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L  I  E>  RARY 

OF   THE 

U  N  I  VERSITY 

or    1  LLI  NOIS 


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HISTORY 


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EHDITEID  BY  AAriLLI^3^d:  ."EiElNrR.'ir  I=EI^I?.I2Sr. 


mLX!JSTrFi5\^KID. 


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CHICAGO: 
BASKIN    ct    CO.,    HISTORICAL    PUBLt8HKR8, 

LAKESIDE  BUILDING. 

1883. 


A, 


PREFACE. 


THE  history  of  Crawford  aucl  Clark  Counties,  after  months  of  persistent  toil  and  research,  is 
now  completed,  and  it  is  believed  that  no  subject  of  universal  public  importance  or  inter- 
est has  been  omitted,  save  where  protracted  effort  failed  to  secure  reliable  results.  We  are  well 
aware  of  our  inability  to  furnish  a  perfect  history  from  meager  public  documents  and  number- 
less conflicting  traditions,  but  claim  to  have  prepared  a  work  fully  up  to  the  standard  of  our 
promises.  Through  the  courtesy  and  assistance  generously  afforded  by  the  residents  of  these 
counties,  we  have  been  enabled  to  trace  out  and  put  on  record  the  greater  portion  of  the  impor- 
tant events  that  have  transpired  in  Crawford  and  Clark  Counties  up  to  the  present  time.  And 
we  feel  assured  that  all  thoughtful  people  in  these  counties,  mw  and  in  future,  will  recognize 
and  appreciate  the  importance  of  the  work  and  its  permanent  value. 

A  dry  statement  of  facts  has,  as  far  as  possible,  been  avoided,  and  incidents  and  anecdotes 
have  been  woven  in  with  facts  and  statistics,  forming  a  narrative  at  once  instructive  and  interest- 
ing. 

We  are  indebted  to  Hon.  E.  Callahan  for  the  chapter  on  the  -  Bench  and  Bar'  of  Crawford 
County  ;  to  Cxeorge  W.  Harper,  Esq.,  for  a  sketch  of  "  the  pre^"  and  to  Hon.  W.  C.  Wilson  for 
valuable  and  important  historical  data ;  also  to  Hamilton  Sutton,  Esq.,  for  his  very  able  general 
history  of  Clark  County ;  to  H.  C.  Bradsby,  Esq.,  for  the  chapter  on  the  ''  Bench  and  Bar"  of 
Clark,  and  to  many  other  citizens  of  both  counties  for  material  aid  to  our  historians  in  making 
the  proper  compilation  of  facts  embodied  in  tiie  work. 

April,  1883.  ,  THE  PUBLISHERS. 


233623 


CONTENTS 


PART  I. 

HISTORICAL. 

CRAWFORD     COtTNTY. 

I'AOE. 

CHAPTf^R  I.— Introductory — Descriptive— Boundaries  and 
Topography— The  Science  of  Geology— Its  Influence  on 
Agriculture  and  Civilization— Geology  of  Crawford 
County— The  Coal  Measures— Outcrops' of  Coal— Build- 
ing Stone— Its  Quality  and  Durability— Iron  Ore — Soils, 
Timber,  etc.,  etc 11 

CHAPTER  II.— Pre-historic  Occupation  of  the  Country- 
The  Mound  Builders— Relics  and  Works  of  the  Lost 
Race— The  Meroui  Mounds — Earthworks  and  Mounds 
at  Ilutsonville— other  Relics,  etc.— The  Indians— l)ela- 
wares  and  Kickapoos— Their  Position  of  Southern  Illi- 
nois—Historical Sketches  of  their  Tribes,  etc.— Local 
Facts  and  Traditions 18 

CHAPTKIE  III.— Settlement  of  the  County  by  White  Peo- 
ple—The Early  French  Explorers— Their  Claim  to  Illi- 
nois—Gen. Clark's  Expedition  to  Kaskaskia— Emigrants 
from  the  States— Fort  Lamotte  and  the  Rangers- The 
Culloms  and  Other  Pioneers— The  Hutson  Family — 
Their  Murder  by  Indians— Pioneer  Life — Hardships 
and  Dangers  of  the  AVilderness,  etc 29 

CHAPTER  IV. — Organization  of  tlie  County — Illin<iis  a.-*  a 
Part  of  Virginia— Divided  Into  Counties— Act  of  the 
IvCgislature  Forming  Crawford — Name  of  the  County — 
The  Courts,  etc.— Locating  the  Seat  of  Justice— An  In- 
dian Trial— Other  Court  Proceedings— List  of  (ttficers 
and  Representatives— Court  Houses  and  Jails— Civil 
Divisions  of  the  County— Removal  of  the  County  Seat 
— Township  Organizations,  etc.,  etc .' 37 

CHAPTER  v.— The  Bench  and  Bar— Justice  and  Her  Scales 
—First  Courts  and  What  They  Did — Some  of  the  Early 
Judges— Different  Judicial  Di.-«triets— The  First  Resi- 
dent Lawyers— Kitchell,  Janney,  French,  etc.— Their 
Legal  Ability  and  Social  Traits— Other  Lawyers  of  the 
Couniy— The  Present  Bar,  etc.,  etc 54 

CHAPTER  VI.— Internal  Iraprovemeuts— The  First  Roads 
and  Mridges — Railroads — Coming  of  the  Iron  Horse — 
The  Old  Wabash  Valley  Route— Paris  and  Danville— Its 
Completion,  Changes  and  Condition — East  and  West 
Railroad  Projects— The  Narrow  <^iauge — Value  and 
Economy  of  the  System— Other  Roads  That  Were  Never 
Built,  and  Never  Will  Be,  etc.,  etc 66 

CHAPTER  VII.— The  "  Raging"  Wabash- Improvement  of 
its  Navigation — Boating  in  the  I-^arly  Times — Overflows, 
I.*vees,  etc. — Damage  Done  to  the  Farmers— Agriculture 
— Early  Mode  of  Opening  and  Cultivating  Farms — Pio- 
neer Plows  and  Hoes— Crawford  County  Agricultural 
Society— Incorporation  and  List  of  (itficers— Horticult- 
ure— The  County  Poor,  etc.,  etc 7;! 

CHAPTER  Vin.— The  County  Press— Its  Influence  in  the 
Community — Newspaper  Enterprises  of  Crawford  County 
— The  Constitution  and  Argus — Educational — Pioneer 
Schoolhouses  and  Teachers— Advantages  of  Education 
— Scliool  Statistics — Religious  History — Early  Preachers 
— Churches  Oru'anized,  etc-.,  etc 79 


f 


PAGE. 

CHAPTER  IX.— War  History— The  Struggle  for  Independ- 
ence—Our Second  "Round"  with  John  Bull— Black 
Hawk  and  his  Braves,  and  How  We  Thrashed  Them— 
The  Mexican  War — Illinois'  Participation  In  It— War 
of  the  Rebellion — DitJerent  Regiments  in  which  Craw- 
ford County  was  Represented— Facts  and  Incidents  of 
the  War,  etc.,  etc 91 

CHAPTER  X.— Robinson  Township—Description  and  To- 
pography-General Character  of  the  Countrv— Land 
Entries— Advent  ^of  the  Whites— Time  and  Place  of 
Settlement— Early  Society— The  Beginning  of  Agricult- 
ure—Pioneer Industries  and  Improvements- Early 
Markets,  etc.,  etc li)7 

CHAPTER  XL— Robinson  Villag^-The  Star  of  Empire— A 
New  Town  Laid  Out— First  Plat  and  Subsequent  Addi- 
tions—I-larly  Development— Growth  of  liusiness  Inter- 
ests—The Railroad  Impetus— Schools,  Churches  and 
Benevolent  Societies— Cemeteries,  etc.,  etc ug 

CHAPTER  XII.— La  Motte  Township— General  Description 
and  Topography  —  Early  Settlement— Joseph  La  Motte 
— The  Eatons — Other  Pioneers — Tho  Seven  Jesses — Ex- 
tract from  I'icklin's  Address— Schools  and  Churches — 
Palestine — Its  Growth,  Development  aud  Incoi-poration 
— The  Land  Otfice — Registers  and  Receivers — Education- 
al, Religious,  etc.,  etc 127 

CHAPTER  XUL  — Ilutsonville  Township  — Topographv— 
Early  Settlement— Hutson  Family— Tne  Barlows.  New- 
lins  aud  Hills— i  )ther  Pioneers— Early  Trials  and  Troub- 
les— Schools  and  Churches — Village  of  Hutsonville— Its 
Situation  as  a  Trading  Point— Some  of  the  Merchants 
and  Business  Men- Fire,  AVater,  etc.,  etc 146 

CHAPTER  XIV.— Licking  Township— Description,  Bounda- 
ries and  Topography —Early  Settlement- Pioneer  Im- 
provements ami  Industries  —  Villages— Early  Schools, 
etc — Churchei  aud  Church  Buildings KJO 

CHAPTER  XV.— Oblong  Township  — Physical  Features- 
Soil  and  Productions — The  Coming  of  the  Pioneers— De- 
velopment of  the  Country— Early  Industries— Roads  and 
Mil'.s— Village  of  Oblong  —  Church  History  —  Early 
Schools — Patrons  of  Husbandry I7;i 

CHAPTER  XVI.— Montgomery  Township — Physical  Feat- 
ures, Boundaries,  etc— Early  Settlers  and  Where  They 
Came  From— The  Hurricane — Frontier  Industries— A 
Race  for  the  Bottle  and  its  Rl'suUs— The  Poisoning  of 
Reed— Villages— Religious  and  Educational 18:^ 

CHAi'Ti:i:  XVII.— Martin  and  Southwest  Townships— Posi- 
tion and  I'.oundaries — Formation  of  Southwest — Water 
Courses  —  Soil—  Productions  —  Timbi-r- Pioneer  Settle- 
ment—Early Incidents  and  Industries— Life  in  the  Wil- 
derness—Early Roads— Church  and  School  History— Vil- 
lages, etc.,  etc i9:j 

CHAPTER  XVIIL— Honey  Creek  Township— Description 
and  Topography— Advent  of  the  Pale-Faces,  and  their 
Early  Struggles— Pioneer  Improvementc— Religious  His- 
tory— An  Incident — Schools  and  Schoolhouses — Villages 
—Parting  Word-*,  etc.,  etc 202 


CONTENTS. 


PAKT   II. 

iLARK     CO U STY. 

PAGE. 

CHAPTER  I— i;eneral  Descriptiou  of  Clark  County— To- 
poeraphy  and  Physical  Features— licology— Coal  MeaB- 
ur|,_The  Storv  'of  the  Rocks— BuUding  Stone— Soils, 
Timber  and  Productions— Artesian  Well— The  Mound 
Builders  and  Their  Works— Indian  Relics,  etc.,  etc 210 

CHAPTER  II.— Early  Settlements— The  Pioneers  and 
Where  They  Came  From— Their  Hard  Life,  Rude 
Dwellings  and  Coarse  Clothins— Incident  of  a  Biscuit- 
Salt— Ne(;ro  Slavery- An  Exciting  Campaign— tol. 
\rcher—(i.ame—"  Marks"  and  "  lirands  "—Taxation^ 
The  Indians— Shooting  Matches— ICarly  Society— ( 'hm- 
tianity  and  Pioneer  Preachers— Intemperance— The 
Climate,  etc.,  etc. -" 

CHAPTER  in.— Organization  of  the  County— The  Legisla- 
tive .'Vet  Creating  It— Location  of  the  Seat  of  .Tustlee— 
The  Courts— .\urora  and  Darwin— Removal  to  Marshall 
—Bitter  contests— The  Question  Finally  Settled— Di- 
vision of  the  County  into  Precincts— English  Tithmgs 
—Township  Organization— Benefit  of  the  System,  ete....  2ib 

CHAPTER  IV.— Clark's  First  Courts  and  Administration 
of  .lustice— An  Incident  of  Flogging- How  a  Sheriff 
\djourued  Court^OBieers  and  Their  Pay— War  His- 
tory—Early Military  Forces  of  the  County— Black 
Hawk— Mexican  War— The  Rebellion— Part  Taken  lu 


Hawk- 
it  by  Clark,  etc.,  etc.. 


2.52 


CHAPTER  V.—Edueatioual— First  Steps  Toward  Knowl- 
edge-School Lauds  and  the  Fund  Derived  From  Them 
—The  Duncan  School  Law— Taxes  for  IJUieational  Pur- 
poses-Changes of  the  School  Laws— First  Schools  of 
the  County- Early  Temples  of  Le.arning  and  Pioneer 
Teachers— Academies  and  Colleges— Statistics,  etc.,  etc..  26o 

CHAPTER  VI.— Internal  Improveinents— The  Old  National 
Road— How  it  w;is  Built- Railroads— Their  .Appearance 
in  Clark— Building  of  the  Van.lalia  Road— Wabash  and 
Other  Railroad  Projects- Conclusion,  etc.,  etc 273 

CHAPTER  VII.— Bench  and  Bar— The  Early  Comers  and 
Who  They  Were — .Some  Comments  on  the  Profession- 
First  Lawyers— Biographies  and  Character  Sketches- 
Anecdotes  of  Fickliu  and  Linder— Other  Legal  liumina- 
ries,  etc '-'" 

CHAPTER  VIII.— .^farshall  Township— Introductijn-To- 
pography— -4n  Illinois  Barren— Primitive  Attractions- 
Early  Land  Entries— Origin  of  the  Village— Pioneer  In- 
dustries and  Improvements-Early  Society,  etc.,  ete 29.'! 

CHAPTElt  IX.— The  City  of  Marshall— The  Pltlt  and  Sub- 
sequent Additions— OrRcial  Organization  and  Progress- 
Internal  Improvements— Business  Growth— Newspapers 
—Schools  and  Churches— Secret  and  Benevolent  Orders, 
etc.,  ete -^5 

CHAPTER  X.— York  Township  — Topographical- Union 
Prairie— The  Pioneer  Settlement  of  Clark  County— Early 
Life  on  the  Wahash— Boating— York  Village— Its  Growth 
and  Development— The  Rise  of  Church  and  School,  etc..  3.30 

CHAPTER  XL— Darwin  Township- Description  and  Topog- 
raphy—Walnut Prairie- First  Step  Toward  Civilization 
—Work  and  Play  in  a  New  Country— Sterliug-.iurora 
and  Darwin — County  Seats — Religious,  Educational,  etc.  347 

CHAPTER  XII.— Casey  Township  — Boundaries-General 
Topography— Soil  —  Streams  —  Early  Settlement— Inci- 
dents—Vigilance  Committee— Pioneer  Life— Condition 
of  the  Country— Indians— Mills— Village  of  Cumberland 
— Village  f.f  Casey — Secret  Societies— School  History- 
Religious,  etc.,  etc S$3 

CHAPTER    XIII.—  Westfield   Township  —  Topographical 

Features— Early  Immigration— Soci.al  Characteristics- 
Growth  and  Development  of  Settlement— Richmond— 
Westfield  Village— Its  Rise  and  Progress— The  College- 
Churches,  Ministers  and  Schools 377 


PAGE. 

CH,\PTER  XIV.  — Wabash  Township  —  Configuration, 
Boundaries,  etc.— Early  Settlement— Pioneer  Society— 
.Amusements— Indians— Improvements  and  Industries 
—Villages— Churches  and  Schools,  etc.,  etc 394 

CHAPTER  XV.— Martinsville  Township— Topography- 
Soil  and  Timber— Pioneer  Settlement— National  Road- 
Early  Hotels— Incidents— Indians— Village  of  Martins- 
ville—Its  (;rowth  and  Development— Mills— Secret  So- 
cieties—Schools-Churches 403 

CHAPTER  XVI.  — Dolson  Township  —  Topography  and 
Physical  Features— The  Coming  of  the  Pioneers— Char- 
acter of  the  People— Mills,  Roads  and  Other  Improve- 
ments—Schools, Churches,  etc.— Village  of^Clarksville, 
etc *" 

CHAPTER  XVII.— Anderson  Township — The  Lay  of  the 
Land— Original  Entries— Early  Settlement— The  Birch 
Family— Schools  and  Churches 425 

CII.APTER  XVIIL— Orange  Township— Position— Topog- 
raphy—Soil  and  Productions— Pioneer  Settlement— In- 
cidents—Early  Condition  of  Country— Pioneer  Dwell- 
ings—First Birth- First  Marriage— Early  Schools  — 
Church  History ^^^ 

CHAPTER  XIX.— Melrose  Township— Surface  Character- 
istics-Timber, Growth,  .Soils,  etc  —  First  Settlement 
— Baekwood  Experiences— Pioneer  Industries— Churches 
and  Schools ; -139 

CHAPTER  XX.— .Johnson  Township— Location  and  Bound- 
aries—Topouraphv-Pioueer  Settlement— Early  Mills- 
First  Birth,  Marriage,  Death— Schools— Church  History  448 

CHAPTER  XXI —ParkerTownship— Surface  Features- The 
First  Settlers— Pioneer  Industries  and  Improvements- 
Churches  and  Preachers— Educational  Facilities,  etc 454 

CH.APTER  -XXIL- Auburn  Township— "E  Pluribus  Unum" 
—Its  Pioneers  and  Organization— The  "Emperor"  of 
.Auburn— Early  Expectations— .Auburn  Village— Church 
and  .«chooI *^^^ 

CHAPTER  XXIII.— Douglas  Township— C.eogr.aphioal  Po- 
sition —  Settlement  by  the  Whites— Improvements  — 
Distilleries,  Mills  and  Roads— Schools,  Sehoolhouses, 
Churches,  etc.- Village  of  Castle  Finn 46o 

PART  III. 
BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES. 

CLARK    COUNTY. 

Mai-shall  Township ^ 

Wabash  Township 2, 

Casey  Township '7 

Martinsville  Township 1"* 

Johnson  Township Jji 

ParkerTownship ]*" 

Westfield  Township }»* 

Darwin  Township J°" 

York  Township J'" 

Melrose  Township '™ 

Auburn  Township f^ 

Douglas  Township...., 5"° 

Dolson  Township -'" 

Orange  Township f-^ 

Anderson  Township ■ •• ; ■..■ :•■  -" 

Additional   Sketches— Received   too   late  tor  insertion  m 
proper  place -^° 

PABT  IV. 

BIOGR.APHIC.AL  SKETCHES. 

CRAWFORD    COVNTY. 

Robinson  Township 225 

Hutsonville Township 260 

La  Motte  Township ^95 

Montgomery  Townsjiip J'-° 

Oblong  Township ^^^ 

Martin  and  Southwest  Township 3o7 

Honey  Creek  Township "^8 

Licking  Township '•^'^ 


CONTEXTS. 


PonXRAlTS. 

PAfiE. 

Archer,  W.  I! 225 

Bishop,  Kzekiel ■W 

Hraabiiry,  J.  s 243 

Hradlev,  R.  II 261 

Callahan,  E 03 

Cox,l!ryant. 189 

Crews,  W.  .T 2"9 

Praper,  \V.  L ]ȣ 

I'irebaugh,  I.L ■Jl'' 

Fox,  .lohn 333 

C.oldell,  J.  .7 *'l 

Harlan,  .1 3G9 

Harlan,  Lucinda •'•'*' 


PAGE. 

Harper,  G.  W 81 

Hill,  Doctor 405 

Hippard,  (i 423 

Hurst,  John  R 153 

Jones,  William  C 99 

Reavill,  Andrew  J 441 

Euddell,  Martha 459 

Steel,  James  II U7 

Sweariugcn,  S.  G .    27 

Talbott,  John 171 

Tavlor,  Henry Part  HI.    17 

Wilson,  W.  C 207 

Woodworth,  A.  P Part  IV.  23S 

Woodworth,  J.  S 13S 


I 


PART    I. 


HISTORY  OF  CRAWFORD  COUNTY. 


CHAPTEE  I* 

INTRODUCTORY-DESCRIPTIVE— BOUNDARIES  AND  TOPOGRAPHY— THE  SCIENCE  OF  GEOL- 
OGY—ITS INFLUENCE  ON  AGRICULTURE  AND  CIVILIZATION— GKOLOGY  OF 
CRAWFORD   COUNTY-THE  COAL    MEASURES-OUTCROPS    OF 
COAL-BUILDING  STONE-I'l'S  QUALITY  AND  DURABIL- 
ITY—IRON ORE— SOILS,  TIMBER,  ETC.,  ETC. 


"  If  the  events  of  the  past  are  buried  in  the  waste 
of  ages,  there  are  no  landmarlis  by  which  to  trace  the 
track  of  tim",  and  no  means  of  understanding  the 
influences  which  have  molded  human  destiny.'' — 
Diclcey. 

THE  earliest  records  of  humanity  are  found 
in  the  Sacred  Scriptures,  and  for  that  rea- 
son have  a  strong  claim  on  our  diligent  study. 
Next  to  inspired  history,  our  own  town,  our 
own  county,  our  own  State,  and  our  own  com- 
mon country,  and  the  deeds  of  our  forefathers, 
who  first. settled  and  improved  the  land  we 
call  our  own,  should  receive  our  notice.  The 
history  of  our  age  and  our  locality  comes 
home  to  us  personally.  Commonplace  as  it 
may  seem  to  us  now,  in  the  ages  to  come  it 
will  help  to  make  up  a  whole;  increasing  in 
interest  as  time   reels  off  the  centuries,  one 

*By  W.  H.  Perrln. 


after  another.  It  is  the  actions  and  deeds  of 
the  citizen  which  speak  through  some  repre- 
sentative whose  talent  for  becoming  their  ad- 
vocate has  given  him  a  fame  justly  to  be 
shared  by  his  cotemporaries,  and  of  these, 
county  history  is  to  speak.  They  constitute 
the  delicate  tracery  and  details  of  the  historic 
landscape  destined  some  day  to  be  as  grand 
as  it  is  distant.  Just  as  the  setting  sun  bathes 
every  object  he  leaves  behind  with  a  fresher 
beauty,  and  more  attractive  interest,  so  in- 
scribing upon  the  historic  page  glowing  views 
of  past  scenes,  affords  a  richer  enjoyment  than 
when  those  scenes  were  enacted.  This  power 
of  reproduction  compensates  for  the  flight  of 
time  and  the  decay  of  the  physical  powers. 
In  the  annals  of  a  community,  fathers  being 
dead,  yet  speak,  and  the  old  man  still  living 
loves  to  rehearse  the  scenes  of  his  early  days. 
To  preserve  from  oblivion  the  scenes  and  the 


12 


HISTORY   OF  CRAWFORD  COUNTY. 


facts  and  incidents  which  have  transpired  in 
this  secti.jii  of  the  country,  is  the  object  of 
this  volume. 

Not   long    ago,    comparatively,    as    to    the 
woikl's  chronology,  this   vast   domain,  which 
Columbus  promised  to  give  to  his  king,  was 
an  unbroken  wilderness,  the  undisputed  home 
and  hunting-ground  of  savage  men.     Of  this 
promised  land  Crawford  County  comprises  but 
a  small  and  inslgnillcant  portion,  and  its  his- 
tory, since  the  advent  of  the  pale-face  pioneer, 
is  brief  and  soon  told.     But  there  is  a  page 
which  comes  before  this,  and  like  the  prologue 
to  a  drama  should  be  recited  first.     It  is  a 
page  which  treats  of  a  science  that  traces  the 
history  of  the  earth  back  through  successive 
stages  of  development  to  its  rudlmental  con- 
dition in  a  state  of  fusion.     The  history  of  any 
country  properly   begins   with  its  geological 
formations,  for  it  is  upon  them  that  it  depejids 
for  the   pursuits   of    its   inhabitants   and  the 
genius  of  its  civilization.     Phases  of  life  and 
modes  of  thought  are  induced  by  them,  which 
give  to  different  communities  and  States  char- 
acters as  various  as  the  diverse  rocks  that  un- 
derlie them.     It  is  no  less  true  that  the  moral 
and  intellectual  qualities  of  man  depend  on 
material  conditions.     For  instance,  where  the 
soil  and  subjacent  rocks  are  profuse  in  the 
bestowal  of  wealth,  man  is  indolent  and  eifem- 
inate;  where  elfort  is  required  to  live  he  be- 
comes  enlightened  and   virtuous;  and   when 
on  the  sands  of  the  desert  labor  is  unable  to 
procure  the   necessaries  and  comforts    of  life 
he  lives  a  savage. 

"  Fifty  years  ago,"  says  a  writer  on  the  sub- 
ject, "  no  popular  belief  was  more  fixed  than 
that  the  work  of  creation  was  accomplished  in 
six  days,  each  occupying  twenty- four  hours. 
Geologists,  however,  in  investigating  the 
structure  of  the  earth,  saw  that,  to  account 
for  all  the  mutations  which  it  has  undergone 
required  the  lapse  of  an   indefinite  period  of 


time,  stretching  back  so  far  remote  as  to  defy 
computation.  To  this  requirement  every  in- 
telligent investigator  of  this  day  assents. 
Geologists  now  find  that  the  antiquity  of  man 
far  antedates  the  era  assigned  to  his  creation 
by  the  received  system  of  chronology,  and 
submits  the  evidence  of  their  belief  to  an  en- 
lightened public  sentiment.  In  the  silent 
depths  of  stratified  rocks  are  the  former  cre- 
ations of  plants  and  animals,  and  even  of  hu- 
man remains,  which  lived  and  died  during  the 
slow  dragging  centuries  of  their  formation. 
These  fossil  remains  are  fragments  of  history, 
which  enables  the  geologist  to  extend  his  re- 
searches far  back  into  the  realms  of  the  past, 
and  not  only  determine  their  former  modes  of 
life,  but  study  the  cotemporaneous  history  of 
their  rocky  beds,  and  group  them  into  sys- 
tems." 

There  is  an  intimate  relation  existing  be- 
tween the  physical  geography  and   the    geo- 
logical history  of  every  portion  of  the  earth's 
surface;    and  in   all    cases  the  topographical 
features    of    a   country  are   molded   by,  and 
therefore  must  be,  to  some  extent  at  least,  a 
reflection  of  its  geological  structure,  and  the 
changes  it   has    undergone   from   the   surface 
agencies  of  more  modern  times.     The  varied 
conditions    of     mountain    and    valley,    deep 
gorge  and  level  plain,  are  not  the   results  of 
chance,  but  on  the  contrary,  are  just  as  much 
due  to  the  operations  of  natural  laws,  as  the 
rotation  of  the  earth,  or  the  growth  and  con- 
tinued existence   of   the   various  species   of 
plants  and  animals  which  inhabit  its  surface. 
Moreover,  all   the    varied  conditions  of  the 
soil  and  its  productive  capacities,  which   may 
be  observed  in  different  portions  even  of  our 
own  State,  are  traceable  to  causes  existing  in 
the  geological  history  of  that  particular  re- 
gion, and  to  the  surface  agencies  which   have 
served  to  modify  the  whole,  and   prepare  the 
earth  for  the  reception  and  sustenance  of  the 


HISTORY    OF  CRAWFORD  COUNTY. 


13 


existing  races  of  beings.*  Hence  we  see  that 
the  geological  liistory  of  a  country  determines 
its  agricultural  capacities,  and  also  the  ainount 
of  population  which  it  may  sustain,  and  the 
general  avocation  of  its  inhabitants. 

In  the  topography  and  geology  of  Craw- 
ford County,  we  extract  most  of  our  facts 
and  information  from  the  new  geological 
survev  of  the  State,  recently  published,  and 
which  does  full  justice  to  these  subjects.  It 
says:  "  Crawford  County  contains  seven  full 
and  several  fractional  townships,  making  an 
aggregate  area  ol  about  438  square  miles.  It 
is  bounded  on  the  north  by  Clark  County,  on 
the  east  by  the  Wabash  river,  on  the  south 
by  Lawrence  and  Richland  Counties  and  on 
the  west  by  Jaspar  County.  It  is  located  on 
the  western  side  of  the  Wabash  river,  and  is 
traversed  by  several  small  streams  tributary 
thereto.  The  surface  is  generally  rolling, 
and  was  orlginallv  mostly  covered  with  tim- 
ber, a  large  portion  of  which,  however,  has 
been  cleared  away  and  the  land  brought 
under  cultivation,  though  there  is  still  re- 
maining an  abundance  of  timber  to  supply 
the  present  and  also  the  prosjiective  demand 
for  many  years.  The  southwest  portion  of 
the  county  from  the  Shaker  Mills  on  the  Em- 
l^arras  river,  nearly  to  Robinson,  is  quite 
broken,  and  there  are  also  belts  of  broken 
land  of  greater  or  less  extent  on  all  the 
streams.  The  principal  water-courses  in  the 
county  tributary  to  the  Wabash  river  are  the 
Emljarras,  which  runs  diagonally  across  the 
southwestern  corner  of  the  county;  the  North 
Fork,  traversing  its  western  border  from 
nnrth  to  south;  Crooked  Creek,  also  in  the 
southwest  part,  and  Brushy  Fork,  Lamotte 
Creek,  Sugar  Creek,  Hutson  Creek  and  a  few 
other  smaller  streams  in  the  eastern  portion 
of  the  county.  But  a  small  proportion  of  the 
land  is  prairie.     The  few  prairies  are  gener- 

*Worthen. 


ally  small,  and  for  the  most  part  rolling,  and 
are  mainly  confined  to  the  northern  and  west- 
ern portio  IS  of  the  county,  and  to  the  bottom 
and  terrace  lands  adjacent  to  the  Wabash 
river." 

GeolofJi/.— "The  quarternary  beds  in  Crawford 
County  consist  of  bulF  or  drab  marly  clays 
belonging  to  the  Loess,  which  are  found  cap- 
ping the  bluffs  of  the  Wabash,  and  attaining 
a  thickness  of  ten  to  twenty  feet  or  more,  and 
from  twenty  to  forty  feet  of  brown  gravell)' 
clays  and  hard-pan,  the  latter  resting  upon  the 
bed-rock,  or  separated  from  it  by  a  thin  bed  of 
stratified  sand  or  gravel.  If  these  beds  were 
found  in  a  vertical  section  they  would  show  the 
following  order  of  succession:  Buff  anl  drab 
marly  clays  or  sand,  ten  to  twenty  feet;  brown 
and  yellow  gravelly  clays,  fifteen  to  twenty 
feet;  bluish-gray  hard-pan,  ten  to  twenty-five 
feet;  sand  or  gravel  three  feet.  Generally 
these  superficial  deposits  are  thin,  and  at  most 
places  the  bed-rock  will  be  found  within  fifteen 
or  twenty  feet  of  the  surface.  Small  bowlders 
are  frequently  met  with  in  the  branches,  but 
large  ones  are  quite  uncommon,  and  they  are 
more  frequently  derived  from  the  limestone 
and  hard  sandstone  of  the  adjacent  coal  meas- 
ure beds  than  from  the  metamorphic  rocks 
beyond  the  confines  of  the  State,  though  some 
of  the  latter  may  be  seen. 

Coal  Measures. — "  The  stratified  rocks  of 
this  county  all  belong  to  tlie  upper  coal  meas- 
ures, the  lowest  beds  appearing  in  the  beds  of 
the  Wabash  river  and  the  highest  along  the 
western  borders  of  the  county,  and  include  the 
horizon  of  coals  Nos.  11, 12  and  13  of  the  Illi- 
nois Section.  The  only  knowledge  that  we 
have  of  the  underlying  formations  is  derived 
from  a  shaft,  and  boring  made  at  Palestine 
Landing.  The  shaft  was  sunk  to  reach  a  coal 
seam  reported  in  a  boring  previously  made  to 
be  four  feet  thick,  and  at  a  depth  of  123  feet. 
The  bore  was  made  about  a  mile  and  a  half 
northwest  of  the  shaft,  and  commenced  fifteen 


14 


HISTORY   OF  CRAWFORD  COUNTY. 


feet  below  a  thin  coal  wh'ch  outcrops  in  the  hill 
above.     It  was  made  for  oil,  duriiio^  the  oil 
fever,  and  no  great  reliance  can  be  placed  in 
the  reported   thickness  or  character  of   the 
strata  penetrated.     The  shaft  was  sunk  to  the 
horizon  of  a  coal  seam  reported  four  feet  thick 
in  the  bore,  but  on  reaching  it  in  the  shaft  it 
proved  to  be  two  feet  of  bituminous  shale  and 
six  inches   of    coal.       If  any  reliance  can  be 
placed  on  the  reported  section  of  this  boring, 
it  must  have  passed   through  coals  Nos.  10,  9 
and  8  of  the  general  section  of  the  Illinois  Coal 
Measures,  and  it  is  noticeable  that  in  the  shaft 
sunk  at  the  landing,  they  found  two  thin  beds 
of  limestone  over  the  coal  at  the  bottom   of 
the  shaft,  coal  No.  9,  showing  that   although 
this  limestone    has    thinned    out    very  much 
from  what  its  outcrop  shows  in  Clark  County, 
it   has,  nevertheless,  not   quite  disappeared. 
This  coal  was  reported  in  the  boring  at  four 
feet,  without  any  recognition  of  the   bitumi- 
nous shale  above  it,  while  in  the  shaft  that 
■was  sunk  down  to  this  horizon  in   the   antici- 
pation of  linding  a  good  seam  of  coal,  the  bi- 
tuminous shale  proved  to  be   two  feet  thick 
and   the  coal  only  six   inches.      The   rotten 
coal  No.  27  in  the  section  heretofore  referred 
to,  probably  represents  coal  No.  8,   which    in 
Gallatin  County  is  from  50  to  75   feet  above 
No.   7,  though    no  trace  of  the  latter  was  re- 
ported in  the   bore.     The    coals    intervening 
between   Nos.  8  and  15  are  seldom  found  of 
sufficient    tbickness  to  be   worked  to   advan- 
tage except  when  it  can  be  done  by  stripping 
along  their  outcrops,  and  here  they  are  of  but 
little  value  as  a  resource  for   fuel.      In   the 
western  portion  of  the  county  but  little  coal 
has  been  found,   and   only   in  a  single   mine, 
hereafter  to  be  mentioned,  has  there  been  any 
attempt  to  mine  for  c  al  in  a  systematic  way. 
The  exposure  in  the  bluffs  just  below  Pales- 
tine Landing  show  the  following   beds:     No. 
1,  covered  slope  of  Loess  and  Drift,  fifteen 
to   twenty    feet;    No.  2,  shelly  brown    lime- 


stone, with  fossils,  two  feet;  No.  3,  bitumi- 
nous shale  and  thin  coal.  No.  12,  one  to  two 
feet;  No.  4,  sand  shales  and  sandstone,  forty- 
five  to  fifty  feet:  No.  5,  bitura  nous  shale, 
with  numerous  fossils,  two  to  three  feet;  No. 
6,  coal  No.  11;  No.  7,  liard,  dark  gray  bitu- 
minous limestone,  two  to  three  feet;  No.  8, 
shale,  sixteen  to  twenty  feet.  The  shelly 
brown  limestone,  No.  2  of  the  foregoing 
section,  contains  numerous  fossils  among 
which  were  recognized  Spirifer  camratus, 
Productus  cortatus,  P.  punctatus,  P.  patten- 
ianus,  P.  longispinus,  Chonetes  Fleminffii, 
joints  and  plates  of  Crinoids,  Ordis  Pecosi 
and  some  undetermined  forms  of  bryozoa. 
Further  west  in  the  county,  and  in  Lawrence 
also.  No.  12  coal  is  overlaid  bv  a  buff  calcar- 
eous shale,  in  which  Orthis  Pecosi  and  Lo- 
f)ltiiphyUmn  proUferum  are  conspicuous. 

"  The  bituminous  shale,  No.  5  of  the  above 
section  was  found  well  exposed  at  the  bridge 
on  Lamotte  Creek,  on  the  road  from  Palestine 
to  the  landing,  and  the  following  group  of 
fossils  were  obtained  from  it  at  this  locality: 
Pleurotomoria,  Aphmurluta,  B.  percariuta, 
P.  tabulata,  P.  GraynlleurU,  Bellerophon 
carbonaiiance,  etc.,  corresponding  with  the 
beds  at  Lawrenceville  and  Grayvilie.  Nu- 
merous bands  of  carbonate  of  iron  occur  in 
the  shales  at  the  base  of  the  above  section, 
both  on  Lamotte  Creek  and  in  the  river  bank 
at  Palestine  Landing. 

"  Robinson  is  located  on  a  sandstone  de- 
posit overlaying  all  the  rocks  found  in  the 
bluffs  at  Palestine  Landing,  indicating  a  de- 
cided dip  of  the  strata  to  the  westward.  The 
outcrops  of  sandstone  on  the  small  branch  of 
Sun-ar  Creek,  which  drains  the  section  on 
which  the  town  is  built,  show  from  fifteen  to 
twenty  feet  in  thickness  of  soft  brown  rock, 
in  which  a  few  small  quarries  have  been 
opened.  This  portion  of  the  bed  affords 
shales,  and  thin-bedded,  rather  soft  brown 
sandstone,  with  some  thicker  beds  toward  the 


IIIs^TOUY  OF  CRAWFORD  COUNTY. 


]5 


baso  of  the  outcrop,  which  are  ratl-.cr  inacces- 
sible from  tlie  amount  of  strijipinp^  required 
to  reach  them,  as  well  as  from  the  fact  that 
thej-  are  partly  below  the  water  level  in  the 
branch.  At  Isaac  C.  Hole's  place,  north  of 
Robinson,  on  the  northeast  quarter  of  Section 
16,  Township  7,  Range  12,  more  extensive 
quarries  have  been  opened  in  this  sandstone, 
and  a  much  greater  thickness  of  strata  is  ex- 
posed. The  quarries  are  on  a  branch  in  the 
timber,  but  there  is  almost  a  continuous  out- 
crop along  the  branch,  nearh'  to  the  prairie 
level,  showing  the  following  succession  of 
strata:  Shaly  sandstone,  becoming  thicker- 
bedded  and  harder  toward  the  bottom,  and 
containing  broken  plants,  thirty  to  forty  feet; 
massive  brown  sandstone,  (main  quarry  rock) 
eight  to  ten  feet;  ferruginous  pebbh'  bed, 
three  feet.  The  massive  brown  sandstone 
quarried  here  is  locally  concretionary,  the 
concretions  being  much  harder  than  other 
portions  of  the  bed,  and  afford  a  very  durable 
stone.  This  sandstone,  with  the  shales  usually 
associated  with  it,  probably  attains  a  maxi- 
mum thickness  of  sixty  to  eighty  feet,  and 
fills  the  intervening  space  between  coals  Xos. 
12  and  13  of  the  general  section.  It  has  been 
penetrated  in  sinking  wells  on  the  prairie  in 
many  places  north  and  northwest  of  Robinson . 
Law's  coal  bank,  formerly  known  as  Eaton's 
bank,  is  on  the  southwest  part  of  the  north- 
east quarter  of  section  12,  township  7,  range 
13.  The  coal  is  a  double  seam,  about  three 
feet  thick,  with  a  parting  of  bituminous  shale 
from  two  or  three  inches  to  two  feet  in  thick- 
ness. It  is  overlaid  here  by  shale  and  a  hard7 
dark,  ash-gray  limestone,  desti|Hte  of  fossils. 
One  mile  up  the  creek  from  this  mine  the 
coal  is  said  to  pass  into  a  bituminous  shale. 
The  coal  obtained  here  is  rather  soft,  and 
subject  to  a  good  deal  of  waste  in  mining; 
but  as  the  mine  was  not  in  operation  there 
was  no  opportunity  of  judging  of  its  average 
quality.     A  section  of  the  creek  bluff  at  the 


mine  shows  the  following  order:  Gravelly 
clays  of  the  drift,  ten  to  fifteen  feet;  hard, 
dark,  ash-gray  limestone,  one  to  one  and  a 
halffi-et;  hard,  siliceous  shales,  with  nodules, 
half  a  foot;  coal,  with  shale  parting,  three 
feet.  A  boring  was  made  here  by  the  propri- 
etor, and  a  thicker  seam  was  reported  to  have 
been  found  some  forty  feet  below;  but  if  this 
report  is  correct,  the  sandstone  usually  inter- 
vening between  coals  Nos.  12  and  13  is  here 
much  below  its  average  thickness,  and  no 
such  coal  is  known  to  outcrop  in  the  county. 
However,  local  coals  are  sometimes  developed 
which  onlv  cover  very  limited  areas,  and  this 
may  be  a  case  of  that  kind. 

"  Four  miles  southwest  of  Robinson,  a  bed 
of  hard,  dark-gray  bituminous  limestone  out- 
crops in  the  bed  of  Turkey  Creek,  and  has 
been  quarried  for  building  stone,  for  which 
purpose  it  is  but  poorly  adapted,  as  it  splits 
to  fragments  after  a  limited  exposure  to  the 
elements.  The  rock  occurs  in  a  single 
stratum  about  eighteen  inches  thick,  overlaid 
by  a  brown  calcareous  shale,  filled  with  nod- 
ules of  argillaceous  limestone.  The  shale 
contained  numerous  specimens  of  Lnpho- 
p/iyllum  proliferum,  associated  with  joints 
Z/entioidea.  The  foundation  stone  for  the 
court  house  at  Robinson  was  obtained  here. 
This  limestone  may  overlay  a  thin  coal,  but 
it  could  not  be  learned  that  any  seam  had 
been  found  in  this  vicinity.  In  the  west&rn 
portion  of  the  county  outcrops  arc  rare,  and 
so  widely  separated  that  no  continuous  sec- 
tion could  be  made. 

"  On  section  4,  in  Hutsonville  township,  at 
W.  D.  Lamb's  place,  a  bed  of  limestone  is 
found  underlaid  by  five  or  six  feet  of  blue 
shale  and  a  thin  coal.  In  a  well  sunk  here  the 
limestone  was  found  to  be  live  feet  in  thick- 
ness, a  tough,  fine  grained,  dark-grayish  rock, 
containing  no  well  preserved  fossils.  On  Mr. 
Evans'  place,  just  over  the  line  of  Clark 
County,  on  section  31,  township  8,  range  12, 


15 


HISTORY  OF  CRAWFORD  COUNTY. 


heavy  masses  of  limestone  are  to  be  seen 
along  the  creek  valley.  It  is  a  massive,  gray, 
brittle  rock,  and  contains  Athyris  suhtillta, 
Spirifer  cameratus  and  Froduotus  longispri- 
nus.  A  mile  and  a  half  further  up  the  creek 
this  limestone  is  found  in  place,  and  is 
burned  for  lime  by  Mr.  Drake.  These  lime- 
stones belong,  probably,  below  the  sandstone, 
■which  is  found  at  Robinson  and  at  Hole's 
quarry.  At  Lindley's  mill,  on  the  northwest 
quarter  of  section  7,  township  8,  and  range 
13,  a  hard,  dark  gray  limestone  was  found  in 
the  bed  of  the  creek,  only  about  two  feet  in 
thickness  of  its  upper  portion  being  exposed 
above  the  creek  bed.  A  quarter  of  a  mile 
south  of  the  mill,  at  Mr.  Reynolds'  place,  coal 
is  mined  by  stripping  along  the  bed  of  a 
branch.  The  coal  is  from  15  to  18  inches, 
overlaid  by  two  or  three  feet  of  blue  shale,  and 
a  grav  limestone  filled  with  large  Product), 
Athyrus  subtilita,  etc.,  Productus  costatus, 
with  its  long  spines,  seemed  to  be  the  most 
abundant  species.  This  limestone,  and  the 
underlying  coal,  it  is  believed,  represents  the 
horizon  of  the  upper  coal  in  the  bluff  at 
Palestine  landing,  and  No.  13  of  the  general 
section. 

"At  Martin's  mill  on  Brushy  Fork,  near  the 
south  line  of  the  county,  the  limestone  and 
shale  found  at  the  Lamotte  Creek  bridge,  and 
also  at  Lawrenceville,  representing  the  horizon 
of  coal  No.  11,  is  well  exposed.  The  upper 
bed  is  there  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  from 
the  creek,  and  at  a  somewhat  higher  level  ap- 
parently, than  the  sandstone.  No.  2  forming 
the  top  of  the  bluff;  but  the  intervening  space 
could  not  be  more  than  ten  to  fifteen  feet. 
Pockets  of  coal  were  found  here  in  the  con- 
cretionary sandstone;  but  although  dug  into 
for  coal,  they  proved  to  be  of  very  limited 
extent.  The  micaceous  sandstone  No.  3  of 
the  section,  affords  some  very  good  building 
stone,  and  some  of  the  thin  layers  are  distinctly 
ripple-marked.    The  calcareous  shale  afforded 


numerous  fossils  of  the  same    species  found 
at  the  Lamotte  Creek  bridge. 

"  At  Mr.  Nettles'  place,  on    the    northeast 
quarter  of   section  2i,  township  5,  range  12, 
coal  has  been  mined  for  several  years.     The 
coal  is  about  eighteen  inches  thick  and  has  a 
roof  of  fine  black  slate,  resembling  cannel  coal, 
nearly  as  thick  as  the  coal  itself.     The  black 
slate  is  overlaid  by  two  or  three  feet  of  cal- 
careous shale,  containing  Orthis  Pecosi,  Jiet- 
zia  Mornio)ii,  and   joints  and   plates  of  ZiCii- 
noidea.      This  coal  is  probably  the  same   as 
that  near  the  top  of  the  hill  at  Palestine  land- 
incr,  and  No.  13  of  the  Illinois  section.     Prof. 
Cox   reports    the   following   outcrop   in    the 
county:     In  the  hill  east  of  the  Shaker  mill, 
section  33,  township  5   and  range   12,  a  soft 
yellowish    massive    sandstone,    forming  cliffs 
along   the  ravines,  and   in   places  wethering 
into  rock  houses,  or  over-like  cavities.     Sec- 
tion here  is  as  follows:  soft  and  covered  space, 
five   feet;  flag2:y  sandstone   in  two   to   eight 
inch    layers,  eight    feet;    solid-bedded    sand- 
stone, thirteen  feet.     Sandy  shales,  flagstones 
and  an  occasional  showing  of  massive  soft  sand- 
stone, form  the  prominent  geological  features 
of  the  southern  and  western  portions  of  the 
county.     Around  Hebron,  four  miles  south  of 
Robinson,  massive  sandstone  forms  cliffs  fif- 
teen to  twenty  feet  high,  probably  a  contin- 
uation of  the  rocks  seen  at  the  Shaker  mill. 
Two  miles  and  a  half  southeast  of  Bellair  is 
the  following  section,  at  Goodin's  coal  bank: 
Slope  of  the  hill,  twenty  feet;  hard  blue  argil- 
laceous shale,  ten  feet;  coal  breaks  in  small 
frao-ments,  one  to  one  and  a  half  feet.     This 
mine  is   worited   by  a  shaft.     A  quarter  of  a 
mile  below,  on  Willow  Creek,  the  same  seam 
is  worked  on  Mr.  Matheney's  place  by  strip- 
pino-,  where  the  coal  is  of  the  same  thickness. 
This   coal  must  be  as  high  in  the  series  as 
No.  13  or  14  of  the  general  section  and  may 
be  the  coal  mined   near   Newton  and    New 
Liberty,  in  Jasper  County. 


HISTORY  OF  CRAWFORD  COUNTY. 


j7 


Coal. — "As  stated  in  a  precedinrr  pa^-c,  all 
the  stratified  rocks  in  tlie  county,  belong 
to  the  upper  coal  measures,  extending  from 
coals  No.  11  to  14  inclusive;  and  as  these 
seams  are  usually  too  thin  to  be  worked  in  a 
regular  way,  no  valuable  deposit  of  coal  is 
likely  to  be  found  outcropping  at  the  surface 
in  the  county.  The  seam  at  Mr.  Law's  place 
northeast  of  Robinson,  is  said  to  attain  a  lo- 
cal thickness  of  three  feet,  and  may  be  suc- 
cessfully mined,  when  the  coal  is  good. 
When  the  demand  for  coal  shall  be  such  as 
to  justify  deep  mining,  the  lower  coals  may 
bo  reached  at  a  depth  of  from  four  to  six 
hurulrt'd  feet.  Their  nearest  approach  to  the 
surface  is  along  the  Valley  of  the  "Wabash 
river,  and  the  depth  would  be  increased  to 
the  westward  by  the  dip  of  the  strata  and  the 
elevation  of  the  surface. 

Huilding  Stone. — "  The  best  building  stone 
to  be  found  in  the  county  comes  from  the 
heavy  bed  of  sandstone  above  coal  No.  12, 
which  outcrops  at  various  places  in  the  coun- 
ty, and  especially  at  Mr.  Hole's  quarries,  north 
of  Robinson.  At  some  locations,  a  fair  arti- 
cle of  thin  bedded  micaceous  sandstone  is 
found  between  coals  11  and  13,  as  at  Mar- 
tin's mill,  on  Brushy  Fork,  near  the  south  line 
of  the  county.  These  sandstones  afford  a 
cheap  and  durable  material  for  foundation 
walls,  bridge  abutments,  etc.  The  limestone 
four  miles  west  of  Robinson,  that  was  used  in 
the  foundation  walls  of  the  court  house,  is 
liable  to  split  when  exposed  to  the  action  of 
frost  and  water;  and  although  seeming  hai^ 
and  solid,  when  freshly  quarried,  will  not 
withstand  exposure  as  well  a»he  sandstone, 
if  the  latter  is  carefully  selected.  The  lime- 
stone at  Reynolds'  coal  bank,  near  Lindley's 
mill,  stands  exposure  well,  and  will  afford  a 
durable  building  stone. 

Iron  Ore. — "  The  shales  associated  with 
coal  No.  11  usually  contain  more  or  less  car- 
bonate of  iron,  and  at  the  locality  below  the 


bridge  on  Lamotte  Creek,  near  Palestine 
landing,  the  quality  seemed  to  be  sufficient 
to  justify  an  attempt  to  utilize  it.  The  shale 
in  the  bank  of  the  creek  shows  a  perpendic- 
ular face  of  fifteen  to  twenty  feet,  and  the 
bands  of  ore  toward  the  bottom  of  the  bed 
would  afford  from  twelve  to  eighteen  inches 
of  good  ore  in  a  thickness  of  about  six  feet  of 
shale.  At  the  river  bank  just  below  the  land- 
ing, this  shale  outcrops  again,  and  the  iron 
nodules  are  abundant  along  the  river  bank, 
where  they  have  been  washed  out  of  the 
easily  decomposed  shale.  Good  brick  clay 
can  be  found  in  the  sub-soil  of  the  uplands, 
and  sand  is  found  both  in  the  Loess  deposits 
of  the  river  bluffs,  and  in  the  beds  of  the 
streams." 

Soil  and  Timber. — From  Hutsonville  south 
there  is  a  belt  of  alluvial  bottom  and  terrace 
land,  from  one  to  three  miles  in  width,  ex- 
tending to  the  mouth  of  Lamotte  Creek,  a 
distance  of  about  ten  miles.  This  is  mostly 
prairie,  and  the  soil  is  a  deep,  sandy  loam, 
and  very  productive.  The  upland  prairies 
have  a  chocolate-colored  soil,  not  so  rich  as 
the  black  prairie  soils  of  Central  Illinois,  but 
yielding  fair  crops  of  corn,  wheat,  oats,  clover, 
etc.  On  the  timbered  lands  the  soil  is  some- 
what variable.  Where  the  surface  is  broken 
the  soil  is  thin,  but  on  the  more  level  portions 
where  the  growth  is  composed  in  part  of  black 
walnut,  sugar  tr(>e,  linden,  hacki)erry  and 
wild  cherry;  the  soil  is  very  productive,  and 
yields  annually  large  crops  of  all  the  cereals 
usually  grown  in  this  latitude. 

The  varieties  of  timber  observed  in  this 
county  are  the  common  species  of  oak  a)id 
hickory,  black  and  white  walnut,  white  and 
sugar  maple,  slippery  and  red  elm,  honey  lo- 
cust, linden,  hackberry,  ash,  red  birch,  cotton- 
wood,  sycamore,  coffeenut,  black  gum,  pecan, 
persimmon,  pawpaw,  red  fliorn,  crab  apple, 
wild  pl.um,  sassafras,  red  bud,  dogwood,  iron 
wood,  etc.,  etc. 


CHAPTER   II.* 

PRE-HISTORIC   OCCUPATION   OF   THE    COUNTRY— THE   MOUND    BUILDERS— RELTCS    AND 
WORKS  OF  THE  LOST  RACE— THE  MEROM  MOUNDS— EARTHWORKS  AND  MOUNDS 
AT    HUTSONVILLE— OTHER  RELICS.  ETC.-THE  INDIANS— DELA WARES 
AND  KICKAPOOS— THEIR  POSSESSION  OF  SOUTHERN  ILLI- 
NOIS—fflSTORICAL  SKETCHES  OF  THEIR  TRIBES, 
ETC —LOCAL  FACTS  AND  TRADITIONS. 


"  The  verdant,  hills 
Are  covered  o'er  with  growing  grain, 
And  white  men  till  the  soil 
Where  once  the  red  man  used  to  reign." 

LONG  ago,  before  this  country  was  pos- 
sessed by  the  red  Indian,  it  was  occupied 
by  another  race — the  Mound  Builders — wliose 
works  constitute  the  most  interesting  class 
of  antiquities  found  in  the  United  States. 
These  relics  and  works  of  a  lost  race,  ante- 
date the  most  ancient  records,  and  their  cliar- 
acter  can  only  be  partially  gleaned  from  the 
internal  evidences  which  the  works  them- 
selves afford.  Of  the  strange  people  who 
reared  them,  we  know  absolutely  nothing  be- 
yond conjecture.  If  we  knock  at  their  tombs, 
no  spirit  comes  back  with  a  response,  and 
only  a  sepulchral  echo  of  forgetfulness  and 
death  reminds  us  how  vain  is  the  attempt  to 
unlock  the  mysterious  past  upon  which  ob- 
livion has  fixed  its  seal.  How  forcibly  their 
bones,  moldering  into  dust  in  the  mounds 
they  heaped  up,  and  the  perishing  relics  they 
left  behind  them,  illustrate  the  transitory 
character  of  human  existence.  Generation 
after  generation  lives,  moves  and  is  no  more; 
time  has  strewn  the  track  of  its  ruthless 
march  with  the  fragments  of  mighty  empires; 
and  at  length  not  even  their  names  nor  works 

*By  W.  H.  Pei-rin. 


have  an  existence  in  the  speculations  of  those 
who  take  their  places. 

Modern  investigations  have  thrown  much 
light  upon  the  origin  of  the  human  race.  A 
writer  upon  the  pre-historio  period,  savs: 
"The  combined  investigations  of  geologists 
and  ethnologists  have  developed  facts  which 
require  us  to  essentially  modify  our  pre-exist- 
ing views  as  to  the  length  of  time  during 
which  the  human  race  has  occupied  our 
planet.  That  man  lived  at  a  time  far  too  re- 
mote to  be  embraced  in  our  received  system 
of  chronology,  surrounded  by  great  quadru- 
peds which  have  ceased  to  exist,  under  a 
climate  very  different  from  what  now  prevails, 
has  been  so  clearly  demonstrated  that  the 
fact  must  now  be  accepted  as  a  scientific 
truth.  Revelations  so  startling,  have  been 
received  with  disquiet  and  distrust  by  those 
who  adhere  to  the  chronology  of  Usher  and 
Petarius,  which  would  bring  the  various  mi- 
grations of  men,  the  confusion  of  tongues, 
the  peopling  of  continents,  the  development 
of  types,  and  everything  relating  to  human 
history,  within  the  short  compass  of  little 
more  than  four  thousand  years. 

"  Those  great  physical  revolutions  in  Eu- 
rope, such  as  the  contraction   of  the  glaciers 
within  narrow  limits,  the  gradual  change  of 
the  Baltic  from  salt  to   brackish  water,  the 
submergence  and  subsequent  elevation  of  a 


HISTORY  OF  CRAWFORD  COUNTY. 


19 


large  portion  of  southern  Russia  and  northern 
Germany,  the  conversion  of  a  portion  of  the 
bod  of  the  Mediterranean  Sea  into  the  desert 
of  Sahara,  the  severance  of  France  from  En- 
gland, Europe  from  Africa  and  Asia  from 
Europe,  by  the  Straits  of  Dover,  Gibralter 
and  the  Dardanelles,  and  the  dying  out  of  the 
volcanic  fires  of  Auvergne — all  these  great 
physical  changes  which  geologists,  by  univer- 
sal consent,  admitted  were  infinitely  older 
than  any  authentic  history  or  tradition,  must 
now  be  comprehended  in  the  Human  Epoch." 

Says  Sir  John  Lubbock:  "Ethnology  is 
passing  through  a  phase  from  which  other  sci- 
ences have  safely  emerged,  and  the  new 
views  in  reference  to  the  Antiquity  of  Man, 
though  still  looked  upon  with  distrust  and 
apprehension,  will,  I  doubt  not,  in  a  few  years, 
be  regarded  with  as  little  disquietude  as  are 
now  those  discoveries  in  astronomy  and  geol- 
ogy which  at  one  time  excited  even  greater 
opposition."  However  strange  these  new 
views  may  appear,  they  but  prove  the  origin 
of  man  at  a  time,  as  previously  stated,  far  too 
remote  to  be  embraced  in  the  "  received  sys- 
tem of  chronology."  Speaking  of  the  ruins 
of  the  magnificent  cities  of  Central  America, 
Davidson  says:  "The  mind  is  almost  startled 
at  the  remoteness  of  their  antiquity,  when 
we  consider  the  vast  sweep  of  time  necessary 
to  erect  such  colossal  structures  of  solid  ma- 
sonry, and  afterward  convert  them  into  the 
present  utter  wreck.  Comparing  their  com- 
plete desolation  with  the  ruins  of  Baalbec, 
Palmyra,  Thebes  and  Memphis,  they  must 
have  been  old  when  the  latter  were  being 
built." 

The  relics  and  ruins  left  by  the  Mound 
Builders — the  lost  race  which  now  repose  un- 
der the  ground — consist  of  the  remains  of 
what  were  apparently  villages,  altars,  temples, 
idols,  cemeteries,  monuments,  camps,  fortifi- 
cations and  pleasure  grounds.  The  farthest 
of  these   discovered  in  a  northeastern  direc- 


tion was  near  Black  River,  on  the  south  side 
of  Lake  Ontario.  From  this  point  they  ex- 
tend in  a  southwestern  direction,  by  way  of 
the  Ohio,  the  Mississippi,  the  Gulf  of  Mexico, 
Te.xas,  New  Mexico  and  Yucatan,  into  South 
America.  Commencing  in  Cattaraugus  Coun- 
ty, N.  Y.,  there  was  a  chain  of  these  forts 
and  earthworks,  extending  more  than  fifty 
miles  southwesterly,  and  not  more  than  four 
or  five  miles  apart,  evidently  built  by  a  people 
"rude  in  the  arts  and  few  in  numbers." 
Particularly  in  the  Ohio  and  Mississippi  Val- 
leys are  located  many  of  these  works,  and 
some  of  the  most  extensive  known  to  exist. 
"  One  of  the  most  august  monuments  of  re- 
mote antiquity,"  says  Foster,  "  to  be  found  in 
the  whole  country^,  may  stdl  be  seen  in  West 
Virginia,  near  the  junction  of  Grave  Creek 
and  the  Ohio  River.  According  to  actual 
measurement  it  has  an  altitude  of  ninety 
feet,  a  diameter  at  the  base  of  100  feet, 
at  the  summit  of  forty-five,  while  a  partial 
examination  has  disclosed  within  it  the  ex- 
istence of  many  thousands  of  human  skele- 
tons." In  the  State  of  Ohio,  at  the  mouth  of 
the  Muskingum,  among  a  number  of  curious 
works,  was  a  rectangular  fore  containing  forty 
acres,  encircled  by  a  wall  of  earth  ten  feet 
high,  and  perforated  with  openings  resem- 
bling gateways.  In  the  mound  near  the  fort 
were  found  the  remains  of  a  sword,  which 
appeared  to  have  been  buried  with  the 
owner.  Resting  on  the  forehead  were  found 
three  large  copper  bosses,  plated  with  silver, 
and  attached  to  a  leather  buckler.  Near  the 
side  of  the  body  was  a  plate  of  silver,  which 
had  perhaps  been  the  upper  part  of  a  copper 
scabbard,  portions  of  which  were  filled  with 
iron  rust,  doubtless  the  remains  of  a  sword. 

The  earthwoiks  which  seem  to  have  been 
erected  as  means  of  defense,  usuaiy  occupy 
hill-tops  and  other  situations  easily  fortified, 
to  put  it  in  modern  terms.  In  Ross  County, 
Ohio,  is  a  fair  illustration  of  this  class,  and  is 


20 


HISTORY  OF   CRAWFORD  COUNTY. 


thus  described  by  Squier  and  Davis,  two  emi- 
nent archaeologists:  "This  work  occupies 
the  summit  of  a  lofty,  d  it  lolied  hil!,  tw  Ive 
miles  westward  from  tlie  city  of  Cliillicothe, 
near  th.i  viihige  of  Bjunieviile.  The  hill  is 
no;  far  from  Oiie  h.indred  feet  m  perpendicular 
height,  and  is  remarkable,  even  among  the 
steep  hills  of  the  west,  for  the  general  abrupt- 
ness of  its  sides,  which  at  some  points  are  ab- 
solutely inaccessible.  *  *  *  *  'pijg  jp. 
fenses  consist  of  a  wall  of  stone,  which 
is  carried  round  the  hill  a  little  below  the 
brow;  but  at  some  places  it  rises,  so  as  to 
cut  off  the  narrow  spurs,  and  extends  across 
the  neck  that  connects  the  hill  with  the 
range  beyond."  Nothing  like  a  true  wall, 
however,  exists  there  now,  but  the  "present 
appearance  is  rather  what  might  have 
been  expected  from  the  falling  outward  of 
a  wall  of  stones,  placed,  as  this  was,  upon 
the  declivity  of  a  hill."  The  area  inclosed  by 
this  wall  was  140  acres,  and  the  wall  itself 
was  two  miles  and  a  quarter  in  length.  Trees 
of  the  largest  size  now  grow  upon  these  ruins. 
On  a  similar  work  in  Highland  County,  O.iio, 
Messrs.  Squier  and  Davis  found  a  large  chest- 
nut tree,  which  they  supposed  to  be  600  years 
old.  "  If  to  this  we  add,"  they  say,  "  the 
probable  period  intervening  from  the  time 
of  the  building  of  this  work  to  its  abandon- 
ment, and  the  subsequent  period  up  to  its 
invasion  by  the  forest,  we  are  led  irresistibly 
to  the  conclusion  that  it  has  an  antiquity  of  at 
least  one  thousand  years.  Bat  when  W3 
notice,  all  around  us,  the  crumbling  trunks  of 
trees,  half  hidden  in  the  accumulating  soil, 
we  are  induced  to  fix  on  an  antiquity  still 
more  remote." 

At  Merom,  Indiana,  are  works  of  a  very 
interesting  character,  which  have  been 
thoroughly  investigated  and  described  by 
scientists.  These  works  have  yielded  a  num- 
ber of  skulls,  which,  says  Foster,  "  will  form 
the  basis  of  certain  ethnic  speculations  as  to 


the  character  of  the  Mound  Builder,  and  his 
affiliation  with  other  distinct  and  widely 
disseminated  peoples."  Mr.  F.  W.  Putnam 
thus  describes  them:  "The  fort  is  situated 
on  a  plateau  of  Loess,  about  120  feet  in  height 
ar)ove  low  water,  on  the  east  bink  of  the 
river.  On  the  river  side,  the  bank,  which 
principally  consists  of  an  outcrop  of  sand- 
stone, is  very  steep,  and  from  the  western  line 
of  the  fortification,  while  deep  ravines  add  to 
its  strength  on  the  other  side;  the  weak 
points  being  strengthened  by  earthworks. 
The  general  course  of  the  work  is  from  the 
north,  where  it  is  very  narrow,  not  over  fifty 
feet,  owing  to  the  formation  of  the  plateau, 
south  along  the  river  bank  aliout  725  feet  to 
its  widest  portion,  which  is  here  about  .S75 
feet  east  and  west.  From  this  point  it  follows 
a  deep  ravine  southerly  about  4130  feet  to  the 
entrance  end  of  the  fort.  The  bank  trav- 
ersed by  the  entrance  road  is  here  much 
wider  than  at  other  portions,  and  along  its 
outer  wall,  running  eastward,  are  the  remains 
of  what  was  evidently  once  a  deep  ditch.  The 
outer  wall  is  about  thirty  feet  wide,  and  is 
now  about  one  and  a  half  feet  high;  a  de- 
pressed portion  of  the  bank,  or  walk-way, 
then  runs  parallel  with  the  outer  wall,  and 
the  bank  is  then  contiinud  for  about  twenty 
feet  further  into  the  fort,  but  of  slightly  less 
height  than  the  front.  Through  the  center  of 
these  banks  there  are  the  remains  of  a  dis- 
tinct road-way,  about  ten  feet  in  width. 
From  the  northeastern  corner  of  this  wide 
wall  the  line  continues  northwesterly  about 
350  feet,  along  the  eastern  ravine,  to  a  point 
where  there  is  a  spring,  and  the  ravine  makes 
an  indenture  of  nearly  100  feet  to  the  south- 
west. The  mouth  of  the  indenture  is  about 
75  feet  in  width,  and  the  work  is  here 
strengthened  by  a  double  embankment.  The 
natural  line  of  the  work  follows  this  indent- 
ure, and  then  continues  in  the  same  northerly 
course  along  the  banks  of  the  ravine  to  the 


HISTORY  OF  CRAWFOUD  COUNTY. 


21 


narrow  portion  of  tlie  plateau,  about  550  feet, 
to  the  starting  point.  There  is  thus  a  con- 
tinual line,  in  part  natural  and  in  part  artifi- 
cial, which,  if  measured  in  all  its  little  ins  and 
outs,  would  not  be  far  from  2,-150  feet.  Be- 
sides the  spring  mentioned  as  in  the  indent- 
ure of  the  eastern  ravine,  there  is  another 
spring  in  the  same  ravine,  about  175  feet  to 
the  north  of  the  first,  and  a  third  in  the  south- 
western corner  of  the  work.  Looking  at  all 
the  natural  advantages  offered  by  this  loca- 
tion, it  is  the  one  spot  of  the  region,  for  sev- 
eral miles  along  the  river,  that  would  be  se- 
lected to-day  for  the  erection  of  a  fortification 
in  the  vicinjty,  with  the  addition  of  the  pos- 
session of  a  small  eminence  to  the  north, 
which  in  these  days  of  artillery  would  com- 
mand the  fort.  Having  this  view  in  mind,  a 
careful  examination  was  made  of  the  eminence 
mentioned,  to  see  if  there  had  been  an  op- 
posing or  protective  work  there,  but  not  the 
slightest  indication  of  earthwork  fortification 
or  mounds  of  habitation  was  discovered.  * 
*  *  *  On  crossing  the  outer  wall,  a  few 
low  mounds  are  at  once  noticed,  and  all 
around  are  seen  large,  circular  depressions. 
At  the  southern  portion  of  the  fort,  these  de- 
pressions, of  which  there  are  forty-five  in  all, 
are  most  numerous,  thirty-seven  being  located 
on  the  northern  side  of  the  indenture  of 
the  eastern  ravine.  These  depressions 
vary  in  width  from  ten  to  twenty-five  or 
thirty  feet,  and  are  irregularly  arrangeil. 
One  of  the  six  depressions  opposite  the 
indenture  of  the  eastern  ravine  is  oval  in 
shape,  and  is  the  only  one  that  is  not  nearly 
circular,  the  others  varying  but  a  foot  or  two 
in  diameter.  Two  of  these  depressions  were 
dug  into,  and  it  was  found  that  they  were 
evidently  once  large  pits  that  had  gradually 
been  filled  by  the  hand  of  time  with  the  ac- 
cumulation of  vegetable  matter  and  soil  that 
had  been  deposited  by  natural  action  alone. 
In  some  instances  large  trees  are  now  grow-  . 


ing  in  the  pits,  and  their  many  roots  make 
digging  difficult.  A  trench  was  dug  across 
one  pit,  throwing  out  the  soil  care'fully  until 
the  former  bottom  was  reached  at  a  depth  of 
about  five  feet.  On'  this  bottom,  ashes  and 
burnt  clay  gave  evidence  of  an  ancient  fire; 
and  at  a  few  feet  on  one  side,  several  pieces 
of  pottery,  a  few  bones  of  animals,  and  one 
stone  arrow-head  were  found.  A  spot  had 
evidently  been  struck  where  food  had  been 
cooked  and  eaten;  and  though  there  was  not 
time  to  open  other  pits,  there  is  no  doubt  but 
that  they  would  tell  a  similar  story;  and  the 
legitimate  conclusion  to  he  drawn  from  the 
fact  is,  that  these  pits  were  the  houses  of  the 
inhabitants  or  defenders  of  the  fort,  who  were 
probably  further  protected  from  the  elements 
and  the  arrows  of  assailants  by  a  roof  of  logs 
and  bark  or  boughs.  The  great  number  of 
the  pits  would  show  that  they  were  not  for  a 
definite  and  general  purpose;  and  tlioir  reg- 
ular arrangement  would  indicate  that  they 
were  not  laid  out  with  the  sole  idea  of  acting 
as  places  of  defense;  though  those  near  the 
walls  of  the  fort  might  answer  as  covers,  from 
which  to  fire  on  an  opposing  force  boyond  the 
walls;  and  the  six  pits  near  the  eastern  indent- 
ure, in  front  of  three  of  which  there  are  traces 
of  two  small  earth- walls,  would  strengthen 
this  view  of  the  use  of  those  near  the  em- 
bankment. The  five  small  mounds  ware  sit- 
uated in  various  parts  of  the  inclosure.  The 
largest  was  nearly  fifty  feet  in  diameter  and 
was  probably  originally  not  over  ten  feet  in 
height.  It  had  been  very  nearly  dug  away 
in  places,  but  about  one  fifth  of  the  lower 
portion  had  not  been  disturbed.  From  this 
was  exhumed  one  nearly  perfect  human  skel- 
eton, and  parts  of  several  others  that  had 
been  left  by  former  excavators.  This  mound 
also  contained  several  bones  of  animals,  prin- 
cipally of  deer,  bear,  opossum  and  turtles; 
fragments  of  pottery,  one  arrow-head,  a  few 
flint  chips  and  a  number  of  thick  shells  of  itnios. 


22 


HISTORY  OF  CRAWFORD  COUXTY. 


two  of  which  hii'l  been  bored  near  the  hino^e. 
This  mound  has  yielded  a  number  of  human 
bones  to  the  industry  of  Dr.  H.  Frank  Har- 
per. The  second  mound,  which  was  partly 
opened,  was  some  twenty-five  feet  in  diame- 
ter and  a  few  feet  in  heijjht,  though  probably 
once  much  higher.  In  this  a  number  of  bones 
of  deer  and  other  animals  were  found,  sev- 
eral pieces  of  pottery,  a  number  of  shells  and 
a  few  human  bones.  The  other  three  mounds, 
one  of  which  is  not  over  ten  or  twelve  feet 
in  diameter  and  situated  the  farthest  north, 
were  not  examined  internally.  The  position 
of  all  the  mounds  within  the  inclosure,  is 
such  as  to  suggest  that  they  were  used  as  ob- 
servatories; and  it  may  yet  be  questioned  if 
the  human  and  other  remains  found  in  them 
were  placed  there  by  the  occupants  of  the 
fort,  or  are  to  be  considered  under  the  head 
of  iiitntsioe  burials  by  the  later  race.  Per- 
haps a  further  study  of  the  bones  may  settle 
the  point.  That  two  races  have  buried  their 
dead  within  the  inclosure  is  made  probable 
by  the  finding  of  an  entirely  different  class  of 
burials  at  the  extreme  western  point  of  the 
fortiftcation.  At  this  point  Dr.  Harper,  the 
year  previous,  had  discovered  three  stone 
graves,  in  which  he  found  portions  of  the 
skeletons  of  two  adults  and  one  child.  These 
graves,  the  stones  of  one  being  still  in  place, 
were  found  to  be  made  by  placing  thin  slabs 
on  end,  forming  the  sides  and  ends,  the  tops 
being  covered  by  other  slabs,  making  a  rough 
stone  coffin  in  which  the  bodies  had  been 
placed.  There  was  no  indication  of  any 
mound  having  been  ere  'ted,  and  they  were 
placed  slightly  on  the  slope  of  the  bank.  This 
kind  of  burial  is  so  distinct  from  that  of  the 
burials  in  the  mound,  that  it  is  possible  that 
the  acts  mav  be  referred  to  two  distinct  races 
who  have  occupied  the  territory  successively, 
though  they  may  prove  to  be  of  the  same 
time,  and  simply  indicate  a  special  mode, 
adopted  for  a  distinctive  purpose." 


We  have  devoted  considerable  space  to  the 
Merom  Mounds,  from  the  fact  that  their  near 
proximity  renders  them  of  peculiar  interest  in 
the  history  of  Crawford  County,  more  espe- 
cially, as  another  group  of  mounds  on  the 
west  side  of  the  Wabash,  near  Hutsonville, 
were  investigated  and  described  by  the  party 
to  whom  we  are  indebted  for  the  foregoing 
description  of  the  works  near  Merom.  Of  the 
mounds  near  Hutsonville,  the  same  authority 
says:  "A  group  of  fifty-nine  mounds  is  to  be 
seen  a  few  miles  Up  the  river  from  Merom,  on 
the  Illinois  side  at  Hutsonville.  The  relative 
position  and  size  of  the  mounds  are  shown  by 
a  cut  from  a  plan  made  by  Mr.  Emerton. 
This  group  commences  just  beyond  the  river- 
terrace,  and  widens  out  to  the  east  and  west, 
covering  a  distance  of  about  1,000  feet  from 
the  mound  on  the  extreme  east  to  that  furthest 
west,  and  continues  southward,  back  from  the 
river,  on  the  second  or  prairie-terrace,  some 
1,400  or  1,500  feet.  The  greater  number  of 
the  mounds  forming  the  group  are  situated  in 
the  northern  half  of  the  territory  covered, 
while  only  ten  are  on  the  south  of  this  central 
line.  The  mounds  are  very  irregularly  dis- 
posed over  the  territorv  included  in  the  limits, 
and  vary  in  size  from  fourteen  to  eighteen 
feet  to  forty-five  or  fifty  in  diameter,  and  are 
now  from  a  foot  and  a  half  to  five  feet  in 
height,  though  probably  formerly  much  higher. 
Four  of  the  mounds  at  the  southern  portion  of 
the  group  were  surrounded  by  a  low  ridge, 
now  somewhat  indistinct,  but  still  in  places 
about  a  foot  in  height.  These  ridges  are  com- 
posed of  dirt,  evidently  scooped  -up  from 
round  the  base  of  the  mounil,  as  between  the 
ridge  and  the  mound  there  is  still  a  slight  and 
even  depression.  The  ridges  about  the 
southernmost  mounds  have  openings  nearly 
facing  each  other,  while  the  one  to  the  north 
of  them  has  the  ridge  broken  on  both  the 
eastern  and  western  sides,  and  the  one  stdl 
further  to  the  north  has  the  ridge  entire. 


HISTORY  OF  CRAWFORD  COUNTY. 


23 


"In  referring  to  this  group  of  mounds  I 
have  called  them  mounds  of  habitation,  and  it 
seems  as  if  that  was  most  likely  to  have  been 
their  use.  First,  from  the  character  of  the 
surrounding  country,  which  is  level,  and  only 
some  twenty-five  or  thirty  feet  above  the 
present  level  of  the  river,  with  every  indica- 
tion of  a  clear,  damp  soil  in  former  times, 
though  the  part  now  under  cultivation  is  cov- 
ered with  a  heavy  growth  of  trees,  several 
large  trees  even  growing  immediately  on 
some  of  the  mounds.  ^Yhat  would  be  more 
natural  to  persons  wishing  to  avail  themselves 
of  this  tenace-prairie  and  proximity  to  the 
river,  than  to  make  a  mound  on  which  to  erect 
their  dwelling? 

"  Socondiv,  their  great  variation  in  size  and 
irre2;ularity  in  positiou  would  indicate  that  a 
number  of  persons  had  got  together  for  some 
common  purpose,  and  each  family  working 
with  a  common  view  to  provide  for  certain 
ends,  had  erected  a  mound,  varying  in  size 
according  to  the  number  at  work  upon  it,  or 
the  degree  of  industry  with  which  its  makers 
worked  during  the  time  at  their  disposal. 

"Thirdly,  four  of  the  mounds  were  most 
carefully  examined,  to  ascertain  if  they  were 
places  of  burial,  one  of  them  being  opened  by 
diaro-ino-  a  trench  through  it  some  three  or 
four  feet  in  width,  and  to  a  depth  of  about 
one  to  two  feet  below  the  level  of  the  surface 
on  which  the  mound  was  built.  The  other 
three  were  opened  from  the  top,  by  digging 
down  in  the  center  until  the  original  under- 
lined surface  was  reached.  None  of  these  ex- 
cavations brought  a  single  bone  or  an  imple- 
ment of  any  kind  to  light,  but,  on  the  con- 
trary, showed  that  the  mounds  had  been  made 
of  various  materials  at  hand,  and  in  one  case 
ashes  were  found  which  had  probably  been 
scraped  up  with  other  material  and  thrown 
upon  the  heap. 

"Fourthly,  the  ridge  surrounding  four  of 
the  mounds  may  be  the  dirt  thrown  up  to  help 


support  a  palisade  or  stake  fence  enclosing 
these  particular  mounds  for  some  special  pur- 
pose. The  absence  of  human  remains  and 
all  refuse  in  the  shape  of  kitchen  heaps,  as 
well  as  implements,  would  seem  to  indicate 
that  it  w.is  a  place  of  resort  at  special  seasons, 
or  for  some  particular  purpose.  That  the 
mounds  are  of  quite  ancient  date  there  can 
be  no  question;  but  beyond  the  fact  that  at 
least  a  second  growth  of  trees  has  taken  place 
on  some  of  them,  we  have  no  data  for  indi- 
cating their  age." 

There  are  no  other  mounds  or  earthworks, 
so  far  as  we  have  been  able  to  learn,  in  the 
county.  But  in  many  portions  of  the  Slate 
they  are  numerous,  and  in  some  very  large. 
Between  Alton  and  East  St.  Louis  there  is  a 
group  containing  some  sixty  odd  structures  in 
which  is  included  the  great  mound  of  Ca- 
hokia,  which  is  denominated  the  "  monarch  of 
all  similar  structures  in  the  United  States." 
But  our  space  will  not  admit  of  further  de- 
scription of  the  works  and  relics  left  by  this 
strange  people — works  that  contain  no  in- 
scriptions which,  like  those  found  on  the 
plains  of  Shinar,  or  in  the  valley  of  the  Nile, 
can  unfold  the  mysterious  of  by -gone  centu- 
ries. The  questions,  who  were  the  Mound 
Builders?  who  reared  these  mysterious  struct- 
ures? have  never  been  satisfactorily  answered. 
We  can  only  exclaim  with  Bryant — 

"  A  race  that  long  has  passed  away 
Built  them,  a  disciplined  and  populous  race, 
Heaped  with  long  toil  the  earth,  while  yet  the  Greek 
Wiis  hewing  the  Pentelicus  to  forms 
Of  syuim  'try,  and  reaving  on  its  rock 
The  glittering  Parthenon." 

Following  the  Mound  Builders,  and  sup- 
posed by  some  writers  to  have  been  their 
conquerors,  came  the  red  Indians,  the  next 
occupants  of  this  country.  They  were  found 
here  by  the  Europeans,  but  how  long  they 
had  been  in  possession  of  the  country,  there 
is  no  means  of  knowing.     Like  their  precur- 


24 


HISTORY  OF  CRAWFORD  COUNTY. 


Bors,  the  Mound  Builders,  "  no  historian  has 
preserved  the  story  of  tlieir  race."  Tlie 
question  of  the  origin  of  the  Indian  has  long 
interested  archasologists,  and  is  one  of  the 
most  difficult  they  have  been  called  on  to 
answer.  It  is  believed  by  some  that  they 
were  an  original  race  indigenous  to  the 
Western  Hemisphere.  A  more  common  sup- 
position, however,  is  that  they  are  a  derivative 
race,  and  sprang  from  one  or  more  of  the 
ancient  peoples  of  Asia.  In  the  absence  of 
all  authentic  history,  and  even  when  tradition 
is  wanting,  any  attempt  to  point  out  the  par- 
ticular theater  of  their  origin  must  prove  un- 
satisfactory. The  exact  place  of  their  origin, 
doubtless,  will  never  be  known,  yet  the 
striking  coincidences  of  physical  organization 
between  the  oriental  types  of  mankind  point 
unmistakably  to  some  part  of  Asia  as  the 
place  from  whence  they  emigrated.  Instead 
of  1,800  years,  the  time  of  their  roving  in  the 
wilds  of  America,  as  determined  by  Spanish 
interpretation  of  their  pictographic  records, 
the  interval  has  perhaps  been  thrice  that  pe- 
riod. Scarcely  three  thousand  years  would 
suffice  to  blot  out  every  trace  of  the  language 
they  brought  with  them  from  the  Asiatic 
cradle  of  the  race,  and  introduce  the  present 
diversity  of  aboriginal  tongues.  Like  their 
oriental  progenitors,  they  have  lived  for  cent- 
uries without  progress,  while  the  Caucasian 
variety  of  the  race,  under  the  transforming 
power  of  art,  science  and  improved  systems 
of  civil  polity,  have  made  the  most  rapid  ad- 
vancement. At  the  time  of  their  departure 
eastward  a  strong  current  of  emigration 
flowed  westward  to  Europe,  making  it  a  great 
arena  of  human  effort  and  improvement. 
Thence  proceeding  further  westward,  it  met, 
in  America,  the  midway  station  in  the  circuit 
of  the  globe,  the  opposing  current  direct  from 
^sia.  The  shock  of  the  first  contact  was  the 
beginning   of  the  great   conflict   which    has 


since  been  waged  by  the  rival  sons  of  Shem 
and  Japheth.* 

The  first  thought  of  the  red  men,  when 
hostilities  commenced  on  the  Atlantic  border, 
was  to  retire  westward.  Fiom  the  eastern 
shores  of  the  continent  they  were  pressed 
backward  toward  the  setting  sun,  strewing 
their  path  with  the  bones  and  skeletons  of 
their  martyred  warriors.  They  crossed  the  Al- 
leghanies,  and,  descending  the  western  slope, 
chanting  the  death-songs  of  their  tribe,  they 
poured  into  the  Mississippi  Valley.  Halting 
upon  the  prairies  of  the"Illini,"  amid  the 
forests  that  bounded  the  southern  streams 
and  shaded  the  luxurious  valleys,  the  warlike 
Delawares  and  the  bloodthirsty  Kickapoos 
made  the  last  home  of  their  own  choosing. 
How  long  they  occupied  this  section  of  the 
State,  is  not  definitely  known,  for  no  rude 
pyramid  of  stone  or  "  misshapen  tomb,"  with 
traditional  narratives  transmitted  by  heredi- 
tary piety  from  age  to  age,  tell  the  exact  pe- 
riod of  time  when  they  first  planted  their 
wigwams  on  the  banks  of  the  Embarras  and 
the  Wabash.  It  is  enough  to  say,  however, 
that  they  were  not  allowed  to  remain  here  in 
peace.  From  across  the  ocean  the  colonists 
of  a  new  and  powerful  people  came,  and  ef- 
fected a  lodgment  at  isolated  spots  within 
hearing  of  the  roar  of  the  Atlantic  surf. 
They  grew  into  a  great  multitude,  and  like 
the  little  stone  cut  out  of  the  mountains  by 
unseen  hands,  were  rolling  on  as  a  mighty 
avalanche,  overv;helming  all  in  its  way.  In 
the  early  glimmering  of  the  nineteenth  cent- 
ury, the  Indians  were  forced  to  take  up  their 
line  of  march  from  southern  Illinois,  nor  al- 
lowed to  pause,  until  far  beyond  the  great 
Father  of  Waters. 

The  Indians  occupying  this  portion  of  Illi- 
nois, when   the  first  actual   settlers  came    to 

*  Davidson. 


HISTOR'i    OF  CRAWFORD  COUNTY. 


the  territory,  were  the  Delawares  and  Kicka- 
poos,  with  occasional  small  bands  from  other 
tribes.  The  Delawares  called  themselves 
Jjcnno  Lenape,  which  signifies  "  original  "  or 
"unmixed"  men.  "When  first  met  with  by 
Europeans,"  says  Gallatin,  "  they  occupied  a 
district  of  country  bounded  easterly  by  the 
Hudson  River  and  the  Atlantic;  on  the  west 
their  territories  extended  to  tiie  ridge  sepa- 
rating the  flow  of  the  Delaware  from  the  other 
streams  emptying  into  tlie  Susquehanna 
River  and  Ciiesapeake  Bay."  The  Delawares 
had  been  a  migratory  people.  According  to 
their  own  traditions,  many  hundred  years  ago, 
they  resided  in  the  western  part  of  the  conti- 
nent; thence,  by  slow  emigration,  they 
reached  the  Alleghany  River,  so  called  from 
a  nation  of  giants,  the  "  Allegewi,"  against 
whom  they  (the  Delawares)  and  the  Iroq\iois 
(the  latter  also  emigrants  from  the  west)  car- 
ried on  successful  war;  and  still  proceeding 
eastward,  settled  on  the  Dela,ware,  Hudson, 
Susquehanna,  and  Potomac  Rivers,  making 
the  Delaware  the  center  of  their  possessions. 
By  the  other  Algonquin  tribes  the  Delawares 
were  regarded  with  the  utmost  respect  and 
veneration.  They  were  called  "fathers," 
"  grandfathers,"  etc.* 

The  Quakers  who  settled  Pennsylvania 
treated  the  Delawares  in  accordance  with 
the  rules  of  justice  and  equity.  The  result 
was  that,  during  a  period  of  sixty  3'ears,  peace 
and  the  utmost  harmony  prevailed.  This  is 
the  only  instance  in  the  settling  of  America 
by  the  English,  where  uninterrupted  friend- 
ship and  good  will  existed  between  the  col- 
onists and  the  aboriginal  inhabitants.  Grad- 
ually, and  by  peaceable  means,  the  Quakers 
obtained  possession  of  the  greater  .  part  of 
their  territory,  and  the  Delawares  were  in  the 
same  situation  as  other  tribes — without  lands, 


'  Taylor's  History. 


without    means   of    subsistence,    and     were 
threatened  with  starvation. 

The  territory  claimed  by  the  Delawares 
subsequent  to  their  being  driven  westward 
from  their  former  possessions,  by  their  old 
enemies,  the  Iroquois,  is  established  in  a 
paper  addressed  to  Congress,  May  10,  1779, 
from  delegates  assembled  at  Princeton,  N.  J. 
The  boundaries  as  declared  in  the  address 
were  as  follows:  "  From  the  mouth  of  the 
Alleghany  River  at  Fort  Pitt,  to  the  Venango, 
and  from  thence  up  French  Creek,  and  by 
Le  Bceuf  (the  present  site  of  ^yaterford, 
Penn.)  along  the  old  road  to  Presque  Isle, 
onthe  east;  the  O'lio  River,  including  all  the 
islands  in  it,  from  Fort  Pitt  to  the  Ouabache, 
o?i  the  south;  thence  up  the  River  Ouabache 
to  that  branch,  Ope-co-mee-cah,  (the  Indian 
name  of  White  River,  Indiana,)  and  up  the 
same  to  the  head  thereof;  from  thence  to  the 
headwaters  and  springs  of  the  Great  Miami, 
or  Rocky  River;  thence  across  to  the  head- 
waters of  the  most  northeastern  branches  of 
the  Scioto  River;  thence  to  the  westernmost 
springs  of  the  Sandusky  River;  thence  down 
said  river,  including  the  islands  in  it  and  in 
the  little  lake  (Sandusky  Bay),  to  Lake  Erie, 
on  the  west  and  northioest,  and  Lake  Erie,  on 
the  north."  These  Ijoundaries  contain  the 
cessions  of  lands  made  to  the  Delaware  Nation 
by  the  Wyandotts,  the  Hurons,  and  Iroquois. 
The  Delawares,  after  Gen.  Wayne's  signal 
victory  in  1794,  came  to  realize  that  further 
contests  with  the  American  colonies  would  be 
worse  than  useless.  They,  therefore,  submit- 
ted to  the  inevitable,  acknowledged  the  su- 
premacy of  the  whites,  and  desired  to  make 
peace  with  the  victors.  At  tlie  close  of  the 
treaty  at  Greenville,  made  in  1795  by  Gen. 
Wayne,  Bu-kon-ge-he-las,  a  Delaware  chief 
of  great  inOuence  in  his  tribe,  spoke  as  fol- 
lows: "Father,  your  children  all  well  under- 
stand the  sense  of  the  treaty  which  is  now 
concluded.     We  experience    daily  proofs  of 


26 


HISTORY  OF  CRAWFORD  COUNTY. 


your  increasing  kindness.  I  hope  we  mav  all 
have  sense  enough  to  enjoy  our  dawning 
happiness.  All  who  know  me,  know  me  to 
be  a  man  and  a  warrior,  and  I  now  declare 
that  I  will,  for  the  future,  be  as  steady  and 
true;  friend  to  the  United  States  as  I  have, 
heretofore,  been  an  active  enemy." 

This  promise  of  Bu-kon-ge-he-las  was 
faithfully  kept  by  his  people.  They  evaded 
all  the  eiforts  of  the  Shawanee  prophet,  Te- 
cumseh,  and  the  British,  who  endeavored  to 
induce  them,  by  threats  or  bribes,  to  violate 
it.  They  remained  faithful  to  the  United 
States  during  the  war  of  1812,  and,  with  the 
Shawaneos,  furnished  some  very  able  war- 
riors and  scouts,  who  rendered  valuable  serv- 
ice to  the  United  States  during  this  war. 
After  the  Greenville  treaty  the  great  body  of 
Delavvares  removed  to  their  lands  on  White 
River,  Indiana,  whither  some  of  their  people 
had  preceded  them,  while  a  large  body  of 
them  crossed  the  Wabash  into  Southern  Illi- 
nois. They  continued  to  reside  on  White 
River  and  the  Wabash,  and  their  branches, 
until  1819,  when  most  of  them  joined  the 
band  emigrating  to  Missouri,  upon  the  tract 
of  land  granted  by  the  Spanish  authorities  in 
1793,  jointly  to  them  and  the  Shawanese. 
Others  of  their  number  who  remained  behind, 
scattered  themselves  among  the  Miamis, 
Pottavratomies  and  Kickapoos,  while  others, 
including  the  Moravian  converts,  went  to 
Canada. 

The  majority  of  the  nation,  in  1829,  settled 
on  the  Kansas  and  Missouri  Rivers.  They 
numbered  about  1,000,  were  brave,  enterpris- 
ing hunters,  cultivated  lands  and  were 
friendly  to  the  whites.  In  1853  they  sold  the 
Government  all  the  lands  granted  them,  ex- 
cepting a  reservation  in  Kansas.  During  the 
late  Rebellion,  they  sent  to  the  United  States 
army  170  out  of  their  200  able-bodied  men. 
Like  their  ancestors,  they  proved  valiant  and 
trustworthy    soldiers. 


The  Kickapoos,  who  also  dwelt  in  this  por- 
tion of  the  State,  were  but  a  remnant  of  a 
once  powerful  tribe  of  Indians.  The  follow- 
ing bit  of  history  contains  some  items  of  in- 
terest: In  1763  the  Kickapoos  occupied  the 
country  southwest  of  the  southern  e.xtremity 
of  Lake  Michigan.  They  subsequently 
moved  further  south,  and  at  a  more  recent 
date  dwelt  in  portions  of  the  territory  on  the 
Mackinaw  and  Sangamon  Rivers,  and  had  a 
village  on  Kickapoo  Creek,  and  at  Elkhart 
Grove,  from  which  they  roamed  southward 
hunting  game.  They  were  more  civilized, 
industrious,  energetic  and  cleanly  than  the 
neighboring  tribes,  and,  it  may  also  be  added, 
more  implacable  in  their  hatred  of  the  Amer- 
icans. They  were  among  the  first  to  com- 
mence battle,  and  the  last  to  submit  and 
enter  into  treaties.  Unappeasable  enmity 
led  them  into  the  field  against  Gens.  Harmar, 
St.  Clair  and  Wayne,  and  to  be  first  in  all 
the  bloody  charges  on  the  field  of  Tip- 
pecanoe. They  were  prominent  among  the 
Northern  Nations,  which,  for  more  than  a 
century,  waged  an  exterminating  war  against 
the  Illinois  Confederacy.  Their  last  hostile 
act  of  this  kind  was  perpetrated  in  1805, 
against  some  poor  Kaskaskia  children  whom 
they  found  gathering  strawberries  on  the 
prairie  above  the  town  which  bears  the  name 
of  their  tribe.  Seizing  a  considerable  num- 
ber of  them,  they  fled  to  their  villages  before 
the  enraged  Kaskaskias  could  overtake  them 
and  rescue  their  offspring.  During  the  \'ears 
1810  and  1811,  iij  conjunetion  with  the  Chip- 
pew.is,  Pottawatomies  and  Ottawas,  they 
committed  so  many  thefts  and  murders  on 
the  frontier  settlements  that  Gov.  Edwards 
was  compelled  to  employ  military  force  to 
suppress  them.  When  removed  from  Illi- 
nois they  still  retained  their  old  animosities 
against  the  Americans,  and  went  to  Texas, 
then  a  province  of  Mexico,  to  get  beyond 
the  jurisdiction  of  the  United  States. 


~T* 


'  W    I 


lOj  V(  fytl-JL  Coi-VhyP  L^iyO 


CHAPTER    III.* 

SETTLEMENT  OF  THE  COUNTY  BY  WHITE  PEOPLE-THE    EARLY   FRENCH  EXPLORERS- 
THEIK  CLAIM  TO  ILLINOIS-GEN.  CLARK'S  EXPEDITION   TO    KASKASKIA-EMI- 
GRANTS  FROM  THE  STATES-FORT  LAMOTTE  AND    THE  RANGERS— 
THE  CULLOMS  AND  OTHER  PIONEERS-THE  HUTSON  FAM- 
ILY—THEIR   MURDER   BY    INDIANS-PIONEER 
LIFE— HARDSHIPS    AND    DANGERS 
OF  THE  WILDERNESS,  ETC. 


'  As  some  lone  wanderer  o'er  this  weary  world 

Oft  sits  him  down  beneath  some  friendly  shade, 
And  backward  casts  a  long  and  lingering  look 
O'er  the  rough  journey  he  has  thus  far  made 
So  should  we  pause " 

AS  the  Indians  succeeded  the  Mound  Build- 
ers in  this  territory,  so  the  Anglo-Saxons 
followed  close  in  the  footsteps  of  the  retreat- 
ing savages.  The  first  white  people  who  laid 
claim  to  the  country  now  embraced  in  tiie 
State  of  Illinois  were  subjects  of  vine-clad 
France.  The  interest  which  attaches  to  all 
that  is  connected  with  the  explorations  and 
discoveries  of  the  early  French  travelers  in 
th(^  Northwest  but  incr(!ases  with  the  rolling 
years.  A  little  more  than  two  centuries  ago, 
such  men  as  ^Marquette,  La  Salle,  Joliet,  De 
Frontenac,  Hennepin,  the  Chevalier  de  Trull, 
Ciiarlevoix,  and  other  Frenchmen,  traversed 
the  territory  now  embraced  in  the  great  State 
of  Illinois,  and  made  settlements  along  the 
Mississippi,  Illinois  and  Wabash  Rivers.  Upon 
many  trees  and  stones  were  to  be  seen  the 
impress  of  thojieur  de  lis  of  France,  and  Kas- 
kaskia,  Cahokia  and  Vincennes  became  enter- 
prising French  towns,  surrounded  by  flourish- 
ing settlements.  The  sainted  Marquette  dis- 
covered the  "  Great  Fatlier  of  Waters,"  and 
spent  years  of  toil   and    labor  and  privation 

*By  W.  H.  Perrin. 


in  explorations,  and  in  christianizing  the  na- 
tives, then  laid  down  his  life,  with  no  kind 
hand  to  "  smooth  his  dying  pillow,"  other 
than  his  faithful  Indian  converts.  La  Salle 
penetrated  to  the  mouth  of  the  Mississippi, 
and  there,  on  the  shores  of  the  Mexican  Gulf, 
alter  planting  the  royal  standard  of  France, 
and  claiming  the  country  in  the  name  of  his 
king,  was  basely  and  treacherously  murdered 
by  his  own  followers. 

For  almost  a  hundred  years  (from  1080)  this 
country  was  under  French  dominion.  But  in 
the  great  struggle  between  France  and  Eng- 
land, known  in  our  history  as  the  "old  French 
and  Indian  War,"  it  was  wrested  from  France, 
and  at  the  treaty  of  Paris,  February  16,  1763, 
she  relinquished  to  England  all  the  territory 
she  claimed  east  of  the  Mississippi  River, 
from  its  source  to  Bayou  Iberville;  and  "the 
Illinois  country"  passed  to  the  ownership  of 
Great  Britain.  Less  than  a  quarter  of  a  cent- 
ury passed,  however,  and  England  was  dis- 
possessed of  it  by  her  naughty  child,  who  had 
grown  somewhat  unfdial.  In  1778,  Gen. 
Georire  Rogers  Clark,  a  Revolutionary  officer 
of  bravery  and  renown,  with  a  handful  of  the 
ragged  soldiers  of  freedom,  under  commission 
from  the  governor  of  Virginia,  conquered  the 
country,  and  the  banner  of  the  thirteen  colonies 
floated  in  the  breeze  for  the  first  time  on  the 
banks  of  the  Mississippi.     Thus  in  the  natural 


30 


HISTORY  OF  CRAWFORD  COUNTY. 


course  of  events,  the  lilies  of  France  drooped 
and  wilted  before  the  majestic  tread  of  the 
British  lion,  who,  in  his  turn,  quailed  and 
cowered  beneath  the  scream  of  the  American 
eao-le.  The  conquest  of  Gen.  Clark  made 
Illinois  a  county  of  Virginia,  and  wrested  it 
forever  from  foreign  rule.  This  acquisition 
of  territory  lirought  many  adventurous  indi- 
viduals hither,  and  southern  Illinois  soon  be- 
came the  great  center  of  attraction.  But  a 
few  years  after  Clark  captured  Vincennes 
and  kaskaskia,  emigrants  began  to  cross  the 
Wabash,  and  to  contest  the  red  man's  title  to 
these  fertile  lands. 

As   to   the  motives  which    set   journeying 
hither   so  many  people  from  the  States  south 
of  the  Ohio,  we  confess  to  have   been  moder- 
ately curious,    until    fully    enlightened    by   a 
thorough  investigation.     Many  of  them   had 
not  reached   life's    meridian,   but  they  were 
men    inured   to  toil  and  danger.     They  were 
hopeful,  courageous,  and  poor  in  actual  worth, 
but  rich  in  possibilities;  men  with  iron  nerves, 
and  wills  as  firm  as  the    historic  granite  upon 
which  the  Pilgrim  Fathers    stepped  from   the 
deck  of  the  Mayflower,  in  1020.    Illinois  was  a 
territory  when  the  first  settlers  came,  reposing 
under  the  famous  ordinance  of  1787,  and  many 
of  these  pioneers  have  left  their  record,  that 
they  sought  homes  here  because  the  land  would 
not  be  blemished    by  negro  slavery;  or,  that 
civil  and  social  distinctions  would   be  yielded 
only  to  those    who    owned  "  niggers."     A  fat 
soil,  ready  for    the    plow,  cheap    lands  and  a 
temperate  climate,  were  not    peculiar  to  Illi- 
nois, or  to  Crawford  County.     For  the  grand 
simplicity    of   their    lives    and    their    sturdy 
virtue,  these    early    settlers    got    recognition 
and  fame,  as  Enoch    Arden  did — after  death. 
They  had    been   brought    up,  many  of  them, 
amid    "  savage    scenes    and    perils    of    war," 
where  the  yell  of  the  Indian  and  the  howl  of 
the    wolf   were    the    principal    music    to  lull 
them  to  sleep  in  their   childhood  and   youtii. 


Such  were  the  men  who  formed  the  advance 
guard — the  picket  line  of  the  grand  army  of 
emigrants  that  were  to  follow,  and  people 
and  improve  the  great  northwest.  They  ac- 
complished the  task  assigned  them,  and  have 
passed  away.  The  last  of  the  old  guard  are 
gone,  and  many  of  their  children,  too,  have 
followed  them  to  that  "  bourne  whence  no 
traveler  returns." 

We  can    not    write    history  as  a  blind  man 
goes  about  the  streets,  feeling  his  way  with  a 
stick.     The  facts  are  transparent,  and  through 
them  we  catch    gleams  of   other  facts,  as  the 
raindrop  catches  light,  and  the  beholder  sees 
the    splendor    of   the    rainbow.     We    are    to 
speak    of   common    men,    whose    lot    was  to 
plant  civilization    here,  and  who,  in  doing  it, 
displayed   the  virtues  which   render    modern 
civilization    a   boast  and  a  blessing.     These  . 
early  times  can    not    be    reproduced    by  any 
prose   of  a   historian.     They  had  a  thousand 
years    behind    them,  and  in  their  little  space 
of  time  they  made  greater    progress  than   ten 
centuries  had    witnessed.     Theirs    was  a  full 
life;  the   work   thirty   generations   had    not 
done,  they  did,  and  the    abyss  between  us  of 
to-day  and   the  men  of  seventy-five  years  ago 
is  wider  and  more  profound    than    the  chasm 
between    1815    and   the    battle    of  Hastings. 
They  did  so  much  that  it  is  hard  to  recognize 
the  doers;  they  had  a  genius  for  doing  great 
things.     That   olive   leaf  in   the  dove's   beak 
perished   as  do   other  leaves,  but  the  story  it 
told    is    immortal.     Of   their    constancy,  one 
can  judge  by  the  fact  that  none  went  back  to 
their  ancestral  homes.     They  "builded  wiser 
than  they  knew,"  and  the  monuments  of  their 
enernry  and    perseverance  still   stand   in  per- 
petuation of  their  memory. 

The  only  history  worth  writing  is  the  his- 
tory of  civilization,  of  the  processes  which 
made  a  State.  For  men  are  but  as  coral, 
feeble,  insignificant,  working  out  of  sight, 
but   they    transmit   some   occult   quality   or_ 


HISTORY  OF  CRAWFORD  COUNTY. 


31 


'power,  upheave  society,  until  from  the  moral 
and  intellectual  plateau  rises,  as  Saul,  above 
his  fellows,  a  Shakespeare,  a  Phidias  or  a 
lliimilton,  the  royal  interpreters  of  the  finest 
sense  in  poetry,  in  art  and  statesmanship. 
At  the  last,  years  color  life  more  than  cent- 
uries had,  as  the  sun  rises  in  an  instant, 
tiioutrh  he  had  beeu  hours  in  hastening  to 
this   moment. 

The  French,  as  we  have  shown,  were  the 
first  white  people  who  possessed  this  country. 
The  first  regular  settlements  made  in  the 
present  county  of  Crawford,  were  in  and 
around  Palestine.  There  is  a  tradition,  that 
the  first  settlers  found  an  old  Frenchman 
named  Lamotte,  living  near  the  margin  of  the 
prairie  which  still  bears  his  name.  But  little, 
however,  is  known  of  him,  or  hia  residence 
here.  One  fact  there  is,  which  is  borne  out 
by  the  records  of  the  county,  that  Lamotte 
owned  considerable  lands  on  this  side  of  the 
Wabash,  but  whether  he  lived  here  is  by 
some  deemed  problematical.  As  Vincennes 
was,  however,  a  French  town,  from  whence 
many  of  its  people  came  into  Illinois,  there  is 
no  just  ground  for  controverting  the  state- 
ment that  Lamotte  actually  lived  in  what  is 
now  Crawford  County,  especially  when  we 
reflect  that  Lamotte  Prairie,  Lamotte  Creek 
and  Fort  Lamotte,  the  latter  the  site  of  Pal- 
estine, all  bear  his  name.  There  were  a  few 
French  families  among  the  early  settlers  of 
the  county,  but  eventually  we  believe  most  of 
them  returned  to  the  east  bank  of  the  Wa- 
bash, or  removed  to  Kaskaskia  and  St.  Louis. 

It  is  not  known  with  perfect  certaintv  at 
the  present  day,  who  was  tha  first  actual  set- 
tler from  the  States  to  locate  within  the  pres- 
ent limits  of  the  county.  The  first  deed  re- 
corded in  the  clerk's  office  is  dated  December 
10,  ISlO,  and  is  from  .John  Dunlap,  of  Edwards 
County,  to  Samuel  Harris,  but  it  is  beyond 
dispute  that  there  was  a  considerable  settle- 
ment here  several  years    prior    to    that    time. 


The  following  families,  so  far  as  we  can  learn, 
were  among  the  first  settlers:  The  Eatons, 
Van  Winkles,  McGahoys, '  Kitchells,  Wood- 
worths,  Culloms,  Woods,  Isaac  Hutson,  Dr. 
Hill,  the  Lagows,  Brimberrys,  Wilsons,  Wal- 
drops,  Piersons,  Houstons,  Kennedys  and  the 
Newlins.  The  Eatons  are  believed  to  have 
been  here  as  early  as  1809,  and  very  gener- 
ally admitted  to  have  been  the  first  actual 
settlers  though  no  one  can  definitely  settle  the 
point  now.  There  were  Benjamin,  Joseph, 
John,  Stephen  and  Richard  Eaton.  They 
were  genuine  pioneers  and  frontiersmen,  and 
were  in  the  fort  at  Palestine.  They  dis- 
agreed with  some  of  the  other  inmates  of  the 
fort,  withdrew  from  it  and  built  another  fort 
at  some  distance,  which  received  the  name 
of  Fort  Foot,  in  consequence  of  the  fact  that 
the  Eatons  possessed  extraordinarily  large 
feet.  The  McGaheys  (Allen  and  David)  are 
supposed  to  have  come  to  the  country  in 
iS09  or  ])erhaps  in  1810;  Dan  and  Green 
Van  Winkle  also  came  about  1810;  the 
Woods  in  1811,  and  Hutson  in  1812.  Isaac, 
Joseph  and  William  Pierson  came  perhaps 
the  same  year.  The  others  mentioned  all 
came  in  early — prior  to  1818,  and  several  of 
them  became  prominent  in  the  history  of  the 
county,  as  more  particularly  detailed  in  other 
chapters  of  this  volume.  Woodworth  was 
the  second  sheriff  of  the  county;  the  Mc- 
Gaheys served  in  the  legislature  and  in  other 
positions,  while  the  Lagows  and  Houstons 
were  also  active  citizens,  as  elsewhere  noticed. 
The  Kitchells  were  perhaps  the  most  prom- 
inent among  the  early  families  in  the  county. 
The  names  of  Joseph  and  Wickliffe  Kitchell 
are  not  only  connected  with  the  history  of  this 
county,  but  with  that  of  the  State.  They 
were  from  Virginia  and  possessed  much  of 
the  social  qualities  and  cordiality  of  manners 
characteristic  of  the  old  Virginia  type  of 
gentleman.  As  Attorney-General  of  the 
State,  in  the    State    Senate    and    legislature. 


HISTORY  OF   CRAWFORD  COUNT V. 


and  in  the  land  office,  they  left  their  impress. 
More  will  be  said  of  them  in  connection  with 
the  court  and  bar. 

Edward  N.  Cullom,  next  to  the  Kitchells, 
was  one  of  the  most  prominent  of  the  early 
settlers,  and  has  a  son,  Leonard  D.  Cullom, 
still  livincr  in  Lawrenceville,  111.  Mr.  Cul- 
lom landed  at  Palestine  November  25,  1814, 
or  rather  at  Fort  Lamotte,  where  Palestine 
now  stands.  We  are  informed  by  Mr.  Leon- 
ard Cullom,  whom  we  visited  at  his  home  in 
Lawrenceville,  that  when  his  father's  family 
arrived  at  Fort  Lamotte,  there  were  then 
within  its  protecting  walls  twenty-six  fami- 
lies, and  ninety  rangers,  who  were  stationed 
there  for  the  purpose  of  guarding  these  isolat- 
ed settlers.  This  blockhouse  or  fort  had  been 
erected  here  about  the  commencement  of  the 
war  of  1812,  and  the  rangers  quartered  in  it 
were  under  the  command  of  Capt.  Pierce 
Andrew,  a  frontier  officer.  Mr.  Cullom  now 
only  remembers,  among  those  living  in  the 
fort,  the  following  families:  Isaac  and  Sam- 
uel Brimberry,  Thomas  and  James  Kennedy, 
the  Batons,  the  Shaws,  .Joseph  Waldrop  and 
two  sons — William  and  .John — the  Garrards, 
the  Woods,  David  Shook  and  a  man  named 
Harding.  The  latter  was  "  skin  dresser,"  and 
a  rather  disagreeable  man  in  his  family.  Mr. 
Cullom  calls  to  mind  a  circumstance  in  which 
Harding  figured  conspicuously,  in  the  day> 
when  they  were  "forted."  Harding,  for 
whipping  his  wife,  was  taken  by  the  rangers 
and  shut  up  in  his  "  skin-house,"  a  house 
■where  he  was  in  the  habit  of  smoking  and 
drying  his  skins,  and  put  through  much  the 
same  process  for  indulging  in  such  family 
pastimes. 

Edward  N.  Cullom  eame  from  Waj'ne 
County,  Ky.,  making  the  trip  in  wagons,  the 
principal  mode  of  transportation  at  that  time. 
He  raised  a  number  of  stalwart  sons,  some  of 
whom  were  prominent  men  as  well  as  their 
father  in  the    county.       They    were    Francis, 


William,  Leonard  D.,  Edward  N.,  Thomas 
F.,  and  George  W.  Leonard  was  14  years 
old  when  his  father  came  to  the  county,  and 
George  W.  was  the  only  one  of  his  sons  born 
in  the  new  home. 

Mr.  Cullom  was  a  man  of  considerable 
prominence  in  the  county,  and  served  in  a 
number  of  responsible  positions.  When  he 
came  here  he  bought  the  land  on  which  the 
fort  stood  (including  the  improvement  on  it) 
for  $4.1(5  per  acre.  The  improvement  had 
been  made  by  Brimberry.  He  bought  and 
entered  other  lands  until  he  owned  several 
thousand  acres.  The  first  summer  Cullom 
raised  a  large  crop  of  corn,  and  the  winter  fol- 
lowing he  loaded  a  flat  boat  with  corn,  and 
took  it  to  New  Orleans.  It  was  the  first  boat 
that  ever  went  out  of  the  Wabash  River  from 
the  Illinois  side.  He  paid  S150  for  the  boat, 
and  at  New  Orleans,  sold  it  and  the  cargo  for 
$1,:S00  in  money;  then  made  his  %vay  home 
overland  through  the  "  Indian  Nation,"  as  it 
was  then  known.  His  money  was  in  two 
$500  "post  notes,"  as  they  were  called,  or 
bank  drafts,  and  the  remainder  in  specie. 
That  was  an  enormous  sum  of  money  lor  those 
days,  and  Cullom  was  considered  a  very  rich 
man.  He  laid  it  out  mostly  in  lands,  and  be- 
came one  of  the  largest  land  owners  in  South- 
ern Illinois.  In  later  years,  however,  he  lost 
the  large  part  of  it  by  going  the  security  of 
others,  and  died  comparatively  a  poor  man. 

The  following  comjirises  many  of  the  early 
settlers  of  the  county,  though  it  is  by  no  means 
a  complete  list:  Edward  N.  Cullom  and  his 
sons,  John  Dunlap,  Edward  H.  Piper,  Joseph 
Malcom,  John  Malcom,  George  W.  Kinkade, 
Joseph  Cheek,  Isaac  Moore,  James  Gibson, 
Thomas  Gill,  John  Cowan,  Thomis  Handj', 
William  Lockard,  John  Allison,William  How- 
ard, Charles  Neely,  George  Catron,  James 
Caldwell,  James  Ray,  Isaac  Parker,  Arthur 
Jones,  James  Shaw,  Smith  Shaw,  S.  B.  A.  Car- 
ter, Chester  Fitch,  David  Porter,  Jan  Martin,  J. 


IIISTOUV  OF  CRAWFOUD  COUNTY. 


Gallon,  John  Garrard,  Ulialkev  Draper,  Joha 
Berry,  Isaac  Gain,  George  W.  Carter,  John 
Mills,  ^yillialn  Hugh  Miller,  Jacob  Blaze, 
William  Y.  Hacket,  James  Gill,  Abram  Coon- 
rod,  William  Lowe,  Seth  Gard,  Peter  Keene, 
Samuel  Harris,  William  Ashbrook,  John  Gif- 
I'ord,  Asahel  Haskins,  William  Barber,  John 
Small,  Thomas  Westfall,  D.  Mcllenry,  Jona- 
than Young,  E.  W.  Kellogg,  Al.irk  Snipes, 
Samuel  Baldy,  John  H.  Jackson,  James  Dol- 
son,  Thomas  Trimble,  David  Stewart,  Aaron 
Ball,  Henry  Gilliam,  Daniel  Funk,  Enoch 
^V'ilhite,  Ze])haniah  Lewis,  John  Cobb,  Will- 
iam Jones,  John  Sackrider,  Jacob  Helping- 
steine,  George  Calhoun,  William  Highsmith, 
Jeremiah  Coleman,  William  McDowell,  James 
Boatwright,  Daniel  Boatwright,  John  W.  Bar- 
low, Bottsl'ord  (^omstock,  George  Boher,  JojI 
Phelps,  Cornelius  Taylor,  William  Gray, 
George  Wesner,  John  C.  Alexander,  William 
Magill,  Benjamin  Myers,  John  Boyd,  Asa 
Norton,  Sewell  Goo^lrich,  etc.,  etc.  These 
])ioneors  will  receive  ample  notic3  in  the  his- 
tory of  the  several  townships  of  the  county. 
The  settlement  has  been  given  in  this  connec- 
tion in  a  general  way,  but  in  other  chapters  it 
will  be  more  fully  noticed.  Our  aim  here  has 
been  merely  to  show  the  different  possessors 
of  the  soil,  and  the  succession  in  which  they 
followed  each  other. 

When  the  first  settlements  were  made  in 
this  region,  there  were  still  many  Indians 
roaming  through  the  country,  as  stated  in  a 
previous  chapter.  They  were  generally 
friendly  toward  tHe  whites,  except  for  a 
short  period  during  the  war  of  1813,  when 
they  became  somewhat  excited  and  com- 
mitted depredations  upon  the  whites,  such 
as  stealing  horses  and  other  stock,  and  in  a 
few  instances,  murdering  their  pale-faced 
neighbors.  The  saddest  instance  of  this  kind 
that  ever  occurred  in  what  is  now  Crawford 
County,  was  the  mur  ler  of  the  Hutson  fam- 
ily, who  lived  a  few  miles  south  from    where 


Hutsonville  now  stands,  and  which  was 
somewhat  as  follows:  Isaac  Hutson  was  a 
native  of  Oliio  and  removed  from  Chillicothe 
in  1811  to  Indiana,  locating  in  the  present 
counly  of  Sullivan,  and  in  what  is  now  Tur- 
man  Township.  Indians  were  plenty  in  that 
region,  and  some  of  them  were  hostile.  A 
block-house  or  rude  fort  was  erected  in  the 
Turman  settlement  for  the  protection  of  the 
few  whites  then  living  there.  Hutson,  one 
day,  crossed  the  river  and  visited  the  section 
now  known  as  Lamotte  prairie;  and  being 
attracted  by  its  beauty  and  fertility,  resolved 
to  at  once  move  hither.  Accordingly,  in  the 
latter  part  of  the  winter  of  1813  he  built  a 
cabin  at  the  north  end  of  the  prairie,  to  which 
he  moved  his  family  in  the  spring.  A  man 
named  Dixon  settled  near  bj',  about  the  same 
time.  Hutson  at  once  began  preparations  for 
a  crop.  His  family  consisted  of  a  wife  and 
six  children,  the  eldest  a  girl  of  perhaps  six- 
teen. One  day  in  April,  Hutson  went  to  Pal- 
estine to  mill,  and  did  not  get  started  for 
home  until  nightfall.  When  about  half  wav 
to  his  cabin,  he  noticed  an  unusual  light  in 
the  direction  of  it.  Fearing  the  worst,  he 
threw  his  sack  of  meal  from  his  horse  and 
urged  him  forward  at  full  speed.  Upon  near- 
ing  his  house,  his  worst  fears  were  realized. 
His  entire  family  had  been  murdered  by  a  band 
of  Indians;  and  to  complete  the  ruin  and  des- 
olation, they  had  sot  fire  to  his  dwelling. 
Frantic  with  grief  and  despair,  he  rode  sev- 
eral times  around  the  ruins,  calling  wildly  the 
names  of  his  wife  and  children.  There  was 
no  one  left  to  tell  the  bereaved  father  how 
his  loved  ones  had  perished.  He  could 
only  realize  the  heart-sickening  truth  that 
all  had  perished.  A  few  roc's  from  the 
burning  building,  lay  the  body  of  Dix- 
on, mutilated  almost  beyond  rccog  h.on. 
His  breast  had  been  cut  o[)en  and  his  heart 
taken  out  and  placed  upon  a  pole  which 
was  planted  in  the  ground  near  by.     Satisfy- 


34 


HISTORY   OF  cmAWFORD  COUNTY. 


ing  himself  that  the  havoc  was  complete, 
Hutson  made  his  way  to  Turmaii's,  havino; 
swam  the  Wabash,  which  place  he  reached 
about  midnight. 

Hutson  was  a  fine  type  of  the  frontiers- 
man. He  was  above  six  feet  high,  a  man  of 
great  strength  and  possessed  of  extraordinary 
powers  of  endurance.  He  was  an  adven- 
turer and  knew  no  law  beyond  his  own  will 
and  his  own  ideas  of  right.  Having  lost  all 
for  which  he  cared  to  live,  he  swore  revenge; 
and  to  this  end,  joined  the  army  at  Fort  Har- 
rison, near  where  Terre  Haute  now  stands. 
Shortly  after  he  had  joined  the  army,  one  of 
the  sentinels  reported  that  he  had  seen  an 
Indian  in  the  grass,  some  half  a  mile  below 
the  fort.  A  party  was  sent  out  to  recon- 
noiter,  among  whom  was  Hutson.  Arrived 
at  the  designated  spot,  it  was  discovered  that 
quite  a  party  of  savages  had  been  there  dur- 
ing the  previous  night.  The  trail  led  off  to 
a  thicket  of  brush  wood  a  short  distance 
away.  The  officer  in  command  rashly  deter- 
mined to  make  an  attack,  without  any  attemjjt 
to  discover  the  exact  wliereabouts  of  the  en- 
emy, or  their  number  and  position.  Hutson 
was  placed  in  the  front,  but  distrusting  the 
speed  and  power  of  his  horse,  asked  an- 
otlier  position.  The  officer  reproached  him 
with  cowardice,  when  Hutson  dashed  for- 
ward, calling  on  the  men  to  follow,  declaring 
that  he  could  go  where  any  one  else  could, 
and  leaving  the  officer  in  the  rear.  Upon 
approaching  the  wood,  they  were  fired  on, 
and  Hutson  receiving  a  ball  in  the  forehead, 
fell  from  his  horse  dead. 

The  name  of  Hutson  is  preserved  in  the 
beautiful  little  town  of  Hutsonville,  and  of 
Hutson  Creek,  which  flows  near  by  where  he 
had  reared  his  lonely  cabin. 

Another  incident  is  related  of  a  man 
named  James  Beard,  being  murdered  by 
Indians  in  that  portion  of  the  county  now 
embraced  in  Lawrence  County,  just  about  the 


close  of  the  war  of  1813.  Beard  was  plow- 
ing in  the  field  one  day,  anil  the  Indians 
having  become  incensed  at  him  for  some 
cause  stole  upon  him,  and  shot  him  at  his 
plow.  Beard,  who  was  a  large  man,  ran  to 
where  one  Adams,  a  nephew,  was  cutting 
bushes,  and  told  him  he  was  shot,  when 
Adams,  notwithstanding  the  giant  size  of 
Beard,  picked  him  up  and  carried  him  to  the 
house.  A  Frenchman  named  Pierre  Devoe, 
lived  near  by,  and  when  asked  to  go  and 
help  guard  Beard's  house  during  the  night  he* 
refused.  His  wife,  a  large  and  rather  mascu- 
line looking  woman,  when  her  husband  re- 
fused, declared  she  would  go,  and  taking  up 
an  ax  called  out  to  "  Come  on,"  she  "  was 
ready."  But  the  Indians  made  no  further 
attack  on  the  house. 

Mr.  Leonard  Cullom  relates  the  following: 
During  the  time  of  "forting"  at  Palestine, 
Isaac  Brimberry  and  Thomas  Kennedy,  who 
generally  went  by  the  name  of  the  "  Buck- 
eye Coopers,"  went  up  to  "  Africa's  Point," 
as  it  was  called,  on  the  Wabash,  after  some 
timber.  They  discovered  signs  of  Indians 
and  went  back  to  the  fort  and  reported  the 
same,  when  a  squad  of  men  was  sent  out  to 
look  after  them.  They  divided  into  two  par- 
ties, one  going  on  in  advance  and  the  other 
acting  as  a  reserve  corps.  When  near  the 
spot  where  the  signs  had  been  seen,  they 
found  a  number  of  Indian  canoes  pulled  up 
out  of  the  water.  Instead  of  consolidating 
their  numliers  and  proceeding  with  caution, 
the  foremost  party  kept  on  fully  exposed,  and 
were  soon  fired  upon  by  the  savages.  Lathrop, 
Price,  and  Daniel  Eaton  were  killed,  and  Job 
Eaton  and  John  Waldrop  were  wounded,  but 
succeeded  in  escaping  and  making  their  way 
back  to  the  fort.  The  "rear  guard,"  when 
they  heard  the  firing,  instead  of  going  to  the  as- 
sistance of  their  comrades,  "fell  back  in  good 
order,"  and  returned  to  the  fort,  conscious 
that  discretion  was  the  better  part  of  valor. 


HISTORY  OF  CRAWFORD  COUNTY. 


35 


Such  were  some  of  the  trials  anil  dangers 
to  which  the  early  settlers  were  exposed,  in 
the  development  of  this  country.  But  upon 
the  close  of  the  war  of  1812,  the  savages  of 
southern  Illinois  buried  the  hatchet,  and 
peace  reigned  among  the  scattered  settle- 
ments. Though  the  savages  rose  in  other 
sections  of  the  State,  and  clouds  of  war 
gathered  in  the  horizon,  they  rolled  away 
without  bursting  upon  this  community. 
When  peace  was  fully  restored  to  the  country 
in  1815,  the  population  began  to  rapidly  in- 
crease in  the  Wabash  Valley,  and  gradually 
to  extend  out  over  the  country.  In  subse- 
quent chapters  the  progress  of  these  settle- 
ments, as  we  have  already  stated,  will  be 
fully  detailed,  together  with  all  events  of  in- 
terest pertaining  to  them. 

The  Indian  troubles  were  not  the  only 
drawbacks  met  with  in  the  early  history  of 
Crawford  County.  The  settlers  were  mostly 
poor,  and  all  had  come  here  with  the  desire 
to  better  their  fortunes.  They  came  with  a 
meager  outfit  of  this  world's  goods,  expecting 
to  increase  their  stores  and  provide  a  home 
for  their  old  age.  Some  came  in  frontier 
wagons  drawn  by  horses  or  oxen,  and  some 
used  the  more  primitive  "  pack-horse  "  as  a 
means  of  transporting  their  limited  posses- 
sions. The  journey  was  one  of  toil  and  pri- 
vation at  best.  There  were  no  well  beaten 
highways,  no  bridges  over  the  streams,  but 
each  emigrant  followed  the  general  trail.  If 
the  season  was  one  of  much  rain,  the  swamps 
they  were  compelled  to  cross,  were  almost 
impassable;  if  dry,  the  roads  were  rough,  and 
water  scarce.  But  the  emigrant  could  endure 
trial,  hunger  and  pain,  if  a  home  stood  at  the 
end  of  his  journey,  beck(jning  him  on.  Faith 
and  hope  are  two  anchors  without  which  the 
poor  mortal  would  be  cheerless  indeed  on 
life's  pathway. 

Thus  the  county  was  settled  under  difficul- 
ties, and  amid  hardships  and  dangers.     But 


the  very  dangers  drew  the  people  closer  to- 
gether, and  made  them  more  de[)endent  upon 
each  other.  All  lived  in  a  state  of  compara- 
tive social  equality,  and  the  only  lines  drawn 
were  to  separate  the  very  bad  from  the  gen- 
eral mass.  The  rich  and  poor  dressed  alike; 
the  men  generally  wearing  hunting-shirts  and 
buckskin  pants,  and  the  women  attired  them- 
selves in  coarse  fabrics  produced  by  their  own 
hands.  The  cabins  were  furnished  in  the 
same  style  and  simplicity.  The  bedsteads 
were  home-made  and  of  rude  material,  and 
the  beds,  usually  filled  with  leaves  and  grass, 
by  honest  toil  were  rendered 

"  Soft  as  downy  pillows  are." 

One  pot,  kettle  and  frying-pan  were  the 
only  articles  considered  indispensable,  and  a 
a  few  plates  and  dishes,  upon  a  shelf  in  one 
corner,  was  as  satisfactory  as  a  cupboard  full 
of  china  is  now,  while  food  was  as  highly 
relished  from  a  slab  table  as  it  is  in  this  fast 
age  from  one  of  oiled  walnut  or  inahogany. 
It  is  true  they  then  had  but  little  to  eat,  but 
it  sustained  life.  Mr.  Cullom  says  they  often 
had  no  bread,  and  he  calls  to  mind  an  in- 
stance, when  his  father's  family,  who  had  been 
without  bread  for  some  time,  took  corn  before 
it  was  sufficiently  matured  to  shell  from  the 
cob,  dried  it  in  the  chimney,  and  grated  it 
into  a  coarse  meal.  From  this  bread  was 
made,  a  "  shoat "  was  killed  for  the  occasion, 
and  with  beech  bark  tea  they  had  quite  a 
feast.  A  neighbor,  who  happened  in,  was 
asked  to  dine  with  tliem,  and  when  dinner 
was  concluded  he  thanked  the  Lord  that  he 
had  had  one  more  good,  square  meal,  but  he 
didn't  know  where  the  next  would  come  from. 
Mrs.  Cullom  gave  him  some  meal  and  a  piece 
of  the  shoat  to  take  home  with  him,  and  he 
went  away  rejoicing. 

But  the  credit  of  subduing  the  wilderness, 
and  planting  civilization  in  the  West,  is  not 
the  work  of  man  alone.     Woman,  the   help- 


30 


HISTORY   OF  CRAWFOBD  qOUNTY. 


meet,  and  guiding  spiiit  of  the  sterner  sex, 
nobly  did  her  part  in  the  great  work.  The 
"hired  girl  "  had  not  then  become  a  class.  In 
case  of  illness — and  there  was  plenty  of  it  in 
the  early  times — some  young  woman  would 
leave  home  for  a  few  days  to  care  for  the 
afflicted  household,  but  her  services  were  not 
rendered  for  the  pay  she  received.  The  dis- 
charge of  the  sacred  duty  to  care  for  the  sick 
was  the  motive,  and  it  was  never  neglected. 
The  accepted  life  of  a  woman  was  to  marry, 
bear  and  rear  children,  prepare  the  household 
food,  spin,  weave  and  make  the  garments  for 
the  family.  Her  whole  life  was  the  grand, 
simple  poem  of  rugged,  toilsome  duty  bravely 
and  uncomplainingly  done.  She  lived  his- 
torj',  and  her  descendants  write  and  read  it 
with  a  proud  thrill,  such  as  visits  the  pilgrim 
when  at  Arlington  he  stands  at  the  base  of  the 
monument  which  covers  the  bones  of  four 
thousand  nameless  men  who  gave  their  blood 
to  preserve  their  country.     Her  work  lives. 


but  her  name  is  whispered  only  in  a  few 
homes.  Holy  in  death,  it  is  too  sacred  for 
open  speech. 

Three  quarters  of  a  century  has  produced 
marvelous  changes,  both  in  country  and  so- 
ciety. In  the  years  that  jjave  come  and  gone 
in  quick  succession,  while  the  panorama  has 
been  unfolding  to  view,  the  verdant  wastes  of 
Crawford  County  have  disappeared,  and  in 
their  place  are  productive  fields,  covered  with 
flocks  and  herds,  and  peopled  with  twenty 
thousand  civilized  and  intelligent  human  be- 
ings. The  Indian  trail  is  obliterated  by  the 
railway  track,  and  the  ox-team  and  the 
"  prairie  schooner  "  are  displaced  by  the  rush- 
ing train.  In  the  grand  march  of  civilization 
and  improvement,  who  can  tell,  or  dare  pre- 
dict what  the  next  fifty  years  may  develop? 
Within  that  period  it  is  not  impossible  tliat 
we  may  be  flying  through  the  air,  as  we  now 
fly  over  the  country  at  the  heels  of  the  iron 
horse. 


CHAPTEE   IV 


ORGANIZATION  OF   THE  COUNTY— ILLINOIS    AS    A    PART   OF   VIRGINIA— DIVIDED  INTO 
COUNTIES— ACT  OF  THE  LEGISLATURE  FORMING  CRAWFORD— NAME  OF  THE  COUN- 
TY—THE   COURTS,  ETC.— LOCATING  THE    SEAT    OF    JUSTICE— AN  INDIAN 
TRIAL— OTHER  COURT  PROCEEDINGS— LIST  OF  OFFICERS  AND  REP- 
RESENTATIVES-COURT   HOUSES  AND  JAILS— CIVIL   DIVIS- 
IONS OF    THE  COUNTY— REMOVAL  OP  THE  COUNTY 
SEAT— TOWNSHIP  ORGANIZATIONS,  ETC.,  ETC. 


"  The  ultimate  tendency  of  civilization  is  toward 
bai-barism. ' ' — Hare. 

THE  General  Assembly  of  Viro;inia,  in  Oc- 
tober, 1778,  passed  an  act  for  "  establish- 
ing the  County  of  Illinois,  and  for  the  more 
efiFectual  protection  and  defense  thereof." 
This  act  declared:  "That  all  the  citizens 
of  this  Commonwealth,  who  are  already  set- 
tled, or  shall  hereafter  settle  on  the  western 
side  of  the  Ohio,  and  east  of  the  Mississippi, 
shall  be  included  in  a  distinct  county,  which 
shall  be  called  Illinois  County."  The  Gov- 
ernor of  Virginia  was  to  appoint  "  a  county 
lieutenant  or  commandant-in-chief,"  who 
should  "appoint  and  commission  so  many 
deputy  commandants,  militia  officers  and 
commissaries,"  as  he  should  deem  expedient, 
for  the  enforcement  of  law  and  order.  The 
civil  officers  were  to  be  chosen  by  a  majority 
of  the  people,  and  were  to  "  exercize  their 
several  jurisdictions,  and  conduct  themselves 
agreeable  to  the  laws  which  the  present  set- 
tlers are  now  accustomed  to."  Patrick  Henry, 
the  first  Governor  of  the  "  Old  Dominion," 
appointed  as  such  county  lieutenant  Com- 
mandant John  Todd,  and  on  December  12, 
1778,  issued  to  him  his  letter  of  appointment 
and  instructions. 

*  By  W.  H.  Perrin. 


From  the  record  book  of  John  Todd's  offi- 
cial acts  while  he  was  exercising  authority 
over  Illinois,  a  book  now  in  the  Chicago  His- 
torical Society,  some  interesting  facts  are 
gleaned  of  the  early  history  of  Illinois.  We 
extract  the  following  from  its  pages: 

Todd  was  not  unknown  on  the  frontier. 
Born  in  Pennsylvania  and  educated  in  Vir- 
ginia, he  had  practiced  law  in  the  latter  Col- 
ony for  several  years,  when,  in  1775,  he  re- 
moved to  Kentucky,  then  a  county  of  Vir- 
ginia, and  became  very  prominent  in  the 
councils  of  its  House  of  Delegates  or  Repre- 
sentatives, the  first  legislative  body  organ- 
ized west  of  the  Alleghany  mountains.  Early 
in  1777,  the  first  court  in  Kentucky  opened 
its  sessions  at  Harrodsburg,  and  he  was  one  of 
the  justices.  Shortly  after,  he  was  chosen 
one  of  the  representatives  of  Kentucky  in 
the  Legislature  of  Virginia  and  went  to  the 
capital  to  fulfill  this  duty.  The  following 
year  he  accompanied  Gen.  George  Rogers 
Clark  in  his  expedition  to  "  the  Illinois,"  and 
was  the  first  man  to  enter  Fort  Gage,  at  Kas- 
kaskia,  when  it  was  taken  from  the  British, 
and  was  present  at  the  final  capture  of  Vin- 
cennes.  ' 

The  act  creating  the  County  of  Illinois  had 
been  passed  by  the  Legislature  of  Vir^-iuia, 
and  at  Williamsburg,  the  capital  then   of  the 


3S 


HISTOUY  OF  CRAWFORD  COUXTY. 


newly  male  State,  in  the  very  inansi.m  of 
the  royal  rulers  of  the  whilom  Colony,  Pat- 
rick H^nry  indited  his  letter  of  appointment 
t )  John  Todil,  and  entered  it  in  the  book 
already  referred  to.  It  occupies  the  first  five 
pages  and  is  in  P.itrick  Henry's  own  hand- 
writing. This  book,  made  precious  by  his 
pen,  was  intrusted  to  a  faithful  messenger, 
who  carried  it  from  tidewater  across  the 
mountains  to  Fort  Pitt,  thence  down  the 
Ohio  until  he  met  with  its  destined  recipient, 
and  delivered  to  him  his  credentials.  It  is 
supposed  that  Todd  received  it  at  Vincennes, 
then  known  to  Virginians  as  St.  Vincent,  not 
long  after  the  surrender  of  that  place  on  the 
SJrth  of  Februarj^  1779,  and  thereupon  as- 
sumed his  new  duties. 

This  old  record  book,  of  itself,  forms  an 
interesting  chapter  in  the  history  of  Illinois; 
but  our  space  will  admit  of  only  a  brief  ex- 
tract or  two  from  its  contents.  The  follow- 
ing is  in  Todd's  own  handwriting,  and  no 
doubt  will  sound  strangelj'  enough  to  many 
of  our  readers  at  the  present  day.  We  give 
it  verbatim  et  literatum,  as  follows: 

"Illinois,  to-wit:  To  Richard  Winston, 
Esq.,  ShurilF  in  chief  of  the  district  of  Kas- 
kaskia. 

"  Negro  Manuel,  a  slave  in  your  custody, 
is  condemned  by  the  Court  of  Kaskaskia, 
after  having  made  honorable  Fine  at  the 
Uoor  of  the  Church,  to  be  chained  to  a  post 
at  the  Water  Side  and  there  to  be  burnt  alive 
and  his  ashes  scattered,  as  appears  to  me  by 
Record.  This  Sentence  you  are  hereby  re- 
quired to  put  in  execution  on  tuesday  next  at 
9  o'clock  in  the  morning,  and  this  shall  be 
your  warrant.  Given  under  my  hand  and 
seal  at  Kaskaskia  the  13th  day  of  June  in  the 
third  year  of  the  Commonvrealth." 

It  is  a  grim  record  and  reveals  a  dark 
chapter  in  the  early  history  of  Illinois.  It  is 
startling,  and  somewhat  humiliating,  too,  to 
reflect  that  barely  one    hundred   years  ago, 


that  within  the  territory  now  composing  this 
great  State,  a  court  of  law  deliberately  sen- 
tenced a  human  being  to  be  burnt  alive!  It 
is  palpable  that  the  inhuman  penalty  was 
fi.xed  by  the  court,  ami  as  the  statute  deprived 
tlie  commandant  of  the  power  to  pardon  in 
such  cases,  it  is  probable  that  the  sentence 
was  actually  executed.  The  cruel  form  of 
death,  the  color  of  the  unfortunate  victim, 
and  the  scattering  of  the  ashes,  all  seem  to 
indicate  that  this  was  one  of  the  instances  of 
the  imagined  crime  of  Voudouism,  or  negro 
witchcraft,  for  which  it  is  known  that  some 
persons  suffered  in  the  Illinois  country  in  the 
early  period.  Reynolds,  in  his  "  Pioneer  His- 
tory," recites  a  similar  instance  to  the  one 
above  given,  as  occurring  in  1790,  at  Ca- 
hokia. 

A  few  words  additional,  of  .fohn  Todd, 
the  first  civil  Governor  of  "  the  Illinois 
Country,"  and  we  will  take  up  the  org.iniza- 
tion  of  Crawford  Cpunty.  In  the  spring  of 
1780,  Todd  was  elected  a  delegate  from  the 
County  of  Kentucky  to  the  Legislature  of 
Virginia.  In  November  following,  Kentucky 
was  divided  into  three  counties,  viz.:  Fayette, 
Lincoln  and  Jefferson,  and  in  1781,  Thomas 
Jelfjrson,  who  had  become  Governor  of  Vir- 
ginia, appointed  Todd  Colonel  of  Fayette 
County,  and  Daniel  Boone,  Lieutenant-Col- 
onel. In  the  summer  of  1782,  Todd  visited 
Richmond,  Va.,  on  business  of  the  Illinois 
Country,  where,  it  is  said,  he  had  concluded 
to  reside  permanently,  and  stopped  at  Lex- 
ington, Ky.,  on  his  return.  While  here,  an 
Indian  attack  on  a  frontier  settlement  sum- 
moned the  militia  to  arms,  and  Todd,  as 
senior  colonel,  took  commmd  of  the  little 
army  sent  in  pursuit  of  the  retreating  sav- 
acres.  It  included  Boone  and  many  other 
pioneers  of  note.  At  the  Blue  Licks,  on  the 
18th  of  August,  1783,  they  overtook  the 
enemy,  but  the  headlong  courage  of  those 
who  would  not  follow  the  prudent  counsels  of 


HISTORY  OF  CRAWFORD  COUNTY. 


39 


Todd  and  Boone,  precipitated  an  action  which 
proved  more  disastrous  to  the  whites  than  any 
ever  fouorht  on  Kentucky  soil — that  early 
theater  of  savage  warfare.  One  third  of  those 
who  went  into  the  battle  were  killed  out- 
right, and  many  others  wounded.  Among 
the  slain  was  the  veteran  Todd,  who  fell  gal- 
lantly fighting  at  the  head  of  his  men.  Near 
tiio  spot  where  he  fell,  on  the  brow  of  a 
sin.ill  hill  overlooking  Blue  Licks,  his  re- 
mains repose  under  the  pines.  On  the  18th  of 
August  last  (1882)  the  centennial  of  the  dis- 
astrous battle  of  Blue  Licks  was  held  upon 
the  ground  where  it  was  fought,  and  a  resolu- 
tion adopted  to  erect  a  monument  to  the 
heroes  who  there  fell  in  defense  of  their 
country. 

Gen.  Arthur  St.  Clair,  Governor  of  the 
Northwest  Territory,  in  company  with  the 
Territorial  judges,  went,  in  the  spring  of 
1700,  to  Cahokia,  where,  by  proclamation,  he 
organized  the  County  of  St.  Clair,  the  first 
formed  in  what  now  comprises  the  State  of 
Illinois,  and  its  capital  was  fi.xed  at  Kask:is- 
kia.  Randolph  was  the  next  county  created 
in  Illinois,  and  its  organization  dates  back  to 
179.5.  No  more  counties  were  made  until 
the  session  of  the  Territorial  Legislature  of 
1811-12,  when  there  were  three  formed,  viz.: 
Madison,  Gallatin  and  Johnson.  At  the  ses- 
sion of  1814,  Edwards  was  created,  and  at 
the  session  of  181(3,  AVhite,  Jackson,  Monroe, 
Pope  and  Crawford  were  formed.  At  the 
last  session  of  the  Territorial  Legislature, 
and  previous  to  the  admission  of  Illinois  as 
a  '^tate,  Franklin,  ^^'ashlngton,  Union,  Bond 
an  .  Wayne  Counties  were  organized.  Thus 
it  will  be  seen,  that  Crawford  was  the  elev- 
enth county  formed  in  the  State.  It  is  be- 
lieved to  have  been  named  for  Gen.  William 
Crawford,  a  Revolutionary  soldier,  who  com- 
manded an  expedition  against  the  Wyandot 
Indians  in  the  "Ohio  Country,"  in  17S2;  was 
captured  by  them  and  burned  at  the  stake,  at 


a  spot  included  in  the  original  limits  of 
Crawford  County,  Ohio.  The  act  of  the  Ter- 
ritorial Legislature  for  the  formation  of  this 
county  was  passed  at  the  session  of  1810-17, 
and  is  as  follows: 

An  act  for  the  division  of  Edwards  Conn tv: 
Be  it  enacted    by  the    Legislative    Council 
and  House  of  Representatives  of  the  Illinois 
Territory,  and  it  is    hereby    enacted    bv    the 
authority  of  the  same:  That  all   that   tract  of 
country  within  the   following    boundaries,  to- 
wit:   Beginning  at  the  mouth  of  the   Einbar- 
ras  River,  and  running  with  the  said  River  to 
the  intersection  of  the  line  dividing  Townships 
number  three  and  four  north,  of  range  eleven 
west  of  the  second  principal  meridian;  thence 
west  with  said  town.s/iip  line  to  the  meridian, 
and  then  due  north  until  it  strikes  the  line  of 
Upper  Canada;  thence  to  the   line  that  sepa- 
rates this  Territory  from    the   State   of   Indi- 
ana, and  thence  south  with  said  division  line 
to   the   beginning,  shall  constitute  a  separate 
County,    to    be    called    Crawford;  and    the 
seat  of  justice  shall  be   at   the    house   of   Ed- 
ward N.  Cullom,  until  it  shall  be  perinaniMuly 
established,  in  the  following    method,  that  is: 
Three    persons    shall    be    appointed,    to-wit: 
John  Dun  lap,   Thomas   Handy    and    Thomas 
Kennedy,    which    said    commissioners,    or    a 
majority  of  them,   being   duly   sworn    before 
some  judge  or  justice  of  the   peace    of  this 
Territory,   to    faithfully   take    into    view   the 
situation  of  the    settlements,   the    geography' 
of  the  county,  the  convenience  of  the   people, 
and  the   eligibility   of  the    place,    shall   meet 
on  the  second  .Monday  in  March  next,  at    the 
house  of  Edward  N.  Cullom,  and    proceed  to 
examine  and  determine  on  the   place   for  tiie 
permanent  seat  of  justice,  and    designate  the 
same:  Provided,  the  proprietor  or  proprietors 
of  the  land  shall  give  to  said   county,  for  the 
purpose  of  erecting  public  buildings,  a  quan- 
tity of  land  at  said  place  not  less  than  twenty 
acres,  to  be  laid  out  in  lots    and  sold  for  the 
above  purpose.     But  should  the  said   propri- 
etor or  proprietors  refuse  or  neglect  to  make 
the  said  donation  aforesaid,  then  in   that  case 
it  shall  be  the  duty  of   the    commissioners  to 
fix  upon  soTne  other  place  for  the  seat  of  just- 
ice, as  convenient  as  may  be  to    the  different 
settlements  in  said  county,  which  place,  when 
fixed  and  determiued  on,    the    said    conimis- 


40 


HISTORY  OF  CRAWFORD  COUNTY. 


sioners  shall  certify  under  their  hands  and 
seals,  and  return  the  Siune  to  the  next  county 
court  in  the  county  aforesaid:  and  as  a  com- 
pensation for  their  services,  they  shall  each 
be  al  owed  two  dollars  for  every  day  they  be 
necessarily  employed  in  iixing  the  aforesaid 
seat  of  justice,  to  be  paid  out  of  the  county 
lew,  which  said  court  shall  cause  an  entry 
thereof  to  be  made  on  their  records,  etc.,  etc. 

SETH  GARD, 
Speaker  of  the  House  of  Representatives,  ^i)'o 
tenijiore. 

.       PIERRE  MENARD, 
President  of  the  Legislative  Council. 

Approved,  Deceinl)er  31,  I81G. 

NINIAN  EDWARDS. 

The  remaining  sections  of  the  act,  of  whicli 
there  are  two  or  three,  are  not  pertinent  to 
the  subject  under  consideration.  From  some 
cause,  the  commissioners  did  not  locate  the 
seat  uf  justice  at  the  time  specified  in  the 
foregoing  act,  as  will  be  seen  further  on  in 
the  proceedings  of  the  court. 

At  the  time  of  organization  all  county 
business  was  done  by  justices  of  the  peace, 
instead  of  by  county  commissioners,  as  was 
the  custom  a  few  years  liter,  or  by  supervis- 
ors as  at  the  present  day.  The  first  term  of 
the  County  Court  was  held  at  the  house  of 
Edward  N.  Cullom,  near  the  present  town  of 
Palestine,  on  the  26th  day  of  February,  1817. 
From  this  record  it  will  be  seen  that  the 
county  was  fully  organized  and  its  civil  ma- 
chinery setin  motion,  without  any  unnecessary 
delay,  from  the  approval  of  the  act  (December 
31,  1816.)  This  first  term  of  court  was  held 
by  Edward  N.  Cullom  and  John  Dunlap,  jus- 
tices of  the  peace;  Edward  H.  Piper,  clerk, 
and  Francis  Cullom,  sheriff.  The  first  act  of 
the  court  was  to  accept  the  bond  of  Cullom 
as  sheriff.  Then  Joseph  Malcom  was  sworn 
in  as  a  constable.  The  next  act  was  to  "di- 
vide the  county  into  districts  or  election  pre- 
cincts," as  follows:  The  first  comprised  the 
tract  of  country  from  the  mouth  of  the  Em- 
barras  River,  which  was  the  southern  bound- 


ary of  the  county,  extending  up  the  Wabash 
River  to  the  center  of  township   five,  thence 
west  to  the  county  line,  and  vras  named  "Al- 
lison."    The  second,  all  that  country  between 
the    center   of  townships    five  and  eight,  and 
was  called  "  Lamotte."     The    third    included 
all   north    of  township    eight  to  Canada,  and 
was  named   "Union."      Assessors    were   ap- 
pointed for  these  precincts  as  follows:  Georgo 
W.  Kincaid  in  Allison;    Joel    Cheek  in    La- 
motte, and  Isaac  Moore  in  Union.      The   fol- 
lowing was  the    tax    levied:     On    all    horses, 
mares,  mules  and  asses,  ST.J  cents    per    head; 
on  all  stallions  the  sums  for  which  the  owners 
charge  for  thvnr    services;  on    all    unmarried 
men    over  31  years  of  ago,  and  who  had  not 
$200    worth   of  taxable  property,  one  dollar; 
on  each  bondsmen  or  slave  over   the   age    of 
16   years,  one  dollar;  on  all  mansion  houses, 
whieh    included    houses    of  all    kinds,   thirty 
cents  on  the  hundred   dollars    valuation;    on 
the    ferry  of  James  Gibson,  five  dollars;  and 
on  the  ferry    of  E.  Twombley,  three    dollars. 
The  rates  of  ferriage  across  the  Wabash  was 
fixed  at  the  following:    a  wagon    and   team, 
75  cents;  a  two-wheeled  carriage,  37^  cents; 
a  man  and  horse,  12.V    cents;  a  man    on    foot 
65^  cents;  cattle  four  cents  a  head,  and  sheep 
and  hogs   two   cents   a    head    each.      Fence 
viewers    and    road    overseers  were  appointed 
for  the  different    precincts,    and    then    court 
adjourned,  having  completed  its  work  for  the 
term. 

The  second  term  of  County  Court  con- 
vened at  the  same  place,  and  was  held  by 
Edward  N.  Cullom,  John  Dunlap  and  Isaac 
Moore,  embracing  the  23d  and  2-lth  days  of 
June,  1817.  Permission  was  granted  by  the 
court  to  Isaac  Parker  to  build  a  "water  mill" 
on  Mill  Creek,  about  twenty-five  miles  north 
of  Palestine.  The  laying  out  of  roads  occu- 
pied a  portion  of  the  time  of  the  honorable 
court,  and  we  find  that  James  Caldwell, 
George  Catron  and    William    Lockard   were 


HISTORY  OF  CRAWFORD  COUNTY. 


41 


appointed  to  "  view  and  mark  out  a  road  " 
from  Edward  N.  CuIloiii''s,  on  Laniotte  prai- 
rie, to  the  head  of  Walnut  prairie,  and 
Smith  Shaw,  Benjamin  Eaton  and  Francis 
Cullom  were  appointed  to  view  out  a  road 
from  the  same  place  (Cullora's)  to  Arthur 
Jones'  ferry.  Several  ottier  roads  were 
ordered  laid  out;  also  the  county  officers 
filed  their  bonds.  Edward  II.  Piper  as  county 
clerk,  Allen  McGahey  as  the  first  coroner, 
and  John  Dunlap  as  first  county  surveyor, 
wiiich  concluded  the  business  of  the  term. 
A  third  term  was  held  also  at  CuUom's,  in 
October,  which  was  taken  up  mostly  in  order- 
\u<r  roads  laid  out,  and  other  routine  busi- 
ness, not  specially  interesting  to  the  general 
reader. 

Edward  N.  Cullom,  at  this  early  period, 
seems  to  have  been  the  animating  spirit  of 
the  community,  and  his  bustling  activity 
found  ample  scope  for  its  exercise.  In  the 
newly-formed  court  he  presided  as  one  of  the 
justices;  he  originated  and  superintended 
many  of  the  public  enterprises  of  the  time, 
and  for  many  years  was  one  of  the  most  ac- 
tive and  enterprising  men  in  the  settlement. 
His  home  for  some  time  was  the  actual  capi- 
tal of  the  county,  for  Palestine 

"Was  then  a  city  only  in  name. 
The  houses  and  barns  had  not  yet  a  frame. 
The  streets  and  the  squares  no  mortal  could  see, 
And  the  woodman's  ax  had  scarce  hit  a  tree." 

The  courts  were  held  at  his  house;  roads 
were  laid  out  from  thence  to  radiating  points, 
and,  indeed,  it  seems  to  have  been  the  center 
round  which  the  little  community  revolved. 
The  county  had  no  other  capital  until  the 
laying  out  of  Palestine  some  two  years  or 
more  after  the  organization  of  the  county. 

At  the  fourth  term  of  the  court — held,  as 
usual,  at  Cullom's,  on  the  (ith,  7th  and  8th 
days  of  Aijril,  1818,  by  Samuel  Harris, 
George  W.  Kinkade,  James  Shaw,  Smith 
Shaw,  and   Joseph  Kitchell,  the  following  re- 


port was  received  on  the  third  day  of  the 
term,  from  Soth  Gard  and  Peter  Keene,  who 
had  iieen  appointed  by  the  Legislature  in 
place  of  those  mentioned  in  the  original  act, 
to  locate  the  county  seat:  "The  center  of 
the  public  square  to  be  eight3'  roods  north  of 
the  southeast  corner  of  the  southeast  quarter 
of  section  31,  in  to^vnship  7  north,  range  11 
west.  The  center  of  said  public  square  to 
extend  exactly  on  the  line  dividing  sections 
34  and  35  in  the  township  and  range  above 
stated.  The  donation  given  to  the  county 
to  be  one  equal  half  of  sixty  acres  of 
ground,  to  be  laid  off  on  the  following  quar- 
ter section:  To  be  laid  the  whole  length  of 
the  southeast  quarter  of  section  34,  as  above 
stated,  and  on  the  east  side  of  said  quarter, 
and  the  whole  length  of  the  southwest  quar- 
ter of  section  35,  to  be  laid  the  whole  length 
of  said  quarter,  and  on  the  west  side  of  the 
same." 

On  the  land  thus  described  in  the  above 
report  of  the  commissioners,  the  town  of 
Palestine  was  laid  out  into  one  hundred  and 
sixty  lots,  with  streets  and  alleys,  and  became 
the  seat  of  justice  of  Crawford  County,  an 
honor  it  held  until  the  growth  and  increase  of 
population  demanded  a  more  eligible  location, 
when  it  was  moved  nearer  to  the  center  of 
the  county.  The  land  upon  which  the  town 
was  laid  out,  was  owned  by  Edward  N.  Cul- 
lom and  Joseph  Kitchell;  that  on  the  east 
side  of  the  square  by  Cullom,  and  that  on 
the  west  side  by  Kitchell.  Each  alternate 
lot  was  donated  to  the  county  by  the  propri- 
etors, in  consideration  of  tlie  establishing  of 
the  county  scat  upon  their  land.  David  Por- 
ter was  appointed  agent  of  the  county,  with 
authority  to  sell  the  lots  thus  donated.  Lots 
were  sold  by  him  from  time  to  time,  and 
houses  were  erected  upon  them;  people 
moved  in  and  took  up  their  abode,  inaugurat- 
ing business  of  different  kinds,  and  the  place 
grew  slowly,  but   Steadily,  into  a  town.     As 


42 


HISTORY  OF  CRAWFORD  COUNTY. 


•  cities  rise  and  sink 


Like  bubbles  on  the  water," 

so  Palestine  rose  to  prominence,  and  for  many 
years  was  a  place  of  considerable  importance 
— in  fact  the  Athens  of  the  State.  Aside 
from  KnsUaskia  and  Vandalia,  the  first  two 
State  capitals,  there  are  few  points  in  Illinois 
richer  in  historical  lore.  It  was  the  county 
seat;  the  land  office  was  located  there,  and 
doubtless  it  would  have  become  the  capital 
instead  of  Vandalia,  but  for  its  unfortunate 
geographical  position  on  the  extreme  border 
of  the  State.  Within  its  precincts  asseml)led 
the  wise  and  great,  the  pleasure  seeker,  the 
rich  and  the  fair — the  creme  de  la  creme  of 
the  whole  frontier,  for  social  interchange  and 
enjoyment.  But  the  gay  little  city  reached 
the  zenith  of  its  prosperity,  and  then  its  star 
began  to  wane.  From  the  removal  of  the 
seat  of  justice  to  Robinson  may  be  dated  its 
decline,  and  the  growth  of  the  latter  place 
proved  the  death  of  its  glory  and  magnifi- 
cence. It  is  almost  as  dead  to  the  energy 
and  enterprise  of  this  fast  age  of  improve- 
ment as  though  lying  buried  as  deep  as 
Pompeii  beneath  the  lava  from  Vesuvius.  Its 
decaying  buildings  show  the  ivy  clinging  to 
their  moldering  turrets  and  "  hoary  lichen 
springing  from  the  disjointed  stones." 
Mocked  by  its  own  desolation,  the  "  btt,  shrill 
shrieking  woos  its  flickering  mate,"  and  the 
"  serpents  hiss  and  the  wild  birds  scream." 
As  has  been  said  of  ancient  Rome, 

"The  spider  waves  its  web  in  ber  palaces; 
The  owl  sings  his  watch-song  in  her  towers." 

The  agitation  consequent  to  the  removal 
of  the  county  seat  commenced  as  early  as 
3  840.  Hutsonville  conceived  a  jealousy  of 
Palestine,  and  itself  sought  to  become  th« 
seat  of  justice.  Originally  York  had  con- 
tested the  right  of  Palestine  to  that  glory, 
and  losing  the  honor,  had  kicked  clear  out  of 
the   harness,    and   kicked    herself  into  Clark 


County.  Through  the  efforts  of  Hutsonville, 
and  other  interested  parties,  the  matter  was 
brought  to  a  vote  of  the  people,  at  the  election 
held  in  August,  1843.  Hutsonville  by  this 
time  had  given  up  the  contest,  and  retired 
from  the  race.  Five  other  places,  however, 
bid  for  it.  as  follows:  on  40  acres  donated 
by  Finley  Paull,  Wm.  Wilson,  and  R.  A.  and 
Jno.  W.  Wilson,  (now  Robinson);  40  acres 
donated  by  P.  C  Barlow;  the  same  amount 
donated  by  Nelson  Hawley;  Palestine  and 
the  geographical  center  of  the  county.  The 
vote  stood:  The  donation  of  Paull  and  others 
— 213  votes;  donation  of  Barlow — 133  votes; 
donation  of  Hawley — 38  votes;  Palestine — 
132  votes;  and  the  center — 9  votes.  No  one 
of  these  received  a  majority  of  the  votes 
cast,  and  the  question  was  aarain  submitted  to 
the  people  on  the  12th  day  of  October  follow- 
inor,  with  the  condition  that  the  two  places  re- 
ceiving the  highest  number  of  votes  at  the  first 
election,  should  alone  be  voted  on.  The  result 
was  as  follows:  The  point  offered  by  Paull, 
Wilson  and  others — 351  votes,  and  that  offered 
by  Barlow — 184  votes.  Thus  Paull  and  the 
Wilsons  received  the  majority,  and  their  do- 
nation became  the  county  seat.  A  town  was 
laid  out,  and  named  Robinson,  in  honor  of 
Hon.  John  M.  Robinson,  a  lawyer  well  known 
here  some  years  ago. 

At  the  same  term  of  court,  at  which  Gard 
and  Keene  made  their  report,  locating  the 
county  seat  at  Palestine,  an  order  was  passed 
making  "wolf  scalps"  at  $3  apiece,  a  legal 
tender.  These  "  trophies  of  the  chase  "  passed 
current  for  "  whisky,  tobacco  and  other  nec- 
essaries oi  life,"  and  were  also  receivable,  by 
order  of  the  court,  for  county  taxes.  It  may 
be  of  interest  to  some  of  our  readers,  who 
were  unacquainted  with  the  "  wolf  scalpers  " 
of  that  day,  to  give  a  few  of  their  names  and 
the  number  of  scalps  presented  by  each  at  a 
single  term  of  court.  They  are  as  follows: 
Jan  Martin,  one  scalp;  J.  Gallon,  one;  John 


HISTORY  OF  CRAWFORD  COUNTY. 


43 


G.urard,  one;  Clialkey  Draper,  one;  John 
Berry,  one;  James  Gain,  nine;  John  Allison, 
three;  Georo^e  W.  Carter,  one;  John  Miller, 
one;  John  Walilrop,  five;  Hugh  Miller,  three; 
Jacob  Blaze,  two;  Thomas  Handy,  ten;  Win. 
Y.  Hackett,  one;  James  Gill,  two;  Abraham 
CoonroJ,  two;  \Vm.  Lowe,  one;  Francis  Cul- 
lom,  ten;  making  a  total  of  fifty-five  scalps, 
yielding  quite  a  revenue  for  that  day.  This 
term  of  court  also  regulated  the  price  tavern- 
keepers  might  charge  for  their  exhileratino- 
beverages — all  who  sold  whisky  at  retail  had 
to  take  out  tavern-license  and  were  forced  to 
keep  sufficient  house  room  to  accommodate  a 
certain  number  of  persons,  together  with 
stable  room  for  their  horses.  The  prices 
were:  For  half  a  pint  of  wine,  French 
brandy  or  rum,  50  cents;  half  a  pint  of  peach 
or  apple  brandy,  18f  cents;  half  a  pint  of 
whisky,  12^  cents;  for  a  horse  feed,  13^- 
cents,  and  for  a  meal's  victuals,  25  cents. 

The  most  important  business  transacted  at 
the  fifth  term  of  court,  (held  as  usual  at  (Jul- 
lom's)  was  the  passing  of  an  order  for  build- 
ing a  jail.  Hitherto  the  people  were  so  simple 
and  ho.iest  as  to  require  no  prison,  and  indeed, 
but  few  of  the  restraining  influences  of  the 
law.  But  as  they  grew  in  numbers  and  in- 
creased in  civilization  it  became  necessary  to 
erect  court  houses  and  jails  for  the  purpose  of 
awing  evil-doers  into  submission  to  the  re- 
quirements of  society.  This  prison  was  or- 
dered to  be  built  of  hewn  timber,  twelve 
inches  square,  and  was  considered,  in  those 
pioneer  times,  quite  a  terror  to  all  who  dared 
trample  upon  the  majesty  of  the  law.  The  con- 
tract was  let  to  the  lowest  bidder,  on  the  22d 
day  of  August,  1818.  Joseph  Wood  drew 
the  prize,  and  was  to  receive  for  the  job 
$514.00,  one  half  of  which  wns  to  be  paid 
when  the  work  was  completed,  and  the  re- 
mainder twelve  months  after  completion.  Mr. 
Piper,  the  clerk,  was  appointed  manager  of 
tiie   work  on   the  part  of   the   countv.     Com- 


mencing on  the  7th  of  December,  1818,  Jo- 
seph Kitchell,  David  Porter  and  Thomas  An- 
derson, held  the  si.\th  and  last  term  of  the 
County  Court  under  the  old  Territorial  laws. 
The  usual  routine  of  business  was  despatched, 
but  nothing  of  sufficient  importance  to  ne- 
cessitate the  transcribing  of  it  in  these  pages. 

A  new  era  now  commenced  in  doing  the 
county  business.  Illinois  had  been  admitted 
(in  1818)  as  a  State  into  the  Federal  Union; 
a  State  Coristitution  had  been  framed  and 
adopted,  and  the  laws  materially  changed  in 
many  respects.  County  business  was  now 
transacted  by  three  officials,  styled  County 
Commissioners,  and  Wicklitie  Kitchell,  Ed- 
ward N.  CuUom,  and  William  Barbee  were 
chosen  the  first  Commissioners  of  Crawford 
County.  They  held  their  first  court  in  the 
tavern  of  James  Wilson,  in  the  town  of  Pal- 
estine, commencing  on  the  7th  day  of  June, 
1819;  Edward  H.  Piper,  clerk,  and  John  S. 
Woodworth,  sheriff.  Thomas  Kennedy  was 
appointed  county  treasurer.  The  county 
was  now  nearly  three  years  old,  its  machinerv 
was  running  smoothly,  and  everything  indi- 
cated future  prosperitv. 

Court  Houses. — At  the  December  term 
(1819)  of  the  County  Commissioners'  Court,  the 
jail,  which  had  been  built  by  Joseph  Wood, 
was  officially  received.  A  contract  had  previ- 
ously been  let  for  building  a  court  house,  to 
William  Lindsey,  of  Vinoennes,  but  some  dis- 
satisfaction was  evinced  by  the  commission- 
ers, as  to  quality  arid  workmanship  of  the  brick 
work  of  the  buililing,and  they  called'on  Thomas 
Westfall,  D.  McHenry  and  Jonathan  Young, 
three  brick  masons,  to  judge  and  determine 
the  work  and  material,  which  they  did,  and 
decided  in  favor  of  T.indsey,  the  contractor. 
The  building  was  officially  received  at  a  spe- 
cial term  held  the  latter  part  of  December, 
and  the  court  paid  Westfall,  McHenry  and 
Young  !j;9  for  their  services  as  referees.  The 
new  court  house  was   occupied    for   the  first 


44 


HISTORY  OF  CRAWFORD  COUNTY. 


time  at  the  March  term  of  the  court,  1820. 
The  following  order  was  made  at  a  term  of 
court  held  in  October  of  the  same  year: 
"  That  Venetian  blinds  be  made  for  the  court 
house  in  Palestine  and  slips  to  shut  them 
against;  tiie  two  doors  be  faced  with  strong 
'ruff'  scantling,  and  double  batten  shutters 
be  made  and  hung  to  each;  that  the  windows 
and  doors  be  hung  with  good  wrought  or 
cast  hinges,  and  each  side  be  cornished  up 
with  good,  neat,  solid  cornish,  like  that  on  the 
steam  saw-mill  at  Vincennes." 

The  court  house  had  been  built  of  very- 
poor  material  and  worse  workmanship,  but 
was  received  by  the  court.  There  was  troulile, 
however,  between  the  contractor  and  the 
c(inimissioners  in  regard  to  the  p^y  for  it,  and 
suit  was  finally  brought  by  Lindsey,  in  the 
Circuit  Court  of  Edwards  County,  and  judg- 
ment obtained  in  his  favor  for  $1,768.64.  It 
served  as  a  court  house  for  several  years,  but 
the  material  of  which  it  was  composed  was  of 
such  inferior  quality,  that  the  building  was 
never  entir.ily  finished.  It  was  struck  three 
times  by  lightning  and  the  walls  so  injured 
tliat  it  l)ecan)e  necessary  to  take  them  down; 
which  was  done,  and  the  material  sold.  A 
part  of  the  brick  is  now  in  Lagow's  house  in 
Palestine.  The  county  was  now  without  a 
court  house,  and  was  compelled  to  rent  rooms 
wherever  it  could,  and  often  the  Circuit  Court 
and  grand  jury  occupied  rooms  in  different 
parts  of  the  town. 

At  the  March  term  of  the  Commissioners' 
Court  in  1830,  it  was  ordered,  "that  a  frame 
court  house  be  built  on  the  southwest  corner 
of  the  public  square,"  which  was  afterward 
let  out  to  the  lowest  bidder.  David  Porter 
furnished  the  hewn  timbers  for  $119,  and  the 
contract  for  building  was  let  to  Benjamin 
Myers  and  others,  or,  as  they  were  then 
calleil  the  "seven  Jesses,"  they  being  a  fam- 
ily of  seven  brothers,  and  Jesse  was  the  lead- 
ing one  of  them.     The  house  was  completed. 


but  unfortunately  for  all  parties  concerned, 
the  night  before  it  was  to  have  been  received 
by  the  court  "  some  malicious  person  or  per- 
sons "  set  fire  to  it,  and  it  was  entirely  con- 
sumed. The  loss  to  the  county  was  as  great 
as  to  the  contractors,  either  party  being  illy 
able  to  sustain  it,  but  the  county  bore  the 
greater  part  of  it,  as  on  the  7th  of  March, 
183.3,  we  find  from  the  records  that  the  court 
allowed  Myers  $460.50  for  work  done  on  the 
house  and  material  furnished,  which  was 
burned. 

Thus  the  county  was  again  without  a  court 
house,  but  at  the  December  term  of  the  court 
in  the  year  1833,  John  Boyd,  James  H.  Wil- 
son and  Asa  Norton,  the  then  county  commis- 
sioners, ordered,  "  that  another  court  house  be 
built  on  the  same  ground,  and  of  the  same 
kind  and  size  of  the  one  burnt."  It  was  built 
bv  Pr.^slev  O.  Wilson  and  Sewell  GooJridge, 
and  is  still  standing.  It  was  used  for  a  court 
house  until  the  county  seat  was  removed  to 
Robinson,  since  which  time  it  has  been  used 
frii-  various  purposes;  lately  by  the  Christian 
Church  as  a  house  of  worship. 

When  the  county  seat  was  moved  to  Rob- 
inson in  1843,  the  first  term  of  court  was  held 
in  a  frame  house  that  stood  on  the  corner 
where  the  Rolnnson  Clothing  Store  now  is, 
and  the  next  in  a  frame  house  at  the  south- 
west corner  of  the  square  belonging  to  Mr. 
Wilson.  The  present  court  house  was  built 
in  1844,  at  a  cost  of  about  $4,300.  It  has 
several  times  been  remodeled  and  improved, 
and  at  the  present  time  sadly  needs  improving 
with  a  new  one. 

The  court  house  was  built  and  paid  for  out 
of  what  was  known  as.  the  "bonus  fund." 
This  was  a  fund  received  partly  from  the  sale 
of  the  saline  and  mineral  lands,  and  partly 
from  the  State,  under  an  act  of  the  Legislature, 
donating  to  each  county  that  was  without 
r.iilroads  or  canals,  a  certain  sum  of  money, 
for  t'.ie  purpose  of  building   bridges  and  im- 


ch^^  ^^y  ;^ 


HISTORY  OF  CRAWFORD  COUNTY. 


proviiif^  their  roaJs.  It  was  sometimes  called 
"  hush  money,"  as  it  was  intended  to  hush  any 
grumbling  on  the  part  of  the  county  receiving 
it  at  not  getting  its  share  of  internal  improve- 
ment. The  county  received  as  her  bonus 
.-everal  thousand  dollars,  which  was  placed  at 
interest,  and  used  as  occasion  required. 

The  old  log  jail  was  moved  from  Palestine 
with  the  county  seat,  but  in  1845,  a  brick  jail 
was  built.  It  was  a  poor  affair,  and  about 
1855-6,  another  was  built  with  iron  cells. 
This,  however,  was  deemed  unliealthv,  and  in 
1877,  the  present  stone  jail  was  built,  south- 
east of  the  court  house,  and  in  connection 
with  the  sheriff's  residence. 

Circuit  Court. — The  first  Circuit  Court, 
held  for  Crawford  County,  convened  on  Mon- 
<iay  the  15th  day  of  September,  1817,  at  the 
house  of  Edward  N.  Cullom,  agreeably  to  an 
act  of  the  General  Assembly,  passed  at  its 
last  session,  and  was  presided  over  by  the 
"Honorable  Thomas  Towles,  Judge."  The 
following  are  the  names  of  the  first  grand 
jury:  William  Howard,  foreman;  Uaniel 
Travis,  M''illiam  Travis,  Thomas  Mills,  Ira 
Allison,  Samuel  Allison,  Asahel  Haskins, 
Jiiiin  Waldrop,  Sen.,  Richard  Eaton,  Thomas 
.lones,  Daniel  Martin,  William  Garrard,  Benj. 
Parker,  Jonas  Painter,  Samuel  Briniberry, 
Poter  Price,  .John  Lamb,  William  Everman, 
William  Hicks,  George  Smith  and  Newberry 
York,  who  were  "sworn  to  inquire  for  the 
County  of  Crawford,"  and  who  "received 
their  charge  and  retired  out  of  court  to  con- 
sider of  their  presentment."  The  first  case 
was  as  follows: 

Stepuex  Beck,  Plaintiff,    ) 

ar/ainst  ■  In  Debt. 

Joseph  Bogart,  Defendant.  ) 

It  was  a  plain  suit  for  debt,  and  the  de- 
fendant, Bogart,  confessed  the  same  and  judg- 
ment was  rendered  accordingly.  Tlie  next 
caso 


Elisua  BRADiiKPvRV,  Plaintiff,  )   ,         ,,  , 

a i/i It II --ft  V        ij.  4-1. 

Robert  Gill,  Defendant.     )  '     6r\ . 

was  a  jury  case,  and  it  was  tried  before  the 
following  jurj-:  Thomas  Wilson,  Ithra  By- 
shears,  Joseph  Shaw,  John  Funk,  Andrew 
Montgomery,  John  R.  Adams,  James  Moore, 
Joseph  Eaton,  Joseph  Wood,  Isaac  Parker, 
George  Bogher  and  Jame>  Giljson.  The  jury 
found  a  verdict  for  the  plaintiff  of  §37.02, 
which  was  approved  by  the  court.  There 
were  a  few  other  trifling  cases,  and  among  the 
proceedings  tiie  following  order  was  entered 
upon  the  record:  "Ordered  that  Thomas 
Handy,  Charles  Neeley  and  John  Funk,  Jr., 
be  summoned  here  at  the  next  term  of  this 
court  to  show  cause  why  they  shall  not  be 
fined  for  failing  to  attend  as  grand  jurors 
agreeably  to  the  summons  of  the  sheriff." 
Then  the  grand  jury  reported  their  indict- 
ments, among  which  we  note  the  following 
one: 

UxiTED  States      )  Indictment    for  bring- 
agaiiiKt  >      ing  home  a  hog  with- 

Cf)RXELius  Taylor.  )      out  the  ears. 

Court  then  adjourned  until  eight  o'clock  the 
next  morning,  and,  when  it  met,  it  adjourned 
"until  court  in  coarse."  We  find  no  record 
of  another  term  of  the  Circuit  Court  being 
hold,  until  on  Wednesday,  July  7, 1819,  in  P;d- 
estine,  with  Honorable  Thomas  C.  Brown  as 
presiding  judge,  and  William  W/ilson,  circuit 
attorney. 

Among  the  indictments  made  bv  the  grand 
jury  at  this  term  was  the  following: 

The  State  of  Illinois' 

VK.  Indictment  for 

William  Kilbuck,       )■  Miirder. 

Captain  Tuomas,         |  A  true  bill. 

Big  Panther.  J 

The  parties  named  were  three  Delaware 
Indians,  who  wore  chartred  with  the  murder 
of   Thomas  McCall,  under  the  following  cir- 


48 


HISTORY  OF  CRAWFORD  COUXTV. 


cumstances:  Cornelius  Taylor  kept  a  still 
house,  and  had  been  forbidden  to  let  the  In- 
dians have  whisky  without  a  written  order 
from  proper  authority.  McCall  was  a  sur- 
veyor, and  had  been  in  the  habit  of  some- 
times trading  with  the  Indians,  and  it  is  said, 
used  to  occasionally  give  them  an  order  to 
Taylor  for  whisky.  The  Indians  named  in 
the  indictment  went  to  McCall  and  begged 
him  for  "fire-water,"  and  finally  to  rid  himself 
of  their  importunities  wrote  something  on  a 
piece  of  paper  which  he  handed  them,  and 
which  they  supposed  was  the  necessary  order. 
They  went  to  Taylor  with  it,  who  read  it 
aloud  to  them.  It  was  an  order — but  an 
order  not  to  let  them  have  the  whisky.  The 
Ind  ans  were  so  incensed  that,  to  gratify 
their  revenare,  they  murdered  McCall. 

They  were  indicted  and  tried  at  the  term 
of  the  court  convened,  as  already  stated,  July 
7,  1819.  The  trial  of  the  Indians  was  set 
for  the  9th,  the  third  day  of  the  term.  The 
following  are  the  jury:  .las.  Sliaw,  Smith 
Shaw,  John  Barlow,  Jas.  Watts,  Wm.  Barbee, 
Wm.  Wilson,  David  Van  Winkle,  John  W«l- 
drop,  James  Kennedy,  Isaac  Lewis,  Joseph 
Shaw  and  Gabriel  Funk.  The  jury,  upon 
hearing  the  evidence,  returned  a  verdict  of 
"guilty."  A  motion  was  then  made  to  arrest 
judgment,  which  motion  was  sustained  by  the 
court,  and  a  new  trial  ordered.  This  time 
Kilbuck  was  tried  separately,  found  guilty 
by  the  jury,  and  sentenced  by  the  court  to  be 
hanged  on  the  14th  of  July,  1819,  but  made 
his  escape  before  the  appointed  day.  Captain 
Thomas  and  Big  Panther  asked  for  a  con- 
tinuance, which  was  granted,  and  afterward  a 
nolle  prosequi  was  entered  by  the  prosecuting 
attorney.     So  ended  the  Indian  trial. 

For  some  ten  years  after  the  organization 
of  the  county  most  of  the  cases  tried  in  the 
Circuit  Court  were  for  assault  and  battery;  a 
few  being  for  debt,  and  an  occasional  one  for 
larceny.     From  the  great  number  of  assault 


and  battery  cases,  it  may  be  inferred  that 
fighting  was  the  popular  amusement  of  the 
day.  To  get  drunk  and  fight  was  so  common 
that  a  man  who  did  not  indulge  in  these  pas- 
times was  considered  effeminate  and  coward- 
ly. To  be  considered  the  "  best  man,"  that  is, 
the  best  fighter,  or  as  we  would  say  to-day, 
the  greatest  bully,  and  rough,  was  an  honor 
as  much  coveted  and  sought  after  by  a  certain 
class,  as  in  this  enlightened  age,  is  honor  and 
greatness.  This  rude  state  of  society  brought 
to  the  surface  some  of  the  roughest  characters 
of  the  frontier.  For  instance,  at  a  single 
term  of  the  Circuit  Court,  we  find  that  one 
Cornelius  Taylor  was  indicted  for  larceny,  for 
assault  and  battery,  for  rape,  etc.,  etc.  He 
was  a  had  man  and  a  detriment  to  the  pros- 
perity and  welfare  of  the  community.  With 
an  utter  disregard  for  law  and  order,  he 
prej^ed  upon  others,  and  there  are  those  who 
knew  him  still  living  to  bear  witness  to  his 
numerous  shortcomings.  There  were  many 
charges  agair.st  him,  which  were  doubtless 
true,  among  which  were  horse-stealing,  hog- 
stealing,  and  even  darker  crimes  were  hinted 
at  in  connection  with  him.  In  proof  of  the 
rough  state  of  society,  the  following  speaks 
for  itself  and  is  but  one  of  many: 

The  People  OF  THE  State  1  t    t  .         ,  ^ 

T  T-,,,-  Indictment  for 

OF  Illinois,  lit.,  a         u        i 

^,     '         '  >      Assault   and 

Hugh  Dail,  Defendant.  J  ^' 

"  Be  it  remembered  that  heretofore  to  wit, 
on  the  l"3th  day  of  May,  1834,  it  being  the 
third  day  of  the  May  term  of  the  said  court, 
the  grand  jury,  by  John  M.  Robinson,  circuit 
attorney,  filed  in  the  clerk's  office  of  said  Cir- 
cuit Court,  a  certain  bill  of  indictment 
against  said  defendant,  which  indictnipnt  is 
in  the  words  and  figures  following,  to  wit: 

State  of  Illinois,  ) 

Crawford  County.  )  At  the  Circuit  Court 
of  the  May  term,  in  the  year  of  our  Lord 
1824.     The  grand  jury  of  the  people   of    the 


HISTORY    OF  CRAWFORD  COUNTY. 


49 


State  of  Illinois,  cinpanneled,  charged  and 
sworn  to  inquire  for  the  body  of  the  said 
County  of  Crawford  in  the  name  and  by  the 
authority  of  the  people  of  the  State  of  Illi- 
nois, upon  their  oath  present  that  Hugh  Dail, 
late  of  the  township  of  Palestine,  in  the  said 
County  of  Crawford,  laborer,  on  the  first  day 
of  May,  in  the  year  of  our  Lord  1824,  with 
force  and  arms,  in  the  township  aforesaid,  and 
county  aforesaid,  in  and  upon  Isaac  Meek  did 
make  an  assault,  and  him,  the  said  Isaac,  then 
and  there  did  beat,  bruise,  wound  and  threat 
and  other  wrongs  to  the  said  Isaac  then  and 
there  did,  to  the  great  damage  of  the  said 
Isaac,  contrary  to  the  form  of  the  staute  in 
such  case  made  and  provided,  and  against  the 
peace  and  dignity  of  the  people  of  the  State 
of  Illinois."  (Signed,) 

JOHX  M.   ROBIXSON, 

Co.  Att'y. 
Upon  this  voluminous  and  very  lucid  docu- 
ment, was  issued  the  following  iron-clad  writ, 
"  in  the  words  and  figures  following  to  wit  :" 
"  The  people  of  the  State  of  Illinois  to  the 
Sheriff  of  Crawford  County,  greeting  :  We 
command  you  to  take  Hugh  Dail,  if  he  be 
found  in  your  bailmick,  and  him  safely  keep, 
so  that  you  have  his  body  before  the  judge 
of  our  Crawford  Circuit  Court  at  the  court 
house  in  Palestine,  on  the  first  day  of  our 
next  October  term,  to  answer  the  people  of 
the  State  of  Illinois  in  an  indictment  pre- 
fered  against  lilm  by  the  grand  jury  at  the 
last  May  term,  for  assault  and  battery,  and 
have  then  there  this  writ." 

Witness.  "Edward  H.  Pipeu, 

Clerk  &c.,  of  said  Court 

this  5J3d    day   of  

[siiAL.]  1824:,    and    the     48th 

year  of  the  Independ- 
ence   of    the     United 
States. 
Edward  IT.  Pipkr, 

Clerk." 


A  return  made  upon  the'back  of  the  writ 
by  the  sheriff  showed  that  Dail  was  not  in  his 
"  bailmick,"  whereupon  a  writ  was  issued  to 
the  sheriff  of  Edgar  County  for  him,  and  in 
due  time  he_  was  produced,  acknowledged  his 
offense  in  court,  and  was  fined  the  enormous 
sum  of  .50  cents  and  ''  costs." 

The  courts  moved  on  in  the  usual  manner 
of  all  backwoods  counties,  having  plenty  of 
business,  such  as  it  was,  upon  the  dockets  at 
the  different  tribunals,  and  which  was  gener- 
ally dispatched  in  a  summary,  backwoods 
stj-le,  distinguished  quite  as  much  for  equity 
and  fairness  between  man  and  man,  as  in  ac- 
cordance with  the  wisdom  of  Blackstone. 

Coxinty  Officers. — The  first  county  com- 
missioners, or  as  they  were  then  called,  county 
j  ustices  of  the  peace,  were  elected  or  appointed 
February  26,  1817,  and  were  E.  N.  Cullom, 
John  Dunlap  and  Isaac  Moore.  The  next 
year,  1818,  this  board  wi^s  increased  to  twelve, 
as  follows:  E.  N.  Cullom,  Samuel  Harris, 
Geo.  W.  Kincaid,  .Tames  Shaw,  Smith  Shaw, 
.foseph  Kitchell,  S.  B.  A.  Carter,  Chester 
Fitch,  Wm.  Lockard,  David  Porter,  David 
McGahey  and  Thomas  Anderson.  In  1819, 
it  dropped  liack  to  three  commissioners — E. 
N.  Cullom,  Wickliffe  Kitchell  and  William 
Barbee;  in  1820,  David  Stewart,  Aaron  Ball 
and  Henry  M.  Gilliam;  in  1821,  Aaron  Ball, 
iJavid  Stewart  and  E.  N.  Cullom;  in  1832, 
Daniel  Funk,  Enoch  Wilhite  and  Zephaniah 
Lewis;  in  1823,  Daniel  Funk,  John  Sackrider 
and  Enoch  Wilhite;  in  1824,  Daniel  Funk, 
John  Sackrider  and  William  Highsmith;  in 
1826,  Daniel  Funk,  Daniel  Boatright  and 
Bottsford  Comstock;  in  1828,  Wm.  High- 
smith,  Wm.  Magill  and  Doctor  Hill;  in  1832, 
Asa  Norton,  Jas.  H.  Wilson  and  John  Boyd; 
in  1834,  Asa  Norton,  Gabriel  Funk  and  John 
Boyd;  In  1836,  John  Boyd,  Eli  Adams  and 
Wm.  Cox;  in  1838,  L.  ~V>.  Cullom,  Daniel 
Boatright  and  John  Boyd;  in  1839,  Wm. 
Highsmith,  Daniel  Boatright  and    Wni.  Gill; 


50 


mSTOIiY  OF  CKAWFOUI)  CorXTY. 


in  1810,  Wm.  Gill,  Win.  Highsmith  and  Win. 
Mitciiell;  in  ISll,  Wm.  Highsmith,  Win. 
Mitchell  and  John  Musgrave;  in  1843,  Wm. 
Higlisniitli,  Jolin  Musgravo  and  Lott  Watts; 
in  ISl-t,  Will.  Highsmith,  Lott  Watts  and 
John  Boyd;  in  1845,  John  Boyd',  Lott  Watts 
and  Benj.  Beckwith;  in  184(j  a  probate 
judge  was  added,  and  Presley  O.  AVilson 
was  elected  to  the  office,  which  he  filled  until 
1849,  with  the  following  commissioners:  1846, 
Boyd,  Watts  and  Beckwith;  1847,  Beckwith, 
F.  M.  Brown  and  John  Newlin;  1848,  Brown, 
Newlin  and  Wm.  Reavill.  In  1849  another 
change  was  made.  A  county  judge,  with 
Associate  Justices,  composed  the  board,  as 
follows:  J.  B.  Trimble,  county  judge,  and 
Isaac  Wilkin  and  John  B.  Harper,  associates; 
in  1853,  Richard  G.  Morris,  county  judge, 
and  Jas.  F.  Hand  and  Wm.  Reavill,  associ- 
ates; in  1855,  John  W.  Steers,  county  judge, 
and  Win.  Reavill  and  James  F.  Hand,  associ- 
ates; in  1857,  W.  H.  Sierrett,  count}-  judge, 
and  Hand  and  John  Shaw,  associates;  in  ]8'31, 
Wm.  C.  Dickson,  county  judge,  and  D.  W. 
Odell  and  J.  J.  Petri,  associates;  in  1805, 
Dickson,  county  judge,  and  Benj.  Price  and 
I.  D.  Mail,  associates;  in  1807-8  still  an- 
other change  was  made  in  the  management 
of  county  business.  The  county  adopted 
township  organization,  and  H.  Alexander  was 
county  judge;  in  1809,  John  B.  Harper, 
county  judge;  in  1877,  Wm.  C.Jones;  in 
1879,  Franklin  Robb,  and  in  188-->,  J.  C. 
OKvin,  who  is  the  present  county  judge. 

Circuit  and  County  Clerks. — Edward  H. 
Piper  was  both  circuit  and  county  clerk 
from  the  organization  of  the  county  to  1835. 
The  offices  were  then  separated,  and  A.  G. 
Lagow  was  made  county  clerk,  and  D.  W. 
Stark,  circuit  clerk;  in  1837,  E.  L.  Patton  be- 
came county  clerk,  and  in  1838,  W.  B.  Baker 
became  both  county  and  circuit  clerk,  which 
positions  he  held  until  1848,  when  they  were 
again  separated,  and  James  H.  Steel  became 


county  clerk,  and  C.  M.  Hamilton,  circuit 
clerk;  in  1849,  Wm.  Cox  was  elected  circuit 
clerk,  but  died,  and  Wm.  Barbee  became 
clerk;  in  1854,  he  was  succeeded  by  John  T. 
Co.x,  who  in  1856  was  succeeded  by  Hiram 
Johnson,  and  he  by  Wm.  Johnson,  in  1805; 
in  1806,  Sing  B.  Allen  was  elected  to  the 
office,  and  in  1876  he  was  succeeded  by  our 
Fat  Contributor,  the  only,  the  funny  and  good- 
natured  John  Thomas  Cox,  the  present 
courteous  and  accommodating  incumbent. 
Mr.  Steel  remained  county  clerk  until  1857, 
when  the  elder  John  T.  Cox  was  elected.  He 
was  succeeded  by  Wm.  C.  Wilson,  familiarly 
known  as  "  Carl  "  Wilson,  who  held  the  office 
until  1877,  when  he  surrendered  it  to  David 
Reavill.  The  latter  died  before  his  term  ex- 
pired, and  T.  S.  Price  was  appointed  to  fill 
out  the  term,  when  he  was  re-elected,  and  is 
at  present  the  county  clerk. 

aheri^fs. — Francis  Cullom  was  the  Hrst 
sheriff  of  the  county;  in  1818,  John  S. 
Woodvvorth  was  sheriff;  in  1823,  John  Hous- 
ton; in  1820,  Joel  Phelps;  in  1827,  A.  M. 
Houston;  in  1829,  E.  W.  Kellogg;  in  1835, 
John  Eastburn;  in  183S,  Presley  O.  Wilson; 
in  1840,  R.  Arnold;  in  1844,  L.  D.  Cullom; 
in  1850,  J.  M.  Grimes;  in  1852,  H.  Johnson; 
in  1854,  D.D.  Fowler;  in  1856,  John  D.  New- 
lin; in  1858,  David  Little;  in  1860,  Wm. 
Reavill;  in  1802,  Wm.  Johnson;  in  1804, 
H.  Henderson;  in  18i  6,  Wm.  Reavill;  in 
1808,  Davii  Reavill;  in  1870,  R.  Leach;  in 
1872,  A.  B.  Houston;  in  1874,  H.  Henderson; 
in  1876,  Win.  Johnson;  in  1878,  S.  T.  Lind- 
sey;  in  1880,  John  M.  Highsmith,  and  in  lSrf2, 
d!  M.  Bales. 

2'reasurtrs. — The  first  treasurer  of  the 
county  was  Thomas  Kennedy;  in  1824,  John 
Houston  was  elected  treasurer;  in  1820,  John 
Malcom;  in  1833,  Charles  Kitchell;  in  1835, 
Daniel  Hulible;  in  1830,  John  L.  Buskirk; 
in  1837,  John  A.  Williams;  in  1839,  Fmley 
PauU;  in  1844,  James  Weaver;  in  1845,  Jas. 


HISTORY  OF  CRAWFORD  COUNTY. 


51 


S.  Otey;  in  1S4G,  C.  II.  Fitch;  in  1853,  W. 
C.  Wilson;  in  1855,  James  Mitchell;  in  18G1, 
Samson  Taylor;  in  18G7,  John  C.  Page;  in 
1871,  Wm."RcavilI;  in  1873,  Wm.  Updyke; 
in  187S,  i.  U.  JIail,  and  in  1882,  Samson 
Taylor. 

Surveyors  and'  Coroners. — John  Dunlap 
was  the  first  surveyor,  and  Allen  McGahey 
the  first  coroner,  who  was  succeeded  bv  Jon- 
athan Wood  in  1820.  In  18:23  George  Cal- 
houn was  appointed  county  surveyor,  but 
shortly  after  was  succeeded  by  Jacob  Help- 
ingstiene;  in  1823  George  Calhoun  was 
again  appointed;  in  1838  W.  B.  Baker  was 
appointed;  in  184G,  C.  H.  Fitch;  in  1847, 
Jas.  H.  Steel;  in  1850,  PI.  B.  Jolly;  after 
wiiich  we  lose  trace  of  the  office. 

Sch<  ol  Commissioners. — As  early  as  1819, 
R.  C.  Ford  was  appointed  school  commis- 
sioner by  act  of  the  Legislature,  and  in  1833 
Thos.  Kennedy  was  appointed;  in  1836  he 
was  succeeded  by  Wm.  Barbee;  in  1841  Fin- 
ley  Paul!  was  appointed;  in  1842,  Jas.  S. 
Otey;  i'n  1845,  Nelson  Hawley;^in  1853,  F. 
Robb;  in  1856,  Jno.  T.  Cox;  in  1SG7,  Geo. 
W.  Peck;  in  18G1,  John  C.  Page;  in  1865, 
Geo.  N.  Parker;  in  1869,  S.  A.  Burner;  in 
1873,  P.  G.  Bradberry;  in  1876,  G.  W.  Hen- 
derson; in  1880,  Hugh  McHatton;  and  in 
1883,  H.  O.  Hiser. 

State  Senators. — First  session,  1818-20. 
Joseph  Kitchell;  1830-33,  Joseph  Kitchell; 
1833-34,  Dan'l  Parker;  1824-36,  Dan'l  Par- 
ker; 1826-38,  Wm.  B.  Archer;  1838-30, 
Wickliflfe  Kitchell;  1830-33,  WicklifTe  Kitch- 
ell; 1833-31,  Djvid  McGahey;  1834-30,  Da- 
vid McGahey;  1836-38,  Peter  Pruyno;  1S3S 
-40,  Abner  Greer;  1840-43,  John  Houston; 
1842-44,  John  Houston;  1844-46,  Sam'l  Dun- 
lap;  1846-48,  Sam'l  Dunlap;  1848-50  (the 
State  had  been  re-districted,  and  Crawford 
was  a  part  of  the  9th  district),  Uri  Manly; 
1850-53,  Josiah  R.Winn;  1852-54,  J.  R. 
Winn;     lS54-5'i,    .Mort  rner    O'Kaii;   1856- 


58,  Mortimer  O'Kean;  1858-60,  Mortimer 
O'Kean;  1860-62,  Presley  Funkhouser;  1863 
-64,  Sam'l  Moffatt;  1864-6G,  Andrew  J, 
Hunter;  1866-68,  A.  J.  Hunter;  1868-70, 
E<hvin  Harlan;  1870-73,  John  Jackson  and 
Edwin  Harlan;  1872-74,  Wm.  J.  Crews; 
1874-76,  O.  V.  Smith;  1876-78,  O.  V.  Smith; 
1878-80,  Wm.  C.  Wilson;  1880-82,  AVm.  C. 
Wilson;  1882-84,  W.  H.  McNairy. 

Jtepresentatives. — First  session,  1818-20, 
David  Porter;  1830-33,  Abraham  Cairns; 
1822-24,  R.  C.  Ford;  1824-26,  David  Jlc- 
Gahey;  1826-28,  John  C.  Alexander;  1828- 
30,  J.  C.  Alexander;  1830-32,  J.  C.  Alexan- 
der; 1832-34,  William  Highsmith;  1834-36, 
J.  D.  McGahey;  1836-38,  Wilson  Lagow;  1838 
-40;  H.  Alexander;  1840-42,  Wm.  Wilson; 
1843-44,  Wm.  Wilson;  1844-46,  R.  G.  Mor-  ' 
ris;  1846-48,  M.  Boyle;  1848-50,*  R.  G.  „ 
Morris;  1850-52,  Jas.  C.  Allen;  1852-54,  W. 
H.  Sterritt;  1854-56  (Crawford  was  now  in 
17th  district),  Randolph  Heath;  1856-58, 
Isaac  Wilson;  1858-60,  H.  C.  McCleave;  18G0 
-62,  Aaron  Shaw;  1863-64  (Crawford  was 
now  in  the  11th  district),  David  W.  OJell; 
1864-66,  Thos.  Cooper;  1866-68,  D.  W.  Odeli; 
1868-70,  Joseph  Cooper;  1870-72,  Wm.  C. 
Jones;\Jl873-74  (Crawford  was  now  in  the 
45th,  with  three  Representatives  from  the 
district),  Harmon  Alexander,  Thos.  J.  Golden 
and  J.  L.  Flanders;  1874-76,  E.  Callahan,  J. 
H.  Halley  and  J.  W.  Briscoe;  187G-78,  A. 
J.  Reavill,  J.  H.  Halley  and  Wm.  Lindsey; 
1878-80,  A.  J.  Reavill  J.  W.  Graham  and 
J.  R.  Johnson;  1880-83,  J.  C.  Olwin,  J.  C. 
Bryan  and  W.  H.  H.  Mieur;  18S2-84,  Win. 
Updyke,  J.  M.  Honey  and  Grandison    Clark. 

Miscellaneous. — In  the  constitutional  Con- 
vention held  at  Kaskaskia  in  July,  1818,  Craw- 
ford was  roprosenteil  by  Joseph  Kitchell  and 
Edward  N.  Cullom;  in  tliat  of  1847-8,  by  Nel- 

*The  county  was  districted,  and  Crawford  was  a 
put  of  Iho  lOth  irgislative  dit'.ric-t. 


HISTORY  OF  CRAWFORD  COUNTY. 


son  Hawley;  of  186:3,  by  H.  Alexander;  of 
1870,  by  James  C.  Alien.  The  county  has 
furnished  one  Governor — Augustus  C.  French 
—1846  and  1849;  in  1839  Wickliffe  Kitch- 
ell  was  attorney-general;  James  C.  Allen  rep- 
resented the  district  in  the  33d,  34th  and  3Sth 
Congress;  James  C.  Allen,  circuit  judge,  1873; 
and  in  1879  Wm.  C.  Jones,  of  Crawford,  was 
elected  circuit  judge,  and  fills  the  office  at  the 
present  time. 

Township  Orr/anization. — The  county,  as 
we  have  seen,  was  divided  into  three  election 
precincts  at  the  first  session  of  the  court,  viz.: 
Allison,  Lamotte  and  Union.  As  population 
increased,  other  counties  were  formed  out  of 
the  vast  territory  of  Crawford,  Clark  being 
set  off  in  1819,  Lawrence  in  18'il,  and  .Jasper 
in  1831:  thus  reduaing  the  area  of  Crawford 
to  its  present  dimensions.  From  the  time 
when  it  was  laid  oil  into  three  precincts,  its 
civil  divisions  were  changed,  divided  and 
sub-divided,  to  suit  the  extent  of  territory 
and  the  increased  population.  Under  the 
regime  of  commissioners,  the  county  was  di- 
vided into  a  certain  number  of  election  pre- 
cincts which,  with  various  changes,  was  at 
the  close  of  the  late  war  as  follows:  Hutson- 
ville,  Robinson,  Watts,  Licking,  Martin, 
Franklin,  Embarras,  Northwest,  Montgom- 
ery, Oblong,  Palestine,  Southwest.  The 
Constitution  adopted  in  1847-8,  contained 
the  provision  of  township  organization — a 
provision  that  was  to  be  voted  on  by  the  peo- 
ple of  each  county,  and  leaving  it  optional 
with  them  to  adopt  or  reject  it  in  their  re- 
spective counties.  In  accordance  with  the 
provisions  of  that  Constitution,  and  in  obedi- 
ence to  a  demand  from  the  people  in  the 
northern  part  of  the  State,  who  had  observed 
its  practical  workings  in  the  eastern  States, 
the  first  township  organization  act  was  passed 
by  the  Legislature.  But  the  law,  in  attempt- 
ing to  put  it  into  practical  operation,  dis- 
closed radical   defects.     It   was   revised  and 


amended  at  the  session  of  1851,  substantially 
as  it  has  existed  until  the  recent  revision  in 
1871.  The  adoption  of  township  organiza- 
tion marks  an  era  in  many  of  the  counties  of 
the  State.  The  northern  part  of  the  State, 
settled  by  people  from  the  east,  principally, 
and  who,  as  we  have  said,  were  familiar 
with  the  township  system,  adopted  it  first, 
the  people  in  the  southern  part  being  much 
more  slow  to  take  hold  of  it. 

Crawford  County  adopted  township  organ- 
ization in  1868,  and  the  county  was  divided 
into  townships  as  follows:  All  the  territory 
known  by  Government  survey  as  the  north 
half  of  township  6  north,  range  12  west;  all  of 
township  7  north,  range  13  west,  except  one 
mile  in  width  on  the  north  side;  also  one 
mile  in  width  off  the  east  side  of  township  6 
north,  range  13  west,  and  sections  12,  13,  24, 
25  and  36  of  township  7  north,  range  13 
west,  was  formed  into  one  township,  and 
called  Robinson.  All  the  territory  in  frac- 
tional township  8  north,  range  11  west,  and 
all  of  township  8  north,  range  13  west,  also 
one  mile  in  width  off  the  east  side  of  town- 
ship 8  north,  range  13  west;  also  one  mile  in 
width  off  the  north  side  of  township  7  north, 
ranges  11  and  13  west,  and  section  1  of 
township  7  north,  range  13  west — was  formed 
into  a  township  and  called  Hutsonville.  All 
of  township  8  north,  range  13  west,  except 
one  mile  in  width  off  the  east  side;  also  frac- 
tional township  8  north,  range  14  west;  also 
sections  3,  3,  4,  5  and  6  of  township  7  north, 
range  13  west,  and  sections  1  and  3  of  town- 
ship 7  north,  range  14  west,  was  formed  into 
a  township  and  called  Licking.  All  of  town- 
ship 7  north,  range  13  west,  except  one  mile 
in  width  off  the  north  and  east  sides;  also  all 
of  fractional  township  7  north,  range  14  west, 
and  sections  1  and  3  on  the  north  side;  also 
the  north  half  of  township  6  north,  range  13 
west,  except  sections  1,  13  and  13;  and  mirth 
'    half  of  fractional   township  6  north,  range  14 


HISTORY  OF  CRAWFORD  COUNTY. 


53 


Avest,  was  to  be  known  as  Oblong  Township. 
All  of  fractional  township  7  north,  ranpje  10 
west,  also  township  7  north,  range  11  west, 
except  one  mile  in  width  on  the  north  side, 
and  the  north  half  of  township  6  north, 
ranges  10  and  11  west,  to  be  known  as  Pales- 
tine Township.  All  of  fractional  township  5 
north,  range  10  west,  and  the  south  half  of 
fractional  township  6  north,  range  10  west, 
also  fractional  township  5  north,  ranfre  11 
west,  and  the  south  half  of  township  6  north, 
range  11  west,  was  to  be  known  as  Franklin 
Township.  All  of  fractional  township  5  north, 
range  13  west,  also  the  south  half  of  township 
6  north,  range  13  west,  also  sections  1,  12,  13 
and  24  of  township  5  north,  range  13  west, 
and  sections  2i,  25  and  36  of  township  6 
north,  range  13  west,  to  be  known  as  Hebron 
Township.  All  of  township  5  north,  range 
13  west,  except  sections  1,  12,  13  and  24,  also 
south  half  of  township  6  north,  range  13 
west,  except  sections  24,  25  and  36,  also  frac- 
tional township  5  north,  range  14  west,  and  the 
south  half  of  township  6  north,  range  14  west, 
was  to  be  known  as  Hardin  Township.  Upon 
reporting  tlie  names  to  the  Auditor  of  State, 
it  was  found  that  four  of  the  new  townships 
bore  the  same  names  as  townships  in  other 
counties  of  the  State,  and  the  following 
changes  were  made:  Palestine  was  changed 
to  Lamotte;  Hardin  to  Martin;  Hebron  to 
Honey  Creek,  and  Franklin  to  Montgomery 
Township. 

The  first  Board  of  Supervisors  elected  was 
as  follows:  Robinson  Township,  Dwight 
Newton;  Palestine  Township,  John  D.  Shep- 
ard;  Hutsonville  Township,  John  Newlin,  Sr. ; 
Licking  Township,  R.  R.  Lincoln;  Oblong 
Township,  Wm.  M.  Douglas;  Hardin  Town- 
ship, R.  E.  Haskins;  Hebron  Township,  Henry 
Wierich,  and  Franklin  Township,  .Ino.  R. 
Rich.  Since  the  division  of  the  county  into 
townships  as  described  above,  Southwest 
Township  has   Ijcph   formed,   comprising  the 


territory  south  of  the  Enibarras  River.  At 
present  the  townships  are  represented  in  the 
Board  of  Supervisors  as  follows:  Robinson, 
John  Collins;  Hutsonville,  Simpson  Cox; 
Lamotte,  T.  N.  Rafferty;  Montgomery,  Thos. 
R.  Kent;  Oblong,  D.  T.  Newbold;  Honey 
Creek,  George  H.  Mixwell;  Licking,  F.  iL 
Niblo;  Martin,  John  Mulvane,  and  South- 
west, J.  C.  Spillman. 

The  township  system  of  Illinois  is  not 
closely  modeled  after  the  New  England 
States.  There  a  Representative  is  sent  di- 
rectly from  each  town  to  the  lower  House  of 
the  Legislature.  In  New  York,  owing  to  her 
vast  extent  of  territory,  this  was  found  to  be 
impracticable,  and  a  countj-  assembly,  denom- 
inated a  Board  of  Supervisors,  composed  of  a 
member  from  each  township,  was  then  estab- 
lished. This  modified  system  has  been  copied 
almost  exactly  in  this  State. 

Townships  are  often  compared  by  writers 
to  petty  republics,  possessing  unlimited  sov- 
ereignty in  matters  of  local  concern;  and 
Boards  of  Supervisors  are  often  popularly 
supposed  to  be  vested  with  certain  limited 
legislative  powers.  Neither  is  the  case. 
"Both  the  county  and  township  boards  are 
the  mere  fiscal  agents.  They  hold  the  purse- 
strings  of  the  counties;  they  may  contract, 
incur  debts,  or  create  liabilities — very  great 
powers,  it  is  true — but  they  can  not  prescribe 
or  vary  the  duties,  nor  control  in  anjr  manner 
the  county  or  township  officers  authorized  bv 
law.  While  the  Count\'  Court  of  three  mem- 
bers is  a  smaller,  and,  therefore,  as  a  rule,  more 
manageable  or  controllable  body  by  outside 
influences,  there  is  little  doubt  that  a  Board 
of  Supervisors  is  not  only  more  directlv  ex- 
pensive, but  also  that  a  thousand  and  one 
pett\'  claims  of  every  conceivable  character, 
having  no  foundation  in  law  or  justice,  are 
constantly  presented,  and  being  loosely  in- 
vestigated, and  tacitly  allowed,  aggregate  no 
insi::);iiificant  sum. 


OHAPTEE    Y.* 


THE    BENCH    AND    BAR— JUSTICE    AND    HER  SCALES— FIRST  COURTS  AND  WHAT  THEY 

DID—SOME    OF     THE     EARLY    JUDGES— DIFFERENT    JUDICIAL    DISTRICTS  — 

THE  FIRST  RESIDENT  LAWYERS— KITCHELL,  JANNEY,  FRENCH, 

ETC.— THEIR  LEGAL  ABILITY  AND  SOCIAL  TRAITS - 

OTHER  LAWYERS  OF  THE  COUNTY'— THE 

PRESENT  BAR,  ETC.,  ETC. 


"Let  us  consider  the  reason  of  the  case.  For  no- 
thing is  Law  that  is  not  reason." 

• — Sir  John  Powell. 

"Where  the  law  ends,  tyranny  begins." 

—Pit/. 

"The  law  is  a  sort  of  hocus  pociis  science  that 
smiles  in  yer  face  while  it  picks  yer  pocket,  and  the 
glorious  uncertainty  of  it  is  of  mair  use  to  the  pro- 
fessors of  it,  than  the  justice  of  it." 

— Macklin. 

THE  first  two  of  the  above  cjuotations  are 
from  men  who,  by  lives  of  stuJy  and 
toil,  had  accjuired  eminence  in  the  world  as 
lawyers  and  as  statesmen.  Tiie  last  is  from 
one  who  knew  nothing  of  the  law;  who  was 
ignorant  of  its  theory  and  practice,  and  rep- 
resents a  common,  but  utterly  mistaken 
view,  both  of  the  law  and  its  administration. 
The  law  has  grown  out  of  the  struggles  of 
nations,  states,  classes  and  individuals  against 
■wrong  and  for  the  right.  "All  the  law  in  the 
world  has  been  obtained  by  strife.  Everv 
jirinciple  of  law  which  obtains,  had  first  to  be 
■wrung  by  force  from  those  who  denied  it;  and 
every  legal  right — the  legal  rights  of  a  whole 
nation,  as  well  as  those  of  individuals — sup- 
poses a  continual  readiness  to  assert  it  and 
defend  it.  The  law  is  not  a  mere  theory, 
but  a  living  force,  and  hence  it  is  that  jus- 
tice, which  in  one  hand  holds  the  scales  in 
which  she  weighs    the    right,  carries    in    the 


*  By  Hon.  E.  Callalian. 


other  the  sword  with  which  she  executes  it. 
Tho  sword  without  the  scales  is  brute  force; 
the  scales  without  the  sword,  is  the  impotence 
of  law.  The  scales  and  the  sword  belong  to- 
gether, and  the  state  of  the  law  is  perfect  only 
where  the  power  with  which  justice  carries 
the  sword  is  equaled  by  the  skill  with  wiiich 
she  holds  the  scales."  No  men  have  more 
power,  or  are  clothed  vyith  more  responsibility, 
than  judges  and  lawyers  who  are  the  ministers 
of  justice  in  society,  and  the  history  of  a  State 
or  a  county  would  be  incomplete  which  omitted 
to  mention  the  men  who  have  set  on  the 
bench  and  practiced  at  the  bar  in  its  courts. 
The  first  court  of  record  held  in  Crawford 
County,  as  elsewhere  stated,  was  held  at  the 
house  of  Edward  N.  Cullom  o;i  the  15th  dav 
of  September,  A.  D.  1817,  by  the  Hon.  Thomas 
Towlc'S,  Territorial  judge,  from  October  28, 
181.5,  until  the  State  was  admitted  into  the 
union.  The  term  continued  for  two  davs, 
but  all  business  was  completed  on  the  first 
day.  There  is  nothing  in  the  record  disclos- 
ing what  members  of  the  bar  were  present. 
There  were  five  civil  cases  on  the  docket,  and 
four  indictments  were  returned,  two  were  fir 
assault  and  battery,  one  for  selling  whiskv 
to  Indians,  and  one  for  "  bringing  home  a 
hog  without  the  ears."  The  first  term  of 
court  held  after  the  State  was  admitted  into 
the  union  was  a  special  term,  held  on  the  7th 
day  of  .July,  A.  D.  1819,  by  the  Hon.  Thomas 


HISTORY  OF  CRAWFORD  COU.VTV. 


