  in 
Henry  County,  Va.,  and  came  to  Jefferson 
County,  111.,  about  1846  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  Genex'al  Assembly,  and  was  in- 
strumental in  securing  the  appropriation  for  the 
erection  of  a  Supreme  Court  building  at  Mount 
Vernon.  In  1863  he  served  as  a  Delegate  to  the 
State  Constitutional  Convention  of  that  year;  was 
elected  Circuit  Judge  in  1873,  and,  in  1877,  was 
assigned  to  dutj'  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. 

TAXATION,  in  its  legal  sense,  the  mode  of 
raising  revenue.  In  its  general  sense  its  purposes 
are  the  support  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 
practice,  and  as  prescribed  by  the  Constitution, 
the  raising  of  revenue  is  required  to  be  done  "by 
levying  a  tax  by  valuation,  so  that  everj-  person 
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  rmder  the  law  to  make  this 
valuation  is  the  Assessor  of  the  county  or  tlie 
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 


HISTOraCAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


519 


include  in  his  return,  as  real-estate,  all  lands  and 
the  buildings  or  other  improvements  erected 
thereon;  and,  under  the  head  of  personal  prop- 
erty', atl  tangible  effects,  besides  moneys,  credits, 
bonds  or  stocks,  shares  of  stock  of  companies  or 
corporations,  investments,  annuities,  franchises, 
royalties,  etc.  Propertj-  used  for  school,  ch\u-ch 
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  thirt3'-three  per  cent  of  its  esti- 
mated cash  value.  In  the  larger  cities,  however, 
the  valuation  is  often  much  lower  than  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 
all  property  subject  to  taxation  in  his  district,  at 
its  cash  valuation,  upon  which  a  Board  of  Review 
fixes  a  tax  on  the  basis  of  twenty  per  cent  of 
such  cash  valuation.  An  abstract  of  the  property 
assessment  of  each  county  goes  before  the  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,  together  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  21  and  60  years,  but  the 
Constitution  of  1870  grants  no  such  power, 
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  head  of  general  tax-" 
ation.     The  same  is  to  be  said  of  revenue  derived 


from  fines  and  penalties,  which  are  forms  of 
punishment  for  specific  ofl'enses,  and  go  to  the 
benefit  of  certain  specified  funds. 

TAYLOR,  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  IlHnois  District  in  the  Fifty- 
first  and  Fifty-second  Congresses,  1889  to  1893. 
Mr.  Taylor  was  one  of  the  contractors  for  tlie 
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- 
tui'es  and  Sheaves  of  Rhyme"  (1874);  "Songs  of 
Yesterday"  (1877);  "Summer  Savory  Gleaned 
from  Rural  Nooks"  (1879);  "Between  the  Gates" 
— pictures  of  California  fife — (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.  27.  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.  1802 — 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,  111.,  where  he 


520 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


opened  an  Indian-trading  jiust  and  general  store; 
was  elected  from  Sangamon  County  to  the  lower 
branch  of  the  Seventli  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  Legislature, 
was  one  of  the  celebrated  "Long  Nine"  who 
secured  the  removal  of  the  State  Capital  to 
Springfield.  He  resigned  before  the  close  of  his 
term  to  accept,  from  President  Jackson,  the  ap- 
pointment of  Receiver  of  Public  Moneys  at  Chi- 
cago. Here  he  became  one  of  the  promoters  of 
the  Galena  &  Chicago  Union  Railroad  (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  Cliicago 
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  members  of 
his  party  to  take  ground  against  the  Kansas-Neb 
raska  bill  in  1834,  and  advocated  the  election  of 
General  Bissell  to  the  governorship  in  1856.  In 
1860  he  was  again  in  line  with  his  party  in  sup- 
port of  Senator  Douglas  for  the  Presidency,  and 
was  an  opponent  of  the  war  policy  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 
Meudota.     Died,  in  Chicago,  Dec.  4,  1891. 

TAYLORVILLE,  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  manufactory  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),  4,248. 

TAZEWELL  COUNTY,  a  central  county  on 
the  Illinois  River;  was  first  settled  in  1^23  and 
organized  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  bottoms.  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),29,.556;  (1900),  33,221. 

TEMPLE,  Jolin  Taylor,  M.D.,  early  Chicago 
physician,  born  in  Virginia  in  1804,  graduated  in 
medicine  at  Middlebury  College,  Vt.,  in  1830,  and, 
in  1838.  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  years  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  was  used  in  common  by  Protestant 
denominations.  He  was  a  member  of  the  first 
Board  of  Trustees  of  Rush  Medical  College, 
though  he  later  became  a  convert  to  homeopathy, 
and  finally,  removing  to  St.  Louis,  assisted  in 
founding  the  St.  Louis  School  of  Homeopathy, 
dying  there,  Feb.  24,  1877. 

TEM'RE  OF  OFFICE.    (See  Elections.) 

TERKE  HAUTE,  ALTOX  &  ST.  LOUIS 
R.41LR0A1).  (See  Sf.  Lunis,  Alton  &  Terre 
Huntc  Railrond.) 

TERRE  HAUTE  &  ALTON  RAILROAD  (See 
St.  Louis.  Alton  &  Terre  limit,-  Unilmoa.) 

TERRE  HAUTE  &  INDIANAPOLIS  RAIL- 
ROAD,  a  corporation  operating  no  line  of  its  own 
within  the  State,  but  the  lessee  and  operator  of 
the  following  lines  (which  see):  St.  Louis, 
Vandalia  &  Terre  Haute,  158.3  miles;  Terre 
Haute  &  Peoria,  145.12  miles;  East  St.  Louis 
&  Carondelet,  12.74  miles— total  length  of  leased 


HISTOKKAL   EXCYCLOPEDIA    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  18.J2,  and  took  its  present 
name  in  1866.  The  Penns.yh-ania  Railroad  Com- 
pany purchased  a  controlling  interest  in  its  stock 
in  1893. 

TERRE  HAUTE  &  PEORIA  RAILROAD, 
(VandaUa  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  178.9 
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 
1874;  (2)  the  Paris  &  Decatur  Railroad,  chartered 
in  1861  and  opened  in  December,  1872 ;  and  (8)  the 
Paris  &  Terre  Haute  Railroad,  chartered  in  1878 
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  ninetj'-nine  years  to  the  Terre 
Haute  &  Indianapolis  Railroad  Company,  and  is 
operated  as  a  part  of  the  "Vandalia  System." 
The  capital  stock  (1898)  was  S3,764,200;  funded 
debt,  §2,230,000,— total  capital  invested,  S6,227,- 
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  Vermont.  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  Adju- 
tant-General of  the  Army  of  the  Ohio.  At  the 
close  of  the  war  he  took  up  his  residence  in  Ten- 
nessee, serving  as  Quartermaster  upon  the  staff 
of  Governor  Brownlow.  In  1867  he  returned  to 
Cliicago  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 
House  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  Burg-ess 
(Thomas),  Jr.,  nephew  of  the  United  States  Sena- 
tor of  the  same  name,  was  born  at  Lebanon,  Ohio, 
July  31,  1806,  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  %vas  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,  1850.— Jesse  B.  (Thomas) 
third,  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.  III..  Brook- 
lyn, N.   Y.,   and    San    Francisco    (1862-69).     He 


>22 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


then  became  pastor  of  the  Micliigan  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  1806,  received  the  degree  of  D.D. 
from  the  old  University  of  Chicago. 

THOMAS,  John,  pioneer  and  soldier  of  the 
Black  Hawk  War,  was  born  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  lie  was  23  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  ovi'ners  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  the  party  opposed  to  the 
amendment  of  the  Stiitf  i  'misi  itution  to  sanction 
slavery,  was  a  zealous  (.p|i. niiiit  <if  the  Kansas- 
Nebraska  bill  in  18."i4,  and  ;i.  linn  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,  "73  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  Mount  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.  x\fter 
bis  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. 
Tliomas  was  appointed  by  President  McKinley 
an  additional  United  States  District  Judge  for 
Indian  Territory.  His  home  is  now  at  Vanita, 
in  that  Territory. 

THOMAS,  ^Villianl,  pioneer  lawyer  and  legis- 
lator, was  born  in  what  is  now  Allen  County, 
Ky.,  Nov.  33,  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  tlie  proceedings  of  the  General  Assem- 
bly for  "'The  Vandalia  Intelligencer";  was  State's 
Attorney  and  School  Commissioner  of  Morgan 
County;  served  as  Quartermaster  and  Commis- 
sary in  the  Black  Hawk  War  (1831-33),  first  under 
Gen.  Joseph  Duncan  and.  a  year  later,  under 
General  Whiteside ;  in  1839  was  ajipointed  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  infiu- 
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  Board  of  Trustees 
of  the  latter.  He  was  also  prominent  in  connec- 
tion with  many  enterprises  of  a  local  character, 
including  the  establishment  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  tlie 
Board  of  Army  Auditors  by  appointment  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  scliools, 
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  University,  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  his  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  himself  in  practice  there. 
He  served  as  a  member  of  the  State  Constitutional 
Conventions  of  1847  and  1862,  and  as  Represent- 
ative in  the  Seventeenth  General  Assembly 
(1850-53)  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  resi<les. 

THORNTON,  WllHam  Fitzhugh,  Commissioner 
of  tlie  Illinois  &  Michigan  Canal,  was  born  in 
Hanover  County,  Va.,  Oct.  4,  1789;  in  1806,  went 
to  Alexandria,  Va.,  where  he  conducted  a  drug 
business   for    a    time,   also    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  cavalry, 
and,  for  a  time,  as  staff-ofBcer  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  Shelbyville,  111.,  where  he  soon  after 
engaged  in  mercantile  business,  to  -w-hich  he 
added  a  banking  and  brokerage  business  in  1859, 
■with  ivhich  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  §1,000.000  on  what 
were  then  considered  favorable  terms.  General 
Thornton  was  an  ardent  Whig  until '  the  organi- 
zation of  the  Republican  party,  when  he  became 
a  Democrat.  Died,  at  Shelbyville,  Oct.  21, 
1873. 

TILLSOX,  Johu,  pioneer,  was  born  at  Halifax. 
Mass.,  March  13,  1796;  came  to  lUinois  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,  1853.— 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,  graduating  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  Kational  Guard  of  Missouri  in  the 
War  of  tlie  Rebellion.  Died,  Nov.  25,  1865.— 
John    (Till-^on),   Jr.,   another    son,   was    born  at 


Hillsboro,  III,  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,  III,  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  Col.  J.  D. 
Morgan  to  Brigadier-General,  was  advanced  to 
the  colpnelcy,  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.  Duriag  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  oflSce,  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  laud  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  tlie  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 
dm-ing  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. 

TIXCHER,  John  L.,  banker,  was  born  in  Ken- 
tucky in  1821 ;  brought  by  his  parents  to  Vermil- 
ion County,  Ind.,  in  1829,  and  left  an  oi-phan  at 
17 ;  attended  school  in  Coles  County,  111  ,  and 
was  employed  as  clerk  in  a  store  at  Danville, 
1843-53.  He  then  became  a  member  of  the  firm 
of  Tincher  &  English,  merchants,  later  establish- 
ing a  bank,  which  became  tlie  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  re-elected  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. 


wliile  in  attendance  on  the  adjourned  session  of 
tliat  year. 

TIPTOX,  Thomas  F.,  lawj-er  and  jurist,  was 
born  in  Franklin  Count}',  Oliio,  August  29,  1833; 
has  been  a  resident  of  McLean  County,  III.,  from 
the  age  of  10  years,  his  present  home  being  at 
Bloomington.  He  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in 
1857,  and,  from  January,  1867,  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  bencli  for  the  Bloomington 
Circuit,  but  resumed  practice  at  the  expiration 
of  his  term  in  1897. 

TlSKILW.i,  a  village  of  Bureau  County,  on  the 
Chicago,  Rock  Island  tt  Pacific  Railway,  7  miles 
soutliwest  of  Princeton;  has  creameries  and 
cheese  factories,  clmrches,  school,  library,  water- 
works, bank  and  a  newspaper.     Pop.  (1900),  965. 

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  1775,  removed 
to  Fayette  County,  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  exi)edition 
against  Kaskaskia  and  Vincennes.  In  Decem- 
ber, 1778,  he  was  appointed  by  Gov.  Patrick 
Henry,  Lieutenant -Commandant  of  Illinois 
Coimty,  embracing  the  region  northwest  of  the 
Ohio  River,  serving  two  years;  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  Phila- 
delphia ;  was  appointed  Surgeon-General  of  Ken- 
tucky troops  in  the  War  of  1813,  and  captured  at 
tne  battle  of  River  Raisin.  Returning  to  Lex- 
ington after  his  release,  he  practiced  there  and 
at  Bardstown,  removed  to  Edward.sville,  111.,  in 
1817,  and,  in  1827,  to  Springfield,  where  he  had 
been  appointed  Register  of  the  Lajid  Office  by 


President  John  Quincy  Adams,  but  was  removed 
by  Jackson  in  1829.  Dr.  Todd  continued  to  reside 
at  Springfield  until  his  death,  which  occurred, 
Jan.  9,  18G5.  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  Ulair 
Smith  (Todd),  son  of  the  preceding,  was  born  at 
Lexington,  Ky.,  April  4,  1814;  came  with  his 
father  to  IlUnois  in  1817 ;  gi'aduated  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, 1861-63;  was  again  Delegate  in  Congress 
in  1863-65,  Speaker  of  the  Dakota  Legislature 
in  1867,  and  Governor  of  the  Territory,  1869-71. 
Died,  at  Yankton  City,  Jan.  5,  1873. 

TOLEDO,  a  village  and  the  county-seat  of 
Cumberland  County,  on  the  Illinois  Central  Rail- 
road; founded  in  1854 ;  has  five  churches,  a  graded 
school,  two  banks,  creamery,  flour  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,  CINCINNATI  &  ST.  LOUIS  RAIL- 
ROAD.  (See  Toledo,  St.  Louis  <&  Kansas  Citg 
SailroacJ.) 

TOLEDO,  PEORIA  &  WARSAW  RAILROAD. 
(See  Tiilcdo.  Peoria  cf-  We.^tern  Bailway.) 

TOLEDO,  PEORIA  ii  WESTERN  RAILROAD. 
(See  Toledo.  Peoria  d-  Weiitrrn  naihnui) 

TOLEDO,  PEORIA  &  WESTERN  RAILWAY, 
a  line  of  railroad  wholly  within  tlie  State  of  Illi- 
nois, extending  from  Effner,  at  the  Indiana  State 
line,  west  to  the  Mississippi  River  at  Warsaw. 
The  length  of  the  whole  line  is  380.7  miles,  owned 
entirely  by  the  company.  It  is  made  up  of  a 
division  from  Effner  to  Peoria  (110.9  miles) — 
which  is  practically  an  air-line  throughout  nearly 
its  entire  length — and  the  Peoria  and  Warsaw 
Division  (108.8  miles)  with  branches  from  La 
Harpe  to  Iowa  Junction  (10.4  mile.s)  and  0.6  of  a 
mile  connecting  with  the  Keokuk  bridge  at 
Hamilton. — (History.)  The  original  charter  for 
this  line  was  granted,  in  1863,  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  line  leased  for  49^ 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF    ILLINOIS. 


525 


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,  uuder  the  name  of  the  Toledo,  Peoria 
&  AVestern  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  &  Quiucy  Railroad  Com- 
pany. The  total  capitalization,  in  1898,  was 
§9,713,433,  of  which  §4,076,900  was  in  stock  and 
§4,895,000  in  bonds. 

TOLEDO,  ST.  LOUIS  &  KAJfSAS  CITY  RAIL- 
R0.4.D.  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  which  179V2  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  (173  miles).  In  1885  this  was  sold  under 
foreclosure  and,  in  June,  1886,  consolidated  with 
the  main  line  under  tlie  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  Wabash  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 
region.  The  town  has  five  churches,  a  graded 
school,  a  bank,  a  button  factory,  and  a  weekly 
newspaper.  Population  (1880),  905;  (1890),  903; 
<1900),  845. 

TONICA,  a  village  of  La  Salle  County,  on  the 
Illinois  Central  Railway,  9  miles  soutli  of  La  Salle; 
the  district  is  agricultural,  but  the  place  has  some 


manufactures  and  a  newspaper.  Population 
(1890),  473;  (1900),  497. 

TONTY,  CUevalier  Henry  de,  explorer  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  Tonty  was  adventurous,  and,  even  as  a 
youth,  took  part  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,  and  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 
encounters  (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  moutli,  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  foimd  by  Iberville  in  1700, 
as  a  hunter  and  fur-trader.  He  died,  in  Mobile, 
in  September,  1704.  He  was  La  Salle's  most  eflJ- 
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.  IlUnois  is,  generaUy  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 


HISTOKICAL   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  either  extremity.  The  northern  ridge  crosses 
the  Rock  River  at  Grand  Detour  and  the  Illinois 
at  Split  Rock,  with  an  extreme  altitude  of  800  to 
8,j0  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  sea-level,  while  the  highe.st  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  the  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,  602;  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  coj^es, 
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  abound  in  various  species  of  oak, 
black  and  white  walnut,  white  and  yellow  pop- 
lar, ash,  elm,  sugar-maple,  linden,  honey  locust, 
Cottonwood,  mulberry,  sycamore,  pecan,  persim- 
mon, and  (in  the  immediate  valley  of  the  Ohio) 


the  cypress.  From  a  commercial  point  of  view, 
Illinois  loses  nothing  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  supply  of 
lumber  is  ample,  while  extensive  coal-fields  sup- 
ply abundant  fuel.  The  rich  soil  of  the  prairies, 
witli  its  abundance  of  organic  matter  (see  Geo- 
logical Fonnations),  more  than  compensates  for 
the  want  of  pine  forests,  whose  soil  is  ill  adapted 
to  agriculture.  About  two-thirds  of  the  entire 
boundary  of  the  State  consists  of  navigable 
waters.  These,  with  their  tributary  streams, 
ensure  sufficient  drainage. 

TORRENS  LAND  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  vras  first  passed  by  the  Twenty- 
ninth  General  Assembly,  and  approved,  June  13, 
1895.  The  final  legislation  in  reference  thereto 
was  enacted  by  the  succeeding  Legislature,  and 
was  approved,  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  Ajn-il  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  opposition  on  the 
part  of  certain  parties  of  influence  and  wealth. 
After  its  adoption,  a  test  case  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  until 
the  saaie  is  entered  upon  the  public  land  regis- 
ter, kept  in  the  office  of  the  Registrar,  in  which 
case  the  deed  or  naortgage  becomes  a  mere  power 
of  attorney  to  authorize  the  transfer  to  be  made, 
ujion  the  principle  of  an  ordinary  stock  transfer, 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


527 


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  coi-poration,  having  an  interest  in 
land,  may  make  application  to  anj-  court  having 
chancery  jurisdiction,  to  have  his  title  thereto 
registered.  Such  application  must  be  in  writ- 
ing, signed  and  verified  by  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  requu-ed  to 
be  competent  attorneys  and  to  give  bond  to  ex- 
amine into  the  title,  as  well  as  tlie  truth  of  the 
applicant's  statements.  Immediately  upon  the 
filing  of  the  ajiplication,  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.  Any  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 ;  and,  in  its  final  adjudication,  passes 
upon  all  questions  of  title  and  incmnbrance, 
directing  the  Registrar  to  register  the  title  in  tlie 
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  be 
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  tlie 
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 
classes  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 
of  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  tlie  purpose  of  preserving  evidence 
of  the  owner's  han,lvv:-iting,  a  receipt  for  the 
certificate,  duly  witnessed  or  acknowledged,  is 
required  of  him,  which  is  preserved  in  the  Regis- 
trar's ofliice.  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  issues  a  new  certificate,  stamp- 
ing the  word  "cancelled"  across  the  sm-rendered 
certificate,  as  well  as  upon  the  corresponding 
entry  in  his  books  of  record.  ■V\''hen  land  is  first 
brought  within  the  operation  of  the  act,  the 
receiver  of  the  certificate  of  title  is  required  to 
pay  to  the  Registi-ar  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  63.  It  is  asserted  that 
a  title,  once  registered,  can  be  dealt  with  almost 
as  quickly  and  cheaply,  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  iniies  north- 
northwest  of  Peoria,  and  11  miles  southeast  of 
Galva.  Besides  the  county  court- house,  the  towu 
has  five  churches  and  a  high  school,  an  academy, 
steam  granite  works,  two  banks,  and  two  weekly 
papers.  Population  (1880),  96T;  (1890),  945;  (1900), 
1,057. 

TOWER  HILL,  a  village  of  Shelby  County,  on 
tlie  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. 

TOWNSHEXD.  Eichard  W.,  lawyer  and  Con- 
gressman, was  born  in  Prince  George's  County, 
Md.,  April  80,  1840.  Between  the  ages  of  10 
and  18  he  attended  pubUc  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  llc- 
Leansboro,  where  he   was  admitted  to  the   bar 


528 


lIISTOniCAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF    ILLKOIS. 


iu  18(3'3,  and  where  he  began  practice.  From  18G3 
to  1868  he  was  Circuit  Clerk  of  Hamilton  County, 
and,  from  1868  to  1ST2,  Prosecuting  Attorney  for 
the  Twelfth  Judicial  Circuit.  In  18T3  he  removed 
to  Shawneeto-wn,  where  he  became  an  officer  of 
the  Gallatin  National  Bank.  From  1!:64  to  18T5 
he  was  a  member  of  the  Democratic  State  Cen- 
tral Committee,  and  a  delegate  to  the  National 
Democratic  Convention  at  Baltimore,  in  18T2. 
For  twelve  years  (1877  to  1889)  he  represented 
his  District  in  Congress;  was  re-elected  iu  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  184'.3 ;  served  in  an  Illinois  regiment  during 
the  Civil  War;  studied  painting  in  Paris  in 
1866-70 ;  established  himself  as  a  portrait  painter 
in  St.  Louis  and,  later,  won  a  high  reputation  as 
a  painter  of  animals,  being  regarded  as  an  author- 
ity on  the  anatomy  of  the  horse  and  the  dog. 
Died,  at  Ocean  Springs,  Miss.,  March  20,  1893. 

TREASURERS.     (See  Sfafe  Treasurers.) 

TREAT,  Samuel  Hubbel,  lawyer  and  jurist, 
was  born  at  Plainfleld,  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  came  to  Springfield,  111. , 
traveling  most  of  the  way  on  foot.  Here  he 
formed  a  partnership  with  George  Forquer,  who 
had  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  Chief  Justice  at  the 
time  of  the  adoption  of  the  Constitution  of  1848. 
Having  been  elected  to  the  Supreme  bench  under 
the  new  Constitution,  he  remained  in  office  until 
March,  1855,  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  appointed  by  President  Pierce.  This 
position  he  continued  to  occupy  until  his  death, 
which  occurred  at  Springfield,  March  27,  1887. 
Judge  Treat's  judicial  career  was  one  of  the  long- 
est iu  the  history  of  the  State,  covering  a  period 
of  forty-eight  years,  of  which  fourteen  were 
spent  upon  the  Supreme  bench,  and  thirty-two 
iu  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  iu  AVashington,  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 
tliat  city.  In  1864  he  was  chosen  President  of 
the  Law  Institute,  and  served  as  Judge  of  the 
Circuit  Court  of  Cook  County,  from  1870  to  1875, 
when  he  resigned.  The  three  following  years  he 
spent  in  foreign  travel,  returning  to  Cliicago  in 
1878.  In  that  year,  and  again  in  1880.  he  was 
the  Democratic  candidate  for  Congress  from  the 
Fourtli  Illinois  District,  but  was  defeated  by  his 
Repul)licau  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  nominated  Grover  Cleve- 
land, and,  in  July,  1885,  President  Cleveland 
appointed  him  Minister  to  Belgium,  conferring 
the  Russian  mission  upon  him  in  September,  1888. 
On  JIarch  3,  1889,  he  resigned  this  post  and 
returned  home.  In  1890  he  was  appointed  by 
President  Harrison  a  Commissioner  to  the  Inter- 
national ilonetary  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  "Councillor  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  policy,  and, 
after  the  Spanish- American  War,  a  zealous  advo- 
cate of  tlie  policy  of  retaining  tlie  territory 
acquired  from  Spain. 

TREMONT,  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  telephone 
exchanges,  and  one  newspaper.     Pop.  (1900),  768. 

TRENTON,  a  town  of  Clinton  County,  on  the 
Baltimore  &  Ohio  Southwestern  Railway,  31  miles 
east  of  St.  Louis:  in  agricultural  district;  has 
creamery,  milk  condensery,  two  coal  mines,  six 
churches,  a  public  school  and  one  newspaper 
Pop.  (1890),  1,384;  (1900),  1,706;  (1904),  about  3,000. 

TROY,  a  village  of  Madison  County,  on  the 
Teire  Haute  &  Indianapolis  railroad,  21  miles 
northeast  of  St.  Louis ;  has  churches,  a  bank  and 
a  newspaper.     Pop.  (1900),  1,080. 

TRt'ITT,  James  Madison,  lawyer  and  soldier, 
a  native  of  Trimble  County,  Ky.,  was  born  Feb. 
12,  1842,  but  lived  in  Illinois  since  1843,  his  father 
having  settled  near   CarroUton  that  year;   was 


HISTORICAL   EXCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


529 


educated  at  Hillsboro  and  at  McKendree  College ; 
enlisted  in  the  One  Hundred  and  Seventeenth 
Illinois  Volunteers  in  1802,  and  was  promoted 
from  the  ranks  to  Lieutenant.  After  the  war  he 
studied  law  with  Jesse  J.  Philliiis,  now  of  the 
Supreme  Court,  and,  in  1873.  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. 

TRUMBULL,  Lyman,  statesman,  was  born  at 
Colchester,  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  au  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  home,  went  South  four  j'ears  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  Assembly 
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),  was  elected  a 
Justice  of  the  Supreme  Court,  was  re-elected  in 
1852,  but  resigned  in  1858  on  account  of  impaired 
health.  A  year  later  (1834)  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  body,  covering, 
as  it  does,  the  whole  history  of  the  war  for  the 
Union,  and  the  period  of  reconstruction  which 
followed  it.  During  this  period,  as  Chairman  of 
the  Senate  Committee  on  Judiciary,  he  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  sympathy  with  tliem  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. 
TUG  MILLS.  These  %vere  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 
head,  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  twelve  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 
commissioned  First  Lieutenant.  The  war  having 
ended,   he  settled  at  Santa  Fe,  N.  M.,  where  he 


530 


HISTOEICAL   EXCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


practiced  law,  also  served  as  Attorney-General 
and  in  the  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  Incorpioratiou  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  j'ears  of  his  incumbency  having 
been  spent  in  the  capacity  of  Chief  Justice. 

Tl'NMCLIFFE,  Damon  0.,  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 
subsequently  studied  law,  and  was  admitted  to 
the  bar  in  18o3.  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  tirst  professional  preceptors. 

TURCHIN,  John  Basil  (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  country,  settling  in  Chicago,  and,  for  five 
years,  was  in  the  service  of  the  Illinois  Central 
Railway  Company  as  topographical  engineer.  In 
18C1  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 
Cumiierland  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  he  established  a  Polish  colony  at  Radom, 
in  Washington  County,  in  this  State,  and  settled 
as  a  farmer.  He  is  an  occasional  contributor  to 
the  press,  writing  usually  on  military  or  scientific 


subjects,  and  is  the  author  of  the  "Campaign  and 
Battle  of  Chickamauga"  (Chicago.  1888). 

TURNER  (now  WEST  CHICAGO),  a  town  and 
manufacturing  center  in  Winfield  Township,  Du 
Page  County,  30  miles  west  of  Chicago,  at  tlie 
junction  of  two  divisions  of  llie  Chicago,  Burling- 
ton &  Quincy,  the  Elgin,  Joliet  &  Eastern  and  the 
Chicago  &  Northwestern  Railroads.  The  town 
has  a  rollingniill,  manufactories  of  wagons  and 
pumps,  and  railroad  repair  shops.  It  also  has  five 
churclies,  a  graded  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  26,  1845,  and  received  a  part  of  his  edu- 
cation in  the  college  there.  During  the  Civil 
War  he  served  as  First  Lieutenant  in  the  One 
Hundred  and  Fiftieth  Oliio  Volunteers,  and 
later,  with  the  same  rank  in  a  colored  regiment, 
taking  part  in  the  operations  about  Richmond, 
the  capture  of  Fort  Fisher,  of  Wilmington  and  of 
Gen.  Joe  Johnston's  army.  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  Philadelphia.  On  the  failure 
of  that  concern,  in  1872,  he  returned  to  Chicago 
and  bought  "The  Advance,"  which  he  conducted 
some  two  years,  when  he  sold  out  and  engaged  in 
the  real  estate  business,  with  which  he  has  since 
been  identified — being  President  of  the  Chicago 
Real  Estate  Board  in  1888.  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  dm-ing  the  fighting  there — his  regiment 
being  the  only  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.  wlien 
he  retired  to  private  life. 

TURNER,  John  Bioe,  Railway  President,  was 
born  at  Colchester,  Delaware  County,  N.  Y..  Jan. 
14,  1799;  after  a  brief  business  career  in  his 
native  State,  he  became  identified  with  the  con- 
struction and  operation  of  railroads.  Among  the 
works  with  wliicli  he  was  thus  connected,  were 
the  Delaware  Division  of  the  New  York  &  Erie 
and  the  Troy  &  Schenectady  Roads.     In  1843  he 


HISTOKICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


5.31 


came  to  Cliicago,  having  jjreviously  purchased  a 
large  body  of  land  at  Blue  Island.  In  1847  he 
joined  with  W.  B.  Ogden  and  others,  in  resusci- 
tating the  Galena  &  Cliicago  Union  Railway, 
which  had  been  incorijorated  in  1836.  He  became 
President  of  the  Company  in  1850,  and  assisted  in 
constructing  various  sections  of  road  in  Northern 
Illinois  and  Wisconsin,  whicli  have  since  become 
portions  of  the  Chicago  &  Northwestern  system. 
He  was  also  one  of  the  original  Directors  of  the 
North  Side  Street  Railway  Company,  organized 
in  18.59.     Died,  Feb.  26,  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  scliool. 
After  spending  a  sliort  time  in  an  academy  at 
Salem,  in  1827  he  entered  the  preparator}"-  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  that  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.  Wliile  Professor  Tur- 
ner had  zealous  colaborers  in  this  field,  in  Illinois 
and  elsewhere,  to  him,  more  than  to  any  other 
single  man  in  the  Nation,  belongs  the  credit  for 
this  magnificent  achievement.  (See  Education, 
and  University  of  IUi7iois.)     He  was  also  one  of 


tlie  chief  factors  in  founding  and  building  up 
the  Illinois  State  Teachers"  Association,  and  the 
State  Agricultural  and  Horticultural  Societies. 
His  address  on  ''Tlie  Jlillennium  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  champion  of  free  thought,  in  both  political 
and  religious  atfairs,  he  long  bore  the  reproach 
which  attached  to  the  radical  Abolitionist,  only 
to  enjo}-,  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  honored  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  liome  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  new,spaper  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  Firteenth  Illinois  "V^oUm- 
teers,  but  resigned  in  1863.  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,  Ajsril  3  following. 


532 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


TUSCOLA,  a  city  and  the  county-seat  of 
Douglas  County,  located  at  the  intersection  of  the 
Illinois  Centrttl  and  two  other  trunk  lines  of  rail- 
way, 23  miles  south  of  Champaign,  and  36  miles 
east  of  Decatur.  Besides  a  brick  court-house  it 
has  five  churches,  a  graded  school,  a  national 
bank,  two  weekly  newspapers  and  two  establish- 
ments for  the  manufacture  of  carriages  and 
wagons.  Population  (1880),  1,457;  (1890),  1,897; 
(1900),  2,.569. 

TUSCOLA,  CHARLESTON  &  TIKCENNES 
RAILROAD.  (See  Toledo.  St.  Louis  &  Kansas 
City  Railroad. ) 

TUTHILL,  Richard  Stanley,  jurist,  was  born 
at  Vergennes,  Jackson  County,  111.,  Nov.  10,  1841. 
After  passing  through  the  common  schools  of  his 
native  county,  he  took  a  preparatory  com-se  in  a 
high  school  at  St.  Louis  and  in  Illinois  College, 
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 
First  Michigan  Light  Artillery,  with  which  he 
served  until  the  close  of  the  war,  meanwhile 
being  twice  promoted.  During  this  time  he  was 
with  General  Sherman  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  Nashville.  Having  resigned  his  com- 
mission in  May,  186.5,  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  1873  he  removed  to  Chicago,  two 
years  later  was  elected  City  Attornej-  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. 

TYXDALE,  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  business,  later  being  employed 
in  a  surveyor's  corps  under  the  internal  improve- 
ment system  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  184.5,  spend- 
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  i^rofession 
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  appointment  of 
President  Lincoln,  became  Postmaster  of  the  city 
of  Belleville.  He  held  this  position  until  1864, 
when  he  received  the  Republican  nomination  for 
Secretary  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,  he 
continued  to  reside  in  Springfield,  and  was  em- 
ployed for  a  time  in  the  survey  of  the  Gilman, 
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  take  the  train  for  St.  Louis,  he  was 
assassinated  upon  the  street  by  shooting,  as  sup- 
posed for  the  purpose  of  robbery — his  dead  body 
being  found  a  few  hours  later  at  the  scene  of  the 
tragedy.  Mr.  Tyndale  was  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  contemporary 
and  rival  of  George  D.  Prentice  at  Louisville,  for 
some  years. 

"UNDERGROUND  RAILROAD,"  THE.  A 
history  of  Illinois  would  be  incomplete  without 
reference  to  the  unique  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  opposite  shore,  that  he  was  led  to 
remark,  "The  nigger  must  have  gone  off  on  an 
imderground  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  w-as 
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  period  close  to  the 
Revolutionary  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 
mindsof  well-disposed  citizens."  That  the  mat- 
ter was  ah-eady  one  of  concern  in  the  mindsof 
slaveholders,  is  shown  by  the  fact  that  a  provision 
was  inserted  in  the  Constitution  for  their  coucili- 
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  magi.strate,  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  line  of  §500  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 
Hability  for  civil  damages  to  the  party  injured. 
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  the 
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  ijecuniary  advantage  to 
decide  in  favor  of  the  claimant.  The  law  made 
it  possible  and  easy  for  a  white  man  to  arrest, 
and  cari-y  into  slavery,  any  free  negro  who  could 


not  immediately  prove,  by  other  witnesses,  that 
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 
provisions  of  the  act  seemed,  to  many  people,  so 
unfair,  so  one-sided,  that  they  rebelled  in  spirit 
and  refused  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 
riglits.  The  slave  was  his  property  in  law.  He 
had  purchased  or  inherited  his  bondman  on  the 
same  plane  with  his  horse  or  his  land,  and,  apart 
from  the  right  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 Railway"  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  bitter  opposition,  they  harbored  the 
fugitive  and  helped  liim  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  happiness"  that  they 
themselves  possessed.  To  them  this  was  a  higher 
law  than  any  Legislatui-e.  State  or  National,  could 
enact.  They  denied  that  there  could  be  truly 
such  a  thing  as  property  in  man.  BeUeving  that 
the  law  violated  human  rights,  they  justified 
themselves  in  rendering  it  null  and  void. 


534 


HISTORICAL   EXCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


For  the  most  part,  the  "Underground  Rail- 
road" operators  and  promoters  were  plain, 
obsoui-e  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  Thurlow  Weed  of  New  York:  Joshua  E. 
Giddings  of  Ohio,  and  Owen  Lovejoy  of  Illinois. 
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  had  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  dependent  chiefly  upon  the 
personal  recollection  of  individual  operators  for 
a  historj'  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.  Occasionally  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  repute  as  Salmon  P.  Chase, 
Thaddeus  Stevens,  Charles  Sumner,  William  H. 
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  la^^• — or,  as 
claimed  by  themselves,  in  obedience  to  a  "higher 
law" — the  time  has  already  come  when  there  is  a 
disposition  to  look  upon  the  actors  as,  in  a  certain 
sense,  heroes,  and  their  deeds  as  fitly  belonging 
to  the  field  of  romance. 

The  most  comprehensive  collection  of  material 
relating  to  the  history  of  this  movement  has 
been  furnished  in  a  recent  volume  entitled,  "The 
Underground  Railroad  from  Slavery  to  Free- 
dom," by  Prof.  Wilbm-  H.  Siebert,  of  Ohio  State 
University ;  and,  while  it  is  not  wholly  free  from 
errors,  both  as  to  individual  names  and  facts,  it 
will  probably  remain  as  the  best  compilation  of 
history  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  in  the  States  northwest  of  the  Ohio, 
yet  the  accuracy  of  this,  as  weU  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  position 
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  assumed  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- 


IIISTUKICAL   EXCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLIXOIS. 


535 


ham  Lincoln — then  a  conservative  opponent  of 
the  extension  of  slaverj- — 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  "Kance,"  obtained  a  decision  from  the 
Supreme  Court  of  Illinois  upholding  the  doctrine 
that  the  girl  was  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  sliackles  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 
JerseyviUe,  Waverh-  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  the 
tlieater  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  by  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  founded  the  "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- 
iiouri,  were  condemned  to  tvrelve  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 
18.52,  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  Lovejoy  and  the  Bryants),  in  Bureau; 
and  many  more.  Ottawa  appears  to  have  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  nearl}'  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  Canadian 
soil. 

As  to  methods,  these  differed  according  to  cir- 
cumstances, the  emergencies  of  the  occasion,  or 
the  taste,  convenience  or  resources  of  the  oper- 
ator. Deacon  Levi  Morse,  of  Woodford  County, 
near  Metamora,  had  a  route  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, flUed  with  bran  or  other  light  material, 
%vere  laid  over,  so  that  the  whole  presented  the 
appearance  of  an  ordinary  load  of  grain  on  its 
way  to  market.  The  same  was  true  as  to  stations 
and  routes.  One,  who  was  an  operator,  says: 
"Wherever  an  abolitionist  happened  on  a  fugi- 
tive, or  the  converse,  there  was  a  station,  for  the 
time,  and  the  route  was  to  the  next  anti-slavery 
man  to  the  east  or  the  north.  As  a  general  rule, 
the  agent  preferred  not  to  know  anything  beyond 
the  operation  of  his  own  immediate  section  of  the 
road.  If  he  knew  nothing  about  the  operations 
of  another,  and  the  other  knew  nothing  of  his, 
they  could  not  be  vs-itnesses  in  com-t. 

We  have  it  on  the  authority  of  Judge  Harvey  B. 
Hurd,   of  Chicago,   that  runaways  were  usually 


536 


IIISTOPJCAL   EXCYCLOPEDIA    OF    ILLIXOI.'- 


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  Hossack  and  Dr.  Joseph  Stout  of 
Ottawa,  with  some  half-dozen  of  their  neighbors 
and  friends,  were  tried  at  Ottawa,  in  IS.'JO,  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.  Joseph  Knox,  B.  C.  Cook,  J.  V.  Eus- 
tace, Edward  S.  Leland  and  E.  C.  Lamed.  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  assisting  in  the 
escape  of  a  fugitive  at  Jacksonville,  in  1843,  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  wliich  he  states 
that,  after  protracted  litigation,  during  which 
the  case  was  carried  to  the  Supreme  Court,  it  was 
ended  by  his  pleading  guilty  before  Judge  Samuel 
D.  Lockwood,  when  he  was  fined  one  dollar  and 
costs— tlie  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.  Hm-d,  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  two-story  frame  building  on  Clark  Street  in 
the  city  of  Chicago,  the  crowd  in  attendance 
filled  the  room,  the  stairway  and  tlie  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  tlie  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,  that  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  re-arrest  him,  as 
they  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 Chauneey  Carter  as  among  his  active  aUies 
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  Randolph  County,  Joseph  Gerrish  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,  Harvey  B.  Hurd,  J.  Young 
Scammon,  Col.  J.  F.  Farnsworth  and  others  of 
Chicago,  whose  names  have  already  been  men- 
tioned; Rev.  Asa  Turner,  Deacon  Ballard,  J.  K. 
Van  Dorn  and  Erastus  Benton,  of  Quincy  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  exploits. 

Among  the  incidents  of  "Underground  Rail- 
road" in  Illinois  is  one  which  had  some  importance 
politically,  having  for  its  climax  a  dramatic  scene 
in  Congress,  but  of  which,  so  far  as  known,  no 
full  account  has  ever  been  written.  About  1855, 
Ephraim  Lombard,  a  Mississippi  planter,  but  a 
New  Englander  by  birth,  pm-chased  a  large  body 
of  prairie  land  in  the  northeastern  part  of  Stark 
County,  and,  taking  up  his  residence  temporarily 
in  tlie  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. 


537 


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  had  a  constitutional  right  to 
take  his  slaves  wherever  he  pleased,  and  that 
"Old  Mose"  vras  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.  This  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 
Mississippi  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  horse  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  have  remained  a  day. 
A  quiet  consultation  with  "Old  Mose"  revealed 
the  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  "01dMo.se."  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,  however,  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." 
Mr.  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 
hungry  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  sliould  probably  stub  my  toe 
and  fall  down  before  I  reached  him." 

NoTE.—Those  who  wish  to  pursue  the  subject  of  the 
"  Underground  Railroad  "  In  Illinois  further,  are  referred 
to  the  work  of  Dr.  Siebert,  already  mentioned,  and  to  the 
various  County  Histories  which  have  been  issued  and  may 
be  found  in  the  ijubllc  libraries;  also  for  Interesting  Inci- 
dents, to  •' Reminiscences  of  Levi  Coffin,"  Johnson's 
"  From  Dixie  to  Canada,"  Petlt's  Sketches,  "Still,  Under- 
ground Railroad,"  and  a  pamphlet  of  the  same  title  by 
James  H.  Falrchild,  ex-Presideut  of  Oberlin  College. 

UNDERWOOD,  William  H.,  lawyer,  legislator 
and  jurist,  was  born  at  Schoharie  Court  House, 
N.  Y.,  Feb.  21,  1818,  and,  after  adnrission  to  the 
bar,  removed  to  Belleville,  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,  was  again  elected  to 
the  Senate,  retiring  to  private  life  in  1873.  Died, 
Sept.  23,  1875. 

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.  The  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  county  is  especially  rich  in  minerals. 
Iron-ore,  lead,  bituminous  coal,  chalk,  alum  and 


538 


HISTORICAL   EXCYCLOPEDIA    OF    ILLIXOIS. 


potter's  clay  are  found  in  considerable  abun- 
dance. Several  lines  of  raihva)'  (the  most  impor- 
tant being  the  Illinois  Central)  either  cross  or 
tap  the  county.  Tlie  chief  occupation  is  agri- 
culture, although  manufacturing  is  carried  on  to 
a  limited  extent.  Fruit  is  extensively  cultivated. 
Jonesboro  is  the  county-seat,  and  Cobden  and 
Anna  important  shipping  stations.  The  latter  is 
the  location  of  the  Southern  Hospital  for  the 
Insane.  The  population  of  the  county,  in  1890, 
was  31,539.  Being  next  to  St.  Clair,  Randolph 
and  Gallatin,  one  of  the  earliest  settled  counties 
in  the  State,  many  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. 

rXIO\  LE.4GUE  OF  AMERICA,  a  secret  poUt- 
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  Council  of  the 
order  was  organized  at  Pekin,  Tazewell  County, 
June  25,  1863,  consisting  of  eleven  members,  as 
follows:  John  W.  Glasgow,  Dr.  D.  A.  Cheever, 
Hart  Montgomery,  Maj.  Richard  N.  Cullom 
(father  of  Senator  Cullom),  Alexander  Small, 
Rev.  J.  W.  M.  Vernon,  George  11.  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 
memory,  as  administered  to  members  of  a  some- 
what 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;  (3)  to 
"support,  maintain,  protect  and  defend  the  civil 
liberties  of  the  Union  of  these  United  States 
against  all  enemies,  either  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  might  be  in  peril 
from  his  connectfon  with  the  order,  and  (o)  to 
obey  all  laws,  rules  or  regulations  of  any  Council 
to  whicli  the  taker  of  the  oath  might  be  attached. 
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  "Kniglits  of  the  Golden  Circle,"  a 
disloyal  organization  which  had  been  introduced 
from  the  South,  and  which  afterwards  took  the 
name,  in  the  North,  of  "American  Knights"  and 
"Sous  of  Liberty. "  (See  Secret  Treasonable  Soci- 
eties.) Three  months  later,  the  organization  had 
extended  to  a  number  of  other  counties  of  the 
State  and,  on  the  2oth  of  September  following, 
the  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- 
shal—J.  R.  Gorin,  of  Macon;  Grand  Herald— 
A.  Gould,  of  Henry;  Grand  Sentinel — John  E. 
Rosette,  of  Sangamon.  An  Executive  Committee 
was  also  appointed,  consisting  of  Joseph  Medill 
of  "The  Chicago  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  Chairman, 
the  constitution  and  by-laws  were  thoroughly 
revised  and  a  new  ritual  adopted,  which  materi- 
ally changed  the  phraseology  and  removed  some 
of  the  crudities  of  the  original  obligation,  as  well 
as  increased  the  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,  which,  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,  with 
only  seven  counties  represented.  The  limited 
representation  was  discouraging,  but  the  mem- 
bers took  heart  from  the  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,  under  which  agents  were  sent 
into  nearly  every  county  in  the  State.  In  Oc- 
tober, 1863,  the  strength  of  the  order  in  Illi- 
nois was  estimated  at  three  to  five  thousand; 
a  few  months  later,  the  number  of  enrolled 
members  had  increased  ■  to  50,000  —  so  rapid 
had  been  the  growth  of  the  order.  On  March 
25,  1803,  a  Grand  Council  met  in  Chicago — 
404  Councils  in  Illinois  being  represented,  with 


HISTORICAL   E]SrCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


639 


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  20th 
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" 'bear  true 
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,  especiall}'  in  the 
army.  In  1864  the  number  of  Councils  in  IlUnois 
was  estimated  at  1,300,  with  a  membership  of 
175,000;  and  it  is  estimated  that  the  total  mem- 
ber.ship.  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  S2.5,000  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  ajjpeals  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  by  one  of  their 
organs ;  but  the  effect  was  so  far  the  reverse  of 
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  li.st  of  United  States  senators  from  Illinois, 
from  the  date  of  the  admission  of  the  State  into 
the  Union  until  1899,  with  the  date  and  dm'ation 
of  the  term  of  each:  Ninian  Edwards,  1818-24; 
Jesse  B.  Thomas,  Sr.,  1818-29;  John  McLean, 
1824-25  and  1829-30;  EUas  Kent  Kane,  1825-35; 
David  Jewett  Baker,  Nov.  12  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, 1803-65 ;  Richard  Yates,  1865-71 ;  John  A. 
Logan,  1871-77  and  1879-86;  Richard  J.  Oglesby, 
1873-79;  David  Davis,  1877-83;  Slielby  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— Tlie  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  8400,000  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  8282,500,  and  one  and  one-half 
(valued  at  §125,000)  donated  by  Mr.  Marshall 
Field.  A  charter  was  seom-ed  and  an  organiza- 
tion effected,  Sept.  10,  1890.  The  Presidency  of 
the  institution  was  tendered  to,  and  accepted  by, 
Dr.  AVilliam  R.  Harper,  Since  that  time  the 
University  has  been  the  recipient  of  other  gener- 
ous benefactions  by  Mr.  Rockefeller  and  others, 
until  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  §2,000,000,  conditioned  upon  the  raising  of  a 
like  sum,  from  other  donors,  by  Jan.  1,  1900.  The 
buildings  erected  on  the  campus,  prior  to  189G, 
include  a  chemical  laboratory  costing  8182,000;  a 
lecture    hall,    §150,000;    a    ph^-sical     laboratory 


540 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OP   ILLINOIS. 


§150,000;  a  museum,  §100,000;  an  academy  dor- 
mitorj",  §30,000;  three  dormitories  for  women, 
§150,000;  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,  1892, 
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  counti'ies.  Special  features 
of  the  institution  include  the  admission  of  gradu- 
ates from  other  institutions  to  a  post-graduate 
course,  and  the  Universitj"  Extension  Division, 
which  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 
300,000  volumes,  of  which  nearly  60,000  belong 
to  what  are  called  the  "Departmental  Libraries," 
besides  a  large  and  valuable  collection  of  maps 
and  pamphlets. 

rMVERSITY  OF  CHICAfciO  (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  buUdings  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  tru.stees  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. 


UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS,  the  leading  edu- 
cational institution  under  control  of  the  State, 
located  at  Urbana  and  adjoining  the  city  of 
Champaign.  The  Legislature  at  the  session  of  1863 
accepted  a  grant  of  4)SO,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  classical  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  was  organ- 
ized in  March,  1867,  the  institution  being  located 
the  same  year.  Departments  and  courses  of  study 
were  established,  and  Dr.  John  M.  Gregory,  of 
Michigan,  was  chosen  Regent  (President). — The 
landscrip  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  has  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  organized  under  the  Act  of  1863, 
of  §15,000  per  annum  for  the  maintenance  of  an 
Agricultural  Experiment  Station,  and,  in  1890,  of 
a  similar  amount  for  instruction — the  latter  to  be 
increased  §1,000  annually  until  it  sliould  reach 
§25,000.— A  mechanical  building  was  erected  in 
1871,  and  this  is  claimed  to  have  been  the  first  of 
its  kind  in  America  intended  for  strictly  educa- 
tional purposes.  What  was  called  "the  main 
building"  was  formally  opened  in  December, 
1873.  Other  buildings  embrace  a  "Science  Hall," 
opened  in  1892;  a  new  "Engineering  Hall,"  1894; 
a  fine  Library  Building,  1897.  Eleven  other  prin- 
cipal structures  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  ojjened  in  1897,  and  the  same 
year  the  Chicago  College  of  Physicians  and  Sur- 


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HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF    ILLINOIS. 


541 


geons  was  affiliated  as  the  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  Experiment  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  Eegent  in  1880,  was 
succeeded  by  Dr.  Selim  H.  Peabody,  who  had 
been  Profisssor  of  Mechanical  and  Civil  Engineer- 
ing. Dr.  Peabody  resigned  in  1891.  The  duties 
of  Regent  were  then  discharged  by  Prof.  Thomas 
J.  Burrill  until  August,  1894,  when  Dr.  Andrew 
Sloan  Draper,  former  State  Superintendent  of 
Public  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  rapidly  in  recent 
years,  as  shown  by  the  following  totals  for  suc- 
cessive years  from  1890-91  to  1903-04,  inclusive: 
519;  583;  714;  743;  810;  852;  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  (256  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  Pharmac}', 
and  163  in  the  School  of  Dentistry.  The  Univer- 
sity Library  contains  63,700  volumes  and  14,500 
pamphlets,  not  includiug  5,350  volumes  and 
15,850  pamphlets  in  the  State  Laboratory  of  Nat- 
ural History. — The  University  occupies  a  con- 
spicuous and  attractive  site,  embracing  220  acres 
adjacent  to  the  line  between  Urbana  and  Cham- 
paign, and  near  the  re-sidence  portion  of  the  two 
cities.  Tlie  athletic  field  of  11  acres,  on  which 
stand  the  gymnasium  and  armory,  is  enclosed 
with  an  ornamental  iron  fence.  The  campus, 
otherwise,  is  an  open  and  beautiful  park  with 
fine  landscape  effects. 

UNORUAMZED  COUNTIES.  In  addition  to 
the  102  counties  into  which  Illinois  is  divided, 
acts  were  passed  by  the  General  Assemblj', 
at  divferent  times,  providing  for  the  organiza- 
tion  of  a    number   of  others,    a   few   of   which 


were  subsequently  organized  imder  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  imorganized  coun- 
ties, with  the  date  of  the  several  acts  authorizing 
them,  i  nd  the  territory  which  they  were  in- 
tended to  include,  were  as  follows:  Allen 
Coimty  (1841) — comprising  portions  of  Sanga- 
mon, Morgan  and  Macoupin  Counties;  Audobon 
(Audubon)  County  (1843) — from  poi-tionsof  Mont- 
gomery, Fayette  and  Shelby;  Benton  County 
(1848) — from  Morgan,  Greene  and  Macoupin; 
Coffee  County  (1837)— with  substantially  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  JIcLean,  Champaign  and  Vermilion,  com- 
prising territory  since  partially  incorporated 
in  Ford  County;  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  oJ 
parts  of  Champaign  and  Vermilion,  but  whicu 
failed  for  want  of  an  affirmative  vote. 

UPPER  ALTON,  a  city  of  Madison  County, 
situated  on  the  Chicago  &  Alton  Railroad,  about 
1\  miles  northeast  of  Alton— laid  out  in  1816.  It 
has  several  churches,  and  is  the  seat  of  Shurtleff 
College  and  the  Western  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. 

UPTON,  George  Putnam,  journalist,  was  born 
at  Roxbury,  Mass.,  Oct.  25,  1834;  graduated  from 
Brown  University  in  1854,  removed  to  Chicago 
in  1855,  and  began  newspaper  work  on  "The 
Native  American,"  the  following  year  taking 
the  place  of  city  editor  of  "The  Evening  Jom-- 


542 


lIISTOIilCAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF    ILLINOIS. 


nal."  In  1803,  Mr.  Upton  became  musical  critic 
on  "The  Chicago  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  musical  and  dramatic  topics. 
Mr.  Upton  is  also  a  stockholder  in,  and,  for  sev- 
eral years,  has  been  Vice-President  of  the  "Trib- 
une"' Company.  Besides  numerous  contributions 
to  magazines,  his  works  include;  "Letters  of 
Peregrine  Pickle"  (1869)  ;  "Memories,  a  Story  of 
German  Love,"  translated  from  the  German  of 
Ma.K  Muller  (1879);  "Woman  in  Music"  (1880): 
"Lives  of  German  Composers"  (3  vols. — 1883-84); 
besides  four  volumes  of  standard  operas,  oratorios, 
cantatas,  and  symphonies  (1885-88). 

URBANA,  a  flourishing  city,  the  county-seat 
of  Champaign  County,  on  the  "Big  Four,"  the 
Illinois  Central  and  the  Wabash  Railways:  130 
miles  south  of  Chicago  and  31  miles  west  of  Dan- 
ville: in  agricultural  and  coal-mining  region. 
The  mechanical  industries  include  extensive  rail- 
road shops,  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  inteiurban),  superior 
schools,  nine  churches,  three  banks  and  three 
newspapers.  Urbana  is  the  seat  of  the  University 
of  Illinois.     Pop.  (1890),  3,511;  (1900).  5,728. 

DSEEY,  William  J.,  editor  and  soldier,  was 
born  at  Washington  (near  Natchez),  Miss.,  May 
16,  1827:  was  educated  at  Natchez,  and,  before 
reaching  manhood,  came  to  Macon  Countj-,  111., 
where  he  engaged  in  teaching  until  1846.  when 
he  enlisted  as  a  private  in  Company  C,  Fourth 
Illinois  Volunteers,  for  the  Mexican  "VVar.  In 
1855,  he  joined  with  a  Mr.  Wingate  in  the  estab- 
lishment, at  Decatur,  of  "The  Illinois  State  Chron- 
icle," of  which  be  .soon  after  took  sole  charge, 
conducting  the  paper  until  1861,  when  he  enlisted 
in  the  Tlm-t}^-flfth  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  jiolicy  in  opposition  to  the  further 
extension  of  slavery-,  and,  when  that  body  met  at 
Decatur,  on  Feb.  22,  1856,  he  served  as  its  Secre- 
tary, thus  taking  a  prominent  part  in  the  initial 
steps  which  resulted  in  the  organization  of  the 
Republican  party  in  Illinois.    (See  Anti-Nebtuska 


Editorial  Convcntinii.)  After  returning  from 
the  war  be  resumed  his  place  as  editor  of  "The 
Chronicle,"  but  finally  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  Slexican  War  Veterans.  Died,  at  Decatur, 
Jan.  20,  1894. 

UTICA,  (also  called  North  Utica),  a  village  of 
La  Salle  County,  on  the  Illinois  &  Michigan 
Canal  and  the  Chicago,  Rock  Island  &  Pacific 
Railway,  10  miles  west  of  Ottawa,  situateid  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. 

VA>'  ARNAM,  John,  lawyer  and  soldier,  was 
born  at  Plattsburg,  N.  Y.,  March  3,  1820.  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  Marshall,  Mich.  In  1858  he  removed 
to  Chicago,  and,  as  a  member  of  the  firm  of 
Walker,  Van  Arnam  &  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  practice  in  Chicago  in 
1865.  His  later  years  were  spent  in  California, 
dying  at  San  Diego,  in  that  State,  April  6,  1890. 

VASDALIA,  the  principal  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 


HISTOPJCAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF    ILLIXOn 


543 


I  school,  flour,  saw  and  paper  mills,  foundry, 
stave  and  heading  mill,  carriage  and  wagon 
and  brick  works.    Pop.  (1890),  2,144;  (1900),  3  665. 

VANDEVEER,  Horatio  M.,  pioneer  lawyer, 
was  born  in  Washington  County.  Ind.,  March  1, 
1816;  came  with  his  family  to  Illinois  at  an  early 
age.  settUng  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  ofBces  three  years. 
He  also  held  the  oflice  of  County  Judge  from  1848 
to  1857 ;  was  twice  chosen  Representative  in  the 
General  Assembly  (1843  and  1850)  and  once  to  the 
State  Senate  (1863);  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  1863,  and 
Judge  of  the  Circuit  Court  (1870-79).  In  1868 
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  13,  1894. 

VAN  HORNE,  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  1856, 
was  attached  to  the  Michigan  Central  and  Chi- 
cago &  Alton  Railroads  (18.58-73),  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;  was 
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.  35, 
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  1830  visiting  the 


region  now  embraced  in  Iroquois  County,  where 
he  and  Hubbard  subsequently  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 
tlie  latter  and  the  Iroquois.  Here  Vassem-  re- 
mained in  trade  until  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,  Dec.  13,  1879. 

VENICE,  a  city  of  Madison  County,  on  the 
Mississippi  River  opposite  St.  Louis  and  3  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),  932;  (1900),  3.450. 

VENICE  &  "CARONDELET  RAILROAD.  (See 
Louisville.  EivnsfillL'  d-  St.  Louis  (Consolidated) 
Railroad.) 

VERMILION  COUNTY,  an  eastern  county, 
bordering  on  the  Indiana  State  line,  and  drained 
by  the  Vermilion  and  Little  Vermilion  Rivers, 
from  which  it  takes  its  name.  It  was  originally 
organized  in  1836,  when  it  extended  north  to 
Lake  Michigan.  Its  present  area  is  936  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  Seymour 
Treat,  James  Butler,  Heniy  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  agricultui'al 
product,  although  oats,  wheat,  rye,  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),  65,635. 


5M 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


VERMILION  RIVER,  a  tributary  of  the  Illi- 
nois; rises  in  Ford  and  tlie  northern  part  of 
McLean  County,  and,  running  northwestward 
through  Livingston  and  the  southern  part  of 
La  Salle  Counties,  enters  the  Illinois  River 
nearly  oijposite  the  city  of  La  Salle ;  has  a  length 
of  about  80  miles. 

VERMILION  RIVER,  an  afHuent  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  Wabash  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, flour  and  saw-mills,  brick  and  tile  works, 
electric  light  plant,  besides  two  banks,  four 
churches,  two  graded  schools,  and  one  weekly 
newspaper.  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,  48  miles  east  of  Quincy ;  is 
in  a  timber  and  agricultural  district;  has  a  bank 
and  weekl}'  newspaper.     Population  (1900),  524. 

VIENNA,  the  county-seat  of  Johnson  County, 
situated  on  the  Cairo  and  Vincennes  brancli  of 
the  Cleveland,  Cincinnati,  Chicago  &  St.  Louis 
Railroad,  36  miles  north-northwest  of  Cairo.  It 
has  a  court  house,  several  churches,  a  graded 
school,  banks  and  two  weekly  newspapers. 
Population  (1880),  494;  (1890),  828;  (1900),   1,217. 

VIGO,  Francois,  pioneer  and  early  Indian- 
trader,  was  born  at  Mondovi,  Sardinia  (Western 
Italy),  in  1747,  served  as  a  private  soldier,  first  at 
Havana  and  afterwards  at  New  Orleans.  When 
he  left  the  Spanish  army  he  came  to  St.  Louis, 
then  the  military  headquarters  of  Spain  for  Upper 
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  says 
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  cau.se,  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  RIDGE,  a  village  of  Pulaski  County, 
on  the  Illinois  Central  Railway,  10  miles  north  of 
Cairo.     Population,  500. 

VINCENNES,  Jean  Baptiste  Bissot,  a  Canadian 
explorer,  born  at  Quebec,  January,  1688,  of  aris- 
tocratic and  wealthy  ancestr}'.  He  was  closely 
connected  with  Louis  Joliet  —  probably  his 
brother-in-law,  although  some  historians  say  that 
he  was  the  latter's  nephew.  He  entered  the 
Canadian  army  as  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,  under  orders,  he  co-operated  with 
D'Artaguiette  (then  the  French  Governor  of  Illi- 
nois) in  an  expedition  against  the  Chickasaws. 
The  expedition  resulted  disastrously.  Vincennes 
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 
lUiuois.) 

VIRDEN,  a  city  of  Macoupin  County,  on  the 
Chicago  &  Alton  and  the  Chicago,  Burlington  & 
Quincy  Railroads,  21  miles  south  by  west  from 
Springfield,  and  31  miles  east-southeast  of  Jack- 
sonville. It  has  five  churches,  two  banks,  two 
newspapers,  telephone  service,  electric  lights, 
grain  elevators,  macliine  shop,  and  extensive  coal 
mines.  Pop  (1900),  3, 280 ;  (school  census  1903),  3, 651. 

VIRGINI.4,an  incorporated  city,  the  county- 
seat  of  Cass  County,  situated  at  the  intersection  of 
the  Chicago,  Peoria  &  St.  Louis,  with  the  Spring- 
field Division  of  the  Baltimore  &  Ohio  South- 
western Railroad,  15  miles  north  of  Jacksonville, 
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 


HISTORICAL  EKGYCLOrEDIA    OF    ILLINOIS. 


545 


high  school,  and  two  weekly  papers.  Pot)  (1890), 
1,603;  (1900).  1,600. 

VOCKE,  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  study  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  Sre  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 
by  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  Justice  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  Ahens, "  which  has  been  pubUshed  in  the  Ger- 
man Language,  and  is  highly  valued  by  German 
lawyers  and  business  men.  Mr.  Vocke  was  a 
member  of  the  Republican  National  Convention 
of  1872  at  Philadelphia,  which  nominated  General 
Grant  for  the  Presidency  a  second  time. 

YOLK,  Leonard  Wells,  a  distinguished  Illinois 
sculptor,  born  at  Wellstown  (afterwards  Wells), 
N.  Y.,  Nov.  7,  1838.  Later,  his  father,  who  was 
a  marble  cutter ,  removed  to  Pittsfield,  Mass., 
and,  at  the  age  of  16,  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 — tlie 
"Little  Giant."  The  next  year  (1858)  he  made  a 
life-size  marble  statue  of  Douglas.  In  1860  he 
made  a  portrait  bust  of  Abraham  Lincoln,  which 
passed  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  different  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  Ufe. 
Died,  at  Osceola,  Wis.,  August  18,  1895. 

VOSS,  Arno,  jom-nalist,  lawyer  and  soldier, 
born  in  Prussia,  April  16,  1831 ;  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  m  1853;  in  1861 
became  Major  of  the  Sixth  IlUnois  Cavalry,  but 
afterwards  assisted  in  organizing  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,  1863,  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  Assembly  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  %vith  60-pound  steel  rails. — 
(History.)  It  was  organized,  Feb.  20.  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  IMount  Vernon  to 


546 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


Tamaroa,  23.5  miles.  Capital  stock  (1898),  $1,- 
350,000;  bonded  indebtedness,  §690,000;  total 
capitalization,  83,028,573. 

WABASH  COUNTY,  situated  in  the  southeast 
corner  of  the  State ;  area  220  square  miles.  The 
county  was  carved  out  from  Edwards  in  1824, 
and  the  first  court  house  built  at  Centerville,  in 
May,  1836.  Later,  Mount  Carmel  was  made  the 
county-seat.  (See  Mount  Carmel.)  The  Wabash 
Eiver  drains  the  county  ou  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  like«-ise  valuable.  The 
county  is  crossed  by  the  Louisville,  Evansville  & 
St.  Louis  and  the  Cairo  and  Vincennes  Division 
of  the  Cleveland,  Cincinnati,  Chicago  &  St. 
Louis  Railroads.  Population  (1880),  4,945;  (1890), 
11,866;  (1900),  12,.583. 

WABASH  RAILROAD,  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.  T)ie  company  has  trackage 
privileges  over  the  Toledo,  Peoria  &  Western  (6.5 
miles)  between  Elvaston  and  Keokuk  bridge,  and 
over  the  Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy  (31.8 
miles)  between  Camp  Point  and  Quincy. — (His- 
tory.) A  considerable  portion  of  this  road  in 
IlUnois  is  constructed  on  the  line  upon  which  the 
Northern  Cross  Railroad  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.  May  9,  1838,  the  road 
completed  to  Jacksonville,  Jan.  1,  1840,  and  to 
Springfield,  May  13,  1843.  It  was  operated  for  a 
time  by  "mule  power,"  but  the  income  was  in- 
suflScient  to  keep  the  line  in  repair  and  it  was 
finally  abandoned.  In  1847  the  line  was  sold  for 
131,100  to  N.  H.  Ridgely  and  Thomas  Mather  of 
Springfield,  and  by  them  transferred  to  Xew 
York  capitalists,  who  organized  the  Sangamon  & 
Morgan  Railroad  Company,  reconstructed  the 
road  from  Springfield  to  Naples  and  opened  it  for 
business  in  1849.  (3)  In  1853  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  as  the  Toledo,  Wabash 
&  Western  Railroad,  June  35,  1856.  In  1858 
these  Hues  were  sold  separately  under  foreclo- 
sure, and  finally  reorganized,  under  a  special  char- 
ter granted  by  the  Illinois  Legislature,  under  the 
name  of  the  Great  Western  Railroad  Company. 
(3)  The  Quincy  &  Toledo  Railroad,  extending 
from  Camp  Point  to  the  Illinois  River  opposite 
Meredosia,  was  constructed  in  1858-59,  and  that, 
with  the  Illinois  &  Southern  Iowa  (from  Clay- 
ton to  Keokuk),  was  united,  July  1,  1865,  with 
the  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  Hannibal.  Mo.,  was  chartered  in  1863, 
opened  for  business  in  1870  and  leased  to  the 
Toledo,  Wabash  &  AVestern.  The  latter  defaulted 
on  its  interest  in  1875,  was  placed  in  the  hands 
of  a  receiver  and,  in  1877,  %vas  turned  over  to  a 
new  company  under  the  name  of  the  Wabash 
Railway  Company.  (5)  In  1868  the  company, 
as  it  then  existed,  jiromoted  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  Raih-oad.  (6)  The  Eel  River 
Railroad,  from  Butler  to  Logansport,  Ind.,  was 
acquired  in  1877,  and  afterwards  extended  to 
Detroit  under  the  name  of  the  Detroit,  Butler  & 
St.  Louis  Railroad,  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  which  the  chief  was  the  St.  Louis, 
Kansas  City  &  Northern.  A  line  had  been  pro- 
jected from  Decatur  to  Chicago  as  early  as  1870, 
but,  not  having  been  constructed  in  1881,  the 
Wabash,  St.  Louis  &  Pacific  purchased  what  was 
known  as  the  Chicago  &  Paducah  Railroad, 
imiting  with  the  main  line  at  Bement,  and  (bj' 
way  of  the  Decatur  and  St.  Louis  Division)  giv- 
ing a  direct  line  between  Chicago  and  St.  Louis. 
At  this  time  the  Wabash,  St.  Louis  &  Pacific  was 
operating  the  following  additional  leased  lines: 
Pekin,  Lincoln  &  Decatur  (67.3  miles);  Hannibal 
&  Central  Missoiu-i  (70.3  miles);  Lafayette,  Mun- 
cie  &  Bloomington  (36.7  miles),  and  the  Lafayette 
Bloomington  &  Muncie  (80  miles).  A  connection 
between  Chicago  on  the  west  and  Toledo  and 
Detroit  on  the  east  was  established  over  the 
Grand  Trunk  road  in  1883,  but,  in  1890,  the  com- 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLIXOIS. 


547 


pany  constructed  a  line  from  Slontpelier,  Ohio,  to 
Clark,  Ind.  (149.7  miles),  thence  by  track  lease 
to  Chicago  (17.5  miles),  giving  an  independent 
line  between  Cliicago  and  Detroit  by  what  is 
known  to  investors  as  the  Detroit  &  Chicago 
Division. 

The  total  mileage  of  the  Wabash,  St.  Louis  & 
Pacific  system,  in  1884,  amounted  to  over  3,600 
miles ;  but,  in  May  of  that  year,  default  having 
been  made  in  the  payment  of  interest,  the  work 
of  disintegration  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  84,402,631,  and  the 
expenses  §4,836,110.  The  total  capital  invested 
(1898)  was  §139,889,643,  including  capital  stock 
of  §.53,000,000  and  bonds  to  the  amount  of  §81,- 
534,000. 

WABASH  EIVER,  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  300  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  Illhiois  Central  Railroad.) 

WABASH,  ST.  LOCIS  &  PACIFIC  RAIL- 
ROAD.     (See  ^Vahash  Railroad.) 

WABASH  &  WESTERN  RAILROAD.  (See 
Wabash  Railroad.) 

WAIT,  WilUam  Smith,  pioneer,  and  original 
suggestor  of  the  Illinois  Central  Railroad,  was 
born  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  which  his  father  was  a  partner,  and  was  for  a 
time  associated  with  the  publication  of  a  u-eekly 
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  lie  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  &  IlUnois  Bridge  Company. 
Died,  July  17,  18G5. 

WALKER,  Cyrus,  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  McDonough  County.  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 
ofl5ce ;  then  became  clerk  in  the  office  of  Mordecai 
M.  Noah,  in  New  York,  studied  law  and  gi-adu- 
ated  from  Western  Reserve  College,  Ohio ;  edited 
various  religious  papers,  including  "The  Watch- 
man of  the  Prairies"  (now  "The  Advance")  of 
Cliicago,  was  licensed  to  preacli  by  the  Presbytery 
of  Chicago,  and  for  some  time  was  lecturer  on 


548 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


"Harmony  between  Science  and  Revealed  Reli- 
gion" at  Oberlin  College  and  Chicago  Theological 
Seniinarj'.  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  (18.55) — ran 
through  several  editions  and  was  translated  into 
five  different  languages,  including  Hindustanee. 
Died,  at  Wheaton.  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 
his  parents  to  a  farm  in  Jlichigan ;  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  the  next  year, 
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  1803,  he  became  Gen- 
eral Solicitor.  Two  years  later  the  firm  of  Sedg- 
wick &  "Walker,  which  had  been  organized  in 
Michigan,  became  attorneys  for  the  Chicago, 
Burlington  &  Quiucy  Railroad,  and,  until  his 
death,  Mr.  "Walker  was  associated  with  this  com- 
pany, either  as  General  Solicitor,  General  Counsel 
or  President.  filUng  the  latter  position  from  1870 
to  1875.  Mr.  "Walker  organized  both  the  Chicago 
and  Kansas  City  stock-yards,  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. 

"WALKER,  (Rev.)  Jesse,  Methodist  Episcopal 
missionary,  was  born  in  Rockingham  County, 
Ta.,  June  9,  1766;  in  1800  removed  to  Tennessee, 
became  a  traveling  preacher  in  1802,  and,  in 
1806,  came  to  Illinois  under  the  presiding-elder- 
ship  of  Rev.  "William  McKendree  (afterwards 
Bishop),  locating  first  at  Turkey  Hill,  St.  Clair 
Count}'.  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,  occupying  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,  Pinkney  H.,  lawyer  and  jurist, 
was  born  in  Adair  County,  Ky.,  June  lb,  1810. 
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  he  removed  to 
Macomb,  when-e  he  began  attendance  at  an  acad- 
emy and  the  study  of  law  with  his  uncle,  Cyrus 
Walker,  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 
1803  he  was  elected  Judge  of  the  Fifth  Judicial 
Circuit,  to  fill  a  vacancy,  and  re-elected  in  1855. 
This  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 
re-elected  in  1867  and  '76.  He  presided  as  Chief 
Justice  from  January,  1864.  to  June,  "67,  and 
again  from  Jime,  1874,  to  June,  "75.  Before  the 
expiration  of  his  last  term  he  died,  Feb.  7,  1885. 

■ft' ALL,  George  Willard,  la%vyer,  politician  and 
Judge,  was  born  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  1862,  and,  from 
1864  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,  '85  and 
'91,  much  of  the  time  since  1877  being  on  duty 
upon  the  Appellate  bench.  His  home  is  at 
Duquoin. 

WALLACE,  (Rev.)  Peter,  D.D.,  clergyman 
and  soldier;  was  born  in  Mason  County,  Ky., 
April  11,  1818;  taken  in  infancy  to  Brown 
Countj',  Ohio,  where  he  grew  up  on  a  farm  until 
15  years  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  nimiber  of  years.  He 
was  converted  in  1835  at  Springfield,  111.,  and, 
some  years  later,  having  decided  to  enter  the 
ministry,  was  admitted  to  the  Illinois  Conference 
as  a  deacon  by  Bishop  E.  S.  Janes  in  1855,  and 


IIISTOKICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF    ILLINOIS. 


549 


placed  in  charge  of  the  Danville  Circuit.  Two 
years  later  he  was  ordained  bj-  Bishop  Scott,  and, 
in  the  next  few  years,  held  pastorates  at  various 
places  in  the  central  and  eastern  parts  of  the 
State.  From  18G7  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  officers  being  ministers.  In 
1864  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  G-overnor  Fifer  the  first  Chaplain  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  frequently 
spoke  very  effectively  upon  the  political  rostrum. 
Originallj'  a  Whig,  lie  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,  Cliaplain  of  America  Past,  Xo. 
708,  G.  A.  R. 

WALLACE,  WllUam  Henry  Lamb,  lawyer  and 
soldier,  was  born  at  Urbana,  Ohio,  July  8,  1831 ; 
brought  to  Illinois  in  1833,  his  father  settling 
near  La  Salle  and,  afterwards,  at  Slount  Morris, 
Ogle  County,  where  yoimg  Wallace  attended  the 
Rook  River  Seminary ;  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in 
1845 ;  in  1846  enlisted  as  a  private  in  the  First  Illi- 
nois Volxinteers  (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 
(where  his  commander  was  killed),  and  in  other 
engagements.  Returning  to  his  profession  at 
Ottawa,  he  served  as  District  Attorney  (18,5'3-56), 
then  became  partner  of  his  father-in-law.  Col. 
T.  Lyle  Dickey,  afterwards  of  the  Supreme  Court. 
In  April.  1861,  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  Douelson,  in  Feb- 
ruary. 1862,  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  woimded,  dying  at 
Charleston,  Tenn.,  April  10,  1862.  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 Cavalry,  of  which  he  became  Lieutenant- 
Colonel,  and  was  complimented,  in  1865,  with  the 
rank  of  brevet  Brigadier-General.  After  the 
war  he  served  as  Assessor  of  Internal  Revenue 
(1866-69);  County  Judge  (1869-77);  Prosecuting 
Attorney  (1884) ;  and,  for  many  years  past,  has 
been  one  of  the  Justices  of  the  Peace  of  the  city 
of  Chicago. 

WALNUT,  a  town  of  Bureau  County,  on  the 
Mendota  and  Fulton  branch  of  the  Chicago,  Bur- 
lington &  Quincy  Railroad,  26  miles  west  of 
Mendota;  is  in  a  farming  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  Judy.  The  Governor  organized  his  little 
army  into  two  regiments  under  Colonels  Rector 


550 


HISTORICAL   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,  1813, 
Governor  Edwards,  with  his  men,  set  out  for 
Peoria,  where  it  was  expected  that  their  force 
would  meet  that  of  General  Hopkins,  who  had 
been  sent  from  Kentucky  with  a  force  of  2,000 
men.  En  route,  two  Kickapoo  villages  were 
burned,  and  a  number  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  reaching  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  Russell. 
About  the  same  time  Capt.  Thomas  E.  Craig  led 
a  party,  in  two  boats,  up  the  Illinois  River  to 
Peoria.  His  boats,  as  he  alleged,  having  been 
fired  upon  in  the  night  by  Indians,  who  were  har- 
bored and  protected  by  the  French  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  harassed 
bj' marauding  bands.  Later  in  1814,  an  expedi- 
tion, led  by  Major  (afterwards  President)  Zachary 
Taylor,  ascended  the  Jlississippi  as  far  as  Rock 
Island,  where  he  found  a  large  force  of  Indians, 
supported  by  British  regulars  with  artillery. 
Finding  himself  unable  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  whicli  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- 
ture 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  lines  were 
broken  down  and,  with  comparatively  few  excep- 
tions, the  mass  of  the  people  were  actuated  by  a 
common  sentiment  of  patriotism.  On  April  19, 
Governor  Yates  was  instructed,  by  the  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  59.5  men,  commanded  by 
Gen.  Richard  K.  Swift  of  Chicago,  were  en  route 
to  Cairo.  The  first  volunteer  company  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,  the  number  had  been  increased  to  fifty. 
Simultaneously  with  these  proceedings,  Chicago 
bankers  tendered  to  the  Governor  a  war  loan  of 
8500,000,  and  those  of  Springfield,  §100,000.  The 
Legislature,  at  its  special  session,  passed  acts  in- 
creasing the  eflSciency  of  the  militia  law,  and 
{provided  for  the  creation  of  a  war  fund  of  62,- 
000,000.  Besides  tlie  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  tlie  Seventh  to 
Twelfth,  inclusive — tlie  earlier  numbers.  First  to 
Sixth,  being  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  A.  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  imder  the  second  call,  consist- 
ing of  ten  regiments,  was  mustered  into  service 
within  sixty  days,  200  companies  being  tendered 
immediately.  Many  more  volunteered  than  could 
be  accepted,  and  large  numbers  crossed  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  22,  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  cavalry),  and  a  battalion 
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- 
fantry and  five  of  cavalry  were  raised,  and,  by  De- 
cember, 1861,  the  State  had  43,000  volunteers  in 
the  field  and  17,000  in  camps  of  instruction. 
Other  calls  were  made  in  July  and  August,  18<i2, 
each  for  300,000  men.  Illinois"  quota,  under  both 
calls,  was  over  52,000  men,  no  regard  being  paid 
to  the  fact  that  the  State  had  already  fm-nished 
16,000  troops  in  excess  of  its  quotas  under  previ- 
ous calls.  Unless  this  mmiber  of  volunteers  was 
raised  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,  the  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  number  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,  1863,  a 
large  majority  of  that  body  was  not  only  opposed 
to  both  the  National  and  State  administrations, 
but  avowedly  opposed  to  the  further  prosecution 
of  the  war  under  the  existing  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  w^ere 
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,  4,020  died  from  wounds,  23,786 
from  disease  and  2,154  from  other  causes — being 
a  total  of  thirteen  per  cent  of  the  entire  force  of 
the  State  in  the  service.  The  part  which  Illinois 
played  in  the  conte-st  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  summary  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  which  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  25,  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  25,  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.  23,  ISO;);  was  mustered  out  at  Louisville, 
July  9,  ISli-j.  and  paid  off  and  discharged  at 
Springfield,  July  11. 

Eighth  Infantry.  Organized  at  Springfield, 
and  mustered  in  for  three  months"  service,  April 
26,  1861,  Richard  J.  Oglesby  of  Decatur,  being 
appointed  Colonel.  It  remained  at  Cairo  during 
its  term  of  service,  when  it  was  mustered  out. 
July  23,  1861,  it  was  reorganized  and  mustered  in 
for  three  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,  Api'il  26,  1861,  for  the  term  of 
three  months,  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  1.5,  1863,  and  so  continued  during  the 
remainder  of  its  service.  Mustered  out  at  Louis- 
ville, July  9,  186.5. 

Tenth  Infantry.  Organized  and  mustered 
into  the  service  for  three  months,  on  April  29, 
1861,  at  Cairo,  and  on  July  29,  1861,  was  mustered 
into  the  service  for  three  years,  with  Col.  James 
D.  Morgan  in  command.  It  was  engaged  at 
Sykeston,  New  Madrid,  Corinth,  Missionary 
Ridge,  Buzzard's  Roost,  Resaca,  Rome,  Kenesaw, 
Chattahoochie,  Savannah  and  Bentonville.  Re- 
enlisted  as  veterans,  Jan.  1,  1864,  and  mustered 
out  of  service,  July  4,  186.5,  at  Louisville,  and 
received  final  discharge  and  pay,  Jul}-  11,  1865, 
at  Chicago. 

Eleventh  Infantry.  Organized  at  Spring- 
field and  mustered  into  ser^-ice,  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  City,  Spanish  Fort  and 
Fort  Blakely.  W.  H.  L.  Wallace,  afterwards 
Brigadier-General  and  killed  at  Shiloh.  was  its 
first  Colonel.  Mustered  out  of  service,  at  Baton 
Rouge,  July  14,  186.5 ;  paid  off  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,  Dallas,  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  and  Ringgold  Gap. 
Mustered  out  at  Springfield,  June  18,  1864,  hav- 
ing served  three  years  and  two  months. 

Fourteenth  Infantry.  One  of  the  regiments 
raised  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;  was  engaged  at  Shiloh,  Corinth,  Meta- 
mora,  Vicksburg,  Jackson,  Fort  Beauregard  and 
Meridian;  consolidated  with  the  Fifteenth  Infan- 
trj,  as  a  veteran  battalion  (both  regiments  hav- 
ing enlisted  as  veterans),  on  July  1,  1864.  In 
October,  1864,  the  major  part  of  the  battalion 
was  captured  by  General  Hood  and  sent  to 
Andersonville.  The  remainder  participated  in 
the  "March  to  the  Sea,"  and  through  the  cam- 
Ijaign  in  the  Carolinas.  In  the  spring  of  1863  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,  111.,  Sept.  23,  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,  2,880  miles, 
and,  by  river.  4.490  miles — making  an  aggregate 
of  11,670  miles. 

Fifteenth  Infantry.  Raised  imder  the  "Ten 
Regiment  Act,"  in  the  (then)  First  Congressional 
District;    was  organized  at  Freeport,   and  mus- 


HISTOPJCAL   EXCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLIXOIS. 


553 


tered  into  service,  May  24,  1861.  .  It  was  engaged 
at  Sedalia,  Shiloh,  Corinth,  Metamora  Hill, 
Vicksburg,  Fort  Beauregard,  Champion  Hill, 
Allatoona  and  Bentonville.  In  March.  1804,  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, 
186,5,  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,  2,403,  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  24,  1861.  The  regiment  was 
engaged  at  New  Madrid,  Tiptonville,  Corinth, 
Buzzards'  Roost,  Resaca,  Rome,  Kenesaw  Jloun- 
tain,  Chattahoochie  River,  Peach  Tree  Creek. 
Atlanta,  Savannah,  Columbia,  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 
Donelson,  Shiloh -and  Corinth.  It  was  mustered 
out  at  Little  Rock,  Dec.  16,  186.5.  and  Dec.  31, 
thereafter,  arrived  at  Springfield,  lU.,  for  pay- 
ment and  discharge.  The  aggregate  enlistments 
in  the  regiment,  from  its  organization  to  date  of 
discharge  (rank  and  file),  numbered  2,043. 


Nineteenth  Infantry.  Mustered  into  the 
United  States  service  for  three  years,  June  17, 
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  Tullahoma  and  Chatta- 
nooga campaigns;  was  also  en,gaged  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  strength  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, Champion  Hills,  Big  Black  River,  Vicks- 
burg, Kenesaw  Mountain  and  Atlanta.  After 
marching  through  the  Carolinas,  the  regiment 
was  finally  ordered  to  Louisville,  where  it  was. 
mustered  out,  July  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  svas  com- 
missioned Brigadier-General.  It  was  engaged 
at  Fredericktown  (Mo. ) ,  Corinth,  Perryville,  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  ofif  and  discharged  at 
Springfield.  Jan.  18,  1866. 

Twenty-second  Infantry.  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,  1S64,  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. 


tlie  "Irish  Brigade,"  immediately  upon  tlie 
opening  of  hostilities  at  Sumter.  The  formal 
muster  of  the  regiment,  under  the  command  of 
Col.  James  A.  Mulligan,  was  made,  Jime  15, 1861, 
at  Chicago,  when  it  was  occupj-ing  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,  1862,  it  was  detailed 
to  guard  prisoners  at  Camp  Douglas.  Thereafter 
it  participated  in  engagements  in  the  Virginias, 
as  follows;  at  South  Fork,  Greenland  Gap,  Phi- 
lippi,  Hedgeville,  Leetown,  Maryland  Heights, 
Snicker's  Gap,  Kernstowu,  Cedar  Creek,  'Win- 
chester, Charlestown,  Berryville,  Ojjequan  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.  Ya..  In  August, 
1864,  the  ten  companies  of  the  Regiment,  then 
numbering  440,  were  consolidated  into  five  com- 
panies and  designated,  "Battalion,  Twenty-third 
Regiment,  Illinois  "Veteran  Volunteer  Infantry." 
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-fourth  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, 
18G1.  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-out,  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,  Chickamau,ga,  Missionary  Ridge,  in  the 
siege  of  Corinth,  the  battle  of  Kenesaw  Moun- 


tain, the  siege  of.  Atlanta,  and  innumerable  skir- 
mishes ;  was  mustered  out  at  Springfield,  Sept.  5, 
1864.  During  its  three  years'  service  the  regi- 
ment traveled  4,963  miles,  of  which  3,253  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,  1863;"  "Resaca;"  "Kenesaw;"  "Ezra 
Church;"  "Atlanta;"  "Jonesboro;"  "Griswold- 
ville;"  "McAllister;"  "Savannah;"  "Columbia," 
and  "Bentonville."  It  was  mustered  out  at 
Louisville,  July  30,  1865,  and  paid  off  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,  1861,  and  organization  completed  by 
the  addition  of  three  more  companies,  at  Cairo, 
on  September  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  Kenesaw  Mountain,  as  well  as  in 
the  investment  of  Atlanta;  was  relieved  from 
duty,  August  35,  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-eighth  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,  1866,  it  was  stationed  in 
Texas,  and  was  mustered  out  at  Brownsville,  in 
that  State,  March  15,  1866,  having  served  four 
j^ears  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. 


556 


companies  were  detailed  for  duty  at  Holly  Springs, 
and  were  there  captured  by  General  Van  Dorn, 
in  December,  18(52,  but  were  exclianged.  six 
months  later.  In  January,  1S64,  the  regiment 
re-enlisted  as  veterans,  and,  from  June,  18G4,  to 
November,  1865,  was  on  duty  in  Texas.  It  was 
mustered  out  of  service  in  that  State,  Nov.  6, 
186.5,  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, 
Shiloh,  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  the  "March  to 
the  Sea"  and  took  part  in  the  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,  Shiloh,  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.).  Fort 
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.  24,  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  12.  It 
was  engaged  at  Pea  Ridge  and  in  tlie  siege  of 
Corinth,  also  participated  in  the  battles  of  Perry- 
ville.  Stone  River,  Chickamauga,  Missionary- 
Ridge,  Rocky  Face  Ridge,  Resaca,  Dallas  and 
Kenesaw.  Its  final  muster-out  took  place  at 
Springfield,  Sept.  27,  1864,  the  regiment  having 
marched  (exclusive  of  railroad  and  steamboat 
transportation)  3,0,56  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 
officers  and  enlisted  men,  and  had  two  companies 
of  Cavalry  ("A"  and  "B"),  186  oflScers  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  marched  and  been  transported,  during 
its  term  of  service,  more  than  10,000  miles. 

Thirty-seventh  Infantry.  FamiUarly  known 
as  "Fremont  Rifies"  ;  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  Vipksburg,  and  in  the 
battles  of  Yazoo  City  and  Morgan's  Bend.  In 
October,  1863.  it  was  ordered  to  the  defense  of  tlie 
frontier  along  the    Rio    Grande;    re-enlisted    as 


550 


HISTOKICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


veterans  in  February,  1804;  took  part  in  the 
siege  and  storming  of  Fort  Blakely  and  the  cap-, 
ture  of  Mobile:  from  July,  1865,  to  May,  1866, 
was  again  on  duty  in  Texas ;  was  mustered  out 
at  Houston,  3Iay  15,  1866,  and  finally  discharged 
at  Springfield,  May  31,  having  traveled  some 
17,000  miles,  of  which  nearly  3,300  were  by 
marching. 

Thirty-eighth  Infantry.  Organized  at 
Springfield,  in  Septeniber,  1861.  The  regiment 
was  engaged  in  tlie  battles  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  his  object.  The  regiment 
had  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  disaster  (July  22, 
1861),  and  Austin  Light, of  Chicago,  was  appointed 
Colonel.  Under  his  direction  the  organization  was 
completed,  and  the  regiment  left  Camp  Mather, 
Chicago,  on  the  morning  of  Oct.  13,  1861.  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  Riclunond,  including  the 
capture  of  Fort  Gregg,  and  was  present  at  Lee's 
surrender  at  Appomattox.  In  the  meantime  the 
regiment  re-enlisted  as  veterans,  at  Hilton  Head, 
S.  C,  in  September,  1863.  It  was  mustered  out 
at  Norfolk,  Dec.  6,  1865,  and  received  final  dis- 
charge at  Chicago,  December  16. 

Fortieth  Infantry.  Enlisted  from  the  coun- 
ties of  Franklin,  Hamilton,  Wayne,  White, 
Wabash,  Marion,  Clay  and  Fayette,  and  mustered 
into  service  for  three  years  at  Springfield, 
August  10,  1861.  It  was  engaged  at  Shiloh,  in 
the  siege  of  Corinth,  at  Jackson  (Miss.),  in  the 
siege  of  Vicksburg,  at  Missionary  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,  1861,  and  was  mustered 
into  service,  August  5.  It  was  engaged  at  Fort 
Donelson,  Shiloh,  the  siege  of  Corinth,  the  second 
battle  of  Corinth,  the  siege  of  Vicksburg  and 
Jackson,  in  the  Red  River  campaign,  at  Guntown, 
Kenesaw  Mountain  and  AUatoona,  and  partici- 
pated in  the  "March  to  the  Sea."  It  re-enlisted, 
as  veterans,  March  17,  1864,  at  Vicksburg,  and 
was  consolidated  with  the  Fifty-third  Infantry, 
Jan.  4,  1865,  forming  Companies  G  and  H. 

Forty-second  Infantry.  Organized  at  Chi- 
cago, July  22,  1861 ;  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  TuUahoma  cam- 
paign, at  Chickamauga,  Missionary  Ridge,  Rocky 
Face  Ridge,  Resaca,  Adairsville,  New  Hope 
Church,  Pine  and  Kenesaw  Mountains,  Peach 
Tree  Creek,  Atlanta,  Jonesboro,  Lovejoy  Station, 
Spring  Hill,  Franklin  and  Nashville.  It  re- 
enlisted,  as  veterans,  Jan.  1,  1864;  was  stationed 
in  Texas  from  July  to  December,  1865 ;  was  mus- 
tered out  at  Indianola,  in  that  State,  Dec.  16, 
186.5,  and  finally  discharged,  at  Springfield,  Jan. 
12,  1866. 

Forty-third  Infantry.  Organized  at  Spring- 
field in  September,  1861,  and  mustered  into 
service  on  Oct.  12.  The  regiment  took  part  in 
the  battles  of  Fort  Donelson,  Shiloh  and  in  the 
campaigns  in  West  Tennessee,  Mississippi  and 
Arkansas;  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,  1861 ;  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,  Gulp's  Farm,  Chattahoochie 
River,  Peach  Tree  Creek,  Atlanta,  Jonesboro, 
Franklin  and  Nashville.  The  regiment  re-enlisted 
as  veterans  in  Tennessee,  in  Januarj',  1864. 
From  June  to  September,  1865,  it  was  stationed 
in  Louisiana  and  Texas,  was  mustered  out  at 
Port  Lavaca,  Sept.  25,  1865,  and  received  final 
discharge,  at  Springfield,  three  weeks  later. 

Forty-fifth  Infantry.  Originally  called 
the  "Washburne  Lead  Mine  Regiment";  was 
organized  at  Galena,  July  23,  1861,  and  mustered 


niSTOi;iCAL    ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF    ILLIXOIS. 


557 


into  service  at  Chicago,  Dec.  25,  18G1.  It  was 
engaged  at  Fort  Donelson,  Shiloh,  the  siege  of 
Corinth,  battle  of  JMedan,  the  campaign  against 
Vicksburg.  the  Meridian  raid,  tlie  Atlanta  cam- 
paign, the  "March  to  the  Sea,"'  and  the  advance 
through  the  Carolinas.  The  regiment  veteran- 
ized in  January,  1864;  was  mustered  out  of  serv- 
ice at  Louisville,  Ky.,  July  12,  ISGo,  and  arrived 
in  Chicago.  July  1.5,  1865,  for  final  pay  and  dis- 
charge. Distance  marched  in  four  years,  1.T50 
miles. 

Forty-sixth  Infantry.  Organized  at  Spring- 
field, Dec.  28,  1861 ;  was  engaged  at  Fort  Donel- 
son, Shiloh,  the  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.  4,  1864.     From  May, 

1865,  to  January,  1866,  it  was  on  dutj-  in  Louisi- 
ana ;  was  mustered  out  at  Baton  Rouge.  Jan.  20, 

1866,  and,  on  Feb.  1,  1866.  finally  paid  and  dis- 
charged at  Springfield. 

FORTY--SEVENTH  INFANTRY.  Organized  and 
mustered  into  service  at  Peoria,  III,  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  the  battle  of  Pleasant  Hill, 
and  in  the  struggle  at  Lake  Chicot.  It  was 
ordered  to  Chicago  to  assist  in  quelUng  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  Selma,  Ala.,  and  ordered  to  Spring- 
field, where  it  received  final  pay  and  discharge. 
Those  members  of  the  regiment  who  did  not  re-en- 
li.st  as  veterans  were  mustered  out,  Oct.  11. 1864. 

Forty-eighth  Infantry*.  Organized  at  Spring- 
field. September,  1861,  and  participated  iu  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  di.scharge, 
arriving,  August  21,  1865.  The  distance  marched 
was  3.000  miles;  moved  by  water,  5,000;  by  rail- 
road, 3,450~total,  11,450. 

FOKT\--NiNTH  Infantry-.  Organized  at  Spring- 
field,  111.,    Dec.    31,   1861;    was  engaged  at  Fort 


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  particiijated  in  the  battle  of  Nashville, 
and  was  mustered  out,  Sept.  9,  1865,  at  Paducah, 
Ky.,  and  arrived  at  Springfield,  Sept,  15,  1865, 
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  Bentonville,  besides  many  minor 
engagements.  The  regiment  was  mounted.  Nov. 
17,  1863;  re-enlisted  as  veterans,  Jan.  1, 1864,  was 
mustered  out  at  Louisville,  July  13,  1865,  and 
reached  Springfield,  the  following  day,  for  final 
pay  and  discharge. 

Fifty-first  Infantry'.  Organized  at  Chi- 
cago, Dec.  24,  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.  25,  1865.  at 
Camp  Irwin,  Texas,  arriving  at  Springfield,  111., 
Oct.  15,  1865,  for  final  payment  and  discharge. 

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  12. 

Fifty'-third  Infantry'.  Organized  at  Ottawa 
in  the  winter  of  1861-62,  and  ordered  to  Chicago, 
Feb.  27,  1862,  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. 


Jul}-  2i;,  1865,  and  received  final  discharge,  at 
Chicago,  July  28.  It  marched  2,85.5  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  I-N'F-\ntry.  Organized  at  Anna, 
in  November,  1861,  as  a  part  of  the  "Kentucky 
Brigade,"  and  was  mustered  into  service,  Feb. 
18,  1862.  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  Slielby,  in  August, 
1864,  and  were  exchanged,  the  following  De- 
cember. The  regiment  was  mustered  out  at 
Little  Rock,  Oct.  1-5,  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  Infa.vtrt.  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,  McDonough, 
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  Chickasaw  Bayou,  Arkansas 
Post,  around  Vieksburg,  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,  while 
at  Larkinsville,  Tenn..was  mustered  out  at  Little 
Rock,  August  14,  1865,  receiving  final  discharge 
at  Chicago,  the  same  month. 

Fifty-sixth  Infantry*.  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 
Vieksburg — being  engaged  at  Champion  Hills, 
and  in  numerous  assaults ;  also  took  part  in  the 
battles  of  Missionary  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  Inp.\ntry.  Mustered  into  serv- 
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 
AUatoona;  particiimted  in  the  investment  and 
capture  of  Savannah,  and  the  campaign  through 
the  Carolinas,  including  the  battle  of  Benton- 
ville. It  was  mustered  out  at  Louisville.  Julj'  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  Sliiloh.  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  Russey,  and  in  many 
minor  battles  in  Louisiana.  It  was  mustered  out 
at  Montgomery,  Ala.,  April  1,  1866,  and  ordered 
to  Springfield   for  final  paj-ment  and  discharge. 

Fifty-ninth  Infantry.  Originally  known  as 
the  Ninth  ]Missoiu'i  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.  13,  1862,  by  order  of 
the  War  Department.  It  was  engaged  at  Pea 
Ridge,  formed  part  of  the  reserve  at  Farmington, 
took  part  at  Perryville,  Nolansville,  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  discharge  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,  1865,  and 
received  final  discharge  at  Springfield. 

Sixty-first  Infantry.  Organized  at  Carroll- 
ton,  111.,  three   full  companies  being   mustered 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


559 


in,  Feb.  5,  1862.  On  Februarj-  21.  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 27. 

Sixty-second  Inf.\>'TRY.  Organized  at  Anna, 
111.,  April  10,  1862;  after  being  engaged  in  several 
skirmishes,  the  regiment  sustained  a  loss  of  ITO 
men,  who  were  captured  and  paroled  at  Holly 
Sjjrings,  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 


Sixty-third  Infantry.  Organized  at  Anna, 
in  December.  1861,  and  mustered  into  service, 
April  10,  1862.  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,  372  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,  July  13,  1865, 
reaching  Springfield,  July  16.  The  total  di.stance 
traveled  was  6,453  miles,  of  which  2,250  was  on 
the  march. 

Sixty-fourth  Infantry.  Organized  at  Spring- 
field, December,  1861,  as  the  "First  Battalion  of 
Yates  Sharp  Shooters."  The  last  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  Bentonville ;  re-enlisted  as  veterans, 
in  Januaiy,  1864;  was  mustered  out  at  Louisville, 
July  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,  1862.  It  was  cap- 
tured and  paroled  at  Harper's  Ferry,  and  ordered 
to  Chicago;  was  exchanged  in  April,  1863;  took 
part  in  Burnside's  defen.se  of  Knoxville;  re-en- 
listed as  veterans  in  March,  1864.  and  participated 


in  the  Atlanta  campaign  and  the  "March  to  the 
Sea."  It  was  engaged  in  battles  at  Columbia 
(Tenn.),  Franklin  and  Nashville,  and  later  near 
Federal  Point  and  Sraithtown,  N.  C,  being  mus- 
tered out,  July  13,  1865,  and  receiving  final  pay- 
ment and  discharge  at  Chicago,  July  26,  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.  23,  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  Jlissouri  Volunteers, 
Birge's  Western  Sharpshooters,  and  the  Sixty- 
sixth  Illinois  Infantry.  The  latter  (and  final) 
name  was  conferred  by  the  Secretary  of  War, 
Nov.  20,  1862.  It  re-enUsted  (for  the  veteran 
service),  in  December,  1863,  was  mustered  out  at 
Camp  Logan,  Ky.,  July  7,  1865,  and  paid  off  and 
discharged  at  Springfield.  July  15. 

Sixty-seventh  Infantry.  Organized  at  Clii- 
cago,  June  13,  1862,  for  three  months'  service,  in 
response  to  an  urgent  call  for  the  defense  of 
Washington.  The  Sixty -seventh,  by  doing  guard 
duty  at  the  camps  at  Chicago  and  Springfield, 
relieved  the  veterans,  who  were  sent  to  the  front. 

Sixty-eighth  Infantry.  Enlisted  in  response 
to  a  call  made  by  the  Governor,  early  in  the  sum- 
mer of  1862,  for  State  troops  to  serve  for  three 
months  as  State  Militia,  and  was  mustered  in 
early  in  June,  1862.  It  was  afterwards  mustered 
into  the  United  States  service  as  Illinois  Volun- 
teers, by  petition  of  the  men,  and  received 
marching  orders,  July  5,  1862 ;  mustered  out,  at 
Springfield,  Sept.  26,  1862 — 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,  1862.  It  remained  on 
duty  at  Camp  Douglas,  guarding  the  camp  and 
rebel  prisoners. 

Seventieth  Infa>-try.  Organized  at  Camp 
Butler,  near  Springfield,  and  mustered  in,  July  4, 
1862.  It  remained  at  Camp  Butler  doing  guard 
duty.     Its  term  of  service  was  three  months. 

Seventy-first  Infantry.  Mustered  into  serv- 
ice, July  26,  1862,  at  Chicago,  for  three  months. 
Its  service  was  confined  to  garrison  duty  in  Illi- 
nois and  Kentucky,  being  mustered  out  at  Chi- 
cago, Oct.  29,  1862. 


560 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


Seventy-second  Infantry.  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  Cllam- 
pion  Hill,  Vicksburg.  Natchez,  FrankHn,  Nash- 
ville, Spanish  Fort  and  Fort  Blakely;  mustered 
out  of  service,  at  Vicksburg,  August  6,  1865,  and 
discharged  at  Chicago. 

Seventy-third  Inf.\ntry.  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. 
I't  participated  in  the  battles  of  Stone  River, 
Perryville,  Chickamauga,  Missionary  Ridge, 
Resaca,  Adairsville,  Burnt  Hickorj',  Pine  and 
Lost  Jlountains.  New  Hope  Church,  Kenesaw 
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.  This  regi- 
ment was  engaged  at  Perryville,  Murfreesboro 
and  Nolansville,  took  part  in  the  Tullahoma 
campaign,  and  the  battles  of  Missionary  Ridge, 
Resaca,  Adairsville,  Dallas,  Kenesaw  Mountain, 
Tunnel  Hill,  and  Rocky  Face  Ridge,  the  siege  of 
Atlanta,  and  the  battles  of  Spring  Hill,  Franklin 
and  Nashville.  It  was  mustered  out  at  Nashville, 
June  10,  1865,  with  343  officers  and  men.  the 
aggregate  number  enrolled  having  been  1,001. 

Seventy-fifth  Infantry.  Organized  at 
Dixon,  and  mustered  into  service,  Sept.  2,  1862. 
The  regiment  participated  in  the  battles  of  Perry- 
ville, Nolansville,  Stone  River,  Lookout  Mountain, 
Dalton,  Resaca,  Marietta. Kenesaw,  Franklin  and 
Nashville;  was  mustered  out  at  Nashville,  June 
12,  1865,  and  finally  discharged  at  Chicago,  July 
1,  following. 

SEVEXTY--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,  1865.  and  mustered  out  at  Galves- 
ton, July  22,  1865,  being  paid  ofl^  and  disbanded 
at  Chicago,  August  4,  1865 — having  traveled 
10,000  miles. 

Seventy-seventh  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  Chamiiion  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, 
having  particii^ated  in  sixteen  battles  and  sieges. 

Seventy-eighth  Inf.a.ntry-.  Organized  at 
Quincy,  and  mustei'ed  into  service,  Sept.  1,  1863; 
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  mustered  out,  Jime  7,  1865,  and 
sent  to  Chicago,  where  it  was  paid  off  and  dis- 
charged, June  12,  1865. 

Seventy-ninth  Infantry.  Organized  at  Mat- 
toon,  in  August,  1802,  and  mustered  into  service, 
August  28,  1863;  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 
mustered  out,  June  12,  1865;  arrived  at  Camp 
Butler,  June  15,  and,  on  June  23,  received  final 
pay  and  discharge. 

Eightieth  Infantry.  Organized  at  Centralia, 
111.,  in  August,  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 
"VVauhatchie,  Missionary  Ridge,  Dalton,  Resaca, 
Adairsville,  CassviUe,  Dallas,  Pine  IMountain, 
Kenesaw  Moimtain,  Marietta,  Peach  Tree  Creek, 
Atlanta,  Jonesboro,  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  Infantry.  Recruited  from  the 
counties  of  Perry,  Franklin,  Williamson,  Jack- 
son, Union,  Pulaski  and  Alexander,  and  mustered 
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  Mobile.  It  was 
mustered  out  at  Chicago,  August  5,  1864. 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


561 


Eighty-second  Infantry.  Sometimes  called 
the  "Second  Hecker  Regiment,"  iu  honor  of  Col- 
onel Frederick  Hecker,  its  first  Colonel,  and  for 
merly  Colonel  of  the  Twentj'-fourth  Illinois 
Infantry — being  chiefly  composed  of  German 
members  of  Chica,go.  It  was  organized  at  Spring- 
field, Sept.  26,  1S62,  and  mustered  into  service, 
Oct.  33,  1S63;  participated  in  the  battles  of 
Fredericksburg,  Gettysbui-g,  Wauhatchie,  Or- 
chard Knob,  Slissionary  Ridge,  Re.«aca,  New 
Hope  Church,  Dallas,  Marietta,  Pine  Movmtain, 
Peach  Tree  Creek,  Atlanta  and  BentonviUe ;  was 
mustered  out  of  service,  June  9,  1865,  and 
returned  to  Chicago,  June  16 — having  marched, 
during  its  time  of  service,  2,503  miles. 

EiGHTY-THiHD  Inf.^js'try.  Organized  at  Mon- 
mouth in  August,  1862,  and  mustered  into  serv- 
ice, Augiist  21.  It  participated  in  repelling  the 
rebel  attack  on  Fort  Donelson,  and  in  numerous 
hard-fought  skinnishes  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  oflScers.  The 
regiment  was  auttiorized  to  inscribe  upon  its 
battle-flag  the  names  of  Perryville,  Stone  River, 
Woodbury,  Chickamauga,  Lookout  Mountain, 
Missionary  Ridge,  Ringgold,  Dalton,  Buzzard's 
Roost,  Eesaca,  Burnt  Hickory,  Kenesaw  Moun- 
tain, Smyrna,  Atlanta,  Jonesboro,  Love  joy  Sta- 
tion, Franklin,  and  Nashville.  It  was  mustered 
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- 
tonviUe, Goldsboro  and  Raleigh;  was  mustered 
out  at  Washington,  D.  C,  June  5,  1865,  and 
sent  to  Springfield,  where  the  regiment  was 
paid  oflE  and  discharged  on  the  20th  of  the  same 
month. 

Eighty-sixth  Infantry.  Mustered  into  serv- 
ice, August  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,  Resaca.  Rome, 
Dallas,  Kenesaw,  Peach  Tree  Creek,  Jonesboro, 
Averysboro  and  BentonviUe;  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  Inf.antry.  Enlisted  in  Au- 
gust, 1862;  was  composed  of  companies  from 
Hamilton,  Edwards,  Wayne  and  White  Counties ; 
was  organized  in  the  latter  part  of  August,  1863, 
at  Shawneetown;  mustered  in,  Oct.  3,  1862,  the 
muster  to  take  effect  from  August  2.  It  took 
part  in  the  siege  and  captm-e  of  Warrenton  and 
Jackson,  and  in  the  entire  campaign  through 
Louisiana  and  Soutliern  Mississippi,  participating 
in  the  battle  of  Sabine  Cross  Roads  and  in  numer- 
ous skirmishes  among  the  bayous,  being  mustered 
out,  June  16,  1865,  and  ordered  to  Springfield, 
where  it  arrived.  June  24,  1865,  and  was  paid  off 
and  disbanded  at  Camp  Butler,  on  July  3. 

Eighty-eighth  Infantry.  Organized  at  Chi- 
cago, in  September,  1863,  and  known  as  the 
"Second  Board  of  Trade  Regiment.''  It  was 
mustered  in,  Sept.  4,  1863 ;  was  engaged  at  Perry- 
ville, Stone  River,  Chickamauga,  Missionary 
Ridge.  Rocky  Face  Ridge,  Resaca,  AdairsviUe, 
New  Hope  Church,  Pine  Mountain.  5Iud  Creek, 
Kenesaw  IMountain,  Smyrna  Camp  Ground, 
Atlanta,  Jonesboro,  Lovejoy  Station,  Franklin 
and  Nashville;  was  mustered  out,  June  9,  1865, 
at  Nashville,  Tenn.,  and  arrived  at  Chicago, 
June  13,  1865,  where  it  received  final  pay  and 
discharge,  June  32,  1865. 

Eighty-ninth  Infantry.  Called  the  "Rail- 
road Regiment" :  vras  organized  by  the  railroad 
companies  of  Illinois,  at  Chicago,  in  August, 
1863,  and  mustered  into  service  on  the  37th  of 
that  month.  It  fought  at  Stone  River,  Chicka- 
mauga, Missionary  Ridge,  Knoxville,  Resaca, 
Rocky  Face  Ridge,  Pickett's  Mills.  Kenesaw 
Mountain.  Peach  Tree  Creek.  Atlanta,  Jonesboro, 
Lovejoy's  Station,  Spring  Hill,  Columbia.  Frank- 
lin and  Nashville;  was  mustered  out.  June  10, 
1865,  in  the  field  near  Nashville,  Tenn. ;  arrived 
at  Chicago  two  days  later,  and  was  finally  dis- 
charged, June  34,  after  a  service  of  two  years, 
nine  months  and  twenty -seven  days. 

Ninetieth  Infantry.  Mustered  into  service 
at  Chicago,  Sept.  7,  1863 ;  participated  in  the  siege 
of  Vicksburg  and  the  campaign  against  Jackson, 
and  was  engaged  at  Missionary  Ridge,  Resaca, 
Pallas,  New  Hope  Church,  Big  Shanty,  Kenesaw 
Mountain,  Marietta,  Nickajack  Creek,  RossweU, 
Atlanta,  Jonesboro  and  Fort  McAllister.  After 
the  review  at  Washington,  the  regiment  was 
mustered  out,  June  6,  and  returned  to  Chicago, 
June  9,  1865,  where  it  was  finally  discharged. 

Jninety-first  Infantry.  Organized  at  Camp 
Butler,   near    Springfield,   in  August,    1862,   and 


HISTOKICAL   EXCYCLOPEDIA    OF    ILLIXOIS. 


mustered  in  on  Sept.  8,  1862 ;  participated  in  t!ie 
campaigns  against  Vicksburg  and  New  Orleans, 
and  all  along  the  southwestern  frontier  in 
Louisiana  and  Texas,  as  well  as  in  the  investiture 
and  capture  of  Mobile.  It  was  mustered  out  at 
Mobile,  Jul}'  12,  1865,  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 
skirmishes,  including  Ringgold,  Chickamauga, 
and  the  numerous  engagements  on  the  "Slarch 
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,  1865. 

Ninety-third  Infantry.  Organized  at  Chi- 
cago, in  September,  1862,  and  mustered  in,  Oct. 
13.  998  strong.  It  participated  in  the  movements 
against  Jackson  and  Vicksburg,  and  was  engarged 
at  Cliampiou  Hills  and  at  Fort  Fisher;  also  was 
engaged  in  the  battles  of  Missionary  Ridge, 
Dallas,  Resaca,  and  many  minor  engagements, 
follovcing  Sherman  in  his  campaign  though  the 
Carolinas.  Mustered  out  of  service,  June  23, 
1865,  and,  on  the  25th,  arrived  at  Chicago,  receiv- 
ing final  payment  and  discharge,  July  7,  1865,  the 
regiment  having  marched  3.554:  miles,  traveled 
by  water,  3,296  miles,  and,  by  railroad,  1,237 
miles — total,  6,087  miles. 

Ninety-fourth  Infantry.  Organized  at 
Bloomington  in  August,  1863,  and  enlisted  wholly 
in  McLean  County.  After  some  warm  experi 
ence  in  Southwest  Missouri,  the  regiment  took 
part  in  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  assault.  After 
several  months  of  garri.son  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  by  railroad  010  miles,  and,  by 
steamer,  6,000  miles,  and  taken  part  in  nine  liat- 
tles,  sieges  and  skirmishes. 

Ninety-fifth  Infantry.  Organized  at  Rock- 
ford  and  mu.stered  into  service,  Sept.  4,  1802.  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  Northern  Mississippi  and  against  Vicks- 
burg. ill  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,  Guntown, 
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  in  the  service,  was  9,960  miles.  It  was 
transferred  to  the  Forty-seventh  Illinois  Infan- 
try, August  25,  1865. 

Ninety-sixth  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,  Triune,  Liberty  Gap, 
Shelbyville,  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  Nashville.  Its  date  of  final  pay  and  dis- 
charge was  June  30,  1865. 

Ninety-seventh  Infantry.  Organized  in 
August  and  September,  1863,  and  mustered  in  on 
Sept.  16 ;  participated  in  the  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, 
August  10,  after  an  absence  of  three  years,  less  a 
few  days. 

Ninety-eighth  Infantry.  Organized  at  Cen- 
tralia,  September,  1863,  and  mustevccl  in,  Sept.  3; 
took  part  in  engagements  at  ( 'liickaiiiiiuj;:!,  Mc- 
Minnville,  Farmington  and  Si-lma,  Ih-IiI.s  many 
others  of  less  note.  It  was  mustered  out,  June 
37,  1805,  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 
skirmishes;  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,  3G.  The  regi- 
ment was  mustered  out  at  Baton  Rouge,  July  31, 
1865,  and  paid  ofiE  and  discharged,  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  liustered  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,  1863,  and,  on  Sept.  3,  1863, 
was  mustered  in.  It  participated  in  the  battles 
of  Wauhatchie,  Chattanooga,  Resaca,  New  Hope 
Church,  Kenesaw  and  Pine  Mountains,  Peach 
Tree  Creek,  Atlanta,  Averysboro  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  Tth  of  June,  1865,  it  was 
mustered  out,  and  started  for  Springfield,  where, 
on  the  31st  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  .\nd  Third  Infantry.  Re- 
cruited wholly  in  Fulton  County,  and  mustered 
into  the  service,  Oct.  3,  1863.  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  August,  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,  besides  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,  1863,  at  Dixon,  and 
participated  in  the  Atlanta  campaign,  being 
engaged  at  Resaca,  Peach  Tree  Creek  and 
Atlanta,  and  almost  constantly  skirmishing; 
also  took  pai-t  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,  1865,  and  paid  off  and  dis- 
charged at  Chicago,  June  17. 

One  Hundred  and  Sixth  Infantry.  Mus- 
tered into  service  at  Lincoln,  Sept.  18,  1863, 
eight  of  the  ten  companies  having  been  recruited 
in  Logan  County,  the  other  two  being  from  San- 
gamon and  Menard  Counties.  It  aided  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  13,  1865,  at  Pine  Bluff, 
Ark.,  and  arrived  at  Springfield,  July  34,  1865, 
where  it  received  final  payment  and  discharge 

One  Hundred  and  Seventh  Infantry.  Mus- 
tered into  service  at  Springfield,  Sept.  4,  1863; 
was  composed  of  six  companies  from  DeWitt  and 
four  companies  from  Piatt  County.  It  was 
engaged  at  Campbeirs  Station,  Dandridge, 
Rocky-Face  Ridge.  Resaca,  Kenesaw  Mountain, 
Atlanta,  Spring  Hill,  Franklin,  Nashville  and 
Fort  Anderson,  and  mustered  out,  June  31,  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 
38,  1863 ;  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 
Guutown,  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 


IIISTOEICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


engaged  at  Stone  Rirer,  Woodbury,  and  in 
numerous  skirmishes  in  Kentucky  and  Tennessee. 
In  Maj-,  1863,  the  regiment  was  consolidated,  its 
numbers  having  been  greatly  reduced.  Subse- 
quently it  participated  in  the  battles  of  Chicka- 
mauga  and  Missionary  Ridge,  the  battles  around 
Atlanta  and  the  campaign  through  the  Carolinas, 
being  present  at  Johnston's  surrender.  The  regi- 
ment was  mustered  out  at  Washington,  D.  C, 
June  5,  1865,  and  received  final  discharge  at 
Chicago,  June  15.  The  enlisted  men  whose  term 
of  service  had  not  expired  at  date  of  muster-out, 
were  consolidated  into  four  comiianies  and  trans- 
ferred to  the  Sixtieth  Illinois  Veteran  Volunteer 
Infantry. 

One  Hu.vdred  .\nd  Eleventh  Infantry.  Re- 
cruited from  Marion,  Clay,  Washington,  Clinton 
and  Wayne  Counties,  and  mustered  into  the  serv- 
ice at  Salem,  Sept.  18,  1863.  The  regiment  aided 
in  the  capture  of  Decatur,  Ala. ;  took  part  in  the 
Atlanta  campaign,  being  engaged  at  Resaca, 
Dallas,  Kenesaw,  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  Bentouville.  It  was  mus- 
tered out  at  Washington,  D.  C,  June  7,  1865, 
receiving  final  discharge  at  Springfield,  June  37. 
having  traveled  3,736  miles,  of  which  1,836  was 
on  tlie  march. 

One  Hundred  and  Twelfth  Infantry.  Mus- 
tered into  service  at  Peoria,  Sept.  20  and  23, 
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  the  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  Infantry'. 
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  oaptm-e  of  Vicksburg,  was  mustered 
out,  June  20,  1865,  and  finally  discharged  at  Chi- 
cago, five  days  later. 

One  Hundred  and  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  Missouri,  tlie  battle  of  Nash- 
ville, and  the  capture  of  Mobile.  It  v.-as  mustered 
out  at  Vicksburg,  August  3,  1865,  receiving  final 
payment  and  discharge  at  Springfield.  August  15, 
1865. 

One  Hundred  and  Fifteenth  Infantry-. 
Ordered  to  the  front  from  Springfield,  Oct.  4, 
1862 ;  was  engaged  at  Chickamauga,  Chattanooga, 
Missionary  Ridge,  Tunnel  Hill,  Resaca  and  in  all 
the  principal  battles  of  the  Atlanta  campaign, 
and  in  the  defense  of  Nashville  and  pursuit  of 
Hood;  was  mustered  out  of  service,  June  11, 
1865,  and  received  final  pay  and  discharge,  June 
23,  1865,  at  Springfield. 

One  Hundred  and  Sixteenth  Infantry'. 
Recruited  almost  wliolly  from  Macon  County, 
numbering  980  ofScers  and  men  when  it  started 
from  Decatur  for  the  front  on  Nov.  8,  1862.  It 
participated  in  the  battles  of  Chickasaw  Bayou, 
Arkansas  Post,  Champion  Hills,  Black  River 
Bridge,  Missionary  Ridge,  Resaca,  Dallas,  Big 
Shanty,  Kenesaw  Mountain,  Stone  Mountain, 
Atlanta,  Fort  McAllister  and  Bentonville,  and 
was  mustered  out,  June  7,  1865,  near  Washington, 
D.  C. 

One  Hundred  and  Seventeenth  Infantry. 
Orgaaized  at  Springfield,  and  mustered  in,  Sept. 
19,  1862;  participated  in  the  Meridian  camimign, 
the  Red  River  expedition  (as.sisting  in  the  cap- 
ture of  Fort  de  Russey),  and  in  the  battles  of 
Pleasant  Hill,  Yellow  Bayou,  Tupelo,  Franklin, 
Nashville,  Spanish  Fort  and  Fort  Blakely.  It 
was  mustered  out  at  Springfield,  August  5,  1865. 
liaving  traveled  9,276  miles,  2,307  of  which  were 
marched. 

One  Hundred  and  Eighteenth  Inf.4.ntry. 
Organized  and  mustered  into  the  service  at 
Springfield,  Nov.  7,  1862 ;  was  engaged  at  Chicka- 
saw Bluffs,  Arkansas  Post,  Port  Gibson,  Cham- 
pion Hills,  Black  River  Bridge,  Jackson  (Miss.), 
Grand  Coteau,  Jackson  (La. ),  and  Amite  River. 
The  regiment  was  mounted,  Oct.  11,  1863,  and 
dismounted.  May  23,  1865.  Oct.  1,  1865,  it  was 
mustered  out,  and  finally  discharged,  Oct.  13. 
At  the  date  of  the  muster-in,  the  regiment  num- 
bered 830  men  and  oflBcers,  received  283  recruits, 
making  a  total  of  1,103;  at  muster-out  it  num- 
bered 523.  Distance  marched,  2,000  miles;  total 
distance  traveled,  5,700  miles. 

One  Hundred  and  Nineteenth  Infantry. 
Organized  at  Quincy,  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  a>'d  Twentiety  Infantry. 
Mustered  into  the  service,  Oct.  28,  1862,  at  Spring- 
field ;  was  mustered  out,  Sept.  7,  1865,  and  received 
final  paj-ment  and  discharge,  September  10,  at 
Springfield. 

One  Hundred  and  Twenty-first  Infan- 
try. (The  organization  of  this  regiment  was  not 
completed.) 

One  Hundred  and  Twenty-second  Infan- 
try. Organized  at  Carlinville,  in  August,  1862, 
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  Blakelj-,  and  was  mu.stered 
out,  Julj'  15,  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  Perry ville, 
Milton,  Hoover's  Gap,  and  Farmington ;  also  took 
part  in  the  entire  Atlanta  campaign,  marching 
as  cavalry  and  fighting  as  infantry.  Later,  it 
ser\-ed  as  mounted  infantry  in  Kentucky,  Tennes- 
see and  Alabama,  taking  a  prominent  part  in  the 
capture  of  Selma.  The  regiment  was  discharged 
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 
Springfield ;  took  part  in  the  Vicksburg  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  "March  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, 
1862,  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  July  12, 1865. 

One  Hundred  and  Twenty-seventh  Infan- 
try. Mustered  into  service  at  Chicago,  Sept.  6, 
1862;  took  part  in  tlie  first  campaign  against 
Vicksburg,  and  in  the  battle  of  Arkansas  Post, 
the  siege  of  Vicksbui-g  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 
Mountain,  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 
oflScers  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  Pontiao,  in  August,  1862,  and 
mustered  into  the  service  Sept.  8.  Prior  to  May, 
1864,  the  regiment  was  chiefly  engaged  in  garri- 
son duty.  It  marched  with  Sherman  in  the 
Atlanta  campaign  and  through  Georgia  and  the 
Carolinas,  and  took  part  in  the  battles  of  Resaca, 
Buzzard's  Roost,  Lost  Mountain,  Dallas,  Peach 
Tree  Creek,  Atlanta,  Averysboro  and  Benton- 
ville. It  received  final  pay  and  discharge  at  Chi- 
ca'-o,  June  10,  1865. 

One  Hundred  and  Thirtieth  Infantry. 
Organized  at  Springfield  and  mustered  into 
service,  Oct.  25,  1862 ;  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  was  captured  at  the  battle  of 
Mansfield,  and  not  paroled  until  near  the  close  of 
the  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. 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


OxE  Hundred  and  Thirty-first  Ixfax- 
TRY.  Organized  in  September,  1S02,  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  the  regiment  had  been  in  but  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  Chicago,  and 
was  mustered  out,  Oct.  IT,  1864. 

One  Hundred  and  Thirty-third  Infan- 
try. Organized  at  Springfield,  and  mustered  in 
for  one  hundred  days,  May  31,  1864;  was  engaged 
during  its  term  of  service  in  guarding  prisoners 
of  war  at  Rock  Island;  was  mustered  out,  Sept. 
4,  1864,  at  Camp  Butler. 

One  Hundred  and  Thirty'-fourth  Inf.^^'- 
try'.  Organized  at  Chicago  and  mustered  in, 
May  31,  1864,  for  100  days;  was  assigned  to 
garrison  duty  at  Columbus,  Ky.,  and  mustered 
out  of  service,  Oct.  25,  1864,  at  Chicago. 

One  Hundred  and  Thirty-fifth  Infan- 
try. Mustered  in  for  100-days"  service  at  Mat- 
toon,  June  6,  1864,  having  a  strength  of  853  men. 
It  was  chiefly  engaged,  dm-ing  its  term  of  service, 
in  doing  garrison  duty  and  guarding  railroads. 
It  was  mustered  out  at  Springfield,  Sept.  28,  1864. 

One  Hundred  and  Thirty-sixth  Inf.\n- 
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  principal  service  was  garrison 
duty,  with  occasional  scouts  and  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.  33,  1864,  and  dis- 
charged eight  days  later 

One  Hundred  .^'d  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..  Sept.  4,  1864. 

One  Hundred  and  Thirty-eighth  Inf.\n- 
try  Organized  at  Quincy,  and  mustered  in, 
June  31,  1864,  for  100  days;  was  assigned  to  garri- 
son duty  at  Fort  Leavenworth,  Kan.,  and  in 
Western  Missouri.  It  was  mustered  out  of  serv- 
ice at  Springfield,  lU.,  Oct.  14.  1864. 

One  Hundred  and  Thirty-ninth  Inf.\.n- 
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  Missom-i.  The 
latter  service  was  rendered,  at  the  President's 
request,  after  the  term  of  enlistment  had  expired. 
It  was  mustered  out  at  Peoria,  Oct.  25,  1804,  hav- 
ing been  in  the  service  nearly  five  months. 

One  Hundred  and  Fourtieth  Inf.4_ntr\'. 
Organized  as  a  lOO-daj's'  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  dutj'  at  Memphis.  After  the  term  of 
enlistment  had  expired  and  the  regiment  had 
been  mustered  out,  it  aided  in  the  pursuit  of 
General  Price  through  Missouri ;  was  finally  dis- 
charged at  Chicago,  after  serving  about  five 
months 

One  Hundred  and  Forty-first  Infan- 
try. Mustered  into  service  as  a  lOO-days'  regi- 
ment, at  Elgin.  June  16,  1864 — strength,  843  men; 
departed  for  the  field,  June  27,  1864;  was  mus- 
tered out  at  Chicago,  Oct.  10,  1864. 

One  Hundred  and  Forty'-second  Inf.^- 
try.  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  days,  Jime  18,  1804. 
It  was  ordered  to  Jlemphis,  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  &  Charleston  railroad. 
It  was  mustered  out  at  Chicago,  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.  26,  1864. 

One  Hundred  .a.nd  Forty-fourth  Infan- 
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  mustered 
out,  July  14,  1865. 

One  Hundred  and  Forty-fifth  Inf.\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, 
1864. 

One  Hundred  .\nd  Forty-sixth  Infan- 
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  Springfleld,  and  mustered  out  at  Springfield, 
July  5,  18(3o. 

One  Hundred  .i_\d  Forty-seventh  Inf.ajn- 
TRY.  Organized  at  Chicago,  and  mustered  into 
service  for  one  year,  Feb.  18  and  19,  1865;  was 
engaged  chiefly  on  guard  or  garrison  duty,  in 
scouting  and  in  skirmishing  with  guerrillas. 
Mustered  out  at  Nashville,  Jan.  22,  1866,  and 
received  final  discharge  at  Springfield,   Feb.  4. 

OxE  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,  Teun ;  arrived  at  Springfield,  Sept. 
9,  1865,  where  it  was  paid  off  and  discharged. 

One  Hundred  and  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.  27, 
1866,  at  Dalton,  Ga.,  and  ordered  to  Springfield, 
where  it  received  final  payment  and  discharge. 

One  Hundred  and  Fiftieth  Infantry. 
Organized  at  Springfleld,  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,  1866,  at 
Atlanta,  Ga.,  and  ordered  to  Springfield,  where  it 
received  final  payment  and  discharge. 

One  Hundred  an'd  Fifty-first  Infantry. 
This  regiment  was  organized  at  Quiuc}',  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  Deo.  19.  1864.  It  was  engaged  in 
guard  duty,  with  a  few  guerrilla  skirmishes,  and 
was  present  at  the  surrender  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  payment  and 
discharge.  Feb.  8,  1866. 

One  Hundred  .and  Fifty-second  Inf.vn- 
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,  1865, 
and  moved  to  Springfleld,  111.,  and,  Sept.  24, 
received  final  pay  and  discharge. 

One  Hundred  and  Fifty-fourth  Inf.an- 
TRY.  Organized  at  Springfield,  Feb.  21,  1865, 
for  one  year.     Sept.   18,  1865,  the  regiment  was 


mustered  out  at  Nashville,  Tenn.,  and  ordered  to 
Sjjringfield  for  final  payment  and  discharge, 
where  it  arrived,  Sept.  22;  was  paid  oft  and  dis- 
charged at  Camp  Butler,  Sept.  29. 

One  Hundred  aud  Fifty-fifth  Infan- 
try. Organized  at  Springfield  and  mustered  in 
Feb.  28,  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  durin.g  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  flnally  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.  20,  1861. 
The  officers  were  paroled,  and  the  men  sworn  not 
to  take  up  arms  again  until  discharged.  No  ex- 
change having  been  effected  in  November,  the 
non-commissioned  officers  and  privates  were 
ordered  to  Springfleld  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,  1862. 

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  the  battles  at  Fort  Henry, 
Fort  Donelson  and  Shiloh,  another  portion  at 
Merri weather'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 


56S 


HISTOEICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF    ILLINOIS. 


Red  River  expedition  and  the  investment  of  Fort 
Blakely.  It  was  mustered  out  at  San  Antonio, 
Tex.,  Nov.  22,  1865,  and  linally  paid  and  dis- 
charged at  Springfield,  Jan.  3,  1866. 

Third  Cavalry.  Composed  of  twelve  com- 
panies, from  various  localities  in  the  State,  the 
gi-and  total  of  company  officers  and  enlisted  men, 
under  the  first  organization,  being  1,433.  It  was 
organized  at  Springfield,  in  August,  1861 ;  partici- 
pated in  the  battles  of  Pea  Ridge,  Haines'  Bluff, 
Arkansas  Post,  Port  Gibson,  Champion  Hills, 
Black  River  Bridge,  and  the  siege  of  Vicksburg. 
In  July,  1864,  a  large  portion  of  the  regiment  re- 
enlisted  as  veterans.  The  remainder  were  mus- 
tered out,  Sept.  5,  1864.  The  veterans  participated 
in  tlie  repulse  of  Forrest,  at  Mempliis,  and  in  the 
battles  of  Lawrenceburg,  Spring  Hill,  Campbells- 
ville  and  Franklin.  From  May  to  October,  I860, 
engaged  in  service  against  the  Indians  in  the 
Northwest  The  regiment  was  mustered  out  at 
Springfield,  Oct.  18,  186.5. 

Fourth  Cavalry.  Mustered  into  service, 
Sept.  26,  1861,  and  participated  in  the  battles  of 
Fort  Henry,  Fort  Donelson,  and  Shiloli;  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  wliose  terms  had  not  expired,  were  con- 
solidated with  the  Twelfth  Illinois  Cavalry. 

Fifth  Cavalry.  Organized  at  Camp  Butler, 
in  November,  1861 ;  took  part  in  the  Meridian 
raid  and  the  expedition  against  Jackson,  Miss., 
and  in  numerous  minor  expeditions,  doing  effect- 
ive work  at  Canton,  Grenada,  Woodville,  and 
other  points.  On  Jan.  1,  1864,  a  large  portion  of 
the  regiment  re-enli.sted  as  veterans.  Its  final 
muster-out  took  place,  Oct.  27,  1865,  and  it  re- 
ceived final  payment  and  discharge,  October  80. 
Sixth  Cavalry.  Organized  at  Springfield, 
Nov.  19,  1861 ;  participated  in  Sherman's  advance 
upon  Grenada ;  in  the  Grierson  raid  through  Mis- 
sissippi and  Louisiana,  the  siege  of  Port  Hudson, 
the  battles  of  Moscow  (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. 

Se\t;nth  Cavalry.  Organized  at  Springfield, 
and  was  mustered  into  service,  Oct.  13,  1861.  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,    288 


officers  and  men  re-enlisted  as  veterans.  The 
nun-veterans  were  engaged  at  Guntown,  and  the 
entire  regiment  took  part  in  the  battle  of  Frank- 
lin. After  the  close  of  hostilities,  it  was  stationed 
in  Alabama  and  Mississippi,  until  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,  1861.  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,  Antietam,  Fredericks- 
burg, Sulphur  Springs,  Warrenton,  Rapidan 
Station,  Northern  Neck,  Gettysburg,  Williams- 
burg, Funkstown,  Falling  Water,  Chester  Gap 
Sandy  Hook,  Culpepper,  Brandy  Station,  and  in 
many  raids  and  skirmishes.  It  was  mustered 
out  of  service  at  Benton  Barracks,  Mo.,  July  17, 
1865,  and  ordered  to  Chicago,  where  it  received 
final  payment  and  discharge. 

Ninth  Cavalry  Organized  at  Chicago,  in 
the  autumn  of  1861,  and  mustered  in,  November 
30 ;  was  engaged  at  Coldwater,  Grenada,  Wyatt, 
Saulsbury,  Moscow,  Guntown,  Pontotoc,  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  payment  and  discharge. 

Tenth  Cavalry.  Organized  at  Springfield  in 
the  latter  part  of  September,  1861,  and  mustered 
into  service,  Nov.  25,  1861;  was  engaged  at  Prairie 
Grove,  Cotton  Plant,  Arkansas  Post,  in  the 
Yazoo  Pass  expedition,  at  Richmond  (La.), 
Brownsville,  Bayou  Metoe,  Bayou  La  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  were  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 
cavalry,  and  recruiting  commenced  in  October, 
1861.  The  regiment  was  recruited  from  the 
counties  of  Peoria,  Fulton,  Tazewell,  Woodford, 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLIXOIS. 


569 


Marshall,  Stark,  Knox,  Henderson  and  Warren; 
was  mustered  into  the  service  at  Peoria,  Dec.  20, 
1861,  and  was  first  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  Git}',  and  in 
numerous  less  important  raids  and  skirmishes. 
Most  of  the  regiment  re-enUsted  as  veterans  in 
December,  1863;  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,  1865,  and  discharged  at  Springfield, 
October  20. 

Twelfth  Cavalry.  Organized  at  Springfield, 
in  February,  1863,  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,  1863,  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  consoUdated  into  an  eight-company  organi- 
zation, and  the  Fourth  Cavalry,  having  previously 
been  consolidated  into  a  battalion  of  five  com- 
panies, was  consolidated  with  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,  1863,  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,  Bushy  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  Monticello. 
The  regiment  was  mustered  out,  August  31,  1865, 
and  received  final  pay  and  discharge  at  Spring- 
field, Sept.  13,  1865. 

Fourteenth  Cavalry.  Mustered  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;  participated  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  35,  1864,  the  recruits  (whose  term  of 
service  had  not  expired)  being  consolidated  with 
the  Tenth  Cavalry. 

Sixteenth  Cavalry.  Comiwsed  principally 
of  Chicago  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  raise  a  battalion,  the 
two  companies  named  thenceforth  being  known 
as  Thieleman's  Battahon.  In  September,  1862, 
the  War  Department  authorized  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, 
AUatoona,  Kenesaw,  Lost  Moimtain,  Mines 
Ridge,  Powder  Springs,  Chattahoochie,  Atlanta, 
Jonesboro,  Franklin  and  Nashville.  It  arrived 
in  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 


niSTOEICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF    ILLINOIS. 


out  in  November  and  December,  I8G0,  at  Leaven- 
worth, Kan.  Gov.  John  L.  Beveridge,  who  had 
previously  been  a  Captain  and  Major  of  the 
Eighth  Cavahy,  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,  the  sieges  of 
Vicksburg  and  Jackson,  and  in  the  Atlanta  cam- 
paign; was  in  reserve  at  Champion  Hills  and 
Nashville,  and  mustered  out  July  o,  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  3,  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. 

Batterj'  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,  July  26, 
1863. 

Battery  K  was  organized  at  Shawneetown  and 
mustered  in,  Jan.  9,  1862,  participated  in  Burn- 


side's  campaign  in  Tennessee,  and  in  tlie  capture 
of  Knoxvilte.  Part  of  the  men  were  mustered 
out  at  Springfield  in  June,  1865,  and  the  re- 
manider  at  Chicago  in  July. 

Battery  M  was  organized  at  Camp  Douglas  and 
mustered  into  the  service,  August  12,  1862,  for 
three  years.  It  served  through  the  Chickamauga 
campaign,  being  engaged  at  Chickamauga;  also 
was  engaged  at  Missionary  Ridge,  was  besieged 
at  Chattanooga,  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. 

Battery  D  was  organized  at  Cairo,  and  mustered 
into  service  in  December,  1861 ;  was  engaged  at 
Fort  Donelson,  Shiloh,  Vicksbxrrg,  Jackson, 
Jleridian  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,  1865. 

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 


IIISTOlilCAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


571 


siege  of  Vioksburg.  It  was  mustered  out,  July 
14,  1865,  at  Chicago. 

Battery  L  was  organized  at  Chicago  and  mus- 
tered in,  Feb.  28,  1862;  participated  in  the  ad- 
vance on  Corintli,  the  battle  of  Hatchie  and  the 
advance  on  the  Tallahatchie,  and  was  mustered 
out  at  Chicago,  August  9,  186.5. 

Battery  M  was  organized  at  Chicago,  and  mus- 
tered in  at  Springfield,  June,  1862 ;  was  engaged 
at  Jonesboro,  Blue  Spring,  Bloimtsville  and 
Bogersville,  being  finally  consolidated  with 
other  batteries  of  the  regiment. 

Chicago  Board  of  Trade  Battery.  Organ- 
ized through  the  efforts  of  the  Chicago  Board  of 
Trade,  which  raised  §15,000  for  its  equipment, 
within  fortj'-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,  Selma  and  Columbus 
(Ga. )  It  was  mustered  out  at  Chicago,  June  30, 
1865,  and  paid  in  full,  July  3,  having  marched 
6,268  miles  and  traveled  by  rail  1,231  miles.  The 
battery  was  in  eleven  of  the  hardest  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  Cliicago.  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,  the  siege 
of  "Vicksburg,  the  battles  of  Slagnolia  Hills, 
Champion  Hills,  Black  River  Bridge  and  Jackson 
(Miss.);  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. 

Sprixgfield  Light  Artillery.  Recruited 
principally  from  the  cities  of  Springfield,  Belle- 
ville and  Wenona,  and  mustered  into  service  at 
Springfield,  for  the  term  of  tliree  years,  August 
21,  1862,  numbering  199  men  and  officers.  It 
participated  in  the  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  Cushnian  command- 
ing    tlie     regiment.      It     participated     in     the 


advance  on  Corinth,  the  siege  of  Vicksburg,  the 
battle  of  Missionary  Ridge,  and  tlie  capture  of 
Spanish  Fort  and  Fort  Blakely,  near  Mobile.  The 
i-egiment  was  mustered  out  at  Springfield,  August 
14,  1865,  having  served  three  years  and  nine 
months,  marched  over  7,  .500  miles,  and  partici- 
pated in  seven  sieges  and  battles. 

Sturges  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  body- 
guard of  General  McClellan;  was  engaged  at 
Rich  Mountain,  in  the  siege  of  Yorktown,  and  in 
the  seven  days'  battle  of  the  Chiokahominy.  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  which  had  character- 
ized the  administration  of  affairs  by  the  Spanish 
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  the  constant 
expense  imposed  upon  the  Government  of  the 
United  States  in  the  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  the 
long  continuance  of  disorders  and  abuses  so  near 
to  our  own  shores,  which  aroused  the  sympathy 
and  indignation  of  the  entire  civilized  world. 
For  three  years  a  large  proportioii  of  the  Cuban 
population  had  been  in  open  rebellion  against  the 
Spanish  Government,  and,  while  the  latter  had 
imported  a  large  army  to  the  island  and  sub- 
jected the  insurgents  and  their  families  and 
sympathizers  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  foimd  expression  in  measm-es  proposed  in 
Congress — all  offers  of  friendly  intervention  by 
the  United  States  having  been  rejected  by  Spain 
with  evidences  of  indignation.  Compelled,  at 
last,  to  recognize  its  inability  to  subdue  the  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  the  war  and  the  outrages 
perpetrated  upon  the  helpless  "reooncentrados,"' 
coupled  with  the  increased  confidence  of  the 
insurgents  in  the  final  triumph  of  their  cause, 
rendered  this  movement — even  if  intended  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  with  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  commander.  On 
the  night  of  February  15,  following,  it  was  blown 
up  and  destroyed  by  some  force,  as  shown  by  after 
investigation,  applied  from  without.  Of  a  crew 
of  3.5-1  men  belonging  to  the  vessel  at  the  time, 
366  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  the  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  successive  steps  leading  to  actual  ho.stili- 
ties  were  rapid  and  eventful.  One  of  the  earliest 
and  most  significant  of  these  was  the  passage,  by 
a  unanimous  vote  of  both  houses  of  Congress,  on 
March  9,  of  an  appropriation  placing  $50,000,000 
in  the  hands  of  the  President  as  an  emergency 
fund  for  purposes  of  national  defense.  This  was 
followed,  two  days  later,  by  an  order  for  the 
mobilization  of  the  army.  The  more  important 
events  following  this  step  were:  An  order,  under 
date  of  April  5.  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  ihis 
act;  April  21,  the  delivery  to  Minister  Woodford, 
at  Madrid,  of  his  passports  without  waiting  for 
the  presentation  of  the  ultimatum,  with  the 
departure  of  the  Spanish  Minister  from  Washing- 
ton ;  April  23,  the  issue  of  a  call  by  the  President 
for  125,000  volunters;  April  24,  the  final  declara- 
tion of  war  by  Spain ;  April  25,  the  adoption  by 
Congress  of  a  resolution  declaring  that  war  had 
existed  from  April  21 ;  on  the  same  date  an  order 
to  Admiral  Dewey,  in  command  of  the  Asiatic 
Squadron  at  Hongkong,  to  sail  for  Manila  with  a 
view  to  investing  that  city  and  blockading 
Philippine  ports. 

The  chief  events  subsequent  to  the  declaration 
of  war  embraced  the  following:  May  1,  the 
destruction  by  Admiral  Dewey's  squadron  of  the 
Spanish  fleet  in  the  harbor  of  Manila;  May  19, 
the  arrival  of  the  Spanish  Admiral  Cervera's  fleet 
at  Santiago  de  Cuba;  May  25,  a  second  call  by 
the  President  for  75,000  volunteers;  July  3,  the 
attempt  of  Cervera's  fleet  to  escape,  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  Ambassador  at  Washington,  of  the 
terms  on  which  the  United  States  would  consent 
to  make  peace ;  August  9,  acceptance  of  the  peace 
terms  by  Spain,  followed,  three  days  later,  by  the 
signing  of  the  peace  protocol ;  September  9,  the 
appointment  by  the  President  of  Peace  Commis- 
sioners on  the  part  of  the  United  States;  Sept.  18, 
the  announcement  of  the  Peace  Commissioners 
selected  bj'  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  by  Spain  of  the  freedom  of  Cuba, 
with  the  transfer  to  the  United  States  of  Porto 
Rico  and  her  other  West  India  islands,  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 
the  Spanish  fleet  in  Manila  Harbor — an  event 
which  aroused  the  enthusiasm  of  the  whole 
American  people,  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. 


5:3 


up  to  the  formal  signing  of  the  peace 
treaty,  were  uaerely  the  recognition  of  results 
previously  determined. 

History  of  Illinois  Regiments.— The  part 
pla3-ed  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  135,000  volun- 
teers, eight  regim.ents — seven  of  infantry  and  one 
of  cavah-y — were  assigned  to  Illinois,  to  which 
was  subsequently  added,  on  application  through 
Governor  Tanner,  one  battery  of  light  artil- 
lery. The  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,  which  were  promptlj'  furnished, 
taking  the  names  of  the  Eighth  and  Ninth.  The 
first  of  these  belonged  to  the  Illinois  National 
Guard,  as  the  regiments  mustered  in  under  the 
first  call  had  done,  while  the  Ninth  was  one  of  a 
number  of  "Provisional  Kegiments"  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  12,280 — 11,789  men  and  491 
officers. 

First  Eegimext  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 
was  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,  but  was  detained  in  the  har- 
bor at  Key  We.st  until  July  5,  when  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  17th.  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  xUigust  25,  when,  depleted  in  numbers  and 
weakened  by  fever,  the  bulk  of  the  regiment  was 
transferred  by  hospital  boats  to  Camp  Wikoif,  on 
Moutauk  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  dui'ing  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  sufliered  severely  from  yellow  fever 
while  in  Cuba,  but,  as  a  regiment,  while  in  the 
service,  made  a  brilliant  record,  vs-hich  was  highly 
complipiented  in  the  oflScial  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,  imder  command  of 
Col.  George  M.  Moulton;  was  mustered  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  Third  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  Columbia  in  detach- 
ments for  Augusta,  Ga.,  where  it  arrived  April 
5,  and  was  mustered  out,  April  26,  1,031  strong 
(rank  and  file),  and  returned  to  Chicago.     I)ur- 


574 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


ing  its  3tay  in  Cuba  the  regiment  did  not  lose  a 
man.  A  history  of  this  regiment  has  been 
»vritten  by  Rev.  H.  W.  Bolton,  its  late  Chaplain. 

Third  Regiment  Illdjois  Volunteer  In- 
fantry, composed  of  companies  of  the  Illinois 
National  Guard  from  the  counties  of  La  Salle. 
Livingston,  Kane,  Kankakee,  McHenrj-,  Ogle, 
"Will,  and  Winnebago,  under  command  of  Col. 
Fred  Bennitt,  reported  at  Springfield,  with  1,170 
men  and  50  officers,  on  April  ^7 ;  was  mustered 
in  May  7,  1898;  transferred  from  Springfield  to 
Camp  Thomas  (Chickamauga),  May  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  captm-e  of  Guayama,  which  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  October  1  the  Third 
continued  in  the  performance  of  guard  duty  in 
Porto  Rico ;  on  October  23,  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  1,278  men  and  officers.  This  regiment  had 
the  distinction  of  being  one  of  the  first  to  see 
service  in  Porto  Rico,  but  suffered  severely  from 
fever  and  other  diseases  during  the  three  months 
of  its  stay  in  the  island. 

Fourth  Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry,  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, May  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 
until  a'oout  the  first  of  Januarj',  when  the  regi- 
ment took  ship  for  Havana.  Here  the  regiment 
was  stationed  at  Camp  Columbia  until  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 
court-martial,   ami  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 
composed  of  twelve  companies  from  Pike,  Chris- 
tian, Sangamon,  McLean,  Montgomerj',  Adams, 
Tazewell,  Macon,  Morgan,  Peoria,  and  Fulton 
counties;  on  May  14  left  Springfield  for  Camp 
Thomas  (Chickamauga,  Ga.),  being  assigned  to 
the  command  of  General  Brooke;  Augusts  left 
Cliickamauga  for  Newport  News,  Va.,  with  the 
expectation  of  embarking  for  Porto  Rico — a 
previous  order  of  July  26  to  the  same  purport 
having  been  countermanded ;  at  Newport  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. The  next  move  was  made  to  Lexington, 
Ky.,  where  the  regiment — having  lost  hope  of 
reaching  "the  fronf.^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  Springfield  the  regiment  was  furlougbed  for 
thirty  days  and  finall}'  mustered  out,  October  16, 
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,  Lse, 
Carroll,  Stephenson,  Henry,  AVarren,  Bm-eau,  and 
Jo  Daviess,  was  mustered  in  May  11,  1898,  imder 
command  of  Col.  D.  Jack  Foster;  on  May  17  left 
Springfield  for  Camp  Alger,  Va. ;  Julj^  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  Adjunta  and  LTtuado. 
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  25,  the  regiment  at  that  time  consist- 
ing of  1,239  men  and  49  officers. 

Seventh  Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry 
(known  as  the  "Hibernian  Rifles").  Two 
battalions  of  this  regiment  reported  at  Spring, 
field.  April  27.  with  33  officers  and  765  enlisted 
men,  being  afterwards    increased  to   the  maxi- 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF    ILLINOIS. 


575 


mum ;  was  mustered  into  the  United  States  serv- 
ice, vmder  command  of  Col.  Marcus  Kavanagli, 
May  18,  1898;  on  May  28  started  for  Camp  Alger, 
Va. ;  was  afterwards  encamped  at  Thoroughfare 
Gap  and  Camp  Meade ;  on  September  9  returned 
to  Springfield,  was  furloughed  for  thirty  days, 
and  mustered  out,  October  20,  numbering  1,260 
men  and  49  officers.  Lilie  the  Fifth,  the  Seventh 
saw  no  actual  service  in  the  field. 

Eighth  Illixois  Volunteer  Infantry  (col- 
ored regiment),  mustered  into  the  service  at 
Springfield  under  the  second  call  of  the  Presi- 
dent, July  23,  1898,  being  composed  wholly  of 
Afro- Americans  under  officers  of  their  own  race, 
with  Col.  John  R.  Marshall  in  command,  the 
muster-roll  showing  1,195  men  and  76  officers. 
The  six  companies,  from  A  to  F,  were  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  dutj'  at  Santiago  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  B.  Campbell;  arrived  at 
Camp  Cuba  Libre  (Jacksonville,  Fla.),  August  9; 
two  montlis  later  was  transferred  to  Savannah, 
Ga. ;  was  moved  to  Havana  in  December,  where 
it  remained  until  May,  1899,  when  it  returned  to 
Augusta,  Ga.,  and  was  mustered  out  there.  May 
20,  1899,  at  that  time  consisting  of  1,095  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  Cavalry  was  organized  at  Chi- 
cago immediately  after  tlie  President's  first  call, 
seven  compianies  being  recruited  from  Chicago, 
two  from  Bloomington,  and  one  each  from 
Springfield,  Elkhart,  and  Lacon ;  was  mustered  in 
at  Springfield,  May  21,  1S98,  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. 

Battery  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,  con.sisting  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  affair  at  Gua- 
yama  on  the  12th.  News  of  peace  having  been 
received,  the  Battery  returned  to  Ponce,  where 
it  remained  vmtil  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. 

Naval  Reser^t:s.— 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  the  West  Indies.  Gen.  John  McNulta,  as  head 
of  the  local  committee,  was  active  in  calling  the 
attention  of  the  Nav}'  Department  to  the  value  of 
the  service  to  be  rendered  by  this  organization, 
which  resulted  in  its  being  enlisted  practically  as 
a  bod}-,  taking  the  name  of  "Naval  Reserves" — 
all  but  eighty-eight  of  the  number  passing  the 
physical  examination,  the  places  of  these  being 
promptly   filled  by  new   recruits.     The  first  de- 


HISTORICAL   EXCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


tachment  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,  58  from 
Quinoy,  and  63  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  from  Illinois  occuiaied  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  New 
York,  and  distributed  among  fifty-two  different 
vessels,  including  nearly  every  vessel  belonging 
to  the  North  Atlantic  Squadron.  They  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  jirivilege  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  most  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  Chicago.  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,  in  1884,  was  a  candidate  for  Presidential 
Elector  on  the  Democratic  ticket,  and  the  same 
year,  was  the  successful  candidate  of  his  party 
for  Congress  in  the  Third  Illinois  District,  serv- 
ing one  term. 

WINNEBAGO  INDIANS,  a  tribe  of  the  Da- 
cota, or  Sioux,  stock,  which  at  one  time  occupied 
a  part  of  Northern  Illinois.  The  word  Winne- 
bago is  a  corruption  of  the  French  Ouinebe- 
goutz,  Ouimbegouc,  etc.,  the  diphthong  "ou" 
taking  the  jjlace  of  the  consonant  "w,"  which  is 
wanting  in  the  French  alphabet.  These  were, 
in  turn,  French  misspellings  of  an  xVlgonquin 
term  meaning  "fetid,"  which  the  latter  tribe 
applied  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  surpassed  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  Prairie  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,  as  a 
rule,  the  tribe,  if  left  to  itself,  was  disposed  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  super- 
stitious faith  in  "The  Prophet."  In  June  or 
July,  1827,  an  unprovoked  and  brutal  outrage  by 
the  whites  upon  an  unoffending  and  practically 
defenseless  party  of  Winnebagoes,  near  Prairie 
du  Chien  brought  on  what  is  known  as  the 
'Winnebago  War."  (See  Winyiebago  War.) 
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  1833  and  1837  the  Winnebagoes  ceded 
to  the  United  States  all  their  lands  lying  east  of 
the  Mississijipi.  They  were  finally  removed  west 
of  that  river,  and,  after  many  sbiftings  of  loca- 
tion, were  placed  upon  the  Omaha  Reservation  in 
Eastern  Nebraska,  where  their  industry,  thrift 
and  peaceable  disposition  elicited  high  praise 
from  Government  oflScials. 


IIISTOKICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


577 


WAR^'ER,  Vespasian,  lawyer  and  Member  of 
Congress,  was  born  in  De  Witt  County,  111.,  April 
23,  1843,  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,  1861,  serving  until  July,  18Gli,  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, 
when  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,  when  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  Agi-iculture  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 
west-northwest  of  Freeport  and  27  miles  east  by 
north  of  Galena.  The  surrounding  region  is 
agricultural  and  stock-raising;  there  are  also  lead 
mines  in  the  vicinity.  Tobacco  is  grown  to  some 
extent.  Warren  has  a  flouring  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),  1,337. 

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  "The  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    a*;    Batavia.    Ohio,    as  the  partner    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  office  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  stiunp,  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. 

WARREX,  Hooper,  pioneer  journalist,  was 
born  at  Walpole,  N.  H.,  in  1790;  learned  the  print- 
er's trade  on  the  Rutland  (Vt.)  "Herald";  in 
1814  went  to  Delaware,  whence,  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 
company  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  IlUnois 
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  by  the 
rejection  at  the  polls,  in  1824,  of  the  proposition 
for  a  Constitutional  Convention.  Warren  left 
the  Edwardsville  paper  in  183.5,  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  lie  sold  out  in  1839, 
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  County  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) — wiiich  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,  Johu  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  6,  1896. 
Mr.  Warren  was  author  of  several  volumes  of 
travel,  of  which  "An  Attache  in  Spain"  and 
"Para"  are  most  important. 

WARREN  COUNTY.  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  county -seat  and 


chief  city  is  Monmouth  (which  see).  Roseville 
is  a  shipping  point.  Population  (1880),  22,933. 
(1890),  21,281;  (1900),  23,163. 

WARRENSBURG,  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. 

WARSAW,  the  largest  town  in  Hancock 
County,  and  admirably  situated  for  trade.  It 
stands  on  a  bluff  on  the  Mississippi  River,  some 
three  uiiles  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  Fort 
Edwards,  established  by  Gen.  Zachary  Taylor, 
during  the  War  of  1812,  was  located  within  the 
limits  of  the  present  city  of  Warsaw,  opposite  the 
mouth  of  the  Des  Moines  River.  An  iron 
foundry,  a  large  woolen  mill,  a  plow  factory 
and  cooperage  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 
system  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. 

WASHBURN,  a  village  of  Woodford  County,  on 
a  branch  of  the  Chicago  &  Alton  Railway  25 
miles  northeast  of  Peoria;  has  banks  and  a 
weekly  paper;  the  district  is  agricultural.  Popu- 
lation (1890),  598;  (1900),  703. 

WASHBURNE,  Eliliu  Benjamin,  Congressman 
and  diplomatist,  was  born  at  Livermore,  Maine, 
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,  he  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  I'osition,  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  appointed  Secretary  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 


HISTOEICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


579 


honored  by  the  Governments  of  France  and  Ger- 
manj-  alike.  On  his  return  to  the  United  States, 
he  made  his  home  in  Chicago,  where  he  devoted 
his  latter  years  chiefly  to  Hterary  labor,  and 
where  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  farming  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  onto  some  extent,  among 
the  products  being  agricultural  implements, 
flour,  carriages  and  wagons.  The  most  impor- 
tant town  is  Nashville,  which  is  also  the  county- 
seat.  Population  (1890),  19,262;  (1900),  19,.526. 
"Washington  was  one  of  the  fifteen  counties  into 
which  Illinois  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,  13  miles  southwest  of  Chicago ; 
has  a  graded  school,  female  seminary,  military 
school,  a  car  factory,  several  churches  and  a 
newspaper.    Annexed  to  City  of  Chicago,  1890. 

WATAGA,  a  village  of  Knox  County,  on  the 
Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy  Railroad,  8  miles 
northeast  of  Galesburg.     Population  (1900),  545. 

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)   2.114- 


WATERMAN,  Arba  Nelson,  lawyer  and  jurist, 

was  born  at  Greensboro,  Orleans  County,  Vt., 
Feb.  3,  1830.  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  office. 
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  Court. 

WATSEKA,  the  county-seat  of  Iroquois  County, 
situated  on  the  Iroquois  River,  at  the  mouth  of 
Sugar  Creek,  and  at  the  intersection  of  the  Chi- 
cago &  Eastern  Illinois  and  the  Toledo,  Peoria  & 
Western  Railroads,  77  miles  south  of  Chicago.  46 
miles  north  of  Danville  and  14  miles  east  of 
Gilman.  It  has  fiour-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),"3, 017;  (1900),  3,505. 

WATTS,  Amos,  jurist,  was  born  in  St.  Clair 
County,  lU.,  Oct.  25,  1821,  but  removed  to  Wash- 
ington County  in  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,   III,  Dec.  6, 

WAUKEGAN,  the  county-seat   and   principal 

city  of  Lake  County,  situated  en  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,  Joliet 
&  Eastern  Railroad  and  connected  by  electric 
lines  with  Chicago  and  Fox  Lake.  Lake  Michigan 
is  about  80  miles  wide  opposite  this  point. 
Waukegan  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 
bluff,  which  rises  abruptly  to  the  height  of  about 


580 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLIXOIS. 


fifty  feet.  Between  the  bluff  and  the  shore  is  a 
flat  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  products,  sash,  doors  and  blinds, 
leather,  beer,  etc. ;  the  city  has  paved  streets,  gas 
and  electric  light  plants,  three  banks,  eight  or 
ten  churches,  graded  and  high  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. 

WAUKEGAJf  &  SOUTHWESTERN  RAIL- 
WAY.    (See  Elgin,  Joliet  &  Eastern  Railway. } 

WAVER LY,  a  city  in  Morgan  County,  18  miles 
southeast  of  Jacksonville,  on  the  Jacksonville  & 
St.  Louis  and  the  Chicago,  Peoria  &  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  graded  school,  six  or  seven 
churches,  two  banks,  two  newspapers  and  tile 
works.  Population  (1880),  1,134;  (1890),  1,337; 
(1900),  1,573. 

WAYNE,  (Gen.)  Anthony,  soldier,  was  born  in 
Chester  County,  Pa..  Jan.  1,  1745,  of  Anglo-Irish 
descent,  graduated  as  a  Surveyor,  and  first  prac- 
ticed his  profession  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  1767, 
where  he  became  a  member  of  the  "Committee  of 
Safety."  On  June  3,  1776,  he  was  commissioned 
Colonel  of  the  Fom-th  Regiment  of  Pennsylvania 
troops  in  the  Continental  army,  and,  dm-ing  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 
having  been  carried  and  Wayne  having  received, 
what  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  United  States  Army,  on 
nomination  of  President  Washington.  His  con- 
nection with  Illinois  history  began  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 
Treaty  of  Greenville,  as  broad  in  its  provisions  as 
it  was  far-reaching  in  its  influence.  He  was  a 
daring  fighter,  and  although  Washington  called 
him  "prudent,"  his  dauntlessness  earned  for  him 
the  sobriquet  of  "Mad  Anthony."  In  matters  of 
dress  he  was  punctilious,  and,  on  this  account, 
he  was  sometimes  dubbed  "Dandy  Wayne.''  He 
was  one  of  the  few  white  officers  whom  aU  the 
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  Pennsylvania  Historical  Society 
erected  a  marble  monument  over  his  grave,  and 
appropriately  dedicated  it  on  July  4  of  the  same 
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.  Anthony 
Wayne.  The  county  is  watered  and  drained  by 
the  Little  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  fii-st  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  2.5  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  county-seat.  Population 
(1880),  21,291;  (1890),  23,806;  (1900),  27,626. 

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  colonists.  In  1718  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 


HISTOrilCAL   EXCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


58i 


constant  warfare  and  disease,  and,  in  the  end, 
debauchery  enervated  and  demoralized  them. 
They  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  with  their  few  remain- 
ing brethren  of  the  Miamis  and  with  the  remnant 
of  the  lU-i-ni  under  the  title  of  the  "confederated 
tribes,"  and  settled  in  Indian  Territory.  (See  also 
Mia  m  is:  Pia  n kesli a  ics. ) 

WEBB,  Edwin  B.,  early  lawyer  and  politician, 
was  born  about  1802,  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 
Assembly,  serving,  by  successive  re-electious, 
until  1843,  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  1887,  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 
Judge  W.  B.  Scates.  While  practicing  law  at 
Garmi,  he  was  also  a  partner  of  his  brother  in 
the  mercantile  business.  Died,  Oct.  14,  1858,  in 
the  .^Gth  year  of  his  age. 

WEBB,  Henry  Livingston,  soldier  and  pioneer 
(an  elder  brother  of  James  Watson  Webb,  a  noted 
New  York  journalist),  was  born  at  Claverack. 
N.  Y.,  Feb.  6,  1795;  served  as  a  soldier  in  the 
War  of  1813,  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  Eleventli  General 
Assemblies,  a  Major  in  the  Black  Hawk  AVar  and 
Captain  of  volunteers  and.  afterwards.  Colonel  of 
regulars,  in  the  Mexican  War.  In  18G0  he  went 
to  Texas  and  served,  for  a  time,  in  a  semi-mili- 
tary capacity  under  the  Confederate  Govern- 
ment; returned  to  Illinois  in  1869,  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  liaving  been  appointed  Secretary  of  State 


in  1841,  the  son  became  his  private  secretary, 
was  also  Secretary  of  Legation  to  Caleb  Cushing 
(^Minister  to  China)  in  1843,  a  member  of  the 
JIassachusetts  Legislature  in  1847,  and  Smweyor 
of  the  Port  of  Boston,  1850-61;  the  latter  year 
became  Colonel  of  the  Twelfth  Massachusetts 
Volunteers,  and  was  killed  in  the  second  battle 
of  Bull  Run,  August  30,  1863. 

WEBSTER,  Joseph  Dana,  civil  engineer  and 
soldier,  was  born  at  Old  Hampton.  N.  H., 
August  35,  1811.  He  graduated  from  Dart- 
mouth College  in  1833,  and  afterwards  read 
law  at  Newbirryport,  IMass.  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  United  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  JIajor,  and,  in  February,  1862.  Colonel  of 
the  First  Illinois  Artillery.  For  several  months 
he  was  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  Chief 
of  Artillery.  In  October,  1863,  the  War  Depart- 
ment detailed  him  to  make  a  survey  of  the  Illi- 
nois &  Michigan  Canal,  and,  the  following  month, 
he  %vas  commissioned  Brigadier-General  of 
Volunteers,  serving  as  Military  Governor  of  Mem- 
phis and  Superintendent  of  military  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  1873  he  was  Assessor  of  Internal  Revenue 


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.  23,  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  his  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. 

WELDON,  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  the  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  Claims  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 
County  on  the  west  to  Vermilion  on  the  east,  and 
of  which  Judge  David  Davis,  afterwards  of  the 
Supreme  Com-t  of  the  United  States  and  United 
States  Senator,  was  the  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.,  Blay  9,  1839,  and 
enjoyed  only  such  educational  and  other  advan- 
tages as  belonged  to  the  average  New  England 
boy  of  that  period.  During  his  boyhood  Ids 
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  1886  he  was  elected  to  the 
House  of  Representatives  from  Adams  County, 
as  a  Democrat,  and  re-elected  two  years  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  the  Fortieth  General  Assem- 
blies— placed  him  at  the  head  of  the  Democratic 
side  of  ithe  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  boy  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  agaiu.st  his  own  race,  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  companj'  of  scouts.  After  the  treaty  of 
Greenville  (1795)  he  settled  on  a  farm  near  Fort 
Wayne,  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  the  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  August  13,  he  marched  out  of  the 
fort  with  fifteen  of   his  dusky  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  out  off  and  his 
heart  taken  out.  He  was  an  uncle  of  Mrs.  Heald, 
wife  of  the  commander  of  Fort  Dearborn. 

WELLS,  William  Harvey,  educator,  was  born 
in  Tolland,  Conn.,  Feb.  27,  1812;  lived  on  a  farm 
imtil  17  years  old,  attending  school  irregularlj% 
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.  21,  188.5. 

WENONA,  city  on  the  eastern  border  of  Mar- 
shall County,  30  miles  south  of  La  Salle,  has 
zinc  works,  public  and  parochial  schools,  a 
weekly  paper,  two  banks,  and  five  churches.  A 
good  quality  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  he  became  editor  of  "The  Chicago  Demo- 
crat, ' '  which  had  been  estabUshed  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  ■24,  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  Missouri  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  1862,  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 
Greelev  movement,   luit  later  renewed  his  alle- 


giance to  the  Republican  party.  In  1878  Mr.  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  2,  1814;  came  with  his 
father  to  Illinois  in  1818;  in  1829  became  a  clerk 
in  the  Recorder's  oflSce  at  EdwardsviUe,  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-offlcio  Superintendent  of  Schools,  and  Delegate 
to  the  Constitutional  Convention  of  1847.  In  1867, 
in  conjunction  with  W.  R.  Prickett,  he  established 
a  bank  at  EdwardsviUe,  with  which  he  was  con- 
nected until  his  death,  Oct.  31,  1887.  Mr.  West 
officiated  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  Galesbm-g,  lU.,  July  31,  1837; 
graduated  at  Knox  Seminary  in  1854  and  taught 
until  1873,  when  she  was  elected  County  Super- 
intendent of  Schools,  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,  1893. 
WESTERN  HOSPITAL  FOR  THE  IKSASiE, 
an  institution  for  tlie  treatment  of  the  insane, 
located  at  Watertown,  Rock  Island  County,  in 
accordance  with  an  act  of  the  General  Assembly, 
approved.  May  22,  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 


584 


HISTORICAL   EXCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


of  land  valued  at  840, 000.  The  site  selected  bj-  the 
Commissioners,  is  a  commanding  one  overlooking 
the  Mississippi  River,  eight  miles  above  Rock 
Island,  and  Ave  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  Chicago,  Milwaukee  &  St.  Paul  and 
the  Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quiiicy — 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  MILITARY  ACADEMY,  an  insti 
tution  located  at  Upper  Alton,  JIadison  County, 
incorporated  in  1892 ;  has  a  faculty  of  eight  mem- 
bers and  reports  eighty  pupils  for  1897-98,  with 
property  valued  at  §70,000.  The  institution  gives 
instruction  in  literary  and  scientific  branches, 
besides  preparatory  and  business  courses. 

WESTERN  NORMAL  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  &  Quincy  Rail- 
road, 15  miles  west  of  the  initial  station. 
Population  (1890),  451;  (liiOO),  662. 

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  Wheeler, 
and  was  opened  for  students  two  years  later.  It 
has  two  buildings,  of  a  superior  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  conducted  on  the  first  floor  of 
the  main  building,  which  is  known  as  Wheeler 
Hall.  The  institution  is  under  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.  &  Dayton  R.  R. ,  10  m.  s -e.  of  Charleston; 
seat  of  Westfield  College;  has  a  bank,  five 
churches  and  two  newspapers.     Pop.  (1900),  820. 

WEST  SALEM,  a  town  of  Edwards  County,  on 
the  Peoria-Evans ville  Div.  111.  Cent.  R.  R.,  12 
miles  nortlieast  of  Albion;  has  a  bank  and  a 
weekly  paper.     Pop.  (1890),  476;  (1900),  7(J0. 

WETHERELL,  Emma  Abbott,  vocalist,  was 
born  in  Chicago,  Dec.  9,  1849;  in  her  childhood 
attracted  attention  while  singing  with  her  father 
(a  poor  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  by  Henry  Ward 
Beecher  and  others,  and  aided  in  securing  the 
training  of  European  masters.  Compelled  to  sur- 
mount 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.  Miss  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,  25  miles  west  of  Chicago.  Agri- 
culture and  stock-raising  are  the  chief  industries 
in  the  surrounding  region.  The  city  owns  a  new 
water-works  plant  (costing  860,000)  and  has  a 
public  library  valued  at  875,000,  the  gift  of  a 
resident,  Mr.  John  Quincy  Adams ;  has  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  Wheaton  College  (which 
see)  Population  (1880),  1,160;  (1890),  1,622; 
(1900).  2,34.5. 

WHEATON  COLLEGE,  an  educational  insti- 
tution located  at  Wheaton,  Du  Page  County,  and 
under  Congregational  control.  It  was  founded 
in  1853,  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  been  established  on  a  better  foundation,  in 
1898  having  854,000  invested  in  productive  funds, 
and  property  aggregating  8136,000.  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, 
music  and  classical  literature. 

WHEELER,  David  Hilton,  D.D.,  LL.D., clergy- 
man, was  born  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 
English  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  University  in  1881.  He 
is  the  author  of   "Brigandage  in  South  Italy" 


HISTOrJCAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF    ILLINOIS. 


ObO 


(two  volumes,  1864)  <and  "Bj'-Waj^s  of  Literature" 
(1883),  besides  some  translations. 

WHEELER,  Hamilton  K.,  ex-Congressman,  , 
was  born  at  Ballstou,  N.  Y.,  August  5,  1848,  but 
emigrated  with  his  parents  to  Illinois  in  1832; 
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  189'2  he  was  elected  Representative  in  Con- 
gress from  the  Ninth  Illinois  District,  on  the 
Republican  ticket. 

■WHEELIXtr,  a  town  on  the  northern  border  of 
Cook  County,  on  the  Wisconsin  Central  Railway. 
Population  (1890),  811;  (1900),  331. 

WHISTLER,  (Maj.)  John,  soldier  and  builder 
of  the  first  Fort  Dearborn,  was  born  in  Ulster,  Ire- 
land, about  1756 ;  served  under  Bm-goyne  in  the 
Revolution,  and  was  with  the  force  surrendered 
by  that  officer  at  Saratoga,  in  1777.  After  the 
peace  he  returned  to  the  United  States,  settled  at 
Hagerstown,  Md.,  and  entered  the  United  States 
Army,  serving  at  first  in  the  ranks  and  being 
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  Major,  in  181.5  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  he  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  gi-andson 
of  the  first  Major  Whistler. 

WHITE,  George  E.,  ex-Congressman,  was  bom 
in  Jlassachusetts  in  1848;  after  graduating,  at  the 
age  of  16,  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 
successfully  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 
declined  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 
European  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,  JnUus,  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. 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


He  resigned  in  1864,  and,  in  March,  I860,  -was 
brevetted  Major-General  of  Volunteers.  Died, 
at  Evauston,  May  12,  1890. 

WHITE  COUNTY,  situated  in  the  southeastern 
quarter  of  the  State,  and  bounded  on  the  east  by 
the  Wabasli  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  establishments 
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;  (1900),  25,3S6. 

WHITEHALL,  a  city  in  Greene  County,  at  the 
intersection  of  the  Chicago  &  Alton  and  the 
Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quiney  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 
houises;  also  has  Ave  churches,  a  graded  school, 
t  wo  banks  and  three  newspapers — one  daily.  Pop- 
ulation (1890),  1,961;  (1900).  2,030. 

WHITEHOUSE,  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  York  imtil  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  tliat 
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 


1830,  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 
anrl  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;  (]8;)0),  30.854;  (1900),  34.710. 

WHITESIDE,  William,  pioneer  and  soldier  of 
the  Revolution,  emigrated  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  William  B. 
and  Samuel,  sons  of  tlie  two  brothers,  respec- 
tive!}'. All  of  them  became  famous  as  Indian 
fighters.  The  two  latter  served  as  Captains  of 
companies  of  "Rangers"  in  the  War  of  1812, 
Samuel  taking  part  in  the  battle  of  Rock  Island 
in  1814,  and  contributing  greatly  to  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  nmnber  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 
Foui'teenth  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  Duel.f. ) 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


5S7 


WHITING,  Lorenzo  D.,  legislator,  was  born 
in  Wayne  County,  N.  Y.,  Nov.  17,  1819;  came  to 
lUiiiiiis  in  1S38,  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. 

WHITINdi,  Richard  H.,  Congressman,  was 
born  at  West  Hartford,  Conn.,  June  17,  18'26,  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  liis 
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,  then  became  a 
teacher  at  Atlas,  Pike  County,  and,  still  later,  the 
first  Circuit  and  County  Clerk  of  that  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  lobbyists  and  visit- 
ors about  the  capital— of  which  there  were  an 
unusual  number  in  those  days— into  what  was 
called  the  "Third  House."  Having  been  regu- 
larly chosen  to  preside  under  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  j-ears. 
WHITTEMORE,  Floyd  K.,  State  Treasurer,  is 
a  native  of  New  Y'ork,  came  at  an  early  age,  with 
his  parents,  to  Sycamore,  111.,  where  lie  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  tlie  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  WulfE.  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.  32,  1819;  came  to  Sprin,gfield,  111,,  in  1843, 
and  served  as  a  member  of  the  Fourth  Regiment 
Illinois  Volunteers  (Col.  E.  D.  Baker's)  through 
the  Mexican  War.  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,  until  May,  1864, 
when,  his  regiment  liaving  been  consolidated 
with  the  Fifteenth  Cavalry,  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  the  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  (1824-38). 
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 


HISTORICAL   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  Scliool,  graduating  there  in  1859. 
Immediately  thereafter  he  opened  an  office  at 
Pittsfield,  111.,  and  has  resided  there  ever  since. 
In  politics  he  has  always  been  a  strong  Democrat. 
He  served  two  terms  in  the  Legislature  (1863-67) 
and,  in  1874,  was  chosen  Representative  from  his 
District  in  Congress,  being  re-elected  in  1888  and, 
again,  in  1890.  In  1893  he  was  appointed  by 
President  Cleveland  Third  Assistant  Secretary 
of  the  Treasury,  which  position  he  continued 
to  fill  until  March,  1897,  when  he  resumed  the 
practice  of  law  at  Pittsfield.  Died  Jan.  15,  1901 
WILEY,  (Col.)  Benjamin  Ladd,  soldier,  was 
born  in  Smithfield,  Jefferson  County,  Ohio, 
March  25,  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 
Mexico  until  mustered  out  in  1848.  A  year  later 
he  removed  to  Jonesboro,  where  lie  spent  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 
years.  In  1856  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  825  in  the 
same  district.  lu  1857  he  opened  a  real  estate 
office  in  Jonesboro  in  conjimction  with  David  L. 
Phillips  and  Col.  J.  W.  Ashley,  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  Missouri 
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- 
bvu-g,  having  command  of  the  right  \\ing  of 
General  Grant's  cavah-y.  Being  disabled  by 
rheumatism  at  the  end  of  the  siege,  he  tendered 
his  resignation,  and  was  immediately  ajipointed 
Enrolling  Officer  at  Cairo,  serving  in  this  capac- 
ity imtil  May,  1865,  when  he  was  mustered  out. 
In  1869  he  was  appointed  by  Governor  Palmer 
one  of  the  Commissioners  to  locate  the  Southern 
Illinois  Hospital  for  the  Insane,   and  served  as 


Secretary  of  the  Board  until  the  institution  was 
opened  at  Anna,  in  May,  1871.  In  1869  he  was 
defeated  as  a  candidate  for  County  Judge  of 
Jackson  County,  and,  in  1872,  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  District.  In  the  latter 
years  of  his  life.  Colonel  Wiley  was  engaged  quite 
extensively  in  fruit-growing  at  Makanda,  Jack- 
son County,  where  he  died,  March  22,  1890. 

WILKIE,  Franc  Bansrs,  journalist,  was  born 
in  Saratoga  County,  N.  Y.,  July  2,  1830;  took  a 
partial  course  at  Union  College,  after  which  he 
edited  papers  at  Schenectady,  N.  Y.,  Elgin,  lU., 
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  1868  he  became  an  editorial  writer  on  "The 
Chicago  Times,"  remaining  with  that  paper, 
with  the  exception  of  a  brief  interval,  until  1888 
— a  part  of  the  time  as  its  European  correspond- 
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 
12,  1892. 

WILKIJf,  Jacob  W.,  Justice  of  the  Supreme 
Court,  was  born  in  Licking  County,  Ohio,  Jime 
7,  1837;  removed  with  his  parents  to  Illinois,  at 
12  years  of  age,  and  was  educated  at  McKendree 
College ;  served  three  years  in  the  War  for  the 
Union;  studied  law  with  Judge  Scholfield  and 
was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1866.  In  1872,  he  was 
chosen  Presidential  Elector  on  the  Republican 
ticket,  and,  in  1879,  elected  Judge  of  the  Circuit 
Court  and  re-elected  in  1885 — the  latter  year 
being  assigned  to  tlie  Appellate  bench  for  the 
Fourth  District,  where  he  remained  until  his 
election  to  the  Supreme  bench  in  1888,  being 
re-elected  to  the  latter  office  in  1897.  His  home 
is  at  Danville. 