65 


C.  Brown  who  was  ono  of  the  judges  of  the 
Supreme  Court,  from  October  9th,  1818,  until 
January  18th  1835.  This  was  the  term  at 
which  Vniliam  Killbuck,  Captain  Thomas  and 
B:g  Panther,  were  tried  for  the  murder  of 
Thomas  McCall.  AVilliara  "Wilson  was  the 
circuit  a'^tornev,  and  William  Bado-er  was 
^\v•orn  as  his  assistant.  It  does  not  appear 
l.om  the  record  who  was  counsel  for  the  de- 
fendants, or  vvhat,  if  any,  attorneys  were  pres- 
ent at  this  term. 

.fudge  Brown  held  all  the  courts,  until 
October,  1824,  when  William  AVilson,  who 
was  one  of  the  judges  of  the  Supreme  Court 
from  July  7th,  1819,  to  December  4th,  1848, 
held  the  court  for  a  single  term.  The  writer 
never  knew  .Judge  Wilson  until  after  his  re- 
tirement from  the  bench,  and  can  only  speak 
of  him  from  iiis  record  as  a  judge  and  the 
traditions  of  him,  that  still  exist  among  the 
older  members  of  the  bar.  As  a  judge  his 
written  opinions  are  short,  clear,  and  satis- 
factory. They  are  models  of  brevity,  and 
generally  contained  nothing  but  good  law. 
Ills  judicial  record  stands  in  the  history  of 
the  State  untarnished  by  a  single  act  that  did 
not  comport  with  the  dignity  of  his  office. 
J  udge  Wilson  was  a  great  lover  of  stories,  and 
would  often  entertain  his  listeners  with 
marvelous  tales  of  great  herds  of  cattle  and 
immense  agricultural  productions  which  had 
no  existence  except  in  imagination.  He  re- 
sided in  White  County  and  died  several  j'ears 
ago,  at  a  very  advanced  old  age. 

On  the  division  of  the  State  into  circuits  in 
1824,  James  O.  Wattles  was  elected  judge  of 
the  fifth  judicial  circuit,  which  included  the 
county  of  Crawford.  He  was  commissioned 
January  19,  1825,  and  legislated  out  of 
office  by  the  act  of  January  12,  1827.  Noth- 
itig  is  known,  or  can  be  gathered  from  old 
citizens,  of  the  personal  history  or  character 
of  Judge  Wattles.  James  Hall,  judge  of 
the    fourth    circuit,  held  the  November  term 


1825,  but  was  never  one  of  the  judges  elected 
to  hold  the  courts  in  Crawford  County.  On 
the  fourth  day  of  January,  1835,  Justin 
Harlan,  of  Clark  County,  was  commissionrd 
as  judge  of  the  fourth  circuit,  which  th'iii 
included  this  county,  and  continued  to  hold 
the  courts  until  the  year  1859,  when  the 
twenty-fifth  circuit  was  created,  and  Alfred 
Kitchell,  of  Richland  County,  was  elected 
judge  in  the  now  circuit.  He  was  succeeded 
in  1861  by  James  C.  Allen,  then  a  resident  of 
this  county.  .Judge  Allen  resigned  in  De- 
cember, 18(32,  having  been  elected  to  Con- 
gress, and  Aaron  Shaw,  of  Lawrence  County, 
was  elected  to  iUl  the  vacancy. 

Judge  Shaw  is  a  native  of  the  State  of  Now 
York,  but  came  to  Illinois  while  ayouncr  man 
and  resided  at  I^awrenceville  until  about  the 
year  1870,  when  he  removed  to  Olnej' in 
Richland  Couiit3'.  His  reputation  has  been 
that  of  a  criminal  rather  than  a  civil  lawyer. 
He  has  always  had  a  large  practice  and  has 
been  a  successful  lawyer.  He  is  impulsive 
and  often  stormy  at  the  bar,  but  on  the  bench 
he  was  always  courteous,  dignified  and  impar- 
tial. He  has  been  a  member  of  Congress  and 
is  now  the  member  elect  from  the  16th  con- 
gressional district  of  Illinois. 

In  the  year  1865  the.  county  was  again 
placed  in  the  fourth  circuit,  and  Hiram  B. 
Decius,  of  Cumberland  County,  was  elected 
and  commissioned  on  the  first  day  of  Decem- 
ber, A.  D.  1865.  He  was  re-elected  and  re- 
commissioned  on  the  27th  day  of  June,  A.  D. 
1869.  .Judge  Decius,  was  a  native  of  the 
State  of  Ohio,  but  came  to  Cumberland 
County  when  a  boy.  His  ojiportunitios  for 
accjuiring  an  education  were  very  poor,  but  he 
improved  them  to  the  best  possible  advan- 
tage, and  read  law  after  he  reached  his  man- 
hood. He  was  a  successful  practitioner  and 
during  his  lifetime  acquired  a  large  estate. 
He  was  a  rough,  but  vigorous  thinker  and 
talker.     In  politics  he  was  a   democrat,    and 


56 


HISTORY  OF  CRAWFORD  COUNTY. 


one  who  clung  to  the  doctrines  and  tradi- 
tions "  of  his  party.  In  religion  he  was  a 
liberal  ist  of  the  broadest  gauge. 

After  the  ado]ition  of  the  constitution  of 
1870,  Crawford  County  was  again  in  the 
21st  circuit,  and  .James  C.  Allen  was,  on  the 
2d  day  of  .June,  1873,  elected  judge  for  a  term 
of  six  years. 

James  C.  Allen  was  born  in  Shelby  County, 
Ky.,  on  the  22d  day  of  .January,  A.  D.  1822, 
and  removed  with  his  father  to  Parke  County, 
Indiana,  in  the  year  A.  D.  1830.  He  lived 
*  on  a  farm  until  1840,  attending  the  public 
school  in  the  winter  season  and  then  spent 
two  years  at  the  county  seminary  in  Rockvillo. 
He  then  entered  the  law-office  of  Howard  & 
Wright,  of  Rockville,  Ind.,  and  pursued  liis 
legal  studies  until  January,  A.  D.  18-±4r,  when 
he  was  admitted  to  the  bar.  He  located  at 
Sullivan,  Ind.,  and  in  1845  was  elected  State's 
attorney  for  the  seventh  judicial  circuit  of 
the  State.  At  the  end  of  his  term  of  office 
he  removed  to  Palestine,  Illinois,  and  sought 
health  in  farming,  not,  however,  abandoning 
his  profession.  He  formed  a  partnership  with 
Franklin  Robb,  Esq.,  of  Robinson,  which  con- 
tinued until  his  election  to  Congress  in 
1852.  In  November,  1852,  he  was  elected  to 
the  State  Legislature,  and  obtained  notoriety 
by  his  opposition  to  what  was  known  as 
"State  Policy."  This  policy  opposed  the 
chartering  of  any  railroad  which  terminated 
at  or  near  any  city  outside  of  the  State  of 
Illinois,  or  that  would  tend  to  carry  the  trade 
of  the  State  beyond  its  own  borders.  It  was 
an  extreme  phase  of  the  doctrine  of  State 
rights.  Men  look  back  now  and  wonder  that 
it  should  have  been  advocated  by  men  of  the 
brilliancy  of  Linder  and  the  ability  of  Palmer. 
The  Vandalia  line  and  the  Ohio  and  Missis- 
sippi Railroad  Company  were  seeking  charters 
to  build  roads  to  terminate  at  East  St.  Ijouis. 
The  advocates  of  State  policy  were  deter- 
mined to  defeat  them  unless  thev  terminated 


at  Alton.  Mr.  Allen  held  that  railroads 
should  be  chartered  and  built  wherever  the 
business  interests  of  the  country  at  large  re- 
quired, and  was  the  leader  in  the  house  of 
this  liberal  policy.  His  attack  upon  State 
policy  was  able,  earnest  and  successful,  and 
was  heartily  indorsed  by  his  constituents. 
He  was  also  opposed  to  the  system  of  bank- 
ing established  by  the  Legislature  in  1852, 
which  has  since  resulted  in  disaster  to  the 
business  interests  of  the  country. 

The  reputation  which  he  had  acquired  in 
the  State  Legislature  resulted  in  his  election 
to  congress  in  the  7th  district  in  November, 
1852;  he  was  re-elected  in  1854,  and  was  then 
elected  clerk  of  the  House  of  Representatives 
that  met  on  the  first  Monday  of  December,  A. 
D.  1858.  Over  this  house  lie  presided  dur- 
ing the  memorable  contest  for  the  election  of 
a  speaker,  which  resulted  in  the  election  of 
Mr.  Penington,  of  New  Jersey.  This  was  at  a 
time  when  bad  blood  was  at  fever  heat,  and 
the  difficulties  of  his  position  as  the  presiding 
officer  of  an  unorganized  body  of  excited  men 
were  very  great.  But  he  so  discharged  the 
duties  of  his  position  as  to  receive  a  unanimous 
vote  of  thanks  at  the  end  of  the  contest.  In 
1860  he  was  the  candidate  of  the  democratic 
party  for  governor  of  Illinois,  and  made  a 
canvass  which  commanded  the  admiration  of 
both  his  political  friends  and  opponents, 
but  was  beaten  by  Hon.  Richard  Yates. 
In  1862  he  was  elected  to  Congress  for  the 
State  at  large,  as  a  "war  democrat"  over 
Eben  C.  IngersoU,  a  brother  of  Hon.  Robert 
G.  IngersoU.  During  this  term  in  Congress 
he  possessed  the  confidence  of  President 
Lincoln,  and  voted  for  every  appropriation 
of  men  and  money  which  was  asked  by 
the  administration  to  prosecute  the  war. 
Mr.  Lincoln  tendered  him  the  command 
of  a  brigade,  to  be  known  as  the  Ken- 
tucky brigade.  This  position  he  declined  on 
the  ground  that    he  had  not  the  military    ex- 


HISTORY  OF  CRAAVFORD  COUXTY. 


57 


perience  or  trainiiinr  necessary  to  fit  him  for 
so  responsible  a  position.  He  was  re-nomi- 
nated for  Congress  for  the  State  at  large  in 
186i,  but  was  defeated  by  Hon  S.  W.  Moul- 
ton,  the  republican  candidate.  In  1879  he 
was  elected,  without  opposition,  a  member  of 
the  State  constitutional  convention,  which 
Met  in  January,  A.  1).  1870,  and  framed  the 
present  State  constitution.  In  this  conven- 
tion he  was  chairman  of  the  committee  on 
the  I^cgislative  Department,  and  is  very 
largely  the  author  of  the  legislative  article  in 
the  constitution  which  was  adopted  as  it  came 
from  the  committee.  In  June,  1873,  he  was 
elected  judge  of  the  Circuit  Court,  which 
office  he  held  until  1879.  In  1877  after  the 
Appellate  Court  was  created  he  was  appoint- 
ed by  the  Supreme  Court,  one  of  the  Appel- 
late Judges  for  the  fourth  district,  and  until 
1879  discharged  the  duties  of  an  Appellate 
Judge  in  addition  to  his  service  on  the  cir- 
cuit bench.  In  the  fall  of  1876  he  removed 
to  Olney  in  Richland  County,  where  he  still 
resides.  After  he  left  the  bench  he  resumed 
the  practice  of  his  profession,  and  is  still  en- 
gaged in  it.  Judge  Allen  is  a  man  of  rare 
natural  endowments,  a  splendid  physical 
organization  and  a  commanding  presence  sup- 
j)lemonted  with  a  voice  that  is  equally  music- 
al in  telling  a  story  or  singing  a  song,  makes 
him  a  welcome  guest,  in  any  and  every  circle. 
He  has  been  too  much  in  politics  to  make 
what  is  called  a  close  lawyer,  but  his  knowl- 
edge of  the  fundamental  orinciples  of  the  law 
is  thorough,  and  both  as  a  judge  and  as  a  law- 
yer he  uses  this  knowledge  to  the  best  possible 
advantage.  He  is  largely  gifted  with  that 
kind  of  sense  which  enables  him  to  grasp  read- 
ily and  correctly  the  common  questions  of 
life  and  controversies  of  business.  This  of- 
ten serves  him  better  tl;  ji  the  learning  of 
books.  He  is  an  able  advocate  before  a 
jury:  often  eloquent,  and  always  impressive, 
ardent,  and  impulsive,  he  sometimes    strikes 


blows  that  seem  uncalled  for,  but  is  ever 
ready  to  undo  a  wrong.  As  a  judga  he  pre- 
sided with  dignity,  unless  overcome  by  some- 
thing funny  or  ludicrous.  He  was  sometimes 
accused  of  scolding  the  bar  to  amuse  the  laity. 
His  uprightness  and  integrity  were  unques- 
tioned; in  politics  he  is  arraditional  democrat; 
in  religion,  a  Presbyterian. 

Alfred  Kitchell  was  born  at  Palestine  in  the 
year  A.  D.  1820.  His  education,  excepting 
three  terms  at  the  Indiana  State  University, 
was  such  as  could  be  obtained  in  the  com- 
mon schools.  He  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in 
December,  A.  D.  1841,  and  in  1842  entered 
the  practice  at  Olney  in  Richland  County. 
In  January,  1843,  he  was  elected  State's  at- 
torney for  the  fourth  circuit,  and  was  re- 
elected in  1845.  He  -nas  a  member  of  the 
constitutional  convention  of  1847,  and  in  1849 
he  was  elected  county  judge  of  Richland 
Count}'.  In  1859  he  was  elected  to  the  cir- 
cuit bench  in  the  twenty-fifth  circuit.  He 
assisted  to  establish  the  first  newspaper  ever 
published  in  Olney.  In  politics  he  was  an 
anti-slavery  democrat,  and  naturally  opposed 
the  repeal  of  the  Missouri  Compromise  and 
the  extension  of  slavery.  His  principles  led 
him  out  of  the  democratic  party,  and  in  1856 
he  assisted  in  the  organization  of  the  repub- 
lican party,  with  which  he  acted  until  his 
death  in  November,  A.  D.  1876.  He  was  an 
active  promoter  of  the  Ohio  and  Mississippi 
Railway,  and  was  opposed  to  what  was  then 
called  "State  policy." 

Judge  Kitchell  was  at  the  Crawford  County 
Bar  for  many  years,  and  is  remembered  by  its 
older  members  as  one  of  the  most  pleasing 
and  gentlemanly  of  lawj^ers.  He  was  always 
courteous  in  his  intercourse  with  others.  As 
an  advocate  he  was  clear  and  practical  rather 
than  eloquent.  His  standard  of  honor  and 
integrity  was  a  high  one,  and  he  lived  well 
up  to  it. 

Though  he  left  the  count v  before  he  was 


58 


HISTORY  OF  CRAWFORD  COUNTY. 


admitted  to  the  bar,  the  fact  that  he  was  born 
and  lived  to  manhood  in  the  county,  and  then 
returned  to  it,  both  as  a  lawyer  and  a  judge, 
entitles  him  to  a  place  in  its  history. 

In  1877  the  judicial  system  was  so  changed 
as  to  create  the  State  into  thirteen  circuits 
and  provide  for  the  election  of  one  judge  in 
each  circuit,  to  hold  until  the  year  1879,  when 
three  judges  should  be  elected  in  each  of  the 
thirteen  circuits.  Under  this  change  John 
H.  Hatly,  of  Jasper  County,  was  elected  in 
the  second  circuit,  and  held  tlie  courts  of  this 
county  during  his  term  of  office.  Judge  Ral- 
ly is  a  Virginian  by  birth,  and  resided,  until 
near  the  close  of  the  war,  in  the  south.  He 
was  "subjugated"  before  many  of  his  com- 
rades in  the  southern  army,  and  came  north 
to  avoid  the  final  catastrophe.  His  literary 
and  legal  education  are  both  liberal,  and 
•when  aroused  he  is  a  formidable  adversary  in 
a  lawsuit.  He  is  eminently  social  and  loves 
the  sports  of  a  Virginia  gentleman.  The 
music  of  his  splendid  pack  of  hounds  falls 
pleasantly  on  his  ear,  and  he  joins  in  the 
chase  with  the  utmost  eagerness.  He  justly 
enjovs  a  large  practice,  and  is  held  in  high 
esteem  by  those  who  know  him,  both  as  a 
man  and  a  lawyer. 

On  the  IGth  day  of  June,  1879,  Chauncy 
S.  Conger,  of  White  County,  Thomas  S. 
Casey,  of  Jefferson  County,  and  William  C. 
Jones,  of  Crawford  County,  were  elected 
judges  in  the  second  circuit.  Since  tliat 
time  the  courts  in  this  county  have  been 
held  by  Judge  Jones,  excepting  when  changes 
of  venue   called   in  one  of  the  other  judges. 

Judge  Jones  was  born  at  Hutsonville,  July 
15th,  1848.  His  father,  Caswell  Jones,  Esq., 
was  a  successful  merchant,  and  died  in  March, 
1853.  His  mother  was  mari'ied  to  E.  Callahan, 
in  June,  1855;  in  18G1  Mr.  Callahan,  removed 
to  Robinson  and  opened  a  law  office.  Young 
Jones,  of  his  own  choice,  went  into  the  Moni- 
tor newspaper  office,  and    for  near  one   year 


performed  the  duties  of  the  youngest  ap- 
prentice. In  1863,  he  entered  as  a  student 
in  the  Oliio  Wesleyan  University,  where 
he  remained  for  tiirec  years.  In  18G7  he 
read  law  in  the  office  of  Messrs.  Callahan 
&  Steel,  after  which  he  attended  a  course  of 
law  lectures  at  the  Iilichigan  State  Uni- 
versity at  Ann  Arbor.  He  was  admitted  to 
the  bar  May  9th,  1SG8,  and  in  June  formed  a 
Copartenship  with  Mr.  Callahan  which  con- 
tinued for  ten  years.  On  the  •^5th  of  Novem- 
ber, 1809,  he  married  to  Mary  H.  Steel,  daugli- 
ter  of  James  H.  Steel,  Esq.,  then  a  member 
of  the  Crawford  County  Bar.  In  November, 
1870,  he  was  elected  member  of  the  27th 
General  Assembly.  In  November,  1877,  he 
was  elected  judge  of  the  County  Court, 
which  office  he  filled  with  entire  satisfaction 
to  all  parties  until  June  1879,  when  he  was 
elected  to  the  circuit  bench.  He  has 
brouirht  with  him  into  the  judicial  office 
that  unflagging  industry,  and  energy,  and 
high  sense  of  justice  and  right,  wliich  have 
made  his  life  a  success.  He  is  still  a  young 
man,  and  one  of  whom  his  friends  expect  much 
in  the  future.  He  resides  in  Robinson  and 
takes  a  lively  interest  in  the  affairs  of  his 
town  and  county.  He  is  a  democrat  in  poli- 
tic.*, and  has  always  been  elected  as  a  par- 
tisan candidate.  He  belongs  to  no  church, 
but  believes  in  the  Bible  and  the  doctrine  of 
the  Christian  religion. 

It  is  impossible  to  notice  the  lawyers  of  the 
bar  in  the  order  in  which  they  properly 
stand,  and  all  that  can  be  done  is  to  give  them 
severally  such  mention  as  the  writer  has  been 
able  to  gather  from  the  data  at  his  com- 
mand. 

Wickliffe  Kitchell  wns  born  on  May  21st, 
1789,  in  the  State  of  New  Jersey.  He  was 
descended  from  Robert  Kitchell,  who  came 
from  England  in  the  year  16:!9,  and  was  the 
leader  of  a  community  of  Puritans  who  set- 
tled   at    Cjruili'ord    Colony    of    Connecticut. 


HISTORY  OF  (RAWFORI)  COUXTV. 


59 


Robert  removed  to  Newark,  New  .Jersey,  in 
ItitiO,  where  many  of  desoendants  still  reside. 
Early  in  the  present  century  Asa  Kitchell, 
the  father  of  VVickliffe  removed  with  his  fam- 
ily to  what  was  then  the  "  far  west,"  and 
WicUliffe  reached  his  majority  in  the  vicinity 
of  what  is  now  Cincinnati,  Ohio.  School 
privileges  were  in  those  early  days,  extremely 
limited,  and  the  time  spent  b}-  him  at  school, 
according  to  his  repeated  statement,  did  not 
exceed  two  or  three  months;  but  between  the 
hours  of  laljor,  and  by  the  fire-lii;ht  at  night, 
he  succeeded  in  obtaining  a  fair  English  edu- 
cation, sufficient  for  the  practical  duties  of 
life.  On  the  29Lh  of  February,  1812,  he  mar- 
ried Elizabeth  Ross,  with  whom  his  early 
childhood  has  been  passed,  and  who,  with  her 
parents,  had  emigrated  from  New  Jersey  in 
company  with  the  Kitchell  family. 

About  the  year  181-i  he  removed  to  south- 
ern Indiana,  upon  White  River.  That  portion 
of  the  country  was  then  an  almost  unbroken 
wilderness  and  was  largely  occupied  by  tribes 
of  hostile  Indians,  and  lie  and  his  wife  and 
family,  with  other  families,  wei-e  often  com- 
])elled  to  seek  shelter  and  security  in  the  forts 
and  block-houses  that  existed  here  and  there 
in  the  thinly  settled  region.  He  was  elected 
sheriiT  of  the  county  in  which  he  resided 
(pre.-umably  Jackson  County),  and  was,  of 
course,  thrown  much  in  contact  with  lawyers 
and  others  in  attendance  upon  the  courts, 
and  he  determined  to  read  law.  He  obtained 
possession  of  a  few  text-books,  and  those  he 
read  by  the  light  of  log  fires  and  during  rainy 
days.  While  clearing  ground  about  his 
Indiana  cabin  he  cut  his  foot  with  an  ax  so 
severely  as  to  lame  him  for  life;  and  this 
accident  served  to  strengthen  his  resolutioTi 
to  continue  in  his  course  of  reading-,  and  he 
was  eventually  admitted  to  the  bar.  In  1817 
he  removed  to  Palestine,  Illinois,  where  he  re- 
sided until  in  the  year  ]  838.  He  was  a  soldier 
in  tlie  Black  Hawk  war,   but  was   coinpuUed 


to  return  before  its  conclusion  on   account  of 
the    lameness    of   his    foot.     He  thought  the 
war  was  cruel  and    unnecessary,    and    never 
failed  to  comment  severely  upon  the  manner 
in  which  it  was  prosecuted.     He  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  lower  house   of  the  General  As- 
sembly  of   1820-21   from   Crawford   County. 
In  the  spring  of  1838  he  removed  to  Hillsboro, 
Montgomery  County,  Illinois,  in  order  to  give 
his  children  the  advantages  of  the   excellent 
schools  then  flourishing  at  that  place.     He  was 
again  elected  a  member    of    the    Legislature 
from  Montgomery  County  in  IS-tl.     He  held 
the  office  of  State's  Attorney  for  several  years. 
In  1839  he  was  appointed  Attorney  General 
of  the  State  and  held  that  office  for  one  year. 
In  1847  he  moved   with  the   remnant  of  his 
family,    to   Fort  Madison,    Iowa,     remaining 
there  for  seven  years,  and  again   returned  to 
Hillsboro,  Montgomery  County.     He  had  the 
true  pioneer  spirit,  and  only  declining  years 
prevented   him    from   going   to    the    Pacific 
coast.     After  the  death  of  his   wife,    October 
5th,  1802,  having  ceased   to  practice  his  pro- 
fession,   he   spent    the   remainder  of  his  days 
with  his  children,  who  were  settled  at  diflfer- 
ent  places  in  Illinois  and  Indiana,  and  mostly 
with    his    youngest    son,  John    W.,  at  Pana, 
•Christian  County,  Illinois,  and  where  he  died 
on  the  2d  of  February,   18GD,   at  the  ripe  age 
of  80  years. 

From  the  time  of  its  organization  until 
1854  he  was  a  member  of  the  democratic 
party.  In  that  year,  objecting  strongly  to  the 
ground  taken  by  the  party  on  the  slavery  ques- 
tion he  abandoned  the  organization  forever 
and  took  strong,  anti-Nebraska  ground.  He 
was  present  as  a  delegate  at  the  first  Repub- 
lican State  Convention  held  at  Bloomington, 
Illinois,  and  was  a  zealous  supporter  of  that 
party  and  its  policy  until  his  death.  He  re- 
tained to  a  remarkable  degree  his  activity  of 
mind  and  habits  of  physical  labor. 

Eldridge  S.  Janney  was    born   July   12th, 


00 


HISTORY  OF  CRAWFORD  COUNTY. 


ISO  ,  in  Alexandria,  Virginia.  His  father 
was  Thomas  .Tanney,  a  wealthy  merchant,  and 
ship  owner  of  that  city.  Mr.  Janney  was  a 
graduate  of  Nassau  Hall  College,  Princeton, 
New  Jersey,  and  continued  his  reading  of 
chissic  literature  in  the  original  languages 
until  the  shadow  of  total  blindness  fell  upon 
the  pages  of  the  old  authors,  and  hid  them 
from  him  forever.  He  read  law  with  Thomas 
Hewitt,  Esq.,  and  in  18'-i7,  immediately  after 
his  admission  to  the  bar,  came  to  Crawford 
Countj',  and  began  the  practice  of  his  profes- 
sion. He  was  a  careful,  painstaking  lawyer; 
a  good  special  pleader.  His  address  to  a 
jury  was  terse  and  forcible,  rather  than  elo- 
quent. He  was  a  member  of  the  State  Legisla- 
ture in  the  sessions  of  1844,  and  1846. 

Governor  Ford,  in  his  history  of  the  State 
of  Illinois,  pays  a  high  compliment  to  Mr.  Jan- 
ney, for  his  action  on  the  canal  loan  question, 
which  resulted  in  saving  the  State  from  the 
disgrace  of  repudiation.  In  1853  his  sight 
had  so  far  failed  him,  that  he  was  compelled 
to  abandon  his  profession.^  He  removed  to 
Marshall,  in  the  county  of  Clark,  and  engaged 
in  a  woolen-mill,  which  he  carried  on  until  his 
death  on  the  17th  day  of  December,  A.  D.  1S75. 
In  politics  he  was  a  democrat;  in  rebgion,  a 
liberalist;  in  all  the  relations  of  life,  a  gentle- 
man. 

William  H.  Sterrett  was  born  in  Nova 
Scotia,  and  read  law  with  the  Hon.  Lucius 
Case,  of  Newark,  Ohio.  He  came  to  Robin- 
son, about  the  year  1845,  and  engaged  in  the 
practice  of  his  profession,  and  was  continually 
in  practice  until  1853,  when  he  was  elected 
county  judge.  His  health  was  already  fail- 
ino-,  and  he  abandoned  practice,  and  shortly 
after  the  expiration  of  his  term  as  county 
juda-e  he  returned  to  Nova  Scotia  and  died. 
He  was  a  member  of  the  lower  House  in  the 
eighteenth.  General  Assembly.  As  a  law- 
yer he  was  positive  in  his  positions  when 
taken.     He  was  not  an  orator,  but  an  earnest 


and  zealous  advocate  of  the  cause  of  his 
client.  As  a  judge  he  was  willful  and  arbi- 
trary, and  took  but  little  counsel  beyond  that 
of  his  own  will.  He  administered  the  law 
as  he  understood  it. 

Elihu  McCtilloch  was  a  native  of  South 
Carolina  and  a  graduate  of  Columbia  College. 
He  removed  first  to  Gibson  County,  Indiana. 
In  the  year  A.  D.  184G  he  located  in  Robin- 
son and  engaged  in  the  practice  of  the  law 
and  continued  until  in  the  fall  of  1849  when 
he  died.  He  was  a  brother-in-law  of  Hoii. 
Franklin  Robb,  a  member  of  the  present 
Crawford  County  Bar.  He  was  a  democrat 
in  politics.  A  man  of  industry  and  deeply 
learned  in  the  science  of  law.  He  gave 
promise  of  a  career  of  usefulness  to  the  pub- 
lic and  honor  to  himself. 

Augustus  C.  French,  came  from  New  Eng- 
land to  Edgar  County,  and  represented  that 
countv  in  the  Legislature  of  183G.  In  1839 
h3  removed  to  Palestine,  having  received  an 
appointment  in  the  land-office  at  that  place, 
a  position  he  filled  for  about  three  years.  He 
was  a  man  of  business  as  well  as  law  and 
purchased  lands  south  of  Palestine  which  he 
afterward  converted  into  a  beautiful  country 
seat  which  he  called  "  Maplewood."  In  the 
fall  of  1840  he  was  elected  Governor  of  the 
State,  and  was  re-elected  in  1849  at  the 
election  held  under  the  constitution  of 
1847,  and  was  governor  until  January,  1853, 
when  he  was  succeeded  by  Joel  A.  Matteson, 
of  Will  County.  Governor  French  was  a 
man  who  was  little  understood  by  the  mass 
of  the  people.  His  rigid  economy  in  aff'airs 
of  business  was  called  stinginess,  and  many 
stories  are  still  current  in  regard  to  his 
habit  of  gathering  and  saving  in  small 
thino-s.  When  it  is  known  that  all  his  care 
and  saving  was  to  feed,  clothe  and  educate 
younger  brothers  and  sisters  who  were  de- 
pendent upon  him,  and  that  all  he  made  and 
saved  for  many  years  was  religiously  devoted 


HISTORY  OK  CRAWFORD  COUXTY 


61 


to  that  purpose,  it  presents  his  character  in  a 
iairer  light,  and  a  more  charitable  judgment 
than  has  been  usually  accorded  to  it.  His  ad- 
ministration of  the  alFairs  of  the  State  was 
fininently  successful.  He  never  afterward 
entered  actively  into  the  practice  of  law,  but 
alter  a  few  years  of  leisure  at  Maple  wood,  he 
roMioved  to  Lebanon  and  took  charge  of  the 
law  school  at  ]\[cKendree  College.  He  died 
several  years  ago,  respected  by  all  who  knew 
iiiui,  as  an  honest  man.  Politically  he  was 
a  democrat.  In  reHgion  he  was  a  Methodist. 
George  W.  Peck,  one  of  the  brightest 
ornaments  of  the  Crawford  County  Bar,  was 
born  at  Salem,  and  educated  at  Greencastle, 
Indiana.  He  was  twenty-one  years  of  age 
when  he  located  in  Robinson  in  the  summer 
of  1853.  Old  lawyers  at  once  recognized  his 
worth  and  accorded  to  him  a  high  position  in 
the  profession.  He  rapidly  obtained  a  prac- 
tice which  steadily  increased  until  he  entered 
the  army  in  ISGl.  Ho  was  a  good  special 
pleader,  and  his  address  to  a  jury  was  always 
clear,  logical  and  often  eloquent.  His  mental 
and  physical  organization  were  both  of  very 
fine  texture  and  eminently  fitted  him  for  a 
high  rank  in  the  legal  profession.  He  was  a 
delegate  to  the  national  convention  which 
nominated  Mr.  Lincoln  for  President.  He 
was  a  great  admirer  of  ilr.  Lincoln  |)ersonally 
and  politically,  and  entered  into  the  campaign 
for  his  election  with  all  the  enthusiasm  of  his 
ardent  nature.  He  organized  and  com- 
manded the  "wide  awakes"  and  in  tin's 
showed  a  capacity  for  organization  and  drill 
that  was  extraordinary.  His  speeches  durino- 
this  campaign  ranked  with  those  of  the  best 
orators  of  the  partj'. 

At  the  commencement  of  the  war  he  raised 
a  company  of  men  and  repaired  to  camp  at 
Mattoon.  This  company  became  company 
I  in  the  21st  regiment  of  Illinois  volunteers, 
commanded  by  Col.  U.  S.  Grant.  During 
the    campaign    in  Missouri  he  was  much  ex- 


posed and  contracted  bronchitis,  from  which 
he  never  recovered.  He  remained  with  his 
regiment  and  participated  in  every  battle  in 
which  it  was  engaged,  and  when  Col.  (irant 
was  made  a  general.  Captain  Peck  was  made 
Lieut.  Col.,  and  after  the  death  of  Col.  Alex- 
ander he  commanded  the  regiment  until  he 
was  too  feeble  for  duty  in  the  field.  He  was 
then  detailed  for  duty  as  Provost  Marshal  at 
Louisville,  Ky.,  and  discharged  the  duties  of 
that  position  with  honor  to  himself  and  the 
service  until  his  constitution  broke  down 
entirely  and  compelled  his  resignation,  and  he 
returned  to  his  mother  at  Salem,  Indiana,  to 
die.  He  had  that  rare  courage  that  enabled 
him  on  all  occasions  to  act  as  duty  prompted, 
reason  guided  and  conscience  dictated. 
Though  he  died  young  he  lived  long  enough 
to  win  reputation  as  a  lawyer  and  lame  as  a 
soldier. 

James  N.  Steel  was  Ijorn  in  Philadelphia, 
and  removed  to  Crawford  County  in  his  boy- 
hood. He  was  several  years  clerk  of  the 
county  court,  and  on  his  retirement  from  thai- 
ofBce  read  law,  and  on  the  thirteenth  day  of 
July,  A.  D.  185",  was  admitted  to  the  bar, 
and  commenced  practice.  His  large  acquaint- 
ance and  perfect  familiarity  with  business 
gave  him  at  once  a  large  business.  His  first 
view  of  a  legal  question  was  generally  correct, 
while  further  reasoning  often  led  him  into 
doubt.  He  was  a  fine  special  pleader  and 
very  quick  to  detect  faults  in  the  pleadings 
of  his  adversary.  He  had  a  clear,  intellectual 
face  and  a  pleasant  conversational  voice.  His 
address  to  court  or  jury  was  usually  clear 
and  logical,  and  was  addressed  to  the  judg- 
ment rather  than  to  the  passions.  As  an 
office  lawyer  he  has  had  no  equal  at  the  Craw- 
ford County  Bar.  His  social  qualities  were 
of  a  high  order.  He  was  successful  in  busi- 
ness and  left  a  handsome  property  to  his 
children.  He  was  among  the  first  to  unite 
with  the  republican  party  in  the  county,  and 


62 


flISTOKY  OF  CK.VWFOUD  COUNTY. 


was  a  zealous  advocate  of  its  pi-inciples.  His 
health  failed  and  he  retired  from  practice, 
and  died  in  Robinson  on  second  day  of  De- 
cember, A.  ]).  18r3. 

W.liiain  Clendeniiin  Dickson  came  to  this 
county  from  Indiana  as  a  physician  and  prac- 
ticed medicine  for  several  years  in  Moutpjo- 
mery  and  Honey  Creek  Townships.  He  was 
known  as  an  active  democratic  politician  and 
speaker.  At  the  election  of  1861  he  was 
elected  County  Judge  and  held  that  office 
four  years.  He  had  previously  read  law  and 
was  now  regularly  admitted  to  the  bar,  and 
during  his  life  time  continued  to  practice. 
He  came  to  the  bar  too  late  in  life  and  lived 
too  short  a  time  to  acquire  either  a  large 
practice  or  reputation  as  a  lawyer.  He  died 
at  Robinson  in  the  year  A.  D.  1873. 

Alfred  G.  Lagow  was  a  member  of  the 
C  awford  County  Bar  in  its  early  history  when 
the  courts  were  held  at  Palestine.  The  writer 
has  been  unable  to  learn  the  date  of  his  ad- 
mission to  the  bar  or  the  date  of  his  death. 
From  the  court  records  it  would  appear  that 
his  practice  was  not  large  or  very  long  con- 
tinned,  but  papers  prepared  by  him  still  re- 
maining on  file  show  care  and  legal  skill.  He 
was  a  son  of  Wilson  Lagow,  one  of  the  oldest 
settlers  of  the  county,  and  those  who  remem- 
ber him  speak  of  him  as  a  kind,  pure-hearted 
gentleman. 

Edward  S.  Wilson,  of  the  Richland  County 
Bar,  is  a  native  of  this  county,  and  entered 
the  practice  in  Robinson  about  the  year  1860. 
In  1863  he  was  appointed  State's  attorney  for 
the  circuit  and  for  several  years  discharged 
the  duties  of  that  office  with  ability.  During 
his  official  term  he  removed  to  Olney,  where 
he  ?ti.l  has  a  large  praetice,  and  stands  among 
the  foremost  members  of  the  bar  in  that 
county. 

Henry  C  Firebaugh,  now  a  member  of  the 
San  Francisco  Bar,  is  also  a  native  of  this 
county.     He  read   law  in    the   office  of  Mr. 


Callahan  and  was  admitted  to  practice  in 
1864,  and  remained  a  short  time  in  the  county 
when  he  went  to  California,  where  he  has 
been  rewarded  with  a  very  large  measure  of 
success. 

In  the  olden  time  when  judges  and  lawyers 
"  rode  the  circuit "  together,  such  men  as 
Gen.  W.  F.  Snider,  Hon.  O.  B.  Ficklin,  .Judge 
Charles  H.  Constable,  Joseph  G.  Bowman, 
William  Harrow,  Senator  John  M.  Robinson, 
John  Scholfield  and  E.  B.  Webb  were  often 
seen  at  the  bar  of  this  county  and  talcs  are 
still  told  by  the  "old  settlers"  of  the  con- 
ti'sts  that  took  place  between  these  giants  of 
the  law  in  courts  where  there  were  but 
few  books,  and  plausible  speeches  were  of 
much  more  value  than  they  are  at  the  pres- 
ent time  in  winning  verdicts  from  either  court 
orjurv.  The  limits  of  this  chapter  forbid 
more  than  a  mere  mention  of  the  names  of 
these  old  men,  the  most  of  whom  have  been 
summoned  to  a  "bench  and  bar  beyond  the 
murky  clouds  of  time." 

The  present  bar  of  Crawford  County  con- 
ists  of  the  following  membars: 

The  Hon.  Franklin  Robb  who  was  born 
Februarj'  15,  A.  D.  1817,  in  Gibson  County, 
Indiana,  and  was  licensed  to  practice  law  in 
Indiana  in  January,  A.  D.  ISlo.  Licensed 
in  Illinois  in  the  year  1847,  and  began  prac- 
tice in  Robinson  in  1851. 

Ethelbert  Callahan  was  born  in  Licking 
County,  Ohio,  December  17,  A.  D.  1839. 
Admitted  to  the  bar  in  1860,  and  practiced 
in  Robinson  since  1S61. 

Jacob  C.  Olwin  was  born  December  6, 
1838,  near  Dayton,  Ohio,  and  admitted  to  the 
bar  in  1864,  and  has  practiced  in  this  county 
since  that  time. 

George  N.  Parker  was  born  April  9, 
1843,  in  Crawford  County,  Illinois,  and  was 
admitted  to  practice  in  the  State  Courts  June 
IS,  1870,  and  in  the  Supreme  Court  of  the 
United  States  December  9,  A.  D.  1S78. 


'i^&c^e^^a^ 


^^^^i.^^.^^ 


HISTORY  OF  CRAWFORD  COUNTY. 


65 


Presley  G.  Bradbury  was  born  in  Crawford 
County,  Illinois,  October  6,  18i7,  and  ad- 
mitted to  the  l)ar  in  Illinois  on  the  4th  day  of 
July,   1876,  and   in    Indiana   in    November, 

isrs. 

James  O.  Steel  was  born  in  Crawford 
County,  Illinois,  on  the  7th  day  of  Jan- 
uary, 1848,  and  admitted  to  the  bar  in  Jan- 
uary, A.  D.  18r3. 

John  Calvin  Maxwell  was  born  in  Craw- 
ford County,  Illinois,  on  the  26th  day  of 
September,  A.  D.  181:7,  and  admitted  to 
the  bar  on  the  7th  day  of  January,  A.  D. 
1876. 

Singleton  B.  Allen  was  born  in  Parke 
County,  Indiana,  on  the  7th  day  of  Septem- 
ber, A.  D.  1840,  and  admitted  to  the  bar 
in  the  State  of  Illinois,  on  the  29th  day  of 
January,  1863. 

Mathias  C.  Mills  was  born  in  the  State  of 
Indiana  on  the  22d  day  of  February,  A.  D. 
1838,  and  admitted  to  the  bar  in  the  State 
of  Indiana  March  17,  A.  D.  18G1,  and  in  the 
State  of  Illinois  Sept.  27,  A.  D.  1882. 

Alfred   H.   Jones   was   born    in   Crawford 


County,  Illinois,  on  the  -Ith  day  of  July, 
A.  D.  ]850,  and  admitted  to  the  bar  in  Illi- 
nois on  the  14th  day  of  .June,  A.  D.  1875. 

Joseph  B.  Crowley  was  born  in  Coshocton 
County,  Ohio,  on  the  19th  day  of  July, 
A.  D.  1858,  and  admitted  to  the  bar  in  Illi- 
nois on  the  15th  day  of  June,  A.  D.  1882. 

Enoch  E.  Newlin  was  born  in  Crawford 
County,  Illinois,  on  the  22d  of  February, 
A.  D.  1858,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in 
Illinois  in  June,  A.  D.  1882. 

Lucian  N.  Barlow  was  born  in  Crawford 
Countv,  Illinois,  on  the  1st  day  of  Novem- 
ber, A.  D.  1854,  and  admitted  to  the  bar  in 
Illinois  on  the  17th  day  of  June,  A.  D.  1882. 

The  present  bar  of  Crawford  County  will 
compare  favorably  with  the  bar  of  any  of  the 
surrounding  counties,  both  in  legal  ability 
and  personal  character.  The  majority  of  its 
members  are  young  men  with  the  larger  part 
of  their  professional  life  yet  before  them.  So 
far  they  have  done  well  and  their  present 
standing  gives  promise  that  the  high  charac- 
ter of  the  county  bar  in  the  past  will  be 
maintained  in  the  future. 


CHAPTER    VI. 


INTERNAL  IMPROVEMENTS— THP:  FIRST  ROADS  AND    BRIDGES-KAILROADS-COMINCx    OF 

THE  IRON  HORSE— THE  OLD  WABASH  VALLEY  ROUTE-PARIS  AND    DANVILLE 

—ITS    COMPLETION,    CHANGES    AND    CONDITION-EAST    AND  WEST 

RAILROAD  PROJECTS— THE  NARROW  C4ADGE-VALUE  AND 

ECONOMY  OF  THE  SYSTEM— OTHER  ROADS  THAT 

WERE    NEVER   BUILT,  AND  NEVER 

WILL  BE,  ETC.,  ETC. 


THE  building  of  roads  and  the  construction 
of  highways  and  bridges,  rank  as  the  most 
important  public  improvements  of  a  State  or 
a  county.  When  the  first  whites  came  to 
Crawford  County,  the  canoe  of  the  Indian 
still  shot  along  the  streams;  the  crack  of  his 
rifle  echoed  through  the  solitudes  of  the  great 
forests,  and  the  paths  worn  by  his  moccasined 
feet  were  alone  the  guiding  trails  of  the  emi- 
grant's wagon.  There  were  no  roads  through 
the  country,  nor  bridges  over  the  streams. 
But  as  soon  as  the  white  people  obtained  a 
hold  in  the  country,  and  became  firmly  set- 
tled, they  turned  their  thoughts  to  roads  and 
highways.  Among  the  first  acts  of  the 
County  Court  after  its  organization  was  the 
laying  out  of  a  road  from  the  house  of  Ed- 
ward N.  Cullom's  to  the  head  of  Walnut 
Prairie,  and  another  from  the  same  place  to 
Jones'  ferry.  In  1823  the  first  important 
highway  was  laid  out  under  an  act  of  the  Leg- 
islature, viz:  a  road  from  Palestine  to  Van- 
dalia.  This  was  the  commencement  of  road 
building  in  the  county,  and,  while  the  system 
of  wagon  roads  are  not  of  the  best  quality, 
yet  they  compare  favorably  with  the  roads  in 
any  prairie  country,  where  the  material  for 
macadamizing  is  not  plentiful,  or  to  be  easily 
obtained.     There  are  places  on   the   Wabash 

_     *  By  W.  H.  Perrin.  .  ... 


River,  however,  where  good  material  £or  mak- 
ing roads  may  be  had,  but  the  people  have  not 
yet  awakened  to  the  necessity  of  using  it  for 
that  purpose.  Although  the  roads  of  the 
county  are  poor  in  quality,  they  are  sufficient 
in  quantity  for  all  practical  purposes  and 
matters  of  convenience,  and  may  be  thus 
clas  ed:  good  in  summer  but  execrable  in 
winter. 

The  first  bridge  built  in  the  county  was 
across  Lamotte  Creek  at  or  near  Palestine, 
and  was  rather  a  rude  affair.  We  find  in  the 
early  court  proceedings  an  order  allowing  a 
small  sum  for  the  use  of  a  "whip  saw,"  for 
sawing  lumber  for  this  bridge.  As  the  people 
grew  well-to-do,  and  increased  in  worldly 
goods,  they  devoted  more  attention  to  inter- 
nal improvements,  by  building  roads  and 
bridges  wherever  required,  until  to-day  we 
find  the  county  well  supplied  with  these 
marks  of  civilization. 

Jtailroads. — But  the  grand  system  of  in- 
ternal improvements  are  the  railroads.  They 
surpass  all  others,  and  affect,  more  or  less, 
every  occupation  of  interest.  Agriculture, 
manufactures,  commerce,  city  and  country 
life,  banking,  finance,  law,  and  even  govern- 
ment itself,  have  all  felt  their  influence.  But 
especially  has  it  contributed  to  the  material 
organization  for  the  diffusion  of  culture 
among  the  people,  thus  preparing  the   condi- 


HISTORY  OF  CRAWFORD  COUNTY. 


67 


tioiis  for  a  new  step  in  social  proirress. 
Wholly  unknown  three  fourths  of  a  century 
ago,  the  railroad  has  become  tlie  greatest 
single  factor  in  the  development  of  the  ma- 
terial progress,  not  only  of  the  United  States 
and  of  the  other  civilized  nations  of  the 
earth,  but  its  blessings  are  being  rapidly  ex- 
tended into  the  hitherto  semi-civilized  and 
barb.irous  portions  of  the  globe. 

The  earliest  attempts  at  railroad  building 
in  the  West  originated  in  the  desire  to  ennch 
that  vast  domain  by  the  system  of  internal 
improvements.  This  fever  of  speculation 
broke  out  in  several  parts  of  the  United 
States  about  the  year  1835.  It  appeared  in 
Pennsylvania,  Ohio,  Indiana  and  Illinois 
nearly  at  the  same  time,  and,  when  past,  left 
an  enormous  debt  on  each.  In  Illinois,  it 
amounted  to  nearly  fifteen  millions,  while  in 
Pennsylvania  it  was  more  than  double  that 
amount,  and  in  Ohio  and  Indiana  it  was  near- 
ly equal  to  Illinois.  Examination  of  the 
legislative  acts  of  the  Prairie  State  at  that 
period,  discloses  an  almost  unbroken  line  of 
acts  for  the  construction  of  some  highway, 
which  was  destined  only  to  partially  see  the 
light  of  day  in  detached  parcels,  some  of 
which  still  remain  as  silent  monuments  of  a 
supreme  legislative  and  popular  folly.  When 
the  collapse  came,  in  1837,  and  work  on  all 
was  entirely  suspended,  only  the  old  North- 
ern-Cross Railroad — now  a  part  of  the  Wa- 
bash, St.  Louis  &  Pacific — was  found  in  a 
condition  fit  to  warrant  completion,  and  that 
only  for  a  short  distance.  It  was  originally 
intended  to  extend  from  Meredosia  through 
Jacksonville,  Sijringfield,  Decatur  and  13an- 
ville  to  the  eastern  line  of  the  State,  where  it 
was  expected  it  would  be  joined  to  some  road 
in  Indiana  and  be  continued  eastward.  A 
vast  quantity  of  flat  bar  rails  had  been  pur- 
chased in  England  by  the  agents  of  the  State, 
at  an  enormous  expense,  too;  and  quite  a 
quantity  had  been  brought  to  Meredosia,  pre- 


paratory to  being  laid  on  the  track.  In  the 
s[iring  of  1838,  some  eight  miles  of  this  old 
track  were  laid,  and  on  the  8th  day  of  No- 
vember of  that  vear,  a  small  locomotive,  the 
"  Rogers,"  made  in  England  and  shipped 
here  in  pieces — "knocked  down,"  as  we 
would  say  at  the  present  day — was  put  to- 
gether and  made  atrial  trip  on  the  road.  It  was 
the  first  locomotive  that  ever  turned  a  wheel 
in  the  Mississippi  Valley,  and  on  the  day  of 
this  trial  trip,  carried  George  W.  Plant  as 
engineer;  Murray  McConnell,  one  of  the 
Commissioners  of  Public  Works;  Gov.  Dun- 
can, James  Dunlap  and  Thomas  T.  January, 
contractors;  Charles  Collins  and  Myron  Les- 
lie, of  St.  Louis. 

The  most  imposing  ceremonies  character- 
ized the  laying  of  the  first  rail  on  this  road 
May  9,  1837;  and  on  through  the  summer, 
the  work  proo;ressed  slowly  until  when,  as  al- 
ready stated,  the  locomotive  made  the  pioneer 
trial  trip  in  the  Valley  of  the  Great  West. 
Only  twelve  years  before  had  the  first  rail- 
road train  made  a  trip  in  th«*new  continent; 
and  only  a  }-ear  or  two  before  this,  had  the 
first  application  of  steam  been  successfully 
made  in  this  manner  in  England.  The  first 
practical  locomotive  was  probably  invented 
by  a  Frenchman,  Joseph  Cugnot,  of  Void, 
Lorraine,  France.  He  made  a  three-wheeled 
road-wagon  in  1770,  which  was  used  with 
some  success  in  experimenting;  but  owing  to 
the  French  Revolution  breaking  out  soon 
alter,  the  machine  was  abandoned,  and  is  now 
in  the  museum  at  Metiers.  One  of  the  first 
locomotives  built  for  use  in  America  was 
made  for  Oliver  Evans,  who,  owing  to  the  in- 
credulity existing  at  that  day,  could  not  get 
the  necessary  permits  required  by  the  State 
Legislature  to  erect  one  here,  and  sent  to 
London,  where,  in  1801,  a  high-pressure  lo- 
comotive was  built  for  him.  It  was  not,  how- 
ever, until  1830  that  one  was  built  in  the 
United  States.    That  year  Peter  Cooper,  then 


68 


HT.STORY  OF  CRAWFORD  COUNTY. 


an  enterprising  mechanic  and  builder,  con- 
structed an  excellent  one  for  the  day,  with 
which,  on  the  38th  of  August  of  that  year, 
he  made  a  public  trial,  running  it  from  Balti- 
more to  Ellicott's  Mills,  twenty-six  miles,  at 
an  average  speed  of  twelve  miles  per  hour. 
From  that  date  the  erection  of  American  lo- 
comotives became  a  reality.  Now  they  are 
the  best  in  the  world. 

The  first  railway  ever  built,  was  a  simple 
tramway  of  wooden  rails,  used  in  the  collier- 
ies in  the  North  of  England.  It  is  difficult 
to  determine  whon  they  began  to  be  used — 
probably  early  in  the  seventeenth  century. 
The  covering  of  the  wooden  rail  with  iron  was 
only  a  question  of  time,  to  be,  in  its  turn,  dis- 
placed by  a  cast-iron  rail;  that,  by  a  malleable 
one,  which,  in  turn,  gave  way  to  the  present 
steel  rail. 

AVhen  the  use  of  steam  applied  to  road 
wagons  came  to  be  agitated,  one  of  the  first 
uses  it  was  put  to  was  the  hauling  the  cars  to 
and  from  the  coal  mines.  By  and  by,  pas- 
sengers began  to  ride  on  them;  then  cars  for 
their  use  were  made;  then  roads  were  built 
between  important  commercial  points,  and 
with  the  improvement  of  the  locomotive,  and 
increase  of  speed,  the  railway  carriage  came 
to  be  a  palace,  and  the  management,  construc- 
tion and  care  of  railroads  one  of  the  most  stu- 
pendous enterprises  of  the  age. 

The  first  tramway,  or  railway,  in  America 
was  built  from  Quincy,  Mass.,  to  the  granite 
quarries,  three  miles  distant.  The  first  rail- 
vvay,  built  in  America,  on  which  "steam- 
cars"  were  used,  was  the  Mohawk  &  Hudson 
Road,  completed  in  1831.  On  the  9th  day  of 
August  of  that  year,  the  pioneer  passenojer 
train  of  America  was  hauled  over  this  road, 
drawn  by  the  third  American  locomotive, 
John  B.  Jervis,  engineer.  The  train  con- 
sisted of  three  old-fashioned  coaches,  fastened 
together  by  chains,  which,  in  the  sudden 
starting    and    stopping,     severely    jolted    the 


passengers — so  much  so,  that  fence  rails  were 
placed  tightly  between  the  cars,  thus  keeping 
the  chains  taut.  From  the  rugged  Eastern 
States,  the  transition  to  the  level  prairies  of 
the  West  was  an  easy  matter,  culminating  in 
the  eflForts  already  described. 

When  the  great  collapse  of  the  internal  im- 
profement  system  came,  leaving  only  one 
small  road  of  a  few  miles  in  length,  so  far 
completed  as  to  warrant  work  to  be  continued 
on  it,  the  shock  was  so  great  that  it  was 
twelve  years  before  another  was  begun  and 
put  in  working  order.  In  February,  1850,  the 
Chicago  &  Elgin  (now  the  Chicago  &  North- 
western) Railroad  was  completed  to  Elgin, 
and  a  train  of  cars  run  from  one  city  to  the 
other.  From  that  date,  until  now,  the  march 
of  progress  in  railroad  development  has  been 
uninterrupted  and  constant. 

During  the  speculative  fever  that  raged 
throughout  the  Western  States,  and  the  extrav- 
agant legislation  on  internal  improvements, 
several  railroad  enterprises  were  inaugurated, 
then  abandoned,  but  with  returning  prosperity 
and  confidence  taken  up  again  and  roads 
finally  constructed.  The  route  from  Terre 
Haute  to  Alton  is  one,  whose  earliest  incep- 
tion may  be  traced  back  to  1835,  and  the  old 
Wabash  Valley  Railroad  (which  was  never 
built)  is  another.  It  was  not  until  about 
1849-50,  that  the  country  became  aroused 
from  its  lethargic  condition,  and  began  to 
open  its  eyes  to  a  dawning  prosperity.  By 
that  time  the  Baltimore  &  Ohio  Railroad  had 
reached  the  eastern  line  of  the  State,  and 
asked  permission  to  cross  to  St.  Louis,  its  con- 
templated western  terminus;  but  it  here  met 
with  a  check  that  took  it  years  to  overcome. 
A  "  State  Policy  "  party  sprung  up,  denying 
the  right  of  any  foreign  corporation  to  cross 
the  State,  especially  when  the  effect  be  to  en- 
rich the  neighboring  City  of  St.  Louis,  a  city 
Alton  was  vainly  endeavoring  to  outstrip  in 
the   march   of  progress,  and   which   she  then 


HISTORY  OF  CliAWFOKD  COUNTY. 


69 


confidently  expected  to  do.  This  "  State 
Policy  "  party  held  several  rousing  meetings 
in  the  furtherance  of  their  scheme — a  scheme 
delusive  in  its  effects  upon  the  State  at  large, 
and  confined  mainly  to  the  Alton  interest. 
Counter-influences  were  aroused,  however,  and 
an  antagonistic  parts^,  much  inferior  at  first, 
began  to  appear.  The  culmination  came  when 
the  Terre  Haute,  Vandalia  &  St.  Louis  Road 
asked  for  a  charter.  The  Baltimore  &  Ohio 
Road  had  succeeded  in  their  endeavor  to  build 
their  track  across  the  State,  a  right  mainly 
brought  about  by  the  press  outside  of  the 
State.  It  had,  with  one  voice,  denounced  the 
""  policy  "  as  narrow,  selfish,  mean,  contempt- 
ible and  invidious.  It  was  sustained  by  the 
press  in  the  northern  part  of  Illinois,  and  hid 
already  begun  to  open  the  eyes  of  many  influ- 
ential persons  belonging  to  the  Policy  party. 
When  the  Vandalia  Road  asked  for  its  char- 
ter the  Policy  party  exerted  themselves  to 
the  utmost  to  defeat  it,  and  for  a  time  pre- 
vailed. "While  these  affairs  were  agitating 
the  State,  Congress  had  passed  the  act  grant- 
ing a  magnificent  domain  of  land  to  the  Illi- 
nois Central  Railroad.  The  United  States 
Senators  from  Illinois  wrote  letters  to  many 
influential  men  at  home,  urging  upon  them 
the  necessity  of  being  more  liberal  in  their 
acts  to  foreign  corporations,  and  not  attempt 
to  arrogate  to  the  State,  a  right  she  could  not 
expect  to  possess.  They  further  urged  that  the 
donation  from  the  general  government  could 
not  have  been  secured  had  not  they  pledged 
their  earnest  effort  to  wipe  out  this  disgrace- 
ful policy.  These  influences  had  their  effect. 
The  "Brough"  road,  so-called  from  its  prin- 
cipal projector,  afterward  Governor  of  Ohio, 
gained  a  charter  and  was  enabled  to  begin 
work  on  its  proposed  Vandalia  line.  In  the 
meanwhile  influences  were  working  to  build 
anew  the  projected  roads  of  the  improvement 
period.     But  to  the  roads  of  this  county. 


Southern  Illinois  was  far  behind  the  central 
and  northern  portions  of  the  State  in  railroad 
progress,  and  it  is  but  recently  that  Crawford 
County  could  boast  of  a  railroad,  though 
efforts  were  made  for  one  many  years  ago. 
Among  the  railroad  projects  which  have 
agitated  this  section  of  the  country,  and  in 
which  the  people  of  the  county  have  taken 
more  or  less  interest,  may  be  mentioned  the 
following:  "  The  Wahiish  Valley  Railroad," 
"  St.  Louis  &  Cincinnati,"  "  Terre  Haute  & 
Southwestern,"  "Chicago,  Danville  &  Vincen- 
nes,"  "  Tuscola  &  Vincennes,"  "  Paris  &  Dan- 
ville," "  East  &  West  Narrow  Gauge,"  "  Indi- 
ana &  Illinois  Commercial,"  "  Pana  &  Vin- 
cennes," "  Cincinnati  &  St.  Louis  Straight 
Line,"  etc.,  etc.  Of  these  the  Paris  &  Dan- 
ville, novp  a  division  of  the  Wabash,  and  the 
East  &  West  Narrow  Gauge  Road,  are  all 
that  have  been  carried  to  completion. 

The  building  of  the  Paris  &  Danville, 
grew  out  of  the  old  project  of  the  Wabash 
Valley  Railroad.  The  latter  was  agitated  as 
far  back  as  1850-52,  and  its  origin,  doubtless, 
might  be  traced  still  farther  back — to  the  pe- 
riod of  the  Internal  Improvement  fever.  The 
project  was  well  conceived,  and  had  it  been 
carried  out  at  that  day,  it  would  have  proved 
a  formidable  rival  to  the  Illinois  Central.  It 
was  intended  to  extend  from  Chicago  to  Vin- 
cennes, and  ultimately  to  the  Ohio  River, 
thus  connecting  the  commerce  of  that  great 
water  highway,  with  the  lakes  of  the  north. 
A  company  was  formed,  under  the  title  of  the 
"Wabash  Valley  Railroad  Company,"  and 
work  commenced,  and  prosecuted  with  more 
or  less  activity,  for  several  years.  Much  of 
the  grading  was  done  in  this  county,  as  may 
still  be  seen  between  Huisonville  and  Pales- 
tine, which  was  the  settled  route  of  the  road. 
But  the  hard  times,  an  insufficiency  of  capital, 
the  general  indifference  manifested  toward  it 
in   portions  of  the  country  through  which  it 


70 


HISTORY  OF  CRAWFORD  COUNTY. 


p.issod,  and  dowiu-ig-lit  opposition  in  otlicrs, 
had  their  effect,  and  the  project  was  finally 
abandoned. 

After  the  close  of  the  war,  the  enterprise 
of  a  road  from  Chicago  to  the  Wabash  Valley 
was  again  agitated  under  the  title  of  "Chicago, 
Danville  &  Vinccnnes  Railroad."  As  such  it 
was  chartered  February  16,  180.5,  and  the 
main  line  put  in  operation  in  1872.  After 
numerous  changes  it  hocame  the  Chicago  & 
Eastern  Illinois,  and  with  leased  lines  extends 
from  Chicago  via  Danville,  through  Indiana 
to  Evansville.  March  3,  18G9.  the  Paris  & 
Danville  Railroad  Company  was  organized, 
to  extend  the  Chicago,  Danville  &  Vincennes 
on  south  through  Illinois  instead  of  through 
Indiana,  as  then  seemed  the  intention  of  the 
latter  company.  The  road  was  ]iut  in  opera- 
tion from  Danville  to  Paris  in  September, 
1873,  aljout  the  time  the  Chicago,  Danville  & 
Vinccnnes  was  finished,  but  was  not  com- 
pleted to  Robinson  until  in  August,  187.3. 
During  the  same  fall  it  was  finished  to  Law- 
renceville,  on  the  Ohio  &  Mississippi,  and 
connection  made  with  that  road,  and  arrange- 
ments effected,  by  which  the  P.  &  D.  trains 
commenced  running  into  Vincennes  in  May, 
1876,  over  the  O.  &  M.  tracks.  This  was  the 
first  railroad  (out  of  all  the  railroad  projects 
agitated  from  time  to  time)  completed 
through  Crawford  County. 

The  Paris  &  Danville  was  built  on  the  old 
grade  of  the  Wabash  Valley  Railroad  in  this 
county,  until  after  leaving  Hutsonville,  when 
it  diverged  to  the  west  in  order  to  tap  Rob- 
inson. It  proved  of  considerable  advantage 
to  the  county,  and  to  the  country  generally, 
through  which  it  passed — although  from  its 
very  completion  it  has  been  but  poorly  man- 
aged. There  is  no  just  reason  why  it  should 
not  be  a  valuable  and  profitable  road,  if  kept 
in  good  condition.  In  August,  1875,  a  re- 
ceiver was  appointed,  and  the  road  operated 
by  him  until  June  30,  1879.     The  purchasers 


then  operated  it  fcjr  a  few  months,  when,  on 
the  8th  of  Octol)fr  following,  a  new  company, 
under  the  title  of  "•  Danville  &  Southwestern," 
was  formed,  and  took  possession  of  the  prop- 
el ty.  This  company  bought,  or  leased  the 
Cairo  &  Vincennes  Railroad,  built  a  link  from 
Lawrenceville  to  St.  Francisville  on  the  latter 
road,  thus  making  a  complete  and  direct  line 
from  Danville  to  Cairo.  In  September,  1881, 
it  was  consolidated  with  the  Wabash,  St. 
Louis  &  Pacific  Railway,  and  has  since  been 
operated  as  a  division  of  the  Wabash  system. 

The  Danville  &  Southwestern,  or,  as  now 
known,  Wabash,  St.  Louis  &  Pacific,  passes 
through  as  fine  a  section  of  country  as  may 
be  found  in  the  State.  Together  with  the 
Chicago  &  Eastern  Illinois,  with  which  it 
connects  at  Danville,  it  forms  an  unbroken 
line  from  Cairo  to  Cliicago,  that  is  said  to  be 
eleven  miles  shorter  than  by  the  Illinois  (Cen- 
tral. But  the  dilapidated  and  even  danger- 
ous condition  in  whicli  the  road  is  allowed  to 
remain,  and  the  arbitrary  manner  in  which  it 
is  managed,  is  a  reproach  to  the  Wabash 
company,  and  a  disgrace  to  the  country 
through  which  it  extends.  The  Railroad 
Commissioners,  and  the  people  who  must 
necessarily  patronize  it,  and  who  aided  in 
building  it,  should  take  the  matter  into  their 
own  hands,  and  compel  its  improvement,  or 
stop  its  operation. 

An  east  and  west  railroad  through  this 
county  is  an  old  project,  and  one  agitated 
years  ago.  A  company  was  organized  in 
1869  at  Sullivan,  Ind.,  as  the  "Indiana  &  Illi- 
nois Commercial  Railroad  Company,"  for 
the  purpose  of  building  a  railroad  from 
Worthington,  Ind.,  to  Vandalia,  111.  In  No- 
vember, 1809,  a  vote  was  taken  in  Crawford 
County,  to  donate  )S100,000  to  this  road,  and 
carried  by  430  majority  in  favor  of  the  dona- 
tion. Tho  company  was  reorganized,  or, 
rather,  a  new  one  formed,  which  was  entitled 
the  "  St.  Louis  &   Cincinnati   Railroad  Com- 


HISTORY   OF  CRAWFORD  COUNTY. 


71 


psny,"  and  the  vote  of  the  county  again 
taken  upon  the  proposed  donation  of 
$100,000,  and  again  carried  by  a  good  ma- 
jority. At  the  same  time  the  townships  of 
Oblong,  Robinson  and  I>amotte,  voted  an  ad- 
ditional donation  of  $20,000  each.  The  agi- 
tation of  the  project  was  kept  up  for  several 
vears,  and  considerable  interest  manifested 
by  the  leading  citizens  of  the  county,  and  a 
strong  belief  prevailed  that  it  would  be  built 
at  no  distant  day.  The  enterprise,  however, 
smouldered  for  awhile,  and  about  1875-6  it  was 
revived,  and  the  idea  entertained  of  building  a 
narrow  gauge  railroad  upon  the  contemplated 
line.  The  project  of  building  a  narrow 
gauge  road  from  Terre  Haute  to  Cincinnati 
was  receiving  considerable  attention,  a  matter 
that  seemed  favorable  to  the  building  the 
east  and  west  road  through  this  county  upon 
the  same  gauge  to  connect  with  the  former 
road  somewhere  east  of  the  Wabash  River. 

Upon  the  subject  of  narrow  gauge  rail- 
roads in  place  of  our  present  system,  a  late 
writer  says:  "As  fast  as  the  different  lines 
wear  out  and  need  rebuilding,  the  narrow 
three  foot  g:aua:e  is  claimino;  a  large  share  of 
the  attention  of  railroad  men  and  capitalists; 
and  it  seems  not  improbable  that  the  argu- 
ments in  favor  of  a  complete  reorganization 
of  our  railroad  traffic,  will  become  so  strong 
in  a  few  years  as  to  make  the  three  foot 
gauge  as  prevalent  in  this  country  as  the  old 
four  foot  ten  inches  has  been  and  is  now. 
The  first  argument  consists  in  the  economy 
of  construction — the  narrow  gauge  costing 
but  little,  if  any,  over  50  per  cent,  per  mile 
upon  the  cost  of  present  roads.  The  grad- 
ing and  embanking  require  vastly  less  labor, 
while  for  ties,  iron,  spikes,  etc.,  there  is  a  cor- 
responding reduction.  Another  point  in  their 
favor  is  the  facility  and  cheapness  with  which 
the  narrow  gauge  cars  can  be  run  after  being 
built.         ****** 

"  Gen.  Rosecrans,  an  eminent  engineer,  in 


a  letter  published  a  few  years  ago,  which  at- 
tracted much  attention  among  railroad  men, 
showed  from  official  records  that  the  cost  of 
the  railroads  of  the  country  up  to  the  close  of 
the  year  1867  (39,244  miles),  amounted  to 
$1,600,000,000.  The  narrow  gauge  would 
have  been  built  from  30  to  50  per  cent, 
cheaper,  while  the  cost  of  transporting  thereon 
would  have  been  reduced  at  about  the  same 
rate.  When  we  compute  the  money  that 
might  have  been  saved  in  the  original  con- 
struction, and  also  the  annual  saving  accru- 
ing from  decreased  expenditures  under  the 
narrow  gauge  system,  we  find  ourselves  in  pos- 
session of  an  aggregate  amounting  to  nearly 
one  half  of  the  national  debt.  But  the  amount 
to  be  saved  when  the  railroad  system  of  the 
country  in  the  future  becomes  well-nigh  de- 
veloped by  the  narrow  gauge,  supposing  the 
fi<rures  ffiven  to  be  accurate  and  reliable,  are 
prodigious."  A  work  published  a  few  years 
ago  shows  that,  should  the  States  composing 
the  present  Union  come  to  have  railway 
mileage  "  averaging  what  Ohio  already  has," 
it  would  give  us  165,800  miles.  The  result 
then  of  the  new  system  is  something  worth 
considering.  It  requires  but  little  mathe- 
matical genius  to  calculate  the  sum  to  be 
thus  saved  in  railroad  construction  and  man-, 
agement. 

The  east  and  west  road,  after  many  ups 
and  downs,  was  built  through  the  county  as 
the  Springfield,  Effingham  and  Southeastern 
narrow  gauge  railroad,  and  trains  put  on  it 
in  the  summer  of  1880.  A  bridge  was  built 
across  the  Wabash  River,  and  the  trains  began 
running  through  from  Effingham  to  Swissi 
City  in  December  following,  the  road  doingi 
an  excellent  business.  But  the  bridge  was 
washed  away  in  January,  1882,  and  has  not 
yet  been  rebuilt.  Everything  now  must  be 
transferred  at  the  river  by  boat  to  the  Indi- 
ana division,  thus  causing  great  inconven- 
ience, and  losing  to  the  road  much  freight  andl 


HISTORY  OF  CU.VWFOHD  COUNTY. 


business  that  it  would  otherwise  receive. 
All  things  considered,  the  little  narrow 
gau^e  is  a  better  road,  is  in  better  condition, 
and  much  safer  to  the  traveling  public  than 
the  Wabash,  which,  after  all,  is  saying  but 
little  to  the  credit  of  the  narrow  gauge. 

The  Terre  Haute  &  Southwestern  Railroad 
was  ail  enterprise  that  at  one  time  excited 
considerable  interest  in  this  county.  It  was 
to  start  from  Terre  Haute,  cross  the  Waljash 
somewhere  between  Darwin  and  York,  and 
thence  in  a  southwesterly  direction,  via  01- 
ney  or  Flora,  tap  the  Mississippi  River  at  a 
convenient  place,  and  so  on  to  a  southwestern 
terminus.     This  route   would  open  up  a  re- 


gion then  having  but  few  railroads,  a  region 
rich  in  mineral  wealth,  as  well  as  in  agricult- 
ural resources.  Lines  were  surveyed,  work 
was  commenced  and  some  grading  done  in 
places.  Much  of  the  timber  for  the  bridge 
over  the  Wabash  was  gotten  oat  and  col- 
lected at  the  place  of  crossing,  and  every- 
thing seemed  to  indicate  the  building  of  the 
road.  But  amid  the  great  number  of  railroad 
projects  of  the  country,  it  was  lost  or  swal- 
lowed up,  and  now  it  is,  we  believe,  wholly 
abandoned.  The  same  fate  has  overtaken  a 
number  of  other  railroads  which,  had  they 
all  been  completed,  would  have  made  Craw- 
ford County  a  perfect  network  of   iron   rails. 


CHAPTER    YIL* 

THE  "RAGING"  WABASH— IMPROVEMENT  OF  ITS  NAVIGATION— BOATING  IN  THE  EARLY 
TIMES— OVERFLOWS,  LEVEES,  ETC.— DAMAGE  DONE  TO  THE  FARMERS— AGRI- 
CULTURE-EARLY  MODE  OF  OPENING  AND  CULTIVATING  FARMS- 
PIONEER  PLOWS  AND  HOES— CRAWFORD  COUNTY  AGRI- 
CULTURAL SOCIETY— INCORPORATION  AND  LIST 
OP  OFFICERS— HORTICULTURE— THE 
COUNTY  POOR,  ETC.,  ETC. 


THE  improvement  of  the  Wabash  River 
is  a  question  that  has  long  agitated  the 
country  contiguous  thereto.  The  navigation 
of  tins  stream  in  the  early  settlement  of  Craw- 
ford Coun  ty  was  a  matter  in  which  the  people 
then  were  much  interested,  as  they  relied 
chiefly  upon  it  to  reach  the  best  markets  for 
the  disposal  of  their  surplus  products.  Fifty 
years  ago  boating  on  the  Wabash  vras  no  in- 
considerable business.  Flat  boats  loaded 
witii  grain,  pork,  hoop-poles,  staves,  etc.,  etc., 
were  taken  out  of  the  Wabash  every  season 
by  scores,  thence  down  the  Ohio  and  Missis- 
sippi to  New  Orleans,  which  was  then  the 
best  and  most  liberal  market  this  country 
could  reach.  Many  steamboats  used  to  come 
up  the  Wabash,  some  of  large  tonnage,  in 
high  water,  and  load  with  grain  and  pork  for 
the  Cincinnati,  Louisville  and  New  Orleans 
trade. 

Many  efforts  have  been  made  to  improve 
the  Wabash  so  as  to  make  it  a  permanent,  re- 
liable and  durable  water  highway,  and  the 
question  has  been  agitated  in  Congress  from 
time  immemorial  almost.  It  was  the  opinion 
of  many  wise  men  (who  were  interested  in 
its  improvement),  that  with  but  little  work  and 
expense  it  might  be  made  one  of  the  best  and 

*  By  W.  H.  Perrm. 


most  profitable  water  routes  in  the  whole 
country,  while  others,  with  an  equal  amount 
of  wisdom  perhaps,  but  less  pecuniary  inter- 
est, did  not  think  much  of  it  as  a  water 
highway.  Of  the  latter  class,  was  Dr.  J.  W. 
Foster,  who,  in  a  letter  to  the  New  York 
Tribune^  gave  his  opinion  as  follows: 

"  With  regard  to  the  importance  of  tlie  Wa- 
bash River  as  a  great  artery  of  trade,  I  am 
not  profoundly  impressed.  This  stream,  like 
Ohio,  each  year  its  sources  are  cleared  up 
and  its  swamps  drained,  appears  to  flow  with 
diminished  volume.  A  survey  with  reference 
to  the  improvement  of  its  navigation  has  just 
been  completed  under  direction  of  the  United 
States  Topographical  Bureau,  and  the  plan 
contemplated  is  to  remove  the  snags  and 
sawyers,  and  e.xcavate  channels  through  the 
sand-bars.  This  plan,  while  it  might  remove 
many  impediments,  would  not  increase,  but 
rather  diminish,  the  average  of  water,  by  per- 
mitting to  flow  more  freely,  and  wlien  com- 
pleted would  only  admit  of  the  navigation  of 
the  river  for  a  limited  portion  of  the  j'ear  by 
steamers  of  small  capacity.  To  slack-water 
the  river  would  be  impracticable,  for  the  in- 
tervals borderint^  the  stream  are  broad,  and 
lar^e  tracts  of  rich  land,  now  cultivated, 
would  be  inundated  and  renih^red  valueless. 
The  only  feasible  method  to  render  the  Wa- 


74 


HISTORY   OF  CRAWFORD  COUNTY. 


bash  thoroughly  navigable,  is  to  start  at  the 
head  of  Lake  Michigan,  say  at  Michigan 
City,  and  cut  a  canal,  at  least  100  feet  broad 
on  the  bottom,  to  the  northernmost  bend  of 
the  Wabash,  and  us"^  a  jDortion  of  the  water 
of  that  great  reservoir  to  keep  the  river  in  a 
boatable  condition,  except  when  closed  by 
ice.  By  this  means  water  communication  far 
cheaper  than  any  land  conveyance,  might  be 
maintained  throughout  the  entire  length  of 
the  State  of  Indiana  and  a  good  portion  of 
Illinois,  thus  uniting  the  commerce  of  the 
Ohio  and  Mississippi  Rivers  with  the  Great 
Lakes." 

The  foregoing  is  perhaps  the  most  practica- 
ble view  to  be  taken  of  the  Wabash  River 
improvement,  and  no  doubt  something  like 
that  sooner  or  later  will  be  done.  The  time 
is  not  very  far  distant,  when  water  highways 
will  receive  more  attention  than  they  do  now; 
when  they  will  be  used  by  the  people  in  self- 
defense,  that  is,  in  competing  with  great  rail- 
road monopolies.  The  subject  of  canals,  as 
affording  cheaper  transportation  for  heavy 
freights  than  railroads,  is  now  being  strono-ly 
agitated  in  many  portions  of  the  country,  and 
we  believe  it  a  question  of  but  a  few  years, 
when  the  building  of  canals,  especially  in  the 
West,  will  become  a  reality. 

Boating  on  the  Wabash,  as  we  have  said, 
was  a  big  business  years  ago.  Some  of  our 
readers,  whose  memory  extends  back  to  the 
river  period,  will  doubtless  remember,  and 
will  be  interested  in  knowing  the  time  and 
occasion  of  the  following  wrecks  on  the  Wa- 
bash: In  183(3  the  steamer  Concord,  which 
plied  between  Cincinnati  and  Lafayette,  Ind., 
was  wrecked  four  miles  below  Clinton  going 
up.  The  Highlander  sunk  two  miles  below 
Montezuma  in  1849;  the  Kentucky,  a  fine 
bo:it.  Wis  wrecked  in  1838  at  York  cut-ofF 
The  Visitor  collided  with  the  Hiram  Powers 
in  1849  at  Old  Terre  Haute.  The  Confidence 
struck  a  snag  in  Hackberry  bend  and  floated 


down  two  miles  where  she  sunk,  many  years 
ago.  "  In  those  days,"  said  an  old  river  man 
to  us,  in  speaking  of  the  river  business,  "  the 
Wabash  was  an  important  stream.  Laro-e 
vessels  constantly  plowed  her  waters  and 
an  immense  trade  was  done."  It  was  the 
only  way  the  early  settlers  had  of  getting  to 
market,  except  by  wagons  and  teams.  As 
the  country  settled,  and  towns  sprung  up, 
teaming  to  St.  Louis  and  Chicago,  relieved 
the  river  of  much  freight  which  had  formerly 
reached  market  through  that  source  alone, 
and  in  later  years  the  railroads  have  almost 
entirely  absorbed  the  river  business. 

It  would  be  of  almost  unto:d  value  to  the 
country  bordering  the  Wabash  River,  if  some 
plan  could  be  invented,  or  some  means 
adopted,  to  secure  the  lowlands  from  inunda- 
tion. Its  periodical  overflows  annually  de- 
stroy hundreds  of  thousands  of  dollars  worth 
of  property,  often  sweeping  away  in  a  few 
short  hours  a  whole  year's  labor  of  the  farm- 
er. When  the  Wabash  gets  on  the  rampage, 
it  can  cover  more  ground  than  any  other  river 
of  its  size  in  the  world  perhaps,  and  carry 
away  wheat  shocks  and  stacks,  and  overflow 
cornfiel  Is  by  wholesale.  In  the  summer  of 
IS? J,  and  again  in  1876,  it  overflowed  all  the 
low  country  bordering  it,  and  the  damage  to 
farmers  in  Crawford  County  alone  aggregated 
many  thousand  dollars.  Some  farmers  were 
almost  totally  ruined  financially,  while  all 
who  owned  and  cultivated  farms  in  the  bot- 
toms sustained  more  or  less  loss. 

A  system  of  leveeing  its  banks  was  under- 
taken a  few  years  ago,  but  has  never  been  of 
much,  if  any,  benefit  to  the  farmers  of  the 
county.  Under  a  law  of  the  Stato,  Commis- 
sioners were  appointed  to  manage  the  work. 
They  issued  bonds  and  taxed  people  accord- 
ing to  the  amount  of  benefit  they  would 
probably  receive  from  the  levee.  Much  of 
the  work  was  done,  and  the  contractors  were 
paid  in  bonds,  which  they  afterward  sold,  or 


HISTORY  OF  CRAWFORD  COUNTY. 


75 


entleavoic'd  to  sell,  as  best  thtn'  cnuid.  The 
levee  was  never  completed,  a  fact  which  ren- 
dered that  portion  built,  valueless.  Squab- 
bles and  differences  arose  among  those  inter- 
ested; law  suits  followed,  and  finally  the 
Supreme  Court  decided  that  the  levee  bonds 
were  unconstitutional.  The  matter  thus 
ended  in  a  grand  fizzle.  Some  who  invested 
in  the  bonds  sustained  considerable  loss,  and 
are  not  yet  through  swearing  at  the  enter- 
prise. Indeed,  the  subject  of  levee  bonds 
is  scarcely  a  safe  topic  of  conversation  to  this 
day  in  a  miscellaneous  crowd  in  the  eastern 
part  of  the  county. 

Agriculture.- — This  science  is  the  great 
source  of  our  prosperity,  and  is  a  subject  in 
which  we  are  all  interested.  It  is  said  that 
"  gold  is  the  jiower  that  moves  the  world," 
and  it  might  truthfully  be  said  that  agricult- 
ure is  the  power  that  moves  gold.  All  thriv- 
ing interests,  all  prosperous  industries,  trades 
and  professions,  receive  their  means  of  sup- 
]3ort,  either  directly  or  indirectly,  from  the 
farming  interests  of  the  country.  Its  prog- 
ress in  Crawford  for  nearly  three  quarters  of 
a  century,  is  not  the  least  interesting  nor  the 
least  important  part  in  its  history.  The  pio- 
neers who  commenced  tilling  the  soil  here 
with  a  few  rude  implements  of  husbandry, 
laid  the  foundation  of  that  perfect  system  of 
agriculture  we  find  at  the  present  day.  They 
were  mostly  poor  and  compelled  to  labor  for 
a  support,  and  it  required  brave  hearts,  strong 
arms  and  willing  hands — just  such  as  they 
possessed — to  conquer  the  difficulties  with 
which  they  had  to  contend. 

Jolinston,  in  his  "  Chemistry  of  Common 
Life,"  gives  the  following  graphic  descrip- 
tion of  the  system  of  farming  commonly 
adopted  by  the  first  settlers  on  this  continent, 
and  which  applies  to  a  single  county  with  as 
much  force  as  to  the  country  at  large.  He 
says:  "  Man  exercises  an  influence  on  the 
Boil  which  is  worthy  of  attentive    study.     He 


lands  in  a  new  country  and  fertility  every- 
where surrounds  him.  The  herbage  waves 
thick  and  high,  and  the  massive  trees  sway 
their  proud  stems  loftily  toward  the  sky.  He 
clears  a  farm  from  the  wilderness,  and  ample 
returns  of  corn  repay  him  for  his  simple  la- 
bor. He  plows,  he  sows,  he  reaps,  and  from 
the  seemingly  exhaustless  bosom  of  the  earth 
gives  back  abundant  harvests.  But  at  length 
a  change  appears,  creeping  slowly  over  and 
gradually  dimming  the  smiling  landscape. 
The  corn  is  first  less  beautiful,  then  less  abun- 
dant, and  at  last  it  appears  to  die  altogether 
beneath  the  scourge  of  an  unknown  insect  or 
a  parasitic  fungus.  He  forsakes,  therefore, 
his  long  cultivated  farm,  and  hews  out  an- 
other from  the  native  forest.  But  tlie  same 
early  plenty  is  followed  by  the  same  vexa- 
tious disasters.  His  neighbors  partake  of  the 
same  experience.  They  advance  like  a  devour- 
ing tide  against  the  verdant  woods,  they  tram- 
ple them  beneath  their  advancing  culture; 
the  ax  levels  its  3'early  prey,  and  generation 
after  generation  proceeds  in  the  same  direc- 
tion— a  wall  of  green  forests  on  the  horizon 
before  them,  a  half-desert  and  naked  region 
behind.  Such  is  the  history  of  colonial  cult- 
ure in  our  own  epoch;  such  is  the  history  01 
the  march  of  European  cultivation  over  the 
entire  continent  of  America.  No  matter 
what  the  geological  origin  of  the  soil  may  be, 
or  what  the  chemical  composition;  no  matter 
how  warmth  and  moisture  may  favor  it,  or 
what  the  staple  crop  it  has  patiently  yielded 
from  year  to  year;  the  same  inevitable  fate, 
overtakes  it.  The  influence  of  long,  contin- 
ual human  action  overcomes  the  tendencies 
of  all  natural  causes.  But  the  influences  of 
man  upon  the  productions  of  the  soil  are  ex- 
hibited in  other  and  more  satisfactory  results. 
The  improver  takes  the  place  of  the  exhauster, 
and  follows  his  footsteps  on  these  same  al- 
tered lands.  Over  the  sandy  and  forsaken 
tracts    of    Virginia     and    the    Carolinas     he 


76 


HISTORY  OF  CRAWrORD  COUNTY. 


spreads  large  applications  of  shelly  marl,  and 
the  herbage  soon  covers  it  again,  and  profita- 
ble crops;  or  he  strews  on  it  a  thinner  sow- 
ing of  gypsum,  and  as  if  by  magic,  the  yield 
of  previous  years  is  doubled  and  quadrupled; 
or  he  gathers  the  droppings  of  his  cattle  and 
the  fermented  produce  of  his  farm-yard,  and 
lays  it  upon  his  fields,  when  lo!  the  wheat 
comes  up  luxuriantly  again,  and  the  midge, 
and  the  rust,  and  the  yellows,  all  disappear 
from  his  wheat,  his  cotton  and  his  peach  trees. 
But  the  renovater  marches  much  slower  than 
the  exhauster.  His  materials  are  collected 
at  the  expense  of  both  time  and  money,  and 
barrenness  ensues  from  the  early  labors  of  the 
one  far  more  rapidly  than  green  herbage  can 
be  made  to  cover  it  again  by  the  most  skill- 
ful, zealous  and  assiduous  labors  of  the  other." 

There  is  a  great  deal  of  truth  in  the  above 
extract,  and  we  see  it  illustrated  in  every 
portion  of  the  country.  The  farmer,  as  long 
as  his  land  produces  at  all  plentifully,  seems 
indifferent  to  all  efforts  to  improve  its  failing 
qualities.  And  hence  the  land,  like  one  who 
nas  wasted  his  life  and  exhausted  his  ener- 
gies by  early  dissipation,  becomes  prema- 
turely old  and  worn  out.  When,  by  proper 
care  and  timely  improvement,  it  might  have 
retained  its  rich  productive  qualities  thrice 
the  period. 

The  tools  and  implements  used  by  the  pio- 
neers of  Crawford  County,  were  few  in  num- 
ber and  of  a  poor  quality,  and  would  set  the 
farmer  of  the  present  day  wild  if  he  had  to 
use  them.  The  plow  was  the  old  "  bar  share," 
with  wooden  mold-board,  and  long  beam  and 
handles.  Generally  they  were  of  a  size  be- 
tween the  one  and  two  horse  plows,  for  they 
had  to  be  used  in  both  capacities.  The  hoes 
and  axes  were  clumsy  implements,  and  were 
forged  and  finished  by  the  ordinary  black- 
smith. If  any  of  them  were  broken  beyond 
the  abilitv  of  the  smith  at  the  station  to  re- 
pair, a  new  supply  had   to  be  procured  from 


the  older  settlements.  There  was  some  com- 
pensation, however,  for  all  these  disadvan- 
tages under  which  the  pioneer  labored.  The 
virgin  soil  of  the  Wabash  Valley,  when  once 
brought  into  cultivation,  was  fruitful,  and 
yielded  the  most  bountiful  crops.  As  a  sam- 
ple of  the  corn  produced,  under  poor  prepa- 
ration and  cultivation,  we  learn  fiom  Mr. 
Leonard  Cullom  that  his  father  planted 
ninety  acres  of  sod  corn  in  1815,  the  next 
year  after  he  came  to  the  county,  from  which 
he  raised  a  large  crop,  and  shipped  a  flat  boat 
load  to  New  Orleans,  retaining  enough  at 
home  to  last  him  plentifully  until  he  could 
grow  another  crop. 

The  first  little  crop  consisted  of  a  "  patch  " 
of  corn,  potatoes,  beans  and  other  garden 
"  truck."  In  some  instances  a  small  crop  of 
tobacco  and  of  flax  were  added.  Quite  a 
number  of  the  settlers  also  raised  cotton  for 
several  years.  Indeed,  it  was  thought  in  the 
first  settlement  of  Southern  Illinois,  that  cot- 
ton would  eventually  become  the  staple  crop. 
But  the  late  springs,  and  the  early  frosts  of 
autumn  soon  dispelled  this  belief.  Cotton 
was  produced  more  or  less,  however,  for  a 
number  of  years,  and  the  people  were  loth  to 
give  up  the  attempt  to  grow  it  successfully, 
but,  in  time,  were  forced  to  yield  to  the  un- 
propitious  seasons. 

But  with  the  settlement  of  the  country, 
the  increase  of  population,  and  the  improve- 
ments in  stock,  tools  and  agricultural  imple- 
ments, the  life  of  the  farmer  gradually  be- 
came easier,  his  farming  operations  greater, 
and  agriculture  developed  and  improved  ac- 
cordinglv.  The  change  was  not  made  in  a 
year,  but  the  growth  and  development  of  the 
farming  interests  were  slow,  increasing  by 
degrees,  year  by  year,  until  it  reached  the 
grand  culmination  and  perfection  of  the 
present  day. 

Agricultural  societies,  as  an  aid  to  farming 
and  the  improvement  of  stock  were   formed, 


HISTORY  OF  CRAWFORD  COUNTY. 


77 


ami  i'aiis  were  held  to  promote  the  same  end. 
The  iirst  agricultural  association  of  Crawford 
County  was  organized  about  1856-7. 
Grounds  were  purchased  and  improved  in 
tiie  northeast  part  of  Robinson,  adjoining  the 
cemetery.  In  IbTO  these  grounds  were  sold 
for  some  $500,  and  the  present  grounds,  one 
mile  west  of  town,  were  purchased.  They 
comprise  twenty  acres,  for  which  the  society 
paid  $30  per  acre.  The  grounds  have  been 
enclosed,  good  buildings  erected,  stalls  put 
up,  trees  planted,  wells  sunk,  so  that  now 
the  society  possesses  in  them  a  very  good 
property. 

About  the  year  1871,  it  was  incorporated 
under  the  general  law  of  the  State  relating 
to  such  organizations,  as  the  Crawford  Coun- 
ty Agricultural  Board.  Since  that  period, 
the  officers  of  the  board  have  been  as  fol- 
lows: For  1872 — Hickman  Henderson,  pres- 
ident; A.  J.  Reavill,  R.  R.  Lincoln  and 
"VVm.  Updyke,  vice-presidents;  Guy  S.  Al- 
exander, recording  secretary;  Wni.  C.  Wil- 
son, corresponding  secretary,  and  Wm.  Par- 
ker, treasurer. 

Officers  for  1873 — Hickman  Henderson, 
l>resident;  A.  J.  Reavill,  R.  R.  Lincoln  and 
W'ra.  Updyke,  vice-presidents;  Guy  S.  Al- 
exander, recording  secretary;  Wm.  C.  Wil- 
son, corresponding  secretary,  and  Wm.  Par- 
ker, treasurer. 

Officers  for  1874 — James  S.  Kirk,  presi- 
dent; I.  D.  Mail,  D.  B.  Cherry  and  G.  Bar- 
low, vice-presidents;  W.  Swaren,  recording 
secretary;  W.  L.  Heustis,  assistant  secretary, 
and  Wm.  Parker,  treasurer. 

Officers  for  1875 — Wm.  Updyke,  president; 
Oliver  Newlin,  Sargent  Newlin  and  A.  .1. 
Reavill,  vice-presidents;  W.  Swaren,  re- 
cording secretary;  W.  L.  Heustis,  assistant 
secretary,  and  Wm.  Parker,  treas^urer. 

Officers  for  1876—1.  D.  .Mail,  jjresldent; 
J.  M.  Highsmith,  J.  H.  Taylor  and  T.  J.  Sims, 
vice-presidents;   W.    Swaren,    recording  sec- 


retary; W.  L.  Heustis,  assistant  secretary,  and 
Wm.  Parker,  treasurer. 

Officers  for  1877 — J.  S.  Kirk,  president; 
McClung  Cawood,  W.  A.  Hope  and  Wm. 
Athey,  vice-pesidents;  W.  Swaren,  secre- 
tary, and  Wm.  Parker,  treasurer. 

Officers  for  1878 — P.  P.  Connett,  presi- 
dent; Alva  Burner,  McClung  Cawood  and 
W.  A.  Hope,  vice-presidents;  L.  V.  Chaffee, 
secretary,  and  Wm.  Parker,  treasurer. 

Officers  for  1879— P.  P.  Connett,  president; 
Alva  Burner,  G.  Athey  and  J.  H.  Taylor,  vice- 
presidents;  W.  Swaren,  secretary,  and  Wm. 
Parker,  treasurer. 

Tiie  constitution  was  amended  at  this  time 
by  adding  a  fourth  vice-president  to  the 
board,  and  one  or  two  other  subordinate 
officers. 

Officers  for  1880 — Wm.  Updyke,  president; 
J.  M.  Highsmith,  Sing  B.  Allen,  B.  Wood 
and  J.  L.  Woodworth,  vice-piesidents;  L.  V. 
Chaffee,  secretary,  and  Wm.  Parker,  treasurer. 

Officers  for  1881 — L.  E.  Stephens,  president; 
Wm.  Athey,  Wm.  Wood,  D.  M.  Bales  and 
J.  L.  Woodworth,  vice  presidents;  L.  V. 
Chaffee,  secretary,  and  Wm.  Parker,  treasurer. 

Officers  for  18s3* — L.  E.  Stephens,  presi- 
dent; Wm.  Wood,  J.  M.  Highsmith,  Wm. 
Fife  and  Bennett  Wood,  vice-presidents; 
L.  V.  Chaffee,  secretary,  and  Wm.  Parker, 
treasurer. 

Horticulture. — Gardening,  or  horticulture 
in  its  restricted  sense,  can  not  be  regarded  ag 
a  very  prominent  or  important  feature  in  the 
history  of  Crawford  County.  If,  however, 
we  take  a  broad  view  of  the  subject,  and  in- 
clude orchards,  small  fruit  culture  and  kin- 
dred branches  outside  of  agriculture,  we 
should  find  something  of  more  interest  and 
value. 

That  the  cultivation  of  fruit   is   a  union  of 


*  No  fair  was  held  in  1881,  en  account  of  the  great 
drouth,  and  the  old  officers  held  over. 


78 


HISTORY  OF  CRAWFORD  COUNTY. 


the  useful  and  beautiful,  is  a  fact  not  to  be 
denied.  Trees  covered  in  spi-ina;  with  soft 
foliage  b;ended  with  fragrant  flowers  of 
wliite,  and  crimson,  and  gold,  that  are  suc- 
ceeded by  fruit,  blushing  with  bloom  and 
down,  rich,  molting  and  grateful,  through  all 
the  fervid  beat  of  summer,  is  indeed  a  tempt- 
ing prospect  to  every  landholder.  A  peo])le 
so  richly  endowed  by  nature  as  we  are  should 
give  more  attention  than  we  do  to  an  art  that 
supplies  so  many  of  the  amenities  of  life,  and 
around  whirh  cluster  so  many  memories  that 
appeal  to  the  finer  instincts  of  our  nature. 
With  a  soil  so  well  adapted  to  fruits,  horticult- 
ure should  be  held  in  that  high  esteem  which 
becomes  so  impoitant  a  factor  in  human 
welfare. 

The  climate  of  this  portion  of  the  State, 
antl  of  Crawford  County,  is  better  adapted  to 
fruit  culture  than  further  north,  though  as  a 
fruit-growing  region  it  is  not  to  compare 
to  some  other  portions  of  our  countrj'.  The 
same  trouble  mentioned  in  connection  with 
cotton-growing,  applies  as  well  to  general 
fruit-culture,  viz.:  the  variability  of  tempera- 
ture, being  subject  to  sudden  and  frequent 
changes,  to  extreme  cold  in  winter,  and  to  late 
and  severe  frosts  in  spring,  as  well  as  to  early 
and  killing  frosts  in  the  fall. 

The  apple  is  the  hardiest  and  most  reliable 
of  all  fruits  for  this  region,  and  there  are 
probably  more  acres  in  apple  orchards,  than 
in  all  fruits  combined,  in  the  county.  The 
first  fruit  trees  were  brought  here  by  the 
pioneers,  and  were  sprouts  taken  from  varie- 
ties around  the  old  home,  about  to  be  forsaken 
for  a  new  one,  hundreds  of  miles  away.  A 
Mr.  Howard,  who  settled  in  that  portion  of 


Crawford  County,  now  in  Lawrence,  is  suj)- 
posed  to  have  planted  the  first  apple  trees  in 
this  section,  and  to  have  brought  the  scions 
with  him  when  he  came  to  the  country.  Ap- 
ples and  peaches  are  now  raised  in  the 
county  in  considerable  quantities,  and  small 
fruits  are  receiving  more  attention  every  year 
— especially  strawberries  and  raspberries. 
Many  citizens,  too,  are  engaging  in  grape  cult- 
ure to  a  limited  extent. 

Coiinty  Paupers. — "The  poor  ye  have 
with  you  al  way."  It  is  a  duty  we  owe  to  that 
class  upon  whom  the  world  has  cast  its  frowns, 
to  care  for  them,  and  furnish  them  those  com- 
forts and  necessaries  of  life  wiiich  their  mis- 
fortunes have  denied  them.  None  of  us 
know  how  soon  we  may  become  a  member  of 
that  unfortunate  portion  of  our  population. 
"  The  greatest  of  these  is  charity,"  find  to 
what  nobler  purpose  can  superfluous  wealth 
be  devoted  than  to  succoring  the  poor,  and 
relieving  the  woes  of  suffering  humanity. 

Crawford  is  far  behind  many  of  her  sister 
counties  in  the  care  of  her  paupers.  A  large 
majority  of  the  counties  in  the  State  own 
large  farms,  with  commodious  buildings  upon 
them,  where  their  paupers  are  kept  and  kind- 
]j  cared  for.  This  county  seems  to  always 
have  "  farmed  "  out  the  poor,  as  it  were,  or,  in 
other  words,  to  have  hired  anybody  to  keep 
them  who  was  willing  to  undertake  the 
charge.  This  does  not  strike  us  as  the  bes 
method  of  exercising  charity,  nor  the  most 
economical.  Where  the  county  owns  a  good 
farm  well  improved,  the  institution,  if  proper- 
ly managed,  can  be  rendered  well-nigh  self- 
supporting.      Yerhum  sat  sajpie/Ui. 


CHAPTEE   YIII.* 


THE  COUNTY  PRESS-ITS   INFLUENCE  IN  THE    COMMUNITY— NEWSPAPER    ENTERPRISES 
OF  CRAWFORD  COUNTY— THE  CONSTITUTION  AND  ARGUS— EDUCATIONAL— PI- 
ONEER SCHOOLHOUSES  AND  TEACHERS-ADVANTAGES    OF    EDUCA- 
TION—SCHOOL STATISTICS— RELIGIOUS  HISTORY— EARLY 
PREACHERS-CHURCHES  ORGANIZED,  ETC.,  ETC. 


"A  history  which  takes  no  account  of  what  was 
said  by  the  Press  in  memorable  emergencies  befits  an 
earlier  age  than  ours." — Horace  Greeley. 

THE  subjoined  sketch  of  the  Press  was  writ- 
ten for  this  work  by  George  W.  Harper, 
Esq.,  at  our  earnest  solicitation.  The  article 
is  an  excellent  one  and  we  commend  it  to  our 
readers.     It  is  as  follows: 

A  history  of  a  county  without  a  chapter  on 
the  newspaper  history,  would  be  "  like  the 
play  of  Hamlet  with  Hamlet  left  out."  There 
is  no  more  faithful  historian  of  a  community 
than  the  local  press;  and  be  it  ever  so  hum- 
ble or  unpretentious,  it. can  not  fail  in  the 
course  of  years  to  furnish  valuable  iftforma- 
tion  for  future  reference.  A  file  of  the  local 
paper  for  a  dozen  or  more  years  presents  a 
fund  of  information,  the  vali^  of  which  can 
hardly  be  estimated. 

Some  people  have  an  idea  that  newspapers 
will  lie;  others  are  so  wise  that  they  will  only 
believe  a  newsjiaper  report  when  they  think 
it  would  be  easier  for  the  paper  to  tell  the 
truth  than  to  tell  a  lie;  others  think  it  the  evi- 
dence of  flashing  wit  to  reject  with  a  deri- 
sive laugh  any  evidence  for  authority  that 
comes  from  "  the  newspapers."  To  .such  an 
extent  has  this  thoughtlosj  juilgnient  of  the 
press  been  carried,  that  much  of  its  sphere  of 
usefulness  has  been  circumscribed.      It  is  true 


By  W.  H.  Perriii. 


there  must  be  some  occasion  for  this  wide- 
spread impression — "  there  must  be  some  fire 
where  there  is  so  much  smoke."  Yet  how 
many  men  can  show  a  record  for  correctness, 
accuracy  and  truthfulness  that  will  at  once 
compare  with  the  average  newspaper?  The 
editor  gathers  his  news  from  a  thousand 
sources,  from  acquaintances  and  strangers, 
from  letters  and  papers.  He  sits  and  culls, 
hunts  and  details,  and  endeavors  to  get  "the 
straight"'  of  every  story  he  publishes,  for  it 
goes  to  the  world  over  his  own  name,  and  he 
knows  that  in  a  great  measure  he  will  be  held 
responsible.  The  private  individual  hears  a 
piece  of  gossip,  listens  carelessly  to  another 
with  equal  carelessness,  and  if  called  upon 
for  details,  in  nine  cases  out  of  ten  can  not 
give  enough  of  them  to  make  an  intelligent 
item  for  a  newspaper.  "  Writing  makes  an 
exact  man,"  says  Lord  Bacon.  '  The  news- 
paper verifies  the  truth  of  the  statement. 
Let  any  one  who  doubts  this  sit  d  ixvn  and 
put  on  paper  some  piece  of  gossip,  with  the 
purpose  of  having  it  printed  over  his  own 
signature,  and  he  will  see  in  a  moment  how 
little  he  knows  about  a  matter  he  thought 
himself  familiar  with.  He  will  then  wonder 
not  that  the  newspaper  should  contain  occa- 
sional inaccuracies  and  misstatements,  but 
that  it  contains  so  few.  And  his  wonder  will 
wonderfully  increase  when  he  remembers 
that  the  editor  has  to  deoend  for    so  much  of 


so 


HISTORY  OF  CRAWFORD  COUNTY. 


■what  he  publishes  on  the  common  run  of  man- 
kind. 

An  eminent  divine  has  truly  said,  "the  lo- 
cal paper  is  not  only  a  business  guide,  but  it 
is  a  pulpit  of  morals;  it  is  a  kind  of  public 
rostrum  where  the  affairs  of  state  are  consid- 
ered; it  is  a  supervisor  of  streets  and  roads; 
it  is  a  rewarder  of  merit;  it  is  a  social  friend, 
a  promoter  of  friendship  and  good  will. 
Even  the  so-called  small  matters  of  a  village 
or  incorporate  town  are  only  small  to  those 
■whoso  hearts  are  too  full  of  personal  pom- 
posity." It  is  very  important  if  some  school 
boy  or  school  girl  reads  a  good  essay,  or 
speaks  well  a  piece,  or  sings  well  a  song,  or 
stands  high  in  the  class-room,  that  kind  men- 
tion should  be  made  publicly  of  such  suc- 
cess, for  more  young  minds  are  injured  for 
■want  of  cheering  ■words,  than  are  made  vain 
by  an  excess  of  such  praise.  In  the  local 
papers,  the  marriage  bell  tolls  more  solemnly 
than  in  the  great  city  dailies.  The  rush  and 
noise  of  the  metropolis  take  away  the  joy 
from  items  about  marriages,  and  detract  from 
the  solemnity  of  the  recorded  death;  but 
when  the  local  paper  records  a  marriage  be- 
tween two  favorites  of  society,  all  the  readers 
see  the  hapjiiness  of  the  event;  and  equally 
when  the  columns  of  such  a  home  paper  tell 
us  that  some  great  or  humble  person  has 
gone  from  the  world,  we  read  with  tears,  for 
he  was  our  neighbor  and  friend. 

The  Wabash  Sentinel. — The  pioneer  paper 
of  Crawford  County  was  the  Wabash  Senti- 
nel. It  was  established  at  Hutsonville,  in 
1852,  by  George  W.  Cutler,  a  printer  who 
came  from  Evansville,  Indiana,  bringing  his 
press  and  material  from  that  place.  The 
paper  was  independent  in  politics.  Its  pub- 
lication was  continued  by  Mr.  Cutler  some- 
thing over  a  year,  when  the  material  and 
good-will  were  transferred  to  Ethelbert  Calla- 
han, then  a  pedagogue  of  the   village,  no^w 


one  of  the  leading  attorneys  of  Southeastern 
Illinois,  and  a  prominent  Republican  poli- 
tician of  the  State.  Under  Mr.  Callahan's 
administration  the  name  of  the  paper  was 
changed  to  the  Journal.,  and  its  publication 
was  continued  for  something  over  a  year, 
when  the  material  was  sold  and  removed  to 
Marshall,  Clark  County. 

llie  Muralist. — This  was  the  next  news- 
paper venture,  and  was  established  in  Pales- 
tine, in  1856,  by  Samuel  R.  Jones,  a  native 
Virginian,  •who  had  been  brought  up  by 
Alexander  Campbell,  the  eminent  minister 
of  the  gospel  and  expounder  of  the  doctrine 
and  faith  of  the  religious  denomination 
known  as  Disciples  or  Christians.  The  Ilu- 
ralist,  like  its  predecessors,  was  independent 
in  politics.  Jones  was  rather  an  eccentric 
man,  with  numerous  professions,  combining 
those  of  a  preacher,  lawj-er  and  doctor,  with 
that  of  editor  and  publisher.  He  was  im- 
bued with  the  spirit  of  "Reform"  in  almost 
everything,  and  ■was  disposed  to  make  the 
paper  a  special  advocate  of  his  own  peculiar 
notions  and  isms.  In  December,  1S5G, 
George  W.  Harper,  a  printer  boy  of  some 
eiiihteen  years, came  from  Richmond,  Indiana, 
and  w  as  employed  by  Jones  to  take  mechan- 
ical charge  of  the  Ruralist,  and  as  he  had 
"  so  many  irons  in  the  fire,"  he  soon  virtually 
surrendered  all  charge  of  the  paper  into  Har- 
per's hands,  who  endeavored  to  make  it  more 
of  a  literary  and  local  paper  than  it  had  been 
previously.  Its  publication  was  continued 
until  October,  1857,  when  it  was  suspended, 
and  Dr.  Jones  removed  to  Wooster,  Ohio,  to 
take  pastoral  charge  of  the  Christian  church 
there.  He  remained  about  a  year,  and  just 
prior  to  the  breaking  out  of  the  late  war,  he 
removed  to  Mississippi.  After  the  close  of 
the  war  himself  and  son  published  for  a  short 
time  a  religious  paper  at  Garner,  Hinds 
County,  that  State.      He   is  now   located  at 


^^;^^/^>^lx/x-7^^/_^^_^ 


HISTORY  OF  CRAWFORD  COUNTY. 


83 


Jackson,  Miss.,  and  although  over  seventy 
years  of  age  is  still  actively  engaged  in  the 
ministry. 

The.  Crawford  Banner. — Tliis  paper  was 
stiirted  at  Hutsonville  in  July,  1857,  by  W. 
F.  Ruljottom,  who  came  from  Giayville,  this 
State,  and  was  puhlished  by  him  as  an  inde- 
])endent  paper  until  October  of  the  following 
year.  Jlr.  Rubottom  c  mmeiiced  the  prac- 
tice of  medicine  when  he  retired  from  the 
jjublication  of  the  Danner,  and  afterwerd 
went  West. 

The  Huhinson  Gazette.— The  Gazette  was 
the  first  paper  published  in  Rol)inson.  After 
the  suspension  of  the  Jiuraliat,  the  material 
was  leased  to  G.  W.  Harper,  moved  to  Rob- 
inson, and  the  first  issue  of  the  Gazette  made 
its  appearance  December  1^,  1857.  This  was 
the  first  political  paper  issued  in  the  county. 
Mr.  Plarper,  the  editor,  although  not  a  voter, 
t;iLing  strongground  in  favorol'  the  principles 
of  the  Douglas  wing  of  the  Democratic  party. 
Tiio  pu  lication  of  the  Gazette  was  continued 
by  Mr.  Harper  until  the  expiration  of  his  lease 
in  1858,  when  the  paper  was  suspended,  and  the 
material  passed  into  the  hands  of  O.  H.  Bris- 
tol &  Co.,  to  whom  it  had  been  mortgaged  by 
Dr.  Jones  to  secure  the  paj-ment  of  a  debt. 
Harper  then  purchased  the  Banner  at  Hut- 
sonville, and  removed  it  to  Palestine,  where 
he  continued  its  publication  for  a  year  as  a 
Democratic  paper.  In  July,  185  ',  while  pub- 
lishing the  Banner,  its  editor  took  the  "Wa- 
bash shakes,"  and  did  not  succeed  in  getting 
rid  of  them  until  tlie  October  following.  The 
paper  had  a  somewhat  sickly  existence  also, 
and  suspended  publication  in  November. 

The  Yellow  Jacket. — Such  was  the  "  blis- 
tering "  name  given  to  a  paper  started  at 
Palestine  in  December,  1859,  by  Dr.  A.  Ma- 
lone  and  E.  Logan,  on  the  ruins  of  the  de- 
funct Banner.  Dr.  Malone  withdrew  from 
the  paper  in  a  few  months,  and  left  Logan 
in  sole  charge,  who  continued  its  publication 


for  about  three  years.  Tlie  paper  was  Re- 
publican in  politics,  and  in  the  campaign  of 
1800  contained  sliarp  and  spicy  editorials, 
which  made  it  quite  well  known  in  this  part 
of  the  State. 

The  Crawford  County  Bulletin. — .\s  the 
Yellow  Jacket  was  the  onlv  paper  in  the 
county,  the  Democrats  were  not  well  pleased 
with  its  sharp  thrusts  and  cutting  sarcasm; 
especially  so,  Hon.  J.  C.  Allen,  the  Demo- 
cratic ntmiinee  for  Governor  of  the  State, 
then  residing  in  Palestine.  He  therefore 
purchased  the  material  at  Robinson,  and  Hor- 
ace P.  Mumford,  then  connected  with  a  pa- 
per at  Greenup,  but  recently  from  Kenton, 
Ohio,  was  placed  in  charge,  and  in  July,  1860, 
commenced  the  puljlication  of  the  Crawford 
County  Bulletin,  at  Robinson,  as  a  Demo- 
cratic paper.  Tlie  paper  was  very  ably 
edited,  and  was  during  the  campaign  a  fear- 
less and  outspoken  advocate  of  its  party 
])riiiciples.  When  the  war  broke  out  the 
editor  was  one  of  those  patriotic  men  who 
wanted  "country  first  and  parly  alterwaid," 
and  hence  took  a  decided  stand  in  favor  of 
the  prosecution  of  the  war  for  the  preservation 
of  the  Union.  He  assisted  in  recruiting: 
three  or  four  infantry  companies  in  this 
county,  and  in  September,  1861,  he  raised  a 
company  for  the  Fifth  Illinois  Cavalry,  of 
which  he  was  commissioned  captain.  He  was 
afterward  promoted  to  be  major  of  the  same 
regiment.  He  made  a  gallant  and  dashing 
cavalry  officer,  being  quite  frequently  men- 
tioned and  commended  in  reports  of  his  su- 
perior officers  for  his  bravery  and  daring  in 
battle,  skirmish  and  raid.  In  October,  1861:, 
having  been  nominated  by  the  Union  party 
of  this  Senatorial  district  for  State  Senator 
he  obtained  leave  of  absence  for  thirty  days 
from  his  regiment,  then  stationed  at  Vicks- 
burg,  and  left  for  home.  He  was  first  to  re- 
port at  Springfield.  Arriving  there  he  was 
taken  with   a   severe   spell  of  dysentery,  and 


84 


HISTORY  OF  CRAWFORD  COUNTY. 


died  in  two  or  three  days,  aged  twenty-three 
years.  The  publication  of  the  Bulletin  was 
continued  a  short  time  after  Mumford  went 
into  the  army,  by  his  brother,  W.  D.  Mum- 
ford,  and  N.  T.  Adams,  two  young  printers. 
Young  Mumford  withdrew  in  the  summer  of 
18(32,  and  left  Adams  in  charge.  After  con- 
tinuing the  publication  alone  for  a  few  weeks 
Adams  also  abandoned  tlie  paper,  and  it  was 
suspended. 

The  Monitor. — The  publication  of  the 
Yelloto  Jacket,  at  Palestine,  having  been  sus- 
pended, Mr.  Logan  now  got  hold  of  the  Bul- 
letin material  and  started  the  Monitor,  at 
Robinson,  which  had  a  rather  lively  six 
months'  existence,  when  it  "joined  the  grand 
army  gone  before."  The  Bulletin  was  again 
resurrected  by  Charles  Whaley,  a  printer 
from  Terre  Haute,  and  had  a  very  sickly  ex- 
istence of  "  half  sheets  "  and  "  doubled  ads  " 
for  some  six  months,  when  it  too  "  turned  its 
toes  to  the  daisies." 

The  Constitution. — This  paper  was  estab- 
lished in  October,  1863,  by  John  Talbot,  who 
purchased  the  Bulletin  material.  He  contin- 
ued as  editor  and  publisher  of  the  paper  for 
some  three  years,  during  which  time  the 
Constitution  was  conceded  to  be  the  ablest 
edited,  most  fearless  and  outspoken  Demo- 
cratic paper  in  this  section  of  the  State. 
While  the  course  of  Mr.  Talbot  was  severely 
criticised  by  the  opposition  press  and  party, 
he  was  conceded  to  be  honest  and  conscien- 
tious in  his  views,  and  was  a  perfect  gentle- 
man in  his  intercourse  with  all. 

Mr.  Talbot  was  born  in  Tipperarj',  Ireland, 
September  21,  1797,  and  died  in  Robinson 
September  22,  1874.  When  quite  young  he 
removed  to  Canada,  and  after  remaining  in 
that  province  several  years  he  emigrated  to 
the  United  States,  settling  in  Perry  County, 
Ohio,  where  he  engaged  in  the  hardware 
trade  at  Somerset.  While  in  business  there 
he   came   across   Phil   Sheridan,  then  a  poor 


Irish  boy,  and  took  him  into  the  store. 
Through  Mr.  Talbot's  influence  Sheridan  ob- 
tained his  appointment  to  West  Point,  and 
undoubtedly  owes  his  present  position  to  the 
kind  offices  of  Mr.  Talbot.  Having  indorsed 
rather  heavily  for  friends  who  failed  to  meet 
their  own  obligations,  the  property  of  Mr. 
Talbot,  accumulated  by  several  years  of  in- 
dustry and  toil,  was  swallowed  up  to  meet 
these  demands,  and  he  came  to  Illinois  with 
a  bare  pittance.  In  1867,  owing  to  failing 
health,  he  relinquished  control  of  the  paper 
to  his  son  Henry  Grattan  Talbot.  That  dread 
but  sure  disease,  consumption,  had  already 
marked  Henry  for  its  victim,  and  he  was  able 
to  give  to  the  office  and  paper  but  little  per- 
sonal attention,  being  soon  confined  to  his 
room.  On  the  2d  day  of  January,  1808,  he 
died,  aged  twenty-four  years.  The  senior 
Talbot  again  assumed  charge  of  the  paper, 
and  continued  as  its  editor  and  publisher  un- 
til some  two  years  prior  to  his  death,  when  he 
relinquished  its  control  to  his  son  Richard, 
the  present  senior  editor  and  publisher.  At 
his  death  the  office  was  left  by  devise  to  his 
widow.  Richard  Talbot  continued  as  editor 
and  publisher  until  the  death  of  his  mother, 
when  the  office  was  purchased  by  himself  and 
brother,  Percy  J.  Talbot.  The  two  brothers 
continued  as  joint  publishers  until  March, 
1879,  when  Richard  sold  his  half  interest  to 
Thomas  S.  Price,  present  county  clerk.  Af- 
ter his  election  as  clerk  Mr.  Price  desired  to 
retire  from  the  printing  business,  and  in 
March,  1880,  Richard  Talbot  again  became 
the  senior  editor  and  publisher  of  the  jiaper. 
It  is  a  good  live  newspaper,  and  the  Demo- 
cratic organ  for  this  county. 

The  Robinson  Argus. — The  first  number  of 
the  Argus  was  issued  December  10,  1863,  by 
George  W.  Harper,  the  present  editor  and 
proprietor,  under  whose  control  it  has  been 
ever  since,  excepting  a  few  months  in  1866- 
67.     The  office  was  leased  to  Wm.    Benson, 


HISTORY  OF  CRAWFORD  COUNTY. 


85 


a  printer  from  Sullivan,  Iiid.,  in  October, 
1SG6,  under  whose  management  the  paper 
suspended  in  about  three  months.  On  ac- 
count of  a  severe  affliction  of  rheumatism, 
from  whiih  Mr.  Harper  has  been  troubled 
more  or  less  from  boj-hood,  he  sold  the  office 
after  its  suspension,  but  no  satisfactory  ar- 
rangements being  made  for  resuming  publi- 
cation of  the  paper,  he  repurchased  it  in  some 
two  or  three  months,  and  its  publication  was 
resumed  by  W.  E.  Carothers,  under  Mr. 
Harper's  management.  This  arrangement 
not  proving  satisfactory,  Mr.  Harper  in  a  few 
motiths  again  assumed  full  charge  of  the  pa- 
per as  editor,  publisher  and  proprietor,  and 
by  strict  attention  to  Dusiness  and  good  man- 
agement, has  made  it  rank  with  the  best 
country  papers  of  the  State.  The  office  is 
equipped  with  a  fine  cylinder  press,  and  ma- 
terial for  doing  fine  printing  of  all  kinds,  pre- 
senting quite  a  contrast  to  the  outfit  with 
which  the  paper  was  started,  occupying  then 
a  small  room  with  only  one  10xl2-light  win- 
dow. The  paper  being  of  the  minority  party, 
published  in  a  town  which  had  less  than  800 
inhabitants  until  within  the  last  six  or  seven 
years,  enjo^'ing  none  of  the  "official"  pat- 
ronage of  county  officers,  has  proved  a  mira- 
cle of  success,  and  is  a  worthy  tribute  to  the 
business  enterprise  and  management  of  its 
proprietor. 

The  Real  Estate  Advertiser. — This  was 
a  monthly  publication  started  at  Palestipe 
in  October,  1871,  by  Andrew  E.  Bristol,  a 
real  estate  agent  at  that  place.  The  pnper 
was  printed  at  the  Argus  office  in  Robinson. 
It  was  very  ably  edited,  containing  historical 
articles,  and  others  calculated  to  advertise  the 
fertility  of  the  soil  and  business  resources  of 
the  county.  Mr.  B.  was  competent  to  his 
task,  and  would  no  doubt  have  made  a  suc- 
cess of  his  undertaking.  After  issuing  the 
fcecond  number  of  the  paper,  and  while  prepar- 
ing copy  for  the  third  in  his  room   one   night, 


he  was  suddenly  stricken  with  paralysis,  and 
laj'  upon  the  floor  helpless  through  the  night 
and  a  greater  portion  of  the  succeeding  day, 
before  being  discovered.  He  had  suifered 
intensely  during  this  time,  and  died  in  a  few 
days  afterward. 

The  Palestine  JVeirs.- — The  N'ews  was  a 
little  paper  started  at  Palestine  in  187'i  by 
N.  M.  P.  Spurgeon,  a  semi-mute  printer, 
who,  after  publishing  it  some  six  months, 
removed  to  Hutsonville,  where  the  publica- 
tion was  continued  as  the  Hutsonville  N^ews 
some  six  months  longer,  when  it  went,  too,  to 
its  last  rest. 

7^he  Crawford  Democrat. — This  was  the 
next  paper  started  "  to  fill  a  long-felt  want," 
and  made  its  appearance  in  Robinson  in  May, 
1879,  with  Ira  Lutes  as  editor  and  proprietor. 
Mr.  Lutes  had  previously  been  engaged  in 
mercantile  Inisiness  in  Robinson,  became  dis- 
satisfied, and  thought  the  newspaper  business 
his  special  forte.  After  the  lapse  of  some 
five  or  six  months  he  conceived  the  idea  that 
this  was  not  a  proper  location,  and  packed 
his  material  and  removed  to  Lincoln,  Kansas, 
where  he  started  up  again,  but  soon  after- 
ward sold  out  and  went  into  other  business. 

The  Palestine  Saturday  Call. — This  paper 
was  started  in  July,  1880,  by  W.  E.  Carothers, 
a  printer  who  had  at  different  times  been  em- 
ployed on  the  Argus.  The  paper  was  printed 
at  the  Argits  office.  An  edition  for  Hutson- 
ville, under  the  name  of  the  Herald,  was  also 
issued.  The  Call  was  a  spicy  little  local 
paper,  started  on  the  "  three  months  plan." 
Although  it  had  proved  a  financial  success, 
its  publisher  chose  to  aljandon  it  at  the  end 
of  the  first  quarter,  to  prevent  its  becoming 
stranded  on  financial  breakers. 

The  Anti- Monopolist  was  started  by  "The 
Anti-Monopolist  Publishing  Co.,"  at  Robin- 
son, just  prior  to  the  election  last  fall,  printed 
from  the  old  material  of  the  Hutsonville 
Keirs,   on   the  Argus  press.     After   issuing 


86 


HISTORY  OF  CRAWFORD  COUNTY. 


some  three  or  four  numbers,  the  paper  was 
suspended  for  a  few  weeks,  when  the  com- 
pany purchased  a  small  establishment  and 
resumed  publication. 

Educational. — In  the  early  settlement  of 
this  part  of  the  State,  there  were  a  great 
many  influences  that  worked  ajrainst  general 
education.  Neighborhoods  were  thinly  set- 
tled, money  was  scarce,  and  the  people  were 
generally  poor.  There  were  no  sclioolhouses, 
nor  was  there  any  public  school  fund  to  build 
schoolhouses,  or  even  to  pay  teachers.  Added 
to  this  was  the  fact  that  many  of  the  early 
settlers  were  from  the  Southern  States — a 
section  that  did  not  manifest  as  great  an  in- 
terest in  educational  matters  as  New  En- 
gland. And  still  another  drawback  was  the 
lack  of  books  and  of  teachers;  besides,  all 
persons  of  either  sex,  who  had  physical 
strength  enough  to  labor,  were  compelled  to 
take  their  part  in  the  work,  that  of  the 
women  being  as  heavy  and  important  as  that 
of  the  men;  and  this  strain  upon  their  indus- 
try continued  for  years.  When  we  consider 
all  these  facts  together,  we  are  led  to  wonder 
that  the  pioneers  had  any  schools  at  all. 

As  soon,  however,  as  the  settlements  would 
at  all  justify  such  a  spirit  of  development, 
schools  were  established  in  the  different 
neighborhoods,  and  any  vacant  cabin,  or 
stable,  or  other  outhouse  was  brought  into 
service,  and  made  to  do  duty  as  a  temple  of 
learning.  The  Fchools  were  paid  for  by  in- 
dividual subscription,  at  the  rate  of  aliout  50 
or  75  cents  a  month  per  scholar.  Although 
the  people  of  Illinois  and  of  Crawford  County 
displayed  such  early  interest  in  educational 
matters,  the  cause  met  with  many  difficulties, 
and  its  progress  was  slow  in  the  extreme. 
The  pioneer  schoolhouses,  as  a  general  thing, 
were  of  a  poor  quality.  In  towns  they  were 
dilapidated  buildings,  either  frame  or  log, 
and  in  the  country  they  were  invariably  of 
logs.     As   a   general    thing  but  one   style  of 


architecture  was  used  in  building  them.  They 
were  erected,  not  from  a  regular  i'und  or  sub- 
scription, but  by  labor  given.  The  neighliors 
would  gather  together  at  some  place  previ- 
ously agreed  upon,  and  with  ax  in  hand,  the 
logs  were  cut,  and  the  cabin  soon  erected. 
The  roof  was  of  broad  boards,  and  a  rude 
fireplace  and  clapboard  door,  a  puncheon 
floor,  and  the  cracks  filled  with  "chinks," 
and  these  daubed  over  with  mud,  completed 
the  building.  The  furniture  was  as  rude  and 
primitive  as  the  house  itself,  and  the  books 
were  limited  in  quantity  and  quality,  and 
were  in  keeping  with  the  house'  and  its  fur- 
nishings. But  it  is  unnecessary  to  follow  the 
description  further.  Those  who  have  known 
only  the  perfect  system  of  schools  of  the 
present  can  form  no  idea  of  the  limited  ca- 
pacity of  educational  facilities  here  from 
fifty  to  seventy-five  years  ago.  But  there  are, 
no  doubt,  many  still  living  in  Crawford  Coun- 
ty who  can  recall  their  experience  in  the 
pioneer  schools  and  schoolhouses. 

Nothing  for  which  the  State  pays  money 
yields  so  large  a  dividend  upon  the  cost  as 
the  revenue  expended  upon  education.  The 
influence  of  the  school-room  is  silent,  like  all 
the  great  forces  of  the  universe.  The  sun 
shines  without  shouting,  "  Behold  the  I'ght!" 
Gravitation  spins  the  planets  in  their  paths, 
and  we  hear  the  cracking  of  no  heavy  timbers 
and  the  grinding  of  no  great  iron  axles.  So, 
from  the  humble  scene  of  the  teacher's  labors, 
there  are  shot  into  the  heart  of  society  the 
great  influences  that  kindle  its  ardors  for  ac- 
tivity, which  light  civilization  on  its  widening 
way,  and  which  hold  the  dearest  of  humanity 
in  its  hand.  The  statistics  are  the  smillost 
exponents  of  the  worth  of  our  schools.  There 
are  values  that  can  not  be  expressed  in  dollars 
anil  cents,  nor  be  quoted  in  price-currents. 

The  governing  power  in  every  country  upon 
the  face  of  the  globe  is  an  educated  power. 
The  Czar  of  the  Russias,  ignorant  of  interna- 


HISTORY  OF  CRAWFORD  COUNTY. 


87 


tioiial  law,  of  domestic  relations,  of  finance, 
commerce  and  the  or<2;aiiization  of  armies  and 
navies,  could  never  hold  under  the  sway  of 
his  scepter,  70,000,000  of  subjects.  An  au- 
tocrat must  be  intelligent  and  virtuous,  or 
only  waste  and  wretchedness  and  wreck  can 
wait  upon  his  reign.  England  with  scrupu- 
lous car.',  fosters  her  great  universities  for  the 
training  of  the  sons  of  the  nobility  for  their 
places  in  the  House  of  Lords,  in  the  army, 
navy  and  church.  What,  then,  ought  to  be 
the  character  of  citizenship  in  a  country 
where  every  man  is  born  a  king,  and  sover- 
eign heir  to  all  the  franchises  and  trusts  of 
the  State  and  Republic?  An  ignorant  people 
can  be  governed,  but  only  an  intelligent 
people  can  govern  themselves;  and  that  is 
the  experiment  we  are  trying  to  solve  in 
these  United  States. 

Every  observing  student  of  the  biography 
of  our  representative  men,  has  been  struck 
with  the  preponderance  of  those  who  re- 
ceived their  education  in  the  old  log  school- 
house.  They  are  designated  "  self-made 
men";  but  the  aspirations  that  have  enabled 
them  to  mount  to  prominence  and  distinction 
are  oftenest  the  product  of  inspirations 
awakened  by  the  studies  that  put  the  key  in 
their  hands  that  unlocks  the  storehouses  of 
knowledge.  It  has  been  quoted  until  it  has 
become  stale,  that  "  a  little  learning  is  a  dan- 
gerous thing";  but  there  has  been  a  period 
in  the  history  of  every  scholarly  mind  when 
its  attainments  were  small.  The  superiority 
of  communities  in  which  learning  is  fostered, 
over  those  in  which  ignorance  reigns,  has 
been  the  subject  of  pleasing  reflection  to 
every  man  who  appreciates  the  advantages 
of  intelligence.  The  transforming  power  of 
a  good  school  upon  any  neighborhood  hitherto 
without  one,  or  possessed  of  an  indifferent 
one,  has  shown,  in  every  case  where  the  ex- 
periment has  been  tried,  the  happy  effects 
ensuing,  which    mark  the  transition   and  the 


consequences  that  wait  upon  the  flight  of  a 
single  decade  of  vears.  In  such,  the  children 
of  the  poor,  competing  with  the  scions  of 
wealthy  families  for  the  rank  and  prizes  ac- 
corded intellect,  have  been  able  to  surmount 
the  privations  incident  to  poverty,  and  to  find 
their  way  into  a  society  and  pursuits  other- 
wise impossible.  Thus,  the  rich,  who  would 
have  borne  themselves  with  a  haughty  dis- 
dain toward  the  sons  and  daughters  of  their 
less  fortunate  neighbors,  have  been  com- 
pelled to  accredit  an  aristocracy  of  intellect, 
and  to  honor  with  social  respect  those  who, 
but  for  common  schools,  would  have  ever  re- 
mained the  subjects  of  a  purse-proud  neglect. 
The  first  school  in  Crawford  County  was 
taught  in  Palestine,  as  for  many  years  that 
town  was  the  Athens,  not  only  of  the  county, 
but  of  this  part  of  the  State.  It  was  of  the 
regular  pioneer  type,  and  will  be  more  fully 
described  in  the  chapters  devoted  to  Pales- 
tine. We  find  the  followinjr  among:  the 
county  records  of  the  school  at  that  place: 
"Know  all  men  by  these  presents,  that  we,  Jo- 
seph Kitchell,  Hervey  Kitchell,  Asa  Kitchell 
and  Wm.  Wilson,  are  held  and  firmly  bound 
to  Smith  Shaw,  John  Cowan  and  Benj.  Ea- 
ton, as  trustees  of  the  school  at  Palestine, 
Crawford  County,  Illinois  Territory,  and  to 
their  successors  in  office,  in  the  penal  sum  of 
five  hundred  dollars,  for  which  payment  well 
and  truly  to  be  made,  we  bind  ourselves,  our 
heirs,  executors,  etc.  The  condition  of  the 
above  obligation  is  such  that  if  the  above 
bounden  Joseph  Kitchell  shall  make  or  cause 
to  be  made  a  good  and  sufficient  deed  for  lot 
one,  in  the  town  of  Palestine,  to  the  trustees 
for  the  school  of  Palestine,  for  the  use  and 
benefit  of  a  school  in  said  town,  within  three 
years  from  date,  then  the  above  obligation  to 
be  void,  otherwise  to  remain  in  full  force. 
Witness  our  hands  and  seals,  this  Tth  day  of 
May,  1818;"  and  signed  by  the  parties  men- 
tioned above.     From  this  it  will  be  seen  that 


88 


HISTORY  OF  CRAWFORD  COUNTY. 


steps  were  taken  very  early  for  a  school  in 
the  couTity's  capital.  As  Palestine  increased 
in  wealth  and  in — children, — a  second  school- 
house  was  built,  in  connection  with  the  Ma- 
sonic fraternity,  the  upper  story  being  used 
as  a  lodge-room,  and  the  lower  story  lor  the 
Sfhool. 

The  little  school  taught  in  Palestine  more 
than  sixty  years  ago,  has  expanded  into  the 
liberal  educational  facilities  of  the  present 
day,  and  nearly  a  hundred  schools,  with  thou- 
sands of  children,  are  found  within  the  lim- 
its of  the  county.  In  illustration  of  the  rapid 
strides  made  by  education,  we  give  some  sta- 
tistics, furnished  us  by  Mr.  Moore,  late  as- 
sistant county  commissioner  of  schools,  as  fol- 
lows: 

Kumber  of  children  under  21  years  of  nge 8,189 

"  between  6  and  21  years 5,550 

of  graded  sehools  in  tlie  county 1 

of  scliool-liouses Brick 4 

Frame 83 

Log 9 

.      ^_  Total 96 

Number  of  males  attending  school 2.8(;6 

females       -  "     2.709 

'  male  teachers  employed lOB 

"  female       "  "         58 

FINANCIAL. 

Balance  on  hand  June  30,  1881 $    7,215  27 


Amount  of  State  fund  received S  5.918  90 

Special  tax  for  school  purposes 22,015  35 

Interest  on  township  fund -    1,412  47 

Keceived  from  other  sources 217  12 


Total  amount  received.. 


$-9,59?,  U 


Grand  total $36,809,11 

Amount  paid  teachers $20  741  91 

For  building  school-houses 6,500  32 

School  sites  and  buildings 136  85 

Repairs  and  iniprovenienls 1,376  80 

Incidental  expenses 2,183  95 


Total  expenditures 

Balance  on  hand,  June  30, 1682.. 


$S0,939>S3 
S  ,869  28 


Principal  of  township  fund $22,146  48 

There  is  one  well-grounded  criticism  upon 
the  schools,  not  only  of  Crawford  County,  but 
most  of  the  counties  in  Southern  Illinois,  viz.: 
the   small   salary  paid    the    county   commis- 


sioner of  schools,  which  is  far  below  that  in 
the  central  and  northern  part  of  the  State. 
The  small  compensation  allowed  the  commis- 
sioner, is  no  object  to  a  man  qualified  for  the 
position,  or  when  held  in  connection  with 
some  other  business,  of  sufficient  inducement 
to  command  much  of  his  attention.  The  com- 
missioner should  be  paid  a  salary  large  enough 
to  enable  him  to  devote  his  entire  time  and 
attention  to  the  schools,  without  being  com- 
pelled to  add  some  other  calling  in  order  to 
eke  out  a  living.  Better  compensation  would 
also  be  the  means  of  securing  a  man — or  a 
woman, — better  qualified  for  the  position, 
and  the  schools  be  thereby  greatly  benefited. 
Jie/if/ious. — Eighteen  hundred  years  ago 
the  Son  of  Man  gave  the  command,  "  Go  ye 
into  all  the  world  and  preach  the  gospel  to 
every  creature."  It  was  not  intended  alone 
for  the  salvation  of  those  nations  which 
brought  tribute  to  Ciesar,  but  with  prophetic 
vision  the  world's  great  Redeemer  gazed  on 
nations  then  unborn,  and  heard  the  cry  of 
those  who  groaned  beneath  the  yoke  of  sin. 
Then  for  the  redemption.  He  gave  to  his  dis- 
ciples the  commands  which,  in  later  years, 
have  caused  His  people  to  widely  spread 
God's  glorious  truth. 

The  solitary  settlers  of  the  western  frontier 
rejoiced  to  hear  the  early  messengers  of  God 
proclaim  the  "glad  tidings  of  great  joy,"  or 
wept  at  the  story  of  Pilate,  his  pitiless  crown 
of  thorns,  and  the  agonies  of  Golgotha  and 
Calvary.  The  dark  and  gloomy  forests  were 
pierced  by  the  light  that  shone  from  the  Star 
of  Bethlehem,  and  the  hymns  of  praise  to  God 
were  mingled  with  the  sound  of  the  pioi.eer's 
ax,  as  he  reared  his  lone  cabin  for  the  shelter 
of  his  loved  ones.  These  early  ministers  ex- 
posed themselves  to  all  the  dangers  of  the 
wilderness,  that  they  might  do  their  Master's 
will,  and  up  yonder  they  should  receive 
crowns  bright  with  many  jewels.  They  trav- 
eled on  foot  or  on  horseback,  among  the  early 


HISTORY  OF  CRAWFORD  COUNTY. 


89 


settlers  of  Crawford  County,  stopping  where 
night  overtook  them,  and  receiving  the  hospi- 
talities of  the  cabin  "  without  money  and 
without  price."  Reverently  asking  the  bless- 
ing of  God  upon  all  they  did,  their  lives  were 
simple  and  unostentatious,  their  wants  few 
and  easily  satisfied;  their  teachings  were 
plain  and  unvarnished,  touched  with  no  elo- 
quence save  that  of  their  daily  living,  which 
was  seen  and  known  of  all  men.  They  were 
of  different  religious  sects,  yet  no  discord  was 
ever  manifested  between  them,  but  a  united 
effort  was  made  by  them  to  show  men  the 
way  to  better  things  by  better  living,  and 
thus,  finally,  to  reach  that  best  of  all — a  home 
in  Heaven,  that 

"  The  good  old  paths  are  good  enough, 
The  fathere  walked  to  Heaven  in  them,  and 
By  following  meekly  where  they  trod,  all  reach 
The  home  they  found." 

They  were  not  only  physicians  for  the  soul's 
cure,  but  they  sometimes  administered  to  the 
body's  ailments.  They  married  the  living 
and  buried  the  dead;  they  clirlstened  the 
babe,  admonished  the  young  and  warned  the 
old;  they  cheered  the  despondent,  rebuked 
the  willful  and  hurled  the  vengeance  of  eter- 
nal burnings  at  the  desperately  wicked. 
Wherever  they  went  they  were  welcome,  and 
notice  was  sent  around  to  the  neighbors  and 
a  meeting  was  held,  and  all  listened  with 
rapt  attention  to  the  promises  of  the  gospel. 
For  years  these  pioneer  preachers  could  say 
literally,  as  did  the  Master  before  them,  "  The 
foxes  have  holes,  and  the  birds  of  the  air 
have  nests,  but  they  (the  sons  of  men)  had 
not  where  to  lay  their  heads."  An  old  min- 
ister, speaking  of  the  establishing  of  churches 
in  the  frontier  settlements,  said:  "It  used 
to  make  my  heart  sick  in  the  early  days  of 
my  ministry  to  dismiss  members  of  my 
charge  to  churches  in  distant  regions,  and 
have  brothers,  and  sisters  and  neighbors  leave 
us  for   the   new    settlement   in    the    opening 


territories.  But  as  I  have  grown  older,  and 
followed  these  emigrants  to  their  new  homes 
and  have  found  them  far  more  useful  in 
church  and  State  than  they  ever  could  have 
been  in  the  regions  they  left  behind,  where 
others  held  the  places  of  influence;  as  I  have 
seen  them  giving  a  healthy  and  vigorous  tone 
to  society,  while  the  separation  causes  a  pang 
of  sorrow,  the  good  accomplished  more  than 
compensates  for  the  pleasure  lost." 

The  good  seed  thus  carried  by  emigrants 
is  usually  sufficient  to  begin  the  work  of  rais- 
ing society  to  a  higher  level  of  civilization, 
and  their  transforming  power  counteracts 
those  demoralizing  influences  which  tend  to 
social  degeneration  and  disruption.  These 
Christian  influences  are  active  in  their  con- 
flicts with  evil  and  attractive  in  social  power; 
and  they  generally  act  as  a  nucleus  around 
which  gather  the  refining  influences  necessary 
to  carry  society  onward  to  a  state  of  compar- 
ative perfection.  We  may  see  by  comparing 
the  past  and  present,  how  much  has  been 
done  in  this  respect.  The  progress  and  tri- 
umph of  Christian  truth,  the  superstructure 
on  which  societv  must  rest,  if  it  ever  approx- 
imates perfection,  is  made  apparent.  It  is 
thus  easily  to  be  seen  that  no  other  power 
than  Christian  truth  can  vitalize,  expand,  har- 
monize, direct  and  control  the  forces  which 
underlie  and  build  up  the  great  fabric  of  so- 
ciety. 

The  Baptists  were  the  pioneers  of  religion 
in  Crawford  County.  They  were  of  what  is 
denominated  the  "  Hardshell  "  Baptists,  and 
had  ministers  here  among  the  first  settlers. 
They  were  followed  soon  after  by  the  Method- 
ists, who  built  the  first  house  of  worship  in 
the  county.  The  first  Baptist  preachers  were 
Thomas  Kennedy  and  Daniel  Parker,  both 
early  residents  of  this  portion  of  the  country. 
Elder  Newport  was  also  an  early  Baptist 
preacher,  but  lived  in  what  is  now  Clark 
County.      His   ministrations,  however,   were 


90 


HISTORY  OF  CRAWFORD  COUNTY. 


not  confined  to  any  particular  section,  but  de- 
voted to  the  needy  in  every  community. 
Elder  Daniel  Parker  was  a  zealous  minister 
and  preached  almost  everywhere  and  to 
everybody.  He  preached  from  Illinois  to 
Texas  and  back  to  Illinois,  and  then  made  up 
a  colony  which  he  led  to  Texas.  They  made 
the  trip  by  land,  and  every  night  during  the 
journey  they  assembled  around  the  camp-fire, 
held  religious  services,  passing  the  evening 
in  prayer  and  praise  to  the  Giver  of  all  good. 
Arriving  in  Texas  the  colony  continued  an 
organized  society  under  the  name  of  "  Pil- 
grim Church,"  which  name  they  had  borne 
during  their  "sojourn  in  the  wilderness." 
The  l,amotte  Church  was  organized  by  these 
plain  and  simple  old  ministers,  thefi  rst 
church  organization,  perhaps,  in  the  county. 
Elder  Parker  was  a  prominent  man  in  the 
early  history  of  this  section  of  the  country, 
and  has  been  termed  one  of  the  ablest  men 
ever  in  Crawford  County.  Aside  from  his 
ecclesiastical  duties,  he  found  time  to  mingle 
in  temporal  matters.  He  served  as  State 
Senator  in  the  Third  and  Fourth  General  As- 
semblies, and  was  an  active  and  able  legis- 
lator. He  was  plain  and  unpolished — the 
diamond  in  its  rough  state — honest  to  a  fault, 
kindly,  and  of  the  justest  impulses,  a  noble 
type  of  a  race  fast  passing  away. 

Elder  Thomas  Kennedy  was  also  prominent 
in  the  business  affairs  of  the  county.  He  was 
its  first  treasurer;  was  county  commissioner 
of  schools,  probate  judge,  etc.,  and  was  thus 
enabled  to  deal  out  justice  to  either  religious 


or  profane  delinquents.  He  was  not  the  equal 
of  Parker  in  intellect,  but,  nevertheless,  was 
no  ordinary  man.  Of  Newport  more  will  be 
said  in  the  second  part  of  this  volume. 

The  first  Methodist  preacher  was  Rev. 
John  Dolhjjhan.  He  lived  in  that  portion  of 
the  county  afterward  stricken  off  in  Law- 
rence, and  settled  there  prior  to  1820.  Rev. 
Mr.  Fox  was  the  first  Methodist  preacher  in 
the  Palestine  settlement.  These  were  not 
what  the  world  would  call  gifted  preachers, 
but  they  were  earnest  and  instructive,  and 
faithful  to  the  religion  they  taught.  As  emi- 
grants came  in  and  the  people  increased  in 
worldly  wealth,  steps  were  taken  to  provide 
for  their  spiritual  welfare.  At  first  religious 
meetings  were  held  in  any  vacant  cabin,  or 
in  people's  houses,  but  with  the  growth  of  the 
coinitry  religious  societies  were  organized, 
and  churches  were  built,  until  the  silence  of 
the  landscape  was  broken  by 

" the  sweet  and  solemn  hymn 

Of  Sabbath  worshippers." 

The  first  church  in  the  county  was  built  at 
Palestine  by  the  Methodists.  A  few  years 
later  the  Presbyterians  also  erected  a  church 
there.  Hebron  church  was  built  very  early, 
and  was  perhaps  the  next  in  the  county. 
Temples  of  worship  may  now  be  seen  in 
every  village,  hamlet  and  neighborhood.  But 
the  churches  and  church  organizations  will  re- 
ceive a  more  extended  notice  in  the  chapters 
devoted  to  the  several  townships  and  vil- 
lages. 


CHAPTER    IX.* 


WAR  HISTORY— THE    STRUGGLE    FOR    INDEPENDENCE— OUR    SECOND    "ROUND"    "WITH 

JOHN  BULL— BLACK   HAWK  AND  HIS  BRAVES,  AND  HOW  WE  THRASHED  THEM 

—THE  MEXICAN  WAR-ILLINOIS'    PARTICIPATION    IN    IT- WAR   OF 

THE    REBELLION— DIFFERENT   REGIMENTS    IN    WHICH 

CRAWFORD    COUNTY    WAS    REPRESENTED— 

FACTS    AND    INCIDENTS    OF    THE 

WAR,    ETC.,    ETC. 


"  Fair  as  the  earliest  beam  of  eastern  light. 
When  first,  by  the  bewildered  pilgrim  spied. 

It  smiles  I  pon  the  dreary  brow  of  night. 
And  silvers  o'er  the  torrent's  foaming  tide. 
And  lights  the  fearful  path  on  monntain  side; 

Fair  as  that  beam,  although  the  fah-est  far, 
Giving  to  horror  grace,  to  danger  pride, 

Shine  martial  Faith,  and  Courtesy's  briglit  star. 

Throogh  all  the  wreckful  storms  that  cloud  the 
brow  of  war." 

—Scott. 

ALTHOUGH  as  a  nation  we  are  over  a  hun- 
dred years  old,  j'et  we  have  lived,  com- 
paratively, a  quiet  and  peaceable  life.  Aside 
iVdni  our  strujTgles  with  the  Indians  (in  many  of 
which  they  had  the  better  cause),  we  have  had 
but  few  wars.  But  those  in  which  we  have  in- 
dulired,  have  been  wars  of  more  than  ordinary 
importance.  We  started  out  in  business  for 
ourselves  by  threshing  our  paternal  ancestor, 
Mr.  John  Bull,  thereby  inaugurating'  what  is 
known  in  American  history  as  the  Revolu- 
tionary War,  and  in  time  achieving  our  lib- 
erty and  independence.  Liberty  and  inde- 
pendence! Often  as  the  wheels  of  iime  roll 
on  the  anniversary  of  American  Independ- 
ence, so  often  does  our  patriotic  zeal  blaze 
out  from  one  end  of  the  Union  to  the  other, 
in  commemoration  of   those    brave   war-worn 

*  By  W.  H.  Pen-in. 


veterans,  who  bought  with  tlieir  blood  our 
freedom.  When  the  war  was  over  and  our  in- 
dependence acknowledged,  the  patriot  sol- 
diery was  paid  off  in  valueless  paper  and  in 
western  lands.  This  brought  many  of  them 
to  the  West,  mostly  to  Ohio  and  Kentucky,  as 
the  lands  of  those  States  were  in  market 
some  time  before  those  of  Illinois.  There 
were,  however,  a  number  of  Revolutionary 
soldiers  among  the  early  settlers  of  Southern 
Illinois  and  of  Crawford  Uounty.  But  after 
this  long  lapse  of  time,  it  is  impossible  to 
designate  all  who  participated  in  the  war  for 
libertv,  and  we  shall  not  attempt  it.  We 
have  heard  of  but  three,  viz.:  Asahel  Has- 
kins,  Daniel  Kinney  and  George  Miller.  Ref- 
erence is  merely  made  to  that  war  as  a  pre- 
lude to  others  that  have  followed  it,  and  which 
will  occupy  considerable  of  our  space  in  the 
subsequent  pages. 

After  the  close  of  the  Revolutionary  War 
our  martial  experience  was  confined  to  the 
Indians  until  our  second  war  with  Groat  Brit- 
ain, which  terminated  with  that  brilliant  tri- 
umph of  American  arms,  the  victory  of  Gen. 
Jackson  at  New  Orleans  on  the  8th  of  Janu- 
ary, 1815.  The  opening  scenes  of  this  war 
were  characterized  by  defeat,  disgrace  and 
disaster;  but  toward  the  close  of  the  struggle 
a  series  of  glorious  achievements  compensated 


92 


HISTORY   OF  CRAWFORD  COUNTY. 


for  these  misfortunes.  Croafhan's  sfallant  de- 
fense  of  Fort  Stephenson;  Perry's  victory  on 
Lake  Erie;  the  total  defeat  by  Gen.  Harrison 
of  the  allied  Biitish  and  Indians  under  Proc- 
tor and  Tecumseh  on  the  Thames,  togetlier 
with  the  closing  scene  at  New  Orleans,  have 
few  parallels  in  modern  warfare.  The  people 
then  living  in  what  is  now  Crawford  County, 
though  far  removed  from  the  seat  of  war,  felt 
its  effects  in  some  degree.  The  Indians  in 
this  section,  as  already  noticed,  became  some- 
what unruly,  and  bands  of  them  took  the  war- 
path, though  they  committed  few  depreda- 
tions on  the  people  of  this  county.  Their 
conduct,  however,  occasioned  considerable 
anxiety,  and  kept  the  people  continually  on 
the  lookout  for  danger.  Many  of  the  early 
settlers  who  came  to  the  county  following  the 
war  of  1812,  had  participated  in  it  some  time 
during  iis  progress.  But  there  is  no  record 
now  by  which  to  obtain  any  reliable  data  of 
tho-e  old  soldiers  and  their  exploits,  and  we 
pass  on,  with  this  brief  allusion  to  the  sub- 
ject. 

The  Blade  HawJc  War. — This  war  brings 
us  to  a  period  in  the  history  of  Crawford 
County,  whpn  she  had  attained  an  impor- 
tance second  to  few  counties  in  the  State,  as 
evinced  by  the  part  she  took  in  the  chas- 
tisement of  Black  Hawk.  We  shall  now  no- 
tice briefly  some  of  the  leading  incidents  and 
facts  pertaining  to  this  war. 

It  is  unnecessary  to  go  into  the  details 
which  originated  the  Black  Hawk  War.  It  is 
the  old  story  of  the  white  man's  oppression 
and  the  Indian's  resentment.  Speaking  of 
the  causes  which  eventually  led  to  it.  Gov. 
Edwards,  in  his  history  of  Illinois,  says: 
"There  is  no  doubt,  however,  that  the  whites, 
who  at  this  period  were  immigrating  in  large 
numbers  to  the  northwest,  and  earnestly  de- 
sired their  removal  further  Westward,  pur- 
posely exasperated  the  Indians,  at  the  same 
time  that  they  greatly    exaggerated  the  hos- 


tilities committed."  The  Indians  thus  mad- 
dened by  the  encroachments  of  the  whites 
upon  their  hunting  grounds,  and  the  insults 
and  injuries  heaped  upon  X.\wm  by  their  pale- 
faced  enemies,  finally  broke  out  in  open  war, 
and  gathered  around  Black  Hawk  as  their 
leader. 

When  war  commenced,  Crawford  County 
aroused  herself  to  action,  and  many  of  her 
able-bodied  men  shouldered  their  guns  and 
marched  to  the  scene  of  conflict.  Two  full 
companies  were  sent  from  Crawford,  while 
others  served  in  companies  and  regiments 
recruited  elsewhere.  Captain  Highsmith's 
company  formed  a  part  of  the  second  regi- 
ment of  the  second  brigade,  and  from  the  re- 
port of  the  adjutant-general  of  the  State  we 
learn  that  it  enlisted  in  June,  1832,  and  was 
as  follows:  William  Highsmith,  captain; 
Samuel  V.  Allen,  first  lieutenant;  John  H. 
McMickle,  second  lieutenant;  B.  B.  Piper, 
first  sergeant;  Thos.  Fuller,  second  ser- 
geant; Wra.  McCoy,  third  sergeant;  John 
A.  Christy,  fourth  sergeant;  Nathan  High- 
smith,  first  corporal;  Martin  Fuller;  second 
corporal;  Jackson  James,  third  corporal; 
John  Lagow,  fourth  corporal;  and  John 
Allison,  Samuel  H.  Allison,  David  M.  Alli- 
son, John  Brimberry,  John  Barrick,  Benj. 
Carter,  James  Condrey,  Thomas  Easton,  John 
Gregg,  Wm.  R.  Grise,  Peter  Garrison,  Hi- 
ram Johnson,  John  Johnson,  Geoige  W.  Kin- 
ney, James  Lewis,  Wm.  Levitt,  John  L.  My- 
ers, A.  W.  Myers,  Andrew  Montgomery, 
Isaac  Martin,  John  Parker,  Sr.,  William  Par- 
ker, Thomas  N.  Parker,  John  Parker,  Jr., 
Amos  Phelps,  William  Reese,  Robert  Simons, 
Thomas  Stockwell,  Jacob  Vaunrinch,  James 
Weger,  privates.  The  company  was  mus- 
tered out  of  service  August  2,  1832,  at  Dix- 
on's Ferry,  Illinois,  its  term  of  enlistment 
having  expired. 

Houston's  company  also  belonged  to  the 
second  regiment  of  the  second  brigade.     It 


HISTORY   OF  CRAWFORD  COUNTY. 


was  enrolled  June  19,  1833,  and  was  as  fol- 
lows: Alexander  M.  Houston,  captain;  George 
"W.  Lagow,  first  lieutenant;  James  Boat- 
right,  second  lieutenant;  O.  F.  D.  Hampton, 
first  sergeant;  Levi  Harper,  second  sergeant; 
David  Porter,  third  sergeant;  James  Christy, 
fourth  sergeant;  Cornelius  Doherty,  first  cor- 
poral; James  B.  Stark,  second  corporal; 
Joseph  .Jones,  third  corporal;  Rivers  Heath, 
fourth  corporal;  Francis  Waldrop,  bugler, 
and  Geo.  W.  Baugher,  Blanton  Blathares, 
John  Bogard,  Andrew  Baker,  Alexander 
Boatright,  Samuel  Cruse,  Silas  L.  Danforth, 
Geo.  B.  Doughton,  Edwin  Fitch,  Henry 
Fowler,  John  Goodwin,  Silas  Goodwin,  Rob- 
ert Grinton,  John  Hutton,  Joseph  Hackett, 
John  A.  Hackett,  Wm.  Hawkins,  John 
Houne,  Wicklitfe  KitchelL'  James  Kuyken- 
dall,  Alexander  Logan,  Matthew  Lackey, 
John  McCoy,  Johnson  Neeley,  Robert  Por- 
ter, Wm.  Porter,  Wm.  Pearson,  Joseph  Pear- 
son, Edwin  Pearson,  Zalmon  Phelps,  Samuel 
Shaw,  John  Stewart,  John  F.  Vandeventer, 
Vastin  Wilson,  Jacob  Walters,  privates. 
This  company  was  mounted,  and  was  mus- 
tered out  of  the  service  at  the  end  of  the 
term  of  its  enlistment,  August  15,  1833,  by 
order  of   Brigadier  General  Atkinson. 

The  war  ended  with  the  battle  of  August 
3,  1833,  at  the  mouth  of  Bad  Axe,  a  creek 
emptying  into  the  Mississippi  River,  a  short 
distance  above  Prairie  du  Chien.  In  Sep- 
tember a  treaty  was  made,  which  ended  the 
Indian  troubles  in  this  State.  Black  Hawk 
had  been  captiired,  and  upon  regaining  his 
liberty  ever  after  remained  friendly  to  the 
whites. 

Tlie  3Iexican  War. — All  readers  of  our 
history  are  acquainted  with  the  events  which 
led  to  the  war  between  the  United  States 
and  Mexico.  It  resulted  from  the  "annexa- 
tion of  Texas,"  as  it  was  known,  a  former 
province  of  Muxico,  and    her  adniissiou  as  a 


State  into  the  Federal  Union.  Texas  had  re- 
volted, and  for  years  her  citizens  had  been 
carrying  on  a  kind  of  guerrilla  warfare  with 
Mexico — a  war  attended  with  varied  results, 
sometimes  one  party,  and  sometimes  the 
other,  being  successful.  The  battle  of  San 
Jacinto  was  fought  in  1836,  and  the  Texans 
achieved  a  brilliant  victory,  capturing  Santa 
Anna,  then  Dictator  of  Mexico,  and  killing 
or  making  prisoners  his  entire  army.  Santa 
Anna  was  held  as  a  prisoner  of  war,  and  was 
finally  released  upon  his  signing  a  treaty  ac- 
knowledging the  independence  of  Texas. 
With  all  the  treachery  for  which  that  Repub- 
lic has  ever  been  noted,  Mexico,  in  violation 
of  every  principle  of  honor,  refused  to  recog- 
nize this  treaty,  and  continued  to  treat  Texas 
and  the  Texans  as  she  had  previously  done. 
From  this  time  on  petitions  were  frequently 
presented  to  the  Congress  of  the  United 
States,  praying  admission  into  the  Union. 
Mexico,  however,  endeavored  to  prevent  this 
step,  declaring  that  the  admission  of  Texas 
into  the  American  Union  would  be  reo^arded 
as  suificient  provocation  for  a  declaration  of 
war. 

In  the  Presidential  contest  of  1841,  between 
Henry  Clay  and  James  K.  Polk,  the  annexa- 
tion of  Texas  was  one  of  the  leading  issues 
before  the  people,  and  Mr.  Polk,  whose  party 
(the  Democrats)  favored  the  admission  of 
Texas,  being  elected,  this  was  taken  as  a 
public  declaration  on  the  subject.  After  this. 
Congress  no  longer  hesitated  as  to  the  grant- 
ing of  the  petition  of  Texas,  and  on  the  1st 
of  March,  1845,  formally  received  the  "  Lone 
Star  "  into  the  sisterhood  of  States.  In  her 
indignation,  Mexico  at  once  broke  off  all  di- 
plomatic relations  with  the  United  States, 
and  called  home  her  Minister.  This,  of  itself, 
was  a  declaration  of  war,  and  war  soon  fol- 
lowed. Congress  passed  an  act  authorizing 
the    President    to    accept    the    services    of 


94 


HISTORY  OF  CRAWFORD  COUNTY. 


50,000  volunteers  (which  were  to  be  raised  at 
once),  and  appropriated  $10,000,000  I'or  the 
prosecution  of  tlie  war. 

Illinois,  in  the  apportionment,  was  required 
to  luiriish  three  regiments  of  infantry  or  ri- 
flemen, the  entire  force  called  for  being 
drawn  principally  from  the  Southern  and 
Western  States,  on  account  of  their  closer 
proximity  to  the  scene  of  war.  Gov.  Ford, 
in  obedience  to  the  act  of  Congress,  called 
for  thirty  full  companies  of  volunteers  of  a 
maximum  of  eighty  men,  to  serve  for  twelve 
months.  The  call  was  responded  to  with  en- 
thusiasm, and  in  ten  days  thirty-five  compa- 
nies had  organized  and  reported,  and  by  the 
time  the  place  of  rendezvous  (Alton)  had 
been  selected,  seventy-five  companies  were 
recruited,  each  furious  to  go  to  the  war.  The 
Governor  was  compelled  to  select  thirty  com- 
pjinies — the  full  quota  of  the  State — and  the 
remaining  forty  odd  companies  were  doomed 
to  the  disappointment  of  staying  at  home.  A 
company  made  up  in  Crawford  County  was 
of  this  character.  Bi'lbre  they  reached  the 
"  muster  place  "  the  quota  was  filled,  and  they, 
with  the  other  companies  not  needed,  vpere 
furnished  transportation  to  their  homes  at  the 
expense  of  the  Government. 

The  three  original  regiments  were  organ- 
ized as  follows:  First  Rcqiment — John  J. 
Hardin,*  colonel;  William  B.  Warren,  lieu- 
tenant-colonel, and  Wm.  A.  Richardson,  ma- 
jor, with  ten  full  companies  rank  and  file. 
btcoml  Regiment — William  H.  Bissell,  colo- 
nel; J.  L.  D.  Morrison,  lieutenant-co'onel, 
and  Xerxes  F.  Frail,  major;  also  ten  full 
companies.  Third  Megimeiit — F.  Foreman, 
colonel;  W.  W.  Willey,  lieutenant-colonel; 
and  S.  D.  Marshall,  major;  with  likewise  ten 
companies.     At  the   expiration  of  their  term 

*  Killed  at  thfi  battle  of  Buena  Vista,  Feb.  23, 
1847,  in  the  famous  charge  with  Clay  and  McKee,  of 
Kentucky.  Wm.  Weatherford  was  afterward  elected 
colonel  of  the  regiment. 


of  service  (one  year)  the  first  and  second 
regiments  were  organized  for  "during  the 
war,"  many  of  the  soldiers  re-enlisting,  and 
the  discrepancies  being  tilled  by  new  recruits. 
Alter  the  quota  of  Illinois  had  been  filled 
by  the  organization  of  the  three  regiments 
mentioned  above,  Hon.  E.  U.  B  iker,  then  a 
member  of  Congress  from  the  Springfield 
district,  induced  the  Secretary  of  War  to  ac- 
cept another  regiment  from  this  State,  and 
thereupon  the  F'ourth  regiment  was  organized 
as  follows:  Edward  D.  Baker,  colonel;  John 
Moore,  lieutenant-colonel,  and  Thomas  L. 
Harris,  major.  This  regiment,  like  the  others, 
contained  ten  companies,  rank  and  file.  A 
number  of  independent  companies,  in  addi- 
tion to  these  four  regiments,  were  enlisted  in 
the  State  during  the  war. 

Under  the  second  call  for  troops,  a  call 
known  as  the  "Ten  R'giments  Bill,"  the 
First  and  Second  Illinois  regiments  were  re- 
organized. The  Whigs,  as  a  party,  opposed 
the  war  with  Mexico,  and  their  opposition  to 
the  measure  for  additional  troops  and  money, 
was  bitter  in  the  extreme.  It  was  in  opposi- 
tion to  this  bill  that  the  Hon.  Thos.  Corvvin, 
of  Ohio,  in  the  United  States  Senate,  made 
the  ablest,  speech  of  his  life.  In  it  he  used 
the  memorable  words  which  have  since  be- 
come proverbial:  "If  I  were  a  Mexican  I 
would  tell  you,  '  Have  you  not  room  in  your 
own  country  to  bury  your  dead  men?  If  you 
come  into  mine,  we  will  greet  you  with 
bloody  hands,  and  welcome  you  to  hospitable 
graves.'  "  But  notwithstanding  the  opposi- 
tion to  the  bill  it  passed,  and  the  war  was 
fou'^ht  out  bv  which  the  United  States  ac- 
quired valuable  territory. 

Crawford  County,  as  we  have  said,  recruited 
a  company,  but  wore  too  late,  or  too  slow  in 
their  movements,  to  be  admitted  into  the  reg- 
iments allotted  to  the  State.  Of  the  men 
comprising  this  company  we  have  but  little 
data  now,  as    the   adjutant-general's    report 


HISTORY  OF  CRAWFORD  COUNTY. 


95 


jyives  but  tlie  names  of  those  who  actually 
participated  in  the  war.  Notwithstamling 
this  company  was  not  accepted,  yet  quite  a 
number  of  men  from  the  county  went  into 
the  army  from  other  sections.  Tiie  names  of 
tiiese,  liowevor,  could  not  be  obtained.  Some 
of  them  have  moved  away,  others  are  dead, 
and  nut  one  is  now  known  to  be  livinn;  here. 
But  there  are  several  Mexican  soldiers  living 
in  the  county,  who,  at  the  time  of  their  en- 
listment lived  in  other  counties,  and  other 
States,  and  luive  removed  to  this  county  since 
ih  '  close  of  that  war. 

The  Ri  hellion. — The  lato  war  between  the 
States  next  claims  luir  :itt<'ntion.  We  do  not 
desiifn,  how -ver,  to  write  its  history,  as  there 
is,  at  ]iiesent,  more  war  literature  extant  than 
is  read.  But  a  history  of  Crawford  County 
that  did  not  contain  something  of  its  war 
record,  would  scarcely  prove  satisfactory  to 
the  general  reader.  It  is  a  duty  we  owe  to 
the  soldiers  who  took  part  in  the  bloody 
struggle,  to  preserve,  by  record,  the  leading 
facts.  Especially  do  we  owe  this  to  the  long 
list  of  the  dead,  who  laid  down  their  lives 
that  their  country  might  live;  we  owe  it  to 
the  maimed  and  mangled  cripples  who  were 
torn  by  shot  and  shell;  and,  lastly,  we  owe  it 
to  the  widows  and  orphans  of  those,  who,  for 
love  of  country,  forsook  home  with  all  its  en- 
dearments, exposing  theinselves  to  the  hor- 
rors of  war,  and  whose  bodies  now  lie  rotting 
in  the  land  of  "cotton  and  cane." 

When  the  first  call  was  made  for  volun- 
teers, it  set  the  entire  State  in  a  blaze  of  ex- 
citement. Who  does  not  remember  the  stir- 
ring days  of  '61,  when  martial  music  was 
lieard  in  every  town  ami  hamlet,  and  tender 
■women,  no  less  than  brave  men,  were  wild 
with  enthusiasm?  Wives  encouraged  their 
husbands  to  enlist,  mothers  urged  their  sons 
to  patriotic  devotion,  and  sisters  te.derly 
gave  their  brothers  to  the  cause  of  their 
country.     It  was  not  unlike  the  summons-  - 


the  fiery  cross — of  Rhodoric  Dim  to  his  clan — 

"  Fast  as  the  fatal  synibjl  flies. 
In  arms  the  huts  and  hamlets  rise; 
From  winding  glen,  and  upland  brown, 
They  poured  each  hardy  yeoman  down." 

But  the  citizens  of  Crawford  County  re- 
qu're  no  reminder  of  those  thrilling  times. 
The  naines  of  their  patriots  are  inscribed  in 
characters  that  will  stand  as  monuments  in 
the  memories  of  men,  who,  thoua:h  dead  lono- 
ago,  yet  will  live,  bright  and  imperishable  as 
the  rays  of  Ansterlitz's  sun.  Many  who  went 
forth  to  battle,  came  back  to  tlieir  homes 
shrined  in  glory.  Many  left  a  limb  in  the 
swamps  of  the  Chickahomlny;  on  the  banks 
of  the  Rapidan;  at  Fredericksliurg,  along  the 
Shenandoah,  or  in  the  Wilderness.  Many 
still  bear  the  marks  of  the  strife  which  raged 
at  Stone  River,  Chickamauga,  on  the  heights 
of  Lookout  Mountain,  where  in  the  lano-uasfe 
of   Prentice — 

" they  burst 

Like  spirits  of  des^ruction,  through  the  clouds, 
And  "mid  a  thousand  hurtling  missiles,  swept 
Their  foes  belore  them,  as  the  whirlwind  sweeps 
The  strong  oaks  of  the  forest.'' 

And  there  were  those  who  came  not  back. 
They  fell  by  the  wayside,  in  prison  and  in 
battle.  Their  memory  is  held  in  sacred 
keeping.  Others  dragged  their  wearied 
bodies  home  to  die,  and  now  sleep  beside 
their  ancestors  in  the  quiet  graveyard,  where 
the  violets  speak  in  tender  accents  of  woman- 
ly devotion  and  affection.  Some  sleep  in  un- 
known graves  where  they  fell,  but  the  same 
trees  which  shelter  the  sepulcher  of  their  foe- 
men  shade  theirs  also;  the  same  birds  carol 
their  miitins  to  both;  the  same  flowers  sweeten 
the  air  with  their  fragrance,  as  the  breezes 
toss  them  into  rippling  eddies.  Both  are  re- 
membered as  they  slumber  there  in  peaceful, 
glorified  rest. 

While  we  weave  a  laurel  crown  for  our  own 
dead,  let  us  twine  a  cypress  wreath  about  the 


96 


HISTORY  OF  CRAWF01.XJ  COUNTY. 


memory  of  those  who  fell  on  the  otlior  side, 
and  who,  though  arrayed  against  us,  were — 
OUK  BROTHERS.  Mistaken  though  they  were, 
we  reinemijer  hundreds  of  them  over  whose 
moldering  dust  we  would  gladly  plant  flowers 
with  our  own  hands.  Let  us  strike  hands 
over  the  grave  of  Slavery,  and  be  henceforth 
what  we  should  ever  have  been — "  brothers 
all." 

From  the  adjutant-general's  report  of  the 
State,  together  with  facts  gleaned  from  local 
records,  we  compile  a  brief  history  of  Craw- 
ford County  in  the  late  war.  The  sketch  is 
necessarily  limited  and  doubtless  imperfect 
but  is  complete  as  time  and  space  will  per- 
mit us  to  make  it.  A  few  words  will  be  de- 
voted to  each  regiment  drawing  men  from 
the  county.  The  first  in  the  list  was  Grant's 
old  rea-iment  (the  Twenty-first),  which  was 
recruited  in  an  early  period  of  the  war. 

The  Twenty-first  Illinois  Infantry  was  or- 
ganized at  Mattoon,  and  was  sworn  into  the 
State  Service  by  Captain  U.  S.  Grant,  May 
15,  18G1,  for  three  months,  and  on  the  28th 
of  June  following  it  was  mustered  into  the 
United  States  service  for  three  years  by 
Capt.  Pitcher,  of  the  United  States  Army, 
with  U.  S.  Grant  as  colonel.  He  was  com- 
missioned brigadier-general  on  the  6th  of 
August,  and  Col.  J.  W.  S.  Alexander  suc- 
ceeded him  as  colonel  of  the  Twenty  first. 
He  fell  at  the  battle  of  Chickamauga,  Sep- 
tember 20,  18G3,  at  the  head  of  the  gallant 
old  regiment.  George  W.  Peck  was  pro- 
moted lieutenant-colonel  of  the  Twenty-first, 
but  was  discharged  September  19,  1862,  on 
account  of  ill-health. 

Company  I  of  this  regiment  was  recruited 
in  Crawford  County,  and  was  officered  as  fol- 
lows: George  W.  Peck,  captain;  Clark  B. 
Lagow,  first  lieutenant,  and  Chester  K. 
Knight,  second  lieutenant.  Capt.  Peck  was 
promoted  to  lieutenant-colonel  September  2, 
1861,  and  Lieut.  Knight  became  captain,  and 


was  mustered  out  November  16, 1864.  Lieut. 
Lagow  resigned  in  consequence  of  having 
been  selected  by  Gen.  Grant  as  a  member  of 
his  staff.  He  served  in  this  capacity,  partici- 
pating in  all  of  Gen.  Grant's  hard  campaigns 
and  desperate  batth  s  from  Belmont  until  he 
left  the  Western  Department  to  take  com- 
mand of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac,  when, 
owing  to  a  long  continued  attack  of  rhcu- 
m:itism,  and  an  injury  received  from  his  horse 
falling  under  him  at  luka,  he  was  compelled 
to  resign.  He  was  promoted  from  captain 
to  colonel  of  volunteers,  and  then  to  colonel 
in  the  regular  army  for  distinguished  services 
rendered  previous  to  the  siege  of  Vicksburg. 
Durinor  the  sieg-e  Gen.  Grant  wanted  to  use 
some  steamers  below  the  city,  and  could  only 
get  them  there  bypassing  down  the  river  di- 
rectly under  the  guns  of  the  Confederate  bat- 
teries. This,  he  said,  was  such  a  desperate 
undertaking,  he  would  not  detail  any  one  to 
the  duty,  but  called  for  volunteers  to  man 
the  fleet.  Col.  Lagow,  being  of  the  number 
who  volunteered,  and  one  of  Gen.  Grant's 
tried  officers,  was  given  command  of  the  ex- 
pedition— if  such  it  could  be  called.  He 
boldly  stood  upon  the  deck  of  the  flag 
steamer  while  they  ran  the  terrible  gauntlet, 
in  face  of  the  enemy's  concentrated  batteries 
raining  shot  and  shell  upon  them.  His  ves- 
sel was  so  riddled  with  shot  that  it  had  to  be 
abandoned  in  front  of  their  batteries,  but  he 
and  the  men  surviving  the  terrible  fire  suc- 
ceeded in  boarding  another  boat.  Col.  La- 
gow came  through  the  ordeal  without  serious 
injurv,  and  saved  the  other  boats,  somewhat 
damaged,  but  not  beyond  repair,  as  their  sub- 
sequent use  demonstrated  to  the  army.  For 
this  brilliant  exploit  he  was  brevetted  briga- 
dier-general of  volunteers. 

The  Twenty-first  served  in  Jlissouri  until 
the  spring  of  1863,  when  it  was  ordered  to 
Corinth,  Miss.,  and  upon  the  evacuation  of 
that  place    was  engaged    in  several  expedi- 


HISTORY  OF  CRAWFORD  COUXTY. 


97 


tions  in  the  State.  It  pjirticipated  in  the 
Buell-Brag'g'  race  to  Louisville,  Ky.,  where  it 
arrived  September  37,  18G',aiid  was  engaged 
in  the  battle  of  Perryville  on  the  Sth  of  Oc- 
tober, after  which  it  returned  to  Nashville, 
Tenn.,  via  Crab  Orchard  and  Bowling  Green, 
Ky.  After  participating  in  several  trifling 
skirmishes  it  took  an  active  part  in  the  battle 
of  Muifreesboro,  doing  gallant  service,  and 
losing  more  men  than  any  other  regiment  en- 
gaged. It  was  with  Rosocrans'  army  from 
JMurfreesboro  to  Chattanooga,  and  bore  an 
honorable  part  in  tlie  bloody  battle  of  Chick- 
auiauga,  September  19th  and  20th,  1863,  los- 
ing its  colonel  kil'ed;  its  lieutenant-colonel  also 
being  wounded,  the  command  of  the  regiment 
devolved  on  Capt.  Knight.  After  the  battle 
of  Chickamauga  it  was  on  duty  at  BriJge- 
port,  Ala.,  during  the  fall  and  winter  of  1863, 
as  a  part  of  the  First  Brigade,  First  Divis- 
ion of  the  Fourth  Army  Corps.  Its  hard 
fighting  was  over,  and  after  the  close  of  the 
war  it  was  on  duty  in  Texas,  until  mustered 
out  of  the  service  at  San  Antonio,  December 
16,  1805,  when  it  returned  to  Illinois,  and  on 
the  18th  of  January,  1S66,  it  was  paid  off  and 
discharged  at  Camp  Butler. 

'  The  Thirtieth  Illinois  Infantry  was  indebt- 
ed to  Crawford  County  for  Company  D, 
which  went  into  the  service  with  the  follow- 
ing ofiScers:  Thomas  G.  Markley,  captain; 
Michael  Langton,  first  lieutenant,  and  George 
E.  Meily,  second  lieutenant.  This  company 
was  unfortunate  in  officers.  Capt.  Markley 
was  killed  in  the  battle  of  Belmont  Novem- 
ber 7,  1861;  Lieut.  Langton  was  promoted 
(laptain  in  his  place,  and  resigned  October 
23,  1862;  Lieut.  Meily  was  promoted  captain 
April  13,  1803,  and  was  killed  May  16th  fol- 
lowing; Patterson  Sharp  was  promoted  cap- 
tain June  13,  1803,  and  was  mustered  out  of 
the  service  July  8,  1805.  First  Lieut.  W.  D. 
Hand  (vas  promoted  captain  .July  10,  1805, 
but  mustered  out  as   first  lieutenant;    Martin 


L.  James  was  promoted  to  second  lieutenant, 
but  mustered  out  July  17,  1865,  as  sergeant. 

The  Thirtieth  Infantry  was  or2:anized  at 
Camp  Butler,  August  28,  1861,  and  moved  at 
once  to  Cairo,  where  it  was  assigned  to  the 
brigade  of  Gen.  John  A.  M  Clernand.  It 
was  sent  on  an  expedition  to  Columbus,  Ky., 
in  October,  and  November  7th  it  took  part  in 
the  battle  of  Belmont,  where  it  performed 
gallant  service,  capturing  the  celebrated 
Watson's  New  Orleans  battery.  In  February 
it  moved  up  the  Tennessee  River,  and  was  at 
Forts  Henry  and  Donelson.  As  a  part  of 
Logan's  brigade,  it  participated  in  the  siege 
of  Corinth.  It  served  in  Mississippi  until 
late  in  December,  when  it  was  ordered  to 
Memphis,  Tenn.,  where  it  arrived  January 
19,  1803.  Here  it  formed  a  part  of  Leg- 
gett's  brigade,  Logan's  division,  and  McPher- 
son's  corps.  In  February  it  was  ordered  to 
Louisiana,  but  in  the  latter  part  of  April  it 
returned  to  Mississippi,  taking  part  in  sev- 
eral skirmishes,  and  on  the  10th  of  May  it 
participated  in  the  battle  of  Champion  Hills, 
losing  heavily.  It  crossed  Black  River  with 
the  army,  and  arrived  in  the  rear  of  Vicks- 
burg  May  19,  1803.  It  was  actively  engaged 
in  the  siege  of  Vicksburg  until  .Tune  33J, 
when  it  moved  to  Black  R  ver,  under  Gon. 
Sherman,  to  watch  the  Confederate  Gen. 
Johnson.  After  the  fail  of  Vicksburg,  it  re- 
mained in  camp  until  August  29lh,  when  it 
removed  to  Monroe,  La.,  but  soon  returned 
and  was  on  duty  in  Mississippi  the  remain- 
der of  the  year. 

It  was  mustered  in  January  1,  1864,  as  a 
veteran  organization,  and  continued  on  duty 
in  Mississippi  until  the  5th  of  March,  when 
it  left  Vicksburg  on  veteran  furlough,  and  ar- 
rived at  Camp  Butler  on  the  12th;  on  the 
18th  of  April  it  left  for  the  front,  and  pro- 
ceeded to  Tennessee,  serving  in  that  State 
and  AlaVjama  until  the  opcn)ingof  the  Atlanta) 
Campaign,  in  which  it  took   an    active    part. 


98 


HISTORY  OF  CRAWFORD  COUNTY. 


It  participated  in  the  several  enarasements 
around  Atlanta,  and  on  the  ith  of  October  it 
went  in  pursuit  ol"  Gen.  Hood,  returning  No- 
vember 5th  to  camp.  It  accompanied  Sher- 
man's army  in  its  march  to  the  sea,  taking  part 
in  that  famous  c;impaign.  It  went  to  Wash- 
ington April  29,  1SG.5,  by  way  of  Richmond, 
participating  in  the  grand  review  May  24:th, 
at  Washington,  and  June  11th  it  left  for 
Louisville,  Ky.,  where  it  was  mustered  out  of 
the  service,  and  returned  to  Camp  Butler  for 
final  discharge. 

The  Thirty-eighth  Illinois  Infantry,  was  the 
next  regiment  to  which  the  county  con- 
tributed. Company  D  was  drawn  princi- 
pally from  Crawford,  and  went  into  the  service 
with  the  following  commissioned  officers: 
Alexander  G.  Sutherland,  captain;  James 
Moore,  first  lieutenant,  and  Robert  Plunkett, 
second  lieutenant.  Captain  Sutherland  re- 
signed April  15,  1864,  and  Robert  Duckworth 
was  elected  captain,  but  also  resigned  Sep- 
tember IS,  1865.  Lieut.  Moore  resigned  May 
29,  1863,  and  Nicholas  Glaze  was  promoted 
to  first  lieutenant  and  mustered  out  as  ser- 
geant September  14, 1864.  Robert  Stewart 
was  promoted  to  first  lieutenant  and  was 
mustered  out  with  the  regiment  March  20, 
1866.  Lieut.  Plunkett  was  mustered  out  at 
the  end  of  first  three  years. 

The  Thirty-eighth  was  organized  at  Camp 
Butler  in  September,  1861,  and  soon  after  was 
ordered  to  Missouri,  and  wintered  at  Pilot 
Knob.  In  March,  1863,  at  Reeves  Station; 
the  Twenty-first,  Thirty-third  and  Thirty- 
eighth  Illinois,  the  Eleventh  Wisconsin  In- 
fantry; the  Fifth,  Seventh  and  Ninth  Illinois 
Cavalry,  the  First  Indiana  Cavalry  and  the 
Sixteenth  Ohio  Battery,  were  formed  into  the 
Division  of  Southeast  Missouri  under  com- 
mand of  Brigadier-General  Steele.  The  first 
brigade  of  this  force  was  commanded  by  Col- 
Carlin  of  the  Thirty-eighth  Illinois,  and  con- 
sisted of  the  Twenty-first   and   Thirty-eighth 


Illinois  Infantry,  Fifth  Cavalry  and  the  Six- 
teenth Ohio  Battery.  On  the  2 1st  of  April 
the  command  moved  into  Arkansas,  Ijut  in  May 
the  Twenty-first  and  Thirty-eighth  were  or- 
dered back  to  Missouri,  and  thence  proceeded 
to  Mississippi,  arriving  before  Corinth  during 
the  last  days  of  the  siege.  It  remained  in 
Mississippi  until  August  when  it  joined  Buell's 
army  and  took  part  in  the  chase  of  Bragg 
to  Louisville.  Returning,  it  participated  in 
the  battle  of  Perryville,  capturing,  with  its 
brigade,  an  ammunition  train,  two  caissons 
and  about  one  hundred  prisoners,  and  was 
honorably  mentioned  in  Gen.  MitchpU's  re- 
port of  the  battle.  It  followed  in  pursuit  of 
Bragg  as  far  as  Crab  Orchard,  Ky.,  and  then 
returned  to  Nashville,  arriving  November  9th. 
It  advanced  with  its  brigade  from  Nashville 
December  26th  and  took  an  active  part  in  the 
battle  of  Stone  River,  in  which  it  sustained  a 
loss  of  thirty-four  killed,  one  hundred  and 
nine  wounded,  and  thirty-four  missing.  It 
remained  at  Murfreesboro  until  in  June,  1803, 
being  in  the  meantime  transferred  to  the 
Twentieth  Army  Corps.  It  was  at  Liberty 
Gap,  and  on  the  25th  of  June,  it  was  ordered 
to  relieve  the  Seventy-seventh  Pennsylvania, 
which  was  hotly  pressed  by  the  enem\-.  The 
Thirtj'-eighth  charged  across  a  plowed  field 
under  a  heavy  fire,  and  drove  the  enemy  from 
their  works  and  cajjtured  the  flag  of  the 
Second  Arkansas.  In  a  skirmish  the  next 
day  the  regiment  lost  three  men  killed  and 
nineteen  wounded.  It  remained  in  active 
service  during  the  summer  and  bore  a  promi- 
nent part  in  the  battle  of  Chickamauga  in 
which  it  lost  180  men  killed,  wounded  and 
missing,  out  of  301  who  went  into  the  battle. 
It  went  to  Bridgeport,  Ala.,  October  25th, 
where  it  went  into  winter  quarters.  February 
29,  1864,  the  regiment  re-enlisted,  and  in 
March,  came  home  on  veteran  furlough.  At 
the  expiration  of  its  furlough  it  returned  to 
Nashville,  and  on  the  17th  of  May  it  entered 


/ 


/ 


HISTOKY  OF  CRAWFORD  COUNTY. 


101 


upon  the  campaicru  in  Georgia,  wliich  termi- 
nated with  the  fall  of  Atlanta.  It  was  ('ni;fa"-ed 
principally  in  escort  duty,  with  frequent 
skirmishes,  until  in  June,  1805,  when  it  em- 
barked lor  New  Orleans,  and  in  July  it  went 
to  Texas,  where  it  served  until  its  muster  out 
December  31,  1865.  It  was  then  ordered  to 
Springfield,  111.,  where  it  was  paid  off  and  dis- 
charged. 

The  Sixty-second  Illinois  Infantry  drew  a 
company  from  Crawford,  as  well  as  a  couple 
of  its  field  officers.  Stephen  M.  Meeker,  the 
major  of  the  Sixty-second,  was  promoted 
lieutenant-colonel  August  13,  1863,  and  Feb- 
ruary 3,  1865,  was  discharged.  Guy  S.  Alex- 
ander, who  entered  the  service  as  second 
lieutenant  of  Company  F,  was  promoted  to 
first  lieutenant,  then  to  captain,  and  under 
the  consolidation  of  the  Sixty-second  was  pro- 
moted to   major  of  the  new  organization. 

Company  D  of  the  Sixty-second  contained  a 
few  men  from  this  county,  while  Company  F 
was  principally  made  up  here.  Company  F 
went  into  the  service  with  the  following  com- 
missioned officers:  Jesse  Crooks,  captain; 
James  J.  McGrew,  first  lieutenant,  and  Guv 
S.  Alexander,  second  lieutenant.  Captain 
Crooks  died  October  7,  1864,  and  December 
16th,  Lieutenant  Alexander  was  promoted  to 
captain.  Upon  the  promotion  of  Captain 
Alexander,  George  B.  Everingham,  who  had 
risen  to  second  and  then  to  first  lieutenant, 
was,  on  the  5th  of  May,  1865,  promoted  to 
captain,  and  transferred  to  the  consolidated 
regiment  as  captain  of  Company  F.  Lieu- 
tenant McGrew  resigned  September  11,  1862, 
and  Guy  S.  Alexander  promoted  in  his  place. 
George  F.  DollUigji  was  promoted  from 
second  lieutenant  to  first,  and  transferred, 
and  James  Moore,  John  E.  Miller  and  Wash- 
ington T.  Otey  were  promoted  to  second 
lieutenants. 

The  Sixty-second  was  organized   at  Anna, 
Illinois,  in  April,  186"2,  and   was  at  once  or- 


dered to  C.iiro.  May  7th  it  moved  to  Paducah, 
and  in  June  to  Columbus,  Ky.,  and  from  thence 
to  Tennessee.  It  remained  in  Tennessee 
until  ordered  into  Mississippi.  On  the 
20th  of  December,  Van  Dorn  captured  Hollv 
Springs,  and  among  his  prisoners  were  170 
men  of  the  Sixty-second,  including  the  major 
and  three  lieutenants.  These  were  paroled, 
but  all  the  records  and  papers  of  the  regiment 
were  destroyed.  April  15, 1863,  the  regiment 
was  brigaded  with  the  Fiftieth  Indiana, 
Twenty-seventh  Iowa  and  the  First  West 
Tennessee  regiments,  in  the  second  brigade 
of  the  Third  Division,  Sixteenth  Army  Corps. 
It  was  on  duty  in  Mississippi  and  Tennessee 
until  the  24tli  of  August,  when  it  was  ordered 
to  Arkansas,  where  it  served  until    January, 

1804.  It  then  re-enlisted  as  veterans,  and 
on  the  25th  of  April  moved  to  Pine  Bluff, 
remaining  there  until  August  12th,  when  it 
came  home  on  veteran  furlough.  At  expira- 
tion of  its  furlough  it  returned  to  Pine  Bluff, 
where  it  arrived  November  25,  1804.  Here 
the  non-%'eterans  were  mustered  out  and  the 
veterans  consolidated  into  seven  companies, 
and  remained  on  duty  at  Pine  Bluff.  July 
28,  1805,  it  was  ordered  to  Fort  Gibson,  in 
the  Cherokee  Nation,  and  served  in  the  Dis- 
trict of  the  frontier  until  March  6, 1860,  when 
it  was  mustered  out  of  service  at  Little  Rock 
and  sent  home  for  final  pay  and  discharge. 

The  Sixty-third  Illinois  Infantry  also  drew 
a  company  from  Crawford  County.  C'ompany 
G  was  enrolled  with  the  following  commis- 
sioned officers:  Joseph  R.  Stanford,  cap- 
tain; W.  B.  Russell,  first  lieutenant,  and  W. 
P.  Richardson,  second  lieutenant.  Captain 
Stanford   was  promoted    to    major,   June   14, 

1805,  and  mustered  out  with  the  regiment 
on  the  13th  of  July.  Lieutenant  Russell  re- 
signed February  4,  1803;  Second  Lieutenant 
Richardson  was  promoted  to  adjutan^.,  De- 
cember 10,  1802.  George  W.  Ball  was  made 
first  lieutenant  upon  the  resignation  of  Lieut. 


102 


HISTORY   OF  CRAWFORD  COUNTY. 


Russell,  and  died  May  34, 1884,  when  Charles 
G.  (Jochran  became  first  lieutenant,  and  on  the 
promotion  of  Capt.  Stanford,  was  made  cap- 
tain in  his  place.  Harvey  G.  Wycoff  was 
made  first  lieutenant,  but  mustered  out  as  ser- 
geant, July  13,  1865,  with  the  regiment. 
George  B.  Richardson  was  promoted  to  sec- 
ond lieutenant,  and  resigned  December  20, 
18G3;  Benj.  B.  Fannam  was  also  promoted 
to  second  lieutenant,  but  mustered  out  as  ser- 
geant. 

This  regiment,  like  the  Sixty-second,  was 
organized  at  Anna,  III.,  known  then  as  Camp 
Dubois,  in  December,  1801,  and  on  the  27th  of 
April  following  it  was  ordered  to  Cairo.  Af- 
ter a  short  expedition  into  Kentucky,  it  was, 
on  the  4th  of  August,  ordered  to  Jackson, 
Tenn.,  where  it  was  assigned  to  the  Fourth 
Brigade,  Seventh  Division  of  the  Seventeenth 
Army  Corps,  .John  A.  Logan  commanding 
the  Division.  It  operated  in  Tennessee 
and  Mississippi,  and  was  at  the  siege  of 
Vicksburg.  On  the  12th  of  September,  1803, 
it  was  ordered  to  Helena,  Ark.,  and  on  the 
28th  to  Memphis;  it  moved  toward  Chatta- 
nooga October  6th,  and  on  the  23d  of  Novem- 
ber participated  in  the  battle  of  Mission 
Ridge.  After  pursuing  the  enemy  to  Ring- 
gold, Ga.,  it  returned  to  Bridgeport,  Ala., 
thence  to  Huntsville,  where  it  arrived  on  the 
26th  and  went  into  winter  quarters.  Janu- 
ary 1,  1864,  the  regiment  re-enlisted  as  vet- 
erans, and  on  the  3d  of  April  came  home  on 
furlough.  May  21st,  it  reported  again  for  duty 
at  Huntsville  and  was  assigned  to  the  duty  of 
guarding  the  railroads  until  the  11th  of  No- 
vember, when  it  was  ordered  to  join  Gen. 
Sherman.  It  accompanied  him  in  his  cele- 
brated march  to  the  sea,  participating  in  most 
of  the  battles  and  skirmishes  of  the  campaign. 
It  left  Raleigh,  N.  C,  and  proceeded  to  Rich- 
mond, Va.,  thence  to  Washington  city,  where 
it  took  part  in  the  grand  review  on  the  24th 
of  May.     After  the  review  it  was  ordered  to 


Louisville,  Ky.,  where,  on  the  13th  of  Julj-, 
1865,  it  was  mustered  out  of  the  service  and 
sent  home.  The  following  statistics  are  fur- 
nished of  this  resriment: 

men. 

Original  aggregate 888 

Present  when  re-enlisted 322 

Veteran?  of  eiglit  companies  (two  companies  being  in- 
eligible)   '^72 

Arrival  at  Camp  Butler,  July  16, 1865,  for  discharge 272 

miles. 

Distance  traveled  by  rail 2,208 

'*  '*         **    water 1,995 

"         marched 2,250 

Total 6,453 

The  Seventy-ninth  Illinois  Infantry  con- 
tained, we  believe,  a  few  men  from  Crawford 
County;  but  no  organized  force  was  enlisted 
here  for  the  regiment.  We  have  no  data  at 
hand  of  the  recruits  from  the  county  to  the 
Seventy-ninth,  or  of   their  service. 

The  Ninety-eighth  Illinois  Infantry  drew 
more  men,  perhaps,  from  this  county,  than 
any  other  regiment.  Two  full  cotnpanies  (D 
and  E)  may  be  termed  Crawford  County 
companies.  Company  D  was  sworn  into  the 
service  with  the  following  commissioned  offi- 
cers: M'^illiam  Wood,  captain;  James  II. 
Watts,  first  lieutenant;  and  William  G. 
Young,  second  lieutenant.  Captain  Wood 
resigned,  Dec.  5,  1864,  and  Second  Lieuten- 
ant Young  became  captain  in  his  place. 
Lieutenant    Watts    resigned     February    22, 

1863,  and  David  L.  Condrey  was  promoted 
in  his  stead,  remaining  with  the  regiment  to 
its  muster-out.  Achilles  M.  Brown  became 
second    lieutenant,  and    resigned    March    22, 

1864.  Of  other  promotions,  we  have  no  facts. 
Company  E  was  organizsd  with  the  follow- 
ing officer^:  .John  T.  Cox,  captain;  I.-a  A. 
Flood,  first  lieutenant;  and  Charles  Wil- 
lard,  second  lieutenant.  Captain  Cox  re- 
signed April  13,  1863,  and  Lieutenant  Flood 
was  promoted  to  the  vacancy,  and  on  the  15th 
of  June,  1865,  he  was  promoted  to  major, 
but   mustered    out    as    captain.       George   B. 


HISTORY  OF  CKAWl-oRl)  (OrXTV. 


103 


Sweet  beciime  secoml  lieutenant,  was  pro- 
moted to  first,  iind  then  to  captain,  but  mus- 
tered out  as  first  lieutenant.  John  Boes 
became  second  lieutenant,  and  was  pro- 
moted to  first  lieutenant,  and  mustered  out 
with  the  regiment.  Second  Lieutenant  Wil- 
lard  resigned  .March  20,  1863;  J.  W.  .fones 
was  promoted  to  second  lieutenaut,  but  mus- 
tered out  as   sergeant. 

The  Ninety-eighth  *  was  organized  at  Cen- 
tralia.  111.,  and  was  mustered  into  the  United 
States  service  September  3,  ISG'i,  and  on 
the  8th  it  started  for  Louisville,  Kv.,  then 
threatened  by  Gen.  Bragg.  It  was  embarked 
on  two  railroad  trains,  and  when  near  Bridge- 
port, 111.,  the  foremost  train  was  thrown  from 
the  track  by  a  displaced  switch  and  five  men 
killed,  among  whom  was  Captain  O.  L.  Kel- 
ly of  Company  K,  while  some  7-)  others  were 
injured,  several  of  whom  afterward  died. 
Arriving  at  Louisville,  it  was  brigaded  with 
the  Seventy-second  and  Seventy-fifth  In- 
diana Infantry,  and  the  Thirteenth  Indiana 
Battery,  Col.  A.  O.  Miller  of  the  Seventy- 
second  Indiana,  commanding.  The  regi- 
ment, witli  its  brigade,  served  in  Kentucky 
until  in  November,  when  it  marched  into 
Tennessee.  From  Gallatin  it  moved  to  Cas- 
tilian  Springs,  and  on  the  14th  of  Dec(>mber, 
to  Bledsoe  Creek.  December  2Gth  it  began 
the  march  northward  in  pursuit  of  Gen.  Mor- 
gan, arriving  at  Glasgow  on  the  31st;  and  on 
the  2d  of  January,  1863,  it  moved  to  Cave 
City,  and  from  thence  to  Nashville  on  thj 
5th;  then  to Murfreesboro  where,  on  the  l-tth, 
it  was  assigned  to  the  First  Brigade,  Fifth 
Division,  Fourteenth  Army  Corps.  On  the 
8th  of  March,  the  regiment  was  ordered  to  be 
mounted,  and  served  in   Tennessee  where  it 

*  The  sketch  of  the  Ninety-eighth  given  herewith 
is  oompileil  from  a  history  of  thj  regim 'nfc  written 
by  Adjutant  Aden  Knoph,  and  published  in  the  Ar- 
gus in  Septembsr,  1882. 


did  active  duty  in  scouting-  guarding  for- 
age trains,  etc.,  until  the  Chattanooga  cam- 
paign, in  which  it  participated.  On  the  20tii 
of  September,  at  Cliattanooga,  Col.  Funk- 
houser  of  the  Ninety-eighth,  was  severely 
wounded,  and  the  command  of  the  regiment 
devolved  on  Lieutenant-Colonel  Kitchell. 
The  regiment  lost  in  the  l)attle  five  men 
killed  and  thirty-six  woan:led.  It  continued 
to  operate  in  Tennessee,  engaged  in  scout- 
ing and  skirmishing,  until  the  campaign  in 
Georgia,  when  it  was  assigned  to  the  Second 
Cavalry  Division,  commanded  by  Gen.  Crook, 
and  took  an  active  part  at  Ringgold,  Buzzard 
Roost,  Dallas,  Marietta,  Rough-and-Ready, 
and  other  places  familiar  to  the  Army  of  the 
Cumberland,  the  Ohio,  and  Tennessee.  On 
the  1st  of  November,  1864,  the  Regiment 
turned  over  its  horses  and  equipments  to  Kil- 
patrick,  and  moved  via  Chattanooga  and 
Nashville  to  Louisville,  where  it  arrived  on 
the  16th,  and  lay  in  camp  for  some  time,  wait- 
ing to  be  equipped  anew.  Taking  the  war- 
path again,  it,  on  the  31st  of  December  moved 
to  Eiizidjethtown,  Ky.,  thence  to  Mumford- 
ville.  Bowling  Green,  and  finally  to  Nashville. 
,Tanu;ir\'  1"2,  1805.  the  command  moved  into 
Alabama,  remaining  at  Gravelly  Springs  un- 
til March  8th,  when  it  moved  to  Waterloo, 
and  on  the  31st,  to  Montevallo,  and  April  2d 
took  part  in  the  capture  of  Solma.  This  was 
the  last  severe  duty  of  the  Ninety-eighth,  as 
on  the  20th  of  April  they  were  detailed  as 
provost  guard  of  JIacon,  Ga.  May  22d  it 
started  for  Chattanooga,  and  from  thence  to 
Nashville,  where  it  arrived  on  the  loth,  and 
June  27,  1865,  it  was  mustered  out  of  the 
service  and  ordered  to  Springfield,  111.,  for 
final  discharge. 

The  One  Hundred  and  Thirty-fifth  Infantry, 
called  into  service  for  100  days,  had  one  com- 
pany recruited  mostly  in  Crawford  County. 
Company  11  was  commanded  bv  Capt.  James 
1>.  A^'icklin,  with  Philip  Brown    as   first  lieu 


104 


HISTORY  OF  (^RAWFOUU  lOU.NTY. 


tenant  and  A.  D.  Otey,  second  lieutenant. 
We  have  no  record  of  its  operations  during 
its  term  of  service. 

Tlie  One  Hundred  and  Fifty-second  In- 
fantry recruited  under  the  call  for  "  one  year 
service,"  contained  a  Crawford  County  com- 
pany. Company  H  veent  into  the  field  in 
charge  of  the  following  commissioned  officers: 
George  W.  Beam,  captain;  William  Dyer, 
first  lieutenant;  Ferdinand  Hughes,  second 
lieutenant. 

The  One  Hundred  and  Fifty-second  was 
recruited  for  one  year,  and  was  organized  at 
Camp  Butler,  Illinois,  February  18,  1865.  It 
went  to  Nashville,  and  thence  to  TuUahoma. 
It  was  mustered  out  of  the  service  September 
11,  1865,  at  Camp  Butler. 

The  One  Hundred  and  Fifty- fifth  Infantry 
drew  a  company  from  Crawford  County. 
Company  C  was  principally  from  this  county, 
and  had  the  following  commissioned  officers: 
John  W.  Lowber,  captain;  Ross  Neeley,  first 
lieutenant,  and  Marshall  C.  Wood,  second 
lieutenant. 

This  regiment  was  organized  at  Camp  But- 
ler, Illinois,  February  28,  18G5,  for  one  year. 
March  2d,  the  regiment,  904  strong,  proceeded 
via  Louisville  and  Nashville  to  Tullahoma, 
where  it  was  employed  mostly  in  guard  duty 
on  the  Nashville  &  Chattanooga  Railroad. 
September  4,  1865,  it  was  mustered  out  of 
the  service  at  Camp  Butler  and  discharged. 

The  Fifth  Illinois  Cavalry  contained  a 
Crawford  County  company  of  men.  Com- 
pany F  was  principally  from  this  county,  and 
was  officered  as  follows:  Horace  P.  Mum- 
ford,  captain;  Francis  M.  Doroth}',  first  lieu- 
tenant, and  Wm.  Wagenseller,  second  lieu- 
tenant. Capt.  Mumford  was  promoted  to 
major  of  the  regiment  May  24,  1803,  and  died 
October  26,  1864,  at  Springfield,  111.  Lieut. 
Dorothy  resigned  January  10,  1863;  Lieut. 
Wagenseller  was  promoted  to  first  lieutenant 
January    10,   1863,  and  to  captain  May   24, 


1863,  and  then  resigned.  Thos.  J.  Dean  be- 
came second  lieutenant,  was  promoted  to  first 
lieutenant  May  24,  1863,   to  captain  July  5, 

1864,  and  died  on  the  20th  of  September  fol- 
lowing. James  H.  Wood  became  second 
lieutenant  May  34,  1863,  was  promoted  to 
first  lieutenant  July  5,  1864,  to  captain  Sep- 
tember 20,  1864,  and  was  mustered  out  with 
the  regiment  at  the  close  of  the  war.  Edwin 
P.  Martin  was  promoted  to  second  lieutenant, 
then  became  adjutant  and  alterward  resigned. 
Jacob  Stifal  was  made  first  lieutenant,  and 
remained  in  the  service  until  the  muster  out 
of  the  regiment;  James  G.  Bennett  was  pro- 
moted to  second  lieutenant  October  26,  1865, 
but  mustered  out  as  sergeant. 

Of  the  field  and  staff,  Major  Mumford, 
Adjutant  Martin,  Quartermaster  Robert  C. 
Wilson,  and  Surgeon  Wm.  Watts,  were 
Crawford  County  men.  Adjutant  Martin  re- 
signed. Quartermaster  Wilson  was  mustered 
out  of  the  service.  Dr.  Watts  entered  as 
assistant  surgeon,  was  promoted  to  surgeon, 
and  was  mustered  out  October  27,  1865,  with 
the  regiment. 

Maj.  Mumford  died  in  the  latter  part  of 
1664.  The  following  tribute  to  his  gallantry 
as  a  soldier  and  officer,  was  paid  him  by  Gen. 
Dennis,  in  a  letter  to  Hon.  Jesse  K.  Dubois: 
''  This  will  be  handed  you  by  Maj.  Mumford, 
Fifth  Illinois  Cavalry  Volunteers.  The  Major 
has  been  in  my  command  for  the  last  four 
months,  and  the  greater  portion  in  command 
of  his  regiment.  In  the  expedition  from 
Vicksburg,  the  Major  had  command  of  the 
entire  cavalry  forces,  composed  of  parts  of 
four  regiments.  When  I  say  that  he  handled 
his  command  as  well,  and  did  better  fighting 
than  any  cavalry  officer  I  have  met  with  in 
Mississippi,  it  will  be  indorsed  by  all  the  old 
officers  who  were  with  the  late  raids.  Maj.- 
Gen.  Slocum  was  so  well  please  i  and  satis- 
fied with  him  and  the  good  discipline  of  his 
men,  that  he  continued  him  in  coniuiand,  noi 


HISTORY  OF  CRAWFORD  COUNTY. 


105 


withstanding  his  supoiiois  were  present  with 
the  expedition." 

The  Fifth  Cavalry  was  organized  at  Camp 
ButU;r  in  November,  1861,  witli  Hall  Wilson, 
colonel.  It  served  in  Missouri  and  Arkansas 
until  the  SOth  of  May,  1803,  when  it  embarked 
for  Vicksburg.  xVfter  the  fall  of  that  rebel 
stronghold,  it  accompanied  Gen.  Sherman's 
army  toward  Jackson,  and  was  engaged  in 
several  skirmishes  with  the  enemy  in  which  it 
sustained  some  loss.  It  was  on  active  duty  in 
Mississippi  until  January  1, 1864,  when  many 
of  its  men  re-enlisted  as  veterans,  and  on  the 
17th  of  March,  the  veterans  were  furlougliod. 
May  27th,  Col.  McConnell  took  command, 
when  eight  companies  were  dismounted,  and 
Companies  A,  B,  C  and  D,  were  fully  armed 
and  equipped.  This  battalion  of  cavalry  con- 
tinued to  serve  in  Mississippi,  and  was  actively 
engaged  most  of  the  time  in  raiding  and 
scouting.  January  24,  1865,  the  battalion 
moved  to  Memphis,  and  thence  on  an  expedi- 
tion to  Southern  Arkansas  and  Louisiana,  re- 
turning February  13th.  On  the  1st  of  .luly, 
it  was  ordered  to  Texas.  It  served  in  Texas 
until  October  6th,  when  it  was  sent  home  to 
Springfield,  111.,  and  on  the  27th,  was  mus- 
tered out  of  the  service,  paid  off  and  dis- 
charged. 

This  completes  the  sketch  of  Illinois  regi- 
ments in  which  Crawford  County  was  repre- 
sented. Many  men,  however,  enlisted  in 
other  States,  particularly  in  Missouri  and  In- 
diana. Several  Missouri  regiments  contained 
a  large  number  of  Crawford  County  men,  but 
how  many,  we  have  no  accurate  means  of 
knowing. 

During  the  four  years  of  the  war,  the  county 
kept  up  her  enlistments,  equal  to  almost  any 
other  county  in  the  State.  There  was  but 
one  draft,  and  that  vcas  for  a  few  men  only. 
The  deficiency  was  thus  apportioned  among 
the  different  precincts:  Hutsonville,  10; 
Robinson,  5;    Watts,  19;    Licking,  16;    Mar- 


tin, none;  Franklin,  33;  Embarras,  11;  North- 
west, 8;  Montgomery,  21;  01>long,  0;  Pales- 
tine, 14,  and  Southwest,  3.  Buforo  the  date 
fixed  for  the  draft,  some  of  the  precincts  had 
filled  their  quotas,  and  others  had  decreased 
the  deficiency,  so  that  when  it  actually  took 
place,  it  was  as  follows:  Franklin,  16;  Watts, 
8;  Licking,  8;  Hutsonville,  1;  Oblong,  3; 
Northwest,  4;  Montgomery,  10;  with  a  like 
number  of  "  reserves  "  from  each  of  the  drafted 
precincts.  The  Argus  published  the  following, 
as  the  full  quota  of  the  county  by  precincts,  un- 
der the]  different  calls,  including  the  last  two 
in  1864,  whicli  two  alone  aggregated  500,000 
men:  Hutsonville,  quota  176 — credit,  166; 
Robinson,  quota  198 — credit,  193;  Watts, 
quota,  67 — credit,  48;  Licking,  quota  72 — ■ 
credit,  56;  Martin,  quota  69 — credit,  69; 
Franklin,  quota  144 — credit.  111;  Embarras, 
quota  55 — credit,  44;  Northwest,  quota  59 — 
credit,  51;  Montgomery,  quota  86 — credit,  65; 
Oblong,  quota  55 — credit,  49;  Palestine,  quota 
148  — credit,  133;  Southwest,  quota  20  — 
credit,  17;  total  quota,  1,149;  total  credits, 
1,'  03;  deficiency,  146.  Another  draft  was 
ordered  later  on,  to  fill  up  the  quota  on  a  last 
call,  but  before  the  appointed  day  came,  more 
welcome  nev\-s  was  flashed  over  the  wires,  viz.: 
the  fall  of  Richmond,  the  surrender  of  Gon. 
Lee,  and  the  armies  of  the  Confederacy.  The 
draft  was  declared  "  off;"  the  war  was  over, 
the  country  was  saved,  and  the  troops  were 
coming  home.  The  saddest  part  of  the  home- 
coming, was  in  the  many  vacancies  in  the 
broken  ranks — the  absence  of  "  those  who 
came  not  back."  A  little  poem  dedicated  to 
the  "Illinois  dead,"  and  published  in  the 
initiatory  number  of  the  Arffun,  is  appropriate: 

"  Oh,  sing  the  funeral  roundelay, 
Let  warmest  tears  be  shed, 
And  rear  the  mighty  mouumenta 
For  the  Illinois  dead. 

"  On  many  a  field  of  victory 
Tliey  slumber  in  th';'ir  gore, 


106 


HISTORY  OF  CRAWFORD  COUNTY. 


They  rest  beneath  the  shining  sands 
On  ocean's  soundmg  shore. 

"  Where  from  Virginia's  mountain  chains, 
By  Rappahannock's  side, 
Upon  the  Heights  of  Maryland 
Her  gallant  sons  have  died. 

"  The  broken  woods  of  Tennessee, 
Are  hallowed  by  their  blood. 
It  consecrates  Missouri's  plains, 
And  Mississippi's  flood, 

"  Kentucky's  '  dark  and  bloody  ground, 
Is  furrowed  by  theu-  graves; 
They  sleep  in  Alabama's  soil, 
By  Pamlico's  dark  waves. 

"  And  Mississippi's  poison  swamps, 
Arkansas  river  ways, 
And  Pennsylvania's  pleasant  towns 
Attest  our  heroes  praise. 

"They  saw  them  in  the  ranks  of  war, 
Oh.  memory  dark  with  woe! 
They  saw  them  yield  to  death,  who  ne'er 
Had  yielded  to  the  foe. 

"  Then  weave  the  chaplets  fair  and  well 
To  grace  each  noble  name. 
That  grateful  llhuois  writes 
Upon  the  scroll  of  fame. 

'  Her  sons  have  led  the  battle's  van. 
Where  many  fought  and  fell, 
With  all  the  noble  Gracchi's  zeal. 
The  hero  faith  of  Tell." 

We  can  not  close  this  chapter  more  appropri- 
ately, than  to  devote  a  few  words  to  the  noble 
women  of  the  land,  whose  zeal  and  patriotism 
were  as  strong  as  those  who  bore  the  brunt 
of  the  battle.  They  could  not  shoulder  their 
guns  and  march  in  the  ranks,  but  they  w  >re 
not  idle  spectators  of  the  struggle.  How 
often  was  the  soldier's  heart  encouraged;  how 
often  his  right  arm  made  stronger  to  strike  for 
freedom  by  the  cheering  words  of  patriotic, 
hopeful  women!  And  how  often  the  poor  lad 
whom  disease  had  fastened,  was  made  to  tliank 
devoted  women   for  their  ceaseless   and  un- 


wearied exertions  in  collecting  and  sending 
stores  for  the  comfort  of  the  sick  and  wounded. 
We  may  boast  of  the  fame  and  prowess  of  a 
Grant,  a  Sherman,  a  Lee,  a  Sheridan,  but  the 
devotion  of  those  noblewomen  surpasses  tiiem 
all,  and  truly,  the  world  sustains  its  heaviest 
loss  when  such  spirits  fall.  A  war  correspond- 
ent paid  them  the  following  merited  tribute: 
"While  soldiers  of  every  grade  and  color  are 
receiving  eulogies  and  encomiums  of  a  grate- 
ful people,  patient,  forbearing  w^oman  is  for- 
gotten. The  scar-worn  veteran  is  welcomed 
with  honor  to  home.  The  recruit,  the  colored 
soldier,  and  even  the  hundred  days'  men  re- 
ceive the  plaudits  of  the  nation.  But  not  one 
word  is  said  of  that  patriotic,  widowed  mother, 
who  sent  with  a  mother's  blessing  on  his  head, 
her  only  son,  the  staff  and  support  of  her  de- 
clining years,  to  battle  for  his  country.  The 
press  says  not  one  word  of  the  patriotism,  the 
sacrifices  of  the  wife,  sister  or  daughter,  who 
with  streaming  eyes,  and  almost  broken  heart, 
said  to  husbands,  brothers,  fathers,  "  much  as 
we  love  you,  we  can  not  bid  you  stay  with  us 
when  our  country  needs  yon;  nay,  we  bid  you 
go,  and  wipe  out  the  insult  offered  the  star- 
spangled  banner,  and  preserve  unsullied  this 
union  of  States." 

Brave  and  noble,  self-sacrificing  women! 
your  deeds  deserve  to  be  written  in  letters  of 
shining  gold.  Love  and  devotion  to  the  un- 
fortunate and  heart-felt  pity  for  the  woes  of 
suffering  humanity  are  among  your  brightest 
characteristics.  Your  kindly  smiles  of  sym- 
pathy break  through  the  clouds  of  misfortune, 
and  your  gentlest  tones  are  breathed  amid 
the  sighs  of  suffering  and  sorrow.  Your 
o-entle  ministrations  to  the  war-worn  soldiers, 
in  humble  imitation  of  Him  who  taught  the 
sublime  lesson  about  the  cup  of  cold  water  to 
the  little  one,  will  live  as  long  as  the  trials 
and  hardships  of  the  war  are  remembered, 
and  that  will  be  glory  enough. 


CHAPTEE    X. 


ROBINSON  TOWNSHIP-DESCRIPTION  AND  TOPOGRAPHY-GENERAL  CHARACTER  OF  THE 

COUNTRY-LAND  ENTRIES-ADVENT  OF  THE  WHITES-TIME  AND  PLACE  OF 

SETTLEMENT-EARLY  SOCIETY-THE  BEGINNING  OF  AGRICULTURE 

—PIONEER  INDUSTRIES  AND  IMPROVEMENTS— EARLY 

MARKETS,  ETC.,  ETC.  . 


"And  nature  glarlly  gave  them  place. 
Adopted  them  into  her  race." — Emerson. 

nOUTHERN  Illinois  is  an  offspring  of  the 
O  "South."  Freed  from  British  control  in 
177S  by  a  son  of  Virginia,  and  passing  its  early 
existence  under  the  colonial  regime  as  the 
county  Illinois  of  the  State  of  Virginia,  its 
first  American  settlements  were  founded  by 
emigrants  from  County  Kentucky,  and  the 
parent  State.  Later,  as  the  territorial  posses- 
sion of  the  general  government,  the  story  of 
its  beautiful  plains,  its  stately  woods  and  its 
navigable  rivers,  spread  to  the  contiguous 
States  of  North  Carolina  and  Tennessee,  and 
brought  from  thence  a  vast  influ.x:  of  popula- 
tion. The  early  tide  of  emigration  set 
toward  the  region  marked  by  the  old  French 
settlements,  and  reaching  out  from  this  point 
followed  the  course  of  the  rivers  which  drew 
their  sources  from  the  northern  interior. 
Thus  for  some  thirty  j-ears  the  eastern  side  of 
this  fair  country  was  almost  ignored,  but  the 
military  activities  involved  in  the  war  of  1813 
brought  many  of  the  hardy  citizens  of  the 
south  in  actual  contact  with  the  beauties  of 
the  "  Wabash  country,"  and  the  years  of 
1S14-15  witnessed  a  concourse  of  clamorous 
immigrants  held  in  abeyance  upon  the  bor- 
der only  b}'  the  slow  pacification  of  the  Indi- 
ans who  had  engaged  in  the  war  on  the  side 
of  the   British.      Here   and  there,  one   more 

•By  .1.  H.  Battle. 


bold  than  the  rest,  reared  his  rude  tabernacle 
upon  this  debatable  ground  and  occasion- 
ally paid  the  forfeiture  of  his  life  for  his 
temerity.  But  the  barrier  once  removed,  the 
swollen  tide  spread  rapidly  over  the  coveted 
land,  and  up  sprang  as  though  by  magic,  the 
log  cabins,  the  teeming  harvests,  the  mill,  the 
church,  the  school-house,  and  all  the  "  busy 
hum  "  of  pioneer  activity.  Such  in  brief  is 
the  history  of  Crawford  County. 

The  division  of  the  County  to  which  our 
attention  is  now  directed,  is  the  outgrowth  of  a 
later  development.  As  settlements  increased, 
precincts  were  formed  which  were  after- 
ward subdivided,  and  in  1868  the  present 
township  organization  was  effected.  Under 
the  original  division  this  township  formed  the 
central  part  of  LaMotte  Precinct,  and  on  the 
removal  of  the  county  seat  from  Palestine, 
this  became  Robinson  Precinct,  in  honor  of  .f. 
M.  Robinson,  a  leading  attorney  and  promi- 
nent citizen  of  Carmi.  The  township  thus 
designated  includes  thirty  sections  of  town  7 
north,  range  12  west,  of  the  government  sur- 
vey, eighteen  sections  of  town  6  north,  same 
range,  sections  1,  13,  and  13  of  town  0  north, 
range  13  west,  and  sections  12,  13,  24,  25  and 
36,  of  town  7  north,  same  range,  a  total  of 
fifty-six  sections.  The  original  character  of 
the  country  included  within  these  limits  was 
part,"  barrens"  and  part  true  prairie.  These 
were  irregularly  distributed,  the  latter  gener- 
ally proving  to  be  low  levels   when   the   con- 


108 


HISTORY  OF  CRAWFORD  COUNTY. 


centrated  moisture  prevented  the  growth  of 
the  timber  of  this  region.  The  whole  surface, 
however,  was  such  as  to  afford  but  little  ob- 
stacle to  the  progress  of  the  regular  fall  fires, 
and  only  here  and  there  a  good  sized  tree 
stood  out  upon  the  blackened  plain  as  evi- 
dence that  the  whole  land  had  not  been  van- 
quished by  the  fiery  onslaught.  But  the  first 
settlers  found  further  evidence  of  the  char- 
acter of  the  land,  in  the  roots  or  "grubs" 
•which  still  remained  in  the  ground,  and  it 
seemed  an  aggravation  of  the  usual  hardships 
of  pioneer  experience  that  the  condition  of 
the  prairie  land  forced  the  new-comer  to  se- 
lect the  poorer  land.  The' natural  drainage 
of  the  township  is  toward  the  east,  south  and 
■west  from  the  central  part.  Sugar  Creek 
received  two  small  affluents  from  the  western 
side;  Honey  Creek  takes  its  rise  a  short  dis- 
tance to  the  south  of  the  village,  and  an  arm 
of  Big  Creek  drains  the  eastern  side.  The 
soil  is  a  strong  yellow  clay,  which  has  been 
the  chief  resource  of  the  community  settled 
here.  Since  the  early  years  of  the  settlement 
but  little  attention  has  been  paid  to  stock 
raising,  save  perhaps  in  the  case  of  hogs,  and 
a  system  of  mixed  husbandry  in  which  the 
cultivation  of  corn  and  wheat  has  been  prom- 
inent, has  prevailed. 

The  settlement  of  Robinson  township  was 
not  the  result  of  that  orderly  succession  of 
immigrants  often  observed,  but  checked  at 
the  Palestine  fort,  for  a  year  or  two  the  immi- 
gration gathered  such  members  that  when 
once  the  fear  of  Indian  hostility  was  removed, 
the  cooped- up  settlers  spread  simultaneously 
in  all  parts  of  the  country.  A  list  of  the  early 
entries  of  land  will  give  some  notion  of  the 
early  comers  to  the  country  and  their  choice 
of  lands,  though  they  did  not  all  settle  upon 
the  lands  they  entered.  The  entries  in  town 
7  north,  range  12  west,  were  on  section  9, 
Jesse  Page  and  Harmon  Gregg,  in  1817;  on 
sect;on  10,  James   Newlin  and  John  Hill,  in 


1818;  on  section  11,  Thomas  Newlin,  Thomas 
Young  and  Nathan  Mars,  in  1818;  on  section 
12,  Joshua  Barbee,  in   1818,  and  Enoch  Wil- 
hoit  in  1820;  on  section   13,  William  Dunlap 
and  William  Everman,  in  1818;  on  section  15, 
James  J.    Nelson,    in   1818;    on  section    17, 
Armstead  Bennett,  in    1818;  on   section    22, 
W.  T.  Barry,  in  1818,  and  in  the  previous  year 
on   section  27;  on  section  23,  Wilson  Lagow, 
in   1817,  and   WilHam   Nelson,  in   1818;  on 
section   24,  William    Mitchell,    in    1818,  and 
William  Barbee  in  1817;  on  section  25,  John 
Mars   and   William    Mitchell,  in     1817.     In 
town    6    north,  range   13  west,  entries    were 
made  by  Charles  Dawson,  in  1818,  and  Jona- 
than and  John  Wood,  in  1819,  on  section  1; 
and    by  Richard    Easton,  on    section    3,    in 
1818.       In   town    7    north,  range  13  west,  on 
section    11,  Wilson    Lagow    made     entry   in 
1817,  and   Ithra  Brashears,  in  1818;  on   sec- 
tion 12,  Lagow  made  an  entry  in  1817,  and  in 
the  following  year,  Lewis  Little  and  Barnett 
Starr,  made   entries  of  land.       A  number    of 
these  entries  were  made  for  speculative  pur- 
poses; other  entries  were  subsequently  relin- 
quished for  a  consideration  or  of  necessity,  and 
a  number  of   persons  came  here    who  stayed 
for   a   few   years   and    moved    away    without 
making  any  attempt  to  secure  a  title  to  land 
or   staying   here    permanently,  entered   land 
much    later,  so   that  so    far    as    forming  any 
judgment  of  the  actual  settlement  of  Robin- 
son, these  entries  afford  but  little  data. 

Among  the  earliest  of  the  settlers  in  this 
township  was  the  Newlin  family.  The  flat- 
tering reports  of  the  character  of  the  Wabash 
Valley  had  reached  North  Carolina,  and 
leaving  his  native  State,  Nathaniel  Newlin 
went  to  Tennessee,  where  his  brothers,  John 
and  Eli,  had  settled,  to  urge  them  toward 
the  new  land  of  promise.  He  was  so  success- 
ful that  in  1817  the  three  brothers  moved  to 
the  "Beech  Woods"  in  Indiana.  Nathaniel 
was  not   then   married,    but  the  trip  to   this 


HISTORY  OF  CRAWFORD  COUNTY. 


109 


region  satisfied  him  that  this  was  the  country 
to  live  in,  and  in  the  fall  he  returned  to  brinor 
out  his  father,  John  Newlin,  Sr.  In  the  fol- 
lowing spring  he  returned  to  the  valley,  but 
his  brother  not  liking  their  location,  he  de- 
termined to  try  the  west  side  of  the  river,  and 
eventually  fixed  upon  a  site  on  section  10, 
towi'  7  north,  13  west.  In  the  same  spring, 
the  boys,  John  and  Eli,  left  their  place  on  the 
Indiana  side  and  came  to  Robinson.  When 
the  older  Newlin  came,  his  son  Thomas  was 
prepared  to  move  at  the  same  time,  but  his 
wife  being  sick  he  was  obliged  to  remain. 
Durinsr  the  summer  Nathaniel  returned  to 
North  Carolina,  married  a  lady  and  assisted 
his  brother,  Thomas,  to  get  his  goods  togeth- 
er for  removal.  The  latter's  wife  had  so  far 
recovered  as  to  attempt  the  journey.  The 
family  consisted  of  the  sick  wife,  his  sister, 
and  five  children,  with  Nathaniel  and  his 
bride.  With  these  stowed  away  in  such  space 
as  the  household  effects  left  in  a  large  Vir- 
ginia land  schooner,  the  journey  was  begun, 
the  men  walking  most  of  the  way  or  riding  a 
spare  horse  which  was  the  marriage  portion 
of  the  bride.  Quite  a  number  of  families 
started  in  company  for  the  new  country,  con- 
tinuing together  across  a  corner  of  Virginia 
to  Crab  Orchard,  Kentucky,  where  the  rest 
took  the  right  hand  road  which  led  toward 
Indiana,  thus  parting  company.  While  pass- 
ing through  Virginia,  Mrs.  Newlin  grew 
worse,  and  finally  died,  the  sorrowing  family 
being  compelled  to  bury  her  there  among 
strangers.  On  reaching  this  country,  they 
found  shelter  in  the  cabin  of  John  Newlin, 
Sr.,  who  very  soon  afterward  took  up  his 
home  in  a  new  but  smaller  cabin  which  was 
at  once  constructed. 

In  1817,  Thomas  Young,  William  Barbee 
and  Nathan  Mars,  came  to  this  country  to 
prospect  for  a  home.  The  other  two  men 
had  married  sisters  of  Barbee,  and  in  the  fol- 
lowing  year   they    all    returned   with    their 


families,  Barbee  settling  on  section  25,  Mars 
and  Young  on  section  11.  On  their  return 
in  1818,  from  their  native  State  of  Kentucky, 
they  were  accompanied  by  the  family  of  John 
Wright,  \sho  was  also  a  brother-in-law  of 
Barbee.  Jesse  Page,  a  native  of  Kentucky, 
came  here  in  1817,  entered  land  on  the 
fractional  quarter  on  the  southeast  of  section 
9,  and  in  the  following  spring  brought  his 
family  to  a  farm,  whence  he  moved  to  Clark 
County  in  1834.  Harrison  Gregg  came  here 
in  the  same  spring,  a  young  married  man  with 
wife  and  two  children,  but  left  this  country 
for  Texas  some  years  later.  Joshua  Barbee, 
a  brother  of  William,  came  in  the  spring  of 
1818  from  Kentucky,  but  left  for  the  Lost 
River  country  a  few  years  later.  William 
Everman  came  about  the  same  time  from  the 
same  State,  and  located  on  section  13.  Arm- 
stead  and  Steven  Bennett  came  from  Ken- 
tucky in  1818,  and  located  on  section  13. 
This  family  were  in  comfortable  financial  cir- 
cumstances, and  improved  a  good  farm,  but 
subsequently  left  for  Texas,  selling  out  to 
Guy  Smith.  William  Mitchel  was  a  young 
unmarried  man,  a  new  emigrant  from  Eng- 
land. He  entered  land  as  early  as  1817,  and 
perhaps  was  the  first  actual  settler  in  Robin- 
son township.  After  maintaining  bachelor's 
hall  for  a  number  of  years,  he  married  Sarah 
Newlin,  and  lived  on  his  place  until  the  day 
of  his  death.  Enoch  Wilhoit  was  an  immi- 
grant of  1820,  coming  from  Kentucky,  and 
settling  on  section  12. 

The  "  entry  book "  indicates  an  interval 
of  a  number  of  years  between  the  coming  of 
Wilhoit  and  the  next  entr}',  and  it  is  probable 
that  there  were  few  permanent  accessions  to 
the  community  planted  here  before  1830. 
Under  the  peculiar  condition  of  affairs  in  a 
new  country  it  was  frequently  the  case,  that 
people  in  search  of  a  new  home  would  come 
to  this  section,  build  a  cabin,  raise  one  crop 
and  then  move  to  some  locality  which  prom- 


110 


HISTORY  OF  CRAWFORD  COUNTY. 


ised  better  results.  This  was  true  to  some 
extent  in  this  township,  and  later  comers 
found  no  ditHculty  in  securing  a  cabin  fitted 
at  least  for  a  temporary  abode.  Of  this  later 
accession  John  Nichols  was  an  early  settler. 
He  came  from  Virginia  about  1830,  settling 
upon  property  which  stiil  remains  in  posses- 
sion of  the  family.  John  Gwin  a  son-in-law 
of  Nichols,  was  another  incomer  of  this  time, 
and  located  about  a  mile  and  a  half  north  of 
town.  John  Cable  came  here  about  this  time 
and  purchased  considerable  land  about  the 
site  of  the  village.  His  cabin  was  erected 
on  what  is  now  known  as  the  Dunham  place. 
He  was  a  man  of  good  education  for  the  time 
and  had  formerly  engaged  in  teaching.  An 
active,  intelligent  farmer,  the  prospect  of  im- 
proving a  large  farm  and  securing  a  fine  com- 
petency seemed  bright  before  him,  when  the 
death  of  his  wife,  leaving  four  little  children 
to  his  care,  dashed  his  hopes  in  this  direction. 
He  at  once  sold  his  property,  and  moving  in- 
to Indiana  engaged  in  mercantile  pursuits, 
subsequently  acquiring  considerable  wealth, 
and  rearing  his  children  without  the  aid  of  a 
second  wile. 

His  old  cabin  still  does  duty  as  a  stable  for 
Samuel  Maginnis.  In  18.33  F.  M.  Brown 
came  to  the  east  side  of  the  village  and  en- 
tered 160  acres  of  land.  He  was  a  native  of 
Virginia,  from  whence  he  had  gone  to  Gar- 
rard County,  Kentucky,  thence  to  Indiana, 
and  finally  to  Illinois.  Nicholas  Smith,  a 
family  connection  of  Brown's,  had  settled 
here,  and  it  was  through  the  representations 
of  the  former  that  Brown  came  here.  The 
journey  was  made  in  a  big  schooner  wagon 
drawn  by  two  yoke  of  oxen.  In  this  was  be- 
stowed the  household  effects,  the  wife,  and  so 
many  of  the  eight  children  as  could  not  make 
part  of  the  way  on  foot.  Two  cows  and  a  mare 
and  colt  completed  his  whole  worldly  posses- 
sion, aside  from  the  entry  price  of  his  land. 
On  arriving  here,  the  family  found  shelter  in 


a  deserted  cabin  built  by  William  Patton, 
on  the  site  of  the  old  brick-yard.  Brown's 
land  lay  just  beyond  the  limits  of  the  present 
village,  to  the  northeast,  and  when  the  ques- 
tion of  erecting  a  cabin  on  this  property 
came,  there  was  a  division  of  opinion.  The 
head  of  the  family  had  chosen  as  the  pro- 
posed site,  a  pleasant  grove  situated  on  a 
little  knoll  just  east  of  the  village,  but  Mrs. 
Brown,  always  accustomed  to  wooded  coun- 
try, feared  such  an  exposed  situation,  and  de- 
sired the  cabin  built  on  lower  ground  in  the 
edge  of  the  timber.  It  was  finally  left  to  a 
vote  of  the  children,  who,  sharing  the  preju- 
dices of  their  mother,  decided  in  favor  of  the 
low  land  and  timber.  In  1833  John  Blank- 
enship  came  to  the  central  part  of  this  town- 
ship. He  was  an  old  soldier  of  the  war  of 
1812,  as  Brown  had  been,  and  the  two  had 
campaigned  together.  It  was  through  the 
influence  of  Brown  that  he  came  here.  He 
built  a  cabin  where  Aldrich  Waters  now 
lives,  the  first  residence  on  what  is  now  the 
village  of  Robinson.  He  made  no  entry  or 
purchase  of  land  here,  and  subsequently 
moved  elsewhere. 

Succeeding  the  accessions  of  this  period 
another  interval  of  some  eighteen  years 
occurred  in  which  there  were  few  or  no  addi- 
tions to  the  settlement  in  this  township.  The 
removal  of  the  county  seat,  and  the  laying 
out  of  Robinson  village,  however,  changed 
this  apathy  into  a  vigorous  activity,  though 
the  immediate  effect  was  more  apparent  in 
the  history  of  the  village  than  in  the  surround- 
ing country,  where  the  last  of  the  public  lands 
were  not  taken  up  until  about  1851  or  later. 

There  was  much  to  remind  the  first  settlers 
that  this  was  a  frontier  country.  Following 
close  upon  the  cessation  of  Indian  hostilities, 
they  found  the  natives  in  undisturbed  pos- 
session of  the  hunting  grounds  they  had  fre- 
cpiented  from  time  out  of  mind;  to  the  north 
for    miles    there    was  but  here  and  there  an 


HISTORY  OF  CRAWFORD  COUNTY. 


Ill 


isolated  cabin,  while  the  nearest  village  was 
thirty  miles  to  the  southeast.  A  well  traveled 
trail  led  up  from  Vincetines,  through  Pales- 
tine to  Vandalia,  and  later  a  mail  route  was 
marked  by  a  bridle  path  from  Palestine 
through  the  central  part  of  Robinson.  The 
whole  country,  however,  was  open  to  travel, 
xliere  was  but  little  to  obstruct  the  way,  or 
even  the  view.  Doer  could  be  seen  as  far  as 
the  eye  would  reach,  and  travelers  found  it 
necessary  only  to  avoid  the  low  prairie  land 
which  throughout  the  summer  was  so  wet  as 
to  allow  a  horse  to  mire  to  the  hock-joint. 
These  lands  have  since  proven  the  best  farm- 
ing property  in  the  country,  but  were  orig- 
inally so  wet  as  to  be  entered  only  as  a  last 
resort.  The  settler  once  here,  the  neighbor- 
hood which  extended  for  miles  about,  was 
summoned  and  a  cabin  raised.  Here  there 
was  no  dearth  of  assistance,  but  in  the  lower 
part  of  the  county,  early  settlers  were  occa- 
sionally obliged  to  build  a  three-sided  shelter 
until  enough  men  came  in  to  build  a  cabin. 
The  difficult  method  of  transportation  pre- 
vented the  bringing  of  any  great  amount  of 
furniture.  Beside  the  family,  the  wagon  load 
consisted  of  provisions,  bedding,  a  few  hand 
tools,  and  perhaps  a  chair  or  two.  The  New- 
lins  brought  in  three  chairs  strapped  on  the 
feed-box,  and  the  first  care  of  Thomas  was  to 
go  to  Vincennes  where  he  purchased  a  barrel 
of  salt  for  eighteen  dollars,  some  blacksmith 
tools  and  a  cow  and  calf. 

The  home  once  secured,  attention  was  then 
turned  to  the  preparation  of  a  crop  for  the 
next  season's  support,  "  Clearing  "  did  not 
form  an  onerous  part  in  the  first  work  of  the 
farm.  Tlie  principal  growth  was  brush, 
which  necessitated  a  good  deal  of  pains-taking 
"  grubbing,"  and  then  the  firm  sod  was 
turned  by  the  plow.  The  first  of  these  im- 
plements in  use  here,  was  the  Gary  plow  with 
a  mold  board,  part  wood  and  part  iron,  hewed 
out  of  beech  or  maple,    which    necessitated    a 


stop  once  in  about  twenty  rods,  to  clean  with 
a  woodeti  jiaddle  carried  for  that  purpose. 
These  were  succeeded  by  the  Diamond  plow, 
manufactured  principally  at  the  country 
blacksmith's.  Their  construction  involved  an 
oblong  piece  of  steel,  13  by  10  inches,  which 
was  cut  into  a  rude  diamond  shape,  bent  to 
serve  as  a  plowshare  and  point,  and  welded 
to  an  iron  beam.  This  was  a  considerable 
improvement  upon  its  predecessor,  and  the 
two  forms  sufficed  for  years.  The  first  crop 
of  corn  was  very  often  planted  in  gashes  made 
in  the  sod  by  an  ax.  From  such  rude  hus- 
bandry an  abundant  harvest  was  received, 
amply  sufficient  at  least  for  the  support  of  the 
family  and  such  stock  as  needed  feeding 
grain.  Thomas  Newlin  was  a  blacksmith  by 
trade,  and  set  up  his  forge  very  soon  after  his 
arrival.  This  shop  was  a  valuable  acquisition 
to  this  community,  and  was  the  only  one  for 
miles  about.  Here  almost  everything  a  farmer 
needed  of  iron  was  made:  plows  made  and 
sharpened,  hand  tools  and  kitchen  utensils. 
An  important  resource  of  the  early  com- 
munity, and  one,  in  fact,  without  which  the 
settlement  of  this  country  must  have  been 
greatly  hindered,  was  the  game  that  found 
food  and  shelter  here.  Deer  were  found  in 
almost  countless  numbers,  and  in  some  sea- 
sons of  the  year  as  many  as  fifty  or  seventy- 
five  have  been  counted  in  a  single  herd. 
The  settlers  who  came  here  were  not  born 
hunters,  and  most  of  them  had  to  learn  to 
shoot  deer,  though  fair  marksmen  at  other 
game.  One  of  the  noted  hunters  of  this  re- 
gion said  he  missed  at  least  one  hundred  of 
those  animals  before  he  ever  hit  one.  Hun- 
dreds of  them  were  killed,  and  so  unequal 
was  the  supply  and  demand  of  venison  that 
it  was  years  before  a  deer  with  the  hide 
would  bring  fifty  cents.  When  the  village 
growth  of  the  county  became  such  that  they 
could  be  disposed  of  at  this  price  considerable 
numbers  were  brought  in,  and  the  money  thus 


112 


HISTORY  OF  CRAWFORD  COUICTY. 


acquired  saved  for  taxes.     It  is  related  on  one 
occasion  a  settler  shot  a  fine  deer,  dressed   it, 
and  took  the  two  hind  quarters  to   Palestine 
to  dispose  of.     He  met  a  man  newly  arrived 
in  the  village   and   when   asked  the   price   of 
them,  the  hunter  put  a  big  price   upon  them, 
charging    fifty   cents  apiece,   but  to  his  utter 
astonishment  the  stranger  took  both  quarters 
and  paid  down  the  cash   without  a  question. 
Much  as  he  needed  the  monej',  the  settler  has 
never    been    quite   sure   to  this  day  that  the 
stranger  was  compos  mentis,   or  tiiat   he   did 
not  overreach  his  immature  experience.     Oc- 
casionally a  deer  would  turn  upon  his  antag- 
onist and  give  the  sport  a  zest  which  did  not 
lessen    the    attraction    to    the    frontiersman. 
One  of  the  Newlins  out  in  quest  of  deer,  got 
a  shot  at  a  fine  buck  and  dropped  him  to  the 
ground.     Supposing  he  had  killed  the  animal 
instantly,   he  approached    without  observing 
the  precaution  of  loading  his  rifle.     He   had 
his  ax  in  hand,  and  just  before  reaching  the 
animal,  the  buck,  which  he  had  only  "  creased," 
sprang   to   its    feet   and     made     a    desperate 
charge   upon  the  hunter.     Seizing   his  ax   in 
his  right  hand,  he  warded  off  the    horns  with 
his  left  and  aimed  a   blow   with   his   weapon, 
but   only   succeeded  in   avoiding  the   antlers 
of  the  infuriated  animal  to  be  knocked  down 
by  its  shoulder.     A  second  charge    followed 
which   resulted   only   in    Newlin    giving    the 
animal    a    wound    but    being   again  knocked 
down.     A  third  charge  resulted  in  both   fall- 
ing together,  the  animal  on    top,    but   stimu- 
lated by  the  exigencies  of  the  circumstances, 
the  hunter  got  to  his  feet  first  and  by  a   well 
directed  blow  of  the  ax  swung  in  both  hands, 
crushed  in  the  forehead  of  the  animal  as  it 
got  to  its  feet.     The  favorite  way  of  shooting 
these  animals  was,  in  the  early  years,  by  "still 
hunt."     The  hunter   taking  a  seat  on  a   log 
near  a  deer  trail,  and  shooting  such    animals 
as  came  within  his  reach.     Others  watched  a 
'*  lick  "  and  shot  the  deer  as  it  came  to  drink. 


Later,  as  the  deer  grew  scarce  they  were  pur- 
sued with  dogs,  most  farmers  keeping  one  or 
two  and  sometimes  a  dozen. 

Bears  were  sometimes  found,  though  but 
few  are  known  to  have  been  killed  in  this 
township.  One  with  two  cubs  passed  near  a 
new  cabin  that  had  been  raised.  The  settler 
succeeded  in  catching  one  of  the  cubs,  but 
the  mother,  contrary  to  her  traditional  love 
for  her  offspring,  lost  no  time  in  getting  into 
the  timber.  On  another  occasion  a  party  of 
hunters  started  out  from  this  settlement  with 
several  dogs  in  pursuit  of  a  bear  whose  tracks 
they  found  in  the  snow.  After  following  the 
trail  to  McCall's  prairie  they  were  met  by  a 
sudden  snow-squall  which  filled  the  tracks 
and  blinded  the  hunters,  but  the  dogs  exhib- 
iting a  desire  to  rush  on,  were  set  loose 
and  soon  had  bruin  at  bay.  The  men  pushed 
on  and  found  the  animal  had  taken  to  a  tree, 
but  at  the  approach  of  the  hunters  it  came 
down  and  was  soon  at  war  with  the  dogs. 
It  was  impossible  to  shoot  because  the  dogs 
surrounded  the  victim,  so  one  of  the  hunters 
rushed  up  with  an  ax  and  struck  it  a  fatal 
blow  while  it  held  a  dog  in  its  teeth. 

"  Painters,"  wild  cats  and  wolves  were  nu- 
merous and  considerably  feared,  though  no 
mishap  ever  happened  to  the  early  settlers  here 
from  their  attack.  There  have  been  a  good 
many  narrow  escapes  from  what  seemed 
imminent  danger,  which  served  to  emphasize 
the  fear  generally  entertained,  but  these 
hardly  reached  the  dignity  of  an  incident. 
It  is  related  that  a  hunter  following  a 
wounded  deer,  after  he  had  expended  all  his 
bullets  was  seriously  menaced  by  eight 
wolves,  which  the  trace  of  fresh  blood  from 
the  deer  had  attracted,  and  that  they  came 
so  close  that  he  prudently  climbed  a  tree. 
He  was  not  besieged  long  as  the  trail  of  the 
deer  promised  better  game,  and  the  wolves 
passed  on  depriving  the  hunter  of  his  game. 
But  while  these  wolves  were  not  very  trouble- 


HISTOUY  OF  CRAWFORD  COUNTY. 


ii:; 


sonio  to  pui-soMS,  tlioir  attacks  upon  stock 
jiroveda  source  of  annoyanco  to  the  pioneer 
farmer.  There  was  but  little  stock  in  the 
country.  Most  of  the  new  comers  brought 
in  a  cow  and  team  of  horses  or  oxen,  and 
these  were  generally  free  from  attacks.  The 
young  stock,  however,  were  often  victimized. 
Calves,  heifers,  and  occasionally  cows  were 
killed,  while  young  pigs  and  sheep  escaped 
the  voracious  jaws  of  these  animals  only 
through  the  utmost  care.  A  drove  of  sheep 
was  early  brought  to  Palestine,  and  many  of 
the  farmers  bought  enough  to  supply  wool  for 
their  family  needs.  For  years  these  small  flocks 
had  to  be  carefully  watched  during  the  day 
and  folded  at  night,  the  younger  members 
of  the  family  acting  as  shepherds.  The 
farmers' dogs  soon  learned  to  keep  the  wolves 
off,  though  it  generally  needed  the  presence 
of  some  one  of  the  family  to  give  them  the 
necessary  courage  to  attack. 

Bees  were  found  here  in  great  numbers, 
and  honey  and  bees-wax  became  an  article 
of  commerce.  Many  made  honey  an  object 
of  search  and  became  expert  in  hunting  this 
kind  of  game.  The  plan  was  to  burn  some 
of  the  comb  to  attract  the  bees  to  a  bait  of 
honey  or  a  decoction  of  anise  seed,  and  when 
loaded  up  to  watch  their  course.  In  this  way 
hundreds  of  trees  were  found  stored  with  the 
sweet  results  of  the  busy  labor  of  these  insects 
that  would  have  probably  escaped  the  sharp- 
est sciutiny.  S(jme  were  found  containino- 
fifteen  gallons  of  honey,  and  the  past  year 
is  the  first,  since  his  residence  here,  Matthew 
Newlin  relates,  that  he  has  not  discovereil 
one  of  these  trees. 

In  such  a  land,  literally  flowing  with  milk 
and  honey,  it  was  natural  to  expect  the 
Indian  to  linger  till  the  last  possible  moment. 
The  treaty  with  some  of  the  natives  of  this 
region  provided  for  the  payment  of  a  certain 
sum  of  money  in  four  or  five  annual  install- 
nn,'nts  at  Vinccunes.     This    seived    to    keep 


these    loiterers    here,    who  in  the    meantime 
visited  their  old  time  haunts  for  game.    There 
was  on   the   whole   the    utmost   good   feeling 
entertained     by    both   parties.      There    were 
several   cases    of  hostility    with  fatal    results 
in  other  parts    of  the  county,  some    of  which 
threatened  to  involve  the   whole  country  here 
in   a  serious   conflict,  but  the  matter  was  ar- 
ranged and    the    peaceable  relations  existing 
between  the  two  people  were  not   disturbed. 
While  the  Indians   generally   respected    thg 
rights  of  property  holders,  and  are  not  gen- 
erally    charged    with    stealing     the    settlers' 
stock,  etc.,  they  did  not  hesitate  to  take  any- 
thing they  could  eat  whenever  within    their 
reach.     Those   who  were  fortunate  enough  to 
have  a  spring  near  their  cabins   constructed 
a  rude  spring  house  where  the  milk  was  kept. 
This   was  free   plunder    to    the    natives,  and 
they  did  not  scruple  to  come  in  day  light  and 
drain  the  last  drop  before  the  indignant  eyes 
of  the  housewife.     Others  were  in  the    habit 
of  coming  to  certain  cabins  just  about  break- 
fast time,  when  they  had  learned  to  e.>cpect  a 
large  corn-pone  fresh    from   the  bake-kettle. 
The  settlers  soon  learned  to  prepare  for  these 
visits    and   so  save    their   own    meal.      One 
morning  fourteen  of  the  Indians    came   to  a 
cabin  early,   seeking    something   to    eat.     A 
huge  pone  was  just  cooked  and  removing  the 
lid  of  the  old-fashioned  oven  the  head  of  the 
family  pointed  to  the  dish.     The  Indians  fln- 
derstoud  the  gesture  and  one    of  their    num- 
ber    thrusling   his   knile    into    the    steaming 
bread    took   it  from   the    fire,    laid   it  on  the 
table,  and  dividing  into  fifteen  pieces,  took  a 
double    share   and   left,    munching   the   food 
with   grunts  of  satisfaction.     The   rest  each 
took  a  share,  leaving   the   family   without  an 
important  part  of  their   breakfast.     Such   in- 
cidents were  accepted   with  philosophic  com- 
posure by  the  majority  of  the  early  white  in- 
habitants, who  had  a  little  more  to    complain 
of  in    regrad   to  the    natives.      Tliere    were 


114 


HISTORY  OF  CRAWFORD  COUNrV. 


others,  however,  who  were  ready  to  charge 
upon  the  Iiuli;u)s  the  loss  of  sundry  hogs  and 
cattle,  though  it  is  generally  believed  that 
such  charges  were  made  to  account  for  the 
hatred  they  cherished  against  them.  One  or 
two  chaiacters  are  mentioned  who,  for  some 
depredations  committed  by  the  savages  in 
Kentucky,  took  occasion  to  here  avenge 
themseves  upon  innocent  members  of  the 
same  race. 

The  natives  were  chiefly  of  the  Kickapoo 
and  Delaware  tribes,  and  spent  several  winters 
here.  Tliey  were  provided  with  a  canvass 
wirrwam,  the  top  being  open  to  allow  the 
smoke  to  escape,  and,  contrary  to  the  gene- 
ral custom  of  the  tribes,  tilled  no  corn  field, 
evidently  preferring  to  depend  upon  the 
bounty  of  the  whites  and  the  results  of  a  little 
petty  exchange  which  grew  up  between  the 
two  races.  Furs,  dressed  buckskin,  and 
game  were  exchanged  for  corn,  bread,  and 
pork  on  ver\-  good  terms  for  the  whites.  They 
gradually  became  very  good  company  with 
the  athletes  of  the  settlement,  and  took  their 
defeats  with  the  best  of  good  nature.  In 
shooting  at  a  mark,  jumping,  wrestling  and 
running  they  were  frequently  out-done  by 
the  whites,  but  in  feats  of  long  endurance, 
shooting  game  and  woodcraft,  thej' sustained 
the  reputation  which  history  has  generally 
given  them. 

The  whites,  separated  from  even  the  crude 
advantages  of  a  frontier  society,  were  at  first 
whoU}'  dependent  upon  their  own  ingenuity 
for  the  commonest  necessaries  of  life.  Most 
of  the  early  families  came  from  communities 
where  flour  was  not  considered  a  luxury,  mills 
were  within  an  easy  journey,  mechanics  were 
abundant  and  the  best  implements  of  the  time 
within  their  reach.  But  in  coming  to  this 
country  all  these  were  left  behind.  Few  had 
money  to  expend  upon  anything  save  the 
price  of  their  land,  and  the  absence  of  stores 
■was  not  at   first  felt  to  be  so  much  of  a  priva- 


tion, but  wiien  their   first    stock    of  ];rovision 
was  expended,  and   tliis   with   their   clothing 
was    to    be    replaced,  the  only  resort  was  to 
Vincennes,    some    thirty    miles  away.     Here 
another  difficulty  presented  itself.     The  farm- 
er had  a  surplus  of  corn  and   but  little   more. 
This  was  neither  legal  tender  nor  good  for  ex- 
change very  often,  and  later,  when  it  became 
marketable,   the    exchange    for  a  wagon  load 
would  not  burden  a  child.       Under   such  cir- 
cumstances  every  piece  of  coin  was  husband- 
ed with  miserly  care  to  meet  land  payments 
and  taxes,  and  often  did  not  suffice   for   that. 
At   one   time  a  large  proportion  of  the  taxes, 
which  for  the  whole  county  did  not  amountto 
more    than    sixty    dollars,  was  paid  in  wolf- 
scalps  and  coon-skins.     There  was  absolutely 
no  money  to  be  had.     There    was    but   little 
wheat  sown,  as  it  was  believed  it  would  not 
grow,  and  even  where  the  seed  was  found  to 
thrive  the  slight  demand  for  it  discouraged  its 
culture.     Corn   was  the  great  staple,  and   va- 
rious  means   were  resorted  to,  to  make  it  an- 
swer   the    various  demands  of  the  farm  and 
family.     The  nearest  mill  was  at  first  in  Sha- 
kerville,  and  subsequently   on    the   Embarras 
River    in    what    is    now    Lawrence     County. 
]}ut  these  mills  were  twenty    miles  away  and 
man3-  an  emergency  arose  when  there  was  no 
meal  in  the  cabin,  and  lack  of  time,  stress  of 
weather    or  other  obstacle  hindered  the  tedi- 
ous journey  and  delay  of  going  to  mill.     Hom- 
inj'  mortars  were  found  at  many  of  the  cabins, 
which     were    generally    used.       These    were 
simply  formed  out  of  a   convenient   stump   or 
laro-e  block  into  which  a  large  excavation  was 
made  by  f;re  and  tools.     Over  this  a  "  sweep  " 
was    erected   to  which   was  attached  a  heavy 
wooden  pestle  faced  with  a  piece  of  iron.     In 
such  a  mill  the  corn    was    beaten    to    various 
o-rades   of  fineness,   the  finest  separated  by  a 
sieve    made    of   perforated  buckskin,  was  re- 
served for  dodgers,  while   the   coarsest   made 
the  traditional  dish  of  hominy.      Jesse    Page 


niSTOllY  0I--  CHAWrORD  COUXTY. 


II.- 


refined  upon  this  construction  ainl  maile  aiudo 
lianilniill  vvliicli    was   kept  in  prettj'  constant 
use  by  himself  and  neighbors.       An  ordinary 
stone  properly  dressed  was  set  in  an  excavated 
stump,  and  another  was  cut   in    circular  form 
■ind  titted  on  top  of  it.     An    iron    set    in   the 
lower   stone  protruded  through  a  hole  in   the 
center  of  the   upper   stone,    which,    ])rovided 
with   a    wooden    handle    near  its  outer  edge, 
completed  the  machine.     The  corn  placed  be- 
tween these  stones    was  converted  into  very 
fair  meal  with  not  much  exertion  or  expend- 
iture of  time.     Later,    William    Barbce    con- 
structed a   single-geared   horse-mill  near  the 
central    part  of  what  is  now  Robinson  town- 
ship.    This   mill    consisted  of  a  small  run  of 
stone  with  a  hopper  attachment  run  by  a  gear- 
ing propelled  by  horses.     The  mill  proper  was 
in    a    log    cabin    provided    for    the     purpose. 
Outside,  a  perpendicular  shaft  carried  at  its  uj3- 
per  end  a  large  wheel  fifteen  to  twenty  feet  in 
diameter,  on  the  circumference  of  which  was 
provided  cogs  to  fit  in  the  shaft-gearing  which 
turned  the  mill.     In  the  lower  part  of  the  up- 
right shaft,  arms  were  fitted,  to  which  two  or 
four  horses  were  attached  and  the  vphole  cov- 
ered with  a  shed,  constituted  a   horse-mill  of 
the  olden  time.     This  proved  a  great  conve- 
nience,   the   farmers    using    their   own  teams 
and  paying  a  good  toll  for  the  use  of  the   ma- 
chinery. 

The  absence  of  any  considerable  streams 
in  the  township  prevented  the  construction  of 
many  of  those  aids  to  pionejr  communities 
thac  do  much  to  mitigate  the  discomforts  of  a 
frontier  experience.  The  horse-mill,  while 
not  the  best  the  country,  afforded  in  this  line, 
was  much  better  than  going  twenty  miles  for 
better  grinding,  though  at  a  later  period, 
when  wheat  became  common,  it  was  found 
necessary  to  go  to  Ilallcnbeck's  mill  in  York 
township,  or  to  the  Shaker  mill.  But  at 
these  mills  the  wheat  was  not  screened  nor 
the  fl  jur  bolted,  and  the  bread  made  from  the 


proJuce  of  these  mills  would  hardly  satisfy 
the  fastidious  taste  of  the  modern  house- 
keeper. Barbee  afterward  sunk  vats  and  did 
some  tanning,  which  was  a  great  addition  to 
the  advantages  of  this  community.  But  all 
were  not  dependent  upon  this  for  their  supplv 
of  leather.  Brown  &  Nichols  made  a  tanner's 
ooze  for  themselves,  and  tanned  hides  in  a 
trough  for  years.  It  was  not  until  about 
18-49  that  the  first  saw-mill  was  erected  north 
of  the  village,  by  Barbee  &  Jolley.  One  of 
the  Barbees  had  a  small  distillery  here,  about 
the  same  time,  but  it  was  in  operation  but  a 
short  time  when  it  was  discontinued. 

The  clothing  of  the  family  depended 
largely  upon  the  handiwork  and  ingenuity  of 
the  women.  The  flax  was  grown  and  the 
sheep  were  sheared,  but  with  this  the  work  of 
the  men  generally  ceased.  To  transform 
these  materials  into  fabrics  and  thence  into 
clothing,  called  for  accomplishments  of  no 
trivial  order,  but  the  women  of  that  day  were 
equal  to  their  duties.  Work  and  play  were 
intimately  associated,  spinning  and  quilting 
bees  lightened  the  labor  and  brought  the 
neighborhood  together  for  a  pleasant  inter- 
change of  gossip  and  frolic  in  the  evening. 
Linsey-woolsey,  a  combination  of  linen  and 
wool  was  the  general  wear  of  the  women,  en- 
livened by  the  rare  luxury  of  a  calico  dress 
for  special  occasions.  The  nun  wore  jeans, 
the  pants  generally  faced  in  front  with  buck- 
skin, a  style  generally  called  "foxed,"  and  in 
which  tlie  women  displayed  no  little  origi- 
nality in  their  effort  to  make  the  addition  take 
on  an  ornamental  as  well  as  useful  character. 
Social  gatherings  were  marked  by  the  play- 
ing of  games  rather  than  dancing.  The 
latter  was  a  favorite  form  of  amusement,  but 
there  was  a  large  element  of"  old  school  Bap- 
tists" among  the  early  settleis  that  did  not 
favor  this  form  of  amusement,  which  led  to 
the  employment  of  other  forms  of  entertain- 
ment.     Whisky  was  less  in  general   use  here 


116 


HISTORY  OF  CRAWFORD  COUiN'TY. 


than  in  many  frontier  communities,  and 
drunkenness  was  at  least  no  more  frequent 
than  now,  in  proportion  to  the  population. 

The  earliest  market  for  the  produce  of, 
the  farmer  was  at  Lawrenceville,  the  mer- 
chants of  which  did  much  more  business  forty 
years  ago  than  now.  Here  the  farmers  drove 
their  hogs  and  cattle  and  hauled  their  corn, 
which  finally  found  a  market  at  New  Orleans. 
Later  the  villages  of  Palestine  and  Hutson- 
ville  afforded  a  nearer  market.  Fruit,  honey, 
bees-wax,  tallow,  and  even  corn,  were  fre- 
quently hauled  to  Chicago,  the  wagons 
returning  loaded  with  salt.  Stock  raising, 
especially  of  cattle  and  hogs,  was  a  promi- 
nent feature  of  the  early  farm  industry,  and 
brought  to  the  farmer  a  pretty  reliable 
revenue.  Cattle  were  sometimes  driven  to 
Chicago,  but  the  most  of  the  stock  was  sold 
to   itinerant    buyers  at  the    farm,   though   at 


marvelously  low  prices  compared  with  those 
ruling  at  this  day.  A  cow  and  calf  sold  for 
$5  or  $(3,  and  a  fine  fat  steer  for  $6  or  $8. 
John  Hill,  Jr.,  sold,  on  one  occasion,  seven 
fine  steers,  for  $50,  a  price  which  he  obtained 
only  through  the  most  stubborn  persistence. 
Garwood,  an  Ohio  cattle  dealer,  offered  $48 
for  the  cattle,  but  as  Hill  was  depending 
upon  the  sale  for  the  purchase  of  forty  acres 
of  land,  he  insisted  upon  the  additional  $'i,  as 
there  was  no  money  to  be  got  otherwise. 
For  two  days  and  nights  Garwood  haggled 
over  the  price,  when  finding  Hill  unyielding, 
gave  the  price  and  took  the  stock. 

Since  then,  how  marked  the  change.  The 
generation  is  growing  up  that  will  scarcely 
believe  the  unvarnished  tale  of  pioneer  ex- 
perience in  this  land,  and  will  only  value  the 
advantages  of  the  present  when  they  accu- 
rately measure  the  sacrifices  and  achieve- 
ments of  the  past. 


i 


^^l^^-c^^e^ 


CHAPTER    XI.* 


ROBINSON  VILLAGE— THE  STAR  OF  EMPIRE— A  NEW  TOWN  LAID  OUT— FIRST  PLAT  AND 
SUBSEQUE^^T  ADDIi'IOXS— EARLY    DEVELOPMENT— GROWTH  OF  BUSINESS  IN- 
TERESTS—THE   RAILROAD  IMPETUS— SCHOOLS,  CHURCHES  AND  BE- 
NEVOLENT   SOCIETIES— CEMETERIES,    ETC.,    ETC. 


THE  geocrraphical  location  of  Palestine  made 
tlie  eventual  removal  of  the  county  seat 
td  a  more  central  site  a  foregone  conclusion 
from  the  very  first.  But,  while  this  fact  vras 
recognized  by  all,  the  influence  of  Palestine 
interests  was  bent  to  delay  the  inevitable 
change  to  the  last  possible  moment.  The 
rapid  development  of  York  and  Hutsonville 
soon  made  them  active  rivals  for  the  metro- 
poiitan  honors  of  the  county  and  foolishly 
jealous  of  the  prestige  of  the  favored  tovifn. 
As  the  settlement  of  the  county  advanced 
and  communities  grew  up  in  the  northern  and 
western  parts,  the  long,  tedious  journeys  re- 
quired to  transact  public  business  created  an 
Ticreasing  demand  that  the  change  should  be 
made  as  early  as  possible.  There  was  no 
reasonable  ground  on  which  either  of  the 
other  prominent  towns  could  hope  to  succeed 
to  official  honors,  but  the  removal,  it  was 
thought,  would  seriously  cripple  the  com- 
mercial importance  of  their  rival.  This  agi- 
tation was  not  expressed  in  any  combined 
action  until  1843.  At  this  time  Hebron  had 
become  quite  an  important  inland  center,  and 
acting  as  a  cats-paw  for  Hutsonville,  the  ini- 
tiatory steps  for  the  removal  were  started  in 
these  villages,  and  the  matter  brought  before 
the  people  for  decision.  The  first  vote  was 
on  the  cpiestion  of  removal,  which  was  de- 
cided affirmatively.  An  election  was  then 
called  to  choose  the  site.     The  act  authorizing 

*Ry  J.  H.  Battle. 


the  removal  required  a  donation  of  forty 
acres  which  should  be  platted,  the  sale  of 
which  should  provide  the  means  for  the 
erection  of  public  buildings.  Offers  of  the 
requisite  land  were  made  on  the  site  of  the 
present  village,  at  Hebron  and  at  a  site  five 
miles  southwest  of  the  present  village  of 
Robinson.  In  the  election  which  followed, 
beside  these  localities,  the  site  on  the  farm  of 
W.  S.  Enamons,  the  geographical  center  of 
the  county,  Hutsonville  and  Palestine  re- 
ceived votes,  but  without  a  sufficient  pre- 
ponderance to  make  a  choice.  A  second 
election  was  then  called  to  decide  between 
the  Robinson  site  and  P.  C.  Barlow's  site,  in 
which  the  former  proved  successful. 

The  site  thus  chosen  was  the  judicious 
selection  of  the  whole  people  uninfluenced  by 
partisan  considerations.  It  was  situated  at 
the  central  point  of  the  dividing  line  between 
sections  33  and  3-i  in  town  7  north,  range  13 
west.  The  east  "  eighty "  was  owned  by 
William  Willson,  the  southwest  "  forty  "  by 
Finley  Paull  and  Robt.  C.  Wilson,  and  the 
northwest  "  forty  "  by  John  W.  Wilson,  ten 
acres  from  the  converging  corners  of  each 
section  formino'  the  donation  for  the  village. 
The  forty  acres  thus  constituted  were  prairie 
land  partially  covered  with  a  heavy  under- 
growth of  brush  with  here  and  there  a  large 
tree,  and  skirted  with  considerable  heavy 
timber.  It  was  an  eligible  site  in  every  way, 
and  for  the  purposes  of  a  county  seat  was 
probably  the  best  site  in  the  county,  though 


120 


HISTORY  OF  CRAWFORD  COUNTY. 


there  were  but  two  cabins  in  the  vicinity  of 
the  proposed  town  at  that  time.     William  B. 
Baker,  the   official    surveyor,    under    the    in- 
structions of  the  commissioners  at  once  set 
about  platting  the   new  village,  and  on  De- 
cember 25,  1843,  presented  the  result  of  his 
labors  for  record,  with  the  following  concise 
description:  "The  size  of  the  lots  in  the  town 
of  Robinson  is   sixty-five  feet  front,  east  and 
west,  and  130  feet  long.     The  public  square 
is  260  feet  north  and  south  and  2-iO  feet,  east 
and    west.     The    streets    each    side    of  the 
square    (east  and    west  sides)  are    fifty    feet 
broad.     The  main  streets  through  the  center 
of  the  town    each    way,  are    eighty  feet,  and 
all  the    rest    are   sixty    feet,    save  the  border 
streets  on  the    outside  of  the   lots  which  are 
forty  feet."     The  lines  are  run  by  the  cardinal 
points  of  the  compass,  the  plat  fronting  the 
north.     The    streets  running  east  and  west, 
lieginning   at   the    south   side  are    Chestnut, 
Locust,  Main,  Walnut  and  Cherry;  at  right 
angles  with  these,  beginning  on  the  east,  are 
Howard,    Franklin,    Court     street,    Marshall, 
Cheapside,    Jefferson     and    Lincoln.       Court 
street  and  Cheapside   are  short  thoroughfares 
which  define  the  public  square  and  connect 
!Main    and    Locust    streets.     Marshall    street 
ends  at  the  central  entrance  on  the  north  side 
of  the  square,  its  projection  on  the  south  side 
lieing  called  Broadway.      The  plat    was   thus 
divided    into    fourteen     regular    and     three 
irregular  sized  blocks  aggregating  120  blocks. 
Robinson,  thus  evoked  out  of  the  wilderness, 
was  simply  a  "fiat"  town.     It  represented  no 
commercial  advantages,  served  no  speculative 
purpose,  and  awakened  no  animated    interest 
in  its  success.     It    is  believed    by  some   that 
lots  were  offered  at  public  sale  early  in  1844, 
but  this  is  probably  a   mistake,    or  the  result 
was  deemed  unworthy  of  record.     The  prop- 
erly was  not  the  kind  which  would  find  ready 
purchasers    at  lair  figures,  as    few  whose  pro- 
fession or  official  duties  did  not  require  their 


presence  would  care  to  leave  more  important 
business  centers  for  any  inducements  this  site 
could  offer.  The  earliest  record  of  the  pur- 
chase of  lots  is  dated  December  3, 1844,  when 
Francis  Waldrop  bought  lots  No.  77  and  78, 
for  $45.75.  The  second  purchase  was  made 
by  Wm.  B.  Baker  and  consisted  of  lots  No. 
101  to  108,  both  inclusive,  lots  69,  70,  71,  73 
and  80,  paying  S300  for  them.  There  is  no 
further  record  until  December,  1846,  when 
W.  H.  Starrett  bought  lot  74  for  S22,50;  Wal- 
drop bought  lot  56,  for  $.30,  and  Leonard  D. 
Cullom  bought  lots  79,  81  and  82,  for  $41.  In 
1847,  in  September  and  December,  lots  22, 
23  and  24  were  purchased  by  Wra.  and  Thom- 
as Barbee  for  $33;  lot  98  by  D.  A.  Bailey 
for  $25;  lot  75  by  Wm.  Brown  for  $25;  lot 
54  by  Mary  Johns  for  $20;  lot  99  by  Anna 
Longnecker  for  $15;  lot  67  by  Wm.  Young 
for  $12.12;  and  lots  41  and  42  by  George  C. 
Fitch  for  $30.  In  the  following  year  aliout  a 
dozen  lots  were  disposed  of  at  prices  ranging 
from  $11  to  $25.  Robert  and  Henry  Weaver, 
David  Lillie  and  J.  M.  Grimes  appearing 
among  the  names  of  purchasers.  These  names 
indicate  the  early  accessions  to  the  com- 
munity though  there  were  others  hen;  who 
seem  to  have  bought  land  at  second-hand  or 
occupied  a  building  site  some  time  before 
purchasing. 

The  first  building  erected  was  a  small  frame 
structure  on  the  site  of  Collin's  exchange 
store.  This  was  put  up  by  James  Weaver  and 
was  subsequently  moved  to  the  northeast  cor- 
ner of  Marshall  and  Main  streets,  where  it 
served  as  kitchen  to  a  large  two-story  log  ho- 
tel built  on  that  corner.  This  building  still 
serves  as  a  dwelling  in  the  northwest  part  of 
the  town.  The  vacant  frame  building  now 
standing  on  the  northwest  corner  of  Locust 
street  and  Cheapside  is  the  second  structure 
erected  in  the  village.  This  was  built  by 
Francis  Waldrop  in  the  spring  of  1844,  and 
united  store  and  dwelling  under    one    roof. 


HISTORY  OF  CRAWFORD  COUNTY. 


121 


The  kitchen  part  afforded  quarters  for  one  of 
the  earliest  sessions  of  the  Commissioners' 
Court.  Some  time  during  this  year  Mr.  Wal- 
tlrop  put  in  a  small  stock  of  goods  which  was 
boiiirht  privately  at  Hutsonville.  A  third 
building  was  the  residence  of  W.  B.  Baker. 
This  was  a  building  constructed  of  peeled 
hickory  logs  and  situated  in  the  grove  just 
southeast  of  the  plat,  where  the  residence  of 
Mr.  Hill  now  stands.  The  grove  substantial! v 
as  it  now  stands,  was  secured  by  purchase  of 
the  lots  above  mentioned  and  the  balance 
from  Wilson,  the  original  owner  of  that  sec- 
tion. Baker  soon  closed  up  that  part  of  the 
streets  that  passed  through  his  property,  a 
summary  proceeding  which  has  since  received 
the  doubtful  sanction  of  a  legislative  act.  The 
briek  residence  occupies  the  point  where  the 
south  and  east  border  streets  met.  About 
this  time  the  contractor  on  the  court  house 
put  up  a  log  building  and  moved  his  family 
here  for  a  temporary  residence.  This  com- 
prised the  village  community  of  Robinson  in 
the  fall  of  1845,  when  it  received  its  first 
professional  accession  in  Judge  Robb,  who 
was  then  practicing  medicine.  He  built  a  log 
building  about  eighteen  feet  square  on  the 
site  of  Charles  Hill's  present  residence,  which 
placed  him  just  outside  the  precincts  of  the 
rising  city.  It  will  hardly  be  surprising  that 
forty  acres  should  prove  sufficient  to  contain 
the  village,  at  this  rate  of  increase  for  some 
fifteen  years.  It  is  questionable  whether  the 
crowded  condition  of  things  even  then  de- 
manded an  addition,  but  it  is  evidence  of 
growth  that  in  1858  Asa  Ayers  did  plat 
twelve  lots  between  Marshall  and  Franklin 
streets,  adjoining  the  northern  line  of  the 
original  plat.  In  1865  an  estimate  of  the 
population  in  the  village  placed  it  at  less  than 
four  hundred,  but  there  was  evidence  of  slow 
but  steady  growth,  and  in  18tJ7  William  C. 
Dickson's  addition  of  twenty  lots,  and  Robb's 
first  addition  of  twenty-four  lots,  were   made. 


In  1870  Robert  Morrison  added  sixteen  lots, 
and  four  years  later  Watts'  addition  of  twenty 
lots  was  made.  In  1875  a  new  element  was 
added  to  the  situation.  The  agitation  of  the 
question  of  railroads  materialized  and  gave 
such  an  impetus  to  the  development  of  the 
new  town  that  property  holders  on  the  eastern 
side  of  the  village,  catching  the  infection,  vied 
with  each  other  in  platting  their  lanils.  In 
this  year  ninety-three  lots  were  added  in 
seven  "additions."  In  the  following  year 
seven  more  additions,  aggregating  193  lots, 
were  made,  and  in  1877,  seventy  more  were 
added  in  three  parcels.  In  1878,  two  addi- 
tions aggregating  twenty-seven  lots,  were 
made,  and  a  final  one,  in  1881,  of  thirty-six 
lots. 

Until  18GG,  the  destiny  of  the  village  was 
guided  by  the  justice  of  the  peace,  the  con- 
stable and  road  supervisor.  Some  few  at- 
tempts at  internal  improvements  had  been 
made  but  nothing  approaching  a  systematic 
effort.  Early  in  this  year  a  meeting  of  the 
voters  of  the  village  was  called  at  the  court 
house,  at  wliich  it  was  decided  by  a  nearly 
unanimous  voice  to  take  the  legal  steps  to  in- 
corporate the  village  under  the  general  law. 
On  the  2d  day  of  March,  E.  Callahan,  Thos. 
Barbee,  Thos.  Sims,  D.  D.  Fowler  and  A.  P. 
Woodworth  were  elected  trustees,  who  met 
on  the  following  day  and  organized  by  elect- 
ing Thos.  Barbee,  president,  J.  C.  Olwin, 
clerk,  Joseph  Kent,  constable,  and  Thos. 
Sims,  treasurer.  At  an  adjourned*  meeting 
the  usual  list  of  ordinances  were  adopted,  the 
first  of  which  defines  tlie  limits  of  the  corpo- 
ration as  follows:  "  Commencing  at  the  south- 
east corner  of  the  west  half  of  section  thirty- 
four,  in  town  7  north,  of  range  12  west,  and 
running  thence  north  one  mile,  thence  west 
one  mile,  thence  south  one  mile,  thence  east 
one  mile  to  the  place  of  beginning."  The 
limits  thus  established  have  proven  sufficient. 
without   subsequent  extension,  to  include  the 


1^2 


HISTORY   or  CRAWFORD  COUNTY. 


growth  of  the  village  to  this  time.  By  this 
orio-inal  code  of  municipal  laws,  litter  and  ob- 
structions upon  the  sidewalks  were  forbidden, 
and  the  sale  of  liquor  as  a  beverage,  public 
business  on  the  Sabbath,  gambling,  etc.,  ta- 
booed. The  more  immediate  effect  of  the 
new  order  of  things  was  seen  in  the  build- 
ing of  sidewalks.  In  18(58  property  holders 
about  the  public  square  were  required  to  lay 
brick  or  plank  walks,  and  in  other  parts  of 
town  where  there  was  most  demand.  In  1S75, 
when  the  railroad  infused  new  life  into  every 
department  of  society,  the  town  board  rose  to 
the  importance  of  the  occasion  and  appro- 
priated a  thousand  dollars  for  this  purpose. 
In  the  following  year  50,000  feet  of  lumber 
was  bought  and  another  thousand  dollars  ap- 
propriated, and  this  spirit  of  enterprise  has 
been  maintained  until  there  are  few  villages 
of  the  size  of  Robinson  that  are  so  well  pro- 
vided with  broad,  well  made  walks.  The 
streets  have  been  under  the  direction  of  a 
road  master,  and  upon  them  have  been  ex- 
pended each  year  the  "poll-tax  labor"  of  the 
village  with  some  tangible  result.  Koad 
making  material  is  scarce  in  thi's  vicinity,  and 
but  little  more  has  been  done  than  to  care- 
fully turnpike  the  streets.  Some  gravel  has 
been  used  on  the  streets  about  the  square  but 
only  with  the  effect  to  modify  the  depthless 
mud  that  mars  the  streets  of  this  village  during 
the  spring  time.  Recently  some  effort  looking 
toward  the  lighting  of  the  streets  has  been 
made,  though  so  far  no  definite  action  has 
been  taken. 

Another  subject  which  is  the  perennial 
source  of  agitation  in  the  villages  of  Illinois, 
and  which  devolves  especial  responsibility 
upon  the  authorities  that  be,  is  the  regulation 
of  the  sale  of  liquor.  The  attitude  of  the  first 
board  of  trustees  undoubtedly  expressed  the 
prevalent  sentiment  of  the  community  in  re- 
stricting the  sale  of  "ardent  spirits  "to  simply 
the    demands    for    mechanical,    medicinal   or 


sacramental  purposes.  But  the  minority 
upon  this  subject,  by  constant  pressure  of 
specious  arguments,  soon  effected  a  change 
in  the  public  policy.  In  1870  license  was 
granted  for  the  sale  of  liquor  in  unlimited 
quantities,  the  vendor,  with  exception  of  drug- 
gists, to  pay  three  hundred  dollars  and  give 
an  indemnifying  bond.  In  the  following  year 
the  whole  liquor  traffic  was  taken  out  of  the 
hands  of  regular  dealers  and  the  somewhat 
novel  plan  of  appointing  agents  to  sell  only 
for  "  mechanical,  medicinal  and  sacramental 
purposes."  This  plan  seems  hardly  to  have 
been  well  considered  before  initiated,  and  the 
board  soon  found  itself  involved  in  the  most 
perplexing  maze  of  evasions  and  technicali- 
ties, and  in  very  despair  the  whole  scheme 
was  abolished  in  1874,  and  the  regular  "  no 
license"  plan  again  adopted.  Since  then  the 
subject  has  alternated  from  one  extreme  to 
the  other,  the  license  fee  reaching  as  high  as 
§1,200  on  the  statute  book,  but  without  occa- 
sion of  enforcing  it.  It  stands  now  at  eight 
hundred  dollars  and  a  substantial  bond  to  in- 
sure the  I'quor  seller's  compliance  with  the 
terms  of  his  contract.  Even  at  this  figure  the 
tr  iffic  is  such  that  three  saloons  find  induce- 
ment to  carry  on  the  business  here. 

A  late  outgrowth  of  enterprise  rather  than 
demand  of  the  village,  is  the  fire  department. 
In  the  early  part  of  1881,  the  propriety  of 
securing  a  hook  and  ladder  apparatus  was 
brought  up  and  carried  forward  with  com- 
mendable spirit  to  a  successful  issue.  Rubber- 
pails  were  added  to  the  outfit,  a  company  or- 
ganized and  a  suitable  building  erected  at  a 
total  cost  of  some  five  hundred  dollars.  Early 
in  the  follownng  year  a  hand  engine  for  which 
the  city  of  Vincennes  had  no  further  use  was 
purchased  and  added  to  the  department. 
There  has  been  no  occasion  yet  to  demon- 
strate the  efficacy  of  the  fiie  department,  nor 
is  its  complete  organization  strong-ly  vouched 
for,  but  it  has  had  a  formal   institution  and 


HISTORY  OF  CRAWFORD  COUNTY. 


123 


will  doubtless  develop  with  the  occasion  for 
its  service. 

There  was  but  little  to  attract  business  to 
the  ni  wly  laid  out  town  of  Robinson,  and 
Waldrop  for  a  time  monopolized  the  fi-ade. 
In  the  course  of  a  year  or  two,  however,  Ma- 
ginley  set  up  an  opposition  store,  and  Felix 
Hacket  opened  a  saloon,  or  grocery  where 
whisky  was  the  principal  stock  in  trade,  in 
a  log  building  on  the  east  side  of  the  square. 
Barbee  and  Brown  were  also  amoncr  the  first 
log  Store  merchants,  doing  business  near  the 
center  of  the  east  side  of  the  square.  In 
Iy53  brick  business  houses  began  to  ap- 
pear. In  this  year  John  Dixon,  who  began 
trade  in  Robinson  about  1819,  put  up  the  first 
brick  store  building  in  the  village  on  the  cor- 
ner of  Main  and  Marshall  streets,  which  is 
now  used  by  Griffith  as  a  shoe  store.  In  the 
following  year  Thomas  Barbee,  who  had  "  kept 
hotel "  on  Marshall  street,  a  block  or  two  north 
of  Main,  built  the  Robinson  House,  which  is 
now  the  principal  hostelry  of  the  town.  In 
the  same  fall  Woodworth  and  Lagow  began  the 
erection  of  the  brick  building  occupying  the 
southeast  corner  of  Main  and  Court  streets, 
finishing  it  in  the  following  spring.  These 
buildings  were  a  little  later  follc)wed  by  the 
erection  of  the  Masonic  Building,  and  just 
before  the  completion  of  the  railroad,  what  is 
known  as  the  Southside  Block  was  erected. 
This  block  consists  of  six  two-storied  brick 
buildings  seventy  feet  deep  and  twenty  in 
width  outside  of  three  stairways  and  halls  on 
the  second  floor  of  four  feet  each.  The  con- 
struction of  this  block  was  first  conceived  bj' 
Judge  W.  C.  Jones,  who  erected  two  of  the 
buildings,  A.  H.  Jones  the  third,  Jones  and 
Maxwell  a  fourth,  A.  O.  Maxwell  the  fifth, 
and  Mrs.  Callahan  the  sixth.  The  influence 
of  the  new  railroad  was  at  its  heisrht,  and  al- 
though  its  old-time  competitors  proclaimed 
Robinson  "finished,"  A.  H.  Waldrop,  then 
owner  of  the  Robinson   House,  commenced 


the  erection  of  a  large  two-story  brick  addition 
in  the  rear  of  the  hotel  at  once.  In  the  same 
season  the  Robinson  Bank  and  the  storehouse 
of  E.  E.  Murray  &  Co.,  both  two-storj'  bricks 
of  20x70  feet,  were  erected,  followed  in  the 
succeeding  season  by  two  more  buildings  of 
the  same  size,  erected  by  J.  H.  Wood,  which 
closed  up  the  vacant  ground  on  the  east  side 
of  the  square  from  the  Masonic  building  to 
the  Woodworth  buildings.  The  same  season 
John  Hill  &  Son  erected  a  two-story  building 
on  the  corner  east  of  the  square,  extending 
from  Douglas  to  Jefferson  street.  In  the 
meantime,  beside  these  structures  for  business 
purposes,  several  fine  and  substantial  resi- 
dences were  erected  at  a  cost  of  from  six  to  ten 
thousand  dollars.  In  1878  the  block  of  brick 
buildings  north  of  the  square  was  erected, 
and  in  the  following  year  .T.  U.  Grace  erected 
an  addition  on  the  west  side  of  the  Robinson 
House,  18  by  110  feet,  the  lower  story  for  a 
place  of  business  and  the  upper  to  furnish 
additional  rooms  for  the  hotel. 

About  the  same  time  with  Dixon,  the 
Lagows  started  a  branch  of  their  Palestine 
store  in  Robinson,  which  in  1853  was  con- 
ducted by  the  firm  of  Woodworth  and  Lagow. 
Barbee  and  Jolly  began  business  here  about 
1855,  but  continued  for  only  a  year  or  two 
when  they  closed  up  with  an  assignment, 
their  liabilities  being  principally  to  eastern 
merchants  and  reaching  a  very  considerable 
amount.  On  the  death  of  Dixon  about  1855, 
the  Preston  Brothers,  a  heavy  business  firm  of 
Hutsonville  with  stores  in  a  half  dozen  places 
in  Clark  and  Crawford  Counties  and  else- 
where, established  a  branch  house  in  Robin- 
son, occupying  the  Dixon  building.  This 
firm  with  that  of  Woodworth  and  Lagow  were 
the  largest  business  houses  here  at  that  time 
and  until  the  coming  of  the  railroad  attracted 
a  large  and  peculiar  trade.  There  was  but 
little  money  in  the  country  until  18GI  or  3 
and  business  was  conducted   almost  entirely 


1-24 


HISTORY  OF  CRAWFORD  COUNTY. 


without  it.  Goods  were  sold  on  a  year's  cred- 
it and  in  the  fall  the  merchants  bought  all 
the  grain,  hogs  or  cattle  for  sale.  Each  firm 
had  warehouses  and  packing  houses  on  the 
Wabash,  beside  a  farm  fitted  for  the  purpose 
of  feeding  stock.  In  the  spring,  grain,  pork 
and  cattle  were  shipped  by  the  river  to  New 
Orleans.  Considerable  quantities  of  grain 
were  taken  in  and  stored  ■  at  Robinson  until 
the  hard  road  of  the  winter  afforded  an  op- 
portunity of  hauling  it  to  the  river.  One  of 
these  firms  made  a  practice  of  buying  horses 
in  the  fall,  securing  the  most  of  them  on 
accounts  due  them  for  goods.  These  were 
assorted,  the  inferior  stock  traded  off,  and  the 
better  ones  got  in  good  condition  and  sent 
down  the  river  in  the  spring  to  market.  Thus 
to  insure  success  in  business  here,  the  mer- 
chant found  it  necessary  to  combine  the  qual- 
ities of  a  good  stock  speculator  as  well  as 
those  of  a  storekeeper,  a  failure  in  either 
branch  proving  disastrous  to  the  business. 
The  operations  of  these  business  houses  took 
a  remarkable  range,  the  Preston  Brothers 
maintaining  one  partner  whose  whole  time 
and  attention  was  occupied  with  these  out- 
side affairs. 

The  coming  of  railroad  facilities  wrought  a 
speedy  revolution  in  business  circles.  The 
abundance  of  currency  set  afloat  by  the  Gov- 
ernment during  the  war  had  nearly  done  away 
with  the  prevailing  system  of  barter  and  thus 
curtailed  the  profits  with  the  extent  of  the 
operations  of  the  old  time  trade.  The  old 
firms  gradually  passed  away  with  the  old  cus- 
toms, giving  place  to  others  of  a  younger 
generation.  But  there  has  been  no  perma- 
nent contraction  of  business  on  account  of  this 
change.  The  large  operations  of  the  few  have 
been  divided  among  the  number  who  have 
succeeded  and  the  business  of  the  village  has 
larg'^y  expanded.  The  coming  of  the  Paris 
and  Danville  road,  gave  Robinson  a  decided 
advantage  over  its  competitors  for  the  trade 


of  the  county,  but  the  subsequent  construc- 
tion of  the  "narrow  gauge  railroad,"  rather 
restored  the  equilibrium,  and  the  "county 
seat,"  while  still  far  in  the  lead,  finds  the  com- 
petition in  the  grain  trade,  at  least,  one  of 
considerable  imnortance. 

A  number  of  mills — saw,  grist  and  planing 
mills — constitute  most  of  the  manufacturing 
industries  of  the  town.  The  large  brick 
figuring  mill  was  built  by  Brown,  Sims  & 
Waldrop,  and  is  now  used  by  John  Newton 
and  Dyer's  estate.  The  Junction  mills, 
owned  by  Collins  &  Kirk,  was  built  by  Will- 
iam C.  Shafer.  The  saw-mill  near  the  Junc- 
tion mills  was  built  by  Brigham  and  Wilson, 
and  is' now  owned  by  Reinoehl  &  Co.  Near 
it  is  the  Robinson  machine  shop  and  foundry, 
put  up  about  a  year  ago,  by  Ogden  &  Martin. 
It  is  not  running  at  present.  The  planing 
mill  of  Wiseman  &  Brubaker  is  located  near 
the  Wabash  depot.  It  was  originally  built 
by  Wesley  Fields.  A  planing  mill  stands 
near  the  narrow  guage  depot,  owned  by  Otey 
&  Sons.  School  furniture  is  manufactured  at 
this  mill.  A  few  other  manufacturing  enter- 
prises are  in  contemplation,  but  have  not  yet 
resulted  in  anything  definite. 

The  educational  facilities  of  Robinson  are 
confined  to  the  public  schools.  The  early 
history  of  education  in  the  village  is  not  dis- 
similar to  that  of  other  early  settlements. 
The  first  school  is  supposed  to  have  been 
taught  in  a  log  building  about  1848,  by  Wm. 
Grimes.  The  court  house  was  used  several 
years  for  school  purposes.  The  town  has 
now  a  very  good,  comfortable  school- house — 
a  two-story  frame  building,  but  not  adequate 
to  accommodate  the  growing  wants  of  the 
"young  ideas,"  and  a  large  building  must 
soon  take  the  place  of  the  one  now  in  use. 

The  regular  attendance  of  the  Robinson 
public  school  is  over  three  hundred  pupils. 
Prof.  S.  G.  Murray,  an  excellent  teacher,  is 
principal;  D.  G.  Murray,  teacher  of  grammar 


UISTOllY  OF  CKAWFORD  COUNTY. 


125 


di'partine:it;  other  teachers,  W.  G.  llale, 
Miss  Mary  Firman   and  Mrs.  Fh)ra  B.  Lane. 

Tue  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  organi- 
zation is  the  oldest  church  in  Robinson,  and 
dates  back  into  the  "  forties."  Of  its  earliest 
history  we  obtained  no  reliable  data,  and  can 
give  but  a  brief  sketch  of  it.  The  elegant 
and  tasteful  brick  church  edifice  was  built  in 
1866,  at  a  cost  of  more  than  S5,000.  The 
membership  is  large  and  flourishing,  and  is 
under  the  pastorate  of  Rev.  Mr.  Massey.  A 
good  Sunday  school,  of  which  John  Maxwell 
is  superintendent,  is  maintained  during  the 
entire  year. 

The  Presbyterian  Church,  the  sketch  of 
which  is  taken  from  the  Argus,  was  organized 
originally,  October  38,  1848,  with  sixteen 
members,  chiefly  from  the  Palestine  church. 
Under  this  organization  it  hal  a  brief  exist- 
ence, and  the  members  dissolved  and  re- 
turned to  the  old  church.  On  the  8th  of 
November,  1872,  Rev.  Thomas  Spencer  and 
Elder  Finley  Paull  renewed  the  organization 
as  the  "First  Presbyterian  Church  of  Robin- 
son." The  first  elders  were  Wra.  C.  "Wilson, 
John  H.  Wilkin  and  Rufus  R.  Lull;  the  first 
minister,  Rev.  Aaron  Thompson.  He  was 
succeeded  by  Rev.  Thomas  Spencer  and  he 
by  Rev.  John  E.  Carson,  all  of  whom  have 
been  stated  supply.  No  church  building  has 
been  erected  by  the  society,  but  they  used  the 
Methodist  church.  They  own  a  parsonage 
which  cost  $1,000,  but  are  at  present  without 
a  pastor. 

The  Christian  Church  was  organized  in 
Robinson  in  the  spring  of  1876,  and  among 
the  original  members  were  N.  S.  Brown  and 
wife,  M.  C.  Shepherd,  Mrs.  Mary  Callahan, 
Hickman  Henderson,  and  Jas.  M.  Gardner 
and  wife.  The  organization  of  the  church 
resulted  from  a  meeting  of  several  days'  du- 
ration held  in  the  court  house  by  Elder  A.  D. 
Daily,  of  Terre  Haute.  Some  fifteen  or 
twenty  additions  were  made  to  the  member- 


ship during  the  meeting.  Elder  Daily  visited 
the  church  once  a  mojith  for  a  year  or  more. 
The  next  minister  was  Elder  I.  G.  Tomlinson, 
of  Indianapolis,  who  preached  here  once  a 
month.  The  church  was  built  about  a  year 
after  the  society  was  organized,  N.  S.  Brown, 
ilrs.  Callahan,  H.  Henderson  and  M.  C.  Shep- 
herd being  the  principal  movers  toward  the 
building  of  it.  It  Wiis  completed  and  dedi- 
cated in  the  summer  of  1883  by  Prof.  R.  T. 
Brown,  of  Indianapolis.  There  are  at  present 
about  one  hundred  members,  and  they  are 
without  a  pastor.  A  Sunday  school  is  main- 
tained. 

Robinson  Mission  Catholic  Church  was  es- 
tablished in  1882  by  Father  Kuhlmann,  of 
Marshall,  with  a  strength  of  about  fifteen 
families.  The  church  building  was  erected 
the  same  year,  at  a  cost  of  $700,  and  was 
dedicated  by  Rev.  Father  Kuhlmann,  who 
has  been  the  only  rector,  administering  to  the 
congregation  once  a  month. 

The  secret  and  benevolent  institutions  of 
Robinson  come  in  regular  conrse  next  to  the 
Christian  churches.  They  do  as  mush  good 
in  their  way  as  the  churches  themselves.  And 
the  best  men  in  the  country  do  not  deem  it 
beneath  their  dignity  to  lend  their  assistance 
and  countenance  to  these  institutions.  The 
Masonic  fraternity  has  been  represented  here 
by  a  lodge  and  a  chapter. 

Robinson  Lodge,  No.  250,  A.,  F.  &  A.  M., 
was  organized  in  1856,  and  the  charter  signed 
by  J.  H.  Hibbard,  grand  master,  and  H.  G. 
Reynolds,  grand  secretary-.  The  charter 
members  were  John  T.  Cox,  Daniel  Perrine, 
Joseph  H.  Huls,  Irvine  Heustis,  J.  M.  Alexan- 
der, J.  C.  Ruddell,  John  D.Smith  and  Charles 
Meilley.  John  T.  Cox  was  the  first  master; 
Daniel  Perrine,  senior  warden;  J.  H.  Huls, 
junior  warden;  D.  M.  Mail,  treasurer,  and 
Irvine  Heustis,  seeretar}-.  The  present  of- 
ficers are:  T.  S.  Price,  master;  H.  B.  Lutes 
senior  warden;    W.  P.  Stiles,  junior  warden; 


126 


HISTORY  OF  CRAWFORD  COUNTY. 


J.  C.  Evans,  treasurer,  and  M.  C.  Mills,  sec'y. 

Robinson  R.  A.  Chapter  No.  149  was  or- 
ganized December  1,  1871,  and  among  its 
charter  members  were  J.  M.  Jarrett,  John 
Newton,  A.  J.  Haskett,  0.  M.  Patton,  Wm. 
C.  Wilson,  Wm.  Dyer,  Geo.  W.  Harper, 
Wm.  C.  Jones,  E.  Callahan,  S.  MidkiflF,  S. 
Taylor,  J.  L.  Cox,  I.  D.  Mail,  W.  F.  Fleck,  J. 
O.  Steel,  etc.  The  first  officers  were  J.  M. 
Jarrett,  H.  P.;  John  Newton,  K.;  A.  J.  Has- 
kett, S.;  C.  M.  Patton,  C.  of  H.;  Wm.  C.  Wil- 
son, P.  J.;  Wm.  Dyer,  R.  A.  C;  Wm.  C. 
Jones,  S.  Midkifif  and  W.  H.  Fleck,  G.  M.  of 
v.;  Samson  Taylor,  treasurer;  E.  Callahan, 
Fecretary,  and  G.  W.  Harper,  tiler.  To  the 
shams  of  the  fraternity  be  it  said,  they  have 
let  the  chapter  die  out,  and  the  charter  has 
been  surrendered  to  the  grand  chapter. 

Crawford  Lodge,  No.  124,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  was 
instituted  in  1855,  with  thai  following  charter 


members:     Wm.    C.    "^Vilson,  Wm.  Barbee, 

A.  W.  Gordon,  S.  H.  Decius  and  James  S. 
Barbee.  The  first  officers  were  W.  C.  Wil- 
son, N.  G.;  Wm.  Barbee,  V.  G.,  and  James 
S.  Barbee,  secretary.  It  died  out,  but  was 
resuscitated  again  in  a  few  years.  The  pres- 
ent officers  are  T.  S.  Price,  N.  G.;  A.  B.  Hous- 
ton, V.  G.;  George  Kessler,  treasurer,  and 
G.  W.  Henderson,  secretary. 

Robinson  Lodge,  No.  1744,  Knights  of 
Honor,  was  organized  in  August,  1880,  and 
among  its  charter  members  are  Peter  Walk- 
er, C.  H.  Grube,  J.  P.  Murphy,  M.  C.  Mills, 
T.  S.  Price,  A.  H.  Waldrop,  J.   C.  Olwin,  A. 

B.  Houston,  Zalmon  Ruddell,  I.  L.  Fire- 
baugh,  Geo.  N.  Parker  and  others.  The 
present  officers  are  George  W.  Harper,  P. 
D.;  W.  N.  Willis,  D.;  P.  Walker,  reporter; 
Sol  Moers,  financial  reporter,  and  J.  C.  Ol- 
win, treasurer. 


CHAPTEE    XII.* 


LAMOTTE  TOWNSHIP— GENERAL  DESCRIPTION  AND  TOPOaRAPHY— EARLY   SETTLEMENT 
—JOSEPH  LAMOTTE— THE  EATONS— OTHER  PIONEERS— THE  SEVEN  JESSES— EX- 
TRACT FROM  FICKLIN'S  ADDRESS— SCHOOLS  AND  CHURCHES— PAL- 
ESTINE—ITS  GROWTH,  DEVELOPMENT  AND  INCORPORA- 
TION—THE LAND  OFFICE— REGISTERS  AND  RE- 
CEIVERS—EDUCATIONAL,  RELIG- 
IOUS,   ETC.,    ETC. 


"When  in  the  chi-onicles  of  wasted  time 
I  read  descriptions,  etc." 

— Shakespeare. 

n^^IIE  marvelous  development  of  our  coun- 
-L  try  is  without  parallel  in  history.  Look 
back  a  generation  or  two  and  behold  tliese 
smiling-  fields  a  primeval  forest  or  wild  prai- 
rie. There  are  scores  of  people  still  living 
who  recollect  when  hazel  brush  grew  upon 
the  site  of  the  county's  capital,  and  when  the 
roads  were  little  else  than  blind  trails,  and 
unbridged  streams  were  swum  or  waded; 
when,  instead  of  the  locomotive's  whistle, 
was  heard  the  dismal  howling  of  the  wolf  or  the 
far-off  screech  of  the  hungry  panther.  Rapid 
as  have  been  the  changes  and  great  the  im- 
provements in  this  section,  Crawford  is  only 
well  upon  her  course;  the  energies  which 
have  brought  her  to  her  present  state  will  not 
falter. 

"Lo!  our  land  is  like  an  eagle  whose  young  gaze 
Feeds  on  the  noontide   beams,  whose    golden 
plumes 
Float  moveless  on  the  storm,  and,  in  the  blaze 
Of  sunrise,  gleams  when   earth  is  wrapped  in 
gloom." 

This  civil  division  of  Crawford  County  forms 
no  inconsiderable  part  of  the  history  of  the 
great  commonwealth  of  Illinois.     No  portion 

*  By  W.  H.  Perrin. 


of  the  county,  nor  indee  1  of  the  State,  is  richer 
in  historical  interest.  It  contained  the  first 
seat  of  justice  of  the  county;  the  first  land 
office  established  in  the  State  was  located 
within  its  limits,  and  the  first  settlement 
made  in  the  county  was  in  what  is  now  La- 
motte  Township.  Here  were  erected  forts 
and  block-houses,  when  Indians  were  far 
more  plentiful  on  this  side  of  the  Wabash 
than  pale-faces,  and  here  transpired  some  of 
the  stirring  events  that  have  embellished 
with  interest  the  history  of  the  State. 

Lamotte  Township  lies  on  the  eastern  bor- 
der of  the  county  and  contains  much  fine 
productive  land.  Its  surface  beyond  the 
river  bottoms,  which  are  low  and  subject  to 
overflow,  is  generally  level  or  undulaling,  re- 
quiring little  artificial  drainage.  With  the 
exception  of  the  bottoms  above  alluded  to, 
our  idea  of  its  topography  does  not  fully  co- 
incide with  the  poet-laureate  of  Palestine 
when  he  penned  the  following  lines: 

"  Half  a  century  ago  I  lived  in  Egypt's  famed  land, 
Where  the  soil  was  composed  of  dark  loam  and  sand; 
There  were  swamps  on  this  hand  and  swamps  on  that, 
And  the  remainder  of  the  land  was  level  and  flat." 

The  township  lies  south  of  Hutsonville 
township,  west  of  the  Wabash  River,  north 
of  Montgomery  and  east  of  Robinson  town- 
ship. It  is  drained  principally  by  Lamotte 
Creek,  which  flows  in  a  southeasterly  course 


128 


HISTOKY  OF  CRAWFOIID  COUXTY. 


and  empties  into  the  Wabash  near  Palestine 
landing.  The  original  timber  growth  was 
oak,  iiickory,  walnut,  hackberry,  buckeye, 
sycamcre,  pecan,  cottoiiwood,  etc.,  etc.  Upon 
the  whole,  the  township  is  a  fine  agricultural 
region,  and  in  1880  had  a  popuhition  of  2,160 
souls — and  as  many  bodies.  The  S.  E.  and 
S.  E.  narrow  gauge  railroad  traverses  it  from 
east  to  west,  thus  affording  the  people  railroad 
communication  and  benefiting  the  township 
to  a  considerable  extent. 

Early  Settlement. — The  first  occupation 
by  white  people,  of  what  is  now  Lamotte 
Township,  is  veiled  somewhat  in  obscurity. 
Prior  to  the  war  of  1813  a  number  of  families 
were  living  in  this  region,  and  when  the  war 
broke  out,  they  congregated  where  Palestine 
now  stands,  and  built  a  fort  or  block-house. 
But  how  long  before,  white  people  lived 
here,  there  is  no  one  now  to  tell,  for  they  are 
o-athered  to  the  r  fathers.  It  is  believed  that 
as  far  back  as  1808  or  1809,  there  were  peo- 
ple of  our  own  kind  in  this  immediate  neigh- 
borhood, to  say  nothing  of  the  French,  who, 
as  they  were  numerous  about  Vincennes, 
mav  have  been  much  earlier,  and  very 
probably  were.  Many  believed  that  Joseph 
Lamotte  once  lived  in  this  portion  of  the 
county,  though  there  is  little  but  tradition, 
concerning  his  occupation  of  the  country.  The 
following  is  related  by  Mr.  Martin  Fuller,  of 
Monto-omery  Township,  who  married  Rosana 
Twomley.  She  was  a  daughter  of  Isaac 
Twomley,  who  kept  a  ferry  at  Vincennes  at  a 
very  early  day.  Twomley  married  the  widow 
of  Joseph  Lamotte,  and  of  this  marriage  was 
born  Rosana,  the  wife  of  Martin  Fuller.  Mr. 
Twomley  used  to  say  that  Lamotte  was  an 
Indian  interpreter,  and  spoke  seven  dialects 
of  the  Indian  language,  beside  English  and 
French,  and  that  the  Indians,  for  his  services 
as  interpreter  in  some  of  their  grand  pow- 
wows with  the  pale-faces,  had  given  him  all 
that  tract  of  country,  now  known  as  Lamotte 


Prairie.  But  when  they  saw  a  chance  of  sell- 
ing it  to  the  United  States  Government,  had 
watched  for  an  opportunity,  and  had  slain 
Lamotte.  They  threw  his  body  into  a  deep 
hole  of  water  in  the  creek  just  west  of  Pales- 
tine cemet'ry.  After  the  death  of  Lamotte, 
Twomley  was  made  Indian  interpreter.  He 
spoke  five  Indian  dialects  as  well  as  English 
and  French,  and  his  daughter,  Mrs.  Fuller, 
also  speaks  French  fluently. 

This  story  of  Lamotte,  of  course,  is  tra- 
ditional, as  there  are  none  now  living  who 
seem  to  know  anything  very  definite  con- 
cerning him,  beyond  the  fact  that  there  was 
once  such  a  man.  This,  as  stated  in  a  pre- 
ceding chapter,  we  learn  from  the  old  court 
records,  from  conveyances  of  land  made  by 
Lamotte.  It  is  probably  doubtful,  however, 
if  Lamotte  ever  lived  here,  notwithstanding 
the  fine  prairie  north  of  Palestine  still  bears 
his  name,  also  Lamotte  creek,  and  this  town- 
ship, together  with  the  old  and  original  fort 
which  stood  on  the  present  site  of  Palestine. 

It  is  a  generally  accepted  tradition,  and  it 
is  fast  becoming  a  tradition  only,  that  the 
Eatons  were  the  first  of  our  own  kind  to 
occupy  this  portion  of  the  county,  and  they 
are  believed  to  have  been  here  as  early  as 
1808-9.  They  were  a  large  family  of  large 
people,  and  possessed  most  extraordinarily 
lar^e  feet.  The  latter  was  a  distinguishing 
feature,  and  when  a  little  unpleasantness  oc- 
curred in  Fort  Lamotte,  and  the  Eatons  with- 
drew and  built  another  fort,  it  was  unani- 
mouslv  dubbed  Fort  Foot,  in  derision  of  the 
Eatons'  feet. 

Mr.  D.  W.  Stark,  an  old  and  well-known  citi- 
zen of  Palestine  for  many  years,  furnishes  us, 
throuo-h  Mr.  Finley  Paull,  the  following  re- 
garding the  early  settlement:  "There  must 
have  been  a  settlement  there  and  in  the 
vicinity,  reaching  back  toward  the  beginning 
of  the  century,  for  at  the  breaking  out  of  the 
war  of  1812  a  considerable  body  of  settlers 


HISTORY  OF  CRAWFORD  COUNTY. 


129 


assembled  at  Palestine,  where  thev  built 
two  forts  in  which  they  I'orteJ  during  the  war. 
One  of  the  forts,  I  think,  stood  somewhere  in 
the  southeast  of  the  present  town,  for  in  the 
fall  of  18",'0  I  well  recollect  seeing  some  of  the 
ruins  and  stoekade  still  standing.  This  fort 
was  called  Fort  Lamotte,  after  the  name  of 
the  prairie,  and  it  was  named  after  an  old 
Frenchman.  Where  the  other  fort  stood,  if  I 
ever  knew,  I  have  forgotten.  It  was  named 
Fort  Foot,  as  I  understood,  from  the  fact  of 
two  or  three  families  of  Batons  forting  in  it, 
who  were  all  noted  as  having  very  large  feet." 
The  Batons  were  pioneers  in  the  true  sense 
of  the  word,  and  had  gone  west — had  aban- 
doned home  and  the  signs  of  civilization,  and 
plunged  into  the  vast  solitudes,  in  order  to 
better  their  condition,  and  finally  secure 
homes  for  themselves  and  children.  These 
sturdy,  lone  mariners  of  the  desert  were 
men  of  action.  Not  very  social  in  their 
nature,  moody  and  almost  void  of  the  imagi- 
native faculty,  they  simply  whetted  their  in- 
stincts in  the  struggle  for  existence  atyainst 
the  wild  game,  the  ferocious  beasts  and  the 
murderous  savage.  They,  and  such  as  thev, 
laid  the  foundations  on  which  rests  the  civili- 
zation of  the  great  west.  They  took  their 
lives  in  their  own  hands,  as  it  were,  pene- 
trated the  desert  wilderness,  and  with  a  pa- 
tient energy,  resolution  and  self-sacrifice  that 
stands  alone  and  unparalleled,  worked  out  their 
allotted  tasks,  and  to-day,  we,  their  descend- 
ants, are  enjoying  the  fruitage  of  their  la- 
bors. 

As  we  have  before  stated,  the  Batons  were 
a  large  family,  and  consisted  of  the  patriarch, 
who  is  believed  to  have  been  named  Will- 
iam, and  several  sons,  among  whom  were 
John,  Job,  Benjamin,  Joseph,  William  and 
several  others.  It  is  not  known  of  a  certainty 
where  they  came  from,  but  it  is  believed 
they  were  either  from  Kentucky  or  North 
Carolina.     They  wore  in  the  fort  at  Palestine 


during  the  stormy  period  of  our  last  war  with 
England,  and  when  the  war  clouds  passed 
over  and  the  olive  branch  was  waved 
throughout  the  country,  wooing  the  red  man 
to  peaceful  sports,  as  well  as  the  belliger- 
ent nations  who  had  lately  measured  their 
strength  with  each  other,  and  the  people 
could  branch  out  from  the  forts,  with  none 
to  "  molest  or  make  them  afraid,"  then  the 
Batons  moved  out  and  scattered  in  different 
directions,  some  of  them  settling  in  Hutson- 
ville  township,  where  they  receive  furthe) 
mention.  One  or  two  of  the  Batons  weni 
killed  by  the  Indians  during  the  time  tho 
people  were  "  forted  "  at  Palestine,  which  is 
spoken  of  elsewhere  in  this  volume. 

Other  pioneers,  many  of  whom  lived  for 
awhile  in  the  fort,  were  Thomas  Kennedy, 
David  McGahey,  the  McCalls,  the  Brim- 
berrys,  James  and  Smith  Shaw,  J.  Veach,  the 
Millses,  George  Bathe,  J.  Purcell,  Jesse  Hig- 
gins,  Mrs.  Gaddis,  John  Garrard,  the  Woods, 
David  Reavill  and  others.  Thomas  Kennedy 
was  a  Baptist  preacher,  and  had  squatted  on 
a  place,  the  improvement  of  which  he  after- 
ward sold  to  John  S.  Woodwortli.  Kennedy 
then  settled  in  the  present  township  of  Mont- 
gomery. McGahey  was  a  prominent  man, 
and  opened  a  farm  south  of  Palestine,  on 
which  Wyatt  Mills  now  lives — himself  of  the 
original  pioneer  Mills  family.  McGahey 
served  in  the  Legislature,  was  connected  with 
the  land  office,  and  held  other  responsible 
positions.  George  Bathe  entered  land  with 
McGahey.  He  has  a  son,  George  Bathe,  Jr., 
now  77  years  old,  living  in  Palestine.  Smith 
Shaw,  after  times  became  quiet,  settled  in  the 
present  County  of  Bdgar,  where  he  made  his 
mark,  and  where  he  was  still  livino-  a  few 
years  ago,  when  we  wrote  the  history  of  that 
County.  John  Garrard  came  from  South 
Carolina,  and  was  here  as  early  as  1811.  He 
has  descendants  still  living  in  Palestine,  one  of 
■whom  is  proprietor  of    the    Garrard  House. 


130 


HISTORY  OF  CRAWFORD  COUNTY. 


/ 


John,  Joseph  and  Welton  Wood  lived  a  few 
miles  from  Palestine.  Welton  still  lives  in 
the  west  part  of  the  county.  David  Reavill 
was  born  in  Delaware,  and  came  to  Illinois  in 
1810,  stoppino-  at  Kaskaskia,  then  the  State 
capital.  When  the  war  broke  out  with  Eng- 
land, he  went  to  Vincennes  and  joined  the 
Rangers,  serving  with  them  until  peace  was 
made,  when  he  came  to  Palestine.  He  was 
killed  by  lightning,  a  circumstance  known  to 
many  of  the  old  citizens.  The  McCalls  (two 
brothers)  were  surveyors,  and  the  first  in  the 
county.  In  the  southeast  corner  of  Lamotte 
Township  stands  one  of  their  old  "witness 
trees,"  on  "  Unce  Jimmy  "  Westner's  place? 
and  is  the  only  one  in  the  county  known  to  be 
yet  standing.  Witness  trees  were  marked  by 
taking  off  the  bark  and  scratching  with  an 
iron  instrument  called  "three  fingers,"  form- 
ing a  cross.  It  was  a  mark  known  to  all 
government  surveyors,  and  when  made  upon 
a  tree,  though  the  bark  would  grow  over  it, 
the  mark  could  be  deciphered  a  hundred 
years  after  it  was  made.  Hence,  the  name  of 
witness  tree. 

Thomas  Gill  and  family,  and  John  S.  Wood- 
worth,  came  in  the  fall  of  1814,  and  were 
from  Mt.  Sterling,  Ky.  Mr.  Gill  settled  on  a 
farm  some  four  miles  northwest  of  Palestine, 
where  he  lived,  and  where  he  died  about  1840. 
He  had  a  numerous  family,  but  none  of  them 
are  now  in  the  township;  James,  the  only  one 
left,  lives  in  Cumberland  County.  Mr.  Gill 
had  served  in  the  Revolutionary  War,  and 
was  a  highly  respected  citizen  of  the  county. 
John  S.  Woodworth  married  a  daugiiter  of 
Gill's,  and  raised  a  large  family  of  children. 
But  three  of  them  are  living,  viz.:  Martin  and 
Leander  of  Palestine,  and  A.  P.  Woodworth, 
cashier  of  the  Robinson  bank.  The  first  pur- 
chase of  land  made  by  Mr.  Woodworth,  was 
the  squatter's  claim  of  Thos.  Kennedy  to  IGO 
acres.  When  it  came  in  market  he  purchased 
it,    and    had   to  pay    $6.10  per  acre  for  it,  a 


heavy  price  for  the  time.  Mr.  Woodworth 
was  the  second  sheriff  of  Crawford  County. 
He  was  not  an  office-seeker,  but  devoted 
his  time  and  attention  chiefly  to  agriculture. 
He  accumulated  a  large  estate  in  landed 
property. 

Edward  N.  Cullom  came  in  the  spring  of 
1814,  and  at  a  time  when  the  forts  were  still 
occupied  by  the  whites.  He  also  was  from 
Kentucky,  and  had  a  large  family.  Two  of 
his  sons  are  still  living — Leonard,  who  lives 
in  Lawrenceville,  and  George,  living  in  Fay- 
ette County.  Cullom  was  a  very  prominent 
man,  and  he  and  Judge  Joseph  Kitchell  were 
the  original  proprietors  of  the  town  of  Pales- 
tine. He  acquired  considerable  property  and 
purchased  large  tracts  of  land,  but  eventually 
lost  a  good  deal  of  it  through  betrayed 
trusts.  Much  is  said  of  the  Culloms  in  a  pre- 
ceding chapter. 

The  Kitchells  and  the  Wilsons  were  among 
the  prominent  families  of  the  county.  Will- 
iam Wilson,  the  father  of  W.  C.  Wilson  of 
Robinson,  came  here  in  1816,  and  was  from 
Virginia.  He  settled  at  Palestine  and  died 
in  1850.  James  H.  Wilson,  his  father,  came 
the  next  year,  1817,  and  was  the  first  probate 
jud;j;e  of  the  county.  His  sons  were  James 
H.,  Vastine  J.,  Presley  O.  and  Isaac  N.,  Gen. 
Guy  W.  Smith  married  a  daughter  of  Mr. 
Wilson.  They  are  all  dead,  except  Isaac  N., 
who  lives  in  Kansas.  William  Wilson's 
children  are  all  dead,  except  Robert  C,  Carl, 
Eliza  M.  Patton,  and  Jane,  the  latter  unmar- 
ried. Guy  S.  Wilson  of  Palestine,  is  a  son  of 
James  H.  Wilson  Jr.  Benjamin  Wilson's 
children  are  all  dead,  except  one  living  in 
California.  Presley  O.  Wilson  was  quite 
prominent;  was  county  judge  and  sheriff  one 
or  two  terms.  His  widow,  "  Aunt  Maria,"  as 
everybody  called  her,  is  living  in  Palestine. 

The  Kitchells  were  natives  of  New  Jersey. 
Judge  Joseph  Kitchell  emigrated  westward 
and  stopped  for  awhile  in   Hamilton    County 


HISTORY  OF  CRAWFORD  COUXTY. 


131 


Oliio;  from  i hence  he  moved  to  Indiana,  and 
in  1817,  came  to  Crawford  County,  locating 
in  P.ilestine.  He  lived  and  died  upon  the 
place  where  he  first  settled.  His  old  house  is 
still  standing  in  the  west  part  of  town,  on  the 
road  leading  out  to  Robinson.  He  was  the 
first  register  of  the  land  office  when  it  was 
established,  and  was  connected  with  it  for 
more  than  twenty  years.  He  afterward 
served  in  the  State  Legislature  and  held  other 
positions  of  honor  and  trust.  He  had  the  first 
mill,  probably,  in  the  county — a  horse  mill, 
but  an  important  institution  in  its  day;  really 
more  important  than  the  land  office  itself. 
Wickhfl'e  Kitchell  came  to  the  county  the 
next  year,  1818,  and  was  a  brother  to  Joseph. 
About  1838,  he  removed  to  Hillsboro,  111., 
with  his  whole  fainil}',  except  one  daughter, 
the  wife  of  Mr.  D.  W.  Stark.  He  was  the 
first  lawyer  in  Crawford  County,  and  was  at 
one  time  attorney-general  of  the  State.  His 
wife  died  at  Hilisboro,  and  he  died  at  Pana, 
111.,  at  the  age  of  82  years.  One  of  his  sons, 
Alfred,  was  circuit  judge  of  this  judicial  dis- 
trict at  one  time,  and  afterward  m  ived  to 
Galesburg,  111.,  where  he  died.  Another  son, 
Edward,  entered  the  army  at  the  beginning 
of  the  late  war,  and  rose  to  the  rank  of  brevet 
brigadier-geni^ral.  After  the  war  he  returned 
to  Olney,  his  former  home,  and  died  there  a 
few  years  later. 

Col.  John  Houston,  whom  the  citizens  of 
Palestine  well  remember,  and  himself  a  cit- 
izen of  the  place  for  n<.-arly  sixty  years,  be- 
longed to  the  Rangers  that  operated  in  this 
section  during  the  war  of  1812.  He  located 
here  permanently  about  1818,  and  engaged 
in  the  mercantile  business.  He  came  here 
just  when  he  was  most  needed,  and  his  finger- 
marks may  yet  be  seen,  tolling  the  story  of 
his  handiwork,  and  writing  his  epitaph  in  the 
hearts  of  many  who  are  now  reaping,  and  who 
will  in  the  future  enjoy  the  fruits  of  his  labor 
and  foresight.     He  served  the  county  in  many 


responsible  positions;  was  sheriff,  county 
treasurer,  served  in  the  State  Senate,  etc., 
but  it  was  as  a  msrchant  and  businessman  he 
was  best  known.  We  shall  speak  further  of 
him  under  the  business  of  Palestine.  Alex- 
ander M.  Houston  was  his  brother,  and  for 
years  his  partner  in  business,  a  soldier  in  the 
Black  Hawk  War,  and  a  prominent  citizen  of 
the  count}'.  Mr.  D.  W.  Stark  was  also  a 
partner  of  Col.  Houston's,  and  is  now  living 
in  Indiana.  To  him  we  are  indebted  for 
many  facts  pertaining  to  the  Houstons,  and 
other  early  settlers.  We,  however,  knew 
Col.  John  Houston  personally,  some  years 
ago,  and  can  say  much  to  his  honor  and  credit 
from  our  own  knowledge. 

The  Alexanders  were  another  of  the  promi- 
nent families  of  this  section,  and  must  have 
come  here  as  early  as  1825,  as  we  find  John 
C.  Alexander  the  representative  of  Crawford 
Countv,  in  the  Legislature,  at  the  session  of 
1826-1828.  Harmon  Alexander  also  repre- 
sented the  county  in  the  Legislature  some 
years  later.  They  were  from  Kentucky,  and 
have  descendants  still  in  the  county.  There 
are  many  more  pioneer  families  entitled  to 
mention  in  this  chapter,  but  we  have  been 
unable  to  learn  their  names,  or  anything  defi- 
nite concerning  them.  This  section  was  the 
first  settled  of  any  portion  of  the  county. 
For  years,  the  settlement  was  scattered 
around  Fort  Lamotte,  and  not  until  after  all 
danger  was  over,  consequent  upon  the  war  of 
1812,  did  the  settlers  begin  to  extend  their 
skirmish  line  from  the  base  of  operations — 
old  Fort  Lamotte.  As  new-comers  made 
their  appearance,  they  stopped  awhile  in  the 
vicinity,  until  homes  and  places  of  settle- 
ment were  selected.  Thus  it  was  that  nearly 
all  the  early  settlers  of  the  county  were  once 
settlers  of  this  town  and  township,  and  hence 
many  of  them  are  mentioned  in  other  chap- 
ters of  this  work.  Along  from  1825  to  1835, 
a  number    of    families   came,  who    have  been 


1"2 


HISTORY  OF  CRAWFORD  COUNTY. 


identified  prominently  with  the  town  and 
county.  Of  these  we  may  mention  the  La- 
g-ows,  Juda:e  Harper,  Finley  Paull  and  others, 
wlio  for  tifty  years  or  more  were,  and  are 
still,  a  part  of  the  country.  The  I^agows  for 
years  were  among  the  most  prominent  citi- 
zens and  business  men  of  Palestine.  Wilson 
Lao-ow  was  one  of  the  very  first  merchants 
in  the  county.  Judge  Harper  and  Finley 
Paull  are  among  the  oldest  citizens  of  the 
town  living.  They  came  here  young  men — 
they  are  old  now,  and  far  down  the  shady 
side  of  life,  with  the  evening  twilight  gather- 
ing around  them,  and  life's  last  embers  burn- 
ing low.  For  more  than  half  a  century 
Judge  Harper  has  lived  here,  and  has  held 
prominent  positions  in  the  county.  Mr. 
Paull  was  long  a  merchant,  bought  goods  in 
Cincinnati  and  Louisville,  and  hauled  them 
here  in  wagons.  In  closing  up  his  business, 
he  would  accept  in  payment  of  accounts  any- 
thing he  could  turn  into  money,  live  stock  in- 
cluded. Thus,  he  became  possesse  1,  like 
Jacob  of  old,  of  many  cattle.  These  he  used 
to  herd  on  the  prairie  where  Robinson  now 
stands. 

The  Seven  Jesses  were  as  noted  a  family 
in  Crawford  County,  as  the  family  of  Seven 
Oaks  in  England,  but  in  character,  they 
were  the  very  antipodes  of  the  latter.  There 
were  seven  brothers  of  them,  and  they  lived 
two  miles  south  of  Palestine.  Their  name 
was  Myers,  and  the  Christian  name  of  the 
eldest  was  Jesse.  A  very  strong  family  re- 
semblance existed  between  them,  and  hence 
they  finally  all  received  the  nick-name  of 
Jesse.  Gen.  Guy  Smith,  who  had  a  keen 
sense  of  the  ludicrous,,  was  the  first  to  give 
tliem  the  unanimous  name  of  Jesse,  on  ac- 
count of  their  strong  resemblance.  They 
had  many  peculiar  and  eccentric  traits,  one 
of  which  was,  theyalways  went  in  single  file, 
and  it  was  no  uncommon  thing  to  see  the 
seven  leave  home  together,   riding  invariably 


one  right  behind  another,  with  all  the  pre- 
cision and  regularity  of  a  band  of  Indians. 
They  were  coarse,  rude,  ungainly  and  wild 
as  the  game  they  hunted.  They  were  illit- 
erate, not  ignorant;  but  shrewd,  active, 
alert,  and  possessed  strong,  praetical,  com- 
mon sense.  Jess  went  to  Terre  Haute  just 
after  the  first  railroad  was  completed  into 
that  town.  When  he  returned  home  he  was 
asked  by  some  of  his  neighbors  if  he  saw  the 
railroad,  and  he  replied:  "  Yas,  by  hokey, 
and  it  beats  anything  I  ever  seed.  A  lot  of 
keridges  come  along  faster'n  a  boss  could 
gallop,  and  run  right  inter  a  house,  and  I 
thought  they  would  knock  hell  out  of  it, 
but  two  men  run  out  and  turned  a  little  iron 
wheel  round  this  way  (imitating  a  brakoman) 
and    the    demed    thing    stopped    stock    still. 

They  did   by  .     I'm   goin'  to   take   mam 

anfl  livd  to  see  'em  shore."  The  latter  were 
his  mother  and  sister.  At  another  time  Jess 
went  to  Vincennes,  and  stopped  at  Clark's 
hotel.  Next  morning  when  he  came  down 
stairs,  Mr.  Clark  said:  "Good  morning,  sir." 
Jesse  replied,  "  what  the  h — 1  do  you  say  good 
morning  for,  when  I  have  b(,en  here  all 
night?"  Clark  then  asked  him  if  he  would 
have  some  water   to   wash,    and    received  in 

response,    "  No,  by  !  we  Myerses  never 

washes."  Clark  saw  he  had  a  character,  and 
drew  him  out  in  conversation,  enjoying  his 
eccentricities  in  the  highest  degree. 

A  book  as  full  of  humor  as  Mark  Twain's 
"Innocents  Abroad,"  could  be  written  of  the 
sayings  and  doings  of  the  Seven  Jesses,  with- 
out exao-o-eratins  anv  of  their  characteristics. 
Thevall  lived  to  be  old  bachelors  before  they 
tried  the  slippery  and  uncertain  paths  of  mat- 
rimony;'Jess  was  the  first  to  make  a  break, 
as  the  bell-wether  always  leads  the  flock, 
and  he  was  over  thirty  when  he  married. 
How  well  he  liked  the  venture  is  indicated  iiy 
the  fact  that  the  others  went  and  did  like- 
wise. 


HISTORY  OF  CRAWFORD  COUNTY. 


133 


Laniotte  Township  contains  some  pre-his- 
toric  relics.  In  the  soutlieast  portion  of  the 
town  of  Palestine  there  was  a  mound,  now 
nearly  obliterated,  but  when  the  town  was 
laid  out,  was  in  a  fine  state  of  preservation. 
Judge  Harper  informs  us  it  was  some  sixty 
feet  in  diameter  at  the  base  and  at  least 
twelve  foet  high,  and  cone-shaped.  Upon  its 
summit  stood  an  oak  tree  about  three  feet 
through  at  the  stump,  which  was  cut  down 
by  Judge  Kitchell,  who  owned  the  land,  and 
made  it  into  rails.  When  Levi  Harper  built 
his  blacksmith  shop,  which  stood  on  rather 
low  ground,  he  hauled  forty  odd  wagon  loads 
of  dirt  from  this  mound  to  fill  up  and  level 
the  ground  around  his  shop.  In  so  doing 
many  human  bones  were  exhumed,  but  so 
long  had  they  been  under  ground,  that  as 
soon  as  they  were  exposed  to  the  atmosphere, 
they  crumbled  into  dust.  A  number  of  other 
mounds  south  and  west  of  the  town  are  still 
to  be  seen.  There  is  one  near  where  Judge 
Harper  now  lives,  which  has  been  nearly  lev- 
eled with  the  surface,  but  no  bones  have  been 
discovered.  Flint  arrow  heads,  however, 
•  have  been  found  in  quantities  in  the  imme- 
diate vicinity.  These  evidences  are  conclu- 
sive that  the  lost  race  once  inhabited  this 
region,  ages  before  it  was  occupied  by  the 
Anglo-Saxons.  But  they  have  faded  away 
from  the  face  of  the  earth,  and  have  left  no 
traces  behind  of  their  existence  save  the 
mounds  and  earthworks  found  in  many  parts 
of  the  country. 

Milk-sick. — That  scourge  of  the  western 
frontier,  "milk-sick,"  was  common  in  this 
portion  of  the  county,  and  the  early  settlers 
suffered  severely  from  its  effects.  Many  people 
died  of  thi?  worse  than  plague.  A  case  is 
related  of  Thos.  Gill's  butchering  a  beef,  and 
after  the  meat  was  dressed,  he  sent  a  quarter 
of  it  to  his  son-in-law,  John  AVoodworth.  But 
as  soon  as  he  looked  at  it  he  discovered  evi- 
dences  of  its  being  "milk-sick"    beef,    and 


would  not  take  it.  A  neighbor  who  happened 
to  be  present,  said  if  he  would  let  him  have  it 
he  would  risk  it  being  milk-sick  beef.  He  took 
it,  and  every  one  of  his  family  who  ate  of  it 
came  near  dying.  Thus  milk-sick  lay  in 
wait  for  man  and  beast  along  nearly  all  the 
streams  throughout  the  county,  and  often 
proved  as  fatal  as  the  horrible  malaria  which 
freighted  the  air,  floating  out  from  its 
noisome  lurking  places,  spreading  far  and 
wide  its  deadly  poison.  Milk-sick  is  a  dis- 
ease that  has  puzzled  the  wisest  medical  men 
for  years,  and  is  still  an  unsolved  question. 

The  early  life  of  the  people  of  Lamotte 
Township,  and  indeed,  of  Crawford  County, 
for  the  time  was  when  what  is  now  Lamotte 
Township  comprised  the  settled  portion  of 
the  county,  maybe  learned  by  a  brief  extract 
from  an  address  delivered  by  Hon.  O.  B. 
Ficklin,  before  the  old  settlers  of  Crawford 
County,  October  6,  1880.  Upon  that  occa- 
sion, Mr.  Ficklin  said:  "This  country  was 
taken  fiom  the  English  by  Gen.  George 
Rogers  Clark  in  1778,  and  the  people  heard 
of  it  in  the  older  settled  States,  though  there 
were  no  telegraph  lines  then  —  but  the  peo- 
ple heard  of  it  all  the  same.  The  Revolu- 
tionary soldiers  heard  of  this  Northwestern 
country,  and  the  news  was  transmitted  to 
Virginia,  to  the  Carolinas  —  all  over  the 
country,  everywhere.  To  be  sure  it  was  not 
done  then  as  it  is  now,  but  our  people  had 
sufficient  word  of  it.  They  knew  enough 
about  it.  They  had  heard  enough  about  it 
to  want  to  emigrate  to  the  new  country,  and 
we  are  a  wonderful  people  to  emigrate;  v?e 
go  everywhere;  we  penetrate  every  new 
country,  and  the  pioneers  started  from  Vir- 
ginia, they  started  from  Pennsylvania,  and 
from  the  Carolinas,  and  from  Georgia,  and  all 
that  Atlantic  belt  of  country,  and  came  out 
as  pioneers  to  this  newly  acquired  region. 
They  stopped  in  Ohio,  they  stopped  in  Indi- 
ana, they  stopped  in  Illinois — stopped  in  each 


134 


HISTORY  OF  CRAWFORD  COUXTY. 


successive  State  they  came  to.  A  few  peo- 
ple— pioneers,  men  and  women  of  nerve,  of 
pluck,  of  energy  and  industry  have  come 
here  and  settled  in  this  country,  dotted  around, 
some  on  the  Ohio,  some  on  the  Wabash  and 
some  on  llie  Mississippi  River,  and  from  this 
handful,  Illinois  has  grown  into  a  great 
State." 

What  was  it  stopped   the   stream   of  emi- 
gration in  this  particular    spot?     What    was 
there  here  to  tempt   emigrants  to    brave    all 
danger,  and  cause  tiiem  to  pause,  and  fix  here 
the  nucleus  around  which  all  this  present  peo- 
ple and   their    wealth    has    gathered?     They 
could  not  see  the  toil  and  danger  that  lurked 
upon  every  hand,  yet  they  could  see   enough, 
one  would  think,  to  appal  the  stoutest  heart. 
The  wily  and  treacherous  savage  was  here,  the 
horrible  malaria  was  in  the  air  they  breathed, 
the  howling,    and    always   hungry    wolf  and 
the    soft-footed    panther  crouched     in    every 
thicket,  and  scores  of  other  impediments  were 
encountered  at  every  step.     Then   what  was 
the  attraction  ?     Doubtless,  it  was    the   broad 
expense  of  rolling  prairie,  the  primeval  forests 
that  towered  along  the   Wabasli  and  its  trib- 
utaries, combining  a  vision  of  loveliness  con- 
vincing  to  the  pioneer   fathers,    that   if  the 
Garden  of  Eden  was  not  here,  then  there  was 
a  mistake  as  to  its  place  of  location.     Imbued 
witii  this  idea,  when  a  town  was  laid  out,  they 
caled  it  Palestine,  after  the  capital  city  of  the 
Holy  Land.     Considering  all   the  difficulties 
under  which  these    "strangers  in   a   strange 
land  "  labored,  it  is  a  wonder  indeed  that  they 
ever   came   to   this    earthly    paradise,    or    re- 
mained after  they  came.     But  the   pioneers, 
with  something  of  that  spirit  with  which  the 
poet  invests  Rhoderick  Dhu 

"  If  a  path  be  dangerous  known, 
The  danger's  self  is  lure  aione," 

faced  the  perils  of  "flood    and   field,"  whollv 
indifferent    to,  if    not    actually   courting  the 


danger  that  met  them  on  every  side.  Such 
as  they  were  they  had  to  be,  in  order  that 
they  tiiiglit  blaze  the  way  into  the  heart  of 
the  wilderness  for  the  coming  hosts  of  civili- 
zation. 

Cotton  was  extensively  grown  here  in  early 
times,  not  so  much  as  an  article  of  commerce 
as  to  satisfy  the  necessities  of  the  times.  It 
was  the  custom  then  for  each  family  to  manu- 
facture their  own  clothing,  and  to  this  end 
cotton  was  cultivated  to  a  greater  or  less 
extent  by  every  settler  who  made  any  pre- 
tensions to  farming,  while  some  planted  large 
crops  of  this,  now  great  staple.  Mr.  Wiley 
Emmons  informed  us  that  he  has  seen  as 
much  as  seventy  acres  of  cotton  in  one  field. 
Sand  prairie  produced  it  well,  yielding  as 
much  as  200  pounds  per  acre.  Half  that 
amount  was  the  usual  crop  on  ordinary  land. 
William  Norris  put  up  the  first  cotton  giti  in 
that  portion  of  the  county  now  embraced  in 
Lawrence  County.  But  experience  devel- 
oped the  fact  that  the  county,  upon  the  whole, 
was  not  adapted  to  cotton  growing,  and  as  a 
crop  it  was  eventually  abandoned. 

The  fii  St  school  in  Lamotte  township  was 
tau.tjht  in  Palestine,  as  the  early  settlement 
encircled  that  place.  The  township  now  h.is 
a  comfortable  school  building  in  each  neigh- 
borhood, and  is  provided  with  excellent 
schools.  The  early  schools  will  be  more  par- 
ticularly mentioned  in  connection  with  the 
history  of  the  town. 

A  village  called  "  Bolivar,"  was  staked  off 
in  an  early  day  on  Lamotte  Prairie,  on  the 
high  ground  near  the  north  end  of  the  Monre 
pond.  But  it  was  never  regularly  laid  out, 
nor  otherwise   improved. 

Churches. — The  early  preacher,  as  "one 
crying  in  the  wilderness,"  came  with  the  tide 
of  immigration,  and  the  pioneers  received 
ghirlly  his  spiritual  counsels.  Mr.  Samuel 
Park,  at  an  old  settler's  meeting,  gives  a  true 
picture  of  the  frontier  preacher  in  the  follow- 


a  f^  Td^'^^-V^Cc^C^TPlyi^ 


HISTORY  OF  CKAWFOUD  COUNTY. 


137 


ing:     "But  see  yomlcr  in  tlie  distance,  winJ- 
ing  along  the  path  that  leads  to  the  cabin,  is 
a  stranger  on  horseback.     He  is  clad  in  liotne- 
spun,  has  on  a  plain,  straight- breasted  coat  and 
a  broad  brimmed  hat,  and  is  seated  on  a  large 
and  well-filled  pair  of  saddle-bags.     Ah!  that 
is  the  pioneer  preacher,  hunting  up   the   lost 
sheep  in  the  wilderness.     He  brings  glad  tid- 
ings from  friends  far  away,   back   in   the   old 
home  of  civilization.     Not  only  so,  but  he 
brings  a  message  from  the   celestial   regions, 
assuring  the  brave  pioneer  of  God's  watchful 
care  of  him  and  his  household,  telling  him  of 
God's  promise  of  deliverance    and   salvation 
from  all  sin  to  all  who  faithfully  combat  and 
overcome  the  evils  with  which  they  are   sur- 
rounded.    Most  of  those   brave   spirits   have 
alreadj'  realized  the  truths  of  the   message 
they   bore  by    entering    upon    their    reward. 
Others  are  still  westward  bound  over  the  un- 
explored plains  of  time  toward    the    setting 
sun.     Soon,  very  soon,   they   will   reach   that 
point  where  the  sun  will  set  to  those  old  pio- 
neers   to    rise  no  more.     Already   their  tot- 
tering limbs  show  weariness  from  many  hard- 
fought  battles,  and  their  eyes    have    become 
dim  to  the  beauties  of  this  world."     Such  was 
the  pioneer  preacher,  and  in  his  humble  way, 
he  did  more  to  advance  civilization  than  any 
other  class  that  penetrated  the    wilderness    of 
the  west.     He  may  have  been  very   ignorant, 
but  he  was  wholly  honest  and  sincerely  hum- 
ble.    Generally  illiberal  and  full  of  severity, 
and  warped   and   deformed   with   prejudices, 
he  took  up  the  cross  of  his  Master,  seized  the 
sword  of  Gideon  and  smote  His  Satanic  Maj- 
esty  wherever  he  could    find    him.     But    he 
was  a  God-fearing  good  man,  and  but  few,  if 
any  ministerial  scandals  were  known. 

The  Methodists  and  the  Hardshell  Baptists 
were  cotemporaneons  in  their  coming,  and,  as 
one  informed  us,  "  the  Methodists  shouting, 
and  the  Hardshells  singing  their  sermons 
through  their  nose,  but  in  their  different  fields 


of  usefulness,  they  dwelt  together  in  true 
Christian  love  and  friendship."  Thomas 
Kennedy,  who  was  among  the  very  early  set- 
tlers of  this  section,  was  a  Hardshell  preacher, 
and  "old  Father"  McCord,  John  Fox  and 
John  Stewart  were  early  Methodist  preachers. 
These  veteran  soldiers  of  the  Cross  first 
preached  the  Gospel  to  the  people  of  what 
now  forms  Lamotte  and  Montgomery  town- 
ships. But  after  this  long  lapse  of  years,  it  is 
hard  to  say  when  or  where  the  first  church 
society  was  organized,  whether  in  Palestine 
or  in  the  adjoining  neighborhoods.  Weshall 
not  attempt  to  decide  the  question,  but  give 
brief  sketches,  so  far  as  we  have  been  able  to 
obtain  them,  of  the  churches  in  the  town  and 
township. 

There  are  some  four  or  five  church  buildings 
in  the  township,  outside  of  Palestine,  but  the 
original  organization  of  the  difi^erent  churches 
can  not,  in  all  cases,  be  given.  The  old 
Lamotte  Baptist  church,  originally  organized 
by  Elder  Daniel  Parker  in  a  very  early  day, 
was  no  doubt  the  first  church  in  the  town- 
ship, but  it  has  long  since  become  extinct, 
through  death  of  members,  removals,  and  the 
formation  of  other  churches.  But  they  once 
had  a  church  building  on  Lamotte  Prairie  and 
a  large  congregation. 

East  Union  Christian  Church  in  the  south 
part  of  the  township,  was  organized  in 
1848,  by  Elder  John  Bailey,  with  fifty  mem- 
bers. It  has  prospered,  and  has  now  about 
120  members.  Their  first  meetings  were  held 
in  a  log  school-house,  and  in  1862,  their  pres- 
ent frame  church  was  erected  at  a  cost  of 
about  $1,000.  The  present  pastor  is  Elder 
J.  T.  G.  Brandenburg.  The  pastors  since  its 
organization,  have  been  Elders  John  Bailey, 
L.  Thompson,  John  Mullias,  David  Clark, 
G.  W.  Ingersoll,  John  T.  Cox,  J.  H.  Sloan, 
J.  Chowning,  Jacob  Wright,  O.  T.  Azbill, 
John  Ingle,  P.  E.  Cobb,  J.  J.  Lockhart,  F.  G. 
Roberts,  and  J.  T.  G.  Brandenburg,  the  pres- 


138 


HISTORY  OF  CRAWFORD  COUXTY. 


ent  pastor.  A  Sunday-school  was  organized 
in  1873,  and  lias  a  regular  attendance  of  about 
fifty,  under  the  superintendence  of  John 
Miller. 

Richwoods  Baptist  Church  is  situated  in 
the  southeast  corner  of  the  township,  and  was 
founded  in  the  fall  of  1871,  by  Elder  D.  Y. 
Allison,  with  eight  original  members.  The 
first  meetings  were  held  in  the  Harding  school- 
house.  In  1873  the  congregation  built  a  good, 
substantial  frame  church.  The  pastors  have 
been  Elders  D.  Y.  Allison,  J.  L.  Cox,  Jacob 
Clements,  and  Isaiah  Greenbaugh.  In  1881 
it  had  36  members,  and  at  the  present  time  is 
without  a  pastor. 

There  are  two  church  buildings  in  the 
north  part  of  the  township:  the  Union  church 
at  the  Jack  Oak  Grove  cemetery,  and  the 
Dunkard  church  near  by.  The  circumstances 
attending  the  formation  and  building  of  these 
churches  were  as  follows:  About  the  year 
1870-71  there  was  quite  a  revival  of  religion 
held  on  "  Rogue's  Island,"  as  it  is  called,  at  the 
old  Wright  school-house,  under  the  auspices 
of  the  New  Lights.  The  religious  interest 
awakened  suggested  the  thought  of  erecting  a 
church  building.  As  the  subject  was  can- 
vassed sentiment  became  divided  as  to  the  spot 
where  the  church  should  be  located.  Some 
wanted  it  on  the  island  where  the  revival  had 
been  held,  while  another  faction  insisted  on 
having  it  at  the  Jack  Oak  cemetery,  inas- 
much as  the  latter  was  an  old  burying  ground. 
The  controversy  finally  culminated  in  the 
building  of  two  churches,  one  at  the  cemetery, 
and  the  other  a  little  east,  on  the  old  State 
road.  Both  were  erected  by  a  general  sub- 
scription from  all  denominations,  and  were 
built  by  the  same  carpenter  in  the  summer  of 
1871.  About  1875,  the  one  erected  on  the 
State  road  was  burned  down,  and  has  never 
been  rebuilt.  The  one  built  at  the  cemetery  is 
^^till   standing,    is  open  to  all    denominations, 


but  is  used  chiefly  by  New  Lights  and  the 
Methodists. 

The  Jack  Oak  Grove  Cemetery  is  one  of 
the  oldest  burying  grounds  in  the  county,  and 
contains  the  mouldering  dust  of  many  of  the 
pioneers  of  this  township.  Some  of  their 
graves  are  unmarked  and  unknown,  and  their 
fast  receding  memories  are  alike  unhonored 
and  unsung.  They  quietly  sleep  in  this  lonely 
graveyard  where  the  grass  grows  rank  with 
the  vapors  of  decaying  mortality,  without  so 
much  as  a  rude  boulder  to  mark  the  spot 
where  they  lie.  Here  rests  Thomas  Gill,  a 
Revolutionary  soldier  who  fought  under  Gen. 
Putnam,  and  around  him  sleep  some  of  the  red 
sons  of  the  forest,  who,  from  this  quiet  spot, 
took  their  flight  to  the  happy  hunting 
grounds,  so  often  described  in  the  rude  wild 
eloquence  of  the  medicine  men.  But  not  all 
of  the  graves  here  are  neglected.  Many  are 
marked  by  stones,  moss-grown  from  age,  with 
dates  running  back  to  1835-30.  There  also 
are  some  very  handsome  stones  and  monu- 
ments. When  the  first  burial  was  made,  is 
not  known,  but  many  who  died  in  this  portion 
of  th3  township  in  early  days  were  interred  in 
this  cemetery.  Several  Indians  were  buried 
here,  which  shows  its  age  as  a  place  of  sepul- 
ture. Side  by  side  the  white  and  red  man 
sleep,  and  "  six  feet  of  earth  make  them  all 
of  one  size." 

The  Dunkards  had  an  interest  in  the  Jack 
Oak  Grove  church  when  first  built,  but  there 
were  too  many  interested  to  suit  them,  as  they 
could  not  alwHys  have  the  use  of  it  when  they 
wanted  it.  Hence,  in  the  summer  of  lS8'i, 
they  built  a  church  of  their  own  in  the  vicin- 
ity, which  is  a  neat  and  handsome  frame 
building. 

Swearingen  Chapel,  Methodist  Episcopal, 
has  been  recently  built,  and  is  situated  in  the 
southwest  part  of  the  township.  It  was  built 
principally  by   Samuel  Swearingen.     Rev.  J. 


HISTORY  OF  CRAWFORD  COUNTY. 


139 


B.  Reeder  was  the  fiist,  and  is  the  present 
pastor. 

Harmony  Church  is  located  in  the  extreme 
northwest  corner  of  the  township,  and  is  a 
union  church.  It  was  built  by  general  sub- 
scription and  is  open  to  all  denominations 
wlio  choose  to  occupy  it.  But  it  is  used 
mostly  by  the  United  Brethren,  Methodists 
and  New  Lights.  It  is  a  neat  and  substantial 
frame  building,  and  will  comfortably  seat 
about  two  hundred  persons. 

The  old  Wabash  Valley  Railroad  which  is 
noticed  at  some  length  in  a  preceding  chap- 
ter, created  a  great  interest  in  this  portion  of 
the  county  in  its  day.  As  a  railroad  project 
it  grew  out  of  the  old  internal  improve- 
ment system  of  the  State,  and  was  inaugurated 
as  early  as  ]S50.  About  1854  work  com- 
menced on  it  in  this  county,  and  much  of  the 
grading  was  done,  and  the  most  sanguine 
hopes  entertained  of  its  ultimate  completion. 
An  amount  of  money,  aggregating  $60,000 
was  subscribed  to  the  enterprise,  mostly  in 
this  portion  of  the  county.  A  corps  of  men, 
were  sent  here  to  take  charge  of  the  work. 
They  opened  an  office  in  Palestine,  and  in- 
stead of  pushing  the  work  with  energj',  they 
spent  most  of  their  time  in  town,  drinking, 
carousing,  and  in  "riotous  living."  The  funds 
disappeared  faster  than  the  enterprise  pro- 
gressed. Nearly  enough  money  had  been 
subscribed  along  the  line  to  have  built  the 
road,  had  it  been  judiciously  and  economi- 
cally used.  But  it  was  squandered,  and  the 
project  of  building  the  Wabash  Valley  Rail- 
road finally  abandoned.  The  old  grade  is  still 
to  be  seen,  an  eye-sore  to  the  people  of  this 
section,  and  a  daily  reminder  of  "  what  might 
have  been."  Later,  when  the  project  was 
revived  under  the  Paris  &  Danville  Railroad, 
in  building  the  same,  it  diverged  from  the  old 
Wabash  grade  a  little  south  of  Hutsonvillo, 
and  run  to  Robinson,  leaving  this  township 
out  in  the  cold.     It  was  not  until  the  building: 


of  the  Springfield,  Effingham  &  Southeastern 
narrow-guage  railroad  that  Lamotte  Township 
and  Palestine  received  raiboad  communica- 
tion with  the  outside  world. 

Trimble  station  is  on  the  Wabash  Railroad 
just  on  the  line  between  Lamotte  and  Robin- 
son Townships,  but  most  of  the  town,  if  town 
it  can  be  called,  is  on  the  Robinson  side  of  the 
line.  It  consists  of  merely  a  store,  post-office, 
a  shop  or  two,  a  saw  mill,  Harmony  church, 
and  some  half  a  dozen  dwellings. 
"  I  can  not  throw  my  staff  Aside, 

Or  wholly  quell  the  hope  divine, 
That  one  delight  awaits  me  yet,  — 

A  pilgrimage  to  Palestine." 

Palestine. — The  town  of  Palestine,  the  orig- 
inal capital  of  the  county,  and  fifty  or  sixty 
years  ago  one  of  the  most  important  towns 
in  the  State,  was  laid  out  on  the  19th  and 
20th  days  of  May,  1818,  by  Edward  N.  Cul- 
lom  and  Joseph  Kitchell,  the  owners  of  the 
land,  and  David  Porter,  agent  for  the  county. 
The  original  plat  embraced  lUO  lots  of  ground, 
each  fronting  75  feet,  and  142  feet  deep, 
with  the  public  square  containing  two 
acres.  This  was  Palestine  as  it  was  laid  out 
sixty-five  years  ago.  Several  additions  have 
since  that  time  been  made,  but  they  are  not 
pertinent  to  this  sketch.  Of  the  first  build- 
ings and  the  first  business  we  have  been  un- 
able to  gather  much  satisfactory  information. 
A  communication  written  by  D.  W.  Stark, 
Esq.,  to  ^h:  Finley  Paull,  who  has  taken  an 
active  interest  in  aiding  us  in  our  researches, 
gives  some  interesting  facts  of  the  early  busi- 
ness. We  make  the  following  extract  from 
his  communication  to  Mr.  Paull: 

"About  1818-19  John  Houston,  in  connec- 
tion with  Francis  Dickson,  of  Vincennes, 
purchased  lot  No.  Ill,  in  Palestine,  built  a 
house  intended  for  dwelling  and  store-room 
combined;  finished  off  the  south  room  on  the 
corner  for  a  store — the  room  was  about  10  or 
IS   feet  square.     In  the  year  1819,  or  in  the 


14U 


HISTORY  OF  CRAWFORD  COUNl'V. 


beginning  of  1820  they  brought  on  a  stock  of 
goods  to  Palestine.  This,  I  believe  was  the 
first  stock  of  goods  ever  in  Palestine,  or,  as 
far  as  I  know,  ever  on  the  west  side  of  the 
river,  north  of  Vincennes.  John  Houston 
married  my  oldest  sister,  Jane  M.  Stark,  in 
the  spring  of  1831.  They  were  ever  after 
residents  of  Palestine  until  their  deaths  a  few 
years  ago. 

"  John  and  Alexander  Houston  were  the 
sons  of  Robert  Houston,  a  minister  of  the 
Presbyterian  church,  who  broke  off  from  the 
church  in  Kentucky,  in  the  year  1803,  at  the 
time  Stone,  Dunlevy,  McNemar  and  others 
did.  Houston  embraced  the  Shaker  faith, 
moved  to  the  Wabash  country  about  1806. 
He  located  at  the  old  Shaker  town,  to  which 
point  a  considerable  body  of  Shakers  soon 
collected  and  built  the  old  Shaker  village.  A 
few  years  later,  Houston  for  some  reason  or 
other  left  the  Wabash,  and  went  to  reside  at 
the  Shaker  village,  in  Logan  County,  Ken- 
tucky, where  he  lived  until  his  death  at  the 
advanced  age  of  95  years.  John  and  Alex- 
ander Houston  both  left  the  Shakers  when 
quite  young — before  they  were  scarcely 
grown.  Alexander  left  a  short  time  first, 
going  to  Nashville,  Tenn.,  to  an  uncle  who  re- 
sided there.  John,  when  he  left,  remained 
on  the  Wabash,  and  when  the  war  of  1813 
broke  out  joined  the  Rangers  and  continued 
in  the  service  until  peace  in  the  beginning  of 
1815.  Then  for  three  or  four  years  was  en- 
gaged in  running  barges  and  keel-boats  on 
the  Ohio  and  Wabash  rivers,  in  connection 
with  an  uncle  of  the  same  name,  who  lived 
in  Mason  County,  Ky.,  but  who  afterward 
moved  to  Palestine  and  died  there — the  fath- 
er-in-law of  David  Logan. 

"Alexander  M.  Houston  in  a  short  time 
after  going  to  Nashville,  entered  the  regular 
army  where  he  remained  for  seven  or  eight 
years,  rose  to  the  rank  of  lieutenant  and 
quartermaster,  and  then    resigned.     He  came 


to  Palestine,  and  went  into  partnership  with 
his  brother  John  (wlio  had  bought  out  Dick- 
son's interest),  probably  about  1833.  The  two 
brothers  remained  in  business  together  in 
Palestine  until  1835,  when  Alexander  moved 
to  Rockville,  Ind.,  where  he  lived  for  some 
years,  but  his  wife's  health  failing,  he  re- 
turned to  Palestine,  where  she  afterward  died. 
He  finally  married  again,  moved  to  the  State 
of  New  York,  and  died  there.  Neither  of  the 
Houstons  had  any  children;  .John  was  up- 
ward of  86  when  he  died,  and  Alexander  was 
76;  both  they  and  their  wives  are  dead,  and 
both  families  are  extinct. 

"  My  father,  David  W.  Stark,  moved  from 
Mason  County,  Ky.,  to  Palestine  in  the  fall  of 
1830,  and  built  a  residence  east  and  directly 
across  the  street  from  the  old  Wilson  tavern. 
My  mother  died  in  1833,  and  a  year  or  two 
later  my  father  married  a  widow  Neeley,  who 
resided  at  the  head  of  Laraitte  prairie,  where 
he  died  in  the  year  1816.  I  went  to  reside 
with  John  Houston  in  1831,  when  I  was  about 
fifteen  years  old.  I  remained  with  him  until 
I  was  married  in  1831,  and  continued  business 
with  him  and  Alexander  Houston  until  1839, 
when  I  removed  to  Rockville,  Lid.,  where  I 
have  since  lived.  I  am  now  77  years  old,  and 
the  last  of  my  father's  family  that  is  alive. 

"As  it  may  be  of  some  interest  to  you  to 
know,  I  think  I  can  give  you  the  names  of  at 
least  nine-tenths  of  the  heads  of  families,  re- 
sidinof  in  Palestine  in  1830.  They  areas  fol- 
lows:  Joseph  Kitchell,  Wickliffe  KitchcU, 
Mrs.  Nancy  Kitchell  and  family,  shea  widow, 
Edward  N.  Cullom,  James  Otey,- James  Wil- 
son, Wm.  Wilson,  David  Stewart,  Dr.  Ford, 
Edward  N.  Piper,  Daniel  Boatright,  David 
W.  Stark,  Guy  W.  Smith,  George  Calhoun, 
John  Houston,  Robert  Smith — the  t^vo  latter 
unmarried." 

These  lengthy  extracts  give  much  of  the 
early  history  of  Palestine,  when  it  was  a 
strao-o-ling  village,  and  the  backwoods  county 


HISTORY  OF  CRAWFORD  COUNTY. 


141 


seat  of  a  realm  of  almost  undefined  bounda- 
ries. From  a  series  of  articles  published  in 
the  Robinson  Artjim  some  years  ago,  entitled, 
"  Palestine  Forty  Years  Ago,"  we  gather  some 
items  of  interest.  From  them  we  learn  that 
in  18.i"2,  Palestine  was  a  place  of  some  five 
or  six  hundred  inhabitants,  and  contained 
five  dry  goods  stores,  two  groceries,  two  sad- 
dle shops,  three  blacksmith  shops,  one  car- 
penter shop,  one  cabinet  maker  shop,  one 
wagon  shop,  one  cooper  shop,  one  tailor  shop, 
one  hatter  shop,  two  shoe  shops,  two  tan 
yards,  two  mills  with  distilleries  attached,  one 
cotton  gin,  one  carding  machine,  two  taverns 
and  one  church. 

Palestine  was  an  important  place  then — a 
more  important  place  than  Hutsonville  ever 
was,  for  it  was  the  county  seat,  and  this  gave 
it  an  air  of  great  dignity.  The  businessmen 
could  number  among  their  customers  men 
who  lived  twenty-five  and  thirty  miles  dis- 
tant. The  merchants  were  John  Houston  & 
Co.,  Uan forth  &  JIcGahey,  Wilson  Lagow, 
.Tames  &  Mauz}',  A.  B.  Winslow  &  Co.,  Otey 
&  Waldrop,  Ireland  &  Kitchell.  The  part- 
ner of  Ireland  was  J.  II.  Kitchell.  Thej' 
bought  up  and  loaded  a  flat  boat  with  pro- 
duce, and  Asa  Kitchell  started  with  it  to  New 
Orleans.  It  is  a  fact  remembered  still  by 
many  of  the  old  citizens,  that  he  nor  the  lioat 
were  ever  after  heard  of.  The  suppositiim 
was  that  the  boat  was  swamped  and  all  on 
board  lost,  or  that  it  was  captured  by  river 
pirates  and  the  crew  murdered. 

Of  the  two  mills,  one  was  an  o,\-mill,  the 
power  made  by  oxen  upon  a  tread-wheel,  and 
was  owned  by  John  Houston  &  Co.,  but  was 
being  run  by  James  and  Peter  Higgins.  It 
had  a  distillery  in  connection  with  it,  also  in 
ojjeration.  The  other  was  a  horse-mill,  and 
belonged  to  Joseph  Kitchell,  but  was  rented 
to  one  Morris.  A  distillery  w.ts  in  operation 
in  Qonnection  with  it  also.  Morris  died,  and 
bijth    mill     and    distillery    ceased    operation. 


Corn  was  then  cheap  and  plenty,  and  making 
whisky  was  profitable.  It  was  shipped  to 
New  Orleans  mostly — what  was  not  used  at 
home  as  antidote  for  snake  bites  (!)  only.  An 
incident  is  related  of  the  proprietor  of  a  dis- 
tillery being  reproved  by  his  pastor  for  fol- 
lowing a  business,  even  then  considered  disre- 
putable and  inconsistent  with  religious  teach- 
ings. He  listened  attentively  to  the  holy 
man,  and  then  informed  him  that  he  was 
shipping  it  down  south  to  kill  Catholics. 
There  is  no  record  of  what  further  took  place, 
but  as  Protestant  ministers  then  were  more 
prejudiced  against  Catholics,  if  possible,  than 
now,  it  is  supposed  the  preacher  considered 
that  the  end  justified  the  means,  and  the  man 
might  continue  the  business.  The  ox-mill 
stood  for  many  years,  and  furnished  much  of 
the  flour  and  meal  for  the  surrounding  coun- 
try. It  was  afterward  converted  into  a  steam- 
mill,  and  is  still  standing,  but  is  old  and 
rickety,  and  belongs  to  Mrs.  Noll.  Reuben 
Condit  built  a  mill  in  1850-52.  It  is  now 
owned  by  MiesenheKler  &  Son,  and  stands  in 
the  southeast  part  of  town.  It  is  a  frame 
building,  and  still  doing  a  good  business.  A 
saw-mill  is  connected  with  it. 

The  taverns  were  owned  Ijy  the  AVilsons 
and  Elisha  Fitch.  That  one  owned  by  Wil- 
son changed  hands  frequently,  and  became 
the  Garrard  House.  I.  N.  Wilson  run  it  for 
years,  and  made  money  at  the  business.  It 
was  a  great  place  of  resort  for  a  hundred 
miles  around.  People  who  came  to  buy  land 
and  to  attend  court  stopped  at  it,  and  it  was 
often  the  scene  of  balls  and  parties,  grand 
and  gorgeous  for  a  backwoods  cotnmunitv. 
It  was  the  stage  stand,  and  this  brought  it  all 
the  transient  custom.  The  old-fashioned  sign 
swung  in  front  of  both  these  oM-fasliioned 
taverns.  The  device  on  Wilson's  was  the 
rising  sun,  and  that  on  Fitc'h's  the  moon  a 
few  d.iys  old.  As  he  had  but  little  custom 
compared    to  Wdsun,  the    boys   called  it    the 


142 


HISTORY  OF  CRAWFORD  COUNTY. 


"  Dry-moon  tavern."  The  Garrard  House  is 
still  in  operation,  but  the  gay  times  it  once 
knew  it  now  knows  no  more. 

Palestine  was  incorporated  by  an  act  of  the 
general  assembly,  February  16,  1857,  and 
organized  under  special  charter  in  April  fol- 
lowing-. It  continued  under  this  organization 
until  the  third  Tuesday  in  April,  1ST7,  when 
it  was  re-organized  under  the  general  law, 
or  incorporating  act,  and  officers  were  elect- 
ed accordiuQ-ly.  The  present  board  of  trus- 
tees are  Andrew  Saulesbury,  Wm.  R.  Eni- 
rnons,  R.  H.  Kitchell,  John  W.  Patton,  and 
Amos  Miescnhelder,  of  which  Andrew  Saules- 
bury is  president,  Amos  Miesenhelder,  treas- 
urer, and  Wm.  Alexander,  clerk. 

But  little  is  known  of  the  early  schools  of 
Palestine.  George  Calhoun  taught  in  the 
town  as  early  as  1820;  but  little  else  can  be 
ascertained  of  him  and  his  school.  As  early 
as  1830  the  Masons  and  school  board  owned 
a  building,  which  was  used  jointly  as  a 
Masonic  lodge  and  a  school  house,  the  Masons 
occupying  the  upper  part,  and  the  school  the 
lower.  The  lodge  had  a  large  membership 
then,  but  many  moving  away,  and  others  dy- 
ing, the  lodge  finally  ceased  to  exist.  The 
building  was  used  for  school  purposes  until  it 
became  too  small,  and  after  the  county  seat 
w:  s  moved  to  Robinson,  the  old  court  house 
was  used  some  time  as  a  school  building. 
The  present  school-house  was  built  about 
1870-72,  and  is  a  substantial  two-story  frame. 
The  school  has  an  attendance  of  some  two  or 
three  hundred  children.  Prof.  James  A. 
ISIaxwell  is  principal,  and  Prof.  Bussard,  Miss 
Mary  Goram  and  Miss  Lizzie  Alexander, 
assistant  teachers.  The  school  building  oc- 
cupies the  old  public  square,  which  makes  a 
beautiful  school  yard. 

Palestine  in  early  days  was  the  Paris  of 
Illinois;  it  was  the  center  of  fashion,  of  wealth, 
pleasure  and  social  enjoyment.  Many  of 
its  citizens  were  cultured,  educated  people. 


belonging  to  the  very  best  class  of  society, 
and  ranking  among  the  aristocracy  of  the 
country.  While  this  was  true,  however,  of  a 
large  class,  there  was  another  class,  and  quite 
as  large,  that  were  just  the  opposite  in  every- 
thing. They  were  the  fighting,  roystering, 
drinking,  devil-may-care  fellows  always  to  be 
found  in  frontier  towns.  To  hunt  a  little, 
frolic  much,  go  to  town  often  and  never  miss 
a  muster  or  general  election  day,  and  get 
"glorious"  early,  and  fight  all  day  for  fun, 
was  the  pleasure  and  delight  of  their  lives. 
At  musters  and  elections  they  had  a  glorious 
picnic  from  "early  morn  to  dewy  eve,"  and 
they  made  ihe  most  of  it.  But  such  charac- 
ters do  not  last  long,  and  generally  follow  the 
ffame  westward. 

The  time  was  when  Palestine  was  a  place 
of  considerable  business.  For  years  it  was 
the  only  place  in  a  large  area  of  country 
where  pork  was  bought,  packed  and  shipped. 
It  was  the  first  place  in  the  county  to  pur- 
chase and  ship  wheat.  It  carried  on  a  large 
trade  in  pork  and  wheat.  O.  H.  Bristol  &  Co., 
who  bought  wheat  extensively  from  18-12  to 
1815,  built  a  grain  warehouse.  Many  people 
made  sport  of  it  and  said  it  would  hold  more 
wheat  than  the  county  would  raise  in  ten 
years,  but  the  business  done  proved  them 
false  prophets;  Bristol  &  Co.  often  had  it  full 
of  wheat  two  or  three  times  a  year.  They 
had  been  merchants,  but  went  into  the  grain 
business,  which  they  continued  several  years. 
Other  firms  embarked  in  the  grain  and  pork 
business,  but  when  a  railroad  was  built  through 
the  county  it  crippled  Palestine  as  a  grain 
market.  The  building  of  the  narrow-gauge, 
railroad,  however,  has  revived  somewhat  this 
line  of  business.  Morris,  who  has  been  al- 
ready referred  to,  commenced  a  big  distillery 
about  1831.  He  broke  up  at  it,  and  died 
before  completing  it.  Harmon  Alexander 
bought  the  property  and  turned  it  into  an  oil 
factory,  and  for  several    years   manufactured 


HISTORY  OF  CRAWFORD  COUNTY. 


143 


castor  and  linseed  oil  very  extensively.  A 
woolen  mill  was  built  here  some  years  ago, 
but  it  never  proved  a  success,  and  is  now 
standing  idle. 

The  Land  Office. — This  public  institution 
was  established  at  Palestine  May  11,  1S30. 
The  first  land  sale  took  place  several  years 
jiri'viouslv,  we  have  been  told,  to  the  date  of 
opening  the  office  here.  Tlie  following  wore 
the  registers  and  receivers  during  its  contin- 
uance at  Palestine,  as  furnished  by  the  State 
auditor:  Joseph  Kitchell,  from  the  establish- 
ment of  the  office  to  1811 ;  Jesse  K.  Dubois, 
from  ISll  to  1842;  James  McLean,  from  184:i 
to  184.5; '•Harmon  Alexander,  from  1845  to 
1849;  James  McLean,  from  1849  to  1853; 
Vllarnion  Alexander,  from  1853  to  1855.  The 
receivers  were,  Guy  W.  Smith,  from  the  es- 
tablishment of  the  office  to  1839;  Augustus 
C  French  (afterward  governor),  from  1839  to 
KS42;  David  McGahey,  from  184-2  to  1845; 
William  Wilson,  from  1845  to  1849;  Jesse  K. 
Dubois,  from  1849  to  1853;  Robert  C.  Wilson, 
from  1853  to  1855,  when  the  office  was  dis- 
contijiued  and  the  books  and  records  moved 
to  Springfield. 

The  land-office  was  quite  a  feather  in  the 
ca])  of  Palestine  as  it  rendered  it  the  most 
important  town  in  the  State,  perhaps  the  State 
capital  excepted.  It  was  established  in  a 
couple  of  years  after  the  town  was  laid  out, 
and  continued  its  e.xistence  here  for  a  quarter 
of  a  century.  All  who  entered  land  in  the 
southern  part  of  the  State  had  to  come  to 
Palestine  to  do  it,  and  this  brought  trade  and 
importance  to  the  town.  The  office  was  dis- 
continued after  all  the  land  was  taken  up 
south  of  the  Danville  district. 

Mr.  Guy  Wilson  now  owns  the  old  desk 
used  in  the  land-ollice  for  many  years,  which 
lie  values  highly  as  a  relic.  It  is  a  massive 
piece  of  furniture,  and  was  made  in  Philadel- 
phia specially  for  the  office.     It  is  of  walnut 


lumber,  and  is  still  in  an  excellent   state  of 
preservation. 

The  Jlethodist  Episcopal  Church,  is  the  old- 
est religious  orgiinization  in  Palestine.  Most 
of  its  orioinal  members  were  from  Wesley 
Chapel,  and  among  them  were  the  Culloms. 
Revs.  John  Fox  and  old  Father  McCord  were 
the  eany  preachers,  and  the  church  was  or- 
ganized about  1828-29.  The  first  church 
house  was  a  frame  and  was  never  finished. 
The  present  church  was  built  for  a  town  hall, 
and  somewhere  about  187:^-73,  was  bought  by 
the  congregation  and  converted  into  a  church. 
It  is  a  frame  building,  has  been  re-modeled 
and  improved,  and  is  a  very  comfortable  and 
even  elegant  church.  Before  its  purchase, 
the  congregation  worshiped  some  time  in 
the  Presbyterian  church.  Rev.  Thos.  J.  Mas- 
sey  is  the  present  pastor  of  the  church.  A 
Sundaj'-school  is  maintained,  of  which  Arthur 
Vance  is  superintendent. 

The  Presbyterian  Church  of  Palestine  was 
organized  in  1831.*  Rev.  John  Montgomery 
of  Pennsylvania,  and  Rev.  Isaac  Reed  of  New 
York,  held  a  meeting  here  embracing  the 
14th,  15th  and  Kith  of  May,  of  the  above 
year,  and  during  its  progress  organized  the 
church,  with  the  following  members:  John, 
Nancy,  Jane  and  Eliza  Houston,  Mary  Ann 
Logan,  Wilson,  Henry  and  Alfred  Lagow, 
James  and  Margaret  Eagleton,  James  Cald- 
well, Phoebe  Morris,  Anna  Piper,  John  and 
Ann  Malcom  and  Hannah  Wilson.  John 
Houston  and  Wilson  Lagow  were  chosen 
elders.  The  following  have  since  filled  the 
office:  James  Eagleton,  Dr.  E.  L.  Patton, 
Fiidcy  Puull,  Andrew  McCormick,  James  C. 
Allen,  J.  M.  Winsor,  J.  H.  Richey,  Dr.  J.  S. 
Brengle,  J.  C.  Raniey,  and  H.  T.  Beam. 
The  following  preachers  have    ministered   to 

*  From  Dr.  Norton's  History  of  the  Presbyterian 
church  in  Southern  llliii  us. 


144 


HISTORY  OF  CRAWFORD  COUNTY. 


the  congregation:  Revs.  John  Montgomery, 
Reuben  White,  James  Crawford,  Isaac  Ben- 
nett, E.  W.  Thayer,  R.  H.  Lilly,  Joseph  Piatt, 
John  Crosier,  J.  M.  Alexander,  Joseph  Piatt 
(again),  A.  MoFarland,  A.  Thompson,  Thomas 
Spencer,  J.  E.  Carson  and  S.  W.  Lagrange. 
There  is  no  pastor  at  present.  Of  the  original 
members  all  are  dead,  and  of  those  present  at 
its  formation,  but  two  were  present  at  its 
semi-centennial,  May  14th,  15th  and  IGth, 
1881,;  these  two  were  Isaac  N.  Wilson  and 
Abigail  Wilson,  members  of  the  Presbyterian 
church  of  Olney. 

Dr.  Norton,  in  his  work  on  the  Presbyte- 
rian (Church  of  Illinois,  pays  an  eloquent  and 
justly  merited  tribute  to  Mr.  Finley  PauU. 
After  speaking  of  his  long  and  faithful  ser- 
vice, he  closes  as  follows:  "  Elder  Finley 
Paull  has  been  an  elder  nearly  ever  since  his 
union  with  the  church  in  ]83i,  and  in  all  that 
time  has  missed  but  two  meetings  of  the  ses- 
sion, while  but  three  members  have  been  ad- 
mitted when  he  was  not  present."  There  are 
few  instances  of  a  more  faithful  stewardship. 

Of  former  pastors,  there  were  present  at  the 
semi-centennial.  Rev.  E.  W.  Thayer  of  Spring- 
field; Rev.  J.  Crosier  of  Olney,  and  Rev.  A. 
McFarland  of  Flora.  There  had  been  440 
persons  connected  with  the  church  since  its  or- 
ganiza'ion  fifty  years  before,  and  two  churches, 
Robinson  and  Beckwith  Prairie  churches  have 
been  formed  from  its  membership.  The  first 
house  of  worship  was  a  carpenter  shop  they 
bought  and  fitted  up  for  the  purpose.  In 
1840  they  built  a  church  38x50  feet  at  a  cost 
of  §1,300.  Tlie  house  has  been  remodeled 
and  enlarged  and  a  bell  attached.  A  Sunday- 
school  in  connection  with  the  church  is  car- 
ried on,  with  Mrs.  Lottie  Ramey  as  superin- 
tendent. 

The  Christian  church  of  Palestine  is  an  old 
organization,  but  we  were  unable,  through 
the  negligence  or  indifference  of  its  members, 
to  learn  anything  concerning  its  early  history. 


Their  first  church  edifice  was  a  frame  and  was 
burned  some  years  ago.  In  1874  they  erected 
their  elegant  brick  church,  which  in  outward 
appearance  is  the  handsomest  church  in  the 
town.  They  have  no  regular  pastor  at  pres- 
ent. 

Palestine  Lodge  No.  2352,  K.  of  H.,  was 
instituted  January  31,  1881.  The  present 
officers  are  as  follows:  J.  A.  Martin,  Dicta- 
tor; H.  H.  Haskctt,  Vice  Dictator;  Perry 
Brimberry,  Assistant  Dictator;  J.  W.  Laver- 
ton,  Past  Dictator;  A.  C.  Goodwin,  Repor- 
ter; W.  R.  Emmons,  F.  Reporter,  and  J.  A. 
Maxwell,  Treasurer. 

The  site  of  Palestine  is  a  beautiful  one  for 
a  town,  and  its  selection  shows  good  taste  in 
the  commissioners  who  selected  it  for  the 
county  seat.  It  seems  a  pity  that  the  seat  of 
justice  could  not  have  remained  here,  but  the 
center  of  population  demanded  its  removal. 
The  question  of  public  buildings  and  removal 
of  the  county  seat  is  noticed  in  the  chapter 
on  the  organization  of  the  county.  The  little 
town  in  its  palmy  days  produced  some  able 
men,  agovernor  (A.  G.  French);  an  attorney 
general  (Wiokliffe  Kitchell);  and  a  circuit 
judge  and  member  of  Congress,  m  the  person 
of  James  C.  Allen.  With  the  removal  of  the 
county  seat  the  town  lost  much  of  its  former 
prestige,  and  to-day  it  is  a  rather  dilapidated, 
rambling,  tumble-down  old  town,  almost 
wholly  devoid  of  life  and  energy.  Some 
beautiful  residences,  standing  in  spacious  and 
well-kept  grounds  are  an  ornament  to  the 
place,  and  show  a  refinement  of  taste  in  their 
owners. 

The  cemetery  of  Palestine,  like  that  at 
Jack  Oak  Grove,  on  the  prairie,  is  an  old 
burying  ground,  and  is  the  resting  place  of 
many  of  Crawford  County's  early  citizens.  It 
is  a  very  pretty  grave-yard,  with  some  fine 
monuments,  and  elegant  marble  slabs,  silently 
testifying  to  the  affection  of  surviving  friends 
for  their  loved  lost  ones. 


CHAPTEE    XIII.* 


HUTSONVILLE   TOWNSHIP— TOPO",RAPHY— EARLY   SETTLEMENT— HUTSON    FAMILY- THE 

BARLOWS,    NEWLINS    AND    HILLS— OTHER    PIONEERS— EARLY    TRIALS  AND 

TROUBLES— SCHOOLS  AND  CHURCHES— VILLAGE  OP  HUTSONVILLE 

—ITS  SITUATION  AS  A  TRADING  POINT— SOME  OF  THE 

MERCHANTS  AND  BUSINESS    MEN— FIRE, 

WATER,  ETC.,  ETC.  __ 


"  Against  the  cold,  clear  sky  a  smoke 
Curls  like  some  column  to  its  dome, 
An  ax,  with  far,  but  heavy  stroke 
Rings  from  a  new  woodland  home." 

— Joaquin  Miller. 

THERE  is  no  perfect  history.  We  dimly 
outline  from  our  own  stand-point  the  his- 
tory -which  meets  our  eye,  and  steer  our  course 
between  extremes  of  dates  and  happenings, 
while  incompleteness  marks  the  narrative. 
Transcribing  recollections  of  the  aged,  waver- 
ing in  memory,  we  do  not  seek  to  reconcile 
discrepancies,  but  to  embody  in  these  pages 
the  names  and  deeds  of  those  whose  like  can 
never  more  be  seen.  Most  of  the  pioneers  of 
this  division  of  the  county  have  passed  to 
their  reward,  and  the  few  still  left  are  totter- 
ing on  down  toward  the  dark  valley  and  must 
soon  enter  its  gloomy  shadows.  A  few  more 
brief  years  and  the  last  land-mark  will  have 
been  swept  away  as  the  morning  mist  before 
the  rising  sun. 

Hutsonville  Township  is  one  of  the  most 
important  civil  divisions  of  Crawford  County. 
It  is  situated  on  the  eastern  border,  and  is 
bounded  north  by  Clark  County,  east  by  the 
AVabash  river,  south  by  Robinson  and  La- 
motte  townships  and  west  by  Licking  Town- 
ship. The  land  is  drained  by  the  Wabash 
and  the  streams  which  flow    into    it    through 

*Bv  W.  H.  Pernn. 


the  township,  the  principal  ones  of  which  are 
Hutson  and  Raccoon  creeks.  The  surface  is 
rather  low  and  level  along  the  river  back  to 
the  second  terrace,  and  much  of  it  subject  to 
periodical  overflows.  Beyond  the  second 
bottom  it  rises  into  slight  hills,  and  from  their 
summit  stretches  away  in  level  prairie  and 
timbered  flats.  The  original  timber  was 
black  and  white  walnut,  hickory,  pecan,  elm, 
sugar  maple,  oak,  cotton  wood,  sycamore, 
hackberry,  buckeye,  etc.,  etc.  By  the  census 
of  1880,  the  township,  including  the  village, 
had  1,983  inhabitants.  No  better  farmino- 
region  may  be  found  in  Cravpford  County 
than  is  comprised  in  the  greater  portion  of 
Hutsonville  Township.  Aside  from  the  inun- 
dation of  the  low  lands,  the  worst  draw-back  to 
its  agricultural  prosperity  is  the  great  number 
of  large  unwieldy  farms.  Ohio  farmers  have 
grown  wise  in  this  respect,  and  the  large  farm 
in  that  State  is  now  the  exception.  There 
are  plenty  of  farmers  in  the  State  of  Ohio, 
who,  one  year  with  another,  make  more  money 
on  a  hundred  acres  than  any  farmer  makes, 
upon  an  average,  in  Hutsonville  Township,  or 
in  Crawford  County  for  that  matter.  Small 
farms  well  cultivated,  pay  better  than  large 
ones  poorly  worked.  A  little  poem,  going 
the  rounds  of  the  press  some  years  ago,  enti- 
tled the  "  Forty- Acre  Farm,"  is  not  in  appro- 
priate, but  may  be  read  with  profit.  It  is  as 
follows: 


146 


HISTORY  OF  CRAWFORD  COUNTY. 


"  I'm  thinkin',  wife,  of  neigbbor  Jones,  that  man  of  stalwart 

arm,— 
He  lives  in  peace  and  plenty,  on  a  forty-acre  farm; 
While  men  are  all  around  us,  with  hands  and  hearts  asore. 
Who  own  two  hundred  acres  and  still  are  wanting  more. 

•'  His  is  a  pretty  little  farm,  a  pretty  little  house; 

He  has  a  loving  wife  within,  iis  quiet  as  a  uiouse; 

His  children  piny  aniund  the  door,  their  father's  life  to  charm 

Looking  as  neat  and  tidy  as  the  tidy  little  farm. 

"No  weeds  are  in  the  corn  fields ;  no  thistles  in  the  oats ; 
The  horses  show  good    keeping   hy  thAr   fine  and  glossy 

coats; 
The  cows  within  the  meadow,  resting  beneath  the  bcochcn 

shade, 
Learn  all  their  gentle  manners  of  the  gentle  milking  maid. 

"  Within  the  fields,  on  Snturday,  he  leaver  no  cradled  grain 
To  be  gathered  on  the  morrow,  for  fear  of  coming  rain ; 
He  keeps  the  .'^abbaih  holy,  hi-i  ehildieu  learn  his  ways, 
And  plenty  fill  his  barn  and  bin  after  the  harvest  uays. 

"  He  never  has  a  lawsuit  to  take  him  to  the  town, 
For  the  very  simple  r  ason  there  are  no  line  fences  down. 
The  bar-room  in  the  village  does  not  liave  for  him  a  cliarm 
I  can  always  find  my  neighbor  on  his  forty -acre  larm. 

"His  acres  are  so  very  few  he  p'ows  them  very  deep; 

'Tis  his  own  hands  that  turn   the  sod,  'tis  his  own  hands 

that  reap. 
He  has  a  place  tor  everything,  and  things  are  in  their  place ; 
The  sunshine  smiles  up  .n   his  fields,  contentment  tin  hi. 

face. 

"  May  we  not  learn  a  lesson,  wife,  from  prudent    neighbor 

Jones. 
And  not— for  what  we  haven't  got— give  veut  to  sighs  and 

moans  ? 
The  rich  aren't  always  happy,  nor  free  from  life's  alarms ; 
But   blest  are  Ihcy  who  live  content  though  small  may  be 

their  farms." 

Of  all  those  immortals  who  have  helped  to 
make  this  world  wholesomo  with  their  sweat 
and  blood,  the  early  pioneers  were  the  hum- 
blest, but  not  the  meanest  nor  most  insignifi- 
cant. They  laid  the  foundation  on  which 
rests  the  civilizn'-icn  of  the  great  West.  The 
importance  that  attaches  to  their  lives,  char- 
acter and  work  in  the  cause  of  humanity  will 
some  day  be  better  understood  und  appreci- 
ated than  it  is  now.  To  say  that  in  this 
chapter,  it  is  proposed  to  write  the  history  of 
every  familj'  in  the  order  in  which  they  came 
into  the  township  would  be  promising  more 
than  lies  in  the  power  of  any  man  to  accom- 
plish. But  to  give  a  sketch  of  some  of  the 
leading  pioneer  and  representative  men  of 
the  times  is  our  aim,  and  to  gather  such  facts, 


incidents,  statistics  and  circumstances  as  we 
may,  and  transmit  tliam  in  a  durable  form  to 
future  generations  is  the  utmost  limit  of  oui 
desire  and  our  work. 

The'Hutson  family,  there  is  no  doubt,  were 
the  first  white  people  in  what  is  now  Hutson- 
ville  Township.  The  sad  story  of  their  tragic 
death — the  massacre  by  the  Indians,  of  the 
whole  family,  except  the  unhappy  father  and 
husband,  is  told  in  a  preceding  chapter. 
Hutson  was  from  Ohio,  and  settled  due  south 
of  the  village  of  Hutsonville,  where  the  widow 
Albert  McCoy  now  lives,  and  which  is  the  old 
Barlow  homestead.  The  war  of  1S1"2  was  not 
yet  over,  and  the  Indians  were  still  on  the 
war  path  more  or  less,  but  committing  few 
depredations  in  this  part  of  the  country. 
Hutson  believed  there  really  was  no  danger, 
and  so  declined  to  take  refuge  in  the  fort 
where  most  of  the  people  of  the  country  then 
resided  for  safety.  One  day  when  Ilutsnn 
was  absent  from  home,  a  band  of  prowling  sav- 
ao'ps  came  to  his  cabin  and  murdered  the  fam- 
ily— wife  and  four  ciiihlren,  and  a  man  named 
Dixon,  for  what  cause,  except  on  general  prin- 
ciples, was  never  known,  as  no  one  was  left  to 
tell  the  tale.  When  Hutson  returned,  he 
found  his  family  all  dead  and  his  cabin  in 
fl:tmes.  These  are  the  facts  in  brief.  Hutson 
joined  the  arm\'  at  Fort  Harrison  and  was 
soon  after  killed  in  a  skirmish  with  the  sav- 
ages. 

The  Batons,  who  figured  conspicuously  here 
in  early  davs,  settled  in  the  southwest  part  of 
this  township;  or  rather  some  of  them  did. 
"  Uncle  Johnny  "  Eaton,  was  of  those  who 
became  a  settler  in  this  township  after  leav- 
in<r  old  Fort  Lninotte,  where  the  people 
"  hibernated  "  during  the  war  of  ISI'2.  He 
died  but  a  few  years  ago,  and  had  a  mind 
well  stored  with  im/idonts  of  the  early  history 
of  the  county.  All,  however,  that  could  be 
learned  of  the  Eatons,  has  already  been 
aiven. 


HISTORY  OF  CRAWFORD  COUNTY. 


147 


The  Buriows,  next  to  the  Hutson  family 
and  the  Batons,  if  the  latter  settled  here 
immediately  after  leaving  the  fort,  were  the 
first  settlers  in  what  now  forms  Hutsonville 
township.  .lohn  W.  Barlow  came  from  cen- 
tral Kentucky,  and  sprung  from  a  family  of 
Virginia  origin.  lie  was  brought  up  in  a 
region  where  the  first  rudiment  learned  was 
that  of  Indian  warfare — where  the  people 
learned  to  fight  Indians  with  their  mothers 
and  sisters  in  their  cabins,  in  ambuscades  and 
open  fields,  and  before  the  savage  war-cry 
had  died  away  upon  the  frontiers  of  Indiana 
and  Illinois,  he  had  left  the  dark  and  bloody 
ground  as  though  following  the  red  man's 
retreating  footsteps.  Mr.  Barlow  stopped  two 
years  in  Indiana,  near  the  Shaker  village,  and 
in  the  spring  of  181G  came  here.  He  settled 
on  the  place  where  the  Hutson  family  were 
massacred,  and  when  the  land  came 
in  market  lie  purchased  it.  Hutson's  cabin 
had  been  burned  by  the  Indians,  but  there 
was  an  old  stable  standing.  In  this  Mr.  Bar- 
ow  sheltered  his  family,  while  preparing  his 
cabin,  and  while  they  still  occupied  it  a  child 
was  born  to  them.  Literally,  it  was  "  born  in 
a  manger,  "  and  was  doubtless  the  first  birth 
in  the  township.  Mr.  Barlow  lived  upon  this 
place  until  1839,  when  he  removed  to  Mar- 
shall. He  raised  a  large  family,  the  names 
of  which  were  as  follows:  Sarah  .lane;  married 
VVm.  McCo}';  Frances,  an  invalid  daughter; 
Henry  M.  (he  that  was  born  in  the  stable), 
now  a  resident  of  Texas;  Xancy  O.  (Mrs. 
John  R.  Hurst);  Rebecca,  married  Wm.  T. 
Adams,  she  is  dead  and  he  lives  in  Marshall; 
Alfred  died  on  the  farm;  Polyxona,  a  daugh- 
ter who  died  single;  Dr.  James  JI.,  living  in 
Jasper  County;  Dr.  John  W.,  died  in  AVest- 
field.  111.;  Dr.  J.  Milton,  died  two  years  ago 
in  Clark  County;  Joel  died  while  yet  an  inl'ant, 
and  Wm.  Hugh  die  1  before  reaching  matu- 
rity. Mr.  Barlow  died  in  18G3and  his  wife  in 
1879,  and  side  by  side  they  sleep  in  the  cem- 


etery at  Hutsonville.  For  more  than  half  a 
century  they  toiled  together,  and  even  in 
death  they  were  not  long  separated. 

Joel,  Jesse  and  James  were  brothers  of 
Mr.  Barlow.  The  first  two  came  here  with 
him  and  settled,  Joel  south  of  Hutsonville, 
and  Jesse  on  vvhat  is  now  known  as  the  Steel 
farm.  James  came  several  years  later.  They 
are  all  dead;  Joel  died  and  was  buried  in 
Hutsonville  cemetery.  About  the  same  time 
that  the  Barlows  arrived  in  the  township 
John  Neeley  and  Joseph  Bogard  came — 
probably  came  with  them.  Charley  Newlin 
lives  on  the  place  where  Bogard  settled,  while 
Neeley  settled  on  what  is  known  as  the  Cal- 
lahan place.  They  are  all  dead  and  gone. 
When  their  strong  and  busy  hands  fell  nerve- 
less at  their  sides  in  death,  their  life  work 
was  taken  up  by  those  who  came  after  them. 

The  Newlins,  Hills,  and  John  Saekrider 
came  to  the  county  in  181S,  and  settled  in  the 
present  township  of  Hutsonville.  The  New- 
lin family  is  one  of  the  most  extensive  and 
numerous  probably  in  the  whole  county.  It 
used  to  be  a  standing  joke,  that  you  might 
start  out  and  go  west  from  the  village  of  Hut- 
sonville, and  if  you  met  a  stranger,  call  him 
Newlin,  and  you  would  hit  the  nail  on  the  head. 
Another  remark  often  made  of  the  Newlins 
and  Hills,  and  one  to  the  truth  of  which  all 
who  know  them  will  bear  testimony,  is,  that 
the  word  of  a  Newlin  or  a  Hill  is  as  good  as 
his  bond,  and  when  once  pledged  is  never 
broken  but  held  sacred  as  though  bound  by 
the  strongest  oatiis. 

John  Newlin,  the  patriarch  of  the  tribe, 
came  here  with  his  family  in  1818.  He  was 
from  North  Carolina  (tii!s  township  was  set- 
tled almost  entirely  from  the  "Tar-heel"  State), 
and  stopped  for  one  year  in  Indiana,  but  not 
being  favorably  impressed  with  Hoosierdom, 
crossed  the  Wabash,  and  settled  in  this  divis- 
ion of  Crawford  County.  His  sons  were  Na- 
thaniel, Thomas,  James,  "  Caper''  John,  Jon- 


t48 


IIISrORY  OF  CRAWFORD  COUNTY. 


athan,  and  William.  The  old  pioneer  and  all 
his  sons,  except  Nathaniel — '■  Uncle  Natty," 
as  the  present  generation  call  him — who  lives 
now  with  his  son-in-law,  George  McDowell, 
on  the  prairie  south  of  Hutsonville,  are  dead. 
For  some  years  before  the  old  man's  death  ho 
made  his  home  with  Thomas,  who  lived  in 
what  is  now  Robinson  Township.  Some  of  liis 
sons  settled  oriijinally  in  that  township,  hut 
most  of  the  family  have  always  livetl  in  this 
township,  and  are  among  its  best  citizens. 
James  Newlin  entered  a  section  of  land  in  a 
half  mile  of  where  Cyrus  Newiin  lives,  upon 
which  he  lived  until  his  death  in  1853.  He 
raised  eight  children,  all  sons,  viz.:  Andrew, 
John,  Hiram,  Alfred,  Abraham,  Oliver,  Na- 
than and  Cyrus.  Nathan  lived  and  died  on 
the  homestead,  and  met  his  death  by  cutting 
down  a  tree  and  being  caught  under  it  as  it 
fell.  The  other  sons,  with  one  or  two  excep- 
tions, are  living  in  this  township.  John  Hill 
also  came  from  North  Carolina,  and  settled 
on  the  place  now  owned  by  "  Bub  "  Newlin, 
and  upon  which  he  died  some  thirty  years 
an^o.  He  had  four  sons:  Charles,  Doctor,  Will- 
iam and  Richard,  all  of  whom  are  dead  ex- 
cept Mr.  Doctor  Hill,  who  lives  in  the  imme- 
diate neighborhood  of  his  father's  settlement. 
John  Hill  01  Robinson  is  a  nephew,  and  one 
of  the  most  respected  busini  ss  men  of  that 
enterprising  young  city.  Sackrider  was  an 
active  and  energetic  man.  He  was  a  captain 
in  the  war  of  1813,  and  was  with  Perry  on 
Lake  Erie.  He  died  thirty-five  or  forty  years 
asco.  Solomon  and  Allen  were  his  sons,  and 
are  both  dead.  Wm.  Boyd  lives  on  a  part  of 
the  old  Sackrider  farm.  Allen  Sackrider  died 
in  Terre  Haute,  and  Solomon  died  in  this 
township. 

Of  such  men  as  we  have  been  writing 
about,  how  true  are  the  words  of  Lord  Bacon: 
".  That  wherounto  man's  nature  doth  more 
aspire,  which  is  immortality  or  continuance: 
for  to  this  tendeth  generation,  and   raising  of 


houses  and  families;  to  this  buildings,  found- 
ations and  monuments;  to  this  tendeth  the 
desire  of  memory,  fame  and  celebration,  and 
in  effect  the  strength  of  all  other  human  de- 
sires. We  see  then  how  far  the  monu- 
ments of  learning  are  more  durable  than  the 
monuments  of  power  or  of  the  hands."  These 
men  have  left  monuments  as  lasting  as  the 
"  monuments  of  power  or  of  the  hands  " — 
monuments  that  will  live  in  the  hearts  of  gen- 
erations yet  to  come. 

From  1818  to  1831,  came  Aaron  Ball, 
Malin  Voorhies,  Eli  Hand,  and  perhaps  others. 
Ball  was  from  New  Jersey,  and  settled  here 
in  the  latter  part  of  1818,  or  in  the  early  part 
of  1819.  Edward,  Montgomery,  John  and 
Aaron  were  his  sons,  and  two  of  them  he  ed- 
ucated for  doctors  and  two  for  fanners.  Ed- 
ward was  a  physician  and  lived  and  died  in 
Terre  Haute;  Aaron  was  also  a  physician  and 
moved  west,  where  he  still  lives  and  is  prac- 
ticing his  profession.  John  is  still  living 
wliere  he  originally  settled,  and  Montgomery 
died  here  some  years  ago.  Mr.  Voorhies  was 
also  from  New  Jersey,  and  was  an  uncle  to 
the  Tall  Sycamore  of  the  Wabash — Senator 
Voorhies.  He  settled  on  the  farm  where  his 
son,  Henry  C.  Voorhies,  now  lives,  and  with 
the  exception  of  a  few  years,  it  has  never 
been  out  of  possession  of  the  family.  It 
is  owned  now  by  Henry,  one  of  the  honorable 
men  of  the  township.  Mr.  Hand  was  a  na- 
tive of  Virginia,  and  came  here  in  1831,  set- 
tlino-  where  his  grandson,  Woodford  D.  Hand 
now  lives.  He  emigrated  to  Ohio,  when  the 
Buckeye  State  was  on  the  very  verge  of  civ- 
ilization, and  afterward  came  to  Illinois  as 
above,  bringing  his  family  and  his  earthly  all 
in  a  three-horse  wagon.  He  died  in  18.57. 
Jas.  F.  Hand  was  his  son,  and  the  father  of 
Woodford.  He  was  an  active  man  in  the 
neighborhood,  and  among  other  positions  he 
held,  was  that  of  associate  judge  of  the 
county,    and  justice  of  the  peace.     He   died 


HISTOUY  OF  CRAWFORD  COUNTY. 


14!) 


in  ISTo,  and  the  mantle  of  the  active  old  man 
has  fallen  upon  the  shoulders  of  his  worthy 
son,  who  is  treading  in  his  footstops. 

Nathan  ilusgrave,  a  good  old  Quaker  from 
Xorth  Carolina,  came  to  the  settlement  in  the 
spring  of  182G.     He  left  his  old  home  in  1823, 
as  the  leader  of  a  large   company    bound   for 
the   great   West.     Tliero    was   Mrs.    Zylpha 
Co.x,   a  widow,    his   mother-in-law;   William 
Co.x,  her  son ;  A.  B.  Raines,  John   R.  Hurst, 
Philip     Musgrave,    James     Boswell,    Joseph 
Green,  A.xum  Morris,  Philip  Corbett  and  fam- 
ily, and   Benj.  Dunn   and   wife.     Dunn   died 
on  the  road,  and  like    Moses,  never  reached 
the   Promised  Land.     They   first  stopped  in 
Minor  County,  where   they  remained  about 
three  years  and  then  came  here — all  of  them, 
except  Morris,  Corbett  and  Philip  Muso-rave. 
Mrs.  Cox's  sons  were   William,   Thomas  and 
Wiley,  and  William  was  the    first    merchant 
in  Hutso:ivilIe.     Nathan  Musgrave,   has  but 
one  son,  William  P.,  and  a  daughter  living — 
Mrs.    Belle    Kennedy.       Williura    Muso-rave, 
who  came  to  the  township  in  1833,  also  mar- 
ried a  daughter  of  Mrs.  Cox.     When  Nathan 
Musgrave  came  here  he  found   two  or   three 
families  living  in  the  neighborhood  where  he 
settled,  among  them  the   Lindleys.     Thomas 
I^indley  was   living   where  his  son    John    H. 
died  some  years  ago.     He  was  from  Virginia, 
it  is  believed,  ai  d  died  upon  the  place  where 
he  settled.     His  sons  were  Abraham,  William, 
John  H.,  and  Morton.     He  had  two  brothers 
Samuel  and  William,  also  early  settlers  in  this 
part  of  the  tciv  ns'i  p.     Young   Sam   Lindlev, 
as  he  is  called,  is   a   son    of  William,  and  a 
daughter  married  Lafayette  Raines.     Samuel 
lives  where  his  father  settled,   and   Lafayette 
and   Simpson    Raines   live   where   the     elder 
Samuel  Lindloy  settled.     The  Lindleys  and 
Musgraves  were  another  honest  set  of  men, 
and  of  the  strictest  integrity.     Nathan  Mus- 
grave lived  to  a  ripe  old   age   and   amassed  a 
fortune.     One  of  the    boys    who    came    here 


with  Old  Nathan  Musgrave,  took  his  first 
lessons  in  honesty,  uprightness  and  square- 
dealing,  which  have  marked  his  course  through 
a  long  life,  from  him.  We  mean  "  Uncle 
Jack  "  Hurst.  He  came  here  but  a  boy,  and 
lived  with  Nathan  Musgrave,  in  fact,  was 
mostly  raised  by  the  good  old  Quaker,  and 
imbibed  many  of  his  sterling  qualities.  The 
lessons  thus  learned  have  been  his  guide 
through  life,  so  that  now,  when  he  stands 
upon  a  spot  from  which  he  can  see  the  even- 
ing twilight  creeping  on,  the  name  of  John  R. 
Hurst  is  without  blot  or  blemish.  And  when 
the  race  is  nearly  run,  to  see  this  venerable, 
white-haired  old  man,  and  his  white-haired 
companion  hand  in  hand  passing  along.  Hear- 
ing the  journey's  end,  receiving  the  love  and 
reverence  of  all,  is  a  picture  that  many  loving 
hearts  would  wish  might  never  fade. 

Chalkley  Draper  came  to  the  county  in  a 
very  early  day,  and  was  a  man  much  above 
the  ordinary.  He  lived  first  in  the  vicinity  of 
Palestine,  the  general  stopping  place  of  all 
the  early  emigrants.  He  finally  settled  on 
the  place  where  Franklin  Draper  now  lives. 
He  was  a  Quaker  and  of  the  strict  honesty 
that  characterized  all  the  old  time  members 
of  that  peculiar  sect.  He  had  several  sons  of 
whom  were  Axum,  Asa,  Jesse  and  Franklin. 
The  latter  is  the  only  one  living,  and  resides  on 
the  old  homestead.  Mr.  Wm.  L.  Draper  of 
Hutsonville  is  a  son  of  Axum  Draper.  Alex- 
ander McCoy  was  also  a  very  early  settler. 
He  had  three  sons,  William,  John  and  Squire. 
William  married  Sarah  Jane  Barlow,  and  a 
daughter-in-law,  Mrs.  Albert  McCoy,  lives  on 
the  old  Hutson  place,  as  previously  stated. 
Squire  McCoy  followed  the  river,  and  never 
lived  in  the  township.  The  old  man  died 
here  many  years  ago. 

The  Lowes  were  early  settlers  in  the  county. 
William  Lowe  was  the  first  of  the  name  to 
come,  and  he  settled  in  the  lower  part  of  the 
county    below    Palestine.     He  was  there  as 


150 


HISTORY  OF  CRAWFORD  COUNTY. 


early  as  1811-18,  but  afterward  came  to  this 
township  anil  located  in  the  Lindley  neia;hbor- 
hood.  1-Ie  finally  died  in  Terre  Haute.  A 
son  of  his,  Isaac  N.  Lowe,  long  a  resident 
of  Hntsoiiville,  was  known  to  nearly  every 
man  in  both  town  and  township,  and  univer- 
sally esteemed  by  all.  Old  "  Jackey  "  Lowe 
came  here  in  1834,  and  Benjamin,  an  old 
bachelor  l.irother,  came  about  the  same  time. 
They  are  both  dead,  and  few  now,  except  the 
oldest  citizens,  remember  them. 

Another  o-ood  old  Quaker  family  from 
North  Carolina  were  the  Gyers.  They  came 
first  to  Indiana,  and  about  the  year  1835-26 
came  here  and  settled  northwest  of  the  pre- 
sent village  of  Hutsonville.  Aaron  Gyer  died 
about  1840;  of  other  branches  of  the  family  we 
have  no  data,  though  there  are  still  a  number  of 
them  living  in  the  township.  Joseph  Green 
"vvas  a  member  of  the  company  that  came  out 
from  North  Carolina  with  Nathan  Musgrave. 
He  died  here  about  1S55.  Another  family  are 
the  Coxes,  thouo-h  they  came  at  a  later  date. 
Bryant  Cox,  still  living,  came  from  North  Caro- 
lina, and  arrived  here  the  first  of  .June,  18ol. 
He  settled  where  his  son,  Sim|)Son  Cox,  now 
lives,  while  he  lives  a  few  hundred  yards  dis- 
tant. His  sons  are  Wm.  R.,  Andrew  J.,  John 
T.,  the  good-natured  circuit  clerk  of  the 
county,  and  Simpson,  one  of  the  most  whole- 
souled  men  in  Hutsonville  Township.  Mat- 
thew Cox  was  of  a  different  family.  He  came 
from  Tennessee  in  1830,  and  settled  in  the 
northwest  corner  of  the  township,  where  he 
died  several  years  ago,  but  has  several  sons 
still  living. 

This  is  but  a  brief  and  meager  sketch  of 
some  of  the  pioneer  families  who  settled  this 
division  of  the  county.  The  list  no  doubt  is 
very  incomplete,  as  the  means  of  obtaining 
information  of  this  "long  ago  period"  are 
few,  and  year  by  year  are  becoming  lessened. 
With  all  the  disadvantages  under  which  thi 
historian    must    necessarily  labor,   it   is   not 


strange  if  many  names,  together  with  impor- 
tant facts  and  incidents  are  overlooked  or 
omitted  altogether. 

The  hard  life  of  the  early  settlers  is  a  theme 
often  discussed.  There  is  no  question  but 
they  did  live  a  hard  life.  But  there  were  ex- 
ceptions just  as  there  are  now.  There  was 
then,  as  now,  great  ditTerence  in  the  forethought 
and  thrift  of  the  people.  Many,  even  in  tlie 
earliest  years  of  the  county's  existence  lived 
in  generous  plenty  of  such  as  the  land  af- 
forded. True,  the  pioneers  had  to  have  pow- 
der, tobacco  and  whisky,  but  for  everything 
else  they  could  kill  game.  Meat  of  a  supe- 
rior quality  and  in  varieties  that  we  now  can 
not  get  were  within  the  easy  reach  of  all,  but 
for  meal  they  at  first  had  to  go  to  the  Shaker 
mills  in  Indiana  until  mills  were  built  here. 
Game  of  all  kinds  was  plenty,  as  well  as  wild 
beasts,  which  a  man  would  not  care  to  "  meet 
by  moonlight  alone,"  such  as  bears,  panthers 
and  wolves.  Mr.  Hiram  Newlin  tells  the  fol- 
lowing panther  story:  He,  with  his  father 
and  brother  were  out  one  day  hunting  wild 
hogs,  when  the  dogs  "  treed  "  some  kind  of  a 
"varmint."  The  boys  threw  rocks  at  it  until 
tired,  when  Hiram,  the  most  venturesome  of 
the  lot,  climbed  the  tree.  The  varmint 
jumped  out,  and  the  dogs  chased  it  to  another 
tree.  The  great  fuss  the  dogs  and  the  boys 
made,  brought  some  other  men  upon  the 
scene,  who  like  themselves,  had  been  hunting 
hogs,  and  who  happened  to  have  a  gun  with 
them.  They  shot  the  animal,  when  lo,  and 
behold!  it  was  a  full  grown  panther  of  a  large 
size. 

There  is  but  little  of  interest  in  Hutsonville 
township  to  write  about,  aside  from  the  mere 
facts  of  its  settlement,  as  the  |irincipal  history 
of  the  township  is  connected  with  the  village. 
There  is  a  group  of  mounds  near  Hutsonville, 
but  they  are  fully  described  in  a  preceding 
chapter,  and  nothing  can  be  said  of  them  here 
without  repetition.     Of  the  early  schools  their 


histoi:y  of  crawford  corxrv. 


mi 


history  in  this  township  is  but  a  repetition  of 
the  same  in  other  parts  of  the  county,  viz.: 
the  log  cabin-school  house,  the  illiterate 
pedagogue  and  the  dirty  faced  urchins.  The 
township  is  well  supplied  at  this  day  .with 
good  scliool-houses,  and  its  educational  facil- 
ities are  ecpial  to  its  requirements  in  that 
line. 

Churches. — The  Quaker  church  is  one  of 
the  oldest  church  organizations  in  the  town- 
ship— so  old  that  we  could  not  learn  the  time 
of  its  formation  as  a  church.  They  first  held 
their  meetings  in  a  double  log-house  which 
stood  near  the  grave-yard  on  the  John  H.  Lind- 
ley  place.  A  few  years  later  a  log  churcli 
was  built  on  the  road  leading  to  York  and  a 
short  distance  from  the  old  place.  The  next 
was  a  frame  church  at  the  Cross  Roads  near 
Ezekiel  Bishop's  place.  When  that  o-ave 
out,  the  present  frame  church  building  on  the 
"Quaker  lane,"  as  it  is  called,  was  built,  and 
a  strong  congregation  occupy  it.  It  has 
been  a  church  organization  for  sixty  years. 

Hutsotiville  Baptist  Church  was  organized 
February  21,  1856.  The  facts  which  led  to 
its  formations  were  these:  A  few  Baptists  liv- 
ing at  and  in  the  vicinity  of  Hutsonville,  in 
the  summer  of  1855,  requested  the  missionary 
board  of  Palestine  association  to  send  some 
one  to  Hutsonville,  and  in  compliance  the 
board  sent  Elder  .1.  W,  Riley.  In  company 
with  Elder  E.  Frey,  he  commenced  a  meet- 
ing at  Hutsonville  on  the  lOtii  of  February, 
1856,  and  at  its  close  organized  a  church  con- 
sisting of  the  following  members:  .Jane  Bar- 
low, Daniel  S.  Downey,  Joseph  Medley,  Mary 
Medley,  Hezokiah  Winters,  Maria  Vance, 
Phoebe  Downey  and  Anna  Paine.  Elder  E. 
Frey  was  the  first  pastor,  and  Elder  Asa 
Frakes  the  next,  followed  by  Elder  A.  .J. 
Fuson,  and  he  by  Elder  J.  L.  Cox,  the  pres- 
ent pastor.  Although  the  church  was  organ- 
ized in  Hutsonville,  yet  when  a  church  edifice 
was  built,  it  was  located  about  three  and  a  half 


miles  northwest  of  the  village.  It  was  built 
in  1865 — is  a  frame  building  21:X.36  feet,  and 
cost-Sl,{iOO,  with  140  members  at  present. 

Elder  Frakes,  the  second  pastor,  was  a 
Kentuckian  by  birth,  and  spent  the  lastyears 
of  his  life  in  Vigo  County,  Ind.  He  wielded 
a  great  influence  for  good  throughout  his  lono- 
life.  When  he  came  to  Hutsonville  he  found 
the  church  at  a  very  low  ebb.  Under  his 
labors  it  thrived  and  grew  constantly  during 
his  administration.  He  was  a  man  of  great 
firmness,  full  of  life  and  perseverance.  When 
he  first  commenced  in  the  ministry,  he  could 
not  read;  he  studied  night  and  day  and  would 
go  to  the  woods  and  procure  bark  to  make  a 
light  to  read  by,  sitting  up  late  at  night,  pre- 
paring himself  for  his  ministerial  labors.  He 
was  afflicted  with  dropsy,  and  near  the  close 
of  his  life,  had  to  sit  while  speaking. 

Elder  Fuson  was  born  in  Ohio  and  came  to 
this  country  in  early  life,  settling  in  Clark 
County,  between  Marshall  and  Terre  Haute. 
He  lived  there  several  years,  extending  his 
labors  up  and  down  the  Wabash  River,  and 
then  moved  to  the  southern  part  of  Crawford 
County,  where  he  remained  until  the  fall  of 
1S72  and  then  moved  west.  He  was  of  a  deli- 
cate constitution,  but  of  great  perseverance. 
_Jhe  country  was  new;  without  railroads,  and 
his  mode  of  traveling  was  on  horseback, 
facing  wind  and  storm.  He  traveled  several 
years  for  the  home  missionary  board  of  New 
York.  His  education  was  fair  for  that  dav. 
The  Hutsonville  church  greatly  increased 
during  his  pastorate. 

The  Universalist  Church  was  organized  in 
the  Methodist  church  at  Hutsonville,  April  .5, 
1870,  by  Rev.  Robert  G.  Harris.  Most  of  the' 
members  lived  in  the  country,  and  when  a 
church-house  was  built,  it,  like  the  Baptist 
chui-eh,  was  built  some  two  miles  from  town. 
It  was  built  some  ten  years  ago,  at  a  cost  of 
about  S-IOO,  and  is  a  neat  little  frame  build- 
ing.    The    last    minister    was   the    Rev.  Mr. 


152 


HISTORY  OF  CRAWFORD  COUNTY. 


Gibb,  Ijut  h(>  closed  his  pastorate  in  1882,  and 
the   flock   is  at  present  witiiout  a  shepherd. 

The  Village. — Hutsonville  was  laid  out  as 
a  village  in  April,  1833.  A  body  of  land  in- 
cluding that  upon  wiiich  the  town  stands,  was 
entered  by  Andrew  Harris,  who  sold  a  por- 
tion of  it  to  his  father,  Israel  Harris.  The 
latter  built  a  tavern  on  the  river  bank,  near 
where  the  calaboose  stands,  and  the  site  of 
which  is  marked  by  a  sink  in  the  ground  (the 
old  tavern  cellar)  and  a  few  bushes  growing 
out  of  it.  This  was  on  the  old  State  road 
from  Vincennes  to  Chicago,  and  which  passed 
through  Palestine,  York,  Darwin,  Paris,  Dan- 
ville, and  on  to  Chicago.  Harris  lost  money 
in  tavern  keeping,  and  finally  traded  the 
property,  together  with  the  land  around  it,  to 
Robert  Harrison,  for  property  in  Terre  Haute, 
and  moved  to  that  place. 

Robert  H.irrison  laid  out  the  town  in  1833, 
as  above  stated,  and  the  original  plat  em- 
braced 48  lots,  most  of  which  were  sold  at  the 
first  sale.  Harrison  afterward  surveyed  and 
laid  off  80  lots  rttore  which  was  known  as 
"Harrison's  addition  to  the  town  of  Hutson- 
ville." There  have  been  other  additions 
made  of  a  later  date,  but  to  go  into  the 
details  of  each,  is  not  pertinent  to  the  subject, 
nor  of  special  importance.  The  town  was 
called  Hutsonville,  in  memory  of  Isaac  Hut- 
son,  whose  family  was  murdered  by  the 
Indians. 

The  first  residence  built  in  Hutsonville  after 
the  town  was  laid  out  was  erected  by  Wm. 
Cox,  in  the  fall  of  1833.  The  house  was  built 
on  lot  33,  fronting  the  river,  and  was  of 
hewed  logs,  and  was  afterward  "  weather- 
boarded."  By  a  strange  coincidence  it  has 
fallen  down  from  age,  since  we  commenced 
writing  this  chapter.  Wm.  M.  Hurst,  a 
brother  of  "Uncle"  Jack's;  put  up  the  next 
residence.  He  built  a  kitchen  in  the  fall  of 
1833,  and  occupied  it  and  the  counting  room 
of   his    store,    until    he    could    complete    the 


remainder  of  his  residence,  which  was  the  fol- 
lowing spring.  His  was  a  small  one-story 
building,  also  on  the  river  bank,  and  is  stdl 
standing  and  known  as  the  "  Gascon  Adams 
House."  Residences  now  went  up  rapidly'; 
so  rapidly  we  are  unable  to  keep  trace  of 
them. 

The  mercantile  business  took  an  early  start 
in  Hutsonville.  William  Cox  and  William 
M.  Hurst,  above  mentioned  were  the  pioneer 
merchants.  Under  the  firm  name  of  Cox  & 
Hurst,  they  opened  a  store  in  August,  1833,  a 
few  months  after  the  town  was  laid  out. 
They  continued  business  until  1837-38,  when 
they  closed  out  for  the  purpose  of  collecting 
up  the  debts  they  had  made.  Everybody 
there  who  sold  goods  at  all,  sold  on  a  credit — 
"  the  cheap  cash  store "  had  not  yet  been 
invented — and  hence,  every  few  years,  the 
merchant  had  to  close  out  his  business,  and 
collect  his  outstanding  accounts  in  order  to 
raise  money  to  buy  another  stock  of  goods. 
Thus  Cox  &  Hurst,  after  running  a  store  some 
five  or  six  years,  were  forced  to  pursue  this 
method  to  replenish  their  stock,  and  the  mer- 
cantile field  was  left  to  others.  After  clos- 
ing out  their  business,  they  rented  their  store- 
house to  C.  C.  McDonald,  who  opened  a  large 
store,  but  he  soon  run  his  course  and  dropped 
out  of  the  race.  But  in  the  meantime,  the 
second  store  had  been  started  in  1835,  by 
Scott  &  Ross,  who  came  here  from  Terre 
Haute,  for  the  purpose  of  making  their  for- 
tunes. Scott  soon  sold  out  to  Ross,  and  after- 
ward Ross  sold  to  Royal  A.  Knott,  who  took 
William  McCoy  in  as  a  partner.  In  two  or 
three  years  they  were  forced  to  close  out  and 
gather  up  their  scattered  capital. 

About  the  year  1840,  William  Cox,  the 
pioneer  merchant,  together  with  Hurst  and 
others,  under  the  firm  of  Wm.  Cox  & 
Co.,  again  embarked  in  the  mercantile  busi- 
ness, but  in  three  or  four  years,  and  for  the 
same    reason    as    heretofore,  again    retired. 


-'\\ 


i^^^/^74W^A 


HISTORY  OF  CRAWFORD  COUNTY. 


155 


Caswell  Jones  opened  a  store  oa  a  small  scale 
about  1839-4:0,  and  continued  in  business  for 
some  ten  years.     Henry  A.  Steele  also  opened 
a  store  about  the  same   tmie    as   Jones.       He 
built   a   store-house    where   the    large    brick 
block  now  stands,  but  retired  from  business 
in    a  year  or   two.     (Ai^ain    about    lSo4,   in 
company   with   A.    P.  Harness,  he  opened    a 
large    store,  which    was    continued   until    his 
death  in  ISGO.)     Harness  then  wound  up   the 
business    and     afterward   he   and    .McDowell 
commejiced  a  store  which  they  operated  for  a 
few  years.      In  1843—14  the  mercantile  busi- 
ness  had   subsided   into  almost  nothing,  and 
the  people  had  to  go  to  York  to  supply  them- 
selves   with  "  store  goods,"  or  in   a  measure 
do  without  them.      Early  in  the  year  1845, 
Dr.  Lucius  McAllister  rented  the  Steele  store- 
house and    opened  out    a   good    stock.      He 
flourished  but  a  year  or  two  when  he  signally 
failed,  and  left  town.     He  located  somewhere 
about  Tuscola,  wliere  he  recuperated  and  made 
money.      In    184^-48    the    Preston    Brothers 
started   a    store    in    the   Steele  house,    which 
they  operated   several   years.      But   while  in 
full   blast   .John  Sweeny  bought  the    Steele 
store-house  and   compelled  them  to  vacate  it. 
Prestons  then    built    a   store    on    the    corner 
opposite  the  present  post-office,  and  after  a  few 
years    more,    closed    out,    and   devoted    their 
attention  mostly  to   pork   packing.      A  man 
from  York  named  Coleman  rented   the   Pres- 
ton store-house  and  opened  a  stock  of  goods, 
but   did   not  remain    but  a  year  or  two,  when 
he  closed  out  and  returned  whence  he  came. 
February,  1804,  the  Prestons  ag&in  opened 
a  store,  and  on  a  much  larger  scale  than    be- 
fore.    Under  the  firm  of  Preston,  Lake  &  Co. 
they  continued    business    until    a    few    years 
ago,  and  made  a  great  deal    of   money — just 
how  much  none  but  themselves  perhaps  know. 
But   in  pork-packing,   merchandizing,  and  in 
grain  thej'  did  the    most  extensive    business 
ever  done  in  the  town.     This  was  the  general 


headquarters  of  nine  stores  which  they  had  in 
successful  operation.  They  let  the  stock  run 
down,  and  a  few  years  ago,  sold  it  to  George 
McDowell,  who  continued  business,  until  one 
of  the  fires,  -which  Hutsonville  is  subject  to, 
swept  away  the  entire  block,  and  the  Preston, 
Lake  &  Co.'s  building,  where  money  had  been 
accumulated  for  years,  was  but  a  "  heap  of 
smouldering  ruins." 

We  will  go  back  now  and  gather  up  anoth- 
er thread  of  the    mercantile   history   of   Hut- 
sonville.    John  A.   Merrick  opened   a   large 
store  about  18-53-53.    He  built  the  brick  store- 
house occupied  by  Hurst  &01win,  when   they 
were  burned  out  in  1873.     He  commenced  in 
the  old  Steele  house,  several  times  referred  to, 
where  he  remained  until  his  new  brick  store 
was  finisheil.     Mr.  Merrick  carried  on  an  ex- 
tensive business  for  ten  or  twelve  years,  when 
he  sold  to  Gen.  Pearce  &  Sons.     They  closed 
out  in  a  short  time,  and  rented  the  store-house 
to  Musgrave  &   Coffin.     After  a  few    months 
Musgrave  bought  out  Coffin,  and  continuing 
business  a  short  time  longer,  he  (Nathan  Mus- 
grave) died,  when  Wm.   P.   Musgrave,  closed 
out  the  store.     About  the  year  1854,  Luther 
A.  Stone  opened  a  store  as  successor  of  Wm. 
Cox  &  Co.     He  took  in  Levi  Moore  as  a  part- 
ner, and  Wm.  L.  Draper,  then  a  young    man. 
was  employed  as  a  clerk.    Stone,  Moore  &  Co 
continued  a  few  years,  when  Stone  died,  and 
Moore  closed  out.     A  man  from  Terre  Haute 
opened  a  store  in  the  house    lately    occupied 
by  Stone,  Moore  &  Co.,  and  in  a    short    time 
sold  out  to  Draper  &  Wood.     A    man    named 
Mclntire  succeeded  Wood,  and  the    firm   be- 
came Draper  &  Mclntire.      Moore   again  be- 
came   a  partner,  and   so  continued    until    ha 
died.     Draper,  after  Moore's  death,  closed  up 
the    business,   and  about   18G3   sold    out   to 
John  T.  Cox,  a  son  of  the    pioneer    merchant 
of  Hutsonville.     A.  J.  Cox  became  a  partner, 
and  the  business  continued  thus  several  years. 
Wm.  P.  Musgrave  &  Co.    (John   R.  Hurst 


1ii6 


IirSTORY  OF  CRAWFORD  COUNTY. 


the  Co.)  opened  a  store  March  17,  ISiU ;  the 
Pi-estons  had  re-opened  business  here  in  Febru- 
ary preceding.  Wni.  P.  Musgrave  &  Co.  con- 
tinued about  eighteen  months  when  Musiirave 
sold  out  to  I.  N.  Lowe,  and  the  fn-m  became 
J.  R.  Hurst  &  Co.  In  Novemlier,  1867,  .John 
Olwin  was  admitted  into  the  firm,  and  shortly- 
after  Hurst  bought  out  Lowe,  and  changed 
the  firm  name  to  Hurst  &  Olwin,  which  still 
continues  in  liusiness.  W.  B.  Hurst  became 
a.  partner  in  1S71.  "Uncle  Jack,"  as  every- 
body calls  Mr.  Hurst,  has  retired  from  active 
business  but  the  old  sign,  like  that  of  Doni- 
bey  &  Son,  still  swings  in  the  breeze. 