WILKINSON,  Ira  0.,  lawyer  and  Judge,  was 
born  in  Virginia  in  1822,  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  Thomas,  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   EXCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


5S9 


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.  1894. 

WILKISfSON,  John  P.,  early  merchant,  was 
born,  Dec.  14,  1790,  in  New  Kent  County,  Va., 
emigrated  first  to  Kentucky,  and,  in  1828,  settled 
in  Jacksonville,  III.,  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  physician  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  Coimty  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.  WiU  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  COUXTT,  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  1829,  when  white  settlers  were  fe%v.  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  fied  from  the  country 
during   (or  after)   a    raid  by   the  Sac   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  cliief  industries.  Joliet,  Lockport  and  Wil- 
mington are  the  principal  towns.  Population 
(1880),  53,422;  (1890),  62,007;  (1900),  74,764. 

WILLAED,  Frances  Elizabeth,  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  Geuessee  Wesleyan 
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  (vrho  had 
died),  as  editor  of  "The  Chicago  Evening  Post," 
but,  a  few  months  later,  withdrew,  and,  in  1883, 
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  women  in  the  Orient.  Miss  Willard 
was  a  prolific  and  highly  valued  contributor  to 
the  magazines,  and  (besides  numerous  pamphlets) 
published  several  volumes,  including  "Nineteen 
Beautiful  Years"  (a  tribute  to  her  sister): 
"Woman  in  Temperance";  "How  to  Win,"  and 


590 


niSTOPtlCAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


"Woman  in  the  Pulpit."     Died,  in  New  York, 
Feb.  18,  1S98. 

WILLAKD,  Samuel,  A.M.,  M.D.,  LL.U.,  phy- 
sician and  educator,  was  born  in  Luneuberg, 
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  CarroUton,  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  class  in  Illinois  College 
at  Jacksonville,  but  withdrew  the  following  year, 
re-entering  college  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  from  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 
We.stern  Temperance  Magazine"  at  the  same 
place.  In  1849  he  began  the  practice  of  his  pro- 
fession at  St.  Louis,  but  the  next  year  removed 
to  Collinsville,  111. ,  remaining  until  1857,  when  he 
took  charge  of  the  Department  of  Languages  in 
the  newly  organized  State  Normal  University  at 
Normal.  The  second  year  of  the  Civil  War  (1862) 
he  enlisted  as  a  private  in  the  Ninety-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  ]«ralysis,  in  February,  1863, 
he  wascoiii|"lli<l  f  nsi^n,  when  he  had  sufSci- 
ently  recovcifJ  acccpliug  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  t%vo  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 
prosecutions  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  estimable  gentleman." 

WILLIAMS,  Archibald,  lawyer  and  jurist, 
was  born  in  Montgomery  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  House,  1836-40 ;  was  United  States  District 
Attorney  for  the  Southern  District  of  Illinois,  by 
appointment  of  President  Taylor,  1849-53;  was 
twice  the  candidate  of  his  party  (the  Whig)  for 
United  States  Senator,  and  appointed  by  Presi- 
dent Lincoln,  in  1861,  United  States  District 
Judge  for  the  State  of  Kansas.  His  abilities  and 
high  character  were  widely  recognized.  Died, 
in  Quincy,  Sept.  21,  1863 — His  son,  John  H.,  an 
attorney  at  Quincy,  served  as  Judge  of  the  Cir- 
cuit Court  1879-85.— Another  son,  Ahraham  Lin- 
coln, was  twice  elected  Attorney-General  of 
Kansas. 

WILLIAMS,  Erastus  Smith,  lawyer  and  ju- 
rist, was  born  at  Salem,  N.  Y.,  May  32,  1821.  In 
1843  he  removed  to  Chicago,  where,  after  reading 
law,  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1844.  In  1854 
he  was  appointed   Master    in   Chancery,   which 


IIISTOmCAL   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  18T0  he  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  RepubUcan,  but 
was  defeated  with  the  party  ticket.  After  his 
retirement  from  the  bench  he  resumed  private 
practice.     Died,  Feb.  24,  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  newlj-  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  his  native  State;  then,  joining  his  parents, 
who  had  settled  on  a  tract  of  land  in  a  part  of 
Sangamon  (now  Menard)  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 
tlie  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 
officer  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  class  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  Gen.  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  1880  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 


592 


IIISTOEICAL   EXCYCLOPEDIA    OF    ILLIXOI.- 


he  reached  tlie  age  of  IT  years,  when  he  entered 
Washington  College,  remaining  for  more  than  a 
year.  He  then  began  teaching,  and,  in  1845 
went  to  Kentucky,  where  he  pursued  the  business 
of  a  teacher  for  four  years.  Then  he  entered 
Bethany  College  in  West  Virginia,  at  the  same 
time  prosecuting  liis  law  studies,  but  left  at  the 
close  of  his  junior  year,  when,  having  been 
licensed  to  practice,  he  remored  to  Clinton, 
Texas.  Here  he  accepted,  from  a  retired  lawyer, 
the  loan  of  a  law  library,  which  he  afterwards 
purchased;  served  for  two  years  as  State's  Attor- 
ney, and,  in  1856,  came  to  Bloomington,  111., 
where  he  spent  the  remainder  of  his  life  in  the 
practice  of  his  profession.  Much  of  his  time  was 
devoted  to  practice  as  a  railroad  attorney,  espe- 
cially in  connection  with  the  Chicago  &  Alton  and 
the  Illinois  Central  Railroads,  in  which  he 
acquired  prominence  and  wealth.  He  was  a  life- 
long Democrat  and,  in  1868,  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  Bloomington,  Feb. 
15,  1899. 

WILLIAMS,  Samuel,  Bank  President,  was  born 
in  Adams  County,  Ohio,  July  11,  1820;  came  to 
Winnebago  County,  111.,  in  1835,  and,  in  1843, 
removed  to  Iroquois  County,  where  he  held  vari- 
ous local  offices,  including  that  of  County  Judge, 
to  which  he  was  elected  in  1861.  During  his 
later  years  he  had  been  President  of  the  Watseka 
Citizens'  Bank.     Died,  June  16,  1896. 

WILLIAMSON,  Rollin  Samuel,  legislator  and 
jurist,  was  born  at  Cornwall,  Vt.,  May  23,  1839. 
At  the  age  of  14  he  went  to  Baston,  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,  through  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. 

WILLIAMSON  COUNTY,  in  the  southern  part 
of  the  State,  originally  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.  AU  the 
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) 

WILLIAMSVILLE,  village  of  Sangamon  Coun- 
ty, on  Chicago  it  Alton  Railroad,  12  miles  north 
of  Springfield;  has  a  bank,  elevator,  3  churches, 
a  newspaper  and  coal-mines.  Pop.  (1900),  578. 

WILLIS,  Jonathan  Clay,  soldier  and  former 
Railroad  and  Warehouse  Conunissioner,  was  born 
in  Sumner  County,  Tenn.,  June  27,  1826;  brought 
to  Gallatin  County,  111.,  in  1834,  and  settled  at 
Golconda  in  1848;  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  i"? 
the  Twenty-sixth  General  Assembly  (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  Chicago  &  Northwestern 
Railroad,  a  handsome  suburb  of  Chicago  on  the 
shore  of  Lake  Michigan;  principal  streets  paved 
and  shaded  witli  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,  churches 
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,  %vas  bom 
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  his  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    ILLIXOIS. 


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 
api^ointed  Secretary  of  the  American  Legation  at 
London,  serving  with  the  late  Minister  Charles 
Francis  Adams,  until  1864.  when  he  resigned  and 
resumed  his  connection  with  "The  Journal."  In 
1875  his  health  began  to  fail,  and  three  years 
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,  18T8. — 
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 
b''other  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,  184T,  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,  hj  Presi- 
dent Taylor,  Postmaster  of  the  city  of  Chicago, 
but.  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  Ea vei- 
lings from  a  Long  Yarn."  Died,  December,  1850. 
— 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  Grant,  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 
famity  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  opened  an 
office  at  Elgin,  and,  for  ten  3'ears  "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  resimied  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  (Jrant,  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  vmder 
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-camp,  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- 
quent contributor  to  American  and  Em-opean 
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 
"Appleton'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- 


504 


HISTOEICAL   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  JIcKendree  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  Topo- 
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, 
1863;  was  Chief  Topographical  Engineer  and 
Inspector-General  of  the  Army  of  the  Tennessee 
until  October,  1863,  being  actively  engaged  in 
the  operations  around  Vieksburg;  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  Chattanooga  and  Missionary  Ridge,  and 
for  the  relief  of  Knoxville.  Later,  he  was  placed 
in  command  of  the  Third  Division  of  the  cavalry 
corps  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac,  serving  from 
May  to  August,  1864,  under  General  Sheridan. 
Subsequently  he  was  transferred  to  the  Depart- 
ment of  the  Mississippi,  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,  388  guns  and  6,830  prison- 
ers— among  the  latter  being  Jefferson  Davis.  He 
was  mustered  out  of  the  volunteer  service  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  1824 — the  classmate  of  Frank- 
lin Pierce  and  Nathaniel  Hawthorne ;  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.     Died.  Dec.  7,  1883. 

WILSON,  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. 

WILSON,  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  removed  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  Washington  City  under 
command  of  Cassius  M.  Clay,  for  guard  duty 
until  the  arrival  of  the  Seventh  New  York  Regi- 
ment. He  subsequently  assisted  in  raising 
troops  in  Illinois,  was  appointed  Paymaster  by 
Lincoln,  serving  at  Washington,  St.  Louis,  and, 
after  the  fall  of  Vieksburg,  at  Springfield — being 
mustered  out  in  November,  1865.  Died,  in  White- 
side County,  1880. 

WILSON,  Robert  S.,  lawyer  and  jurist,  was 
born  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 


IIISTOKICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


505 


ami  State  Senator;  in  1850  came  to  Chicago,  was 
elected  Judge  of  the  Recorder's  Court  in  1853, 
and  re-elected  in  1S58,  serving  ten  j-ears,  and 
proving  "a  terror  to  evil-doers."  Died,  at  Law- 
rence. Mich.,  Dec.  23,  1883. 

WILSO\,  William,  early  juiist,  was  born  in 
Loudoun  County,  Va.,  April  27,  179-1;  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  liis 
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 
oflace  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 
1848— a  period  of  over  twenty-nine  years,  and, 
with  the  exception  of  Judge  Browne's,  the  long- 
est term  of  service  in  the  histor}'  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  liim,  "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  Beardstowu 
and  84  miles  north  by  west  of  St.  Louis.  Wliile 
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  miners. 
There  are  four  Protestant  and  one  Catholic 
church,  a  court  house,  a  high  school,  a  graded 
school  building,  two  banks  and  two  weekly  new.s- 
papers.  Population  (1880),  1,G2G;  (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  north- 
east of  Shelby  ville.  Population  (1880),  768; 
fl890),  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  Churcli  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 
Conferehce  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"  jjlan,  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  formerljr  held  by  his  father,  Enoch  Cobb 
Wines.  D.D.,  LL.D.  After  the  inaugm-ation  of 
Governor  Tanner  in  1897,  he  resumed  his  former 
position  of  Secretary  of  the  Board  of  Public 
Charitie>5,  remaining  until  1899,  when  he  again 
tendered  his  resignation,  having  received  the 
appointment  to  the  position  of  Assistant  Director 


59G 


HISTOEIGAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


of  the  Twelfth  Census,  wliieh  he  now  holds.  He 
is  the  author  of  "Crime  and  Reformation'"  (1895) ; 
of  a  voluminous  series  of  reports ;  also  of  numer- 
ouo  pamphlets  and  brochures,  among  which  may 
be  mentioned  "The  County  Jail  System;  An 
Argument  for  its  Abolition"  (1878) ;  "The  Kanka- 
kee Hospital"  (1882);  "Provision  for  the  Insane 
in  the  United  States"  (1885);  "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  Academy,  East  Hamnton,  Mass.,  after  which 
he  entered  Middlebury  College,  Vt.,  taking  a 
classical  course  and  graduating  there.  He  after- 
wards became  a  student  in  the  law  department 
of  Columbia  College.  N.  Y.,  graduating  in  1871, 
being  admitted  to  the  bar  the  same  year  and 
commencing  practice  in  New  York  City.  In  1879 
he  came  to  Springfield,  111.,  and  was,  for  a  time, 
identified  with  the  bar  of  that  city.  Later,  he 
removed  to  Chicago,  where  he  has  been  engaged 
in  literary  and  journalistic  work. 

WINNEBAGO  COUNTY,  situated  in  the 
"northern  tier,"  bordering  on  the  Wisconsin 
State  line ;  was  organized,  under  an  act  passed  in 
1836,  from  La  Salle  and  Jo  Daviess  Counties,  and 
has  an  area  of  552  square  miles.  The  county  is 
drained  by  the  Rock  and  Pecatonica  Rivers. 
The  surface  is  rolling  prairie  and  the  soil  fertile. 
The  geology  is  simple,  the  quaternary  deposits 
being  underlaid  by  the  Galena  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  side  of  the  Rock  River,  and  the  Potta- 
watomies  on  the  east,  but  both  tribes  removed 
westward  in  1835.  (As  to  manufacturing  inter- 
ests, see  Rockford.)  Population  (1880),  30,505; 
(1890),  39,938;  (1900),  47,845 

WINNEBAGO  WAR.  The  name  given  to  an 
Indian  disturbance  whicli  had  its  origin  in  1827, 
during  the  administration  of  Gov.  Ninian 
Edwards.  The  Indians  had  been  quiet  since  the 
conclusion  of  tlie  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.  Meanwhile,  600 
United  States  Regular  Infantry,  under  command 


of  Gen.  Henry  Atkinson,  put  in  an  appearance. 
Besides  the  infantry,  Atkinson  had  at  his  disposal 
some  130  mounted  sharpshooters.  The  origin  of 
the  disturbance  was  as  follows:  The  Winne- 
bagoes  attacked  a  band  of  Chippewas,  who  were 
(by  treaty)  under  Government  potection,  several 
of  the  latter  being  killed.  For  participation  in 
this  offense,  four  Winnebago  Indians  were  sum- 
marily apprehended,  surrendered  to  the  Chippe- 
was and  shot.  Meanwhile,  some  dispute  had 
arisen  as  to  the  title  of  the  lands,  claimed  by  the 
Winnebagoes  in  the  vicinity  of  Galena,  which 
had  been  occupied  by  white  miners.  Repeated 
acts  of  hostility  and  of  reprisal,  along  the  Upper 
Mississippi,  intensified  mutual  distrust.  A  gather- 
ing of  the  Indians  around  two  keel-boats,  laden 
with  supplies  for  Fort  Snelling,  which  had 
anchored  near  Prairie  du  Chien  and  opposite  a 
Winnebago  camp,  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  hundred  warriors  assembled 
to  avenge  the  deception  which  had  been  practiced 
upon  them.  They  laid  in  ambush  for  the  boats 
on  their  return  trip.  Tlie  first  passed  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  sui^erior 
intelligence  and  noble  character.  A  treaty  of 
peace  was  concluded  with  the  Winnebagoes  in  a 
council  held  at  Prairie  du  Chien,  a  few  months 
later,  but  the  affair  seems  to  have  produced  as 
much  alarm  among  the  Indians  as  it  did  among 
the  whites.  (For  Winnebago  Indians  see  puge  576.) 

WINNETKA,  a  village  of  Cook  County,  on  the 
Chicago  &  Northwestern  Railway,  I6V2  miles 
north  of  Chicago.  It  stands  eiglity  feet  above 
the  level  of  Lake  Michigan,  has  good  schools 
(being  the  seat  of  the  AVinnetka  Institute),  sev- 
eral churches,  and  is  a  popular  residence  town. 
Population  (1880),  584;  (1890),  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  1835,  left 
an    orphan    at    12,   and    attended  the    common 


IlISTOlill'AL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


597 


schools  until  18,  when,  retm-ning  to  Georgia,  lie 
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  lSo3,  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  Southern,  the  Chicago, 
Rock  Island  &  Pacific  and  the  Pittsbm-gh,  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  foreign 
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  Packwaukee  &  ilontebello  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  Wisconsin  Central  system, 
with  the  exception  of  the  W'isconsin  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 
W^isconsin  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  Company  executed 
a  lease  to  the  Northern  Pacific  Raih-oad,  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  2,58.90— 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  & 
Wisconsin  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  childhood,  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  Yale  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— tlie  first  Agent— who 
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- 
CA60.  (See  Northwestern  University  Woman's 
Medical  School.) 


508 


HISTC'IJIOAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF    ILLINOIS. 


WOMAN  SUFFRAGE.     (See  Suffrage.) 

WOOD,  Benson,  lawj'er  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  citj-  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 
uniformly  returned  a  Democrat,  and.  in  office, 
proved  himself  a  most  industrious  and  efficient 
member.  Mr.  Wood  was  defeated  as  a  candidate 
for  re-election  in  1896. 

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  31  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  Assemblies,  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, William  H.)  He  was  succeeded  by  Richard 
Yates  in  1861.  In  February  of  that  year  he- was 
appointed  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-General  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  (100-days'  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,  which  was  appropriately  dedicated, 
July  4,  1883. 

WOODFORD  COUXTY,  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  Paso  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  (1890),  21,429;  (1900),  21,822. 

WOODHULL,  a  village  of  Henry  County,  on 
Keithsburg  branch  Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy 
Railroad,  15  miles  west  of  Galva;  has  a  bank, 
electric  lights,  water  works,  brick  and  tile  works, 
six  churches  and  weekly  paper.     Pop.  (1900),  774. 

WOODMAN,  Charles  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  I860, 
following  the  life  of  a  sailor  until  1868,  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  born  at  Greenville, 
Pa.,  April  17,  1840;  came  with  his  parents  to  Illi- 
nois in  1842,  the  family  settling  at  Barry,  Pike 
County,  but  subsequently  residing  at  Pittsfleld, 
Canton  and  Galesburg.  He  was  educated  at 
Knox  College  in  the  latter  place,  which  was  his 
home  from  1849  to  "58;  later,  taught  school  in 
Iowa  and  Missouri  untU  1861,  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  mustering 
and  disbursing  office,  he  was  promoted  by  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  Army  of  the  Tennessee,  in  the  Atlanta 
campaign,  he  took  part  in  the  "Blarch  to  the 
Sea."  and  the  campaign  in  the  Carolinas.  includ- 


IILSTOKICL\L    KXCYCLOI'EDIA    OV    ILLINOIS. 


599 


ing  the  siege  of  Savannah  and  the  forcing  of  the 
SaLkahatchie,  where  he  distinguished  himself,  as 
also  in  the  talking  of  Coluuibia,  Fayetteville, 
Cheraw,  Raleigh  and  Bentonville.  At  the  latter 
place  he  had  a  liorse  shot  under  him  and  won  the 
brevet  rank  of  Major  for  gallantr}'  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  ofiacer  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  construction 
from  1872  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  Grand  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 
■ofiScial  order  bears  his  name  as  the  first  Adjutant- 
General  of  the  Order,  as  follows: 


III.. 


■General  Orders  i. 


\  The  following  named  officers  are  hereby 
.appointed  and  assigned  to  duty  at  these  headquarters.  They 
-will  be  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,  Adjutant-General. 

Captain  John  A.  Lightfoot,  Assistant  Adjutant-General. 

Cap*ain  John  S.  Phelps,  Aid-de-Camp. 

By  order  of  B.  F.  Stephenson,  Department  Commander. 

KOBERT  M.  Woods, 

Adjutant-General. 

Major  Woods  afterwards  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. 


WOODSOX,  David  Meade,  lawyer  and  jurist, 
was  born  in  Jessamine  County,  Ky.,  May  18, 
180G;  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  Carrolltou,  Greene  Coimty.  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,  Linus  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,  agricultm-al  imple- 
ment and  lumber  business.  In  1843  he  was 
appointed  Postmaster  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  51. 
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  re- 
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  orgauizatiou  of  the 
corporation  until  his  death,  which  occurred  Oct. 
19,  1891. 

WORDEN,  a  viUage  of  Madison  County,  on  the 
Wabash  and  the  Jacksonville,  Louisville  &  St. 
Louis  Railways.  33  miles  northeast  of  St.  Louis. 
Population  (1890),  522;  (1900),  544 

WORLD'S  COLUMBIAN  EXPOSITION.  An 
exhibition  of  the  scientific,  liberal  and  mechan- 
ical arts  of  all  nations,  held  at  Chicago,  between 
May  1  and  Oct.  31,  1893.  The  project  had  its 
inception  in  November,  1885,  in  a  resolution 
adopted  by  the  du-ectorate  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  400th  anniversary  of  the  discovery  of 
America  by  Columbus."  In  July,  1889,  a  decisive 
step  was  taken  in  the  appointment  by  Mayor 
Cregier,  under  resolution  of  the  City  Council,  of 
a  committee  of  100  (afterwards  increased  to  256) 
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  the  law,  the  President  appointed 
eight  Commissioners-at-large,  with  two  Commis- 
sioners and  two  alternates  from  each  State  and 
Territory  and  the  District  of  Columbia.  Col. 
George  R.  Davis,  of  Chicago,  was  elected  Direc- 
tor-General by  the  body  thus  constituted.  Ex- 
Senator  Thomas  M.  Palmer,  of  Michigan,  was 
chosen  President  of  the  Commission  and  John  T. 
Dickinson,  of  Texas,  Secretary.  This  Commis- 
sion delegated  much  of  its  power  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  annuallj^  by 
the  stockholders.  Lyman  J.  Gage,  of  Chicago, 
was  the  first  President  of  the  corporation,  and 
was  succeeded  by  W.  T.  Baker  and  Harlow  N. 
Higinbotham. 

In  addition  to  these  bodies,  certain  powers  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  restaurants  or  selling- 
booths  thereon.  The  total  area  of  the  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  this  is  added  the  acreage  of  the 
foreign  and  State  buildings,  the  total  space 
under  roof  approximated  250  acres.  These  fig- 
ures do  not  include  the  buildings  erected  by 
jirivate  exhibitors,  caterers  and  venders,  which 
would  add  a  small  percentage  to  the  grand  total. 
Forty-seven  foreign  Governments  made  appropri- 
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  $500,000  to 
defray  the  expenses  of  a  national  exhibit,  besides 
§2,500,000  toward  the  general  cost  of  the  Exposi- 
tion. The  appropriations  by  foreign  Governments 
aggregated  about  .S6,. 500, 000,  and  those  by  the 
States  and  Territories,  §6,120,000— that  of  Illinois 
being  8800,000.  The  entire  outlay  of  the  World's 
Columbian  Exposition  Company,  up  to  March  31, 
1894,  including  the  cost  of  preliminary  organiza- 
tion, construction,  operating  and  post-Exposition 
expenses,  was  §27,151,800.  This  is,  of  course, 
exclusive  of  foreign  and  State  er:penditures, 
which  would  swell  the  aggregate  cost  to  nearly 
§45,000.000.  Citizens  of  Chicago  subscribed 
§5,608,206  toward  the  capital  stock  of  the  Exposi- 
tion Company,  and  the  municipality,  §5,000,000, 
wliich  was  raised  by  the  sale  of  bonds.  (See 
Thirty-sixih  General  Assembly.) 

The  site,  while  admirably  adapted  to  the  pur- 
pose, was,  when  chosen,  a  marshy  flat,  crossed 
by  low  sand  ridges,  upon  which  stood  occasional 
clumps  of  stunted  scrub  oaks.  Before  the  gates 
of  the  great  fair  were  opened  to  the  public,  the 
entire  area  had  been  transformed  into  a  dream  of 
beauty.  Marshes  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 


IIISTOKICAL   EXCYCLOPEDIA    OF    ILLINOIS. 


COl 


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  Manufactiu-ers'  and  Liberal  Arts,  the 
Machinerj'.  Electrical,  Transportation,  Woman's, 
Horticultural,  Mines  and  Mining,  Anthropolog- 
ical, Administration,  Art  Galleries,  Agricultm-al, 
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  (1087x787  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,  18,000,000  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.  31,  1892,  the  quadri-centen- 
nial  of  Colmnbus'  discovery  of  land  on  the 
"Western  Hemisphere,  but  the  magnitude  of  the 
undertaking  rendered  this  impracticable.  Con- 
sequently, while  dedicatory  ceremonies  were  held 
on  that  day,  preceded  by  a  monster  procession  and 
followed  by  elaborate  iiyrotechnic  displays  at 
night,  May  1,  1893,  was  fixed  as  the  opening  day 
— the  machinery  and  fountains  being  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,.530,460— 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  §10,636,330.76  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  Exposition  stock  received  a 
return  of  ten  per  cent  on  tlie  same. 

The  Ilhnois  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  arcliiteotm-al  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  tlie  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 
relics,  kept  in  a  fire-proof  memorial  hall;  the  dis- 
play of  grains  and  minerals,  and  an  immense 
topographical  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  cartograpliical  errors 
previously  undiscovered. 

WORTHEN,  Amos  Henry,  scientist  and  State 
Geologist,  was  born  at  Bradford,  Vt.,  Oct.  31, 
1813,  emigrated  to  Kentucky  in  1834,  and,  in  1836, 
removed  to  Illinois,  locating  at  Warsaw.  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  Warsaw  in  1844.  His  natural  predilections 
were  toward  the  natural  sciences,  and,  after 
coming  west,  he  devoted  most  of  his  leisure  time 
to  the  collection  and  study  of  specimens  of 
mineralogy,  geology  and  conchology.  On  the 
organization  of  the  geological  smwey  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  coimtry  and  Europe.  In  1877 
field  work  was  discontinued,  and  the  State  His- 
torical Library  and  Natural  History  Muserma  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  country  and  in 
Europe. 

WORTHOGTON,  Nicholas  Ellsworth,  ex-Con- 
gressman, was  born  in  Brooke  Count}-,  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- 


603 


HISTOEICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLmOIS. 


ber  of  the  State  Board  of  Education  from  1809  to 
1873.  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 
oiDponent,  Philip  Sidney  Post.  He  was  elected 
Circuit  Judge  of  the  Tenth  Judicial  DLstrict  in 
1891,  and  re-elected  in  1897.  In  1894  lie  served 
upon  a  commission  appointed  by  President  Cleve- 
land, to  investigate  the  labor  strikes  of  that  year 
at  Chicago. 

WRIGHT,  John  Stephen,  manufacturer,  was 
born  at  Sheffield,  Mass.,  July  IG,  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  popular 
education  and  progressive  agriculture.  In  1853 
he  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  Atkins'  self- 
raking  reaper  and  mower,  was  one  of  the  pro- 
moters of  the  Galena  &  Chicago  Union  and  tlie 
Illinois  Central  Railways,  and  wrote  a  volume 
entitled,  "Chicago:  Past,  Present  and  Future," 
published  in  1870.    Died,  in  Chicago,  Sept.  36,  1874. 

WULFF,  Henry,  ex-State  Treasurer,  was  born 
in  Meldorf,  Germany,  August  34,  1854;  came  to 
Chicago  in  1863,  and  began  liis  political  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  183.427  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.)  Samuel,  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  Chiu'ch,  and  ordained  in  1818. 
Soon  after  this  he  came  west  as  a  domestic  mis- 
sionary and,  in  1820,  became  pastor  of  a  chm-ch 
at  Sparta,  111. ,  where  he  remained  imtil  his  death, 
March  20,  1872,  after  a  pastorate  of  53  years. 
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. 

WYMAN,  (Col.)  John  B.,  soldier,  was  born  in 
Massachusetts,  July  13.  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  successivel}'  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  Ha%'en  Railroad , 
finally,  in  1850,  becoming  Superintendent  of  the 
Connecticut  River  Railroad.  In  1853  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  JIayor,  also  serving 
a  second  term.  Having  a  fondness  for  military 
affairs,  he  was  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 
Slajor-General  Mitchell),  was  Captain.  After 
coming  to  Illinois  he  became  Captain  of  the  Chi- 
cago Light  Guards.  Having  lef*^^  the  employ  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  early  weeks  of  the  war  in  securing 
arms  from  Jefferson  Barracks  and  in  tlie  organi- 
zation of  the  three-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 
upon  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  "V^icksburg.  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. 

■\VYOMIXG,  a  town  of  Stark  County.  31  miles 
north-northwest  from  Peoria,  at  the  junction  of 
the  Peoria  branch  Rock  Island  &  Pacific  and  the 
Ru.shville  branch  of  the  Chicago,  Burlington  & 
Quincy  Railway ;  has  two  high  schools,  churches, 
two   banks,    flour   mills,   water-works,    machine 


HISTOEICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF    ILLINOLS. 


GOo 


shoiJ,  and  two  weekly  newspapers.     Coal  is  mined 
here.     Pop.  (1890),  1,116;  (19(10),  1,277. 

XEMA,  a  village  of  Clay  County,  on  the  Balti- 
more &  Ohio  Southwestern  Railroad,  87  miles 
east  of  St.  Louis.     Population  (IDOO),  800. 

YATES  CITY,  a  village  of  Knox  County,  at  the 
junction  of  the  Peoria  Division  of  the  Chicago, 
Burlington  &  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),  650. 

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  he 
removed  to  Sangamon  County,  111.,  and,  in  1833, 
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,  1865.— 
Henry  (Y'ates),  Jr. ,  .son  of  the  preceding,  was  born 
at  Berlin,  III.,  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  1863, 
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  1842  he  was  elected  Representative  in  the  Gen- 
eral Assembly  from  Morgan  County,  and  was 
re-elected  in  1844,  and  again  in  1848.  In  1850  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  Presidenc}-, 
and,  by  his  energetic  support  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  laud-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. 

YORKVIILE,  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  watei-power,  electric  lights,  a  bank,  churches 
and  weekly  newspaper.  Pop.(1890)  375;  (1900),413. 

YOUNG,  Brigliam,  IMormon  leader,  was  born 
at  Whittingham,  Vt.,  June  1,  ISOl,  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  Mormon  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  Mormon  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 


HISTOKICAL   EXCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLIXOIS. 


General  Assembly  (1820-23)  as  Representative 
from  Union  County ;  was  a  Circuit  Judge,  1835-27 ; 
Presidential  Elector  in  1838 ;  Circuit  Judge  again, 
1839-37 ;  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  insane  asylum,  in  Wash- 
ington, in  1853. 

YOUNG  JIEN'S  CHRISTIAN  ASSOCIATION, 
first  permanently  organized  at  Chicago,  in  1858, 
although  desultory  movements  of  a  kindred  char- 
acter had  previously  been  started  at  Peoria, 
Quincy,  Chicago  and  Springfield,  some  as  early 
as  1854.  From  1858  to  1873,  various  associations 
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 
Weidgnsall,  on  behalf  of  the  International  Com- 
mittee, called  a  convention,  to  meet  at  Blooming- 
ton,  November  6-9.  State  conventions  have  been 
lield  annually  since  1873.  In  that  of  1875,  steps 
were  taken  looking  to  the  appointment  of  a 
State  Secretary,  and,  in  1876,  Charles  M.  Morton 
assumed  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  was  made  State  Secretary,  and 
has  occupied  the  position  to  the  present  time 
(1899).  At  the  date  of  his  appointment  the 
official  figures  showed  si.^teen  associations  in  Illi- 
nois, with  a  total  membership  of  3, 443,  and  prop- 
erty valued  at  $126,500,  including  building  funds, 
the  associations  at  Chicago  and  Aiirora  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  1890.  The  present  six  depart- 
ments of  supervision  are :  General  Supervision, 
in  charge  of  the  State  Secretary  and  his  Assist- 
ants; railroad  and  city  work;  counties  and 
towns;  work  among  students;  corresponding 
membership  department,  and  office  work.     The 


two  last  named  are  under  one  executive  head, 
but  each  of  the  others  in  charge  of  an  Assistant 
Secretary,  who  is  responsible  for  its  development 
The  entire  work  is  under  the  supervision  of  a 
State  Executive  Committee  of  twenty-seven 
members,  one-third  of  whom  are  elected  annually. 
WilUs  H.  Herrick  of  Chicago  has  been  its  chair- 
man for  several  years.  This  body  is  appointed 
by  a  State  convention  composed  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  railroad  men  and  one 
for  students.  Weekly  gatherings  for  young  men 
numbered  348,  and  there  are  now  representatives 
or  correspondents  in  665  communities  where  no 
organization  has  been  effected.  Scientific  phys- 
ical culture  is  made  a  feature  by  40  associations, 
and  educational  work  has  been  largely  developed. 
The  enrollment  in  evening  classes,  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  association  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. 

ZAXE,  Charles  S.,  lawyer  and  jm-ist,  was  born 
in  Cumberland  County,  N.  J.,  March  3,  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  1853  to  "55  he  attended  McKendree  College, 
but  did  not  graduate,  and,  on  leaving  college, 
engaged  in  teaching,  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.  CuUom.  In  1873  he  was 
elected  a  Judge  of  the  Circuit  Court  for  the  Fifth 
Judicial  Circuit,  and  was  re-elected  in  1879.  In 
1883  President  Arthur  appointed  him  Chief  Jus- 
tice of  Utah,  where  he  has  since  resided,  though 
superseded  by  the  appointment  of  a  successor  by 
President  Cleveland.  At  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 


SUPPLEME^^T. 


The  following  matter,  received  too  late  for  insertion  in  the  body  of  this  worli,  is  added  in  the  form  of  a  supplement. 


COGHLAX,  (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  1800  he 
was  appointed  by  his  uncle,  Hon.  Philip  B. 
Fouke — then  a  Representative  in  Congress  from 
the  Belleville  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    Chtirch    at    Cincinnati    in 

1841,  and,  coming  to  Edgar  County,  Illinois,  in 

1842,  attended  a  seminary  at  Paris  some  three 
years.  He  joined  the  Illinois  Conference  in  1846, 
and  was  assigned  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,  1801,  he  was  appointed  Chaplain  of  the 
Twenty-first  Regiment  Illinois  Volunteers,  at 
that  time  commanded  by  Ulysses  S.  Grant  as 
Colonel,  and,  although  he  remained  with  the 
regiment  only  a  few  months,  the  friendship  then 
established  between  him  and  the  futui-e  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  tho 
Springfield  postoffice,  he  occupied  charges  at 
Island  Grove  and  Shelby  villa,  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,  111., 
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 


HISTORICAL    EXCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


■which  he  now  liolds.  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 
of  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  Februar}',  1863,  enlisted  as  a  private  in  the 
Seventeenth  Iowa  Infantry,  having  been  twice 
rejected  previously  on  account  of  physical  ail- 
ment. Soon  after  enlistment  he  was  detailed  for 
provost-marshal  duty,  but  later  took  part  with 
his  re.giment  in  the  campaign  in  Alabama.  He 
served  for  a  time  in  the  Fifteenth  Army  Corps, 
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  been  captured  in  the  latter, 
he  was  imprisoned  successively  at  Jacksonville 
^Ga.),  Montgomery,  Savannah,  and  finally  at 
Andersonville.  From  the  latter  he  succeeded  in 
efliecting  his  escape,  but  was  recaptured  and 
returned  to  that  famous  prison-pen.  Having 
escaped  a  second  time  by  assuming  the  name  of 
a  dead  man  and  bribing  the  guard,  he  was  again 
captured  and  imprisoned  at  various  points  in  Mis- 
sissippi until  exchanged  about  the  time  of  the 
assassination  of  President  Lincoln.  He  was  then 
so  weakened  bj'  his  long  confinement  and  scanty 
fare  that  he  had  to  be  carried  on  board  the 
steamer  on  a  stretcher.  At  this  time  he  narrowly 
escaped  being  on  board  the  steamer  Sultana, 
which  was  blown  up  below  Cairo,  with  2,100 
soldiers  on  board,  a  large  proportion  of  whom  lost 
their  lives.  After  being  mustered  out  at  Daven- 
port, Iowa,  June  28,  1865,  he  was  emploj-ed  for  a 
time  on  the  Des  Moines  Valley  Railroad,  and  as  a 
messenger  and  route  agent  of  the  United  States 
Express  Company.  In  1873  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  the  Territory  of  Alaska,  a  position  which 
(1899)  he  still  holds. 

DUMMER,  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 Law  School,  and  was  soon  after  admitted 
to  the  bar.  Then,  having  spent  some  two  years 
in  his  native  State,  in  1832  he  removed  to  Illinois, 
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.  Duni- 
mer  had  a  brother,  Richard  William  Dummer, 
who  had  preceded  him  to  Illinois,  living  for  a 
time  in  Jacksonville.  In  1838  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  Pi'obate  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  Assembly,  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  1864  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  tliat  year. 

ECKELS,  James  H.,  ex-Comptroller  of  the 
Currency,  was  born  of  Scotch-Irish  parentage  at 
Princeton,  111.,  Nov.  22,  1858,  was  educated  in 
the  common  schools  and  tlie  high  school  of  his 
native  to\^Ti,  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  Comptroller  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   EXCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


607 


dent  Cleveiand,  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  financier.  He  was  a  Delegate 
from  the  Eleventh  District  to  the  National 
Democratic  Convention  at  Chicago  in  1893,  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-grower,  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,  Green  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.  Joseph  Cogswell,  a  soldier  of  the 
Revolutionary  War,  and,  in  1817,  removed  to 
Pope  County,  Illinois,  where  he  laid  off  the  town 
of  Golconda,  which  became  the  county -seat.  He 
served  as  a  Representative  from  Pope  County  in 
the  First  General  Assembly  (1818-30).  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  1833. 

GALE,  Stephen  Francis,  first  Chicago  book- 
seller and  a  railway  promoter,  was  born  at 
Exeter,  N.  H.,  March  8,  1813;  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  from  business  in  1845-  As  early  as  1846 
he  was  associated  with  W  m.  B.  Ogden  and  John 
B.  Turner  in  the  stejjs  tlien  being  taken  to  j-evive 
the  Galena  &  Chicago  Union  Railroad  (now  a 
part  of  the  Chicago  &  Northwestern),  and,  in 
conjunction  with  these  gentlemen,  became 
responsible  for  the  means  to  jjurchase  the  charter 
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,  Jolin,  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  Count}-,  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  the  War 
of  1813  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. 

MOULTOX,  (Col.)  George  31.,  soldier  and 
building  contractor,  was  born  at  Readsburg,  Vt., 
March  15,  1851,  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,  w-hich  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 


608 


niSTOEICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF    ILLINOIS. 


missioned  Colonel  of  the  regiment,  a  position 
which  he  occupied  at  the  time  of  the  call  by  the 
President  for  troops  to  serve  in  the  Spaniish- 
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  Jacksonville,  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  Jlarcli 
he  returned  with  his  regiment  to  Augusta,  Ga.. 
where  it  was  mustered  out,  April ,  26,  1899,  one 
year  from  the  date  of  its  arrival  at  Springfield. 
After  leaving  the  service  Colonel  Moulton 
resumed  his  business  as  a  contractor. 

SHERMAN,  Lawrence  T.,  legislator  and 
Speaker  of  the  Forty-first  General  Assembly,  was 
born  in  Miami  County,  Ohio,  Nov.  6,  18.58;  at  3 
years  of  age  came  to  Illinois,  his  parents  settling 
at  Industry,  McDonough  Count}-.  When  he  had 
reached  the  age  of  10  years  he  went  to  Jasper 
County,  where  he  grew  to  manhood,  received  his 
education  in  the  common  schools  and  in  the  law 


department  of  McKendree  College,  graduating 
from  the  latter,  and,  in  1881,  located  at  Macomb, 
McDonough  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  iioUtics,  was 
elected  County  Judge  in  1886,  and,  at  the  expira- 
tion of  his  term,  formed  a  partnership  with 
George  D.  TunnicUtfe  and  D.  G.  Tunnicliffe, 
ex-Justice  of  the  Supreme  Court.  In  189-1  he  was 
a  candidate  for  the  Republican  nomination  for 
Representative  in  the  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-first  General  Assembly,  was  nominated 
by  the  Republican  caucus  and  elected  Speaker, 
as  he  was  again  of  the  Forty -second  in  1901. 

YIXTARD,  Pliilip,  early  legislator,  was  bom 
in  Pennsylvania  in  1800,  came  to  Illinois  at  an 
early  day,  and  settled  in  Pope  County,  which  he 
represented  in  the  lower  branch  of  the  Thirteenth 
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  nimiber  of  years.  Died,  at  Gol- 
conda,  in  1863, 


SUPPLEMENT   NO.   11. 


BL.4CK  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  1812-15,  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  lUinois  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  81,000  per  an- 
num in  perpetuity.  AVhile  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 


niSTORICAL  EXCYCLOPEDIA  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  x'arts  or  all  of  the  tribe,  especially  in 
1815,  in  1816,  in  1S22  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  the  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, 
had  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 
the  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  uurned  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  then- 
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  determine 
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  Black  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  tlie 
regulars  sufficiently  strong  to  cope  with  the  situa- 
tion, the  Governor's  proclamation  was  responded 
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.  Henrj  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  2.5th  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- 


CIO 


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  Mississippi  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  the 
present  State  of  Iowa.  Dissatisfied  and  humil- 
iated by  his  repulse  of  the  previous  year,  in  disre- 
gard of  his  pledge  to  General  Gaines,  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  Rock  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  Winnebagoes.  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 
thirty  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  requisition  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  Maj.  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  Stil'.man  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  others  accompany- 
ing the  expedition  who  were  then,  or  afterwards 
became,  noted  citizens  of  the  State,  were  Vital 
Jarrot,  Adjutant-General;  C3-rus  Edwards,  Ord- 
nance Officer;  Murray  McConnel,  Staff  Officer, 
and  Abraham  Lincoln,  Captain  of  a  companj-  of 
volunteers  from  Sangamon  County  in  the  Fourth 
Regiment.  Col.  Zachary  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 
promptly,  the  future  hero  of  the  Mexican  AVar 
added:  "The  safety  of  all  depends  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 (Abraham  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,  wliich, 
finding  deserted,  he  pushed  on  to  Dixon's  Ferry 
(now  Dixon),  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  AVhiteside  as  a  scouting  party, 
left  Dixon  on  the  13th  and,  on  the  afternoon  of 


HISTORICAL  EXCYCLOPEDIA  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  b}'  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  liis  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  the 
flag  to  pieces  with  which  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  pell-mell  fashion.  Retiring  behind  a  fringe 
of  bushes,  the  Indians  awaited  the  attack.  As 
the  rangers  approached,  Black  Hawk  and  his 
party  rose  up  with  a  war  whoop,  at  the  same  time 
opening  fire  on  their  assailants.  The  further 
hist  ry  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  ofiicers  and  a  few  of  their  men  to  check  the 
letreat,  but  without  success,  the  bulk  of  the  fu- 
gitives continuing  their  mad  rush  for  safety 
through  the  night  until  they  reached  Dixon, 
twenty-five  miles  distant,  while  many  never 
stopped  until  they  reached  their  homes,  forty 
or  fifty  miles  distant.  The  casualties  to  the 
rangers    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.  This  ill-starred  af- 
fair, which  has  passed  into  history  as  "Stillman's 
defeat,"  produced  a  general  panic  along  the  fron- 
tier by  inducing  an  exaggerated  estimate  of  the 
strength  of  the  Indian  force,  while  it  led  Black 
Hawk  to  form  a  poor  opinion  of  the  courage  of 
the  white  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 
demoraUzed  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,  Mike  Girty, 
ledaband  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  May  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  $2,000 
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 


HISTOEICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLIXOIS. 


were  mustered  out  on  May  28,  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 
2,(100  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  the  troops  under  the  new  call, 
and  to  meet  an  immediate  emergency,  300  men 
were  enlisted  from  the  disbanded  rangers  for  a 
period  of  twenty  days,  and  organized  into  a 
regiment  under  command  of  Col.  Jacob  Fr}-, 
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  companies,  numbering  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  daj-s. 

The  new  volunteers  were  rendezvoused  at  Fort 
Wilbourn,  nearly  opposite  Peru,  June  15,  and 
organized  into  three  brigades,  each  consisting  of 
three  regiments  and  a  spy  battalion.  The  First 
Brigade  (915  strong)  was  placed  under  command 
of  Brig-Gen.  Alexander  Posey,  the  Second 
under  Gen.  Milton  Iv.  Alexander,  and  the  third 
under  Gen.  James  D.  Henry.  Others  who  served 
as  officers  in  some  of  these  several  organizations, 
and  afterwards  became  prominent  in  State  his- 
tory, were  Lieut. -Col.  Gurdon  S.  Hubbard  of  the 
Vermilion  County  regiment ;  John  A.  McClern- 
and,  on  the  staff  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  United  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  \V.  Semple  (afterwards  LTnited 
States  Senator) ;  and  William  Weatherford  (after- 
wards a  Colonel  in  the  Jlexican  War),  and  many 
more.  Of  the  Illinois  troops,  Posey's  brigade 
was  assigned  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  character  were 
had  on  the  Pecatonica  on  the  southern  border  of 
the  present  State  of  Wisconsinj  at  Apple  River 
Fort  fourteen  miles  east  of  Galena,  which  was 
successfully  defended  against  a  force  under  Black 
Hawk  himself,  and  at  Kellogg's  Grove  the  nest 
day  (June  25),  when  the  same  band  ambushed 
Maj.  Demenfs  spy  battalion,  and  came  near  in- 
flicting a  defeat,  which  was  prevented  by 
Dement's  coolness  and  the  timely  arrival  of  re- 
inforcements. In  the  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  regiilars  and  volunteers  numbering  2,600 
men — the  volunteers  being  under  the  command 
of  General  Henry.  They  reached  the  outlet  of  the 
Lake  Juh-  2,  but  found  no  Indians,  being  joined 
two  days  later  by  General  Alexander's  brigade,  and 
on  the  Ctli  by  Gen.  Pose3''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  temporar}-  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(600strong),  with  Major  Dodge's  battalion 
numbering  150,  with  an  equal  quantity  or  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 


IIISTOIilCAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


613 


Hawk  and  his  band  had  been  located,  their  camp 
was  found  deserted,  the  Winnebagos  insisting 
that  tliey  had  gone  to  Cranberrj-  (  now  Horicon) 
Lake,  a  lialf-day's  march  up  the  river.  Jlessen- 
gers  were  immediately  dispatched  to  Atkinson's 
headquarters,  thirtj-'fire  miles  distant,  to  ap- 
prise him  of  this  fact.  When  they  had  proceeded 
about  half  the  distance,  they  struck  a  broad, 
fresh  trail,  which  proved  to  be  that  of  Black 
Hawk's  band  headed  westward  toward  the  Mis- 
sissippi. The  guide  having  deserted  them  in 
order  to  warn  his  tribesmen  that  further  dis- 
sembling to  deceive  the  whites  as  to 
the  whereabouts  of  the  Sacs  was  use- 
les.s,  the  messengers  were  compelled  to  follow 
him  to  General  Henry"s  camp.  The  discovery  pro- 
duced the  wildest  enthusiasm  among  the  volim- 
teers,  and  from  this  time-events  followed  in  rapid 
succession.  Leaving  as  far  as  possible  all  incum- 
brances behind,  the  pursuit  of  the  fu_,iLives  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  20th  of  July  Henry's  forces 
encamped  at  "The  Four  Lakes,"  the  present 
site  of  the  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  imtil  the 
bluffs  of  the  Wisconsin  were  reached.  Black 
Hawk's  avowed  object  was  to  protect  the  passage 
of  the  main  body  of  his  people  acrcss  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  kilted  and  eight  wounded. 
During  the  night  Black  Hawk  succeeded  in 
placing  a  considerable  number  of  the  women  a,nd 
children  and  old  men  on  a  raft  and  in  canoes 
obtained  from  the  Winnebagos,  and  sent  them 
down  tiie  river,  believing  that,  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  IMenomi- 
nees,  acting  under  white  officers.  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  Henr3'"s  camp,  as 
it  was  supposed  to  come  from  some  one  giving 
orders  for  an  attack.  It  was  afterwards  learned 
that  the  speaker  was  Neapope  speaking  in  the 
Winnebago  language  in  the  hope  that  he  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 'sforce  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  (July  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  37th  and  the  38th  and  the 
pursuit  of  black  Hawk's  fugitive  band  was  re- 
newed. Evidence  of  their  famishing  condition 
was  found  in  the  trees  stripped  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,  were 
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  treacherj-  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 
murderous  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  was  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, 
tied  in  the  direction  of  "the  dells"'  of  the  Wis- 
consin. On  the  morningof  t!ie  2d  General  Atkinson 
arrived  within  four  or  five  miles  of  the  Sac 
position.  Disposing  liis  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,  but 
was  drawn  liy  the  Indian  decoyr.  up  the  river 
from  the  place  where  the  main  body  of  the 
Indians  were  trying  to  cross  the  stream.  This 
had  the  effect  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  Henry's  command  having  accidental- 
I3'  discovered  tlie  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  which 
they  conceived  had  been  put  upon  them  by  Gen- 
eral Atkinson.  Atkinson,  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,  and  the  steamer  "  Warrior," 
arriving  from  Prairie  du  Chien,  opened  a  fire  of 
canister  \ipon  tlie  pent-up  Indians.  The  battle 
soon  degenerated  into  a  massacre.  In  the  course 
of  the  three  hours  through  which  it  lasted,  it  is  es- 
timated that  150  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  witliin 
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  liorror,  fled 
into  the  forest.  About  300  Indians  (mostly  non- 
combatants)  succeeded  in  crossing  the  river  in  a 
condition  of  exhaustion  from  hunger  and  fatigue, 
but  these  were  set  upon  by  the  Sioux  under  Chief 
Wabasha,  through  the  suggestion  and  agency  of 
General  Atkinson,  and  nearly  one-half  their  num- 
ber exterminated.  Of  the  remainder  many  died 
from  wounds  and  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  thousand  who  crossed  to  the 
east  side  of  the  river  with  Black  Hawk  in  April, 
it  is  estimated  that  not  more  than  150  survived 
the  tragic  events  of  the  next  four  months. 

General  Scott,  having  arrived  at  Prairie  du  Chien 
early  in  August,  assumed  command  and,  on 
August  15,  mustered  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 
the  Prophet  surrendered  themselves  to  the  Win. 
nebagos,  by  whom  they  were  delivered  to  the 
Indian  Agent  at  Prairie  du  Chien.  Having  been 
taken  to  Fort  Armstrong  on  September  21,  he 
there  signed  a  treaty  of  peace.  Later  he  was 
taken  to  Jefferson  Barracks  (near  St.  Louis)  in 
the  custody  of  Jeff:erson  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  Monroe,  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 
guardianship  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  W^ar,  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  niunbers  and  his  plans  for 
recovering  the  site  of    his     old    village,    while 


HISTOrjCAL  EA- CYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLIXOIS. 


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  tlian  1,200.  The  loss  of 
life  by  the  troops  in  irregular  skirmishes,  and  in 
massacres  of  settlers  by  the  Indians,  aggregated 
about  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  nearly  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 
ujjon  Black  Hawk's  messengers,  sent  under 
flag  of  truce  to  request  a  conference  to  settle 
terms  under  which  he  might  return  to  the  west 
side  of  the  Mississippi — an  act  wliich  resulted  in 
a  humiliating  and  disgraceful  defeat  for  its 
authors  and  proved  the  first  step  in  actual  war. 
Another  misfortune  was  the  failure  to  understand 
Neapope'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  history 
under  the  name  of  the  ''  battle  of  the  Bad  Axe." 
Either  of  these  events,  properly  availed  of,  would 
have  prevented  much  of  the  butchery  of  that 
bloody  episode  which  has  left  a  stain  upon  the 
page  of  history,  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  jealousy 
engendered  by  the  unwise  policy  pursued  by 
General  Atkinson  towards  some  of  the  volun- 
teers— especially  the  treatment  of  General  James 
D.  Henry,  who,  although  subjected  to  repeated 
slights  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   exploit    his   own  deeds,    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  to  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  from  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  Sao  and  Fox  Nations"  (1834); 
Drake's"  Life  of  Black  Hawk"  (18.54);  Ford's 
"History  of  IlUnois  "  (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  Chicago  &  Alton;  Cleveland, 
Cincinnati,  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  considerable  manu- 
facturing and  grain-storage  business;  has  two 
newspapers.  Population  (1900),  3,122. 

HARLEM,  a  village  of  Proviso  Township,  Cook 
County,  and  suburb  of  Chicago,  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.  Considerable 
manufacturing  is  done  here.  Population  (1000), 
4,085. 

HARTEY,  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  city 
limits.  It  is  on  the  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  CEXTRAL  RAILWAY,  a  railway  line 
having  its  principal  termini  at  Peoria,  111.,  and 
Manly  Junction,  nine  miles  north  of  Mason  City, 
Iowa,  with  several  lateral  branches  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  between  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,  this  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  611,000,000  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.— (Financial).  The  total 
capitalization  of  the  road  in  1899  was  §31,337,558, 
of  which  §14,1.59,180  was  in  stock,  §6,650,095  in 
bonds  and  §528,383  in  other  forms  of  indebtedness. 
The  total  earnings  and  income  of  the  line  in  Illi- 
nois for  the  same  year  were  §.533,568,  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  cannery 
and  creameries;  also  has  natural  gas.  The  first 
settler  was  James  McCIui-ken,  from  South  Caro- 
lina, who  settled  here  in  1818.  He  was  joined  by 
James  Armour  a  few  years  later,  who  bough' 
land  of  McClurken,  and  togetlier  they  laid  cu' 
a  village,  which  first  received  the  name  of  Co 
lumbus.  About  the  same  time  Robert  G.  Shan 
non,  who  had  been  conducting  a  mercantile  busi 
ness  in  the  vicinity,  located  in  the  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- 
cinity, besides  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  1833,  cut  an  important  figure  in 
the  history  of  the  latter  place,  as  it  became  the 
means  of  attracting  here  an  industrious  and 
thriving  population.  At  a  later  period  it  became 
one  of  the  most  important  stations  of  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 
Raib-oad,  18  miles  southwest  of  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),  2,639. 

WEST  HAMMOND,  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  Chicago  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 
importance,  was  incorporated  as  a  village  in 
1893,  and  has  grown  rapidly  within  the  last  few 
years,  having  a  population,  according  to  the  cen- 
sus of  1900,  of  2,935. 


LEE  COUNTY 


H  I   T  E    SI 


CO     Vr   7>T    T   -y 


DEKALB        CO 


LEE  COUNTY  COURT  HOUSE,  DIXON,  1900-1901. 


THE  O.  B.  DODGE  LIBRARY  r.UILDING,  DIXOX. 


HISTORY  OF  LEE  COUNTY 

BY 


CHAPTER  I. 


GENERAL   HISTORY. 


INTRODUCTION — TREATY     OF     PRAIKIE     DU     CHIEN — 
CESSION       OF       INDIAN       LANDS — COUNTY       AND 

TOWNSHIP     ORGANIZATION EAKLY     ROADS     AND 

BRIDGES COURTS   AND   COURT    HOUSES — COUN- 
TY-SEAT   CONTESTS — CIRCUIT    JUDGES — IMESIBERS 

OF  GENERAL  ASSEMBLY COUNTY  OFFICERS — LEE 

COUNTY    IN    CIVIL    WAR STEAM    AND    ELECTRIC 

RAILROADS DRAINAGE     SYSTEMS T(3RNAD0 

EARLY   MARKETS SCHOOLS — STATE  ROADS. 

FOREWORD. — In  keeping  with  the  general 
aim  and  purpose  of  the  foregoing  "Historical 
Encyclopedia  of  Illinois,"  the  matter  embraced 
in  the  following  pages,  constituting  a  part 
Of  the  Special  Lee  County  Edition,  does 
not  profess  to  be  a  narrative  history, 
but  rather  a  bringing-together  In  as  con- 
cise form  as  practicable,  of  matters  of 
historic  interest  without  elaboration  or  em- 
bellishment. Much  labor  has  been  be- 
stowed on  verification  of  statements,  names 
and  dates.  To  this  end  old  settlers  and  oflBcial 
records  have  been  consulted  as  far  as  possible, 
and  the  manuscript  of  most  of  the  towns  has 
been  submitted  to  persons  well  posted  in  the 
early  history  of  the  particular  locality     In  the 


case  of  the  towTis  of  Reynolds,  Viola,  East 
Grove,  South  Dixon,  May  and  Marion,  the  in- 
formation has  been  obtained  largely  from  his- 
tories heretofore  published;  but  in  the  case  of 
the  remaining  sixteen  towns,  facts  have  been 
procured  from  various  other  sources  as  well, 
with  a  constant  eye  to  accuracy  of  statement 
and  avoidance  of  mistakes.  By  the  exercise  of 
such  precautions,  many  misstatements  found 
in  other  publications  have  been  omitted  and 
considerable  new  matter  incorporated.  While 
errors  are  well  nigh  unavoidable  in  a  work  of 
this  character,  where  so  many  names  and  dates 
are  involved  and  where  the  sources  of  infor- 
mation are  necessarily  more  or  less  fallible, 
it  is  hoped  that  we  have  succeeded  in  reducing 
such  shortcomings  to  the  minimum. 

The  reader  is  to  understand  that,  when  pres- 
ent conditions  are  mentioned  or  the  ■present 
tense  used,  September  1,  1903,  is  the  date  re- 
ferred  to,   unless   otherwise   indicated. 


All  the  northern  part  of  Illinois  was  ceded 
to  the  United  States  by  the  United  Nations  of 
Chippewa,  Ottawa  and  Pottawatomie  Indians, 
by  treaty  made  at  Prairie  du  Chien.  July  28, 
1829.  The  language  of  the  cession  is:  "All 
lands  comprehended  within  the  following  lim- 
its, to-wit:  Beginning  at  the  Winnebago  Vil- 
lage on  Rock  River  forty  miles  from  the  mouth, 
and  running  thence  down  the  Rock  River  to  a 
line  which  runs  due  west  from  the  most  south- 
ern bend  of  Lake  Michigan  to  the  Mississippi 
River,  and  with  that  line  to  the  Mississippi  op- 


620 


HISTORY  OF  LEE   COUNTY. 


posite  to  Rock  Island;  thence  up  that  river  to 
the  United  States  reservation  at  the  Mouth  of 
Ouisconsin  (Wisconsin);  thence  with  the  south 
and  east  lines  of  said  reservation  to  the  Ouis- 
consin River;  thence  southerly  passing  the 
heads  of  the  small  streams  emptying  into  the 
Mississippi  to  the  Rock  River  aforesaid  at  the 
Winnebago  Village,  the  place  of  beginning. 
And  also  one  other  tract  of  land  described  as 
follows,  to-wit:  Beginning  on  the  west  shore 
of  Lake  Michigan  at  the  northeast  corner  of 
the  field  of  Antoine  Ouilmette,  who  lives  near 
Gross  Point,  about  twelve  miles  north  of  Chi- 
cago, thence  running  due  west  to  the  Rock 
River  aforesaid;  thence  down  the  said  river  to 
where  a  line  drawn  due  west  from  the  most 
southern  bend  of  Lake  Michigan  crosses  said 
river;  thence  east  along  said  line  to  the  Fox 
River  of  the  Illinois;  thence  along  the  north- 
western boundary  line  of  the  cession  of  1816 
to  Lake  Michigan;  thence  northwardly  along 
the  western  shore  of  said  lake  to  place  of  be- 
ginning." 

Certain  reservations  were  made,  and  among 
them  this;  "To  Madeline,  a  Pottawatomie 
woman,  wife  of  Joseph  Ogee,  one  Section  west 
of  and  adjoining  the  tract  herein  granted  to 
Pierre  Leclaire  at  the  PawPaw  Grove."  Two 
sections  were  also  reserved  for  Shab-eh-nay  at 
his  village  near  PawPaw  Grove. 

In  consideration  of  this  extensive  grant  the 
United  States  agreed  to  pay  said  Nations,  at 
Chicago,  $16,000  in  specie,  annually  forever,  and 
to  cause  to  be  delivered  to  them  the  next  Octo- 
ber $12,000  worth  of  goods  as  a  present,  and  also 
to  deliver  fifty  barrels  of  salt  annually  to  them 
at  Chicago,  "and  to  make  permanent  for  the  use 
of  the  said  Indians  the  blacksmith's  establish- 
ment at  Chicago." 

This  instrument  is  signed  by  the  Government 
Commissioners  and  by  thirty-flve  chiefs  and 
warriors;  and  among  the  witnesses  are  Zach- 
ary  Taylor,  subsequently  President  of  the 
United  States. 

County  and  Toicnship  Organization. — In 
December,  1836,  the  original  county  of  Ogle 
was  formed,  embracing  the  present  county  of 
Lee.  Ogle  having  theretofore  belonged  to  Jo 
Daviess  County.  At  a  closely  contested  election 
less  than  200  votes  were  polled  in  the  county, 
a  residence  of  six  months  being  at  that  time 
sufficient. 

February  27,  1839,  an  act  passed  the  General 
Assembly   creating  the   County  of  Lee.     Com- 


missioners from  neighboring  parts  of  the  State 
formally  located  the  county-seat  where  the 
Court  House  now  stands.  May  31,  1839. 

From  the  organization  of  the  county  until  the 
adoption  of  the  township  organization  system 
in  1850,  all  the  county  and  township  business 
was  transacted  by  three  County  Commissioners, 
under  the  style  of  the  Commissioners'  Court. 
(See  County  Officers.)  For  convenience  of  vot- 
ing, the  county  was  divided  into  election  pre- 
cincts by  the  Commissioners  who  appointed  the 
judges  of  election.  They  appointed  an  assessor 
and    collector   for   the   whole   county. 

The  County  Commissioners  held  their  first 
session  September  13.  1839.  At  a  meeting  four 
days  later,  their  only  business,  besides  allow- 
ing bills,  was  to  grant  a  license  to  Howe  & 
Sons  "to  exhibit  a  circus."  Thus  early  was  the 
matter  of  amusements  looked  after  by  the 
governing  body.  March  4,  1840,  they  divided 
the  county  into  sixteen  road  districts,  and  ap- 
pointed a  supervisor  for  each.  On  the  30th  of 
same  month  they  established  the  following 
election  precincts:  Gap  Grove,  Dixon,  Frank- 
lin, Malugin,  Inlet  and  Winnebago. 

July  19,  1850,  Joseph  Crawford,  Harvey  Mor- 
gan and  Lorenzo  D.  Wasson,  commissioners  ap- 
pointed by  the  County  Court,  reported  that,  in 
pursuance  of  act  of  the  Legislature  of  Febru- 
ary 12,  1849,  relating  to  township  organization, 
they  had  divided  the  county  into  townships 
as  follows:  PawPaw,  Towns  37,  38  and  39 
North,  Range  2  E.  of  Third  Principal  Merid- 
ian; Brooklyn,  Towns  37,  38  and  39  N.,  R.  1  E.; 
Hanno,  T.  19  N.,  R.  11  E.  Fourth  P.  M.;  Lee 
Center,  T.  20  N.,  R.  11  E.;  Bradford,  T.  21  N., 
R.  11  E.  and  south  half  of  T.  22  N.,  R.  11  E.; 
Hamilton,  Towns  19  N..  Ranges  8,  9  and  10  E. 
and  T.  20  N,  R.  S  E.  and  south  half  of  T.  20  N., 
R.  9  E.;  Amboy,  T.  20  N.,  R.  10  E.  and  north 
half  of  T.  20  N.,  R  9  E.;  Fremont,  T.  21  N.,  R. 
10  E.  and  south  part  of  T.  22  N.,  R.  10  E.  in  Lee 
County;  Dixon,  T.  21  N.,  R.  9  E.  and  that  part 
of  T.  22  N.,  R.  9  E.  in  Lee  County,  and  that 
part  of  T.  21  N.,  R.  8  E.  lying  south  of  river; 
Palmyra,  that  part  of  T.  22  N.,  R.  8  E.  in  Lee 
County  and  that  part  of  T.  21  N.,  R.  8  E.,  lying 
north  of  river. 

It  is  a  little  singular  that,  on  the  14th  day  of 
May.  1850.  before  the  above  report  was  made, 
the  Board  of  Supervisors  met  in  its  first  ses- 
sion: Present,  Daniel  Baird,  David  Searles, 
C.  R.  Dewey,  Charles  Starks,  Henry  A.  Coe  and 
G.  R.  Linn.     Linn  was  chairman.     What  towns 


HISTORY  OF  LEE   COUNTY. 


621 


were  thus  represented,  or  by  what  authority 
they  convened,  does  not  appear.  At  this  meet- 
ing "the  town  formerly  called  Fremont"  was 
changed  to  China,  and  "the  town  formerly  called 
PawPaw"  was  changed  to  Wyoming. 

In  1850  the  assessed  value  of  real  estate  in 
the  county  was  |215,360  and  of  personal  prop- 
erty $168,341.  The  average  monthly  wages  to 
farm  hands  was  $12;  the  average  pay  to  day 
laborers  was  63  cents  per  day,  with  board,  and 
75  cents  per  da,y  without  board;  carpenters, 
$1.50  per  day;  female  domestics,  $1.25  per  week; 
board  for  laborers,  $1.50  per  week. 

In  1850  an  academy  was  in  operation  at  Lee 
Center  with  two  teachers  and  40  pupils,  and 
there  were  46  teachers  and  1,518  pupils  in  the 
public  schools.  In  this  year  the  capital  invested 
in  the  manufacture  of  harvesters,  plows,  lime, 
lumber,  flour  and  other  products  was  $24,300, 
and  the  output  was  valued  at  $5,000  per  annum. 

The  population  of  the  entire  county  in  1840 
was  2,035.  In  1845  it  had  increased  to  3,282;  in 
1850,  to  5,289;  in  1870,  to  27,138;  in  1880,  to 
30,186;  in  1890  it  dropped  to  26.187;  in  1900 
it  rose  to  29,894. 

It  may  be  worth  while  to  observe  that  the 
total  amount  of  taxes  to  be  collected  by  town- 
ships in  the  County,  in  1852,  was  as  follows: 
Amboy,  $740.35;  Harmon,  $702.14;  Bradford, 
$223.66;  Wyoming.  $805.62;  Hamilton,  $448.88; 
Palmyra.  $1,135.53;  Brooklyn,  $368.42;  Lee  Cen- 
ter,  $463.55;    Dixon,    $8,738.65. 

To  P.  R.  Dutcher.  who  located  in  Dixon  in 
1838  and  two  years  later  at  Rocky  Ford,  and 
who  became  prominently  identified  with  Am- 
boy, belongs  the  honor  of  having  given  the 
county  its  name.  This  seems  to  be  conceded; 
no  one  questions  his  right.  It  is  supposed  to 
have  been  named  for  Richard  Henry  Lee,  the 
"Light  Horse  Harry"  of  Revolutionary  fame. 

The  Kellogg  Trail  from  Peoria  to  Galena, 
which  was .  the  first  defined  line  of  travel  be- 
tween the  two  points,  was  run  by  O.  W.  Kellogg, 
who  settled  at  Buffalo  Grove  (now  Polo),  and 
was  a  brother-in-law  to  John  Dixon,  in  1827. 
Mrs.  E.  B.  Baker,  still  living  in  Dixon,  was  his 
daughter.  This  trail  is  frequently  referred  to 
in  the  histories  of  the  northern  part  of  the 
State,  particularly  in  connection  with  the  Black 
Hawk  war.  It  entered  the  territory  of  Lee 
County  after  passing  "Dad  Joe's  Grove,"  and 
crossed  Green  River  on  the  west  line  of  north- 
west quarter  of  Section  35,  in  the  Town  of 
Marion,  early  owned  by  David  Welty  and  now 


the  property  of  his  son  Charles.  Here  was 
constructed  the  only  bridge  in  those  days  over 
the  river.  The  trail  was  the  stage  route  from 
Peoria  to  Galena.  A  turnpike  was  built  about  a 
mile  long  which  could  be  traveled  only  on  pay- 
ing toll.  (See  Marion.)  At  the  north  end  of 
the  pike,  Mr.  Welty  built  a  large  log  house, 
forty-two  feet  long,  which  for  years  served  as  a 
tavern  for  the  wayfarers.  It  was  also  a  stage 
station  and  appears  on  early  maps  of  the  county 
as  Scottville. 

Levels  taken  at  the  time  of  the  original  sur- 
vey of  the  Illinois  Central  Railroad,  indicate 
that  Sublette  is  178  feet  higher  than  Amboy, 
while  Eldena  is  60  feet  higher,  and  Dixon  54 
feet  lower  than  that  city. 

The  first  telephone  line  to  enter  the  county 
was  that  of  the  Central  Union  Telephone  Com- 
pany, which  was  granted  a  franchise  by  the 
City  of  Dixon,  July  6,  1881. 

The  Lee  County  Telephone  Company  was  in- 
corporated April  16,  1897,  with  J.  H.  Thomp- 
son. I.  B.  Countryman,  C.  F.  Emerson  and  W. 
C.  Dysart  as  its  first  Board  of  Directors.  Its 
present  officers  are  L.  D.  Pitcher,  President  and 
General  Manager;  Louis  A.  Pitcher,  Superinten- 
dent and  Secretary;  J.  C.  Ay  res.  Treasurer. 

A  bridge  was  built  across  Rock  River  at 
Grand  Detour  and  completed  for  travel,  in  the 
spring  or  early  fall  of  1902,  at  the  joint  ex- 
pense of  Lee  and  Ogle  counties.  Special  or- 
ders were  drawn  on  the  Treasurer  of  Lee 
County  for  $28,870.46,  to  meet  its  portion  of 
the  cost. 

While  on  the  subject  of  bridges,  it  is  inter- 
esting to  observe  that,  in  1843,  the  Legislature 
passed  an  act  for  the  incorporation  of  a  com- 
pany to  build  a  bridge  across  the  river  at 
Grand  Detour  to  be  known  as  the  Rock  River 
Bridge  Company.  Solon  Cumins,  George  Gush- 
ing and  Solomon  C.  Cotton  were  authorized  to 
open  subscription  of  stock.  Again,  in  1855,  an- 
other company  was  organized  by  the  Legisla- 
ture, under  the  name  of  the  Grand  Detour 
Bridge  Company;  Leonard  Andrews  (Andrus), 
J.  W.  D.  Gushing  and  Solon  Cumins  were  the 
commissioners  to  receive  subscriptions  of  stock. 
It  does  not  appear  that  anything  practical  was 
accomplished  under  either  act. 

Courts  and  Court  Houses. — In  September. 
1837.  the  first  Court  in  Ogle  County  was  held  at 
Dixon,  what  is  now  Lee  County  being  then  in- 
cluded in  Ogle.  Judge  Dan  Stone,  of  Galena, 
presided,    and   appointed    Thomas   Ford,    after- 


622 


HISTORY  OF  LEE  COUNTY. 


wards  Governor  of  the  State,  Prosecuting  At- 
torney. Later  Ford  became  Judge  of  the  same 
court.  The  session  was  held  In  a  building  for- 
merly used  as  a  blacksmith  shop,  which  had 
been  rendered  reasonably  suitable  by  laying 
floor,  plastering  and  other  repairs. 

In  1840  the  first  Court  House  was  built  in 
Court  House  Square,  at  a  cost  of  $7,000,  which 
was  paid  by  donations.  Father  Dixon  gave  the 
block  or  "square,"  and  it  is  commonly  under- 
stood that  he  also  gave  eighty  acres  of  land. 
He  conveyed  the  block  to  the  county  by  deed, 
dated  March  7,  1840,  and  recorded  in  the  Re- 
corder's Office,  in  Book  "A"  of  Deeds,  p.  10.  The 
first  jail  was  built  the  same  year  and  was  lo- 
cated on  the  southeast  corner  of  Second  Street 
and  Ottawa  Avenue,  where  the  residence  of  Mr. 
W.  J.  McAlpine  now  stands.  No.  204  Ottawa 
Avenue. 

The  Court  House  was  a  square  two-story 
brick  building,  and  in  the  fall  of  1867  its  length 
southward  was  nearly  doubled,  and  a  porch  with 
imposing  columns  added  to  the  front  at  a  cost 
of  $7,000.  In  1871  a  fire-proof  one-story  brick 
addition  was  built  as  a  vault  and  paid  for  by 
the  town  of  Dixon,  with  the  aid  of  small  ap- 
propriations from  the  towns  of  Nelson  and  Pal- 
myra, on  the  east  side,  costing  $3,000.  Prior  to 
this,  and  probably  about  1860,  a  one-story  brick 
offlce-building  was  built  in  the  northwest  cor- 
ner of  the  block.  On  the  completion  of  the 
vault,  this  was  torn  down  and  the  records  ta- 
ken to  the  Court  House. 

The  first  term  of  the  Circuit  Court  of  the 
new  County  of  Lee  was  held  on  the  third  Mon- 
day of  April,  1840,  Judge  Dan  Stone  presiding; 
Aaron  Waklee,  Sheriff:  Shelton  L.  Hall,  Circuit 
Attorney;  George  W.  Chase,  Clerk.  (See  Law 
Records  A.  p.  1.) 

In  1872  the  county  jail  and  Sheriff's  resi- 
dence, now  in  use,  was  built  at  a  cost  of  about 
$25,000. 

The  present  fine  Court  House  is  an  orna- 
ment to  the  city,  which  is  so  fortunate  as  to 
possess  it,  and  a  credit  to  the  county  which 
was  so  progressive  as  to  erect  it.  The  Board 
of  Supervisors  to  Avhom  the  honor  must  be 
accorded  was  composed  of  E.  W.  Smith,  Chair- 
man; W.  W.  Gilmore.  Hugh  McGuirk,  M.  A. 
Crawford,  Thomas  M.  Philips.  M.  A.  Girton 
and  Geo.  W.  Smith;  Jas.  Kirby,  A.  J.  Tompkins, 
J.  M.  Trostle,  Wm.  S.  Frost,  E.  C.  Parsons,  N. 
A.  Cortright,  Wm.  Anderson,  John  W.  Wads- 
worth,    John    M.    Gardner,    Hugh    Fitzpatrick, 


Henry  Shippert,  W.  W.  Hardin,  M.  Sullivan, 
Geo.  J.  Barth,  E.  C.  Lamb,  F.  L.  Childs  and  F. 
B.  Rogers — the  first  seven  constituting  the 
Building  Committee  with  Supervisor  Smith  as 
chairman,  he  being  also  chairman  of  the  Board. 
R.  S.  Farrand,  then  County  Judge,  and  other 
county  officers  rendered  valuable  service  by 
their  cooperation.  W.  J.  McAlpine  was  the 
contractor  and  Charles  E.  Bush  the  architect. 
The  actual  cost  of  the  improvement,  as  shown 
by  the  records,  is  itemized  thus:  Building 
alone,  $103,394.94;  wooden  furniture,  $8,818.70; 
metal  furnishings,  $4,816;  street  wall,  cement 
walks,  grading,  etc.,  $7,174.14— Total,  $124,- 
203.78.  To  meet  the  cost  $90,000  of  county  bonds 
were  issued,  falling  due  in  installments  of  $1,- 
UOO  each  in  annual  payments,  commencing  in 
1905.     The  balance  was  raised  by  direct  tax. 

The  old  Court  House  was  vacated  in  March, 
1900.  The  September  term  of  the  Circuit  Court 
of  1901  was  held  in  the  new  building  and  the 
county  officers  were  on  duty  in  their  new  quar- 
ters. In  the  interim,  while  the  building  was  be- 
ing constructed,  the  Schuler  building,  401-403 
First  Street,  housed  the  various  offices  and 
served  as  a  Court  House. 

At  the  convening  of  the  September  term  sim- 
ple appropriate  exercises  were  had  in  observ- 
ance of  the  occasion.  Judges  Crabtree,  Shaw 
and  Baume.  the  three  Judges  of  the  Circuit, 
were  on  the  bench,  Judge  Crabtree  presiding. 
The  new  court  room  was  crowded  with  specta- 
tors. Suitable  remarks  were  made  by  members 
of  the  bar  and  others,  to  which  the  Judges  in 
turn  responded. 

The  new  building  covers  the  ground  occupied 
by  the  old.  The  cornerstone  was  laid  by  the 
Grand  Lodge  of  A.  F.  &  A.  M.  of  Illinois,  July 
17,  1900,  and  the  event  was  otherwise  honored 
l)y  a  fitting  program,  Judge  Kohlsaat,  of  the 
United  States  District  Court  at  Chicago,  deliv- 
ering the  address. 

County-seat  Contests. — At  the  September 
term,  1896,  a  petition  was  filed  with  the  County 
Clerk,  praying  that  an  election  be  ordered  by 
the  County  Court  to  be  held  November  10th,  on 
the  question  of  removal  of  the  County-seat  from 
Dixon  to  Amboy.  The  election  was  ordered 
and  the  total  number  of  votes  cast  on  the  sub- 
ject were  6,725,  of  which  4,115  were  against  re- 
moval. The  fight  was  vigorous  on  both  sides. 
Among  the  inducements  offered  by  the  Amboy 
party  was  the  adoption  of  a  resolution  by  the 
City  Council  to  appropriate  $15,000  for  the  pur- 


HISTORY  OF  LEE   COUNTY. 


623 


chase  of  a  Court-house  site,  and  a  subscription 
list  filed  in  the  County  Clerk's  office,  payable 
to  the  Board  of  Supervisors,  for  ?50,000  for  the 
erection  of  county  buildings  in  Amboy. 

The  location  of  the  county-seat  had  been  a 
bone  of  contention  from  an  early  date,  and  only 
by  the  election  above  referred  to  was  it  finally 
settled.  That  was  the  only  time  when  It  was 
submitted  to  vote  of  the  people;  but  a  fight 
which  may  be  called  stalwart,  if  not  bitter,  was 
waged  by  Amboy  in  1S60.  and  another  less  de- 
termined, eight  or  nine  years  later.  In  those 
years  it  was  only  by  special  act  of  the  Legisla- 
ture that  the  county-seat  could  be  moved,  and 
hence  the  wars  were  waged  in  the  halls  of  leg- 
islation at  Springfield.  In  1S60  Lee  and  White- 
side Counties  were  in  one  Legislative  District, 
and  the  Amboy  party,  by  combining  with  White- 
side, secured  an  enormous  advantage  in  the  elec- 
tion of  Dr.  George  Ryan,  of  PawPaw  ( after- 
v,ards  of  Amboy).  as  Representative  in  the  Leg- 
islature, and  Dr.  R.  F.  Adams  of  Lee  Center  as 
Senator.  The  Dixon  party  set  up  Judge  Heaton 
against  Adams,  but  the  latter  was  elected. 
Ryan  and  Adams,  together  with  their  home  sup- 
porters, made  themselves  busy  by  the  means 
prevalent  in  legislative  bodies,  in  obtaining 
pledges  and  clinching  them.  Indeed,  everything 
was  culminating  to  their  entire  satisfaction 
and  every  sign  was  auspicious,  when  a  force 
undreamed  of  appeared  on  the  scene.  It  was 
the  venerable,  much  beloved  Father  Dixon.  His 
mildness  of  manner,  his  flowing  white  locks 
and  winning  face,  accomplished  their  undoing 
as  nothing  else  could  have  done.  He  met  each 
member,  many  of  whom  already  knew  him  per- 
sonally or  by  reputation;  was  invited  to  sit  by 
the  Speaker  during  the  deliberations  of  the 
body;  was  the  guest  of  honor  at  banquets,  and 
was  the  social  lion  of  the  hour.  Members  who 
had  promised  to  vote  for  the  removal  bill  began 
to  weaken  as  the  time  for  action  approached, 
saying  they  had  not  the  heart  to  take  the  coun- 
ty-seat away  from  the  town  the  genial  old  man 
had  founded  and  which  bore  his  honored  name; 
and  with  this  leaven  working  against  it,  to- 
gether with  the  shrewdness  of  James  L.  Camp, 
B.  F.  Shaw,  J.  C.  Ayres  and  others,  the  bill  was 
defeated.  The  attentions  paid  Father  Dixon, 
however,  had  prostrated  him.  The  change  from 
his  simple  habits  of  life  were  too  severe  for  his 
system.  A  special  car  on  the  Illinois  Central 
was  provided,  and  the  old  gentleman  was  car- 
ried  to   it  on   a   stretcher   and   hurried   home. 


Thus  ended  Amboy's  first  attempt  to  remove  the 
coveted  seat  of  government  from  Dixon. 

The  next  campaign  was  in  1S69  or  1870  when 
Alonzo  Kinyon  of  Amboy  was  in  the  Lower 
House  of  the  Legislature.  This  belated  effort, 
however,  lacked  the  confidence  and  co-opera- 
tion of  the  active  men  of  Amboy  which  charac- 
terized the  former,  and  easily  succumbed  to  the 
organized  opposition  of  the  Dixon  contingent. 

Judges  of  Circuit  Court. — For  Circuit  Court 
purposes  Lee  County  has  formed  a  part  of  dif- 
ferent circuits,  as  follows:  Sixth  Circuit  from 
1840  to  1849;  Twenty-second,  from  1857;  Third, 
from  1873;  Thirteenth,  from  1877,  and  from 
1S97  the  Fifteenth,  to  which  it  still  belongs. 

The  Judges  of  the  Circuit  Court  from  the  bar 
of  Lee  County  have  been  as  follows:  J.  V.  Eus- 
tace, commissioned  March  16,  1857,  Twenty-sec- 
ond Circuit;  W.  W.  Heaton,  July  1,  1861,  and 
June  7,  1867,  Twenty-second  Circuit;  W.  W. 
Heaton,  June  16,  1873,  Third  Circuit,  died  De- 
cember 26,  1877,  and  was  succeeded  by  J.  V. 
Eustace,  who  was  commissioned  to  Fifteenth 
Circuit.  June  16,  1879,  and  June  16,  1885.  He 
died  December  13,  1887,  and  was  succeeded  by 
J.  H.  Cartwright,  of  Ogle  County.  J.  D.  Crab- 
tree  was  commissioned  to  same  circuit  June 
9,  1888,  to  succeed  Judge  Bailey,  of  Stephenson 
County,  deceased.  He  was  again  commissioned 
June  16,  1891,  and  June  8,  1897;   died  May  22 

1902,  and  was  succeeded  by  R.  S.  Farrand,  who 
was  commissioned  August  1.  1902,  and  June  18^ 

1903,  being  the  present  incumbent.  All  were 
elected,  no  vacancies  having  been  filled  by  ap 
pointment. 

Members  of  the  Legislature. — State  Sena^ 
tors— Silas  Noble,  1846-48;  Richard  F.  Ad 
ams,  1858-62;  Jas.  K.  Edsall,  1870-72;  Henry 
D.  Dement,  1876-80;  John  D.  Crabtree.  1886 
to  May  29,  1888,  when  he  resigned;  Chas.  H. 
Hughes,  1902,  present  incumbent.  Represent- 
atives—Jos. Crawford,  1848-54;  John  V.  Eustace. 
1856-58;  George  Ryan,  1860-62  and  1866-68;  De- 
mas  Harris,  1862-64;  Obed  W.  Bryant,  1864-66; 
Alonzo  Kinyon,  1868-70;  Norman  H.  Ryan,  1870- 
72;  Henry  D.  Dement,  1872-76;  Abijah  Powers, 
1876-78;  Bernard  H.  'irusdell,  1876-80;  Alex.  P. 
Dysart.  1878-82;  Solomon  H.  Bethea,  1882-84; 
John  B.  Felker,  1882-84;  Chas.  H.  Ingalls,  1884- 
86;  Benj.  H.  Bradshaw,  1886-90;  Sherwood 
Dixon.  1888-92;  Luther  W.  Mitchell.  1890-92; 
Washington  I.  Guflin,  1892-1900;  Chas.  H. 
Hughes,  1900-02. 


624 


HISTORY  OF  LEE   COUNTY* 


County  Commissioners — At  the  first  election 
in  1839  the  full  Board  of  three  Commissioners 
was  chosen.  After  this  the  term  of  one  expired 
and  his  successor  was  elected  each  year.  C.  F. 
Ingalls,  Nathan  Whitney  and  J.  P.  Dixon  con- 
stituted the  first  Board,  and  their  successors 
were  as  follows:  A.  E.  Haskell.  1840;  Joseph 
Crawford,  1841:  O.  F.  Ayres,  1842;  J.  C.  Mor- 
gan, 1843;  D.  Baird,  1844;  D.  H.  Birdsell,  1845; 
James  Gohle,  1846,  to  fill  vacancy  caused  by 
Baird's  resignation;  Warren  Badger,  1847;  Ste- 
phen Fuller,  1848;  John  Gilmore,  1848,  to  fill 
vacancy  to  1850,  when  township  organization 
went  into  effect. 

County  Judges — Harvey  Morgan  from  1839  to 
1843;  Otis  A.  Eddy  to  1847;  Lorenzo  Wood  from 
November,  1849,  to  December  27,  1853;  David 
Welty,  from  December,  1853,  to  December.  1861; 
William  W.  DeWolf,  December,  1861,  to  No- 
vember 6.  1869;  John  D.  Crabtree,  November 
6,  1869,  to  December  1,  1877;  James  B.  Char- 
ters, December  1,  1877,  to  December  1,  1882; 
Richard  S.  Farrand,  December  1,  1882,  to  Au- 
gust 9,  1902;  Robert  H.  Scott,  by  appointment, 
August  9,  1902,  elected  November  4,  1902,  pres- 
ent incumbent. 

County  c;<?rA-s— Isaac  S.  Boardman.  from  1839 
to  June  7,  1843;  Jas.  P.  Dixon,  June  to  Septem- 
ber, 1843;  Charles  T,  Chase.  September,  1843, 
to  1849;  J.  B.  Gregory,  November  28,  1849,  to 
November,  1853;  Thomas  W.  Eustace,  Decem- 
ber, 1853,  to  December  4,  1861;  James  A.  Haw- 
ley,  December  4,  1861,  to  December  1,  1882; 
Charles  H.  Gardner,  to  December.  1886;  James 
H.  Thompson,  December,  1886,  to  November  24, 
1902;  William  C.  Thompson,  November  24,  1902, 
present  incumbent. 

Clerks  of  Circuit  Court— Geo.  W.  Chase, 
April,  1840,  to  1841;  C.  T.  Chase,  1841-51;  N.  F. 
Porter.  1851;  Isaac  S.  Boardman,  1851-57;  G. 
E.  Haskell,  1857-59;  Isaac  S.  Boardman  in  1859; 
B.  F.  Shaw,  1859-68;  J.  N.  Hyde,  1868-76;  Rem- 
ington Warriner,  1876  to  December  1,  1882;  Ira 
W.  Lewis,  December  1.  1882,  to  December  7, 
1896;  Arvene  S.  Hyde,  December  7,  1896,  to 
January  1.  1898;  Ira  W.  Lewis,  by  appoint- 
ment, January  1,  1898,  to  December,  1898, 
elected  November.  1898,  to  fill  unexpired  term 
of  Arvene  S.  Hyde  to  December,  1900;  Ira  W. 
Lewis.  December,  1900,  present  incumbent. 

Recorders — Michael  Fellows,  1839-44:  Edwin 
W.  Kine,  1844-50,  since  which  time  the  Clerk  of 
the  Circuit  Court  has  served  as  ex-officio  Re- 
corder. 


County  Treasurers — John  Morse,  1840-43;  Na- 
than Morehouse,  1843-46;  S.  Parker,  in  1846; 
W.  W.  Bethea,  to  1850;  Elias  B.  Stiles,  1850-57; 
Thomas  B.  Little.  1857-59;  Elias  B.  Stiles,  1859- 
63;  Joseph  T.  Little,  1863-71;  Josiah  Little, 
1871-75;  Frederick  A.  Truman,  1875-79;  Josiah 
Little.  1879-86;  Chas.  H.  Hughes.  1886-90;  Mich- 
ael M.  Maloney,  1890-94;  Chas.  P.  Welty,  1894- 
98;  John  M.  Sterling,  1898-1902;  Walter  B. 
Merriman,  November,  1902,  present  incumbent. 

Sheriffs— A.  Waklee,  1839-40;  Aaron  L.  Por- 
ter, 1840-42;  James  Campbell,  1842-48;  James 
Goble,  1848-51;  Aaron  L.  Porter,  1851-53;  Ozias 
Wheeler,  in  1853;  William  Butler,  to  1856;  Ozi- 
as Wheeler,  1856-58;  Lester  Harding,  1858-60; 
Aaron  L.  Porter,  1860-62;  Charles  F.  LyBn, 
1862-64;  Rensselaer  P.  Treadwell,  1864-66;  Tru- 
man L.  Pratt,  1866-68;  George  M.  Berkley,  1868- 
76;  J.  N.  Hills,  1876-80;  Walter  Little,  1880-82; 
Isaac  Edwards,  1882-86;  William  H.  Woodyatt, 
1886-90;  Geo.  F.  Stainbrook,  1890-94;  Joseph 
L.  Gray,  1894-98:  Michael  J.  McGowan,  1898- 
1902;  Chas.  H.  Wohnke,  Nov.  24.  1902,  present 
incumbent. 

Superitendent  of  Schools  (First  known  as 
School  Commissioner) — E.  R.  Mason,  to  1840; 
Joseph  T.  Little,  1840-43;  Daniel  B.  McKinney, 
1843-46;  Lorenzo  Wood.  1846-50;  John  V.  Eus- 
tace, 1850-53;  John  Stevens,  1853-55;  S.  Wright, 
1855-57;  James  A.  Hawley,  1857-59;  John  Men- 
roe,  1859-61;  W.  H.  Gardner,  1861-63;  B.  P. 
Atherton.  1863-65;  James  H.  Preston,  1865-73; 
Daniel  Carey,  1873-76;  James  H.  Preston.  1876, 
to  December,  1880;  Samuel  J.  Howe.  1880  to 
November  2,  1886;  P.  M.  James,  1886-90;  Jay 
C.  Edwards,  1890-94;  J.  P.  Edwards,  1894  to  No- 
vember 4,  1902,  elected  for  third  term  Novem- 
ber, 1902,  present  incumbent. 

Surveyors — Joseph  Crawford.  1839-44;  S.  H. 
Whitmore,  1844-46;  S.  Parker  in  1846;  C.  Camp, 
1846-49;  Joseph  Crawford,  1849-55;  A.  W.  Tink- 
ham,  1855-57;  Milton  Santee,  1857-61;  K.  P. 
Booth,  1861-63:  W.  B.  Andrus,  1863-65;  C.  R. 
Hall,  1865-67;  Wm.  McMahan,  1867  to  November 
7,  1882;  Henry  E.  Wylie.  1882-88;  L.  B.  Neigh- 
bor, 1888-92;  Chas.  C.  Jacobs,  1892-96;  Wm.  B. 
McMahan,  1896-1900;  L.  B.  Neighbor,  Novem- 
ber, 1900,  present  incumbent. 

Coroners — Samuel  Johnson.  1839-41;  John 
Lord,  1841-48;  Sol.  Parker,  1848-50;  .Jas.  Goble, 
1850-54;  D.  B.  McKinney,  1854-56;  H.  0.  Kel- 
sey.  1856-64;  Jos.  Hatch,  Jr.,  1864-66;  H.  Barrell, 
1866-70;  A.  E.  Wilcox,  1870-80;  J.  C.  Church, 
1880  to  November,  1888;   Wm.  B.  Andrus,  1888 


HISTORY  OF  LEE  COUNTY. 


625 


to  December,  1S99;  Chas.  T.  Smith,  1S99  to  No- 
vember 6,  1900,  at  which  date  he  was  elected 
for  third  term. 

State's  Attorney — Wm.  E.  Ives,  1S72-76;  A.  C. 
Bardwell,  1S76-80;  Chas.  B.  Morrison,  Decem- 
ber 1,  1880,  to  December  7,  1896;  Edward  H. 
Brewster,  1896-1900;  Chas.  H.  Wooster,  Decem- 
ber, 1900,  present  incumbent. 

County  Assessor,  Overseer  of  Poor  and  Col- 
lector— Under  the  first  organization,  the  Coun- 
ty Commissioners  chose  these  officers.  March 
7,  1840,  John  Morse  was  appointed  first  Asses- 
sor, April  16th  of  the  same  year,  Joseph  Saw- 
yer was  appointed  first  Overseer  of  the  Poor 
and   David  Tripp   first  Collector, 

LEE   COUNTY   IN  THE  CIVIL  WAR. 

A  good  sized  volume  would  be  required  to 
fairly  set  forth  the  part  which  the  people  of 
Lee  County  took  in  that  memorable  struggle. 
The  limitations  of  space  therefore  preclude  the 
effort,  but  a  few  interesting  facts  will  be  set 
down. 

The  quotas  assigned  to  the  State  by  the  Fed- 
eral Government  under  the  several  calls  were: 
Call  of  1861,  47,785;  call  of  July,  1862,  26,148; 
call  of  August,  1862,  26,148  for  nine  months,  be- 
ing equivalent  to  6,537  for  three  years;  draft 
call  of  1863,  36,700;  of  October  17,  1863,  27,930; 
February  1,  1864,  46,309;  March  4.  1864,  18.- 
564;  July  IS,  1864,  52,057;  December  19,  1864, 
32,887.  The  total  quotas  of  Lee  County  were 
2,454,  and  the  enlistments  credited  to  the  coun- 
ty were  eight  short  of  this  number. 

To  meet  this  constant  drain,  the  county  and 
and  the  towns  of  Dixon,  Palmyra,  Lee  Center 
and  Willow  Creek,  offered  bounties  as  induce- 
ment to  enlistments.  The  records  in  the  Coun- 
ty Clerk's  office  are  very  meager  on  the  subject, 
but  the  reports  of  the  Adjutant-General  of  the 
State  show  that  the  county  paid  $405,214.75  in 
bounties,  and  to  soldiers'  families  $15,465.75, 
besides  $218,707.55  paid  as  interest  on  county 
warrants  or  bonds — making  a  total  of  $639,- 
388.05.  This  was  more  than  was  expended  for 
this  purpose  by  any  other  county  in  the  State, 
Cook  and  Bureau  alone  excepted. 

It  is  commonly  supposed  that  no  draft  was 
made  to  fill  any  of  the  quotas  assigned  to  Lee 
County,  but  the  writer  is  obliged  to  dispel  this 
illusion.  As  clerk  to  John  V.  Eustace,  Provost 
Marshal,  he  took  part  in  a  draft  which  was 
publicly  made  in  the  court  room  at  the  Court 
House  in  Dixon.  How  many  were  drafted  or 
on  what  quota,  he  does  not  recall.     The  num- 


ber was  small,  and  it  may  be  that  subsequent 
enlistments  avoided  the  necessity  of  its  being 
reported  to  the  Adjutant-General's  oflace. 

At  a  special  session  of  the  Board  of  Super- 
visors held  May  14,  1861,  a  resolution  was 
passed  appropriating  $6,000  to  "equip'  the  vol- 
unteers of  Lee  County,  and  John  G.  Fleck,  Josi- 
ah  M.  Davis  and  Louis  M.  Blaisdell  were  ap- 
pointed commissioners  to  expend  the  same. 
The  resolution  refers  to  the  "Ten  Regiment" 
bill,  then  recently  passed  by  the  Legislature,  and 
recites  that  "two  companies  are  from  this  coun- 
ty," and  that  no  provision  had  been  made  for 
their  equipment.  The  resolution  authorized 
scrip  to  be  issued  in  denominations  of  ?1,  $2, 
$3  and  $5,  payable  February  15,  1862.  No  other 
business  was  transacted  at  this  session.  At  the 
September  meeting,  1861,  a  tax  of  25  cents  on 
the   $100  was  voted  to  pay  this  scrip. 

The  Thirteenth  Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry 
was  recruited  under  the  Ten  Regiment  bill, 
above  alluded  to.  It  was  mustered  into  the 
United  States  service.  May  24,  1861,  by  Capt. 
John  Pope  of  the  regular  army,  at  Camp  De- 
ment, Dixon,  with  John  B.  Wyman,  of  Amboy, 
Colonel;  B.  F.  Parks,  of  Aurora,  Lieutenant- 
Colonel,  and  A.  B.  Gorgas,  of  Dixon,  Major. 
Sunday.  June  16,  1861,  the  regiment  took  train 
for  Caseyville  near  St.  Louis,  under  Officers 
John  B.  Wyman,  Colonel,  Benj.  F.  Parks,  Lieu- 
tenant-Colonel, and  Fred'k  W.  Partridge,  Ma- 
jor. We  quote  from  the  Adjutant-General's 
report:  "The  Thirteenth  was  the  first  regi- 
ment organized  from  the  then  Second  Congres- 
sional District,  and  was  composed  of  as  good 
citizens  as  Northern  Illinois  contained,  many 
that  enlisted  as  privates  rising  to  field  offices 
in  later  regiments.  Its  Colonel,  John  B.  Wy- 
man, organized  and  commanded  the  Chicago 
Light  Guards,  the  first  crack  corps  the  Garden 
City  ever  had,  and  he  soon  brought  the  Thir- 
teenth to  a  degree  of  proficiency  in  drill  and 
soldierly  deportment  that  was  never  excelled 
by  any  regiment  with  which  it  was  afterwards 
associated." 

September  2,  1861,  the  Thirty-fourth  Illinois 
Infantry  left  for  the  South,  with  E.  N.  Kirk  as 
Colonel,  Amos  Bosworth,  Lieutenant-Colonel, 
and  Chas.  N.  Levanway,  Major.  The  companies 
were  raised  by  the  surrounding  counties  and 
first  went  into  camp  at  Camp  Butler,  Spring- 
field, where  regimental  organization  was  ef- 
fected September  7,  1861.  About  530— nearly  all 
the  survivors — were  mustered  as  a  veteran  or- 


626 


HISTORY  OF  LEE  COUNTY. 


ganization  while  still  at  the  front,  and  on  Janu- 
ary S,  1S64,  started  home  on  veteran  furlough, 
rendezvoused  at  Dixon  and  started  back  for  the 
field  February  28. 

January  14,  1S62,  an  artillery  company  was 
organized  in  Dixon  with  John  T.  Cheney  as  Cap- 
tain. Though  commonly  known  as  Cheney's 
Battery,  it  was  in  fact  Battery  "F"  of  First 
Illinois  Artillerj-.  In  February,  1S65,  the  com- 
pany organization  was  discontinued  and,  on 
March  7th,  it  was  consolidated  with  other  bat- 
teries in  the  Regiment. 

September  2,  1862,  the  Seventy-fifth  Illinois 
Volunteers,  which  had  been  quartered  in  West 
Dixon  camp,  was  mustered  into  service  with 
Dr.  George  Ryan  as  Colonel,  John  E.  Bennett, 
Lieutenant-Colonel,  and  Wm.  M.  Kilgour, 
Major.  It  was  composed  almost  entirely  of  men 
from  Lee,  Ogle  and  Whiteside  counties.  It  re- 
mained at  Camp  Dement  until  September  27, 
when  it  went  to  the  front,  crossing  the  Ohio 
on  the  evening  of  the  30th  and,  on  the  Sth  of 
October,  was  engaged  in  the  battle  of  Perr,v- 
ville,  where  its  loss  was  severe. 

RAILROADS. — The  survey  of  the  Illinois 
Central  Railroad  through  Lee  County  was  com- 
pleted in  1851,  and  construction  was  commenced 
the  following  year.  January  13,  1S55,  regular 
trains  began  running,  though  the  bridge  at 
Dixon  was  not  then  completed.  Passengers 
were  transferred  by  boat  until  February  8,  when 
the  first  train  crossed  the  bridge.  The  section 
through  the  county  was  formally  opened  for 
traffic  February  1. 

February  12,  1855,  trains  commenced  running 
to  Chicago  on  the  "Galena  &  Chicago  Union 
Air  Line."  It  was  also  called  the  Dixon  Air- 
Line,  and  is  now  the  Chicago  &  Northwestern. 

The  Chicago  &  Rock  River  Railroad  was  char- 
tered by  the  Legislature  of  1868-9.  Every  town 
through  which  it  passed,  except  two.  took  stock 
in  the  railroad  and  issued  bonds  in  payment. 
Amboy  Town,  by  a  vote  of  517  for  to  92  against, 
issued  $100,000  of  bonds  which,  after  long  and 
fruitless  litigation,  were  refunded  for  another 
issue,  $65,500  of  which  are  still  to  become  due. 
Wyoming  bonded  itself  for  $50,000  for  the  same 
purpose.  After  stubborn  litigation  the  town 
found  further  resistance  futile  and,  in  settle- 
ment, issued  $102,380  in  bonds,  all  of  which 
have  been  paid.  Other  towns  had  similar  ex- 
perience; the  town  of  Harmon  alone  escaping 
by  means  of  an  injunction  restraining  the  issue 
of  the  bonds  which  the  people  had  voted.     Lee 


Center  and  Marion  were  the  only  towns  on  the 
line  that  did  not  vote  to  issue  bonds  for  stock. 
In  every  case  the  stock  thus  purchased  was 
sold  by  the  towns  at  a  discount.  The  road  was 
completed  in  the  summer  of  1872.  Later  it  be- 
came a  part  of  the  Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy 
System. 

In  1870-71  the  Chicago  &  Iowa  Railway  was 
constructed  through  Rochelle,  Ogle  County,  on 
to  Aurora,  passing  through  the  body  of  Alto 
Township,  and  a  corner  of  Willow  Creek.  This, 
too,  was  soon  absorbed  by  the  Chicago,  Bur- 
lington &  Quincy  System. 

In  1902  the  Peoria  &  Northwestern  Railway 
was  built,  connecting  with  the  Chicago  &  North- 
western at  Nelson  and  extending  to  Peoria, 
passing  through  Nelson  Township  and  the 
northwest  portion  of  Harmon. 

The  Rochelle  &  Southern  Railway  Company 
is,  at  this  writing,  engaged  in  constructing 
a  railroad  from  a  point  on  the  Chicago,  Bur- 
lington &  Quincy.  near  Steward,  to  McNab  in 
Putnam  County,  extending  southerly  through 
the  eastern  portion  of  this  county. 

Vigorous  movements  are  now  on  foot  to  con- 
nect the  towns  and  cities  of  this  part  of  the 
State  by  electric  roads,  To  this  end  com- 
panies have  been  incorporated  as  follows: 

The  "Illinois  and  Rock  River  Railway  Com- 
pany," incorporated  May  31,  1900,  to  construot 
a  railroad  from  Rockford  to  Rock  Falls,  via 
intermediate  cities,  to  Wisconsin  line,  to  Wau- 
kegan,  to  Cairo,  to  Galena,  and  to  Chicago — 
capital  stock.  $1,000,000;  duration  fifty  years; 
first  Board  of  Directors,  Glen  E.  Plumb.  River 
Forest.  111.;  Thomas  C.  MacMillan.  Chicago; 
Allen  F.  Millikan,  River  Forest;  Ephralm  Ban- 
ning and   Thomas   A.   Banning,   Chicago. 

The  "Northern  Illinois  Electric  Railway  Com- 
pany," incorporated  June  24,  1901,  to  consruct 
a  road  from  Steward  to  Dixon,  via  Lee  Center 
and  Amboy;  capital,  $700,000:  duration  fifty 
years;  office  at  Steward.  111.;  first  Directors — E. 
L.  Titus,  I.  R.  Titus.  S.  D.  Frost.  Sherman  L. 
Shaw.  J.  M.  Durin,  F.  N.  Vaughan  and  G.  H.  T. 
Shaw. 

The  "Sterling.  Dixon  and  Eastern  Electric 
Railway  Company,"  incorporated  August  18, 
1902,  with  capital  stock  of  $300,000.  to  construct 
"the  railroad"  from  Sterling  and  Rock  Falls 
to  Dixon;  principal  business  office  to  be  at 
Sterling;  term  of  corporation,  fifty  years;  in- 
corporators— Henry  C.  Higgins,  Neenah,  Wis.; 
J.   F.    Springfield,   Rochester,   N.   H.;    Ward   S. 


HISTORY  OF  LEE   COUNTY. 


627 


Arnold,  Chicago;  Harry  E.  O'Neill,  Omaha, 
Neb.;  F.  E.  Andrews.  Sterling,  111.;  Charles 
H.  Hughes,  Dixon,  111. 

The  "Dixon,  Rock  Falls  and  Southwestern 
Electric  Railway  Company"  was  incoporated 
March  21,  1903,  with  a  capital  stock  of  $50,- 
000;  duration  fifty  years;  purpose,  to  con- 
struct "said  railroad"  from  Dixon  to  Rock 
Island,  via  Rock  Falls.  Directors — O.  E.  Max- 
son,  A.  S.  Goodell,  A.  J.  McNeil,  R.  L.  Leitch 
and  H.  L.  Sheldon,  all  of  Rock  Falls,  111.;  ofRce 
at  Rock  Falls. 

The  pioneer,  however,  in  this  line,  was  the 
"Rock  River  Electric  Railroad  Company,"  in- 
corporated February  7,  1S94,  to  construct  a  rail- 
road from  Rockford  to  Dixon;  capital  $500,000; 
duration  fifty  year^;  first  Directors— Jas.  S. 
Tieknon.  George  E.  King.  Harry  B.  Andrews, 
Jason  C.  Ayres  and  Fred  G.  Jones.  Consider- 
able was  done  by  this  Company  in  procuring 
right  of  way  and  other  preliminaries,  but  hard 
times  following  189^,  finally  defeated  the  en- 
terprise. 

The  "Illinois  and  Rock  River  Company"  se- 
cured franchises  in  Rockford.  Dixon,  and  in- 
termediate points,  but  after  doing  a  trifling 
amount  of  work  in  the  way  of  grading  and  set- 
ting poles,  permitted  these  to  expire  by  limita- 
tion. The  franchises  have,  however,  been  re- 
cently extended  for  another  year. 

The  "Sterling.  Dixon  &  Eastern"  has  laid  its 
tracks  in  Sterling,  where  its  steam-power  plant 
is  located,  and  is  now  doing  the  same  in  Dixon. 
Gangs  are  at  work  between  the  two  cities,  and 
the  prospects  are  that,  in  a  few  months,  these 
places  will  be  connected  by  electric  rail  line. 

SWAMP  LAND  DRAINAGE.— Inlet  Swamp 
comprises,  including  the  tracts  it  directly  af- 
fects, about  30,000  i;cres  of  land  distributed 
among  the  towns  of  Alto,  Willow  Creek, 
Reynolds,  Viola,  Bradford  and  Lee  Center.  In- 
let Drainage  District  was  formed  as  early  as 
the  70s,  having  the  drainage  of  the  swamp  in 
view,  but  without  practical  results.  August  5, 
1887,  The  "Inlet  Swamp  Drainage  District" 
was  formally  organized  by  proceedings  in 
the  County  Court  under  the  drainage  law. 
Preliminary  to  tjie  organization,  the  court 
appointed  E.  C.  P&,rsons,  Wesley  Steward  and 
John  Nellis  to  lay  out  the  proposed 
ditches  and  report  plans  and  probable  cost. 
After  reducing  the  system  to  less  than  half 
what  they  recommended,  organization  was  ef- 
fected. It  may  be  said  that,  by  subsequent  ac- 
tion, the  system  they  advocated  has  been  prac- 


tically adopted.  To  meet  the  cost  of  the  ditches, 
and  such  expenses  as  pertain  thereto,  six  assess- 
ments have  been  made  on  the  lands  of  the  dis- 
trict, aggregatings  $165,800.  The  last  work  on 
the  ditches  was  finished  in  1901.  The  result 
has  surpassed  the  hopes  of  the  most  sanguine. 
Lands,  practically  valueless  before,  are  now 
among  the  choicest  in  the  county,  for  which 
credit  is  due  to  the  Court  {Hon.  R.  S.  Farrand), 
the  Commissioners,  as  well  as  the  more  pro- 
gressive land  owners.  On  the  organization  of 
the  district,  the  court  appointed  William  S. 
Frost,  of  Bradford.  Henry  B.  Cobb,  of  Viola,  and 
Wesley  Steward  of  Alto,  Commissioners.  The 
board  continued  unchanged  until  September, 
1899,  when  Xavier  Gehant  was  appointed  by 
the  court  in  Mr.  Steward's  place.  Owing  to 
resignation  of  Mr.  FroSt,  there  are  now  but  two 
Commissioners  serving:  A.  J.  McGinnis  and 
Wm.  Fell.  The  ditches  were  laid  out  by  Engi- 
neer Rutledge,  of  Rockford.  G.  H.  T.  Shaw. 
C.  E.,  of  Dixon,  succeeded  him  and  has  had 
charge  of  the  greater  part  of  the  excavation 
work.  The  four  main  ditches  have  a  total 
length  of  thjrty-two  miles,  into  which  empty 
over  seven  and  one-half  miles  of  smaller  ditches 
or  laterals. 

Brush  Grove  Drainage  District,  embracing 
about  10.000  acres,  was  organized  by  the  Coun- 
ty Court,  August  7,  1893,  to  drain  a  tract  lying 
in  the  town  of  Alto,  and  projecting  over  into 
Ogle  County  in  the  vicinity  of  Rochelle.  In 
fact,  a  small  section  of  the  city  is  within  the 
district.  The  first  Commissioners  were  Albert 
Horton,"  Wesley  Steward  and  Wallace  Brown. 
The  first  assessment  was  made  for  $30,000,  in 
October,  1893;  the  second,  for  $12,000  ,  in  May, 
1895,  and  a  third,  for  $6,000.  has  been  levied 
and  only  awaits  the  confirmation  of  the  Court. 
The  present  Commissioners  are  Albert  Horton. 
Wesley  Steward  and  Fred  W.  Craft. 

Districts  have  also  been  formed  to  drain  land 
in  the  southwest  part  of  the  county,  but  they 
have  been  organized  before  Justices  of  the 
Peace  and  their  records  are  not  accessible  to 
the  writer.  The  most  active,  and  probably  the 
most  efficient  of  these,  is  "Union  Drainage  Dis- 
trict No.  1."  in  the  town  of  Hamilton.  Lee  Coun- 
ty, and  Hahneman.  Whiteside  County,  of  which 
C.  B.  Keig^-in,  Jas.  Foley  and  John  W.  Cashion 
are  now.  and  for  four  or  five  years  past,  have 
been,  the  Commissioners.  The  other  districts 
are  Harmon  No.  1  and  Harmon  No.  2. 

Tornado. — On  Sunday.  June  3.  1860,  a  fright- 
ful tornado  swept  through  the  central  portion 


628 


HISTORY  OF  LEE   COUNTY. 


of  Lee  County,  strewing  death  and  destruction 
in  its  path.  It  originated  in  Iowa,  crossing  the 
Mississippi  River  near  Comanche  and  Albany, 
almost  wiping  out  the  former  village.  It  con- 
tinued eastward  through  Whiteside  County,  and 
on  through  the  central  portions  of  the  towns  of 
Harmon,  Amboy,  Lee  Center,  Bradford  and  Wil- 
low Creek  in  this  county.  A  number  of  per- 
sons were  killed  and  many  buildings  demol- 
ished in  these  towns.  A  special  meeting  of  the 
Board  of  Supervisors  was  held  on  the  13th  of 
June,  to  consider  the  question  of  extending  aid 
to  the  sufferers  from  the  tornado,  but  the  Board 
decided  that  it  had  not  the  power  to  afford  the 
relief. 

Early  Markets.  Prices.  Etc. — In  the  first 
years,  Chicago  was  the  only  market  where  the 
farmer  could  dispose  of  his  product  for  cash. 
Hither,  before  the  advent  of  the  railroad,  the 
cattle  had  to  be  driven  and  the  grain  hauled. 
One  settler  at  Four  Mile  Grove,  near  PawPaw, 
says:  "We  hauled  corn  eighty  miles  to  mar- 
ket in  early  days,  and  then  sold  it  for  14  cents 
a  bushel;  while,  for  oats,  we  received  10  cents 
and  for  wheat  40  cents  a  bushel.  We  could  not 
pay  any  hotel  bills  out  of  that  money.  Provis- 
ions for  man  and  team  were  carried  from  home 
and  poor  shelter  gratefully  accepted."  An- 
other says:  "One  year  I  raised  500  bushels  of 
wheat,  doing  all  the  work — except  exchanging 
labor  for  a  reaper — with  the  help  of  my  wife. 
She  had  been  tenderly  reared  in  a  Massachu- 
setts home,  but  went  into  the  field  and  bound 
the  grain.  When  the  crop  was  sold,  we  had 
left,  clear  of  expenses,  only  ten  dollars  to  pay 
for  our  toil."  A  resident  of  Palmyra  writes, 
but  of  what  year  is  not  clear:  "Corn  remained 
unsalable.  Through  August  and  September 
there  would  be  a  long  string  of  teams  going 
into  Chicago  with  wheat  through  clouds  of 
blinding,  choking  dust.  The  wheat  generally 
sold  at  50  and  60  cents.  On  these  long  drives, 
requiring  a  week  or  ten  days  to  accomplish, 
the  load  was  seldom  more  than  twenty-five 
bushels.  With  the  wheat  was  taken  food  for 
man  and  beast,  a  scythe  to  cut  grass  by  the 
way  and  axe  and  auger  for  repair  work." 

Schools. — From  Superintendent  Edwards'  re- 
port for  the  year.  July.  1902.  to  July.  1903,  the 
following  items  are  gleaned:  Number  of  school 
districts  in  the  county,  162;  males  in  the  coun 
ty  under  21,  5,745;  females,  5,824;  pupils  en 
rolled.  6.349;  teachers  in  service — males,  53;  fe 
males,  188;  average  monthly  wages  paid  teach 
ers — males,      $58.96;      females.      $37.52.       Total 


amount  earned  by  male  teachers,  $21,584.04; 
females,  $58,478.  Total  expended  for  all  school 
purposes.  $124,728.12.  High  schools — Ashton, 
with  six  teachers;  Franklin  Grove,  with  five; 
Amboy,  with  eleven;  North  Dixon,  with  twelve; 
PawPaw,  with  six;  Dixon  (South  of  River), 
twenty-three.  School  libraries  in  county,  123, 
with  an  average  of  76  volumes  in  each. 

The  Lee  County  Old  Settlers'  Association 
held  its  first  meeting  at  Amboy,  August  30, 
1873,  since  which  date  meetings  and  picnics 
have  been  held  annually  at  different  places  in 
the  county,  Amboy  seeming  to  be  the  favorite. 

State  Roads. — The  early  sessions  of  the  Leg- 
islature were  largely  concerned  with  the  estab- 
lishing of  public  or  State  roads.  By  act,  ap- 
proved March  2.  1839,  Commissioners  were  ap- 
pointed to  view,  mark,  locate  and  establish  a 
State  road  from  Fox  River  in  Kane  County 
westward,  by  a  road  running  from  Aurora  in 
said  county,  to  Dixon's  Ferry  in  Ogle  County. 
March  3.  1843,  an  act  was  approved  appointing 
commissioners  "to  lay  out,  mark  and  locate 
a  State  road  from  Chicago,  in  Cook  County,  via 
St.  Charles,  Sycamore,  Coltonville  and  Brow- 
die's  Grove  to  Dixon  on  the  nearest  and  best 
ground."  Others  were,  in  like  manner,  pro- 
vided for  by  special  act  of  the  General  Assem- 
bly, and  are  all  properly  called  "State  roads." 


CH.\PTER   II. 


THE  BLACK  HAWK  WAR. 


TREATY  OF  1804 — BL.^CK  H.\WK  .VXD  HI.S  BRITISH 
B.4ND LANDS  ABOUT  MOUTH  OF  ROCK  RIVER  DE- 
CLARED OPEX  TO  SETTLEMENT INDIAN  DISSAT- 
ISFACTION— RETURN    OF   BLACK    HAWK    AND   HIS 

FOLLOVi'ERS GOV.      ReVnOLDS'     PROCLAMATION 

ARRIVAL  OF  TROOPS  AT  DIXON's  FEHEY — STILL- 
MAN     RUN    DISASTER PROMINENT    ILI.INOISANS 

IN  SERVICE — BATTLE  OF  KELLOGG'S  GROVE — 
0\-ERWHELMING  DEFEAT  OF  THE  INDIAN.S  AT  BAD 
AXE.   WIS. 

In  the  year  1804  a  treaty  was  entered  into 
at  St.  Louis  between  the  united  tribes  of  the 
Sac  and  Fox  Indians,  on  the  one  part,  and 
the  United  States,  on  the  other,  whereby,  for  a 


HISTORY  OF  LEE  COUNTY. 


629 


consideration,  the  tribes  ceded  to  the  latter  a 
large  tract  of  country  embracing  the  Rock 
River  valley  and  the  Village  of  the  Sacs  at  its 
mouth.  The  Indians  reserved  the  right  to  live 
and  hunt  on  the  ceded  lands  until  the  Govern- 
ment should  part  with  its  title.  These  Indians 
or  their  ancestors  originally  had  their  homes 
in  the  neighborhood  of  Montreal;  and  although" 
tliey  had  been  driven  from  Canada,  many  of 
them  were  still  loyal  to  the  British  and  sided 
with  them  in  the  effort  which  our  Government 
was  putting  forth  to  compel  the  English  to 
surrender  and  vacate  certain  western  forts  in 
accordance  with  the  treaty  of  Paris  of  Septem- 
ber 3,  1783.  Black  Hawk  served  in  the  English 
army  in  the  war  of  1812.  Moreover,  the  Sacs 
were  loth  to  abandon  their  village  at  the  mouth 
of  Rock  River;  and  Black  Hawk,  though  only 
a  brave — not  a  chief — became  the  leader  of  the 
disaffected  element  of  that  tribe  known  as  the 
"British  Band,"  which,  by  opposition  to  re- 
moval from  the  ceded  lands,  brought  on  the 
Black  Hawk  War.  By  another  treaty  at  St. 
Louis,  May  13,  1816,  the  Sacs  of  Rock  River  re- 
established and  confirmed  the  treaty  of  1804. 
But  still  the  British  Band  was  restive,  and 
depredations  on  the  white  settlements  contin- 
ued as  before  the  treaty,  Other  treaties  fol- 
lowed: one  in  1822,  with  the  Sacs  and  Foxes; 
one  in  1824  between  the  Sacs  and  Foxes;  and 
cne  in  1825,  in  which  all  the  former  treaties 
were  recognized.  Still  the  Indians  continued 
to  harass  the  white  settlers  in  ways  known  only 
to  savagery. 

In  1828  the  President  proclaimed  certain 
lands  open  for  settlement  and  sale.  This  in- 
cluded Black  Hawk's  village  at  the  mouth  of 
Rock  River.  The  chiefs  and  most  of  the  Indi- 
ans of  the  two  tribes  promptly  vacated  the 
lands  according  to  treaty,  but  Black  Hawk  re- 
fused, claiming  that  when  he  signed  the  treaty 
of  1816  he  had  been  deceived  and  never  knew 
that  his  village  had  been  included  in  its  terms. 
Then  commenced  a  course  of  marauding  and 
intimidation  against  the  new  settlers.  Re- 
peated appeals  were  made  to  the  Governor  of 
the  State  and,  through  him,  to  the  United 
States  military  authorities.  Volunteers  and 
detachments  of  the  regular  army  finally 
marched  on  the  village.  The  Indians  escaped, 
but  their  homes  were  burned.  Then  came  the 
treaty  of  June  30,  1831,  in  which  it  is  recited 
that  "the  said  British  Band  of  Sac  Indians 
have,   in  violation   of   the  several   treaties   en- 


tered into  between  the  United  States  and  the 
Sac  and  Fox  nations  in  the  years  1804,  1816 
and  1825,  continued  to  remain  upon  and  to 
cultivate  the  lands  on  Rock  River  ceded  to  the 
United  States  by  said  treaties,  after  said  lands 
had  been  sold  by  the  United  States  to  individ- 
ual citizens  of  Illinois  and  other  States."  The 
band  then  agrees,  by  this  treaty,  to  move  to 
their  lands  west  of  the  Mississippi  and  never 
return. 

Black  Hawk  and  his  followers  complied  with 
this  requirement  in  apparent  good  faith,  but 
on  the  6th  day  of  April,  1832,  defiantly  re- 
crossed  to  the  east  bank  of  the  Mississippi  near 
the  mouth  of  the  lower  Iowa,  with  about  2,000 
men,  women  and  children,  including  about  500 
warriors  under  arms,  and  thence  set  out  on 
his  march  up  Rock  River,  On  the  16th  of  April 
Governor  Reynolds  issued  a  proclamation,  the 
opening  sentences  of  which  were  calculated  to 
startle  the  country:  "Fellow  Citizens:  Your 
country  requires  your  services.  The  Indians 
have  assumed  a  hostile  attitude  and  have  in- 
vaded the  State  in  violation  of  the  treaty  of 
last  summer.  The  British  Band  of  Sac  and 
other  hostile  Indians,  headed  by  Black  Hawk, 
are  in  possession  of  Rock  River  country  to  the 
great  terror  of  the  frontier  inhabitants.  I  con- 
sider the  settlers  on  the  frontier  in  imminent 
danger."  As  in  all  other  emergencies  in  our 
history,  men  all  over  the  State  responded  with 
alacrity. 

It  is  beyond  our  present  purpose  to  give  a 
detailed  or  extended  account  of  this  war  as  it 
progressed.  We  must  be  content  with  such 
incidents  as  are  directly  connected  with  the 
locality  whose  history  we  are  endeavoring  to 
sketch. 

Father  Dixon  was  early  advised  of  the  ap- 
proach of  Black  Hawk  and  his  followers.  He 
was  assured  by  a  leading  Winnebago  Chief, 
Pachinka,  that  the  Winnebagoes  held  posses- 
sion of  the  lands  through  which  Black  Hawk 
would  have  to  pass,  and  that  they  would  not 
dare  to  injure  the  white  friends  of  his  nation, 
among  whom  Father  Dixon  was  numbered. 
Thus  it  came  about  that  Father  Dixon  remained 
at  his  home  when  the  army  of  savages  passed 
in  May.  and  camped  a  few  hundred  yards  above 
the  ferry,  at  a  spring  which  was  submerged 
by  the  building  of  the  dam.  He  estimated  the 
force  at  600  exclusive  of  women  and  children. 

On  the  12th  of  May,  1832,  Governor  Reynolds 
was  at  Dixon's  Ferry  with  about  1,800  mounted 


630 


HISTORY  OF  LEE   COUNTY. 


riflemen  under  command  of  General  White- 
side, awaiting  the  arrival  of  General  Atkin- 
son's forces  of  the  regular  army,  coming  up 
the  river  with  army  stores  and  provisions. 
Immediately  after  the  arrival  of  the  forces, 
General  Whiteside  sent  a  party  of  four  men, 
with  a  guide  and  interpreter  under  command 
of  Captain  John  Dement  of  Dixon  (then  State 
Treasurer),  to  Shabhona's  Grove,  to  warn  the 
friendly  Pottawatomie  chief,  Shabbona,  who 
lived  there  on  a  small  reservation  with  his 
family  and  a  few  followers,  not  to  allow  Black 
Hawk  to  locate  on  their  lands.  Losing  their 
way  the  second  day  out.  they  came  across  four 
Sac  Indians,  from  whom  they  learned  that 
Black  Hawk  was  encamped  on  a  stream  only 
a  few  miles  distant,  that  his  people  were  in 
starving  condition  and  were  going  over  to  Mud 
Creek  to  hunt. 

Just  before  Captain  Dement  and  his  party 
returned  Major  Stillman  was  permitted,  con- 
trary to  the  advice  of  Father  Dixon,  to  advance 
up  the  river  and  spy  out  the  hostile  camp. 
The  locality  where  they  found  the  foe — or  more 
correctly  where  the  foe  found  them — has  been 
immortalized  by  what  there  happened.  The 
cowardice  and  unsoldierly  bearing  of  the 
troops  at  approach  of  the  red-skins  stamped 
the  site  with  the  name  "Stillman's  Run."  It 
is  said  that  many  of  the  soldiers  ceased  not 
their  running  until  they  reached  Dixon's  Ferry, 
twenty-flve  miles  distant,  or  some  other  place 
of  refuge. 

Immediately  on  receipt  of  the  news  of  the 
rout.  1,600  volunteers  moved  out  on  forced 
march,  leaving  200  to  guard  the  Ferry.  On 
reaching  the  field  they  discovered  that  the 
main  body  of  the  enemy  had  decamped  north- 
ward, while  small  bands  had  scattered  among 
the  settlements  to  pillage,  burn  and  murder. 
The  loss  to  Stillman's  force  was  found  to  be 
eleven  killed.  Being  out  of  provisions,  the  pur- 
suing party  was  obliged  to  return  to  Dixon's 
Ferry  to  await  the  arrival  of  the  boats. 

By  order  dated  May  22.  1832,  General  Atkin- 
son made  Dixon's  Ferry  his  headquarters  and 
base  of  operations.  At  the  same  time  a  fort 
was  ordered  erected  on  the  north  side  of  the 
river.  It  was  called  Fort  Dixon.  It  consisted 
of  two  "block,"  or  log,  houses  within  an  inclos- 
ure  consisting  of  a  breastwork  of  earth  and 
sod,  four  and  a  half  feet  high  and  abutting  on 
the  river  bank  near  the  west  line  of  what  is 
now  North  Galena  Avenue.     The  northeasterly 


of  these  houses  was  at  least  four  times  as  large 
as  the  other,  and  was  provided  with  loopholes. 
The  smaller  one  was  probably  a  powder  maga- 
zine. The  buildings  stood  many  years  after 
the  war,  and  persons  now  living  were  familiar 
with  them.  As  nearly  as  can  be  ascertained, 
the  larger  building  stood  near  the  line  between 
Lots  3  and  10,  Block  54. 

Great  dissatisfaction  developed  in  the  volun- 
teer portion  of  the  army  among  those  who 
were  impatient  to  get  back  to  their  neglected 
fields  and  other  industries.  They  had  been 
sent  on  an  expedition  which  brought  them  to 
the  mouth  of  Fox  River,  where  they  were  mus- 
tered out  May  27.  whither  General  Atkinson 
repaired  on  the  29th.  A  new  levy  of  2,000  men 
had  already  been  ordered,  and  he  urged  that 
1,000  of  the  discharged  volunteers  re-enlist  for 
twenty-day  temporary  service.  Five  companies 
promptly  responded,  including  that  of  Captain 
lies,  in  which  Abraham  Lincoln  (formerly 
captain )  became  a  private.  Men  who  were  sub- 
sequently conspicuous  in  the  affairs  of  the  State 
were  among  them:  Joseph  Gillespie,  Pierre 
Menard.  James  Semple,  John  T.  Stuart.  John 
Dement,  John  J.  Hardin.  It  must  be  remem- 
bered that  the  real  war  was  still  to  come. 

Captain  lies,  and  another  company  were  or- 
dered to  Galena  by  way  of  Dixon's  Ferry,  where 
Col.  Zachary  Taylor  had  remained  with  a  few 
regulars  to  guard  the  supplies.  lies,  in  his 
book,  "Early  Life  and  Times,"  says  that  when 
he  reached  the  Ferry,  he  camped  at  a  spring  a 
half  mile  above,  and  then  sought  Colonel  Tay- 
lor on  the  north  side  of  the  river  and  found 
him  "in  a  little  fort  built  of  prairie  sod."  He 
further  says,  regarding  the  march.  "John 
Dixon,  who  kept  a  house  of  entertainment  here 
and  had  sent  his  family  to  Galena  for  safety, 
joined  us  and  hauled  out  wallets  of  corn  and 
grub,  which  was  a  great  help."  The  company 
returning  reached  Fort  Wilbourn.  between  Peni 
and  LaSalle,  June  16,  and  was  there  mustered 
out  by  Lieutenant  Robt.  Anderson,  of  Fort 
Sumter  fame,  who  had  mustered  It  into  service 
twenty  days  before. 

Lincoln  enlisted  a  third  time  and  again  came 
to  Dixon's  Ferry,  this  time  as  private  in  Cap- 
tain Early's  company,  which  formed  a  part  of 
the  new  levy.  The  headquarters  or  place  of 
rendezvous  of  this  new  army  was  at  the  "Rap- 
ids of  the  Illinois,"  where  General  Atkinson 
caused  Maj.  John  Dement's  battalion  to  be  de- 
tached to  scour  the  country,  and  join  Colonel 


I 


HISTORY  OF  LEE   COUNTY. 


631 


Taylor  at  Dixon,  to  whom  Lieut.  Jetferson 
Davis  was  acting  as  aid.  It  is  said  of  Dement's 
battalion,  that  it  embraced  men  who  had  held 
nearly  every  office  in  the  State  from  Governor 
down — Dement  himself  being,  at  this  time, 
Treasurer  of  the  State. 

From  Dixon  the  battalion  moved  on  to  Kel- 
logg's  Grove,  where  a  desperate  battle  was 
fought  with  a  band  of  mounted  Indians, 
stripped  to  the  skin  and  in  their  war  paint 
under  command  of  Black  Hawk  in  person. 
The  brunt  of  the  flght  fell  on  the  command- 
ing officer  and  a  few  as  plucky  as  himself.  In 
the  annals  of  Indian  warfare,  few  engagements 
of  small  numbers  will  be  found  more  desper- 
ate and  bloody.  Without  going  into  details  it 
must  be  said  that  no  praise  can  exceed  the 
meed  to  which  Major  Dement  is  entitled  for 
bravery  on  that  occasion.  Black  Hawk  speaks 
of  him  in  his  autobiography  thus:  "The  young 
chief  deserves  great  praise  for  his  courage  and 
bravery,  but  fortunately  for  us  his  army  was 
not  all  composed  of  such  brave  men." 

The  Quartermaster  was  ably  assisted  by  John 
Dixon,  who  accompanied  the  army  to  the  end 
of  the  campaign.  John  K.  Robinson  says,  in 
this  connection:  "During  the  Black  Hawk 
War,  Father  Dixon  had  the  contract  for  sup- 
plying the  army  with  beef  up  to  the  final  bat- 
tle of  the  Bad  Axe  River,"  and  hence,  face- 
tiously gave  himself  the  title  of  Major  of  the 
Steer  Battalion.  It  is  understood  that  the 
troops,  both  regular  and  volunteer,  were  all 
mounted. 

The  war  closed  with  the  defeat  of  the  Indi- 
ans at  the  battle  of  Bad  Axe,  Wis.,  and  the 
surrender  of  Black  Hawk,  August  2,  1832.  The 
treaty  of  peace  was  signed  at  Rock  Island  on 
the  21st  of  September  following.  The  troops, 
then  remaining  in  the  service,  were  mustered 
out  at  Dixon's  Ferry.  The  pack  horses  used 
in  the  war  were  gathered  and  corraled  here, 
preparatory  to  being  driven  further  south  for 
sale  in  more  densely  settled  portions  of  the 
State. 

That  portion  of  the  army  which  marched  to 
Dixon's  Ferry  from  the  southeast  to  take  part 
in  the  war,  crossed  Bureau  Creek  one- 
half  mile  southwest  of  the  point  where  the  Illi- 
nois Central  Railroad  now  crosses  it,  near  the 
east  line  of  the  county,  and  marched  thence  to 
the  point  where  the  residence  of  Mr.  AVilliam  R. 
Long  now  stands  near  the  north  line  of  Sec- 
tion 13   in  the  Town  of  May,   and  from  there 


to  Roclvy  Ford,  where  they  crossed  Green 
River.  Mr.  M.  Perkins,  now  of  Perkins'  Grove, 
near  the  south  line  of  the  county,  in  LaSalle 
County,  came  in  1834  when  the  evidences  of 
the  line  of  march  were  plain  to  be  seen. 

In  the  course  of  the  war  troops  of  the  regu- 
lar army  were  brought  to  the  field  from  St. 
Louis  under  General  Atkinson,  from  Fortress 
Monroe  under  General  Scott,  and  from  Detroit 
under  General  Brady,  as  well  as  those  at 
Prairie  du  Chien,  Wis.,  under  Lieut-Col.  Tay- 
lor, and  those  at  Portage,  Wis.,  under  Lieut- 
Col.  Culter.  To  these  were  added  the  volunteer 
militia  of  the  State. 

Lincoln  became'  well  acquainted  with  Col. 
Dement  in  these  war  days,  and  though  belong- 
ing to  opposing  political  parties,  each  enter- 
tained the  highest  regard  for  the  other,  and 
their  friendship  was  not  allowed  to  wane  In 
after  years.  After  Lincoln  had  been  elected 
President  Mr.  Dement  called  on  him  at  Spring- 
field, and  Lincoln,  grasping  his  extended  hand 
in  both  his,  greeted  him  as  "Jack,"  and  ex- 
pressed his  delight  at  meeting  him. 


CHAPTER   HI. 


ALTO   TOWNSHIP. 


FIRST  WtllTE  SETTLERS — .\I.TO  SET  OFF  FROM  WIL- 
LOW CREEK  TOWKSHIP — FIRST  TOWN  OFFICERS 
SI-BSCEIPTION  TO  RAILROAD CHURCH  HIS- 
TORY— THE    VILLAGE    OF    STEWARD GRAIX    ELE- 

V.ATORS   AND    NATIONAL  BANK. 

On  the  northeast  quarter  of  Section  21  grows 
"Plum  Thicket,"  the  only  natural  grove  in  the 
town.  The  propensity,  universally  followed  by 
the  pioneers,  to  gather  in  or  around  the  tim- 
ber, prevailed  in  this  instance,  for  the  first  set- 
tlers located  at  this  grove.  Here  John  Grimes, 
in  1847,  built  the  first  house,  although  he  ar- 
rived in  1843.  About  two  years  later  came 
Rev.  J.  Wood,  of  the  Baptist  faith,  who  re- 
mained two  or  three  years  and  removed  to 
Earlville,  LaSalle  County.  Then  followed 
Jedediah  Loveridge  in  1853,  who,  after  some 
twenty   years,   emigrated   to   Nebraska.     After 


632 


HISTORY  OF  LEE   COUNTY. 


these  came  James  Holcomb  and  his  father's 
family,  and  Hubbel  Williams,  Mason  Herrick. 
the  Mills  family,  James  Tyler,  C.  R.  Hall,  the 
Kirbys,  JIcDonnels,  Stewards,  Carpenters  and 
others. 

Alto  was  set  off  from  Willow  Creek  by  reso- 
lution of  the  Board  of  Supervisors,  at  its  Febru- 
ary meeting  in  1860.  At  the  first  election  in 
the  town  47  votes  were  polled,  resulting  in  the 
election  of  the  following  officers:  Supervisor. 
C.  R.  Hall ;  Town  Clerk  and  Assessor.  James 
Tyler;  Collector.  Josiah  Carpenter;  Justices  of 
the  Peace,  Daniel  Carey  and  H.  C.  Holcomb; 
Constables.  Josiah  Carpenter  and  John  Dor- 
son. 

The  town  voted  to  take  $32,000  of  the  stock 
of  the  Chicago  &  Iowa  Railroad  when  that 
road  was  about  to  be  built  through  the  town- 
ship, and  to  issue  bonds  in  payment  therefor. 
This  was  in  the  early  part  of  the  winter  of  1869. 
Grading  was  commenced  early  the  next  summer 
on  this  part  of  the  road,  and  it  was  completed 
into  Rochelle  on  the  night  of  December  31.  at 
10:25  o'clock.  A  compromise  was  finally  ef- 
fected by  which  the  town,  instead  of  investing 
$32,000  in  stock,  donated  the  company  $25,000 
in  bonds. 

The  Norwegian  Evangelical  Lutheran  Church 
organized.  June  25.  1870.  and  built  a  church 
building  three  miles  east  of  Steward,  at  a  cost 
of  about   $2,300. 

ISteicard.— The  town  of  Steward  was  platted, 
November  22,  1872,  by  Mr.  Wesley  Steward, 
who  owned  the  land  and  founded  the  town.  It 
was  incorporated  as  a  village,  April  13.  1903, 
by  proceedings  in  the  County  Court. 

The  first  dwelling  to  be  erected  in  the  vil- 
lage was  built  by  Patrick  Casey  on  Lot  6,  Block 
1,  and  the  first  store  was  built  by  Henry  A. 
Robinson  on  Lot  3  of  same  block.  The  first 
school  house  was  built  in  18S2  at  a  cost  of 
about  $3,000,  and  was  destroyed  by  fire  Febru- 
ary 8,  1903.  A  new  building  was  erected  on 
the  same  site  at  a  cost  of  $7,000  ready  for 
opening  of  the  fall  term  of  the  school  the  same 
year. 

The  first  elevator  in  the  place  was  put  up  by 
Wesley  Steward,  who  after  two  years  took  in 
G.  F.  Henning  as  partner,  and  the  business,  in- 
cluding dealing  in  lumber,  coal,  etc.,  was  car- 
ried on  by  them,  under  the  firm  name  of  Stew- 
ard &  Co.,  for  twenty-five  years,  the  firm  of 
Titus  Brothers,  the  present  owners,  succeed- 
ing  them.      Another   elevator    was    erected    in 


1880  and  is  now  owned  by  Titus  Bros.  It  is 
asserted  that  about  one  million  bushels  of 
grain  are  shipped  from  this  point  yearly,  and 
that  it  ranks  as  the  greatest  grain-shipping  sta- 
tion in  Northern  Illinois. 

The  First  National  Bank  of  Steward  fur- 
nishes the  banking  facilities  of  the  community. 
It  was  organized  January  6,  1903,  with  a  capi- 
tal of  $25,000.  Its  directors  are:  E.  L.  Titus, 
J.  M.  Durin.  A.  B.  Titus,  R.  W.  Hough,  W.  P. 
Graham,  George  E.  Stocking,  Wesley  Steward, 
G.  W.  Durin  and  I.  R.  Titus.  The  officers  are: 
E.  L.  Titus.  President;  J.  M.  Durin,  Vice-Presi- 
dent; I,  R.  Titus,  Cashier.  Its  deposits,  at  close 
of  business  August  28,  1903.  were  $51,742.44. 

Steward  is  a  very  prosperous  village  and  is 
looked  upon  as  one  of  the  best  of  the  "smaller 
towns  in  the  county.  According  to  the  census 
returns  the  township  nad  a  population  of  923 
in  1890,  and  924  in  1900.  The  census  of  the 
village  does  not  appear  separately  from  that  of 
the  township. 


CHAPTER   R' 


AMBOY    TOWNSHIP    AND    CITY. 


KABLY    SETTLERS VILLAGES    OF    BINGHAMTON    AND 

ROCKY    FORD PALESTINE    GKOVE    SETTLEMENT — 

AMBOY    CITY    AN    OUTGROWTH    OF    THE    ILLINOIS 

CENTRAL  RAILROAD EARLY   BUSINESS   HOUSES 

DISASTROUS    FIRES — SCHOOLS    AND    CHURCHES 

NEWSPAPERS — LOCAL      BANKS GEN.       JOHN      B. 

WYMAN  AMBOY'S  FIRST  MAYOR — LINCOLN  AND 
GRANT  EARLY  VISITOK.S LIST  OF  CITY  OFFI- 
CIALS. 

A  Frenchman  by  the  name  of  Filamalee  is 
believed  to  have  been  the  first  white  settler  in 
Palestine  Grove,  within  the  present  limits  of 
Amboy  Township.  His  shanty  is  said  to  have 
been  located  about  a  mile  below  Rocky  Ford. 
He  was  a  roving  character  and  soon  disap- 
peared. 

The  first  permanent  settler  was  John  Dexter, 
who  emigrated  from  Canada  in  the  spring  of 
1835  and  staked  out  a  claim  on  the  northwest 
quarter  of  Section  14,  north  of  Palestine  Grove, 


HISTORY  OF  LEE   COUNTY. 


633 


His  nearest  neighbors  were  at  Inlet  Grove.  In 
1S36  James  Doan  and  wife  settled  at  Palestine 
Grove. 

The  district  known  as  Palestine  Grove  was 
not  confined  to  the  timber,  but  extended  to  the 
site  ot  the  city  of  Amboy.  and  also  eastward 
about  two  miles  beyond  the  Lee  Center  town 
line. 

In  183-7  Dexter's  brother-in-law.  Andrew  Pain- 
ter, located  in  the  neighborhood.  In  October 
of  the  same  year,  Asa  B.  Searles  arrived  from 
New  York,  whence  he  had  driven  with  a  horse- 
team.  He  came  by  way  of  Peoria  where  Benja- 
min Wasson  joined  him.  Mr.  Searles  staked 
off  a  claim  in  the  south  half  of  Section  14, 
on  which  he  later  laid  out  the  Village  of  Bing- 
hamton.  He  was  the  first  Postmaster  in  the 
settlement.  Warren  Badger  succeeded  him. 
His  commission  was  dated  May  28.  1840.  and 
made  him  Postmaster  at  Winooski.  the  name 
by  which  Palestine  Grove  ofl5ce  was  then  desig- 
nated. Nathan  Meeks,  who  acquired  a  reputa- 
tion of  the  banditti  order,  was  living  about 
four  miles  south  and  west  of  Rocky  Ford  the 
same  year.  His  "Corn  Cracker,"  situated  on 
Green  River,  is  claimed  to  have  been  the  first 
mill   for  grinding  grain  in   Lee  County. 

When  Mr.  Searles  arrived  he  found  a  saw- 
mill in  operation  at  Rocky  Ford,  owned  by 
Timothy  Perkins  and  Horace  Bowen.  After 
passing  through  several  hands,  in  1S48  it  be- 
came the  property  of  F.  R.  Butcher.  A  log 
dam  created  the  mill  pond,  and  the  mill  was 
run  by  a  "flutter-wheel." 

The  year  1838  seems  to  have  been  a  notable 
one  for  the  arrival  of  settlers;  for  in  this  year, 
James  Blair  and  three  sons,  William,  Win- 
throp  and  Edwin,  arrived,  and  John  S.  Sawyer 
and  four  sons  erected  a  cabin  south  of  the 
ground  now  occupied  by  the  Illinois  Central 
shops.  In  1841  Sawyer  sold  a  part  of  his  claim 
to  Joseph  Farrell  and  the  remainder  to  Joseph 
Appleton.  Alexander  James  likewise  became  a 
resident  that  year,  and  a  year  later  sold  his 
claim  to  Chester  S.  Badger,  who,  after  working 
as  millwright,  in  the  year  1837  returned  to  his 
New  York  home  in  the  fall.  In  1838  Mr,  Bad- 
ger and  his  son  Simon  became  permanent  set- 
tlers. In  1839  Warren,  another  son,  arrived 
bringing  the  mother  and  her  two  daughters, 
Sarah  and  Roena.  In  the  autumn  Warren  went 
back  to  New  York  and  remained  until  1842, 
when  he  again  came  west  and  resided  in  Amboy 
Township  until  his  death  in  1861.  In  1840 
Chester  Badger,  a  younger  son,  drove  through 


from  New  York  with  a  two-horse  team.  He  still 
lesides  in  Amboy  and  is  the  only  surviving 
member  of  the  family. 

The  Badger's  located  their  homestead  about 
a  mile  and  a  half  east  of  Amboy.  Henry  Bad- 
ger came  in  1849  and  lived  in  Binghamton  up 
to  the  date  of  his  death,  a  few  years  ago.  The 
father,  Chester  S.,  brought  hardwood  lumber 
from  Franklin  Grove  and  built  the  first  frame 
house  in  the  settlement.  John  C.  Church,  Wil- 
liami  Church,  Curtis  Bridgman  and  two  sons, 
and  Wm.  Hunt  arrived  in  the  summer  and  fall 
of  1838.  Also  came  this  same  year.  Martin 
Wright,  Frederick  Baldwin,  Harvey  Axtell, 
Ransom  Barnes  and  Frederick  Bainter.  About 
this  time  Curtis  Bridgman  located  about 
two  miles  southeast  of  the  present  site  of  Am- 
boy. James  Daley  was  an  arrival  of  1842,  as 
was  also  William  Rolf.  John  H.  Gardner  came 
in  1844.  In  this  same  year  J.  Henry  Adams, 
then  a  child  of  eleven  years,  reached  the  neigh- 
borhood with  his  father.  Orris,  and  mother. 
Cyrus  Davis  came  in  1839.  Space  will  not  per- 
mit us  to  name  the  settlers  of  subsequent 
years. 

Binghamton  promised  to  be  the  town  of  the 
section.  It  was  laid  out  in  1848  by  Asa  B. 
Searles.  It  had  a  store  and  a  hotel.  Robert 
G.  Ingersoll,  who  lived  to  impress  the  country 
with  his  oratory  and  agnosticism,  then  about 
fifteen,  was  a  boy  of  all  work  about  the  inn  for 
a  year  or  so.  In  1844  the  first  flouring  mill 
in  the  county  was  built,  and  in  1858  passed 
into  the  hands  of  Chester  and  Henry  Badger. 
Chester  Badger  made  thirteen  trips  to  Chicago, 
some  of  which  were  with  ox  team,  hauling 
grain,  going  and  bringing  timber  back  for  this 
mill.  It  was  burned  in  1872.  and  immediately 
rebuilt,  but  was  finally  destroyed  by  lightning 
in  1881.  The  place  also  had  two  plow  factories 
at  one  time  and  a  saw-mill,  blacksmith  shop, 
shoe-shop,  wagon-shop  and  carding  machine. 
A  dozen  or  more  of  the  residences  still  remain 
in  a  good  state  of  preservation.  The  removal 
of  the  Badger  dam  was  necessary  to  give  suffi- 
cient outlet  to  the  ditches  of  Inlet  Swamp 
Drainage  District.  Proper  proceedings  to  this 
end  resulted  in  its  entire  removal  in  the 
summer  of  1900. 

RocTcy  Ford  (also  known  as  Shelburn)  was 
likewise  a  place  of  activity  in  the  early  days. 
The  Indian  trail  from  Council  Bluffs  to  Chica- 
go crossed  Green  River  or  Inlet  Creek,  at  this 
point.  It  had  a  saw-mill,  a  distillery  and  two 
stores.      In    1856    the    Shelburn    Manufacturing 


634 


HISTORY  OF  LEE   COUNTY. 


Company  erected  an  extensive  distillery  and 
flouring  mills  combined,  at  a  cost  of  $65,000, 
In  1859  the  property  was  wrecked  by  an  ex- 
plosion, and  ten  years  later,  Are  finished 'the 
work.  This  was  practically  the  last  of  Shel- 
burn. 

A  plat  of  "Palestine"  was  made  May  10,  1854, 
and  serves  to  mark  the  probable  center  of  the 
Palestine  Grove  settlement.  The  plat  was  lo- 
cated about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  northwest  of 
Rocky  Ford,  and  consisted  of  three  blocks  of 
ground,  two  of  which  were  on  the  Dixon  and 
Peoria  road.  It  was  laid  out  for  Rhoda  E. 
Hook  who.  it  is  to  be  presumed,  owned  the 
ground.  It  was  here  on  one  of  the  Palestine 
lots  that  those  of  the  Mormon  faith  laid  the 
corner-stone  of  a  temple  which  never  rose 
higher  than  this  foundation  stone. 
CITY   OF   AMBOY. 

Amboy  is  an  offspring  of  the  Illinois  Cen- 
tral Railroad.  The  town  was  laid  out  in  1854. 
The  first  residences  were  those  of  L.  W.  Bor- 
den, E.  S.  Reynolds  and  Dr.  David  Bainter, 
erected  that  year.  In  1855  the  extensive  shops 
of  the  company  were  built.  By  the  spring  of 
1856  the  population  was  estimated  at  1,000. 
R.  D.  Peironett  was  the  first  merchant  to  start 
business  in  the  town,  and  Samuel  Goldman  the 
second.  Next  came  Josiah  Little  in  1854,  his 
line  consisting  of  drugs,  hardware  and  grocer- 
ies. In  the  same  year  Wilcox  &  Wooster  built 
a  store,  the  lumber  for  which,  as  well  as  that 
for  Little's  store,  was  hauled  from  Mendota, 
and  the  stone  from,  Lee  Center.  In  1855  the 
business  of  the  place  greatly  increased.  The 
first  bank  was  started  that  year  by  G.  H.  Am- 
brose and  Francis  Little.  The  "Lee  County 
Times,"  the  first  newspaper  to  be  published  in 
the  town,  was  started  the  same  year.  This 
paper  under  date  July  31,  1856,  speaks  of  the 
place  thus:  "We  have  now  between  2,000  and 
3.000  inhabitants,  two  churches  and  another 
in  process  of  construction,  about  thirty  stores 
and  groceries,  a  steam  planing  mill  and  sash 
factory,  three  hotels,  two  livery  stables  and,  in 
fact,   establishments  of  almost   every   variety." 

The  town  became  incorporated  as  a  village 
under  the  general  law  in  1854-5.  A.  E.  Wilcox 
was  President  of  first  Board  of  Trustees.  It 
was  incorporated  as  a  city  by  act  of  the  Legis- 
lature, March  2,  1857.  John  B.  Wyman  was 
its  first  Mayor.  It  was  incorporated  under  the 
general  law,  May  8,  1888. 

The  shops  of  the  Illinois  Central  Railroad, 
above  referred  to.  frequently  employed  400  men. 


In  1885  reduction  of  the  force  was  commenced, 
so  that  in  1894  there  were  about  200  at  work. 
In  that  year  the  machinery  was  removed,  prin- 
cipally to  Freeport  and  Clinton,  and  the  ex- 
tensive buildings  were  vacated.  One  is  now 
occupied  by  the  bridge-building  works  of  C. 
C.  Jacobs,  and  the  others  are  rapidly  going  to 
decay. 

The  loss  of  these  shops  was  a  severe  blow 
to  Amboy,  from  which,  however,  she  has  slowly 
recovered  until  she  has  at  last  reached  a  stage 
of  prosperity  probably  equaling,  if  not  sur- 
passing, that  of  the  factory  days,  when  the 
shops  dominated  the  town.  She  has  water 
works,  electric  lights,  long  stretches  of  cement 
walks  and  shows  evidence  of  general  thrift 
and  steady  growth.  Her  water  supply  is  drawn 
from  a  well  2,000  feet  deep. 

Fires. — Amboy  has  been  visited  by  several 
disastrous  fires.  The  first  occurred  December 
10,  1863,  from  which  there  was  a  total  loss 
of  $35,000,  with  insurance  amounting  to  $14.- 
000.  The  next  occurred  in  the  same  locality 
November  10,  1864,  and  destroyed  five  business 
houses;  loss  $45,000,  with  $38,000  insurance. 
Another  fire  did  its  destructive  work,  March 
10,  1865,  sweeping  away  seven  business  build- 
ings. Again,  August  24,  1867.  sixteen  buildings 
were  licked  up  by  the  flames — the  estimated 
loss  being  $7,500,  with  insurance  for  about  one- 
half  that  amount.  •  April  2,  1868,  four  business 
places  were  burned  down.  But  by  far  the  most 
calamitous  fire  was  that  of  August  25,  1871. 
Twelve  buildings  were  consumed,  causing 
a  loss  of  $175,000,  on  which  there  was  an  in- 
surance of  $103,000.  The  most  deplorable  feat- 
ure of  this  holocaust  was  the  burning  to  death 
of  John  Shannon,  who  was  confined  in  the  cala- 
boose for  the  unlawful  selling  of  mortgaged 
property.  Besides  these  were  numerous  fires 
not  general  in  their  effect. 

School  Houses. — The  first  school  building  in 
Amboy  was  the  two-story  brick  now  in  use, 
erected  in  1857.  Next,  in  1864  came  the  one- 
story  frame-building  in  Gilson's  Addition.  Fol- 
lowing this,  the  old  Methodist  church  was 
purchased  and,  in  1868,  the  two-story  brick  on 
the  west  side  was  added  to  the  number.  About 
1896  a  modern  building  was  erected  for  the  use 
of  three  departments,  at  a  cost,  all  complete 
and  ready  for  school,  of  a  trifle  less  than  $15,- 
000. 

Churches. — Father  Gorbus.  a  Methodist  min- 
ister, was  the  flrst  to  hold  service  in  the  section 
covered  by  Amboy  Township.     Father  Hetcher, 


I 


HISTORY  OF  LEE  COUNTY. 


635 


a  German  Baptist,  was  probably  the  next.  It 
is  supposed  that  Rev.  Curtis  Lathrop  was  the 
third,  and  Father  White  the  fourth— both 
Methodists.  In  1843,  the  "Congregational 
Church  of  Palestine  Grove"  was  formed  at  the 
home  of  Amos  Crombie.  the  first  of  that  de- 
nomination in  the  county.  The  first  pastor 
was  John  Morrel,  who  was  followed  by  the  fa- 
ther of  the  great  agnostic,  Robert  G.  Ingersoll. 
Following  him  came  Joseph  Gardner  and  Mr. 
Pierson.  About  1849  the  place  of  worship  was 
moved  to  Lee  Center,  and  the  society  name 
changed  accordingly.  From  this  the  present 
Amboy  church  of  that  denomination  has  de- 
scended. In  1840  a  Methodist  class  was  organ- 
ized in  the  vicinity  of  Binghamton  where,  in 
1850,  a  house  of  worship  was  erected.  When 
Amboy  came  into  being  the  building  was  aban- 
doned   for   the   one   early   erected    there. 

One  branch  of  the  Mormon  church  secured  a 
considerable  foothold  in  the  neighborhood  of 
Rocky  Ford,  near  which  they  were  instrumental 
in  having  the  town  of  Palestine  laid  out.  At 
one  time  there  were  sixty  members.  The 
founder,  Joseph  Smith,  visited  friends  at  Pales- 
tine Grove,  where  he  was  arrested  in  1843  on 
requisition  of  the  Governor  of  the  State,  issued 
at  the  instance  of  the  Governor  of  Missouri.  In 
1860  the  annual  conference  of  the  branch  re- 
ferred to  convened  in  Amboy. 

A  meeting  for  the  organization  of  the  Bap- 
tist church  of  Amboy  was  held  March  24,  18.5.5, 
resulting  in  the  founding  of  the  First  Baptist 
church  of  Amboy.  Messrs.  Hill  and  Bryant 
were  deacons  and  W.  E.  Ives  clerk.  Rev.  P. 
Taylor  was  the  first  pastor,  and  services  were 
held  in  a  small  church  building,  on  Main 
Street  west  of  the  railroad  tracks,  which  cost 
about  $500.  During  Mr.  Taylor's  pastorate 
the  present  church  building  was  erected  at  a 
cost  of  $4,500.  The  first  public  meeting  held 
in  the  new  church  was  addressed  by  Owen 
Lovejoy  of  Princeton,  111.,  and  J.  V.  Eustace 
of  Dixon.  Both  were  strong  anti-slavery 
champions.  At  the  end  of  the  second  year,  Mr. 
Taylor  resigned  and  was  succeeded  by  T.  H. 
Ball.  The  church  was  dedicated  September 
13,  1857,  the  sermon  being  preached  by  Rev. 
Silas  Tucker,  of  Galesburg.  Reverend  Ball  was 
succeeded  in  September,  1858,  by  J.  C.  Miller, 
who  resigned  to  accept  the  Chaplaincy  of  the 
Thirteenth  Illinois  Regiment.  Company  "C" 
of  which  was  composed  of  Amboy  citizens,  to 
each  of  whom  a  new  testament  was  presented 
635—2 


on  their  departure.  This  building  had  the 
only  large  audience  room  in  the  place,  and 
was  consequently  the  gathering  place  for  war 
meetings  which  were  incident  to  the  period. 
Following  Mr,  Miller  came  W,  R.  Webb  in  May, 
1861.  During  his  pastorate  the  General  Asso- 
ciation of  the  State  met  here.  Mr.  Webb  served 
as  pastor  four  years  and  was  followed  in  June, 
1865,  by  Rev.  J.  H.  Hazen,  during  whose  term 
the  parsonage  was  built  and  the  church  build- 
ing put  in  thorough  repair.  Following  Mr. 
Hazen  was  Rev.  James  Buchanan,  who,  acting 
as  pastor,  was  in  reality  a  supply.  About  1870, 
Rev.  M.  T.  Lamb  came  to  the  pastorate.  Au- 
gust 27,  1871,  the  records  were  destroyed  by 
fire.  New  records  were  opened  March  26th 
following.  September  8,  1S72,  George  Wes- 
selius  became  pastor  and  resigned  the  last  Sab- 
bath in  March,  1874.  On  the  first  Sabbath  of 
the  succeeding  November,  W.  D.  Clark  was 
called.  Succeeding  Mr.  Clark  came  N.  A.  Reed, 
who  resigned  June  8,  1881,  to  be  succeeded  by 
B.  H.  Humphrey  on  the  16th  of  the  next  Octo- 
ber. He  remained  until  September  25,  1882, 
Then  came  Mr.  Fuller,  who  served  temporarily 
for  about  a  year.  D.  W.  C.  Hervey  came  to  the 
pastorate  in  November,  1884,  and  was  followed 
in  February,  1887,  by  W.  L.  Jones,  who  re- 
signed February  1,  1889.  J.  T.  Mason  followed 
the  next  April.  His  labors  continued  to  the 
time  of  his  death  in  1896.  T.  B.  Collins,  the 
next  pastor,  served  for  two  years,  and  was  suc- 
ceeded by  E.  W.  Anable,  who  has  now  been 
serving  the  church  for  five  years. 

The  second  church  to  be  built  was  by  the 
Methodists  in  1857.  It  was  afterwards  con- 
verted into  a  school  house  as  already  men- 
tioned. A  Rev.  Mr'.  Thayer  was  the  first  pas- 
tor. The  present  church  of  this  society  was 
dedicated  April  1,  1866. 

The  earliest  religious  society  in  the  place 
came  into  being  June  27,  1854,  ante-dating  the 
sale  of  town  lots.  It  named  itself  "Church  of 
Jesus  Christ." 

A  Congregational  Church  was  established 
June  17,  1856.  Its  first  regular  pastor  was 
David  Wert,  and  its  first  house  of  worship  was 
dedicated  April  1,  1858.  The  present  edifice 
was   dedicated    June   10,    1866. 

The  Episcopal  Church  was  established  in 
spring  of  1859  by  organization  of  St.  Thomas 
parish.  Mr.  Brodnax  was  the  first  rector.  A 
suitable  church  was  built  but  the  date  of  its 
erection  is  not  at  hand. 


6^6 


HISTORY  OF  LEE   COUNTY. 


The  first  Evangelical  Lutheran  Church  in 
Amboy  was  formed  by  Rev.  William  Angelber- 
ger,  of  Franklin  Grove,  January  30,  1S70,  who 
acted  as  first  pastor.  Rev.  Anthest  was  the 
second.  Following  him  in  succession  came: 
\V.  Framm,  G.  Hagemann,  H.  Schmidt.  H.  Lin- 
den S.  E.  Hoffmeister,  F.  W.  Kampmeier,  S. 
Pritschel,  M.  Ren  and  L.  Lentz.  Rev.  H.  F. 
Schmidt,  of  Dixon,  the  present  pastor,  has  been 
in  charge  since  Nov.  20,  1S97.  In  May,  1876, 
it  was  changed  to  German  Evangelical,  a  differ- 
ent denomination.  William  Framm  was  the 
first  pastor.  They  purchased  the  old  Congre- 
gational  church   in  1S70. 

In  1854  the  Catholics  of  Amboy  began  holding 
service  at  the  residence  of  Michael  Egan.  Fa- 
ther Anthony  was  the  first  to  celebrate  mass. 
The  first  building  for  the  use  of  the  society 
was  erected  in  18.57,  but  before  completion  it 
was  destroyed  by  fire.  It  was  rebuilt  and  com- 
pleted in  the  spring  of  1859.  The  society 
owns  a  priest's  residence  on  the  same  lot. 

Under  the  management  of  Father  Gallagher, 
the  present  incumbent,  a  commodious  one- 
story  brick  building  was  erected  in  1900  for  the 
purpose  of  a  hall  to  accommodate  large  gath- 
erings. 

The  Free  Methodists'  Society  was  organized 
about  1864.  Rev.  Miller  was  the  first  regular 
preacher.  The  society  was  eventually  merged 
into  and  replaced  by  the  United  Brethren. 
John  Dobson  and  J.  W.  Lewis  were  the  first 
pastors.     In  1871  a  meeting  house  was  built. 

The  Advent  Christian  Church  was  organized 
at  Binghamton  in  1859,  and  later  worshipped 
at  Amboy.  The  society  never  built  a  meeting 
place. 

Neicspapers. — In  February,  1855.  the  "Lee 
County  Times"  was  launched  with  Augustus 
N.  Dickens,  brother  of  the  noted  author, 
Charles  Dickens,  as  editor.  It  was  fathered 
by  the  Amboy  Printing  Association,  of  which 
W.  E.  Ives,  Alonzo  Kinyon,  Henry  E.  Badger, 
A.  E.  Wilcox  and  others  were  stockholders.  By 
August  1st  of  that  year  it  passed  into  the 
hands  of  H.  B.  Judkins,  and  Dickens  ceased  to 
be  connected  with  the  paper.  When  the  paper 
passed  out  of  the  control  of  Mr.  Judkins  does 
not  appear,  but  on  February  6,  1856,  H.  C.  Pratt 
was  editor  and  proprietor.  April  3,  1856,  the 
name  was  changed  to  "The  Amboy  Times,"  with 
Cottrell  &  Pratt  proprietors  and  H.  G.  Pratt 
editor.  January  14.  1858,  the  name  was 
changed  to  "Amboy  Weekly  Times"  with  Cott- 


rell, Pratt  &  Miller  owners — the  first  two  be- 
ing the  editors.  H.  G.  Pratt,  Joseph  Lewis  and 
James  F.  Somes — by  the  firm  name  of  Horace 
G.  Pratt  &  Company — became  owners  November 
IS,  1858.  April  19,  1860,  it  was  changed  to 
"Amboy  Times."  Pratt,  Shaw  &  Company  pro- 
prietors, the  firm  being  composed  of  H.  G. 
Pratt,  B.  F.  Shaw,  of  Dixon,  and  John  Lewis. 
Beginning  in  May,  1861,  a  daily  edition  was  is- 
sued, called  the  "Amboy  Morning  Daily  Times," 
but  survived  only  a  few  months.  Mr.  Pratt  sold 
his  interest  to  W.  H.  Gardner.  July  31,  1862, 
and  the  new  firm  name  was  Gardner,  Shaw  & 
Company.  Sometime  between  July,  1862,  and 
March,  1863,  the  files  for  which  period  are  in- 
complete, the  firm  of  Pratt,  Shaw  &  Company 
again  appears,  John  Lewis  being  the  "Co."  Be- 
tween June  30  and  September  22,  1864.  when 
the  files  are  again  incomplete,  Lewis  returned. 
August  10,  1865,  A.  J.  Goff  and  B.  F.  Shaw 
assumed  the  proprietorship  and,  on  the  17th  of 
the  following  March,  the  name  was  changed  to 
"Lee  County  Journal."  Mr.  Shaw  had  been 
elected  Clerk  of  the  Circuit  Court  in  November, 
1864.  February  16,  1867,  Burrington  &  Shaw 
became  the  publishers.  December  12lh  of  that 
year  the  paper  was  discontinued  for  "lack  of 
support,"  but  this  diflSculty  seems  to  have  been 
promptly  removed,  for  the  issue  was  resumed 
with  the  lapse  of  only  two  numbers.  Mr.  Shaw 
became  sole  proprietor  January  16,  1868,  and, 
on  January  6,  1870,  sold  out  to  Stimpson  & 
Corbus.  March  24,  of  the  same  year,  Stimpson 
stepped  out,  leaving  Dr.  J.  R.  Corbus  sole  pro- 
prietor. He  sold  out  to  Captain  William  Par- 
ker September  22,  1870,  who,  on  the  20th  of  the 
next  month,  changed  the  name  to  "The  Amboy 
Journal,"  by  which  the  paper  is  still  kno-s^Ti. 
Capt.  Parker  sold  to  W.  H.  Haskell,  September 
7,  1872,  who.  in  turn,  sold  to  E.  W.  Faxon  & 
Company,  October  15,  1879,  William  J.  Keho, 
manager  of  the  office  for  twenty  years  and  still 
at  the  same  post,  having  an  interest.  October 
2.  1881,  Dr.  Clark  E.  Loomis  purchased  it  and 
remained  sole  proprietor  and  editor  until  Jan- 
uary 1,  1889,  when  it  passed  into  the  hands  of 
George  A.  Lyman,  the  present  proprietor. 

The"  Amboy  News"  was  first  issued  by  W.  M. 
Geddes,  proprietor,  at  PawPaw,  May  6,  1878, 
with  Henry  Adams  local  editor.  With  the  is- 
sue of  July  1,  1882,  the  proprietorship  changed 
to  the  News  Publishing  Company,  with  Capt. 
William  Parker  as  editor  in  chief  and  Henry 
Adams    as    local    editor.     Prom   that    date   the 


HISTORY  OF  LEE   COUNTY 


637 


paper  has  continued  to  be  printed  and  pub- 
lished at  Amboy.  W.  M.  Geddes  became  pro- 
prietor and  editor  June  30.  1S83.  Henry  Adams 
still  continuing  as  local.  July  12,  18S4,  J.  H. 
Adams  and  J.  H.  Preston  became  owners  under 
the  firm  name  of  Adams  &  Preston.  October 
18,  18S4,  J.  H.  Preston  became  sole  owner.  Mr. 
Preston  having  died  from  accidental  injuries, 
his  widow  assumed  the  publication  of  the  pa- 
per, February  19,  1897,  with  Chas.  H.  Eby,  as 
editor  and  manager.  March  3,  1899,  Mr.  Eby 
became  editor  and  proprietor  with  C.  P.  Pres- 
ton as  assistant  editor.  January  5,  1900,  E.  E. 
Chase  acquired  an  interest  and  the  paper  ap- 
peared under  the  firm  name  of  Eby  &  Chase. 
It  passed  into  the  hands  of  Mr.  Chase  August 
3,  1900,  and  in  December  14  following  Henry 
F.  Gehant  appeared  as  owner  and  editor.  With 
the  next  issue  Riley  J.  Whitney  became  man- 
ager. A.  E.  Dafoe  succeeded  to  the  ownership 
August  5.  1902,  with  B.  L.  Vaughan  assistant 
editor,  Riley  J.  Whitney  continuing  as  manager 
until  September  5,  1902,  when  R.  G.  Sherwood 
became  editor  and  manager  and  was  followed 
by  E.  0.  Trickey  November  28,  1902.  G.  L. 
Carpenter,  the  present  editor  and  proprietor, 
purchased  the  paper  and  took  charge  July  3, 
1903.  The  News  issued  a  daily  edition  April 
3,  1899,  which  was  discontinued  with  number 
22  of  the  same  month. 

Grand  Army  of  the  Repuilic. — The  date  of 
the  organization  of  the  first  Post  (No.  65)  of 
the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic  and  particu- 
lars regarding  it,  are  not  accessible,  as  the 
records  are  supposed  to  have  been  lost  or  de- 
stroyed. Amboy  Post,  No.  572,  was  mustered 
in  May  10,  1886,  with  twenty-four  members. 
The  first  officers  were:  George  Ryan,  P.  C; 
C.  E.  Loomis,  S.  V.;  W.  H.  Hyde,  J.  V.;  A.  P. 
Wenrick,  Q.  M.;  George  E.  Young.  0.  D.:  0.  W. 
Grant,  Surg.;  C.  W.  Freeman,  0.  G.;  C.  D. 
Knowles,  Adjt.;  A.  Ousey.  S.  Maj.;  Fred  Kreahl, 
Q.  M.  S.  The  present  officers  are:  George 
Blocker,  Com.;  C.  D.  Knowles,  S.  V.  C;  B.  F. 
Berkley,   J.  V.   C:    M.   T.   Spencer,  Adjt. 

Banks. — In  1868  Josiah  Little  established  a 
private  bank  which  continued  until  November 
1,  1899,  when  it  was  organized  as  a  National 
Bank,  with  $50,000  capital  and  $10,000  surplus, 
with  Josiah  Little  as  .  President;  Lemuel 
Bourne,  Vice-President;  Fred  N.  Vaughan, 
Cashier,  and  H.  H.  Badger,  Assistant  Cashier, 
Mr.  Vaughan  has  been  connected  with  the  bank 


continuously  since  1864.  The  largest  deposits 
were  last  year,  when  the  sum  reached  $640,- 
000.  Normally  they  run  from  $500,000  to  $600,- 
000.  Loans  and  discounts  have  averaged  from 
$350,000  to  $450,000.  The  bank  occupies  its  own 
building  with  fixtures,  and  recently  its  safety 
devices  have  been  greatly  improved  by  the  in- 
troduction of  a  system  of  electrical  protection, 
and  an  additional  vault  lined  with  steel  and 
made  fireproof.  In  this  respect  it  has  no  su- 
perior. Safety  deposit  boxes  are  being  in- 
stalled. 

The  "Amboy  Bank"  was  organized  in  1899, 
with  Henry  Kline  as  President  and  Cashier, 
and  J.  C.  Preston  as  Assistant  Cashier.  It  is  a 
private  institution  with  $100,000  personal  re- 
sponsibility. The  deposits  of  January  1,  1903, 
were  $100,000,  and  loans  and  discounts  $150,- 
000.  Mr.  Kline  has  been  a  resident  of  Amboy 
for  the  past  forty-five  years. 

Bonded  IndeMedness. — In  the  summer  of 
1872  the  Chicago  &  Rock  River  Railroad  was 
built  through  Amboy  Township.  To  secure 
the  construction  of  this  road  the  town,  by  vote 
of  517  for  the  proposition  to  92  against  it,  is- 
sued $100,000  of  bonds.  A  bitter  contest  was 
waged  in  the  courts  against  the  payment  of 
these  bonds,  resulting  in  judgments  in  the 
United  States  Courts  against  the  town.  These 
judgments  were  in  part  compromised  by  two 
issues  of  refunding  bonds,  some  at  the  rate  of 
40  cents  on  the  dollar,  and  some  at  50  cents. 
Seven  or  eight  years  were  consumed  in  these 
transactions  and,  when  there  seemed  to  be  no 
further  chance  of  compromise,  6  per  cent, 
bonds  were  issued  to  the  amount  of  $130,000  to 
meet  the  balance  of  the  unsettled  judgments. 
On  July  1,  1899,  this  last  issue  had  been  re- 
duced by  payments  to  $93,500.  Four  per  cent, 
bonds  were  issued  to  take  up  this  outstanding 
balance.  On  this  last  issue  $65,500  is  still 
outstanding,  the  balance  having  been  paid. 
The  total  amounts  of  judgments  and  costs,  ex- 
clusive of  interest  for  which  the  town  thus  be- 
canie  indebted,  aggregated  about  $275,000. 
All  the  suits  commenced  by  different  bondhold- 
ers were  in  the  United  States  Courts  and  the 
litigation  reached  the  Supreme  Court  of  the 
United  States.  In  all  these  contests  the  town 
was  defeated. 

Miscellaneous.— The  Illinois  Central  brought 
to  Amboy  John  B.  Wyman  as  its  Superinten- 
dent, of  whom  the  town  came  to  be  proud  as  a 


638 


HISTORY  OF  LEE   COUNTY. 


General  in  the  War  of  the  Rebellion,  where  he 
laid  down  his  life.  He  was  the  city's  flrst 
Mayor. 

August  5,  1856,  a  Fremont  Club  was  organ- 
ized in  Amboy  with  John  B.  Wyman  as  Presi- 
dent, Henry  Badger  as  Secretary  and  W.  E. 
Ives  Corresponding  Secretary.  This  recalls 
the  visits  of  some  of  the  men  who  afterwards 
became  great.  In  the  days  of  the  Illinois  Cen- 
tral building  Geo.  B.  McClellan,  in  war  times 
Commander  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac,  was 
the  Civil  Engineer  of  the  road  with  headquar- 
ters at  Amiboy.  And  he  who  became  Lieutenant 
General  of  all  the  armies  and  one  of  the  great- 
est, if  not  the  greatest,  of  commanders  of  mod- 
ern times.  Grant,  was  frequently  in  town  buy- 
ing hides  for  his  Galena  tannery.  Abraham 
Lincoln,  whose  name  and  fame  pales  all  oth- 
ers of  his  time,  spoke  to  the  people  there  in  his 
campaign  against  Douglas  in  1858,  from  the 
window-balcony  of  the  office  of  W.  E.  Ives,  who 
vouches  for  the  veracity  of  these  statements  as 
to  both  of  these  great  men, 

September  11,  1856,  Owen  Lovejoy,  who  had 
attended  an  abolition  meeting  ten  years  before 
at  the  log  school  house  west  of  Lee  Center  vil- 
lage, spoke  at  the  corner  of  Main  Street  and 
Adams  Avenue,  and  in  October  following,  ad- 
dressed the  first  meeting  in  the  incompleted 
Baptist  church,  as  already  mentioned. 

Amboy  once  possessed  a  court,  the  like  of 
which  was  nowhere  else  to  be  found  in  the 
county.  Alonzo  Kinyon,  one  of  the  ambitious 
men  of  the  period,  was  a  member  of  the  Legis- 
lature in  1869,  and  procured  the  passage  of 
an  act,  approved,  March  11th  of  that  year,  es- 
tablishing "The  Court  of  Common  Pleas  of  the 
City  of  Amboy."  It  was  an  effort  to  duplicate 
the  Circuit  Court.  The  Judge  and  clerk  were 
to  be  elected  and  receive  the  same  salaries  as 
the  Judge  and  Clerk  of  the  Circuit  Court.  The 
City  Marshal  was  given  the  powers  of  a  sher- 
iff, and  the  court  was  empowered  to  appoint  a 
Master  in  Chancery.  The  act,  as  approved, 
gave  the  court  chancery  jurisdiction,  but  an- 
other act  was  approved  the  same  day  taking 
away  this  power.  Mr.  Kinyon's  plan  was  car- 
ried into  effect  by  his  own  election  as  Judge, 
and  the  tribunal  became  known  as  "Kinyon's 
Court."  It  accomplished  the  purpose  of  its 
creation  until  the  Constitution  of  1870  went 
into  effect  and  wiped  it  out.  The  records  of 
the  court  were  all  destroyed  in  the  fire  of 
1871. 


In  the  fall  of  1846  Rev.  John  Cross,  of  "Tem- 
perance Hill,"  now  in  China  Township,  called 
a  meeting  at  a  log  school  house  about  one  mile 
west  of  Lee  Center  village,  to  form  an  abolition 
society.  Owen  Lovejoy,  the  great  anti-slavery 
orator  and  leader,  addressed  the  meeting,  and 
in  the  course  of  his  speech  said  he  had  sworn 
over  the  dead  body  of  his  brother  eternal  ha- 
tred of  slavery.  At  the  close  of  the  meeting  a 
"Free-Soil  Club"  was  organized.  Among  those 
who  became  members  were  Martin  Wright, 
Lewis  Clapp,  Sylvester  Frisbee,  Ransom 
Barnes,  Joseph  Parwell,  Benoni  Harmon,  Dan- 
iel Frost,  Ira  Brewer.  Moses  Crombie  and  John 
Cross.  Lovejoy  addressed  another  meeting 
there  that  fall.  In  this  same  log  school  house, 
which  Ira  Brewer  helped  to  build,  Robert  G. 
Ingersoll,  the  great  agnostic  of  later  years,  at- 
tended school,  his  father  being  minister  of  the 
Congregational    church    in    that    section. 

The  Wasson  school-house,  which  stood  west 
of  the  road  at  the  center  of  Section  14  in  Am- 
boy, was  built  about  1846,  and  was  the  first 
frame  school  building  in  the  town.  For  many 
years  it  was  the  meeting  center  and  rallying 
point  of  that  section  for  miles  around. 

When  the  division  of  the  county  into  towns 
under  the  township  organization  law  was  about 
to  take  place,  it  is  said  on  good  authority  that 
a  meeting  was  held  at  the  Wasson  school  house 
to  choose  a  name  for  the  town.  The  choice 
was  "Bath."  but  Lorenzo  Wasson,  who  went 
to  Dixon  to  meet  the  County  Commissioners, 
took  the  responsibility  of  changing  the  name 
to  "Amboy." 

In  the  winter  of  1854-5  the  postoffices  at 
Binghamton  and  Shelburn  were  discontinued, 
and  one  office  was  established  at  Amboy.  with 
Orange  D.  Reed  as  Postmaster. 

The  Mayors  of  the  city  have  been:  J.  B. 
Wyman.  1857;  John  R.  Stevens,  1858:  Jos. 
Rosebrugh,  1859;  J.  B.  Wyman,  1860:  W.  E. 
Ives,  1861;  C.  M.  Butler,  1864-5;  C.  D.  Vaughan, 
1866-7;  Michael  Egan,  1869-70;  Isaac  Edwards. 
1871-3;  Robt.  Richards,  1874;  Isaac  Edwards, 
1875-7;  J.  B.  Pelker,  1878  to  March.  1883;  Geo. 
Ryan,  March,  1883,  to  March,  1884;  J.  B. 
Graves,  March,  1884,  to  March,  1885;  C.  H. 
Wooster,  two  years,  ending  March,  1887;  Mich- 
ael Egan,  March,  1887,  to  March,  1888;  Geo, 
Ryan,  March.  1888,  to  March,  1893;  C.  A.  Wil- 
cox, March,  1893,  to  March,  1895;  E.  E.  Chase, 
March,  1895,  to  March,  1899;  J.  P.  Johnson, 
March,    1899,  .present    incumbent. 


HISTORY  OF  LEE  COUNTY. 