W.  L.  Draper,  who  sold  out  in  1863,  and 
went  to  Terre  Haute,  afterward  returned  to 
Hutsonville  and  went  into  business  again. 
In  1875,  S.  L.  Bennett  was  admitted  a  part- 
ner, and  the  firm  of  Draper  &  Bennett  con- 
tinued until  about  the  close  of  the  year  1883, 
when  thev  sold  out  to  Golden  &  Canaday, 
now  in  business. 

This  comprises  a  brief  sketch  of  the  early 
mercantile  business  of  Hutsonville,  together 
with  some  of  the  old  firms,  so  well  known  to 
the  people  of  this  section  of  the  county.  We 
leave  the  records  of  more  modern  firms  and 
business  men  to  some  future  historian.  Many 
men  have  embarked  in  business  in  Hutson- 
ville, and  some  have  enjoyed  prosperity  and 
success,  while  others  failed;  some  of  them 
swept  over  the  scene  like  untamed  meteors, 
flashed,  darted  and  fizzled,  and  then  went  out. 
Qnorum  pars  maf/naj'ui.  Yes,  the  writer 
invested  his  surplus  capital  in  Hutsonville, 
but  it  was  swept  away  in  the  great  overflow 
of  "  '75  " — otherwise  in  the  '•  August  freshet," 
and  in  overflows  of  a  different  character,  but 
nevertheless  it  went.  There  have  been  others 
who  met  with  like  misfortvines  here.  But 
there  is  consolation  in  the  fact  that  what  is 
the  loss  of  one  is  the  gain  of  others.  But 
Hutsonville  has  proven  an  Eldorado  to  many. 
INIore  than  one  snug  little   fortune    has   been 


carved  out  here  and  carried  away  to  enrich 
other  sections  of  the  country. 

Taverns.  —  Israel  Harris,  as  stated,  was 
keeping  a  hotel,  or  tavern,  as  they  were  then 
called,  when  Hutsonville  was  laid  out,  and 
sold  it  to  Robert  Harrison.  He  kept  the  tav- 
ern for  years,  and  finally  killed  himself  by 
excessive  drinking.  Some  time  before  he 
died  he  sol  i  the  tavern  and  ail  the  land  he 
owned  (outside  of  the  town  lots)  to  John  El- 
liott, who,  alter  running  the  tavern  for  a 
while,  sold  it  to  Enoch  Wilhite,  the  father  of 
Squire  James  Wilhite,  whom  many  of  our 
readers  still  remember.  Mr.  Wilhite  kept 
the  tavern  as  long  as  he  lived.  It  was  once 
a  very  important  place;  it  was  the  stage- 
stand,  when  a  four-horse  stage  ran  daily 
between  Vincennes  and  Danville.  The 
next  tavern  was  opened  by  Levi  Moore. 
During  the  mercantile  career  of  Stone, 
Moore  &  Co.  they  built  the  brick  resi- 
dence now  owned  and  occupied  by  Mr.  W. 
L.  Draper,  and  in  this,  after  the  death 
of  Stone,  Moore  kept  tavern.  Moore  sold  it 
to  Simons,  who  also  kept  it  as  a  tavern  for 
a  while,  and  then  rented  it  to  William  Boat- 
right,  who  used  it  for  the  same  purpose.  The 
next  tavern  was  kept  by  Joel  Barlow,  on  the 
corner  where  Newton  &  Rackerby's  drug  store 
stands.  Then  a  tavern  was  opened  on  the 
site  of  the  present  Adams  House.  The  house 
was  put  up  as  a  private  residence  by  John 
Musgrave,  but  was  rented  to  C.  C.  McDonald, 
who  kept  it  as  a  tavern.  It  has  charged 
hands  and  landlords  often  since  then;  altera- 
tions have  taken  place,  additions  been  built  ' 
to  it,  old  portions  torn  down  and  repairs  made, 
until  to-day  there  is,  perhajis,  not  a  single 
square  inch  of  the  original  building  left  in  the 
present  house.  For  thirty  years  or  more  it 
has  been  a  tavern-stand,  and  twice  during  that 
period  it  has  been  the  "  Adams  House."  Who 
does  not  remember  "Uncle  Joe"  Adams,  and 
"Aunt  Jane,"    and    their    home-like    tavern? 


HISTORY  OF  CRAWFORD  COUNTY. 


157 


The  present  proprietor,  Mr.  Lewis  Adams,  is 
a  t^euial  host,  judging  from  his  evening  com- 
p;iny,  and  an  accommodating  landlord. 

A  post-office  was  established  liere  in  1832, 
and  Wdliain  Cox  was  the  postmaster.  It 
was  small  and  insignificant  compared  to 
wiiat  it  is  now.  The  mail  was  rocoivt'd  over 
the  old  Slate  road  then,  and  wlien  Murpliy  & 
Goodrich  started  their  big  four-horse  mail 
coaches,  their  arrival  created  a  greater  sensa- 
tion than  Charley  Willard  does  now  when  he 
conies  in  from  the  depot  with  the  mail-bag  on 
his  shoulder.  Murphy  &  Goodrich  started 
tiieir  coaches  about  the  year  183S,  but  broke 
up  in  a  few  months,  and  again  the  mail 
dropped  back  to  first  princi])les — the  hack,  or 
trie  "post-rider" — until  the  iron  horse  dashed 
in  with  it  at  lightning  speed. 

Pork-packing  has  been  an  extensive  and 
profitable  business  in  Hutsonville.  Cox  and 
Hurst  commenced  the  business  in  1835  on  a 
small  scale,  but  followed  it  only  two  or  three 
years.  About  18-i8-9  Carson,  Hurst  &  Mus- 
grave,  as  Carson  &  Co.,  did  a  large  business 
in  pork-packing.  H.  A.  Steele  followed  the 
l)usiness  for  a  few  years,  and  so  also  did  John 
A.  Merrick.  He  built  a  pork  house  and 
packed  extensively  for  two  or  three  years. 

But  the  Prestons  did  the  largest  business 
in  packing  pork.  They  commenced  about 
the  time  they  first  opened  their  store,  having 
rented  Cox  &  Co.'s  pork  house.  In  a  few 
years  they  bought  land  near  the  ferry  and 
built  a  pork  house  of  their  own.  To  this  they 
made  additions  as  their  business  incneased, 
until  it  became  an  extens.ve  establishment. 
They  did  a  large  business  in  pork,  as  well  as 
in  merchandise,  and  grew  immensely  rich. 
To  the  large  fortune  they  are  supposed  to 
liave  accumulated,  Hutsonville  and  Crawford 
County  contributed  far  the  larger  portion. 
In  the  beginning  of  the  pork  business  here  it 
was  shipped  almost  entirely  to  New  Orleans 
by  llat-boats.     ^Vhen  the  Prestons  got  under 


way  they  sh.ipped  bj' steamboats,  and  shipped 
east  mostly  instead  of  south. 

John  A.  Merrick  was  one  of  the  finest  and 
most  accomplished  business  men  ever  in 
Hutsonville.  He  made  money  rapidlv,  accu- 
mulating a  handsome  little  fortune.  But  in  an 
evil  hour  he  invested  his  capital  in  the  old 
distillery  below  town,  which  proved  the  rock 
upon  which  his  ship  went  down,  and  has  been 
equally  disastrous  to  many  since  his  time. 
Indeed,  nearly  every  one  who  invested  in  it 
failed  tttterly.  Merrick  and  Joseph  Volke  of 
Palestine  built  this  distillery,  and  broke  up 
at  it.  After  breaking  everybody  that  took 
hold  of  it,  the  distillery  itself  broke  up — the 
best  break  of  all. 

jnils. — Solomon  Sackrider  built  a  steam 
grist-mill  on  Hutson  Creek  about  three  hun- 
dred yards  from  the  mouth  of  the  creek,  the 
first  mill  in  the  town.  It  was  quite  an  exten- 
sive establishment  and  did  a  profitable  busi- 
ness. The  Prestons  traded  for  it,  and  it 
finally  blew  up  from  some  cause,  and  in  the 
explosion  one  man  was  killed.  The  mill  was 
never  rebuilt. 

The  Hutson  mills  were  built  by  the  Mark- 
leys,  and  was  the  next  enterprise  in  the  town, 
in  the  way  of  a  steam  grist-mill.  They  com- 
prise a  large  three-story,  frame  building,  with 
five  run  of  buhrs,  and  a  capacity  of  one  hun- 
dred barrels  of  flour  per  day,  most  of  which, 
aside  from  home  consumption,  is  shi])ped 
south.  The  mills  have  all  the  latest  improved 
machinery,  and  use  the  patent  process  in  the 
ma  ving  of  flour.  They  have  changed  hands 
many  times  since  they  were  originally  built, 
and  are  now  owned  by  Harness,  Newton  and 
Rackerby.  These  mills,  already  mentioned, 
together  with  the  mill  at  the  old  distillery, 
and  a  number  of  saw-mills  built  about  town 
at  different  times,  embrace  the  manufacturing 
interests  of  Hutsonville  in  the  way    of   mills. 

The  stave-factory,  saw  and  planing-mills, 
on  the  river  above   town    is  an    enterprise  of 


158 


IIISTOUY  OF  CRAWFORD  COUNTY. 


considerable  magnitude.  It  was  built  by 
Hussong  &  Co.  in  1881-83.  It  works  a  num- 
ber of  hands,  and  does  quite  an  extensive 
business. 

The  first  school  in  Hutsonville  was  taught 
b}'  a  man  named  Broom,  in  a  little  house  built 
for  school  purposes,  and  now  occupied  as  a 
residence  by  Jack  Woolverton.  The  next 
school-house  built,  was  the  present  one. 
The  present  attendance  at  school  is  about  100 
pupils — a  little  more  than  half  of  tlie  enroll- 
ment. Another  short-sightedness  in  the  peo- 
ple, is  not  compelling  their  children  to  go  to 
hchool.  When  parents  allow  their  children 
to  run  wild  in  the  streets,  instead  of  sending 
them  to  school,  tliey  can  blame  no  one  but 
themselves  if  they  bring  up  in  the  peniten- 
tiary. Such  things  are  by  no  means  uncom- 
mon. The  ])resent  teachers  of  the  Hutson- 
ville schools,  are  Mr.  Arthur  Horning,  and 
Miss  Dora  Braden. 

Rev.  .lames  McCord,  a  local  Methodist 
preacher,  delivered  the  first  sermon  in  Hut- 
sonville, on  Sunday  before  Christmas,  1833. 
He  then  lived  near  the  town,  and  often 
preached  for  the  people  at  their  residences. 
He  preached  the  sermon  above  referred  to  in  a 
little  unfinished  house  built  by  T.  G.  Moore  on 
Water  street.  About  the  year  1840  a  Meth- 
odist church  was  organized;  a  class,  however, 
had  been  organized  sometime  previously.  In 
February  of  the  year  noted,  a  quarterly  meet- 
ing was  held  in  the  village  by  Rev.  Beadle, 
the  circuit  rider,  and  Rev.  William  Crews, 
presiding  Elder,  and  a  church  organized. 
Harvey  Wilhite  had  been  killed  by  the  kick 
of  a  horse,  and  his  funeral  sermon  was 
preached  at  this  quarterly  meeting  by  Rev. 
Crews.  A  great  revival  of  religion  followed 
the  organization  of  the  church,  and  Christian- 
ity prospered  accordingly.  The  church  has 
existed  ever  since  its  original  organization, 
though  it  has  dwindled  down  at  times,  and 
become  lukewarm.     The  present  lirick  church 


was  built,  between  1850  and  1854,  by  contri- 
butions from  all  denominations,  but  some 
years  ago  it  was  regularly  dedicated  as  a 
Methodist  church.  Rev.  Mr.  Massey  is  the 
present  pastor,  and  Mr.  C.  V.  Newton,  super- 
intendent of  the  Sunday  school,  which  is  car- 
ried on  during  the  entire  year. 

The  Christian  Church  was  organized  soon 
after  the  Methodist  church,  but  a  church  edi- 
fice was  not  built  until  in  1800,  when  the 
present  frame  church  was  erected.  Elder 
Alfred  P.  Law  organized  the  society  in  a 
little  log-house  which  stood  on  lot- 18,  and  is 
now  used  as  a  stable.  The  next  preacher 
after  Law  was  Elder  William  Tichnor. 
There  is  no  regular  pastor  at  present.  The 
church  is  numerically  strong,  and  has  had 
some  able  ministers,  the  ablest  of  whom  per- 
haps were  James  Morgan  and  Elder  Black. 
A  flourishing  Sunday  school  is  maintained 
under  the  superintendence  of  Mr.  A.  J.  Cox. 
There  are  no  other  church  organizations  in 
the  village  than  those  mentioned. 

Hutsonville  Lodge  No.  136  A.  F.  and  A. 
M.,  was  organized  October  5,  1853,  under  E. 
B.  Ames,  Grand  Master,  and  H.  G.  Reynolds, 
Grand  Seoretarj'.  The  first  officers  were  B. 
F.  Robinson,  Master;  Joshua  Davis,  Senior 
Warden,  and  J.  J.  Petri,  Junior  Warden. 
The  present  officers  are  John  M.  McNutt, 
Master;  John  01  win.  Senior  Warden;  L.  W. 
Smith,  Junior  Warden;  R.  W.  Canaday,  Treas- 
urer; G.  V.  Newton,  Secretary,  and  C.  Rogers, 
Tiler. 

Hutsonville  Lodge  No.  106  I.  O.  O.  F.,  was 
instituted  October  15,  1853,  by  W.  L.  Rueker, 
Grand  Master,  and  S.  A.  Goneau,  Grand  Sec- 
retary. The  charter  members  were  Win.  T. 
B.  ilclntire,  J.  N.  Cox,  Liberty  Murphy,  J. 
M.  Wilhite,  and  Andrew  P.  Harness.  The 
present  officers  of  the  lodcre  are  Price  John- 
son, N.  G.;  John  Carpenter,  V.  G.;  E.  Kinnej', 
Treasurer,  and  H.  H.  Flesher,  Secretary. 

Osmer  Lodge  No.  3330  Knights  of  Honor, 


HISTORY  OF  CRAWFORD  COUNTY. 


159 


was  organized  and  a  charter  issued  under  date 
ol'  June  9,  1881,  to  Jolm  O  win,  Win.  E.iton, 
Danl.  Iloldennan,  J.  L.  Musj^rave,  M.  P. 
Rackerby,  C.  W.  Keys,  C.  V.  Newton,  C. 
Rodgers  and  others,  as  charter  members. 
The  present  ofEcers  are  Wm.  Eaton,  P.  D.; 
James  Handy,  D.;  Lucius  Hurst,  A.  D.;  Jesse 
C.  Musgrave,  V.  D.;  John  Oiwin,  Treasurc^r; 
C.  V.  Newton,  Reporter,  and  M.  P.  Rackerby, 
Financial  Reporter,  and  several  others  too  te- 
dious to  mention. 

Hutsonville  has  been  incorporated  time 
after  time.  Its  first  experience  of  this  kind 
was  some  time  between  1840  <md  1850.  This 
style  of  government  was  allowed  to  go  by  de- 
fault finally,  and  about  18")2  it  was  incorpo- 
rated under  a  special  charter,  which  "Uncle 
Jack"  Hurst  says  was  as  voluminous  as  the 
■  history  of  the  Decline  and  Fall  of  the  Roman 
Empire,  and  as  binding  in  its  provisions  as  the 
laws  of  the  Medes  and  Persians.  This  charter 
was  repealed  in  a  few  years,  and  the  village  in- 
corporated under  a  special  act  of  the  Legisla- 
ture, and  the  following  Board  of  Trustees 
elected:  Benj.  Henry,  President;  W.  Holdcii, 
Treasurer;  W.  L.  Draper,  Clerk;  andCatlin 
Preston,  John  R.  Hurst  and  J.  O.  Harness.  In 
1875,  it  was  re-incorporated  under  the  general 
law,  and  the  following  trustees  elected:  John 
Harness,  President;  I.  N.  Lowe,  Clerk;  C.  W. 
Keys,  Treasurer;  J.  M.  Wilhite,  Police  Magis- 
trate; and  R.  W.  Truitt,  Frank  Brivogal,  W. 
P.  Claypool  and  Geo.  W.  Wood.  The  pre- 
sent board  are,  C.  V.  Newton,  President;  H. 
H.  Flesher,  Clerk;  M.  P.  Rackerby,  Treas- 
urer; M.  T.  Wolf,  Police  Magistrate;  and 
Lewis  Adams,  Henry  Draper,  C.  W.  Keys, 
Green  Becknal  and  Jack  Plough. 

Destructive  conflagrations  and  disastrous 
overflows  are  common  to  Hutsonville.  The 
town  has  been  inundated  by  the  roaring  Wa- 
bash scores  of  times  and  much  property  de- 
stroyed. It  has  been  burnt  out  so  often  that 
a  fire  is  no  longer  a  noveltv  to  its  citizens. 


The  two  great  elements — fire  and  water — 
seem  to  have  conspired  against  the  growth 
and  prosperity  of  the  place.  What  the  floods 
leave  fire  sweeps  away,  and  as  Shakespeare 
says:  "  So  thickly  do  they  follow  as  to  tread 
on  each  other's  heels."  The  great  overflow  of 
1875 — the  "  August  fresh  " — of  which  so 
much  has  been  said,  was  an  epoch — a  kind  of 
chronological  starting  point  from  which  all 
matters  of  village  gossip  dated.  But  the 
"  February  fresh  "  of  1SS3,  put  the  "August 
fresh  "  of  1875  in  its  little  bed,  and  closed  the 
mouth  of  the  "  oldest  inhabitant "  with  ten  or 
twelve  inches  more  of  water  than  the  Wabash 
marked  in  the  great  flood  of  1828,  or  in  that 
of  1875.  The  "  February  fresh "  takes  the 
place  of  the  "August  fresh,"  thus  constituting 
a  new  starting  point  in  the  town's  chro- 
nology. 

To  conclude  its  history,  Hutsonville  is  noted 
for  many  things.  Not  the  least  of  these  are 
the  courtesy  of  its  inhabitants,  the  beauty  of 
its  women,  the  integrity  of  its  business  men, 
its  calamities  from  fire  and  water,  and  its 
many  burglaries. 

West  York,  a  small  village  situated  on  the 
railroad  in  the  extreme  north  part  of  the  town- 
ship, was  laid  out  Ijy  Ezekiel  Bishop,  Es^q.,  an 
early  settler  in  this  section  of  the  county.  It 
grew  out  of  the  building  of  the  railroad,  and 
has  a  population  of  about  a  dozen  families  at 
the  present  time.  The  first  store  was  kept  by 
H.  J.  Musgrave,  who  sold  out  to  G.  W.  Bishop. 
The  store  is  now  kept  by  Buckner  Brothers. 
It  is  a  good  grain  point,  and  two  grain  ware- 
houses are  in  operation,  one  by  G.  W.  Bishop, 
and  the  other  by  S.  C.  Brevoe. 

The  first  car-load  of  grain  shipped  from 
Crawford  Count}',  was  by  Jesse  C.  Musgrave 
and  G.  W.  Bishop,  the  pioneer  grain  dealers  of 
West  York.  The  car  was  loaded  at  Quaker 
Lane,  and  run  out  on  Sunday,  March  26,  1875, 
b}'  the  construction  train,  as  no  regular  trains 
had,  at  the  time,  been  put  on  the  road.     


CHAPTER   XIY.* 


LICKING   TOWNSHIP-DESCRIPTION,    BOUNDARIES    AND   TOPOGRAPHY-EARLY    SETTLE- 
MENT—PIONEER IMPROVEMENTS  AND  INDUSTRIES— VILLAGES— EARLY 
SCHOOLS,  ETC— CHURCHES  AND  CHURCH  BUILDINGS. 


THE  events  of  every-day  life  are   like    the 
stones  in  a  Mosaic,  each  going  to  make  up 
the  whole  picture,  and  it  is  often   th;it   these 
trifling  occurrences  are  of  far  more  interest  to 
us  than  the  great  events  of  the  time.     Doubt- 
less the  buiiders  of  the  Parthenon  were  more 
pleased    with   the   goodness    of    the    midday 
meal  which  their   wives   brought  thein   than 
they  were  with  the  magnificence  of  the  grand 
temple  they  wore  erecting.     In  all  probability 
Shakspeare  thought  more  of  the  acting  quali- 
ties of  the  ideal  characters  he  created  than  of 
the  echoes  thny  would  send  down  through  the 
lonor  corridors  of  time.     So  in  the  annals  of  a 
county  or  town,  the  historian's  aim  is  to  chron- 
icle, not  great  events  that  affect  the  destiny 
of  a  nation,    but  rather  the  homely  events  of 
everv-day  life,  and    such    as    have    occurred 
•within    the    last    sixty    years.     The  pioneers 
who  bore  the  brunt  of  toil  and  danger;  whose 
lives    were   spent,  not    in    the  lap  of  luxury, 
surrounded  by  affluence,  but  amid  perils  and 
manifold  hardships;    and   the    j-outh    whose 
infant  cradles  were  rocked  to  the  music  of  the 
■wild     wolf's  howl — these    and  kindred   inci- 
dents are  such  as  embellish  the  early  hist  Ty 
of  this  part  of  Illinois,  and  are  of  more  inter- 
est to  us  than  the  great  questions  which  shake 
empires  and    kingdoms.       These  scenes  and 
incidents,  together   with  those  who  figured  in 
them,  deserve  perpetuation  in   history.     The 
majority  of  the  original  pioneers  have  passed 
away;  but  few  of  the  old  guard  remain,  and 

*  By  G.  N.  Beny. 


manv    of   their    children,  too,   have  followed 
them  to  that  "  bourne  from  whence  no  traveler 
returns."      It  is  highly  fitting  then  that  a  rec- 
ord of  the  "old  times"  should   be    maile   to 
stand   as   a   monument  to  their  industry  and 
hardships.       Licking   township  occupies    the 
northwest  corner  of  Crawford  County,  and  is 
eight    miles    in     extent     from    east    to  west 
and    seven    miles  from    the   northern   to    tlie 
southern    boundarv.        It     contains     fifty-six 
sqtiare     miles    of   territory    and    possesses    a 
pleasant  diversity  of  surface,  with  prairie  aud 
woodland  alternating  in   about  equal  propor- 
tions.    An  arm  of  the  Dolson  prairie  extends 
through  the  eastern  part  of  the  township  from 
north  to  southwest,  embracing  an  area  of  about 
twelve    hundred   and    sixty    acres.      Willow 
prairie  lies  near  the  central  part  and  includes 
a  scope  of  land  about  three  and   a  half  miles 
long  from  north  to  south  and    three  miles   in 
extent    from    east   to    west,    while    White's 
prairie  occupies  a  strip  about  one  and  a  half 
miles  in   width,  along  the   western  border  of 
the  township.     These  prairies  possess  a  gently 
undulating  surface,  and  a  rich  gray  loam  soil 
which    is    well   adapted  for   agricultural   pur- 
poses.     The    subsoil   is   clay,   which   renders 
*  farmincr,  during  wet  seasons,  rather  difficult, 
owing  to  its  impervious  nature.     The  wooded 
portions  of  the  township  are  more  uneven,  and 
along  the  various  water-courses   by  which  the 
country  is  drained  the  land  is  somewhat  irreg- 
ular and  broken.     The  original  forest  growth 
consisted  of  various    species    of    oak,  black 
and  white  walnut,  sugar  maple,  elm,  sycamore, 


HISTORY  OF  CRAWFORD  COUNTY. 


161 


ash,  hickory,  sassafras,  persimmon,  locust, 
and  a  number  of  other  varieties.  The  under- 
growth consists  of  hazel,  sumac,  dog-wood, 
spice-bush,  paw-paw,  grape,  wild  plum,  etc. 
The  immediate  valleys  of  the  streams  in  the 
southern  and  central  portions  of  the  township 
are  well  titnbered  and  occasionally  there  are 
to  be  seen  isolated  copses  or  trroves  in  the 
open  prairie.  But  in  these  the  trees  do  not 
exiiibit  that  thrifty  sxrowth  characteristic  of 
the  forests.  The  timbered  land  possesses  a 
soil  superior  in  many  respects  to  the  prairies 
for  general  farming  purposes.  It  is  of  a 
clayey  nature,  wears  well,  and  seems  espe- 
cially adapted  to  wheat  and  the  other  small 
grains.  The  township  is  traversed  by  several 
streams,  among  which  are  Muddy  Creek, 
Maple  Creek,  Willow  Creek,  and  Big  Creek. 
The  last  named  flows  through  the  southeast 
corner  of  the  township,  and  is  a  stream  of  con- 
siderable size  and  importance.  Muddy  Creek 
crosses  the  northern  boundary,  in  section  1, 
flows  diagonally  through  the  township  in  a 
southwesterly  direction  and  leaves  from  sec- 
tion 6.  In  its  course  it  receives  a  number  of 
affluents,  the  principal  of  which  is  Maple's 
branch,  which  flows  a  southerlv  course,  through 
sections  3,  9  and  16.  Willow  Creek  is  formed 
by  the  junction  of  two  small  streams  in  sec- 
tion 7,  from  which  point  it  flows  a  southerly 
course  and  leaves  the  township  from  section 
1,  about  two  miles  from  the  western  boundary. 
The  township  is  noted  as  an  agricultural 
region  and  some  of  the  largest  and  best 
improved  farms  in  the  county  are  to  be  seen 
■within  its  limits.  There  are  many  fine  graz- 
ing districts  in  various  parts  of  the  country, 
and  stock-raising  is  rapidly  coming  to  the 
front  as  an  industry. 

The  advent  of  pioneers  into  that  portion  of 
the  county  embraced  within  the  limits  of 
this  township  dates  back  to  a  period  more 
than  sixty  years  gone  by,  but  by  whom  the 
first  settlement  was  made  can  not  be  correctly 


determined.  It  is  known,  however,  that  a 
number  of  transient  sattlers  had  "squatted" 
on  Congress  land  in  the  southern  part  of  the 
township  as  eariy  as  the  year  IS'^O,  but 
beyond  erecting  a  few  insignificant  cabins, 
and  clearing  small  patches  of  ground,  they 
made  no  improvements.  The  names  of  these 
squatters,  and  facts  concerning  them,  have 
been  lost  in  the  lapse  of  time,  and  any  attempt 
to  designate  their  location  would  be  mere 
conjecture.  A  man  by  name  of  Phelps,  of 
whom  but  little  is  known,  settled  one  mile 
north  of  Henry  Kerby's  farm,  about  the  year 
1820,  where  he  buiit  a  rude  cabin  and 
improved  about  an  acre  of  ground.  He  came 
to  this  part  of  the  country  from  one  of  the 
southern  States,  and  like  many  of  the  precur- 
sors of  civilization,  was  induceil  to  come  west 
in  quest  of  game,  which  at  that  time,  was 
plentiful,  and  easily  procured.  His  wants 
were  few  and  easily  satisfied  and  he  led  a 
charmed  life  in  quest  of  his'  favorite  pursuit, 
until  the  year  1S20,  when  on  the  appearance 
of  more  permanent  settlers  he  left  the  country 
and  went  further  west. 

Among  the  earliest  inhabitants  of  Licking 
is  remembered  one  John  Mdler,  a  native  of 
Philadelphia,  who  settled  temporarily  near 
the  southern  boundary  of  the  township  in 
section  3,  about  the  year  1821.  He  was  a 
true  type  of  the  backwoodsman,  and  led  a 
wild,  free  life  in  his  isolated  cabin,  untram- 
meled  by  the  usages  and  exactions  of  society 
for  which  he  had  the  utmost  contempt.  He 
was  an  expert  with  the  rifle,  and  spent  the 
greater  part  of  his  time  hunting  and  trapping, 
and  realized  enough  from  the  sale  of  furs  and 
wild  game  to  keep  his  family  in  such  articles 
of  clothing  and  groceries  as  they  needed, 
which  fortunately  were  few.  He  sold  his  im- 
provements to  John  Howard  in  the  fall  of 
1824,  and  moved  west,  and  finally  made  his 
way  to  California.  A  number  of  years  later 
he  returned  to  the  township  and  entered  land 


HISTORY  OF  CRAWFORD  COUNTY. 


near  the  central  part,  wliere  he  lived  until 
the  time  of  his  death,  about  twenty  years 
ago.  His  reputation  for  honesty  was  not  of 
the  highest  order,  and  he  was  detected  in 
manv  petty  acts  of  thievery.  His  chief  means 
of  support  after  game  had  disappeared  from 
the  country,  was  derived  from  his  hogs  of 
which  he  kept  large  numbers.  William  John- 
son came  to  the  township  about  the  year  1833, 
and  made  a  few  improvements  on  the  farm 
at  present  occupied  by  Henry  Kerby.  John- 
son immigrated  to  this  State  from  Indiana  in 
an  ox  cart,  and  settled  first  near  Hutsonville, 
where  he  remained  but  a  short  time.  He  was 
in  many  respects  like  his  neighbor  Miller,  and 
ilepended  for  a  livelihood  upon  his  rifle  which 
was  his  most  valuable  piece  of  property.  He 
lived  where  he  first  loi'atcd  about  six  j'ears, 
when  he  sold  his  cabin  and  moved  further 
northwest  near  the  Bellaire  road,  where  he 
afterward  became  possessor  of  a  small  farm 
on  which  he  resided  until  the  year  18G6. 

An  early  settler  in  the  southern  part  of  the 
township  was  John  Howard,  whose  arrival 
dates  from  the  year  1826.  He  was  a  native 
of  Kentucky,  and  was  induced  to  immigrate 
to  this  State  in  the  hope  of  securing  land, 
which  could  be  obtained  at  that  early  day  at 
a  very  nominal  price.  The  family  came  in  a 
wagon,  and  were  many  weeks  on  the  journev, 
owing  to  the  wet  condition  of  the  season  and 
the  absence  of  roads,  much  of  the  way  lay 
through  an  almost  unbroken  wilderness, 
through  which  roads  had  to  be  cut,  thus  ren- 
dering the  trip  very  slow.  Howard  made 
his  first  settlement  in  the  eastern  part  of  the 
county,  near  Palestine,  where  he  lived  for  a 
number  of  years  before  moving  to  this  town- 
ship. He  purchased  the  improvements  which 
Miller  had  made  and  moved  his  family  here 
in  the  fall  of  the  year  mentioned,  and  until 
the  time  of  his  death  in  1849  was  promi- 
nently identified  with  the  development  of  the 


township.     One  daughter,   Mrs.  Kirby,  is  liv- 
ing in  the  townstiip  at  tlie  present  time. 

In  the  spring  of  18  J6  Eraslev  Curtis,  a  na- 
tive of  North  Carolina,  immigrated  to  Lick- 
ing, and  was  joined,  the  fall  of  the  same  year, 
by  James  Cox,  both  of  whom  selected  homes 
near  the  central  part  of  the  township.  Curtis 
did  not  make  any  improvements  for  a  number 
of  years,  beyond  erecting  a  rude  cabin,  and 
was,  like  many  of  the  early  settlers,  a  hunter 
and  trapper.  He  afterward  entered  land  near 
where  he  located,  and  for  about  twenty-three 
years  was  a  resident  of  the  township.  Cox 
came  frotn  Indiana,  and  was  no  credit  to  the 
community  in  which  he  settled.  He  raised 
a  large  family  of  boys  all  of  whom  inherited 
in  a  marked  degree  their  father's  evil  dispo- 
sition and  bad  habits,  and  grew  up  to  be  the 
terror  of  the  country.  Becoming  implicated 
in  some  difficulty  of  a  serious  nature,  and 
fearing  prosecutioTi,  the  boys  and  the  old  man 
left  the  country  about  the  year  1843,  and 
when  last  heard  from  vrere  in  the  State  of 
Missouri.  Other  settlers  in  1836  were  Will- 
iam Maples,  who  located  in  section  11, 
in  northern  part  of  the  township;  William 
Cooley,  a  native  of  North  Carolina,  who  set- 
tled near  the  present  site  of  Portersville, 
where  he  made  extensive  improvements, 
and  William  Goodwin  who  came  from  Indi- 
ana and  entered  land  in  section  33,  near 
Hart's  Grove.  John  Hart  came  a  little  later, 
and  entered  land  near  the  grove  which  bears 
his  name.  He  was  born  in  Virginia,  and 
left  his  native  State  for  Kentucky  immedi- 
ately after  his  marriage.  He  cleared  a  good 
farm  in  the  latter  State,  and  lived  on  it  for 
twenty  years,  accumulating  in  the  meantime 
considerable  property.  He  lost  this  farm 
through  a  defect  in  the  title,  and  spent  all  of 
his  hard-earned  wealth  lawing  for  its  recov- 
ery. After  his  possessions  were  all  gone  he 
determined  to  emigrate,  which  he  did  in  the 


HISTORY  OF  CRAWFORD  COUNTY. 


163 


smninorof  1S33,  and  came  with  his  family  to 
Piili-'stiiie,  arrivinp^  there  with  iiut  few  shil- 
lings in  his  poclcet.  lie  rented  land  near  the 
river,  where  he  remained  for  two  years,  at 
the  expiration  of  which  time  he  found  him- 
self in  possession  of  a  sufficient  amount  of 
money  to  enter  eighty  acres  of  land.  He 
made  his  first  entry  in  section  34,  and  moved 
his  family  to  his  new  home  a  few  weeks  later. 
He  improved  a  good  farm,  which  was  his 
home  until  the  year  185'^.  A  son,  .facol)  Hart, 
came  with  his  father  to  the  country,  and  has 
been  a  prominent  resident  of  the  township 
for  forty-nine  years.  He  settled  near  Big 
Creek  a  few  years  after  his  arrival,  where  he 
lived  for  about  ten  years,  when  he  sold  and 
moved  near  the  western  part  of  the  township 
on  Willow  Creek,  his  present  place  of  resi- 
dence. 

During  the  year  1837  the  following  persons 
became  residents  of  Licking.  Sargent  Hill, 
John  Tate,  William  Dicks,  .lames  Hollowell, 
"  Rick  "  Arnold,  and  a  man  by  name  of  Lan- 
dern.  Hill  came  from  North  Carolina  and  set- 
tled in  the  eastern  part  of  the  county  in  an 
earlv  day.  He  entered  land  in  section  25  in 
this  township,  which  is  still  in  possession  of 
his  descendants.  Hill  was  a  prominent  citi- 
zen, and  his  deseen(hants  are  among  the  lead- 
ing and  substantial  business  men  of  the  coun- 
ty. Tate  located  in  the  southern  part  of  the 
township  in  section  34,  where  he  entered 
land.  He  came  from  North  Carolina  in  coni- 
j)any  with  a  number  of  other  families,  the 
most  of  whom  settled  on  the  river.  He  lived 
in  the  township  about  twenty  years,  when  he 
sold  out  and  moved  to  Vandalia.  Dicks  was 
a  native  of  North  Carolina  also,  but  had  lived 
in  Indiana  a  number  of  years  prior  to  moving 
to  this  State.  He  entered  land  in  section  11 
a  short  distance  north  of  the  village  of  Annap- 
olis, and  for  twenty-five  years  was  promi- 
nently identified  with  the  township.  His 
death    occurred    in    1857,    and    the  place  on 


which  he  lived  is  at  the  present  time  owned 
by  the  Cunningham  heirs.  James  Hollowell 
was  born  in  Virginia,  but  was  taken  to  Indi- 
ana by  his  parents  when  but  six  years  of  age. 
He  lived  in  Indiana  until  1836,  at  which  time 
he  made  a  tour  of  observation  through  the 
west  for  the  purpose  of  selecting  a  home.  He 
went  as  far  as  Arkansas  but  was  not  satisfied 
with  the  country,  and  on  his  return  passed 
through  the  northern  part  of  Crawford  County. 
The  appearance  of  the  land  here  pleased  him 
and  he  entered  a  tract  in  section  11,  to  which 
he  moved  a  short  time  afterward.  He  brought 
his  family  in  the  fall  of  1837,  and  domiciled 
them  in  a  rude  cabin  which  had  lieen  used 
bv  a  squatter.  Being  a  man  of  considerable 
energv  he  soon  had  a  more  commodious 
structure  erected  and  a  goodly  number  of 
acres  under  cultivation.  He  was  a  man  of 
unblemished  reputation  and  a  prominent  citi- 
zen of  the  township  for  a  period  of  nine  years. 
The  old  place  is  in  possession  of  his  son  Silas 
Hollowell,  one  of  the  oldest  living  settlers  of 
the  township  and  one  of  its  leading  ritizens. 
"  Rick  "  Arnold  settled  near  the  central  part 
of  the  township,  where  he  made  a  few  tem- 
porary improvements.  Later  he  entered  land 
near  the  southeast  part.  He  was  a  man  of 
considerable  intelligence,  and  served  the 
county  two  terms  as  sheriff,  having  been 
elected  about  the  year  1838.  He  moved  to 
Missouri  in  the  year  1848  and  died  in  that 
State  a  few  years  later.  Landern  located  in 
the  northern  part  of  the  township,  near  the 
village  of  Annapolis.  He  was  an  old  bachelor 
and  a  very  eccentric  genius,  and  seemed  to 
shun  all  communications  with  his  neighbors. 
He  kept  large  droves  of  hogs,  which  he  fat- 
tened on  the  mast  in  the  woods;  from  the  sale 
of  his  porkers  he  acquired  considerable  money 
which  he  hoarded  away  very  carefully',  being 
a  perfect  miser  in  his  love  of  the  "  filthy  lucre." 
He  sold  all  of  his  hogs  about  the  fall  of  1840, 
and  embarked   in  a   small  flal-hoat  for   New 


164 


HISTORY  OF  CRAWFORD  COUNTY. 


Orleans,  since  which  time  nothing  has  been 
lieard  of  him.  The  supposition  is  that  he  was 
robbed  and  killed  on  the  journey. 

About  the  same  time  the  Ibieg'MnG;'  settle- 
ments were  being  made  in  the  northern  and 
southern  parts  of  Licking.  A  few  pioneers 
made  their  way  to  the  western  part  of  the 
township.  Among  these  was  John  White,  or 
a?  he  was  more  familiarly  known,  "Fluker" 
White.  He  settled  in  the  eastern  part  of  the 
county  when  Palestine  consisted  of  but  few 
houses,  and  participated  in  the  battle  which 
■was  fought  at  that  place  between  the  settlers 
and  Indians.  In  this  engagement  he  was 
shot  through  the  body  with  an  arrow  and 
given  up  for  dead  by  his  comrades.  He  ral- 
lied, however,  and  lived  a  number  of  years  to 
relate  his  narrow  escape  from  death  at  the 
hands  of  the  red-skins.  His  first  improvement 
in  this  township  was  made  a  little  southeast 
of  the  village  of  Bjllaire,  where  he  lived  until 
about  the  year  1845,  at  which  time  his  death 
occurred.  Jackson  James  settled  in  the  same 
locality  about  the  same  time,  and  became 
possessor  of  a  considerable  tract  of  real  estate. 
Mortimer  Parsons,  Elijah  Clark,  Tobias  Liv- 
ingston and  James  Metheny  were  early  resi- 
dents in  the  western  part  of  the  township 
near  Bellaire.  In  addition  to  the  settlers  al- 
ready enumerated  the  following  persons  found 
homes  within  the  present  limits  of  Licking 
prior  to  1840:  Thomas  Boring  settled  in  sec- 
tion 3;  Daniel  Coate,  northern  part  in  section 
2;  James  Dixou  and  Ezekiel  Rubottom  in  the 
same  section;  Jacob  Mullen,  section  25;  Igel 
Beeson  in  southwest  part;  James  Boyd,  sec- 
tion 1;  R.  G.  Morris,  same  section;  Jeremiah 
Willison,  section  6:  Uriah  Hadley,  section  20; 
James  Netherby,  section  24;  John  Bonham 
in  same  locality;  William  B.  Newlin  and  B. 
Clark,  section  25,  and  Henry  Kerby  in  south- 
ern part  on  section  3.  Kerby's  marriage  to  a 
daughter  of  John  Howard's  was  among  the 
first  events  of  the   kind    ever   solemnized    in 


this  township.  From  the  year  1840  to  1850  a 
tide  of  immigration  came  into  the  township 
from  Ohio,  the  majority  of  the  settlers  hailing 
from  Licking  County  of  that  State,  which  fact 
suggested  the  name  by  which  the  township  is 
at  present  known. 

The  hardships  of  the  early  settlers  in  their 
efforts  to  secure  homes  for  themselves  and 
their  posterity  are  but  a  repetition  of  those 
experienced  in  other  portions  of  the  county, 
with  the  exception,  perhaps,  that  thej'  were 
not  quite  so  severe,  owing  to  settlements  be- 
ing made  elsewhere  a  little  earlier.  But  life 
in  this  locality  in  the  early  days  was  hard 
enough.  The  ground,  owing  to  its  wet  nature 
and  the  lack  of  necessary  agricultural  imple- 
ments, made  small  crops  a  necessity.  Corn  was 
the  principal  product,  no  wheat  beina:  raised 
until  a  number  of  years  had  elapsed  from  the 
date  of  the  first  settlement.  The  first  wheat 
was  raised  in  small  patches,  two  acres  being 
considered  a  large  crop.  Harvesting  was 
done  by  the  old-fashioned  reap  hook  and 
sickle,  neighbors  helping  for  help  in  return. 
Considerable  attention  was  given  to  the  rais- 
inc  of  buckwheat  bj^  the  early  settlers,  and 
on  almost  every  farm  could  be  seen  a  patch 
of  this  grain,  which,  at  thai  time,  could  always 
be  sold  for  a  good  price  in  the  maikcts  of 
Palestine,  York  and  Terre  Haute.  Wild 
honey  was  found  in  large  quantities  in  the 
woods  and  formed  one  of  the  chief  sources  of 
revenue  to  the  pioneer,  as  it  could  readily  be 
exchanged  for  dry  goods  and  groceries  at  the 
various  market  places.  Bees-wax,  venison 
hams  and  deer-skins  were  articles  of  com- 
merce, by  means  of  which  the  pioneer  farmer 
was  enabled  to  pay  off  many  of  his  debts. 

The  early  settlers  of  Licking  obtained  their 
flour  and  meal  from  the  older  settlements  in 
the  eastern  part  of  the  county,  and  it  was 
not  until  about  the  year  1848  that  a  mill  was 
erected  within  the  present  limits  of  the  town- 
ship.    The    first    mill    of  which  we  have  any 


HISTOHY  OF  CRAWFORD  COUNTY. 


365 


knowledge  was  erected  by  Henry  Varner  on 
Willow  Creek  near  the  southern  boundary  of 
the  township  some  time  during  the  year 
mentioned.  It  was  a  rude  aflfair,  contained 
but  one  buhr  which  had  been  manufactured 
from  a  "nigger  head,"  and  was  operated  by 
water  power.  The  building  was  a  small 
frame  structure  eighteen  hy  twenty  feet  and 
one  story  high.  The  mill  was  in  operation 
ahout  ten  years  and  did  a  very  good  business 
considering  its  capacit}-.  A  man  by  name 
of  Tregul  erected  an  ox-mill  on  his  farm  near 
the  central  part  of  the  township  a  few  years 
later,  which  he  operated  very  successfully  for 
si-v  or  eigiit  years.  It  was  kept  running  night 
and  day  for  some  time  after  its  erection  in 
order  to  suppU'  the  demand  made  for  flour. 
The  old  building  disappeared  long  since,  and 
at  the  present  time  not  a  vestige  remains  to 
mark  the  spot  it  occupied. 

In  the  year  1853  a  steam  flouring  mill  was 
built  about  one  mile  west  of  the  village  of 
Annapolis  by  Holmes  &  Doty.  It  was  a 
frame  building  two  stories  high,  and  had  luit 
one  run  of  buhrs.  A  saw  was  afterward  at- 
tached and  for  several  years  the  mill  did  a 
very  flourishing  business,  both  in  sawing  and 
grinding.  Holmes  &  Doty  operated  it  about 
five  years,  when  it  was  purchased  by  George 
Dixon  who  run  it  until  the  year  1858,  at 
which  time  it  was  burned.  The  boiler  and 
most  of  the  machinery  were  saved  from  the 
fire  and  sold  a  short  time  afterward  to  M. 
Vance  and  a  man  by  the  name  of  Bates,  who 
erected  another  mill  of  the  same  size  in  the 
same  locality.  They  operated  the  mill  for 
three  years  and  then  sold  it  to  a  man  by 
name  of  Brown,  who  moved  the  machinery 
to  Mississippi.  A  saw-mill  was  erected  bv  J. 
Ward  near  the  central  part  of  the  township 
about  the  year  1858.  It  was  a  water  mill  and 
did  a  very  good  business  while  there  was 
sufficient  water  in  the  creek  to  run  the  ma- 
chinery.    Allen  Tregul  purchased  the  mill  one 


year  later  and  operated  it  until  about  the  year 
1868.  The  Annapolis  steam  flouring  mill  was 
erected  about  the  j-ear  18GT  by  Jerry  Reese 
and  cost  the  sum  of  89,000.  It  is  a  large  two 
story  and  a  half  frame  building  tliiity  by 
seventy  feet  with  three  run  of  buhrs  and  a 
grinding  capacity  of  about  forty  barrels  of 
flour  per  day.  Reese  sold  to  Johnson  and 
Calvin  after  running  the  mill  a  few  years,  and 
in  1880  the  entire  interest  was  purchased  by 
.Johnson,  who  is  the  present  owner.  F.  S. 
Boyle  is  running  the  mill  at  the  present  time 
and  doing  an  extensive  business. 

The  roads  of  a  country  are  an  indication 
of  its  internal  improvement.  The  first  roads 
were  but  Indian  trails  through  the  thick  for- 
est and  over  the  prairies.  As  the  whites  came 
in  and  settled  the  lands  regular  roadways 
were  established,  but  with  no  reference  to 
section  lines.  The  first  legal  I}'  established 
hii'-hwav  in  liicking  appears  to  have  been  the 
Stewart  Mill  and  York  Road  which  was  laid 
out  by  John  B.  Richardson  as  early  as  the 
year  1842.  It  passed  through  the  eastern 
part  of  the  township  in  a  southerly  ilirection 
but  it  has  undergone  so  many  changes  during 
the  last  forty  years  that  it  is  difficult  to  de- 
fine the  original  route.  The  Palestine  and 
Bellaire  Road  which  passes  through  the  cen- 
tral part  of  the  township  from  east  to  west 
was  laid  out  and  established  about  the  year 
1845  and  is  still  one  of  the  leading  thorough- 
fares in  the  northern  part  of  the  county.  The 
Hutsonvillc  and  Bellaire  Road,  which  con- 
nects those  two  places,  passes  through  the 
northern  part  of  the  township  about  two  and 
a  half  miles  south  of  the  county  line.  It  was 
laid  out  in  the  year  1846  by  county  surveyor 
Fitch,  having  been  viewed  a  short  time 
previous  by  Doctor  Hill,  John  Vance  and  a 
man  by  name  of  Freelin.  It  is  still  a 
good  road  and  extensively  traveled.  Another 
early  highwav  is  the  Robinson  and  Martinf- 
ville  Road  which  was  laid  out  about  the  vcar 


166 


HISTORY  OF  CRAWFOED  COUNTY. 


1845  or  1846.     The  origin-il  nuro,  which  has 
been   greatly   changed,    passed    through    the 
tc)wiiship  in  an  irregular  course  from  north  to 
south.     It    intersects    the     Hutsonville     and 
Bellaire  Road   at   the    village  of  Annapolis, 
about  one  mile  west  of  the  eastern  boundary, 
and  is  one  of  the  best  roads  in  the  township. 
A  number   of  other   roads    have  been  estab- 
lished from  time  to  time  which  intersect  each 
other  at  proper   intervals,  and   in  the  matter 
of  good  highways  Licking  is  as  well  supplied 
as  any  other  township  in  the  county. 
^    In  educational  matters  the  cit  zens  of  this 
township  have  always  taken    an  active  inter- 
est, and  schools    were    established    at  a  very 
early  day.     It  is  difficult  to  determine,  at  this 
distant  da)',  when,   where,  and   by  whom  the 
first    school  in    the    township  was  taught,  as 
opinions   concerning   the    matter  are  consid- 
erably at  variance.     From  the  most  reliable 
information,  however,  we  are   safe  in'  saying 
that  "Rick"  Arnold  taught  one  of  the  first 
terms  as  early  a,s  1837,  in  a  little  cabin  which 
stood  in   the  southern   part  of  the  township 
near  the  Kerby  farm.     This  cabin    had  been 
fitted  up  by  the  few  neighbors  living  in  the 
vicinity,  for    school  purposes,  and  was  in  use 
but  one  year.     Among  the    first  teachers  was 
Sarah  Ann  Curran,  who  taught  in  a  small  log 
building  which  had  been  used  as  a  residence 
by  the  family  of  James  Dixon.     This  house 
stood  in    the    northern  part   of  the  township 
near   the  present   village  of  Annapolis,   and 
was  used   for  school  purposes   but  one  year. 
Miss  Curran's  school  numbered  about  twelve 
pupils,  and  lasted  three   months.     A  man  by 
name    of    Hampton    taught    a   term  in    the 
southern  part  of  the  township  about  the  year 
1841,  and   used    for    the    purpose    a   vacated 
cabin  which   stood   on   the    farm,  at  present 
owned  by  Mr.  Rausard.      Hampton  is  remem- 
bered as  a  good  teacher,  and  his  school,  like 
all  others  at  that  day,  was  supported  by  sub- 
scription, and  lasted  about  three  months.     In 


the  year  1843  there  were  tvs-o  schools  in  the 
township.taught  respectively,  by  Sarah  Handy 
and  Huldah  Woods.  The  first  named  taught 
in  a  part  of  .Jonathan  Di.\on's  residence- in 
the  northern  part  of  the  tow{iship,  and  Miss 
Woods  wielded  the  birch  in  an  old  aban- 
doned dwelling  about  three  miles  southw.^st 
of  Annapolis.  These  ladies  were  both  good 
instructors,  and  for  a  number  of  j'oars  were 
identified  with  the  schools  of  Licking. 
Another  early  teacher  of  the  township  was 
John  Metheny,  who  had  charge  of  a  school 
where  Miss  Woods  taught  in  the  year  1844. 
He  was  a  professional  instructor,  but  had  to 
abandon  the  work  on  account  of  a  serious 
malady  which  unfitted  him  for  teaching. 
Ann  Lamb  taught  near  the  village  of  Bellaire 
the  same  year,  and  Louisa  and  Alice  V^ance 
taught  near  the  central  part  of  the  township 
a  couple  of  years  later.  The  first  building 
erected  especially  for  school  purpose  was 
the  Mount  Pleasant  school-house  which  stood 
three  miles  south  of  the  village  of  Annapolis. 
It  was  erected  in  1846  and  was  in  use  about 
thirty  years.  The  first  teacher  who  used  it 
was  Elias  Wilkins.  The  second  school-house 
was  erected  about  one  year  later  and  stood 
in  the  northeast  corner  of  the  township.  It 
was  a  hewed-log  structure  and  served  the 
two-fold  purpose  of  school  and  meeting-house, 
having  been  used  as  a  place  of  worship  by 
the  Quakers  for  a  period  of  ten  years.  It 
was  sold  in  the  year  1859  and  moved  to 
Annapolis,  where  it  is  still  standing  and  in  use 
as  a  dwelling.  The  township  was  supplied 
with  free  school  about  the  year  1855,  at  which 
time  the  present  districts  were  laid  off  and 
good  frame  buildings  erected.  Perhaps  no 
township  in  the  county  is  better  supplied 
with  school-houses  than  Licking,  and  it  is 
certain  that  nowhere  else  is  there  more  in- 
terest taken  in  educational  matters.  There 
are  fifteen  good  frame  buildings,  all  of  which 
are  neatly  finished    and    well    furnished,  and 


HISTORY  OF  CRAWFORD  COUXTY. 


167 


schools  are  m:uiitained  about  seven  months 
of  the  year.  The  present  township  board  of 
education  consists  of  the  following  gentle- 
men: Isaac  Lainl),  Robert  Lincoln  and  Peter 
Welbert.  Melvin  Colter  is  clerk  of  the  board, 
and  treasurer. 

The  Quakers  are  said  to  have  been  the 
pioneers  of  religion  in  Licking,  and  a  society 
of  them  was  formed  in  the  northern  part  of 
the  township  in  a  very  early  day.  Tlie  first 
services  were  held  at  the  residence  of  James 
Dixon  whose  house  was  used  as  a  meeting 
place  for  seven  or  eight  years.  Among  the 
first  members  of  this  society  were  William 
Dixon  and  wife,  1.  Beeson  and  family,  Mrs. 
.lames  Dixon,  William  Lindley  and  family, 
Nathan  Musgrove  and  family  and  Thomas 
Cox  a  wife.  A  regular  organization  was 
maintained  for  about  twenty  j'ears,  and  meet- 
ings were  held  in  the  school-house  which  stood 
on  the  Dixon  farm.  Owing  to  deaths  and  re- 
movals the  church  was  finally  abandoned. 
The  last  preacher  was  Andrev?  Tomlinson. 
The  scattered  members  of  the  old  society  were 
re-organized  a  few  years  ago  in  Hutsonville 
township,  where  they  have  a  strong  church 
and  a  handsome  house  of  worship.  The 
Methodists  organized  a  class  at  the  Mount 
Pleasant  school-house  about  the  year  1848  and 
have  maintained  a  society  in  that  vicinity 
ever  since.  They  used  the  school-house  as  a 
place  of  worship  until  it  was  torn  down,  and 
since  that  time  have  been  holding  services  at 
the  Union  school-house.  Atone  time  the  or- 
ganization was  very  strong  and  numbered 
among  its  communicants  the  majority  of  the 
citizens  in  the  vicinity.  It  has  decreased  in 
numbers  very  materially  during  the  last  fif- 
teen years  and  at  the  present  time  the  class 
is  but  a  remnant  of  its  former  self.  The  pas- 
tor in  charjre  is  Rev.  Mr.  Seeds,  who  is  assist- 
ed  in  the  work  by  Rev.  Mr.  Cullom. 

The  Portersville  Methodist  church  was  or- 
ganized about    the    year    18(33    with    twenty 


members.  The  first  meetings  were  held  in 
the  old  log  school-house  in  eastern  part  of  the 
village,  which  served  the  society  as  a  place  of 
worship  until  the  Union  church  building  was 
erected  in  1875.  The  class  was  organized  by 
the  Protestant  Jlethodists  and  continued  as  a 
church  of  that  denomination  until  the  year 
1878,  at  which  time  it  was  re-organized  as  a 
Methodist  Episcopal  society  through  the  efforts 
of  Rev.  Mr.  Stauffer.  Among  the  stated  sup- 
plies of  the  church  were  Revs.  Jackson  An- 
derson, Daniel  McCormick,  R.  Traverse,  R. 
Wright,  J.  D.  Dees,  Newton  Stauffer,  J.  M. 
Jackson.  The  pastor  in  charge  at  the  present 
time  is  Rev.  S.  A.  Seeds.  The  present  mem- 
bership of  the  church  is  fifty-one.  A  good 
Sundayschool  is  maintained  during  the  greater 
part  of  the  year.  A.  J.  Holmes  is  the  efficient 
superintendent. 

The  United  Brethern  Mission  at  Annapolis 
dates  its  history  from  the  year  18(36,  at  which 
time  Rev.  Richard  Belknap  came  into  the 
country,  and  at  the  suggestion  of  D.  B.  Shires, 
and  by  their  joint  efforts  a  class  of  about  fifty 
members  was  organized.  Belknap  preached 
two  years  and  was  succeeded  by  Rev.  James 
Page,  who  remained  with  the  church  one  year. 
Then  came  in  regular  succession  Revs.  Shep- 
herd, Samuel  Starks,  John  Helton,  Samuel 
Slusser,  Ephraim  Sliuey,  Daniel  Buzzard, 
William  Hillis  and  —  Zoeler.  The  present 
pastor  is  Rev.  John  Cardwell.  A  society  of 
the  M.  E.  church  was  organized  at  Annapolis 
a  number  of  years  ago  by  members  of  the  Un- 
ion church  who  lived  considerable  distances 
from  their  place  of  meeting.  The  class  was 
kept  until  the  year  1873,  when  it  was  dis- 
banded and  the  few  remaining  members  trans- 
ferred back  to  the  original  society.  In  1875 
the  members  living  in  Annapolis  and  surround- 
ing country  united  with  a  part  of  the  class 
which  met  at  Willow  church  and  organized  a 
second  class  in  the  village  with  a  member- 
•    ship  of  twenty-three.     The  organization   was 


168 


HISTORY  OF  CRAWFORD  COUNTY. 


brought  about  principally  by  the  efforts  of 
Dr.  J.  C.  Mason  and  Rev.  R.  Wetherford,  and 
the  society  became  a  regular  appointment  on 
the  Oblong  circuit.  Wetherford  was  pastor  for 
one  year  and  was  followed  by  Rev.  Ira  King, 
who  remained  on  the  circuit  for  the  same 
length  of  time.  The  next  pastor  was  Rev. 
Allen  Bartley;  then  came  in  regular  succes- 
sion, Newton  Stauffer,  James  G.  Dees  and  John 
M.  Jackson.  The  present  pastor  is  Rav.  S. 
A.  Seeds,  who  is  assisted  by  Kiv.  J.  W.  Cul- 
lom.  There  are  on  the  records  the  names  of 
thirty-seven  members  in  good  standing,  at  the 
present  time.  Services  are  held  alternately 
with  the  United  Brethren  in  the  Union  church 
building.  The  Union  church  house  was 
erected  by  the  citizens  of  Annapolis  and  vi- 
cinity, in  the  year  1875,  and  cost  the  sum  of 
$'3,000.  The  project  originated  with  Rev.  John 
Anderson  of  Portersville,  who  had  preached 
in  the  villajr.3  at  intervals,  using  the  school 
house  for  church  purposes.  Bjing  a  man  of 
considerable  enterprise,  he  soon  convinced  the 
citizens  that  a  more  suitable  place  for  wor- 
ship was  needed,  and  money  enough  vvas  soon 
collected  to  complete  the  work.  The  build- 
ing is  a  neat  frame  structure,  33xiS  feet, 
with  a  seating  capacity  of  about  three  hun- 
dred. It  was  finished  and  dedicated  in  Au- 
gust of  the  year  referred  to. 

The  Christian  Church  of  Portersville  was 
organized  in  the  year  1875,  bv  Elder  Wood, 
with  twelve  members.  The  following  pastors 
have  preached  fqr  the  society  at  different 
times  since  its  organization:  William  Beadle, 
Elders  McCash,  Lockhart,  Couner,  Boor  and 
Grimm.  The  church  at  the  present  time  is 
in  a  flourishing  condition,  and  numbers  about 
seventy  communicants;  services  are  held  every 
liOrd's  day.  The  Portersville  church  edifice 
was  erected  in  the  year  1875  by  the  public  at 
large  for  general  religious  purposes.  It  is  a 
frame  building  35x50  feet,  and  cost  the  sura 
of  $1,500.     The  house  is  open  to  all  denomi- 


nations and  at  the  present  time  is  used  by  the 
Methodists  and  Christians  alternately. 

The  West  Harmony  Christian  Church  was 
organized  a  number  of  years  ago  near  White's 
Piairie  in  the  western  part  of  the  township. 
The  society  is  in  good  condition  and  numbers 
among  its  members  soma  of  the  best  citizens 
of  the  community.  The  neat  temple  of  wor- 
ship used  by  the  congregation  was  erected 
about  seven  j'ears  ago. 

The  villiige  of  Bollaire  is  situated  in  the 
•western  part  of  the  township  on  section  14,  and 
dates  its  history  from  the  year  1844.  The 
necessity  of  the  village  was  created  by  the 
distance  of  that  localitv  from  any  trading 
points,  and  partly  through  a  spirit  of  specu- 
lation by  which  the  proprietor  was  actuated. 
The  first  store  in  the  place  was  kept  by  John 
Rym,  who  erected  a  small  hewed  log  house 
for  the  purpose  a  short  time  after  the  town 
was  platted.  He  did  a  good  business  for 
about  six  years  when  the  building  burned  to 
the  ground  anil  completely  destroyed  his  stock 
of  goods.  With  the  assistance  of  the  neigh- 
bors in  the  localitv,  another  house  was  soon 
al'terw  ird  erecti;d  and  Ryan  em'iarked  for 
the'  second  time  in  the  mercantile  business. 
Hi  continued  but  a  short  time,  when  he  moved 
his  goods  away.  Much  against  the  wishes  of 
the  neighbors,  who  assisted  in  building  his 
house  with  the  expectation  that  he  would  re- 
main with  them.  John  Brown  started  a  store 
soon  afterward,  which  he  kept  for  a  number 
of  years  in  the  Ryan  building  and  did  a  very 
good  business.  He  sold  his  goods  at  auction 
and  left  the  village  after  becoming  dissatisfied 
with  the  place.  A  few  months  later,  Catron 
Preston  enlarged  the  old  store-house  and 
stocked  it  with  a  large  miscellaneous  assort- 
mjnt  of  merchandise.  He  kept  a  very  good, 
store  for  about  fifteen  years  when  he  moved 
his  goods  to  Granville,  Jasper  Countv.  Ma- 
rion Dougherty  was  the  next  merchant  in  the 
village,  and  continued  in  business   until  a  few 


HISTORY  OF  CRAWFORD  COL'XTY. 


169 


years  aj^o,  when  he  was  succeeded  by  a  man 
named  Mills.  The  villat^e  at  the  present  time 
is  a  mere  h.imlet  containing  a  couple  of  dozen 
houses  and  three  stores,  kept  respectively  by 
John  Pearson,  Benjamin  Purdell  and  Nicho- 
las Fi'ssler. 

In  the  year  18j'2  Richard  Porter  settled  on 
the  southeast  quarter  of  section  36  in  the 
eastern  part  of  the  township  where  he  en- 
ojaged  in  the  blackstnithino:  Inisiness.  About 
one  \ear  later  Doctor  ilcAlister  of  Hutson- 
ville  l)ought  a  lot  of  Porter  on  which  lie 
erected  a  dwelling,  and  an  office  for  the  pur- 
pose of  being  nearer  the  central  part  of  his 
extensive  practice.  The  blacksmith  shop 
and  the  physician's  office,  together  with  sev- 
eral houses  that  had  been  built  near  by,  gave 
the  place  a  local  prominence,  and  a  small  vil- 
lage soon  sprang  into  existence.  In  1854 
Porter  sold  his  land  to  Catron  Preston  and 
Catlin  Cullers,  who  laid  out  the  town  of  Ber- 
lin the  same  year.  Henry  Leggett  was  one 
of  the  first  to  purchase  real  estate  in  the  new 
village,  which  he  did  soon  after  the  town  was 
laid  out,  and  at  once  commenced  the  erection 
of  a  store-room  and  dwelling.  This  building 
was  a  small  log  structure  and  was  used  by 
I-eggett,  who  kppt  a  little  grocerv  in  it  for 
two  years.  In  the  year  1856  Hamilton  Sil- 
vers built  a  frame  store-house  in  the  village 
which  he  stocked  with  a  general  assortment 
of  goods.  He  was  in  the  mercantile  business 
about  one  year  and  six  months,  when  he  sold 
out  to  a  man  by  name  of  Perry,  who  in  turn 
disposed  of  the  stock  to  Horace  Graves,  after 
running  the  store  for  a  short  time.  Graves 
did  a  fair  business  for  about  two  years,  when 
he  was  succeeded  by  his  son-in-law  William 
Linelnirger,  who  sold  goods  until  the  year 
186"J.  The  village  is  pleasantly  located 
on  the  Palestine  and  B.,'Ilaire  roa  1  and  lias  a 
population  of  about  one  hundred  souls.  Its 
business  interest  is  represented  bv  one  good 
dr^'  goods  and  grocery  store   kept   by   Morris 


and  Markwell — a  flour  exchange,  one  drug 
store  and  a  blacksmith  and  wagon  shop. 
The  name  of  Portersville  by  which  the  village 
is  commonly  known  was  given  the  place  in 
compliment  of  Richard  Porter  the  original 
owner  of  the  land. 

The  Portersville  Grange  was  organized  in 
the  year  lSi3  witii  a  membership  of  sixteen; 
meetings  were  held  in  the  school-house  until 
the  1875,  since  which  time  the  Union  church 
building  has  been  used  as  a  meeting  place. 
The  present  officers  of  the  lodge  are  G.  W. 
Pleasant,  master;  A.  J.  Holmes,  overseer; 
D.  W.  Faught,  sect.;  Isaac  Lamb,  treas.;  W. 
W.  Hall,  chaplain;  Jasper  Faught,  steward; 
John  Lineburger,  gate-keeper;  Mrs.  Jane 
Watson,  Pomona;  Mrs.  Tabitha  Lineburger, 
Ceres;  Mrs.  Abott,  Flora;  and  Mrs.  Belle 
Woods,  lady  ass't  steward. 

A.  G.  Murkey  came  to  the  township  in  the 
year  18  j6  and  located  in  the  eastern  part  at 
the  crossing  of  the  Hutsonville  and  Martins- 
ville roads  on  section  12,  where  he  started  a 
small  store. 

The  Corners,  as  the  place  was  called,  became 
quite  a  trading  point  for  the  farmers  of  the 
surrounding  country  by  affording  an  easy 
market  for  their  produce  which  Murkey  would 
haul  to  Terre  Haute  and  exchange  for  mer- 
chandise. About  one  year  and  a  half  later 
Thomas  Spencer  moved  into  the  locality  from 
Ohio  and  purchased  a  tract  of  land  lying  in 
sections  Vz  and  13,  on  which  he  laid  out  the 
village  of  Spencerville  in  December,  1858. 
The  scheme  was  purely  a  speculative  venture 
on  the  part  of  Spencer  who  saw,  as  he  thought, 
a  fortune  in  the  prospective  city.  Among 
the  first  to  purchase  real  estate  in  the  village 
were  Andrew  Myers,  Lorenzo  Price,  —  Cau- 
horn,  Richard  Porter  and  Doctor  Lowler. 
The  platting  of  the  town,  and  the  influx  of 
population  caused  thereby,  gave  new  impetus 
to  the  mercantile  business  and  several  stores 
were    soon  in   successful  operation.     Murkey 


170 


HISTORY  OF  CRAWFORD  COUNTY. 


continued  in  business  with  good  success  until 
the  year  1883.  The  second  store  in  the  vil- 
lage was  started  bv Oijlesbv  a  short  time 

alter  the  lots  were  laid  out,  and  was  kept  in  a 
small  building  which  had  been  used  for  a 
shoe-shop.  This  store  was  continued  about 
two  years  when  the  proprietor  moved  the 
goods  to  Brazil,  Indiana.  J.  F.  Johnson 
erected  a  large  frame  store  house  in  the  year 
1869,  wiiich  he  stocked  with  merchandise  to 
the  amount  of  several  thousand  dollars,  and 
has  continued  the  business  very  successfully 
ever  since.  A  third  store  was  brought  to  the 
village  about  the  year  1873  by  William 
Wheeler,  who  sold  goods  about  six  years, 
when  he  disposed  of  the  stock  to  Jacob  Myers. 
In  October,  1879,  a  second  village  called  An- 
napolis was  laid  out  just  west  of  Spencerville, 
which  it  joins.  The  proprietors  of  the  new 
town  were  Silas  and  Sarah  Ilollowell.  At  the 
present  time  both  places  are  known  as  Annap- 
olis and  comprise  a  population  of  about  two 
hundred  inhabitants.  The  village  is  sur- 
rounded by  an  excellent  agricultural  district, 
and  its  future  is  very  promising.  The  busi- 
ness of  the  place  is  represented  by  three 
stores  of  general  merchandise  kept  respect- 
ively by  J.  F.  Johnson,  Mrs.  Murphy  and 
Jacob  L.  Myers;  one  grocery  store  by  George 


Newlin;  two  small  notion  stoi'es,  and  one  good 
drug  store;  G.  L.  Baker  keeps  a  wagon  shop 
and  an  undertaking  establishment;  James 
Hill,  blacksmith;  C.  M.  Stauffer,  harness 
maker,  and  O.  E.  Page,  general  repair  shop. 
There  is  one  hotel  in  the  village  kept  by  G. 
L.  Baker. 

Crawford  Lodge  No.  66G  A.  F.  and  A.  M. 
was  organized  October,  1871,  with  the  follow- 
ing charter  members:  Edward  A.Bali,  Will- 
iam H.  Joseph,  S.  H.  Newlin,  Joel  L.  Cox, 
Thomas  G.  Athey,  James  Bennett,  T.  P.  Bar- 
low, Richard  Laney,  R.  L.  Holmes,  M.  P. 
Rackerby,  Henry  Stephens,  William  Laugh- 
ery,  Juhn  L.  Mount,  John  W.  Bline,  E.  S. 
Rathbone  ami  D.  D.  Bishop.  The  first  offi- 
cers were  Joel  L.  Cox,  W.  M.;  Thomas  G. 
Athey,  S.  W.,  and  James  Bennett,  J.  W. 
The  officers  in  charge  at  the  present  time  are 
T.  G.  Athey,  W.  M.;  J.  L.  Myers,  S.  W.; 
M.  T.  Vance,  J.  W,;  J.  C.  Griffith,  S.  D.; 
J.  N.  Thornburg,  J.  D.;  William  H.  Joseph, 
Sect.;  J.  W.  Bline,  Treas.;C.  H.  Price,  Tyler. 
The  Lodge  is  not  in  as  good  condition  as 
formerly,  and  at  the  present  time  numbers 
only  eighteen  members.  The  hall  in  which 
the  lodge  meets  was  erected  in  the  year  1871 
and  cost  $250. 


CHAPTER    XV. 


OBLONG  TOWN?HIP-PHYSICAL  FEATURES-SOIL  AND    PRODUCTIONS-THE    COMING 
THE  PIONEERS-DEVELOPMENT  OF  THE  CODNTRY-EAKLY  INDUSTRIES- 
KOADS  AND  MILLS-VILLAGE  OF  OBLONG-CHURCH  HISTORY 
-EARLY  SCHOOLS-PATRONS  OF  HUSBANDRY. 


OF 


"But  long  years  have  flown  o'er  these  scenes  of  the 

past, 
And  many  have  turned  gray  in  the  winter's  cold 

blast; 
While  others  only  think  of  the  time  that  is  gone; 
They  are  bent  by  the  years  that  are  fast  rolling  on." 

HE  who  svttempts  to  present  v?ith  unvary- 
ing accuracy,  the  annals  of  a  county,  or 
even  of  a  district,  no  larger  than  a  township, 
the  history  of  which  reaches  back  through  a 
period  of  more  than  a  half  centurj',  imposes 
upon  himself  a  task  beset  with  many  difficul- 
ties. These  difficulties  are  often  augmented 
by  statements  widely  at  variance  furnished  by 
descendants  of  early  settlers,  as  data  from 
which  to  con'pile  a  true  and  faithful  record  of 
past  events.  To  claim  for  a  work  of  this 
character  perfect  freedom  from  error  would 
be  to  arrogate  to  one's  self  that  degree  of  wis- 
dom not  possessed  by  mortal  man.  To  give 
facts,  and  facts  only,  should  be  the  aim  and 
ambition  of  him  who  professes  to  deal  with 
the  past;  and  in  the  pages  which  follow  we 
incline  to  those  statements  supported  by  the 
greater  weight  of  testimony.  In  the  western 
part  of  Crawford  County  lies  a  prairie  which 
on  account  of  its  peculiar  shape  was  named  by 
the  early  settlers  who  located  near  it.  Oblong, 
a  name  afterward  applied  to  the  township 
which  forms  the  subject  of  the  following 
pages.  This  township  lies  in  the  west  central 
part  of  the  county  and  embraces  a  geograph- 


*  By  G    N.  Berry. 


ical  area  of  fifty-six  square  miles  of  territory 
being   eight   miles   in  extent  from  north  to 
south   and  seven  miles  from  the  eastern  to 
the   western   limits.      Surrounding  it  on  the 
northeast    and    south    are    the   townships    of 
Licking,  Robinson  and  Martin,  respectively, 
while   Jasper  County  on  the  west  make  up 
the    complete     boundary.       A     number     of 
streams  traverse  the  township,  among  which 
may  be  noticed  Big  Creek,  North  Fork,  Dog 
Wood,    Willow    and     Muddy  Creeks.       Big 
Creek,  which  affords  the  principal  drainage  of 
the  eastern  part,  enters  the  township  near  the 
northeast  corner,  flows  a  southwesterly  direc- 
tion  and  crosses  the  southern    boundary    in 
section  17.      It  is  a  stream   of  considerable 
size  and  importance  and  flows  through  a  well- 
wooded    and    somewhat    broken    section    of 
country.     Tlic  North   Fork   flows  a  southerly 
course  through  the   extreme   western    part  of 
the  township  and  receives  a  number  of  afllu- 
ents,  the  principal  of  which  is  Willow  Creek. 
The  last-named  stream,  waters  the   northwest 
corner   of   the    township,    flows   a  southerly 
course  and  empties  into  North  Fork  near  the 
county    line,    in  -section    30.      Dog    Wood 
branch    rises   in   Licking   Township,  flows  a 
southwesterly  course  through  Oblong  and  emp- 
ties into  Big  Creek,  in  section  17,  about  a  half 
mile  from  the  southern  boundary.     The  face 
of  the    country  presents  no  scenes  of  rugged 
grandeur,    but     rather    the   quiet    beauty    of 
rounded     outlines    of     surface,   clothed   with 
grassy  plains,  and  forests,   often   arranged   in 


174 


HISTORY  OF  CRAWFORD  COUNTV. 


piirk-like  order.  About  one  half  of  the  town- 
ship was  originally  woodland,  the  timbered 
portion  being  confined  principally  to  the 
eastern  and  western  parts  and  to  the  water 
courses  enumerated.  The  timber  found 
growing  here  is  similar  to  that  of  other  parts 
of  the  county,  and  consists  of  walnut  in  limit- 
ed quantities;  sugar  maple  along  the  creeks, 
elm,  ash,  hickory,  sassafras  and  the  difFer(?nt 
varieties  of  oak  common  to  this  part  of  the 
State.  Much  of  the  best  timber  in  the  town- 
ship has  long  since  disappeared,  and  many  of 
the  finest  farms  were  originally  covered  with 
a  heavy  forest  growth.  Oblong  Prairie,  to 
which  reference  has  already  been  made,  oc- 
cupies a  scope  of  territory  in  the  western  part 
of  the  township,  embracing  an  area  of  about 
ten  sections,  while  Willow  Prairie  includes  a 
similar  amount  of  land  in  the  northern  and 
central  portions.  Small  prairies  are  found  at 
intervals  in  the  southern  and  southeastern 
parts  of  the  township,  all  of  which  are  desig- 
nated by  names  peculiar  to  their  localities. 
The  soil  of  the  wooded  portion  is  a  rich  gray 
loam  underlaid  with  a  clay  subsoil,  which 
renders  it  susceptible  of  enduring  a  continued 
drouth.  The  prairie  soil  is  darker,  very  fer- 
tile and  well  adapted  for  general  farming  and 
grazing.  Agriculture  is  the  chief  resource  of 
the  people,  tlie  great  majority  of  whom  own 
land,  and  perhaps  in  no  division  of  the  county 
are  there  as  few  renters  as  in  this  township. 
One  happy  fact  upon  which  the  citizens  of 
Oblong  are  to  be  congratulated,  is  that  there 
are  no  large  tracts  of  land  owned  by  single 
individuals,  to  retard  the  country's  develop- 
ment. 

The  settlement  of  this  part  of  the  county 
dates  back  to  the  year  1830,  when  Lott  Watts 
made  the  first  permanent  improvement  in  the 
hitherto  undisturbed  forest.  Previous  to  his 
arrival,  however,  a  number  of  persons  had 
traversed  the  country  on  tours  of  inspection 
for  the  purpose  of  selecting  homes,  but  at  the 


date  mentioned  no  family  appears  to  have 
been  living  within  the  present  limits  of  the 
township.  Watts  was  a  native  of  Tennessee 
and  immigrated  to  this  State  a  few  years  prior 
to  1830,  settling  first  a  short  distance  north- 
east of  Robinson,  where  he  became  the  pos- 
sessor of  eighty  acres  of  land,  which  he  after- 
ward sold  to  Judge  Kitchell.  He  located  in 
the  southern  part  of  the  township  and  made 
the  first  entry  of  land  in  section  6,  one  year 
after  his  arrival.  He  was  a  man  of  consider- 
able note  and,  in  recognition  of  his  worth  the 
precinct  of  which  Oblong  originally  formed  a 
part,  was  named  in  compliment  to  him, 
"  Watts  Precinct."  At  the  first  election  he 
was  unanimously  called  to  the  office  of  justice 
of  the  peace  and  later  was  elected  associate 
county  judjje,  a  position  he  filled  very  cred- 
itably. He  was  a  resident  of  the  township 
until  the  time  of  his  death  in  1854.  Robert 
Watts,  a  brother  of  the  preceding,  came  to 
the  county  the  same  year  and  located  in  the 
same  locality.  He  settled  in  this  township 
about  the  year  1831,  on  land  at  present  in 
possession  of  William  Wood,  on  which  he 
lived  until  1871,  at  which  time  his  death  oc- 
curred. In  company  with  Robert  Watts  came 
Jesse  and  Jeremiah  York,  who  were  followed 
in  the  latter  part  of  the  same  year  by  Jesse 
Eaton.  Jesse  York  came  from  Tennessee 
and  had  lived  several  years  in  the  vicinity  of 
Robinson  before  moving  to  this  part  of  the 
county.  He  improved  eighty  acres  in  the 
southwest  part  of  the  township  which  he 
afterward  entered.  "  Uncle  "  Jesse,  as  he 
was  familiarly  called  by  the  early  settlers,  was 
a  man  of  character  and  influence  in  the  little 
pioneer  community,  and  did  much  both  by 
precept  and  example  to  improve  the  morals 
of  his  neighbors,  many  of  wlioin  stood  in 
special  need  of  culture  in  that  direction.  He 
was  a  pious  member  of  tl  e  Methodist  church 
and  opened  his  house  for  the  first  religious 
services  ever  held  in  the  township.      In   the 


HISTORY  OF  CRAWFORD  COUNTY. 


175 


year  18.J3  he  sold  his  farm  to  a  man  l)y  name 
of  Poarce  and  moved  to  the  northern  part  of 
the  State,  and  later  to  Missouri  whore  he  died 
several  years  nsn.  Jeremiah  York  vvas  a 
cousin  of  Jesse  and  a  native  of  the  same 
State.  He  settled  near  the  southern  limit  of 
the  township  on  land  which  he  entered  four 
years  later,  and  was  identified  with  this  part 
of  the  county  until  the  year  1865.  The  farm 
on  which  he  located  is  at  the  present  time 
owned  and  occupied  by  H.  Larabee. 

Jesse  Eaton  settled  on  North  Fork  near  the 
western  boundary  of  tlie  township,  where  he 
made  a  few  temporary  impiovements  on 
government  land.  lie  lived  in  that  locality 
a  couple  of  years  when  he  left  his  improve- 
ments and  moved  to  the  northeastern  part  of 
the  township,  whore  he  afterward  entered 
land  and  resided  until  the  year  1863.  Eaton 
was  a  minister  of  the  Old  School  Baptist 
church  and  preached  at  different  places 
throughout  the  township  during  the  early 
years  of  its  histor}'.  In  the  year  183-4  "  Arch  " 
York  and  Ezekiel  York,  relations  of  Jesse 
and  Jeremiah  York,  found  homes  in  the  town- 
ship, the  first  named  settling  in  the  southern 
part  near  the  Watts  farm,  where  he  lived 
until  the  year  1855  when  he  sold  out  and 
moved  to  Missouri.  Ezekiel  became  posses 
sor  of  a  good  farm  in  the  same  locality,  which 
he  retained  until  1868,  at  which  time  he  dis- 
posed of  his  possessions  and  followed  his 
brother  west.  In  striking  contrast  to  the  set- 
tlers enumerated,  who  were  all  miMi  of  princi- 
ple and  high  moral  worth,  was  George  Miller, 
a  squatter  who  settled  in  the  northeastern 
part  of  the  township  about  the  year  ISo-l. 
Miller  hailed  from  Kentucky  and  belonged  to 
that  class  of  characters  generally  found  on  the 
outskirts  of  civilization,  where  departure  from 
a  community  is  always  looked  upon  as  a  hap- 
py omen.  In  him  were  combined  the  quali- 
ties of  the  successful  hunter  and  trapper  in  a 
marked  degree,  to  whicii  were  added  the  ani- 


mal strength  and  low  cunning  so  essential  to 
the  bully  and  frontier  rough.  He  maintained 
his  family  principally  by  hunting,  but  did  not 
scruple  to  supply  his  larder  from  his  neigh- 
bors' smoke-houses  when  favorable  occasions 
presented  themselves.  He  lived  for  some 
time  in  Licking  Township  and  afterward 
moved  to  the  western  part  of  the  county  on 
North  Fork,  where  he  died  about  t!ie  year 
1863.  Another  character  deserving  of  spe- 
cial mention  and  similar  in  many  respects  to 
the  one  referred  to,  was  .James  Watts,  a  son 
of  Robert  Watts.  He  came  to  the  country  in 
company  with  his  father  and  soon  acquired  a 
wide-spread  reputation  as  a  hunter  and  back- 
woods fighter.  He  was  daring  almost  to  fool- 
hardiness,  and  many  are  the  adventurous 
exploits  related  of  him.  He  afterward  mar- 
ried a  daughter  of  William  Wilson,  built  a 
small  cabin  on  his  father's  farm  and  spent  the 
latter  years  of  his  life  trapping,  at  which  pur- 
suit he  acquired  considerable  means. 

In  the  year  1836  the  following  persons  witli 
their  families  were  added  to  the  townshiji's 
population:  Greenberry  Eaton,  John  Salis- 
bury, Elijah  and  John  Smith.  Eaton  settled 
in  section  36,  a  short  distance  north  of  the 
village  of  Oblong,  where  he  entered  land  the 
same  year  of  his  arrival.  He  was  a  cooper 
and  found  plenty  of  work  at  his  trade  in  sup- 
plying the  neighljors  with  barrels,  tubs  and 
buckets,  articles  which  they  had  hitherto  ac- 
customed themselves  to  do  without.  He  sold 
h!s  place  to  Reuben  Leach  in  the  year  1851, 
and  moved  from  the  township.  Salisbury  was 
a  native  of  Germany,  but  came  to  Illinois 
from  Indiana.  He.  settled  in  section  10 
about  two  and  a  half  miles  north  of  Oblong 
village,  where  by  industry  and  almost  nig- 
gardly economy  he  acquired  a  valuable  tract 
of  real  estate.  His  only  object  seems  to 
have  been  money,  and  ho  possessed  a  nature 
totally  devoid  of  any  refining  quality.  His 
close  dealings,  together   with  the  cruel  treat-| 


176 


HISTORY  OF  CRAWFOltU  COLTXl'V. 


ment  of  his  wife  and  children,  gave  him  a  very- 
unenviable  reputation  in  the  community,  and 
his  friends  were  few  and  far  between.  The 
Smitii  brothers  were  Kentuckians  and  men  of 
roving  tendencies.  Elijah  made  his  first  set- 
tlement in  southern  part  of  the  township  on 
Dogwood  Creek,  where  he  remained  but  a 
short  time,  afterward  moving  about  from  place 
to  place  with  no  definite  place  of  residence. 
John  was  of  an  adventurous  nature,  and  spent 
the  greater  part  of  his  time  in  hunting,  which 
afiforded  his  chief  amusement  and  the  main- 
tenance of  his  family  as  ■well.  Another 
brotlier,  .Tames  Smith,  came  in  a  short  time 
afterward,  and  settled  east  of  Oblong,  where 
lie  became  the  possessor  of  forty  acres  of  land. 
He  was  a  good  man,  and  served  as  constable 
in  an  early  day,  being  one  of  the  first  in  the 
precinct  to  fill  that  office.  Prominently  iden- 
tified with  the  early  history  and  development 
of  Oblong  was  Joseph  Wood,  whose  settle- 
ment in  the  township  dates  back  to  the  year 
1839.  Wood  was  born  in  Virginia,  but 
moved  to  Vincennes,  Indiana,  as  early  as  the 
year  1809,  traveling  all  the  way  horseback, 
and  packing  the  few  household  goods  the 
same  way.  He  remained  at  Vincennes  about 
one  year  and  a  half,  when,  thinking  there 
were  better  lands  and  more  favorable  chances 
further  west,  he  moved  to  this  State  and  set- 
tled near  Palestine.  During  the  Indian  troub- 
les he  served  as  a  "ranger"  alongr  the  Wa- 
ft C5 

bash,  and  engaged  in  several  bloody  bouts 
with  the  redskins.  It  is  related  that  upon  one 
occasion  he  and  a  companion  were  so  hard 
pressed  by  the  Indians  that  they  were  com- 
pelled to  go  three  days  without  tasting  a  mor- 
sel of  food.  The  Indians  relaxed  the  pursuit 
on  the  fourth  day,  which  gave  the  rangers  an 
opportunity  to  rest  and  seek  some  nourish- 
ment. The  latter  was  afforded  by  a  coon, 
which  was  cooked  and  greedil}'  eaten  with- 
out the  use  of  salt  or  other  condiments.  Wood 
said    it    was    the  most  delicious. repast    he 


ever  ate  in  his  life.  At  the  close  of  the  In- 
dian troubles  Wood  settled  near  Palestine, 
and  engaged  in  farming  and  stock  raising. 
He  afterward  located  in  the  vicinity  of  Rob- 
inson, where  he  lived  until  1839,  when,  be- 
coming dissatisfied  with  the  country  on  ac- 
count of  the  milk-sick,  which  proved  a  seri- 
ous hindrance  to  his  stock,  he  moved  to  Ob- 
long Township.  He  settled  southeast  of  the 
village  of  Oblong  near  Big  Creek,  in  section 
3,  where  he  made  his  first  entry  of  land.  He 
afterward  entered  land  at  dift'erent  places  in 
the  township,  until  he  became  the  owner  of 
more  than  two  thousand  acres.  He  was  a 
man  of  considerable  prominence,  and  died  in 
the  year  1866.  The  old  homestead  is  at  the 
present  time  owned  by  his  sons,  J.  H.  and 
Robert  Wood,  both  of  whom  aie  prominent 
citizens  and  men  of  character.  Another  son, 
William  Wood,  came  to  the  township  in  com- 
pany with  his  father,  and  has  been  one  of  its 
leading  citizens  ever  since.  His  place  of 
residence  is  situated  about  one  mile  east  of 
Oblong  on  the  Vandalia  State  road.  Other 
settlements  were  made  in  18  J9  by  Richard 
Lecky,  a  son-in-law  of  Wood,  who  located 
near  the  eastern  boundary  in  section  3.  D.  F. 
Hale,  a  native  of  New  York,  who  entered 
land  in  northeastern  part.  Abraham  Wal- 
ters who  located  in  same  vicinity.  John 
Holingsworth  in  section  33,  and  Reily  York, 
who  made  improvements  in  southern  part  of 
the  township  on  section  18.  Later  came 
George  JeEFers,  who  entered  land  in  section 
27,  which  lie  afterward  sold  to  William  Hill. 
James  Boatright,  a  native  of  Tennessee,  who 
located  a  farm  in  section  23,  in  the  eastern 
part  of  the  township.  Ira  King,  a  native  of 
■New  York,  who  settled  where  the  widow 
Henry  now  lives  in  section  27.  William  Wil- 
son, who  settled  in  section  31,  where  he  pur- 
chased land  of  John  Holingsworth  and  John 
McCrillis,  an  Ohioan,  who  located  in  section 
''32,  east  of  the   village  of  Oblong,   where  he 


HISTORY  OF  CIIAWFORD  COUXTY. 


177 


improved  a  fine  farm,  and  operated  a  tan 
vard.  Other  settlers  came  in  from  time  to 
time,  and  by  the  year  1850,  all  the  vacant 
lands  were  taken  up  and  the  township  well 
populated,  the  majority  of  the  imrai2;rants 
being  from  the  States  of  Ohio  and  Indiana. 
The  carving  of  a  home  in  a  new  and  unde- 
veloped country  a  half  century  ago,  was  a 
task  from  which  the  most  of  us  at  the  present 
day  would  be  willing  to  shrink.  Savages 
were  still  to  be  seen,  and  wild  animals  both 
fierce  and  dangerous  were  plenty,  and  roamed 
the  forests  and  prairies  everywhere.  Pro- 
visions, except  game,  were  scarce.  None  of 
the  luxuries  and  but  few  of  the  comforts  of 
life  were  to  be  had.  For  years  the  pioneer's 
home  was  a  rude  log  cabin  of  the  most  primi- 
tive type,  and  his  food  and  raiment  were 
equally  poor;  and  yet  the  early  settler  was 
happy  and  enjoyed  his  wilderness  life.  There 
are  those  still  living  in  Oblong  who  remem- 
ber the  rude  log  cabin  with  its  stick  chimney 
and  puncheon  floor,  the  spinning  wheel  and 
the  loom.  These  rough  times,  together  with 
tlie  relics  of  a  pioneer  age,  have  passed  away, 
and  the  country,  where  a  few  years  ago  they 
reigned  supreme,  is  now  the  cradle  of  plenty 
and  the  home  of  education,  progress  and 
wealth. 

The  pioneer's  attention  is  first  of  all  direct- 
ed to  the  im])ortance  of  a  mill,  and  one  of  the 
first  cares  is  the  erection  of  some  kind  of  rude 
contrivance  to  provide  his  family  with  the 
stafT  of  life.  The  first  mill  within  the  present 
limits  of  Oblong  was  erected  by  George  Miller 
near  the  northern  boundary  of  the  township 
as  early  as  the  year  18;)2.  It  was  a  horse 
mill  and  when  kept  running  constantly  could 
grind  about  fifteen  bushels  of  corn  per  day. 
Miller  operated  it  but  a  few  years  when  it  foil 
into  disuse  on  account  of  other  mills  being 
erected  in  different  parts  of  the  country. 
Richard  Eaton  built  a  water  mill  on  the  North 
Furk   in  the    western    part    of   the    township 


about  the  year  1833.  The  building  was  frame, 
its  dimensions  about  twenty  by  thirty  feet, 
and  two  stories  high.  It  was  a  combination 
mill  and  for  a  number  of  years  did  a  very 
good  business  both  in  grinding  and  sawing. 
Joseph  Wood  erected  a  mill  in  section  34  in 
the  eastern  part  of  the  township  about  the 
year  1840.  It  was  a  combination  mill,  had 
one  buhr  and  could  grind  when  kept  running 
steady  about  one  hundred  bushels  of  grain 
per  day.  It  was  a  frame  building  20  by  32 
feet,  and  two  stories  high.  It  was  operated 
by  the  water  of  Big  Creek  and  was  kept  run- 
ning about  sixteen  years  when  the  machinery 
was  removed  and  the  building  torn  down. 
The  Oblong  steam  flouring  mill  was  built  in 
18(59  by  John  Miller,  who  was  unable  to  com- 
plete it  on  account  of  a  financial  embarrass- 
ment. It  was  purchased  by  Wood  and  Con- 
drey  the  same  year,  who  finished  the  enter- 
prise, which  proved  a  very  successful  venture, 
by  supplying  a  long-felt  want  in  the  com- 
munity. The  building  occupies  a  space  of 
ground  30x40  feet,  is  two  stories  and  a  half 
high,  and  was  erected  at  a  cost  of  §3,000. 
Wood  and  Condrey  operated  the  mill  as  part- 
ners about  two  years  and  a  half,  when  the 
entire  interest  was  purchased  by  the  former, 
who  sold  to  Joel  Zeigler  one  year  later. 
Zeigler  ran  it  two  years  when  he  disposed  of  it 
to  W.  and  P.  Condrey.  It  afterward  passed 
into  the  hands  of  Levi  Stump,  who  in  turn 
sold  out  to  the  Kirtland  brothers,  the  present 
proprietors,  about  the  year  1879.  It  was 
thoroughly  remodeled  and  furnished  with  new 
and  improved  machinery  in  the  year  1881, 
and  at  the  present  time  is  considered  one  of 
the  best  mills  in  the  county.  It  has  three  run 
of  buhrs,  with  a  grinding  capacity  of  fifty 
barrels  per  day,  and  does  both  custom  and 
merchant  work. 

Among  the  early  Industries  of  Oblong  was 
a  distillery  which  stood  in  the  northeast  cor- 
ner of  the  township.     It  was   built   b}'   a  man 


178 


HISTORY  OF  CRAWFORD  COUNTY. 


by  name  of  Barlow  about  the  year  1849,  but 
did  not  prove  very  remunerative,  and  was 
abandoned  a  few  years  later.  A  wagon  and 
general  repair  shop  was  erected  in  an  early 
day  about  two  miles  east  of  Oblong  Village 
by  Robert  Tindolph,  who  worked  at  his  trade 
in  that  locality  for  two  years.  A  number  of 
wagons  made  at  this  shop  are  still  to  be  seen 
in  various  parts  of  the  country.  The  first 
blacksmith  shop  in  the  township  was  built 
about  the  year  1852  and  stood  in  the  northern 
part  near  the  Barlow  distillery.  It  was  built 
by  Jesse  Barlow,  who  operated  it  very  suc- 
cessfully for  four  or  five  years.  John 
McCrillis  opened  a  tan  yard  on  his  farm  east 
of  the  village  of  Oblong  in  the  year  1857, 
which  he  operated  until  1863.  A  very  good 
article  of  leather  was  made  at  this  yard,  and 
during  the  time  the  business  was  carried  on  it 
returned  a  fair  profit  to  the  proprietor.  A 
second  tan  yard  was  afterward  started  in  the 
village  by  David  McCrillis,  who  conducted 
the  business  on  a  more  extensive  scale.  He 
continued  it,  however,  but  two  years  when  he 
abandoned  the  business  to  engage  in  other 
pursuits. 

The  first  legally  established  highway  in 
Oblong  is  the  Vandalia  State  road  which 
passes  through  the  central  part  of  the  town- 
ship from  east  to  west.  It  was  laid  out  about 
the  year  1831,  and  has  been  since  that  time 
one  of  the  principal  thoroughfares  of  the 
county.  The  range  line  road  which  crosses 
the  township  from  north  to  south  was  sur- 
veyed about  the  year  1852.  It  intersects  the 
Vandalia  road  at  the  village  of  Oblong,  and 
is  the  second  road  of  importance  in  the  town- 
ship. The  Stewart's  Mill  and  York  road  was 
laid  out  in  a  very  early  day  through  the  east- 
ern part  of  the  township.  It  passes  through 
the  county  in  a  northeasterly  direction,  but 
has  undergone  so  many  changes  in  the  past 
twenty  years  that  it  would  be  difficult  to  de- 
scribe its  original  course.     Another  earlv  road 


known  as  the  Henry  road  crosses  the  northern 
part  of  the  township  and  was  laid  out  for  the 
purpose  of  connecting  Hanner's  mill  in  Jasper 
county  with  Robinson.  Other  roads  have 
been  established  from  time  to  time,  all  of 
which  are  well  improved  and  kept  in  good 
condition.  The  condition  of  the  country 
during  certain  seasons  renders  traveling  over 
these  highway's  exceedingly  difficult  on  ac- 
count of  the  mud,  but  such  is  the  nature  of  the 
soil  that  it  dries  out  very  rapidly  after  the 
frost  leaves  the  ground.  The  S.,  E.  and  S.  E. 
narrow  gauge  railroad  passes  from  east  to  west 
through  the  central  part  of  the  township.  It 
was  completed  in  the  year  1880,  but  up  to 
the  present  time  has  proved  of  little  benefit 
to  the  country.  Its  history  will  be  found  more 
fully  given  in  another  chapter. 

In  1853  D.  W.  OJell  built  a  store-house  at 
the  crossing  of  the  range  line  and  Vandalia 
roads,  near  the  central  part  of  the  township, 
and  engaged  in  the  mercantile  business.  The 
distance  of  the  locality  from  any  town — the 
nearest  market-place  being  about  ten  miles 
away — gave  the  "cross-roads"  quite  a  repu- 
tation, and  Odell's  store  soon  had  a  large  run 
of  customers.  Other  families  settled  in  the 
vicinity  from  time  to  time,  and  within  a  few 
years  quite  a  thriving  little  village  sprang 
into  existence.  Among  the  first  who  pur- 
chased real  estate  and  located  at  the  "  cross- 
ing" were  John  B.  Smith  and  Joel  Zeigler, 
two  blacksmiths,  who  erected  a  shop  shortly 
after  their  arrival.  David  McCrillis  was  an 
early  settler  in  the  village  also,  and  worked 
very  diligently  for  the  success  of  the  place. 
A  second  store  was  started  about  the  year 
1855  b}'  Lucas  and  Pearson  who  erected  a 
building  for  the  purpose  a  short  distance  west 
of  Odell's  building  on  the  west  Fide  of  the 
range  line  road.  The  firm  did  a  good  busi- 
ness for  about  two  years  when  they  sold  the 
house  and  moved  their  stock  to  Greenfield, 
Indiana.     In  1S58    William  Wood  erected  a 


HISTORY  OF  CRAWFORD  COUNTY. 


179 


two-story  brick  business  house  in  the  central 
part  of  the  village  which  he  stocked  with  a 
lar^e  assortment  of  sreneral  merchandise. 
The  presence  of  this  store  gave  additional  im- 
portance to  the  place  and  it  soon  gained  the 
reputation  of  being  one  of  the  best  trading 
points  in  the  southern  part  of  the  county. 
Wood  sold  goods  about  four  years  when  he 
disposed  of  his  stock  to  John  Smith,  who  did  a 
flourishing  business  until  the  year  18G7,  at 
which  time  the  store  was  purchased  by  Will- 
iam Parker  of  Robinson.  Parker  increased 
the  stock  and  continued  the  business  about 
two  vears  when  he  was  succeeded  by  Wood, 
Arnold  &  Muchmore.  The  firm  was  after- 
ward changed  to  Muchmore  &  McKnight  who 
are  doing  business  at  the  present  time.  Odell 
sold  goods  uninterruptedly  for  twenty  years 
■when,  becoming  tired  of  the  business,  he  closed 
out  to  the  Gooch  brothers,  who  have  had 
charge  of  the  store  since  187o.  In  the  mean- 
time the  population  of  the  place  had  con- 
stantly increased  and  at  the  earnest  solicita- 
tion of  the  citizens  of  the  village  and  sur- 
rounding country  the  town  was  regularly  laid 
out  and  platted  in  the  year  1872.  It  is  sit- 
uated in  the  southwest  corner  of  section  31  of 
town  7,  range  13  west,  and  was  surveyed  by 
A.  W.  Gordon  for  D.  W.  Odell,  proprietor, 
and  named  Oblong. 

Shortly  after  the  village  was  platted  a  num- 
ber of  lots  were  sold  and  several  buildings 
erected  among  which  was  the  business  house 
af  McQuillis  &  Buff  situated  on  lot  V2,  north 
of  Main  street.  Wirt  and  Wood  built  a  fine 
brick  store  house  north  of  Main  Street  near 
the  central  part  of  the  town  in  the  year  1883. 
It  cost  about  S'2,500,  and  at  the  present  time 
is  occupied  by  the  large  general  store  of 
Zachariah  Wirt.  The  village  at  the  present 
time  has  a  population  of  about  three  hundred 
and  twenty,  and  supports  the  following  busi- 
ess:  three  large  general   stores,  three  grocery 


stores,  one  furniture  store,  one  millinery  store, 
two  drug  stores,  two  blacksmith  shops,  two 
carpenter  shops,  three  grain  houses,  one  under- 
taking establishment,  two  butcher  shops,  one 
shoe  shop,  two  harness  shops  and  one  barber 
shop.  There  are  two  hotels  in  the  town,  the 
Oblong  and  Cottage  Houses,  kept  respectively 
by  William  J.  OJell  and  William  Runkle. 
The  locality  is  said  to  be  a  very  healthy  one, 
yet  despite  this  fact  the  following  medical 
gentlemen  reside  in  the  village  and  practice 
their  profession  in  the  town  and  surrounding 
country:  T.  J.  Edwards,  H.  C.  Kibby,  M.  E. 
Ratferty  and  W.  R.  Dale.  The  Oblong  post- 
office  was  established  in  the  year  1851  and 
D.  W.  Odell  appointed  postmaster.  The 
present  postmaster  is  D.  C.  Condrej'. 

The  Oblong  City  Lodge  No.  644  A.,  F.  & 
A.  M.  was  organized  October,  1870.  The 
charter  was  granted  by  Grand  Master  H.  G. 
Reynolds  and  contains  the  following  names: 
D.  Z.  Condrey,  J.  D.  Smith,  William  Wood, 
Manuel  Beaver,  Benjamin  F.  Buff,  John  J. 
Burton,  Henry  M.  Barlow,  M.  Cawood,  Thom- 
as J.  N.  Dees,  Joseph  C.  Hughes,  William 
Larabee,  Hiram  Larabee,  James  McKnight, 
James  G.  McKnight,  George  McCriUis,  Hiram 
McCrillis  and  George  Routt.  The  first  offi- 
cers were  D.  Z.  Condrey,  W.  M.;  John  U. 
Smith,  S.  W.,  and  William  Wood,  J.  W.  The 
officers  in  charge  at  present  are  T.  J.  Ed- 
wards, W.  M.;  Clinton  Cawood,  S.  W.;  M.  E. 
Rafferty,  J.  W.;  R.  H.  xMcKnight,  Trcas.; 
Zachariah  Wirt,  Sect.;  L.  R.  Bowman,  S.  D.; 
C.  D.  Condrey,  J.  D.;  J.  R.  McKnight,  Tiler; 
M.  L.  James,  Chaplain.;  Marion  Blake,  S.  S.; 
and  B.  F.  Byerly,  J.  S.  Meetings  -were  held 
in  hall  over  Muchmore  &  McKnight's  store 
until  the  year  1875,  when  the  place  of  meeting 
was  changed  to  Wirt  &  Wood's  hall  which 
had  been  fitted  up  for  the  purpose.  In  1878 
the  lodge  was  moved  back  to  the  hall  first 
used  which  has  been  the   meeting  place    ever 


180 


HISTORY  OF  CRAWFORD  COUNTY. 


since.  At  the  present  time  tlie  lodge  is  in  a 
flourishing  condition  and  numbers  thirty-five 
members. 

The  Gospel  was  introduced  into  this  town- 
ship by  the  pioneers  themselves,  and  long  be- 
fore churches  were  built  religious  services 
were  held  in  their  cabins,  and  when  the 
weather  permitted,  in  groves.  When  no  min- 
ister was  present  at  these  meetnigs,  some  one 
accustomed  to  "praying  in  public"  would 
read  a  chapter  in  the  holy  book,  offer  a  prayer 
to  the  Most  High,  after  which  the  exercises 
were  of  a  more  general  nature,  consisting  of 
singing,  praying  and  "  telling  experiences," 
in  which  all  who  felt  religiously  inclined  were 
at  liberty  to  participate.  As  their  numbers 
and  wealth  increased  societies  were  organized, 
church  buildings  erected  in  different  sections 
of  the  country,  and  ministers  employed. 
Just  when  or  where  the  first  church  edifice 
was  erected  in  Oblong  is  not  known,  unless 
it  was  the  old  Mount  Comfort  church,  which 
stood  near  the  southern  boundary  of  the 
township.  A  society  of  the  Methodist  church 
was  organized  in  that  vicinity  a  number  of 
years  ago,  with  a  large  membership.  Meet- 
ings were  held  at  private  residences  and 
school-houses  until  about  the  year  1860,  when 
steps  were  taken  to  erect  a  house  of  worship. 
Ralph  Johnson  donated  ground  for  the  pur- 
pose, and  citizens  of  the  neighborhood  took 
an  active  pari  by  contributing  both  work  and 
money  toward  the  enterprise.  The  building 
"was  a  hewed  log  structure,  very  comfortably 
finished,  and  was  used  as  a  meeting  place 
about  twenty  years.  The  society,  at  one  time 
in  such  flourishing  condition,  gradually  di- 
minished in  numbers,  until  it  was  found  im- 
possible to  maintain  an  organization.  The 
class  was  finally  disbanded  and  the  building 
allowed  to  fall  into  decay.  Among  the  early 
pastors  of  this  church  were   William  St.  Clair, 

C.  C.  English, Noll,    John    Leeper,  J. 

P.    Rutherford,  and   Wallace.      The 


Oblong  class  was  organized  in  the  year  1850 
at  the  house  of  Owen  Jarrett,  with  the  follow- 
ing members:  Isaac  Dulanev  and  wife,  Owen 
Jarrett  and  wife,  and  Lj^dia  Leech.  The 
first  accessions  after  the  organization  were 
David  Caudman  and  wife,  who  joined  the 
society  at  the  second  meeting.  The  organi- 
zation was  effected  by  the  labors  of  Rev. 
William  St.  Clair,  at  that  time  on  the  Rob- 
inson circuit,  who  preached  for  the  congrega- 
tion two  years.  He  was  succeeded  by  John 
Leeper  who  had  charge  of  the  circuit  one 
year.  Then  came  in  regular  succession  John 
Taylor,  Noll,  Williamson,  Woolard,  Butler, 
Bonner,  Hennessee  and  English.  The  pres- 
ent pastor  is  Rev.  S.  A.  Seeds,  who  is  assist- 
ed by  John  CuUora.  The  residences  of  Owen 
Jarrett  and  David  Caudman  were  used  as 
places  of  worship  until  the  Oblong  school- 
house  was  built,  when  the  organization  was 
transferred  to  the  village.  Services  were 
held  in  the  school- house  about  ten  vears, 
when  the  Baptists  erected  their  house  of  wor- 
ship which  has  served  as  a  meeting  place  for 
both  denominations  ever  since.  The  society 
was  attached  to  the  Oblong  circuit  alj^ut  ten 
years  ago,  and  at  the  present  time  has  upon 
its  records  the  names  of  forty  members. 

The  Prairie  Methodist  Church  is  located  in 
the  northern  part  of  the  township,  and  dates 
its  history  from  the  year  1857,  at  which  time 
their  first  house  of  worship  was  erected.  It 
was  a  neat  frame  building,  about  forty  by 
fifty  feet,  and  cost  the  sum  81,500.  The 
society  was  organized  by  Rev.  John  Leeper, 
a  master  of  the  Gospel,  well  known  in  Craw- 
ford County,  and  a  man  of  considerable  abil- 
ity and  untiring  industry.  Under  his  labors, 
about  si.xty  members  were  gathered  into  the 
church  shortly  after  the  organization,  but  as 
the  original  records  could  not  be  obtained  none 
of  their  names  were  learned.  Their  building 
was  used  as  a  place  of  worship  until  the  year 
1879,  when  it  was  abandoned.     At  that  time 


HISTORY  OF  CRAWFORD  COUNTY. 


181 


the  memborship  was  scattered  over  such  an 
extent  of  country  tliiit  it  was  found  expedi- 
ent to  divide  the  society  into  two  distinct  or- 
ganizations, which  was  done  the  same  year 
by  mutual  consent  of  all  parties  interested. 
The  members  living  in  the  vicinity  of  the  old 
church  met  for  worship  at  the  prairie  school- 
house,  while  those  living  west  formed  them- 
selves into  what  is  known  as  the  Dogwood 
class,  and  held  religious  services  in  a  school- 
house  of  the  same  name.  In  the  year  1881 
the  two  societies  divided  the  old  church  prop- 
erty, and  erected  houses  of  worship,  which 
arc  known  as  the  Dogwood  and  Prairie 
churches.  They  are  both  fine  frame  build- 
ings 38x42  feet,  and  cost  about  $1,100  each. 
The  Prairie  church  numbers  fifty-six  com- 
municants at  the  present  time,  while  the 
records  of  the  Dogwood  chapel  contain  the 
names  of  sixty-seven  members  in  good  stand- 
ing. Both  churches  maintain  good  Sunday 
schools,  which  are  well  attended.  The  fol- 
lowing pastors  have  preached  for  the  churches 
since  the  reorganization  in  1879:  Revs. 
Leeper,  Taylor,  Hardakor,  Sapington,  St. 
Clair,  ^^^ool'ii'd,  English,  Glatz,  Lopas, 
Grant,' Carson,  Waller,  Reeder,  Rutherford, 
Harrington,  King,  Bartley,  Stanfer,  Dee, 
Jackson,  Seeds  and  Cullom.  The  last  two  be- 
ing pastors  in  charge  at  the  present  time. 
The  Wirt  Chapel  Christian  Church  was  or- 
ganized by  Elder  G.  W.  Ingersoll,  at  the 
Wirt  school-house  in  the  year  1862.  The 
school-house  served  the  congregation  for  a 
meeting  place  until  1875,  when  their  present 
temple  of  worship  was  erected.  Their  build- 
ing is  frame,  30x36  feet,  cost  $900,  and 
stands  in  the  western  part  of  the  township, 
two  and  three-quarter  miles  southwest  of  Ob- 
long, on  land  donated  by  Mrs.  Deborah  Og- 
den.  Elder  Ingersoll  had  pastoral  charge  of 
the  church  until  the  year  1873,  at  which  time 
he  resigned.  The  second  pastor  was  Elder 
Daniel  Conner,   the    exact    length    of  whose 


pastorate  was  not  ascertained.     Elder  Daniel 
Gray  succeeded  Conner,  and   preached  very 
acceptably  for  a  couple  of  years.     The  pres- 
ent membership  is  about  thirty-six,  it   having 
started  with  ten.     A  good    Sunday  school  is 
maintained    in    connection   with    the  church, 
which  at  the  present   time  is  under   the    effi- 
cient   management  of   Jacob   AVirt,  superin- 
tendent.     Among  the  early  preachers  of  the 
township    were    Daniel  Doly,  Richard  New- 
port,  Daniel    Parker    and    Thomas    Canady, 
Baptist  ministers,  who  held   services   at    Ob- 
long Village  at  intervals  for  a  number  of  years. 
A  few  members  of  that  denomination  resided 
in  the    village   and    vicinity,    and    organized 
themselves  into  a  society   November  2,  1872 
The  organization  was   brought    about  princi- 
pally by  the  efforts  of  William  H.  Smith  and 
D.  W.  Odell,  and  the  following  names  record- 
ed   as    constitutional    members:      John    B. 
Smith,   Nancy    Smith,   Eliza   Ellis,    Blanche 
Gill,  Samuel  R.  Mock,  Amelia   Mock,    Chris- 
tina EofF,   Margaret  Eaton,  D.  W.  Odell  and 
Margaret  Odell.     William  H.  Smith  has  been 
pastor    of  the  church    since  its   organization. 
There  are  eighteen  members  belonging  at  the 
present  time.     The   house   of  worship    where 
the  society  meets,   was   erected   a  short    time 
prior  to  the  organization,  on  ground  donated 
b}'  D.  W.  Odell.     It  is  a  neat  frame  structure, 
stands  in  the  eastern  part  of  the  village,  and 
represents  a  value  of  about  $600.     The  pres- 
ent trustees  are  John    B.  Smith,  D.  W.  Odell 
and    Samuel     R.   Mock.      The    Universalist 
Church  of  Olilong  was  organized  in  the  spring 
of  1873,  by  Rev.  Harris,  with    a   membership 
of  about    twenty  persons.     Eft'orts    were  im- 
mediately put    on    foot  to   erect  a  house  of 
worship,    and    a    building    committee,    con- 
sisting of   D.  Z.  Condrey,    E.  Ubank,  T.  J. 
Price,  J.  H.  Watts  and  John  King  appointed. 
This  committee  purchased  ground  of  William 
Wurtzburger  in   the  western    part  of  the  vil- 
lage, and  work  at  once  began  on  the  building. 


182 


HISTORY  OF  CRAWFORD  COUNTY. 


The  house,  which  is  a  frame  erlifice  26x30 
feet,  >\-as  completed  in  the  summer  of  1873, 
at  a  cost  of  $700.  Rev.  Harris,  the  first  pas- 
tor, preached  two  years  and  was  succeeded 
by  Rev.  C.  C.  NefF,  who  remained  with  the 
church  three  years.  Then  came  Rev.  M.  L. 
Pope,  who  ministered  to  the  congregation 
about  two  years,  and  was  in  turn  followed  by 
Rev.  S.  S.  Gibb,  the  present  pastor.  The 
present  membership  is  about  forty. 

In  educational  matters  the  citizens  of  this 
township  have  always  taken  a  lively  interest, 
and  schools  were  established  shortly  after  the 
first  settlers  made  their  appearance.  The  first 
school-house,  as  near  as  could  be  ascertained, 
stood  on  the  west  side  of  Oblong  Prairie  near 
the  North  Fork,  and  was  built  some  time 
prior  to  1836.  Among  the  first  teachers  who 
wielded  the  birch  in  this  rude  domicile 
was  one  James  Smith;  the  names  of  other 
early  teachers  who  dignified  this  frontier 
college  with  their  presence  have  unfor- 
tunately been  forgotten.  The  second  school- 
house  was  a  hewed  log  building  and  a  decided 
improvement  on  the  one  described.  It  was 
erected  about  the  year  1837  and  stood  near 
the  Oblong  grave-yard.  It  was  first  used  by 
a  man  by  name  of  Fithian  who  taught  a  three 
months'  term  in  the  winter  of  1837  and  1838 
with  an  attendance  of  about  fifteen  pupils. 
Among  the  early  teachers  who  taught  in  the 
same  place  are  remembered  Samuel  Crump- 
ton,  John  M.  Johnston,  Levi  James,  J.  H. 
Price,  and  Peter  Long.  The  house  was  in 
use  until  the  year  1863  when  it  was  aban- 
doned as  being  no  longer  fit  for  school  pur- 
poses. The  first  frame  school-house  stood  on 
Jesse  Barlow's  farm  in  the  northeast  corner 
of  the  township  and  was  erected  about  the 
year  1850.  It  was  in  use  for  twenty-six 
years.  The  school  lands  were  sold  in  the  year 
1851  and  realized  to  the  township  the  sum  of 
81,100.  Seven  per  cent  of  this  amount  to- 
gether with  $70  which  the  township  drew  the 


same  year  formed  the  basis  of  the  present 
splendid  school  fund.  There  are  at  the  pres- 
ent time  ten  good  buildings  in  which  schools 
are  taught  about  seven  months  in  the  year, 
thus  bringing  the  advantages  of  a  good  edu- 
cation within  the  easy  reach  of  all.  Nine  of 
these  buildings  are  frame,  and  one,  the  Ob- 
long school-house,  is  brick.  The  latter  was 
erected  in  1881  at  a  cost  of  83,000.  It  is  two 
stories  high,  contains  three  large,  well  fur- 
nished rooms,  and  covers  a  space  of  ground 
forty-three  feet  long  by  twenty  feet  wide. 
The  Mount  Comfort  Grange  No.  lOOG  P.  of 
H.  was  organized  in  1873  with  a  membership 
of  thirteen.  First  officers  were  Harrison 
Seers,  Master;  D.  M.  Bales,  Overseer;  and  A. 
Walters,  Sect.  The  present  officers  are  Will- 
iam Cortourly,  M.;  Edward  Johnson,  C; 
Joseph  Kirk,  S.;  Albert  Skaggs,  Sect.;  Wm. 
Johnson,  Treas.;  Chas.  Johnson,  Chap.;  Thom- 
as Keifer,  Lecturer;  J.  E.  Skaggs,  Gate 
Keeper;  Anna  Cortourly,  P.;  Lucinda  John- 
son, A.  S.;  Rachel  Kirk,  F.;  Catherine 
Keifer,  C. 

Dog  Wood  Grange  No.  1007  was  organized 
January  29,  1874,  at  the  Dog  Wood  school- 
house  with  thirty  charter  members.  First  offi- 
cers were  the  following:  Preston  Condrey,  M.; 
Matthew  Wilkin,  O.;  Scott  Thornburg,  L.; 
William  E.  McKnight,  S.;  Absalom  Wilkin, 
A.  S.;  J.  H.  Wilkin,  Chaplain;  Hiram  Lara- 
bee,  Treas.;  R.  S.  Comley,  Sect.;  Wilson 
Brooks,  G.  K.;  Emily  Wilkin,  Ceres;  Eliza- 
beth Condrey,  Pomona;  Carrie  Snider,  Flora; 
Rosilla  Larabee,  L.  A.  S.  The  present  offi- 
cers are  A.  Reed,  M.;  C.  Stifle,  O.;  R.  S. 
Comley,  L.;  S.  Wilkin,  S.;  J.  A.  Wilson,  A. 
S.;  G.  W.  Crogan,  Chap.;  A.  Weir,  Treas.; 
M.  Wilkin,  Sect.;  J.  J.  Waterworth.  G.  K.; 
Mrs.  E.  E.  Wilkin,  Pomona;  Miss  E.  Reed, 
Flora;  Mrs.  Mary  Wilkin,  Ceres;  Mrs.  C. 
Wilson,  L.  A.  S.  The  lodge  is  in  flourishing 
condition  at  the  present  time,  and  numbers 
forty-two  members. 


CHAPTEE    XYI. 


MONTGOMERY  TOWNSHIP— PHYSICAL  FEATURES.  BOUNDARIES,    ETC.— EARLY    SETTLERS 

AND  AVHERE  THEY  CAME  PROM— THE  HURRICANE— FRONTIER  INDUSTRIES— 

A  RACE  FOR  THE  BOTTLE  AND  ITS  RESULTS— THE  POISONING  OF 

REED— VILLAGES-RELIGIOUS   AND    EDUCATIONAL. 


"  What  is  the  tale  that  I  would  tell  ?    Not  one 
Of  strange  adventure,  but  a  common  tale." 

PIONEER  hardships  and  privations  on  the 
frontier  are  a  "  common  tale "  to  the 
writer  of  western  annals.  Those  who  have 
beard  the  old  settlers  tell  of  their  hunting 
frolics,log-rollino;s,  house-raisings, wolf-chases, 
etc.,  etc.,  were  sometimes  led  to  believe  that 
pioneer  life  was  made  up  of  fun  and  frolic, 
amusement  and  enjoyment,  but  it  is  a  woeful 
mistake.  AVhile  there  was  more  or  less  of 
pleasure  and  happiness  among  the  frontiers- 
men, with  their  rude,  wild  life,  "  wild  ab  the 
wild  bird  and  untaught,  with  spur  and  bridle 
undeliled,"  there  was  much  more  danger,  toil, 
privation,  self-denial,  a  lack  of  all  the  com- 
forts of  life,  and  many  of  its  necessaries. 
Indeed,  these  were  the  main  constituents  that 
compose  the  grandeur  of  frontier  life  and 
rast  a  glamour  over  its  dangers  and  hardships. 
To  the  early  settlers  of  this  division  of  the 
county  we  will  now  devote  our  attention,  and 
transcribe  some  of  their  deeds  and  adven- 
tures. 

Montgomery  Township  is  the  southeastern 
division  of  Crawford  County,  and  borders  on 
the  Wabash  River.  It  is  an  excellent  agri- 
cultural region  and  contains  some  very  fine 
farms.  Like  all  the  Wabash  bottoms,  the 
lowlands  along  the  river  are  frequently  in- 
undated, sometimes  subjecting  the  people  to 

*  By  W.  H.  Perrm. 


serious  loss  of  property.  The  center  line  of 
the  township  forms  the  divide,  from  which 
the  water  flows  both  ways — to  the  east  into 
the  Wabash  River  by  Doe  Run  and  Buck's 
Creek,  and  to  the  west  into  the  Embarras  by 
Brushy  Fork  which  runs  in  a  south-southwest 
direction.  The  east  part  of  the  township,  a 
distance  of  two  miles  from  the  river,  was 
known  as  the  "Rich  Woods,"  and  was  very 
rich,  heavy-timbered  Ian  1,  and  is  yet  as  rich 
land  as  there  is  in  the  county.  But  the 
largest  portion  of  Montgomery  was  called 
"  Barrens,"  on  account  of  its  barren  appear- 
ance, being  almost  entirely  destitute  of 
timber,  except  a  few  scattering,  scrubby  oaks 
and  shelbark  hickories.  The  barrens  were 
caused  by  the  great  fires  which  annually 
swept  over  the  prairie  districts.  After  the 
prairie  grass  burned,  the  fire  died  out,  the 
barrens  disappeared  and  the  heavy  timber  be- 
gan. It  was  usually  black,  red,  water,  white 
and  burr  oaks,  hickory,  sassafras,  persimmon, 
with  soft  wood  trees  along  the  streams.  The 
Rich  Woods  produced  several  kinds  of  oak, 
walnut,  beech,  sugar  tree,  elm,  poplar,  linn, 
hackberry,  sycamore,  honey  locust,  cofl'eenut, 
pawpaw,  etc.  Only  the  northwest  corner  of 
the  township  was  prairie,  and  was  called 
Beckwith  Prairie,  and  was  but  a  few  hundred 
acres  in  extent.  Montgomery  Township  lies 
south  of  Lamotte  Township,  west  of  the 
Wabash  River,  north  of  Lawrence  County, 
east  of  Honey  Creek  Township,  and  by  the 


184 


HISTORY  OF  CRAAVFOED  COUXTY. 


census  of  1880  had  a  total  population  of  1,959 
inhabitants. 

The  fii'st  settlement  of  Montgomery  Town- 
shij:)  was  made  seventy  years  or  more  ago. 
There  is  a  prevailing  tradition  that  James 
Beard  settled  here  as  early  as  1810,  hut  it  is 
hardly  probable  that  it  was  much  before  the 
cfose  of  the  war  of  1812.  Beard  was  from 
Kentucky,  and  had  been  brought  up  among 
the  stirring  scenes  of  the  dark  and  bloody 
ground  in  the  days  of  Indian  warfare.  He 
had  a  nephew  named  Eli  Adams,  who  came 
to  this  county  with  him  and  lived  with  him 
here.  Their  cabin  stood  in  the  southeast  cor- 
ner of  the  township.  Beard  was  killed  by 
the  Indians,  as  detailed  in  a  preceding 
chapter.  But  it  is  not  known  what  ever  be- 
came of  Adams. 

Thomas  Kennedy,  who  figures  prominently 
in  this  work,  both  as  an  early  county  officer 
and  as  a  pioneer  Baptist  preacher  was  an  early 
settler  in  this  township.  He  was  from  southern 
Kentucky,  and  first  squatted  on  the  place 
where  John  S.  Woodworth  originally  settled, 
the  improvement  of  which  he  sold  to  Wood- 
worth.  He  then  settled  ia  this  township,  on 
what  is  known  as  the  Gov.  French  farm,  and 
at  present  owned  by  Mr.  Fife.  Kennedy 
lost  several  members  of  his  family  by  the 
milk-sick,  and  sold  out  and  moved  to  Beck- 
■with  Prairie,  where  he  died  at  a  green  old 
age.  He  was  a  good,  honest  man,  somewhat 
illiterate,  l)ut  endowed  with  sound  common 
sense.  As  stated,  he  was  a  Hardshell  Bap- 
tist preacher,  but  much  more  liberal  in  his 
religious  convictions  than  many  of  that  stern 
and  zealous  creed.  He  used  to  often  cross 
swords  with  Daniel  Parker  upon  church  gov- 
ernment and  relations,  and  the  church  once 
tried  to  turn  him  out  for  what  it  termed  his 
heresies,  but  failed  in  the  attempt.  Old 
"  Daddy  "  Kenned}'  was  a  man  who  possessed 
the  confidence  of  the  people  among  whom  he 
lived,  and  enjoyed  a  reputation  for  honor  and 


integrity,  that    remained  unstained  during  a 
long  and  active  life. 

Another  early  settler  was  John  Cobb.  He 
came  to  Montgomery  Township  in  1820  and 
opened  a  farm.  He  had  six  children,  some  of 
whom  grew  up  and  made  prominent  men. 
One  of  these,  Amasa  Cobb,  studied  law  in  St. 
Louis,  and  at  the  breaking  out  of  the  Mexican 
war,  entered  the  army,  taking  part  in  that  un- 
pleasantness. He  afterward  located  in  Wis- 
consin ;  was  sent  to  the  Legislature  and  to  Con- 
gress from  the  Badger  State,  and  was  in  Con- 
gress when  the  war  clouds  rose  on  the  south- 
ern horizon  in  18G1.  He  at  once  offered  his 
services  to  the  government,  was  commis- 
sioned colonel  of  a  regiment,  and  distinguished 
himself  in  the  field.  At  this  time,  he  is  serv- 
ing his  second  term  as  judge  of  the  Supreme 
Court  of  Nebraska.  Another  son  is  living  in 
this  township,  and  is  a  prominent  farmer. 

The  following  incident  is  intimately  con- 
nected with  the  early  settlement  of  this  sec- 
tion. About  the  year  1811-12,  a  hurricane 
swept  over  the  country,  passing  from  the 
southwest  to  the  northeast,  through  the  north- 
western part  of  Montgomery  and  the  south- 
eastern part  of  Lamotte  Township.  Marks 
of  its  destructive  course  may  yet  be  seen  in 
many  places.  It  was  about  half  a  mile  in 
width,  and  the  timber  was  felled  before  it,  as 
grain  before  the  reaper.  A  family  named 
Higgins  had  just  moved  in,  and  had  not  vet 
had  time  to  build  a  cabin  and  had  constructed 
a  rude  hut  to  shelter  their  heads  until  better 
accommodations  could  be  provided.  The  hut 
stood  directly  in  the  path  of  the  hurricane, 
and  after  the  storm  was  over  the  people  gath- 
ered together,  and  knowing  the  location  of 
Higgins'  hut,  supposed  the  family  all  killed, 
and  that  nothing  remained  to  them,  but  to 
make  their  way  into  the  fallen  timber,  get  out 
the  unfortunates  and  bury  them.  Upon  work- 
ing their  way  to  them,  they  were  found  to  be 
wholly   uninjured,  not  a  single   tree  having 


HISTORY  OF  CRAWFORD  COUNTY. 


1S5 


fallen  upon  the  hut,  or  touched  it,  but  the 
huge  monarchs  of  the  forest  were  piled  pro- 
miscuously all  around  them,  rendering  their 
escape  as  remarkable  as  that  of  Tam  O'Shan- 
ter's  Mare.  It  was  the  only  spot  in  the  whole 
track  of  the  hurricane  for  miles  that  was  not 
covered  over  with  fallen  timber.  The  inci- 
dent is  still  remembered  by  many  who  have 
received  it  as  a  family  tradition. 

Among  the  settlers  of  Montgomery,  addi- 
tional to  those  already  mentioned  were,  Joseph 
Pearson,  Ithra  Brasliears,  James  Shaw,  John 
^Yaldrop,  Gabriel  Funk,  Sr.,  Andrew  Mont- 
gomery and  others  whose  names  are  now  for- 
gotten. Pearson  came  from  Indiana,  and  set- 
led  here,  bat  not  much  was  learned  of  him. 
Brashears  was  in  Fort  Lamotte,  and  when 
peace  was  established  received  from  the 
Government  100  acres  of  land  for  some  ser- 
vice against  the  Indians,  but  just  what  the 
service  was  is  not  remembered.  He  was  from 
Kentucky,  and  like  all  those  old  pioneers  from 
that  region,  W'asa  trained  Indian  fighter.  He 
had  one  of  the  early  mills  of  the  county.  His 
children  are  all  dead  except  one  daughter. 
James  Shaw  settled  what  is  now  known  as  the 
Winn  place.  He  has  descendants  still  living. 
John  V/aldrop  was  from  Kentucky,  and  set- 
tled very  early.  Gabriel  Funk,  Sr.,  came  here 
in  1815,  and  was  a  great  hunter.  He  had  a 
son  named  Gabriel,  who  followed  in  his  fath- 
er's footsteps  in  regard  to  hunting.  Andrew 
Montgomery  came  from  Irelatid  and  settled 
here  very  early.  He  raised  a  large  family  of 
children.  Mr.  Montgomery  was  a  prominent 
man,  and  the  township  bears  his  name,  an 
honor  that  is  not  unmerited.  Many  others 
might  be  named  in  connection  with  the  early 
settlement,  but  after  this  long  lapse  of  time, 
their  names  are  forgotten.  Others  will  be 
mentioned  in  the  biographical  department  of 
this  work. 

For  many  j'ears  after  the  whites  came  here, 
tli'.'y    had    hard   work  to    live.     Even    up    to 


1815-50,  times  were  hard  and  produce  low, 
commanding  the  most  insignificant  prices. 
Particularly  from  1810  to  1815  were  farm  pro- 
ducts low.  Corn  sold  at  6;^  cents  per  bushel, 
after  being  hauled  to  the  stage-stand  at  Ver- 
non in  the  north  part  of  the  township.  AVheat 
■was  37i  to  40  cents  per  bushel  in  trade  for 
salt,  after  being  hauled  to  Evansville,  Ind. 
Pork,  from  §1.50  to  $'i.00  per  hundred  pounds; 
cattle,  three  and  four  years  old  sold  for  §6  and 
S7  a  piece.  Clothing  was  coarse  and  cheap. 
Many  wore  buckskin,  and  all  wore  home-made 
clothes.  A  family  who  came  here  from  Vir- 
ginia made  clothing  of  cotton  and  the  fur  of 
rabbits  mixed,  the  latter  being  sheared  from 
the  backs  of  the  rabbits  like  wool  from  sheep. 
This  is  a  pioneer  story,  and  like  many  of  their 
stories,  is  somewhat  huge  in  proportion,  when 
we  consider  how  many  rabbits  it  would  take 
to  furnish  wool  enough  to  clothe  an  army. 
But  it  is  told  that  Mr.  James  Laiidreth  wore 
clothing  composed  of  the  material  above  de- 
scribed. 

Mills  were  among  the  early  pioneer  indus- 
tries of  Montgomery.  James  Allison  had  a 
mill  very  early  in  the  south  part  of  the  town- 
ship. Jesse  Higgins  built  an  early  mill  where 
Morea  now  stands.  Ithra  Brashears  also  built 
a  mill  in  an  early  day,  and  James  Brockman 
had  a  mill  near  the  Wabash  river,  in  the 
southeast  part  of  the  township.  He  was  killed 
by  his  step-son.  Bill  Shaw. 

Distilleries  were  also  a  prominent  industry 
among  the  pioneers.  Veach  had  a  distillery 
a  half  mile  east  of  Flat  Rock,  while  Shaw 
owned  one  in  the  east  part  of  the  township. 
Adams  had  one  of  the  first  in  the  country 
Another  distillery  was  built  in  the  southeast 
portion  of  the  tox'wi,  and  afterward  a  tannery 
established  at  the  same  place.  Hatfield  was 
the  first  blacksmith,  and  Wm.  Edgington  was 
a  pioneer  blacksmith  and  run  a  sort  of  gun 
factory  in  the  township  for  sixty  years. 

Jioads. — The   Vincennes  State  road  was  one 


186 


HISTORY  OF  CRAWFORD  COUNTY. 


of  the  first  public  higlivvixys  through  Mont- 
gomery. It  was  surveyed  in  1835.  It  was 
usually  called  the  State  Road,  but  its  proper 
name  was  Vincenncs  and  Chicago  road.  The 
"  Purgatory  Road  "  as  it  was  called,  was  laid 
out  in  183G.  It  was  so  called  on  account  of 
a  large  swamp  through  which  it  passed.  It 
run  from  Viiicennes  to  Palestine,  and  is  the 
real  State  road.  While  the  Vincennes  road, 
is  merely  an  improved  Indian  trail,  probably 
several  hundred  years  old.  The  township  is 
supplied  with  roads  of  as  good  quality  as  any 
portion  of  the  county,  and  in  many  places 
good  bridges  span  the  streams. 

An  incident  occurred  in  this  township  some 
years  ago,  which  shocked  the  moral  sensibility 
of  all  the  better  class  of  people.  Leonard 
Reed  was  a  well-to-do  citizen,  and  a  man  who 
stood  fair  among  his  neighbors.  He  lived  five 
miles  southeast  of  Palestine,  and  was  poisoned 
by  his  wife  that  she  might  secure  his  property 
all  to  herself.  She  dosed  him  with  arsenic, 
putting  it  in  his  victuals  in  small  quantities, 
with  the  design  of  killing  him  by  inches  and 
thus  escaping  suspicion.  The  drug  gave  out 
and  she  was  compelled  to  procure  a  second 
supply.  One  morning  the  hired  girl  saw  her 
put  something  in  her  husband's  coffee  from  a 
paper,  and  his  violent  pains  a  few  moments 
afterward  aroused  the  girl's  suspicions.  It 
seems  the  woman  had  given  her  husband  a 
larger  dose  than  usual,  infuriated  perhaps  at 
his  tenacious  hold  on  life,  and  from  the  effects 
of  it  he  died.  The  hired  girl  then  told  some 
of  the  neighbors  what  she  had  herself  seen, 
and  a  medical  examination  was  the  result, 
which  revealed  the  presence  of  arsenic  in  the 
stomach.  The  woman  was  arrested  and 
lodged  in  the  jail  at  Palestine.  Before  her 
trial  came  on  she  attempted  to  escape  by 
burning  a  hole  in  the  jail  wall,  which  was  of 
wood.  She  would  burn  a  little  at  a  time,  and 
then  extinguish  the  fire  in  order  not  to  excite 
suspicion.     One  night  she  let  the  fire  get  the 


mastery  of  her,  and  when  seeing  that  both 
she  and  the  jail  must  burn  together,  she 
screamed  for  help.  Sam  Garrard,  still  a  citi- 
zen of  Palestine,  was  the  first  to  reach  the 
scene  and  succeeded  in  rescuing  her  from  the 
flames.  She  was  afterward  transferred  to 
Lawrence  countv  on  a  change  of  venue,  tried 
for  the  murder  of  her  husband,  condemned, 
and  finally  hunsf  in  Lawrenceville. 

Another  tragedy  occurred  in  this  township, 
which,  though  accidental,  was  none  the  less 
deplorable,  inasmuch  as  it  resulted  from  a 
barbarous  custom.  A  young  man  named 
Green  Baker,  who  lived  in  the  southeast  part 
of  Montgomery,  in  "  racing  for  the  bottle  "  at 
a  wedding  was  thrown  against  a  tree  and  in- 
stantly killed.  It  was  a  custom  in  those  ear- 
ly times  at  a  wedding  for  two  or  three  young 
men  to  be  selected  to  go  to  the  house  of  the 
bride  for  the  usual  bottle  of  spirits  that  graced 
the  occasion.  At  the  proper  time  they  started 
on  horseback  at  break-neck  speed,  as  one 
would  ride  a  hurdle-race,  turning  aside  for 
no  object  or  impediment.  The  one  who 
gained  the  race  by  first  reaching  the  bride's 
residence  and  getting  possession  of  the  bottle 
was  the  hero  of  the  day,  a  kind  of  champion 
knight  among  the  fair  ladies.  In  obedience 
to  this  rude  custom  Baker  and  one  or  two 
otheis  started  on  the  race  for  the  bottle. 
Thev  were  running  their  horses  at  full  speed, 
and  at  a  turn  in  the  road  by  which  stood  a 
tree  somewhat  bent.  Baker  swayed  his  body 
to  the  side  he  supposed  the  horse  would  go, 
but  contrary  to  his  expectations  it  went  on 
the  other  side.  His  head  struck  the  tree  and 
death  was  instantaneous.  Thus,  by  observing 
a  rude  and  barbarous  custom,  an  occasion  of 
gavety  was  turned  into  the  deepest  mourning. 

The  people  of  Montgomery  Township  take 
an  active  interest  in  education.  It  is  not 
known  now  who  taught  the  first  school  in  the 
township.  It  is  known,  however,  that  schools 
were    established     as    soon     as    there    were 


HISTORY  OF  CRAWFORD  COUNTY. 


187 


children  enough  in  a  neighborhood  to  support 
a  school.  There  are  now  ten  school-houses 
in  the  township,  hut  the  school  township  ex- 
tends two  miles  into  Lawrence  County.  All 
the  school-houses  are  frame,  and  their  average 
cost  is  about  §850..  The  state  of  education  is 
the  best  in  the  county  aside  from  the  towns. 
Especially  is  this  the  case  in  District  No.  1, 
which  is  noted  for  its  interest  in  education, 
and  in  which  stands  the  McKibben  school- 
house,  one  of  the  best  in  ihe  township. 

Villafies. — There  are  several  villages  in  the 
township,  but  all  of  them  put  together  would 
not  make  a  town  as  large  as  Chicago.  Al- 
though they  are  dignified  by  being  called 
villages  none  of  them  have  been  regularly 
laid  out  as  such.  One  of  the  first  places  to 
be  designated  as  a  village,  was  Vernon.  It  was 
on  the  Vincennes  road  and  was  a  stiige-stand 
when  the  old-fashioned  stage-coach  was  the 
principal  means  of  travel.  A  small  store,  a 
post-office,  a  tavern  and  a  blacksmith  shop 
comprised  its  proportions.  The  tavern  was 
kept  by  Spencer  Hurst,  and  one  Salters  was 
the  blacksmith.  The  town,  however,  has  dis- 
appeared. 

!Morea  is  another  hamlet,  and  consists  of  a 
half  dozen  houses  or  so.  Wm.  P.  Dunlap 
built  the  first  store-house,  but  the  first  goods 
were  sold  by  Wm.  Wallace.  The  place  con- 
tains but  one  store  which  is  kept  by  Henry 
Sayre.  A  post-of5ce  was  established  here, 
with  A.  W.  Duncan  as  postmaster.  It  is  now 
kept  by  Dr.  J.  A.  Ingles.  Tlitse,  with  a  churehj 
school-house  and  blacksmith  shop,  constitute 
the  town.  The  first  move  toward  a  town  was 
the  building  of  the  church,  which  is  a  Pres- 
bj'terian  church.  Alexander  MacHatton  gave 
the  ground  upon  which  it  was  built.  He  also 
gave  one  acre  of  land  to  David  Kelchner,who 
erected  a  house  upon  it. 

The  school-house  was  built  originally  about 
a  quarter  of  a  mile  from  the  post-office,  and 
was  a  log  structure.     Later  the  present  school- 


house  was  built,  by  parties,  who  made  a  kind 
of  stock  company  of  it,  taking  shares  of  stock. 
The  upper  portion  is  used  for  religious  and 
literary  purposes.  The  church  will  be  referred 
to  later  on  in  this  chapter. 

Heathville  is  another  of  the  same  sort.  A 
post-office  was  established,  and  R.  Heath,  an 
old  pioneer  now  living  in  Russelville,  was  the 
first  post-master.  The  present  one  is  Mr. 
Sullivan.  A  store,  a  shop  or  two,  and  a  few 
houses  are  all  there  is  of  this  lively  town. 

Crawfordsville  is  situated  on  the  line  be- 
tween Montgomery  and  Honey  Creek  Town- 
ships. The  first  record  we  have  of  the  place, 
was  when  Edward  Allison  built  a  water-mill 
here  about  1830.  Allison  sold  out  to  a  man 
named  Kiger,  who  in  turn  sold  to  H.  Martin, 
a  son  of  John  Martin,  who  came  to  the  county 
in  lSlO-13.  He  built  an  ox-mill  afterward, 
and  later,  a  steam-mill,  which  is  still  stand- 
ing, and  is  owned  by  Dennis  York  and  J.  T. 
Wood.  H.  Martin  kept  a  blacksmith  shop 
about  18.j5.  Elijah  Nuttalls  established  a 
general  store,  and  afterward  several  others 
had  stores  at  different  periods.  During  all 
this  time  it  was  known  as  Martin's  mill,  but 
when  a  post-oilice  was  established  it  was  then 
called  Crawfordsville.  Samson  Taylor  was 
the  first  postmaster.  The  post-office  was  re- 
moved to  Flat  Rock  when  that  town  was  laid 
out  after  the  building  of  the  railroad.  A 
woolen-mill  was  connected  with  the  steam-mill 
about  1870,  and  operated  until  1879,  when  it 
closed  business. 

Churches, — Wesley  Chapel  Methodist  Epis- 
copal church  is  among  the  oldest  churches  in 
the  county',  dating  its  original  organization 
back  at  least  to  1825.  The  Methodists  being 
missionary  in  their  style,  this  church  grew 
out  of  work  done  years  previous  to  organiza- 
tion. Among  the  original  members  were 
James  and  Nancy  McCord,  Edward  N.  and 
Mary  Cullom,  Nancy  Funk,  Smith  Shaw  and 
wife,  John  and  Mary  Fox,  S.    B.   Carter   and 


188 


HISTORY  OF  CRAWFORD  COUNTY. 


Margaret  Carter,  Daniel  and  Christina  Funk, 
William  Garrard  and  wife,  and  Jacob  Gar- 
rard and  wile.  It  was  organized  by  Rev. 
John  Stewart,  one  of  the  earliest  preachers 
of  the  Methodists  in  the  Wabash  valley.  The 
first  church  edifice  was  built  in  1845,  and  was 
a  frame,  2Gx40  feet,  costing  about  $800.  In 
1878  a  larger  and  more  commodious  house 
was  commenced,  and  finished  the  next  year. 
It  is  30x50  feet,  with  many  of  the  modern 
improvements — two  class-rooms,  gallery,  bel- 
fry, stained  glass  windows,  and  will  seat  com- 
fortably some  250  persons.  It  has  at  present 
about  100  members.  Many  of  the  churches 
surrounding  country  grew  out  of  this  vener- 
able churcli,  among  which  was  that  at  Pales- 
tine. 

The  following  is  furnished  us  of  the  dif- 
ferent pastors  of  this  church:  Rupert  Delapp, 
a  good  proacher,  but  rather  too  plain  spoken 
to  be  popular;  Wra.  McReynolds,  a  good 
man  and  polished  gentleman,  and  much  liked 
by  all;  John,  his  brother,  and  very  similar; 
Samuel  Hulls,  a  good  man  liut  common 
preacher,  one  of  those  who  wept  when  he 
preached,  very  excitable  but  popular  and 
influential,  held  many  responsible  positions 
in  the  church,  and  is  still  living;  John  Miller 
and  Finley  Tliompson  officiated  tog-ether,  and 
were  both  good  men;  John  McCain,  a  de- 
voted and  influential  preacher,  Israel  Risley 
rather  dry,  but  a  man  of  good  sense;  Chai4es 
Bonner,  a  warm-hearted  young  man,  and  a 
preacher  of  medium  talents;  James  M.  Mas- 
sey,  one  of  the  best  preachers  the  church 
ever  had,  and  faithful  to  the  end;  a  son,  T. 
J.  Massey,  is  now  in  charge  of  the  Robinson 
circuit;  Ira  McGinnis,  a  good  preacher;  Wm. 
S.  Crissy,  promising  young  preacher;  John 
Chamberlin,  an  elegant  gentleman,  and  a 
mediocre  preacher;  Asa  McMurtry  and  Wm. 
Wilson  together;  Wm.  Ripley;  Isaac  Barr; 
Jas.  Woodward;  Americus  Don  Carlos;  W. 
(;.  Blondill;  Michael  S.  Taylor;  John  Shep- 


herd; Jacob  Reed;  J.  F.  Jaques;  Joseph 
Hopkins;  W.  H.  H.  Moore;  Z.  Percy;  John 
Hill;  John  Glaze;  Levi  English;  John  John- 
son; James  Holey;  Jacob  Reed  and  V.  Lin- 
genfelter;  D.  Williamson;  Charles  McCord; 
Wm.  Nail;  John  Leeperand  W.J.  Grant;  S. 
P. Groves;  James  Thrapp;  Lewis  Harper;  D. 
Williamson;  Wm.  Cain;  O.  H.  Clark;  O.  H. 
Bruner;  Wni.  Hennessey;  Joseph  Ruther- 
ford; W.  W.  McMorrow;  Wm.  Bruner;  .1. 
J.  Boyer;  Jason  Carson;  John  Weeden  and 
D.  B.  Stewart;  John  Weeden  and  Joseph 
Van  Cleve;  J.  D.  Reeder,  the  present  pastor. 
Under  his  pastorate  forty-four  members  have 
been  added,  "  a  record  that  has  not  been 
beaten,"  since  the  organization  of  the  church. 

A  Sunday-school  in  connection  with  the 
church,  has  been  in  operation  since  1873. 
The  regular  attendance  is  about  seventy-five 
children,  and  Wm.  Fox  is  the  superintendent. 

Canaan  Baptist  Church  is  another  of  the 
old  church  organizations  of  this  section  of 
the  country.  It  was  established  by  Elder 
Daniel  Parker,  a  Hardshell  Baptist  preacher, 
near  Fort  Allison,  away  back  about  1830, 
under  the  name  of  "  Little  Vdlage  Baptist 
Church."  A  few  years  later  it  was  moved  to 
this  township,  and  is  now  of  the  Missionary 
Baptist  faith.  They  have  some  eighteen 
members,  and  hold  their  meetings  in  the 
Canaan  school-house,  in  which  they  own  an 
interest. 

Liberty  Baptist  Church  was  organized  July 
15,  lSi3.  The  old  Lamotte  Baptist  Church, 
great  in  numbers  and  in  boundaries,  con- 
tributed toward  its  formation.  The  mem- 
bers in  the  southeast  part  of  the  congrega- 
tion, thought  it  best  to  form  a  church  nearer 
their  homes.  Among  those  wlio  entertained 
this  belief  were  D.  Y.  Allison,  Sarah  Allison, 
Benjamin  Long,  Jane  Long,  Isaac  Martin, 
Mary  Martin,  Thos.  F.  Highsmith,  Elizabeth 
Highsmlth,  Wm.  V.  Highsmith,  Sina  Allen, 
Rebecca    Rush    and     Amos    Rich.      Elders 


Drudut  CoX- 


HISTORY  OF  CRAWFORD  COUNTY. 


191 


Stephen  Kennedy  and  Wm.  S.  Bishop  offi- 
ciated at  the  organization.  Since  then  tlie 
pastors  have  been:  Elders  Hezeklah  Shelton 
and  A.  J.  Fuson,  by  direction  of  the  New 
York  Home  Mission  Board;  Solomon  D.  Mon- 
roe, D.  Y.  Allison,  J.  T.  Warren,  T.  J.  Neal, 
and  J.  L.  Cox,  the  present  pastor.  The  first 
church  was  built  of  logs  eighteen  by  twenty 
feet,  and  a  few  years  afterward  another  room 
of  the  same  size  was  added,  at  a  total  cost, 
perhaps,  of  $200.  The  second  church  was 
built  in  1S7A,  and  cost  about  $1,200.  It  has 
sixty-three  members,  and  a  Sunday-school, 
which  was  organized  in  1865,  by  Jacob 
Clements  and  Hachel  E.  Dickinson.  Clem- 
ents was  superintendent. 

This  church  had  but  little  ministerial  aid 
in  the  early  days  of  its  existence;  ministers 
being  scarce  and  hard  to  procure  in  a  new 
country  such  as  this  was  then.  But  its  mem- 
bers persevered,  and  it  increased  in  power  and 
usefulness.  Twr>  churches  were  afterward 
organized  chiefly  from  its  membership:  one 
north  of  where  it  is  located,  and  the  other 
southwest,  and  just  north  of  Lawrenceville. 
The  United  Presbyterian  Church  of  Morea, 
as  also  the  Associated  Presbyterian  Church 
and  the  United  Presbyterian  Church  of  Duii- 
canvilie,  had  their  origin  with  a  few  families, 
mostly  from  East  Tennessee,  who  settled  in 
the  Maxwell  neighborhood.  At  their  request 
they  were  organized  into  a  "  vacancy  "  of  the 
Associated  Presbyterian  Church  (commonly 
called  seceders),  under  the  care  of  the  Pres- 
bytery of  Northern  Indiana;  Rev.  James 
Dickson,  of  the  Presbytery,  officiated  at  the 
organiz  ition.  Not  long  after,  A.  R.  Rankin, 
a  licentiate,  was  called  to  be  their  pastor,  and 
accepting  the  call,  was  installed  in  the  fall 
of  1852.  A  church  was  built  a  few  years 
later,  which  served  as  a  house  of  worship  for 
nearly  a  quarter  of  a  century.  Rev.  Rankin 
remained  with  them  some  five  or  six  years 
and  the  congregation  increased  rapidly.     He 


was  succeeded  by  Rev.  J.  D.  McNay  as  stated 
supply,  and  about  1858,  while  he  was  yet 
with  them,  the  churches  were  united  under 
the  name  of  the  United  Presbyterian  Church. 
Rev.  McNay  and  a  portipn  of  his  flock  de- 
clined going  into  this  union,  and  Rev.  R. 
Gil  more,  assistant  editor  of  the  Presbyte- 
rian Witness,  of  Cincinnati,  re-organized  the 
church  and  reported  it  as  a  "  vacancy,"  under 
the  care  of  the  Presbytery  of  southern 
Indiana.  Rev.  Alexander  MacHatton  was 
pastor  in  18G1,  at  which  time  the  membership 
was  thirty-eight.  The  congregation  used  the 
Beckwith  Prairie  church  until  they  could 
build  one  of  their  own,  which  they  did  some 
years  later;  a  good  substantial  building,  and 
free  of  debt.  This  was  the  first  building 
erected  in  Morea,  and  is  still  occupied  by  the 
congregation,  though  there  is  not  one  of  the 
original  thirty-eight  now  in  connection  with 
it.  Soon  after  building  the  house  the  mem- 
bership increased  to  120.  A  few  families 
then  in  the  northwest  part  of  the  congrega- 
tion obtained  leave  and  formed  a  new  church, 
and  erected  a  building  at  Duncanville,  where 
they  have  prospered,  and  for  some  years  have 
had  a  settled  pastor  in  Rev.  Hugh  MacHat- 
ton. In  April  1877,  after  about  sixteen  years' 
service  Rev.  Alexander  MacHatton  resigned 
bis  charge,  and  is  now  living  on  a  farm  near 
Morea.  The  next  pastor  was  Rev.  O.  G. 
Brockett,  in  1879,  who  remained  until  1882, 
since  which  time  the  church  has  had  no 
pastor.  It  has  now  about  filty-five  members 
and  is  in  a  flourishing  condition. 

A  Sunday-school  is  maintained,  and  was 
organized  in  18G2,  and  since  then  it  has  con- 
tinued uninterruptedly.  The  attendance  is 
about  ninety  children. 

The  Green  Hill  Methodist  Episcopal  Church 
was  organized  about  1850-55.  Although  the 
Methodists  had  lield  meetings  in  the  neigh- 
borhood ever  since  1830  in  log  school-houses, 
and  in  the  cabins  of  the  early  settlers,  it  was 


192 


PIISTOEY  OF  CRAWFORD  COUNTY. 


not  until  this  time  that  an  organization  was 
effected.  One  Dr.  J.  R.  Winn,  who  came 
here  about  1837,  made  a  will,  in  1855,  in 
which  he  donated  land  on  which  to  build  a 
church,  and  also  gave  $100  for  the  same  pur- 
pose, on  condition  that  the  people  would 
build  it  within  a  given  time.  A  frame  church 
■was  erected,  and  the  original  members  were 
twelve  in  number;  at  piesent  there  are  but 
sixteen  members.  The  first  minister  was 
Rev.  Bruner.  The  church  is  in  the  same  cir- 
cuit of  Wesley  chapel,  and  since  its  organi- 
zation has  been  administered  to  by  the  same 
preachers,   except  in  1878   and   1879,  when 


they  had  their  own  minister,  Rev.  Mr.  Hen- 
nessey. The  present  pastor  is  Rev.  J.  U. 
Reeder.  The  church  was  dedicated  by  Rev. 
C.  J.  Houts,  presiding  elder.  A  Sabbath- 
school,  established  in  1874,  is  maintained 
under  the  charge  of  the  church,  of  which  J. 
Landreth  is  superintendent. 

Another  denomination,  the  Christians,  have 
an  organization  here  and  hold  their  meetings 
in  this  church.  It  was  organized  by  Rev. 
J.  R.  Wright,  who  is  the  present  pastor.  But 
other  ministers  have  been  with  them  at  dif- 
ferent times. 


CHAPTER    XVII.* 


MARTIN  AND    SOUTHWEST   TOWNSHIPS— POSITION   AND   BOUNDARIES— FORMATION    OF 

SOUTHWEST— WATER    COURSES— SOIL— PRODUCTIONS— TIMBER— PIONEER  SET- 
TLEMENT—EARLY INCIDENTS  AND  INDUSTaiES— LIFE  IN  THE  WIL- 
DERNESS—EARLY ROADS— CHURCH  AND  SCHOOL  HIS- 
TORY—VILLAGES, ETC.,  ETC. 

The  formation 


"Time  though  old  is  swift  in  fliglit." 

THE  unheeded  lapse  of  time  is  the  histo- 
rian's greatest  enemy.  The  events  of  one 
day  are  so  closely  crowded  by  those  of  the 
next,  and  so  much  occupied  are  we  with  the 
aflFairs  of  the  present,  that  almost  unawares 
we  fulfill  the  scriptural  injunction:  "Take  no 
thought  for  the  morrow."  History  is  commonly 
defined  to  be  a  record  of  past  events,  but 
shall  we  wait  till  the  events  must  be  recalled 
by  di'feclive  memories  before  we  record  them? 
Th.  !i  W('  get  no  perfect  history,  for  no  mem- 
ory is  infallible,  and  often  lie  who  thinks  him- 
self most  sure  is  least  to  bo  relied  upon.  In 
recording  the  annals  of  even  so  small  a  place 
as  a  single  township,  absolute  justice  can  not 
be  given,  as  many  events  of  importance,  to- 
gether with  the  actors  who  participated  there- 
in have  been  forgotten  through  the  lapse  of 
time.  The  division  of  Crawford  County, 
which  forms  the  subject  of  this  chapter,  origi- 
nally embraced  the  present  townships  of 
Martin  and  Southwest,  and  included  in  all 
fiftv-six  square  miles  of  territory,  with  the 
followiiig  boundaries:  Oblong  Township  on 
the  north,  Robinson  on  the  east,  Lawrence 
and  Richland  counties  on  the  south,  and 
Jasper  County  on  the  west. 

A  few  years  after  township  organization 
(1869),  that  portion  lying  south  of  the  Em- 
barras  was  formed  into  a  distinct  division 
with  the  river  for  its  northern  boundary,  and 

*ByG.N.  Ben-y. 


named  Southwest  Township, 
of  Southwest  was  brought  about  by  petition 
signed  by  the  citizens  of  that  part  of  the 
country,  and  chief  among  the  several  reasons 
urged  in  favor  of  the  division  was  the  diffi- 
culty experienced  Jn  reaching  the  voting 
place  on  account  of  high  water  during  cer- 
tain seasons  of  the  year.  The  history  of  the 
tvv  1  townships,  however,  is  identical,  and  in 
the  pages  which  follow  we  speak  of  them 
both  as  one  division.  The  tov\nship  is  well 
watered  and  drained  by  the  Embarras  river. 
Big  Creek,  Dogwood  Branch,  Honey  Creek 
and  their  affluents  which  traverse  the  country 
in  various  directions.  Embarras  river,  the 
principal  stream  of  importance,  flows  between 
the  two  townships,  crossing  the  western 
boundary  in  section  4,  and  passing  a  north 
easterly  direction  about  four  miles,  and  unites 
with  Big  Creek  in  section  8.  From  this  point 
the  channel  deflects  to  the  southwest,  leaving 
the  township  from  section  24  about  one  mile 
north  of  the  southern  boundary.  The  stream 
flows  through  a  well  wooded  but  somewhat 
flat  country,  and  afi'ords  the  principal  drain- 
age for  the  western  and  southern  portions  of 
the  county.  Big  Creek,  the  second  stream 
in  size,  flows  a  southerly  direction,  through 
the  central  part  of  the  township,  and  passes 
in  its  course  through  sections  21,  22,  29  and 
32  of  town  G,  and  section  5  of  town  5.  Dog- 
wood Branch  is  the  largest  tributary,  which 
it  receives  in  section  29,  in  the  northern  part 
of  the  township.     Honey  Creek  flows  through 


194 


HISTORY  OF  CRAWFORD  COUNTY. 


a  somewhat  broken  portion  of  country,  lying 
in  the  eastern  part  of  the  township,  and 
empties  into  the  Embarras  in  section  13. 
The  general  surface  of  the  township  is  what 
might  be  termed  level  with  undulations  of  an 
irregular  character  in  the  southeastern  part 
and  along  the  streams  enumerated.  About 
three  fourths  of  the  area  is  woodland,  the 
forest  growth  consisting  principally  of  the 
different  varieties  of  oak,  hickory,  ash,  maple, 
with  walnut,  elm  and  sycamore  skirting  the 
creeks.  When  first  settled  the  woods  were 
almost  entirely  devoid  of  undergrowth,  ow- 
ing to  the  prevalence  of  forest  and  prairie 
fires,  which  swept  over  the  country  in  fall  of 
each  year.  With  the  improvement  of  the 
land  these  fires  ceased,  and  in  woods  which 
have  not  been  disturbed  a  rank  growth  of 
"underbush"  has  sprung  up,  principally 
spice,  pawpaw,  grapevine,  dogwood  and 
many  other  varieties.  The  northeast  corner 
of  the  township  is  occupied  by  an  arm  of  the 
Grand  Prairie,  which  embraces  an  area 
equivalent  to  about  eight  sections.  The 
prairie  presents  a  very  level  surface  and  af- 
fords many  inducements  to  the  stock-raiser, 
as  the  greater  portion  of  it  is  much  better 
adapted  to  pasturage  than  to  general  farming. 
The  south  end  of  Oblong  Prairie  extends  into 
the  northwest  part  of  the  township,  while  a 
strip  of  prairie  land  about  five  miles  long 
and  one  mile  wide  extends  along  the  southern 
boundary.  The  soil  of  the  land  lying  remote 
from  the  water  courses  is  a  gray  clay-loam 
mixed  with  gravel,  while  the  low  ground  ad- 
jacent to  the  creeks  possesses  a  deep  black, 
mucky  soil,  rich  in  decayed  vagetable  matter 
and  very  fertile.  Corn  and  wheat  are  the 
staple  productions  of  the  wooded  portions  of 
the  country,  while  corn  and  grass  are  the 
leading  crops  raised  on  the  prairies.  Taken 
as  a  whole  the  township  is  not  so  well 
adapted  to  agriculture  as  the  northern  and 
eastern  divisions  of  the  county,  but  as  a  fruit 


growing  country  it  stands  second  to  no  other 
township. 

The  early  settlement  of  Martin    Township, 
like  all  portions  of  the  county,   is    somewhat 
obscured,  and  we  are  left  in  a  great  measure  to 
conjecture.     It  is  thought,  however,  that  one 
Daniel  Martin  was  the  first  to  make  improve- 
ments, and  it  is  certain  that  he  made  the  first 
entry  of  land  as  early  as  the  year   1830.     He 
was  a   native  of  the    State    of  Georgia,   and 
left    his    childhood    home    some    years    prior 
to    the  dawn  of  the  present  century,  and  set- 
tled in  Kentucky.     He  married  in  the  latter 
State    and    eniigrated   to   Illinois   about  the 
year  1810,  settling,  with  a  number  of  others 
who  accompanied  him  near  the  present    site 
of  Palestine.     His  journey  to  the  new  country 
was    replete    with    many    incidents,    some  of 
tliera  of  a  decidedly  unpletsant  nature,    for 
at  that  time  the  country   was  full  of  Indians, 
many  of  whom  were  inclined  to    be    trouble- 
some.      Martin    packed    his     few    household 
goods  on  one  horse  and  his  family  on  another 
and  thus  the  trip  through  the  wilderness  was 
made  in  safety,  though  they  were   surrounded 
at  different  times    by    hostile  redskins,  and 
it  was  only  through   Martin's  fiimness    that 
the     lives     of     the      little      company     were 
spared    to    reach    their    destination.     Upon 
his  arrival  at  Palestine,  Martin  fi  und  himself 
in  possession  of  sufficient  means  to  purchase 
thirtv  acres  of  land  on  which   a  previous  set- 
tler  had  made    a    few    rude     improvements. 
During   the   Indian    troubles    he  figured  as  a 
brave  fighter  and  participated  in  many  bloody 
hand-to-hand  combats  with  the  savages,  whom 
he  hated    with  all  the  intensity  cf  his    strong 
ruffo-ed    nature.       Being   a    great  hunter,  he 
passed  much  of  his  time  in  the  woods,  and  in 
one  of  his  hunting  tovirs   he  chanced    to  pass 
through  the  central  part  of  this  township,  and 
being   pleased  with   the  appearance    of   the 
country  he  decided  to  make  a  locatirm  here  and 
secure    a    home.      He    was  induced  to  take 


HISTORY  OF  CRAWFORD  COUNTY. 


195 


this  step  from  two  considerations:  one  for  the 
purpose  of  securing  mora  land  than  he  at 
that  time  possessed,  and  the  other  beini;r  his 
desire  to  rid  himself  of  society,  for  the  usages 
and  conventionalities  of  which  he  had  the 
mo-t  profound  contempt.  He  sold  his  little 
farm  to  Joshua  Crews  in  the  year  1830,  and 
from  the  proceeds  was  enabled  to  enter  eighty 
acres  of  government  land,  which  he  did  soon 
after,  selecting  for  his  home  the  east  half  of 
the  southeast  quarter  of  section  Si,  in  town 
6  north,  range  13  west.  He  immediately  be- 
gan improving  his  land  by  erecting  thereon 
a  good  log  cabin  twenty  by  eighteen  feet,  to 
which  he  moved  his  large  family  as  soon  as 
the  building  was  raised  and  roofed.  Mar- 
tin did  but  little  work  on  the  farm,  leaving 
that  labor  to  be  performed  by  his  daughters, 
of  whom  there  were  several  buxom  lasses 
who  inherited  their  father's  powerful  physical 
strength  in  a  marked  degree.  They  opened 
the  farm,  did  almost  all  the  plowing,  chopped 
wood  and  looked  after  the  interests  of  the 
place  in  general,  while  the  father's  rifle 
kept  the  family  well  supplied  with  fresh 
meat.  Upon  one  occasion  while  out  hunting, 
he  had  a  narrow  escape  from  being  shot,  under 
the  following  circumstances:  He  and  a  com- 
panion, who  was  getting  old  and  had  defect- 
ive eyesight,  started  out  one  morning  in 
quest  of  deer,  Martin  riding  his  favorite 
steed,  "Old  Ball."  A  fine  buck  was  soon 
started  to  which  the  hunters  gave  chase.  Mar- 
tin, who  was  an  expert  shot,  directed  his  com- 
rade to  circle  round  a  certain  piece  of  woods  for 
the  purpose  of  dislodging  the  deer,  while  he 
would  remain  stationary  and  drop  it  as  it  went 
by.  The  hunter  followed  the  directions  as 
well  as  he  could,  but  being  misled  by  his  near- 
sightedness, soon  got  back  near  the  spot 
where  Martin  was  stationed.  Seeing,  as  he 
supposed,  the  deer  among  the  branches,  and 
thinking  to  surprise  Martin,  he  "drew  bead" 
and  fired.     The  surprise  was    complete    both 


to  Martin  and  himself,  for  no  sooner  was  the 
gun  discharged  than  Martin's  voice  broke  the 
stillness  in  the  following  terse  exclamation: 
"  There,  by  the  gods,  poor  Ball's  gone."  The 
horse  had  been  shot  dead.  Martin  lived  on 
his  place  about  thirtv-three  years,  and 
died  in  1SG3  at  the  age  of  seventy-si.TC 
vears.  Two  daughters,  Mrs.  Shipman  and 
Mrs.  Thomas,  are  living  in  the  township 
at  the  present  time.  The  old  homestead 
is  owned  and  occupied  by  Esau  Har- 
din. The  next  actual  settler  of  whom  we 
have  any  knowledge  was  Abel  Prvor,  who 
located  near  the  village  of  Hardinsville  in  the 
year  1831.  He  was  born  in  Kentucky  and 
moved  from  that  State  to  Illinois  in  an  early 
day  and  settled  near  the  Palestine  fort. 
Here  he  became  acquainted  with  a  daughter 
of  John  Martin,  between  whom  and  himself 
a  mutual  attachment  sprang  up  which  soon 
terminated  in  matrimony.  After  his  marriage 
Pryor  moved  to  Coles  County,  where  he  lived 
about  three  years,  when,  becoming  dissatis- 
fied with  the  country,  he  came  to  this  town- 
ship and  entered  land  in  section  26,  at  the 
date  mentioned.  He  possessed  many  of  the 
characteristics  of  the  successful  business 
man,  to  which  were  added  an  almost  inordi- 
nate love  of  out-door  sports,  especially  hunt- 
ing, which  continued  to  be  his  favorite 
amusement  as  long  as  he  lived.  He  became 
the  possessor  of  several  tracts  of  valuable 
land,  and  raised  a  large  family,  consisting  of 
sixteen  children,  a  number  of  whom  still 
reside  in  the  township.  Pryor  died  in  the 
year  1875.  A  man  by  name  of  Huffman  set- 
tled in  the  eastern  part  of  the  township  about 
the  same  time  that  Pryor  came  to  the  country, 
but  of  him  nothing  is  known  save  that  he  mad 
a  few  improvements  on  land  which  was  entered 
by  Absalom  Higgins  two  years  later.  William 
Wilkinson  settled  near  what  is  known  as  the 
Dark  Bend  on  the  Embarras  River,  in  1831, 
where  he  cleared  a  small  farm.     A  short  time 


196 


HISTORY  OF  CRAWFORD  COUNTY. 


after  his  arrival  he  married  a  daiicrhter  of 
Daniel  Martin,  which  is  sa  d  to  have  been  the 
first  wedding  that  occurred  in  the  township. 
He  afterward  entered  land  on  the  lower  end  of 
Oblong  Prairie,  where  he  resided  until  his 
death,  which  occurred  about  the  year  18G3. 

Among  other  pioneers  who  secured  homes 
in  the  township  in  1831  was  William  Ship- 
man,  who  located  near  the  site  of  Hardinsvilie 
village.     Shipman   was   a   native   of   Indiana 
and  a  man  of  considerable  prominence  in  ihe 
community,  having  been  noted  for  his  indus- 
try and    business   tact.     He  entered   land   in 
section  34  a  few  years  later  and  was  one  of 
the  principal  movers  in  the  laying  out  of  Har- 
dinsvilie.   His  marriage  with  Virginia,  daugh- 
ter of  Daniel  Martin,  about  throe  years  after 
his  arrival,  was  the  second  event  of  the  kind 
that  transpired  in  the  township.     In  the  year 
1833  the  following  persons  and  their  families 
were    added    to    the    township's    population: 
Hezekiah  Martin,  Zachariah  Thomas  and  Absa- 
lom Hio-gins.     The  first-named  was  a  nephew 
of  Daniel  Martin.  He  was  a  native  of  Kentucky 
and  came  with  his  uncle  to  Illinois,  and  lived 
until  the  year  1833  on  a  small  farm  near  Pal- 
estine.    The   farm  which  he  improved  in  this 
township  lies  in  section  34,  near  HanlinsviUe. 
He  lived  here  about  five  3'ears,  when  he  traded 
his  place  to  EphraimKiger  for  a  mill  on  Brushy 
Run  in  Honej-  Creek  Township,  to  which  he 
moved  in  the  year  1838.     Higgins,  to  whom 
reference  has  already  been  made,  settled  in  the 
eastern  part  of  the  township  on  land  which  had 
been  improved  by  Hufi'man,  whom  he  bought 
out.     He  immigrated  to  this  State  from  Ken- 
tucky, and  was,  like  man}^  of  the  early  settlers 
of  the  county,  a  pioneer  hunter  of  the  most 
pronounced  type.    He  kept  a  large  number  of 
dogs,  with  which   he  hunted  wolves,  and  was 
instrumental,  in   a  great  measure,  in  ridding 
the  county  of  these  pests.     On  one  occasion, 
while  out   hunting,  his  dogs   brought  a  large 
panther  to  bay,  but  were  afraid  to  attack  it. 


Higgins  encouraged  tlie  dogs  for  the  purpose, 
he  said,  of  "seiiing  some  fun,"  but  was  very 
soon  sorry  for  what  he  did,  when  he  saw  two 
of  his  favorites  bite  the  dust.     At  this  junc- 
ture he  thought  it  was  time  for  him  to  act,  so 
he  took  deliberate  aim  at  the  beast  and  fired. 
Instead  of  the  shot  taking  effect  on  the  pan- 
ther, it   killed   one  of  his  dogs,  as  they  were 
running  around  and  barking  at  a  fearful  rate, 
another   and   another  shot  were   fired,  which 
only  wounded  the  wild  animal,  and  a  fourth 
discharge  laid  out  another  of  the  dogs.     Fi- 
nally,  after  discharging  seventeen   shots  and 
killing  three  dogs,  he  succeeded  in  bringing 
the  ferocious  animal  to  the  ground.     Higgins 
was  a  resident  of  the  township  until  the  year 
1863,  at  which  time  he  sold  his  possessions  to 
Garrett  Wilson   and   moved  to  Terre   Haute, 
Indiana.       Thomas    was    a    Kentuckian,   and 
made    his   first   improvements'  in   section   34. 
But  little  canJbe  said  of  him — at  least  in  his 
favor,  as   he  was   not  what   one  would  call^ 
valuable  acquisition  to  a  community.    Among 
the   more  prominent  settlers  of  the  township 
is  remembered  Thomas  R.  Boyd,  who  moved 
here  from  Palestine  about  the  year  183(3  and 
located   a   short   distance   from    Hardinsvilie. 
He   was   one    of  the    early  pioneers   of   tlie 
county,    having    moved     from    Kentucky    to 
Palestine  when   the   latter  place^.was  a  mere 
hamlet  of  two  or  three    houses.      He  was   a 
prominent   farmer,  and  one  of  the  first  stock- 
dealers  in  the  township,  at  which  business  he 
accumulated  considerable  wealth.     His  death 
occurred   in   the  year  1877.     His  widow  and 
two  daughters  are  residing  in  Martin   at  the 
present  time.     Samuel  R.  Boyd,  a  brother  of 
the  preceding',  came  out  on  a  vssit   from  his 
native  State   about  the  year  1837,  and   being 
pleased  with  the   country,  he   determined  to 
locate    here    and    make    it   his   home,    which 
decision  was  strengthened  by  the  earnest  so- 
licitation of  his  brother's  family.    He  married, 
soon  after  his  arrival,  a  young  lady  by  name 


HISTORY  OF  CRAWFORD  COUNTY. 


197 


of  Hiiskins,  and  inimediateiy  went  to  work 
and  soon  had  a  fine  farm  under  successful 
cultivation.  He  sold  his  farm  to  a  man  by 
name  of  Baker,  in  the  year  1850,  and  moved 
to  Fort  .Jackson  in  the  adjoining  townsliip  of 
Honey  Creek.  Other  settlers  came  in  from 
time  to  time,  among  whom  were  .John  Gar- 
rard, Alfred  Griswold,  Benjamin  Boyd,  .John 
Thomas  and  Robert  Boyd.  Garrard  improved 
a  farm  in  section  23,  on  land  which  he  ob- 
tained from  the  government  in  the  year  1838. 
He  was,  like  the  majority  of  pioneers  in  this 
section  of  the  county,  a  native  of  Kentucky, 
and  raised  the  largest  family  in  the  township. 
He  was  the  father  of  seventeen  children,  the 
majority  of  whom  grew  up  to  manhood  and 
womanhood.  Griswold  entered  a  large  tract 
of  land  in  section  15,  but  did  not  improve  it. 
Thomas  was  a  son-in-law  of  Daniel  Martin, 
and  a  man  of  but  little  consequence  in  the 
community.  His  distinguishing  character- 
istic was  a  dislike  for  anything  known  as 
work,  and  his  laz  ness  became  proverbial 
throughout  his  entire  neighborhood.  Benja- 
min and  Thomas  Boyd  were  brothers  of  the 
Boyds  already  alluded  to,  and  like  them  were 
men  of  eiiterijrise  and  character.  Benjamin 
and  Ezekiel  Bogart,  two  brothers,  came  to 
the  township  in  an  early  day  and  located  at 
the  Dark  Bend  near  the  central  part  of  the 
township.  They  made  but  few  Improve- 
ments; and  if  all  reports  concerning  them  are 
true,  many  acts  of  lawlessness  were  traced  to 
their  doors.  A  short  time  after  their  arrival 
William  Wilkinson,  Jackson  Inlow,  David 
lidow,  .Jerry  ^V'ilkinson,  Ephraim  Wilkinson, 
and  Thomas  Inlow,  made  their  appearance 
and  settled  in  the  same  locality.  They  were 
ail  men  of  doubtful  character,  and  their  neigh- 
borhood became  widely  noted  as  a  place  of 
bad  repute.  'Tis  said,  upon  good  authority, 
that  the  Bend  was  noted  for  years  as  the  ren- 
dezvous of  a  gang  of  horse-thieves  and  out- 
laws who  chose  it  as  a  secure  refuge  from  the 


minions  of  the  law.  Many  crimes  of  a  much 
darker  shade  than  stealing  are  said  to  have 
been  committed  among  the  somber  recesses 
of  the  thick  woods,  and  persons  having  occa- 
sion to  pass  through  that  locality  alw?.3's  went 
well  armed.  The  following  fatal  termination 
of  a  deadly  feud  which  existed  between  two 
brothers,  Jack  and  Thomas  Inlow,  is  related : 
It  appears  that  both  brothers  became  enam- 
ored of  the  same  woman,  a  widovir  of  unsa- 
vorv  reputation  by  name  of  May.  A  bitter 
jealousy  soon  sprang  up,  which  was  aug- 
mented by  the  woman,  who  encouraged  the 
visits  of  both,  and  so  bitter  did  this  feeling 
become  that  threats  of  violence  were  openly 
made  by  the  two  desperate  men.  They  both 
happened  to  meet  at  the  "siren's"  house  one 
day  and  a  terrible  quarrel  ensued,  during 
which  weapons  were  dra^w  and  freely  used. 
In  the  fight  which  followed,  Thomas  was  fa- 
tally shot,  and  died  soon  afterward.  David 
was  arrested  and  lodged  in  the  Palestine  jail. 
He  was  tried  for  murder,  but  was  cleared  on 
the  ground  of  self-defense.  The  woman  mar- 
ried again  soon  afterward,  but  was  never  heard 
to  express  a  regret  for  the  sad  occurrence  of 
which  she  was  the  cause. 

The  following  persons  additional  to  the  set- 
tlers already  enumerated,  made  entries  of 
land  in  the  township  prior  to  the  year  18-10: 
Bethel  Martin,  in  section  23;  William  B. 
Martin,  section  22;  Robert  Goss,  in  section 
25;  Benjamin  Mvers,  in  section  30;  and  Fos- 
ter Donald,  in  section  22.  The  last  named 
is  the  oldest  settler  in  the  township  at  the 
present  time,  having  been  identified  with  the 
country's  growth  and  development  since  the 
year  1830.  (See  biography.)  Jlrs.  Donald 
relates  that  during  the  first  summer  of  their 
residence  in  the  township,  her  husband  was 
absent  the  greater  part  of  the  time  making 
brick  at  Palestine.  In  his  absence  she  was 
left  .alone,  and  in  addition  to  her  domestic 
duties,  she  was  compelled    to  look    after  the. 


193 


HISTORY  OF  CRAWFORD  COUNTY. 


interests  of  the  place,  and  many  lonely  nights 
were    passed    in    the    little    cabin  while  the 
wolves  chased  around  the  house  and  scratched 
upon  the  door  trying  to  get  in.     Probably  in 
no  other  part  of  the  county  were  the  wolves 
as  troublesome  as  in  this  township,  and  for  a 
number  of  years  the   settlers    found  it  very 
difficult  to  raise  any  stock  on  account  of  them. 
Their  attacks  were  not  always  confined  to  cat- 
tle and  sheep,  as  the  following  will  go  to  prove : 
A  Mr.  Waldrop  shot  a   deer    upon  one  occa- 
sion, and   dressed  it  in   the  woods;  while  in 
the  act   of  hanging  the    meat  on   a  limb,  he 
was  set  upon  by  a  pack  of  wolves  and  com- 
pelled to  flee  for   his  life.     After  devouring 
the  part  of  the  deer  left  on  the  ground  the 
wolves  followed  up  the  trail  of  AValdrop,  and 
soon     overtook     him.     He     shot    two    of  his 
pursuers,  but   soon   found  himself  in   a  death 
struggle  with  his  fierce  assailants.     His  cloth- 
ing was  almost  stripped   from   his  body  and 
a  number  of  ugly  wounds  inflicted,  when  he 
gained   a  tree    near   by,  which   he  ascended. 
He   passed  the   long,  cold  night  in   his  lofty 
perch  listening  to  the  wild  howls  of  his  gaunt 
enemies,  and  was  not  relieved  until  the  fol- 
lowing morning.     Many  devices  were  resorted 
to  by  the  settlers  to  rid  the   county   of  the 
wolves,  the    most  popular   of  which   was  the 
Sunday  hunts,  when  all  the  citizens  for  miles 
around  would   start   at   a   given   signal,   and 
close  in  on    a  circle.     This  would   bring  the 
wolves   close   together    when    they  could  be 
easily   shot.     Another  serious    hindrance    to 
the  pioneer  farmer   was  the    numerous  flocks 
of  crows  which  infested  the  country.     These 
birds   destroyed  almost  entire  fields  of  corn, 
and  premiums  were  ofi"ered  for  their  destruc- 
tion.   Grain-fields  had  to  be  carefully  watched, 
and  when  the  field  was  very  large,  dogs  were 
tied    in    difi'erent   places    to  scare    the  birds 
away,  while  the  man  with  his  gun  watched 
the  other  parts. 
The  settlers  obtained  their  flour  and  meal 


from  the  early    mills  at   Palestine    and   Law- 
renceville,   and  in    later  years  the   little  mill 
belonging  to  Joseph  Wood  in  Oblong  Town- 
ship was  patronized.     The  first  mil!  in  Martin 
was  built  by  a  Mr.  York  as  early  as  the  year 
1840  and  stood  on  the  Einbarras  in  the  south- 
west part  of  the  township.     It  was  a  water- 
mill  with  two  run  of  buhrs,   and   for  several 
years  did  a  very  good   business.     A  saw  was 
afterward  attached,  which  proved  a  very  pay- 
ing venture.     York  operated  the  mill  a  short 
time  when  he  sold  to  Alexander  Stewart  who 
run    it    very    successfully    for    about  twenty 
years.     A  man  by  name  of  Williams  then  pur- 
chased it,  and  in  turn  sold  to  John  Baker,  who 
operated  it  but  few  years.     It  ceased  opera- 
tions a   number  of  years  ago,  when   the  dam 
washed  out.     The  old  building  is  still  stand- 
ing a  monument  of  days  gone    by.     A  steam 
flouring  mill  was  erected  at  the   little   village 
of  Freeport  about  the  year  1848,  but  by  whom 
was  not  learned.     It  was  a   good   mill    with 
two  run  of  buhrs,  and  for  a  number  of  years 
was  extensively  patronized.     The  last  owners 
were  McNeiss  and  Sons.     An   early  industry 
of  the  township  was  the  Ruby  distillery,  which 
stood  about  two  and  a  half  miles  east  of  the 
village  of  Hardinsville.     It   was   erected    in 
the  year  1858  and  ceased  operations  about 
the  year  186'.J,  the  proprietor  being  unable  to 
pay  the  large  revenue  demanded  by  the  gov- 
ernment.    It  had    a    capacity    of   about  one 
hundred  gallons  of  whisky  per  day,   and  dur- 
ino-  the  years  it  was  run  before  the  war,  did  a 
very  good  business.     But  little  can  be  said  of 
the  early  churches  of  Martin,  as  the  first  set- 
tlers were  not  all  religiously  inclined.     Sun- 
day was  their  gala   day,   and   was   generally 
spent  in  hunting,  horse   racing,  or  in  athletic 
sports,  such  as  jumping,  wrestling,  etc.,  favor- 
ite amusements  during  pioneer  times. 

The  first  religious  exercises  were  conducted 
by  Elder  Stephen  Canady,  a  Baptist  minister, 
at  Daniel  Martin's  barn.     This  meeting  had 


HISTORY  OB  CRAWFORD  COUNTY. 


199 


been  announced  several  days  previous,  and 
when  the  hour  for  services  arrived,  the  barn 
was  partially  filled  with  women  and  children. 
The  men  accompanied  their  families,  but  did 
not  go  into  the  sanctuary;  at  the  close  of  the 
service,  each  stunly  pioneer  shouldered  his 
gun  which  he  always  carried  wi'.h  him,  and 
spent  the  remainder  of  the  d  ly  in  the  woods, 
much  to  the  minister's  disgust.  Jesse  York, 
a  Methodist  preacher,  living  in  Oblong  Town- 
ship, organized  a  small  class  at  the  residence 
of  Jacob  Garrard  about  the  year  1846.  The 
original  members  of  this  class  as  far  as  known 
were  Jacob  Garrard  and  wife,  Polly  Garrard, 
Margaret  Higgins,  Caroline  Donald,  Lillis 
Peacock  and  wife,  Samuel  R.  Boyd  and  wife, 
and  John  Haskins  and  wife.  York  preached 
several  years  and  was  a  man  of  great  zeal  and 
piety.  Dr.  Hally,  of  Hebron,  was  an  early 
preacher  and  did  much  towards  building  up 
the  consregation.  Garrard's  residence  was 
used  as  a  meeting  place  until  a  school-house 
was  erected  in  the  neighborhood.  Services 
were  held  in  the  school-house  at  stated  inter- 
vals until  the  year  1881,  when  in  conjunction 
■with  the  United  Brethren,  the  church  erected 
a  very  commodious  temple  of  worship 
about  two  miles  north  of  Hardinsville  on 
ground  donated  by  Foster  Donald.  The 
building  is  a  frame  structure  with  a  seating 
capacity  of  about  two  hundred  and  fifty,  and 
cost  the  sum  of  $300. 

The  Hardinsville  Christian  church  was 
organized  about  the  year  1850  with  a  substan- 
tial membership.  Services  were  conducted 
at  the  Hardinsville  school-house  until  the  year 
1858,  when  their  present  house  of  worship  was 
erected.  It  was  built  principally  by  donation 
of  work  by  the  citizens  of  the  vicinity  and  re- 
presents a  capital  of  about  S600.  It  is  a 
frame  house  30x40  feet  and  will  comfortably 
seat  two  hundred  persons.  Among  the  pas- 
tors, and  stated  supplies  of  the  church  were 
Elder  Morgan,  Allan  G.  McNees,  to  whose 


efforts  the  society  is  indebted  for  much  of  its 
success.  F.  il.  Shirk, Beard, Lock- 
hart,  P.  C.  Cauble,  Joan  Crawford  and  Sala- 
thiel  Lamb,  the  last  named  being  pastor  in 
charge  at  the  present  time.  The  present 
membership  is  about  forty.  A  Methodist 
class  was  organized  at  Hardinsville  a  number 
of  years  ago,  with  a  membership  of  about 
thirty;  meetings  were  held  in  the  school-house 
for  some  years,  and  efforts  were  made  at  one 
time  to  erect  a  house  of  worship.  The  house 
was  never  built,  however,  and  the  class  was 
finally  disbanded.  A  second  class  was 
organized  at  the  same  place  in  the  year 
1883  by  Rev.  Dee.  Aiiout  twenty  mem- 
bers belonged  to  this  class  and  worship 
was  regularly  held  at  the  school-house  for 
one  year.  The  old  school-house  was  sold  in 
the  fall  of  1881,  and  a  new  one  erected,  in 
which  religious  services  were  not  allowed  to 
be  held.  Since  then  there  have  been  no  reg- 
ular meetings  of  the  society.  At  the  present 
time  efforts  are  being  made  to  build  a  meeting 
house.  The  United  Brethren  have  a  good 
society  which  meets  for  worship  in  the  new 
church  north  of  Hardinsville,  to  which  we 
have  already  alluded.  The  society  is  in  a 
flourishing  condition  and  numbers  among  its 
members  some  of  the  best  citizens  of  the 
country. 

The  Missionary  Baptists  have  a  society  in 
the  eastern  part  of  the  township,  which  is 
large  and  well  attended.  They  have  no 
house  of  worship  but  use  a  school-house  for 
church  purposes. 

The  first  school  in  the  township  was  taught 
about  the  year  18-43,  in  a  little  hewed  log 
house  which  stood  a  short  distance  south  of 
Hardinsville.  The  name  of  the  first  teach- 
er and  particulars  concerning  his  school 
could  not  be  learned.  The  house  was  moved 
to  the  village  a  short  time  afterward  and 
was  used  for  school  and  church  purposes  a 
great  many  years.     The  second  achool-house 


200 


HISTORY  OF  CRAWFORD  COUNTY. 


■was  built  about  four  years  later  and  stood  on 
the  Bethel  Martin  farm  north  of  Hardinsville. 
It  was  a  hewed  log  structure  also,  and  was 
first  used  by  William  Cunningham  in  the 
■winter  of  1846  and  1847.  Cunningham's 
school  was  attended  by  about  twenty  pupils, 
and  he  is  remembered  as  a  very  competent  in- 
structor. Samuel  Blakely  and  Miss  Dee  were 
early  teachers  at  this  place  also.  A  third 
bouse  was  erected  about  two  miles  west  of 
Hardinsville  in  the  year  1850.  It  was  built  of 
plank,  and  was  in  constant  use  until  1882,  when 
it  was  torn  down  and  replaced  by  a  more 
commodious  frame  structure.  Another  early 
school-house  stood  east  of  the  village  on 
land  which  belonged  to  a  Mr.  Dewcomer. 
It  was  built  about  the  year  185(3  and  was  in 
use  until  1880.  At  the  present  time  there 
are  ten  good  frame  houses  in  the  township, 
all  of  which  are  well  furnished  with  ail  the 
modern  educational  appliances.  The  schools 
are  well  supported  and  last  from  four  to 
seven  months  in  the  year. 

The  village  of  Hardinsville  is  situated  in  the 
southwestern  part  of  the  township  in  section 
34,  and  dates  history  from  September,  1847.  It 
was  laid  out  by  Daniel  Martin,  purely  as  a 
speculation  venture,  but  the  growth  of  the 
town  never  came  up  to  bis  expectations. 
"While  the  village  plat  was  being  surveyed 
Martin  was  interrogated  by  a  by-stander  as 
to  what  his  intentions  were  in  locating  a  town 
in  such  an  out-of-the  way  place.  The  old 
man  replied  in  his  characteristic  humor, 
"Why,  by  the  gods,  twenty  years  from  this 
time  will  see  a  second  St.  Louis  right  on  this 
spot  or  I  am  no  true  prophet."  Will- 
iam Shipman  erected  a  store  building  and 
engaged  in  the  mercantile  business  about  the 
time  the  village  was  laid  out.  He  sold  both 
bouse  and  goods  to  Charles  Inman  two  years 
later  who  increased  the  stock  and  did  a  very 
good  business  for  about  three  years  when  he 
closed  out  and  moved  from  the  place. 


Among  the  first  business  men  of  the 
village  was  one  Daniel  Miller,  a  rough  char- 
acter, who  kept  a  small  grocerj^  and  whisky 
shop  which  was  the  resort  of  all  the  desper- 
adoes of  the  country.  This  place  became 
such  an  eyesore  to  the  community  that  efforts 
were  made  to  induce  Miller  to  quit  the 
whisky  business  and  turn  bis  attention  to 
other  pursuits.  To  all  these  efforts,  however, 
be  turned  a  deaf  ear,  and  instead  of  the  "dive" 
becoming  more  civil  it  became  worse  and 
worse.  At  last  the  patience  of  the  better 
class  of  citizens  became  exhausted,  and  as  a 
dernier  resort  a  keg  of  powder  was  placed 
under  the  building,  after  the  carousers  bad 
left,  the  charge  was  exploded,  and  the  last 
seen  of  the  saloon  it  was  flying  skyward  in 
minute  fragments.  This  had  the  desired 
effect,  and  no  saloon  was  started  in  the  town 
again  for  many  years.  A  man  by  name  of 
Rhodes  was  an  early  merchant  and  sold  goods 
i  1  a  little  building  which  stood  on  the  corner 
where  Hicks'  store  now  stands.  John  Hig- 
gins  was  an  early  merchant  also;  be  occupied 
the  building  in  which  Inman's  store  was  kept 
and  continued  in  the  business  about  two 
years.  The  Preston  brothers  came  in  about 
the  year  1855,  and  erected  a  large  business 
house  on  the  corner  of  Market  and  Main 
streets,  which  they  stocked  with  goods  to  the 
amount  of  §10,000.  At  one  time  they  did  as 
much,  if  not  more  business  than  anv  other 
firm  in  the  county,  and  accumulated  consid 
erable  wealth  during  their  stay  in  the  village. 
"Jack  "  Hasket  succeeded  them  in  the  year 
1861,  and  continued  the  business  until  1870, 
when  be  sold  out  to  Miller  &  Paiker.  The 
firm  was  afterward  changed  to  Parker  & 
Kid  well  and  the  store  moved  to  the  village 
of  Oblong.  At  the  present  time  there  is  but 
one  store  in  the  place.  It  is  kept  by  G.  B. 
Hicks  in  a  large  frame  building  which  was 
erected  by  William  F.  Bottoms  in  the  year 
187^. 


HISTORY  OF  CRAWFORD  COUNTY. 


201 


The   Hardinsville   Lodge  No.   75G  A.  F.  & 

A.  .\I.  was  organized  October,  187S,  with  the 
lollovvinsf  cliaiter  members:  William  Dvar, 
Green  B.  Hicks,  Robert  E.  Haskins,  .John 
Mulvean,  John  M.  Donnell,  John  E.  Cullom, 
Fay  K.  Wallar,  James  Shipman,  Mills  Hughes, 
Joseph  C.  Hughes  and  Tliomas  H.  Haskins. 
The  first  officers  were  William  Dj'ar,  W.  M; 
G.  B.  Hicks,  S.  W.;  and  Robert  E.  Haskins, 
J.  W.  The  officers  in  charge  at  the  present 
time  are,  John  Mulvean,  W.  M.;  John  M. 
Donnell,  S.  W.;  James  Shipman,  J.  W.;  G. 

B.  Hicks,  S.  D.;  Mills  Hughes,  Treas.;  C.  J. 
Price,  Sect.;    C.    P.    Carlton,  J.  D.     Present 


membership    about    twelve.      Meetings   are 
held  in  hall  over  G.  B.  Hicks'  store. 

In  the  year  1855  a  small  village  was  laid 
out  in  the  western  part  of  the  township  by 
Andrew  Nichols,  and  named  Freeport.  For 
several  years  it  was  considered  a  very  good 
trading  point  and  supported  two  good  stores, 
one  mill  and  a  blacksmith  shop.  These  in 
time  disappeared,  and  a  general  decay  fast- 
ened itself  upon  the  once  promising  town. 
At  the  present  time  nothing  remains  of  the 
village  save  a  few  dismantled  and  dilapidated 
dwellings. 


CHAPTEE    XYIII. 


HONEY  CREEK  TOWNSHIP— DESCRIPTION   AND   TOPOGRAPHY— ADVENT   OF  THE    PALE- 
FACES, AND  THEIR  EARLY  STRUGGLES— PIONEER  IMPROVEMENTS— RELIG- 
IOUS HISTORY— AN  INCIDENT— SCHOOLS  AND  SOUltoL-HOUSES— 
VILLAGES— PARTING  WORDS,   ETC.,    ETC. 


"  The  rank  thistle  nodded  in  the  wind,  and  the 
wild  fox  dug  his  hole  unscared." — Sprague. 

HONEY  CREEK  Township,  though  an 
early-settled  portion  of  the  county,  has 
advanced  very  little  in  some  directions 
and  its  citizens  of  to-day  stand  where 
their  fathers  stood  fifty  years  or  more 
ago,  clinging  with  a  wonderful  tenacity 
to  the  relics  of  a  bj'-gone  period.  Here  we 
still  find  the  primitive  log  cabin,  together 
with  many  of  those  pioneer  customs  and 
habits,  which  the  few  old  grandfathers  and 
grandmothers  yet  living  delight  to  dwell 
upon. 

Much  of  the  land  in  Honey  Creek  Town- 
ship is  of  a  rather  inferior  quality,  as  com- 
pared to  other  of  the  county.  It  is  mostly 
timbered  land  and  a  good  deal  of  it  seems  to 
be  a  kind  of  oak  flat  with  a  light,  thin  soil. 
There  is,  however,  some  very  good  land  in 
the  township,  but  that  of  a  poorer  quality 
largely  predominates.  The  original  timber 
growth  consisted  of  several  kinds  of  oak, 
hickory,  elm,  gum,  maple,  walnut,  etc.,  with 
a  few  other  trees  and  shrubs  indigenous  to 
this  section.  The  Embarras  River  just  barely 
touches  the  southwest  corner  of  the  township, 
Honey  Creek  flows  through  the  northwest 
corner,  and  Brush  and  Sugar  Creeks  through 
the  southeast  portion.  These,  with  a  few 
other  smaller  and  nameless  streams,  constitute 
its  system  of  natural  drainage.     Honey  Creek 

*  By  W.  H.  Perrin. 


is  bounded  on  the  north  by  Robinson  Town- 
ship, on  the  east  by  Montgomery  Township, 
on  the  south  by  Lawrence  County,  and  on 
the  west  by  Martin  and  Southwest  Townships. 
The  Wabash  railroad  passes  along  the  town- 
ship line,  and  has  improved  the  country  to 
some  extent.  Several  villages  have  sprung 
up  since  the  construction  of  the  road,  which 
have  added  their  mile  to  the  growth  and 
prosperity  of  the  surrounding  country,  but 
there  still  remains  vast  room  lor  improvement 
and  enterprise. 

Before  the  war-whoop  of  the  savage  had 
died  away,  the  pale-faced  pioneers  were  com- 
ing into  this  portion  of  the  county.  The  first 
white  men  who  located  here  were  John  and 
Samuel  Parker,  in  181t>.  They  were  genuine 
pioneers,  and  of  that  character  of  men  who 
were  fully  able  to  cope  with  privation,  and 
with  danger  in  any  form.  John  and  George 
Parker,  now  living  in  this  township,  are  de- 
scendants of  these  hardy  old  frontiersman. 
John  and  George  Parker  came  to  the  town- 
ship in  1830,  from  Kentucky,  and  settled  on 
the  "range  road,"  near  the  present  village  of 
Flat  Rock.  They  are  of  the  true  pioneer 
stock,  like  their  progenitors,  and  are  scarcely 
alive  to  and  up  with  the  age  of  improvement 
in  which  they  live. 

About  the  time  John  and  George  Parker 
came  the  settlement  was  further  augmented 
by  the  arrival  of  the  following  families:  The 
Seaney  family,  Seth  and  Levi  Lee,  Jesse  and 
James  Higgins,  John  Hart  and  Wm.  Carter. 


HISTORY   OF  CRAWFORD  COUNTY. 


203 


These  settlements  were  made  about  the  time 
the  land  office  was  established  at  Palestine. 
After  this  there  was  quite  a  cessation  in  the 
arrival  of  emijvrants,  and  several  years 
elap-^ed  before  vvc  hear  of  any  more  new- 
comers to  this  immediate   vicinity. 

Aaron  Jones  settled  here  about  183'2.  He 
was  originally  from  Vir<)-ini^  but  settled  in 
Buller  County,  Ohio,  and  ^Ifew  years  later 
came  to  this  county.  He  died  in  18G1,  and 
his  wife  soon  after  followed  him  to  the  land 
of  rest.  Mr.  Jones  made  his  trip  from  Butler 
County,  Ohio,  with  wagons  and  teams.  The 
country  was  then  very  wild,  and  much  of  the 
distance  was  along  Indian  trails,  and  paths 
beaten  down  by  hunters  and  emigrants, 
who  had  preceded  him.  Indianapolis  was  a 
strasfflinsr  villaffe  of  a  few  rude  cabins,  and 
the  country  for  miles  and  miles  was  without 
a  single  habitation.  Robinson  had  not  yet 
arisen  from  the  hazel  thickets  and  prairie 
grass,  and  the  phase  of  the  country  generally 
was  not  inviting  by  any  manner  of  means. 

The  first  land  entered  west  of  the  range 
road —  a  road  running  from  Mt.  Carmel  to  Chi- 
cago, was  entered  b}'  Asa  Jones,  a  brother 
of  Mr.  J.  M.  Jones.  About  the  time  he 
made  his  entry,  one  .Tacob  Blaythe  wanted 
to  enter  a  piece  of  land,  and  being  unable 
to  distinguish  the  corner,  cut  the  num- 
ber of  the  land  from  a  tree,  and  carried  the 
block  to  the  land-office  at  Palestine.  Rich- 
ard Highsmith  now  living  in  Honey  Creek 
assisted  to  build  the  fort  at  Russelville,  and 
was  one  of  the  first  who  slept  in  it  after  its 
completion. 

Another  early  settler  was  Leonard  Simons. 
He  came  from  Tennessee,  and  located  first  at 
Palestine,  in  the  days  when  the  people  found 
it  conducive  to  longevity  to  live  in  forts.  Af- 
terward he  settled  in  this  township.  He 
died  in  the  county  aliout  1875,  at  an  ad- 
vanced age.  Samuel  Bussard  came  originally 
from  Maryland,   but    stopped    for  a  time    in 


Ohio,  and  came  from  the  Buckeye  State  to 
this  county,  and  settled  where  his  son  now 
lives.  He  raised  a  large  family  of  children, 
and  died  some  tvrenty-five  years  ago.  Peter 
Kendall,  from  Kentucky,  settled  where  John 
Parker  now  lives.  He  moved  away  some 
years  ago.  Robert  Terrill,  also  from  Ken- 
tucky, settled  in  IS-tS,  and  lives  now  in  Flat 
Rock.  There  were  many  other  pioneers  who 
deserve  a  place  in  these  pages,  perhaps,  but 
we  failed  to  obtain  their  names. 

Wolves,  panthers,  wild-cats,  deer,  etc.,  etc., 
were  here  in  the  most  plentiful  profusion 
when  the  first  settlements  were  made.  The 
rifle  of  the  pioneer  supplied  his  larder  with 
meat,  but  bread  was  not  so  easily  obtained. 
Wolves  and  other  ravenuous  beasts  rendered 
the  rearing  of  hogs  and  sheep  a  very  uncer- 
tain business  for  a  number  of  years — in  fact, 
until  the  country  was  somewhat  rid  of  the 
troublesome  animals.  Milling  is  usually  a 
serious  task  to  the  early  settler  in  a  \^ld 
country,  and  in  the  settlement  of  Honey 
Creek,  the  people  went  to  Palestine  and  other 
places  until  they  had  mills  built  in  their  own 
neighborhood.  The  first  roads  were  merely 
trails  through  the  forest.  These  were  cut 
out  and  improved  as  population  increased 
and  demanded  more  and  better  highways. 

Silas  Tyler,  of  this  township,  is  the  oldest 
freemason  in  the  county,  or  perhaps  in  the 
State.  He  was  initiated  in  the  ancient  and 
honorable  fraternity  in  1818,  in  the  State  of 
New  York,  being  at  the  time  22  j'ears  of  age. 
He  afterward  served  as  master  of  the  lodge 
in  which  he  took  his  degrees.  Mr.  Tyler, 
though  not  as  early  a  settler  of  the  township 
as  some  others,  is  certainly  as  early  a  mason. 
He  was  in  his  masonic  prime  at  the  time  of 
the  Morgan  excitement,  and  remembers 
something  of  that  stormy  period  to  the  fra- 
ternity. 

Of  the  first  school-house  in  Honey  Creek 
township,  and  the   fi'-st  teacher,  but  little  was 


204 


HISTORY  OF  CRAWFORD  COUNTY. 


learned.  The  first  sc}iools  here,  as  in  other 
parts  of  the  county,  were  tauc^ht  in  any  cabin 
which  mioht  happen  to  be  vacant.  The  first 
school-houses  were  built  of  logs,  after  the 
regular  pioneer  pattern,  and  the  first  teachers 
■were  as  primitive  as  the  buildings  in  which 
they  wielded  their  brief  authority.  The 
townsiiip  is  now  very  well  supplied  with 
temples  of  learning,  in  which  good  schools 
are  taught  for  the  usual  term  each  year. 

Relio-ious  meetings  were  held  in  the 
pioneer  settlements  of  this  section,  almost  as 
early  as  the  settlements  were  made.  The 
first  meetings  of  which  we  have  any  reliable 
account  were  held  in  the  old  Lamotte  school- 
house,  and  the  first  sermon  in  the  township  is 
supposed  to  have  been  preached  by  Elder 
Daniel  Parker,  of  whom  reference  has  been 
made  in  preceding  chapters,  and  who  was 
of  the  "Hardshell"  Baptist  persuasion.  He 
was  one  of  the  early  ministers,  not  only  of 
thia  but  of  the  surrounding  counties,  and 
■was  considered  a  powerful  preacher  in  his 
day.  It  is  told  of  him,  that  he  would  never 
accept  pecuniary  compensation  for  his  minis- 
terial labors,  but  deemed  it  his  duty  to  preach 
salvation  to  a  "  lost  and  ruined  world,"  with- 
out money  and  without  price.  In  this  he 
differed  from  his  clerical  brethren  of  the 
present  day.  Mr.  Seaney  relates  the  follow- 
inn-  incident  of  one  of  Elder  Parker's  meet- 
ings: Mr.  Seaney  started  out  one  Sunday 
morning  to  look  for  some  calves  that  had 
strayed  away  from  him,  when  upon  nearing 
a  church  or  school-house,  he  encountered  a 
group  of  young  men,  barefooted,  dressed  in 
leather  breeches  and  tow-linen  shirts.  They 
were  patiently  awaiting  the  arrival  of  the 
minister,  and  whiling  away  the  time  in  "  cast- 
ing sheep's  eyes  "  at  a  bevy  of  young  ladies 
who  had  just  arrived  upon  the  scene,  gor- 
geous in  "sun-bonnets  and  barefooted."  This 
seems  on  a  par  with  the  costume  of  the  Geor- 
gia major,  which,  we  are  told,  consisted  of   a 


paper  collar  and  a  pair  of  spurs,  but  whether 
this  was  the  extent  of  the  young  ladies'  ward- 
robe or  not  we  can  not  say,  but  no  other  ar- 
ticles of  wearing  apparel  were  mentioned. 
The  preacher  finally  made  his  appearance, 
clad,  not  like  John  the  Forerunner,  with  "a 
leathern  girdle  about  his  loins,"  but  in  a  full 
suit  of  leather.  He  walked  straight  into  the 
house,  and  as  he'flid  so  he  hauled  off  his  old 
leather  coat  and  threw  it  upon  the  floor. 
Then  after  singing  a  hime  and  making  a 
prayer,  he  straightened  himself,  and  for  two 
mortal  hours  he  poured  hot  shot  into  "  the 
wor  Id,  the  flesh  and  the  devil."  John  Parken 
a  brother  of  Daniel  Parker,  was  a  preacher 
of  the  same  denomination,  and  used  to  hold 
forth  among  the  early  settlers  in  their  cabins, 
and  at  a  Ifiter  date  in  the  school-houses. 
Thomas  Kennedy,  well  known  as  one  of  the 
early  county  officers,  was  also  a  pioneer  Bap- 
tist preacher. 

Bethel  Presbyterian  Church  was  organizsd 
m  1853,  by  Rev.  Joseph  Butler.  Among  the 
early  members  were  A.  D.  Delzell,  Mrs.  M. 
E.  Delz  11,  Wm.  Delz-11,  Mrs.  M.  J.  Delzell, 
L.  B.  Delzell,  John  Duncan  and  Mrs.  S.  M. 
Duncan.  Rev.  Butler  visited  them  a  few 
times  and  then  left  the  society  to  die,  which 
it  lost  but  little  time  in  doing.  Some  of  the 
members  united  with  the  church  at  Palestine 
and  some  aided  in  founding  the  church  at 
Beckwith  prairie  a  few  years  later. 

Beckwith  Prairie  Presbyterian  Church  was 
oro-anized  bv  Revs.  E.  Howell  and  Allen  Mc- 
Farland,  and  Elder  Finley  Paul,  with  twenty- 
eifht  members,  mostly  from  Old  Bethel  church 
above  described.  The  first  elders  were  James 
Richey,  Samuel  J.  Gould  and  Wm.  Delzell. 
The  ministers,  since  its  organization,  have 
been  Revs.  A.  McFarland,  J.  C.  Thornton, 
Aaron  Thompson,  Thos.  Spencer  and  John  E. 
Carson.  The  house  of  worship,  a  neat  white 
frame,  was  erected  in  1859,  at  a  cost  of  §1,:300, 
and  stands  on  the  southeast  quarter  of  section 


HISTORY  OF  CRAWFOED  COUNTY. 


205 


23,  one  mile  from  Duncanville,  in  a  southwest 
direction. 

Good  Hope  Biiptist  Church  was  organized 
in  a  very  early  day.  Anioni);  the  earlj-  mem- 
bers were  George  Parker,  Hiram  Jones,  Sam- 
son Taylor  and  wile,  W.  F.  Allen,  Wm.  Croy, 
S.  Goff  and  Wm.  Carter.  The  first  church 
was  a  log  building,  erected  .about  1848.  The 
present  church  is  a  handsome  frame  recently 
completed,  and  the  membership  is  in  a  flour- 
ishing condition,  and  numliers  about  eighty, 
under  the  pastorate  of  Elder  John  L.  Cox. 
A  good  Sunday-school  is  carried  on,  of  which 
Hiram  Jones  is  the  present  superintendent. 

The  Methodist  Episcopal  church  at  Flat 
Rock  was  built  about  the  year  1871.  They 
had  previously  held  meetings  a  half  mile  south 
of  the  village  near  James  Shaw's.  We  failed 
to  receive  full  particulars  of  this  church. 

The  United  Brethren  church  at  New  He- 
bron was  built  in  1855-56  by  individual  sub- 
scription. Rev.  Mr.  Jackson  was  among  the 
first  ministers.  Before  the  erection  of  the 
church,  meetings  were  held  in  the  school- 
houses  throughout  the  neighborhood,  and 
were  participated  in  by  all  denominations — 
the  Methodists  at  that  time  being  the  most 
numerous.  Samuel  Bussard  and  the  Gear 
family  were  among  the  early  members  of  the 
church.  A  Methodist  Episcopal  church  was 
organized  here  about  the  time  the  buildino- 
was  erected,  but  the  exact  date  was  not  ob- 
tained. From  this  it  will  be  seen  that  the 
people  of  Honey  Creek  Township  have  never 
lacked  for  church  privileges.  If  they  are  not 
religious,  it  is  certainly  their  own  fault,  and 
they  can  blame  none  but  themselves  for  any 
shortcoming  charged  to  their  account. 

Villaffes. — The  township  can  boast  of 
several  villages,  but  all  of  them  are  rather 
small,  and  have  sprung  up  mostly  since  the 
building  of  the  railroad.  Hebron,  or  New 
Hebron,  as  it  is  now  called,  is  an  exception. 
It  was  laid  out  in  July,  1840,  by  Nelson  Haw- 


ley,  and  is  located  on  section  31  of  township 
6  north,  range  12  west,  or  Honey  Creek  Town- 
ship, and  was  surveyed  and  platted  by  Wm. 
B.  Baker,  the  official  surveyor  of  the  county. 
The  land  was  entered  by  Dr.  Hawley  in  1839 
and  the  year  following  he  laid  out  the  town. 
He  practiced  medicine  in  the  neighborhood 
until  1850,  or  thereabout,  when  he  opened  a 
store  in  Hebron,  the  first  effort  at  merchan- 
dizing in  the  place.  He  was  from  Ohio,  and 
was  a  local  preacher,  as  well  as  a  physician, 
and  administered  to  the  soul's  comforts  as  well 
as  to  the  body's  infirmities.  After  establish- 
ing a  store  at  Hebron,  he  ceased  the  practice 
of  medicine  except  in  cases  of  emergency, 
when  he  was  found  always  ready  to  lend  his 
assistance  in  relieving  suffering  humanity. 
He  eventually  moved  to  OIney,  where  he  de- 
voted his  time  wholly  to  the  ministry.  He 
was  the  first  postmaster  at  Hebron,  as  well 
as  the  first  merchant  and  phvsician. 

Leonard  Cullom  opened  a  store  in  the  old 
Hawley  building  after  Hawley  had  moved  to 
Olney.  Cullom  came  to  the  county  when  a 
boy  and  lived  for  a  time  in  old  Fort  Lamotte. 
He  remained  in  business  in  Hebron  but  a 
short  time,  when  he  moved  his  goods  back  to 
Palestine.  A  man  named  Newton  was  the 
next  merchant,  and  about  ISGO  John  Haley 
opened  a  store.  He  has  been  in  business 
here  ever  since.  He  keeps  both  the  hotel  and 
store,  and  is  also  the  present  postmaster. 

The  first  house  in  New  Hebron  was  built 
by  Thomas  Swearingen.  A  tread-wheel  mill 
was  built  by  Dr.  Hawley  at  an  early  day,  most 
probably  the  first  mill  in  the  township.  It 
was  afterward  converted  into  a  steam-mill;  a 
saw-mill  now  forms  a  part  of  it.  The  boards 
for  the  original  mill  were  all  sawed  out  with 
whip-saws.  Hezekiah  Bussard  was  the  first 
blacksmith;  Wm.  Gates  was  the  next,  and  J. 
S.  Bussard  and  S.  H.  Preston  now  follow  the 
same  business. 

A  school-house,    the  first  built   in  Hebron. 


206 


HISTORY  OF  CRAWFORD  COUNTY. 


■was  erected  about  the  year  1S4"2,  and  has  long 
since  passed  away.  It  was  constructed  of 
logs  and  was  used  for  all  purposes.  A  brick 
school-house  was  built  to  take  its  place,  about 
1858,  situated  in  the  south  part  of  the  town. 
It  is  also  gone,  and  the  neat  frame  was 
built  about  ten  years  ago. 

The  village  of  Flat  Rock  was  laid  out  April 
20,  1876,  by  J.  W.  Jones.  It  is  the  old  town 
of  Flat  Rock  somewhat  modified,  and  moved 
to  the  railroad.  It  is  situated  on  the  east 
half  of  the  southeast  quarter  of  section  6, 
township  5  north,  range  11  west,  and  was  sur- 
veyed by  John  Waterhouse  for  the  proprie- 
tor. The  first  merchant  was  J.  W.  Jones,  who 
kept  a  grocery  store  and  sold  whisky.  He 
commenced  business  in  a  small  way,  and  has 
been  very  successful.  In  1876  he  built  a 
large  store-house,  fronting  the  railroad,  where 
he  still  does  a  prosperous  business.  S.  P. 
Duff  was  the  second  merchant,  and  started  a 
store  soon  after  the  railroad  was  built.  To 
sum  up  his  history  as  it  was  given  to  us — he 
eloped  with  a  neighbor's  wife,  and  his  store 
was  closed  out  by  creditors.  I.  Golf  next 
started  a  dry  goods  store,  but  did  not  continue 
long  in  the  business,  when  he  closed  out  and 
rented  his  store-house  to  J.  W.  Jones.  Dr. 
A.  L.  Malone  established  the  next  store,  but 
after  operating  ic  a  short  time  removed  his 
stock  to  Palestine. 

A  drug  store  was  established  in  Flat  Rock 
by  Dr.  H.  Jenner  and  S.  R.  Ford.  James 
Kirker  had  started  a  drug  store  sometime 
previously,  and  sold  out  to  Jenner  and  Ford, 
who  continued  about  eighteen  months,  when 
they  sold  out  to  Bristow  &  Barton ;  the 
latter  sold  to  A.  W.  Duncan  who  still  carries 
on  the  business.  Other  lines  of  business  have 
been  opened,  and  Flat  Rock  is  jus  ly  con- 
sidered one  of  the  best  trading  points  in  the 
county.  A  masonic  lodge  has  been  organized 
in  the  village,  but  of  its  history  we  failed  to 
learn  any  particulars. 


Duncansville  is  located  on  the  northeast 
quarter  of  the  northwest  quarter  of  section 
24,  township  6  north,  range  12  west,  and  was 
laid  out  September  6,  1876,  for  R.  N.  Dun- 
can, the  owner  of  the  land.  Its  existence  may 
be  accredited  to  the  building  of  the  railroad, 
as  its  birth  has  been  subsequent  to  the  com- 
pletion of  the  road.  The  first  store  was  kept 
by  T.  L.  Nichols.  He  was  succeeded  by  A. 
S.  Maxwell,  who  is  still  merchandizing  in  the 
place,  and  doing  a  thriving  business.  A  saw- 
mill, with  a  shop  or  two,  and  a  few  resi- 
dences constitute  all  there  is  of  the  town. 

Port  Jackson  is  situated  on  the  Embarras 
river  about  ten  miles  south  of  Robinson.  It 
was  laid  out  May  22,  1853,  by  Samuel  Hanes, 
and  years  ago,  was  a  place  of  some  impor- 
tance, a  point  from  whence  shipping  by  flat- 
boats  on  the  Embarras  River  was  carried  on 
to  a  considerable  extent.  Hanes  built  a  mill 
here  and  opened  a  store,  and  did  a  rather 
lucrative  business  for  several  years.  A  dis- 
tillery was  built  and  operated  until  the  be- 
ginning of  the  war.  Hanes  finally  moved 
away,  and  the  town  went  down.  The  build- 
insr  of  the  railroad,  and  the  laying  out  of 
other  towns,  has  buried  Port  Jackson  beyond 
the  hope  of  resurrection. 

Parting  IVoi'ds. — This  brings  us  to  the 
close  of  the  first  part  of  this  volume,  the  con- 
clusion of  the  history  of  Crawford  County. 

"  How  dull  it  is  to  pause,  to  make  an  end, 
To  rust  unburnished,  not  to  shine  in  use  ! 
As  though  to  breathe  were  life." 

The  writer  has  appeared  in  the  roll  of  his- 
torian to  this  community  probably  for  the  last 
time.  The  task  of  rescuing  from  oblivion  the 
annals  of  the  county,  and  of  preserving  on 
record  the  deeds  of  the  pioneers  who  have 
made  it  what  it  is,  though  an  onerous,  has 
been  a  pleasant  one,  as  well  from  a  love  of 
the  work,  as  that  he  once  considered  himself 
a  part — though  a  very  small  one — of  the 
county.     That  he  has  been  permitted    to  dis- 


'ctk/ 


HISTORY  OF  CRAWFORD  COUNTY. 


209 


charge  this  duty  affords  him  no  little  satis- 
faction. While  the  work  may  be  somewhat 
imperfect  in  minor  details,  it  is  believed  to  be, 
on  the  whole,  substantially  correct.  And  now 
that  it  is  fitiished,  the  writer  strikes  hands 
with  the  old  pioneers,  with  whom  his  stay  has 
been  so  pleasant,  and  with  his  many  friends 
throughout  the  county,  with  a  kind  of  mourn- 
ful and   melancholy  pleasure,    conscious  that 


their  next  meeting  will  be  beyond  the  beauti- 
ful river,  for  the  pioneers  still  left,  who  con- 
stituted the  advance  guard — the  forlorn  hope 
of  civilization  in  the  Wabash  Valley,  must 
pass  to  that  "  bourne  whence  no  traveler 
returns."  It  is  not  probable,  then,  that  we  shall 
meet  again,  and  the  writer  with  many  kind 
remembrances  of  the  people  of  Crawford 
County,  bids  them — farewell. 


PART  11. 


HISTORY  OF  CLARK  COUNTY. 


CHAPTER  I* 

GENERAL  DESCRIPTION  OP  CLARK  COUNTY— TOPOGRAPHY   AND  PHYSICAL  FEATURES- 
GEOLOGY— COAL   MEASURES— THE   STORY  OF  THE  ROCKS-BUILDING  STONE- 
SOILS,  TIMBER   AND  PRODUCTIONS— ARTESIAN  WELL— THE   MOUND 
BUILDERS  AND  THEIR  WORKS— INDIAN  RELICS,  ETC.,  ETC. 


"  Ye  mouklering  relics  of  departed  years, 
Your  names  have  perished;  not  a  trace  remains,"  etc. 

CLARK  County,  originally,  was  diversified 
between  woodland  and  prairie.  It  is  situ- 
ated on  the  eastern  border  of  the  State,  and  is 
bounded  on  the  north  by  Edgar  and  Coles 
Counties,  on  the  east  by  the  Indiana  line  and 
tlie  Wabash  River,  on  the  south  by  Crawford, 
and  on  the  west  by  Cumberland  and  Coles 
Counties.  It  contains  ten  full  and  eight  frac- 
tional townships,  making  a  total  area  of  about 
five  hundred  and  thirteen  square  miles.  The 
surface  of  the  country  in  the  western  portion 
of  the  county  is  generally  rolling,  though 
some  of  the  prairies  are  rather  Hat.  The 
eastern  portion  is  much  more  broken,  especial- 
ly in  the  vicinity  of  the  Wabash  bluffs,  where 
it  becomes  quite  hilly  and  is  often  broken  into 
steep  ridges  along  the  courses  of  the  small 
streams.  The  general  level  of  the  surface  of 
the    highlands   above   the   railroad  at    Terre 

*  The  succeeding'  chapters  on  the  county  at  large, 
have  been  written  and  prepared  by  Hamilton  Sutton, 
Esq.,  for  this  volume. — Ed.] 


Haute,  which  is  a  few  feet  above  the  level  of 
high  water  in  the  Wabash,  is  from  one  hun- 
dred and  twenty-five  to  one  hundred  and 
fifty  feet.  The  principal  streams  in  the  west- 
ern part  of  the  county  are  North  Fork  (of  the 
Embarras)  which  flows  from  north  to  south, 
and  empties  in  the  Embarras  River  in  the 
eastern  part  of  .lasper  County;  and  Hurricane 
Creek,  which  rises  in  the  south  part  of  Edgar 
County,  and  after  a  general  course  of  south 
twenty  degrees  east,  discharges  its  waters  into 
the  Wabash  River  near  the  southeast  corner  of 
the  county.  In  the  eastern  part  of  the  county, 
Big  Creek,  and  two  or  three  of  less  note,  after 
a  general  southeast  course  in  this  county, 
empty  into  the  Wabash  River.  The  North 
Fork,  throughout  nearly  its  whole  course,  runs 
through  a  broad,  flat  valley,  affording  no  ex- 
posures of  the  underlying  rocks,  and  the  bluffs 
on  either  side  are  composed  of  drift  clays,  and 
rise  from  thirty  to  fifty  feet  or  more  above  the 
valley,  and  at  several  points  where  wells  have 
been  sunk,  these  clays  and  underlying  quick- 
sands are  found  to  extend  to  an  equal  depth 
beneath  the  bed  of  the  stream.      The  creeks 


HISTORY  OF  CLARK  COUNTY. 


211 


ill  the  eastern  portion  of  the  county  are 
skirted  by  bluffs  of  rock  throup,-h  some  por- 
tion of  their  courses,  and  afford  a  better 
opportunit}'  for  determining  the  geological 
structure  of  the  county. 

Geology.* — The    quarternary    system    is 
represented   in   this    county  by  the    alluvial 
deposits    of  the  river  and  creek  valleys,  the 
Loess  of  the  Wabash  bluffs,  the  gravelly  clays 
and  hard-pan  of  the  true  drift,  and  the  under- 
lying   stratified    sands    that   are    sometimes 
found  immediately  above  the  bed  rock.     The 
drift  deposits  proper  vary  in  thickness  from 
twenty  to  seventy-five  feet  or  more,  the  upper 
portion   being  usually  a  yellow  gravelly  clay 
with   local    beds   or   pockets   of   sand.     The 
lower  division  is  mainly  composed  of  a  bluish- 
eray  hard-pan,  exceedingly  tough  and  hard  to 
penetrate,   usually  impervious  to  water,  and 
from  thirty  to  fifty  feet  in  thickness.     This  is 
underlaid  by  a  few  feet  of  sand,   from   which 
an    abundant   supply    of   water   can  be  had 
when    it  can  not  be   found  at  a  higher  level. 
A  common  method  of  obtaining  water  on  the 
highlands   of  this  county,  where  a   sufficient 
supply   is   not  found  in  the  upper  portion  of 
the  drift,  is  to  sink  a  well  into  the  hard-pan, 
and   then    bore  through    that  deposit    to    the 
quicksand  below,  where  an  unfailing  sup|)ly  is 
usually  obtained.     Bowlders  of  granite,   sye- 
nite, trap,  )orphyry,  quartzite,  etc.,  many  of 
them  of  large  size,  are  abundant  in  the  drift 
deposits  of  this  county,  and  nuggets  of  native 
copper  and  galena  are  occasionally  met  with, 
having  been  transported  along  with  the  more 
massive  bowlders,  by  the  floating  ice,  which 
seems  to  have   been    the    main    transporting 
agency  of  our  drift  deposits. 

Coal 3feasures. — All  the  rocks  found  in  this 
county  belong  to  the  Coal  Measures,  and 
include  all  the  beds  from  the  limestone  th.it  lies 
about  ?5  feet  above  Coal  No.  7,  to  the  sand- 

*  State  geological  sm-vey. 


stone  above  the  Quarry  Creek  limestone,  and 
possibly  Coal  No.  14  of  the  general   section. 
These  beds  are  all   above  the  main  workable 
coals,  and  although  they  include  a  total  thick- 
ness of  about  400  feet,  and  the  horizon  of  five 
or  six  coal  seams,  yet  none  of  them  have  been 
found  in  this  county   more   than  from  twelve 
to  eighteen  inches  in  thickness.     In  the  north- 
west part  of  the   county  several  borings  were 
made  for  oil  during  the  oil  excitement,  some 
of  which  were  reported  to  be  over  000  feet  in 
depth;  but  as  no  accurate   record^  seems  to 
have  been  kept,  the  expenditure  resulted  in 
no  general  benefit  further  than   to  determine 
that  no  deposits  of  oil  of  any  value  existed  in 
the  vicinity  at  the    depth    penetrated.     The 
following  record  of  the  "old  well,"  or  "T.  R. 
Young  Well,"  was  furnished  to  Prof.  Cox  by 
Mr.  Lindsey  :  Soil    and    drift  clay,   23  feet; 
hard-pan,  .30  feet;  sandstone,  20  feet;  mud- 
stone,    20    feet;  coal  and  bituminous  shale,  3 
feet;    sandstone,  23  feet;    coal,  1  foot;    sand- 
stone, 5  feet;  clay  shale — soapstone,  so-called, 
23  feet;  blackshale,  9  feet;  sandstone,  12  feet; 
coal,  1  foot;  sandstone,  90  feet;  mudstone,  2 
feet;  hard-rock,  1    foot;   sandstone,  52  feet. 
The  upper   part  of  this  boring    corresponds 
very  well  with  our  general  section,  except  in 
the  absence  of  the  Quarry  Creek   limestone, 
which    should    have    been    found  where  they 
report  20  feet  of  "  mud-stone,"  but  whatever 
that  may  have  been,  it  seems  hardly  probable 
that  such  a  terra  would  be  used  to  designate 
a  hard  and   tolerably   pure  limestone.      This 
well  was  tubed  with  gas-pipe  for  some   eight 
or  ten  feet  above  the  surface,  and  water,  gas, 
and  about  half  a  gallon  of  oil,  per  day,   were 
discharged.     All  the   wells,  so  far  as  I  could 
learn,  discharged  water  at  the  surface,  show- 
inn-    that    artesian    water   could   be    readily 
obtained   here,    but   it  was  all  more   or  less 
impregnated    with    mineral  matters  and    oil, 
sufficient  to  render  it  unfit  for.  common  use. 


212 


HISTOUY   OF  CLARK  COUNTY. 


TliG  900-i'oot  well  must  have  been  carried 
quite  through  the  Coal  Measures,  and  if  an 
accurate  journal  had  been  kept,  the  int'orma- 
tion  it  would  have  afforded  would  have  been 
of  great  value  to  the  people  of  this  as  well  as 
of  the  adjacent  counties.  It  would  have  gone 
far  toward  settling  the  question  as  to  the 
number  and  thickness  of  the  workable  coals 
for  all  this  portion  of  the  State  and  the  depth 
at  which  they  could  be  reached  from  certain 
specified  horizons,  as,  for  instance,  from  the 
base  of  the  Quarry  Creek  or  Livingston  lime- 
stones, or  from  either  one  of  their  coals  of  the 
upper  measures  that  were  passed  through  in 
this  boring.  As  it  is,  the  expenditure  was 
an  utter  waste  of  capital,  except  in  so  far  as 
it  may  have  taught  those  directly  engaged  in 
the  operation  the  folly  of  boring  for  oil  where 
there  was  no  reasonable  expectation  of  find- 
ing it  in  quantities  sufficient  to  justify  such 
an  expenditure  of  time  and  money. 

The  beds  forming  the  upper  part  of  the 
general  section  in  this  county  are  exposed  on 
Quarry  Creek  south  of  Casey  and  one  mile 
and  a  half  east  of  Martinsville,  on  the  upper 
course  of  Hurricane  Creek,  and  the  Blackburn 
branch  southeast  of  Parker  prairie.  At  the 
quarry  a  mile  and  a  half  east  of  Martinsville, 
the  limestone  is  heavy-Iiedded,  and  has  been 
extensively  quarried  for  bridge  abutments, 
culverts,  etc.,  on  the  old  National  Road.  The 
bed  is  not  fully  exposed  here,  and  seems  to 
be  somewhat  thinner  than  at  Quarry  Creek, 
where  it  probably  attains  its  maximum  thick- 
ness, but  thins  out  both  to  the  northeast  and 
southwest  from  that  point.  The  upper  part 
of  the  bed  is  generally  quite  massive,  afford- 
ing beds  two  feet  or  more  in  thickness,  while 
the  lower  beds  are  thinner,  and  at  the  base  it 
becomes  shaly,  and  locally  passes  into  a  green 
clay  with  thin  plates  and  nodules  of  limestone. 
These  shaly  layers  afford  many  fine  fossils  in 
a  very  perfect  state  of  preservation,  though 
they  are  neither  as  numerous  nor  as  well  pre- 


served here  as  at  the  outcrops  of  this  lime- 
stone in  Edgar  County.  Possibly  the  appar- 
ent thinning  out  of  this  limestone  to  the 
northward  in  this  county  may  be  due  to  sur- 
face erosion,  as  we  nowhere  saw  the  overlay- 
ing sandstone  in  situ,  and  Prof.  Bradley  gives 
the  thickness  of  this  bed  in  Edgar  County  as 
above  25  feet,  which  does  not  indicate  a  very 
decided  diminution  of  its  thickness  in  a  north- 
easterly direction.  Below  this  limestone,  in 
the  vicinity  of  Martinsville,  there  are  partial 
outcrops  of  shale  and  thin-bedded  sandstone, 
with  a  thin  coal,  probably  No.  4  of  the  pre- 
ceding section,  and  southwest  of  the  town 
and  about  three-quarters  of  a  mile  from  it 
there  is  a  partial  outcrop  of  the  lower  portion 
of  the  limestone  in  the  bluff  on  the  east  side 
of  the  North  Fork  valley,  where  we  obtained 
numerous  fossils  belonging  to  this  horizon. 
West  and  northwest  of  Martinsville  no  rocks 
are  exposed  in  the  bluffs  of  the  creek  for  stmu 
distance,  but  higher  up  partial  outcrops  of  a 
sandstone,  probably  overlaying  the  Quairy 
Creek  limestone  may  be  found. 

At  Quarrj'  Creek,  about  a  mile  and  a  half 
south  of  Casey,  on  section  28,  township  10, 
range  14,  this  limestone  appears  in  full  force, 
and  has  been  extensively  quarried,  both  for 
building  stone  and  the  manufacture  of  quick- 
lime. It  is  here  a  mottled-gray,  compact 
limestone,  locally  brecciated,  and  partiy  in 
regular  beds  from  six  inches  to  two  feet  or 
more  in  thickness.  At  least  25  to  30  feet  of 
limestone  is  exposed  here,  and  as  the  overly- 
ing sandstone  is  not  seen,  its  aggregate  thick- 
ness may  be  even  more  than  the  above  esti- 
mate. At  its  base  the  limestone  becomes 
thin-bedded  and  shaly,  passing  into  a  green- 
ish calcareous  shale  with  thin  plates  and  nod- 
ules of  limestone  abounding  in  the  character- 
istic fossils  of  this  horizon.  At  one  point  of 
this  creek  a  bed  of  green  shale  about  two  feet 
in  thickness  was  found  intercalated  in  the 
limestone.     A  large  amount  of  this  stone  was 


HISTORY  OF  CLARK  COUNTY. 


213 


quarried  here  for  lime,  for  macadamizing  ma- 
terial and  for  bridge  abutments  on  tne  old 
National  Road,  and  this  locality  still  furnisiies 
the  needed  supply  of  lime  and  building  stone 
for  all  the  surrounding  country.  At  the  base 
of  the  limestone  here  there  is  a  partial  ex- 
posure of  bituminous  shale  and  a  thin  coal, 
probably  representing  the  horizon  of  Xo.  4 
of  the  preceding  section,  below  which  some 
ten  or  twelve  feet  of  sandy  shale  was  seen. 

On  Hurricane  branch,  commencing  on  sec- 
tion 14,  township  10,  range  13,. and  extending 
down  the  creek  for  a  iistance  of  two  miles  or 
more,  tiiere  are  continuous  outcrops  of  sand- 
stone and  sandy  shales — No.  12  of  the  county 
section.  The  upper  portion  is  shaly  with 
some  thin-bedded  sandstone,  passing  down- 
ward into  a  massive,  partly  concretionary 
sandstone  that  forms  bold  cliffs  along  the 
banks  of  the  stream  from  twenty  to  thirty 
feet  in  height.  At  the  base  of  this  sandstone 
there  is  a  band  of  pebbly  conglomerate  from 
one  to  three  feet  in  thickness,  containing 
fragments  of  fossil  wood  in  a  partially  car- 
bonized condition,  and  mineral  charcoal.  The 
regularly  bedded  layers  of  this  sandstone  have 
been  extensively  quarried  on  this  creek  for 
the  construction  of  culverts  and  bridge  abut- 
ments in  this  vicinity,  and  the  rock  is  found 
to  harden  on  exposure,  and  proves  to  be  a 
valuable  stone  for  such  uses.  Some  of  tjie 
layers  are  of  the  proper  thickness  for  flag- 
stone, and  from  their  even  bedding  can  be 
readily  quarried  of  the  required  size  and 
thickness.  This  sandstone  is  underlaid  \)y 
an  argillaceous  shale,  and  a  black  slate  which, 
where  first  observed,  was  only  two  or  three 
inches  thick,  but  gradually  increased  down 
stream  to  a  thickness  of  about  fifteen  inches. 
The  blue  shale  above  it  contains  concretions 
of  argillaceous  limestone  with  numerous  fos- 
sils, which  indicate  the  horizon  of  No.  13 
coal,  and  in  Lawrence,  White  and  Wabash 
Counties  we  find -a  well-defined  coal  seam  as- 


sociated with  a  similar  shale  containing  the 
same  group  of  fossils,  but  possibly  belonging 
to  a  somewhat  lower  horizon. 

The  limestone  on  Joe's  Fork  are  the  equiv- 
alents of  the  Livingstone  limestone,  and 
they  pass  below  the  bed  of  the  creek  about  a 
mile  above  the  old  mill.  The  sandstone 
overlaying  the  upper  limestone  here,  when 
evenly  bedded,  is  quarried  for  building  stone, 
and  affords  a  very  good  and  durable  material 
of  this  kind  for  common*  use.  At  the  mouth 
of  Joe's  Fork  the  lower  limestone  is  partly 
below  the  creek  bed,  the  upp?r  four  feet  only 
being  visible,  and  above  it  we  find  clay  shale 
two  feet,  coal  ten  inches,  shale  five  to  six  feet, 
succeeded  by  the  upper  limestone  which  is  here 
only  three  or  four  feet  thick.  The  upper 
limestone  at  the  outcrop  here  is  thinly  and 
unevenl}'  bedded  and  weathers  to  a  rusty 
brown  color.  The  lower  limestone  is  more 
heavily  bedded,  but  splits  to  fragments  on 
exposure  to  frost  and  moisture.  It  is  of  a 
mottled  gray  color  when  freshly  broken,  Init 
weathers  to  a  yellowish-brown.  Fossils  were 
not  abundant  in  either  bed,  but  the  lower 
afforded  a  few  specimens  oiAthyris  iSubtilita, 
a  coral  like  JlcUophyllum,  Froductus  costa- 
tus  and  Terehratula  boindens.  At  Mr. 
Spangier's  place,  on  Section  Vi  in  Melrose 
Township,  a  hard  brittle,  gray  limestone  out- 
crops on  a  branch  of  Mill  Creek.  The  bed  is 
about  eight  feet  in  thickness,  and  is  under- 
laid by  a  few  feet  of  partly  bituminous  shale 
and  a  thin  coal  from  six  to  eight  inches  thick. 

The  upper  bed  of  limestone  (No.  18  of  the 
County  Section),  is  traversed  by  veins  of  cal- 
cite  and  brown  ferruginous  streaks,  that  give 
the  rock  a  mottled  appearance  when  freshly 
broken.  The  upper  layer  of  the  lower  bed  is 
about  thirty  inches  thick,  and  is  a  tough,  com- 
pact, gray  rock,  that  breaks  with  an  even 
surface  and  has  a  slightly  granular  or  semi- 
volitic  appearance.  The  lower  part  of  this 
bed  is  a  mottled  gray  fine-grained  limestone 


214 


HISTORY  OF  CLARK  COUNTY. 


and  breaks  with  a  more  or  less  conchoidal 
fracture.  The  upper  division  of  this  limestone 
thins  out  entirely  about  a  mile  above  the 
bridge,  and  passes  into  a  green  shale  like  that 
by  which  the  limestones  are  separated.  The 
tumbling  masses  of  limestone  that  are  found 
in  the  hill-tops  above  the  railroad  bridge,  no 
doubt  belong  to  the  Quarry  Creek  bed,  which 
is  found  in  partial  outcrops  not  more  than 
half  a  mile  back  from  the  creek,  and  from 
eighty  to  ninety  feet  above  its  level.  The  in- 
tervening sandstones  and  shales  which  separate 
these  limestones  in  the  northeastern  part  of 
the  county  are  much  thinner  than  where  they 
outcrop  on  Hurricane  and  Mill  Creeks  in  the 
southern  portion  indicating  a  general  thinning 
out  of  the  strata  below  the  Quarry  Creek  bed 
to  the  northward. 

The  coal  SPam  at  Murphy's  place,  near  the 
mouth  of  Ashmore  Creek,  on  Section  20,T.  11, 
R.  10,  averages  about  eighteen  inches  in  thick- 
ness and  affords  a  coal  of  fair  quality.  Trac- 
ing the  bluff  northeastwardly  from  this  point 
the  beds  rise  rapidly,  and  about  half  a  mile 
from  Murphy's  there  is  about  thirty  feet  of 
drab-colored  shales  exposed  beneath  the  lime- 
stone which  is  here  found  well  up  in  the  hill. 
At  the  foot  of  the  bluff  on  Clear  Creek,  near 
the  State  line,  a  mottled  brown  and  gray 
limestone  four  to  five  feet  in  thickness  is 
found,  underlaid  by  ten  or  twelve  feet  of  vari- 
egated shales  which  are  the  lowest  beds  seen 
in  the  county.  Extensive  quarries  were 
opened  in  this  limestone  to  supply  material 
for  building  the  old  National  Road,  and  in  the 
debris  of  these  old  quarries  were  obtained 
numerous  fossils  from  the  marly  layers  tiirown 
off  in  stripping  the  solid  limestone  beds  that 
lay  below.  The  limestone  is  a  tough,  fine- 
grained, mottled,  brown  and  gray  rock,  in 
tolerably  heavy  beds,  which  makes  an  excel- 
lent macadamizing  material,  and  also  affords 
a  durable  stone  for  culverts,  bridge  abutments 


and  foundation  walls.  From  what  has  already 
been  stated  it  will  be  inferred  that  there  is  no 
great  amount  of  coal  accessible  in  this  county, 
except  by  deep  mining.  In  the  thin  seams 
outcropping  at  Murphy's  place,  near  the  Wa- 
bash River,  and  at  Mr.  Howe's  and  Mrs. 
Brant's,  southeast  of  Casey,  the  coal  varies  in 
thickness  from  a  foot  to  eighteen  inches,  and 
though  of  a  fair  quality  the  beds  are  too  thin 
to  justify  working  them  except  by  stripping 
the  seams  along  their  outcrop  in  the  creek 
valleys.  The  coal  at  Murphy's  place  has  a 
good  roof  of  bituminous  shale  and  limestone, 
and  could  be  worked  successfully  by  the  ordi- 
nary method  of  tunnelling  if  it  should  be 
found  to  thicken  anywhere  to  twenty-four  or 
thirty  inches.  The  higher  seams  found  at  the 
localities  above  named,  southeast  of  Casey, 
are  thinner  than  at  Mr.  Murphy's,  though  one 
or  both  of  the  upper  ones  are  said  to  have  a 
local  thickness  of  eighteen  inches.  There  is 
no  good  reason  to  believe  that  the  main  work- 
able seams  that  are  found  outcropping  in  the 
adjacent  portions  of  Indiana,  should  not  be 
found  by  shafting  down  to  their  proper  horizon 
in  this  county,  notwithstanding  the  reported 
results  of  the  oii-well  borings  in  the  north- 
western portion  of  the  county. 

The  writer  specially  requested  Mr.  David 
Baughman  to  furnish  him  with  particulars  of 
an  artesian  well  sunk  on  his  place  in  1873-74 
In  reply  he  received  the  following  in  substance 
from  Mr.  Baughman:  The  well  was  sunk  to  a 
depth  of  1,211  feet,  and  showed  the  following 
section:  At  a  depth  of  110  feet  coal  was 
reached,  four  and  three  quarter  feet  thick;  two 
feet  of  fine  clay  was  found  underlying  it.  At 
the  depth  of  144  feet,  a  vein  of  coal  tbi-ee  feet 
thick  was  found;  and  at  the  depth  of  230  feet  a 
vein  of  coal  over  seven  feet  in  thickness  was 
found,  specimens  of  which,  Mr.  Baughman  in- 
forms us,  he  has  on  hand,  subject  to  the  inspec- 
tion of  any  who  may  wish  to  examine  them.     If 


HISTORY  OF  CLARK  COUNTY. 


215 


there  is  no  mistake  in  the  reported  section  of 
this  well,  there  are  veins  of  coal  to  be  found 
in  that  locality  at  a  depth  to  justify  their 
being  profital)lj^  worked. 

Building  Utone. —  Clark  County  is  well 
supplied  with  both  freestone  and  limestone 
suitable  for  all  ordinary  building  purposes. 
The  sandstone  bed  on  Hurricane  Creek, 
southeast  of  Martinsville,  is  partly  an 
even-bedded  freestone,  that  works  freely 
and  hardens  on  exposure  and  is  a  reliable 
stone  for  all  ordinary  uses.  The  abut- 
ments of  the  bridge  over  the  North  Fork  on 
the  o;d  National  Road  were  constructed  of 
this  sandstone,  which  is  still  sound,  although 
more  than  thirty  years  have  passed  away  since 
thev  were  built.  The  sandstone  bed  overlying 
the  limestone  at  the  old  Anderson  mill  below 
the  mouth  of  Joe's  Fork,  also  affords  a  good 
building  stone,  as  well  as  material  for  grind- 
stones, and  the  evenlj'-bedded  sandstone 
higher  up  on  Joe's  Fork,  which  overlies  the 
green  shales,  is  of  a  similar  character,  and  af- 
fords an  excellent  building  stone.  Each  of 
the  three  limestones  in  this  county  furnishes  an 
excellent  macadamizing  material,  and  the 
Quarry  Creek  limestone,  as  well  as  the  beds 
near  Livingston,  furnish  dimension  stone  and 
material  for  foundation  walls  of  good  quality. 
A  fair  quality  of  quicklime  is  made  from  both 
the  limestones  above  named,  and  on  Quarry 
Creek  the  kilns  are  kept  in  constant  operation 
to  supply  the  demands  for  this  article  in  the 
adjacent  region. 

An  excellent  article  of  white  claj',  suitable 
for  pottery  or  fire-brick,  was  found  in  the 
shaft  near  Marshall,  about  eighty  to  eighty- 
five  feet  below  the  Livingston  limestone  and 
about  fifty  feet  above  the  coal  in  the  bottom 
of  the  shaft,  which  was  probably  the  same  coal 
found  at  Murphj-'s.  This  bed  of  clay  would 
]>robubly  be  found  outcropping  in  the  Wabash 
bluffs,  not  far  below  Murphy's  place. 

Soil  and  Timber. — The  soil  i~  generally  a 


chocolate-colored  sandy  loam,  where  the  sur- 
face is  rolling,  but  darker  colored  on  the  flat 
prairies,  and  more  mucky,  from  the  large  per 
cent  of  humus  which  it  contains.  The  prai- 
ries are  generally  of  small  size,  and  the  county 
is  well  timbered  with  the  following  varieties: 
White  oak,  red  oak,  black  oak,  pine  oak, 
water  oak,  shell-bark  and  pig-nut  hickory, 
beech,  poplar,  black  and  white  walnut,  white 
and  sugar  maple,  slippery  and  red  elm,  hack- 
berry,  linden,  quaking  ash,  wild  cherry,  honey 
locust,  red  birch,  sassafras,  pecan,  coffee-nut, 
black  gum,  white  and  blue  ash,  log- wood,  red- 
bud,  sycamore,  cotton  wood,  buckeye,  per- 
simmon, willow,  etc.  The  bottom  lands  along 
the  small  streams,  and  the  broken  lands  in  the 
vicinity  of  the  Wabash  bluffs,  sustain  a  very 
heavy  growth  of  timber,  and  fine  groves  are 
also  found  skirting  all  the  smaller  streams 
and  dotting  the  upland  in  the  prairie  region. 
As  an  agricultural  region  this  county  ranks 
among  the  best  on  the  eastern  border  of  the 
State,  producing  annually  fine  crops  of  corn, 
wheat,  oats,  grass,  and  all  the  fruits  and 
veo-etables  usually  grown  in  this  climate. 
Market  facilities  are  abundantly  supplied  by 
the  Wabash  River,  the  Vandalia,  Wabash 
and  other  railroads  passing  through  the 
county,  furnishing  an  easy  communication 
with  St.  Louis  on  the  west,  or  the  cities  of 
Terre  Haute  and  Indianapolis  on  the  east,  and 
Chicago  on  the  north.  Notwithstanding  the 
fine  character  of  the  soil  and  lands  of  the 
county,  much  of  the  land  has  been  almost 
worn  thread-bare  by  constant  cultivation,  no 
rest,  and  no  manuring  or  fertilizing.  By 
proper  means  it  may  be  improved,  and  re- 
stored to  its  original  quality  and  strength. 

In  addition  to  the  indications  of  coal,  the 
county  contains  mineral  wealth  to  some  ex- 
tent, though  perhaps  not  in  sufficient  quanti- 
ties to  justify  mining.  '  At  one  time  it  was 
believed  that  silver  existed  here  in  consider- 
able quantities,  and  the  excitement  occasioned 


216 


HISTORY  OF  CLARK  COUNTY. 


thereby  was,  for  a  time,  intense.  The  people 
nearly  went  wild,  and  lands  supposed  to  be 
impregnated  with  silver  were  held  at  fabulous 
prices.  But  the  most  critical  examination 
by  experts  showed  that  while  silver  actually 
existed  in  many  places,  it  was  in  such  a  lim- 
ited way  as  to  be  wholly  unremuncrative  to 
even  attempt  to  do  anything  toward  mining. 
Further  particulars  of  the  silver  excitement 
will  be  given  in  the  township  chapters. 

JI/oMwrfs.— Clark  County  abounds  in  mounds, 
relics  of  that  lost  race  of  people  of  whom 
nothing  is  definitely  known.  These  mounds, 
the  origin  of  which  is  lost  in  the  mists  of  re- 
mote antiquity,  and  of  which  not  even  tradi- 
tionary accounts  remain,  number  about  thirty 
in  this  county,  and  extend  along  the  Wabash 
river,  and  at  the  edge  of  the  prairie  from  near 
Darwin  to  below  York,  thence  into  Crawford 
county.  They  are  of  different  sizes  and  shape, 
and  some  of  them  of  considerable  extent,  rang- 
ing from  ten  to  sixty  feet  in  diameter,  and 
from  two  to  fifteen  feet  high.  In  early  times 
they  were  much  higher,  having  been  worn  and 
cut  down  by  the  cultivation  of  the  land;  in- 
deed, some  of  them  are  almost  if  not  entirely 
obliterated,  while  all,  at  least,  have  been  more 
or  less  reduced  in  altitude.  The  largest  is  on 
the  land  of  James  Lanhead,  near  York,  and 
one  and  a  fourth  miles  from  the  river.  This 
mound  has  been  explored,  and  from  its  depths 
were  taken  stone  hatchets,  fragments  of 
earthenware,  arrow-heads,  flints,  etc.  Sev- 
eral others  have  been  opened  of  late  years, 
with  much  the  same  results. 

[It  has  been  pretty  definitely  settled  by 
pre-historic  writers,  that  these  mounds  were 
actually  built  by  a  race  of  people,  and 
■were  of  different  kinds,  viz.:  temple  mounds; 
mounds  of  defense;  burial  mounds;  sacrifi- 
cial mounds,  etc.,  etc.  See  Part  I  of 
this  work. — Ed.]  The  countless  hands  that 
erected  them;  the  long  succession  of  genera- 
tions that  once  inhabited  the  adjacent  coun- 


try, animating  them  with  their  labors,  their 
hunting  and  wars,  their  songs  and  dances, 
have  long  since  passed  away.  Oblivion  has 
drawn  her  impenetrable  veil  over  their  whole 
history;  no  lettered  page,  no  sculptured  mon- 
ument informs  us  who  they  were,  whence  they 
came,  or  the  period  of  their  existence.  In 
vain  has  science  sought  to  penetrate  the  gloom 
and  solve  the  problem  locked  in  the  breast  of 
the  voiceless  past,  but  every  theory  advanced, 
every  reason  assigned,  ends  where  it  began, 
in  speculation. 

"  Ye  moklering  relics  of  departed  years, 
Your  names  have  perished;  not  a  trace  remains, 

Save  where  the  grass-grown  mound  its  summit  rears 
From  the  green  bosom  of  your  native  plains — 
Say,  do  your  spirits  wear  oblivion's  chains? 

Did  death  forever  quench  your  hopes  and  fears?" 

The  antiquities  of  Clark  County  are  similar 
to  other  portions  of  the  State.  Indian  graves 
are  not  uncommon,  especially  in  the  vicinity 
of  the  mounds  above  described.  Fragments 
of  bones,  and  in  one  or  two  instances  whole 
skeletons  in  a  remarkable  state  of  preserva- 
tion have  been  found.  Near  Rock  Hill  church, 
on  Union  Prairie,  in  the  year  1850,  Jonathan 
Hogue,  while  digging  a  cellar  and  some  post- 
holes,  discovered  three  stone-walled  graves 
within  a  radius  of  a  hundred  feet,  and  about 
two  feet  beneath  the  surface,  each  containing 
the  perfect  skeleton  of  an  adult  person  in  a 
silting  posture  facing  the  sunrise.  Flints, 
arrow-heads,  etc.,  were  also  found  in  these 
graves.  In  other  instances  graves  have  been 
found,  where  the  length  from  head  to  foot  did 
not  exceed  four  feet,  and  yet  contained  a 
skeleton  of  full  stature.  This,  at  first,  gave 
rise  to  the  belief  that  the  skeletons  of  a  race 
of  pigmies  had  been  discovered.  But  a  more 
careful  examination  of  the  position  of  the 
bones  showed  that  the  leg  and  thigh  bones 
laid  parallel,  and  that  the  corpse  had  been 
buried  with  the  knees  bent  in  that  position. 


/ 


HISTORY  OF  CLARK  COUNTY. 


217 


In  natural  advantages  Clark  County  is  in- 
ferior to  none  of  her  sister  counties.  She  has 
her  Dolson  and  Parlcer  Prairies,  ar.ible  and 
productive;  her  Rich  woods,  which  are  all  the 
name  implies;  her  Walnut  and  Union  Prai- 
ries, the  garden  spots  of  Illinois.  She  lias  her 
river  and  creek  bottoms,  receiving  their  allu- 
vial deposits  from  the  annual  overflows,  ren- 
dering them  inexhaustible  in  fertility.  She 
'las  her  barrens,  capable  of  producing  almost 
any  product  grown  in  this  latitude.  Has  her 
hill  country,  that  only  awaits  the  sinking  of 
tiie  shaft  and  the  light  of  the  miner's  lamp  to 
reveal  coal-beds  of  exceeding  richness.  Sil- 
ver, too,  has  already  been  found  in  small 
quantities,  at  the  mine  already  opened  in  Wa- 
bash township,  by  enterprising  citizens,  and 
there  is  no  foretelling  the  possibilities.  Pe- 
troleum exists  in  many  parts  of  the  county, 
and  yet  flows  from  the  Young  well,  in  Parker 
township.  Capita!  will,  at  no  distant  future, 
explore  the  hidden  depths,  and  compel  it  to 
become  an  important  factor  in  the  wealth  and 
commerce  of  the  county. 

As  a  county,  she  is  admirably  adapted  to 
the  growth  of  all  products  peculiar  to  an  ex- 
cellent soil  in  this  latitude.  Corn  grows  lux- 
uriantly, and  yields  abundantly;  the  various 
esculents  attain  perfection,  and  as  a  wheat 
and  grass  county,  ranks  among  the  foremost 
in  the  State.  There  is  no  portion  of  it  but 
what  is  well  adapted  to  the  growth  of  large 
fruits,  and  within  her  limits  are  some  very  fine 
orchards.  Small  fruits,  of  all  varieties  com- 
mon to  the  climate,  seem  indigenous  to  our 
soil,  and  with  little  care  and  attention  return 
bounteous  yields. 

Stock  raising  is  one  of  her  great  resources, 
and  can  be  prosecuted  with  large  profits.  It 
is  an  industry  that  has  rapidly  increased  since 
the  advent  of  railroads,  and  ono  that  is  attract- 
ing attention  and  capital.  And  large  areas  of 
land,  where  once  the  craviffish  raised  his  hill- 
ock,  and  the  frog  and  the  turtle  held  sway, 


now   sustain    herds   of   cattle    and   flocks  of 
sheep. 

The  health  of  the  county  isinferior  to  none. 
With  the  exception  of  chills  ane  fever  along 
the  miasmatic  river  and  creek  bottoms,  there 
is  but  little  sickness.  Our  county  being  a 
pleteau  exceeding  in  elevation  any  adjoining 
counties,  the  atmosphere  is  naturally  purer 
and  more  salubrious,  and  as  a  consequence, 
ths  mortality  among  our  people,  in  proportion 
to  population,  is  as  little  as  any  county  in  the 
State.  We  have  the  purest  water  to  be  found 
anywhere.  Living  springs  gush  out  in 
countless  places,  and  nature's  pure  and  whole- 
some beverage  can  be  found  anywhere  for 
the  digging.  Our  railroad  advantages  are 
first-class,  abundantly  able  to  accommodate 
all  the  wants  of  commerce.  We  have  supe- 
rior educational  facilities,  the  efficiency  of 
our  school  system  being  evidenced  on  every 
side;  and  the  corps  of  teachers  throughout 
the  county,  far  above  the  average.  Our  peo- 
ple, as  a  class,  are  tetnperate,  law  abiding  and 
industrious;  and  religious  denominations  with 
large  followings  flourish  in  country  and  town. 

Clark  is  capable  of  supporting  a  dense  pop- 
ulation, and  offers  superior  inducements  to 
immigrants  of  all  kinds.  The  farmer  in 
search  of  a  home,  can  purchase  lands,  im- 
proved or  unimproved,  at  reasonable  rates; 
the  artisan  can  find  employment  for  his  skill, 
the  laborer  find  employment,  the  professional 
man  find  business.     There  is  room  for  ail. 

Although  Clark  -si as  one  of  the  pioneer 
counties  of  the  Wabash  Valley,  and  although 
one  of  her  towns  at  one  time  rivaled  Terre 
Haute,  yet  she  was  among  the  last  to  receive 
within  her  territory  one  of  those  mighty  arter- 
ies of  commerce,  a  railroad. 

For  two  decades  or  more  her  condition  was 
that  of  inaction  and  stagnation.  Owing  to 
various  disappointments  in  regard  to  the 
building  of  railroads  through  the  county,  men 
of  skill  and  enterprise,  as  well  as  capital,  left 


218 


HISTORY  OF  CLAKK  COUNTY. 


her  to  seek  elsewhere  locations  more  conge- 
nial and  better  adapted  to  active  business 
pursuits.  This  centrifugal  influence  came 
very  near  depleting  the  countj'  of  the  best 
part  of  her  population.  They  went  to  places 
where  the  transportation  facilities  were  equal 
to  the  wants  of  the  people,  and  where  years 
of  their  lives  would  not  be  spent  in  listless 
apathy. 

She  sat  supinely  by,  after  the  failure  and 
disappointment  in  her  railroad  projects,  and 
saw  the  rushing  trains  speed  across  the  do- 
mains of  hersister  counties,  by  far  her  juniors. 
Saw  their  uninterrupted  course  of  prosperity; 
saw  their  lands  rise  rapidly  in  value — saw 
the  smoke  of  their  factories — heard  the  dull 
thunder  of  their  mills.  Saw  them  in  the 
front  rank  of  advancement,  marching  to  tlie 
grand  music  of  progress.  Saw  them  double, 
even  treble,  her  in  wealth. 

But  things  were  changed  as  by  some  ma- 
gician's power.  When  the  first  shriek  of  the 
locomotive  awoke  the  echoes  of  her  hills,  and 
the  rumble  of  the  trains  rolled  across  her 
prairies,  old  Clark  arose,  Phcenix  like,  from 
the  ashes  of  her  sloth,  and  like  a  young  giant, 
shook  off  the  lethargy  that  bound  her;  took 
up  the  line  of  march  toward  prosperity,  and 
made  gigantic  strides  toward  the  position  she 
should  occupy  in  modern  progress.  She  was 
infused  with  new  life,  and  capital  and  enter- 
prise were  attracted  to  her  borders. 

Her   advancement  has   been    almost   phe- 


nomenal, and  has  far  exceeded  the  anticipa- 
tions of  the  most  sanguine.  Inaction  gave 
way  to  energy,  and  lethargy  to  enterprise. 
Emigrants  poured  in,  land  and  lots  increased 
in  value;  farms  were  opened  in  every  section, 
and  industry  flourished  beyond  precedent. 
Towns  and  villages  sprang  up  as  if  by  magic. 
Tidy  farm-houses,  neat  and  tasty  school-hous- 
es, and  churches,  those  surest  indexes  of 
prosperity  and  culture,  and  mighty  promoters 
of  all  that  is  good,  dotted  the  prairies  and 
nestled  in  the  uplands.  Every  department  of 
business  received  an  impetus  powerful  and 
lasting,  and  the  trades  flourished  as  they  had 
never  before.  She  entered  upon  an  era  of 
unprecedented  prosperity.  Improvements 
were  visible  on  every  hand.  Where  once  sol- 
itude reigned,  the  hum  and  smoke  of  the 
mills  fret  and  darken  the  air.  Her  future  is 
indeed  bright.  She  is  grid-ironed  with  rail- 
roads and  sieved  with  telegraphs,  and  the 
products  of  her  fields  reach  an  hundred  marts. 
And  when  her  immense  agricultural  and  min- 
eral resources  are  fully  developed,  old  Clark 
will  occupy  a  proud  position  in  the  galaxy  of 
counties  that  compose  this  mighty  State.  To- 
day, Clark  stands  side  bj'  side  with  her  sister 
counties  of  the  Wabash  Valley,  in  agriculture 
and  all  its  kindred  associations.  It  on  !y  needs 
the  active  energy  of  her  citizens  to  place  her 
in  the  van,  advancing  as  the  years  advance, 
until  the  goal  of  her  ambition  is  reached. 


CHAPTER     II, 


EARLY   SETTLEMENTS-THE  PIONEERS  AND  WHERE    THEY   CAME  FROM— THEIR   HARD 
LIFE,  RUDE    DWELLINGS   AND    COARSE  CLOTHING— INCIDENT  OF  A  BISCUIT— 
SALT-NEGRO  SLAVERY— AN  EXCITING  CAMPAIGN— COL.  ARCHER- 
GAME-"  MARKS"     AND     "  BRANDS   "—TAXATION— THE 
INDIANS-SHOOTING  MATCHES— EARLY  SOCIETY 
—CHRISTIANITY  AND  PIONEER  PREACH- 
ERS—INTEMPERANCE— THE 
CLIMATE,  ETC.,  ETC. 


"  Great  nature  spoke;  oliservant  men  obey'd; 
Cities  were  built,  societies  were  made: 
Here  rose  a  little  State;  another  near 
Grew  by  like  means,  and  join'u  through  love  or 
fear." — Pope. 

IT  has  been  said,  that  civilization  is  a 
forced  condition  of  existence,  to  which 
man  is  stimulated  by  a  desire  to  gratify  arti- 
ficial wants.  And  again,  it  has  been  written 
by  a  gifted,  but  gloomy  misanthrope,  that  "As 
soon  as  you  thrust  the  plowshare  under  the 
earth,  it  teems  with  worms  and  useless  weeds. 
It  increases  population  to  an  unnatural  extent 
— creates  the  necessity  of  penal  enactments — 
builds  the  jails — erects  the  gallows — spreads 
over  the  human  face  a  mask  of  deception  and 
selfishness — and  substitutes  villainy,  love  of 
wealth  and  power,  in  the  place  of  the  single- 
minded  honesty,  the  hospitality  and  the  honor 
of  the  natural  state."  These  arguments  are 
erroneous,  and  are  substantiated  neither  by 
history  or  observation.  Civilization  tends  to 
the  advancement  and  elevation  of  man;  Lifts 
him  from  savagery  and  barbarism,  to  refine- 
ment and  intelligence.  It  inspires  him  with 
higher  and  holier  thoughts — loftier  ambitions, 
and  its  ultimate  objects  are  his  moral  and 
physical  happiness.  But  as  every  positive  of 
good  has  its  negative  of  evil,  so  enlightened 
society  has  its  sombre  side — its  wickedness 
anil  iminoralities. 


The  pioneer  is  civilization's  forlorn  hope. 
Without  him,  limited  would  be  its  dominions. 
He  it  is  who  forsakes  all  the  comforts  and 
surroundings  of  civilized  life — all  that  makes 
existence  enjoyable;  abandons  his  early  home, 
bids  adieu  to  parents,  sisters  and  brothers, 
and  turns  his  face  toward  the  vast  illimitable 
West.  With  iron  nerve.s  and  lion  hearts,  these 
unsung  heroes  plunge  into  the  gloomy  wilder- 
ness, exposed  to  perils  and  disease  in  a  thou- 
sand different  forms,  and  after  years  of  in- 
credible toils  and  privations  they  subdue  the 
forest,  and  thus  prepare  the  way  for  those 
who  follow. 

"Who  were  the  first  settlers  of  Clark 
County?  "  is  a  question  most  difficult  to  satis- 
factorily answer.  There  is  considerable  di- 
versitjr  of  opinion  among  our  oldest  living  citi- 
zens as  to  the  first  pioneers.  There  is  a 
story  extant  that  the  first  white  inhabitant  of 
Clark,  as  its  territory  is  now  defined,  was  a 
man  who  shot  and  killed  his  brother  at  Vin- 
cennes,  in  1810;  he  escaped  in  a  canoe  and 
paddled  up  the  Wabash,  landing  near  the 
present  Chenoweth  ferry,  and  lived  a  wild, 
semi-savage  life,  a  fugitive  from  justice.  It 
is  said  he  was  seen  by  one  or  more  of  the 
settlers  who  came  years  later,  and  that  the 
Indians  asserted  the  fact  of  his  existence,  and 
tiiat  he  was  the  first    wliite   inhabitant   of  the 


220 


HISTORY  OF  CLARK  COUNTY. 


county.  There  is  nothing  corroborative  of 
this  stor}',  find  we  niaj'  regard  it  as  one  of  the 
many  traditions  of  the  past. 

As  early  as  1812,  Fort  Lamotte,  on  the  site 
of  Palestine,  was  built,  and  the  nearest  settle- 
ment, except  Vincennes,  was  Fort  Harrison» 
near  Terre  Haute.  A  family  named  Hutson, 
however,  located  about  five  miles  north  of 
Palestine,  where  they  were  massacred  by  the 
Indians,  and  their  buildings  destroyed.  As 
the  savages  were  troublesome  and  hostile 
during  the  war  of  1813,  it  is  hardly  probable 
that  there  were  any  settlements  in  Clark  prior 
to  its  close,  though  it  has  been  strenuously 
asserted  that  settlements  were  made  in  the 
county  as  early  as  1814.  From  the  roost  reli- 
able information  obtainable,  the  first  perma- 
nent settlers  were  the  Handys;  Thomas,  and 
his  sons  John  and  Stephen.  They  came  from 
Post  St.  Vincent,  near  Vincennes,  to  Union 
Prairie,  in  the  spring  of  1815;  broke  ground 
planted  and  raised  a  crop  of  corn,  erected  cab- 
ins, and  in  the  fall  ensuing,  removed  their  fam- 
ilies hither.  Thomas,  the  father,  settled  on  the 
farm  now  occupied  by  James  Harrison;  John, 
where  West  Union  stands,  and  Stephen,  on 
the  farm  occupied  by  Mrs.  Sophronia  Brooks. 
The  late  Thomas  Handy,  son  of  John,  once 
prominent  and  well  known  among  our  people, 
is  said  to  have  been  the  first  white  child  born 
in  Clark  County.  This  is  disputed  by  some 
of  the  oldest  living  settlers,  who  assert  posi- 
tively, that  Scott  Hogue  and  Isabel  Handy, 
born  within  a  few  hours  of  each  other,  saw  the 
light  of  day  prior  to  Thomas. 

In  the  year  following,  there  were  signs  of 
Indian  hostilities  and  the  Handys  erected 
a  fort  or  stockade  on  the  hill,  one  half 
mile  south  of  West  Union,  called  it  "  Fort 
Handy,"  and  removed  their  families  there 
for  security.  The  well  dug  within  the  work, 
and  which  furnished  the  water  supply  for  the 
dwellers,  could  be  seen  a  few  years  ago. 
This  fort,  the  only  structure  of  the  kind  ever 


built  in  the  county,  was  situated  on  the  pres- 
ent farm  of  James  Harrison.  It  was  not  a 
very  formidable  or  extensive  work  of  defense, 
and  was  built  out  of  abundant  caution  by  the 
settlers.  It  contained  two  or  three  cabins 
for  the  accommodation  of  the  families,  and 
was  surrounded  liy  a  bullet-proof  palisade, 
pierced  with  loop-holes  at  convenient  dis- 
tances. The  same  year  (181G)  other  families 
came,  among  whom  were  the  Hogues,  the 
Millers,  Bells,  Megeath,  Prevo,  Blaze,  Crow, 
Leonard,  the  Richardsons  and  Fitchs,  who 
all  settled  on  Union  Prairie,  the  two  last 
named  founding  the  town  of  York  in  1817. 
The  first  house  erected  there,  a  log  dwelling, 
was  built  by  Chester  Fitch.  James  Gill,  yet 
living  and  residing  in  Cumberland  County, 
aided  in  its  erection.  Henry  Harrison  set- 
tled in  the  timber,  immediately  west  of  Un- 
ion, in  1818.  The  Bartletts  located  near  him 
about  the  same  time. 

Walnut  Prairie,  just  north  of  Union,  and 
separated  from  it  by  Mill  Creek  and  a  nar- 
row strip  of  timber,  was  settled  in  1817  by 
the  Archers,  Neely,  McClure,  Welch,  Chen- 
oweth,  Dunlap,  Blake,  Shaw,  Poorman,  Staf- 
ford, Lockard,  Essery  and  a  few  others.  Mr. 
Essery  afterward  entered  land  on  Big  Creek, 
two  miles  northeast  of  where  Marshall  now 
stands,  and  opened  what  is  known  as  the 
"  Cork  farm,"  where  he  died  at  an  advanced 
age.  Reuben  Crow  for  a  few  years  culti- 
vated cotton  on  Union  Prairie,  with  some  suc- 
cess, and  erected,  perhaps,  the  first  cotton- 
gin  north  of  the  Ohio  River.  The  experi- 
ment of  raising  cotton  was  tried  with  fair 
results,  some  years  later,  on  Walnut  Prairies. 
The  soil  of  these  two  prairies  seems  admira- 
bly adapted  to  the  culture  of  cotton,  but  the 
climate  is  too  irregular  to  render  its  produc- 
tion remunerative. 

About  the  year  1823  a  settlement  was 
commenced  at  the  head  of  Parker  Prairie. 
Among  these  early  inhabitants  were  the  fam- 


HISTORY  OF  CLARK  COUNTY. 


221 


ilies  of  Parker,  Coiinely,  Bean,  Newport  (a 
noted  Baptist  preacher),  Biggs,  Iiee,  Duncan) 
Dawson,  Briscoe,  Bennett,  Redman,  Evin" 
gor  and  otliors.  On  Big  Creek  there  were 
some  new  settlers:  the  Mains,  Forsythe,  Mc- 
Clure,  and  David  Reynolds,  an  aged  and  re- 
spected pioneer  yet  living.  But  it  is  unnec- 
essary to  follow  the  subject  farther,  as  an 
extended  notice  of  the  early  settlements  and 
settlers  will  be  given  in  the  respective  ciiap- 
ters  devoted  to  each  township. 

The  cabins  of  the  early  settlers  were  rude, 
but  secure.  Thev  were  generally  built  of 
large  logs  and  constructed  with  an  eye  to 
safety  and  defense;  for  the  Indians  were  nu- 
merous, and  at  times  threatened  hostilities. 
Mrs.  Justin  Harlan  relates  that  the  cabin 
constructed  by  her  father,  David  Hogue,  and 
situated  on  the  present  farm  of  M.  C.  Dol- 
son,  near  York,  was  a  Gibralter  of  primitive 
architecture.  The  logs  composing  the  walls 
were  massive  and  heavy,  and  pierced  with 
loop-holes  commanding  every  approa^  h.  The 
roof  was  so  constructed  as  to  be  almost  fire- 
proof, while  the  door  was  a  ponderous  affair 
of  slabs,  and  secured  by  fastenings  that 
would  have  resisted  the  efforts  of  a  giant. 
James  Gill,  then  a  boy  of  fourteen,  says  that 
in  company  with  seven  men  he  assisted  in 
the  construction  of  a  cabin  near  the  present 
town  of  York,  in  1816,  and  during  its  build- 
ing one  of  the  men  killed  a  deer  and  hung  it 
in  a  tree  near  by.  During  the  night,  the  loud 
barking  of  the  dogs,  and  the  snorting  and 
plunging  of  the  horses,  aroused  the  settlers 
and  the  dread  whisper  went  around — "  In- 
dians!" They  arose  in  silence — each  man 
grasped  his  trusty  rifle  and  manned  his  allot- 
ted loop-hole.  Skirmishers  were  thrown  out 
with  the  utmost  caution  and  strict  guard  was 
kept  until  broad  da3\  No  signs  of  Indians 
were  discovered,  and  they  concluded  that  it 
was  some  wild  beast,  attracted  by  the   scent 


of  blood  from  the  slain  deer,  that  had  caused 
the  alarm. 

The  privations  endured  by  the  early  settlers 
were  such  as  none  but  stout  hearts  would  dare 
to  encounter.  Nothing  but  the  hopeful  in- 
spiration of  manifest  destiny  urged  them  to 
persevere  in  bringing  under  the  dominion  of 
civilized  man  what  was  before  them,  a  howling 
wilderness.  These  sturdy  sons  of  toil,  pio- 
neers in  the  early  civilization  of  Clark  County, 
mostly  hailed  from  the  States  of  New  York, 
Ohio,  Virginia,  North  Carolina,  and  a  few 
from  South  Carolina.  They  were  exceptions, 
to  a  great  degree,  of  the  accepted  rule, 
"that  immigrants  on  settling  in  a  new  coun- 
try, usually  travel  on  the  same  parallel  as 
that  of  the  home  they  left." 

The  fashions  were  few  and  simple,  com- 
pared with  the  gaudy  and  costly  paraphernalia 
of  the  present  time.  Comfort  and  freedom 
were  always  consulted.  The  principal  articles 
for  clothing  were  of  home  manufacture,  such 
as  linsej'-woolsey,  jeans,  tow-linen,  etc.  The 
world  was  not  laid  under  tribute  as  now,  to 
furnish  the  thousand  mysteries  of  a  lady's 
toilet — mysteries  that  like  the  ways  of  Prov- 
idence, are  past  finding  out,  at  least  bv  the 
sterner  sex.  Powders  and  lotions,  and  dan- 
gerous cosmetics  by  which  the  modern  belle 
borrows  the  transient  beauty  of  the  present, 
and  repays  with  premature  homeliness,  were 
unknown  to  her  frontier  ancestors,  whose 
cheeks  were  rosy  with  the  ruddy  glow  of 
health — painted  by  wholesome  exercise  and 
labor.  Shoes  and  slippers  of  kid  and  morocco,' 
with  high  and  villainous  heels,  were  not  then 
worn.  The  beauty  and  symmetry  of  the  fe- 
male form  was  not  distorted  and  misshapen 
by  tight  lacing.  The  brave  women  of  those 
daj-s  knew  nothing  of  ruffles,  curls,  switches 
or  bustles;  had  not  even  dreamed  of  those 
fearful  and  wonderful  structures  of  the  pres- 
ent, called  "  boiuiets."     Instead  of  the  organ 


222 


HISTORY  OF  CLARK  COUNTY. 


or  piano,  before  -which  sits  the  modern  miss, 
torturing  selections  from  the  majestic  operits(!) 
they  had  to  handle  the  distaff  and  shuttle, 
accompanying  the  droning  wheel  or  rattling 
loom  with  the  simple  and  plaintive  melodies 
of  the  olden  time,  contented  with  their  lin- 
sey  clothing — their  roughly  made  shoes,  and 
a  sun-bonnet  of  coarse  linen.  Proud  and 
happy  was  she,  and  the  envy  of  her  less  for- 
tunate sisters,  who  was  the  possessor  of  a  cal- 
ico dress,  brought  from  Cincinnati  or  far  off 
Orleans.  An  estimable  old  lad}',  now  living, 
informed  the  writer,  that  the  first  shoes,  other 
than  of  home  manufacture,  that  she  ever  pos- 
sessed, were  of  the  heaviest  calf-skin;  and  so 
careful  and  jealous  was  she  of  them,  that 
many  a  time  she  carried  her  shoes  and  stock- 
ings in  her  hand  to  within  a  hundred  yards  of 
the  place  of  meeting,  to  keep  from  soiling  or 
wearing  them  out.  And  this  she  repeated  on 
her  way  homeward,  even  if  escorted  by  some 
rustic  gallant.  The  costume  of  the  men  was 
as  simple  and  primitive.  The  "  wamns  "  was 
almost  universally  worn.  This  was  a  kind  of 
loose  frock,  reaching  to  the  waist,  open  before, 
with  large  sleeves  and  cape,  the  latter  some- 
times fringed  by  raveling  and  attaching  a 
piece  of  cloth  different  in  hue  to  the  garment. 
The  "  wamus "  resembled  an  army^  overcoat 
of  the  present  day,  with  the  tail  cut  off. 
Breeches  and  leggings  furnished  the  cover- 
ing of  the  thighs  and  legs.  Home-made  shoes 
or  moccasins  supplied  him  with  footgear,  and 
the  skin  of  the  raccoon  made  him  hat  or  cap, 
though  not  a  few  of  the  men  dressed  in  full 
suits  of  buckskin. 

The  pursuits  of  the  early  settlers  were 
chiefly  agricultural.  Fort  Harrison  and  Vin- 
cennes  were  their  nearest  trading  points. 
However,  a  Pennsylvanian,  naire'l.Iohn  Wise, 
brought  a  small  assortment  of  goods  to  York, 
in  1818,  the  first  ever  in  the  county.  He  was 
the  pioneer  merchant  of  Clark,  and  is  yet 
living  in  Vincennes.     The   two  first  named 


were  the  principal  points,  where  they  bartered 
for  the  few  necessaries  which  could  not  be 
produced  or  manufactured  at  home.  There 
were  no  cooking  stoves  and  ranges,  and  the 
thousand  culinary  apparatuses  of  to-day  were 
unknown  among  the  early  settlers.  Broad 
was  generally  baked  in  what  was  called 
"  Dutch  ovens;"  though  frequently  on  aboiird 
before  the  fire,  and  often  in  the  ashes.  Among 
the  poorer  classes,  the  "corn  dodger"  was 
tiie  only  bread.  It  is  related  that  a  wearied 
traveler  stopped  at  one  of  these  humble 
cabins  to  rest  and  refresh  himself  and  jaded 
horse.  In  his  saddle-bags  he  had  a  few  of 
those  old-time,  yellow,  adamantine  indigesti- 
bles — saleratus  biscuit,  and  by  accident 
dropped  one  upon  the  hearth.  He  was  absent 
a  few  moments,  and  upon  returning,  the  eldest 
boy  had  covered  the  wheaten  bowlder  with 
live  coals,  saying  to  the  surrounding  tow- 
heads,  "  I'll  make  him  stick  his  head  out  and 
crawl,"  mistaking  the  biscuit  for  some  new 
species  of  terrapin.  Tea,  coffee  and  sugar 
were  rarely  used,  except  on  the  visit  of  the 
preacher,  or  some  other  equally  momentous 
occasion.  The  fare  was  plain,  substantial 
and  healthj'.  The  richlj-  flavored,  highly  sea- 
soned, dyspepsia-promoting  food  of  to-day,  is 
the  invention  of  a  later  civilization.  There 
were  no  friction  matches,  their  place  being 
supplied  by  the  flint  and  steel.  In  nearlv 
every  family,  the  chunk,  like  the  sacred  fires 
of  the  Aztecs,  was  never  allowed  to  expire. 
In  the  genial  spring-time,  the  prudent  house- 
wife, in  making  her  soap,  always  stirred  it 
"  widdershins "  that  is,  from  east  to  west, 
with  the  course  of  the  sun.  To  stir  the  reverse 
of  this,  was  to  destroy  all  the  cleansing  qual- 
ities of  the  soap. 

The  people  were  quick  and  ingenious  to 
supply  by  invention,  and  with  their  own 
hands,  the  lack  of  mechanics  and  artificers. 
Each  settler,  as  a  general  rule,  built  his  own 
house — made  his  own  plows,  harrows  and  har- 


HISTORY  OF  CLARK  COUNTY. 


223 


r.ess.  The  cultivation  of  the  soil  was  con- 
ducted after  the  most  approved  fashion  of 
primitive  times.  The  plows,  with  wooden 
mold-board,  turned  the  sod;  the  harrow,  with 
wooden  teeth,  prepared  it  for  planting.  The 
harness  was  often  made  of  ropes,  sometimes 
with  the  bark  of  trees.  The  collars  were  of 
straw.  Corn  was  the  principal  crop;  very 
little  wheat  was  produced,  and  was  seldom 
sown  on  Walnut  or  Union  prairies,  or  along 
the  river  and  creek  bottoms,  for  more  than  a 
quarter  of  a  century  afier  the  formation  of 
the  county.  For  the  soil  of  these  sections 
was  thought  to  be  wholly  inadapted  to  its 
growth.  It  is  only  of  late  years  that  wheat 
has  become  the  staple  crop  on  the  prairies 
and  bottom  lands.  The  ]>ioneer  also  made 
his  furniture,  and  other  indispensable  articles. 
And  considering  his  few  tools,  and  the  entire 
absence  of  all  machinery,  many  of  these  were 
models  of  skill  and  workmanship.  Their 
carts  and  wagons,  however,  were  ponderous 
affairs,  made  wholly  without  iron,  the  wheels 
often  consisting  of  cuts  from  six  to  eight 
inches  in  thickness,  sawed  from  the  end  of  a 
large  log:.  A  hole  was  made  in  the  center  for 
the  insertion  of  the  spindle.  Into  the  axle 
the  huge  tongue  was  inserted.  The  bed  was 
fastened  to  the  axle,  and  extended  about  an 
equal  distance  before  and  aft;  the  front  end 
was  secured  to  the  tongue.  Soft  soap  was 
substituted  lor  tar,  to  facilitate  the  movement 
of  the  vehicle.  Dr.  Williams,  of  Casey,  relates 
that  when  a  boy,  he  once  accompanied  his 
father  to  a  horse-mill,  in  one  of  these  old-time 
carts.  It  was  in  the  winter,  and  they  were 
delayed  about  their  grinding,  and  did  not  get 
started  home  until  the  evening  of  the  second 
(ay.  Darkness  overtook  them,  and  to  render 
matters  worse,  their  lubricating  supply  gave 
out.  The  lumbering  and  creaking  of  their 
juggernaut  could  be  heard  a  mile  or  more, 
and  soon  aroused  all  the  wolves  in  four  town- 
ships.    At  first  they  were   timid,   and    kept 


well  behind;  but  as  they  proceeded,  became 
bolder,  and  the  gloomy  woods  resounding 
with  their  dolorous  howls  were  only  equaled 
by  the  horrible  noise  of  the  wagon.  The 
snarling  and  growling  pack  kept  clos- 
ing in,  until  their  fiery  eyeballs  could  be 
seen,  and  their  panting  be  heard.  His  father 
would  drop  one  occasionally  with  his  rifle, 
which  would  temporarily  check  the  pursuit, 
but  it  was  only  after  a  desperately  contested 
struggle  that  they  escaped  being  devoured. 

That  indispensable  article,  salt,  was  at  first 
wagoned  from  Cincinnati  to  Vincennes,  or 
floated  down  the  Ohio  and  keel-boated  up  the 
Wabash.  The  more  prosperous  of  a  neigh- 
borhood, who  could  purchase  two  or  three 
bushels  at  a  time,  soon  found  it  a  profitable 
investment,  for  they  doled  it  out  to  their  less 
fortunate  neighbors,  at  largely  increased 
price,  and  were  as  careful  in  the  weight  and 
measurement  as  if  each  grain  were  gold. 
In  after  years,  the  Vermillion  County  salines 
rendered  salt  more  abundant  and  less  difficult 
to  obtain. 

From  1S19  to  IS'23  immigration  to  Clark 
County,  and  in  fact  to  the  Wabash  Valley, 
almost  ceased,  on  account  of  their  unhealth- 
iness.  The  principal  diseases  were  bilious 
and  intermittent  fevers.  These  fevers  took 
their  most  malignant  character  in  the  bottom 
lands  bordering  large  streams,  especially  the 
AVabash.  There,  in  the  rich  black  loam, 
formed  from  the  alluvial  deposits  of  the 
spring  floods,  and  of  great  depth,  vegetation 
luxuriated  in  almost  tropical  profusion.  Im- 
mense quantities  were  produced,  the  decay 
of  which  generated  vast  volumes  of  miasma. 
The  high  bluffs  which  usually  border  these 
teeming  lands,  covered  with  dense  woods, 
prevented  the  circulation  of  the  purer  air 
from  the  uplands,  and  left  all  the  causes  of 
disease  to  take  their  most  concentrated  forms 
among  the  unfortunate  settlers  of  these  dis- 
mal solitudes.     Here,  at  fated  periods,  these 


224 


HISTORY  OF  CLARK  COUNTY. 


disorders,  or  "  Wabash  chills,"  as  they  were 
termed,  found  their  most  numerous  victims. 
Some  seasons  they  Ijecame  epidemic — a  pes- 
tilence, almost — prostrating  the  entire  com- 
munity. The  inhabitants  of  the  adjacent 
prairies  were  by  no  means  exempt  from  these 
plagueful  visitations  which  seemed  indiaje- 
nous  to  the  soil.  From  the  sluggish  sloughs 
that  penetrated  these  districts  arose  the  dis- 
ease-burdened malaria,  which  tainted  the  air 
and  left  its  imprint  in  the  sallow  complexions 
and  emaciated  forms  of  the  people.  By  rea- 
son of  these  ailments  the  crops  frequently  suf- 
fered sadly  for  want  of  proper  cultivation  and 
care,  often  entailing  suffering  and  destitution 
the  ensuing  winter.  Physicians  were  few,  and 
the  victims  of  those  distressing  plagues  sel- 
dom received  any  medical  attention  or  reme- 
dies. Every  family  was  its  own  doctor,  and 
roots  and  herbs  supplied,  though  illy,  the  place 
of  quinine  and  the  more  powerful  cures  and 
preventatives  of  the  present.  As  the  coun- 
try was  opened  up  and  reduced  to  cultiva- 
tion, and  the  people  became  acclimated, 
these  fevers  became  less  prevalent,  and  lost 
in  some  degree  their  virulence. 

According  to  the  first  county  census  taken 
by  Silas  Hoskins,  of  Aurora,  in  1820,  there 
were  nine  hundred  and  thirty  whites  and 
one  slave,  thus  indicating:  that  the  blisrhtino- 
curse  of  human  slavery  once  desecrated 
Clark  County.  In  this  connection  a  brief 
mention  of  a  few  of  the  provisions  of  the 
"  Black  Laws,"  as  they  were  called,  enacted 
by  our  first  Legislature,  and  which  disgraced 
our  statute  books  for  twenty-five  years,  may 
not  prove  uninteresting.  There  were  com- 
paratively few  negroes  in  our  county  during 
the  existence  of  these  laws,  the  highest  num- 
ber being  thirty-eight.  Under  this  code, 
immigrants  to  the  State  were  allowed  to 
bring  their  negroes  with  them;  and  such  of 
the  slaves  as  were  of  lawful  age  to  consent, 
could  go  before  the  clerk  of  the   county  and 


voluntarily  sign  an  indenture  to  serve  their 
masters  for  a  term  of  years,  and  could  be 
held  to  the  performance  of  their  contracts; 
if  they  refused,  their  master  could  remove 
them  from  the  State  within  sixty  days.  The 
children  of  such  slaves  were  taken  before  an 
officer  and  regiit?red,  and  were  bound  to 
serve  their  masters  until  thirty-two  3-ears  of 
age.  Such  slaves  were  called  indentured  and 
registered  servants,  and  were  annually  taxed 
by  the  county  authorities,  the  same  as  horses 
and  cattle.  No  -negro  or  mulatto  could  re- 
side in  the  State,  until  he  had  produced  a  cer- 
tificate of  freedom,  and  given  bond  with  se- 
curity for  good  behavior,  and  not  to  become 
a  county  charge.  The  children  of  such  free 
negroes  were  registered.  Every  person  of 
color,  not  having  a  certificate  of  freedom,  was 
deemed  a  runaway  slave;  was  taken  up, 
jailed  by  a  justice,  advertised  and  sold  for 
one  year  by  the  sheriff;  if  not  claimed  in  that 
time,  was  considered  free,  though  his  master 
might  reclaim  him  any  time  thereafter.  Any 
slave  or  servant  found  ten  miles  from  home, 
without  a  pass  from  his  master,  was  punished 
with  thirty-five  lashes.  The  owner  of  any 
dwelling  could  cause  to  be  given  to  any  ser- 
vant entering  the  same,  or  adjoining  grounds, 
ten  stripes  upon  his  bare  back.  Any  person 
permitting  slaves  or  servants  to  assemble  for 
dancing,  night  or  day,  was  fined  twenty  dol- 
lars; and  it  was  made  the  duty  of  every 
peace  officer  to  commit  such  an  assemblage 
to  jail,  and  order  each  one  whipped,  not  ex- 
ceeding thirty-nine  lashes  on  the  bare  back. 
In  all  cases  where  free  persons  were  punish- 
able with  fine,  servants  were  corrected  by 
whipping,  at  the  rate  of  twenty  lashes  for 
every  eight  dollars'  fine.  The  object  of  these 
laws  was  to  prevent  free  negro  immigration, 
and  to  discourage  runaway  slaves  from  coming 
to  Illinois  to  become  free.  But  for  what  pur- 
pose such  rigorous  punishments  were  meted 
to  slaves   and  servants,   for  such   trifling  of- 


J' 


^^  {^^At^^^ — 


HISTORY  OF  CLARK  COUNTY. 


227 


feiises,  when  their  paucity  of  numbers  pre- 
cluded all  danger  of  seditions  and  insurrec- 
tions, can  only  be    conjectured. 

The  most  exciting  and  memorable  cam- 
paign that  ever  marked  the  history  of  the 
Slate,  occurred  in  the  years  182.3-4.  It  grew 
out  of  a  proposition  of  the  pro-slavery  party, 
which  had  a  majority  in  both  branches  of  the 
Legislature,  to  call  a  convention,  subject  to  a 
vote  of  the  people,  to  frame  a  constitution 
recognizing  slavery  in  Illinois,  in  utter  defi- 
ance to  the  ordinance  of  1787,  by  which 
slavery  was  prohibited  in  the  Northwest  ter- 
ritorv.  The  campaign  began  in  the  spring 
of  1823,  and  lasted  until  August  2,  1824.  It 
was  the  longest  contest  ever  in  the  State  or 
count}-;  a  contest  angiy  and  bitter,  and  char- 
acterized by  torrents  of  personal  detraction 
and  abuse.  The  excitement  extended  even 
to  the  ministry.  The  Baptists  and  Method- 
ists were  the  prevailing  denominations,  and 
were,  almost  to  a  man,  opposed  to  a  conven- 
tion and  slavery.  And  the  old  preachers,  in 
outbursts  of  rude  and  fiery  eloquence,  and  in 
language  so  fierce  and  caustic  as  to  ill  be- 
come the  armor  bearers  of  the  lowly  Nazarine, 
fired  the  hearts  of  their  flocks  against  the 
"divine  institution,"  and  painted  slavery  in 
all  its  hideousness.  Governor  Coles  was  the 
leader  of  the  anti-slavery  movement,  and  his 
trenchant  reasoning  portrayed  all  the  iniquity 
and  deformity  of  slavery.  The  anti-slavery 
party  was  victorious  by  a  majority  of  over 
two  thousand,  and  forever  put  at  rest  the 
question  of  slavery  in  Illinois.  The  vote  of 
Clark  was  thirty-one  votes  in  favor  of  a  con- 
vention and  slavery,  and  one  hundred  and 
sixteen  against. 

Colonel  William  B.  Archer  was  the  anti- 
slavery  candidate  for  the  Legislature;  his  op- 
ponent, William  Lowrie.  Colonel  Archer 
was  triumphantly  elected  by  a  vote  of  one 
hundred  and  thirty-eight  to  five.  Although 
raised  in  a  slave  State,  Colonel  Archer  at  an 


early  age  imbibed  an  unconquerable  aversion 
to  human  slavery;  and  during  his  long  and 
busy  life,  whether  in  legislative  halls  or  the 
private  walks  of  life,  he  ever  advocated  the^ 
cause  of  freedom  and  free  States.  And  we 
deem  it  not  inappropriate  to  give  here  an  ex- 
tended notice  of  this  remarkable  man. 

He  was  the  oldest  of  eight  children  of 
Zachariah  Archer,  three  of  whom  yet  survive: 
.Judge  Stephen  Archer,  Hannah  Crane  and 
Elizabeth  Hogue.  His  father's  family  removed 
from  Warren  County,  Ohio,  to  Kentucky, 
and  from  thence  to  this  county,  landing  here 
in  a  keel  boat  near  what  is  known  as  the 
Block  School  House,  during  the  memorable 
Wabash  freshet  in  the  year  1817.  He  was 
tall  of  stature,  spare  made  and  slightly 
stooped.  He  had  tlip  endurance  of  an  Indian 
— was  insensible  to  fatigue — a  man  of  iron. 
His  character  was  rugged,  strong  and  res- 
olute, and  marked  with  peculiar  irulividuality. 
He  had  a  sound  judgment,  a  firm  confidence 
and  abiding  faith  in  his  own  convictions  of 
right,  and  a  moral  courage  to  defend  them  that 
is  rarely  met  with.     In  fact,  were 

"The  elements  so  mixed  in  him 
That  Nature  might  stand  up 
And  say  to  all  the  world, 
This  is  a  man." 

The  people  recognized  his  sterling  qualities, 
and  he  at  once  took  a  commanding  position 
in  the  affairs  of  the  infant  settlement.  He 
then  commenced  a  long,  busy  and  useful  ca- 
reer. He  was  the  first  county  and  circuit 
clerk. 

He  was  appointed  one  of  the  commission- 
ers of  the  Illinois  and  Michigan  Canal,  and 
laid  out  the  town  of  Lockport,  on  the  Illinois 
River.  He  was  engaged  on  some  public  im- 
provement near  Chicago,  and  that  city  hon- 
ored him  by  naming  an  avenue  in  his  honor, 
which  still  bears  the  name  of  "  Archer  Ave- 
nue."  He  promptly  responded  to  the  call  for 
troops   in    the  Black  Hawk  War,  was  made 


228 


HISTORY  OF  CLAKK  COUNTY. 


captain,  and  served  with  distinction.  He  was 
again  circuit  clerk,  in  1S4S.  In  politics  he 
was  a  Whig,  and  a  partizan,  yet  respectful 
for  the  opinion  of  others.  He  made  the  mem- 
orable congressional  race  against  Judge  J.  C. 
Allen,  which  resulted  in  a  tie.  He  was 
defeated  in   the  next  election. 

It  is  said  of  him  that  he  was  the  first  man  to 
bring  the  name  of  the  lamented  Lincoln,  of 
whom  he  was  a  devoted  friend,  into  public 
notice.  He  was  a  delegate  to  a  convention, 
at  Philadelphia,  we  believe,  and  during  the 
deliberations.  Colonel  Archer  proposed  the 
name  of  Lincoln  for  Vice  President,  when  a 
pert  member  sarcastically  asked:  "Who  is 
Lincoln?  Can  he  fight?"  The  Colonel  an- 
swered: "  Yes,  by  Guinea,  he  can,  and  so 
can  I." 

In  private  life  he  was  genial  and  kind,  and 
around  his  private  character  cluster  many 
noble  virtues.  He  was  married  to  Eliza  Har- 
lan, and  the  result  of  that  union  was  a 
daughter,  who  became  the  wife  of  the  late 
Woodford  Duianey,  of  Kentucky.  His  reli- 
gious convictions  we  never  knew,  but  suffice 
it  to  say,  he  was  an  honest  man.  He  was  an 
honored  member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity  for 
sixty  years.  But  the  absorbing  and  control- 
ling idea  of  his  life  was  for  the  improvement 
and  development  of  the  county,  both  town 
and  country.  For  this  he  labored — for  this  he 
toiled,  and  for  this  he  gave  the  best  years  of 
his  manhood. 

He  became  interested  in  the  construction 
of  the  old  Wabash  Valley  Railroad,  (the  pres- 
ent Wabash)  and  entered  into  the  work  with 
all  the  zeal  and  energy  of  his  indomitable 
nature.  He  gave  his  time  and  his  money, 
and  just  as  it  seemed  that  success  would 
crown  his  efforts,  the  project  was  abandoned. 
He  was  never  destined  to  see  its  completion. 
He  did  more  for  Clark  County  than  any  man 
in  his  day  or  since.  But  no  recognition,  pe- 
cuniary or  otherwise,  was  ever  given  him  for 


his  long  and  valuable  services.  Possessed  at 
one  time  of  ample  means,  yet  so  absorbed 
was  he  in  his  schemes  of  public  improvement, 
that  he  was  careless  as  to  his  private  affairs, 
became  involved  and  lost  nearly  everything. 

Time  bent  his  form,  silvered  his  locks  and 
enfeebled  his  steps,  but  it  could  not  conquer 
his  spirit.  Butat  last  the  end  came.  Bowed 
down  by  the  weight  of  eighty  years,  and  in- 
firmities incurred  by  a  long  life  of  incessant 
toil  for  the  general  good,  on  the  9th  day  of 
August,  1870,  he  calmly  passed  to  his  final 
reward,  leaving  as  his  only  legacy,  an  untar- 
nished name,  and  the  enduring  monuments  of 
his  labor  and  enterprise  in  the  county. 

For  a  considerable  period  after  the  forma- 
tion of  the  county,  and  for  years  before, 
there  was  but  little  or  no  good  money  in 
circulation.  The  people  were  involved  in 
debt,  the  lands  purchased  from  the  United 
States  were  unpaid  for  and  likely  to  be  for- 
feited. Such  bank-notes  as  were  in  circula- 
tion had  driven  out  the  specie;  and  as  these 
notes  became  worthless,  one  after  another, 
the  people  were  left  almost  destitute  of  any 
circulating  medium  whatever.  The  county 
commerce  was  insignificant;  we  exported  lit- 
tle or  nothing,  except  the  scanty  surplus  of 
produce  occasionally  shipped  to  New  Or- 
leans. Hence  there  was  nothing  to  attract 
an  influx  of  coin  into  the  countrj'.  The 
great  tide  of  expected  immigration  from 
abroad  failed  to  come,  and  real  estate  of  ev- 
ery description  was  unsalable.  This  state 
of  affairs  prevailed  all  over  the  State;  and 
to  remedy  the  evil,  the  Legislature  of  1831 
created  a  State  bank.  All  br^inches  of  indus- 
try and  business  flourished  for  a  time,  but  the 
bank  was  founded  on  false  theories  of  solv- 
ency and  utterly  failed  of  its  contemplated 
objects — -in  fact  almost  bankrupted  the  peo- 
ple. A  considerable  period  following  the 
decline  of  the  State  Bank  was  called  the 
"  harvest  of  the    Shylocks."      The  legal   rate 


HISTOr.Y  OF  CLARK  COUNTY. 


229 


of  interest  was  six  per  cent;  but  there  were 
no  interest  limits  to  special  contracts,  nor  no 
penalties  for  usury.  Consequently,  those 
having  money  took  advantage  of  the  neces- 
sities of  the  people  and  extorted  exorbitant 
interest  rates,  often  as  high  as  one  hundred 
and  fifty  per  cent  being  charged. 

Game  was  abundant  in  the  early  settle- 
ment of  the  count}'.  Deer,  turkeys,  hares, 
squirrels,  foxes,  otters,  muskrats,  raccoons, 
opossums,  etc.,  existed  in  large  numbers. 
A  lew  bears  were  killed,  but  they  were  never 
numerous.  Panthers,  catamounts,  wolves  and 
wildcats  abounded,  to  the  great  annoyance 
of  the  settlers.  Smaller  vermin,  such  as 
weasels,  minks,  skurdcs  and  polecats  were 
very  plentiful;  and  these,  with  the  owls  and 
hawks,  rendered  the  raising  of  domestic  fowls 
very  difficult.  Porcupines  were  also  quite  nu- 
merous. In  an  early  day  droves  of  wild  horses 
roamed  over  portions  of  the;  country  west  of  us 
(then  in  Clark  County),  but  there  is  no  ac- 
count of  any  ever  having  been  within  our 
present  limits.  The  streams  were  alive  with 
fisii,  especially  the  Wabash.  The  catfish, 
muskalonge,  bass,  perch,  sturgeon,  spoon- 
bills, shad,  eels,  etc.,  were  very  plenty.  In 
the  early  spring  the  river,  creeks,  ponds  and 
ba)-ous  were  covered  with  geese,  ducks, 
brant  and  other  water-fowl,  and  on  the  prai- 
ries were  large  numbers  of  prairie-chickens, 
grouse  and  partridges. 

In  early  times,  when  the  amount  of  cul- 
tivated land  was  very  small  and  live  stock 
had  unbounded  range,  owners  were  more 
particular  than  in  later  times  about  their 
marks  and  brands.  Horses  were  always 
branded;  other  stock  was  marked.  These 
were  their  only  means  of  identification,  as 
cattle  and  hogs  were  often  turned  out  in  the 
early  spring  and  were  likely  to  be  seen  no 
more  till  cold  weather.  Sheep  were  gener- 
ally kept  through  the  day  in  inclosures,  and 
at  night  in  stout  high  corrals,  to  prevent  their 


destruction  by  the  wolves.  Some  of  the 
early  marks  were  curiosities  in  their  way. 
Charles  Neely's  mark  was  recorded  May  26, 
1S19,  the  first  in  the  county,  and  was  "A 
smooth  crop  ofiF  of  the  left  ear  and  a  slit  in 
the  same."  The  mark  of  Hugh  Miller  was 
"An  under-bit  or  half  penny  out  of  the  un- 
der side  of  each  ear."  That  of  Joseph  Shaw, 
"A  smooth  crop  off  the  right  ear  and  an 
underslope  from  heel  to  point  of  the  left 
ear,  bringing  the  ear  to  a  point,  similar  to 
foxing."  Cushing  Snow's  was,  "  A  smooth  crop 
oif  the  left  ear  and  a  poplar  leaf  in  the  right; 
that  is,  a  crop  ofi'  the  point,  and  upper  and 
under  bit  in  the  same,  which  forms  a  poplar 
leaf."  The  penalty,  on  conviction,  for  alter- 
ing or  defacing  any  mark  or  brand  with  intent 
to  steal,  or  prevent  identification  by  the 
owner,  was  a  public  whipping,  not  exceeding 
one  hundred  lashes  on  the  bare  back,  impris- 
onment not  exceeding  two  yeais,  and  fine  in 
a  sum  not  less  than  one  half  the  value  of  the 
animal  on  which  the  mark  was  altered  or 
defaced.  The  severity  of  the  punishment 
indicates  the  jealous  importance  our  ances- 
tors attached  to  their  marks  and  brands,  and 
their  lofty  regard  for  the  rights  of  property. 
The  condition  of  society,  and  the  moral  de- 
portment of  the  early  settlers  were  very  good 
for  a  new  country,  where  the  laws  were  lax, 
and  feebly  enforced,  where  schools  were  few 
and  inferior,  and  where  religious  instruction 
and  church  organization  were  rare,  and  not 
publicly  carried  on  as  in  later  years.  Candor, 
honesty,  and  a  readiness  to  help  a  friend  or 
neighbor  in  distress,  were  the  chief  character- 
istics of  the  early  pioneers.  They  were  in- 
dustrious as  a  class,  generous  in  their  hospi- 
tality, warm  and  constant  in  their  friendships, 
and  brave  in  the  defense  of  their  honor.  As 
is  the  case  in  all  newly-settled  countries,  there 
was  among  them  a  rough  and  boisterous  ele- 
ment, a  low  grade  and  type  of  civilization. 
An  element  ignorant,  vicious  and  uncouth;  its 


230 


TIISTORY  OF  CLARK  COUNTY. 


members  loud  in  their  deiuinciations  of  any 
innovations  tending  to  better  their  condition, 
or  that  looked  toward  the  erection  of 
Christian  institutions. 

The  lives  of  the  early  pioneers  must  indeed 
have  been  monotonous.  The  settlements  vrere 
scattering,  and  the  population  sparse.  There 
■was  no  general  system  of  schools,  or  of  reli- 
gious teachings,  and  as  a  consequence,  for 
years  the  Sabbath  was  simply  observed  as  a 
day  of  rest  by  the  young  and  old.  When 
anv  future  event,  that  promised  to  relieve  the 
tedium  of  their  existence  became  bruited 
throughout  a  settlement,  its  coming  was  im- 
patiently awaited.  A  house  or  barn  raising,  or 
log  rolling,  a  quilting  frolic,  or  husking  bee — 
each  and  all  of  these  were  looked  forward  to 
with  liveliest  anticipation.  But  nothing 
stirred  society  to  its  remotest  depths  like  the 
announcement  of  a  wedding.  A  marriage  was 
a  momentous  event,  and  was  looked  forward 
to  with  e:iger  expectation  by  young  and  old 
Mrs.  Judge  Stockwell  relates  that  she  was- 
present  at  the  marriage  of  Stephen  Archer  to 
Nancy  Shaw,  and  that  the  wedding  and 
"infare"  carnival  lasted  three  days  and 
nights  in  one  continuous  round  of  merry-mak- 
ing, and  was  only  terminated  by  exhaustion 
and  loss  of  sleep  on  the  part  of  the  guests. 

There  was  a  rapid  influx  of  population  after 
the  year  1825.  The  census  of  1S30,  at  which 
time  the  county  had  been  greatly  reduced  in 
territorial  extent,  being  somewhat  over  twice 
its  present  size,  showed  a  population  of  3,921 
■white,  and  19  colored.  The  increase  in  num- 
ber of  white  people  being  over  four  hundred 
per  cent,  over  the  census  of  1820.  The  ma- 
jor part  of  this  immigration  ■  was  from  the 
Southern  and  Middle  States.  Nearly  all  the 
necessaries  and  the  few  luxuries  of  frontier 
life,  which  had  hitherto  been  wagoned  over 
the  mountains  to  Pittsburg,  thence  floated 
down  the  Ohio  to  the  mouth  of  the  Wabash, 
and  pulled  and  poled  up  that  stream  on  keel 


boats,  were  now  transported  by  steam-boats, 
quite  a  number  of  which  plied  the 
waters  of  the  latter  stream.  About  all  the 
surplus  products  of  the  county,  such  as  corn, 
bacon,  and  the  like,  together  with  lumber, 
staves  and  hoop-poles,  were  generally  shipped 
to  New  Orleans,  an  undertaking  that  involved 
a  long,  perilous  and  tedious  voyage,  often  re- 
quiring two  and  three  months  for  going  and 
returning.  The  journey  home  was  gerieially 
performed  on  foot,  through  three  or  four  In- 
dian tribes  inhabiting  the  western  parts  of 
Mississippi,  Tennessee  and  Kentucky.  There 
are  citizens  now  living  in  the  county,  who 
have  each  made  five  different  pedestrian  trips 
from  New  Orleans  to  Darwin;  carrying  with 
them,  over  all  the  long  and  weary  miles,  the 
proceeds  of  their  cargoes,  which  wore  invari- 
ably in  silver  coin.  This  system  of  co  iimerce 
was  carried  on  regularly,  and  quite  exten- 
sively for  many  years,  and  was  the  principal 
channel  of  shipment  for  surplus,  but  the 
railroad  system  of  the  present  day  has 
changed  all  this. 

The  taxes  during  the  first  decade  or  two 
"were  neither  heavy  nor  burdensome.  The  total 
amount  of  taxes  for  each  of  the  ten  years, 
ranged  from  two  to  five  hundred  dollars.  Yet 
these  insignificant  sums  were  to  defray  all 
the  contingent  expenses  of  the  county,  which 
was  then  larger  than  many  of  the  principali- 
ties in  Europe.  Lands  were  taxed  by  the 
State,  and  were  divided  into  three  classes  : 
first,  second  and  third,  'and  were  valued  at 
four,  three  and  two  dollars  per  acre,  and  were 
taxed  respectively,  two,  one  and  a  half,  and 
one  cents  per  acre.  In  1821  the  first  tax  was 
levied,  and  the  property  included  was  horses 
and  cattle,  clocks  and  watches,  town  lots  and 
pleasure  carriaares.  The  last  item  was  evi- 
dently a  mild  bit  of  pleasantry  on  the  part  of 
the  early  authorities,  as  such  things  existed 
only  in  the  imagination,  in  Clark  County.  In 
1823,  slaves,  registered  and  indentured  ne- 


HISTORY  OF  CLARK  COUNTY. 


231 


groes  aod  mulattoes,  and  rlistilleries,  were 
made  taxable  by  the  county  commissioners. 
A  stout,  lusty  ne<;ro  servant  or  skve  was  as- 
sessed at  about  the  same  as  five  good  horses. 
Ill  18;i7,  hogs,  sheep,  and  ferries  over  the 
Wabash,  were  made  taxable. 

The  county  commissioners  had  broader  and 
more  extensive  povrers  than  our  present  law- 
makers. They  not  only  had  authority  to 
license  certain  occupations,  but  also  to  fix 
and  establish  a  scale  of  prices  for  conducting 
the  same.  They  issued  license  to  the  keeper 
of  a  tavern  or  house  of  entertainment,  speci- 
fied the  amount  he  should  pay  for  the  same, 
and  tiien  arbitrarily  fixed  the  rates  he  should 
charge  his  guests;  and  if  the  wayfarer  was 
bibulously  inclined,  and  desired  a  stimulant, 
the  law  stepped  in,  and  not  only  scheduled 
the  kind  and  quantity  of  his  potation,  but 
fixed  the  maximum  price  for  it.  To  illustrate, 
a  specimen  is  herewith  given:  At  the  JIarch 
term,  1820,  of  the  commissioners'  court,  ap- 
pears the  following:  "Court  grant  license 
to  Silas  Hoskins  to  keep  a  tavern  in  Aurora, 
at  tiie  rate  of  two  dollars  per  year,  to  be  paid 
into  the  county  treasury,  and  fix  his  rates  as 
follows:  for  one  night's  lodging,  per  man,  12^ 
cents;  one  meal's  victuals,  per  man,  25  cents; 
one  feed  for  horse,  per  gallon  of  corn,  12^ 
cents;  one  horse  to  hay  and  oats,  per  night, 
37^  cents.  For  one  pint  of  rum,  wine  or 
brandy,  75  cents;  for  one  half  pint  of  same, 
374^  cents;  for  one  pint  of  whisky,  25  cents; 
for  one  half  pint  of  same,  12J  cents;  for  one 
gill  of  same,  li^  cents;  ale,  beer  or  cider,  per 
quart,  25  cents. 

About  this  time  the  Galena  lead  mines  were 
at  the  height  of  successful  operation,  and  our 
people  would  run  up  the  Mississippi  in  the 
spring,  labor  in  the  mines  during  warm 
weather,  and  then  return  to  their  homes  in 
the  fall,  thus  establishing,  as  was  supposed, 
a  similarity  between  their  migratory  habits 
and  those  of  the  piscatorial  tribe  called  suck- 


ers. For  this  reason  the  name  "Suckers" 
was  applied  to  the  Illinoisans,  at  the  Galena 
lead  mines  by  the  Missouriaiis,  and  which  has 
stuck  to  them  ever  since,  and  no  doubt  al- 
ways will.  Missouri  sent  hordes  of  uncouth 
ruffians  to  these  mines,  from  which  our  people 
inferred  that  the  State  had  taken  a  puke,  and 
had  vomited  forth  all  her  worst  population. 
As  analogiis  always  abound,  the  Illinoisans, 
by  way  of  retaliation,  called  the  Missourians 
"Pukes,"  a  name  they  will  be  known  by  for 
all  time. 

The  Indians  were  quite  numerous  in  the 
county  at  the  time  of  its  early  settlement. 
There  were  camps  on  Mill  Creek;  one  about 
a  mile  and  a  half  southeast  of  what  is  now 
Marshall,  on  what  is  now  known  as  the  Wat- 
son quarrj-;  one  a  short  distance  north  of  the 
present  town  of  Livingston,  and  one  south  of 
the  same,  near  the  Ahvood  hill.  But  the 
largest  camp  was  on  Dial's  Creek,  in  the  Rich- 
woods;  a  large  majority  of  these  Indians  were 
Kickapoos,  and  the  remainder  chiefly  Potta- 
watomies.  They  were  generally  quiet,  peace- 
able and  friendly,  spent  their  time  in  hunting 
and  trapping,  and  bartered  the  proceeds  of 
the  chase  with  the  whites,  for  corn,  powder 
and  lead,  salt,  etc.  They  about  all  disap- 
peared during  the  Black  Hawk  War.  Though 
during  the  war,  and  while  a  large  portion  of 
our  male  population  was  absent  in  the  army, 
there  was  a  large  number  on  Mill  Creek  that 
threatened  hostilities,  to  the  great  apprehen- 
sion of  the  remaining  settlers.  They  held 
pow-wows,  danced  their  war  dances,  and  at 
night  their  fierce  and  savage  yells  could  be 
heard  a  great  distance,  to  the  terror  of  de- 
fenceless women  and  children. 

There  then  lived  in  the  northeastern  por- 
tion of  the  county,  a  man  beyond  middle  ao-e, 
named  John  House,  who  was  a  second  Lewis 
Whetzel.  \\'hen  a  boy  the  savages  had 
massacred  nearly  alljiis  father's  family,  and 
he   had  sworn  eternal    vengeance,   and    im- 


232 


HISTORY  OF  CLARK  COUNTY. 


proved  every  opportunity  to  gratify  it.  He 
was  well  known  to  the  Indians  as  "  Big  Tooth 
John,"  on  account  of  his  eye  teeth  projecting 
over  his  under  lip,  like  tushes.  It  is  re- 
lated that  on  one  occasion,  while  hunting,  an 
Indian  stepped  from  an  amliush,  and  ex- 
plained how  easily  he  could  have  killed  him. 
House  pretended  to  be  quite  grateful,  but 
watching  his  opportunity,  shot  the  Indian 
dead.  He  enlisted  in  the  Black  Hawk  War, 
and  was  in  the  memorable  engagement  on  the 
banks  of  the  Mississippi,  of  August  2,  1S33, 
in  which  tiie  Indians  were  routed  and  which 
terminated  the  war.  During  the  battle,  a  Sac 
mother  took  her  infant  child,  and  fastening  it 
tea  large  piece  of  cottonwood  bark,  consigned 
it  to  the  treacherous  waves  rather  than  to 
captivity.  The  current  carried  the  child  near 
the  bank,  when  House  coolly  loaded  his  rifle, 
and  taking  deliberate  aim,  shot  the  babe  dead. 
Being  reproached  for  his  hardened  cruelty, 
he  grimly  replied,  "Kill  the  nits,  and  you'll 
have  no  lice." 

Among  the  diversionsof  tlie  (^irly  times,  were 
shooting  matches  for  beef,  turkeys,  whisky 
and  sometimes  for  wagers  of  money.  When 
a  beef  was  shot  for,  it  was  divided  into  five 
quarters,  the  liide  and  tallow  being  the  fifth, 
and  considered  the  best  of  all.  Among  the 
most  noted  marksmen  of  the  day,  were  Judge 
Stephen  Archer  and  Stump  Rhoads.  Indeed, 
so  expert  were  they,  that  both  were  generally 
excluded  from  the  matches,  and  the  fifth 
quarter  given  them,  as  a  sort  of  a  royalty,  the 
possession  of  which  was  usually  decided  by  a 
contest  between  themselves.  The  Judge  had 
been  several  times  victorious  over  his  rival, 
who  finally  procured  a  new  rifle,  and  badly 
defeated  his  opponent  on  a  most  momentous 
occasion.  Smarting  under  his  discomfiture, 
the  Judge  had  a  heavy,  target  rifle  made,  with 
especial  reference  to  accurate  shooting.  This 
artillery  he  dubbed  "  Sweet  Milk  and 
Peaches,"    and   patiently    bided    his  time  to 


vanquish  his  adversary.  An  opportune  occa- 
sion soon  arrived.  It  was  in  the  summer;  the 
usual  donation  had  been  made  to  these  cham- 
pions, and  Rhoads'  best  shot  h;ul  just  grazed 
the  center.  The  Judge's  breeches  were  of 
the  usual  tow  linen,  and  worn  without 
drawers.  As  he  was  lying  down,  taking  long 
and  deliberate  aim,  his  rival,  by  some  means, 
slipped  some  bees  up  the  leg  of  his  pantaloons. 
These  hostiles,  after  a  short  voyage  of  dis- 
covery, began  to  ply  their  harpoons.  But  so 
completely  absorbed  was  the  Judge  in  this 
struggle  for  victory,  that  he  stiffened  his  limb, 
elevated  it  straight  in  the  air,  and  crying: — 
"  Stump  .Rhoads,  you  can't  throw  Sweet  Milk 
off  that  center  with  no  dod-hlasted  bee," 
pulled  the  trigger,  clove  the  center,  and  was 
declared  the  winner. 

Though  society  was  rude  and  rough,  that 
curse  of  humanity,  intemperance,  was  no  more 
prevalent,  in  proportion  to  population,  than 
now,  perhaps  not  as  much.  Scarcely  was  the 
nucleus  of  a  settlement  formed,  ere  the  steam 
of  the  still  tainted  the  air.  The  settlers  en- 
dured privations  and  hunger,  and  their 
children  cried  lor  bread  for  want  of  mills; 
they  groped  in  ignorance  for  want  of  schools 
and  churches,  but  the  still  was  ever  in  their 
midst,  where  the  fanner  exchanged  his  bag  of 
corn  for  the  beverage  of  the  border.  In 
every  family  the  jug  of  bitters  was  an  insep- 
arable adjunct,  and  was  regularly  partaken 
of  by  every  member  of  the  household,  espe- 
cially during  the  chill  season.  The  visit  of  a 
neisrhbor  was  signaii.^e>l  by  producing  the 
bottle  or  demijohn.  At  all  rustic  gatherings, 
liquor  was  considered  an  indispensable  arti- 
cle, and  was  freely  us^d.  Everybody  drank 
whisky,  ministers  and  all.  True,  there  were 
some  sections,  in  which  the  people  resisted  all 
ailvancement  and  progress.  In  these,  liquor 
was  used  to  great  excess,  and  then,  as  now, 
was  an  active  piomoter  of  broils,  disturbances 
and  fights.     In  these  affrays,  to   their  credit 


HISTORY  OF  CLARK  COUNTY. 


2:;3 


be  it  said,  fists  and  feet  were  alone  u&ed,  and 
were  called  "rough  and  tumble."  The 
knife,  the  pistol  and  the  bludgeon,  were  then 
unknown,  and  are  the  products  of  a  much 
later  and  more  advanced  civilization.  These 
sections  were  known  as  the  "  hard  neighbor- 
hoods," and  were  always  shunned  by  re- 
spectable immigrants  seeking  homes.  There 
is  a  story  that  an  itinerant  teetotaler  once 
strayed  into  one  of  these  haunts  of  immorality, 
and  threw  a  fire-brand  into  the  camp  by  de- 
livering a  terrific  discourse  against  the  use  of 
intoxicants.  The  speaker  was  interrupted  by 
the  representative  man,  who  introduced  him- 
self, and  described  the  society  of  his  locality, 
as  follows:  "  I'm  from  Salt  Creek,  and  the 
folks  than  are  all  bad  and  wooley;  and  the 
higher  up  you  go,  the  wuss  they  air,  and  I'm 
from  the  headwaters.  I'm  a  wolf,  and  it's  my 
time  to  howl.  Now,  Mr.  Preecher,  what 
■would  we  do  with  our  corn  crop,  if  there  wuz 
no  still-houses?"  "  Raise  more  hogs  and  less 
hell  around  here,"  was  the  ready,  but  vigor- 
ous reply.  The  speaker  was  interrupted  no 
more. 

The  old  time  ministers  were  characters  in 
their  waj'.  A  distinct  race  so  to  speak,  and 
were  possessed  of  an  individuality,  peculiarly 
their  own.  As  a  class,  they  were  uneducated, 
rough  and  resolute,  and  encountered  and 
overcame  obstacles  that  would  appall  the 
efl'eminate  parsons  of  later  days.  They  were 
suited  exactly  to  the  civilization  in  which 
they  lived,  and  seem  to  have  been  chosen 
vessels,  to  fulfil  a  certain  mission.  These 
iiumble  pioneers  of  frontier  Christianity,  pro- 
claimed the  "  tidings  of  great  joy  "  to  the 
early  settlers,  at  a  time  when  the 
country  was  so  poor  that  no  other  kind  of 
ministers  could  have  been  maintained.  They 
spread  the  gospel  of  Christ  when  educated 
ministers  with  salaries  could  not  have  been 
supported.  They  preached  the  doctrine  of 
free   salvation,    without   money   and    without 


price,  toiling  hard  in  the  interim  of  their 
labors,  to  provide  themselves  with  a  scanty 
subsistence.  They  traversed  the  wilderness 
through  sunshine  and  storm;  slept  in  the  open 
air,  swam  swollen  streams,  suffered  cold, 
hunger  and  fatigue,  with  a  noble  heroism,  and 
all  for  the  sake  of  their  Savior,  and  to  save 
precious  souls  from  perdition.  JIany  of  these 
divines  sprang  from,  and  were  of  the  people, 
and  without  ministerial  training,  except  in 
religious  exercises,  and  the  study  of  the 
Scriptures.  In  those  times  it  was  not 
thought  necessary  that  a  minister  should  be 
a  scholar.  It  was  sufficient  for  him  to  preach 
from  a  knowledge  of  the  Bible  alone;  to 
make  appeals  warm  from  the  heart;  to  paint 
the  joys  of  heaven  and  the  miseries  of  hell  to 
the  imagination  of  the  sinner;  to  terrify  him 
with  the  one,  and  exhort  him,  by  a  life  of 
righteousness  to  attain  the  other.  Many  of 
these  added  to  their  scriptural  knowledge,  a 
diligent  perusal  of  Young's  Night  Thoughts, 
Milton's  Paradise  Lost,  Jenkins  on  Atone- 
ment, and  other  kindred  works  which  gave 
more  compass  to  their  thoughts,  and  brighter 
imagery  to  their  fancy.  And  in  profuse  and 
flowery  language,  and  with  glowing  enthusi- 
asm and  streaming  eyes,  they  told  the  story 
of  the  Cross. 

Sometimes  their  sermons  turned  upon  mat- 
ters of  controversy — unlearned  arguments  on 
the  subjects  of  free  grace,  baptism,  free  will, 
election,  faith,  justification,  and  the  final  per- 
severance of  the  saints.  But  that  in  which 
they  excelled  was  the  earnestness  of  their 
words  and  manner,  the  vividness  of  the  pict- 
ures they  drew  of  the  ineffable  bliss  of  the 
redeemed,  and  the  awful  and  eternal  torments 
of  the  unrepentant. 

"  They  preachetUhe  joys  of  heaven  and  pains  of  hell, 
And  wjrned  the  .-inner  with  becoming  zeal. 
But  on  eternal  mercy  loved  to  dwell." 
Above    all,     they    inculcated    the    great 
principles    of  justice    and    sound    morality, 


234 


HISTORY  OF  CLARK  COUNTY. 


and  were  largely  instrumental  in  pro- 
moting the  growth  of  intellectual  ideas, 
in  bettering  the  condition,  and  in  elevating 
the  morals  of  the  people ;  and  to  them 
are  we  indebted  for  the  first  establish- 
ment of  Christian  institutions  throughout  the 
county.  These  old-time  evangelists  passed 
away  with  the  civilization  of  the  days  in 
which  they  lived  and  labored.  They  fougiit 
the  good  tight,  well  and  faithfully  performed 
the  mission,  and  bore  the  burdens  their  divine 
Master  assigned  them,  and  may  their  sacred 
ashes  repose  in  jjeace,  in  the  quietude  of  their 
lonely  graves,  until  awakened  by  the  final 
trump. 

The  white  population  of  our  county  has 
steadily  and  rapidly  increased,  as  will  be  seen 
by  the  following  exhibit  by  decennial  periods: 
In  18"^0  the  white  population  was  930;  in 
1830,  3,921;  in  1840,  7,420;  in  1850,  9,494;  in 
I860,'  14,948;  in  1870,  1S,6'.:I8;  in  1880,  21,843. 
The  increase  in  colored  population  has  been 
small,  both  by  emigration  and  otherwise,  in- 
creasing from  one  slave  in  1820  to  fifty-one 
free  colored  in  1880.  After  1830  the  moral 
and  intellectual  condition  of  our  people  grad- 
ually improved,  each  passing  year  recording 
a  marked  change  for  the  better.  But  what  it 
lacked  in  refinement  it  made  up  in  sincerity 
and  hospitality.  The  establishment  of  com- 
merce, the  forming  of  channels  of  intercourse 
between  distant  sections  by  building  exten- 
sive highways,  the  regular  exportation  of  all 
our  surplus  products,  were  among  the  first 
means  of  changing  the  exterior  aspect  of  our 
population  and  giving  a  new  current  to  pub- 
lic feeling  and  individual  pursuit.  Tlie  free 
diffusion  of  knowledge  through  schools  and 
the  ministry  of  the  gospel  also  largely  con- 
tributed to  the  liappv  change,  and  to  all  these 
influences  are  we  indebted  for  the  civilization 
of  the  present.  But  still,  when  we  ponder 
on  those  olden  days,  rude  and  rough  as  they 
were,  wj  almost  wish  for  their  return.     Those 


good,. old  days,  when  the  girls  rode  behind 
their  sweethearts  to  church  or  pjrty,  and 
when  the  horses  always  kicked  up,  and  the 
maidens  held  tightlj'  oii;  when  wife  and  hus- 
band visited  on  the  same  nag,  the  former  in 
front  of  her  liege,  with  sleeping  babe  snugly 
cuddled  in  her  lap.  Those  good  old  days, 
when  the  hypocrisy,  shams,  and  selfishness  of 
modern  societv  were  unknown.  Wiien  the 
respectabilitv  of  men  and  women  was  not 
measured  by  their  bank  accounts  and  bonds, 
nor  by  displays  of  finery,  but  by  the  simple 
standard  of  worth  and  merit;  by  their  useful- 
ness in  the  community,  by  their  readiness  to 
aid  the  suffering,  to  relieve  the  distressed. 
When  there  were  no  social  castes  or  dis- 
tinctions, and  when  honesty  and  uprightness 
were  the  livery  of  aristocracy.  When  the 
turpitude  of  vice  and  the  majesty  of  moral 
virtue  were  regarded  with  stronger  sentiments 
of  aversion  and  respect  than  they  to-day  in^ 
spire. 

It  is  a  well-established  fact  that  the  settle- 
ment and  cultivation  of  a  country  have  a 
noticeable  effect  upon  the  general  tempera- 
ture of  the  climate.  But  the  change  has  been 
so  gradual  that  it  is  a  matter  of  difficulty  for 
our  few  surviving  pioneers  to  distinctly  rec- 
ollect and  describe.  At  the  first  settlement 
of  the  country  the  summers  were  much  cooler 
than  now.  Warm  evenings  and  nights  were 
not  common,  and  the  mornings,  frequently, 
uncomfortably  cold.  The  coolness  of  the 
niirhts  was  owing,  in  a  great  degree,  to  the 
deep,  dense  shade  of  the  forest  trees  and  the 
luxuriant  crops  of  wild  grass,  weeds,  and 
other  vegetation,  which  so  shaded  the  earth's 
surface  as  to  prevent  it  from  becoming  heated 
by  the  rays  of  the  sun.  Frost  and  snow  set 
in  much  earlier  than  now.  Snowfalls  fre- 
qu  ntly  occurn'd  during  the  latter  half  of 
October,  and  winter  often  sot  in  with  severity 
during  November,  and  sometimes  in  the  early 
part  of  it.     The  springs    were  formerly  later 


IIISTOKY  OF  CLARK  COUNTY. 


235 


and  colder  than  tliey  now  are,  but  the  chaiifje 
ill  lliis  respect  is  not  favorable  to  vegetation, 
as  the  latest  springs  are  generally  I'ollowed 
by  the  most  fruitful  seasons.  It  is  a  law  of 
the  veg  table  world  that  the  longer  the  gernii- 
natnig  principle  is  delayed  the  more  rapid 
when  put  in  motion.  Hence  those  far  north- 
ern countries  like  Sweden,  Norway,  and 
Russia,  which  have  but  a  short  summer  and 
no  spring,  are  among  the  most  productive  in 
the  world.  While,  in  this  latitude  especially, 
vegetation,  prematurely  started  by  reason  of 
open  winters  and  delusive  springs,  is  often 
checked  by  "  cold  snaps"  and  untimely  frosts, 
and  frequently  fails  to  attain  its  ultimate  per- 
fi'ction.  From  this  imperfect  account  of  the 
weather  system  of  early  times,  it  appears  tliat 


the  seasons  have  undergone  considerable 
change.  As  a  rule,  our  springs  are  earlier, 
summers  warmer,  the  falls  milder  and  longer, 
and  the  winters  shorter  and  accompanied 
with  less  cold  and  snow  than  formerly.  These 
changes  can  be  partly,  if  not  wholly,  attrib- 
uted to  the  destruction  of  the  forests.  Every 
acre  of  cultivated  land  must  increase  the  heat 
of  our  summers,  by  exposing  an  augmented 
extent  of  ground  surface  denuded  of  its  tim- 
ber, to  be  acted  upon  and  heated  by  the  rays 
of  the  sun.  But,  by  reason  of  there  being 
no  mountainous  barriers  either  north  or  south 
of  us,  the  conflict  for  equilibrium  between 
the  dense  and  rarified  atmospheres  of  these 
two  extremes  will  most  likely  continue  our 
changeable  and  fickle  climate  forever. 


OHAPTEE    III. 


ORGANIZATION  OF   THE  COUNTY— THE   LEGISLATIVE    ACT    CREATING    IT-LOCATION   OF 
THE  SEAT  OF  JUSTICE— THE   COURTS— AURORA    AND    DARWIN— REMOVAL    TO 
MAHSHALL-BITTER  CONTESTS-THE  QUESTION  FINALLY  SETTLED- 
DIVISION   OF  THE  COUNTY  INTO  PRECINCTS— ENGLISH 
TITHINGS— TOWNSHIP  ORGANIZATION— BEN- 
EFIT  OF  THE  SYSTEM,  ETC.,  ETC. 


CRAWFORD  Countj',  from  the  territory 
of  which  Clark  was  taken,  was  created 
under  the  old  territorial  laws.  It  embraced  a 
vast  extent  of  country,  including  all  of  East- 
ern Illinois  to  the  Canada  line,  and  as  far 
west  as  Fayette  County.  In  order  to  form  a 
new  county,  the  law  required  the  proposed 
district  to  have  at  least  350  iidiabitants.  The 
northern  portion  of  Crawford  having  the  req- 
uisite population  a  petition  was  filed  in 
the  Legislature  for  a  separate  county.  That 
body,  at  the  session  of  1819,  passed  the  fol- 
lowing act:  An  Act  Forming  a  new  County 
out  of  the  County  of  Crawford. 

Seo.  1.  Be  it  enacted  by  the  people  of  the 
State  of  Illinois  represented  in  the  General 
Assembly,  That  all  that  part  of  Crawford 
County  lying  north  of  a  line  beginning  on 
the  great  Wabash  River,  dividing  townships 
eight  and  nine  north,  running  due  west  shall 
form  a  new  and  separate  county  to  be  called 
"Clark." 

Sec.  2.  And  be  it  further  enacted,  That  for 
the  purpose  of  fixing  the  permanent  seat  of 
justice  for  said  county  the  following  persons 
are  hereby  appointed  commissioners,  viz.: 
Smith  Shaw,  Thomas  Gill  and  James  Watts, 
which  commissioners  or  a  majority  of  them 
shall  meet  at  the  house  of  Charles  Neely  be- 
tween the  first  and  second  Mondays  of  May 
next,  and  after  having  been  duly  sworn  before 


some  justice  of  the  peace  within  this  State, 
faithfully  to  take  into  consideration  the  situa- 
tion of  the  settlements,  the  geography  of  the 
country  and  the  conveniency  and  eligibility 
of  the  place,  shall  then  proceed  to  establish 
the  permanent  seat  of  justice  for  the  said 
county  of  Clark,  and  designate  the  same, 
provided  however  the  proprietor  or  proprietors 
owning  such  land  on  which  the  seat  of  justice 
may  be  fixed,  shall  give  to  the  county  of 
Clark  twenty  acres  of  land  for  the  purpose  of 
erecting  public  buildings,  to  be  laid  out  into 
lots,  and  sold  for  the  use  of  said  county,  but 
should  the  proprietor  or  proprietors  neglect 
or  refuse  to  make  the  donation  as  aforesaid, 
then  and  in  that  case,  the  commissioners  shall 
fix  upon  some  other  place  for  the  seat  of  jus- 
tice for  said  county  as  convenient  as  maybe 
to  the  different  settlements  in  said  county, 
which  place  when  determined  on  by  said  com- 
missioners they  shall  certify  under  their  hamis 
and  seals  to  the  clerk  of  the  commissioners 
court,  and  it  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  said 
clerk  to  spread  the  same  on  the  records  of 
said  county,  and  the  said  commissioners  shall 
receive  two  dollars  per  each  day  they  may  he 
necessarily  employed  in  fixing  upon  the  afore- 
said seat  of  justice,  to  be  paid  out  of  the 
county  levy. 

Sec.  3.  And   be  it  further    enacted.    That 
until   the  county  commissioners  shall  other- 


HISTORY  OF  CLARK  COUNTY. 


237 


wise  direct,  the  court  and  elections  for  said 
county  shall  be  held  at  the  house  of  Charles 
Neely  in  said  county. 

Sec.  4.  And  be  it  further  enacted,  That  the 
citizens  of  Clark  County  shall  be  entitled  to 
vote  for  Senator  and  Representatives  with 
Crawford  County  in  the  same  manner  as  they 
would  have  done  had  this  act  not  passed. 

Sec.  5.  And  be  it  further  enacted,  Tliat  the 
said  county  of  Clark  be  and  form  a  part  of  the 
second  judicial  district  and  that  the  courts 
tiierein  be  holden  at  such  times  as  shall  be  di- 
rected in  the  act  regulating  and  defining  the 
duties  of  the  justices  of  the  Supreme  Court. 

Sec.  G.  And  be  it  further  enacted,  That  the 
county  commissioners  shall  proceed  tolaj'  out 
■  tiie  land  that  may  be  given  to  said  county 
into  lots  and  sell  the  same  or  as  much  as  they 
mav  think  proper  and  necessary  for  the  erec- 
tion of  public  buildings,  within  three  months 
from  the  time  the  seat  of  justice  shall  be 
established. 

Sec.  7.  And  be  it  further  enacted.  That  in 
order  to  remove  all  difficulty  concerning  the 
future  division  of  Clark  County,  it  is  hereby 
enacted  that  all  that  tract  of  country  lying 
north  of  an  east  and  west  line  dividing 
townships  numbered  twelve  and  thirteen 
nortli,  shall  l)e  the  line  between  the  county 
of  Clark  and  a  county  whicii  may  be  laid  off 
north  of  the  same,  provided,  however.  That 
ail  that  part  of  Clark  County  lying  north  of 
the  bne  last  mentioned  shall  remain  attached 
to  and  be  considered  a  part  of  Clark  County 
until  a  new  county  shall  be  laid  off  north  of 
the  line  as  above  stated.  This  act  shall  bo  in 
force  from  and  after  its  passage. 

JOHX  MESSiyOER, 

Speaker  of  the  House  of  Representatives. 

PjeerT!  Menaed, 
Speaker  of  the  Senate. 

Approved  by  the  Council  of  Revision, 
March  22, 1819.  Suadkacu  Kond. 


Clark,  at  her  organization,  as  we  have  said, 
embraced  a  large  amount  of  territory.  Fay- 
ette was  formed  in  1821,  partly  from  Clark 
and  Crawford.  In  the  year  1823  Edgar 
County  was  taken  from  Clark,  locating  partly 
the  present  north  line  of  our  county.  In  1830 
Coles  County  was  formed  from  Clark  and 
Edgar.  By  the  forming  of  Coles,  Clark  was 
reduced  to  the  area  contemplated  in  the  orig- 
inal act.  But  at  the  session  of  the  Legisla- 
ture in  1823,  AVilliam  Lowry,  the  represent- 
ative from  Clark  and  Crawford,  procured  the 
passage  of  a  bill,  at  the  solicitation  of  the 
people  of  the  newly  formed  County  of  Ed- 
gar, cutting  off  three  miles  from  the  north 
line  of  Clark  and  adding  the  same  to  Edgar, 
for  the  reason  that  Paris  was  very  apprehen- 
sive of  losing  the  county  seat;  but  by  hav- 
ing this  slice  attached,  it  would  so  centralize 
her  position  as  to  enable  her  to  retain  the 
seat  of  justice. 

The  county  was  named  after  Gen.  George 
Rogers  Clark,  a  gallant  and  meritorious  of- 
ficer of  the  Revolution,  born  in  Albemarle 
Count}',  Virginia,  in  1752,  and  die<l  in  Ken- 
tucky in  1806.  His  campaign  through  the 
Illinois  did  as  much  to  establish  the  freedom 
of  the  colonies  as    any  act  of  the  whole   war. 

Clark  was  the  fifteenth  formed  county  in  the 
State.  The  fourteen  older  counties  are  men- 
tioned in  the  first  part  of  this  volume. 

At  an  election  held  in  the  county  on  Mon- 
day, April  2G,  1819,  Joseph  Shaw,  John  Chen- 
oweth  and  Samuel  Ashmore  were  elected 
county  commissioners.  On  the  7th  day  of 
June,  following,  the  first  commissioners' 
court  was  held  at  the  house  of  Charles  Nee- 
ley,  on  Walnut  Prairie,  at  which  William  B. 
Archer  was  appointed  clerk  of  the  court, 
and  William  Lorkard,  treasurer  of  the  county. 

Smith  Shaw,  Thomas  Gill  and  James  Watts, 
the  commissioners  appointed  under  the  act 
I'orming  the  county  to  locate  the  seat  of  jus- 
tice, made  their  report  to  the    cuuit:    Tuat 


238 


HISTORY  OF  CLARK  COUNTY. 


having  proceeded  to  examine  the  different 
situ  itions  in  said  county  of  Chuk,  and  have 
agreed  on  the  following  peace  on  a  parcel  of 
ground  whereon  the  said  seat  of  justice  or 
court  house  shall  be  erected,  situated  on  west 
fraction  No.  15,  Town  ION.,  of  Range  11  W., 
in  the  district  of  lands  offered  for  sale  at 
Vincennes,  given  by  Chester  Fitch,  John 
Chenoweth  and  John  McClure,  containing 
two  hundred  and  two  acres  and  an  half  of 
land,  it  being  the  donation  granted  agreeable 
to  law  by  Chester  Fitch,  to  be  laid  off  by  the 
direction  of  the  said  county  commissioners 
into  town  lots;  and  it  is  to  be  expressly  un- 
derstood that  the  said  Fitch  is  to  be  at  one 
half  of  the  expence  in  maping  and  survey- 
ins;^  said  town;  and  the  said  Fitch  is  to  have 
every  other  lot  in  the  whole  town  equal 
in  quality  and  quantity  reserved  for  the  ben- 
efit of  said  Fitch  and  his  heirs  forever. 
Given  under  our  hands  and  seals  this  6th  day 
of  May,  one  thousand  eight  hundred  and 
nineteen. 

Witnesses.       Signed     SMITH  SHAW    [l.  s.] 
Charms  Neely.  THOS.  GILL         [l.  s.] 

John  Essret.  JAMES  WATTS    [l.  s.] 

Very  few  people,  except  surveyors,  under- 
stand the  true  meaning  and  application  of 
the  term,  "  town  and  range,"  as  mentioned 
in  the  foregoing  report,  and  a  brief  expla- 
nation miijht  not  be  uninteresting:.  In  all 
Government  surveys,  "principal  meridians" 
are  first  established,  that  is,  lines  running 
due  north  from  some  designated  point. 
These  lines  are  intersected  by  "  base  lines," 
that  is,  lines  running  west  from  some 
given  point.  The  term  "  range,"  means  town- 
ships numbered  either  east  or  west  of  a  prin- 
cipal meridian  line.  The  term  "town,"  sig- 
nifies townships  numbered  north  or  south  of 
a  base  line.  All  lands  in  our  county  are 
reckoned  from  the  second  principal  meridian, 
a  line  running  due  north  from  the  mouth  of 
Little  Blue  River,  Indiana.     The  correspond- 


ing base  line  commences  at  Diamond  Island, 
in  the  Ohio,  opposite  Indiana,  and  runs  due 
west,  striking  tlie  Mississippi  a  few  miles 
below  St.  Louis.  Our  county  lies  north  of 
the  base  line,  and  west  of  the  praicipil  me- 
ridian. Hence  "town  ten  north,  range 
eleven  west,"  means  the  tenth  township  north 
of  the  base  line  and  the  eleventh  township 
west  of  the  principal  meridian  line;  and  as  a 
congressional  township  is  six  miles  square, 
the  location  of  the  county  seat  was  sixty 
miles  north  of  the  base  line,  and  sixty-six 
miles  west  of  the  principal  meridian  line. 
The  reason  it  was  called  west  fraction  sec- 
tion 15,  the  Wabash  River  divides  the  sec- 
tion, leaving  part  in  Illinois,  the  remainder  in 
Indiana. 

When  the  commissioners'  court  declared 
that  the  seat  of  justice  should  be  known  and 
recognized  as  Aurora,  they  named  a  capital, 
the  realm  of  which  was  larger  than  the  State 
of  Connecticut.  Under  the  auspices  and  guid- 
ance of  Joseph  Shaw,  John  Chenoweth  and 
Samuel  Ashmore,  as  county  commissioners, 
and  William  B.  Archer,  as  clerk,  and  Will- 
iam Lockard,  as  treasurer,  was  the  infant 
county  launched  on  her  career  as  an  independ- 
ent unit  of  this  great  State.  Could  they  but 
briefly  return  from  that  "  bourne  "  and  behold 
from  the  few  and  humble  seeds  they  sowed, 
the  mighty  and  wonderful  growth  of  wealth, 
improvement,  prosperity  and  power,  well 
might  they  exclaim,  in  the  language  of  the 
prophet  of  old:  "  Mine  eyes  have  seen  Thy 
glory,  now  let  Thy  servant  depart  in  peace." 

When  Clark  County  was  organized  she  had 
less  than  nine  hundred  inhabitants.  Now, 
she  has  twenty-five  thousand.  When  they 
named  the  seat  of  justice  Aurora,  there  was 
not  a  town  or  village,  not  even  a  trading  post. 
Now  she  holds  within  her  limits  sixteen  towns 
and  villages.  Then  there  was  but  one  road, 
the  wilderness  being  threaded  by  the  trail  of 
the  hunter  or  the  Indian;  now  her  bosom  is 


HISTORY  OF  CLARK  COUNTY. 


239 


checkered  with  hiL^hwavs,  reaching;  every 
point  within  her  confines.  Her  first  year's 
taxes  were  less  than  one  hundred  and  twenty 
dollars;  now  they  are  over  one  hundred  thou- 
sand. 

About  the  year  1821,  occurred  a  threatened 
government  foreclosure  on  unpaid-1'or  lands, 
that  came  very  near  leading  to  disastrous  re- 
sults, and  forms  an  interesting  episode  in  the 
early  history,  as  well  as  the  entire  West,  but  our 
limited  space  will  not  allow  of  details  in  this 
■work.  All  readers  of  the  early  history  of 
Illinois  are  familiar  with  the  subject. 

We  find  on  July  IG  and  17,  1821,  "Joseph 
Shaw  and  John  Chenoweth,  two  of  the  com- 
missioners, met  at  Aurora  to  take  the  out- 
lines of  the  town,  and  fix  the  main  street  and 
public  square."  No  court  house  was  ever 
erected,  the  courts  being  held  in  a  small  log 
building,  very  low,  and  not  to  exceed  twelve 
by  fourteen  feet,  which  was  afterward 
used  by  Judge  Stoi  kwoll,  as  a  corn-crib,  and 
afterward  as  a  stable.  In  this  small  and 
humble  building,  jurists  of  eminence  presided, 
and  lawyers  of  distinction  practiced,  of  which 
mention  will  be  made  hereafter. 

The  first  sale  of  town  lots  took  place  Au- 
gust 5,  1819,  and  Septer  Patrick  purchased 
the  first  town  lot  ever  sold  in  the  county,  for 
twenty  dollars.  Thirty-seven  lots  were  sold, 
ranging  in  price  from  seventeen  to  three  hun- 
dred dollars.  The  town  improved  as  much  as 
could  have  been  expected,  considering  the 
meager  number  of  inhabitants,that  the  country 
•was  a  wilderness,  that  there  was  no  money, 
no  currency  scarcely,  the  circulating  medium 
being  hides  and  peltry  and  the  limited  prod- 
uce of  the  county,  save  when  an  occasional 
emigrantcame  in,with  a  little  of  surplus  money 
left,  after  locating  his  land.  But  these  visita- 
tions were  few  and  far  between  at  that  daj'. 
There  was  no  market  for  anything,  and  if 
there  had  been  the  people  had  nothing  to  sell. 


so   their    surroundings    were    not    altogether 
cheery. 

The  county  built  a  jail,  a  strong  and  sub- 
stantial structure.  It  was  about  twelve  by_ 
eighteen  feet,  and  two  stories  high.  It  was 
built  of  round  logs,  the  cracks  chinked  and 
daubed.  The  upper  story  was  for  the  im- 
prisonment of  insolvent  debtors,  when  the  in- 
famous code  of  imprisonment  for  debts  dis- 
graced our  statute  books.  It  had  two  barred 
windows,  one  on  each  side,  where  the  un- 
fortunate prisoner  could  sit  and  look  out 
upon  the  sunlight  and  feel  happy  because  he 
was  in  prison.  A  pair  of  rough  stairs  as- 
cended to  a  stout,  wooden  door,  opening  into 
the  debtors'  room;  there  was  no  opening  into 
tlie  lower  room,  where  all  offenders  other 
than  debtors,  were  confined,  from  the  outside, 
except  a  barred  window.  It  was  reached  by 
a  trap  door  from  the  debtors'  room,  through 
which  the  prisoners  were  taken  in  and  out. 
The  inside  of  the  lower  room,  or  cell,  if  such  it 
may  be  called,  was  lined  by  oak  slabs,  securely 
pinned  on  with  wooden  pins;  the  ceiling  was 
covered  in  like  manner.  The  jail  was  built 
liy  Acquilla  Pulteney,  for  seven  hundred  and 
thirteen  dollars.  He  was  paid  notes  on  the 
purchasers  of  town  lots  in  Aurora.  The  com- 
missioners could  afford  to  be  a  little  liberal. 

The  estray  law  at  that  day  made  it  incum- 
bent on  any  taker  up  of  an  estray,  to  bring  it  to 
the  county  seat  at  the  first  circuit  court  after 
such  taking  up,  and  put  it  into  the  estray  pen, 
which  was  a  secure  and  substantial  structure 
to  say  the  least.  It  was  constructed  for  the 
county  by  Col.  Archer,  and  any  one  who 
knew  anything  of  him,  knows  he  never  built 
anything  but  what  was  substantial.  It  was 
thirty  feet  square,  six  feet  high,  posts  eight 
inches  square,  sunk  three  feet  in  the  ground, 
and  of  white  walnut  wood.  If  an  estray  was 
not  claimed  and  proven  in  open  court,  it  was 
put  up  at  auction,  and   if  no  one  bid  above 


240 


HISTORY  OF  CLARK  COUNTY. 


the  lawful  charges  on  the  same,  it  became  the 
property  of  the  taker  up. 

The  county  also  erected  one  of  those  ter- 
^rors  to  evil  doers  and  petty  offenders,  a  "  whip- 
ping post."  It  was  said  to  have  been  a  round 
tree,  stripped  of  the  bark,  and  about  twelve 
inches  in  diameter,  and  sunk  about  two  feet 
in  the  ground.  The  offender  was  tied  face  to 
the  post,  his  arms  encircling  it,  his  feet  fast- 
ened on  either  side,  his  back  bared,  and  the 
stripes  well  laid  on.  It  was  never  used  but 
on  one  occasion;  a  man  named  Whitley  be- 
ing tied  up  and  whipped  for  stealing  hogs. 

Aurora  was  thought  to  be  a  most  eligible 
situation  for  a  town  and  county  seat.  It 
possessed  the  finest  landing  on  the  Wabash, 
which  in  that  day  was  navigable  all  the  year, 
and  for  crafts  of  considerable  size. 

The  town  was  situated  about  two  miles 
north  of  Darwin,  and  its  site  is  marked  only 
by  the  farm  house  of  Oliver  C.  Lawell.  Not 
a  stone  is  left  to  mutely  tell  its  history  or 
existence.  It  but  obeyed  the  eternal  man- 
date that  all  things  earthly  must  pass  away. 

The  people  of  the  county,  believing  that 
the  present  site  of  Darwin  was  a  more  pleas- 
ant location  for  a  town,  and  a  more  central 
point  than  Aurora,  that  it  would  materially  ad- 
vance the  interests  of  the  county,  and  be  more 
convenient  to  the  then  sparsely  settled  coun- 
try, petitioned  for  a  re-location  of  the  seat  of 
justice.  By  an  act  of  the  Legislature,  approved 
January  21,  1833,  the  county  seat  was  ordered 
to  be  removed  to  Darwin,  then  known  as 
McClure's  Bluff.  John  McClure,  who  had 
long  kept  a  ferry  there,  was  the  proprietor  of 
the  land,  and  made  a  donation  on  which  to 
build  the  seat  of  justice.  The  site  was  a 
level  plateau,  above  high  water  mark,  and 
sightly  and  Ijeautiful.  Being  above  the 
stagnant  ponds,  and  the  miasma  arising  from 
them,  it  is,  to-day,  the  healthiest  point  on  the 
Wabash. 

William  Lockard  laid  off  the  town,  and  it 


consisted  of  sixty-four  lots;  numbers  twenty- 
one  and  twenty-eight  were  reserved,  by  the 
commissioners,  on  which  to  erect  a  court 
house  and  jail.  The  sale  of  town  lots  occurred 
on  the  first  Monday  in  August,  ]S33.  The 
purchasers  of  lots  were  to  pay  si.x  per  cent 
of  the  purchase  money  on  day  of  sale,  one- 
third  of  the  remainder  in  nine  months,  the 
other  two-thirds  in  equal  annual  installments. 

John  Chenoweth  was  the  crier  of  the  sale. 
Our  early  settlers  were  evidently  not  teetotal- 
ers and  never  dreamed  of  the  mighty  wave  of 
prohibition,  that,  in  after  years,  would  roll 
across  the  land  from  sea  to  sea,  and  reach  the 
uttermost  points  of  this  great  country.  For 
the  commissioners  enter  the  following 
record:  "  Ordered  by  the  court  that  John 
Richardson  procure  ten  gallons  ol  whisky  to 
be  drunk  on  day  of  sale."  Let  us  of  the 
present  day  imagine  a  board  of  supervisors 
laying  out  a  town  into  lots  for  sale,  and  then 
ordering  the  sheriff  to  procure  ten  gallons  of 
whisky,  to  be  drank  upon  the  occasion,  to 
be  paid  for  out  of  the  people's  money.  Such 
a  storm  of  indignation  would  be  raised  about 
their  ears  that  they  would  be  glad  to  find 
peace  and   oblivion   in   their  political  graves. 

There  were  thirty-four  lots  sold  in  Darwin 
at  the  first  sale,  John  Richardson  being  the 
first  purchaser  of  a  lot,  paying  for  it  the  sum  of 
eighty  dollars.  Lot  thirty-two  was  sold  to  John 
Stafford  for  one  hundred  and  eleven  dollars. 
Lot  sixty- four  was  sold  to  John  Chenoweth 
for  one  hundred  and  three  dollars.  The  low- 
est jirice  paid  for  any  lot  was  thirty  dollars; 
and  these  for  bare,  naked  lots,  in  a  town 
without  a  building  erected.  It  shows  con- 
clusively, that  the  purchasers,  and  they  were 
men  of  sound  judgment,  had  great  confidence 
in  the  future  of  Darwin. 

After  the  removal  of  the  county  seat  to 
Darwin,  part  of  Aurora  was  inclosed  by  a 
fence.  Those  having  purchased  lots  in  Aurora 
were    allowed    credit  on    lots     purchased     in 


HISTORY  OF  CLARK  COUNTY. 


241 


Diirwiii  for  the  amount  for  their  Aurora  lots, 
after  deducting  twenty-five  per  cent  for  the 
first  cost  of  lots,  at  ten  dollars  and  fifty  cents 
for  each  lot  i^ing  within  the  inclosurc,  or 
partly  within,  and  fifty  cents  for  each  lot  lying. 
without  the  inclosure.     Why  this  distinction 

was  made  can  only  be  conjectured.  

/  Darwin  soon  rose  in  importance,  justifying 
the  foresight  of  those  wiio  had  invested. 
Lots  were  in  demand  at  increased  values. 
Buildings  sprang  up,  the  population  increased 
rapidly,  the  various  industries  flourished,  and 
from  a  single  cabin,  that  marked  the  site  of 
McClure's  Bluff,  there  arose  a  thriving,  pros- 
perous village. 

By  her  thrift  and  enterprise  she  laid  under 
tribute  the  country  as  far  west  as  Effingham, 
and  as  far  north  as  Charleston  and  Danville. 
Farmers  wagoned  their  wheat  and  corn,  and 
drove  their  stock  long  distances,  and  ex- 
changed them  for  iron,  salt,  and  other  indis- 
pensable articles  of  frontier  life.  For  five 
years  Darwin  town  lots  were  worth  more  than 
those  of  Chicago.  She  soon  became  a  formid- 
able rival  of  Terre  Haute,  and  caused  that 
town  great  uneasiness  about  her  commercial 
safety.  Her  future  then  gave  brilliant  prom- 
ise of  her  becoming  the  metropolis  of  the 
■-Wabash  valley. 

On  the  4th  of  August,  IS^.j,  the  commis- 
sioners instructed  the  clerk  to  advertise  and 
give  notice  that  the  removing  of  the  jail  and 
estray  pen  from  Aurora  to  Darwin,  would  be 
let  to  the  lowest  bidder  on  the  3d  day  of 
the  following  September  term  of  the  court. 
It  was  afterward  let  to  John  Welsh  who  per- 
formed the  work  according  to  contract.  This 
jail  was  used  until  about  1830,  when  it  was 
destroyed  by  fire. 

The  commissioners  on  the  2d  of  March, 
1824,  ordered  that  projiosals  be  received  on 
the  second  day  of  the  next  circuit  court,  "  for 
erecting  a  house  to  hold  courts  in,"  of  the 
fi  Uowing  description:  "  Twenty-five  feet  long 


in  the  clear,  of  hewn  oak  logs,  with  a  lap 
shir)gle  roof,  two  windows  in  front,  and  one  in 
the  rear;  a  story  and  a  half  high,  a  partition 
up-stairs;  a  small  window  at  each  end  of  said 
house;  plank  iloor  and  rougli  plank  stairs;  the 
windows-  up  stairs  to  contain  six  and  those 
below  twelve  lights  each;  chink  and  plaster 
the  cracks,  and  finish  the  same  in  a  workman- 
like manner.  The  pay  to  be  made  in  the 
notes  of  individuals  who  purchased  lots  in 
Darwin,  in  town  lots  in  Darwin,  or  partly  in 
each."  The  contract  was  let  to  Lucius  Kibby 
for  the  sum  of  six  hundred  dollars.  He 
agreed  to  take  lots  number  forty-nine,  fifty, 
sixt^'-three  and  sixty-four,  at  two  hundred 
and  eighty  dollars,  the  remainder,  three  hun- 
dred and  twenty  dollars  to  be  paid,  one  half 
on  the  first  of  April  next  (1825),  and  the  re- 
mainder when  the  house  is  finished — which 
be  engages  to  complete  in  one  year  from  date. 
He  did  not  finish  the  work  within  the  time 
specified,  nor  was  it  finish-  d  until  March, 
1827,  nearly  two  years  and  a  half  being  spent 
in  its  erection.  The  county  commissioners 
were  the  first  to  occupy  it,  and  held  a  special 
term  of  their  court,  on  the  28th  of  April,  hav- 
ing met  to  examine  the  court  house.  William 
Martin  and  Enoch  Davis,  two  workmen 
mutually  chosen  by  the  commissioners  and 
Lucius  Kibby,  to  ascertain  the  same,  having 
examined  the  house,  reported  that  it  had  not 
been  done  according  to  contract,  and  sixty 
dollars  was  deducted  from  the  amount  origi- 
nally agreed  upon  for  erecting  building. 
The  commissioners,  however,  gave  Kibby  an 
extra  allowance  of  nine  dollars  for  putting  in 
a  fire-place,  and  an  additional  window  up- 
stairs. 

In  September,  1832,  the  court  house  was 
weather  boarded,  and  otherwise  repaired,  and 
rendered  a  very  comfortable  building  for  the 
period.  A  Presbyterian  minister  named 
Enoch  Bouton,  lived  up-stairs  and  held  serv- 
ices below.     The  hall  of  justice  answered  a 


243 


HISTORY   OF  CLARK  COUNTY. 


variety  of  purposes,  and  was  kept  in  constant 
service.  The  court  house  was  situated  on  lot 
twenty-eight,  and  is  still  standing,  and  used 
as  a  stable  by  Doctor  Pierce. 

On  Wednesday,  December  5,  A.  D.  1833, 
at  a  meeting  of  the  county  coraniissioners, 
it  was  ordered  that  a  new  jail  be  built.  On 
the  5th  of  January,  1833,  the  coniraissioners 
met  and  offered  to  the  lowest  bidder,  Mechom 
Main,  junior,  the  contract  for  building  the 
new  jail,  for  which  ho  was  to  receive  the  sum 
of  four  hundred  and  ninety-five  dollars. 

The  glory  and  prosperity  of  Darwin  were 
destined  to  pass  away.  Terre  Haute,  alarmed 
for  her  commercial  safety,  used  every  exertion 
to  wrest  from  Darwin  the  trade  she  had  earned. 
The  National  Road,  that  great  thoroughfare 
from  Wheeling,  Va.,  to  St.  Louis,  was  in 
course  of  construction  and  passed  through 
Terre  Haute,  who  wished  to  secure  the  trade  of 
the  country  west,  while  Darwin  relied  chiefly 
upon  the  river  for  prosperity.  Terre  Haute 
was  independent  without  it. 

The  opening  of  the  National  Road  through 
the  county  in  1834  greatly  increased  the  fa- 
cilities for  travel  and  transportation,  and  the 
agricultural  interests  of  the  county,  along  its 
line,  were  very  largely  stimulated.  The  de- 
velopment of  villages  along  and  in  the  sev- 
eral townships  contiguous  to  the  then  great 
thoroughfare,  was  very  rajsid. 

The  people  soon  began  to  feel  that  the  seat 
of  justice  at  Darwin,  where  they  were  com- 
pelled to  go  for  the  transaction  of  all  public 
business,  was  too  remote  and  isolated,  and 
was  not  at  all  situated  with  reference  to  the 
wants  and  convenience  of  the  then  present 
and  future  population.  The  northern  section 
also  began  to  receive  an  influx  of  immigrants, 
and  they,  feeling  and  appreciating  the  incon- 
venience, joined  in  the  clamor  lor  the  relo- 
c.ition  of  the  county  seat.  The  proposition 
was  vigorously  and  loudly  opposed  by  the 
southern   portion  of  the    county.      Meetings 


were  held  for  and  against  the  propos.tion, 
and  the  excitement  ran  high.  The  merits  of 
geographical  and  population  centers  were 
loudly  and  vigorously  discussed. 

In  the  fall  of  1835  a  petition  for  county 
seat  removal,  and  remonstrance  against,  were 
industriously  circulated  through  the  county, 
the  two  receiving  the  signatures  of  nearly 
all  the  county  voters,  the  removal  petition 
having  a  decided  majority.  These  memori- 
als were  presented  to  the  Legislature  at  its 
session  of  1835-6,  which  body,  in  pursuance 
of  the  majority  petition,  passed  an  act  sub- 
mitting the  question  to  a  vote  of  the  people. 

The  commissioners  were  all  eminent.  Gen. 
Thornton  being  one  of  the  most  distinguished 
men  in  the  State.  However,  they  failed  to 
locate  the  seat  of  justice,  being  unable  to 
agree  upon  any  given  site,  and  so  reported  to 
the  county  commissioners. 

In  1836  another  petition  and  remonstrance 
were  circulated,  though  not  attended  with 
the  same  excitement  and  acrimony  that  c  lar- 
acterized  the  former  year.  These  were  pre- 
sented to  the  Legislature,  which  body,  in 
order  to  forever  settle  the  vexed  question, 
passed  another  act,  which  became  a  law  in 
March,  1837,  submitting  the  question  to  the 
people.  The  election  came  off  unattended 
with  the  usual  fierceness  and  excitement,  for 
it  was  evident  that  a  majority  of  the  people 
favored  removal,  though  the  opposition  to  the 
proposition  made  a  vigorous  and  gallant 
campaign.     The  result  was  as  follows: 

Precincts.                     For  rfmoval.  Against. 

East   Union o'J 55 

West    Union 4 'i 

Dubois,  Cont.  Darwin...       6 138 

Washington 164 , 31 

Cumberland   91 2 

Richland 64 0 

378  3;i8 

Majority  for,  150. 
But  after  the  county  seat  removal  question 


m 


C^^W-  "  if  ^^.ii;:^^^^,^^^^.-^ 


HISTORY  OF  CLARK  COUNTY. 


245 


was  settled,  the  more  exciting  and  more  mo- 
mentous one  arose,  to  wiiich  point  should  it 
be  removed — Auburn  or  Marshall — they  be- 
ing  the  only  eligible  sites.  Then  occurred, 
from  May  to  August,  lSo~,  a  brief,  but  one 
of  the  most  bitter  and  exciting  election  con- 
tests ever  in  the  county;  one  that  was  char- 
acterized by  scathing  jiorsoiial  detraction 
and  abuse.  There  were  no  newspapers  in 
the  county  in  that  day,  and  hence  the  matter 
could  not  be  argued  through  those  great  dis- 
seminators of  information.  There  were  no 
politics  in  the  question,  and  it  became  one 
merely  of  geographical  location  between 
the  contestants,  and  one  of  personal  and  pri- 
vate interest.  Meetings  were  held  all  over 
the  county,  which  were  largely  attended  by 
the  people,  to  hear  the  merits  of  the  two 
places  discussed  by  haranguing  orators.  The 
only  way  of  electioneering  was  to  praise  one 
place  and  denounce  the  other.  Much  that 
was  bitter  and  acrimonious  was  said  for  and 
against  the  contesting  points.  Wordy  doc- 
uments were  widely  circulated,  influencing 
the  public  mind.  Vituperation  and  ridicule 
were  indulged  in  freely,  and  so  fierce  anil 
caustic  was  the  fight,  that  the  activity  and 
bitterness  of  a  present  day  political  cam- 
paign would  be  moderation  and  mildness, 
compared  with  it.  It  was  the  all-absorbing 
topic — overshadowed  and  swallowed  up  every- 
thing else.  The  gathering  of  the  people  from 
different  sections  at  the  mills,  on  grinding 
days,  in  the  small  towns,  at  the  blacksmith 
shops,  and  even  at  church  meetings,  was  the 
signal  for  fierce  discussions  and  clash  of  opin- 
ions. And  in  several  instances  where  the 
respective  merits  of  the  two  places  could  not 
be  settled  by  argument  and  controversy,  the 
matter  was  arbitrated  by  rough  and  tumble 
;  fights.  It  is  related  that  before  the  com- 
mencement of  hostilities  in  some  of  the  en- 
I  gagements,  it  was  stipulated  that  the  de- 
\  feated   should  vote    at   the    dictation    of   the 


victor;  and  one  brawny  Hercules  is  said  to 
have  converted  to  Auburn  three  contuma- 
cious men  whose  predilections  were  for  Mar- 
shall, his  missionary  efforts  being  attended 
with  only  the  loss  of  a  few  teeth  and  a  por- 
tion of  his  scalp.  It  was  a  vigorous  but  con- 
vincing way  of  electioneering. 

The  day  at  last  arrived,  the  contest  closed, 
and  the  votes  gave  tlie  following  result: 

Precincts.  Marshall.  Auburn. 

East  Union 63 7'Z 

Cumberland 4 123 

West  Un  ion    5 42 

Richland I't 57 

Dubois ....l-tl 27 

Washington 221 41 

Total       453  362 

3G2 

Marshall's  majority  Ul 

Had  it  not  been  for  the  decided  majorities 
in  Washington  and  Dubois  Precincts,  the 
two  then  embracing  nearly  one-half  of  the 
county  and  its  voting  population,  the  whole 
current  of  our  county  history  might  have  been 
changed. 

Marshall  had  been  selected  by  the  people 
as  their  county  capital,  with  every  indication 
of  its  ever  so  remaining.  The  town  was  laid 
out,  October  3,  1835,  by  the  proprietors.  Col. 
W.  B.  Archer,  and  Joseph  Duncan,  after- 
ward Governor  and  United  States  Senator, 
on  the  south  half  of  section  thirteen,  and 
the  northwest  quarter  of  section  twenty- 
four,  township  eleven  north,  range  twelve 
west,  the  dividing  line  of  the  sections  pass- 
ino-  through  the  courthouse,  and  was  named 
in  honor  of  John  Marshall,  the  most  eminent 
chief  justice  that  ever  adorned  the  Supreme 
Court  of  the  country.  The  proprietors  made 
liberal  and  munificent  donations  of  land  and 
lots  in  perpetuity  to  the  county,  for  court 
house,  jail  and  other  purposes. 

The  county  seat  was  removed  to  Marshall  in 


24(J 


HISTORY  OF  CLARK  LOUXTY. 


June,  1838.  The  present  court  house  was  not 
completed  until  the  following  year.  The  first 
jail,  a  log  one,  stood  on  the  lot  on  which  Mrs. 
Hannah  Patten  resides.  The  first  court  was 
held  in  a  i'rame  building,  its  site  marked  by 
the  residence  of  Mrs.  Sarah  A.  Lawrence. 
Succeeding  courts,  until  the  completion  of 
court  house,  were  held  in  a  building  on  south 
side  of  square,  near  the  old  Sutton  homestead. 

The  county  seat  question  like  Banquo's 
ghost,  "  would  not  down."  The  corpse  laid 
in  its  grave  but  a  year  or  two,  until  the 
skeleton  was  dragged  forth,  clothed  with  spe- 
cious argument  and  held  up  to  the  view  of 
pul)lic  opinion.  The  agitation  of  the  question 
then  began.  At  first  it  had  but  few  followers 
or  advocates;  but  these  were  earnest  and 
tireless  and  kept  the  question  continually  be- 
fore the  people.  And  as  the  western  portion 
of  the  county  became  more  populous,  the 
matter  assumed  definite  shape.  Again  was 
the  old  question  of  geographical  centers  dis- 
cussed, and  for  some  time  the  contest  was 
warmer  and  far  more  bitter  if  possible,  than 
in  the  removal  from  Darwin. 

Thus  matters  stood  until  the  summer  of 
1848,  when  petitions  were  widely  circulated 
and  largely  signed,  memirializing  the  Leo-is- 
lature,  for  a  re-location  of  the  county  seat. 
That  body  enacted  a  law  at  its  next  session, 
again  submitting  the  question  to  the  vote  of  the 
])eople.  The  campaign  was  short,  sharp  and 
bitter,  and  on  the  third  Monday  in  May,  1849, 
the  contesting  parties  rallied  their  forces,  and 
the  battle  was  fought  with  the  following  re- 
sult: 

Precincts.  For  Marshall.  Against 

Darwin 161 20 

Clear  Creek 99 00 

Mill  Creek 34 13 

York TO 46 

Auburn 39 83 

Cumberland GO 43 

Martinsville 14 136 

Richland 47 137 


Johnson g 65 

Melrose H g() 

Livingston , 104 28 

JIarsliall 19-1. 2 


Total       771 
640 


640 


]\rarshall's  majority  131 

Thus   ended    a   memorable    campaign,  the 
last  of  the  kind,  and  one,  it  is  to  be    hoped 
which  forever  settled  the  county  seat  location. 
In  England,  about  A.  D.  871,  King  Alfred, 
to  prevent  the    rapines  and  disorders  which 
prevailed  in  the  realm,  instituted  a  system  of 
territorial  division,  which  was  the  nearest  ap- 
proach to  our  Americin  county  and  precinct 
system    of  which  history    gives  anv  account, 
and  it  is  not  impossible  but  that  it  contained 
the   first  gern^s  of  the' same.     This    was  the 
division  of  the   kingdom   into  "  tithings,"  an 
Anglo-Saxon  term  equivalent  to  "  ten  things," 
or  groups  of  ten.     Each  tithing  was  the  area 
inhabited    by    ten    contiguous    families,    who 
were  "frank  pledges,"  that  is,  free  pledges  or 
surety  to  the  King  for  each  others'  good  be- 
havior, and  were  bound  to  have  any  offender 
within  their  district  arrested  and  forthcoming. 
One  of  the  principal  inhabitants  of  the  tithing 
was  annually  appointed    to    preside   over  it, 
entitled    tithingman,    or    bead  borougli,  sup- 
posed to  be  the  most  discreet  man  within  it. 
And  it  is  within  the  confines  of  possibility  to 
suppose,  that  from  "tithingman"  through  the 
modifications  and  gradations  of  the  centuries, 
and  our  descent  from   the  parent  stock,  was 
evolved  our  otBce  of  county  commissioner  or 
township  supervisor.     As  ten  families  consti- 
tuted a  tithing,  so  ten  tithings  constituted  a 
hundred,  governed    by    a    high    constable  or 
bailiff;  and  an  indefinite    number  of  families. 
The  shire,  or  county  system,  as  created  by 
Alfred  the  Great,  changed  and  modified  dui- 
ing  the  lapse  of  centuries,  with  its  parish  sub- 
divisions, corresponding  somewhat  to  the  old 


HISTORY  OF  CLAP.K  COUNTY. 


247 


precinct  system,  were  imported  from  Entjland 
by  tlu'  first  settlers  of  Viigiiiia,  and  firmly 
enrjrafted  upon  the  early  statutes,  wliere  it 
still  clings  with  un^'ielding  tenacity,  and  with 
some  modifications,  is  in  full  force  at  the  pres- 
ent day.  When  Illinois  was  organized  as  a 
Virginia  county,  the  same  system  was  par- 
tially introduced  for  its  government,  which 
made  a  strong  and  lasting  impress  upon  the 
early  laws.  It  existed  in  Illinois  intact  while 
she  was  a  Virginia  county;  through  her  sev- 
eral grades  of  territorial  government;  and  as 
a  State,  until  1848,  when  the  first  departure 
was  made.  And  in  twenty-four  counties  the 
system,  substantial!}',  is  still  in  force. 

From  the  organization  of  the  county,  in 
1819,  until  the  year  1S49,  the  management  of 
county  affairs  was  entrusted  to  a  county  com- 
missioners' court,  composed  of  three  members, 
elected  by  the  voters  of  the  county.  This 
court  was  first  created  under  the  legislative 
act  of  March  23,  1819,  though  the  law  was 
amended  and  changed  at  nearly  every  session 
of  the  Legislature,  until  the  adoption  of  the 
Constitution  of  1848.  The  court  held  four 
sessions  each  year,  on  the  first  Mondays  of 
March,  June,  September  and  December,  cor- 
responding almost  exactly  with  the  meetings 
of  our  present  board  of  superv  isors.  It  coul 
sit  six  days,  unless  the  county  business  was 
sooner  transacted.  The  court  had  exclusive 
jurisdiction  in  all  matters  pertaining  to  the 
fiscal  affairs  of  the  county,  regulating  and 
imposing  the  county  tax.  It  appointed  its 
own  clerk,  and  could  remove  him  at  any  time, 
for  sufficient  cause,  and  also  had  the  appoint- 
ment of  county  treasurer,  grand  and  petit 
jurors,  together  with   numerous  other  duties. 

By  the  State  Constitution  of  1848,  the  form 
of  the  county  commissioners'  court  was 
changed.  The  law  provided  for  the  creation 
of  a  county  court,  with  original  jurisdiction  in 
all  probate  matters,  etc.,  and  the  election  of  a 
county  judge,  to   hold    his  office   four   years. 


The  law  further  provided  for  the  election  of 
two  justices  of  the  peace,  in  the  county  at 
large,  in  addition  to  the  number  the  county 
was  entitled  by  law,  whose  jurisdiction  was 
co-extensive  with  the  county,  and  who  should 
sit  with  the  county  judge,  as  a  county  court 
for  the  transaction  of  all  county  business,  and 
in  which  court  the  law  vested  all  the  powers 
and  authority  hitherto  exercised  by  the  county 
commissioners'  court.  The  county  judge  was 
the  presiding  officer,  and  any  two  of  the  court 
constituted  a  quorum.  The  two  members  of 
the  court,  other  than  the  judge,  were  styled 
"Associate  Justices."  This  form  of  county 
government  continued  until  the  adoption  of 
township  organization. 

The  early  subdivisions  of  the  county  are 
somewhat  vague,  as  the  countj'  embraced  so 
large  a  scope  of  country,  that  like  the  maps  of 
the  ancients  the  lines  ran  into  unexplored 
realms.  The  law  of  1819  made  it  obligatory, 
on  the  part  of  the  county  commissioners,  to 
elect  three  justices  of  the  peace  to  lay 
off  the  county  into  election  districts, 
and  upon  the  commissioners  to  divide 
the  county  into  precincts  or  townships. 
The  commissioners  selected  Joseph  Shaw, 
Georo-e    W.    Catron    and    James  W.  Parker. 

D 

They  met  at  the  house  of  Charles  Neelj',  at 
the  head  of  Walnut  Prairie,  April  19,  1819, 
and  proceeded  to  lay  off  the  county  into 
election  districts  according  to  law: 

No.  1.  Beginning  at  the  southeast  corner 
of  the  said  county,  on  the  Wabash  River, 
thence  up  said  river  to  Mill  Creek;  thence  up 
said  creek  to  the  west  boundary  line  of  said 
county,  thence  south  to  the  southwest  corner 
of  said  county,  thence  east  with  the  county 
line  to  the  place  of  beginning. 

No.  2.  Beginning  on  the  Wabash  River  at 
the  mouth  of  Mill  Creek,  thence  up  said  river 
to  the  mouth  of  Kirkendall's  Creek  (now  Big 
Creek),  ti'.ence  up  said  creek  to  the  west 
boundary  of  said  county;  thence  soutli  to  the 


248 


HISTORY   OF  CLARK  COUNTY. 


main  channel  of  Mill  Creek,  thence  down  said 
creek  with  the  "  mianders "  thereof,  to  the 
place  of  beginning. 

No.  3.  Beginning  on  the  Wabash  River  at 
the  mouth  of  Big  or  Kirkendall's  Creek, 
thence  up  the  said  river  to  the  middle  of  the 
tenth  range  of  townships  to  the  north  bound- 
ary of  township  twelve,  thence  west  with  the 
township  line  between  twelve  and  thirteen,  to 
the  county  line,  thence  south  to  Kirkendall's 
Creek,  thence  down  said  creek  with  the 
"  mianders  "  thereof,  to  the  place  of  begin- 
ning. 

No.  4.  Beginning  at  the  middle  of  the 
tenth  range  of  townships  on  the  line  between 
twelve  and  thirteen,  thence  north  to  the  north 
boundary  line  of  said  county,  thence  west  to 
the  northwest  corner  of  said  county,  thence 
south  to  the  township  between  townships 
twelve  and  thirteen,  thence  east  with  said 
township  line  to  the  place  of  beginning.  The 
first  vvas  called  Union,  the  second,  Dubois, 
the  third,  Washington,  and  the  fourth,  Wayne. 
The  three  first  named  townships,  although 
greatly  reduced  in  territory,  retained  their 
names  and  a  portion  of  their  boundaries,  until 
after  the  adoption  of  township  organization. 

By  an  act  of  the  Legislature,  of  1823,  Guy 
W.  Smith,  who  was  a  receiver  of  public  lands, 
at  Palestine,  was  authorized  and  requested  to 
])roeure  and  have  placed  where  the  dividing 
line  between  the  States  of  Indiana  and  Illi- 
nois leaves,  the  nortliwest  bank  of  the  Wa- 
bash, forty-six  miles  due  north  of  Vincennes, 
at  a  mulberry  post  forty  links  from  the 
water's  edge,  a  hewn  stone  of  at  least  five 
feet  in  length  and  fifteen  inches  in  diameter, 
and  cause  the  following  inscriptions  to  be 
made  thereon,  namely:  on  the  east  "Indiana;" 
on  the  west,  "  Illinois;"  on  the  north;  "  159 
miles  and  forty-six  links  to  Lake  Jlichigan." 
He  was  to  receive  therefor  any  sum  not  ex- 
ceeding one  hundred  dollars. 

At  the  June  term,  1S:20,  of  the  commission- 


ers' court,  a  petition  was  filed  by  sundry  per- 
sons of  the  County  of  Clark  and  State  of 
Illinois,  praying  for  a  new  township  to  be 
composed  partly  of  Wayne  and  Washington 
townships.  The  court  granted  the  petition 
and  named  the  township  "  Pike." 

The  formation  of  Edgar  County,  in  1823, 
extinguished  Wayne  township,  and  part  of 
Pike.  The  commissioners  ordered  that  Wash- 
ington township  include  all  the  county  north 
of  Big  Creek.  In  .lune,  1824,  the  boundary 
was  again  changed,  and  the  county  commis- 
sioners ordered  "  that  all  of  this  county  north 
of  the  south  line  of  town  eleven  (11)  north, 
and  all  north  of  Big  Creek,  be  included  in 
Washington  Township.  In  June,  1827,  the 
county  was  again  re-districted  as  follows: 

"  Court  orders  that  all  that  part  of  this 
county,  lying  south  of  Mill  Creek,  be  called 
Union  Township.  Court  establish  Dubois 
Township,  as  heretofore  establisiied.  Court 
order  that  Washington  Township  include  all 
of  this  county  lying  north  of  Dubois  Town- 
ship, and  east  of  the  line  between  range 
twelve  and  thirteen  west.  Court  order  that 
Enibarras  Township  include  all  of  this  county 
lying  north  of  Dubois,  and  west  of  the 
line  between  range  twelve  and  thirteen 
west."  This  line  extending  north,  was  the 
west  line  of  Edgar  County.  The  divisions  so 
remained  until  in  1829,  when  there  were 
some  slight  changes  made  in  their  territorial 
boundaries,  but  not  of  sufficient  importance 
to  notice  here. 

The  law  of  elections  in  that  day,  required 
the  polls  to  be  open  at  eight  and  close  at  six. 
Thirty  minutes'  announcement  before  the 
closing  of  the  polls  was  necessary.  The 
judges,  at  their  option, could  postpone  closing 
the  polls  until  twelve  o'clock  at  night.  Any 
elector  could  vote  for  president  and  vice- 
president  anywliere  in  the  State.  For  State 
senator  and  rejiresentativc,  anywhere  in  the 
district  he  was  entitled  to  vote.     For    countv 


HISTORY  OF  CLARK  COUNTY. 


249 


ofiicers,  at  anj'  voting  place  in  the  county. 
If  he  voted  more  than  once,  the  penalty  was 
a  fine  of  a  hundred  dollars,  to  go  to  the 
county  wherein  the  oft'ense  was  committed. 
There  was  no  penalty  of  impiisounient. 
Think  of  that  law  being  in  force  to-day,  in 
some  of  our  large  cities,  or  even  in  our  own 
county!  At  the  first  close  and  exciting 
election,  the  aggregate  vote  would  indicate  a 
population  of  sixty  thousand.  No  naturaliza- 
tion papers  were  required;  all  that  was  neces- 
sary was  a  six  months'  residence  in  the  State 
preceding  the  election.  The  judges  had  the 
power,  for  the  preservation  of  order  and  to 
protect  themselves  from  insult  and  abuse,  to 
fine  any  and  all  riotous  persons,  and  upon 
failure  to  pay,  to  send  them  to  the  county  jail 
not  exceeding  twenty  days.  After  the  clos- 
ing of  the  polls,  one  of  the  poll  books  was 
sealed,  and  to  be  delivered  to  the  county 
clerk  within  four  days  after  the  election,  by 
one  of  the  judges  or  clerks,  to  be  determined 
by  lot,  if  they  could  not  otherwise  agree. 
The  other  poll  book  was  left  with  one  of  the 
judges,  and  kept  open  for  inspection.  Any 
person  ofi"ering  to  vote,  whose  vote  was  chal- 
lenged, merely  had  to  swear  or  affirm  that  he 
had  resided  in  the  State  six  months  immedi- 
ately preceding  the  election  and  had  not 
voted  at  the  election.  No  identifying  and 
corroborating  witnesses  were  required.  Any 
unqualified  person  voting,  was  to  forfeit  not 
more  than  fifty,  nor  less  than  twenty-five  dol- 
lars.  Though  if  the  judges  believed  him  a 
legal  voter,  he  was  not  to  be  fined. 

The  county  remained  thus  divided  until 
Coles  County  was  organized  in  the  winter  of 
1830,  which  extingviished  the  townships  or 
precincts  of  Embarras  and  Hamilton.  In 
March,  1831,  the  commissioners  formed  a 
new  precinct  in  the  northwest  part  of  the 
county,  called  "Richland."  In  1836  a  new 
precinct  was  added,  called  "Cumberland." 
Union    precinct    had    hitherto    been    divided 


into  East  and  West  Union  precincts.  The 
precincts  or  townships  in  the  county  were 
now  named  East  Union,  West  Union,  Dubois, 
Washington,  Richland  and  Cumberland.  In 
March,  1848,  the  county  was  redistricted  by 
the  commissioners  into  twelve  precincts, 
named  as  follows:  East  Union,  or  York,  Du- 
bois or  Darwin,  Clear  Creek,  Livingston, 
Marshall,  Mill  Creek,  Auburn,  Melrose,  Mar- 
tinsville, Richland,  Cumberland  and  Johnson 
precincts. 

These  divisions  remained  unchanged,  with 
the  exception  that  a  new  precinct,  called 
Upper  Marshall  or  Castle  Fin,  was  added, 
until  the  adoption  of  township    organization. 

The  Constitution  of  1848,  for  the  first  time 
in  the  history  of  the  State,  contemplated  and 
recognized  a  departure  from  the  old  and 
time-honored  precinct  system  of  county  gov- 
ernment, and  opened  the  way  for  the  intro- 
duction of  the  present  township  mode  of  gov- 
ernment. The  section  relating  to  the  matter 
is  as  follows:  "The  General  Assembly  shall 
provide,  by  a  general  law,  for  a  township  or- 
ganization, under  which  any  county  may  or- 
ganize whenever  a  majority  of  the  voters  of 
such  county,  at  any  general  election,  shall  so 
determine;  and  whenever  any  county  shall 
adopt  a  township  organization,  so  much  of 
this  Constitution  as  provides  for  the  manage- 
ment of  the  fiscal  concerns  of  the  said  county 
by  the  county  court,  may  be  dispensed  with, 
and  the  affairs  of  said  county  may  be  trans- 
acted in  such  manner  as  the  General  As- 
sembly may  provide." 

In  pursuance  of  the  foregoing,  the  Legis- 
lature enacted  a  law,  February  17,  1851,  pro- 
viding that  the  county  court,  on  the  petition 
of  fifty  legal  voters,  should  cause  to  be 
submitted  to  the  voters  of  said  county,  at 
any  general  election,  the  question  of  the 
adoption  or  I'ejection  of  township  organiza- 
tion. The  law  further  provided  that  thet 
«;ounty  court,  at  its   next    session   after    such, 


250 


HISTORY  OF  CLARK  COUNTY. 


adoption,  should  appoint  three  residents  of 
the  county  as  commissioners,  to  divide  the 
county  into  townships.  The  commissioners 
were  to  divide  the  county  into  as  many  towns 
as  there  were  Congressional  townships  therein. 
Where  there  were  fractional  townships,  caused 
by  county  or  State  lines,  or  by  streams,  such 
fractions  could  be  added  to  other  townships, 
or  added  together.  Tlie  commissioners  were 
required  to  make  a  written  report  of  their 
proceedings,  giving  the  names  and  bounds 
of  each  town,  to  the  county  clerk,  on  or  be- 
fore the  first  day  of  March  nextsucceding  the 
adoption  of  township  organization.  Town- 
ships were  to  be  named  in  accordance  with 
the  e.xpressed  wish  of  their  inhabitants,  un- 
less there  was  contention.  In  that  case,  the 
commissioners  were  to  designate  the  name. 

At  the  September  term,  1854,  of  the  coun- 
ty court,  a  petition  was  presented,  signed  by 
the  requisite  number  of  legal  voters,  pray- 
ing the  question  of  organizing  Clark  County 
into  townships  be  submitted  to  the  people, 
at  the  November  general  election  following. 
There  was  considerable  opposition  to  the  new 
system,  but  the  proposition  carried  over- 
whelmingly. The  people  had  tried  the  pre- 
cinct system,  with  its  many  imperfections, 
even  since  the  formation  of  the  county,  and 
were  ripe  and  ready  for  any  change  that 
promised  better.  Many  specious  arguments 
were  urged  in  favor  of  the  proposed  town- 
ship organization.  By  its  adoption,  it  was 
claimed  that  every  section  of  the  county 
would  have  a  representative  in  the  board  of 
supervisors  to  watch  and  guard  its  interests. 
By  its  adoption,  each  township  was  made  a 
body  corporate,  with  full  and  ample  powers 
to  manage  and  control  its  own  internal  affairs. 
It  could  dictate  and  control  the  levy  of  its 
own  taxes  for  school,  bridge,  and  the  vari- 
ous other  taxes  for  township  purposes.  It 
could  conduct  its  schools  after  its  own  fash- 
ion, and  could  lay  out,  alter    and  vacat';   its 


roads  at  will.  It  could  choos?  one  from  their 
midst  to  value  and  assess  their  lands  and  per- 
sonal property,  and  one  also  to  collect  their 
taxes.  In  short  it  made  eacli  township  a  miii- 
atiire  county,  investing  it  with  a  degree  of  in- 
dependence, and  with  powers  not  to  be  deriveil 
from,  or  enjoyed  under,  the  old  precinct 
system. 

On    the    7th   day  of  November,  1854,  the 
election  occurred,  with  the  following   results: 

TOWNSHIP  organization: 
Trecincts.  For.     Against. 

Darwin  or  Dubois 47  111 

Melrose 139  1 

Livingston 127  20 

Auburn 79  79 

Cumberland 79  00 

Mill  Creek 20  3 

Marshall 184  183 

Richland lis  3 

Martinsville 153  76 

Union   or  York 94  15 

Castle   Fin 34  8 

Clear  Creek 80  29 

Johnson 127  00 

Totals 1277  528 

And  so  township  organization  was  adopted. 
Township  organization  is  a  system  of 
county  government  having  its  origin  in  the 
New  England  States;  and  as  the  people  of 
those  States  have  migrated  westward,  it 
has  been  carried  into  most  of  the  Northern 
and  Western  States.  It  is  purely  a  Yankee 
institution,  and  is  a  system  whereby  the  ter- 
ritory of  each  county  is  divided  into  conven- 
ient districts,  called  towns  or  townships,  or 
as  they  are  styled  in  the  law,  quasi  corpora- 
tions. 

It  is  said  the  first  town  meeting  ever  held 
in  New  England  or  America  to  consider  af- 
fairs of  common  interest,  occurred  on  March 
2'i,  1621,  for  the  purpose  of  perfecting  mili- 
tary arrangements  against  the  Indians,  at 
which  a  o-overnor  was  elected  for  the  ensu- 
ino-  year.     And  it  is  noticed,  as  a  coincidence, 


HISTORY  OF  CLARK  COUNTY. 


2.11 


wliother  from  that  source  or  otherwise,  tliat 
*  the  annual  town  meetings  in  the  New  Enghmd 
States  have  ever  since  been  held  in  the 
spring  of  the  year.  New  York  imitatetl  this 
example;  and  in  every  Northwestern  State 
where  the  township  system  exists,  the  annual 
town  meeting  for  election  of  officers,  oc- 
curs likewise  in  the  spring,  either  in  March 
or  April. 

The  township  officers  are  one  supervisor, 
who  is  ex  officio,  member  of  the  county  board, 
a  town  clerk,  one  assessor  and  collector  each, 
three  commissioners  of  highwaj's,  two  jus- 
tices of  the  peace  and  two  constables,  and 
as  many  road  overseers  as  there  are  road 
districts  in  the  township.  Our  system,  as 
adopted  and  perfected,  is  borrowed  almost 
entire  from  the  laws  of  New  York.  The  of- 
ficers are  the  same — their  duties  substan- 
tially the  same.  Boards  of  supervisors,  as 
constituted  by  the  laws  of  our  State,  are  de- 
liberative assemblies  and  their  proceedings 
conducted  according  to  general  parliamentary 
rules. 

The  county  court,  at  its  December  term, 
1854,  following  the  adoption  of  township  or- 
ganization, appointed  Randolph  Lee,  Charles 
H.  Welsh  and  John  B.  Briscoe  commission- 
ers to  lay  off  the  county  into  townships,  as 
required  and  provided  for  in  the  legislative 
act,  who  performed  their  duty  as  follows: 
Wabash,  Marshall,  Dolson,  Parker,  West- 
field,  Cumberland,  Martinsville,  Anderson, 
Darwin,  York,  Melrose,  Orange  and  Johnson. 
The  first  supervisors  elected  under  township 
organization  were  John  Pearce,  from  Ander- 
son Township;  George  Conger,  Cumberland; 
James  Lockard,  Darwin;  Wesley  Norman, 
Dolson;  James  Brooks,  Johnson;  Nathan 
Willard,  Marshall;  Morrison  Spenny,  Mar- 
tinsville; James  Cowden,  Melrose;  John 
Swope,  Orange;  T.  H.Connelly,  Parker;  An- 
drew Dunlap,  Wabash;  Chas.  Biggs,  West- 
field;  and  Jacob  Dolson,  York. 


There  was  considerable  dissatisfaction  con- 
cerning the  division  of  the  county  into  town- 
ships. The  people  of  York  Township,  at  the 
September  term,  1855,  of  the  board  of  super- 
visors, petitioned  that  so  much  of  York  Town- 
ship as  lies  north  of  Mill  Creek,  be  attached 
to  Darwin  Township,  which  resolution  was 
considered  and  rejected.  The  citizens  of  Dar- 
win Township  also  presented  a  petition  for  a 
change  and  alteration  of  the  boundary  line  of 
the  township,  which  was  also  rejected. 

The  law  delegated  to  boards  of  supervisors 
power  and  authority  to  create  new  townships. 
And  so  at  the  September  term,  1858,  the 
board  created  Douglas  Township,  the  four- 
teenth organized  townfhip.  At  their  June  term 
1859,  the  board  organized  a  new  township, 
composed  of  nine  sections  of  land  from  Dol- 
son township,  three  from  Martinsville,  three 
from  Marshall,  and  one  from  Anderson,  and 
called  it  "Auburn."  This  is  the  central 
township  in  the  county,  and  was  the  last 
formed.  It  is  four  miles  square,  and  con- 
tains sixteen  sections  of  land. 

No  other  change,  either  iu  name  or  bound- 
ary of  any  township  has  been  made  up  to  the 
present  time.  The  names  and  land  areas  of 
the  townships  as  now  organized,  are  as  fol- 
lows: 

Anderson  Township, 35  sections. 

Auburn  "  16  " 

Casey  "  36  « 

Darwin  "  about  34-  " 

Dolson,  "  40.V  " 

Douglas  "  18'  « 

Johnson  "  36  " 

Marshall  "  33  « 

Martinsville  "  37|  « 

Melrose  "  36  " 

Orange  "  36  " 

Parker  "  36  « 

AVabash  "  7:i  " 

Westfield  "  18  " 

York  "  about  35  « 

Total  519 


CHAPTER    lY. 


CLARK'S   FIRST   COURTS   AND    ADMINISTRATION    OF    JUSTICE— AN    INCIDENT   OF  FLOG- 
GING—HOW A  SHERIFF  ADJOURNED  COURT— OFFICERS  AND  THEIR  PAY— WAR 
HISTORY— EARLY  MILITARY  FORCES  OF  THE  COUNTY— BLACK  HAWK 
—MEXICAN  WAR— THE  REBELLION— FART  TAKEN 
IN  IT  BY  CLARK,  ETC.,  ETC. 


TN  tlie  earlj'  days  justice  was  administered 
•^  without  much  show  or  parade.  Courts 
were  mostly  held  in  log  houses,  or  in  tavern 
rooms  fitted  up  temporarily  for  the  occasion. 
Yet,  in  these  huml)le  halls,  as  able  and  emi- 
nent jurists  as  ever  graced  any  Bench  pre- 
sided over  the  courts  and  dispensed  justice 
with  dignity  and  fairness.  Not  only  were 
these  judges  renowned  for  their  legal  lore, 
but  wore  distinguished  for  their  attainments 
in  other  fields  of  learning.  Thus  the  plead- 
ings and  doings  in  those  early  courts  ap- 
pear strange  and  primitive  to  us,  and  a 
verbatim,  copy  of  some  of  the  records  would 
furnish  considerable  amusement  to  the  legal 
fraternity  and  generation  of  the  present  day. 
One  marked  characteristic  of  early  courts, 
was  the  pointedness  and  remarkable  brevity 
of  their  recorded  proceedings.  A  few  words 
sufficed  to  explain  and  record  all  that  was 
necessary  in  the  most  important  cases,  and  a 
small,  three-quire  blank  book  contains  all 
the  proceedings  of  the  Clark  County  Circuit 
Court  for  seven  years.  A  record  that  would 
scarcely  serve  to  index  the  cases  of  one  of 
our  modern  terms. 

The  first  court  ever  convened  in  this  county 
was  held  at  Aurora,  Monday,  September  20, 
1819,  Thomas  C.  Browne,  presiding  judge. 
The  court  lasted  but  part  of  one  day,  and 
the  only  business  transacted  %vas  approving 
the    clerk's,    coroner's    and    sheriffs    bonds. 


"  Thereupon,"  as  the  old  record  sagely  re- 
marks, "the  court  adjourned  until  court  in 
course."  The  litigation  was  usually  of  an 
inconsequential  character.  The  lawsuits  were 
principally  small  appeal  cases,  actions  of  tres- 
pass, slander,  indictments  for  assault  and 
battery,  affrays,  riots,  selling  liquor  without 
license,  etc.  There  was  now  and  then  an  in- 
dictment for  larceny,  murder,  and  other 
felonies.  There  were  but  wo  indictments 
for  m\irder  during  the  first  twelve  years  of 
the  county's  history,  and  very  few  for  minor 
felonies.  The  first  killing  in  the  county,  of 
which  the  court  took  recognizance,  was  the 
murder  of  Cyrus  Shafp  by  Jacob  Blaze,  in 
1823,  near  Big  Creek,  and  about  one  half 
mile  south  of  the  residence  of  Joseph  Cook, 
Sr. 

No  negro,  mulatto,  or  Indian  could  testify 
against  a  white  person.  Any  having  one 
fourth  negro  blood  was  adjudged  a  mulatto. 
The  offenses  committed  were  usually  petty 
and  trifling,  and  were  punishable  by  fine  and 
imprisonment  in  the  count}"-  jail.  The  pen- 
alty for  felonies,  other  than  murder  and  man- 
slaughter, was  flogging,  fine  and  imprison- 
ment. The  death  penalty  was  inflicted  by 
hanging;  and,  on  application,  the  body  of 
the  criminal  turned  over  to  the  surgeons  for 
dissection.  Burglary,  robbery  and  larceny 
were  each  punishable  by  not  over  one  hun- 
dred lashes  on    bare   hack,  and  tine  and  im- 


HISTORY  OF  CLARK  COUNTY. 


"ST 


prisonment.  Col.  Fickliii  relates  a  story,  as 
having  actually  happened,  of  a  fellow  who  was 
convicted  of  stealino;  moat,  and  was  sentenced 
to  receive  twenty-five  stripes.  The  sheriff 
promptly  removed  the  prisoner,  and  admin- 
istered the  castinjation.  AVhile  undergoing 
the  drubbin<r,  his  counsel  had  motioned  for  a 
new  trial,  and  was  arguing  the  same,  when 
the  culprit  returned  into  court,  smarting  and 
twisting  under  the  vigorous  castigation.  He 
soon  comprehended  the  situation,  and  began 
sliding  toward  his  attorney,  and  pulling  his 
coat,  said  in  a  loud,  hoarse  whisper,  that  all 
could  hoar:  "Bell,  for  the  Lord's  sake  don't 
git  another  trial,  I  took  the  meat,  and  thev've 
larruped  the  daylights  outer  me  for  it,  and  if 
vou  git  another  hitch  they'll  lam  me  again, 
and  ouch,  how  it  hurts." 

The  first  cause  ever  tried' in  Clark  County 
■was  on  Monday,  April  17,  1820,  in  which 
Thomas  Wilson  was  plaintiff,  and  William 
B.  Archer,  executor  of  Lewis  Bohn,  deceased, 
was  defendant.  It  was  an  appeal  case  from 
the  judgment  of  Charles  Patrick,  justice  of 
the  peace.  At  this  term  there  were  five 
cases  docketed,  three  of  which  were  con- 
tinued. Whether  our  pioneer  ancestors  were 
any  more  given  to  mendacious  tattling  than 
their  posterity  can  only  be  conjectured.  But 
it  seems  that  alleged  slander  was  a  fruitful 
source  of  litigation  in  early  times.  But  the 
juries  of  the  day  either  considered  character 
and  reputation  of  little  worth,  or  else  the  of- 
fensive statements  were  true,  as  the  defend- 
ant in  these  suits  was  seldom  found  guilty, 
and  when  convicted,  the  damage  awarded 
was  insignificant.  The  following'  cited  case 
will  serve  as  an  example  for  all  the  rest: 
Sarah  Coneioay  v.  George  W.  Catron.  Suit 
for  slander.  Damages  claimed,  $5,000. 
Fifteen  witnesses  sworn.  Jury  retire,  who, 
after  mature  deliberation  come  into  court 
and  say,  we,  the  jury,  find  the  defendant 
guilty,  and  assess  the  plaintiff's  damages  to 


six  and  a  fourth  cents.  Joseph  Shaw,  fore- 
man. Quite  a  considerable  discount  from 
the  original  claim. 

The  first  court  in  Darwin  was  held  on  Thurs- 
day, May  8,  1823.  It  was  held  in  the  tavern 
of  John  McClure,  as  were  the  two  succeeding 
terms.  The  fourth  was  held  at  the  house  of 
Jacob  Harlan,  and  .afterward  in  the  court 
house.  The  arguments  of  counselors  in 
those  days  were  not  embellished  with  quota- 
tions from  numberless  text  book«,  nor  forti- 
fied with  culled  decisions  from  a  half  century 
of  Supreme  Court  reports,  for  they  had  no 
library  of  hundreds  of  volumes  to  repair 
to  at  their  pleasure.  But  in  salient  points  of 
plain,  fundamental  law  as  uttered  between 
the  lids  of  Kent  and  Blackstone,  their  argu- 
ments were  fully  up  to  the  standard  of  to-day. 

The  appended  lists  embrace  the   names  of 
all  the  judges  who  have  held  courts  in  Clark, 
with  their  respective  terms  of  service,  and  also-' 
the  names  of  all  the  proseeuting  attorneys: 

Thomas  C.  BrowiifSept.,  1819,  to  April, 
1820;  William  Wilson,  Chief  Justice,  April, 
1830,  to  May,  1825;  James  O.  Wattles,  May, 
1825,  to  Nov.,  1825;  James  Hall,  Nov.,  1825, 
to  May,  1S26;  James  O.  Wattles,  May,  1826, 
to  April,  1827;  William  Wilson,  April,  1827, 
to  April,  1835;  Justin  Harlan,  April,  1835,  to 
Oct.,  1835;  Alex.  F.  Grant,  Oct.,  18:J5,  to 
May,  183(j;  Justin  Harlan,  May,  1836,  to  May, 
1841;  William  Wilson,  May,  1841,  to  May, 
1849;  Justin  Harlan,  1849  to  1801;  Charles 
H.  Constable,  1801  to  1860;  Hiram  B.  Decius, 
1806  to  1872;  Oliver  L.  Davis,  1872  to  1879; 
William  E.  Nelson,  Colonel  B.  Smith,  Oliver 
L.  Davis,  Jacob  W.  Wilken. 

Prosecuting  Attorxeys. — .lohn  M.  Rob- 
inson, Edwin  B.  Webb,  Orlando  B.  Ficklin, 
Augustus  C.  French;  Gardner  B.  Shellady, 
Aaron  Shaw,  Alfred  Kitchell,  John  Scholfield, 
James  R.  Cunningham,  Silas  S.  Whitehead, 
John  L.  Ryan,  Thomas  L.  Orndorff. 

The  late  Judge  Harlan,  with  his  prodigious 


>- 


251 


HISTORY  OF  CLARK  COUNTY. 


memory,  possessed  an  inexhaustible  store  of 
anecdotes,  of  old  time  courts,  gleaned  from 
his  long  years  of  individual  experience  as 
judge,  and  many  were  the  amusing  stories 
he  related  to  the  writer  of  early  days,  and 
two  we  will  here  repeat:  In  one  of  the 
southern  counties  of  the  circuit,  a  long,  lank 
and  cadaverous  specimen,  and  as  verdant  as 
the  backwoods  he  hailed  from,  was  elected 
sheriff.  He  was  clever  and  good  hearted,  and 
had  a  stentorian  voice.  At  the  first  court 
after  his  election  he  walked  into  the  room, 
carrying  a  heavy  rifle,  and  dressed  in  a  cos- 
tume at  once  unique  and  picturesque.  He 
•wore  the  inevitable  wamus,  and  his  nether 
extremities  were  encased  in  a  new  pair  of 
bright,  pea  green  unmentionables,  except  a 
ten  inch  abbreviation  of  each  leg  was  pieced 
out  with  cloth  of  blue.  His  first  words  were: 
"Well,  Jedge,  I'm  the  sheriff,  what'll  you 
have?"  "Convene  court,  Mr.  Sheriff."  "Do 
what,  Jedge?"  replied  the  sheriff,  the  word 
"convene"  having  floored  him.  "Open  court, 
Mr.  Sheriff."  This  was  done  in  a  tone  tiiat 
shook  the  rafters.  Not  a  juryman  was  pres- 
ent, and  the  judge  inquired,  "Where  is  the 
panel,  sheriff?"  "Where  is  the  what,  Jedge?" 
"Why,  the  panel,  the  jury."  "Oh!  they're 
round  somewhar,  and  I'll  hunt  'em  up."  In  a 
few  minutes  he  returned,  and  said:  "There's 
going  to  be  a  fight  over  at  Brayley's,  and 
they  won't  come  'till  arter  its  over."  "Mr. 
sheriff,"  said  the  judge  sternly,  "I  command 
you  to  bring  the  jury  here  forthwith."  "All 
right,  Jedge,  I'll  fetch  em."  And  seizing  his 
rifle  he  marched  over  to  Brayley's,  and  in  a 
tone  full  of  meaning,  said:  "Boys,  the  old  man 
over  thar  is  madder'n  a  hornet,  and  wants  you 
oraediately.  I'll  give  you  jest  one  minit  to 
git,  and  the  chap  that  aint  trottin'  then,  I'll 
drop,"  bringing  his  gun  to  his  shoulder.  It 
goes  without  saying,  that  the  jury  was  speed- 
ily impaneled. 

No  irreverence  is  intended  by  the  following, 


but  is  merely  to  show  the  ignorance  and  stu- 
pidity of  an  officer,  and  a  practical  joke  of 
early  days:  Among  the  hangers-on  at  the 
court,  was  a  fellow  named  Murray,  occasion- 
ally a  jury  man  or  bailiff.  He  was  a  great 
favorite  with  the  judge,  who  liked  him  for  his 
many  genial  qualities  and  sunny  nature,  but 
he  was  an  incorrigible  wan-.  Taking  the 
sheriff  aside  after  the  first  adjournment,  he 
told  him  privately  as  a  friend,  that  he  had 
been  talking  to  the  judge,  who  was  well 
pleased  with  his  promptness  and  efficiency, 
all  except  his  manner  of  adjournment.  But 
that  he,  the  judge,  felt  some  delicacy  in  tell- 
ing him,  for  fear  of  wounding  his  feelings. 
That  the  adjournment  ought  to  be  made  in 
his  loudest  tones,  so  the  outside  world  could 
hear,  and  that  under  the  new  code,  the  ad- 
journment should  be  closed  with  "so  help  me 
Jesus  Christ  and  General  Jackson,  Amen," 
as  this  was  a  Democratic  county.  He  urged 
him  to  say  nothing,  and  at  the  next  adjourn- 
ment, both  surprise  and  please  the  judge. 
The  sheriff,  aware  of  Murray's  intimacy  with 
the  judge,  believed  him  implicitly.  That 
evening,  at  the  proper  hour,  the  judge  ob- 
served, "Mr.  Sheriff,  adjourn  court."  At  a 
nod  from  Murray  the  officer  braced  himself 
and  with  a  roar  that  awoke  the  echoes  for  a 
mile  or  more,  he  yelled:  "Oh!  yes;  Oh!  yes; 
the  honorable  Circuit  Court  is  now  adjourned 
until  to-morrow  morning  at  nine  o'clock,  so 
help  me  Jesus  Christ  and  General  Jackson, 
amen!" 

The  court  was  adjourned,  and  the  sheriff 
near  losing  his  position  for  contempt,  until 
Jlurray  explained,  and  received  a  severe  rep- 
rimand. 

Clark  County  with  a  distinct  organization 
extending  throusrh  sixty- four  years,  from  the 
morning  till  the  twilight  of  the  nineteenth 
century  has  had  but  very  few  officers  in  some 
departments.  Owing  to  the  absence  of  some 
of  the  old  records,  it  is  difficult  to  collate  an 


HISTORY  OF  CLARK  COUNTY. 


255 


accurate  list  of  all  those  who  have  been  hon- 
ored by  the  citizens  of  the  county  with  posi- 
tions of  profit  and  trust.  Especially  is  this 
the  case  with  regard  to  the  treasurers  and 
coroners.  It  is  a  fact  to  be  remarked,  how- 
ever, that  in  all  the  offices  since  the  formation 
of  the  county  but  one  vacancy  has  been  oc- 
casioned by  death,  and  but  three  from  resig- 
nation. Owing  to  the  then  large  area  of  the 
county,  and  the  sparse  population,  the  duties 
of  some  of  the  pioneer  county  officers  were 
extremely  arduous.  In  the  listing  of  taxable 
pro]3erty  by  the  treasurer,  and  the  collection 
of  the  revenue  by  the  sheriff,  the  isolation 
of  the  settlements  necessitated  long  and  te- 
dious journe3'S,  through  a  wilderness  without 
roads,  leagues  often  intervening  between 
habitations.  Judge  Stockwell  relates  that 
he  onoe  collected  the  taxes  throughout  the 
county,  and  walked  through  deep  snow  over 
the  site  of  the  present  town  of  Charleston, 
Coles  county,  at  the  time  the  surveyors  were 
laj'ing  it  out,  and  at  the  end  of  a  week,  he 
found  upon  comijaring,  that  he  had  traveled 
a  mile  for  each  cent  of  revenue  he  had  re- 
ceived. At  the  December  term,  1819,  of  the 
commissioners'  court,  the  following  appears 
of  record:  "It  appearing  to  the  court,  that 
William  Lockard,  treasurer,  has  been  put  to 
much  trouble  in  taking  a  list  of  taxable  pro- 
perty this  present  year,  that  the  sum  allowed 
by  law  is  not  sufficient  to  compensate  him, 
therefore  court  do  allow  him  extra  of  his  al- 
lowance by  law,  which  amounts  to  only  nine 
dollars  and  ten  cents  for  this  present  year, 
the  sum  of  fifteen  dollars."  No  doubt  this 
was  considered  ample  remuneration  for  listing 
the  property  of  a  county  at  that  time  com- 
prising one  eighth  of  the  entire  State.  To-day 
the  sum  would  scarcely  complete  the  assess- 
ment of  a  school  district.  In  the  summoning 
of  jurors,  witnessess,  etc.,  the  serving  of  a 
single  process  often  involved  a  journey  of  a 
hundred  miles.     Yet  the  salary  of   the  sheriff 


was  but  fifty  dollars  per  annum.  County 
treasurers  were  appointed  by  the  commis- 
sioners, and  the  office  was  not  one  usually  from 
which  the  incumbent  retired  rolling  in  wealth. 
In  addition  to  his  allowance  for  assessment 
services,  he  received  two  per  centum  com- 
mission on  collected  revenues,  which,  in 
exceptional  years,  amounted  to  as  much  as 
four  dollars,  which  swelled  the  aggregate  of 
his  annual  salary  to  as  much  as  thirty  dollars. 
Charles  Patrick,  a  pioneer  treasurer,  in  an  ex- 
hibit of  the  fiscal  concerns  of  the  county,  re- 
ported that  the  levy  of  the  previous  year  was 
two  hundred  and  fifty  dollars,  and  that  all 
outstanding  orders,  except  two  for  a  dollar 
each,  had  been  redeemed,  and  these  remained 
in  the  treasury,  not  otherwise  appropriated, 
the  sum  of  sixteen  and  one  fourth  cents.  He 
also  suggested  and  recommended  a  reduction 
in  the  tax  levy  of  the  then  current  year.  No 
doubt  he  had  the  interest  of  the  tax  payers 
at  heart,  and  perhaps  was  desirous  to  avoid 
the  weighty  responsibility  of  having  as  much 
as  three  hundred  dollars  in  the  county  coffers 
at  one  time.  The  clerk  of  the  circuit  and 
commissioners'  courts,  for  one  person  filled  the 
dual  position,  was  paid  about  in  the  same  pro- 
portion. 

The  salary  of  Jacob  Harlan  for  the  year 
1834  was  but  $7-4.'25,  which  amount  included 
the  sum  of  $6.87|  expended  for  years'  sup- 
ply of  stationery.  For  every  dollar  then  paid, 
we  now  pay  hundreds  for  the  same  articles. 
But  these  were  the  days  of  real  frugality  and 
economy.  All  legal  instruments  and  docu- 
ments, summons,  deeds,  assessment  lists, 
county  orders,  election  notices,  and  in  fact 
every  instrument,  was  written  out  at  length, 
as  printed  blanks  were  very  rare  and  e,\c  :ed- 
ingly  costly.  In  1824  the  clerk  was  ordered 
to  procure  one  quire  of  printed  blank  deeds, 
and  the  same  cost  $9  in  Vandalia,  the  nearest 
press  in  the  State,  besides  seventy-five  cents 
postage  to   Darwin.     This  was   the  last  pur- 


236 


HISTORY  OF  CLARK  COUNTY. 


chase  of  blanks  for  many  years.  And  it 
slioilld  he  bortie  in  mind  that  the  salaries  of 
these  officers  were  paid  generally  in  State 
bank  notes,  then  very  much  depreciated. 
Though  the  county  was  small  in  population 
and  extensive  in  territory,  yet  when  we  com- 
pare the  cost  of  conducting  affairs  then  with 
that  of  to-daj',  one  is  astounded  at  the  con- 
trast, and  is  a  convincing  argument  that  ad- 
vanced civilization  and  refinement  are  expen- 
sive luxuries.  The  population  at  the  time  re- 
ferred to  was  about  one  eleventh  as  large  as 
it  is  to-day,  and  it  would  be  natural  to  pre- 
sume that  the  business  of  the  county,  and  the 
cost  of  conducting  it,  would  increase  in  the 
same  ratio  as  the  inhabitants.  But  such  is 
not  the  case  in  the  matter  of  expenses,  which 
have  grown  enormously'  and  far  beyond  all  rea- 
sonable jiroportion.  It  is  safe  to  say  that  the 
present  cost  of  maintaining  any  one  of  the 
important  county  offices  for  one  year  would 
have  defrayed  every  county  expense  in  that 
day,  including  all  courts,  jurors,  elections, 
salaries  of  officers,  stationery,  etc.,  for  five 
years. 

The  following  county  judges  have  worn  the 
judicial  ermine  since  the  organization  of  the 
county.  In  early  times  they  were  appointed 
by  the  Legislature  and  were  paid  by  fees: 

Samuel  Prevo,  1819  to  1823;  Charles 
Neely,  1823  to  1825;  Jacob  Harlan,  1825  to 
"~-4a35;  Uri  Manly,  1835  to  1843;  Stephen 
Archer,  1843  to  1853;  John  Bartlett,  1853 
to  1854,  resigned;  John  Stockwell,  1854  to 
1857;  William  C.  Whitlock,  1857  to  1869; 
William  R.  Griffith,  1869  to  1873;  Justin  Har- 
lan, 1873  to  1877;  William  R.  Griffith,*  1877 
to  1882;  Eth  Sutton,  1882. 

The  commission  of  Samuel  Prevo,  first 
Judge  of  Probate,  is  among  the   county  files, 

*  It  will  be  seen  by  the  foregoing  list  that  Judge 
Griffith,  as  well  as  all  the  other  olficers  whose  terms 
of  office  expired  in  1881,  held  until  the  general  elec- 
tion of  1882,  as  provided  by  legislative  enactment. 


and  is  the  oldest  document  of  the  kind  in  the 
county.  It  is  dated  February  12,  1821, 
signed  by  Shadrach  Bond,  Governor,  and  Elias 
K.  Kane,  Secretary  of  State,  and  the  usual 
formula,  "  To  whom  all  these  presents  shall 
come,  greeting:"  reads,  "To  all  who  shall  see 
these  presents."  The  first  instrument  ever  re- 
corded in  the  county,  however,  was  the  stock- 
mark  of  Charles  Neely,  bearing  date  May 
26,  1819.  The  judge  of  the  Circuit  Court  ap- 
pointed its  clerk,and  the  county  commissioners 
their  clerk,though  one  person  usually  filled  both 
positions.  And  it  was  not  uncommon  for  the 
offices  of  probate  judge,  circuit  and  county 
clerk,  and  justice  of  the  peace,  to  be  held  by 
one  individual.  Jacob  Harlan  officiated  in 
three  of  these  capacities  for  years. 

CLERK  OF  CIKCUIT    AND    COITSTT    COMMISSION- 
ERS'    COURTS. 

William  B.  Archer,*  1819  to  1832;  Jacob 
Harlan,  1823  to  1836;  Jonathan  N.  Rathbone, 
1836  to  1837;  ■'Uri  Manly,  1837  to  1842; 
Newton  Harlan,  1842  to  1848;  William  B. 
Archer,  1848  to  1852;  William  P.  Bennett, 
1852  to  18G0;  Thomas  W.  Cole,  1860  to  1872; 
Daniel  J.  Davidson,  1872  to  1880;  William 
B.  Hodge,  Jr.,  1880— elected  for  four  years. 

In  1836,  the  circuit  and  county  clerkships 
were  separated,  the  latter  being  made  elec- 
tive. Jonathan  N.  Rathbone  was  chosen  to 
the  office  September  5,  1836,  and  served  until 
ISIarch,  1837,  when  he  resigned,  and  Joshua 
P.  Cooper  was  appointed  to  fill  the  vacancy, 
and  served  until  September  of  same  year, 
when  Darius  Phillips  was  elected  and  held 
the  office  until  1851,  when  he  resigned. 
Phillips  was  an  able  and  competent  officer; 
was  an  old  resident,  and  was  county  treas- 
urer for  one  or  more  terms.  By  accident  he 
became   crippled  in  his  right  hand,  and  ac- 

*  W.  B.  Archer  resigned  as  clerk  Commissioners 
Court,  March,  1820,  and  as  circuit  clerk,  May,  1822, 
and  was  succeeded  in  each  position  by  Jacob  Harlan. 


HISTORY  OF  CLARK  COUNTY. 