639 


The  Clerks  have  been:  D.  T.  Wood,  1S57; 
W.  B.  Andrus,  1S5S-9:  R.  H.  Mellen,  1860-1;  W. 
C.  Sears,  1S62-3;  H.  G.  Pratt,  1S64;  N.  H.  Ryan, 
1865-7;  Lee  Cronkrite,  1869;  Everett  E.  Chase, 
1870  to  1883;  A.  E.  Merwine,  1883-4;  Geo.  E. 
Young,  1884-6;  R.  C.  Bear,  1886-7;  H.  J.  Mas- 
terman,  1887-9;  M.  J.  Monahan,  1889-94;  S.  E. 
Appleton,  1894-5;  H.  Swisher,  1895-1901;  F.  A. 
Flach,  April,  1901,  present  incumbent. 

The  population  of  the  city  of  Amboy,  ac- 
cording to  the  census  of  1900,  was  1,826.  Its 
population  in  1890  was  2,257.  The  population 
of  the  city  and  township  in  1900  was  2,726, 
while  in  1890  it  was  3,139. 


CHAPTER  V 


ASHTON    TOWNSHIP. 


OEGANIZATION    OF    THE    TOWNSHIP TOWN    ORIGIN- 
ALLY    NAMED     OGLE — FIRST     SETTLER.S —     EARLY 

CHURCHES DESTRUCTIVE        FIRES BUSINESS 

HOUSES  AND  BANKING  INSTITUTIONS BUILD- 
ING STONE — SCHOOLS  AND  VILLAGE  IMPROVE- 
JIENTS. 

What  is  now  the  Township  of  Ashton  was  set 
off  from  the  town  of  Bradford,  by  resolution  of 
Board  of  Supervisors,  at  its  February  meeting 
in  1861,  to  be  known  as  the  town  of  Ogle.  The 
first  settlers  in  the  neighborhood  were  C. 
Royce,  J.  Clark  and  I.  Rosecrans,  in  1835.  In 
1838  Andrew  Dnimmond  and  John  Weather- 
Ington,  with  their  families,  settled  on  the  west 
side  of  Lafayette  Grove.  Erastus  Anderson 
was  the  first  settler  within  the  boundaries  of 
the  township.  His  year  was  1848.  In  a  few 
weeks  his  brother  Timothy  joined  him,  and  in 
December,  his  father.  At  that  time  there  were 
only  four  houses  within  view,  some  of  which 
are  said  to  have  been  twenty  miles  distant. 
In  1849  a  man  by  the  name  of  Hubbard  settled 
in  the  west  part  of  the  township.  In  1852  Dan- 
iel Suter  located  near  the  present  site  of  the 
German  Baptist  Church  and  Henry  Sanders 
farther  to  the  west.  These  comprise  about  all 
the  settlers  of  what  is  now  Ashton  Township, 
up  to  the  time  the  railroad  was  built  in  1854. 


The  railroad  company  named  the  station 
"Ogle,"  which  in  time  was  dropped  for  the 
present  name.  The  site  of  the  village  is 
claimed  to  be  the  highest  point  of  ground  be- 
tween Chicago  and  the  Mississippi  River.  It 
was  platted  as  the  "Town  of  Ogle,"  May  9, 
1855,  by  Joseph  Crawford,  County  Surveyor, 
for  D.  B.  Stiles  and  Thomas  D.  Robertson.  The 
first  house  was  built  in  what  was  to  be  the 
village  in  1854  by  James  L.  Bates,  and  he  kept 
the  first  store.  The  first  warehouse  was  put  up 
in  the  latter  part  of  1854.  The  next  year  S.  M. 
Kifnes  started  the  first  blacksmith  shop. 

The  first  meeting  house  put  up  in  Ashton 
was  the  Methodist  Episcopal,  in  1863.  It  was 
considered  a  temporary  structure.  The  next 
year  the  Free  Methodists  erected  a  building, 
which  is  claimed  to  be  the  first  one  built  by 
that  denomination  in  the  State.  Indeed,  the 
birthplace  of  the  sect  or  society  is  said  to  have 
been  just  over  the  Ogle  County  line,  where  J. 
G.  Terrol  started  it  in  1860.  The  third  church 
to  be  built  was  the  Catholic,  in  1866.  The  Ger- 
man Baptists  erected  their  house  the  same  year 
about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  south  of  the  village. 
Next  was  the  Christian  church  built  in  1868. 
The  Presbyterian  church  was  erected  in  1877. 
The  denominations  now  maintaining  service 
in  the  village,  with  present  pastors,  are  the 
Methodist  Episcopal,  J.  E.  Honeywell  pastor; 
Free  Methodist  (name  of  pastor  not  ascer- 
tained); Evangelical,  C.  Marth  pastor;  United 
Evangelical,  W.  Schuster  pastor;  Lutheran,  H. 
Stauffenberg  pastor;  Presbyterian,  W.  J.  Mani- 
fold pastor;    Catholic.  Thomas  Finn  pastor. 

Fire  has  dealt  cruelly  with  Ashton.  In  1863 
a  grain  elevator  was  burned,  with  etimated  loss 
of  $2,000.  Flour  mills  were  burned  the  same 
year;  loss  $60,000.  In  1871  railroad  property, 
consisting  of  the  depot,  two  tanks  and  the  coal- 
house  containing  1.200  tons  of  coal,  besides  a 
lumber  yard  and  four  dwelling  houses,  were 
consumed;  estimated  loss,  $75,000.  In  1874  a 
hay-press  and  elevator  were  burned;  loss  $30.- 
000.  In  the  summer  of  1889  fire  consumed 
twenty-eight  business  houses  in  three  hours. 
The  village  was  still  without  any  protection 
against  fire,  but  the  Dixon  and  Rochelle  Fire 
Companies  were  on  the  ground  in  time  to  check 
the  progress  of  the  destroyer.  The  estimated 
loss  from  the  last  fire  was  $65,000,  with  an  in- 
surance of  $17,000.  Within  twenty-four  hours 
Mills  &  Petrie,  bankers  of  the  place,  com- 
menced preparations  to  erect  new  brick  build- 


640 


HISTORY  OF  LEE   COUNTY. 


mgs.  not  only  for  themselves  but  to  supply 
store-rooms  for  those  who  were  not  In  position 
to  build.  In  the  summer  of  1891,  fire  again 
did  its  work,  consuming  nearly  all  the  frame 
business  buildings  spared  by  the  fire  of  1889. 
The  estimated  loss  was  $20,000  without  insur- 
ance. The  village  now  has  a  fire  company  of 
seventy-six  members,  equipped  with  fine  hand 
engine,  hose  and  cart,  hook  and  ladder  truck 
and  two  tank  wagons. 

The  village  possesses  fifty-seven  business 
places  and  offices;  has  four  doctors,  five  black- 
smith shops  and  two  meat  markets.  Four 
grain  elevators  handle  the  grain  of  the  sec 
tion  with  a  capacity  of  45,000  to  60,000  bush 
els.  Three  are  o-mied  and  operated  by  A.  L 
Clark  &  Son  and  one  by  Zeller  &  Hutchinson, 
The  latter  also  conduct  extensive  sheep-feed' 
ing  sheds  and  yards,  where  as  many  as  1.5,000 
head  have  been  fed,  at  one  time,  in  prepara- 
tion for  the  Chicago  market. 

But  probably  the  most  important  institution 
of  all,  in  a  business  sense,  is  the  Ashton  Bank, 
because  it  is  largely  the  mainstay  of  the  busi- 
ness interests.  S.  P.  Mills  and  N.  A.  Petrie, 
under  the  name  of  Mills  &  Petrie,  commenced 
banking  in  Ashton  in  September,  1869,  and 
sold  out  January  1,  1903,  to  the  Ashton  Bank, 
which  was  incorporated  about  that  time  under 
the  State  Banking  Law,  with  $25,000  capital 
and  $5,000  surplus,  and  organized  with  N.  A, 
Petrie  as  President;  Geo.  H.  Mix,  Cashier;  and 
M.  D.  Hathaway,  Vice-President.  Deposits  are 
about  $140,000.  During  the  long  experience  of 
Mills  &  Petrie,  covering  a  number  of  financial 
panics,  their  business  stood  on  a  conservative 
basis,  commanding  the  confidence  of  the  com- 
munity, and  every  check  rightly  drawn  on  them 
was  promptly  honored.  The  banking  facilities 
have  been  added  to  by  the  establishment,  early 
in  1902,  of  the  People's  Bank  of  Ashton,  a  pri- 
vate institution,  with  Booth  &  Lyons  as  propri- 
etors. 

Ashton  village  is  underlaid  with  a  superior 
quality  of  building  stone,  which  has  been  on 
the  market,  in  a  small  way,  for  a  number  of 
years.  It  admits  of  high  polish  and  stands  the 
action  of  acids  better  than  most  Illinois  stone. 
Experts  give  it  the  credit  also  of  resisting  a 
higher  pressure  than  any  other  building  stone 
in  the  State,  with   but  one  exception. 

The  village  has  a  large  two-story  public 
school  building  built  of  this  stone.  The  school 
is  graded  and  employs  six  teachers. 


The  cemetery  is  controlled  by  the  "Ashton 
Cemetery  Association."  which  was  incorporated 
August  14,   1902. 

The  village  put  in  a  gas  plant  in  the  sum- 
mer of  1903,  which  supplies  satisfactory  gas 
for   street    lighting   and   other   purposes. 

The  population  of  the  township,  including 
the  village,  was  1,031  in  1890,  and  1,125  in 
1900;  that  of  the  village  alone,  in  1890,  being 
680  and,  in  1900,  756.  The  village  was  first  in- 
corporated March  5,  1867,  and'  again  under  the 
general  law,  July  23,   1872. 


CHAPTER  VI. 


BRADFORD   TOWNSHIP. 


ORGANIZATION    AND    NAMING    OF    THE    TOWNSHIP 

FIKST  TOWN  OFFICERS — EAELT  LAND-OWNERS 
AND  FIRST  SETTLERS — EVANGELICAL  LUTHERAN 
CHfECH — FARMERS"  MTTUAL  FIRE  INSURANCE 
COMPANY. 

The  present  town  of  Ashton  originally  be- 
longed to  Bradford,  and  was  set  off  as  Ogle 
by  resolution  of  the  Board  of  Supervisors  in 
February,  1861.  Bradford  acquired  its  name 
from  the  circumstance  that  many  of  the!  or- 
ganizers were  from  Bradford  County,  Penn. 

The  first  town  meeting  was  held  at  the  house 
of  Ralph  B.  Evitts,  when  the  following  officers 
were  elected:  Charles  Starks,  Supervisor;  Ira 
Brewer,  Town  Clerk;  E.  W.  Starks,  Assessor; 
Samuel  S.  Starks,  Collector;  Ralph  B.  Evitts, 
Overseer  of  the  Poor;  Sherman  Shaw,  Stephen 
Clink  and  George  Yale.  Highway  Commission- 
ers; Samuel  S.  Starks  and  Daniel  Barber,  Con- 
stables; Elisha  Pratt  and  LaFayette  Yale,  Jus- 
tices of  the  Peace.  Town  meetings  were  held 
at  private  houses  until  1856,  when  a  meeting 
was  held  at  the  school  house  at  Ogle  Station 
(now  Ashton.) 

Many  of  the  early  land  owners  of  the  town 
first  settled  at  Lee  Center  and,  as  their  lands 
became  subdued  and  they  grew  able  to  build, 
moved   onto  them.     The   first   to   erect   homes 


HISTORY  OF  LEE   COUNTY. 


641 


withiQ  the  bounds  of  the  township  were  Sher- 
man Shaw  and  Mr.  Whitemore,  the  house  of 
the  latter  having  been  built  prior  to  1839. 
Shawn's  was  built  in  1840  on  the  northeast  cor- 
ner of  Section  31.  Owen  Hillison  soon  followed 
in  the  erection  of  a  home,  having  prior  to  this 
lived  in  a  sod-house,  and  having  made  his  way 
on  foot  from  New  York  to  Chicago  and  thence 
to  Bradford.  In  1838  Charles  Starks  located 
at  Inlet,  and  the  next  year  filed  a  claim  on  the 
east  half  of  the  northwest  quarter  and  west 
half  of  the  northeast  quarter  of  Section  32, 
and  built  and  moved  onto  it  in  1842.  About 
this  time  the  Whipples  located  their  claim  a 
little  north  of  this.  In  1842  N.  C.  Yale  moved 
onto  Section  1.  Prior'  to  this  Jesse  Woodruff 
settled  on  Section  32  and  R,  B.  Evitts  on  Sec- 
tion 29.  About  this  time  Stephen  Clink  built  a 
stone  dwelling  on  Section  33.  In  1842  Ellas 
Hulbert  moved  onto  the  south  half  of  the  south- 
east quarter  of  Section  19,  and  in  1845  John  Hot- 
zel,  a  bachelor,  lived  in  a  sod  shanty  on  the  east 
half  of  the  southwest  quarter  of  Section  31.  He 
is  said  to  have  been  the  first  German  settler  in 
the  township.  Mr.  Bender  came  in  1845.  Ira 
Brewer  reached  Lee  Center  in  June,  1843,  and 
the  same  year  bought  of  0.  W.  Wright  a  claim 
to  the  west  half  of  the  northwest  quarter  of  Sec- 
tion 32  for  $40  in  trade,  and  of  a  Mr.  Sturdevant 
a  claim  to  the  east  half  of  the  northeast  quarter 
of  Section  31,  with  a  ten-acre  timber  lot  added, 
for  $100.  In  1849  he  built  a  dwelling  on  the 
latter  tract.  In  1845  E.  W.  Pomeroy  joined 
the  settlement  and  soon  became  the  owner  of 
the  west  half  of  the  northwest  quarter  of  sec- 
tion 31.  He  and  J.  H.  Gardner  are  credited 
with  bringing  the  first  reaper  into  the  commun- 
ity. 

In  1859  an  Evangelical  Church  was  built  on 
Section  17  at  a  cost  of  $1,300.  In  1874  an  addi- 
tion was  made  and  a  steeple  erected,  at  a  fur- 
ther cost  of  $2,700.  The  society  was  first  or- 
ganized at  the  house  of  John  Hotzel. 

Egbert  Shaw  is  said  to  have  been  the  first 
white    child    born   within    the   township. 

The  Farmers'  Mutual  Fire  Insurance  Com- 
pany, of  Bradford,  is  one  of  the  important  in- 
stitutions of  the  county.  It  was  incorporated 
by  special  act  of  the  Legislature,  March  30, 
1869,  Ira  Brewer.  R.  B.  Evitts,  Thomas  S.  Hul- 
bert, Charles  D.  Hart,  Valentine  Hicks,  C.  F. 
Starks  and  George  Hulbert  being  the  incorpo- 
rators.    Ira  Brewer  was  the  first  President  and 


continued  to  hold  the  office  for  twenty-five 
years  until  advancing  age  forced  him  to  retire. 
Thomas  Hulbert  was  the  first  Secretary,  serv- 
ing one  year.  C.  D.  Hart  followed  for  a  like 
term.  Samuel  Dysart,  the  present  Secretary, 
has  served  continuously  since  1871.  The  pres- 
ent officers  are:  B.  F.  Lane,  President;  Sam- 
uel Dysart,  Secretary;  H.  W.  Hillison,  Treas- 
urer; Christian  Gross,  William  V.  Jones,  Geo. 
Shafer  and  Wm.  S.  Frost.  Board  of  Managers. 
It  has  paid  over  $60,000  in  losses.  The  aver- 
age annual  outlay  for  salaries,  clerk  hire  and 
all  other  expenses,  has  been  less  than  $400. 
The  Company  has  750  members  holding  860 
policies,  representing  a  total  insurance  of  $1.- 
586.155.54.  The  amount  insured  is  increasing 
at  the  rate  of  about  $50,000  yearly. 

The  population  of  Bradford,  as  showTi  by  the 
Government  census,  was  720  in  1890  and  677 
in  1900. 


CHAPTER  VH. 


BROOKLYN   TOWNSHIP. 


PIONEER  SETTLER.S — FIRST  II.^RRIAGE — COIIPTOX  A 
PR0GRESSI\'E  VILLAGE — WATER  WORKS  AXD  ELEC- 
TRIC  LIGHT   PLANT WEST  BROOKLYX   VILLAGE — 

BUSINESS    HOUSES,    CHURCHES    AXD    SCHOOLS. 

The  earliest  settler  in  Brooklyn  Township 
was  Zachariah  Melugin.  who  came  in  the  spring 
of  1834  and  located  on  the  northwest  quarter 
of  Section  4,  in  the  grove  which  has  since  borne 
his  name.  The  Chicago  road  ran  along  his 
south  line,  and  here  he  soon  built  a  tavern. 
A.  V.  Christiance  and  wife  were  the  second  to 
arrive  at  the  grove,  and  located  at  the  south 
side  on  the  only  thoroughfare,  the  Chicago 
road.  This  was  in  1835.  His  log  house  also 
became  an  inn.  Here  a  son,  Cornelius,  was 
born  that  year,  being  the  first  white  child  born 
in  the  township.  In  July,  1835,  John  Gilmore 
settled  on  the  nortnwest  quarter  of  Section  2. 
His  son.  W.  W.  Gilmore,  was  the  second  white 


64-- 


HISTORY  OF  LEE  COUNTY, 


child  to  be  born  in  tlie  township,  his  birth  be- 
ing only  six  weeks  later  than  that  of  Cornelius 
Christiance.  W.  W.  Gilmore  became  Super- 
visor of  the  town,  and  was  one  of  the  building 
committee  of  the  board  which  had  charge  of 
the  erection  of  the  present  Court  House.  Wil- 
liam Guthrie  located  near  by.  In  1838  Oliver 
P.  Johnson  and  wife  came.  When  the  Black 
Hawk  War  broke  out,  Mr.  Melugin  was  living 
in  the  vicinity  of  Springfield  in  this  State. 
He  enlisted  at  Rock  Island.  After  the  close 
of  the  war  he  went  back  to  his  home.  In  the 
fall  of  1833  he  returned  to  Dixon's  Ferry, 
where  he  was  persuaded  by  Father  Dixon  and 
others  to  establish  a  stage  station  at  the  grove 
on  the  mail  route  between  Chicago  and  Galena 
via  Dixon's  Ferry,  on  which  stages  commenced 
running  January  1,  1834.  Being  unmarried, 
his  sister  Mary  joined  him  the  next  spring  and 
made  a  home  for  him  until  the  following  Octo- 
ber, when  he  was  married  to  Mary  Ross.  Dur- 
ing this  summer  his  sister  was  the  only  white 
woman  at  the  grove.  She  visited  Mrs.  Dixon, 
at  Dixon's  Ferry,  that  summer,  and  there  met 
John  K.  Robinson,  who  was  the  first  school 
teacher  in  Mr.  Dixon's  family  and  who  became 
her  husband.  The  wedding  occurred  at  the 
grove  September  10,  1835,  and  was  the  first 
to  be  celebrated  in  that  locality.  Mr.  Robin- 
son built  his  log  house  about  half  a  mile  from 
Mr.  Melugin's. 

Two  buildings  contend  for  the  distinction 
of  being  the  first  school  house  in  the  township. 
At  a  very  early  date  a  log  school  house  stood 
within  the  grounds  now  occupied  as  a  ceme- 
tery at  the  "Berg,"  and  was  also  used  for 
church  purposes  until  1859,  when  the  first 
meeting  house  was  erected.  There  was  like- 
wise a  building  known  as  the  "Red  School 
House,"  standing  at  an  early  date  on  the  north- 
east quarter  of  Section  4,  near  its  southwest 
corner.  "\\Tiich  one  of  these  was  the  earlier 
we  have  been  unable  to  determine,  but  it  is 
probable  that  one  of  them  dates  back  as  early 
as  1837.  Prior  to  the  coming  of  the  school 
house,  Zachariah  Melugin,  the  pioneer,  con- 
ducted in  his  own  log  cabin  the  first  school  in 
the  township. 

The  first  church  to  be  organized  was  the 
Methodist,  in  1S37,  at  the  dwelling  of  Mr. 
Melugin.  The  first  pastor  was  Rev.  Stephen 
R.  Beggs.  The  first  Sunday  School  was  started 
by  Rev.  Haney  of  the  Methodist  Church,  in 
1847   or   '48.     A.   V.   Christiance   was  the   first 


postmaster   and    Charles   Morgan    &   Son   were 
the  first  merchants  in  the  place. 

Compton. — Compton  Village  was  platted  in 
1873  on  land  of  Joel  Compton,  from  whom  it 
received  its  name,  the  survey  having  been 
completed  May  8.  The  building  of  the  railroad, 
now  the  Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy,  that 
year,  gave  birth  to  the  town.  Located  about 
three  miles  from  the  hamlet  of  Melugin  Grove, 
most  of  the  few  buildings  in  the  "Berg,"  as 
the  latter  was  called,  were  early  moved  over 
to  the  railroad,  as  well  to  escape  the  inevitable 
decline  of  the  older  settlement  as  to  participate 
in  the  prospective  advantages  of  the  new.  The 
Methodist  church,  built  in  1860,  was  one  of  the 
structures  that  migrated,  and  two  hotel  build- 
ings, which  took  the  names  of  the  Compton 
and  Young's  Hotel,  were  also  in  the  procession. 

Compton  was  a  corn  field  when  platted,  and 
the  first  house  was  a  store  built  by  Joel  Comp- 
ton in  the  corn  stubble.  It  faced  the  railroad 
and  was  completed  in  the  spring  of  1873.  The 
next  house  to  go  up  was  a  small  meat  market, 
built  by  M.  M.  Avery  that  same  spring,  and 
the  third  was  Mr.  Avery's  residence.  The  place 
has  a  grain  elevator,  which  is  owned  and  oper- 
ated by  Warner  &  GufRn.  Its  banking  demands 
are  provided  for  by  the  Farmer's  &  Trader's 
Bank,  of  which  Charles  Bradshaw  is  Presi- 
dent, L.  Carnahan.  Vice-President,  H.  L.  Ford- 
ham,  Cashier,  and  A.  B.  Fordham,  Assistant 
Cashier.  The  capital  stock  is  $25,000  and  de- 
posits about  $40,000.  It  has  recently  become 
a  National  Bank,  and  is  about  to  occupy  a  fine 
new  bank  building.  The  village  has  two 
churches — the  Methodist  and  United  Brethren. 
It  is  equipped  with  an  efficient  system  of  water- 
works, for  private  use  as  well  as  fire  protec- 
tion. Its  streets  are  lighted  by  electricity,  as 
are  also  many  of  its  stores  and  homes.  It  has 
a  graded  school  embracing  three  grades.  Comp- 
ton was  incorporated  as  a  village  December  6, 
1875, 

West  Brooklyn. — This  village  was  laid  out 
the  same  year  Compton  was.  on  land  belonging 
to  O.  P.  Johnson,  D.  L.  Harris  and  R.  N.  Wood. 
The  past  few  years  has  not  witnessed  a  rapid 
growth  of  the  place.  With  a  population  now 
claimed  to  be  425,  it  does  a  business  in  excess 
of  what  would  be  expected  from  a  town  of  its 
size.  It  has  two  grain  elevators,  one  operated 
by  Charles  F.  Guflin  and  the  other  by  the  Atlas 
Grain  Company  of  Chicago.  The  latter  eleva- 
tor, with   its  contents  of  about   15,000  bushels 


HISTORY  OF  LEE  COUNTY. 


643 


of  grain,  was  destroyed  by  fire  February  19, 
1903,  and  it  was  at  once  rebuilt.  The  village 
has  a  prosperous  private  bank,  which  was 
opened  by  the  present  proprietor  and  manager, 
Henry  F.  Gehant,  June  1,  1897.  Its  present 
capital  is  $10,000,  with  a  surplus  of  $5,000  and 
deposits  ranging  from  $50,000  to  $75,000.  It 
not  only  serves  the  community  in  a  banking 
cacpacity,  but  meets  the  demand  in  matter 
of  insurance,  conveyancing  and  other  conven- 
iences, such  as  usually  attach  to  an  institution 
of  its  kind  in  a  small  town.  The  village  is  for- 
tunate   in   being   so   provided. 

Without  referring  to  other  lines  of  busi- 
ness the  bank  and  elevators  are  pointed  to  as 
an  index  of  the  business  transactions  and  im- 
portance of  the  place. 

Brick  and  tile  of  a  superior  quality  have 
been  manufactured  here,  for  about  six  years, 
by  J.  M.  Beale  &  Co.,  the  demand  largely  ex- 
ceeding the  output. 

The  school  house  was  erected  in  1874  at  a 
cost  of  $1,200. 

The  first  church  to  be  erected  in  the  place 
was  the  Methodist,  about  twenty-four  years 
ago. 

The  membership  of  the  Catholic  Church,  in 
and  around  West  Brooklyn,  is  both  large  and 
wealthy,  as  is  evidenced  by  the  fact  that,  in 
1902,  they  erected  here  a  splendid  church  edi- 
fice at  a  cost,  including  decorations  and  fur- 
nishings, of  $18,000.  It  is  48x98  feet  and  built 
of  brick,  with  a  spire  125  feet  high.  In  the  last 
five  years  at  least  $25,000  have  been  paid  out 
by  this  society  on  church,  parsonage  and 
grounds,  all  of  which  has  been  accomplished 
under  the  pastorate  of  the  priest  in  charge. 
Rev.  A.  H.  Leising. 

The  church  was  dedicated  September  5. 
1902,  with  imposing  ceremonies.  Archbishop 
Muldoon,  of  this  diocese,  officiating.  Excursion 
trains  brought  participants  from  neighboring 
towns,  and,  although  the  day  was  rainy,  it  is 
estimated  that  5,000  people  were  brought  to  the 
place  in  honor  of  the  occasion. 

The  village  was  incorporated  under  the  gen- 
eral law,  by  order  of  the  County  Court,  Sep- 
tember 24,  1894. 

According  to  census  returns  the  township 
had  a  population,  including  Compton  and  West 
Brooklyn,  of  1,154  in  1890,  and  1,347  in  1900. 
Compton  had  a  population,  in  1890,  of  234  and, 
in  1900,  of  428.  West  Brooklyn  does  not  appear 
in  the  census  table  of  1890,  but  is  credited  with 
a  population  of  279  in  1900. 


CHAPTER   VHI. 


CHINA    TOWNSHIP. 


ORGANIZED    AS    FKEM0r«T    TOWN'SHir FIRST     TOWN 

OFFICERS    AND    FIRST    SETTLERS SOME    NOTABLE 

CHARACTERS FRANKLIN     GROVE CHURCHES, 

SCHOOLS,    FACTORIES.    BANKS    AND    NEWSPAPERS. 

'\\Tien  township  organization  was  adopted  in 
1850,  this  town  was  named  "Fremont."  Later 
the  present  name  was  substituted  at  the  solici- 
tation of  Russell  Linn,  an  early  settler  whose 
native  town  in  Maine  was  of  that  name.  The 
following  were  the  first  officers  of  the  town  of 
Fremont:  George  R.  Linn,  Supervisor;  Josiah 
Wheat,  Clerk;  Christian  Lahman,  Assessor; 
Moses  Curtis,  Collector;  Jesse  Hale,  W.  C.  Rob- 
inson, Nathan  Whitney,  Highway  Commission- 
ers; Robert  B.  Sproul,  Justice  of  the  Peace; 
Moses  S.  Curtis  and  W.  C.  Robinson,  Consta- 
bles. The  highest  number  of  votes  cast  for 
any  one  office  at  this  election  was  46. 

According  to  the  most  reliable  information. 
Cummings  Noe  built  the  first  cabin  in  China 
Township,  in  1835  or  '36.  It  stood  about  eighty 
rods  north  of  the  W.  H.  Hansen  place.  James 
Holly  and  his  father-in-law,  Charles  Harrison, 
built  in  1836.  The  "Minor  House"  was  one  of 
the  early  buildings.  It  formed  the  western 
part  of  the  old  "Bishop  Hughes  Hotel."  Nathan 
Whitney  came  in  1835,  as  did  Cyrus  Chamber- 
lain and  Lockwood  Miner  the  same  year.  The 
latter's  father,  Cyras  R.  arrived  in  1836.  Mr. 
Whitney  seems  to  have  returned  to  his  New 
York  home,  and  to  have  made  trips  back  to 
Lee  County  in  1836  and  1837,  his  family  arriv- 
ing February  8,  1838.  In  1850  he  introduced 
one  of  the  first,  if  not  the  first,  threshing  ma- 
chines in  the  country.  He  built,  probably  in 
1838,  the  house  which  afterwards  became  the 
"vinegar  house"  at  the  nursery.  In  1838  Amos 
Hussey  arrived  with  his  family  and  located  on 
the  south  side  of  the  grove. 

In  1845  Christian  Lahman  and  family  and 
his  father-in-law,  Mr.  Emmett,  from  Pennsyl- 
vania, were  added  to  the  meager  settlement. 
Edward  Morgan  and  family  came  in  1836.  His 
son,  John  Wesley,  was  bom  the  next  year,  and 
his  is  believed  to  have  been  the  first  birth  in 


644 


HISTORY  OF  LEE   COUNTY. 


the  grove.  Edward  Morgan  built  a  double  log 
cabin  north  of  the  timber,  Jeremiah  Whipple 
and  family  located  near  the  "cave"  which 
bears  his  name,  in  1837.  Hugh  Moore  and  his 
brother  Rufus  landed  in  1836,  and  their  brother 
James  the  year  before.  They  settled  near 
Grand  Detour.  Silas  Tolman  and  family 
reached  Inlet  in  1837  and  joined  the  Franklin 
Grove  colony  early  the  next  spring.  Henry 
and  Harrison  Hansen,  with  Philip  Stahl,  came 
in  1838.  The  father.  Charles  Hausen.  Sr.,  fol- 
lowed in  1840.  leaving  his  son  Charles  at  their 
Maine  home  to  bring  the  mother  and  younger 
children  later.  The  family  in  charge  of  the 
young  son  Charles,  reached  Franklin  in  De- 
cember, 1840. 

As  early  as  1840  Whipple's  mill,  on  Franklin 
Creek  near  "Whipple's  Cave."  was  sawing  logs 
cut  from  the  near-by  woods,  into  lumber  for 
building  purposes. 

E.  C.  Thomas  and  family  arrived  in  1839 
and  Nathaniel  Yale  and  family  came  still  ear- 
lier, in  183(5.  D.  M.  Bradstreet  came  in  1844. 
James  Dysart  arrived  in  1846  and,  by  1849,  had 
secured  land  enough  to  provide  each  of  his 
several  children  with  a  half-section. 

The  northeast  portion  of  the  northwest  quar- 
ter of  Section  34  was  known  as  Temperance 
Hill.  Here,  on  the  tract  now  owned  by  W.  F. 
Wolcott,  lived  John  Cross,  a  Presbyterian  min- 
ister, who  gave  the  "hill"  the  name  "Theoka," 
but  this  early  gave  way  to  the  more  suggestive 
one  connected  with  sobriety.  Cross  was  an 
anti-slavery  fighter  and  a  recognized  and  self- 
confessed  conductor  on  the  Underground  Rail- 
road. Indeed,  he  once  boasted  to  Chester  Bad- 
ger that,  in  one  load,  he  had  sent  twelve  slaves 
on  their  way  towards  freedom.  His  home  was 
one  of  the  stations  on  the  underground  road. 
In  1848  Mr.  Cross  moved  to  Wheaton  and  be- 
came Principal  of  Wheaton  College.  Next  east 
of  Cross,  Sylvester  Frisbee  settled,  and  still 
east  of  him,  Mr.  Hannum  and  family  were  liv- 
ing in  a  sod  house  as  early  as  1842,  when  Mar- 
tin Eastwood  and  wife  came  into  the  neigh- 
borhood. Eastwood  made  a  business  of  break- 
ing prairie,  and  built  a  small  house  which 
could  be  hauled  from  place  to  place  wherever 
his  work  happened  to  be.  Nathaniel  Lewis  and 
family  took  up  their  abode  here  in  1843.  Fris- 
bee and  all  the  settlers  in  the  vicinity  were 
zealous  temperance  people,  and  this  fact  is  sup- 
posed to  have  suggested  the  name  for  the  local- 
ity now  marked  by  a  row  of  hardy  venerable 


pines.  The  school  house  hard  by  perpetuates 
the  name. 

In  1871  the  west  half  of  the  town  of  China 
was  set  off  to  form  the  town  of  Nachusa. 

In  the  year  when  short-horn  cattle  (Dur- 
ham )  were  considered  the  best  breed,  China 
was  made  prominent  by  its  successful  breeders. 
As  early  as  1854-5  Christian  Lahman  intro- 
duced high  grade  short-horns,  and  in  1867  Sam- 
uel Dysart  and  Henry  Hausen  went  a  step  fur- 
ther with  thorough-breds  from  Central  Illinois. 
Mr.  Dysart  exhibited  his  stock  at  many  fairs, 
at  none  of  which  he  suffered  defeat.  He  was 
awarded  thirty-five  first  premiums  and  eighteen 
second  premiums.  Twice  he  was  victorious  in 
Iowa  State  Fairs.  In  1870  he  Introduced  the 
first  pure-bred  Berkshire  swine. 

For  a  considerable  time  the  Whitney  nur- 
sery was  one  of  the  leading  tree  distributors 
in  this  part  of  the  State.  It  was  established 
by  Nathan  ^\Tiitney  in  1843,  and  was  for  many 
years  continued  by  his  son,  A.  R.  Whitney,  un- 
der whose  management  it  became  a  large  and 
prosperous  institution.  Mr.  Whitney's  failing 
health  necessitated  its  abandonment  some 
years  ago.  To  those  who  are  disposed  to  ques- 
tion the  fitness  of  our  soil  and  climate  for  fruit- 
growing, the  fact  may  be  recalled  that,  in  1871, 
W.  H.  Hausen  sent  from  this  town  to  the  Iowa 
State  Fair  ninety-seven  varieties  of  apples  and 
fifteen  varieties  of  pears. 

Franklin  Grove. — This  name  is  said  to  have 
been  given  to  the  grove  after  the  youngest  son 
of  Father  Dixon. 

In  1853  Christian  Lahman.  who  owned  the 
tract  south  of  the  railroad,  platted  about  ten 
acres,  now  constituting  the  extreme  south-west 
portion  of  the  village,  and  christened  it  "Chap- 
lin." What  are  now  Main  and  Hughes  Streets 
were  its  only  thoroughfares,  and  the  lots  were 
numbered  from  1  to  35.  The  plat  was  recorded 
in  the  Recorder's  Office  April  23,  1855.  In  1851 
George  W.  Pense  started  a  blacksmith  shop. 
In  1852  Charles  Bill  put  up  the  first  shoe  shop. 
Charles  Ambrose  opened  the  first  store  in  the 
fall  of  1851  or  spring  of  1852.  In  1854  H.  I. 
Lincoln  came  with  a  stock  of  goods  from  Ken- 
dall County  and  continued  in  trade  until  a  few 
years  ago. 

The  first  postoflfice  was  opened  about  1848, 
with  Abram  Brown  as  postmaster  and  A.  R. 
Whitney  mail  carrier.  Dr.  Clark  was  the  sec- 
ond postmaster  and,  during  his  term,  the  name 
of  the  office  was  changed  to  Chaplin.     In  May, 


HISTORY  OF  LEE   COUNTY. 


645 


1854,  Dr.  George  \V.  Hewitt  located  here,  and 
in  1855  John  C.  Blaclv  came. 

The  town,  as  it  at  present  exists  exclusive  of 
additions,  was  platted  by  Adrastus  W.  Tolman, 
Christian  Lahman,  T.  D.  Robertson  and  John 
Dement  in  1853.  In  1854  the  railroad  was  com- 
pleted and  the  regular  train  made  its  first  trip 
December  3d  of  that  year.  A.  B.  Fitch  was  the 
first  station  agent  of  the  road.  The  station  be- 
ing located  in  the  new  part  of  the  town,  drew 
business  in  that  direction  and  changed  the 
trade  center.  W.  Leake  started  the  first 
harness  shop.  The  first  elevator  was  built  in 
1854  by  one  Williams.  S.  J.  Smith  &  Co.  and 
L.  M.  Blaisdell  opened  lumber  yards  and  Rufus 
Covin  started  a  furniture  store.  Conrad 
Durkes,  hailing  from  Oregon,  Ogle  County,  was 
first  to  open  a  dry-goods  store  in  the  new  sec- 
tion of  the  town.  Mix  &  Losey  followed  soon 
after  in  the  same  line.  In  1855  Jonas  Clisbee 
built  the  hotel  building  north  of  the  track,  and 
Josiali  Hughes  put  up  the  two-story  stone  hotel 
in  the  old  town,  which  was  still  known  as 
Chaplin. 

Village  incorporation  was  effected  in  1857. 
Josiah  Hughes,  Jonas  Clisbee,  L.  M.  Blaisdell, 
S.  J.  Smith  and  A.  W.  Tolman  were  the  first 
Trustees,  Blaisdell  being  President  and  Smith 
Clerk.  The  village  was  again  incorporated 
under  special  charter  in  1865,  the  first  officers 
under  this  organization  being  C.  Durkes,  Presi- 
dent; Josiah  Hughes,  J.  J.  Lichty,  Joseph  Wil- 
liams, Jonas  Clisbee,  George  W.  Brayton  and 
Geo.  H.  Taylor,  Councilmen.  Under  the  gen- 
eral law  it  was  once  more  incorporated  in  1872. 

Churches. — The  first  class  of  the  Methodist 
Church  was  formed  by  Rev.  Jas.  McKean,  a 
missionary,  probably  before  1840.  Cyrus  Minor 
was  leader.  The  first  Methodist  church  build- 
ing was  erected  in  1863  during  the  pastorate 
of  C.  W.  Wright.  Prior  to  this  the  services 
had  been  held  at  the  homes  of  the  members  and 
in  school  houses.  Ministers  having  other 
charges  officiated  for  a  number  of  years.  In 
1853  and  1854  R.  R.  Bibbins,  of  Light  House 
Point,  preached  every  fourth  Sabbath  evening, 
and  in  the  fall  of  the  latter  year,  Henry  Martin 
reorganized  the  class  with  James  Welsh  as 
leader.  In  the  fall  of  1855  M.  Decker,  of  Lee 
Center,  supplied  the  pulpit.  Following  him 
came  A.  D.  Field,  H.  Richardson  and  Penfield. 
In  1860  W.  T.  Harlow,  principal  of  the  Semi- 
nary at  Mt.  Morris,  drove  twenty  miles  to  fill 
appointments  here.     Other  pastors  have  been: 


C.  Webster,  L.  M.  Anderson,  H.  T.  Giles,  John 
Williamson,  A.  P.  Hatch,  S.  T.  Snow,  Jas. 
Bush,  A.  J.  Scott,  J.  Wardle,  J.  C.  Cooper,  A.  H. 
Schoonmaker,  Revs.  Stire,  Stuff,  Satterfield, 
Bassett,  Harris,  O'Neal,  Slaughter  and  Honey- 
well, the  present  incumbent.  In  1902  this  so- 
ciety tore  down  the  old  church  and  built  a  new 
one  on  the  same  spot,  at  a  cost  of  $8,100.  It 
was  dedicated   October  6.   1902. 

January  1,  1861,  Franklin  Grove  Presbyter- 
ian Church  was  organized.  The  first  Board 
of  Trustees  consisted  of  G.  W.  Brayton,  G.  W. 
Hewitt,  G.  W.  Pitcher,  G.  H.  Brewer  and  Jere- 
miah Ketchum.  W.  W.  Harsha,  the  pastor  at 
Dixon,  also  acted  as  first  pastor  of  this  soci- 
ety. W.  L.  Lyons  was  the  second  pastor.  Fol- 
lowing him  have  been:  W.  Hare,  A.  F.  Morri- 
son, Spencer  Baker,  S.  N.  Vail,  W.  C.  Cort, 
F.  C.  Cochrane.  H.  S.  Jordon  (May,  1881,  to  De- 
cember, 1882);  A.  L.  Sarchet  (March,  1883,  to 
March,    1884);     William    E.    Holyoke     (ApriT, 

1884,  to    April,    1885);    W.    H.    McKee    (April, 

1885,  to  April,  1886);  C.  W.  Anthony  (Decem- 
ber, 1886,  to  December,  1897);  R.  F.  Cressy 
(May,  1898,  to  June,  1901);  W.  J.  Manifold, 
the  present  pastor,  from  September,  1902.  In 
1865  this  society  built  a  church  conjointly  with 
the  German  Lutherans,  which  was  used  in 
common  by  the  two  denominations.  In  the  fall 
of  1887  the  Presbyterians  built  their  present 
church,  the  lot  and  building  costing  $4,000  and 
the  furnishings  $995. 

The  German  Lutheran  Church  was  organized 
by  Rev.  William  Uhl,  of  Dixon,  but  at  what 
date  we  are  unable  to  state.  George  Engel, 
George  Fishback,  George  Kreitzer  and  John 
Genk  were  the  first  board  of  Trustee.  A  church 
was  built  but  in  what  year  we  have  not  ascer- 
tained. The  pastors  have  been:  William  Angel- 
berger,  Charles  Young,  C.  A.  Renter,  H.  Stauf- 
I'enberg,  Rev.  Stolle.  The  writer  has  been  un- 
able to  learn  the  names  of  any  other,  or  to  fix 
the  date  when  these  served. 

The  German  Baptist  Brethren  Church,  famil- 
iarly known  as  "Brethren"  or  "Dunkards."  are 
very  strong,  both  financially  and  numerically, 
in  this  section.  The  first  families  of  the  faith 
to  settle  here  were  the  Lahnuans  and  Emmerts, 
who  came  in  1843.  The  following  year  came 
the  Riddlesbargers.  Father  Emmert  was  the 
first  preacher.  Christian  Lahman  was  also  a 
minister  of  the  church.  Their  first  house  of 
worship  was  a  small  grout  house  on  the  Dixon 
road  in  the  present  town  of  Nachusa.     It  has 


646 


HISTORY   OF  LEE   COUNTY. 


beea  remodeled  and  enlarged.  The  society's 
cemetery  is  in  the  same  inclosure.  They  also 
built  a  meeting  house  in  Ashton  and,  in  1879, 
erected  their  Central  Church  building  a  little 
northwest  of  Franklin  Grove.  This  denomina- 
tion has  no  officiating  pastors,  but  the  office  de- 
volves on  bishops  and  elders. 

A  Society  of  the  Universalist  Church  flour- 
ished in  Franklin  Grove  at  an  early  day.  and 
built  a  church  here  in  1856.  The  Hausens, 
John  Fish.  Jonas  Clisbee.  John  C.  Black  and 
Isaac  Twombly  were  early  members.  T.  J. 
Bartholomew  was  the  first  preacher.  J.  0.  Bar- 
rett. C.  F.  Dodge.  Chase  and  Cook  were  pas- 
tors. 

Schools. — The  first  and  only  school  house 
in  Franklin  Grove  was  built  in  part  in  1856. 
In  1867  it  was  enlarged  and,  in  1894,  a  new 
brick  building  costing  $9,000  took  its  place. 
The  first  principal  was  T.  W.  Scott  assisted 
by  his  wife.  The  school  was  soon  graded  into 
four  departments — one  primary,  two  intermedi- 
ate and  one  high  school.  Five  teachers  are 
now  employed. 

In  the  early  years  school  was  kept  during 
alternate  weeks  at  Morgan's  double  log  cabin 
and  at  Whipple's  Cave. 

About  the  year  1840  Lorenzo  Whiting  taught 
a  school  near  "Tolman's  Timber."  a  short  dis- 
tance from  the  present  site  of  Franklin  Grove. 
Miss  Sarah  Edmonds,  who  married  James  Net- 
tleton,  was  also  one  of  the  early  teachers,  her 
service  being  in  a  school  house  east  of  the 
Amos  Hussey  homestead.  Harry  Godger  is 
named  among  the  very  early  instructors. 

Cemetery. — In  September.  1863,  the  Franklin 
Grove  Cemeterj'  Association  was  formed  with 
Isaac  Twombly  as  President.  Conrad  Durkes. 
Secretary,  Joseph  Williams,  Geo.  H.  Taylor  and 
W.  S.  Thompson,  trustees,  its  purpose  being  to 
take  care  of  and  improve  the  then  existing 
cemetery.  This  has  been  admirably  done. 
There  is  no  record  in  the  County  Recorder's 
office  showing  the  incorporation  of  the  associa- 
tion. The  burial  of  Mrs.  Holly,  in  1839.  is  said 
to  have  been  the  first  in  these  grounds. 

Factories. — The  Cheese  Factory  Association 
of  Franklin  Grove  was  organized  in  February, 
ISSl,  with  A.  H.  Schoonmaker  as  President; 
N.  Hansen,  Vice-President,  H.  A.  Black.  Secre- 
tary and  Treasurer,  and  A.  R.  Whitney.  C.  L. 
Anthony  and  Chas.   Wertman,   Directors, 

The  Wind  Grist-Mill  was  built  in  1874  near 
the   southeast   limits   of   the   village,   by   J.    L. 


Strock.  J.  C.  J.  D.  and  D.  F.  Lahman.  at  a 
cost  of  $13,261.  The  wheel  was  80  feet  in  diam- 
eter and.  at  its  top.  was  105  feet  above  ground. 
The  enterprise  did  not  prove  to  be  profitable. 
The  property  changed  hands  several  times,  and 
was  finally  converted  by  J.  L.  Strock  into  a  tile- 
factory,  which  was  successfully  conducted  for 
a  number  of  years  until  his  death  in  1888.  and 
afterwards  by  F.  D.  and  C.  W.  Lahman  and  F. 
A.  Dow.  A  succession  of  dry  seasons  reduced 
the  demand  for  tile  and.  in  1900.  the  machinery 
was  exchanged  for  western  land  and  the  build- 
ings sold. 

In  1875  the  copartnership  known  as  J.  D. 
Lahman  &  Company  was  organized  for  the 
manufacture  of  the  Great  Western  Seeder,  with 
J.  D.  and  J.  C.  Lahman  and  J.  L.  Strock  part- 
ners. A  year  or  two  later  J.  C.  Lahman  retired 
from  the  firm  and  D.  F.  Lahman  became  a  mem- 
ber. J.  L.  Strock  was  the  business  manager.  In 
1889  J.  D.  Lahman  bought  D.  F.  Lahman's  in- 
terest. To  simplify  natural  complications  that 
arise  on  the  death  of  a  copartner  in  conduct- 
ing an  industry  of  this  kind.  J.  D.  Lahman 
bought  the  J.  L.  Strock  estate's  interest  in  the 
factory  and  unsold  goods,  and  closed  the  busi- 
ness in  the  two  years  following.  H.  N.  Brat- 
ton  &  Company  manufactured  and  sold  a  few 
machines  for  several  years  succeeding.  The 
business  grew  from  a  small  beginning  to  a  brisk 
little  enterprise,  as  many  as  2,400  seeders  be- 
ing manufactured   in   a  single  season. 

Camp  Meeting.— On  July  12,  1881.  the  Dixon 
District  Camp-Meeting  Asociation  was  organ- 
ized with  the  following  officers:  Rev.  Luke 
Hitchcock.  President;  Isaac  Rive,  Vice-Presi- 
dent; Rev.  I.  E.  Springer,  Secretary;  Rev.  A. 
H.  Schoonmaker.  Treasurer.  Executive  Com- 
mittee— Revs.  Schoonmaker,  F.  P.  Cleveland. 
R.  M.  Smith,  G,  W.  Carr,  P.  G.  Petrie  and 
Messrs.  R.  B.  Sproul  and  James  Brown.  Ten 
acres  of  ground  in  the  timber  just  outside  of 
the  village  was  bought  and  suitably  fitted  up 
for  camp-meeting  purposes.  The  first  meeting 
opened  August  31.  18S1.  and  successful  ses- 
sions have  been  held  yearly  since  then.  It 
soon  became  recognized  as  one  of  the  estab- 
lished   institutions   of  the   county. 

Banks. — For  a  number  of  years  Conrad 
Durkes  furnished  banking  facilities  for  the 
community  as  an  adjunct  to  his  mercantile 
business.  At  different  times  other  merchants — 
Henry  A.  Black.  P.  C.  Rooney  and  possibly  oth- 
ers— did  the  same.     Having  retired  from  trade 


HISTORY  OF  LEE   COUNTY 


647 


Mr.  Durkes,  in  18S9,  organized  tlie  "Franlvlin 
Grove  Bank"  under  the  State  law  witli  a  capital 
of  $25,000.  and  with  J.  D.  Lahman.  President; 
C.  Durkes,  Vice-President;  W.  C.  Durkes,  Cash- 
ier. The  organization  stands  the  same  to-day 
except  that,  on  the  death  of  C.  Durkes.  his  son 
Warren  C.  succeeded  him  as  Vice-President  and 
another  son,  Stelzer  A.,  was  made  Cashier.  The 
deposits  the  first  year  averaged  about  $20,000. 
They   now   average   about   $150,000   yearly. 

Neivspapers. — The  only  newspaper  now  pub- 
lished in  the  village  is  the  "Franklin  Re- 
porter," which  was  started  by  .John  Blocker 
August  14,  1869.  Dr.  D.  H.  Spickler  succeeded 
him  in  the  proprietorship,  September  7,  1871. 
May  8,  1875,  T.  W.  Scott  became  its  owner  and 
John  Blocker  acquired  an  interest  with  him  Sep- 
tember 4.  1875.  They  sold  out  to  D.  B.  Senger. 
August  5,  1876.  October  16,  1886.  E.  E.  Man- 
ning became  publisher.  June,  1889,  T.  W.  Scott 
again  became  proprietor.  W.  T.  Tuttle  followed 
him  March  13,  1891,  and  September  1,  1894,  G.' 
W.  Gaver,  the  present  proprietor,  took  the  helm. 

Other  papers  have  appeared  from  time  to 
time,  but  soon  went  out.  The  "Franklin 
Grove  Gazette,"  printed  at  Dixon,  the  "Enter- 
prize"  and  "Electric  Light"  were  of  this  class. 

The  population  of  China  Township,  includ- 
ing Franklin  Grove,  according  to  census,  was 
1,361  in  1890,  and  1,315  in  1900.  The  popula- 
tion of  Franklin  Grove  was  736  in  1890,  and 
681  in  1900. 


CHAPTER  IX. 


DIXON  TOWNSHIP  AND  CITY. 


THE    OGEE    FEKKY    ESTABLISHED — ARRIVAL    OF    .JOHIf 

DIXON    AND    FAMILY OTHER   EARLY    SETTLERS^ 

GO\'ERNMENT      LAND      OFFICE      AT      DIXON THE 

TOWN     INCORPORATED — IMPORTANT     EVENTS      IN 

LOCAL       HISTORY VISITATION        OF        CHOLERA 

SCOURGE DISASTROUS         FIRES  ■ —  SKETCH       OF 

"FATHER"  JOHN  DIXON DISTINGUISHED  VISIT- 
ORS  LINCOLN  AND  .TEFF  DAVIS — CHURCH  HIS- 
TORY. 

In  1828  a  Canadian  half-breed,  named  Jo- 
seph Ogee,  built  a  log  cabin  and  established  a 
ferry  across  Rock  River  at  the  present  site  of 
Dixon.     John  Dixon  had,   at  this  time,  a  con- 


tract for  carrying  the  mail  between  Galena  and 
Peoria,  and  induced  Ogee-  to  establish  the  ferry 
here  on  the  mail  route  between  the  two  points. 
There  is  authority  for  the  statement  that  li- 
cense was  granted  Ogee  by  Jo  Daviess  County 
— which  then  embraced  Lee  County — to  keep 
this  ferry,  while  there  is  credible  authority 
stating  that  the  ferry  was  unlicensed. 

The  banks  of  the  river  then  sloped  gently  to 
the  water's  edge,  instead  of  being  abrupt  as  at 
present.  This,  it  is  said,  was  at  that  time  the 
only  crossing  below  Rockford,  and  the  few 
settlers  in  that  vicinity  had  to  come  to  Ogee's 
or  Dixon's  Ferry  for  their  mail. 

In  1829  a  postofRce  was  established  at  the 
ferry,  and  a  man  by  the  name  of  Gay  appointed 
postmaster. 

April  11.  1830.  John  Dixon,  with  his  wife 
and  family  of  five  children,  came  to  Dixon, 
bought  Ogee's  claim  and  ran  the  ferry,  and  in 
1834  the  name  of  the  postofRce  was  changed 
from  Ogee's  Ferry  to  Dixon's  Ferry. 

Between  the  years  1832  and  1836  a  plat  of 
a  town  called  Burlington  was  laid  out  on  a  part 
of  the  land  now  included  in  Adelheid  Park.  In 
the  latter  year,  it  had  three  log  houses.  Some 
years  ago  John  K.  Robinson  wrote  that,  in 
1834,  "a  Mr.  Kirkpatrick  attempted  to  start  a 
town  one  and  a  quarter  miles  below  Dixon,  on 
the  place  now  known  as  Dr.  Everett's  farm," 
and  tried  to  establish  a  ferry,  but  both  town 
and  ferry  failed.  Some  time  prior  to  1840,  the 
"Town  of  Oporto"  was  platted.  Its  location  is 
not  definitely  ascertained;  but  from  allusions 
to  it  found  in  early  conveyances,  it  was  prob- 
ably a  small  piece  of  ground  on  the  north 
side  of  the  river,  included  in  the  triangular 
piece  between  Everett  and  Fellows  Streets  in 
Parson's  Addition.  Recently  the  plat  of 
Oporto  was  discovered  among  ancient  papers 
in  the  Recorder's  Office  at  Galena,  but  was  so 
poorly  prepared  that  it  gave  no  assurance  of  the 
exact  ground   it  was  designed  to  fit. 

It  must  be  remembered  that,  prior  to  1840, 
all  plats,  including  the  original  plat  of  the  town 
of  Dixon,  were  recorded  at  Galena,  then,  as 
now,  the  county-seat  of  Jo  Daviess  County,  The 
first  plat  of  the  Town  of  Dixon  to  be  recorded 
in  the  Recorder's  Office  of  Lee  County,  is  found 
in  Book  "A"  of  Deeds,  page  62.  It  was  made 
by  Joseph  Crawford,  October  28,  1840,  for  John 
Dixon,  Smith  Gilbraith,  William  Wilkinson, 
and  Bowman  and  Lane,  On  the  margin  of  this 
plat  is  a  note  reading:      "Numbers  of  lots  in 


HISTORY  OF  LEE   COUNTY. 


led  ink,  are  the  same  as  those  upon  the  orig- 
inal plat  recorded  in  Jo  Daviess  County."  The 
"red  figures"  indicate  that  boundaries  of  the 
two  plats  were  alike. 

North  Dixon  was  platted  as  "Town  ot  North 
Dixon,"  April  22,  1842,  by  Joseph  Crawford,  for 
and  under  the  direction  of  John  Dixon. 

For  his  first  dwelling.  Father  Dixon  occupied 
a  log  cabin  partly  built  by  Ogee  and  extended 
by  himself,  standing  at  the  northwest  corner 
of  what  is  now  First  and  Peoria  Streets.  It 
was  ninety  feet  long.  The  site  is  appropri- 
ately marked  by  a  bronze  tablet,  placed  in  the 
wall  of  the  building  standing  on  this  corner 
by  the  Dixon  Chapter  of  the  Daughters  of  the 
American  Revolution.  The  original  dwelling 
was   torn   down   in   1845. 

In  the  spring  of  1836,  the  first  store  was 
started  by  Chapman  &  Hamilton  in  an  addition 
to  Father  Dixon's  log  house.  Prior  to  this, 
however,  in  1833-4,  a  man  by  the  name  of  Mar- 
tin kept  a  small  stock  in  the  block-house  form- 
ing a  part  of  the  fort  on  north  side  of  the  river. 
Father  Dixon  also  carried  on  quite  a  busi- 
ness, largely  with  the  Indians,  in  the  princi- 
pal commodities  in  use  in  frontier  life.  In 
1837  a  dry-goods  store  was  opened  by  S.  M.  Bow- 
man &  Co.  on  the  corner  of  River  and  Galena 
Streets. 

Joseph  Crawford  came  to  Dixon  in  the  spring 
of  1835  and  located  on  a  farm  in  the  "bend" 
near  Grand   Detour. 

Dr.  Oliver  Everett  reached  Dixon  September 
3,  1836,  which  then  consisted  of  four  log 
houses,  a  frame  house,  a  blacksmith  shop  and 
two  or  three  houses  in  course  of  erection. 

At  the  Presidential  election  in  1836,  polls 
were  opened  in  Dixon  for  Rock  River  precinct 
of  Jo  Daviess  County,  Ogle  County  not  yet 
having  been  set  off. 

In  the  fall  of  1840  the  Government  Land 
Office  was  moved  here  from  Galena.  John 
Dement  was  made  Receiver  and  Major  Hack- 
elton  Register.  D.  G.  Garnsey  became  Receiver 
soon  after,  and  John  Hogan  Register. 

In  1841  a  small  stone  two-story  building  was 
erected  on  the  northwest  corner  of  Ottawa  and 
Second  Streets,  and  for  four  years  was  occupied 
as  the  Government  Land  OSice.  The  office  was 
then  moved  to  a  grout  two-story  building  stand- 
ing at  No.  115,  Hennepin  Avenue.  It  was  taken 
down  about  two  years  ago  to  give  place  to  the 
brick  building  now  occupying  the  ground. 
The  Land  Office  remained  in  that  building  as 
long  as  it  was  continued  in  Dixon. 


In  the  winter  of  1839-40,  J.  T.  Little  and  S, 
G.  D.  Howard  opened  a  dry-goods  store  on  the 
corner  of  River  and  Hennepin  Streets, 

In  June,  1841,  William  CuUen  Bryant,  the 
poet,  visited  Dixon  and,  on  his  return  to  his 
brother's  home  at  Princeton,  111.,  wrote  of  the 
place,  in  part,  as  follows:  "Five  years  ago, 
two  cabins  only  stood  on  the  solitary  shore, 
and  now  it  is  a  considerable  village  with  many 
neat  dwellings,  a  commodious  Court  House, 
several  places  of  worship  for  the  good  people, 
and  a  jail  for  the  rogues,  built  with  a  triple 
wall  of  massive  logs,  but  I  was  glad  to  see  that 
it  had  no  inmates." 

In  1841  the  now  quite  dilapidated  old  frame  ■ 
building  on  River  Street,  used  as  a  livery  sta- 
ble (No.  114-116),  was  built  by  J.  T,  Little  and 
occupied  by  Little  &  Brooks  as  a  dry-goods 
store  for  a  number  of  years,  and  afterwards 
by  Webb,  Rogers  &  Woodruff.  It  was  in  this 
store  that  P.  M.  Alexander  took  employment 
when  he  first  came  to  the  town,  and  where  he 
continued  to  clerk  until  he  embarked  in  busi- 
ness for  himself. 

March  20,  1843,  an  election  was  held  on  the 
question  of  village  incorporation.  Forty-four 
votes  were  cast,  all  in  the  affirmative. 

A  business  roll-call  of  the  town  of  Dixon,  in 
the  summer  of  1845,  would  have  shown:  6 
lawyers,  3  physicians,  5  dry-goods  and  3  gro- 
cery stores.  4  blacksmith  and  3  wagon-shops, 
3  tailors,  2  shoe-makers,  1  painter,  2  cabinet- 
makers, 2  harness  shops,  1  bakery,  2  hotels. 

In  the  first  issue  of  the  "Dixon  Telegraph 
and  Lee  County  Herald,"  May  1,  1851,  the  dam 
is  referred  to,  and  it  is  said  that  "a  saw-mill  is 
already  in  operation  on  the  north  bank,  and  a 
large  flouring-mill  is  about  to  be  erected  on  the 
other,  A  rope  ferry  is  the  means  of  crossing 
the  river,  which  is  in  operation  night  and  day. 
The  stages  meet  here  from  almost  every  direc- 
tion." A  time  table  of  the  "Chicago  &  Galena 
Railroad,"  published  in  the  same  issue,  closes 
with,  "stages  will  connect  at  Aurora  and  St. 
Charles,  for  Dixon,  Albany  and  Rock  Island." 

As  early  as  1845  Dixon  boasted  of  a  "Young 
Men's  Lyceum." 

July  29,  1851,  a  brass  band  of  eleven  mem- 
bers was  organized,  H,  T.  Noble,  H.  P.  Wickes, 
B.  F.  Shaw,  Andrew  J.  Brubaker,  Henry  Brook- 
ner,  O.  P.  Herrick,  T.  H.  Eustace  and  A.  B. 
Judd  being  members. 

At  the  Presidential  election  November  2, 
1S52,  327  votes  were  cast  in  the  precinct,  of 
which  Pierce  received  185  and  Scott  138. 


HISTORY  OF  LEE  COUNTY. 


649 


December  18,  1S52,  the  first  flour  mill  on  the 
water  power  was  completed.  It  was  built  by 
Brooks  &  Daley  at  a  cost  of  $15,000. 

March  7,  1853,  Dixon  was  incorporated  as  a 
town  (not  city).  The  first  Trustees  were  John 
Dixon,  A.  L.  Porter,  P.  M.  Alexander,  Lorenzo 
Wood  and  L.  Wynkoop. 

April  16,  1853,  the  local  paper  notes  that, 
after  the  murder  of  the  Mormon  high  priest, 
Joseph  Smith,  his  brother  William,  with  a 
small  band  of  followers,  took  up  their  resi- 
dence about  twelve  miles  south  of  town,  where 
they  have  kept  up  their  organization  and  meet- 
ings, and  that,  at  the  April  term  of  the  Cir- 
cuit Court  of  that  year,  William's  suit  against 
his  wife  for  divorce  came  on  and  the  jury 
found  in  favor  of  the  wife.  May  4,  1854,  he 
was  in  jail  for  "jumping  bail."  The  "resi- 
dence" referred  to  was  Palestine  Grove,  where 
Mormonism  gained  quite  a  foothold.  (See  Am- 
boy.) 

May  21,  1853,  "The  Telegraph"  records  the 
advent  of  a  milk  wagon  and  dray. 

The  pioneer  "strike"  of  the  community  oc- 
curred in  March.  1854,  during  the  construction 
of  the  Illinois  Central  Railroad  through  the 
town.  The  hands  employed  on  the  work  struck 
for  $1.25  a  day.  Frequent  rows  and  knock- 
downs were  the  accompaniments. 

In  1846  the  first  brick  building  in  the  town 
was  erected.  It  is  still  standing  as  Nos.  109 
and  111  First  Street.  The  west  half  was  erected 
by  James  and  Horace  Benjamin,  and  the  east 
half  by  A.  T.  Murphy. 

In  1854  one  of  the  buildings  which  formed 
the  nucleus  of  the  present  Grand  Detour  Plow 
Works,  was  erected  by  John  Dement  for  manu 
facturing  purposes.  In  this  same  year  Ex 
change  Block  (Nos.  102  and  104  Galena  Ave- 
nue) was  erected  by  Stiles.  Eustace  &  Webb, 
and  Nos.  84  and  86  Galena  Avenue,  were  built 
by  P.  M.  Alexander  and  J.  B.  Brooks. 

One  hundred  and  thirty  buildings  were 
erected  in  1855,  among  which  were  the  brick 
building,  corner  of  First  and  Hennepin  (No.  124 
First  Street),  erected  by  Davis  Bros.;  "Union 
Block"  (Nos.  105-107  First  Street),  erected  by 
Nash  &  Noble.  This  was  originally  four  stories 
high,  but  in  April,  1862,  the  fourth  story  being 
considered  unsafe,  was  removed.  The  three- 
story  brick  building  on  the  north  side  of  First 
Street  (No.  115)  was  erected  in  the  fall  of  1856. 

In  the  fall  of  1858  C.  Godfrey  &  Sons,  who 
then  owned  the  Brooks  &  Dailey  mill  on  the 
water-power,    completed    the    "Farmers'    Mill," 


located  on  present  site  of  electric  power-house, 
lots  2  and  3,  Mill  Block. 

The  year  1854  was  a  very  eventful  one  in 
the  annals  of  Dixon,  not  only  in  matters  of 
growth  and  development,  but  on  account  of  the 
cholera  scourge  which  afilicted  it.  There  had 
been  a  few  deaths  from  the  disease  prior  to 
July  21,  including  those  of  Mrs.  Alanson  Smith 
and  a  few  railroad  hands;  but  on  the  21st  it 
became  epidemic,  breaking  out  in  full  force 
on  Saturday  the  22d.  During  that  night  many 
of  the  inhabitants  fled  into  the  country.  The 
next  day,  Sunday,  fourteen  victims  lay  dead  in 
the  town.  The  total  number  of  deaths  from 
July  20th  to  Augtist  7th  by  cholera  was  34. 
Doctors  Everett  and  Abbott,  who  were  in  at- 
tendance, give  the  following  as  the  death  roll: 
Mrs.  Patrick  Duffee  and  child.  Michael  Harris, 
Mrs.  Jacob  Graver,  Wm.  Lahee,  Daniel  Brook- 
ner  and  wife  and  Daniel  Brookner,  Jr.,  John 
Finley,  Joseph  Cleaver  (Postmaster)  and  cous- 
in of  same  name,  John  Keenan,  Mrs.  Cooley, 
Marsh,  Mrs.  Owen's  child,  John  Connels,  John 
Barnes,  Elijah  Dixon.  Wm.  Patrick.  Benj.  Vann. 
Mrs.  Scheer,  Cyrus  Kimball  and  wife.  Israel 
Evans,  Mrs.  Catherine  Dailey,  Mr.  Peck,  Ed- 
ward Hamlin,  Roderick  McKenzie  and  wife, 
Mrs.  Huff,  Mr.  Jones.  Mr.  C.  Johnson,  Owen 
Gallinger    and    E.    Boswick. 

October  12,  1854,  Mr.  Ferris  Finch  was  occu- 
pied in  the  painting  of  the  fine  portrait  of 
Father  Dixon,  which  for  many  years  hung  in 
the  Court  House,  and  is  now  in  the  Public  Li- 
brary. 

At  an  auction  sale  of  town  lots,  made  March 
15.  1856,  by  Brooks,  Eddy  and  Wood,  the  aver- 
age price  obtained  was  $52  a  front  foot  for 
business  property.  A  corner  lot  on  First  and 
Galena  Streets  (not  stated  which  corner) 
brought  $72  a  foot.  Property  bought  in  1848 
for  $225   sold   for   $3,000. 

At  the  first  election  under  the  city  charter 
298  votes  were  cast  against  licensing  the  sale 
of  liquor,  and  170  votes  in  favor. 

June  6,  1855,  the  Maine  Prohibitory  Liquor 
Law  was  submitted  to  popular  vote  and  received 
318  votes  for  to  38  against. 

February  20,  1856,  the  "Nameless  Minstrels" 
gave  a  concert,  "the  proceeds  to  go  towards 
purchasing  a  fire  engine  for  the  corporate  town 
of  Dixon."  The  names  of  J.  C.  Ayres  and  H.  T. 
Noble  appear  among  the  "talent." 

In  1856  the  excitement  over  the  Kansas-Ne- 
braska issue   ran   high   and   $1,000   was   raised 


650 


HISTORY  OF  LEE   COUNTY. 


to  aid  bona  fide  emigrants  to  Kansas  to  assist 
in  maldng  it  free  territory. 

July  14.  185S,  the  Lee  County  Agricultural 
Society  was  organized  and  held  its  first  fair 
on  fair-grounds  near  the  cemetery,  in  October  of 
that  year.  A  similar  society  had  been  organ- 
ized February  6,  1854. 

July  30,  1858,  the  steamer  "Rockford"  ar- 
rived on  its  first  trip  up  the  Rock  River. 

December  4,  1858,  the  proposed  city  charter 
was  submitted  to  vote  of  the  citizens,  and  by 
them  indorsed.  It  was  passed  by  the  General 
Assembly  and  approved  February  19,  1859.  Two 
previous  efforts  to  incorporate  had  been  de- 
feated at  the  polls. 

August  10,  1859,  the  North  Dixon  depot  of 
the  Illinois  Central  Railroad  was  opened,  with 
George  L.  Herrick  as  agent. 

April  5,  1860,  the  "Dixon  Improvement  Asso- 
ciation" was  formed  for  the  purpose  of  im- 
proving and   beautifying   the   city   by   planting 


etc. 


In  the  fall  of  1862  the  Illinois  Central  Rail- 
road replaced  its  wooden  bridge  with  an  iron 
one,  on  the  same  piers. 

The  "Quaker  City"  building  (No.  209  First 
Street)  was  erected  by  Isaac  Jones  in  the  sum- 
mer of  1862. 

June  22,  1863,  a  "Society  of  Vigilance"  was 
organized  for  the  purpose  of  detecting  and 
bringing  thieves  to  justice,  and  reclaiming 
stolen  property. 

June  24,  1870,  the  Dixon  Hose  Company,  No. 
1,  was  organized  with  about  thirty  members — 
H.  S.  Dey,  Foreman — and  a  week  later,  the 
Monitor  Hook  &  Ladder  Company  was  organ- 
ized with  W.  N.  Johnson  as  foreman. 

June  2,  1870,  the  Dixon  Park  Association  was 
formed,  and  held  its  first  fair  that  summer  on 
its  grounds  west  of  the  city,  now  included  in 
Maple  Park. 

January  12.  1871,  the  City  Hall  building, 
(frame)  at  the  corner  of  Second  and  Henne- 
pin Streets,  was  completed  for  use  of  the  fire 
department. 

November  30,  1876.  the  Opera  House,  erected 
by  H.  J.  Stevens,  F.  A.  Truman,  J.  D.  Crabtree 
and  W.  D.  Stevens,  was  opened. 

December  4,  1879,  trains  commenced  run- 
ning on  switch  track  connecting  depots  with 
water  power.  This  track  was  paid  for  by  citi- 
zens of  Dixon  with  funds  raised  by  subscrip- 


In  1892  a  new  frame  passenger  depot  was 
built  by  the  Illinois  Central  Railroad  Company, 
about  two  blocks  south  of  the  old  one.  The 
latter,  a  small  brick  building,  was  the  first  to 
be  occupied  by  the  company  and  was  permitted 
to  hold  its  ground  until  the  summer  of  1903, 
when  it  was  demolished. 

Old  Settlers. — It  is  well  nigh  impossible  to 
give  anything  like  a  complete  list  of  the  early 
settlers  of  Dixon  and  immediate  vicinity,  but 
the  following  is  offered  as  a  partial  roll  of  ar- 
rivals prior  to  1850:  John  Dixon,  1830;  Joseph 
Crawford,  1835;  Dr.  J.  B.  Nash,  1838;  J.  H. 
Moore,  1847;  J.  V.  Eustace,  1843;  Isaac  S. 
Boardman,  1837;  Oliver  Everett,  1836;  Joseph 
T.  Little  (who  died  this  summer),  1839;  Sally 
Herrick,  who  recently  died  at  an  advanced 
age,  sister  of  Dr.  Nash,  1840;  Mrs.  N.  G.  H. 
Morrill,  who  also  died  recently,  1838;  John 
Richards  and  daughter  Sarah,  September  1, 
1836;  John  L.  Lord,  1838;  Noah  Beede  and  son, 
A.  A.  Beede,  1836;  A.  T.  Murphy,  1840;  Reuben 
Eastwood  and  son  Sumner  D.,  1837;  John  De- 
ment, 1840;  W.  W.  Heaton,  about  1840;  Alexan- 
ander  Charters  and  son  James,  1838;  John 
Clute,  1840;  Philip  M.  Alexander,  1838;  Hiram 
Hetler  and  parents,  1837;  David  H.  Law  and 
parents,  1839;  Daniel  McKinney  and  parents, 
1846;  Andrew  J.  Brubaker,  1848;  John  H.  Page, 
1834;  Joseph  B.  Brooks,  prior  to  May  15,  1844. 
Mrs.  E.  B.  Baker  (Ann  Elizabeth  Kellogg) 
passed  through  here  in  1828  with  her  father's 
family;  they  settled  at  Buffalo's  Grove  (Polo) 
and  she  became  a  permanent  settler  of  Dixon 
in  1846;  Stephen  Fuller  arrived  In  1836;  Joseph 
Brierton  and  son  Sylvester,  1838.  (Wm.  S.,  the 
son  of  Joseph,  was  born  the  next  year.)  Of 
these  all  but  the  following  have  passed  to  the 
"great  beyond:"  Mr.  Moore,  Miss  Sarah  Rich- 
ards, Mrs.  Murphy,  S.  D.  Eastwood,  Mr.  Clute, 
Hiram  Hetler,  Dr.  D.  H.  Law,  Mr.  Brubaker, 
Mrs.  Baker,  Mr.  Fuller,  Sylvester  and  W.  S. 
Brierton. 

FiKKS. — In  1846  the  first  recorded  fire  visited 
the  town,  consuming  the  Phoenix  Hotel,  Stiles 
&  Eddy's  Store  (Bowman's  old  stand),  corner 
of   Galena   and   River   Streets. 

October  14,  1859,  a  disastrous  fire  occurred 
extending  on  both  sides  of  First  Street  from 
Hennepin  west.  Seventeen  buildings  were  de- 
stroyed. The  estimiated  loss  was  over  $50,000; 
insurance,   $10,200. 

January  29,  1860,  John  Dement's  machine 
shop,  opposite  the  Mills  on  Water  Street,  was 


HISTORY  OF  LEE   COUNTY. 


651 


burned   out,   ruining   tlie   machinery — loss   $25.- 
000;   no  insurance. 

Marcli  7,  1S61,  ttiree  buildings  on  or  near  the 
northwest  corner  of  First  and  Galena  Streets 
were  destroyed  by  Are. 

March  3,  1871,  three  buildings  in  center  of 
the  block  on  north  side  of  First  Street,  be- 
tween Hennepin  and  Peoria,  were  destroyed  by 
fire— loss  $4,000. 

November  30,  1871,  St.  James  Hotel  (formerly 
Shabbona  House)  was  burned  to  the  ground. 

March  12,  1873,  the  Western  Knitting  Mills 
were  entirely  destroyed  by  fire — loss  $20,000. 
The  Flax  Factory  adjoining  waj  damaged  to' 
the  extent  of  $5,000. 

December  7,  1875,  a  fire  broke  out  in  the 
upper  story  of  Becker  &  Underwood's  Flouring 
Mill,  resulting  in  a  loss  of  $13,000.  The  main 
building  of  the  Dixon  Power  &  Lighting  Com- 
pany now  occupies  the  ground. 

April  8,  1880,  the  most  disastrous  fire  that 
ever  visited  Dixon  broke  out  at  one  o'clock  in 
the  morning,  at  the  water-power.  In  an  hour 
all  the  buildings  on  the  north  side  of  the  race, 
were  consumed.  They  consisted  of  the  double 
stone  building — one-half  of  which  was  owned 
by  Caleb  Clapp  and  the  other  half  by  John 
Dement — Thompson's  Flouring  Mill  and  that 
of  Becker  &  Underwood.  The  only  pumps  af- 
fording fire  protection  were  on  the  race  In 
front  of  these  mills,  and  they  were  soon  dis- 
abled. The  Amboy  Fire  Company,  with  its 
engine,  was  sent  for  and  its  timely  arrival  and 
efficient  work  saved  the  buildings  on  the  oppo- 
site side  of  the  street.  When  the  fiames  reached 
the  Becker  &  Underwood  Mill  there  was  a  ter- 
rific explosion,  cause,  it  was  supposed,  by  the 
combustion  of  flour  dust.  Men  were  in  the 
building  at  the  time  striving  to  checlv  the  fire, 
two  of  whom,  Ezra  Becker  and  William  Schum, 
were  killed,  while  ten  others  were  wounded 
more  or  less  seriously.  The  total  loss  was 
$190,000;    insurance,   $66,900. 

The  interior  of  the  Catholic  Church  was  en- 
tirely destroyed  by  fire  May  7,  1887. 

On  the  morning  of  June  3,  1903,  all  of  the 
Opera  House  above  the  first  floor  within  walls, 
was  destroyed  by  fire;   insurance  paid,  $12,000. 

Biographical  Sketch  of  Father  Dixon. — John 
Dixon  was  born  in  the  Village  of  Rye,  West- 
chester County,  N.  Y.,  October  9,  1784.  On 
reaching  his  majority  he  moved  to  New  York 
City  where,  for  fifteen  years,  he  was  the  pro- 
651-3 


prietor  of  a  clothing  store  and  merchant  tail- 
oring establishment.  He  was  actively  inter- 
ested in  the  temperance  cause  and  religious 
matters,  and  became  one  of  the  directors  of  the 
"Young  Men's  Bible  Society  of  the  City  of  New 
York,"  organized  February  11,  1809.  It  was 
the  first  Bible  Society  established  in  the  United 
States,  and  developed  into  the  American  Bible 
Society  of  the  present  day.  When  Fulton  took 
his  first  steamboat  on  its  trial  trip  up  the  Hud- 
son, Mr.  Dixon  was  a  passenger  and  insisted  on 
paying  fare  against  the  inventor's  protest.  He 
thus  came  by  the  distinction,  not  only  of  riding 
on  the  first  steamboat,  but  of  paying  the  first 
fare  for  such  a  ride. 

Being  threatened  with  pulmonary  disease, 
he  left  New  York  in  1820  for  the  West  with  his 
wife  and  children,  the  means  of  transportation 
being  a  covered  wagon  drawn  by  a  single  team. 
On  reaching  Pittsburg  a  fiatboat  was  purchased 
on  which  they  embarked  with  their  team  and 
belongings,  and  floated  down  the  Ohio  to  Shaw- 
ueetown.  III.,  where  they  disembarked  and  pro- 
ceeded with  their  wagon  across  the  trackless 
prairies  to  the  locality  where  Springfield  now 
stands.  On  Fancy  Creek,  nine  miles  from  the 
site  of  the  future  capital,  he  located  after  OTer 
seventy  days'  journey.  Early  the  next  year 
Sangamon  County  was  organized.  At  the  first 
session  of  Court  in  the  new  county,  Jolm  Dixon 
was  foreman  of  the  grand  jury.  In  1825  he 
was  appointed  Clerk  of  the  Circuit  Court  and 
Recorder  of  Deeds  for  Peoria  County,  necessi- 
tating his  removal  to  Peoria,  then  also  known 
as  Fort  Clark.  Northern  Illinois  was  not  then 
divided  into  counties  and.  within  the  territory 
attached  to  Peoria  County  were  the  voting  pre- 
cincts of  Galena  and  Chicago.  This  whole 
legion,  which  now  embraces  thirty  counties, 
then  had  but  1,236  inhabitants. 

While  Mr.  Dixon  was  thus  engaged  at  Peoria, 
the  Government  established  a  mail  route  from 
that  point  to  Galena,  crossing  Rock  River  at 
the  present  site  of  Dixon,  mail  to  be  carried 
once  in  two  weeks  on  horseback.  Mr.  Dixon 
secured  the  contract.  In  order  to  effect  safe 
passage  of  the  mails  over  the  river,  he  induced 
a  French  and  Indian  half-breed  by  the  name 
of  Ogee  to  establish  a  ferry,  which  was  later 
purchased  by  Mr.  Dixon,  who  with  his  family 
moved  to  this  point  April  11,  1830,  and  the 
crossing  was  thereafter  known  as  "Dixon's 
Ferry."      Whether    this    is    the    same    "Joseph 


6^1 


HISTORY  OF  LEE   COUNTY. 


Ogee"  referred  to  in  the  treaty  of  Prairie  du 
Chien,  heretofore  quoted,  nowhere  appears,  but 
it  is  highly  probable. 

The  Winnebago  Indians  were  occupants  of 
a  large  part  of  the  country,  and  Mr.  Dixon 
soon  established  business  relations  with  them 
and  secured  their  entire  confidence  which,  on 
the  return  of  the  Sacs  and  Foxes  in  1832,  proved 
to  be  of  great  value  to  himself  and  family,  and 
he  reciprocated  with  services  equally  valuable 
to  them.  His  unflinching  integrity  and  strict 
temperance  habits  served  often  to  protect  his 
dusky  friends  from  the  exactions  of  unscrupu- 
lous traders.  Owanico,  or  "Jahro,"  chief  of  the 
Winnebagoes,  became  an  active  disciple  of  tem- 
perance. Even  at  that  early  day,  Mr.  Dixon's 
hair  was  so  white  that  he  was  known  among 
the  Indians  as  "Na-chu-sa"   (the  white-haired.) 

In  1838  Mr.  Dixon  was  appointed  by  the  Gov- 
ernor of  the  State  one  of  the  Commissioners 
to  carry  on  the  system  of  internal  improve- 
ment then  inaugurated,  and  later  was  elected 
to  the  position  by  the  Legislature.  Although 
the  movement  was  ill-conceived  and  resulted 
in  ridiculous  failure,  no  fault  was  ever  at- 
tached to  the  Commissioners. 

The  acquaintance  which  Abraham  Lincoln 
made  with  Father  Dixon,  during  the  Black 
Hawk  War,  was  never  forgotten  by  Mr.  Lin- 
coln; and  when  the  great  man  had  been  elected 
President,  and  before  his  departure  from 
Springfield  to  assume  the  office.  Father  Dixon 
called  on  him.  Mr.  Lincoln  eagerly  recalled 
the  early  friendship  and  volunteered  a  promise, 
unsolicited  on  Mr.  Dixon's  part,  that  he  would 
see  that  his  old  friend  was  made  Postmaster 
of  the  city  he  had  founded;  but  when  the  time 
for  the  change  came,  another  secured  the  post. 
By  some  political  trick  the  commission  had 
been  obtained  without  Mr.  Lincoln's  knowledge. 
On  being  apprised  of  it.  the  President  was  in- 
dignant and  mortified,  "for,"  he  said,  "he  had 
promised  it  to  Mr.  Dixon."  This  incident  is 
vouched   for   by   unquestionable    authority. 

In  1S40  Mr.  Dixon  visited  Washington,  his 
mission  being  to  procure  the  removal  of  the 
Government  Land  Office  from  Galena  to  Dixon. 
It  is  needless  to  say  that  he  succeeded.  He 
enlisted  the  interest  of  General  Scott,  who  had 
made  his  acquaintance  while  serving  in  the 
Black  Hawk  War,  and  thus  reached  President 
A'an  Buren,  who  promptly  caused  the  desired 
order  to  be  made. 


Mrs.  Dixon  was  a  woman  of  superior  attain- 
ments, who  exerted  an  active  moral  and  relig- 
ious influence  in  the  community,  and  was  a 
worthy  companion  for  so  exemplary  a  man. 

Mr,  Dixon  died  at  his  home  in  North  Dixon, 
July  6th,  1876,  universally  respected  and  be- 
loved, having  nearly  attained  his  ninety-second 
year.  His  wife  and  ten  children  had  all  de- 
parted before  him,  but  grandchildren  and  other 
family  connections  were  about  him  and  ten- 
derly ministered  to  him  to  the  last.  Though 
he  had  once  owned  the  tract  on  which  the  city 
which  bears  his  name  now  stands,  and  had 
been  afforded  many  opportunities  to  accumu- 
late a  fortune,  he  died  a  poor  man.  The  preva- 
lent craze  for  speculation  seems  to  have  passed 
him  by.  He  was  modest,  gentle  and  retiring  by 
nature,  a  great  reader  and  a  man  of  large  in- 
telligence. Current  events  and  the  affairs  of 
the  nation  and  the  world  at  large  were  of  ab- 
forbing  interest  to  him  up  to  a  short  time  be- 
fore he  was  taken.  His  generosity  and  public 
spirit  are  well  indicated  by  the  fact  that,  in 
platting  the  town  of  North  Dixon,  he  dedicated 
Oak  Park  to  public  use,  and  in  laying  out  the 
town  of  Dixon  south  of  the  river,  he  gave  Mar- 
ket Square  to  the  public,  and  donated  to  the 
county  the  Public  Square  on  which  the  Court 
House  now  stands.  It  is  generally  understood 
that  he  also  donated  SO  acres  of  land  adjacent 
to  Dixon  to  aid  in  the  erection  of  the  flrst 
Court  House. 

His  funeral  was  the  occasion  of  a  demonstra- 
tion seldom  accorded  a  modest,  private  citizen 
having  no  official  claims  to  distinction.  It  oc- 
curred on  Sunday  following  his  death.  From 
all  the  surrounding  towns  came  delegations 
and  societies  to  pay  their  last  respects  to  his 
memory.  Business  houses  and  public  buildings 
were  draped  in  mourning.  The  body  lay  in 
state  at  the  Court  House  under  guard  of  Sir 
Knights  Templar,  and  for  hours  the  people 
streamed  by  to  take  a  last  look  at  the  venerable 
founder  of  the  town.  At  a  meeting  of  citizens, 
held  the  Friday  evening  before  his  burial,  a 
touching  memorial  was  adopted,  in  vvhich  the 
rare  tribute  was  pronounced  that  he  was  a  man 
of  great  strength  of  mind,  force  of  cljaracter 
and  determination  of  purpose;  yet  he  had  lived 
and  died  without  an  enemy.  Forgetful  of  him- 
self, he  lived  for  others  a  pure  and  unselfish 
life.  He  was  that  "noble-t  work  of  God"— "an 
honest  man."     No  life  admits  of  a  higher  en- 


HISTORY  OF  LEE   COUNTY. 


653 


comium,  nor  can  any  city  boast  of  a  name 
which  should  carry  with  it,  into  all  the  arter- 
ies of  municipal  life,  more  of  manly  virtue  and 
civic  righteousness  than  the  one  which  this 
noble  pioneer  gave  to  the  town  he  founded,  and 
on  whose  infant  life  he  impressed  the  seal  of 
his  fine  personality.  A  monument  to  his  mem- 
ory was  erected  and  dedicated  in  1892,  in  Oak- 
wood  Cemetery,  by  popular  subscription,  at  a 
cost  of  ?1.000. 

(For  further  notice  of  Father  Dixon  see 
"Black  Haivk  War." ) 

Distinguished  Visitors. — Dixonites.  like  all 
the  rest  of  creation,  recall  with  satisfaction 
the  distinguished  personages  who  have  tarried 
within  their  borders.  Abraham  Lincoln,  the 
Immortal,  heads  their  list.  He  was  first  here 
as  a  Captain  of  Militia  during  the  Black  Hawk 
War,  and  again  as  private  on  a  second  and 
third  enlistment.  Lieut.  Jefferson  Davis,  of  the 
legular  army,  who  became  President  of  the 
Southern  Confedercy,  and  Lieut.  Robt.  Ander- 
son, also  of  the  regular  army,  who  in  April, 
1861.  defended  Fort  Sumter  against  the  Con- 
federacy's rebellious  assault,  were  also  here  at 
the  same  time.  That  Davis  was  here  has  been 
questioned,  but  no  longer  admits  of  doubt. 
Lieut.  Col.  Zachary  Taylor,  afterwards  Presi- 
dent of  the  United  States,  and  Gen.  Winfield 
Scott  were  also  of  the  numher.  It  has  often 
been  asserted,  and  generally  believed,  that  Lin- 
coln was  first  mustered  into  the  service  of  the 
Government  at  Dixon's  Ferry,  and  that,  as  a 
part  of  the  procedure,  Lieut.  Davis  adminis- 
tered the  oath  of  allegiance  to  him.  Father 
Dixon  and  Col.  John  Dement  so  understood  it, 
and  it  is  said  upon  creditable  authority  that 
Mr.  Lincoln  so  stated.  But  it  may  not  be  true. 
Mr.  Frank  E.  Stevens,  who,  by  the  way.  was 
Dixon  born  and  bred,  in  his  recently  issued 
exhaustive  work  on  the  Black  Hawk  War,  re- 
produces a  letter  from  Maj.  Buckmaster,  under 
whom  Captain  Lincoln's  company  was  serving, 
dated  May  9.  1832.  at  mouth  of  Rock  River,  in 
which  he  writes  that  they  were  mustered  into 
the  service  of  the  United  States  the  day  before 
by  Gen.  Atkinson;  and  the  author  submits  this 
as  conclusive  proof  of  the  fallacy  of  what  has 
been  so  long  and  fondly  entertained  as  true. 

Certain  it  is,  that  this  letter  casts  another 
shadow  over  the  subject.  If  Mr.  Lincoln  was 
sworn  into  the  service  at  Dixon,  it  is  of  course 
possible  that  Lieut.  Davis  was  the  mustering 
officer,  but  rather  more  probable  that  Lieuten- 


ant Anderson  performed  that  function.  We 
have  said  in  our  notice  of  the  Black  Hawk  War 
that  Lincoln  entered  the  service  three  times 
before  the  war  terminated.  He  was  discharged 
from  the  first  company  at  the  mouth  of  Fox 
River,  and  there  re-enlisted  for  twenty  days  as 
a  private  in  Capt.  lies'  Company.  Lieut.  Ander- 
son being  the  officer  who  then  mustered  the 
company  in.  At  the  expiration  of  the  twenty 
days,  these  men  .returned  and  were  mustered 
out  at  Fort  Wilbourn,  located  between  LaSalle 
and  Peru.  On  the  following  day  Lincoln  vifas 
mustered  in  as  a  private  in  Capt.  Early's  Com- 
pany, this  being  his  third  enlistment.  June 
21st  the  company  reached  Dixon's  Ferry,  and 
thence  moved  north  to  Whitewater  River,  where 
it  was  mustered  out  July  10,  1832,  the  men  re- 
turning homeward  by  way  of  Dixon's  Ferry. 

It  follows,  therefore,  that  there  was  only  one 
opportunity  for  Mr.  Lincoln  to  have  been  mus- 
tered in  at  Dixon,  and  that  was  when  his  com- 
mand reached  here  on  its  march  from  the 
mouth  of  Rock  River,  where  Major  Buckmaster 
writes  the  troops  were  sworn  into  the  service. 
But  it  must  be  looked  upon  as  little  le=s  than 
marvelous,  that  Father  Dixon  and  John  De- 
ment, both  of  whom  were  active  participants 
in  the  war  and  were  brought  in  constant  con- 
tact with  both  Lieut.  Anderson  and  Lieut. 
Davis,  and  became  well  acquainted  with  Mr. 
Lincoln,  should  be  mistaken;  and  it  is  still 
more  remarkable  that  Mr.  Lincoln  himself 
should  state  that  he  was  sworn  in  here,  if,  in 
fact,  it  occurred  at  Ihe  mouth  of  the  river,  as 
deduced  from  the  letter  from  Maj.  Buckmaster. 
It  is  possible,  of  course,  that,  for  some  reason, 
Lincoln  may  not  have  been  with  his  company 
at  the  time  of  the  muster  referred  to  by  the 
Major. 

There  is  no  question  but  what  Lincoln  was  at 
Dixon  on  other  occasions.  He  had  become  well 
acquainted  with  Joseph  Crawford,  who  had 
rerved  with  him  in  the  Legislature,  and  who, 
being  a  brother  Whig,  was  a  great  admirer  of 
Mr.  Lincoln.  Lincoln  is  remembered  to  have 
visited  Dixon  at  one  time,  when  he  sought  out 
Mr.  Crawford,  if  indeed  he  was  not  actually 
entertained  at  the  Crawford  home.  He  also 
knew  Judge  J.  V.  Eustace,  whose  acquaintance 
he  had  formed  at  Springfield,  and  on  one  of  his 
visits  here  called  on  the  Judge.  One  occasion 
was  when  he  spoke  in  Court  House  square. 
September  8.  1S56,  in  the  Presidential  cam- 
paign of  that  year.     The  probable  spot  where 


654 


HISTORY  OF  LEE   COUNTY 


he  addressed  the  people  has  been  recently 
marked  by  a  large  boulder,  placed  there  by  the 
Dixon  Post  G.  A.  R.,  bearing  an  inscription 
commemorative  of  the  event.  A  number  of  citi- 
zens still  living  were  present.  A  communica- 
tion from  one  of  the  audience  whose  identity 
is  not  revealed,  is  referred  to  in  "Scribner's 
Magazine"  for  April,  1878,  p.  884,  in  which  the 
writer  says:  "Lincoln  spoke  in  the  grove  in 
the  Court  House  square.  Dixon,  111.  I  think 
you  (Noah  Brooks,  to  whom  the  letter  was  ad- 
dressed) and  I  sat  together  and  made  a  little 
fun  of  his  excessively  homely  appearance.  He 
was  dressed  in  an  awkwardly  fitting  linen  suit, 
evidently  bought  ready  made  at  a  country 
store,  and  intended  for  a  man  at  least  five 
inches  less  in  stature  than  he  was,  the  vest 
and  trousers  not  meeting  by  at  least  an  inch 
and  a  half,  and  the  last  named  garment  being 
short  at  the  feet.  Lincoln  made,  on  that  occas- 
ion, his  second  speech  on  a  Republican  or  Free- 
Soil  platform.  No  other  speech  I  have  ever 
heard  made  such  a  lasting  impression  on  my 
mind." 

In  Herndon's  "Life  of  Lincoin."  it  is  stated 
on  authority  of  Mr.  Horace  White,  then  corre- 
spondent of  the  Chicago  Tribune,  who  later  be- 
came its  editor,  that  Mr.  N.  B.  Judd  and  Dr.  C. 
H.  Ray,  then  editor  of  the  Tribune,  met  Mr.  Lin- 
coln at  Dixon  in  conference  the  day  before  his 
memorable  debate  with  Douglas  at  Freeport. 
It  is  known  by  those  intimately  associated  with 
Mr.  Lincoln  at  this  time,  t^at  in  the  debate  he 
contemplated  putting  to  Douglas  the  following 
question:  "Can  the  people  of  a  United  States 
territory,  in  any  lawful  way,  against  the  wish 
of  any  citizen  of  the  United  States,  exclude 
slavery  from  its  limits  prior  to  the  formation 
of  a  State  constitution?"  The  politicians  close 
to  Mr.  Lincoln  feared  the  consequences  which 
would  follow,  and  endeavored  to  persuade  Mr. 
Lincoln  to  desist.  Mr.  White  writes  that  this 
was  the  purpose  of  the  conference  at  Dixon. 

We  are  able  to  state,  on  authority  of  Mr.  B. 
F.  Shaw  of  Dixon,  who  was  then  conducting  a 
Republican  paper  (The  Telegraph)  here  and 
was  deeply  interested  in  current  events,  as  well 
as  a  great  admirer  of  Mr.  Lincoln  and  a  stanch 
champion  of  the  cause  he  advocated,  that  this 
reported  interview  never,  in  fact,  took  place. 
One  thing  is  practically  certain;  that  if  such  a 
gathering  occurred,  he  would  have  known  of 
It.  On  the  contrary,  he  was  at  the  Illinois 
Central  depot  when  the  large  excursion  train, 


with  Mr.  Lincoln  aboard,  passed  through  Dixon 
on  its  way  to  Freeport  on  the  day  of  the  great 
debate,  and  on  a  regular  train,  a  few  hours 
later,  he  himself  reached  Freeport  in  time  to 
hear  the  discussion.  It  might  be  added  that  he 
found  on  the  train  Owen  Lovejoy,  with  whom 
he  was  acquainted,  who  was  likewise  on  his 
way  to  Freeport.  Mr.  Lovejoy  was  very  much 
disturbed  over  certain  references  which  Mr. 
Douglas  had  made  to  him  in  his  speech  at  Ot- 
tawa; and,  after  the  debate  was  over,  Mr.  Shaw 
was  a  prime  mover  in  bringing  Mr.  Lovejoy  be- 
fore the  assembled  crowd  where,  standing  on  a 
dry  goods  box  in  front  of  the  Brewster  House, 
he  delivered  one  of  the  most  eloquent,  as  well 
as  flery,  philippics  ever  heard.  In  this  con- 
nection the  writer  may  say  that,  in  conversa- 
tion he  heard  Gen.  S.  D.  Atkins,  of  Freeport,  re- 
late that  he  was  present  in  IJncoln's  room  in 
the  Brewster  House  on  that  eventful  day,  when 
several  intimate  friends  of  Mr.  Lincoln  were 
laboring  with  him  to  withhold  the  question 
above  quoted,  which  he  still  expected  to  pro- 
pound to  Mr.  Douglas;  that  Mr.  Lincoln  patient- 
ly listened  to  all  that  was  said,  and  after  re- 
flecting some  time  without  speaking,  announced 
his  determination  to  stand  by  the  question, 
saying  that  while  it  might  defeat  him  as  a  Sen- 
ator, it  would  prevent  Douglas  from  ever  be- 
coming President.  The  question  was  put  and 
the  predicted   result   followed. 

Albert  Sidney  Johnson  and  Joseph  B.  John- 
son, both  of  whom  became  leading  Generals 
on  the  Confederate  side  in  the  War  of  the  Re- 
bellion, Col.  Nathan  Boone,  a  son  of  Daniel 
Boone,  John  Reynolds,  Governor  of  the  State, 
and  Gen.  E.  D.  Baker,  one  of  the  brilliant  ora- 
tors of  the  then  future,  who  was  killed  early 
in  the  war  of  the  Rebellion  at  Ball's  Bluff— 
these,  with  many  other  notables,  made  the  ac- 
quaintance of  Father  Dixon  at  Dixon's  Ferry. 
Father  Dixon's  account  book  of  those  days 
shows  a  loan  to  Gen.  Scott  of  $6.50.  for  which 
Scott  gave  his  note. 

In  1843  Margaret  Fuller,  a  talented  writer 
and  one  of  the  literary  circle  of  Boston 
and  Concord,  which  included  Emerson,  Chan- 
ning,  Alcott,  Hawthorne  and  others  who  be- 
came eminent,  passed  through  Lee  County  in 
what  was  doubtless  an  emigrant  wagon  or 
"prairie  schooner,"  en  route  from  Chicago  to 
Oregon,  Ogle  County.  In  her  book,  "At  Home 
and  Abroad,"  she  speaks  of  a  night  spent  in 
a  tavern  at  Paw  Paw.     The  ladies  of  the  party 


HISTORY  OF  LEE   COUNTY. 


655 


slept  in  the  bar-room,  from  which  its  drinking 
visitors  had  been  ejected  at  a  late  hour,  the 
supper  table  serving  as  Miss  Fuller's  couch 
and  the  'doors,  of  course,  remaining  unlocTved. 
They  crossed  Rock  River  at  Dixon's  Ferry  and 
spent  three  days  at  Hazelwood,  "place  chosen." 
she  writes,  "by  an  Irish  gentleman  ('Gov.' 
Charters),  whose  absenteeship  seems  to  be  of 
the  wisest  kind.''  "If  you  descended  a  ravine  at 
the  side  to  the  water's  edge,  you  found  there  a 
long  walk  on  the  narrow  shore,  with  a  wall 
above  of  the  richest  hanging  wood,  in  which 
they  said  the  deer  lay  hid."  Reference  is  made 
to  the  commodious  dwelling  and  the  log  cabin, 
the  latter  being  at  this  writing  still  standing 
on  the  spot.  Dwelling  on  the  beauty  of  the 
surroundings,  she  adds:  "It  seems  not  neces- 
sary to  have  any  better  heaven,  or  fuller  ex- 
pression of  love  and  freedom,  than  in  the  mood 
of  Nature  here."  On  parting  she  left  a  poem 
entitled,  "The  Western  Eden,"  which  would  be 
quoted  here  but  for  lack  of  space. 

In  the  days  when  the  lecture  platform  at- 
tracted the  ablest  and  most  talented  men  of  the 
country  to  appear  before  the  people,  several 
whose  names  deserve  to  be  mentioned  addressed 
Dixon  audiences.  Among  these  were  Horace 
Greeley,  who  was  here  twice;  T.  Starr  King, 
who  later  moved  to  California,  and  was  one  of 
the  great  forces  in  that  State  for  patriotism  in 
the  days  of  the  Civil  War.  Here  also  lectured 
Ralph  Waldo  Emerson,  Oliver  Wendell  Holmes, 
Bayard  Taylor,  Henry  Ward  Beecher,  Joshua 
R,  Giddings,  Horace  Mann,  John  G.  Saxe  and 
others  of  less  note. 

That  most  charming  poet,  William  Cullen 
Bryant,  who  wrote  so  sweetly  of  nature,  visited 
Dixon,  as  indicated  by  letter  already  quoted, 
and  was  the  guest  of  his  brother-in-law.  Dr. 
Oliver  Everett,  when  this  entire  country  was  a 
vast  field  of  virgin  prairie,  covered  with  wild 
flowers,  and  its  lakes  and  river  frequented  by 
birds  of  gorgeous  plumage  unharassed  by  the 
sportsman's  gun.  It  was  on  that  visit  that 
Mr.  Bryant  was  inspired  to  pen  that  most  beau- 
tiful of  his  poems,  "To  a  Waterfowl."  in  which 
this  verse  appears: 

"There  is  a  power  whose  care 

Teaches  the  way  along  that  pathless  coast — 
The  desert  and  illimitable  air — 

Lone  wandering,  but  not  lost." 


Ch  iirches. — The     first 


preached 


Dixon  was  in  the  fall  of  lS3t  by  a  Methodist 
missionary  named  Segg.  His  field  of  labor  ex- 
tended from  Apple  River,  in  Jo  Daviess  County, 
to  Prophetstown,  in  Whiteside  County,  and  he 
made  the  circuit  once  in  four  weeks. 

In  1S37  a  Methodist  class  was  formed  with 
S.  M.  Bowman,  E.  A.  Bowman,  Maria  McClure,, 
John  Richards,  Ann  Richards,  Caleb  Tallmage 
and  Amanda  Tallmage  as  members,  and  in 
1839  T.  D.  Boardman,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Perry,  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  0.  F.  Ayres  were  added.  Preaching 
services  were  held  at  intervals  of  six  weeks 
over  Bowman's  store.  The  circuit  preachers 
conducting  services  were  Robert  Dunlap,  Bar- 
ton Cartwright,  Isaac  Pool,  Riley  Hill,  Luke 
Hitchcock,  Richard  Blanchard,  Philo  Judson 
and  W.  H.  Cooley.  W.  Wilcox  was  appointed 
to  Dixon  in  1843;  David  Brooks  in  July,  18-14; 
S.  P.  Keyes,  August,  1845;  Milton  Hawey  and 
R.  W.  H.  Brent,  August,  1846;  R.  P.  Lawton, 
1847;  William  Palmer,  1848;  Thomas  North, 
1850:  James  Baume  (father  of  Judge  Baume 
of  our  Circuit  Court),  September,  1852;  J,  W. 
Agard,  1854;  Wilbur  McKaig,  September,  1855; 
N.  P.  Heath,  1857;  L.  A.  Sanford,  August,  1858; 
S.  G.  Lathrop,  1859;  O.  B.  Thayer,  September, 
1862;  W.  H.  Smith,  March,  1864;  G.  L.  Stuff, 
1864;  T.  C.  Clendenning,  1865;  George  E,  Stro- 
brldge,  1867;  J.  H.  Brown,  1869;  John  William- 
son, 1871;  Isaac  Llnebarger,  1874;  G.  R.  Van 
Horn,  1876;  A.  W.  Patton,  1879-80;  F.  P.  Cleve- 
land, 1880-81;  0.  F.  Mattison,  1881-84;  M.  E. 
Cady,  1884-87;  F.  H.  Sheets,  1887-88;  C.  A. 
Bunker,  1889-90;  S,  Earngey,  1890-93;  0.  H. 
Cessna,  1893-98;  J.  D.  Leek.  1898-1900;  William 
Phillips.  1900-02;  William  Craven,  1902,  present 
incumbent.  (Beginning  with  1864,  the  term  of 
service  of  each  circuit  rider  began  uniformly 
in  October,  immediately  after  the  adjournment 
of  the  Annual  Conference.) 

In  the  summer  of  1843  the  first  Methodist 
church  building  was  completed.  It  was  a  brick 
structure  and  is  still  standing  in  good  state 
of  preservation,  at  No,  117  Second  Street,  oppo- 
site the  Court  House.  It  was  dedicated  that 
summer  by  Presiding  Elder  John  T.  Mitchell. 
The  board  of  trustees  consisted  of  J.  P.  Dixon, 
E.  Edson.  O.  F.  Ayres,  L.  G.  Wynkoop.  Thomas 
McCabe,  Joseph  Brierton  and  S.  M.  Bowman. 
A  Union  Sunday  School  was  organized  which, 
on  July  15th  of  that  year,  had  eight  teachers, 
sixty  scholars  and  a  library  of  ninety  volumes. 
O.  F.  Ayres  was  Superintendent;  T.  D.  Board- 
man,  Secretary;   J.  W,  Clute,  Librarian. 


656 


HISTORY   OF  LEE   COUNTY. 


In  1854  a  Methodist  chiircli  was  built  where 
the  present  one  stands,  corner  of  Second  Street 
and  Peoria  Avenue.  March  1,  1855,  it  was  dedi- 
cated hy  Rev.  Wm.  McKaig.  The  cost  of  the 
building,  including  furnishings,  etc.,  was  about 
$15,000.  August  31,  1876,  it  was  rededicated 
after  extensive  repairs  had  been  made.  This 
building  was  torn  down  to  make  room  for  the 
present  structure,  which  was  completed  in  De- 
cember, 1892,  at  a  cost  of  $30,000.  The  next 
year  a  parsonage  was  bitilt  adjacent  to  the 
church,  at  a  cost  of  $3,500. 

May  28,  1838,  the  "First  Regular  Baptist 
Church  of  Dixon  and  Buffalo  Grove"  was  or- 
ganized at  Buffalo  Grove  (now  Polo.)  Elder 
Thomas  Powell,  a  missionary,  was  Moderator 
of  the  meeting.  The  original  members  were: 
Houland  Bicknell,  Rebecca  Dixon,  Elizabeth 
Bellows,  Jerusha  Hammond,  Sarah  Kellogg, 
Martha  Parks  and  Ann  Clarley.  At  the  end  of 
four  years  there  were  seventy-two  names  on 
the  membership  roll. 

January  13.  1841,  the  present  corporate  or- 
ganization of  the  Baptist  Church  was  effected 
under  the  name  of  the  "First  Baptist  Church  of 
Dixon."  April  16,  1842,  the  congregation  was 
divided  Into  two  churches,  Buffalo  Grove  and 
Dixon.  The  former  has  since  become  extinct. 
Pastors  since  the  organization  have  been: 
B.  B.  Carpenter,  June,  1840,  to  October,  1844; 
Burton  Carpenter,  December,  1844.  to  March, 
1845.  William  Gates  filled  the  pulpit  occas- 
ionally, and  William  Walker  about  four  months 
between  March,  1844,  and  April,  1847,  when  E. 
T.  Manning  became  pastor  for  one  year.  S.  S. 
Martin  was  pastor  for  one  year  in  1849.  G.  W. 
Benton  supplied  the  pulpit  for  about  six 
months  between  Martin's  pastorate  and  Au- 
gust, 1851,  when  John  E.  Ball  became  pastor 
and  remained  about  four  years.  Anson  Tucker 
served  eleven  months  from  May,  1855.  W.  R. 
Webb  came  in  June,  1856,  and  continued  over 
four  years.  William  G.  Pratt  served  one  year 
beginning  in  March.  1861.  W.  S.  Goodno  came 
in  September.  1862,  serving  two  years.  J.  H. 
Pratt  became  pastor  in  October.  1864,  and  con- 
tinued nine  years.  D.  F.  Carnahan  followed  in 
August.  1874,  and  0,  P.  Bestor  in  August,  1877, 
who  remained  until  October,  1882:  Rev.  W.  H. 
Parker  from  January,  1883.  to  September,  1886: 
John  F.  Howard,  October  10,  1886,  to  Septem- 
ber 1,  1890:  William  D.  Puller,  March  4,  1891, 
to  May  24,   1892:    Hector  C.   Leland,   from  Sep- 


tember, 1892,  to  February  1,  1899;  Wm.  C. 
Spencer,  the  present  incumbent,  came  March, 
1899. 

May  5.  1849,  the  Baptist  congregation  dedi- 
cated their  first  house  of  worship.  Rev.  Jacob 
Knapp  preaching  the  sermon.  It  was  a  brick 
building,  situated  on  the  west  side  of  Ottawa 
Street  at  corner  of  the  alley  next  north  of  First 
Street.  It  was  abandoned  as  a  church  when 
the  present  edifice  was  completed,  but  was  used 
in  connection  with  a  lumber  yard  until  spring 
of  1899,  when  it  was  torn  down. 

October  1,  1869,  the  corner-stone  of  the  pres- 
ent Baptist  church  was  laid  with  appropriate 
ceremonies,  and  the  building  was  dedicated  in 
August,  1872.  Rev.  Mr.  Ravlin  delivering  the 
morning  sermon  and  Rev.  J.  A.  Smith  the  even- 
ing sei-mon.  June  23,  1878,  the  fortieth  anni- 
versary exercises  of  the  Dixon  Baptist  Church 
were  held  in  its  house  of  worship. 

A  correspondent,  writing  from  Dixon  to  a 
Rockford  paper  in  summer  of  1845,  says  the 
place  then  had  "four  congregations:  Metho- 
dist, Baptist,  Episcopal  and  Congregational, 
and  one  church  structure — that  of  the  Metho- 
dist." 

"The  First  Evangelical  Lutheran  Congrega- 
tion of  Lee  County"  was  organized  August  20, 
1848,  in  the  barn  of  J.  N.  Burket.  east  of  Dixon, 
by  Rev.  Jacob  Burket.  The  name  was  changed 
November  12,  1853,  to  "St.  Paul's  Evangelical 
Lutheran  Church."  The  pastors  have  been: 
Jacob  H.  Burket.  who  continued  in  charge  un- 
til August,  1850;  Ephraim  Miller,  May,  1851,  to 
April,  1852;  Charles  Young,  May,  1852,  to  Au- 
gust, 1853;  William  Uhl,  September,  1853,  to 
1855;  D.  Harbaugh,  July,  1855,  to  July,  1856; 
William  Uhl,  September,  1856,  to  July,  1858; 
J.  L.  Guard,  July,  1858.  to  1861;  J.  R.  Keiser, 
September,  1861,  to  October,  1864;  A.  A.  Trim- 
per,  spring  of  1865  to  1870;  N.  W.  Lilly,  Octo- 
ber, 1870,  to  1874;  S.  S.  Waltz,  September,  1874, 
to  April,  1879;  L.  L.  Lipe,  October.  1879,  to 
1885;  J.  M.  Ruthrauff.  1885,  to  1895;  T.  F. 
Dornblazer.  fall  of  1895,  present  incumbent.  In 
December.  1856,  the  German  portion  of  the  con- 
gregation withdrew  and  organized  a  separate 
congregation,  but  were  united  again  under 
the  pastorate  of  Rev.  Trimper. 

A  Lutheran  church  was  in  process  of  erection 
in  September,  1854,  and  was  dedicated  Septem- 
ber 30.  1855.  It  was  a  brick  building  with 
basement  and  spire,  located  on  or  near  No.  309 


HISTORY  OF  LEE   COUNTY 


657 


Crawford  Avenue.  It  was  demolished  in  1879 
to  make  room  for  residences.  In  1S68  the  pres- 
ent Lutheran  church  was  built  at  a  cost  of  $14,- 
664.81,  and  was  dedicated  February  14,  1869. 
Extensive  additions  were  made  and  the  whole 
interior  remodeled  and  equipped  with  an  organ 
in  the  summer  of  1898,  at  a  cost,  including  or- 
gan, of  about  $7,000.  A  semi-centennial  and 
rededication  of  the  improved  church  was  cele- 
brated  December  16-19,   1898. 

The  Evangelical  Lutheran  Emanuel  Church 
was  organized  March  23,  1891,  by  Rev.  H.  Stauf- 
enberg.  The  church  building  was  erected  the 
same  year  and  in  1899  the  parsonage  was  built, 
the  cost  of  the  entire  property  being  $.5,000. 
The  pastors  have  been  H.  Staufenberg,  who 
served  until  October  14,  1894,  L.  Lentz  from 
1894  to  1897.  H.  F.  Schmidt,  the  present  pas- 
tor,  took   charge  November,   20.   1897. 

The  local  paper  of  June  22.  1851.  has  this 
item:  "Some  Presbyterians,  wishing  to  have 
worship  in  accordance  with  their  own  views 
and  customs,"  have  preaching  in  the  district 
school  house.  January  29,  1853,  the  Presbyter- 
ian Church  was  organized  and  held  public  serv- 
ice in  the  stone  school  house.  The  original 
members  were:  George  Sharer,  Nancy  Sharer, 
James  Means,  Isabella  Means,  John  Beatty, 
Nancy  Beatty,  Mary  Richardson,  Robert  Mc- 
Bride,  Mrs.  Jane  Smith  and  Mrs.  Jane  Little. 
\V.  W.  Harsha  served  as  first  pastor,  being  suc- 
ceeded in  December,  1862,  by  E.  C.  Sickels,  who 
continued  in  the  pastorate  until  July  7,  1895, 
when  failing  health  necessitated  his  resigna- 
tion. He  wa=  followed  by  A.  R.  Bickenback 
from  September  16,  1895,  to  September  30,  1899. 
January  1,  1900,  S.  S.  Cryor,  the  present  in- 
cumbent, took  charge. 

February  17,  1S56,  the  first  Presbyterian 
church  building  was  dedicated.  It  was  a  grout 
structure,  28  by  42  feet,  standing  on  a  portion 
of  the  present  site,  now  partly  occupied  by  a 
chapel  addition.  The  main  part  of  the  present 
church,  which  cost  about  $16,000,  was  dedi- 
cated in  October,  1860.  In  1898  the  chapel  ad- 
dition was  built  at  a  cost  of  about  $3,000  and, 
in  1902,  the  main  church  was  redecorated,  re- 
seated and  refurnished  throughout,  and  the 
first  pipe-organ  installed.  The  total  outlay  (in- 
cluding organ,  $3.000 )  was  between  $5,000  and 
$6,000. 

In  1S54  the  Catholic  Church  was  organized 
under  the  labors  of  Father  Mark  Anthony,  with 


about  twenty-five  members.  They  worshipped 
in  the  Court  House  until  the  completion  of  a 
frame  church  building  the  same  year,  on  the 
west  side  of  Highland  Avenue  near  the  south- 
west corner  of  that  street  and  Fifth  Street. 

The  pastors  in  charge  since  Father  Anthony 
have  been,  in  the  order  named:  Father  James 
Fitzgerald,  succeeded  by  T.  Kennedy  in  1856 
M.  Ford,  1859;  James  Power,  1862;  H.  Koehne, 
1863;  Louis  Lightner,  July,  1863;  M.  McDer 
mott,  J.  P.  Hodnett,  Gray,  Tracy,  and  the  pres- 
ent incumbent.  Father  Michael  Foley,  who  tool- 
charge  in  June,  1892. 

June  23,  1873,  the  corner-stone  of  the  present 
Catholic  church  was  laid,  Rt.  Rev.  Bishop 
Foley  of  Chicago  officiating,  and  it  was  dedi- 
cated by  him  the  second  day  of  the  following 
November.  The  foundation  was  laid  during 
the  pastorate  of  Father  Lightner,  and  the  edi- 
fice completed  during  the  pastorate  of  Father 
McDermott  at  a  cost  of  $30,000.  The 
entire  inside  of  the  building,  including 
organ,  crucifix  and  altar  vases,  were  con- 
sumed by  fire  Saturday,  May  7,  1887.  Fa- 
ther Tracy  held  services  the  following  Sunday 
in  the  front  yard  of  the  parsonage.  A  contract 
was  immediately  let  to  Contractor  W.  J.  McAl- 
pine  to  rebuild  the  edifice  for  $12,000.  The  in- 
surance was  $7,000. 

In  the  summer  of  1838  an  Episcopal  Church 
was  organized  under  labors  of  Rev.  James  De- 
puy,  but  on  his  moving  away  active  work  was 
suspended  and  all  records  up  to  1S5-'  were  lost. 
The  first  record,  "after  suspension  of  active  la- 
bors," proceeds:  March  19,  1855,  a  meeting  of 
the  vestry  of  St.  Luke's  Episcopal  Church  was 
held  at  office  of  Robertson,  Eastman  &  Co.,  Rev. 
Bentley  presiding.  Addison  Rice,  S.  C.  Eells 
and  Geo.  C.  Chapman  were  elected  memlrers  of 
vestry  to  fill  vacancies  caused  by  removals. 
Soon  thereafter  services  were  regularly  held 
in  Exchange  Hall  until  1856,  when  a  frame 
church  was  built  on  the  lot  immediately  north 
of  the  present  one.  First  services  were  held 
in  this  building  September  28,  1856.  When  the 
present  edifice  was  erected,  the  first  church 
was  converted  into  a  dwelling  and  still  stands 
on  its  original  ground.  Mr.  Bentley  was  the 
first  rector  after  this  reorganization.  Follow- 
ing him  were:  C.  J.  Todd.  August  1856;  J.  G. 
Downing.  May,  1857:  John  Wilkison.  August, 
1858.  to  August,  1859;  A.  J.  Warner  took 
charge    January,    1861,    and    was    succeeded    by 


658 


HISTORY    OF    LEE    COUNTY. 


G.  C.  Street,  in  April,  1S62,  and  James  W.  Coe 
in  May.  1863.  who  continued  in  cliarge  until 
July,  1865;  H.  H.  De  Garmo  was  rector  from 
March  to  September,  1866;  D.  W.  Dresser,  No- 
vember. 1866.  to  November.  1867;  H.  W.  Wil- 
lams.  March  1868.  to  June.  1871;  M.  Byllesby. 
November,  1871,  to  April,  1873;  Samuel  Edson, 
May,  1873,  to  October,  1875;  Joseph  Cross,  De- 
cember, 1875,  to  October,  1876;  W.  H.  Jones, 
November,  1876,  until  his  death,  April  26,  1878; 
W.  W.  Steel,  September,  1878,  to  November  15. 
1880;  John  Wilkison.  as  minister  in  charge 
May.  1881.  to  June,  1885,  when  he  became  rec- 
tor, remaining  until  November  26,  1887;  Louis 
A.  Arthur,  January  7,  1889,  to  February  12. 
1889;  Henry  C.  Granger,  November,  1889,  as 
lay-reader  until  January,  1890,  when  he  be- 
came deacon  in  charge.  On  being  ordained 
priest,  he  became  rector,  June  24,  1890,  and 
continued  until  October  5,  1896;  John  C.  Sage. 
October  16,  1896,  to  December  31,  1901:  John 
]\rark  Ericsson.  January  1,  1902.  present  incum- 
bent. 

September  7.  1871.  the  corner-stone  of  the 
present  stone  edifice  was  laid.  Rev.  John  Wil- 
kison officiating.  It  was  opened  for  services 
September  15.  1872.  In  1900  a  fine  rectory  was 
built  next  east  of  the  church  (between  it  and 
the  public  library),  at  a  cost  of  $4,200. 

July  7.  1870.  the  Universalist  Church  was 
established.  Services  were  first  conducted  in 
Union  Hall.  From  there  the  society  moved  to 
Tillson's  Hall,  where  services  were  continued 
until  the  church  at  the  corner  of  Second 
Street  and  Hennepin  Avenue  was  dedicated. 
August  10.  1873.  H.  V.  Chase  was  the  first 
pastor,  continuing  until  December,  1876.  when 
he  was  succeeded  by  B.  F.  Rogers  who  served 
one  year.  About  the  beginning  of  1877  Mr. 
Chase  was  recalled  and  remained  three  years. 
Then  the  pulpit  remained  vacant  for  several 
years  with  only  an  occasional  service.  Mr. 
Skilling  conducted  services  one  year  and  a  Mr. 
Yates  did  the  same  about  two  years.  Joseph 
F.  Newton,  now  in  charge,  was  regularly  called 
and  has  entered  on  his  third  year. 

September  29.  1854.  a  Congregational  Church 
was  organized  in  Exchange  Hall  where,  and  in 
the  Court  House,  meetings  were  held  until 
October,  1856.  when  the  society  moved  to  the 
brick  church  on  Second  Street  built  by  the 
Tilethodists  ( Xo.  1171.  Rev.  Illesly  started  it. 
and  after  two  or  three'years  was  compelled  to 


abandon  it,  moving  to  Roscoe,  Ogle  County, 
where  soon  after  a  brick  dwelling  in  which 
the  family  lived  was  so  undermined  by  a  flood, 
that  it  was  precipitated  into  the  river,  and  his 
wife  and  seven  or  eight  children  were  drowned, 
he   alone  escaping. 

The  West  Side  Congregational  Church  was 
organized,  August  19,  1901.  A  church  build- 
ing was  erected  which,  with  lot  and  furnish- 
ings, cost  about  14.400.  J.  G.  Brooks  was  the 
first  pastor,  beginning  his  pastorate  Septem- 
ber 15,  1901.  The  society  then  consisted  of 
sixty-two  members  drawn  from  nine  different 
denominations.  At  the  end  of  the  first  year 
the  membership  was  exactly  doubled,  and  the 
society  was  out  of  debt.  They  next  purchased 
a  parsonage  near  by,  which  is  also  paid  for. 

July  25,  1855.  the  erection  of  a  Unitarian 
Church  was  commenced  in  North  Dixon.  It 
was  located  on  the  north  side  of  Boyd  Street 
between  Galena  and  Hennepin,  and  was  dedi- 
cated April  9,  1856.  Rev.  Kelsey  was  the  first 
and.  as  far  as  can  be  learned,  the  only  pastor. 
It  was  torn  down  some  time  after  1863. 

Grace  United  Evangelical  Church  is  located 
at  the  northwest  corner  of  East  Fellows  and 
Ottawa  Streets.  North  Dixon.  The  society  had 
its  inception  in  a  Sabbath  School,  which 
started  with  twenty-two  members  June  12, 
1892,  under  the  leadership  of  Mrs.  I.  Divan. 
The  church  was  organized  September  14,  1892, 
with  thirteen  charter  members,  by  Rev,  I.  Di- 
van, A  lot  on  which  to  build  was  bought  in 
1892  and,  in  1893,  the  building  was  erected. 
The  present  membership  of  the  church  is  ninety. 
The  pastors  have  been  I.  Divan.  June.  1892,  to 
April,  1897;  J.  H.  Keagle.  April.  1897.  to  April, 
1898;  J.  G.  Finkbeiner.  April.  1898.  to  March, 
1902;  E.  0.  Rife.  April.  1902,  present  incum- 
bent. 

Initial  services  which  resulted  in  the  found- 
ing of  the  Christian  Church  in  Dixon,  were 
commenced  Sunday,  September  1,  1895,  in  a 
tent  at  the  southeast  corner  of  First  Street  and 
Madison  Avenue,  under  the  leadership  of  Rev. 
T.  A.  Boyer,  of  Eureka,  111.  The  t^ent  was  occu- 
pied seven  weeks,  when  the  services  were 
moved  to  G.  G.  Rosbrook  Hall,  on  Peoria  Ave- 
nue. The  original  membership,  which  was 
small  when  the  meetings  began,  was  thus  in- 
creased to  187.  A  committee  from  the  congre- 
gation was  selected  by  the  District  Board  to 
act    as    an    executive    board    until    the    society 


HISTORY    OF    LEE    COUNTY. 


659 


could  be  organized.  C.  E.  Evans,  of  Walnut. 
111.,  was  called  November  1,  1895,  services  being 
conducted  in  Union  Hall.  Tlie  church  was 
fully  organized  February  2,  1896.  Mr.  Evans 
closed  his  pastorate  in  January,  1897,  and  was 
succeeded  the  following  May  by  S.  H.  Zendt, 
of  Eureka,  111.,  who  continued  until  October 
1,  1899.  In  the  spring  of  1896  a  lot  near  the 
northeast  corner,  of  First  Street  and  Madison 
Avenue  had  been  purchased  for  $1.3.50  and,  in 
the  summer  of  1897,  the  society  erected  its  pres- 
ent building  on  this  lot  at  a  cost  of  about  ?3,- 
500.  It  was  dedicated  June  29,  1897,  J.  H.  Har- 
din, then  President  of  Eureka  College,  deliver- 
ing the  sermon.  It  was  under  Mr.  Zendt's 
labors  not  only  that  the  building  was  secured, 
but  that  a  mortgage  on  it  was  paid  off  and  com- 
mitted to  the  flames  on  the  first  Sunday  of 
June,  1897.  The  next  regular  pastor  was  Finis 
Idleman,  the  present  incumbent,  who  has  served 
since  June  1,  1900. 

Young  Men's  Christian  Association. — This  in- 
stitution is  one  of  the  leading  influences  in  the 
community  for  good.  It  was  organized  in 
Dixon,  June  24,  1889.  with  twenty-eight  mem- 
bers. During  the  last  four  years  the  member- 
ship has  fluctuated  between  285  and  400,  the 
present  membership  being  317.  The  advan- 
tages include  a  gymnasium,  baths,  games,  gos- 
pel meetings  and  bible  classes,  library  of  140 
volumes  and  a  free  reading  room  with  foity- 
flve  periodicals,  including  daily  and  religious 
papers.  Baths  have  been  availed  of  at  an  aver- 
age rate  of  about  425  per  month.  Thus  a  whole- 
some resort  is  provided  for  young  men  with  a 
nominal  membership  fee  of  $5.00  a  year.  The 
first  Board  of  Trustees  consisted  of  Albert  John- 
son. Ira  W.  Lewis,  N.  F.  Swartout,  F.  E.  Wright, 
A.  p.  Armington,  E.  L.  Kling,  John  T.  Laing. 
E.  B.  Wingert  and  E.  B.  Raymond.  The  pres- 
ent officers  and  Board  of  Directors  are:  Ira 
W.  Lewis,  President;  H.  V.  Baldwin,  Vice- 
President;  Jno.  T.  Laing,  Secretary;  W.  B. 
Johnson,  Treasurer;   C.  C.  Kost.  O.  E.  Clymer, 

E.  B.  Raymond,  H.  W.  Morris,  L.  W.  Dach- 
steiner,  M.  L.  Christian,  W.  B.  McMahon  and 
R.  M.  Ayres.  Mr.  Lewis  has  been  President 
from  the  first.  The  General  Secretaries  have 
been:  Phil.  Bevis.  H.  L.  Sawyer,  L.  L.  Ev- 
erly  from  about  July  1,  1897,  to  December, 
1899.   since   vrhlch   time  the  present   Secretary, 

F.  M.  Smith,  has  filled  the  post. 


CH.M'TER   X. 


DIXON  TOWNSHIP  AND  CITY. 
( Continued. ) 


JtA^'UFACTUKIXC        ENTERrRISE.S XEWSP.VPERS 

SCI-IOOLS,    SE.MIXARIES    AKD    BUSI^'ESS    COLLEGES 

— EOCIC       RIVER       WATER       POWER DAMS      A^•D 

BRIDGES HOTELS — BAKKIXG  IXSTITUTIOKS 

DIXOX  I>-  THE  CIVIL  AXD  SPAXISH-AMERICAX 
W-VKS — PATRIOTIC  AXD  BEXEVOLEXT  ORGAXIZA- 
TIOXS — PUBLIC     LIBR.\RY — L0.\X     AXD     BUILDIXG 

ASSOCIATIOX  CITY        LKiHTIXG        AXD        WATER 

WORKS GROWTH    AXD    POPfLATIOX. 

In  July,  1855,  J.  W.  Hollenbeck  and  J.  H. 
Cropsey  completed  a  sash,  door  and  blind  fac- 
tory on  Third  Street  at  No.  320.  It  was  a 
stone  building  32  by  64  feet,  four  stories  high, 
with  engine  house  25  by  32  feet.  It  was  torn 
down  in  1893  to  make  room  for  residences. 
July,  1857,  Mr.  Daily  bought  the  property  to 
convert  it  into  a  fiour  mill,  afterwards  oper- 
ated by  Cheney  &  Co. 

At  a  very  early  day  a  saw-mill  stood  on  or 
near  Lot  1  in  Block  7  of  the  original  plat,  at 
the  foot  of  Peoria  Avenue.  It  is  said  to  have 
been  erected  by  Judge  Wilkinson,  but  who  this 
Judge  Wilkinson  was  is  not  stated.  The  mill 
was  operated  for  a  short  time  by  Huff  &  Thomp- 
son, and  was  afterwards  used  for  a  distillery 
and  vinegar  factory.  There  are  three  lots  lying 
between  the  west  side  of  Peoria  Avenue  and 
Huff's  Reserve,  and  it  may  be  from  Huff's  con- 
nection with  the  reserve  that  the  building  was 
located  on  this  piece  of  ground  instead  of  the 
lot  mentioned. 

In  the  spring  of  1857  a  joint  stock  company 
was  formed  with  a  capital  of  $2,000  for  the 
erection  of  a  starch  factory.  The  building  was 
erected  of  stone  on  the  bank  of  the  river  in 
West  Dixon,  but  never  finished. 

April  4,  1857,  the  Plow  Works  and  Machine 
Shop  of  Dement  &  Co.  was  employing  seventy- 
five  hands  and  turning  out  thirty  plows  a  day. 
The  shops  were  included  in  the  projected 
"Union  Eagle  Iron  Works,"  the  corner  stone 
of  which  was  laid  July  27,  1857.  with  ceremon- 


66o 


HISTORY    OF    LEE    COUNTY, 


ies.  They  were  afterwards  utilized  as  the  nu- 
cleus of  the  group  of  buildings  now  constitut- 
ing the  Grand  Detour  Plow  Works.  During 
this  same  year  of  1857,  the  Plow  Works  were 
moved  from  these  buildings  to  the  water-power 
at  the  corner  of  Ottawa  and  River  Streets. 

The  breadth  of  Col.  Dement's  powers  is  indi- 
cated by  the  fact,  well  authenticated,  that  after 
long  experiments  he  succeeded  in  welding  a 
plate  of  malleable  iron  on  the  back  of  the  steel 
mould-board  of  a  plow,  thus  protecting  the 
hardened  steel  against  cracking  or  breaking.  It 
is  confidently  asserted  that  he  was  the  first  to 
accomplish  this  feat.  The  device  is  now  in, 
universal  use  and  has  proven  of  inestimable 
value,  and,  if  patented,  would  have  been  the 
source  of  large  income  to  the  inventor. 

In  the  summer  of  1858,  W.  C.  Van  Osdel 
erected  a  three-story  frame  sash  and  blind  fac- 
tory in  the  west  end  of  Dement  Town.  In  1862 
it  was  converted  into  a  sorghum  mill  and  is 
now  a  residence. 

In  August,  1859,  Cheney  &  Co.  vacated  their 
steam  flouring  mill  on  Third  Street  (No.  S20) 
and  started  a  mill  in  building  at  water  power 
built  by  Godfrey  &  Sons,  and  known  as  "Farm- 
er's Mills."  February  29,  1860,  Charles  Godfrey 
&  Son  succeeded  Cheney  &  Co.  as  proprietors. 

August  9,  1866,  the  Bucklin  File  Manufactur- 
ing Company  was  incorporated  with  a  capital 
of  $100,000  and  erected  a  two-story  factory 
building  of  stone  at  the  water-power,  40  by  140 
feet,  but  the  business  failed  in  less  than  a 
year.  December  2,  1868,  the  "Western  Knit- 
ting Factory"  was  established  in  the  same 
building  by  Mcllroy  &  Crane.  It  was  located 
at  the  southeast  corner  of  Ottawa  and 
First  Streets.  A  few  months  later  it  passed 
into  the  hands  of  W.  H.  Godfrey  and  Jas.  B. 
Charters.  The  building  and  contents  were  de- 
stroyed by  fire,  March  12,  1873,  entailing  a  loss 
of  $20,000. 

In  the  summer  of  1866  John  Dement  erected 
the  stone  flax-factory  building  at  the  water- 
power,  45  by  64  feet,  and  in  the  following  Feb- 
ruary the  manufacture  of  flax-bagging  or  cotton- 
baling  was  commenced  by  Jerome  &  Downing. 
About  1870  the  building  was  extended  to  its 
present  depth  of  140  feet.  ( It  is  now  occupied 
by   the  Reynolds  Wire  Company.) 

In  the  spring  of  1867  the  wagon  and  car- 
riage factory  of  Cheney  &  Mason  was  started  in 
stone  building  then  standing  at  what  is  now 
320   Third   Street,  and   in  August  of  the  same 


year,  Severance  &  Cheney  commenced  the  man- 
ufacture of  platform  scales.  In  1869  the  latter 
business  was  in  the  hands  of  John  T.  Cheney 
and  John  P.  Hutchinson,  and  the  scale  became 
known  as  the  "Victor."  The  factory  was  finally 
moved  to  Moline,  111. 

The  Grand  Detour  Plow  Works  were  estab- 
lished at  Grand  Detour,  Ogle  County,  by 
John  Deere  and  Major  L.  Andrus,  in  1837. 
At  the  start  two  men  sufficed  for  the  iron-work 
and  two  for  the  wood-work.  In  about  two 
years  a  horse  power  was  brought  into  requisi- 
tion. The  product  was  peddled  about  the  coun- 
try in  wagons.  In  1848,  Mr.  Deere  went  to 
Moline  and  built  up  a  very  large  plow-manu- 
facturing business  which  is  still  in  operation. 
Sometime  after  the  withdrawal  of  Mr.  Deere, 
Col.  Amos  Bosworth  became  associated  with 
Mr.  Andsus.  He  died  at  his  home  in  Grand  De- 
tour in  March,  1862,  from  typhoid  fever  con- 
tracted in  the  army.  The  shops  were  destroyed 
by  fire  in  1857,  but  immediately  rebuilt,  Theron 
Cumins  became  a  partner  in  the  concern  in 
August,  1863,  the  style  of  the  firm  becoming 
Andrus  &  Cumins,  so  continuing  until  Mr.  An- 
drus' death  in  February,  1867.  The  business 
was  then  carried  on  by  Mr.  Cumins  alone  until 
June,  1869,  when  Col.  H.  T.  Noble  was  admit- 
ted as  partner,  and  the  firm  name  became  T. 
Cumins  &  Co.  It  was  in  this  year  that  the 
works  were  moved  to  Dixon  and  located  on  their 
present  site.  In  June,  1879,  Mr.  0.  B.  Dodge 
became  connected  with  the  firm,  the  style  being 
changed  to  Cumins,  Noble  &  Dodge.  In  June, 
1879,  the  business  was  incorporated  under  its 
present  name,  the  "Grand  Detour  Plow  Com- 
pany," with  a  capital  of  $120,000,  which  has 
since  been  increased  to  $500,000,  Theron  Cum- 
ins, Henry  T.  Noble,  Orris  B.  Dodge  and  Charles 
H.  Noble  being  the  incorporators  and  ofllcers. 
Col.  Noble  died,  April  15,  1891,  and  Mr.  Cumins 
August  3,  1898.  The  present  officers  are  0.  B. 
Dodge,  President:  Charles  H.  Noble,  Vice  Presi- 
dent; L.  D.  Dement,  Secretary:  Amos  Bosworth, 
Assistant  Secretary,  and  F.  O.  Coleman.  Treas- 
urer. 

On  July  1,  1SS9,  the  factory  of  the  Anglo- 
Swiss  Condensed  Milk  Company  received  its 
first  milk  from  the  farmers.  It  was  erected 
and  equipped  at  a  stated  cost  of  $500,000.  Since 
then  additions  and  improvements  have  been 
made,  which  are  said  to  have  increased  the 
investment  to  $750,000.  The  largest  quantity 
of  milk  received  in  one  day  has  been  150,000 


HISTORY    OF    LEE    COUNTY. 


pounds,  while  the  average  daily  receipts  have 
exceeded  100.000  pounds.  It  is  estimated  that 
about  10,000  cows  are  milked  daily  within  a 
radius  of  ten  to  sixteen  miles  of  Dixon,  to 
yield  this  product,  and  that  an  average  for  the 
year  of  about  $40,000  is  paid  to  the  farmers 
monthly  for  milk.  This  milk  is  condensed  and 
placed  on  the  market  in  cans  and  large  pack- 
ages. In  addition  to  this,  an  entire  floor  of  one 
of  the  large  buildings  is  occupied  in  the  manu- 
facture of  caramel  candy,  the  average  daily  out- 
put of  which  is  from  seven  to  eight  thousand 
pounds.  Persons  who  have  occasion  to  use  the 
products  of  this  concern  will  find  comfort  In 
the  assurance  that  superlative  cleanliness  ev- 
erywhere prevails,  and  every  precaution  Is  ex- 
ercised to  safeguard  the  health  of  the  con- 
sumer. The  city  and  community  cannot  too 
highly  honor  the  memory  of  Mr.  George  H. 
Page  (a  Palmyra  boy)  who,  as  founder  of  this 
splendid  enterprise,  and  by  a  public  spirit 
which  death  cut  short  of  its  final  aim,  made 
them  his  lasting  debtor. 

July  1,  1902,  the  Borden  Condensed  Milk  Com- 
pany succeeded  the  Anglo-Swiss  and,  after  a 
year's  experience,  has  become  thoroughly  in- 
trenched in  the  respect  and  confidence  of  pat- 
rons and  people. 

C.  M.  Henderson  &  Co.  located  a  shoe  fac- 
tory in  Dixon  in  1S87.  the  citizens  having  do- 
nated about  $27,000  to  the  concern  as  an  induce- 
ment for  its  coming.  Two  or  three  years  later 
a  second  purse  of  $6,000  was  raised  towards  a 
second  factory  building  near  the  first,  but  $3,- 
000  of  this  was  afterward  turned  into  the  hos- 
pital fund  by  Mr.  Watson.  (See  Hospital.) 
Three  factories  were  here  brought  together  from 
Allegheny  City,  Penn.,  Fond  du  Lac,  Wis.,  and 
Jefferson  City,  Mo.,  where  the  work  had  been 
done  by  State's  prison  labor.  August  30,  1901. 
the  "Watson-Plummer  Shoe  Company"  was  in- 
corporated with  Frederick  A.  Watson,  Joseph  P. 
Plummer  and  Frank  N.  Stackpole  as  the  first 
Directors;  capital  stock,  $.50,000;  duration, 
ninety-nine  years.  This  company  purchased 
the  two  Henderson  factories,  and  also  the  Fargo 
factory,  elsewhere  referred  to.  and  is  now  oper- 
ating them.  Mr.  Watson,  who  was  Dixon  born, 
and  occupied  a  very  responsible  position  with 
.  C.  M.  Henderson  &  Co.,  and  possessed  the  com- 
pany's entire  confidence,  was  the  moving  spirit 
enabling  Dixon  to  secure  these  extensive  in- 
dustries, and  it  is  gratifying  that  he  should  in 
due  time  be  found  standing  at  their  head. 


On  the  25th  day  of  August,  1891,  the  Citizens' 
Association  of  Dixon  entered  into  a  contract 
with  C.  H.  Fargo  &  Co.,  of  Chicago,  which  will 
be  found  recorded  in  the  Recorder's  office  of  the 
County,  in  Book  "E"  of  Miscellaneous  Records, 
p.  597,  whereby  the  Association  agreed  to  donate 
to  Fargo  &  Co.  a  factory  site  and  $27,500  in 
money,  as  an  inducement  to  locate  their  shoe 
factory  in  Dixon.  The  agreement  was  carried 
out  by  both  parties,  resulting  in  the  erection 
of  the  factory  on  the  river  bank  in  the  east 
part  of  the  city.  As  a  means  of  raising  the 
required  sum,  the  Association  bought  land  and 
laid  out  the  Fargo  and  the  River  View  Ad- 
ditions to  the  city  and  sold  the  lots.  The 
company  failed  in  1896,  and  the  property  re- 
mained idle  for  a  time,  but  having  finally  passed 
into  the  hands  of  Mr.  F.  A.  Watson,  of  the  C. 
M.  Henderson  Company,  is  now  one  of  the  fac- 
tories which  is  conducted  by  the  Watson-Plum- 
mer Company. 

The  Reynolds  Wire  Company  was  organized 
October  12.  1894,  with  a  capital  of  $80,000.  It 
is  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  wire  cloth  and 
novelties  into  which  wire  cloth  enters.  The 
present  officers  are:  Horace  G.  Reynolds,  Pres- 
ident; S.  S.  Dodge,  Vice  President;  Walter  B. 
Merriman,  Secretary  and  Treasurer.  It  oper- 
ates over  100  looms  and  does  an  extensive  busi- 

In  September,  1892,  A.  C.  Bardwell  platted  the 
West  End  Addition  to  the  City  of  Dixon,  -wath  a 
view  of  making  it  a  manufacturing  district. 
Lots  were  sold  under  contract  to  secure  the 
location  of  factories.  The  hard  times  of  1893, 
coming  on  at  a  critical  juncture,  greatly  em- 
barrassed the  enterprise,  and  the  hopes  of  the 
projector  and  patrons  were  but  faintly  real- 
ized. A  large  factory  was  put  up  on  the  Addi- 
tion immediately  west  of  Lincoln  Avenue,  for 
the  Canton  Steam  Pump  Company.  This  com- 
pany reorganized  and  was  incorporated  as  the 
Miller  Steam  Pump  Company,  and  had  the 
factory  in  motion  in  December,  1892.  The 
Miller  Company  failed  in  the  summer  of  1893. 
and  early  in  the  spring  of  1894.  the  Brosius 
Sewing  Machine  &  Motor  Company  came  into 
possession,  but  in  August  made  an  assignment, 
the  property  passing  into  the  hands  of  the 
Spring  Motor  Company.  In  November.  1895, 
the  Nash  Manufacturing  Company  became  the 
owner.  April  1.  1896,  the  Terre  Haute  Manu- 
facturing Company  acquired  the  machinery  and 
soon  moved  it  away.     All  these  companies,  fol- 


662 


HISTORY    OF    LEE    COUNTY. 


lowing  the  Miller  Company,  were  engaged  in  the 
manufacture  of  a  spring  motor  sewing-machine. 
The  factory  remained  unoccupied  until  the 
Grand  Detour  Wagon  Company  became  owner. 

The  Grand  Detour  Wagon  Company  was  in- 
corporated December  24,  1900,  with  $60,000  cap- 
ital. Its  first  directors  were  C.  H.  Baldwin,  J.  C, 
Frey,  0.  B.  Dodge,  C.  H.  Noble  and  L.  D.  De- 
ment. In  January,  1900.  it  acquired  title  to 
the  sewing-machine  factory  just  mentioned,  and 
is  now  using  the  property  in  the  manufacture 
of  wagons. 

As  a  part  of  the  West  End  undertaking,  a 
three-story  brick  building  was  erected  near  the 
railroad  on  an  elevation  some  distance  east  of 
Lincoln  Avenue.  The  construction  of  a  building 
designed  for  a  knitting  factory  was  commenced 
in  January,  1S93,  but  it  was  never  occupied  for 
that  purpose.  In  the  spring  of  1894  Alanson  H. 
Reed  and  John  W.  Reed,  under  the  firm  name 
of  A.  Reed  &  Sons,  occupied  this  building  under 
a  contract  of  "purchase  for  use  in  the  manufac- 
ture of  pianos.  They  failed  in  the  winter  of 
1898-9,  since  which  time  the  building  has  been 
unused. 

The  Dixon  Cereal  Company  was  incorporated 
in  1900  -with  capital  of  $10,000.  John  Forrest 
is  its  President  and  Hugh  McCartney  Secretary 
and  Treasurer.  Their  business  is  milling  and 
buying  and  selling  grain  at  the  stone  elevator 
near  the  Illinois  Central  Railroad  depot. 

Xeicspapers. — The  first  paper  printed  in  Lee 
County  appeared  under  date  of  May  1.  1S51. 
named  "Dixon  Telegraph  and  Lee  County  Her- 
ald," Charles  R.  Fisk  publisher.  October  5  of 
the  same  year  it  passed  into  the  hands  of  J.  F. 
Hooper  and  M.  P.  Bull.  January  21.  1852,  John 
V.  Eustace  became  editor  and  B.  F.  Shaw  man- 
ager. April  30,  1854,  Eustace  retired  and  Mr. 
Shaw  became  sole  proprietor. 

June  27,  1855.  the  "Daily  \MiiEper."  to  be 
issued  "semi-occasionally."  made  its  first  ap- 
pearance. 

October  20,  1S54.  the  "Transcript."  a  Demo- 
cratic paper,  made  its  appearance.  Charles 
Allen,  its  editor,  was  succeeded  by  Prof.  Eber- 
hart.  May  2.  1855,  who  yielded  the  place  to 
A.  C.  Appier.  August  8th  following.  January 
5,  1856.  it  passed  into  the  hands  of  John  Stev- 
ens and  J.  L.  Johnson  as  proprietors,  and  Janu- 
ary 15,  1857.  became  the  "Dixon  Weekly  Re- 
publican." with  S.  W.  Beckwith  and  E.  H.  Leg- 
gitt  editors.  July  9,  1S57.  the  "Telegraph"  and 
"Republican"  combined  under  the  editorship  of 


B.  F.  Shaw  and  S.  W.  Beckwith.  March  3.  1859, 
B.  P.  Shaw  retired  and  I.  S.  Boardman  became 
editor  and  proprietor  December  22d  J.  R.  Bond 
became  associated  with  Mr.  Boardman,  but  soon 
sold  his  interest  to  his  partner.  The  name  of 
the  paper  was  reduced  to  "The  Telegraph," 
February  7,  1867.  Mr.  Boardman  retired,  April 
22,  1869,  being  succeeded  by  his  sons.  John  D. 
and  William  H. 

February  14,  1868,  the  "Dixon  Weekly  Her- 
ald" started  -with  A.  C.  Bardwell  as  editor  and 
proprietor.  December  2,  1869,  the  "Telegraph" 
and  the  "Herald"  were  united  under  the  editor- 
ship of  A.  C.  Bardwell.  and  the  business  man- 
agement of  William  H.  Boardman.  the  name  of 
the  new  paper  being  the  "Telegraph  and  Her- 
ald." In  January,  1870,  B.  F.  Shaw  became 
associate  editor,  and  on  January  1,  1871,  Mr. 
Dardwell  retired,  leaving  Mr.  Shaw  sole  edi- 
tor. Soon  the  "Herald"  part  of  the  name  was 
dropped,  and  the  paper  became  "The  Dixon 
Telegraph."  On  the  last  Friday  of  November, 
1883,  the  "Evening  Telegraph"  came  out,  the 
first  daily  paper  to  be  published  in  Dixon.  The 
weekly  issue  was  continued  as  before  until 
November  21.  1899.  it  was  supplanted  by  the 
semi-weekly  issue.  Both  daily  and  semi-weekly 
still  continue  their  regular  issues.  July  2.  1891, 
B.  F.  Shaw  and  his  son.  Eustace  E.,  incorpor- 
ated the  B.  F,  Shaw  Printing  Company,  to  carry 
on  the  publication.  B.  F.  Shaw  &  Son  appeared 
as  editors  and  Eustace  E.  Shaw  as  managing 
editor  and  publisher. 

July  24,  1858,  the  "Dixon  Weekly  Monitor" 
was  started  by  Chas.  Meigs,  Jr..  but  soon  failed, 
when  E.  B.  Stiles,  L.  W.  Atherton  and  J.  V. 
Eustace  bought  the  office  and  launched  the 
"Dixon  Advertiser"  November  24.  1858,  of 
which  W.  H.  Staunton  took  charge  August  10, 
1859.  November  24  of  the  same  year  I.  S. 
Boardman  bought  the  paper  and  it  apparently 
became  merged  in  the  "Republican  and  Tele- 
graph." 

July  9,  1S6S.  the  "Lee  County  Democrat"  ar- 
rived with  E.  Giles  as  proprietor  and  S.  C. 
Postlewait  as  editor.  November  16.  1871,  W.  M. 
Kennedy  became  proprietor  and  Eugene  Pinck- 
ney  editor,  and  on  March  6.  1S72.  the  name  was 
changed  to  the  "Dixon  Sun."  December  9. 
1874,  W.  M.  Kennedy  appears  as  editor  and_ 
proprietor.  March  29,  1890,  Mr.  Kennedy  hav- 
ing died,  his  widow.  Mrs.  Inez  A.  Kennedy,  took 
charge  as  proprietor  and  financial  manager. 
March  23,  1892.  E.  Everett  Harrington  appears 


?{] STORY    OF    LEE    COUNTY. 


663 


as  editor,  Mrs.  Kennedy  still  being  proprietor 
and  manager.  The  daily  edition  of  the  "Dixon 
Sun"  started  December  23.  1S93,  with  Mrs.  Ken- 
nedy as  proprietor  and  manager.  January  4, 
1S94,  Frank  J.  Devlin  became  editor.  January 
30.  1S94,  the  paper  passed  into  the  hands  of  J. 
T.  Day,  with  Devlin  still  as  editor.  October  15, 
1894,  Mr.  Devlin  ceased  to  be  editor  and  Day 
was  thenceforth  both  editor  and  proprietor. 
November  14,  1S95.  T.  W.  and  E.  C.  Fuller,  the 
present  proprietors,  succeeded  Mr.  Day. 

January  26,  1871,  the  "Rock  River  Farmer," 
a  monthly,  appeared  with  \V.  M.  Kennedy  as 
editor  and  proprietor.  The  last  number  found 
in  the  files  of  the  paper  1=  the  issue  of  Decem- 
ber, 1878. 

The  first  number  of  the  "Dixon  Evening  Star" 
was  issued  March  28,  1891,  by  Charles  H.  Keeler 
and  Gurdon  E.  Bishop,  under  the  firm  name  of 
the  Star  Printing  Company,  Mr.  Keeler  being 
the  editor  and  business  manager  and  Mr.  Bishop 
general  superintendent,  thus  consolidating  the 
job  office  run  by  each.  The  business  office  was 
located  temporarily  over  the  store  at  No.  112 
First  Street,  while  the  publication  office  was 
in  basement  of  the  north  building  of  the  North- 
ern Illinois  Normal  School.  About  the  first  of 
May  of  that  year,  both  departments  were 
brought  together  at  105  Galena  Avenue.  In  De- 
cember, 1891,  Mr.  Keeler  purchased  Mr.  Bish- 
op's interest.  In  the  spring  of  1893.  he  sold  a 
half  interest  to  G.  A.  Fairfield,  of  Elkader, 
Iowa.  January  1,  1894,  he  sold  the  remaining 
half  to  Mr.  A.  H.  Swart.  Fairfield  &  Swart 
conducted  the  daily  a  few  weeks  as  an  evening 
paper,  when  they  converted  it  into  a  morning 
paper,  styling  it  the  "Morning  Star."  A  short 
experience  proved  unprofitable  and  Mr.  Swart, 
having  purchased  Mr.  Fairfield's  interest,  sus- 
pended the  daily  and  started  a  weekly  named 
the  "Dixon  Star."  He  carried  it  on  as  a  weekly 
until  March,  1897,  when  he  again  entered  the 
daily  field,  taking  in  two  of  his  employes  as 
partners.  Bishop  and  C.  H.  Downs.  About  the 
first  of  July  of  the  same  year,  the  daily  was  sus- 
pended for  lack  of  support,  and  the  issue  of  the 
weekly  was  resumed.  Shortly  afterwards 
the  plant  was  sold  to  Mr.  Wilson,  who 
conducted  it  for  three  months  and  then  let  it 
fall  back  into  Mr.  Swarfs  hands.  In  the  fol- 
lowing February  (1898)  it  was  purchased  by 
the  present  proprietor.  Mr.  DeWitt  C.  Owen,  who 
took  possession  March   1st.     For  eight   months 


the  weekly  was  continued,  when  it  was  changed 
to  a  tri-weekly  and  has  been  conducted  on  that 
plan  up  to  the  present  time. 

Schools. — North  Dixon  lies  in  Town  22,  and 
the  line  dividing  that  town  from  Town  21,  in 
which  nearly  all  of  the  original  Town  of  Dixon 
is  found,  throws  all  of  Mill  Block,  nearly  all 
of  Block  1,  more  than  half  of  Block  2  and  a 
small  portion  of  Block  3  into  the  former  town. 
This  line  divides  the  city  of  Dixon  for  public 
school  purposes,  the  portion  in  Town  22  being 
under  a  system  independent  of  that  in  Town  21. 
Undoubtedly  the  efficiency  of  the  public  schools 
of  the  city  would  be  greatly  promoted,  and  the 
burden  of  taxes  diminished,  if  the  two  town- 
ships could  be  brought  under  one  management. 
Several  efforts  have  been  made  to  this  end,  but 
thus  far  without  success. 

John  K.  Robinson  was  a  teacher  in  Father 
Dixon's  family  in  the  winter  of  1833-4.  Follow- 
ing him.  Father  Dixon  employed  a  Miss  Butler 
of  Bureau  County.  The  children  of  O.  W.  Kel- 
logg, of  Buffalo  Grove  (now  Polo),  including 
Mrs.  E.  B.  Baker,  still  living  in  our  midst,  were 
members  of  this  school.  It  was  the  custom  for 
a  few  years  for  Mr.  Kellogg  to  employ  a  teacher 
one  winter  when  Father  Dixon  would  send  his 
children  to  Buffalo  Grove,  and  for  Mr.  Dixon 
to  employ  a  teacher  the  next  winter,  when  Mr. 
Kellogg  would  reciprocate  by  sending  his  chil- 
dren to  Dixon's  Ferry.  When  it  is  remembered 
that  the  two  points  were  about  twelve  miles 
apart,  the  value  which  these  pioneers  placed  on 
education  for  their  children  may  be  appreci- 
ated. 

In  the  summer  of  1837  the  first  school  house, 
a  one-story  frame  building  20  by  30  feet,  was 
built  on  or  near  Lot  1,  Block  69,  near  the  ceme- 
tery, and  in  1839  was  moved  to  the  north  end 
of  Lot  5,  Block  17,  east  side  of  Ottawa  Avenue. 
For  several  years  it  served  as  school  house, 
court  house,  town  hall,  meeting  house,  etc.  It 
was  built  by  subscription. 

In  1838  the  first  school  was  opened  in  the  new 
building  under  charge  of  H.  Bicknell,  being 
supported  by  individual  tuition  fees.  The  fol- 
lowing were  his  successors:  Mr.  Bowen,  part 
of  1840;  W.  W.  Heaton,  winter  of  1841-2:  Miss 
Ophelia  Loveland  (afterwards  Mrs.  J.  B. 
Brooks),  summer  of  1843.  The  district  then  in- 
cluded both  sfdes  of  the  river  as  far  up  as 
"Fuller's  Cave,"  and  yet  the  school  numbered 
only   about    25    pupils.     Lorenzo   Wood   taught 


664 


HISTORY    OF    LEE    COUNTY. 


during  the  winter  of  1S43-4:  Mr.  Cross  and 
James  Lumm  between  1846  and  1S48.  and  J. 
D.  McKay  in  184S. 

In  the  summer  of  1S47  a  stone  school  house 
was  in  process  of  construction  on  Hennepin 
Avenue,  and  a  school  probably  opened  in  it  that 
winter.  James  Lumm  was  the  first  teacher  and 
Henry  T.  Noble  one  of  the  later  ones.  It  is 
still  standing  at  No.  212  Hennepin  Avenue,  but 
is  disguised  by  a  frame  second  story  and  by  an 
outer  garment  of  clapboards.  It  is  a  dwelling 
immediately  in  rear  of  Nachusa  House.  Doubt- 
less it  succeeded  the  school  house  built  in  1837. 

In  1840  Dixon's  one  school  had  30  pupils.  In 
the  summer  of  1845  a  correspondent  writing 
from  Dixon,  says  it  had  "a  select  school  and  one 
district  school,  with  an  attendance  of  75  pupils 
in  the  two  and  149  children  under  twenty  years 
of  age  in  the  school  district." 

December  7,  1854,  the  first  school  house  was 
built  in  North  Dixon  and  stood  on  the  present 
site  of  417  North  Crawford  Avenue.  It  had 
seats  for  130  scholars. 

January  30,  1855,  a  meting  was  held  at  Ex- 
change hall  to  consider  a  plan  proposed  by 
Rock  River  Presbytery  through  their  agents. 
Revs.  Harsha  and  Mason,  to  locate  a  Presbyter- 
ian college  in  Dixon.  This  school  was  opened. 
May  17  of  the  same  year,  in  the  basement  of  the 
Lutheran  church,  as  "Dixon  Collegiate  Insti- 
tute" under  care  of  Rev.  Mr.  Harsha.  Early 
teachers  beside  himself  were  his  wife,  E.  C. 
Smith  and  wife  and  Miss  Jennie  L.  Backus. 
July  4  following,  the  corner-stone  of  the  Insti- 
tute was  laid  in  presence  of  a  large  concourse 
of  people.  Benjamin  F.  Taylor,  the  poet,  of  Chi- 
cago, delivering  the  oration.  The  building  was 
a  large  brick  structure  located  in  a  commanding 
position  on  what  is  now  Bluff  Park.  The  school 
had  an  endowment  of  $25,000,  $12,000  being 
contributed  by  the  citizens  of  Dixon,  in  grounds, 
equipment,  etc.  It  was  incorporated  in  1857 
by  special  act  of  the  Legislature.  It  was  insti- 
tuted and  continued  under  the  care  of  Presby- 
tery until  1S58,  when  the  property  passed  into 
other  hands  and,  for  a  number  of  years,  was 
the  home  of  different  private  schools.  The 
building  was  demolished  in  1889  to  give  place 
to  residences. 

November  5,  1855,  a  school  was  opened  in  the 
Union  School  House  on  Peoria  Avenue.  The 
building  was  a  two-story  brick  33  by  45  feet, 
costing  $6,000.  It  stood  on  the  lot  where  J.  C. 
Ayres  residence  now  stands,  at  No.  419  Peoria 


Avenue.  It  was  torn  down  in  1874.  The  old 
wooden  desks  were  here  first  discarded  and  pat- 
ent furniture  introduced. 

July  15,  1857,  a  female  seminary  under  charge 
of  the  Episcopal  Church  was  started  by  Rev. 
J.  W.  Downing,  in  a  dwelling  house  near  the 
Illinois  Central  Railroad  depot. 

August  27.  1857,  Prof.  A.  M.  Gow  took  charge 
of  the  Collegiate  Institute  as  Principal.  April 
18.  1861.  the  Institute  building  was  purchased 
by  Rev.  O.  W.  Cooley.  of  Wisconsin,  for  a  fe- 
male seminary. 

In  August.  1858.  a  high  school  department 
of  the  public  schools  was  established  in  the 
old  Methodist  church  on  Second  Street  (No. 
117),  with  A.  H.  Fitch  as  Principal.  In  1859 
A.  M.  Gow  was  employed  as  Superintendent  of 
Schools  and  James  Gow  as  Principal  of  the 
High  School.  The  school  then  had  five  depart- 
ments and  an  enrollment  of  about  400  pupils. 
They  continued  in  charge  until  1S62.  when  E.  C. 
Smith  was  made  Superintendent  of  Schools  and 
Principal  of  the  High  School. 

September  3,  1863,  "Dixon  Seminary"  was 
opened  in  the  Collegiate  Institute  building  by 
S.  G.  Lathrop  and  M.  M.  Took. 

In  1866  the  brick  ward  school  house  in  De- 
ment Town  was  built.  It  has  since  been  en- 
larged. 

September  1,  1868.  Knepper  &  "Wells  took 
charge  of  the  Dixon  Seminary,  and  were  suc- 
ceeded September  22.  1872,  by  Prof.  Lummis. 

Prof.  S.  W.  Moses  and  E.  A.  Gurney  started  a 
Conservatory  of  Music  in  the  Institute  build- 
ing January  20,  1874,  and  November  1,  1875, 
the  "Rock  River  University"  was  opened  in  the 
same  building,  with  0.  G.  May  as  President 
and  M.  M.  Took,  Regent.  October  4,  1877,  Dan- 
iel M.  Graham  was  made  President  and  on  De- 
cember 2,  1878,  A.  M.  Hansen  took  charge.  Sep- 
tember 3,  1879,  the  university  opened  under 
new  management  with  J.  R.  Hinckley  as  Presi- 
dent. 

In  the  fall  and  winter  of  1868-9.  the  large 
brick  public  school  building  in  North  Dixon, 
now  in  use,  was  erected  at  a  cost  of  $20,000. 
Dedicatory  exercises  were  held  January  15. 
1869.  During  the  following  summer  the  "red 
brick"  High  School  building,  crowning  the  hill 
on  the  south  side,  now  occupied  for  "grammar 
grades,"  was  built  at  a  cost  of  $30,000.  The 
opening  exercises  occurred  September  25th  of 
that  year.  About  ten  years  ago  a  brick  primary 
school  building  was  placed  in  the  school  yard 


HISTORY    OF    LEE    COUNTY. 


665 


in  North  Dixon,  at  a  cost  of  $4,000.  Having 
become  unsafe  it  was  torn  down  in  18S9,  and  a 
high  school  building  was  erected  on  the  spot 
and  completed  in  1900  at  a  cost  of  $15,500. 

The  "White  Brick"  school  house,  on  the 
southeast  corner  of  Block  55,  (south  side),  was 
completed  in  January,  1887,  at  a  cost  of  about 
$5,500.  It  was  enlarged  and  greatly  improved, 
at  a  cost  of  $17,000,  in  the  winter  of  1892-3. 

In  1902  the  North  Dixon  schools  entered  on 
the  experiment  of  a  kindergarten  as  one  of  the 
departments  of  the  public  schools,  and  the  south 
side  schools  introduced  manual  training.  Dur- 
ing this  year  the  first  school  house  to  be  erected 
in  West  Dixon  was  completed  at  a  cost  of  $7,- 
000.  It  is  situated  on  the  Block  fronting  Third 
Street,  and  was  named  the  "Truman  School," 
after  Mr.  F.  A.  Truman,  deceased,  who  was 
President  of  the  Board  of  Education  for  many 
years  and  Mayor  of  the  city. 

In  1881  the  Northern  Illinois  Normal  School 
and  Dixon  Business  College  was  opened  in  the 
old  Institute,  or  Seminary  Building,  pending 
the  construction  of  buildings  in  the  west  part  of 
city,  which  were  completed  and  occupied  the 
next  year.  Prof.  J.  B.  Dille  was  Principal.  As 
an  inducement  to  secure  the  location  of  this 
school,  citizens  of  Dixon  and  vicinity  subscribed 
for  scholarships  in  the  institution  to  the  extent 
of  about  $20,000.  The  school  now  occupies  a 
large  brick  building,  and  on  either  side  is  a  dor- 
mitory similarly  constructed.  The  grounds  em- 
brace four  city  blocks  in  the  west  part  of  the 
city.  The  two  southernmost  of  these  buildings 
were  completed  in  1882,  and  the  school  became 
permanently  located  in  them.  In  1888  the 
northern  dormitory  was  built.  The  school  is 
now  operating  under  charter  of  July  15,  1902, 
with  J.  B.  Dille,  J.  C.  Flint  and  J.  W.  Watts  as 
directors. 

Steinman  College  was  established  in  the  fall 
of  1882  by  Mr.  Chas.  A.  Steinman,  its  present 
President  and  business  manager.  The  build- 
ings are  located  on  the  bank  of  the  river  adjoin- 
ing Assembly  Park,  on  the  up  river  side,  and 
consist  of  a  large  three-story  brick  school 
building,  standing  immediately  on  the  high 
bank  of  the  stream  surrounded  by  native  trees, 
and  a  dormitory  near  by.  The  campus  embraces 
many  acres  and  the  surroundings  are  quiet  and 
in  every  respect  attractive.  The  main  building 
was  erected  in  1895  and  the  dormitoy  in  1902. 

St.  Mary's  Parochial  School  was  founded  in 
1897.     The  residence  property  belonging  to  the 


estate  of  George  L.  Schuler.  Nos.  710-716  Peoria 
Avenue,  was  purchased  and  a  plot  300  feet  on 
Peoria  Avenue  by  200  feet  deep,  reserved  for 
school  purposes.  The  dwelling  was  overhauled 
and  admirably  arranged  to  meet  the  needs  of 
the  school.  It  started  with  an  attendance  of 
over  250  pupils,  which  has  increased  some- 
what. The  course  includes  primar.v  and  gram- 
mar grades  preparing  pupils  for  the  high  school. 
Seven  teachers  are  employed,  including  a  music 
teacher,  all  of  whom  are  Sisters  of  the  Domin- 
ican Order,  whose  home,  as  well  as  the  home  of 
the  Order,  is  at  Sinsinawa  Mound,  Wis. 

Dams  and  Bridges. — In  the  summer  of  1845 
measures  were  being  taken  for  the  incorpora- 
tion of  the  Rock  River  Dam  and  Bridge  Com- 
pany, to  erect  a  toll-bridge  and  "a  good  and 
sufficient  dam  across  Rock  River."  The  bridge 
was  built  at  the  foot  of  Ottawa  Street  in  the 
fall  and  winter  of  1846-7.  March  20,  1847,  the 
freshet  took  out  the  north  half  of  the  bridge, 
and  during  the  summer  it  was  rebuilt  two  feet 
higher  at  a  cost  of  $2,000.  It  was  a  toll-bridge 
at  first,  but  became  a  free  bridge  June  13,  1855. 
In  the  spring  of  1849,  the  south  half  was  swept 
away  by  the  ice  and  was  not  restored  until 
the  summer  of  1851,  v/hen  it  was  rebuilt  four 
feet  higher  than  the  north  half,  the  ferry  be- 
ing the  means  of  crossing  in  the  Interim.  In 
1850  the  dam  was  built.  Father  Dixon  appar- 
ently continued,  in  some  degree,  the  ferry  busi- 
ness as  late  as  December  31,  1851,  on  which 
date  he  sold  to  the  Rock  River  Dam  and  Bridge 
Company  all  his  "right,  title  and  interest  in 
the  ferry,  as  now  established  at  Dixon,  together 
with  ferry  landing,  ferry-boat,  privileges,"  etc. 

The  estimate  placed  on  Rock  River  in  those 
days  is  reflected  in  the  act  of  the  Legislature, 
approved  March  1,  1845,  incorporating  the  Rock 
River  Dam  and  Bridge  Company  at  Dixon, 
wherein  it  is  provided  that,  in  erecting  the  pro- 
posed dam,  said  company  "shall  construct  and 
maintain  a  lock  in  said  dam  for  the  passage 
of  steamboats,  rafts  and  water-crafts  of  such 
dimensions  as  were  adopted  by  the  State  in 
the  contemplated  improvement  of  the  naviga- 
tion of  Rock  River,  and  shall  construct  a  draw 
in  said  bridge  immediately  over  said  lock." 

February  14,  1857,  a  free  bridge  had  just 
been  completed  below  the  railroad  bridge,  when 
the  ice  wrecked  it  so  badly  as  to  render  it  use- 
less. On  the  24th  of  the  same  month  the  ice 
carried  away  the  bridge  at  foot  of  Ottawa 
Street. 


666 


HISTORY    OF    LEE    COUNTY. 


Jlay  23.  1S57,  Jas.  A.  Watson  commenced  the 
erection  of  a  footbridge  at  the  foot  of  Galena 
Avenue.  Sufficient  money  was  raised,  a  few 
days  later,  to  convert  it  into  a  double-traclv 
bridge. 

December  10,  1857,  the  new  bridge  in  West 
Dixon  was  completed.  February  20,  1859.  the 
dam  was  carried  out  by  the  ice  and  high  water, 
sweeping  four  bents  of  the  Galena  Street 
Bridge.  The  West  Dixon  bridge  was  left  as  the 
only  means  of  crossing  the  river  except  by 
boat. 

April  23,  1859.  "two  factories  and  Brookner's 
saw  mill,"  standing  at  north  end  of  the  dam 
were  being  undermined  by  high  water,  and  in 
danger  of  tumbling  into  the  river  and  floating 
against  the  toll-bridge  just  finished  and  demol- 
ishing it.  The  factories  were  moved  and  the 
saw  mill  burned  to  save  the  bridge.  Mr.  John 
W.  King,  now  living  in  Dixon,  touched  the 
match  to  the  mill  by  consent  of  the  owner,  Mr. 
Brookner.  From  him  we  learn  that  the  north 
bank  of  the  river.at  the  dam  abutment,  is  from 
100  to  150  feet  farther  north  than  it  was  then; 
that  the  river  is  thus  that  much  wider  at  this 
point  than  it  was  then. 

August  20  of  this  year  the  erection  of  an- 
other free-bridge,  at  the  foot  of  Galena  Street, 
was  commenced  to  cost  112.000,  Z.  H.  Luckey 
being  the  contractor.  The  opening  of  this 
bridge  for  travel,  January  1,  1861,  was  cele- 
brated by  a  procession  with  blare  of  band  and 
booming  of  cannon.  In  the  spring  of  1S63  the 
dam  was  again  repaired  by  J.  H.  Cropsey,  at  a 
cost  of  $10,000. 

May  20,  1866,  a  drove  of  nearly  a  hundred 
head  of  cattle  broke  through  a  span  of  the 
bridge  near  the  center  and  were  precipitated 
into  the  river. 

December  2,  1867.  work  was  I'lmmenced  by 
James  A.  Watson  in  rebuilding  the  wagon- 
bridge,  which  was  swept  away  before  com- 
pleted. City  bonds  to  the  amount  of  ?8.000 
were  issued  on  account  of  this  bridge. 

March  7.  1868,  the  "free  bridge"  was  taken 
out  by  the  ice,  cooperating  with  a  very  high 
freshet.  One  of  the  piers  of  the  railroad  bridge 
was  battered  down  by  the  ice  and  two  spans 
fell  into  the  river.  About  120  feet  of  the  south 
end  of  the  dam  was  also  washed  out.  A  tem- 
porary wagon  bridge  was  erected  within  a  few 
weeks. 

JanuaiT  21,  1869.  the  first  iron  bridge  was 
dedicated.      It     was    known    as    the    Trusdell 


pattern,  and  cost,  with  the  present  stone  piers 
and  abutments,  $75,000.  For  most,  if  not  all,  of 
its  life  it  was  a  toll-bridge.  Although  it  had 
five  spans,  each  132  feet  in  length,  it  was  a 
continuous  truss,  each  span  being  dependent 
on  the  others.  The  opening  was  celebrated  by 
a  procession,  headed  by  the  venerable  founder 
of  the  town  in  a  carriage,  followed  by  a  brass 
band,  the  City  Council  and  citizens.  On  Sun- 
day, the  4th  day  of  May,  1873,  (a  beautiful  day), 
baptismal  services  were  being  held  below  the 
bridge  at  its  north  end,  at  the  hour  when  resi- 
dents of  the  north  side  were  returning  from 
church.  A  crowd  had  already  gathered  on  the 
down-river  side  of  the  northernmost  span, 
and  many  of  those  on  their  way  from 
church  stopped  to  witness  the  ceremony 
when,  without  warning,  the  span  was  precipi- 
tated into  the  deep  water  beneath.  The  fall 
was  not  directly  downward  but  somewhat  side- 
wise,  in  a  manner  indicating  that  the  accident 
was  caused  by  the  crowd  being  massed  on  one 
side.  This  was  the  sorest  affliction  Dixon  has 
ever  been  subjected  to.  Thirty-seven  persons 
were  drowned  or  killed  by  portions  of  the  iron 
work  falling  upon  them  or  by  being  held  un- 
der the  water,  while  forty-seven  were  seriously, 
and  five  mortally,  injured.  Of  this  number  all. 
but  seven  were  women  or  girls.  Some  were 
thrown  against  the  abutment  with  such  force 
as  to  inflict  fatal  injuries;  others  were  held 
under  the  water  by  their  clothing  being  caught 
in  the  framework,  while  still  others  were 
bruised  and  rendered  helpless  by  the  blows  of 
the  falling  iron.  The  collapse  of  this  span 
caused  all  the  others  to  give  way  with  varying 
effect.  The  one  next  to  the  south  bank  fell  into 
the  water  while  others,  though  broken,  hung 
suspended  above  the  stream.  The  mortality  list 
from  this  terrible  catastrophe  was  as  follows: 
Misses  Clara  and  Rosa  Stackpole,  Kate  Sterling, 
Melissa  Willhelm,  Maggie  O'Brien,  Nettie  Hill, 
Ida  Vann,  Ida  Drew,  Agnes  Nixon,  Bessie 
Reyne,  Irene  Baker,  Emily  Deming,  Lizzie 
Mackay;  Mesdames  Doctor  Hoffman,  J.  W.  Lat- 
ta.  Col.  H.  T.  Noble,  Benj.  Gillman,  Carpenter 
(mother  of  J.  W.  Carpenter),  William  Took, 
Jas.  Goble,  Ellas  Hope,  E.  Wallace,  E.  Peters- 
berger  and  little  daughter,  Thomas  Wade, 
Henry  Sillman,  William  Merriman,  C.  W.  Kent- 
er;  Messrs.  George  W.  Kent.  Frank  Hamilton, 
Edward  Doyle,  Thomas  Haley,  Robert  Dyke.  Jay 
R.  Mason,  and  two  children  of  Mrs.  Hen- 
drix.     Five  died  from  injuries  received,  towit: 


HISTORY    OF    LEE    COUNTY. 


667 


Mesdames  P.  M.  Alexander,  William  Vann. 
Charles  March  and  W.  Wilcox  and  Mr.  Seth 
Whitemore.  All  were  residents  of  Dixon  and 
vicinity. 

Up  to  this  time,  ten  bridges  in  all  had 
spanned  the  river,  including  the  Trusdell 
bridge. 

November  IS.  1873.  the  Howe  Truss  wooden 
bridge  was  completed  at  a  cost  of  $18,000.  In 
time  the  timber  became  unsafe  in  spite  of  re- 
pairs and,  in  1885,  its  place  was  taken  by  the 
iron  bridge  now  in  use,  which  cost  $35,000. 

The  interests  represented  by  the  dam,  race 
and  water-power  have  never  been  incorporated, 
but  have  continued  up  to  the  present  to  be 
owned  in  severalty  as  appurtenant  to  the  abut- 
ting land.  Efforts  were  made  to  consolidate 
the  different  properties  into  the  owenrship  of 
an  incorporated  company,  but  the  ideas  of  the 
various  owners  and  the  valuations  they  placed 
upon  their  holdings  precluded  this.  In  1880, 
however,  an  agreement  was  entered  into  by  all 
of  the  interested  parties  except  Mr.  W.  H.  God- 
frey, recognizing  the  several  holdings  exclus- 
ive of  his,  and  furnishing  a  basis  of  assess- 
ment for  maintenance  and  repair,  and  prescrib- 
ing procedure  for  collecting  the  same.  The 
instrument  is  dated  May  19,  1880,  and  is  re- 
corded in  the  Recorder's  Office  in  Book  "C."  of 
Miscellaneous  Records,  p.  283.  It  seems  to 
have  served  its  purpose  satisfactorily  up  to  the 
present  time. 

Hotels. — In  the  winter  of  1836-7  Peter  McKin- 
ney  and  H.  Thompson  started  the  "Western 
Hotel,"  the  building  still  being  in  existence  as 
Nos.  112,  114  and  116  Hennepin  Avenue.  Fa- 
ther Dixon's  log  house  had  been  converted  into 
a  tavern,  and  was  kept  by  the  same  parties. 
In  1837  a  third  hotel  was  started  known  as 
"Rock  River  House,"  and  afterwards  as  "Phe- 
nix  Hotel."  It  was  located  about  fifty  feet 
west  of  the  corner  of  Galena  and  Water  Streets 
and  was  conducted  by  Crowell  &  Wilson,  and 
later  by  George  Holly  and  Isaac  Robinson.  It 
was  destroyed  by  fire  in  1846. 

The  foundation  of  the  Nachusa  House  was 
laid  in  1838  by  a  company  from  Buffalo,  N.  Y., 
further  progress  being  stopped  by  the  strin- 
gency of  the  money  market.  Nothing  further 
was  done  until  March  19,  1853.  when  a  com- 
pany was  formed  with  a  capital  of  $10,000  to 
complete  the  building,  and,  on  the  10th  of  the 
following  December,  it  was  opened  for  busi- 
ness. November  23,  1854,  one  of  the  papers 
667-4 


says:  "Mr.  E.  B.  Stiles  intends  building  a 
long  addition,  80  by  '32  and  four  stories  high, 
to  the  Nachusa  house. 

The  Washington  House,  corner  of  Ottawa 
Avenue  and  First  Street,  was  completed  Octo- 
ber 1,  1854. 

About  1840  the  Dixon  House  was  built  by 
Henry  McKinney  on  First  Street,  and  in  Au- 
gust, 1855,  was  moved  to  the  present  site  of 
the    Countryman    Block    (111-113    Galena    Ave- 


lodeled   and    enlarged. 
)  to  make  room  tor  the 


Dement  &  Noble  com- 
the   Shabbona   House, 


nue),  where  it  was  ren 
It  was  demolished  in  1S8£ 
latter  block. 

June  14,  1856,  Cropsey. 
menced  the  erection  of 
about  a  block  north  of  the  Chicago  &  North- 
western Depot.  It  was  an  imposing  brick 
structure,  located  immediately  south  of  No.  723 
Depot  Avenue.  It  was  opened  October  1,  1857, 
by  Mr.  Benjamin  from  Vermont,  under  the 
name  of  "Dement  House."  In  the  summer  of 
1868  it  was  leased  by  Crockett  &  Dake. 

April  19,  1860,  Cheney  &  Company  opened 
the  Waverly  House  at  the  Northwestern  Depot. 

December  2,  1868,  the  Shabbona  House  was 
opened  by  H.  E.  Gedney,  as  the  "St.  James  Ho- 
tel," and  on  November  30,  1871,  it  was  destroyed 
by  fire — loss,  $22,500. 

Banks.— The  firm  of  S.  Noble  &  Co.,  consist- 
ing of  Silas  Noble,  Henry  T.  Noble  and  Jerome 
W.  HoUenbeck.  was  early  condi^cting  a  real- 
estate  agency,  which,  about  1854,  developed  into 
a  banking  business  carried  on  in  the  identical 
room  which  is  now  108  First  Street.  In  1855 
the  firm  joined  J.  B.  Nash  in  building  Union 
Block,  now  105-107  First  Street.  The  first  floor 
of  107  was  splendidly  finished  and  well  equip- 
ped as  a  banking  office,  and  as  soon  as  com- 
pleted, the  firm  moved  into  its  new  quarters. 
They  failed  in  the  panic  of  1857. 

E.  B.  Stiles  was  in  the  banking  business 
here  as  early  as  1854,  and  in  1854-5  built  the 
bank  building  where  the  City  National  Bank 
is  now  located.     He  failed  in  1864  or  1865. 

In  1853  Robertson.  Eastman  &  Co.,  of  Rock- 
ford,  established  a  bank  at  what  is  now  202 
First  Street.  Here,  in  1854,  Samuel  C.  Eells 
found  employment  as  clerk.  In  the  spring  of 
1855  the  firm  became  Robertson,  Eells  &  Co. 
In  1859  it  was  changed  to  Efells  &  Coleman. 
On  January  21.  1865,  the  Lee  County  National 
Bank  was  organized  as  its  successor,  with  a 
capital  of  $100,000.  and  with  Joseph  Crawford 
as  President;   Joseph  Utley,  Vice  President;   S. 


668 


HISTORY    OF    LEE    COUNTY, 


C.  Eells,  Cashier;  Jolm  Coleman,  Assistant 
Cashier.  On  expiration  of  its  charter  the  Lee 
County  National  was  succeeded  by  the  City 
National  Bank,  which  was  organized  in  1885 
with  the  same  capital,  and  with  Joseph  Craw- 
ford as  President  and  S.  C.  Eells  as  Cashier. 
The  present  officers  are  Samuel  C.  Eells,  Presi- 
dent; Leonard  Andrus,  Vice  President;  Warren 
C.  Durkes,  Cashier;  Charles  E.  Chandler,  Assis- 
tant Cashier.  It  is  worthy  of  note  that,  for- al- 
most fifty  years.  Mr.  Eells  has  thus  been  identi- 
fied with  the  banking  interests  of  Dixon,  and 
that  now,  at  the  advanced  age  of  eighty-one, 
he  is  still  actively  engaged  at  the  head  of  the 
institution  which  he  practically  founded.  His 
conservative  methods,  together  with  the  confi- 
dence inspired,  tided  him  over  every  financial 
crisis  and  enabled  him  eventually  to  own.  as 
he  does  now,  the  banking  houses  of  both  of 
his  early  competitors. 

September  15.  1871.  the  Dixon  National  Bank 
was  organized  with  $100,000  capital,  and  with 
H.  B.  Jenks,  President;  John  Dement,  Vice 
President;  H.  S.  Lucas,  Cashier.  The  present 
officers  are  Jason  C.  Ayres,  President;  S.  S. 
Dodge,  Vice  President;  C.  H.  Hughes,  Cashier, 
and  A.  P.  Armington,  Assistant  Cashier. 

The  Union  State  Bank  was  incorporated  un- 
der the  State  law,  January  8,  1902,  with  I.  B. 
Countryman,  President;  C.  J.  Rosbrook,  Vice 
President;  R.  M.  Moore.  Cashier — capital.  $50.- 
000.  It  has  the  only  savings  deposit  depart- 
ment in  the  city,  and  makes  a  specialty  of  this 
class  of  accounts.  Its  business,  at  this  writing. 
Indicates  that  by  September  1.  1903.  the  num- 
ber of  savings  depositors  will  reach  900,  with 
deposits  to  their  credit  of  $120,000,  exclusive 
of  commercial  deposits. 

Dixon  in  the  War  of  the  ReheUion. — It  is 
worth  remarking  that  the  war  spirit  began  to 
take  form  as  early  as  March  14,  1857,  when  a 
young  men's  military  company  was  organized 
with  Capt.  J.  B.  Wyman.  of  Amboy,  as  drill- 
master,  H.  T.  Noble  Captain,  B.  P.  Shaw  First 
Lieutenant,  L.  G.  Mooney  Second  Lieutenant, 
and  Ellis  Williams  Third  Lieutenant. 

The  first  company  to  volunteer  for  the  war 
organized  April  22,  1861.  by  electing  A.  B. 
Gorgas.  Captain;  Henry  T.  Noble,  First  Lieu- 
tenant; Henry  D.  Dement,  Second  Lieutenant; 
Benj.  Gilman,  First  Sergeant;  0.  M.  Pugh, 
Second  Sergeant.  The  company  became  Com- 
pany "A."  Thirteenth  Illinois  Volunteer  In- 
fantry.    The  promotion  of  Capt.  Gorgas  to  the 


office  of  Major  of  the  regiment  resulted  in 
Henry  T.  Noble  becoming  Captain;  Henry  D. 
Dement  First  Lieutenant,  Benj.  Gilman  Second 
ond  Lieutenant;  George  L.  Aiken,  First  Ser- 
geant, and  A.  J.  Pinkham.  Second  Sergeant. 
April  25th  the  company  was  presented  with  a 
silk  flag  by  the  ladies  of  Dixon.  Miss  Mary  Wil- 
liams (later  Mrs.  H.  D.  Dement)  making  the 
presentation  address,  and  on  June  1st  the  ladies 
presented  the  company  with  uniforms  made  by 
their  own  hands. 

Two  other  companies,  the  "Dixon  Cadets"  and 
"Dixon  Blues,"  were  organized  within  a  few 
days,  but  were  not  needed,  as  the  regiments 
under  the  first  call  of  the  President  for  troops 
were  already  full. 

October  1,  1861,  a  recruiting  camp  was  es- 
tablished on  the  bank  of  the  river  in  West 
Dixon. 

December  5.  1861.  "Dement  Phalanx"  went 
into  winter-quarters,  in  a  vacant  stone  building, 
now  part  of  Grand  Detour  Plow  Works,  referred 
to  as  Dement  Barracks.  It  was  organized  as 
"Co.  H,"  Forty-sixth  Illinois,  John  Stevens  Cap- 
tain, and  left  for  Springfield,  February  2,  1862. 
to  join  the  regiment. 

June  20,  1861,  the  "Volunteer  Aid  Associa- 
tion" secured  subscriptions  to  the  amount  of 
$2,625  for  the  benefit  of  the  families  of  absent 
volunteers,  and,  in  1864,  the  young  men  in  the 
public  schools  formed  a  "Patriotic  Club,"  for 
the  purpose  of  assisting  soldiers'  widows  and 
families  by  chopping  firewood,  doing  chores 
and  the  like. 

March  28,  1862.  the  ladies  of  Dixon  formed  a 
Soldiers'  Aid  Society. 

June  10,  1862,  another  company  was  organ- 
ized with  Jas.  W.  Reardon  as  Captain.  Its 
principal  service  was  the  guarding  of  rebel 
prisoners  confined  in  Camp  Douglas,  Chicago. 
It  was  enlisted  for  three  months  and  became 
Co.  H.  Sixty-ninth  Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry. 

May  21,  1863.  John  V.  Eustace  was  appointed 
Provost  Marshal  for  this  Congressional  Dis- 
trict, with  office  in  Dixon. 

November  26,  1863,  the  Board  of  Supervisors 
offered  a  bounty  of  $100  to  every  accepted  vol- 
unteer from  the  county. 

January  21,  1864,  the  Thirty-fourth  Regi- 
ment, which  went  cut  1.000  strong,  returned 
on  thirty  days'  furlough  oniy  340  strong.  They 
were  given  a  public  reception. 

June  16.  1864,  the  One  Hundred  Fortieth  Illi- 
nois  Volunteer    Infantry,    which    had    been    in 


HISTORY    OF    LEE    COUNTY. 


669 


camp  at  Dement  Barracks  about  six  weeks,  de- 
parted for  Springfield,  where  it  was  mustered 
into  the  service,  with  Lorenzo  H,  Whitney, 
Colonel;  Michael  W.  Smith.  Lieute.nant 
Colonel:    and   William   0.   Evans.   Major. 

June  21.  1S64,  Company  A  of  the  Thirteenth 
Regiment  returned.  A  concourse  of  people  met 
them  at  the  depot  and  escorted  them  to  the 
Court  House,  where  a  sumptuous  dinner 
awaited  them.  ( See  "Lee  County  in  War  of  Re- 
bellion.") 

Dixon  in  Spanish-American  War. — A  com- 
pany of  100  men  left  Dixon  for  the  camp  of 
lendezvous  at  Springfield,  at  three  o'clock  on 
the  morning  of  April  27,  1S98.  About  half  the 
number  were  members  of  Company  G.  of  tha 
Sixth  Regiment  State  Militia.  They  wei'e  un- 
der command  of  Capt.  Philip  McGrath.  of  Woo- 
sung,  and  Maj.  W.  C.  Baldwin,  of  Dixon.  Mar- 
tial spirit  ran  high  up  to  the  hour  of  their  de- 
parture. A  farewell  demonstration  was  held 
in  front  of  the  Nachusa  House,  at  which  Mayor 
Truman  presided  and  stirring  addresses  were 
made.  A  Sterling  company  joined  the  Dixon 
company  here  en  route  to  the  State  Capital,  and 
the  night  was  taken  up  with  attentions  to  the 
soldier  boys.  After  partaking  of  a  supper 
served  at  the  Armory  by  the  Woman's  Relief 
Corps,  about  midnight  they  were  escorted  to 
the  Illinois  Central  Railroad  depot  by  the  Grand 
Army  Post  and  civic  societies,  and  sent  on 
their  way  midst  the  huzzas  of  the  crowd  and 
strains  of  martial  music. 

September  21.  1898,  the  company  returned, 
after  having  served  in  Cuba  and  Porto  Rico. 
It  was  a  bright  day,  and  it  seemed  as  if  the 
whole  town  was  out  to  greet  them  on  their 
march  to  the  armory  on  Second  Street,  where 
a  royal  dinner,  furnished  by  the  citizens  and 
served  by  Mr.  Young  of  the  Nachusa  House, 
awaited  them.  In  the  evening  a  band  concert 
in  Court  House  Park  and  a  reception  and  dance 
tendered  the  soldiers  in  Rosbrook's  Hall,  testi- 
fied to  the  joy  of  the  community  at  their  re- 
turn. The  officers  on  return  were,  Philip  Mc- 
Grath, Captain:  C.  E.  Frisby,  First  Lieuten- 
ant; H.  B.  Trowbridge,  Second  Lieutenant:  S. 
Frisby,  M.  J.  Doctor,  H.  T.  Roherbeck,  C.  H. 
Nye  and  Sam.  Gushing.  Sergeants.  Corporals, 
other  subordinate  officers  and  privates  num- 
bered 72.  Maj.  Baldwin  contracted  a  disease 
from  which  he  died  in  hoHpital  before  reach- 
ing home.  He  was  buried  at  Oakwood  Ceme- 
tery, a  few  weeks  later,  with  honors  becoming 
his    rank    and   service. 


Grand  Army  of  the  licpublic. — Dixon  Post, 
No.  299.  Department  of  Illinois,  was  organized 
June  29,  1883,  in  the  court  room  of  the  Court 
House,  with  Charles  W.  Dey  as  Commander; 
Dwight  Heaton,  S.  V.  C;  David  Erisman,  J. 
V'.  C:  A.  F.  Robinson,  Chap.;  D.  H.  Law,  Surg.; 
G.  G.  Messer,  Q.  M.;  H.  W.  Eatou,  Adjt. ;  Wm. 
Coffey,  0.  D.;  Louis  Allemand,  0.  G.;  H.  S. 
Palmer.  S.  M.;  John  Merriman.  Q.  M.  S.  The 
post  has  prospered  and  now  has  a  membership 
of  123  in  good  standing.  The  present  officers 
are:      M.   61.   Avery,  Com.:    H.   C.   Cook,   S.  V.; 

White,  J.  v.;    S.   W.  Youngman,   Q.   M.; 

William  Post,  Chap.;  Alex.  Depuy,  Surg.;  C.  W. 
Dey,  Adjt.:  L.  W.  Mitchell.  Q.  M.  S.;  Calvin 
Frisbee,  S.  M.;  S.  P.  Thomas.  0.  D.;  Wm.  A. 
Vann.  0.  G.:  L.  W.  Mitchell.  C.  H.  Noble  and 
S.  S  Dodge.  Trustees. 

Wo)ne7i-s  Relief  Corps.— Dixon  W.  R.  C. 
No.  218,  auxiliary  to  G.  A.  R..  was  organized, 
December  12,  1892.  with  one  hundred  members, 
\vhich  has  increased  to  223,  ranking  first  In 
the  State  in  charter  membership,  and  second 
in  present  membership.  Its  first  officers  were 
Dorothy  N.  Law,  President;  Grace  Johnson,  S. 
v.;  Hattie  Dodge,  J.  V.;  Mary  A.  Noble,  Sec; 
Catharine  J.  Thompson,  Treas. ;  Evelyn  Street, 
Chap.:  Rachel  M.  H.  Dey,  Conductor;  Rachel 
Guthrie,  Asst.  Cond.;  Ella  Parkhurst.  Guard; 
Sarah  A.  Brubaker.  Assistant  Guard.  The 
present  officers  are:  Clara  Goodrich,  President; 
Nellie  Eastman,  S.  V.;  Carrie  Meyers,  J.  V.; 
Harriet  Smith,  Sec;  Nettie  Dixon.  Treas.; 
Nancy  Prescott,  Chap.;  Katherine  Greig,  Cond.; 
Nellie  Johnson,  Asst.  Cond.;  Lydia  Cummings, 
Guard:  Ella  Bresia.  Asst.  Guard:  Lucy  Ros- 
brock.  Ella  Drew.  Fannie  Toot.  Anna  Gray, 
Color-Bearers;  Eda  Honey,  Instructor;  Hattie 
Reed,  Musician.  The  Corps  has  done  a  splen- 
did work  in  caring  for  afflicted  soldiers  and 
those  dependent  upon  them.  It  has  been  a 
model  of  harmonious  cooperation  and  efficient 
work. 

Hospital. — Dixon  has  a  hospital  of  which  it 
is  justly  proud.  It  was  built  in  1896  at  a  cost, 
including  furnishings,  of  about  $12,000,  and  was 
opened  for  patients  January  1,  1897.  This 
beneficent  enterprise  was  made  possible  through 
the  Initiatory  benevolence  of  one  of  Dixon's 
citizens,  Mr.  Solomon  H.  Bethea.  The  beauti- 
ful, and  in  every  way  suitable,  site  on  which  the 
building  stands,  was  purchased  by  him  at  a 
cost  of  $3. .500  and  donated  to  the  city  for  this 
purpose.  To  avail  of  this  gift  the  hospital  was 
established   by   ordinance   of   the   City   Council, 


6/0 


HISTORY    OF    LEE    COUNTY. 


passed  November  1,  1895,  "for  use  and  benefit 
of  the  inhabitants  ot  said  city,  with  a  Board  of 
Directors  of  nine  women,  to  be  chosen  from  the 
citizens  at  large  by  the  Mayor,  with  approval  ot 
the  Council,"  and  by  resolution  of  the  Board  it 
was  very  appropriately  named  the  "Katherinb 
Shaw  Bethea  Memorial  Hospital."  November 
1,  1896.  Mary  A.  Noble,  Sarah  J.  Brubaker.  Lou- 
ise B.  Cumins,  Lizzie  J.  Shaw,  Susan  A.  Smith, 
Delia  L.  Watson.  Nellie  McMartin,  Kittle  Fin- 
ley  and  Annie  Geisenheimer  were  chosen  as 
the  first  Board  of  Directors,  which  was  organ- 
ized by  the  election  of  Mary  A.  Noble.  Presi- 
dent; Lizzie  J.  Shaw,  Vice  President;  Kittle 
Finley,  Secretary,  and  Nellie  JIcMartin,  Treas- 
urer. 

Mr.  Bethea  conveyed  the  grounds  to  the  "Dix- 
on Public  Hospital"  by  deed,  daied  May  26, 
1896,  and  recorded  in  the  Recorder's  office,  in 
Book  71  of  Deeds,  p.  138,  in  memory  of  his  wife, 
Katharine  Shaw  Bethea.  The  conditions  of  the 
grant,  as  set  forth  in  the  deed,  are  very  ex- 
plicit and  in  reality  form  the  operative  frame- 
work of  the  institution. 

The  building  was  erected  by  contributions 
from  various  sources.  Citizens  of  Dixon  had 
raised  a  purse  to  secure  the  removal  to  Dixon 
from  Jefferson  City.  Mo.,  of  the  third  of  the 
shoe  factories  of  C.  M.  Henderson  &  Co.  Mr. 
F.  A.  Watson,  manager  of  these  factories,  pro- 
cured the  consent  of  the  contributors  that  three 
thousand  dollars  of  this  purse  might  be  turned 
over  to  the  hospital  fund,  instead  of  being  used 
for  the  benefit  of  his  company,  as  intended. 
The  city  appropriated  $1,000  to  the  building. 
The  remainder  of  the  cost  was  raised  by  indi- 
vidual contributions  and  entertainments.  We 
would  be  glad  to  insert  the  names  of  all  the 
givers  with  amounts,  did  space  permit,  but  can 
only  make  room  for  subscriptions  of  $100  and 
over:  Theron  Cumins,  for  sun  room  (since  con- 
verted into  wards),  $700;  C.  M.  Henderson  & 
Co.,  $500;  Grand  Detour  Plow  Company.  $500; 
Geo.  H.  Squires,  $200;  J.  C.  Ayres,  $200;  Mrs. 
Jos.  Crawford,  $200;  Mrs.  H.  T.  Noble,  $200; 
Loveland  &  Stitely,  $150;  C.  F.  Emerson  Lum- 
ber Co.,  $100;  I.  B.  Countryman,  $100;  J.  W. 
Crawford,  $100;  J.  D.  Crabtree.  $100;  C.  H. 
Hughes,  $100;  C.  H.  Fargo  &  Co.,  $100.  The 
total  raised  up  to  December  31.  1896,  was 
$7,831.68. 

Not  less  to  be  appreciated  was  the  assistance 
afforded  by  individuals  and  societies,  in  the 
way  of  furnishing  patients'  rooms  and  equip- 
ping the  institution  for  its  humane  work.     Mrs. 


F.  A.  Watson  furnished  one  room;  Mrs.  John 
Heilly  another;  the  ladies  of  Palmyra,  one; 
and  the  Lutheran,  Methodist,  Catholic  and 
Episcopal  churches  each  did  the  same,  while 
Miss  Lizzie  J.  Shaw  furnished  the  reception 
room.  The  room  outfits  consisted  ot  suitable 
furniture,  bedding,  linen  and  other  necessa- 
lies  and  conveniences.  In  each  instance,  gen- 
erosity and  good  taste  regulated  the  supply.  It 
was  estimated  that  the  cost  did  not  average 
less  than  $200  per  room;  and,  with  only  one  or 
two  exceptions,  the  donors  have  kept  up  the 
equipments  of  their  respective  rooms.  The 
contributions  of  Mrs.  Crawford  and  Mrs.  Noble 
were  applied  to  the  equipment  of  the  operating 
and  etherizing  room,  with  all  modern  acces- 
sories. 

The  hospital  is  supported  by  reasonable 
charges  where  patients  are  able  to  pay,  and  by 
a  yearly  appropriation  from  the  City  Council; 
and  for  a  number  of  years  the  Board  of  Super- 
visors, recognizing  the  benefits  to  the  county 
as  a  whole  from  a  humanitarian,  as  well  as  a 
business  standpoint,  have  annually  voted  $500 
to  its  support.  Mr.  Theron  Cumins,  by  his  will, 
bequeathed  $5,000  as  a  permanent  fund  for  its 
benefit,  the  interest  alone  being  available.  In 
addition  to  these  sources  of  revenue,  charitable 
contributions  in  the  shape  of  money  or  supplies 
are  received  and  highly  appreciated.  By  the 
terms  of  the  deed  referred  to,  provision  is  made 
for  the  safeguarding  of  gifts  or  bequests  which 
may  be  made  to  the  institution  for  any  special 
purpose,  thus  assuring  those  who  are  philan- 
thropica'ily  disposed  that  the  terms  of  their 
benefactions  will  be  faithfully  observed. 

The  present  Board  of  Trustees  consists  of 
Mrs.  Susan  S.  Smith,  President;  Mrs.  Louise 
Cumins.  Vice  President;  Miss  Anna  L.  Geisen- 
heimer, Secretary;  Miss  Nellie  McMartin, 
Treasurer;  Miss  Lizzie  J.  Shaw,  Mrs.  Delia  L. 
Watson,  Mrs.  Carrie  Todd.  Mrs.  Jennie  McAl- 
pine  and  Miss  Kittle  Finley. 

Library. — Dixon  is  not  only  proud  of  its  Pub- 
lic Library  and  Hospital,  but  of  the  public 
spirit  and  generosity  that  prompted  them.  The 
0.  B.  Dodge  Library,  a  gift  by  deed  to  the  city 
trom  the  citizen  for  whom  it  is  named,  is  not 
only  architecturally  beautiful  without  and  with- 
in, but  possesses  all  modern  conveniences  suited 
to  a  library  of  its  size,  and  is  admirably  adapt- 
ed to  the  purpose  to  which  it  is  devoted.  Con- 
struction was  commenced  in  1900  and  the  build- 
ing opened  and  dedicated  to  public  use,  by  ap- 


HISTORY    OF    LEE    COUNTY 


67] 


propriate  exercises,  February  16,  1901.  The 
building  and  grounds  cost  $22,000. 

In  admirable  keeping  with  the  spirit  of  this 
noble  gift,  came  a  library  endowment  of  $15,- 
000  from  the  estate  of  another  citizen,  Theron 
Cumins,  deceased,  which  was  placed  in  the 
hands  of  the  Trustees  at  the  dedication,  and  the 
income  from  which  is  to  be  used  for  the  pur- 
chase of  books.  In  addition  to  this  income,  the 
city  makes  an  annual  appropriation  towards 
the  support  of  the  library.  Mr.  Dodge's  gift 
carries  with  it  the  condition  that  the  city  shall 
maintain  the  library  and  keep  it  open  every 
week  day.  The  present  Library  Board  are: 
O.  B.  Dodge,  E.  C.  Parsons,  J.  C.  Ayres,  B.  P. 
Shaw,  Geo.  H.  Squires,  E.  E.  Wingert,  C.  E. 
Groves,  H.  W.  Baldwin  and  J.  B.  Dille,  O.  B, 
Dodge  being  President;  E.  CPai-sons,  Secre- 
tary, and  J.  C.  Ayres,  Treasurer. 

Earlier  efforts  towards  a  public  library  must 
not  be  overlooked.  As  early  as  1S72  the  Dixon 
Hose  Company  got  together  a  library  of  500 
volumes,  mostly  donated,  Alexander  Charters 
alone  giving  150  and  the  Women's  Christian 
Temperance  Union  300.  Started  originally 
solely  for  the  beneht  of  the  members  of  the 
company,  it  became  a  public  library  in  1S73, 
where  persons  paying  an  annual  fee  of  one 
dollar  became  entitled  to  its  privileges.  Under 
this  policy  the  volumes  increased  to  2,000  in 
1S84. 

In  1895  the  City  Council  passed  an  ordinance 
establishing  a  public  library  under  the  State 
law,  which  was  opened  January  1,  1896.  On 
the  1st  of  the  following  June  the  Hose  Company 
library  was  merged  In  this  public  library.  Up 
to  the  date  of  the  change  the  Hose  Company 
had  raised  $1,500  by  means  of  memberships, 
entertainments  and  fairs.  The  popularity  of 
the  Company's  undertaking  will  be  appreciated, 
when  it  is  recalled  that  $875  was  once  cleared 
in  a  single  night's  entertainment.  All  honor 
to  the  Hose  Company  for  its  splendid  work. 
The  volumes  it  accumulated  are  now  in  the 
0.  B.   Dodge  Library. 

The  first  Library  Board  appointed  by  the  City 
Council  at  the  organization  of  the  Public  Li- 
brary consisted  of  O.  B.  Dodge,  J.  C.  Ayres, 
J.  B.  Charters,  B.  F.  Shaw,  G.  H.  Squires.  J.  E. 
Dille,  William  Jenkins,  J.  C.  Joselyn  and  E.  E. 
Wingert. 

Rock  River  Assemlihj. — This,  one  of  the  most 
highly  prized  institutions  of  which  Dixon  may 
rightfully  boast,  is  controlled  by  the  Lutherans. 
Its    inception   sprang   from   a    movement    at   a 


meeting  of  the  Synod  of  that  denomination, 
held  at  Lena,  III.,  September  27  to  October  2, 
1887,  to  inaugurate  a  summer  Sunday  School 
Institute.  Rev.  J.  M.  Ptuthrauff,  then  pastor  of 
the  church  at  Dixoa  (recently  deceased),  sug- 
gested that  it  be  made  a  reunion  occasion  for 
members  and  friends  of  the  church  and  Sunday 
school,  and  that  an  attractive  grove,  by  some 
body  of  water,  be  selected  as  the  meeting  place 
where  rest  and  recreation  might  combine  with 
church  work.  The  outcome  was  a  meeting  be- 
ginning on  the  night  of  July  17.  1888,  and  clos- 
ing on  the  18th  at  Hsizelwood,  three  miles  up 
the  river  from  Dixon.  The  vacated  residence 
or  the  once  owner,  Alexander  Charters,  and  the 
log  cabin,  which  was  his  first  dwelling,  and 
seven  tents  accommodated  the  campers.  Rev. 
J.  W.  Ruthrauff  was  elected  President  and  Rev. 
W.  H.  Hartman  Secretary.  The  total  expense 
of  the  session  was  about  $50.  About  two  hun- 
dred were  present  from  abroad.  The  next  year 
a  ten  days'  session  was  held  at  the  same  place 
and,  by  a  small  admission  fee  for  persons  and 
conveyances,  $700  was  realized,  which  exceeded 
expenses  by  ten  dollars.  The  present  name 
was  given  to  the  enterprise,  and  a  committee 
appointed  to  secure  a  permanent  location,  as 
the  Charters  estate  had  parted  with  Hazelwood. 
The  committee  consisted  of  Revs.  J.  M.  Ruth- 
rauff, W.  H.  Hartman,  J.  J.  Delo  and  Owen  Cly- 
mer,  W.  T.  Schell  and  A.  A.  Krape,  who  selected 
the  present  site.  The  ground  was  rented  with 
an  option  to  purchase  expiring  September  1, 
1890.  At  the  August  assemblage  the  stock  of 
a  company  with  $10,000  capital  was  all  sub- 
scribed, and  a  permanent  organization  was  ef- 
fected with  J.  M.  Ruthrauff,  W.  T.  Schell,  Geo. 
W.  Bruner,  O.  B.  Blackman,  F.  Klosterman,  0. 
Clymer,  W.  H.  Hartman,  H.  A.  Ott  and  A.  A. 
Krape,  Directors,  who  made  Ruthrauff  Presi- 
dent; Krape,  Vice  President;  Hartman,  Secre- 
tary, and  Schell,  Treasurer. 

The  grounds,  consisting  of  about  thirty-four 
acres,  were  purchased  at  $150  per  acre  by  deed 
dated  November  1,  1890.  A  hotel  was  built  and 
a  tabernacle  75  feet  wide  by  110  feet  long,  ready 
for  the  session  of  1891.  This  was  superseded 
in  1900  by  a  splendid  auditorium  costing  about 
$8,000.  with  a  seating  capacity  of  5,000  people. 
It  is  circular  in  form,  160  feet  in  diameter  with- 
out supporting  posts  anywhere  to  obstruct  the 
view.  It  was  projected  by  Mr.  R.  J.  Bennett  of 
Chicago,  who  contributed  $1,000  towards  its 
cost.  Mr.  Morrison  H.  Vail,  now  of  Dixon,  was 
the  architect. 


672 


HISTORY    OF    LEE    COUNTY. 


Cemetery. — The  first  burial  was  ttiat  of  a 
man  by  the  name  of  Lafferty,  who  died  in  the 
fall  of  1836. 

In  1SS2  or  1883  a  considerable  extension  of 
the  grounds  was  added  on  the  south  and  east, 
and  in  the  summer  of  the  present  year  (1903 J 
the  city  entered  into  contract  carrying  the 
grounds  still  further  eastward.  The  cemetery 
has  always  been  owned  and  controlled  by  the 
city.  Scant  attention  was,  however,  paid  to  it 
until  about  1S90  or  1891,  when,  largely  through 
the  efforts  of  Aid.  C.  C.  Godfrey  in  preventing 
the  revenues  of  the  cemetery  from  being  di- 
verted to  other  uses,  means  were  at  hand  for 
improvement.  From  that  time  the  betterment 
was  manifest.  A  few  years  later  the  city  ac- 
cepted the  aid  and  co-operation  of  a  number  of 
ladies,  under  the  name  of  the  Cemetery  Asso- 
ciation, but  for  some  time  past  their  services 
seem  not  to  have  been  sought. 

'ine  Dixon  Loan  &  Building  Association  was 
organized  in  June,  1887.  Its  first  officers  were 
Sherwood  Dixon,  President;  A.  C.  Bardwell, 
Vice  President;  Jas.  A.  Hawley,  Treasurer;  W. 
D.  Barge,  Attorney;  Lloyd  R.  Hawley,  Secre- 
tary. Its  present  officers:  C.  H.  Hughes,  Pres- 
ident; M.  Maloney,  Vice  President;  A.  P.  Arm- 
ington.  Treasurer;  H.  S.  Dixon.  Attorney;  J.  N. 
Sterling,  Secretary. 

Its  first  statement,  December  1,  1887,  showed 
assets  amounting  to  $3,335.05.  Its  last  state- 
ment, June  1,  1903,  gave  assets,  $88,478.86.  The 
first  statement  show^ed  loans  in  force,  $3,200; 
the  last,  $81,000  in  force. 

'ine  total  number  of  loans  has  been  272,  ag- 
gregating $304,400.  The  Association  has  fur- 
nished the  funds  for  buiding  over  200  new 
houses  in  Dixon,  and  has  enabled  its  members 
to  ptirchase  over  fifty  houses  already  built.  In 
the  last  sixty-five  months,  since  the  stock  com- 
menced maturing,  it  has  paid  its  stockholders 
$162,000 — certainly  a  valuable  institution  to  the 
community.  During  the  sixteen  years  of  its 
existence  it  has  had  but  one  foreclosure. 

Mayors. — At  the  election,  March  7,  1859,  John 
Dement  was  elected  Mayor,  but  failed  to  quali- 
fy. Alderman  Joseph  Crawford  served  as  act- 
ing Mayor  until  a  special  election,  April  4th, 
when  A.  C.  Stedman  was  chosen  to  fill  the  va- 
cancy. The  Mayors  in  succession  have  been: 
A.  C,  Stedman,  1859-1860;  G.  L.  Herrick,  1861; 
Jas,  B.  Charters,  1862;  Oliver  Everett,  1863; 
Jas.  K.  Edsall,  1864;  Person  Cheney,  Jr.,  1865- 
6;  Andrew  McPherran,  1867-8;  John  Dement, 
1869-72;   Joseph  Crawford.  1873-5;   Jas.  A.  Haw- 


ley, 1876-7;  John  Dement,  1878-9;  John  V. 
Thomas,  1880-4;  R.  S.  Farrand,  1885-6;  A.  C. 
Warner,  1886-7;  S.  H.  Bethea,  1888-9;  H.  T. 
Noble,  1890-1;  Geo.  Steel,  1S91-2;  J.  F.  Palmer, 
1893-4;  Chas.  H.  Hughes,  1895-6;  F.  A.  Truman, 
1897-9;  Chas.  H.  Hughes,  1900-1;  F.  A.  Truman, 
1901-02;  Henry  S.  Dixon,  1903,  present  incum- 
bent. 

City  Clei-ks  and  Treasurers. — A.  P.  Curry, 
1859;  Jas.  L.  Camp,  1860;  J.  C.  Ayres,  1861-84; 
Geo.  Steel,  1885-7;  A.  C.  Warner,  1S88;  E.  W. 
Smith,  1890,  present  incumbent. 

Dixon  is  still  governed  under  its  original 
special  charter  and  amendments  thereto,  the 
provisions  of  the  general  law  relating  to  cities 
and  villages  never  having  been  adopted. 

City  Lighting.— December  22,  1874,  the  West- 
ern Excelsior  Gas  Company  commenced  opera- 
tion. Its  franchise  was,  however,  repealed 
May  10,  1877,  and  in  June,  1877,  one  was  grant- 
ed to  J.  D.  Patton,  under  which  Henry  C.  Hig- 
gins  and  Thomas  Higgins  established  the 
gas  plant  now  in  operation.  The  com- 
pany was  known  as  the  Dixon  Gas  Com- 
pany, and  was  succeeded  by  the  Dixon  Gas 
and  Electric  Light  Company.  November  13, 
1889,  the  city  granted  a  franchise  to  F.  A.  Wat- 
son, and  the  Dixon  Light  &  Power  Company 
was  formed  to  operate  under  it.  An  electric 
light  plant  was  placed  in  the  larger  shoe  fac- 
tory of  C.  M.  Henderson  &  Co.,  in  West  End, 
and  supplied  electric  light,  while  the  Gas  & 
Electric  Light  Company  limited  its  product  to 
gas.  In  the  winter  of  1891  the  two  companies 
consolidated  under  the  name  of  the  Dixon 
Power  &  Lighting  Company,  its  first  officers  be- 
ing: F.  A.  Watson,  President;  Geo.  Steel,  Vice 
President;  Geo.  C.  Loveland,  Secretary.  In  Au- 
gust, 1892,  the  company  purchased  the  proper- 
ty at  the  water  power,  then  known  as  the  Beck- 
er &  Underwood  Flour  Mills,  and  moving  its 
machinery  from  the  shoe  factory,  commenced 
running  there  April  1,  1893.  In  fall  of  1898 
the  company  commenced  the  erection  of  an  ad- 
dition on  the  adjoining  lot,  formerly  known  as 
the  "Farmers'  "  or  "Thompson's"  Mill,  and  on 
April  1,  1899,  the  machinery  there  installed  was 
set  in  motion.  This  company  now  supplies 
electric  light  and  gas  to  the  city  and  its  in- 
habitants. Its  officers  are:  F.  A.  Watson,  Pres- 
ident; H.  E.  Paine,  Vice  President;  I.  B.  Coun- 
tryman, Secretary;  F.  E.  Stiteley,  Treasurer; 
E.  P.  Maxwell,  superintendent. 

The  city  has  recently  granted  a  franchise  to 
the    Sterling,    Dixon   &   Eastern    Railway   Com- 


HISTORY    OF    LEE    COUNTY 


673 


pany,  to  use  the  streets  in  supplying  gas  and 
electric  light  in  competition  with  the  former 
company.  The  gas  plant  is  now  being  erected 
and  pipes  laid.  The  franchise  has  passed  into 
the  hands  of  the  Lee  County  Lighting  Com- 
pany, a  corporation  with  $100,000  capital.  The 
first  Board  of  Directors  consists  of  Henry  C. 
Higgins,  John  Van  Dyke,  Jr.,  Scrynton  Stock- 
dale,  John  I.  Biggs  and  Charles  H.  Hughes. 

Watei-  Works. — During  the  winter  of  1871-2 
water  mains  were  laid,  from  a  rotary  pump 
which  had  been  installed  at  the  water  power, 
extending  to  the  corner  of  Galena  and  First 
Streets,  at  a  cost  of  $600. 

July  18,  1883,  the  city  granted  a  franchise  to 
Alex.  H.  McNeal.  S.  S.  Murphy  was  his  agent 
and  the  real  projector  of  the  enterprise.  The 
Dixon  Water  Works  Company  was  incorporated 
May  10,  1884,  with  a  capital  of  $75,000,  to  take 
over  the  McNeal  franchise.  The  capital  was  re- 
duced to  $60,000,  June  28,  1890.  The  duration 
of  the  franchise  was  thirty  years.  The  com- 
pany is  now  operating  under  this  franchise. 
The  works  were  in  operation  in  1884.  Bonds 
were  issued  to  the  extent  of  the  capital,  and 
the  mortgage  securing  them  was  ultimately 
foreclosed  in  the  United  States  Court,  Chicago, 
and  sale  made  to  the  bondholders;  but  before 
the  deed  was  issued,  A.  K.  Trusdell,  J.  D.  Crab- 
tree,  J.  A.  Hawley  and  S.  S.  Murphy  purchased 
the  works.  The  first  officers  under  the  new 
management  were:  J.  D.  Crabtree,  President; 
J.  A.  Hawley,  Secretary  and  Treasurer;  Jno. 
Wasley,  superintendent.  This  was  continued 
until  after  Mr.  Hawley's  death,  when,  on  May 
9,  1899,  his  son,  Geo.  Hawley,  succeeded  his 
father  as  director  and  a.  K.  Trusdell  was 
made  President  and  J.  D.  Crabtree,  Secretary 
and  Treasurer.  After  Judge  Crabtree's  death, 
his  son,  John  B.,  succeeded  him  as  Director  and 
also  as  Secretary  and  Treasurer;  and  the  or- 
ganization so  stands  at  this  date. 

The  water  is  obtained  from  three  flowing 
artesian  wells,  which  draw  their  supply  from 
water-bearing  rock  (St.  Peter's  sandstone).  In 
the  winter  of  1890-91  two  wells  were  put  down, 
one  to  a  depth  of  1600  feet,  the  other  to  a 
depth  of  1650  feet.  In  1894  another  was  sunk  to 
a  depth  of  1700  feet.  By  these  wells  an  ample 
supply  of  superior  water  for  all  purposes  is 
assured.  As  originally  constructed  the  water 
was  pumped  directly  from  the  river.  The 
main  carrying  the  water  across  the  river  rests 
on  the  bed  of  the  stream  a  short  distance  below 
the  Galena  Street  bridge. 


The  water  is  distributed  to  consumers 
through  about  fifteen  miles  of  mains,  on  which 
are  165  hydrants  for  fire  protection.  The  con- 
sumers number  about  one  hundred.  The  actual 
average  pumpage  in  twenty-iour  hours  is  about 
2,500.000  gallons.  The  natural  flow  from  the 
wells  into  the  reservoir  at  the  works  is  600  to 
700  gallons  per  minute.  The  capacity  of  the 
reservoir  is  a  half  million  gallons,  and  of  the 
standpipe  near  the  cemetery,  270,000  gallons. 
Analysis  of  the  water  shows:  The  total  solids 
in  a  gallon.  17.5875  grains,  distributed  in  grains 
and  fractions  of  a  grain,  thus;  Silica,  .6424; 
oxide  of  aluminum  and  iron,  .2219;  carbonate 
of  lime,  7.8006;  carbonate  of  magnesia,  7.5154; 
chloride  of  sodium,  1.3472. 

The  Citizens'  Association  of  Dixon  was  incor- 
porated April  18,  1887,  with  Jason  C.  Ayres, 
C.  F.  Emerson,  E.  W.  Smith,  Joseph  F.  Palmer, 
S.  S.  Dodge,  Chas.  H.  Noble  and  Geo.  D.  Laing, 
as  directors  for  first  year.  Purpose:  "To  pro- 
mote the  interest  of  the  City  of  Dixon  and  de- 
velop its  natural  resources."  The  present  or- 
ganization is  J.  C.  Ayres,  President;  C.  H.  No- 
ble, Vice  President;  E.  C.  Smith,  Secretary; 
A.  C.  Warner,  Corresponding  Secretary;  I.  B. 
Countryman,  Treasurer;  R.  S.  Farrand,  0.  B. 
Dodge,  M.  Maloney,  W.  B.  Page,  E.  C.  Parsons. 
The  association  is  governed  by  by-laws,  and  had 
an  original  membership  of  88.  It  was  through 
this  association  that  the  Fargo  Shoe  Factory 
was  secured,  and  other  good  work  for  the  city 
has  been  done. 

Growth. — The  growth  of  Dixon  in  recent 
years  may  be  judged  of  to  some  extent  by  its 
Postoffice  receipts.  In  1899  they  were  $19,- 
710.38;  1900,  $21,236.87;  1901,  $22,706.47.  In 
1902  they  fell  off  somewhat,  owing  to  reduc- 
tion in  classification  of  matter  other  than  vol- 
ume of  business.  The  receipts  that  year  were 
$21,600.35. 

The  following  statement  of  improvements  for 
the  five  years  named,  was  compiled  by  insur- 
ance agencies  and  published  in  city  papers: 
Business  improvements  of  all  kinds,  except 
"roads,  sidewalks  and  sewers,"  1897,  $48,410; 
1898,  $97,657;  1899,  $84,125;  1900,  $195,000; 
1901,  $61,000.  Number  of  new  dwellings  and 
cost  of  same:  85  in  1897,  costing  $111,325:  90 
in  1898,  $135,575;  111  in  1899,  $147,675;  76  in 
1900,  $109,650;  77  in  1901,  $154,500.  No  state- 
ment was  made  for  1902,  but  building  that  year 
was  less  than  in  previous  years. 

Population. — In  1837  there  were  13  families 
residing   at    or    near    the    ferry.      In    1839    the 


674 


HISTORY    OF    LEE    COUNTY. 


number  had  increased  to  40  families.  By  1S50 
the  township  numbered  1,073.  November  7, 
1855,  It  reached  3,054.  In  1860  It  was 
3,408.  In  1870  the  number  was  4,687;  1880. 
4,241.  (Whether  the  figures  for  1855.  1860  and 
1870  are  limited  to  the  village  or  embrace  the 
entire  township,  we  have  no  means  of  ascer- 
taining.) The  population  of  the  township,  in- 
cluding the  city,  as  shown  by  the  census,  was 
5.804  in  1890,  and  9,128  in  1900.  The  population 
of  the  city,  by  wards,  the  latter  year,  was: 
First  Ward,  2,027;  Second  Ward,  1,522;  Third 
Ward,  2,643;  Fourth  Ward,  1.725.  The  school 
census  of  June,  1903,  showed  persons  under  21 — 
south  side.  2.321,  north  side,  843. 

Postmasters,  in  order  of  service:  Gay,  John 
Dixon,  from  Sept,  29,  1830,  to  summer  of  1837; 
D.  B.  McKenney,  Smith  Gilbraith,  Abram 
Brown,  David  H.  Birdsall,  A.  T.  Murphy,  Joseph 
Cleaver,  E.  B.  Baker,  J.  L.  Camp.  Mary  A.  Camp, 
Jas.  B.  Charters.  Michael  Maloney,  Benj.  F. 
Shaw,  present  incumbent. 


CHAPTER  XI. 


EAST  GROVE  TOWNSHIP. 


a  claim  of  one  John  Kasbier.  At  the  time  of 
the  land  sale  at  Dixon,  in  1844,  S.  P.  Mcintosh 
purchased  the  east  half  of  Section  36,  but  did 
not  move  onto  it  until  1856.  John  Downey, 
A.  A.  Spooner,  John  Flynn,  M.  Coleman.  A. 
Barlow.  D.  Sullivan,  Henry  Hubbell  and  Sam- 
uel Tubbs  were  also  early  settlers. 

In  1842  John  W.  Harrison,  a  Deputy  Sheriff 
!vom  Toronto,  Canada,  while  on  a  visit  in  this 
region,  was  murdered  by  James  S.  Bell,  near 
the  north-west  corner  of  Section  35.  Bell  was 
rinally  tried  in  Whiteside  County,  on  change 
of  venue,  and  sent  to  the  penitentiary. 

On  the  northeast  corner  of  the  southwest 
quarter  of  Section  10  stands  a  church,  known  as 
the  "Union  Church,"  which  was  built  a  num- 
ber of  years  ago  by  contributions  of  citizens 
without   regard   to   denominational   distinction. 

The  old  State  road  from  Peoria  to  Dixon 
and  Galena  passed  through  the  centers 
of  Section  10  and  13  and  jogged  east  on  or  near 
the  Marion  town  line,  for  a  distance  of  about  20 
rods  west  of  the  east  line  of  Section  34,  and 
thence  passed  directly  north  until  it  crosses 
Inlet  Creek,  or  Green  River.  This  road  was 
turnpiked  under  authority  from  the  Legisla- 
ture.    (See  "Marion  Township.") 

The  population  of  the  township  in  1890  was 
G59;  in  1900  it  was  653.  as  appears  by  Govern- 
ment census. 


EAST  GROVE   SET  OFF   FROM   HAMILTON   TOWNSHIP 

THE       FIRST        SETTLER LATER       ARRIVALS AN 

EARLY      MURDER THE      "UXION      CHURCH" PE- 
ORIA, nixnx  ANn  galena  state  road. 


CHAPTER  XII. 


HAMILTON   TOWNSHIP. 


At  the  November  session,  1864.  of  the  Board 
of  Supervisors.  East  Grove  was  set  apart  from 
Hamilton  Township.  In  1837  Charles  Falvey 
occupied  a  claim  on  the  north  half  of  Section 
34  in  the  grove,  from  which  the  town  took  its 
name.  On  the  north  his  nearest  neighbor  was 
a  Mr.  Robinson,  six  miles  distant.  In  1849 
Fenwick  Anderson  settled  on  the  south  half 
of  Section  34.  having  purchased  the  claim  of 
Robert  Tate.  The  house,  which  was  built  of 
logs,  was  for  a  number  of  years  a  stopping 
place  for  the  stage  on  the  line  from  Peoria  to 
Dixon  and  Galena.  In  1852  Mr.  Anderson  burnt 
a  kiln  of  200.000  brick  in  the  south  part  of  the 
grove,  which  proved  to  be  of  excellent  quality 
and  with  which  he  built  his  residence.  Thomas 
Shehan  moved   onto  Section   5   in   1S49.  buying 


original     DIMEN.SIOX.S     of    the    township FIRST 

supervisors       and      early      .settlers PASTOR 

N.   G.   COLLINS — EARLY   SCHOOLS  AND  CHURCHES. 

This  town  originally  included  what  are  now 
the  towns  of  Harmon,  East  Grove,  May  and  the 
south  half  of  Marion.  By  the  organization  of 
these  towns,  Hamilton  has  been  shaved  down 
until  it  is  now  limited  to  a  government  town- 
ship. William  B.  Stuart  was  the  first  Super- 
visor of  the  original  town.  After  serving  two 
years  he  was  succeeded,  by  R.  B.  Viele.  who  con- 
tinued in  office  three  years,  when  Mr.  Stuart 
was  again  elected  for  two  years. 

What  is  further  said  here  will  relate  to  the 
township     as    at     present     formed.       The    first 


PIISTORY    OF    LEE    COUNTY. 


675 


dwelling  house  in  the  township  was  of  logs 
and  built  by  Charles  and  Roos  Freeman,  on 
the  south  half  of  Section  32,  and  was  occupied 
by  the  former,  but  as  their  sojourn  was  of  a 
temporary  character.  Jacob  Pope,  who  came  in 
1854  and  located  on  the  south  half  of  the  south- 
east quarter  of  Section  26,  is  considered  the 
first  permanent  settler.  Dolph  Freeman,  a 
brother  of  Roos  and  Charles,  built  a  small  one- 
story  house  several  years  later  on  the  southeast 
corner  of  Section  31,  and  he  and  his  mother 
lived  there  two  or  three  shears,  v/hen,  in  the 
spring  of  1S65,  the  school  directors  bought  the 
house  for  $163  and  moved  it  to  the  southeast 
corner  of  Section  34,  where  it  was  fitted  up  for 
a  school-house.  The  first  teacher  who  taught 
in  it  was  Electa  J.  Minnerley,  who  afterwards 
was  a  candidate  before  the  Republican  County 
Convention  for  Superintendent  of  Schools.  In 
the  spring  of  1871  the  house  was  moved  to  the 
present  site  near  the  northwest  corner  of  the 
northwest  quarter  of  Section  35.  In  the  sum- 
mer of  1872  a  new  house  was  built.  A.  T.  Ksig- 
win  bought  the  old  house  and  it  again  started 
on  its  last  journey  to  the  old  homestead,  where 
it  now  is. 

A.  T.  Keigwin  built  on  the  northwest  quarter 
of  Section  27  in  the  spring  of  1858,  and  a  Mr. 
Carpenter  built  on  the  northeast  quarter  of 
Section  26  in  the  spring  of  1859.  Mr.  Carpenter 
farmed  that  season  and  moved  to  La  Moille  in 
the  winter  or  fall,  and  from  there  went  to  Men- 
dota,  where  he  embarked  in  the  manufacture  of 
organs  under  the  firm  name  of  Tewksbury  & 
Carpenter,  having  been  engaged  in  the  same 
business  in  Vermont,  nis  old  home.  Anson 
Stone  and  his  sons,  H.  P.  and  S.  0.,  bought  out 
Mr.  Carpenter  and  occupied  the  place  in  1860. 

Morris  Logue  occupied  the  north  half  of  the 
northeast  quarter  of  Section  27,  built  a  shanty 
and  broke  his  land  during  the  same  year,  and 
the  next  season  brought  his  family.  David  and 
John  Knight  arrived  the  same  year,  purchased 
Section  35  and  erected  a  house  on  his  land  the 
following  year.  In  1857  David  Griggs  located 
on  the  southeast  quarter  of  Section  34,  a  house 
having  been  erected  for  him  during  the  previ- 
ous year.  J.  F.  McMurray  also  came  the  same 
year  and  settled  on  the  southeast  quarter  of 
Section  33.  J.  Shields  bought  and  occupied  the 
north  half  of  the  northeast  quarter  of  Section 
24  and  most  of  the  southeast  quarter  of  Section 
13  in  1858.  William  Skully  settled  on  the  east 
half  of  the  northwest  quarter  of  Section  24  in 
that   year.     Michael    Dunn   came   a   year   later 


and  located  on  the  southeast  quarter  and  south 
half  of  the  northwest  quarter  of  Section  24. 
Bennett  Havens,  who  served  as  Super- 
visor several  yearo,  purchased  the  south 
half  of  the  northeast  quarter  of  Section  36, 
and  was  one  of  the  early  comers.  L.  B.  Moore, 
on  the  southwest  quarter  and  west  half  of  the 
northwest  quarter  of  Section  24,  and  Michael 
Flemming,  on  the  south  half  of  the  southwest 
quarter  of  the  same  section,  were  early  settlers. 
J.  L.  Reed  located  on  the  west  half  of  the  south- 
east quarter  of  Section  23  in  1862. 

It  will  be  noted  that  all  of  these  settlements 
were  south  of  the  swamp.  That  portion  lying 
north  of  the  swamp  remained  unsettled  for 
many  years,  and  served  as  a  range  for  cattle. 
A.  T.  Anderson,  of  Polo,  owned  a  large  farm 
on  the  north  part  of  Section  7.  Perhaps  the 
first  to  break  any  of  the  prairie  on  this  side 
for  cultivation  was  William  Rink,  on  Section 
5.  John  D.  Shaffer  built  his  cabin  on  Section 
8,  and  herded  cattle  for  several  years.  James 
Durr  was  on  the  northwest  quarter  of  the 
northwest  quarter  of  Section  19  in  1862. 

Rev.  N.  G.  Collins  was  a  considerable  factor 
in  the  early  history  of  the  town.  A  man  of 
great  energy,  he  was  ambitious  to  own  and 
farm  large  tracts  of  land.  He  became  Chaplain 
of  the  Fifty-seventh  Illinois  Infantry  in  the 
Vv'ar  of  the  Rebellion.  Though  not  a  success  as 
a  farmer,  his  ambition  was  in  part  realized, 
for  at  the  close  of  the  war  he  had  saved  of  his 
holdings  Sections  8,  28,  29,  30  and  the  west  half 
of  31.  At  the  marriage  of  his  daughter,  his 
wedding  gift  was  a  deed  to  Section  8.  Mr.  Col- 
lins was  pastor  of  a  Baptist  church  at  LaMoille 
for  a  number  of  years. 

The  first  school  in  the  town  was  taught  in  the 
residence  of  David  Griggs.  Mrs.  Cornelia  Ma- 
ona,  daughter  of  A.  T.  Keigwin,  was  the 
teacher.  This  was  in  1861  or  1862.  Miss  Lizzie 
Larkins  succeeded  her  the  following  summer, 
and  later,  Miss  Lavina  Swisher  presided.  Mr. 
McMurray  moved  into  Bureau  County  and  the 
house  he  left  was  made  into  a  school  house 
and  Mrs.  Maona  taught  there.  All  this  was 
before  school  districts  were  organized.  The 
teachers  were  paid  by  private  subscription.  In 
the  fall  of  1863  or  '64  school  district  No.  1  was 
organized.  The  new  school  house  was  erected 
on  the  west  side  of  the  west  half  of  the  north- 
west quarter  of  Section  35  in  1874.  District 
No.  2  was  organized  about  the  same  time  as 
District  No.  1.  The  first  school  was  opened  in 
a  portion  of  Thaddeus  May's  dwelling  on  Sec- 


676 


HISTORY    OF    LEE    COUNTY. 


tion  26  by  Miss  Lydia  Havens.  The  first  school 
house  in  this  district  was  built  in  1864  or  '65,  at 
the  southeast  corner  of  Section  25.  It  was 
moved  afterwards  to  the  southwest  corner  of 
the  same  Section. 

The  first  preaching  the  settlers  had  was  in  a 
little  school  house  known  as  the  Dodge  school- 
house,  on  the  prairie  over  the  line  in  Bureau 
County.  The  abundance  of  game  encouraged 
the  gunning  propensity  on  the  Sabbath  in  the 
early  days:  and  to  reform  this  habit,  David 
Griggs,  William  Griggs,  Solomon  Welsh,  J.  F. 
McMurray,  Johnson  Griggs  and  J.  H.  Knight 
contributed  to  pay  for  preaching  and  employed 
their  neighbor.  Rev.  Ford,  who  lived  at  the 
east  end  of  Red  Oak  Grove,  paying  him  fifty 
cents  for  each  Sunday.  A  Baptist  church  was 
early  organized  at  Walnut  in  Bureau  County, 
Amos  T.  Keigwin  and  wife,  Ezekiel  Sayers  and 
wife,  S.  H.  Sayers  and  Lydia  Stone,  of  Hamil- 
ton, being  among  the  organizers.  For  a  number 
of  years  meetings  were  held  in  the  township  at 
the  residences  of  the  members.  When  the  vil- 
lage of  Walnut  sprang  into  existence,  the  serv- 
ices were  confined  to  that  place  where,  in  1S71, 
a  fine  church  building  was  erected. 

The  population  of  the  township  in  1S90  was 
329.  and  in  190n.  498,  as  shown  by  the  Govern- 
ment census. 


CHAPTER  Xni. 


HARMON   TOWNSHIP. 


ORCA^'IZATIOX     OF     THE     TOW.XSHIP — SOME     E.VRLY 

SETTLERS FIRST    ELECTION — WILD    GAME — HAR- 

JIOX      VILLAGE      LAID      OUT GRAIK      ELEV.VTORS, 

CHURCHES  AXD  BL'SINESS  HOUSES. 

The  Township  of  Harmon  was  set  off  from 
Marion  by  resolution  of  the  Board  of  Super- 
visors, at  its  March  meeting,  1S67.  The  peti- 
tion asked  to  have  the  town  named  Dayton,  but 
the  Board  took  the  responsibility  of  substi- 
tuting the  present  name.  The  writer  has  been 
informed  by  one  who  ought  to  know,  that  this 
name  was  given  the  township  in  honor  of  Har- 
mon Wasson,  the  son  of  Benjamin  Wasson  of 
Amboy  Township. 

In  1853  John  D.  Rosbrook,  with  three  sons, 
settled  at  the  lake,  a  clear  body  of  water  cov- 
ering nearly  forty  acres  on  the  northwest  quar- 
in     the     village     wa?     built     by     J.      M.      Ja- 


ter  of  Section  25.  There  was  no  other  dwelling 
nearer  than  eight  miles.  The  following  spring 
the  two  remaining  sons  came,  In  1854  Mrs. 
Robert  Tuttle,  a  widowed  sister  of  Mitchell 
Rosbrook,  with  her  family  of  five  children,  set- 
tled in  the  township.  During  the  same  year 
came  Thomas  Sutton  and  settled  with  his  large 
family  one  mile  south  of  the  lake.  This  fam- 
ily eventually,  including  nineteen  children,  be- 
came conspicuous  in  that  part  of  the  country, 
not  only  for  their  number  but  for  their  rugged 
and  boisterous  methods.  In  1854  Mitchell  Ros- 
brook, with  his  wife  and  five  children,  joined  the 
settlement.  To  him  is  credited  the  founding 
of  the  first  Sunday-school  in  Harmon,  it  being 
very  successfully  conducted  in  John  D.  Ros- 
brook's  granary. 

The  first  two  elections  in  the  township  were 
held  at  the  house  of  Mitchell  Rosbrook.  James 
McManus  was  elected  Supervisor;  Rosbrook, 
Town  Clerk;  and  George  Stillings,  Constable. 
In  the  winter  of  1856-7,  Austin  Balch  came  with 
his  wife  and  two  children.  About  this  time  the 
Brills  reached  the  settlement,  and  also  Patrick 
Grogan.  The  years  1856  and  '57  witnessed  large 
accessions.  Joseph  Julien,  a  brother  of  Anton 
and  John;  E.  A.  Balch,  C.  H.  Self  ken,  Israel 
Perkins,  James  Porter,  George  Stillings  and 
Charles  Craby  were  among  the  early  settlers. 
In  1855  Lewis  Hullinger  settled  on  the  south- 
west quarter  of  Section  7. 

In  Harmon  in  pioneer  days  wild  game 
abounded.  We  have  it  on  good  authority  that 
one  hunter  brought  down  one  hundred  geese  in 
a  single  day,  and  that  another  shot  sixty-six 
mallard  ducks  at  one  discharge,  a  drove  of 
thirteen  deer  were  chased  by  men  on  horse- 
back past  the  Rosbrook  place,  and  five  were 
killed  after  pursuit  of  several  miles.  These 
statements  seem  a  little  incredible  now,  but  are 
well  authenticated.  One  of  the  early  settlers 
ventures  to  say  that  it  was  not  an  uncommon 
sight  to  see  a  thousand  acres  covered  with  sand- 
hill cranes — a  bird  which  has  now  almost  dis- 
appeared. 

In  1856  a  drove  of  5,000  Texas  steers  were 
driven  through  Harmon  on  their  way  to  Chi- 
cago. The  summer  had  been  consumed  on  the 
drive.  In  1857,  2.000  very  large,  fat  hogs  were 
also  driven  through  the  town,  but  headed  west- 
ward. 

Viilarie  of  Harmon. — The  village  of  Harmon 
was  platted,  March  15,  1872.  for  Joel  H.  Wicker, 
Charles  G.  Wicker.  Jonas  S.  Meekling 
and      Alon;!o      Kinyon.       The      first      elevator 


HISTORY    OF    LEE    COUNTY. 


677 


ques  &  Bro.,  and  is  now  operated  by  the  Neola 
Elevator  Company.  The  second  elevator  was 
built  by  0.  E.  Mclntyre  and  is  now  operated 
by  the  Atlas  Elevator  Company.  The  third 
was  built,  and  is  now  operated  by  Frank  Het- 
tinger. 

The  Wesleyan  Methodist  Church  was  organ- 
ized. September  20,  1S62,  Rev.  J.  Pinkney 
being  the  first  pastor.  The  Methodist  Episco- 
pal Church  was  organized  in  1871,  Rev.  Rive 
being  the  first  pastor.  The  Catholic  church 
was  built  about  1874,  and  has  been  recently 
remodeled  and  repaired.  It  had  no  resident 
priest  until  it  was  made  an  independent  par- ' 
ish  about  four  years  ago,  under  the  pastorate 
of  Father  McGrath.  Father  Ryan  was  his  suc- 
cessor and  is  now  in  charge.  Prior  to  the  estab- 
lishment of  the  village  the  Wesleyan  Methodists 
had  a  church  building  which  is  now  used  for 
a  town  hall.  In  1882  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Society  erected  their  present  church. 

Sam  Boyer,  now  of  Dixon,  started  the  first 
store  In  the  new  town,  and  Hempstead  &  Van 
Alstine  the  second  general  store.  The  first 
school-house  to  be  built  after  the  village  was 
platted  was  located  where  the  present  one 
stands.  This  was  followed  by  a  larger  frame 
building,  which  was  consumed  by  fire  In  the 
early  part  of  the  winter  of  1899.  In  its  place 
was  erected,  in  the  summer  of  1900,  the  present 
brick  structure,  which  does  credit  to  the  com- 
munity. 

The  population  of  the  entire  township  was 
S40  In  1890,  and  936  in  1900,  as  shown  by  the 
Government  census. 


CHAPTER  XIV 


LEE  CENTER  TOWNSHIP. 


FIRST    WHITE     SETTLER OTHER    EARLY     ARRIVALS 

CHLTICH     AXD     SCHOOL     HISTORY — LEE     CEJJTEE 
ACADEMY'    AXD    VILLAGE. 

Adolphus  Bliss  and  wife  were  the  first  set- 
tlers within  the  territory  later  known  as  Lee 
Center,  having  located  there  in  May,  1834.  Mrs. 
Bliss  was  the  first  white  woman  to  reside  in 


the  township,  and  the  second  in  the  county. 
It  was  a  year  before  she  had  a  neighbor  nearer 
than  Dixon.  Mr.  Bliss  entered  a  claim  on  west 
half  of  southwest  quarter  of  Section  4,  and 
the  north  half  of  the  northeast  quarter  of  Sec- 
tion 9.  The  first  to  follow  him  was  Corydon  R. 
Dewey,  who  came  in  the  following  spring  and 
entered  a  claim  on  the  east  half  of  the  north- 
west quarter  of  Section  9,  and  later,  but  during 
the  year,  Cyrenus  and  Cyreno  Sawyer  joined 
them,  and  together  took  up  a  claim  on  the 
northeast  quarter  of  Section  1.  In  the  spring 
of  1836,  Lewis  Clapp  settled  on  the  northwest 
quarter  of  Section  8.  In  this  year  Charles  F. 
Ingalls  and  his  brother,  George  A.,  entered 
their  claims  in  the  southern  part  of  Lee 
Center  Township,  on  which  a  Pottawatomie  In- 
dian village  then  stood. 

In  1837  Mr.  David  Tripp  and  family,  with 
his  brother-in-law  Grange  Webster,  settled  at 
Inlet.  Mr.  Birdsell  was  an  arrival  of  the 
following  year.  During  that  year  Dr.  R.  F. 
Adams  arrived  and  was  the  first  physician  in 
the  neighborhood.  Roswell  Streator  filed  a 
claim  in  1833,  on  the  land  on  which  Lee  Cen- 
ter is  situated,  and  the  following  year  built 
a  log  house  in  the  edge  of  Inlet  Grove,  which 
was  near  his  claim.  He  gave  a  portion  of  the 
land  towards  the  erection  and  maintenance  of 
an  academy,  which  will  be  hereafter  referred  to. 
George  E.  Haskell  early  settled  at  the  Grove. 
Two  of  the  Ingalls  brothers,  Henry  and  Addi- 
son, first  settled  on  the  Illinois  River  near 
where  Chandlerville  now  stands,  and  Abraham 
Lincoln  surveyed  the  farm  for  one  of  them. 
Mr.  Ralph  Ford  was  also  one  of  the  early  ar- 
rivals. 

In  the  spring  of  1836  the  first  sermon  in  the 
neighborhood  was  preached  by  Peter  Cartwright 
in  Mr.  Dewey's  house.  In  that  year  the  first 
Methodist  class  was  organized,  with  John  Fos- 
dick  as  leader.  Mr.  David  Tripp  was  a  Bap- 
tist, and  services  were  now  and  then  held  in 
his  house  until  he  built  a  new  barn,  which 
was  dedicated  with  protracted  meeting.  A  Bap- 
tist society  was  organized  with  Mr.  Webster 
as  deacon  and  Mr.  Tripp  as  clerk.  Here  meet- 
ings were  held  regularly  until  a  school-house 
was  built  near  the  Dewey  Mill.  In  1835  Rev. 
Luke  Hitchcock  and  Oscar  P.  Ayres  came,  and 
the  former  preached  the  first  funeral  sermon 
in  the  town.  It  was  over  the  body  of  a  young 
■'circuit  rider"  by  the  name  of  Smith,  who  died 
at  Tripp's  homestead. 


678 


HISTORY    OF    LEE    COUNTY. 


The  first  school-house  was  built  in  the  edge 
of  the  timber  on  the  Bliss  land.  George  E. 
Haskell  was  teacher.  It  was  a  typical  log 
structure.  Moses  Crombie  settled  in  the  village 
of  Lee  Center  in  1840.  Prior  to  the  erection  of 
this  school  house,  Mrs.  Crombie  conducted  a 
neighborhood   s<;Jiool   in   her  own   house. 

The  first  building  occupied  as  a  store  stood 
on  the  ground  where  David  Tripp's  grout  house 
stood.  It  was  sold  to  George  E.  Haskell,  who 
moved  it  nearer  to  Inlet  Creek,  where  it  stood 
a  tew  years,  when  it  was  moved  to  the  town  of 
Lee  Center  and  was  occupied  for  some  years 
by  Joseph  Gary. 

The  pioneer  teacher  was  Ann  Chamberlain, 
who  in  the  summer  occupied  a  room  in  Adol- 
phus  Bliss's  house  for  her  school.  In  the 
log  school-house  already  referred  to,  Otis  Timo- 
thy taught,  and  later  settled  at  Franklin  Grove 
where  he  died.  His  teaching  was  for  three 
months  in  the  winter  of  1837-8.  He  had  twenty 
to  twenty-five  pupils  under  his  charge,  and  was 
paid  at  the  rate  of  $15  per  month.  A  log  tav- 
ern kept  by  Benjamin  Whittaker  stood  where 
Mr.  Cephas  Clapp  lived  in  recent  years.  This 
was  as  early  as  1S39.  The  first  wedding  in  the 
town  was  that  of  Albert  Static  and  Elmira  Car- 
penter, in  1836,  Daniel  M.  Dewey,  Justice  of  the 
Peace,  performing  the  ceremony.  Mr.  James 
Brewer  reached  Inlet  in  1843,  having  ridden  on 
horseback  from  Montgomery,  Ala.,  and  later 
became  principal  of  the  academy. 

There  were  other  schools  than  those  already 
mentioned.  Mrs.  Sallie  P.  Starks  taught  a 
class  of  five  boys  and  five  girls,  ranging  from 
one  year  old  to  near  twenty-one;  her  teaching 
was  for  12  hours  a  day  all  the  year  round. 

Lee  Center  Academy. — The  main  part  of  the 
Academy  building  was  constructed  of  brick  and 
built  in  1847,  at  a  cost  of  ?2,000.  Mr.  Moses 
Crombie  was  the  contractor,  and  the  school 
opened  the  same  year  and  soon  advanced  to  a 
leading  rank  among  the  educational  institu- 
tions in  .that  section.  A  certificate  is  found 
recorded  in  the  Recorder's  Office  of  the  county, 
stating  that  Lewis  Clapp,  Luke  Hitchcock,  N.  P. 
Swartwout,  Martin  Wright,  Daniel  Frost,  Moses 
Crombie  and  R.  F.  Adams  were  elected  Trustees 
of  the  Academy,  March  3,  1847.  The  first  Prin- 
cipal was  Hiram  McChesney,  a  graduate  of 
Rensselaer  Institute,  of  Troy,  N.  Y.  He  served 
one  year,  when  he  was  succeeded  by  H.  E.  Len- 
ard,  of  Naperville.  After  two  years  Rev.  James 
Brewer,     a     graduate     of     Jamestown     College, 


Mass..  took  charge  remaining  one  year.  After 
him  came  Simeon  Wright,  during  whose  three 
years  of  service  the  Academy  reached  a  degree 
of  prosperity  never  exceeded  either  before  or 
after.  The  average  attendance  of  the  school 
in  this  year  was  150  pupils.  Prof.  Nash  came 
after  Mr.  Wright  and  remained  until  1859,  in 
which  year  he  died.  By  this  time  other  schools 
of  importance  had  sprung  up  at  Paw  Paw, 
Dixon,  Amboy  and  elsewhere,  and  the  Academy, 
remote  from  railroads,  began  to  decline,  so  that, 
in  the  year  1859,  it  became  a  graded  district 
school.  In  1853  a  stone  addition  to  the  school- 
'  house  was  erected  to  acommodate  the  increasing 
needs  of  the  institution. 

In  these  days  Lee  Center  was  indeed  a  flour- 
ishing village,  with  an  academy  as  its  center 
of  interest  and  activity.  Lyceums,  lectures  and 
traveling  entertainments  were  frequent  in  the 
chapel. 

A  Congregational  Church  was  organized  in 
1843,  at  the  home  of  Amos  Crombie,  near  Bing- 
hamton  in  Amboy  Township,  with  eleven  mem- 
bers. The  first  pastor  was  Rev.  Joseph  Gard- 
ner. It  was  called  the  Congregational  Church 
of  Palestine  Grove.  Worship  was  conducted 
until  1849  in  the  Wasson  school  house,  in  Am- 
boy Township,  after  which  it  was  changed  to 
Lee  Center,  when  a  building  was  erected  in 
1856  at  a  cost  of  $1,500.  In  another  account  of 
this  society  (see  Amboy)  John  Worrell  is  men- 
tioned as  first  pastor  and  Joseph  Gardner  as 
third.  We  are  unable  to  determine  which 
statement   is   correct. 

A  Methodist  Church  was  organized  in  1837, 
at  the  residence  of  Corydon  R.  Dewey,  at  Inlet 
Grove.  Their  first  church  building  was  erected 
in  1842,  in  which  services  were  held  until  1858, 
v.-hen  a  larger  and  more  commodious  one  was 
built.  For  many  years  Luke  Hitchcock  was 
pastor.  Philo  Judson,  afterwards  an  eminent 
ioreign  missionary,  preached  here,  and  "Father 
Penfleld"  often  filled  the  pulpit.  The  building 
was  badly  racked  by  the  tornado  of  June  3, 
1860,  and  was  finally  demolished  by  a  storm 
on  October  30,  1882.  Its  place  was  supplied 
by  a  fine  new  structure  erected  in  1883-4. 

It  appears  by  a  certificate,  recorded  in  the 
Recorder's  Office,  that  I.  G.  Dimick,  C.  R.  Dewey, 
Daniel  Frost,  D.  H.  Birdsall  and  G.  R.  Lynn 
were  elected  Trustees  of  the  "Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church  at  Inlet,"  December  12,  1840.  On 
June  4,  1848,  Daniel  Frost,  Solomon  Matteson, 
A.   W.   Crombie,   C.   S.   Frost.   M.   S.   Curtis   and 


HISTORY    OF    LEE    COUNTY 


679 


Hezekiah  McCune.  were  elected  trustees  of  the 
•■Methodist  Episcopal  Church  of  Lee  Center." 
In  1S49,  trustees  of  a  parsonage  were  elected, 
but  we  have  been  unable  to  learn  when  the 
building  was  constructed. 

An  Episcopal  Church  was  organized  in  18-55, 
and  a  building  erected  in  1S57,  costing  $2,500. 
The  windows  of  the  cnurch  were  presented 
to  the  congregation  by  Bishop  Whitehouse.  The 
title  was  vested  in  the  Bishop  by  instrument 
dated  May  4,  1S57.  Dr.  Charles  Gardner  and 
Garrett  M.  La  Forge  were  the  principal  sup- 
porters, and  after  they  left  the  town  the  serv- 
ices here  declined  until  the  building  was  aban- 
doned and  sold  for  other  uses  a  very  few  years 
ago. 

The  country  was  greatly  disturbed  in  the 
period  from  1843  to  1850,  by  a  succession  of 
*  ■  crimes  indicating  a  thorough  organization 
among  the  lawless  class.  The  principals  in  the 
nefarious  business  are  known  in  the  annals  of 
this  and  adjoining  counties  as  the  "Banditti  of 
the  Prairies."  The  vicinity  of  Inlet  furnished 
one  of  their  bases  of  operation.  Counterfeiting, 
robbery  and  murder  were  included  among  their 
offenses.  Two  leading  citizens  of  Inlet  Grove — 
one  of  them  a  magistrate — were  implicated  in 
a  robbery,  and  sent  to  the  penitentiary  where 
both  died.  Other  citizens  were  found  to  be 
involved  in  like  transactions.  One  turned 
state's  evidence,  which  resulted  in  more  arrests 
and  the  recovery  of  considerable  stolen  prop- 
erty. As  a  means  of  better  contending  with 
the  law-breaking  element,  an  "Association  for 
Furthering  the' cause  of  Justice"  was  formed. 
The  preamble  of  the  constitution  recited  that, 
"appearances  have  plainly  shown  that  Inlet 
Grove  has  been  a  resting  place  and  depot  for 
the  numerous  rogues  that  infest  the  country." 
A  vigilance  committee  was  appointed  to  hunt 
out  and  run  down  the  rascals,  by  which  effective 
work  was  done  for  the  protection  of  the  people 
and  punishment  of  criminals. 

The  lands  on  which  the  pioneers  settled  were 
not  open  to  purchase  until  1844,  when  the  first 
land  sale  occurred  at  Dixon.  Hence  the  early 
settlers  were  known  as  "squatters,"  having  no 
that  the  lands  they  occupied  would 
their  own.  To  protect  themselves 
against  the  cupidity  of  interlopers  who  might 
seek  to  enter  the  lands  of  the  first  comers  se- 
cretly, and  also  as  a  means  of  adjusting  any 
differences  which  might  arise  between  them 
touching  their  respective  claims,  the  set- 
tlers      of       this       neighborhood       formed       a 


"Squatters'  Association,"  with  a  formal 
constitution  containing  rigia  provisions  for 
the  mutual  protection  of  its  members. 
Similar  movements  were  resorted  to  in 
other  sections,  and  became  known  as  "Grove 
Associations."  The  constitution  of  the  one  in 
the  vicinity  of  Amboy  was  preserved  by  Ira 
Brewer,  and  bore  date,  "Inlet,  Ogle  County,  Illi- 
nois, July  10th,  1837,"  and  was  subscribed  by 
sixty-six  members.  The  field  of  the  association 
extended  from  Inlet  half  way  to  Knox.  Dixon, 
Malugin,  Palestine  and  Franklin  Grove.  George 
E.  Haskell  was  the  first  president  and  Martin 
Wright  the  first  clerk.  The  scheme  called  for 
a  bond  to  be  signed  by  each  member,  obligating 
him  to  convey  to  the  adjoining  claimant  any 
land  occupied  by  the  latter  which  might,  inad- 
vertently or  otherwise,  be  purchased  by  the 
former.  Difficulties  were  apt  to  arise  owing 
to  the  fact  that  the  Government  survey  had 
not  then  been  made.  In  a  committee  report  of 
choice  diction  and  marked  seriousness,  having 
much  of  the  tone  of  a  plea  addressed  to  the 
membership,  it  is  said:  "The  claims  of  all 
have  been  respected  and  a  just  regard  had  to 
the  growth  and  prosperity  of  the  neighborhood, 
in  the  accommodations  afforded  to  all  that 
wished  to  unite  themselves  to  this  community 
in  nearness  of  settlement.  But  a  change  in  our 
circumstances  is  about  to  take  place.  The 
rightful  owner  of  the  soil  upon  which  we  are 
located  is  to  call  upon  us  for  his  dues,  and  that 
too  at  a  period  not  far  distant.  Some,  and  it 
is  hoped  all  the  members  of  this  association, 
will  be  able  to  answer  the  call  and  obtain  a  title 
to  the  land  which  they  now  claim.  In  paying 
for  land,  whether  at  general  laud  sales  or  under 
the  preemption  law,  the  individual  so  paying 
receives  his  title  to  the  same,  which  no  right 
of  the  claimant  can  ever  reach." 

The  situation  was  manifestly  one  of  grave 
peril  to  these  frontiersmen  who  were  in  danger 
of  losing  the  property — the  home — which  they 
had  braved  so  much  and  forsaken  so  much  to 
secure.  As  a  rule,  however,  the  community, 
by  the  intimidating  force  of  a  law  of  its  own 
making,  was  able  to  protect  the  bona-fide  settler 
against  the  barbarous  greed  of  the  "claim 
jumper."  The  early  settlers  brought  v/ith  them 
much  of  the  spirit  of  colonial  days,  and  vigor- 
ously used  all  that  was  needed  to  meet  the 
emergency. 

Shatc  Station  was  platted  as  "Shaw"  on  land 
of  Sherman  Shaw  October  24,  1878.  The  place 
has  an  elevator  operated  by  Chas.  Guffin,  a  Con- 


68o 


HISTORY    OF    LEE    COUNTY. 


gregational    church,    which    was    built    five    or 
six  years  ago.  and  a  public  school. 

The  population  of  the  township  in   1S90  was 
789.  while  in  1900  it  w^as  876. 


CHAPTER  X\'. 


JIARION    TOWNSHIP. 


Oi;il.\NlZ.\TIOX  (IF  TIIK  TOWNSHIP  .\>-D  FIRST  OFFI- 
CERS— FIR.ST  PER.MAXEXT  SETTLERS — SOIIE  L.V- 
TER  ARKHALS TCWN  OF  WALTO.V   PT.ATTICI). 

At  the  September  session.  1854,  of  the 
Board  of  Supervisors,  the  north  half  of  Town 
20.  Range  9.  which  had  belonged  to  Amboy 
Township,  the  south  half  of  Town  20,  Range  9, 
and  all  of  Town  20.  Range  S,  which  had  be- 
longed to  Hamilton  Township,  were  set  off  as  a 
town  called  Marion,  to  talM  effect  from  the  first 
Tuesday  in  April,  18.55.  At  the  March  meeting, 
18G7,  the  tOYv-n  of  Harmon  was  created,  leaving 
Marion  a  simple  Government  township,  as  it 
now  exists.  The  first  Supervisor  of  the  new 
town  was  Alford  Wolcot;  Assessor.  Sherman  W. 
Caldwell:  Justices  of  the  Peace,  Abram  Morri- 
son and  A.  S.  Phillip;  Tcvi'n  Clerk.  Simon  Dyk- 
man:   Collector.  David  Morrison. 

The  first  permanent  settler  in  the  town  was 
David  Welty,  who  came,  as  did  many  others, 
in  pursuit  of  health.  Starting  from  Buffalo. 
N.  Y..  in  1838,  on  a  thorough-bred  mare  pre- 
sented to  him  by  a  friend,  he  made  the  entire 
distance  to  Dixon's  Ferry  on  horseback.  His 
wife  and  son,  John  M.,  with  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Scott,  her  father  and  mother,  reached  Chicago 
by  way  of  the  lakes,  and  thence  by  stage  to 
Dixon  the  next  year.  In  1840  he  preempted 
land  on  Sections  34  and  35,  Town  20.  Range 
9.  Mr.  Welty  soon  built  a  double  log-house  on 
the  stage  road  leading  from  Peoria  to  Dixon. 
The  lumber  for  the  doors,  window  sash,  floors, 
shingles,  etc.,  was  hauled  from  Chicago  by 
team.  He  was  considered  wealthy,  as  riches 
were  rated  at  that  early  date,  while  both  he 
and  his  wife  were  educated  and  refined  people 


who  had  been  reared  under  the  advantageous 
conditions  afforded^  by  the  city  of  Buffalo,  the 
home  from  which  they  emigrated.  The  floors 
of  their  log  house  were  covered  with  velvet  and 
Brussells  carpets  and  costly  rugs.  The  furni- 
ture was  of  mahogany  and  walnut,  all  brought 
from  the  East.  The  son,  John  M.,  writes:  "The 
contrast  between  the  log  house  and  its  belong- 
ings was  so  great,  as  to  excite  the  wonder  and 
admiration  of  strangers  from  Uie  East  who 
chanced  to  alight  from  the  stages  and  enter 
our  pioneer  home.  There  were,  for  many  years, 
only  three  houses  between  Dixon  and  Prince- 
ton, one  at  Dad  Jo's  Grove,  one  on  the  south 
side  of  Palestine  Grove  and  the  other  in  which 
we  lived." 

Near  by  was  Green  River,  then  known  as 
Inlet  Creek,  which  flowed  through  Mr.  Welly's 
land,  and  here  was.  for  many  years,  the  only  ' 
bridge  across  that  stream.  This  bridge  and  a 
turnpike  through  the  swamps  were  constructed 
under  an  act  of  the  Legislature,  approved  Feb- 
ruary 19,  1839,  granting  authority  to  Henry  W. 
Cleaveland  to  "erect  a  toll  bridge  across  Green 
River  and  a  causeway  across  the  Winnebago 
Swamp,  at  or  near  the  same."  An  act,  approved 
February  3,  1843,  provides  for  the  selection  of 
three  inspectors  to  examine  the  work,  and  re- 
fers to  it  as  located  in  Lee  County,  and  requires 
their  report  to  be  filed  in  the  oflice  of  the  Clerk 
of  that  county.  One  toll  gate  was  near  the 
Welty  house.  The  log  house  soon  became  an 
inn.  where  the  traveling  public  were  both  fed 
and  lodged.  Although  there  was  no  other  house 
in  the  settlement,  it  acquired  the  name  of 
Scottville.  by  which  it  was  for  some  time 
known.  It  may  be  that  this  was  adopted  out 
of  regard  for  Gen.  Scott,  or  was  simply  the  use 
of  the  name  of  the  old  people,  Mrs.  Welly's 
lather  and  mother. 

With  Mr.  Welty  came  A.  L.  Porter,  who  set- 
tled in  Dixon  and  was  at  one  time  Sheriff  of  the 
county.  Contemporaneous  with  the  coming  of 
Mr.  Welty  to  the  township,  was  that  of  W.  H. 
Blair,  who  located  on  Section  24.  In  1841  J.  C. 
Haley  located  on  Section  13.  In  1846  R.  Scott 
settled  on  Section  15.  George  Keith  arrived 
in  1861-62;  Benjamin  Brooks,  long  identified 
Y/ith  the  township,  in  1856  bought  the  west  half 
of  the  northwest  quarter  of  Section  9,  and  soon 
became  a  resident.  John  R.  Hawkins  was  an 
early  settler,  but  in  what  year  we  are  unable  to 
ascertain.  In  1856  Franklin  H.  Church  settled 
on  Section  2. 


HISTORY    OF    LEE    COUNTY. 


68 1 


May  4,  1S7S,  "Walton" — or  "Town  of  Walton" 
— was  platted  on  land  of  Price  Jones.  Marion 
Township  had  a  population  in  1890  of  750.  and 
in  1900  of  741.  as  shown  by  Government  census. 


CHAPTER  X\'I. 


MAY    TOWNSHIP. 


TQ-WN    SET    APART    FROM    HAMILTON    TOW.N'SHIl'    IN' 

1855 EARLY  .SETTLERS CATHOLIC  CHURCH  AXn 

ACADEMY. 

At  the  meeting  of  the  Board  of  Supervisors. 
September.  1854.  the  Town  of  May  was  set 
apart  from  the  Town  of  Hamilton,  to  which 
it  had  theretofore  belonged.  By  the  resolution 
the  change  was  to  take  effect  the  first  Tuesday 
in  April,  1855.  The  name  is  said  to  have  been 
selected  in  honor  of  a  military  officer  of  the 
name  who  fell  in  the  battle  of  Palo  Alto.  The 
first  settler  in  the  township  was  Joseph  Bay. 
v/ho  located  on  Section  13,  south  of  Palestina 
Grove.  The  next  was  Ira  Axtle,  who  located 
the  same  year  on  Section  6.  In  1840,  William 
Dolan,  who  became  prominent  in  the  town,  set- 
tled on  Section  14.  Martin  McGowen.  J.  Moran 
and  John  Darcy  also  came  in  1840.  In  1850 
Andrew  Kessler  settled  on  Section  13.  Joseph 
Hall  came  in  1857.  In  the  latter  year  George 
Ash  came  and  settled  on  Section  10.  Also. 
in  this  year.  Silas  W.  Avery  arrived  and  settled 
on  the  northeast  quarter  of  Section  7,  while 
Hugh  Fitzpatrick  located  on  Section  19. 

The  township  has  always  been  strong  in 
the  number  of  its  citizens  belonging  to  the 
Catholic  communion.  In  an  early  day  the 
"Sandy  Hill"  church  was  built  on  the  northeast 
corner  of  the  southwest  quarter  of  the  northeast 
quarter  of  Section  14.  A  brick  building  was 
erected  and  a  cemetery  started  adjacent  there- 
to. On  the  southeast  corner  of  the  southwest 
quarter  of  Section  17,  St.  Patrick's  church  was 
built  at  a  later  date.  On  the  southwest  corner 
of   Section   25,   St.   Mary's  church   was   erected 


in  more  recent  years.  At  a  very  early  date  an 
academy  was  erected  on  the  northwest  corner 
of  the  southwest  quarter  of  Section  24,  where 
a  school  was,  for  many  years,  successfully 
conducted.  This  institution  was  the  result  of 
a  bequest  of  Patrick  Riley,  who  settled  on  Sec- 
tion 23  in  1848  and  died  in  1868,  leaving  his 
property  for  the  establishment  of  a  school. 
Martin  McGowen  and  Patrick  McCann  were  the 
trustees.  The  building  was  dedicated  early  in 
September.  1880,  and  the  school  soon  had  six 
sisters  of  the  order  of  Benedictine  nuns  for 
teachers.  It  was  a  boarding-school  for  young 
ladies,  but  boys  were  received  as  day  pupils. 
The  situation,  however,  proved  unfavorable, 
and  the  school  was  finally  discontinued. 

Across  the  road  from  this  academy  building 
was  also  erected  a  parsonage.  The  "Sandy  Hill" 
church  has  been  abandoned,  but  the  furniture 
has  been  moved  to  the  academy  where  weekly 
services  are  held.  Father  Kilkiney  has  been 
priest  in  charge  for  a  number  of  years.  At  St. 
Mary's  church  services  are  conducted  in  Ger- 
man on  the  fourth  Sunday  of  every  month,  by 
some  priest  from  a  near  by  parish. 

The  township  had  a  population,  in  1890,  ac- 
cording to  the  Government  census,  of  703  and 
in  1900  of  654. 


CH.\PTER  XVU. 


NACHUSA  TOWNSHIP. 


XACHUSA    SET    OFF    FROM    CHIXA    TOWNSHIP — SOME 

ROAD    AND    BRIDGE    HISTORY EARLY    SETTLERS 

A     FAMILY     QUARREL^SCHOOLS     AND    CHURCHES 
— NACHUSA   VILLAGE. 

Nachusa  was  set  off  from  the  Town  of  China, 
by  resolution  of  the  Board  of  Supervisors  of  Lee 
County  February  7,  1871,  being  made  up  of  the 
west  half  of  the  latter  town.  Dixon  Township 
remai'ned  intact  as  first  formed  until  the  Feb- 
ruary meeting  of  the  Board  of  Supervisors  in 


682 


HISTORY    OF    LEE    COUNTY. 


1S72,  when  all  lying  east  of  the  following  line 
was  detached  and  added  to  Nachusa:  Com- 
mencing at  the  river  and  following  the  half 
section  lines  south  to  center  of  Section  31, 
thence  east  to  center  of  Section  35.  thence  south 
to  center  of  Section  2,  thence  west  80  rods, 
thence  south  to  the  north  line  of  South  Dixon. 
After  two  petitions  had  been  rejected,  a  third 
was  unanimously  granted,  without  opposition, 
at  the  July  meeting,  1877,  restoring  to  Dixon 
the  east  half  of  Sections  10,  15,  22,  27  and  the 
northeast  quarter  of  Section  34.  The  construc- 
tion of  the  bridge  across  the  river  at  Grand 
Detour,  in  1902.  with  its  south  terminus  rest- 
ing in  the  town  of  Nachusa,  necessitated  the 
lepair  of  the  approaching  roads  and  rendered 
desirable  the  opening  of  a  new  and  more  direct 
highway  to  the  bridge.  Nachusa  having  failed 
— indeed,  practically  refused — to  take  the 
needed  action,  and  having  manifested  such  in- 
difference on  the  subject  as  to  arouse  the  indig- 
nation of  the  people  most  interested  in  the 
bridge,  two  petitions  were  placed  before 
the  Board  of  Supervisors,  asKing  that  the 
territory  embracing  the  roads  calling  for 
repair  and  the  projected  new  road  be 
added  to  Dixon.  Both  of  these  petitions 
were  defeated,  but  a  third  petition  offered 
at  the  September  meeting,  in  1903,  resulted  in 
detaching  from  Nachusa  all  the  territory  em- 
braced in  Towns  21  and  22,  Range  9,  and  adding 
it  to  the  Town  of  Dixon.  Thus  Nachusa  has 
been  brought  back  to  its  original  boundaries. 
(For  further  information  as  to  bridge  history, 
see  "Lee   County.") 

The  proximity  of  Grand  Detour  to  the  north- 
ern boundary  of  the  township  drew  an  unusual 
number  of  early  settlers  to  this  locality.  Among 
this  class  was  Cyrus  Chamberlain,  who  located 
on  Section  18.  Mr.  Hollingshead,  coming  a 
little  later,  settled  on  Section  19.  In  1835  Jo- 
seph Crawford  arrived,  and  after  living  one 
year  with  Mr.  Hollingshead.  then  settled  in 
Dixon  Township.  Solomon  Shelhamer  joined 
the  settlement  a  year  or  two  afterwards.  In 
183G  John  Chamberlain  bought  the  Hollings- 
head farm  and,  in  this  same  year,  a  Mr.  Fisk 
came  from  the  Best  with  a  stock  of  goods,  with 
which  he  opened  a  store  in  the  Hollingshead 
house. 

A  number  of  dwellings,  including  Cyrus 
Chamberlain's,  in  time,  grouped  about  the  point 
on  the  southwest  quarter  of  Section  IS.  Town 
22.  Range  9,  where  a  road  leads  off  to  the  upper 


Grand  Detour  ferry,  in  such  manner  as  at  the 
present  day  to  suggest  a  village.  This  settle- 
ment has  been  known  for  many  years  as  "The 
Kingdom."  Old  settlers  trace  this  name  to  dif- 
ferent sources,  but  all  agree  that  it  became 
attached  to  the  place  about  1844-6.  One  says 
that  Sabbath-breaking,  profanity,  horse-racing 
and  other  irregularities  caused  the  law-abiding. 
Sabbath-observing  people  of  Grand  Detour  to 
asiaciate  locality  with  the  devil's  aitairs. 
Another  (Harvey  Herrick,  now  living  in  Dixon) 
relates  how,  when  a  boy  of  twelve  or  fourteen 
years  of  age.  he  and  an  older  brother  quarreled 
with  the  boys  of  the  only  other  family  then  in 
the  place  (Chamberlain's),  and  how  their  re- 
spective fathers  took  sides  with  the  sons  until 
finally  one  of  the  former  charged  that  Satan 
had  reigned  ever  since  the  other  family  had 
come  into  the  neighborhood;  that  this  was  taken 
up  by  others  in  jest,  and  was  circulated  until  it 
became  firmly  fixed  to  the  place.  The  ac- 
companying circumstances  are  told  with  such 
particularity  that  the  latter  seems  to  be  the 
more  probable  of  the  two  accounts.  In  time 
the  Satanic  part  of  the  name  was  dropped. 

In  1844  Harvey  Herrick,  Sr,  (father  of  the 
Harvey  Herrick  above  mentioned )  settled  here, 
having  brought  a  house  from  over  the  county 
line,  which  was  the  second,  Cyrus  Chamber- 
lain's being  the  first. 

The  first  school  house  in  the  township  was 
built  of  stone  by  Cyrus  Chamberlain  on  his 
land,  and  its  use  was  given  to  the  pioneers.  It 
was  built  on  the  southwest  quarter  of  Section 
18,  Town  22.  Range  10.  and  is  still  standing 
on  the  Weatherbee  farm  at  "the  Kingdom." 
Chester  Herrington  was  the  first  teacher.  Prior 
to  the  building  of  the  school  house,  school  was 
taught  in  private  houses  by  a  man  named  Shel- 
don, who  is  supposed  to  have  been  the  first 
teacher  in  this  section.  The  second  school 
house  was  also  built  of  stone  and  stood  on  the 
south  half  of  the  southwest  quarter  of  Section 
26.  Town  22,  Range  10. 

Mr.  Chamberlain  was  the  first  Justice  of  the 
Peace  in  this  part  of  the  town,  and  was  also 
Co\inty  Commissioner  when  Ogle  and  Lee  Coun- 
ties constituted  one  county.  He  is  also  credited 
with  building  the  first  saw-mill  in  that  section. 
It  was  located  east  of  the  road  on  the  southwest 
quarter  of  Section  18,  on  the  north  side  of 
Franklin  Creek,  from  which  the  power  was 
obtained  through  a  mill  race  which  tapped  the 
creek  about  a  mile  further  upstream.     Harvey 


HISTORY    OF    LEE    COUNTY. 


683 


Herrick,  Sr..  took  advantage  of  this  power  for 
blast  purposes,  to  start  a  foundry  here — un- 
doubtedly the  first  in  the  county — which  he  had 
been  operating  by  horse  power  at  Grand  Detour. 

On  the  county  map  of  1S63  appears  the  name 
"Galena  &  Chicago  Union  Railroad"  across  the 
south  half  of  Section  IS  and  the  southwest  quar- 
ter of  Section  17.  When  the  road  (now  the 
Chicago  &  Northwestern)  was  being  con- 
structed, timber  was  cut  from  these  lands  for 
ties   and    fuel. 

In  1S42  a  settlement  was  started  on  the 
Dixon  and  Franklin  Grove  road,  where  Ludlum 
Ayres.  Levi  Green,  Thomas  Hopkins,  William 
Parker,  William  Richardson,  James  Goddard 
and  Don  Cooper  took  up  claims  and  built  their 
huts.  Most  of  these  disposed  of  their  claims 
in  a  few  years  and  moved  further  west.  In 
1845  quite  a  number  selected  land  near  where 
the  village  of  Nachusa  stands.  At  the  west 
end  of  the  Franklin  Grove  timber  and  within 
the  present  town  of  Nachusa,  Joseph  Emmert 
bought  a  claim  of  Don  Cooper  where  he  erected, 
in  1845-6,  a  two-story  dwelling  and  a  large  barn. 
In  1850  he  put  up  quite  a  large  fiouring-mill 
on  the  creek  at  heavy  expense.  He  was  a  min- 
ister of  the  German  Baptist,  or  Dunkard,  faith, 
and  about  1850  erected  the  first  church  of  that 
denomination,  where  the  present  one  stands, 
on  the  Dixon  and  Franklin  road,  on  the  south- 
east quarter  of  the  southeast  quarter  of  Section 
5.  In  1847,  A.  P.  Dysart  purchased  the  claim  of 
Thomas  Hopkins,  which  included  the  northwest 
quarter  of  the  southeast  quarter  of  Section  6, 
where  Col.  Dysart  continued  to  reside  up  to  the 
date  of  his  death,  and  where  he  erected  an  at- 
tractive and  expensive  dwelling.  This  building 
Mrs.  Mary  E.  B.  Shippert  has  recently  given 
to  the  Northern  Illinois  Lutheran  Synod,  to  be 
turned  over  to  the  proper  committee  or  trus- 
tees of  the  Northern,  Central  and  Southern  Illi- 
nois Synods,  the  Synods  of  Iowa,  Nebraska 
and  Kansas,  and  the  two  German  bodies  for  an 
orphanage.  The  property,  embracing  forty-six 
acres,  is  valued  at  $6,000.  The  gift  in  such 
hands  will  prove  a  great  blessing  to  the  parent- 
less  through  long  years  yet  to  come. 

John  M.  Crawford  and  Samuel  Crawford, 
brothers,  came  in  1846,  the  first  establishing 
a  permanent  home  on  the  east  half  of  the  south- 
west quarter  of  Section  5,  and  the  other  the  west 
half  of  Section  9.  Jonathan  Depuy  reached  the 
county   in   1S42.   and   before   long  settled   down 


in  this  township.  About  1844  or  '45  William 
Fiscel  bought  in  Section  32.  John  P.  Brubaker 
located  on  Sections  5  and  6,  about  the  year 
1850,  and  it  was  in  this  year  that  Benjamin 
Kesler  also  settled  on  Section  6.  In  1852  Henry 
Wingert  settled  on  Section  4,  and  John  W.  Win- 
gert  also  came  to  the  town.  Joshua  Wingert 
arrived  in  1846.  Jacob  Wertman  arrived  still 
earlier,  reaching  the  township  in  1838.  William 
Brandon  reached  Dixon  in  1837.  and  in  a  few 
years  moved  to  Nachusa  Township,  where  he 
resided  many  years.  Marshall  McNeel  came  to 
the  county  with  his  parents  in  1847,  and  Jacob 
Hittle  reached  the  county  as  early  as  1841,  both 
of  them  spending  the  remainder  of  their  days 
in  this  township.  Chester  Harrington  arrived 
in  1837  and  soon  secured  the  land  in  Section 
13.  Town  22,  Range  9,  on  which  he  now  re- 
sides with  his  son.  William  Garrison  landed 
in  the  county  in  1845  and  eventually,  some  ten 
years  later,  settled  in  Nachusa. 

Prior  to  the  building  of  the  Dunkard  church, 
above  mentioned,  by  Joseph  Emmert,  and  prior 
to  his  coming,  the  society  was  in  existence 
over  the  river  in  Ogle  County.  Mr.  Emmert 
first  preached  to  its  members  there;  but  this 
was  so  inconvenient  to  him  and  the  members 
in  this  county,  that  a  society  was  formed  in 
his  neighborhood  composed  of  himself  and  fam- 
ily, Christopher  Lahman  and  wife,  Jacob  and 
Samuel  Riddlesbarger  and  their  wives.  Oliver 
Edmunds  and  wife,  Isaac  Seits  and  wife,  An- 
drew Dierdorf  and  wife,  Benjamin  Kesler  and 
wife,  with  a  few  others.  Adjacent  to  the  church 
is  the  cemetery,  in  which  the  first  burial  was 
that  of  Debbie  Beever. 

At  an  early  date  a  Methodist  minister  by  the 
name  of  Benjamin  preached  to  the  settlers  in 
their  homes;  but  the  first  church  building  to 
be  erected  in  the  north  part  of  the  township 
was  the  Mt.  Union  church,  dedicated  November 
9,  1890,  for  the  use  of  the  denominations  desir- 
ing to  hold  service  there.  It  stands  on  the 
northwest  corner  of  the  northeast  quarter  of 
Section  26.  a  prominent  point,  giving  the  white 
building  a  conspicuous  place  in  the  landscape. 
Separated  from  the  church  yard  only  by  a 
fence  is  the  Mooers  Cemetery,  which  was  given 
by  one  of  the  pioneers,  Josiah  Mooers,  whose 
lemains  were  the  first  to  be  interred  within  its 
precincts.  It  dates  prior  to  1860.  In  1887  the 
Lutheran  Church  erected  a  neat  meeting  house 
in  the  village  of  Nachusa,  which  is  now  occu- 


HISTORY    OF    LEE    COUNTY. 


pied  by  the  society.  In  May.  1900,  Trinity 
Evangelical  ctiurch  dedicated  a  new  building 
erected  by  its  members  at  "the  Kingdom." 

Turning  to  the  southern  portions  of  the  town- 
ship, it  is  found  that  the  first  settler  was  a  Mr. 
Jones,  who  located  on  Section  20,  Town  21. 
In  1839  Dr.  Charles  Gardner  settled  on  the 
northwest  quarter  and  north  half  of  the  south- 
west quarter  of  Section  20,  where  he  resided 
until  his  death  at  a  good  old  age.  Most  of  the 
pioneers  emigrated  from  the  East  by  means 
of  horse  or  ox-teams,  or  by  way  of  canals  and 
lakes,  but  Dr.  Gardner  entered  the  new  country 
by  an  altogether  different  route.  He  reached 
New  Orleans  by  sloop  from  Newport,  R.  I.,  and 
thence  by  steamboat  up  the  Mississippi  and 
Illinois  to  Peru,  where  wagons  and  teams  were 
purchased  with  VN^hich  the  remainder  of  the 
journey  was  accomplished.  His  wife  followed 
the  track  across  the  States  a  few  months  later. 
Dr.  Gardner  belonged  to  the  Thomsonian  school 
of  medicine,  and  was  the  first  physician  in  that 
section.  He  brought  with  him  a  large  supply 
of  seeds,  cuttings,  grafts  and  slips,  with  which 
to  start  the  much  desired  fruit  and  ornamental 
tree  culture.  These  were  freely  distributed 
and,  besides  his  own  planting,  laid  the  founda- 
tion for  taste  and  interest  in  trees  which  have 
characterized  the  locality.  In  1873  he  built  a 
large  hay  barn,  the  heavy  timber  for  which 
was  cut  from  the  grove  which  he  himself 
had  planted.  This  southern  part  of  the  town- 
ship had  the  advantage  of  the  Chicago  road, 
which  was  the  artery  of  travel  from  Chicago 
to  Dixon's  Ferry,  and,  naturally,  the  first  set- 
tlements were  thickest  along  its  course.  About 
six  months  later  than  the  coming  of  Mrs.  Gard- 
ner, her  aunt  and  Jlrs.  Hannah  DeWolf  arrived 
and  purchased  a  home  about  a  mile  west  on  the 
northwest  quarter  of  Section  19.  Here  Mrs. 
Gardner  and  Mrs.  DeWolf  started  the  first 
Sunday  School  in  that  vicinity,  and  here,  in 
Mrs.  DeWolf's  house,  the  first  public  school  in 
the  township  was  taught.  The  first  teacher 
was  Miss  Betsey  DeWolf.  On  the  northeast 
corner  of  Mrs.  DeWolf's  farm  she  donated  a  plat 
for  a  cemetery,  which  is  still  in  use.  This  was 
about  the  year  1840,  and  the  first  person  to 
be  buried  there  was  "Old  Michael,"  a  man  who 
worked  for  her.  Adjacent  to  this  site,  the  first 
school  house  was  built  in  1841  or  '42,  when  Miss 
DeWolf  again  taught,  also  a  Miss  Hunter.  The 
house  was  afterwards  moved  to  the  southwest 


corner  of  Dr.  Gardner's  farm,  where  it  was 
known  for  many  years  as  "Locust  Street  School 
House."  Later  it  was  moved  to  the  crossroads, 
where  it  took  the  name  of  "Hollister." 

In  1841  John  Leake  settled  in  the  township 
at  Temperance  Hill,  having  emigrated  from 
England  in  1840.  His  wife  and  three  sons, 
William.  John  C,  Thomas,  and  a  daughter,  Mary 
Ann,  together  with  Mrs.  Lake's  two  sisters, 
Mrs.  Edward  Willars  and  Mrs.  Daniel  Leake 
and  their  husbands,  all  came  over  in  a  party 
in  1841.  Isaac  Means  and  William  Moody  ac- 
companied Mr.  Leake.  John  Leake  (2d)  with 
his  wife  and  two  children,  Clarissa,  and  Will- 
iam, made  the  passage  from  England  in  1843 
and  settled  on  the  highest  ground  at  Temper- 
ance Hill,  that  part  of  the  southwest  quarter 
of  the  southwest  quarter  of  Section  27,  lying 
south  of  the  road.  The  two  Johns  became 
distinguishable  in  the  neighborhood  by  names 
coined  for  the  purpose:  John,  the  first-comer-, 
being  called  "Butcher  John,  from  his  early 
occupation  in  the  old  country,  and  the  other, 
"Miller  John,"  or  "John  on  the  'illtop,"  from  the 
elevation  of  his  land.  Miller  John  and  Daniel 
were  brothers,  and  cousins  of  Butcher  John. 
Alva  Hale  was  one  of  the  early  settlers,  enter- 
ing a  claim  on  Section  33. 

Xaclwsa  Tillape. — The  station  was  called 
Taylor  when  the  railroad  was  in  process  of  con- 
struction, but  when  the  plat  was  made  in  the 
fall  of  18-53  by  Col.  Dysart  and  George  Baugh, 
it  was  given  its  present  name — the  one  by 
which  Father  Dixon  was  known  among  the  In- 
dians. The  first  business  enterprise  in  the 
place  was  launched  by  its  founder.  Col.  A.  P. 
Dysart,  who  built  a  warehouse,  bought  grain 
and  dealt  in  coal  and  lumber.  In  1855  or  '56 
he  opened  a  general  store  in  partnership  with 
a  Mr.  Cunningham.  They  were  succeeded  in 
1860  by  the  firm  of  (John)  Dysart  &  Riley,  who 
built  the  present  elevator.  The  business  finally 
passed  into  the  hands  of  William  C.  Dysart, 
and  now  is  owned  and  conducted  by  :\Ir.  C.  B. 
Crawford. 

The  first  postmaster  was  Col.  Dysart,  and  the 
office  has  always  remained  in  the  store  where 
he  opened  it,  the  successive  proprietors  of  which 
have  held  the  commission,  except  during  the 
first  four  years  of  President  Cleveland's  admin- 
istration, when  C.   D.  Hart  held  the  office. 

The  first  school  house  to  be  erected  in  the 
village  was  the  one  now  in  use.     It  was  built 


HISTORY    OF    LEE    COUNTY. 


685 


in  1S6S  and  J.  A.  D.  Barnes  was  the  first  teacher 
to  hold  forth  in  it.  The  first  blacksmith  shop 
was  started  in  1S55  or  1S56,  by  Mr,  Farwell. 

According  to  the  census  the  township  had  a 
population  in  1890  of  913  and  in  1900  of  886. 


Note— The  government  survey  of  the  different  towns 
in  the  county  was  made  in  the  following  years:  Town  21 
range  9  in  1834;  Town  22  range  9.  Town  22  range  10  in  1839; 
Town  21  range  8  and  Town  21  range  10  in  1S39-40;  Town  22 
range  8,  Town  22  range  II,  Town  30  range  1  and  Town  ^S 
rang;  1  in  1S40;  Town  20  range  10  and  Town  37  range  i  i~n 
1S42;  Town  37  range  2  in  1842-3:  the  remaining  towns  in  the 


vedi 


1843- 


CHAPTER  X\in. 


NELSON    TOWNSHIP. 


JNELS0>-  TO\V>-SHIP  ,SET  OFF  FROM  DIXOX ITS  EARLI- 
EST     SETTLER OTHER      EARLY      ARRIVALS THE 

"BLUFF   BOTS" ZION   LrTHEEA?,-   CnURCH XEL- 

SOX    VILLAGE  PLATTED. 

At  the  February  meeting,  1860.  of  the  Board 
of  Supervisors  that  part  of  the  Town  of  Dixon 
lying  south  of  Rock  River,  in  Town  21,  Range 
8,  was  set  apart  as  the  Town  of  Nelson.  The 
earliest  settler  in  the  township  was  Luther 
Stone,  who,  with  his  sons,  Burrell  and  Samuel, 
settled  in  1836,  on  Section  29.  Abner  Coggswell 
settled  on  Section  30  in  1S43.  Uriah  Gruver 
has  been  considered  an  old  settler,  but  it  was 
as  late  as  1854  when  he  came  to  Dixon,  and  it 
was  1865  when  he  settled  on  Section  26  in  Nel- 
son Township.  Charles  F.  Hubbard  settled  on 
the  northeast  quarter  of  Section  11  at  an  early 
day,  but  we  have  been  unable  to  ascertain  the 
year.  Nathan  Morehouse  located  a  short  dis- 
tance north  of  the  southeast  corner  of  the  south- 
west quarter  of  Section  17  in  1847.  William 
Bivens  bought  the  farm  and  moved  onto  it  in 
the  spring  of  1849.  Lewis  Brauer  settled  some- 
where east  of  Bivens  about  the  year  1849. 

It  is  a  singular  fact  that  this  township  was 
backward  in  attracting  early  settlers,  being 
sparsely  settled  prior  to  1854.  In  the  latter 
year  Jacob  and  Solomon  Harding,  Daniel  Uhl, 
John  and  Eli  Geiger  came.  William  Uhl  settled 
on  the  northwest  quarter  of  Section  23  about 
1852.  Frederick  Haupt  and  his  son,  Fred,  and 
Gerhard   H.   Missman   settled   in   the   township 


in  1855,  and  Eli  Lloyd  the  next  year.  Arthur 
Phillips,  John  Mooers,  Michael  Trautman,  Eli- 
jah Walker,  Henry  Heaton,  Albert  Hubbard  and 
Conrad  Hartman  were  among  the  settlers  of  the 
early  or  middle  '50s. 

Mention  should  be  made  of  a  set  of  young 
fellows  who  were  known  as  the  "Bluff  Boys," 
and  who  made  the  cabin  of  Charles  F.  Hubbard, 
on  the  river  bluff,  Iheir  headquarters.  Among 
them  were  Ale.xander  Charters,  commonly 
known  as  the  "Governor,"  Carleton  Bailey, 
Capt.  William  Graham  and  Mr.  Hubbard.  The 
group  was  composed  of  young  scions  of  wealthy 
families  in  the  East  or  across  the  waters,  who 
had  enjoyed  the  privileges  of  city  schools  and 
life,  and  had  come  to  a  new  country  for  fun 
lather  than  business  or  the  opportunities  which 
pioneer  life  afforded.  They,  to  a  man,  were 
jovial,  high-spirited  and  not  indifferent  to  the 
cup.  "Gov."  Charters  became  the  host  of  Hazel- 
vv'ood;  Carleton  Bailey  settled  in  Dixon  Town- 
ship in  the  Bend  opposite  Grand  Detour  Town- 
ship: Capt.  Graham  acquired  land  in  Palmyra 
Township.  All  were  congenial  companions  and 
became  endeared  to  those  about  them. 

Zion  Lutheran  church  was  organized  in  the 
township  at  an  early  date,  and  services  were 
held  in  a  little  school-house  located  on  south- 
west  quarter  of  the  northwest  quarter  of  Sec- 
tion 23,  which  was  built  about  the  year  1856. 
In  a  short  time  a  larger  school-house  was 
erected  on  the  spot,  which  was  also  used  for 
church  services  until  about  the  year  ISSO,  when 
it  was  torn  down.  The  present  church  building 
owned  and  occupied  by  the  society,  was  built  in 
18S0  and  stands  on  the  southeast  corner  of  Sec- 
tion 22.  The  cemetery  which  was  started  within 
the  same  enclosure  where  the  small  school 
house  stood,  has  been  enlarged  and  is  controlled 
by  the  Pine  Grove  Cemetery  Association,  which 
was  recently  incorporated  under  the  State  law. 
December  22,  1862,  the  "Town  of  Nelson" 
was  platted  on  land  of  Willard  S.  Pope  and 
Samuel  Nelson.  In  1902  and  1903  the  Chicago 
&  North-Western  Railroad  Company  built  a 
branch,  leaving  its  main  line  at  Nelson,  and 
running  thence  to  Peoria,  and  here  at  Nelson 
they  erected  large  coal  sheds.  This  has  given 
something  of  an  impetus  to  the  little  village 
and  it  is  manifesting  unmistakable  signs  of 
growth. 

Nelson  had  a  population  in  1890  of  454  and, 
in  1900,  of  586,  as  shown  by  the  Government 
census. 


686 


HISTORY    OF    LEE    COUNTY. 


CHAPTER    XIX. 


PALMYRA  TOWNSHIP. 


ITS    EARLY    SETTLERS — ARRIVAL   OF    THE    NEW    YORK 
COLOXY — CHURCHES  AND  SCHOOLS — CEHETERIES 

PRAIRIEVILLE    .AXD     ITS    SOLDIERS'     JIOXIMENT 

PALMYRA    IN.SURANCE    COMPANY. 

For  the  names  and  time  of  arrival  of  early 
settlers  in  Palmyra  Township,  the  following 
quotation  is  made  from  an  article  by  Miss  Jane 
Johnson,  appearing  in  "Recollections  of  Pio- 
neers of  Lee  County"   (p.  497): 

"The  first  settlement  was  begun  in  the  spring 
of  1S34  by  old  Mr.  Morgan  and  his  sons,  Harvey 
and  Jchn,  and  Benjamin  Stewart,  who  settled 
in  the  south  side  of  the  Grove,  known  as  "the 
Gap."  They  were  followed  in  the  autumn  by 
John  H.  Page  and  wife,  and  Stephen  Fellows, 
with  a  large  family. 

"The  following  spring  (1S35)  the  new  acces- 
sions included  W.  W.  Bethea,  Absalom  Fender 
with  a  large  family.  Capt.  Oliver  Hubbard,  a 
numerous  family  of  Gastons,  Smith  Gilbraith, 
William  T.  and  Elkanah  Bush,  Daniel  Beards- 
ley,  old  Mr.  Thomas  and  his  sons,  Enoch  and 
Noah;  Daniel  Obrist,  Nathan  Morehouse,  Jeff 
Harris,  Anson  Thummel,  brother  of  Rev.  C.  B. 
Thummel;  James  Power  and  sons,  Thomas  and 
Jeptha.  From  1836  to  1S45  large  additions  were 
made  to  the  infant  settlement,  most  of  the 
following  being  well  known  families:  John  C. 
Oliver,  Noah  Beede,  Abijah  Powers,  Frederick 
and  Henry  Coe,  Walter  Rogers,  Reuben  East- 
wood, William  Myers  (afterwards  known  as  the 
"Prophet"),  Hiram  Parks,  W.  W.  Tilton,  T 
thy  Butler,  Hugh  Graham,  John  T.  Lawrence, 
John  Lawrence,  Abner  Moon,  John  Lord  and  his 
son  John  L,,  Jarves  N.  and  David  Holly,  Wm 
Martin  and  his  nephews,  James,  Jacob  and  Ty- 
ler Martin;  Capt.  Jonas  M.  Johnson  and  his 
sons,  William  Y.  and  Morris,  with  their  fam 
ilies  and  a  son-in-law;  Eben  H.  Johnson  and 
wife,  Joshua  Seavey  and  sons,  Jesse  and  Win 
throp;  Joshua  Harden  and  son  William;  Al 
bert  and  John  Jenness,  Harvey  E.  Johnson 
Charles  and  Dana  Columbia,  Levi  Briggs  and 
father.  Thomas  Monk,  William  and  John  Benji 
min,   Truxton  and   Lemuel   Sweeney,   John  and 


Joseph  Thompson,  John  Norris,  William  and 
Lockwood  Harris,  Wm.  Burger,  Wm.  Stackpole, 
Rev.  William  Gates,  James  Gates,  William 
Ayres,  Thomas  Ayres,  L.  Deyo,  E.  Deyo,  Col. 
Leman  Mason  and  sons  Sterne,  Volney  and  Rod- 
ney; Moses  Warner  and  sons  Henry,  Moses  and 
George;  Major  Sterling,  Henry  and  Gustavus 
Sartorius;  Nehemiah,  William,  Fletcher  and 
Morris  Hutton;  Abram  O'Brist,  Jlartin  Blair, 
We.sley  Atkinson,  Thomas  and  Moses  Scallion, 
John  Carley,  Hardin,  Beach,  Tomlin,  Martin 
Richardson,  Benjamin  Gates,  Mathias  Schick, 
Anton  Harms,  Charles  A.  Becker,  Henry  Miller, 
Becker  Miller,  Mr.  Curtis,  Martin  and  William 
Brauer,  William  Miller,  John  Morse."  The 
names  of  David  Law  (father  of  Dr.  David  H.) 
and  family,  who  came  in  1839,  and  their  rela- 
tives, the  McGinnisses,  who  came  at  or  about 
the  same  time,  should  be  added  to  this  list.  It 
should  also  be  noted  that  John  Lord  and  family 
first  settled  in  Dixon,  near  the  point  where 
Peoria  Avenue  crosses  the  Chicago  &  North- 
ern Railway. 

Between  1839  and  1844  the  New  York  Colony 
(so  called)  settled  in  Palmyra.  Capt.  Hugh 
Graham  was  its  acknowledged  head.  William 
Graham,  John  T.  Lawrence  and  brother  were 
tl.e  first  to  arrive,  C.  F.  Hubbard  came  later. 
The  colony  was  made  up  for  the  most  part  of 
highly  educated  young  men  and  women  from 
New  York  City  and  across  the  sea.  They  were 
lured  westward  by  imaginary  attractions  of  a 
new  and  fertile  country.  It  was  to  be  their 
El  Dorado,  but  proved  quite  otherwise.  Their 
lack  of  e.xperience  in  agricultural  pursuits,  and 
their  unfitness  for  pioneer  life,  its  hardships 
and  problems,  defeated  their  hopes,  financially, 
but  it  is  not  too  much  to  say  that  the  communi- 
ty was  still  a  distinct  gainer.  Their  influence 
was  always  exerted  in  the  direction  of  better 
educational  conditions,  and  they  contributed  in 
the  press  and  by  example  to  raise  the  in- 
telectual  standards  of  the  neighborhood.  Mr. 
Lawrence,  Mr.  Geyot  and  Mr.  Hubbard  spent 
their  lives  in  the  locality  where  they  first  set- 
tled, and  were  gathered  to  their  fathers  only  a 
few  years  ago.  An  article  contributed  by  Mr. 
Lawrence  to  that  excellent  collection  of  essays 
on  early  days,  "Recollections  of  the  Pioneers  of 
Lee  County"  (above  quoted  from),  gives  a  most 
graphic  account  of  their  experiences,  is  rich  in 
local  incident  and  suggests  the  scholarly  cast 
of  the  New  York  Colony.  Mr.  Lawrence  says, 
in    the    paper    referred    to,    that    Palmyra    was 


HISTORY    OF    LEE    COUNTY. 


687 


named  by  Fred  Coe.  from  the  town  of  that 
name  in  New  York. 

The  Indians  were  gathering  sweetness  from 
the  maple  trees  of  Sugar  Grove  when  the  white 
man  came,  and  under  the  latter's  care  the  "sap 
bush"  soon  became  a  fixed  institution. 

At  an  early  date  a  double  log  house  stood  in 
front  of  the  spot  on  which  now  stands  the  John 
Lord  family  residence,  of  which  Smith  Gil- 
braith's  family  occupied  one  side. 

It  seems  that  there  was  a  postoflice  at  the 
Gap  in  the  early  days,  E.  B.  Bush  being  the  first 
Postmaster  and  having  a  deputy  at  Buffalo 
Grove.  This  same  Bush  ran  a  ferry  near  where 
the  center  line  of  Section  10  strikes  the  river. 
Joshua  Morgan  also  served  as  Postmaster.  The 
office  was  continued  until  the  recent  introduc- 
tion of  postal  delivery  service. 

In  1S40  the  settlement  had  sixty  voters. 

As  early  as  1S43  Matthias  Selricks  had  a 
blacksmith  shop  at  Prairieville,  and  there  were 
others  in  the  town. 

O'Brlst  had  a  saw-mill  on  Sugar  Creek  where, 
after  a  heavy  rain,  a  little  sawing  of  the  native 
logs  could  be  done.  There  were  two  brothers; 
Daniel  was  drowned  in  Elkhorn  Creek  and 
Abram  then  ran  the  mill.  Aside  from  the  as- 
sistance of  this  mill,  nearly  all  the  buildings 
were  made  of  hewed  logs,  shakes  or  split  shin- 
gles for  the  roof,  and  puncheons  or  boards  split 
from  logs  for  the  floor. 

There  was  a  time  not  many  years  ago  when 
the  carriage  and  wagon  shops  of  John  L.  Lord 
did  a  large  business,  considering  their  inacces- 
sibility by  rail.  The  business  was  founded  by 
John  Lord  in  1841,  and  twelve  years  later 
passed  into  the  hands  of  his  son  John  L.  Comp- 
petition  having  eventually  proven  too  formida- 
ble for  works  so  situated,  the  business  was,  a 
few  years  ago,  abandoned.  The  first  church  in 
Palmyra  was  at  Gap  Grove  on  the  site  where 
the  school  house  now  stands.  Its  dimensions 
were  24  by  36  feet  and  it  was  built  in  1839 
jointly  by  the  Congregationalists  and  the  Meth- 
odists, and  was  occupied  on  alternate  Sundays 
by  those  two  denominations.  It  was  aban- 
doned at  least  forty  years  ago  and  transformed 
Into  a  school  house  and  used  for  a  number  of 
years,  when  it  was  moved  off  and  sold  for  $20, 
and  in  its  place  the  present  school  house  was 
built.  The  old  school  house  was  converted  into 
a  barn,  in  which  capacity  it  is  still  doing  serv- 
ice for  H.  M.  Gilbert. 

About  the  year  185.5  the  Jlethodists  built  a 
church  at  a  point  on  the  south  side  of  the  pub- 


lic road,  near  the  west  line  of  the  southwest 
quarter  of  Section  34.  Near  it  stood  a  frame 
school  house,  but  when  built  or  what  figure  it 
cut  in  the  neighborhood  we  have  been  unable 
to  find  out.  It  is,  however,  at  present 
used  as  a  milk-house  on  Howard  Martin's  farm. 
Ine  church  was  sold  and  torn  down  many  years 

On  the  southwest  corner  of  the  farm  now 
owned  by  Gustav  Selig  (southeast  quarter, 
Section  27),  near  the  forks  of  the  road,  once 
stood  a  log  house,  which  is  claimed  by  some  to 
have  been  the  true  historic  school  house  of  the 
section.  At  one  time  the  number  of  pupils  here 
taught  reached  fifty. 

In  1857-8  a  brick  church,  with  basement  for 
school  purposes,  was  erected  at  Sugar  Grove. 
At  an  early  day  there  was  also  a  log  school 
house  near  the  John  Lord  residence  on  Section 
36.  and.  in  the  '■Hall"  at  "the  Gap,"  which  was 
originally  a  saw-mill  built  by  W.  W.  Tilton,  a 
Mr.  Judd  once  taught  an  advanced  school,  to 
which  many  came  from  a  distance  on  horse- 
back to  enjoy  its  advantages. 

Old  settlers  are  not  agreed  touching  the  first 
school  teacher  of  the.  town.  Mr.  J.  T.  Law- 
rence awards  the  mantle  to  Mary  Hill,  who  in 
time  became  Mrs.  Michael  Fellows,  while  Rev. 
S.  N.  Fellows,  brother  of  Michael  (both  of 
whom  were  sons  of  Stephen  Fellows),  gives  the 
honor  to  his  sister  Margaret.  Another  accords 
it  to  Mrs.  Hubbard,  afterward  wife  of  W.  W. 
Tilton.  However  this  may  be.  no  regular 
school  was  established  until  1838,  when  a  small 
frame  school  house  was  erected  in  the  center  of 
Sugar  Grove,  but  never  finished,  in  which  W. 
W.  Bethea  was  master  for  two  winters.  In 
1837  there  was  a  school  house  at  the  Gap  nearly 
opposite  the  ground  where  the  town  hall  now 
stands.  In  1847,  a  frame  school  house  was 
built  on  or  near  the  spot  where  the  combined 
school  and  church  building  at  Sugar  Grove,  on 
the  south  line  of  the  southeast  quarter  of  Sec- 
tion 22,  was  later  erected.  On  the  former  com- 
ing into  use  the  log  house  on  the  Selig 
tract  was  abandoned.  In  1856  the  house 
of  1847  was  moved  off  and  became  a 
part  of  the  dwelling  on  the  farm  now 
owned  by  Fletcher  Seavey,  where  it  still  may 
be  found.  In  its  stead  a  building,  with  stone 
basement  and  brick  second  story,  was  put  up 
by  the  voluntary  contributions  of  the  neigh- 
borhood. The  basement  being  desirable  for 
school  purposes,  was.  in  some  way,  soon  sold 
to  the  school  authorities  of  the  town.    The  walls 


688 


HISTORY    OF    LEE    COUNTY. 


of  the  second  story  proving  too  light  to  safely 
support  the  roof,  they  were  taken  out  without 
disturbing  the  roof  and  replaced  with  a  suita- 
ble frame  inclosure.  About  the  year  1880  the 
building  was  entirely  consumed  by  fire.  It 
was  promptly  rebuilt  substantially  as  before, 
and  as  it  is  now  seen,  except  that  the  first 
story  is  of  wood  instead  of  stone. 

Cem.eteries. — In  1840  a  cemetery  was  located 
at  the  Gap  and  the  first  interment  was  that  of 
Samuel  Fellows,  on  February  8th  of  that  year. 
It  was  situated  on  the  south  side  of  the  half-sec- 
tion line  at  the  northwest  corner  of  the  south- 
west quarter  of  Section  34,  and  at  the  northeast 
corner  of  the  southeast  quarter  of  Section  33.  A 
number  of  bodies  were  removed,  but  a  number 
are  still  there,  though  the  spot  has  long  been 
abandoned  to  weeds  and  underbrush.  A  con- 
siderable burial  ground  also  existed  at  one  time 
about  the  middle  of  the  tract  south  of  the  road 
in  the  southwest  quarter  of  the  southeast  quar- 
ter of  Section  26,  on  what  is  known  as  the 
Beede  farm.  The  bodies  here  buried  were  all 
removed,  some  finding  a  temporary  resting 
place  on  the  east  side  of  the  forks  of  the  road 
on  the  west  line  of  said  quarter  section; 
but  nearly  all  of  them  reposed  at  last  in  the 
cemetery  at  the  Grove  church  and  school  house, 
which  was  opened  in  1855,  the  remains  of  an 
infant  child  of  Asa  Seavey  being  the  first  in- 
terred here.  By  the  bestowal  of  much  labor 
and  taste,  for  which  the  ladies  are  largely  to 
be  credited,  it  is  now  an  ideal  little  burial  plot. 

The  cemetery  north  of  Prairieville,  at  the 
northeast  corner  of  the  southeast  quarter  of 
Section  31,  was  established  by  deed  from  Abi- 
jah  Powers,  dated  April,  1861.  Its  location  is 
a  beautiful  spot  for  which  nature  has  done 
much,  and  while  considerably  less  has  been  ex- 
pended upon  it  than  on  the  other,  it  is  still  a 
respectable  rival. 

frairieviUe  was  located  and  platted  at  the 
instance  of  Abijah  Powers,  Phillip  Schock,  Sam- 
uel Shaw  and  Winthrop  Seavey,  April  10,  1855. 
On  its  site  a  blacksmith  shop  was  in  full  blast 
in  1843. 

liie  village  school  house  is  a  two-story  brick 
structure  surmounted  by  a  belfry.  It  was  built 
at  a  cost  of  $3,000. 

In  the  schoolyard  inclosure  a  soldiers'  monu- 
ment, costing  about  $900,  was  erected  June  3, 
1869.  by  the  voluntary  contributions  of  the 
patriotic  citizens  of  the  township.  It  is  a  nota- 
ble fact  that  this  is  the  only  monument,  thus 


far  set  up  anywhere  in  the  county,  to  the  mem- 
ory of  the  brave  men  who  served  their  country 
in  the  War  of  the  Rebellion. 

On  September  3,  1902,  this  monument  was 
moved  to  the  cemetery  one-half  mile  north  of 
Prairieville,  through  the  interest  and  agency 
of  the  W.  C.  Robinson  Post,  G.  A.  R.,  of  Ster- 
ling. To  make  this  practicable,  the  heirs  of 
the  late  Samuel  Shaw  donated  their  beautiful 
lot  in  the  center  of  the  grounds  where  had  re- 
posed, until  removed  to  the  cemetery  at  Dixon, 
the  remains  of  Timothy  Shaw,  the  son  of  Sam- 
uel Shaw,  and  brother  of  Miss  Elizabeth  J. 
Shaw.  He  was  the  first  Lee  County  boy  to  en- 
list in  the  War  of  the  Rebellion.  The  date  of 
his  enlistment  appears  by  the  records  to  have 
been  April,  1861.  He  was  at  school  at  Jackson- 
ville at  the  time,  and  became  a  member  of  Com- 
pany B,  Tenth  Illinois  Infantry. 

The  marble  shaft  was  rededicated  in  its  new 
position  by  appropriate  ceremonies,  Mr.  S.  H. 
Bethea,  an  honored  son  of  Palmyra,  delivering 
the  address.  On  this  occasion  the  shaft  bore 
the  following  names  of  the  country's  defenders 
credited  to  Palmyra:  Timothy  Shaw,  Jerome 
D.  Morgan,  Benj.  E.  Berry,  Solomon  Stewart, 
Joseph  Brown,  Jefferson  Seavey,  Michael  0'- 
Kane.  Charles  Becker.  Henry  Peek,  John 
Strothman,  Norman  D.  Smith,  Morris  Hutton, 
Theodore  Gaston,  William  Hackett,  Edward  S. 
O'Brien.  Emanuel  Schick,  Henry  D.  Wood, 
George  P.  Bhrman,  Louis  Gleichman,  Deidrich 
Kruger.  Albert  Slater  and  Homer  Clink. 

There  is  at  present  the  school  house  re- 
ferred to,  and  a  church  edifice  in  the  village  of 
Prairieville  (if  the  few  houses  there  now  can 
be  so  called),  in  which  the  Congregationalists 
and  Lutherans  hold  service.  A  blacksmith 
shop  and  small  store  cater  to  the  wants  of  the 
neighborhood   in   their  respective   lines. 

The  town  hall  at  the  Gap  was  built  about 
the  year  1880. 

To  encourage  enlistment  in  the  War  of  the 
Rebellion,  Palmyra,  as  a  town,  paid  $12,470  in 
bounties. 

Palmyra  Insurance  Company. — One  of  Pal- 
myra's permanent  institutions  is  the  "Farmer's 
Mutual  Fire  Insurance  Company  of  Palmyra," 
which  was  incorporated  by  special  act  of  the 
Legislature,  February  15,  1865,  since  which 
time  it  Jias  done  a  large  business  in  Lee  and 
surrounding  counties.  When  the  company  com- 
menced doing  business  in  the  following  July, 
it  had  applications  for  over  $100,000  of  insur- 


HISTORY    OF    LEE    COUNTY. 


ance  to  start  with.  Its  business  lias  increased 
until  It  is  now  carrying  risks  aggregating  over 
?1. 500, 000.  It  is  what  is  called  a  "District 
Company,"  and  is  one  of  the  largest  of  its  kind 
in  the  State.  Its  operations  are  coniined  to 
Lee,  Ogle,  Whiteside  and  Carroll  counties,  and 
it  insures  all  kinds  of  farm  property,  but  never 
enters  cities  or  incorporated  villages.  Its  first 
officers  were  John  H.  Page,  President,  and  C.  B. 
Thummel,  Secretary.  Its  present  officers  are 
F.  M.  Coe,  President,  and  Fletcher  Seavey,  Sec- 
retary. 

The  population  of  Palmyra  Township  was 
1,016  in  1890,  and  1.019  in  1900,  as  shown  by 
the  Government  census. 


CHAPTER  XX. 


cated  at  Brush  Grove,  and  was  the  first  settler 
in  the  township. 

The  society  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church 
was  organized  in  the  fall  of  1S75.  and  soon  af- 
terwards a  church  building  was  erected  on  the 
"Flats."  The  building  committee  consisted  of 
F.  F.  Farmlow,  C.  W.  Ament,  C.  F.  Van  Patten, 
John  A.  Edgar,  Daniel  C.  Miller  and  B.  F. 
Parker. 

At  the  southeast  corner  of  Section  19  stands 
the  Emanuel  church  of  the  Evangelical  Associ- 
ation (German).  It  was  built  at  a  cost  of 
$4,000.  and  was  dedicated  October  13.  1872,  free 
from  debt.  In  1881,  ?900  was  expended  in  im- 
provements and  repairs.  The  building  commit- 
tee consisted  of  John  Kersten.  George  Sand- 
rock.  George  Bolei.  Martin  Wagner  and  Ernst 
Weiner. 

The  population  of  the  township,  according  to 
census,  was  674  in  1890.  and  743  in  1900. 


REYNOLDS  TOWNSHIP. 


CHAPTER    XXI. 


OEIGIXAL  DIMENSI07>'.S — NEW  ORGAN'IZATIOX  IN  1859 
— FIRST  ELECTION  AND  BOARn  OF  OFFICERS — 
EARLY   SETTLERS CHrRCHES. 

The  Town  of  Brooklyn  originally  embraced 
all  of  Towns  37,  38  and  39.  Range  1.  Town  38. 
Range  1  (now  Viola)  was  set  off  under  the 
name  of  Stockton,  by  the  Board  of  Supervisors 
at  the  February  meeting,  1861.  A  year  prior 
to  this  the  northern  township  of  these  three 
was.  in  like  manner,  set  apart  by  the  name  of 
Reynolds  Township.  The  first  election  under 
the  new  organization  was  held  April  5,  1859, 
at  which  Thomas  Minier  was  elected  Supervis- 
or and  Assessor;  John  C.  Piper.  Town  Clerk 
and  Constable;  Dudley  C.  Whitehead,  Collector 
and  Constable:  Daniel  Brink,  Jr.,  Overseer  of 
the  Poor;  E.  F.  Gatten.  Job  Whitehead  and 
David  Douthett,  Commissioners  of  Highways; 
Peter  Mills  and  Robert  M.  Piel.  Justices  of  the 
Peace.  The  election  and  town  meeting  was  held 
in  the  residence  of  Horace  Stearns,  a  cabin  13 
by  16  feet  and  six  feet  high,  located  on  Section 
li-..  It  was  later  used  as  a  pigpen  and  corn 
crib. 

The  early  settlers  were  Sewell  Reynolds, 
Thomas  Minier.  Jonathan  Whitehead.  John 
Herrington.  Dudley  C.  Whitehead,  Daniel 
Brink,    Jr..    and    Charles   Gooch.      Reynolds    lo- 


SOUTH  DIXON  TOWNSHIP. 


THE     TOWNSHIP     SET     APART     FROJI     DIXON — FIRST 

PERMANENT    SETTLER OTHERS   WHO   FOLLOWED — 

FIRST    SCHOOL — CHL'RCHES — A   PIONEER  DEBATING 
SOCIETY TOWN    OF    ELDENA    PLATTED. 

At  the  February  session.  1867.  of  the  Board 
of  Supervisors,  the  town  of  South  Dixon  was 
detached  from  the  Town  of  Dixon,  embracing 
all  of  Town  22,  Range  9,  except  the  north  tier 
of  sections.  The  town  remained  with  these 
boundaries  until  the  March  session,  1877,  when 
the  territory  lying  north  of  the  Chicago  & 
Northwestern  Railway  was  restored  to  thle 
Town  of  Dixon.  The  earliest  permanent  set- 
tler in  the  township  was  Joseph  Cartwright, 
who  settled  there  in  1838  and  died  the  follow- 
ing year.  Prior  to  this,  however,  in  1S36.  a 
young  man  staked  out  a  claim  for  himself  close 
to  the  three  mile  branch  on  the  Chicago  road, 
near  the  northeast  corner  of  Section  15. 
Abram  Brown,  who  settled  in  the  town  in  1849 
on  that  part  of  Section  13,  where  he  continued 
to  live  until  his  death  a  few  years  ago,  relates 
that  Uncle  Peter  and  Aunt  Rhoda  McKenney, 
through    some    misunderstanding,    jumped    the 


6go 


HISTORY    OF    LEE    COUNTY. 


young  man's  claim  and  built  a  small  shanty 
and  set  up  housekeeping,  by  reason  of  which 
the  "Claim  Society"  ousted  them.  The  shanty 
was  loaded  on  a  wagon,  much  against  their 
will,  and  moved  off  the  premises. 

The  second  permanent  settler  was  Charles 
Edson,  who  located  here  in  1S39.  Mr.  Edson 
and  his  wife  did  much  to  foster  everything 
that  was  calculated  to  uplift  and  advance  the 
interests  of  the  community.  The  family  after- 
wards occupied  the  farm  across  the  road  from 
the  brick  school  house,  which  circumstance  and 
their  relations  to  the  school  gave  it  the  name 
of  the  Edson  school,  by  which  it  was  known  for 
many  years.  As  soon  as  they  moved  into  their 
first  house,  Mrs.  Edson  gave  up  her  largest 
room  for  a  school,  and  this  was  the  first  school 
to  be  taught  in  the  vicinity.  The  teacher  was 
a  Miss  Robinson,  later  a  preceptress  in  Mt. 
Morris  Seminary,  where  she  married  Judge 
Fuller  of  Ogle  County,  and  after  his  death  be- 
came the  wife  of  Bowman  Bacon,  a  nephew  of 
Mrs.  Joseph  Crawford  of  Dixon.  In  the  early 
'60s  the  Edson  family  moved  to  California. 

The  next  family  to  locate  in  the  town  con- 
sisted of  James  Campbell,  his  wife  and  two 
daughters.  Mr.  Campbell  did  not  live  long, 
and  on  his  death  his  widow  married  Isaac 
Boardman,  of  Dixon.  The-  father  of  Reuben 
Trowbridge  settled  near  Eldena  very  early,  and 
reared  a  large  family  of  boys.  Hiram  and  He- 
man  Meade  joined  the  settlement  soon  after, 
and  a  man  of  a  different  stripe  by  the  name  of 
Hamill,  who  brought  his  wife  from  the  poor- 
house  at  Buffalo,  New  York,  came  to  the  town- 
ship. His  abuse  of  one  of  his  children  so  ex- 
cited the  kind  N.  G.  H.  Morrill,  the  County 
Poormaster,  and  other  large-hearted  people  of 
Dixon,  that  they  administered  to  the  brute  a 
thorough  coat  of  tar  and  feathers  in  Dixon,  in 
the  vicinity  of  where  the  Western  Hotel  then 
stood. 

Other  early  settlers  were  Christian  Stevens, 
Henry  B.  True,  Caldwell  Bishop,  Henry  Page, 
Jacob  McKenney,  Jacob  Groh,  and  son  E.  H., 
James  Rogers,  Matthew  McKenney,  William  A. 
Judd,  Nathan  Hill,  John  Fritz,  Sr.,  William  J. 
Fritz,  William  Rink,  John  Anderson,  Barnhard 
Wissman  and  others. 

St.  James  Evangelical  Lutheran  Church  was 
early  organized  and,  in  1877,  built  a  church 
edifice  north  of  the  Chicago  road  near  the 
southeast  corner  of  the  northeast  quarter  of 
Section  14.  Another  church  of  the  same  de- 
nomination was  built  on  the  southwest  corner 


of  Section  20,  known  as  Emanuel  Church.  In 
the  village  of  Eldina  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Society  built  a  church  in  1870,  which  has  also 
been  used  by  other  denominations. 

Further  mention  should  be  made  of  the  Ed- 
son school  house,  later  known  as  "The  Brick," 
on  the  northwest  corner  of  the  southwest  quar- 
ter of  Section  13,  which  was  built  at  an  early 
day,  and  was  for  many  years  the  center  of  intel- 
lectual activity  in  that  sectign.  Mr.  E.  B.  Edson 
was  the  first  teacher  in  this  building.  At  one 
time  the  attendance  reached  120.  In  the  days 
when  Abram  Brown,  Ephraim  Groh  and  others 
were  at  the  height  of  their  activity,  this  school 
house  was  the  scene  of  periodical  debates,  which 
attracted  a  large  attendance,  it  being  a  com- 
mon thing  for  disputants  from  Dixon  to  take 
part.  In  1858  the  Edsonville  Literary  and  De- 
bating Society  was  formed,  with  Mr,  Brown  as 
its  first  President,  and  it  was  under  the  aus- 
pices of  this  organization  that,  for  many  years, 
the  forensic  contests  went  on  during  the  win- 
ter months. 

The  only  poor-farm  in  the  county  is  situated 
on  Section  26.  and  contains  100  acres. 

July  10,  1863,  the  "Town  of  Eldina"  was 
platted  on  land  of  the  Illinois  Central  Rail- 
road. The  first  store  and  house  in  the  village 
was  built  by  Reuben  H.  Cheney.  The  first 
grain-house  was  built  by  Reuben  Trowbridge, 
Reuben  H.  Cheney  and  Daniel  Brown.  To  this 
was  later  added  an  elevator. 

The  population  of  South  Dixon,  according  to 
the  government  census,  was  841  in  1890,  and 
854  in  1900. 


CHAPTER    XXH. 


SUBLETTE  TOWNSHIP. 


FIKST       SETTLERS — THE      ORIfilXAL      N.\ME       II.\NN0 

.(  n.iXGEn     TO      .SUBLETTE FIRST     ELECTION'     .\XD 

TOWN  OFFICERS CHURCHES  AND  EARLY  SCHOOLS 

HEXKEL    .\ND     SUBLETTE    VILL,\i;ES BUSINESS 


SES. 


Charles  F.  Ingals  settled  just  over  the  line 
in  Lee  Center  Township,  in  1836.  Sherman 
Hatch  reached  Dixon  in  1837,  and  soon  found 
his  \vr^  to  Mr.  Ingals'  place.     During  that  sum- 


HISTORY    OF    LEE    COUNTY, 


691 


mer  or  fall  he  settled  on  the  southwest  part  of 
Section  7,  t&king  possession  of  and  completing 
a  loi;  house  that  had  been  partly  built  by  pre- 
vious claimants  who  had  abandoned  their 
claim.  He  went  back  to  Vermont  that  fall  and 
returned  the  next  year  with  his  bride.  Jona- 
than Peterson  laid  claim,  in  the  summer  of 
1S37,  to  the  northwestern  part  of  Section  4, 
and  after  building  a  log  cabin  near  by  in  Lee 
C'en'er,  he,  too,  repaired  that  fall  to  his  New 
England  home  for  a  wife,  returning  with  her 
the  next  year.  In  the  fall  of  1838  Thomas  and 
William  Fessenden  arrived  with  their  families, 
and  built  a  log  house  near  the  southeast  cor- 
ner of  the  northwest  quarter  of  Section  7,  and 
moved  into  it  in  December.  In  the  following 
year  William  Fessenden  built  on  the  southeast 
corner  of  the  southwest  quarter  of  Section  6. 
Sometime  in  the  '30s  William  Knox  and  family 
settled  on  the  south  side  of  the  eastern  portion 
of  the  grove  which  bears  their  name.  It  was 
on  the  Chicago  and  Galesburg  road,  east  of  the 
center  of  the  southeast  quarter  of  Section  24. 
Sylvanus  Peterson,  brother  of  Jonathan,  lo- 
cated on  the  southeast  quarter  of  Section  5. 
Earlier  than  1840,  John  Morton  and  R.  E.  Good- 
all  settled  on  Sections  5  and  8.  One  of  the  old 
settlers,  Daniel  Baird,  located  in  LaSalle 
County  in  the  fall  of  1836,  and  came  on  to 
Sublette  in  1839,  planting  his  home  on  the  La- 
Salle and  Grand  Detour  road,  near  the  north- 
east corner  of  the  south  half  of  the  northeast 
quarter  of  Section  17.  It  was  in  this  year  that 
Phineas  Rust  built  the  first  frame  house  in  the 
township,  on  the  northeast  quarter  of  Section 
31.  He  never  lived  there,  however,  but  sold  his 
claim  late  in  1840  to  Philo  Stanard  and  Thomas 
Angier.  During  the  year  1839  Thomas  Tour- 
tillott  built  a  frame  house  near  the  center  of 
Section  31  and  Obed  W.  Bryant  settled  on  the 
Chicago  and  Galesburg  road  on  Section  35.  In 
1843,  Ephraim  Reniff,  with  his  family,  located 
on  the  south  half  of  the  northeast  quarter  of 
Section  33,  and  Hiram  Anderson  did  likewise 
on  the  northeast  quarter  of  the  southeast  quar- 
ter of  the  same  section.  It  was  over  the  latter 
claim  that  the  Settlers'  Claim  Society  applied 
a  law  of  their  own  making  to  a  claim-jumper 
by  the  name  of  Bull.  A  force,  sixty-five  in 
number,  well  armed,  repaired  to  Dixon  and 
captured  the  offender.  The  difficulty  was  so 
adjusted,     however,     that     Anderson     held     the 


land,   and    the   vigorous   remedy   protected    the 
settlement  from  "jumpers"  ever  thereafter. 

Early  in  the  '40s  Stephen  Richardson  located 
near  the  southwest  corner  of  the  northeast 
quarter  of  Section  31.  Jacob  Vertrees  came  in 
1843  or  '44,  and  John  Skinner  in  1844  or  '45. 
Hezekiah  and  John  McKune  were  also  settlers 
in  the  early  '40s,  the  former  locating  on  the 
north  half  of  the  northeast  quarter  of  Section 
8,  and  the  latter  on  the  southwest  quarter  of 
Section  17.  In  1848  or  '49  William  Coleman 
settled  on  the  northeast  quarter  of  Section  7. 
In  1843  Alpheus  Crawford  bought  a  claim  to 
the  south  half  of  Section  13  for  $75.  This  was 
within  the  Knox  Grove  settlement,  where  Levi 
Camp  had  settled  that  year  and  Daniel  Pratt 
the  year  before.  Prescott  Bartlett  claimed  the 
east  half  of  Section  27,  and  built  a  log  house 
near  the  northwest  corner  of  the  tract  in  1844. 
Silas  D.  Reniff  also  settled  on  the  north  half 
of  the  north  half  of  Section  20.  and  John  Betz 
on  the  southeast  quarter  of  Section  33,  near  the 
southeast  corner,  the  same  year.  It  was  in  this 
year,  too,  that  R.  P.  Hubbard  settled  east  of 
the  road  on  the  northeast  quarter  of  the  north- 
west quarter  of  Section  17.  In  1846  Bartholo- 
mew Theiss  made  a  claim  to  120  acres  in  Sec- 
tions 29  and  32.  where  his  sons,  John,  Jacob  and 
Gotfreid  Theiss,  subsequently  lived.  John  W. 
Skinner  located  on  the  southwest  quarter  of 
Section  13  in  1846;  Stephen  Averill  settled  on 
the  same  section  about  the  same  time.  John 
Clink  located  on  the  southwest  quarter  of  Sec- 
tion 12  in  1847,  and  about  1848  William  Clink 
settled  on  the  northwest  quarter  of  the  same 
section.  Jacob,  Andrew  and  Michael  Lauer 
came  in  1849  or  '50.  Other  settlers  on  the 
south  side  of  Knox  Grove  were  Solomon  Por- 
ter who  bought  out  William  Knox  in  the  fall 
of  1845;  Samuel  and  Nathaniel  Ellsworth,  who 
settled  on  the  southwest  quarter  of  Section  25, 
the  same  year,  and  David  Maxwell,  who  came 
to  the  southwest  quarter  of  Section  35  about 
the  same  time.  George  Hoffman  settled  on  the 
southwest  quarter  of  Section  33  about  1845.  and 
Henrj'  Schwab  located  the  next  year,  just  south 
of  the  center  of  Section  34.  John  Spielman 
came  in  1846  and  located  on  the  eastern  part  of 
Section  34,  in  Perkins  Grove  neighborhood, 
and  also  a  German  family  by  the  name  of 
Smith.  In  1849  or  '50  Carl  Buettner  bought 
part  of  the  southwest  quarter  of  Section  35  and 


692 


HISTORY    OF    LEE    COUNTY. 


made  it  his  home.  About  the  same  time  the 
Pohls  and  Andrew  Henkel  came  to  the  town- 
ship, the  former  locating  on  the  southwest 
quarter  of  Section  36,  and  the  latter  on  the 
southeast  quarter  of  Section  26.  May  22,  1846, 
Eleazer  Barton,  father  of  J.  B.  Barton,  settled 
on  the  northeast  quarter  of  the  northwest  quar- 
ter of  Sec.  25.  William  A.  Miller  and  son-in-law, 
George  Gheer,  settled  on  the  northeast  quarter 
of  Section  35  in  1846.  Miller  sold  out  to  H.  N. 
Erskine,  who  later  sold  to  P.  H.  Kapser  and 
bought  the  east  half  of  Section  12.  William 
and  Thomas  Ireland  and  Jacob  Schneck  came  in 
1849-50,  and  Jacob  Wolf  and  father,  Nicholas, 
Jacob  Eich  and  Andrew  Hatzenberger  in  1850. 
In  1846  what  was  known  as  Knox  Grove  set- 
tlement covered  a  radius  of  two  to  three  miles 
around  the  grove,  and  numbered  fourteen  fami- 
lies. Not  a  house  had  been  built  on  the  Chi- 
cago and  Galesburg  road  between  the  settle- 
ment and  Paw  Paw  Grove,  a  distance  of  twelve 
miles.  There-  was  no  settlement  to  the  south 
nearer  than  the  Illinois  River.  To  the  south- 
east Troy  Grove  settlement,  eight  miles  dis- 
tant, was  the  nearest.  On  the  north.  Inlet 
Grove  was  eight  miles  away;  on  the  northeast, 
Me'iugin  Grove,  ten  miles,  and  Four-mile  Grove, 
eight  miles  distant,  were  the  nearest  settle- 
ments in  those  directions. 

The  town  was  first  called  "Hanno"  from 
"Hanau,"  a  city  on  the-  Rhine  above  J'rankfort 
in  Nassau,  Prussia.  It  was  so  named  at  the 
suggestion  of  James  Tourtillott.  By  act  of  the 
legislature,  approved  February  18,  1857,  it  was 
enacted  "that  the  name  of  Hanno  Township,  in 
the  county  of  Lee"  be  changed  to  "Sublette 
Township."  The  new  name  Sublette  has  been 
accounted  for  in  other  histories  as  having  been 
derived  from  the  practice  of  "subletting"  con- 
tracts for  the  building  of  the  railroad.  This  is 
clearly  erroneous.  In  the  first  place,  if  that 
had  been  its  origin,  the  name  would  have  been 
spelled  "Sublet"  without  the  final  "te."  In  the 
second  p'ace  there  was  little,  if  any,  subletting 
on  this  section  of  the  road,  and  hence  the  word 
was  not  brought  into  prominence.  But,  con- 
clusively, the  name  on  the  recorded  plot  of  the 
village  is  spelled  "Soublette,"  and,  in  the  Com- 
pany's certificate  attached,  the  place  is  named 
"Town  of  Soublett"  without  the  final  "e." 
Moreover  the  name  on  the  station  house  for 
years  was  "Soublette."  There  is  nothing 
to    indicate    where    the    name    was    found,    but 


clearly  the  history  commonly  given  it  is  wide 
of  the  mark. 

The  first  town  meeting  was  held  on  the  sec- 
ond Tuesday  of  April,  1850,  at  which  the  fol- 
lowing officers  were  elected:  Daniel  Baird, 
Supervisor;  Henry  Porter,  Clerk;  Whitlock  T. 
Porter,  Assessor;  Silas  D.  Reniff,  Collector; 
Daniel  Pratt,  Overseer  of  the  Poor;  Hiram  An- 
derson and  W.  H.  Hamblin,  Highway  Commis- 
sioners; Daniel  Avery  and  Thomas  S.  Angier, 
Constables;  Alpheus  Crawford  and  Andrew  Ber- 
tholf.  Justices  of  the  Peace.  The  number  vot- 
ing at  this  election  is  not  given,  but  two  years 
later  forty-seven  votes  were  cast.  Town  meet- 
ings were  held  at  private  residences  as  follows: 
1853,  at  Daniel  Pratt's,  Knox  Grove;  1854,  at 
Daniel  Wilcox's;  1855,  at  David  Maxwell's.  At 
the  latter  meeting  $1,000  was  voted  for  the 
erection  of  a  town  house  in  the  village  of  Sub- 
lette. 

In  1S4S  Alpheus  Crawford  and  others  killed 
a  black  bear  north  of  Knox  Grove,  which 
weighed  400  pounds. 

The  first  postoffice  in  the  township  was 
opened  in  Daniel  Baird's  house,  about  1840. 
The  office  was  called  Brookfield.  The  second 
postoffice  was  established  at  Knox  Grove  in 
1847  or  '48,  and  named  Ovid;  the  first  postmas- 
ter  was    Solomon    Porter. 

In  1841  O.  W.  Bryant  burned  a  kiln  of  brick 
on  the  northwest  corner  of  Section  35.  As 
early  as  1850  a  man  by  the  name  of  McBirney 
had  a  blacksmith  shop  near  the  southwest  cor- 
ner of  the  town. 

The  Baptist  church  was  organized  in  1843  in 
Jonathan  Peterson's  log  house,  with  thirteen 
members.  It  was  known  as  the  First  Baptist 
Church  of  Palestine  Grove.  To  accommodate 
the  members,  meetings  were  held  alternately 
on  opposite  sides  of  the  grove  at  the  homes  of 
worshipers  until  the  school  house  came,  when 
that,  as  a  rule,  became  tlfe  meeting  place  in  the 
different  localities.  In  1854  meetings  began  to 
be  held  in  Benton's  Hall,  about  half  a  mile 
west  of  the  site  of  the  church  where  they  now 
assemble.  Here  they  continued  until  Novem- 
ber, 1858,  when  the  building  in  the  village, 
where  the  congregation  now  worships,  and 
which  had  been  built  at  a  cost  of  $5,000,  was 
dedicated.  The  society  also  had  a  parsonage, 
which  has  been  sold. 

The  first  organization  of  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church  was  effected  at  the  house  of  Levi 


HISTORY    OF    LEE    COUNTY. 


693 


Camp,  at  Knox  Grove,  about  1S46.  Meetings 
were  held  at  private  residences  and  at  Knox 
Grove  school  house,  until  the  town  hall  was 
available  at  the  village,  when  the  meetings 
became  localized  at  that  place.  In  1870  a 
church  was  built  in  the  village  and  dedicated 
the  next  year.  Services  continued  seven  or 
eight  years,  when  the  society  was  abandoned 
and  the  property  sold,  since  which  time  Sub- 
lette has  been  without  a  Methodist  church. 

A  Congregational  church  was  established 
April  20,  1871.  This,  like  the  other  societies, 
held  its  meetings  in  the  Town  Hall.  Soon, 
however,  a  building  was  begun  and  when  com- 
pleted nad  cost  about  $5,000. 

The  Society  of  the  Evangelical  Association 
of  North  America  erected  a  building  in  1S64, 
on  the  northeast  quarter  of  Section  35,  north  of 
the  southwest  corner.  It  is  now  closed  and  the 
organization,  once  strong,  is  now  weak. 

The  organization  of  the  Roman  Catholic 
Church  took  place  in  1848,  and,  in  1853,  a 
church  building  and  parsonage  were  erected  on 
the  northeast  corner  of  Section  32.  The  par- 
sonage was  destroyed  by  fire  in  1869,  and  no 
services  are  now  held  in  the  church.  In  1868 
a  Catholic  church  was  built  in  the  village, 
which  is  now  being  superseded  by  a  splendid 
edifice  of  pressed  brick  with  slate  roof,  which 
will  cost,  unfurnished,  not  less  than  $30,000. 
Its  extreme  length  is  115  feet  and  its  extreme 
width  74  feet,  and  the  building  is  surmounted 
by  a  spire  141  feet  high.  The  old  church  in 
which  services  are  conducted  while  the  building 
is  going  on,  was  moved  aside  so  that  the  new 
structure  could  rise  on  the  site  of  the  old  one. 
Work  was  commenced  in  August,  1902,  and  the 
building  will  probably  be  ready  for  occupancy 
in  the  summer  of  1904.  Father  Tasche  is  the 
priest  in  charge. 

The  pioneer  school  was  started  in  the  west 
part  of  the  township  in  a  log  house  on  Thomas 
Fessenden's  farm.  The  next  was  in  a  slab 
building  on  the  farm  of  Thomas  Tourtillott. 
It  was  a  structure  used  at  first  as  a  shelter  for 
tne  purpose  of  preempting  land,  and  was  after- 
wards known  as  the  "Sheep  Pen."  Maria 
Coleman  was  the  first  to  keep  school  in  it.  The 
next  school  in  the  neighborhood  was  taught  in 
the  winter  by  Joseph  Carey,  in  Mrs.  Tourtil- 
lott's  house,  and  the  next  of  any  importance 
was  taught  by  John  Bacon,  about  1850.  in  Mrs. 
Richardson's   house.      The   third    school    in   the 


township  was  in  a  log  school  house  on  Section 
5.  where  Mrs.  Clute,  sister  of  Jonathan  Peter- 
son, taught  the  first  summer  school  about  the 
year  1844.  The  winter  school  kept  here  was 
for  several  years  quite  important,  being  well 
attended  by  an  advanced  class  of  pupils. 

The  first  school  taught  at  Knox  Grove  was  in 
a  vacant  log  house  (the  first  built  in  that  neigh- 
borhood), in  which  William  Knox  had  lived, 
being  taught  by  Stephen  Barton.  The  second 
term  was  kept  in  a  "lean-to"  about  12  by  16 
feet,  attached  to  Daniel  Pratt's  log  house.  The 
Brst  Sunday  School  was  organized  in  these 
same  narrow  quarters.  This  was  in  the  sum- 
mer of  1847.  Later,  meetings  and  Sunday 
school  were  held  in  Levi  Camp's  log  house  until 
the  log  school  house  was  erected. 

The  first  school  house  in  Knox  Grove  settle- 
ment was  built  on  the  county  line  on  the  north 
side  of  the  Chicago  and  Galesburg  road.  It 
was  built  in  1848  of  logs  and  accommodated 
pupils  from  Sublette.  Brooklyn  and  Jlendota 
townships.  It  also  served  the  purposes  of  a 
church  for  a  number  of  years. 

For  a  number  of  years  the  Lee  County 
Guards,  a  distinctively  Sublette  organization, 
designated  as  Company  F,  Twelfth  Infantry, 
Stale  Militia,  has  reflected  on  the  township 
the  credit  due  to  superior  drill,  discipline  and 
soldierly  bearing.  They  were  regularly  mus- 
tered into  the  service  of  the  State  May  30,  1879, 
with  98  members,  which  increased  to  103  at 
the  annual  inspection  March  31,  1880.  It  was 
iiien  the  largest  infantry  company  in  the  State, 
and  was  frequently  honored  by  being  called  to 
participate  as  escort  on  important  occasions  in 
different  parts  of  the  State.  It  owned  a  large 
armory  in  the  village,  and  was  prosperous  for 
a  number  of  years,  but  in  time  the  members 
scattered,  recruiting  became  difficult  and  the 
company  finally  disbanded. 

Henkel. — Where  the  Illinois  Central  Railroad 
crosses  the  south  line  of  Section  25  is  a  station 
called  by  this  name.  It  is  a  grain  buying  point 
where  a  single  elevator  serves  the  purpose  of 
storing  grain. 

Suilette  Yillage. — The  village  was  platted  as 
"Soublette,"  or  the  "Town  of  Soublett."  May 
8,  1855,  on  land  of  the  Illinois  Central  Railroad 
Company. 

A  railroad  depot  and  warehouse  were  erected 
in  the  summer  of  1854.  During  the  following 
winter    Daniel    Cook   built    the    first    dwelling. 


694 


HISTORY    OF    LEE    COUNTY. 


Ihe  next  summer,  A.  L.  Wilder  built  a  small 
store  in  the  back  part  of  which  he  lived,  Jesse 
Hale  began  a  store  a  few  months  earlier. 
George  A.  Richmond  also  put  up  a  house  and 
Mr.  Swartout  moved  into  his  new  house  in  the 
winter  of  lSo5-6.  In  .1855  Frank  Bartlett  built 
what  was  afterwards  the  Catholic  parsonage. 
Paul  Lindstraum  completed  a  tavern  the  next 
year.  Dr.  Smith  moved  into  his  residence  that 
winter.  "Uncle  Alva"  Hale,  as  well  as  the 
families  of  James  Colvin  and  Robert  Ash,  came 
to  the  village  in  1S56  and,  in  that  year,  J.  B. 
Barton  opened  a  drug  store. 

The  first  elevator  in  the  place  was  built  by 
Fred  Oberhelman  in  1874.  It  was  enlarged  in 
1898  by  an  addition  much  larger  than  the  orig- 
inal building.  Its  present  capacity  is  42,000 
bushels.  The  business  is  conducted  by  F.  Ober- 
helman &  Bro.  A  second  elevator  was  built  in 
1900  by  J.  H.  Ebersole,  who  is  now  operating  it. 
It  has  a  capacity  of  about  20,000  bushels. 

The  banking  interests  of  the  community  are 
looked  after  by  the  Sublette  Exchange  Bank, 
with  a  capital  of  $12,500  and  deposits  amount- 
ing to  $102,946  at  a  given  date.  The  officers 
are:  Geo.  F.  Maloch,  President;  John  P.  Ma- 
loch,  Vice-President;   Anton  H.  Lauer,  Cashier. 

The  village  was  incorporated  under  the  gen- 
eral law  December  27,  1892.  According  to  the 
Government  census,  the  population  of  the  town- 
ship, including  the  village,  was  1,000  in  1890 
and  1,004  in  1900,  of  which  number  the  village 
furnshed  306  in  the  latter  year. 


CHAPTER  XXHI. 


VIOLA  TOWNSHIP. 


STOCKTON  TOWNSIIIl"  OI!(:.\XIZED — .\A5IE  CHAKGED 
TO  VIOL.A — FIIi.ST  TOW.X  OFFICERS — EARLY  SET- 
TLERS— SOME    FIK.ST    EVE.\TS. 

At  the  February  meeting,  1861,  of  the  Board 
of  Supervisors,  Town  3S,  Range  1,  was  formed 
into  a  to\^Tiship  by  the  name  of  Stockton,  hav- 
ing theretofore  been  a  part  of  Brooklyn  Town- 


ship. This  name  was  selected  in  recognition 
of  the  large  amount  of  stock  then  being  raised 
in  the  town.  The  name  was  changed  to  Viola, 
some  time  during  the  following  spring  or  early 
summer,  because  of  the  fact  that  there  v/as  al- 
ready at  least  one  town  by  the  name  of  Stock- 
ton in  the  State. 

The  first  officers  of  the  town  were  chosen  at 
the  April  town  meeting,  1861.  Fifty-two  bal- 
lots were  cast,  resulting  in  the  election  of  Sam- 
uel L.  Butler  for  Supervisor;  Simeon  Cole,  As- 
sessor; Samuel  Vosburg,  Town  Clerk;  John 
Melugin,  Constable;  Ford  and  Moses  B.  Van 
Campen,  Highway  Commissioners.  The  meet- 
ing and  election  were  held  at  Van  Campen's 
house. 

Little  Melugin  Grove,  in  the  southeast  part 
of  the  town,  was  the  focus  of  early  settlement. 
William  Guthrie,  the  first  settler  in  the  town- 
ship, settled  here  in  1834  or  1836  and  gave  his 
name  to  the  grove.  It  was  also  sometimes 
known  as  Lawton's  Grove,  from  William  Law- 
ton,  one  of  the  early  comers.  Guthrie's  build- 
ings were  placed  at  the  extreme  south  end  of 
the  timber.  Melugin  Grove,  lying  southwest 
of  Little  Melugin,  spreads  itself  into  the  two 
towns  of  Viola  and  Brooklyn.  It  took  its  name 
from  Zachariah  Melugin,  who  located  in  the 
grove  but  on  the  Brooklyn  side  of  the  timber, 
in  1834.  Later  came  Evins  Adrian,  but  prior 
to  1840.  Walter  Little  came  to  the  township 
about  the  year  1837. 

It  is  claimed  that  the  first  marriage  in  the 
township  was  that  of  Evins  Adrian  to  Marilla 
Goodale,  October,  1840;  that  Walter  Little  was 
the  first  adult  to  die  in  the  towTiship,  and  that 
the  first  birth  was  that  of  a  child  of  William 
Lawton,  who  died  in  infancy. 

The  first  school  in  the  township  was  kept  at 
the  house  of  M.  Van  Campen  for  three  terms, 
and  the  first  school  house  was  built  at  Little 
Melugin  Grove. 

The  town  being  purely  agricultural  without 
a  village  center,  little  is  to  be  gleaned  of  his- 
torical character  regarding  it.  Its  history  is  to 
be  traced  in  the  development  and  increasing 
value  oj:  its  farm  lands,  which  is  difficult  of  re- 
duction to  details.  Its  land-owners  have  been 
large  participants  in  .the  drainage  of  Inlet 
Swamp,  elsewhere  noticed,  and  have  received 
great   benefits   therefrom. 

The  population  of  the  township  was  598  in 
1890,  and  694  in  1900,  as  shown  by  the  Govern- 
ment census. 


HISTORY    OF    LEE    COUNTY 


69: 


CHAPTER  XX I\" 


WILLOW   CREEK   TOWNSHIP. 


THE  FOUR  GROVES FOREIGX-BORX   SETTLERS — EARLY 

SCHOOLS ORIGIXALLY     A     PART     OF     PAW     PAW 


In  this  town  are  to  be  found  four  groves,  often 
referred  to  in  early  history  and  by  early  set- 
tlers as  landmarks,  by  names  which  they  still 
retain;  Smith's  Grove,  Allen's  Grove  and  Twin 
Grove,  or  Groves — for  there  are  two  of  the  lat- 
ter,  as  the  name  implies. 

The  township  may  perhaps  be  distinguished 
from  all  others  in  the  county  by  the  large  per- 
centage of  inhabitants  of  either  foreign  birth 
or  extraction,  the  Norwegian  and  German  pre- 
dominating. An  enumeration  made  in  1S80 
placed  the  population  at  1.214.  of  whom  one- 
half  were  of  foreign  birth.  Add  to  this  the 
probable  number  of  descendants  of  such  par- 
ents, and  the  number  will  be  greatly  increased. 
We  have  been  unable  to  find  the  census  of  1890 
covering  such  statistics,  and  that  of  1900  is  not 
yet  obtainable. 

Settlements  were  made  almost  simultaneously 
at  the  several  groves.  Peter  Gonzolas,  a  French- 
man, put  in  his  appearance  at  Allen's  Grove 
in  the  fall  of  1S36;  John  Smith,  a  Scotchman, 
at  Smith's  Grove  in  1837;  and  William  Moore 
at  the  south  one  of  the  Twin  Groves,  in  the 
latter  year. 

The  Gonzolas  tract  (the  Shoudy  farm  of  re- 
cent years)  was  acquired  in  the  spring  of  1878 
by  Richard  M.  Allen,  whose  name  was  given  to 
the  grove,  and  this  farm  was  the  first  in  the 
township  to  be  improved.  Allen  sold  in  1840  to 
a  man  by  the  name  of  Bond,  who  sold  to  a 
Mr.  Price  in  1842.  Mr.  Smith  bought  a  claim 
on  Section  35,  and  there  settled,  and  the  name 
"Dry  Grove,"  by  which  the  timber  was  first 
known,  soon  surrendered  to  the  name  of  the 
proprietor.  With  Mr.  Smith  came  another 
Scotchman.  John  Colville.  who  was  postmaster 
for  many  years  at  Paw  Paw,  dying  there  in 
October,  1893.  Mr.  Smith's  log  cabin,  roofed 
with  mowed  grass,  was  the  second  to  be  built 


in  the  township,  in  mid-winter  following  its 
construction,  fire  caught  in  the  inflammable 
loof,  and  the  cabin  burned  to  the  ground.  As 
soon  as  possible  another  was  erected  in  its 
place.  Soon  after  moving  into  the  first  cabin 
Jlr.  Smith's  son  John  died — the  first  white 
person  in  the  township  to  be  taken  away.  Mr. 
Smith  sent  to  Ottawa,  the  nearest  point,  for  a 
doctor,  who  vv'as  guided  across  the  prairie  by 
Robert,  a  brother  of  the  sick  boy,  now  residing 
in  Dixon. 

Robert  and  David  Smith,  sons  of  the  first 
settler,  still  survive  and  own  parts  of  their 
father's  original  claim. 

Israel  Shoudy  came  in  1844  and  bought  the 
Gonzolas  or  Allen  tract  from  Price,  and  lived 
there  until  his  death,  which  occurred  in  Cali- 
fornia at  an  advanced  age  only  a  few  years 
ago.  His  remains  were  brought  back  and  are 
buried  over  the  line  in  DeKalb  County.  Hora- 
tio G.  Howlett  settled  at  Allen's  Grove  in  1839, 
having  spent  the  two  preceding  years  at  Dixon. 
Nathaniel  Allen  settled  in  the  vicinity  of 
Smith's  and  Allen's  groves,  in  1845  with  four 
of  his  five  sons  and  daughters,  his  son.  Chand- 
ler, coming  a  year  later.  Benjamin  Nettleton 
had  joined  the  settlement  as  early  as  this.  Isaac 
Ellsworth  came  in  the  spring  of  1846  and  Chris- 
topher Vandeventer  in  1848.  The  Littletons  ar- 
rived at  Smith's  about  1845. 

The  Indian  Trail  from  Ottawa  north  to  the 
hunting  grounds  in  Wisconsin  ran  through 
Allen's  Grove. 

Twin  Groves  were  first  named  Moore,  from 
William  Moore,  the  earliest  settler  there,  who 
began  his  improvements  in  1837  at  the  South 
Grove.  James  Thompson  and  Levi  I^athrop 
came  here  together  about  1842.  and  in  partner- 
ship bought  Moore's  claim.  The  first  birth  at 
the  grove  was  that  of  Robert  Blair,  son  of 
Robert  Blair,  Si-.,  in  1846.  Cummings  Noe  set- 
tled here  probably  as  early  as  1846,  and  to- 
gether with  James  Thompson  and  James  Smith, 
entered  all  of  the  South  Grove.  James  Smith 
and  Nathan  Koons.  Jesse  Koons  and  A.  N.  Dow 
arrived  in  1847.  Cyrus  Gotf  came  in  these  early 
days  and  built  between  the  two  groves  where 
he  kept  a  tavern.  Lewis  G.  and  Gilbert  Durin, 
brothers,  joined  the  Twin  Grove  settlement  in 
1849.  Wesson  Holton's  coming  was  in  1853. 
The  station  "Scarboro"  on  the  Rochelle  South- 
ern Railway,  now  being  built,  is  located  on  L, 
G.   Durin's  farm. 


696 


HISTORY    OF    LEE    COUNTY. 


The  pioneer  among  the  German  settlers  was 
Gotlieb  Hochstrasser  in  1854.  A  little  later, 
but  probably  in  the  same  year,  came  Joseph 
Herman.  In  18.56,  Frank  Bates,  Frank  Herman 
and  John  Herman  were  added,  and  the  next  year 
witnessed  the  arrival  of  Archeart  Hochstrasser. 

Of  the  Norwegians.  Ommor  Hilleson  was  the 
forerunner  of  the  large  settlement,  having,  it 
is  said,  landed  in  New  York  in  1837  and  walked 
all  the  way  thence  to  Chicago.  He  settled  in 
Bradford  Township  a  year  or  two  later  and,  af- 
ter accumulating  a  goodly  fortune,  died  there. 
Though  the  pioneer  of  his  nationality,  the 
greater  portion  by  far  settled  in  Willow  Creek 
Township.  Lars  Larsen  Rissiter  located  there 
in   1847. 

In  this  township,  as  elsewhere,  schools  v,'ere 
early  looked  after.  The  first  school  in  the 
tov.Tiship  was  at  Allen's  Grove.  It  was  started 
in  1848  in  one  of  Israel  Shoudy's  log  houses, 
and  Martha  Vandeventer,  sister  of  Christopher 
Vandeventer,  was  the  teacher.  Preceding  her. 
however,  were  Miss  Frice,  Eliza  Nettleton  and 
Laura  Brace.  In  the  fall  of  1849  a  frame  school 
house  was  built  by  subscription,  one-half  mile 
east  of  the  present  one.  Prior  to  the  building 
of  this  school  house,  school  was  taught  by  the 
ladies  mentioned  in  the  dwellings  of  Dr.  Bas- 
ford,  Shoudy  and  Hewlett,  The  first  Board  of 
Examiners  to  pass  on  the  qualifications  of 
teachers  for  this  school  consisted  of  John 
Smith,  Sr..  H.  G.  Howlett  and  Colville,  Smith 
examining  as  to  Geography  and  Grammar, 
Howlett  in  Mathematics  and  Reading,  Colville 
in  Writing  and  Spelling.  At  Twin  Groves  the 
first  school  was  taught  in  James  Thompson's 
original  log  cabin,  but  in  what  year  we  are  not 
informed.  Later,  in  1854,  a  school  house  was 
built  at  the  Groves  by  subscription  and  was 
purchased  by  the  school  district  three  years 
later.  It  was  destroyed  by  fire  in  the  winter 
of  1863-4.  The  Ellsworth  school  house  was 
built  in  the  spring  of  1855,  and  Mrs.  Ellsworth 
was  the  first  teacher. 

It  will  be  recalled  that  the  territory  now 
embracing  the  town  of  Wyoming.  Willow 
Creek  and  Alto,  was  first  set  off  as  Paw  Paw 
Township,  but  v,-as  soon  changed  to  Wyoming. 
In  1855  the  north  two-thirds  was  made  into 
the  Township  of  Willow  Creek.  The  first 
town  meeting  in  tne  new  township  was  con- 
■\  ened  at  Twin  Groves  School  House,  April  3, 
1855.  A.  N.  Dow  acted  as  Moderator  and  G. 
Bishop   as  clerk.     In  1861   Alto  Township   was 


set  apart.  In  1874  the  town  house  was  built 
on  the  southeast  corner  of  Section  16,  Willow 
Creek,  at  a  cost  of  $1,100,  including  one  acre 
of  ground.  At  a  meeting  to  pass  on  the  ques- 
tion of  building,  the  proposition  was  carried 
by  a  vote  of  50  to  47. 

When  the  Chicago  &  Rock  River  Railroad 
Company  (now  the  Chicago,  Burlington  & 
Quincy)  was  seeking  township  aid  toward  the 
construction  of  its  line,  at  an  election  held 
October  16,  1869,  Willow  Creek  gave  one  vote 
in  favor  to  twenty-four  against  the  proposal. 
But  when  the  Chicago  &  Iowa  Railroad  Com- 
pany applied  for  a  subscription  of  $50,000  to  its 
stock,  the  to-mi,  at  a  meeting  held  ilarch  26, 
1870,  by  a  vote  of  seventy-five  in  affirmative 
and  fifty-one  negative,  agreed  to  subscribe  for 
tne  stcck  en  condition  that  the  road  be  located 
within  one  mile  of  the  center  of  the  tov\-n.  This 
condition  not  having  been  complied  with,  the 
town  wholly  escaped  railroad  taxation. 

The  town  was  one  of  four  to  levy  a  bounty- 
tax  to  encourage  enlistments  in  the  War  of  the 
Rebellion,  Dixon,  Lee  Center  and  Palmyra  being 
the  two  others.  The  reports  of  the  Adjutant 
General  of  the  State  credits  Willow  Creek  with 
$5,200  bounty  paid  at  an  expense  of  $232.70. 
being  a  total  of  $5,432.70.  The  patriotism  of 
the  community  was  further  evidenced,  not  only 
by  the  volunteers  it  sent  to  the  front,  but  by 
the  fact  that,  although  it  was  then  a  purely 
agricultural  district,  with  no  village  to  in- 
crease its  population,  a  "Union  League"  was 
organized  in  the  dark  days  of  1862  with  a 
membership  of  seventy. 

Churches. — As  early  as  1S44  and  for  eight  or 
ten  years  thereafter,  regular  preaching  was  held 
at  Allen's  Grove,  and  about  1848  a  Presb>-te- 
rian  Society  was  formed  and  existed  several 
years.  In  1868  a  church  building,  under  con- 
trol of  the  Methodist  denomination,  was 
erected  on  the  southwest  corner  of  Section  16, 
at  a  coit  of  $3,500,  owned  jointly  by  the  Metho- 
dist, Congregationalist  and  United  Brethren 
denominations.  It  was  dedicated  November 
9,  1868,  Rev.  F.  A.  Hardin  and  A.  P.  Beach  offi- 
ciating. The  date  of  the  organization  of  the 
Methodist  Society  is  not  accessible  to  the 
writer.  The  Congregational  Society  was 
formed  in  1859.  It  never  numbered  over  seven- 
teen members,  the  removal  of  whom  from  the 
section  gradually  accomplished  its  dissolutio.n. 
The  Norwegian  Evangelical  Lutheran 
church  was  formed  in  the  fall  of  1858,  by  Rev. 


HISTORY    OF    LEE    COUXTY. 


697 


iJidrikson.  The  members  were  then  scattered 
through  several  townships,  but  in  time  the 
most  of  them  were  found  in  Willow  Creek. 
A  church  building  was  erected  on  a  command- 
ing site  (northeast  corner  of  the  west  half  of 
northeast  quarter,  Section  11),  at  a  cost  of  ?3,- 
500.  A  parsonage,  with  a  twenty-acre  tract  ad- 
joining, belongs  to  the  society.  The  Zion 
church  of  the  Evangelical  Association  was 
formed  in  1868,  its  membership  being  confined 
to  Germans.  The  first  trustees  were  John  Yet- 
ter.  William  Dunkelberger  and  J.  L.  Lutz.  In 
1875  a  house  of  worship  was  erected  on  the 
southeast  corner  of  Section  5.  at  a  cost  of  $3.- 
000,  including  ground. 