257 


quired  the  art  of  writing  with  his  left,  and 
was  an  accomplished  scribe.  He  was  very 
popular  for  a  time,  and  possessed  the  unlim- 
ited confidence  of  the  entire  people.  But  at 
last  he  was  suspected  of  being  connected  with 
tiiat  extensive  and  thoroughly  organized  horde 
of  murderers  and  thieves,  which  infested  the 
Mssissippi  valley,  and  for  a  long  time  defied 
the  law,  and  was  under  the  leadership  of  the 
notorious  Bob  Birch,  of  Anderson  township, 
this  county,  whose  capture,  escape,  and  final 
breaking  up  of  the  gang  is  so  thrillingly 
recounted  by  Edward  Bonny,  a  renegade 
member,  as  was  generally  believed.  Phillips 
was  accused  with  being  in  constant  commu- 
nication with  the  gang  in  this  county,  and 
forewarning  them  with  needful  information 
concerning  legal  prosecutions,  etc.  So  con- 
firmed became  this  suspicion  that,  in  1851, 
the  regulators  gave  him  an  unmerciful  whip- 
ping, his  shirt  being  cut  into  ribbons.  Im- 
mediately after  the  castigation,  he  climbed 
upon  a  stump,  and  in  a  brief  but  affecting 
speech  to  the  regulators,  resigned  his  office, 
and  in  a  short  time  left  the  country.  Howard 
Harlan,  Sr.,  filled  the  vacanc}',  by  appoint- 
ment, until  the  succeeding  fall,  when  John 
Stockwell  was  chosen,  and  served  until  De- 
cember, 1853.  Allen  B.  Briscoe  was  elected 
in  November  of  same  year,  and  was  re-elected 
five  consecutive  terms,  and  was  succeeded  by 
the  present  incumbent,  Harrison  Black,  De- 
cemiier  1.  1377,  who  was  re-elected  in  1885, 
for  the  term  of  four  years. 

Clark,  since  her  organization,  has  had 
twenty-four  sheriffs,  as  follows: 

Isaac  Parker,  1819  to  1S20;  .lohn  Welsh, 
1820  to  1833;  Joseph  Morrison,  1833  to  1834; 
James  P.  Jones,  1S34  to  1831;  John  Stock- 
well,  1S31  to  1S3S;  James  Lockard,  1838  to 
1843;  William  P.  Bennett,  1843  to  1848; 
Samuel  McClure,  1848  to  1850;  Thomas 
Handy,  1850  to  1853;  Samuel  MoClure,  1853 
to   1854;  Horace  E.   Ritchie,   1854  to   1850; 


Morrison  Spenny,  1850  to  1858;  John  B.  Bris- 
coe, 1858  to  1860;  Nicholas  Hurst,  1860  to 
1863;  Andrew  J.  Smith,  1863  to  1864;  Tim- 
othy H.  Connely,  1864  to  1866;  Joseph  A. 
Howe,  1866  to  1868;  Timothy  H.  Connely, 
1868  to  1870;  Samuel  Lacy,  1870  to  1873; 
Warren  Bartlett,  1873  to  1876;  William  T. 
Flood,  1876  to  1878;  William  H.  Beadle, 
1878  to  1880;  Henry  Sherman,  1880  to  1883; 
Jacob  N.  Farr,  1883 — elected  for  four  years. 
War  History. — Though  lacking  the  halo 
of  warlike  tradition  and  romance;  though 
destitute  of  historic  personages  and  deeds  of 
arms,  embalmed  in  story  and  in  song;  though 
wanting  memorable  battle-fields,  made  sacred 
by  patriot  blood;  though  not  glorified  with 
heroic  achievements  in  the  "  times  that  tried 
men's  souls;"  though  not  a  county  during  the 
struggle  of  1813;  yet  the  military  history  of 
Clark,  though  young  and  limited,  is  honor- 
able, and  one  of  which  she  may  well  be  pioud; 
one  that  reflects  luster  on  her  name,  and  credit 
on  her  patriotism;  a  history,  every  page  of 
wiiich  has  proven  her  sons  worthy  descendants 
of  courageous  ancestry.  The  sires  and  grand- 
sires  of  our  early  settlers  had  fought  with  un- 
wavering hearts  through  the  darkest  hours  of 
the  Revol-ution;  had  crimsoned  the  snows  with 
bleeding  feet  on  long  and  perilous  marches; 
starving  and  in  rags,  they  had  counted  the 
lonely  da3'S  through  that  terrible  winter  at 
Valley  Forge;  they  had  lived  on  parched 
corn,  and  burrowed  with  the  "  swamp  fox " 
in  Carolinian-  marshes,  only  sallying  from 
their  fastnesses  to  strike  a  blow  for  freedom; 
sustained  and  inspired  through  all  their  hard- 
ships, through  all  their  sufferings,  with  an  un- 
faltering and  implicit  faith  in  their  ultimate 
independence.  Strong  in  their  might,  invin- 
cible in  their  cause,  the  day  of  triumph  at  last 
dawned,  and  beneath  the"  bending  skies  at 
Yorktown,  they  beheld  the  lion  of  England 
prostrate  in  the  dust  before  the  eagle  of  Amer- 
ica.    And  from  these  heroes  our  pioneers   in- 


2)8 


HISTOEY  OF  CLAEK  COUNTY. 


herited  the  same  fierce  love  of  liberty  that 
brooked  no  trammels  which  partook  of  op- 
pression and  injustice.  They,  too,  knew  what 
war  was.  They  bad  threaded  dangerous  de- 
files, with  Harmer,  bristling  with  unseen  and 
relentless  foes;  had  stood  in  the  gloom  of 
death  under  ill-fated  St.  Clair,  when  the 
groans  of  the  scalped  and  dying  mingled  with 
the  crack  of  the  rifio  and  the  yells  of  savage 
victory.  They  had  seen  the  blackened  ruins 
and  charred  remains  of  kindred  at  Fort  Minns; 
had  fought  with  Harrison  at  Tippecanoe,  and 
with  ringing  shouts  hurled  back  the  purple 
tide  of  Indian  warfare,  and  avenged  the  sick- 
ening butcheries  of  other  days.  They  stood 
at  New  Orleans,  and  before  their  deadly  rifles 
the  flower  of  Britain's  chivalry  melted  like 
morning  mist  before  the  sunbeams. 

The  first  attempt  to  establish  a  military 
force  in  Clark,  on  a  peace  footing,  was  in 
June,  1831,  when  the  commissioners  proceed- 
ed to  lay  off  the  county  into  company  districts 
for  the  organization  of  the  militia.  Union 
and  Dubois  townships  were  each  a  company 
district,  and  Washington  and  Pike  composed 
one.  County  musters  were  required  to  be 
held  at  county  seat  the  first  Saturday  in 
April,  annually.  Yearly  battallion  and  regi- 
mental drills  were  had  in  September.  Fines 
were  imposed  upon  members  for  non-attend- 
ance to  these,  ranging  from  fifty  to  seventy- 
five  cents.  Officers  were  fined  for  neglectino- 
to  wear  any  and  every  article  of  uniform.  At 
all  musters,  shooting  matches  for  beef  and 
other  property,  including  whisky,  were  legal- 
ized by  State  law.  At  these  gatherings  col- 
lected the  best  marksmen,  far  and  near,  and 
many  were  the  close  and  exciting  trials  of 
skill.  Running,  jumping,  wrestling,  pitching 
horse-shoes,  and  other  athletic  sports,  were 
indulged  in,  while  every  crowbait  in  the  coun- 
ty, that  could  head  off  a  steer,  was  paraded 
as  a  race-horse.  In  fact  these  musters  were 
carnivals  of  eniovment  on  the  frontier,  durino- 


which  our  early  settlers  abandoned  themselves 
to  feasting,  carousing  and  general  jollity. 

In  Movember,  1804,  by  a  treaty  piade  by 
Gen.  Harrison  with  the  chiefs  of  the  Sac  and 
Fox  nations  of  Indians,  all  th'eir  lands.  Rock 
river,  and  much  more  elsewhere,  were  ceded 
to  the  government.  This  treaty  was  after- 
ward ratified  by  portions  of  the  tribes  in  1815 
and  181G.  But  there  was  one  old  turbulent 
Sac  chief  who  alwaj'S  denied  the  validity  of 
these  treaties,  and  by  his  wild  and  stirring 
eloquence  at  times,  though  usually  gloomy 
and  taciturn,  incited  the  Indians  to  hostilities. 
He  was  distinguished  for  his  courage,  and 
for  his  clemency  to  prisoners.  He  was  firmly 
attached  to  the  British;  had  been  an  aid  to 
the  famous  Tecumseh  and  cordially  hated  the 
Americans.  This  chief  was  Mucata  Muhic- 
atah  or  Black  Hawk.  Under  pretense  that 
the  treaties  before  referred  to  were  void. 
Black  Hawk,  in  the  spring  of  1831,  with  three 
hundred  warriors,  invaded  the  State,  drove  off 
the  white  settlers,  destroyed  their  crops,  killed 
tlieir  stock,  and  other  violent  depredations, 
besides  committing  several  murders.  Bv  the 
promptness  of  the  military  he  was  quickly 
checked,  and  compelled  to  sue  for  peace,  and 
ratified  the  original  treaty  of  1804.  Not- 
withstanding this  treaty,  Black  Hawk,  with 
about  six  hundred  warriors,  again  entered  the 
State  in  the  spring  of  1832,  and  committed 
many  acts  of  vandalism.  Great  alarm  pre- 
vailed, and  Governor  Reynold's  issued  his 
call  for  two  thousand  troops  which  was 
promptly  answered.  This  was  the  first  de- 
mand upon  the  patriotism  of  our  county. 
Drafting  was  at  first  resorted  to  fill  Clark's 
quota,  but  as  this  entailed  considerable  hard- 
ship and  injustice,  volunteers  were  called  lor. 
Two  companies  of  about  eighty  men  each 
were  quickly  raised  and  mustered  at  Darwin, 
and  reported  to  and  were  accepted  by  the 
governor.  The  officers  of  the  first  company 
were    William    B.     Archer,     captain,   Danie 


HISTORY  OF  CLARK  COUNTY. 


259 


Poorman,  first  lieiUeiiarit,  and  Roj'al  A.  Knott 
second  lieutenant.  Upon  arriving  at  tiie 
rendezvous,  Captain  Archer  was  assigned  to 
the  stafif  of  the  commanding  general  with  the 
rank  of  colonel*,  and  Royal  A.  Knott  was  elect- 
ed captain.  The  officers  of  the  second  com- 
pany were  John  F.  Richardson,  captain; 
Woodford  Dulaney,  first  lieutenant,  and  Jus- 
tin Harlan,  second  lieutenant.  Both  these 
companies  served  with  distinction  until  the 
war  was  ended. 

The  next  call  upon  Clark  for  the  military 
services  of  her  sons,  was  in  the  war  with 
Mexico.  One  company  of  about  seventy-five 
men  was  raised  and  mustered  at  Marshall, 
and  officered  as  follows:  ^yiIIiam  B.  Archer, 
captain;  Nicholas  Hurst,  first  lieutenant,  and 
Charles  Whitlock,  second  lieutenant.  The 
company  left  Marshall  June  6,  1846,  and  was 
transported  to  Alton  in  wagons;  arrived  there 
and  reported  to  the  governor,  and  was  by 
him  received  as  company  number  twenty- 
seven,  on  the  9th  following.  The  company 
was  discharged  June  27,  184G,  the  State's 
quota  having  been  filled  by  previously  accept- 
ed troops.  By  an  act  of  the  Legislature,  of 
February  20,  1847,  the  sum  of  six  hundred 
dollars  was  appropriated  by  the  State  to  de- 
fray the  expenses  and  pay  for  the  services  of 
the  company;  and  Justin  Harlan,  Timothy 
R.  Young  and^Uri  Manlej-,  were  appointed 
a  B  lard  of  Commissioners  for  the  disburse- 
ment of  the  fund.  Several  members  of  the 
coinpaii}',  confident  that  it  would  not  be  re- 
ceived, and  anxious  to  serve  their  countr}-, 
enlisted  in  other  organizations,  and  served 
through  the  entire  war,  participating  in  its 
fiercest  battles,  one  being  killed  at  Buena 
Vista.  Among  these  were  the  Hon.  .James 
C  Robinson,  David  Dolson,  Austin  Handy, 
Daniel  and  Luther  Groves,  and  James  Ben- 
nett. 

The  next  occasion    upon    which  Clark   was 
called  upon  to  manifest  her  patriotism  and  de- 


votion to  the  country,  was  the  war  of  the  re- 
bellion 18G1-5.  It  is  unnecessary  to  refer  to 
the  causes  which  precipitated  that  stupen- 
dous struggle,  that  most  gigantic  civil  war  that 
marks  the  history  of  the  world,  for  they  are 
familiar  to  all. 

On  the  4th  of  March,  1861,    on  the    marble 
in  front  of  the  national  capitol,   in  the    pres- 
ence of  thronging  thousands  that  surged  like 
an  ocean  around  their    feet,  stood    two    men, 
Abraham  Lincoln  and  James   Buchanan,  one 
old  and  gray,   and  bowed   by  responsibilities 
and  years,  gladly  laying    down  the  burden  of 
his  power  and   august  position    over    a  great 
people,  for  the  quietude  of  a  peaceful  home; 
the  other,  accepting  the  thorny  glories  of  the 
White   House,  and  outward    bound    into  the 
wild  turmoil  of  contending   hosts  and  heroic 
deeds.     The    strife  of  opinions  and    clash  of 
factions  which  had  been  waxing  deeper    and 
stronger  between  the   North    and   South  con- 
centrated   after    Lincoln's   election,    and  the 
heart  of  the  Nation  was    almost  rent  in  twain 
before  he  took  the    inaugural  oath.     Already 
had  a  Southern  government    been  organized; 
already  had  the  Palmetto  flag  kissed  the  sky 
at  Montgomery.      And  when  these  two   men 
shook  hands,  it  was  a  supreme   moment  por- 
tentous with  mighty  events — the  commence- 
ment of  an  epoch  grand    and   terrible  in    the 
history  of  our  country.     And  when   Abraham 
Lincoln  solemnly    swore    to  preserve    intact 
the  Constitution  and  Union  of    his    fathers, 
peace  veiled  her  face,  and    shuddering,   fled 
before  the  darkening  pall  and  lowering  gloom 
of  intestine  war.     No  one    realized  the    com- 
ing terror,  or  thought  how    easy  it    was  for  a 
war  of  passions  to  verge  into  a  war  of   blood. 
The  idea  of  a  rebellion  that  would  rend  our  fair 
country  for  long  and  cruel  years,  that  would 
fill  the  whole  length   and  breadth  of  the  land 
with  widows  and  orphans,  was  not  recognized 
as  a  possibility.     The  people    hoped    against 
hope    that    tiie    calamity   of  war    would     bo 


260 


HISTORY    OF  CLARK  COUNTY. 


averted,  that  milder  counsels  would  prevail, 
that  some  plans  of  pacification  could  be 
united  upon.  But  all  iu  vain,  and  when  in 
the  twilight  calm  of  a  southern  morning  a 
screaming  shell  burst  over  Sumter,  its  rever- 
aberations  echoed  from  sea  to  sea,  and  aroused 
a  mighty  nation  to  arms.  How  little  did  the 
actors  in  that  opening  scene  dream  of  the 
horrors  that  were  to  follow! 

In  response  to  the  first  call  for  troops,  in 
early  May,  1S61,  a  company  was  at  once 
enlisted,  with.  Edwin  Harlan  as  captain,  and 
Nineveh  S.  McKeen  and  A.  G.  Austin  as  first 
iind  second  lieutenants.  It  was  afterward 
assigned  to  and  becam<^  Company  "  H,"  21st 
Infantry,  of  which  U.  S.  Grant  was  colonel, 
and  then  began  his  illustrious  military  career. 
The  next  were  Company  "  G,"  10th  Infantry, 
and  Company  "  B,"  2d  Artillery.  As  the  war 
progressed  old  Clark,  true  to  her  ^ancestry, 
sent  company  after  company.  She  was  rep- 
resented by  Companies  "  F,"  of  the  30th;  "  G," 
of  theSitii;  "C,"of  the  62d;  «  G,"  of  the 
70th;  "I,"  of  the  79th;  "  K,"  of  the  130th,  and 
"  G,"  of  the  152d  Regiments  of  Illinois  In- 
fantry. She  had  Company  "  K"  in  1st  Mis- 
souri Cavalry;  her  sons  fought  in  the  14th 
Indiana.  She  was  represented  by  detach- 
ments in  Illinois  and  other  State  regiments 
other  than  above  mentioned.  Space  pre- 
cludes an  extended  mention  of  each,  and 
comparisons  would  be  invidious.  Suffice  it 
to  say  they  fought  and  died  as  freemen,  and 
shed  imperishable  glory  on  the  arms  of  the 
State.  Clark,  throughout  that  long  and  des- 
perately contested  war,  sent  1,.560  men  to  the 
lioid,  over  one  tenth  her  population  at  the 
time,  of  which  number  it  is  safe  to  say,  one 
eighth  never  returned. 

Old  Clark  was  largely  represented  in  the 
War  of  the  Rebellion,  and  her  sons  fought  in 
nearly  every  important  battle  in  the  south 
and  soutliwest.  They  were  in  that  gallant 
host  that  captured  Forts  Henry   and   Donel- 


son.  They  stood  in  the  murderous  hail  at 
Crab  Orchard  and  Stone  River.  They  stormed 
at  Lookout  midst  iiissing  shot  and  hurtling 
shell,  and  planted  the  banner  of  their  coun- 
try amid  the  war  and  shock  of  battle  upon  his 
dizzy  crest.  At  Chickamauga  they  rallied 
around  that  "  Rock  of  the  Union,"  General 
Thomas,  and  aided  in  stemming  the  tide  of 
inglorious  defeat.  They  charged  at  Fred- 
ericktown  and  fouglit  at  Mission  Ridge. 
Their  blood  crimsoned  the  fated  field  of  Shiloh, 
and  reddened  the  sod  at  Atlanta.  They 
were  in  the  sieges  of  Vickfburg  and  Mobile, 
at  Corinth  and  the  Wilderness.  Before  Nash- 
ville, at  Franklin  and  Five  Forks.  They 
were  in  that  wonderful  masterpiece  of  modern 
warfare,  unequaled  in  its  boldness  of  concep- 
tion and  execution  in  the  histor}"-  of  the  world, 
in  that  army  that  swept  to  the  sea,  and  thence 
northward  through  the  Carolinas  and  Virginia. 
They  wore  out  their  lives  in  weary  waiting 
and  hopeless  captivity  amidst  the  cruelty  and 
disease  of  loathsome  prison  pens,  and  their 
ashes  repose  at  Andersonville  and  Tyler. 
The  bones  of  her  children  rest  in  unmarked 
graves  along  the  lonely  bayous  of  Texas  and 
Louisiana.  In  the  dusky  glades  of  the  Wilder- 
ness, in  the  sunny  savannahs  of  Georgia,  at 
the  foot  of  frowning  Lookout.  And  their 
bones  reposing  on  the  fields  they  helped  to 
win,  and  in  the  graves  they  fill,  are  a  perpet- 
ual pledge  that  no  flag  shall  ever  wave  over 
their  silent  dust  but  the  flag  they  died  to 
maintain. 

Herewith  are  appended  the  muster-rolls  of 
the  two  companies  furnished  by  Clark  County, 
during  the  Black  Hawk  War,  and  also  the 
names  of  those  who  served,  during  the  war 
with  Mexico.  They  are  appended  in  the 
belief  that  it  is  eminently  appropriate  that  the 
names  and  memories  of  these  gallant  men 
should  be  perpetuated  within  the  pages  of 
this  work,  and  that  it  will  be  a  matter  of  in- 
terest to  their  descendants,  for  generations  to 


HISTORY  OF  CLARK  COUNTy. 


2G3 


come.  The  first  company  raised  in  the  Black 
Hawk  War,  %vas  that  of  William  B.  Archer, 
of  wiiicli  Tnentioii  has  herotoforo  been  made. 
It  was  known  as  Gapt.  Royal  A.  Knott's 
company  of  the  1st  Regiment  of  the  2nd 
Brigade,  Illinois  Mounted  Volunteers,  called 
into  tiie  service  of  the  United  States  by  the 
Governor's  proclamation  of  May  15,  1832,  and 
Inustered  out  August  15,  1832. 

The  following  is  the  roster: 

Daniel  Poorman,  1st  Lieut. 

George  W.  Young,  2d  Lieut,  discharged 
July  21^,  1832.     Lost  mare. 

Sergeants. — Stephen  Archer,  John  Fears, 
James  I.i0ckard,  Oliver  C.  Lawell. 

Corporals. — William  T.  McClure,  James 
Du-ilap,  discharged  July  31,  1832;  Noah 
B ijauchamp,  discharged  July  31,  1833;  John 
W.  Thompson,  lost  mare,'saddle,  bridle  and 
i)!anket. 

Privates. — Jesse  K.  Archer,  Daniel  Boone, 
lost  horse,  strayed  away;  Samuel  Burk,  lost 
iiorse;  William  Bostick,  George  Berry,  Thos. 
F.  Bennett,  Theophilus  Cooper,  lost  his  horse; 
Joel  Cowen,  Chalkley  L.  Cooper,  lost  mare; 
Jeremiah  Crip,  lost  mare;  Martin  L.  Cheno- 
iveth,  Alexander  H.  DeHart,  discharged  July 
!J!,  18:;2;  Lorenzo  D.  D.-Hart,  disch.  July  21, 
1S32;  Alhanan  Davis,  Daniel  Davis,  Samuel 
Dolsiin,  furloughed,  Aug.  9,  1832;  Andrew 
Fleming,  discharged  July,  21,  1832;  Ahalis 
Faiiin,  horse  worn  out;  Phineas  Fears,  lost 
his  blaid<et;  Martin  Grove,  John  B.  Grant, 
James  E.  Henderson,  Hez.  A.  Henderson, 
Sanford  Johnson,  Moses  Kennedy,  discharged 
July  21,  1832;  Marshall  Lafferty,  Artemas 
I-athrop,  William  McCabe,  John  McCabe, 
Jolm  McGuire,  Thomas  Minor,  Benj.  Ogden, 
sick  and  furloughed  June  21;  Nehemiah 
Ogdcn,  Absalom  O.  Peters,  Samuel  Poorman, 
discharged  July  21 ;  Samuel  Prevo,  furloughad 
August  7,  1832;  Ira  Prevo,  Ebenezer  Payne, 
discharged  July  2] ;  Lyman  B.  Squires,  Elon 
Sharp,  lost  lilaiikct;  Jatnes  Shaw,  Elijah  Staf- 


ford, discharged  July  21;  John  Van  Winkle 
lost  his  blanket;  John  Waters,  lost  his  horse; 
Thomas  Wailo,  Thomas  White,  lost  his  horse. 

This  company  of  volutiteers  assembled  in 
Darwin,  Clark  County,  Illinois,  May  31st, 
1832,  and  then  and  there  elected  officers;  and 
from  that  place  marched  June  3,  1832,  and 
under  the  Governor's  oruer  rendezvoused  at 
Hennepin,  on  the  Illinois  river,  June  11;  next 
day  marched  and  arrived  at  Fort  Wilbourn, 
Lower  Rapid,  Illinois  river,  and  the  company 
was  mustered  into  the  United  States'  service 
June  19th,  1832. 

August  15,  1832,  (signed)  Royal  A.  Knott, 
Captain . 

The  next  command  was  Captain  John  F. 
Richardson's  company,  of  Spy  B.ittalion,  2d 
Brigade  Illinois  Militia  Mounted  Volunteers, 
called  into  service  same  as  company  forego- 
ing; organized  June  5,  1832,  marched  to  Fort 
Wilbourn  and  was  mustered  into  the  service 
of  the  United  States  June  19,  1832,  and  mus- 
tered out  at  Dixon's  Ferry,  Rock  River,  Illi- 
nois, August  15,  1832. 

The  following  is  the  roster: 

Woodford  Dunlaney,  1st  Lieut,  furloughed 
August  4,  1832;  Justin  Harlan,  2d  Lieut,  fur- 
loughed August  4,  1832. 

Sergeants. — Jacob  Dolson,  John  Wilson, 
lost  horse,  saddle  and  bridle ;  Asher  V.  Bur- 
well,  lost  saddle  and  spancels;  R  )bert  David- 
son, horse  gave  out,  left  at  Ft.  Winnebago. 

Coqiorals.— Christian  Jeffers,  Nathan  Hal- 
lenbeck,  Richard  Ross,  George  Wilson. 

Privates. — Zeno  A.  Ashmore,  Samuel  M. 
Biggs,  furnished  Martin  I.,.  Ashmore,  as  suiist. ; 
Franklin  Cooper,  lost  horse  and  saddle; 
Daniel  Davidson,  Aspano  Elliot,  Andrew 
Hadden,  supposed  to  have  been  discharged; 
Samuel  Hadden,  supposed  to  have  been  dis- 
charged; .Joseph  Hf)gue,  sup]iosed  to  have 
been  discharged;  George  Johnson,  supposed 
to  have  been  discharged;  John  Kerr,  sup- 
posed   to    have    been  discharged;  Conrad  F. 


264 


HISTORY  OF  CLARK  COUNTY. 


Locker,  lost  his  horse;  Joseph  W.  Markle, 
Stephen  Nott,  Nineveh  Shaw,  appointeil  ad- 
jutant; Cyrus  Sharp,  Martin  Thomas,  Robert 
Taylor,  deserted  June  20;  James  Williams, 
Gideon  B.  White,  Samuel  White,  lost  his  gun 
and  blankets;  Luther  White,  Robert  White, 
Tarleton  Wheeler,  lost  his  horse;  Alexander 
Yocum,  Abel  Laugham,  supposed  to  be  dis- 
charged. 

Mexican  War. — As  has  been  elsewhere  re- 
marked, Clark  had  no  distinct  organization 
in  the  war  with  Mexico.  After  the  rejection, 
bv  the  governor,  of  the  company  from  this 
county,  several  of  its  members  enlisted  in 
other  organizations,  and  served  through  the 
war.  The  following  list  is  reasonably  accu- 
rate, though  others  may  have  served  whose 
names  are  not  embraced  within  it. 

In  company  "  K,"  Capt.  Lyman  Mowers, 
of  the  First  Regiment  Illinois  Foot  Volun- 
teers, commanded  by  Colonel  John  J.  Hardin, 


were  the  follovvlnir  privates:  David  Dolson, 
Isaac  English,  Stephen  Elam,  Lyman  Guin- 
nip,  Jonathan  Groves,  Luther  Groves,  Aus- 
tin Handy,  Cyrus  Lathrop  and  W.  H.  Robin- 
son. They  were  enrolled  June  18,  1846,  at 
Alton,  and  were  discharged  June  17,  1847,  at 
Camargo,  Mexico.  In  company  "  D,"  Captain 
W.  W.  Bishop,  of  the  Third  Regiment,  Illi- 
nois Volunteers,  Col.  Ferris  Fornian,  were 
Sergeant  Burns  Harlan,  left  wounded  in 
hospital  at  Vera  Cruz,  May  7,  1847,  and 
Corporal  James  C.  Robinson.  Their  company 
participated  in  the  siege  of  Vera  Cruz,  and 
at  the  battle  of  Cerro  Gordo,  and  was  dis- 
charged at  New  Orleans,  May  21,  1847.  In 
company  "  H,"  Captain  John  S.  McConkey, 
of  the  Fourth  Regiment,  under  Col.  E.  D. 
Baker,  was  Robert  JI.  Eaton,  discharged  Oc- 
tober 13,  1846,  in  Mexico,  on  surgeon's  cer- 
tificate of  disability. 


CHAPTEE    Y. 


EDUCATIONAL— FIRST  STEPS   TOWARD    KNOWLEDGE— SCHOOL    LANDS   AND   THE    FUND 
DERIVED  FROM  THEM— THE   DUNCAN  SCHOOL  LAW— TAXES  FOR    EDUCATION- 
AL PURPOSES— CHANGES  OF    THE  SCHOOL  LAWS— FIRST  SCHOOLS 
OF  THE  COUNTY— EARLY  TEMPLES  OF  LEARNING  AND 
PIONEER  TEACHERS— ACADEMIES  AND  COL- 
LEGES—STATISTICS, ETC.,  ETC. 


"  'Tis  education  forms  the  common  mintl: 
Just  as  the  twig  is  bent  the  tree's  inclined." 

A  S  early  as  1G47,  the  question  of  educating 
-TL  the  masses  throuu^h  the  medium  of  cotn- 
mon  schools  was  agitated  in  New  England.  In 
that  year,  an  act  was  passed,  to  enaljle  "  every 
child  rich  and  poor  alike,  to  learn  to  read 
its  own  language."  This  was  followed  by 
another  act,  giving  to  every  town  or  district, 
h  M  in_'  tiftv  houseliolders,  the  right  to  have  a 
cominoii  school,  and  to  every  town  or  district 
having  one  hundred  families,  a  grammar 
school  taught  by  teachers  competent  to  pre- 
pare youths  for  college.  An  eminent  writer, 
in  after  years,  commenting  upon  this  act, 
stales  it  to  be  the  "  first  iiistance  in  Christen- 
dom where  a  civil  government  took  measures 
to  confer  upon  its  youth  the  blessings  of  edu- 
(•  ition."  "  And  never  before,"  he  adds,  "  was 
embodied  in  practice,  a  principle  so  compre- 
hensive in  its  nature,  and  so  fruitful  in  good 
results,  as  that  of  training  a  nation  of  intelli- 
g.^nt  people,  by  educating  all  of  its  youth." 
When  our  forefathers,  nearly  a  century  and 
a  half  later,  declared  in  the  ordinance  of  ITSi', 
that  "knowledge,  with  religion  and  morality 
was  necessary  to  the  good  government  and 
happiness  of  mankind,"  they  struck  the  ke^'- 
note  of  American  liberty. 

The  educational  history  of  the  county, 
should  intereso  every  reader  of  this  work, 
more   perhaps   than  any    other   subject   men- 


tioned and  treated  in  the  genera!  history  of 
Clark.  When  the  survey  of  the  Northwest 
territory  was  ordered  by  Congress,  it  was  de- 
creed that  every  sixteenth  section  of  land 
should  be  reserved  for  the  maintenance  of 
public  schools  within  each  township.  The  fa- 
mous ordinance  of  July  13,  1787,  proclaimed 
that  "schools  and  the  means  of  education, 
should  forever  be  encouraged."  B  .■  the  act 
of  Congress  of  April  IS,  1818,  enabling  the 
people  of  Illinois  to  form  a  Sta  e  Constitution, 
the  "section  numbered  si.xteen  in  every  town- 
ship, and  when  such  section  has  been  sold,  or 
otherwise  disposed  of,  other  lands  equivalent 
thereto,  and  as  contiguous  as  may  be,  should 
be  granted  to  the  State,  for  the  use  of  the  in- 
habitants of  such  township  for  the  support  of 
schools.  The  act  further  recites,  "  That  five 
per  cent  of  the  net  proceeds  of  the  lands  ly- 
ing within  said  State,  and  which  shall  be  sold 
by  Congress  from  and  after  the  first  day  of 
January,  1819,  after  deducting  all  expenses 
incident  to  the  same,  shall  be  reserved  for 
the  purposes  following:  two  fifths  to  be  dis- 
bursed under  the  direction  of  Congress,  in 
making  roads  leading  to  the  State;  the  resi- 
due to  be  appropriated  bj'  the  Legislature  of 
the  State  for  the  encouragement  of  learning, 
of  which  one  si.\th  part  shall  be  exclusively 
bestowed  on  a  college  or  university."  In 
other  words.  Congress  donated  to  the  State  a 
full   township,    six   miles  square,  for  seminary 


203 


HISTORY   OF  CLARK  COUNTY. 


purposes,  and  the  thirty-sixth  part  of  all  the 
residue  of  public  lands  in  the  State,  and  thrie 
per  cent  of  the  net  proceeds  of  the  sales  ot 
the  remainder,  to  support  common  schools,  and 
promote  education  in  the  then  infant  State. 
Truly  a  most  magnificent  and  princely  dona- 
tion and  provision  for  education.  The  six- 
teenth section,  so  donated,  amounted  in  the 
State  to  nearly  a  million  acres;  in  Clark  Coun- 
ty, to  about  nine  thousand  acres. 

Laws  were  first  made  directing  county  com- 
missioners courts  to  appoint  three  trustees  for 
the  school  land  in  each  township,  where  the 
inhabitants  of  such  townships  numbered 
twenty  white  persons.  The  first  school  trust- 
ees in  Clark  County,  were  appointed  Decem- 
ber 2,  1819,  and  were  Samuel  Prevo,  William 
Lockard  and  William  B.  Archer,  for  Union, 
or  what  is  now  York  township;  Charles  Neely, 
Zaccheus  Hassel  and  John  McClure  for  Du- 
bois, now  Darwin  township;  Thomas  Black, 
Richard  Armstrong  and  Samuel  Peery  for 
Washington,  now  Wabash  township;  Jona- 
than Mayo,  Lewis  Murphy  and  John  Stratton 
for  a  township  then  in  this  county,  and  lying 
about  seven  miles  north  of  the  jjresent  town 
of  Paris.  The  commissioners  also  appointed 
three  trustees  for  the  school  section  lying  two 
miles  east  of  the  city  of  Danville  then  in  this 
county.  These  trustees  had  power  to  lease 
the  school  lands  at  public  outcry,  after  twen- 
ty days  notice,  to  the  highest  bidder,  for  any 
period  not  exceeding  ten  years,  the  rents  to  be 
paid  in  improvements,  or  in  shares  of  the 
products  raised.  The  laws  were  crude,  and 
fell  far  short  of  their  intended  object.  The 
school  lands  under  the  lessee  or  rental  arrange- 
ment, yielded  little  or  no  revenue;  many  of 
the  renters  having  no  title  to,  nor  common  in- 
terest in  the  land,  only  opened  and  cultivated 
enough  for  a  bare  support,  and  of  course  pro- 
duced nothing  to  divide.  Then  squatters  took 
possession  of  a  considerable  portion,  and 
wasted    the  timber,  and  in  many  ways  depre- 


ciated the  value  of  the  lands.  As  a  result,  the 
cause  of  education  languished,  and  was  at  a 
stand-still  for  years.  Tiiere  were  a  great 
many  influences  and  obstacles  in  the  way  of  a 
general  diffusion  of  knowledge.  The  settle- 
ments were  sparse,  and  money  or  other  means 
of  remunerating  teachers  were  scarce.  And 
teachers  competent  to  impart  even  the  com- 
mon rudiments  of  an  English  education  were 
few  and  school  books  were  fewer. 

This  state  of  affairs  continued  until  1835, 
when  Joseph  Duncan,  then  a  member  of  he 
State  senate,  and  afterwards  joint  owner  with 
W.  B.  Archer,  of  the  lands  on  which  Mar- 
shall is  situated,  introduced  a  bill  for  the  sup- 
port of  common  schools  by  a  public  tax.  The 
preamble  to  the  act,  appended,  was  as 
follows:  "To  enjo}' our  righs  and  liberties, 
we  must  understand  them;  their  security  and 
protection  ought  to  be  the  first  object  of  a 
free  people;  and  it  is  a  well-established  fact, 
that  no  nation  has  ever  continued  long  in  the 
enjoyment  of  civil  and  political  freedom, 
which  was  not  both  virtuous  and  enl'ghtened; 
and  believing  that  the  advancement  of  litera- 
ture always  has  been,  and  ever  will  be  the 
means  of  developing  more  fully  the  rights  of 
man:  that  the  mind  of  every  citizen  in  a  re- 
public is  the  common  property  of  society; 
and  constitutes  the  basis  of  its  strength  and 
happiness;  it  is  therefore  considered  the  pe- 
culiar duty  of  a  free  government,  like  ours,  to 
encourage  and  extend  the  improvement  and 
cultivation  of  the  intellectual  energies  of  the 
whole." 

.  This  admirable  law  gave  education  a  power- 
ful impetus,  and  common  schools  flourished 
in  almost  every  settlement.  But  the  liw 
was  in  advance  of  the  civilization  of  the  times. 
The  early  settlers  had  left  the  older  States, 
and  plunged  into  the  wilderness,  braving 
countless  dangers  and  privations,  in  order  to 
better  their  individual  fortunes,  and  to  escape 
the  burdens  of  taxation,  which  advanced  re- 


HISTORY  OF  CLARK  COUNTY. 


207 


fineiiient  and  culture  in  any  people,  invariably 
impose.  Hence  the  law  was  the  subject  of 
much  bitter  opposition.  The  very  idea  of  a  tax 
was  so  hateful,  that  even  the  poorest  preferred 
to  pay  all  that  was  necessary  for  the  tuition  of 
their  children,  or  keep  them  in  ignorance,  as 
was  generally  the  case,  rather  than  submit  to 
the  mere  name  of  tax.  This  law,  is  the  foun- 
dation upon  which  rests  the  supersti-ucture  of 
the  common  school  sj-stem  of  to-day.  In 
fact,  our  present  educational  laws  contain 
nearly  all  its  salient  and  distinctive  features. 
The  law  provided  for  the  division  of  town- 
ships into  school  districts,  in  each  of  which 
were  elected  three  trustees,  corresponding  to 
directors  of  the  present  day,  one  clerk,  one 
treasurer,  one  assessor  and  one  collector. 
The  trustees  of  each  district,  had  supreme 
control  and  management  of  the  school  within 
the  same,  and  the  employment  of  teachers  and 
fixing  their  remuneration.  They  were  re- 
quired to  make  an  annual  report  to  the  county 
commissioners  court  of  the  number  of  chil- 
dren living  within  the  bounds  of  such  district, 
between  the  ages  of  five  and  twenty-one 
j'ears,  and  what  number  of  them  were  act- 
ually sent  to  school,  with  a  certificate  of  the 
time  a  school  was  kept  up,  with  the  expenses 
of  tlie  same.  Persons  over  the  age  of  twenty- 
one  years, V'^re  permitted  to  attend  school 
upon  the  order  of  the  trustees.  And  it  was  no 
uncommon  thing  for  men  beyond  the  meridian 
of  life,  to  be  seen  at  school  with  their  chil- 
dren. The  law  required  teachers  at  the  close 
of  their  schools,  to  prepare  schedules,  giving 
alphabetically,  the  names  of  attemling  pupils, 
with  their  ages,  the  total  number  of  days 
each  pupil  attended,  the  aggregate  number 
of  days  attended,  the  average  daily  attend- 
ance, and  the  standing  of  each  scholar.  This 
schedule  was  submitted  to  the  trustees  for 
their  approval,  as  no  teacher  was  paid  any 
remuneration,  except  on  presentation  to  the 
treasurer    of   his    schedule,  signed  by    a   ma- 


jority of  the  trustees.  The  law  further  pro- 
vided that  all  common  schools  should  be  main- 
tained and  supported  by  a  direct  public  tax. 
School  taxes  were  Dayable  either  in  money 
or  in  produce,  and  teachers  would  take  tiie 
produce  at  market  price,  or  if  there  was  no 
current  value,  the  price  was  fixed  by  arbitra- 
tion. Peltries  were  received  in  full  payment 
of  school  taxes.  It  is  related  that  the  salary 
of  a  teacher  named  Malcom,  for  a  ten  weeks 
school,  was  once  paid  wholly  in  coon  skins. 
And  that  the  pedagogue  carried  them  on  his 
back  to  Vincennes,  a  distance  of  over  thirty 
miles,  and  there  disposed  of  them. 

When  this  wise  and  wholesome  law  was 
repealed  by  the  Legislature,  General  Duncan 
wrote,  as  if  gifted  with  prophecy,  "That  com- 
ing generations  would  see  the  wisdom  of  his 
law,  and  would  engraft  its  principles  on  their 
statute  books;  that  changes  in  the  condition 
of  society,  might  render  diiFerent  applications 
of  the  same  necessary,  but  that  the  principle 
was  eternal  and  the  essence  of  free  and 
enlightened  governments."  "  And,"  he  ad- 
ded, "  legislators  who  voted  against  the 
measure,  will  yet  live  to  see  the  day,  when 
all  the  children  of  the  State  will  be  educated 
through  the  medium  of  common  schools,  sup- 
ported and  maintained  by  a  direct  tax  upon 
the  people,  the  burden  falling  upon  the  rich 
and  poor  in  proportion  to  their  worldly  pos- 
sessions." These  predictions  are  yellow  with 
the  years  of  a  half  century  and  over,  and 
have  been  faithfully  fulfilled  and  verified. 

The  Duncan  School  Law,  as  it  was  called, 
remained  in  force  only  a  little  over  two  years, 
when  it  was  repealed.  It  was,  substantially, 
that  the  legal  voters  of  any  school  district, 
had  power,  at  anj'  of  their  meetings,  to  cause 
either  the  whole  or  one  half  of  the  sum 
necessary  to  maintain  and  conduct  a  school 
in  said  district,  to  be  raised  by  taxation.  And 
if  the  voters  decided  that  only  one  half  of 
such  required  amount  was  to  be  so  raised,  the 


23S 


HISTORY  OF  CLARK  COUNTY. 


remainder  was  to  be  pa'd  by  the  parents, 
masters  and  guardians,  in  proportion  to  the 
number  of  pupils  which  each  of  them  might 
send  to  such  school.  No  person,  however, 
could  be  taxed  for  the  support  of  any  free 
school,  unless  by  his  or  her  consent  first  ob- 
tained in  writing.  Though  all  persons  re- 
fusing to  be  taxed,  were  precluded  from 
sending  pupils  to  such  school.  In  almost 
everv  district  there  were  those  who  had  no 
children  to  educate,  and  then  there  was  an 
uncivilized  element  of  frontier  life,  who  be- 
lieved education  was  a  useless  and  unnec- 
essary accomplishment,  and  only  needful  to 
divines  and  lawyers.  That  bone  and  muscle, 
and  the  ability  to  labor,  were  the  only  re- 
quirements necessary  to  fit  their  daughters 
and  sons  for  the  practical  duties  of  life.  A 
proverb  then  current,  was:  "  The  more  book 
learning,  the  more  rascals."  To  quote  a 
locahsm  of  the  day:  "Gals  didn't  need  to 
know  nothin'  about  books,  and  all  that  boys 
orter  know,  was  how  to  grub,  maul  rails  and 
hunt."  That  senseless  prejudice,  born  of 
the  civilization  of  the  time,  has  descended  in 
a  slight  degree  to  the  present,  and  yet  tinges 
the  complexion  of  society  in  some  localities 
in  our  county. 

The  law  required  the  trustees,  when  they 
deemed  it  expedient,  to  divide  the  township 
into  school  districts,  so  that  each  district 
should  not  contain  a  less  number  than 
eighteen  scolars;  and  that  the  funds  arising 
from  the  rents  of  school-lands,  should  be  paid 
over  to  the  several  districts,  in  proportion  to 
the  number  of  attending  scholars,  to  be  ap- 
plied toward  employing  a  school  teacher,  etc. 
At  this  time,  18:37-8,  there  were  only  three 
or  four  schools  in  the  county.  This  law  was 
repealed  January  22, 1829,  and  a  law  enacted 
the  same  date,  provided  that  the  sixteenth 
section,  given  by  the  government  to  each 
township,  might  be  sold  upon  petition  of  nine 


tenths  of  the  freeholders  of  the  township, 
to  the  trustees  of  school  lands,  the  proceeds 
to  be  loaned  on  real  estate  and  personal 
security,  and  the  interest  to  be  applied 
toward  the  payment  of  teachers.  The  lands 
not  to  be  sold  for  less  than  government  price, 
one  dollar  and  twenty- five  cents  per  acre. 
This  law  was  repealed  in  turn,  by  an  act  of 
the  Legislature  of  February  15,  1831,  which 
provided  th:it  three  fourths  of  the  white  male 
inhabitants  of  anj'  township  could  petition 
for  the  sale  of  their  school  section,  the  pro- 
ceeds to  be  loaned  at  the  highest  obtainable 
rate  of  interest.  The  law  furthur  provided, 
that  any  five  citizens,  of  any  school  district, 
could  borrow  any  sum  not  exceeding  two 
hundred  dollars,  for  a  period  not  exceeding 
ten  years,  for  the  purpose  of  erecting  a  school- 
bouse. 

Not  one  of  all  these  laws  embodied,  nor 
did  they  for  many  years  after,  embody,  a 
standard  of  qualifications  for  teachers.  All 
that  was  necessary,  was  for  the  instructor  to 
satisfy  the  people  and  trustees  hiring  them. 
As  a  consequence,  many  of  the  early  schools 
were  of  a  poor  description.  The  teachers,  as 
a  rule,  were  illiterate,  their  acquirements  con- 
sisting of  a  smattering  knowledge  of  the 
trinal  branches  of  early  day  teaching,  namely: 
reading,  writing  and  ciphering,  which  were 
then  considered  to  comprise  all  needful  learn- 
ino-.  Geography,  history  and  grammar,  were 
never  taught,  the  latter  being  considered  as 
especially  useless  and  superfluous.  Once  at 
at  a  debate,  where  the  question,  "  whether 
or  not  grammar  was  necessary  to  learning," 
was  discussed,  a  pioneer  teacher  paralyzed 
his  opponents,  and  demolished  their  argu- 
ment, by  declaring  that  "  grammar  was 
like  the  top-knot  of  a  jay  bird — more  for 
ornament  than  for  use."  "For,"  he  con- 
tinued, "  what  difference  does  it  make 
whether  a  fellow  says  onions  or  ingens,'  so  ho 


HISTORY  OF  CLARK  COUNTY. 


2(i1 


can  finger,  and  tell  what  five  and  a  half 
bushels  come  to  at  twenty-three  and  three 
fourths  cents  a  bushel." 

A  portion  of  the  school  fund  received  from 
the  State,  known  as  the  "  State  Interest 
Fund,"  and  which  has  been  paid  regularly 
for  over  half  a  century  for  the  support  of 
common  schools,  occurred  substantially  in  this 
way:  In  1828  the  practice  of  selling  the 
school  lands  was  first  inaugurated.  The  sys- 
tem was  continued  under  various  laws,  to 
follow  which,  through  all  their  ramifications, 
would  necessitate  tedious  prolixity,  and  be  of 
no  interest  to  the  reader.  The  proceeds  of 
such  sales,  together  with  the  3  per  cent  of 
the  net  proceeds  of  the  sale  of  public  lands, 
were  paid  into  the  State  treasury,  and  were 
disbursed  by  legislative  authority,  as  other 
moneys.  But  the  State  only  borrowed  these 
funds,  and  agreed  to  pay  interest  on  them. 
Under  the  law  trustees  of  school  lands  were 
authorized  to  invest  the  funds  resulting  from 
their  sale  in  auditor's  warrants,  and  State 
p;ipor,  as  the  notes  of  the  State  bank  were 
then  called,  at  any  discount  they  were  able  to 
procure.  These  vouchers  were  received  by 
the  State  at  face  value,  and  interest  was  paid 
on  them  at  the  rate  of  3  per  cent  per  annum 
to  February  15, 1831,  when  ttie  interest  was 
added  to  the  principal,  the  State  paying  G 
per  cent  interest  on  the  aggregate,  and  so 
on,  adding  the  yearly  interest  to  the  princi- 
pal, until  December  31,  1833,  when  the  total 
amount  became  the  jirincipal,  to  which  has 
been  added  ail  amounts  since  received,  and 
on  the  total  the  State  pays  an  annual  interest, 
which  is  distributed  yearly  among  the  coun- 
ties, the  share  of  each  being  proportioned  to 
its  school  population. 

The  first  educational  effort  attempted  in  the 
county  was  a  school  taught  by  Peleg  Spencer, 
west  of  York  on  Union  Prairie,  about  the 
year  1820.  He  afterward  removed  to  Law- 
rence County,  and  is  described  as  having  been 


a  successful  teacher  for  the  period,  but  very 
harsh  and  severe;  a  grim  tyrant  in  his  little 
literary  realm,  over  which  he  ruled  with  des- 
potic sway.  He  was  a  conscientious  man, 
it  is  said,  and  ever  bore  in  mind  the  golden 
maxim.  "Spare  the  rod,  and  spoil  the  child." 
And  from  his  freedom  with  the  hazel  and 
hickory  it  is  safe  to  say  his  pupils  were  not 
spoiled.  The  next  school  was  on  Walnut 
Prairie,  in  a  log  building,  where  the  brick 
school-house,  near  Shaw's  Ferry,  on  the  Wa- 
bash, now  stands.  It  was  taught  by  Robert 
Taylor,  a  pioneer  and  highly  respected  citizen 
of  Clark,  and  who  died  in  1869.  Mr.  Taylor 
was  eminently  successful,  as  an  educator; 
was  a  marked  exception  and  far  superior  to 
the  teachers  of  his  da\'  and  age.  There  are 
estimable  citizens  now  living  in  the  county 
who  remember  him  as  their  best  benefactor. 
These  were  the  pioneer  schools  of  Clark 
County,  no  others  being  established  until 
about  the  year  ] 825,  under  the  Duncan  law, 
when  three  or  four  were  put  into  operation: 
one  in  Washington,  now  Wabash  Township, 
and  was  taught  by  a  man  named  Johnson; 
one  near  the  present^ town  of  Westfield,  and 
one  near  Charleston,  which  was  then  included 
in  this  county.  After  the  repeal  of  the  Dun- 
can law,  education,  for  over  a  generation,  was 
in  anything  but  a  flourishing  condition, 
either  in  the  county  or  State.  Like  the  stag- 
nant waters  of  a  southern  lagoon,  it  was  dif- 
ficult to  tell  whether  the  current  flowed  back- 
ward or  forward.  For  nearly  forty  years  the 
school-houses,  school  books,  school  teachers 
and  the  manner  of  instruction,  were  of  the 
most  primitive  character  throughout  a  large 
portion  of  the  county. 

The  early  school-houses,  as  a  general  thing, 
were  of  the  poorest  and  rudest  kind,  and  are 
fully  described  in  other  chapters  of  this  work. 
A  few  of  these  humble  school-houses — time- 
worn  relics  of  the  early  days — are  yet  stand- 
ing, eloquent    of  an  age    forever    past.     The 


270 


HISTOEY  Of  CLARK  COUNTY. 


writer  recalls  one,  rotten  and  shaky  to  the 
last  degree,  and  serving  as  a  receptacle  for  a 
farmer's  corn-fodder.  The  huge,  open-throated 
chimney  has  fallen  down;  the  broad  clap- 
boards of  the  roof,  held  on  by  crumbling  and 
worm-eaten  weight  poles,  are  deeply  covered 
with  moss  and  mold;  the  rude  door  is  gone 
and  the  puncheon  floor  has  disappeared.  The 
The  genius  of  learning  has  long  since  flown 
to  finer  quarters,  and  over  the  whole  edifice 
hangs  a'  gloom — a  mist  of  decay. 

The  old-time  pedagogue  was  a  marked  and 
distinctive  character  of  our  early  history — 
one  of  the  vital  forces  of  our  earlier  growth. 
He  considered  the  matter  of  imparting  the 
limited  knowledge  he  possessed,  a  mere  ques- 
tion of  effort,  in  which  the  physicial  element 
predominated.  If  he  couldn't  talk  or  read  it 
into  a  pupil,  he  took  a  stick  and  mauled  it 
into  him.  This  method,  though  somewhat 
distasteful  to  the  urchin,  always  had  a  charm- 
ing result, — a  few  blubbers,  red  eyes  and  a 
good  lesson.  The  schoolmaster,  usually,  by 
common  consent  was  a  personage  of  distinc- 
tion and  importance.  He  was  of  higher  au- 
thority, even  in  the  law,  than  the  justice  of 
the  peace,  and  ranked  him  in  social  position. 
He  was  considered  the  intellectual  center,of 
the  neighborhood,  and  was  consulted  upon  all 
subjects,  public  and  private.  Generally,  he 
was  a  Hard-shell  Baptist  in  religion,  a  Demo- 
crat in  politics,  and  worshipped  General  Jack- 
son as  his  political  patron  saint.  But  the  old- 
time  pedagogue — the  pioneer  of  American 
letters — is  a  thing  of  the  past,  and  we  shall 
never  see  his  like  again.  He  is  ever  in  the 
van  of  advancing  civilization,  and  fled  before 
the  whistle  of  the  locomotive,  or  the  click  of 
the  telegraph  were  heard.  He  can  not  live 
within  the  pale  of  progress.  His  race  became 
extinct  here  over  a  quarter  of  a  century  ago, 
when  our  common  school  system  began  to 
take  firm  hold,  and  became  a  fixed  institution 
among   our  people.     Our   older    citizens  re- 


member him,  l)ut  to  the  young  of  to-day,  he 
is  a  myth,  and  only  lives  in  story  and  tradi- 
tion. 

The  Legislature,  in  18.37,  again  revised  the 
school  law,  making  several  important  changes, 
repealing  many  objectionable  features  of  for- 
mer enactments,  and  adding  several  wise  and 
liberal  amendments.  Under  this  act,  any 
township  might  become  incorporated  by  a 
two  thirds  vote  of  the  inhabitants.  Three 
trustees  were  elected,  whose  duty  it  was  to 
divide  the  township  into  school  districts. 
Teachers  were  to  be  paid  wholly,  or  as  far  as 
the  same  might  extend,  out  of  the  interest 
arising  from  the  proceeds  of  the  sales  of  school 
lands,  then  or  thereafter  made.  Any  excess 
remaining,  was  to  be  added  to  the  principal 
of  the  township  fund,  at  the  option  of  the 
trustees,  and  any  existing  deficiency  to  be 
raised  cither  by  taxation  or  subscription,  as 
the  voters  might  determine.  No  teacher  was 
to  be  paid,  except  on  presentation  to  the  town- 
ship treasurer,  of  a  certificate  of  qualification 
to  teach.  A  section  of  this  act,  and  which  is 
embodied  in  the  school  law  of  the  present 
day,  created  what  is  [cnown  as  the  Surplus 
Revenue  fund,  and  from  it  is  derived  a  por- 
tion of  the  State  Interest  fund. 

The  first  step  toward  establishing  a  higher 
or  more  advanced  institution  of  learning  in 
the  county,  than  the  common  district  school 
was  in  1839,  when  a  bill  was  passed  incorpo- 
rating the  "  Marshall  Academy,"  with  Wil- 
liam B.  Archer,  James  Whitlock,  William  U. 
Griffith,  Channing  Madison,  Justin  Harlan, 
Nineveh  Shaw,  William  McKeen,  Woodford 
Dulaney,  Stephen  Archer,  James  Plaster,  John 
Bartlett,  Jcmathau  K.  Greenough,  William 
Tutt,  Nathan  TelTt,  Thomas  T.  Wethers  and 
Joshua  P.  Cooper  as  trustees.  Stephen  Arch- 
er is  the  only  survivor  of  the  original  board. 
The  act  provided,  that  if  at  any  time,  the 
trustees  desired  to  change  the  character  of  the 
institution,  from  an  academy  to  a  college,  they 


HISTORY   OF  CLARK  COUNTY. 


271 


should  mi'inorialize  the  Legislatvire  to  that  ef- 
fect, when  a  liberal  charter  woulilbe  granted, 
with  all  the  necessary  powers  to  carry  the 
same  into  effect,  and  that  the  name  and  style 
should  he  the  "  .Marshall  College,  of  the  East- 
ern Division  of  Illinois."  The  first  academic 
building  stood  where  the  present  brick  high 
school  of  Marshall  is  situated;  it  was  a  long 
one-story  frame  structure,  and  was  afterward 
removed  to  the  present  premises  of  M.  R. 
Chenoweth.  The  academy  was  placed  in 
charge  of  the  late  Rev.  Dean  Andrews,  and 
many  are  the  living  representatives  through- 
out the  county,  who  received  instruction  in 
that  humble  building  and  from  that  able  pre- 
ceptor. The  main  portion  of  the  present 
brick  building  was  afterward  erected,  and 
about  18.5G,  the  building  and  grounds  were 
sold  to  the  Methodist  denomination,  which 
conducted  the  school  for  many  years.  In 
187^,  the  people  of  school  district,  num  >er 
five,  Marshall  township,  became  the  purchas- 
ers of  the  building  and  converted  it  into  a 
graded  c  muion  school,  and  by  additions  to 
it,  and  improvements  to  the  grounds,  have  ren- 
dered them  commodious  and  sightly. 

In  1839,  also,  a  law  was  passed,  incorporat- 
ing the  "Marshall  Female  Academy,"  with 
James  McGabe,  Isaac  Hill,  Thomas  Hender- 
son, Thomas  Carey,  Justin  Harlan,  John  Bart- 
lett,  Stephen  Archer,  Woodford  Dulaney  and 
"William  B.  Archer  as  trustees.  This  institu- 
tion was  never  carried  into  successful  oper- 
ation. 

Matters  pertaining  to  education  and  com- 
mon schools,  remained  substantially  un- 
changed until  184-3,  when  a  law  was  passed 
making  the  secretary  of  State  ex-officio  State 
superintendent  of  common  schools,  and  autho- 
rizing a  school  tax  to  be  levied  in  each  dis- 
trict, sul)ject  to  the  decision  of  the  voters. 
The  secretary  reported  to  the  Legislature  in 
1847,  that  the  common  schools  throughout  the 
State,  with  the  exception  of  a  few  localities, 


were  in  a  deplorable  condition,  especially  iu 
the  southern  portion. 

After  the  adoption  of  the  constitution  of 
1848,  the  school  law  was  again  revised  in  all 
its  details.  From  the  passage  of  this  act, 
dates  the  office  of  school  commissioner,  who 
was  made  ex-officio  county  superintendent. 
School  lands  could  be  sold  when  two  thirds 
of  the  white  male  inhabitants  thereof,  over 
twenty-one  years  of  age,  should  petition  the 
school  commissioner.  Each  congressional 
township,  was  established  as  a  township  for 
school  purposes;  the  law  provided  for  the 
election  of  three  trustees  in  each  township, 
who  had  supreme  control  of  the  schools.  The 
trustees  divided  the  township  into  school  dis- 
tricts, and  three  directors  were  elected  in 
each,  the  employment  of  teachers,  building 
and  repairing  school  houses,  and  many  other 
duties.  Taxes  could  be  levied  by  a  majority 
of  the  voters  of  each  district,  but  the  levy 
was  limited  to  twenty-five  cents  on  the  hund- 
red dollars  valuation  of  property.  The  law 
required  that  all  teachers  be  qualified  to  teach 
orthography,  reading  in  English,  penman- 
ship, arithmetic,  English  grammar,  modern 
geography  and  the  history  of  the  United 
States.  Each  teacher  was  required  to  exhibit 
a  certificate  of  the  school  commissioner  certi- 
fying to  his  qualifications.  This  revision  is  es- 
sentially the  foundation  on  which  our  present 
superstructure  rests. 

The  Constitution  1818,  is  silent  upon  the 
subject  of  educating  the  masses  through  the 
medium  of  common  schools.  The  framers  of 
the  Constitution  of  1848,  went  a  little  further, 
and  said,  in  a  subjunctive  way,  that  the  gen- 
eral assembly  might  provide  a  system  of  free 
schools.  But  it  was  not  until  after  half  a 
century  of  existence  as  a  State,  that,  our  dele- 
gates in  convention  assembled,  engrafted 
upon  the  pages  of  our  organic  law,  a  manila- 
tory  section,  declaring  that  "  the  general  as- 
sembly shall  provide  a  thorough  and  efficient 


272 


HISTORY  OF  CLAEK  COUNTY. 


system  of  free  schools,  whereby  all  children 
of  this  State  may  receive  a  good  common 
school  education." 

The  foilowinCT  exhibit   of  the   condition   of 
the  common  school  system  in  the  county,   for 
the  year  ending  .Tune  30,  1882,   is   not  unin- 
teresting to  the  friends  of  education.     There 
are  at  present,  in  the  county,  on  hundred  and 
two     school    districts,    and   one  hundred  and 
four    school    buildings.       There    were     em- 
ployed,  during  the  year,    one    hundred   and 
seventy-seven  teachers,  who  imparted  instruc- 
tion to  six  thousand  and  thirty-eight  pupils. 
Of  the  one  hundred  and  four   schools  taught 
in  the  county,  six  are  graded,  and  two  of  the 
six  are  high  schools  proper,  one  each  at  Mar- 
shall  and   Martinsville.     A  graded   school  is 
where  there  are  more  than  -one   teacher,   and 
where  the  school  is  divided  into  departments) 
usually    with    a    reference    to   the    age    and 
advancement  of  the  pupils,  and  known  as  the 
primarj',  intermediate   and  advanced   grades. 
The  county  in  addition  to  her   excellent   and 
flourishing   common   school   system,    and   her 
high   and  graded    schools,    has    one    college, 
conducted    by   an  able    faculty,  and  with  a 
reputation  inferior  to  none;  it  is   under  the 
direction    and   management   of  the    United 
Brethren    denomination,   and   is    located   at 
Westfield.     All  these  will,   be    fully   written 
up  in  the  respective  townships  in  which   they 
are  situated.     The  educational  history  of  each 


township  will  also  be  given,  from  the  small 
and  humble  beginnings,  through  their  various 
changes  and  improvements  to  the  almost  per- 
fect state  of  the  |  resent. 

The  total  school  expenditures,  in  each 
township,  for  all  purposes,  including  wages 
of  teachers,  repairs,  iuel,  erecting  school 
buildings,  etc.,  are  as  follows: 

Anderson,  $1,397.92;  Casey,  $14,794.93; 
Darwin,  $1,497.65;  Dolson,  $3,9U8.53;  Doug- 
las, $619.05;  Johnson,  $1,150.18;  Marshall, 
$6,721.84;  Martinsville,  $4,439.19;  Melrose, 
$1,955.32  ;  Orange,  $1,417.91  ;  Parker, 
$1,325.88;  Wabash,  $4,336.51;  Westfield, 
$8,018.87;  York,  $3,  459.65. -Total,  $54,143- 
.43. 

In  the  townships  of  Westfield  and  Casey 
new  school-houses  were  built,  which  will  ex- 
plain increased  expenditures  over  those  of 
the  other  townships.  The  above  expenditures 
were  for  the  year  ending  June  30,  1882. 
About  one  hundred  and  eighty  unexpired 
teachers'  certificates  are  outstanding,  of  wiiich 
about  twenty  are  first  grade,  the  remainder 
second  grade.  The  county  received  from  the 
State  school  fund,  for  the  year,  the  sura  of 
$7,437.13;  from  the  State  interest  fund, 
$423.45;  from  fines  and  interest  on  loans,  the 
sum  of  $189.42,  making  in  all  $8,050.00, 
which  was  distributed  by  the  county  superin- 
tendent to  the  treasurers  of  the  different 
townships  in  the  county. 


|^,-^/| 


'^■1^ 


^ 


CHAPTER    VI. 


INTERNAL    IMPROVEMENTS— THE    OLD    NATIONAL    ROAD— HOW    IT    WAS     BUILT— RAIL- 
ROADS—THEIR  APPEARANCE  IN  CLARK— BUILDING  OF   THE  VANDALIA    ROAD 
—WABASH  AND  OTHER  RAILROAD  PROJECTS— CONCLUSION,  ETC.,  ETC. 


"When  the  iron  steed  shall  know  why  man  restrains 
His  fiery  course,  or  drives  him  o'er  the  plain,"  etc. 

--,  n^HE  old  National  Road  and  its  construc- 
-L  tion  created  as  much  interest  in  its  day, 
not  only  in  this  county,  but  in  all  the  country 
through  which  it  passed,  as  any  internal  im- 
provement ever  inaugurated  in  the  State  of 
Illinois,  perhaps.  Jt  was  originally  called  the 
Cumberland  Road,  after  the  old  stage  road 
from  Washington,  D.  C,  to  Cumberland,  Mil., 
a  great  highway  in  its  time,  and  forming  the 
eastern  division  and  terminus.  This  road  was 
a  national  work.  It  had  been  provided  for 
in  tiie  reservation  of  live  per  cent  of  the  sale 
of  public  lands  in  Illinois  and  other  States, 
and  biennial  appropriations  were  its  depend- 
ence for  a  continuance  to  completion.  ^^  hen 
Congress  made  any  appropriation  for  this 
road,  it  required  that  "said  sums  of  money 
shall  be  replaced  out  of  any  funds  reserved 
for  laying  out  and  making  roads,  under  the 
direction  of  Congress,  by  the  several  acts 
passed  for  the  admission  of  the  States  of  Ohio, 
Indiana,  Illinois  and  Missouri  into  the  Union, 
on  an  equal  footing  with  the  original  States." 
Tiie  work  was  commenced  on  the  road  in 
this  county  in  lS27-'28,  by  the  cutting  out 
of  the  timber  on  the  line,  and  was  pushed  to 
practical  completion  as  far  west  as  nearly  to 
the  east  line  of  Fayette  County.  Then  with 
scattering  work  at  the  streams  as  far  west  as 
Vandalia,  such  as  a  levee  across  the  Okaw 
bottom,  and  several  bridges  at  that  place, 
had  exhausted  the  appropriations  of  Congress^ 


and  the  people  of  Illinois,  becoming  crazed 
over  the  foolish  State  policy,  were  divided  in 
sentiment  to  the  extent  (some  wanted  it  to  go 
to  St.  Louis  and  others  to  Alton)  that  no  fur- 
ther appropriations  were  procured,  and  the 
great  work  was  stopped.  To  this  portion  of 
the  country  it  was  a  most  important  public 
work.  It  gave  the  people  access  to  the  out- 
side world,  where,  before,  they  had  been  pent 
up  by  almost  impossible  obstacles.  People 
could  go  to  Terre  Haute,  and  even  to  St. 
Louis,  and  thus  reach  markets  and  sell  the 
little  portable  stuff  they  had,  and  buy  such 
tilings  as  their  necessities  demanded  and  haul 
them  home.  But  the  growth  of  county  im- 
provements was  slow  indeed.  The  county, 
like  the  people  generally,  was  poor,  and  while 
they  made  commendable  efforts,  yet  often  the 
money  was  wasted  through  being  expended 
by  inexperienced  or  ignorant  men. 

In  after  years,  it  may  be  of  interest  to 
some,  to  know  which  of  the  public  highways 
passing  through  Clark  County,  was  once 
known  as  the  old  National  Road,  and  just 
where  it  was  located.  It  is  the  road  passing 
east  and  west  through  Marshall,  on  the  north 
side  of  the  public  square,  and  known  as  Cum- 
berland or  Main  street  within  the  corporate 
limits,  taking  its  name  from  the  original  title 
of  the  road.  It  was  a  great  thoroughfare  be- 
fore the  era  of  railroads,  and  was  intended  to 
cross  the  continent,  even  as  railroads  now 
cross  it.  But  railroads  were  invented  a  little 
too  soon  for  its  entire  completion,  and  its  im- 


.274 


HISTORY  OF  CLARK  COUNTY. 


portance  in  this  age  of  steam,  is  no  greater 
than  any  ordinary  county  or  State  road. 

A  branch  diverged  from  the  main  line  at 
Zanesville,  Ohio,  and  crossed  the  Oiiio  River 
at  Maysville,  Ky.,  passim,'-  through  Lexington, 
thence  to  Nashville,  Tenn.,  and  on  to  New 
Orleans.  Thus  the  country  was  to  he  spanned 
from  east  to  west  and  to  the  extreme  south. 

Itailroads. — As  we  have  stated  in  a  pre- 
ceding chapter,  all  of  Clark's  early  railroad 
projects  resulted  in  failure,  and  she  was 
doomed  to  sit  idly  by  and  see  many  of  her 
sister  counties,  younger  in  years  than  herself, 
prospering  through  means  of  railroad  commu- 
nication, of  which  she,  herself,  was  wholly 
deprived.  This  was  the  case  until  a  compar- 
ative late  day  in  railroad  building  and  rail- 
road enterprise. 

Hon.  W.  S.  Wait,  an  old  and  prominent 
citizen  of  Bond  County,  in  a  letter  to  B. 
Gratz  Brown,  .June,  18G3,  makes  the  best  in- 
troduction to  the  history  of  the  rise  and  pro- 
gress of  the  St.  Louis,  Vandalia  &  Torre 
Haute  Railroad — the  first  road  built  through 
Clark  County.  Mr.  Wait  says:  "  The  rail- 
road projected  so  early  as  1835,  to  run  from 
St.  Louis  to  Terre  Haute,  was  intended  as  a 
direct  line  of  railway  to  the  Atlantic  cities, 
and  its  first  survey  was  taken  over  the  exact 
line  of  the  great  Cumberland  road.  We  ap- 
plied to  the  Illinois  Legislature  for  a  charter 
in  ISiG,  but  were  opposed  by  rival  interests, 
that  finally  succeeded  in  establishing  two 
lines  of  raiload  connecting  St.  Louis  with 
the  Waiiash — one  by  a  line  running  north, 
and  the  other  by  a  line  running  south  of  our 
survev,  thus  demonstrating  by  the  unfailing 
test  of  physical  geography  that  our  line  is  the 
central  and  true  one;  the  two  lines  alluded  fo 
are  the  Terre  Haute  &  Alton  and  Ohio  & 
Mississippi.  We  organized  our  company 
■with  the  name  of  the  Mississippi  &  Atlantic 
Company  in  1850,  by  virtue  of  a  general  rail- 
road   law  passed  the  year  previous,  and  im- 


mediately accomplished  a  survey.  An  ad- 
verse decision  of  our  Supreme  Court  led  us 
to  accept  the  oiler  of  eastern  capitalists  to 
help  us  through,  who  immediately  took  nine- 
tenths  of  our  stock,  and  gave  us  .John 
Brough  for  president.  Our  riyht  to  contract 
was  finally  confirmed,  in  Fe  iruary,  lS5i,  the 
road  put  under  contract  and  the  work  com- 
menced. The  shock  given  to  all  railroad 
enterprises  by  the  'Schuyler  fraud'  suspend- 
ed operations,  and  before  confidence  was 
restored,  the  controlling  power,  which  was 
enthroned  in  Wall  street,  had  arrived  at  the 
conclusion,  as  afterward  discovered,  to  pro- 
ceed no  further  in  the  construction  of  the 
Mississippi  &  Atlantic  Railroad.  For  purposes 
best  understood  by  themselves,  the  eastern 
manager  amused  us  for  several  years  with  the 
hope  that  they  were  still  determined  to  pros- 
ecute the  work.  When  we  were  finally  ctm- 
vinced  of  the  intentional  deception,  we  aban- 
doned the  old  charter  and  instituted  a  new 
company,  under  the  name  of  the  Highland  & 
St.  Louis  Railroad  Company,  with  power  to 
build  and  complete  by  sections  the  entire  road 
from  St.  Louis  to  Terre  Haute.  The  charter 
was  obtained  in  February,  1859,  with  the 
determination  on  the  part  of  the  Highland 
corporators  to  make  no  delay  in  constructing 
the  section  connecting  them  with  St.  Louis, 
but  were  prevented  at  the  outset  by  difficul- 
ties since  overcome,  and  afterward  by  the 
existing  rebellion." 

This  public  letter  portraj^s  some  of  the 
chief  difficulties  with  which  the  friends  of  this 
road  had  to  contend.  "State  policy,"  the 
stupidest  folly  rational  men  ever  engaged  in, 
was  openly  urged  by  many  of  the  leading 
men  north  and  south  of  the  "Brough  road," 
as  it  was  generally  called.  Hon.  Sidney 
Breese,  a  long  resident  of  Carlisle,  on  the  line 
of  the  Ohio  &  Mississippi  Railroad,  publicly 
declared  for  that  doctrine,  "  that  it  was  to  the 
interest  of  the  State  to  encourage  that  policy 


HISTORY  OF  CLARK  COUNTY. 


275 


that  would  build  the  most  roads  throu<rh  the 
State;  that  the  north  aii'isoutli  roads  (alhidod 
to  in  Wail's  letter)  shouhl  first  be  allowed  to 
get  iiuo  successful  operation,  when  the  Cen- 
tral line  should  then  bo  chartered,  as  the 
merits  of  that  line  would  insure  the  building 
of  the  road  on  that  line  at  once,  giving  to 
middle  Illinois  three  roads  instead  of  one,  as 
the  chartering  of  the  Central  line  first  would 
be  a  death-blow  to  the  other  two,  at  least  for 
manv  years  to  come."  Mr.  Wait  replied  im- 
mediately, saying  it  was  the  first  instance  he 
had  ever  known  where  the  merits  of  a  rail- 
road had  been  urged  as  a  reason  why  it 
should  not  meet  with  merited  encouragement, 
and  after  more  than  §100,000  had  been  ex- 
pended on  the  "  Brough  road."  Further 
work  was  therefore  suspended. 

Clark  had  taken  an  active  interest  in  the 
road.  At  the  November  election,  1854,  a 
proposition  for  the  county  to  subscribe  S75,- 
000  to  the  capital  stock  of  the  company,  was 
submitted  to  the  people  and  carried  by  five 
hundred  majority. 

In  February,  1865,  the  rebellion  nearing  its 
close,  the  people  along  the  "Central  Line," 
or  "  Brough "  survey,  again  renewed  their 
petition  to  the  Illinois  Legislature  for  negotia- 
tion of  their  right  to  build  tlieir  railroad  on 
their  own  long-cherisliod  route. 

Mr.  Williamson  Plant,  of  Greenville,  who 
has  been  secretary  of  the  road  from  its  incep- 
tion, and  is  still  in  this  position,  furnishes  the 
following  facts  of  the  history  of  the  road: 

On  the  10th  of  February,  1865,  a  liberal 
charter  was  granted  for  building  the  present 
St.  Louis,  Vandalia  &  Terre  Haute  Railroad. 

The  line  was  designated  in  the  charter  as 
"commencing  on  the  left  bank  of  the  Missis- 
sippi, opposite  St.  Louis,  running  thence  east- 
ward through  Greenville,  the  county  seat  of 
Bond  County,  and  through  A'^andalia  by  the 
most  eligible  route,  to  a  point  on  the  River 
Wabash."'     The    persons  named    as  incorpo- 


rators were  Henry  Wing,  S.  W.  Little,  John 
S.  Dewey,  Andrew  Mills,  Solomon  Kepfli, 
Garrett  Crownover,  Curtis  Blakeman,  Wm.  S. 
Smith,  Cliarles  Hoile,  Wm.  S.  Wa't,  John  B. 
Hunter,  Williamson  Plant,  Andrew  G.  Henry, 
J.  F.  Alexander,  Nathaniel  M.  MeCurdy, 
August  H.  Deickman,  Ebcneze  Capps,  Fred- 
erick Remann,  Mathias  Fehren,  Michael 
Lynch,  Thos.  L.  Vest,  J.  F.  AVaschefort,  Sam'l 
W.  Quinn,  Chauncey  Rose  and  J.  H.  Morgan. 

The  counties  along  the  line  took  an  active 
interest,  generally,  in  the  roaJ,  and  Clark  was 
not  behind  her  sister  counties  in  aid  to  the 
enterprise,  but  came  forward  with  liberal  sub- 
scriptions. 

The  first  meeting  of  the  board  of  incorpo- 
rators met  at  Vandalia  on  the  14th  day  of  No- 
vember, 1865,  for  the  purpose  of  organizing 
and  electing  a  board  of  nine  directors,  with 
the  following  result:  John  Schofield  and 
Charles  Duncan,  Clark  County;  Samuel 
Quinn,  Cumberland  County;  J.  P.  M.Howard 
and  S.  W.  Little,  Effingham;  C.  Floyd  Jones 
and  F.  Reemaer,  Faj'ette;  Wm.  S.  Smith  and 
Williamson  Plant,  Bond  County.  At  the 
first  meeting  of  the  Board  of  Directors,  held 
at  Effiingham  on  the  22i  day  of  November, 
1865,  for  the  purpose  of  electing  the  first 
officers  of  the  company,  J.  P.  M.  Howard  was 
elected  president,  and  Williamson  Plant 
secretary. 

Through  the  influence  of  E.  C.  Rice,  who 
was  Chief  Engineer  of  the  "  Brough"  survey, 
and  had  made  estimates  for  the  work  under 
the  same.  Gen.  E.  F.  Winslow,  a  gentleman 
of  great  energy  and  considerable  .railroad 
experience,  after  various  propositions  being 
made  to  build  part  of  the  line,  or  parts  of  the 
road,  contracted,  August  22,  18G6,  to  build 
the  entire  line  from  the  "  west  bank  of  the 
Wabash  to  the  east  end  of  the  dyke  at  Illinois 
town."  The  contract  was  finally  ratified  at  a 
meeting  of  the  board  of  directors,  hold  at 
Vandalia     November    14,    1866.       An    addi- 


270 


HISTORY  OF  CLARK  COUNTY. 


tional  agreemeut  was  entered  into  November 
28,  186G,  and  made  part  ol'  the  original  con- 
tract. 

The  first  shock  received  by  the  railroad 
company  in  the  outset,  wsiS  the  lamented 
death  of  its  earnest  leader  and  judicious 
friend,  Hon.  W.  S.  Wait,  July  17,  1865,  there- 
by depriving  it  of  his  mature  judgn^ent  and 
wise  counsel  in  carrying  out  and  making 
the  contract  al>ont  to  be  entered  into  for 
building  of  the  road  under  the  charter  so 
recently  obtained  from  the  LegisLiture. 

In  1807,  first  mortgage  bonds  were  put  on 
the  "  property,  rights,  franchises,  leases  and 
estate,  etc.,  of  the  company  to  the  amount  of 
$1,900,000."  When  the  property  was  leased, 
in  February,  1808,  a  second  mortgage  was 
put  on  the  same  to  the  amount  of  S'^,6  0,000, 
each  mortgage  bearing  7  per  cent  interest, 
payable  semi-annually.  For  the  purpose  of 
further  equipment  of  the  road,  preferred  stock 
has  been  issued  to  the  amount  of  $1,544,700, 
bearing  7  per  cent  interest. 

The  issue  of  $2,000,000  has  been  authorized. 
This  stock  will  take  precedence  over  the  com- 
mon stock  of  the  company  in  receiving  divi- 
dends, and  as  the  interest  on  the  preferred 
stock  may  accumulate  before  anv  payment 
thereof,  the  prospect  for  dividends  on  common 
stock  is  remote. 

By  mutual  understanding  between  the  con- 
tractors and  the  company,  E.  C.  Rice  was  en- 
gaged as  Chief  Engineer,  January  18,  1867, 
and  he  commenced  the  first  survey  on  the 
west  end  of  the  line  in  March,  and  the  grad- 
ing was  begun  as  soon  as  the  line  was  fixed 
at  the  west  end  in  April  following.  At  the 
same  meeting  a  code  of  by-lavps  was  adopted, 
and  Greenville  was  designated  as  the  general 
oflSce  of  the  company. 

At  the  annual  election  held  in  .lanuary, 
186 r,  J.  P.  M.  Howard  was  re-elected  presi- 
dent, Williamson  Plant,  secretary,  and  W.  S. 
Smith,  treasurer.     April  3, 1867,  Mr.  Howard 


gave  up  the  position  by  request,  and  J.  F. 
Alexander  was  chosen  president  of  the  com- 
pany in  his  place. 

By  the  charter  the  company  was  authorized 
to  issue  first  mortgage  bonds,  not  to  exceed 
$12,000  per  mile.  The  capital  stock  was 
made  $3,000,000,  which  could  be  increased 
at  an  annual  meeting  by  a  majority  of  stock- 
holders in  interest,  as  they  should  direct.  The 
road  was  completed  to  Highland,  July  1, 1868. 
The  first  regular  passenger  train  did  not  run 
to  that  point  until  August  "iOth  following.  By 
consent  of  the  railroad  company.  Gen.  Wins- 
low,  as  contractor,  was  paid  $120,000  for  labor 
expended  on  the  line,  to  the  10th  day  of  Feb., 
1808,  and  at  his  request  was  released  from  his 
contract.  The  same  was  ratified  and  accepted 
by  the  company  at  their  meeting,  March  13, 
1868.  The  company  entered  into  a  contract, 
February  10,  1868,  with  Thomas  L.  Jewett 
and  B.  F.  Smith,  of  Ohio;  Goo.  B.  Roberts, 
of  PhiladelpMa,  and  W.  R.  McKeen,  of  Terre 
Haute,  in  the  firm  name  of  McKeen,  Smith  & 
Co.,  to  complete  the  road  at  an  early  day.  At 
the  same  time  and  place,  an  agreement  was 
entered  into,  leasing  the  St.  Louis,  Vandalia 
&  Terre  Haute  Railroad  to  the  Terre  Haute  & 
Indianapolis  Railroad  Company.  In  the  re- 
port of  the  president  of  the  Vandalia  Compa- 
nv,  made  to  the  stockholders  at  the  annual 
meeting,  held  at  Greenville,  January'  6,  1872, 
he  says  : 

"When  on  the  10th  day  of  February,  1868, 
the  contract  was  made  insuring  the  comple- 
tion of  your  road,  another  contract  was  also 
made,  providing  for  its  forming  a  part  of  a 
continuous  railroad  line  from  St.  Louis  (via 
Indianapolis)  to  Pittsburgh;  and  for  perfect- 
ing this  object  your  line  was  leased  for  a  pe- 
riod of  999  years  to  the  Terre  Haute  &  In- 
dianapolis Railroad  Company,  for  the  joint 
interests  of  the  company  and  the  several  rail- 
road companies  forming  the  said  line.  Under 
this  lease  the  lessees  were  to  work  your  road 


HISTORY  OF  CLARK  COUXTV. 


at  their  cost  and  expense,  and  to  pay  to  your 
company  35  per  cent  of  the  gross  earnings, 
first  paying  therefrom  all  interest  due  on  the 
bonds  of  the  company,  and  all  taxes  assessed 
against  the  property  of  the  company,  advanc- 
ing any  deficit  in  the  amount  needed  to  meet 
these  liabilities,  and  paying  the  surplus  (if  any 
remained)  of  the  35  per  cent  to  your  company. 
Your  board,  in  view  of  the  light  traflic  usually 
done  upon  a  new  line,  reduced  the  proportion 
due  your  company  of  the  gross  earnings  to  30 
per  cent,  provided  that  after  payment  by  the 
lessees  of  the  road,  out  of  the  70  per  cent  re- 
ceived for  that  purpose,  if  any  surplus  re- 
mained, it  should  go  to  your  company." 

From  small  earnings  from  the  time  the 
ro:id  was  opened,  first  to  Highland  and  Green- 
ville, in  18GS,  and  finally  through  to  Terre 
Haute,  July  1,  1870,  it  has  developed  a  mar- 
velous increase  of  business,  not  only  to  the 
road,  but  to  the  farming  and  all  other  indus- 
tries along  the  line.  The  whole  cost  of  the 
road,  and  equipment  of  the  same  to  July  1, 
1870,  when  the  contractors  turned  the  road 
over  to  the  lessees,  was  §7,171,355.89,  which 
was  increased  steadily  as  the  line  was  more 
fully  developed  by  "  rolling  stock "  and 
"betterments,"  etc.,  on  the  road,  until  the 
last  report  of  the  treasurer,  W.  H.  Barnes, 
made  the  total  costs  of  the  road  and  equip- 
ment to  October  1,  1880,  $8,330,410.75.  The 
amount  of  business  done  over  the  line  for  the 
year  1881,  aggregates  $1,565,515.04,  and  the 
rental  due  to  the  company  from  the  lessee 
for  the  year  ending  October  31,  1881,  was 
8469,354.50,  and  for  the  same  time  $424,- 
837.04  was  earned  in  carrying  passengers; 
$43,490.57  for  express,  and  $90,835.98  for 
mail  services. 

The  first  regular  passenger  train  over  the 
whole  line,  on  schedule  time,  was  on  the  12th 
day  of  June,  1870,  and  as  mentioned  before, 
the  contractors  turned  over  the  road,  as  per 


contract,  to  the  Terre  Haute   &   Inilianapolis 
liailroad  Company,  July  1,  1870. 

The  St.  Louis,  Vandalia  &  Terre  Haute 
Railroad  is  158  miles  from  East  St.  Louis  to 
the  eastern  line  of  the  State,  and  seven  miles 
from  State  line  to  the  Wabash  river  at  Terre 
Haute,  and  about  25  miles  in  Clark  County. 
The  Wabash  Valley  Railroad  was  the  next 
project  in  which  Clark  County  became  inter- 
ested. This  project  came  up  while  the 
"  Brough "  road  was  on  hand,  and  before 
work  wholly  ceased  upon  it.  The  Wabash 
Valley  road  ran  north  and  south,  the  survey 
conforming  substantially  to  the  present  Wa- 
bash, St.  Louis  &  Pacific.  It  was  one  of  the 
railroad  projects  growing  out  of  the  old  inter- 
nal improvement  fever.  On  the  5th  of  May, 
1855,  by  a  vote  of  the  people,  $50,000  were 
subscribed  by  the  county,  to  aid  in  the  con- 
struction of  the  road.  A  line  was  surveyed 
from  Chicago  to  Vincennes  and  work  com- 
menced. The  work  was  vigorously  prose- 
cuted until  the  grading  was  fully  half  done, 
when  for  lack  of  funds  and  from  other  causes, 
work  was  eventually  discontinued  and  the 
project,  for  the  time  being  abandoned. 

Some  years  after  the  close  of  the  late  war, 
it  was  revived  under  the  title  of  "Chicago, 
Danville  &  Vincennes  Railroad,"  and  as  such 
it  was  completed  to  Danville.  A  new  com- 
pany— "  The  Paris  &  Danville  " — was  then 
formed,  and  under  that  title  the  road  was 
built  through  this  county  in  the  winter  of 
1874-5,  and  during  the  next  summer  it  was 
completed  to  the  Ohio  and  Mississippi  road 
at  Lawrenceville.  A  more  complete  history, 
however,  will  be  found  in  Part  I.  of  this  vol- 
ume, and  hence  a  repetition  is  unnecessary 
here. 

The  only  railroad  that  Clark  ever  enjoyed 
until  the  completion  of  the  Vandalia  line, 
was  a  horse  railroad  with  wooden  rails,  run- 
ning to  the  quarries  on  the  Wabash,  and  was 


27.S 


HISTORY  OF  CLARK  COUNTY. 


used  for  transporting  stone  to  the  Wabash 
valley.  It  was  known  as  the  "  Williams 
Railroad,"  and  was  considered  quite  an  insti- 
tution, by  those  who  had  never  seen  a  rail- 
road. 

The  Terre  Haute  &  Southwestern  Railroad 
was  an  enterprise  in  which  Clark  County 
took  an  active  interest,  particularly  the  south- 
east part  of  the  county.  At  one  time,  it 
seemed  almost  certain  that  the  road  would 
be  built,  but  from  a  lack  of  either  funds  or 
stamina,  or  a  little  of  both,  it  failed,  and  prob- 
ably will  never  be  revived. 

The  Danville,  Olney  &  Ohio  River  Railroad, 
passing  through  the  western  portion  of  the 
county,  has  been  re(?ently  constructed.  When 
properly  completed  and  equipped,  it  will 
jjrove  a  valuable  and  good  paying  road. 

Conclusion. — Written  history,  as  a  rule,  is 
generally  too  formal,  dignified  and  scholastic, 
to  interest  the  mass.  Of  broadest  scope,  it 
requires  too  much  nicety  and  precision  as  to 
circumstances  and  dates,  and  too  much  mul- 
tiplicity of  detail.  It  requires,  in  order  to  be 
perfect,  so  much  minuteness,  and  so  many 
unimportant  facts,  as  to  often  render  it  weari- 
some. Hence,  the  reader  is  requested  not  to 
consider  the  foregoing  pages  an  elaborate 
history,  or  finished  production,  but  more 
properly  as  a  sketch  of  the  county  in  which 
we  live,  and  one,  too,  that  is  not  written  up 
to  the  level  of  critical  perfection  ;  and  the 
critic  who  expects  or  demands  elegance  of 
diction,  grandeur  and  purity  of  expression, 
nicety  of  language  or  precision  of  words,  will 
be  disappointed. 

Though  a  sketch,  and  of  course  admitting 
of  anecdote,  excursive  digressions,  and  a  flex- 
ible texture  of  narrative,  yet,  for  the  most 
part,  it  is  essentially  historic.  The  writer  has 
humbly  endeavored  to  narrate  within  its  pages 
some  of  the  physical  and  moral  features  of  our 


county,  its  formation,  settlement,  local  divis- 
ions and  progress;  the  habits  and  customs 
of  the  early  pioneers,  interspersed  with  indi- 
vidual incident.  He  has  striven  to  execute 
his  task  with  candor  and  fidelity,  though  pro- 
foundly aware  that  many  inaccuracies  and 
imperfections  exist.  Stating  facts  from  the 
records,  and  on  what  appeared  to  be  good 
authority,  and  avoiding  as  much  as  possible  all 
false  coloring  and  exaggeration.  How  far  be 
has  succeeded  is  submitted  to  the  judgment 
of  his  fellow  citizens  of  the  county. 

Much  of  the  early  history  of  the  county  has 
been  lost  through  the  unusual  mortality 
among  our  aged  citizens,  who  have  passed 
away  in  the  fullness  of  years  and  honors,  after 
living  long,  useful  and  eventful  lives;  after 
their  early  dangers  and  privations  were  but 
stirring  memories  of  the  forever  past,  they 
laid  down  their  burdens,  and  "slumber  in  the 
sanctuary  of  the  toinb,  beneath  the  quiet  of 
the  stars."  But  much  yet  remains,  and  we 
have  endeavored  to  record  as  we  could,  some 
of  the  events  and  ordeals  of  those  early  days; 
some  of  the  habits,  customs  and  incidents  in 
the  lives  of  those  heroic  men  and  women  who, 
forsaking  the  comforts  of  civilization,  and 
braving  death  and  danger  in  countless  forms, 
pluriged  into  the  wilderness  and  transformed 
it  into  peaceful  and  happy  homes  for  their 
descendants.  We  have  recorded  them  as  the 
customs  and  manners  of  our  day  and  time, 
which  will  remain  long  after  we  have  passed 
to  the  silent  dust. 

In  conclusion,  while  it  would  be  rather  in- 
vidious to  name  the  kind  friends  from  whom 
the  writer  has  received  sulistantial  aid  and 
encoura"-ement  in  the  preparation  of  this 
sketch,  yet  it  would  be  indeed  rude  if  he  did 
not  return  to  them  his  humble  and  grateful 
acknowledgments. 


'Try  4. 


t-^^^^U-^ 


CHAPTER    VII.* 

BENCH  A>T)  BAR— THE  EARLY  COMERS  AND  WHO   THEY   WERE-SOME    COMMENTS    ON 
THE  PROFESSION— FIRST  LA^YYERS-BIOGRAPHIES  AND  CHARACTER  SKETCHES- 
ANECDOTES  OF  FICKLIN  AND  LINDER— OTHER  LEGAL  LUMINARIES,  ETC. 


"Time  when  the  memory  of  man  nmneth  not  to 
the  contrary."  — Blackstone. 

IN  the  very  first  steps  of  ororanization  in  the 
countv  there  were  no  local  lawyers  here. 
In  fact,  the  legal  machinery  of  the  county 
had  been  all  fully  put  in  working  order  be- 
fore even  the  legal  circuit  riders  came  to 
gladden  the  hearts  of  the  people  with  their 
imposing  presence,  seedy  plug  hats,  and  the 
singular  combination  of  store  clothes  and 
home-made  shoes  and  socks.  But  courts  were 
a  necessary  part  of  the  legal  start  of  a  county 
— justice  had  to  be  administered,  quarrels 
adjudicated,  rows  settled,  naturalization 
granted,  and  many  other  little  things  that 
could  only  be  performed  by  this  august  body, 
were  a  pressing  necessity,  and  the  court, 
therefore,  was  among  the  early  comers. 
Lawyers,  then,  especially  to  the  county  mu- 
nicipality, were  much  more  esential  than  now, 
for  in  the  very  first  essentials  toward  making 
a  new  county  the  assistance  of  trained  legal 
minds  were  indispensable.  The  people  could 
themselves  move  in  the  matter  of  forming  a 
new  county  only  so  far  as  to  talk  up  the  project 
among  themselves,and  agree  upon  the  bounda- 
ries, etc.,  but  after  this,  at  every  step  they  must 
have  the  aid  and  guidance  of  lawj-ers.  They 
had  to  reach  the  Legislature  and  a  formal  peti- 
tion dul\-  signed  had  to  be  drawn;  not  only 
this,  but  a  draft  of  a  bill  creating  the  county, 
defining   in    proper    technical   and   accurate 

*  By  H.  C.  Bradsby. 


words  the  new  countj-'s  territory,  naming 
three  commissioners  and  defining  their  duties, 
etc.,  and  to  whom  but  a  lawyer  could  they 
go  for  all  this?  The  work  of  these  men,  then, 
was  of  the  greatest  importance,  as  they  were 
the  foundations  upon  which  rests  the  future 
of  the  little  municipality.  Their  advice  to 
the  people,  their  work  in  the  matter  of  legal 
documents,  were  to  remain  with  us  in  the  long 
time  and  for  the  weal  or  woe  of  the  unborn 
generations.  But  soon  after  the  county  or- 
ganization came  the  first  term  of  the  Circuit 
Court,  and  with  it  the  lawyers  to  see  after  the 
little  business  that  might  perchance  be  there 
needing  their  learned  attention.  This  array 
of  traveling  lawyers  was  but  a  meager  crowd, 
but  the  woik  awaiting  them  was  light,  and 
the  fees  were  ranged  down  to  coon-skin  cur- 
rency prices.  This  meager  caravan,  however, 
as  they  traveled  on  horse-back,  from  county 
to  county,  constituted  the  early  Bench  and 
Bar.  It  was  the  court,  and  the  "  circuit 
riders,"  of  the  early  fraternity,  and  without 
drawing  invidious  distinctions,  the  moving 
procession  was  constituted  of  some  of  the 
most  valuable  of  our  pioneer  people.  Their 
life  was  a  hard  one,  their  work  often  difficult 
and  perplexing;  they  braved  the  heat  and  cold, 
the  storms  and  floods,  and  all  over  the  vast 
circuits  (then  embracing  more  than  half  the 
State),  with  their  wardrobes  and  their  law 
libraries  in  their  saddle-bags — which,  often, 
with  all  their  clothes,  they  cairied  on  their 
heads  while  their   horses  were  swimming  the 


HISTORY  OF  CLAiaC  COUNT V. 


swollen  streams.  They  traveled  from  one 
county  seat  to  another,  where  often  they 
would  not  find  more  oases  on  the  docket 
tiian  there  were  numbers  of  them,  and  these 
frequently  unimportant  and  frivolous,  the 
hotel  accommodations  meager  and  rude,  and 
packed  with  perhaps  a  rough-and-tumble  lot 
of  hunters  and  trappers,  who  had  come  to 
town  to  have  a  jolly  good  time  and  make  night 
and  day  hideous  with  their  orgies.  If  the 
judge  got  a  private  room  he  was  in  luck,  be- 
cause generally  the  rooms  were  all  in  one,  and 
all  over  this  were  beds  on  the  floor,  and  on  cots, 
as  thick  as  they  could  be  placed,  and  all  the 
iiio-ht  lono-  the  chances  for  sleep  were  few  and 
far  between.  Then  below  this  vast  sleep- 
ing room  was  the  hotel  bar-room,  where 
drinking  and  "stag-dances"  often  rioted  in 
noisy  fun  the  most  of  the  night,  to  the 
screeching  of  a  cracked  fiddle  handled  by 
some  yahoo  who  could  worry  the  very  soul 
in  acrony  of  all  within  ear-shot  of  his  hideous 
caterwauling.  The  writer  hereof  will  never 
foro-et  hearing  Judge  Koerner,  upon  one  oc- 
casion, somewhat  like  that  above  mentioned, 
express  his  exasperated  feelings.  The  judge 
would  be  perfectly  quiet  in  his  cot  for  some 
time  and  then  flounce  over,  pouch  out  his 
lips  and  blow,  and,  talking  to  himself  ap- 
parently, say,  "d — n  dot  feedling."  And 
thus  the  long  night  was  interminably  drawn 
out. 

The  Circuit  Court  held  generally  biennial 
sessions  in  each  county.  The  judge  was  the 
great  man,  of  course,  upon  the  recurring- 
great  day  of  the  assembling  of  the  court. 
The  Bar  was  much  like  the  nightly  courtiers 
attending  upon  royalty,  and  it  is  not  wonder- 
ful that  they  inspired  the  greatest  respect  and 
awe  from  all  the  people  as  they  went  in 
triumphal  procession  over  the  country.  Even 
the  clerks  and  sheriffs  and  other  local  ofBcials 
of  the  court,  by  virtue  of  their  right  to  ap- 
proach  the    bench  and   bar   upon    something 


like  terms  of  familiarity,  and  exchange  words 
with  them,  were  temporarily  greatly  enlarged 
and  magnified  and  sometimes  doubtless  great- 
ly envied  by  the  common  crowds.  But  soon 
after  the  organization  of  each  county  came 
the  local  lawyer — the  dv^eller  among  the 
people — and  thus  some  of  the  glamour  that 
invested  the  profession  of  law  passed  away. 
Soon,  too,  these  increased  in  numbers,  and 
as  law  and  politics  were  synonymous  terms, 
and,  in  their  electioneering,  they  more  and 
more  mixed  amona:  the  people,  generally 
coaxing  and  wheedling  them  out  of  their 
votes,  kissing  babies,  patting  frowzled-headed, 
dirty  faced  boys;  flattering  the  rural  sun- 
flowers, kissing  the  blarney  stone  and  dealing 
out  thickened  taifa  to  the  old  beldames,  and 
hugoing  like  a  very  brother  the  voters,  and 
dividing  with  them  their  supply  of  plug 
tobacco,  and  tipping  the  wink  to  the  blear- 
eyed  doggery  keeper — making  spread  eagle 
speeches  everywhere  and  upon  all  possible 
occasions,  and  thus  the  work  of  breaking 
down  the  one  great  barrier  between  the  pro- 
fession and  the  people,  and  their  mingling  in 
discriminate  herds,  went  on,  until  a  lawyer 
o-ot  to  be  simply  a  human  being,  "nothing  but 
a  man,"  as  the  boy  said  when  the  preacher 
for  the  first  time  dined  at  his  mother's  house. 
But  the  fact  remains  that  in  the  early  set- 
tlement of  the  State,  and  in  the  first  forma- 
tion of  the  laws  and  customs  of  the  different 
counties,  these  gentlemen  had  much  to  do, 
and  to  their  glory  be  it  said,  they  did  their 
work  wisely  and  well,  and  the  proud  State  of 
Illinois,  and  her  royal  train  of  daughters — • 
the  102  counties — are  imperishable  monu- 
ments to  their  industry,  patriotism,  ripe 
judgment  and  incorruptible  integrity'.  We 
have  here  the  fiurth  State  in  the  Union,  and 
it  was  eager  and  swilt  in  the  race  for  the 
third  place.  The  next  decade  will  place  her 
second,  and  a  few  brief  years  may,  naj', 
doubtless   will,  put  her  at  the   head  of  the 


HISTORY  OF  CLARK  COrXTY. 


2^3 


groat  column  of  States,  and  toward  tliis 
grand  consuminatiuri  a  nieeil  of  praise  will 
always  be  due  these  good  men — the  early 
Bench  and  Bar.  The  first  session  of  the 
Circuit  Court  in  Clark  County  was  held  in 
Aurora,  as  stated  in  a  preceding  chapter, 
the  first  county  seat,  on  the  20th  day  of  Sep- 
tember, 1819.  Judge  Thomas  C.  Browne 
presiding,  and  W.  B.  Archer,  clerk,  and  the 
first  case  ever  entered  upon  the  Circuit  Court 
docket  was  a  little  appeal  case,  from  the 
docket  of  C.  Patrick.  Wickliffe  Kitchell  ap- 
peared as  the  plaintiff's  attorne}-,  and  John 
M.  Robinson  for  the  defendant.  This  first 
case  of  the  court's  docket,  bear  in  mind,  was 
not  at  the  first  term  of  the  court,  for,  accord- 
ing to  the  record,  there  was  no  case  put  down 
for  trial  at  this  court.  The  records  are  models 
of  their  kind,  and  we  much  doubt  if  any 
county  in  the  State  can  show  records  in  their 
organization,  that  would  compare  with  these 
ill  their  completeness  or  mechanical  execu- 
tion. Every  paper,  every  certificate  and 
each  proper  entry  are  all  in  their  place  and 
are  models  that  have  never  yet  been  improved 
upon.  These  splendid  records  shoulil  be 
preserved  by  the  county,  as  one  would  the 
ap])le  of  his  eye,  and  the  time  will  soon  come 
when  these  books  will  be  a  just  and  fitting 
moiuiinont  to  the  first  county  officials,  especi- 
ally the  clerk  of  the  court. 

In  Aj)ril,  18"^'0,  the  second  term  of  the  Cir- 
cuit Court  for  the  county  convened,  Judge 
William  Wilson  presiding.  There  were  only 
four  cases  on  the  docket,  and  two  of  these 
were  for  slander.  At  this  term  of  the  court 
appeared  as  attorneys,  John  McLean,  John 
M.  Robinson,  WicklifTe  Kitchell,  Mr.  Nash, 
and  Henry  W.  Dunford.  At  the  September 
term,  1820,  William  P.  Bennet  was  enrolled 
as  a  practicing  attoriiev.  At  the  May  term, 
1821,  the  clerk,  W.  B.  Archer,  makes  this  ex- 
])lanatory  entry:  "  Be  it  known  that  the 
sheriff,  clerk    of  the  court,    suitors,   etc.,  at- 


tended at  Aurora,  the  seat  of  justice  of  Clark 
County,  on  Wednesday  the  23d  day  of  May, 
1821,  and  until  4  o'clock  of  Thursday,  the 
24th  day  of  said  month,  and  no  judge  appear- 
ing to  form  a  court,  the  people  dispersed." 
At  the  October  term,  1821,  Nathaniel  Hunt- 
ington and  Jacob  Call  were  enrolled  as  at- 
torneys. At  the  May  term,  1822,  Jacob  Har- 
lan acted  as  clerk  pr>  tein.,  and  John  M.  Rob- 
inson appears  upon  the  records  as  the  first 
State's  attorney  for  the  county  of  Clark,  John 
Jackson  enrolled  as  a  regular  attorney. 

In  1823  the  county  seat  was  moved  from 
Aurora  to  Darwin.  In  1825  Hon.  James  O. 
Wattles  succeeded  Wilson  as  Circuit  Judge. 
At  the  November  term,  1825,  Judge  James 
Hall  held  a  term  of  the  court,  and  at  this 
term  T.  C.  Cone  was  enrolled  as  an  attorney. 
Then  in  1826  Judge  Wattles  again  presides, 
and  at  the  April  term,  1827,  Wilson  is  again 
on  the  bench.  In  1831  Edwin  B.  Webb  ap- 
pears as  the  State's  attorney. 

O.  B.  FiciCLiN. — In  1830,  now  fifty-three 
years  ago,  in  a  memorable  day  in  September, 
appeared  in  the  little  town  of  Darwin,  the 
Hon.  O.  B.  Ficklin,  "  on  horseback."  Judge 
Ficklin  says  he  can  distinctly  remember  the 
day,  because  it  was  just  as  the  little  town 
was  in  the  greatest  state  of  excitement  over 
finding  a  den  of  snakes.  He  thinks  if  the 
whole  village  had  been  suffering  an  attack  of 
jim-jams  thev  could  not  have  had  a  worse  at- 
tack of  snakes.  When  found,  the  reptiles 
were  intertwined  into  an  immense  roll,  larger 
than  a  bale  of  hay,  where  they  had  apparent- 
ly gathered  to  go  into  winter  quarters.  When 
disturbed  they  started  in  every  direction,  and 
the  people  en  masse  had  armed  themselves 
and  were  working  away  in  the  slaughter  like 
men  threshing  wheat  with  old-styled  flails. 
The  old  judge  says  his  arrival  was  wholly 
eclipsed  by  the  serpents,  but  ho  congratulates 
himself  that  he  has  stayed  longer  than  the 
snakes,  at  least    longer    than    that   particular 


■2S4 


HISTORY  OF  CLAUK  COUXTV. 


batch  of  them.  Tlip  people  were  not  so  much 
to  blame  for  overlooking  him  and  seeing 
only  the  snakes.  They  didn't  know  him  then, 
as  well  as  pretty  much  everybody  in  Illinois 
now  does;  they  did  know  the  snakes,  and 
they  literally  pulverized  the  heads  of  the  de- 
scendants of  the  first  apple  vender  with  their 
heels,  and  with  sticks,  clubs  or  anything  they 
could  lay  their  hands  upon.  Ficklin  rode  up 
to  the  tavern,  dismounted,  carried  his  rather 
emaciated  saddle-bags  into  the  house,  had  his 
horse  put  up,  and  immediately  joined  the  lit- 
tle array  that  was  so  bravely  battling  with 
reptiles.  Ficklin  came  from  Missouri  to  Illi- 
nois, and  fi.^ed  his  home  at  Mt.  Carmel,  and 
thus  became  a  member  of  the  Wabash  bar, 
and  entered  actively  upon  the  practice  of  his 
chosen  profession.  He  diligently  continued 
his  studios,  struggled  hard  to  pay  his  light 
expenses  of  living,  and  by  untiring  energy  to 
win  a  name  and  just  fame  among  his  fellow 
members  of  the  bar.  He  was  then  but  a 
bright,  inexperienced  boy,  having  been  born 
in  Scott  County,  Ky.,  December  10,  1808. 
It  is  not  intended  here  to  give  a  statistical 
bioii-raphv  of  Judge  Ficklin,  but  rather  a 
mere  outline  of  dates  and  facts,  as  a  founda- 
tion on  whicli  to  build,  or  place  a  sketch  of 
the  man  mentalU',  morally,  socially  and  polit- 
ically. His  political  life  commenced  as  early 
as  1834,  when  he  was  elected  to  the  Legisla- 
ture at  Vandalia,  the  then  State  capitol. 
Here  he  first  met  Douglas,  Lincoln,  John  T. 
Stewart,  Jesse  K.  Duljois  and  many  others 
who  afterward  gained  wide  celebrity.  He 
describes  Douglas  as  the  little,  sprightly  boy 
of  the  Legislature,  very  bright,  affaljle,  indus- 
trious, and  universally  liked  and  petted  by 
all  the  members.  Lincoln  was  long,  gang- 
linn-,  uncouth,  and  his  clothes  always  fit 
badly,  and  he  looked  so  awkward  that  his 
friends  were  always  afraid  he  would  tramp  on 
his  own  feet  and  trip  himself.  But  he  could 
tell    a    good    story;    sometimes    showed     fair 


ability  in  argjument,  and  was  conceded  to  be 
an  opponent  who  would  bear  a  great  deal  of 
watching.  Jesse  K.  Dubois — well,  everybody 
on  the  Wabash  knows  him,  and  respects  and 
loves  his  memory.  He  was  one  of  the  kind- 
est hearted,  most  genial  men  that  Illinois  ever 
produced.  His  power  with  men  lay  in  his 
kind,  warm  heart.  John  T.  Stewart  impress- 
ed voung  Ficklin  as  the  giant  among  these 
pigmies,  both  intellectually  and  physically. 
He  was  all  intellect,  without  thut  flow  of 
animal  spirits  that  are  generally  essential  to 
a  politician.  Then,  too,  he  was  more  given 
to  be  a  great  lawyer  than  a  great  politician. 
His  whole  nature  imbued  him  with  the 
aristocratic  ideas  of  the  Whig  party,  and  the 
Whig  party  in  the  early  days  of  Illinois,  was 
not  well  adapted  to  the  wants  and  ideas  of  the 
people.  Hence,  Mr.  Stewart  never  entered 
very  seriously  into  polities,  especially  afte-r 
his  momorable  contest  with  Douglas  for  a 
seat  in  the  United  States  Coni-ress.  These 
were  the  men  that  Ficklin  met  at  the  State 
capitol  in  the  winter  of  1834.  His  recollec- 
tion is  most  distinct  upon  the  point  that  there 
certainly  was  not  one  there  who  then  even 
dreamed  there  was  not  only  the  materials  for 
presidents,  but  men  who  by  sheer  force  of  their 
intellects,  and  in  defiance  of  defeats  in  elec- 
tions, would  send  their  fame  all  over  the 
<j-lobe;  whose  memories  would  endure  forever. 
In  this  remarkable  school  for  young  men, 
Judge  Ficklin  measured  his  capabilities  in 
many  a  sharp  contest,  and  from  none  of  these 
did  he  ever  have  to  retire  with  his  plumes 
either  ruffl  ;d  or  plucked.  He  returned  to  his 
constituents,  and  in  the  winter  of  1834-5  was 
chosen  States  attorney  for  the  W.ibash  D.s- 
trict.  In  1S37  he  removed  to  Coles  County, 
locating  in  Charleston,  where  he  has  resided 
ever  since,  and  entered  here  at  once  upon  a 
large,  and  for  those  days  a  lucrative  practice 
of  the  law.  In  1843  he  was  elected  to  Con- 
gress.    In  the  congressional    delegation  from 


HISTORY  OF  CLARK  COUXTY. 


2?5. 


Illinois  at  that  time  vvero  Douglas,  McCler- 
naiid  and  Wentwortli.  He  was  re-elected  in 
ISiJ:  and  again  in  1846,  and  again  elected  in 
1850.  He  was  a  delegate  to  the  National 
Democratic  Convention  of  ISoG,  when  James 
Buchanan  was  nominated,  and  also  a  delegate 
to  the  Charleston  convention  of  18G0.  In 
1370  he  was  elected  to  the  Illinois  Legisla- 
ture. In  1846  he  married  Elizabeth  H.  Col- 
quitt, of  Georgia,  daughter  of  United  States 
Senator  Walter  T.  Colquitt,  and  sister  of  the 
present  U.  S.  Senator  from  Georgia,  Gov.  Al- 
fred Colquitt. 

This  is  the  briefest  outline  of  his  political 
life,  but  it  is  of  his  legal  and  social  career 
that  we  prefer  to  speak  more  full}'.  He  is 
the  father,  now,  of  the  Illinois  bar.  A  ripe 
scholar,  a  profound  jurist.  But  his  supreme 
gifts  were  an  integrity  and  probity  that  were 
never  suspected,  and  an  intuitive  knowledge 
of  men  that  has  never  betai  surpassed.  He 
had  a  boundless  contempt  for  human  frauds 
and  shams,  and  he  hated  a  scoundrel  with  an 
intensity  that  never  relaxed.  So  strongly  was 
this  in  his  nature  that  when  once  started  in 
the  pursuit  of  a  nest  of  rascals,  he  at  once  lost 
sight  of  fees  or  emoluments,  and  for  the  pure 
love  of  right  and  justice  he  pursued  the  vil- 
lain as  relentlessly  and  persistently  as  the 
blood-hound  is  said  to  follow  the  fleeing  fugi- 
tive. A  history  of  these  dens  and  villains 
that  he  has  uncovered,  and  laid  the  heavy 
hand  of  the  outraged  law  upon,  would  make 
an  instructive  book  of  thrilling  interest. 
When  profoundly  interested  and  aroused,  his 
eloquence  was  of  the  highest  type — his  lan- 
guage strong  and  rich,  and  his  sentences  clear- 
cut  and  as  fuiished  as  the  highest  classics. 
We  know  of  nothing  of  a  similar  kind  that 
surpasses  for  pathetic  eloquence,  his  tribute 
to  the  memory  of  his  friend,  Judge  Steel, 
before  the  court  and  bar  when  he  presented 
the  resolutions  of  respect  to  the  departed 
jvnist  and  beloved  friend.     The  words  welled 


up  spontaneously  to  the  lips  from  a  heart  full 
of  grief  and  sadness;  they  came  unstudied, 
and  for  this  very  reason  they  came  with  a 
naturalness,  power  and  fascination  that  has 
seldom  been  oqualed^never  surpassed.  But 
by  his  intimate  acquaintances  he  will  proba- 
bly be  the  best  remembered  for  his  rare 
social  gifts  and  conversational  powers.  He 
loved  to  talk  and  to  hear  others  talk,  and  it 
mattered  not  with  whom  or  in  what  circle  he 
found  himself,  his  talent  of  adaptation  was 
never  at  fault.  From  the  most  ignorant  and 
simple  he  could,  by  his  natural  gifts  for  cross- 
examining,  extract  both  information  and  quiet 
amusement.  If  he  found  them  too  ignorant 
for  anything  else,  they  could  tell  him  about 
their  "  sisters,  their  cousins,  and  their  aunts," 
and  the  absorbing  interest  of  the  old  judge 
in  these  at  once  became  a  comical  study. 
And  even  thus  he  was  storing  away  informa- 
tion about  the  people  that  he  at  some  time, 
either  in  the  practice  of  the  law  or  in  his 
political  campaigns,  could  use  to  a  great  ad- 
vantage. The  younger  lawyers  of  the  district 
will  tell  you  that  he  can  go  into  almost  any 
county  in  the  Wabash  district,  or  in  central 
or  southern  Illinois,  and  on  opening  court 
day,  take  his  seat  in  the  court  room  and  as 
each  one  of  the  younger  generation  of  men 
enters,  if  he  does  not  recognize  him,  he  will 
ask  his  young  lawyer  friend  the  name  of  the 
man,  and  when  told  it,  he  will  most  generally 
reply  by  saying,  "  Oh,  yes;  I  know;  the  son 
of  such  and  such  a  man,  who  settled  on  such 
a  creek,"  and  then  proceed  to  tell  his  friend 
all  about  the  man's  family  and  relatives.  It 
is  said  that  in  this  way  he  knows  more  people, 
and  more  about  them,  than  any  other  man  in 
the  State.  He  would  gather  from  his  uncouth 
friends  often  as  much  or  more  quiet  amuse- 
ment than  information.  For  instance,  riding 
along  the  road  one  day  he  overtook  a  woman 
driving  a  team  of  oxen,  hauling  rails.  He 
slowed  up  his  horse  and  opened  a  conversa- 


2S6 


HISTORY  OF  CLARK  COUNTY. 


tion.  Eventually,  among  other  things,  he 
asked  her  how  she  liked  Illinois.  "Oh,"  re- 
plied the  woman,  "  it  'pears  all  well  enough 
for  men  and  dogs,  but  its  powerful  tryin'  on 
women  and  oxen."  Thus  his  store  of  amus- 
ing incidents  and  anecdotes  are  unsurpassed 
probably  by  any  man  living.  But  his  most 
valuable  associate  in  life  was  doubtless  U.  F. 
Linder,  one  of  the  most  wonderful  men  that 
Illinois  has  ever  produced.  Ficklin  and  Lin- 
der were  near  the  same  age;  had  commenced 
the  practice  of  the  law  at  the  same  time,  and 
from  1837,  the  date  of  Ficklin's  locating  in 
Charleston,  they  were  neighbors,  associates, 
and  friends;  most  generally  arrayed  on  oppo- 
site sides  in  the  courtroom,  their  legal  battles 
were  the  marvel  of  the  age.  In  their  mental 
and  general  make-up  they  were  in  pretty 
much  everything  perfect  opposites.  Linder's 
genius  was  transcendent,  brilliant,  flashing, 
unstable,  feverish,  and  diseased.  He  blazed  up 
into  the  highest  heavens  like  a  flashing  rocket, 
from  where  his  unbalanced  nature  plunged 
into  the  dark  mud  like  a  blackened  stick. 
Before  a  jury  or  upon  the  hustings  his  elo- 
quence and  genius  played  like  the  ragged 
lightnings  in  sportive  twists.  When  his  elo- 
quent tongue  wagged  unmolested  he  swayed 
and  moved  an  audience  as  with  the  combined 
force  of  mesmerism  and  electricity,  and 
seemed  to  revel  and  riot  in  almost  super- 
natural powers,  and  when  the  feverish  thrill 
had  passed  he  was  left  weak,  puerile  and 
childish,  full  of  superstitious  fears,  dreading 
and  dodging  unseen  dangers,  vain  as  a  sim- 
pleton, and  particularly  vain  of  those  very 
things  he  did  not  possess,  and  of  which  almost 
any  other  man  with  a  modicum  of  sense  would 
have  been  heartily  ashamed.  He  failed  in 
every  great  purpose  of  his  life,  if  he  ever 
formed  any  great  purpose,  which  is  doubtful, 
because  when  success  came  to  his  hands,  for 
which  he  had  struggled  apparently  like  the 
fabled  gods,    he   threw  it  away  and  trampled 


it  in  the  mud  and  the  mire.  Judge  Ficklin 
was  essential,  nay,  absolutely  necessary,  to 
this  wild  child  of  genius  as  a  prop  and  stay, 
and  balance,  to  his  very  existence.  The  con- 
servative, strong  nature  of  Ficklin  was  the 
only  one  thing  in  this  world  to  stay  and  con- 
trol the  gifted  madness  of  Linder,  and  the 
truth  of  this  is  attested  in  the  hard  and  griev- 
ous life  that  was  his  continuous  existence 
after  he  moved  away  from  Charleston  and 
fixed  his  habitation  in  Chicago,  where  he  died 
a  few  years  ago.  Linder  was  as  fickle  as  he 
was  brilliant,  one  moment  loving  his  friends 
and  pouring  out  upon  them  terms  of  endear- 
ment as  intense  and  soft  as  a  hysterical 
school-girl;  the  next  moment  raging  at  and 
abusing  them  like  a  fury,  painting  the  moon 
with  blood,  or  lashing  them  with  that  wonder- 
ful tongue  that  at  times  was  as  a  whip  of 
scorpions,  then  as  causelessly  as  had  been 
perhaps  his  firet  wrath,  he  would  humble  and 
humiliate  himself  in  abject  apologies.  The 
companionship,  the  legal  contests  before 
courts  and  juries,  the  warm  friendships,  the 
tiff's  (always  only  on  Linder's  part),  the  social 
communings,  the  political  battles  and  discus- 
sions upon  the  stump,  their  traveling  all  over 
the  wide  circuit  on  horse-back  together,  dis- 
cussing everything  from  the  size  of  their 
respective  clients'  ears  to  the  simple  and 
sublime  sermon  on  the  Mount.  Could  they 
be  put  down  upon  paper,  with  all  their 
strange,  wierd  and  amusing  phrases,  would 
make  a  page  in  the  world's  history  that  would 
stand  alone  in  interest.  It  was,  it  is  true, 
something  like  hitching  up  for  a  draft  team 
the  noble  Fercheron  horse  and  the  wild  eagle 
of  the  crags.  The  marvelous  brilliancy  of 
Linder's  genius  attracted  Ficklin,  while  Lin- 
der went  to  Ficklin  in  all  his  real  and 
his  numerous  imaginary  troubles  as  the 
helpless,  heart-broken  child  does  to  its  strong 
lovin<T  father  to  pour  out  its  griefs  and  have 


HISTORY  OF  CLARK  COUNTY. 


287 


its  wouiKis  made  whole.  A  story  finely  illus- 
trative, both  of  the  times  and  of  these  two 
men,  is  told  somewhat  as  follows:  In  1844, 
tiiey  each  aspired  to  be  candidates  for  con- 
gress— one  a  Wiiig,  the  other  a  Democrat. 
Earlv  in  the  year  they  started  out  traveling 
from  county  to  county,  holding  nearly  every 
night  joint  discussions.  They  joined  issue 
upon  the  then  great  question  of  the  annexa- 
tion of  Te.xas.  They  took  sides,  it  seems,  by 
lot,  and  Linder  as  a  Whig,  was  warmly  for  get- 
ting Texas,  and  Mexico  too,  for  tliat  matter, 
■while  Ficklin,  as  a  Democrat,  hotly  opposed 
the  whole  scheme  of  blood  and  robbery.  As 
these  nightly  battles  grew  and  magnified,  the 
people  became  deeply  interested  and  many 
traveled  from  county  to  county  to  hear  their 
favorites  discuss  these  great  questions.  They 
had  about  got  over  half  the  districts,  and  their 
appointments  were  out  for  the  remaining 
counties,  when  the  slow  word  found  its  way 
to  this  wild  country  at  last,  that  the  National 
Democratic  Convention  had  nominated  Polk 
and  Dallas,  and  upon  the  strongest  kind  of  a 
Texas  annexation  platform.  The  word  came 
like  a  thunder-clap  to  these  young  statesmen. 
What  were  they  to  do?  They  were  to  debate 
the  next  day  in  the  adjoining  county,  and 
they  cut  the  Gordian  knot  as  thej'  rode  to  the 
place,  by  changing  sides,  and  then  at  it  they 
went,  hip  and  thigh,  over  the  remainder  of  the 
district.  This  swapping  sides  was  the  life 
and  joy  of  Linder,  for  it  was  his  nature  to 
stick  at  nothing  very  long.  He  joined  pretty 
much  every  craze  that  came  along,  and  al- 
ways for  the  nonce  out-Heroded  Herod.  If  a 
church  revival  happened  along  when  he  was 
in  one  of  his  frequent  moods  of  depression, 
he  would  join,  and  his  enthusiasm  was  bound- 
less and  uncontrollable,  and,  of  course,  would 
soon  blaze  and  burn  itself  out,  when  back  he 
would  go  to  his  revelries  and  first  loves.  But 
always  when  he  safely  passed  the  prayer  and 
shouting   gauge,   he    would    hie    himself  and 


hunt  up  Ficklin  and  beg  and  plrad  with  him 
to  come  and  go  along  and  be  saved.  He 
would  attack  every  one  he  met,  in  the  high- 
wavs  and  by-ways,  and  invite  them  to  the 
marriage  feasts,  and,  if  they  hesitated  at  all, 
he  would  open  upon  them  his  powerful  po- 
lemical batteries,  which  discussions  soon  grew 
so  heated  that  Linder  would  be  more  eager 
to  fight  it  out,  rough  and  tumble,  give  and 
take,  than  he  had  a  few  minutes  before  been 
anxious  to  save  their  imperiled  souls.  Thus 
every  ism,  society  and  church,  that  chance 
forced  upon  him,  he  tried  in  turns,  not  even 
slighting  the  Adventists  with  their  ascension 
robes  and  a  burning  world.  Ficklin  reports 
him  unusually  serious  upon  this  last-named 
reliofious  experiment.  Although  it  was  in  the 
dead  of  winter  when  the  craze  struck  the  vil- 
lage of  Charleston  and  captured  nearly  all  the 
people,  as  well  as  Linder,  yet  the  colder  the 
weather  got  the  hotter  Linder  felt,  and  it  so 
happened  that  on  the  day  for  the  vast  confla- 
gration there  were  two  ''  sun-dogs  "  rose  up 
with  the  red  sun.  The  people  rushed  into 
the  streets  and  believed  the  red  suns  were  the 
world's  fire  and  that  in  the  language  of  Fick- 
lin, the  tire  had  about  reached  the  Embarras 
River  and  as  soon  as  it  could  get  across  the 
river  it  would  devour  Charleston.  At  the 
head  of  these  was  Linder,  praying  and  shout- 
ing like  mad,  and  exhorting  the  people  that 
the  day  of  judgment  and  the  wrath  of  God 
was  at  hand,  but  the  day  passed  and  the 
world  rolled  on  as  cold  and  icy  the  next  morn- 
ing as  ever.  Linder  hunted  up  Ficklin  and 
told  him  he  had  again  got  religion,  that  he 
was  certain  the  world  was  coming  to  an  end, 
that  he  firmly  believed  it  had  already  passed 
its  allotted  time  by  twenty-four  hours;  that  he 
was  sincere  in  his  religion  and  much  wished 
his  brother  Ficklin  would  go  along  with  him, 
etc.     "But,    brother    Ficklin,"    said    Linder, 

"  I  never  intend  my  religion  again  to  make  a 

damn  fool  of  me." 


288 


HISTORY  OF  CLARK  COUNTY. 


S.  S.  Whitehead,  of  Marshall,  tells  of  the 
first  political  speech  he  ever  listened  to.  It 
•was  made  by  Judge  Fiokliii  to  an  audience  of 
the  great  "  unwashed,"  the  barefoot  democ- 
racy in  their  hunting  shirts.  An  issue  of  that 
day  was,  much  as  we  have  it  now,  the  ab- 
struse problem  in  political  economy,  of  a  high 
protective  tariff.  The  speaker  finally  came  to 
this  question,  when  he  explained  it  with  the 
simple  proposition  that  "  protective  tariff  is  a 
Sunday-go-to-meeting  word,  and  means  high 
taxes  upon  you  farmers  and  everybody  else." 
We  have  no  hesitation  in  saying,  that  for  the 
crowd,  the  occasion  and  all  the  surrounding 
circumstances,  this  was  the  best  speech  ever 
made  on  that  vexed  question. 

.lusTiN  Haklan. — Judge  Harlan  was  a 
native  of  Ohio,  born  in  Warren  County,  De- 
cember, 1800,  and  died  while  on  a  visit  to  a 
daughter  in  Kentucky,  March  13, 1879.  He 
had  received  an  academic  education  and 
studied  law  in  the  office  of  Judge  McLean, 
and  afterward  with  Judge  Callett,  and  came 
to  Darwin  in  May,  1825.  In  the  year  1833 
he  was  married  to  Lucinda  Hoge,  and  resided 
in  Darwin  until  the  year  1840,  when  he  took 
up  his  abode  in  Marshall.  He  had  nine 
children,  eight  of  whom  are  still  living;  one 
died  in  infancy;  three  of  these,  namely,  How- 
ard, Cyrus  and  Edwin,  were  born  in  Darwin, 
and  the  others  in  Marshall.  Mrs.  Harlan,  who 
survives  him,  was  born  in  Knox  County,  In- 
diana, in  the  year  1813.  When  Judge  Har- 
lan first  came  to  Illinois  he  located  in  Pales- 
tine, and  after  a  few  years  residence  there  re- 
moved to  Darwin.  His  first  office  was  justice 
of  the  peace  in  the  last  named  village.  He 
was  a  soldier  in  the  war  of  1833,  and  served 
out  his  term  as  orderly  sergeant  of  his  com- 
pany with  credit  and  distinction.  In  the 
year  1835  he  was  elected  circuit  judge  by 
the  State  Legislature,  which  honorable  posi- 
tion he  filled  for  eighteen  consecutive  years, 
the  longest  continuous  period  of  any  man  who 


has  yet  held  the  office.  So  ably  and  well  did 
ho  discharge  his  high  duties  of  judge  that 
after  hts  first  term  he  was  re-elected  without 
opposition.  He  was  a  member  of  the  consti- 
tutional convention  of  1848,  and  here  his 
strong  character,his  familiarity  with  the  funda- 
mental laws,  and  his  polished  scholarship 
made  him  a  conspicuous  and  leading  member 
of  that  body.  He  was  appointed  by  President 
Lincoln  Indian  agent  ot  the  Cherokee  Na- 
tion, in  which  position  he  served  until  Lin- 
coln died,  when  he  resigned  and  returned  to 
his  home  in  Marshall.  He  was  one  of  the  few 
Indian  agents  that  brought  no  disgrace  to  the 
government,  and  when  retiring  from  his  post 
of  usefulness  was  a  loss  to  both  the  govern- 
ment and  the  Indians.  After  his  return  home, 
although  he  was  not  in  accord  politically  with 
the  majority  of  his  county,  he  was  elected 
county  judge,  which  position  he  filled  until 
within  a  short  time  of  his  death. 

This  is  the  record  dated  of  a  long,  a  useful 
and  a  great  life.  No  shadow  ever  fell  upon 
his  name  or  fame.  Strength  of  mind  and 
purity  of  purpose  were  his  leading  traits.  In 
his  profession  of  the  law  these  made  him  a 
great  chancery  lawyer,  no  doubt  the  ablest 
that  ever  presided  in  a  chancery  court  in  the 
Wabash  district,  or  practiced  before  the  courts 
in  Clark  County.  In  that  branch  of  the  law 
practice  that  sometimes  requires  scheming 
and  cunning  diplomacy,  he  was  neither  great 
nor  very  successful.  A  proof  that  his  nature 
was  faithful  and  just,  and  that  his  pre-emi- 
nent integrity  of  mind  was  better  adapted  to 
the  equitj"^  courts.  When  he  had  laid  aside 
his  cares  of  office  and  active  life  he  gave  up 
his  time  mingling  among  his  troops  of  friends, 
where  he  moved  like  a  great  central  figure 
marked  by  the  love,  respect  and  admiration 
of  all.  But  his  delight  and  keenest  joys  of 
old  age  was  in  the  association  of  little,  inno- 
cent children.  He  loved  them  all  most  de- 
votedly, and  to  make  them  happy  to  listen  to 


HISTORY  OF  CLARK  COUXTY. 


2S9 


the  rippling  laughter  that  bubbled  up  from 
their  guileless  hearts,  watch  their  gambols  and 
share  in  their  boisterous  and  hearty  fun  and 
frolic,  was  his  almost  constant  pastime.  His 
house,  in  bad  weather,  and  the  shady  sward, 
in  good  weather,  was  the  resort  for  troops 
of  these  prattling  innocents  where  they  came 
to  the  joyous  old  man  like  genial  sunbeams — 
a  sweet  picture  in  the  gloaming  of  a  great, 
pure  and  noble  life — a  fitting  crown.  Let  it 
1)6  Judge  Harlan's  imperishable  monument 
beneath  which  may  he  sweetly  sleep  forever. 

In  1835,  at  the  October  term  of  the  Circuit 
Court,  Judge  Alexander  F.  Grant  presided 
during  the  term  as  the  judge  i^ro  tan. 

Among  the  early  lawyers  in  Darwin  was 
Eldridge  S.  Jenny,  and  a  little  later  came  a 
man  of  conside  able  ability  in  his  profession, 
Mr.  Shelledey.  And  then  began  to  come 
Hon.  Aaron  Shaw  of  Lawrenceville,  the 
present  member  of  Congress,  from  this  dis- 
trict. Josiah  McRoberts,  Kirby  Benedict,  of 
Paris,  A.  C.  French,  of  Palestine,  Charles  Em- 
merson,  of  Macon  Count}-,  "Wickliffe  Kitch- 
ell,  and  afterward  his  two  sons,  Alfred  and 
Edward,  from  Palestine.  Wicklifle  Kitchell 
is  remembered  by  the  bar  as  a  close  student 
of  the  law,  a  faithful  and  conscientious  attor- 
Uey,  but  inclined  to  be  a  little  prolix  and 
sometimes  prosy.  In  a  race  for  Congress 
Kitchell,  Linder  and  Ficklin  were  the  three 
"  starters."  Linder,  of  course,  was  in  his 
glory,  which  could  only  have  been  increased 
by  an  increase  in  the  number  of  his  competi- 
tors. He  would  open  his  campaign  speeches 
by  saying  that  he  was  a  candidate  for  Con- 
gress; that  he  was  running  against  Fick- 
lin, and  that  his  wife  was  running  against 
Kitchell,  and  with  this  flippant  allusion  he 
would  dismiss  the  further  consideration  of 
Kitchell  and  then  turn  his  batteries  upon  the 
Democrats.  To  these  merciless  flagellations 
Ficklin  would  bravely  respond,  and  then 
trut  out  Folk  as  "  the  little  bob-tailed  roached- 


maned  Tennessee  pony  that  was  going  to 
beat  the  great  spavined  Kaintuck  boss,  and 
that  the  Whigs  were  a  case  of  blacklegs  and 
preachers  all  put  in  the  same  bed,  etc.,  etc. 
These  are  given  as  mere  specimens  of  the  tart 
and  relish  that  were  so  well  calculated  to 
hold  the  interested  attention  of  the  crowds 
that  listened  to  the  discussions. 

Jldge  Uki  Manly. — He  was  one  of  the  ; 
presiding  judges  of  the  Circuit  Court  of 
Clark  County.  He  had  read  law  with  Judge 
Harlan's  father  in  Kentucky.  Judge  Manly 
was  a  well-read  lawyer,  with  a  quick,  bright 
mind.  His  mental  cultivation  had  been  ex- 
tensive, and  his  reading  of  a  wider  rano-e 
than  the  average  lawyer  and  politician" of  his 
day.  He  was  much  more  remarkable  for 
read}'  shrewdness  than  for  great  profundity 
of  thought.  He  was  succeeded  in  oiBce  by 
Judge  Stephen  Archer,  who  belonged  to  one 
of  the  oldest  and  best  families  that  came  iu 
the  early  times  to  Clark  County.  He  dis- 
charged the  duties  of  circuit  judge  with  great 
fairness  and  more  than  average  ability. 

Joshua  P.  Cooper  came  to  Clark  County  as 
early  as  1825.  He  located  in  Martinsville, 
where  he  married  Marian,  the  daughter  of 
Abner  Stark.  He  died  in  ISGij  in  Erlgar 
County,  to  which  place  he  had  removed  some 
years  before,  and  where  he  had  been  elected 
County  Judge.  He  was  one  of  the  most  elo- 
quent men  of  his  day.  In  early  life  he  had 
been  badly  crippled  by  the  "  white-swelling." 
He  was  a  member  of  the  Legislature  in  1848, 
and  in  the  senatorial  contest  between  Breeze 
and  Shields  he  warmly  espoused  the  cause  of 
Judge  Breeze.  He  stood  for  a  re-nomination 
to  the  Legislature  and  was  defeated  by  James 
C.  Robinson,  one  of  the  most  remarkable  of 
all  the  eminemt  men  given  to  the  State  by  the 
Wabash  Country.  A  splendid  specimen  of 
frontier  developement  whose  eventful  life  is 
full  of  romance  and  instruction.  Born  of 
humble  parents  in  a  new  wild  country,  where 


290 


HISTORY  OF  CLARK  COUNTY. 


all  were  generally  poor  and  rich  alike — the 
intensity  of  the  pinch  and  struggle  for  life 
usually  dependent  upon  the  numbers  of  young 
children  that  had  to  be  provided  for,  and  sur- 
rounded by  very  little  of  the  blessings  of 
society  and  civilization,  the  very  poorest 
school  facilities,  where  the  sum  and  substance 
of  life  was  a  constant  battle  with  the  ele- 
ments, hunger,  the  wild  varments,  and  the 
beasts  of  prey,  were  the  general  surroundings 
of  the  childhood  of  "  Jim  Robinson,"  as  his 
old  friends  still  persist  in  calling  him.  The 
children  of  poor  farmers  in  that  day  were  put 
to  work  at  a  very  tender  age.  In  all  these 
respects  his  earliest  surroundings  came  at 
him  rough  end  foremost.  It  may  have  been 
these  very  circumstances  that  whetted  the 
child's  natural  shrewdness  and  cunning.  At 
all  events,  it  is  told  of  him  that  at  the  earliest 
age  he  gave  evidences  that  he  had  not  been 
born  with  the  gift  of  industry  in  tending  swine 
very  largely  developed,  and  that  his  talent  for 
shirking  work  off  upon  his  older  brothers  was 
very  marked  indeed.  In  fact  so  masterly 
was  his  laziness,  so  utterly  reckless  was  he  of 
the  health  and  comforts  of  both  the  domestic 
animals  and  the  crops  upon  the  farm,  his  tend- 
er-heartedness toward  weeds  as  he  saw  them 
rise  up  in  their  might  to  choke  the  young 
corn  in  its  efforts  to  make  the  family  bread, 
that  his  family  and  friends  despaired  of  his 
ever  being  of  any  account,  and  were  willing 
to  give  him  over  to  utter  reprobacy.  But  as 
for  playing  marbles,  "  keeps,"  "  shinny," 
mumble-peg,  swimming,  foot-racing,  stealing 
out  the  old  jaded  plow  horses  of  moonlight 
nights,  or  of  Sundays  when  the  older  ones  were 
at  church,  and  running  races  for  pin  fish- 
hooks, whip  crackers,  or  white  alleys,  he  went 
forth  conquering  and  to  conquer.  When 
more  than  half  grown  he  was  a  lazy,  lubberly, 
unkempt,  unprepossessing  bare-foot  boy, 
reckless,  rolicking  and  indifferent  as  to  where 
the    next    feed    was    to  come  from  as  a  cub- 


bear;  a  bundle  of  growing  vitality,  and  ex- 
uberant animal  spirits  with  no  restraints  or 
guides  in  the  world  except  his  own  volitions 
and  impulses.  If  his  most  partial  friends 
ever  supposed  he  possessed  hidden  possibili- 
ties of  future  usefulness  and  value,  it  must 
have  struck  them  as  a  case  of  the  jewel  in  the 
toad's  head.  Yet  before  he  was  grown,  he  had 
picked  up  in  some  unaccountable  way  enough 
education  to  be  able  to  read  and  write,  and 
had  good  books  then  fallen  in  his  way  he  no 
doubt  would  have  shown  his  friends  for  what 
purpose  he  was  made,  but  they  were  not  to 
be  had  and  he  therefore  bloomed  into  a  most 
expert  jockey  in  the  county.  He  passionately 
loved  horses  and  especially  horse-racing.  The 
evidence  that  he  admired  women  is  well 
attested  in  the  living  fact  that  he  is  only 
eifjhteen  years  older  than  his  oldeat  son. 
Thus  at  the  early  age  of  eighteen  he  was  the 
head  of  a  family,  a  renter,  a  wretched  farmer, 
and  with  no  other  earthly  possessions,  or  visi- 
ble means  of  support,  but  he  was  as  happy, 
contented  and  lazy  as  the  day  was  long. 
The  family  of  the  young  Benedict  increased 
with  a  constant  regularity,  and  he  soon  grew 
to  be  a  leader  in  the  county  in  all  games  and 
sports,  and  a  prominent  figure  on  exciting 
election  days,  and  all  kinds  of  hurrah  gather- 
ings. At  the  first  call  for  soldiers  in  the 
Mexican  war  he  volunteered  as  a  soldier  and 
served  his  country  until  the  end  of  the  wai- 
and  the  disbandment  of  the  army.  This 
circumstance  was  no  doubt  the  turning  point 
in  his  career  of  life.  Soldiering,  and  travel- 
ino-,  as  well  as  mixing  somewhat  with  men 
of  some  culture,  had  educated  him  up  to  the 
knowledge  of  his  real  vocation  in  life.  Upon 
his  return  home  he  borrowed  a  law  book 
(some  say  it  was  a  copy  of  the  Illinois  statu- 
tes) and  commenced  the  study  of  the  law. 
That  summer  he  raised  a  meager  crop  of  corn 
and  read  law  in  the  shade,  and  at  the  fall  term 
of  the  court  obtained  his  license  as  an  attorney. 


HISTORY  OF  CLARK  COUNTY. 


291 


He  quit  the  farm  at  once  and  opened  a  law 
office  in  Marshall,  and  his  fortune  was  made. 
His  indolence,  and  all  former  roysteririg,  in- 
dift'erence  to  the  cares  of  life  wore  2*one,  and 
by  the  sheer  force  of  intellect  and  extraordi- 
nary talents,  he  took  his  position  at  the  head 
of  the  bar  as  a  jurj'  lawj-er  in  his  countj- — a 
position  that  he  now  holds  in  the  bar  of  the 
great  State  of  Illinois.  In  a  short  time  he 
was  elected  to  congress,  and  was  re-elected 
a  nuinher  of  times — in  fact  until  he  moved 
out  of  the  district  and  located  in  Springfield, 
with  a  view  of  devoting  his  time  exclusively 
to  the  practice  of  the  law.  When  he  took  up 
his  abode  in  Springfield  that  congressional  dis- 
trict was  and  had  l)een  for  a  long  time  strong- 
ly republican  in  politics.  A  nomination,  by 
the  democracy,  was  forced  upon  his  unwilling 
acceptance,  and  he  canvassed  the  district,  and 
wrested  victory  from  the  ja  ws  of  defeat,  and 
from  that  day  to  the  present  the  district  has 
sent  only  Democrats  to  Washington.  He  was 
the  nominee  of  the  Democracy  for  Governor 
during  the  war  times,  when  there  was  prac- 
ticall}'  no  living  Democratic  party  in  the 
State,  and,  of  course,  he  was  defeated,  but  he 
made  an  able  and  memorable  canvass. 

These,  in  the  fewest  words,  are  the  promi- 
nent facts  of  his  political  life.  In  the  mean- 
time while  this  rather  larsre  and  active  polit- 
ical life  was  ^oing  on,  his  knowledge  and 
fame  in  the  profession  of  the  law  was  growing 
and  rapidly  extending.  Not  only  is  this  true, 
but  his  education  and  growth  in  knowledge 
kept  pace  with  his  wonderful  advances  in  the 
respects  above  mentioned,  until  to-day,  at  the 
noon  merely  of  his  intellectual  manhood,  this 
misjudged,  never  understood  farmer  boy,  with 
scarcely  a  single  adventitious  circumstance 
to  mold  and  develop  his  mind  in  his  youth 
and  young  manhood,  has  trod  alone,  sword 
in  hand,  and  cleaved  out  his  road  to  fame  and 
fortune,  and  become  not  only  a  ripe  literary 
scholar,  the  ablest  of  jury  lawyers,  the  great- 


est popular  orator  of  his  day,  but  a  statesman 
as  well  as  a  lawyer  of  national  reputation. 
His  powers  as  a  conversationalist  are  as  won- 
derful as  his  triuniphs  in  other  intellectual 
paths,  and  have  unquestionably  contributed 
not  a  little  to  his  successful  life. 

This  is  the  instructive  story — only  bv  far  to 
briefly  told,  and  too  much  suppressed — of 
what  a  boy  can  do,  not  only  without  the 
schools,  but  without  wealth,  and  with  a  family 
on  his  hands  at  the  rather  jjrcmature  ago  of 
eighteen  years!  If  rightly  read  by  thej'ouths 
of  our  country,  it  would  prove  the  most  val- 
uable lesson  of  their  lives. 

Hon.  Charles  H.  Constable. — This  £,en- 
tleman  was  born  in  Chestertown,  Maryland, 
.July  6, 1817,  and  died  in  the  city  of  Effingham 
October  9,  1805.  He  had  been  educated  in 
early  life  with  great  care  and  was  a  thorough 
and  elegant  scholar.  He  attended  school  at 
Belle  Air  Academy,  a  fine  scientific  and  classi- 
cal school,  and  prepared  himself  to  enter  col- 
lege and  then  became  a  student  of  the  Uni- 
versity of  Virginia,  where  he  graduated  with 
the  first  honor  in  1838.  Here  he  pursued, 
among  other  branches,  the  study  of  the  law, 
when  this  department  of  the  school  was  in  the 
care  of  men  of  national  reputation,  and  to 
their  invaluable  instruction  he  added  his  own 
patient  and  unremitting  studies,  and  laid  the 
foundation  for  that  judicial  knowledge  which 
he  in  subsequent  life  displayed  as  an  advo- 
cate and  judge.  Immediately  after  his  grad- 
uation he  came  to  Illinois,  and  located  in  Mt. 
Carmel,  and  here,  on  the  23d  day  of  April, 
1840,  was  married  to  Martha,  daughter  of 
Reverend  Thomas  Hines,  of  that  place.  Here 
he  soon  won  the  honorable  position  of  ranking  ' 
among  the  ablest  among  the  members  of  a 
bar,  which,  at  that  day,  was  justly  estimated 
as  the  ablest  of  the  West.  And  such  were  the 
strength  and  solidity  of  his  abilities  that  this 
reputation  soon  extended  all  over  the  State. 
In  1846  he  was  elected  a  member  of  the  State 


292 


HISTORY  OF  CLARK  COUNTY. 


Senate,  from  the  Wabash,  Edwards  and 
Wayne  counties  district,  discharging  the  du- 
ties of  the  office  with  signal  ability.  He  was 
elected  a  delegate  to  the  Sfate  Constitutional 
Convention  of  l.S-iS  from  Wabash  County. 
His  ripe  scholarship,  and  profound  knowledge 
of  the  law  bi  ought  him  conspicuously  forward, 
and  many  of  the  most  important  features  of 
the  Constitution  were  his  handiwork.  After 
the  convention  had  completed  its  labors  he 
•was  made  chairman  of  a  committee  to  prepare 
an  address  to  the  people  of  Illinois,  to  be  sub- 
mitted with  the  Constitution.  This  was  a 
most  able  and  admirable  paper  and  was  wholly 
written  by  him. 

.Judge  Constable  was  a  devoted  Old  Line 
Whig,  and  acted  strictly  with  that  party  until 
its  dissolution  in  1854,  when  he  became  a 
Democrat.  He  was  the  Whig  candidate  for 
Congress  in  1852,  in  the  7th  district,  and  was 
defeated  by  Hon.  J.  C.  Allen.  Many  of  the 
older  citizens  will  yet  contend  that  the  can- 
vass made  by  Judge  Constable  in  this  election 
was  by  far  the  ablest  and  most  brilliant  ever 
made  in  the  district.  He  was  a  Democratic 
elector  in  1856,  for  the  State  at  large.  In 
June,  1861,  he  was  elected  judge  of  the  4th 
judicial  circuit  and  this  position  he  held  until 
his  death. 

He  was  a  pure,  able  and  just  judge,  ex- 
amining all  questions  that  came  before  him 
with  conscientious  impartiality,  great  prompt- 
ness and  discrimination. 

As  a  lawyer,  judge  and  legislator,  he  was 
alike  popular.  In  every  position  of  life  to 
which  the  people  elevated  him,  he  gained  dis- 
tinguished honors.  He  was  well  fitted  to 
adorn  the  highest  places  in  the  public  trust, 
and  had  his  life  been  spared  to  his  people  the 
public  voice  would  have  doubtless  called  him 
to  yet  higher  places  of  trust. 


His  acquirements  as  a  lawyer  were  varied 
and  profound.  He  had  drunk  deeply  of  the 
fountains  of  English  common  law,  and  he  kept 
pace  with  the  march  of  judicial  science,  by  a 
familiarity  with  the  reported  decisions  of  our 
own  courts  and  those  of  England.  He  had 
thoroughly  studied  and  mastered  the  philoso- 
phy and  spirit  as  well  as  the  dry  letter  of  the 
law.  As  a  speaker  he  was  forcible,  eloquent 
and  correct.  His  language  showed  the  man 
of  thought  and  cultivated  taste.  His  bearing 
was  digiiilied,  courteous  and  polite.  He  was 
an  ornament  to  the  bench  and  an  honor  to 
the  bar. 

At  times  .Judge  Constable  has  been  the  ob- 
ject of  the  most  violent  and  relentless  polit- 
ical persecuiion,  and  yet  those  who  knew  him 
well,  know  that  the  man  scarcely  ever  lived, 
who  less  deserved  it.  Firm  and  conscientious 
in  all  his  views,  and  bold  and  fearless  in  their 
enunciation,  ho  had,  at  the  same  time,  respect 
for  those  who  honestly  diifered  from  him  on 
even  the  most  vital  tenets  of  his  faith.  His 
personal  experience,  his  education  and  his 
reason  taught  him  the  fallibility  of  human 
judgment  and  the  liability  of  honest  and  Vi^ise 
men  to  disagree  upon  almost  every  question 
of  political  philosophy  in  a  government  con- 
stituted as  ours  is;  and  he  claimed  no  charity 
for  himself  that  he  did  not  cordially  extend 
to  others. 

In  all  the  relations  of  life  a  sense  of  duty 
— stern  and  inexorable — accompanied  him 
and  characterized  his  every  act,  and  disre- 
o-arding  selfish  and  personal  considerations, 
he  obeyed  its  behests  until  the  icy  hand  of 
death  was  laid  upon  his  brow. 

The  biographic  record  of  the  other  mem- 
bers of  the  bar,  now  living  in  the  county,  will 
be  found  in  the  department  of  this  work, 
under  the  head  of  Biographical  Sketches. 


CHAPTEE  YIII.* 


MARSHALL   TOWNSHIP— INTRODUCTION— TYP06RAPHY-AN     ILLINOIS    BARREN-PRIMI- 
TIVE ATTRACTIONS-EARLY  LAND  ENTRIES-ORIGIN    OF    THE    VILLAGE-PIO- 
NEER INDUSTRIES  AND  IMPROVEMENTS— EARLY  SOCIETY,  ETC.,  ETC. 


"  "Tis  nature's  plan 
The  child  should  grow  unto  the  man, 
The  man  groijr  wrinkled,  old,  and  gray." 
— Longfelloic. 

"jl/TARSHALL  Township  was  known  in  the 
-L'J-  Congressional  survey  as  town  11  north, 
range  12  west,  and  for  nearly  a  score  of  years 
after  the  organization  of  the   county,  did  not 
bear  a  more  specific  title.     For  some  time  it 
formed  an  insignificant  part  of  the  original  and 
illy-defined  townships  of  Washington  and  Du- 
bois and  only  secured  recognition  and  promi- 
nence when  it  was  named  Marshall,  and  chosen 
as  the  site   of  the   county  seat  of  justice  in 
I'S'-u.     The  site  of  this   township    was  origi- 
nally occupied  by   w.hat  was  termed  in    the 
vernacular  of   the  frontier,   a  "  barren," — de- 
batable   ground    where    the    wild  fires  and 
timber   met    on   somewhat    equal   terms  and 
either   might   claim   the   mastery.     The   land 
was  high  and  pleasantly  situated  with  gentle 
slope  toward   the   South,   giving  rise  in    the 
western  half  to   an   important  branch  of  Mill 
Creek    which   joins  the    main   stream   on  the 
southern  line    of   the    township.     Mill  Creek 
enters  the  original  boundary  of  the  township 
on   section   nineteen    and    taking     a     south- 
easterly course  passes  out  of  the   middle  part 
of  section  thirty-three.     The  highest  point  in 
the  township   and    in   the   county,  is  about  a 
mile  south  of  the  site  of   the    village  of  Mar- 
sh.all,  though  the  village  generally   seems  to 


*  By  J.  H.  Battle. 


share  in  the  pre-eminence,  the  land  sloping  in 
all  directions  from  it.       Big  Creek,  an  impor- 
tant stream  in  the  early  history  of  the  county, 
forms  the  boundary  on   the   northeast  corner, 
but  receives  no   affluent   from    this   territory. 
In  the   vicinity   of  Mill   and  Big  Creeks  the 
timber   early   gained    the     ascendency     and 
clothed  the  somewhat  broken  land   adjoining 
these  streams  with  a  heavy  forest  growth,  but 
elsewhere  the  township  v?as  generally  covered 
with  an  almost  impenetrable   undergrowth  of 
willow,  hazel,  and  blackjack,  while   here  and 
there,  towering  above  the  underbrush,  an  oc- 
casional >hag-bark  hickory  flaunted  its  lofty 
top.      This    formed  a    paradise   for   wild    or 
"  Congress  hogs  "  as  they  were  called,  narrow 
paths  of  which    ramified   this    dense   copse. 
Cattle  early  learned  to  find  their  way  here  to 
pick  the  young  prairie   grass   that  was  found 
here  and  there  in  the  open    glades.       Durino- 
the  first  half  of  the  year  the  unfortunate  fron- 
tiersman, who  found  himself  here  by  accident 
or  in  quest  of  stock,   was   obliged  to  wade  in 
about  six  inches  of  water  which  covered  the 
ground  with  disagreeable   uniformity.     Later 
in  the  year  the  surplus  moisture  drained  and 
dried  off,  and  here   and   there   the  sunny  ex- 
posures bore  considerable  quantities  of  deli- 
cious wild  strawberries  that  attracted  the  early 
settlers  from   the   older   towns   of   York    and 
Darwin,  and  game   of   all    sorts    recognizing 
here  a  natural  retreat,  made  it  an   attractive 
resort  for  the  hunter. 

The  location  of  the  National  Road  tluouoh 


294 


HISTORY  OF  CLARK  COUNTY. 


this  township  in  18:27,  gave   to  this  locality  a 
partially  redeeming  feature,  but  at  that  time 
failed  to  excite    mnch  interest  in  it  as  an  eli- 
gible   site    for   land    entries.     If  the    county 
records   may    be  relied  upon,  Reason  Wiley 
did  enter  100  acres  on  the-west  half  of  section 
two,  and  in  the  following  year  Mecom  Maine 
made  another  entry  on   the  east  half  of  the 
northeast  quarter   of  the   same   section,    but 
these  entries  were  evidently  made  more   with 
reference  to  the  quality  of  land,  in    that    vi- 
cinity and  the   milling   facilities  likely  to  be 
afforded    by  Big  Creek  than  any  belief  in  the 
future  of  the  township.     In  the    meanwhile, 
the  county  seat  which  had  been  fi.xed  at  Au- 
rora   in    Darwin    Township  was,  a  few  years 
later,    removed    to    Darwin   village,  and   the 
foreshadow   of  coming   events  plainly    indi- 
cated that  it  must  be   again   removed  nearer 
to    the  center  of  the    county,    the    limits   of 
which  had  been    permanently  defined.     The 
importance     of   the  National  Road    made    it 
certain   that    some    part    of   Marshall    would 
proiiably  be   chosen   as   the   site  for  the  per- 
manent   seat   of  justice,   and    the  moneyed 
men   of  the     older     settlements     were  look- 
ino-  forward  to  discover    the    probable   point 
with    a    view   to   speculation.      This  state  of 
affairs   culminated  in  1835,  and   hundreds  of 
acres  were  entered  here  in    this    year,  princi- 
pallv  by  those  who  were  residents  in  Darwin 
and  York.     The  more  significant  of  these  were 
the  entries  of  William  B.  Archer  and  Gov.  J. 
Duncan   on    sections  13  and  24.     Others  fol- 
lowed rapidly  in  the  succeeding  years  so  that 
if  each  entry  had  represented  an  actual  settler 
the  township  would  have    been  thickly  popu- 
lated by  1840,  as  the  following  list  of  entries 
to  that  date    wiil   show.     In  1837,  entry  was 
made  on  section  2,  by  Reason  Wiley;  on  the 
same  section  in  1828,  by   Mecom   Maine;   in 
1831,  by  Thos.  Carey  on  section  31;  in  1833, 
by  Thos.  Wilson    on    section    2;  and   in  the 
same  year  on  section  32,  by  John  Craig.      In 


1835,  the  following   entries    appear:  Jno.  B. 
Stockwell  and  Orlando  B.  Ficklin  on  section 
31,  Wm.  P.  Twilley  on  section  28,  John  R  ggs 
and   Cornelius  Lamb    on    section  25,  Mdton 
Lake,  Steven  Archer,  and  Dr.  Wm.  Tutt  on 
section  24,  J.  Duncan  and  W.  B.  Archer,  and 
David  A.  Pritchard  on  section  13.       In  183fj, 
entry  was  made  by  Wm.  C.  Blundell,  Abram 
Washburn,  Abel  English  and  Jonathan  Jones 
on  section  1;   by  Woodford  Dulaney  and  W^. 
B.  Archer  on  section  13;  by  Oliver  Davis  on 
section  19;    by  Albert  B.  Kitchell  on  section 
21;  by  William  Sullivan  et  al.  on  section  23; 
by  Jacob  and  Justin  Harlan    on   section  23; 
by  Jno.  Bartlett  on  section  25;  by  John  Hol- 
lenbeck   on   section   27;   by  George  B.  Rich- 
ardson, Jno.  Houston  and   Wickliffe  Kitchell 
on  section  28;  by   Thos.  Weathers   and  Jno. 
McManus   on    section  29;    by   A.  Davis  and 
Abraham    Lewis  on    section    30;    by   P.  and 
Geo.  Thatcher   on  section  31;   by  Wm.  Craig 
on  section  32;  by  Levi  Stark   on  section    33; 
bv  Win.  Bartlett  and  Wm.  McKean  on  sec- 
tion 3G.     In    1837,   on    section   1,  entry   was 
made  by  Henry  Cole,  Michael  Ripple,  Samuel 
Galbreath  and  Jno.  Beiers;  on  section   2,  by 
Zachariah    Wood;  on    section    9,    by  Jas.  B. 
Anderson;     on     section    13,   by    Washington 
Cole  and  Hugh  Malone;  on  section  14,  by  S. 
D.  Handy;  on  section  15,  by  Wm.  Keichum; 
ou  section  17,  by  Robert  Mitchel;  on  section 
19,  by    Hayward    Davis;  on    section    22,    by 
Jno.    Thompson;  on    section    24,  by  Richard 
Grace;  on  section    28,    by  E.  L.  Janney;  on 
section  30,  by  J.  C.  Hillebert,  and  on  section 
34,  by  Vincent  Handy.     In   1838,   entry  was 
made  on  section   2,  by   Robert  Ash  more;  on 
section  7,  by  Richard  Airey;  on  section  9,  by 
Stephen  Lee;  on    section  12,  by  Jas.  McKay 
and    O.  H.  P.    Miller;    on     section    13,   by 
Michael    Meeker;     on    section    17,    by    Cor- 
nelius Sullivan;  on  section  20,  by  Jno.  Combs 
and  Jno.  B.  Mitchel;  on    section    21,  by  Jas. 
L.  Clark;  on   section   22,  by  Darius  Phillips, 


HISTORY  OF  CLARK  COUNTY. 


295 


Fred  Quick  and  Joel  Vansant;  on  section  23, 
by  Caleb  Philips;  on  section  25,  by  Wm. 
Harbcrt;  on  section  29,  by  Elza  Neal;  on 
section  30,  by  Win.  Fanbush;  on  section 
'■^1,  by  Zach.  Henry;  and  on  section  33,  by 
Wesley  and  Enoch  Lee,  and  Matthew  Cleave- 
land.  In  1839,  on  section  9,  entry  was  made 
bj-  William  King;  on  section  1-1,  by  Relly 
Madison;  on  section  18,  by  Richard  Clapp; 
on  section  19,  by  Peter  Weaver;  on  section 
2],  by  Leonard  Unibarger  and  Philip  Smith; 
on  section  27,  by  Lewis  Hufl';  on  section  30, 
by  Christian  Orendorflf,  Jno.  A.  and  Peter 
Fredenberg;  on  section  31,  by  Henry  Jeffers; 
on  section  32,  by  An<lrew  Fleming,  Calvin 
Bennett  and  George  White;  on  section  33, 
by  Archibald  Irwin;  and  on  section  3-1,  by 
Jno.  W.  Bailor  and  Isaac  W.  JIartin. 

This  list  represents  some  ninety-five  fami- 
lies, but  ;i  large  number  of  them  were  non- 
residents of  this  county,  and  a  still  larger 
number  either  never  lived  in  the  township  or 
did  not  come  here  until  some  time  later  than 
the  date  of  these  entries,  and  at  the  begin- 
ning of  1840  it  is  doubtful  if  there  were 
more  than  thirty-  families  living  within  the 
present  limits  of  Marshall  Township. 

The  first  actual  settlement  was  probably 
made  in  February,  1830,  by  Wm.  George. 
But  little  is  known  of  him.  He  was  first 
found  oil  The  eastern  limit  of  the  present 
village,  near  the  line  of  the  National  Road. 
He  never  entered  land,  but  simply  "squatted" 
on  the  first  available  spot,  with  no  definite 
intention,  but  simply  to  see  what  would  turn 
up.  He  had  a  considerable  family  which  he 
made  comfortable  as  circumstances  would 
allow  ill  a  three-sided  log  structure,  covered 
and  banked  about  with  the  coarse  prairie  hay 
■which  he  had  cut  for  the  purpose.  On  tiie 
open  side  of  bis  structure  was  built  a  large 
fire,  which  served  to  keep  off  the  damp, 
chilly  air,  and  facilitate  such  "culinar\'  at- 
tempts   as  the    support    of  the    family  made 


necessary.  He  did  not  stay  here  long.  At- 
tracted by  the  brighter  prospects  on  Big 
Creek,  the  family  soon  moved  there,  and  a 
little  later  went  to  Texas.  In  May,  of  18  0, 
Abram  Washburn  came  to  near  the  western 
limit  of  the  site  of  the  present  village.  He 
was  a  native  of  Ohio,  and  came  by  way  of 
the  river  to  Shawneetowii;  from  this  point  he 
went  into  the  country  near  the  town  and  took 
up  some  land,  where  he  lived  for  some  nine 
years.  About  1830,  hoping  to  get  employ- 
ment on  the  National  Road,  and  at  the  same 
time  secure  a  more  healthful  place  to  live,  he 
came  to  this  locality.  He  came  in  the  usual 
covered  wagon,  and  came  to  a  halt  near  the 
site  of  McKeairs  residence  west  of  the  vil- 
lage. Pitching  out  such  things  as  would 
bear  exposure  to  the  weather,  he  prepared  a 
bed  for  the  older  children  on  the  ground  under 
the  wagon,  while  the  parents  and  the  younger 
ones  occupied  the  shelter  of  the  vehicle.  A 
log  cabin  was  soon  put  up,  where  the  parents 
and  six  children  found  a  comfortable  home. 
Washburn  obtained  work  upon  the  National 
Road,  and  subsequently  found  it  convenient 
to  change  his  residence  to  the  east  side  of  the 
site  of  the  present  village.  While  engaged 
on  the  public  works  he  had  neither  time  nor 
inclination  to  make  any  permanent  improve- 
ments. A  garden  was  cultivated  for  the  fam- 
ily's supply  of  vegetables,  but  the  land 
proved  so  poor  that  but  little  could  be  pro- 
duced, and  resort  was  had  to  the  'rotted  turf 
which  had  been  thrown  off  the  line  of  the 
public  road,  as  fertilizer.  Washburn  subse- 
quently entered  land  on  section  1,  on  which 
he  moved  and  lived  until  his  death. 

A  very  early  settler,  and  of  whom  but 
little  is  known,  was  Mecom  Maine.  He  en- 
tered land  on  spotion  2,  in  Marshall  Town- 
ship, as  early  as  1828.  He  came  from  New 
York,  and  was  probably  in  the  county  about 
the  time  he  made  his  entr\'  of  land,  but  being; 
a  quiet  man,  and  occupied  with  the  cares  of 


296 


HISTORY  OF  CLARK  COL'XTY. 


a  Trontier  farm,  he  left  but  little  impress 
upon  the  community  which  gathered  there 
He  stayer]  here  but  a  short  time,  and  left  for 
Texas  before  others  of  his  family  came  to 
this  locality,  although  he  was  entrusted  to 
select  lands  for  them. 

Thomns  Wilson  was  another  early  settler  in 
this  vicinity.  He  was  an  Irishman,  and  made 
a  characteristic  settlement  in  the  northern 
part  of  the  township,  which  was  popularly 
known  as  Whiskeyville.  He  put  up  one  of 
the  earliest  saw-mills  on  tiie  fork  of  Big 
Creek,  where,  in  a  little  log  structure,  he  did 
business  when  the  state  of  the  water  per- 
mitted. He  remained  about  here  but  a  few 
years  when  he  went  to  Florida.  In  IS'Si 
John  Craig  settled  on  section  32,  and  soon 
after  put  up  a  saw-mill  on  Mill  Creek,  wliioh 
furnished  some  material  to  the  contractors  on 
the  National  Road.  In  this  year,  also,  Wm. 
C.  Blundell  came  here.  He  was  a  preacher 
in  the  Methodist  church,  and  made  several 
improvements  about  the  country,  but  sold 
one  after  the  other,  moving  about  from  place 
to  place.  He  entered  land  on  section  1  in 
1836.  but  did  not  move  onto  the  place.  He 
spent  most  of  his  residence  in  the  county 
within  the  limits  of  Wabash  Township, 
preaching  on  the  circuit  which  was  assigned 
him.  In  1836,  Abel  English,  a  native  of  Xew 
Jersey,  came  to  Marshall,  and  entered  land 
on  section  1.  In  the  following  year,  in 
company  with  a  man  by  the  name  of  Hick- 
man, who  caine  with  or  soon  after  him,  from 
New  Jersey,  be  put  up  a  combined  saw  and 
grist  mill. 

The  first  settlement  on  the  present  site  of 
the  village  of  Marshall  was  made  in  183(3.  In 
January  of  this  year  the  Legislature  passed 
an  act  to  remove  the  county  seat  from  Darwin 
to  some  point  on  the  National  Road.  The 
growing  demand  was  that  it  should  be  located 
near  the  center  of  the  population  which  would 
eventually  fill  the  county,  and  this  act  of  the 


Legislature  had  been  anticipated  by  the  people 
for  several  years.  But  which  should  be  the 
favored  site  was  a  question  which  aroused  the 
liveliest  competition  among  the  friends  of  the 
various  eligible  points.  In  October,  1831, 
R.  A.  Ferguson  had  platted  the  village  of 
Livingstone  in  the  western  part  of  what  is 
now  Wabash  Township,  on  the  National  Road, 
and  lots  in  this  village,  a  little  later,  sold  at 
fabulous  prices.  In  September,  1833,  Thomas 
Carey  laid  off  the  little  village  of  Careyford 
on  the  east  half  of  the  northeast  quarter  of 
section  31,  and  on  the  west  half  of  the  north- 
west quarter  of  section  33,  in  town  11  north, 
range  12  west.  This  plat  exhibits  simply  a 
row  of  lots  on  either  side  of  the  Cumberland 
Road  with  Mill  Creek  dividing  it  in  nearly 
equal  parts.  Its  founder  was  a  native  of 
New  York  and  came  early  to  Danville  in  this 
State,  with  an  ox  team.  He  was  really  a  res- 
ident of  Edgar  County  but  attracted  by  the 
opportunity  for  speculation  he  came  to  this 
locality,  and  entered  land  in  1831.  He  had  a 
contract  on  the  road,  part  of  the  time  in  part- 
nership with  James  Whitlock,  and  built  on 
the  site  of  his  village  a  large  hotel  for  the 
accommodation  of  his  hands  and  such  travel- 
ing guests  as  found  it  convenient  to  use 
it.  In  Novem')er,  1836,  Orlando  B.  Flcklin, 
Deinas  Ward  and  Jonathan  N.  Rathbone  laid 
off  the  village  of  Auburn,  about  a  mile  west 
of  Careyford.  This  was  a  more  aml)itious 
venture  than  the  latter  village,  and  was  an 
open  competitor  for  the  prize  to  be  awarded 
by  the  Legislative  Commission.  With  the 
exception  of  Rathbone,  the  proprietors  were 
non-residents  of  the  county  and  entered  into 
the  matter  as  a  speculation.  Ficklin  was  a 
man  of  ability  and  influence,  and  entered  into 
the  contest  with  some  assurance  of  success. 
A  square  in  the  center  of  the  pla,t  was  reserved 
for  the  erection  of  county  buildings,  though 
it  was  wisely  provided  that  in  the  event  of 
the  county  seat  being  placed  elsewhere,  this 


HISTORY  OF  CLARK  COUXTY. 


2)9 


square  should  be  devoted  to  the  use  of  the 
public  as  a  park  or  coramon.  In  October, 
ISoJ,  Marshall  was  pliitted  on  parts  ol" sections 
i;5  and  '-li:  iu  town  11  north,  range  12  west, 
by  J.  Duncan  and  W.  B.  Archer.  The  g-round 
selected  was  hiffh  and  covered  bv  a  forest 
growth  which  oiFered  the  least  obstacles  to 
niakinu;  it  habitable,  but  it  had  the  disadvan- 
tage, owing  to  the  character  of  the  soil,  of  be- 
ing wet  and  as  forbidding  in  appearance  as 
its  most  determined  opponents  could  wish. 
It  was  situated  considerably  east  of  the  geo- 
graphical center  of  the  county  as  well,  but 
(lie  contest  was  likely  to  be  decided  more  by 
the  strength  of  the  battalions  than  the  just- 
ness of  the  cause  and  these  matters  proved  of 
minor  consideration.  A  bill  was  passed  by 
the  Legislature  iu  .January,  1S3G,  to  change 
the  county  seat  from  Darwin  to  some  point  on 
tlie  National  Road  nearer  the  center  of  the 
county,  and  appointed  Gen.  Wm.  F.  Thornton, 
AVm.  Prentiss,  and  John  Hendrix  of  Shelby 
County,  and  Charles  Emerson  and  Wra.  Red- 
dick  of  Macon  County,  as  commissioners  to  fix 
upon  the  site.  But  four  of  the  commissioners 
appeared  upon  the  ground,  and  these  were 
divided  evenly  in  their  choice  between  Mar- 
shall and  Auburn.  The  matter  was  again  re- 
ferred to  the  Legislature,  and  an  act  submit- 
ting the  whole  question  to  the  people  was 
passed.  By  this  act  it  was  provided  that  the 
people  of  the  county  should  vote  on  the  ques- 
tion of  moving  the  county  seat  and  if  this  was 
carried  in  the  affirmative,  they  should  again 
vote  upon  the  question  of  the  place.  The 
two  factions  uniting  upon  the  first  question 
ha  1  no  difficulty  in  out-voting  the  Darwin 
adherents,  but  upon  the  second  Question  the 
contest  was  not  so  uneven.  The  adherents  of 
Auburn  hail  in  the  meanwhile  been  reinforced 
by  J.  C.  Hillebert,  a  man  of  considerable 
■weath  living  in  York,  who  secured  an  impor- 
tant share  in  the  plat  and  lands  lying  near  it. 


He  was,  however,  of  a  cautious  disposition 
and  not  so  generous  in  the  expenditure  of 
money  as  the  case  seemed  to  demand.  Col. 
Archer,  on  the  other  hand,  was  a  man  of  con- 
siderable wealth,  a  memlier  of  the  Legislature, 
and  possessed  of  large  influence  in  the  com- 
munity in  which  he  lived.  He  was  of  Irish 
extraction,  born  in  Scott  County,  Kentucky, 
from  whence  he  had  gone  with  his  father  to 
Ohio,  and  with  him,  in  1817,  came  to  Darwin. 
He  early  interested  Joseph  Duncan,  who  was 
Governor  of  the  State  in  1S3G,  in  his  scheme, 
and  bent  all  his  influence  and  energies  in 
promoting  tlie  success  of  this  venture.  After 
platting  the  town  he  secured  a  valuable  be- 
ginning of  the  new  community,  in  th*-  settle- 
ment of  John  Bartlett  and  .lanijs  Wliitloak. 
The  latter  was  especially  serviceable  in  the 
spirited  "•  electioneering"  which  preceded  the 
final  vote  in  183^.  Social  entertainments  were 
a  part  of  the  means  empiojed  to  captivate  the 
voters,  and  Whitlock  "  kept  open  house  "  in 
ttio  new  brick  building  into  which  he  hadjust 
then  moved.  Here  on  Saturday  night  was 
held  a  weekly  soiree  to  which  the  invitations 
were  verj-  generally  extended.  A  piano  was 
a  part  of  Mr.  Whitlock's  furniture,  a  very  rare 
sight  in  this  country  at  that  tima,  and  the 
ladies  of  the  family  devoted  themselves  to 
the  entertainment  of  their  guests.  It  is  said 
that  the  ladies'  influence  was  no  mean  factor 
in  the  contest,  and  the  Auburn  adherents 
were  wont  to  say  that  some  of  their  opponents 
thought  ^Yhitlock's  parlor  was  a  type  of 
heaven.  At  Careyford  there  was  a  dance 
continuing  through  three  days,  it  is  said,  but 
it  availed  nothing.  The  election  was  held  in 
July  or  August  of  1837,  and  decided  in  favor 
of  Marshall  by  a  majority  of  eighty-one  votes. 
This  decision  assured  the  eventual  success  of 
Archer's  venture  though  it  still  required  a 
good  deal  of  attention  to  make  it  profitable 
as   there  was  no  small  expense  involved   in 


300 


HISTORY  OF  CLARK  COUNTY. 


t!io  strutjgle  beside  the  payment  of  five  thou- 
sand dollars,  which  was  one  of  the  conditions 
of  the  removal. 

Early  in  1836,  Col.  Archer  had  induced  his 
hrother-in-law,  John  Bartlett  to  come  to  Mar- 
shall, and  put  up  and  conduct  a  hotel.  Bart- 
lett was  a  native  of  New  York  and  had  come 
to  Walnut  prairie  in  1817,  but  tired  of  coun- 
try life  had  determined  to  go  to  Chicago 
and  cast  in  his  fortunes  with  that  growing 
village.  He  had  gone  so  far  in  his  prepara- 
tions as  to  rent  a  house  there,  when  Archer 
took  him  in  hand  and  demonstrated  the  supe- 
rior advantages  of  Marshall.  At  all  events, 
Bartlett  came  here  in  April  of  1836,  and 
erected  a  double  log-house  on  the  east  end  of 
the  lot  on  which  the  residence  of  Mrs.  Gieen- 
ough  now  stands.  The  buildins:  was  formed 
of  hickory  logs,  which  being  cut  at  the  right 
time  peeled  oti  their  barU  giving  the  structure 
a  unique  and  attractive  appearance.  It  fronted 
on  Market  street,  and  had  three  rooms,  each 
opening  by  a  door  upon  a  porch  which  ran 
the  whole  leiia-th  of  the  building.  At  this 
time  the  national  road  was  in  process  of  con- 
struction through  the  county.  Through  the 
village  it  had  been  graded  and  finished,  but 
ill  the  near  vicinity  large  forces  of  workmen 
were  employed,  and  these  men,  with  the 
through  travel  which  began  to  bo  a  prominent 
factor  iu  the  western  communities,  brought 
considerable  revenue  to  this  wayside  inn. 

The  corps  of  Government  engineers  en- 
gaged on  the  road  made  this  point  their 
head-quarters,  and  were  tlie  guests  of  the  ho- 
tel for  upward  of  three  years,  while  the  in- 
crease of  transient  business  made  it  soon  nec- 
essary to  erect  a  long  building  on  the  west 
side  of  the  lot  for  their  accommodation.  The 
second  building  erected  iu  the  new  village 
was  a  Lirge  frame  stable,  43  by  113  feet,  which 
was  placed  on  ttie  corner  of  Market  and 
Franklin  streets,  where  Archer  Bartlett's  lum- 
ber-yard  now   is;  and    the    capacity    of    this 


spacious  building  was  frequently  taxed  to  its 
utmost  to  afford  accommodations  for  the  horses 
of  the  hotel  guests.  Here  Mr.  Bart  ett  did  a 
thriving  business  for  years,  the  morning  bills 
amounting  from  fifteen  to  fifty,  and  not  un- 
frequently  reaching  one  hundred  dollars  in 
amount.  A  little  later  in  this  year  a  second 
and  important  addition  was  made  to  the  com- 
munity started  here,  in  the  family  of  Jas. 
Whitlock.  He  was  a  native  of  Richmond, 
Va.,  and  came  to  Jonesboro,  in  this  State, 
about  1825.  After  remaining  a  year  or  two 
at  this  place  he  removed  to  Vandal ia,  then 
the  site  of  the  State  capital.  Here  his  ability 
obtained  recognition  and  he  was  soon  elected 
to  the  Legislature  wiiere,  after  serving  two 
or  three  terms,  he  was  appointed  as  registrar 
of  the  first  land-olBce  opened  in  Chicago. 
He  performed  the  duties  of  this  office  but  a 
short  time,  however,  when  his  eyes  failed  him, 
and  attracted  in  some  way  by  the  growing 
prospects  of  Marshall,  lie  bought  a  stock  of 
dry-goods  and  came  at  once  to  the  new  vil- 
lage. The  site  was  certainly  not  the  most 
attractive  for  business  enterprises  of  this  sort. 
The  most  of  the  large  trees  had  been  cut  off 
the  plat,  but  the  streets  and  lots,  which  were 
marked  by  the  surveyor's  stakes,  were  only 
to  be  discovered  by  a  careful  search  among 
the  luxuriant  under-brush.  The  only  build- 
ings were  the  deserted  cabin  of  Washburn, 
west  of  the  village  site,  the  cabin  on  the  east 
of  the  town,  which  Washburn  then  occupied, 
and  the  hotel  buildings.  But  unstinted  hos- 
pitality was  the  virtue  of  the  age,  and  Bart- 
lett did  not  hesitate  to  take  in  even  a  drv- 
goods  store.  One  of  the  rooms  of  the  hotel 
was  at  once  fitted  up  for  tiie  purposes  of  a 
store,  and  here  Whitlock  opened  up  his 
stock.  In  the  following  year  he  put  up  a 
one-story  brick  building,  which  is  still  stand- 
ing on  the  corner  of  Franklin  and  Cumber- 
land streets,  and  to  this  he  transferred  his 
family  and  business. 


HISTORY  OF  CLARK  COUXTY. 


301 


Tho  early  settlomcnt  of  Marshall  village 
was  of  a  peculiar  character,  and  is  not  easily 
traced  after  the  lapse  of  upward  of  fifty 
years.  Its  only  attraction  was  the  fact  that 
it  had  been  fixed  upon  as  the  county  seat, 
and  niuiy,  whose  business  made  it  a  Ivisabie 
to  remove  here,  did  so  witli  grim  forebodings 
of  finding  it  a  hard  place  in  which  to  live. 
At  the  first  sale  of  lots,  in  1835,  a  consider- 
able number  were  disposed  of  at  prices  rang- 
ing from  ten  to  one  hundred  dollars;  but 
many  of  these  were  bought  to  await  tho  issue 
of  the  venture,  and  did  not  represent  any 
immediate  growth  of  the  village.  When  the 
final  choice  was  made,  a  new  element  entered 
into  the  question  and  brought  a  number  of 
families  of  considerable  property,  which 
greatly  aided  in  advfincing  the  interests  of 
the  village.  During  the  year  or  more  which 
])r((ceded  this  decision,  however.  Col.  Archer, 
who  retained  his  home  in  Uarwin,  spent 
much  of  his  time  about  the  new  village,  and 
turned  every  favorable  circumstance  to  its 
advantage.  At  that  time  the  national  road 
was  tho  principal  line  of  travel  to  the  West, 
and  scarcely  a  day  passed  that  did  not  find 
some  family  journeying  in  the  characteristic 
wagon,  in  search  of  a  home  in  tiie  new  coun- 
try. A  large  part  of  this  class  of  travelers 
were  moving  in  an  aimless  way,  with  no  defi- 
nite destination  in  mind.  Where  the  locality 
suited  their  fancy  they  were  prepared  to  halt 
and  build  a  home,  and  there  was  nothing  in 
the  character  or  custom  of  the  country  which 
rendered  this  an  unsuccessful  method.  Col. 
Archer  was  on  the  alert  for  such  emigrants, 
and  some  of  the  earliest  and  valuable  citizens 
of  Marshall  were  of  this  class.  Among  the 
first  of  these  itinerants  to  come  under  Col. 
Archer's  persuasive  influence  was  Thomas 
Henderson.  He  was  on  his  way  with  his  fam- 
ily to  the  West,  and  being  a  carpenter  by 
trade,  he  was  lured  by  the  prospect  of  cm- 
jiloyment    in     the    now     town    to    slop    licie. 


James  Pounds  was  another  mechanic  that 
came  here  early.  He  was  a  brick-layer  and 
came  as  early  as  1S37,  finding  plenty  of  work 
on  the  new  buildings  which  were  rapidly  con- 
structed during  the  first  years  of  the  new 
town. 

Thomas  B.  Wilson,  who  is  not  to  be  con- 
founded with  another  early  settler  of  a  sim- 
i  ar  name,  came  here  as  early  as  1836.  He 
too  was  on  his  way  west  with  his  family,  in 
company  with  bis  son-in-law,  Paul  Dennis. 
They  were  induced  to  settle  here,  Dennis  put- 
ting up  a  cabin  just  north  of  the  site  of  the 
new  jail  building,  and  his  father-in-law  erect- 
ing a  shed  building  on  the  present  site  of  the 
jail.  The  latter  building  was  constructed  of 
j)oles  covered  with  clapboards  and  with  a  flat 
roof,  with  just  inclination  enough  i[i  one  di- 
rection to  carry  off  the  rainfall,  the  inside 
being  innocent  of  lath  and  plaster.  Wilson 
was  a  stone  mason  and  plasterer,  a  native  of 
New  York,  and  a  man  of  good  intelligence. 
He  built  a  stone  wall  around  the  square  on 
which  the  St.  James  hotel  is  situated,  for 
Col.  Archer,  the  remains  of  which  still 
stand  to  attest  his  workmanship.  Other  early 
mechanics  who  came  in  through  Col.  Ar- 
cher's influence,  were  James  Matthews,  Wil- 
lard  Center,  carpenters,  and  Linda  Patterson, 
a  blacksmith.  The  latter  was  probably  the 
first  of  his  trade  here,  and  a  son  born  to  him 
here  is  said  to  be  the  first  birth  in  the  town- 
ship. Eiza  Neal  was  the  first  wagon  maker, 
and  came  here  from  Bruceville,  Ind.,  in  1837. 
His  residence  was  on  the  site  of  his  widow's 
present  residence  on  Hamilton  street,  his  shop 
occupying  the  site  of  the  stable  just  east  of 
his  house  and  near  the  line  of  the  railroad. 
A  Mr.  Woodward  was  also  an  early  settler 
who  had  his  residence  on  Franklin  street  just 
north  of  Whitlock's  brick  buildirjg.  He  was 
a  man  of  the  most  pronounced  Yankee  type 
and  early  turned  his  attention  to  general 
teaming.     His  team  is   described  as  a  paii-  of 


3(12 


HISTORY  OF  CLARK  COUNTY. 


uriJer-fed  and  under-sized  horses  of  the  most 
dejected  appearance,  but  with  these  disad- 
vantages able  to  do  good  service,  and  Wood- 
ward and  his  team  were  long  counted  one  of 
the  regular  institutions  of  the  new  town. 
The  proprietor  of  the  town  early  caused 
several  small  cabins  to  be  erected  in  different 
parts  of  the  village,  which  served  to  afford  a 
home  to  such  useful  nieml)ers  of  society  as 
were  not  able  to  buy  a  lot  or  put  up  a  cabin, 
and  many  of  these  early  mechanics  moved 
into  them,  eventually  fiuj-ing  them  or  build- 
ing elsewhere.  With  the  removal  of  the 
court  and  county  offices  to  Marshall,  a  num- 
ber of  well-to-do  citizens  from  other  parts  of 
the  county  came  to  town.  Among  these  were 
Steven  Archer,  a  brother  of  the  proprietor) 
vviio  settled  just  south  of  the  village  on  what 
is  now  known  as  the  Park  farm;  Woodford 
Dulaney  wlio  built  the  house  now  occupied  by 
T.  F.  Day  near  the  public  sciiool  building; 
Uri  Manley,  who  was  then  circuit  clerk  and 
probate  justice  of  the  peace;  Darius  Phillip, 
county  clerk,  and  Justin  Harlan,  circuit 
judge,  though  he  did  not  come  until  Decem- 
ber of  1839. 

Business  was  not  more  backward  in  coming 
to  the  new  center  of  activity.  One  of  the 
earliest  places  of  business  was  opened  in 
1836,  on  the  northeast  corner  of  Cumberland 
and  Franklin  streets,  by  Jack  Hadden.  This 
man  had  been  working  on  the  road,  and  con- 
cluding that  the  founduig  of  the  village  was 
a  propitious  opening  for  a  business  venture, 
put  in  a  little  stock  of  whisky  and  to!)acco. 
This  enterprise  preceded  the  coming  of  Whit- 
lock's  store,  but  did  not  last  long.  Early  in 
the  same  year  James  Waters,  a  merchant  in. 
Darwin,  sent  his  clerk,  Western  Chinneworth 
with  a  stock  of  goods  and  occupied  the  Ijuild- 
ing  which  Hadden  had  used.  A  little  later 
in  the  year  James  Anderson,  a  brother-in-law 
of  Waters,  purchased  the  stock  and  moved  to 
Marshall,  building  a  little    frame  residence  in 


the  northeast  part  of  the  town.  Anderson 
was  a  native  of  Ireland,  and  when  four  ^-ears 
of  age  was  brought  to  New  York.  In  1S"20 
he  came  to  Darwin  and  married  a  daughter  of 
McCiure,  an  early  settler  of  that  place.  He 
carried  on  the  store  in  Marshall  for  several 
years  when  he  sold  out  to  McKay  and  Eld- 
ridge,  and  went  to  Andi-rson  township  to  en- 
gage in  milling.  About  1838,  Col.  Archer 
started  a  store  in  a  story  and  a  half  frame 
building  on  the  southwest  corner  of  these 
streets.  His  brother  Steven  attended  to  the 
business  for  a  time,  but  it  was  soon  disposed 
of  to  a  man  by  the  name  of  Scott,  who  in 
turn  sold  to  Rowley  and  Davidson.  Jonathan 
Greenough  early  became  identified  with  the 
business  of  the  new  community.  He  was  a 
lieutenant  in  the  army  and  was  assigned  to 
duty  on  the  National  Road  as  assistant  pay- 
master. He  acted  in  this  capacity  for  a  year 
or  more,  when  he  was  ordered  to  take  charge 
of  the  post  of  St.  Peters  in  the  northwest. 
He  had  served  at  this  post  and  had  found  the 
severity  of  the  weather  a  serious  tax  upon 
his  health,  and  after  remonstrances  proved 
unavailing  he  sent  in  his  resignation.  He 
married  a  daughter  of  Mr.  Wliitlock,  and  en- 
gaged in  business  with  his  father-in-law.  He 
sulisequently  became  sole  proprietor  and  af- 
terward formed  a  copartnership  with  Beebe 
Booth,  of  Terre  Haute.  The  Coles  family 
were  early  residents  of  Marshall.  Harry 
Cole  lived  on  the  Cumberland  road  about  a 
mile  east  of  the  village  as  early  as  1836,  and 
he,  with  his  brothers,  David,  Edwin  and 
Jerome,  who  first  settled  at  Livingstone  came 
to  Marshall  soon  after  its  beginning.  They 
were  among  the  early  carpenters,  David, 
however,  starting  up  the  first  saloon  in  a  little 
frame  building,  scarcely  larger  than  eight  by 
ten  feet  in  size,  located  on  the  southeast  cor- 
ner of  Cum'^erland  and  Hamilton  streets. 
John  B.  King  was  a  tailor  and  settled  in 
M:  rs'iall  in  1836  or  1837.    He  built  a  house  on 


HIS-TOUY  OF  CLAKK  COUNTY. 


3J3 


the  north  side  of  Cumberhiiul  street, west  of  the 
public  square.  He  liad  a  little  money  and  con- 
siderable enterprise,  and  built  several  houses 
in  that  vicinity,  which  he  disposed  of  one  after 
another  to  the  new  settlers  as  they  came  in. 
He  finally  moved  his  shop  into  a  little  frame 
built  by  Manly  on  the  site  of  B  shop's  gro- 
cery on  the  south  side  of  the  square.  Here 
he  established  a  flourishing  business,  for 
though  the  citizens  were  satisfied  to  wear 
home-made  clothes  during  the  week,  the  most 
of  them  soon  aspired  to  fine  suits  for  Sunday 
and  gala  occasions. 

Among  the  professional  men  who  came 
here  early  was  Uri  Jlanly.  His  duties  about 
the  court  made  it  necessary  for  him  to  live  at 
the  county  seat,  and   he  came  to  Marshall  in 

1837.  He  purchased  lots  on  the  south  side 
of  the  square,  and,  beside  the  building  used 
by  King,  he  erected  another  frame,  just  west 
of  that,  in  which  the  second  term  of  court 
was  held,  and  a  brick  residence  on  the 
southeast  '  corner  of  Clinton  and  Market 
streets.  He  was  afterward  appointed  post- 
master, opening  the  first  office  in  the  village 
in  his  residence,  but  afterward  transferring  it 
to  the  frame  building  used  by  the  court, 
where  he  added  a  small  stock  of  goods,  in 
partnership  with  Thos.  Henderson.  The 
first  physician  here  was,  pro iiably.  Dr.  Alli- 
son, who  put  up  a  small  frame  where  Foster's 
shoe  store  now  stands,  on  the  north  side  of  the 
square.  Another  early  doctor  was  William 
Tutt.  He  came  from  Virginia  to  York, 
where   he  married  and  practiced  until  about 

1838,  when  he  came  to  Marshall.  Dr.  Poole 
came  a  few  years  later,  and  bought  the  frame 
of  a  building  which  stood  on  the  northeast 
corner  of  Clinton  and  Cumberland  streets. 
The  origin  of  this  building,  which  was  stand- 
ing in  a  shattered  condition  in  1838,  has  been 
forgotten,  but  it  was  eventually  repaired  and 
completed  into  a  residence  by  Dr.  Poole,  and 
subsequently  occupied  by  him. 


Of  the  industries  to  which  the  necessities 
of  the  situation  in  a  new  country  give  rise, 
milling  played  a  prominent  part  in  Marshall 
Township.  Big  Creek  had  several  mills  on 
its  banks,  but  the  elbow  which  touches  the 
northeast  corner  of  this  township  was  espe- 
cially adapted  to  this  purpose.  A  combined 
saw  and  grist  mill  was  erected  on  the  stream 
near  the  line  of  Douglas  Township,  by  Bur- 
well,  Sharpe  and  Blaize,  about  1830.  The 
buhrs  were  made  of  "  nigger-head"  stones 
that  were  found  in  the  creek.  Before  the 
mill  was  completed,  however,  a  difficult)' 
arose  between  Blaize  and  Sharpe,  which  re- 
sulted in  the  latter  being  shot  and  killed. 
Blaize  at  once  fled  the  country,  followed 
soon  after  by  the  friends  of  Sharpe,  intent 
upon  inflicting-  dire  vengeance  upon  him. 
Though  very  often  close  upon  his  trail,  the 
pursuers,  after  a  vain  efifort  of  some  six  months, 
gave  up  the  chase  somewhere  in  the  wilds  of 
Arkansas.  Blaize  never  returned  to  this  re- 
gion but  once  afterward,  and  then  soon  found 
it  expedient  to  leave.  Alter  this  sad  affair 
Burwell  ran  the  mill  for  some  time,  when  he 
sold  it  to  Nance,  after  whose  death  it  was 
rented.  Subsequently,  David  Coles,  marry- 
ing Nance's  daughter,  finally  came  into  pos- 
session of  the  mill,  but  more  modern  and 
better  located  mills  came  in,  and  this  one, 
with  all  the  early  mills  passed  away.  An- 
other mill  of  this  character  was  put  up  near 
where  the  railroad  crosses  Big  Creek,  by  En- 
glish and  Hickman.  This  was  a  frame  struct- 
ure, and  had  buhrs  made  of  raccoon  stone, 
quarried  near  Dayton,  Ohio,  from  whence 
they  were  transported  by  an  ox  team.  This 
was  built  in  1837,  and  was  an  improvement 
on  others,  but  it  soon  gave  way  to  those  of 
modern  construction.  Soon  after  this,  about 
1839,  Philip  B.  Smith  put  up  a  corn-cracker 
on  the  southeast  corner  of  Bond  and  Market 
streets.  It  was  a  very  rude  afiair,  and  %vas 
propelled    by   tread   power.     A   broad,  solid 


304 


HISTORY  OF  CLARK  COUNTY. 


wieel  was  so  placed  upon  a  perpendicular 
axle,  as  to  incliue  slightly,  and  upon  this  sur- 
face, furnished  with  cleats,  horses  or  oxen 
tramped  and  gave  motion  to  the  machinery, 
which  was  geared  to  the  axle.  But  the  miller 
only  supplied  the  mill,  and  many  who  had  no 
team  were  forced  to  send  their  wheat  and 
corn  twenty-five  miles  away  to  get  flour  and 
meal;  and  this  was,  for  those  who  could  afford 
the  time  and  trouble,  much  the  better  way, 
as  the  product  was  of  a  far  superior  cpiality. 
In  1839,  Frederick  Craiglow  started  a  tannery 
in  the  west  part  of  town,  on  the  Cumberland 
road.  It  was  never  a  large  business  nor  a 
complete  success,  though  the  proprietor  strug- 
gled on  with  it  for  some  four  years.  At  the 
end  of  that  time  he  closed  out  the  business 
and  went  to  St.  Louis. 

With  all  this  growth  and  activity,  which  as- 
sumes larger  proportions  in  the  recital  than  in 
the  actual  exi)erience,  the  community  which 
gathered  in  this  township  was  essentially  on 
the  frontier  at  the  time  of  which  the  forego- 
ing pages  are  written.  While  not  so  com- 
pletely isolated  as  the  early  settlements  of 
Darwin  and  York,  or  the  earlier  settlements  in 
this  State,  the  people  experienced  many  of 
the  hardships  and  discomforts  incident  to  fron- 
tier settlements.  For  the  first  year  or  two 
the  nearest  post-office  was  at  Livingstone,  and 
supplies  were  secured  at  Terre  Haute  or  the 
stores  at  the  older  towns  on  the  east  side  of 
the  county.  Mills  were  early  built  near  by, 
but  from  lack  of  power  or  adequate  machin- 
ery most  of  the  flour  and  meal  was  obtained 
only  by  going  long  distances  and  enduring 
tedious  delays.  Outside  the  town,  in  the 
farming  district,  the  settlement  was  of  slow 
growth,  the  village  seeming  to  absorb  the 
greater  part  of  the  floating  population.  Here 
and  there  the  smoke  curled  upward  in  the  air 
from  the  scattered  log  cabins,  and  the  busy 
pioneer  protracted  the  day  long  into  the  night 
in  clearing  up  his  farm. 


Deer  were  shot  in  large  numbers,  while 
wolves,  panthers,  "  Congress  hogs,"  an  occa- 
sional bear,  and  the  whole  class  of  small 
game  that  is  found  in  this  section,  affoi'ded 
wholesome  meals  or  rare  hunting  sport.  The 
distance  from  any  market  was  long  felt  among 
the  farming  community,  and  did  much  to  re- 
tard its  growth  and  early  prosperity. 

The  original  settlers  were  principally  ni- 
tives  of  the  Southern  States  and  brought  with 
them  many  social  characteristics  peculiar  to 
that  section.  Saturday  afternoons  was  a  gen- 
eral holiday  in  the  countrj',  on  which  the 
farmers  repaired  to  the  village.  There  was 
then  a  series  of  amusements  which  included 
impromptu  horse  races,  wrestling  and  jumping 
matches,  quoit-pitching,  and  fighting.  But 
comparatively  few  in  the  community  had 
scruples  against  the  use  of  whisky,  and 
strong  potations  tended  to  mike  the  fun  fast 
and  furious.  A  numi)erof  saloons  sprang  up 
in  the  new  town  and  throve  under  the  gener- 
ous patronage  which,  reacting  upon  the  com- 
munity, gave  the  village  an  unenviable  re|)u- 
tation.  "  Free  and  easys  "  were  a  peculiar 
type  of  amusement  which  obtained  a  certain 
popularity  here.  The  plan  was  for  a  party  of 
men  or  boys  to  get  up  a  supper  consisting 
of  chicken,  whisky,  bread,  etc.  These  sup- 
plies were  secured  by  the  "  free  and  easy  " 
appropriation  of  the  materials  for  the  supper 
in  the  absence  of  the  owner,  and  cooked  and 
eaten  in  the  woods  or  at  some  private  resi- 
dence. The  ladies  of  the  community  in- 
dulged in  the  usual  quilting  and  spinning 
bees,  with  the  "  gentlemen  in  attendance 
after  tea."  The  polite  society  of  Marshall  en- 
couraged and  supported  a  dancing  school 
over  which  Captain  Tift  presided  and  for 
which  Whaley  furnished  the  music.  Tift  was 
a  popular  teacher  of  the  Terpsichorean  art 
and  had  successful  schools  in  various  parts  of 
the  country  around,  and  finally  died  "  with 
his  harness  on,"  in  a  ball-room. 


CHAPTER    IX. 


THE  CITY  OF  MARSHALL-THE  PLAT  AND  SUBSEQUENT  ADDITIONS— OFF FCIAL  ORGAN- 
IZATION AND  PROGRESS— INTERNAL  IMPROVEMENT^-— BUSINESS  GROWTH— 
NEWSPAPERS— SCHOOLS  AND  CHURCHES— SECRET  AND  BENEV- 
OLENT ORDERS,  ETC.,  ETC. 


ON  September  22,  1835,  Colonel  W.  B.  Ar- 
cher issued  a  circular  announcing  the 
laying  out  of  "  The  Town  of  Marshall,"  and 
the  approaching  sale  of  lots  therein.  In  this 
he  says:  "This  is  a  new  town  laid" off  on 
the  National  Road,  where  the  Vincennes  and 
Chicago  State  Road  crosses  the  former  on 
Section  13,  Township  11  north,  Range  12  west, 
in  Clark  County,  and  is  situated  fifty-five 
miles  north  of  Vincennes,  sixteen  miles  from 
York  and  ten  miles  from  Darwin;  south  of 
Paris  fifteen  miles,  and  fifty  miles  from  Dan- 
ville, sixteen  miles  west  of  Terre  Haute. 

"  It  is  decidedly  the  handsomest  site  for  a 
town  between  Terre  Hnute  and  Vandalia,  sur- 
rounded by  good  second  rate  land,  a  sufficient 
amount  of  timber,  and  the  best  of  stone  for 
bulldinci,  and  it  may  be  truly  said,  that  no 
point  in  this  section  of  country  has  proven 
more  healthy.  The  confirmed  opinion  of 
those  on  the  National  Road  is  that  this  selec- 
tion xcill  he  healthy. 

"The  north  and  south  road  has  been  opened 
by  the  proprietors  from  Big  Creek  to  Walnut 
Prairie,  and  can  be  traveled  with  convenience 
and  when  a  permanent  road  shall  be  made,  it 
will  not  vary  from  the  present  line.  Mills 
are  convenient. 

"  The  question  of  the  removal  of  the  seat  of 

*By  J.  H.  Battle. 


justice  from  Darwin  has  been  agitated,  and 
when  finally  acted  upon,  it  is  not  improbable 
that  the  people  of  the  county  may  find  it 
convenient  and  to  their  interest  to  place  the 
permanent  seat  of  justice  for  the  county  at 
the  Crossroads.  The  land  is  owned  by  Joseph 
Duncan  and  the  subscriber,  and  a  clear  title. 
A  sale  of  lots  will  take  place  on  the  17th  of 
October  next,  and  terms  of  payment  will  be 
easy.  The  most  liberal  encouragement  will 
be  given  to  mechanics  and  others  who  will 
improve." 

In  this  statement  the  strong  points  are 
probably  marked  by  the  italic  which  appear 
in  the  oricfinal  document,  and  while  nothinar 
is  said  of  the  extraordinary  development  of 
the  "  Craw-fish  chimneys  "  to  be  found  here, 
the  salient  points  of  the  location  are  not  un- 
fairly presented.  The  plat  of  the  town  thus 
referred  to  was  filed  for  record  in  October, 
IbioD,  and  was  bounded  and  divided  by  the 
following  streets,  beginning  on  the  west  side: 
West,  Clinton,  Hamilton,  Fraidclin,  Washing- 
ton, Jefferson,  Fulton,  Henry  and  East.  Be- 
ginning on  the  north  side  the  streets  follow 
in  order:  North  Green,  Mechanic,  Cumber- 
land, Market  and  South.  Michigan  street, 
now  principally  occupied  by  the  Wabash  Rail- 
road, passes  through  the  plat  in  a  nearly  due 
north  direction,  cutting  the  plat  diagonally. 
The  references  attached  to  the  record  set  forth: 


306 


HISTORY  OF  CLARK  COUNTY. 


"  1st.  The  town  of  Marshall  is  situated  and 
located  on  the  south  half  of  section  number 
13,  and  the  north  half  of  section  number  24, 
in  township  number  11  north,  of  range  I'i 
west,  in  Clark  County,  and  State  of  Illinois. 
2d.  Cumberland  street,  through  which  the 
National  Road  passes,  is  one  hundred  feet 
wide,  ten  feet  on  each  side  of  the  National 
Road  being  added  for  sidewalks,  and  bears 
south  fifty-eight  degrees  west,  by  the  mag- 
netic needle,  to  the  west  line  of  blocks,  where 
it  boars  more  west  as  will  appear  by  the 
length  of  the  lots.  Michigan  street  is  eighty 
feet  wide  and  bears  north,  six  degrees  west. 
All  other  streets  in  the  town,  including  the 
border  streets,  are  sixty-six  feet  wide.  Each 
and  every  alley  is  twenty- five  feet  wide.  All 
the  streets  and  alle3'S,  Michigan  street  ex- 
cepted, run  parallel  or  at  rigiit  angles  with 
Cumberland  street.  3d.  Each  lot  where  the 
squares  are  regular,  is  sixtj'-six  feet  front, 
and  123  feet  in  length,  and  when  they  are 
fractional  or  overrun,  the  size  will  be  seen 
on  the  plat  in  feet  marked  in  figures.  4th. 
Square  number  5  is  given  and  donated  for 
educational  purposes  whereon  to  erect  a  col- 
lege. Lots  five  and  six  C)f  square  number 
fifteen,  is  given  and  donated  for  religious 
purposes  whereon  to  erect  a  meeting  house. 
Lot  number  one,  and  fractional  lot  number 
two,  of  square  number  three,  are  given  and 
donated  for  educational  purposes  whereon  to 
erect  a  school-house  for  the  benefit  of  the 
citizens  north  of  the  National  Road.  Lots 
number  7  and  8,  of  square  number  38,  are 
given  and  donated  for  educational  purposes 
whereon  to  erect  a  school-house  for  the  bene- 
fit of  citizens  south  of  the  National  Road. 
5th.  The  north  half,  or  lots  1,  3,  3  and  4,  of 
square  number  35,  is  given  and  donated  for 
ground  or  space  whereon  to  erect  a  Market 
House." 

The  qualifications  set  forth  in  the  circular 
quoted  were  sufficient  at  that  time  to  bring 


together  a  very  respectable  oompanj'  of  pur- 
chasers, and  on  the  day  appoi:itod  the  sale 
proceeded  with  considerable  animation,  some 
seventy-five  lots  being  disposed  of,  principally 
to  residents  of  the  county.  No  donation  had 
been  made  at  that  time  for  the  county  public 
buildings,  but  it  was  generally  known  that 
block  36  would  be  the  location  fixed  upon, 
should  occasion  for  its  use  arise.  In  any 
event  it  would  probably  be  a  public  square, 
and  naturally  form  the  business  center  of  the 
town.  The  crossing  of  Cumberland  and 
Michigan  streets,  the  National  and  State 
roads,  divided  the  choice  of  buyers  for  busi- 
ness sites,  and  about  those  two  locations  lots 
were  considered  the  more  valuable.  Beside 
the  lots  donated  as  noted  in  the  record  of  the 
plat,  block  2G  was  reserved,  together  with 
lots  1,  2,  3,  4  and  5,  in  block  20;  lots  7  and  8 
in  block  21;  lots  4  and  5  in  block  22;  and 
lots  1,  2,  3,  4  and  5  in  block  28.  The  reserva- 
tion of  these  lots  indicates  Archer's  idea  of 
where  the  business  center  of  the  town  would 
be  likely  to  form.  There  is  no  evidence  of 
the  competition  which  was  manifested  in  se- 
curing the  various  lots  save  in  the  variation 
of  prices  paid  for  them,  and  this  is  an  uncer- 
tain guide,  as  the  situation  and  condition  of 
the  lot,  considerations  long  since  in  operation, 
probably  had  a  very  large  influence  in  deter- 
mining their  value  at  that  date.  In  block  21, 
which  forms  the  northwest  corner  of  Wash- 
ington and  Cumberland  streets,  lot  1  was  sold 
to  Michael  B.  Thorn,  for  $12.50;  lot  5,  to  James 
B.  Anderson,  for  S71.50;  and  lot  G,  to  Stephen 
Archer,  lor  $40.  In  block  22,  just  west  of  the 
preceding  block,  on  the  north  side  of  Cum- 
berland street,  lots  1  and  2  were  sold  to 
Robert  Kirkham,  for  $30  each;  lots  Sand  6, 
for  -SS  and  830  respectively,  to  .Joseph  Shaw; 
in  block  23,  lots  1  and  2,  for  $10  and  $8.50, 
to  James  Waters;  lot  4,  to  Arthur  Foster,  for 
$10.50;  and  lots  7  and  8,  for  $33  and  $20,  to 
Woodford  D.    Dulaney.     In  block  24,  lot  1, 


UltiTOIiY  OF  CLAKK  COUNTY. 


307 


to  the  Siime  person,  for  §12;  lot  4,  to  Isaao 
Kilso,  lor  $17;  lot  5,  ta  Jacob  Johnston,  lor 
S35..")0;  lot  7,  to  Win.  McKcan,  for  $2G;  and 
o  8,  to  Dulanej-,  for  $oO.  In  block  27,  lot 
5  was  S(-)lil  to  Isaac  Keiso,  for  $12;  lot  U, 
for  $7.."0,  to  Nathaniel  Washburn.  The 
only  lot  sold  in  block  28  was  lot  G,  which 
fell  to  Dulaney,  for  $29.  In  block  29, 
lots  3  and  4  were  sold  respectively  for  $30 
and  S!7S,  to  .lames  Waters;  lot  5,  to  Kelso,  for 
§21.50;  lot  8,  for  §20,  to  William  Leatherman. 
In  block  30,  lots  2  and  3  wore  sold  for  §23.50 
and  §22.50,  to  James  W.  Waters;  lots  4  and 
5,  for  §23.50  and  §16.50,  to  Geo.  Armstrong. 
In  block  .31,  lot  1  was  sold  to  Jacob  Johnston, 
for  §21,  and  lot  4,  in  block  32,  was  sold  to 
Waters  for  the  same  price.  Lots  4,  5  and  6, 
in  block  37,  were  sold  for  §20.50,  §7,  and  §10, 
respectively,  to  Dulaney;  and  in  block  3S, 
lot  3  was  sold  for  §9,  to  Wra.  Forsythe;  and 
lots  4  and  5,  for  §10.25  and  §7,  to  John  Ri^■g.^. 
Other  ])urchases  were  located  on  blocks  9,  10, 
11,  12,  13,  17,  18  and  20,  and  ranged  from  §5, 
])aid  for  lot  1,  in  l)lock  18,  b}'  Milton  Lsiko,  to 
§78,  paid  by  Waters,  and  §71,  paid  Iiy  Ander- 
son. The  largest  nuniberof  lots  were  bought 
by  Dulaney  who  paid-  an»  aggregate  of 
§203.50  for  fifteen  lots.  The  aggregate  sales 
amounted  to  §1,154.25,  and  were  made  to 
about  thirty  individuals. 