The  German  Catholics  had  readings  of  mass 
about  1863,  by  Father  Westkam,  of  Mendota, 
at  the  house  of  Peter  Kimbler.  The  following 
year  a  stone  building  was  put  up  on  the  north- 
west corner  of  the  southwest  quarter  of  Sec- 
tion 16,  at  a  cost  of  $3,000. 

In  1863  a  society  of  Dunkards  was  formed 
and,  in  1870,  a  German  Lutheran  Society  was 
organized   by  Rev.  William   Halleherg. 

In  the  spring  of  1878  a  Catholic  church  was 
built  in  the  village  of  Lee,  at  a  cost  of  $3,200, 
John  Kennedy,  James  Kirby  and  Stephen  Kirby 
being  the  principal  contributors  to  the  under- 
taking. It  was  dedicated  in  the  autumn  of 
1878  by  Father  Verdin,  of  St.  Ignatius  College, 
Chicago.  Father  Edwards,  of  Rochelle,  was 
the  priest  in  charge  when  it  was  built. 

A  Methodist  church  was  built  in  the  vil- 
lage in  1877,  at  a  cost  of  nearly  $2,000.  It  is 
located  in  the  DeKalb  County  section  of  the 
village. 

It  is  doubtful  if  any  other  agricultural 
township  in  the  county  has  as  many  churches 
and  distinct  denominations  ministering  to  the 
religious  wants  of  its  people. 

The  tornado  which  swept  over  the  county 
from  the  west  on  Sunday,  June  3.  1860.  en- 
tered Willow  Creek  about  nine  o'clock  in  the 
evening,  midway  of  the  west  line  of  Section  18. 
and  left  it  midway  of  the  east  line  of  Section 
13,  on  the  county  line.  Devastation  was  strewn 
in  its  path.  Mrs.  Abram  Miller,  Mr.  James 
Nealis,  A.  N.  Dow  and  family,  consisting  of 
eight  persons,  and  Mrs.  McConeky  were  all 
more  or  less  seriously  injured,  while  Mr.  Mc- 
Coneky and  his  eldest  and  youngest  boys  were 
killed  outright.  All  01  the  buildings  in  the 
path  of  the  storm  were  either  injured  or  to- 
tally  demolished,    and    a   windrow   of  twisted. 


splintered  and  uprooted  trees,  ten  to  twenty 
yards  wide,  was  left  through  the  southern  por- 
tion of  the  Twin  Groves. 

Village  of  Lee. — That  portion  of  the  village 
lying  in  Lee  County  was  platted  for  Francis 
E.  Hinkley  and  John  Kennedy  August  19,  1872. 

The  first  building  to  be  erected  was  the 
small  grain  office  and  grocery  of  Christopher  & 
Jorgens.  About  the  same  time  J.  Cheasbro  put 
up  an  office  for  trading  in  grain,  coal  and  lum- 
ber. The  first  store  was  at  the  corner  of  Main 
and  B  Streets,  and  was  built  by  R.  J.  White, 
who  became  the  first  Postmaster  in  the  new 
town.  J.  Johnson  was  the  next  to  start  a  gen- 
eral store,  his  location  being  on  Main  Street, 
between  A  and  B  Streets.  Abel  Downer's,  at 
the  southwest  corner  of  Main  and  B  streets,  was 
the  third  general  store,  and  included  drugs. 
Ostewig  &  Leyder  started  in  hardware  the  same 
season.  The  first  dwelling  was  built  by  James 
Minnihan,  in  1872.  W.  H.  Emmett  erected  the 
second  in  March,  1872.  The  first  hotel  was 
built  by  Frank  Bacon  on  B  Street,  and  in  1874 
A.  B.  Trask  built  the  second.  The  first  ele- 
vator was  erected  by  J.  Cheasbro  in  the  fall  of 
1872,  and  that  winter  Christopher  &  Jorgens 
built  one.  A  third  elevator  was  erected  in  1901 
and  is  operated  by  James  E.  Johnson.  The 
other  two  are  now  owned  and  operated  by  M. 
P.  Harris.  The  first  brick  structure  to  be  put 
up  in  the  new  town  was  the  store  of  Sardis 
Vosburg,  at  the  northwest  corner  of  Main  and 
B  Streets.  The  first  school  was  opened  in  De- 
cember, 1874,  in  the  Dyas  building,  with  W.  H. 
Emmett  as  teacher.  Different  vacant  rooms 
were  occupied  until  the  summer  of  1876.  when 
the  first  school  house  was  put  up. 

Lee  has  the  distinction  of  belonging  to  two 
counties,  the  center  line  of  B  Street  being  the 
dividing  line  between  Lee  and  DeKalh.  It  was 
incorporated  as  a  village  June  23,  1874. 

About  three  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  July 
5,  1902.  the  place  was  visited  by  a  disastrous 
fire,  which  licked  up  one  entire  block  of  build- 
ings on  the  west  side  of  Main  Street.  Substan- 
tial brick  buildings  are  gradually  taking  the 
place  of  the  ones  destroyed. 

According  to  the  census,  the  population  of 
the  township,  including  the  Lee  County  part  of 
the  village  of  Lee.  was  1,034  in  1890  and  959  in 
1900.  The  part  of  the  village  lying  in  Lee 
County  was  153  in  1890  and  151  in  1900.  The 
total  population  of  the  village  in  1890  was  264 
and  in  1900,  286. 


698 


HISTORY    OF    LEE    COUNTY, 


CHAPTER  XX\' 


WYOMING  TOWNSHIP. 


OBIGINAI.LY  PAW  PAW  TOWNSHIP — I'IO>-EER  SET- 
TLERS— EARLY  HOTELS  AND  POSTOFFICE — UN- 
DERGROUND      RAILROAD REGION       INFESTED       BY 

HORSETHIEVES      AND      COUNTERFEITERS.  PAW 

PAW  VILLAGE. —    NEWSPAPERS.  CHURGIIKS 

SCHOOLS.    BANKS   AND   BUSINESS    HOUSES. 

When  Lee  County  was  divided  into  town- 
ships in  1S50,  Towns  37,  38  and  39,  Range  2. 
v.'ere  given  the  name  of  "Paw  Paw"  by  the 
commissioners  appointed  to  make  the  divi- 
sion. Their  report  was  dated  July  19,  1850. 
On  the  14th  of  the  preceding  May,  six  repre- 
sentatives of  the  different  localities  met  in  Dix- 
on, as  a  "Board  of  Supervisors,"  convening  at 
their  first  session,  and  at  this  meeting  changed 
the  name  of  the  "town  formerly  called  Paw 
Paw"  to  Wyoming.  (See  ante,  "Lee  County.") 
The  authority  for  this  action  is  at  least  open 
to  question,  and  but  for  acquiescence  in  the 
change.  Paw  Paw  might  still  be  legally  Wyom- 
ing. The  latter  name  is  said  to  have  been 
adopted  at  the  suggestion  of  James  Goble,  in 
memory  of  Wyoming  Valley,  Pa.,  from  which 
his  family  and  others  came. 

Levi  Kelsey  and  Joel  Griggs  were  the  first 
to  locate  a  claim  and  build  a  house  at  Paw 
Paw  Grove.  This  was  in  the  winter  of  1833-4; 
but  supposing  that  they  were  on  the  Indian 
reservation,  whose  boundaries  had  not  yet  been 
defined,  Mr.  Griggs  abandoned  his  claim  and 
moved  to  Troy  Grove.  Tracy  Reeves,  writing 
from  Princeton,  111.,  under  date  of  July  27, 
1881,  says  that  he  was  with  a  party  at  Paw 
Paw  Grove  in  May,  1834,  and  camped  over  night 
in  Indian  huts,  and  that  "they  saw  no  one 
there,   white   or    Indian." 

We  have  the  authority  of  Mrs.  Sarah  Terry, 
now  of  Earlville,  111.,  a  daughter  of  David  A. 
Town,  for  the  following  statement:  "David 
A.  Town  and  family  arrived  in  1834,  and 
stopped  at  the  east  end  of  the  grove,  where  he 
put  up  an  unhewed  log  house  ( on  land  after- 
ward owned  by  Pierpont  Edwards),  in  which 
he  lived  until  1835,  when  his  brother  Russell 
came  and  occupied  the  cabin  he  moved  out  of. 
On  moving  from  this  cabin,  David  A.  Town 
built  a  log  house  north  of  the  Chicago  road, 
on  the  southeast  quarter  of  the  southwest  quar- 


ter of  Section  11,  on  or  near  the  spot  where 
the  residence  of  H.  L.  Roberts  now  stands.  He 
soon  erected  a  hewed  log  house  ( the  first  of  its 
kind )  close  to  this.  The  two  houses  were  sep- 
arated by  so  short  a  space  that  they  were  occu- 
pied as  one,  and  the  hewed  portion  was  given 
the  dignity  of  a  parlor  of  the  pioneer  home. 
In  this  log  house  was  held  the  first  wedding  in 
this  section,  George  Town,  the  son  of  David  A. 
Town,  being  the  groom,  and  Fidelia  Sawyer, 
the  daughter  of  George  Sawyer,  of  Lee  Center 
Township,   being  the  bride. 

"The  first  store  at  the  east  end  of  the  Grove 
was  operated  by  one  Harris,  and  the  first  store 
at  the  west  end  was  built  and  operated  by 
Wheeler  Hedges,  until  it  was  purchased  by 
Willard  Hastings,  whose  property  it  continued 
to  be  until  consumed  by  fire,  this  being  the  first 
building  to  burn  in  the  settlement.  It  was  lo- 
cated on  the  triangular  piece  of  ground  east  of 
the  town  plat  formed  by  the  crossing  of  the 
Chicago  road  and  the  railroad.  George  Town 
built  a  hewed  log  house  where  the  residence 
of  W.  I.  Guffin  now  stands,  near  the  southwest 
corner  of  Lot  6,  Block  5,  Harper's  Addition." 
0.  P.  Johnson,  who  settled  in  Brooklyn 
Township  and  died  tnere  at  an  advanced  age, 
stated  that  he  rived  the  shingles  for  Town's 
cabin,  and,  with  three  others,  put  it  up  in  a 
day  and  a  half  in  November,  1834.  Edwin  (or 
Edward)  Town,  a  brother  of  David,  settled  at 
Shabbona  Grove,  and  Hosea  Town,  a  half- 
brother,  located  at  Melugin's  Grove  about  the 
same  time. 

About  two  years  later  than  Town  came 
Benoni  Harris,  then  a  man  approaching 
eighty  years  of  age.  and  his  equally  aged  wife, 
with  a  large  family  of  children.  Mrs.  Harris 
was  the  first  in  the  settlement  to  be  taken 
away.  They  were  accompanied  by  a  son-in-law, 
Edward  Butterfield.  John  Ploss,  John  Wilcox 
and  William  McDowell.  In  the  spring  of  1836 
Butterfield  built  a  log  cabin  near  the  county 
line  and  close  to  the  north  line  of  the  south- 
west quarter  of  Section  19,  DeKalb  County,  on 
south  side  of  the  road  now  leading  to  Earl- 
ville. It  was  on  the  east  edge  of  the  tract 
which  became  South  Paw  Paw.  He  later 
moved  about  a  mile  northeast  of  this  point, 
and  in  1854  went  to  black  Hawk,  Iowa,  whence 
he  finally  returned  and  is  buried  near  his  old 
home.  Wilcox  located  on  the  fractional  south- 
west quarter.  Section  18;  Stephen  Harris  on 
the  fractional  northwest  quarter  of  Section  19, 


HISTORY    OF    LEE    COUNTY. 


699 


LeClaire  reservation;  Benjamin  Harris  on  the 
northwest  quarter  ot  Section  19,  and  Joseph 
Harris  on  the  northeast  quarter  of  the  same 
section — all  in  DeKalb  County.  These  were 
sons  of  Benoni  Harris.  John  Ploss  had  a  claim 
which  embraced  the  larger  part  of  South  Paw 
Paw.  Here,  some  rods  east  of  the  county  line, 
he  built  his  house  on  the  creek  about  the  time 
Butterfleld  put  up  his  cabin. 

As  late  as  1840  the  only  tavern  at  the  Grove 
was  that  afterward  known  as  Simms'  Tavern. 
It  was  a  hewed  log  house,  the  second  of  its 
Ivind  in  the  neighborhood.  Simms'  son,  hav- 
ing been  indicted  for  counterfeiting,  the  father 
sold  out  to  raise  money  to  satisfy  the  bail  bond, 
and  the  criminal  was  permitted  to  escape. 
Isaac  Robinson  purchased  the  tavern  of  Simms 
and  added  a  small  stock  of  goods  to  his  busi- 
ness. It  was  on  an  elevation  on  the  north 
side  of  the  road,  probably  on  the  west  half  of 
the  northwest  quarter  of  Section  12,  but  earlier 
a  hewed  log  house  on  the  opposite  side  of  the 
road  had  been  used  as  a  tavern.  In  1840  a  log 
house  stood  on  the  north  side  of  the  Chicago 
road,  on  Section  12,  nearly  opposite  the  junc- 
tion with  the  present  road  from  South  Paw 
Paw.  This  house  was  occupied  by  Charles 
Morgan,  who  came  with  his  wife  and  a  number 
of  children  in  1836.  Here  was  kept  the  first 
postoffice  in  the  town,  Morgan  being  the  Post- 
master. Afterward,  Hiram  Wood  held  the  of- 
fice in  the  house  then  standing  next  west  of 
the  Robinson,  or  Simms',  Tavern.  On  the 
south  side  of  the  Chicago  road  and  on  the  east 
half  of  Section  12,  a  small  log  house  stood  in 
1840.  It  was  never  occupied  for  residence  pur- 
poses after  that  year,  but  was  used  for  a  time 
for  a  public  school,  the  first  in  the  township. 
It  is  supposed  that  Jacob  Alcott.  who  had  mar- 
ried a  squaw,  built  it.  A  little  east  of  this 
cabin,  and  on  the  same  side  of  the  road,  a  frame 
house,  believed  to  have  been  the  first  in  the 
township,  was  built  in  the  hollow  by  one  Mus- 
selman,  and  hence  was  then,  and  has  ever 
since  been,  known  as  the  "Hollow  House."  It 
is  still  standing  and  is  used  as  a  barn.  For  a 
number  of  years  Musselman  kept  a  tavern 
here,  and  the  house  became  noted  for  its  dance 
hall  and  bar. 

On  the  south  side  of  the  road  and  about 
thirty  rods  east  of  David  Town's  house,  stood 
a  log  blacksmith  shop  in  the  early  '40s.  where 
once  Alonzo  Osborne  was  the  smith.  Later,  per- 
haps   in    1845,   a    blacksmith    shop    stood    on 


ground  in  the  village  now  occupied  as  the  store 
of  R.  A.  Hopps,  and  here  this  same  Osborne 
held  forth  for  a  time.  A  man  by  the  name  of 
Alger  settled  at  Four  Mile  Grove  in  1835  or  '36. 
Alcott.  above  mentioned,  married  the  Potta- 
watomie woman,  Madaline,  the  former  wife  of 
Joseph  Ogee,  the  half-breed,  the  one  favored  in 
the  treaty  of  Prairie  du  Chien  reserving  to 
"Madaline,  a  Pottawatomie  woman,  wife  of 
Joseph  Ogee,  one  section."  etc.  (See  ante,  "Lee 
County.")  David  A.  Town  eventually  pur- 
chased the  west  170  rods  of  this  Reserve  Sec- 
tion for  $1,000,  and  William  Rogers  the  re- 
mainder. The  tract  has  always  been  desig- 
nated in  conveyances  and  on  maps  as  the  "Ogee 
Section."  In  1880  William  McMahan.  County 
Surveyor,  surveyed  and  platted  the  section  and 
recorded  the  plat.  The  section  granted  to 
Pierre  LeClaire  by  the  Prairie  du  Chien  treaty, 
was  surveyed  and  platted  by  Wheeler  Hedges 
in  1843.  which  plat  was  recorded.  The  County 
Atlas  of  1900  shows  these  sections  and  their 
relation  to  each  other. 

William  Rogers,  son  of  Charles,  arrived  in 
1836,  and  was  the  first  Postmaster.  His  office 
was  located  near  Morgan's  tavern,  which  was 
presumably  the  "Hollow  House."  Jacob  D. 
Rogers  landed  in  1837.  His  claim  included  the 
west  part  of  the  site  of  Paw  Paw  village.  He 
was  a  conductor,  and  his  house  was  a  station, 
on  the  "Underground  Road,"  over  which  negro 
slaves  were  transported  to  freedom.  His  log 
house  was  built  in  1837  on  Section  10.  where 
Mr.  Ritchie's  house  stood  in  recent  years.  In 
the  latter  year  James  Goble.  afterward  Sheriff, 
came  with  Jacob  D.  Rogers.  Rogers's  wife  be- 
ing Coble's  sister.  Goble's  father,  Ezekiel,  and 
his  brother,  Timotiy,  came  at  the  same  time. 
William  Jenkins  and  family  were  also  acces- 
sions of  1837,  while  Henry  and  Medard  Corn- 
stock,  both  blacksmiths,  were  a  year  earlier. 
Reference  is  made  in  other  works  to  a  "Butter- 
field  or  George  Town"  cabin,  when,  in  fact,  But- 
terfield  never  built  or  owned  a  cabin  in  this 
part  of  the  grove.  His  holdings  were  confined 
to  the  south  side  of  the  grove. 

Rev.  Caleb  Morris  joined  the  settlement  in 
1848  with  his  widowed  daughter,  Nancy  Rob- 
inson, and  children,  all  of  whom  settled  south 
of  the  grove.  About  this  time  a  man  by  the 
name  of  Dunbar  became  the  second  settler  at 
Four  Mile  Grove.  In  1840,  Deacons  Orlando 
Boardman  and  Hallock  were  added  to  the  set- 
tlers on  the  south  side  of  the  grove,  at  which 


HISTORY    OF    LEE    COUNTY. 


time  there  were  eighteen  families  encircling 
the  grove,  thirteen  being  within  what  is  now 
Wyoming  Township.  This  year,  also,  came 
Baily  Breese  and  started  a  cooper  shop  and 
bought  of  William  Rogers  nearly  all  of  the 
land  on  which  East  Paw  Paw  is  situated.  Peter 
May  and  family  were  added  in  1841.  He  bought 
all  the  land  now  covered  by  Paw  Paw  village, 
but  disappeared  mysteriously,  ten  years  later, 
without  having  received  a  deed.  Elder  Nor- 
man Warriner  came  in  1843  and  Obed  W.  Bry- 
ant settled  at  Four  Mile  Grove  in  1842. 

In  the  later  '40s  two  saw-mills  were  in 
operation  in  the  grove,  both  propelled  by  horse- 
power. One  was  put  up  by  Stanley  Ruggles  on 
the  southeast  corner  of  the  west  half  of  the 
northwest  quarter  of  Section  19,  DeKalb 
County.  The  other  was  in  Lee  County  on  the 
road  between  the  LeClaire  and  Ogee  Sections. 

Without  being  able  to  make  anything  like 
an  exact  comparison,  it  would  seem  that,  in 
1840.  Paw  Paw  Grove  was  the  focus  of  the 
largest  settlement  in  the  county — Dixon  and, 
possibly  Sugar  Grove,  in  Palmyra,  excepted. 
This  is  accounted  for  by  two  facts:  that  it  was 
on  the  stage  road  from  Chicago  to  Galena,  and 
also  was  one  of  the  largest,  most  beautiful  and 
attractive  pieces  of  timber  in  all  the  country. 
All  the  early  settlers  sought  the  shelter  and 
other  advantages  of  groves,  and  were  slow  to 
reach  out  for  the  now  valuable  prairie  lands. 

John  D.  Rogers  was  not  the  only  abolition- 
ist in  the  colony  who,  by  the  "Underground 
Road,"-  dealt  frequent,  but  Ineffective,  blows 
at  slavery.  He  expressed  the  sentiments  of 
many  when  he  said:  "Whether  I  am  an  aboli- 
tionist or  not,   my  best  mares  are." 

The  township  and  range  lines  were  surveyed 
in  1836,  but  the  section  lines  were  not  run 
until  the  winter  of  1842-3.  Prior  to  this  peo- 
ple had  held  their  lands  only  by  right  of  pos- 
session, awaiting  the  market  or  pre-emption 
day.  Consequently  the  "claim-jumper"  found 
the  same  scope  and  temptation  to  operate  here 
as  elsewhere,  and  as  in  nearly  every  other  sec- 
tion, protective  societies  were  organized  to  de- 
feat his  dishonest  efforts.  The  remedy  was  al- 
ways adjusted  to  the  emergency  and  the  out- 
come was  never  satisfactory  to  the  rascal.  The 
law  was  of  the  home-made  kind,  but  its  princi- 
ples were  founded  in  justice,  and  hence  it  was 
never  appealed  from. 

The  horsethief  and  the  counterfeiter  plied 
their   vocations   all    over   the   country.     Condi- 


tions favored  them  and  they  prospered.  Paw 
Paw  and  Inlet  seem  to  have  been  their  favorite 
rendezvous  or  bases  of  operation.  Nn  other 
settlements  in  the  county  are  as  notoriously 
identified  with  them  as  these  two.  As  a  rule, 
all  newcomers  were  under  suspicion.  As  a  set- 
tler of  1837  put  it:  "Paw  Paw  was  a  strange 
place  then.  It  seemed  to  me  that  every  other 
man  I  met  was  hunting  a  horsethief,  and  you 
couldn't  tell  which  was  the  thief — generally  it 
was  both."  One  horsethief  buried  a  sack  con- 
taining $900  in  gold  and,  on  being  sent  to 
prison,  told  his  wife  how  he  had  marked  the 
spot  by  a  notched  stake,  but  she  was  unable  to 
find  it.  The  secret  having  leaked  out  later, 
Harris  Breese  noticed  such  a  stake  and,  to- 
gether with  his  neighbor,  Hampton,  dug  for 
and  recovered  the  treasure.  The  latter's  share 
is  said  to  have  been  to  him  the  nest-egg  of  fu- 
ture wealth. 

In  1834  a  thousand  Indians  were  encamped 
for  a  week  at  the  Big  Spring,  at  the  northwest 
corner  of  the  grove.  They  were  being  moved 
from  Indiana  west,  and  the  Government  made 
them  a  payment  here.  The  local  Indians  had 
already  been  sent  to  their  western  reservation 
the  same  year,  but  the  old  chief  Shabbona,  who 
is  held  in  grateful  memory  for  the  protection 
he  afforded  the  settlement  in  the  days  of  the 
Black  Hawk  War,  afterwards  returned  to  the 
scenes  of  his  early  life  and  died  on  the  Illinois 
River  July  17,  1859,  aged  eighty-four.  He  was 
buried  in  a  lot  set  apart  to  him  in  the  cemetery 
at  Morris,  Grundy  County,  where  a  fitting 
monument  was  raised  to  his  memory  a  few 
years  ago.  His  oldest  wife  and  several  chil- 
dren rest  beside  him.  Waubunsie,  Chief  of  the 
tribe  at  Paw  Paw  Grove,  and  Shabbona  were 
on  the  most  friendly  relations.  The  latter  was, 
however,  the  leader  and  the  former  loyally  fol- 
lowed. The  Indian  trail  from  Chicago  to  the 
Indian  village  at  Rock  Island  ran  along  the 
south  side  of  Paw  Paw  Grove. 

Schools. — The  first  school  in  Wyoming 
Township  is  supposed  to  have  been  started  as 
early  as  1836,  in  what  was  called  "The  Little 
Pole  School  House,"  which  was  not  more  than 
twelve  feet  square,  and  was  erected  ex- 
pressly for  school  purposes.  The  probability 
is  that  it  was  the  same  cabin  heretofore  men- 
tioned as  having  been  built  by  Jacob  Alcott. 
The  schools  were  all  necessarily  small  and 
were  started  and  maintained  entirely  by  indi- 
vidual  contributions,   the  public  school   system 


HISTORY    OF    LEE    COUNTY. 


701 


not  having  then  been  established.  Vacant 
cabins  were  sometimes  utilized  for  this  purpose, 
and  at  other  times  private  houses  sheltered 
the  school.  The  first  frame  school  building  in 
the  township  was  erected  about  1844  on  or 
near  the  northeast  corner  of  Section  24.  Hers 
Charles  Dickinson  and  Orlando  Boardman 
wore  the  first  teachers,  Dickinson  probably 
preceding  Boardman.  In  two  or  three  years 
the  building  was  moved  half  a  mile  east,  and 
now  serves  as  a  roosting  place  for  chickens. 

Postmasters. — Before  a  postofiice  was 
opened  at  Paw  Paw,  the  nearest  one  was  at 
Somonauk.  fifteen  miles  eastward.  A  "star 
n'ail-route"  was  established  through  Paw  Paw 
in  1837,  William  Rogers  being  the  first  Post- 
master there.  Isaac  Robinson  took  charge  of 
the  office  as  early  as  1838  or  1839.  In  1841  a 
Mr.  Brittain,  who  lived  in  Princeton,  carried 
the  mail  from  that  place  to  Paw  Paw  by  way 
of  Knox  Grove.  Willard  Hastings  was  the  car- 
rier between  Paw  Paw  and  Ottawa.  Hiram 
Wood  held  the  office  of  Postmaster  from  1845 
to  1849,  when  William  H.  Robinson  succeeded 
him,  remaining  until  1853,  when  Wood  came  in 
again.  He  was  followed  in  1857  by  James  Si- 
mons, and  he  in  1861  by  John  Colville,  who  re- 
mained at  the  post  many  years.  Then  came 
C.  F.  Preston,  in  Cleveland's  first  term.  Ezra 
G.  Cass,  J.  H.  Braffett  and  Sadie  Case,  the 
present  incumbent. 

At  the  first  organization  of  the  township 
in  1850,  113  votes  were  cast  for  town  officers. 
David  A.  Town  was  the  choice  for  Supervisor 
and  John  Colville  for  Clerk. 

Paw  Paw  Village. — Paw  Paw  Village  was 
first  incorporated  as  a  village  June  7,  1882. 
George  Town's  log  house,  already  mentioned, 
was  the  first  to  be  erected  on  the  site  of  the 
village.  Peter  IVlay's  cabin  stood  close  to  the 
location,  in  recent  years,  of  the  Sutter  house, 
west  of  Siglin  &  Potter's  brick  store,  and  his 
blacksmith  shop,  started  in  1842,  was  on  the 
south  side  of  the  road  nearly  opposite  the  store. 
The  Hastings  house,  formerly  on  the  site  of  the 
Roberts  dwelling,  was  built  in  May,  1841,  and 
was  the  first  frame  house  in  the  village  or  in 
the  township.  About  this  time  Hastings  put 
up  the  first  brick  building  in  the  township, 
about  one-half  mile  south  of  the  village,  on 
t'onda's  corners,  and  it  was  later  clap-boarded. 
In  1844  Rodolphus  Hawley  built  on  the  south 
side  of  the  Chicago  road,  opposite  George 
Town's,  on  site  of  the  place  now  owned  and  oc- 


cupied by  John  E.  Edwards.  The  next  year 
Amos  Sawyer  built  a  cabin  where  the  Deta- 
more  house  now  stands.  In  1846  George  Town 
moved  out  of  his  log  cabin  into  the  house 
known,  many  years  afterwards,  as  the  "Grum- 
mond"  house.  In  those  days  John  Colville  and 
Jacob  Rogers  were  partners  in  the  manufac- 
ture of  shingles  by  horse  power.  They  also  had 
such  a  mill  over  in  DeKalb  County.  Probably 
this  was  the  same  mill  moved  from  one  local- 
ity  to   the  other. 

This  was  the  settlement  in  1847.  Not  a  store 
was  then  in  the  place.  Enterprising  peddlers 
traveled  the  roads  and  undertook  to  supply  the 
simple  wants  of  the  people.  In  the  latter  year, 
however,  settlers  began  coming  in  and  the  vil- 
lage entered  on'  a  career  of  healthy  develop- 
ment which,  though  slow,  has  had  no  appre- 
ciable check  up  to  the  present.  We  should  be 
glad  to  follow  its  business  growth,  building  by 
building,  but  space  will  not  permit.  Plodding, 
indeed,  was  its  headway  up  to  1871,  when  lots 
and  buildings  together  were  assessed  at  only 
$3,809.  Allowing  for  the  assessor's  discounts, 
this  will  still  prove  to  be  very  small. 

Tillage  Schools. — Prior  to  1S80  the  demands 
of  the  village  school  had  led  to  the  erection 
of  a  two-story  frame  building  situated  on  the 
west  side  of  North  Street  at  the  west  end  of 
East  Avenue.  In  1S83  a  two-story  addition 
was  built  on  the  west  end  of  this  building, 
thus  making  four  rooms  in  all.  In  December, 
1S84,  the  building  was  destroyed  by  fire,  and, 
in  1885,  a  two-story  brick  structure,  with  large 
hall  above,  was  erected  on  the  same  spot.  Dr. 
J.  H.  Braffet  was  one  of  the  school  directors, 
and  was  chiefly  instrumental  in  having  this 
building  erected.  January  27,  1897,  this  struc- 
ture was  also  consumed  by  fire.  A  long  con- 
test followed  over  the  selection  of  a  new  site, 
which  was  finally  settled  in  favor  of  the  pres- 
ent location  by  a  majority  of  twelve  votes.  In 
the  summer  and  fall  of  1897,  the  school  house 
now  in  use  was  erected  on  the  ground  thus 
chosen,  occupying  a  campus  of  four  acres.  The 
building,  furniture  and  grounds  are  valued  at 
$15,000.  The  building  furnishes  ample  accom- 
modations, and  is  in  every  respect  thoroughly 
modern.  The  full  course  of  study  embraces 
twelve  years,  eight  in  the  graded  departments 
and  four  in  the  high  school  course.  The  school 
is  on  the  accredited  list  of  the  State  University, 
the  Northern  State  Normal,  Oberlin  College,  as 
well  as   others.     Six  teachers  are  employed. 


HISTORY    OF    LEE    COUNTY. 


Xeicspaijers. — The  first  number  of  the  'Paw 
Paw  Herald"  was  issued  November  23,  1877,  by 
R.  H.  Ruggles,  editor  and  proprietor.  In  Janu- 
ary, 1S78,  E.  G.  Cass  and  J.  B.  Gardner  became 
publishers,  Ruggles  still  owning  the  plant.  On 
the  22d  of  the  next  month  they  were  succeeded 
by  W.  M.  Geddes.  who  soon  purchased  the  out- 
fit. The  paper  was  Republican  in  politics,  but 
ceased  publication  some  years  ago. 

The  "Lee  County  Times,"  originally  a  Dem- 
ocratic paper,  appeared  March  21,  1878,  with 
E.  G.  Cass  and  J.  B.  Gardner  as  proprietors. 
In  August  following  Mr.  Gardner  retired.  It 
became  a  strong  Republican  paper  and.  as  such, 
is  now  owned  and  edited  by  0.  W.  Briggs. 

Churches. — The  Baptist  church  is  the  pioneer 
religious  organization  of  the  township.  In 
February,  1841,  it  was  organized  with  Orlando 
Boardman  and  wife,  Mrs.  Hallock,  wife  of  Is- 
rael Hallock.  James  Goble  and  wife.  Rev.  Bur- 
ton Carpenter,  Sr..  Hiram  Harding  and  wife, 
Cyrus  Whitford  and  wife  and  Mr.  Sampson 
and  wife  as  its  first  members.  The  meetings 
were  held  in  Deacon  Boardman's  log  cabin. 
Cyrus  Whitford  and  wife  belonged  to  Johnson's 
Grove,  twelve  miles  to  the  northeast.  Harding 
and  wife  and  Sampson  and  wife  came  from 
Harding  (now  Freedom),  La  Salle  County, 
about  the  same  distance  southeast.  The  others 
were  all  living  at  South  Paw  Paw.  Israel  Hal- 
lock, who  is  now  living  and  is  respected  and 
known  as  Deacon  Hallock,  joined  the  society 
the'  next  year  and  became  its  second  deacon, 
Boardman  being  the  first.  Rev.  Thomas  Pow- 
ell preached  the  sermon  at  this  first  gathering. 
Assisting  him  were  Rev.  Burton  Carpenter,  Jr.. 
from  Dixon,  Rev.  Hadley  and  Mr.  Stannard  of 
La  Moille.  Rev.  Mr.  Carpenter  preached  a  few 
sermons,  and  was  succeeded  by  Rev.  Charles 
Harding  in  March.  1841,  who  continued  as  pas- 
tor until  his  death,  February  3,  1843.  Feeling 
the  need  of  an  assistant  in  his  work  Mr.  Hard- 
ing sent  for  Elder  Norman  Warriner,  of  Indi- 
ana, who  arrived  just  in  time  to  help  bury  Mr. 
Harding.  Mr.  Warriner  occupied  the  pulpit 
for  twenty  years  until  he  resigned.  In  1843 
the  first  meeting  house  was  commenced  at 
South  Paw  Paw  and  was  finished  in  1846.  Un- 
til then  services  were  held  in  Boardman's  log 
cabin,  which  stood  on  the  spot  where  now 
stands  the  home  of  Deacon  Hallock.  The  mem- 
bership reached  its  highest  point  in  1859,  when 
it  numbered  162.  On  Mr.  Warriner's  resigna- 
tion, J.   D.  PuUis  became  pastor  serving  from 


July  of  that  year  until  December  31,  1865.  Dur- 
ing his  pastorate  the  present  house  of  worship 
was  built  at  South  Paw  Paw  at  a  cost  of  about 
$3,000,  and  a  parsonage  purchased  at  the  cost 
of  $1,000.  In  March,  1866,  G.  W.  Scott  became 
pastor  and  continued  until  July,  27,  1867.  C. 
H.  Perritt  served  from  October  12,  1867,  for  a 
little  over  one  year,  and  was  succeeded  Decem- 
ber 26,  1868,  by  William  Sturgeon,  who  re- 
mained until  October  26,  1872.  In  1873  the 
church  building  was  moved  from  South  Paw 
Paw  to  its  present  location  in  the  village,  and 
a  basement  was  constructed  under  it  at  a  cost 
of  a  little  over  $2,000.  The  parsonage  at  South 
Paw  Paw  was  disposed  of  and  a  lot  purchased 
in  the  village,  on  which  a  parsonage  was  built 
in  the  winter  of  1873-4.  January  24,  1874,  H. 
R.  Hicks  became  pastor,  continuing  pntil  Sep- 
tember, 1881.  S.  B.  Gilbert  was  pastor  from 
December  10,  1881,  until  July,  1885.  September 
26th,  following,  H.  F.  Gilbert  became  pastor 
and  served  until  May  21,  1887,  after  which  the 
church  was  for  a  while  without  a  regular  pas- 
tor. R.  H.  Shaftoe  served  from  June  3,  1888, 
to  April  1,  1891.  On  May  10th  of  the  latter 
year,  R.  S.  Sargent  was  called  and  continued 
to  May  10.  1896.  During  his  term  an  addition 
was  made  to  the  rear  of  the  church  and  other 
improvements  at  a  cost  of  $1,000.  A.  C.  Jones 
became  pastor,  June  14,  1896,  and  served  until 
September  1,  1898.  He  was  succeeded  January 
1,  1899,  by  William  A.  Mathews,  who  continued 
until  October  1,  1892.  In  April,  1901,  the  par- 
sonage on  Flagg  Street  was  sold  for  $800,  and 
a  modern  residence  as  a  parsonage  was  erected 
on  Wheeler  Street,  at  cost  of  about  $2,500.  No- 
vember 16,  1902,  H.  J.  Wheeler,  the  present 
pastor,  assumed  charge.  The  church  celebrated 
its  fiftieth  anniversary  June  18,  1891. 

About  1870  a  class  of  the  Methodist  Episco- 
pal Church  was  formed  with  James  Fonda, 
Jane  E.  Fonda,  Sarah  E.  Swarthout,  Edward 
Patrick  and  Harriet  Patrick  as  members,  the 
way  being  prepared  by  the  preaching  of  Elder 
Lazenby  at  the  school  house  the  previous  year. 
In  1875,  while  Rev.  Pomeroy  was  pastor,  their 
church  building  was  erected.  Paw  Paw  was 
made  a  separate  charge  in  Rock  River  Con- 
ference in  October,  1879. 

In  1864  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Society, 
organized  in  1857,  but  long  in  a  somnolent 
state,  was  revived  by  Rev.  Jacob  Fowler  and 
built  up  to  a  membership  of  thirty  or  forty.  A 
church  was  built  in  1866  on  the  northeast  quar- 


HISTORY    OF    LEE    COUNTY. 


703 


ter  of  the  northwest  quarter  of  Section  6.  at  a 
cost  of  $2,600.  The  building  was  finally  sold  at 
Sheriff's  sale,  on  a  Judgment  for  $500  recovered 
by  the  minister,  A.  C.  Wallace,  for  arrears  of 
salary.  Being  bid  in  by  him  he  sold  it  to  the 
United  Brethren   in   1874. 

The  Presbyterian  Church  of  Wyoming,  at 
Cottage  Hill,  was  organized  under  the  labors 
of  John  Flemming  as  missionary  pastor  from 
Earlville,  in  1857,  with  the  following  members: 
Barton  Bisbee,  Joseph  Blee,  William  Winter, 
Sally  C.  Bisbee,  Euphemia  Blee,  Mrs.  William 
Winter,  Mrs.  William  Sproul  and  James  Sproul. 
Mr.  Flemming  continued  to  preach  once  in  two 
weeks  in  the  school  house,  but  for  how  long 
we  have  been  unable  to  ascertain.  In  1858 
or  '59  a  building  was  put  up  at  a  cash  outlay 
of  $200.  Being  too  small  it  was  sold  and  be- 
came James  Blee's  granary.  A  new  church 
30  by  60  feet  was  erected  a  little  north  of  the 
first  one  at  a  cost  of  $2,200.  It  was  remodeled 
in  1861.  No  pastor  was  settled  until  about 
1870,  when  Alexander  S.  Peck  was  installed, 
serving  at  Paw  Paw  at  the  same  time.  Rev. 
McFarland  succeeded  him  for  a  year  and.  in 
1878,  Mr.  McCullock,  the  pastor  at  Paw  Paw,  be- 
came the  supply  and  continued  for  three  years. 

About  1870  the  Presbyterians  began  holding 
meetings  in  the  school  house  at  the  village. 
Rev.  Alex.  S.  Peck,  of  Cottage  Hill,  preaching 
every  two  weeks.  The  society  was  regularly 
organized  May  26,  1873,  the  first  members  be- 
ing Miss  Sarah  A.  Wilson,  Andrew  J.  Fuller, 
Susan  C.  Fuller,  Jane  Nettleton,  Jane  Bulen- 
tine.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Simeon  Cole,  Henry  Cole, 
Anderson  G.  Radle/  and  Mrs.  Jane  Howell. 
Rev.  Mr.  Peck  was  the  first  pastor.  In  1875  a 
church  was  built  at  a  cost  of  $1,900.  Mr.  Peck 
remained  until  the  close  of  1876.  Revs.  McFar- 
land and  E.  N.  Lord  filled  the  pulpit  until 
April,  1878,  when  George  D.  McCullock  was  in- 
stalled, continuing  until  July.  1881.  "The 
Presbyterian  church  of  Paw  Paw"  was  formally 
incorporated  May  8,  1901.  On  the  same  date 
the  society  voted  to  sell  the  old  church,  par- 
sonage and  grounds,  and  purchase  the  Siglin 
property,  where  the  new  church  and  parsonage 
now  stand,  the  latter  having  been  moved  to 
make  a  place  for  the  church.  The  project  was 
inaugurated  with  an  offer  from  Mr.  David 
Smith  to  give  $1,000  towards  the  expenses  on 
condition  that  a  church  building,  costing  not 
less  than  $5,000,  should  be  erected.  Robert 
Pogue,   David   Smith,  W.   S.  Yingling,  William 


Moffatt  and  T.  H.  Stettler  were  chosen  building 
committee.  The  church  was  completed  at  a 
cost  of  $10,000,  and  the  improvements  on  the 
parsonage,  with  cost  of  ground  on  which  both 
buildings  stand,  came  to  $3,000.  The  pastors 
succeeding  Rev.  McCullock  have  been:  John 
H.  Carpenter,  C.  E.  Schaible,  Edgar  D.  Keys, 
Henry  A.  Furgeson,  Charles  H.  Herald,  Samuel 
Olerenshaw,  W.  A.  Bass  and  Joseph  W.  Mann, 
the  present  incumbent.  The  first  Board  of 
Trustees  of  the  church  were  Jacob  Hender- 
shot,  A.  C.  Radley  and  A.  J.  Fuller. 

Banks. — A  bank  was  organized  in  the  spring 
of  1880.  under  the  name  of  the  Union  Bank,  by 
M.  M.  Morse  and  P.  C.  Ransom,  Mr.  Ransom 
transferring  his  interest  to  Mr.  Morse  in  1882. 
B.  J.  Wheeler  and  Teal  Swarthout  succeeded 
Mr.  Morse,  in  June,  1887.  In  1901  the  bank 
was  reorganized  under  the  State  law.  as  the 
State  Bank  of  Paw  Paw,  with  a  paid  up  capital 
of  $25,000,  B.  J.  Wheeler  being  President;  Da- 
vid Smith,  Vice  President;  Teal  Swarthout,' 
Cashier,  and  Frank  Wheeler,  Assistant  Cash- 
ier. Its  first  Board  of  Directors  consisted  of 
David  Smith,  B.  J.  Wheeler,  S.  B.  Miller,  T.  H. 
Stettler  and  Teal  Swarthout.  In  July,  1902,  the 
capital  stock  was  increased  to  $40,000,  and  the 
Board  of  Directors  from  five  to  eight  members, 
W.  I.  Guffin,  Alonzo  La  Porte  and  A.  H,  Rosen- 
krans  being  added  to  the  former  list.  On  No- 
vember 1,  1902,  they  bought  out  the  interest 
of  the  First  National  Bank  of  Paw  Paw,  which 
had  been  organized  June  1,  1902,  and  the  capi- 
tal stock  was  increased  to  $50,000.  At  this 
time  W.  I.  Guffin,  A.  H.  Rosenkrans  and  Alon- 
zo La  Porte  resigned  as  directors,  their  places 
being  filled  by  the  election  of  William  Moffatt, 
B.  F.  Frantz  and  A.  C.  McBride,  the  latter  be- 
ing elected  Assistant  Cashier.  The  Bank  has 
a  line  of  deposits  averaging  close  to  $200,000. 
Loans  and  discounts  amount  to  $150,000,  and 
the  institution  is  in  every  way  doing  a  con- 
servative and  satisfactory  business. 

Water  System. — Natural  Gas. — The  village  is 
equipped  with  an  efficient  water  system  for  fire 
protection  and  general  use.  While  drilling  a 
well  for  the  water  supply  an  obstruction  was 
encountered  which  required  the  use  of  dyna- 
mite, the  explosion  of  which  opened  up  a 
powerful  stream  of  natural  gas  necessitating 
lae  abandonment  of  the  well.  B.  J.  Wheeler 
purchased  it  and  piped  gas  from  it  to  several 
houses,  but  the  gas  soon  gave  out.  Another 
gas  supply  was  struck  on  the  west  half  of  the 


704 


HISTORY    OF    LEE    COUNTY. 


southeast  quarter  of  Section  1.  which  still  fur- 
nishes fuel  for  the  houses  and  for  the  power 
used  on  the  farm.  The  village  standpipe,  or 
water  tank,  stands  over  the  first  mentioned 
well. 

East  Paw  Paw. — This  settlement,  as  well  as 
that  of  South  Paw  Paw,  is  so  near  the  real 
Paw  Paw  in  the  grove  that,  to  a  certain  ex- 
tent, the  early  history  of  one  runs  through  all 
of  them.  William  Rogers'  hotel  was  evidently 
within  the  bounds  of  what  became  East  Paw 
Paw.  Baily  Breese  settled  in  1841,  and  a  part 
of  East  Paw  Paw  was  platted  on  his  land. 
Jacob  Wirick  bought  out  William  Rogers  about 
1842  or  1843,  and  thus  was,  for  a  while,  land- 
lord of  the  hotel  in  that  part  of  East  Paw  Paw 
lying  in  DeKalb  County.  A  man  by  the  name 
of  Meade  landed  in  1838  and  located  in  the 
grove  south  of  East  Paw  Paw.  At  that  time 
Paw  Paw  grove  extended  into  DeKalb  County. 
Hiram  Gates  came  in  1845  and  bought  Meade 
out.  Charles  Pierce  also  arrived  in  the  latter 
year.  The  first  store  at  "the  grove"  was  opened 
here  by  one  Harris,  and  another  was  started 
a  little  west  on  the  Chicago  road  by  Charles 
Howard,  in  1847.  and  a  postoffice  was  opened 
in  1850  with  Andrew  Breese  as  Postmaster. 
About  1855  the  Teachers'  Institute  and  Class- 
ical Seminary  was  erected  with  funds  sub- 
scribed for  the  purpose.  The  building  stands 
in  DeKalb  County,  and  is  now  used  for  public- 
school  purposes.  Before  1848,  S.  B.  Warren  had 
a  general  store  and  Jos.  Harris  a  grocery  and 
saloon  in  East  Paw  Paw.  and  there  was  also  a 
blacksmith  shop  in  the  place. 

A  Union  Church  has  been  standing  here  since 
1868,   but   is   no   longer   used    for   services. 

South  Paw  Poi(-.— Most  of  the  first  settlers  of 
South  Paw  Paw  have  already  been  mentioned, 
including  John  Ploss  in  1835,  and  Deacons 
Boardman  and  Hallock  in  1840.  Eber  St.  John 
seems  to  have  arrived  prior  to  the  latter  date. 
Ralph  Atherton  arrived  in  1844.  as  also  did 
Dr.  George  S.  Hunt,  the  first  physician  in  the 
township  as  well  as  at  the  grove.  Deacon 
Daniel  Pine  settled  here  in  1845,  while  Timothy 
Goble,  brother  of  James,  did  the  same  in  1843. 
Once  the  place  supported  a  graded  school  which 
is  reputed  to  have  done  excellent  work.  Prior 
to  1859  a  postoffice  was  opened  here  and  con- 
tinued until  about  two  years  ago,  and  was  al- 
ways called  LeClaire  Postoffice.  Daniel  Robin- 
son was  the  first  postniastei'.     About  1855  the 


Union  Academy  was  started  in  South  Paw  Paw 
and  was  continued  for  several  years,  with  H. 
H.  Hoffman  as  first  Principal.  A  two-story 
building  was  erected  by  subscription — the  up- 
per floor  being  used  for  the  academy  and  the 
lower  for  a  district  school.  It  now  stands 
about  fifty  rods  east  of  the  original  site,  being 
used  as  a  barn. 

Railroad. — September  22,  1869,  the  town,  by 
a  vote  of  142  yeas  to  62  nays,  decided  to  take 
$50,000  stock  in  the  Chicago  &  Rock  River 
Railroad,  issuing  ten  per  cent,  interest-bearing 
bonds  for  that  purpose.  The  bonds  were  issued 
July  1,  1871.  The  town  resisted  payment  by 
i.Tstituting  suit  to  enjoin  collection  of  the 
bonds,  but  was  defeated.  In  1881  new  bonds 
were  issued  to  take  up  the  first  issue,  and  were 
made  payable  in  annual  installments,  the  last 
of  which  fell  due  in  1901,  the  principal  and  in- 
terest aggregating  $102,380.  The  stock  was 
purchased  at  this  cost  to  aid  in  the  construc- 
tion of  the  road,  which  went  into  operation 
in  1872  and  has  been  of  inestimable  value  to 
the  community. 

Elevator. — The  only  grain  elevator  in  Paw 
Paw  was  erected  by  Capt.  D.  M.  Roberts  in 
1872,  and  was  operated  by  him  until  it  was 
sold  in  1873  to  J.  H.  Hurlbut  &  Company  of 
Chicago,  and  rented  to  Warner  &  Guffin.  who 
bought  it  the  following  year.  The  original 
building  collapsed  in  1880,  w^hile  loaded  with 
wheat,  oats,  corn  and  timothy  seed.  It  was 
rebuilt  at  once  on  the  old  site  and  is  now  owned 
by  the  estate  of  A.  J.  Warner,  and  operated  by 
the  firm  of  Warner  &  Guffin.  Mr.  W.  I.  Guffin 
has  been  a  member  of  the  firm  from  the  begin- 
ning, and  is  now  actively  engaged  in  the  busi- 
ness. 

A  prosperous  tile  and  brick  business  is  car- 
ried on  in  the  village  by  J.  M.  Beal  &  Co.  Their 
drying  sheds  have  15,600  feet  floor  space,  and 
with  their  two  kilns,  give  them  a  capacity  of 
30,000  brick  per  day  and  about  the  same  pro- 
portion of  drain  tile. 

The  population  of  Paw  Paw  village,  accord- 
ing to  census  of  1900,  was  675.  The  population 
of  the  township  and  village  combined,  was  1.- 
455  in  1890,  and  1.546  in  1900. 


The  editor's  work  ends  here.     The  persona 
sketches  following  are  furnished  by  others. 


HISTORY   OF   LEE    COUNTY 


705 


CITIZENS    OF    LEE    COUNTY, 


The  verdict  of  mankind  has  awarded  to  the 
Muse  of  History  the  highest  place  among  the 
classic  Nine.  The  extent  of  her  office,  however, 
appears  to  be,  by  many  minds,  but  imperfectly 
understood.  The  task  of  the  historian  is  com- 
prehensive and  exacting.  True,  History  reaches 
beyond  the  doings  of  court  or  camp,  beyond  the 
issue  of  battles  or  the  effects  of  treaties,  and 
records  the  trials  and  the  triumphs,  the  fail- 
ures and  the  successes  of  the  men  who  make 
history.  It  is  but  an  imperfect  conception  of  the 
philosophy  of  events  that  fails  to  accord  to 
portraiture  and  biography  its  rightful  position 
as  a  part — and  no  unimportant  part — of  his- 
torical narrative.  Behind  and  beneath  the 
activities  of  outward  life  the  motive  pov.-er 
lies  out  of  sight,  just  as  the  furnace  flres  that 
work  the  piston  and  keep  the  ponderous  screw 
revolving,  are  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,  lives  of  their  fellows.  Rather,  it  is 
true  that  such  desire  tends  to  prove  universal 
brotherhood;  and  the  interest  in  personality 
and  biography  is  not  confined  to  men  of  any 
particular    caste    or   avocation. 

The  list  of  those  to  whose  lot  it  falls  to  play 
a  conspicuous  part  in  the  great  drama  of  life 
is  comparatively  short;  yet  communities  are 
made  up  of  individuals,  and  the  aggregate  of 
achievements — no  less  than  the  sum  total  of 
human  happiness — is  made  up  of  the  deeds  of 
those  men  and  women  whose  primary  aim, 
through  life,  cs  faithfully  to  preform  the  duty 
that  comes  nearest  to  hand.  Individual  influ- 
ence upon  human  affairs  will  be  considered 
potent,  or  insignificant,  according  to  the  stand- 
point from  which  it  is  viewed.  To  him  who, 
standing  upon  the  sea-shore,  notes  the  ebb  and 
flow  of  the  tides  and  listens  to  the  sullen  roar 
of  .the  waves,  as  they  break  upon  thei  beach  in 
.seething  foam,  seemingly  chafing  at  their  limit- 
ations, 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  diminished.  Countless  streams, 
currents  and  counter-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  tortuous  than 
those  which  form  "the  foundation  of  the  deep." 
In  the  foregoing  pages  is  traced  the  begin- 
ning, growth,  and  maturity  of  a  concrete  thing 
— Lee  County.  But  the  concrete  is  but  the  ag- 
gregate result  of  individual  labor.  The  acts 
and  characters  of  men,  like  the  several  faces 
that  compose  a  composite  picture,  are  v.'rought 
together  into  a  compact  or  heterogeneous 
whole.  History  is  condensed  biography;  "bi- 
ography  is  history  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 
whom  it  sprang,  the  principles  and  influences, 
the  impulses  and  ambitions,  the  labors,  strug- 
gles and  triumphs  that  engrossed  their  lives. 
In  the  pages  that  follow  are  gathered  up, 
with  as  much  detail  as  the  limits  of  the  work 
allow,  the  personal  record  of  many  of  the  men 
who  have  made  Lee  County  what  it  is.  In 
each  record  may  be  traced  some  feature  which 
influenced,  or  has  been  stamped  upon,  the  civic 
life. 

Here  are  pioneers,  who,  "when  the  fullness  of 
time  had  come,"  came  from  widely  scattered 
sources,  some  from  beyond  the  sea,  impelled 
by  diverse  motives,  little  conscious  of  the  im- 
port of  their  acts,  and  but  dimly  anticipating 
the  harvest  which  would  spring  from  their 
sowing.  They  built  their  little  cabins,  toiling 
for  a  present  subsistence  while  laying  the  foun- 
dations of  private  fortunes  and  future  advance- 
ment. 

Most  havQ  passed  away,  but  not  before  they 
beheld  a  development  of  business  and  popula- 
tion surpassing  the  wildest  dreams  of  fancy. 
A  few  yet  remain,  whose  years  have  passed  the 
allotted  three  score  and  ten.  and  -^vho  love  to 
recount,  among  the  cherished  memories  of 
their  lives,  their  reminiscences  of  early  days 
in  Lee  County. 


7o6 


HISTORY   OF   LEE    COUNTY. 


Among  these  early,  hardy  settlers,  and  those 
who  followed  them,  may  be  found  the  names  of 
many  who  imparted  the  first  impulse  to  the 
county's  growth  and  home-likeness;  the  many 
who,  through  their  identification  with  agricul- 
tural pursuits,  aided  in  her  material  progress; 
of  skilled  mechanics,  who  first!  laid  the  founda- 
tions of  beautiful  homes,  and  productive  indus- 
tries; and  of  the  members  of  the  learned  pro- 
fessions— clergymen,  physicians,  educators  and 
lawyers — whose  influence  upon  the  intellectual 
life  and  development  of  a  community  it  is  im- 
possible to  over-estimate. 

Municipal  institutions  arise;  Commerce 
spreads  her  sails  and  prepares  the  way  for  the 
magic  of  Science  that  drives  the  locomotive  en- 
gine over  iron  rails.  Trade  is  organized, 
stretching  its  arms  across  the  prairie  to  gather 
in  and  distribute  the  products  of  the  soil. 
Church  spires  rise  to  express,  in  architectural 
form,  the  faith  and  aspirations  of  the  people, 
while  schools,  public  and  private,  elevate  the 
standards  of  education  and  of  artistic  taste. 

Here  are  many  of  the  men  through  whose 
labors,  faith  and  thought,  these  magnificent  re- 
sults have  been  achieved.  To  them,  and  to 
their  co-laborers,  the  Lee  County  of  today 
stands  an  enduring  monument,  attesting  their 
faith,  their  energy,  their  courage  and  their 
self-sacrifice. 

FATHER  JOHN  DIXON  (deceased)  was 
born  at  Rye,  Westchester  County,  N,  Y.,  Oct. 
9,  1784,  son  of  John  and  Elizabeth  (Purdey) 
Dixon.  In  1804  he  established  himself  in  the 
tailoring  business  in  New  York  City,  which 
he  conducted  until  1820,  when  he  came  to  Illi- 
nois and  settled  at  Springfield,  where  he  erec- 
ted the  third  house  built  in  that  city.  At  the 
expiration  of  four  years,  he  removed  to  Peoria, 
111.,  where  he  was  County  Clerk,  Justice  of  the 
Peace,  etc..  remaining  there  five  years.  The 
follov/ing  year  (1829)  he  spent  In  Bureau 
County,  111.,  and  on  April  11,  1830,  arrived  at 
the  ferry  on  Rock  River.  Mr.  Dixon  pur- 
chased the  ferry,  which  was  henceforth  known 
as  Dixon's  Ferry,  but  later  the  word  "ferry" 
was  dropped  and  the  village  has  since  been 
called  Dixon.  In  1808  he  married  Rebecca 
Sherwood,  a  native  of  New  York,  and  to  them 
twelve  children  were  born,  four  of  whom  grew 
to  maturity.     Father  Dixon  died  July  G,   1S76; 


JOHN    DIXON. 

his  v.'ife  dying  in  February,  1847.  He  was  a 
Republican  in  political  sentiment,  and  in  his 
younger  days  was  a  member  of  the  Baptist 
church.  Mrs.  Dixon  was  a  charter  member 
of  the  Baptist  church  at  Dixon. 

BENJAMIN  F.  SHAW,  editor  and  proprietor 
of  "The  Telegraph,"  Dixon,  111.,  was  born  at 
Waverly,  N.  Y.  March  31,  1831,  of  English  and 
Colonial  ancestry,  being  a  descendant  of  Wil- 
liam Bradford  who  kept  the  log  of  the  ship 
"Mayflower"  in  1620,  and  became  the  first 
Governor  of  Plymouth  Colony.  His  grand- 
mother on  the  paternal  side  was.  previous  to 
her  death,  the  last  survivor  of  the  "Wyoming 
Massacre"  of  1778,  her  father  and  two  uncles 
being  killed  during  the  battle  which  preceded 
the  massacre.  His  mother's  father.  Major  Zeph- 
on  Flower,  was  a  soldier  of  the  Revolution.  Mr. 
Shaw  engaged  in  journalism  in  Dixon,  111., 
previous  to  1856  and,  on  February  22d  of  that 
year,  as  editor  of  the  "Dixon  Telegraph,"  took 
part  in  the  convention  of  Illinois  editors  held 
at  Decatur  for  the  purpose  of  outlining  a  policy 
in  opposition  to  the  further  extension  of  slav- 
ery, serving  upon  the  committee  which  framed 
the  platform.  It  was  in  accordance  with  reso- 
lutions   adopted    at    this    convention    that    the 


HISTORY   OF   LEE    COUXTY. 


707 


first  Republican  State  Convention  was  held  at 
Bloomington,  111.,  May  29,  1S56.  Mr.  Shaw's 
journalistic  career,  extending  over  a  period  of 
over  fifty  years,  has  been  almost  entirely  iden- 
tified   with    the    "Dixon    Telegraph,"   of  which 


BENJAMIN    F.  SHAW. 

he  is  now  the  editor  and  proprietor,  although 
he  spent  sometime  in  1S67  and  18G8  as  the 
Washington  correspondent  of  a  Chicago  paper. 
The  official  positions  held  by  him  include  two 
terms  as  Clerk  of  the  Circuit  Court  and  Re- 
corder of  Lee  County,  six  years  as  Canal  Com- 
missioner, and  Postmaster  of  the  city  of  Dixon, 
in  which  he  is  now  serving  his  second  term. 

EUSTACE  E.  SHAW  (deceased),  late  associ- 
ate editor  and  joint  proprietor  of  the  "Dixon 
Evening  Telegraph,"  was  born  at  Dixon,  111., 
March  28,  1857,  the  son  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  B.  F. 
Shaw,  and  died  in  that  city,  Sept.  5,  1902.  Mr. 
Shaw  learned  the  printing  trade  in  his  father's 
office,  and  gave  his  best  efforts  to  assisting  his 
father  to  build  up  the  business  of  the  B.  F, 
Shaw  Printing  Company,^  during  the  latter 
years  of  his  life  serving  efficiently  as  associ- 
ate editor  and  business  manager  of  the  "Even- 
ing Telegraph."  The  following  tribute  to  his 
memory  was  paid  by  the  Rev.  J.  F.  Newton  at 


the  funeral,  which  was  largely  attended  by 
neighbors  who  deeply  mourned  his  untimely 
death: 

"He  lived  with  Nature — a  life  of  simple 
sweetness.  He  loved  his  fellow  man  and  was 
kind  of  heart.  There  are  none  who  knew 
him  but  who  are  eager  to  vouchsafe  these 
lovable  attributes  to  Eustace  Shaw.  He  was 
always  in  touch  with  the  subtle,  tender  influ- 
ences that  are  akin  to  a.  manly  nature;  and  to 
know  him  v/as  to  love  him  in  turn.  It  might 
fittingly  be  re-iterated.  'If  every  one  to  whom 
he  had  done  some  kindly  act  should  drop  a 
flower  upon  his  grave,  ha  would  sleep  beneath 
a  bower  of  roses.'  Eustace  Shaw  was  ener- 
getic in  every-day  life  and  the  soul  of  honor. 
With  all  who  knew  him  his  word  was  a  sacred 
pledge,  and  the  ties  that  bound  him  to  his 
friends  were  as  inseparable  as  the  strongest 
links  oj  gold.  There  were  none  too  poor,  none 
too  lowly,  to  receive  his  every-day  challenge 
of  good  will  and  friendship,  and  when  he  passed 
to  his  reward  he  was  simply  and  truly  among 


EUSTACE    E.   SHAW, 

hosts  of  loving  friends  who  had  preceded  him. 

"His  memory  cannot  die  with  those  who  were 

privileged    to    know    him    in    his    true    light. 


-oS 


HISTORY   OF   LEE    COUNTY. 


There  are  many  who  have  accomplished  more 
in  worldly  affairs,  but  we  Know  that  the  spirit 
of  Eustace  Shaw  rests  at  peace,  content  with 
the  love  he  inspired  in  others  while  living 
his  worldly  life.  The  earnest  prayers  that 
went  up  from  so  many  hearts  the  day  of  his 
death  must  have  reached  him  and  given  him 
quiet  and  peace.  Eustace  Shaw  lo^ed  the 
woods  and  the  flowers;  he  loved  everything 
in  Nature.  He  loved  his  native  river;  and 
his  repose  was  assuring  and  keen  v/hen  he 
might  feast  his  eyes  upon  the  gentle  waters 
as  they  murmured  by.  He  saw  the  pretty 
things  in  life,  and  more — he  wanted  others 
to  see  them  and  share  their  simple  beauty 
with  him.  He  knew  no  selfishness.  He  never 
deliberated  over  a  sacrifice  to  be  made  for 
a  friend — no.  it  came  spontaneous;  and  many 
a  noble  tender  has  he  made  at  the  altar  of 
friendship.  He  was  never  so  quick  to  act  as 
when  the  friend  was  in  the  direst  distress 
— any  conceivable  reward  unlooked  for  and 
an  impossibility.  He  worshipped  at  the  shrine 
of  home,  wife  and  children,  and  God  has  taken 
him  as  tenderly  to  his  heart  as  he  would 
take  the  most  innocent  babe;  for  how  could 
God  but  love  a  man  who  was  loved  by  all  his 
fellov.'  men  and  who  despised  hypocrisy, 
shunned  bad  habits  and  was  honest  and  true 
to  himself,  as  well  the  world  at  large?  He 
passed  av.-ay  with  a  smile  on  his  lips  and  a 
word  of  assurance  to  those  about  him;  and 
this  was  but  the  crowning  example  of  his  great 
bravery  and  his  solicitious  concern  for  those 
whom  he  loved.  Then  the  Guardian  Angel 
said.  'Peace  be  with  thy  soul.'  aikd  the  life 
of  Eustace   Shaw   was   ended." 

Deceased  was  descended  from  Puritan  stock; 
Governor  Bradford,  of  Massachusetts  Bay,  be- 
ing of  the  fifth  (5)  generation;  three  of  his 
ancestors  were  in  the  Revolutionary  War.  He 
leaves  a  widow.  Mabel  (Smith)  Shaw,  and 
three  sons.  George  Boules.  Benj.  T.  and  Rob- 
ert Eustace  Shaw. 

JOHN  DAWSON  CRABTREE  (deceased), 
lawyer  and  late  Judge  of  the  Circuit  Court. 
Thirteenth  Judicial  District,  was  born  in  Not- 
tingham. England,  Nov.  19,  1837;  came  to 
America  in  1.S4S  and  to  Dixon,  111.,  in  1853; 
was  educated  in  the  district  schools  and  in 
the  public  schools  of  Dixon.  In  1861,  In  re- 
sponse  to   the   first   call    for  troops   to   repress 


the  rebellion,  he  enlisted  in  Company  A,  Thir- 
teenth Regiment  Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry, 
and  was  successively  advanced  to  the  rank 
of  Lieutenant  and  Captain,  and  at  the  date 
of  his  discharge.  August  16.  1864.  was  bre- 
vetted  with  the  rank  of  Major.  Returning 
home  after  the  close  of  the  war,  he  resumed 
study  of  the  law,  which  he  had  begun  previous 
to  his  enlistment,  and  v/as  admitted  to  the 
bar   In    1866.      In    1SS6    he    was   elected    State 


JOHN  DAWSON  CRABTREE. 

Senator  on  the  Republican  ticket,  but  resigned 
in  1888  to  accept  the  position  of  Judge  of  Cir- 
cuit Court  to  which  he  was  elected  the  same 
year,  was  re-elected  without  opposition  in  1891, 
and  again  reelected  in  1897,  but  died  May  22, 
1902,  one  year  before  the  expiration  of  his 
term  of  oflSce.  Judge  Crabtree  was  a  member 
of  Friendship  Lodge.  No.  7.  A.  F.  and  A.  M.. 
Dixon. 

JASON  C.  .-WRES.  President  of  Dixon  Na- 
tional Bank.  Dixon.  111.,  was  born  in  St.  Law- 
rence County,  N.  Y..  August  22.  1835.  son  of 
Sylvanus  and  Anna  (Bean)  Ayres.  He  located 
in  Dixon  in  18.5.5  and  has  since  been  promi- 
nently connected  with  its  growth  and  devel- 
opment,  as   well  as  with  real  estate  interests 


HISTORY   OF   LEE    COUXTY. 


709 


of  his  locality.  He  was  admitted  to  the  bar 
in  1870.  In  political  sentiment  Mr.  Ayres  is 
a  Republican  and  has  served  as  City  Clerk 
and  Treasurer  of  Dixon  for  many  years.  On 
May    7.    1861.    he    married    Lavina    Crawford, 


JOHN    C.   AYRES. 

daughter  of  Dr.  John  S.  and  Delia  A.  (Preston) 
Crawford,  of  Williamsport,  Penn.  Fraternalh 
he  is  a  member  of  Friendship  Lod?e  No  7 
A.  F.  &  A.  M.:  Nachusa  Chapter,  No  5(,  R 
A.  M.:  Dixon  Council,  No.  21,  R.  &  S  M  an  1 
Dixon  Commandery.  No.  21,  K.  T. 

CHARLES  W.  CHADWICK.  retired  taimer 
Lee  Center,  III,  was  born  at  Windsoi  Me 
June  18,  1822,  son  of  Lott  and  Sarah  (Lmn) 
Chadwick.  He  came  to  Lee  Countj  with  his 
father  in  1838,  where,  for  three  years,  he  as- 
sisted the  latter  in  his  trade  as  mill-right.  In 
1841  he  removed  South,  where  he  remained 
eight  years,  and  then  (in  1849)  crossed  the 
plains  to  California  in  search  of  gold.  Return- 
ing from  the  gold  fields  in  1851,  he  located  at 
Lee  Center,  where  he  engaged  in  the  manufac- 
ture of  plows;  afterwards  engaged  in  farming 
at  Palestine  Grove:  later  spent  several  years 
in  Missouri  and  Colorado,  but  since  1SS3  has 
lived  retired   at  Lee  Center.     In  1S47  he   mar- 


ried Nancy  J.  Holderby,  who  died  tv,'c  years 
later,  leaving  one  child.  Sarah  J.  (Mrs.  Silas 
Whitney).  In  1853  he  married  his  second  wife, 
Phebe  Whitney,  by  whom  there  were  the  fol- 
lowing named  children:  Alice  (Mrs.  John 
Jacobs),  Ida  (Mrs.  W.  W.  Allen,  of  California). 
Fred  C,  now  residing  in  California,  and  Harry, 
who  resides  in  Mexico.  In  politics  Mr.  Chad- 
wick is  a  Republican,  and  fraternally  is  a 
member  of  the  A.  F.  &  A.  M. 

SAMUEL  C.  EELLS.  President  City  National 
Bank.  Dixon.  111.,  was  born  at  Walton.  Dela- 
ware County,  N.  Y.,  March  19,  1822,  son  of 
Nathaniel  G.  and  Betty  (St.  John)  Eells. 
natives  of  Connecticut.  He  came  to  Dixon.  111., 
in  1S54,  and  engaged  as  bookkeeper  with  Rob- 
ertson, Eastman  &  Company,  bankers.  In  the 
spring  of  1855  the  firm  was  changed  to  Rob- 
ertson, Eells  &  Company:  in  ISGO  to  Eells  & 
Coleman:  in  1S65  to  Lee  County  National 
Bank,  and  since  1885  has  been  known  as  the 


SAMUEL    C.    EELLS. 

City  National  Bank.  Mr.  Eells  has  been 
President  of  this  institution  since  the  death 
of  Joseph  Crawford.  August  11.  1891.  although 
he  has  been  manager  of  the  business  since 
April,  1855.     On   October   12.  1854.  he  married 


HISTORY  OF   LEE   COUNTY 


Anna  Moore,  and  they  have  three  children — 
Caroline  W..  Anna  S..  and  Bessie  P.  In  politi- 
cal relations  Mr.  Eells  is  a  Republican,  and 
in  religious  faith  is  a  member  of  St.  Luke's 
Episcopal  church  in  which  he  has  served  as 
vestryman  since  1855. 

ABALINO  C.  BARDWELL,  Dixon.  111.,  born 
Oct.  23,  1844,  at  Conneautville.  Penn..  son  of 
Dr.  George  A.  and  Julia  A.  (Cutler)  Bardwell; 
parents  moved  to  Prophetstown,  Whiteside 
County,  111.,  in  1853.  Came  to  Dixon,  Feb,  10, 
1864,  and  read  law  in  office  of  George  P.  Good- 
v/in.  Esq.;  enlisted  Feb.  10.  1865,  as  private;  on 
oiganization  of  the  One  Hundred  and  Forty- 
seventh  Illinois  Infantry,  was  elected  Captain 
of  Company  G;  served  as  Provost-Marshal  at 
Resaca,  Americus  and  Savannah,  Ga.  Admitted 
to  the  bar  Sept.  24,  1867,  and  commenced  prac- 
tice that  fall  at  Rochelle,  111.,  but  owing  to  im- 
paired health  shortly  after  abandoned  it.  In 
February,  1868,  he  established  the  "Dixon 
Weekly  Herald;"  on  Dec.  2.  1869,  the  Herald 
and  Telegraph  were  united  under  his  editor- 
ship.     January    1.    1871.    he    retired   from    the 


tice,  excepting  from  the  spring  of  1892  to  the 
fall  of  1894.  Elected  State's  Attorney  in  No- 
vember. 1876,  and  served  one  term.  In  January, 
1899.  was  appointed  Master  in  Chancery  of 
Lee  County  Circuit  Court,  which  position  he 
continues   to   hold. 

JOSEPH  UTLEY  (deceased),  Dixon,  111.,  was 
born  at  Western,  Oneida  County,  N.  Y.,  July 
27,  1815,  the  son  of  Henry  and  Sarah  (Morse) 
Utley.     After  completing  his  education  in  the 


ABALINO    C     BARDWELL. 

papei  an<l  m  Au-,ust  tollo  >  ing  resumed  prac- 
tice m  paitneiship  with  Hon  James  K.  Ed- 
sall.  since  whirh  date  he  has  ci  ntinued  in  prac- 


JOSEPH   UTLEY. 

neighborhood  schools,  he  entered  his  father's 
tannery,  learned  the  trade  and  succeeded  to 
the  business  in  1838,  which  he  followed  until 
1859,  when  he  removed  to  Dixon  and  opened 
a  saddlery  hardware  store,  continuing  until 
1867,  when  he  retired  from  active  business.  He 
was  deeply  interested  in  water  transportation, 
and  was  a  recognized  authority  on  this  sub- 
.iect;  was  appointed  Canal  Commissioner  of 
the  State  in  1869  and  served  eight  years,  most 
of  the  time  as  President  of  the  Board.  He 
was  one  of  the  prime  movers  in  the  improve- 
ment of  the  Illinois  and  Michigan  Canal,  and 
to  his  efforts  is  largely  due  the  Hennepin 
Canal,  now  being  constructed,  in  the  interest 
of  which  he  did  effective  work  before  com- 
mercial   bodies.    Committees   of   Congress   and 


HISTORY   OF   LEE    COUNTY 


711 


state  Legislatures.  The  whole  project  met 
with  fleroe  opposition  from  the  Sterling  people, 
and  it  was  years  after  his  death  that  sentiment 
changed,  a  dam  at  that  point  instead  of  Dixon 
having  been  pronounced  the  more  feasible.  Mr. 
Utiey  died  at  Dixon,  III.,  March  19.  1S89. 


THERON    CUMINS. 

THERON  CUMINS  (deceased),  manufac- 
turer. Grand  Detour  and  Dixon,  111.,  was  born 
in  the  town  of  Tunbridge,  Orange  County. 
Vt,  son  of  Joseph  and  Hannah  (Con- 
verse) Cumins,  who  were  natives  of  Vermont; 
was  educated  in  the  public  schools  and,  in 
1842,  came  to  Grand  Detour,  Ogle  County, 
111.,  where  he  became  clerk  in  a  general  store, 
remaining  there  three  years,  when  he  went 
to  Newark,  Ohio,  remaining  four  years.  Then, 
returning  to  Grand  Detour,  he  was  engaged  for 
two  years  in  the  mercantile  business  with 
his  brother  Solon,  when  going  a  second  time 
to  Ohio,  he  became  a  contractor  on  the  Ft. 
Wayne  &  Pittsburg  Railroad,  but  two  years 
later  (1863)  again  came  to  Grand  Detour  and 
there  entered  into  partnership  with  Leonard 
Andrus  for  the  manufacture  of  plows.  Owing 
to  ill-health  of  Mr.  Andrus  the  management 
of  the  concern  devolved  largely  upon  Mr. 
Cumins,  and  after  the  death  of  his  partner  he 


conducted  the  business  alone  until  1869,  when 
Col.  H.  T.  Noble  acquired  an  interest  in  the 
establishment,  followed  in  June,  1874,  by  the 
admission  of  O.  B.  Dodge  to  the  firm.  In  June, 
1879,  the  business  having  assumed  large  pro- 
portions, the  concern  was  incorporated  by 
Theron  Cumins,  Henry  T.  Noble,  O.  B.  Dodge 
and  Charles  H.  Noble,  under  the  name  of  the 
Grand  Detour  Plow  Company.  In  the  mean- 
time (1867)  the  plant  was  moved  to  Dixon,  111., 
where  it  new  occupies  five  acres  of  ground. 
Mr.  Cumins  served  as  President  of  the  Com- 
pany for  many  years,  was  also  a  director  of  the 
Dixon  National  Bank,  and  was  an  important 
factor  in  the  development  of  Dixon  as  an  in- 
dustrial center.  Politically  he  was  an  earnest 
Republican.     Mr.  Cumins  died  August  2,  1898. 

RICHARD  S.  FARRAND,  lawyer,  Dixon,  111., 
was  born  in  St.  Joseph,  Ind.,  Oct.  1,  1852;  left 
home  when  a  boy  of  eleven  years  and  after- 
wards was  dependent  upon  his  own  resources, 
earning  his  livelihood  by  his  own  efforts  and 
improving  all  a\ailal)lo  opportunities  to  acquire 


RICHARD    S.    FARRAND. 

an  education.  In  1877  he  came  to  Dixon,  and 
soon  after  began  the  study  of  law  with  A.  C. 
Bardwell.  w-as  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1879 
and  in  1882  was  elected  County  Judge  of  Lee 


712 


HISTORY   OF   LEE    COUNTY 


County,  serving  continuously  until  1902,  when 
he  was  chosen  Circuit  Judge  for  the  Fifteenth 
Judicial  Circuit  to  succeed  the  late  Judge  Crab- 
tree.  Judge  Farrand  has  also  served  one  term 
as  Mayor  of  the  city  of  Dixon.  January  30, 
1873,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Catherine  Jane 
Marsh,  daughter  of  Harry  and  Catherine 
(Smith)  Marsh.  Judge  Farrand  is  a  Republi- 
can in  politics  and  is  fraternally  associated 
with  Brooklyn  Lodge,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.;  Na- 
chusa  Chapter,  No.  56:  R.  A.  M.  Lodge,  No. 
137;  the  A.  O.  U.  W.  and  Camp  No.  56.  M. 
W.  A. 

J.  B.  MERRIMAX,  M.  D..  (deceased),  a 
prominent  early  settler  of  Lee  County,  111., 
was  born  in  Hartford  County,  Conn.,  May  2. 
1814.  of  English  extraction.  Nathaniel  Mer- 
riman.  born  in  England  in  1614,  was  the 
founder  nf  the  family  in   America  and   settled 


J.    B.   MERRIMAN,    M.    D. 

in  New  Haven,  Conn.,  in  1639.  Anson  Merri- 
man,  father  of  Dr.  J.  B.  Merriman,  was  born 
in  Hartford  County.  Conn.,  and  died  at  the  age 
of  thirty-two  years.  J.  B.  Merriman  was  the 
second  child  in  his  father's  family  and  ob- 
tained a  good  education  in  his  youth,  deciding 
at  that  time  to  become  a  physician.  Gradu- 
ating  from    the    medical    department    of    Yale 


College  in  1837,  he  began  practicing  in  Berk- 
shire County,  Mass.,  where  he  rose  rapidly  in 
his  profession,  but  after  ten  years  of  steady 
service  his  health  failed  and  he  removed  to 
Long  Island.  N.  Y.  His  large  and  increasing 
practice  at  the  latter  place  wore  so  rapidly  on 
his  physical  powers  that,  six  years  later,  he  de- 
termined to  abandon  the  medical  profession 
and  seek  a  new  home  on  the  western  prairies 
with  the  hope  of  restoring  his  impaired  health. 
Coming  to  Lee  County  in  1855,  he  located  on 
a  quarter  section  of  unimproved  land  in  South 
Dixon  Township,  to  which  he  made  subsequent 
additions  until  he  owned  between  700  and  800 
acres  of  valuable  land  in  that  locality.  He 
also  purchased  large  tracts  of  land  in  Iowa, 
which  he  later  disposed  of.  The  doctor  first 
married  in  Berkshire  County,  Mass..  Miss 
Eliza  Curtis,  who  bore  him  one  child,  Grace 
(Mrs.  E.  W.  Curtis,  of  Chicago),  who  died 
March  3,  1893.  His  second  wife  was  Elizabeth 
Smith,  a  native  of  Long  Island,  N.  Y,  who 
died  at  the  age  of  twenty-one  years,  leaving 
one  son,  Walter  B.  His  third  marriage  was 
with  Angeline  Judd,  who  died  Sept.  2,  1891, 
aged  seventy-four  years.  When  Doctor  Merri- 
man came  to  Lee  County  he  intended  to  aban- 
don the  medical  profession,  but  his  reputation 
as  a  skillful  physician  had  preceded  him,  and 
thus  many  demands  were  made  ..upon  him  for 
his  services.  In  1884  he  left  his  home  in  South 
Dixon  to  reside  with  his  son  Walter  B.,  whose 
home  is  now  in  the  suburbs  of  Dixon  City, 
where  he  died  in  1898.  The  Doctor  was  a  well- 
informed  man,  possessing  excellent  business 
qualifications,  and  made  many  friends  during 
his  long  and  influential  career  in  Lee  County. 
In  political  sentiment  he  was  a  Republican  and 
served  his  township  as  a  member  of  the  Board 
of  Supervisors  and  two  terms  as  Justice  of  the 
Peace. 

WALTER  B.  MERRIMAN.  County  Treasurer 
of  Lee  County,  Dixon.  111.,  was  born  on  his 
father's  farm  in  South  Dixon  Township,  Lee 
County,  Nov.  5.  1859,  son  of  Dr.  Joel  B.  and 
Elizabeth  (Smith)  Merriman.  Dr.  Joel  B. 
Merriman,  whose  biography  may  be  found  else- 
where in  this  volume,  came  to  Lee  County  in 
1855,  where  he  practiced  medicine  and  con- 
ducted a  farm  for  many  years.  Walter  B. 
Merriman  remained  on  his  father's  farm  until 
twenty- four  years  of  age,  and  in  the  meantime 


=HISTORY   OF   LEE    COUNTY 


received  his  educational  training  in  ttie  district 
sciiools  of  Soutli  Dixon  Townsliip,  the  public 
school  at  Dixcn,  and  the  Dixon  College.  He 
married  for  his  first  wife  Mattie  Lee.  who  died 


WALTER    B.    MERRIMAN. 

Feb.  27,  1893,  leaving  four  children— Verna  E., 
Guy  H.,  Grace  E.,  and  Walter  Earl.  In  1S9(; 
he  married  his  second  wife,  Ida  PJachin,  and 
of  this  union  there  were  three  sons — Glenwood 
B.,  George  C.  and  Clifford  F.  Mr.  Merriman 
retired  from  active  farm  life  in  1896,  but  is 
still  an  extensive  land  owner,  his  farms  ag- 
gregating 970  acres,  and  during  his  connec- 
tion with  the  agricultural  interests  of  the 
county,  v.'as  well  known  as  a  breeder  of  thor- 
oughbred Norman  horses.  In  political  views 
he  is  a  Republican,  and  is  serving  as  County 
Treasurer,  having  been  elected  to  that  office 
in  1902. 

ELMER  COTTON,  farmer,  Hamilton  Town- 
ship, Lee  County,  111.,  was  born  in  Vermilion 
County,  111.,  April  13,  1862,  son  of  Henry  and 
Elizabeth  G.  Cotton.  During  the  year  1S81 
Mr.  Cotton  worked  in  the  coal  mines  and  then 
removed  to  McLean  County,  III.,  where  he  con- 
ducted a  rented  farm  for  seven  years,  and  after- 
wards purchased  240  acres  upon  which  he  lived 
until  1901.    Coming  to  Lee  County  in  the  latter 


year,  he  bought  his  present  240-acre  farm.  Mr. 
Cotton  was  married  March  4,  1886,  to  Mary  E., 
daughter  of  William  and  Electa  Wright,  of  Mc- 
Lean County.  111.,  and  of  this  union  two  chil- 
dren— William  H.  (deceased)  and  Charles  E. — 
have  been  born.  In  politics  Mr.  Cotton  is  a 
Republican. 

JOHN  L.  LORD  (deceased).  Palmyra,  Lee 
County,  111.:  born  in  Hopkinton,  N,  H.,  June 
10,  1829,  son  of  John  and  Achsah  (Gary)  Lord; 
in  1838  came  to  Lee  County  with  his  parents, 
who  first  settled  in  Dixcn,  but  in  1841  located 
on  a  farm  in  Palmyra  Township,  whence  John 
L.  was  accustomed  to  walk  to  Dixon  to  attend 
school:  besides  working  on  the  farm  learned 
the  trade  of  blacksmith  with  his  father,  who 
had  established  a  wagon-factory:  in  1850  pur- 
chased his  father's  interest  in  the  wagon-fac- 
tcry,  which  some  years  before  his  death,  he 
transferred  to  his  son,  Paul  G.  Mr.  Lord's 
mother  died  about  a  year  after  the  family  re- 
moved to  Dixon,  and  his  father  in  IS73.     June 


JOHN    L,    LORD. 

17,  1851,  he  was  united  in  marriage  with  Mary 
L.  Warner,  daughter  of  Moses  M.  and  Orrel 
(Smith)  Warner,  v/ho  came  to  Lee  County  in 
1838,    and    they   had    six    children:    August    W. 


714 


HISTORY    OF   LEE    COU\'|■^■ 


and  Paul  G.  Lord,  of  Dixon,  111.:  Dr.  John  P. 
Lord,  of  Omaha,  Neb,:  Mary  E..  Fred  and 
Grace,  who  reside  with  their  widowed  mother 
on  the  farm.  Mr,  Lord  died  March  15,  1901, 
as  the  result  of  a  stroke  of  apoplexy  four  dayo 
previous.  An  ardent  Republican  and  a  man  of 
pronounced  views  and  thorough  conviction,  he 
was  of  too  modest  and  retiring  a  disposition  to 
be  a  prominent  factor  in  political  affairs,  but 
served  his  township  as  a  member  of  the  Board 
of  Supervisors,  and  was  active  in  connection 
with  agricultural  and  horticultural  institutes  in 
his  section  of  the  State;  was  one  cf  the  found- 
ers and  President  of  the  Palmyra  Mutual  Fire 
Insurance  Company,  and  for  several  years 
President  of  the  Lee  County  Old  Settlers'  As- 
sociation. Mr.  Lord  was  a  member  and  liberal 
supporter   of    the    Universalist    church. 

HON.  JAMES  B.  CHARTERS  v.'as  born  in 
Belfast,  Ireland,  July  11,  1831,  sen  of  Alexan- 
der Charters,  who  long  made  his  residence  at 
Hazlewood,  Dixon.  Judge  Charters  graduated 
from    Trinity     College,     Dublin,    in    1S52,    and 


sion,  which  he  followed  continuously  until  his 
death,  Feb.  4,  19n2.  He  was  elected  County 
Judge  in  1877,  and  prior  to  holding  this  ofiBcial 
position,  had  served  as  Mayor  of  Dixon  one 
term.  In  1858  he  married  Miss  Fanny  J.  Chart- 
ers, daughter  of  Mr.  Samuel  M.  Charters, 
who  died  in  1883,  and  on  July  9,  1885,  he  mar- 
ried Miss  Blanche  Soule,  of  Dixon,  daughter  of 
Br.  James  Kent  Soule.  He  was  a  Director  of 
the  Public  Library  from  its  founding,  and  a 
\n  ued  member  of  St.  Luke's  Episcopal  church, 
in  which  he  served  as  vestryman  for  thirty 
years.  Ever  identified  with  the  best  interests 
of  Dixon,  his  many  friends  pay  tribute  to  his 
qualities  of  mind  and  heart,  and  his  gracious 
personality  endeared  him  tc 


JAMES    B.    CHARTERS. 

studied  in  The  Inner  Temple,  London,  England, 
and  immediately  thereafter  came  to  Dixon,  111., 
where,  in  1856,  he  began  practicing  his  profes- 


LEONARD  ANDRUS,  Vice  President  City 
National  Bank,  Dixon,  111.,  was  born  at  Grand 
Detour,  Ogle  County,  111..  Nov,  10,  1853,  son 
of  Leonard  and  Sarah  Ann  (Bos^.'crth)  Andrus. 
Leonard  Andrus,  Sr.,  located  at  Grand  Detour 
in  1834  and  gave  that  village  its  name,  but 
shortly  afterwards  went  to  Michigan,  return- 
ing to  the  former  locality  about  May  1,  1835, 
where  he  made  a  permanent  settlement.  In 
1837,  in  company  with  John  Deere,  he  made 
the  first  steel  plow  manufactured  in  America, 


HISTORY  OF  LEE   COUNTY 


and  from  this  humble  beginning  developed  an 
extensive  business.  He  died  in  1867.  Leonard 
Andrus.  Jr.,  came  to  Dixon  in  1882  and  has 
since  been  prominently  identified  with  the  in- 
terests of  that  city.  On  October  4.  1882,  he 
married  Elizabeth  M.  Alexander,  daughter  of 
Philip  M.  and  Eliza  (Howell)  Alexander,  and 
they  have  one  son,  Leonard  A.,  a  student  of 
Harvard  University.  In  politics  Mr.  Andrus 
affiliates  with  the  Republican  party. 


PHILIP    m.    ALEXANDER. 

PHILIP  M.  ALEXANDER  (decease!)  was 
born  at  Pompey  Hill,  X.  Y.,  Oct.  1.  1S19.  the 
son  of  Solomon  Alexander.  In  1S37  he  came 
to  Dixon.  111.,  and  v.'as  variously  employed  un- 
til 1854,  when  he  and  George  L.  Howell,  estab- 
lished a  hardware  business  on  Galena  Avenue, 
which  was  conducted  until  the  time  of  Mr. 
Alexander's  death  at  Wauwatosa,  Wis.,  May 
17,  1898.  July  20,  1848,  he  married  Eliza 
Howell,  daughter  of  Nicholas  and  Betsy  (Wil- 
son) Howell.  Mrs.  Alexander  died  May  5,  1873. 
To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Alexander  two  children  were 
born:  Ida  Louise,  born  March  12,  1857,  mar- 
ried June  1,  1882,  George  A.  Morris,  and  died 
Jan.  12.  1901;  Elizabeth  Maude,  born  August  7. 
1860,  and  married  Leonard  Andrus,  Oct.  4.  1882. 


Mr.  Alexander  was  a   stanch   Democrat  in  po- 
litical sentiment. 

HON.  JOSEPH  CRAWFORD  (deceased)  was 
born  in  Columbia  County,  Penn.,  May  19,  1811; 
located  in  Lee  County  in  1835;  appointed  Dep- 
uty Surveyor  for  Northwestern  Illinois  in  1836; 
elected  County  Surveyor  of  Lee  County  in 
1840,  serving  eighteen  years;  served  as  a  mem- 
ber of  the  First  Board  of  Supervisors  of  Lee 
County  in  1841;  elected  to  represent  Lee  and 
Whiteside  Counties  in  the  State  Legislature  in 
1849;  re-elected  to  the  same  office  in  1853.  He 
was  one  cf  the  charter  members  of  the  Lee 
County  National  Bank  (now  the  City  National 
Bank  of  Dixon),  which  was  organized  in  1865, 
and  served  as  its  President  until  his  death; 
elected  Mayor  of  Dixon  in  1873  and  re-elected 
the  two  following  terms.  He  died  August  11, 
1891. 

GEORGE  L.  HOWELL  (deceased)  was  born 
near  Syracuse,  N.  Y..  August  2-t,  1820,  son  of 
Xichol    and    Betsy    (Wilson)    Howell,    natives 


GEORGE    L.    HOWELL. 

of    Ne 

w    York.      Geori:e    L.    Howe 

Dixon 

111.,  in  1854.  and  the  same  ^ 

a    par 

nership    with    P.    M.    Alexan 

'II  came  to 
year  formed 
ider    in    the 


7i6 


HISTORY   OF   LEE    COUNTY. 


hardware  business,  whicli  was  cmitinueil  for 
nearly  forty  years,  or  until  the  time  of  his 
death,  March  23,  1893.  On  July  17.  1845,  he 
married  Julia  Thomas  who  bore  him  three 
children — Clarence  N.  (deceased),  Frank  S. 
and  Emma  (deceased).  Mrs.  Howell  died,  and 
on  Dec.  22,  1859.  Mr.  Howell  married  his  sec- 
ond wife.  Emma  P.  Little,  who  was  born  in 
Castine.  Maine,  and  of  this  union  there  were 
four  children — Edward  N.,  Agnes  P.  (Mrs.  Wil- 
liam E.  Ajipleford).  Louise  A.  (deceased)  and 
George  L.  Mr.  Howell  was  a  Republican  in 
political  views,  and  in  religious  belief  a  Pres- 
byterian. 


REV.   EDWARD   C.    SICKELS,   D.    D 
emeritus   of  the     First     Presbyterian 


.   paste 
churcl 


EDWARD   C.   SICKELS,    D.    D. 

Dixon.  111.,  was  born  in  Indianapolis.  Ind..  April 
24,  1835,  the  son  of  Rev.  William  and  Alma  C. 
(Coe)  Sickles,  both  of  New  York  State  birth 
and  ancestry.  Dr.  Sickels  received  his  pre- 
paratory education  in  his  native  city,  graduat- 
ing from  Hanover  College.  Ind.,  and  later 
(1858)  in  theology  at  Princeton,  N.  J.,  having 
spent  the  years  185C  and  '57  studying  in  Ber- 
lin, Germany.  While  in  Berlin  he  was  soci- 
ally intimate  with  Timothy  Dwight,  former 
President  of  Yale  College;  the  late  Gov.  Ogles- 


by,  the  late  Neal  Dow.  and  many  other  promi- 
nent Americans  who  visited  the  Geirman  capi- 
tal. The  year  of  his  graduation  from  Prince- 
ton, he  began  preaching  at  Kirkv/cod,  Mo.,  but 
in  the  summer  of  1862,  came  to  Dixon,  111., 
shortly  after  becoming  pastor  of  the  First 
Presbyterian  church  there — a  position  which 
he  continued  to  occupy  until  the  spring  of  1895 
when,  after  thirty-three  years  of  continuous 
service,  he  retired  with  the  position  of  pastor 
emeritus.  During  his  pastorate  at  Dixon,  Dr. 
Sickels  served  twenty-flve  years  as  Stated 
Clerk  of  his  Presbytery  and  was  twice  chosen 
Moderator  of  the  Synod  of  Illinois.  He  re- 
ceived the  degree  of  D.D.  from  Lake  Forest 
University  in  1889.  February  19,  1863,  Dr. 
Sickels  was  united  in  marriage  to  Caroline 
P.  Dunham,  a  native  of  Ohio  but  reared  in  St. 
Louis.  Mo.,  the  daughter  of  James  S.  and  Jane 
(Cutler)  Dimham.  of  New  York.  Dr.  and  Mrs. 
Sickels  have  had  seven  children  born  to  them, 
viz.:  Alma  (deceased),  Edward  E.,  Gracia  Gay 
(wife  of  Alfred  G.  Welch),  James  D.,  William 
C,  Amy  C.  and  Lewis  N.  In  his  retirement 
Dr.  Sickels  enjoys  the  ardent  friendship  of 
a  large  circle  of  former  parishioners  and  ac- 
quaintances. 

EDWARD  A.  SICKELS.  physician  and  sur- 
geon. Dixon.  111.,  was  born  at  North  Dixon.  111,. 
Oct.  3.  1866.  son  of  Rev.  E.  C.  and  Caroline  P. 
(Dunham)  Sickels.  Rev.  E.  C.  Sickels  was 
pastor  of  the  First  Presbyterian  church  at  Dix- 
on for  thirty-five  consecutive  years.  Edward 
A.  Sickels  attended  the  North  Dixon  public 
schools  and  graduated  from  the  high  school 
when  seventeen  years  of  age.  He  afterwards 
attended  the  Dixon  Normal  School  for  five 
years,  graduating  from  the  commercial  and 
scientific  departments,  and.  during  his  attend- 
ance, paid  his  own  expenses  by  manual  labor 
in  the  brick  and  tile  factory  at  Morrison,  111., 
where,  for  a  time,  he  had  charge  cf  a  large 
force  of  men.  In  1887  he  entered  the  railway 
mail  service,  running  ten  years,  and  as  his 
duties  would  permit  during  the  last  five  years 
of  his  service,  attended  the  Hahnemann  Medi- 
cal College,  graduating  with  honors  from  that 
institution  in  1897.  Resigning  his  position  in 
the  mail  service  in  the  latter  year,  he  entered 
the  Hahnemann  Hospital.  Chicago,  where  he 
remained  one  year,  and  then  came  to  Dixon. 
111.,  v.'here  he  has  since  practiced  his  profession 


HISTORY   OF   LEE    COUXTY 


with  successful  results.  In  1S99  the  Doctor 
lectured  weekly  on  the  subject  of  anatomy  in 
the  Hahnemann  College,  and  also  had  charge 
of  the  surgical  clinic  in  that  institution.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  Rock  River  Institute  of 
Homeopathy,  Clinical  Society  of  Chicago,  Na- 
tional Institute  of  Homeopathy,  is  on  the  hos- 
pital staff  at  Dixon,  formerly  held  a  position 
on  the  surgicaal  staff  of  the  Hahnemann  Hospi- 
tal, and  is  Examining  Physician  for  the  Bank- 
er's Life  Insurance  Company,  Des  Moines, 
Iowa.  Socially  he  is  a  member  of  the  Knights 
of  Maccabees,  Knights  of  the  Globe  and  Royal 
Circle.  September  25,  1901,  the  Doctor  was 
married  to  Jeanne  Wood,  daughter  of  the  Rev. 
Wood,  who  is  now  connected  with  the  mission 
work  of  the  Dutch-Reformed  church.  In  re- 
ligious belief  he  is  a  Presbyterian,  and  in  poli- 
tical views  a  Republican. 

HON.  ABIJAH  POWERS  (deceased)  was 
born  in  Greenwich,  Hampshire  County,  Mass., 
Dec.  16,  1814,  son  of  Joseph  and  Sally  (Powers) 
Powers,  and  a  grandson  of  Col.  Thomas 
Powers.  In  the  spring  of  1838  Joseph  Powers 
and  his  son  Abijah  came  west,  and  after  reach- 
ing Rock  Island,  proceeded  by  boat  to  Dixon 
(then  Dixon's  Ferry)  and  entered  land  in  Sec- 
tion 31,  Palmyra  Township,  where  the  former 
died  April  28,  1853;  his  wife  surviving  him  sev- 
eral years,  and  dying  at  the  age  of  seventy- 
six,  Abijah  Powers  began  life  in  the  West 
without  capital,  working  at  first  by  the  month 
as  a  farm-hand.  He  entered  land  in  Lee  County 
in  1838,  which  he  later  purchased  of  the  Gov- 
ernment with  money  saved  while  employed  at 
farm  labor.  By  industrious  habits  and  careful 
management,  Mr.  Powers  developed  his  land 
into  a  modern  farm,  and  at  the  time  of 
his  death — July  24,  1891 — owned,  in  addition 
to  his  home  farm  of  300  acres,  several  other 
valuable  farms  in  Lee  and  Whiteside  Counties. 
In  September,  1839,  he  married  Miss  Amanda 
M.  Sprout,  born  in  Greenwiah,  Mass..  daugh- 
ter of  Ezra  and  Dency  (Newland)  Sprout,  also 
natives  of  the  Bay  State.  Six  children  were 
born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Powers,  viz.:  Alfred  A., 
who  died  at  the  age  of  six  years;  Helen,  who 
became  the  wife  of  Anson  Thummel  of  Pla- 
myra  Township  and  died  in  1889;  Elvira,  wife 
of  Capt.  Charles  Eckles.  a  soldier  in  the  Fed- 
eral army  during  the  late  Rebellion  and  now  a 
prominent    farmer    near    Marshalltown,    Iowa; 


Mary,  who  married  J.  C.  Nickerson,  a  com- 
mission merchant  in  Chicago;  Warren  F.,  who 
married  Mary  Miller  and  is  now  a  prominent 
farmer  in  Whiteside  County,  111.;  Austin,  who 
married  Adella  Tallman  and  now  owns  and 
conducts  the  home  farm  in  Palmyra  Township. 
Mrs.  Powers  resides  on  the  old  homestead  with 
her  son  Austin.  Abijah  Powers  was  a  Repub- 
lican in  political  views,  and,  held  a  number  of 
local  offices  including  that  of  Township  Super- 
visor in  which  he  served  five  years.     In   1S76 


ABIJAH     POWERS, 

he  was  elected  Representative  from  his  dis- 
trict to  the  Thirtieth  General  Assembly  of  Illi- 
nois. Mr.  Pov.-ers  was  a  member  of  the  Con- 
gregational church  at  Pralrieville,  in  which 
he  served  as  deacon  fcr  many  years. 

CLYDE  L.  WICHER,  Superintendent  of  the 
Lee  County  Almshouse,  South  Dixon  Township, 
was  born  in  Anamosa,  Jones  County,  Iowa, 
Nov.  15,  1S72,  son  of  Henry  and  Georgiana 
(Stott)  Wicher,  the  former  a  native  of  Cowes, 
Isle  of  Wight,  England,  and  the  latter,  of 
Susquehanna,  N.  Y.  Henry  Wicher  came  west 
in  1867,  and  settled  in  Iowa.  In  spring  of  1895, 
Clyde  L.  came  to  Dixon,  and  was  employed  in 
the  mercantile  establishment  of  I.  B.  Country- 


7iS 


HISTORY   OF   LEE   COUXTY. 


man  until  Nov.  7,  1900.  when  he  was  appointed 
Superintendent  of  the  County  Farm,  and  has 
since  filled  that  position  to  the  satisfaction 
of  all  concerned.     January  1.  1S9S.  he  married 


CLYDE    L.    WICHER. 

Jesse  B.  Burright,  and  they  have  one  daughter, 
Enid,  born  Sept.  30,  1900.  Mr.  AVicher  is  a 
member  of  the  Knights  of  the  Globe,  and 
Dixon  Lodge.  No.  779.  B.  P.  O.  E.  In  religious 
belief  Mr.  Wicker  is  an  Episcopalian,  while 
Mrs.  Wicher  is  identified  with  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church. 

AUSTIN  POWERS.  Section  31.  Palmyra 
Township.  Lee  County,  111.,  was  born  in  the 
township  where  he  now  resides.  Oct.  18,  1S57, 
son  of  Abijah  and  Amanda  M.  (Sprout) 
Powers,  being  the  youngest  in  a  family  of  six 
children.  His  father  and  paternal  grandfather 
(Joseph  Powers)  settled  in  Palmyra  Township 
in  1S38.  Abijah  Powers  was  a  man  of  practi- 
cal ideas  and  was  elected  to  represent  his 
township  as  Supervisor  for  five  years,  and  in 
1876  was  elected  to  the  General  Assembly  of 
Illinois.  He  was  prominent  as  a  breeder  of 
thoroughbred  short-horned  cattle  and  through 
his  industrious  habits  accumulated  a  large 
estate.  He  died  July  24.  1891.  Austin  Powers 
grew  to  maturity  on  his  father's  farm,  and  ob- 


taine-d  his  elementary  education  in  the  public 
schools  at  Prairieville,  111.,  later  becoming  a 
student  in  Cornell  College,  Mt.  Vernon,  Iowa. 
On  January  6,  1881,  he  married  Adella  Tall- 
man,  daughter  of  Jesse  H.  Tallman  and  wife, 
early  settlers  of  Clinton  County,  Iowa.  To  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Powers  four  children  have  been 
born,  viz.:  Grace  (died  in  infancy),  Leroy,  Lu- 
ella.  and  Edna.  Mr.  Powers  became  owner  of 
his  father's  estate  at  the  time  of  the  latter's 
death  in  1891.  This  farm  is  kept  in  a  high 
state  of  cultivation,  shade  and  fruit  trees  are 
planted  as  occasion  requires,  barns  and  other 
buildings  are  arranged  so  as  to  shelter  stock 
and  grain  to  the  best  advantage,  and  the  gen- 
eral appearances  of  his  well-kept  premises  give 
evidence  of  the  owner's  constant  and  careful 
supervision.  Mr.  Powers  has  a  constant  and 
increasing  demand  for  select  seed-corn,  as  he 
makes  a  specialty  of  cultivating  that  cereal, 
and  by  scientific  tests  retains  only  the  choicest 
grain  for  planting.     In  politics  Mr.  Powers  is 


-AUSTIN     POWERS. 

a  Republican  and  was  Assessor  of  his  town- 
ship two  years,  at  the  present  time  is  Trustee 
o£  the  School  Board,  and  is  also  crop  reporter 
in  Lee  County  for  the  Illinois  State  Board 
of  Agriculture.      He   and   his  family   are  mem- 


HISTORY   OF   LEE    COUNTY 


bers  of  the  Fourth  Street  Methodist  church. 
Sterling,  111.,  and  he  is  Superintendent  of  the 
Sunday  School  in  the  PrairieviUe  Union 
church. 


V-'.    I.   GUFFIN. 

HON.  W.  I.  GUFFIX.  grain  and  coal  dealer. 
Paw  Paw,  111.,  was  born  at  Carlisle,  Schoharie 
County,  N.  Y..  Jan.  17,  1840.  He  came  to  Lee 
County  in  the  fall  of  18G8,  locating  at  Mslugin's 
Grove,  where  he  conducted  a  dairy  farm  until 
1872.  Locating  at  Compton.  111.,  in  the  latter 
year,  he  engaged  in  the  grain  and  stock  busi- 
ness at  that  village  until  1889,  when  he  re- 
moved to  Paw  Paw,  where  he  has  since  con- 
ducted his  present  enterprise.  In  1869  he 
married  Laura  W.  Fisk,  who  died  in  1870,  leav- 
ing one  son,  Edward  F,  In  December,  1879, 
Mr.  Guffin  married  Mary  E.  Bradshav.'  of  Comp- 
ton, and  they  have  two  children — Homer  and 
Grace.  In  political  sentiment  Mr.  Guffin  is  a 
Republican  and  served  eight  consecutive  years 
(1892-1900)  in  the  Lower  House  of  the  Illinois 
(jeneral  Assembly.  Fraternally  he  is  a  mem- 
ber of  Corinthian  Lodge.  No.  205.  A.  F.  &  A.  M. 

BENJAMIN  F.  FRANTZ.  Paw  Paw,  III.,  son 
of  Joseph  and  Charlotte  (Pike)  Frantz.  was 
born  at  "The  Cove,"  Alleghany  County,  Md.. 
Oct.   29.   1848.     In  1859  his  family  removed  to 


Somerset  County.  Penn..  and  in  1866.  to  Prince- 
ton, 111.,  where  Mr.  Frantz  was  engaged  with 
his  brother,  A.  J.  Frantz,  in  agricultural  pur- 
suits for  a  number  of  years,  when  moving  to 
Pav/  Paw  in  1873,  he  later  entered  the  "Teach- 
ers' Institute  and  Classical  Seminary,"  where 
he  finally  graduated  with  his  class-mates, 
Frank  Stevens,  Sadie  Van  Patten  and  Anna 
Flewellen,  June  10,  1881.  During  his  connec- 
tion with  the  Seminary  he  taught  several  terms 
in  district  schools  in  De  Kalb  and  Lee  Coun- 
ties, and  in  the  spring  of  1882  was  chosen 
Principal  of  the  Paw  Paw  public  school.  On 
August  23,  1882.  he  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Mary  J.  Taylor,  daughter  of  Thomas  G.  and 
Lucy  (Moysey)  Taylor,  and  with  his  wife  con- 
tinued teaching  together  in  the  Paw  Paw 
school  for  one  year.  Mr.  Frantz'  then  engaged 
with  his  father  in  the  sale  of  buggies,  harness 
and  agricultural  implements,  which  they  car- 
ried on  successfully  until  1890.  when  his  father 
having  retired  on  account  of  advancing  years. 


BENJAMIN     F.     FR.ANTZ. 

the  son  assumed  the  entire  responsibility  of 
the  business,  conducting  it  alone  for  two  years. 
He  then  turned  his  attention  to  the  real  estate 
and  general  mercantile  business,  in  which  he 
has  been  engaged  to  the  present  time.     In  the 


HISTORY    OF   LEE    COUNTY. 


spring  of  1S'J3,  W.  B.  McMahoii  surveyed  and 
platted  for  Mr.  Frantz  what  is  known  as  "The 
Frantz  Grove  Cemetery,'"  located  about  a  half- 
mile  south  of  Paw  Paw,  and  containing  about 
nine  acres  of  ground,  which  has  been  improved 
and  beautified  until  it  is  now  one  of  the  most 
beautiful  and  attractive  "cities  of  the  dead" 
in  this  part  of  the  country.  The  cemetery 
grounds  include  a  handscme  grove,  where 
Decoration  Day  exercises  in  honor  of  the  sol- 
diers of  the  Civil  War  are  held  annually.  Dur- 
ing the  same  year  (1S93)  Mr.  McMahon  also  sur- 
veyed and  platted  fcr  Mr.  Frantz  the  "Frantz 
Addition  to  Paw  Paw."  Mr.  Frantz  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Board  of  Directors  of  the  State  Bank 
of  Paw  Paw.  holds  the  office  of  Deacon  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  church,  and  fraternally  is 
a  member  of  the  Knights  of  the  Globe  and  In- 
dependent Order  of  Odd  Fellows.  His  family 
consists  of  his  wife  and  one  daughter — Eula 
Mae. 


JAIVES    A.    WATSON. 

MAJOR  JAMES  A.  WATSON  (deceased)  was 
born  in  1812.  and  came  to  Dixon  in  1850;  con- 
tracted to  build,  and  in  1852  built  the  Illinois 
Central  Railway  running  through  Dixon:  raised 
a  company  of  volunteers  in  1802  for  the  Sev- 
enty-fifth Illinois,  and  after  the  battle  of  Per- 


ry vUle,  v,'as  promoted  to  the  rank  of  Major: 
served  during  the  war,  and  mustered  out  at 
Camp  Douglas  in  1865;  was  Superintendent  of 
the  Illinois  &  Michigan  Canal,  and,  for  several 
years,  subsequently,  engaged  in  farming  near 
Dixon,  following  this  occupation  up  to  the  time 
of  his  death  in  1893.  He  was  first  married  in 
1840,  and  in  1853  married  Mrs.  Richard  Love- 
land  for  his  second  wife.  There  were  three 
children  of  the  second  marriage;  Frederick 
A..  Sam  N.,  and  Eleanor  E..  two  of  whom  are 
living.  Mr.  Watson  was  an  enthusiastic  mem- 
ber of  the  G.  A.  R.  He  was  accidentally  killed 
at  the  Dixon  dam.  May  8.  1893. 

FREDERICK  A.  WATSON,  President  Wat- 
son-Plummer  Shoe  Company,  Chicago  and  Dix- 
on, was  born  Oct.  3,  1854.  From  1866  to  1868  he 
clerked  in  the  store  of  W.  G.  Stevens  &  Co., 
Dixon,,  and  from  1868  to  1870,  was  train-boy  on 
the  C.  &  N.  W.  Ry.  From  1872  to  1874  he 
clerked  in  a  store  in  St.  Joseph,  Mich.,  and  from 
the  latter  year  to  1901,  was  salesman,  stock- 
holder and  manufacturing  superintendent  for  C. 
M.  Henderson  &  Co.,  locating  their  factories  at 
Dixon,  111.,  in  1887.  He  organized  the  Watson- 
Plummer  Shoe  Company  in  1901.  and  succeeded 
to  the  business  of  C.  M.  Henderson  &  Co., 
in  1902.  In  politics  he  is  a  Republican:  is 
President  of  the  Dixon  Power  &  Lighting  Co., 
and  Dixon  Ice  Company. 

S.  F.  MILLS,  retired  Banker  of  Ashton,  Lee 
County,  111.,  and  New  York  State,  was  born  in 
the  town  of  Columbia,  Herkimer  County,  N.  Y., 
June  21,  1831,  son  of  Lorin  A.  and  Eva  (Petrie) 
Mills,  who  were  parents  of  a  family  of  six 
children — three  sons  and  three  daughters.  S. 
F.  Mills  graduated  from  a  high  school  in  his 
native  State,  later  took  a  seminary  course  and 
in  1857  came  to  Ashton,  Lee  County,  111.,  then 
a  small  hamlet,  where  he  engaged  in  buying 
grain  which  he  stored  in  a  small  warehouse 
capable  of  holding  about  three  car-loads.  He 
was  a  man  of  genial  temper,  hospitable  and 
won  many  life-long  friends,  no  deserving  per- 
son ever  appealing  to  him  for  aid  in  vain,  and 
took  a  foremost  place  in  charitable  work  and 
in  public  improvements  in  his  village.  In  his 
successful  business  career  he  was  closely  Iden- 
tified with  his  friend  and  partner,  N.  A.  Petrie. 
December  22.  1879,  Mr.  Mills  was  married  at 
Ashton    to    Miss    Louise   Getman,    daughter   of 


HISTORY   OF   LEE   COUNTY. 


Daniel  and  Mary  (Vrooman)  Getman  of  Pa- 
lermo, Oswego  County.  N.  Y.,  but  formerly  of 
Herkimer  County.  In  1890,  desiring  to  retire 
from  active  business,  Mr.  Mills  erected  an  up- 


S.  F.  MILLS. 

to-date  home  at  Parish.  Oswego  County,  N.  Y., 
and  there  resides  nine  months  each  year, 
spending  the  remaining  three  months  with  his 
friends  and  partner,  Mr.  Petrie.  at  Ashton. 
111.  In  action  and  appearance  he  would  be 
taken  for  a  man  in  the  prime  of  life.  He  is 
a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church, 
and  adopts  as  his  motto.  "Good  will  to  all. 
malice  to  none."  Mr.  Mills'  father  v.'as  a 
Colonel  of  the  New  York  State  militia  and  pa- 
ternally he  is  of  Scotch  extraction,  and  mater- 
nally  of  English   descent. 

NATHAN  A.  PETRIE.  Cashier  of  the  Ashton 
Bank,  Ashton,  111.,  was  born  in  Oswego,  N.  Y., 
Nov.  14,  184.3,  the  seventh  son  of  Rudolph  and 
Elizabeth  (Vrooman)  Petrie,  natives  of  New 
York.  His  early  ancestors  were  German.  The 
maternal  grandfather  v.-as  captain  of  a  fort  in 
New  York  in  early  colonial  days,  and  was  killed 
and  scalped  by  the  Indians,  as  were  also  his 
wife  and  son  John.  N.  A.  Petrie  was  raised 
on  a  farm,  received  his  educational  training  in 
a  country  school,  and   came  to  Ashton  in  the 


winter  of  1860,  v;here  he  worked  one  year  for 
his  cousin,  S.  F.  Mills,  for  $50.00  and  board, 
and  was  employed  a  second  year  at  a  salary 
of  $75.00.  In  the  meantime  he  studied  and  read 
good  books  in  the  evenings  after  a  hard  day's 
work,  and  in  this  manner  completed  his  edu- 
cation. He  now  owns  a  valuable  library.  In 
1862  Mr.  Petrie  entered  into  partnership  with 
S.  P.  Mills  in  the  grain  and  lumber  business, 
which  they  sold  in  186.5  and  erected  a  large 
two-story  frame  building  in  Ashton,  and  en- 
gaged in  the  general  mercantile  business 
under  the  firm  name  of  Mills  &  Petrie,  in  which 
they  established  an  extensive  trade,  employing 
seven  clerks.  Disposing  cf  their  mercantile 
business  in  1869  they  established  a  bank  at 
Ashton,  which  was  conducted  as  a  private  in- 
stitution until  Jan.  1,  1903,  when  it  was  re- 
organized into  a  State  Bank  with  a  capita!  of 
$25,000  and  a  surplus  of  $5,000,  the  officers  be- 
ing S.  F.  Mills,  President;  M.  D.  Hathav.-ay. 
Vice  President:  N.  A.  Petrie,  Cashier.  Mr. 
Petrie    is    a    Republican    and    has    represented 


NATHAN     A.    PETRIE. 

his  town  as  Supervisor  two  terms;  has  been 
a  Notary  Public  for  twenty-four  consecutive 
years;  was  school  treasurer  eighteen  years, 
and  has  administered  in  the  settlement  of 
about  sixty  estates  during  his  business  career 


722 


HISTORY   OF   LEE    COUNTY 


in  Ashton.  He  pays  a  high  tribute  to  the 
county  officers,  with  wliom  lie  has  been  closely 
associated  for  more  than  thirty  years,  ant!  is 
a  man  of  kind  and  generous  disposition  al- 
ways thinking  more  of  his  fellow  citizens  than 
of  himself.  On  December  22,  1S79.  he  nian-ied 
Sarah  E.  Howard,  daughter  of  William  and  Mary 
(Hollingsworth)  Howard,  natives  of  I.'iU'oln- 
shire.  England,  who  came  to  America  in  ISoT. 
Mrs.  Petrie  died  Feb.  11,  1899,  leaving  no  chil- 
dren. Mr.  Petrie  is  a  member  of  the  Method- 
ist Episcopal  church.  The  life-long  friendship 
of  Mr.  Petrie  and  Mr.  Mills  has  never  been 
interrupted  by  a  hasty  or  cress  word,  and  in 
this  respect  their  association  has  been  r.  spc- 
ond  example  of  Damon  and  Pythias. 


C.    K.    IMORTHRUP. 

C.  K.  NORTHRUP,  Postmaster,  Ashton,  111., 
was  bcrn  at  Tyringham.  Berivshire  County. 
Mass.,  March  30,  1845,  son  of  Gilbert  D.  and 
Eliza  B.  (Phillips)  Northrup.  Gilbert  D.  North- 
rup  died  in  1852,  but  his  wife  still  survives 
at  the  venerable  age  of  ninety-five  years.  C. 
K.  Northrup  obtained  his  education  in  the 
public  school  of  his  native  State  and  came  to 
Lee  County  in  1860.  In  1862  he  enlisted  in 
Company  G..  First  Wisconsin  Cavalry,  remain- 
ing until  the  close  of  the  war.  and  participated 


in  the  battle  of  Cap?  Girardeau.  Bloomfield, 
Chalks  Bluff,  Langee  Ferry,  Stone  River,  aud 
Chickamauga.  On  September  19,  1863,  during 
the  engagement  last  mentioned,  he  received 
a  sever  wound  in  the  right  forearm.  After 
the  close  of  the  war  he  entered  Wheaton  Col- 
lege, Wheaton,  111.,  remaining  in  that  institu- 
tion four  years,  and  for  several  years  after 
that  was  engaged  in  farming  in  Bradford  Town- 
ship, but  eventually  disposed  of  his  holdings 
and  engaged  in  the  mercantile  business  at  Ash- 
ton. Mr.  Northrup  was  appointed  Postmaster 
in  1897,  reappointed  in  1901,  and  is  still  an 
incumbent  of  that  office.  On  November  25, 
lSt;9,  he  married  Mary  M.  Wright,  daughter  of 
William  Wright,  an  early  settler  of  Lee  Cotmty, 
and  of  this  union  there  were  two  sons,  one  of 
whom — Gilbert  W. — is  living  and  is  a  student 
in  the  State  University,  Rolla,  Missouri.  Mr. 
Northrup  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  order, 
M.  W.  A.,  G.  A.  R.  and  Knights  of  the  Globe. 
He  and  his  wife  are  communicants  of  the  Pres- 
byterian church,  and  in  politics  he  is  a  Re- 
pi-.blican. 

.JOHN  L.  CLAPP,  merchant,  Compton,  111., 
was  bcrn  in  Brooklyn  Township.  Lee  County, 
111..  Feb.  5.  1873,  son  of  John  F.  and  Sarah 
(Smith)  Clapp,  natives  of  Massachusetts  and 
New  York,  respectively.  In  partnership  with 
J.  W.  Rhodes,  Mr.  Clapp  is  engaged  in  the 
general  merchandise  business  at  Compton,  111. 
On  October  21,  1897,  he  married  Nellie  Hold- 
ren.  daughter  of  Benjamin  F.  and  Zarah  (Cow- 
ing) Holdren.  In  politics  he  is  a  Republican, 
and  in  fraternal  affiliations  a  member  of  the 
Masonic  Order,  I.  O.  O.  F.  and  M.  W.  A.  Mr. 
Clapp  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
church,  and  is  superintendent  cf  the  Sunday 
school. 

HON  SAMUEL  DYSART,  ex-President  State 
Board  of  Agriculture;  born  in  Huntingdon 
County,  Penn.,  Sept.  4,  1834,  son  of  James  and 
Elizabeth  (Roller)  Dysart,  who  came  to  Illi- 
nois in  1855,  settling  near  Franklin  Grove.  Lee 
County,  where  they  both  died.  In  1855  Mr.  Dy- 
sart settled  on  Section  14,  China  Township, 
and  has  resided  there  ever  since.  On  February 
24,  1858,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Margaret  J. 
Henderson,  daughter  of  David  and  TJargaret 
(Conrad)  Henderson,  natives  of  Huntingdon 
County.  Penn..  and  of  this  union  nine  c'lildren 


HISTORY   OF   LEE   COUNTY. 


7  23 


have  been  born,  viz.:  Harry  W..  U.  (Ii'ant,  Hor- 
ace H.,  Jesse  R.,  Drucilla  D.  (Mrs,  Dr.  Banker 
of  Franklin  Grove),  Birdie  B.  (Mrs.  T.  B.  Pet- 
erson, of  Chicago),  Mary  Janet,  Virginia  L, 
(deceased)  and  Lola  W.  (deceased).  From 
1866  to  1S83  Mr.  Dysart  was  one  of  the  lead- 
ing breeders  of  short-horn  cattle  in  Illinois; 
in  1S7-1  he  was  elected  Vice  President  of  the 
State  Board  of  Agriculture  for  his  District, 
v.'as  chosen  President  cf  the  Board  serving  two 
years  and,  during  the  last  year  of  his  incumb- 


ency (1888),  visited  Europe  for  the  purpose 
of  investigating  the  breeding  of  French  draft 
horses.  During  1878,  by  appointment  of  Presi- 
dent Hayes,  he  served  as  one  of  the  Live-Stock 
Commissioners  to  the  Paris  Exposition  and, 
on  July  1,  1891,  was  appointed  by  Gov.  J.  W. 
Fifer,  Commissioner  of  the  World's  Columbian 
Exposition  for  the  Seventh  Congressional  Dis- 
trict of  Illinois. 

HENRY  CASPER  BROOKXER  (deceased), 
born  near  Osnabruck,  Hanover,  Germany,  June 
15,  1827,  son  of  George  and  Marie  (Engle) 
Brookner;   came  to  America  at  nineteen  years 


of  age,  arriving  with  four  dollars  in  his  pocket, 
and  having  learned  the  carpenter's  trade  with 
an  uncle,  by  persevering  industry  and  prudent 
management  acquired  a  handsome  competency. 
In  1847  he  came  to  Dixon,  111.,  which  continued 
to  be  his  home  for  the  remainder  of  his  life, 
although  absent  much  of  the  time  for  twenty 
years  on  official  duty  in  connection  with  the 
Illinois  Central  Railroad.  He  was  a  trained 
musician,  was  a  member  of  the  first  band  or- 
ganized in  Dixon,  and  sang  in  the  choir  of  the 
First  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  of  which 
he  y.-as  a  member.  His  first  home  was  just 
north  of  the  Nachusa  House.  Mr.  Brookner 
was  twice  married,  his  first  wife  leaving  one 
daughter,  Adella  May,  who  died  of  cholera  at 
the  age  of  sixteen  years.  April  4,  1S75,  he 
married  at  Litchfield.  111.  Emily  Reid  Keith- 
ley,  born  at  Greenville,  Ind.,  the  daughter  of 
Seth  McCoUum  Keithley,  who  was  a  native  of 
Elizabethtown,  Ky.,  born  Oct.  IS,  1812,  and 
died  at  Litchfield,  111.,  March  18,  1887.  Seth 
McCollum  Keithley's  father,  John  Keithley, 
was  a  native  of  Germany,  born  Jan.  1,  1788, 
died  Sept.  28,  1830,  and  his  mother,  Phebe 
(McCollum)  Keithley,  a  native  of  Scotland, 
born  in  1787,  died  April  11,  1868:  his  grand- 
father, John  Keithley,  born  Jan.  1,  1750,  died 
July  28,  1835,  and  his  grandmother,  whose 
maiden  name  was  Ballon,  was  a  native  of  Hol- 
land. The  last  named  John  Keithley  served  in 
the  commissary  departmeni  of  the  patriot  army 
during  the  Revolutionary  War.  Henry  Casper 
Brookner  and  v,-ife  had  three  children:  Mae 
Adella,  Paul  Henry  and  George  Keithley.  Mr. 
Brookner  died  Jan.  10,  1889.  Mrs.  Brookner's 
mother,  nee  Anna  Theresa  Miller,  was  born 
at  Elizabethtown,  Ky.,  Nov.  13,  1808,  and  died 
at  Litchfield,  111.,  Nov.  22,  1869.  Her  parents, 
David  and  Elizabeth  (Wise)  Miller,  were  na- 
tives respectively,  of  Germany  and  Holland, 
and  the  mixture  of  German  and  Scotch  blood 
in  Mrs.  Brookner's  veins  has  tended  to  the  de- 
velopment of  a  woman  of  strong  vitality  and 
much  mental  energy.  Besides  other  business, 
she  oversees  two  milk  farms,  has  been  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Phidian  Art  Club  for  thirteen  years, 
and  served  as  delegate  of  this  club  to  the  Bi- 
ennial Congress  of  Federated  Women's  Clubs 
held  at  Los  Angeles,  Cal.,  in  1902.  She  is  also 
a  charter  member  of  the  Woman's  Relief 
Corps,  is  serving  her  second  year  as  President 
of   the    Dixon   Woman's    Club,    and   is    Worthy 


724 


HISTORY   OF   LEE    COUNTY. 


Matron  of  the  Order  of  the  Eastern  Star — an 
organization  which  encircles  the  globe.  Mrs. 
Brookner  holds  a  commission  from  Governer 
Yates    as    inspector    of    insane    wards    of   Lee 


HENRY    CASPER     BROOKNER. 

County,  and  is  Pre-sideut  uf  the  rommittee. 
She  lives  in  quiet  retirement  v.'ith  her  children 
in  the  home  erected  by  her  deceased  husband 
nearly  fifty  years  ago.  at  -511  Peoria  Avenue. 
Dixon.    111. 

WILLIAM  W.  BETHEA  (deceased)  was  bcrn 
in  Marion  District.  S.  C.  May  15.  1812.  He 
removed  to  Lee  County  in  lS3o,  locating  in 
Palmyra  Township.  Upon  the  organization  of 
Lee  County  in  1839,  he  was  elected  Justice  cf 
the  Peace  and  served  continuously  until  1877: 
elected  County  Treasurer  in  1845  and  served 
two  terms.  In  1833  he  married  Irene  Fender, 
who  died  in  1838,  and  in  1S50  he  was'  united  in 
marriage  -'vith  his  second  wife.  Mrs.  Emily 
(Green)    Ferguson. 


years  of  age,  he  came  with  his  father  to  Cham- 
paign County,  111,,  and  for  four  years  assisted 
in  opening  up  a  new  prairie  farm;  at  the  age 
of  twenty  he  engaged  in  general  merchandis- 
ing at  Rantoul,  111.,  remaining  until  1867,  when 
he  located  in  Dixon,  111.,  where  he  conducted  a 
dry  goods  store  for  several  years,  and  was 
the  first  merchant  to  establish  the  one  price 
cash  system-  in  that  city.  In  1872  he  purchased 
an  interest  in  the  Grand  Detour  Plow  Works — 
established  at  Grand  Detour  in  1837  and  re- 
moved to  Dixon  in  1867.  He  held  the  office 
of  Secretary  and  Treasurer  of  the  company 
for  twenty-five  years,  and  is  now  serving  as 
President.  Mr.  Dodge  is  a  member  of  the 
Masonic  Order  in  which  he  has  been  Master, 
High  Priest  and  Commander.  He  is  a  member 
of  St.  Luke's  Episcopal  church,  was  for  thirty- 
five  years  a  member  of  the  vestry  and  is  now 
Senior  Warden.  He  has  been  President  of 
the   Business   Men's   Association,   and  was   for 


ORRIS    BISSELL    DODGE. 


ORRIS    BISSELL    DODGE,    Piesident   Grand       four  years  a  membt 


Council 


Mr 


Detour  Plow  Company,  Dixon,  111.,  was  born  at 
Twinsburg.  Ohio,  Dec.  8,  1838.  He  obtained  his 
education  in  the  T-'vinsburg  Seminary  and 
Shaw  Academy,  the  latter  institution  being  lo- 
cated at   East   Cleveland,  Ohio.     When  sixteen 


Dodge  assisted  in  establishing  the  Dixon  Pub- 
lic Library  in  1895,  and  has  been  President  of 
the  Board  of  Directors  since  that  time.  In  1900 
he  erected  and  donated  to  the  city  the  library 
building  now  in  use. 


HISTORY   OF   LEE   COUNTY 


'25 


GEORGE  ALEXANDER  LYMAN,  Pistmaster. 
Amboy.  Illinois:  born  in  Winchester,  N.  H., 
June  26th,  1S38;  educated  in  the  public  schools 
of  his  native  tov.'n,  and  at  Northfield  Institute 
(now.  Moody  School),  Northfield.  Mass.  In  1S5C 
he  removed  to  Bradford  Township.  Lee  County, 
111.,  with  his  father's  family,  who  settled  on 
the  farm  he  now  owns.  In  18S8  he  bought  the 
"Amboy  Journal,"  of  which  he  is  now  editor 
and  proprietor;  was  appointed  Postmaster  of 
Amboy,  March  1,  1898,  and  is  now  (January), 
1904)  serving  his  second  term.  He  has  been  a 
member  of  the  Congregational  Church  in  Lee 
Center  and  Amboy  since  ISfiO:  is  an  influential 
Republican,  serving  for  many  years  as  a  mem- 


GEORGE    ALEXANDER    LYMAN. 

ber  of  the  Republican  County  Commit  tee.  ant 
for  four  years  as  secretary  of  the  Committee 
Mr.  Lyman  has  been  actively  identified,  as  ar 
■editor  and  otherwise,  with  the  religious,  edu- 
cational and  political  progress  of  his  county 
and  this  has  been  recognized  by  his  election  to 
membership  in  "The  American  Institute 
Civics."  organized  in  1885  to  "inspire  and  per 
petuate  the  spirit  of  Intelligence,  and  unselfish 
and  incorruptible  patriotism:"  is  a  member  o 
the  Order  of  Runnymede  by  virtue  of  direc 
descent    from    Saier    de    Quincy.    one    of    the 


twenty-five  English  Barons  who  compelled 
King  John  to  sign  the  Magna  Charta  in  1215; 
is  also  a  member  of  the  Society  of  Colonial 
Wars,  of  the  sons  of  the  American  Revolution, 
the  Knights  of  the  Globe,  and  of  the  Masonic 
Fraternity. 

The  Lyman  family  trace  their  descent  in  an 
unbroken  line  from  Albert  the  Great,  first  King 
of  England,  and  through  his  line  of  ancestors 
back  to  Woden  or  Odin,  King  of  North  Europe 
in  the  third  century,  about  the  year  225  A.  D. 
Richard  Lyman,  the  first  of  the  name  in  Amer- 
ica, came  from  England  in  1631,  landed  at 
Boston,  became  a  settler  of  Charlestown. 
Mass..  and  was  one  of  the  founders  of  Hartford. 
Connecticut,  and  of  the  First  Congregational 
church  of  that  city,  and  his  tombstone  may  still 
be  seen  in  the  churchyard  there. 

Mr.  Lyman  was  the  first  man  in  Bradford 
Township  to  offer  his  services  to  the  Govern- 
ment at  the  beginning  cf  the  Civil  War  in  1861. 
but  failed  to  be  mustered  in  on  account  of 
physical  defect.  He  continued  active  in  the 
support  of  the  Union  cause,  however:  and  Feb. 
13.  1865.  was  elected  and  commissioned  recruit- 
ing officer  for  the  township  of  Bradford,  Lee 
County,  and  enlisted  by  his  own  personal  efforts 
alone,  twenty-nine  recruits  who  went  to  the 
front  to  fill  the  quota  of  Bradford  Township; 
and  in  recognition  of  his  enlistment  and  subse- 
quest  services,  his  name  is  enrolled  in  the  ros- 
ter of  enlisted  men  of  Company  D.  Thirty  fourth 
Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry,  and  he  receives 
favorable  mention  by  the  historian  of  the  regi- 
ment in   the   recently  published  history, 

Mr.  Lyman  married  in  1866.  Mary  E.  Jones, 
and  they  have  two  children:  Dr.  James  Alex- 
ander Lyman,  Professor  of  Chemistry  in  Port- 
land Academy.  Portland.  Oregon:  and  George 
Richard  Lyman.  Assistant  Professor  of  Botany 
in  Dartmouth  College.  Hanover.  N.  H.  Both 
sons  are  married,  and  Dr.  Lyman  has  two 
daughters.  Mary  Ethel,  born  July,  1S99,  and 
Ida  Grace,   liorn   April,   1902. 

ALBION  P.  CHASE  (deceased),  physician, 
son  of  Mayhew  and  Anne  (Merrill)  Chase,  was 
born  in  Livermore,  Oxford  County,  Me.,  (later 
incorporated  with  Androscoggin  County).  Feb. 
18,  1817.  His  grandfather.  Sarson  Chase,  with 
brothers.  Captain  Thomas  Chase  (who  was 
with  John  Paul  Jones  in  the  famous  naval  en- 
gagement   between    the    Bon    Homme    Richard 


726 


HISTORY   OF   LEE    COUNTY 


and  the  Serapis).  and  Captain  Tristram  Chase 
(who  was  lost  at  sea  in  18UU),  shipmasters, 
came  to  Livermore  from  Tisbury,  Martha's 
Vineyard,  before  Maine  was  separated  from 
Massachusetts.  Some  sixty  families  came  from 
Massachusetts  to  Livermore  about  that  time, 
and  the  town  had  for  its  first  settlers,  faithful 
and  stanch  men  with  an  honest  purpose  for 
every  duty;  men  who  made  sacrifices  for  their 
children's  education,  and  who  living  in  peace, 
read  the  newspapers  with  interest,  discussed 
questions  of  state  and  country,  and  were  only 
intolerant  of  injustice,  oppression,  meanness 
and    Iving.     An    old    resident   writes;      "I    will 


ALBION    P.    CHASE.    M.    □. 

rememlier  a  neighborhcad  quarrel.  I  lock  back 
with  pleasure,  not  unmixed  with  pride,  upon 
their  honest,  useful  lives,  and  feel  thankful  for 
the  lessons  they  imparted."  The  first  physi- 
cian was  Dr.  Cyrus  Hamlin,  grandfather  of 
■Vice-President  Hannibal  Hamlin;  the  first 
minister  was  Rev.  Sulvanus  Boardman,  father 
of  George  Dana  Boardman,  the  missionary  to 
Burmah.  in  the  mountains  of  Tavoy.  Both  of 
these  men  came  from  Tisbury.  Mass.  Israel 
Washburn,  father  cf  the  noted  "Washburn 
Brothers" — Israel.  Elihu  and  Cadwallader — who 
have    served  their  country  so  acceptably. was  the 


first  merchant.  Nearly  all  had  large  families. 
The  district  schools,  with  their  "spelling 
.schools."  their  "debating  clubs"  and  library 
(kept  in  the  kitchen  cupboard  and  parlor 
alcove  of  "the  doctor"),  formed  the  "Alma 
Mater"  of  many  a  man  who  has  served  his 
State  honorably  both  in  Maine  and  Washing- 
ton, the  v.-inter  schools  sometimes  numbering 
eighty  pupils  of  all  ages,  and  taught  by  young 
men  who  afterwards  were  Senators  from  other 
States.  It  was  in  this  school  that  Doctor 
Chase  prepared  for  the  academy  from  which  he 
went  to  Loudon  County.  Va..  where  he  taught 
school  for  several  years  before  going  to  Bow- 
doin  College  for  a  course  of  instruction  in 
medicine,  from  which  place  he  went  to  Boston, 
remaining  for  some  time  in  the  hospital  there. 
He  v.-as  a  member  of  the  Massachusetts  Medi- 
cal Society,  contemporary  with  Dr.  Oliver  Wen- 
dell Holmes.  He  practiced  successfully  in 
South  Abington  (now  Whitman).  Mass.,  from 
1S4.5,  coming  to  Amboy,  111.,  in  1856.  He  was 
long  surgeon  for  the  Illinois  Central  Rail- 
road; also  surgeon  for  the  United  States  Pens- 
ions Department.  He  was  conscientious  and 
sympathetic,  with  remarkably  quick  perception 
and  correct  judgment  and  retentive  memory. 
He  had  a  fund  of  pleasant  anecdotes  which 
were  "as  good  as  medicine,"  when  it  was  the 
right  time  to  relate  them.  He  lived  sixty-two 
years,  dying  May  27,  1879,  sincerely  mourned. 
A  letter  from  a  high  officer  of  the  Illionis  Cen- 
tral Railroad  stated  that,  during  all  the  years 
of  his  service  for  their  company,  which  com- 
menced years  before  his  appointment  as  regu- 
lar surgeon,  "not  a  single  complaint  of  him  had 
ever  ccme  to  them  and  no  operation  had  ever 
caused    them    unnecessary   expense." 

Dr.  Chase  was  twice  married;  first  to  Miss 
E.  R.  Yale,  of  Stoneham.  Mass..  who  died  in 
1>..50,  leaving  two  children — Mrs.  J.  E.  Fisher,  of 
Houston.  Texas,  and  Amerton  Y.  Chase,  of  Co- 
lumbus. Texas.  In  December.  1852,  he  married 
Miss  D.  C.  Howland.  of  Abington.  Mass.  Their 
son.  Henry  H.  Chase,  M.  D.,  is  a  resident  of 
Rock  Island.  111.  A  daughter,  Mary  N..  died  in 
ISG.S.    Mrs.  Chase  still  resides  in  the  old  home. 

ABRAHAM  B.  TITUS,  retired  farmer,  Stew- 
ard. Lee  County,  was  born  in  Onondaga  County. 
N.  Y.,  Nov.  8.  1828.  the  son  of  Leonard  and 
Maria  (Becker)  Titus,  who  were  both  natives 
of  New  York  State.     The  father  was  a  black- 


HISTORY   OF    LEE    COUXTY 


-27 


smith  by  trade,  but  late  in  life  turned  his  at- 
tention to  farming.  In  1835  the  family  moved 
to  Gallia  County,  Ohio,  and  there  Abraham  B., 
who  was  the  oldest  son  by  his  father's  second 
marriage,  grew  up  on  the  farm  attending  the 


ABRAHAWl    B.    TITUS. 

district  school  during  the  winter  months.  The 
father  died  in  1S47,  but  the  mother  survived 
until  1899,  dying  at  the  age  of  ninety-three 
years.  In  February,  1S50,  the  suoject  of  this 
sketch  came  to  Illinois,  spsnt  three  seasons 
in  farm  work  in  Morgan  County,  when  he  re- 
moved to  Richland  County,  and  was  married 
near  Olney  in  that  county,  to  Elizabeth  J. 
Chauncey,  the  daughter  of  Isaac  and  Cynthia 
(Morehouse)  Chauncey.  Mr.  Titus  carried  on 
farming  in  Richland  County  for  ten  years, 
when,  in  1863.  he  removed  to  Champaign 
County,  settling  near  Rantoul.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Titus  became  the  parents  of  seven  children — 
five  sons  and  two  daughters — viz.:  A.  Leonard, 
Helen  M.,  Edgar  L.,  Ira  R.,  Charles  C,  Mattie 
S.  and  Jesse  R.  Mr.  Titus  had  a  farm  of  160 
acres  in  Champaign  County,  which  he  sold  in 
1895,  and  bought  a  farm  of  320  acres  in  White- 
side County.  He  had  already  retired  from  act- 
ive farm  life,  and  in  1902  removed  to  the  vil- 
lage of  Steward.  Lee  County,  where  he  now 
resides.    He  is  still  the  owner  of  a  farm  of  160 


acres  in  Whiteside  County,  besides  holding  an 
interest  with  his  two  sons,  Edgar  L.  and  Ira 
R.,  in  400  acres  in  Viola  Township,  Lee  County. 
About  1859  Mr.  Titus  spent  a  short  time  gold- 
mining  with  success  in  Colorado.  He  is  a  di- 
rector of  the  First  National  Bank  of  Steward, 
is  a  Republican  in  politics  and  has  been  a 
member  of  the  Odd  Fellows  fraternity  since 
185S. 

IRA  R.  TITUS,  member  of  the  firm  of  Titus 
Brothers,  bankers  and  grain-dealers.  Steward, 
III.,  was  born  in  Richland  County,  III.,  Dec.  29, 
1862,  the  son  of  Abraham  B.  and  Elizabeth 
(Chauncey)  Titus;  when  one  year  old  was 
brought  by  his  parents  to  Champaign  County, 
III.,  where  he  grew  up  on  a  farm  about  ten 
miles  north  of  Urbana.  Remaining  with  his 
father  imtil  tv,'enty-two  years  of  age.  in  the 
meantime  he  received  his  education  in  the  dis- 
trict schools  and  a  business  college  at  Cham- 
paign, then  engaged  in  the  mercantile  busi- 
ness   at    Rantor.l    with    bis    lirother-in-law.    F. 


B.  Hitchcock.  This  partnership  lasted  one 
year,  when  Mr.  Titus'  brother,  F.  B.  Titus,  hav- 
ing purchased  the  Hitchcock  interest,  the  firm 
became  "Titus  Brothers."  A  year  later  A.  L. 
Titus  was  succeeded  by  another  brother.  C.  C. 


72b 


HISTORY   OF   LEE    COUNTY. 


Titus,  the  firm  name  remaining  unchanged  for 
four  years,  when  they*  sold  out  and  C.  C.  Titus 
engaged  in  farming.  The  subject  of  this  sketch 
then  engaged  in  the  grain  business  at  Dewey, 
Champaign  County,  in  partnership  with  J.  M. 
Coon,  continuing  one  year,  when  the  firm  hav- 
ing sold  out,  he  spent  some  time  at  Walnut, 
Bureau  County,  but  without  completing  his  ar- 
rangements to  engage  in  the  elevator  business 
there  as  contemplated.  Then,  having  formed  a 
partnership  with  his  brother,  Edgar  L.  Titus, 
in  November,  1894,  they  purchased  the  elevator 
and  agricultural  implement  business  of  Merritt 
Meller,  at  Steward,  Lee  County,  v.'hich  they 
carried  on  under  the  firm  name  of  "Titus 
Brothers,"  later  acquiring  ownership  of  the 
"Steward  &  Henning  Elevator,"  purchased 
from  the  L.  E.  Birdsall  Company,  and  for  the 
next  eighteen  months  carried  on  an  extensive 
grain,  coal  and  lumber  business.  In  the  fall 
cf  1902  they  sold  out  the  Steward  &  Henning 
Elevator  and  their  lumber  business,  but  still 
retain  the  ownership  of  the  elevator  first  pur- 
chased. On  January  1,  1903,  in  connection  with 
a  number  of  the  leading  business  men  of  Stew- 
ard, the  Titus  Brothers  organized  the  First 
National  Bank  of  Steward,  v.'ith  a  capital  stock 
of  $25,000,  of  which  Ira  R.  Titus  is  at  present 
(1903)  the  Cashier,  and  his  brother,  Edgar  L., 
the  President — the  Titus  Brothers  being  own- 
ers of  the  controlling  interest.  May  21,  1889. 
Mr.  Titus  was  married  at  Rantoul,  111.,  to  Lulu 
Coon,  and  two  children  have  been  born  of  this 
marriage — Lyle,  born  in  1892,  and  Ray,  born 
in  1899.  The  Titus  Brothers  are  associated 
with  G.  H.  T.  Shaw  and  S.  D.  Frost  in  con- 
structing the  Northern  Illinois  Electric  Rail- 
way, extending  from  Dixon  to  Amboy  by  way 
of  Lee  Center,  Steward  and  DeKalb,  of  which 
Ira  R.  Titus  is  Secretary.  Mr.  Titus  Is  a  Re- 
publican in  politics,  a  member  of  the  Modern 
Woodmen  of  America,  and  cf  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  church,  in  which  he  holds  the  posi- 
tion of  treasurer  and  is  teacher  of  the  Young 
Men's  Sunday  School  class. 

EDGAR  L.  TITUS,  President  First  National 
Bank,  Steward,  Lee  County.  111.,  was  born  in 
Richland  County,  111..  Sept.  29,  1860,  the  son 
of  Abraham  B.  and  Elizabeth  (Chauncey) 
Titus,  who  were  natives,  respectively,  of  the 
States  of  New  York  and  Illinois.  Edgar  L. 
Titus    received    his    education    In    the    public 


schools  of  Illinois,  and  remained  on  his  fath- 
er's farm  until  he  reached  the  age  of  thirty 
years,  when  he  was  employed  in  his  brother's 
store  at  Rantoul,  and  in  the  grain  business.  In 
the  spring  of  1892  he  came  to  Lee  County  and 
there  engaged  in  farming  for  the  next  two 
years,  but  in  1894  entering  into  partnership 
with  his  brother,  Ira  R.,  under  the  firm  name 
of  "Titus  Brothers,"  ptirchased  an  elevator, 
grain  and  agricultural  implement  business, 
later  bought  another  grain  elevator,  and  car- 
ried   on    a    very    extensive    business    in    grain. 


EDGAR   L.  TITUS. 

coal  and  lumber.  The  elevator  last  mentioned, 
with  the  coal  and  lumber  business,  they  sold 
out  in  1902,  retaining  the  first  elevator  with 
the  grain  business  attached  to  it.  January 
1,  1903,  in  conjunction  with  several  leading 
business  men,  they  organized  the  First  Na- 
tional Bank  of  Steward,  with  a  paid-up  capital 
of  $25,000,  in  which  the  Titus  Brothers  hold 
a  controlling  interest  and  of  which  Edgar  L. 
Titus  was  made  President.  The  Titus  Broth- 
ers are  associated  with  G.  H.  T.  Shaw  and 
S.  D.  Frost  in  the  construction  of  the  North- 
ern Illinois  Electric  Railway,  extending  from 
Dixon  to  Amboy  and  through  Lee  Center 
to    Steward    and    DeKalb.    of    which    Edgar    L. 


HISTORY   OF   LEE    COUXTY 


729 


Titus  was  the  oi-iginal  promoter  and  is  now  Vice- 
President.  Mr.  Titus  was  married  June  3,  1891, 
to  Minnie  G.  Staubus.  who  was  born  in  McLean 
County,  III.,  the  daughter  of  Alexander  F.  and 
Frances  (Miller)  Staubus.  Mrs.  Titus'  parents 
came  to  McLean  County  in  1866,  but  in  1S73 
removed  to  Champaign  County,  where  they  now 
reside.  Her  father  served  as  a  soldier  through 
the  Civil  War.  Five  children  have  been  born 
to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Titus,  viz.:  Lee  Edgar,  Paul 
Bardwell,  Luella  Audrey,  Helen  Neleta  and  Gor- 
don Alexander.  Mr.  Titusi  is  a  member  of  the 
Methodist  church,  a  Republican  in  politics  and 
fraternally  a  member  of  the  Modern  Woodmen 
and  the  Mystic  Workers;  Mrs  Titus  is  also 
a  member  of  the  latter  order. 

WILLIAM  W.  SEAVEY  (deceased)  was  born 
on  his  father's  farm  in  Palmyra  Township,  Lee 
County,  111.,  Oct.  18.  1840.  son  of  Winthrop  and 
Elizabeth  (Curtis)  Seavey,  natives  of  New 
Hampshire  who  came  to  Lee'  County  in  1839, 
locating  in  the  western  part  of  Palmyra  Town- 
ship.     Winthrop    Seavey    and    his    wife    were 


became  owner  of  the  estate,  and  by  judicious 
management  greatly  increased  its  area  and 
value.  In  1885  he  erected  a  modern  residence, 
which  is  surrounded  with  stately  trees,  and 
together  with  other  well-constructed  farm 
buildings,  presents  an  attractive  rural  picture. 
Mr.  Seavey  was  an  extensive  breeder  of  Short- 
horn and  Aberdeen  Angus  cattle.  On  Novem- 
ber 17,  1870,  he  married  Augusta  Moses,  born 
in  Palmyra  Township,  and  to  thsm  one  child — 
Albion  M. — was  born,  Mr.  Seavey  died  August 
14,  1897,  and  his  widow  resides  with  her  son 
on  the  old  homestead  in  Section  30,  Palmyra 
Township. 


WILLIAM   W.  SEAVEY. 

among  the  pioneer  settlers  of  Lee  County,  and 
founded  what  later  became  a  valuable  estate. 
At  the  time  of  their  death  William  W.  Seavey 


ALBION    M,   SEAVEY, 

ALBION  M.  SEAVEY  was  born  in  Ports- 
mouth, N.  H.,  in  1871,  son  of  William  W.  and 
Augusta  (Moses)  Seavey.  He  grew  to  matur- 
ity on  his  father's  farm  in  Palmyra  Township. 
Lee  County,  and  obtained  his  educational 
training  in  the  district  schools  and  Steinman's 
Business  College.  Dixon,  111.  On  April  6,  1897, 
he  married  Elizabeth  Comerer,  who  was  born 
in  Pennsylvania,  and  they  have  two  daughters 
— Lola  and  Bessie.  Mr.  Seavey's  farm  consists 
of  440  acres,  which,  with  the  exception  of  his 
home  farm  and  fifty  acres  adjoining,  is  rented 
to  good  tenants. 


730 


HISTORY   OF   LEE    COUNTY 


ALBERT  T.  TOURTILLOTT.  farmer  antl 
stock-raiser.  Sublette  Township.  Lee  County; 
born  Sept.  27.  1858.  in  the  house  in  which  he 
now  lives,  the  son  of  John  and  Mary  J.  (Dexter) 
Tourtillott,  and  grandson  of  John  Dexter,  the 
first  settler  in  Amboy  Township;  on  the  pater- 
nal side  is  descended  from  a  member  of  the 
"Boston  Tea  Party."  of  Revolutionary  times. 
Both  branches  of  the  family  were  pioneers  in 
Maine.  John  Tourtillott,  the  father,  born  in  the 
State  of  Maine.  June  26.  1827.  died  Oct.  6.  1888; 
Mary  (Dexter)  Tourtillott.  born  at  Vaughan, 
York)  County.  Upper  Canada.  Nov,  8.  1832.  died 
Oct.     10.     1878.       The     paternal     grandfather. 


ALBERT   -r.  TOURTILLOTT. 

Thomas  Touitillott.  born  at  Orono.  Me.,  April 
22,  1789,  came  with  his  family  to  Sublette 
Township  in  is:i9,  the  journey  occupying  sev- 
enty days.  A,  T.  Tourtillot  was  educated  in 
the  common  schools  of  his  neighborhood  and 
at  Naperville.  111.;  spent  two  years  (1869-1871) 
with  his  father's  family  in  California,  and 
during  his  business  life  has  been  a  farmer. 
September  20,  1878.  he  enlisted  in  the  Illinois 
National  Guard,  cf  which  he  had  been  a  mem- 
ber ever  since,  having  re-enlisted  three  times 
— ISSii.  18SS  and  1895— and  in  which  he  has 
held   the  following  offices:      Corporal,   Dec.   29. 


1889;  Sergeant.  August  1,  1885;  Elected  Cap- 
tain, Feb.  23,  1889.  by  subsequent  re-elections 
serving  in  this  capacity  until  May  11,  1898, 
when  he  was  mustered  into  the  United  States 
service  at  Springfield  as  a  member  of  the  Sixth 
Regiment  Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry,  Col. 
D.  Jack  Foster  commanding,  after  which  he 
saw  service  in  Cuba  and  in  Porto  Rico,  part  of 
the  time  in  the  capacity  of  Major  of  his  regi- 
ment, to  which  he  was  formally  elected  as  a 
member  of  the  I.  N.  G.,  August  5,  1899;  also 
served  as  Captain  of  his  company  during  the 
coal-miners'  strike  at  Braidwood  and  the  rail- 
way strike  in  Chicago  in  1894.  Major  Tour- 
tillott is  the  owner  of  a  farm  of  185  acres,  and 
also  follows  the  business  of  feeding  stock  of 
which  he  has  100  head.  August  25,  1881,  he 
was  married  to  Hattie  Welch,  daughter  of 
Enoch  and  Eliza  (Richardson)  Welch.  The 
father,  born  at  Groton,  Vt.,  July  2,  1825,  and 
the  mother  at  Dalton,  N.  H.,  Sept.  8,  1834,  were 
married  at  LaMoille,  III.,  June  1856;  the  father 
died  at  Sioux  City,  Iowa,  April  5,  1893,  and  the 
mother  at  LaMcille,  June  14,  1866.  Major 
Tourtillot  and  wife  have  had  five  children: 
Arthur  J.  and  Alfred  J.  (twins),  Mary  E.,  Min- 
nie E.  and  Frank  H.  Major  Tourtillott  has 
served  as  School  Director,  eight  years  as  Con- 
stable, and  in  April.  1903.  was  elected  Supervis- 
or of  his  township.  He  and  his  family  are 
members  of  the  Congregational  church. 

AMBROSE  N.  ANGIER,  farmer,  Sublette 
Township,  Lee  County,  111.,  was  born  in  the 
house  where  he  now  resides,  Jan.  3.  1843.  son 
of  Thomas  and  Fannie  (Morse)  Angler,  and  is, 
in  all  probability,  the  oldest  person  born  in 
Lee  County,  who  has  always  resided  within 
its  borders.  Thomas  Angler  was  born  at  Fitz- 
william.  N.  H..  August  11.  1822.  and  died  June 
5,  1893,  while  his  wife  was  born  at  the  same 
place,  April  15,  1821,  and  died  Dec.  28.  1900. 
They  were  the  parents  of  ten  children,  eight  of 
whom  grew  to  maturity.  Mr.  Angler  came  to 
Lee  County  in  1840  and  entered  100  acres  of 
land.  He  became  a  prominent  citizen  in  his 
community,  and  was  Chairman  of  the  Board 
of  Supervisors  seventeen  years,  and  Justice  of 
the  Peace  for  many  years.  Ajnbrose  N.  Angier 
was  married  on  Oct.  30.  1869.  to  Annie  M. 
Barrett,  and  they  are  the  parents  of  four  chil- 
dren, viz.:   Laura,  wife  cf  Dr.  Wallace  E.  Eddy 


HISTORY   OF   LEE    COL'XT^' 


of  LaMoille,  III.;  Martha,  v.ife  of  Martin  Clark: 
Thomas  R.,  who  married  Lizzie  Clark,  and 
Oliver  R.,  who  died  aged  fourteen  years.  Mrs. 
Angier's  parents.  Jonathan  T.  and  Caroline  E. 


AMBROSE   N.  ANGIER. 


(Isham)  Barrett,  came  to  Lee  County  in  1S4'.K 
the  former  dying  at  Amboy  in  18CS.  aged  sixty- 
one  years,  and  the  latter  in  Lamoni.  Iowa,  in 
her  seventy-eighth  year.  Mr.  Angler  owns  230 
acres  of  land,  which  includes  his  father's  home- 
stead, and  here  he  has  passed  the  whole  (jf 
his  life.  He  and  his  wife  are  members  of  the 
Baptist   church. 

EVERETT  E.  CHASE  (deceased),  soldier  of 
the  Civil  War,  was  born  in  Pawtucket,  R.  I., 
Sept.  27,  1840;  came  to  Amboy,  111.,  in  lS.5ti. 
and  at  first  was  employed  as  a  clerk  and 
Deputy  Postmaster,  later  becoming  a  partner 
of  R.  H.  Mellen  in  the  book  and  stationery 
business.  In  1864  he  enlisted  in  Company  A, 
Eleventh  Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry,  serving 
until  November,  1865,  when  he  was  mustered 
out  at  New  Orleans.  Mr.  Chase  was  a  Repub- 
lican and  held  various  offices,  including  City 
Clerk  twelve  years;  Collector  of  Taxes,  two 
terms;  Mayor  of  Amboy,  two  years,  and  Just- 
ice of  the  Peace  for  many  years.  For  a  num- 
ber of  years  he  was  private  clerk  to  John  C. 


Jacobs  (Supt.  of  the  Illinois  Central  Railroad), 
a  position  he  resigned  in  1875.  He  vras  editor 
of  the  "Amboy  News"  for  some  time,  but  dis- 
posed of  the  business  in  1900.  In  1867  Mr. 
Chase  was  married  to  Mary  Jacobs,  daughter 
of  John  C.  Jacobs.  She  died  in  1868,  and  on 
June  15,  1875,  he  was  married  to  Grace  (Cow- 
drey)  Wells,  widow  of  Capt.  M.  W.  Wells.  Mr. 
Chase  died  Oct.  28,  1901. 

WILLIAM  MEPPEN,  farmer.  Nelson  Town- 
ship, Lee  County,  was  born  in  Hanover,  Ger- 
many, August  16,  1836,  son  of  Peter  and  Mar- 
tha (Becker)  Meppen;  emigrated  to  America 
in  1863,  and  coming  directly  to  Lee  County, 
III.,  worked  for  a  time  in  Palmyra  Township, 
after  which  he  removed  to  Nelson  Township, 
where  he  has  since  resided.     January  21.  1875, 


WILLIAM    MEPPEN. 

he  was  married  to  Wilhelmina  Brauer.  daugh- 
ter of  Louis  and  Louise  (Toel)  Brauer,  who 
came  from  Germany  to  the  United  States  in 
the  early  '40s.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Meppen  are  the 
parents  of  seven  children,  viz.:  Mabel  (de- 
ceased), Martha  L..  Lucy  H.,  Louis  G..  Wil- 
liam H.,  Arthur  J.,  and  Minnie  Alice.  Mr. 
Meppen  served  as  Highway  Commissioner  of 
his  township  nine  years.  The  family  are  mem- 
bers of  the  Lutheran  church. 


732 


HISTORY   OF   LEE    COUNTS' 


HON.  WILLIAM  H.  VAN  EPPS  (deceased) 
was  born  in  Schenectady,  N.  Y.,  August  12. 
1812,  son  of  John  A.  and  Deborah  (Hausman) 
Van  Epps.  the  former  having  been  a  soldier  in 


WILLIAM    H.    VAN    EPPS. 

the  War  of  1S12.  William  H.  Van  Epps  came 
to  Illinois  in  1837.  locating  in  Fulton  County, 
but  later  returned  to  New  York.  In  1854  he 
located  in  Dixon.  111.,  where  for  twenty  years 
he  v.'as  a  prominent  merchant  and  did  much  in 
the  upbuilding  of  business  interests  of  that 
city  and  in  the  development  of  Lee  County.  Mr. 
Van  Epps  was  first  married  to  Charlotte  R. 
Churchill,  and  one  son — William  H. — of  this 
union  survives.  For  his  second  wife  he  mar- 
ried Mary  A.  Peck,  Mrs.  Louisa  P.  Steel  being 
the  only  surviving  child  of  that  union.  Mr. 
Van  Epps  died  Oct.  8.  1877. 

LEMUEL  BAURNE,  Vice  President  of  the 
First  National  Bank  of  Amboy,  111.,  was  born 
in  Sandwich  (now  Bowen),  Mass..  Jan.  21.  1830, 
and  came  to  Lee  County  in  1855,  where  for 
eight  years  he  served  as  agent  for  the  Illinois 
Central  Railway  at  Amboy.  In  1862  he  estab- 
lished a  general  mercantile  business  at  Am- 
boy. which  he  conducted  until  1902  when  he 
retired.     He  was  one  of  the  organizers  of  the 


First  National  Bank  of  Amboy,  and  has  served 
as  Vice  President  since  the  date  of  its  orga- 
nization. In  1859  he  married  Anna  M.  Smith 
and  they  have  six  children.  In  politics  he  is  a 
Republican,  and  served  as  a  member  of  the 
Board  of  Review  two  years,  and  was  President 
of  the  Board  of  Education  for  several  years. 
In    reli.sioi-.s    belief   Mr.    Baurne   is    an    Episcs- 


HON.  GEORGE  STEEL  (deceased),  ex-Mayor 
of  Dixon.  Ill,,  was  born  in  Will  County,  111., 
May  10,  1842,  the  son  of  George  and  Annie 
Steen  (Morrison)  Steel.  George  Steel  was  a 
native  of  Scotland  and  one  of  the  prominent 
pioneers  of  Chicago,  where  he  was  largely  in- 
strumental in  organizing  the  Board  of  Trade 
of  that  city,  serving  as  its  first  President. 
George  Steel,  Jr..  was  also  a  well-known  char- 
acter in  Chicago,  building  the  first  crib  for 
the  water-works  and  the  second  lake  tunnel. 
On  July  11,  1S71,  he  married  Louise  P.  Van 
Epps  of  Dixon,  and  to  them  four  children  v.-ere 


GEORGE    STEEL. 

born,  viz.:  William,  Louise  L.  (deceased), 
Georgia  (wife  of  Theo.  Fuller,  editor  of  Dixon 
Sun),  and  Gladys.  From  1871  Mr.  Steel  was 
prominently    connected    with    the    interests    of 


HISTORY   OF   LEE    COUNTY. 


?33 


Dixon,  where  he  served  as  a  member  of  the 
City  Council  and  School  Board,  and  as  Mayor 
during  1891-92.  In  political  sentiment  he  was 
a  Democrat.     He  died   March   31,   1896. 


G.  H.  T.  SHAW,  dealer  in  real  estate  and  in- 
vestments, Dixon.  111.,  was  born  in  Lee  Center 
Township,  Lee  County,  111.,  June  14,  1869,  son 
of  James  Monroe  and  Rebecca  (Linn)  Shaw. 
Sherman  Shaw,  grandfather  of  G.  H.  T..  was 
born  in  Windsor  County,  Vt.,  and,  in  1833,  came 
with  the  early  pioneers  to  Lee  County,  where. 
in  the  same  year  he  entered  land  in  Bradford 
Township,  upon  which  he  made  a  permanent 
settlement  in  1835,  and  became  an  influential 
citizen  as  well  as  an  extensive  dealer  in  live 
stock  and  land.  Monroe  Shaw  was  born  in 
Bradford  Township,  Lee  County,  in  1S40,  and 
in  early  manhood  engaged  in  the  mercantile 
husiness  at  Lee  Center.  In  May.  1861,  he  en- 
listed in  Company  A,  Thirteenth  Illinois  Vol- 
unteer Infantry,  serving  three  and  a  half  years. 
He  died  Dec.  24,  1876,  his  death  being  caused 
by  drinking  poisonous  water  during  his  term 
of  military  service.  G.  H.  T.  Shaw  received 
his  educational  training  in  the  public  school 
at   Lee   Center.   111..   Cornell   College    (Mt.   Ver- 


non. Iowa),  and  the  State  University  at  Ann 
Arbor,  Michigan,  pursuing  the  course  of  civil 
engineering  in  each  of  the  higher  institutions. 
In  1892  he  began  practicing  his  profession  for 
different  railroad  companies,  and  in  1893  as- 
sisted in  the  survey  for  a  railroad  in  the  Re- 
public of  Colombia,  S.  A.  In  the  fall  of  1893 
he  opened  what  v.'as  intended  to  be  a  perma- 
nent office  in  Dixon,  111.,  for  the  practice  of 
his  profession,  but  finding  a  few  years  later 
that  his  real  estate  interests  demaided  the 
whole  of  his  time,  he  discontinued  the  former 
department  of  business  and  has  since  devoted 
his  attention  exclusively  to  the  latter,  being 
at  the  present  time  extensively  interested  in 
lands  and  rice  culture  in  Texas  and  Louisiana. 
In  1899  he  married  Sarah  S.  Clark,  daughter  o£ 
0.  M.  and  Mary  (Wright)  Clark,  who  came  to 
Lee  County  in  the  early  '50s,  and  to  them  two 
children  have  been  born — Mary  Gwendolin  and 
Clark  Monroe.  Mr.  Shaw  is  a  member  of  the 
Sons  of  Veterans,  and  is  President  of  the 
Northern  Illinois  Electric  Railway  Company, 
lu  national  politics  he  is  a  Republican. 


E.   S.   MURPHY. 

IV.    D. 

E.    S. 
ee  Cour 

MURPHY, 
ty.  111..  Jan 

l.hysiei 
in  Eas 
25.  187 

an     and     surgeon. 
Grove  Township, 
.  son  of  John  and 

734 


HISTORY   OF   LEE    COUXTY 


Bridget  A.  (Fogarty)  Murphy,  natives  respect- 
ively of  Ireland  and  La  Salle  County,  111.  E.  S. 
Murphy  obtained  his  elementary  education  in 
the  public  schools  of  East  Grove  Township, 
later  attended  the  Northern  Illinois  Normal 
School  and  Business  College  at  Dixon,  and  in 
1894  entered  Rush  Medical  College.  Chicago, 
graduating  from  the  latter  institution  in  1897. 
He  at  once  began  practicing  his  profession  at 
Eldena,  111.,  where,  in  youth,  he  had  taught 
school  for  two  years,  and  in  January,  1S99,  re- 
moved to  Dixon  where  he  has  since  conducted 
an  extensive  and  successful  practice.  On  June 
2.  190(1.  he  married  Katherine  Lally,  who,  be- 
fore marriage,  resided  with  her  mother  in 
Dixon.  The  Doctor  is  a  member  of  the  Knights 
of  Columbus,  and  in  religious  convictions  is  a 
Catholic.  Politically  he  affiliates  with  the 
Republican    party. 

ANDREW  J.  NICHOLS  (deceasel)  born  in 
Niagara  County,  N.  Y..  June  2G.  1S2S,  son  of 
John  and  Maritta  (Leach)  Nichols,  pioneer 
settler  of  Le?  County,  111.     Andrew  J.  Nichcl.'^ 


ANDREW   J.    NICHOLS. 

remained  under  the  parental  roof  until  twenty- 
eight  years  of  age.  when  he  established  a  home 
of  his  own  in  China  Township,  v,-here  he  re- 
sided thirty-six  years,  dying  there  on  June  21. 


18S8.  In  Feljruary,  1852,  he  married  Mary  A. 
Miller,  who  died  March  15,  1867,  leaving  the 
following  children:  Ida  E.  (Mrs.  William  H. 
Hausen).  Frankie  E.  (who  died  aged  three 
years).  Flora  M.,  Nellie  I.  and  Ruby  A.  Mr. 
Nichols  later  married  Nancy  Wilson,  who  died 
in  China  Township.  Jf.ly  14.  ISSl. 


WILLIAM    H.    HAUSEN. 

WILLIAM  H.  HAUSEN  (deceased)  was 
born  in  Lincoln  County,  Me.,  August  25,  1816, 
son  of  Charles  and  Jane  (Hilton)  Hausen.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Charles  Hausen  were  also  natives  of 
the  Pine  Tree  State  and  came  to  Lee  County 
in,  1840,  where  the  former  died  in  1859  and  the 
latter  in  1S7S.  William  H.  Hausen  was  the 
oldest  in  a  family  of  eleven  children,  and,  ac- 
companied by  his  brother,  Harrison  Hausen. 
came  v.-est  in  1838,  arriving  in  Lee  County  in 
October  of  the  same  year.  Here  they  pur- 
chased a  claim  of  960  acres  of  land,  and  the 
first  improvements  made  in  that  section  of  the 
country  were  upon  the  Hausen  homestead  in 
Section  2,  China  Township.  In  October,  1850, 
Mr.  Hausen  married  Mrs.  Julia  Felker,  who 
died  Feb.  2,  1895,  and  on  March  15.  1900,  he 
married  his  second  wife,  Miss  Ida  E.  Nichols, 
daughter  of  Andrew  J.  and  Mary  A.  (Miller) 
Nichols,    and    granddaughter   of   John    Nichols, 


HISTORY   OF   LEE    COUXTY 


r35 


who  came  to  Lee  County  iu  1S32.  Politically 
Mr.  Hausen  was  a  Democrat,  and  fraternally  a 
member  of  Blue  Lodge  and  Nathan  Whitney 
Chapter  No.  129,  Masonic  Order,  at  Franklin 
Grove.  He  was  one  of  the  first  to  introduce 
short-horn  cattle  In  his  section  of  the  country, 
and  was  a  leading  member  of  horticultr.ral  and 
agricultural  societies  of  the  county.  He  died 
Dec.   6,  1901. 

CHARLES  F.  HAUSEN,  farmer,  China 
Township,  Lee  County,  was  born  in  Lee  County, 
III.,  March  10,  1863,  the  son  of  Sylvanus  and 
Sabrina  J.  Hausen.  (See  sketch  of  Sylvanus 
Hausen.)  Charles  F.  began  life  as  a  farmer 
in  China  Township,  and  has  had  a  successful 
business  career,  being  now  the  owner  of  210 
acres  of  land.  April  23,  1885.  he  was  married 
to  Josephine  Stevens,  daughter  of  Parker  and 
Mary  (Tweed)  Stevens,  natives  respectively 
of  Vermont   and   Massachusetts,   who   came  to 


CHARLES    F,    HAUSEN. 

Illinois  in  1840.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hausen  have 
one  daughter,  Bessie.  Politically,  Mr.  Hausen 
is  a  Democrat  and  fraternally  a  member  of  the 
Knights  of  the  Globe.  In  his  religious  views  he 
is   liberal. 


DEACON  ISRAEL  F.  HALLOCK,  retired 
farmer.  Paw  Paw,  111.,  was  born  in  Orange 
County,  N.  Y.,  June  16.  ISIS.1  the  son  of  Joseph 
and  Ester  (Young)  Hallock,  and  is  of  the 
eighth  generation  from  Peter  Hallcck,  a  pil- 
grim from  England,  who  landed  at  Hallock's 
Neck,  Long  Island,  in  1640.    In  December,  1840, 


SRAEL    F.    HALLOCK. 


Israel  F.  came  to  Lee  County.  HI.,  settling  at 
Paw  Paw  Grove,  where  he  was  engaged  in 
farming  until  1892,  v,-hen  he  retired  and  moved 
to  Paw  Paw  in  1899.  On  December  19,  1839.  he 
married  Persis  P.  Boardman,  daughter  of  Dea- 
con Orlando  and  Mary  (Brace)  Boardman,  and 
of  this  union  two  children  were  born:  Jane  E, 
(Mrs.  S.  A.  Tarr),  and  William  H.  (deceased). 
Mrs.  Hallcck  died  May  5,  1892,  aged  seventy- 
three  years.  She  is  one  of  the  thirteen  who, 
in  1841,  organized  the  Paw  Paw  Baptist  church. 
Mr.  Hallock  was  the  second  member  received 
by  baptism  into  the  church,  uniting  with  it  in 
1842.  He  was  appointed  deacon  in  1850,  and 
has  served  continuously  in  that  capacity  to 
the  present  time.  Politically  he  is  a  stanch 
Republican. 

WILLIAM  C.  FABER.  meat  dealer.  Paw  Pav.-, 
III.,  was  born  in  Clarion  Township.  Bureau 
County,    111..    Feb.    21,    1S67,    son   of    Peter   and 


736 


HISTORY   OF   LEE   COUNTY. 


Margaret  (Mueller)  Faber,  natives  of  Germany, 
who  came  to  Illinois  and  located  at  Clarion. 
Mr.  Faber  was  engaged  in  farming  in  Clarion 
Township  until   18S9,   and  in   1S90  crossed  the 


WILLIAM    C.    FABER. 

ocean,  visiting  Germany  and  other  European 
countries,  his  trip  being  principally  for  pleas- 
ure and  obtaining  ideas  of  the  customs  of  dif- 
ferent countries  in  regard  to  business  meth- 
ods and  agriculture.  He  located  at  Paw  Paw  in 
1891.  and  entered  the  firm  of  Faber  Brothers, 
dealers  in  meats,  and  has  since  been  identified 
with  that  enterprise.  In  1S99  he  bought  land 
at  Paw  Paw.  III.,  and  at  Algona,  Iowa,  and  in 
connection  with  the  meat  business  is  engaged 
in  farming  and  breeding  Aberdeen-Angus  cat- 
tle, and  expects  to  devote  his  entire  atten- 
tion to  the  latter  industry  in  the  future.  On 
February  24.  1S96,  he  married  Eva  A.  Smith, 
daughter  of  Edmund  D.  and  Helen  (Huntley) 
Smith,  of  Paw  Paw,  and  of  this  union  there  are 
four  children:  Helen  M.,  Leonard  M.  C,  Henry 
C.  and  Edmund  E.  Mr.  Faber  is  a  member  of 
the  Lutheran  church,  and  politically  affiliates 
with   the   Demicratic   party. 


born  in  Onondaga  County,  N.  Y.,  March  22, 
1837,  the  son  of  H.  G.  and  Amanda  M.  (Can- 
fleld)  Howlett,  natives  of  New  York.  H.  G. 
Howlett  was  a  farmer  by  occupation,  an  old 
line  Whig  in  politics,  and  in  1837,  came  to 
Dixon.  111.,  where  he  secured  a  claim  to  120 
acres  of  land  in  what  is  now  Section  36,  Willow 
Creek  Township.  He  was  a  pioneer  in  Dixon, 
and  conducted  there  the  "Hotel  Western,"  being 
one  of  the  first  hotel  keepers  in  the  place.  The 
first  Democratic  County  Convention  was  held 
in  the  bar-room  of  his  hotel  at  Dixon,  Mr.  How- 
lett himself  taking  an  active  part  in  the  pol- 
itics of  his  day.  James  C.  Howlett  obtained 
his  education  in  the  seminary  at  Lee  Center, 
and  at  Paw  Paw.  III.,  and  afterwards  taught 
school  one  year  in  Missouri  and  sixteen  years 
in  Illinois.  He  served  three  years  in  Company 
K,  Seventy-fifth  Illinois  during  the  Civil  War, 
and  participated  in  many  engagements,  in- 
cluding Perryville,  Nashville,  and  Franklin.  Mr. 
Howlett  was  never  wounded  in  battle,  although 
in    several    instances    his    clothing    was    pene- 


JAMES   C. 
Willow  Creel. 


HOWLETT,    farmer.    Section    U. 
Township,  Lee  County.  111.,  was 


JAMES    C.    HOWLETT. 

trated  with  bullets.  Returning  from  the  war, 
he  became  Deputy  Postmaster  to  his  brother 
George  M..  at  Cedar  Rapids.  Iowa,  but  later 
returned  to   his   father's  farm,  and  now,   after 


HISTORY   OF   LEE    COL'XTY 


"37 


purchasing  the  interest  of  the  other  heirs,  owns 
the  estate  consisting  of  276  acres  of  valuable 
land.  Mr.  Hov/lett  was  married  April  4.  1867. 
to  Sarah  J,  Fowler,  and  they  became  the  par- 
ents of  five  children,  four  of  whom  are  living. 
VIZ.:  George  G.,  a  professional  base-ball  player; 
Mary:  Wilbur,  who  married  Helen  Melzer,  re- 
sides on  the  homestead  and  assists  his  father 
in  the  management  of  the  farm;  Florence,  wife 
of  Louis  Pitcher,  who  is  largely  interested  in 
the  telephone  system  of  Lee  County,  and  they 
have  one  daughter  Eleanor  Marie:  Bel,  who 
died  aged  twenty-tv.'o  years.  Mr.  Hewlett  is 
a  Republican  in  politics,  and  has  served  as 
Supervisor  five  years.  School  Director  thirty 
years.  Town  Clerk  many  years.  He  is  a;  mem- 
ber of  the  G.  A.  R.,  Masonic  Order  and  Eastern 
Star.  Mr.  Howlett  directs  his  attention  to  gen- 
eral farming  and  to  the  breeding  of  full-blood 
Hereford  cattle.  His  family  stands  deservedly 
high  in  their  community,  and  are  highly  es- 
teemed  for  their  hospitality. 


Granite  State.  On  January  17,  1S57,  he  mar- 
ried Harriet  Frances  Burnham,  of  Wentworth, 
Grafton  County,  N.  H.,  and  of  this  tmion  the 
following    children    were    born,    viz.:     Charles 


PERSON    CHENEY. 

PERSON  CHENEY,  farmer.  South  Dixon 
Township,  Lee  County.  111.,  was  born  at  Hold- 
erness  (now  Ashland).  Grafton  County,  N.  H., 
May  19,  1831,  son  of  Person  and  Anna  Wad- 
leigh    (Morrison)    Cheney,   also   natives   of  the 


MRS.    PERSON    CHENEY. 

Olney  and  Harry  (twins),  born  March  31,  1860, 
the  latter  dying  on  the  day  of  his  birth,  and  the 
former  Feb,  15,  1862— Samuel  T.,  born  Sept. 
14.  1S67.  Mrs.  Cheney  died  Jan.  20,  1901.  Mr. 
Cheney  came  to  Dixon  in  October.  18.58. 

HENRY  B.  COBB,  farmer,  Viola  Township. 
Lee  County,  111.,  v.'as  born  at  Tolland,  Conn., 
Nov.  27,  1834,  the  son  of  Daniel  and  Wealthy 
(Crandal)  Cobb.  In  1850  Mr.  Cobb  removed 
to  Palmer,  Mass.,  where  he  worked  in  a  cot- 
ton factory  until  1S52,  when,  he  came  west  and 
settled  at  LaMoille,  111.,  being  variously  em- 
ployed during  the  following  year.  From  1853 
to  1856  he  rented  land,  but  in  the  latter  year 
removed  to  160  acres  of  land  in  Viola  Town- 
ship, which  he  had  purchased  from  the  United 
States  Government  in  1852.  His  estate  now 
consists  of  960  acres  of  well-improved  land. 
Mr.  Cobb  was  married  on  May  15,  1859,  to 
Ellen  C.  the  daughter  of  Adam  and  Ann  C. 
(Evans)  Beemer,  of  Willow  Cieek  Township, 
Lee    County,    and    to    them    six    children   have 


738 


HISTORY   OF   LEE    COUNTY. 


been  born:  Minnie  J.,  Lillie,  George  H..  Birdie, 
Louis  (deceased),  and  Laura.  In  religious  be- 
lief Mr.  Cobb  is  a  Methodist,  in  politics  a  Re- 


HENRY   B.  COBB. 

publican,  and  has  served  as  School  Treasurer 
for  fifteen  years  and  Township  Supervisor  nine 
years. 

GEORGE  ,J.  BARTH,  Sublette,  111.,  was  born 
in  Lee  County,  111.,  Jan.  14.  iaB4.  son  of  Mat- 
thias and  Margaret  (Buck)  Barth.  Matthias 
Barth  is  a  native  of  Wurtemburg.  Germany, 
and  came  to  Lee  County  in  1857,  was  later  en- 
gaged in  farming  in  Bureau  County.  111.,  but 
is  now  retired.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Fifty- 
second  Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry  from  1861 
to  1863,  during  the  War  cf  the  Rebellion.  His 
wife,  Margaret  Buck,  was  a  native  of  Wurtem- 
burg and  came  to  America  with  her  parents. 
When  twenty-one  years  of  age  George  J.  Barth 
rented  a  farm  of  his  father,  continuing  farm- 
ing business  until  1891.  He  removed  to  Sub- 
lette in  the  latter  year,  where  for  ten  years, 
he  engaged  in  the  general  mercantile  busi- 
ness with  his  brother-in-law,  William  Easter. 
On  October  22.  1885,  he  married  Emma  Easter, 
daughter  of  Henry  and  Margaret  (Schmidt) 
Easter,  and  of  this  union  there  are  four  chil- 
dren— John  I.,  Verna.  Leona.  and  Leroy.     Mrs. 


Barth  died  Feb.  9,  1895,  and  Mr.  Barth  married 
for  his  second  wife  Emma  A.  Oberhelman,  and 
their  children  are  Roemer,  Hilda  and  Gilbert. 
He  has  served  as  Supervisor  of  Sublette  Town- 
ship since  1897;  was  Village  Trustee  two  years, 
and  Village  Treasurer  four  years;  is  President 
of  the  Rescue  Fire  Company.  He  and  his  wife 
are  members  of  the  Evangelical  Lutheran 
church.  Fraternally  he  is  a  member  of  Sublette 
'Lodge.  No.  349,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  of  which  he  is 
Senior  Warden,  and  is  also  a  member  of  the  A, 
O.   U.   W.   of  Sublette. 

EDWIN  W.  SMITH.  City  Clerk  and  Treasur- 
er, Dixon,  111.,  was  born  in  Twinsburg,  Ohio, 
July,  1846,  son  of  Orris  B.  and  Anna  (M.) 
Smith,  who  were  also  natives  of  the  Buckeye 
State.  Edwin  W.  came  to  Dixon  in  1874,  where, 
for  the  following  thirteen  years,  he  was  en- 
gaged in  the  dry  goods  business.  In  1890  he 
was  elected  City  Clerk  and  Treasurer,  and 
has  since  served  in  that  capacity.  In  1891  he 
was    elected    Supervisor,    serving    until    1903; 


EDWIN    W.  SMITH. 

v/as  also  Chairman  of  the  Board  of  Supervisors 
five  years,  and  of  the  building  committee  for  the 
erection  of  the  new  court  house.  On  February 
22,  1SS7,  he  married  Emma  Kelsey,  born  in  Dix- 


HISTORY   OF   LEE   COUNTY 


739 


on.  111.,  and  they  have  two  children — Edwina 
(Mrs.  Charles  Leake)  and  Ruth.  In  political 
viev.'s  M.  Smith  is  a  stanch  Republican,  and  in 
fraternal  relations  belongs  to  the  Masonic  Or- 
der. Friendship  Lodge  No.  7,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  Na- 
chusa  Chapter  No.  56  R.  A.  M.,  Dixon  Com- 
mandery  No.  21  K.  T.  and  Dixon  Lodge  No. 
779  B.  P.  O.  E. 

NATHAN  A.  CORTRIGHT,  farmer,  Dixon 
Township,  Lee  Coimty,  111.,  was  born  in  Lu- 
zerne County,  Penn.,  Sept.  27,  1852,  the  sou 
of  Isaac  and  Molly  (Pollock)  Cortright.  nat- 
ives of  Pennsylvania,  who  came  to  Lee  County 
in  April,  1862,  and  settled  on  the  farm  now 
owned  by  their  son  Nathan  A.  This  farm  was 
entered  from  the  Government  in  1810  by  Elisha 
Cortright,  an  imcle  of  the  subject  of  this  art- 
icle. Isaac  Cortright  was  a  Republican,  and 
served  as  Justice  of  the  Peace  in  Pennsylvania 
for  sixteen  years.    He  died  April  6,  ISSI,  while 


NATHAN    A.    CORTRIGHT. 

his  v.'ife  survived  until  Jan.  19,  1885.  On  the 
death  of  his  father.  Nathan  A.  Cortright  as- 
sumed control  of  the  farm,  and  now  owns  145 
acres.  On  December  9,  1873.  he  married  Cath- 
erine A.  Burket.  daughter  of  John  N.  and  Molly 
(Fleck)  Burket.  and  to  them  six  children  have 
been  born,  viz.:   John  Wilber,  Charles  Nathan. 


Shelby  Miller.  Nellie  Burket,  Clyde  Clifford  and 
Cecil  Jennie.  Mr.  Cortright  is  a  stalwart  Re- 
publican in  politics,  and  is  now  serving  his 
fourth  term  as  Supervisor  of  Dixon  Township. 
He  also  served  as  School  Director  twenty-one 
years.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Cortright  attend)  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  church  at  Dixon. 


MICHAEL  SULLIVAN 


MICHAEL  SULLIVAN,  farmer  and  Supervis- 
or of  Reynolds  Township,  Lee  County,  111.,  was 
born  in  Flagg  Township.  Ogle  County,  111..  Feb. 
15,  1871,  son  of  Jeremiah  and  Bridget  (Sulli- 
van) Sullivan,  natives  of  Ireland,  the  former 
born  in  County  Cork  in  1826,  and  the  latter  in 
County  Kerry  in  1836.  Jeremiah  and  Bridget 
Sullivan  came  to  America  with  their  respect- 
ive parents  about  1849,  landing  in  New  York, 
but  proceeded  to  Massachusetts,  where  the 
heads  of  the  families  found  employment  in 
railroad  construction.  The  maternal  grand- 
parents of  Michael  Sullivan  died  at  Rochelle, 
111.,  but  those  on  the  paternal  side  died  in  Mas- 
sachusetts. Jeremiah  Sullivan  came  to  Ogle 
County,  111.,  in  1853,  and  found  employment 
on  the  North-Western  Railroad  then  in  course 
of  construction.  In  1863.  he  bought  170  acres 
of  land  in  Flagg  Township,  where  he  was  en- 
gaged in  farming  until  1880,  but  in  the  fall  of 


740 


HISTORY   OF   LEE    COUXTV 


the  latter  j'ear  purchased  a  half  section  of  land 
located  in  Sections  10.  9,  15,  and  16,  Reynolds 
Township,  Lee  County.  A  few  years  previous- 
ly he  had  married  Bridget  Sullivan,  and  they 
became  the  parents  of  twelve  children:  Philip. 
Cornelius  (died  at  the  ago  of  thirty-eight 
years).  Mary,  Daniel,  Michael.  John.  Eugene. 
Jeremiah.  Nora.  Nellie  and  two  who  died  in  in- 
fancy. Mr.  Sullivan  was  a  practical  farmer  and 
improved  his  farm  by  erecting  a  comfortable 
house  and  barn,  planting  trees,  and  bringing 
the  land  into  high  state  of  cultivation.  He 
died  Sept.  9.  1S99,  but  his  v.'ife  still  survives 
and  resides  at  Rochelle.  111.  Michael  Sullivan 
was  raised  on  his  father's  farm  and  obtained 
his  education  in  the  public  schools.  On  Nov. 
19.  1901,  he  married  Maggie  Spaulding.  daugh- 
ter of  Patrick  and  Elizabeth  (Leonard)  Spauld- 
ing. natives  cf  Ireland  who  came  to  Illinois  in 
1851,  and  located  at  Rochelle.  where  they  still 
reside.  When  Jeremiah  Sullivan  died,  his  farm, 
consisting'  of  360  acres,  was  left  to  his  widow, 
but  it  is  now  rented  and'  conducted  by  Michael 
Sullivan  and  his  brother  Jeremiah.  Michael 
Sullivan  is  a  Democrat  in  politics,  and  was 
elected  Collector  of  his  township  in  1896  and 
'97,  and  has  served  an  Supervisor  since  1899. 

JOHN  C.  McCLEARY.  farmer  and  present 
Supervisor.  Palmyra  Township.  Lee  County. 
111.,  was  born  in  Lawrence  County,  Penn.,  Jan. 
9,  1841,  son  of  William  and  Selinda  (Morehead) 
McCleary,  who  were  the  parents  of  eight  chil- 
dren. William  McCleary  brought  his  family 
to  Lee  County  in  1865,  locating  in  Nelson  Town- 
ship, where  he  died  in  1879.  and  his  wife  now 
resides  with  their  son  J.  C.  J.  C.  McCleary 
obtained  his  education  in  the  district  schools 
of  his  native  State,  and  during  the  late  Re- 
bellion served  nine  months  in  Company  I,  One 
Hundred  and  Thirty-fourth  Pennsylvania  Volun- 
teer Infantry.  His  oldest  brother.  James,  also 
served  in  the  Union  ranks,  and  was  killed  in 
the  battle  of  Gettysburg.  On  Jan.  21.  1869.  Mr. 
McCleary  was  married  to  Mary  E.  Gruver. 
daughter  of  Uriah  and  Katherine  (Reitz)  Gruv- 
er who  came  ficm  Pennsylvania  and  settled  in 
Lee  County  in  1848.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  McCleary 
six  children  have  been  born —  Laura  (Mrs. 
Merrit  Scholl).  Alice.  Emma.  Edward.  Ethel  ami 
William  Jason,  bcrn  March  8.  1SS3,  and  died 
Nov.  2.  1SS9.     In  1876  Mr.  McCleary  purchased 


his  present  farm  of  143  acres,  upon  which  he 
has  built  a  comfortable  residence  and  spa- 
cious barns,  besides  planting  a  great  many 
shade  and  fruit  trees.  He  is  independent  in 
political  views,  and  in  1903  was  elected  Super- 


JOH.N    C.    McCLEARY. 

visor  of  his  township,  but  had  previously 
served  six  years  as  Highway  Comissioner,  be- 
ing an  incumbent  of  the  latter  office  at  the 
time  of  beginning  the  construction  of  hard 
roads  in  Palmyra  Township.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Mc- 
Cleary are  members  of  the  Presbyterian 
church. 

J.  S.  BRIGGS.  dealer  in-  drugs  and  groceries, 
Amboy,  111.,  was  born  in  Schoharie  County, 
N.  Y..  first  removed  from  his  native  State  to 
Michigan,  and  in  1856  came  to  Amboy,  111., 
where  he  has  been  continuously  in  business 
longer  than  any  other  man  in  the  village.  He 
married  Etta  L.  Jones,  and  they  have  two 
children.  In  politics  he  is  a  Republican,  and 
in  religious  belief  a  Congregationalist. 

CHARLES  F.  WELTY.  farmer.  Marion 
Township.  Lee  County,  111.,  v.'as  born  in  Dixon, 
111.,  Nov.  .  1858.  the  son  of  Judge  David  Welty 
(see  sketch  of  latter) :  was  educated  in  his 
native  place   and.  in  1881.   went  to   South  Da- 


HISTORY   OF   LEE   COUXTY. 


741 


kota,  where  he  remained  two  years,  when  he 
returned  to  Illinois  and,  with  the  exception 
of  one  year,  has  since  heen  identifieJ  with  Lee 
County  affairs.  April  14.  1SS4,  he  married  Mary 
A.  McKevitt,  and  of  this  union  have  been  born 


CHARLES    F.    WELTY. 

Six  children,  viz.:  George  H..  Frances  J..  Anna 
D.,  Charles  D.,  Helen  and  Adelaide.  Politically 
Mr.  Welty  is  a  Republican,  served  five  years  as 
Supervisor  of  Marion  Township,  when  he  re- 
signed and  was  elected  County  Treasurer,  serv- 
ing four  years;  is  now  Treasurer  of  his  town- 
ship. 

REINHART  ASCHENBRENNER.  farmer 
and  stock-feeder,  Bradford  Township,  Lee  Coun- 
ty, 111.,  was  born  Oct.  20,  1860,  the  son  of  John 
and  Catherine  (Reinhart)  Aschenbrenner.  His 
fatherl  was  born  in  Germany  in  1833.  and  came 
to  the  United  States  when  twenty  years  of  age. 
The  mother,  also  a  native  of  Germany,  was 
born  Oct.  24.  1832,  the  daughter  of  Christian 
and  Christine  Reinhart,  and  first  married 
Oman  Hillison,  by  whom  she  had  two  children 
— Henry  W..  of  China  Township,  and  Betsy  .!., 
wife  of  Conrad  Brandau,  of  Dysart,  Iowa.  She 
married  Mr.  Aschenbrenner  in  1855.  and  bore 
him  three  children:    Christian,  now  of  Dysart. 


Iowa;  Reinhart.  and  Andrew  A.  John  Aschen- 
brenner. who  became  an  Evangelical  minister, 
is  still  living  at  the  age  of  sixty-nine  years, 
and  has  spent  the  later  years  of  his  life  away 
from  his  family.  Mrs.  Aschenbrenner  was  a 
woman  of  more  than  ordinary  ability,  and 
brought  up  her  family  in  a  pains-taking  man- 
ner, giving  to  each  of  her  children  a  160-acre 
farm,  besides  leaving  other  property  at  the 
time  of  her  death,  July  20,  1900.  Reinhart 
Aschenbrenner  was  married  May  26,  1892,  to 
Helen  Muerner,  daughter  of  Peter  and  Louisa 
(Knopf)  Muerner,  natives  of  Switzerland,  who 
are  now  living  at  Naperville.  111.,  where  their 
daughter  Helen  was  born.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Muer- 
ner came  to  America  when  the  former  was 
eighteen  and  the  latter  four  years  of  age.  Mr. 
and  Mrs  Aschenbrenner  have  one  child.  Cath- 
erine Elizabeth.  Mr.  Aschenbrenner  owns 
320  acres  of  land,  and  in  partnership  with  his 


REINHART    ASCHENBRENNER. 

brother.  Andrew  A.,  who  also  owns  a  320-acre 
farm,  is  engaged  in  general  farming  and  feed- 
ing cattle,  the  brothers  turning  out  200  head 
each  year.  In  politics  he  is  a  Republican, 
and  his  wife  is  a  member  of  the  German  Evan- 
gelical church. 


742 


HISTORY   OF   LEE    COUXTY. 


ANDREW  ASCHENBRENNER,  farmer  and 
stock-feeder,  Bradford  Township.  Lee  County, 
111.,  was  born  in  the  township  where  he  now 
resides,  April  1,  1865,  son  of  John  and  Gather 
ine  (Reinhart)  Aschenbrenner.  Mr.  Aschenbren 
ner  owns  2S0  acres  of  land  besides  a  half  in 
terest    in    320    acres    in    partnership    with    his 


ANDREW    ASCHENBRENNER. 

brother  Reinhart,  and  devotes  his  attention  to 
raising  hogs  and  feeding  cattle.  February  22. 
1890.  he  married  Malinda  S.  Frost,  daughter  of 
Capt.  William  S.  and  Sophia  E.(Shaw)  Frost, 
of  Bradford  Township,  and  of  this  union  three 
children — Delia  E..  Marion  Eva  and  Andrew 
Reinhart — have  been  barn.  In  political  re- 
lations Mr.  Aschenbrenner  is  a  Republican, 
and  has  served  as  Town  Clerk  three  years  and 
School  Director  twelve  years.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Aschenbrenner  attend  the  Congregational 
church. 


first  employed  as  a  farm-hand,  but  later  rented 
a  farm  in  partnership  with  his  brother  Sabin. 
Augustus  Trowbridge  came  to  Lee  County  in 
the  early  '40s.  bringing  with  him  a  soldier's 
warrant  for  forty  acres  of  land,  which  he  enter- 
ed and  deeded  to  his  son  Reuben,  as  remu- 
neration for  supporting  himself  and  wife  as 
long  as  they  should  live.  Reuben  Trowbridge 
made  subsequent  additions  to  this  40-acre  tract, 
and  at  one  time  owned  500  acres  of  excellent 
farming  land,  but  later  disposed  of  a  part  of 
his  holdings,  having  at  the  time  of  his  death 
an  estate  of  256  acres.  On  April  1,  1855,  he 
married  Mary  A.  Warner,  born  near  Hagers- 
town,  Md.,  daughter  of  David  and  Mary  (Shaw) 
Warmer,  natives  of  Boltimcre,  Md.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Trowbridge  were  the  parents  of  six  child- 
ern  viz.:  Harriet  Z..  wife  of  Frank  Cart- 
wright;  Reuben  H..  living  in  Nebraska:  Henry 
B.  of  Dixon;    Mary  L..  wife  of  C.  P.  Jackson, 


REUBEN    TROWBRIDGE. 


REUBEN  TROWBRIDGE  (deceased)  was 
born  in  Broome  County.  N.  Y..  Oct.  4.  182:5.  son 
of  Augustus  and  Lucy  (Bierce)  Trowbridge, 
natives  of  New  York  State,  but  of  English 
extraction.  Reuben  Trowbridge  was  raised  on 
a  farm  and  came  to;  Lee  County  in  1842.  locat- 
ing near  the  present   site  of  Amboy.     He  was 


a  farmer  of  Lee  County;  Austin  L..  residing  in 
Salt  Lake  City.  Utah;  Clara  M.,  wife  of  Albert 
H.  Hammerstorm,  of  Parker,  S,  D.  In  1850 
Mr.  Trowbridge  made  an  overland  trip  by  ox- 
team  to  California,  where  he  remained  three 
years,  and  then  returned  to  Illinois  via  the 
Isthmus  of  Panama  and  New  York.    In  political 


HISTORY   OF   LEE    COLWrV, 


743 


sentiment  he  was  a  Prohibitionist  and  served 
as  Road  Commissioner  and  Sdiool  Trustee  a 
number  of  years.  He  was  a  man  of  sterling 
character,  a  devout  Christian  and  a  member  of 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  and  was 
Superintendent  of  the  Sunday  School  at  El- 
dena,  111.,  for  twenty  years.  In  1887  Mr.  Trow- 
bridge retired  from  active  farm  life  and  re- 
moved to  Dixon,  where  he  passed  the  remain- 
der of  his  life,  dying  in  that  city  on  Nov.  3. 
1901.  Mrs.  Trowbridge  still  survives  and  re- 
sides on  Second  Street.  Dixon. 

HERMAN  LINDEMAN  (deceased)  w-as  born 
in  Carroll  County,  Md..  Oct.  1.  1835,  son  ot 
John  B.  and  Elizabeth  Lindeman,  natives  of 
Germany  who  came  to  the  United  States  in 
the  early  '30s  and  located  in  Lee  County  in 
1844,  -where  they  both  died.  Herman  Linde- 
man was  married  in  1858  to  Nancy  Fritz, 
daughter  of  John  and  Eva  (Monery)  Fritz, 
natives  of  Pennsylvania,  who  settled  in  Lee 
County    in    1851,    where    they    both    died.     Mr 


HERMAN   UINDEMAN. 

and  Mrs.  Lindeman  were  the  parents  ot  nine 
children,  viz.:  Clara  (wife  of  A.  J.  Lyndes), 
Alice  (Mrs.  Edward  Burket),  Ida  (Mrs.  Luther 
Burket),    Mary    (Mrs.    D.   L.   Groverl,    Clinton, 


Gilbert,  John  Mason  (died  Feb.  21,  1868), 
Hattie  (died  Feb.  24,  1869),  and  Jennie  E. 
(died  April  18,  1881).  Mr.  Lindeman  was  a 
successful  manager  and,  at  the  time  of  his 
death,  owned  280  acres  of  land  in  Lee  County. 
In  political  views  he  was  a  Republican,  and 
in  religious  convictions  a  Lutheran.  During 
the  latter  years  of  his  life.  Mr.  Lindeman 
had  lived  retired  in  Dixon,  111.,  where  he  died 
in  1901. 


HENRY  J.  SCOTT. 

HENRY  J.  SCOTT  (deceased),  who  for  many 
years  was  a  contractor  and  builder,  Dixon, 
111.,  was  born  in  Vermont  in  1820.  He  learned 
his  trade  in  his  native  State,  where  he  also 
obtained  his  education,  later  engaged  in  teach- 
ing and  became  Captain  of  the  local  militia 
at  Linden,  Vt.  January  5,  1852,  he  married 
Annie  R.  Robbins,  and  to  them  two  children 
were  born:  Herbert  and  Ida  (Mrs.  William 
Morgan).  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Scott  came  to  Lee 
County  in  1852.  Mr.  Scott  was  a  partner  of 
Lyman  Adams  for  about  thirty  years  under  the 
firm  name  of  Scott  &  Adams,  contractors  and 
builders,  and  during  this  period  built  many 
fine  residences  and  business  blocks  in  Dixon 
and  the  surrounding  country.  In  political 
views   he   was   a   stanch   Republican  and   serv- 


'44 


HISTORY   OF   LEE   COUNTY. 


ed  as  City  Alderman.  Mr.  Scott  was  a  success- 
ful business  manager  and  owned  considerable 
property  in  Dixon.  He  died  April  3.  1896.  Mrs. 
Scott  was  born  in  Peru.  Bennington  County. 
Vt,  July  31.  1S30,  daughter  of  David  and  Eliza 
(Davis)  Robins  of  Dublin,  N.  H.  Mrs.  Scott's 
father,  David  Robins,  was  a  farmer  in  the 
Green  Mountain  State  and  served  in  the  War 
of  1812,  as  also  did  her  maternal  grandfather 
Davis,  while  her  paternal  grandfather  Robins 
was  a  patriot  soldier  of  the  Revolution,  and 
two  of  her  brothers  served  in  the  Unoin  ranks 
during  the  late  Rebellion.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Scott 
gave  their  childern  good  educational  advan- 
tages. Their  son  Herbert:  is  a  graduate  of  the 
Dixon  high  school  and  at  present  is  in  the 
employ  of  the  Grand  Detour  Plow  Company 
while  their  daughter  is  a  graduate  in  the  de- 
partment of  music  of  Dixon  College.  Mrs. 
Scott  still  survives  and  occupies  a  pleasant  resi- 
dence erected  by  her  late  husband  in  North 
Dixon,  where  she  has  resided  for  fifty-one 
years. 


JOHN    DYSART. 

CAPT.  JOHN  DYSART  (deceased)  was 
born  in  Huntingdon  County,  Penn.,  Oct.  4, 
1834,  son  of  Joseph  and  Mary  A.  (Davidson) 
Dysart.  He  received  his  educational  training  in 


the  'niblic  schools  of  his  native  State,  and 
came  to  Illinois  in  1S57.  locating  near  Nachusa, 
where  he  engaged  in  the  grain  and  lumber 
business.  On  Aug.  25.  1861,  he  enlisted  in 
Company  D,  Bowen's  Cavalry  Battalion  of  Vol- 
nnteers — later  a  part  of  the  Army  of  the  Miss- 
issippi— in  which  he  served  three  years,  in  the 
meantime  being  promoted  to  the  rank  of  Cap- 
tain. On  March  9,  1865,  he  married  Miss  E.  L. 
Crawford  of  Pennsylvania,  and  to  them  two 
children  — Grace  and  Blanche — were  born.  In 
political  sentiment  the  Captain  was  a  Repub- 
lican, and  fraternally  belonged  to  the  Masonic 
order.  Sir  Knight  and  G.  A.  R.  In  religious  be- 
lief he  was  a  Presbyterian.  He  died  Dec.  30, 
1899.  Mrs.  Dysart  and  her  daughters  have  a 
pleasant  home  on  Depot  Avenue.  Dixon.  111., 
where  thev  now  reside. 


WILLIAM    C.    DYSART. 

WILLIAM  C.  DYSART  (deceased),  for  many 
years  a  prominent  merchant  and  grain  and 
lumber  dealer  of  Lee  County,  was  born  in 
Huntingdon  County,  Penn.,  July  9,  1837.  son 
of  Joseph  and  Mary  A.  (Davidson)'  Dysart.  and 
a  brother  of  Captain  John  Dysart.  His  early 
life  was  spent  on  a  farm  and  in  the  meantime 
he  obtained  a  liberal  education  in  the  Mountain 
Seminary.    Birmingham.    Penn.      In   the    spring 


HISTORY   OF   LEE    COUNTY 


■45 


of  1866  he  came  to  Lee  County,  and  in  part- 
nership with  his  brother.  Captain  John  Dysart, 
erected  the  first  grain  elevator  at  Nachusa, 
which  they  operated  for  one  year.  Returning 
to  his  native  State  in  1867,  he  established 
himself  in  the  grocery  business  at  Altoona, 
which  he  conducted  until  1879,  when  he  re- 
turned to  Nachusa,  where  he  became  a  general 
merchant  and  lumber  dealer,  and  retired  from 
active  business  in  1887.  On  Jan.  23,  1872,  he 
married  Sophia  Barlow,  daughter  of  Augustus 
Barlow,  and  to  them  two  children  were  born 
— Anna  May  (Mrs.  Guy  Furley  of  Iowa)  and 
Lela.  Mr.  Dysart  was  appointed  Postmaster 
of  Nachusa  in  1869,  holding  office  until  1887, 
when  he  retired  and  removed  to  Dixon.  He 
died  July  28,  1902,  and  was  buried  with  honor 
by  the  Knights  Templar.  Mrs.  Dysart  sur- 
vives her  husband  and  with  her  youngest 
daughter,  resides  on  Depot  Avenue,  Di.xon. 

HENRY  B.  MILLER,  retired  farmer.  Palmyra 
Township,  Lee  County,  was  born  on  his  father's 
farm  in  Palmyra  Township,  Dec.  22,  1844.  the 
son  of  William  and  Anna  (Obrist)  Miller,  the 
former  a  native  of  Germany  and  the  latter  of 
Switzerland.  His  parents  came  to  America 
in  1833,  and  to  Lee  County,  111.,  in  1842,  first 
bought  a  farm  in  Palmyra  Township  near 
Prairieville,  but  later  one  on  Section  9,  in  the 
same  township  on  which  the  subject  of  this 
sketch  is  now  living.  There  were  nine  children 
of  the  family,  of  whom  five  are  now  living 
viz.:  Henry  E.,  B.  F.  and  three  maiden  ladies 
— Anna.  Louise  and  Sarah — who  live  together 
on  the  old  homestead  near  their  brother  Henry 
E.  The  father  died  in  May,  1871,  and  the 
mother  in  1873.  William  Miller,  the  father, 
was  a  Democrat,  served  as  School  Director 
and  organized  the  first  school  in  his  neighbor- 
hood, now  district  No.  5.  Henry  E.  spent  his 
youth  on  his  father's  farm,  and  owing  to  the 
absence  of  school  facilities,  at  an  early  day, 
acquired  most  of  his  education  between  his 
twentieth  and  twenty-third  year.  December  23, 
1869,  he  married  Margaret  Leivan,  daughter  of 
Mathias  and  Margaret  (Miller)  Leivan,  who 
were  early  settlers  of  Lee  County.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Henry  E.  Miller  have  had  eight  children, 
of  whom  five  are  now  living,  viz.:  Charles  M., 
who  married  Ellen  Lawrence:  Edward  H., 
married    Mary    Plummer:    John    F..       married 


Bessie  Plummer:  Oscar  L.  and  Frederich  P.  Mr. 
Miller  is  a  member  of  the  Lutheran  church, 
politically  a  Republican  and  served  many  years 
as  School  Director  of  his  district.  He  retired 
from  active  life  as  a  farmer  in  1902,  but  still 
occupies    a    pleasant    residence    on    the    home 


HENRY    E.    MILLER. 

farm,  which  is  managed  by  his  son.  At  pres- 
ent (1903)  he  is  actively  interested  in  the 
projected  electric  railroad  between  Dixon  and 
Sterling. 

CHRISTIAN  GROSS,  farmer,  China  Town- 
ship, Lee  County,  111.,  was  born  in  the  township 
where  he  resides,  March  22,  1854.  son  of  Rein- 
hart  and  Martha  (Reinhart)  Gross,  natives  of 
Germany,  the  former  coming  to  the  United 
States  in  1847,  and  the  latter  in  1846.  They 
are  both  deceased.  On  Sept.  22,  1875,  Chris- 
tain  Gross  was  married  to  Henrietta  W.  Hat- 
zel,  daughter  of  Conrad  and  Elizabeth  (Eck- 
hart)  Hatzel,  natives  of  Germany  who  were 
early  settlers  in  Lee  County,  Conrad  Hatzel 
is  now  deceased,  but  his  wife  still  survives. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Gross  have  three  children — 
Lillie  A.,  Reinhart  C.  and  Frederick  C.  Mr. 
Gross  owns  an  estate  of  529  acres  of  land 
located  in  China  and  Bradford  Townships,  and 


746 


HISTORY   OF   LEE    COUNTY. 


is   agent    of   the    Bradford   Mutual 
aace  Company  of  Lee  County,  111. 


Fire   Insur- 
In  political 


CHRISTIAN    GROSS. 


opinions  Mr.Gross  i 
ligious  convictions 
gelical   church. 


a  Republic 
i    member 


and  in  re 
the    Evan- 


GUSTAVE  P.  BRECHON.  farmer.  South 
Dixon  Township,  Lee  County,  was  born  near 
the  city  of  Belfort.  France,  the  son  of  Joseph 
and  Margaret  (Blanc)  Brechon.  who  came  to 
Lee  County,  111.,  in  1864  and  settled  in  Bradford 
Township — the  father  dying  there  Oct.  6,  1887. 
November  21,  1893,  the  subject  of  this  sketch 
was  married  to  Mary  Fattat.  daughter  of  Peter 
and  Sylva  Pattat.  who  were  also  natives  of 
France,  and  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Brechon  are  the  par- 
ents of  live  children:  Rosa  M..  Adeline  S., 
Mary  M.,  Adel  F.  and  Joseph  F.  Mr.  Brechon 
is  the  owner  of  eighty  acres  of  land  in  .South 
Dixon  Township.  Religiously  he  is  a  Catholic 
and   in  politics  a  Democrat. 


on.  He  obtained  his  education  in  Canandaigua 
Academy  near  Rochester,  N.  Y..  and  when  a 
youth  worked  for  a  few  years  in  his  maternal 
grandfather's  flouring  mill.  Later  he  moved 
to  Green  Lake,  Wis.,  where  on  April  30,  1847. 
he  was  married  to  Sophia  E.  Preston,  daughter 
of  Charles  and  Susan  (Burgess)  Preston,  na- 
tives of  New  York  State,  and  they  became  the 
parents  of  six  children,  viz.:  Harriet,  Sophia, 
Abner.  Augustus.  Annie  and  Etta— all  born  in 
Wisconsin.  In  1866  Mi.  Barlow  came  to  Dixon, 
making  that  city  his  home  for  sixteen  years 
and  then  removed  with  his  family  to  Minnesota, 
l)ut  in  1892  returned  to  Dixon,  where  he  died 
Sept.  12,  1894.  During  his  business  career  Mr. 
Barlow  had  accumulated  considerable  property, 
and  owned  a  160-acre  farm  near  the  city  of 
Dixon,  which  now  belongs  to  his  son  Abner. 
In  later  life  he  did  an  extensive  business  in 
loaning  money  on  real-estate.  In  political 
sentiment   he  was  a  Republican,  and.  while  a 


AUGUSTUS  BARLOW. 


AUGUSTUS  BARLOW  (deceased)  was  born 
in  Ontario  Coimty.  N.  Y..  May  13,  1819,  son  of 
Abner  and  Harriet  (Short)  Barlow,  also  na- 
tives of  the  Empire  State.  Augustus  Barlow 
was  a  farmer  and  capitalist  and  resided  in  Dix- 


resident  of  Minnesota,  served  one  term  in  the 
State  Legislature.  Fraternally  he  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Masonic  Order.  Mrs.  Barlow  still 
survives  and  resides  on  Third  Street.  Dixon, 
111. 


HISTORY   OF   LEE    COUXTY 


747 


JOHN    YETTER.    retired    farmei 
Lee  County  III.,  born  in  Rlieinpfalz 


Steward, 
Germany, 


JOHN    YETTER. 

Dec.  18,  1835,  the  son  of  John  G.  and  Katrina 
(Meyer)  Yetter,  was  educated  in  the  German 
schools,  and  in  1854  came  to  America  landing 
at  New  Yory  City,  where  he  found  employ- 
ment for  the  next  nine  months.  His  parents 
having  come  to  New  York  still  later,  in  1855 
they  came  to  Putnam  County.  111.,  where  his 
father  rented  a  farm  near  Hennepin,  of  which 
the  subject  of  this  sketch,  being  the  oldest  son 
of  the  family,  soon  after  assumed  tha  manage- 
ment. In  the  fall  of  1859  he  removed  to  Lee 
County.  November  23,  1857,  he  was  married  to 
Magdalena  Schoenholz,  who  was  a  native  of 
Germany,  and  they  became  the  parents  of 
nine  children,  all  of  whom  (1904)  are  now 
living,  viz.:  John  P.,  who  is  Postmaster  at 
Steward;  Carl  T.,  a  farmer  of  Willow  Creek 
Township;  Lena  E.,  wife  of  W.  H.  Clinite: 
Mary  M.,  wife  of  Frank  Van  Patten;  George 
W.,  a  farmer  of  Willow  Creek  Township; 
Jacob  J.,  who  rents  from  his  father  the  old 
homestead  farm  in  Willow  Creek  Township; 
Frederick  M.,  who  resides  in  Davenport  Iowa; 
Franklin  B.,  of  Davenport,  Iowa;  Julia  May, 
wife    of   Robert    W.    Hough,    who    is    engaged 


with  Shearer  Brothers,  grain-dealers  at  Stew- 
ard, 111.  Mr.  Yetter,  Sr..  is  a  member  of  the 
Steward  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  has  serv- 
ed his  township  eight  years  as  Supervisor.  In 
1896  he  retired  from  active  farm  life,  but  re- 
tains 180  acres  of  land  in  Willow  Creek  Town- 
ship out  of  300  acres  which  he  formerly  owned. 
In  his  active  days  as  a  farmer  he  was  engaged 
in  the  breeding  of  Short-horn  Durham  cattle. 
Mrs.  John   Yetter  died   Sept.   29,  1899. 

SIMON  P.  YOUNG,  farmer.  Nelson  Town- 
ship, Lee  County,  born  in  Somerset  County, 
Penn.,  March  26,  1858,  the  son  of  Peter  and 
Lucinda  Young,  natives  of  Pennsylvania,  who 
came  to  Lee  County,  111.,  in  1864.  There  were 
nine  children  of  the  family.  Peter  Young,  the 
father,  is  now  deceased ;  the  mother  makes 
her  home  at  Rock  Falls,  111.  Simon  P.  Young 
resides  on  his  farm  of  160  acres  in  Nelson 
Township.  January  21,  1891,  he  married  Re- 
becca J.   Ranch,  daughter  of  Henry  and  Julia 


SIMON    P.    YOUNG. 

Ranch,  both  natives  of  Pennsylvania,  and  they 
have  had  six  children  viz.:  Paul  H..  Ruth  L., 
Raymond  R.,  Hester  C,  Helen  J.  and  Irene  V. 
The  famiy  belong  to  the  Lutheran  Church,  and 
fraternally  Mr.  Young  is  a  member  of  the 
Knights   of  the  Globe. 


748 


HISTORY   OF   LEE   COUNTY. 


LESTER  D.  PITCHER.  President  and  origi- 
nator of  the  Lee  County  Telephone  System, 
and  originator  of  the  Jo  Daviess  County  Tele- 
phone System,  which  has  been  recently  incor- 


LESTER    D.    PITCHER. 

porated  and  named  in  honor  of  him,  "The 
Pitcher  Telephone  Co.."  was  born  in  Lewis 
County,  N.  Y.,  July  2S.  1839,  son  of  Philander 
and  Mary  (Ager)  Pitcher.  He  obtained  his 
elementary  education  in  the  common  schools, 
and  when,  a  youth  worked  on  a  farm.  In  1861 
he  enlisted  in  Company  I,  Fifth  New  York 
Heavy  Artillery,  later  came  to  Jo  Daviess 
County,  111.,  and  engaged  in  the  mercantile 
business  at  a  place  named  Pitcherville  in  his 
honor,  afterwards  appointed  Postmaster  dur- 
ing Lincoln's  administration.  He  came  to  Lee 
County  in  1871.  being  then  patentee  of  the 
■  barley  fork,"  a  tool  much  in  use  for  handling 
grain  without  binding,  but  later  superseded 
by  the  self-binder.  Mr.  Pitcher  sold  this  im- 
plement to  jobbers  over  a  territory  extend- 
ing from  the  New  England  coast  to  California, 
and  realized  a  fortune  from  the  same.  Later 
he  engaged  in  the  implement  and  coal  trade 
at  Dixon,  which  he  conducted  successfully 
until  1900.  In  189(5  he  inaugurated  the  County 
Telephone    Company,    a    system    covering    Lee 


County  and  connecting  it  with  other  counties 
and  adjoining  States.  This  enterprise  has 
proved  to  be  a  great  success,  and  is  much  ap- 
jireciated  by  residents  of  the  village  and  rural 
districts  in  that  territory.  Mr.  Pitcher  owns 
a  large  amount  of  stock  in  the  Pitcher  Tele- 
phone Company  of  Jo  Daviess  County,  of  which, 
his  son  Grant  W.  Pitcher  is  manager  with  of- 
fices at  Galena.  In  1860  he  married  Harriet 
Graves,  by  whom  there  were  three  children, 
viz.:  R.  Everett.  Mayor  cf  Alma.  Neb.;  Mary, 
wife  of  William  Peters.  Stockton,  111.,  and 
Grant   W. 

Mr.  Pitcher  was  married  to  his  second  wife 
Abbie  Cramer,  in  1871,  and  of  this  union  there 
are  tv.-o  children,  Bessie  E  and  Louis  A.,  Supt. 
and  Sec'y  of  t  he  Lee  County  Telephone 
Company.  Mr.  Pitcher  has  served  in  the  City 
Council  several  terms;  was  a  member  of  the 
Board  of  Education  fifteen  years,  and  is  a 
member  of  the  G.  A.  R..  and  A.  O.  U.  W.  In 
political    views    he    is    a    Republican. 


FRANK    F.   DIXON. 

FRANK  F.  DIXON  (deceased),  formerly  a 
leading  merchant  tailor.  Dixon.  111.,  was  born 
in  County  Mayo,  Ireland,  in  1830.  When  a 
youth,  he  came  with  his  parents  to  America 
and   lived   for   many  years   in   New   York   City. 


HISTORY   OF   LEE    COUNTY. 


749 


where  he  learned  the  tailor's  trade.  He  came 
to  Lee  County  in  the  latter  '60s,  and  for  sever- 
al years  was  employed  as  a  cutter  for  the  late 
Isaac  Jones.  He  was  married  to  Lizzie  Cun- 
ningham, daughter  of  Nicholas  and  Mary 
(Welch)  Cunningham,  and  to  them  two  child- 
ren, Frank  C.  and  Mamie  were  born,  the  for- 
mer dying  in  infancy,  and  the  latter  April  6. 
1903,  Mr.  Dixon  established  himself  in  the 
tailoring  business  at  Dixon  in  1870,  and  con- 
ducted a  profitable  business  until  his  death. 
May  4,  1896,  and  accumulated  considerable 
property.  In  political  views  he  was  a  Repub- 
lican, and  served  as  City  Alderman  two  terms. 
In  religious  faith  he  was  a  member  of  the 
Catholic  church.  Mrs.  Dixon  still  survives  and 
resides  at  422  E.  Second     Street.  Dixon.  111. 

JABEZ  ABELL  (deceased)  was  born  near 
Aylmore,  Ontario,  Canada,  Jan.  18,  1807,  the 
son  of  Daniel  and  Rebecca  Abell,  In  1847  he 
came  to  Illinois,  locating  at  St.  Charles,  Kane 
County,  where  he  remained  ona  year  and  then 
removed  to  Ogle  County,  but  shortly  afterwards 
(in  1848)  settled  on  his  homestead  of  106  acres 
in  Lee  County,  In  1843  he  was  married  to 
Susan  Miller  of  Scotland,  Ontario,  Canada,  and 
to  this  union  nine  children  were  born:  Melissa 
(drowned  at  Inlet,  in  June,  1860),  John  M., 
Benjamin  F.,  Melvina  (deceased),  Mary  E., 
Henry  A.,  Daniel  L.,  Annie  and  Josephine 
(deceased).  During  the  Civil  War  Mr.  Abell 
served  sixteen  months  in  the  Eighty-ninth 
Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry.  He  died  March 
16,  1866,  his  wife  surviving  until  Dec.  16, 
1899.  Mr.  Abell  was  a  Republican  in  political 
affiliations,  and  in  religious  belief  a  Methodist. 

JOHN  M.  ABELL,  farmer,  Viola  Township, 
Lee  County.  111.,  was  born  at  St.  Charles,  Kane 
County,  111.,  Dec.  25,  1844,  the  son  of  Jabez  and 
Susan  (Miller)  Abell.  He  was  brought  by  his 
parents  to  Lee  County  in  1848  and  remained  at 
home  until  the  outbreak  of  the  Civil  War.  when, 
on  Dec.  25j  1863,  he  enlisted  in  Battery  G,  Sec- 
ond Illinois  Light  Artillery  and  served  until 
the  close  of  the  war.  Returning  to  Lee  County, 
after  having  valiantly  served  his  country  on 
the  battlefield,  he  took  possession  of  the  home- 
stead, v.'here  he  has  since  resided.  On  March 
12,  1869,  he  married  Leonora  Lazarus,  daugh- 
ter of  Silas  and  Mary  Lazarus,  and  to  them  ten 


children  have  been  born,  all  of  v.-hom  are  liv- 
ing, viz,:  Charles  J.,  Philip  S.,  Harry  H.,  Laura 
L.,  Cecil,  Millie,  Stella,  R.  Leslie,  Rtith  and 
Hope.  Mr.  Abell  is  a  member  of  Brooklyn  Lodge, 
No.  282  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  Anchor  Lodge  No,  510, 
I.  O.  O.  F.  of  Paw  Paw,  Knights  of  the  Globe, 
and   Eastern    Star   of   Compton,   his   wife   also 


JOHN    M,    ABELL. 

being  a  member  of  the  latter  organization.  In 
politics  he  is  a  Republican,  and  has  served  his 
fellow-citizens  one  year  as  Supervisor,  four 
years  as  Tax  Collector,  one  year  as  Assessor, 
and  eight  years  as  Justice  of  the  Peace.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Abell  are  members  of  the  United 
Brethren  church. 

HENRY  C.  MENZ.  farmer  and  Township 
Treasurer,  Section  3,  Reynolds  Township,  Lee 
County,  III.,  was  born  in  Kur-Hessen,  Germany, 
Aug.  29,  1857,  son  of  Henry  and  Annie  C,  (Wag- 
ner) Menz.  Henry  Menz,  Sr.,'  brought  his  fam- 
ily to  America  in  1867.  Coming  direct  to  Lee 
County,  he  bought  land  in  Reynolds  Township, 
where  he  was  engaged  in  farming  until  1900. 
when  he  retired  from  active  life  and  has  since 
lived  at  the  home  of  his  daughter,  Mrs.  Martin 
Smith.  Seven  children  were  born  to  Mr.  and 
Mrs.   Menz.   viz.:    Justus    (deceased):    John   E.. 


'50 


HISTORY   OF   LEE    COUNTY. 


a  farmer  residing  in  Minnesota:  Henry  C; 
Charles,  who  is  engaged  in  farming  in  Lee 
County;  Dora,  wife  of  Martin  Smith:  Christina, 
wife  of  Peter  J.  Hahnen.  foreman  in  the  office  of 


HENRY    C.    MENZ. 

the  United  States  Express  Company.  Chicago: 
and  Martin,  who  is  engaged  in  farming  in  Lee 
County.  Henry  C.  Menz  obtained  his  elemen- 
tary education  in  the  Fatherland,  which  was 
supplemented  by  a  course  in  the  English 
branches  after  coming  to  America.  He  grew  to 
maturity  on  his  father's  farm,  and  on  Oct.  25. 
1884,  married  Miss  Emma  L.  Wiener,  daughter 
of  Ernst  Wiener,  a  retired  farmer  who  settled 
in  Lee  County  in  18.58.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Menz 
are  the  parents  of  the  following  named  child- 
ren: Lily.  Annie.  Hilda  Eliza,  Olive  Mattie. 
and  Minnie  Dora. (who  died  in  1896,  aged  seven 
years).  In  political  views  Mr.  Menz  is  a  Repub- 
lican and  is  now  serving  as  Township  Treas- 
urer, having  tilled  that  oifice  for  the  past  six 
years:  has  also  served  as  Township  Collector 
and  School  Director.  Fraternally  he  belongs 
to  the  Masonic  Order.  Mystic  Shrine.  Knights 
Templar.  B.  P.  O.  E.  E..  M.  W.  A.,  and  Dixon 
Commandery.  He  and  his  wife  are  members 
of  the  Evangelical  church.  Mrs.  Menz  has  a 
well-improved   farm   of  :120  acres. 


JOSEPH  E.  HENRY,  retired  farmer.  West 
Brooklyn,  111.,  was  born  in  Department  of 
Murthe,  Loraine,  France.  Jan.  19,  1851,  son  of 
Francis  and  Marguerite  M.  (Maire)  Henry, 
natives  of  France,  who  landed  at  New  Orleans 
in  1854  and  immediately  removed  to  Joliet,  111., 
coming  to  Bradford  Township,  Lee  County, 
in  the  spring  of  1864.  Both  of  his  parents  are 
now  deceased.  For  many  years  Joseph  E. 
Henry  was  engaged  in  farming  in  Bradford 
lownship,  Lee  County,  but  is  now  living  re- 
tired in  West  Brooklyn.  On  March  29,  1875,  he 
married  Mary  J.  Gehant,  daughter  of  Laurent 
J.  and  Julianne  (Toillian)  Gehant,  natives  of 
France,  and  of  this  union  there  are  five  child- 
ren viz.:  Mary  L.,  Edna  F.,  Laura  M.,  Laurent 
F.  and  Joseph  E.  In  politics  he  is  a  Demo- 
crat and  was  Justice  of  the  Peace  sixteen  years 
in  Bradford  Township,   and  is  serving  his  sec- 


JOSEPH    E.   HENRY. 

ond  term  in  the  same  capacity  in  West  Brook- 
lyn; is  also  Notary  Public.  He  and  his  family 
are   members  of  the  Roman   Catholic   Church. 

DAVID  J.  FISCHER,  fanner.  South  Dixon 
Township,  Lee  County,  111.,  was  born  in  Lee 
County  Feb.  9.  1870,  the  son  of  Edward  E.  and 
Frederica    K.    (Dittman)     Fischer,    the    former 


HISTORY   OF   LEE    COUNTY, 


751 


born  in  Middle  Hansen,  and  the  latter  near 
Berlin.  Germany.  The  father  came  to  the 
United  States  in  1850  and  the  mother  in  1854. 
David  J.  Fischer  was  married  Sept.  28,  1893,  to 


and  i 
Paw. 
can. 


I  member  of  the  Baptist  church  of  Paw 
In    political   relations   he   is   a   Republi- 


DAVID  J.   FISCHER. 

Lydia  M.,  daughter  of  Oliver  and  Elizabeth 
Fellows,  who  are  now  residents  of  Minnesota, 
and  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Fischer  have  been  born 
two  children — Orville  E.  and  Bessie  I.  Polit- 
ically Mr.  Fischer  is^  a  Democrat  and  has  serv- 
ed four  years  as  School  Director;  fraternally 
he  is  a  member  of  the  Independent  Order  of 
Red    Men. 

ALFRED  BURNETT  was  born  in  England, 
Sept.  15,  1867.  At  the  age  of  sixteen  years  he 
came  to  Ontario,  Canada,  where  he  remained 
six  years,  removing  in  1890  to  Wyoming  Town- 
ship, Lee  County,  III.,  where  he  worked  for 
a  monthly  salary  for  four  years.  In  1894  he 
was  married  in  Ontario,  Canada,  to  Miss  Ida 
L.  Lambkin,  and  of  this  union  three  children 
have  been  born,  who.  in  1903,  were  aged  as 
follows:  Wilbur,  eight  years;  Annie,  seven 
years;  Mabel,  five  years.  In  1901  Mr.  Burnett 
purchased  110  acres  of  land  at  Cottage  Hill. 
Wyoming  Township.  Lee  County.  Fraternally 
he  is  a  member  of  the  M,  W.  A.  and  I.  O.  O.  F., 


FRANCIS  J.  TILTON,  farmer.  Section  33, 
Palmyra  Township,  Lee  County,  was  born  in 
the  house  in  which  he  now  resides,  Aug.  15, 
1846,  son  of  William  W.  and  Eliza  A  (Martin) 
Tilton.  William  W.  Tilton  came  to  Lee  County 
in  1836  and  entered  land  in  Palmyra  Township, 
where  he  devoted  his  attention  to  farming. 
Francis  J.  Tilton  obtained  his  education  in  the 
public  schools  of  Palmyra  Township  and  Whea- 
ton  College,  Wheaton  111.  In  1860  he  made  a 
trip  across  the  plains  by  wagon  to  Pike's  Peak, 
Colo.  In  1864  he  enlisted  in  Company  D.  One 
Hundred  and  Fortieth  Regiment  Illinois  Volun- 
teer Infantry,  and  in  the  following  year  re- 
enlisted   in   Company   D,   Thirty-fourth  Illinois. 


FRANCIS   .J.   TILTON. 

After  the  close  of  the  Rebellion,  he  was  dis- 
charged at  Louisville,  Ky.,  in  1865.  and  return- 
ed to  Lee  County,  where  he  now  owns  282  acres 
of  land,  but  of  late  has  rented  his  farm,  ex- 
cepting three  acres  near  his  residence.  Mr.  Til- 
ton was  never  married.  In  fraternal  relations 
he  is  a  member  of  the  G.  A.  R.  and  I.  O.  O.  F, 


/:>■ 


HISTORY    OF   LEE    COUXTY, 


JEREMIAH  GLESSNER,  retired  farmer, 
1024  Cooper  Street,  Dixon,  111.,  was  born  in 
Somerset  County.  Penn..  April  11.  1824,  son  of 
Jacob  and  Susanna  (Oldfathcr)  Glessner,  na- 
tives   of    the    same    State.      In    1864    Jeremiah 


JEREMIAH   GLESSNER. 

Glessner  came  to  Lee  County,  111.,  settling  near 
Eldena.  where  he  now  owns  a  200-acre  farm. 
On  April  20,  1845,  he  married  Amy  A.  Laub. 
and  to  them  ten  children  wore  born,  five  of 
whom  are  now  living.  Mrs.  Glessner  died 
Feb.  25,  1868,  and  on  Jan.  4,  1870,  Mr.  Gless- 
ner married  his  second  wife,  Ellen  C.  Elsrode, 
and  of  this  union  there  were  five  children, 
three  of  whom  are  deceased.  While  a  resident 
of  Pennsylvania,  Mr.  Glessner  held  the  office 
cf  Justice  of  the  Peace  for  twelve  years,  and 
served  his  fellow-citizens  of  Lee  Cov.nty  in  a 
similar  capacity  for  five  years.  In  religious 
convictions  he  is  a  Methodist  and  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  church  at  Dixon. 

AID  BRADSHAW.  hardware  and  implement 
dealer,  Compton,  III.,  was  born  in  Winnebago 
County,  111.,  Sept,  15,  185.3.  son  of  George  and 
as  Deputy  Sheriff  of  Lee  County  for  two 
years.  Fraternally  he  is  a  member  of  the 
Masonic   Order  and   Eastern   Star.     Mrs.   Brad- 


shav."  is  a  Presbyterian  in  religious  belief,  but 
attends  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church  at 
Compton. 

RICHARD  PHILLIPS,  farmer,  Viola  Town- 
ship, Lee  County,  111.,  was  born  in  the  north- 
eastern part  of  Ireland,  July  25,  1825,  the  son 
of  George  and  Sarah  (Staddart)  Phillips,  na- 
tives of  England  and  Ireland,  respectively,  who 
came  to  the  United  States  in  1849.  Mr.  Phil- 
lips is  engaged  in  general  farming  and  stock- 
raising,  and  owns  160  acres  of  land  in  Viola 
Township.  May  24,  1859,  he  married  Amelia 
Davenport,  and  to  them  four  children  were 
born,  of  whom  William  W.  is  the  only  one 
surviving.  Mrs.  Phillips  died  Sept.  7,  1884,  and 
in  18SC  Mr.  Phillips  married  Elizabeth  M.  Har- 
ris for  his  second  wife,  from  whom  he  is  sep- 
arated by  divorce.  They  were  the  parents  of 
one  child  who  is  deceased.  His  third  mar- 
riage was  with  Susan  Williams,  who  died  in 
October.     190(1.    nnd     February     16,     1901,    Mr. 


RICH-ARD   PHILLIPS. 


Phillips  was  married  to  his  present  wife — 
Maggie  Pfiefer. — daughter  of  John  and  Eliza- 
beth (Souer)  Pfiefer.  In  politics  he  affiliates 
with  the  Republican  party,  and  has  served  as 
School  Director  eighteen,  years.  He  is  a  mem- 
l)er  of  the  Episcopal  church. 


HISTORY   OF   LEE    COUNTY 


753 


WILLIAM  MOFFATT,  retired  farmer  and 
stock-breeder.  Paw  Paw,  111.,  was  born  in  the 
Township  of  Whitby,  County  of  Ontario.  Can- 
ada. August  24.  1837.  son  of  Joseph  and  Mary 
(Harrison)  Moffatt.  natives  of  England,  who 
came  to  Canada  in  1S32.     In  1861  Joseph  Mof- 


WILLIAM    MOFFATT. 

fatt  started  on  a  trip  to  his  native  country, 
and  on  June  4th.  of  that  year,  the  steamship 
("Canadian")  on  which  he  had  taken  passage 
went  down  in  the  Straits  of  Belle  Isle,;  and  he. 
with  many  others,  perished,  in  the  wreck.  Wil- 
liam Moffatt  grew  to  manhood  in  Canada, 
where  he  also  received  his  educational  training; 
came  to  Ohio  in  1870,  and  to  Paw  Paw,  111.,  in 
1873.  He  purchased  a  farm  at  the  latter  place, 
where,  for  more  than  thirty  years,  he  devoted 
his  attention  to  the  breeding  of  short-horn. 
Hereford  and  Aberdeen-Angus  cattle.  Clydes- 
dale horses,  Cotswold  sheep  and  Berkshire 
swine,  as  senior  member  of  the  partnershiii 
of  Moffatt  &  Brother,  his  brother  Robert  Mof- 
fatt being  junior  member.  Mr.  Moffatt  was 
among  the  first  to  introduce  the  Cruickshank 
short-horn  cattle  into  this  country,  and  was 
one  of  the  first  breeders  of  Clydesdale  horses 
in  Illinois.  During  his  connection  with  this 
industry,  he  was  one  of  the  best-known  breed- 


ers in  the  United  States,  and  his  stock  has  won 
highest  honors  at  many  of  the  leading  stock 
shows  of  the  country.  On  October  29,  1860,  he 
married  Annie  E.  Leaming,  a  native  of  York- 
shire, England.  Mr.  Moffatt  is  a  member  of 
Blue  Lodge  at  Paw  Paw,  Mendota  Chapter  and 
Conimandery.  He  is  a  devout  Christian,  and 
with  his  wife  is  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian 
church. 

NICHOLAS  MOSSHOLDER.  retired  farmer, 
North  Dixon.  111.,  was  born  in  Somerset  County, 
Penn,,  August  16.  1837,  son  of  Jacob  and 
Mary  (Flamm)  Mossholder.  Jacob  Mossholder 
brought  his  family  to  Lee  County,  in  1854,  and 
in  the  spring  of  1855  purchased  a  240-acre 
farm  in  South  Dixon  Township,  where  he 
passed  the  remainder  of  his  life,  dying  there 
in  1876.  His  wife  survived  him  ten  years. 
Nicholas  Mossholder  grew  to  maturity  on  his 
father's  farm,  obtained  his  education  in  the 
public  schools  of  his  native  State,  and  in  1859 


NICHOLAS    MOSSHOLDER. 

assumed  the  management  of  his  father's  farm. 
In  1862  he  enlisted  in  Company  A,  Fifteenth 
Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry,  and  served  until 
the  close  of  the  war.  Hei  participated  in  many 
engagements,  including  the  battle  of  PerryviUe. 


754 


HISTORY   OF   LEE    COUNTY 


stone  River,  Chickamauga,  and  Buzzard's 
Roost.  Mr.  Mooshokler  received  a  severe  wound 
in  the  last  named  battle,  from  the  effects  of 
which  he  remained  in  hospital  three  months 
and,  after  a  furlough  of  one  month,  joined 
Sherman's  army  in  the  Atlanta  campaign.  He 
was  mustered  out  of  service  in  Tennessee,  and 
later  discharged  in  Chicago.  Returning  to  his 
father's  homestead  in  Lee  County  after  the 
close  of  the  war,  he  inherited  the  estate  at 
the  time  of  the  latter's  death,  and  has  subse- 
quently added  two  farms,  owning  at  the  present 
tim©  373  acres  of  well  improved  land.  In  1897 
Mr.  Mossholder  built  a  substantial  residence 
at  521  North  Dement  Avenue,  Dixon,  111.,  where 
he  has  since  lived  retired.  On  September  27, 
1866,  he  married  Mary  Isabell  Evans,  and  to 
them  four  children  were  born,  viz.:  Emma, 
Jane  (deceased),  William  J.,  Mary  Francis  and 
Bertha  J.  (deceased).  In  October,  1877,  Mr. 
Mossholder  married  his  second  wife.  Miss  Hat- 
tie  E.  Young,  and  of  this  union  there  were 
two  children — Jemima  Grace,  deceased  wife  of 
Arthur  Missiman,  and  Charles  Henry,  who  is 
now  conducting  his  father's  farms  in  South 
Dixon  and  Nachusa  Townships.  In  political 
views  Mr.  Mossholder  is  a  Republican  and 
was  formerly  School  Director  in  his  township. 
Socially  he  is  a  member  of  the  G.  A.  R.  On 
January  19,  1897,  Mr.  Mossholder  was  married 
to  his  third   wife.   Miss  Ada  M.  Young. 

HENRY  BOTHE,  farmer  and  dairyman,  Na- 
chusa Township,  Lee  County,  was  born  in  Min- 
den,  Prussia.  Dec.  26,  1840,  son  of  Frederick 
and  Christina  (Wiese)  Bothe.  Frederick  Bothe 
came  to  America  in  1847  and  to  Lee  County  in 
1848  or  '49.  His  family  came  to  the  United 
States  in  1859,  and  on  July  8th  of  the  same 
year,  located  on  land  in  Nachusa  Township. 
Mr.  Bothe  died  in  1872,  aged  fifty-seven  years; 
his  wife  surviving  until  1894,  dying  in  her 
eighty-flrst  year.  Henry  Bothe  enlisted  in  the 
Twelfth  Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry  and  par- 
ticipated in  the  battles  of  Donelson  and  Shiloh. 
but  was  discharged  after  one  year's  service  on 
account  of  disability.  On  September  4.  1864, 
he  married  Catherine  Hotzel,  daughter  of  Con- 
rad and  Annie  E.  (Eckhardt)  Hotzel.  and  they 
are  the  parents  of  nine  children,  viz.:  William 
F.,  Lizzie  (Mrs.  Conrad  Seebach),  John  H.. 
Kate   (Mrs.  John  Hnyett),  Christian  F.,  Minnie 


(Mrs.  James  B.  Macklin),  Elvina  (Mrs.  Newton 
Hemminger),  Lillie  (Mrs.  Warren  Sheppard) 
and  Henry  C.  Mr.  Bothe  is  a  Republican  in 
political  relations  and  he  and  his  family  are 
members  of  the  Evangelical  church.  His  farm 
embraces  212  acres,  upon  which  he  keeps  a  fine 
herd  of  cows  and  conducts  a  first-class  dairy. 

JOHN  W.  ANDERSON  (deceased)  was  born 
in  Chester,  Penn.,  Feb.  17,  1823,  son  of  Julius 
and  Harriet  (Davis)  Anderson,  also  natives  of 
the  Keystone  State.  John  W.  Anderson  came 
to  Lee  County  in  1854,  where  for  several  years 


JOHN  W.  ANDERSON. 

he  was  engaged  in  farming,  but  was  later  en- 
gaged in  the  drug  business  in  Dixon  for  a 
number  of  years.  In  1848  he  married  Elizabeth 
Biddle,  daughter  of  Thomas  and  Elizabeth 
(Leightall)  Biddle.  of  Blair  County,  Penn..  and 
to  them  six  children  were  born,  William  M.  be- 
ing the  only  one  now  living.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Anderson  also  raised  an  adopted  daughter,  Mrs. 
Edith  Miller,  who  resides  in  Dixon,  111.  Mr. 
Anderson  died  Jan.   1.  1898. 

LOUIS  STEPHAN  (deceased)  was  born  in 
Germany".  Jan.  4,  1834,  son  of  Martha  and  Lena 
Stephan.  natives  of  the  same  country.  Louis 
Stephan   came   to   the   United    States    in    1854. 


HISTORY   OF   LEE   COUXTV 


"55 


and  after  being  engaged  in  various  parts  of 
the  country,  came  to  Dixon,  111.,  in  1S66,  where 
for  a  number  of  years  he  was  engaged  in 
business,  but  during  the  last  fifteen  years  of 
his  life,  has  lived  retired.     He  was  married  in 


LOUIS  STEPHAN. 

Chicago  in  1862  to  Barbara  Faulhaber,  a  native 
of  Germany,  and  of  their  children,  Louis,  Otto, 
and  Anna  are  living.  Mr.  Stephan  was  a  Re- 
publican in  political  views,  and  in  religious 
belief  an  attendant  of  the  Lutheran  church. 
He  was  a  member  of  Rucker  Lodge,  No,  493,  I. 
O.  O.  F.,  and  Forrest  Home  Lodge,  No.  137,  A. 
O.  U.  W.     Mr.  Stephan  died  July  13,  1902. 

ISAAC  S.  BOARDMAN;  born  in  Tioga 
County,  N.  Y.,  Jan.  3,  1816;  located  in  Dixon, 
in  1837.  On  the  organization  of  Lee  County 
he  was  elected  County  Clerk,  serving  in  that 
capacity  four  years;  elected  Clerk  of  the  Cir- 
cuit Court  in  1850,  filling  that  office  seven 
years,  and  in  the  meantime  purchased  the  "Re- 
publican and  Telegraph"  and  conducted  that 
paper  for  about  ten  years  under  the  name  of 
"Dixon  Telegraph."  Mr.  Boardman  was  mar- 
ried in  1840  to  Mary  L.  Dixon,  daughter  of 
Father  John  Dixon.  For  more  than  forty  years 
Mr.  Boardman  was  prominently  identified  with 


political  campaigns  of  his  communit.v — first  in 
connection  with  the  Whig,  and  later  with  the 
Republican  party.  He  cast  his  first  vote  for 
General  Harrison. 

MILTON  A.  CRAWFORD,  farmer,  China 
Township,  Lee  County,  111.,  was  born  in  Na- 
chusa  Township,  Lee  County,  August  8,  1852, 
son  of  John  M.  and  Mary  A.  (Dysart)  Craw- 
ford, natives  respectively  of  Blair  and  Hunting- 
don Counties,  Pennsylvania.  John  M.  Crawford 
came  to  Lee  County  in  1842,  later  returned  to 
Pennsylvania,  but  in  1848  made  a  permanent 
settlement  in  Nachusa  Township,  Lee  County, 
where,  for  many  years,  he  was  a  prominent  and 
successful  farmer  and  stock-raiser.  He  died 
in  May,  1881,  while  his  wife  passed  away  in 
1SS3.  They  were  the  parentg  of  nine  children, 
three  of  whom  are  now  living,  viz.:  Milton  A., 
A.  W.,  and  Mrs.  Frances  J.  Clifton  of  Chicago. 
On  February  10,  1876,  Milton  A.  Crawford  mar- 


MILTON    A.    CRAWFORD. 

ried  Mary  M.  Emmert,  daughter  of  Solomon 
and  Mattie  (Kring)  Emmert,  and  of  this  union 
there  are  three  children — Howard  W..  Anna  E., 
and  Milton  A.  Mr.  Crawford  owns  160  acres  of 
land  and  devotes  his  attention  to  general  farm- 
ing  and    stockraising.     He   is   now   serving   as 


756 


HISTORY   OF    LEE    COUNTY 


Supervisor  of  China  Township,  having  filled 
that  official  position  for  the  past  twelve  years; 
was  member  of  the  Building  Committee  during 
the  erection  cf  the  Lee  County  Court  House. 

S.  DONALD  FROST,  stock-dealer  and  real 
eseate  agent,  Amboy,  111.;  born  at  Lee  Center, 
Lee  County,  Feb.  3.  1871,  son  of  Capt.  William 
S.  and  Sophia  E.  (Shaw)  Frost,  natives  of 
Maine  and  Michigan,  respectively,  who  came 
to  Lee  County  about  1837.  Donald  Frost  at- 
tended public  school  at  Bradford,  later  took  a 
course  at  Dixon  College,  graduating  in  1890. 
after  which  he  worked  on  a  salary  for  his 
father,  buying  live-stock,  until  1896,  when  he 
became  a  partner  of  his  father  in  the  stock-buy- 
ing business.  This  partnership  v.'as  dissolved 
in  1901,  since  when  Mr.  Frost  has  carried  on 
the  business  alone;  is  also  engaged  in  the  coal 
and  lumber  trade.  He  owns  240  acres  of  land 
in  Amboy  Township,  and  is  a  Director  and  Pro- 
moter of  the  Northern  Illinois  Electric  railroad. 


S,    D,    FROST. 

On  August  22,  lyiiii.  he  was  married  to  Miss 
Blanche  Smith,  daughter  of  Anson  Augustin 
and  Sarvia  (Collier)  Smith,  Mrs.  Frost  is  a 
member  of  the  Baptist  church.  Mr.  Frost  be- 
longs to  the  Masonic  Fraternity,  and  in  politics 
is  a  Republican. 


JAY  M.  SMITH,  farmer,  Wyoming  Township, 
Lee  County,  111.,  was  born  in  Cleveland,  Ohio, 
Feb,  18,  1859,  son  of  Leon  and  Sarah  (Barrett) 
Smith,  natives  of  Ohio  and  Canada,  respect- 
ively. In  1863  young  Smith  came,  with  his 
mother,  to  Oneida,  III,  and  after  working  as  a 


J.    M,    SMITH, 

farm-hand  and  at  railroad  work,  removed  to 
Wyoming  Township  in  ISSO.  He  rented  a  farm 
for  a  few  years  and  then  purchased  120  acres 
of  land,  which  he  later  sold  and  bought  his 
present  farm  of  143  acres.  December  25,  1883, 
he  married  Delia  A.  Griffin,  daughter  of  Albert 
and  Helen  (Bolton)  Griffin,  Mr,  Smith  is  a 
Republican  in  politics,  and  has  served  as 
School  Director,  Township  Treasurer  and  Road 
Commissioner.  Fraternally  he  is  a  Mason  and 
a  member  of  Blue  Lodge,  Paw  Paw,  111. 

FRANK  L.  CHILDS,  prominent  farmer  and 
Supervisor  of  Willow  Creek  Township,  Lee 
Coimty,  111.,  '>vas  born  in  Bureau  County,  111.. 
Oct.  8,  1860,  son  of  Charles  and  L.iza  (Smith) 
Childs.  Charles  Childs  was  a  carpenter  and 
contractor  and  later  in  life  became  a  farmer. 
He  removed  with  his  family  to  Willow  Creek 
Township,  Lee  County,  when  Frank  L.  was  an 
infant  and  settled  on  160  acres  of  land  in 
Section   12.   where  he  engaged  in  farming  and 


HISTORY   OF   LEE    COUNTY, 


increased  his  holdings  to  270  acres.  The 
children  born  to  himself  and  wife  were:  Viola 
(deceased I.Frank  L.,  Lyman  W.  (a  physician 
in  Cleveland,  Ohio)  and  Nellie  (Mrs.  William 
Wilcox).  Frank  L.  Childs  grew  up  on  his 
father's  farm,  attended  the  village  school  at 
Lee  and  the  Jennings  Seminary  at  Aurora,  111. 
He  later  returned  to  the  farm  and  purchased 
the  old  homestead  (270  acres),  where  he  has 
since  been  engaged  in  general  farming  and 
breeding  of  thoroughbred  Hereford  cattle. 
His  father  died  in  January,  1898,  but  his  mother 
(1903)  still  survives  and  lives  at  Aurora,  v.'here 
she  and  her  husband  retired  In  1888.  February 
5,  1890,  Mr.  Childs  married  L,  Alice  Fowler, 
and  they  have  two  children,  Mildred  E.  and 
Edmond  L.  Mr.  Childs  Is  a  Republican  in  poli- 
tics, and  is  now  serving  his  fourth  term  as 
Township  Supervisor.  Fraternally  he  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Masonic  Order,  M.  W.  A.  and  Mystic 
Shrine.  His  family  are  attendants  of  the  Meth- 
odist church,  of  which  Mrs.  Childs  is  a  member. 
Mrs.  Childs  is  second  In  order  of  birth  In  a 
family  of  five  children  of  James  and  Mary 
(Nichols)  Fowler,  natives  of  Ireland  and  New 
York  State  respectively,  who  came  to  Lee 
county  in  1885,  having  previously  reside-d  on 
a  farm  in  Dekalb  County,  111.  She  obtained 
her  education  in  the  public  school  at  Lee. 

REV.  CONRAD  TASCHE,  pastor  of  St. 
Mary's  Catholic  church,  Sublette,  111.,  was  born 
in  Wiedersheim,  Kreis  Mindeu,  Westphalia, 
tiermany,  August  ±2,  1872.  son  of  Philip  and 
Maria  (Schaefer)  Tasche.  He  obtained  his  ed- 
ucation at  Paderhorn  in  his  native  country  and 
at  St.  Francis;  was  ordained  to  priesthood  at 
St.  Francis  in  1895,  and  for  six  years  following 
v.'as  Assistant-priest  at  St.  Theresa's  and  St. 
Paul's  churches,  Chicago.  Octobei  1,  ICOl.  '.le 
came  to  Sublette  and  has  since  been  pastor  of 
the  church  in  that  city;  and  also  has  charge  of 
the  parochial  school,  which  has  an  enrollment 
of  about  fifty  pupils.  Rev.  Tasche  preaches 
both  in  English  and  German,  and  also  teaches 
those  languages  in  the  school  under  his  super- 
vision. On  August  5,  1902,  the  construction  of 
a  new  church  edifice  was  begun,  which  is  now 
(1903)  under  roof,  and  when  completed  will 
cost  $27,500.00.  The  parish  was  formed  in 
1868,  and  the  first  church  edifice  was  erected 
in  that   city  in   1868  or   1869. 


HARRY  ADRIAN,  farmer.  Viola  Township, 
Lee  County,  111.,  was  born  in  the  township 
where  he  now  resides,  Nov.  2,  1845,  the  son 
of  Evans  and  Marilla  (Goodall)  Adrian.  In  1861 
Mr.  Adrian  began  farming  on  his  own,  account, 
and  in  1867  moved  to  Taylor  County,  Iowa, 
where  he  purchased  440  acres  of  land,  but  in 
1886  returned  to  Lee  County,  111.,  where  he 
has  since  been  identified  with  the  interests  of 
his  community  and  owns  125  acres  of  land. 
February  21.  1868,  Mr.  Adrian  was  married  to 
Emma  Brady,  daughter  of  Levi  and  Emily 
(Enslow)  Brady,  natives  of  Scioto  County,  Ohio. 
To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Adrian  six  children  have  been 
born:  Blanche  (deceased).  Pearl,  Maud.  Dove. 
Hollle  and  Annie.  Mr.  Adrian  is  a  Republican 
in  political  sentiment,  and  has  served  his  fel- 
low citizens  as  School  Director  sixteen  years. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  United  Brethren  church. 

JOHN  ADRIAN,  farmer,  Brooklyn  Township. 
Lee  County.  111.,  was  born  in  Viola  Township. 
Lee  County.  111..  Oct.  13,  1854,  son  of  Evans 
and  Marilla  (Goodall)  Adrian.  Evans  Adrian 
was  born  in  County  Antrim,  Ireland,  Oct.  15. 
1815,  and  located  in  Viola  Township  in  1837. 
On  October  13,  1840,  he  married  Mrs.  Marilla 
Adrian,  daughter  of  Deacon  Goodall  and  wid- 
ow of  the  Rev.  Smith  Adrain,  and  to  them 
six  children  were  born.  Mrs.  Adrain  died  Jan. 
28,  1857,  and  Mr.  Adrain  married  his  second 
wife  on  July  22,  1857,  there  being  four  chil- 
dren of  this  union,  two  of  whom  are  still 
living.  Mr.  Adrain  died  Oct.  10.  1891.  John 
Adrain  was  married  Feb.  21.  1884.  to  Alberta 
M.,  daughter  of  Charles  and  Martha  (Harris) 
Jones  of  Wyoming  Township,  Lee  County,  who 
were  natives  of  Pennsylvania  and  New  York 
respectively,  and  of  this  union  three  children 
—Ethel  E.,  Robert  S.  and  Eda  B.— have  been 
born.  In  politics  Mr,  Adrain  is  a  Republican, 
and  fraternally  a  Mason  and  Odd-Fellow.  He 
owns  256  acres  of  land  in  Brooklyn  Township, 
and  is  engaged  in  general  farming  and  stock- 
raising. 

JOHN  ALTHAUS.  farmer,  Sublette  Town- 
ship, Lee  County,  111.,  was  born  at  Simpsa- 
husen,  near  Marburg  Kur-Hessen,  Germany, 
June  23,  1851,  son  of  Peter  and  Anna  Kather- 
ine  (Mueller)  Althaus.  Peter  Althaus  came 
to  America  in  1857  and  earned  the  means 
necessary  to  transport  his  family,  who  came  in 


758 


HISTORY   OF   LEE    COUNTS' 


186(1.  They  first  settled  in  Putnam  Cottnty. 
111.,  then  moved  to  McLean  County,  later  set- 
tled in  Livingston  County  and  afterwards  in 
LaSalle  County  of  the  same  State.  Peter 
Althaus  died  at  Ransom,  La  Salle  County,  in 
1887,  aged  sixty-eight  years;  his  wife  died  in 
Lee  County,  in  1897,  in  her  eightieth  year. 
John  Althaus  came  to  Lee  County  in  1895.  In 
February,  1875,  he  married  Katie  Baker,  who 
was  born  in  Amden,  Hanover,  Germany,  May 
29,  1856,  daughter  of  Henry  and  Ella  (Wal- 
rath )  Baker,  and  came  to  America  when  eleven 
years  of  age.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Althaus  have  eight 
children — Peter,  Henry,  Katie,  Ella,  George, 
John  B.,  Albert  R.,  and  Charles.  Mr.  Althaus 
is  a  Republican  in  political  views  and  with 
his  family  belongs  to  the  Evangelical  Associa- 
tion. He  owns  two  farms  aggregating  480  acres 
of  land. 


Mr.   Argraves   is  a   member  of   Spartan  Lodge 
No,  272,  and  1.  O.  O.  F.  of  Compton,  111. 

LAWRENCE  W.  ARGRAVES,  farmer,  Viola 
Township,  Lee  County,  111.,  was  born  in  the 
township  where  he  now  resides,  Feb.  2,  1873, 
son  of  Winfleld  S.  and  Ellen  (Mittan)  Argraves. 
In  1894  he  began  farming  operations  for  him- 
self on  rented  land,  and  In  1899  purchased 
forty  acres,  which  he  sold  in  1900  and  bought 
his  present  farm  of  120  acres.  August  20,  1893, 
he  married  Delia  Beemer,  the  daughter  of 
Henry  and  Elizabeth  (Miller)  Beemer  of 
Brooklyn  Township,  and  to  them  five  children 
have  been  born,  viz.:  Erdenia  D.,  Elliott  B., 
Hobart  D.,  Ellen  and  Scott.  In  political  views 
Mr.  Argraves  is  a  Republican,  and  in  religious 
belief  a  Presbyterian.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
M.   W.   A. 


SAMUEL  O.  ARr.RAVES.  retired  farmer, 
Compton,  III.,  was  born  at  Mendota,  III,  August 
9,  1867,  son  of  Samuel  and  Martha  (Miller) 
Argraves,  natives  respectively  of  England  and 
Canada,  who  came  to  Lee  County  in  the  early 
'40s.  The  father  is  now  deceased,  but  the 
mother  still  survives,  and  resides  at  Dixon, 
111,  Mr,  Argraves  was  engaged  in,  the  mercan- 
tile business  at  Compton  for  fourteen  years, 
but  now  owns  440  acres  of  land  in  Lee  and 
Whiteside  Counties  and  160  acres  in  Iowa.  On 
October  16,  1889,  he  was  married  to  Margaret 
E.  Carnahan.  daughter  of  Dr.  Hiram  and  Sarah 
(Christiance)  Carnahan,  and  they  have  one 
son,  Wendel  O,  In  political  relations  Mr.  Ar- 
graves is  a  Republican,  and  in  religious  faith  a 
Methodist.  Fraternally  he  belongs  to  the  I. 
O.   O.   F. 

LINN  C.  ARGRAVES,  farmer,  Viola  Town- 
ship. Lee  County.  111.,  was  born  in  Viola  Town- 
ship, Jan.  28,  1875,  son  of  Winfield  S.  and  Ellen 
(Mittan)  Argraves.  In  1895  Mr.  Argraves  be- 
gan farming  operations  for  himself  on  rented 
land  and  five  years  later  purchased  his  pres- 
ent farm  of  130  acres.  He  was  married  Feb. 
23,  1899,  to  Mae  McKirgan,  daughter  of  Alex- 
ander and  Elizabeth  (Darah)  McKirgan  of  La 
Salle  County,  111.,  and  they  have  one  child. 
Vera  I.  Mr.  and  Mrs,  Argraves  are  attendants 
on  the  Methodist  church.  In  politics  he  is  a 
Republican,  and  has  served  his  fellow  towns- 
men   three    years    as    Constable.      Fraternally 


WILBUR  M.  AVERY,  physician,  Compton, 
111.,  was  born  in  the  village  where  he  now 
resides,  June  9,  1S76,  son  of  Minor  M,  and  An- 
geline  (Argraves)  Avery,  natives  respectively 
of  Pennsylvania  and  Lee  County,  111.,  who  now 
reside  at  Dixon.  Wilbur  M.  Avery  received  his 
medical  training  in  the  Rush  Medical  College, 
Chicago,  graduating  from  that  institution  with 
the  class  of  1901,  and  in  the  same  year  located 
at  Lee  111,,  where  he  practiced  his  profession 
until  the  spring  of  1903,  when  he  made  a  per- 
manent location  at  Compton,  111, 

VINCENT  C.  ARNOULD  farmer  and  stock- 
man. Section  20,  Ashton  Township.  Lee  County. 
Ill,,  was  born  in  Lea  Voges,  Hautsone,  France, 
Oct,  14,  1860,  son  of  Remy  and  Eleanor  (An- 
toine)  Arnould.  Remy  Arnould  and  his  family 
emigrated  to  America  in  1869.  They  landed 
at  New  York  and  came  direct  to  Ashton,  Lee 
County,  where  friends  of  theirs  were  located. 
Mr.  Arnould  bought  a  farm  in  Bradford  Town- 
ship, where  he  resided  twelve  years  and  then 
bought  the  "Early  Dawn"  farm  in  Ashton  Town- 
ship, which  he  sold  four  years  later  to  William 
Ireland,  and  he  and  Mrs,  Arnould  have  since 
lived  retired  in  Ashton  111.  They  are  the 
parents  of  nine  children,  three  of  whom  are 
still  living,  viz.:  Julius,  a  retired  farmer  re- 
siding in  Compton,  111,;  Edward,  a  merchant 
at  Ashton,  111.;  and  Vincent  C.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Arnould  are  members  of  the  Catholic  church. 
Vincent  C.  Arnould  remained  under  the  paren- 


HISTORY   OF   LEE   COUNTY 


759 


tal  roof  until  twenty-three  years  of  age.  and 
in  tlie  meantime  obtained  a  common-scliool 
education.  On  May  1,  1883.  he  married  Mary 
L.  Kelly,  daughter  of  Peter  and  Catherine 
(Griesse)  Kelly,  pioneer  settlers  of  Lee 
County.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Vincent  C.  Arnould 
six  children  have  been  born,  four  of  whom  are 
living — Vincent  E.,  Hazel  G.,  Garnet  M.  and 
Remy  A.  Mr.  Arnould  bought  his  present  farm 
in  1895,  which  he  has  improved  in,-  a  substan- 
tial manner,  erecting  on  it  a  good  house,  barn 
and  other  farm  buildings.  With  the  exception 
of  three  years  spent  on  a  farm  in  Ogle  County, 
111.,  he  has  resided  in  Lee  County  continuously 
since  1869.  Socially  he  is  a  member  of  the 
M.  W.  A.  and  Knights  of  the  Globe.  In  poli- 
tics he  is  a  Republican. 


Henry  County.  111.  Mr.  Barge  began  life  in  Il- 
linois as  a  school  teacher,  and  after  teaching 
at  several  different  points  in  the  State,  came 
to  Dixon  in  1854.  where  he  followed  that  pro- 
fession for  several  years,  and  to  him  is  due  the 
honor  of  organizing  the  first  graded  school  in 
Lee  County.  He-  v.'as  admitted  to  the  bar  in 
1860  and  opened  an  office  in  Dixon,  where  he 
has  since  practiced  his  profession.  For  the 
past  thirty  years  he  has  been  employed  as  at- 
torney for  the  Chicago  &  Northwestern  Rail- 
way, and  has  been  connected  with  the  Illinois 
Central  Railroad,  in  a  similar  capacity  for 
twenty-five  years.  In  1856.  Mr.  Barge  married 
Elizabeth  Dixon,  daughter  of  James  P.  and 
granddaughter  of  Father  John  Dixon.  In  poli- 
tics Mr.  Barge  is  a  Democrat. 


ERASTUS  ANDERSON,  retired  farmer.  Ash- 
ton.  111.,  was  born  in  Ontario,  Canada,  May  19, 
1824,  the  son  of  John  H.  and  Martha  (Martin) 
Anderson,  natives  of  the  same  province.  In 
184&  Mr.  Anderson  came  to  Illinois,  arriving  at 
Chicago  May  27,  and  three  days  later  reached 
Light  House  Point,  Ogle  County,  where  he  re- 
mained over  two  years.  November  13,  1848, 
he  married  Mary  Halverd,  and  on  March  27. 
1849,  went  to  Lee  County,  111.  locating  on  a 
farm,  on  v.'hich  he  continued  to  reside  until 
1892,  during  the  latter  year  removing  to  Ash- 
ton,  Lee  County,  his  present  home.  Mr.  Ander- 
son's first  wife  bore  him  three  children:  Rhoda 
A.  (now  Mrs.  W.  F.  Clark),  John  H.  and  Mary 
A.,  who  are  deceased.  His  second  wife  was 
Mrs.  Mary  J.  Lundy  (nee  Vosburg).  He  and 
his  wife  are  communicants  of  the  Methodist 
church,  and  in  political  views  Mr.  Anderson  is 
a  Republican. 

WILLIAM  BARGE,  attorney-at-law.  Dixon. 
111.,  and  Nestor  of  the  Lee  County  bar,  v/as 
born  in  Armstrong  County,  Penn.,  Feb.  26, 
1832,  son  of  John  and  Jane  (Elliott)  Barge, 
the  former  of  French  and  the  latter  of  Scotch 
ancestry.  His  paternal  grandfather  was  a  sol- 
dier in  the  Continental  Army  during  the  Revo- 
lutionary War.  and  was  killed  at  the  battle  of 
Brandywine,  while  his  father  was  a  soldier  in 
the  War  of  1812  and  participated  in  the  battle 
of  New  Orleans.  His  father  having  died.  Wil- 
liam Barge,  together  with  hisi  mother  and  two 
sisters,  left  Ohio,  to  which  place  the  family 
had   removed   in  the   early   '3tis.   and   drove   to 


VOLNEY  BLISS  (deceased)  was  born  at 
Milan.  Huron  County,  Ohio,  in  1827.  son  of 
Adolphus  and  Hannah  (Barber)  Bliss.  Adolph- 
us  Bliss  brought  his  family  to  Lee  County  in 
1834,  locating  at  Inlet  Grove,  where  the  youth- 
ful Volney  was  reared  amid  the  scenes  of  pio- 
neer life  and  had  Indian  children  for  his  play- 
mates. For  nearly  fifty  years  Volney  Bliss  was 
a  prominent  farmer  of  Lee  Center  Township, 
and  during  hisi  career,  served  as  Postmaster  of 
Lee  Center,  Justice  of  the  Peace,  and  Assess- 
or. In  March,  1864,  he  enlisted  in  Company 
D,  Fifteenth  Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry,  in 
which  he  served  as  First  Lieutenant.  On  De- 
cember 24.  1853.  he  married  Pauline  Tredwell, 
daughter  of  Allen  and  Staciann  (Squares)  Tred- 
well, natives,  respectively,  of  Connecticut  and 
Pennsylvania,  who  came  to  Lee  County  in 
1850,  locating  at  Temperance'  Hill. 

CAPTAIN  PRESCOTT  BARTLETT.  retired 
farmer.  Sublette  Township.  Lee  County,  was 
born  in  Franklin  County,  Mass..  August  19, 
1821,  the  son  of  Prescott  and  Narcissa  (Robin- 
son) Bartlett.  The  former,  a  native  of  the  same 
county,  died  in  1831,  at  the  age  of  forty-four 
years:  the  mother  was  born  in  Goshen,  Mass. 
Captain  Bartlett's  grandfather,  Amos,  was  a 
Major  in  the  Revolutionary  War,  and  his  father 
raised  a  company  for  the)  War  of  1812  but  saw 
no  service.  The  subject  of  this  sketch  came  to 
Lee  County  at  the  age  of  twenty-two  years  and 
took  up  a  claim  of  160  acres  of  land  in  Sub- 
lette Township,  but  in  1854  settled  on  his 
present    farm    now    embracing    320    acres,    on 


760 


HISTORY   OF   LEE    COUXTY 


which  he  made  extensive  improvements,  in- 
cluding the  erection  of  a  large  stone  house. 
August  12,  1861,  he  enlisted  in  v/hat  became 
Company  C,  Seventh  Illinois  Cavalry,  in,  which 
he  served  as  Captain,  being  honorably  dis- 
charged Oct.  15,  1864.  For  a  time  his  company 
served  as  escort  of  General  Grant  and  later, 
for  over  one  year,  as  escort  cf  Gen,  John  M. 
Palmer.  Captain  Bartlett  spent  his  civil  life 
chiefly  as  a  farmer  until  fifteen  years  ago, 
when  he  retired.  For  a  number  of  years  he 
was  engaged  in  the  horse-trade,  buying  horses 
in  the  Southwest,  and  shipping  them  to  Boston 
and  other  eastern  points.  January  4,  1849,  he 
married  Caroline  Wbitney,  born  Jan.  30.  1829. 
in  Warren  County,  Ohio,  daughter  of  Ephraim 
and  Mary  (Livingston)  Whitney.  The  former, 
born  in  Maine,  June  18,  1801,  and  the  latter 
in  Warren  County,  Ohio,  Dec.  26,  1803,  were 
married  in  Warren  County,  Ohio,  April  22, 
1824,  and  in  1845,  settled  in  Palestine  Grove. 
Lee  County.  111.,  where  they  became  owners  of 
a  farm  of  160  acres.  Captain  Bartlett  and 
wife  have  had  four  children,  born  as  follows: 
Silas  Wilton,  March  24,  1853:  Eugene  Prescott, 
March  26,  1858;  Howard  R.,  Nov.  26,  1865:  and 
Cora  May,  March  13.  1869— the  latter  now  the 
wife  of  J.  C.  Stough.  Captain  Bartlett  is  a 
Republican  in  politics,  and  is  identified  with 
the  Masonic  Fraternity,  being  formerly  a  mem- 
ber of  Social  Lodge.  No.  70,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.. 
and  later  a  charter  member  of  Sublette  Lodge. 

H.  A.  BREMMER,  phy.sician  and  surgeon. 
Ashton.  111.,  was  born  in  Waldeck,  Germany, 
in  1851,  son  of  Henry  and  Caroline  (Shreiber) 
Bremmer.  Henry  Bremmer  and  his  family 
came  to  America  in  1866,  locating  in  Palmyra, 
Mo.,  and  with  the  exception  of  Mrs.  Bremmer, 
who  died  in  February,  1900,  all  the  members 
of  his  family  are  now  living  in  Illinois.  Ht 
was  a  wagon-maker  by  trade,  but  retired  from 
active  business  several  years  ago.  To  himself 
and  wife  three  children  were  born,  viz.:  John, 
Lizzie  (Mrs.  Henry  Knipple  of  Missouri)  and 
Dr.  H.  A.  H.  A.  Bremmer  obtained  a  good 
elementary  education  in  the  Fatherland,  which 
was  supplemented  by  a  thorough  course  in  the 
English  branches  while  living  in  Missouri,  and 
afterwards  attended  Chaddock  College  at 
Quincy.  111.,  graduating  from  the  medical  de- 
partment of  that  institution  in  1S86.  later  tak- 
ing a  post-graduate  course  in  Philadelphia.    He 


began  his  professional  career  at  Merritt.  111., 
remaining  there  until  1899,  when  he  removed 
to  Ashton,  where  he  has  since  resided  and  has 
established  an  extensive  practice.  On  Febru- 
ary 21,  1878,  he  married  Mary  S.  Berghofer, 
born  in  Missouri  of  German  extraction,  and 
they  have  one  child,  Katherine.  The  Doctor 
is  a  self-made  man,  having  paid  his  own  ex- 
penses for  educational  training  with  money 
earned  by  hard  manual  labor.  He  owns  a  large 
and  well-selected  library,  and  his  residence  is 
considered  the  most  attractive  one  in  the  vil- 
lage. He  is  a  member  of  the  Military  Tract, 
the  State  and  the  American  Medical  Asso- 
ciations. 

PERRY  A.  BURRIGHT,  farmer  and  fruit- 
grower. Dixon.  111.,  was  born  in  Ogle  County, 
111.,  April  6,  1848,  son  of  Ashbel  and  Sally 
(Cavett)  Burright,  natives  of  Ohio,  who  came 
to  Illinois  in  1840.  Ashbel  Burright  made  an 
overland  trip  to  California  in  the  days  of  the 
gold  excitement.  Perry  A.  Burright  spent 
about  twenty  years  in  the  West,  and  then 
returning  to  Illinois,  purchased  a  small  farm 
adjoining  the  city  of  Dixon,  where  he  is  now 
engaged  in  farming  and  fruit-growing.  On 
March  9,  1876,  he  married  Eva  L.  Tilton,  and 
they  have  four  daughters:  Blanche  A.,  Nellie 
K.,   Nina    B.   and   Georgia. 

CLARK  S.  BROWiN  (deceased)  was  born  in 
Otsego  County.  N.  Y.,  June  18,  1826,  son  of 
Clark  and  Elizabeth  (Davidson)  Brown,  na- 
tives of  Rhode  Island  and  New  York  respect- 
ively. Mr.  Blown  came  to  Dixon  in  1856  and 
'conducted  a  machine  shop  and  iron-foundrv 
in  that  city  until  1880,  when  he  removed  to 
Sterling,  111.,  where  he  was  employed  for 
twenty  years.  Returning  to  Dixon  in  1901.  he 
afterwards  resided  in  that  city.  In  November, 
1857.  he  married  Mary  J.  Genung  of  Janesville, 
Wis.,  and  of  this  union  there  are  two  children 
now  living— Clarence  E.  of  Dixon,  and  Char- 
lotte Louise,  now  Mrs.  William  B.  Rood  of 
Rogers  Park.  111.  In  political  opinions  Mr. 
Brown  was  a  Republican  and  served  as  Alder- 
man in  Dixon  six  years,  and  as  a  member  of 
the  School  Board  eight  years.  Fraternally  he 
was  a  member  of  the  Masonic  Order.  Mr. 
Brown  died  Sept.  8,  1903,  while  on  a  visit  at 
Almond,  N.  Y. 


HISTORY   OF   LEE    COL'NTY. 


761 


ALBERT  Z.  BODINE.  wheelwright,  Lee 
Center,  111.,  was  born  in  Richmond  County, 
Staten  Island,  N.  Y.,  Feb.  8,  1830.  son  of  Na- 
thaniel and  Maria  (Garretson)  Bodine,  both 
natives  of  Staten  Island.  John  Bodine,  pater- 
nal grandfather,  and  John  Garretson,  maternal 
grandfather  of  Mr.  Bodine,  were  both  Colonels 
in  the  War  of  1812.  Nathaniel  Bodine  died 
young  leaving  a  widow  and  four  children,  who 
came  west  in  1841  and  settled  eighteen  miles 
north  of  Chicago.  In  1847  Albert  Z.  Bodine 
came  to  Lee  Center,  where,  for  two  years,  he 
v/as  employed  as  clerk  in  the  store  of  L.  &  C. 
I.  Hitchcock,  and  then  returned  to  Chicago, 
where  he  learned  the  carpenter's  trade.  In 
1851  he  returned  to  Lee  Center,  and  since  1862 
has  carried  on  wagon  making.  He  married  in 
1856,  Matilda,  daughter  of  Samuel  and  Lucretia 
Bixby,  natives  of  New  York,  by  whom  he  had 
two  children — Rosalie  (deceased),  who  v.'as  the 
wife  of  James  McGee,  and  Annie,  wife  of  David 
May.  Mrs.  Bodine  died  in  1862.  and  subse- 
quently Mr.  Bodine  married  Catherine  Colviu, 
a  native  of  Sublette  Township,  and  they  have 
three  children:  Mary,  wife  of  Fred  Starks; 
Leslie  A.,  manager  of  a  large  saw-mill  in  Mis- 
sissippi; and  Genevieve,  wife  of  William  S. 
Frost,  of  Bradford  Township.  Mr.  Bodine  is 
a  Republican  and  held  the  office  of  Justice  of 
the  Peace  from  1857  to  1897,  and  has  been  a 
Notary  for  many  years. 

FRANK  B.  BRYANT,  farmer.  Wyoming 
Township,  Lee  County,  111.,  was  born  at  Four 
Mile  Grove,  Lee  County,  111.,  Nov.  4.  1851,  son 
of  Hon.  Obed  W.  and  Sarah  (Lindsay)  Bryant, 
natives  of  Maine  who  came  to  Illinois  in  1837. 
locating  at  Dover.  Bureau  County,  where 
they  resided  until  1842.  In  the  latter 
year  Obed  W.  Bryant  removed  to  Wyom- 
ing Township.  Lee  County,  where  he  purchased 
land.  On  April  24.  1840,  he  married  Lucy 
Lindsay,  who  died  in  1843,  leaving  two  chil- 
dren—Mary E.  (Mrs.  West)  and  Wilson  C. 
On  October  15,  1844,  he  married  his  second 
wife,  Sarah  Lindsay — a  sister  of  his  first  wife 
— and  five  children  were  born  of  this  union, 
viz.:  William  H.,  Frank  B..  Mrs.  Emma  Blee, 
Mrs.  Eva  Lewis  and  Charles  S.  For  some 
time  after  the  death  of  his  first  wife,  Mr.  Bry- 
ant was  engaged  in  trade  on  flat-boats  between 
Red  River  and  New  Orleans.  Later  he  located 
on  a  farm   in   La   Salle  County.   111.,   where  he 


resided  until  1854,  when  he  disposed  of  his 
property  in  that  vicinity  and  bought  his  farm 
comprising  600  acres  in  Wyoming  Township, 
which  he  occupied  until  the  time  of  his  death, 
August  2,  1882.  In  political  views  he  was  a 
Republican  and  served  one  term  in  the  State 
Legislature,  and  six  years  as  County  Supervis- 
or of  Lee  County.  In  religious  belief  he  was 
a  Baptist,  and  assisted  in  building  Hillsdale 
College.  Frank  B.  Bryant  owns  146  acres  of 
valuable  land  in  Wyoming  Township,  and  is 
engaged  in  general  farming  and  stock-raising. 
December  16.  1880,  he  married  Ada  E.  Jones, 
daughter  of  Charles  and  Martha  (Harris) 
Jones,  and  of  this  union  thera  are  six  children 
—Tessa  A..  Emma  E.,  Carl  B.,  Wilson  H..  Earn- 
est O..  and  John  D.  Mr.  Bryant  and  family 
attend  the  Baptist  church.  In  politics  he  is  a 
Republican,  and  in  fraternal  affiliations  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Masonic  Order  and  M.  W.  A. 

EZRA  BERRY  (deceased),  bcrn  in  Simonton, 
Me.,  July  9,  1815.  son  of  Elisha  and  Hannah 
(Cousins)  Berry.  In  1841  he  settled  at  Mel- 
ugin's  Grove,  Lee  County,  where  he  purchased 
a  small  tract  of  land,  and  built  a  log  cabin.  On 
September  9th  of  the  same  year  he  married 
Ellenor  Melugin,  daughter  of  Jonathan  and 
Sarah  (Mitchell)  Melugin,  natives,  respective- 
ly, of  Tennessee  and  Pennsylvania,  who  set- 
tled at  Melugin's  Grove  in  1837.  Zachariah  Me- 
lugin. brother  cf  Mrs.  Berry,  came  to  Lee 
County  in  1833  and  located  at  the  grove  now 
bearing  his  name.  He  served  during  the  Black 
Hawk  War  and  died  in  1842.  In  1849  Mr. 
Berry  went  overland  to  California,  returning 
to  Lee  County  in  1853  and  resided  on  his  farm 
in  Brooklyn  Township  from  that  time  until 
his  death,  June  11,  1903.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Berry 
were  the  parents  of  eight  children,  lour  of 
whom — Wilson  S.,  Ezra  U.,  Frances  A.  and 
Elizabeth  J. — are  living.  In  politics  Mr.  Berry 
v/as  a  Republican,  and  in  religious  associations 
belonged  to  the  United  Brethren  church.  Mrs. 
Berry  still  survives  and  resides  on  the  old 
homestead   where  she   settled   in  1841. 

WILSON  S.  BERRY,  retired  farmer.  Paw 
Paw.  111.,  was  born  at  Melugin's  Grove,  Lee 
County,  111.,  August  6,  1847,  son  of  Ezra  and 
Eleanor  (Melugin)  Berry.  Mr,  Berry  began 
business  life  for  himself  as  a  farmer  in  Viola 
Township,    but    later    purchased    the    160-acre 


762 


HISTORY   OF    LEE    COUNTY. 


farm  which  he  now  owns  in  Wyoming  Town- 
ship. In  December,  1871.  he  married  Mary 
Carnahan.  daughter  of  Allen  and  Elizabeth 
(Clark)  Carnahan.  and  of  this  union  there  are 
four  children— Glenn,  Claude,  Irene  and  Ma- 
bel. In  political  views  Mr.  Berry  is  a  Republi- 
can, and  has  served  his  fellow-citizens  as  Con- 
stable and  on  the  school  board.  Fraternally 
he  belongs  to  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  Amer- 
ica. 

CHESTER  BADGER,  retired  farmer,  Amboy, 
111.,  was  born  in  Broome  County.  N.  Y..  May 
27,  1823,  son  of  Chester  S.  and  Lois  Badger, 
of  whom  the  former  came  to  Lee  County  in 
1838.  May  19,  1840,  Chester  Badger  came  to 
Lee  County,  locating  at  Binghamton,  where  his 
father  built  the  first  grist  mill  in  the  county. 
In  1847  he  enlisted  in  Company  E,  BMrst  Illinois 
Regiment,  for  services  during  the  Mexican 
War,  he  was  discharged  at  Alton  in  October, 
1848.  On  March  16.  1853,  he  married  Mary  A 
Cushman.  In  political  sentiment  Mr.  Badger 
is  a  Democrat  and  served  as  Supervisor  of  Am- 
boy  Township  eight   years. 

WARREN  H.  BADGER,  retired  farmer.  Am- 
boy. 111.,  was  born  in  Corning,  N.  Y..  in  1S47. 
son  of  H.  E.  and  Catherine  (Clark)  Badger, 
times  in  farming,  milling,  and  in  the  mercan- 
From  1872  to  1902  he  wasi  engaged  at  different 
tile  business.  In  1874  he  married  Emetine 
Green  of  Jo  Daviess  County,  111.,  and  to  them 
three  children — Henry  H.,  Frances  E.  and  Ar- 
thur— have  been  born.  In  political  sentiment 
Mr.  Badger  is  a  Republican  and  in  fraternal 
affiliations  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  Order. 

WILLIAM  D.  BAUM,  contractor  and  builder. 
Dixon,  111.,  was  born  in  Onondaga  County,  N. 
Y..  August  31,  1859.  son  of  Jacob  and  Rachel 
(Ellwood)  Baum.  Jacob  Baum  was  a  farmer 
and.  when  William  D.  was  five  years  of  age. 
removed  from  New  York  State  to  DeKalb 
County.  111.,  where  he  was  engaged  in  farm- 
ing for  a  number  of  years,  and  afterwards  re- 
Mary  (Holdren)  Bradshaw.  George  Bradshaw 
was  born  in  England  in  1801,  and  came  to  the 
United  States  in  the  early  '40s,  locating  at 
Rockford,  111.,  while  his  wife,  Mary  Holdren, 
was  born  in  Pennsylvania.  They  are  now  de- 
ceased. On  December  20.  1SS2.  Mr.  Aid  Brad- 
shaw wa.s  married  to  Ella  Pierce,  daughter  of 


Samuel  and  Sarah  (Cole)  Pierce,  natives  of 
Pennsylvania,  and  of  this  union  there  were 
three  children:  Alma  L.,  Ada  Arline,  and  one 
who  died  in  infancy.  Since  August,  1902,  Mr. 
Bradshaw  has  been  in  the  hardware,  imple- 
ment and  vehicle  business  at  Compton.  In 
politics  he  is  a  Republican,  and  has  served 
tired  to  the  village  of  Malta,  where  he  died. 
William  D.  Baum  learned  the  carpenter's  trade, 
and  for  nine  or  ten  years  followed  that  occu- 
pation in  Chicago.  Coming  to  Dixon  in  1892, 
he  formed  a  partnership  with  W.  T.  Greig, 
with  whom  he  has  since  been  associated  in  con- 
tracting and  building.  The  firm  conducts  a 
profitable  business,  occasionally  employing  a 
large  force  of  men,  and  many  of  the  principal 
residences  and  leading  business  houses  of  that 
city  have  been  erected  under  their  supervis- 
ion. In  1884  Mr.  Baum  married  Mary  Spicker- 
man.  who  died  at  the  birth  of  their  first  child, 
and  in  1897  he  married  his  second  wife.  Flora 
Rogers.  In  politics  Mr.  Baum  is  a  Democrat, 
and  socially  belongs  to  the  Knights  of  Macca- 
bees. 

LUTHER  E.  BURKET,  farmer,  Dixon  Town- 
ship. Lee  County.  111.,  was  born  on  the  farm 
where  he  now  resides,  Dec.  27,  1860,  son  of 
John  N.  and  Mary  (Fleck)  Burket,  natives  of 
Pennsylvania.  John  N.  Burket  was  a  son  of 
Peter  and  Barbara  (Neff)  Burket,  also  natives 
of  the  Keystone  State.  He  came  to  Dixon 
Township  in  1854.  built  the  brick  residence 
now  occupied  by  his  son  Luther  E.  in  1858, 
and  engaged  in  farming  until  his  death,  Jan.  3. 

1865.  His  wife  survived  him  until  March  27, 

1866.  Luther  E.  Burket  obtained  his  educa- 
tion in  the  public  schools  of  Dixon  Township 
and  his  present  farm,  consisting  of  200  acres, 
has  always  been  his  home.  On  December  10, 
1884,  he  married  Ida  L.  Lindeman,  daughter 
of  Herman  and  Nancy  (Fritz)  Lindeman,  and 
to  them  three  children  have  been  born — two 
who  died  in  infancy,  and  Leon  R.,  born  July  4, 
1892.  In  political  opinions  Mr.  Burket  is  a 
Republican.  Mrs.  Burket  is  a  member  of  the 
Lutheran   church. 

THOMAS  W.  BROWN  (deceased)  was  born 
in  Newport,  R.  I.,  August  14,  1820,  son  of 
Thomas   W.    and   Rebecca    (Vial)   Brown,   who 

were  also  natives,  as  v.'ell  as  life-long  residents 
of    the    Stale    above    mentioned.      Thomas    W. 


HISTORY   OF   LEE    COUXTY 


763 


Brown  came  to  Lee  County  in  1839  and  en- 
tered land,  which  he  subsequently  sold  and 
removed  to  Inlet,  111.,  where  he  engaged  in 
the  merchant  tailoring  business.  In  1856  he 
removed  to  Franklin  Grove,  where  he  conducted 
a  tailoring  establishment  until  1871,  but  from 
1875  until  his  death  was  engaged  in  fruit  cul- 
ture. April  10,  1840,  he  married  Ruth  F.  Simp- 
son, born  in  Newport,  R.  I.,  Feb.  12,  1819, 
daughter  of  Samuel  and  Harriet  Simpson.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Brown  were  the  parents  of  nine  chil- 
dren, viz.:  Matilda,  who  died  at  the  age  of 
sixteen  years;  Ella,  who  died  aged  six  years; 
two  who  died  in  infancy;  Thomas  W. ;  Robert 
P.;  Mary  E.  K.;  Harriet  and  Charlotte.  Mr. 
Brown  died  Feb.  20,  1903;  his  wife  dying  Feb. 
3,  1893.  Mrs.  Brown  w^as  a  member  of  the 
Presbyterian   church. 

C.  W.  BOWERS,  farmer.  Section  20,  Ashton 
Township,  Lee  County,  111.,  was  born  on  the 
farm  where  he  now  resides.  Oct.  15,  1867,  son 
of  Lawrence  and  Dianah  (Vogle)  Bowers,  na- 
tives of  Germany.  C.  W.  Bowers  attended  the 
public  schools  at]  Ashton  and  for  a  brief  period 
Mt.  Morris  Seminary,  working  during  the  in- 
tervening summer  months  on  his  father's 
farm,  where,  in  youth,  he  became  qualified  to 
undertake  its  management,  consisting  of  280 
acres  of  valuable  land.  February  25.  1901,  he 
was  married  to  Amelia  Dreschler,  a  native  of 
Germany.  Having  carefully  studied  Veterinary 
Surgery,  and  given  much  attention  to  the  study 
of  law,  Mr.  Bov.-ers  could  readily  qualify  for 
either  profession,  but  prefers  to  give  his  entire 
attention  to  farming  and  to  the  breeding  and 
feeding  of  stock.  In  politics  he  is  a  Republi- 
can, fraternally  a  member  of  the  Knights  of 
the  Globe,  and  in  religious  belief  a  Methodist. 
His  father,  Lawrence  Bowers,  died  in  .luly, 
1900. 

JOHN  W.  BANKS,  manager  of  the  Warner 
&  Guffln  grain  elevator  company,  Compton, 
111.,  was  born  in  Paris,  Canada,  Jan.  26,  1861. 
son  of  Joseph  and  Hannah  (McDonald)  Banks, 
natives  of  England  and  Canada  respectively. 
Joseph  Banks  settled  with  his  family  in  Lee 
County  in  1860,  and  for  several  years  carried 
the  United  States  mail  between  Melugin's 
Grove  and  Mendota,  111.,  and  was  the  first  post- 
master in  Compton,  Lee  County,  111.  He  now 
resides   in  Los   Angeles.   Cal.     John   W.   Banks 


was  married  on  Jan.  23.  1895,  to  Elizabeth 
McBride  of  Bloomsburg.  Penn.,  daughter  of 
Jonathan  S.  and  Abby  (Carnahan)  McBride. 
and  they  have  two  sons,  Stanley  M.,  and  Joseph 
S.  In  politics  Mr.  Banks  is  a  Republican,  and 
at  present  is  one  of  the  village  trustees,  having 
served  in  that  capacity  for  ten  years.  Socially 
he  belongs  to  the  Masonic  order,  I.  O.  O.  F., 
M.  W.  A.  and  Eastern  Star.  In  religious  con- 
victions he  is  a  Methodist. 

WILLIAM  H.  BRUCKER.  farmer  and  stock- 
raiser.  Sublette  Township,  Lee  County,  was 
born  on  the  farm  where  he  now  resides,  June 
27,  1870,  son  of  Christian  and  Mary 
(Schwingle)  Brucker,  the  former  born  at  Mie- 
thal,  Alsace,  May  IS,  1825,  and  the  latter  in 
Buffalo,  N.  Y.,  August  3,  1842,  the  daughter  of 
Fred  and  Christine  (Smith)  Schwingle,  who 
were  natives,  respectively,  of  Saxe-Coburg, 
Germany,  and  Dimeringen,  Alsace.  Christian 
Brucker  came  to  Lee  County,  III.,  in  1865,  and 
on  March  6,  1860,  married  Mary  Schwingle  and 
settled  on  a  tract  of  260  acres  of  land,  embrac- 
ing a  part  of  Sections  14  and  15  in  Sublette 
Township.  Here  they  reared  a  family  of  nine 
children  who  ,grev/  to  years  of  maturity,  the 
father  dying  Nov.  5.  1901.  The  mother  still 
lives  in  Sublette  Township.  February  6.  1894, 
William  H.  Brucker  married  Carrie  Trucken- 
brod,  daughter  of  John  and  Elizabeth  (Faber) 
Truckenbrod,  natives,  respectively,  of  Bavaria 
and  Saxe-Coburg.  but  now  residents  of  Clarion 
Township,  Bureau  County,  111.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Brucker  have  three  children:  Hattie  M.,  Harvey 
F..  and  Gilbert.  Mr.  Brucker  pursues  the  occu- 
pation of  farmer  and  stock-raiser  on  the  pa- 
ternal homestead  of  260  acres,  which  he  now 
ov.'ns,  and  where  he  has  spent  the  whole  of 
his  life,  except  six  years  he  was  engaged  in 
farming  in  Mendota  Township,  LaSalle  County. 
In  politics  he  is  independent. 


PAUL  BIEBER.  farmer,  Sublette  Township, 
Lee  County,  111.,  was  born  in  the  township 
where  he  now  resides,  April  2,  1864,  son  of 
George  and  Elizabeth  (Burger)  Bieber,  natives 
of  Germany,  who  came  to  Lee  County  in  1858, 
locating  at  Sublette.  George  Bieber  located 
in  Chicago  in  1853,  where  he  was  employed 
for  some  time  as  a  shoemaker,  and,  during 
his  residence  there,  had  the  opportunity  of 
purchasing  what  are  now  the  sites  of  principal 


764 


HISTORY   OF   LEE    COUNTY. 


business  blocks  of  that  city  at  $10  each.  He 
went  to  the  Fatherland  in  1859  and  there  mar- 
ried Elizabeth  Burger,  and  he  and  his  wife 
are  the  parents  of  three  children — George. 
Katie  (Mrs.  George  Leffleman)  and  Paul.  Mr. 
Bieber  died  In  1894.  but  his  wife,  still  survives. 
Paul  Bieber  was  married  in  1890  to  Elizabeth 
Strubel.  daughter  of  John  and  Rigina  (Amer- 
ine)  Strubel.  and  they  have  three  children — 
Clara,  Claremont  and  George.  In  political 
views  he  is  a  Democrat,  and  in  religious,  faith 
a  Catholic.  In  1892  he  purchased  his  present 
farm  consisting  of  130  acres  of  valuable  land, 
improved  with  substantially  constructed  and 
well-kept   buildings. 

C.  T.  BEITEL  farmer.  Section  8,  Alto  Town- 
ship, Lee  County,  111.,  was  born  in  DeKalb 
County,  111..  March  11.  1860.  son  of  J.  T.  and 
Emma  L.  (Troeger)  Beitel  natives  of  Pennsyl- 
vania who  came  to  Illinois  in  1852  and  settled 
in  DeKalb  County.  Mr.  J.  T.  Beitel  died  April 
29,  1892.  his  wife  surviving'  until  April  9.  1901. 
They  were  the  parents  of  thirteen  children,  the 
subject  of  this  sketch  being  seventh  in  their 
family.  C.  T.  Beitel  worked  on  his  father's 
farm  and  gained  his  education  in  the  DeKalb 
County  schools.  He  remained  at  home  during 
his  boyhood  and  youth,  and,  on  reaching  man- 
hood, first  operated  a  cheese  factory  for  three 
years,  and  was  afterwards  engaged  as  a  book- 
keeper eight  years  at  Hinckley,  DeKalb  County. 
In  1891  he  purchased  his  present  farm  in  Lee 
County,  then  known  as  the  "Mahanna  farm," 
for  which  he  paid  $35  per  acre,  and  by  sub- 
sequent improvements  he  has  greatly  increased 
the  value  of  his  property,  having  refused  offers 
of  $125  per  acre.  On  April  21,  1883,  Mr.  Beitel 
was  married  to  Hattie  R..  daughter  of  L.  D. 
and  Clara  (Sutliff)  Wilcox,  and  they  are  the 
parents  of  three  children,  viz.:  Grace  D..  Les- 
ter D.  and  Perry  A.  In  religious  belief  Mr. 
Beitel  is  a  Methodist,  and  in  political  opinions 
a  Prohibitionist;  is  serving  at  the  present  time 
as  School  Director.  Fraternally  he  is  a  member 
of  the  M.  W.  A. 

BURNS  BROTHERS,  grocers.  Harmon.  111., 
are  the  sons  of  Owen  and  Catherine  (Larliin) 
Burns,  both  of  whom  were  natives  of  County 
Louth,  Ireland,  and  came  to  the  United  States 
in  1861.  and  to  Lee  County,  111.,  in  1868.  To 
Mr.    and    Mrs.    Owen    Burns    thirteen    children 


were  born,  two  of  whom  are  now  deceased. 
Those  living  are:  Margaret  M.,  Owen  E..  Mary 
A..  Thomas  E.,  Catherine  E..  Elizabeth  A., 
Rose.  Emma,  Joseph  P..  Julia  and  Florence. 

Owen  E.  Burns,  of  this  family,  was  born  at 
Ohio.  Bureau  County.  111..  Dec.  2.  1866,  attended 
the  public  school  and  graduated  at  Dixon  Col- 
lege in  1884.  In  1897  he  was  married  to  Bridget 
Riley,  daughter  of  Peter  and  Mary  (Carlin) 
Riley,  natives  of  County  Cavan.  Ireland.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  Order  of  Columbian 
Knights. 

Thomas  E.  Burns  was  born  in.  Marion  Town- 
ship, Lee  County.  111.,  July  27.  1872.  attended 
the  public  school  at  Harmon,  and  also  took 
a  business  course  at  St.  Viaturus  College.  Bour- 
bonnais.  111.,  leaving  there  in  1893. 

In  1900  Thomas  and  Owen  Burns  opened  up 
a  grocery  store  at  Harmon.  111.,  under  the 
name  of  Burns  Brothers,  which  they  conducted 
in  partnership  for  over  three  years,  when,  in 
the  latter  part  of  1903.  Owen  retired  and  en- 
gaged in  the  laundry  business  in  Chicago,  his 
residence  being  at  872  West  Monroe  street, 
Chicago.  The  Burns  Brothers  are  both  mem^ 
bers  of  the  Catholic  church. 

O.  W.  BRIGGS,  editor  and  proprietor  ot 
"Lee  County  Times,"  Paw  Paw,  111.,  was  born 
in  Willow  Creek  Township,  Lee  County,  111., 
Oct.  9,  1866,  son  of  John  B.  and  Alfred  Briggs. 
In  1883  he  came  to  Paw  Paw,  where,  for  four 
years,  he  was  engaged  in  school  teaching,  after- 
wards entered  the  newspaper  field,  and  in 
1891  purchased  the  "Lee  County  Times,"  which 
he  has  since  conducted.  November  27,  1889, 
he  married  Jennie  Pulver.  daughter  of  James 
Pulver  of  Paw  Paw,  and  they  have  two  children 
— Harold  A.  and  Stanley.  In  political  views 
Mr.  Briggs  is  a  Republican,  and  socially  belongs 
to  the  Masonic  Order,  Corinthian  Lodge  No. 
205.  and  Mendota  Chapter. 

GEORGE  W,  I.  BROWN,  physician  and  sur- 
geon. Dixon,  111.,  born  in  Greensboro,  Penn., 
Oct.  26,  1846,  son  of  John  Cox  and  Elizabeth 
(Hcpton)  Brown,  grandson  of  George  Moss 
and  Latetia  (MacFarland)  Brown,  and  great- 
grandson  of  Richard  Brown,  who  was  a  son 
of  Sir  Richard  Brown  of  England.  Richard 
Brown,  born  in  England  in  1760,  came  to  Phila- 
delphia in  1781.  married  Frances  Moss  and 
became    an    extensive    land-owner    in    Greene 


HISTORY   OF   LEE    COUNTY, 


765 


County.  Penn..  and  Monongalia  County,  Va., 
(now  West  Virginia),  whicli  he  entailed  to 
his  descendants.  Latetia  (MacFarland)  Brown, 
daughter  of  John  and  Susanna  (Cox)  MacFar- 
land, natives  of  Wales,  married  George  Moss 
Brown  in  Philadelphia,  and  they  resided  there 
all  their  lives.  Dr.  George  W.  I.  Brown's 
mother,  nee  Elizabeth  Hopton,  was  the  daugh- 
ter of  Jesse  and  Sarah  (Finch)  Hopton.  who 
were  Quakers,  of  English  descent,  and  settled 
in  Western  Pennsylvania  in  1810.  When  Dr. 
Brown  was  three  years  old.  his  father,  who 
had  been  a  glass  manufacturer  at  Greensboro, 
removed  to  Monongalia  County,  Va.,  and  turned 
his  attention  to  farming,  but  later  returned  to 
Greene  County,  Penn..  where  he  had  come  into 
possession  of  a  part  cf  the  Brown  estate.  Here 
the  son  grew  up  on  the  farm,  attending  the  dis- 
trict schools  during  the  winter,  took  a  two 
years'  course  in  Greene  Academy  at  Carmich- 
aels,  and  at  eighteen  years  of  age  began  the 
study  of  medicine  with  Dr.  George  F.  Burch.  of 
Greensboro,  while  teaching  during  the  winter 
months;  later  continued  his  studies  with  Dr. 
George  W.  John,  of  Stewartstown,  W.  Va.,  and 
in  1867  entered  Philadelphia  University  of  Med- 
icine and  Surgery,  where  he  graduated  in  ISfifl. 
He  then  succeeded  to  the  practice  of  his  pre- 
ceptor. Dr.  John,  at  Stewartstown,  W.  Va. ; 
in  1870  removed  to  Meyersdale,  Penn.,  where 
he  remained  seven  years,  meanwhile  filling  the 
position  of  Assistant  Surgeon  of  the  Baltimore 
&  Ohio  Railroad  Company,  Physician  and  Sur- 
geon of  the  Keystone  Coal  &  Manufacturing 
Company,  and  a  similar  position  with  the  Sav- 
age Fire  Brick  Company.  Having  sold  his 
practice  to  Dr.  J.  Ernest  Meiers,  of  Washing- 
ton, D.  C,  in  1877,  he  came  to  Illinois,;  entered 
Hahnemann  Medical  College  at  Chicago,  and 
graduated  in  1878.  Then  having  entered  into 
partnership  with  Dr.  J.  A.  Hoffman,  of  Men- 
dota,  he  practiced  for  a  time  at  LaMoille.  but 
in  the  fall  of  the  same  year  removed  to  Dixon, 
where  he  succeeded  to  the  practice  of  Dr. 
Steele,  of  the  firm  of  Steele  &  Blackman.  the 
firm  taking  the  name  of  Blackman  &  Brown 
This  partnership  was  dissolved  in  1880,  and 
Dr.  Brown  has  since  practiced  alone.  In  1900 
he  took  a  post-graduate  course  at  the  Chicago 
Polyclinic  Institute  in  Surgery.  Gynecology  and 
Dermatology,  is  now  a  member  of  the  staff  of 
Physicians  and  Surgeons  of  the  Dixon  Public 
Hospital;    Surgeon    of    the    Sterling,    Dixon    & 


Electric  Railv.-ay  and  of  the  Lee  County  Light- 
ing &  Fuel  Company.  The  medical  organiza- 
tions with  which  he  is  affiliated  include  the 
Lee  County  Medical  Society;  Rock  River  Insti- 
tute, of  which  he  has  been  President;  the  Illi- 
nois State  Medical  Society;  Illinois  Homeopa- 
thic Medical  Association;  American  Institute  of 
Homeopathy,  and  the  American  Medical  As- 
sociation. 

From  boyhood  Dr.  Brown  has  been  identified 
with  the  Methodist  church,  and  for  thirty- 
three  years  a  member  of  the  Official  Board, 
being  the  sixth  member  to  join  the  church  at 
Meyersdale.  Penn.,  in  1870,  which,  in  six  years, 
grew  to  a  membership  of  250.  He  has  also 
been  prominently  identified  with  educational 
matters,  serving  for  six  years  as  member  of 
the  Board  of  Education  at  Meyersdale,  Penn., 
and  for  fifteen  years  at  Dixon,  three  years  of 
this  time  serving  as  President;  has  also  served 
two  years  as  director  cf  the  Dixon  Buildin.g 
and  Loan  Association.  Since  he  was  twenty- 
one  years  of  age  he  has  been  an  enthusiastic 
member  of  the  Masonic  Fraternity,  having 
taken  all  the  higher  degrees  of  the  order,  and 
has  filled  numerous  official  positions,  includ- 
ing Commander  of  Dixon  Commandery,  No.  21. 
K.  T.;  member  cf  Freeport  Consistory,  S.  P.  R. 
S.;  Grand  Lodge  of  the  State;  Grand  Royal 
Arch  Chapter,  and  Grand  Commandery  K.  T. 
of  the  State  of  Illinois.  Politically  he  is  a  Re- 
publican, casting  his  first  vote  for  Gen.  Grant 
for  President  in  1868.  and  has  often,  served  his 
party  in  State  and  minor  conventions.  In  1872 
the  Doctor  was  united  in  marriage  to  Magda- 
lene Miller,  daughter  of  Josiah  and  Matilda 
(Beachy)  Miller,  of  Meyersdale,  Penn..  and  they 
have  three  children:  Charles  LeRoy,  born  in 
1874,  now  an  attorney-at-law  in  Chicago;  Edna 
Florence,  born  in  1877,  at  home;  and  George 
Harold,  born  in  1S87,  who  is  completing  his 
senior  year  in  the  Dixon  High  School. 

REV.  DANIEL  S.  CLARK  (deceased),  born  in 
Ellington.  Conn..  Jan.  24.  1822.  sen  of  David 
and  Sarah  (Bartlett)  Clark;  in  early  life  moved 
to  West  Woodstock,  Conn.,  and  there  learned 
the  carpenter's  trade;  then  in  1853,  coming  to 
Amboy,  Lee  County,  111.,  was  employed  for 
some  yeai's  by  the  Illinois  Central  Railroad 
Company,  as  superintendent  of  many  of  its 
buildings.  In  1859  Mr.  Clark  became  an  exhorter 
in  the  Second  Adventist  Christian  church,  and 


766 


HISTORY   OF   LEE    COUNTY. 


the  following  year  was  formally  ordained  as  a 
preacher  in  that  denomination,  continuing 
this  worlv  until  his  death,  March  20,  1900.  In 
1844  Mr.  Clark  was  married  to  Nancy  M.  Vin- 
ton, daughter  of  Hosea  and  Clementine  Vinton, 
who  were  natives  of  Connecticut.  Mrs.  Clark, 
who  still  survives,  is  a  member  of  the  Advent- 
ist  church  at  Mendota.  111. 

FERNANDO  H.  CHAFFEE,  retired  farmer. 
Paw  Paw,  111.,  was  born  in  Athens,  Vt..  Nov. 
21,  1827,  son  of  Eber  and  Annie  (Davis)  Chaf- 
fee. In  1839  the  family  came  to  Kane  County, 
111.  In  1852  Mr.  Chaffee  went  overland  to 
California,  and  after  an  absence  of  four  and 
a  half  years  returned  to  Lee  County,  where  he 
has  since  resided.  July  15,  1858,  he  married 
Delia  Barber,  daughter  of  Lahira  and  Annis 
(Nichols)  Barber,  and  to  them  the  following 
named  children  have  been  born,  viz.:  Edmund 
W..  Elmer  S.,  Wilbur  T.,  Ella  M.,  Minnie  A., 
Marcia  M.,  Ernest  L.,  Carrie  B..  John  F.  and 
C.  Bernard — the  last  five  named  being  de- 
ceased. To  a  former  marriage  was  born  Abby 
F.  Tabor,  wno  now  resides  at  Paw  Paw,  111. 
In  politics  Mr.  Chaffee  is  a  Democrat. 

WILBUR  T.  CHAFFEE,  Paw  Paw,  111.,  was 
born  in  Wyoming  Township,  Lee  County,  Sept. 
15,  1867,  the  son  of  Fernando  H.  and  Delia 
(Barber)  Chaffee.  He  attended  the  district 
schools  until  fifteen  years  of  age.  when  the 
family  removed  to  Paw  Paw,  III.  In  1886  he 
entered  Lake  Forest  University,  graduating 
from  the  classical  course  of  that  institution 
in  1893.  From  1895  to  1901  he  was  in  Califor- 
nia attending  to  his  father's  interests  in  that 
State,  but  at  the  present  time  is  engaged  in 
lead  and  zinc  mining  at  Leadville,  Colorado. 
On  September  18,  1901,  he  married  Mary  R. 
McBride,  daughter  of  John  B.  and  Sarah  (Bry- 
son)  McBride,  and  of  this  union  there  is  one 
child,  Helen  Margaret.  In  political  sentiment 
Mr.  Chaffee  is  a  Democrat,  and  in  religious 
faith  a  Presbyterian.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
I.  O.  O.  F. 

SAMUEL  CRAWFORD,  retired  farmer.  Dix- 
on. 111.,  was  boirn  in  Pennsylvania,  May  23, 
1823.  son  of  William  and  Fannie  (Moore) 
Crawford,  also  natives  of  the  Keystone  State. 
Mr.  Crawford  came  to  Lee  County  in  1848. 
locating   in    Nachusa    Township,    where   he   de- 


voted his  attention  to  general  farming  and 
stock-raising  until  1883,  when  he  removed  to 
Dixon,  and  has  since  lived  retired.  He  was 
married  on  Feb.  10,  1848,  and  of  his  children 
three  are  now  living — William  J.,  Wilson  and 
Calvin  B.  Mrs.  Crawford  died  in  July, 1886. 
In  political  sentiment  Mr.  Crawford  is  a  Repub- 
lican,   and    in    religious    belief   a   Presbyterian. 

CALVIN  B.  CRA^\TORD,  merchant,  Na- 
chusa, 111.,  was  born  in  Nachusa  Township,  Lee 
County,  111.,  April  18,  185S,  son  of  Samuel  and 
Mary  A,  (Burket)  Crawford.  Mr.  Crawford 
bought  an  inteirest  in  his  present  business 
in  1885,  but  one  year  later  purchased  the  en- 
tire stock,  and  has  since  conducted  the  enter- 
prise alone.  Since  1898  he  has  been  proprietor 
of  a  grain  elevator  at  Nachusa,  and  also  owns 
and  manages  a  200-acre  farm.  On  February  17, 
1881,  he  married  Anna  M.,  daughter  of  Wilson 
and  Frances  (Wallace)  Dysart.  Mrs.  Craw- 
ford died  in  December,  1887,  leaving  three  chil- 
dren: Grace,  Edgar  L.,  and  Leslie  R.  In  May, 
1890,  Mr.  Crawford  married  his  second  wife, 
Ina  O.  Dysart,  who  died  in  September,  1890. 
She  was  a  daughter  of  Philip  and  Ruth  (Igo) 
Dysart.  la  politics  Mr.  Crawford  is  a  Republi- 
can, and  is  a  member  of  the  County  Central 
Committee,  has  been  Postmaster  at  Nachusa 
since  1888.  Fraternally  he  belongs. to  the  Ma- 
sonic Order  at  Franklin  Grove. 

WILSON  CRAWFORD,  farmer,  Nachusa 
Township,  Lee  County,  111.,  was  born  in  the 
township  where  he  now  resides,  July  18.  1850, 
son  of  Samuel  and  Mary  Ann  (Burket)  Craw- 
ford. Mr.  Crawford  began  his  business  life  in 
1872,  and  first  conducted  his  father's  farm  for 
two  years,  afterwards  engaged  in  the  grain 
business  at  Nachusa  for  the  same  length  of 
time,  and  then  removed  to  Dixon,  111.,  where 
he  was  employed  by  the  Chicago  &  Northwest- 
ern Railroad  Company  for  twelve  and  a  half 
years.  In  1894  he  removed  to  his  present  200- 
acre  farm,  where  he  has  since  been  engaged  in 
general  farming  and  stock-raising.  On  Novem- 
ber 8,  1887,  he  married  Allie  Rhodes,  and  to 
them  four  children  were  born — Arthur  Leroy, 
Roscoe  Wilson,  Florence,  and  Elizabeth.  In 
political  views  Mr.  Crawford  is  a  Republican 
and  has  served  as  School  Director  for  nine 
years. 


:i STORY   OF   LEE    COUNTY. 


767 


ALBERT  W.  CRAWFORD.  I'aimer,  China 
Township,  Lee  County,  111.,  was  born  at  Na- 
chusa,  Lee  County.  111..  July  16,  1854,  son  ot 
John  M.  and  Mary  A.  (Dysart)  Crawford.  Al- 
bert W.  Crawford  began  business  life  for  him- 
self as  a  farmer  in  1877,  which  he  continued 
until  18S2,  when  he  removed  to  Iowa.  Return- 
ing to  Lee  County  in  1889,  he  located  in  Frank- 
lin Grove,  where  he  resided  until  1900.  and  then 
removed  to  the  A.  R.  Whitney  farm  in  China 
Township.  On  June  24,  1879,  he  married  Carrie  L. 
Whitney,  daughter  of  Alexis  R.  and  Mary  J. 
(Oakley)  Whitney,  and  ot  this  union  there  are 
five  children— Mary  (Mrs.  R.  C.  Gross).  John  R.. 
Albert  W.,  Jr.,  Robert  D.,  and  Charles  L.  In 
politics  Mr.  Crawford  affiliates  with  the  Repub- 
lican party.  Fraternally  he  belongs  to  the  Ma- 
sonic order,  Blue  Lodge  and  Chapter  at  Frank- 
lin Grove.  Dixon  Commandery,  and  Medinah 
Temple,   Chicago. 


JOSEPH  D.  CRAWFORD  (deceased)  was 
born  in  Nachusa  Township.  Lee  County,  111., 
Feb.  11,  1858,  son  of  John  M.  and  Mary  (Dy- 
sart) Crawford.  During  his  life  he  was  actively 
identified  with  the  farming  interests  of  his 
native  township.  On  January  4,  1882,  he  mar- 
ried Carrie  B.,  daughter  of  Zacharlah  and 
Hannah  (Wingert)  Emmert,  and  to  them  five 
children  were  born — J.  Blair.  Blanche.  Frank 
E.,  Lucy  B.  (deceased),  and  Lizzie  M.  (de- 
ceased). In  political  views  Mr.  Crawford  was 
a  Republican.     He  died  April  1,  1892. 


JAMES  CAHILL,  farmer.  Marion  Township, 
Lee  County,  born  in  County  Tipperary,  Ireland, 
in  August,  1833,  son  of  Patrick  Cahill,  also  a 
native  of  Ireland,  and  in  June,  1853,  came  to  the 
United  States:  after  spending  three  years  near 
Boston,  Mass..  came  west  to  Lee  County,  111., 
where  he  became  the  owner  of  240  acres  of 
land.  July  4,  1860,  Mr.  Cahill  married  Miss 
Johanna  Healy.  born  at  Ottawa,  111.,  March  9, 
1842,  the  daughter  of  John  Healy,  who  emi- 
grated from  Ireland  to  the  United  States  in  the 
early  '30s.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Cahill  have  had  eleven 
children,  of  whom  six  are  living,  viz.:  Wil- 
liam. Edward,  Mary.  Joseph.  Austin  and  Ellen. 
Mr.  Cahill  is  a  Democrat  politically  and  has 
served  six  years  as  Pathmaster  of  his  town- 
ship and  about  the  same  length  of  time  as 
School  Director.  He  and  his  family  are  mem- 
bers of  the  Catholic  church. 

THOMAS  A.  CARUTH.  farmer.  Wyoming 
Township,  Lee  County,  111.,  was  born  at  Paw 
Paw,  111.,  Nov.  24,  1869,  the  son  of  Alexander  and 
Mary  Jane  (McCarrell)  Caruth.  He  was  reared 
on  the  farm,  and  now  owns  the  old  homestead, 
comprising  200  acres.  On  October  3,  1894,  Mr. 
Caruth  was  married  to  Josie,  daughter  of  Avery 
and  Josephine  (Merriman)  Merriman,  and  of 
this  union  three  children — Eva  V..  Howard  A. 
and  Mabel  E. — have  been  born.  In  political 
opinions  he  Is  a  Republican,  and  has  served  as 
School  Director  for  twelve  years.  In  religious 
belief  he  is  a  Presbyterian. 


WILLIAM  W.  CADY.  retired  farmer.  Har- 
mon, 111.,  was  born  in  Rhode  Island.  April  21, 
1862,  the  son  of  Wesley  and  Elsey  (Brown) 
Cady,  who  were  also  natives  of  the  same  State. 
William  W.  Cady  came  to  LaSalle  County,  111., 
in  1850,  and  in  1878  moved  to  Harmon  Town- 
ship, where  he  now  resides.  February  20,  1848, 
he  married  Louisa  Bennett,  and  bo  them  one 
son,  George,  was  born,  who  is  now  deceased. 
Mrs.  Cady  died  March  9,  1903,  and  on^  June  14, 
1903,  Mr.  Cady  married  Fanny  Williams,  daugh- 
ter of  John  H.  and  Adelia  (Toby)  Williams. 
During  the  Civil  War  Mr.  Cady  served  one  year 
in  Company  C.  Fifty-ninth  Illinois  Volunteer 
Infantry.  He  is  a  Republican  in  political  views, 
and  served  seven  years  as  School  Director,  and 
tha  same  length  of  time  as  Pathmaster.  He  is 
a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church. 


ALEXANDER  CARUTH  (deceased)  was 
born  in  Ireland  in  1831.  and  came  with  his 
parents — Andrew  and  Jennie  Caruth— to  Amer- 
ica about  1850,  and  settled  near  Cottage  Hill 
Lee  County,  111.  He  married  Mary  Jane  Mc- 
Carrell, who  was  also  a  native  of  the  Emer- 
ald Isle,  and  to  them  seven  children  were  born, 
viz.:  Jennie,  Lizzie,  Sadie,  Hannah,  Cynthia, 
Thomas  and  Eva  (deceased).  In  politics  he 
was  a  Republican,  and  was  a  member  of  the 
Presbyterian  church.  Mr.  Caruth  died  in,  1872. 
His  wife  still  (1903)  survives,  and  resides  at 
Paw  Paw.  111. 

DR.  HIRAM  CARNAHAN.  retired  physician, 
Compton,  Lee  County,  111.,  was  born  in  Colum- 
bia County.  Penn..  June  10.  1S30,  son  of  Samuel 
and  Elizabeth  Carnahan.  who  were  also  natives 


768 


HISTORY   OF   LEE    COCNTY 


of  the  Keystone  State  and  settled  at  MaUigin's 
Grove  in  184S.  Doctor  Carnahan  practiced  his 
profession  in  this  vicinity  for  over  thirty  years. 
In  1857  he  married  Sarah  Christiance,  daughter 
of  Abraham  and  Caroline  C.  Christiance.  na- 
tives of  New  York  State.  Doctor  and  Mrs.  Car- 
nahan are  the  parents  of  nine  children,  four  of 
whom  are  now  living.  The  Doctor  is  a  Repub- 
lican in  politics,  a  Royal  Arch  Mason  in  fra- 
ternal relations,  and  a  member  of  the  Metho- 
dist Episcopal   church. 

ANDREW  J.  CARNAHAN  (deceased!  was 
born  in  Columbia  County,  Penn.,  in  1816.  In 
18.50  he  came  to  Lee  County,  111.,  and  purchased 
land  in  Brooklyn  Township,  where  he  farmed 
until  1872.  Through  his  influence  a  railroad 
station  was  built  on  his  land,  where  he  after- 
wards erected  a  number  of  buildings  and  con- 
ducted an  extensive  mercantile  business  for 
a  number  of  years.  In  1834  he  married  Eliza- 
beth Holdren,  and  they  became  the  parents  of 
nine  children.  For  many  years  Mr.  Carnahan 
served  as  Justice  of  the  Peace.  He  was  a 
member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church. 

ALPHEUS  H.  CLINK,  farmer  and  stcck- 
raiser,  Sublette  Township,  Lee  County,  was 
born  in  Bradford  County,  Penn.,  April  6,  1829, 
the  son  of  William  and  Rebecca  (Hulbert) 
Clink,  natives,  respectively,  of  Nev/  York  and 
Pennsylvania;  came  to  Lee  County,  111.,  in  184.3. 
with  his  parents,  who  settled  at  Lee  Center. 
The  family  consisted  of  nine  children.  William 
Clink,  the  father,  born  Sept.  20.  1800.  died  in 
June,  1856:  the  mother  died  May  28,  1886. 
Alpheus  H.  Clink  has  lived  on  the  farm,  of 
which  160  acres  bought  by  his  father  when  the 
family  settled  there  in  1848,  forms  apart. 
March  3,  1850,  he  was  married  to  Julia  A.  Can- 
fleld,  who  was  born  in  Bradford  County,  Penn., 
Feb.  8,  1831,  daughter  of  Andrew  and  Loraine 
(Gay lord)  Canfleld,  natives  of  Pennslyvania, 
and  one  son  was  born  of  this  marriage,  How- 
ard M.,  December,  1854.  December  11,  1855, 
Mr.  Clink  married,  as  his  second  wife,  Melissa 
M.  Robinson,  who  was  born  in  Ohio,  Aug.  9. 
1837,  daughter  of  Alexander  and  Sarah  (Avery) 
Bobinson,  who  came  to  Lee  County  in  1852. 
Five  children  were  born  of  this  marriage: 
Nina,  wife  of  John  Ellsworth:  William  H.,  who 
was  drowned  in  British  Columbia  in  1891- 
Frank,  a  barber  in  Dixon.  111.;   Haney,  who  re- 


sides on  the  old  farm,  and  Sadie  R.,  who  died 
in  1896,  aged  twenty-six  years.  Mr.  Clink  has 
served  as  School  Director  twenty  years.  High- 
way Commissioner  nine  years,  and  as,  delegate 
to  many  political  conventions. 

FRANK  W.  CASE,  liveryman.  Paw  Paw,  111., 
was  born  in  Earlville,  111.,  Sept.  5,  1872,  the  son 
of  John  A.  and  Phoebe  (Warren)  Case.  With 
the  exception  of  two  years  spent  in  Iowa,  Mr. 
Case  was  engaged  in  farming  until  the  spring 
cf  1903,  when  he  formed  a  partnership  with  S. 
E.  Smith  in  the  livery  business.  On  February 
24.  1898.  he  married-Lucy  M.  Patrick,  daughter 
of  William  and  Mary  Patrick,  and  they  have 
one  son,  Frederick  W.  In  political  sentiment 
Mr.  Case  is  a  Republican,  and  he  and  his  wife 
are  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
church   at  Paw  Paw. 

JOHN  ALVIN  CASE,  retired  farmer.  Paw 
Paw,  111.,  was  born  in  Wyoming  County,  Penn., 
Aug.  4,  1831,  son  of  Chauncey  and  Mary  E. 
(Roberts)  Case.  He  came  to  Lee  County  in 
1845.  and  in  1851  went  to  California,  where  he 
remained  fourteen  years.  In  1862  Mr.  Case  en- 
listed in  Company  I,  Fourth  California  Volun- 
teer Infantry,  and  served  until  1865.  Return- 
ing td  La  Salle  County,  111.,  in  the  latter  year, 
he  engaged  in  farming  until  1901,  and  then 
moved  to  Paw  Paw,  where  he  has  since  lived 
retired.  In  1870  he  married  Phoebe  Warren, 
and  they  have  three  children:  Julia  M..  Frank 
W..  and  Armand  P.  Mr.  Case  is  Independent 
in  politics.  He  is  a  member  of  the  G.  A.  R.  at 
Paw  Paw. 

FRANCIS  M.  CASE,  farmer,  Wyoming  Town- 
ship, Lee  County,  111,,  was  born  in  Wyoming 
County,  Penn.,  Feb.  15,  1839,  son  of  Chauncey 
and  Mary  E.  (Roberts)  Case,  natives  of  Con- 
necticut and  Pennsylvania,  respectively.  In 
1845  Frank  M.  was  brought  by  his  parents  to 
Lee  County,  the  following  year  locating  with 
them  on  the  farm  where  he  now  resides.  In 
early  manhood  he  taught  school  for  several 
terms,  but  for  many  years  has  been  engaged 
in  farming,  his  holdings  now  comprising  290 
acres.  In  August.  1862.  he  enlisted  in  Com- 
pany K,  Seventy-fifth  Illinois  Volunteer  In- 
fantry, but  was  discharged  in  1863  on  account 
of  physical  disability,  having  been  twice 
wounded  in  battle.  On  October  10,  1867,  he 
married  Cynthia  J.  Clark,  daughter  of  John  and 


HISTORY   OF   LEE    COUNTY. 


769 


Euphemia  (Marshall)  Clark,  natives  of  Penn- 
sylvania, who  came  to  Ogle  County,  111.,  in  1850, 
and  located  in  Marion  Township.  Three  chil- 
dren have  been  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Case, 
viz.:  Stella  M.,  Harry  L.,  and  Charles  C.  In 
political  views  Mr.  Case  is  a  Republican,  and 
in  religious  convictions  a  Methodist,  being  a 
member  of  the  church  at  Paw  Paw,  III. 

GEORGE  W.  CHRISTEAXCE,  farmer.  Brook- 
lyn Township,  Lee  County,  111.,  was  born  in  the 
township  where  he  now  resides,  Jan.  20,  1841, 
son  of  Abram  V.  and  Caroline  C.  (Borhight) 
Chrlsteance,  natives  of  Schenectady,  N.  Y.,  but 
originally  of  Holland-Dutch  ancestry.  Abram 
V.  and  Caroline  C.  Christeance  came  to  Lee 
County  in  1835,  and  were  the  parents  of  six- 
teen children,  six  of  whom  grew  to  maturity. 
George  W.  Christeance  was  reared  on  a  farm, 
and  in  October,  1861,  enlisted  in  Cheney's  Bat- 
tery, Company  F,  First  Illinois  Artillery,  serv- 
ing three  years  and  four  months.  In  1865  he 
re-enlisted  in  Hancock's  Veteran  Corps,  serving 
one  year,  one  month  and  nineteen  days.  For 
many  years  he  has  been  engaged  in  farming  on 
his  160-acre  farm  in  Brooklyn  Township.  On 
April  5,  1871,  Mr.  Christeance  was  married  to 
Eliza  A.,  daughter  of  Conrad  and  Mahalee 
(Goff)  Rutzee,  natives  of  Germany,  who  settled 
in  Lee  County,  111.,  in  1869,  and  to  this  union 
nine  children  have  been  born,  viz.:  Eva,  Cora, 
Nellie.  Joseph,  Caroline,  Fannie,  Harry,  Burton 
and  Ida  May.  The  three  oldest  are  now 
deceased.  Mr.  Christeance  is  a  member  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  church  and  fraternally  is 
associated  v/ith  the  I.  0.  0.  F.  and  G.  A.  R. 
Post.  In  political  sentiment  he  is  a  Repub- 
lican. 

SHERWOOD  DIXON  (deceased),  born  at 
Dixon,  III.,  Nov.  15.  1847,  son  of  James  P.  and 
Fanny  (Reed)  Dixon,  and  grandson  of  Father 
John  Dixon;  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1868;  mar- 
ried in  November.  1869,  Melissa  G.  Mead,  of 
Dixon,  111.;  practiced  law  at  Dixon  from  1868 
to  1874,  in  partnership  with  John  V.  Eustace 
and  William  Barge,  under  the  firm  name  of 
Eustace,  Barge  &  Dixon;  removed  to  Chicago 
where  he  resided  from  1874  to  1877  and  prac- 
ticed law  there  in  partnership  with  William  W. 
O'Brien  and  William  Barge,  under  the  firm 
name  of  O'Brien.  Barge  &.  Dixon;  returned  to 
Dixon    in    1S77,    and    entered    into    partnership 


with  Solomon  H.  Bethea,  remaining  with  him 
until  1884,  when  he  formed  a  partnership  with, 
John  D.  Crabtree,  which  continued  until  1888,. 
when  Mr.  Crabtree  was  elected  Circuit  Judge; 
partnership  with  Mr.  Bethea  was  then  resumed 
and  continued  until  the  death  of  Mr.  Dixon.  He 
was  for  seven  years  a  member  of  the  Board  of 
Education,  and  for  three  years  President  of  the 
Board;  from  1880  to  1888  he  was  Master  in 
Chancery  of  Lee  County.  In  politics  he  was 
a  Democrat  and  a  delegate  to  the  Democratic 
National  Conventions  in  1884  and  1892;  was  a 
member  of  the  Thirty-sixth  and  Thirtj'-seventh 
General  Assemblies  of  the  State  of  Illinois, 
and  drafted  the  Australian  ballot  law,  v.-hich  is 
now  in  force  U903);  while  in  the  Legislature 
he  v/as  Chairman  of  the  Judiciary  Committee 
and  of  the  Democratic  steering  committee; 
was  Democratic  candidate  for  Congress  for  this 
Congressional  District  in  1886,  but  was  de- 
feated; in  July.  1894,  was  appointed  United 
States  Attorney  for  the  Northern  District  of 
Illinois  and  removed  to  Chicago  ■where  he  died, 
Dec.  2,  1894.  His  children  were:  Henry  S.. 
Louis  M.  and  George  C. — all  of  whom  are  yet 
living. 

HENRY  S.  DIXON  was  born  at  Dixon,  111., 
Aug.  28,  1870,  son  of  Sherwood  and  Melissa  G. 
(Mead)  Dixon,  and  a  great-grandson  of  Father 
John  Dixon;  graduated  from  Dixon  High 
School  in  1888,  and  from  Kent  Law  School, 
Chicago,  1893;  read  law  with  his  father,  Sher- 
v.'ood  Dixon,  at  Dixon,  and  with  William  J. 
Hynes.  of  Chicago;  private,  corporal,  sergeant 
and  Second  Lieutenant  of  Company  G,  Sixth 
Regiment  Illinois  National  Guard,  lSSS-1891; 
admitted  to  the  bar  in  June,  1893;  Assistant 
United  States  Attorney  at  Chicago,  1894-95; 
returned  to  Dixon  in  1895,  and  entered  into 
partnership  with  S.  H.  Bethea,  continuing  un- 
til 1897;  since  the  latter  date  has  been  practic- 
ing law  at  Dixon  alone;  appointed  Referee  in 
Bankruptcy  for  the  Northern  District  of  Illi- 
nois by  Judge  P.  S,  Grosscup  in  1899,  and  is 
yet  acting  as  such;  elected  Mayor  of  the  City 
of  Dixon  in  March,  1903;  married  July  24,  1895, 
Margaret  C.  Casey  of  Chicago,  and  they  have 
four  children;  John  Sherwood.  Marion  E., 
Jerome  F.,  and  Robert  A. 

ERNEST  E.  DYSART,  farmer.  Nachusa 
Township.   Lee    County,    III.,   was    born    in    Na- 


■70 


HISTORY   OF   LEE   COUNTY 


chiisa  Township.  March  9.  1S65.  the  son  of  Wil- 
son and  Fi-ances  M.  (Wallace)  Dysart.  He  ob- 
tained his  elementary  education  in  the  public 
schools,  and  attended  Dixon  College  one  winter. 
February,  20.  1S90.  he  married  Emma  Zarger. 
daughter  of  Jacob  and  Frances  (Shellar)  Zar- 
ger, natives  of  Franklin  County.  Penn.,  who 
came  to  Lee  County  about  1876.  Mr.  Zarger 
died  in  1892.  Mr  .and  Mrs.  Dysart  have  two 
■children— Glen  H.  and  Cecil  Edith.  In  politi- 
cal sentiment  he  is  a  Republican. 

WILSON  DYSART  (deceased),  born  in 
Huntingdon  County,  Penn..  Nov.  27,  1829.  son 
of  Joseph  and  Mary  (Davison)  Dysart;  came 
to  Lee  County  in  1857.  and  became  a  success- 
ful farmer  and  stock-raiser.  On  January  IS. 
1853.  he  married  Frances  M.  Wallace,  daughter 
of  Samuel  P.  and  Susan  (Rathfon)  Wallace, 
natives  of  Pennsylvania,  and  to  whom  twelve 
children  were  born,  eight  of  whom  are  now  liv- 
ing, viz.:  Warren  P..  Joseph  W..  Clarinda 
(widow  of  Jacob  Zarger).  Ernest  S..  Edith  L.. 
Lee  JI..  Edward  E.  and  Fanny  E.  (Mrs.  John  S. 
Herbst).  In  political  sentiment  Mr.  Dysart 
was  a  Republican.     He  died  Aug.  12.  1901. 

COL.  JOHN  DEMENT  (deceased)  was  born 
at  Gallatin,  Tenn.,  April  26,  1804;  removed  with 
his  parents  to  Franklin  County.  111.,  in  1817; 
in  1S26  elected  Sheriff  of  Franklin  County, 
which  also  included  the  duties  of  Collector  and 
Treasurer  of  public  funds:  elected  to  the  State 
Legislature  in  1828:  re-elected  in  1830;  was 
subsequently  elected  by  the  General  Assembly 
as  State  Treasurer  for  three  successive 
terms.  In  1837  he  was  appointed  Receiver  of 
the  land  oflSce  at  Galena.  111.,  which  was  re- 
moved to  Dixon  in  1840;  chosen  Presidential 
Elector  for  James  K.  Polk  in  1844.  and  was  a 
member  of  three  State  Constitutional  Conven- 
tions (1847-8.  1862  and  1870);  served  as  Mayor 
of  Dixon  four  terms.  In  1835  he  married  Maria 
Louisa  Dodge,  daughter  of  Governor  Dodge,  of 
Wisconsin.  Colonel  Dement  also  rendered 
efficient  services  during  the  Black  Hawk  War. 
He  died  Jan.  17.  1883. 

HON.  HENRY  D.  DEMENT.  ex-Secretary  of 
State  for  Illinois,  was  born  at  Galena.  Jo 
Daviess  County.  111.,  in  1840.  son  of  Col.  John 
and  Mary  L.  (Dodge)  Dement.  He  enlisted  as 
a  private  in   the  Thirteenth  Illinois  Voluuceer 


Infantry  when  twenty  years  of  age.  and  was 
successively  promoted  until  he  received  the 
commission  of  captain.  Soon  after  the  fall  of 
Vicksburg,  he  resigned  his  command  and  re- 
turned to  Dixon,  where  for  several  years,  he 
was  interested  in  different  manufacturing 
establishments.  In  November,  1872,  he  was 
elected  to  the  lower  house  of  the  Illinois  Legis- 
lature, and  was  re-elected  in  1874.  In  1876  he 
was  elected  to  the  State  Senate  from  the  coun- 
ties of  Lee  and  Ogle,  serving  four  years,  and  in 
November.  1880,  was  elected  Secretary  of 
State. 

HARRY  W.  DYSART.  grain  dealer,  Franklin 
Grove.  111.,  was  born  in  the  village  where  he 
now  resides,  Dec.  26,  1858.  son  of  Samuel  and 
Margaret  (Henderson)  Dysart.  Mr.  Dysart 
came  to  Franklin  Grove  in  1882,  and  purchased 
the  O.  G.  Smith  Elevator  &  Grain  business, 
which  he  has  since  conducted,  and  in  1903 
built  an  elevator  having  a  capacity  of  20.000 
bushels.  On  November,  7.  1883.  he  married 
Etta  Girton  and  they  became  the  parents  of 
three  children— Virginia,  Myrtle,  and  Byron. 
Mrs.  Dysart  died  April  7.  1891.  and  on  June  26, 
1894.  Mr.  Dysart  married  for  his  second  wife, 
Elizabeth  Burch.  and  they  have  one  son,  Ray- 
mond. In  political  sentiment  Mr.  Dysart  is  a  Re- 
publican, and  fraternally  is  a  member  of  the  Ma- 
sonic Order,  Blue  Lodge,  and  Chapter  of  Frank- 
lin Grove,  Commandery  of  Dixon,  and  Medinah 
Temple  of  Chicago. 

EDWARD  E.  DYSART.  farmer.  Nachusa 
Township,  Lee  County.  111.,  was  born  in 
Nachusa  Township.  Aug.  15.  1872.  sen  of  Wilson 
and  Frances  M.  (Wallace)  Dysart.  He  ob- 
tained his  education  in  the  public  schools  and 
attended  Mount  Morris  Academy  one  year, 
where  he  took  a  course  in  commercial 
branches.  On  December  14,  1898,  he  married 
Ida  May,  daughter  of  John  and  Malinda  (Groh) 
Shank,  all  of  whom  are  natives  of  Lebanon 
County,  Penn..  and  came  to  Lee  County  in  1868. 
After  marriage  Mr.  Dysart  settled  on  his  pres- 
ent 200-acre  farm,  which  was  a  part  of  his 
father's  homestead.  In  political  views  he  is 
a  Republican,  and  Mrs.  Dysart  is  a  member  of 
the  Lutheran  church. 

JIRS.  MARY  E.  DYER,  farmer,  Amboy  Town- 
ship.   Lee    County.    111..    %vas    born    in    Steuben 


HISTORY   OF   LEE    COUNTY. 


County,  N.  Y.,  Feb.  S.  lSo7,  daughter  of  Jesse 
and  Annie  (Conderman)  Maydole,  who  came  to 
Lee  County  in  1S55.  On  September  17,  1856. 
she  was  married  to  Sheffield  Dyer,  and  to  them 
three  children  were  born,  viz.:  Seymour  (de- 
ceased), Marion  C.  and  Frank  S.  Mr.  Dyer 
died  April  11,  1881.  Socially  he  was  a  member 
of  the  I.  O.  O.  F.;  in  politics  a  Democrat,  and 
served  his  fellow-townsmen  as  constable  for 
fourteen  years.  Mrs.  Dyer's  farm  in  Amboy 
Township  comprises  sixty-tv/o  acres.  She  is  a 
devout  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
church. 

MARTIX  DETRICK.  farmer,  Nelson  Town- 
ship, Lee  County,  was  born  in  Monroe  County. 
Penn.,  Bee.  7,  1833,  son  o?  Jacob  and  Margaret 
(Rowe)  Detrick,  both  natives  of  Pennsylvania. 
The  subject  of  this  sketch  grew  to  manhood 
in  Wyoming  County,  Penn.,  and  in.  1854,  came 
to  Lee  County,  111.,  beginning  life  there  as  a 
laborer,  after  which  he  was  engaged  in  farming 
on  rented  land  for  six  years.  In  1864  he  pur- 
chased his  first  tract  of  land  and  has  since 
been  successfully  engaged  in  farming.  January 
11,  1860,  he  married  Rachel  Atkinson,  who  was 
born  in  Wyoming  County,  Penn.,  in  August, 
1833,  and  they  became  the  parents  of  four  chil- 
dren: George  A.,  Myron  H.,  Mary  L.  and 
Lydia  A.  (deceased).  Mr.  Detrick  has  been 
identified  with  the  Republican  party  since  the 
date  of  its  organization  in  1856;  the  family  are 
members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church. 

■ttaLLlAM  DAEHLER.  farmer,  Sublette 
Township,  Lee  County,  was  born  in  Germany, 
eighteen  miles  from  Frankfort-on-the-Main. 
May  20,  1843,  son  of  Frederick  and  Margaret 
(Clarius)  Daehler,  both  of  whom  were  natives 
of  the  son's  birth-place.  William  Daehler  came 
td  America  in  1867,  and  settled  at  Portsmouth, 
O.,  where  he  worked  in  the  machina  shops  tor 
several  years,  in  1880  coming  to  Lee  County, 
111.,  where  he  has  since  been  engaged  in  farm- 
ing, for  the  first  eleven  years  as  tenant  on  the 
Gardner  farm,  and  for  eight  years  on  the  Aus- 
tin farm  of  236  acres;  is  the  owner  of  160  acres 
of  land  in  Wilkin  County,  Minn.  Mr.  Daehler 
is  a  Republican  in  politics,  ana  a  member  of 
the  Evangelical  Lutheran  church — has  served 
one  year  as  Highway  Commissioner  of  his 
township,  and  holds  that  office  at  the  present 
time.        October   10,    1869,    he    was   married   to 


Rosie  Stoll,  born  in  Wurtemburg,  Germany,  in 
1843,  and  at  three  years  of  age  came  with  her 
parents  to  America,  the  family  settling  in  Ohio. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Daehler  have  had  seven  children: 
William,  who  married  Sadie  Hafner;  Kate, 
married  Edward  White;  Charles,  married  Mary 
Page;  Augusta,  married  Henry  Reckinger; 
John,  married  Martha  Cropsy;  Albert,  married 
lona  Casch;   and  Edward,  who  is  unmarried. 

HENRY  J.  DURR,  merchant,  Harmon,  111., 
was  born  in  Montgomery  Township,  Whiteside 
County,  111.,  Aug.  2,  1862,  son  of  Michael  and 
Bridget  (Raferty)  Durr.  On  March  21,  1861, 
his  parents  came  from  Ballaghderreen,  Ireland, 
and  located  at  Sterling,  111.,  but  shortly  after- 
wards engaged  in  farming  in  Whiteside  County, 
III.,  and  on  March  1,  1869,  removed  to  Section 
3.  Harmon  Township,  Lee  County.  They  were 
the  parents  of  six  children,  two  of  whom  died 
in  infancy,  and  those  living  are:  Henry  J.; 
ilrs.  Sarah  A.  Haley,  of  Marion  Township; 
Thomas  F.,  who  resides  on  the  homestead;  and 
Mrs.  Mary  A.  Condon,  of  Dixon,  111.  Michael 
Durr  died,  Aug.  25,  1886,  and  his  wife  April 
13,  1896.  Henry  J.  Durr  grew  to  manhood  on 
his  father's  farm  and  followed  farming  until 
Jan.  1,  1897,  when  he  purchased  a  half  in- 
terest in  the  business  then  owned  by  Thomas 
P.  Long,  and  the  firm  now  conducts  an  exten- 
sive trade  in  lumber,  coal,  hardware,  imple- 
ments and  vehicles.  In  1899  Mr.  Durr  built  the 
first  brick  store  in  Harmon  village.  February 
20,  1887,  he  married  Mary  A.  Long  and  to  them 
six  children  have  been  born,  two  of  whom  are 
living,  viz.:  Clarence  J.,  born  June  13,  1889; 
and  Mary  D.,-  born  April  23,  1891.  On  political 
questions  Mr.  Durr  affiliates  with  the  Demo- 
cratic party,  and  has  served  as  Township 
Treasurer  since  1898,  and  is  also  President  of 
the  village  board  of  trustees.  Fraternally  he 
is  a  member  of  the  M.  W.  A.  and  Mystic  Work- 
ers of  the  World.  He  and  his  family  are  mem- 
bers of  the  Catholic  church. 

JOHN  B.  DOUGLASS,  station  agent.  Chi- 
cago, Burlington  &  Quincy  Railroad,  Paw  Paw, 
111.,  was  born  in  Niagara  County,  N.  Y.,  Aug.  22, 
1847,  son  of  George  W.  and  Malinda  J.  (Stock- 
ing) Douglass,  natives  of  New  York,  who  came 
to  Illinois  in  1853,  locating  at  Wyanet,  Bureau 
County,  and  engaged  in  farming.  John  B. 
Douglass  first  entered  the  railway  service  at 
Rock  Falls,  Feb.  1,  1875,  was  later  stationed  at 


772 


HISTORY   OF   LEE    COUNTY, 


Harmon,  and  came  to  Paw  Paw  as  agent  in 
18S3.  October  20.  1876,  lie  married  Clara  D. 
Yearnshaw,  of  Wyanet,  and  they  have  six 
children — Ralph,  Fred,  Ray.  Edgar.  Thomas 
and  Ira.  In  political  views  Mr.  Douglass  is  a 
Republican,  and  was  a  member  of  the  school 
board.  Socially  he  belongs  to  the  I.  O.  O.  F. 
and  M.  W.  A.  In  religious  belief  he  is  a 
Methodist,  and  attends  the  church  at  Paw  Paw. 
Mrs.  Douglass  died,  June  20,  1900. 

JAMES  M.  DURIN.  physician  and  surgeon. 
Steward.  III.,  was  born  on  his  father's  farm 
March  4,  1867.  son  of  Gilbert  E.  and  Catherine 
(Norris)  Durin,  the  former  born  in  Vermont  in 
1825.  and  the  latter  in  Indiana  in  1836.  Gilbert 
E.  Durin  came  to  Lee  County  in  1850.  and  his 
wife.  Catherine  Norris,  came  with  her  adopted 
parents  in  1843.  After  marriage  they  settled 
in  Willow  Creek  Township,  and  became  the 
parents  of  three  children — Warren  H.,  who  re- 
sides at  Cedar  Rapids.  Iowa;  Mary,  who  died 
aged  six  years,  and  James  M.  Gilbert  E.  Durin 
died  May  29J  1891,  while  his  wife  survived  him 
until  Feb.  8.  1899.  Mr.  Durin  had  been  a  suc- 
cessful farmer,  and  at  the  time  of  his  death 
owned  280  acres  of  land,  but  had  lived  retired 
since  1876.  James  M.  Durin  attended  the  pub- 
lic schools  at  Steward,  graduated  from  the 
Rochelle  (Illinois)  High  School  in  1887.  and 
afterwards  attended  the  Hahnemann  Medical 
College,  Chicago,  completing  his  course  in  that 
institution  in  1889.  Locating  at  Steward  in 
the  latter  year,  he  has  since  conducted  a  suc- 
cessful practice  in  that  village.  On  December 
6,  1896.  he  married  Margaret  Parker,  daughter 
of  Abbie  A.  Parker,  and  they  have  one  child 
Gilbert  E.  The  Doctor  is  a  member  of  the 
Masonic  order.  Blue  Lodge.  Chapter  at  Rochelle, 
Commandery  at  Sycamore,  M.  W.  A..  Knights 
of  the  Globe.  Mystic  Workers,  and  of  the  State 
Homeopathic  Medical  Association.  In  political 
views  he  is  a  Republican. 

LEWIS  G.  DURIN.  retired  farmer.  Section  8, 
Willow  Creek  Township.  Lee  County.  111.,  was 
born  in  \ermont,  March  8,  1820.  son  of  Ethan 
and  Mary  (Gates)  Durin.  He  was  reared  on 
his  father's  farm  in  the  Green  Mountain  State, 
and  attended  the  near-by  district  schools. 
After  reaching  manhood,  he  worked  at  farm 
labor  for  $10  per  month,  and  in  1849  came  to 
Rockton.   111.,    where   he   worked   for   a   farmer 


one  year,  and  then,  in  partnership  with  his 
brother.  Gilbert,  entered  a  half  section  of  land 
in  what  is  now  Willow  Creek  Township,  Lee 
County.  Two  years  later  Lewis  G.  purchased 
his  brother's  interest  and  has  subsequently 
added  to  his  holdings  until  he  now  owns  640 
acres  adjoining  the  homestead  and  120  acres 
in  Viola  Township.  Mr.  Durin  retired  from  ac 
tive  labor  in  1891,  and  removed  to  Rocktord 
111.,  but  is  now  erecting  a  new  dwelling  house 
on  his  farm,  which  will  be  his  future  residence. 
February  8.  1854.  he  married  Margaret  Rees, 
and  to  them  four  children  have  been  born,  two 
of  whom  survive,  viz.:  Ida  M.  and  George  Wil 
liam.  George  William  has  managed  his  fath- 
er's estate  for  a  number  of  years,  and  occupies 
the  old  homestead.  He  married  on  Sept.  16 
1892.  Julia  Ambler,  and  they  have  five  ch 
dren:  Fred  E.,  Ada  M..  Glenn  R.,  Vernie  L, 
and  Lewis  W.  Mr.  Durin  is  a  Republican  in 
politics,  and  has  served  as  Assessor,  Road  Com- 
missioner and  School  Trustee.  He  has  been 
an  extensive  breeder  of  short-horn  cattle  and 
Norman  and  Morgan  stock-horses.  The 
Rochelle  &  Southern  Railway,  which  will  be 
in  operation  in  May.  1904.  crosses  Mr.  Durin's 
farm,  and  the  village  of  Scarborough,  where 
two  large  grain  elevators  have  recently  been 
erected,  is  platted  on  land  belonging  to  his 
estate. 


PETER  DIXGES.  farmer.  Sublette  Township. 
Lee  County,  111..  W'as  born  in  Oberhechstadt. 
Hesse-Nassau.  Germany,  in  1844.  son  of  John 
and  Christina  (Port)  Dinges.  John  Dinges 
was  bora  Jan.  18,  1815,  and  his  v/ife  Jan.  13, 
1820.  They  are  both  living  (1903)  and  reside 
on  a  244-acire  farm  owned  by  Mr.  Dinges.  Peter 
Dinges  remained  under  the  parental  roof  until 
twenty-seven  years  of  age.  On  April  20.  1876. 
he  married  Christine  Shaup.  born  in  Hesse- 
Darmstadt.  Germany,  in  1850.  daughter  of  Cor- 
nelius and  Margarita  (Michel)  Shaup.  who  came 
to  America  in  1854.  locating  in  Lee  County.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Dinges  are  the  parents  of  eight  chil- 
dren, viz.:  Maggie  (Mrs.  Martin  Theisl.  Jacob 
(who  married  Mary  Reis).  John  (who  mar- 
ried Elizabeth  Reis).  Cornelius.  George.  Fred. 
Katie  and  Elizabeth.  In  political  views  Mr. 
Dinges  is  a  Democrat.  He  and  his  family  are 
members  of  the  Catholic  church.  His  estate 
embraces  SOO  acres  of  valuable  land. 


HISTORY   OF   LEE    COUXTY. 


REV.  JOHN  JIARK  ERICSSON,  rector  St. 
Luke's  Episcopal  church,  Dixon,  111.,  was  born 
April  25,  1S64.  He  received  his  early  educa- 
tion in  the  schools  of  Georgetown  and  Ridge- 
fleld.  Conn.,  and  in  1S94  graduated  from  the 
collegiate  department  ot  the  Northwestei-n 
University,  Evanston,  111.,  and  took  a  post- 
graduate course  in  the  Western  Theological 
Seminary,  Chicago.  From  1895  to  1898  he  had 
charge  of  St.  Ann's  Mission,  Chicago,  and  from 
1898  until  the  spring  of  1901  was  assistant  rec- 
tor of  Grace  Episcopal  church,  Chicago,  was 
priest  in  charge  of  the  same  church  from  the 
latter  date  until  Jan.  1,  1902,  when  he  came  to 
Dixon;  111.  February  1,  1902,  he  married  Annie 
Louise  Patrick.  In  political  sentiment  he  is  a 
Republican,  and  belongs  to  the  Phi  Kappa  Psi 
and  the  Phi  Beta  Kappa,  Greek  letter  fraterni- 
ties. 

ZACHARIAH  EMMERT,  retired  farmer.  Na- 
chusa  Township,  Lee  County,  111.,  was  born 
in  Washington  County,  Md.,  March  22,  1833, 
son  of  Jacob  and  Mary  (Newcomer)  Emmert, 
natives  of  Maryland,  who  came  to  Lee  County 
in  1844,  locating  in  Nachusa  Township  in  1845, 
where  the  former  died  in  1888,  and  the  latter 
in  1899.  Zachariah  Emmert  taught  school  in 
Nachusa  Township  during  the  winter  of  1855-6, 
and  in  1857  located  on  his  present)  farm  of  480 
acres,  v/here  he  has  since  resided.  In  1857  he 
married  Hannah  Wingert.  daughter  of  Henry 
and  Anna  (Beartz)  Wingert.  natives  of  Penn- 
sylvania, who  came  to  Lee  County  in  1852. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Emmert  are  the  parents  of  seven 
children,  viz.:  Oscar  V.  (deceased),  Carrie  B. 
(widow  of  James  D.  Crawford),  Frank  G.,  Lur- 
ten  S.,  Olive  L.,  (Mrs.  Harvey  E.  Spangler,  of 
Nachusa  Township),  and  Harry  L.  In  politics 
Mr.  Emmert  is  a  Democrat,  and  has  served  as 
Township  Supervisor  two  terms. 

LURTEN  S.  EMMERT,  farmer,  Nachusa 
Township,  Lee  County,  111.,  was  born  June  1, 
1866,  son  of  Zachariah  and  Hannah  (Wingert) 
Emmert.  He  was  married  on  Jan.  8,  1889,  to 
Sarah  J.,  daughter  of  Daniel  and  Rebecca 
(Spangler)  Lady,  natives  of  Pennsylvania,  and 
of  this  union  there  are  three  children — Wilbur. 
Ruth,  George,  and  Glen  B.,  who  died  in  infancy. 
Mr.  Emmert  located  on  his  present  farm  in 
1891.  and  has  since  been  engaged  in  general 
farming    and    stock-raising.     In    political    senti- 


ment he  is  a  Democrat,  and  socially  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Knights  of  the  Globe. 

HENRY  EMMERT  (deceased)  was  born  in 
Washington  County,  Md.,  Jan.  22,  1819,  son  of 
Rev.  Joseph  and  Catherine  (Avy)  Emmert,  na- 
tives respectively  of  Pennsylvania  and  Mary- 
land, who  came  to  Lee  County  in  1845,  locating 
in  Nachusa  Township.  Henry  Emmert  was 
married  March  11,  1852,  to  Mary  Kessler,  born 
in  Montgomery  County,  Ohio,  April  1,  1831, 
daughter  of  Benjamin  and  Sally  (Burket) 
Kessler,  and  they  became  the  parents  of  nine 
children,  viz.:  Joseph,  Jennie  A.,  Lora,  Sarah 
(Mrs.  Joseph  Johnson).  Anna  E.,  George  R., 
H.  Hugh.  F.  Winfred.  and  Jessie  T.  In  politi- 
cal views  Mr.  Emmert  was  a  Republican,  and 
in  religious  belief  a  German  Baptist.  He  died 
Dec.  12,  1896. 

FRANK  G.  EMMERT.  farmer,  Nachusa 
Township.  Lee  County,  111.,  was  born  in  the 
township  where  he  now  resides,  Aug,  8,  1864, 
son  of  Zachariah  and  Hannah  (Wingert)  Em- 
mert, natives  of  Maryland  and  Pennsylvania 
respectively.,  Frank  G.  Emmert  began  business 
life  for  himself  in  1889.  He  first  conducted  a 
farm  in  the  eastern  part  of  Nachusa  Township, 
then  located  on  the  J.  D.  Crawford  place,  where 
he  remained  twelve  years,  and  in  1902  pur- 
chased his  present  homestead  containing  87 
acres.  On  December  27.  1889,  he  married 
Martha  A.  Hartzell,  daughter  of  J.  Z.  Hartzell 
and  wife,  and  cf  this  union  there  were  two 
children— Lee  (deceased),  and  Harold.  In  poli- 
tics Mr.  Emmert  is  a  Democrat,  and  is  serving 
as  Township  Assessor:  was  Director  of  the 
School  Board  for  twelve  years.  Socially  he  is 
a  member  of  the  Knights  of  the  Globe,  Na-  ^ 
chusa  Garrison. 

CHARLES  EWALD,  farmer,  Reynolds  Town- 
ship, Lee  County,  was  born  in  Germany,  Feb 
5,  1865,  son  of  Henry  and  Martha  (Peck 
Ewald.  His  father,  Henry  Bwald,  born  in  ES' 
sen-Cassell,  Germany,  Aug.  5,  1837,  son  of  Mar- 
tin and  Martha  Ewald.  learned  the  stcne-ma- 
son's  trade  and  became  a  builder  in  Germany, 
where  he  worked  as  a  journeyman  for  fifteen 
years.  Having  married  in  his  native  country, 
in  1873.  he  came  to  America,  settling  in  Ogle 
County.  111.,  where  he  remained  six  years, 
when,  in  1879,  he  removed  to  Reynolds  Town- 


774 


HISTORY   OF   LEE    COUNTY. 


ship,  Lee  Ccunty,  becoming  a  prosperous  and 
well-to-do  farmer.  He  had  a  family  of  seven 
children,  of  whom  Charles  was  the  oldest. 
The  latter  was  educated  in  the  pubic  schools 
of  Ogle  Ccunty,  and  remaining  with  his  father, 
assisted  on  the  farm  until  twenty-six  years  of 
age,  v.'hen  he  married  Lizzie  Wagner,  daughter 
of  Martin  Wagner,  an  early  settler  of  Lee 
County,  and  they  have  four  children:  Ralph 
M.,  Harry  J.,  Rosie  A.  M..  and  Hilda  C.  In 
1899  Mr.  Ewald  bought  of  his  father  160  acres 
.of  land  on  Section  23,  Reynolds  Township, 
where  he  now  resides.  He  has  greatly  im- 
proved his  farm  since  becoming  its  owner,  and, 
while  chiefly  engaged  in  the  cultivation  of 
grain,  has  a  small  herd  of  cattle.  In  politics  he 
is  a  Republican,  and  has  served  his  township 
as  School  Trustee,  Tax  Collector  and  School 
Director.  He  and  his  family  are  attendant^ 
of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church. 

MARTIN  P.  EDEN,  farmer.  Section  11,  Wil- 
low Creek  Township.  Lee  County,  111.,  was  born 
on  the  old  Eden  homestead,  where  he  now  re- 
sides, Jan.  6.  1869,  son  of  Haldor  and  Betsy 
(Johnson)  Eden,  natives  of  Norway.  Haldor 
Eden  came  to  America  in  1856.  and  was  at  first 
employed  as  a  farm-hand  in  Lee  County,  but 
later  bought  eighty  acres  in  Section  11,  Willow 
Creek  Township,  to  which  he  made  subsequent 
additions  until,  prior  to  his  death,  he  owned  880 
acres  in  Lee  County,  besides  a  240-acre  farm 
in  the  State  of  Iowa.  He  married  Dec.  27,  1864, 
Betsy  Johnson,  and  their  children  were:  Arne 
O.,  Martin  P.,  Charles  A.,  John  H.,  Anna  A.  and 
Benjamin.  Mr.  Eden  was  a  Republican  in  poli- 
tics, and  served  as  School  Director  and  School 
Trustee.  He  died  Sept.  3.  1898.  but  his  wife 
(1903)  still  survives,  and  resides  with  Martin  P. 
and  other  members  of  her  family  on  the  old 
homestead.  Martin  P.  Eden  was  raised  on 
his  father's  farm  and  obtained  his  elementary 
education  in  the  village  school'  at  Lee,  later  at- 
tending Luther  College,  Decorah,  Iowa,  from 
which  he  graduated  in  1892.  Later  taking  a 
three-years  course  at,  Luther  Theological  Semi- 
nary, Robinsdale,  Minn.,  he  graduated  in  1895, 
and  then  engaged  in  ministerial  work  at  Mil- 
nor.  N.  D..  for  one  year.  He  afterwards  at- 
tended the  Chicago  University  for  nearly  five 
years,  in  the  meantime  taking  a  post-graduate 
course  in  Greek  and  Latin,  and  taught  the  lat- 
ter branch  in  the  Manual  Training  Department 


of  the  same  institution.  Returning  to  the  old 
homestead,  in  1900,  he  has  since  given  his  at- 
tention to  general  farming. 

ISAAC  EDWARDS  (deceased)  was  born  in 
England.  July  31,  1828.  son  of  Marmaduke  Ed- 
wards; came  to  Canada  in  1S49.  and  to  the 
United  States  in  1850;  located  at  Amboy  in 
1S53,  where  he  graded  seven  miles  of  track  for 
the  Illinois  Central  Railroad,  then  in  course  of 
construction.  In  1855  he  engaged  in  the  livery 
and  ice  business,  continuing  the  same  until 
1881;  elected  Sheriff  of  Lee  County  in  1882, 
serving  until  1886.  Returning  to  Amboy  he 
again  engaged  in  the  livery  business,  but  re- 
tired Aug.  1.  1896.  In  1853  he  was  married  to 
Elizabeth  Saul,  born  in  Ireland  and  came  to 
the  United  States  in  1852.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Edwards  eight  children  were  born,  four  of 
whom  are  now  living,  viz.:  William  J.,  John 
H..  I.  Frank  and  James  A.  In  politics  he  was 
a  stanch  Republican,  and  served  as  Township 
Collector  four  terms.  Assessor.  Supervisor 
several  years.  Alderman,  Mayor  of  Amboy  six 
years,  and  Sheriff  of  Lee  County  four  years. 
Mr.  Edwards  was  a  member  of  the  Baptist 
church.     He  died  April  14,  1901. 