It  will  be  observed  that  among  the  pur- 
chasers at  this  sale  there  were  but  few  who 
came  here  before  the  removal  of  the  county 
seat  to  this  place  was  determined,  and  some 
who  did  not  come  even  then.  During  the 
following  year,  and  in  1837  and  the  early  part 
of  1838,  there  was  a  good  demand  for  the 
remaining  lots  and  Col.  Archer  sold  upward 
of  one  hundre  1,  principally  in  single  lot  sales, 
to  thosi;  who  were  on  the  ground  to  make  the 
village  their  home.  In  the  meanwhile  prices 
had  very  iionsiderablj'  advanced,  scarcely  any 
sales  being  made  at  prices  below  §35,  and 
others  mu  h  higher.     All  the  lots  in   block  4 


wi>re  sold  to  different  persons  for  §50  each; 
those  in  block  6,  from  §53  to  §05  each,  la 
block  13,  J.  K.  Dubois  paid  §75  for  lot  3; 
for  lot  7,  in  block  17,  Jas.  Whitlock  paid  §90; 
in  the  same  lilock,  lot  8  sold  for  §100,  whilo 
lot  6,  in  block  19,  lot  5,  in  block  33,  and  lot 
8,  in  block  25,  sold  for  §150  each.  Lot  7,  in 
block  27,  and  lot  8,  in  block  12,  each  sold  for 
§300;  lot  6,  in  block  23,  sold  to  Benj.  F.  Alli- 
son for  §275;  lots  1  and  2,  in  block  27,  sold 
to  David  Scott,  of  Springfield,  Ohio,  i'or  §800, 
and  lots  1,  3,  3,  4,  and  5,  in  block  38,  sold, 
with  the  improvements  on  them,  for  §1,500,  to 
John  Bartlett.  A  few  of  these  prices  were 
obtained  after  the  final  vote  on  the  county  seat 
question,  but  the  first  sale  seemed  to  demon- 
strate the  success  of  the  town  and  the  price 
of  property  took  a  permanent  advance  at 
once.  In  the  fall  of  1837,  encouraged  by  the 
success  of  his  plans  Col.  Archer  laid  out  the 
first  addition  to  the  town  and  submitted  it  for 
record  on  November  3,  1837.  This  consisted 
of  fifty-t\vo  squares  or  blocks  located  on  the 
four  sides  of  the  original  town.  On  the  north 
were  two  ranges  of  these  squares,  with  thirteen 
irregular  out  lots  extending  north  of  these  to 
the  limits  of  the  section  lines;  on  the  east  and 
west  sides  were  two  ranges,  and  on  the  south 
a  single  range.  The  new  streets  thus  formed 
on  the  north,  running  parallel  with  Cumber- 
land street,  were  Murray  and  Hudson,  with 
Daviess  on  the  south.  On  the  west  side, 
at  right  angles  with  the  former,  were  Handy 
and  Bond  streets,  and  on  the  east  side  Ogdeu 
and  Madison.  The  blocks  were  laid  out  with 
four  lots  each,  133  feet  square,  save  blocks 
numbers  1,  16,  17,  the  squares  between  Me- 
chanic and  Market  streets,  and  those  south 
of  town  between  East  and  West  streets,  in 
which  tiie  lots  are  of  irregular  sizes.  These 
lots  were  easily  disposed  of  during  the  follow- 
ing year  or  two,  and  in  July  of  1839,  Mr. 
Archer  made  an  addition  of  seventeen  out 
lots  of  various  sizes,  on   the  west  of  Handy 


30^ 


IlISTOltY  OF  CLAIUv  COUNTY. 


and  north  of  Daviess  streets,  lot  number 
7  of  this  addition,  containing  4  and  9-100 
acres,  being  donated  by  the  proprietor  to  the 
town  as  a  cemetery. 

The  area  thus  made  a  part  of  the  village 
satisfied  its  growth  and  ambition  until  Feb- 
ruary, 1850,  when  Woodford  D.  Dulaney  made 
an    addition     on    the     south    side     of    town 
embracing  all  that  part  of  th.^  west  half  of  the 
northeast  quarter  of  the  northwest  quarter  of 
section  21.     A  large  part  of  this  was  at  that 
time  meadow  land  and  was  not  opened  to  the 
public  until  the  fall  of  1851.     This  addition 
-ncreased  the  size  of  the  town  by   seventy- 
four  lots.     May  n,  1852,   Uri  Manley    made 
an  addition  consisting  of  the  southwest  frac- 
tional quarter  of  section  13  and  the  east  half 
of  the  northwest  quarter  of  section  13.     This 
was  on  the  north  of  town,  Michigan,  or  its  ex- 
tension, Chicago  street,  forming   its    eastern 
boundary,  with  Newton  and  Archer,  as  inter- 
mediate  cross   streets.     In    February   of  the 
following  year,  Stephen  Archer  made  an   ad- 
dition   on   the  south    of  Dulaney's    addition, 
consisting  of  the   west  half  of  the  southeast 
quarter  of  section  24,  and  that  part  of  the  east 
half  of  the  southwest  quarter  of  the  same  sec- 
tion lying  east  of  the  Charleston   and  Darwin 
turnpike.     This  was  divided  into  sixteen  lots 
varying  in  area  from  three  and  a  fraction  to 
five  and  a  fraction  acres.    The  last  addition  was 
made  by  F.  R.  Payne  in  1870,  which  includes 
the  square  about  the  depot  of  the  St.  Louis, 
Vandalia  &  Terre  Haute  railroad. 

The  area  of  the  new  town  thus  had  a  rapid  and 
satisfactory  growth;  but  in  the  meantime  its 
political  organization  remained  latent,  its  des- 
tiny being  shaped  by  the  justice  of  the  peace, 
the  constable  and  the  supervisor.  The  prin- 
cipal part  of  the  large  timber  which  was  orig- 
inally sparsely  scattered  over  the  site  of  the 
town,  had  been  removed  by  the  proprietors, 
an  improvement  which  served  but  little  bet^ 
ter  purpose   than  to   make    the    under-brush 


more  apparent.      The  National  Road,  which 
passed  through  the  village    as     Cumlierland 
street,  was  neatly  graded  and  in  the  dry  sea- 
son  pre-ented  a  handsome  appearance.     Un- 
fortunately the   sod,    which    is   counted   the 
best  road-making  material,  was  stripped  off 
and  cast  aside  by   the   contractors,    and  the 
sub-soil    thus    broken    up  and    exposed    be- 
came,  in    the  wet  season,   a  very  quagmire, 
through  which  horsemen  were  obliged  to  lead 
their  floundering    animals.     Through   Michi-    ■ 
gan    street    passed    the     State    road,    which 
had   been    cut   out  and   somewhat  traveled, 
and   though  in    better   condition    for  a    year 
or    two    than     the   newly     made    road    that 
crossed  it  here,  it  shared  the  general    fate  of 
things    and    was    often     nearly    impassable. 
Streets  hail  only  a  theoretical  existence,   but 
the  irregular  paths  that  led  from   one    neigh- 
bor's house  to  another's,  and    even  the  open 
lots,  only  served   to    swell   the    aggregate  of 
mud.     It  is  related  of  a  family,  in    the  early 
years  of  the  town,  that  they  undertook  to  go 
to   a   neighbor's,   about    three    quarters    of  a 
mile  away,  and    were  forced    to    give   up  the 
attempt.     They  started  out  on  foot,  but  soon 
found  it  necessaj-y  to  remove  their  shoes,  and 
before  accomplishing  one    half  the    distance, 
they  found  themselves  miring  to  their  knees, 
the  little  ones  unable  to  extricate  themselves, 
and   the  older  ones  completely  tired  out  with 
their   efforts.     This  was  not    an    exceptional 
case,  and  as  late  as  1845,  Judge  Harlan  would 
have  his   black  man  harness   his   horses  to  a 
wagon  and  gather  the  women  of   the    village 
for  church  service.     The  town   was   innocent 
of  sidewalks,  and  the  wagon    drove  from  the 
door-step   of  the    house  to    the    threshold   of 
the  church    building,  and   this  was    the    only 
way  in  which  an  audience  could  be  secured, 
even  in    times  of  revival  interest.     Another 
feature  which  gave  the  place   an    unprepos- 
sessing appearance,  was  the  absence  of  wood- 
land   grasses.      Where    there    was   space  to 


insTOUV  OF  CLARK  COUNTY. 


309 


stiuiil,  the  rank,  wild  srrass  of  tlio  prair  es  had 
t:d':L'M  root,  and  it  was  not  until  about  1S40, 
wlicn  Wocjdiord  Dulaney  secured  a  bushel 
of  bluegrass  seed  from  his  native  State, 
that  the  village  made  the  first  step  toward 
civilization,  and  began  to  make  a  showing  of 
tAmv  grass.  Lots  were  regularly  laid  out 
at  the  start;  frame  and  brick  buildintrs 
early  made  their  appearance;  stores,  schools 
and  church  influences  followed  in  regular  se- 
quence, and  some  attempts  had  been  made 
in  a  private  way  to  secure  sidewalks  and  im- 
prove the  highways;  but  just  how  the  town 
of  1855  was  evolved  out  of  the  muddy,  back- 
woods condition  of  things  at  the  beginning, 
can  not  be  accurately  set  down;  its  storj-  has 
gone  into  oblivion  unhonored  and  unsung. 
A  manifest  dissatisfaction  with  the  state  of 
public  affairs  had  been  apparent  for  several 
years,  when  an  efifort  was  made  by  a  few  pub- 
lic-spirited men  to  secure  a  charter  of  incor- 
poration. This  was  granted  by  the  Legisla- 
ture in  an  act  approved  February  15,  1855. 
Its  acceptance  was  submitted  to  a  vnte  of 
the  people  in  the  following  April,  when  the 
question  was  decided  affirmatively  and  the 
following  officers  elected:  Howard  Harlan, 
mavor,  and  Wm.  C.  Eaton,  D.  A.  Critchard, 
James  ^^'right  and  John  Clark,  aldermen. 
The  act  provided  that  the  jurisdiction  of  the 
corporation  should  extend  over  "  all  that  dis- 
trict of  country  within  the  following  lim- 
its, to-wit:  one  mile  from  the  public  square, 
and  including  all  the  present  additions  and 
subdivisions  to  said  town,  in  each  direction, 
or  two  miles  square,  [shall  constitute  the  city 
of  Marshall],"' — a  generous  territory  for  that 
time,  and  which  there  has  since  been  no  oc- 
casion to  enlarge. 

The  new  rjovernment  met  for  the  first  time 
at  the  "  Wright  House,"  July  7,  1855,  and 
proceeded  to  complete  their  organization  by 
appointing  J.  P.  Cooper,  clerk,  J.  A.  Gossett, 
supervisor  of  streets,    Stephei:    Archer,    as- 


sessor, Lyman  Booth,  treasurer,  and  Wm.  D. 
Wilson,  marshal.  The  town  was  divided  into 
two  wards,  all  that  part  north  of  Cumberland 
street  to  constitute  the  first  ward,  and  that 
part  south  of  the  same  street  to  constitute  the 
second  ward,  and  then  followed  a  code  of 
corporation  laws  consisting  of  thirty-four  sec- 
tions. By  these  ordinances,  in  addition  to 
regulating  the  routine  of  municipal  business 
and  the  ordinary  police  restrictions,  it  was 
provided  that  the  salaries  of  the  city  officers 
should  be  as  follows:  mayor,  §50  per  annum 
and  the  usual  fees  pertaining  to  the  judicial 
functions  of  his  office;  aldermen,  each 
^1.00  per  day  for  each  day's  attendance 
upon  the  duties  of  his  office;  marshal, 
flOO  per  annum,  and  such  legal  fees  as 
were  allowed  constables  for  similar  duties; 
clerk,  $■>  00  for  each  day's  service  in  dis- 
charge of  his  public  duties;  assessor,  $2.00 
for  each  daj'  actually  employed;  su]jerviscr 
$1.50  per  day;  collector  and  treasurer,  the 
usual  percentage.  It  was  further  provided, 
that  the  city  taxes  should  be  collected  iu 
"gold  and  silver  coin,  and  city  drafts  or 
orders  on  the  treasurer;"  that  peddlers,  shows 
and  exhibitions  should  pay  a  license  fee  of 
from  three  dollars  to  one  hundred,  in  the  dis- 
cretion of  the  mayor;  and  "that  if  any 
person  or  persons  shall  barter,  exchange,  sell, 
or  give  away,  within  the  limits  of  the  incor- 
poration of  the  city  of  Marshall,  any  spirituous 
or  mixed  liquor,  wine,  beer  or  ale,  by  less 
quantity  than  one  gallon  to  any  person  or 
persons,  at  one  time,  upon  conviction  thereof, 
before  the  mayor,  upon  information  being 
given  to  him  in  writing,  under  oath,  bv  any 
person,  shall  be  fined  not  less  than  ten 
dollars  for  the  first  violation  of  this  ordinance, 
and  for  the  second  offense,  twenty  dollars, 
and  for  the  third  offense,  fifty  dollars;  and  for 
further  violation  of  this  ordinance  the  house, 
place,  inclosure,  possession  and  premises, 
where  the  same  may  be  so  sold  or  given  away 


310 


IIlSrOUY  OF  CLARK  COUNTY. 


pliall  be  anil  the  s^amo  is  hereby  declared  a 
nuisance,  and  shall  be  removed  and  abated 
liy  the  mayor  under  the  power  and  authority 
o-iven  to  him  under  the  provisions  of  the 
charter  of  the  city  of  Marshall." 

The  municipal  board  upon  which  greatness 
had  thus  been   thrust,  possessed   radical,  pro- 
gressive  tendencies,  but  its  influence   seems 
to  have  been  greatly  impaired   by   legislation 
which  bore  evident   marks   of  its   being  illy- 
considered  and  much   too    far   in  advance  of 
the  sentiment  of  the  community.     It  was  re- 
peatedly called  upon  to  correct  such  manifest 
errors  as  in  the   original  ordinance   which  re- 
quired all   male   persons   above   the   age     of 
twenty-one  to  labor  on  the  streets;  to  strike 
out  the  nuisance  clause  of  the  ordinance  reg- 
ulating   the    saloon    business;  restricting  the 
operations  of  the  whole  ordinance  to  persons 
keeping  a  place  of  business  for  the  purpose  of 
dealing  in   liquors,   etc.     There  seems  to  be 
little  doubt  that   there  was   a  public  demand 
for  the  placing  of  some   restraint  upon  the 
sale  of  liquors  in  the  town,  but  the  radical 
measure    instituted  at  the  beginning  caused 
a  reaction  and  the  board  was   forced  to  yield 
its  ground.     This   subject  became  a  shuttle- 
cock which,  tossed  from  one  board  to  another, 
gained    little    respect    for    the    sagacity  or 
honesty  of  the  various  public  officers,  and  no 
tangible  advantage  to  the  good  morals  of  the 
city.     The  board  of  1857  inaugurated   the  li- 
cense system   and  provided    for   the    sale   of 
liquors  in   quantities   of  less  than  one  gallon 
under  a  license,  the  fee    for  which   should  be 
one  hundred  dollars,  while  the  board  of  1858, 
with  an  entire  change  of  members,  aiming  at 
ihe  golden  mean,  repealed  the  provision  for  a 
liquor  license  and  made  the   sale   of  ale   and 
beer  free.     The  salary  of  oiBcials  also  proved 
here,  as  is  the  case  in  all  small  municipalities, 
a    fruitful   source   of  legislation,  and  a  cheap 
way  to  manufacture  a  claim  for  economical 
administration.     The  board    of  1856  signal- 


ized   its   accession    to    power    by    an    attack 
on  the  salary    of    the    marshal    and   redaced 
it    to  5i50,  subject    to    be    increased    at   the 
discretion   of  the  council  to  any  sum  not  ex- 
ceeding 8100.     In  1858,  the  whole   list  was 
revised    as   follows:  mayor,    $25  per  annum; 
aldermen,  each  fifty  cents    per    day;  marshal, 
$10  per  annum,  subject  to  an    increase  not  to 
exceed  $70;  clerk,  $1.50  per   day;  and  super- 
visor,   $1.00    per    day.   ,  Under    the    date    of 
April  4,  1859,  the   following   ominous   entry, 
suggestive     of     Pickwick's     "tomato     sauce 
and  the  warming  pan,"  occurs:  "  that   T.  W. 
Cole  be  allowed  for  cash  advanced  by  him  for 
copy  of    tlie  act    repealing    the  city  charter, 
and  for  candles,  $1.85."      It  is    hardly  prob- 
able that  the    latter  articles   were  to  be  used 
at  the  obsequies  of  the  city  charter,    however 
suggestive    the    connection,   but  it  indicates 
the  beginning  of  the  end.     The  organization 
under  the  city     charter    had  continued   four 
years.     The  change    from  a  simple  unorgan- 
ized  village   to  a  city  had  been    too  sudden 
and  novel  an  innovation  to  be  easily  accepted 
by  many,  and  the  new  and  thankless    duties 
imposed    upon   officials   who   could    bring  no 
special   experience   to  their  perfortuance  was 
a  combination    of    circumstances  not    at    all 
calculated    to    lead    to    the  highest  achieve- 
ment.    The  result  was  a  growing  dissatisfac- 
tion with  the  experiment,  and  in  this  year  the 
people  decided  to  give  up  the   charter  at  the 
end  of  that    municipal   year.     The    princijial 
complaint  seems  to   have  been  that  the  ex- 
periment "  did  not  pay."  What  this  maj'  mean 
it    is    difficult,  after  the  lapse  of  thirty  years, 
to    determine.     The  first    council    found   the 
town  without  systematic  improvements.     The 
streets  were  graded  in  the  usual  way  of  coun- 
try roads,  and  some  sidewalks  of  various  kinds 
had  been  built  by  private  means.     These  ef- 
forts the  city  council  aided,  but  adopted  no  sys- 
tem that  should  gradually  embrace   the  whole 
corporation.    The  first  action  in  this  matter  was 


HISTORY  OF  CLARK  COUNTY. 


511 


taken  in  1858,  when  it  was  ordered  that  all 
sidewalks  in  the  city  to  be  thereafter  con- 
structed, should  be  ten  feet  wide,  and  that 
where  sidewalks  were  repaired  they  siiould 
be  narrowed  or  widened  as  the  supervisor 
should  deem  wise.  The  sidewalks  at  that 
time  very  generally  consisted  of  a  slisrht  em- 
bankment covered  with  sand  or  travel,  while 
here  and  there  were  board  sidewalks  varying 
from  one  jilank,  ten  inches  wide,  to  four 
planks  wide.  These  were  protected  by  a  fine 
from  injury  by  the  leading  or  driving  of  ani- 
mals thereon,  and  the  construction  of  new  ones 
of  the  various  kinds  encouraged  by  the  city 
bearing  one  half  of  the  expense.  The  im- 
provement of  tl:e  streets  was  principally 
confined  to  the  repair  of  bad  spots  in  the 
various  streets,  and  the  sparing  application 
of  gravel  at  various  points.  In  1857,  the 
question  of  prot(!ction  from  fire  was  taken 
up  and  discussed,  and  the  following  ordi- 
nance promulgated:  "  Be  it  ordained,  etc.,  that 
the  hooks,  ladders,  ropes  and  all  other  fire  ap- 
paratus now  or  hereafter  to  be  provided  for  the 
use  of  the  city,  shall  be  placed  under  the  im- 
mediate care  and  supervision  of  the  City 
Marshal,  who  shall  keep  the  same  in  some 
safe  and  secure  place,  easily  accessible  incase 
of  fire,  and  until  some  building  shall  be 
erected  for  the  purpose. 

Sec.  2.  Whenever  an  alarm  of  fire  is  raised 
every  house-holder  is  required  to  bring  with 
him  to  the  fire  a  bucket,  and  if  such  bucket 
should  be  lost  or  destroyed  at  such  fire,  the 
owner  may  get  the  value  thereof  from  the 
city  treasury  on  proof  or  affidavit  of  such 
loss. 

Sec.  3.  The  Cit}'  Council  shall  appoint 
good  men  in  each  ward  to  act  as  guards  over 
the  different  streets,  and  parts  of  their  re- 
spective wards  during  the  prevalence  of  any 
fire  in  the  city;  and  whenever  an  alarm  of  fire 
is  raised  it   shall  be  the   duty  of  said  guards 


diligently  to  watch  over  the    diiferent  places 
assigned  them. 

Sec.  4.  The  City  Marshal  is  hereby  in- 
vested with  full  authority  to  act  as  chief  at 
any  fire  in  the  city;  to  direct  persons  and  de- 
tail as  many  as  he  may  think  proper  to  brino- 
on  to  the  ground  where  the  fire  is,  the  hooks, 
ladders  and  other  fire  apparatus  of  the  city, 
whenever  no  person  or  persons  shall  volun- 
tarily bring  them. 

Sec.  5.  It  is  hereby  made  the  special  duty 
of  the  Mayor,  the  Aldermen  and  other  city 
officers  to  assist  and  be  active  in  forming  the 
necessary  iines  for  the  supply  of  water  to 
those  engaged  in  extinquishing  the  fire. 

Sec.  6.  Any  ahle-botlied  person  who  shall 
refuse  when  called  upon  by  the  Marshal  or 
any  of  the  city  officers  above  named,  or  any 
regularly  appointed  fire  warden,  to  enter  into 
line,  shall  be  liable  to  a  fine  of  not  less  than 
one  dollar,  nor  more  than  ten,"  etc.,  ad  finem. 

Early  in  the  previous  year  a  destructive  fire 
swept  away  several  business  blocks  on  Cum- 
berland street,  and  the  question  arose  of  doino- 
something  to  assist  in  such  an  emergency  here- 
after and  it  was  proposed  in  council  to  ]3urchase 
four  ladders,  four  hooks,  four  poles,  '^00  feet  of 
inch  and  a  quarter  rope,  and  a  light  wagon  to 
carry  them.  The  matter  was  debated  and  de- 
ferred until  some  time  in  1858,  when  the  lad- 
ders and  hooks  were  procured,  but  the  fate 
of  the  charter  changed  their  destiny,  and  in 
Maj',  1859,  the  marshal  was  directed  to  col- 
lect and  expose  to  public  sale  "  all  the  prop- 
erty belonging  to  the  city,  including  hooks, 
ladders,  plows,  scrapers,  etc."  This  officer 
made  return  of  the  sale  on  the  IGth  of  the 
month  to  the  effect  that  ten  dollars  had  been 
realized  from  this  sale,  of  which  sura  one  dol- 
lar was  allowed  the  marshal  for  his  services. 
Thus  ended  the  regime  of  the  city,  and  if  but 
little  was  accomplished,  the  cost  was  similarly 
small.     The    entire    expenditure    of  the  first 


312 


HISTORY  OF  CLARK  COUNTY. 


municipal  year  was  $302.37,  and  while  the 
"journal  of  the  council"  does  not  give  the 
expenditures,  it  may  be  safe  to  put  the  aver- 
sige  expenditure  at  $500  per  annum,  for  the 
five  years  under  the  original  charter. 

During  the  two  succeeding  years  the  vil- 
lage went  back  to  its  original  political  con- 
dition, and  when  in  the  fall  of  18(52,  the  peo- 
ple voted  to  organize  the  town  as  an  "Incor- 
porated Village"  under  the  general  law,  there 
was  but  little  to  show  for  the  expense  and 
trouble  of  the  five  years  of  city  life.  The 
Board  of  Trustees  which  was  elected  had 
theii'  first  meeting  on  November,  27,  18G3,  at 
the  court  house.  They  began  dc  tioro,  and 
jjrepared  the  usual  list  of  ordinances  by  a 
series  of  parliamentary  rules.  Beside  this 
innovation  in  the  ordinary  practice  of  such 
bodies,  the  new  administration  was  not  marked 
by  any  special  vigor,  wisdom  or  originality. 
They  followed  in  the  old  beaten  tracks  of  the 
city  organizaiion,  dickering  over  the  salary  of 
the  constable,  aiding  the  building  of  side- 
walks, patching  up  broken  roads,  and  placing 
the  liquor  traffic  under  a  license  of  fifty  dol- 
lars, obliging  dealers,  however,  to  give  in  ad- 
dition, an  indemnifying  bond  of  five  hundred 
dollars.  In  1866,  a  new  board  of  trustees, 
consisting  of  R.  L.  Dulaney,  J.  P.  Greenough, 
E.  S.  Janney,  Mumfora  Laws  and  D.  Legore. 
The  members  of  this  board  were  evidently 
animated  by  an  intelligent  comprehension  of 
the  duties  imposed  upon  them  by  the  position, 
and  their  promjjt  and  vigorous  action  indi- 
cated no  hesitation  in  declaring-  the  policy  of 
their  administration.  The  ordinances  were 
at  once  concisely  revised  so  as  to  increase  the 
sources  of  revenue,  to  restrain  illy-considered 
expenditure,  and  to  secure  a  regularly  em- 
ployed corporation  attorney;  and  the  whole 
career  of  the  board  was  so  marked  by  vigor- 
ous, business-like  executive  ability  that  it 
gave  the  city  government  a  much  higher 
standing  with  the  people  than  it  had  hitherto 


attained.  This  was  largely  characteristic  of 
the  succeeding  board,  until  ISTO,  when  the 
present  city  organization  was  adopted.  The 
deciding  vote  was  cast  on  July  9,  1870,  the 
decision  for  city  organization  under  the  gen- 
eral law  being  effected  by  a  majority  of  80  to 
3.  On  August  20th  following,  the  town  hav- 
ing been  divided  into  four  wards,  substan- 
tially as  at  present,  the  following  officers  were 
elected:  James  McCabe,  mayor;  William 
Shaw,  alderman  for  first  ward;  O.  G.  Ste- 
phenson, for  second  ward;  N.  S.  McKeen,  for 
third  ward,  and  Patrick  (joiiohy,  for  fourth 
ward.  In  1874,  the  offices  of  clurk,  city  at- 
toini'V  and  treasurer,  wliich  hitherto  liad  been 
appointments  in  the  discretion  of  the  council, 
were  made  elective,  and  are  tilled  every  two 
years,  alternating  with  the  other  elective  of- 
ficers of  the  city. 

The  town  had  now  grown  to  such  propor- 
tions as  to  demand  a  departure  from  old  mu- 
nicipal traditions,  and  the  new  lorni  of  city 
administration  seemed  in  a  measure,  to  re- 
spond to  this  demand,  but  there  have  not 
been  wanting  instances,  during  the  past 
twelve  years,  when  a  broad,  progressive  spirit 
has  been  signally  wanting  in  the  city  council 
chamber.  But  while  a  conservative  policy 
has  generally  marked  the  city  goverjiment,  it 
has  not  proven  an  unmixed  evil.  Public 
plans  have  been  formed  entirely  within  the 
actual  resources  of  the  treasury,  and  while 
this  policy  has  frequently  resulted  in  vexa- 
tious delays  of  needed  repairs,  in  greatly  re- 
tarding public  improvements,  and  effectually 
hindering  any  systematic  plan  of  public  ex- 
penditure, the  city  has  never  had  a  debt  to 
carry.  A  strict  code  of  police  regulations 
was  among  the  earliest  legislation  of  the  new 
administration,  which,  though  it  has  suffered 
some  strange  amendments  since  then,  is  still 
suflicient,  if  actively  enforced,  to  satisfy 
the  most  exacting  citizen.  Up  to  the  time  of 
this  enactment   the  unruly  citizen   had    been 


HISTORY  OF  CLARK  COUNTY. 


313 


the  chief  object  of  police  restrictions,  but  in 
this  ordinance  the  liberty  of  animals  to  wan- 
der about  the  streets  was  placed  under  limit- 
ations. Bv  this  law  all  "dangerous,  unruly 
or  niiscliievous  animals''  were  forbidden  the 
liberty  of  the  city,  and  "  horses,  mules  and 
asses,"  were  not  allowed  to  run  at  large  be- 
tween the  months  of  December  and  May, 
both  inclusive.  In  1873,  hogs  of  all  ages 
were  placed  in  the  list  of  tabooed  animals, 
between  February  1st  and  the  15th  of  May  in 
each  year,  unless  they  were  incapacitated  to 
root  by  "taming  or  ringing  their  noses."  In 
the  following  year,  however,  the  hog  was 
again  the  favored  object  of  animal  restrictions, 
and,  provided  they  were  incapacitated  as 
aforesaid,  were  alone  of  all  brute  creation 
alloi\-ed  to  wander  "  fancy-free  "  throughout 
the  cit\'.  At  the  ver\'  next  meeting  of  the 
council  but  one,  the  friends  of  the  cow  ral- 
lied, and  expressed  through  the  law-making 
power  the  opinion,  that  "  it  is  deemed  inad- 
visable, under  our  present  status  as  a  city  to 
jirohibit  or  regulate  the  running  at  large  of 
co.vs,  in  view  of  the  fact  that  it  will  tend  to 
oppress  a  majority  of  our  citizcjis  who  are  in 
possession  of  such  animals."  In  1879,  the 
pendulum  of  change  swung  to  the  opposite 
extreme,  which  is  now  the  law,  only  "  tamed 
or  ringed  pigs"  being  allowed  the  freedom 
of  the  streets.  These  legal  fulminations,  how- 
ever, do  not  prevent  the  unmolested  prome- 
nade of  these  animals,  lunching  out  of  farm- 
er's wagons,  and  annoying  teams  and  pedes- 
trians as  their  inclination  serves.  The  ordi- 
nances in  relation  to  oU'onses  against  the  pub- 
lic peace  and  quiet,  against  public;  morals 
and  drcency,  against  public  safety,  conven- 
ience and  health,  etc.,  etc.,  have  always  been 
notably  stringent,  and  have  been  creditably 
enforced.  Drunkenness  in  public  is  made  a 
misdemeanor,  and  does  not  frequently  fail  of 
punishment.  The  police  force  of  the  city, 
under  the  present  organization,  has  generally 


consisted  of  two  day  officers,  with  one  night 
watchman,  who  is  sustained  partly  by  the  city 
and  partly  by  private  subscription. 

In  public  improvements  the  city  govern- 
ment seems  to  have  been  particularly  ham- 
pered by  its  conservative  policy.  Tiie  side- 
walks had  generally  outgrown  the  turnpike 
and  gravel  period,  and  were  being  gradually 
replaced  hy  board  walks,  under  the  regime  of 
the  village  trustees.  Public  funds  were  em- 
p'oyed  in  assisting  their  construction,  the 
village  treasury  bearing  one  half  of  the  ex- 
pense of  such  improvements.  The  city 
council,  however,  took  the  matter  into  its  own 
hands,  and  on  petition  constructed  board 
walks  or  pavements  only,  and  then  assessed 
the  expense  upon  the  property  benefited,  in 
certain  cases  bearing  a  small  proportion  of 
the  cost  out  of  the  public  moneys.  In  De- 
cember of  1875,  a  brick  pavement  was  or- 
dered to  be  constructed  on  the  north  side  of 
Cumberland  street  in  patches,  in  front  of 
places  of  business.  These  walks  were  to  bo 
twelve  feet  wide,  made  of  good  paving  brick, 
with  five  inches  of  sand  foundation,  and  fin- 
ished with  a  white  o.:k  curbing,  one  half  of 
the  cost  to  be  paid  out  of  the  public  funds  of 
the  city.  This  has  been  supplemented  by 
walks  of  the  same  character  in  other  parts  of 
the  business  part  of  the  city,  and  the  con- 
struction of  wooden  walks  within  the  "  fire 
limits"  has  been  forbidden.  Stone  gutters 
were  placed  on  the  north  side  of  Cumberland 
street,  opposite  the  public  square,  and  in  1880 
the  same  improvement  was  extended  to  the 
east  side  of  the  Court  House  block,  on  Hamil- 
ton street.  Progress  in  street  improvements 
has  not  been  so  marked  nor  so  rapid.  While 
their  original  condition  has  been  greatly  im- 
proved, there  remains  much  to  be  done  to 
put  them  in  a  satisfactory  condition.  The 
county  is  poorly  provided  with  material  for 
road  making,  and  much  of  the  gravel  used 
has    been    secured    along    the   line    of    small 


314 


HISTORY  OF  CLARK  COUNTY. 


streams,  and  has  be^n  of  little  value.  The 
superintendent  of  the  Vandalia  Road  on  one 
occasion  furnished  the  city  with  gravel  at 
simply  the  cost  of  loading,  which  proved 
more  serviceable.  During  the  summer  of 
1883,  fifty-five  yards  of  macadamized  road 
was  made  on  Hamilton  street,  at  a  cost  of 
849.50.  Street  lighting  is  one  of  the  more 
recent  improvements.  In  the  summer  of 
1875  a  committee  of  the  council  was  ap- 
pointed to  look  up  the  subject,  and  subse- 
quently a  few  lamps  were  secured  and  placed 
on  trial.  The  whole  matter  dragged  along, 
however,  until  JIarch  7,  1881,  when  fifteen 
lamps  were  purchased  and  placed  in  position; 
since  then,  some  half  dozen  more  have  been 
purchase  1  by  individuals,  which  the  council 
supply  and  care  for. 

All  attempts  at  creating  an  efficient  de- 
fense against  fire  have  thus  far  proved  futile. 
The  earlier  attempt  has  been  noted.  In  187-1 
the  project  of  getting  a  hook  and  ladder 
truck  and  "  Babcock  extinguisher  "  was  sub- 
mitted to  a  vote  of  the  people,  which  resulted 
in  58  for  to  53  against  the  purchase  of  the 
truck,  and  2  for  and  111  against  the  purchase 
of  the  "  extinguishers."  A  nondescript  ma- 
chine was  subsequently  bought  on  trial,  and 
an  old  house  set  on  fire  to  give  an  o]iportu- 
nity  to  test  its  efficiency  as  a  fire  extinguish- 
er. The  result  was  a  sorry  farce  and  the 
machine  was  laughed  out  of  town.  The  only 
protection  beside  an  "extinguisher"  or  two 
owned  by  individuals  is  the  restrictions  of 
the  "fire  limit"  ordinance.  This  was  first 
passed  in  May,  1875,  and  prohibited  the  erec- 
tion of  wooden  buildings  upon  "any  lot  in 
the  original  plat  of  Marshall,  fronting  or  con- 
tiguous to  the  public  square  in  said  city,  or 
on  anv  lot  on  either  side  of  Cumberland 
street,  fronting  said  street,  as  far  east  as  Michi- 
gan street."  Its  provisions  were  afterward 
enlarged,  so  as  to  prohibit  the  use  of  wooden 


roofs  in  repairing  any  old,  or  in  the  construc- 
tion of  any  new  buildings. 

In  the  matter  of  revenue,  the  policy  of  the 
city  has  been  to  maintain  a  high  protective 
tariff.  The  earlier  schedule  ol  license  fees 
was  almost  prohibitory  in  effect,  and  even 
now  the  peddlers,  auctioneers  and  proprietors 
of  exhibitions,  circuses,  etc.,  contribute  very 
considerably  to  the  city  revenue  when  they 
have  the  temerity  to  "  bill  the  town."  The 
whole  range  of  business,  even  to  butcher- 
shops,  are  protected.  The  liquor  license  is 
generally  restrictive  in  priniMple,  but  inci- 
dentally adds  very  largely  to  tlie  incom'i  of 
the  city  treasury.  This  is  a  constant  source  of 
agitation  in  tlie  council,  anil  enters  very 
largely  into  every  municipal  election.  Under 
the  present  organization  of  the  ci  y,  the 
action  of  the  city  authorities  has  varied  from 
absolute  prohibition,  to  license  for  fees  rang- 
ing from  $150  to  $300  per  annum.  For  the 
current  year  licenses  are  granted  to  saloons 
at  §300,  and  to  drug-stores  for  SlOO  par  an- 
num, subject  to  a  heavy  indemnifying  bond. 
The  cause  of  this  vacillation  is  largely  polit- 
ical. There  is  in  the  city  an  influential  mi- 
nority constant  in  its  opposition  to  granting 
saloon  licenses.  Besides  this  factor,  thera  is 
a  floiting  vote,  wh:ch  vote  for  or  against  li- 
cense, as  serves'  their  purpose,  and  this  ele- 
ment maintains  the  balance  of  powar  between 
the  two  "  constant  quantities."  Through  the 
saloon  influence  the  political  fortunes  of  the 
hour  are  carried  in  favor  of  one  political 
organization,  when  its  opponent  wid  turn 
about  and  bring  the  attack  upon  the  enemy's 
stronn-hold  by  cutting  off  the  license  provis- 
ion. This  is  done  by  cajoling  the  floating 
vote,  not  upon  temperance  grounds,  but 
upon  political  necessity.  It  is  not  unfre- 
quently  the  case  that  the  council  act  in  di- 
rect opposition  to  ihe  expression  of  the  peo- 
ple when  the  sui)ject  is  submitted  to  a  popu- 


HISTORY  OF  CLARK  COUNTY. 


nn 


lar  vole.  The  revenue  derived  is  doubtless 
a  very  cogent  argument,  and  under  tlie  ordi- 
nances there  seems  to  be  every  facility  for 
making  the  liquor  business  a  very  unprofit- 
able one,  if  carried  on  to  the  detriment  of 
individuals  or  the  public,  provided  the  means 
sui)i)licd  bv  law  are  used.  In  1880,  undi  r 
the  liquor-license  regime,  the  revenue  from 
business  permits  was  $105  from  saloons 
$1,200,  and  from  fines  8361;  in  1881  no  sa- 
loon licenses  being  issued,  business  permits 
amounted  to  S^ll.Co,  and  fines  $200.  In 
1882  the  licenses  for  liquor  sales  will  prob- 
ably reach  §1,600.  The  following  gentlemen 
have  been  elected  to  the  mayoralty  of  the 
city:  1870,  James  McCabe;  1872,  Thos.  H. 
Sutton;  1879,  Edwin  Harlan;  1881,  D.  S. 
McMuUen. 

The  early  business  growth  of  Marshall  was 
not  marked  by  more  progressive  tendencies 
than  were  exhibited  in  the  administration  of 
public  aflairs.  For  over  thirty  j-ea  s  the  vil- 
lage was  handicapped  by  competition  with 
more  successful  and  older  towns,  with  a  sur- 
rounding country  not  rapidly  develo])ed,  nor 
largely  productive,  and  bj'  a  lack  of  pub- 
lic-spirited men.  It  scarcely  needs  to  be 
said  that  the  ])rovisions  of  the  founders  of 
Marshall  for  its  development,  reveal  some- 
thing more  than  the  mere  business  sagacity 
of  a  shrewd  man  of  affairs.  The  plan  of 
founding  the  village  was  doubtless  conceived 
in  a  spirit  of  speculation,  but  in  carrying  out 
the  details,  his  personal  interest  became 
Strongly  excited,  and  Col.  Archer  accepted 
no  criterion  save  its  future  success.  Though 
subsequently  burdened  with  public  duties 
and  embarrassed  by  serious  reverses,  he  de- 
voted his  best  energies  and  the  last  remnant 
of  his  fortune  to  the  promotion  of  the  town's 
highest  interests;  and  while  many  of  his  proj- 
ects proved  abortive,  the  impress  of  his  mold- 
ing hand  is  stili  felt  by  the  citizen  and  ob- 
served   by    the  stranger.     His   relations  with 


Governor  Duncan  in  the  history  oftiie  tnwii, 
while  not  clearly  ascertained,  were  probab  y 
simply  the  purchase  of  his  name  and  ])}•€(!- 
tif/e  for  a  consideration,  a  prestige  that  availed 
little  beyond  the  inception  of  the  entorjirise. 
The  first  building  in  the  village  was  Bart- 
Ictt's  hotel,  which  was  erected  in  18  (!,  and 
this  was  soon  followed  by  business  and  dwell- 
ing houses,  so  that  by  the  close  of  1838  there 
was  a  good  showing  for  a  town,  and  the 
present  business  portion  pretty  well  marked 
out.  On  the  corners  of  Franklin  and  Market 
streets  were  the  hotel  buildings;  on  the  north 
corners  of  Franklin  and  Cumberland  were 
the  stores  of  Whitlock  and  Anderson;  on  the 
southeast  corner  of  Hamilton  and  Cumber- 
land was  Cole's  saloon;  and  on  the  north- 
west corner,  a  story-and-a-half  frame  build- 
ing, just  inclosed,  which  Woodford  Dula- 
ney  was  erecting  for  a  place  of  business.  On 
the  site  of  Foster's  block  was  a  frame  build- 
ing which  served  Dr.  Allison  as  office  and 
residence;  and  just  west  of  this,  on  the  cor- 
ner of  the  block,  stood  an  unfinished  frame 
which  was  afterward  bought  and  finished  by 
Dr.  Poole.  Near  the  southwest  corner  of 
Clinton  and  Cumberland  streets,  fronting  on 
the  latter,  stood  a  structure,  the  frame- work 
of  which  was  composed  of  jack-oak  poles. 
This  was  one  of  the  very  earliest  buildings 
in  the  village,  and  was  erected  by  Joseph 
Martin,  a  laborer  on  the  National  Road.  This 
passed  into  other  hands,  and  as  a  hotel  was 
the  first  competitor  for  public  patronage  that 
Bartlett  had.  The  older  part  of  the  build- 
ing was  torn  away  to  give  place  for  Clay- 
poole's  block  in.  1881.  This  was  the  only 
structure  on  the  west  side  of  the  public  square 
in  1838;  but  on  the  south  side,  beginning  on 
the  southeast  corner  of  Clinton  and  Market 
streets,  was  the  brick  residence  of  Uri  Man- 
ley;  a  frame  building  just  east  of  it,  which 
was  first  used  by  the  court,  and  later  as  a 
post-office  and  business  room;  and  still  farther 


318 


IIISTOUY  OF  CLARK  COUXTY. 


cast  stood  the  little  frame  tailor-sbop  of  J.  B. 
King.  These  Iniildings,  with  the  fifteen  to 
thirty  dwellings  generally  scattered  over  the 
entire  area  of  the  plat,  constituted  the  village 
of  1838.  The  only  public  means  of  commu- 
nication with  the  outside  world  was  by  the 
stage  line  that  ran  north  and  south  on  the 
State  road  from  Vincennes  to  Danville,  and 
east  and  west  from  Indianapolis  through 
Terre  Haute  to  St.  Louis.  The  mail  in  this 
region  was  brought  from  Vincennes  to  Paris 
once  a  week,  first  on  horseback,  and  as  early 
as  1833  in  a  vehicle.  In  1838  the  stage  line 
superseded  this  mode,  and  four-horse  coaches 
ran  three  times  a  week,  stopping  at  the  log 
hotel  to  change.  About  1842  the  Indianap- 
olis and  Terre  Haute  line  was  extended  to 
St.  Louis,  and  then  daily  coaches  passed 
throun-h  the  town,  furnishing  a  direct  route 
of  travel  as  good  as  any  town  could  boast. 
The  merchants  were  forced,  of  course,  to  rely 
upon  their  own  resources  for  the  transporta- 
tion of  goods,  teaming  them  in  favorable 
weather  from  Terre  Haute,  or  in  the  spring 
from  Darwin,  where  merchandise  was  deliv- 
ered by  boats.  For  the  next  thirty  years  the 
town  had  a  steady  but  very  slow  develop- 
ment. Archer  and  Bartlett  put  up  the  brick 
hotel,  now  known  as  the  St.  .lames,  in  1842, 
which,  though  occupied,  was  not  finished  un- 
til two  or  three  years  later.  This  was  the 
most  pretentious  building  at  the  time  in  the 
illavge  and  was  the  center  of  attraction. 
Here  the  stage  lines  passed,  and  the  curious 
villager  found  it  a  convenient  point  to  learn 
the  news  and  get  a  glimpse  of  passengers  as 
the  stages  changed  horses  and  stopped  for 
meals.  A  little  before  the  erection  of  tlie 
hotel,  Archer  erected  a  frame  building  on 
the  site  of  Benedict's  block,  which  was 
subsequently  destroyed  by  fire.  In  185G  the 
present  brick  was  put  \ip  in  its  place.  Du- 
laney  was  called  to  Kentucky  by  the  death 
of  his  father,  and  his  store  was  subsequently 


occupied  by  Booth  &  Greenough.  This  firm 
was  succeeded  by  Lyman  Booth  &  Co.  (the 
Greenough  interest  being  represented  in  the 
"  company"),  who  built  a  store  building  on  the 
corner  of  Hamilton  and  Market  streets  in  1850. 
Three  years  later,  Mort.  Reed  erected  the 
block  now  known  as  the  "Clark  corner,"  and 
in  the  year  following  the  block  occupied  by 
Bradley  &  Doll  was  built  by  Charles  Welch, 
W.  T.  Martin  block  by  Tower  Bros.,  and  the 
Sherman  House  by  Summers.  The  Sherman 
House  was  sold  to  James  Wright  when  the 
foundation  was  laid,  and  was  finished  by  him 
in  1855  and  called  the  Wright  House.  In 
1856  an  addition  to  the  Benedict  block,  what 
is  known  as  Streever's  block,  was  erected. 
This  covered  the  space  between  "  Clark's 
corner  "  and  the  end  of  the  present  two-story 
bricks,  and  consisted  of  five  buildings.  The 
three  nearest  Reed's  building  were  erected 
by  Streever,  the  next  one  by  Henry  Wallace, 
and  the  last  by  Wm.  Davis.  With  the  ex- 
ception of  a  single-story  brick  where  Galla- 
gher's saloon  is  now  kept,  these  were  the 
prinei]jal  additions  to  the  business  portion 
of  the  town  up  to  1808. 

In  the  meantime  a  vigorous  agitation  for  a 
railroad  had  been  started.  A  line  for  an 
east  and  west  road  had  been  surveyed,  pass- 
incr  through  the  central  part  of  the  village; 
but  this  was  seriously  antagonized  by  other 
railroad  interests  and  failed.  Subsequently 
the  Terre  Haute,  Vandalia  &  St.  Louis 
route,  better  known  now  as  the  "Van.  road," 
was  projected,  with  lines  varying  from  one 
to  eight  miles  away  from  the  village.  The 
newspapers  and  the  public-spirited  men  of 
Marshall  were  urgent  in  their  appeals  to  the 
people  of  the  county  to  be  ready  to  support 
the  project  liberally  with  their  money,  and 
the  township  did  vote  $50,000,  in  addition  to 
the  $100,000  voted  by  the  county  at  large,  to 
aid  this  enterprise.  The  town,  however,  was 
subsequently  relieved  from  tliis  special  dona- 


HISTORY  OF  CLARK  COUNTY. 


5U) 


tion.  Still  the  road  \v;is  not  definitely  located 
in  the  ren;ion  of  the  village,  the  engineer  vacil- 
lating between  the  various  proposed  lines.  It 
was  shrewdly  suspected  by  persons  interested 
here  that  he  was  waiting  for  a  personal  pe- 
cuniary inducement  which  he  failed  to  get 
Iron)  the  JIarsliall  people,  and  receiving 
peremptory  orders  to  fix  the  survey,  ran  the 
lino  a  mile  out  of  town.  The  work  was 
pushed  with  reasonable  vigor,  and  in  1870 
tlie  cars  passed  within  the  limits  of  the  cor- 
poration. The  completion  of  the  Vandalia 
Road  gave  business  enterprises  a  new  start, 
but  failed  to  do  for  the  village  much  that  was 
hoped  for,  on  account  of  its  distance  from 
the  central  part  of  the  town,  and  because  in 
making  Terre  Haute  more  accessible,  it  re- 
acted upon  the  home  business  interests. 
During  this  time  the  north  ami  south  line  of 
railroad  was  agitated,  and  in  187-4  became  a 
fact.  To  this  venture  Marshall  gave  §50,- 
000,  an  investment  which  the  community  has 
had  no  reason  to  regret.  The  line  passeti 
through  the  central  part  of  the  city  and  has 
given  its  developuienc  and  growth  an  impe- 
tus which  the  other  railroad  failed  to  do. 
The  finest  part  of  the  jiresent  business  part  of 
the  city  has  been  erected  since  its  construc- 
tion. In  1S71  Gorham's  block  was  built  on 
Cumberland  street,  north  of  the  square,  and 
Legon-'s  block,  on  Hamilton  street,  east  of 
the  square.  In  ].s;3  were  erected  Cheno- 
weth's  block,  by  Bryan  &  Chenoweth,  and 
Harlan's  hall,  on  the  corner  of  Hamilton  and 
^Market  str.'Cts.  The  row  of  three  brick 
buildings,  just  west  of  the  Sherman  House, 
was  built  in  1873.  Foster's  block,  north  of 
the  square,  was  built  in  1874,  and  rebuilt  in 
1881.  The  west  part  of  Gallagher's  block  was 
rebuilt  in  1S74,  and  the  eastern  part  erected 
in  the  following  year.  Dulaney's  grocery 
building  in  1875,  and  the  bank  block  in  1870; 
Jno.  Archer  block,  north  of  square,  in  1870; 
F.  A.  Berner  block  in  1877;  and  Henry  Wal- 


lace's block  in  the  same  year.  In  1880  Du- 
laney's grocery  building  was  remodeled,  the 
block  of  Kester,  Cole  &  Archer,  Dr.  Brad- 
ley's office  building,  and  the  south  part  of 
Claypool's block,  were  erected.  In  1881  Brad- 
ley's block,  Claypool's  corner  building,  Dr. 
Jayne's  block,  and  Hippard's  block,  on  the 
site  of  one  of  Streever's  old  buildings,  were 
put  up.  Whitlock's  building,  which  occupies 
the  site  of  another  store  of  the  old  Streever 
block,  was  erected  in  1882;  and  Pat.  Smith's 
block  in  same  year. 

Marshall  has  never  laid  any  claim  to  spe- 
cial advantages  for  manufacturing  purposes, 
but  so  far  as  abundance  of  good  timber  and 
shipping  facilities  are  concerned  in  the  ques- 
tion, the  city  is  admirably  adapted  to  such 
enterjjrises.  Coal  and  water  are  secured  with 
reasonable  facility  and  at  reasonable  cost; 
and  these  various  qualifications  have  recently 
attracted  the  attention  of  capitalists  seeking 
a  location,  but  receiving  little  or  no  encour- 
agement from  leading  men,  have  gone  else- 
where. The  early  community  was  not  inde- 
pendent of  this  class  of  business,  especially 
of  grist  and  carding  mills.  These  were  a 
necessity,  and  that  community  that  could 
sustain  such  enterprises  was  deemed  highly 
favored.  Marshall  early  secured  the  mills 
best  known  in  pioneer  times,  and  when  the 
country  outgrew  these  crude  affairs,  the  city 
was  fortunate  enough  to  secure  their  natural 
successors,  and  so  flouring  and  woolen  mills 
have  been  a  prominent  factor  in  the  city's 
business  prosperity.  The  earliest  among 
these  more  modern  manufactories  was  a  card- 
ing mill,  started  here  in  1841,  by  Wm.  Mc- 
Keen.  It  stood  where  the  property  of  Wm. 
Bartlett  is  now  placed,  the  building  having 
been  moved  across  the  street  and  now  occu- 
pied by  Ben.  Dangler  as  a  residence.  The 
propelling  power  was  an  old-time  tread- 
wheel,  but  in  1849  the  machine  was  trans- 
ferred to  the  steam  mill  and  propelled   by  its 


320 


HISTORY  OF  CLARK  COUNTY. 


machinery.  In  the  older  settlements  ou  the 
eastern  and  western  sides  of  the  county,  there 
were  a  good  many  sheep  kept  for  that  time, 
and  these  brought  considerable  patronage  to 
the  mill.  It  was  nearly  the  only  one  in  this 
section  of  the  State  and  people  came  from  a 
large  area  of  country.  The  mill  was  main- 
tained for  some  fifteen  years,  making  a  com- 
fortable competence  for  the  proprietor. 

The  first  steam  flouring  mill  in  the  county 
was  erected  on  the  National  Road  in  the  west 
part  of  town.  Before  it  was  completed,  the 
projector  of  the  enterprise,  Le  Vay  Cory,  sold 
the  structure  to  Wm.  McKeen,  who  in  com- 
pany with  Ebenezer  Payne  carried  on  the 
business  for  a  number  of  years,  when  the 
death  of  Mr.  Payne  dissolved  the  partner- 
ship. McKcen  then  sold  his  interest  to  the 
P.iyne  estate,  when  it  was  conducted  by  the 
firm  of  Martin  &  Payne,  who  subsequently 
sold  it  to  Laingor  &  Fasig.  From  this  firm  it 
passed  into  the  hands  of  Payne  &  Besser,  and 
thence  to  Besser  &  Martin.  The  mill  origin- 
ally started  with  two  run  of  stone,  but  two  more 
were  subsequently  added.  A  mill-pond  was 
at  first  constructed  and  used  for  years,  but 
becoming  otfensive  to  the  neighborhood  it 
was  abandoned  and  water  drawn  through 
eleven  hundred  feet  of  pipe  from  wells  near 
the  woolen  factory.  It  was  gradually  sup- 
plied with  all  improvements  of  the  time  and 
did  a  large  custom  business,  grinding  about 
400  bushels  of  wheat  a  week,  200  bushels  of 
corn  per  day,  beside  other  grains  which  were 
in  regular  demand.  On  October  6th,  ]87I:, 
the  structure  took  fire  and  was  totally  de- 
stroyed, the  firm  losing  $10,000,  without  a 
dollar's  insurance.  Another  mill  was  built 
in  the  following  year  on  the  site  of  the  old 
structure  by  A.  M.  Payne  and  Wiss.  Harlan. 
This  was  a  fine  brick  structure  with  modern 
improvements,  a  large  capacity,  and  intended 
for  commercial  purposes.  It  was  built  and 
furnished  at  a  cost  of  §25,000,  and  for  nearly 


five  years  did  a  large  business.  It  changed 
bands  several  times,  and  was  owned  by  A.  M. 
Payne  and  D.  S.  Mci-lullen  when  it  was  de- 
stroyed by  fire.  Payne's  interest  at  that  time 
was  rented  by  J.  S.  Lycan,  and  the  business 
was  conducted  under  the  firm  name  of  Lycan 
&  McMullen.  About  two  o'clock  on  Sep- 
tember 11,  1879,  fire  was  discovered  in  the 
upper  story,  and  the  citizens  summoned  to 
the  rescue  by  the  steam  whistle.  But  the 
flames  had  got  beyond  the  resources  of  the 
city  and  it  proved  a  total  loss,  save  a  few  fix- 
tures which  were  removed  from  the  lower 
part  of  the  mill.  A  large  warehouse,  not 
quite  finished,  but  containing  about  ten  thou- 
sand bushels  of  wheat,  stood  witiiin  thirty 
feet  of  the  mill,  but  fortunately  escaped  the 
flames.  There  was  a  light  insurance,  but  not 
enough  to  cover  half  of  the  loss.  The  ware- 
house was  subsequently  moved  to  the  Wa- 
bash railroad,  near  Market  street,  and  grad- 
ually converted  into  an  elevator.  It  is  pro- 
vided with  steam  power,  a  corn-sheller  with 
a  capacity  of  thirtv-five  hundred  bushels  per 
day,  and  a  corn  buhr.  It  has  a  storage  ca- 
pacity of  20,000  bushels,  and  is  now  rented 
and  operated  by  Emerson  &  Archer. 

In  1872  Ewalt,  Lycan  &  Co.  built  the  Little 
Giant  Mills  on  South  Bend  street.  Lycan 
subsequently  sold  his  interest,  and  rented 
Payne's  half  in  the  Marshall  Mills.  When 
that  was  destroyed,  he  purchased  an  interest 
in  the  Little  Giant  Mills  again.  It  was  re- 
built in  1874,  and  has  a  capacity  of  fifty  bar- 
rels of  flour  per  day.  Quaker  City  Mill  was 
erected  in  1874  by  Joseph  Cork  at  a  cost  of 
$16,000.  It  has  a  capacity  of  125  barrels 
per  day  and  an  elevator  attached.  Messrs. 
Besser  &  Marvin  now  own  and  operate  the 
mill. 

A  natural  successor  to  the  old  carding  mill, 
but  in  no  way  connected  with  it,  is  the  Mar- 
shall Woolen  Mill.  This  enterprise  was  begun 
by  the  erection  of  a  wooden  building  on  nearly 


HISTORY  OF  CLARK  COUNTY. 


821 


the  exact  site  of  the  "Little  Giant  Mill"  in 
1853.  The  projector  of  this  business,  E.  L. 
Janney,  was  a  resident  of  Palestine  and  a  law- 
j'er  by  profession.  His  eyes  failinj^  him,  he 
was  induced  by  his  brother-in-law,  Mr.  Alex- 
ander, to  go  into  this  business  and  the  two 
gentlemen  came  to  Marshall  for  this  purpose. 
The  mill  did  a  thriving  business  for  some  five 
years  when  it  was  totally  destroyed  by  fire. 
It  was  rebuilt  and  continued  in  operation 
initil  the  present  brick  structure  was  erected 
near  the  old  site,  at  a  cost  of  about  $12,000. 
The  early  business  was  largely  custom  work 
and  drew  its  patronage  from  a  large  area  of 
surrounding  country.  Home-made  clothing 
was  at  that  time  the  general  wear,  and  cus- 
tomers were  in  the  habit  of  coming  long  dis- 
tances to  get  their  wool  worked  up,  frequently 
waiting  two  or  three  days  for  their  turn.  In 
the  last  mill  some  improved  machinery  was 
placed  and  considerable  commercial  work 
_  done.  A  good  grade  of  jeans,  a  coarse  sort  of 
cassimere,  common  flannels,  and  a  good  qual- 
ity of  blankets  were  manufactured.  But  of 
late  years  the  industry  has  languished,  the 
mill  operating  only  a  part  of  the  time. 

There  was  little  demand  for  early  banks 
here,  and  there  has  never  been  one  of  issue  in 
the  town.  In  1857,  the  Eagle  Insurance  Com- 
pany was  chartered,  with  Nathan  Willard,  Uri 
Manley,  Chas.  Johnson,  Robt.  Brown,  and 
Sam'l  McClure  as  stockholders.  The  charter 
authorized  the  company  to  loan  money  at  any 
rate  of  interest  that  might  be  agreed  upon 
between  the  contracting  parties.  No  atten- 
tion was  paid  to  insurance  save,  perhaps,  an 
agency  business,  the  evident  intention  being 
to  establish  a  loan  office  without  the  liabilities 
and  restrictions  of  a  regular  banking  charter. 
The  business  never  assumed  any  great  impor- 
tance and  gradually  died  out.  It  was  suljse- 
quently  revived  by  Bates,  of  Terre  Haute,  and 
McMullen,  of  Marshall,  and  in  1875,  was  suc- 
ceeded   by    the    Clark    County    Bank.     This 


organization  while  possessing  the  old  charter, 
went  into  business  under  the  general  law 
pertaining  to  incorporations.  The  stockhold- 
ers at  this  time  were  Robt.  Brown,  John  Mor- 
ton, Jonathan  Hogue,  D.  D.  Doll,  and  D.  S. 
McMullen,  with  Brown  as  president,  Doll  as 
vice-president,  and  D.  S.  McMullen,  cashier. 
The  present  officers  are,  Jno.  Morton,  pres- 
ident, Robt.  Brown,  vice-president,  and  T.  W. 
Cole,  cashier.  Another  private  bank  was 
started  in  June,  1S79,  by  Robt.  L.  Dulanev, 
and  still  continues,  doing  its  share  of  the  bus- 
iness. 

Until  18-18,  Marshall  was  without  a  news- 
paper. The  town  was  small  and  the  develop- 
ment of  the  county'  such  that  a  newspaper 
venture  did  not  promise  abundant  returns  for 
the  investment.  The  village  was  not,  however, 
lost  sight  of  by  the  pul)lic  prints  of  the  neigh- 
boring towns.  Occasional  communications 
from  the  "  county  seat  of  Clark  County  "  ap- 
peared at  irregular  intervals  in  the  Paris  and 
Terre  Haute  papers,  but  they  were  so  much 
taken  up  with  pei'sonalities  that  nothing  is  to 
be  gleaned  from  them  as  to  matters  of  public 
interest.  There  was  but  little  to  induce  the 
early  founding  of  a  newspaper  here.  The 
proprietors,  though  men  of  ]>olitical  ambitions, 
seem  to  have  had  less  faith  in  newspaper 
influence  than  is  generally  entertained  at  this 
day,  and  they  do  not  seem  to  have  exerted 
any  influence  in  securing  such  an  establish- 
ment. It  would  doubtless  have  proven  a 
valuable  adjunct  to  the  other  means  employed 
to  develop  the  village,  but  the  man  and  the 
hour  did  not  coincide.  The  harmony  of  polit- 
ical tastes  was  another  retarding  feature. 
On  most  of  the  important  state  and  national 
questions,  there  was  little  diversity  of  senti- 
ment and  what  really  existed  was  of  such  an 
uncertain  character  that  no  permanent  lines 
were  drawn.  The  Whigs,  so  long  as  thej' 
kept  the  field,  were  in  the  large  majority, and 
the  "  Know  Nothings  "  ran  a  short  but  success- 


322 


PIISTORY  OF  CLARK  COUNTY. 


ful  career,  but  since  then  until  1862,  the 
Democratic  party  lias  been  in  the  ascendancy. 
During  the  War  of  the  Rebellion,  party  diflfer- 
encos  were  largely  ignored  and  the  Republican 
or  Union  party  was  the  prevailing  organiza- 
tion, but  since  its  close  party  lines  have  once 
more  been  drawn  more  according  to  earJier 
affiliations  and  both  of  the  great  parties  are 
represented  with  a  slight  preponderance  in 
favor  of  the  Democratic. 

.Journalism  here,  in  the  language  of  a  noted 
politician,  has  been  a  "  halcj-on  and  vociferous 
proceeding."  There  has  never  been  mani- 
fested any  loss  for  language  to  express  edito- 
rial convictions  or  to  characterize  the  views  or 
conduct  of  opposing  writers,  and  much  of  the 
editorial  writing  has  been  marked  more  by 
forcible  than  elegant  expression.  In  common 
with  most  early  newspapers,  those  of  Marshall 
have  given  much  more  space  and  effort  to  the 
cultivation  of  public  opinion  than  to  the  dis- 
semination of  local  news,  which,  perhaps,  the 
nature  of  early  communities  and  their  sur- 
roundings more  fully  warranted  than  at  pres- 
ent. But  with  the  growth  and  development 
of  the  town,  the  newspaper  has  developed 
until  Marshall  is  now  represented  by  four 
weekly  papers  equal  in  ability  to  any  of  the 
surrounding  towns. 

The  first  paper  published  in  Marshall  was 
the  Illinois  State  Democrat.  It  was  demo- 
cratic in  politics,  and  was  owned  and  con- 
ducted by  John  M.  Crane  and  Nathan  Willard 
The  paper  showed  considerable  ability,  the 
enior  editor  being  a  man  of  some  editorial. 
experience,  though  of  somewhat  erratic  habits. 
Late  iii  1848,  soon  after  the  paper  was  estab- 
lished, Mr.  Crane  withdrew,  leaving  Mr. 
Willard  sole  proprietor,  who  continued  its 
publication  until  the  spring  of  1853,  develop- 
ing a  native  capacity  vchich  gained  for  him  an 
enviable  reputation  as  a  journalist.  At  this 
time  he  sold  the  paper  to  Messrs.  J.  C.  Robin- 
son and  Jacob  Zimmerman,  who  reinforced  it 


by  the  purchase  of  the  Mdrshall  Teler/raph, 
an  opposing  paper  which  had  sprung  up  in 
the  campaign  of  1852,  and  changed  the  name 
of  the  coraliined  journals  to  the  Eastern  Illi- 
noisan.  The  paper  continued  without  fur- 
ther change  until  December,  1856,  when  S.  S. 
Whitehead  became  proprietor,  as  he  had  been 
editor  during  the  most  of  the  preceding  cam- 
paign. Several  gentlemen  were  associated 
with  Mr.  Whitehead  in  the  business  manage- 
ment of  the  paper  at  various  times  until  in 
1861;  when  it  became  evident  that  the  civil 
war  was  soon  to  occur,  he  sold  out  his  entire 
interest  in  the  Illinoisan  to  H.  H.  Peyton, 
"  to  avoid  the  heat  and  anger  sure  to  result." 
The  latter  gentleman,  however,  entered  the 
army  in  August,  1801,  and  Mr.  Whitehead 
was  compelled  to  take  the  paper  into  his  own 
control.  The  publication  was  continued  until 
1865  when,  public  duties  making  it  impossi- 
ble for  him  to  attend  to  its  management,  he 
sold  the  office  to  Mr.  John  Littlefield.  For 
nearly  thirteen  years  its  publication  ceased, 
but  in  January,  1878,  its  publication  was 
revived  and  it  is  now  the  organ  of  the  more 
pronounced  wing  of  the  Democratic  party. 
It  is  now  a  six-column  folio,  devoted  prin- 
cipally to  politics. 

The  Fkiff  of  Our  Union,  was  a  five-col- 
umn folio,  started  on  May  30,  1861.  The 
leading  principles  of  this  paper  are  suggested 
by  its  title.  The  lUinoi.san  was  hostile  to 
the  prosecution  of  the  war  by  the  North,  and 
while  its  attitude  in  this  met  with  the  support 
of  a  considerable  element  in  the  county,  the 
majority  of  the  people,  without  regard  to  polit- 
ical faith,  called  for  an  exponent  of  the  Union 
sentiment.  It  was  in  response  to  this  senti- 
ment and  some  more  substantial  encourage- 
ment, that  John  Littlefield  began  the  publica- 
tion of  the  Flag.  His  political  affiliation 
had  been  with  the  "  Know  Nothings,"  but  in 
this  venture,  he  cautiously  planted  himself  on 
the  Union  side  of  current  questions.     In  his 


HISTORY  OF  CLARK  COUNTY. 


323 


first  article  Mr.  Littletield  said:  "  \Yo  shall 
contend  for  a  strict  observance  of  the  Con- 
stitution and  the  enforcement  of  the  laws. 
*  *  *  ^Ve  shall  ignore  politics  and  discus- 
sions as  to  the  cause  of  the  war.  But,  in  the 
lan^uag-e  of  Stephen  A.  Douglas,  '  fight  the 
battles  of  our  country ./tVs?,  and  talk  about  the 
causes  after.'  "  This  newspaper  venture  was 
started  on  small  capital  and  limited  editorial 
experience,  but  it  gradually  gained  support 
until  it  passed  beyond  the  stage  of  an  experi- 
ment to  a  regular  institution  of  the  county. 
The  publication  of  the  Flacj  was  suspended, 
however,  at,the  end  of  the  third  volume,  when 
the  editor  entered  the  army,  but  did  not  leave 
the  State.  In  April,  1865,  having  purchased 
the  press  and  material  of  the  Il/inoisan,  Mr. 
Littlefield  launched  the  Marshall  Messenger, 
the  first  issue  appearing  April  28,  18G5.  In 
his  salutatory  the  editor  says:  "The  Messen- 
ger will  be  independent  in  all  things."  It 
started  as  a  six-column  folio,  but  has  since 
been  enlarged  to  a  six-column  quarto  with 
the  inside  furnished  by  an  '"auxiliary"  print- 
ing establishment. 

Of  the  papers  which  have  disputed  the 
political  field  in  Marshall  with  the  Democrat- 
ic journals,  the  earliest  was  the  Marshall 
Telegraph.  This  paper  was  started  to  aid 
the  Whig  campaign  of  18j3,  with  Messrs. 
Jones  &  Farley  as  editors  and  proprietors. 
This  venture  was  the  outgrowth  of  a  general 
desire  of  the  Whig  supporters  for  an  organ 
and  prominent  members  of  the  party  invested 
considerable  money  in  furnishing  the  office. 
The  paper  subsequently  passed  into  the  hands 
of  Charles  Summers,  who  sold  it  to  the  Demo- 
cratic contemporary  in  the  spring  of  1853. 
In  April  or  May  of  the  following  year  Messrs. 
E.  Callahan  and  S.  F.  Andrews,  issued  another 
paper  of  "  Know  Nothing  "  proclivities,  reviv- 
ing the  name  of  the  Marshall  Telegraph. 
Mr.  Callahan  retired  from  the  management 
in  the  following  fall,  Mr.  Andrews  conducting 


it  in   the    support    of    the    Republican    party 
until  the  winter  of  ISSr-S  when   its  publica- 
tion was  suspended.     In  the  following  June 
or  July  Messrs.  N.  O.  McKeen  and  John  A. 
Whitlock  started  the  3farshall  Journal   in 
the  interest  of  the  Republican   party  -which 
continued  until  the  fall  of  1859,   when  it  was 
absorbed  by  the  Illinoisan.     It  was  edited 
by     John    A.   Whitlock     alone,     after     Mr. 
McKeeu's    retirement    in    the    early    part    of 
1858,  and  subsequently  by  Dr.  W.  S.  Goodell, 
who  published  it  as  an   independent   organ, 
until  its  demise.     The  extinction  of  Repub- 
lican papers,  however,    did    not  indicate  the 
death  of  Republican  sentiment  in  the  county, 
and  in  1868,  the  Clark  County  Merald  made 
its  appearance.     The  editor  and  proprietor,  M. 
O.  Frost,  had  been  formerly  an  attache  of  the 
Cincinnati  Commercial,  and  in  1867  was  pub- 
lishing the  Hotel  Reporter  at  Covington,  Ky. 
He  was  placed  in  communication  with  several 
of  the  prominent  Republicans  of  Marshall,  and 
the  result  of  a  conference  was  an  agreement 
on  Mr.  Frost's  part  to  establish  a  paper  if  500 
subscribers  could  be  secured.     This  a  com- 
mittee of  Republicans   undertook  to  secure, 
and  with  such  success  that  Frost  was   written 
to  come  with  his  paper.     About  400  subscrib- 
ers  were  secured,  and  the  first   issue  of  the 
Herald    appeared   August   28,    1868.      The 
Messenger  was  then  in  undisputed  possession 
of  the  editorial  field,  and  viewed  the  estab- 
lishment of  a  Republican  journal    as  a  chal- 
lenge to    political    combat.      Since    the    first 
issue  of  the  Herald  a  vigorous  fusilade  has 
been  maintained  between  these  papers,  which 
was  varied  on  the  revival  of  the  Illinoisan  by 
a  triangular  distribution  of  the  skirmish.     The 
Herald  has  been  eidarged  to  the  proportions 
of  a  six-column  quarto,  printed  entirely  in  its 
own    ofiRce.     It  has  been   marked    during  its 
history  for  the  attention  paid  to  the   publica- 
tion of  local  news. 
1       Church  Progress,  is  a  weekly   paper    pub- 


324 


PIISTORY  OF  CLARK  COUNTY. 


]ished  in  the  interest  of  the  Catlicilio  churcli. 
It  was  projected  by  the  pastor  of  the  Catholic 
church  here,  in  1873.  It  was  designed  sim- 
ply as  a  means  of  communication  from  the 
pastor  to  the  people  of  his  congregation  and 
was  first  issued  monthly  in  a  four  page  pam- 
phlet form.  The  church  was  heavily  in  debt 
and  this  means  was  taken  to  stimulate  the 
members  to  larger  contributions.  The  scope 
of  the  paper  was  gradually  enlarged,  becom- 
ing semi-monthly  in  January  18S0,  and  weekly 
in  its  publication  during  the  present  year. 
It  is  a  seven  column  folio  and  is  still  edited 
by  Rev.  Charles  Kuhlman. 

But  the  permanent  progress  of  a  community 
is  not  measured  alone  bv  its  business  success. 
Indeed  such  success  depends  very  m,uch  upon 
the  foundation  society  lays  in  the  school  and 
church.  This  fact  was  clearly  foreseen  by  the 
founder  of  the  city  and  early  provision  was 
made  for  these  aids  to  civilized  development. 
The  liberal  donations  and  the  sentiment  of 
Col.  Archer  on  this  subject  led  the  early  set- 
tlers to  believe  that  the  best  of  educational 
advantages  would  soon  be  within  their  reach, 
but  they  did  not  wait  for  schools  to  come  to 
them.  Such  men  as  Col.  Archer,  Whitlock, 
GriiEth,  Bartlett  and  Neal,  set  about  securing 
a  school-house  at  once,  and  in  1837  the  first 
building  for  this  purpose  was  erected  on  the 
southwest  corner  of  the  college  lot.  A  school 
was  taught  here  in  the  following  winter  by 
Thomas  Handy,  who  lived  on  Union  Prairie. 
In  the  following  year  Jonathan  G-reenouch, 
who  was  a  native  of  Maine, wrote,invitinn-  Dean 
Andrews  to  this  place  with  a  view  of  promotino- 
the  school  interests.  He  was  a  graduate  of 
Bowdoin  College  and  came  in  the  latter  part 
of  1838.  After  fitting  up  the  school- house 
which  had  been  used  by  Handy,  and  the 
court  for  its  first  session,  he  taught  a  term  or 
two  of  public  school,  and  later,  a  private 
school  in  a  frame  building  erected  for  the 
■purpose.     In  the    meantime  there  was  a  gen- 


eral desire  that  the  donation  of  land  on 
which  to  erect  a  college  should  be  perma- 
nently secured  by  the  founding  of  such  an 
institution.  This  was  the  prime  object  of 
Andrews'  coming  to  Marshall  and  he  proposed 
at  once  to  erect  a  building  for  such  pur- 
pose if  assisted  by  the  people.  To  this  prop- 
osition the  people  responded  liberally,  and 
about  1852  Mr.  Andrews  erected  the  main 
part  of  the  brick  building  which  is  now  used 
for  the  public  school.  No  definite  informa- 
tion can  be  gathered  of  this  early  school,  save 
that  for  some  years  it  was  generally  patron- 
ized and  fairly  successful  under  the  guidance 
of  the  projector.  Some  eight  or  ten  years 
after  its  founding  it  occurred  to  some  of  the 
leading  Methodists  of  the  town  that  it  would 
be  advisable  to  establish  a  sectarian  school, 
to  which  proposition  Mr.  Andrews  lent  a 
willing  ear  and  eventually  sold  his  property 
to  certain  trustees  for  $3,000,  certain  gentle- 
men securing  the  payment  of  S1,000,  by  joint 
note  and  the  balance  secured  by  mortgage  on 
the  property.  "  Marshall  College  "  proved  no 
better  as  a  financial  investment  than  other 
unendowed  colleges,  and  the  makers  of  the 
note  were  obliged  to  meet  its  payment.  The 
mortgage  was  subsequently  ra^t  in  the  same 
way,  Samuel  Park,  John  English,  James 
McCabe  and  P.  McNutt  assuming  the  burden 
for  the  Methodist  society,  in  August,  1865. 
Two  years  later  McNutt  conveyed  his  inter- 
est to  the  other  trustees,  and  on  Feb.  33 
1867,  the  property  was  advertised  for  sale. 
Mr.  English  subsequentlv  bought  it,  and  in 
1871,  sold  it  to  thepublic  school  trustees  for 
graded  school  purposes. 

Among  the  early  successors  of  Mr.  Andrews 
was  E.  D.  Wilkins,  who  carried  on  the  schools 
with  promising  success  from  about  1856  to 
ISul.  This  was  the  period  of  the  school's 
greatest  prospirity,  which,  however,  grew 
rapidly  less  at  the  opening  of  the  war.  The 
Flag  says  of  the  close  of  the  school  year   in 


HISTORY  OF  CLARK  COUNTY. 


325 


1861:  '•  Tliere  was  a  slim  attendance  at  the  ex- 
amination. No  examining  committee  being 
present  at  the  exercises."  B.  G.  Bradshaw 
succeeded  Mr.  Wilkins  as  president,  with  Prof. 
Hughs  as  assistant,  and  L.  H.  Bradley  and 
Sheridan  Cox  as  teachers.  In  1803,  a  pri- 
mary department  was  added  and  in  the  follow- 
ing year  .Mr.  and  Mrs.  P.  McNutt  engaged  as 
teachers.  Mr.  McNutt  succeeded  to  the 
presidency  in  the  following  year  and  was 
assisted  by  Professor  Merrick  from  Ohio. 
Mr.  McNutt  was  subsequently  appointed  trav- 
eling agent  and  was  succeeded  by  Rev.  Wm. 
S.  Hooper  who,  a  little  later,  combined  the 
duties  of  teacher  with  those  of  pastor  to  the 
Methodist  church  here.  The  college  term 
rates  at  this  time  were,  for  the  First  Prepara- 
tory class,87.00;  2nd.  Prep,  class,  $8.50;  Fresh- 
man class,  $9.00;  Sophomore,  Junior,  and 
Senior  classes,  SIO.OO;  contingent  fee,  $1.00. 
Various  causes  combined  to' work  against  the 
prosperity  of  this  school  during  the  war  and 
especially  after  its  close.  The  growth  of 
graded  schools,  and  the  Lick  of  sufficient  capi- 
tal to  place  the  institution  in  the  front  rank 
of  collegiate  institutions  was  severely  felt  by 
the  management.  Still  the  school  was  main- 
tained for  some  time  after  the  building  passed 
into  private  hands,  until  it  finally  ceased  in 
1867  or  1868. 

In  the  meanwhile  the  public  schools  had 
grown  into  considerable  importance.  A  stone 
school-house  succeeded  the  early  frame  build- 
ing about  1840  or  1842,  and  was  situated  in 
the  eastern  part  of  town.  Some  five  or  six 
vears  later  a  brick  school-house  was  erected 
on  the  lot  donated  for  a  female  academy,  and 
as  the  population  of  the  town  was  increased, 
school  room  facilities  were  augmented  by 
hiring  vacant  rooms  about  town,  the  office  of 
the  St.  James  Hotel  serving  this  purpose  for 
a  time,  and  in  1868,  some  of  the  rooms  in 
"  Marshall  College"  building  were  also  used. 
The  inconveniences  of  holdmg  schools  in  tlie 


several  parts  of  town  without  a  central  build- 
ing, gradually  created  a  demand  among  the 
people  for  some  better  provision  for  school 
rooms.  The  question  of  purchasing  the  hotel 
on  the  corner  of  Michigan  and  Cumberland 
streets  was  early  submitted  to  a  popular  vote 
and  negatived.  In  18G5,  it  was  again  sub- 
mitted to  the  people  and  carried  by  a  majority 
of  three  in  favor  of  the  proposition,  but  the 
minority  was  so  large  and  a  counter-agitation 
to  buy  the  college  building  sprang  up,  so  that 
the  trustees  did  nothing  about  it.  In  ISGS, 
the  subject  was  again  raised,  by  an  offer  of 
the  proprietors  of  the  building  to  sell  it  for 
$4,000,  in  four  annual  installments.  If,  how- 
ever, the  railroad  was  not  built,  the  price  was 
to  be  reduced  to  $3,000.  The  building 
was  at  this  time  in  a  dilapidated  con- 
dition, and  some  two  or  three  thousand 
dollars  were  estimated  as  the  cost  of  refitting 
and  repairing  it.  The  matter  thus  passed  on 
until  August  8,  1871,  when  it  was  decided  by 
a  popular  vote  of  138  to  39  to  purchase  the 
building  for  $3,000.  The  property  was  at 
once  overhauled,  replastered,  refitted,  and 
repaired  at  a  cost  of  nearly  $2,000.  The 
public  schools  were  graded  about  1852 
or  1855  by  a  Mr.  Griffith.  In  1865,  there 
were  three  departments  ;  in  1873,  these 
had  grown  to  seven,  and  there  are  at  present 
twelve  departments  for  which  ten  teachers 
are  employed.  The  school  year  is  eight 
months;  the  average  monthly  salary  for  teach- 
ers is  $53;  highest  $80  and  lowest  $25. 

Church  influences  were  felt  in  Marshall  as 
early  as  the  coming  of  schools,  but  they  did 
not  result  in  permanent  organizations  until 
some  years  later.  Services  were  early  held 
by  Congregationalists,  Methodists  and  Catho- 
lics in  private  houses  and  school-houses,  and 
about  1840,  an  effort  was  simultaneously  put 
forth  by  Dean  Andrews,  T.  F.  Day  and  Pat- 
rick Conahy,  to  organize  a  society  of  their  re- 
spective denominations. 


326 


HISTORY  OF  CLARK  COUNTY. 


The  Congregational  Church  was  org-anized 
April  3,  1841,  by  Dean  Andrews,  John  Black, 
ElzaNeal,  A.  M.  Chapin  and  Willard  Center, 
assisted  by  the  Rev.  A.  M.  .Jewett  of  Terre 
Haute,  Ind.  The  members  were  the  gentle- 
men named,  with  their  wives,  and  Nancy 
Black  and  Emeline  Cole.  Dean  Andrews 
was  licensed  as  a  minister,  April  7,  1842,  and 
ordained  as  pastor  of  this  church  in  May  of 
the  following  year.  He  served  the  church, 
however,  from  April,  1841,  continuing  until 
October  of  1852,  and  subsequently  from  Sep- 
tember, 1864,  until  his  death  in  September, 
1873.  He  was  a  man  of  large  influence  and 
public  spirit,  and  his  loss  was  seriously  felt. 
Between  the  two  terms  of  Mr.  Andrews'  ser- 
vice. Rev.  Jacob  P.  Chapman  was  pastor,  and 
served  with  acceptance.  Following  the 
death  of  Mr.  Andrews,  Rev.  J.  T.  Graves  of- 
ficiated as  pastor  until  October,  187G,  when 
a  vacancy  occurred  until  1880,  filled  tempo- 
rarily by  Revs.  M.  A.  .Tewett,  S.  S.  Martin 
and  others.  In  September  of  the  latter  year, 
Rev.  H.  M.  Burr  was  called,  and  served  as 
pastor  until  September,  1883,  since  which 
time  the  church  has  been  without  a  pastor. 
The  church  building  is  a  frame  structure 
standing  on  Hamilton  street  north  of  Cum- 
berland street,  and  was  erected  in  1843,  at  a 
cost  of  about  $1,500.  This  sum  was  raised 
by  subscriptions  var3'ing  from  a  widow's  mite 
of  three  cents  to  the  donation  of  a  pair  of 
Fairbanks'  scales,  the  latter  contributed  by 
Mr.  Fairbanks  himself.  The  original  trustees 
were  John  Black,  Elza  Neal,  Dean  Andrews, 
Wm.  Dougan,  Jesse  Mark,  J.  K.  Greenough, 
and  John  Bartlett.  This  was  the  first  place 
of  worship  erected  in  the  town,  and  although 
lacking  many  of  the  modern  conveniences,  is 
still  a  comfortable  place  of  worship  and  a  well 
preserved  building.  A  weekly  prayer  meet- 
ing was  instituted  at  the  time  the  church  was 
organized  in  1841,  and  has  been  regularly 
maintained  since.     A  Sunday  school  was  also 


organized  at  the  same  time,  and  still  exists, 
with  an  attendance  of  iibout  seventy  scholars 
and  officers.  It  was  about  the  first  school  of 
the  kind  organized  in  the  county.  Burns  Ar- 
cher is  the  present  superintendent. 

A  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  was  organ- 
ized in  the  year  1841,  also.  There  were  some 
ten  persons  of  this  denomination  in  Marshall; 
Abel  English  and  wife,  Uri  Man  ley  and  wife, 
T.  F.  Day  and  wife,  James  Martin  and  wife, 
Hannah  Chapman  and  Mrs.  Hays.  Abel 
English  was  a  local  preacher  of  New  Jersey, 
and  under  his  lead  a  church  was  organized  at 
the  court  house  in  June  of  this  year.  Rev. 
Burr  of  the  Livingston  circuit,  "supplied  " 
the  church,  and  meetings  were  h  Id  in  the 
Andrews  frame  school-house.  About  1845, 
an  effort  was  put  forth  to  secure  a  permanent 
place  of  worship,  and  the  following  gentlemen 
were  elected  trustees  with  a  view  to  carrying 
this  effort  to  a  practical  issue;  Abel  English, 
Uri  Manley,  James  Martin,  T.  F.  Day,  Willard 
Center,  John  Combs  and  Simeon  Poole.  The 
work  was  undertaken  in  earnest,  and  Mr.  Day 
undertook  the  task  of  circulating  a  subscrip- 
tion paper.  This  was  a  task  of  no  small  di- 
mensions, as  not  only  was  the  home  field  to  be 
canvassed,  but  aid  was  sought  in  Edgar  and 
other  counties  where  there  were  older  Meth- 
odist societies.  He  secured  subscriptions  to 
the  amount  of  some  $800,  which  by  contract 
with  the  trustees  he  retained,  and  rendered 
service  on  the  building  at  $1.75  per  day. 
This  proved  a  valuable  contract  to  the  church, 
as  the  full  subscription  was  not  realized  and 
the  cost  of  collection  proved  an  item  worth 
consideration.  The  frame  was  erected  on 
Hamilton  street,  just  south  of  Market,  in  1846, 
but  for  lack  of  funds,  remained  uninclosed 
until  the  next  year.  The  building  of  this 
structure  was  a  heavy  burden  to  the  little 
church,  and  each  one  was  obliged  to  shoulder 
all  the  responsibility  he  could  carry.  The  la- 
bor fell  principally  upon  Mr.  Day  who,  with 


HISTORY  OF  CLARK  COUNTY. 


327 


the  sons  of  Mr.  Englisli,  got  out  all  the  tim- 
bers, went  to  the  land  of  Mr.  Blundell  in  Wa- 
bash Township,  got  the  poplar  logs  and 
hauled  them  to  the  mill.  The  lumber  was 
sawed  at  Eng-lish's  mill  on  Big  Creek.  It  is 
related  that  the  bridge  across  the  stream 
partly  washed  away,  leaving  a  part  of  it  stand- 
ing half  way  over  the  stream.  There  was  no 
way  to  get  the  wagon  to  where  the  lumber 
was  piled,  and  as  the  only  resort  the  lumber 
was  brought  to  the  wagon.  To  do  this  every 
board  was  brought  to  the  end  of  the  broken 
bridge  and  stood  up  in  the  stream,  from 
whence  it  was  taken  and  carried  up  a  steep 
bank  to  the  wagon.  This  work  was  performed 
principally  by  Mr.  Day  and  illustrates 
some  of  the  difficulties  to  be  overcome  to  se- 
cure the  place  of  worship.  It  was  finally 
completed,  and  in  1849  dedicated  by  Rev. 
Hiram  Brick.  This  building  sufficed  until 
181 3,  when  the  present  brick  structure  was 
erected  on  Mechanic  street.  For  some  time 
previous,  however,  the  building  had  proved 
too  small  to  comfortablv  accommodate  the  au- 
dience, and  services  were  held  in  the  court 
house,  in  the  school  house,  in  Manley's  office, 
and  in  the  Congregational  church.  During 
the  pastorate  of  Rev.  Mr.  Pilcher  the  church 
exnerienced  a  remarkable  revival,  which  re- 
sulted in  some  300  additions  to  the  church, 
and  the  subject  of  a  new  building  was  forced 
upon  the  church.  A  building  committee  was 
appointed,  which  decided  upon  a  brick  struct- 
ure, the  plan  of  which  was  drawn  by  an  ar- 
chitect of  Terre  Haute.  Work  was  com- 
menced in  spring  of  1873,  and  the  present 
building,  40  by  80  feet,  erected  at  a  cost  of 
nine  thousand  dollars.  The  church  numbers 
now  about  200  members,  and  is  in  a  flourish- 
ina:  state.  Amono-  the  ministers  who  have 
served  the  church  since  Mr.  Pilcher,  are  the 
Revs.  Slagle,  Obenchain,  Burkett,  McVey, 
and  the  present  pastor.  Rev.  Robt.  Mclntyre. 
The  first  Catholic  who  settled  in  Marshall 


was  Patrick  Conahj',  a  brother  of  the  Bishop 
of  Kihnore,  Ireland.  A  year  later  five  Ger- 
man Catholic  families  settled  on  farms  south 
of  Marshall.  Father  Bouteau,  who  built 
churches  in  Terre  Haute  and  North  Arm,  was 
the  first  priest  to  visit  this  place.  After  him. 
Father  Lallemier,  of  Terre  Haute,  attended  to 
the  spiritual  wants  of  these  early  settlers,  say- 
ing mass  in  their  houses.  The  first  priest  sta- 
tioned in  Marshall  was  Rev.  Hugh  Brady  in 
1848,  who  remained  about  one  year,  during 
which  time  he  besjan  to  build  the  first  Catho- 
lie  Church  in  Clark  County,  and  roofed  it. 
He  died  suddenly  while  on  his  way  to  Chi- 
cago to  see  the  bishop.  After  him,  the  little 
congregation  was  attended  by  Revs.  F. 
Ingolsby,  G.  A.  Hamilton  and  Thos.  Ryan, 
from  North  Arm,  once  in  every  two  months. 
Father  Ryan  completed  the  old  church,  which 
still  stands,  though  long  alienated  from  its 
sacred  office.  A  graveyard  was  donated  in 
the  time  of  Father  Ryan.  After  him  Revs. 
D.  Byrne,  John  Vahey,  and  others,  attended 
here.  In  1851,  Bishop  Van  de  Velde,  of 
Chicago,  visited  Marshall  and  administered 
the  sacrament  of  confirmation.  In  1860,  Rev. 
H.  Horen  became  resident  pastor,  and  in  the 
same  year  purchased  a  square  fronting  on 
Hamilton  street,  and  on  it  laid  the  foundation 
for  the  present  churcli  building.  In  1867, 
Rev.  John  A.  Mark  became  pastor,  and  com- 
pleted the  new  church,  which  was  dedicated 
October  20,  1872,  by  Revs.  J.  A.  Mark,  F. 
Stick,  and  Francis,  O.  S.  F.  On  this  occasion 
twenty-nine  persons  received  the  sacrament 
of  confirmation. 

Rev.  J.  A.  Mark,  after  having  completed 
the  church,  put  up  two  substantial  buildings 
for  school  purposes.  At  the  time  of  his  re- 
moval in  1872,  the  congregation  was  heavily 
in  debt.  The  Franciscan  Fathers  of  Teutopolis 
attended  the  congregation  until  May,  1874, 
when  Rev.  I.  Wegener  was  appointed  pastor. 
1   and  remained  such   until  June,  1876.     From 


328 


HISTORY  OF  CLARK  COUNTY. 


this  time  until  December  9,  187G,  Rev.  P. 
Raynerius,  O.  S.  F.,  of  Teutopolis,  attended 
the  congregation.  Since  then  Rev.  C  Kuhl- 
man  has  been  pastor.  The  congregation, 
consisting  now  of  about  one  hundred  families, 
principally  Irish,  have  extinguished  the  heavy 
debt  under  which  they  have  labored  so  long, 
and  is  now  in  a  thriving  condition. 

On  April  4,  1846,  a  petition  signed  by 
fourteen  persons  was  presented  to  the  Pales- 
tine Presbytery  in  session  at  Paris,  request- 
ing to  be  organized  into  a  church.  The 
Presbytery  gave  the  petition  a  favorable 
reception  and  appointed  Revs.  H.  I.  Venahle 
and  R.  H.  Lilly,  and  Elders  .lames  Welsh 
and  T.  M.  Brooks,  a  committee  to  at- 
tend to  the  organization.  On  the  25th  of 
this  month,  the  committee  and  signers  to  the 
petition  met  at  Martinsville  and  organized  a 
society  to  be  called  the  "  Marshall  Presbyte- 
rian Church."  The  original  members  were 
Alexander,  Prudence,  Rachel,  Amy,  John  R., 
and  Mary  .lane  Matthews,  William  and  Jane 
King,  James  and  Sarah  Gibson,  Rachel 
Babcock,  Thomas  B.  and  Jane  McClure  and 
Prudence  Cochran,  all  of  whom  lived  in 
the  vicinity  of  Marshall  and  Martinsville. 
Alexander  was  made  Elder,  and  for  some 
years  meetings  were  held  alternately  at  !Mar- 
tinsville  and  Marshall,  at  irregular  intervals, 
using  school-houses,  private  residences  and 
other  church  buildings  for  the  purpose.  About 
1857,  a  fixed  location  was  agitated  and  in  the 
following  year  a  neat,  frame  place  of  worship 
was  erected  on  Hamilton  street,  in  the  south 
part  of  town.  This  effort  cost  the  church  a 
severe  struggle  and  the  house  was  not  com- 
pleted until  a  year  later.  In  1877,  the  build- 
ing was  remodeled  and  put  in  complete  repair. 
Its  steeple  was  subsequently  blown  down  and 
has  not  yet  been  replaced.  The  buildino- 
occupies  a  good-sized  plat  of  ground  and  is 
surrounded  by  a  handsome  young  grove, 
forming   the  pleasantest  church  projierty   in 


the  city.  Its  regular  pastors  have  been,  Ellis 
Hovi^ell,  from  1855  to  1865;  R.  C.  McKinney, 
1808-09;  Thomns  Spencer,  1871-72;  George 
F.  Davis,  from  1876.  For  years  the  church 
had  no  regular  ministry,  and  its  growth,  some- 
what retarded  by  this  circumstance,  has  been 
slow  from  the  beginning.  Of  late  years,  the 
Sabbath  school  has  been  considerably  en- 
larged, and  the  general  condition  of  the 
church  and  congregation  much  improved. 
The  entire  membership  numbers  about  one 
hundred  and  thirty-two. 

The  ministers  of  the  Evangelical  Associa- 
tion, visited  this  county  as  early  as  1843,  and 
as  many  Germans  had  settled  here  and  were 
without  church  facilities  in  their  own  lan- 
guage, they  gladly  seconded  the  eiforts  of  the 
association  in  establishing  societies.  The  first 
appointment  was  made  at  a  point  about  seven 
miles  southeast  of  Marshall,  in  the  neighbor- 
hood of  Mr.  Kraemer's.  Soon  after  an  ap- 
pointment was  made  for  a  point  four  or  five 
miles  east  of  Marshall,  and  L.  Mannbery 
made  leader,  and  another  four  miles  west  of 
Marshnll,  at  the  house  of  G.  A.  Fredenberger. 
In  1855,  Marshall  was  made  an  appointment 
and  services  held  at  the  residences  of  G.  Mar- 
kel  and  others.  The  first  camp  meeting  was 
held  a  mile  and  a  half  southwest  of  the  Grand 
Turn.  Thus,  until  1850,  Clark  County  was 
served  by  two  ministers  whose  labors  took 
them  to  Dubois,  Spencer,  Gibson,  Vander- 
bilt,  and  Warick  counties,  Indiana.  The  first 
German  minister  in  Marshall  was  John 
Schrefley,  and  was  succeeded  by  C.  Augen- 
stein,  C.  Lindner,  A.  Nicolai,  G.  G.  Platz  and 
others.  The  first  church  was  built  here  in 
the  summer  of  1849,  at  a  cost  of  about  $700. 
A  few  years  later  a  parsonage  was  built  near 
the  church  and  subsequently  was  enlarged  and 
is  now  valued  at  $600. 

Societies  are  well  represented  in  Marshall, 
each  of  the  principal  orders  having  lodges 
here.     Marshall    Lodge,   No.  133,  Free    and 


HISTORY  OF  CLARK  COUNTY. 


320 


Accepted  Masons  was  chartered  October  8, 
1856,  by  Jas.  H.  Hibbard,  Grand  Master  of 
the  State,  with  James  C.  Robinson,  Nathan 
Wiliard,  Jacob  Ziinmerinan,  J.  P.  Woodside, 
Thomas  Brown,  Wm.  S.  Price  and  J.  S. 
Gimbrel,  as  charter  members.  The  lodge 
held  its  meetings  in  Benedict's  block,  later 
in  a  hall  north  of  the  court  house  square,  but 
more  recently  have  fitted  up  a  hall  in 
Dulaney's  block,  where  the  members  now 
have  very  comfortable  quarters. 

Eureka  Lodge,  No.  64,  Independent  Order 
of  Odd  Fellows,  was  organized  July  15,  1850, 
in  a  room  over  Booth's  store.  The  charter 
members  were  Robt.  L.  Dulaney,  Newton 
Harlan,  Nathan  Wiliard,  Albert  D.  Saiford, 
Howard  Harlan,  Daniel  Safford  and  Ben- 
jamin Stover,  the  latter  of  whom  is  the  only 


one  of  the  charter  members  now  living.  The 
first  regular  place  of  meeting  was  in  Bene- 
dict's hall,  from  which  the  lodge  moved  to 
the  third  story  of  D.  D.  Doll's  building  and 
later  to  W.  T.  Martin's  building  where  the 
lodge-room  now  is.  The  lodge  now  has  a 
membership  of  ninety-six. 

The  William  B.  Archer  Post,  No.  119, 
Grand  Army  of  the  Republic,  was  organize>l 
February  21,  1881,  with  L.  S.  Kilbourn,  M. 
O.  Frost,  Milton  Harris,  George  Slusser  et  al, 
as  charter  members.  They  have  a  Snely 
furnished  hall  in  Claypool's  block.  The 
Knights  of  Honor  have  a  lodge  here  which 
numbers  about  a  hundred  members,  occupy- 
ing the  same  hall  with  the  G.  A.  R.  It  was 
organized  June  16, 1881. 


is^ 


CHAPTER  X.* 

YORK    TOWNSHIP— TOPOGRAPHICAL— UNION    PRAIRIE— THE    PIONEER   SETTLEMENT    OF 
CLARK  COUNTY— EARLY  LIFE  ON  THE  WABASH— BOATING— YORK  VIL- 
LAGE—ITS   GROWTH    AND     DEVELOPMENT— THE     RISE     OF 
CHURCH  AND  SCHOOL,  ETC.,  ETC. 


"  It  is  not  now  as  it  hath  been  of  j-ore. " 

—  WordsirortJi. 

THE  early  flow  of  emigration  coming  up 
the  Wabash  reached  the  territory  of 
■what  is  now  Chtrk  County,  in  the  present 
township  of  York.  Very  many  of  the  early 
members  of  the  community  that  gathered 
here  were  persons  of  culture  and  wealth,  and 
a  society  grew  up  in  this  vicinity  that  for 
years  dominated  the  county.  The  general 
settlement  of  this  part  of  the  State,  and  the 
incidental  changes  wrought,  effected  great 
modifications  of  these  characteristics,  and  the 
seat  of  county  influence  has  long  since  moved 
to  the  interior.  The  early  precinct  included 
a  large  portion  of  the  eastern  part  of  the 
count}',  but  subsequent  changes  have  shorn 
Yor'k  of  much  of  its  early  territory,  and  under 
the  township  organization  it  was  left  an  area 
something  less  than  the  regular  Congressional 
town,  and  given  the  name  of  York  in  defer- 
ence to  the  nativity  of  the  early  influential 
settlers.  Its  western  and  northern  boundary 
lines  are  regular,  but  on  the  east,  the  Wabash 
River,  flowing  in  an  irregular  southwesterly 
course,  cuts  off  nearly  two  sections  from  the 
northern  corner  and  nearly  three  from  the 
southern  corner,  leaving  the  central  range, 
however,  nearly  complete.  The  southern  line 
is  about  two  miles  and  a  half  long  in  a  direct 
line,  but  the  regular  outline  is  broken  by  the 
addition  of  the  section  on  which  the  village 
of  York  is  situated. 

*By  J.  H.  Buttle. 


The  general  surface  of  the  township  is 
level,  with  a  slight  inclination  in  the  central 
part  toward  the  southeast.  This  marks  the 
line  of  drainage  through  Mill  Creek,  which, 
entering  the  northwest  corner,  passes  diago- 
nally to  the  Wabash  a  mile  above  York  vil- 
lage. The  creek  has  of  late  years  formed  a 
new  channel,  which  separates  from  the  old 
bed  about  three  and  a  half  miles  from  its 
mouth,  and  takes  a  more  southerly  course  and 
empties  in  the  Wabash  River  near  the  limits 
of  the  village.  Several  ponds  emphasize  the 
general  level  state  of  the  land,  Walsh  pond 
in  the  northeastern  part,  drained  by  Snyder 
Creek,  being  the  more  important  one.  Re- 
ceding from  the  Wabash  River,  the  land  rises 
by  "benches"  from  the  "bottoms"  to  the 
prairie,  and  then  to  the  highlands  of  the  inte- 
rior. The  river  bank,  novvhere  in  the  town- 
ship exceeds  a  height  of  twenty  feet  above 
the  ordinary  surface  of  the  water,  and  from 
this  the  bottom  land  extends  from  one  to  three 
quarters  of  a  mile,  where  a  gentle  rise  brings 
one  to  the  level  expanse  of  Union  Piairie. 
This  prairie  extended  from  this  point  to  Mill 
Creek  on  the  east,  and  on  the  north  to  a 
narrow  strip  of  timber,  near  the  northeiu 
boundary,  w^hich  divides  Union  from  Walnut 
Prairie.  East  of  Mill  Creek  was  principally 
the  heavy  timber  land  incident  to  this  region. 
The  early  settlers  found  the  "  bottoms  "  of  this 
precinct  well  wooded,  sycamore  and  walnut 
being  the  principal  growth.  These  trees  fre- 
quently attained  an  enormous  size,  the  latter 
proving  a  source   of   considerable    revenue  in 


HISTORY  OF  CLARK  COUNTY. 


;;:!i 


later  days.  The  sycamore,  though  less  valu- 
able, were  more  remarkable  for  size.  One  of 
these  was  found  blown  down,  in  the  hollow 
of  which  a  man  rode  his  horse  and  found  room 
to  turn  him  about  to  ride  out. 

The  soil  of  the  bottom  lands  is  a  rich  allu- 
vial deposit  annually  enriched  by  the  overflow 
of  the  river.  Fields  have  been  cultivated  for 
forty  consecutive  years  and  the  last  crop 
shows  no  diminution  in  tlie  yield.  The  soil 
of  tile  prairie  is  a  sandy  loam,  which  is  only 
Sfcond  to  the  bottoms  in  its  productiveness. 
Tliis  land  has  been  farmed  upon  much  the 
same  plan  as  the  bottoms,  but  not  with  the 
same  iuipunitv.  Farm  lands  thus  over-cropped 
are  beginning  to  show  signs  of  exhaustion, 
and  farmers  are  forced  to  consider  how  this 
loss  of  vitality  of  the  soil  may  be  repaired. 
Clover  can  not  be  successfully  grown,  and  it 
seems  probable  that  resort  must  eventually  be 
had  to  artificial  fertilizers.  The  soil  of  the 
woodlands  is  the  usual  yellow  clay  of  this  re- 
gion, which  is  a  strong,  productive  soil  for 
grass  and  corn.  The  latter  is  the  principal 
crop  of  the  whole  township,  though  on  the 
prairie  land  considerable  attention,  of  late 
years,  has  been  paid  to  wheat  growing.  The 
early  interest  in  the  raising  of  fine  stock  has 
long  since  died  out,  and  no  attention  is  paid 
to  this  branch  of  farm  industry  save  the  rais- 
ing of  a  few  barnyard   animals. 

At  the  close  of  the  war  of  ISVi,  the  favorite 
site  for  immigration  was  the  Wabash  valley, 
and  settlers  from  all  parts  of  the  country  ex- 
cited by  the  descriptions  of  chose  whom  mil- 
itary duty  had  brought  here,  came  Hocking  to 
this  region  even  before  the  pacification  of  the 
Indians  had  been  accomplished.  The  first  to 
reach  the  present  territory  of  York  was 
Thomas  Handy  and  his  faurly.  They  were 
natives  of  New  York,  and  came  by  the  Alle- 
ghany, Ohio  and  Wabash  rivers  to  Vincennes, 
Indiana.  This  Ioult  tedious  journey  was  made 
in  a  keel  boat,  and  much  of  the  way  not  only 


in  danger  of  perils  by   water   but  on  land  as 
well.     After  a  short  stay  at  Vincennes,    they 
selected  what  is  now  York  Township  for  their 
future  home  and  late  in  the  spring  of  1814-, 
landed  on  the  site  of  York  Village.     They  at 
once  made  their  wav  to  the  wood-land  east  of 
iliU  Creek  and  fixed  upon  a  site  on  section 
eighteen.     A    temporary    shelter    was    con- 
structed over  a  log  with   brush- wood  covered 
with  bark,  and  under   this   the    family  found 
sleeping  apartments,  the  cooking  being  done 
in  open  air.     A  permanent  cabin  was  at   once 
put  under  way,  the  father  and  one  son  stand- 
ing guard  against  the  approach  of  Indians, 
while  the  others  put  up  the  house.     A  little 
later  in  the  year,  a  son,  John  Handy,  put  up  a 
cabin    a   little   further  north.     The   improve- 
ments made  here  ivere  only  temporary,  as  the 
land  had  not  been   brought   into   the   market 
and  there    was   no    assurance    that    the    land 
could  be  held    against  the  speculators.     Two 
years  lati-r  thev  entered  Ian  1   on   section    16, 
which  still  remains  in   the  famil}'.     The  next 
settler  to  come  to  York  was  William  Hogue. 
He  was  a  nat^'e  of  Virarinia  and  made  the 
journey  from  his  native  State  by  river,  push- 
ing his  boat  up  the  Wabash,  arriving  at  York 
in  the  early  part  of  1815.     Hogue  prepared 
the  frontier  and  though  a  man  of  good  intelli- 
gence kept  as  far  from  the  settlement  as  pos- 
sible.    He    cleared    a    small   patch  of  ground 
from  which  he  got  enough  witii  the  abundant 
supply  of  game  to    support    his    family,   but 
made  no  permanent  improvement,  and  subse- 
quently went  to  Terre  Haute.     He  was  fol- 
lowed to  York  by  a  brother,  David  Hogue,  in 
1816. 

In  this  year  came  the  Richardson  and  Fitch 
families  and  settled  on  the  site  of  York  Vil- 
lage. John  and  Jo-;eph  Richardson  were 
brothers,  natives  of  New  York  and  had  been 
prominent  and  wealthy  men  of  business. 
About  this  time,  however,  the  failure  of  soma 
large    speculations    had    brought  about   such 


332 


HISTORY  OF  CLARK  COUNTY. 


financial  ein'iarrassmeut  as  to  force  the  sac- 
rifice of  the  larger  part  of  their  property. 
Tljey  came  by  way  of  the  river  and  landed 
on  the  site  of  the  village  of  York.  John  F. 
Richardson,  the  son  of  John  Richardson  en- 
tered, subsequently,  a  large  amount  of  land, 
a  considerable  poruion  of  it  being  for  his  father 
and  uncle  who  did  not  care  to  own  property 
in  their  own  name  lest  their  creditors  should 
levy  on  it.  He  was  a  bachelor  and  was  prom- 
inent as  a  business  man.  His  brother  George 
F.  Richardson  afterward  went  to  Texas  and 
succeeded  in  amassing  a  large  fortune. 
Chester  Fitch  was  related  to  the  Ricbardsons 
and  had  suffered  with  them  in  a  business  way, 
and  owned  considerable  land  in  young  Rich- 
ardson's name.  Another  arrival  of  this  year 
was  Jonathan  Lindley.  He  was  a  native  of 
North  Carolina,  and  moved  from  there  in 
wagons  in  company  with  several  other  fam- 
ilies, three  of  his  brothers  being  in  the  com- 
pativ,  who  settled  in  C  awford  County. 
Lindley  settled  on  the  northwest  quarter  of 
section  3.  John  Welsh  came  from  Ken- 
tucky by  wagon  in  this  year,  and  settled  on 
section  12;  he  was  a  prominent  citizen  and 
the  second  sheriff  of  the  county. 

About  the  same  time  with  the  Ricbardsons 
came  James  C.  Hillobert  and  family  from 
New  York,  by  river,  and  landed  on  the  site  of 
York  Village.  Their  first  introduction  to  this 
new  land  was  characteristic.  It  was  some 
days  before  the  family  were  landed  and  in  the 
meanwhile  they  lived  on  the  boat  as  they  had 
done  on  their  journey.  A  single  plank  led  to 
the  shore,  and  in  an  unguarded  moment  Mrs. 
Hillebert  slipped  from  this  to  the  river.  Her 
outcry  attracted  the  attention  of  Welsh  who 
sprang  to  her  rescue.  In  her  fright  she 
grasped  him  by  the  neck,  and  it  was  only  by 
dint  of  vigorous  blows  that  her  clasp  was 
shaken  off  and  both  were  not  drowned. 
Welsh  finally  succeeded  in  grasping  her  hair 
and  bringing  her  to    the  surface,  when  both 


were  helped  out  of  the  water.  Hillebert  was 
a  man  of  some  wealth,  very  careful  in  hus- 
banding his  gains  and  a  hard  worker.  He 
settled  just  north  of  the  village  of  York,  where 
he  put  up  a  blacksmith's  shop,  primarily  for 
his  own  use,  but  occasionally  did  work  for  his 
neighbors.  A  little  later  in  the  year  18113, 
Joseph  Shaw  came  from  Kentucky  by  wagon. 
He  had  been  a  soldier  in  the  old  Indian  wars; 
was  with  St.  Clair  in  his  defeat  and  at  the 
Battle  of  Tippecanoe.  He  is  remembered  as 
an  austere,  aristocratic  man  of  fine  business 
qualities  and  successful  in  amassing  a  large 
property.  There  were  some  exceptions  to 
this  class,  however,  in  the  immigration  of  1816, 
and  among  these  were  Isaac  Moore  and  John 
Chenoweth.  The  former  was  a  native  of 
Viro-inia  and  brought  beside  his  family,  little 
more  than  his  household  goods  and  his  ener- 
getic disposition.  He  was  three  weeks  mak- 
ing his  way  to  this  country,  cutting  his  own 
roads  most  of  the  way,  guarding  his  camp 
each  night  from  attacks  of  wolves  and  Indi- 
ans. He  had  been  a  sailor  and  ship-carpen- 
t  r  and  soon  engaged  in  rafting  produce,  etc., 
down  the  river.  In  the  spring  of  1835,  he 
went  to  New  Orleans  with  a  raft  and  reached 
Natchez  on  his  return,  where  he  died.  Cheno- 
weth came  here  almost  penniless,  started 
a  ferry,  and  by  enterprise  and  energy  became 
possessed  of  a  large  property,  but  he  after- 
ward became  involved  and  moved  to  Coles 
County  in  1855. 

George  Catron  was  a  prominent  settler  of 
1817.  He  was  a  member  of  a  leading  Ten- 
nessee family,  his  brother  being  an  associate 
justice  of  the  United  States  Supreme  Court. 
Possessed  of  fine  tastes  and  good  education, 
he  did  not  possess  the  faculty  of  easily  iden- 
tifying himself  with  a  pioneer  community  and 
was  wont  to  resent  the  familiarity  indulged  in 
in  a  new  country.  Samuel  Prevo  came  in  the 
same  year  from  North  Carolina,  and  made  the 
tedious  journey  of  several  weeks  in  wagons. 


/^  Qr^X^ 


HISTORY  OF  CLARK  COUNTY. 


335 


Mr.  Prevo  settled  one  mile  west  of  York  Vil- 
lage, and  early  took  a  front  position  in  the 
community.  He  "  ran  for  the  Let>;islature  " 
hut  was  defeated.  Ho  was  popularly  known 
as  .ludcje  Prevo,  and  liis  characteristic  perti- 
nacity in  the  pursuit  of  an  object  gave  rise  to 
the  popular  saying  of  "  headstrong  as  Prevo." 
Enoch  IJavis  was  another  addition  to  the 
community  here  in  this  year.  He  made  no 
permanent  improvements  and  supported  his 
family  by  trading,  and,  it  was  popularly  be- 
lieved, by  counterfeiting.  He  was  a  mechan- 
ical genius,  given  to  gambling,  and  traveled 
up  and  down  the  river  plying  his  trade  at  all 
points  from  York  to  New  Orleans.  At 
Natchez  he  got  in  difficulty  on  account  of 
some  counterfeit  money  and  narrowly  escaped 
hanging  by  establishing  his  innocence  in  this 
case  at  least.  After  a  short  stay  he  left  for  a 
more  congenial  community.  Newell  Leonard, 
a  native  of  New  York,  settled  on  section  28 
in  this  year.  He  was  an  industrious  and  in- 
telligent man,  and  iniproveil  a  fine  farm. 

]n  1818,  there  were  several  notable  acces- 
sions. Of  these,  .Joljn  Parker  came  from  New 
York  but  was  subsequenily  drowned  while 
crossing  Raccoon  Creek.  The  creek  was  at 
fall  banks,  but,  trusting  to  his  team  to  swim 
across,  he  pinnated  in.  The  wagon  box  unfor- 
tunately floated  off  and  then  sank  with  its 
onupant,  who  was  immediately  drowned. 
William  Ketchum  also  came  this  year  with 
his  family  from  New  York.  The  journey 
was  made  by  boats  and  three  long  months 
were  consumed  on  the  way.  He  settled  at 
first  on  Grand  Prairie  in  what  is  now  Craw- 
ford County,  but  he  came  soon  afterward  to 
the  vicinity  of  York  Village  cultivating  a 
farm  just  south  of  the  town.  He  was  a  car- 
penter by  trade  and  soon  found  plenty  of 
work  in  the  thriving  town  just  then  growing 
up.  Reuben  Oow,  a  native  of  North  Caro- 
lina, in  the  same  year  settled  northwest  of  the 
village,  and  John  Salmon,  of    Kentucky,    in 


the  village.  Ambrose  Pease  came  from 
Sackett's  Harbor  where  he  had  lost  his  prop- 
erty during  the  war  of  1813.  By  sleigh  he 
came  to  the  Alleghany  River  and  from  thence 
took  a  family  boat  down  the  Ohio  to  Evans- 
ville  and  in  the  spring  of  181S  came  to  York 
in  a  keel  boat,  which  proved  a  difficult  under- 
taking as  the  Wabash  was  high  and  the  cur- 
rent strong.  They  moved  into  the  Crocker 
cabin  and  rented  land  of  .J.  B.  Richardson 
and  subsequently  engaged  in  trade  on  the 
river. 

In  this  year  Zachariali  Archer  and  his  fam- 
ily moved  into  York.  Charles  Archer  had 
come  the  j'ear  before  and  on  his  representa- 
tions and  through  the  influence  of  W.  B. 
Archer,  the  family  came  to  the  Wabash 
country.  Old  Mr.  Archer  was  a  native  of  the 
County  Down,  Indand,  emigrated  to  New 
York,  thence  to  Kentucky  and  later  to  War- 
ren County,  Ohio,  where  he  had  at  this  time 
a  good  farm.  When  the  siibject  of  again 
changing  their  home  came  up,  it  was  thought 
that  the  price  of  the  Ohio  farm  ("ould  be  prolit- 
ablv  invested  in  Illinois,  and  the  chanaje  was 
decided  upon.  The  farm  was  sold,  the  house- 
hold goods  placed  on  wagons,  and  the  mother 
and  two  boys  started  over  land  driving  with 
them  a  number  of,  cattle.  Th(>  father  with 
his  son  and  his  daughter,  now  Mrs.  Hogue, 
came  by  a  keel  boat,  down  the  Ohio  and  up 
the  Wabash.  The  river  journey  was  accom- 
plished only  after  the  most  trying  difficulties 
were  overcome.  The  river  was  very  low  and 
time  and  again  the  men  were  obliged  to  drag 
the  boat  over  the  bars  and  through  shallow 
places  in  the  river.  On  reaching  Vincennes, 
however,  the  river  began  to  rise  rapidly  and 
the  diffieuly  was,  then,  to  make  any  headway 
against  the  current.  The  part  of  the  family 
that  came  by  land  reached  their  destination 
some  weeks  in  advance  of  the  river  party. 
After  making  the  family  comfortable  in  a 
cabin  which  had  been  erected  in  the  northern 


3"fi 


HISTORY  OF  CLARK  COUNTY. 


part  of  what  is  now  York  Township,  they 
began  to  get  alarmed  at  the  protracted  delay 
of  the  other  members.  Fears  were  entertained 
that  the  rise  in  the  river  had  shipwrecked 
them,  and  the  community  was  aroused  to  hunt 
for  some  trace  of  them.  They  soon  put  in 
their  appearance,  however,  and  were  enabled 
by  the  high  stage  of  water  to  float  their  boat 
over  the  land  almost  to  their  cabin.  There  is 
but  little  to  be  said  of  this  family's  influence 
in  the  settlement.  Through  William  B.  Arch- 
er, their  influence  is  felt  in  all  the  history  of 
fio  county.  They  were  public  spirited  in  the 
h'ghost  degree  and  while  prospering  finan- 
cially by  their  industry,  they  gave  to  the  in- 
terest of  the  county  at  large   more  than  tlicy 

received. 

In  18^0,  Jesse  ililler  came  from  New  York 
and  settled  on  the  prairie  just  north  of  the 
village.  He  was  here  but  a  short  time,  and 
is  remembered  chiefly  as  the  object  of  con- 
siderable excitement  in  the  early  community. 
His  wife  was  an  invalid,  and  in  the  dearth  of 
professional  men  he  prescribed  for  her  himself, 
witli  such  effect,  however,  as  to  cause  her  death. 
It  was  thought  that  he  administered  poison 
because  of  his  admiration  of  a  young  woman 
who  was  a  member  of  his  family.  The  peo- 
ple took  summary  measures  to  rid  the  com- 
munity of  him  and  he  fled,  though  not  in 
company  with  the  object  of  his  admiration. 
She  remained  in  the  settlement  and  was 
probably  innocent  of  any  previous  knowl- 
edge of  Miller's  crime.  Reese  Pritchard,  a 
native  of  Virginia,  came  here  in  1824:,  from 
Ohio,  where  he  had  immigrated  a  few  years 
before.  James  McGath  had  come  to  York 
the  year  before,  and  his  description  of  the 
country  had  given  the  Wabash  fever  to  Pritch- 
ard. At  that  time  Cincinnati  was  but  a  strag- 
glinn-  little  village,  and  eight  lots  on  a  prin- 
cipal street  were  offered  to  him  for  a  cheap 
"  bulFs  eve  "  watch  he  carried,  and  promptly 
refused.     He   came    by   boat    to    Charleston, 


Ind.,  from  whence  he  came  Ijy  wagon  to  the 
farm  now  owned  by  Reason  Bell.  He  sutj- 
sequently  rented  the  Hogue  farm,  on  which 
he  raised  6,000  bushels  of  corn  in  one  sea- 
son, and  sold  it,  delivered,  for  eight  cents  per 
bushel. 

It  is   impossible  to  note    all  who  formed  a 
part  of  the  early  settlement  in  this  township. 
Enough   have   been   mentioned    to    show  the 
character  and  notoriety  of  a  community  which 
for  years  had   no  equal    in    this    part    of  the 
State     for     culture,    vigor    and    prosperity. 
There  was  but  little  opportunity  for  the  dis- 
play of  fine  taste,  or  the  exercise  of  the    pre- 
rogative of  the  "gentleman;"  and  there  were 
but  few  who  attempted   by  their  demeanor  to 
draw  any  line  of  distinction  between  an  hon- 
est, well-disposed  man  and  the   man    of  gen- 
tility.    Where  this  was  done  it  was  promptly 
resented  by  those  who  came   from    the    com- 
moner walks  of  life,  and  in   a   pioneer    com- 
munity they  were    masters   of  the    situation. 
For  a  year  or  two  this  settlement  was  on  the 
frontier.     The   Indians  who   had    enlisted  in 
the  British  cause,  in  the  contest  of  1813,  had 
not  yet  learned  that  the  war   was   over;  and 
thouo-h  they  made  no   organized  raids  on   the 
white   settlements,    lost    no  occasion   to    re- 
quite isolated  Americans  for   their   defeat  in 
the  national  struggle.     The  early  community 
of  York  was  therefore  in  a  constant  state  of  in- 
security,   and    many    an    anxious    night  was 
spent,  expecting  at  any  moment   to   hear  the 
signal  that  the  Indian  hostilities   had  broken 
out   with  renewed   vigor.      William    Hogue, 
who  came   here   in   1815,  hnfi    practical   evi- 
dence   that    this    apprehension    was  not  un- 
founded.    He  was   a    great    hunter  and  had 
bad  previous  experience  with  the  savages,  and 
was  not  daunted  by  a  fair  hand-to-hand  fight 
with  them.     Soon  after  coming  to  York,  while 
out  in  quest  of  game,  he  became    awjire  that 
an  Indian,  on  the   east   side   of  the   Wabash, 
was  trying    to  "  get   the  drop"  on    him.     He 


HISTORY   OF  CLARK  COUNTY. 


hail  no  thought  of  retreat,  but  taking  to  a  tree, 
prepared  to  argue  the  question  with  him.  The 
Indian  caught  sight  of  him  and  sent  a  bul- 
let in  close  proximity  to  him,  knocking  the 
bark  off  the  tree.  Hogue  was  at  once 
on  the  alert  to  catch  the  savage,  should  he 
ex]ii)  e  himself  while  reloading  his  gun. 
His  opportunity  presented  itself.  The  In- 
dian making  a  false  step,  exposed  his  back 
for  an  instant,  and  in  that  instant  was  struck 
bv  Hogue's  bullet  and  killed.  On  another 
occ:ision,  while  out  hunting  for  deer  with 
his  .-on,  he  came  into  fatal  contact  with  an- 
other Indian.  He  had  shot  a  deer  and  placed 
it  with  his  son  on  a  horse  to  be  taken  home. 
He  followed  after  his  son  a  short  distance  to 
see  that  he  got  on  with  the  burden  success- 
fully, when  he  caught  sight  of  an  Indina 
skulking  in  the  woods,  evidently  following 
the  bov.  To  see  was  to  act,  and  in  another 
moment  the  Indian  was  stretched  out  lifeless. 
In  cxplainin^^  the  matter  afterward,  Hogue 
said  he  ordered  his  victim  to  "lay  low,"  and 
lie  did  so.  Hogue  carried  the  gun  and  trap- 
pings obtained  fiom  this  Indian  for  years  af- 
terward. Fortunately  for  the  families  lo- 
cated here,  these  summary  inflictions  of  the 
death  penalty  were  not  known  or  not  heeded. 
Hoarue  had  numerous  adventures  of  this  na- 
ture, but  the  general  pacification  of  the  tribes 
soon  followed;  and  having  no  better  game 
to  pursue  than  the  animals  of  the  forest,  he 
became  dissipated  and  finally  went  to  Terre 
Haute,  where  he  died  manj-  years  ago. 

Indians,  principally  of  the  Kickapoo  tribe, 
were  here  a  little  later  in  considerable  num- 
bei-s.  They  came  regularly  to  hunt  and  make 
sugar,  but  were  always  on  the  friendliest 
terms  with  the  whites.  York  Village  was  a  fa- 
vorite resort  of  these  nomads  for  trading  pur- 
poses, and  considerable  -traffic  sprang  up  in 
exchanging  furs  and  skins  for  ammunition, 
metal  trinkets,  dry-goods,  etc.  In  1830  or 
'31  these  Indians  ceased  their  visits  and  were 


not  seen  in  that  vicinity  afterward.  It  was 
supposed  that  the  emissaries  of  Black  Hawk 
had  induced  them  to  join  his  standard  of  re- 
volt. The  ensuing  trouble  of  1832  greatly 
alarmed  the  people  living  here.  Many  be- 
lieved that  these  Indians,  once  incited  to 
bloodshed,  would  return  to  York  for  the 
double  purpose  of  plunder  and  revenge  for 
any  fancied  slight  they  might  have  received. 
The  wiser  ones,  however,  believed  the  seat 
of  war  was  too  far  removed  to  excite  any 
reasonable  fear  of  attack  there,  but  they 
were  not  less  willing  and  anxious  to  lend 
their  assistance  in  restraining  the  fiery  spirits 
enlisted  under  that  savage  chieftain.  A  com- 
pany was  enlisted  in  the  settlement,  a  part 
of  which  went  forward  to  join  the  military 
forces  raised  to  drive  back  the  Indians,  but 
they  did  not  see  any  fighting.  The  captain  of 
the  company  was  .John  F.  Richard  on;  John 
Dolson,  lieutenant;  and  among  the  privates 
are  remembered  the  names  of  Thomas  \yhite, 
Sani'l  Dolson,  Christian  Jeff;-rs,  T.  F.  Cooper, 
.foiin  Hollenbeck,  Woodford  Dulaney,  George 
■Wilson  and  .John  Wilson. 

Up  to  the  year  1817  the  nearest  point 
at  which  goods,  groceries  or  mail  could  be 
obtained  was  at  Fort  Harrison,  on  the  Wa- 
bash River,  a  few  miles  above  the  present  site 
of  Terre  Haute — a  journey  of  twenty-five 
miles.  Vincennes  was  the  nearest  point 
south,  which  then  contained  some  three  or 
four  frontier  stores.  The  only  means  of  com- 
munication with  either  of  these  points,  was 
by  the  river,  or  over  blazed  trails  easily  trav- 
eled only  on  horseback.  The  necessities  of 
the  situation  therefore  compelled  the  majority 
of  the  settlers  to  depend  upon  their  own 
resources,  even  when  they  could  command 
the  money  for  such  pioneer  luxuries.  "  Blood 
Mills,"  as  they  were  called,  served  an  excel- 
lent purpose  for  som>.  These  were  pieces 
of  old  tin,  punched  full  of  holes  and  fastened 
to  a   board,  like    the    modern    grater,  and  on 


338 


HISTORY  OF  CLARK  COUNTY. 


these  the  corn  was  worked  up  fine  enough  to 
make  coarse  "  dodgers, "  or  mush,  thouhg  the 
grating  was  done     at   considerable    risk     of 
bruises,  which  gave  this  contrivance  the  san- 
guinary name    it   bore.     Improvised  mortars 
were  in   general  use,  made  either  from  a  sec- 
tion of  a  log  or  the  top  of  a  stump,  hollowed 
out  by  fire  and  some  edge  tool  that  the  farmer 
happened    to   have.     In    this,  with    a   heavy 
wooden    pestle,   the    corn    was    reduced  to  a 
condition  that  could  be  used    for   food.     The 
finest    was     made    into    dodgers,    while     the 
coarser  made  very  good  hominy.     About  1817 
Jacob  Blaize     put     up    a  horse-mill    ou    the 
line    of    the  county    west    of  York    Village. 
Here  the  farmers  brought  their   corn,  and  at- 
taching   their   own   team,    did    the    grinding 
and  paid  a  liberal  toll  for  the  use  of  the  ma- 
chinery.    It  is  said  on  one  occasion  the  Arch- 
er family    lived   for  six  weeks    on    lye    hom- 
iny, unable  to  get  to   Blaize's   mill    for  some 
meal.     It  was   mid    winter   when    they  went, 
the  snow   was   deep,  and    the  thermometer — 
probably  their  ears — marked  ten  degrees  be- 
low zero.      At  the  mill  the  father  took  charge 
of  the   horses   and   the    grinding,   and    bade 
Stephen,  who  accompanied  him,  to  go  into  the 
cabin    and    warm.     Before    he    got    into  the 
house,  however,  he  was  set  upon    by  a    pack 
of    hounds    led    on     by    a    bulldog,  and  was 
pretty  well  used  up  before  the  animals  could 
be  beaten  off.     This  mill  subsequently  passed 
into  the   hands  of  Benjamin  Evans,  a    native 
of  North  Carolina,  who   came  here    in    ISltJ. 
He  ran  it  in  partnership  with    Samuel  Prevo, 
and  after  running   it   about   two    years,  they 
built  an  improved  mill,  which  was    propelled 
by  oxen  on    a  tread  wheel.     This  was  a  saw 
and  grist  mill   combined,  and   attracted    pat- 
ronage for  thirty  miles    around.     At  best,  it 
oTOund  very  slowly  and  patrons  were  obliged 
to  wait    for  days    to    take    their    turn,  in  the 
meanwhile  "  camping  out."    This  mill,  though 
running  night  and  day,  failed  to  answer  the 


demands  of  the  community,  and  in  1819  John 
Parker  erected  the  first  water  mill  in  the 
county,  on  Mill  Creek.  The  stones  were 
made  from  bowlders  found  near  by,  and  the 
whole  structure  was  little  more  than  a  tem- 
porary shed.  It  did  good  service,  however, 
when  the  supply  of  water  was  sufficient,  and 
was  a  great  relief  to  the  settlers  who  were 
wearied  with  waiting  for  the  ox  mill  alone. 
A  third  mill  was  built  some  years  later  by 
John  HoUenbeck.  He  was  a  native  of  New 
York,  and  settled  on  section  11  in  1816.  He 
was  an  enterprising  man  of  business,  and  at 
first  enaraged  extensively  in  the  river  trade, 
but  observing  that  there  was  still  a  demand 
for  an  improved  mill,  put  up  a  combined 
saw  and  grist  mill  on  Mill  Creek.  This  was 
fitted  to  grind  wheat,  and  was  the  first  of  its 
kind  in  this  region  of  country.  People 
brought  their  wheat  from  a  distance  of  forty 
miles,  and  it  was  no  unusual  thing  to  see  two 
or  three  four-horse  teams  waiting  three  or 
four  days  for  their  flour.  The  mill  was  in 
use  many  years,  and  later  was  moved  down 
the  creek  and  furnished  with  a  boiler.  This 
mill  continued  to  servo  the  public  until  de- 
stroyed by  fire  some  ten  years  ago. 

Most  of  the  early  members  of  this  com- 
munity came  with  an  intelligent  conception 
of  what  pioneer  life  meant,  and  brought  with 
them  such  stock  and  supplies  as  were  needed 
to  make  a  life  in  the  woods  tolerable.  But 
it  was  impossible  to  bring  over  the  long  dis- 
tance to  be  traveled,  and  by  the  laborious 
means  employed,  any  great  amount  of  furni- 
ture. A  few  dishes  and  cooking  utensils, 
personal  apparel  (of  which  there  was  no 
great  surplus),  the  smaller  tools  indispensable 
to  a  farmer,  and  bed  clothing,  was  the  limit 
of  the  load.  Oxen,  cows,  and  some  sheep 
and  horses  were  brought  in  at  the  same  time. 
A  cabin  hastily  but  substantially  put  up,  the 
next  care  was  to  provide  the  necessary  chairs, 
table  and  beds.     These  were  generally  crude 


HISTOKY   OF  CLARK  COUNTY. 


339 


affairs,  constructed  out  of  soft,  easy    working 
timber,  and  finished  with  the   ax    and    draw- 
shave.      Beds  were    made  of  skins  and  fars 
of    animals,  until     the     first    crop    furnished 
husks,  not    so    warm,  perhaps,  but    less    mer- 
chantable than  the  skins.     Most  of  the  cabins 
were  built  in  the  edge  of  the  timber   on  the 
prairie,  and  the  first    season    was    principally- 
devoted  to  learning  how  to  manage  the  huge 
wooden     mold-board     plow    and    "  breaking 
prairie."     Corn    was  the    first    crop   planted, 
and   what  the  squirrels  and   blackbirds    left, 
matured   and    yielded    a  fair    return    for  the 
labor,  and  furnished  the  family  the  supply  of 
food   for    the    year.      Stock    generally    lived 
during  the  winter  without    shelter,  and  with 
very  little  more  than  the  prairie  hay  provided, 
ana  in  the  summer   thrived   on   the   prairie 
grass.     Hogs  were  easily  obtained  and   main- 
tained on  the  nuts  that   grew  in    rich    abun- 
dance   on    the    timber  lands.      The    wolves, 
however,  proved  a  source  of  great  loss  and 
aimoyanoe  to   the   settlement.     Young    pigs, 
calves  and  sheep,  though    carefully  folded  at 
night,  were  the  easy   prey  of  these  ravenous 
animals;  and  it  was  only  when  the  last    wolf 
was  driven    from   the   country  that    sheep,  at 
least,    increased    in    numbers  here,  the   stoek 
only   being   kept    up    by  fresh    importations. 
Stock  raising  in   later  years   became    an    im- 
portant feature  of  farm  industry  in  this  town- 
ship, Geo.  W.  Catron  being  prominently  en- 
gaged in  this  enterprise. 

Game  was  an  important  feature  in  frontier 
life  and  in  this  community  was  for  years  one 
of  the  chief  sources  of  the  settlers'  support. 
Deer,  prairie  chickens,  and  the  small  game 
that  found  a  shelter  in  the  timber  were  to  be 
found  in  large  numbers.  Indeed,  deer  were 
shot  in  self-defense.  Fences  were  no  obsta- 
cle to  them  and  farmers  were  greatly  annoyed 
by  them  as  late  as  1845.  They  would  go 
tlirourjh  a  field,  bite  off  the  end  of  the  grow- 
ing earb,  and  startled  by  some    alarm    would 


trample  and  break  down  more  than  they   ate, 
and  this  was  of  such  common  occurrence  that 
farmers  arranged    to    guard    their    fields    at 
night.     One   night   a   farmer    was    on    guard 
when  he  heard  a   tramping  through  the  corn, 
and  firing  in  the  direction  shot  and    killed    a 
neighbor  who  was  out  on  the  same    business. 
In  such  a  country  there  were  certain  to  be  a 
class  who  made  hunting  a  prominent  feature 
in  their  daily  avocation.     Among  these   were 
John  Handy.     He  kept  a  number    of    hounds 
and    his   adventures    with  wolves    were  the 
boast  of  the  settlement.     "William  Hogue  and 
James  Parker  were  others    who  were    noted 
for  their  devotion  to  and   success   in  hunting. 
Of  the  latter  it  is  said,  that  he  was  especially 
successful  as  a  bee-hunter.     Bee    trees    were 
numerous  along  the    river    and    their    stores 
formed  a  favorite  delicacy  of  the  homely  fare 
of  the  cabin  and  when  properlj'  prepared  sup- 
plied a  powerful  intoxicant  called    Methiglin. 
Parker  made  the  discovery  of  these    trees   a 
specialty  and    was  one  of  the  few  who    could 
trace  these  rapid  winged  insects   successfully. 
On  one  occasion,  it    is   said  he   found  a    tree 
with  an  unusual  amount  of  honey  stored  in  it. 
He  filled  the  pails  he  carried,  but    there    was 
still  a  large  quantity   which   he  disliked  very 
much  to  leave.     He  wore  buckskin  breeches, 
and  taking   them  off  he  tied  the  ends  of  the 
legs  securely  and   went    home    bare-legged 
carrying  his  pails  and  breeches  full  of  honey. 
Leather  breeches   were  not   uncommon  in 
York  at  that  early    day.     Buckskin    was   the 
general  wear  of  the  men  and  moccasins  much 
more  common  than  shoes.     The    distance    to 
any  carding  mill,  made  the  wool  less  available 
though  hand  carding  was  known  to  some  ex- 
tent   here.      Considerable    flax    was   grown 
from    which    jeans     were    made    and    linsey- 
woolsey  by  the  addition  of  wool.     The  latter 
formed  the   greater  part   of  women's    outer 
wear,  and  jeans   "foxed  "   on  the  knees  and 
seat  with  buckskin  was  the    holiday    clothing 


310 


HISTORY  OF  CLARK  COUNTY. 


of  the  men.  In  1818,  Reuben  Crow  came 
from  North  Carolina  and  settled  northwest 
of  the  villase.  He  brouo-ht  with  him  some 
cotton  seed,  and  being  familiar  with  its  culti- 
vation planted  some  with  such  success  as  to 
introduce  it  quite  extensively  among  the  set- 
tlers. He  afterward  erected  a  cotton-gin  on 
his  place  which  was  worked  by  horse  power. 
So  extensively  was  this  staple  grown  that  he 
worked  up  a  considerable  business,  taking 
toll  for  the  use  of  his  machine.  Ketchum 
afterward  constructed  a  gin  which  worked  by 
hand.  A  good  deal  of  use  was  made  of  this 
cotton  by  the  women  of  this  settlement  and 
largely  took  the  place  of  flax;  samples  of  the 
fabric  made  is  still  shown.  The  climate 
proved  too  variable  for  the  crop,  however,  and 
its  cultivation  in  this  country  long  since 
ceased. 

With  all  the  earnestness  of  pioneer  life 
there  was  probably  much  more  time  given  by 
all  classes  to  recreation  than  is  devoted  to-day 
to  that  purpose.  Inside  the  cabin  there  was 
more  necessity  for  the  economical  expendi- 
ture of  time,  and  the  women  united  play  with 
muchof  their  work.  After  deer  skins  could 
be  dispensed  with  for  bed  covering,  quiltings 
brought  the  women  of  the  neiajhliorhood  to- 
gether  during  the  day,  the  men  joining  them  in 
the  evening.  Sugar-making  was  another 
occasion  when  work  and  play  went  hand  in 
hand.  Sometimes  several  families  would  join 
together  and  camp  through  the  season  where 
the  largest  number  of  best  sugar  magles 
could  be  found.  The  men  tapped  the  trees 
and  gathered  the  sap  while  the  women  cared 
for  the  kettles  and  camp.  There  was  always 
time  in  the  evening  for  a  gathering  of  the 
young  folks  and  a  merry  dance.  Dancing 
was  the  great  in-door  amusement  of  the  com- 
munity, and  a  walk  of  several  miles  after  a 
hard  day's  work  only  added  zest  to  the  enter- 
tainment. Wm.  Buck,  Whalley  and  Larvill 
were  noted  knights  of   the  bow  and    were  in 


constant  demand  for  miles  around.  Neces- 
sity was  the  mother  of  invention  with  them, 
and  to  save  their  moccasins  and  shoes,  both 
sexes  danced  barefooted,  not,  however,  with- 
out some  minor  casualties.  The  lioors  were 
rough  and  not  devoid  of  splinters,  and  a 
spirited  romp  was  not  infrequently  inter- 
rupted to  give  time  for  the  removal  of  a 
troublesome  splinter.  Out-door  sports  were 
such  as  are  common  to  pioneer  settlements, 
but  here  was  added  to  the  usual  hunting, 
shooting  and  athletic  matches,  a  passion  for 
horse-racing  and  gambling.  The  latter  was 
undoubtedly  encouraged  by  the  river  traffic 
which  brought  many  in  contact  with  this  vice 
which  prevailed  to  such  an  alarming  extent 
upon  the  Mississippi  River  and  in  the  towns 
along  its  banks.  It  was  thus  transferred  to 
York,  and  practiced  to  a  very  serious  extent. 
Horse  racing  and  horse  trading  also  took  on 
the  more  vicious  type  here.  The  Richardsons 
were  noted  as  horsemen  but  had  the  reputa- 
tion of  being  too  honest  to  make  money  out 
of  the  business,  but  there  were  others,  not  a 
f(;w,  that  were  more  successful  if  not  less 
honest.  The  outcome  here,  as  well  as  else- 
where, was  an  unpleasant  number  of  bravvl- 
which  too  often  ended  in  homicide  or  murders 
ous  assaults.  As  a  natural  concomitant  the 
use  of  whisky  was  unrestrained.  This  free 
use  of  liquor  was  not  peculiar  to  th  is  locality 
but  at  this  period  the  whole  nation  used  it  as 
a  common  beverage.  The  natural  habit  was 
here  further  stimulated  by  a  peculiar  com- 
bination of  circumstances.  Corn  was  sold  f  - 
eight  cents  per  bushel  and  must  be  deliverer  1 
at  one  of  the  i-iver  towns  to  get  that.  It  was 
of  no  avail  at  the  stores  in  exchange  for 
goods  and  was  almost  a  drug  in  the  market. 
Whisky,  on  the  contrary,  was  always  avail- 
able, either  at  the  stores  in  barter  or  for 
shipment  down  the  river,  and  this  at  eighteen 
to  thirty  cents  per  gallon,  was  a  better  in- 
vestment than  the  corn.     This  stimulated  the 


HISTORY  OF  CLARK  COUNTY. 


311 


construction  of  stills  in  various  parts  of  the 
country,  one  of  the  earliest  being  erected  at 
York  Village.  The  consequence  was  that 
large  quantities  of  this  liquor  were  manufact- 
ured. Farmers  carried  their  corn  to  the  still 
and  brought  back  their  whisky,  as  farmers 
of  to-day  get  cider,  and  where  every  one  had 
it  a  larcre  amount  was  drank.  The  conserva- 
tive  force  in  the  society  of  York  seems, 
through  this  lapse  of  years,  to  have  been  in- 
adequate to  curb  or  correct  the  evil,  and 
when,  in  most  communities,  the  people  were 
becoming  aware  of  the  nature  of  this  evil  and 
shaking  it  off,  the  settlement  of  York,  had 
hardly  reached  its  climax.  All  elements  of 
society  united  in  the  practice,  and  the  history 
of  many  of  the  early  influential  men  is  clouded 
to  its  close  by  unfortunate  dissipation. 

The  Wabash  River  proved,  in  this  respect, 
as   in    many  others,   an    important    factor   in 
forming  the  character  of  this   settlement.     It 
required  at  that  time  no  particular  acquaint- 
ance  with    nautical .  science  to    navigate   its 
waters,  and   many  citizens  of  the  settlement 
traded   more  or  less  on  the  rivnr.     The  lower 
river  men  were  often  found  here  in  the  prose- 
cution  of   their    business,  and   this    repeated 
contact  seems  to  have  been  especially  eifect- 
ive  in  its  evil  influence  upon  the  plastic  com- 
munity.     The    influence    of   the    river   was 
scarcely   less    marked    in   the    advantages    it 
brought.      It   ofi"ered  an    untrammeled   com- 
munication with  a  profitable  market,  and  the 
enterprising  men  of  the  early  settlement  were 
not  slow  to  take  advantage  of  it.     The  coun- 
try produced   an  abundance  of  corn,  pork, 
whisky,  hay  an  i  hoop-poles,  all  of  which  were 
in  good  demand  in  New  Orleans,  and  a  way 
was  soon  devised  to  convey  these  commodi- 
ties to  market.     A  rude  flat-boat  of  varying 
dimensions  was  made,  supplied  with  the  usual 
steering  apparatus  and  shelter  for  the   crew 
and  cargo.     It  was  then  freighted  with  hay, 
or  poles,  or  a  variety  of  the  country's  products, 


and  cast  off  in  the  stream  with  a  force  of  three 
to  six  men  to  manage  it.     Before  the  date  of 
steamboats  the  main  object  was  to  avoid  ob- 
structions   in  the    river   and  to  float   in  the 
strongest   current  to  the  journey's  end.     On 
reaching  the  Ohio  it  was  a  common   thing  to 
lash   several    smaller  boats    together,   which 
gave  a  greater  morhentum  and  a  quicker  voy- 
age.    Arrived  at  New  Orleans  and  the  cargo 
disposed  of,  the  timber  of  the  boats  was  sold 
and   the   boatmen    made  their  way  home   as 
they  felt  disposed.     Thomas  Handy,  on  one 
occasion,  after  he  was  sixty  years  old,  walked 
back,  and  this  was  not  an  uncommon  occur- 
rence at  the  inception  of  the  business.     Oth- 
ers bought  a  horse  and  rode  home,  and  both 
methods  were  in  vogue  until  the   steamboat 
ofi"ered  a  more  satisfactory  mode  than  either. 
The  adventures  uf  these  river  men,  if  all  told, 
would   fill   a   volume.      Assailed    by   roughs, 
gamblers  and   footpads,  the  return   trip  was 
by  far  the   more   diflicult   one  to   make,  and 
many  a  wreck  is  reported  where  the  whole 
proceeds  of  a  cargo  would  be  expended  upon 
the  gilded  vices  of  the  southern   city.     But 
the   more   experienced  traders,  among  whom 
are  remembered  John  F.  Richardson,  Ambrose 
Pease,  John   Hollonbeck,   and    Isaac   Moore, 
found   means  to  avoid  these  dangers,  and  to 
make  the  business  a  source  of  profit. 

Until  IS'29  there  were  no  regularly  estab- 
lished roads  through  the  township.  Its  official 
relations  attracted  travel  to  the  southward, 
Palestine  then  being  the  county  seat.  Busi- 
ness activity  found  its  outlet  by  the  river,  and 
the  York  settlement  was  practically  isolated 
from  the  interior.  Clark  County  was  formed 
in  1819,  and  the  new  seat  of  justice  established 
on  the  river,  so  that  the  irregular  trails  sufficed 
general  purposes  until  the  growth  of  settle- 
ments to  the  north  and  west  demanded  some- 
thing better.  With  the  establishment  of  the 
National  Road  and  the  subsequent  line  of 
stages,  a  more  expeditious  and  direct  line  of 


342 


HISTORY  OF  CLARK  COUNTY. 


travel  was  inaugurated,  and  York  began  to  find 
itself  cut  off  from  the  principal  thoroughfare. 
The  "middle  lane  road"  was  first  established, 
runninor  north  and  south,  west  of  the 
Vincennes  and  Chicago  State  road,  and  was 
extensively  traveled.  In  the  following  year 
the  State  road  was  laid  out,  and  tlirougli  the 
exertion  of  J.  G.  Hillebert,  who  was  inter- 
ested in  property  near  the  site  of  Auburn, 
another  road  was  laid  out  by  the  county  from 
York  Village  to  the  former  point.  The  latter 
villase  bejran  to  attract  some  attention  as  a 
business  point  about  this  time.  In  1825  the 
town  had  been  platted  by  Chester  Fitch  as 
attorney  for  John  F.  Richardson,  though  prob- 
ably the  real  owner  himself.  As  laid  out, 
York  comprised  thirteen  blocks  of  eight  lots 
each,  located  on  the  west  fraction  of  section 
4,  town  8  north,  range  11  west.  The  base 
line  was  run  parallel  with  the  river,  which  at 
this  point  runs  a  southwest  course.  A  broad 
street  was  laid  out  on  the  bank  of  the  river, 
called  Water,  and  parallel  with  this,  in  regu- 
lar order,  followed  Union,  Market  and  Cherry. 
At  right  angles  to  Water  street,  Broadway, 
99  feet  wide,  extended  through  the  middle 
of  the  plat,  while  south  and  parallel  with  it 
ran  Green  and  Fish  streets,  and  north  of  it 
Mechanic  and  Liberty  streets.  The  town 
had  been  irregularly  laid  out  before  this,  suffi- 
cient to  accommodate  the  business  that  began 
very  early  to  center  here,  but  in  just  what 
manner  is  not  definitely  remembered. 

The  first  structure  erected  on  the  site  of 
this  village,  was  a  log  house  erected  in  1815, 
by  Israel  Harris.  The  cabin  occupied  a 
prominent  point  close  to  the  river  brink,  near 
the  end  of  Broadway,  but  the  bank  has  since 
been  so  washed  away,  that  only  the  well  re- 
mains to  identify  the  spot.  On  Richardson's 
coming  in  the  following  year,  the  cabin,  which 
had  not  been  occupied,  was  purchased  and 
occupied  by  them,  with  the  Fitch  family  until 
cabins  could  be  erected   elsewhere.      Joseph 


Richardson  and  his  family,  including  John  B., 
his  son,  retained  the  Harris  cabin;  John  Rich- 
ardson built  another  nearby  and  Fitch  took 
up  his  abode  on  his  land  west  of  the  village. 
The  latter  Richardson  was  a  man  of  marked 
ability,  and  had  served  in  the  New  York  Leg- 
islature. He  was  an  ardent  Federalist  and 
very  severe  in  his  strictures  upon  Aaron  Burr, 
with  whom  he  had  on  one  occasion  in  the  Leg- 
islature, a  vigorous  debate.  His  son,  John  F., 
early  engaged  in  the  river  trade  and  veas  one 
of  the  most  active  in  it. 

In  1817,  Elisha  Crocker  came  with  his 
sister  from  New  York,  and  built  a  log  cabin 
on  Water  street,  near  where  the  remains  of 
the  old  warehouse  now  stands.  Here  he 
opened  up  a  little  stock  of  goods,  but  four 
years  later  wentjito  New  Orleans.  He  was 
succeeded  by  James  C.  Hillebert,  who  left  his 
farm  and  forge  and  engaged  in  mercantile 
pursuits.  About  1820,  French  &  Wise  began 
business  in  York,  kept  a  general  stock,  man- 
ufactured saddlery  and  harness,  and  bought 
grain  for  shipment  down  the  river.  They 
continued  only  about  two  years  when  they 
closed  out.  In  the  year  following  the  begin- 
ning of  their  business,  Benjamin  OIney 
opened  up  a  small  stock  but  closed  out  in 
1823.  Succeeding  them,  John  B.  Richardson 
beo-an  business  in  a  log  building  on  the  river 
bank  in  the  upper  part  of  town  where  he  con- 
tinued for  a  long  time.  In  1829,  a  man  by 
the  name  of  Snyder  put  up  a  frame  building 
nearly  opposite  Hillebert's  store  for  the  pur- 
pose of  engaging  in  trade,  but  sold  it  to  Hill- 
ebert before  he  purchased  a  stock  of  goods. 
The  building  stood  on  the  bank  of  the  river 
with  a  stone  store  room  below.  On  purchas- 
ing it,  Hillebert  moved  his  goods  into  it,  and 
built  a  frame  extension  out  to  the  river's 
brink.  This  was  the  main  warehouse  in  the 
village,  and  a  place  of  considerable  business 
until  the  building  of  the  railroad  robbed  the 
town  of  its  early  importance.     The  extension 


HISTORY  OF  CLARK  COUNTY. 


343 


has  disappeared,  thoujrh  the  original  structure, 
preserved  by  its  solid  I'ouiidation,  still  re- 
mains. For  j-ears  the  steamboats  discharged 
the  most  of  their  freight  for  the  village  here, 
and  took  on  a  large  share  of  the  grain  ex- 
ported from  tliis  point. 

In   1!S30,  James    McGath    erected   a  brick 
building    on    Broadway    near  Water    street, 
and  opened  a  store  in  it.     He  came  to  York 
in     1821,    from    Virginia,    but    subsequently 
tried    business    in    the    village.      Two  years 
later  he  was  succeeded  by  Woodford  Dula- 
ney,  who  continued  business  here  until  1839, 
when  he  removed  his  stock  to  Marshall.     The 
building   still  stands,  the  second  brick  budd- 
ing erected  in   the    village.     The    first   brick 
was    erected    on    the    river   bank    just  below 
riillebert's    warehouse    in    1829.       This    was 
erected  for  a  pork  packing  establishment,  but 
after  serving  this  purpose  for  t,vo  seasons  the 
business     was     abandoned,  and     Eli    Curtis 
opened  it  as  a  hotel  and  entertained  the  pub- 
lie     in     it    for    some    twenty   years.       In   its 
time  it  was  considered  one  of  the   finest  edi- 
fices on  the  river.     The  first  building    which 
served  as  an  inn,  was  a  log  cabin  on  Broad- 
way, built  by  Elisha  Fitch.      He  did  not  pre- 
tend to  keep  hotel,  but  just  allowed  people  to 
"  stop  over  night  and  get  a  bite."      The   wife 
of  Ambrose  Pease  being  left  a  widow  soon 
after  coming  to  York,  opened  hotel  in  a  little 
log  house  that  stood  on  the  river  bank  at  the 
north  end  of  the   site  subsequently  occupied 
by  the  pork  house.     She  conducted  the  busi- 
ness  for   five  years,   acting  as  landlady,  cook 
and  chambermaid.      At  one  time  she  boarded 
twelve    men   and  did  the  cooking  entirely  at 
an  old-fashioned  fire-place,  receiving  one  dol- 
lar and  a  quarter  apiece  per  week.       A  third 
hotel    was   kept   in   a  hewed    log  house  near 
the    central     part     of   the    village    by  Amos 
Mnr])hy. 

The  manufacture  of  whisky  was  an  important 
industry  all  over  the  country.     At  the  time  of 


which  these  pages  are  written,  the  fwer 
trade  in  which  corn  in  the  form  of  whisky 
could  be  more  profitably  handled,  led  to  the 
early  establishment  of  stills  John  B.  Rich- 
ardson estalilished  the  first  one,  erecting  for  it 
a  substantial  brick  building  north  of  the  vil- 
lage, near  the  present  steam  mill.  A  large 
business  was  built  up  here,  and  large  quanti- 
tiesof  the  liquor  were  shipped  down  the  river. 
The  business  was  continued  some  fifteen 
years,  when  the  building  was  destroyed  by 
fire  and  not  rebuilt.  About  1833  a  log 
building  was  erected  near  the  south  end  of 
town,  and  a  distilling  apparatus  put  in  it  by 
a  man  by  the  name  of  Warner,  It  had  a  ca- 
pacity of  about  three  barrels  per  day  and  was 
carried  on  about  six  years  and  abandoned. 
The  building  was  subsequently  burned  down. 
Another  distillery  was  established  about  1810, 
in  a  log  building  in  the  southwest  part  of 
town,  by  .lohn  Fitch.  It  was  run  about  si.x 
years  and  then  abandoned,  the  old  cabin 
rattling  down  at  last. 

Among   the   early    mechanics    of  York  is 
mentioned   the    name   of  Martin  Sparks,  who 
came  here  with   Parker   and    Ketchum.     He 
first  settled  on  Grand  Prairie   and   afterward 
moved  to  the  village  where   he  followed  his 
trade  of  carpenter.     John    Salmon   was   an- 
other tradesman;  came  from  Kentucl;y  in  1818, 
did  a  cooper  business,  making  pails,  tubs,  etc. 
Thomas  Rod  and  Samuel  Doughty  were  early 
blacksmiths.       The     only     professional    men 
were  doctors.     The  season  of  1818  was  espe- 
cially noted   for  the    sickness   that  generally 
prevailed  in  the  settlement.     At   times   there 
were  not  enough  well  persons  to  attenil  upon 
the  sick.     An  extensive  overflow  had  left  con- 
siderable debris  to  decay  in  the  summer  sun, 
giving  rise   to   miasmatic   poisons,  that  pros- 
trated  the    whole   community.      This  was  of 
almost  annual    occurrence,  though  its  elFect 
was   not   always   so  disastrous.     It    was  the 
practice,  however,  to  prepare  for  an  attack  o 


3-14 


HISTORY  OF  CLARK  COUNTY. 


malaria,  as  it  was  known  at  such  times,  that 
it  was  idle  to  expect  aid  from  neighbors. 
Among  the  physicians  who  lived  in  York, 
^  Dr.  Tutt  was  perhaps  the  earliest.  He  was  a 
native  of  Kentucky  and  practiced  here  for 
some  fifteen  years,  when  he  removed  to  Mar- 
shall. Dr.  Seaborn  also  practiced  here  for 
three  or  four  years,  when  he,  too,  succumbed 
to  the  prevalent  disease  and  died.  Dr.  Ogles- 
by,  who  was  something  of  a  preacher  as  well 
as  physician,  came  here  from  Indiana  and 
practiced  a  few  years,  and  is  said  to  have  re- 
ceived as  fee  from  one  man  for  one  year's 
services,  6,000  bushels  of  corn,  two  yoke  of 
oxen  and  a  fine  horse. 

In  the  meanwhile  the  village  had  been   in- 
creasing in  the  number  of  its  inhabitants  and 
area.     Before  the  erection  of  Clark    County 
it   had  been  a  strong  rival  with  Palestine    for 
the  honor  of  the  county  seat,  and  through  the 
numerical  superiority  of  its  friends  and  actu- 
ated by   its  jealous  fears,  the  latter  town  se- 
cured  a   boundary    line  which  would  include 
York  in  the  new  county.     This  did  not  check 
the  prosperity  of  the  latter  place.     Its  busi- 
ness    increased    rapidly    and    its    reputation 
spread    abroad    so    that    it    was  considered  a 
o-ood   point   to   make    in    the  description  of 
Marshall,  in  1835,  to  state  its  nearness  to  York. 
The  growth  of  Darwin,   however,   brought  a 
new  rival   in  the   field,  and  at  the  date  men- 
tioned, was  rather  bearing  away  the  laurels. 
The  completion  of  the  railroad  in  1870,  how- 
ever,   added    the   crowning   disaster    to     the 
>:own's  waning  fortune.     It  is  now  a  pleasant- 
ly situated  village   of  some  250  inhabitants, 
standing  on  a    moderately   elevated   plateau, 
on    the   outside  of  a  curve  in  the  river.     The 
channel   of  the  Wabash   near   the   village  is 
deep,  and   runs  near   the  shore,  affording  ex- 
cellent opportunities  for  loading  and  unload- 
ing  boats.     The   old  business    houses   have 
many  of  them  passed  away,  and  not  being  re- 
placed, the  business  has  shrunk    within   its 


modern  limits  without  leaving  vacant  build- 
ings to  mar  the  appearance  of  the  village  or 
to  tell  the  story  of  its  decline. 

In  the  early  time  there  was  not  that   divis- 
ion of  labor  that  is  found  so  eff-jctive  in  later 
days.     The  demand  for  labor  in  all  the  avenues 
of  human  activity  was  considerably  in  excess     ^ 
of  the  supply  of  laborers,  and  all  the  capabil- 
ities  of  men    and   women  found  ample  exer- 
cise.    It  thus  happened  that  the  doctor   was 
often   the    preacher   as  well,  and  the  preacher 
sometimes  did  not  scruple  to  excel  as  a  hun- 
ter   and    trader,    and    in    one    case    at   least, 
showed  his  mechanical  skill  in  counterfeiting. 
The   latter  com!)ination   of  gifts   was  said  to 
exist   in    John   Parker,  who   came   here  from 
Kentucky  in   1818.     He  at  first  squatted  on 
Mill   Creek,   where-  he    afterward   purchased 
land.     He  subsequently  built  a  mill  as  noted 
above,  and  was  noted  as  a  successful    hunter. 
His  preaching   was  somewhat  hindered  in  its 
effect  by  the  general  belief  that  it  was  but 
using    the   "livery   of  the  Lord  to  serve  the 
devil."     His  sons,  Joseph,  James  and  B-^nja- 
min  all  followed  in  the  same  path,  preaching, 
hunting  and  counterfeiting.     The  whole  la  n- 
ily  afterward  went  to  Texas,  where  it  is  said 
they  met  a  violent  death  at  the  hands  of  the 
Indians.     The    community    happily    was  not 
compelled  to  depend  upon  such  broken  reeds. 
The    needs    of  the    hour  raised  up  men  who 
preached  the  gospel  without  money  and  with- 
out price  until  the  people  became  able  to  do 
their    part    in    sustaining    religious    worship. 
James  McCord  was  an  early  self-constituted 
missionary.     He  was  an  earnest  but  illiterate 
man,  possessed  a  rude  fluency  of  language, 
was  a  ready  singer   and   gained   considerable 
influence  along  the  line  ofthe  Wabash  River. 
He    was  one  of  that  class  of  preachers,  popu- 
larlv  known  as  "  Bible  pounders,"  but  seemed 
especially  adapted  to  the  time  and  place.     He 
successfully  carried  on  several  extensive  re- 
vivals, and  on  one  occasion  in  York  was  en- 


HISTORY   OF  CLAKK  COUXTY. 


345 


couraged  by  the  conversion  of  some  twenty 
or  thirty  persons.  On  being  congratulated  up- 
on Ills  large  draught  of  fishes,  herepliej  in  his 
characteristic  way,  "Yes,  we  caught  a  great 
many  fish  if  they  don't  all  turn  out  tad-poles." 
Lorenzo  Dow,  the  celebrated  Methodist 
preacher  of  New  York,  held  a  large  meeting 
near  Holienbeck's  mill  at  an  early  day,  and 
Richard  Newport,  an  early  evangelist  of  the 
old  school  Baptist  church  preached  here. 

The  outgrowth  of  these  efforts,  but  more 
especially  of  McCord's,  wa.s  the  organization 
of  a  Methodist  class  at  the  McGath  school- 
house,  among  the  earlj'  members  of  wiiich 
were  the  Pritchards,  McGath,  and  Woods 
families.  This  organization  maintained  a 
l)recarious  existence  until  1837,  when  the 
York  Protestant  Methodist  Church  was  found- 
ed and  the  two  organizations  united.  The 
original  members,  thirteen  in  number,  were 
Charlotte  Hillebert,  Susan  Moore,  Amy  Baker' 
Harriet  Dolson,  Jackson  Barker,  Lewis  Mc- 
Clure,  Elizabeth  McClure,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  James 
McCabe,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Isaac  Earle,  and  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Erastu'-  Collins.  This  church  was 
organized  at  the  York  school-house  by  the 
Revs.  McCabe  and  ^Vithe^spoon,  who  served 
it  some  time  as  preachers.  Two  years  later 
conference  held  its  first  session  at  York,  and 
attached  the  church  here  to  the  Mill  Creek 
circuit.  After  holding  services  in  the  school- 
house  for  some  three  years,  the  church  bought 
ground  of  J.  F.  Richardson,  and  two  j'ears  later 
erected  a  frame  building  at  a  cost  of  about  one 
thousand  dollars.  This  place  of  worship,  with 
occasional  repairs,  has  continued  to  serve  the 
church  until  the  present.  There  are  fifteen 
members  at  present,  but  the  condition  of  the 
organization  is  not  the  most  prosperous. 
Services  are  held  at  irregular  iiitervals,  there 
being  no  regular  supply.  Among  the  names 
of  former  pastors  are  those  of  Revs.  Doyle, 
Witherspoon,     Richard     VYright,     Crawford, 


Green,  Hamilton,  and  Burkett,  the  latter 
serving  in  1881. 

Rock  Hill  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  was 
organized  about  lS'i8,  by  Rev.  Mr.  May,  at 
the  Union  school-house.  It  began  with  about 
twenty-four  members,  and  a  place  of  worship 
was  erected  at  once  on  ground  donated  by 
Jonathan  Hogue  at  a  cost  of  $1,'200.  The 
church  still  maintains  regular  services,  though 
the  membership  is  much  reduced. 

The  York  Presbyterian  Church  was,  per- 
haps, the  first  religious  organization  in  the 
township.  This  society  was  founded  about 
18"-2.5  by  Rov.  Samuel  Scott,  a  missionary-  of 
this  denomination,  whose  field  of  labor  ex- 
tended along  the  course  of  the  Wabash  River. 
He  served  without  pay,  supporting  himself  by 
the  cultivation  of  a  farm  he  owned  near  Vin- 
cennes,  and  carrying  a  supply  of  food  with  him 
on  his  trips,  in  a  pair  of  capacious  saddle-bags. 
The  church  at  York  was  organized  in  the 
school-house  with  but  few  members,  and  was 
served  for  some  years  by  Mr.  Scott.  The 
church  subsequently  erected  a  frame  building, 
which  was  burned  about  18G3.  Three  years 
later  the  Presbyterian  Board  of  Home  Missions 
gave  the  church  generous  assistance  to  build 
another.  This  is  a  frame  building,  40  by  UO 
feet,  and  cost  about  §1,200.  The  church 
subsequently  died  out,  but  in  1869  was  reor- 
ganized by  Rev.  Thomas  Spencer,  and  has 
since  maintained  regular  services  until  188"'. 
There  are  about  thirty  members  at  present. 

An  Old  School  Baptist  organization  existed 
here  for  a  few  years,  about  18.35,  holding 
services  in  the  village  school-house.  Elder 
Canady  served  as  pastor  and  leader,  but  the 
organization  failed  to  mature,  and  has  been 
out  of  existence  some  twentv-five  years. 

The  schools  date  from  1818.  In  this  year 
an  old  log  cabin  on  the  Fitch  farm,  which  had 
been  used  as  a  dwelling,  was  fitted  up  for 
school  purposes.     The  windows  were  covered 


346 


HISTORY  OF  CLARK  COUNTY. 


with  paper  saturated  with  coon's  oil,  the  desk 
and  benches  made  of  smoothed  puncheon, 
and  the  floor  made  of  split  logs.  Here  Peleg 
Sanford  bore  the  rule  and  proved  a  good 
teacher.  Among  his  scholars  were  Samuel, 
William,  Ira,  Reuben  and  Polly  Prevo,  Will- 
iam  Berkley,  John  Moore, Richardson, 

Lewis  Pease,  Loyal  Towsley,  Lucy  and  Anna 
Moore.  In  1821,  another  school  was  taught 
in  the  shed  part  of  the  Crocker  house,  by  J. 
Niles.  Another  school  was  taught  near  the 
Handy  settlement,  in  the  deserted  cabin  of  a 
squatter,  by  James  Jewell.  It  was  the  cus- 
tom of  the  scholars  to  occasionally  lock  out 
the  teacher  to  make  him  "treat."  Jewell, 
however,  was  proof  against  all  minor  devices, 
and  the  older  attendants  of  the  school  deter- 
mined to  use  more  persuasive  means.  They 
seized  him  and  carried  him  bound  to  the  river, 
and  were  breaking  the  ice  to  "duck"  him, 
when  he  yielded  and  promised  to  treat  the 
whole  school  on  a  certain  day.  It  was,  of 
course,  known  throughout  the  neighborhood, 
and  on  the  appointed  day  not  only  the  whole 
school  but  the  whole  grown  population  of  the 
neighborhood  gathered  and  partook  of  the 
whisky  and  maple  sugar  provided,  some  of 
the  older  ones  finding  it  diflBcult  to  walk 
steadily  on  their  return  home.  Morrison  was 
the  name  of  an  early  teacher,  who  also  con- 
ducted occasional  singing  schools.  Robert 
F.  Taylor  was  among  the  earliest  teachers  of 
this  township.  He  came  to  the  county  in 
1818,  and  was  a  man  of  fine  education.     He 


first  worked  by  the  month  for  John  Handy, 
and  afterward  taught  school  on  Union  Prairie 
as  early  as  1825.  He  taught,  in  1829,  the  first 
public  school,  in  a  frame  building  on  the  Mc- 
Gath  farm  in  section  28,  where  the  buililing 
still  stands.  Taylor  was  rather  severe  in  his 
discipline,  and  believed  in  saving  the  child 
so  far  as  a  liberal  use  of  the  rod  was  con- 
cerned. Soon  after  1830,  a  brick  school 
house  was  erected  in  the  village  of  York 
This  was  the  first  of  its  kind  in  the  county. 

York  Lodge,  No.  313,  Free  and  Accepted 
Masons,  finds  its  home  in  the  village.  Its 
charter  was  granted  October  5,  1859,  to  Chas. 
Johnston,  J.  S.  Cox,  W.  H.  C.  Coleman,  Sam- 
uel Doughty,  Chas.  Gorham,  L.  D.  McClure, 
Enoch  Meeker,  J.  A.  Parker,  R.  Falley  and 
John  Ketchum,  as  charter  members.  The 
lodge  has  had  a  prosperous  experience; 
erected  a  hall  in  1867  at  a  cost  of  S-2,200,  and 
now  numbers  thirty-two  members. 

York  Star  Lodge,  No.  419,  Independent 
Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  was  chartered  in  Octo- 
ber, ISrO,  to  William  Evans,  W.  J.  Martin, 
J.  H.  Daniels,  H.  S.  Lee,  and  John  W.  Har- 
ris, as  charter  members.  In  18T9  the  lodge 
bought  a  hall  of  Elisha  Jackson  in  the  Lind- 
ley  Building.  They  have  a  membership  of 
twenty. 

The  Grand  Army  of  the  Re]3ublic  have  a 
post  here.  It  started  with  eleven  members, 
which  has  since  increased.  Its  meetings  are 
held  in  the  Odd  Fellows'  hall. 


CHAPTER    XI.=* 


DARWIN  TOWNSHIP-DESCRIPTION  AND  TOPOGRAPHY-WALNUT   PRAIRIE-FIRST  STEP 
TOWARD  CIVILIZATION— WORK  AND  PLAY   IN  A  NEW  COUNTRY— 
STERLIN   -AURORA    AND   DARWIN-COUNTY 
SEATS— RELIGIOUS,  EDUCA- 
TIONAL, ETC. 

point  the  first  settlement  of  the  township  was 


"  Shall  wholly  do  away,         *        * 

The  marks  of  that  which  once  hath  been." 

— Coleridge. 

DARWIN  Township    is  the   outgrowth  of 
the  secon'l  settlement  in  Clark  County, 
though  scarcely  later  than  that  of  York.     The 
"Wabash  River  was    then    the  great  thorough- 
fare of  this  country,  and  the  early  immigrants, 
who  appear  to  have  learned  little  from  the  his- 
tory of   the  older    settlements    of   the    East, 
cherished  the  idea    that    the    subsequent   de- 
velopment of  the    country    would   leave   the 
prominence     of    the     river     unchanged.     It 
seems  to  have   been  expected    that    consider- 
able towns  would  grow  up    along   its  margin 
while  the  interior  would  never  be  settled,    or 
at  least,  not  until  the    civilizing    influence  of 
the    towns     should   penetrate     the     wilder- 
ness.    The  result  was  that  the  inflow  of  pop- 
ulation followed  up  the  course    of  the    river 
until  land  was    found    free    for    pre-emption, 
and  there  settled  to  grow    up  with  the    coun- 
try.    Darvfin    was    well    situated    to    attract 
early  immigration.     The  river  bank  was  cov- 
ered by  a  heavy  growth  of  timber,  and  of  suf- 
ficient   height  to    insure    against  the    rise    of 
the    river    in    times    of   freshet.       The    land 
gently  rising  as  it  receded,  presented    for  the 
most  part  an  unbroken   line    of   fine    timber, 
whde  a  numberof    brisk    streams  converging 
near  the  central  point  of  the  river  line,  marked 
the    site    of   the   predestined    city.     At    this 

*By  J.  H.  Battle. 


made,  and  a  village  sprang  up  that  would 
have  reached  the  realization  of  the  settler's 
fondest  hopes,  had  th  -y  been  founded  on  cor- 
rect premises.  But  the  railroad  and  all  the 
vast  development  of  nineteenth  century 
civilization  touched  this  land,  and  the  vain 
hopes  of  the  pioneer  vanished  like  the  mi- 
rage of  the  plains. 

The  limits  of  the  territory    included   in   the 
present  township  of  Darwin  coincide  with  the 
lines  of  the  congressional  survey  save  on  the 
east  side,  where  the  Wabash  makes  a  deep  and 
irregular  curve  to  the    westward,   cutting    off 
about  eight  sections  of  what  would  otherwise 
be  a  full  township.     Like  other  townships   in 
the    county,    in    the    early  history   it    passed 
under   another    name  and   included  a    much 
larger  area,   but   was   subsequently   reduced 
to  its  present  outline    and    named   from    the 
village  that  gave  it    prestige.     Its    surface  is 
generally  rolling,  somewhat  broken,  however, 
along    the  streams  and  in  the    northeast,  .itid 
subsiding  into  a  level  prairie  in  the  southeast 
corner.     The  general   inclination    and   drain- 
age as  marked  by  its  streams,    is    toward    the 
elbow  of  the  river  above  the   site   of   Darwin 
village,  a  little  rise  at  this  point  forcing   the 
streams  to  find  outlets  into  the  Wabash  above 
the  village.     Big  Creek,    the    largest  stream, 
simply   crosses  section  2  and   finds  an    out- 
let    by    a    nearly    direct    southern     course. 
Sugar  and  Patrick's  Creeks,  rise  in  the  north- 
western corner  and  empty  into  the  Wabash  on 


348 


HISTORY  OF  CLARK  COUNTY. 


section  15  ;  and  Bolin  Creek  whioli  tlraiiis 
the  southwest  corner,  flows  nortlieastly  and 
enters  the  same  bend  of  the  river  oii  sec- 
tion 23.  Walnut  Prairie  covers  about  four 
sections  and  is  defined  by  Bohn  Creek, 
the  site  of  Darwin,  and  the  first  "  bench  " 
above  the  river  bottoms,  and  extends  south- 
ward into  York  Township  where  it  is  sepa- 
rated from  Union  Prairie  by  a  narrow  strip  of 
timber.  The  river  bottoms  of  Darwin  were 
distinguished  from  those  in  York  by  a  heavy 
growth  of  poplar  and  walnut,  the  latter 
fringing  the  prairie  here  and  giving  it  the 
distinctive  title  of  Walnut  Prairie.  On  the 
higher  ground  of  the  township  the  principal 
timber  was  hard  maple,  beech,  linn,  oak  and 
hickory.  Nearer  the  river,  oak  and  hick- 
ory predominated,  a  considerable  portion  of  the 
latter  being  small  white  hickory  which  fur- 
nished an  important  article  of  commerce. 
The  soil  of  the  woodland  is  a  light  yellow 
clay  which  is  found  particularly  adapted  to 
wheat  growing.  The  bottoms  are  a  rich  al- 
luvial soil  which  is  devoted  to  corn  and  con- 
tinually cropped  without  signs  of  exhaustion. 
The  prairie  is  a  sandy  loam  and  has  the  pecul- 
iarity of  never  being  excessively  wet.  The 
first  settlers,  it  is  said,  found  no  difficulty  in 
traveling  across  it  at  any  season  of  the  year, 
the  turf  not  easily  cutting  up  even  when  ex- 
cessively traveled  upon  by  wagons.  The  com- 
munity have  indulged  in  very  little  diversity 
of  farm  industry.  The  early  demands  of  the 
pioneer  settlement  turned  an  unusual  amount 
of  attention  to  sheep  raising,  but  this  charac- 
teristic has  long  since  passed  away  and  the 
raising  of  corn  and  wheat  with  enough  stock 
to  supply  the  demands  of  the  farm,  is  the  oc- 
cupation of  the  Darwin  community. 

The  early  settlement  of  Darwin  was  hin- 
dered by  its  very  attractions.  In  1816, 
the  lands  first  came  into  market  for  sale,  and 
the  popular  notion  in  regard  to  this  country 
being  entertained  by  speculators,  a  large  part 


of  the  more  eligible  land  was  promptly  taken 
u])  by  these  capitalists  and  for  years   held  at 
such    exorbitant    figures    as    to  exclude  emi- 
gration.    Among  these  were  ilcCall  and  Pat- 
terson, C.  and  F.  Buttet,  Samutl  Chambers  and 
others.       Others   among    the  actual    settlers, 
took  advantage  of   the   credit    offered  by  the 
Government    and    put    all    the    money    they 
could  raise  into  the    first    payment   on   lands, 
expecting  to  sell  a  part  of  their  lands  to  sub- 
sequent settlers;  but  there  was  plenty  of  land 
to  bo  got  cheaper  and  there  w:is  no  sale  for  it 
on  such  terms.     The  result  w.is  that  the  tim._> 
for  the  second  payment  came  around,  the  laud 
had  not  earned  enough  to  any  more  than  sup- 
port the   settlers,   a   panic    ensued    and    good 
land  could  not  be  disposed  of  for  seventy-five 
cents  per   acre.     The   Government    extended 
the  time  of  payment  for  eight  years  but  this 
in  many  cases  did  not  save  the  property  to  the 
sett.er.     The    speculators    fared     no     better; 
and     after    holding     for    several     years,    the 
interest    and    taxes     each    year     adding    to 
the     burden,    the    speculators   brought  their 
lands  to  the  auction   block    where  they  were 
sold  below  government  prices.     Great  losses 
were  sustained  in  this,  and  the  rapid  growth 
of  the  community  greatly  retarded.     In  181G, 
however,  the  settlement  got  a  beginning   in 
the  family  of  John  McClure.     He  was  of  Irish 
descent,  though  born  in  Kentucky,  and  made 
his  way  through  the  wilderness   with  wagons. 
For  a  consideralile  part  of  the  way  there  was 
no  trail,  and  he  was  forced   to  chop    his  road 
out  before  him,  guided  only  by  the  surveyor's 
blazes.     He  settle  d  on  the  west  half  of  section 
27,  and  entered  this  with  the  east  half  of  the 
northeast  quarter  of  the  same    section.     His 
cabin   was  built  on  what  is    now   the  site    of 
Darwin  village.     After  erecting    a   cabin    his 
first  care  was  to  dig  a  well    which    was   made 
permanent  by  inserting  a  large    hollow   syca- 
more log. 

The  public  lands  coming  on  the  market  for 


HISTORY  OF  CLARK  COUNTY. 


349 


the  first  time  in  1S!6,  attracted  attention  to 
this  locality,  and  quite  a  number  succeeded 
in  securing  lands.  Among  these  was  A.  Sni- 
der, a  native  of  Ponnsj'lvaiiia.  He  was  a 
shrewd  German,  pretty  well  advanced  in 
age,  and  of  a  somewhat  penurious  disposi- 
tion. He  secured  12G  acres  where  Dr.  Mitch- 
ell now  lives,  but  subsequently  sold  it  to 
Armstrong  and  removed  to  Hutsonville. 
Charles  Neely  came  about  the  same  time; 
settled  on  section  28,  on  the  west  side  of 
Walnut  Prairie,  where  the  Indians  had  had 
a  village  and  a  cornfield.  He  was  made  the 
first  probiite  judge  of  the  new  county,  when 
he  rented  his  farm  to  .lohn  Davidson  and 
moved  to  Darwin  Village.  Another  family 
that  came  this  year  was  that  of  .John  Essarey. 
He  was  a  native  of  Kentucky  and  made  his  way 
here  through  the  wilderness  in  wagons,  cut- 
ting his  road  much  of  the  way.  In  the  same 
year  came  Jesse  Ezra.  He  settled  near  the 
village  of  Darwin,  built  one  of  the  first  houses 
erected  in  tlie  village,  and  for  several  years 
kept  a  boarding  house.  He  was  a  man  of 
some  means,  and  subsequently  went  to  what 
is  now  Wabash  Township  and  improved  a 
fine  farm. 

An  early  settler  in  1817  was  Lewis  Bohn. 
He  was  a  native  of  Lancaster  County,  Penn- 
sylvania, and  came  here  across  the  country 
in  wagons.  The  route  from  the  East  was 
not  then  defined  by  any  trail  beyond  the 
older  settlements  in  what  is  now  the  State  of 
Indiana.  For  a  number  of  weeks  he  toiled 
through  the  unbroken  wilderness,  following 
the  uncertain  guide  of  the  surveyors'  marks 
and  aiming  only  to  reach  the  "  Wabash  coun- 
try." After  a  tedious  experience  of  camp- 
ing alone  with  his  family  by  night,  and  trav- 
eling almost  unguided  by  day,  he  reached 
the  Darwin  settlement.  He  was  well  educated 
in  his  native  tongue,  and  became  a  wealthy 
and  prominent  member  of  the  community, 
living  for  years  on  the  farm   he    entered  west 


of  the  village  of  Darwin.  The  Leonard 
brothers  were  early  emigrants  from  New 
York.  They  settled  on  the  eastern  side  of 
the  township,  near  the  site  of  Aurora.  Here 
they  built  a  double  log  house  and  small  im- 
provements, which  they  subsequently  sold 
to  Dr.  Patrick  and  returned  to  New  York. 
In  1818,  Zacheus  Hassell  came  from  Tennes- 
see and  settled  on  land  adjoining  the  Darwin 
plat  on  the  south.  He  was  a  man  of  consid- 
erable enterprise,  brought  in  a  good  deal  of 
stock  and  cleared  up  a  fine  farm.  In  addi- 
tion to  these  permanent  improvements,  he 
found  time  to  g'iin  a  reputation  as  a  great 
hunter,  and  especially  for  his  success  in  hunt- 
ing bees.  In  1832  he  sold  his  farm  to  Zach- 
ariah  Linton  and  moved  to  Wabash  Town- 
ship, subsequently  going  to  Paris  and  thence 
to  Texas.  Linton  was  a  native  of  Ohio,  and 
soon  after  purchasing  the  Hassell  farm,  en- 
gaged in  boatinff  on  the  river.  An  early  trip 
was  to  New  Orleans  with  a  fiat  boat  load  of 
wood.  Here  he  got  into  an  altercation  in 
regard  to  selling  his  load,  and  in  a  iiionKMit 
of  passion  struck  a  man  a  fatal  blow  with  a 
stick  of  wood.  The  authorities  arrested, 
summarily  tried  him  and  hung  him,  with 
short  shrift,  in  a  few  days.  His  son,  Hatha- 
way, continued  on  the  farm,  became  a  fine 
scholar  and  prominent  in  the  community  and 
county;  was  elected  county  treasurer  and 
served  several  terms. 

Samuel  Y^ocum,  a  native  of  Kentucky,  was 
a  settler  of  1821.  He  was  a  brother-in-law 
of  Nathaniel  McCIure  and  settled  in  the  vil- 
lage of  Darwin,  but  died  soon  after  he  came. 
.Jacob  Harlan  was  another  accession  of  this 
year.  He  was  a  native  of  Warren  County, 
Ohio,  and  an  old  acquaintance  of  the  Archer 
family.  Clark  County  had  in  the  meanwhile 
been  formed  and  Win.  B.  Archer  elected 
clerk  of  the  county.  The  business  was  sm:ill 
and  Archer  had  so  much  else  to  do,  that  he 
urcred    Harlan    to    come  and  take    the   office- 


350 


HISTORY  OF  CLARK  COUNTY. 


work  and  its  emoluments.  Harlan  was  a 
young  unmarried  man,  and  accepting  this 
invitation,  became  a  member  of  the  new 
community.  He  was  subsequently  appointed 
post  master,  clerk  of  the  county  commission- 
ers' court,  recorder,  judge  of  probate  and  no- 
tary public,  and  held  these  several  offices  at 
the  same  time.  He  subsequently  married  a 
daughter  of  John  Chenoweth  and  erected 
a  hewed-log  house,  which  is  still  standing 
and  used  as  a  residence.  Mr.  Chenoweth 
was  a  man  of  considerable  wealth,  and  the 
official  honors  of  Harlan  seemed  to  call  for  a 
more  than  ordinary  dwelling,  and  this  build- 
ing may  be  taken  for  a  specimen  of  an  aris- 
tocratic residence  of  that  time.  It  was  a 
story  and  a  half  high,  had  two  rooms  and  a 
ladder  leading  to  the  attic.  The  huge  fire- 
place was  at  one  end  with  one  of  the  first 
brick  chimneys  on  the  outside,  and  stood  on 

the  corner  of  Water  and streets.     Mr. 

Harlan  was  highly  esteemed  in  the  new  com- 
.munity  and  held  his  offices  until  his  death 
in  1836. 

Nathaniel  McClure  came  to  Darwin  from 
Kentucky  in  1819.  He  started  with  his  fam- 
ily in  wagons  from  Mercer  County  witli  the 
intention  of  settling  in  LaFayette,  Indiana, 
but  pleased  with  the  appearance  of  the  settle- 
ment here,  he  stopped  with  the  intention  of 
raising  one  crop  and  then  continuing  his 
journey.  In  the  fall  of  this  year  however,  Mr. 
McClure  died,  the  first  death  in  the  commu- 
nity if  not  in  the  county,  and  the  family  re- 
mained here  permanently.  William  Dixon 
was  an  early  settler  also,  a  native  of  Ken- 
tucky and  an  illiterate  man.  He  was,  how- 
ever, a  shrewd  man  of  business,  and  acquired 
tlie  name  of  William  X.  Dixon  because  of  his 
inability  to  sign  his  name.  In  1822,  James 
P.  .lones  came  to  the  Darwin  settlement  and 
took  a  prominent  place  in  the  community. 
He  was  a  native  of  New  York,  had  emigrated 
to  Vigo  County,  Indiana,  and  thence  to  New 


Oilcans.  In  the  latter  place  he  engaged  ex- 
tensively in  the  lumber  trade;  but  dissatisfied 
with  the  city,  he  came  np  the  river  to  Dar- 
win, of  which  he  learned  thronirh  the  traders 
from  that  point.  He  bouglit  the  Essarey 
property  in  Darwin  and  kept  hotel  lor  a  time. 
In  1824,  he  was  elected  sheriif,  served  until 
1831,  and  subsequently  moved  to  Coles 
County. 

Though  begun  at  nearly  the  same  time, 
there  were  radical  differences  between  the 
settlements  of  York  and  Darwin.  They  were 
rivals  from  the  very  start,  though  the  compe- 
tition was  not  well  defined  until  after  the  for- 
mation of  the  county.  Up  to  that  date  the 
former  settlement  was  a  prominent  contest- 
ant with  Palestine  for  the  honors  of  thi^  coun- 
ty seat,  but  after  the  formation  of  Clark, 
while  yielding  all  pretensions  to  such  honors 
on  account  of  its  geographical  situation,  it  did 
not  abate  one  tittle  of  its  pretensions  to  com- 
mercial superiority.  In  this,  its  c'a  ins  scrm 
securely  founded.  Y(jrk  was  established  by 
a  class  of  active,  wealthy  business  men  who 
earlv  gave  the  community  a  prestige  which  is 
a  long  stride  toward  success.  Darwin,  on  the 
other  hand,  had  hardly  oround  to  stand  ui)on. 
The  land  was  no  sooner  open  to  purchasers, 
than  speculators,  who  had  imbibed  the  popu- 
lar notion  as  to  the  future  of  the  Wabash 
country,  began  to  out-iiid  actual  settlers  at 
the  land  auctions.  The  result  was  that  the 
o-rowth  of  the  settlement  was  slow  and  dis- 
torted. The  energies  of  the  whole  communi- 
ty were  concentrated  upon  the  village  and  its 
development  seemed  at  first  to  begin  at  the 
top  and  go  downward.  The  fixing  of  the 
county  seat  at  this  point  did  little  for  its  early 
growth  as  there  was  lint  little  business  of  a 
public  nature  and  from  the  nature  of  the  cir- 
cumstances could  not  bring  its  prime  advan- 
tao-e — the  attraction  of  business — to  bear 
upon  the  place.  Additions  to  the  settlement 
at  Darwin,  were  slowly  made,  however,  spec- 


'I; 


"<^: 


^^-Mt^^M^.  ^^ 


HISTORY  OF  CLARK  COUNTY." 


353 


ulators  forced  to  yield  their  gnisp  upon  the 
land,  allowed  room  for  expansion,  and  with 
the  advantages  of  a  good  river  landing,  and 
freed  from  any  powerful  rival  distributing 
point  for  the  country  to  the  northwest  and 
east  it  rapidly  excelled  its  early  rival.  The 
earlier  comers  were  those  whose  taste  and 
experience  fi,tted  them  best  for  fanning,  and 
it  was  not  until  about  lS"2i,  that  an  active 
business  class  of  people  came  in  and  turned 
the  advantages  of  the  location  to  a  valuable 
account.  Succeeding  the  lower  settlement 
with  an  interval  of  scarcely  two  years,  Dar- 
win was  for  the  moment  almost  on  the  fron- 
tier. The  native  "  lords  of  the  land  "  had  not 
entirely  surrendered  their  hold  upon  the 
country.  The  last  ling-ering  embers  of  the 
war  of  1812  had  died  out,  and  the  recognized 
home  of  the  Indian  had  been  removed  west 
of  the  Mississippi,  but  large  numbers  of  the 
different  tribes,  loth  to  give  up  their  hunting 
grounds  to  the  irrevocable  possession  of  the 
white,  still  made  their  annual  visits  to  the 
banks  of  the  Wabash.  Hunting,  fishing,  and 
making  sugar  in  the  season,  they  loitered 
about  during  the  milder  part  of  thevear,  beg- 
ging, bartering  and  thieving  in  a  pettv  way 
until  winter  when  they  left  for  their  stores  of 
corn  near  their  villages.  While  here  the  pio- 
neers were  on  the  best  of  terms,  the  boys  of 
both  people  plaving  together,  and  the  older 
ones  engaging  in  feats  of  strength  and  marks- 
manship. Traders  found  them  profitable 
customers  with  whom  whisky  was  not  only  a 
"  legal  tender."  but  a  highly  prized  commod- 
ity in  comparison  with  which  all  other  values 
rapidly  shrank.  Notwithstanding  this  free 
use  of  "  fire  water  "  the  Indians  seem  to  have 
maintained  the  most  amicable  relations  with 
the  settlors  until  the  events  of  1833  caused  a 
cessation  of  their  visits.  The  outbreak  of 
hostilities  in  ISo'-J,  though  menacing  a  distant 
point,  did  not  fail  to  have  a  disturlung  influ- 
ence upon  tiie  settlement  of  Darwin.      Thi're 


was  quite  a  strong  minority  that  urged  the 
advisability  of  the  river  settlements  doing 
something  to  guard  against  a  sudden  incur- 
sion of  these  merciless  foes  of  the  whites,  but 
nothing  was  done  in  this  direction  save  the 
formation  of  a  company  under  the  command 
of  John  Stockwall,  which,  however,  saw  no 
part  of  the  military  activities  pertaining  to 
this  outbreak  of  savage  hostilities. 

It  was  upward  of  ten  years  before  the  set- 
tlement of  Darwin  began  to  depend  upon  its 
own  resources  for  supplies.  During  the 
earlier  years.  Fort  Harrison  on  the  upper 
Wabash  and  Vincennes  below,  were  the  points 
to  which  the  settlers  made  long,  tedious 
journeys  for  provisions  and  mail.  These 
journeys  required  three  days  if  there  was  no 
delay  in  securing  prompt  service,  but  as  that 
was  almost  unprecedented  good  fortune,  the 
average  grist  cost  much  nearer  a  week  than 
three  days.  Care  was  usually  taken  that  a 
season's  supplies  should  be  provided  before 
the  winter  set  in,  but  it  was  no  uncommon 
thing  to  find  the  best  judgment  thwarted  by 
unforeseen  circumstances  when  even  the  in- 
genuity of  the  pioneer  was  taxed  to  supply 
the  meagre  fare  of  the  frontier  table.  Corn 
was  the  staple  article  in  the  early  settler's  bill 
of  fare.  Lye  hominy  was  easily  prepared,  but 
this  could  not  suffice  for  even  the  moderate 
demands  of  a  pioneer,  and  various  devices 
were  resorted  to,  to  secure  a  substitute  for 
meal.  Perforated  tin  bent  upon  a  board 
served  as  a  grater  on  which  the  corn  was  torn 
sufficiently  to  pieces  to  make  a  sort  of  mush 
and  dodger.  Huge  mortars,  made  by  hollow- 
ing out  a  firm  stump  or  large  block,  were 
used  in  connection  with  a  large  wooden  pestle 
for  pounding  corn  fine  enough  for  food.  The 
coarser  part  was  served  up  in  hominy,  while 
the  finer  part  did  very  good  service  as  a 
coarse  meal  in  the  form  of  dodgers.  The  early 
mills  of  the  lower  settlement  did  much  to  re- 
lieve this  embarrassment,  and  there  were  few 


354 


HISTORY  OF  CLAKK  COUNTY. 


who  could  not  either  by  themselves  or  through 
neighbors,  get  meal  and  later,  flour  for  the 
purjioses  of  the  cabin.  The  lack  of  streams 
of  sutBcient  capacity  and  stability,  but  far 
more  effectively  the  lack  of  available  mill-sites 
in  the  hands  of  actual  settlers,  prevented  the 
erection  of  those  pioneers  of  manufacturing 
interests,  and  no  mills  were  erected  until 
about  1830,  and  then  in  the  vicinity  of  the 
village  of  Darwin. 

Even  with  no  mills  in  the  close  vicinity  of 
the  settlement,  the  people  were  not  obliged 
to  live  on  a  corn  diet.  The  second  crop,  and 
often  the  first,  was  wheat,  and  flour  was  not 
a  rare  thing  by  any  means,  after  the  first  few 
years.  Every  settler  brought  in  more  or  less 
stock  which  his  earlier  experience  had  taught 
him  to  be  necessary  to  his  comfort,  and  but- 
ter and  milk,  with  the  wild  fruits  and  honey, 
left  little  to  be  desired  as  accessories  to  a  pal- 
atable meal.  Besides,  cows,  oxen  and  horses, 
the  Darwin  settlement  was  marked  for  the 
number  of  sheep  brought  in  early.  It  was 
hardly  to  be  expected  that  they  should  escape 
the  general  fate  of  such  defenseless  animals 
in  a  new  country,  but  by  dint  of  great  care 
and  fresh  importations  the  stock  was  main- 
tained. The  wolves  were  especially  trouble- 
some, attacking  beside  sheep,  young  pigs  and 
calves  and  occasionally  a  cow.  During  the 
daytime  these  animals  kept  in  the  timber  and 
seldom  molested  even  sheep.  At  night,  how- 
ever, they  were  abroad  and  sheep  were  not 
safe,  even  in  the  village,  unless  protected  by 
a  hiofh  stake  and  ridered  fence  too  high  for 
the  animals  to  jump  over.  Even  persons 
were  not  altogether  safe  from  the  large  tim- 
ber wolf  that  was  the  prevailing  species  here, 
and  no  one  thought  it  prudent  to  go  out  at 
night  without  a  torch,  which  served  the 
double  purpose  of  light  and  a  means  of 
defense. 

The  early  members  of  this  community  were 
not   especially    well-to-do.        ISIost   of  them 


brought  sufficient  capital  only  to  improve  a 
farm  in  a  country  where  but  little  more  than 
energy  and  frugality  wure  recpiired,  and  these 
were,  fortunately,  sufficient  to  found  a  home 
here.  After  the  very  first  arrivals,  immigrants 
found  ojjen  doors,  and  willing  hands  to  assist 
in  raising  a  cabin.  A  single  dav  sufficed  for 
the  united  neighborhood  to  erect  the  rude 
structure,  build  a  fire-place  and  chimney  and 
saw  out  the  logs  for  doorway  and  windows. 
Into  houses  in  this  condition  the  new  arrivals 
were  generally  glad  to  remove,  for  free  as  the 
hospitality  of  the  pioneer  may  have  been,  it 
had  no  power  to  increase  the  capacity  of  the 
caliin,  and  two  families  packed  a  little  dwell- 
ing, designed  for  one,  to  overflowing.  Blank- 
ets supplied  the  place  of  windows  and  doors, 
and  furs,  skins  and  blankets  spread  on  brush 
or  the  puncheon  floor  supplied  the  beds. 
Furniture  of  all  sorts  was  improvised  out  of 
such  boxes  and  barrels  as  were  brought  into 
the  country  containing  household  goods,  or 
manufactured  from  the  timber  with  the  ax 
and  drawshare.  Each  man  was  the  architect 
of  his  own  fortune,  and  while  the  whole 
neighborhood  lent  willing  assistance  in  case 
of  special  need,  each  one  was  too  busy  with 
his  own  affairs  to  ply  any  trade  for  general 
hire.  There  was  scarcely  any  medium  of  ex- 
change by  which  such  interchange  of  labor 
could  be  effected  on  any  extended  scale. 
Corn  and  wheat  were  ground,  wool  carded, 
and  cotton  ginned  on  a  system  of  tolls; 
schools  a  little  later  were  maintained  by  the 
subscription  of  pork,  corn  or  wheat,  and  shoes 
were  sometimes  made  by  men  who  lacked  the 
small  means  to  start  a  farm,  in  the  same  way, 
but  the  interchange  of  labor  was  mainly  ef- 
fected by  "  swapping  work."  The  cabin  once 
erected,  the  first  care  was  to  provide  for  a 
crop.  On  the  prairie  land,  this  preparatory 
work  consisted  of  "  breaking  "  and  allowing 
the  land  to  lie  fallow  until  spring  if  possible, 
but  generally  a  crop  was  put  in  at  once,  the 


HISXOUY  OF  CLARK  COUNTY. 


355 


corn  being  dropped  in  every  third  furrow. 
Ill  tiie  woodland,  ol  wliich  the  larger  part  of 
this  township  consisted,  the  object  was  ac- 
complished with  more  difficulty.  During  the 
winter  about  ten  acres  would  be  "cut  over," 
the  trees  felled,  cut  into  logs  about  twelve 
feet  long,  brush  trimmed  and  limbs  cut  in 
suitable  lengths  to  handle.  Early  in  the 
spring  an  invitation  was  sent  out  for  a  dis- 
tance of  five  to  twelve  miles  to  a  "  logging 
bee."  There  was  sure  to  be  a  full  attendance, 
such  a  thing  as  "  regrets  "  not  being  known  to 
the  crude  society  of  the  early  day.  A  few 
would  bring  their  ox  teams,for  which  there  was 
generally  but  little  use,  if  any,  in  the  logging. 
The  timber  was  raised  on  "  hand-spikes  "  and 
carried  by  five  or  eight  men  and  placed  upon 
the  heap  for  burning.  ^Yhen  all  was  pre- 
])ared,  the  part}'  invited  would  generally  be 
able  to  pile  up  the  whole  ten  acres  in  a  day. 
The  work  was  done  with  a  hearty  good  will, 
and  never  taxed  the  strength  of  the  workers 
sufficiently  to  prevent  their  enjoying  the  gen- 
erous meal  and  dance  with  which  the  occa- 
sion generally  closed.  This  done,  the  heaps 
were  fired  and  left  to  the  care  of  the  wife  and 
boys,  while  the  father  respomled  to  the  invi- 
tations of  his  neighbors.  Thus  it  was  no  un- 
common thing  in  the  earlier  years  of  the  set- 
tlement for  the  mule  part  of  the  community 
to  spend  a  month  or  six  weeks  in  the  spring 
of  the  year,  "  logging  up  "  the  farms  for  sev- 
eral miles  around.  Then  came  the  plowing 
among  roots  and  stumps  and  putting  in  the 
crop.  There  was  always  an  abundant  har- 
vest. But  a  small  part  was  needed  for  the 
family  or  stock  and  there  was  no  market  for 
the  surplus.  In  fact,  the  inroads  of  game 
left  very  little  surplus  for  the  first  year  or  two. 
This  abundance  of  game  was  altogether  a 
mi.Ked  evil.  When  first  planted  the  crop  was 
subject  to  the  attack  of  crows,  black-birds 
and  squirrels,  when  further  advanced  the 
thousands  of  wild  ducks  and  geese  and  tur- 


keys   sometimes    threatened   to  take  all  that 
was  left.     Geese  were  especially  destructive 
to  young  wheat,  cropping  the  blade  close  to 
the  ground  and  their  droppings  killing  what 
they  could  not  eat.     Deer  wore  numerous,  and 
wolves,    while  the  timber  swarmed  with  the 
chattering   game    that    found    shelter   there. 
"Painters"  were  too  numerous  for  a  feeling 
of  security  though  they  were  generally  easily 
frightened    away    or  left  without  danger    of 
their  pursuing  a  person.     On  one  occasion  a 
man    riding    along    a  trail  in  the  woods  was 
considerably   frightened   and   his  horse    con- 
siderably scratched  by  one  of  these  animals 
springing  upon  him  from  a  tree,  but  it  lost  its 
hold    and    was    soon     left    in    the     distance. 
Women  out  picking  berries  were  often  startled 
by  seeing  these  animals  crouched  in  neighbor- 
boring  trees  evidently  meditating  the  chances 
of  an  attack,  but  no  serious  results  are  known 
to  have  occurred  from  them  here.     Without 
this  abundance  of  game  it  is  difficult  to  deter- 
mine  how   mucii   of  the   country  would  have 
been  early  settled.     For  a  time  this  was  the 
almost    sole   dependence   of  the   pioneer  for 
meat  and  added  greatly   to  his   comfort  if  it 
.did  not  render    one    of    the    essentials  for  an 
early  settlement.     The  ease  with  which  sup- 
plies  could   be   got  from  the  country  without 
labor,  and  the  sport  which   it   afforded  at  the 
same  time,  led  certain  ones  of  every   settle- 
ment to  lose  sight  of  the  demand  of  the  future 
and  to  rely  upon   this  uncertain  support.      A 
few  years  brought   a  rude   awakening.     The 
game  gradually  decreased  or  were  driven  ofT 
by  the  merciless   onslaught  of  the  settlers  and 
many  found  it  easier  and  more  suited  to  their 
tastes  to  follow  the   game  than  to  turn  to  the 
more  exacting  duties  of  farming. 

Darwin,  like  the  settlement  lower  down  on 
the  river,  removed  from  the  advantages  of 
older  settlements,  learned  early  to  depend 
upon  their  own  resources  for  the  comforts  of 
life.     This    was    especially    marked    in    the 


356 


HISTORY  OF  CLAUIC  COUNTY. 


clothing  of  the  people  and  the  adornment  of 
the  home.  The  sheep  early  brought  in.  sup- 
plied the  wool  which  was  carded  by  hand  or 
taken  two  or  three  days  journey  to  some  mill 
which  prepared  it  for  spinning  and  weaving. 
Cotton  was  considerably  grown  and  added  an 
unusual  facility  for  varying  the  clothing  for 
the  hot  and  cold  seasons.  But  deer-skin  was 
very  largely  in  use  by  the  men  because  of  its 
durability.  It  was  not  very  good  material  to  get 
into  on  a  cold  morning  or  to  wear  after  get- 
ting wet,  but  these  were  minor  discomforts 
which  were  not  allowed  to  excite  discontent. 
A  compromise  was  early  effected  between  the 
linsey-woolsey  and  buckskin  type  of  frontier 
clothing,  especially  for  holiday  wear.  Jeans 
were  manufactured  at  home,  and  clothing 
reinforced  at  the  knees  and  on  the  seat,  and 
on  the  front  of  the  coat,  with  buckskin,  were 
thought  exceptionally  fine.  Several  of  the 
women  gained  a  wide-spread  reputation  for 
the  taste  and  skill  with  which  these  somewhat 
ungainly  patches  were  made  to  take  on  an 
ornamental  character. 

Closely  allied  with  all  this  serious  work  of 
the  community  was  its  sources  of  recreation. 
The  demands  of  modern  development  have 
changed  all  this.  Work  and  play  have  been 
divorced  and  so  changed  in  their  natures 
that  they  have  almost  changed  places.  Divis- 
ion of  labor  and  the  application  of  machin- 
ery has  relieved  the  serious  occupations  of  life 
of  much  of  their  toil,  while  amusements  are 
placed  under  such  a  tariff  of  social  exactions 
that  a  life  devoted  exclusively  to  cither  shows 
very  little  difference  in  the  outcome  save  per- 
haps to  the  advantage  of  a  life  of  labor.  This 
change  is  keenly  felt  by  those  who  still  sur- 
vive pioneer  days,  and  they  are  few  indeed, 
who  do  not  speak  with  heart-felt  regret  at  the 
passing  of  these  "good  old  times."  There 
was  no  spirit  of  caste  in  the  settlement  of 
Darwin.  The  richest  were  poor,  and  the  poor 
lived  in  abundance,  and  each  one  who  came 


to  share  the  resjjonsibilities  of  the  community 
were  at  once  taken  into  the  charmed  circle  of 
frontier  hospitality.     Logging  and  cabin  rais- 
ings   brought    the    men    together    for    miles 
around,  while  quilting,  cotton-picking,  spin- 
ning,   apple-paring,     and     husking     brought 
together    the    young    and  old  of  both  sexes. 
These    occasions   often   closed  with  a  supper 
and  a  dance  when  the  men  came  in.     Samuel 
Yocum  and  Thomas  Carico  were  the  violinists 
in  demand   and   gave   their  services   free  of 
charge.       On    holiday    occasions,    Christmas, 
4th  of  July,  etc.,  a  regular  ball  was  the  special 
entertainment,  but  "  bussing-bees  "as the  old- 
er ones  called  them,  or  games  of  forfeit  were  the 
general  feature  of  ordinary  gatherings.     Cards 
were  generally  played  by  both  sexes  and   an 
evening  call  was   hardly  complete   without  a 
few  games  of  eucher   or   whist.     The   sterner 
sex,  however,  seemed  to  demand  a  stronger 
excitement  and  shooting  matches,  horse-rac- 
ing and    gambling    rapidly    grew  into  favor. 
Idi  fact  they  became  the  absorbing  pleasure 
and   Darwin    early   gained    a  reputation  for 
thrjse    excitements   that   was   the   reverse  of 
flattering.     With    all    this    there   was  an  un- 
stinted use  of   whisky  which,  contrary  to  the 
usual  statement  of  "  old  settlers,"    did    make 
the  people  drunk  and  incite  to  deeds  of  ruffian- 
ism.    The  women  were  generally  "  tee-total- 
ers."      Occasionally  they  sipped  a  little  toddy 
but  their  inliuence  was,  as  a  class,  against  the 
use   of  whisky,   although  their    education  did 
not  lead  them  to  any  active  persuasion  against 
it.     To  this  should   be  added  a  general   dis- 
regard for  the  Sabbath.     There   were  earnest 
Christian  people  in  the  early  settlement,  who 
had  imbibed  the  Puritan  notion    of    Sunday, 
but  they  were  helplessly  in  the  minority,  and 
the  Lord's  day  was  a  special   holiday  for  this 
vicious  class  of  excitements. 

The  land  which  was  held  by  speculators 
came  into  market  abo\it  1831,  by  public  sale, 
and  the  township  to  which  the    pages  are   de- 


HISTORY  OF  CLARK  COt^NTY. 


357 


voted  rapidly    settled   up.     There    had  been 
some  development  of  business  interests  before 
tins,  but  the  prosperity  of  Darwin  dates  from 
this  change.     The    farmers    found    but   little 
demand  at  home  for  their   surplus  crops    and 
emulating  the  example  of  other   settlements 
began  very  early  to  ship  their  produce    down 
the  river.     When  all  were  engaged    it  is  dif- 
ficult to  learn  when  or  by  -whom  the  first  boat 
was  sent  out  from  Darwin,  but  almost    every 
farmer  took  part  in  this  undertaking  to  a  more 
or  less  extent.     The  boats  were  manufactured 
on  the  banks  of  the  river  by  the   farmer    who 
used  them  though  it  subsequently   became   a 
considerable  business  to  which  some    devoted 
their  attention  exclusively,  selling  a    finished 
boat  at  a  dollar  per  linear   foot.     The   plan 
was  to  take  a  fine    poplar   or  sycamore    tree, 
hew  it  in  rectangular  shape  about   18    by    24 
inches.     This  was   split   through  the  middle 
leaving  strips  about  12  by  IS   inches    and   of 
lengths  varying  from  55   to   75  feet.     These 
were  the  "  gutiwales  "  and    formed   the  main 
strength  of  the  structure.     The  heart  side  was 
placed  outward  and  on  the  inner  lower  corner 
was  cut  a  "gain  "  large  enough  to  allow  the 
two-inch  flooring  to  rest  in  it  and  come  to  the 
level  of  the  bottom   of  the  "  gunwale."     The 
width  of  the  boats  was  from  15  to  20  feet  and 
was  established  by  cross-pieces  framed  in  the 
"gunwales"  at     moderate    distances   apart. 
Lengthwise    the   boat   was  furtlier  strength- 
ened    by  "streamers  "  running  parallel    with 
the  "  gunwales  "  about  four  feet  apart.     Upon 
this  frame  work,  securely  framed  and  fastened 
together,  a  flooring  of  two-inch    planks   was 
laid  double,   pinned  with  wooden  pins    and 
heavy  nails.     The  boat  thus  far   constructed 
was  bottom    side    up,    and  after   being  well 
caulked  the  difficulty  was  to  turn    it  over    to 
be  finished.     The  practice  was   to   choose  a 
location  on  the  bank  of  the    river  convenient 
for  launching,  and  when    the  work    reached 
this  stage,  to  turn  it  on  the  land,  though    the 


more  skillful  turned  them  in  the  water.     If  it 
was  done  on  the  .'and,  the   neighborhood  was 
invited,  and  all  joined  in  lifting  the  one   side 
of  the  wooden   leviathan    and    letting    it    fall 
on  brush  heaps  an.l  a  multitude  of  hoop-poles 
somewhat  inclined  to  break  its  fall.     This  was 
attended  with   considerable   risk   of  damage 
and  the  other  way  was  preferred.     This  was  to 
place  a  temporary  board  railing  on    one  side 
and  the  ends.     Against  this  an  embankment, 
of  earth  was  placed  on  the  boat,  and  thus  pre- 
pared it  was   launched    into  the  stream    and 
towed  by  yawls  into    the    deep   water.     The 
side  of  the    boat   weighted    with    earth  was 
placed  across   the  current  up  the  stream  and 
while    held  in  this  position  the    embankment 
of  earth  was  broken  in    two   places   to  allow 
the  water  to  run  over  the  top.     The  weight  of 
the  earth  held   one  side    considerably    lower 
than  the  other  and  on  being  broken  down  the 
current  got  such  hold  of  it  as  to  turn  it  right 
under  the  stream.     Great  care  was  necessary 
to    prevent    the    embankment    from     being 
broken  prematurely,  and  for  those  who    man- 
ao-ed  the  turning  to  escape   a  serious  wetting 
bv  leaping  in  a  small  boat  kept  near  at  hand. 
When  turned,  it  was  hauled   to   shore    by    a 
cable  previously  fastened  to  it  and  then  com- 
pleted.     The  "  gunwales"  were    trimmed   off 
at  the  prow  to  give  the  boat  the  proper  "  rake" ; 
sides  about  four    feet   high   were    added    by 
nailing  clapboards  on  studding  framed  in  the 
sills  or  "gunwales,"  and  then  the  whole  was 
roofed  over  with  boards    projecting  over    the 
sides  to  shed  the  water  perfectly,  and  rounded 
from  one  side  to  the  other,  the  center  being 
about  five  and  a  half  to  six  feet  high.     About 
six  feet  of  the  stern  was   boarded   off  for   a 
cabin,  provided   with   bunks    on    either    side 
and  a  stone  fire-place    with    "  cat  and  clay  " 
chimney.     About  three  feet  of  the  front    end 
was  left  inclosed  to  prevent  the  greater  dam- 
ao-e  of  snags,  and  when  provided  with  sweeps 
on  each  side  and  a  steering  oar   in    the    rear 


358 


HISTORY  OF  CLARK  COUNTY. 


the  craft  was  complete.  These  boats  dif- 
fered in  size  and  would  carry  from  two  to 
five  thousand  bushels  of  grain.  At  first  each 
man  was  his  own  pilot,  but  as  the  business 
increased  there  were  those  whose  frequent 
trips  down  the  river  gave  their  judfrment  a 
money  value,  and  providing  themselves  with 
published  charts  of  the  river,  they  set  up 
as  pilots.  These  men  were  subsequently 
hired  to  navigate  the  boats  and  were 
paid  at  first  from  $50  to  $75  a  trijo,  and 
later,  according  to  the  length  of  the  boat, 
a  dollar  per  linear  foot.  From  three  to 
eight  hands  were  employed  as  crew  at 
about  $30  per  'rip,  all  employes  being 
boarded  on  the  trip,  and  all  paying  the  en- 
tire expense  of  their  return.  The  whole  cost 
of  such  a  trip  including  boats  was  from  $300 
to  $400,  though  a  part  of  this  was  recovered 
by  the  sale  of  the  boat  in  New  Orleans,  which 
lessened  the  net  cost  by  some  twenty-five  to 
seventy-five  dollars.  If  the  boat  was  made 
of  carefully  selected  lumber,  and  the  market 
was  favorable  the  cost  of  the  boat  was  some- 
times realized. 