WILLIAM  J.  EDWARDS,  liveryman.  Amboy, 
111.,  was  born  in  the  village  where  he  now  re- 
sides, Sept.  15,  1855,  son  of  the  late  Isaac  Ed- 
wards. He  attended  the  public  schools  at  Am- 
boy, and  completed  his  educational  training  at 
the  Chicago  University.  In  1881  he  purchased 
his  father's  livery  business  at  Amboy.  and, 
with  the  exception  of  two  years,  has  continued 
to  conduct  the  business  to  the  present  time. 
In  1880  he  married  Rose  Nannery,  a  native  of 
New  York  State,  and  they  are  the  parents  of 
five  children — Elizabeth  G.,  Annie,  Eva.  John 
J.,  and  William.  In  political  relations  Mr.  Ed- 
v.'ards  is  a  stanch  Republican;  has  served  as 
Collector  ten  years;  Alderman  of  Amboy.  six 
years;  Assessor,  six  years,  and  is  now  serving 
as  Deputy  Sheriff  of  Lee  Coimty. 

DR.  OLIVER  EVERETT  (deceased)  was 
born  at  Worthington,  Mass.,  Sept.  12,  1811,  son 
of  James  and  Phoebe  Everett.  He  graduated 
in  the  science  of  medicine  in  his  native  State 
and,  in  1836.  removed  to  Dixon.  111.,  where  he 
began  practicing  his  profession,  and  was  the 
first  physician  to  locate  permanently  in  that 
city.     He  took  a  deep  interest  in  the  establish- 


HISTORY   OF   LEE   COUNTY. 


775 


ment  of  the  Northern  Hospital  for  the  Insane  at 
Elgin  and  was  a  member  of  the  first  Board  of 
Trustees  of  that  institution,  serving  from  1S69 
to  1873.  In  1838  he  married  Emily  Everett,  of 
Princeton.  111.,  who  died  a  few  years  later,  and 
in  1846  he  married  his  second  wife,  Bessie  Law. 
who  died  May  4,  1881. 

HON.  JOHN  V.  EUSTACE  (deceased),  born 
in  Philadelphia,  Penn.,  Sept.  9,  1821,  son  of 
Thomas  and  Fanny  (Olmstead)  Eustace;  edu- 
cated in  his  native  city,  graduating  from  the 
University  of  Pennsylvania  in  1839;  admitted 
to  the  bar  in  1841.  He  came  to  Dixon  in  1843. 
where  he  practiced  his  profession  until  1857. 
when  he  was  elected  to  the  Circuit  Bench,  but 
resigned  before  serving  his  full  term.  In  1861 
he  was  appointed  Provost  Marshal,  serving  un- 
til the  close  of  the  war;  again  elected  Judge 
of  the  Circuit  Court  in  1877  to  fiU  the  vacancy 
caused  by  the  death  of  Judge  W.  W.  Heaton, 
and  in  1879  was  re-elected  for  a  full  term  of  six 
years.  Judge  Eustace  also  served  as  a  mem- 
ber of  the  State  Legislature,  was  a  Presiden- 
tial Elector  in  1864,  and  in  1876  was  candidate 
on  the  Democratic  ticket  for  Attorney-General 
of  Illinois. 

ISAAC  EDMONDS  (deceased)  was  born  in 
the  Dominion  of  Canada,  Nov.  6,  1820,  son  of 
Oliver  and  Elizabeth  Edmonds,  natives  of 
the  same  country.  Mr.  Edmonds  came  to  the 
United  States  in  1853,  locating  near  Melugin's 
Grove,  where  he  was  engaged  in  farming  for 
many  years.  In  1839  he  married  Rosanna 
Roberts,  and  of  their  twelve  children  four  are 
now  living,  viz.:  John,  George.  Melissa  and 
Charlotte  (Mrs.  Peter  Fleming).  In  political 
sentiment  Mr.  Edmonds  was  a  Republican,  and 
was  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  church.  He 
died  in  1891 :  his  wife  dying  in  December.  1896. 

PHILIP  ERBES.  farmer  and  feeder  of  pedi- 
greed stock,  Sublette  Township,  Lee  County, 
111.,  was  born  in  Bureau  County,  111.,  Oct.  5. 
1862,  son  of  Daniel  and  Kuhnigunde  (Knauer) 
Eirbes.  Daniel  Erbes.  a  native  of  Hessen-Darm- 
stadt,  Germany,  was  born  in  1824.  while  his 
wife.  Kuhnigunde  Knauer,  was  born  in  Horb, 
Saxe-Coburg,  Germany,  March  26,  1827,  and 
came  to  America  in  1850.  They  were  married 
in  1853.  Mr.  Erbes  owned  320  acres  of  land 
in    Bureau,    and    80   acres   in   Lee   County.     On 


April  17,  1885,  Philip  Erbes  married  Lydia  Kap- 
ser.  born  March  29.  1864,  daughter  of  Philip  H. 
and  Katherine  (Richert)  Kapser,  and  of  this 
union  there  are  foup  children — Daniel  P.  H.,  J. 
Orlando.  Emma  Lorena.  and  Clarence  R. 
Philip  Kapser  was  born  in  Darmstadt,  Ger- 
many, Sept.  20,  1825.  and  at  the  age  of  eigh- 
teen years  came  to  Bureau  County,  111.,  where 
he  owned  a  farm  of  226  acres,  but,  with  his 
wife,  who  was  born  in  Alsace,  Jan.  16,  1830,  is 
now  living  retired  at  Mendota,  111.  Mr.  Erbes 
owns  167  acres  of  land  on  the  south  line  of  Lee 
County,  known  as  the  "Pike  Creek  Stock 
Farm,"  where  he  is  engaged  in  breeding  the 
well-known  pedigreed  Scotch  and  Scotch-top 
Short-horn  cattle,  Poland-China  hogs.  Oxford- 
Down  Sheep  and  Golden  Wyandotte  chickens. 
In   politics   Mr.   Erbes   is   a  Republican. 

PETER  FLEMING,  retired  farmer,  Paw  Paw, 
111.,  was  born  in  Renfrewshire,  Scotland,  April 
21,  1822,  son  of  Peter  and  Ann  (Scott)  Flem- 
ing, natives  of  Scotland.  Peter  Fleming  came  to 
Canada  in  1845,  and  removed  to  DeKalb  County, 
111.,  in  1855.  In  the  spring  of  1859  he  settled 
in  Willow  Creek  Township.  Lee  County,  where 
he  devoted  his  attention  to  general  farming 
until  1892.  when  he  removed  to  Paw  Paw  and 
has  since  lived  retired.  On  December  2S.  1858, 
he  married  Charlotte  Edmonds,  daughter  of 
Isaac  and  Rosanna  (Roberts)  Edmonds,  and  of 
their  children  four  are  living,  viz.:  Anna  (Mrs. 
Robert  Taylor),  George  I.,  Lillie  E.  (Mrs.  S.  A. 
Wright)  and  Edmond  P.  In  politics  Mr.  Flem- 
ing is  a  Republican,  and  in  religious  belief  a 
Methodist. 

CHAMPION  FULLER,  farmer,  Dixon  Town- 
ship, Lee  County,  111.,  was  born  in  Luzerne 
County,  Penn,,  Jan.  21,  1826,  son  of  Stephen 
and  Anna  H.  (Pratt)  Fuller,  natives  of  Penn- 
sylvania and  Connecticut  respectively.  In  1836 
Stephen  Fuller  and  his  family  started  west 
from  Ohio — where  they  had  removed  in  1829 — 
with  three  yoke  of  oxen  and  two  wagons,  arriv- 
ing at  Dixon's  Ferry.  Lee  County,  in  September 
of  the  same  year,  and  passed  the  following 
winter  in  a  log  cabin  near  the  "Big  Elm."  In 
1837  they  removed  to  the  farm  now  owned  by 
Champion  Fuller  and  built  a  log  cabin  on  the 
site  of  his  present  residence.  Here  Stephen 
Fuller  died  in  1882;  his  wife  dying  in  1852. 
They  were  Baptists  in  religious  faith.  Champion 


776 


HISTORY   OF   LEE    COUNTY 


Fuller  remained  on  his  father's  farm  from  1S37 
to  18(54.  except  during  1854-5,  when  he  resided 
in  Dixon.  In  1864  he  removed  to  California, 
where  he  remained  until  1884,  when  he  re- 
turned to  Lee  County  and  has  since  occupied 
the  old  homestead.  He  was  married  in  Hum- 
boldt County.  Cal..  in  Nov.,  1870.  to  Julia  A. 
Reynolds,  a  native  of  Luzerne  County.  Penn., 
and  they  have  two  sons — Theodore  W.  and 
Edward  C. — v,'ho  are  now  proprietors  of  the 
"Sun"  of  Dixon.  In  politics  Mr.  Fuller  is  a 
Democrat. 

GODFREY  FUESTMAN  (deceased)  was  born 
in  Germany,  Oct.  5,  1822,  son  of  Herman  and 
Catherine  (Dickman)  Fuestman,  who  were  na- 
tives of  the  same  country.  Mr.  Fuestman 
settled  in  Lee  County  in  1852,  and  frcm  that 
time  until  his  death,  Aug.  13,  1882,  was'  identi- 
fied with  the  farming  interests  of  the  county. 
On  March  10.  1860,  he  married  Catherine 
Scheuer,  daughter  of  Henry  and  Mary  (Ruehl) 
Scheuer,  natives  of  Germany,  of  whom  the 
latter  came  to  La  Salle  County,  111.,  in  1857. 
To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Fuestman  ten  children  were 
born,  viz.:  Emma  C,  Henry  G.,  William  F., 
August  H.,  Albert  F.,  Olga  A..  Frederick  R.. 
Catherine  L..  George  O.  and  Eleanor  M.  The 
family  are  members  of  the  Lutheran  Church. 

REV.  MICHAEL  FOLEY,  pastor  St  Patrick's 
Catholic  church,  Dixon,  111.,  was  born  in  Ire- 
land, Sept.  26,  1850,  and  came  to  the  United 
States  in  1863,  locating  in  Iowa.  He  was  or- 
dained priest  in  Milwaukee,  'Wis..  June  26,  1881. 
and  was  assistant  pastor  in  Chicago  for  ten 
years.  Also  served  one  year  in  Evanston  and 
two  years  in  Sycamore.  111.,  coming  to  Dixon, 
June  11,  1892. 

HENRY  FISCHER  (deceased)  was  bcrn  in 
Germany,  Oct.  3,  1818;  came  to  America  in 
1849,  but  returned  to  his  native  country,  where 
he  married  Miss  Rosalia  Buchmann.  Return- 
ing tO'  the  United  States  in  1859,  he  located  in 
Lee  County,  where  for  many  years,  he  was  a 
successful  farmer,  owning  at  the  time  of  his 
death  (Nov.  7,  1894)  ISOi  acres  of  land.  Of  the 
children  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Fischer,  six  are 
now  living,  and  two  of  their  sons  carry  on  the 
home  farm,  while  Mrs.  Fischer  resides  in 
Dixon.  Mr.  Fischer  was  a  member  of  the 
German  Lutheran  Church,  and  his  wife  is  also 
of  the  same  religious  faith. 


DAVID  O.  FAIRCHILD.  farmer.  Brooklyn 
Township,  Lee  County,  111.,  was  born  in  Canada, 
Oct.  2.  1839,  son  of  Samuel  P.  and  'Wilmot 
(Ogden)  Fairchild.  who  carie  to  Brooklyn 
Township  in  1854.  His  father  (Samuel  P. 
Fairchild)  is  now  deceased,  but  his  mother  is 
still  living  at  the  venerable  age  of  ninety-seven 
years.  In  August,  1861,  David  O.  Fairchild 
enlisted  in  Company  C,  Thirteenth  Illinois 
Volunteer  Infantry,  in  which  he  served  three 
years  and  then  re-enlisted  in  the  Fifty-sixth 
Illinois,  remaining  with  the  latter  regiment 
until  the  close  of  the  v.'ar.  He  had  three 
brothers  who  also  fought  for  their  .country's 
honor  during  the  rebellion.  On  January  26. 
1868.  Mr.  Fairchild  was  married  to  Ella  Davis, 
and  to  them  six  children  have  been  born,  viz.: 
Daniel  D.,  "William  T.,  Samuel  T.  (deceased), 
John  A.,  Addle  E.  and  David  O.  In  politics 
he  is  a  Republican,  fraternally,  a  member  of 
the  Masonic  Order,  and  in  religious  belief  a 
Methodist.  Mr.  Fairchild  devotes  his  attention 
to  general  farming  on  his  120-acre  farm  in 
Brooklyn   Township. 

CAPTAIN  -WILLIAM  S.  FROST.  Amboy.  111., 
was  born  in  "Windsor,  Maine,  Oct.  7,  1832,  son 
of  Daniel  and  Ella  (Stinson)  Frost,  natives  of 
New  Hampshire  and  Maine  respectively.  The 
family  came  to  Lee  County  in  1838  and  settled 
in  Lee  Center  Township,  where  the  father 
became  an  extensive  land-owner.  During  the 
winter  of  1852,  Captain  Frost  went  overland 
to  California,  remaining  there  until  1858,  when 
he  returned  to  Illinois.  In  1859  he  made  a 
second  trip  to  California,  returning  to  Illinois 
in  1861.  In  the  spring  of  1862  he  enlisted  in 
Company  E,  Seventy-fifth  Illinois  Volunteer  In- 
tatnry,  and  was  commissioned  Captain,  serving 
until  Jan.  23.  1865.  Returning  to  Lee  Center 
Township  after  the  close  of  the  war,  he  en- 
gaged in  farming  until  1871.  when  he  removed 
to  Bradford  Township,  where,  until  1900,  he 
was  extensively  engaged  as  a  farmer,  stock- 
raiser  and  shipper.  Since  the  last  named  date, 
he  has  been  engaged  in  buying  and  selling 
farm  lands.  On  November  3,  1865,  Captain 
Frost  was  married  to  Sophia  E.,  daughter  of 
Sherman  and  Melinda  (De-Wolf)  Shaw,  who 
settled  in  Lee  County  in  the  early  '40s,  and  to 
this  union  five  children  have  been  born,  viz.: 
Frank  E..  Melvina,  S.  Donald.  William  S..  Jr., 
and   Mary   A.      Mrs.   Frost   died  April  28,   1901. 


HISTORY   OF   LEE   COUXTY 


777 


Captain  Frost  is  a  Republican  in  politics,  and 
served  as  Supervisor  of  Lee  Center  and  Brad- 
ford Townships  for  twenty-five  years,  during 
which  time  he  was  Chairman  of  the  Board  for 
ten  years.  For  twelve  years  he  served  as  Presi- 
dent of  the  Inlet  Swamp  Drainage  Commission, 
which  drained  over  30.000  acres  of  swamp 
land  in  Lee  County  at  an  expenditure!  of  $170,- 
000.  He  is  a  member  of  Amboy  Post,  No.  572 
G.  A.  R..  and  Lee  Center  Lodge,  No.  146,  A.  F. 
&  A.  M. 

DR.  JOHN  B.  FELKER  (deceased)  was  born 
at  Hagerstown.  111.,  in  1839;  graduated  from 
Rush  Medical  College,  Chicago,  in  1859.  and 
practiced  his  profession  at  Ashton.  111.,  until 
1861.  He  enlisted  in  the  Federal  army  in  1S62, 
but,  on  account  of  physical  disability,  was 
discharged  without  seeing  active  service.  He 
located  at  Amboy  in  1862,  where  he  practiced 
medicine  until  his  death  in  1888.  He  repre- 
sented his  District  in  the  Lower  House  of  the 
Illinois  General  Assembly  one  term. 

JOHN  P.  FASSIG,  farmer.  Brooklyn  Town- 
ship, Lee  County,  111.,  was  born  in  the  town- 
ship where  he  now  resides,  March  23,  1860, 
son  of  Philip  and  Charlotte  (Erbis)  Fassig, 
natives  of  Germany,  who  came  to  La  Salle 
County,  111.,  in  1849  and  located^  in  Lee  County 
in  1853.  Mr.  Fassig  owns  240  acres  of  land  in 
Brooklyn  Township,  and  is  engaged  in  general 
farming  and  stock-raising.  In  January.  18S4. 
he  married  Sophia  Florschutz,  daughter  of 
Gecrge  and  Margaretta  (Zietler)  Florschutz, 
natives  of  Germany  and  early  settlers  of  Lee 
County.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Fassig  have  five  chil- 
dren: Charles  A.,  Carrie  B..  George  J..  Tena 
L.  and  Ella  A.  In  political  opinions  Mr.  Fassi.g 
is  a  Democrat,  and  in  religious  belief  a 
Lutheran. 

HARRY  L.  FORDHAM.  banker,  Compton, 
III.,  was  born  at  Green  Ridge,  Penn.,  Jan.  6, 
1869,  son  of  Albert  P.  and  Eliza  (Litts)  Ford- 
ham,  natives  of  Pennsylvania,  who  came  to 
Compton,  111.,  in  1874,  v/here  the  former  died 
in  1885,  while  the  latter  is  still  living  and  re- 
sides at  Compton.  Harry  L.  Fordham  was  mar- 
ried on  March  23,  1893.  to  Addie  B,  Cole,  daugh- 
ter of  Joseph  F.  and  Ellen  (Carnahan)  Cole,  na- 
tives of  New  York  and  Pennsylvania,  respec- 
tively, and  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Fordham  two  chil- 


dren have  been  born — an  infant  (deceased) 
and  Frank  A.  In  political  relations  Mr.  Ford- 
ham is  a  Democrat  and  served  six  years  as 
Chairman  of  the  Democratic  County  Central 
Committee;  was  Secretary  of  the  same  three 
years;  served  as  Township  Clerk  three  years, 
Assessor  five  years.  Village  Clerk  three  years, 
and  for  the  past  five  years  has  been  President 
of  the  Village  Board.  Fraternally  he  is  a 
member  of  the  Masonic  Order — being  at  the 
present  time  Master  of  Brooklyn  Lodge  No. 
282 — and  member  of  the  Eastern  Star,  belongs 
to  Knights  of  the  Globe,  M.  W.  A.  and  I.  O.  O. 
F..  having  served  as  Noble  Grand  in  the  last- 
named  organization. 

ANTON  F.  FREESE.  farmer,  Amboy  Town- 
ship, Lee  County,  111.,  was  born  in  Germany, 
April  5,  1831,  and  came  to  the  United  States 
in  1857,  locating  in  Lee  County,  111.  Two  years 
later  he  removed  to  Colorado,  where,  in  1861, 
he  enlisted  in  the  Second  Colorado  Cavalry, 
serving  three  years  and  nine  months  in  the 
Union  army.  In  1865  he  returnea  to  Lee  County, 
where  he  has  since  been  engaged  in  farming, 
and  noT/  owns  137  acres  of  land  in  Amboy 
Township,  On  March  15,  1866,  he  married 
Mrs,  Amelia  C.  (Harms)  Jaelfe,  daughter  of 
A.  and  Helen  Harms,  of  Lee  County,  and  they 
have  four  children — Helen,  William  M.,  Anna 
and  Anton.  Mrs.  Freese  died  March  29,  1902. 
Mr.  Freese  is  a  member  of  the  G.  A.  R.,  and 
politically  a,  stanch  Republican.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  German   Lutheran   church. 

WILLIAJI  E.  FRANKLIN  (deceased)  was 
born  in  New  York  State,  May  25,  1861.  He 
came  to  Chicago  in  1881,  and  ten  years  later 
removed  to  Harmon  Township,  Lee  County, 
where  he  engaged  in  farming  and  merchan- 
dising. On  November  15,  1882,  he  married 
Marietta  A.,  daughter  of  Henry  and  Angela 
(Printz)  Nash,  of  Wisconsin,  and  to  them  seven 
children  were  born,  viz.:  Gecrge  E.,  Francis  M., 
Henry  A.,  Edwin  Leo,  Angela  M.  and  William 
(deceased.  Mr.  Franklin  died  Jan.  14,  1902. 
He  was  a  member  of  the  M.  W.  A.,  and  of  the 
Catholic  church.  Mrs.  Franklin  is  now  en- 
gaged in  the  mercantile  business  at  Harmon. 

DAVID  M.  FAHRNEY.  real-estate  dealer  and 
auctioneer.  Dixon.  111.,  v.-as  born  in  Washington 
County,   Md..   April   4.   1850.   son   of   David   and 


778 


HISTORY   OF   LEE    COUNTY. 


Barbara  (Bowser)  Fahrney,  natives  of  Mary- 
land who  came  to  Dixon  in  1S57.  and  in  the 
same  year  located  in  Ogle  County,  111.,  where 
they  both  died.  David  M.  Fahrney  grew  to 
maturity  on  the  farm  and  has  since  been  em- 
ployed as  school  teacher,  real-estate  dealer  and 
auctioneer.  On  December  12,  1878,  he  married 
Barbara  L.  Bovey.  daughter  of  Samuel  and 
Barbara  L.  (Funk)  Bovey.  who  located  in  Ogle 
County  about  1850.  Of  this  union  there  are 
two  sons — Clinton  and  Elmer  L.  In  political 
opinions  Mr.  Fahrney  is  a  Republican,  and  is 
a  member  of  the  Christian   church. 

PHILIP  G.  FAUBLE,  farmer  and  stock-feeder, 
Sublette  Township,  Lee  County.  111.,  was  born 
in  the  township  where  he  now  resides,  April 
19,  1851,  son  of  John  and  Christine  (Traut- 
v/ein)  Fauble.  John  Fauble  and  wife  were  born 
in  Germany,  came  to  Lee  County  in  1846  and 
purchased  140  acres  of  land.  They  were  the 
parents  of  seven  children.  Mr.  Fauble  died  in 
Lee  County  in  1866,  aged  fifty-five  years,  while 
his  wife  survived  until  1895,  dying  at  the  age 
of  sixty-four  years.  Philip  G.  Fauble  was  mar- 
ried in  1877  to  Barbara  Pope,  born  in  Bureau 
County,  111.,  April  5,  1851,  daughter  of  Jacob 
and  Kunigunde  (Schmidt)  Pope,  natives  of 
Germany,  and  to  them  two  children — George 
and  Luella —  have  been  born.  Mr.  Fauble  is 
a  Republican  in  politics  and  has  served  as 
School  Director  two  terms.  School  Trustee 
many  years.  Justice  of  the  Peace  one  term,  and 
Pathmaster.  He  and  his  wife  are  members  of 
the  German  Evangelical  church. 

JOSIAH  FRY,  retired  farmer,  Dixon,  111.,  was 
born  in  Lee  County,  within  three  and  a  half 
miles  of  Dixon,  Dec.  10,  1843,  son  of  John  and 
Mary  C.  (Klinetop)  Fry,  natives  of  Pennsyl- 
vania. John  Fry  and  wife  came  to>  Lee  County 
in  1837,  entered  a  homestead  in  what  was  then 
Dixon  Township,  and  here  Josiah  Fry,  the  only 
child  in  their  family,  was  raised.  Mr.  Fry  died 
Dec.  5,  1885,  his  wife  dying  in  December.  1870. 
Josiah  Fry  obtained  his  education  In  the  dis- 
trict schools  of  Dixon  Townshp,  the  high  school 
at  Dixon,  and  a  college  at  Mt.  Verncn,  Iowa. 
He  was  engaged  in  farming  until  1872,  when  he 
opened  an  office  on  Depot  Avenue  and  dealt  in 
lumber  and  coal.  Continuing  in  the  lumber 
and  coal  business  until  1885,  he  closed  out  his 
business   and   returned   to   the   farm,   where   he 


remained  until  1891,  when  he  retired  from 
active  life  and  has  since  resided  on  I)epot 
Avenue,  Dixon,  but  still  owns  the  old  home- 
stead of  160  acres.  September  13,  1866.  Mr. 
Fry  was  married  to  Mary  Catherine  Stettler, 
and  to  them  seven  children  were  born,  viz.: 
John  E.,  Mary  Elizabeth  (deceased),  Bert, 
Anna  U.,  Ollie  M.,  Ernest  O.  and  Elsie  E.  In 
political  views  Mr.  Fry  is  a  Republican,  and 
served  six  years  as  Highway  Commissioner, 
and  also  served  as  a  member  of  the  Board  of 
Education. 

CHRISTIAN  C.  FABER,  meat  dealer.  Paw 
Paw,  111.,  was  born  in  Clarion  Township, 
Bureau  County,  111.,  Dec.  26,  1863,  son  of  Peter 
and  Margaret  (Miller)  Faber.  natives  of  Ger- 
many, of  whom  the  former  came  to  America 
in  1851  and  the  latter  in  1850.  Christian  C. 
Faber  was  engaged  in  farming  until  1885,  and 
coming  to  Paw  i^aw  in  the  latter  year,  he 
became  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Faber  Broth- 
ers, retail  dealers  in  fresh  and  cured  meats. 
On  November  20.  1886,  he  married  Myrtle 
Smith,  daughter  of  Henry  and  Louisa  (Adams) 
Smith  of  Brooklyn  Township,  Lee  County,  and 
they  are  the  parents  of  two  children,  Clifton  S. 
(deceased)  and  Leone  A.  Mr.  Faber  is  a  Demo- 
crat in  political  convictions,  and  in  religious 
belief  a  Lutheran,  being  a  member  of  the 
church  of  that  denomination  at  Clarion. 

GEORGE  FABER,  meat  dealer.  Paw  Paw, 
111.,  was  born  in  Clarion,  Bureau  County,  111.. 
April  20.  1852,  son'  of  Peter  and  Margaret  (Mil- 
ler) Faber.  He  came  to  Paw  Paw,  Oct.  1,  1882, 
and  engaged  in  the  meat-trade  and  has  since 
been  identified  with  the  business  in  that  vil- 
lage. On  February  8,  1883,  he  married  Emma 
Meisenbach,  daughter  of  Daniel  and  Mary 
(Roeter)  Meisenbach,  and  to  them  three  chil- 
dren have  been  born,  viz.:  Daniel  C.  Clayton 
B.  and  Myron  W.  In  political  sentiment  Mr. 
Faber  is  a  Democrat.  an<l  in  religious  belief 
a  Lutheran. 

EDWARD  FAGAN.  farmer.  Harmon  Town- 
ship. Lee  County.  111.,  was  born  in  County 
Mayo,  Ireland,  and  came  to  Lee  County.  111., 
over  fifty  years  ago,  where  he  has  since  been 
engaged  in  farming  and  now  owns  160  acres  of 
land  in  Harmon  Township.  In  1862  Mr.  Fagan 
married    Mary    Shanahan,    daughter   of   Dennis 


HISTORY   OF   LEE    COUNTY. 


779 


Shanahan.  of  Whiteside  County.  III.,  and  tliey 
are  ttie  parents  o(  seven  ctiildren.  viz.;  Jane, 
Elizabeth.  William  P.,  Julia,  Edward,  Anna  and 
Joseph.  In  political  opinions  Mr.  Fagan  is  a 
Democrat. 

EDWARD  FITZSIMONS,  farmer.  Harmon 
Townshp,  Lee  County,  III.,  was  born  in  Province 
of  "Ulster,  County  Cavan,  Ireland,  in  1830,  and 
came  to  the  United  States  in  1852.  He  was 
employed  in  Chicago  until  1859,  when  he  re- 
moved to  Lee  County  and  now  owns  a  fine 
farm  of  240  acres  in  Harmon  Township.  In 
1857  he  married  Miss  Alice  Smith,  and  to  them 
eight  children  were  born,  five  of  whom  are  now 
living,  viz.:  Peter  L..  Hugh  J.,  Edward,  John 
and  Anna.  Politically  Mr.  Fitzsimons  is  a  Re- 
publican, and  has  served  as  Highway  Com- 
missioner three  terms,  and  as  Township  Treas- 
urer two  terms.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Catholic 
church. 

FRANK  J.  GEHANT.  farmer.  Viola  Town- 
ship, Lee  Coimty,  111.,  was  born  at  Lee  Center, 
Jan.  24,  1858,  son  of  Laurent  and  Juliane  (Toil- 
lian)  Gehant.  He  accompanied  his  parents  on 
their  removal  to  Shelby  County,  III.,  in  1858, 
and  ten,  years  later  returned  with  them  to  Lee 
County.  He  remained  at  home  until  1882.  when 
he  began  farming  operations  for  himself,  hav- 
ing purchased  an  80-acre  tract  of|  land  in  Viola 
Township,  to  which  he  has  made  subsequent 
additions  until  his  estate  now  embraces  an 
area  of  370  acres.  On  January  17.  1882,  Mr. 
Gehant  was  married  to  Victoria  Henry,  daugh- 
ter of  Alexander  and  Margaret  (Jengunet) 
Henry,  of  Scioto  County,  Ohio,  and  they  are 
the  parents  of  nine  children,  viz.:  Henry  L., 
Alexander  H.,  Anna  M.,  Gustave,  Isabella  R., 
Frank  J.,  William  J..  Walter  and  Mabel.  In 
religious  belief  Mr.  Gehant  is  a  Catholic,  and 
in    political   opinions   a  Democrat. 

LAURENT  GEHANT.  farmer,  Viola  Town- 
ship. Lee  County,  III.,  was  born  in  Shelby 
County  111.,  July  3,  1860,  son  of  Laurent  and 
Juliane  (Toillian)  Gehant.  Coming  to  Lee 
County  with  his  parents  in  1868,  he  remained 
at  home  until  1882,  when  he  purchased  150 
acres  of  land  in  Viola  Township,  to  which  he 
made  subsequent  additions  until  his  estate  is 
now  increased  to  312  acres.  January  17.  1882. 
he  married  Mary  Henry,   daughter  of  Gustave 


and  llary  (Vernier)  Henry,  of  Scioto  County, 
Ohio,  and  to  them  eight  children  have  been 
born,  viz.:  Louis  L.,  Mary.  Louise,  Frances, 
George,  Albert  (deceased),  Edna  and  Pauline. 
Mr.  Gehant  is  a  Democrat  in  politics,  and  in 
religious  belief  a  Roman  Catholic. 

HENRY  F.  GEHANT,  banker.  West  Brooklyn, 
111.,  was  born  in  Shelby  County,  III.  May  4, 
1863,  son  of  Laurent  J.  and  Juliane  (Toillian) 
Gehant,  natives  of  the  Department  of  Haute 
Saone,  France,  who  came  to  America  in  1856, 
locating  at  Lee  Center,  Lee  County,  where  they 
remained  two  years  and  in  1858  removed  to 
Shelby  County,  111.,  but  returned  to  Lee  County 
in  1868.  Both  parents  are  now  deceased.  Henry 
F.  Gehant  opened  his  present  banking  house 
on  June  1,  1897.  October  17,  1887,  he  married 
Eliza  Py,  daughter  of  Syllvan  and  Mary 
(Henry)  Py,  natives  of  France.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Gehant  have  six  children,  viz.:  Oliver  L.,  Julian 
M.,  Henry  W.,  May  S..  Albert  and  Ruth  M.  In 
political  convictions  Mr.  Gehant  is  a  Democrat 
and  is  serving  his  third  term  as  Supervisor  of 
Brooklyn  Township  and  sixth  term  as  Presi- 
dent of  the  Village  Board  of  West  Brooklyn. 

WILBER  W.  GILBERT,  Agent  New  York 
Life  Insurance  Company,  Dixon,  III.,  was  born 
on  his  father's  farm  in  Palmyra  Township,  Lee 
County.  March  31,  1864,  son  of  Howard  M.  and 
Elizabeth  (Williamson)  Gilbert.  How^ard  M. 
Gilbert  married  Elizabeth  Williamson  in  Pitts- 
burg, Penn..  and  came  to  Dixon.  111.,  in  the 
early  '50s.  He  v,-as  a  wagon-maker  by  trade 
and  followed  that  occupation  for  some  time  at 
Gap  Grove,  Palmyra  Township,  but  later  pur- 
chased a  farm  in  Palmyra  Township,  where  he 
died  in:  1868,  and  the  year  following  his  widow 
removed  to  the  city  of  Dixon.  Wilber  W.  Gilbert 
obtained  a  liberal  education  in  the  North  Dix- 
on High  School  and  Normal  College  at  Dixon, 
and  afterwards  clerked  in  a  grocery  store  for 
six  years,  and  was  later  engaged  for  four  and 
a  half  years  in  a  shoe  factory,  where  he  learned 
the  shoe  cutter's  trade.  In  1892  he  obtained  a 
position  with  the  New  York  Life  Insurance 
Company,  and  was  shortly  afterwards  appoint- 
ed General  Agent,  a  position  he  holds  at  the 
present  time.  On  May  20,  1891,  he  married 
Lura  I.  Blake,  daughter  of  Carey  A.  and  Susan 
I.    (Conlee)    Blake  of  Mendota.   111. 


78o 


HISTORY   OF   LEE   COUNTY 


ADAM  GRIM,  physician.  Franldin  Grove.  Lee 
County,  111.,  born  in  Greene  County,  Penn..  Oct. 
23,  1850,  son  of  Harvey  and  Permelia  (Headley) 
Grim;  in  1876  came  to  Douglas  County,  111., 
where  he  engaged  in  teaching  two  years;  in 
1878  entered  Rush  Medical  College.  Chicago, 
graduating  in  1881.  February  23  of  the  same 
year,  he  located  In  Franklin  Grove,  where  he 
has  since  been  engaged  in  practice.  February 
28.  1887.  he  married  Florence  J.,  daughter  of 
Joseph  C.  and  Lorenda  Lahman,  and  three  chil- 
dren have  been  born  of  this  union:  Lorenda 
(deceased),  Margery  A.  and  Roger  A.  Dr.  Grim 
is  Surgeon  for  the  North-Western  Railroai  at 
Franklin  Grove.  He  is  a  Republican  in  politics, 
fraternally  a  Mason,  and  member  of  the  Blue 
Lodge  and  Chapter.  Franklin  Grove;  a  member 
of  the  Lee  County  Medical  Society,  of  the  Rock 
River  Medical  Association,  of  the  American 
Medical  Association,  the  Chicago  Medical  So- 
ciety and  International  Association  cf  Railway 
Surgeons. 

SAMUEL  M.  GANTZ,  Dixon,  111.,  salesman 
and  general  agent  Deere  &  Company  Plow 
Works,  Moline,  111.,  was  born  in  Washington 
County,  Md..  Sept  16,  1850,  son  of  John  and 
Elizabeth  (Landes)  Gantz.  In  1856  John  Gantz 
removed  with  his  family  to  Ogle  County  111., 
where  he  v/as  engaged  in  farming  until  the 
time  of  his  death.  Samuel  M.  Gantz  obtained 
his  education  in  the  public  schools  and  Mount 
Morris  Seminary,  after  which  he  taught  school 
for  ten  years,  meanwhile  owning  a  farm  in 
Ogle  County.  In  1877  he  engaged  with  Deere 
&  Company  in  the  position  he  now  holds.  On 
December  25.  1872,  he  married  Margaret  A. 
Wadsworth,  daughter  of  Christopher  and  Ma- 
tilda (Feaster)  Wadsworth  who  came  to  Ogle 
County  in  1837,  and  of  this  union  there  are 
two  children,  Florence  J.  and  Nellie  G.  (Mrs. 
Frederick  J.  Millar).  Frederick  J.  Millar  is 
a  partner  of  Mr.  Gantz  in  the  Millar-Gantz  Gas 
Machine,  a  valuable  invention  designed  to  econ- 
omize good  lighting  power.  In  political  opinions 
Mr.  Gantz  is  a  Republican,  and  in  religious 
belief  a  Presbyterian. 

ABRAM  GILBERT  (deceased)  was  born  in 
Northamptonshire.  England,  Nov.  9, 1827;  came 
to  Kane  County.  111.,  in  1858,  and  shortly  after- 
wards removed  to  Lee  County  where  he  passed 
the   remainder   of   his    lite,   dying   at    Franklin 


Grove.  Feb.  21.  1898.  In  1856  he  married  Lucy 
Smith,  born  in  England,  and  to  them  twelve 
children  were  born,  eight  of  whom  are  now 
living,  viz.;  Carrie  E.,  Laura  E.,  Junia  T.,  Eva 
A.,  Joseph  J.,  Eunice  L..  Lucy  M.  and  Rebecca  J. 
Mr.  Gilbert  was  an  extensive  land  owner,  and 
at  the  time  of  his  death  his  holdings  comprised 
600  acres.  In  political  sentiment  he  was  a 
Democrat,  and  in  religious  belief  a  Presby- 
terian. 


FERDINAND  GAERTNER  (deceased),  born 
April  6.  1832,  in  Leipsic,  Germany,  son  of  Fred- 
erick and  Maud  Gaertner,  also  natives  of  Ger- 
many; came  to  the  United  States  in  1851,  lo- 
cated at  Peru,  111.,  in  1858,  and  in  1863,  re- 
moved to  Amboy,  Lee  County.  For  seventeen 
years  he  was  employed  in  the  round-house  of 
the  Illinois  Central  Railroad  at  Ambcy,  and  for 
the  next  fifteen  years  was  engaged  in  private 
business  there,  retiring  from  active  life  in  1895. 
January  12,  1856,  he  married  Mary  Keppler, 
who  was  born  in  Wurtemberg.  Germany, 
daughter  of  Andrew  and  Christina  Keppler.  and 
came  to  America  in  1851.  There  were  three 
children  born  of  this  union:  Henry  (died  April 
17.  1901),  Lillie  (died  April  2,  1866),  Emma, 
who  is  now  the  wife  of  Robert  Remboth,  a 
merchant  of  Amboy.  Mr.  Gaertner  died  July 
4.  1902.  In  politics  he  was  a  Democrat,  and 
the  family  are  members  cf  the  Lutheran 
church. 

JAMES  GOBLE  (deceased)  was,  born  in  Lu- 
zerne Coimty.  Penn..  July  22,  1811,  and  in  1837 
settled  in  Lee  County,  111.,  where  he  was  ever 
afterwards  identified  with  its  development.  He 
v/as  a  Democrat  in  politics  and  cast  his  first 
vote  for  Andrew  Jackson  in  1832.  In  1846  he 
was  elected  County  Commissioner,  and  County 
Sheriff  in  1848;  also  held  the  office  of  Coroner, 
besides  other  offices  of  minor  importance. 

ALEXANDER  GILMORE.  retired  farmer, 
was  born  in  New  York  City,  in  1826.  and  was 
brought  to  Lee  County  by  his  parents  in  June, 
1835.  For  many  years  he  was  one  of  the  suc- 
cessful farmers  of  the  county,  but  is  now  re- 
tired. In  1855  he  married  Mary  L.  Frost,  who 
died  in  1865,  and  his  second  wife  was  Eliza 
Fisk.  who  is  noy/  deceased.  Mr.  Gilmore  is  a 
member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church. 


HISTORY   OF   LEE    COUNTY. 


781 


HENRY  A.  GRUBE,  grain  dealer.  West 
Brooklyn,  Lee  County.  111.,  was  born  in  Brook- 
field  Township.  La  Salle  County.  111..  Jan.  16, 
1874,  son  of  Charles  and  Fredericka  (Luerdut) 
Gruhe,  natives  of  Mecklenburg,  Germany,  who 
came  to  La  Salle  County,  in  1854  and  1861  re- 
spectively. Mr.  Grube  was  married  April  23. 
189S,  to  Lovina  Leach,  the  daughter  of  Temple 
Leach  of  Lacota.  Mich.,  where  he  settled  in 
1883.  In  1896  Mr.  Grube  located  in  Lee  County, 
where  he  engaged  in  the  farming  industry,  but 
on  Nov.  1,  1903,  removed  to  Tipton,  Ind.,  and 
engaged  in  the  cigar  business.  In  politics  he 
is  a  Democrat,  and  fraternally  a  Mason  and  a 
member  of  the  M.  \V.  A.  He  is  a  communi- 
cant of  the  Lutheran  church. 

CONRAD  GONNERMANN.  furniture  dealer 
and  undertaker.  Dixon,  III.,  was  born  in  Hesse. 
Germany.  Sept.  28.  1845.  son  of  John;  and  Mag- 
dalene (Doll)  Gonnermann.  Young  Gonner- 
mann  obtained  his  education  in  the  schools  of 
his  native  country,  and  in  1864,  at  the  age  of 
nineteen  years,  came  to  America,  his  point  of 
destination  being  Franklin  Grove,  Lee  County, 
where  his  brother  Marcus  was  engaged  in 
farming.  Before  leaving  the  Fatherland.  Mr. 
Gonnermann  had  learned  the  cabinet  maker's 
trade,  and,  shortly  after  reaching  America, 
found  work  v/ith  Christ  Brockner  of  Dixon, 
111.  Three  years  later  he  formed  a  partner- 
ship with  a  Mr.  J.  Fruchtenicht,  afterwards 
engaged  in  contracting  and  building  for  two 
years,  and  then  opened  a  furniture  and  under- 
taking establishment  at  ■  Dixon.  In  1873  Mr. 
Gonnermann  bought  his  partner's  interest  in 
the  business,  and  has  since  conducted  the 
enterprise  alone,  having  at  the  present  time 
an  expensive  and  well  stocked  establishment 
in  First  Street,  and  also  owns  the  building  in 
which  his  business  is  conducted.  In  1868  he 
married  Katherine  Fernau,  of  Germany,  and 
their  children  are;  Bertha,  Edward  E.,  Lillian, 
Clara  (Mrs.  Louis  Clark),  Nettie,  Harry  and 
Arthur.  In  politics  Mr.  Gonnermann  is  a  Re- 
publican, and  in  religious  belief  a  Lutheran. 
Socially  he  is  a  member  of  the  I.  O.  O.  F.. 
M.  W.  A..  National   Union  and  B.  P.  O.  E. 

JOHN  J,  GARLAND,  farmer.  Harmon  Town- 
ship, Lee  County,  111.,  was  born  in  Palmyra 
Tov.-nship,  Lee  County.  Aug.  15,  1865,  son  of 
John    and    Agnes    (Kent)    Garland,   natives    of 


Ireland,  the  birthplace  of  the  former  being  in 
County  Louth  and  that  of  the  latter  in  Kilken- 
ny. They  came  to  the  United  States  in  1849 
or  '50.  and  located  in  Lee  County  in  the  early 
'50s.  Both  are  now  deceased.  John  J.  Garland 
has  devoted  his  life  to  farming,  and  now  owns 
260  acres  of  land  in  Harmon  Township.  On 
December  31,  1891,  he  was  married  to  Bridget 
Mclnerney,  daughter  of  Michael  and  Bridget 
(Downs)  Mclnerney,  natives  of  Ireland,  and  to 
them  seven  children  have  been  born:  Frank, 
Thomas.  John,  Agnes,  Olive,  Edward  and  Paul. 
In  political  views  Mr.  Garland  is  a  Democrat, 
and  in  religious  belief  a  Catholic. 

MICHAEL  GAFFANEY.  liveryman.  Dixon, 
111.,  was  born  in  Osv.'ego.  N.  Y.,  Sept.  16,  1848, 
son  of  Thomas  and  Bridget  (McAlister)  Gaf- 
faney,  who  came  with  their  family  to  Dixon 
in  1854.  Thomas  Gaffaney  was  a  contracting 
mason  and  died  in  1858.  leaving  a  widow  and 
six  children.  Michael  being  second  in  the  fami- 
ly. In  his  boyhood  Michael  Gaffaney  attended 
the  public  schools,  worked  on  the  farm,  later 
owned  considerable  land,  and  is  still  interested 
in  farming.  'When  a  youth  he  learned  the 
blacksmith's  trade  and  followed  that  occupa- 
tion for  seventeen  years,  but  afterwards  opened 
a  livery  stable  on  First  Street,  Dixon,  and  in 
1897  erected  the  large  brick  building  on  Second 
Street,  where  he  now  conducts  an  extensive 
and  v.'ell-established  business.  February  29, 
1864.  Mr.  Gaffaney  enlisted  in  Company  D, 
Thirty-fourth  Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry  (usu- 
ally called  Yates'  Phalanx)  and  served  until 
the  close  of  hostilities.  He  was  wounded  in 
the  battle  of  Bentonville,  N.  C,  and  among 
other  engagements  in  which  he  participated 
were  the  first  battle  of  Buzzard's  Roost,  Resaca, 
Rome,  Big  Shanty.  Lost  Mountain,  Kenesaw, 
siege  of  Atlanta,  Jonesboro,  and  he  was  with 
Genera]  Sherman's  division  in  the  memorable 
March  to  the  Sea.  Mr.  Gaffaney  was  married 
in  December.  1876,  to  Katherine  O'Malley. 
Socially  he  is  a  member  of  the  G.  A.  R.,  K.  of  P. 
and  Code  of  Honor.  In  politics  he  is  a  Jack- 
sonian  Democrat. 

MRS.  ABIGAIL  L.  HASKELL,  Lee  Center, 
111.,  was  born  at  Windsor.  Maine.  Nov.  6.  1820, 
daughter  of  Lott  and  Sarah  (Linn)  Chadwick. 
Lott  Chadwick  was  born  at  China.  Me..  Sept. 
24.  1792;  came  to  Lee  County  in  1838.  locating 


782 


HISTORY   OF   LEE    COUNTY. 


at  Inlet  Grove,  and  his  wife  was  bom  at 
Coleraine.  Mass.,  Sept.  29,  179S.  Mr.  Chadwick 
was  a  mill-wriglit  by  trade  and  built  several 
mills  in  Gardner,  Me.;  Grand  Detour  and  other 
places  in  Ogle  County  111.,  and  at  Inlet  Grove. 
He  also  owned  a  farm  near  the  latter  place. 
M,r.  Chadwick  died  in  1883,  his  wife  surviving 
until,  1886.  Mrs.  Haskell  was  her  father's  Dep- 
uty during  his  term  of  service  as  Postmaster 
at  Windsor,  Me.  In  1830  she  came  with  her 
parents  and  their  family  to  Inlet  Grove,  Lee 
County,  and  in  1841  was  married  to  George  E. 
Haskell,  who  was  born  in  Augusta,  Me.,  May 
5,  1807.  Mr.  Haskell  was  a  man  of  high  edu- 
cational attainments,  taught  school  in  Augusta, 
Me.,  later  became  a  merchant  at  Windsor,  in 
the  same  State,  where  he  also  held  office  as 
Selectman,  and  came  with  Lott  Chadwick  to 
Inlet  in  1838.  He  engaged  in  the  mercantile 
trade  at  the  latter  place,  but  later  removed 
his  business  to  Lee  Center,  and  retired  in  1856. 
In  political  views  Mr.  Haskell  was  a  Repub- 
lican; served  many  years  as  Justice  of  the 
Peace,  and  was  elected  County  Clerk  in  1856, 
but  resigned  the  following  year  on  account  of 
ill  health.  Fraternally  he  was  a  member  of 
the  Masonic  order  and  I.  O.  O.  F.  Mr.  Haskell 
entered  land  in  Lee  County,  but  never  engaged 
in  farming.     He  died  June  12,  1S67. 

CHARLES  D.  HART  (deceased),  for  many 
years  a  prominent  farmer  of  Bradford  Town- 
ship, Lee  County,  111.,  was  born  in  Shelburne, 
Mass.,  Jan.  12,  1831,  son  of  HoUoway  L.  and 
Mary  (Carter)  Hart.  At  the  age  of  ten  years 
he  removed  to  Greenfield,  Mass.,  later  went  to 
Conway,  same  State,  where  he  remained  one 
year,  then  returned  to  Greenfield,  and  in  the 
spring  of  1855  came  to  Lee  County,  v/here  he 
purchased  160  acres  of  land  from  the  Illinois 
Central  Railroad  Company  on  Section  20,  Brad- 
ford Township,  where  he  engaged  in  farming. 
Mr.  Hart  was  married  in  Franklin  County 
Mass.,  to  Lucy  R.  Jenkins,  and  four  children 
were  born|  of  this  union,  two  of  whom  are  now 
living,  viz.:  Charles  J.  and  Henry  S.  Mrs.  Hart 
died  Feb.  12,  1867,  and  on  July  11,  1867,  Mr. 
Hart  was  married  to  Miss  Katherine  S.  Wright, 
and  to  them  five  children  were  born.  Mr.  Hart 
died  April,  14,  1897,  and  was  buried  at  Wood- 
side  Cemetery,  in  Lee  Center  Township.  In 
the  fall  of  1900  Mrs  Hart  left  the  farm  and  is 
now   living   at    Ashton.   Lee    County,    with   her 


daughters,  Mary  and  Lucy.  Of  Mr.  Hart's 
children,  William  H.,  married  Miss  Nellie 
Smith,  June  14,  1901;  Frank  S.,  married  Emma 
Wagner,  Nov.  12,  1901;  Mabel  M.,  died  Sept.  29, 
1901;  Charles  J.,  married  Annie  Wicks,  Dec. 
23,  1895,  and  Henry  S.,  married  Kate  Albright, 
Feb.  17,  1891.  Mr.  Hart  was  elected  to  many 
positions  of  trust  and  responsibility,  and  in 
every  office  performed  the  duties  pertaining 
thereto  in  a  most  conscientious  and  satisfactory 
manner.  He  took  an  active  part  in  politics, 
and  the  Republican  party  counted  him  as  one 
of  its  stanch  supporters.  In  religious  matters 
he  was  of  liberal  views.  In  1S68  he  became 
identified  with  the  Masonic  Lodge  of  Franklin 
Grove.  No.  268.  In  the  death  of  Mr.  Hart,  Lee 
County  lost  one  of  her  most  enterprising  and 
upright  citizens,  and  his  family  a  noble  and 
conscientious    husband    and    father. 

DR.  WILLIAM  HENRY,  physician  and  drug- 
gist, Harmon,  111.,  was  born  in  Franklin 
County,  Penn.,  Sept.  15,  1839,  son  of  Samuel 
and  Sarah  (Linn)  Henry,  natives  of  Pennsyl- 
vania who  came  to  Ogle  County,  111.,  in  1844, 
but  are  now  deceased.  Dr.  Henry  received 
his  classical  education  in  the  Rock  River  Semi- 
nary. Mt.  Morris,  111.,  and  later  attended  a 
course  of  lectures  and  worked  in  the  chemical 
laboratory  at  the  State  University,  Ann  Arbor. 
Jlichigan.  The  Doctor  is  also  a  graduate  of 
Rush  Medical  College,  Chicago,  and  since  1881 
has  practiced  his  profession  at  Harmon,  111. 
On  November  3,  1870,  he  married  Annie  S. 
Miller,  daughter  of  Franklin  and  Rhoda  (Strod) 
Miller,  natives  of  Pennsylvania,  and  to  them 
tv/o  children  have  been  born,  viz.:  a  daughter 
who  is  deceased,  and  William  F.,  now  a  resi- 
dent of  Polo,  111.  Socially  Dr.  Henry  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Knights  of  the  Globe,  and  in  political 
sentiment  a  Republican. 

HON.  WILLIAM  W.  HEATON  (deceased), 
born  in  Oneida  County,  N.  Y..  April  15,  1814, 
son  of  John  and  Sarah  (Weed)  Heaton;  ad- 
mitted to  the  bar  at  Terre  Haute,  Ind.,  in  1838; 
removed  to  Dixon  in  1840,  where  he  practiced 
law  until  1861,  vifhen  he  was  elected  Judge  of 
the  Circuit  Court,  serving  in  that  capacity  until 
1877.  In  the  latter  year  he  was  appointed  one 
of  the  Justices  of  the  Appellate  Court  for  the 
First  District  of  Illinois,  and  when  court  as- 
sembled in  October,  he  was  chosen  Chief  Just- 


HISTORY   OF   LEE    COUNTY. 


783 


ice.     Judge  Heaton  died  very  suddenly  in  Clii- 
cago,  Dec.  26,  1S77. 

DEACON  ISAAC  E.  HUNT  (deceased)  was 
born  in  Union  County,  Ind.,  Nov.  11,  1819,  son 
of  William  H.  and  Elizabeth  Hunt,  natives  of 
North  Carolina,  v/ho  came  to  Lee  County  in 
the  tall  of  1852  and  engaged  in  farming.  Feb- 
ruary 20,  1844,  he  married  Eliza  A.  Patterson, 
who  died  March  31,  1858,  leaving  one  son, 
James.  On  March  10,  1859,  Deacon  Hunt  mar- 
ried for  his  second  wife  Ann  Eliza  McBride, 
who  bore  him  two  sons,  Fred  R.  and  Milton  K. 
He  united  with  the  Baptist  church  in  1839. 
and  was  appointed  deacon  in  1859.  He  died 
August  28,  1900. 

CHARLES  F.  HUBBARD  (deceased),  one  of 
the  pioneer  settlers  of  Lee  County,  was  born  in 
New  York  City  in  1817,  son  of  Ruggles  and 
Catherine  Hubbard;  settled  in  Lee  County  in 
1837,  purchasing  a  squatter's  claim  from  Father 
Dixon,  and  here  passed  the  remainder  of  his 
days.  He  married  Helen  Graham,  a  native  of 
New  York  City,  and  to  them  five  children  were 
born.  He  served  as  Town  Clerk  and  Supervisor 
of  Nelson  Township  for  a  number  of  years.  He 
died  Feb.  11,  1881,  his  wife  surviving  him 
until  March  1,  1901. 

ROBERT  A.  HOPPS.  merchant.  Paw  Paw. 
111.,  was  born  in  Wheeling,  Cook  County,  111.. 
Dec.  23,  1S53,  son  of  William  and  Martha 
(Smith)  Hopps.  R.  A.  Hopps  came  to  Lee 
County  in  1864  and,  for  sixteen  years,  made  his 
home  with  his  uncle,  David  Smith;  afterwards 
conducted  a  farm  three  years.  He  then  re- 
moved to  Paw  Paw  and  established  himself 
in  the  mercantile  business,  and  now  carries 
the  largest  stock  of  general  merchandise  Jn 
that  city.  In  1890  he  married  Mary  Staufter 
of  Compton,  and  they  have  three  children — 
R.  Smith,  Gladys  and  Howard.  In  political 
opinions  Mr.  Hopps  is  a  Republican  and  has 
served  as  Constable  and  Collector  of  Willow- 
Creek  Township.  His  wife  is  a  member  of  the 
Presbyterian  church. 

SHERMAN  J.  HOLDREN.  farmer,  Viola 
Township,  Lee  County,  111.,  was  born  in  Brook- 
lyn Township,  Lee  County,  July  17,  1865,  son 
of  John  H.  and  Phoebe  Holdren.  His  father 
died  Feb.  3,  1900.  and  his  mother  Dec.  6,  1899. 
Sherman  J.  Holdren  lived  with  his  parents  un- 


til his  marriage,  and  then  settled  on  his  present 
farm  of  150  acres  in  Viola,  Township.  October 
3,  1S90,  he  married  Helen  Klein,  daughter  of 
Peter  and  Rose  Klein,  of  La  Salle,  111.,  and  to 
them  tour  children  have  been  born:  Rose  M., 
Myrtle  (deceased),  Eva  and  Albert.  In  relig- 
ious views  Mr.  Holdren  is  a  Catholic  and  is  a 
member  of  the  Catholic  Order  of  Forresters. 
In  political  opinions  he  is  a  Republican  and 
has  served  as  Township  Clerk  three  years,  and 
for  the  same  length  of  time  v.'as  a  member  of 
the  Republican   County   Committee. 

A.  E.  HUTCHINSON,  grain  dealer,  was  born 
Dec.  25,  1S65,  near  Williamsville,  Sangamon 
County,  111.,  son  of  C.  A.  and  Emma  (Fulker- 
son)  Hutchinson,  both  natives  of  New  Jersey, 
who  came  to  Illinois  with  their  respective  par- 
ents. They  settled  in  Sangamon  County  in 
1854,  where  the  grandfather  and  father  both 
died,  the  latter  in  1889;  his  wife  is  still  living. 
C.  A.  Hutchinson  enlisted  in  the  One  Hun- 
dred and  Fourteenth  Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry, 
and  served  until  the  close  of  the  war.  A.  E. 
Hutchinson  was  raised  on  his  father's  farm  and 
attended  the  district  school.  He  was  married 
Feb.  15,  1888,  to  Esther,  daughter  of  Joseph 
Fletcher,  and  to  them  have  been  born  eight 
children:  May  and  Mabel  (twins),  Bessie,  Dor- 
othy, Bertha,  Myrtle,  Florence  and  Albert.  At 
the  age  of  eighteen,  A.  E.  Hutchinson  began 
work  at  farming,  and  in  1888  engaged  in  this 
occupation  on  his  own  account  in  Champaign 
County,  continuing  there  until  1894,  when  he 
removed  to  Lee  County.  In  1895  he  left  his 
farm  and  engaged  in  the  grain  business  at 
Harmon  in  partnership  with  S.  T.  Zeller.  This 
partnership  was  dissolved  for  a  time,  but  on 
Jan.  1,  1901,  it  was  renewed  and  together  they 
purchased  the  elevator  and  grain  business 
from  Knapp  &  Jennings,  at  Ashton,  with  the  ex- 
tensive stock  yards,  where  stock  is  fed  in 
transit  on  the  North-Western  Railroad.  Under 
the  firm  name  of  Zeller  &  Hutchinson  they  are 
conducting  a  successful  business  in  buying 
and  shipping  grain.  Mr.  Hutchinson  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Modern  Woodmen,  also  a  member  of 
the  Methodist  church,  and  in  politics  a  Republi- 
can. 

FRED  HARCK,  retired  farmer,  Lee  Center, 
111.,  was  bcrn  in  Freienwalde,  Pomerania.  Prus- 
sia.  Dec.   28,   1S46;    came  to   America   in   1868, 


784 


HISTORY   OF   LEE    COUNTY. 


locating  in  Lee  County,  where  he  was  employed 
nine  years  as  a  farm  hand,  then  conducted  a 
rented  farm  for  several  years,  and  purchased 
land  in  1881.  Later  he  retired  from  active  lite, 
owning  at  the  time  a  quarter  section  of  land, 
which  is  now  occupied  by  his  son,  William  F. 
On  March  9,  1877,  he  married  Martha  Heiben- 
thal,  born  in  Bradford  Township,  Oct.  19,  185fi, 
daughter  of  Charles  and  Martha  (Kreig)  Heib- 
enthal,  natives  of  Kur-Hessen.  Germany.  Three 
children  have  been  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Harck.  viz.:  William  F.,  who  married  Mabel 
Bailey;  Lilla,  wife  of  Harvey  Miller,  of  Dixon; 
and  Ella  May.  Mr.  Harck  is  a  Republican,  and 
he  and  his  family  are  members  of  the  Evangel- 
ical   church. 

BENJAMIN  F.  HOLDREN,  contractor  and 
builder,  Compton,  111.,  was  born  in  Columbia 
County,  Penn.,  Jan,  13,  1823,  son  ot  Edward 
and  Abigail  (Demott)  Holdren,  natives  of  New- 
Jersey,  who  came  to  Chicago  in  1842,  removed 
from  there  to  Rockford,  111.,  and  came  to  Lee 
County  in  1845,  Mr.  Holdren  has  followed  his 
trade  for  many  years.  In  August,  1862,  he  en- 
listed in  Company  I,  Eighty-ninth  Illinois  Vol- 
unteer Infantry,  serving  two  years.  In  July, 
1849,  he  married  Zuriah  Cowan,  and  they  are 
the  parents  of  nine  children — Edward,  Frank, 
Clarence,  Jerry,  Charley,  Benjamin,  John  G. 
(deceased).  Donna  and  Nellie.  In  political  views 
Mr.  Holdren  is  a  Republican;  has  served  sev- 
eral years  as  School  Director,  and  three  terms 
as  a  member  ot  the  Village  Board.  Socially  he 
is  a  member  of  the  G.  A.  R.,  and  in  religious 
belief  is  a  Baptist. 

WILLIS  N.  HIIJ:>S,  Postmrster  and  druggist 
Compton,  111.,  was  born  in  Brooklyn  Township, 
Lee  County,  Dec.  19,  1864,  son  of  J.  N.  and 
Nancy  (Merwin)  Hills,  natives  of  New  York 
State,  who  came  to  Lee  County  in  the  '40s,  and 
located  in  Brooklyn  Township.  They  are  now 
deceased.  Willis  N.  Hills  was  married  June 
16,  1897,  to  Susie  Pope,  daughter  of  George  and 
Bertha  (Dorst)  Pope,  and  they  have  tT,-o  chil- 
dren, Inez  M.  and  Kenneth.  In  political  con- 
victions he  is  a  Republican,  and  is  now  serv- 
ing his  second  term  as  village  trustee:  has 
served  as  postmaster  of  Compton  for  six  years, 
and  conducts  the  only  drug  store  in  the  village. 
He  is  a  member  ot  the  Masonic  order,  I.  O.  O. 
F.,   and   Knights   of   the   Globe.     Mrs.   Hills   is 


a  Methodist  in  religious  belief 
ber  of  the  church  at  Compton. 


ind  is  a  mem- 


EUGENE  A.  HENRY,  farmer.  Viola  Town- 
ship. Lee  County,  111.,  was  born  at  Portsmouth, 
Ohio,  Feb.  8,  1876,  son  of  August  and  Mary 
(Vernier)  Henry.  In  1896  Mr.  Henry  came  to 
Illinois,  and  for  four  years  thereafter  was  em- 
ployed as  a  farm-hand.  In  1900  he  began  farm- 
ing on  his  own  account  and  is  now  conducting 
a  farm  with  H.  B.  Cobb.  On  January  30,  1900, 
Mr.  Henry  was  married  to  Pauline  Holbmeier, 
daughter  of  William  and  Elizabeth  (Lauer) 
Holbmeier,  of  West  Brooklyn,  111.,  and  they 
have  one  daughter,  Hilda  K.  In  political  opin- 
ions he  is  a  Democrat  and  in  religious  belief  a 
Catholic. 

NATHAN  HETLER  (deceased),  one  of  the 
pioneer  settlers  of  Lee  County,  was  born  in 
Pennsylvania.  He  learned  the  carpenter's 
trade  in  his  native  State,  and  in  1838  started 
with  team  and  wagon  for  Illinois,  bringing 
with  him  his  wife  and  three  children  and  a 
few  household  goods.  He  arrived  at  Dixon, 
111.,  on  Jime  6,  1838,  and  had  at  that  time 
seventy-five  cents  in  currency.  In  1842  he  lo- 
cated on  the  farm,  now  owned  by  his  son,  Hi- 
ram Hetler,  and  there  spent  the  remainder  of 
his  life,  dying  in  1877.  He  married  Catherine 
Culp,  a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  who  died  in 
1894,  leaving  seven  children — four  boys  and 
three  girls — viz.:  Margaret,  Mary  A.,  Hiram, 
Jesse.  Jeremiah,  Amanda  and  John.  In  poli- 
tics Mr.  Hetler  was  a  Republican,  and  he  and 
his  wife  were  charter  members  of  the  Lutheran 
church    at    Dixon. 

JEREMIAH  HETLER,  farmer,  Dixon  Town- 
ship, Lee  County,  born  Oct.  4,  1841,  the  son  of 
Nathan  and  Catherine  (Culp)  Hetler  (see 
sketch) ;  was  reared  and  educated  in  Dixon 
Township,  and  engaged  in  farming  for  himself 
in  1867.  In  1883  he  purchased  the  farm  he 
new  occupies,  at  that  time  consisting  of  120 
acres.  December  25,  1S68.  he  was  married 
to  Mary  E..  daughter  ot  William  and  Salinda 
McCleary,  and  they  became  the  parents  of  three 
children:  Grace  M..  who  became  the  wife  of 
Charles  Senneff,  of  Corvina,  Cal.;  Kittie,  v.'ife 
of  Clyde  Mellick,  of  Carpenteria,  Cal.:  Nettie 
S..  who  died  Oct.  4.  1890:  and  Florence,  who 
is  still  at  home.    Mrs.  Hetler  died  Sept.  5,  1902. 


HISTORY   OF   LEE    COUNTY. 


7S5 


Mr.  Hetler  is  a  Republican  politically,  and  has 
served  as  Highway  Commissioner  and  School 
Director.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Dixon  Presby- 
terian  church. 

HIRAM  HETLER.  retired  farmer  and  soldier 
of  the  Civil  War,  Dixon,  111.,  was  born  in  Co- 
lumbia County,  Penn.,  Jan.  19,  1838,  son  of  Na- 
than and  Catherine  (Culp)  Hetler.  (See 
sketch  of  Nathan  Hetler.)  In  1859  the  subject 
of  this  sketch  went  to  Pike's  Peak,  whence 
he  returned  In  1860,  remaining  at  home  until 
August,  1862,  when  he  enlisted  in  Company  F, 
First  Regiment  Illinois  Light  Artillery 
(Cheney's  Battery),  and  was  assigned  to  serv- 
ice in  the  Army  of  the  Tennessee.  During  the 
next  three  years  his  company  took  part  in 
many  of  the  most  important  movements  and 
engagements  in  the  South,  including  the  siege 
of  Vicksburg,  the  battles  of  Chattanooga  and 
Missionary  Ridge,  the  Atlanta  campaign  and 
the  battle  of  Nashville,  being  discharged  July 
12,  1856.  Returning  to  his  home  in  Dixon 
Township,  Mr.  Hetler  engaged  in  farming,  and 
has  since  followed  that  occupation.  Iri  August, 
1862,  he  married  Nancy  Crippen,  daughter  of 
Seth  and  Elizabeth  (Smith)  Crippen,  who  were 
natives  of  New  York,  and,  three  children  were 
born  of  this  union,  viz.:  Ida  and  Lola  (both  de- 
ceased), and  Minnie,  still  living.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Hetler  are  members  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  church.  Politically  he  is  a  Republi- 
can and  has  served  as  Supervisor  of  Dixon 
Township  seventeen  years,  and  Schocl  Director 
twenty-one  years;  is  a  member  of  Dixon  Post, 
No.  299,  G.  A.  R. 

JESSE  HETLER,  farmer.  Section  10,  Pal- 
myra Township,  Lee  County,  111.,  was  born  in 
Dixon  Township.  April  27,  1839,  son  of  Nathan 
and  Katherine  (Kulp)  Hetler,  who  were  early 
settlers  of  Lee  County  and  became  prominently 
identified  with  its  development.  Jesse  Hetler 
obtained  his  education  in  Dixon  Township  at 
the  Bend  school  house,  and  on  Sept.  17,  1863, 
married  Mary  E.  Beal,  by  whom  there  were 
five  children,  viz.:  John  T.,  Imogene  (Mrs. 
Ernest  Feldkirchner),  Alice  A.  (Mrs.  Frank 
Montgomery),  Nathan  and  Katherine  (Mrs. 
Howard  Barrhead).  Mrs.  Hetler  died  August  23, 
1880,  and  Mr.  Hetler  married  for  his  second 
wife  Alice  E.  (Mellon)  Atkins.  Mr.  Hetler  is 
a  member  of  the  A.  O.  U^  W.  and   M.   W.  A. 


In  religious  belief  he  is  a  Lutheran,  and  in  po- 
litical opinions  a  Republican,  casting  his  first 
vote  for  Abraham  Lincoln,  i  In  connection  with 
farming  Mr.  Hetler  conducts  quite  an  extensive 
dairy  and  keeps  a  fine  herd  of  cows. 

JOHN  HETLER,  farmer,  Dixon  Township, 
Lee  County,  was  born  in  the  township  where 
he  now  resides,  Nov.  25,  1847,  son  of  Nathan 
and  Catherine  (Culp)  Hetler.  (See  Sketch  of 
former.)  Mr.  Hetler  remained  at  the  paternal 
home  until  1882,  when  he  was  married  to  Lu- 
cetta  Miller,  daughter  of  Samuel  W.  Miller,  of 
Franklin  Coimty,  Penn.,  and  since  then  has 
devoted  his  attention  to  farming  and  stock- 
raising  on  his  farm  of  430  acres  on  Section 
15,  Dixon  Township,  Lee  County.  Besides  this 
he  is  the  owner  of  ninety  acres  of  land  in  Na- 
chusa  Township.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hetler  have 
been  born  four  children:  Delia,  Harry,  Nellie 
and  John  M.  Mr.  Hetler  is  a  Republican  in 
politics  and  for  twelve  years  served  as  School 
Director  of  his  district.  Socially  he  is  identi- 
fied with  the  order  of  Modern  Woodmen  of 
America,  Home  Guardian  and  Knights  of  the 
Globe. 

RALPH  H.  HENDRIX,  who  resides  in  Na- 
chusa  Avenue,  Dixon,  111.,  was  born  in  Dixon, 
Oct.  20,  1863,  son  of  George  B.  and  Eliza  J. 
(Andrews)  Hendrix.  He  obtained  his  educa- 
tion in  the  public  school  at  Dixon  and  learned 
the  painter's  trade.  His  father,  George  B. 
Hendrix,  was  a  carpenter  by  trade.  Mr. 
Hendrix  was  married  in  1889  to  Mary  E.  Fry, 
daughter  of  Josiah  and  Katherine  Fry,  and  they 
are  the  parents  of  two  children — George  and 
Florence. 

JOHN  S.  HERBST,  farmer,  Nachusa  Town- 
ship, Lee  County,  111.,  was  born  in  Adams 
County,  Penn.,  March  13,  1870,  son  of  Henry 
and  Annie  E.  (Wible)  Herbst  who  were  also 
natives  of  the  Keystone  State,  the  former  be- 
ing born  August  9,  1827,  and  the  latter  Oct.  9, 
1830.  Henry  Herbst  and  wife  came  to  Lee 
County  in  March,  1884,  and  now  reside  in  Na- 
chusa Township.  They  were  the  parents  of 
eight  children,  all  of  whom  grew  to  years  of 
maturity.  John  S.  Herbst  obtained  his  edu- 
cation in  the  public  schools,  and  on  Nov.  17, 
1897,  married  Fannie  Dysart,  daughter  of  Wil- 
son and  Frances  (Wallace)  Dysart.    Mr.  Herbst 


786 


HISTORY   OF   LEE    COUNTY 


owns  160  acres  of  valuable  land  in  Nachusa 
Township,  upon  which  he  has  recently  erected 
an  attractive  dwelling  house.  In  political  re- 
lations he  is  a  Republican. 

FRANK  HOERNER,  farmer,  Brooklyn  Town- 
ship, Lee  County,  111.,  was  born  in  Lee  County, 
May  6,  1863.  sen  of  Godfrey  and  Sophia 
(Rhodes)  Hoerner,  natives  of  Germany,  who 
came  to  Illinois  in  1848.  Frank  Hoerner  owns 
a  farm  of  201  acres  located  in  Brooklyn  and 
Lee  Center  Townships,  and  is  engaged  in  gen- 
eral farming  and  stock-raising.  In  August,  1884, 
he  married  Emma  Burkhart,  daughter  of  Peter 
and  E.  (Burkhardt)  Burkhart,  natives  of 
Germany,  but  now  residents  of  Lee  County. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hoerner  have  eight  children, 
viz.:  Rosa  M.,  Louis  P.,  Carrie  S.,  Minnie, 
Sadie  L.,  Albert  F.,  Clara  and  Alma.  In  politi- 
cal sentiment  Mr.  Hoerner  is  a  Democrat  and 
in  religious  belief  a  Catholic. 

JOHN  HARPER,  retired  farmer.  Paw  Paw, 
111.,  was  born  at  Ross  Grove,  DeKalb  County, 
111.,  July  15,  1856,  son  of  William  and  Sarah 
(Kirk)  Harper.  He  was  engaged  in  farming 
in  DeKalb  County,  111.,  until  1892,  when  he  re- 
moved to  Paw  Paw,  and  for  four  years  follow- 
ing, was  engaged  in  the  hardware  and  imple- 
ment business.  In  Paw  Paw  he  married  Mary 
C.  Davis,  daughter  of  Albert  G.  and  Martha 
(Robinson)  Davis,  of  DeKalb  County,  and  they 
have  one  son,  Bayle  G.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Harper 
are  members  of  the  Jlethodist  Episcopal 
church.     In  political  views  he  is  a  Republican. 

HENRY  HOFFMAN,  retired  farmer,  Sublette 
Township,  Lee  County,  111.,  was  born  in  Ger- 
many, Dec.  23.  1825,  son  of  George  and  Kath- 
erine  (Link)  Hoffman,  George  Hoffman  came 
to  America  in  1845,  arriving  near  Perkins' 
Grove.  Lee  County,  111.,  in  July  of  the  same 
year,  and  one  month  later,  removed  to  Lee 
County,  where  he  became  the  owner  of  240 
acres  of  land.  Five  children  were  born  to 
himself  and  wife,  three  sons  and  tv.'o  daughters. 
Mr.  Hoffman  died  July  7.  1849,  his  wife  suiwiv- 
ing  until  Sept.  22,  1885.  Henry  Hoffman  was 
married  Dec.  19.  1850.  to  Margaret  Smith,  who 
was  born  Dec.  22,  1830,  daughter  of  John  and 
Margaret  (Theis)  Smith,  natives  of  Germany, 
who  came  to  America  in  1846  and  located  in 
Lee  County.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hoffman  are  the 
parents  of  eight  children,  viz.:  George  E.,  Mar- 


garet, Henry  W.,  Philip  J.,  Frederick  W.,  Steph- 
en J.,  Ezra  G.  and  Julius  A.  In  political 
views  Mr.  Hoffman  is  a  Republican;  has  served 
as  School  Director  and  Road  Commissioner, 
and  in  religious  faith  is  a  member  of  the  Evan- 
gelical church. 

HELGE  A.  HILLESON,  farmer,  Section  15. 
Willow  Creek  Township.  Lee  County,  111.,  was 
born  on  the  farm  where  he  now  resides,  April 
13.  1849,  son  of  Amond  and  Ingaborg  (Maland) 
Hilleson.  natives  of  Norway.  Amond  Hille- 
son  came  to  America  in  1850,  where  he  worked 
for  wages  five  years,  and  then  purchased  160 
acres  of  land,  upon  which  his  son,  Helge  A. 
now  resides.  In  1857  he  married  Miss  Inga- 
borg Maland,  and  to  them  two  children  were 
born:  Helge  A.  and  a  daughter.  Engeliev,  who 
died  at  the  age  of  three  years.  Amond  Hille- 
son lived  to  be  seventy-five  years  of  age,  and 
died  on  his  farm  in  1895,  leaving  an  estate 
of  300  acres  of  well-improved  land.  He  was  a 
member  of  the  Norwegian  Lutheran  church. 
His  wife  (1903)  still  survives,  and  resides 
with  her  son,  Helge  A.  Helge  A.  Hilleson  was 
raised  on  the  farm,  attended  the  district  school, 
and  after  two  years'  attendance  at  the  Minona 
.Academy,  Madison,  Wis.,  returned  home  and 
conducted  a  part  of  his  father's  estate.  He  was 
married  in  July,  1883,  to  Anna  Nelson,  daugh- 
ter cf  Haider  Nelson,  an  early  settler  of  Lee 
County,  and  to  them  eight  children  have  been 
bcrn:  Amanda,  Thomas,  Harvey  (deceased), 
Julia,  Hilda,  Emma.  Lawrence  and  Anna  H. 
Mr.  Hilleson  and  family  are  members  of  the 
Norwegian  Lutheran  church.  In  politics  he  is 
a  Republican. 

LEWIS  HENRY,  farmer.  Wyoming  Town- 
ship, Lee  County,  111.,  was  born  in  Scioto 
County,  Ohio,  June  7,  1857,  son  of  August  and 
Mary  (Vernier)  Henry.  Mr.  Henry  came  to 
Lee  County,  111.,  in  1885,  and  settled  at  Ma- 
lugin's  Grove,  where  he  remained  imtil  April 
1,  1891,  when  he  removed  to  his  present  farm 
of  166  acres.  On  May  29,  1886,  he  was  married 
to  Josephine  Gehant,  daughter  of  Modest  and 
Olymphia  Gehant,  and  of  this  union  three  chil- 
dren were  born,  viz.:  Albert  (deceased),  Pau- 
line and  Arthur.  Mrs.  Henry  died  Sept.  25, 
1899,  and  on  Feb.  20,  1900,  Mr.  Henry  married 
for  his  second  wife  Josephine  Ryne.  daughter 
of  John  and  Mary    (O'Brien)   Ryne,  of  Amboy, 


HISTORY   OF   LEE    COUNTY. 


787 


111.  Politically  Mr.  Henry  is  a  Democrat,  and 
in  religious  belief  a  Roman  Catholic. 

LINCOLN  A.  HARTZELL,  farmer.  Nachusa 
Township,  Lee  County,  born  in  the  township 
where  he  now  resides.  Sept.  16,  1860.  the  son  of 
John  W.  and  Catherine  (Trostle)  Hartzell, 
natives  of  Adams  County,  Penn.,  who  came  to 
Lee  County,  111.,  in  1851,  settling  in  Nachusa 
Township.  The  father  is  a  farmer,  now  living 
in  Franklin  Grove,  at  seventy-four  years  of  age, 
and  the  mother  at  sixty-five.  They  had  five 
children,  all  of  whom  are  now  living.  Lincoln 
A.  Hartzell  started  in  business  life  for  him- 
self in  1884,  on  the  Dr.  T.  D.  Palmer  farm, 
which  he  rented  for  seventeen  years,  but  in 
1903  bought  a  200-acre  farm  in  Nachusa  Town- 
ship. March  4,  1886,  he  was  married  to  Lydia 
P.  Newcomer,  born  in  Ogle  County,  111.,  daugh- 
ter of  Zachariah  and  Sarah  (Adams)  New- 
comer, natives  of  Adams  County,  Penn.,  who 
came  to  Illinois  in  1846.  Mr.  Newcomer  died 
in  1897,  but  Mrs.  Newcomer  (1903)  is  still 
living.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hartzell  have  had  three 
children:  Hale  D.,  Hazel  B.  and  Charles  Col- 
lin.    Mr.  Hartzell  is  a  Republican  in  politics. 

ROBERT  J.  HANNE,  farmer.  South  Dixon 
Township,  Lee  County,  111.,  was  born  in  Grundy 
County,  111.,  Dec.  21,  1876,  son  of  John  and 
Elizabeth  (Gantzert)  Hanne,  the  formeir  a  na- 
tive of  Switzerland  and  the  latter  of  Grundy 
County,  111.  January  10,  1900,  Robert  J.  Hanne 
was  married  to  Nettie  E.  Grosh,  daughter  of 
Ezra  and  Elizabeth  (Hack)  Grosh,  of  Dwight, 
111.  Politically  he  is  a  stanch  Republican,  and 
he  and  his  wife  are  members  of  the  Evangeli- 
cal church.  Mr.  Hanne  owns  a  valuable  farm 
of  160  acres  in  South  Dixon  Township. 

JOHN  HANNE.  farmer,  South  Dixon  Town- 
ship, Lee  County,  111.,  was  born  near  Berne, 
Switzerland,  Feb.  16,  1848,  sen  of  John  and 
Ann  (Brune)  Hanne  natives  of  Switzerland, 
who  came  tc  the  United  States  in  1855  and  set- 
tled in  Kendall  County,  111.  On  March  9,  1876. 
John  Hanne,  Jr.,  was  married  to  Elizabeth 
Gatznert,  daughter  of  John  P.  and  Anne  (Scheff- 
line)  Gantzert,  who  were  natives  of  Germany, 
and  came  to  Illinois  in  1852.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Hanne  have  seven  children,  viz.:  Robert  J., 
Benjamin    F.,    Anne    J.,    Matie    E.,    George    O.. 


Cora  M.  and  Edna  N.  Mr.  Hanne  has  for  a 
number  of  years  been  prominently  identified 
with  the  farming  and  dairying  interests  of 
Lee  County.  He  and  his  family  are  members 
of  the  Evangelical  church. 

JACOB  C.  HECKMAN,  farmer  and  dairyman, 
Nachusa  Township,  Lee  County,  111.,  was  born 
in  Bedford  County,  Penn.,  August  10,  1849, 
son  of  Joseph  and  Elizabeth  (Rollins)  Heck- 
man.  Joseph  Heckman  and  wife  were  also 
natives  of  Bedford  County,  Penn..  and  came  to 
Illinois  in  1863.  locating  in  Lee  County,  where, 
in  1869,  they  bought  and  settled  on  the  120-acre 
farm  now  owned  by  Jacob  C.  Joseph  Heckman 
died  June  19,  1881,  his  wife  dying  May  23,  1879. 
Jacob  C.  Heckman  remained  on  his  father's 
farm  until  the  latter's  death,  when  he  became 
owner  of  the  homestead,  where,  in  connection 
with  general  farming,  he  keeps  a  herd  of  thirty 
fine  cows.  On  October  19,  1899,  he  married 
Cora  E.  McCardel,  and  they  have  one  child, 
Bertha  E.  Mrs.  Heckman  was  born  in  Indi- 
ana, but  for  over  twenty  years  has  been  a  resi- 
dent of  Lee  County.  She  is  a  member  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  churcn.  In  politics  Mr. 
Heckman  is  a  Democrat,  and  socially  belongs 
to  the  Royal  Arcanum. 

DENNIS  C.  HARDEN,  farmer.  Nelson  Town- 
ship, Lee  County,  born  in  Maryland,  Oct.  4, 
1849,  son  of  Jacob  and  Catherine  (Cook)  Hard- 
en, natives  of  Pennsylvania,  who  came  to  Lee 
County  in  1853,  settling  in  Nelson  Township. 
In  1873  Dennis  C,  purchased  the  farm  in  this 
township  on  which  he  has  since  resided.  Decem- 
ber 25.  1875,  Mr.  Harden  was  married  to  Kate 
McCleary,  daughter  of  William  and  Belinda 
(Moorhead)  McCleary,  natives  of  Pennsylvania 
and  pioneer  settlers  in  Lee  County.  To  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Harden  four  children  were  born: 
Eva  J..  Olive  R.  (deceased),  William  J,  and 
Lawrence  D.  Mrs.  Harden  died  Dec.  3,  1889, 
and  on  Dec.  15,  1892,  Mr.  Harden  married  El- 
vena  Bollman.  daughter  of  Henry  and  Christina 
(Grobe)  Bellman,  natives  of  Germany  and  early 
settlers  in  Lee  County.  Of  this  second  union 
three  children  have  been  born:  Earl  E.,  Her- 
bert H.  and  Vernon  L.  The  family  are  attend- 
ants of  the  Evangelical  Lutheran  church,  and 
Mr.  Harden  is  a  member  of  the  Knights  of  the 
Globe  and  Modern  Wo-odmen  rf  America. 


HISTORY   OF   LEE    COUNTY 


LEVI  E.  HART,  farmer,  Nachusa  Township, 
Lee  County,  111.,  was  born  in  Venango  County, 
Penn.,  Aug.  30.  1846,  son  of  Erastus  and  Ruth 
(Wilcox)  Hart,  natives  of  New  York.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Erastus  Hart  came  to  Lee  County  in  June, 
1865,  and  after  living  in  Dixon  for  several  years, 
removed  to  the  farm  now  owned  by  Levi  E. 
Hart,  where  they  both  died.  On  August  30, 
1864,  Levi  E.  Hart  enlisted  in  Company  I, 
Fourth  Pennsylvania  Cavalry,  serving  until 
June  10,  1865.  He  came  to  Lee  County  in  1865 
and  has  since  been  identified  with  the  agri- 
cultural interests  of  that  section  of  country. 
In  December,  1868,  he  married  Emetine  B., 
daughter  of  A.  and  Jane  (Fowler)  Himes,  early 
settlers  of  Lee  County,  and  of  this'  union  there 
are  two  children:  Sybil  (Mrs.  A.  A.  Dinwiddle 
of  Jacksonville  111.)  and  Leon.  In  political 
opinions  Mr.  Hart  is  a  Republican,  and  has 
served  as  School  Director  for  tv,'enty-five  years. 
Fraternally  he  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic 
Order,  Blue  Lodge.  Chapter  and  Commandery 
at    Dixon.   111. 

JOHN  R.  HECKMAN.  farmer.  Nachusa 
Township,  Lee  County,  111.,  was  born  in  Bed- 
ford County,  Penn..  Oct.  17,  1851,  son  of  Joseph 
and  Elizabeth  (Rollins)  Heckman.  who  settled 
in  Nachusa  Township  Dec.  12,  1863.  They  were 
the  parents  of  the  following  named  children: 
James  M.,  Mary  Ellen,  Josiah,  Jacob  C,  John 
R.  and  Addison  L.  John  R.  Heckman  remain- 
ed on  his  father's  farm  until  1892,  when  he 
purchased  the  farm  where  he  now  resides, 
locating  there  in  1894.  In  1892  he  married 
Emma  Lowery,  who  was  born  in  China.  Town- 
ship, Lee  County,  daughter  of  George  and  Cath- 
erine (Miller)  Lowery,  natives  of  either  Somer- 
set or  Bradford  County,  Penn..  who  settled  in 
Lee  County  about  1865.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Heck- 
man have  two  children,  Edith  May  and  John 
L.  In  political  views  Mr.  Heckman  is  Inde- 
pendent. 

JACOB  H.  HUYETT.  farmer,  Nachusa  Town- 
ship, Lee  County.  III.,  was  born  in  Berks  Coun- 
ty, Penn.,  Dec.  1,  1850,  son  of  John  H.  and 
Eliza  (Hain)  Huyett,  who  were  also  natives 
of  the  Keystone  State.  Jacob  H.  Huyett  lo- 
cated in  Nachusa  Township,  in  October  1876, 
and  has  since  devoted  his  time  to  general  farm- 
ing and  stock-raising.  On  September  1,  1871. 
he   married  Emma   C.   Hain.   born  in   Pennsyl- 


vania, and  to  them  eight  children  have  been 
born  with  dates  of  birth  as  follows:  John  F., 
May  7,  1873;  Sarah  E.,  Sept.  21,  1875;  Charles 
F.,  Feb.  14,  1878;  James  R.,  June  11,  1880: 
Harry  B.,  May  26,  1883;  Edna  C,  Oct.  22,  1885; 
Polly  B..  Aug.  4,  1887;  and  George  J.,  March 
7,  1892.  In  political  views  Mr.  Huyett  is  a 
Republican  and  has  served  as  School  Director 
for  more  than  twenty  years;  was  Supervisor 
of  Nachusa  Township  in  1901-2.  He  and  his 
wife  are  members  of  the  Lutheran  church  at 
Nachusa. 

SYLVANUS  C.  HAUSEN,  farmer,  China 
Township.  Lee  County.  111.,  was  born  in  Lincoln 
County,  Maine,  Oct.  15,  1825,  son  of  Charles 
and  Mary  J.  (Hilton)  Hansen.  In  1840  he 
accompanied  his  parents  to  Lee  County  and 
grew  to  manhood  under  the  parental  roof  in 
China  Township.  He  chose  farming  as  his  life 
occupation  and  has  been  uniformly  successful 
in  that  industry,  and  is  now  one  of  the  leading 
farmers  and  stock-raisers  of  China  Township. 
December  20,  1859,  he  married  Sabina  J.,  daugh- 
ter of  David  and  Harriet  (Lobdell)  Fellows,  of 
Boone  County,  111.,  and  to  them  five  children 
have  been  born:  Ida  C,  Charles  F..  Lillian  A., 
Grace  E.  and  May  E.  In  political  convictions 
Mr.  Hansen  is  a  Democrat. 

COLUMBUS  D.  HUSSEY,  lumber  and  coal 
dealer,  Franklin  Grove,  Lee  County,  111.,  born 
in  Franklin  Grove.  Sept.  4,  1852,  son  of  Amos 
and  Jane  (Fredonia)  Hussey,  natives,  respec- 
tively, of  Pennsylvania  and  New  York  State. 
Fredonia,  N.  Y..  was  named  after  the  family 
of  the  mother,  the  latter  being  the  first  white 
child  born  there.  The  father  came  to  Franklin 
Grove  in  1838,  became  a  farmer  and  was  iden- 
tified with  the  early  development  of  that 
section.  He  died  in  1895,  and  his  wife  May 
1.  1876.  Columbus  D.  Hussey  established  him- 
self in  his  present  business  in  1876,  and,  ex- 
cept a  few  years  spent  in  farming,  has  pursued 
it  ever  since.  In  December,  1883,  he  married 
Maud  H.  Secrist,  who  was  born  in  Pennsyl- 
vania and  came  v/ith  her  parents  to  Lee  Coun- 
ty, 111.,  in  1866.  Of  this  union  seven  children 
have  been  born:  Blaine.  Margaret,  Amos,  Don- 
ald. Mary.  Medrick  and  Jennie.  Mr.  Hussey 
is  a  Republican,  served  as  Supervisor  of  his 
township  three  terms,  and  has  been  a  member 


HISTORY   OF   LEE    COUNTY 


789 


of  the   Republican   County   Central  Committee 
for  many  years. 

MARCUS  0.  HARTZELL,  farmer  and  dairy- 
man, Nachusa  Township,  Lee  County,  111.,  was 
born  in  Adams  County,  Penn.,  Nov,  13,  1S62, 
son  of  John  Z.  and  Lizzie  (Hamilton)  Hartzell. 
Marcus  O.  Hartzell  came  to  Lee  County  in 
February,  1S81,  where  in  1888  he  engaged  in 
farming  operations  for  himself,  and  for  the 
past  seven  years  has  been  one  of  the  leading 
dairy  farmers  of  that  vicinity,  managing  at 
the  present  time  166  acres  of  land  and  owning 
a  herd  of  forty  cows.  On  March  27,  1889,  he 
married  Hattie  E.  Madden,  born  in  Fort  Wayne, 
Ind.,  daughter  of  Benjamin  and  Permelia 
(Gardner)  Madden.  Socially  Mr.  Hartzell  is 
a  member  of  the  M.  W.  A.,  Knights  of  the 
Globe  and  Sons  of  Veterans. 

JOHN  Z.  HARTZELL,  farmer.  Nachusa 
Township,  Lee  County,  111.,  was  born  in  Carroll 
County,  Md.,  Aug.  21,  1838,  son  of  John  and 
Susan  (Hiner)  Hartzell,  natives  of  Pennsyl- 
vania and  Maryland,  respectively.  John  Hart- 
zell died  when  John  Z.  was  ten  years  of  age. 
and  the  care  of  the  farm  eventually  devolved 
upon  the  latter.  In  1863  John  Z.  Hartzell 
enlisted  in  Company  K,  One  Hundred  and 
Eighty-fourth  Pennsylvania  Volunteer  Infantry, 
and  served  in  the  Army  of  the  Potomac.  Among 
the  important  engagements  in  which  he  par- 
ticipated were  the  battles  of  Hatcher's  Run, 
Cold  Harbor,  Petersburg,  Richmond  and  Ap- 
pomattox. He  was  mustered  out  of  the  service 
on  June  7,  1865,  and  then  returned  to  Mary- 
land, where  he  engaged  in  farming  until  1882, 
when  he  removed  to  Nachusa  Township,  Lee 
County.  In  1861  he  married  Lizzie  Hamilton, 
a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  and  of  this  union 
there  are  nine  children,  viz.:  Marcus  O.,  Laura 
E.,  Martha  A.  (Mrs.  Frank  Emmert),  Robert 
H.,  Gertie  E.,  Fannie  O.,  Mary  E.,  John  M.  and 
Charles  H.  Mr.  Hartzell  is  a  Republican  in 
politics  and  has  served  as  School  Director  five 
years.  Socially  he  is  a  member  of  Dixon  Post 
299  G.  A.  R. 

GEORGE  W.  HOWELL,  Sr..  contractor  and 
builder,  Dixon  III.,  was  born  in  New  York  City, 
Aug.  27,  1835,  son  of  Josiah  and  Phoebe  (Post) 
Howell.  He  obtained  his  education  in  the 
public  schools  of  Nev/  York,  where  he  also 
learned   the  carpenter's  trade.     On  January  1. 


186U,  he  married  Josephine  Rapelyea,  and  they 
became  parents  of  five  children,  four  of  whom 
survive,  viz.:  Josephine  (a  trained  nurse), 
George  W.,  Eugene  and  John  Wesley.  The 
parents  of  Mrs.  Howell  were  John  Liqueer 
and  Margaret  (DeGroat)  Rapelyea,  and  her 
earliest  ancestors,  of  whoiru  she  has  any  know- 
ledge, were  Huguenots  who,  at  the  close  of  the 
sixteenth  century,  escaped  from  France  to 
Holland  and  sailed  to  America  on  the  "May- 
flower." Their  desendants  became  scattered 
over  the  New  England  States  and  the  State  of 
New  York  Mr.  Howell  came  to  Lee  County 
in  1879,  where  he  carried  on  a  farm  for  seven 
years, but  for  the  past  twenty  years  has  been 
engaged  in  constructing  and  building,  and  during 
that  time  has  erected  a  great  many  fine  resi- 
dences in  the  city  of  Dixon  and  the  surround- 
ing country.  In  1898  his  two  sons,  George  W, 
and  John  W.,  became  his  partners  in  this 
business.  In  political  views  Mr.  Howell  is  a 
Republican,  and  in  religious  belief  a  Methodist. 
Mr.  Howell's  father,  Josiah  Howell,  was  a 
minute  man  in  the  War  of  1812,  while  his 
grandfather  was  one  of  three  brothers  who 
were  living  on  Long  Island  at  the  time  the 
Revolutionary  War  broke  out,  and  he  served 
seven  years  as  a  patriot  soldier  during  the 
struggle  for  liberty.  His  mother,  Phoebe 
(Post)   Howell,  was  a  Quakeress. 

JOHN  N.  HUTCHINSON,  farmer,  Viola 
Township,  Lee  County,  III.,  was  born  in  the 
township  where  he  now  resides,  July  11,  1869, 
son  of  James  S.  and  Anna  (Harper)  Hutchin- 
son, of  whom  the  latter  died  May  14,  1881.  John 
N.  Hutchinson  was  reared  to  a  life  on  the  farm, 
and  in  1885  began  farming  operations  for  him- 
self on  rented  land,  which  he  continued  until 
1891.  when  he  bought  160  acres,  and  now  owns 
a  120-acre  farm.  November  14,  1894,  he  was 
married  to  Pearl  Adrian,  daughter  of  Harry 
and  Emma  (Braidy)  Adrian,  of  Viola  Township, 
and  they  have  one  son,  John  N.  Prior  to  her 
marriage,  Mrs.  Hutchinson  taught  school  in 
Viola  Township.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hutchinson 
are  communicants  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
church.  In  political  opinions  he  is  a  Repub- 
lican. 

EDWARD  L.  JOHNSON,  retired  farmer, 
748  Forrest  Avenue,  Dixon  ,111.,  was  born  at 
Stockbridge,  Mass.,  Feb.  17,  1836,  son  of  Jona- 


■go 


HISTORY   OF   LEE   COUNTY. 


than  and  Eunice  (Bradford!  Johnson,  natives 
of  Rhode  Island  and  Connecticut,  respectively. 
Edward  L.  Johnson  came  to  Lee  County  in 
1S60.  remaining  until  1867,  when  he  returned 
to  his  native  State,  where  he  remained  until 
1889.  In  the  latter  year  he  returned  to  Dixon, 
and  has  since  made  his  home  in  that  city. 
February  17,  1862.  he  married  J.  Louisa  Nettle- 
ton,  and  to  them  four  children  have  been  born, 
three  cf  whom  are  deceased.  The  only  son, 
Charles  A.,  resides  in  Benton  Harbor,  Mich. 

RALPH  E.  JOHNSON,  dairy-farmer  and 
stock-raiser.  Section  22,  Palmyra  Township, 
Lee  County.  111.,  was  born  on  the  farm  where 
he  now  resides,  Jan.  22.  1842,  son  of  Eber  H. 
and  Sarah  (Johnson)  Johnson,  who  came  from 
New  York  State  to  Lee  County  in  1838.  Eber 
H.  and  Sarah  Johnson  were  married  in  New 
York,  Aug.  13,  1838,  just  previous  to  coming 
west,  and  came  with  horses  and  wagon  to  Lee 
County,  the  journey  occupying  five  weeks.  Mr. 
Johnson  bought  a  squatter's  claim  of  160  acres, 
and  shortly  afterwards  added  another  quarter 
section  to  his  holdings.  To  himself  and  wife 
seven  children  were  born,  Ralph  E.  being 
fourth.  Mr.  Johnson  was  an  active,  upright 
man.  a  stanch  Republican  and  served  his 
township  as  Supervisor  for  several  terms  be- 
sides holding  other  offices.  He  died  August 
29,  1887.  his  wife  dying  May  15  of  the  same 
year.  They  were  both  members  of  the  Union 
church.  Ralph  E.  Johnson  attended  the  district 
school  in  boyhood  and  worked  on  his  father's 
farm,  where  he  has  continued  to  reside  to  the 
present  time.  He  assumed  management  of  his 
father's  farm  several  years  previous  to  the 
latter's  death,  and  afterwards  bought  the  es- 
tate consisting  of  417  acres  of  land  upon  which 
he  keeps  from  150  to  175  head  of  cattle  and 
about  twenty-five  horses.  The  present  at- 
tractive residence  was  built  by  Mr.  Ralph  E. 
Johnson  in  1876.  On  March  10.  1875,  Mr. 
Johnson  married  Abigail  M.,  daughter  of 
George  and  Jerusha  (Knox)  Knox,  all  of  whom 
were  natives  of  Broome  County,  N.  Y.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Johnson  have  three  children:  Anna 
G.  (Mrs.  W.  L.  Prescott,  of  Nebraska),  Rena  E. 
(Mrs.  Howard  S.  Gigons,  of  Madison.  Wis.), 
and   Myra   L..  who   is   attending  school. 

CONSTANT  A.  JEANBLANC,  farmer.  Brook- 
lyn   Township.    Lee    County.    111.,   was    born    in 


France,  July  17,  1S57,  son  of  Charles  F.  and 
Justine  F.  (Laforge)  Jeanblanc,  natives  of  the 
same  country  who  came  to  Lee  County,  111., 
in  1866.  Constant  A.  Jeanblanc  was  raised  on 
a  farm  and  now  owns  his  homestead  of  244 
acres  in  Brooklyn  Township.  On  May  14.  1885, 
he  married  Sarah  O..  daughter  of  Laurent  and 
Julienne  (Tuillion)  Gehant,  of  Lee  County,  and 
to  them  ten  children  have  been  born,  viz.: 
Albert  L.,  Alexander  C,  Theresa  S.,  Leo.  F. 
(deceased),  Veronica  A.,  Benedict  C,  Laurent 
H.,  Julienne  F.  (deceased),  Wilbur  M.  and 
Marie  C.  Mr.  Jeanblanc  is  a  Democrat  in 
politics,  and  is  now  (1903)  serving  his  third 
term  as  School  Director.  In  religious  belief 
he  is  a  Catholic. 

PRYCE  JONES  (deceased)  was  born  in 
Wales,  and  came  to  the  United  States  in  1854, 
settling  in  Connecticut,  where  on  Feb.  3,  18C3, 
he  was  married  to  Miss  Mary  D.  Cutler,  of 
South  Coventry,  Conn.  He  and  his  wife  came 
to  Lee  County  in  1868.  and  from  that  time 
until  his  death,  Jan.  23,  1899,  he  was  identified 
with  the  agricultural  interests  of  the  county. 
To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Jones  seven  children  were 
born,  four  of  whom  are  living,  viz.:  Joseph  A., 
Addie  L.,  Edward  H.  and  Emily  M.  Mrs.  Jones 
now  resides  in  the  village  of  Walton.  The 
family  are  attendants  of  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal church. 

BENJAMIN  F.  JOHNSON,  farmer.  Viola 
Township,  Lee  County.  111.,  was  born  in  Kane 
Cotmty,  111.,  March  4,  1846,  son  of  Smith  H.  and 
Ziba  K.  (Thompson)  Johnson.  Benjamin  F. 
Johnson  remained  at  home  until  1863,  when  he 
enlisted  in  Company  I,  One  Hundred  and  Fifty- 
sixth  Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry  and  served 
until  the  close  of  the  war.  He  then  returned 
to  Lee  County  and  bought  160  acres  of  land, 
but  in  1869  went  to  Helena,  Mont.,  where  he 
engaged  in  placer-mining  until  1876.  Return- 
ing to  Lee  County  in  the  latter  year,  he  there 
resumed  farming  operations  until  1887,  when 
he  took  charge  of  a  creamery  at  Compton,  111., 
and  conducted  the  enterprise  for  six  years.  In 
1893  he  again  returned  to  the  farm,  locating 
on  his  present  homestead  of  260  acres  in  Viola 
Township.  On  February  24,  1877,  Mr.  Johnson 
was  married  to  Arvilla,  daughter  of  Joel  and 
Nancy  (Compton)  Compton,  of  Compton.  111. 
To  them   eight   children   have  been  born,  viz.: 


HISTORY   OF   LEE    COUNTY, 


Lewis  E.,  Andrew  F.,  Levi,  Linn.  Joel  L..  Pearl 
v.,  Luella,  M.,  and  Charlotte  1.  Fraternally  Mr. 
Johnson  is  a  Mason,  in  politics  a  Republican, 
and  has  served  as  Commissioner  of  Highways 
twelve  years,  and  Township'  Trustee  ten  years. 

OLIVER  P.  JOHNSTON  (deceased)  was  born 
in  Erie  County,  N.  Y.,  in  1S12.  In  1S38  he  came 
to  Lee  County,  111.,  and  settled  in  Brooklyn 
Township.  For  twenty  years  he  kept  a  hotel 
to  Melugin's  Grove,  where,  in  early  days,  he 
had  many  unpleasent  experiences  in  connec- 
tion with  the  business,  but  later  engaged  in 
farming  with  successful  results,  and  became 
the  owner  of  a  large  tract  of  land.  In  1834  he 
married  Elizabeth  Ross,  a  native  of  Virginia, 
and  they  were  the  parents  of  six  children. 

WALLACE  A.  JUDD,  retired  farmer,  Dixon, 
111.,  was  born  in  Berkshire  County,  Mass..  Sept. 
30,  1821,  son  of  Arden  and  Sarah  (Hubbard) 
Judd,  who  were  also  natives  of  the  Bay  State. 
Mr.  Judd  came  to  Illinois  in  the  spring  of  1852, 
locating  in  Dixon,  and  he  has  the  distinction 
of  bringing  the  first  car  load  of  coal  to  that 
city.  On  October  11,  1847,  he  married  Jerusha 
Merriman.  born  in  Connecticut,  and  to  this 
union  six  children  were  born,  three  of  whom — 
Ellen  L.,  Asa  G.  and  Homer  A. — are  now  living. 
Mr.  Judd's  farm  adjoining  the  city  of  Dixon 
comprises  3.50  acres. 

ROYAL  JONES,  embalmer  and  undertaker. 
Dixon,  111.,  was  born  In  Meiggs  County,  Ohio, 
Dec.  30,  1869,  son  of  Edward  and  Emily  (Wood- 
ard)  Jones.  Royal  Jones  was  raised  on  his 
father's  farm  in  Ohio,  attended  the  public 
schools  and.  prior  to  coming  to  Dixcn,  held  an 
official  position  in  the  Hospital  for  the  Insane 
at  Elgin,  111.  Coming  to  Dixon  in  1894,  he  en- 
gaged in  the  grocery  business  for  two  years, 
and  then  took  a  thorough  course  of  training 
in  the  Chicago  School  of  Embalming.  Return- 
ing to  Dixon,  he  opened  his  present  extensive 
establishment,  which  is  the  only  one  in  the 
city  devoted  exclusively  to  that  particular  line 
of  business.  On  June  27.  189.5.  he  married 
Celia  A.  O'Malley,  daughter  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Austin  O'Malley,  early  settlers  of  Les  County. 
Of  this  marriage  five  children  have  been  born: 
Lucille.  Edward.  Gerald.  Willard  and  Herbert. 
Fraternally    Mr.    Jones    is    a    member    of    the 


Modern  Woodmen  of  America  and   Knights  of 
Columbus.     Politically   he   is   a  Republican. 

MRS.  HARRIET  E.  KNIGHT,  Dixon,  III., 
was  born  in  Bloomingdale,  Du  Page  County, 
111.,  daughter  of  Royal  D.  and  Lydia  E.  (Ben- 
nett) Meacham,  natives  of  New  York  State  who 
became  early  settlers  of  Illinois.  June  4,  1885, 
she  was  married  to  Charles  Hale  Knight,  son 
of  Capt.  Hale  and  Fanny  (Carpenter)  Knight, 
natives  of  Vermont.  Capt.  Hale  Knight  was 
for  many  years,  the  commander  and  part 
owner  of  the  "New  World,"  a  large  vessel 
employed  in  carrying  mail  and  passengers  be- 
tween New  York  and  Liverpool  and  other 
European  ports.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Charles 
Hale  Knight  were  born  four  sons:  Hale,  Robert, 
Royal  and  William.  In  early  life  Mr.  Knight 
was  engaged  in  merchandizing  in  the  city  of 
Chicago.  Mrs  Knight  is  a  member  and  Treas- 
urer  of   the   Dixon's   Women's    Clul). 

CHARLES  C.  KOST,  physician  and  surgeon, 
Dixon  111.,  was  born  in  Astoria,  111.,  Jan.  3, 
1867,  son  of  George  W.  and  Susan  Lemon 
(Nelson)  Kost.  natives  of  Ohio.  He  received 
his  early  educational  training  in  the  public 
schools,  and  graduated  from  the  Astoria  High 
School  in  1885.  He  then  entered  the  Missouri 
Medical  College.  St.  Louis.  Mo.,  graduating  in 
18SS,  and  began  practicing  his  profession  at 
Literberry.  111.,  where  he  remained  three  years. 
Coming  to  Dixon  in  1891,  he  has  since  con- 
ducted a  successful  practice  in  that  city,  and 
has  also  taken  a  post-graduate  course  in  Chi- 
cago and  New  York  City.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  American  Medical  Society,  the  Illinois  Med- 
ical Society  and  the  Lee  County  Medical  So- 
ciety. In  November,  1890.  he  married  Ollie 
Dinwiddle,  daughter  of  Samuel  and  Ellen 
(Crum)  Winwiddie.  and  they  have  one  son — 
Byron  D.  The  Doctor  and  his  wife  are  mem- 
bers of  the  Christian  Church.  He  is  also  a 
member  of  the  K.  T.  and  K.  of  P.  In  politics  he 
is  a  Republican. 

JOHN  M.  KILLMER.  farmer.  Bradford 
Township.  Lee  County.  111.,  v.-as-  bcrn  at  Bing- 
hamton.  Lee  County,  111.,  Oct.  28,  1857,  son  of 
Nicholas  and  Mary  (Halpmeyer)  Killmer.  The 
fathei'  was  born  in  1830  in  Reichensachsen, 
Kreis  Eschweg.  Kur-Hessen,  Germany,  and 
died   Feb.   28.   1893.     The  mother   was  born   in 


■92 


HISTORY   OF   LEE   COUNTY. 


1S31.  in  Baden,  ami  died  Jan.  31,  1S92.  Nicho- 
las Killmer  came  to  America  when  about 
twenty-one,  and  after  coming  to  Lee  County, 
worked  in  a  plow  factory  at  Binghamton.  Later 
he  bought  land  and  at  the  time  of  his  death 
owned  360  acres.  He  and  his  wife  were  mar- 
ried in  Binghamton  about  1855,  and  were  the 
parents  of  eight  children,  two  of  whom  are  now 
living, —  John  M.  and  William.  The  former 
worked  for  his  fatheil  until  Feb.  18,  1883,  when 
he  married  Martha  Katherine  Kersten,  born 
June  8,  1858,  daughter  of  John  and  Christine 
Kersten.  who  now  reside  at  Ashton,  111.  John 
M.  Killmer  and  wife  have  two  children  living: 
Frank  J„  born  April  21,  1886,  and  Emma  C, 
bcrn  Feb,  26,  1894.  Their  son.  Willie  N.,  born 
July  13,  1884.  died  when  ten  years  of  age.  Mr. 
Killmer  has  405  acres  of  land,  besides  four  lots 
in  the  village  of  Ashton.  and  for  many  years 
has  been  Road  Overseer  and  School  Trustee. 
He  is  a  Republican  and  a  member  of  the  United 
Evangelical   church, 

WILLIAM  KILLMER.  farmer.  Bradford 
Township.  Lee  County.  111.,  was  born  Jan,  31. 
1859.  son  of  Nicholas  and  Mary  (Halpmeyer) 
Killmer.  natives  of  Kur-Hessen  and  Baden.  Ger- 
many. The  father's  first  land  purchase  was 
one  of  the  '80s  now  occupied  as  a  homestead 
by  his  son  William,  who  married  on  Jan.  10, 
1884,  Mary  E„  daughter  of  William  and  Kather- 
ine Lizzie  (Aschenbrenner)  Ross,  William 
Boss  was  born  in  Malckelsdorf,  Hessen-Nas- 
sau,  Germany,  May  28,  1836,  and  died  in  Brad- 
ford Township,  April  4,  1902.  He  came  to  Lee 
County  at  the  age  of  eighteen,  was  one  of  the 
first  members  and,  during  his  life,  manager  of 
the  Bradford  Farmers'  Mutual  Fire  Insurance 
Company,  and  member  of  the  Evangelical 
church.  Those  of  his  children  now  living  are: 
W.  F.,  Charles  W.,  George  J.,  Mary,  (wife  of 
William  Killmer),  and  Annie  (wife  of  Frank 
Mynard).  Mr.  and  Mrs.  William  Killmer  have 
four  children:  George  M.,  Alfred  W.,  Lizzie  M., 
and  Anna  M.  Mr.  Killmer  has  200  acres  of 
land  in  his  home  farm,  and  a  house  and  lot 
in  Ashton.  Mrs  Killmer  also  ov.'ns  a  quarter 
section  of  land  near  Hallock.  Iowa.  William 
Killmer  raises  registered  Galloway  cattle  and 
also  feeds  for  the  market.  He  is  a  Republican 
and  has  for  years  held  the  office  of  Pathmaster 
and  School  Trustee.  He  is  also  trustee  of  the 
Evangelical  church,  cf  which  he  and  his  family 


are  members:  is  at  present  (19041  conducting 
a  first-class  livery  and  feed  stable  at  Ashton, 
and  owns  the  lot  on  which  his  building  is 
located. 

ELIJAH  L.  KING,  retired  farmer,  Lee  Cen- 
ter, 111.,  was  born  in  West  Hampton,  Hamp- 
shire County,  Mass,.  March  9,  1852,  son  of 
George  N.  and  Arlina  (Kingsley)  King,  natives 
ot  Hampsnire  County,  Mass.,  who  came  to 
Lee  County,  111.,  in  1855  and  located  on  a  110- 
acre  farm  in  China  Township  in  1859.  George 
N.  King  died  in  October,  1890,  in  his  eighty- 
first  year,  his  wife  dying  May  IG,  1887,  aged 
fifty-nine  years.  Three  of  their  children  grew 
to  maturity.  Elijah  L.  King  was  married  in 
1873  to  Sarah  J.,  daughter  of  Austin  B.  and 
Ann  (Lewis)  Trowbridge,  and  they  have  one 
son,  Frank  N..  who  is  a  farmer  in  Amboy  Town- 
ship. Elijah  L.  King  began  business  life  for 
himself  at  the  age  of  twenty-one  years.  He 
first  rented  a  farm  for  three  years,  and  then 
he  and  Mrs.  King  bought  eighty  acres  of  land 
in  China  Township.  He  afterwards  spent  five 
years  in  the  livery  business  in  Omaha.  Neb  . 
and  two  years  conducting  a  farm  in  Mercer 
County.  111.,  but  later  returned  to  Lee  County, 
where  he  and  his  family  now  own  426  acres 
of  land.  In  1892  Mr.  and  Mrs.  King  removed 
to  Lee  Center,  where  they  built  an  attractive 
residence  and  have  since  lived  retired.  Mr. 
King  is  a  Republican  in  political  views,  and 
socially  belongs  to  the  M.  W.  A.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Congregational  Church.  Mrs.  King's 
father  and  mother  were  natives,  respectively, 
of  New  York  and  Pennsylvania,  coming  tci  Lee 
County  in  the  early  '40s,  and  were  the  parents 
of  three  sons  and  two  daughters. 

PETER  KELLEY,  farmer,  Bradford  Town- 
ship, Lee  County,  111.,  was  born  in  County 
Roscommon,  Ireland,  son  of  Peter  and  Mar- 
garet (Kelley)  Kelley.  When  eight  years  of 
age,  Peter  Kelley,  accompanied  by  a  brother 
v.'ho  was  two  years  his  senior,  came  to  America 
and  lived  for  several  years  with  an  older 
sister  in  Rhode  Island.  In  1858  he  came  to 
Lee  County,  and  five  years  later  made  his 
first  purchase  of  land,  owning  at  the  present 
time  (1903)  a  160-acre  farm  in  Bradford  Town- 
ship, besides  320  acres  in  Dakota,  In  1863  he 
married  Katherine  Griese,  born  in  Heinebach, 
Germanv,  in  1841,  daughter  of  Justus  and  Anna 


HISTORY   OF   LEE    COUNTY. 


E.  (Hunner)  Griese.  who  came  to  Lee  County 
in  1864.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Kelley  the  following 
named  children  have  been  born;  Mary  (Mrs. 
Vincent  Arnold),  Ann  (Mrs.  George  Russell), 
John  P.,  Maggie  (Mrs.  George  Ludsy),  Peter 
A.,  Katie  (Mrs.  Daniel  Utz),  Charles  A.  and 
Louise  J.  Mr.  Kelley  is  a  Democrat  in  political 
relations  and  a  Catholic  in  religious  faith, 
while  his  wife  is  a  member  of  the  Lutheran 
church. 

EDWARD  B.  KNIGHT,  farmer,  South  Dixan 
Township,  Lee  County.  111.,  was  born  in  Wor- 
cester, Mass.,  Dec.  21,  1850,  son  of  E.  B.  and 
Mary  A.  (Stone)  Knight,  natives  respectively 
of  Massachusetts  and  Connecticut,  who  came 
to  Amboy,  Lee  County,  in  1854,  finally  removing 
to  Dixon,  where  they  died.  They  were  both 
prominent  members  of  the  Presbyerian  church. 
Edward  B.  Knight  purchased  nis  present  farm 
in  1884.  On  October  16,  1873,  he  married 
Emma  B.  Woodruff,  daughter  of  E.  J.  and  Ada- 
line  (Doty)  Woodruff,  residents  of  Dixon  who 
came  to  Lee  County  in  1865,  and  with  the  ex- 
ception of  a  few  years  spent  in  South  Dakota, 
have  since  made  their  home  in  Lee  County. 
To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Knight  six  children  have  been 
born,  four  of  whom — Lucy  E.,  Laura  E.,  Olive 
A.  and  Ruth  M. —  are  living,  and  two — Frank 
L.  and  George  L. —  are  deceased.  In  political 
opinions  Mr.  Knight  is  a  Republican,  and  so- 
cially he  belongs  to  the  M.  W.  A. 

EDWARD  H.  KREITER.  farmer,  Amboy 
Township,  Lee  County,  111.,  was  born  in  Blocm- 
ington,  111.,  Feb.  18,  1868,  son  of  Peter  L.  and 
Augusta  (Wentzel)  Kreiter,  natives  of  Germany 
v/ho  came  to  America  in  1848  and  settled  in 
Lee  County  in  1877.  where  they  were  engaged 
in  farming  until  1898,  but  have  since  lived 
retired.  Edward  H.  Kreiter  grew  to  maturity 
on  his  father's  farm,  and  with  his  two  brothers. 
Theodore  and  William,  operated  the  Bing- 
hamton  mill  for  twelve  years.  From  1888  to 
1900  he  rented  his  father's  farm,  purchasing  the 
same  in  the  latter  year,  and  now  owns  a 
valuable  estate  of  132  acres  in  Amboy  Town- 
ship, upon  which  he  devotes  his  attention  to 
general  farming  and  stock-  raising.  In  political 
views  he  is  a  Republican,  and  in  religious  be- 
lief a  Methodist,  being  a  member  of  the  church 
of  that  creed  at  Amboy.  He  was  married 
to    Miss   Bertha   Herzfeldt.   daughter  of  Albert 


and   Jlinnie    (Teich)    Herzfeldt,  of  Amboy.  Lee 
County.   Aug.    17,    1903. 

MICHAEL  KEARNS,  retired  farmer,  Dixon, 
111.,  was  born  in  County  Sligo,  Ireland,  in  1838, 
and  came  to  the  United  States  in  June,  1856. 
In  1861  he  enlisted  in  Company  F,  First  Illinois 
Artillery,  and  served  four  years  and  two  months, 
being  discharged  at  Louisville,  Ky.  Mr.  Kearns 
came  to  Lee  County.  111.,  in  1866,  and  in 
August,  1867,  was  married  to  Mary  McGowan, 
and  to  them  six  children  have  been  born,  viz.; 
Mary,  Frank,  Catherine,  Joseph,  Sadie  and 
John.  Mr.  Kearns  now  lives  retired  on  a 
5-acre  tract  of  land  belonging  to  his  wife  in 
North  Dixon. 

WILLIAM  H.  KUGLER,  merchant  and  Post- 
master, Harmon,  111.,  was  born  in  Oswego. 
111..  August  18,  1857.  the  son  of  Christian  and 
Eva  (Hage)  Kugler,  natives  of  Wurtemburg, 
Germany,  v/ho  came  to  Aurora,  III.,  about  1848. 
Both  are  now  deceased.  Mr.  Kugler  was  mar- 
ried Sept.  12,  1886,  to  Mary  E.,  the  daughter 
of  James  and  Eliza  (De  Pew)  Richardson, 
of  Montmorency,  111.  Mrs.  Kugler  died  May  3, 
1896.  and  on  Jan,  18.  1899,  Mr.  Kugler  married 
Mrs.  May  (Delanuny)  Moses,  of  Manson,  Iowa, 
daughter  of  L.  E.  Delanuny,  and  to  them  two 
children  — William  L.  and  Ralph — were  born. 
By  her  former  marriage  Mrs.  Kugler  had  one 
daughter,  who  has  been  adopted  by  Mr.  Kugler, 
and  now  bears  the  name  of  Ina  Mae  Kugler. 
Mr.  Kugler  has  been  in  business  in  Lee  County 
since  1889.  He  is  a  prominent  Mason,  being  a 
Knight  Templar;  is  also  a  member  of  the  M. 
W.  A.,  Mystic  Workers  and  Knights  of  Pythias. 
In  religious  belief  he  is  a  Methodist. 

FRED  KNETSCH,  farmer,  Wyoming  Town- 
ship, Lee  County,  111.,  was  born  at  Troy  Grove, 
La  Salle  County,  111.,  Feb.  11,  1869,  the  son 
of  Henry  and  Fhillipine  (Harmon)  Knetch; 
the  former  died  Oct.  21,  1896,  and  the  latter 
May  15,  1871.  Fred  Knetsch  was  engaged  in 
farming  in  LaSalle  County  until  1896,  when 
he  came  to  Wyoming  Township  and  purchased 
the  Edwards  farm  of  184  acres.  February  20, 
1883,  he  married  Mary  Kleinschmit,  of  Free- 
dom, La  Salle  County,  111.,  daughter  of  Martin 
and  Mary  (Stockman)  Kleinschmit,  and  to  them 
six  children  have  been  born:  Henry  A.,  Gladys 
P.,  Laura  B.,  Freddie  (deceased),  Ethel  A., 
and   James   D.      Mr.    Knetsch   is   a   Republican 


HISTORY   OF   LEE    COUNTY. 


and  a  member  of  the  M.  W.  A.  He  and  his 
wife  are  memljers  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
church. 

ALEXANDER  J.  KIRKE,  optician,  Dixon,  111., 
was  born  in  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  Jan.  27,  1855, 
son  of  John  and  Agnes  (Sanderson)  Kirke. 
A.  J.  Kirke  obtained  his  education  in  the  public 
schools,  graduating  from  the  high  school  at 
Pleasant  Hill,  Mo.  He  learned  the  jeweler's 
trade  at  the  latter  place,  and  afterwards  spent 
the  years  1875-6  at  Phillips  Exeter  Academy, 
New  Hampshire.  In  1891  he  moved  to  Chicago 
and  entered  a  cour?e  of  study  in  the  Chicago 
Ophthalmic  College,  graduating  from  that  insti- 
tution in  1893,  The  Doctor  traveled  in  the 
interest  of  the  optical  business  for  seven  years, 
lived  at  Carthage,  Mo.,  for  fourteen  years  (1877- 
1891),  and  in  Chicago  five  years,  v/orking  and 
studying  along  the  lines  of  his  business  and 
profession.  He  came  to  Dixon  in  1900  and 
has  since  successfully  practiced  his  profession 
in  that  city.  In  February,  1879,  he  married  in 
Carthage,  Mo.,  Luella  Haughawout,  and  they 
have  two  children,  Pauline  and  Irene.  The 
Doctor  is  a  member  of  the  American  Associ- 
ation of  Opticians,  B.  P.  O.  E.,  K.  of  P.  and  Dix- 
on Club.     In  politics  he  is  a  Democrat. 


uary.  18S2.  On  January  2,  1904,  Hartman  M. 
Kersten  ,and  family  moved  to  Ashton,  111. 
where    he    owns   a   fine    residence. 

CONRAD  KOPP,  farmer,  Sublette  Township. 
Lee  County,  111.,  was  born  in  Binsachse,  Ger- 
many, Sept.  2,  1836,  son  of  Adam  Kopp  anl 
wife.  The  mother  died  when  Conrad  Kopp  was 
three  months  old,  and  the  father  with  his 
three  children  came  to  America  in  1848.  ar- 
riving in  Lee  County  on  July  4th  of  the  same 
year.  Adam  Kopp  died  three  years  later  leaving 
eighty  acres  of  land,  which  is  now  owned  by 
his  son,  Conrad.  For  seven  years  after  his 
father's  death  Conrad  Kopp  worked  among 
farmers.  On  June  22,  1863,  he  married  Mar- 
garetha  Durr,  and  to  them  ten  children  have 
been  born;  Philip,  John,  Henry,  Conrad.  Carrie, 
Katie,  Mary,  Louise,  George  and  Fred,  Mrs. 
Kopp  was  born  Oct.  19,  1844,  daughter  of 
Martin  and  Sabina  (Krantz)  Durr,  and  came  to 
La  Salle  County,  111.,  v,'hen  ten  years  of  age, 
and  to  LeC;  County  four  years  later.  Mr.  Kopp 
owns  421  acres  of  land.  In  politics  he  is  a 
Democrat  and  has  served  as  School  Director 
fifteen  years  and  Pathmaster  ten  years.  He 
and  his  wife  are  members  of  the  Lutheran 
church. 


HARTMAN  M.  KERSTEN,  faimer  and 
stock-raiser,  Bradford  Township,  Les  County. 
111.,  was  born  Jan.  13,  1860,  son  of  John  and 
Christine  (Hildebrandt)  Kersten,  natives  of 
Germany.  Hartman  M.  Kersten  was  married 
on  Jan.  15,  1885,  to  Mary  Gross,  daughter  of 
Reinhart  and  Martha  (Reinhart)  Gross,  natives 
of  Kur-Hessen,  Germany,  and  of  this  union 
there  are  three  children — Arthur  R.,  Rosie  C. 
and  Alice  E.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Kersten  own  379 
acres  of  land  four  miles  south  of  Ashton,  111., 
and  are  proprietors  of  the  Ashton,  111.,  herd  of 
Galloway  pedigreed  cattle.  Mr.  Kersten  and 
his  family  are  members  of  the  United  Evan- 
gelical church,  in  which  he  is  Superintendent 
of  the  Sunday  School,  In  politics  he  is  a  Re- 
puljlican  and  has  been  School  Director  for 
eleven  years;  has  also  been  Road  Commis- 
sioner and  a  delegate  to  the  Republican  Coun- 
ty Convention.  Mrs.  Kersten's  father,  Rein- 
hart Gross,  was  born  Sept.  26,  1829,  came  to 
Lee  County  in  1847,  and  died  Oct.  7.  1902. 
while  her  mother  was  born  in  1835.  came  to 
Lee   County   in   1S48   or   '49.  and   died   in   Jan- 


NATHAN  KOONS.  retired  farmer,  Compton. 
111.,  was  born  in  Schuylkill,  Chester  County, 
Penn.,  son  of  Christian  and  Christina  Koons. 
Nathan  Koons  came  to  Lee  County  in  1846  and 
took  up  government  land,  and  still  owns  88 
acres  in  Willow  Creek  Township.  In  1849  he 
married  Charlotte  South,  daughter  of  George 
Scuth,  of  New  Jersey,  and  of  this  union  there 
was  one  child.  Elizabeth.  Mrs.  Koons  died  in 
1850.  and  in  1854  Mr.  Koons  married  his  second 
wife.  Amanda  Smith,  who  died  in  1894.  Of 
his  second  marriage  there  were  two  children, 
Harry,  who  is  now  deceased,  and  Rhoda.  Mr. 
Koons  is  a  Democrat  in  political  views,  and  in 
religious  belief  a  Lutheran. 

JOHN  KERSTEN.  retired  farmer.  Ashton, 
111.,  w^as  bcrn  in  Germany,  Feb.  15,  1831,  son 
of  Hardman  Kersten.  Hardman  Kersten  was 
born  Sept.  30,  1801,  and  his  wife  in  1802.  On 
June  18,  1856,  John  Kersten  married  Christine 
Hildebrandt.  a  native  of  Gelfershausen.  Kreis 
Rothenburg,  Kur-Hessen.  Germany,  daughter 
of  John  and  Elizabeth  (Speck)  Hildebrandt,  the 


HISTORY   OF   LEE   COUNTY 


r95 


former  born  in  1787  and  the  latter  in  1799.  Mr. 
Kersten  came  to  America  in  1857,  locating  in 
Bradford  Township.  Lee  County.  At  the  time 
of  his  settlement  in  Bradford  Township,  he 
had  but  $1.50.  but  before  leaving  the  farm, 
owned  640  acres  of  land,  a  part  of  which  he 
has  since  divided  among  his  children,  of  whom 
there  are  ten  living. 

JAMES  W.  LARABEE,  Sr.,  retired  farmer. 
Paw  Paw,  111.,  was  born  in  Town  of  Grafton, 
Rensselaer  County,  N.  Y.,  Dec.  5,  1838,  son 
of  Willet  and  Mary  (Wool)  Larabee,  natives  of 
Vermont  and  New  York  respectively.  .lames 
W.  Larabee  came  to  LaSalle  County,  111.,  in 
1855,  where  he  was  engaged  in  farming  until 
April,  1861,  when  he  enlisted  in  Company  H, 
Twelfth  Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry,  serving 
three  months  with  this  regiment,  and  then  re- 
enlisted  in  Company  I.  Fifty-fifth  Illinois,  his 
entire  service  being  under  the  command  of 
General  Sherman.  He  participated  in  thirty- 
seven  battles  and  was  twice  wounded.  He  was 
discharged  in  August,  1865.  and  then  returned 
to  LaSalle  County,  where,  in  the  follov.'ing  No- 
vember, he  married  Mary  E.  Haight,  daughter 
of  Samuel  and  Lura  (Miller)  Haight,  and 
they  have  six  children,  viz.:  Samuel  H.,  James 
W.,  Jr.,  Willet  R.,  Louie  B.,  Mary  E.  and 
Charles  D.  Mr.  Larabee  was  engaged  in  farm- 
ing in  LaSalle  County  until  1900,  when  he  re- 
tired and  moved  to  Paw  Paw.  He  is  independ- 
ent on  palitical  issues,  and  is  a  member  of  the 
G.  A.  R.  at  Paw  Paw,  and  of  the  I.  O^  O.  F. 

JAMES  W.  LARABEE.  Jr.,  farmer,  Wyoming 
Township,  Lee  County.  111.,  was  born  in  La- 
Salle County,  111.,  April  23,  15  69,  son  of  James 
W.  and  Mary  E.  (Haight)  Larabee.  James  W. 
Larabee  was  engaged  in  farming  in  LaSalle 
County  until  1892  when  he  moved  to  Hamilton 
County,  Iowa,  where  he  conducted  a  farm  for 
three  years  and  then  returned  to  LaSalle  County 
In  1899  he  purchased  his  present  farm  of  240 
acres  in  Wyoming  Township.  March  1,  1892, 
he  married  Myra  F.,  daughter  of  Daniel  A. 
and  Emeline  (Haight)  Howard,  and  they  are 
the  parents  of  seven  children;  Goldie  M., 
Emeline  E.,  James  W..  Samuel  H..  Irving  H., 
John  H.  and  Birdie  A.  In  politics  Mr.  Lara- 
bee is  a  Republican. 

JOHN  C,  LEAKE,  farmer,  Nachusa  Town- 
ship, L-ee  County,  111.,  was  born  near  Leicester, 


Leicestershire,  England,  Dec.  i,  183G,  son  of 
John  and  Mary  Ann  (Jarvis)  Leake,  who  were 
also  natives  of  the  last  named  place.  John 
Leake  was  born  in  1806  and  died  in  1869,  while 
his  wife,  Mary  Ann  Jarvis,  was  born  in  1807, 
and  died  Jan.  19,  1878.  They  were  the  parents 
of  six  children,  four  of  whom  grew  to  matur- 
ity. Mr.  Leake  came  to  America  and  settled  in 
Lee  County  in  the  fall  of  1840,  his  wife  and 
children  remaining  in  the  mother  country  until 
1841.  His  estate,  at  the  time  of  his  death, 
embraced  670  acres.  On  September  21,  1863, 
John  C.  Leake  married  Mariette  Hale,  daugh- 
ter of  Leonard  W.  and  Sarah  Ann  (Crawford) 
Hale,  natives  of  New  York  and  Pennsylvania 
respectively,  who  came  to  Illinois  in  1847,  lo- 
cating in  Lee  County  in  1850.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Leake  are  the  parents  of  four  children,  viz.: 
Charles  W.  (died  aged  thirteen  years),  T.  Wil- 
bur, Jennie  F.  (died  when  six  years  of  age), 
and  Grace  May  (died  at  the  age  of  three  years). 
The  son,  T.  Wilbur,  married  Cora  Cusey,  a 
daughter  of  Abel  and  Sarah  (Whittaker)  Ousey, 
and  lives  on  the  old  homestead.  John  C. 
Leake  is  a  Republican  in  politics,  and  has  been 
School  Director  for  twenty-six  years.  Town- 
ship Supervisor  two  years,  and  has  been  a  dele- 
gate to  many  conventions.  He  and  his  wife 
are  members  of  the  First  Congregational 
Church  at  Lee  Center.  Mr.  Leake's  farm  em- 
braces 3S0  acres  in  Nachusa  Township. 

DANIEL  C.  LEAKE,  farmer,  Nachusa  Town- 
ship, Lee  County,  111.,  was  born  in  the  town- 
ship where  he  now  resides.  Jan.  8.  1847,  son 
of  Daniel  and  Amelia  (Jarvis)  Leake,  natives  of 
Lancashire,  England,  who  came  to  America 
in  1841,  and  in  August  of  the  same  year,  lo- 
cated on  the  farm  in  Lee  County,  where  their 
son,  Jarvis  Leake,  now  resides.  Daniel  Leake, 
Sr.,  and  his  wife  were  the  parents  of  four  sons 
— all  of  whom  grew  to  maturity — Daniel  C. 
being  the  oldest.  Mr.  Leake  died  in  1857,  aged 
fifty-seven  years,  his  wife  surviving  until 
1883,  and  dying  in  her  sixty-ninth  year.  Dan- 
iel C.  Leake  began  his  business  career  in  1870, 
and  for  the  first  year  operated  a  mill  at  Rocky 
Ford,  Lee  County;  afterwards  conducted  a 
rented  farm  for  four  years,  but  since  1875  has 
cultivated  his  present  320-acre  farm  in  Na- 
chusa Township.  In  1869  he  married  Justina 
I.  Moseley,  daughter  of  William  J.  and  Jane 
(Dunlap)    Moseley.     Mrs.   Leake   died   in   1879, 


-96 


HISTORY   OF   LEE    COUNTY. 


and  on  Dec.  13,  18S1.  Mr.  Leake  was  married 
to  Maggie  May  Moseley.  a  sister  of  his  de- 
ceased wife.  There  are  no  children  by  either 
marriage.  Mr.  Leal^e  has  traveled  quite  ex- 
tensively through  the  Southern  and  Western 
States.     In  politics  he  is  a  Republican. 

FRED  W.  LEAKE,  merchant.  Amboy.  Lee 
County.  111.,  born  in  China  Township,  Lee 
County,  June  5,  1855,  son  of  Daniel  and  Emily 
(Jarvis)  Leake,  natives  of  Leicestershire,  Eng- 
land, who  came  to  America,  landing  in  New- 
York  in  August,  1841,  and  came  west,  locat- 
ing on  a  tract  of  land  at  Dixon's  Ferry — then  a 
part  of  China  Township.  Daniel  and  Emily 
(Jarvis)  Leake  were  the  parents  of  five  chil- 
dren: Chapman  D..  Russell.  Jarvis.  Fred  W. 
and  Amelia  (who  died  when  nine  years  of  age). 
Daniel  Leake  died  in  1857.  his  wife  surviving 
until  1887.  Fred  W.  Leake  obtained  his  elemen- 
tary education  in  the  public  schools  at  Dixon, 
afterwards  attended  Jennings  Seminary  (Dixon), 
one  year.  Northwestern  College  (Naperville). 
and  graduated  from  the  Northern  Indiana  Nor- 
mal School,  Valparaiso,  Ind.  He  clerked  in 
a  store  at  the  latter  place  for  tv.'o  years,  and 
in  1885  came  to  Amboy,  where  he  opened  his 
present  establishment — dry  goods  and  ready- 
made  clothing — which  he  has  since  conducted. 
On  February  24.  1885,  he  was  married  in  Chi- 
cago to  Miss  Ella  S.  Dean,  daughter  of  Ransom 
and  Almira  (Sharp)  Dean,  natives  respectively 
of  New  York  and  Indiana.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Leake 
have  six  children,  viz.:  Mabel  E.,  Fred  W.,  Jr., 
Grace  M.,  Raymond  D.,  Harold  C.  and  Gertrude 
L.  In  political  views  Mr.  Leake  is  a  Republi- 
can, and  in  religious  belief  a  Congregational- 
ist. 

WILLIAM  LEIVAN.  farmer.  Section  27.  Pal- 
myra Township.  Lee  County,  111.,  was  born  in 
South  Dixon  Township,  Lee  County,  Dec.  12. 
1856.  son  of  Mathias  and  Magdaline  (Miller) 
Leivan,  natives  of  Somerset  County.  Penn., 
who  came  to  Lee  County  in  1856.  locating  near 
the  city  of  Dixon.  Mathias  Leivan  was  twice 
married,  there  being  two  children  by  his  first 
wife,  and  twelve  by  his  second  wife,  Magdaline 
Miller.  The  paternal  grandfather  of  the  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch  came  from  Germany  to  Amer- 
ica, in  1845.  William  Leivan  remained  en  his 
father's  farm  until  twenty-two  years  of  ag?. 
On    December    14.    1882,    he   married    Mary    E. 


Fritz,  daughter  of  Hiram  and  Elizabeth  (Miller) 
Fritz,  natives  of  Pennsylvania,  and  to  them 
two  children — Elmer  W.  and  Ralph  V. — have 
been  born.  In  1884  Mr.  Leivan  bought  a  farm 
in  Harmon  Township.  Lee  County,  which  he 
managed  successfully  until  1900,  when  he  pur- 
chased his  present  homestead,  consisting  of  108 
acres  of  valuable  land,  located  in  Sections  27, 
28.  and  34.  Palmyra  Township.  His  farm  is 
improved  with  well-constructed  buildings,  and 
his  house  is  surrounded  with  stately  trees. 
While  dairying  is  the  leading  feature  connected 
with  Mr.  Leivan's  business,  he  also  raises  a 
great  many  horses,  sheep,  and  hogs.  His  son 
Elmer  assists  in  the  management  of  this  farm. 
Mr.  Leivan  and  his  family  attend  the  Union 
church   at   Prairieville. 

JAMES  H.  LINCOLN.  Postmaster,  Franklin 
Grove,  Lee  County,  was  born  in  the  house  in 
which  he  now  lives,  Dec.  12,  1862,  son  of  Henry 
I.  and  Helen  M.  (Nay)  Lincoln.  Henry  Lincoln 
came  to  Illinois  in  1847,  and  until  1852  was  en- 
gaged in  farming  in  Kendall  County,  111.  On 
May  1,  1853,  he  opened  a  general  store  at 
Franklin  Grove,  which  he  conducted  until  1897, 
when  he  sold  out  and  retired  from  business. 
James  H.  Lincoln  was  married  Nov.  12,  1890. 
to  Martha  J.  Bill.  He  is  a  Republican  in  poli- 
tics, has  served  as  Tax  Collector  in  his  town- 
ship, and  in  1898  was  appointed  Postmaster  at 
Franklin  Grove,  and  has  served  to  the  satisfac- 
tion of  its  patrons  to  the  present  time. 

ANDREW  J.  LAUER,  merchant.  Sublette.  111., 
was  bcrn  in  Sublette  Township.  Lee  County. 
111.,  Oct.  30.  1856.  son  of  Andrew  and  Katherine 
(StrubeU  Lauer.  He  obtained  a  common-school 
education,  and  at  an  early  age  engaged  as 
clerk  in  a  dry  goods  store  belonging  to  George 
Pulling  at  Sublette,  where  he  remained  four 
years.  He  afterwards  managed  his  father's 
farm  eight  years  and  then  cultivated  land  of 
his  own  for  one  year.  Disposing  of  his  agricul- 
tural interests,  he  became  a  partner  of  his 
brother  George,  the  firm  being  known  as  Lauer 
Brothers,  dealers  in  dry  goods  and  groceries. 
He  remained  with  the  latter  enterprise  eleven 
years,  when,  in  partnership  with  his  brother, 
Anton  H..  he  purchased  the  hardware  and  im- 
plement business  of  I.  M.  Crawford,  which  he 
has  recently  sold,  and  will  shortly  establish 
himself  in  the  business  of  plumbing  and  steam- 


HISTORY   OF   LEE    COUNTY. 


fitting.  In  1885  he  married  Catlierine  Hiltlman. 
daughter  of  Conrad  and  Anna  M.  (Neis)  Hild- 
man,  and  to  them  one  child — Amora — has  been 
born.  In  politics  Mr,  Lauer  is  an  Independent 
Democrat;  has  served  as  Township  Assessor. 
and  was  President  of  the  first  Village  Board 
of  Sublette,  serving  three  terms  in  each  official 
capacity.  In  religious  faith  he  is  a  Catholic, 
and  is  also  a  member  of  the  Catholic  Knights. 

GEORGE  LAUER,  merchant,  Sublette,  111., 
was  born  in  Sublette  Township,  Lee  County, 
111,,  Nov.  19,  1852,  son  of  Andrew  and  Cather- 
ine (Strubel)  Lauer.  His  father  was  a  native 
of  Wurzburg,  Bavaria,  and  his  mother  of  Bin- 
gen,  in  Hesse-Darmstadt.  The  former  came  to 
America  with  his  mother,  Regina  Lauer,  in 
1848,  while  the  mother  came  with  her  parents 
—Karl  and  Katherine  Strubel— in  1850,  both 
families  settling  in  Lee  County,  and  here  An- 
drew Lauer  and  Catherine  Strubel  (the  daugh- 
ter) v,'ere  married  in  1851,  and  had  a  family 
of  eight  children.  Andrew  Lauer  was  a  farmer, 
and  owned  a  farm  of  320  acres.  George  Lauer, 
the  son,  remained  with  his  parents  until  he 
was  twenty-six  years  old,  when  he  began  farm- 
ing on  eighty  acres  of  land,  given  him  by  his 
father.  In  1880  he  entered  into  partnership 
with  .Joseph  Bettendorf  in  general  merchan- 
dising, but  a  year  later,  in  conjunction  with  his 
brother,  A.  J.  Lauer,  bought  the  interest  of 
Mr.  Bettendorf.  The  partnership  with  his 
brother  continued  five  years,  when  George 
Lauer  became  sole  proprietor,  and  has  since 
conducted  the  business  alone.  Mr.  Lauer  was 
married  June  7,  1881,  to  Mary  T,  Malach, 
born  in  Lee  County,  July  31,  1860,  daughter  of 
George  and  Katherine  (Krepz)  Malach,  who 
were  natives  of  Hesse-Dramstadt,  Germany. 
Mrs.  Lauer's  maternal  grandparents,  .John  and 
Theresa  Krepz,  came  with  her  parents  to 
America  in  1851,  and  the  grandmother  is  still 
living,  at  the  age  of  eighty-six  years.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Lauer  have  seven  children:  George  A., 
Erma  M.,  Leo  L..  John,  Alphonse,  Romana 
and  Otto.  Mr.  Lauer  has  served  as  school  trus- 
tee of  Sublette  Village.  Politically  he  is  a 
Democrat,  and  in  religious  belief  a  Catholic. 

ANTON  H.  LAUER.  banker  and  merchant, 
Sublette,  111.;  born  in  Sublette  Township.  Lee 
County,  July  9,  1867,  son  of  Andrew  and  Kath- 
erine (Strubel)  Lauer.    He  obtained  a  common- 


school  education,  and  for  eight  years  was  em- 
ployed as  a  clerk  in  a  general  store  belonging 
to  his  brother  George.  In  1892,  in  partnership 
with  his  brother  Andrew  J.,  he  engaged  in  the 
hardware  and  agricultural  implement  business, 
and  in  1900  became  Cashier  of  the  Sublette 
Exchange  Bank,  established  in  1900,  of  which 
George  F.  Malach  is  President  and  John  P. 
Malach,  Vice  President.  September  9.  1896, 
he  married  Lesetta  Malach,  daughter  of  George 
J.  and  Catherine  (Kreps)  Malach,  and  to  them 
three  children  have  been  bom — Wilfred  G.,  Cy- 
ril and  Catherine.  In  political  opinions  Mr. 
Lauer  is  a  Democrat  and  has  served  as  Town- 
ship Treasurer,  and  was  a  member  cf  the  Vil- 
lage Board  for  four  years.  He  and  his  wife 
are  members  of  the  Catholic  church,  and  fra- 
ternally he  belongs  to  the  Catholic  Knights 
of  Illinois   and   Knights  of  Columbus. 

HUGH  LARKIN,  Sr..  farmer,  Wyoming 
Township,  Lee  County,  111.,  was  born  in  County 
Galway,  Ireland,  in  August,  1830,  son  of 
Thomas  and  Catherine  (Henshen)  Larkin,  who 
came  to  Eastern  Canada  in  1835,  where  the 
father  (Thomas  Larkin)  died  in  1837.  In  18-10 
Hugh  Larkin  accompanied  his  mother  to  Cat- 
taraugus County,  N.  Y.,  but  two  years  later 
returned  to  Canada,  where  he  remained  until 
1850,  when  he  located  in  Buffalo,  N.  Y.  In 
1855  he  located  in  Chicago  and  in  1861  came  to 
Wyoming  Township,  Leie  County,  and  pur- 
chased his  present  farm,  consisting  of  112 
acres.  Mr.  Larkin  was  married  Oct.  31,  1854, 
to  Marianna  Riley,  and  to  them  thirteen  chil- 
dren have  been  born,  viz,:  Elizabeth  (deceas- 
ed), Thomas  (deceased),  Katherine,  Hugh, 
John,  Ida,  William,  George,  Charles,  Hattie, 
James,  Frank  (deceased),  and  May.  In  politi- 
cal opinions  Mr.  Larkin  is  a  Democrat,  and  in 
religious  belief  a  Catholic. 

HUGH  LARKIN,  Jr..  farmer.  Wyoming  Town- 
ship, Lee  County,  111.,  was  born  in  Chicago, 
Oct.  20,  1860,  son  of  Hugh  and  Mary  A.  (Riley) 
Larkin.  In  1861  the  family  came  to  Lee  County 
and  settled  on  a  farm  near  Compton.  At  the 
age  of  twenty-one  years,  Hugh  Larkin,  Jr..  be- 
gan farming  operations  for  himself,  and,  in 
1894,  purchased  his  present  farm  of  eighty 
acres  in  Wyoming  Township.  June  4,  1885,  he 
married  Jennie  J.,  daughter  of  Constant  and 
Josephine  Henry,   of  Compton,  and   they  have 


798 


HISTORY   OF   LEE    COUXTY. 


had  three  children,  viz.:  Nellie  M.  (deceased). 
Edyth  J.  and  Charles  H.  (deceased).  Mr. 
Larkin  is  a  Republican  in  political  sentiment, 
and  in  religious  belief  a  Catholic.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  M.  W.  A.  at   Paw  Paw,   111. 

JOSEPH  T.  LITTLE  (deceased),  pioneer 
manufacturer  and  merchant,  Dixon,  Lee  County, 
111.,  was  born  at  Castine,  Me.,  in  1817.  the  son 
of  Otis  and  Dorothy  (Perkins)  Little,  who  were 
natives  of  England.  He  obtained  his  elemen- 
tary education  in  the  public  schools  of  his 
native  State,  and  later  graduated  from  a  col- 
lege near  Castine,  Me.;  removed  to  Columbus. 
Ohio,  in  1839,  remained  there  one  year,  and 
then  came  to  Dixon,  111.,  where  he  passed  the 
remainder  of  his  life,  dying  there  Nov.  16,  1902. 
For  several  years  Mr.  Little  was  quite  exten- 
sively engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  wind-mills, 
and,  during  the  early  years  of  his  residence  in 
Dixon,  established  there  the  first  general  store 
In  that  section  of  the  State.  In  religious  be- 
lief he  v/as  a  Baptist,  and  was  one  of  the  found- 
ers of  the  church  of  that  denomination  at 
Dixon,  in  which  he  served  as  Deacon  and 
Clerk  during  his  residence  in  that  city.  In 
political  sentiment  he  was  a  Republican,  and 
served  his  fellow-citizens  as  County  Treasurer 
eight  years,  and  several  years  as  Deputy  Treas- 
urer. He  was  also  a  leading  member  of  the 
Agricultural  and  Horticultural  Societies  of  Lee 
County,  and  served  as  Clerk  of  the  State  Fair 
the  year  it  was  held  in  Dixon.  Mr.  Little  was 
also  a  clerk  in  the  Treasury  Department  in 
Washington.  D.  C.  for  eight  years.  On  Sep- 
tember 30.  1840.  he  was  married  to  Miss 
Eleanor  Wilde  Cobb,  of  Castine.  Maine,  and  to 
them  the  following  named  children  were  born: 
Thomas  C.  George  Otis,  Charles  Henry.  Wil- 
liam Avery,  Mary  F.  (now  Mrs.  J.  R.  Carpen- 
ter), Joseph   T..  Jr..  and  FranR  W. 

IRA  W.  LEWIS,  Circuit  Clerk  of  Lee  County, 
Dixon,  111.,  was  born  in  Broome  County,  N.  Y., 
April  3,  1842.  son  of  Hiel  and  Eveline  D. 
(Stone)  Lewis.  Hiel  Lewis  brought;:  his  family 
to  Lee  County  in  September.  1842.  locating  on 
a  farm  in  Amboy  Township,  where  he  spent 
the  remainder  of  his  days,  dying  there  in  ISSO. 
Ira  W.  Lewis  remained  on  his  father's  farm 
until  he  reached  his  majority,  afterwards  served 
as  Deputy  Sheriff  from  1864  to  1867,  and. 
in   1868.   was   appointed   Deputy  Circuit   Clerk. 


filling  the  latter  position  with  the  exception 
of  one  and  a  half  years,  until  1882,  when  he 
was  appointed  Circuit  Clerk,  to  fill  the  vacancy 
caused  by  the  death  of  Remington  Warriner. 
In  1883  Mr.  Lev.'is  was  elected  to  the  office 
above  mentioned,  and,  for  more  than  twenty 
years,  has  filled  that  important  public  position, 
much  to  the  satisfaction  of  his  fellow-citi- 
zens, whom  he  has  represented  as  a  public 
officer  for  the  last  thirty-five  years.  On 
March  21,  1867,  he  married  Marcella  Williams, 
daughter  of  Cyrus  and  Lydia  (Dodge)Williams, 
early  settlers  of  Lee  County.  Mr.  Lewis  is  a 
prominent  member  of  the  Methodist  church, 
with  which  he  has  been  closely  identified  for 
more  than  forty  years,  and  officially  so  since 
1871,  and  has  been  President  of  the  Board  of 
Trustees  for  the  past  eleven  years.  Socially, 
he  is  a  member  o^  the  M.  W.  A.,  and  in  politi- 
cal  sentiment   a   Republican. 

JOHN  D.  LAHMAN,  President  Franklin  Grove 
Bank,  Franklin  Grove,  Lee  County,  111.;  born  In 
Washington  County.  Md.,  June  22,  1834,  son  of 
Christian  and  Elizabeth  (Emmert)  Lahman. 
who  came  to  Nachusa  Township,  Lee  County, 
in  1845,  where  the  father  died  in  1865  and  the 
mother  in  1872.  Mr.  Lahman  has  devoted  his 
time  to  farming,  milling,  and  other  enterprises; 
was  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  Village  Bank 
at  Franklin  Grove,  and  has  served  as  its  Pres- 
ident since  the  time  of  its  organization.  In 
politics  he  is  a  Prohibitionist,  and  in  religious 
faith  a  member  of  the  German  Baptist  Breth- 
ren. 

MIKE  J.  LAUER.  farmer.  Viola  Township, 
Lee  County.  111.,  was  born  in  Retzstadt,  Bavaria, 
Germany,  Feb.  16,  1879,  son  of  Charles  and 
Catherine  Lauer,  who  came  from  the  Father- 
land in  1881,  and  settled  near  Sublette,  Lee 
County,  111.  In  1897  Mike  J.  Lauer  rented  land 
near  Paw  Paw,  111.,  and  is  now  engaged  in 
farming  in  Viola  Township.  In  political  views 
he  is  a  Democrat,  and  is  now  serving  his  fel- 
low-citizens as  Township  Collector.  Mr.  Lauer 
is  a  member  of  the  Catholic  church. 

LEANDER  L.  LeFEVER.  farmer  and  stock- 
man. Palmyra  Township,  Lee  County,  111.,  was 
born  in  Lancaster  County,  Penn..  May  2.  1868, 
son  of  George  and  Susannah  (Weaver)  Le- 
Fever,  v.-ho  were  also  natives  of  the  Keystone 


illSTORY   OF   LEE    COUXTY. 


-99 


state.  George  LeFever  was  a  soldier  in  the 
Civil  War,  enlisting  in  Company  G,  One  Hun- 
dred and  Twenty-second  Regiment,  Pennsyl- 
vania Volunteer  Infantry,  and  served  three 
years,  entering  the  service  as  a  private,  but 
was  later  promoted  to  the  rank  of  Sergeant. 
He  died  Jan.  9,  1904,  but  his  wife  still  survives, 
and  lives  on  the  old  farm  in  Pennsylvania. 
Leander  L.  LeFever  remained  on  his  father's 
farm  until  eighteen  years  of  age,  and  in  the 
meantime  attended  the  public  schools  at  Quar- 
ryville,  Penn.  He  came  to  Lee  County  in  1SS6. 
where  he  was  first  engaged  as  a  farm  hand 
at  Prairieville,  Palmyra  Township,  but  after- 
wards rented  a  farm  for  five  years,  and  still 
later  purchased  a  farm  and  village  property 
at  Prairieville,  which  he  disposed  of  in  the 
spring  of  1903.  and  bought  the  McGaffey  farm, 
consisting  of  200  acres,  where  he  now  resides. 
On  December  7,  1892,  he  married  Fannie  Eb- 
ersole,  daughter  of  Christian  and  Susanna 
(Rutt)  Ebersole,  and  to  them  seven  children 
have  been  born,  viz.:  Minnie  S.,  George  E., 
Mary  E..  LeRoy  D.,  Jennie  W.,  Frank  McKin- 
ley.  and  Fannie  L.  Socially,  Mr.  LeFever  is  a 
member  of  the  Mystic  Circle.  In  political  views 
he  is  a  Republican. 

ANDREW  LITTLE,  farmer,  Viola  Township, 
Lee  County,  111.,  was  born  in  Lee  County,  Nov. 
13,  1850,  son  of  Andrew  and  Charity  (Ross) 
Little,  natives  of  Scotland  and  Ross  Grove. 
111.,  respectively.  His  parents  werel  married  in 
Illincis  and  were  among  the  very  earliest  set- 
tlers of  Lee  County,  where  they  owned  3-iO 
acres  of  land.  Mr.  Little  owns  a  150-acre 
farm,  and  devotes  his  attention  to  general 
farming.  On  December  6,  1871,  he  married 
Carolinel  C,  daughter  of  Abraham  V.  and  Caro- 
line (Barhydt)  Christiance,  and  they  have  one 
daughter,  Edyth  I.  Mr.  Little  is  a  Republican 
in  politics,  in  religious  belief  a  Methodist,  and 
fraternally  a  member  of  the  Masonic  Order. 

JOHN  THARP  LAWRENCE  (deceased), 
pioneer  citizen  of  Palmyra  Township,  Lee 
County,  was  born  in  the  Island  of  Jamaica, 
West  Indies,  1819,  son  of  John  T.  and  Julia 
(Ricketts)  Lawrence,  both  of  whom  were  of 
English  descent,  the  maternal  grandfather 
(Ricketts)  being  an  officer  of  the  British  Army. 
When  John,  T.  was  eight  years  of  age,  his  par- 


ents came  to  America,  first  settling  in  New 
Jersey,  where  he  attended  good  schools  in 
that  section  and  at  West  Point.  N.  Y.,  but  did 
not  graduate.  In  1839  they  came  to  Lee 
County,  III.,  and  began  farming  in  Palmyra 
Township,  and  there  John  Lawrence  was  mar- 
ried to  Elizabeth  Graham,  daughter  of  Capt. 
Hugh  Graham,  who  came  to  Palmyra  Township 
in  1838,  and  built  the  first  frame  house  in  that 
section  of  the  county.  Six  children— one  son 
and  five  daughters — were  born  of  this  mar- 
riage, viz.:  Julia,  John  Tharp,  Jr.,  Elizabeth, 
Lilias,  Mary  and  Frances.  Mr.  Lawrence  and 
his  father  planted  fruit  and  shade  trees  on 
their  farm,  erected  comfortable  and  useful 
farm  buildings,  and  were  classed  among  the 
intelligent  and  progressive  pioneers  of  Lee 
County.  The  elder  Mr.  Lawrence  died  in  1848, 
and  his  wife  in  1856.  John  Tharp  Lawrence 
served  as  School  Trustee  of  his  township  a 
number  of  years,  w^as  Manager  of  the  Palmyra 
Fire  Company,  and  a  member  of  the  Episcopal 
church;  in  politics  he  v.'as  a  Democrat.  His 
death  occurred  in  1898,  and  that  of  Mrs.  Law- 
rence in  189.5.  The  Lawrence  farm  is  now 
managed  by  three  of  the  daughters  of  John  T. 
Lawrence — maiden  ladies,  who  acquired  a 
good  education  under  home  training  and  cul- 
ture, and  who  conduct  a  dairy-farm,  sending 
milk  to  the  factory. 

IRA  M.  LEHMAN,  farmer  and  stock-raiser. 
Nachusa  Township.  Lee  County.  111.,  was  born 
in  the  township  where  he  now  resides.  May 
11,  1868,  son  of  Samuel  and  Margaret  (Barck- 
doll)  Lehman,  natives  of  Adams  County.  Penn.. 
who  came  to  Lee  County  in  1853.  Samuel 
Lehman  was  twice  married,  his  first  wife,  who 
died  Oct.  21,  1870,  bore  him  five  children,  of 
whom  Ira  M.  was  the  fourth.  Mr.  Lehman 
died  in  1899,  aged  sixty-eight  years,  and  at  the 
time  of  his  death  owned  400  acres  of  land  in 
Lee  County.  On  January  28.  1892.  Ira  M.  Leh- 
man was  married  to  Mary  Throstle,  born  in 
Ogle  County,  111.,  Dec.  7,  1867.  daughter  of 
Levi  and  Isabel  (Spangler)  Throstle,  and  of 
this  union  there  are  three  children — Bertha 
Belle.  Leroy  S.  and  Galen  Throstle.  Mr.  Leh- 
man owns  a  200-acre  farm  in  Nachusa  Town- 
ship, which  he  purchased  in  1900.  and  makes 
a  specialty  of  raising  thoroughbred  Hereford 
cattle.  In  political  opinions  he  is  a  Republi- 
can;  has  served  two  years  as  School  Director. 


HISTORY   OF   LEE    COUNTY. 


and   three   years   as   Pathmaster.     He   and  his 
family  are  members  of  the  Brethren  church. 

MRS.  IDA  C.  MOULTON,  Franklin  Grove. 
Lee  County,  111.;  born  Sept.  1,  1S61,  eldest 
daughter  of  Sylvanus  C.  and  Sabine  J.  (Fel- 
lows) Hausen.  natives,  respectively,  of  Maine 
and  New  York  State,  the  former  locating  in 
Lee  County,  111.,  in  1840,  and  the  latter  in 
1859.  Mrs.  Moulton  (nee  Miss  Ida  C.  Fellows), 
obtained  her  elementary  educavion  in  the  coun- 
try district  schools  and  the  public  schools  at 
Franklin  Grove,  afterwards  attending  Cornell 
College  (Mt.  Vernon,  Iowa),  two  terms.  On 
March  30,  1891,  she  was  married  to  George 
Franklin  Moulton,  born  at  LeRoy,  Bremer 
County,  Iowa,  July  29,  1864,  son  of  Benjamin 
Waite  and  Electa  Louise  (Hall)  Moulton,  nat- 
ives of  Michigan  and  Illinois,  respectively.  To 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Moulton  Ave  children  were  born, 
viz.:  Guy  E..  Ruth  H.,  Violet  F.,  Inez  L.,  ar;l 
rtn  mf.'mt,  unnamed — the  last  two  are  deceased. 

GEORGE  E.  MOREY,  merchant  and  Post- 
master, Lee  Center,  111.,  was  born  at  Climax, 
Kalamazoo  County,  Mich.,  June  4,  1855,  son  of 
Edwin  and  Harriet  (Mayo)  Morey.  Edwin 
Morey  was  born  near  Elmira,  N.  Y.,  and  came 
to  Lee  County  in  1846,  while  his  wife  is  a 
native  of  Pennsylvania,  and  came  to  Lee 
County  in  1847.  They  were  married  in  1848. 
Mr.  Morey  introduced  the  second  grain  sepa- 
rator into  Lee  County,  and  operated  a  thresh- 
ing machine  in  that  section  of  country  for 
many  years  in  addition  to  conducting  his  240- 
acre  farm.  To.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Edwin  Morey 
nine  children  were  born,  eight  of  whom  grew 
to  maturity,  viz.:  Mason  L.,  Mary  S.,  Albert 
H.,  George  E.,  Lettie  E.,  Edwin,  Sarah  I.  and 
Charles  M.  Mr.  Morey  died  June  30,  1888,  aged 
sixty-eight,  but  his  wife  still  survives,  at  the 
age  of  seventy-three  years.  George  E.  Morey  be- 
gan business  life  for  himself  at  the  age  of 
twenty-five,  first  conducting  a  rented  farm  for 
seven  years,  and  afterwards  purchased  151 
acres  of  land,  which  he  sol  dfive  years  later. 
In  1892  he  opened  a  meat  market  at  Lee  Cen- 
ter, which  he  conducted  four  years,  and  has 
since  been  engaged  in  the  general  merchandise 
business.  He  has  been  Postmaster  cf  Lee  Cen- 
ter for  the  past  five  years;  is  serving  his  sec- 
ond term  as  Clerk  of  Lee  Township,  and,  while 
residing  on  the  farm,  ssrved  as  Road  Commis- 


sioner and  School  Director  for  several  years. 
Fraternally  he  is  a  member  of  Lodge  No.  146, 
A.  F.  &.A.  M.,  and  of  1036  Camp,  M.  W.  A.,  hav- 
ing served  as  clerk  of  the  latter  order  for  seven 
years  Mr.  Morey  was  married  on  Sept.  9.|  1880, 
to  Ella  R.  Derr,  daughter  of  John)  and  Rebecca 
(Geisinger)  Derr,  and  they  are  the  parents 
of  three  children — Ernest  L.,  Edwin  R.  and 
Hazel  M.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  John  Derr  were  na- 
tives of  Pennsylvania,  and  came  to  Lee  County 
in  1864,  where  the  former  died  in  1902,  aged 
eighty-three,  and  the  latter  in  1901,  in  her 
seventy-third  year. 

WILLIAM  G.  McGINNIS,  farmer.  Palmyra 
Township,  Lee  County,  111.,  was  born  in  New 
York  City,  in  1830,  son  of  Stewart  and  Mary 
(Law)  McGinnis.  Stewart  McGinnis  was  born 
in  the  North  of  Ireland,  Feb.  22,  1802.  The 
father  dying  when  Stewart  was  an  infant,  he 
was  shortly  afterwards  brought  by  his  mother 
to  America,  and  they  resided  in  New  York 
City,  where  he  later  learned  the  trade  of  an 
architect,  and  erected  one  of  the  first  saw 
and  planing  mills  in  New  York  State.  He  later 
built  sugar  mills  in  the  Southern  States,  and 
lost  his  life  in  a  Are  in  1838.  He  married  in 
New  York  City,  Mary  Law,  a  native  of  County 
Antrim,  Ireland,  born  Feb.  24,  1813,  who  came 
with  her  parents  to  America  in  1818.  Mrs. 
McGinnis  still  survives,  at  the  venerable  age 
of  ninety  years,  and  lives  with  her  son,  Wil- 
liam G.  Her  mother,  Keziah  Law,  lived  to  be 
103  years  of  age.  In  1861,  William  G.  McGin- 
nis enlisted  in  Company  A.  Thirteenth  Illinois 
Volunteer  Infantry,  his  regiment  forming  a 
part  of  the  Western  army.  He  participated  in 
the  battles  of  White  River,  Vicksburg.  Chicka- 
saw Bayou,  Siege  of  Vicksburg,  Lookout  Moun- 
tain, Mission  Ridge,  Ringgold  Gap,  besides 
other  minor  engagements.  He  lost  one  of  his 
fingers  in  the  Siege  of  Vicksburg.  Mr.  McGin- 
nis has  spent  most  of  his  life  in  Lee  County 
and  has  been  a  sacrificing  son  in  behalf  of  his 
aged  mother,  whom  he  watches  with  filial  care, 
and,  perhaps  for  this  reason,  he  never  married. 
In  politics  Mr.  McGinnis  is  a  Republican,  and 
has  served  as  Township  Collector  and  Path- 
master.  He  is  a  member  of  the  G.  A.  R.  at 
Dixon. 

ABRAM  MYERS  (deceased)  was  born  in 
Maryland,  in  October,  1815,  son  of  Harry  and 
Malinda  (Traver)  Myers.    His  parents  came  to 


HISTORY   OF   LEE   COUNTY. 


8oi 


Illinois!  in  the  '40s,  and  settled  in  Ogle  County. 
In  1862.  Abram  Myers  enlisted  in  Company  A 
Seventy-fifth  Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry,  and 
served  his  country  valiantly  until  the  end  of 
hostilities.  Returning  to  Ogla  County  after 
the  close  of  the  war.  he  was  married,  on  Oct 
9.  1S37,  to  Ella  Mack,  daughter  of  William  and 
Sarah  (Strait)  Mack,  and  of  this  union  there 
were  seven  children,  viz.;  William.  Daniel,  Ma- 
tilda. Frank,  Leah.  (Mrs.  Arthur  Overholser), 
and  Mary — all  of  whom  are  living  except  Dan- 
iel W.,  who  was  a  member  of  Company  G, 
Eleventh  United  States  Infantry,  and  died  Feb. 
1,  1903,  while  in  service  in  the  Phi'Uppine 
Islands,  on  the  Island  of  Luzon.  Their  son, 
Frank  L..  is  in  the  United  States  Army,  being 
now  stationed  in  Idaho.  Mr.  Myers  died  Jan. 
30.    18S8. 


nine  years,  and  then  completed  a  three-year 
course  at  the  Physio-Medical  College,  Chicago, 
graduating  in  1893.  In  the  latter  year  he  began 
practicing  his  profession  at  Lee,  and  later  took 
a  course  and  graduated  in  1895  from  the  Hos- 
pital College  of  Medicine,  Louisville,  Ky.,  re- 
suming his  practice  at  Lee  immediately  after- 
wards. Dr.  Munn  was  married  August  14.  1883, 
to  Norah  B..  daughter  of  John  and  Mary  C. 
(Clevinger)  Roberts,  who  were  of  Welch  and 
English  decent  respectively.  The  Doctor  is 
a  member  of  the  American  P.  M.  Society  of 
Physicians,  The  P.  M.  Society  of  DeKalb  Coun- 
ty Medical  Society,  and  enjoys  an  extensive 
practice  in  Lee  and  DeKalb  Counties.  In  polit- 
ical opinions  he  is  a  Democrat  and  served  as 
Village  Trustee  of  Lee  for  two  years,  and  was 
elected  President  of  the  village  in  1903. 


ZACHARIAH  W.  MOSS.  D.  D.  S..  Dixon.  111., 
was  born  in  Claiborne  County,  Tenn..  Oct. 
13,  1874,  son  of  J.  K.  and  OUie  (Treece)  Moss. 
He  received  his  preparatory  education  in  the 
Fazewell  High  School  and  later  attended  the 
University  of  Tennessee,  graduating  from  the 
department  of  Dental  Surgery  in  1896.  He  then 
practiced  his  profession  one  year  at  Hillsboro. 
111.,  and  afterwards  enlisted  in  Company  E. 
Fifth  Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry,  for  service  in 
the  late  Spanish-American  War,  and  after 
serving  seven  months  with  his  company  in 
Cuba,  he  was  transferred  to  the  medical  depart- 
ment of  the  hospital  in  Port  Rico.  After  the 
close  of  the  war  he  came  via  Nev,'  York  to  Dix- 
on, III.,  where  he  opened  an  office  and  has  since 
conducted  a  successful  and  increasing  practice, 
and  is  considered  thoroughly  up-to-date  in  all 
details  connected  with  dental  surgery.  On 
October  16,  1902,  he  married  Mary  O.,  daughter 
of  O.  J.  Downing,  a  soldier  of  the  Civil  War 
and  an  early  settler  of  Lee  County.  The  Doctor 
is  a  member  of  the  Illinois  State  Dental  So- 
ciety, and  is  also  a  member  of  the  B.  P.  O.  E. 
and  K.  of  P. 


EDWARD  MORRISSEY.  farmer.  Marion 
Township,  Lee  County,  was  born  in  County 
Carlow,  Ireland,  March  17,  1830,  the  son  of 
Patrick  and  Johanna  (Daley)  Morrissey;  came 
to  the  United  States  in  1852.  and  on  June  25 
of  the  same  year,  v/as  married  to  Mary  Doyle, 
daughter  of  Peter  Doyle,  and  they  have  had 
nine  children:  Patrick  H..  Ellen  A.,  Thomas  F., 
William  C,  Bridget  M.,  James  E.,  John  J.  and 
two  who  are  now  deceased,  viz.;  Johanna,  who 
became  the  wife  of  Patrick  O'Hare,  and 
Michael,  who  died  in  his  infancy.  On  coming 
to  America.  Mr.  Morrissey  first  lived  three 
years  at  Petersburg,  Rensselaer  County,  N.  Y.; 
afterwards  resided  three  years  in  Boone  Coun- 
ty, 111.,  and  seven  years  in  La  Salle  County, 
same  State,  locating  in  Lee  County  in  1865, 
where  he  has  since  been  engaged  in  farming. 
Mr.  Morrissey  is  a  Democrat  and.  at  the  present 
time  (1903),  is  serving  his  second  term  as 
Road  Commissioner:  has  also  served  as  School 
Director;  was  Treasurer  of  the  Catholic  church 
at  Walton,  and  is  now  Treasurer  of  the  Walton 
Horse  Company.  His  family  are  communicants 
of  the  Catholic  church. 


M.  C.  MUNN.  M,  D..  physician  and  surgeon, 
Lee.  Lee  County.  111.,  was  born  in  Fulton  Coun- 
ty, Ohio,  June  17,  1859,  son  of  A.  C.  and  Sarah 
M.  (Herrick)  Munn.  M.  C.  Munn  was  reared  on 
his  father's  farm,  attended  the  district  school 
and  later  the  Northwestern  Normal  at  Wau- 
seon,  Ohio.  After  completing  his  preparatory 
education,   he   conducted   a  cheese  factory  for 


GEORGE  MILLS,  retired  farmer,  Alto  Town- 
ship. Lee  County,  was  born  in  New  York  State. 
in  1833.  son  of  Julius  and  Margaret  (Smith) 
Mills;  was  educated  in  his  native  State  and 
coming  to  Illinois  located  at  Peru,  where  he 
remained  for  one  year,  then  spent  two  years 
at  Mendota,  La  Salle  County,  after  which  he 
removed  to  Bureau  County,  and  in  1854,  settled 


8o2 


HISTORY   OF   LEE   COUNTY. 


on  land  which  he  had  selected  on  first  coming 
to  the  State  with  his  parents  and  brothers. 
and  which  constitutes  his  present  homestead. 
In  1863  Mr.  Mills  married  Louise  T.  Williams, 
who  bore  him  one  daughter,  Georgia,  now  the 
wife  of  Elmer  Smith.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Smith 
have  three  children— Gladys,  Mills  and  lone— 
and  Mr.  Smith  manages  the  estate  for  his 
father-in-law.  Mr.  Mills  had  a  successful  ca- 
reer as  a  farmer,  at  present  feeds  about  200 
head  of  cattle' and  was  at  one  time  extensively 
engaged  in  sheep-raising.  In  early  manhood 
he  followed  the  vocation  of  a  teacher  in  Bureau, 
Ogle  and  Lee  Counties  for  some  time.  His 
residence  is  pleasantly  situated  in  a  fine  grove, 
and  is  equipped  with  every  modern  improve- 
ment, making  it  one  of  the  most  convenient 
and  delightful  homes  in  this  section  of  the 
State.  Mr.  Mills  is  a  genial  gentleman  of  the 
old  school,  and  his  accomplished  daughter. 
Mrs.  Smith,  dispenses  the  hospitality  of  their 
home  with  graceful  dignity.  Mr.  Mills  is  a 
Republican  in  politics,  but  a  non-believer  in 
the  doctrines  taught  by  theologians  of  the 
present  day. 

LLEWELLYN  W.  MILLER,  principal  of  the 
Second  Ward  school,  Dixon,  111.,  was  born  in 
Willow  Creek  Township,  Lee  County,  111.,  Feb. 
3,  1870,  son  of  Samuel  B.  and  Sarah  (Miller) 
Miller,  who  were  natives  of  Pennsylvania,  and 
came  to  Illinois  in  the  early  '40s.  Their  family 
consisted  of  nine  children,  of  whom  six  are  now 
living,  viz.:  Joseph  A.,  Llewellyn,  Nettie,  Clem- 
ent B.,  Delia  and  Mary.  December  31,  1896, 
L.  W.  Miller  was  married  to  Diona  C.  Russell. 
daughter  of  Ira  O.  and  Eliza  J.  (Russell)  Rus- 
sell, natives  respectfully  of  New  Hampshire 
and  Illinois.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Miller  two  chil- 
dren have  been  born,  Stanley  Russell  and  Her- 
man Olcott.  Mr.  Miller  has  been  a  teacher  and 
an  instructor  for  the  last  fourteen  years, 
twelve  years  of  his  professional  life  having 
been  spent  in  the  Lee  County  schools. 

MICHAEL  J.  McGOWAN,  Deputy  Sheriff 
and  ex-Sheriff  of  Lee  County,  Dixon,  111.,  was 
born  in  May  Township,  Lee  County,  111.,  Aug. 
20,  1862,  son  of  Martin  and  Annie  (McGinnis) 
McGowan.  Martin  McGowan  was  a  native  of 
Ireland  and  emigrated  to  the  Unitel  States  in 
1834,  landing  the  same  year  in  New  Orleans. 
He   came  to  Lee   County  in   1835,  locating  on 


a  farm  in  May  Township,  upon  which  he  built 
a  log  house,  made  several  improvements,  and 
added  to  his  holdings  until  his  estate,  at  the 
time  of  his  death  (1897)  embraced  240  acres. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Martin  McGowan  were  married 
in  Ottawa  II!..  and  became  the  parents  of 
eleven  children,  seven  boys  and  four  girls, 
Michael  J.  being  the  youngest  son.  Mrs.  Mc- 
Gowan survived  her  husband  but  a  few  years, 
dying  in  1900.  Michael  J.  McGowan  was  raised 
on  his  father's  farm,  attended  the  district 
school  and  Dixon  College,  and  for  two  years 
was  a  student  in  the  Normal  School  at  Dixon. 
He  afterwards  taught  in  the  public  schools  of 
Lee  County  for  three  years,  and  in  1884  was 
appointed  Deputy  Sheriff  under  Isaac  Edwards, 
serving  two  years.  In  1886  he  was  appointed 
Railway  Mail  Clerk,  a  position  he  held  until 
1893,  when  he  became  Deputy  Sheriff  under 
J.  L.  Gray,  and  was  elected  as  Mr.  Gray's 
successor  in  1898,  his  term  of  office  expiring  in 
1902;  was  also  Chairman  of  the  Lee  County 
Republican  Central  Committee,  and  President 
of  the  Sheriff's  Association  of  Illinois.  He  is 
now  serving  as  Deputy  Sheriff  under  Mr. 
Wohnke.  On  October  16,  1890,  he  married 
Mary  McGovern,  daughter  of  Bernard  and  Ann 
(Blake)  McGovern,  and  of  this  union  there  are 
two  children,  Raymond  and  Almeda.  Socially 
he  is  a  member  of  the  Knights  of  the  Globe, 
M.  W.  A.,  A.  O.  U.  W..  and  A.  F.  &  A.  M.  In 
politics  he  is  a  stanch  Republican 

JOHN  E.  MOVER,  dealer  in  coal  and  wood, 
Dixon,  111.,  was  born  in  Dixon,  July  12,  1862, 
son  of  William  H.  and  Mary  C.  (Beal)  Moyer, 
natives  of  Pennsylvania  and  Maryland  respec- 
tively. William  H.  Moyer  and  his  father,  John 
Moyer,  came  to  Lee  County  in  1838.  while 
Mary  C.  Beal  came  with  her  father,  Charles 
Beal,  in  1852.  Both  families  settled  in  Dixon 
Township.  John  E.  Moyer  attended  the  Dixon 
public  schools,  and  later  engaged  in  the  grocery 
business.  b>it  has  been  conducting  his  present 
business  since  1895,  in  which  he  has  establish- 
ed an  extensive  trade  in  coal  and  wood.  On 
November  20,  1883,  he  married  Anna  B.  Board- 
man,  daughter  of  Isaac  S.  and  Anna  C.  Board- 
man.  Mr  Moyer  is  the  present  Assessor,  having 
filled  that  office  for  eight  years;  was  a  member 
of  the  Board  of  Education  six  years;  and  was 
President  of  the  Retail  Merchants'  Association 


HISTORY   OF   LEE    COL'XTY. 


S03 


in  1901  and  1902.  Socially  he  is  a  member  of 
the  I.  O.  O.  F.  Dixon  Lodge  No.  39,  Minnie 
Bell  Rebecca  Lodge  No.  423,  Nachusa  Encamp- 
ment and  Knights  of  the  Globe.  Mr.  Moyer's 
parents  both  survive  and  are  living  in  Dixon, 
where  they  enjoy  the  respect  of  the  community. 

WILLARD  HOWARD  MARTIN,  dairy  farm- 
er. Palmyra  Township,  Lee  County,  was  born 
in  the  house  in  which  he  is  now  living  on  his 
father's  farm,  Aug.  29.  1854,  son  of  Jacob  and 
Margaret  (Curtis)  Martin — the  former  a  native 
of  New  Hampshire  and  the  latter  of  New  York 
State.  Jacob  Martin  came  with  his  family  lo 
Lee  County  in  the  fall  of  1836  and  entered 
Government  land  on  Section  33,  Palmyra  Town- 
ship, which  he  improved  carrying  on  farming 
successfully  until  his  death,  which  occurred 
Aug.  29,  1881.  Jacob  Martin  served  as  Post- 
master of  Gap  Grove,  by  appointment  of 
President  Buchanan,  and  was  School  Director 
for  his  district.  Mrs,  Margaret  (Curtis)  Martin, 
mother  of  Willard  H.,  died  when  the  latter  was 
six  months  old.  There  were  two  other  children 
of  this  family — Helen  R.  and  Josephine,  the 
latter  being  the  wife  of  Alphonso  Morgan,  now 
a  resident  of  the  State  of  Louisiana.  Willard 
H.  grew  up  on  his  father's  farm,  attended 
school  near  his  home,  and,  with  the  exception 
of  three  years,  when  he  v.'as  engaged  in  the 
livery  business  at  Mendota,  111.,  has  spent  his 
life  on  the  farm  which  he  now  owns  consisting 
of  185  acres,  including  his  father's  home- 
stead of  105  acres,  to  which  he  has  subsequent- 
ly added  eighty  acres.  Willard  H.  Martin  was 
married  Jan.  17,  1884,  vo  Ida  A.  Cowen.  daugh- 
ter of  David  and  Margaret  Cowen,  who  came 
to  Lee  County  from  Canada  in  1868.  and  he 
and  his  wife  have  had  eight  children:  Oliver 
C,  Josephine  A.,  Jacob  J.,  Lawrence  T..  Mar- 
garet R.,  Clarence,  Avis  and  Hugh.  Frater- 
nally Mr.  Martin  is  a  member  of  the  Modern 
Woodmen  of  America  and  the  Code  of  Honor, 
and  in  politics  is  a  Republican. 

G.  WILLIAM  MESSER.  farmer,  Bradford 
Township,  Lee  County,  was  born  at  Gelffers- 
hausen,  Kreis  Rothensburg,  Kur  Hessen.  Ger- 
many, Dec.  12,  1840,  son  of  Karl  and  Martha 
(Henert)  Messer.  The  father  died  in  1855  and 
the  mother  in  1863  aged  fifty-three  and  seventy- 
three  years,  respectively.   In  1864  the  son  came 


to  America  arriving  in  Lee  County,  111.,  in  July 
of  that  year,  after  which,  for  the  next  three 
years,  he  worked  at  blacksmithing,  when  he 
bought  a  half  acre  of  ground  but,  in  1867,  began 
farming  on  a  40-arce  farm.  He  now  owns  260 
acres  of  land  in  Lee  County,  besides  a  half- 
section  in  South  Dakota.  August  24,  1866,  Mr. 
Messer  married  Anna  Katherine  Griese,  born 
in  Heineboch,  Kreis  Melzun,  Kur  Hessen,  Ger- 
many, the  daughter  of  Justus  and  Anna  E. 
(Hunner)  Griese,  who  came  to  Lee  County 
in  1864.  The  mother  died  in  1885,  aged  seventy- 
eight,  and  the  father  in  1894,  aged  eighty-five. 
The  children  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Messer  are: 
Adam  E.:  Katie,  wife  of  Jacob  Bolie;  Minnie, 
wife  of  William  Geyer:  Martha,  wife  of  Charles 
Albrecht:  Mollie.  wife  of  Fred  Harck;  Henry; 
Anna;  William  J.;  Emma:  Augusta  and 
Amanda.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Messer  are  members 
of  the  United  Evangelical  church.  In  politics 
he  is  a  Republican  and  has  served  as  Road 
Commissioner  three  years.  Road  Overseer 
one  year.  School  Director  three  years  and 
School  Trustee  twelve  years. 

JACOB  MILLER,  farmer.  Amboy  Township, 
Lee  County,  111.,  was  born  in  Upper  Canada. 
June  4,  1839,  son  of  Jacob  and  Esther  (Van 
Sickel)  Miller,  natives  of  Canada,  who  came  to 
Lee  County  in  1853,  and  located  west  of  Paw 
Paw.  His  parents  are  now  deceased.  On  June 
21,  1862,  Jacob  Miller  was  married  to  Maria 
Taylor,  daughter  of  James  and  Martha  (Ar- 
graves)  Taylor,  and  to  them  eight  children 
have  been  born,  seven  of  whom  are  living,  viz.: 
Rosetta  E..  Delia  E..  Mary  A.,  Earnest  J.,  For- 
rest J.,  Nina  E.  and  Merritt  K.  Mr.  Miller  owns 
370  acres  of  land  in  Amboy  Township.  In  po- 
litical convictions  he  is  a  stanch  Republican, 
and  has  served  as  School  Director  ten  years. 
He  and  his  family  are  members  of  the  Method- 
ist  Episcopal  church. 

HUGH  McGUIRK,  merchant  and  Postmaster, 
Walton,  111.,  was  born  in  North  Dixon,  111.,  Oct. 
24,  1858,  son  of  William  and  Bridget  (Brogan) 
McGuirk,  natives  of  County  Tyrone,  Ireland, 
who  came  to  the  United  States  in  1845,  and  to 
Dixon  in  1865 — both  being  now  deceased.  May 
27,  1895,  Mr.  McGuirk  married  Margaret  Mc- 
Caffrey, daughter  of  Patrick  and  Ann  (Cassidy) 
McCaffrey,  of  Lee  County,  and  to  them  three 


804 


HISTORY   OF   LEE    COUNTY. 


children  have  been  bom,  viz.:  Lloyd,  Raymond 
and  Joseph  E.  For  four  years  Mr.  McGuirk 
v/as  in  the  United  States  postal  service  as 
railway  mail  clerk.  He  is  a  Democrat  in  pol- 
itics, and  held  the  office  of  Town  Clerk  from 
1883  to  1887;  School  Director  six  years;  Super- 
visor of  Marion  Township  ten  years,  and  since 
1890  has  been  postmaster  of  Walton  where 
he  conducts  a  general  store.  He  is  a  member 
of  the  Catholic  church. 

THOMAS  MeCUNE,  farmer,  Marion  Town- 
ship, Lee  County,  111.,  was  born  in  Peoria  Coun- 
ty, 111..  June  22,  1866,  son  of  John  and  Mary 
(Lawless)  McCune,  the  fonrmer  a  native  of 
Scotland  and  the  latter  of  Ireland.  John  Mc- 
Cune came  to  Illinois  in  the  early  '40s.  and 
located  at  Peoria  when  there  was  but  one  log 
house  on  the  present  site  of  that  city.  Thomas 
McCune  came  to  Lee  County  in  1894,  where 
he  now  owns  160  acres  of  land  in  Marion  Town- 
ship. In  September,  1890,  he  was  married  to 
Mary  Duffy,  daughter  of  James  and  Johannah 
(Sughrue)  Duffy  of  Peoria  County,  and  to 
them  six  children  have  been  born,  three  of 
whom — Johanna,  Mary  and  James  Morris— now 
survive.  Socially  Mr.  McCune  belongs  to  the 
M.  W.  A.  and  Royal  Neighbors.  He  is  a  Demo- 
crat in  politics,  and  a  member  of  the  Catholic 
church. 

WILLIAM  McCARTY  (deceased)  was  born 
in  New  York  City.  April  25,  1838,  and  came  to 
Illinois  in  1857,  and  after  residing  three  years 
in  Knox  County,  removed  to  Lee  County,  where 
he  spent  the  remainder  of  his  life  following  the 
occupation  of  a  farmer.  October  14,  1861,  he 
was  united  in  marriage  with  Ruth  Ann.  the 
daughter  of  Jacob  J.  and  Lydia  A.  Conderman, 
natives  of  New  York,  who  located  in  Marion 
Township,  Lee  County,  in  1850.  Mr.  Conderman 
was  a  prominent  Mason  and  one  of  the  sterling 
pioneers  of  the  county.  He  died  April  10,  1899. 
To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  McCarty  three  children  were 
born:  George  M.,  Frances  and  William  J.,  the 
first  two  named  being  now  deceased.  Mr. 
McCarty  was  a  leading  Mason  and  a  stanch 
Republican.  He  died  Dec.  28.  1896.  With  his 
family  he  belonged  to  the  Congregational 
church. 

JAMES  H.  MORRIS,  retired  farmer.  Dixon. 
111.,   v.-as  born  at   Morrisville,   Madison   County, 


N.  Y.,  March  8,  1829,  son  of  Harvey  and  Lavina 
(Gurley)  Morris,  also  natives  of  the  Empire 
State.  Mr.  Morris  located  in  Chicago  in  1851, 
where  he  was  extensively  engaged  in  the  lum- 
ber business  for  many  years.  Failing  health  in- 
duced him  to  remove  to  Dixon  m  1872,  where, 
for  several  years,  he  was  engaged  in  the  whole- 
sale grocery  business  with  his  son  George  A, 
under  the  firm  name  of  J.  H.  Morris  &  Son.  In 
1863  he  married  Lucia  Savage,  a  native  of 
New  York  but  reared  and  educated  in  Wor- 
cester, Mass.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Morris  have  two 
sons — George  A.,  of  Chicago,  and  William 
Savage,  a  farmer,  in  Dixon  Township.  In  po- 
litical views  Mr.  Morris  is  a  Republican. 

CALVIN  MEESE,  farmer  and  stock-raiser. 
South  Dixon  Township,  Lee  County,  was  born 
in  Somerest  County  Penn..  son  of  Alexander 
and  Elizabeth  (Miller)  Meese,  both  natives  of 
Pennsylvania.  The  father  died  in  the  Union 
army  in  1863,  but  the  mother  still  survives, 
making  her  home  with  her  son  Calvin  A.  The 
latter  moved  first  from  Pennsylvania  to  Ohio, 
then  to  Bureau  County,  111.,  in  1873,  and  in  1880 
settled  in  South  Dixon  Township,  Lee  County, 
where  he  now  resides  and  is  owner  of  a  val- 
uable farm  of  240  acres  on  Sections  33  and  34. 
December  4,  1879,  Mr.  Meese  was  married  to 
Buena  Forsythe,  whose  father  was  a  native  of 
Ohio,  but  her  mother  came  from  England.  To 
Mr,  and  Mrs.  Meese  six  children  have  been 
born,  of  whom  two  died  in  infancy,  and  the 
four  still  surviving  are  Edward  F..  James  A., 
Benton  and  Cora  E.  Politically  Mr.  Meese  is 
a  Republican  and  fraternally  a  member  of  the 
Modern  Woodmen  of  America.  The  family  are 
members  of  the  Lutheran  church. 

GEORGE  P.  McWETHY,  farmer  and  dairy- 
man. Section  1,  Palmyra  Township,  Lee  County, 
111.,  son  of  John  Henry  and  Hattie  E.  (Sheldon) 
McWethy.  John  H.  McWethy  resides  on  Sec- 
tion 39,  Palmyra  Township,  and  since  1902  has 
lived  retired.  He  was  born  in  Wyoming 
County,  N.  Y.,  in  March,  1836,  son  of  Henry 
and  Olive  (Hale)  McWethy,  natives  of  Scot- 
land and  England  respectively,  who  were  the 
parents  of  ten  children.  John  H.  obtained  his 
education  in  the  public  schools  of  his  native 
country  and  came  to  Lee  County  in  the  spring 
of  1861,  purchasing  land  in  Palmyra  Township 
in    1864.     To   himself  and   wife   three   children 


HISTORY   OF   LEE    COUNTY. 


S05 


were  born —  Charles  E.,  George  P.  and  W.  C. 
In  politics  he  is  a  Republican  and  has  served 
as  Trustee  on  the  School  Board.  George  P.  Mc- 
Wethy  received  his  educational  training  in 
the  district  schools  of  PalmjTa  Township  and 
the  Normal  School  at  Dixon.  He  remained 
on  his  father's  farm  during  youth,  and  in  18SS 
married  Mary  A.  Ayres.  who  has  borne  him 
four  children — Thomas  H.,  Marcia  A..  Fred  O. 
and  Glenn  P.  Mr.  McWethy  conducted  a  farm 
for  five  years  in  Hardin  County.  Iowa,  and  in 
1902  purchased  his  father's  homestead  consist- 
ing of  98  acres,  upon  which  he  keeps  a  herd  of 
forty  cows,  and  supplies  much  of  the  milk  for 
the  city  trade  at  Dixon.  Mr.  and  Mrs  McWethy 
are  Baptists  in  religious  belief  and  services 
of  that  denomination  are  held  at  their  house 
every  Sunday.  In  political  views  Mr.  Mc- 
■Wethy  is  a  Republican.  Mrs.  McWethy's 
father,  Thomas  Ayres,  is  a  native  of  Pennsyl- 
vania and  has  passed  most  of  his  life  on  his 
farm  in  Palmyra  Township,  while  her  mother. 
Rebecca  D.  (Parks)  Ayres,  was  the  second 
white  child  born  in  Dixon.  Four  children  were 
born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ayres — Rodney  M., 
Smith  M.,  Martha  (Mrs.  D.  M.  Rossiter)  and 
Mary  A.   (Mrs,  George  P.  McWethy). 

"WaLLIAM  H.  MADDEN,  farmer.  Palmyra 
Township,  Lee  County,  111.,  was  born  in  Fort 
Wayne,  Ind.,  Oct.  22,  1847,  son  of  Benjamin 
and  Phoebe  (Gardener)  Madden,  both  of  whom 
were  born  in  Troy  N.  Y.  William  Madden's 
parents  died  when  he  was  an  infant,  and  he 
was  raised  by  his  maternal  grandfather,  Ben- 
jamin Gardener,  who  was  a  farmer  and  dairy- 
man, remaining  in  his  home  until  Dec.  22,  1863, 
when  he  joined  Company  E.  Twelfth  Indiana 
Cavalry,  serving  two  years  as  chief  musician 
of  his  regiment.  He  participated  in  the  siege 
of  Atlanta  under  Gen.  Kilpatrick.  Nashville 
and  Franklin  (in  December,  1864),  under  Gen- 
eral Pap  Thomas,  and  siege  of  Mobile  under 
General  Canby.  He  was  with  Gen.  Grierson  in 
Alabama,  Georgia  and  Mississippi,  and  during 
img  his  ser^-ice  had  three  horses  shot  under 
him,  one  at  Atlanta,  one  at  Brov,'nsboro  and  one 
at  Mobile.  Mr.  Madden  was  mustered  out  of  the 
service  at  Vicksburg,  and  discharged  at  Indian- 
apolis, Dec.  20,  1865,  and  then  went  to  Miami 
County,  Ohio,  where  he  was  engaged  in  farm- 
ing near  Dayton  from  186G  to  1869.     Coming  to 


Lee  County  in  the  latter  year,  he  has  since 
been  engaged  in  farming  in  Palmyra  Town- 
ship, where  he  cultivates  315  acres  of  land  and 
keeps  from  forty  to  fifty  head  of  cattle  and 
from  fifty  to  a  hundred  hogs.  August  10,  1879, 
he  married  Ardella  Unangst,  daughter  of 
George  and  Mary  J.  (Ritenberg)  Unangst,  who 
caijne  from  Pennsylvania  and  settled  in  Lee 
County  in  1877.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Madden  have 
three  children,  Eurith  Edna,  Georgia  Marie  and 
Lloyd  H.,  all  of  whom  reside  at  home.  Mr. 
Madden  is  a  member  of  the  G.  A.  R..  I.  O. 
O'.  F.,  Knights  of  the  Globe,  Supreme  Court 
of  Honor  and  Royal  Circle.  Mrs.  Madden  is 
a  member  of  the  Woman's  Relief  Corps.  In 
political  sentiment  Mr.  Madden  is  a  Repub- 
lican, casting  his  first  vote  for  General  Grant, 
and  acted  as  Assistant  Marshal  of  Dixon  in 
1891.  During  his  life  he  has  traveled  exten- 
sively through  the  United  States. 

RILEY  A.  MEAD,  farmer  and  prominent 
stock-raiser.  Paw  Paw.  Lee  County,  111.,  was 
born  in  Tioga  County.  N.  Y.,  July  19,  1839,  son 
of  Joshua  and  Abigail  (Lewis)  Mead,  natives 
of  the  Empire  State.  Mr.  Mead  first  came  to 
Lee  County  in  1857,  but  two  years  later  return- 
ed to  his  native  State.  Returning  to  Lee  Coun- 
ty, 111.,  in  1861,  he  settled  in  Wyoming  Town- 
ship, where  he  has  since  been  engaged  in  gen- 
eral farming  and  breeding  of  fine  stock.  On 
September  4,  1859,  he  was  married  to  Rachel 
Vose,  a  native  of  New  York  State,  and  to  them 
seven  children  have  been  born,  viz.:  Cora, 
wife  of  Thomas  Harper;  Fred  R.,  who  lives  at 
Paw  Paw  111.:  Belle,  wife  of  Robert  Fluellen; 
Arthur,  who  is  engaged  in  farming  in  Iowa; 
Ella,  v.-idow  of  Edward  Thomas;  Bert,  a  resi- 
dent of  Thornton,  Iowa,  and  Lena,  wife  of 
Charles  W.  McMillan.  In  political  opinions 
Mr.  Mead  is  a  Democrat. 

GEORGE  MULLINS,  farmer.  Section  12.  Wil- 
low Creek  Township.  Lee  County,  111.,  was 
born  in  Sheffield,  England,  May  3,  1842,  son 
of  Robert  and  Sarah  (Yulett)  Mullins.  Robert 
Mullins  was  a  cutler  in  Sheffield,  England, 
until  1845,  when  he  removed  to  Yorkshire  and 
engaged  in  farming.  In  1852  the  entire  family 
emigrated  to  America.  Landing  at  New  York, 
they  came  direct  to  Shabbona,  DeKalb  County, 
111.,    where   the   father    continued    farming   the 


HISTORY   OF   LEE    COUNTY. 


remainder  of  his  life.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Robert 
Mullins  were  the  parents  of  eight  children,  the 
subject  of  this  article  being  third  in  order  of 
birth.  Robert  Mullins  died  in  1887,  his  wife 
dying  in  1886.  George  Mullins  remained  on 
the  parental  homestead  until  tv.'enty-  one  years 
of  age.  and  in  the  meantime  attended  the  dis- 
trict schools.  December  14.  1886.  he  married 
Mary  Ann  Bostock,  and  they  became  the  par- 
ents of  eight  children,  viz.;  Sarah  Minnie  (Mrs. 
James  Henderson),  Emma  Louisa  (Mrs.  Edwin 
Hartman),  William  Robert,  Robert  A.,  Maud 
Mary  and  George  F.  (twins),  Mary  Ann,  Esther 
Ann,  and  one  child  who  died  in  infancy.  Be- 
sides his  home  farm  of  240  acres  in  Willow 
Creek  Township,  Mr.  Mullins  owns  315  acres 
in  DeKalb  County  III.  In  political  opinions 
he  is  a  Republican,  and  has  served  as  School 
Director  and  Pathmaster;  in  religious  belief 
he    is   a    Methodist. 

BERNARD  McCAFFREY,  farmer.  Marion 
Township,  Lee  County,  was  born  in  Lee  Coimty, 
III.,  Nov.  3,  1861,  son  of  Patrick  and  Ann 
(Cassidy)  McCaffrey—  the  farmer  a  native  of 
County  Monaghan,  Ireland,  who  in  1856.  came 
to  Dixon,  111.,  where  he  married  and  reared  a 
family  of  five  children.  June  6,  1887,  the  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch  was  married  to  Catherine 
McQuirk,  and  they  have  had  a  family  of  ten 
children — all  daughters — viz.:  Catherine  E.. 
Anna  B.,  Rose  M.,  Gertrude,  Mary  F.,  Helen, 
Ruth,  Florence  L.,  Alice  J.  and  Margaret — the 
latter  deceased.  Politically  Mr.  McCaffrey  is  a 
liberal;  served  fourteen  years  continuously  as 
Assessor  of  his  township,  and  two  years  as 
Collector.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Catholic 
church  and  of  the  Modern  Woodmen  of 
America.  He  owns  a  faim  of  160  acres  in 
Marion    Township. 

RINEAR  MILLER,  farmer,  Viola  Township, 
Lee  County,  111.,  was  born  in  Brantford,  Canada, 
July  15,  1835,  son  of  Jacob  and  Esther  (Van- 
Sickle)  Miller,  who  came  to  Paw  Paw  Grove, 
111.,  May  11,  1845,  and  purchased  100  acres  of 
land.  Rinear  Miller  remained  with  his  parents 
until  twenty-two  years  of  age,  and  then  con- 
ducted a  rented  farm  for  three  years,  after 
which  he  purchased  eighty  acres  in  Viola  Town- 
ship. He  was  married  July  28,  1857,  to  Anna 
Scott,  daughter  of  George  and  Rebecca  Scott 
of  Sterling,  111.     To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Miller  eleven 


children  were  born,  viz.;  LaFayette,  Canvar, 
Lincoln,  Francis  T.,  Granville,  Harrison,  Nel- 
son, Andrew,  Pomeroy,  Emerson  and  one  who 
died  in  infancy.  Mrs.  Miller  died  May  10,  1890. 
Mr.  Miller  is  a  Republican  in  political  views; 
has  served  as  School  Trustee  fifteen  years, 
and  Road  Commissioner  fourteen  years.  He 
is  a  memeber  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
church. 

CHARLES  W.  McMILLEN,  agricultural 
implement  dealer.  Paw  Pav/,  111.,  was  born  in 
Fulton  County,  Ind.,  Oct.  9,  1869,  son  of  Henry 
and  Mariah  (Finnemore)  McMillen.  He  came 
to  Paw  Paw  in  October,  1893,  where  for  two 
years  he  was  employed  in  livery  business,  and 
on  March  1,  1896, — in  company  with  S.  C.  Agler 
—he  engaged  in  the  agricultural  implement 
business.  In  1899  he  purchased  Mr.  Agler's  in- 
terest and  has  since  conducted  the  business 
alone.  March  22,  1899,  he  married  Lena  M. 
Mead,  daughter  of  R.  A.  and  Rachel  (Vost) 
Mead,  of  Paw  Paw,  111.  He  is  a  Republican  in 
politics,  and  in  1902  was  appointed  Town  Clerk, 
being  elected  to  the  same  position  in  1903. 
Fraternally  he  is  a  member  of  the  I.  O.  O.  F. 
and  M.  W.  A. 

AVERY  MERRIMAN,  farmer,  Wyoming 
Township,  Lee  County,  111.,  was  born  in  Geauga 
County,  Ohio,  Feb.  2,  1846,  son  of  Peter  and 
Mary  Merriman,  who  came  to  Illinois  in  1846, 
and  settled  in  Shabbona  Grove,  DeKalb 
County.  Mr.  Merriman  first  purchased  eighty 
acres  of  land,  but  now  owns  400  acres  in 
Wyoming  Township.  He  was  married  on  De- 
cember 23,  1878,  to  Josephine,  daughter  of  Les- 
ter and  Miranda  Potter,  and  to  them  five  chil- 
dren were  born,  viz.;  Albert,  Lovancha  (de- 
ceased), Josephine,  Alice  and  Charles.  In  po- 
litical opinions  he  is  a  Republican,  and  has 
served  his  fellow-citizens  as  School  Director 
for  fourteen  years.  He  and  his  family  are 
attendants  of  the  Baptist  church,  of  which 
Mr.   Merriman  is  a  member. 

ANDREW  MAY  (deceased)  was  born  in 
Sussex  County,  N.  Y.,  May  28,  1834,  son  of 
Peter  and  Catherine  May,  who  came  to  Paw 
Paw.  111.,  in  1841.  In  March,  1857,  Mr.  May 
began  business  life  for  himself,  and  succeeded 
in    accumulating   a    competency. 


HISTORY   OF   LEE   COUNTY. 


807 


WILLIAM  McMAHAN  (deceased)  was  born 
in  Montour  County.  Penn.,  Jan.  17.  1829,  son 
of  Benjamin  and  Esttier  J.  (Brearley)  McMa- 
han.  He  obtained  his  education  in  the  schools 
of  his  native  county  and  afterwards  learned 
sureveying.  In  1854  he  came  to  Lee  County 
and  taught  school  one  winter  at  Franklin 
Grove.  In  the  spring  of  1855  he  went  to  Min- 
nesota, where,  for  five  years,  he  was'  employed 
as  surveyor  by  the  United  States  Government. 
Returning  to  Lee  County  in  1860,  he  located 
on  a  farm  in  Wyoming  Township,  and  in  No- 
vember, 1864,  was  appointed  County  Surveyor, 
serving  until  Oct.  1,  1882.  resigning  on  account 
of  ill  health.  He  also  served  as  Township 
Supervisor  five  terms,  Assessor  seven  terms, 
and  in  addition  to  the  village  of  Paw  Paw. 
surveyed  the  plat  for  Compton,  Carnahan, 
Brooklyn,  Shaw  and  Walton.  In  October,  1859, 
he  married  Sarah  A.  Clark,  of  Trumbull 
County,  Ohio,  and  three  of  their  children — 
Hattie  E.,  John  C.  and  William  B — survive. 
In  fraternal  relations  Mr.  McMahan  was  a 
member  of  Corinthian  Lodge,  No.  210,  A.  F. 
&  A.  M.;  Mendota  Chapter,  R.  A.  M.;  and 
Mendota    Commandery,    K.    T. 

DAVID  MINOR  (deceased)  was  born  in 
Madison  County,  N.  Y.,  April  1,  1827,  son  of 
Cyrus  R.  and  Louise  (Norton)  Minor,  natives  of 
Massachusetts,  who  came  to  Lee  County  in 
1836,  locating  at  Franklin  Grove,  on  the  site  of 
the  old  stone  hotel,  where  they  died.  David 
Minor  was  married  in  1856  to  Cina  Whitmore,  a 
native  of  Ohio,  and  to  them  six  children  were 
born,  four  of  whom  are  now  living,  viz.:  Daniel, 
Iva,  Rose  and  Hewitt.  In  political  opinions 
he  was  a  Republican,  and  in  religious  belief 
an  Evangelical  Lutheran.  He  died  in  February, 
1889,  his  wife  surviving  until  April,  1899. 

FRANK  MAU.  Supervisor  of  Hamilton  Town- 
ship, Lee  County.  111.,  was  born  in  Province 
Brandenburg,  Germany,  Jan.  14,  1854,  son  of 
Frederick  and  Dora  (Wolfe)  Mau.  Mr.  Mau 
came  with  his  father  to  America  in  1868.  his 
mother  having  died  in  1864.  They  settled  near 
Washburn,  Woodford  County,  111.,  remaining 
there  until  1899,  when  Frank  Mau  located  in 
Hamilton  Township,  Lee  County,  where  he 
now  owns  .320  acres  of  land,  and  devotes  his 
attention  to  general  farming.  On  February  2, 
1882,    he    married    Carrie    Frede,    daughter    of 


August  and  Christine  (Bundel)  Frede,  and  to 
them  three  children — Dora  E.,  Harry  E.  and 
J.  Edwin — have  been  born.  Mr.  Mau  is  a  com- 
municant of  the  Evangelical  Lutheran  church, 
while  Mrs.  Mau  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  church.  Mr.  Mau  is  a  member  of 
the  M.  W.  A.  and  I.  O.  O.  F.;  in  politics  is  a 
Republican,  and  has  served  as  Township 
Supervisor  six  years. 

RUDOLPH  W.  MENK,  hardware  dealer. 
Paw  Paw,  111.,  was  born  at  Hinckley,  111.,  Sept. 
12,  1875,  son  of  William  H.  and  Johanna 
(Lehring)  Menk.  He  was  employed  in  his 
father's  hardware  establishment  at  Hinckley, 
111.,  until  October,  1896,  and  v/as  afterwards 
engaged  in  a  similar  capacity  at  Downer's 
Grove  until  January,  1897,  at  Aurora  until  July, 
1898  and  Yorkville  until  1899.  On  August  1st  of 
the  latter  year,  he  purchased  the  hardware 
business  of  S.  C.  Mitchell,  and  has  since  con- 
ducted the  enterprise  under  the  firm  name  of 
W.  H.  Menk  &  Son.  On  September  6,  1899,  he 
married  Mary  Reimersneider,  of  Hinckley,  and 
and  they  have  one  daughter.  Marguerite  R.  In 
political  convictions  he  is  a  Republican,  and 
fraternally  belongs  to  the  Masonic  Order  and 
M.  W.  A.  He  and  his  wife  are  members  of 
the   German   Evangelical  church. 

FRANK  McBRIDE,  farmer.  Wyoming  Town- 
ship. Lee  County.  111.,  was  born  in  Lee  County, 
Nov.  6,  1862,  son  of  George  and  Elizabeth 
(Baker)  McBride,  natives  of  Pennsylvania  and 
Illinois,  respectively.  George  McBride  came 
to  Lee  County  in  1856,  locating  on  a  farm  in 
Wyoming  Township,  where  he  spent  the  rest 
of  his  life,  dying  April  26,  1885.  On  March  1, 
1888.  Frank  McBride  married  Hattie  E.  Mc- 
Mahon,  daughter  of  William  and  Sarah  A. 
(Clark)  McMahon,  and  they  have  one  son, 
George  W.  Upon  starting  out  in  business  life, 
Mr.  McBride  first  rented  land,  but  later  pur- 
chased his  present  farm  of  200  acres.  In  po- 
litical affiliation  he  is  a  Reipublican,  and  so- 
cially  belongs   to   the   M.   W.   A. 

JOHN  B.  McBRIDE.  retired  farmer.  Paw 
Paw,  Lee  County,  111.,  was  born  in  County  An- 
trim, Ireland,  Jan.  27,  1835,  the  son  of  Robert 
and  Ruth  (Kirker)  McBride,  also  natives  of 
the  Emerald  Isle,  who  came  to  the  United 
States  in  1844.  and  settled  in  Ohio,  where  they 


8oS 


HISTORY   OF   LEE    COUNTY, 


both  died.  John  B.  JIcBride  came  to  Lee 
County,  111.,  in  1S64,  locating  in  Brooklyn 
Township,  where  he  was  engaged  in  farming 
until  1S75,  and  then  moved  into  Wyoming 
Township,  but  since  1892  has  lived  retired  at 
Paw  Paw.  In  April.  1861,  he  was  married  to 
Sarah  Bryson,  a  native  of  Cc»,nty  Antrim, 
Ireland,  who  came  to  the  United  States  in 
1848,  and  of  this  union  two  children— N.  A.  C. 
ajid  Mary  R.  (Mrs.  Wilbur  Chaffee) — v/ere 
born.  Mrs.  McBride  died  July  6,  1903.  In  poli- 
tics Mr.  McBride  afhliates  with  the  Democratic 
party,  and  served  as  Assessor  of  Brooklyn 
Township  in  1873.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
I.  O,  O.  F. 


hand  until  1891.  In  the  latter  year  he  rented 
a  farm,  and  in  addition  to  conducting  the 
same,  dealt  quite  extensively  in  stock,  having 
brought  about  eight  or  ten  car-loads  of  horses 
from  the  West  and  disposed  of  them  in  Lee 
County.  In  1891  he  was  married  to  Miss  Gene- 
vieve Strickland,  daughter  of  Seneca  and  Mal- 
vina  (Bainter)  Strickland,  natives  of  Pennsyl- 
vania and  Illincis.  respectively.  To  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Nicholson  one  daughter  has  been  born. 
Malvina  Annie,  Jan.  14,  1894.  In  politics  Mr. 
Nicholson  is  a  Republican.  In  1903  he  estab- 
lished a  livery,  feed  and  sale  stable  near  the 
Illinois  Central  Railroad  Depot,  where  he 
conducts  a  tirst-class  business. 


FRANK  J.  MONTARIN.  farmer,  Viola  Town- 
ship, Lee  County,  111.,  was  born  in  Scioto 
County,  Ohio,  Jan.  28,  1857,  son  of  Joseph  and 
Margaret  Montarin,  who  settled  near  Assump- 
tion, 111.  in  1865,  and  removed  to  Lee  County 
in  1866.  Frank  J.  Montarin  purchased  his 
present  SO-acre  farm  in  1880,  and  located  on 
it  in  1881.  November  30,  1880.  he  was  married 
to  Lydia  Henry,  daughter  of  Ltopcld  and  Del- 
phine  Henry,  and  they  have  seven  children — 
five  sons  and  two  daughters — viz.:  Edward  J.. 
Mary.  Lillie,  John.  Louis,  Henry  and  Wilbur. 
Mr,  Montarin  is  a  Republican  in  political 
views,  and  in  religious  belief  a  Catholic.  In 
fraternal  affiliation  he  is  a  member  of  the 
Masonic    Order. 

MICHAEL  McGINNIS,  retired  farmer,  Dixon, 
111.,  was  born  in  Austinbrook.  Canada.  Jan.  2. 
1827,  son  of  Michael  and  Bridget  McGinnis, 
natives  of  the  North  of  Ireland.  v,-ho  came  to 
Canada  in  1817  or  181S.  Michael  McGinnis 
came  to  Illinois  in  1852,  locating  at  Dixon  in 
1895.  On  1853  he  was  engaged  as  a  contractor 
on  the  Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy  Railroad. 
On  January  15,  1856,  he  married  Miss  Emily 
Douglas,  of  New  York,  and  to  them  eight  chil- 
dren were  born,  viz.:  John  C,  Thomas  A., 
Jennie  M.  and  Jessie  S.  (twins),  Susie  B.. 
William  R.,  Nan  D,  and  George  H. 

WILLIAM  NICHOLSON,  liveryman,  Amboy, 
Lee  County,  111.;  born  at  Inlet.  Lee  County.  111.. 
June  9,  1864,  son  of  Thomas  and  Anna  (Bur- 
rows) Nicholson;  educated  in  the  public 
schools  of  his  native  village;  remained  on  the 
parental  homestead  until  he  reached  his  ma- 
jority, and  was  afterwards  engaged  as  a  farm- 


BARTON  B.  NEER.  farmer.  Section  3,  Alto 
Township,  Lee  County,  111.,  was  born  in  Ken- 
dall County,  111.,  March  31,  1848,  son  of  Wil- 
liam and  Dorcas  (Colbert)  Neer.  natives  of 
West  Virginia  and  Maryland,  respectively,  who 
were  married  in  the  East  and  cama  to  Kendall 
County  in  1847.  Their  children  were:  James, 
Catherine,  John,  George,  Mary  and  Barton  B. 
William  Neer  came  to  Lee  County  in  1863,  lo- 
cating on  a  rented  farm  one  mile  north  of 
Steward,  but  later  purchased  the  homestead 
(160  acres),  where  Barton  B.  now  resides.  Mr. 
Neer  was  a  stanch  Republican  in  politics,  and 
was  School  Director  of  his  township.  He  died 
Oct.  1,  1883,  while  his  wife  survived  until  1895. 
On  the  death  of  their  parents,  the  farm,  by 
will,  became  the  property  of  Barton  B.  and 
George  Neer,  who  have  since  conducted  it  in 
partnership.  Mr.  Neer  had  three  sons  in  the 
Civil  War — Barton  B.,  John  and  James.  Bar- 
ton B.  enlisted  in  1863,  in  Company  H,  Forty- 
sixth  Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry,  and  served 
until  the  close  of  the  war,  afterwards  return- 
ing to  the  home  farm,  where  he  has  since  re- 
sided. During  his  service,  he  was  wounded 
by  a  spent  ball  at  Jackson,  Miss.  December 
13,  1878,  Mr.  Neer  married  Jane  Cook,  daugh- 
ter of  Morris  and  Elizabeth  (Cooper)  Cook, 
natives  of  New  Jersey.  They  have  no  children, 
but  adopted  a  daughter,  Gertrude  Kenney.  Mr. 
Neer  is  a  member  of  the  G.  A.  R.,  and  Edward 
Bridge  Post  No.  124;  in  politics  he  is  a  Repub- 
lican. He  and  his  wife  are  communicants  of 
the   Methodist    Episcopal   church. 

COL.  HENRY  T.  NOBLE  (deceased),  born  in 
Berkshire   County,    Mass.,    May   3,    1830;    came 


HISTORY   OF   LEE    COUNTY 


809 


west  and  located  at  Dixon,  whsre  he  taught 
school  the  following  two  years;  was  engaged 
in  the  real  estate  and  banking  business  with 
his  uncle,  Silas  Noble,  until  1S57.  On  April 
20,  1861,  he  was  chosen  First  Lieutenant  of 
Company  A,  Thirteenth  Regiment  Illinois  Vol- 
unteer Infantry,  and  was  mustered  into  ser- 
vice as  Captain  of  his  Company  on  May  24.  of 
the  same  year.  He  was  promoted  to  the  staff 
of  the  Quartermaster's  Department  on  July  8. 
1863,  and  in  November  following,  was  raised 
to  Major,  and  thirty  days  later  commissioned 
Lieutenant-Colonel.  About  March  1.  1864.  he 
was  promoted  by  the  Secretary  of  War  to  Colo- 
nel on  the  staff  of  Major-General  J.  J.  Rey- 
nolds, and  was  appointed  Chief  Quartermaster. 
Department  of  Kansas,  filling  the  latter  posi- 
tion until  Oct.  15.  1866.  when'  he  was  mustered 
out  of  the  service  at  his  own  request.  Return- 
ing to  Dixon  in  the  latter  year,  he  purchased 
an  interest  in  the  Grand  Detour  Plow  "Works. 
with  which  he  was  connected  until  his  death. 

G.  LAFAYETTE  NELLES.  farmer.  Viola 
Township,  Lee  County,  111.,  was  born  in  the 
township  where  he  now  resides.  Oct.  22,  1875. 
son  of  John  and  Caroline  Nelles.  natives  of 
Canada.  Mr.  Nelles  remained  at  home  and 
v/orked  with  his  father  on  the  farm,  and  now 
owns  120  acres  of  land  in  Viola  Township. 
'August  10.  1898.  he  married  Susie  Dodson, 
daughter  of  Santford  and  Hattie  Dodson,  of 
Oregon,  and  they  have  two  children,  named 
John  S.  and  Santford.  In  political  opinions  Mr. 
Nelles  is  a  Democrat,  and  he  and  his  wife  are 
communicants  of  the  United  Brethren  church 
of    Compton. 

MICHAEL  O'MALLEY.  farmer.  Marion 
Township,  Lee  County,  111.,  was  born  in  County 
Mayo,  Ireland,  Sept.  8.  1827,  son  ot,  Austin  and 
Bridget  O'Malley.  Michael  O'Malley  came  to 
the  United  States  in  1849,  landing  at  Portland, 
Maine,  later  going  to  Boston,  and  then  to 
Worcester,  Mass.,  where  he  was  employed  for 
four  or  five  years.  In  1854  he  came  to  Dixon. 
and  now  owns  a  200-acre  farm  in  Marion 
Township.  On  March  31,  1869,  he  married 
Mary  Mayock,  daughter  of  .Tohn  Mayock,  of 
Lee  County,  and  to  them  seven  children  have 
been  bom,  viz.:  Austin  J.,  Catherine  A.,  Pat- 
rick E.  (deceased),  Joseph  M.,  William  H.. 
Thomas   E.   and   Peter  F.     Mr.   O'Malley  is   a 


Democrat  in  politics,  and  has  served  two  terms 
as  Supervisor,  Assessor  and  Highway  Commis- 
sioner, and  eight  years  as  School  Treasurer. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Catholic  church. 

E.  B.  OWENS,  physician  and  surgeon,  Dixon, 
III.,  was  born  in  LaSalle  County,  111.,  May  3, 
1867,  son  of  Daniel  W.  and  Mary  (Silverthorn) 
Owens,  natives  of  Pennsylvania.  E.  B.  Owens 
spent  his  boyhood  on  his  father's  farm,  in  the 
meanv/hile  attended  the  district  schools,  and 
later  took  a  teacher's  course  at  the  Normal 
School  in  Bureau  County,  111.  Taking  up  the 
study  of  medicine,  he  entered  the  medical 
school  of  the  Northwestern  University,  gradu- 
ating from  that  institution  in  1890.  and  then 
served  one  year  as  resident  physician  and  sur- 
geon in  St.  Luke's  Hospital.  In  the  spring  of 
1891  he  came  to  Dixon.  111.,  where  he  has  since 
practiced  his  profession,  and  aside  from  the 
liberal  patronage  he  receives  from  the  general 
public,  is  the  attending  physician  at  the  city 
hospital.  In  1894  he  married  Eleanor  Isett, 
who  was  born  in  Pennsylvania,  and  they  have 
two  children,  Elizabeth  and  Katherine.  The 
Doctor  is  a  member  of  the  State  Medical  So- 
ciety, Lee  County  Medical  Association,  North 
Central  Illinois  Association,  and  is  Secretary  of 
the  Rock  River  Valley  Association.  In  relig- 
ious belief  he  is  a  Baptist,  and  in  political  sen- 
timent a  Republican. 

FRED  OBERHELMAN.  dealer  in  grain,  lum- 
ber and  coal,  firm  of  Fred  Oberhelman  &  Co., 
Sublette.  111.,  was  born  in  Warren  County, 
Mo.,  Nov.  29.  1844,  son  of  Frederick  A.  and 
Anna  Christine  (Knoepker)  Oberhelman,  na- 
tives of  Westphalia,  Germany.  Frederick  A. 
Oberhelman  was  born  near  Lengerich,  and 
came  to  America  in  1833,  locating  in  Warren 
County,  Mo.,  where  he  engaged  in  farming,  and 
owned  311  acres  of  land.  His  wife  came  to  St. 
Charles  County,  Mo.,  in  1836.  They  were  mar- 
ried in  1843  and  became  the  parents  of  eleven 
children,  eight  of  whom  grew  to  maturity.  In 
1889  Mr.  Oberhelman  and  his  family  removed 
to  LaFayette,  Mo.,  where  he  owned  a  160-acre 
farm.  He  died  in  1900,  aged  eighty-two  years; 
his  wife  survived  until  June  15,  1903,  dying  in 
her  seventy-sixth  year.  Fred  Oberhelman 
came  to  Sublette  Township  in  1866.  where  he 
engaged  in  farming  until  1871.  when  he  re- 
moved to  Sublette  village  and  established  his 


8io 


HISTORY   OF   LEE    COUNTY, 


present  business.  In  1882  his  brother,  John 
W.,  became  a  partner  in  the  enterprise,  and  the 
sales  of  the  firm  average  about  $200,000  annu- 
ally. On  March  22,  1866,  air.  Oberhelman  was 
married  to  Mary  E.  Betz,  born  in  Hesse  Darm- 
stadt, Germany,  May  25,  1843,  daughter  of  John 
and  Elizabeth  (Blass)  Betz,  who  came  to  Lee 
County  in  1844.  John  Betz  was  a  farmer  by 
occupation,  and  died  in  1898,  aged  about  eighty- 
two  years,  while  his  wife  died  in  1876  in  her 
fifty-sixth  year.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Oberhelman 
raised  an  adopted  daughter,  Emma  A.  (now 
Mrs.  George  Barth).  In  politics  Mr.  Oberhel- 
man is  a  Democrat,  and  was  Supervisor  of 
Sublette  Township  two  years.  Town  Clerk  two 
years.  Trustee  of  the  Village  Board  nine  years; 
is  now  serving  his  third  term  as  Justice  of 
the  Peace,  and  has,  for  many  years,  been  a 
Notary  Public.  He  and  his  wife  are  members 
of  the  Evangelical  Lutheran  church.  During 
the  late  Rebellion,  Mr.  Oberhelman  was  a 
member  of  the  Missiouri  State  Militia. 

JOHN  WILLIAM  OBERHELMAN,  dealer  in 
lumber,  grain  and  coal,  Sublette,  111.,  was  born 
in  Warren  County,  Mo.,  Oct.  30,  1853,  son  of 
Frederick  A.  and  Anna  Christine  (Knoepker) 
Oberhelman.  natives  of  Westphalia,  Germany. 
After  reaching  his  majority  he  clerked  in  his 
uncle's  store  at  Hopewell,  Mo.,  for  two  years, 
then  came  to  Sublette,  where  he  was  employed 
for  the  same  length  of  time  in  a  grain  and 
feed  store  belonging  to  his  brother,  Fred;  after- 
wards became  a  partner  in  the  store  of  Ober- 
helman &  Bittendorf,  but  two  years  later  en- 
gaged to  work  for  his  brother  Fred,  being  thus 
employed  until  1SS2,  when  he  entered  into  a 
partnership  with  him,  and  has  since  been  iden- 
tified with  the  business.  On  June  14,  1883, 
he  married  Augusta  D.  Bansan,  born  in  Sub- 
lette, daughter  of  Henry  and  Louise  (Miller) 
Bansan.  the  former  a  native  of  Schleswig  Hol- 
stein,  and  the  latter  of  Hanover.  Germany. 
Mr.  Bansan  is  still  living,  but  his  wife  died  in 
1883.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Oberhelman  have  five  chil- 
dren: William  F.,  Paulina  C.  Fred  A.,  Arthur 
and  Lenora.  Mr.  Oberhelman  and  his  family 
are  members  of  the  Evangelical  Lutheran 
church.  In  political  views  he  is  a  Democrat, 
and  has  been  Town  Clerk  since  1SS7;  was 
Township  Collector  four  years.  School  Director 
fifteen  years.  Village  Treasurer  several  terms, 
and    was   the   first   Village    Clerk    of   Sublette, 


and  recorded  the  ordinances  when  the  village 
was  organized,  in  February,  1893. 

JOSEPH  PEMBERTON  PLUMMER,  shoe 
manufacturer,  Dixon,  111.,  was  born  at  Rich- 
mond, Ind.,  Feb.  3,  1859.  His  ancestors  were 
Quakers  for  many  generations.  In  1875  Mr. 
Plummer  entered  the  commercial  world  as 
oifice  boy  for  C.  M.  Henderson  &  Co.,  Chicago, 
manufacturers  of  boots  and  shoes,  and  was 
advanced  by  stages  until  he  became  factory 
superintendent.  In  1883  he  was  married  to 
Sarah  A.  Lightcap,  of  Allegheny,  Penn.,  and 
of  this  union  two  daughters  have  been  born- 
Florence,  in  1884,  and  Rachel,  in  1889.  Mr. 
Plummer  entered  the  wholesale  drug  house 
of  Morrisson.  Plummer  &  Co.,  Chicago,  in  1891, 
retired  from  the  company  in  1901  to  enter 
the  Watson-Plummer  Shoe  Company,  as  Sec- 
retary and  Treasurer,  the  latter  company  being 
successors  to  his  first  employers,  C.  M.  Hen- 
derson &  Co.  He  is  also  Secretary  and  Treas- 
urer of  the  Dixon  Ice  Company. 

HON.  CHARLES  F.  PRESTON,  Attorney 
and  Mayor  of  Paw  Paw,  111.,  was  born  in 
Marion  Township,  Lee  County,  111,,  Jan,  20, 
1860,  the  son  of  James  H.  and  Nancy  A.  (May- 
dole)  Preston,  natives  of  New  York,  v,'hoi  came 
to  Lee  County.  111.,  in  1854,  and  settled  at 
Amboy.  Charles  F.  Preston  obtained  his  pre- 
paratory education  in  the  Lee  County  public 
schools  and  at  Normal,  III.,  and  afterwards 
read  law  with  Charles  H.  Wooster,  of  Amboy, 
being  admitted  to  the  bar  in  May,  1882.  In 
1883  he  located  at  Paw  Paw,  where  he  has 
since  been  actively  engaged  in  practicing  his 
profession.  Politically  he  is  a  Democrat,  and 
was  elected  Mayor  of  Paw  Paw  in  1891,  having 
served  continuously  since  that  date.  On  Oc- 
tober 6,  1886,  Mr.  Preston  was  married  to  Ida 
A.,  the  daughter  of  Jacob  and  Jane  (Carey) 
Hendershot,  the  former  a  merchant  at  Paw 
Paw  for  many  years.  To  this  union  three 
children— Frances  H.,  Hazel  J.  and  Rolland 
C. — have  been  born.  Fraternally  Mr.  Preston 
is  a  Mason,  and  belongs  to  Blue  Lodge  at 
Paw  Paw,  and  the  Chapter  at  Mendota.  Mrs 
Preston  died  at  Paw  Paw.  111.,  Jan.  2.  1904. 

WILBUR  A.  PRATT,  druggist.  Paw  Paw, 
111.,  was  born  at  Deep  River.  Conn..  Oct.  5. 
1852.  son  of  Henry  H.  and  Mary  Jane  (Com- 
stockj   Pratt.     In  the  spring  of  1857  he  came. 


HISTORY   OF   LEE    COUNTY. 


with  his  parents,  to  Sandwich,  111.,  where  he 
remained  until  JIarch  19,  1S73,  when  he  re 
moved  to  Paw  Paw,  and  engaged  in  the  drug 
business.  On  January  10,  1878,  he  married 
Mamie  E.  Berry,  of  Paw  Paw,  and  they  are  the 
parents  of  five  children — ^Merritt  B.,  Winuie 
H.  (deceased).  Dale  B.  (deceased),  Helen  and 
Rogers  W.  In  political  sentiment  Mr.  Pratt  is 
a  Republican,  and  served  as  Village  Treasurer 
(Paw  Paw)  four  years.  Socially  he  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  I.  O.  O.  F.,  and  M.  W.  A.  He  and 
his  wife  are  members  of  the  Baptist  church. 

WILLIAM  W.  PHILLIPS,  farmer,  Compton, 
111.,  was  born  in  Viola  Township,  Lee  County. 
111.,  Nov  14,  1862,  son  of  Richard  and  Amelia 
(Davenport)  Phillips.  Richard  Phillips  a  a 
native  of  Ireland,  and  came  to  Lee  County  in 
1851.  locating  in  Viola  Township.  He  is  still 
living  on  the  old  homestead.  William  W.  Phil- 
lips owns  a  200-acre  farm  in  Viola  Township, 
but  resides  in  Compton.  In  October,  1887,  he 
married  Jane  Stainbrook,  daughter  of  Isaiah 
and  Isabella  (Davidson)  Stainbrook,  and  to 
them  two  children  have  been  born,  Jeaiiette 
A.  and  George  (deceased).  In  political  vieA- 
Mr.  Phillips  is  a  Republican,  and  has  served 
as  Township  Treasurer  for  thirteen  years,  and 
is  a  member  of  the  Compton  School  Board.  In 
fraternal  relations  he  is  a  member  of  the  Ma- 
sonic Order,  Eastern  Star  and  I.  O.  O.  F.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Phillips  are  members  of  the  Method- 
ist Episcopal  church. 

LORENZO  T.  PRESTON  was  born  in  La- 
peer, Cortland  County,  N.  Y..  Dec.  24,  1S41. 
son  of  Charles  and  Susan  (Burgess)  Preston, 
natives  of  Massachusetts  and  Maine,  respect- 
ively. L.  T.  Preston  was  educated  in  the  pub- 
lic schools  of  Manchester,  Wis.,  where  his 
parents  had  moved  in  1846.  He  later  paid  his 
way,  three  years,  in  Lav/rence  University.  Ap- 
pleton.  Wis.,  and  on  May  13,  1864,  enlisted  in 
Company  E,  Fortieth  Regiment,  Wisconsin 
Volunteer  Infantry,  and  at  the  expiration  of  his 
term  of  service,  was  discharged  Sept.  13,  1864. 
After  the  war  he  settled  in  Dixon.  111.,  and 
worked  at  the  carpenter's  trade,  and  taught 
school  in  Lee  County  until  1870,  when  he  went 
to  Ottertail  County,  Minn.,  and  took  up  a  home- 
stead of  160  acres,  where  he  combined  farming 
with  his  trade  and  profession,  and  held  various 
political  offices  in  the  county.    August  30,  1871, 


he  married  Rosella  A.  Wallace,  who  was  born 
in  Vermont,  Dec.  12,  1854,  and  to  them  five 
children  have  been  born,  viz.:  Harry,  born  at 
Otter.  Minn.,  June  21,  1872,  and  resides  in 
Portland,  Oregon;  Ernest  C,  born  at  Otter, 
June  1,  1874,  and  resides  at  Sterling,  III.; 
Walter  L.,  born  at  Otter,  Jan.  10,  1877,  and 
resides  at  Dixon,  III.;  Maude  R.,  born  in  Lee 
County,  May  23,  1886;  and  Kate  S.,  born  Nov. 
24,  1888.  In  1877  Mr.  Preston  emigrated  with 
his  family  to  Illinois,  and  in  Lee  County  he 
again  took  up  the  trade  and  profession  he  had 
previously  followed  for  years,  and  in  which 
he  has  since  been  actively  engaged.  A  Repub- 
lican in  politics,  he  has  never  sought  office. 
He  is  a  Master  Mason,  and  is  an  active  mem- 
ber of  the  G.  A.  R.,  M.  W.  A.,  and  R.  N.  A.; 
has  been  a  resident  of  Dixon  since  1877,  and 
taken  an  interest  in  all  public  affairs. 

PHILIP  S.  PIERCE,  farmer.  Wyoming  Town- 
ship, Lee  County,  III.,  was  born  in  Paw  Paw 
Township,  De  Kalb  County,  111..  Oct.  8,  1847, 
son  of  Charles  and  Catherine  (Sine)  Pierce 
natives  of  Pennsylvania,  who  drove  from  the 
Keystone  State  to  DeKalb  County  in  1844,  and 
located  in  Lee  County  in  1855.  Philip  S.  Pierce 
located  on  his  present  160-acre  farm  in  1902. 
On  Feb.  20,  1S69,  he  married  Ada  E.  Barringer, 
daughter  of  John  and  Delia  (Barringer)  Bar- 
ringer, and  they  have  seven  children,  viz.: 
Everett,  Mate,  Philip,  Harry  Blanche,  Mabel 
and  Wayne.  In  politics  Mr.  Pierce  is  a  Repub- 
lican, and  has  served  as  Township  Collector 
two  years.  Deputy  Sheriff  four  years,  and  asi 
Constable  twelve  years.  He  is  a  prominent 
Masan.  being  a  Knight  Templar  of  that  order. 

WILLIAM  PANKHURST  (deceased)  was 
born  in  Westfleld.  England,  Dec.  8,  1837,  son  of 
John  and  Mary  (Welfare)  Pankhurst.  Mr. 
Pankhurst  came  to  the  United  States  in  the 
spring  of  1850,  locating  at  Grand  de  Tour  in 
1851,  and  Dixon  in  1861.  On  September  20, 
1862,  he  enlisted  in  Company  A,  Seventy-fifth 
Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry,  serving  in  the 
Union  ranks  until  his  discharge  in  May,  186a. 
Returning  to  Dixon  after  the  close  of  the  war 
he  v/as  employed  in  the  posto'ffice  for  many 
years,  and  was  afterwards  occupied  as  a  flor- 
ist for  twenty-one  years.  On  September  8, 
1862,  he  married  Ella  V..  daughter  of  Orville 
and  Elizabeth  A.  (Lyons)  Hamilton,  natives  of 


8l2 


HISTORY   OF   LEE    COUNTY. 


Connecticut  and  New  York,  respectively.  Mr. 
Hamilton  enlisted  in  Company  A,  Thirteenth 
Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry,  and  served  during 
the  Civil  War.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Pankhurst  two 
children  were  born — Mary  E.  and  Willis  (de- 
ceased). Mr.  Pankhurst  died  may  30,  1S97, 
his  wife  dying  March  27.  1899.  Miss  Mary  E. 
Pankhurst  is  an  active  member  of  the  Daugh- 
ters of  the   American   Revolution. 

WILLIAM  T.  PRESTON,  retired  farmer  and 
merchant.  Steward,  111.,  was  born  at  Newark. 
Kendall  County,  111.,  Dec.  6.  1839,  son  of  Luman 
and  Lucinda  (Bishop)  Preston,  who  were  na- 
tives of  Vermont,  and,  after  marriage  there, 
came  to  Morgan  County,  III.,  by  team  in  1834. 
Luman  Preston  followed  the  occupation  of  a 
farmer,  and  he  and  his  wife  reared  a  family 
of  eight  children,  of  v,'hom  the  subject  of  this 
sketch  was  sixth.  William  T.  remained  with 
his  parents  until  twentyone  years  of  age,  in 
the  meantime  attending  the  district  school, 
and  in  1861,  enlisted  in  the  Twentieth  Regi- 
ment Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry,  being  mus- 
tered in  at  Joliet,  June  13,  1861,  and  among 
other  numerous  engagements,  taking  part  in 
the  battle  of  Shiloh,  the  Vicksburg  campaign, 
and  the  march  with  Sherman  to  the  sea,  and 
later  in  the  grand  review  at  Washington,  being 
finally  mustered  out  at  Louisville,  Ky.,  and 
discharged  at  Chicago,  July  24.  1865.  Mr.  Pres- 
ton rose  from  the  ranks  to  the  office  of  Ser- 
geant, and  for  two  years  of  his  term  of  enlist- 
ment was  on  detached  service.  After  the  close 
of  the  war  he  returned  to  Kendall  County,  111., 
and  there  engaged  in  farming  until  1869,  when 
he  removed  to  Lee  Coimty  and  bought  a  farm 
on  Section  36,  in  Reynold's  Township,  where 
he  carried  on  farming  seven  years.  In  1876 
he  removed  to  Steward,  his  present  residence, 
and  there  engaged  in  the  grocery  and  clothing 
business,  but  selling  out  Dec.  1,  1888,  has  since 
been  practically  retired  except  one  and  a  half 
years  (1S96-9S)  spent  at  Hammond.  La.  In 
1878  he  was  appointed  Postmaster  of  Heaton 
(the  original  name  of  Steward),  Lee  County, 
serving  until  1SS4.  October  3,  1866,  he  was 
married  to  Mrs.  Corilla  A.  Coleman  (nee  Rich- 
ards), who  had  three  children  by  her  former 
marriage.  Mr.  Preston  is  a  Republican  in  poli- 
tics, a  member  of  Rochelle  Post.  No.  .546.  G. 
A.  R..  and.  at  the  present  time,  is  serving  as 
Pathmaster  of  his  township. 


HORACE  PRESTON  (deceased)  was  born  at 
New  Ipswich,  N.  H.,  May  12,  1819,  son  of  Jere- 
miah and  Anna  (Proctor)  Preston,  natives  of 
the  same  State.  Horace  Preston  came  to  Dix- 
on in  May,  1838,  and  opened  the  first  black- 
smith shop  in  the  city,  continuing  in  the  busi- 
ness for  many  years,  also  building  the  first 
brick  house  in  Dixon.  Later  he  engaged  in 
farming  in  South  Dixon,  Lee  Center  Township, 
but  finally  retired  to  Dixon,  where  he  died 
August  7,  1888.  He  was  married  Oct.  27,  1847, 
to  Lucy  Jane  Wood,  daughter  of  Martin  and 
Lucy  Wood,  who  came  from  Middlebury,  Vt. 
to  Dixon  in  1849,  and  to  them  were  born  six 
children:  Lucy  J.  (deceased),  Mary  E..  (Mrs. 
M.  E.  Grosse),  Jennie  (Mrs.  W.  Packard), 
Horace  Jr.  (deceased),  Clara  A.  (Mrs.  Marcus 
Rowe.  of  Clinton,  Iowa),  and  Grace  E.  (de- 
ceased). Mrs.  Preston  was  one  of  the  pioneer 
school  teachers  of  Lee  County,  receiving  |2.00 
per  week  salary  for  her  services  there.  She 
died  April  25,  1888.  In  political  sentiment  Mr. 
Preston  was  a  Democrat.  He  was  a  member 
of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church;  fraternally 
a  Mason,  being  one  of  the  charter  members 
of  the  Dixon  Lodge. 

NICHOLAS  PLEIN,  proprietor  of  the  Sev- 
enth Street  Brewery,  Dixon,  111.,  v,'as  born  in 
Trier,  Germany,  Nov.  18,  1848,  son  of  John  and 
Margaret  (Plein)  Plein.  He  obtained  his  edu- 
cation in  the  Fatherland,  and  in  1865  came  di- 
rect from  his  German  home  to  Dixon,  111., 
where  he  was  employed  in  various  capacities 
for  eight  years.  His  parents  came  to  America 
a  few  years  later  than  he.  and  settled  in  Lee 
County,  where  they  died.  In  1837  Mr.  Nicholas 
Plein  was  married  to  Christina  Sold,  a  widow, 
and  at  that  time,  owner  of  the  brewery.  Mr. 
Plein's  brewery  has  a  capacity  of  3,000  barrels 
annually,  and  his  beer  is  manufactured  from 
pure  malt,  hops  and  East  India  rice.  He  em- 
ploys five  men  in  his  establishment,  and  sup- 
plies much  of  the  local  trade.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Plein  five  children  have  been  born— Kate, 
Louis.  Harry,  Maud  and  George — all  of  whom 
have  had  advantages  of  obtaining  a  good  edu- 
cation. Mr.  Plein  is  a  member  of  the  Catholic 
church ;  socially  is  an  Odd  Fellow,  and  in  poli- 
tics a  Republican. 

BENJAMIN  ROBERTS,  farmer.  Paw  Paw, 
111.,  was  born  at  Yorkville.  Kendall  County.  111., 


HISTORY   OF   LEE    COUNTY. 


Oct.  S,  1S60,  the  son  of  Hendrick  H.  and  Eliza- 
beth (Scott)  Roberts,  natives  of  New  Jersey, 
who  came  to  Illinois  in  1855.  In  1892  Mr.  Rob- 
erts began  farming  operations  for  himself,  and 
nov/  owns  137%  acres  of  land  east  of  Paw 
Paw.  June  16,  1891,  he  married  Martha  P. 
Carnahan  of  Paw  Paw,  111.,  and  they  have  two 
children,  Lcius  and  Benjamin  E.  In  political 
opinions  Mr.  Roberts  is  a  Republican,  and  in 
religious  views  a  Baptist.  In  April,  1903,  he 
wasi  elected  member  of  the  Board  of  Aldermen 
of  Paw  Paw,  and  in  the  same  year  chosen 
School  Director.  He  is  a  member  of  the  I.  O. 
O.  F.  and  M.  W.  A. 

HENRY  L.  ROBERTS,  farmer,  Paw  Paw,  111., 
was  born  at  Red  Bank,  N.  J.,  Nov.  28,  1847,  and 
came  west  with  his  parents  in  1855,  the  family 
settling  at  Yorkville,  Kendall  County,  111.  Mr. 
Roberts  conducted  a  farm  in  partnership  with 
his  father  for  ten  years,  and  then  purchased 
130  acres  of  land  east  of  Paw  Paw,  111.  His 
estate  now  consists  of  167  acres.  He  married, 
on  Jan.  1,  1871,  Eva  Cornell,  and  they  are  the 
parents  of  five  children:  Crawford,  LeRoy,  Etta 
May,  Lura,  Henry  V.  (deceased)  and  Blanche. 
Mr.  Roberts  is  a  Republican  in  politics,  and  in 
religious  belief  a  Baptist. 

JACOB  W.  RHOADS.  merchant,  Compton, 
111.,  was  born  in  Seneca  County.  Ohio.  Jan.  25, 
1857,  son  of  John  and  Sarah  (Williams) 
Rhoads,  natives,  respectively,  of  Pennsylvania 
and  Ohio,  who  came  to  Lee  County  in  1856. 
Jacob  W.  Rhoads  is  a  partner  of  John  L.  Clapp 
in  the  mercantile  business  at  Compton.  On 
December  2,  1875,  he  married  Rhoda  Koons, 
daughter  of  Nathan  and  Charlotte  (South) 
Koons,  and  of  this  union  there  are  seven  chil- 
dren: Harvey  L.,  Joseph  W.,  Emma  M,,  Ethel 
D.,  Minnie,  Glenn  and  Nathan.  In  political 
opinions  he  is  a  Republican,  and  has  been  a 
member  of  the  Village  Board  seventeen  years, 
and  for  the  last  two  years  has  been  clerk  of 
the  same.  Fraternally  he  is  a  member  of  the 
M.  W.  A.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Rhoads  are  members 
of  the  United  Brethren  church  at  Compton. 


ing  to  Lee  County  in  1853,  began  to  work  at 
his  trade,  carpentering,  following  this  occupa- 
tion until  1859,  when  he  made  an  overland 
trip  to  California,  where  he  remained  about 
one  and  a  half  years.  Returning  to  Illinois  in 
1860,  he  bought  a  small  tract  of  land  in  Willow 
Creek  Township,  to  which  he  made  subsequent 
additions  until  he  ov.'ned  over  600  acres,  and 
devoted  his  attention  to  general  farming  until 
1900,  when  he  removed  to  Paw  Paw,  and  has 
since  lived  retired.  October  15,  1863,  he  mar- 
ried Lydia  A.  Mittan,  daughter  of  Jeptha  P. 
and  Jane  (Beemer)  Mittan,  who  settled  in  Wil- 
low Creek  Township  in  1850.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Rosenkrans  have  two  sons — Anson  P.  and 
Byron  M. — who  are  farmers  in  Wyoming  Town- 
ship. Lee  County.  Fraternally  Mr.  Rosenkrans 
is  a  member  of  the  Anchor  Lodge,  No.  510.  I. 
O.   O.  F. 

FRANCIS  E.  ROGERS,  farmer.  Wyoming 
Township,  Lee  County,  111.,  was  born  in  Luzerne 
County,  Penn.,  August  2,  1840,  son  of  Blihu  and 
Beersheba  (Stiles)  Rogers,  natives  of  Pennsyl- 
vania, who  located  on  the  farm  now  occupied 
by  their  son — F.  E.  Rogers — in  1848,  where 
the  former  died  in  1873,  while  the  latter  passed 
away  in  1853.  F.  E.  Rogers  remained  under 
the  parental  roof  until  March  4,  1865,  when  he 
enlisted  in  Company  G,  Fifteenth  Illinois  Vol- 
unteer Infantry,  and,  with  his  regiment,  was 
first  stationed  in  North  Carolina,  but  later 
went  to  Washington,  where  he  took  part  in  the 
grand  review  and  was  discharged  at  Leaven- 
worth, Kansas,  Sept.  16,  1865.  Returning  to 
the  farm  after  the  close  of  hostilities,  he  pur- 
chased his  father's  homestead  at  the  time  of 
the  latter's  death.  On  April  25,  1866,  he  mar- 
ried Nancy  P.  Barratt,  and  to  them  three  chil- 
dren were  born,  viz.:  Belle  C,  wife  of  Joseph 
A.  Miller;  Frank  D.,  who  married  Grace  B. 
Rosenkrans;  Mary  E.,  wife  of  George  R.  Mc- 
Henry.  In  politics  Mr.  Rogers  is  a  Republican, 
and  was  elected  Township  Supervisor  in  1890, 
and  has  served  continuously  since  that  date. 
Socially  he  is  a  member  of  W.  H.  Thompson 
Post  G.  A.   R..  at   Paw  Paw. 


ANDREW  H.  ROSENKRANS.  retired  farmer. 
Paw  Paw,  111.,  was  born  in  the  State  of  Nev/ 
York,  March  10,  1835,  son  cf  Abram  and 
Lydia  (Henry)  Rosenkrans.  He  worked  on 
his  father's  farm  in  Pennsylvania,  and  on  ccm- 


JOHN  S.  RICHARDSON,  farmer.  Brooklyn 
Township,  Lee  County,  111.,  was  born  in  the 
township  where  he  now  resides.  Feb.  3.  1863. 
sen  of  Nathan  W.  and  Dorothy  T.  (Smith) 
Richardson.      Mr.   Richardson  married,   August 


Si4 


HISTORY   OF   LEE    COUXTY. 


30,  1893,  Lovanche  Merriman,  daughter  of 
Avery  and  Josephine  Merriman,  and  to  them 
four  children  were  born,  viz.:  Kathleen,  Wilder 
A.,  Robert  M.  and  John  R.  Mrs.  Richardson 
died  May  7,  1901,  and  on  May  27,  1903,  Mr. 
Richardson  married,  for  his  second  wife,  Mary 
F.  Nicholson,  daughter  of  Thomas  Nicholson  of 
Lee  County.  Mr.  Richardson's  farm  comprises 
320  acres,  and  he  devotes  his  attention  to  gen- 
eral farming  and  stock-raising.  In  political 
opinions  he  is  a  Republican,  and  is  now  (1903) 
serving  his  third  term  as  Township  School 
Treasurer.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal   church. 

NATHAN  W.  RICHARDSON,  farmer,  Brook- 
lyn Township,  Lee  County,  111.,  was  born  in 
Vermont,  August  23,  1827,  son  of  Stephen  and 
Eerepty  (Wilder)  Richardson,  who  were  na- 
tives of  Vermont  and  New  Hampshire,  respect- 
ively, and  came  to  Bureau  County,  111.,  in  1835. 
In  1850  Mr.  Richardson  went,  overland,  to  Cali- 
fornia, returning  four  years  later  by  v.-ay  of 
the  Isthmus  of  Panama  and  New  York.  For 
many  years  he  was  engaged  in  farming  in 
Brooklyn  Township,  owning,  at  one  time,  320 
acres  of  land.  On  March  4,  1862,  he  was  mar- 
ried to  Dorothy  T.,  daughter  of  John  and 
Rachel  (Wycoff)  Smith,  and  to  them  three 
children — John  S.,  Albert  N.  (deceased),  and 
Mary  E.— have  been  born.  He  is  a  Republican 
in  politics,  and  has  served  six  years  as  School 
Director  and  four  years  as  Pathmaster.  Mr. 
Richardson  is  liberal  in  his  religious  views. 

CORNELIUS  S.  ROSSITER,  electrical  en- 
gineer. Dixon,  111.,  was  born  in  Chester  County, 
Penn.,  Sept.  9,  1837,  son  of  Jacob  and  Mary 
Ann  (Anderson)  Rossiter.  who  were  also  na- 
tives of  the  Keystone  State.  Cornelius  S.  Ros- 
siter came  to  Illinois  in  1868.  He  enlisted  in 
Company  K,  Thirty-third  Pennsylvania  Volun- 
teer Infantry,  and  served  in  the  Union  Army 
three  years.  During  his  service  he  was  seven 
days  in  front  of  Richmond  under  General  Mc- 
Clellan.  and  participated  in  many  hard-fought 
engagements  of  the  war,  receiving  a  severe 
v.'ound  in  the  battle  of  Anteitam.     On  October 

31,  1874,  he  was  married  to  Edith  Drew,  and 
they  have  six  children — Jacob  L..  Lloyd  H.. 
Cora  E..  Charlotte,  Jennie  B.  and  Edith.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Rossiter  reside  at  335  Fellows  Street. 
Dixcn. 


JOHN  E.  RIPLEY  (deceased)  was  born  in 
Whiteside  County,  111,,  July  31,  1855,  son  of 
Charles  P,  and  Sarah  (Merrick)  Ripley,  natives 
of  New  York  and  Virginia,  respectively,  who 
located  in  Whiteside  County,  111.,  in  1855.  On 
February  28,  1878,  Mr.  Ripley  married  Flora  E. 
Long,  daughter  of  L.  F.  and  Sevilla  (Haase) 
Long,  natives  of  Pennsylvania,  who  settled  in 
Illinois  in  1856,  locating  at  Ashton,  Lee  County. 
To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ripley  two  daughters — Bessie 
G.  and  E.  Blanche— were  born.  In  1890  Mr. 
Ripley  removed  to  Dixon,  111.,  where,  for  ten 
years,  he  was  engaged  in  the  grocery  business. 
He  died  Sept.  17,  1901.  He  and  his  family 
were  members  of  the  Baptist  church. 

SAMUEL  and  MARY  (CAMPBELL)  SHAW, 
Dixon,  111.,  came  as  pioneers  to  Cass  County, 
111.,  in  1833;  in  1855  removed  with  their  family 
to  Lee  County,  and  there  engaged  in  farming 
and  stock-raising.  The  village  of  Prairieville 
was  built  on  one  corner  of  their  farm.  James, 
their  oldest  son,  graduated  from  Illinois  Col- 
lege, studied  law  and  located  at  Mt.  Carroll. 
111.,  where  he  practiced  his  profession  many 
years;  was  chosen  a  Presidential  Elector  on  the 
Republican  ticket  in  1872,  served  four  terms  as 
Representative  in  the  General  Assembly,  being 
Speaker  of  the  House  during  the  session  of 
1876,  and  in  1891  was  elected  Judge  of  the 
Circuit  Court,  and  reelected  in  1897,  serving 
until  June,  1903,  when  he  retired.  Tv.'o  other 
sons,  William  and  Archibald,  emigrated,  re- 
spectively, to  Missouri  and  Kansas,  the  latter 
serving  as  a  member  of  the  Kansas  Legislature, 
and  Truste3  of  the  State  Penitentiary.  Tim- 
othy, the  fourth  son,  while  a  student  in  Illi- 
nois College,  Jacksonville,  enlisted  April  16, 
1861,  under  the  first  call  for  troops  during  the 
Civil  War,  and  was  enrolled  as  the  first  volun- 
teer from  Lee  County,  but  died  at  Cairo  in 
August  following.  Samuel,  tne  youngest  son, 
graduated  from  the  Albany,  N.  Y..  Law  School, 
and  has  since  been  engaged  in  practice  and  the 
real  estate  business  in  Kansas  City,  Mo. 
Samuel  Shaw,  Sr.,  and  his  three  sons,  Archi- 
bald, Timothy  and  Samuel,  Jr.,  were  all  sol- 
diers of  the  Civil  War.  In  1876  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Shaw  removed  with  their  daughters  to  Dixon, 
111.,  and  there  the  daughter  Katherine  was 
married  to  Hon.  S.  H.  Bethea,  now  (1903) 
IT.  S.  District  Attorney  for  the  Northern  Dis- 
trict of  Illinois.    Mrs.  Bethea  died  March,  1893: 


HISTORY   OF   LEE    COUNTY. 


the  brother  Archibald,  in  Kansas.  May,  1888; 
Samuel  Shav,',  Sr.,  August,  1891;  and  Mrs. 
Shaw,  the  mother,  in  May,  1897.  Two  daugh- 
ters, Elizabeth  J.  and  Mary  A.,  occupy  the 
family  home  in  Dixon. 

JAMES  A.  SMITH,  farmer.  Section  20,  Alto 
Township,  Lee  County,  111.,  was  born  in  Frank- 
lin County  Ohio,  ten  miles  northwest  of  Co- 
lumbus, Feb.  20,  1832,  son  of  Abraham  and 
Millie  (Kancuse)  Smith.  James  A.  Smith  re- 
mained with  his  parents  until  twenty-two  years 
of  age,  and  obtained  his  education  in  the  dis- 
trict school.  He  came  to  Lee  County,  111.,  in 
1854,  at  first  being  employed  as  a  farm-hand, 
but  later  bought  eighty  acres  of  land,  upon 
which  he  settled  in  1857,  building  at  that  time 
a  small  house,  and  erected  his  present  attract- 
ive residence  in  1879.  April  2,  1857.  Mr.  Smith 
was  married  to  Martha  Cooper,  daughter  of 
Garrett  and  Sarah  (Smith)  Cooper,  who  re- 
cently became  residents  of  Alto  Tov.'nship.  To 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Smith  eleven  children  have  been 
born,  eight  of  whom  are  now  living,  viz.:  Whit- 
field, Elmer,  Ira,  Ernest,  Martin,  Lottie,  Ada 
and  Wesley.  Mr.  Smith  has  240  acres  in  his 
home  farm  and  271  acres  in  Sections  17  and  18, 
the  former  being  managed  by  his  sons,  Martin 
and  Wesley,  and  the  latter  by  his  son  Whit- 
field. Fraternally  Mr.  Smith  is  a  Mason,  in 
politics  a  Republican,  and  has  served  his  fel- 
low-townsmen as  Road  Commissioner  and  as 
a  member  of  the  School  Board. 

FOREST  E.  STILES,  grain  dealer.  West 
Brooklyn,  111.,  was  born  in  Washington  County, 
Kansas,  Oct.  23,  1872,  son  of  A.  B.  and  Susan 
(McFall)  Stiles,  natives  of  Illinois  and  Indiana, 
respectively.  Mr.  Stiles  came  to  West  Brook- 
lyn in  1902,  and  engaged  in  the  grain  business. 
On  August  11,  1897,  he  married  Etta  Leavens, 
daughter  of  Charles  and  Sarah  Ann  (Stout) 
Leavens  of  Lee  County.  In  political  sentiment 
he  is  a  Republican,  and  in  religious  belief  a 
Methodist. 

HENRY  W.  SUNDAY,  blacksmith  and  dealer 
in  agricultural  implements,  Franklin  Grove, 
Lee  County.  111.,  was  born  Nov.  18,  1859,  son 
of  Solomon  Sunday,  an  early  settler  of  Lee 
County.  Henry  W.  was  educated  in  the  Frank- 
lin Grove  schools,  and  worked  on  a  farm  un- 
til   he    was    eighteen    years   of    age.    when    he 


learned  the  blacksmith  trade,  and  in  1883 
bought  out  the  business  of  his  father,  which  he 
has  carried  on  continuously  ever  since.  In 
1902  Mr.  Sunday  added  to  his  business  that  of 
dealing  in  agricultural  implements.  January  7, 
1883,  he  was  married  to  Agnes  Kreger,  and 
they  have  had  five  children:  May,  Florence, 
Hazel  (deceased),  Donald  and  one  who  died  in 
infancy.  Mr.  Sunday  is  a  Republican  politically, 
and  a  member  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias, 
Knights  of  the  Globe  and  Modern  Woodmea 
c?  -America. 

GEORGE  W.  SCHAFER.  farmer  and  stock- 
raiser,  Bradford  Township.  Lee  County.  Ui.. 
was  born  on  his  present  homestead,  June  2, 
1855,  son  of  Carl  and  Mary  (Eisenberg)  Schal'- 
er,  natives  of  Germany.  Carl  Schafer  was 
born  in  1824,  and  died  in  1891,  while  his  wife 
was  born  in  1826  and  died  April  2,  1857.  They 
were  married  in  Germany,  became  the  parents 
of  five  children,  and  came  to  America  in  1852, 
locating  in  Lee  County  in  1854,  where  Mr. 
Schafer  owned  520  acres  of  land  at  the  time  of 
his  death.  George  W.  Schafer  rented  a  farm 
in  1877,  but  later  bought  his  present  240-acre 
farm.  December  25,  1877,  he  married  Anna 
Barbara  Roth,  and  to  them  seven  sons  have 
been  born — Charles  W.,  William  C,  Harry  C, 
Edward  G.,  Albert  J.,  Adam  C.  and  Clifford  G 
Mrs.  Schafer's  parents,  John  and  Anna  B. 
(Barnhart)  Roth,  were  natives  of  Germany, 
and  came  to  Lee  County  in  1858,  locating  at 
Lee  Center,  where  the  former  died  in  1893, 
aged  seventy-four  years,  and  the  latter  in 
1892.  in  her  seventy-second  year.  In  politics 
Mr.  Schafer  is  a  Republican,  and  has  been 
School  Director  for  many  years;  is  manager  of 
the  Bradford  Insurance  Company,  and  a  mem- 
ber of  the  M.  W.  A.  His  family  attend  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  church. 

ELIAS  SHELL,  farmer,  East  Grove,  Town- 
ship, Lee  County,  III.,  was  born  near  Findlay, 
Ohio,  Oct.  30,  1830,  the  son  of  Abraham  and 
Lydia  (Fought)  Shell,  natives  of  Virginia  and 
Pennsylvania,  respectively.  Elias  Shell  was 
raised  on  his  father's  farm,  attended  the  dis- 
trict school,  and  in  early  manhood  worked  in 
the  linen  and  cotton  mills  of  his  native  State. 
Coming  to  Lee  County  in  1869,  he  rented  eighty 
acres  of  land  in  Section  32,  East  Grove  Town- 
ship, for  one  year,  but  now  owns  an  estate  of 


8i6 


HISTORY   OF   LEE    COUNTY, 


400  acres  of  the  most  productive  land  in  his 
township,  and  is  considered  the  most  success- 
ful farmer  in  his  section  of  the  county.  De- 
cember 24,  1854,  he  married  Mary  A.  Stultz, 
whose  parents  settled  in  Ohio  at  an  early  date, 
Mrs.  Shell  died  in  1890,  leaving  live  children, 
viz.;  Henry  E.  (a  jeweler  at  Ohio,  111.),  James 
A.,  I.  v.,  L.  E.,  and  Hattie  M.  (Mrs.  A.  J. 
loder) — another  child  is  deceased.  Including 
the  early  homestead,  Mr.  Shell  ovvns  three 
farms  adjacent  to  each  other,  and  these  he 
rents  to  his  sons,  James  A.,  ).  V.  and  L.  E. 
In  politics  he  is  a  Republican,  and  has  served 
as  Overseer  of  Highways  and  School  Director. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
church. 

JAMES  W.  SEYBERT.  farmer  and  dairyman. 
South  Dixon  Township.  Lee  County,  111.,  was 
born  in  Luzerne  County,  Penn.,  May  1,  1851, 
son  of  Wallace  and  Desire  (Hill)  Seybert,  who 
were  also  natives  of  the  Keystone  State,  and 
came  to  Lee  County  in  1862,  where  they  both 
died  in  1896.  For  many  years  James  W.  Sey- 
bert has  been  one  of  the  leading  farmers  of 
South  Dixon  Township.  July  3,  1884,  he  mar- 
ried Laura  M.  Hill,  daughter  of  Austin  and 
Hester  (Straton)  Hill,  pioneer  settlers  of  Lee 
County,  and  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Seybert  three  chil- 
dren have  been  born,  viz.:  Eva  P.,  born  Sept. 
7,  1891;  Grover  C,  born  Oct.  19.  1893:  and  Hes- 
ter J.,  born  Oct.  5,  1903.  In  political  views  Mr. 
Seybert  is  a  Democrat,  and  in  religious  belief 
a  Lutheran.  Fraternally  he  is  a  member  of  the 
Crurt   of  Horor. 


SCHUYLER,  E.   SMITH,  Paw   Paw. 
ocrn   at   Rochester,   Ind.,   August   15,   1 


of  Nelson  and  Mary  (Bryant)  Smith.  Schuyler 
E.  Smith  was  brought  to  Paw  Paw,  111.,  by 
his  parents  in  1866,  and  remained  with  them 
on  the  farm  until  nineteen  years  of  age.  For 
two  years  he  was  engaged  as  a  clerk  in  the 
general  store  cf  J.  H.  Thompson,  and  for  six 
years  ^-'as  engaged  in  a  similar  capacity  by 
R.  A.  Hopps.  On  April  24,  1889,  he  was  ap- 
pointed clerk  in  the  Railway  Mail  Service,  and 
holds  that  position  at  the  present  time  (1903). 
July  1,  1902,  he  established  a  livery  business 
at  Paw  Paw,  which  he  still  conducts.  No- 
vember 29.  1883,  he  married  Lucetta  Swarth- 
out.  of  Paw  Paw.  111.,  and  they  have  two  chil- 
dren,  Alfa  DeL.  and   Eugene  B.     Mr.  Smith  is 


a  Republican,  and  a  member  of  the  I.  O.  O.  F. 
He  and  his  family  are  communicants  of  the 
Methodist    Episcopal    'church. 

JOHN  JOSHUA  SEIDEL,  farmer  and  dairy- 
man. Section  5,  Palmyra  Township,  Lee 
County,  111.,  was  born  in  Wurtemburg,  Ger- 
many, Oct.  22,  1845,  son  of  John  G.  and  Bar- 
bara (Zeizer)  Seidel.  In  the  fall  of  1853,  John 
G.  Seidel  and  his  family  came  to  America, 
locating  in  Columbus,  Ohio,  v/here  they  re- 
mained seven  years,  and  in  1860  removed  to 
Whiteside  County,  111.  Mr.  Seidel  died  Nov. 
10,  1885,  and  his  wife  May  11,  1883;  both 
are  buried  in  the  cemetery  at  Sterling,  111. 
John  J.  Seidel  attended  the  primary  schools 
in  the  Fatherland,  and  completed  his  educa- 
tional training  after  coming  to  America.  On 
February  2,  1870,  he  married  Miss  Louisa  Le- 
derer,  a  native  of  Germany,  and  they  are  the 
parents  of  seven  children,  viz.:  Katie,  who 
died  aged  six  years;  Anna  M.,  who  married  E. 
H.  Klosterman:  Lydia  B.;  Bertha  C:  Jennie 
A.,  Frank  W.,  who  assists  his  father  in  con- 
ducting the  farm,  and  Pearl.  Mr.  Seidel  was 
engaged  in  farming  for  fifteen  years  near 
Sterling,  111.,  but  in  1875  removed  to  Dickin- 
son County,  Kansas,  where  he  bought  280  acres 
cf  railroad  land,  upon  which  he  lived  nine- 
teen years,  bringing  the  soil  to  a  high  state  of 
cultivation,  erected  good  farm  buildings  and 
planted  fruit  and  shade  trees.  In  1893,  receiv- 
ing a  very  liberal  offer  for  his  property,  he 
disposed  of  his  holdings  in  Kansas,  and  re- 
turning to  Illinois,  purchased  his  present 
120-acre  farm  the  same  year.  Mr.  Seidel 
keeps  from  thirty-five  to  forty  milch  cows, 
and  sends  his  milk  to  the  Dixon  factory.  In 
political  views  Mr.  Seidel  is  a  Republican,  and 
was  School  Director  one  term.  Socially  he  is 
a  member  of  the  Knights  of  Maccabees,  and  in 
religious  belief  a  Lutheran.  His  children  have 
all  received  good  educational  advantages. 

FRANK  E.  STITELEY,  real-estate,  loan  and 
insurance  agent,  Dixon,  111.,  was  born  at  Mt. 
Carroll,  Carroll  County,  111.,  Nov.  18,  1859,  son 
of  George  W.  and  Mary  (Buser)  Stiteley.  He 
obtained  his  education  in  the  Mt.  Carroll  High 
School  and  the  Davenport  Business  College, 
Davenport,  lov.'a.  In  1892  he  man-ied  Effa  G. 
Manatt,  daughter  of  Thomas  and  Clarissa 
(Winchester)    Manatt  of  Brooklyn,   Iowa.     Mr. 


HISTORY   OF   LEE    COUNTY. 


817 


Stiteley  is  Treasurer  of  the  Dixon  Power  and 
Ligliting  Company,  Treasurer  of  ttie  Jlethodist 
Episcopal  church,  and  is  a  Director  and  ex- 
Cashier  of  the  Leaf  River  Bank,  in  Ogle  County, 
111.;  was  also  one  of  the  organizers  of  Union 
State  Bank,  Dixon,  111.  In  politics  he  is  a  Re- 
publican. 

CHRISTOPHER  SMITH,  farmer.  Nelson 
Township,  Lee  County,  was  born  in  Somerset 
County,  Penn.,  March  8,  1852,  son  of  Adam 
and  Magdalene  (Genck)  Smith,  natives  of  Ger- 
many, who  came  to  the  United  States  in  1840, 
and  to  Illinois  in  1865.  Both  parents  are  now 
deceased.  The  subject  of  this  sketch  has  been 
a  resident  of  Lee  County  since  1868.  March 
2,  1882,  he  married  Annie  Rubright,  daughter 
of  David  and  Sophia  (Shank)  Rubright,  of 
Pennsylvania,  and  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Smith  six 
children  have  been  born,  viz.:  Millie  M.,  Clara 
M.,  Walter  H.,  Olive  R.,  Ruth  Esther  and 
Harry  E.  (deceased).  The  family  is  identified 
with  the  Zion  Lutheran  church,  in  which  Mr. 
Smith  has  served  as  deacon  for  many  years. 
In  politics  Mr.  Smith  is  a  Democrat,  and  has 
served  as  School  Director  for  twelve  years. 
Fraternally  he  is  a  member  of  the  Knights  of 
the  Globe. 

MELCHIOR  S.  STONER.  farmer.  South 
Dixon  Township,  Lee  County,  111.,  was  born  in 
Franklin  County,  Penn..  JIarch  22,  1865,  son 
of  Henry  and  Margaret  (Baltzley)  Stoner,  na- 
tives of  Pennsylvania.  He  came  to  Lee  County 
in  1886,  and  has  since  been  identified  with  the 
agricultural  interests  in  that  section  of  the 
country.  On  February  19.  1890,  he  married 
Mary  A.  Depew,  daughter  of  J.  W.  and  Hester 
A.  (Garrison)  Depew,  natives  of  Pennsylvania. 
To  Mr.  and  Mrs,  Stoner  four  children  have 
been  born,  three  of  whom  are  now  living,  viz.: 
Florence  M.,  Harriet  S.  and  Marguerite  E.  In 
religious  belief  Mr.  Stoner  is  a  Methodist,  and 
socially  he  belongs  to  the  M.  W.  A.  and 
Knights   of   the   Globe. 

ELIJAH  E.  SWOPE,  farmer  Brooklyn  Town- 
ship. Lee  County,  111.,  was  born  in  Adams  County, 
Penn.,  June  25,  1855,  son  of  George  and  Mary 
A.  (Nary)  Swope,  natives  of  Germany  and 
Pennsylvania  respectively,  v.-ho  came  to  Lee 
County  in  1859,  but  both  of  whom  are  now 
deceased.  Elijah  E.  Swope  married,  on  March 
4,   1891,   Catherine   Malfeld,    daughter   of   Pete 


and  Carrie  Malfeld,  and  they  are  the  parents 
of  five  children,  named  George  H..  Emeline, 
Minnie,  Roy  and  Mabel.  In  politics  he  is  a 
Republican,  and  is  a  member  of  the  M.  W.  A., 
and  Knights  of  the  Globe.  He  is  a  communi- 
cant of  the  Reformed  church.  Mr.  Swope  de- 
votes his  time  to  the  management  of  his  80- 
acre  farm   in  Brooklyn   Township, 

HENRY  P.  STEIN,  farmer,  Brooklyn  Town- 
ship, Lee  County,  111.,  was^  born  in  Troy  Town- 
ship, LaSalle  County,  111.,  Dec.  1,  1866,  son  of 
Frederick  and  Sydillia  (Lehn)  Stein,  natives  of 
Germany,  of  whom  the  former  came  to  the 
United  States  in  1844,  and  the  latter  a  few 
years  later.  On  February  10,  1889,  Mr.  Stein 
was  married  to  Elizabeth  Florschuetz,  born 
April  27,  1866,  daughter  of  George  J.  and  Bar- 
bara (Caetles)  Florschuetz,  natives  of  Germany, 
who  came  to  LaSalle  County,  111.,  in  1854,  and 
to  Lee  County  in  1862.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Stein 
two  children— Lillie  M.  and  Gilbert  P. — have 
been  born.  Mr.  Stein  devotes  his  time  and 
attention  to  the  management  of  his  160-acre 
farm  in  Brooklyn  Township.  In  politics  he 
afiiliates  with  the  Democratic  party,  and  in  re- 
ligious belief  is  a  German  Lutheran. 

JOHN  SCHMIDT,  farmer,  Brooklyn  Town- 
ship, Lee  County,  111.,  was  born  in  Getrmany, 
Nov.  :3,  1836,  and  came  to  the  United  States  in 
1864,  and  to  Lee  County,  II!.,  in  1870,  where 
he  now  owns  200  acres  of  excellent  farm  land 
in  Brooklyn  Township,  and  devotes  his  time 
and  attention  to  general  farming.  On  July  17, 
1867.  Mr.  Schmidt  was  married  to  Mary  Ganz, 
a  native  of  Germany,  and  to  them  nine  chil- 
dred  have  been  born:  Amelia,  Catherine,  Mary 
A.,  Mlanie  (deceased),  Phillip  J.,  John  J.,  Eliza- 
beth S.,  Anna  M.  and  Lena  M.  Mr.  Schmidt  is 
liberal  in  his  political  views.  He  is  a  member 
of  the  Lutheran  church. 

M.  J.  STUNKEL,  farmer.  Section  13,  Rey- 
nolds Township,  Lee  County,  111.,  was  born  near 
Raleigh.  N.  C.  August  26,  1866,  son  of  August 
and  Isabella  (Stonebanks)  Stunkel,  natives  of 
Hanover,  Germany,  and  New  York  City,  re- 
spectively. August  Stunkel,  born  in  1833,  ob- 
tained his  education  in  the  Fatherland,  be- 
came a  sailor  and  followed  a  sea-faring  life 
for  nine  years.  In  1855,  after  having  made  a 
trip  to  California,  he  settled  at  College  Point, 
in   Long   Island,    N.    Y.,   whore   he   married   in 


8i8 


HISTORY   OF   LEE -COUNTY. 


1861.  In  1865  he  removed  to  Raleigh.  N.  C.  where 
he  devoted  his  attention  to  growing  cotton  and 
tobacco,  and  there  spent  the  remainder  of  his 
life,  dying  in  1884.  His  wife  still  survives,  and 
resides  in  North  Carolina.  Mr.  Stunkel  and 
wife  were  the  parents  of  seven  children.  M.  J. 
being  the  oldest.  The  maternal  ancestors  of 
the  subject  of  this  sketch  came  from  England 
at  an  early  date,  and  settled  in  New  Ycrk. 
where  the  maternal  grandfather  was  a  promi- 
nent architect  and  builder.  The  paternal 
grandfather  of  M.  J.  Stunkel  was  a  Collector 
of  Revenue  in  Zelle.  Hanover.  Germany.  M. 
J.  Stunkel  spent  his  boyhood  with  an  aunt  at 
Richton,  Cook  County,  111.,  and  obtained  his 
educational  training  in  the  schools  of  that 
locality.  When  thirteen  years  of  age  he  began 
working  out  for  farmers,  being  thus  employed 
for  four  years.  Then  neturning  to  North 
Carolina,  he  resided  with  his  parents  until  he 
reached  his  twentieth  year,  when  he  returned 
to  Illinois,  where  he  was  employed  as  a  farm 
hand  for  one  year,  worked  one  year  in  Chi- 
cago, and  for  seven  years  afterwards  con- 
ducted a  farm  at  Benson,  111.  In  January.  1890. 
he  married  Gertrude  Reents.  native  of  Secor, 
Woodford  County,  111.,  and  of  this  union  there 
are  six  children — August,  Truletta,  Alma, 
Lydia,  Elnora.  and  Mauriese.  Mr.  Stunkel  came 
to  Lee  County  in  1895,  and  bought  his  present 
farm,  to  which  he  has  made  many  improve- 
ments, and  has  brought  his  land  to  a  high  state 
of  cultivation.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Luther- 
an church,  and  in  pjlitieal  views  is  a  Republi- 
can. 

HENRY  SARTORIOUS.  farmer.  Section  4, 
Palmyra  Township.  Lee  County,  III.,  was  born 
in  the  house  where  he  now  resides.  Oct.  10. 
1854,  son  of  Gustavus  and  Charlotte  H.  (Eld- 
mann)  Sartorious,  natives  respectively  of  Old- 
enburg. Germany,  and  Minden,  Prussia,  who 
came  to  Lee  County  in  1848,  locating  on  a 
farm  in  Palmyra  Township.  Gustavus  Sartori- 
ous was  a  soldier  of  the  late  Rebellion,  enlist- 
ing in  Company  D.  Thirty-fourth  Illinois  Vol- 
unteer Infantry,  and  serving  eighteen  months. 
He  was  a  Democrat  in  political  views,  and 
served  as  a  member  of  the  School  Board.  So- 
cially he  belonged  to  the  G.  A.  R.  Seven  chil- 
dren were  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Sartorious. 
two  of  whom — Henry  and  William — survive. 
Mr.  Sartorious  died  Dec.  25.  1889,  but  his  wife 


still  survives,  and  resides  with  her  son  Henry. 
Henry  Sartorious  grew  to  years  of  maturity 
on  his  father's  farm,  obtained  his  education 
in  the  public  schools,  and  on  Nov.  22,  1878, 
married  Louisa  Bouger,  daughter  of  William 
Bouger  and  wife,  who  came  from  Germany  to 
Lee  County  in  1870.  Three  children  hav^  been 
born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Sartorious — Gustavus 
(died  at  the  age  of  ten  years),  Charlotte  and 
Carl.  Mr.  Sartorious  owns  147  acres  of  valu- 
able land,  upon  which  there  is  a  comfortable 
residence  and  well-constructed  farm  buildings. 
In  politics  he  is  a  Democrat,  and  is  serving  as 
Township  Collector.  Fraternally  he  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Sons  of  Veterans  and  Knights  of 
the  Globe.  He  and  his  wife  are  communicants 
of  the  Union  church  at  Prairieville. 

CHARLES  G.  SMITH,  plumber  and  steam- 
fitter.  Dixon.  111.,  v.'as  born  in  the  State  of  New 
York.  April  4.  1847.  son  of  Nathan  T.  and  Eliza 
(Becker)  Smith,  the  former  a  native  of  Con- 
necticut: the  latter  being  of  Holland  ancestry, 
and  related  to  the  Van  Rencselaer  family  of 
New  York.  Nathan  T.  Smith  was,  at  different 
times,  a  merchant,  farmer  and  school  teacher, 
and  in  the  early  part  of  the  nineteenth  century, 
removed,  with  his  father's  family,  from  Con- 
necticut into  Nev/  York.  In  1850  he  came 
v.-^est  and  bought  land  in  Vc-rmilion  and  Bu- 
reau Counties,  111.,  and  Winnebago  County,  Wis. 
In  1851.  while  hunting  with  his  wife's  brother, 
he  was  accidentally  shot,  dying  in  nine  days 
after  the  accident  occurred.  His  wife  survived 
him  about  forty-nine  years,  dying  in  1900. 
Charles  G.  Smith  was  the  youngest  in  a  family 
of  ten  children.  After  completing  his  educa- 
tion in  the  Dixon  schools,  he  learned  the  mill- 
ing trade,  an  occupation  members  of  his  moth- 
er's family  (the  Beckers)  had  followed  for 
generations.  He  afterwards  joined  his  brother, 
Nathan  T..  in  the  publishing  business  in  Chi- 
cago, remaining  until  1876.  when  he  returned 
to  Dixon  and  resumed  his  former  occupation, 
but  shortly  afterwards  removed  to  Kansas, 
where  he  remained  until  1880.  Returning  to 
Dixon  in  the  latter  year,  he  had  charge  of  a 
mill  in  that  city  until  1886.  when  he  returned 
to  Kansas,  where  he  was  employed  in  a  simi- 
lar capacity  at  Great  Bend,  and  also  built  a 
mill  in  Stafford  County,  same  State,  which 
he  later  sold.  Then  removing  to  Las  Vegas. 
Nev,'   Mexico,  he  built  and  operated  a  mill  in 


HISTORY   OF   LEE    COUXTY 


S19 


tliat  locality,  and  also  conducted  an  agency 
for  George  Westinghouse,  remaining  thus  em- 
ployed until  1S90,  when  he  again  returned  to 
Dixon  and  established  his  present  business, 
which  he  has  since  conducted  in  a  very  suc- 
cessful manner.  On  March  17.  1870.  he  mar- 
ried Susan  A.  McKenney.  daughter  of  F.  C. 
and  Catherine  (Clute)  McKenney.  who  came 
to  Lee  County  in  1836.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Smith 
have  but  one  child  living.  Fred  McKenney 
Smith,  who  is  a  partner  in  his  father's  busi- 
ness. Their  other  son.  Earl  Becker  Smith,  a 
bright,  promising  young  man.  and  a  graduate 
of  Dixon  High  School,  was  fatally  injured  by 
one  of  his  schoolmates  while  practicing  gym- 
nastic exercises  for  field  sports,  which  were 
to  take  place  a  few  days  later,  and,  after  linger- 
ing a  few  days,  died  May  9,  1903.  In  politics 
Mr.  Smith  is  a  Republican,  and  was  a  member 
of  the  Board  of  Education  six  years.  Socially 
he  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  Order  and  K. 
T.  In  religious  belief  he  is  a  Methodist,  and 
is  Secretary  of  the  Official  Board  of  his  church. 

RICHARD  M.  SHADDICK.  farmer,  Wyoming 
Township,  Lee  County,  111.,  was  bom  in  Devon- 
shire, England,  Dec.  5,  1857,  and  in  1884  re- 
moved to  Ontario.  Canada,  remaining  there 
until  1890.  when  he  came  to  Wyoming  Town- 
ship, Lee  County,  where  he  now  owns  a  160- 
acre  farm.  On  March  19,  1877,  he  was  married 
to  Ann  Burnett,  a  native  of  England,  and  to 
them  five  children  have  been  born:  Fanny. 
Anna.  William.  Frederick  and  George.  1  In  poli- 
tics ilr.  Shaddock  affiliates  with  the  Demo- 
cratic party,  and  in  religious  belief  is  a  Pres- 
byterian.    He   is   a  member  of  the  M.   W.   A. 

JOHN  H.  SLOGGETT.  farmer,  Ashton  Town- 
ship. Lee  County,  was  born  at  Granby.  Prov- 
ince of  Quebec.  Canada.  Nov.  1.  1855,  son  of 
William  and  Bethany  (Horer)  Sloggett— the 
former  a  native  of  London,  England,  who  came 
with  his  father  (also  named  William),  to  Can- 
ada, in  1831,  and  the  mother,  a  native  of  Ver- 
mont. William  and  Bethany  Sloggett  became 
the  parents  of  ten  children,  six  of  whom  (1903) 
are  now  living,  viz.:  Sarah,  wife  of  Moses  G. 
Montgomery:  William,  Alfred.  John  H..  James, 
and  Hattie.  the  wife  of  Harry  J.  Packer.  The 
parents  came  to  Illinois  in  1856.  and  the  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch  v.^as  reared  at  Forreston. 
111.,  attended  the  public  and  high  schools,  and 


acquired  a  good  business  education:  also 
learned  the  creamery  business,  which  he  fol- 
lowed at  Franklin  Grove  from  1890  to  1901. 
February  1.  1883.  he  married  Julia  Holsinger, 
daughter  of  John  Holsinger.  and  they  have  two 
children — Glennie  May  and  Everett — both  of 
whom,  as  well  as  their  mother,  are  now  de- 
ceased. July  26.  1893,  Mr.  Sloggett  was  mar- 
ried to  his  second  wife.  Miss  Lucy  Sanders, 
daughter  of  Henry  and  Rachel  Sanders,  and 
their  family  consists  of  an  adopted  son.  Fred 
Morris  Sloggett.  and  a  daughter.  Ethel  Marie 
Sloggett,  born  Feb.  19.  1904.  Mr.  Sloggett  is 
a  Republican  In  politics,  a  member  of  the  Pres- 
byterian church,  in  which  he  and  his  wife  take 
an  active  interest,  and  fraternally  associated 
with  the  Order  of  Modern  Woodmen  of  Ameri- 
ca. Henry  Sanders  (deceased),  the  father  of 
Mrs.  Lucy  (Sanders)  Sloggett,  was  born  in 
Hardin  County.  Penn.,  in  1826,  son  of  Henry 
and  Mary  (Buck)  Sanders,  natives  of  Pennsyl- 
vania, but  of  German  extraction.  Henry  Sand- 
ers. Sr..  was  a  Captain  in  the  State  Militia, 
and  in  religious  belief  a  Catholic.  Henry 
Sanders  came  to  Illinois  in  1845.  but  after  re- 
maining here  one  year,  returned  to  his  native 
State:  then  coming  back  to  Lee  County,  he 
there  made  his  home  for  the  remainder  of  his 

life.  In  1851  he  married  Rachel  Morgan, 
daughter  of  Edward  and  Nancy  Morgan,  both 
natives  of  Ohio.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Henry  Sanders 
had  nine  children:  Winfleld  B..  Mary  (de- 
ceased), Joseph  F.,   Jerome    (deceased).   Alice 

(deceased).  Jane.  John  W.  (deceased).  Edward 
and  Lucy.  Mr.  Sanders  was  prosperous  as  a 
farmer,  acquiring  an  estate  of  over  600  acres 
of  land.  He  died  March  IS.  1S95.  and  his  wife 
Feb.  IS,  1902. 

FLETCHER  SEAVEY.  fa.rmer.  Section  23, 
Palmyra  Township.  Lee  County.  111.,  was  born 
in  Carroll  Ccunty,  N.  H.,  Sept.  2,  1839,  son 
of  Asa  A.  and  Ruth  (Ricker)  Seavey,  who  came 
to  Lee  County  in  1854,  locating  in  Palmyra 
Township.  Fletcher  Seavey  was  the  oldest 
of  three  children  in  his  father's  family.  He 
was  raised  on  the  farm,  attending  the  dis- 
trict school  near  his  home,  and  during  the 
Rebellion  enlisted  in  Company  D,  One  Hundred 
and  Fortieth  Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry,  serv- 
ing eight  months  in  the  Atlanta  campaign. 
In  1862  he  married  Eveline  Eastwood,  whose 
parents   were  pioneer  settlers  of  Lee  County, 


820 


HISTORY   OF   LEE   COUNTY. 


and  of  this  union  the  following  children  were 
born:  Harry  C;  Fred  A.,  deceased;  Eda  B., 
wife  of  J.  M.  Honey  of  Dixon;  Allen  E..  who 
rents  and  conducts  his  father's  fai'm;  Roscoe 
C,  deceased;  Clyde  L.,  who  resides  in  Cali- 
fornia; Ruth  M.,  who  is  qualifying  herself  as 
a  nurse  in  a  Chicago  training  school;  Erma 
L..  who  resides  with  her  sister,  Mrs.  Honey. 
Mr.  Seavey  gave  his  children  the  advantages 
of  a  good  education,  most  of  them  being  high 
school  and  college  graduates.  In  politics  he 
is  a  Republican,  and  has  filled  several  public 
offices  in  his  township,  including  that  of  As- 
sessor and  Supervisor.  He  is  Secretary  of  the 
Palmyra  Insurance  Company,  having  held  that 
office  for  the  past  ten  years.  In  religious  be- 
lief he  is  a  Methodist,  and  fraternally  belongs 
to  the  M.  W.  A..  A.  O.  U.  W.  and  G.  A.  R. 
Mr.  Seavey  has  residedl  on  his  present  140-acre 
farm  for  twenty-one  years,  and  has  lived  in  the 
immediate  neighborhood  nearly  fifty  years. 
He  is  a  man  of  more  than  ordinary  ability,  and 
is  highly  respected  for  his  honest  principles 
and   sterling  worth. 

GEORGE  SCHNUCKEL,  farmer,  Brooklyn 
Township,  Lee  County,  111.,  was  born  in  Bureau 
County,  111.,  Jan.  25,  1S69,  son  of  Charles  and 
Margaret  (Batz)  Schnuckel,  natives  of  Ger- 
many, who  came  to  the  United  States  in  the 
'50s,  and  are  now  residing  at  Mendota,  111. 
On  December  9,  1891,  Mr.  Schnuckel  was  mar- 
ried to  Catherine  Trubel,  daughter  of  Sebas- 
tian and  Catherine  (Weirauch)  Trubel,  who 
were  natives  of  Germany,  and  residents  of  Lee 
County  about  forty  years,  and  now  reside  at 
Mendota,  111.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Schnuckel  three 
children — Florence  M..  Lulu  C.  and  Delia  M. — 
have  been  born.  In  political  opinions  Mir. 
Schnuckel  is  a  Republican,  and  has  served  as 
Township  Assessor  for  three  years,  being  an 
incumbent  of  that  office  at  the  present  time 
(1903);  also  served  as  Township  Collector  for 
two  years.  Fraternally  he  is  a  member  of 
camp,  No.  2578;  M.  W.  A.  In  religious  be- 
lief he  is  a  Methodist.  Mr.  Schnuckel's  farm 
consists  of  eighty  acres  in  Brooklyn  Town- 
ship. 

.JOHN  D.  SITTS,  retired  farmer,  Franklin 
Grove,  Lee  County,  III,  was  born  in  Oneida 
County.  N.  Y.,  in  18:31.  son  of  George  and  Har- 
riet Sitts;  came  to  Franklin  Grove  in  1857,  and 


was  engaged  in  the  lumber  trade  until  1863, 
and  from  1872  to  1902  was  engaged  in  the 
grocery  business.  He  was  married  in  January, 
1863,  to  Eva  E.  Lincoln,  v/ho  died  in  April, 
1888,  leaving  four  children:  Henry  B.,  Gertie 
G.,  Bertha  C.  and  Helen  E.  In  politics  he  is 
a  Republican,  and  has  served  as  Supervisor 
three   terms. 

SAMUEL  STONE  (deceased)  was  born  in 
Erie  County,  N.  Y.,  Dec.  18,  1823,  and  came 
to  Illinois  in  1835,  locating  in  what  is  now 
Nelson  Township,  Lee  County,  and  entered,  his 
first  tract  of  land  from  the  Government,  for 
which  he  paid  $1.25  per  acre.  He  married 
Mrs.  Eliza  (Power)  Stone,  widow  of  his 
brother,  and  they  have  three  children;  Reuben, 
Alonzo  D.  and  Louisa  A.  Mr.  Stone  was  very 
successful  as  a  land-dealer,  and  at  the  time  of 
his  death,  was  the  owner  of  3,000  acres  of 
land,  located  in  Illinois.  Kansas,  Nebraska  and 
Iowa.  He  was  employed  by  the  Government  in 
surveying  the  land  through  this  section  of  the 
State.    He  died  at  the  age  of  seventy-five  years. 

NELSON  SMITH  (deceased)  was  born  in 
Seneca  County,  N.  Y.,  August  27,  1820,  and, 
after  living  in  Michigan,  Ohio  and  Indiana, 
came  to  Lee  County.  III.,  in  1866,  where  he 
engaged  in  farming  near  the  present  village 
of  Paw  Paw.  He  was  first  married  to  Mary 
M.  Fennimore,  and  to  them  two  children  were 
born,  Marion  and  Lafayette.  His  second  wife 
was  Elizabeth  Conrad,  who  bore  him  two  chil- 
dren. Schuyler  E.  and  Emma  B.  In  political 
views  Mr.  Smith  was  a  Republican.  He  died 
March  17,  1899. 

CHARLES  ALMON  STEINMANN,  President 
Steinmann  College,  Dixon,  111.,  born  at  Cherry 
Grove,  111.,  Oct.  14,  1861;  moved  with  his  pa- 
rents to  Lanark,  111.,  in  1884,  where,  at  eight 
years  of  age,  he  entered  the  public  schools, 
and  completed  the  graded  and  high  school 
course  at  fifteen:  took  post-graduate  work,  and 
taught  school  until  twenty  years  of  age,  when 
he  organized  a  school  of  shorthand  in  con- 
nection with  the  Northern  Illinois  Normal 
School  of  Dixon.  Four  years  later,  he  removed 
to  larger  and  more  desirable  quarters  in  the 
central  part  of  the  city:  built  the  present 
splendid  college  edifice  in  1S95,  and  ladies' 
dormitory   in    1901;    present    site   of   school    is 


HISTORY   OF   LEE    COUNTY. 


821 


unusually  attractive,  containing  a  campus  01 
forty-three  acres,  fine  athletic  field,  pure  water, 
excellent  drainage,  magnificent  surroundings. 
The  courses  of  study  are  thorough  and  com- 
plete; comprising  Business.  Normal.  English, 
Scientific.  Classical.  Philosophical,  Musical, 
Civil  Service,  and  Oratory  departments.  The 
moral  and  intellectual  tone  of  the  school  is 
high.  Under  Prof.  Steinmann's  direction  the 
school  has  grown  in  numbers  as  well  as  in 
strength  and  efficiency.  New  buildings  are  de- 
manded, and  a  gentleman's  dormitory,  an  indus- 
trial hall — whereby  v.'orthy  students  may  earn 
an  education — a  school  of  forestry,  a  botanical 
garden  and  a  complete  experimental  laboratory 
are  contemplated.  Besides  performing  duties 
of  President  of  Steinmann  College.  Prof.  Stein- 
mann  is  vice-chancellor  of  Ruskin  University. 
Chicago.  111.  He  married,  on  Christmas  day. 
1902,  Miss  Rosa  Mary  Lohafer. 

SOLOMON  SUNDAY,  retired  farmer.  Frank- 
lin Grove,  Lee  County,  111.,  was  born  Oct.  21, 
1832,  a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  and  came  to 
Illinois  in  1855.  locating  where  he  now  lives, 
and  was  engaged  in  blacksmithing  for  many 
years.  In  August,  1856,  he  married  Eva  M. 
Stefan,  and  to  them  ten  children  were  born, 
six  of  whom  are  now  living.  In  politics  he  is 
a  Prohibitionist,  and  in  fraternal  relations  a 
member  of  the  I.  O.  O.  F. 

WILLIAM  SUTTON  (deceased)  was  born  in 
the  State  of  Nev/  York.  August  2.  1810,  but  at 
an  early  day  removed  to  Pennsylvania,  where 
he  learned  and  followed  the  blacksmith's  trade, 
being  engaged  in  that  line  of  work  for  a  num- 
ber of  years.  In  1855  he  removed  to  Lee 
County.  111.,  settling  on  a  farm  in  Willow 
Creek  Township,  where  he  made  his  home  un- 
til 1877,  removing  to  Paw  Paw  in  the  latter 
year.  On  April  30,  1831.  he  married  Barbara 
Miller,  who  v.-as  born  in  Pennsylvania.  Dec. 
25.  1812,  and  to  them  two  children  were  born: 
Mrs.  Amos  Siglin,  of  Paw  Paw.  and  Mrs.  H.  B. 
Stark,  who  resides  in  Pennsylvania.  Mr.  Sut- 
ton died  Oct.  15,  1879,  his  wife  surviving  until 
Nov.  12.  of  the  same  year.  In  political  senti- 
ment Mr.   Sutton  was  a  Democrat. 

DARIUS  SAWYER,  pioneer  of  1835,  now  liv- 
ing in  retirement  in  Amboy.  Lee  County.  111., 
was  born  at  Waterbury.  Vt..  April  17.  1816.  the 


son  of  Joseph  and  Sarah  (Farnham)  Sawyer, 
natives,  respectively,  of  New  York  and  New 
Hampshire.  The  parents  came,  with  their 
family,  to  Lee  County,  111.,  arriving  March  17, 
1835.  settling  at  Lee  Center,  and  there  the 
mother  passed  away  just  two  years  later — 
March  17,  1837 — being  the  first  of  the  early 
settlers  to  die  in  that  locality,  while  the  father 
survived  until  Oct.  11,  1872.  Darius  Sawyeir 
learned  the  blacksmith  trade  in  early  life, 
which  he  followed  several  years,  when  he  en- 
gaged in  farming,  continuing  some  sixteen 
years.  In  February,  1899,  he  removed  to  Amboy, 
and  has  since  lived  in  retirement.  March  21, 
1839,  Mr.  Sawyer  was  married  to  Sophronia 
Parker,  and  seven  children  by  this  union 
are  now  living.  Mrs.  Sawyer  died  July 
25,  1883,  and  on  Oct.  6,  1887,  Mr.  Sawyer 
married  Jane  E.  Tinker,  who  died  in  1893. 
In  1898  he  married,  as  his  third  wife.  Mrs. 
Isabelle  Dunn,  who  died  four  months  later. 
Mr.  Sawyer  is  an  original  Republican,  having 
voted  for  John  C.  Fremont  in  1856,  and  has 
been  a  member  of  the  Masonic  Fraternity  since 
1859. 

SEELY  SCOFIELD.  farmer.  Harmon  Town- 
ship, Lee  Count}',  111.,  was  born  in  Sterling, 
Whiteside  County,  111.,  Dec.  22.  1867,  son  of 
David  and  Betsy  B.  (Hull)  Scofleld,  natives 
of  Westchester,  N.  Y.,  who  located  at  Sterling 
in  1856.  The  father  died  in  1883,  while  the 
mother  still  survives  and  makes  her  home  in 
Sterling.  Seely  Scofield  devotes  his  attention 
to  general  farming,  and  owns  320  acres  of  land 
in  Sections  5  and  6,  Harmon  Township.  He 
is  a  member  of  Corinthian  Lodge  No.  63.  K. 
of  P.,  of  Sterling;  Lodge  No.  779.  B.  P.  O.  E., 
of  Dixon,  and  M.  W.  A.  Politically  he  is  a 
Republican,  and  is  a  Universalist  in  religious 
belief. 

DANIEL  SWARTZ,  farmer,  Harmon  Town- 
ship, Lee  County,  111.,  was  born  in  Germany, 
March  15.  1836,  son  of  George  Swartz,  who 
came  to  the  United  States  in  1841,  and  settleJ 
in  Marshal  County.  111.  In  March,  1S65,  Dan- 
iel Swartz  was  married  to  Louisa  Walker, 
daughter  of  Washington  and  Mary  (Ward) 
Walker,  of  Marshall  Connty,  111.,  and  to  them 
five  children  were  born,  four  of  whom  are  now 
living,  viz.:  George  W..  Frederick,  Charles  B.. 
and    Mary.     Mrs.   Swartz   died   Sept.   16,   1873, 


HISTORY   OF   LEE    COUNTY. 


and  on  Dec.  1,  1S75,  Mr.  Swartz  married,  for 
his  second  wife.  Rebecca  Jamison,  daughter  of 
Thomas  and  Sarah  (Smith)  Jamison,  natives  of 
Delaware  and  Ohio,  respectively.  To  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Swartz  five  children  have  been  born,  four 
of  whom  survive:  Frank  C,  Clara  E.,  Jessie 
G.  and  Ethel  M.  In  March.  1865.  Mr.  Swartz 
came  to  Lee  County,  v.'here  he  now  owns  310 
acres  of  land  in  Harmon  Township.  Politically 
he  is  a  Dsmocrat,  and  he  and  his  family  are 
members   of  the  Methodist  church. 

AMOS  SIGLIN  (deceased)  was  born  in 
Chestnut  Hill  Township,  Luzerne  County, 
Penn,,  in  1826,  son  of  Jacob  and  Susannah 
(Singer)  Siglin.  He  learned  the  carpenter's 
trade  in  his  native  State,  and  in  185.5  came  to 
Lee  County,  111.,  where,  until  two  years  prior 
to  his  death,  he  followed  the  occupation  of 
contracting  and  building.  October  19,  1851, 
he  married  Catherine  Sutton,  daughter  of  Wil- 
liam and  Barbara  (Miller)  Sutton,  and  to  them 
four  children  were  born,  viz.:  Elizabeth,  wife  of 
W.  H.  Smith  of  Paw  Paw;  Dollie.  widow  of 
Adolphus  Fisher;  William,  who  lives  in  Ala- 
bama, and  Barbara,  who  resides  at  home.  Mr. 
Siglin  died  August  24,  1900.  He  was  a  member 
of  the  Masonic  Order,  and  also  of  the  I.  O.  O.  F. 
In  politics  he  was  a  Democrat,  and  in  religious 
belief  a  Presbyterian. 

REXSSELAER  P.  TREADWELL  (deceased) 
was  born  in  Chenango  County.  N,  Y.,  July  25, 
1821,  son  of  Allen  and  Deborah  (Squires) 
Treadwell,  natives  of  the  Empire  State,  who 
cams  to  Lee  County  in  1845.  Rensselaer  P. 
Tireadwell  was  married  en  Feb.  10,  1848,  to 
Lydia  Hale,  daughter  of  Alvah  and  Clara 
(Rouse)  Hale,  and  of  this  union  there  were  two 
sons,  Spencer,  of  Everett,  Wash.,  and  William, 
of  Freeport,  111.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Alvah  Hale 
came  to  Lee  County  in  1844.  In  1879  Mr.  Tread- 
well  removed  to  St.  Croix  County,  Wis.,  but 
in  1894  returned  to  Amboy.  111.,  v/here  he  passed 
the  remainder  of  his  life,  dying  there  Nov.  22, 
1902.  In  early  life  a  stanch  Republican,  he  was 
during  the  latter  years  of  his  existence,  an 
ardent  advocate  of  Prohibition.  From  1864  to 
1866  he  was  Sheriff  of  Lee  County.  He  was 
a  devout  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
church  and  his  wife  is  still  a  leading  member 
of  the  church  of  that  denomination  at  Amboy. 


A.  J.  TOMPKINS,  Supervisor,  Amboy  Town- 
ship, Lee  County,  was  born  in  Greene  County, 
Ky.,  in  June,  1831,  son  of  N.  S.  and  Sallie  (Rey- 
nolds)' Tompkins;  came  to  Amboy,  111.,  in  1858, 
and  for  twenty-two  years  was  master  carpenter 
for  the  Illinois  Central  Railroad.  He  was  then 
engaged  in  farming  for  twenty-one  years,  when 
he  removed  to  Amboy  and  retired  from  active 
business  life.  Mr.  Tompkins  is  a  Republican 
in  politics,  served  five  years  as  a  member  of 
the  City  Council;  in  1883  was  elected  member 
of  the  Board  of  Supervisors,  and  has  since 
served  continuously  in  that  capacity.  It  was 
largely  through  his  efforts  that  $100,000  In 
bonds,  issued  by  Amboy  Township  to  the  Chi- 
cago &  Rock  River  Railroad,  were  compromised 
and  settled,  thus  resulting  in  a  saving  of  many 
thousands  of  dollars  to  the  tax-payers  of  the 
township.  Mr.  Tompkins  was  married  in  1858 
to  Miss  Mary  A.  Smith,  and  five  children  have 
been  born  to-  this  union,  viz.:  Walter  J..  Elmer 
S.,  Stella  L.,  Willis  (born  Jan.  17.  1860,  diel 
Feb.  23,  1860),  Jennie  M.  (died  Oct.  2,  1878, 
aged  eleven  years).  Mr.  Tompkins  is  a  member 
of  the  Baptist  church. 

DR.  EDMOND  R.  TRAVERSE  (deceased), 
born  in  County  Cork,  Ireland,  March  7.  1832, 
sen  of  Richard  H.  and  Harriet  (Walsh)  Trav- 
ers,  who  came  to  Canada  in  1842.  In  1858 
Edmond  R.  matriculated  in  the  medical  de 
partment  of  the  University  of  Michigan,  grad 
uatiug  in  the  class  of  '61.  In  September.  1863 
he  located  at  Amboy,  111.,  where  he  engaged 
in  the  practice  of  his  profession,  which  he  con- 
tinued until  the  time  of  his  death,  April  13 
1899.  On  May  17,  1864,  he  married  Esther 
Scott,  daughter  of  Thomas  and  Martha  (Swan) 
Scott,  and  to  them  four  children  v/ere  bom, 
one  of  whom  is  living — Mary,  wife  of  Dr.  N.,  J. 
Smith,  a  dentist  at  Amboy,  111.  Those  deceased 
were  named  Martha.  Edmond  and  George. 
The  Docto.r  was  a  member  of  the  Episcopal 
church,  and  fraternally  was  identified  with  the 
Masonic    Order. 

JOHN  TODD,  farmer  and  dairyman,  Nachusa 
Township.  Lee  County,  was  born  in  County 
Antrim,  Ireland.  Nov.  3,  1848,  son  of  Robert 
and  Elizabeth  (Thompson)  Todd,  who  v.'ere 
also,  natives  of  the  Emerald  Isle,  and  the  par- 
ents of  five  children  who  grew  to  years  of 
maturity.    John  Todd  came  to  America  in  1866, 


HISTORY   OF   LEE    COUNTY. 


823 


locating  the  same  year  in  Lee  ,County.  111., 
where  for  sixteen  years  he  worked  for  wages, 
being  employed  ten  years  by  the  Grand  Detour 
Plow  Company.  He  afterwards  engaged  in 
farming,  and  now  owns  140  acres  of  land  in 
Nachusa  Township,  upon  which  he  keeps  a 
herd  of  tv/enty-flve  cows  and  conducts  a  first- 
class  dairy.  In  1873  he  married  Jane  Grier, 
daughter  of  John  and  Mary  (Gillan)  Grier, 
natives  of  County  Monaghan,  Ireland.  Mr.  Todd 
is  a  Democrat  in  political  relations,  and  m 
religious  faith  is  a  member  cf  the  Church  of 
the  Covenant,  while  (his  wife  is  a  Presbyterian. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Todd  have  no  children. 

JOHN  H.  TERHUNE.  station  agent.  Chicago, 
Burlington  &  Quincy  Railroad,  West  Brooklyn, 
111.,  was  born  in  Binghamton,  N.  Y.,  Oct.  26, 
1856,  son  of  Abram  R.  and  Lydia  (Ramsey) 
Terhune,  natives  of  New  Jersey.  John  H. 
Terhune  has  been  a  resident  of  Lee  County 
since  1866,  and  first  became  station  agent  for 
the  above  named  railroad  at  Shaws,  111.  On 
October  27,  1876,  he  married  Ida  M.  Wertman, 
daughter  of  John  and  Lucy  Anna  (Derr)  Wert- 
man, natives  of  Pennsylvania  who  came  to 
Le^  County  in  the  early  '50s.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Terhune  two  children  have  been  born,  both  of 
whom  are  deceased.  In  political  views  Mr. 
Terhune  is  a  Republican,  and  socially  belongs 
to  the  I.  O.  O.  F..  M.  W,  A.  and  Royal  League. 
He  and  his  wife  are  members  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  church. 

WILLIAM  C.  THOMPSON,  County  Clerk  of 
Lee  County,  was  born  at  Paw  Paw.  111.,  June 
28,  1868,  son  of  James  H.  and  Catherine  (Swart- 
hout)  Thompson.  James  H.  Thompson  came 
to  Lse  County  in  1852,  and  for  twenty-five  years 
was  engaged  in  the  mercantile  business  at  Paw 
Paw,  111.  In  1886  he  was  elected  County  Clerk 
of  Lee  County  and  served  continuously  until 
1903.  William  C.  Thompson  obtained  his  edu- 
cation in  the  high  school  at  Paw  Paw,  grad- 
uating in  1883;  became  his  father's  deputy  in 
1S89.  and  was  elected  County  Clerk  in  1902 
when  his  father  retired.  On  July  3,  1900,  he 
married  Susan  B.  Dimon,  and  they  have  two 
children — Dcrrance  S.  and  Avis  F.  Mir.  Thomp- 
son is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  Order,  Knights 
of  the  Globe,  M.  W.A,,  and  B.  P.  O.  E.  Politi 
cally  he  is  a  Republican,  and  in  religious  be- 
lief a  Presbyterian. 


MANLEY  M.  TEAL  (deceased),  was  born  in 
Taylor  Township,  Ogle  County,  111.,  July  31, 
1846,  son  of  Ellas  and  Isabelle  (Brown)  Teal, 
pioneers  of  Ogle  County.  Manley  M.  Teal  ob- 
tained his  education  in  the  schools  at  Dixon 
and  Mt.  Morris,  111.,  and,  when  his  father  died 
in  1887,  inherited  an  extensive  property,  which 
he  subsequently  largely  increased.  On  Decem- 
ber 20,  1876.  he  was  married  to  Ellen  J.,  daugh- 
ter of  Joseph  and  Ann  (Mackay)  Boyd,  pioneer 
settlers  of  Nashua  Township,  Ogle  County,  and 
to  them  one  child — Allie  M. — was  born.  In 
political  opinions  Mr.  Teal  was  a  Republican, 
and  at  the  time  of  his  death,  Dec.  2,  1880,  was 
serving  as  Justice  of  the  Peace.  Mrs.  Teal 
and  her  daughter  Allie  M.  are  members  of  the 
Lutheran   church. 

JOHN  A.  TERHUNE.  farmer.  Nelson  Town- 
ship, Lee  County,  was  born  in  Whiteside  Coun- 
ty, 111.,  July  2,  1859,  son  of  John  A.  and  Jannet 
Meldron  (Smithburt)  Terhune,  who  were  na- 
tives of  New  York  City;  came  to  Wiiteside 
County,  111.,  about  1855,  and  ten  years  later 
(1865)  settled  in  Lee  County.  The  subject  of 
this  sketch  was  reared  from  boyhood  in  Lee 
County,  and  has  always  been  intimately  identi- 
fied with  its  farming  interests.  February  5, 
1890,  he  was  married  to  Mamie  M.,  daughter 
of  Bernard  and  Eva  .Johnson,  and  to  them 
have  been  born  three  children — Harry  A.,  Les- 
ter H.  and  Genevieve  E.  Religiously  the  family 
are  connected  with  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
church,  while  fraternally  Mr.  Terhune  is  affili- 
ated with  the  Knights  of  the  Globe. 

JOHN  N.  TRUCKENBROD.  farmer,  Sublette 
Township.  Lee  County,  111.,  was  born  in  Bureau 
County,  111.,  Nov.  10,  1862,  son  of  John  and 
Elizabeth  Faber  Truckenbrod.  John  Trucken- 
brod,  father  cf  John  N.,  was  born  in  Bavaria, 
and  his  wife,  Elizabeth  Faber,  in  Saxe-Coburg, 
Germany.  They  were  the  parents  of  eleven 
children,  all  of  whom  are  now  living,  and  re- 
side in  Clarion  Township,  Bureau  County,  111. 
John  N.  Truckenbrod  conducted  the  homestead 
for  his  father  for  three  yeairs,  afterwards  rent- 
ed the  same  for  a  time,  but  now  owns  a  120- 
acre  farm  adjoining  his  father's.  On  Decem- 
ber 20,  1S93,  he  married  Emma  M.  Hartan, 
daughter  of  John  and  Margaret  (Arnold)  Hart- 
an, and  to  them  six  children  have  been  born — 
Carl  J..  Fritz,  Greta,  Bertha,  Norval  and  Ralph. 


824 


HISTORY   OF   LEE   COUNTY. 


In  politics  Mr.  Truclienljrod  is  a  Repuljlican. 
and  has  served  as  School  Director  and  ,Road 
Overseer.  He  and  his  family  attend  the  Ger- 
man Lutheran  church.  John  and  Margaret 
(Arnold)  Hartan,  parents  of  Mrs.  John  N. 
'Truckenbrod.  were  natives  of  Germany  who 
removed  to  La  Salle  County,  III,  where  Mr. 
Hartan  owned  200  acres  of  land  and  engaged 
in  farming,  but  afterwards  was  proprietor  of 
several  saloons,  and  later  engaged  in  the  coal 
business,  later  retiring  from  business.  He  was 
born  Dec.  16,  1838,  and  died  Dec.  14  1899, 
while  his  wife  was  born  Jan  2,  1840. 

HON.  JOHN  V.  THOMAS  was  born  in  Prince- 
ten,  N.  J.,  Oct.  30,  1835,  came  west  and  located 
in  Dixon,  111.,  in  1857:  engaged  in  school  teach- 
ing in  Lee  County,  following  the  profession 
until  1874;  later  identified  himself  with  the 
real-estate  and  insurance  business,  and  is  now 
Assistant  Secretary  of  the  Liverpool  &  London 
and  Globe  Insurance  Companies  in  Chicago. 
He  served  six  terms  as  Mayor  of  Dixon,  and 
is  prominent  in  Masonry:  married  in  1861 
Ellen  J.  Warner. 

GARDNER  W.  THOMPSON,  farmer.  Section 
26,  Alto  Township,  Lee  County,  111.,  was  born 
in  Luzerne  County,  Penn.,  July  11,  1841,  son 
of  Isaac  and  Maria  (Wilcox)  Thompson,  na- 
tives respectively  of  Luzerne  County,  Penn., 
and  Duchess  County.  N.  Y.  Isaac  Thompson 
removed  to  Abingdon,  Penn.,  in  1854,  and  en- 
gaged in  farming,  which  had  been  his  occupa- 
tion from  early  youth.  In  1867,  he  and  his 
wife  came  to  Lee  County,  111.,  where  they  lived 
the  remainder  of  their  days  with  Gardner  W. 
Mr.  Thompson  died  Sept.  29,  1901,  at  the  re- 
markable age  of  104  years,  his  wife  dying  April 
25,  1885,  in  her  eighty-seventh  year.  Isaac 
Thompson  has  been  a  devoted  Methodist  for 
over  eighty  years,  having  united  with  the 
church  in  1819.  He  was  of  Irish  extraction, 
while  his  wife  was  of  English  descent,  and 
her  forefathers  landed  on  New  England  shores 
in  the  seventeenth  century.  Gardner  W. 
Thompson  was  the  youngest  in  a  family  of 
fifteen  children,  and  obtained  his  education  in 
a  select  school  at  Pittston,  Penn.  He  came 
to  Lee  County  in  1864  and  purchased  of  his 
brother  the  quarter  section  of  land  where  he 
now  resides,  to  which  he  has  made  subsequent 
additions  until  he  now  owns  240  acres  of  well- 


improved  land  with  residence,  barns  and  many 
trees  of  his  own  planting.  He  devotes  his 
attention  to  general  farming  and  breeding 
Durham  cattle,  Chester  White  hogs,  and  horses 
of  the  Wilkes  stock  On  April  26,  1873,  Mr. 
Thompson  was  married  to  Mary  Howell,  daugh- 
ter of  William  and  Sarah  (Rogers)  Howell, 
early  settlers  of  Lee  County,  and  they  have 
one  son,  Frank,  who  was  born  Oct.  11.  1876, 
and  assists  his  father  in  conducting  the  farm. 
In  political  opinions  Mr.  Thompson  is  a  Re- 
publican, and  served  as  Township  Supervisor 
from  1875  to  1890;  has  served  as  Assessor 
since  1900,  and  is  also  a  Justice  of  the  Peace 
and  School  Trustee.  He  and  his  family  are 
members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church. 

STEPHEN  A.  TARR,  retired  farmer.  Paw 
Paw,  111.,  was  born  in  New  Hampshire,  May 
30,  1834,  and  came  to  Henry  County.  111.,  in 
1853,  locating  at  Kewanee,  where  he  remained 
until  1854,  when  he  returned  to  New  Hamp- 
shire and  brought  his  parents  to  Illinois,  set- 
tling at  Kewanee,  where  he  engaged  in  paint- 
ing. In  1860  Mr.  Tarr  came  to  Paw  Paw,  where 
he  engaged  in  painting  for  many  years,  but 
it  now  living  retired.  September  1,  1860,  he 
married  Jane  E..  daughter  of  Israel  F.  and 
Persis  (Boardman)  Hallock,  andi  to  them  eight 
children  have  been  born,  five  of  whom  survive, 
viz.:  Franklin,  Rubert  and  Reuben  (twins), 
Mary  and  Thomas.  On  September  2,  1862,  Mr. 
Tarr  enlisted  in  Company  K,  Seventy-fifth 
Illinois  Volunter  Infantry.  He  was  seriously 
wounded  in  the  engagement  at  Perryville  and 
discharged  Dec.  6,  1862,  on  account  of  physic- 
al disability.  He  is  a  member  of  the  G.  A.  R. 
at  Paw  Paw,  and  of  the  I.  O.  O.  F.  In  politics 
he  is  a  Republican,  and  has  served  one  term 
as  Township  Collector.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Baptist    church. 

WILLIAM  E.  TAYLOR,  farmer,  Reynolds 
Township.  Lee  County,  111.,  was  born  in  Saun- 
ders County,  Neb.,  August  15,  1871,  son  of 
James  E.  and  Eliza  (Blair)  Taylor,  natives  of 
Ontario,  Canada,  and  Lee  County,  111.,  respec- 
tively. James  T.  Taylor,  grandfather  of  Wil- 
liam E.,  was  born  in  England,  Feb.  18,  1816,  set- 
tled in  Canada  and  died  m  1902.  He  was  a 
lumberman,  as  was  also  his  son,  James  E.  The 
latter  was  born  in  1840,  and  came  to  Lee 
County   in   1859.     At    the   breaking   out   of   the 


HISTORY   OF   LEE    COUXTY, 


82: 


Civil  War,  he  enlisted  in  Company  K,  Seventy- 
fifth  Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry,  and  served 
three  years.  When  the  war  closed  he  returned 
to  Illinois  and  married  Eliza,  daughter  of  Rob- 
ert Blair,  and  born  in  1849.  Her  father  (Rob- 
ert Blair)  was  a  miller  by  trade,  settled  in  Illi- 
nois, and  died  there  aged  82  years.  After  mar- 
riage Mr.  Taylor  went  to  Nebraska,  where  he 
took  up  a  homestead  and  remained  five  or  six 
years.  To  himself  and  wife  eleven  children 
were  born,  the  subject  of  this  sketch  being  the 
oldest.  Later  Mr.  Taylor  returned  to  Lee 
County,  but  in  1901  he  and  his  wife  removed  to 
Oklahoma,  where  they  still  reside.  William  E. 
Taylor  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  and 
at  Dixon  and  grew  to  manhood  on  his  father's 
farm.  December  25,  1897.  he  married  Amanda, 
daughter  of  William  A.  and  Mary  Jane  (Gun- 
salus)  Snyder.  Mrs.  Taylor  was  born  in  Chris- 
tian County,  III.,  Dec.  25,  1879.  Her  father  was 
of  German  descent  and  came  to  Illinois  from 
Cumberland  County,  Penn.,  when  a  boy.  Mrs. 
Taylor's  parents  are  both  living  in  Henry 
County,  111.  They  have  been  parents  of  six 
children.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Taylor  have  one  child. 
Clarence  W.,  born  May  20,  1903.  Mr.  Taylor 
has  conducted  his  present  farm  for  the  past 
seven  years,  and  devotes  his  attention  princi- 
pally to  breeding  Poland-China  hogs,  and 
raising  corn,  more  than  one-half  the  acreage 
of  his  farm  being  planted  with  this  cereal  each 
year.  He  also  keeps  a  small  herd  of  cattle.  In 
political  sentiment  he  is  a  Republican. 

EDWARD  C.  ULTCH.  farmer,  Sublette  Town- 
ship, Lee  County,  111.,  was  born  May  6.  1S57, 
son  of  John  P.  and  Elizabeth  (Wendel)  Ultch. 
natives  of  Cronach,  near  Munich.  Bavaria.  John 
P.  Ultch  came  to  America  in  1847.  locating  in 
Bureau  County,  111.,  where  he  became  the  own- 
er of  over  3200  acres  of  land.  In  1850  he  mar- 
ried Elizabeth  Wendel,  who  died  August  18. 
1868.  aged  forty-four  years,  leaving  six  children, 
viz.:  Carline,  Frederick,  William,  Edward  C, 
George  W.  and  John  P.,  Jr.  In  1872  John  P. 
Ultch  married  for  his  second  wife,  Catherine 
Ava  Masel,  and  of  this  union  there  was  one 
child,  Katie.  Mr.  Ultch  died  Sept.  13.  1889.  aged 
seventy  years.  Edward  P.  Ultch  remained 
under  the  parental  roof  until  1879,  having 
charge  of  his  father's  farm  fcr  several  years. 
In   1882   he  removed   to  Lee  County,   and   now 


owns  a  280-acre  farm  near  the  village  of  Sub- 
lette, besides  1200  acres  in  other  localities. 
February  19,  1882,  he  married  Charlotte  Fassig, 
daughter  of  Philip  and  Charlotte  (Erbes)  Fas- 
sig, natives  of  Darmstadt.  Germany,  and  of 
this  union  there  are  four  children — William  F., 
Altina  L.,  Emma  C.  and  Esther  S.  Mrs.  Ultch's 
father,  Philip  Fassig,  died  at  the  age  of  ei.ghty- 
one  year  and  seven  months,  while  her  mother 
died  in  1898,  aged  seventy-two  years.  In 
politics  Mr.  Ultch  is  a  Republican,  and  served 
one  term  as  Constable  and  Road  Commissioner, 
twelve  years  as  School  Director,  eight  years  as 
Justice  of  the  Peace,  besides  being  Pound- 
master  fcr  some  time.  M.  and  Mrs.  Ultch 
are  members  of  the  Dutch-Reformed  church. 

SAMUEL  A.  VANN,  retired  farmer.  Dixcn. 
111.,  was  born  in  Berkshire  County,  Mass.,  in 
1819,  son  of  William  and  Elizabeth  (Wheatly) 
Vann,  natives  of  Northhamptonshire,  England, 
who  came  to  the  United  States  in  1818.  In 
1844  Samuel  A.  Vann  married  Jane  Brown, 
who  came  to  Illinois  in  1856,  and  to  them  four 
children  were  born,  two  of  whom  are  living, 
viz.:  Alice  Elizabeth,  who  is  her  father's  house- 
keeper, and  George  B.  Mr.  Vann  was  engaged 
for  many  years  in  the  manufacture  of  carriages, 
but  for  the  past  two  years  (1904)  has  been  an 
invalid. 

MORRISON  H.  VAIL,  architect  and  artist, 
Dixon.  111.,  was  born  in  Chicago.  111.,  in  1866. 
son  of  Charles  A.  and  Henrietta  (Huggins) 
Vail:  obtained  his  education  in  the  public 
schools  of  Chicago.  Northwestern  University 
and  the  Chicago  Art  Institute.  He  was  appren- 
ticed to  W.  L.  B.  Jenny,  architect.  Chicago, 
with  whom  he  learned  his  profession,  and  was 
subsquently  engaged  by  him  as  draftsman; 
was  also  with  Holabird  &  Roche  and  other 
Chicago  firms,  and  tor  two'  years  did  the  archi- 
tectural designing  for  the  city  of  Chicago  dur- 
ing Mayor  D.  C.  Creiger's  administration.  He 
afterwards  engaged  in  business  for  himself 
in  Chicago,  and  in  1899  designed  the  Rock 
River  Assembly  building  at  Dixon,  establishing 
a  branch  office  in  that  city  the  same  year.  Dis- 
continuing his  Chicago  office  in  1903,  he  re- 
moved to  Dixon  and  has  since  made  that  city 
his  home  and  place  of  business.  In  1899  Mr. 
Vail  invented  and  patented  an  "auditorium 
truss  construction."  which  makes  possible  the 


826 


HISTORY   OF   LEE   COUNTY 


covering  of  large  surfaces  with  durable  roof 
construction  at  a  small  expense.  Mr.  Vail's 
specialties  are  designs  for  church  edifices  clubs 
and  public  halls.  In  1902  he  was  elected  a 
member  of  the  American  Institute  of  Archi- 
tects, and  is  a  member  of. the  Chicago  Archi- 
tects' Business  Association,  and  the  "National 
Society  of  Associated  Arts."  Fraternally  he 
belongs  to  the  I.  O.  O.  F.,  and  in  religious  be- 
lief is  a  Congreigationalist.  September  11, 
1889,  he  married  Miss  Maude  E.  Bennett,  of 
Chicago,  and  they  have  three  daughters,  Mar- 
jorie,  Alta.  and  Electa.  Mr.  Vail's  ancestors 
were  Huguenots,  who  moved  from  France 
through  Denmark  to  Wales,  and  emigrated  to 
the  New  England  States  in  163C.  Some  cf  them 
took  part  in  the  Revolution  and  the  War  of 
1812. 

JACOB  VOGEL,  retired  farmer,  residing  on 
Section  9,  Ashton  Township,  Lee  County,  111., 
was  born  in  Somerset  County,  Penn.,  Oct.  30, 
1853,  son  of  John  and  Margaret  (Miller)  Vogel, 
both  of  whom  were  natives  of  Germany,  and 
died  in  Somerset  County.  John  Vogel  was  a 
farmer  and  his  son  Jacob  grew  up  on  the  farm, 
attended  the  public  school  and,  in  1876,  came  to 
Lee  County,  111.,  where  he  first  found  employ- 
ment at  farm-work  by  the  mcnth.  later  renting 
lands  until  1892,  when  he  bought  his  present 
farm,  which  he  has  brought  to  a  high  state  of 
cultivation,  erecting  upon  it  a  comfortable  resi- 
dence and  making  other  valuable  improve- 
ments. He  has  also  added  to  his  general  farm- 
ing business  the  cultivation  of  small  fruits, 
thereby  adding  to  the  profits  cf  his  business 
and  the  beauty  of  the  place.  Mr.  Vcgal  was 
married  Dec.  28,  1887,  to  Lillian  Cleaver, 
daughter  of  Samuel  and  Minerva  (Brierton) 
Cleaver,  who  came  with  their  parents  from 
Pennsylvania  to  Dixon,'  III.,  in  1838.  The  Cleav- 
ers were  farmers.  Mr.  Vogel  and  wife  have 
had  four  children.:  Clinton  Edison,  Jacob  Earl, 
Neva  Mas  and  Anna  Ada.  In  pclitics  Mr.  Vogel 
is  a  Republican,  and  he  and  his  family  are 
members     f  the   Methcdist   church. 

HARMON  VAN  PATTEN,  farmer.  Section 
28,  Alto  Township,  Lee  County,  111.,  was  born 
in  Schenectady  County,  N.  Y.,  July  14.  1836, 
son  of  Simon  Bartlett  and  Susan  (Van  Patten) 
Van  Patten,  natives  of  Glenville.  Schenectady 
County,    and    .\lbany    County,   N.   Y.,    respec- 


tively. Harmon  Van  Patten's  paternal  great- 
grand  father,  Simon  Van  Patten,  was  a  soldier 
in  the  Reloutionary  War,  and  himself  and  wife 
assisted  in  throwing  overboard  the  objection- 
able cargo  of  tea  into  Boston  Harbor.  Harmon 
Van  Patten  spent  his  boyhood  and  youth  on 
his  father's  farm  in  New  York,  and  came  to 
Lee  County,  111.,  in  1859,  having  spent  the  pre- 
vious season  in  Detroit,  Mich.  During  the  first 
year  of  his  residence  in  Lee  County,  he  worked 
in  the  Willow  Creek  Nursery,  and  then  attend- 
ed the  Rock  River  Seminary,  thus  acquiring  a 
good  education.  He  was  married  March  17, 
1861,  to  Hannah  Nettleton,  born  July  26.  1838, 
daughter  of  Moses  and  Martha  (Martin)  Nettle- 
ton,  natives  of  Canada.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Van 
Patten  five  children  were  born,  viz.:  Winnie  E., 
wife  of  Lester  Atwcod  of  Langdon.  Iowa;  Min- 
nie Dell,  wife  of  Hy  P.  Moon;  Ernest  M.,  who 
married  Morda  Stevens;  John  Frederick;  and 
Mabel,  wife  of  R.  C.  Clarke,  of  Aurora,  111. 
Mrs.  Van  Patten  died  Jan.  6,  1875,  and  on 
Sept.  5,  1878,  Mr.  Van  Patten  married  for  his 
second  wife  Nettie  Fuller,  and  of  this  union 
there  Is  one  child,  Marion  Delight.  Mr.  Van 
Patten  served  as  Assessor  in  1S63-4,  as  Town 
Clerk  several  terms,  and  was  Township  Treas- 
urer ten  years.  He  has  been  a  consistent  mem- 
ber of  the  Methodist  church  for  the  past  forty 
years.  Mr.  Van  Patten  gives  his  attention  to 
general  farming  and  breeding  of  high  grade 
Norman   and  road   horses. 


B.  J.  WHEELER,  President  State  Bank  of 
Paw  Paw,  Paw  Paw.  111.,  was  born  near  Bangor, 
Maine,  May  4,  1836,  son  cf  Jacob  and  Martha 
(Drake)  Wheeler,  who  came  with  team  and 
wagon  from  the  Pine  Tree  State  to  Lee  County, 
111.,  arriving  at  the  latter  place  in  November, 
1S45.  B.  J.  'Wheeler  went  overland  to  Cali- 
fcrnia  in  1859.  Returning  to  Lee  County  in 
1863,  he  purchased  a  farm,  and  has  been  a  resi- 
dent of  Paw  Paw  since  that  time.  For  two 
years  he  was  engaged  in  the  hardware  busi- 
ness, operated  a  grist  mill  for  two  years,  and 
established  a  creamery,  v.'hich  he  conducted 
five  years.  In  1901,  on  the  organization  of 
the  State  Bank  of  Paw  Paw,  he  was  elected 
President  of  that  institution,  and  also  conducts 
a  real-estate  business.  On  January  1,  1873,  he 
married  Clarissa  Swarthout.  and  to  them  four 
children  have  been  born — Addle.  Frank,  Jean- 


HISTORY   OF   LEE    COUNTY. 


ette  and  Robert  W.  In  politics  Mr.  Wheeler 
is  a  Republican,  and  socially  belongs  to  the 
I.  O.  O.  F.  of  Paw  Paw. 

EBENEZER  WOODBRIDGE  (deceased)  was 
born  in  Salem,  Wayne  County.  Penn.,  Feb.  22, 
1816,  son  of  Joseph  and  Anna  (Mollister)  Wood- 
bridge,  natives  of  Connecticut,  where  the 
family  has  been  connected  with  Yale  College 
in  various  capacities  for  many  years.  Ebenszer 
Woodbridge  was  raised  in  the  State  of  New 
York,  became  a  farmer,  and  in  early  life  re- 
moved to  Jay  County,  Ind.,  where  he  was  a 
prominent  pioneer  and  one  of  the  leading  men 
for  fourteen  years.  He  was  always  an  ardent 
advocate  of  the  temperance  cause,  and  while 
living  in  Indiana  was  one  of  the  Trustees  of 
Liber  College  at  Portland  of  the  sani,;  State. 
In  1855  he  came  to  Lee  County,  111.,  where  he 
was  engaged  in  farming  until  his  death,  Dec. 
10,  1888.  In  1840  he  married  Eliza  S.  Ripley, 
daughter  of  John  and  Diana  (Westfall)  Ripley, 
natives  of  Connecticut  and  New  Jersey,  respec- 
tively. Four  children  were  born  to  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Wcodbridge,  viz.:  Sarah,  Diana  (Mrs.  B 
I.  Hitchcock),  Joseph  and  Egbert  (deceased). 
Mrs.  Woodbridge  removed  to  Dixon  ia  1894, 
and  she  and  her  daughter,  Miss  Anna  Wood- 
bridge,  are  attendants  of  the  Presbyterian 
church  of  that  city.  The  latter  is  also  a  mem- 
ber  of   the   D.    A.    R.,    and    Phidian    Art    Club. 


CHARLES  W.  WAGNER,  farmer,  Bradford 
To^-nship,  Lee  County,  111.,  was  born  in  Brad- 
ford Township,  May  13,  1865,  son  of  Jacob  and 
Sophia  (Reiss)  Wagner.  He  obtained  his  ed- 
ucation in  the  public  schools,  and  remained  on 
his  father's  farm  until  twenty-three  years  of 
age.  In  1888  he  married  Anna  C.  Bauer,  and 
to  them  cne  child — Nellie  Deloras — has  been 
horn.  Mir.  Wagner  owns  160  acres  of  land  in 
Bradford  Township,  which  was  a  gift  from  his 
father.  He  and  his  wife  are  members  of  the 
Evangelical  church,  and  in  political  views  Mr. 
Wagner  is  a  Republican.  Mrs.  Wagner's  par- 
ents, Wolfgang  and  Christina  (Schobert) 
Bauer,  were  natives  of  Bavaria,  the  former 
being  born  May  13,  1825,  and  died  Jan.  9,  1902, 
while  the  latter  was  born  June  5,  1834,  and 
died  May  4,  1897.  They  were  married  in  their 
native  country  and  became  the  parents  of 
nine     children — all     daughters — two    of    whom 


were  born  before  the 
in  1S56. 


rents  came  to  America 


STEPHEN  A.  WRIGHT,  real-estate  dealer, 
I'aw  Paw,  111.,  was  born  in  DeKalb  County,  111., 
Dec.  8,  1866,  son  of  George  and  Elizabeth 
(Scott)  Wright,  natives  of  England  and  Illinois, 
respectively.  Stephen  A.  Wright  was  educated 
in  the  public  schools  of  DeKalb  County,  after- 
wards engaged  as  a  farm-hand,  but  still  later 
purchased  land,  and  has  since  been  engaged 
in  farming,  and  in  the  conduct  of  a  general 
real  estate  business.  On  November  6,  1889,  he 
married  Lillie  Fleming,  daughter  of  Peter  and 
Charlotte  (Edmonds)  Fleming,  and  they  have 
one  daughter,  Roberta.  In  1896  Mr.  W^right 
moved  to  Paw  Paw,  and  built  his  present  resi- 
dence.    In  political  opinions  he  is  a  Republican. 

ALBERT  WOODS,  farmer,  W^yoming  Town- 
ship, Lee  County,  111.,  was  bora  in  Belmont 
County,  Ohio,  Feb.  13,  1S48,  son  of  George  iml 
Susan  (Coss)  Woods.  He  accompanied  his 
parents  to  Lee  County  in  1869,  and  settled 
en  a  farm  adjoining  the  old  homestead,  where 
he  has  since  resided,  and  now  owns  120  acres. 
On  February  15,  1876,  he  married  Jane  Kline, 
daughter  of  William  and  Nancy  (Norman) 
KJine,  of  Belmont  County,  Ohio,  and  they  have 
three  children.:  Laura  M.,  Walter  V.  and  Wil- 
bur A.  Mr.  Woods  is  a  Democrat  in  politics, 
and  fraternally  is  a  member  of  the  I.  0.  O.  F. 
His  wife  is  a  member  of  the  Baptist  church. 

CHARLES  E.  WEISZ,  farmer.  Palmyra 
Township,  Lee  County,  111.,  was  born  in  Ger- 
many. March  7,  1848,  son  of  Valentine  and 
Elizabeth  (Bernges)  Weisz.  His  father  came 
to  America  in  1855  and  settled  near  Defiance, 
Ohio,  where  Valentine  Weisz  still  resides,  his 
wife  having  died  when  fifty  years  of  age. 
Charles  E.  Weisz  came  to  America  in  1859, 
locating  in  Lee  County,  111.,  in  1869,  purchased 
his  present  100-acre  farm  in  1901.  Mir.  Weisz 
married  Ellen  McCavett,  who  died  Feb.  27, 
1897,  leaving  one  son,  Williami  C.  In  1899  Mr. 
Weisz  married  for  his  second  wife  Maria  J. 
Girton,  daughter  of  Marshall  Girton  who  came 
from  Pennsylvania  in  the  early  '40s  and  set- 
tled in  Lee  County,  and  of  this  union  there  are 
two  children.  Hazel  Gladys  and  Clark  Girton. 
Socially  Mr.   Weisz   is   a   member  of  the   I.  O. 


HISTORY   OF   LEE    COUNTY 


O.  F.,  and  the  Knights  of  the  Globe,    In  politics 
he   is   independent. 

CHARLES  I.  WILL,  farmer  and  stock-raiser. 
South  Dixon  Township.  Lee  County,  111.,  was 
born  in  Somerset  County,  Penn.,  August  15, 
1845,  son  of  Hiram  and  Keziah  (Meese)  Will, 
natives  of  Pennsylvania,  who  located  in  South 
Dixon  Township  in  18G5,  Hiram  Will  is  now 
living  retired  in  Dixon,  111.,  while  his  wife  died 
in  January,  1903.  Peter  Will,  an  uncle  of  Hi- 
ram Will,  was  a  pioneer  of  Illinois,  and  Will 
County,,  of  the  State,  was  named  in  his  honor. 
On  August  17,  1862,  Charles  I.  Will  enlisted  in 
Company  F,  One  Hundred  and  Forty-second 
Pennsylvania  Volunteer  Infantry,  and  was  as- 
signed to  the  Army  of  the  Potomac,  participat- 
ing in  the  following  battles:  Fredericksburg, 
Chancellorsville.  Gettysburg,  the  Wilderness, 
Spottsylvania,  Bethesda  Church,  North  Ann 
River,  Cold  Harbor,  Petersburg,  Weldon  Rail- 
road, Hatcher's  Run,  Fort  Steadman,  Five 
Forks,  and  the  final  struggle  at  Appomattox. 
He  was  discharged  in  June,  1865.  Mr.  Hill  lo- 
cated on  his  present  farm  in  1876,  and  now 
owns  400  acres  in  South  Dixon  Township.  On 
Auugst  17,  1870,  he  married  Marietta  Moss- 
holder,  daughter  of  Jacob  and  Mary  (Flamm) 
Mossholder,  and  to  them  the  following  chil- 
dren were  born:  Ida  F.  (Mrs.  Albert  Hart- 
man),  Myrtle  M.  and  Ralph  O.  Mr.  Will  is  a 
member  of  Dixon  Post,  No.  299,  G.  A.  R.  In 
political  views  he  is  a  Republican. 

JOHN  W.  WEISHAAR.  farmer  and  stock- 
breeder, Bradford  Township,  Lee  County,  111., 
was  born  Dec.  27,  1864,  son  cf  Emrich  and 
Anna  B.  (Merbach)  Weishaar.  natives  of 
Lauterbach,  Germany.  Emrich  Weishaar  was 
born  Feb.  3,  1834,  came  to  Lee  County  in  1856, 
and  on  March  9,  1861,  married  Anna  B.  Mer- 
bach, and  they  were  the  parents  of  four  chil- 
dren— Emert,  John  W.,  Henry  and  Caroline. 
Mr.  Weishaar  bought  land  shortly  after  locat- 
ing in  Lee  County,  and  at  the  time  of  leaving 
the  farm  owned  420  acres.  In  1897  he  removed 
to  Ashton,  where  he  has  since  lived  retired. 
On  Decembei-  5,  1897,  John  W.  Weishaar  mar- 
ried Augusta.  Brunotte,  and  they  have  two 
children — Emrich  August  and  Martha  Annie. 
Mr.  Weishaar  occupies  a  part  (240  acres)  of 
the  farm  formerly  owned  by  his  father,  known 
as    the    "Weishaar-Durhani     Shcrt-horn     Stock 


Farm,"  and  devotes  his  attention  to  raising 
herds  of  pedigreed  Durham  short-horn  cattle. 
In  polities  he  is  a  Republican,  and  has  served 
as  School  Director  and  Constable.  In  relig- 
ious belief  he  belongs  to  the  Evangelical 
church,  while  his  wife  is  a  Lutheran.  Mrs. 
Weishaar's  parents  v/ere  born  in  the  city  of 
Hanover,  Germany.  Her  mother  died  in  the 
Fatherland,  and  in  1886  Mr.  Brunotte  brought 
his  family  to  New   York,  where   he   died  Dec. 

19,  1892. 

JACOB  WERTMAN  (deceased),  born  in  Lu- 
zerne (now  a  part  of  Bucks)  County,  Penn., 
son  of  Henry  and  Anna  M.  (Krymmin)  Wert- 
man,  natives  of  Pennsylvania;  came  to  Lee 
County,  111.,  in  1838,  and  settled  on  Section  4, 
Nachusa  Township,  where  he  spent  the  remain- 
der of  his  life.  He  was  a  carpenter  by  trade, 
and  was  employed  in  that  line  several  years 
after  locating  in  Lee  County.  February  20, 
1851,  he  was  married  to  Mary  E.,  daughter  of 
Solomon  and  Jane  Shelhamer,  who  came  to 
Lee  County  in  1837,  and  to  them  v,'ere  born 
four  children:  Charles,  Thomas,  Alice  and  Wil- 
lard  L.  Mr.  Wertman  died  Jan.  23,  1892,  and 
his  wife  Feb.  14,  1901.  He  was  a  Republican 
in  politics,  and  in  religious  belief  a  German 
Lutheran. 

WILLARD  L.  WERTMAN,  youngest  son  of 
Jacob  Wertman,  has  had  charge  of  his  father's 
farm  since  1883,  and  in  1902  became  its  owner 
by  purchase  from  his  father's  estate.     January 

20,  1892,  he  married  Sarah  C,  daughter  of 
Alfred  and  Susan  (Lambert)  Smith,  natives 
cf  Washington  County,  Md.,  who  settled  in  Car- 
rol! County,  111.,  in  1882.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Willard 
L.  Wertman  have  had  four  children:  Mary, 
Naomi.  Charles  and  Agnes.  Mr.  Wertman  is 
a  Republican  politically  and  a  member  of 
Franklin  Grove  Lodges  Knights  of  Pythias  and 
Knights   of   the   Globe. 

ISAAC  N.  WOODS,  farmer,  Wyoming  Town- 
ship. Lee  County,  111.,  was  born  in  Belmont 
County,  Ohio,  Jan.  26,  1856,  the  son  of  George 
W.  and  Susan  (Coss)  Woods.  Isaac  N.  Woods 
has  been  a  farmer  all  his  life,  and  now  owns 
a  farm  of  120  acres  two  and  a  half  miles  south 
of  Paw  Paw.  111.  He  v.^as  married  Nov.  29.  1883, 
to  Mary  E..  daughter  of  Alexander  and  Mary 
J.    Caruth.    and    to    them    six    children — Arthur 


HISTORY   OF   LEE    COL'XTY. 


S29 


R.,  Robert  G.,  Bernice  A.,  Irving  G..  Harold  E. 
and  Clifton — have  been  born.  In  political  sen- 
timent he  is  a  Democrat,  and  in  religious  be- 
lief a  Presbyterian,  being  a  member  of  the 
church  at  Paw  Paw. 

CAREY  J.  WHITE  (deceased)  was  born  at 
Peru,  Clinton  County,  N.  Y.,  April  10,  1835, 
the  son  of  Jacob  and  Sarah  (Chandler)  White. 
Mr.  White  came  to  Illinois  in  March,  1871,  mak- 
ing his  first  settlement  in  DeKalb  County,  but 
later  in  the  same  year  removed  to  Wyoming 
Township,  Lee  County,  where  he  spent  the  re- 
mainder of  his  life  as  one  o^  the  leading  farm- 
ers of  that  vicinity.  In  Octobe-r.  1855,  he  mar- 
ried Eunice  Cobb,  daughter  of  John  and  Lydia 
(Grandy)  Cobb,  who  were  also  natives  of  the 
Empire  State,  and  of  this  union  there  were 
nine  children,  six  of  whom  survive,  viz.:  Edwin 
J.,  Elma  J.  (Mrs.  Jacob  Fisher),  Marion  (a 
physician  of  Dixon.  111.),  Chandler  D.,  Earl 
C.  and  Merton  A.  In  political  sentiment  Mr. 
White  was  a  Republican.     He  died   March   24. 


EDWIN  J.  WHITE,  farmer,  Wyoming  Town- 
ship, Lee  County,  111.,  was  borni  in  Clinton 
County,  N.  Y.,  July  31,  1856,  his  birthplace 
being  in  the  same  house  where  his  father  came 
into  life  twenty-one  years  previously.  When 
a  boy  fifteen  years  of  age.  he  came,  with  his 
parents — Carey  J.  and  Eunice  (Cobb)  White — 
to  Illinois,  and  remained  under  the  parental 
roof  until  1886,  when  he  went  to  Nebraska, 
where  he  was  employed  for  two  years  in  rail- 
road construction.  He  settled  on  the  farm 
where  he  now  resides,  in  1889.  In  politics,  Mr. 
White  is  a  Republican,  and  socially  belongs  to 
the  Masonic  Order  and  Knights  of  the  Globe. 

JUDGE  DAVID  \VELTY  (deceased)  was 
born  Sept.  30,  1811,  in  Williamsville,  Erie 
County,  N.  Y.;  moved  to  Lee  County  in  1833, 
and  from  that  time  until  his  death — Jan.  13, 
1885 — was  a  prominent  citizen  of  the  county. 
He  was  elected  Probate  Judge  in  1854,  and 
served  two  terms;  also  held  the  office  of  Drain- 
age Commissioner  for  several  years.  The 
Judge  was  married  in  1834,  in  Buffalo.  N.  Y., 
to  Seiraphina  Scott,  and  they  were  the  parents 
of  thirteen  children.  Mrs.  Welty  died  July  26. 
1886. 

JOHN  WEDLOCK,  farmer,  Lee  Center  Town- 


ship, Lee  County,  III.,  born  near  Plymouth, 
England,  Feb.  1820,  son  of  John  and  Ann  Wed- 
lock; came  to  the  United  States  in  1847,  and 
a  year  later  to  China  Township,  Lee  County, 
111.,  and  in  1856,  located  on  the  farm  of  160 
acres  which  he  now  owns.  In  1859,  Mr.  Wed- 
lock married  Mary  J.  Phillips,  and  to  them 
were  born  four  children:  George,  James,  Clara 
and  Vira.  Mrs.  Mary  J.  Wedlock  died  Feb.  6, 
1876,  and  in  1879  Mr.  Wedlock  married  Mrs. 
Anna  L.  Miller,  daughter  of  Robert  F.  and 
Annie  Hight,  natives  of  Pennsylvania,  who^ 
came  to  Lee  County  in  1846.  Mrs.  Wedlock 
is  a  member  of  the  Congregational  church,  and 
Mr.  Wedlock  is  a  Republican,  having  cast  his 
first  Republican  vote  for  Abraham  Lincoln. 
Kyle  Miller,  a  grandson  of  Mrs.  Wedlock,  was 
reared  by  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wedlock,  and  in  No- 
vember. 1897,  he  married  Eva  La  Tier  Gentry, 
and  theyi  have  two  children — Floyd  and  May. 

COL.  JOHN  B.  WYMAN  (deceased)  v.'as  born 
in  Massachusetts,  July  12,  1817.  In  1852  he 
entered  the  service  of  the  Illinois  Central  Rail- 
way Company,  and  assisted  in  the  survey  and 
construction  of  that  road.  At  the  beginning  of 
the  Civil  War,  he  was  appointed  Assistant  Ad- 
jutant General  of  Illinois,  and  rendered  valu- 
able aid  in  mustering  into  service  the  first 
six  regiments  of  the  State.  At  Amboy,  111., 
he  recruited  Company  C,  Thirteenth  Regiment, 
Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry,  and  upon  organi- 
zation of  the  regiment,  was  selected  Colonel. 
He  was  mortally  wounded  at  Chickasaw  Bayou, 
Dec.   28,  1862. 

HON.  LORENZO  WOOD  (deceased)  was 
born  in  Vermont,  in  November,  1818.  In  1842 
he  located  in  Dixon,  111.,  and  Y.'as  admitted  to 
the  bar;  he  was  elected  County  Judge,  holding 
office  until  1852,  when  he  resigned.  He  was 
later  Master  in  Chancery,  Internal  Revenue 
Assessor,  and  for  many  years  Chairman  of  the 
Board  of  Supervisors  of  Lee  County.  Being 
constantly  in  public  life  for  many  years,  he 
held  many  minor  offices  in  addition  to  those 
mentioned  above.  He  was  present  at  the  organ- 
ization of  the  Republican  party  at  Blooming- 
ton  in  1856.  Fraternally  he  was  a  prominent 
Mason. 

JACOB  WAGNER,  farmer,  Bradford  Town- 
ship.  Lee   County.   111.,    was    born    in   Reichen- 


830 


HISTORY  OF  LEE   COUNTY. 


sachsen,  Kreis  Eschwege.  Kur  Hessen,  Ger- 
many. Oct.  28.  1S40,  son  of  George  and  Maria 
(Fischbach)  Wagner,  In  1855  he  came,  with 
his  parents,  to  Lee  Coimty,  where  his  father 
died  the  same  year,  and  his  mother  in  1870, 
being  then  in  her  sixty-eighth  year.  Jacob 
Wagner  began  working  in  a  nursery  when 
fifteen  years  of  age,  continuing  until  he  reached 
his  majority.  He  then  purchased  an  SO-acre 
farm,  to  which  he  made  subsequent  additions, 
until  his  estate  embraced  485  acres.  In  1S63 
he  married  Sophia  Reiss,  daughter  of  Jacob 
and  Julia  (Schafer)  Reiss,  natives  of  Germany. 
Mrs.  Wagner  died  in  1883.  leaving  ten  children, 
viz.:  Martha.  Charles,  John,  George,  Anna, 
Jacob,  Mary,  Emma,  Sarah,  and  Minnie.  On 
February  16,  1887,  Mr.  Wagner  married  his  sec- 
ond wife.  Anna  Fernou.  who  was  born  in  Ger- 
many, August  26,  1849,  and  of  this  union  there 
is  one  son,  Frederick.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wagner 
are  members  of  the  Reformed  Evangelical 
church.     In  politics  he  is  a  Republican. 

GEORGE  WOODS  (deceased)  was  born  in 
Jefferson  County,  Ohio,  Oct.  28,  1820,  son  of 
William  and  Elizabeth  Woods.  In  March,  1869, 
Mr.  Woods  and  his  family  came  to  Lee  County 
and  purchased  the  present  Woods  homestead 
in  Wyoming  Township.  He  married  Susan 
Coss,  daughter  of  Abraham  and  Margaret  Coss, 
of  Belmont  County,  Ohio,  and  they  had  eight 
children:  Catherine  A.  (deceased),  Albert, 
Mary  R.,  Pinkney  L..  Isaac  N.,  Maria  L.  (de- 
ceased). Effie  J.  and  Olive.  In  political  views 
he  was  a  Democrat,  and  in  religious  belief  a 
Presbyterian.  He  died  May  4.  1900.  and  his 
v.'idow  now  resides  at  Paw  Paw.  111. 

ALEXIS  R.  WHITNEY  (deceased)  was  born 
at  Albion,  Orleans  County,  N.  Y.,  Feb.  22,  1824, 
son  of  Col.  Nathan  ^^''hitney,  who  was  famil- 
iarly known  as  "Father  Whitney."  Alexis  R. 
Whitney  came,  with  his  parents,  to  Lee  County 
in  1837.  and  later  became  prominently  identi- 
fied with  the  interests  of  that  section  of  coun- 
try. He  was,  for  many  years,  proprietor  of 
the  Franklin  Grove  Orchard  and  Nursery  Farm, 
which  he  established  in  1843,  and  was  also 
extensively  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of 
cider  and  vinegar.  On  August  14,  1851,  he 
married  Mary  J.  Oakly,  bornj  in  Hudson,  N.  Y., 
Oct.  10,  183(1.  and  to  them  six  children  were 
born:      Sarah   J.,   Carrie   L.,   Jessie  R.,   Carrie 


Louise,  Nathan  A.  and  Mary  J.  In  political 
convictions  he  v.-as  a  Republican,  and  was  the 
first  Clerk  of  China  Township,  holding  office 
for  six  years.  Fraternally  he  was  a  Thirty- 
second  Degree  Mason.     Jlr.  Whitney  died  Dec. 


COL.  NATHAN  WHITNEY  (deceased), 
knov,-n  far  and  wide  as  "Father  Whitney,"  was 
born  in  Conway,  Mass.,  Jan.  22,  1791.  He  came 
to  Lee  County  in  1835,  locating  there  perma- 
nently in  1837,  and  shortly  afterwards  was 
elected  one  of  the  Commissioners  who  organ- 
ized the  County.  Mr.  Whitney  was  a  promi- 
nent and  influential  citizen,  and  for  many  years 
took  an  active  part  in  the  development  of  Lee 
County.  He  became  a  Mason  June  23,  1817, 
and  was  one  of  the  charter  members  of  Friend- 
ship Lodge,  No.  7,  of  Dixon;  was  also  one 
of  the  first  members  to  receive  the  order  of 
Sir  Knight  in  the  Dixon  Commandery.  The 
Nathan  Whitney  Chapter  of  Royal  Arch  Ma- 
sons wes  named  in  his  honor.  He  died  June 
11,  1891. 

EDWARD  E.  WINGERT,  attorney.  Dixon, 
111.,  was  born  at  Fi  anklin  Grove.  Lee 
County.  111..  Nov.  13,  1866,  son  of  Walter  J. 
and  Mary  C.  (Emmert)  Wingert,  natives  of 
Ohio  and  Maryland,  respectively.  Walter  J. 
Wingert  came  to  Lee  County  in  1852,  and  is 
new  a  resident  of  Dixon.  Edward  E.  Wingert 
obtained  his  education  in  Dixon,  and  the  Uni- 
versity cf  Michigan,  graduating  from  the  law 
department  of  the  latter  institution  in  1889, 
and  locating  in  Dixon  the  same  year.  For  two 
years  he  taught  languages  in  the  Northern 
Illinois  Normal  School,  and  was  also  engaged 
in  a  similar  capacity  in  the  Law  School  for 
three  years.  He  married,  in  1892,  Bessie  E. 
Boardman.  and  to  this  union  there  are  three 
children;  Marjorie.  Bessie  and  Edward  B.  In 
political  sentiment  he  is  a  Republican,  and 
served  as  City  Attorney  from  1890  to  1893,  and 
again  from  1902  to  1903.  He  is  a  member  of 
the   Methodist  Episcopal  church. 

CAPTAIN  GEORGE  E.  YOUNG  (deceased) 
was  born  in  Lee  Center,  Oneida  County,  N.  Y., 
June  24.  1840.  son  of  Franklin  J.  and  Mary 
Ann  (Ward)  Young,  who  removed,  with  their 
family  to  Winnebago  County,  111.,  in  1854. 
George   E.   Young    came    to    Amboy  in    1879 


HISTORY   OF   LEE    COUNTY 


831 


where,  for  many  years,  he  was  engaged  in  the 
grocery  business.  On  October  1,  1861,  he  en- 
listed in  Company  A,  Fifty-second  Illinois  Vol- 
unteer Infantry,  and  served  three  years  in  de- 
fending his  Nation's  honor.  He  was  chosen 
First  Lieutenant  at  the  organization  of  his  regi- 
ment, and  Oct.  7,  1862,  was  elected  Captain, 
holding  the  command  until  mustered  out  of  the 
service.  On  August  1,  1883,  he  married  Miss 
Julia  Tipple,  who  still  survives.  In  political 
viev/s  he  was  a  Democrat,  and  served  as 
Mayor  of  Amboy  several  terms,  and  v,-as  Post- 
master of  the  same  city  eight  years.  Captain 
Young  died  at   Pamonia,  Cal.,  Nov.  7.   1892. 

THOMAS  YOUNG,  proprietor  of  the  Nachusa 
House,  Dixon,  111.,  was  born  in  Dodge  County, 
Wis.,  in  1856,  son  of  Thomas  and  Zemira  (Flem- 
ing) Young.  Thomas  Young,  Sr..  was  born  in 
Devonshire,  England,  and  came  to  the  United 
States  in  1830,  locating  first  at  Elmira,  N.  Y., 
where,  in  1840,  he  married  Zemira  Fleming, 
the  same  year  removing  to  Milwaukee,  Wis., 
where  he  became  a  manufacturer  and  real 
estate  dealer.  Here  he  remained  until  184.5, 
when  he  removed  from  Milwaukee  to  Beaver 
Dam,  Wis.,  where  he  continued  in  the  manu- 
facturing business  until  1872.  In  1872,  as- 
sisted by  his  sons,  Oscar  A.  and  Thomas,  he 
established  a  number  of  eating  houses  at  dif- 
ferent points — Minnesota  Junction  and  Madi- 
son. Wis.:  Dixon,  111.,  and  Eagle  Grove, 
Iowa,  on  the  Chicago  &  North-Western 
Railroad, — which  eventually  induced  him  to 
locate  at  Dixcn,  111.,  where,  in  1887,  he  as- 
sumed management  of  the  Waverly  House, 
which  he  conducted  until  1892.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Young  were  the  parents  of  nine  children,  five 
of  whcm  arej  living,  viz.:  Charles  M.,  Oscar  A., 
Thomas,  Zemira  M.  (who  is  housekeeper  for 
her  brother  Thomas  at  the  Nachusa  House), 
and  Leora  (Mrs.  J.  Craney).  Mr.  Young  died 
in  1892,  and  Mrs.  Young  in  1893.  Thomas 
Young,  Jr.,  obtained  his  education  in  the  high 
school  at  Horicon,  Wis.,  and  in  1899,  in  part- 
nership with  Gerrge  Dewey,  became  proprietor 


of  the  Nachusa  House  at  Dixon.  In  the  spring 
of  1893  they  sold  their  lease  to  a  Mr.  Orvis, 
who  retained  possession  until  September,  1899, 
when  Mr.  Young  and  John  H.  Schafer  became 
proprietors.  In  April,  1900,  Mr.  Young  bought 
his  partner's  interest,  and  is  now  sole  proprie- 
tor of  that  hostelry,  as  well  as  the  Assembly 
Park  Hotel  at  North  Dixon,  and  the  Orient 
Hotel  at  Polo,  111.  Socially  he  is  a  member  of 
the  Knights  of  Pythias,  Knights  of  the  Globe, 
Dixon  Club,  and  Retail  Merchants'  Association. 

S.  T.  ZELLBR.  grain  dealer,  firm  of  Zeller  & 
Hutchison,  Ashton,  111.,  was  born  in  Warren 
County,  Ohio,  in  1853,  sen  of  A.  ^.  and  Maria 
(Flickinger)  Zeller.  When  an  infant  he  was 
brought,  by  his  parents,  to  Preble  County, 
Ohio,  where  he  attended  the  public  schools, 
and  remained  on  his  father's  farm  until  1889. 
Coming  to  Lee  County  in  the  latter  year,  he 
conducted  a  grain  elevator  at  Harmon  for 
twelve  years,  the  greater  part  of  the  time  be- 
ing in  partnership  with  A.  E.  Hutchinson. 
Withdrawing  from  the  firm,  Mr.  Zeller  removed 
to  Sterling,  where  he  was  engaged  for  a  time 
in  a  similar  capacity,  but  on  Jan.  1,  1901,  dis- 
posed of  his  business  at  the  latter  place,  and 
coming  to  Ashton,  111.,  again  entered  into  part- 
nership with  Mr.  Hutchison,  when  they  pur- 
chased the  Knapp  &  Jennings  Elevator,  and  the 
extensive  stock  yards  adjacent,  where  stock 
is  fed  in  transit  on  the  North-Western  Railroad. 
Under  the  firm  name  of  Zeller  &  Hutchi- 
son they  conduct  an  extensive  business.  In 
1881  Mr.  Zeller  was  married  in  Ohio  to  Caro- 
line Foster,  and  they  have  four  children,  viz.: 
Nellie,  noiv  attending  Oberlin  Conservatory  of 
Music,  Oberlin,  Ohio:  Samuel,  now  a  student 
in  the  State  University  of  Michigan;  Ruth,  and 
Ralph.  Mr.  Zeller  is  a  Republican  in  political 
views,  and,  while  a  resident  of  Harmon,  served 
as  Town  Clerk  and  Supervisor.  Fraternally 
he  belongs  to  the  Masonic  Order  and  M.  W.  A. 
He  and  his  wife  are  members  of  the  Methodist 
church. 


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