The  quickest  trips  from  Darwin  to  New 
Orleans  were  one  in  fourteen  days,  and  one 
in  sixteen  days,  the  average  trip  being  some- 
what longer  and  depending  upon  the  weather. 
The  start  was  generally  made  upon  the 
spring  flood  and  if  the  nights  were  clear  and 
light,  no  snags  were  encountered,  and  no 
delays  occasioned  by  "  tying  up "  to  the 
bank  at  night  as  a  matter  of  prudence,  the 
quickest  time  mentioned  could  be  attained. 
But  such  a  favorable  combination  of  circum- 
stances were  seldom  known.  These  trips 
though  accomplished  by  men  unfamiliar  with 
the  science  of  navigation  were  not  free  from 
serious  risks  of  personal  danger  and  financial 
embarrassment.  After  steamboats  began  to 
ply  the  Mississippi  and  Ohio  the  danger  of 
being  run  down  by  them  was  very  great  in 
dark  nights,  and  the  general  practice  w;is    to 


lie  by  on  such  occasions.  At  first  the  only 
signal  lights  were  torches,  and  later,  lanterns. 
All  experience  is  related  when  one  of  these 
boats  had  entered  a  shute  near  one  of  the 
islands  in  the  Mississippi,  the  crew  heard  a 
steamer  coming  up  the  stream.  The  channel 
ran  close  to  the  island  and  the  night  being 
dark  there  was  the  greatest  danger  of  a  col- 
lision. A  man  was  placed  on  the  bow  with  a 
lantern  but  the  steamer  seemed  to  be  coming 
directly  on  the  boat.  The  lantern  was  waved 
and  everything  possible  was  done  to  indicate 
the  location  of  the  boat  to  the  steamer's  pilot 
but  seemingly  of  no  avail;  but  just  at  the 
point  of  contact  the  steamboat  sheered  off, 
but  with  so  small  space  between  that  the 
name  of  the  boat  could  be  read  by  the  light 
of  the  lantern.  On  another  occasion  a  snag 
struck  the  rake  of  the  boat  so  far  back  as  to 
let  the  water  into  the  cargo  and  as  it  could 
not  be  reached  the  boat  began  to  sink.  For- 
tunately it  was  loaded  with  corn  on  the  ear 
and  after  settling  down  more  than  half  wav 
the  boat  floated  and  was  subsequently  saved. 
Though  such  incidents  were  common  the  voy- 
agers from  this  settlement  never  suffered  any 
serious  losses  or  accidents.  This  river  traf- 
fic attained  vast  proportions,  from  fifty  to 
seventy-five  boats  passing  the  settlement  in  a 
day  during  the  season,  and  this  continued  up 
to  about  1861  with  almost  unabated  vigor. 

With  such  business  activity  the  develop- 
ment of  a  village  was  certain,  but  long  before 
the  business  had  attained  any  considerable 
proportions  a  beginning  for  a  village  had  been 
made.  A  tow^n  was  platted  very  early  on  a 
part  of,  or  near,  the  site  of  Darwin  Village, 
probably  by  Doctor  Patrick  and  John  Essarey. 
Septer  and  Charles  Patrick  were  emigrants 
from  Auburn,  near  New  York,  and  came  here 
in  1818.  Septer  Patrick  was  a  physician  of 
more  than  ordinary  ability,  and  both  were 
active,  enterprising  men,  who  appreciated 
the  advantages  of  the    landing    and  laid  out 


HISTORY  OF  CLARK  COUNTY. 


359 


the  village  of  Sterling.  In  the  following  \-ear 
the  county  was  formed  and  in  connection 
with  Chester  Fitch,  Doctor  Patrick  laid  out 
Aurora  on  the  bend  of  the  river  above  Darwin, 
securing  the  location  of  the  county  seat  at 
that  point.  It  is  probable  that  though  the 
site  of  Sterling  was  more  eligible  for  a  town, 
the  persons  interested  did  not  coramand  land 
enough  to  make  the  investment  profitable 
and  so  moved  up  the  river.  The  site  chosen 
had  but  a  single  feature  to  recommend  the  lo- 
cation. The  landing  is  one  of  the  best  on  the 
river,  but  there  was  no  room  for  the  town 
without  climbing  a  bluff  which  would  be  the 
death  of  any  village  enterprise.  Neverthe- 
less, the  county  seat  was  fixed  at  Aurora, 
a  courthouse  was  built,  but  that  was  the  end  of 
the  project.  The  court  house  still  remains 
to  do  service  as  a  stable,  and  a  single  resi- 
dence, that  of  O.  C.  Lowell,  marks  the  site  of 
the  ambitious  village.  The  county  seat  was 
subsequently  changed  to  Darwin,  which  was 
laid  out  on  land  contributed  by  John  Mc- 
Clure,  and  it  is  said  received  its  name  from 
Doctor  Patrick  after  the  father  of  Charles 
Darwin,  the  celebrated  naturalist  and  author. 
The  prestige  of  the  county  seat  did  little  for 
the  growth  of  Aurora.  The  Leonard  brothers 
and  Doctor  Patrick  moved  there  and  began 
some  business  enterprises,  and  Silas  Hoskin 
opened  a  tavern,  but  the  failure  of  this  enter- 
prise was  a  foregone  conclusion.  Darwin 
flourished  as  though  it  had  no  near  rival.  John 
Essarey  was  licensed  to  keep  a  tavern  "  at  his 
now  place  of  residence,  situate  near  John  Mc- 
Clure's  at  the  head  of  Walnut  Prairie,"  and 
McClure  was  licensed  "  to  keep  a  ferry  across 
the  Wabash  River  at  his  house."  Thus  com- 
petition was  fairly  begun  between  the  rivals 
at  the  first  term  of  the  commissioners'  court. 
There  was  no  difference  of  opinion  in  the  minds 
of  the  people  upon  the  merits  of  the  two  situa- 
tions, and  it  was  simply  a  contest  between 
the  energy  and  influence  of  Doctor   Patrick 


on  one  side,  and  the  judgment  of  the  whole 
county  backed  by  the  manifest  advantage  of 
the  Darwin  location  on  the  other.  The  out- 
come could  scarcely  be  in  doubt  and  yet  it 
was  delayed  until  January,  1823,  when  by  act 
of  the  Legislature  the  county  seat  was 
changed.  The  early  competition  seems  to 
have  aroused  no  active  jealousies,  and  the 
course  of  Darwin  seems  to  have  been  hence- 
forward as  smooth  as  could  be,  in  the  nature 
of  things.  Acquiring  the  county  seat  did  little 
more  for  Darwin,  at  first,  than  to  give  it  a 
recognized  position  as  a  village  and  rid  it  of 
an  annoying  rivalry.  In  IS, 4,  it  received  a 
valuable  accession,  in  W.  P.  Bennett,  a 
native  of  New  York,  and  a  prominent  attor- 
ney. In  the  same  year,  John  Stockwell,  a 
native  of  Massachusetts  came.  He  had  wan- 
dered to  New  Hampshire,  and  in  1S"23,  hail 
gone  down  the  river  as  one  of  a  flat  boat 
crew  to  New  Orleans.  Here  he  met  Dr. 
Patrick  and  through  his  influence,  in  1824, 
came  to  Darwin.  In  the  following  vear, 
Justin  Harlan  came  from  Ohio,  and  Uri  Man- 
ley  from  Massachusetts.  These  accessions, 
with  others  of  about  the  same  time,  gave  to 
Darwin  that  which  it  most  stood  in  need  of,  an 
element  fitted  to  discharge  the  new  respon- 
sibilities laid  upon  it  by  the  removal  of  the 
seat  of  justice,  with  credit  and  ability. 

In  1825  the  village  was  regularly  platted 
and  recorded.  The  original  village  compris- 
ing sixteen  blocks  of  eight  lots  each,  laid  out 
parallel  with  the  river,  on  what  was  known 
as  McClure's  bluff.  It  was  situated  on  the 
first  "bench,"  commanding  one  of  the  pleas- 
antest  outlooks  on  the  river,  and  overlooking 
a  considerable  extent  of  sloping  bottom  land, 
which  served  as  an  admirable  boat  landing. 
With  the  beginning  of  such  individuality 
came  the  hotel.  Succeeding  Essarey,  came 
Samuel  Baldy;  in  another  part  of  the  town, 
Mrs.  Nathaniel  McClure  kept  hotel  for  a 
number  of  years,  and  James  P.  Jones.     The 


360 


HISTORY  OF  CLARK  COUNTY. 


latter  occupied  the  Patrick  residence,  near 
Sackrider's  home,  and  was  for  the  time  the 
leading  hotel.  Here  the  court  officers  lodged, 
and  many  a  tale  of  frontier  fun  and  hospi- 
tality is  told  of  this  early  hostelry.  On  one 
occasion,  when  the  august  minds  of  the  coun- 
ty officials  were  wrapped  in  slumber,  though 
the  "  busy  housewife  plied  her  evening  care," 
the  whole  house  was  aroused  and  startled  by 
the  screams  of  Polly  Jones,  the  landlady.  It 
appears  that  she  had  gone  to  the  smoke- 
house, intent  upon  the  morning  meal,  and  had 
been  startled  by  an  unusual  stir  within  the 
dark  precinct.  On  investigation  an  opos- 
sum was  found  and  brought  in,  and  the  guests 
having  appeared  on  the  scene  in  various  states 
of  dishabille,  the  matter  was  brought  up  in  a 
committee  of  the  whole  and  ended  by  deciding 
to  eat  the  opossum  for  breakfast.  The  com- 
pany had  hardly  returned  to  their  be  is  before  a 
second  series  of  screams  from  Mrs.  Jones 
once  more  summoned  the  household.  Again 
the  disturber  of  the  peace  was  found  to  be 
an  opossum,  and  the  offense  seemed  so  grave 
that  it  was  decided  to  bring  the  culprit  be- 
fore the  court.  Judge  John  Richardson  pre- 
sided, Major  Bennet  and  .John  M.  Robinson 
appeared  for  the  prosecution,  and  Bell,  an 
attorney  here  on  business  before  the  court, 
was  assigned  to  the  defense.  A  jury  was 
empanneled,  and  when  all  was  ready  the 
sheriff,  .John  Stockwell,  brouglit  in  the  pris- 
oner. The  appearance  of  the  culprit  was 
very  much  against  it,  and  nothing  could  in- 
duce him  to  plead  to  the  indictment.  But 
little  time  was  taken  to  prove  the  facts,  and 
the  defense  seemed  to  rely  more  upon  its 
ability  to  work  on  the  sympathy  of  the  court 
and  jury,  than  upon  the  merits  of  the  facts. 
The  pleadings  of  the  lawyers  are  said  to 
have  been  masterly  in  their  way;  that  of  the 
prosecution  loudly  demanding  the  protection 
of  a  helpless  community,  and  praying  for  the 
interposition  of  the  aegis  of  just  law;    while 


the  defense  made  an  eloquent  appeal  for 
helplessness  under  compromising  circum- 
stances, and  pictured  the  grandeur  of  justice 
tempered  by  mercy.  The  prisoner  was  ev- 
idently alive  to  the  necessity  of  the  occasion 
and  slowly  crawled  under  the  chair  of  the 
judge,  an  action  which  his  lawyer  turned  very 
effectively.  It  was  apparent,  however,  that 
nothing  but  the  satiated  feeling  of  the  court 
at  the  prospect  of  its  first  victim,  could  save 
the  accused  from  the  extreme  penalty  of  the 
law;  and  it  was  doubtless  a  cause  of  con- 
gratulation to  the  defense  that  the  result  was 
no  worse.  The  jury  brought  in  a  verdict 
for  the  prosecution,  and  the  judge  solemnly 
declared  that  the  least  outraged  justice  could 
demand,  was  that  the  culprit  should  be  crop- 
ped, bobbed  and  transported  for  life  to  In- 
diana. The  penalty  as  to  the  ears  and  tail 
was  summarily  inflicted,  without  eliciting  a 
murmur  from  the  victim,  and  the  sheriff,  ac- 
companied by  the  whole  court,  repaired  to 
the  river  to  see  that  the  further  penalty  of 
transportation  was  effected.  Arrived  at  the 
river,  the  prisoner  made  his  first  eflort  at 
evading  the  mandate  of  the  law.  Mutilation 
was  severe,  but  the  prospect  of  a  life  in  In- 
diana was  too  much  even  for  a  'possum,  and 
in  spite  of  the  dignity  of  the  assembled  offi- 
cials and  sundry  sticks  and  stones,  he 
swam  back  to  face  indignant  justice  rather 
than  the"Hoosier"  shore.  It  was  in  vain! 
Even  such  heroic  patriotism  awakened  no 
svmpathy  in  the  court.  Thrown  into  the 
river  again  and  assailed  by  a  shower  of  mis- 
siles, he  made  for  the  farther  shore,  though 
doubtless  with  strong  mental  reservations. 
It  will  be  a  cruel  blow  to  those  who  believe 
in  the  reformatory  character  of  the  law,  and 
denounce  the  theory  of  "total  depravity,"  to 
learn  that  in  the  following  year  this  same 
cropped  and  bobbed  'possum  vras  found  in 
the  same  smoke-house,  seized  and  eaten. 
The    first  store  was  opened  by  Worden  & 


HISTORY  OF  CLARK  COUNTY. 


3G1 


AVooster,  in  a  cabin  fronting  on  the  river, 
just  north  of  the  Harlan  residence,  which 
was  erected  by  Mr.  Kibbey.  These  mcr- 
cliants  first  made  their  appearance  in  Dar- 
win about  1S29.  They  were  traders  on  a  keel- 
boat,  and  were  in  the  habit  of  tying  up  op- 
posite a  village  for  a  few  days,  to  supply  such 
trade  as  the  local  stores  did  not  furnish. 
They  were  persuaded  by  some  of  the  citizens 
to  locate  here,  though  they  stayed  only  about 
a  vear.  They  were  succeeded  in  the  fall  of 
1830  by  John  and  James  Waters,  who  used 
the  log  cabin  for  a  while,  but  subsequently 
erected  a  brick  building,  which  still  stands 
on  the  river  bank  in  the  northern  part  of  the 
village.  These  men  were  active,  enterpris- 
ing men  of  business,  and  began  buying  grain 
and  produce  of  the  farmers  in  exchange  for 
goods.  The  grain  they  marketed  in  New 
Orleans,  sending  from  six  to  a  dozen  boats 
down  the  river  in  a  season.  James  became 
somewhat  dissipated  and  did  much  to  hinder 
the  success  of  the  firm,  and  subsequently 
sold  his  interest  to  his  brother.  John  carried 
the  business  on  until  his  death  in  1847,  amass- 
ing considerable  property,  which  he  lost, 
however,  in  unfortunate  speculations.  In  the 
meanwhile,  Knott  &  Philips  opened  a  small 
grocery  store  in  a  building  which  stood  on 
the  river  front,  near  the  present  mill.  Knott 
subsequently  succeeded  to  the  sole  proprie- 
torship of  the  business,  and  built  a  large 
frame  structure,  which  he  sold  soon  after  to 
Clark  &  Geer,  who  carried  on  a  large  gen- 
eral store  for  a  number  of  years. 

The  ajjitation  in  reference  to  a  removal  of 
the  county  seat,  which  occurred  from  1833  to 
1837,  had  a  very  depressing  influence  upon 
the  prosperity  of  Darwin.  It  was  felt  by  its 
citizens  that  the  town  would  sink  into  insig- 
nificance; and  this  impression  had  such  an 
cITect  upon  outsiders,  that  these  years  were 
years  of  stagnation  in  business  matters.  Con- 
trary to  all  expectation,  however,  when  once 


the  matter  was  decided,  the  despondent  vil- 
lage livened  into  an  unprecedented  activity. 
Roads  leading  to  Charleston,  Oakland,  and 
to  Etfingiiam,  had  been  established,  and  Dar- 
win began  to  grow  into  a  distributing  point 
hardly  less  important  than  Terre  Haute. 
About  this  time  James  and  Harry  Ross  came 
from  the  latter  place  and  did  a  thriving  busi-. 
ness.  They  handled  immense  quantities  of 
grain,  built  and  conducted  a  large  pork  pack- 
ing establishment,  and  in  three  years  made  a 
large  amount  of  money.  They  were  suc- 
ceeded by  Allen  Sackrider,  who  continued 
this  line  of  business,  and  gradually  worked 
into  the  commission  and  forwarding  business 
on  the  most  extensive  scale.  In  the  season 
of  bad  roads,  when  country  merchants  found 
it  difficult  to  remove  their  goods,  the  whole 
town  seemed  to  be  filled  with  Sackrider's 
consignments.  The  whole  flat  in  front  of  the 
town  would  be  covered,  and  every  empty 
building  and  stable  filled  with  these  goods. 
It  was  no  uncommon  thing  to  see  three  or 
four  steamboats  unloading  at  once,  and  it 
was  a  source  of  considerable  strife  among  the 
boatmen  to  secure  a  clear  space  for  unload- 
ing. Mr.  Sackrider  carried  on  a  successful 
business  here  until  1868,  when  he  closed  out 
his  stock  and  went  to  Terre  Haute. 

Among  the  earliest  manufacturing  interests 
of  the  town  was  a  tannery  established  by 
James  B.  Anderson  about  1829.  About  1822 
the  Patrick  brothers  built  a  large  log  build- 
ing on  the  site  of  Aurora  for  a  distillery. 
Here  they  manufactured  the  grain  obtained 
of  the  farmers  into  whisky  and  shipped  con- 
siderable quantities  down  tl\e  river.  The 
distillery  had  a  capacity  of  about  two  barrels 
per  day,  and  was  continued  some  seven  years, 
when  it  was  abandoned.  Alexander  McClure 
had  another  manufactory  of  this  kind  at  Dar- 
win, but  continued  it  only  some  two  years. 
The  first  mill,  a  saw  and  grist  mill  combined, 
was  built  by  LeRoy  Cory  on  the  river  bank 


332 


HISTORY  OF  CLARK  COUNTY. 


near  the  central  part  of  town.  It  was  pro- 
pelled by  steam,  and  was  burned  down,  and 
rebuilt  by  Corj'.  It  was  again  luirned  down, 
and  rebuilt  by  Thomas  Underwood,  and  still 
serves  the  purpose  of  its  construction.  A 
man  of  some  ingenuity,  by  the  name  of  Ben- 
nett, constructed  a  mill  on  the  bank  of  the 
river  with  a  wheel  situated  on  a  float  so  as  to 
utilize  the  current  of  the  river.  It  was  adapt- 
ed to  the  rise  and  fall  of  the  water,  and  served 
its  purpose  well  until  the  ice  of  a  spring 
freshet  carried  it  off.  The  prosperity  of  the 
town,  however,  depended  upon  its  success  as 
a  distriljuting  point.  The  construction  of  the 
railroad  from  Indianapolis  to  Terre  Haute 
struck  a  staggering  blow  at  this  success,  the 
effect  of  which  was  emphasized  by  the  Van- 
dalia  route  in  1870.  The  present  village  is  a 
quiet  little  town  of  some  two  hundred  inhab- 
itants, with  but  little  to  remind  one  of  its  early 
greatness.  A  store,  blacksmith  shop  and 
mill  remain  of  its  business  activity,  and  a 
ferry  still  serves  as  a  connecting  link  between 
the  ends  of  the  highway  which  touches  either 
shore  of  the  river  at  this  point,  but  it  is  no 
longer  the  metropolis  of  Clark  County. 

The  pioneer  preacher  in  this  settlement, 
and  indeed  in  the  county,  was  Rev.  James 
McCord.  He  was  a  native  of  North  Carolina, 
self-educated  in  theology,  and  self-appointed 
to  the  ministry.  Traveling  up  and  down  the 
Wabash  valley,  he  preached  in  the  cabins  and 
groves,  without  money  and  without  price.  He 
was  a  loud  and  earnest  singer,  and  never  failed 
to  tell  his  audiences  of  his  trip  up  the  river  on 
his  first  arrival  at  Vincennes.  He  was  instru- 
mental in  achieving  much  good,  and  prepared 
the  way  for  others  who  gathered  much  from 
his  sowing.  The  first  regular  Methodist  itin- 
erant here  was  Rev.  Aaron  Wood.  He  was 
a  man  of  good  intellectual  ability,  and  be- 


came a  prominent  man  in  church  circles  here. 
In  1830  Rev.  Enoch  Bouten,  of  the  Pres- 
byterian denomination,  organized  a  chui'ch  in 
Darwin,  among  the  membars  of  which  were 
James  Smith,  George  and  Thomas  Armstrong, 
Mrs.  John  Chenoweth  and  John  Welch  and 
wife.  Services  were  held  in  the  old  court 
house,  and  for  three  years  Rev.  Bennett  pre- 
sided as  pastor.  He  was  a  native  of  Phila- 
delphia, an  early  settler  in  Coles  County,  and 
a  man  of  good  ability.  He  held  services  once 
a  month,  but  was  so  strict — actualhj  demand- 
inc]  order  durlncj  services — that  the  people 
conceived  a  dislike  for  him.  It  is  said  that 
he  was  an  old  bachelor,  and  that  this  circum- 
stance had  soured  his  disposition.  Rev. 
Thayer,  a  native  of  Massachusetts,  and  a  man 
of  fine  intelligence,  succeeded  Mr.  Bennett, 
and  preached  at  intervals  for  upward  of  two 
years.  Doctor  Baldridge  was  also  an  early 
minister  of  this  society,  but  moved  subse- 
quentl\f  to  York,  where  a  church  was  organ- 
ized. This  organization  never  erected  a  place 
of  worship,  and  eventually  died  out. 

In  the  same  year  a  Methodist  Church  was 
formed  at  Darwin  Village  by  Rev.  James 
McCabe  and  the  Presiding  Elder,  Michael  S. 
Taylor,  of  the  same  circuit.  The  original 
members  were  John  A.  Williams,  Peleg  San- 
ford  and  their  wives,  and  Bates  Besser  and 
wife.  Services  were  at  first  held  in  the  old 
court  house  and  in  the  cabin  of  John  A.  Will- 
iams, until  about  1843,  when  the  church 
erected  a  good  brick  building  at  a  cost  of 
aliout  $1,100.  Among  the  pastors  of  the 
church  were  Revs.  W.  S.  Crissey,  John  Cham- 
berlain, Asa  McMurtry,  John  Adams,  W.  C. 

Blundell,   Markle,   etc.     The   church 

has  lost  considerable  strength  by  removals, 
and  is  not  now  in  a  vigorous  condition,  serv- 
ices now  being  held  irregularly. 


CHAPTER    XII.* 


CASEY  TOWNSHIP -BOUXDARIER—GENKRAL  TOPOGRAPHY— SOIL-STREAMS— EARLY  SET- 
TLEMENT—INCIDENTS— VIGILANCE  COMMITTEE -PIONEER  LIFE— CONDITION 
OF  THE  COUNTRY— INDIANS— MILLS— VILLAGE  OF  CUMBERLAND- 
VILLAGE  OF  CASEY— SECRET  SOCIETIES— SCHOOL  HIS- 
TORY—RELIGIOUS, ETC.,  ETC. 


"  So  many  j-ears  have  traveled  o'er  me, 
I  and  the  story  ai-e  old." 

— Bushmll. 

THE  Township  of  Casev  lies  in  the  south- 
western part  oi' Clark  County  and  has  a  ge- 
ographical area  of  thirty-six  square  miles.  It 
is  bounded  on  the  north  by  Parker  Township, 
on  the  east  by  Martinsville,  on  the  south  by 
Johnson,  on  the  west  by  Cumberland  County, 
and  was  known  in  the  Congressional  survey 
as  town  10  north,  range  l-t  west.  The  north 
fork  of  the  Embarras  traverses  the  southeast 
corner  from  north  to  south,  entering  the 
township  in  section  24,  and  leaving  from  sec- 
tion 3G.  Quarry's  Branch  rises  near  the  west- 
ern boundary  of  the  township  and  flows  a 
southeasterly  direction,  through  an  irregular 
channel,  and  empties  into  the  north  fork  in 
section  25.  The  northeastern  part  of  the 
township  is  watered  and  drained  by  Turkey 
Run,  which  has  its  source  in  section  3.  It 
flows  a  southeasterly  course  through  sections 
10,  11,  13,  and  unites  with  the  north  fork 
near  the  eastern  boundary  line  in  section  24. 
These  streams,  with  their  smaller  affluents, 
afford  the  principal  drainage  for  the  entire 
area  of  the  township,  and  were  important 
factors  in  the  country's  development.  The 
greater  portion  of  the  township  is  a  beauti- 
ful prairie,  which  for  fertility  can  not  be  sur- 

*  By  G.  N.  Berry. 


passed  by  any  similar  amount  of  territory  in 
the  county.  The  soil,  which  is  a  deep  black 
loam,  is  unsurpassed  for  agricultural  pur- 
poses and  produces  large  crops  of  corn,  as 
well  as  the  other  cereals,  without  the  aid  of 
fertilizers  or  artificial  stimulants  of  any  kind. 
With  a  judicious  rotation  of  crops,  the  land 
could  be  cultivated  for  an  indefinite  period, 
without  any  serious  deterioration  in  its  pro- 
ductive qualities.  The  prairies  in  their  nat- 
ural state  were  very  wet,  owing  to  the  im- 
pervious nature  of  the  clay  sub-soil,  and  cov- 
ered with  a  growth  of  grass  so  dense  as  to 
completely  exclude  the  sun's  rays  from  the 
ground.  At  that  time  the  country  gave  but 
little  promise  of  what  it  has  since  attained 
by  being  brought  imder  cultivation.  The 
broken  land  of  the  township  is  I'estricted  to 
the  northeast  corner  and  to  a  narrow  belt 
skirting  Turkey  Run.  The  greater  portion 
of  this  land  has  been  cleared  of  the  heavy 
growth  of  timber  with  which  it  was  origi- 
nally covered  and  brought  under  cultivation, 
and  in  its  productive  qualities  it  ranks  with 
the  prairie  soil,  especially  in  the  growth  of 
wheat.  Agriculture  is  the  cliief  resource  of 
the  township,  although  considerable  atten- 
tion has  of  late  years  been  paid  to  stock- 
raising,  which  is  rapidly  coming  to  the  front 
as  an  industry. 

The   settlement   of  Cumberland  by  white 
men  dates  from  the  construction   of  the  Na- 


331 


HISTORY  OF  CLARK  COUNTY. 


tional  Road  through  its  territory,  from  which 
it  also  took  its  name.  This  thoroughfare 
crosses  the  township  diagonally  in  a  south- 
westerly direction,  and  was  the  chief  means 
of  inducing  immigration  to  this  locality  by 
affording  easy  communication  with  other 
parts  of  the  country.  No  sooner  had  the 
road  been  constructed  than  a  line  of  settle- 
ments sprang  up  along  it,  consisting  princi- 
pally of  workmen  who  moved  here  for  the 
purpose  of  securing  employment.  Several 
of  these  transient  settlers  made  considerable 
improvements  in  the  way  of  breaking  ground 
around  their  cabins;  but  as  soon  as  work  on 
the  road  suspended,  they  moved  to  other 
places.  The  first  entry  of  land  was  made  in 
the  year  1830  by  Ewing  Chancellor  on  the 
northeast  quarter  of  the  northeast  quarter  of 
section  20.  Chancellor  did  not  move  to 
his  land  until  about  five  years  later,  nor  did 
he  make  any  improvements  before  becoming 
a  resident  of  the  township.  The  first  per- 
manent settler  was  John  Doughty,  who  lo- 
cated near  the  present  site  of  Cumberland 
Village  about  the  year  1833,  as  near  as  could 
be  ascertained.  Too  much  can  not  be  said 
in  praise  of  this  staunch  old  pioneer  who  did 
as  much,  if  not  more,  than  any  other  man  to- 
ward building  up  the  township  and  devel- 
oping its  resources.  He  immigrated  to  this 
State  from  Indiana  and  was  the  first  preacher 
to  locate  in  the  western  part  of  the  county. 
He  was  a  member  of  the  Baptist  church  and 
assisted  in  organizing  the  first  religious  so- 
ciety that  had  an  existence  in  Cumberland, 
and  watched  over  the  flock  with  a  fatherly 
interest  for  a  period  of  more  than  forty  years. 
He  died  about  the  year  1878.  Anderson 
Arnold  came  to  the  country  about  the  same 
year  as  the  foregoing,  but  located,  further 
south  on  what  is  now  known  as  Quarry's 
Branch,  in  section  28.  But  little  is  known 
of  this  man,  save  that  he  improved  a  farm  on 
which  he  lived   but  few  years,  when    he  sold 


out  and  moved  to  Coles  County.  As  far  as 
known,  the  two  persons  mentioned  were  the 
only  permanent  residents  within  the  present 
limits  of  Cumberland  Township  until  the 
year  1834,  at  which  time  Silas  Whitehead 
settled  on  the  National  Road,  about  one  mile 
and  a  half  from  the  eastern  boundary. 
Whitehead  was  a  native  of  North  Carolina, 
but  went  to  Indiana  in  1817,  when  quite  a 
young  man.  He  married  in  the  Hoosier  State 
about  the  year  1831,  and  soon  after  emi- 
grated to  Illinois  and  located  in  the  southern 
part  of  Edgar  County.  He  lived  in  Edgar 
County  until  the  year  1834,  when  he  moved 
to  this  township  and  secured  a  position  as  su- 
perintendent on  the  National  Road,  which  he 
held  as  long  as  the  appropriations  for  the 
work  held  out.  When  the  work  on  the  road 
ceased,  he  entered  a  tract  of  land  in  section 
11,  which  was  his  homo"  until  1854,  at  which 
time  he  moved  to  Marshall.  His  son,  Silas 
Whitehead,  is  the  editor  of  the  Eastern  ILU- 
noisan  and  one  of  the  leading  attorneys  of 
Clark  County. 

In  the  year  1835  Joshua  Chancellor  entered 
land  in  section  31  near  the  present  town  plat 
of  Cumberland.  He  is  a  native  of  Kentucky 
and  emigrated  to  Illinois  in  company  with 
his  father  about  the  year  1829,  settling  first 
near  Jlartinsville.  He  has  been  a  resident  of 
the  township  since  the  year  1835,  and  has 
been  prominently  identified  with  the  country's 
progress  and  development.  The  same  year 
that  Chancellor  came  to  the  township  wit- 
nessed the  arrival  of  James  O.  Hedges  and 
his  son  James  V.  Hedges,  who  settled  in  the 
National  road  in  the  eastern  part  on  section 
13.  The  Hedges  came  from  Ohio,  and  were 
men  of  some  note  in  the  early  history  of  the 
township.  James  O.  Hedges  remained  here 
about  twelve  years  when  he  moved  back  to 
his  native  State.  James  V.  was  a  man  of 
more  than  ordinary  education  and  for  a  number 
of  years  was  one  of  the  leading  citizens  in  his 


HISTORY  OF  c:LARK  COUNTY. 


335 


community.  He  took  an  active  part  in  estab- 
lishing schools  in  the  township  and  the  cause 
of  education  found  in  him  a  warm  fiieiid  and 
strong  advocate.  He  ac  umulated  a  good 
property  during  his  residence  in  the  township 
and  died  in  the  year  ISGO.  Prominent  among 
the  early  pioneers  of  Cumberland  was  Asa  W. 
Dolson  who  came  to  the  county  about  the 
year  1836.  He  settled  in  section  15,  where  he 
entered  a  tract  of  land,  but  being  unfitted  for 
the  rough  work  on  a  farm  he  sold  the  place  after 
an  occupancy  of  about  six  years,  and  moved 
back  to  Ohio.  Dolson  had  been  a  prominent 
business  man  in  his  native  State  and  was  in 
duced  to  move  here  on  account  of  financial 
embarrassments. 

About  this  time  came  .John  S.  Hix,  a  Virgin- 
ian, who  located  here  for  the  purpose  of 
securing  employment  on  the  National  Road. 
Hix  had  been  a  man  of  some  note  in  his 
younger  days,  having  served  in  the  army  of 
General  Wayne  as  commander  of  a  regiment. 
At  that  time  he  could  not  have  been  placed 
in  the  calendar  of  saints,  and  his  regiment 
was  characterized  as  the  "  Hell  scrapings," 
being  1  irgel}'  made  up  of  convicts,  prisoners 
and  hard  characters  generalK'.  He  resided 
in  this  township  for  several  years,  and  after- 
ward moved  to  the  township  of  Orange  where 
he  entered  land,  and  made  considerable  im- 
provements. Being  of  a  roving  and  adven- 
turous turn,  he  soon  tired  of  the  tame  life  of 
a  farmer,  and  disposed  of  his  place,  and  went 
to  tiie  far-away  State  of  Oregon.  His  death 
occurred  in  that  State  about  the  year  181:2. 
In  tiie  year  1836  the  following  persons  were 
aiided  to  the  population  of  the  township, 
Thomas  Scholfield,  Henry  Bromwell,  John 
and  William  Chism,  Addison  Barbour  and 
"N^'illiam  Shook. 

The  first  named  came  to  the  county  as  early 
as  the  year  1828,  and  settled  in  Melrose 
Township.  He  moved  near  Martinsville  in 
the   year   1832    wliere    he    entered    land    on 


which  he  lived  until  the  year  1835,  at  which 
time  he  entered  land  in  this  township,  and 
moved  to  it  in  the  early  part  of  1836.  He 
lived  here  about  twenty  years  when  he  sold 
and  moved  to  Oregon  where  he  still  resides. 
Bromwell  came  from  Baltimore  and  was  a 
man  of  intelligence  and  considerable  note. 
He  entered  land  in  section  1(5,  and  was  a 
resident  of  the  township  for  twenty  years. 
His  son  H.  P.  H.  Bromwell  settled  in  the 
township  the  same  year,  hut  remained  only  a 
short  time.  He  afterward  moved  to  Denver, 
Colorado,  where  he  became  a  prominent 
lawyer,  and  was  elected  a  member  of  Congress 
from  that  city.  The  Chisms  moved  to  the 
State  from  Ohio,  and  selected  homes  in  sec- 
tion 28.  John  resided  here  for  about  twenty 
years  when  he  sold  out  and  went  back  to 
Ohio.  William  made  but  few  improvements, 
and  spent  the  greater  part  of  his  time  hunt- 
in"-,  in  which  he  was  a  great  expert.  Shook 
was  a  native  of  North  Carolina,  but  had  lived 
in  Indiana  a  number  of  years  before  immi- 
grating to  this  State.  He  settled  first  in 
Edgar  Countv,  but  moved  to  this  township  a 
few  years  later  and  entered  land  in  section 
36.  He  was  a  resident  of  Cumberland  about 
four  years,  when  he  sold  his  land  to  John 
Sloan  and  moved  to  Dolson  Township,  wliere 
he  died  a  few  years  ago  at  an  advanced  age. 
Addison  Barbour  was  a  native  of  Delaware, 
Ohio,  where  he  had  gained  considerable 
prominence  as  a  jjhysician.  He  came  to 
this  country  for  the  purpose  of  practicing  his 
profession,  as  there  was  a  great  deal  of  sick- 
ness among  the  settlers  at  that  time,  espe- 
cially malarial  disease  caused  by  the  abun- 
dance of  decaj^ed  vegetable  matter  on  the  prai- 
ries, and  the  wet  condition  of  the  ground. 
He  located  near  the  site  of  the  village  of 
Cumberland,  and  foi-  a  number  of  years  had 
ample  opportunities  of  testing  his  scientific 
knowledge  on  the  numerous  cases  of  ague 
and  other  complaints   with  wkicli  tL^  i^itUe- 


366 


IIISTOUV  OF  CLARK  COUNTY. 


ments  were  afBicted.  He  continued  the  prac- 
tice of  his  prol'eBsion  in  this  township  until 
about  the  year  1852  at  which  time  he  moved 
back  to  his  native  city  where  he  died  many 
3'e;irs  ago. 

Settlements  were  made  in  the  township  dur- 
ing the  iatun- of  the  year  1836  by  William 
Sullivan  in  section  19,  and  Levi  Mumford 
who  located  in  the  vioinitj'  of  Cumberland  on 
the  National  Road.  Sullivan  entered  land  and 
improved  a  good  farm  but  remained  in  the 
township  only  a  short  time.  Mumford  was 
rather  a  peculiar  character,  whose  great- 
est delight  was  in  hunting  and  he  achieved 
quite  a  reputation  as  a  skillful  marksman. 

Among  the  early  settlers  deserving  of  spe- 
cial meirtio.i  was  Dixon  Cobb  avIio  came  to  the 
township  about  the  year  18  !7  and  settled  in 
the  northern  part  on  section  3  where  he  en- 
tered land  and  improved  quite  an  extensive 
farm.  He  was  a  native  of  Virginia,  a  man  of 
Herculean  strengtli,  of  strict  integrity  but  of 
an  imperious  and  overbearing  dispusition.  At 
that  time  there  was  a  set  of  rough  characters 
living  at  the  village  of  Martinsville,  who  kept 
the  community  in  a  constant  state  of  alarm 
on  account  of  their  numerous  acts  of  lawless- 
ness. Upon  the  arrival  of  a  new-comer 
into  the  country  the  first  actof  these  despera- 
does would  be  to  "test  his  metal  "  or  fiffhtinar 
qualities,  and  if  a  person  showed  any  disposi- 
tion to  resent  their  conduct  he  generally  met 
with  a  summary  punishment.  But  few  cared 
to  gain  the  ill-will  of  this  crowd  and  thev 
were  usually  allowed  to  have  their  own  wav. 
C^b,  though  a  peaceable  man,  toi)k  as  much 
delight  in  a  knock-down  as  the  champion  of  a 
prize  ring,  and  in  several  bouts  with  the 
Martinsville  bullies  convinced  them  that  he 
was  not  a  man  to  be  intimidated  or  trifled 
with.  Thev  soon  learned  the  man  thor- 
ouffhU',  and  his  presence  in  the  village  was 
sufficient  to  insure  quiet  during  the  time  of 
his  stay.       He  was    a   man  who   took   great 


interest  in  fine  stock  and  had  a  span  of  beau- 
tiful horses  that  were  his  especial  pride.  It 
IS  related  that  upon  one  occasion  a  suspi- 
cious character  took  one  of  those  horses  from 
the  barn  yard  and  rode  it  off  in  broad  day- 
light. Cobb  saw  the  man  making  off,  and 
hastily  mounting  the  remaining  horse,  started 
in  rapid  pursuit.  For  several  miles  the  race 
was  kept  up  at  break-neck  speed  with  the  ad- 
vantage slightly  in  Cobb's  favor.  The  thief 
was  finally  overtaken  and  secured,  but  the 
noble  horse  had  been  run  so  hard  that  it  died 
a  few  hours  later.  The  man  was  taken  to 
Darwin,  at  that  time  the  countv  seat,  and 
lodged  in  jail.  In  the  trial  that  followed  the 
thief  was  acquitted  on  some  technicality  which 
so  exasperated  Cobb  that  he  determined  to 
clear  the  country  of  all  horse  thieves  and  sus- 
picious characters  generally.  By  this  time 
the  public  mind  was  also  somewhat  aroused 
on  account  of  various  acts  of  thievery  and  at 
the  suggestion  of  Cobb  a  vigilance  committee 
was  formed.  A  number  of  persons  suspected 
of  crookedness  were  visited  and  warned  that 
if  certain  occurrences  were  repeated  they 
would  be  summirily  dealt  with.  This  mild 
manner  of  procedure  did  not  suit  the  hot 
blooded  Cobb,  who  insisted  that  all  suspi- 
cious persons  should  be  publicly  whipped, 
which  caused  some  dissension  in  the  ranks  of 
the  regulators,  many  of  whom  were  not  in 
favor  of  resorting  to  summary  measures.  A 
committee  was  appointed  from  this  body  to 
consider  the  differences  and  after  some  delib- 
eration concluded  not  to  aci'ept  Mr.  Cobb's 
view  of  the  matter,  a  decision  which  gave 
rise  to  a  bitter  feeling  between  Mr.  Cobb  and 
members  of  the  committee.  Criminations  and 
recriminations  ensued,  in  the  course  of  which 
Mr.  Cobb  charged  Mr.  Shook  with  stealing 
hogs,whereupon  the  latter  resorceil  to  legal  re- 
dress and  broughtasuit  for  slander.  The  case 
was  bitterly  contested  and  drew  its  slow  length 
along  through  several  terms  of  court,  enlisting 


HISTORY  OF  CLARK  COUNTY. 


387 


tlio  interest  ol'  the  entire  coraniunity  in  tlie 
wijstcrn  part  of  the  county.  The  suit  was  final- 
ly terminated  by  a  verdict  of  ten  dolhirs  in 
favor  of  Mr.  Shook.  The  popular  verdict, 
however,  was  so  marked  against  Mr.  Cobb 
that  he  soon  after  sold  his  possessions 
and  left  the  country.  He  moved  near  Vin- 
cennes,  Indiana,  where  several  descendants 
of  the  family  still  reside.  His  son,  T.  R.  Cobb, 
was  elected  to  Congress  from  Vincennes. 

Daring  the  year  1837  the  i'oUowing  entries 
were  made  in  the  township:  Chester  E.  Fitch, 
section  15;  Levi  Morris,  section  2;  .John 
Kelso,  same  section;  John  Davis,  section  1; 
John  F'<:';L>:ernld,  section  3;  W.  J.  Wilson, 
section  ■?;  John  Montgomery,  section  10;  Jo- 
seph Burch,  section  10;  Jacob  Foltz,  section 
24;  Joseph  Atkins,  section  36:  Isaac  Rus- 
sell, section  20;  P.  and  J.  Peters,  in  section 
r.l.  The  first  three  named  did  not  improve 
their  lands,  and  were  never  identified  with 
the  township  in  the  capacity  of  citizens. 
]  )avis  was  a  man  of  great  energy  and  deter- 
mination, and  Ijecame  a  prominent  farmer  of 
the  township.  He  was  characterized  by  an 
inordinate  love  of  his  own  opinions,  and  his 
stubbornness  became  proverbial  throughout 
the  community.  He  moved  to  Texas  just 
previous  to  the  AVar,  and  died  in  the  army 
during  the  War  of  the  Rebellion.  Of  Fitz- 
gerald and  Wilson  hut  little  was  learned. 
Montgomerj'  was  a  native  of  Ohio,  and  lived 
in  tiie  township  until  the  breaking  out  of  the 
Rebellion,  when  he  joined  the  army  and  died 
in  defensi;  of  his  country.  Of  the  other  par- 
ties alluded  to  but  little  was  learned  save  the 
fact  that  they  all  became  owners  of  consider- 
able tracts  of  real  estate,  and  were  rather 
prominently  identified  with  the  country's 
irrowth  and  development.  Other  settlers  who 
came  in  prior  to  1840,  were  D.avid  Weisner, 
who  settled  on  section  oir,  Thomas  Arm- 
strong, on  section  2;  James  Lang,  on  section 
I'J,  where  ho  lived  until  1852,  at  which  time 


he  sold  out  and  moved  to  California;  James 
Skaggs,  section  28,  near  the  Whitehead  farm; 
Amos  Carlin,  a  native  of  Oliio,  on  section  36; 
William  Fisher,  section  21,  where  he  still  re- 
sides, one  of  the  prominent  citizens  of  the 
township;  and  John  Ryan,  on  section  13. 
The  last-named  was  a  man  of  unusual  thrift, 
and  had  been  considerable  of  a  politician  in 
Ohio  before  emigrating  to  this  State,  having 
served  as  sheriff  of  his  native  county  several 
terms.  He  lived  here  for  a  number  of  years, 
and  gained  the  reputation  of  being  a  reputa- 
ble citizen  during  the  period  of  his  re-idence. 
Other  settlers  came  in  from  time  to  time,  but 
a  mention  of  their  names  would  far  transcend 
the  limits  of  our  space.  By  the  year  18'i2  the 
population  had  increased  quite  rapidly  along 
the  National  Road,  and  in  the  northern  sec- 
tions of  the  township. 

In  the  early  history  of  the  country,  every- 
thing among  the  pioneers  was  plain,  simple 
and  in  conformity  with  the  strictest  econ- 
omy. This  was  not  only  true  of  their  dwell- 
ings, furniture  and  provisions,  but  also  of 
their  clothing.  For  several  years  both  men 
and  women  wore  almost  exclusively  apparel 
of  home-made  manufacture.  Cotton  goods 
were  extremely  scarce  and  difficult  to  obtain, 
on  account  of  the  exorbitant  price  demanded 
for  them.  As  a  consequence  the  pioneers 
found  this  one  of  the  hardest  demands  to 
meet.  Many  were  the  expelients  devised 
by  them,  especially  by  the  frugal  and  eco- 
nomical dames;  for  ever  since  that  unsuc- 
cessful experiment  devised  by  mother  Eve, 
of  preparing  an  entire  wardrobe  from  fig 
leaves,  womv-n  have  been  greatly  gifted  in 
laying  plans  and  adopting  expedients  in  the 
matter  of  clothing.  But  clothing  was  one 
of  the  smallest  considerations  at  that  da\-, 
beyond  a  sufficiency  to  keep  one  warm,  and 
the  supplying  of  bread  and  meat  were  of  far 
more  importance,  and  often  puzzled  the  pio- 
neers to  obtain  it  for  their  families.     For  sev- 


368 


niSToUY  OF  CLARK  COUNTY. 


eral  years  farming  was  conducted  on  ratlier 
a  limited  s.  ale,  owing  to  the  wet  condition 
of  the  soil,  which  precluded  the  possibility 
of  raising  any  crop,  save  a  little  corn  of  a 
very  poor  tjuality.  Meat  was  more  easily 
obtained  and  furnished  the  greater  part  of  the 
settler's  fare,  as  game  of  all  kinds  was  very 
plenty,  especially  deer  and  prairie  chickens, 
the  latter  of  which  would  often  alight  on  the 
cabin  roofs  in  large  flocks.  Wolves  wore 
the  common  enemy  of  man  and  beast,  and 
roved  over  the  country  in  such  numbers  as  to 
prove  very  destructive  to  the  farmers'  stock, 
which  could  only  be  protected  from  them  by 
being  securely  penned  at  night  in  high  en- 
closures. To  rid  the  country  of  these  pests, 
wolf  hunts  were  organized  by  the  neighbors, 
■who  all  turned  out  on  certain  occasions  with 
horses  and  dogs,  and  many  exciting  scenes 
were  often  enjoyed  in  these  wild  chases.  An- 
other source  of  annoyance  to  the  pioneer 
farmer  was  the  prairie  flies,  which  swarmed 
over  the  country  in  such  vast  numbers  as  to 
render  working  by  day  almost  impossible; 
hence  much  of  the  farm  labor  had  to  be  done 
bv  night.  To  protect  the  horses  against  the 
attacks  of  the  "green-heads,"  they  were  rub- 
bed with  strong  brine,  which  was  the  best 
protection  that  could  be  devised.  As  the 
country  became  more  thickly  populated  and 
the  prairies  brought  under  cultivation,  the 
flies  disappeared  and  but  few  are  now  to  be 
seen  in  the  country. 

At  the  time  of  the  first  settlement  of  the 
township  by  the  whites,  remnants  of  the  Kick- 
apoo,  Pottawatomie  and  Winnebago  tribes 
of  Indians  were  encamped  on  the  North 
Fork  and  Turkey  Run,  near  the  eastern 
boundary.  They  came  here  during  certain 
seasons  of  the  year  for  the  purpose  of  hunt- 
ing and  were  very  civil  in  their  demeanor 
toward  the  settlers,  with  whom  they  bartered 
skins,   venison,    beads,    moccasins,    etc.,    for 


calico,  pork  and  various  other  articles. 
Throuo-h  the  efforts  of  missionaries  the  ma- 
jority  of  these  Indians  had  become  Chris- 
tianized and  sustained  churches  among  them- 
selves. In  the  observance  of  their  religious 
rites  they  were  very  strict,  and  punished 
with  severity  any  infraction  of  their  rules, 
such  as  pilfering,  lying  and  Sabbath  break- 
incr.  It  is  related  that  upon  one  occasion 
during  religious  services,  a  squaw  was  de- 
tected in  the  act  of  cuttirg  hair  off  a  deer- 
skin. This  grave  ofi^ense  called  down  upon 
her  the  wrath  of  the  pious  braves,  who  could 
not  allow  such  a  flagrant  breach  of  decorum 
and  Sabbath  breaking  to  go  unpunished. 
At  the  conclusion  of  the  services  the  luck- 
less olTender  was  tied  to  a  post  and  cruelly 
punished  with  thirty  severe  lashes  on  the 
bare  back.  The  Indians  discontinued  their 
annual  visits  to  this  part  of  the  county  about 
the  year  1842,  since  which  none  have  been 
seen  in  the  western  portion  of  the  county. 

The  nearest  places  where  groceries  and 
other  supplies  could  be  obtained  during  the 
early  history  of  the  township  were  the  towns 
of  York  and  Darwin,  at  that  time  mere  ham- 
lets. Some  of  the  early  settlers  hauled  their 
products  to  Terrc  Haute,  a  town  at  the  time 
we  speak  of  about  as  large  as  the  present  vil- 
lage of  Casey.  The  first  thought  of  the  pio- 
neer after  securing  a  home  for  himself  and 
his  family,  was  a  mill,  where  he  might  obtain 
bread  for  his  dear  ones.  Owing  to  the  absence 
of  facilities  no  mills  were  erected  in  this  divis- 
ion of  the  county,  and  the  settlers  were 
obliged  to  rely  upon  the  little  horse  mills  of 
the  surrounding  townships  for  their  bread- 
stuffs.  A  small  horse  mill  was  built  a  short 
distance  west  of  Casey  in  Cumberland  County, 
and  was  for  a  number  of  years  extensively 
patronized  by  the  citizens  of  this  part  of  the 
county.  In  order  to  get  their  grinding 
done  people  were  obliged  to  take  provisions 


..^¥ 


y 


IIISTOIIY  OK  CLARK  COrXTY. 


371 


with  them  and  remain  at  tlie  mill  somotimes 
as  long-  as  two  antl  three  days  awaiting  their 
resp.'otive   turns. 

The  town  of  CainbcrlanJ  was  laid  out  by 
Ewina;  Ciiancellor  and  John  Doii.rhty,  and 
dates  its  history  from  the  vear  LSjij.  it  was 
an  outgrowth  of  the  National  Ro.id  and  is 
situated  in  the  western  part  of  the  township 
on  the  northeast  quarter  of  section  twenty. 
The  first  house  in  the  village  was  a  log  build- 
ing erected  by  John  Chancellor  for  the  two- 
fold purpose  of  store  and  dwelling.  Chan- 
cellor brought  on  a  good  stock  of  goods,  and 
for  about  ten  years  did  quite  an  extensive 
business,  when  he  sold  out  to  Doughty  & 
Co.  During  the  early  years  of  the  village 
it  became  a  prominent  trading  point  and 
furnished  supplies  to  the  sparsely  settled 
country  for  many  miles  around  owing  to  its 
distance  from  towns  of  any  considerable  size. 
The  early  travel  oa  the  National  Road,  at  that 
time  bei[ig  quits  extensive,  maele  the  town 
a  favorite  stopping  place,  and  it  grew  quite 
rapidly  and  soon  gained  considerable  promi- 
nence. A  number  of  machanics  settled  in 
the  village  in  an  early  day,  among  whom  was 
James  Wilson,  who  erected  the  first  black- 
smith shop  in  the  township,  which  he  operated 
for  several  years.  A  post-office  was  established 
here  a  short  time  prior  to  the  platting  of  the 
town,  and  Ewing  C.iancellor  appointed  post- 
master. The  post-oflSce  was  named  for  Hon. 
Jlr.  Casey,  at  that  time  United  States  Senator 
from  Illinois.  The  last  store  in  the  village 
was  kept  by  John  Chancellor,  who  continued 
in  business  until  the  town  of  Casey  sprang 
into  existence  about  the  year  1853.  The 
first  election  in  the  precinct  of  which  tlie 
township  originally  formed  a  part  was  hold 
inthe  town  of  Cumberl.xnd,  in  the  year  1S3S, 
when  Ewing  Chancellor  and  Mr.  Davea 
were  elected  justices  of  the  peace,  and 
John  G.  Brown  and  Joshua  Chancellor,  consta- 
bles.     The  village   continued  to  gi-ow  apace 


until  the  town  of  Casey  was  laid  out,  when. 
its  business  interests  were  absorbed  by  the 
latter  place. 

Casey  is  situated  on  the  southwest  quar- 
ter of  the  northwest  quarter  of  section  29, 
and  was  surveyed  by  D.  H.  Huimer,  .March, 
1854:,  for  John  Cole,  proprietor  of  the  land. 
The  first  building  on  the  original  plat  of  the 
village  was  a  hotel  which  was  erected  by 
John  Lang  for  the  accommodation  of  travelers 
on  the  National  road.  Lang  was  a  native  of 
Scotland  and  a  man  of  more  than  ordinary 
information  and  intelligence.  He  kept  the  ho- 
tel until  the  time  of  his  death,  a  few  years  ago. 
Among  the  first  persons  to  purchase  lots  and 
erect  buildings  in  the  village  were  William 
Gordon,  William  Kline  and  John  Anderson. 
The  first  st'ire  was  started  by  John  Cole  who 
erected  a  house  for  the  purpose  in  the  eastern 
part  of  the  town.  His  stock  consisted  of  a 
miscellaneous  assortment  of  merchandise,  and 
he  was  in  business  al)Out  three  years  when  he 
closed  out,  and  left  the  village.  J.  M.  Ryau 
kept  the  second  store,  which  he  operated  very 
successfully  for  a  period  of  six  years,  when  he 
sold  out  to  other  parties.  Among  the  early 
mercha:;is  of  the  place  were  Thomas  Chan- 
cellor, H.  A.  Boyd  and  M.  Sanford,  the  last 
two  of  whom  are  still  in  business  in  the  vil- 
lage. The  completion  of  the  Vandalia  rail- 
road through  the  country  gave  the  town 
new  impetus  and  its  growth  since  that  time 
has  been  rapid  and  substantial.  A  num- 
b?r  of  large  brick  business  houses  have  been 
erected,  and  at  the  present  time  the  town 
is  considered  the  second  place  as  a  trading 
point  in  the  county. 

The  village  was  incorporated  on  the  13th 
day  of  May,  in  the  year  1871,  when  the  fol- 
lowing board  of  trustc'js  were  elected  :  Lon 
Archer,  Shannon  Wilson,  A.  J.  Snavidy  and 
Rufus  Neal.  H.  A.  Boyd  was  elected  presi- 
dent of  the  board,  Thomas  Ensign,  clerk,  Da- 
vid Coffraan,  town  constable,  and  Wash.  Sau- 


\ 


372 


HISTORY  OF  CLARK  COUNTY. 


ford,  treasurer.  The  present  officers  are  the 
following:  "Wash.  Sanford,  president,  John 
Brooks,  clerk,  H.  G.  Morris,  police  masristrate, 
Silas  B.  Tippey,  police  constable,  William 
Echelberry,  Charles  AYeckeriiian,  .John  F. 
Emi'rick,  R.  A.  Young  and  James  Ernely, 
ti-ustees. 

The  Casey  mill  was  erected  in  the  year 
1SG9  by  Rufus  Neal,  and  is  the  only  mill  of 
any  kind  in  the  town  or  township.  It  is  a 
tliree  story  building  operated  by  steam,  has 
four  run  of  buhrs,  and  with  elevator  attached 
is  valued  at  $9,000.  The  present  owners  are 
Baughman  and  son,  who  are  doing  an  exten- 
sive business,  and  under  their  management 
the  mill  has  gained  qiiite  a  reputation. 

A  bank  was  started  in  the  viLage  in  the 
year  1873  by  David  Steeples.  It  was  known 
as  the  Home  bank,  and  for  four  years  did  a 
very  flourishing  business.  Steeples  had  good 
credit  and  large  deposits  were  placed  in  his 
bank,  but  being  of  a  speculative  turn  he  used 
consideralile  of  this  money  in  his  ventures, 
and  as  a  consequence  became  financially  em- 
barrassed and  was  obliged  to  quit  the  busi- 
ness owing  to  his  inability  to  meet  the  de- 
mands made  upon  him. 

The  Casey  Bank  was  started  in  the  year 
1874:  by  Chas.  Clement  of  Rutland,  Vermont, 
with  a  capital  stock  of  $50,000.  Clement 
being  the  principal  stockholder,  this  bank 
was  run  until  the  year  1877,  at  which  time  it 
was  discontinued.  Fugua  and  Sanford  en- 
gaged in  the  banking  business  in  the  year 
1877,  and  continued  very  successfully  until 
1879,  when  the  entire  ititerest  was  bought  by 
Fugua.  It  has  been  run  since  that  time 
by  Fugua  and  son,  who  are  doing  a  very  good 
business.  J.  O.  Fugua  is  the  present  cash- 
ier. 

A  publication  known  as  the  Casey  Times 
■was  started  in  the  year  1872  by  John  Garri- 
son and  B.  F.  Ward.  It  was  a  six-column 
quarto  and  soon  reached  a  handsome  circula-    [ 


tion.  H.  A.  Boyd  purchased  Garrison's  inter- 
est about  seven  months  after  the  scheme  was 
inaugurated,  and  one  year  later  Ward  became 
sole  proprietor.  The  paper  was  started  as  an 
independent  publication,  but  under  the  man- 
agement of  Ward  it  was  run  on  the  Green- 
back basis,  and  afterward  merged  into  a  full- 
fledged  Democratic  sheet.  This  vacillating 
course  proved  very  displeasing  to  the  Repub- 
licans, who  refused  to  renew  their  subscrip- 
tions. Ward  continued  the  paper  under 
many  difficulties  until  the  year  1878,  when 
the  office  was  moved  to  Marshall  and  merged 
into  the  Illinoisun.  A  second  paper,  known 
as  the  Exponent,  was  started  in  the  year  1877, 
by  a  stock  company,  under  the  management 
of  Edward  Hitclicock.  This  paper  was  Re- 
publican and  outspoken  in  its  sentiments.  It 
was  continued  here  during  the  fall  and  winter 
of  1878,  when  the  office  was  moved  to  Mount 
Huron,  where  it  is  still  run  under  the  editorial 
management  of  Hitchcock. 

The  Casey  Advocate  was  started,  June, 
1881,  by  H.  G.  Morris.  It  is  a  six-column 
quarto,  run  on  an  independent  basis  and 
issued  weekly.  Mr.  Morris  has  labored  ear- 
ni'Stly  and  spared  no  pains  in  order  to  give 
the  people  a  paper  worthy  of  their  patronage, 
and  his  independent  manner  of  treating  the 
subjects  of  the  day  has  won  for  him  many  fa- 
vorable comments  from  the  "brethren  of  the 
quill"  elsewhere.  The  present  circulation  of 
the  paper  is  seven  hundred  and  fifty. 

The  Casey  Sanner  was  started,  January, 
1879,  by  B.  F.  Ward.  It  is  a  six-colunm 
quarto,  issued  weekly,  and  is  independent  in 
politics.  Its  subscription  list,  which  is  already 
large,  is  constantly  increasing,  and  the  paper 
is  rapidly  growing  in  favor.  Its  present  cir- 
culation is  between  six  and  seven  hundred. 

Casey  Lodge,  No.  442,  A.  F.  and  A.  M., 
dates  its  history  from  October  4,  1865,  at 
which  time  the  charter  was  granted  by  the 
Grand  Lodge  then  in  session  at   Springfield. 


HISTORY   OF  CLARK  COUNTY. 


373 


On  the  charter  are  the  following  names  of 
original  members:  J.  M.  McClary,  J.  W. 
Wiiliace,  G.  S.  Hcndorson,  John  Closson, 
Henry  Sherman,  A.  S.  Ross,  John  Wolford, 
William  Carlisle,  A.  Jacobs,  M.  Jacobs,  A. 
AV.  MeMurry,  W.  H.  Sherman,  Fred  P.jters, 
M;ihlon  Lee,  AVilliam  Closson,  Andrew  Drum, 
John  Hendricks,  William  M.  Guthrie,  Allen 
Minor,  and  Deming  Sturdevant.  The  first 
officers  were  J.  M.  McClary,  W.  M.;  J.  W. 
Wallace,  S.  W.;  G.  S.  Henderson,  J.  W.; 
Henry  Sherman,  Sect.;  and  John  Closson, 
Treas.  The  officers  at  present  are  the  follow- 
ing: William  W.  Bruce,  W.  M. ;  Bronson  L. 
Adams,  S.  W.;  Austin  L.  Bloomer,  J.  W.; 
Samuel  Dosbaugh,  Treas.;  J.  C.  Kelly,  Sect. 
Past  Miisters  of  the  lodge  are  D.  C.  Sturde- 
vant, J.  W.  Bidsley,  and  Allen  Minor.  The 
lodge  is  in  good  working  order,  and  has  on 
its  records  the  names  of  forty-five  members 
in  good  standing.  The  lodge  owns  the  hall 
where  its    meetings  are  held. 

The  Jlonroe  Post,  No.  100,  G.  A.  R.,  was 
organized  July,  1881,  with  a  membership  of 
twenty-two.  The  meetings  are  held  semi- 
monthly in  Sanford's  Hall.  The  officers  in 
charge  at  present  are:  John  Brooks,  Com- 
maiuler;  Joel  Weaver,  Sen.  V.  C;  John 
Bro  .ks,  P.  C;  and  S.  B..Cook,  J.  V.  C.  The 
number  at  present  belonging  is  a!)out  one  liun  • 
dred.  On  the  6th  of  February,  1881,  occurred 
a  very  destructive  conflagration,  which  will 
long  be  remembered  by  the  citizens  of  C.isey. 
The  fire  originated  in  the  rear  end  of  E.  S. 
Moore's  store  building,  and  had  got  under 
strong  headway  when  first  discovered.  The 
flames  soon  reached  Moyer's  residence  and 
the  wareroom  of  H.  A.  Bo^-d,  both  of  which 
were  soon  enveloped  by  the  merciless  flames. 
A  few  seconds  later  the  meat  market  belong- 
ing to  Mr.  My^ers,  and  the  buildings  on  Gil- 
kiiison's  corner,  were  added  to  the  list  of 
vuined  buildings.  From  here  the  course  of 
the  flames  turned  the  corner  of  Jasper  street. 


through  the  old  buildings  belonginar  to  Bovd, 
the  meat  market  of  Mr.  Smith,  and  the 
barber  shop  of  Joe  McDowell,  all  of  which 
were  soon  a  smouldering  mass  of  bhickened 
ruins.  The  Hays  building  and  the  Bnrnap 
property  adjoining  it,  were  next  attacked  bv 
the  fire  fiend,  and  before  anything  could  be 
done  to  stay  the  flames,  both  houses  were 
completely  destroyed.  From  these  buildings 
the  fire  leaped  to  the  opposite  side  of  the 
street  and  caught  in  MeDaniel's  shop,  which 
was  soon  reduced  to  ashes.  At  this  juncture 
the  fire  was  checked,  partlj'  through  the  efforts 
of  the  citizens,  all  of  whom  did  everything  in 
their  power  to  arrest  the  course  of  the  devour- 
ing element.  Tiie  following  is  a  list  of  the 
losses  sustained  in  this  most  destructive  fire  : 
S.  S.  Burnap's  building,  $i50;  Hays'  build- 
ing, ^iOO;  H.  A.  Boyd's  stock  of  goods,  val- 
ued at  -^6,2,")0,  Iniilding  -liUnoO;  Dulaney's  two 
buildings,  §900;  ilyers'  block,  S'.'OO;  Wake- 
man's  building,  8250;  Griffin's  store-room, 
$000;  Moore's  store-room  and  stock,  §1,100; 
and  Gilkinson's  building  and  stock,  8'^,000. 
This  fire  fell  like  a  destructive  blow  upon  a 
majority  of  the  parties  named,  but  two  of 
whom  had  any  insurance  upon  their  property 
or  goods.  Boyd  and  Moore  were  insured,  the 
former  to  the  amount  of  §1,000,  and  the  latter 
but  $G00.  The  fire  was  supposed  to  be  the 
work  of  an  incendiary,  and  a  certain  suspi- 
cious character  was  at  once  arrested.  W^hile 
all  believed  in  his  guilt,  it  could  not  be  legal- 
ly established,  and  in  the  trial  that  ensused 
he  was  acquitted.  The  town  soon  rallied 
from  the  effects  of  this  calamity,  and  a  num- 
ber of  substantial  business  houses  soon  took 
the  place  of  those  burned. 

The  present  population  of  the  village  is 
about  750.  The  following  exhibit  represents 
its  business  interests.  Four  large  dry  goods 
stores,  six  grocery  stores,  two  drug  stores, 
two  restaurants,  one  flour  and  feed  store,  one 
furniture  store,  five  millinery  establishments, 


3-4 


HISTORY  OF  CLAKK  COUNTY. 


two  hardware  stores,  one  jewelry  store,  one 
butcher  shop,  two  lumber  yards,  two  shoe 
shops,  one  barber  shop  and  one  marble  shop. 
The  town  is  steadily  increasinn-  in  growth 
and  prosperity  and  its  future  outlook  is  very 
promising. 

The  first  school  in  the  township  was  taught 
by  Samuel  G.  Hoskins  in  a  little  log  building 
that  stood  in  the  town  of  Cumberland  as  early 
as  the  year  1837.  The  house  was  erected  for 
school  and  church  purposes  by  the  neighbors, 
each  of  whom  contributed  so  much  work  and 
one  cord  of  wood.  Hoskins  was  a  doctor  and 
came  to  Cumljcrhmd  for  the  purpose  of  prac- 
ticing his  profession, but  not  realizing  a  fortune 
in  treating  the  ailments  of  the  liody,  he  turned 
his  attention  to  other  pursuits.  As  a  peda- 
gogue he  was  a  success  and  he  appears  to  have 
given  universal  satisfaction  to  the  patrons  of 
the  school.  He  was  afterward  elected  jus- 
tice of  the  peace  and  exercised  the  duties  of 
that  office  in  a  manner  not  at  all  satisfactory 
to  evil-doers.  The  second  school-house  in 
the  township  stood  near  the  eastern  boundary, 
and  was  fisrt  used  by  James  V.  Hedges  about 
the  year  1839.  Hedges  was  a  man  of  more 
than  ordinary  intellectual  attainments,  and 
brought  with  him  to  his  work  the  advantages 
of  a  collegiate  education.  His  first  school 
was  attended  by  about  fifteen  pupils  and 
lasted  three  months.  An  early  school-house 
stood  in  the  northern  part  of  the  township 
near  the  Whitehead  farm,  but  the  date  of  its 
erection  could  not  be  ascertained.  It  was, 
like  all  the  pioneer  school-houses,  a  log  struct- 
ure about  16x18  feet,  and  was  in  use  for  a 
number  of  years.  The  first  pedagogue  who 
wielded  the  birch  in  this  building  was  Thomas 
S.  Batey,  of  Portsmouth,  Ohio,  a  very  good 
teacher  and  a  fine  scholar.  Simon  Mercer 
taught  school  at  the  same  place  about  the 
year  1811.  The  first  school  in  the  town  of 
Casey  was  taught  by  Silas  Nelson  in  a  little 
building  which   stands  in  the  central  part  of 


the  village.  This  was  in  the  year  1859,  and 
one  year  later  a  neat  frame  building  contain- 
ing two  rooms  was  erected  for  school  pur- 
poses. It  stood  where  the  present  school- 
house  now  stands  and  was  first  used  by  D.  W. 
English.  It  was  in  use  for  about  ten  years 
when  the  growing  population  of  the  village 
demanded  a  more  commodious  structure  and 
a  brick  house  was  erected  in  its  stead  in  the 
year  1870.  This  building  was  two  stories  high, 
contained  four  rooms,  and  cost  $11,000,  a 
sum  which  was  considered  exorbitant.  Owing 
to  a  dcifect  in  the  walls,  the  house  was  con- 
demned and  torn  down  in  the  year  18S1,  and 
replaced  by  ihe  jiresent  handsome  structure 
which  was  erected  during  the  siimmcr  and 
fall  of  the  same  year.  The  present  building  is 
brick,  two  stories  high,  contains  six  large  well- 
furnished  rooms,  two  halls,  and  was  erected 
at  an  expenditure  of  $r2,()00.  It  stands  in 
the  eastern  part  of  the  village,  and  in  point 
of  architectural  finish  is  one  of  the  finest 
school  edifices  in  the  county.  The  present 
teachers  are  Alvin  Smith,  principal;  .lohn 
Arnoy,  Juletta  Ashby,  Rebecca  Carr  and 
Annie  Mauring,  assistants.  The  present 
attendance  of  the  village  schools  is  about 
three  hundred  and  fil'tv  pupils.  There  are  in 
the  township  nine  school-houses,  six  of  which 
are  frame,  two  brick,  and  one  log.  Schools 
last  about  eight  months  of  the  year,  and  are 
well  supported  and  patronized. 

The  first  religious  services  in  the  township 
were  conducted  by  the  Baptists  at  the  town 
of  Cumberland  as  early  as  the  year  1838. 
Private  residences  and  school-houses  were 
used  as  meeting  places  for  a  number  of  years. 
There  was  no  regular  church  organized  until 
about  the  year  1850,  at  which  time  the  Cu  u- 
borland  Biptist  church  sprang  into  existence. 
This  society  was  organized  at  the  residence 
of  Elder  John  Doughty  with  the  following 
members:  F.  M.  Howe,  Margaret  Chism, 
Daniel   Gordon,  Phebe    Chancellor,    Burgess 


HISTORY  OF  CLARK  COUNTY. 


375 


Riy,  John  Doughty  and  Jane  Doughty. 
Five  years  later  a  house  of  worsliip  was 
ereirted  in  the  vil  age  at  a  cost  of  about  81,- 
200.  It  is  a  frame  structure  -iOx'.yi  feet,  and 
will  comfortaljljr  seat  two  hundred  and  fifty 
persons.  The  first  trustees  of  the  church 
were  John  M.  Doughty,  Francis  Doughty, 
Enoch  James,  George  Conger  and  Burgess 
Ray.  The  house  was  dedicated  in  the  spring 
of  1856  by  Elder  Jared  Riley.  At  the  or- 
ganization of  the  society,  Elder  John  Doughty 
was  called  to  the  pastorate,  a  position  he  filled 
acceptably  for  a  period  of  over  thirty  years. 
He  was  born  in  Kentucky  in  the  year  1796,> 
and  moved  to  Indiana  when  nineteen  years 
of  age.  He  united  with  the  Baptist  church 
at  the  age  of  twenty-two  and  commenced 
preaching  soon  afterward.  He  was  in  the 
ministry  fii'ty-six  years  and  gave  the  best  en- 
ergies of  his  life  to  the  noble  work  of  saving 
souls.  During  the  last  ten  3-ears  of  life  his 
physical  strength  failed  to  such  an  extent 
that  he  was  unable  to  preach  publicly.  He 
died  September  3,  1875,  at  a  ripe  old  age, 
universally  respected  by  all  who  knew  him. 
The  church,  at  one  time  the  most  flourishing 
organization  in  the  western  part  of  the  county, 
has  diminished  in  numbers  during  the  last 
ten  years,  many  of  the  members  having  died, 
and  others  having  moved  from  the  country. 
The  present  membership  was  not  ascertained. 
The  Casey  Methodist  Episcopal  church 
was  organized  through  the  efforts  of  Rev.  Mr. 
Slater  in  the  year  1S53.  The  constitutional 
members  were  John  Cole  and  wife,  Jacob 
Ryan  and  wife,  Dr.  Barber  and  wife,  Jacob 
Smith  and  wife,  Mr.  Andrews  and  wife,  Susan 
Nettleton  and  Mary  Long,  the  last  two  being 
the  oidv  ones  now  living  in  the  place.  The 
church  was  attached  to  the  Martinsville  cir- 
cuit at  the  time  of  its  organization  and  was 
ministered  to  by  Rev.  Mr.  Slater  for  two  years. 
Since  then  the  following  pastors  have  had 
charge   of    the    church:    Revs.    Hungerford, 


Harris,  Barthlow,  Orr,  Gay,  Palmer,  Mitch- 
ell, Hornold,  Shields,  Carrington,  Shelby, 
Aldrich,  Cabric,  Hedges,  Shoemaker,  Dillen, 
Pattle,  Ganaway,  Graham  and  Potter,  the 
last  named  being  the  pastor  in  charge  at  the 
present  time.  Meetings  were  held  in  the 
school-house  until  the  year  1855,  when  the 
present  building  was  erected.  The  house  is 
frame,  and  was  erected  at  a  cost  of  about 
$1,800.  It  stands  near  the  eastern  part  of 
the  villase,  on  Cumberland  street,  and  is  a 
very  comfortable  and  convenient  structure 
with  a  seating  capacity  of  about  three  hun- 
dred. The  church  is  in  a  flourishing  condi- 
tion at  the  present  time,  and  numbers  one 
hundred  communicants.  A  Sunday-school 
was  organized  with  the  first  starting  of  the 
church  and  has  been  successfully  maintained 
ever  since.  It  has  an  average  attendance  of 
one  hundred  pupils  and  is  under  the  efScient 
management  of  J.  W.  Johnson,  present  su- 
perintendent. 

A  Presbyterian  church  was  organized  south 
of  the  village  of  Casey  in  the  j-ear  1802  by 
Revs.  C.  P.  Spinning  and  J.  E.  Harvell  of  the 
Presbyter}'  of  Palestine.  It  was  known  as 
the  Union  Presbyterian  church  and  num- 
bered nine  original  members  i.  e.  .John  Scott, 
Christina  Scott,  Rebecca  Gamble,  Elizabeth 
Kline,  Mary  Forester,  Samuel  A.  Peters,  An- 
geline  Peters,  Eliza  Jane  McClain,  and  a  Mr. 
McClain.  The  occasion  of  the  organization 
of  this  church  was  the  settling  in  the  com- 
munitv  of  a  number  of  families  from  Ohio 
and  Indiana  who  had  been  brought  under 
Presbyterian  influences  in  their  native  States. 
The  society  was  maintained  in  a  flourishing 
condition  for  some  time  but  gradually  went 
into  decline  and  the  organization  was  aban- 
doned. 

After  Casey  was  laid  out  the  scattered 
members  of  Union  church  were  gathered  up 
and  the  church  of  Casey  organized  February 
11,  1872.     The  organization  was  effected  bv 


376 


HISTORY  OF  CLARK  COUNTY. 


Revs.    George  F.  Davis  of    Lagrange,  Mis- 
souri   and  G.  A.  Pollock    ofEfBngham.     At 
the   organization  the  following  names    were 
enrolled  as  members  :     John  Scott,  Christina 
Scott,  Elizabeth  Kline,  Rabecca  Scott,  G.  W. 
Yoke,  W.  T.  Adams,  Rebecca  Adams,  Har- 
riett Melcher,  Amelia  Wilson  and  Mrs.  Mar- 
tha   Bergen.     At     the     first    meeting    John 
Scott  and  W.  T.  Adams  were  chosen  ruling 
elders    and     duly    inducted    into  that  office. 
The  church  has  been  served  by  the  following 
pastors :     Rev.    Geo.    T.  Davis,  from  April, 
1873,  to  April,  1876,  Rev.  Philo  Phelps  during 
the  summers  of  187(5  and  1877,  Rev.  T.  E. 
Green  from   April,  1878,  to  September  1878, 
Rev.  R.  A.  Mitchell  from  April,  1879,  to  Oc- 
tober, 1880,  Rev.  J.  W.  Fulton  from  Novem- 
ber, 1880,   to  June,  1881.     Rev.  G.  W.  Fisher 
took  charge  of  the  church  October,  1881,  and 
is  the  present  pastor.     The  present  member- 


ship is  sixty.  The  house  in  which  the  con- 
gregation worship  is  a  substantial  brick 
structure;  it  was  erected  in  the  year  1873  and 
represents  a  value  of  $:j,000.  The  Sunday- 
school  was  organized  in  the  year  1874  and  at 
the  present  time  is  in  good  working  order. 
The  superintendents  are  P.  B.  Odeor,  and 
W.  W.  Bruce. 

The  Roman  Catholic  church  of  Casey  was 
established  in  the  year  1879  by  Father  Kuhl- 
man,  of  Marshall,  and  Charles  Wekenman,  of 
Casey.  The  original  membership  consisted 
of  the  families  of  Ed.  Dyers,  Michael  Heim, 
Mrs.  Rodman,  Chas.  Wekenman  and  Mrs. 
Orth.  Their  house  of  worship  is  a  neat  frame 
edifice  24x30  ft.  and  cost  the  sum  of  S500. 
It  was  erected  shortly  after  the  church  was 
organized  and  stands  in  the  south  part  of  the 
village.  Services  are  held  every  third  week 
by  Father  Kuhlman,  pastor  in  charge. 


CHAPTER  XIII* 


WESTFIELD     TOWNSHIP-TOPOGRAPHICAL     FEATURES-EARLY      IMMIGRATION— SOCIAL 
CHARACTERISTICS-GROWTH  AND  DEVELOPMENT  OF  SETTLEMENT-RICHMOND 
—WESTFIELD  VILLAGE-ITS  RISE   AND  PROGRESS— THE    COLLEGE- 
CHURCHES,  MINISTERS  AND  SCHOOLS. 


"Turn  wheresoe'er  I  may, 
By  night  or  day. 

The  things  which  I  have  seen  I  now  can  see 
no  more.  " 

—  Wordsworth. 

WESTFIELD  Township,  one  of  the  small- 
er divisions  of  Clark,  forms  the  north- 
west corner  of  the  county.  But  half  a  Con- 
jrressional  Township  in  area,  it  contains  of  that 
which  makes  a  people  prosperous,  much  more 
than  its  proportional  share.  The  first  settlers 
were  not  dissimilar  to  those  who  pioneered  the 
way  in  other  parts  of  the  county,  but  they 
early  shook  off  the  habits  of  dissipation  that 
so  unhappily  retarded  advancement  of  society 
in  the  new  northwest,  and  cherishing  that 
torch-lisrht  of  civilization,  the  school,  have 
achieved  a  progress  of  which  their  descend- 
ants may  well  be  proud. 

Originally,  Westfield  was  a  fine  rolling 
timber  land,  somewhat  broken  along  the 
streams,  but  easy  to  subline  and  bring  under 
fruitful  cultivation,  and  very  inviting  to  the 
pioneer  seeking  a  home  in  a  new  country. 
The  North  Fork  of  the  Embarras  River 
takes  its  rise  here  in  eight  or  ten  little  streams 
that  unite  within  the  limits  of  the  township, 
or  just  below,  and  joined  by  others  as  it  passes 
along  the  western  tier  of  townships  joins  the 
main  stream  in  the  county  below.  These 
water-courses  reach  out  from  the  central  part 
to  all  points  of  the    compass,    affording  fine 

»  By  J.  H.  Battle. 


natural  drainage  and  a  good  supply  of  water 
for  agricultural  purposes.  The  land  is  r  rich 
agricu.tural  soil  returning  generous  harvests 
of  all  crops.  The  native  woods  contain  all 
varieties  of  timber  known  in  this  region,  wa  - 
nut  along  the  deep  black  loam  of  the  creek 
bottoms,  and  oak,  maple,  ach,  etc.,  on  the 
light  clay  of  the  uplands.  Farmers  devote 
their  attention  to  a  mi.xed  husbandry,  and 
good  homes  and  comfortable  out  buildings 
mark    their  thrift  and  enterprise. 

Situated  on  the  verge  of  two  counties,  at 
considerable  distance  from  the  established 
lines  of  early  travel,  Westfield  was  not  ad- 
vantageously placed  for  quick  settlement. 
Fortunately,  James  Hite  settled  in  Eilgar 
county,  just  north  of  this  township,  about 
1828  or  1830,  and  having  a  large  acquaintance 
in  his  native  State  of  Kentucky,  by  his  glow- 
ing descriptions  of  the  country  was  instru- 
mental in  attracting  a  considerable  settlement 
here.  Of  fhis  immigration  the  first  family  was 
that  of  James  Shaw.  He  came  from  Law- 
rence county  and  was  probably  not  known 
to  Mr.  Hite  and  was  attracted  hither  by 
the  flourishing  settlement  in  Edgar  county. 
A  small  cabin  was  erected,  twelve  acres 
cleared  off,  and  for  a  time  was  the  only  evi- 
dence of  civilization  within  the  present  limits 
of  the  township.  In  1831,  Mr.  Shaw  entered 
his  land,  on  section  33,  and  stayed  here  until 
about  1831:  when  he  sold  to  Daniel  Evinger 
and  moved  to  Crawford  county.  Absalom 
Kester  followed  in  the   fall  of  the  same  year. 


378 


HISTORY  OF  CLARK  COUNTY. 


He  was  a  native  of  Kentucky  and  went  to 
Indiana  wlien  a  young  unmarried  man.  Here 
be  married,  and  subsequently  came  to  tliis 
section  of  the  country  in  searoli  of  a  site  for 
a  new  home.  He  was  attracted  by  the  nat- 
ural beauty  of  the  location  and  fixed  upon 
land  in  section  2"^,  for  his  future  abode.  He 
at  once  removed  here  and  lived  long;  enough 
to  see  tlie  wilderness  blossom  as  the  rose,  and 
a  prosperous  civilization  spriiiar  up  where  once 
it  was  "all  woods."  He  was  an  earnest  mem- 
ber of  the  old  school  Baptist  Church,  and  a 
public-sjiirited  man,  a  type  of  tlie  community 
that  shaped  the  destiny  of  Wustfield.  In  Jie 
following  year,  1839,  Thomas  Frazier  made 
his  way  from  his  native  State  of  Kentucky 
along  the  old  trail  that  led  up  from  that 
State,  to  section  twenty-four.  Coming  in  a 
wagon  he  made  it  his  home  until  he  could 
erect  a  cabin.  He  was  an  enterprising  man 
of  good  laste  and  brought  with  h.m  an  admira- 
tion for  fine  stock,  and  as  opportunity  offered 
gave  great  attention  to  the  raising  of  fine 
horses.  The  farm  is  now  owned  by  Joseph 
Cartwright.  Esau  Morris  came  in  1830, 
from  Lawrence  County.  He  was  a  type  of 
the  early  frontiersman  of  Kentucky  and  the 
East;  entered  land  on  section  19,  but  spent 
the  most  of  his  time  in  the'  woods  huntmg. 
When  game  became  scarce  he  lost  his  taste 
for  the  countrj' and  selling  his  land  to  Jacob 
Spears  in  1836,  he  went  to  wilder  country  in 
the  West.  A  similar  character  came  the  same 
year  from  South  Carolina,  John  Waldrop  by 
name.  He  was  an  adventurous  fellow  and 
found  life  here  very  tame.  He  made  several 
trips  to  the  West  on  horseback,  and  twice 
made  journeys  to  Texas.  On  his  second  re- 
turn he  sold  what  improvements  he  had  made 
to.JohnG.  Morrell  and  went  to  Texas  tore- 
side,  where  after  running  an  adventurous 
career  he  was  killed  by  the  Indians.  Will- 
iam Comstock  was  another  accession  of  this 
year.     He  was  a  Kentuckian   and  made    his 


way  from  his  native  State  by  wagon,  comsum- 
ing  two  weeks  in  the  journey.  He  settled 
on  section  20,  where  his  son,  Riley  Comstock, 
still  lives.  Alexander  Black,  a  settler  of  this 
year,  was  a  native  of  Tennessee,  and  subse- 
quently went  to  Alabama.  From  the  latter 
State  he  came  to  Westfield  by  wagon  and 
settled  on  section  twenty- four,  removing 
after  some  years  to  Coles  County.  In  lS3u 
came  James  Jones  also,  settling  on  the  same 
section  as  Mr.  Black.  A  number  of  liis  former 
neigiibors  had  made;  their  way  into  this 
country  and  from  their  descriptions  he  was 
induced  to  come  here.  He  moved  his  family 
over  the  Kentucky  trail  by  wagon,  improved 
a  good  farm  on  which  he  lived  until  his  death. 
David  Bennett  came  the  same  year  and  set- 
tled on  the  same  section.  He  was  a  native 
of  Spencer  County,  Kentucky,  and  was  killed 
by  falling  from  his  horse  four  j-^ears  later. 
His  was  the  first  death  in  the  township. 

In  1831  William  Goodman  settled  on  sec- 
tion 19,  his  brother  George  coming  about 
the  same  time.  Both  men  were  noted  as 
successful  hunters  and  fine  marksmen,  and 
added  to  their  general  woodcraft  especial  skill 
as  bee-hunters.  Neither  of  them  made  much 
improvement  on  his  land,  and  went  further 
west  in  a  few  years.  Henry  Randall  and 
Elijah  Stark,  both  natives  of  Kentucky,  joined 
the  settlement  in  this  year.  The  former  set- 
tled on  section  25  and  improved  a  fine  farm. 
Stark  was  a  man  of  fine  intelligence,  but 
rather  impractical,  and  gained  more  reputa- 
tion as  a  coon  hunter  than  as  a  pioneer  farmer. 
James  Bell,  who  came  in  this  year  also,  was 
one  of  the  first  violinists  of  the  settlement. 
He  settled  on  section  3  5,  but  made  very  little 
improvement.  He  was  a  man  of  good  edu- 
cation, had  a  considerable  library,  but  seemed 
to  be  unfitted  for  the  rugged  experience  of 
a  pioneer    settlement. 

Robert  Lowry  was  an    early  settler   from 
Kentucky  and  settled  on  section  32;  and  in 


HISTORY  OF  CLARK  COUNTY. 


379 


is:)^  Uxlr.irJ  Eistori  settled  on  the  same 
s 'Ction.  The  latter  was  one  for  whom  the 
primitive  state  of  the  country  had  the  most 
attraction,  and  who  gave  more  of  his  time  to 
hunting  than  to  improving  a  farm.  He  was, 
liDWivor,  one  of  the  best  judges  of  the  qualitj' 
of  land  in  its  wild  state  lobe  found  in  all  this 
region, and  purchasers  were.in  the  habit  of  seek- 
ing his  advice  in  making  seleciions.  He  sold 
his  property  to  Charles  Briggs  in  18o5  ahd 
removed  to  Coles  County.  Francis  Davis,  a 
brother-in-law  of  Daniel  Bennett,  and  a  new- 
comer of  this  year,  was  in  marked  contrast 
with  Mr.  Easton.  He  was  a  good  mechanic 
and  settled  on  section  33,  but  he  neglected 
his  trade  as  a  carpenter  and  his  work  on  his 
farm  for  gentler  pursuits,  which,  to  say  the 
least,  were  less  effective  toward  subduing 
the  forest.  He  was  a  man  of  tine  education 
and  extensive  readin"-,  and  his  retentive  mem- 
ory gave  him  such  command  of  facts  as  to 
make  him  the  oracle  of  the  early  settlement. 
He  possessed  a  large  library  for  that  time 
and  took  several  papers,  of  which  he  wis  an 
assiduous  reader;  but  fine  words  not  only 
butter  no  parsnips,  but  cut  no  trees,  and  he 
never  achieved  a  competence. 

Other  settlers  of  18  12  were  William  Mack, 
who  settled  on  section  33;  John  W.  Brooks, 
who  settled  on  section  33  and  subsequently 
moved  to  C'lles  County;  and  John  Barbee,  a 
native  of  Kentucky,  a  tanner  by  trade,  as 
well  as  a  useful  mechanic  in  others.  Mack 
was  something  of  a  "  Jack  at  all  trades,"  and 
proved  a  very  useful  member  of  the  commu- 
nity, building  houses,  making  plows,  boots 
and  shoes,  and  in  the  meanwhile  cleared  off 
forty  acres  of  land.  Joseph  Briscoe  was  also 
a  settler  of  1833.  In  the  previous  year  he 
came  from  Kentucky,  a  young,  unmarried 
man,  as  driver  of  an  ox  team  for  James  Hite. 
For  this  service  he  received  ten  dollars,  and 
inspired  by  the  possession  of  so  much  ready 
c;apital,  looked  about  for  an  investment.     He 


was  pleased  with  the  attractions  of  Westfield 
and  entered  the  land  on  which  Waldrop  and 
Morrell  had  squatted.  Returning  to  Ken- 
tucky, he  married,  packed  up  what  house- 
hold goods  he  could  secure,  anil  placing  all 
on  an  ox-cart  he  set  out  with  his  bride  for  tlie 
new  land.  Tlie  journey  was  a  tedious  one  of 
two  weeks'  lengili,  but  he  found  a  good  stai't 
in  the  improvements  which  Waldrop  had  made 
and  sold  to  Morrell.  He  satisfied  the  latter  with 
twenty  dollars,  and  entered  upon  his  new 
possession  wliere  he  still  lives.  His  fath<'r, 
Henry  Briscoe,  came  in  the  latter  part  of 
1835,  bringing  the  balance  of  the  family. 
They  came  with  three  ox  carts  aiKl  a  drove 
of  cattle,  remaining  at  the  cabin  of  Joseph 
Briscoe  for  eight  days,  wiiile  a  cabin  was 
put  up,  on  section  28.  Henry  Briscoo  was 
an  old  Revolutionary  soldier  and  was  pres- 
ent at  the  surrender  of  Yorktown.  He  died 
in  ISiS.  Coleman  Duncan  was  an  early 
settler  on  section  19;  a  man  of  sum  j  promi- 
nence in  local  politics  and  one  of  the  early 
county  commissioners.  Samuel  Gro-shart  was 
another  early  citizen  of  some  prominence  in 
Westfield.  He  improved  a  good  farm  and 
gained  consiilerable  reputation  as  a  hunter. 
After  a  residence  of  some  twenty  years  in 
this  township  he  moved  to  Missouri  and  met 
a  violent  death  at  the  hands  of  a  burglar  who 
had  made  an  entrance  into  his  house. 

Such  were  some  of  the  leading  men  who 
gathered  here.  It  is  difficult  in  most  cases 
to  distinguish  marks  of  individual. t}-  in  the 
smaller  settlements  of  a  county,  especially 
where  all  are  derived  from  the  same  gerjeral 
section;  but  in  the  early  community  of  West- 
field  the  intelligent  observer  will  find  less  of 
this  difficulty.  A  majority  <if  this  commu- 
nity were  from  Kentucky,  :  nd  most  of  tho~e 
who  made  this  their  permanent  home  were 
staunch  members  of  the  Old  School  Baptist 
Church.  Another  fact  which  had  an  impor- 
tant bearing  upon  the  character  of  the  orig- 


380 


HISTORY  OF  CLARK  COUNTY. 


inal  community  was  the  presence  of  men  of 
literary  taste  who  joined  their  fortunes  to 
this  early  settlement.  The  rugged  experi- 
ence of  pioneer  life  and  the  isolation  from 
the  closer  restraints  of  older  civilization,  has 
a  tendency  to  unduly  elevate  the  importance 
of  brawn  and  muscle  in  the  general  con&id- 
ation,  and  brawling  and  carousing  are  toler- 
ated to  a  much  farther  extent  than  where 
there  are  gentler  influences  to  counteract 
this  tendency.  The  prevailing  custom  of  the 
nation  had  educated  the  church  of  the  early 
day  to  see  no  harm  in  the  general  use  of 
■whisky,  and  it  may  not  be  said  that  the  mem- 
bers were  free  from  intoxication;  but  excess 
■was  deprecated,  and  as  year  by  year  the  in- 
evitable result  of  the  practice  was  foreshad- 
owed, they  had  the  moral  courage  to  reject 
it.  Brawling  disputes  were  never  counte- 
nanced and  the  general  sentiment  v^as  favor- 
able to  intellectual  progress.  It  may  seem 
puerile  at  this  day  to  note  the  influence  of 
one  or  two  libraries  and  men  of  literary  taste 
who  were  found  in  this  community;  but  in 
tiie  formation  period  of  society  even  little 
factors  often  lead  to  large  results.  These 
men,  while  not  commanding  the  esteem  of 
their  more  energetic  cotemporaries,  neverthe- 
less exercised  a  subtle  influence  which  even 
they  were  forced  to  recognize.  "A  walk- 
ing encyclopedia "  may  not  be  a  useful  in- 
strument In  clearing  away  the  forest,  but  it 
exhibits  a  p  jwer  not  possessed  by  the  aver- 
age pioneer  and  commands  respect  of  the 
unlearned  and  a  little  less  than  awe  of  his 
children;  audit  may  scarcely  be  questioned 
that  the  intellectual  progress  of  Westficld 
drew  much  of  its  inspiration  from  these  hum- 
ble sources.  Another  favoring  condition  to 
this  end  may  be  observed  in  the  character  of 
the  country.  To  express  it  in  the  languanre 
of  one  of  the  early  settlers,  "it  was  a  good 
poor  man's  country."  The  land  readily 
cleared  and  the  soil  submitting  to  little  culti- 


vation gave  additional  value  to  a  poor  man's 
moderate  means,  and  at  the  same  time  a  lei- 
sure to  be  employed  as  the  predominent  in- 
fluence led  him.  While  there  were  those  who 
devoted  their  best  energies  to  hunting,  the 
rather  loss  th;\n  the  propurt.onal  share  of 
game  here  did  not  encourage  this  diversion 
beyond  the  necessity  of  the  family  dejuand, 
and  hence  the  better  influences  of  the  church 
and  school  were  here  felt  at  their  best  estate. 
The  early  years  of  the  Westfield  com- 
munity were  not,  however,  in  marked  contrast 
with  other  pioneer  settlements.  The  cabin 
reared  and  the  family  made  comfortable  with- 
in it,  there  was  an  abundant  demand  for  all 
the  energies  of  the  pioneer  in  clearing  a  space 
on  which  to  plant  a  crop.  Ten  or  twelve 
acres  cleared  was  the  extent  of  a  season's 
achievement.  On  this,  corn  was  generally 
planted  though  occasionally  a  venture  was 
made  with  wheat  on  a  little  patch.  Mr. 
Briscoe's  first  crop  of  wheat  resulted  in  a 
yield  of  four  bushels.  Corn  was  the  princi- 
pal dependence,  and  "hog  and  hominy"  the 
general  fare.  Game,  wild  fruit,  maple  sugar 
and  honey  varied  this  plainer  diet  but  many 
times  occurred  when  from  the  various  vicissi- 
tudes of  life  in  a  new  country  there  was  a  pain- 
ful lack  of  the  simplest  food.  Considerable 
stock  was  brought  in  by  settlers,  cows,  oxen 
and  sheep  being  almost  a  necessity.  Hogs 
were  very  soon  acquired  and  proved  the 
staple  supply  of  meat.  Such  stock  was  very 
easily  kept  safe  from  the  ravages  of  wolves 
which  were  very  numerous  and  bold  here. 
Young  pigs,  calves,  sheep  and  even  colts 
were  helpless  before  these  savage  animals,  the 
depredations  of  which  were  carried  to  the 
very  doors  of  the  cabins.  Pens  formed  by 
high  strong  fences  were  constructed  for  the  de- 
fense of  these  animals  and  placed  near  the 
house  of  the  owner.  About  these  the  wolves 
would  gather  in  alarming  numbers  and  settlers 
were  very  cautious  in  forcing  a  fight  with  them. 


HISTORY  OF  CLARK  COUNTY. 


331 


0.\  one  occasion  Jacob  MoiTuIl  was  aroused  by 
a  co.icoarse  of  wolves  howlino-  and  snapping 
about  liis  cabin  in  the  niffht.  His  dojr  had  re- 
treated  to  the  steps  of  the  cabin  and  stood 
at  i>ay,  but  when  he  opened  the  door  and  en- 
couraged it  to  the  attack  it  gave  a  leap  into 
the  pack  but  did  not  reach  the  ground;  a 
dozen  hungry  jaws  met  in  its  carcass  in  an 
instant,  and  in  five  minutes  more  was  rent  in 
as  many  pieces  over  wliich  the  ravenous  beasts 
disputed.  In  the  morning  only  a  few  bones 
remained  of  what  had  been  a  dog.  A  horse 
or  cow,  though  not  always  safe  from  attack 
themselves,  could  often  beat  off  an  attack  on 
their  young.  One  of  the  settlers  had  a  colt 
throttled  by  wolves  and  succored  by  its  dam, 
which  could  never  afterward  tolerate  the  ap- 
proach or  sight  of  a  dog.  In  spite  of  such 
discouragements  the  stock  was  maintained; 
butter  and  milk  were  as  plentj'  as  they  were 
healthful,  and  the  simple  demands  of  frontier 
dress  were  seldom  denied  the  necessary  wool 
to  meet  them.  Flax,  another  essential  for 
the  supply  of  clothing,  was  extensively  culti- 
vated and  proved  a  valuable  crop  in  several 
ways.  The  seed  had  a  commercial  value,  its 
tibre  a  domestic  use,  while  the  effect  of  the 
crop  on  new  land  was  thought  to  have  an  ex- 
cellent eflFect  in  "taming"  it.  The  nearest 
source  of  supplies  was  at  first  at  Vincennes; 
later  Terre  Haute  and  Paris  brought  stores 
nearer,  and  Hitesville  was  founded  only  six 
miles  away  still  later.  But  store  goods  could 
be  only  sparingly  afforded.  Coarse  muslin 
was  40  cents  per  yard,  calico  50  cents; 
coffee  40  and  50  cents  per  pound  and 
little  but  cash  would  procure  them.  At 
such  prices  the  people  could  better  afl'ord 
to  make  their  own  cloth  and  clothing  and 
use  burnt  corn  for  coffee.  The  principal 
source  of  revenue  was  the  sale  of  flaxseed, 
maple  sugar,  whisky  and  grain.  The  latter 
commanded  very  small  prices  and  not  always 
a    ready     market;    converted    into    whisky 


and  hauled  to  Terre  Haute  it  was  a  profit- 
able article  of  commerce  but  this  was  not 
largely  engaged  in,  however.  Maple  sugar 
was  manufactured  largely  and  considerable 
quantities  sold.  The  whole  family  and  some- 
times two  or  three  families  united  and  spent 
the  season  where  the  best  trees  were  to  be 
found,  making  from  five  to  eight  hundred 
pounds  which  was  marketed  at  Vincennes  or 
Terre  Haute  for  cash.  Flaxseed  was  hauled 
to  Vincennes  ])rincipally  and  with  the  other 
articles  sulBced  to  supply  the  cabin  with  such 
necessaries  as  could  not  be  derived  from  the 
farm. 

In  1836,  Charles  Biggs  came  to  the  settle- 
ment from  Crawford  County  and  rented  a 
farm  near  the  southern  line  of  the  township. 
He  started  a  huckstcrina:  wairon  and  bought 
of  the  settlers  their  surplus  butter,  eggs,  maple 
sugar,  bacon,  etc.,  and  hauled  it  to  the  Ohio 
River  where  he  exchanged  this  produce  for 
goods.  With  the  latter  he  started  a  little 
exchange  store  at  his  residence  and  a  little 
later,  with  the  increase  of  his  business,  built  a 
frame  store  building  in  which  he  continued 
the  traffic  for  a  number  of  years,  when  he 
removed  to  the  village.  In  1829,  Benjamin 
I.  White  came  from  North  Carolina  and  set- 
tled west  of  the  present  site  of  Westfield 
Village.  He  improved  a  good  farm  and  soon 
erected  a  single-geared  horse-mill,  the  first 
grist  mill  in  the  township.  He  was  an  ener- 
getic, enterprising  man  and  was  satisfied  with 
nothing  but  the  best  of  its  kind.  The  ma- 
chinery was  placed  in  a  log  building,  IG  by  20 
feet,  but  recognizing  the  fact  that  there  would 
be  customers  in  waiting  and  that  M-ithout 
shelter  the  working  as  well  as  the  waiting 
teams  would  be  uncomfortable  in  bad  weath- 
er, built  a  large  open  shed  about  forty  feet 
square.  The  buhrs  were  "  nigger-heads," 
two  feet  in  diameter  and  ground  a  little  faster 
than  one  could  with  a  good  sized  coffee  mill. 
The  story  is  told,  but  not  vouched  for,  that  on 


382 


HISTORY  OF  CLARK  COUNTV. 


one  occasion  tlie  flow  of  meal  ceased  notwith- 
standing the  grinding  still  went  on.  After 
some  investigation  it  was  discovered  that  a 
hen  had  got  near  the  opening  of  the  hopper 
and  as  each  kernel  of  corn  appeared  picked  it 
up.  This  story  may  not  be  susceptible  of 
verification,  but  it  illustrates  one  of  the  in- 
conveniences of  early  milling.  This  mill  was 
patronized  from  near  and  far  and  though  pa- 
trons often  waited  two  days  to  be  served,  it 
was  in  good  demand  until  about  1840,  when 
it  was  abandoned.  A  second  mill  was  erected 
in  1831,  by  Fergus  Johnson.  He  was  a  native 
of  Kentucky,  emigrated  to  Indiana  and  from 
thence  to  Wostfield,  where  he  settled  in  the 
southern  part  of  the  township  on  land  now 
occupied  by  Dr.  Briscoe.  This  was  a  double- 
geared  horse-mill,  provided  with  a  shed,  and 
did  a  good  business.  About  1845,  Isaac 
Koontz  bought  his  mill,  but  soon  afterward 
sold  it  to  Lewis  Walker  who  worked  it  until 
1848  and  then  abandoned  it.  In  1838,  the 
first  saw-mill,  which  also  contained  a  run  of 
stone,  was  built  on  section  28,  by  "William 
Lee.  This  was  propelled  by  an  ox-tread 
wheel,  furnished  with  a  shed  which  ha^l 
become  nearly  indispensable,  and  made  a  fur- 
ther innovation  by  providing  the  motive 
power.  This  also  found  plenty  of  patronage 
until  about  1840,  when  the  machinery  was 
sold  and  removed.  Such  prosperity  in  this 
line  of  industry  induced  William  Neal,  in 
18-i9,  to  erect  a  single-geared  mill  on  section 
33,  but  this  was  a  rude  affair  and  though  fur- 
nished with  the  convenience  of  a  shed,  did 
not  continue  more  than  four  or  five  years. 
Abner  Stark  had  a  double-geared  horse-mill 
at  the  crossroads  in  the  eastern  part  of  town 
as  early  as  1837,  which  ran  some  fifteen  years. 
Here  an  attempt  was  made  to  bolt  fljur  bj' 
hand  and  had  quite  a  paying  patronage. 

The  early  cabins  have  long  since  passed  awav 
from  this  township,  and  neat  frame  houses 
have   taken  their  places.     This  is  one  of  the 


evidences  of  thrift  and  enterprise  to  hi  found 
here,  and  the  farm  improvements  are  not  less 
marked  in  this  direction.  These  m-.uks  of 
improvement  began  quite  early,  and  during 
that  period  when  villages  were  springing  up 
by  the  hundred  throughout  the  State,  it  is 
not  surprising  that  tliere  should  be  some 
attempt  in  the  thriving  settlement  of  West- 
field.  Tiie  mania  took  form  here  in  183u, 
when  B.  I.  Wliite  laid  out  the  village  of  New 
Richmond  upon  a  part  of  his  farm.  There 
was  at  that  time  nothing  in  the  history  or  cir- 
cumstances of  the  settlement  to  suggest  the 
necessity  or  advantage  of  a  town,  save  the 
popular  idea  that  each  distinct  settlement  was 
sure  to  give  rise  to  the  citj'  of  the  future,  and 
he  would  be  most  fortunate  who  made  the 
first  plat.  It  was  with  some  such  impression 
that  Mr.  White  laid  out  New  Richmond 
which  was  not  planned  on  an  ambitious  scale 
there  being  only  nine  blocks  of  eight  lots 
each.  The  project  did  not  receive  an  enthu- 
siastic indorsement  by  the  rapid  sale  of  lots, 
though  Stephen  Sargent  did  in  the  same  year 
secure  a  lot  and  erect  a  hewed  log  cabin  on 
it.  This  was  a  business  venture  which  sur- 
vived only  three  years.  About  the  same  time 
James  Folger  started  a  little  grocery,  the 
principal  part  of  his  stock  being  whisk}'. 
It  became  the  rendezvous  for  all  the  rougher 
element  in  the  country  about.  Sylvester 
Lewis  started  a  blacksmith  shop  here  quite 
early.  In  1840,  Thomas  Hiss,  sunk  vats  and 
ben-an  a  tannery  business,  which  prospered 
for  some  years  when  he  sold  out  to  Wood  & 
Hays,  who  continued  the  enterprise  for  a  few 
years  and  abandoned  it.  As  a  speculation 
the  platting  of  the  town  proved  a  failure.  But 
few  lots  were  sold,  and  the  village  finally  lost 
its  individuality  in  that  of  its  more  prosper- 
ous successor,  Westfield. 

At  the  time  of  the  laying  out  of  New  Rich- 
mond there  had  just  been  located  a  road  from 
Darwin  to  Charleston  in  Edgar  County.     This 


niSTORY  OF  CLARK  COUNTY. 


^33 


was  a  Stiite  road  and  promised  to  be  a  con-    | 
sidorable  thorouoht'are  as  all  llie  goods  for  that 
upper  country  wore  hauled  by  wapfon  from  the    j 
^Vabash  River.     It  was  viewed  by  Isaac  P.    i 
Douj>l)hetee,    Nathaniel    Parker    and    S.  D.    : 
Handy,  and    vv;is  subsequent!  .■    surveyed   by 
the  latter.     In  18o5,  the  citizens  were  warned    | 
out    to    work    on    this    road.     In    its    course 
throun-h  the  Westlicld  settlement  the  estab- 
lished line  passed  throuj^h  a  piece  of    timber 
owned  by  Abijaii    Darnell    who    very   much 
objected  to  the   way    in    which  it  affected  his 
property.     "When  the  working  force  reached 
this  part  of  the  road  he  met  them  with  a  prop- 
osition to  deflect  the  line   so  as  to  leave  his  ^ 
"wood    pasture"    intact.     How    hard     when 
love  and  duty  clash!     Tlie  roadmakers  hesi- 
tated,   parleyed    and    yielded.     It    was  clear 
that  they  had  no  authority  to  change  the  line 
legally  established,  but  Darnell  had  not  come 
to    them  unarmed.      He    brought    a    big  jug 
which   he    intimated   contained   whisky,   and 
the  leader  of  the   working    party,  anxious    to 
impose  the  burden  of  the  responsibility  upon 
the  whole  force  alike,  went  over  a  log  where 
the  man  and  jug  were  and  called   for  a  divis 
ion  of  the  house.     Those  who   were    in    favor 
of  changinn;  the  line  and  incidentally  in  favor 
of  the  whisky,   were    to    come  on   his  side  of 
the  log,    and  those  oppos  d,  should  there  be 
any  so  lost  to  the  charms  of  the  pioneer  bever- 
age, were  to  remain  on   the  dry  side.     It   is 
needless  to  say  that  the  unanimous  voice  was 
in  favor  of  the  jug.     The  road  thus    changed 
served    the    public    for    a    number    of  years, 
when  it  was  found  convenient  by  later  owners 
of  the    propi-rty  to  change  it  to   the    original 
line.     A  few  years    later    the    Marshall    and 
Charleston  road  was  laid.     Through    the    in- 
fluence    of    Col.     An-her,     the     Legislature 
appointed   Stephen    Handy,    Wm.   Mars    and 
Wm.  Swam  as  mceiA'ers-of  the  proposed  route, 
wiiich  led    from/  Marshall    to    Clarkville    and 
thence  west  thiibugh  the  middle  of  Wcstfield 


Township  to  the  village,  and  thence  at  right 
angles  to  the  north  on  the  older  road.  The 
viewers  reporteil  against  locating  the  road  on 
account  of  the  blufls  near  Mill  Creek.  Archer, 
however,  had  set  his  heart  upon  the  project, 
and  at  his  own  expLMise,  he  employed  twenty 
men,  surveyed  and  cut  out  the  road  si.xty  feet 
wide  and  placed  mile  stones  along  the  whole 
length  to  Westfield. 

The    laying  out  of  this  road  was  conceived 
bv  Col.  Archer  in  a  desire  to  make    Marshall 
easily  accessible  from  all  parts  of  the  county, 
and  was  with  reference  to  the  future  prosper- 
ity of  the  county  seat,  that  in  1839,  he  platted 
the  village  of  Westfield.       It  was  hojied  that 
a  thriving  town    in  this   part  of  the    county 
would    attract    immigration    from    the     river 
country  and  surround  Marshall  with  prosper- 
ous settlements  which   would  eventually  in- 
ure   to    its     benefit.       It    is    suggested    that 
"Westfield  village  was  an   independent  specu- 
lation,   but   while   the   sale   of  lots  at  a  profit 
was   incidental    to    his    plan,  Mr.  Archer  may 
well  be  credited  with  the  broader  plan  which 
is  much  more  in  keeping  with  his  genius  and 
history.     The   village    was   laid    out   on   the 
cross  roads  on  the  line  between  sections  29  and 
30,   and  consisted  of  forty-si.\  blocks  varying 
in   size.   State   street   passing    east  and  west 
through  the  plat,  and  Washington  street  pass- 
ing through  the  center  at  right  angles  to  the 
former,  and  through  these  streets  passed  the 
two  roads  mentioned  above.     With    his   cus- 
tomary public  spirit,  he  donated  block  29,   as 
a  public   square,   blocks   5   and  39  for  school 
purposes,   and  block  19  for  a   meeting  house. 
The  founder  was  prevented  by  financial  em- 
barrassments   from    presiding   long   over  the 
destinies  of  the  village,  and  in  the  following 
year  sold  the  plat  to  David  Evinger,  and   his 
two  sisters,  Polly  and  Catherine  Evinger.    The 
latter    owners   brought  the  lots  first  into  mar- 
ket, the   first  lot  being  sold  to  Thomas  Tefft, 
who  subsequently  erected  a  log  cabin   in  the 


M^' 


.^e'v^ 


384 


HISTORY  OF  CLARK  COUNTY. 


north  part  of  town  on  Washington  street  and 
there  kept  the  first  post-office  in  the  town- 
ship. AraonsT  others  who  purchased  lots  were 
Samuel  Teflft,  J.  C.  Skinner,  a  blacksmith, 
Wm.  P.  Bennett,  John  Fiers,  Katlian  Teii't 
and  Watkins,  who  came  to  work  in  the  mill, 
■where  he  was  subsequenth'  killed. 

In  1841,  David  Evinger  erected  a  log 
building  for  the  double  purpose  of  store  and 
residence  and  rented  it  to  Charles  Whitlock 
■who  brought  in  the  first  stock  of  goods  into 
this  village.  He  carried  on  the  business  about 
two  years,  when  he  moved  away.  In  1844, 
William  Hampton  opened  the  second  store  in 
a  building  erected  by  Catherine  Evinger  in 
the  year  1842.  This  was  a  story  and  a  half 
frame  building  and  stood  on  Washington 
street.  After  running  the  store  two  years  he 
sold  out  to  Thomas  Moore,  who,  a  year  later, 
entered  into  partnership  with  Michael  York. 
The  latter  became  sole  proprietor  in  18U(3,  and 
afterward  sold  to  one  White,  liuring  his  busi- 
ness career  here,  Mr.  York  erected  a  two  story 
frame  near  the  central  part  of  the  village,  on 
the  north  side  of  State  street,  which  a  few 
years  later  was  removed  and  is  now  used  as  a 
cabinet  shop.  In  1S54,  York  &  Moore  moved 
their  stock  into  the  new  brick,  and  Jacob 
Christianson  occupied  the  frame  buildino- 
■which  the  fotmer  leit.  A  year  later  the  latter 
moved  his  stock  of  goods  into  the  Lowden 
house,  standing  on  the  corner  of  Washington 
and  State  streets,  and  about  a  year  afterward 
erected  a  building  of  his  own  on  the  north- 
east corner  of  these  streets,  which  is  now  oc- 
cupied by  Mrs.  Lacier. 

The  first  brick  business  block  was  erected 
on  the  site  of  the  old  frame  store,  bv  Mr. 
Y^'opk  in  1867,  but  was  burned  down  three 
years  later.  It  was  rebuilt  at  once  and  still 
remains.  In  1877,  Messrs.  J.  R.  Redman  & 
Co.  and  C.  F.  Knapp  &  Co.,  erected  a  laro-e 
brick  block  together,  on  Washington  street. 
Two  j-ears  later  this  was  burned,  Knapp  re- 


building his  store  in  the  year  following.  The 
Watson  Block,  on  the  corner  of  State  and 
Washington  streets  was  erected  in  1879. 
The  first  hotel  stood  where  the  Watson  block 
now  is,  and  was  kept  from  1841  to  1848,  by 
Capt.  TeflFt.  The  Grant  House,  standing  in 
the  northern  part  of  the  village,  is  its  only 
successor. 

The  growth  of  the  town  was  considerably 
retarded  during  its  early  history  Ijy  the  gen- 
eral insecurity  of  the  title  to  the  property. 
The  Eviiigors  were  not  able  to  pay  cash  for 
tlujir  entire  purchase  and  secured  the  balance 
of  the  payment  on  the  property.  This  was  a 
bar  to  a  clear  title,  and  it  was  not  until  18.54, 
when  Dr.  Parcel  bought  the  unsold  part  of  the 
plat,  that  matters  improved.  Building  new 
houses  and  improving  lots,  he  infused  a  new 
vigor  into  the  town  which  has  since  rapidly 
advanced.  The  business  portion  includes 
four  dry  goods  stores,  two  groceries,  two  hard- 
ware stores,  three  blacksmith  shops,  two  wacr- 
on  shops,  a  harnessshop,  etc.,  etc.  The  man- 
ufacturing interest  was  represented  by  the 
Westfield  steam  mill.  This  was  originally  a 
two  story  structure  erected  in  1840,  by  Wood- 
ford Dulaney,  W.  P.  Bennett  and  D.  Evinger. 
It  had  two  run  of  stone  and  a  carding  mill  at- 
tached, and  did  a  good  business  until  18.50, 
when  it  was  burned  down.  In  1854,  Parcel 
and  Evinger  erected  a  mill,  four  stories  hi<'h, 
and  forty  feet  square,  at  a  cost  of  Sy,000.  It 
stood  in  the  northeast  part  of  town,  had  a  ca- 
pacity of  seventy-five  barrels  of  flour  per  dav, 
and  a  saw-mill  attached.  In  1856  it  burned 
down,  entailing  a  loss  on  property  and  contents 
of  §18,000.  In  the  same  year  the  mill  was  re- 
placed by  the  same  firm,  with  three  run  of 
stone  and  saw-mill  at  a  cost  of  about  §10,000. 
In  1859,  J.  I.  Parcel  bought  the  entire  inter- 
est and  continued  the  business  some  four 
years  when  he  sold  to  Ckment  &  Crowfoot. 
The  partnership  subsequently  changed  to 
Clement  &  Fish,  who  sold  out  to  a  Mr.  Scotti 


HISTORY  OF  CLARK  COI'NTY. 


3^5 


who  iiioveJ  the  uiill,  in  1878,  to  Brovvnstown 
on  ihe  Vaiidalia  Railroad.  In  1808,  the  Ror- 
d  lU  Brothers  erected  a  steam  saw-mill  on 
section  20,  and  did  a  good  business  lor  some 
ten  years  there,  when  they  removed  the  ma- 
chinery to  Westfield.  Here  they  erected  a 
steam  flouring  mill  on  the  site  of  the  Parcel 
mill,  -which  has  a  ciiiiacity  of  seventy-five  bar- 
rels per  day  and  is  still  doing  a  flourishing- 
business. 

In  1879  The  Index  was  established  by  G 
L.  Watson.  This  was  a  seven-column  folio 
weekly  newspaper.  After  conducting  it  for 
some  two  j-ears  he  sold  the  office  and  paper  to 
M.  R.  Bain,  who  changed  its  name  to  T/ie  Paii- 
tagraph.  In  1881  the  establishment  passed 
into  the  hands  of  S.  W.  Zeller,  and  a  year 
later  was  sold  to  his  son,  .J.  R.  Zeller,  who 
changed  its  name  to  The  Visitor,  and  tliree 
months  later  sold  it  to  Martin  &  Baker.  Be- 
fore the  end  of  a  year's  possession,  Charles 
Martin  secured  the  sole  proprietorship,  and 
now  conducts  the  paper.  It  is  now  a  five- 
column  quarto,  neutral  as  to  politics,  and  has 
a  circulation  of  about  500  subscribers. 

The  societies  are  represented  here  by  West- 
field  Lodge,  No.  1G3,  Free  and  Accepted  Ma- 
sons, which  was  organized  in  August,  1854, 
by  the  following  original  members:  AVesley 
Norman,  N.  S.  Hawley,  James  L.  Parker,  Fe- 
lix Parker,  Frederick  Hammond,  Josiah  Con- 
noiy,  Sylvester  Lewis,  E.  B.  Hawkins,  Chas. 
Downey,  and  G.  R.  Clark.  The  lodge  now 
has  twenty-nine  mcmljers  and  meets  in  Wat- 
son Hall.  Westfield  Lodge,  No.  Gii,  Inde- 
pendent Order  of  Odd  Fellovrs,  was  instituted 
September  29,  1877,  witli  five  members:  W. 
R.  Smith,  M.  Laws,  J.  Htdl,  Z.  L.  Davee,  and 
W.  D.  Hutchinson.  Meetings  were  first  held 
in  Ensley's  Hall,  and  two  years  later  moved 
to  Watson  Block,  where  the  lodge  has  recently 
fitted  up  a  fine  assembly  room.  The  member- 
ship now  numbers  thirty-three.  Westfield 
Post,  No.  139,  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic, 


Department  of  Illinois,  was  instituted  August 
11,  188-^,  with  G.  N.  Parker,  A.  A.  Moore,  R. 
S.  Gard,  J.  A.  Gassitt,  etc.,  as  charter  mem- 
bers. The  lodge  has  eighteen  members,  and 
meets  in  Ensley's  Hall. 

The  village  was  incorporated  in  March, 
18GG,  the  first  board  of  trustees  being  J.  C. 
Van  Sickle,  J.  II.  Parcel,  H.  II.  Cash,  Isaac 
Bolton,  and  B.  H.  Hays. 

The  early  members  of  the  community  were 
generally  of  the  Oid  School  Baptist  persua- 
sion, as  has  been  noted,  and  it  was  to  be  ex- 
pected that  church  influences  would  early  be 
felt  here.  In  1831  Coleman  B.  Dawson  came 
to  Westfield  and  settled,  and  it  should  be 
noted  that  he  and  Henry  Briscoe  were  the 
only  "total  abstinent"  men  in  the  while 
county  at  that  time.  The  former  was  subse- 
quently ordained  as  a  minister,  and  is  now 
serving  the  Concord  church  in  this  township. 
In  1833  the  regular  Predestinarian  Biiptist 
Church  of  Westfield  was  organized  under  the 
name  of  the  Concord  Church.  Several  fami- 
lies had  moved  here  from  Spencer  County, 
Kentucky,  and  others  from  Indiana,  who  be- 
longed to  this  denomination,  and  decided  to 
organize  a  church.  Elder  Daniel  Parker,  liv- 
ing in  Crawford  County,  was  princip:illy  act- 
ive in  this  organization,  the  first  members 
being  Thomas  Lasure  and  wife,  Absalom  Kes- 
ter  and  wife,  ^Villiam  Walker  and  wife,  Dan- 
iel Bennett  and  wife,  Henry  Randall  and  wife, 
and  Rebecca  Davis,  who  is  the  only  original 
member  now  living.  The  first  pastor  was 
Richard  M.  Newport,  who  was  then  living  in 
Crawford  County,  necessitating  a  horseback 
ride  of  fifty  miles  to  attend  the  services,  which 
were  held  once  a  month.  In  1855  he  moved 
into  the  township  and  preached  for  the  church 
some  twelve  years,  when  he  moved  to  Coles 
County.  He  subsequently  went  to  Missouri, 
where  he  died. 

Newport  was  more  than   an   ordinary  fron- 
tier preacher.     He  was  a  native  of  Kentucky, 


3S6 


HISTORY  OF  CLARK  COUNTY. 


and  came  in  early  manhooi!  to  Iniliana.  Biucl 
under  the  rude  influences  of  pioneer  life, 
without  educational  advantages,  he  became, 
by  the  simple  force  of  his  genius,  a  leader  in 
the  circles  in  which  he  moved.  It  was  only 
natui'al,  under  such  circumstances,  that  he 
should  be  betrayed  into  excesses  which  were 
then  hardly  acknowledged  as  disreoutable, 
and  it  is  stated  that  he  stepped  over  the  line 
of  permitted  things  so  far  as  to  be  publicly 
punished  by  the  legal  authorities.  He  sub- 
sequently came  under  the  influence  of  one  of 
the  early  preachers  of  the  time,  and  becoming 
a  member  of  the  Old  School  Baptist  Church, 
turned  his  splendid  energies  and  natural  gifts 
to  the  service  of  the  church.  Mr.  Newport 
was  in  many  ways  well  fitted  for  the  work  to 
which  he  devoted  himself.  In  that  day  drink- 
ing liquor  was  not  challenged  by  the  church, 
but  was  rather  considered  as  a  mark  of  sym- 
pathy with  the  commoner  class  of  people,  and 
gave  the  preacher  who  was  at  home  in  any 
crowd  an  influence  that  a  more  highly  cult- 
ured man  would  have  sought  in  vain.  In 
this  respect  he  answered  the  popular  demand 
completely.  He  was  a  tall,  active,  muscular 
but  spare  built  man,  with  a  reputation  for 
earlv  prowess  that  few  in  a  later  day  cared 
to  have  verified  at  the  expense  of  a  personal 
encounter;  to  which  was  added  the  gift  of  a 
natural  oratory  that  pleased  and  swayed  the 
best  audiences  of  the  time.  As  a  preacher 
he  went  far  and  near,  at  first  on  foot,  always 
drawing  large  crowds  of  listeners,  frequently 
being  instrumental  in  bringing  about  exten- 
sive revivals,  and  this  in  spite  of  his  known 
characteristics.  It  is  related  of  him  on  one 
occasion,  that  when  the  neighborhood  had 
gathered  at  the  cabin  of  Mr.  Beauehamp  to 
listen  to  his  preaching,  he  came  In  nearly 
frozen  from  a  long  ride  and  promptly  took 
his  place  near  a  stand  in  the  center  of  the 
room,  on  which  a  bible  was  placed  for  his 
use.     As  he  removed  his  wraps  he  made  con- 


siderable demonstration  expressive  of  his  be- 
numbed feelings,  and  finally  asked  "Sister 
Beauehamp"  if  she  did  not  have  some  "spirits" 
in  the  house';'  Of  course  she  had,  and  in 
company  with  her  husband  wont  to  a  cup- 
board around  one;  corner  of  the  room  or  chim- 
ney, and  indicated  by  some  sign  that  he 
should  come  and  take  the  restorative  in  a 
somewhat  less  conspicuous  part  of  the  room. 

He  understood  the  sign,  but  replied:  "No, 
no,  sister;  just  bring  the  bottle  here."  The 
jug  and  cup  were  produced,  and  after  survey- 
ing the  cup  well  filled  with  whisky  a  moment, 
he  tossed  it  off  in  the  most  approved  fashion, 
remarked  upon  the  refreshing  sensation  it 
caused,  and  at  once  proceeded  to  expound 
the  passage  of  scripture  he  had  chosen  for  a 
text.  At  another  time  he  had  an  appointment 
to  preach  at  Martinsville.  The  village  at  that 
time  was  noted  for  the  number  of  rough  char- 
acters that  made  it  their  rendezvous,  and  at 
this  time  the  whisky  shop  was  full  of  these 
characters,  carousing  and  discussing  the  char- 
acter of  New|)ort.  In  the  midst  of  the  noisy 
conclave  a  tall  stranger  came  in,  called  for  a 
drink  and  sat  down  by  the  stove,  maintaining 
the  closest  reserve.  The  drink  was  repeated 
three  times,  the  discussion  of  the  preacher 
going  on  with  consider^ible  animation  and 
prpfanity  after  the  first  momentary  interrup- 
tion. In  the  course  of  half  an  hour  the  stran- 
ger departed  as  non-committal  as  he  came, 
attracting  the  conversation  to  the  subject  of 
his  identity,  etc.  With  a  final  drink  around, 
the  party  concluded  to  go  to  the  meeting  and 
see  what  "  stuff  the  preacher  was  made  of," 
but  suJdenly  lost  their  curiosity  when  they 
saw  the  tall  determined-looking  stranger  of 
the  saloon  expounding  the  gospel  from  the 
desk  in  the  schoolhouse. 

As  an  orator  and  debater  he  was  in  general 
demand.  A  4th  of  July  celebration  where 
he  was  a  feature  was  always  sure  of  a  crowd, 
and  political    or   religious   delates    were    of 


A^ 


<^5»^«^  c.<^-j,^J^^      (/^  ocA^'^ 


IILSTOKY   OF  CLARK  COUNTY. 


389 


little  public  interest  without  the  incisive  elo- 
quence of  Newport.  He  was  once  a  con- 
testant bel'oie  the  Democratic  convention  for 
the  nomination  as  member  of  the  Legislature, 
but  was  beaten  by  T.  R.  Young  by  two  or 
three  votes.  The  Whigs  nominated  George 
Ilcnson  to  oppose  him,  but  neither  of  the 
])rincipals  being  able  debaters.  Usher  F. 
Llnder  was  secured  by  the  Whigs  and  New- 
port by  their  opponents,  to  discuss  the  pend- 
ini;-  issues  in  joint  debates.  Both  were  ap- 
pro .-ed  champions  of  the  forum;  I/mder 
pis.essed  a  persuasive  eloquence,  and  a 
method  which  appealed  to  the  heart  rather 
than  the  intelligence  of  his  auditors;  Newport 
exhibited  less  of  culture  in  his  oratory, 
but  possessed  a  talent  in  arraying  his  facts 
that  made  them  seem  to  the  crowd,  utterly 
unassailable.  The  result  was  favorable  to  the 
cause  which   the   latter  championed. 

Notwithstanding  the  weakness  of  his  moral 
character  which  can  hardly  be  fairly  esti- 
mated at  this  day,  Mr  Newport  was  greatly 
beloved  by  the  Concord  church,  and  during 
the  twelve  years  in  which  he  labored  here, 
th(!  church  was  blessed  and  increased  to  a 
membership  of  one  hundred  and  three.  He 
was  succeeded  by  Rev.  John  Shields,  and  in 
1857,  Rev.  Coleman  B.  Dawson  was  chosen 
pastor  and  has  continued  to  the  present.  The 
first  public  place  of  worship  was  a  hewed  log 
cabin  erected  in  1"833,  but  this  was  never 
completed,  the  church  using  it  in  the  summer 
and  -esorting  to  private  cabins  in  the  winter. 
In  8-15  a  frame  house  was  erected  at  a  cost 
of  about  ^500,  and  is  still  in  use.  The 
church  now  numbers  sixty-two  members. 

Good  Hope  Baptist  Church  was  organized 
in  1S32,  by  Richard  Newp  irt  and  S.  B. 
M'alker  assisted  by  Abraham  Slark  and  Will- 
iam Stancil.  The  original  members  were 
Lewis  Walker  and  wife,  Daniel  Gable  and 
wife  and  S.  B.  Walker  and  wife.  The  church 
was  orji-anized  at  the  cabin  of  Lewis  Walker 


which  w;i,h  other  residences  and  school- 
houses  were  used  as  a  place  of  worship  until 
a  lo<r  building  was  erected  for  this  purpose 
south  of  Westfield  Village  near  the  site  of  the 
first  mill.  This  building  was  used  until  18G2, 
when  a  frame  building,  36  by  50  feet,  was 
erected  in  the  village,  at  a  cost  of  SI, 600. 
The  pastors  liave  been  Revs.  S.  B.  Walker, 
John  Doty,  Milton  Humphrey,  Jonathan 
Riley,  Robert  Hawkins,  T.  J.  Thompson, 
Jas.  B.  Walker,  Abraham  Jones  and  Thos. 
Reynolds,  the  present  incumbent.  The  pres- 
ent membership  is  seventy. 

The  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  was  early 
represented  here  by  Revs.  Wm.  Blundell  and 
Wm.  Adams.  A  church  of  this  denomination 
was  not  organized,  however,  until  1850,  when 
Rev  Mr.  Burks  instituted  a  society  of  which 
Charles  and  John  Downey  with  their  wives, 
Martha  Downey,  Mrs.  T.  C.  Lewis  and  Miss 
Lewis,  were  among  the  original  members.  A 
frame  building  for  church  purposes  was 
erected  on  the  site  of  the  present  structure  at 
a  cost  of  about  $000.  This  was  replaced  in 
1865,  by  brick  building,  34  by  50  feet  with 
a  seating  capacity  of  300,  at  a  cost  of  $5,000. 
The  Westfield  United  Brethern  Church  w-  ^ 
organized  in  1852,  from  members  of  the  Ot- 
terbein  Chapel,  situated  in  Coles  County. 
There  were  about  thirty  members  at  the  or- 
ganization among  whom  were  W.  H.  and 
Marj'  Brown,  Katy  Evinger,  J.  b.  Kcrmer, 
Margaret  Evinger,  Moses  and  J.  D.  Parcel 
and  their  wives.  The  p.astors  have  been 
Revs.  W.  C.  Smith,  J.  P.  Shuey,  James 
GrifSth,  A.  Helton,  S  Bussard,  J.  G.  Shuey,  H. 
Elwell,  L.  S.  Chittenden,  J.  H.  Synder,  S. 
Mills,  R.  L.  Prengle,  and  C.  H.  Jones,  the 
present  incumbent.  A  frame  place  of  worship 
was  erected  in  1852,  in  the  southeast  part 
of  the  village,  at  a  cost  of  a  thousand  dollars. 
It  was  sold  in  1802,  and  the  church  has 
since  used  the  college  chapel.  The  church 
now    numbers    260  members,    and    sustains 


393 


HISTORY  OF  CLARK  COUNTY. 


a  flourishing  Sunday  school  of  about  175  at- 
tendants which  has  been  under  the  man- 
agement of  Professor  W.  R.  Shuey  for  some 
twenty  years. 

The  pride  of  the  village  and  the  source  of 
much  of  its  fame  and  prosperity,  is  the  college 
located  in  its  midst.  The  town  of  Westfield, 
the  name  of  which  the  college  bears,  had 
little  except  its  topography  to  mark  it  as  de- 
sirable for  a  seat  of  learning.  Small,  its  in- 
habitants manifesting  no  special  enthusiasm 
in  the  cause  of  higher  education,  without 
railroad  connection,  one  can  but  wonder  that 
it  drew  or  cared  to  draw  a  college  to  its 
midst.  But  in  and  about  the  village  there 
were  some  spirits  whose  enterprise  and  ener- 
gy made  them  superior  to  the  adverse  ele- 
ments in  a  country  hardly  freed  from  the  so- 
cial hindrances  of  pioneer  days,  and  the  in- 
stitution was  founded.  Wise  or  unwise  as 
the  location  may  have  seemed  at  first,  it  now 
appears  probable  that  all  objectors  will  be 
constrained  to  yield  approval  as  its  merits  be- 
come more  and  more  manifest.  As  the  heads 
and  hands  and  means  of  a  cultivated  people 
bring  out  the  possibilities  of  the  surroundings 
and  turn  the  whole  suburbs  for  miles  around 
into  a  very  garden  of  fruits  and  flowers,  men 
will  cease  to  criticise.  And  these  things  are 
coming  to  pass  by  rapid  increments.  As  is 
nsual,  the  college,  by  its  attractions  and  re- 
pulsions, and  its  instruction,  has  made  a  great 
improvement  in  the  intellectual  and  assthetic 
tone  of  the  community,  and  this  reacting  in 
fiivor  of  the  college  has  given  it  the  strong 
moral  support  of  its  home  constituency. 

The  forerunner  of  the  college  was  the 
"  Westfield  Seminary,"  out  of  which  the  col- 
lege grew  so  directly  that  the  two  appear  as 
one,  all  the  property  and  assets  of  every  kind 
belonging  to  the  former  having  been  made  to 
invre  to  the  latter.  Three  years  of  success- 
ful service  had  been  done  by  the  seminary, 
when  the  college  was  founded.     The   charter 


was  granted  by  a  special  act  of  the  Legisla- 
ture, passed  February  15,  18G5,  in  which  were 
named  as  incorporators  and  first  board  of 
trustees,  Walton  C.  Smith,  Alexander  Helton, 
David  Ross,  Samuel  Mills,  Hiram  Ehveli  Ed- 
mund R.  Connolly,  Daniel  Evinger,  and  J.  H. 
Coons.  Section  9,  authorizes  the  trustees  "  to 
establish  departments  for  the  study  of  any 
and  all  of  the  liberal  professions;  to  confer 
such  degrees  as  are  usually  conferred  in  sim- 
ilar colleges  in  the  United  States  in  the 
learned  arts  and  sciences;"  and  further  pro- 
vides for  the  establishment  of  departments 
for  the  education  of  disabled  Union  soldiers, 
for  ladies  for  preparatory  instruction,  and  for 
pupils  of  the  district  school,  of  which  privi- 
leges the  last  named  and  that  relative  to  the 
soldiers  have  never  been  used. 

Originally  this  work  was  undertaken  by  the 
lyower  Wabash  Conference  of  the  United 
Brethren  in  Christ.      Afterward,   in    the  vear 

1865,  the  Central  Illinois  Conference,  of  the 
same  denomination,  united  in  the  undertaking. 
In  1866,  the  Upper  Wabash  Conference  al- 
lied itself  to  the  enterprise,  but  after  three 
years  withdrew  for  the  purpose  of  building 
u])  an  institution  within  its  own  territory.     In 

1866,  the  Illinois  Conference,  and  in  1867,  the 
Southern  lUino's  Mission  Conference  assumed 
a  share  of  the  responsibility  of  sustaining  this 
cause.  In  the  aggregate  these  conferences 
occupy  perhaps  four  fifths  of  the  territory  of 
the  State  of  Illinois,  together  with  a  con- 
siderable area  of  middle-western  Indiana. 
Throughout  this  extended  area  of  country 
members  of  the  Church  of  the  United 
Brethren  in  Christ  are  found  in  pretty 
large  numbers,  and  this  is  the  people  who 
ovvn  the  college  an- 1  stand  first  under  obliga- 
tion to  sustain  it.  Y(it,  it  must  be  said  that 
in  its  brief  career  it  has  been  favored  with  an 
encouraging  amount  of  patronage  from  unde- 
nominational quarters,  as  well  as  from  sister 
denominations.      Nor  this  only;  but  generous 


HISTORY  OF  CLARK  COUXTV. 


391 


donations  and  bequests  have  been  granted  it 
by  persons  not  denominationallj'  interested, 
but  approving  of  its  principles,  plans  and  ef- 
fects. 

Its  benefactions  have  mostly  been  of  mod- 
erate amounts  from  hearts  that  followed  them 
with  their  prayers,  and  have  been  gathered 
by  the  solicitations  of  laborious  itinerant 
agents,  a  little  here  and  a  little  there.  One 
class  of  its  funds  has  gone  to  provide  build- 
ings, furnish  apparatus,  libraries  and  cabinets. 
Another  is  set  aside  as  an  endowment,  the 
principal  to  be  kept  forever  sacred,  the  inter- 
est to  be  currently  employed  to  support 
teachers.  The  former  has  not  been  adequate 
to  its  wants,  though  its  managers  have  pru- 
dently concluded  to  endure  the  lack  of  things 
desired  rather  than  carry  a  heavy  debt  far 
outreaching  their  assets.  Of  its  endowment 
fund,  which  amounts  to  §85,000,  only  a  part  is 
yet  available.  A  system  of  money-raising  by 
the  sale  of  scholarships  vras  early  introduced, 
and  has  not  been  discontinued.  For  §300, 
perpetual  tuition  for  one  pupil  is  guaranteed. 
For  §"200,  tuition  for  a  family  of  children, 
■with  no  limitation  as  to  number  in  attendance 
at  any  time,  is  guaranteed.  For  $100,  tui- 
tion for  one  pupil  at  a  time  for  five  years  is 
provided,  and  for  S50,  paid  in  advance,  one 
pupil  is  provided  tuition  for  two  years  and  a 
half.  Of  these  proceeds  all,  e.xcept  those  from 
the  sale  of  perpetual  scholarships,  are  used  for 
current  purposes,  while  those  from  the  sale  of 
perpetual  scholarships  are  held  as  a  part  of 
the  endowment  fund.  These  scholarships  are 
all  negotiable  except  those  for  family  tuition. 
The  work  of  instruction  began  in  the  old 
United  Brethren  Church  edifice,  situated  in 
the  village  of  Westfield.  In  1803,  the  first 
seminar}'  building  was  erected;  a  substantial 
brick,  two  stories  high,  sixty  feet  east  and 
west  by  forty  feet  north  and  south,  with  a  bel- 
fry. Its  upper  story  was  devoted  to  chapel 
purposes,  the  lower  to  recitation  rooms   and 


the  janitor.  In  186?,  this  building  was  en- 
larged by  an  addition  on  the  west,  which  is 
seventy-five  feet  north  and  south  by  forty 
east  and  west.  It  also,  is  a  two  story  brick 
and  contains  a  lecture  room,  society  hall,  and 
library  room  on  the  lower  floor,  and  two  soci- 
ety halls,  an  art  gallery,  and  a  recitation  room 
above.  The  structure  as  thus  improved  may 
be  described  as  being  100  feet  long  east  and 
west,  forty  feet  wide,  with  extensions  forty 
feet  by  seventeen  and  a  half,  placed  on  both 
the  north  and  south  sides  of  the  west  end. 
This  building  is  now  the  principal  center  of 
operations,  and,  although  devoid  of  architect- 
ural elegance  it  has  well  served  its  purpose, 
and  is  only  now  beginning  to  be  felt  to  be  too 
limited  in  capacity.  In  1872,  adjacent  prop- 
erty was  purchased  as  a  site  for  a  ladies' 
boarding  hall.  The  two  story  dwelling  al- 
ready upon  it  was  enlarged,  and  comfortable 
rooms  were  provided  for  the  accommodation  of 
a  number  of  ladies.  This  is  a  wooden  struct- 
ure, designed  to  answer  the  present  need,  but 
will  be  superseded  by  a  much  larger  ami 
more  finished  edifice  upon  the  same  ground. 
Here  the  lady  attendants  of  the  school  board, 
under  the  protection  of  a  steward's  family, 
selected  with  care,  and  also  under  the  direct 
supervision  of  a  lady  connected  with  the  fac- 
ulty. Gentlemen  find  homes  among  the  fam- 
ilies of  the  community.  The  college  campus 
consists  of  a  wooded  plat  containing  five  acres, 
handsomely  elevated  on  the  east,  where  the 
main  building  stands.  The  grounds  attached 
to  the  ladies'  hall,  somewhat  adorned  with 
shrubbery,  contain  two  acres.  The  cost  of  the 
college  buildings  is  estimated  in  round  num- 
bers at  $40,000. 

As  stated  elsewhere,  the  original  of  West- 
field  College  was  Westfield  Seminarj-.  At 
first  no  design  of  founding  a  college  was  en- 
tertained; stimulated  by  demand,  it  grew  into 
the  latter.  Prior  to  the  formal  organization 
of  a  faculty,  prior    even    to    the    charter,    in- 


3;)2 


}IIST()I:\-  OF  CLAUK  COUNTY. 


structioii  had  been  carried  forward  over  col- 
lege ground,  and  the  first  graduate  received 
his  degree  before  a  faculty  was  regularly 
formed  or  a  president  elected.  The  pro- 
fessors in  the  faculty  do  not  now  confine 
themselves  exclusively  to  college  classes,  but 
take  charge  of  any  requiring  to  be  taught. 
Though  this  is  not  the  most  desirable  mode, 
necessity  pointed  it  out,  and  experience  shows 
it  more  tolerable  than  a  theoretical  view 
would  anticipate. 

The  following  is  a  tabular  view  of  past  and 
present  instructors  beginning  with  the  semi- 
nary: 

Table  op  College  Instructors. 
Rev.  G.  W.  Keller       Prn'pal  of  Sem'ry  1861  to  ISfi:^ 
Rev.  F.  J.  Fisher  A.  B.  "  "        1863  "  L'-64 

Rev.  Wm.  T.  Jackson  A.  B.  "  "        1864  "  1869 

Mrs.  M.  A.  Fisher  M.  A.  "  L'ds  D"pt  1864  "  1866 
Miss  R.  H.  Winter  M.  A.  "  "  "  1866  "  1869 
Rev.  W.  0.  TobeyA.  B.  Prof,  of  Ln^'es  1866  '•  1868 

Rev.  S.  B.  Allen  A.  M.  Prs'nt  of  ColVe  1869  " 

Mrs.  R.  H.  Tobev  M.  A.  Pra'pal  Ld's  U'pt  1869  "  1873 
Mrs.  M.  H.  Fisher  M.  A.  •'  "  "  1873  •'  187-5 
Miss  Eugenia  Gintner  A.  M.  "     "       "      1S7.5  "  1880 

Miss  Emma  M.  Linton  B.S.  "     "       "      1880" 

Rev.  W.  0.  Tobey  A.  M.  Prof,  of  L'tin 

and  Greek  1869  "  1873 

Rev.  Chas.  Kiracofe  A.  M.  Prof,  of  L'tin 

and  Greek  1873  "  1878 

Rev.  Lewis  A.  Bookwalter  A.  M.  Prof,  of 

Latin  and  Greek  1878  "  1880 

F.  E.  Phillips  A.  M.  Prof,  of  L'tin  &  Gr'klS80" 

Rev.  Wm.  T.  Jackson  A.  M.  Prof.  Math's  1869  "1870 

1871 
'  1872 
■  1873 


Rev.  D.  Shuck  A.  M. 
Rev.  H.  A.  Thompson  A.  M.  " 
Elhot  Whipple  A.M. 
Rpv.  Wm.  R.  Shuey  A.  B.       " 
Elliot  Whipple  A.  M.  Prof,  of  Natural 
Science 


1870  ' 
1871 

1872  ' 

1873  • 

1875  ' 


1877 

Besides  these,  the  following  persons  have 
been  at  various  times  associated  with  the 
college  as  instructors  in  different  depart- 
ments: Emma  L.  Knepper,  M  A.;  Sallie  .1. 
Winter,  M.  A.;  Mrs.  A.  R.  Kiracofe,  M.  A.; 
O.  W.  Pentzer,  A.  B.;  Miss  M.  A.  Bright; 
Minnie  Bartmen;  Miss  F.  H.  Holmes;  S.  C. 
Hanson,  B.  S.;  O.  C.  Tobey,  M.  D.;  Mrs.  M. 
J.  Whipple;  D.  W.  Doran,  A.  M.;  E.  M. 
Goldberg,  A.  M.;  J.  R.  Swan. 

Xo  change  in    the  presidency    ol'    the    col- 


lege has  occurred  for  fourteen  years,  the  first 
incumbent,  Samuel  B.  Allen  still  occupying 
that  position. 

Two  courses  of  study  have  been  honored 
with  degrees,  which  are  designated  as  clas- 
sical and  scientific.  The  latter  formerly'  occu- 
pied about  two  years  less  than  the  former, 
but  within  the  last  three  years  it  has  been 
extended  so  as  to  embrace  two  years  more 
work  than  previously.  That  there  are  two 
courses  instead  of  one  is  not  from  the  un- 
biased choice  of  those  who  provided  it,  so 
much  as  from  the  stern  dictates  of  the  situa- 
tion. A  large  number  of  students,  by  having 
the  shorter  course  and  inferior  degree  placed 
before  them,  are  induced  to  struggle  for  this, 
while  in  its  absence,  deeming  it  hopeless  to 
strive  for  the  superior  degrees,  they  would 
abandon  their  studies  much  earlier.  How- 
ever, though  this  gain  from  the  shorter  course 
may  be  secured  by  a  few,  it  is  probable  that 
there  are  many  who,  lazily  selecting  this 
course,  are  thus  seduced  from  the  more  ex- 
tended one.  There  is  no  special  course  for 
ladies,  both  se.xes  having  equal  privileges 
and  being  decorated  with  the  same  degree. 
For  the  encouragement  of  persons  who  are  hin- 
dered from  completing  either  graduating 
course,  a  brief  list  of  studies  deemed  most 
essential  to  prepare  for  the  work  of  teaching 
in  the  district  schools  has  been  marked  out, 
the  mastering  of  which  entitles  to  a  certifi- 
cate from  the  faculty.  Beside  this,  since 
1870,  a  normal  class  has  been  conducted, 
where  all  who  are  willing  are  trained  by  such 
exercises  as  are  adapted  to  aid  them  in  con- 
ducting and  teaching  public  schools. 

Up  to  this  time  the  preparatory  work  his 
not  been  conducted  under  a  separate  manage- 
ment from  the  college.  All  students  have 
been  under  the  same  laws,  executed  by  a 
single  authority,  and  to  a  great  extent,  un- 
der the  same  instructors.  No  literary  so- 
cieties  belong  to    this    department,   the  pre- 


HISTORY  OF  CLARK  COUNTY. 


333 


paratory  students  uniting  with  the  same  so- 
cieties as  those  of  the  college.  The  ago  of 
twelve  is  required  for  admission  to  this  de- 
partment. 

Co-education  of  the  sexes  has  been  prac- 
ticed here  from  the  first.  In  point  of  num- 
bers the  attendance  of  ladies  has  always 
fallen  short  of  that  of  gentleman. 

On  the  completion  of  the  classical  course  of 
study  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Arts  is  con- 
ferred regardless  of  se.\.  Master  of  Arts  fol- 
lows in  course  after  three  years  of  upriglitness 
and  labor  in  a  scholaily  way.  riohelor  of 
Science  and  Master  of  Science  are  granted  in 
the  same  way  with  reference  to  the  scientific 
course.  The  privilege  of  conferring  honorary 
degrees  has  been  but  sparingly  exercised — 
to  two  gentlemen,  has  been  accorded  the 
title  Doctor  of  Divinity,  and  to  three  the 
honorary  one  of  Master  of  Arts. 

From  certain  societies  that  had  previously 
existed,  in  1869  two  literary  societies  were 
organized,  under  the  names  of  ZetagutJiean 
and  Colomentkin.  With  an  eligible  hall  as- 
signed  to  each,  they  both  sprang  into  active 
life,  each  of  them  proving  an  aid  to  the  othfer 
by  "provoking  to  good  works."  The  Phila- 
letheaii  society  is  composed  of  lady  members, 
the  others  of  gentlemen.  The  Choral  society 
of  Westfield  college  has  existed  for  a  num- 
ber of  years.  None  of  these  societies  are  in 
any  sense  secret  societies,  r.or  are  any  allowed 
in  "connection  with  the  college.  Each  of  the 
societies  have  small  libraries,  and  the  college 
one  of  about  a  thoiisand  volumes.* 
I  The  common  schools  preceded  the  semi- 
iinrv  just  thirty  years,  and  in  more  recent 
times  they  have  kept  pace  with  the  intellect- 
ual progress  of  the  township,  until  now  they 
are  second  to  few  in  the  county.  Tlie  first 
attempt  at  school  was  made  in  1831,  by 
Charles  Redman,  in  a  little  log  cabin  that  had 
been  built  and  used  by  a  squatter.  The 
teacher  was  a  man  of  good   education.     The 


cabin  stood  on  what  is  a  part  of  Alexander 
Black's  farm,  and  here  Mr.  Rodman  taught 
several  terms  for  the  accommodation  of  the 
neighborhooil.  In  1833,  his  son,  Vincent, 
taught  school  in  a  log  cabin  on  section  38, 
but  the  cabin  was  destroyed  by  fire  in  the 
first  year.  A  short  time  afterward  a  hewed 
log  house  was  erected  on  Biggs'  farm.  This 
was  afterward  replaced  by  a  frame  building, 
but  the  location  did  not  give  satisfaction  and 
it  was  removed  to  Walter  Briscoe's  place, 
east  of  the  village,  where  it  still  stands.  This 
was  the  first  frame  school- house  in  the  town- 
ship. Among  the  early  teachers  here  and 
elsewhere  in  the  township,  are  remembered. 
Burgess  Berkley,  Archer  Bartlett,  Wm.  Hill, 
G.  'W.  Boyer,  Silas  Whitehead,  etc. 

A  log  school-house  was  built  in  New 
Richmond,  in  1835,  and  was  used  seventeen 
years.  One  of  the  teachers  in  this  house  was 
Humble  Johnson,  a  man  of  ordinary  attain- 
ments, and  is  remembered  chiefly  from  his 
unique  way  of  closing  his  school  at  the  end  of 
a  term.  Marshaling  the  whole  school  he  led 
them  to  a  large  wood-pile  in  the  village,  and 
ranging  them  on  it,  propounded  the  final  spell- 
ing lesson.  This  done,  he  produced  a  quantity 
of  whisky  and  sugar  and  regaled  the  whole 
school.  A  two-story  frame  school  building 
was  erected  in  Westfield  village  on  the  site 
of  the  present  brick,  in  the  northwest  part 
of  the  village,  in  1853.  This  contained 
two  rooms  and  cost  ^600,  and,  in  186-1, 
another  room  was  added,  and  tiie  wdiole  used 
until  1881,  when  it  was  burned.  The  present 
brick  structure  replaced  the  one  destroyed. 
It  contains  four  rooms  and  cost  upwards  of 
^6,000.  There  are  five  districts  in  the  town- 
ship, two  of  which  are  provided  with  brick 
houses  and  three  wdth  frame.  In  1881, 
81,999.71  was  expended  in  teachers' salaries. 

*  Histoid  of  Westfield  College,  compiled  from  the 
pubUshed  account  in  1S75. 


CHAPTEE    XIY.* 


WABASH  TOWNSHIP-CONFIGURATION,   BOUNDARIES,   ETC.— EARLY    SETTLEMENT— PIO- 
NEER SOCIETY— AMUSEMENTS— INDIANS— IMPROVEMENTS  AND 
INDUSTRIES-VILLAGES— CHURCHES  AND 
SCHOOLS,  ETC.,  ETC. 


"  As  goes  Wabash,  so  goes  the  county." 

WABASH  is  the  largest  township  in  Clark 
County,  being  nearly  as  large  as  the 
State  of  Rhode  Island,  at  least  it  contains  about 
seventy-two  sections  of  land,  and  had  a  pop- 
ulation, by  the  census  of  1880,  of  3,375  souls. 
In  all  elections  of  importance,  Wabash  is 
considered  the  pivot  upon  which  the  county 
turns,  and  the  candidate  who  is  successful  in 
securing  the  vote  of  Wabash,  generally  con- 
siders his  election  sure.  Hence,  it  has  grown 
into  a  saying:  "As  goes  Wabash,  so  goes  the 
county,"  and  to  carry  the  township,  a  candid- 
ate leaves  no  stone  unturned. 

The  surface  of  Wabash  township  is  gener- 
ally broken  and  hilly.  The  "Wet  Woods" 
extend  through  the  central  part,  from  the 
Wabash  River,  and  were  originally  flat  and 
wet.  The  land,  however,  has  been  cleared 
and  drained,  and  is  now  quite  productive. 
The  principal  water-courses  are,  Big  Creek, 
with  its  numerous  tributaries.  Crooked  Creek, 
Clear  Creek,  Turkey  branch,  etc.,  all  of  which 
flow  in  a  general  southeast  course  to  the 
Wabash  River,  which  just  barely  touches  the 
southeast  corner  of  the  township.  Originally 
the  land  was  heavily  timbered,  and  oak,  hick- 
ory walnut,  ash,  elm,  hackberry,  and  other 
species  common  to  this  section,  grew  there. 
The  creek  bottom  lands  contained  plentj'  of 
walnut.      The   township  is   bounded  on   the 

*  By  W.  H.  Pernn. 


north  by  Edgar  County;  on  the  east  by  the 
State  of  Indiana;  on  the  south  by  Darwin 
township,  and  on  the  west  by  Marshall  and 
Douglas  townships.  Wabash  has  been 
thought  to  be  rich  in  mineral  wealth.  In  an 
early  day  silver  was  discovered  here;  a  fact 
that  created  considerable  excitement  at  one 
time.  A  company  was  formed  for  the  pur- 
pose of  investigating  the  matter.  The  pre- 
cious metal  was  actually  found,  but  not  in 
sufficient  quantities  to  justify  working  the 
localities  where  it  exists.  Coal  also  is  found 
and  is  mined  to  some  extent. 

The  settlement  of  Wabash  township  dates 
back  to  1816.  The  Black  family  is  believed 
to  have  been  the  first  actual  settlers.  They 
located  in  the  southeast  part  and  were  origin- 
ally from  Kentucky,  but  had  settled  in  Knox 
County,  Iiid.,  about  the  year  1810.  They 
lived  in  a  fort  there  as  a  protection  against 
the  Indians.  As  the  dangers  from  Indians 
became  less,  they  moved  to  Shaker  Prairie, 
where  they  lived  for  three  years  and  then 
came  to  this  township,  and  located  as  above 
described.  Mr.  Black  was  a  man  of  consid- 
erable prominence  and  energy.  He  improved 
a  good  farm,  and  died  about  1824.  He  had 
several  sons,  viz.:  John,  William,  James,  Jo- 
seph and  Thomas,  all  of  whom  were  men  of 
more  or  less  influence  in  the  community. 
They  acquired  large  tracts  of  land  which  is 
still  in  possession  of  the  family.  Richard 
Armstrong  came  here  with  the  Blacks  and 
was  also  from  Kentuckv.     He  settled   in  the 


HISTORY  OF  CLARK  COUNTY. 


315 


same  locality  and  built  a  littlo  cabin.  He 
raised  the  first  wheat  n-rown  in  the  township, 
and  some  of  his  neig'hbors  used  to  call  liini 
"stuck  up"  because  he  could  have  wheat 
l)read,  while  they  had  to  eat  "  corn  dodgers." 
It  was  said  that  Armstrong  could  eat  two 
dozen  eggs  at  a  single  meal,  and  was  often 
called  the  "  champion  egg-cater."  He  was  a 
very  religious  man,  a  minister  of  the  Presby- 
terian church,  and  was  considered  so  honest, 
that  it  became  a  saying:  "  As  honest  as  old 
Dickey  Armstrong."  He  died  in  ISiS,  in  the 
township. 

The  Peerys,  Kuykendalls,  Hawks  and  Joel 
Cowen  came  also  in  1816.  Samuel  Peery  was 
from  Ohio,  and  was  a  relation  of  Commodore 
Perry,  but  from  reason  had  changed  his  name 
from  Perry  to  Peery.  He  improved  a  large 
farm  and  was  quite  a  stock-raiser  and  trader. 
Several  brothers  came  about  the  same  time. 
Peery  was  a  wheelwright,  and  used  to  make 
spinning  wheels  for  the  settlers.  Mr.  Ku}'- 
kendall  still  has  one  of  his  wheels  in  liis  pos- 
session. He  died  in  1832  from  a  cancer  in  his 
face.  Kuykendall  came  here  from  Vincennes, 
but  was  originally  from  Kentucky.  He  was  a 
man  of  energy  and  accumulated  some  proper- 
ty. He  wasa  very  religious  man,  and  took  an 
active  interest  in  the  improvement  of  society. 
He  died  in  1825,  and  has  a  nephew,  William 
Kuykendall  still  living  hero.  Cowen  settled 
on  Big  Creek.  He  was  from  Ohio,  and  ac- 
quired considera!)le  land.  John  Sikes  now 
lives  on  the  place  of  his  original  settlement. 
He  died  twenty-three  ye  irs  ago.  The  Hawks, 
Joseph  and  Isaac,  located  in  the  river  scttle- 
n?ent.  Joseph  became  a  large  land-owner, 
and  died  about  1844.  Isaac  moved  a  little 
further  north,  where  he  improved  a  farm,  and 
where  he  died  some  thirty  years  ago. 

In  1817,  Hugh  Henderson  and  Jesse  Eser}' 
were  added  to  the  settlement.  Henderson 
located  in  the  river  settlement,  and  was  a 
great  hunter.     He  built  a  horse  mill,  the  fust 


mill  in  the  township,  previous  to  1827.  It  was 
on  Section  30  on  the  Darwin  road.  Esery 
first  settled  in  Palestine,  remaining  there  a 
few  years  and  then  came  here  and  settled  on 
Big  Creek,  wliere  Joe  Cook  now  lives.  H(i 
married  Hannah  Foster,  and  lived  hero  until 
about  1837,  when  he  sold  out  to  a  Mr.  Mus- 
grave  and  moved  to  Missouri. 

Jamos  JlcCabe  came  from  Tennessee,  and 
located  on  "Walnut  Prairie,  where  he  remaino<l 
for  a  short  time,  then  moved  upon  Big  Creek 
about  two  miles  north  of  Livingston.  He 
there  built  a  cabin,  but  lived  in  his  wagon 
until  his  cabin  was  completed.  It  was  a 
small  affair  16x16  feet,  no  floor  nor  chimney, 
and  a  rather  uncomfortable  habitation.  He  set 
out  the  first  orchard  in  the  township,  cleared 
a  small  farm,  and  then  commenced  preaching. 
He  was  of  the  Methodist  persuasion,  and  his 
residence  was  long  a  place  for  holding  meet- 
ings. He  sold  out  to  Zachariah  Hassell  and 
moved  to  Grand  Prairie,  but  afterward  back 
to  the  township.  He  died  in  1862.  Henry 
Shackton  also  settled  in  the  town-hip  this 
year,  a  half  a  mile  north  of  Livingston,  where 
he  erected  a  little  hut,  without  floor  or  fire- 
place. He  was  from  Kentucky,  and  was  a 
shiftless,  good-natured  kind  of  fellow,  who 
lived  mostly  by  hunting.  He  finally  "went 
down  the  river  "  as  a  boat  hand,  while  his 
wife  wont  along  as  cook  on  the  boat.  A  man 
named  Sheets  settled  near  the  river  in  1811), 
and  had  a  ferry  for  several  years.  Thomas 
Thompson,  from  Kentucky,  settled  in  the 
south  part  of  the  township  the  same  year, 
and  improved  a  farm.  James  Cox  settled  on 
the  Blaze  place.  He  was  a  great  hunter  and 
trapper,  and  finally  moved  off  up  the  creek. 
Jonathan  Wiley  settled  where  George  David- 
son now  lives.  He  spent  most  of  his  time  in 
summer  hunting  bees,  and  in  winter  hunting- 
game.  He  was  a  daring  man,  and  about 
1835,  followed  the  game  westward. 

Jonathan  Hicklin,  an  early  senkr  of  Wa- 


336 


HISTORY  OF  CLARK  COUNTY. 


bash  Township  was  a  character,  and  an  excel- 
lent specimen  of  the  iVontiersraan.  He  was 
a  native  of  Virginia,  but  went  to  Kentucky 
in  the  days  of  Daniel  Boone,  with  whom  he 
became  well-acquainted.  He  acted  as  spy  in 
the  Indian  wars  of  Kentucky,  and  was  in 
many  fights  with  the  savages.  In  1813  he 
came  to  Indiana,  having  married  in  Wood- 
ford County,  Ky.,  and  located  near  Carlisle, 
where  he  lived  for  about  nine  years.  He  was 
a  great  hunter,  like  most  of  the  early  settlers 
of  the  Wabash  valley,  and  being  out  on  an 
extended  hunt,  he  came  through  this  section, 
and  liking  the  land,  selected  a  home  on  Big 
Creek  in  a  romantic  spot  on  a  high  bluff, 
where  he  built  a  cabin  16x'20  feet.  After 
getting  it  roofed,  he  hired  a  man  to  finish  it 
while  he  went  back  after  his  family.  When 
he  returned,  he  found  his  cabin  unfinished, 
and  had  to  move  into  it  without  floor  or  fire- 
place, and  with  the  cracks  between  the  logs 
open.  In  this  condition  he  moved  into  it  be- 
tween Christmas  and  New  Year's,  and  the 
weather  was,  at  the  time  cold  and  disagree- 
able. Three  large  stones  were  set  up  against 
the  wall  for  a  fire-place,  and  an  opening  made 
for  the  smoke  to  escape  through  the  roof. 
He  lived  with  the  Indians  a  good  part  of  the 
time,  hunted  and  traded  with  them,  and  go 
along  with  them  in  peace  and  harmony. 
Once  a  lot  of  Big  Creek  roughs  sought  to 
drive  him  out  of  the  country,  by  inciting  the 
Indians  against  him.  They  cut  off  the  ears  of 
the  Indian's  ponies,  shaved  their  tails,  and 
Inking  the  hair  and  severed  ears  to  Hicklin's 
put  them  through  a  crack  into  his  cabin,  that 
suspicion  might  be  directed  to  him.  As  soon 
as  he  discovered  them  in  the  morning,  he 
divined  the  purpose  of  the  perpetrators  of  the 
deed,  and  at  once  gathered  them  up,  took 
them  to  the  Indians  camp  and  told  them  the 
circumstances,  and  who  he  suspicioned  of  hav- 
ing done  it.  The  Indians  were  aroused,  and 
the  roughs  who  had  intended  to  involve  Hick- 


lin  in  trouble  with  the  savages    found    them- 

o 

selves  whipped  with  their  own  weapons,  and 
were  forced  to  seek  safety  in  making  them- 
selves scarce  for  a  while. 

Hicklin  was  supposed  to  be  connected  in 
some  way  with  counterfeiting,  though  nothing 
was  known  definitely,  that  would  seriously 
implicate  him,  or  give  the  law  a  hold  on  him. 
One  ground  of  suspicion  against  him  was, 
that  he  always  had  money,  and  yet  never 
worked  for  it.  An  incident  is  related,  which 
would  seem  to  indicate  his  knowledge  of  the 
manufacture  of  the  "  queer."  A  man  went 
to  him  one  day  and  wanted  to  borrow  one 
hundred  dollars  with  which  to  enter  some 
land.  Hicklin  said:  "Wait  until  ten  o'clock 
to-morrow  and  I  will  let  you  have  it."  The 
next  day  at  ten  o'clock  the  mail  returned,  and 
received  from  Hicklin  the  required  amount 
in  new  silver  half  dollars.  Hicklin  followed 
hunting  until  his  eyesight  failed  him.  He 
died  long  ago  at  the  age  of  106  years,  the 
oldest  man  ever  in  the  county. 

In  the  year  1822,  the  settlement  was  in- 
creased by  the  arrival  of  James  Lovelace, 
Samuel  Elam,  Lindly  Ashmore,  William 
Ashmore,  Martin  Graves  and  Henry  Taylor. 
Lovelace,  Elam  and  the  Ashraores,  oame  to- 
gether, and  were  from  Kentucky.  They  set- 
tled on  the  creek,  south  of  Livingston,  and 
built  small  cabins,  spending  most  of  their 
time  hunting.  When  the  land  was  entered 
they  moved  away,  but  afterward  entered 
lands  on  the  creek  in  the  south  part  of  the 
township.  Graves  came  from  Virginia  to 
Ohio  when  a  small  boy  and  when  grown, 
came  here  on  foot,  with  a  knapsack  on  his 
back  containing  his  earthly  all.  He  selected 
a  place  in  Wabash  township,  built  a  cabin 
and  married  Polly  McCabe,  thus  setting  an 
example  worthy  of  imitation  by  all  young 
men.  He  is  still  living,  and  can  tell  miny 
stories  of  hunting,  in  the  early  times.  Tay- 
lor was  a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  and  when 


HISTORY  OF  CLARK  COUNTY. 


397 


very  young  was  brouirlit  to  Ohio,  the  family 
afterward  moved  to  Sliaker  Prairie,  Ind.  He 
came  here  and  settled  in  the  south  part  of  the 
township,  and  hired  to  Hicklin  to  clear  land 
for  him.  He  took  a  lease  to  clear  up  the 
school  land,  and  afterward  bought  land.  At 
Hicklin's  death  ho  l)0ught  the  place  upon 
which  he  had  lived.  He  died  in  1878,  but 
his  widow,  who  was  Jane  Hicklin,  is  still  liv- 
ing. Abraham  Washliurn  came  from  Ten- 
nessee and  settled  in  the  central  part  of  the 
township.  He  was  an  herb  doctor  and  quite 
an  eccentric  character.  William  Wood  settled 
on  the  creek.  He  was  an  intelligent  man, 
and  a  zealous  member  of  the  Presbyterian 
church. 

James  Plasters,  a  native  of  Virginia,  set- 
tled in  this  township  in  1831.  We  make  the 
following  extract  from  a  sketch  written  by 
himself  :  "I,  James  Plasters,  wish  to  leave  to 
my  family,  an  account  of  my  ancestors.  My 
grandfather,  on  my  fathers  side,  Michael 
Plasters,  was  a  native  of  Germany,  being 
born  on  the  river  Rhine,  and  was  called 
'Hio-h  Dutch.'  He  emio-rated  to  the  colonies 
of  North  America  about  the  first  of  the 
year,  1730,  and  settled  in  what  is  now 
knovpn  as  Chester  County,  Pennsyl- 
vania, near  Philadelphia,  and  married  an 
English  lady.  My  father,  Henry  Plasters, 
was  born  in  the  year  1760,  and  in  the  year 
1770,  my  grandfather  moved  to  Loudoun 
County,  Va.,  and  at  the  age  of  16,  my  father 
entered  the  army.  He  was  present,  and  as- 
sisted at  the  capture  of  the  Hessians  at 
Trenton,  N.  J.;  served  in  the  Revolutionary 
army  four  years.  I  was  born  June  3,  1791, 
and  served  in  the  war  of  1813.  I  witnessed 
the  burning  of  the  Capitol  by  the  British, 
and  was  at  Fort  McHenry  at  the  time  it  was 
bombared  by  the  British  fleet.  I  was  married 
to  Hannah  Massey,  December  3,  1815,  in 
Loudoun  County,  and  raised  a  family  of  three 
sons  and  four  daughters.     Moved  from  Lou- 


doun County,  and  settled  in  Clark  County,  Illi- 
nois, in  Ajjril,  1831.  In  the  month  of  Au- 
gust, 183:2,  at  a  camp-meeting  held  by  the 
Cumberland  Presbyterians  on  Big  Creek,  I 
was  converted,  and  became  a  member  of  that 
denomination.  Being  dissatisfied  with  their 
confessiin  of  faith,  I  severed  my  connection 
by  letter,  on  the  Christmas  following,  and 
united  with  the  Methodist  church,  at  Living- 
ston, and  have  remained  a  member  ever  since. 
Was  au  active  member  of  that  church  for 
over  thirty  years,  until  age  and  infirmities 
prevented  me.  Have  served  it  to  the  best  of 
my  ability,  in  the  several  capacities  of 
steward,  class  leader  and  trustee,  and  was  for 
a  time,  superintendent  of  its  Sabbath  school. 
And  now  I  am  calmly  awaiting  the  summons 
of  my  Master,  to  depart  for  the  better  world." 
Mr.  Plasters  died  October  25,  1882,  and  was 
buried  in  the  Livingston  cemetery.  The  fol- 
lowing of  his  children  are  still  living:  Wil- 
liam Plasters,  residing  in  Missouri,  aged  64 
years;  Henry  Plasters,  Marshall,  aged  63 
years;  Samuel  Plasters,  Washington  Terri- 
tory, aged  62  years;  and  Mrs.  T.  A.  Catron, 
Champaign  County,  this  State,  aged  55  3'ears. 
Alexander  McGregor,  a  Scotchman,  was  a 
contractor  on  tlie  National  Road.  He  after- 
ward purchased  600  acres  of  land,  two  mil's 
east  of  Livingston,  and  opened  a  large  farm. 
He  was  a  prominent  man,  a  bachelor,  whose 
sister  lived  with  him.  He  was  noted  for  his 
honesty,  which  was  proverbial.  He  married 
in  later  years.  Andrew  Dunlap  came  here 
in  1832,  from  Tennessee  and  settled  on  the 
State  line.  His  residence  was  in  Clark 
County,  and  his  barn  and  stables  in  Indiana. 
He  built  a  log  house,  and  kept  a  hotel,  which 
was  long  known  as  the  "  Stateline  House." 
He  moved  to  Terre  Haute  a  few  years  ago. 
John  W.  West  and  Henry  Hutchinson  were 
settlers  in  the  township.  West  was  from 
Ohio,  and  Hutchinson  from  Virginia.  Isaac 
Rhodes  came  from   Kentucky  to  Vincennes, 


39". 


HISTORY  OF  OLARK  COUXTY. 


in  1820.  He  settled  in  Wabash  township 
shortly  after,  and  commenced  flatboating  on 
the  Wabash  River.  He  would  load  a  flatboat 
■with  hickory  poles  and  take  them  to  New 
Orleans,  and  then  return  to  Shawneetown, 
111.,  on  a  steamboat,  and  on  foot  from  there 
home.  He  is  still  living.  Joseph  Malcom 
and  Allison  Crews  were  also  early  settlers. 
They  were  from'  Tennessee.  Malcom  had  a 
mill  above  Rhodes,  and  kept  a  ferry.  Crews 
■was  an  early  school  teacher. 

Jacob  Long  was  a  son-in-law  of  Peery,  and 
settled  on  ■what  is  known  as  the  "  Glover 
Farm."  He  sold  to  Glover  and  went  to  Wis- 
consin and  died  soon  after.  Once  when  his 
wife  was  sick  he  walked  to  Vincennes  and 
back  in  two  days  after  coffee,  because  his 
wife  expressed  a  wish  for  a  cup  of  coffee. 
He  paid  sixty  cents — all  the  money  he  had — 
for  half  a  pound.  He  was  the  first  man  in 
the  neighborhood  who  paid  money  for  harvest 
hands.  Hitherto  it  had  been  the  custom  to 
get  a  jug  of  whisky  and  the  neighbors  gather 
together  and  iielp  each  other  in  their  harvests. 
Long  was  severely  censured  for  breaking 
throuarh  a  "ffood  old  custom." 

The  settlement  of  the  township  after  1830, 
rapidly  increased;  people  came  in,  several 
families  together,  and  the  best  land  was  soon 
all  entered.  Game  was  plenty  when  the  first 
whites  came,  and,  as  we  have  said,  many  of 
the  settlers  were  great  hunters — in  fact,  a 
number  of  them  did  but  little  else,  and  when 
game  began  to  thin  out  they  left  for  new 
hunting  grounds.  There  were  a  few  bears — 
several  were  killed  in  the  township — and 
deer  were  very  plenty,  also  wolves.  The 
latter  preyed  upon  the  pigs  to  such  an  extent 
that  hog-raising,  for  a  good  many  years,  was 
an  uncertain  business,  and  not  at  all  profit- 
able. Bee-hunting  was  a  regular  employ- 
ment. A  great  many  people  followed  it  suc- 
cessfully. The  honej^  and  bees-wax  were 
lecal  tender  for  all   kinds   of   merchandise. 


Ginseng  was  another  staple  article,  often  sell- 
ing at  twenty-five  cents  a  pound.  Maple 
sugar  was  long  a  valuable  industry;  it  suld  in 
Terre  Haute  and  Vincennes  readily,  and  al- 
ways commanded  cash  prices,  and  in  those 
days  it  was  about  all  the  settler  had  that 
would  sell  for  cash.  The  people  took  to  mar- 
ket deer- skins,  tallow,  hams,  etc.  Hams  sold 
for  one  dollar  a  pair. 

For  several  years  after,  white  people  came 
to  this  county,  there  were  plenty  of  Indians, 
as  elsewhere  noted.  They  were  mostly  Mi- 
amis  and  Kickapoos,  and  were  friendly. 
Their  camps  were  on  Big  Creek,  and  though 
never  harming  the  whites,  they  would  fre- 
quently get  on  their  ponies  and  ride  through 
the  woods  in  a  gallop  whooping  and  yelling 
on  purpose  to  frighten  their  pale-face  neigh- 
bors, and  then  enjoy  their  scare  amazingly. 
An  old  Indian  once  came  to  Mr.  Esery  and 
wanted  to  stay  all  night  himself,  and  bring 
his  squaw  and  papoose,  who  he  said  were  sick. 
Mr.  Esery  consented,  and  the  old  Indian  went 
after  his  squaw  and  papoose,  and  brought 
forty  Indians  with  him.  This  was  a  larger 
number  than  Esery  had  agreed  to  entertain, 
but  there  was  nothing  for  him  but  to  "grin 
and  bear  it."  He  put  them  in  his  cellar, 
which  was  a  very  large  one,  and  they  re- 
mained there  during  the  night,  keeping  up  a 
great  noise,  but  doing  no  harm  to  any  one. 
Another  incident  is  told  of  an  Indian  ■who, 
while  drunk  undertook  to  whip  his  squaw, 
but  she  made  battle  at  him.  The  Indians 
formed  a  circle  around  them,  and  would  not 
let  anyone  interfere,  while  she  pummeled 
him  until  he  hollered  "  enough,"  when  they 
were  separated. 

The  state  of  society  in  Wabash  Township 
from  twenty- five  to  fifty  years  ago  was  scarce- 
ly what  it  is  now.  There  were  many  rough 
characters  here  then;  many  who  would  stop 
at  nothing  lawless  if  it  subserved  their  own 
ends.     The  people,  of  course,  were  not  all  of 


HISTORY  OF  CLARK  COUNTY. 


399 


this  rough  element,  in  fact  the  large  majority 
were  honest,  upright  men  and  hiw-abiding 
citizens.  The  following  incident,  however, 
will  illustrate  the  worst  phase  of  society  at 
that  early  day:  Tiiere  was  a  harmless  old  lady 
named  Bogue  and  her  son,  Harrison  Boguc, 
who  were  Quakers,  and  who  owned  a  small 
piece  of  land.  Bogue  was  a  harmless,  igno- 
rant man,  but  industrious.  A  couple  of  men, 
their  near  neighbors,  concluded  to  run  them 
off,  and  at  the  same  time  get  their  land,  and 
what  little  property  they  had  besides.  To 
effect  this  they  set  fire  to  a  small  unoccupied 
building  near  by  and  burned  it  to  the  ground, 
and  then  informed  Bogue  that  the  people  of 
the  neighborhood  believed  that  he,  Bogue 
had  burned  it;  that  there  was  strong  circum- 
stantial evidence,  and  he  would  most  likely 
be  imprisoned  for  it.  They,  as  friends,  (!) 
advised  him  to  flee  the  country  and  leave  his 
property  in  their  hands  to  dispose  of,  prorais- 
i>'  T  to  do  so  and  send  him  the  proceeds.  So 
effectually  did  they  frighten  Bogue  and  his 
mother  that  they  left  the  neighborhood  and 
the  State  under  cover  of  darkness,  being  con- 
veyed to  Terre  Haute  by  one  of  the  men. 
The  absence  of  the  couple  excited  suspicion, 
and  their  personal  effects  being  found  in  pos- 
session of  two  men,  whose  reputation  was  none 
of  the  best,  only  added  fuel  to  the  fire.  A 
strict  search  was  made  for  the  bodies  of  Bogue 
and  his  mother,  as  all  believed  they  had  been 
murdered.  At  least  two  hundred  people  were 
engaged  in  the  search.  Threats  of  arrest 
frightened  the  guilty  parties  into  an  attempt 
to  escape.  They  were  apprehended  at  Terre 
Haute,  but  one  of  thom  made  his  escape  from 
his  captors  and  reached  Brazil  where  he  was 
recaptured.  They  were  lodged  in  jail,  ad- 
mitted to  bail  and  finally  acquitted.  Bogue 
and  his  mother  were  found  near  Indianapolis 
and  brought  back  home  and  their  property 
restored  to  them. 

The  subject  of  politics  has  always  interested 


the  people  of  the  township,  and  they  have 
deemed  it  their  duty  as  free-born  American 
citizens,  to  exercise  all  the  rights  and  fran- 
chises of  the  same.  An  amusing  incident  is 
related  of  a  turn-out  from  Wabash  townshiji 
to  Marshall,  once  during  an  interesting  polit- 
ical canvass.  It  consisted  of  a  kind  of  com- 
mercial procession,  wagons  on  which  all  kinds 
of  work  was  being  done.  A  man  named 
Pickens,  a  citizen  of  Wabash,  who  was  gifted 
with  all  the  notes  of  the  rooster,  and  could 
crow  so  like  a  Shanghai  as  to  astonish  one  of 
the  genuine  breed,  was  placed  in  a  large  box, 
the  box  fastened  on  a  long  pole,  and  it  secure- 
ly planted  on  one  of  the  wagons.  A  real  live 
rooster  was  secured  upon  the  box,  with  a 
string  around  his  neck,  which  Pickens  held  in 
his  hand,  securely  hidden  in  his  box.  Every 
few  moments  Pickens  would  crow,  and  at  the 
same  time  pull  his  string  which  would  move 
the  rooster's  head,  and  thus  create  the  im- 
pression that  it  was  the  rooster  that  was  doing 
the  crowing.  The  actual  crower  was  not  dis- 
covered until  the  procession  was  over. 

The  first  mill  in  the  township  was  a  horse- 
mill  built  by  Hugh  Henderson,  which  has 
already  been  alluded  to.  A  man  named  Du- 
rell,  who  had  settled  in  the  south  part  of  the 
township  in  1833,  built  a  water-mill  a  short 
time  afterward  on  Big  Creek.  He  operated 
it  some  two  years,  when  he  died,  and  the  mill 
was  sold  to  a  man  named  Hogue.  After  this 
it  changed  hands  several  times,  and  finally 
became  the  property  of  a  Mr.  Keiser.  A  saw- 
mill had  been  added,  and  Keiser,  during  high 
water,  would  load  flat-boats  with  lumber,  run 
them  out  into  the  Wabash  Kiver,  and  thence 
to  New  Orleans.  The  mill,  in  after  years, 
was  washed  away,  or  so  damaged  by  high 
water  as  to  render  it  useless.  Horace  Ritchie 
built  a  steam  saw  and  grist  mill  two  miles 
east  of  Livingston.  It  was  a  two-story  frame 
building,  20xG0  feet;  had  two  run  of  buhrs, 
saw,  sash  saw,  etc.     Ritchie  sold  it  to  Welsh, 


400 


IIISTOUY  OF  CLAIMC  COUNTY. 


and  he  sold  it  to  Rufus  Neal.  The  latter, 
after  operating  it  a  few  years,  moved  the  ma- 
chinery to  Marshall,  and  it  is  now  used  in  a 
mill  there. 

The  "Darwin  Road,"  as  it  was  called,  lead- 
ing from  Darwin  to  Paris,  was  the  first  public 
road  laid  out  through  the  township.  It  was 
viewed  out  by  David  Wyrick,  Henry  Taylor 
and  Stephen  Archer,  and  intersected  the  Na- 
tional Road  at  Livingston.  The  Terre  Haute 
road  passed  through  in  a  southeasterly  course, 
and  was  "viewed"  out  in  1830  by  W.  B. 
Woods,  Goldberry  and  Dunlap.  The  old 
National  Road  also  passed  through  the  town- 
ship. 

Villages. — ^As  work  progressed  on  the  Na- 
tional Road  a  number  of  houses  were  put  up 
along  the  line  of  the  improvement  thus  going 
on.  David  Wyrick  came  from  Indiana  in 
18"-J9  and  settled  where  the  Darwin  and  Liv- 
ingston roads  crossed.  He  came  here  in  a 
wagon,  and  was  five  weeks  on  the  road.  He 
built  a  cabin  and  blacksmith  shop,  and  worked 
at  horseshoeing  and  fixing  plows.  He  was 
joined,  the  next  year,  by  Robert  Ferguson, 
who  was  his  brother-in-law,  and  was  also  from 
Indiana.  Deeming  this  an  eligible  site,  he 
entered  the  land  and  laid  out  the  town  of 
Livingston.  It  is  located  on  the  west  half  of 
the  southwest  quarter  of  section  9,  township 
11  north,  range  11  west,  and  put  the  lots  on 
the  market.  Among  the  first  families  who 
settled  here,  were  James  Twilley,  Rufus 
Brown,  Jacob  Cline,  Joseph  Bavis,  John  Ba- 
vis,  Eli  Bavis,  James  Dixon,  David  Bucklin 
and  a  man  named  Winds.  Mr.  Winds  opened 
a  store,  and  by  means  of  a  great  deal  of  whtcl, 
soon  worked  up  a  large  trade.  He  brought 
goods  from  Louisville  and  Cincinnati  in  wag- 
ons, before  the  iron  horse  had  crossed  the 
prairies  of  Indiana.  A  large  part  of  his  trade 
was  to  the  hands  working  on  the  National 
Road,  and  while  it  was  in  course  of  construc- 
tion  he   had  a  big  trade.     Soon   after  work 


ceased  on  the  road  he  closed  out  his  store. 
A  second  store  was  established,  in  1833.  by 
a  man  named  Eversoll.  He  also  hauled  his 
goods  fiom  Louisville,  and  kept  a  good  stock 
for  that  early  period.  He  erected  a  brick 
building  on  the  north  side  of  the  National 
Road,  one  and  a  half  stories  high  and  20x40 
feet  in  size.  He  carried  on  a  store  for  thirteen 
years,  and  then  sold  to  a  man  of  the  name  of 
Hutchinson.  In  1833  P'erguson  erected  the 
two-story  frame  building  where  Mrs.  Cline 
now  lives.  He  started  a  store  in  one  room 
of  it,  which  he  operated  some  time  and  then 
sold  out  to  one  Murphj',  who  had  come  here 
from  Darwin  with  a  small  stock  of  goods. 
Murphy  put  up  a  building  east  of  Ferguson 
building,  and  sold  goods  for  twelve  or  fifteen 
years.  McGath  then  bought  him  out  and 
continued  the  business  until  1851,  when  he 
wound  up. 

David  Wyrick  erected  a  large  two  story 
frame  hotel  in  1833,  on  the  corner  of  Main 
Street.  The  building  was  put  up  under  con- 
tract, by  a  man  named  Kibby,  and  the  lumber 
for  it  was  all  sawed  with  a  whip-saw,  by 
Wiley  and  Levi  Cline.  Wyrick  kept  the 
hotel  until  1845,  when  he  sold  it  and  moved 
one  mile  south  of  town.  The  house  did  a 
good  business,  and  was  long  a  favorite  stop- 
ping place.  Twilley  also  built  a  tavern,  on 
the  corner  opposite  Wyrick,  which  he  kept 
for  about  twelve  years.  He  kept  a  "  grocery  " 
(a  saloon)  in  connection  with  his  tavern,  and 
"  the  boys "  used  to  have  high  old  times 
there,  occasionally.  Ferguson,  after  he  sold 
out  his  store  opened  a  tan  j'ard  in  the  south 
part  of  town,  and  kept  a  leather  store  in  a 
room  of  the  building  on  the  north  side  of  the 
street.  He  worked  several  men  and  did  a 
large  business.  In  1861  he  sold  out  to  Hunt, 
who  carried  it  on  several  years,  when  he  died. 
His  widow  married  James  Blackman,  and  con- 
tinued the  business  until  a  few  years  ago. 

Livingston  became  quite  a  business  point. 


HI.STOUY  OV  CLARK  COUXTY. 


401 


and  was  the  center  of  a  large  trade.  Society 
was  not  as  o;ood  as  in  some  other  places,  and 
mixed  up  with  the  business  of  the  town  was 
a  good  deal  of  deviltry,  committed  by  the 
more  unj^odly  of  the  population.  The  town 
grew  rai)idly  for  a  numl)er  of  years,  and 
during  the  ag  tation  at  diflferent  times  upon 
the  subject  of  moving  the  county  seat,  Liv- 
ingston entered  into  the  contest,  and  became 
a  rival  for  capital  honors.  When  Marshall  was 
finaliv'  selected  as  the  "permanent "  seat  of 
justice,  Livingston  began  to  decline  in  pros- 
perit}',  and  year  by  j-ear  lost  much  of  its 
wonted  energy. 

A  Masonic  lodge  was  organized  here  in 
18G7.  Among  the  charter  members  were 
Jacob  Fishback,  James  Haddon,  Jacob  Pat- 
ton,  Adison  Robinson,  T.  L.  Orendorif  and 
.Tohn  "Walker.  The  present  officers  are:  A. 
Robinson,  master;  Henry  Haslett,  senior 
warden;  James  Snyder,  junior  warden;  D. 
M.  Bell,  SL'cretary;  L.  F.  Weaver,  treasurer; 
and  Alfred  Wyrick,  tiler.  The  lodge  has  a 
membership  of  thirtj'-,  and  owns  its  own  hall, 
which  was  built  some  twelve  j'ears  ago. 

Tiie  village  of  McKeen  was  laid  out  in 
1870,  by  Francis  Jones,  Volney  Chapin  and 
Fred  Elmdorf,  on  the  south  part  of  the 
northeast  quarter  of  the  northeast  quarter, 
and  the  north  part  of  the  southeast  quarter 
of  the  northeast  quarter,  and  part  of  the 
southwest  quarter  of  the  northeast  quarter 
of  section  27,  township  13  and  range  11  west. 
Chapin  &  Jones  erected  a  large  steam  factory. 
Thov  bought  an  extensive  tract  of  land  for 
the  timber,  and  employed  some  hundred  men 
or  more.  They  made  staves,  sawed  lumber, 
etc.  John  Foreman,  had  a  store  which  he 
operated  about  two  years,  and  then  sold  it  to 
Jones  &  Chapin.  He  had  a  laige  stock  of 
goods,  valued  at  §20,000.  The  mill  and 
factory  brought  many  families  to  the  village 
to  get  work  in  tliein.  The}'  run  the  mill  and 
factory   about  seven   years,   then   sold  it  to  a 


man  named  Clutter,  who  moved  the  machin- 
ery away.  The  place  at  the  present  time  has 
three  stores,  one  tile  kiln,  a  few  shops,  and 
about  one  hundred  inhabitants. 

A  Masonic  lodge  was  established  in  1878, 
with  the  following  charter  members:  H.  M. 
Griswold,  R.  M.  Conover,  Chas.  Larrabee,  W. 
W;  Wilson,  J.  W.  Brenaman,  J.  R.  Dow,  M. 
T.  Rollings,  Jos.  Rollings,  P.  Benallack,  D. 
H.  Smith  and  several  other  well-known  citi- 
zens. H.  M.  Griswold  was  the  first  master; 
R.  M.  Conover,  senior  warden,  and  R.  R. 
Trimble,  junior  warden. 

Dennison  Village  was  laid  out  in  1871,  by 
Lyman  Booth,  on  the  northwest  quarter  of 
the  northeast  quarter  of  section  26,  township 
12,  and  range  11,  west.  Booth  and  Dulaney 
established  a  large  manufacturing  establish- 
ment to  work  up  the  timber,  and  employed 
fifty  hands.  They  manufactured  spokes  and 
wagon  material  principally.  It  was  in  oper- 
ation about  five  years  and  was  then  moved 
to  Kentucky,  on  the  Cumberland  River. 
Booth  &  Dulaney  carried  on  a  large  store 
in  connection  with  their  business,  and  sold  a 
great  manv  goods.  John  Bernard  also  had 
a  store,  and  erected  a  two  story  house  on 
Main  street,  near  the  depot.  Blinn  &  Dag- 
gett had  a  saw-mill,  which  thoy  operated  two 
years,  when  they  moved  it  away.  A.  Valker 
started  a  drug  store,  which  he  has  carried  on 
ever  since.  There  are  two  stores,  several 
shops,  and  a  dozen  or  two  dwellings. 

The  first  school  taught  in  what  is  now  Wa- 
bash Township,  Mr.  Kuvkondall  says,  was  in 
1820,  and  was  taught  in  the  southeast  part 
of  the  township,  on  the  Darwin  Road.  John 
Crews  was  the  teacher,  and  afterward  John- 
son and  Jerry  Lycan  taught  at  the  same 
place.  It  was  also  a  jilace  of  early  religious 
meetings.  Among  the  pioneer  ministers,  who 
used  to  proclaim  the  won!  of  Go>l  there,  may 
be  mentioned.  Revs.  Whitney,  Blackburn, 
Young,    Howe,    Taylor,  Proctor    and  Ci  rry 


402 


HISTOUY  OF  CLARK  COUxN'TY. 


Another  of  the  early  schools  was  taught  by 
Otto  Davis,  in  1830,  in  a  small  deserted 
cabin,  just  south  of  Livint^ston.  He  was  a 
good  teacher  for  that  day,  and  taught  several 
terms  ill  the  township.  James  Yokum  taught 
at  the  same  place,  but  was  a  dissipated  fellow. 
He  afterward  taught  in  Livingston.  The 
first  house  built  for  school  purposes,  was  near 
the  Durell  mill  in  1833.  It  was  a  log 
structure  and  was  built  by  the  neighbors. 
A  man  named  Callaster  taught  tlie  first  school 
ill  it.  The  second  school-house  was  built  on 
tlie  Taylor  farm,  in  the  southeast  part  of  the 
township.  Benjamin  Boles  taught  in  this 
house,  but  was  a  good,  easy  kind  of  a  fellow 
and  fond  of  his  toddy.  Stephen  Archer  was 
also  an  early  teacher. 

Wabash  Township  is  well  supjjlied  with 
churches.  Just  where  or  when  the  first 
church  society  was  organized  we  did  not 
learn.  Among  the  church  organizations,  are 
Black  Chapel  in  the    southeast  part  of  the 


township.  Union  Baptist  church,  the  Method- 
ist churches  at  liivingston  and  Dennison  vil- 
lages, and  several  others  in  different  parts  of 
the  township.  The  Union  Baptist  church 
was  organized  at  the  Lowe  school-house  on 
Crooked  Creek,  in  1856.  The  members  in 
the  south  part  of  the  township  split  off  and 
formed  an  independent  organization  and 
built  a  church  edifice.  A  Methodist  church 
was  organized  at  the  Blundell  school-house, 
and  during  the  war  the  organization  became 
divided  on  political  issues,  which  led  to  a 
split,  and  the  organization  of  a  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church  South.  Both  societies  grew 
somewhat  lukewarm,  and  in  1879,  the  old 
church  was  reorganized  by  Rev.  J.W.  Lapham, 
and  is  now  known  as  Mount  Gilead  church. 
Through  the  negligence  or  indifference  of 
those  who  should  be  interested  in  preserving 
their  church  history,  we  have  been  enabled  to 
obtain  but  few  facts,  and  must  close  the  chap- 
ter with  this  meager  sketch  of  the  churches. 


^'=^r^^<^;^a>  p 


CHAPTEE  XT. 


MARTINSVILLE  TOWNSHIP— TOPOGRAPHT— SOIL  AND    TIMBER— PIONEER    SETTLEMENT- 
NATIONAL  ROAD— EARLY  HOTELS— INCIDE^TTS— INDIANS— VILLAGE  OF 
MARTINSVILLE— ITS   GROWTH   AND    DEVELOPMENT— MILLS 
—SECRET   SOCIETIES  -SCHOOLS— CHURCHES. 


"  Where  nothing  dwelt  but  beasts  of  prey, 
Or  men  as  fierce  and  wild  as  they." 

IN  the  year  1832  Joseph  Martin  came  to 
Clark  County  and  settled  on  section  7  of 
town  10  and  Luilt  a  house  on  the  National 
Road,  which  at  that  time  was  in  process  of 
construction. 

Subsequently  he  laid  out  a  village,  which 
he  named  for  himself,  Martinsville.  At  the 
time  the  county  went  into  township  organiza- 
tion, the  precinct  in  which  the  village  was 
situated,  took  its  name  from  the  town.  The 
limits  of  the  township  thus  organized,  con- 
cided  with  the  limits  of  the  congressional 
survey,  and  contained  the  regular  thirty -six 
sections. 

In  1S59,  on  the  formation  of  the  township 
of  Auburn,  three  sections  from  the  northeast 
corner  were  taken  for  that  purpose,  and  sub- 
sequently, to  equalize  the  contribution  of  the 
various  towns  to  the  construction  of  Auburn, 
four  and  a  half  sections  were  added  to  the 
northern  boundary  of  Martinsville  from  Dol- 
son,  makin^r  the  township  somewhat  in  the 
form  of  the  letter  L  and  containing  in  all 
thirty -seven  and  a  half  square  miles  of  terri- 
tory. The  township  originally  was  pleasantly 
diversified  with  prairie  and  woodland.  The 
prairie  portion  is  made  up  of  Parker  Prairie, 
which  occupies  the  northwest  corner,  and  Dol- 
son  Prairie,  which  extends  through  the  central 
part  of  the  township  from  the  northern  to  the 
southern  boundary.     The  surface  of  the  prai- 


rie is  gently  undulatory,  and  when  first 
pressed  by  the  feet  of  white  men  was  covered 
with  a  dense  growth  of  tall  grass,  interspersed 
with  numerous  flowers  of  almost  every  hue, 
which  gave  the  country  the  ajjpearance  of  a 
vast  garden. 

The  original  condition  of  the  soil  was  wet 
and  slushy  owing  to  the  hard  clay  subsoil, 
beneath  which  the  water  could  not  penetrate. 
This  moisture,  together  with  the  vast  amount 
of  decaj-ing  vegetable  matter  which  had  rot- 
ted upon  the  ground  for  centuries,  proved  the 
prolific  source  of  many  of  the  malarial  dis- 
eases with  -which  the  early  settlers  were 
afflicted.  As  the  country  became  populated 
artificial  drainage  was  resorted  to,  and  the 
parts  that  were  formerly  looked  upon  as  next 
to  worthless  have  been  reclaimed,  and  are  now 
the  best  farming  districts  in  the  township. 
The  soil  is  a  rich  black  loam,  varying  in  depth 
from  fifteen  inches  to  two  feet,  and  can  not  be 
excelled  for  agricultural  purposes.  The 
broken  parts  of  the  township  are  confined 
principally  to  the  eastern  and  western  parts, 
and  were  originally  heavily  timbered  with 
oak  and  hickory.  Along  the  water  courses, 
walnut  was  found  in  limited  quantities,  and 
elms  of  gigantic  sizes  were  to  be  seen  at 
intervals;  much  of  the  best  timber  land  has 
been  cleared,  and  the  ground  put  in  cultiva- 
tion. The  soil  in  the  timber  and  on  the 
more  elevated  portions  is  light  and  largely 
clay  mixed.     It  is  far  inferior  to  the  prairie 


404 


HISTORY  OF  CLARK  COUNTY. 


soil  for  farmino-  purposes  but  yet  by  careful 
tillage  it  returns  fair  crops  of  wheat,  oats, 
corn  and  the  other  cereals. 

The  township  is  drained  by  a  number  of 
water  couises  which  traverse  the  countrj'  in 
various  directions.  The  chief  of  these  streams 
is  the  North  Fork  which  enters  the  township 
near  the  northwest  corner,  and  takes  a  south- 
erly course  through  the  western  part. 

It  receives  a  number  of  small  tributaries  in 
its  course  and  leaves  the  township  from  sec- 
tion 19.  Along  this  stream  the  country  is 
very  broken  and  abrupt,  and  poorly  adapted 
for  agricultural  purposes.  Willow  Creek,  the 
second  stream  in  size,  has  its  source  in  section 
16,  and  flows  a  southeasterly  direction  and 
passes  in  its  course  through  sections  12  and 
20,  and  crosses  the  southern  boundary  of  the 
township  from  section  35.  During  the  greater 
part  of  the  year  this  stream  is  verj^  small,  but 
in  rainy  seasons  it  freqvtently  becomes  a  raging 
torrent,  and  often  overflows  its  banks  for  con- 
siderable distances  on  either  side. 

A  tributary  of  Mill  C'leek  known  as  Black- 
burns  branch  rises  near  the  central  part  of  the 
township,  and  flows  an  easterly  direction 
through  sections  15,  23  and  24.  Stockwell 
Creek  flows  through  the  northern  part  of  the 
township  in  a  southwesterly  course  and  unites 
with  North  Fork,  about  one  half  mile  west  of 
the  village  of  Martinsville  in  section  18.  All 
the  streams  enumerated  receive  a  number  of 
small  affluents  which  meander  through  vari- 
ous parts  of  the  township.  The  early  condi- 
tion of  the  country  presented  but  few  induce- 
ments to  the  pioneer,  and  it  was  not  until  a 
number  of  years  had  elapsed  from  the  date  of 
the  first  settlement  in  the  eastern  part  of  the 
county  that  any  settlement  was  made  within 
the  present  limits  of  the  township.  Anumber 
of  squatters  whose  name  could  not  be  ascer- 
tained, located  in  an  early  day,  along  the 
North  Fork,  but  made  no  improvements  fur- 
ther than  erecting  a    few    rude    cabins,    and 


clearing  small  spaces  of  ground  around  them. 
They  were  allured  to  the  county  in  quest  of 
game,  which  at  that  time  was  very  plenty 
and  easily  procured.  These  transient  citizens 
remained  but  few  years,  and  left  for  other 
parts  at  the  appearance  of  the  permanent 
settlers  who  entered  and  improved  the  land. 
The  first  permanent  settlement  in  the  town- 
ship was  made  in  the  western  part  on  the  pre- 
sent site  of  Martinsville  village,  about  the 
year  1829.  The  principal  attraction  to  this 
point  was  the  National  Road  which  had  been 
surveyed  through  the  country  a  few  years 
previous,  and  at  the  time  referred  to  was  in 
process  of  construction.  A  large  number  of 
men  were  employed  on  the  work,  which  ne- 
cessitated the  erection  of  boarding  houses  for 
their  accommodation.  Several  of  these  were 
erected  at  different  places,  but,  unfrtunately 
the  names  of  the  proprietors  have  been  for- 
gotten. John  Chancellor  was  the  first  perma- 
nent settler  of  whom  anything  definite  is 
known.  He  immigrated  to  this  State  from 
Kentucky  and  built  his  first  house,  which  was 
a  small  cabin,  a  short  distance  west  of  the 
main  part  of  the  village  in  the  spring  of  1829. 
The  following  year  he  erected  a  more  com- 
modious structure,  a  large  two-story  log  house, 
which  he  opened  for  the  accommodation  of 
the  workmen  and  such  transient  guests  as 
found  it  convenient  to  accept  his  hospitali- 
ties. He  appears  to  have  been  a  man  of  some 
prominence  and  made  a  number  of  improve- 
ments during  the  period  of  his  residence  in 
the  township.  He  entered  the  land  where 
the  town  of  Martinsville  was  laid  out  in  the 
vear  1832.  It  was  about  this  time  that  the 
first  native  accession  was  made  to  the  settle- 
ment in  the  person  of  John  M.  Chancellor, 
whose  birth  occurred  the  latter  part  of  the 
above  year.  Chancellor  died  at  his  home  in 
the  year  1881,  at  an  advanced  age.  The  old 
homestead  is  at  present  occupied  by  his 
daughter,  Mrs.  Montgomery.     Joshua  Abney, 


^. 


:m  , 


^  &-c/^ 


HISTORY  OF  CLARK  COUXTY. 


407 


a  brot  ior-iii-1  i\v  of  Cliunccllor,  canio  about 
tlio  same  time  and  located  in  section  7,  a 
s!(irt  di^it:^llce  west  oF  the  villaaje.  He  was  a 
Ki'ntuckiaii  also,  but  had  live  I  in  Coles 
CouMty  several  years  prior  to  his  moving  to 
this  township.  He  bi^carae  the  poss'ssor  of 
forty  acres  of  land,  which  ho  occupied  until 
the  j'Ciir  1832,  at  whic-h  time  he  sold  to  Ben- 
jamin Dolson  and  moved  to  Indiana.  Dolson 
caine  to  Clark  Count}'  as  early  as  18"W,  and 
settled  in  Melrose  township.  He  moved  to 
Martinsville  six  years  later  and  erected  a  two- 
story  hewed  log-  house  on  the  National  Road, 
a  short  distance  west  of  the  Chancellor  farm, 
which  he  opened  for  the  benefit  of  the  travel- 
ing public.  This  house  became  a  very  popu- 
lar resort  and  was  a  favorite  stoppin::^  place 
for  travelers  for  a  number  of  years.  The 
generous  hospitality  of  the  landlord  and  the 
abundance  of  the  fare  attracted  the  passers- 
by  and  the  tavern  was  never  in  want  of  pay- 
ing guests.  It  was  extensively  patronized 
until  the  year  1843,  when  it  was  discontinued 
on  account  of  Dolson's  death. 

Among  the  earliest  settlers  in  the  same  lo- 
cality, was  Amos  Potts  who  immigrated  from 
Ohio  in  the  year  1S30.  He  located  on  sec- 
tion 7  and  erected  the  first  house  on' the  ori- 
ginal plat  of  Martinsville.  Potts  had  the  rep- 
utation of  being  a  shrewd  trader  and  was  in- 
duced to  settle  at  this  point  throuih  a  sjiirit 
of  specv.lation.  Not  realizing  his  anticipated 
fortune,  he  sold  his  land  to  David  Weisner 
and  Benjamin  Dolson,  after  occupying  it 
about  eighteen  months,  and  moved  with 
his  family  further  west.  Iti  the  yuar 
1832,  the  little  settlement  was  increased 
by  the  addition  of  the  following  persons: 
Jacob  Chriss,  Isaac  CIn-iss,  Jerry  Chriss, 
David  T.  Weisner  and  Thomas  Scholfield. 
The  Chriss  family  wore  from  Ohio.  The  fath- 
er, Jacol>  Chriss,  was  one  of  the  earliest  pio- 
neers of  M  ami  County  in  that  State  and  I'ved 
there    until   quite   an  old  man.       Ldce  all  the 


early  settlers  in  this  country  they  came  west 
to  make  their  fortunes  which  they  supposed 
could  be  realized  in  a  very  short  time.  Isaac 
Chriss  settled  about  two  miles  north  of  the 
village  of  Martinsville  on  land  which  is  at 
present  in  possession  of  the  widow  Ullery. 
Jerry  located  a  short  distance  east  of  the  vil- 
lage on  land  which  has  since  been  added  to 
the  town  plat.  The  father  made  his  home 
with  his  sons  until  his  death  which  occurred 
a  short  time  after  their  arrival.  The  Chrisses 
were  men  of  roving  tendencies  and  reinained 
but  few  years  in  this  part  of  the  country, 
when  they  sold  out  and  moved  overland  to 
Oregon. 

Isaac  died  in  that  State  in  the  year  1853. 
Jerry  subse(iuently  moved  to  Texas,  since 
which  nothing  has  been  heard  of  him.  David 
Weisner  was  a  native  of  the  District  of  Colum- 
bia. He  imnii'vrated  to  Clark  County  some 
time  prior  to  1825  and  settled  in  York  town- 
ship .where  he  achieved  consiilcrable  notoriety 
as  a  pugilist.  At  the  breaking  out  of  the 
Black  Hawk  War  he  enlisted  in  the  company 
of  volunteers  raised  at  York,  and  was  one  of 
the  few  soldiers  from  this  part  of  the  State 
who  saw  an}'  real  service  in  that  struggle. 
He  entered  land  in  this  township,  in  1832,  on 
which  he  moved  the  latter  part  of  the  same 
year.  He  achieved  a  very  unsavory  reputa- 
tion while  a  resident  of  Martinsville  and  ap- 
pears to  have  been  engaged  in  many  of  the 
rows  and  drunken  brawls  so  common  in  the 
early  history  of  the  villao-e.  His  favorite 
theme  was  politics,  which  he  talked  almost 
constantly,  and  when  his  arguments  failed  to 
cor.vince  an  adversary  he  frequently  backed 
them  with  something  more  forcible,  his  fist5. 
Being  a  very  Hercules  in  strength,  but  few 
c.iredto  gain  his  ill-will  and  Ue  was  generally 
allowed  to  have  his  own  way.  He  subse- 
quently moved  to  Cumberhiiid  County,  where, 
it  is  said,  ho  reformed  from  his  many  evil 
hi'.bits  and  ways    and    became    a    respectable 


■10? 


HISTORY  OF  CLARIC  COUNTY. 


and  well-to-do  citizen.  Thomas  Scholfield 
moved  to  Illinois  from  Ohio,  about  the  year 
1838  and  settled  in  Melrose  township  where 
he  lived  until  1833.  He  moved  to  Martins- 
ville some  time  during  tlie  latter  year,  and 
acquired  forty  acres  of  land  lying  a  short 
distance  west  of  the  village.  He  improved 
a  portion  of  this  land,  and  occupied  it  until 
the  year  1835  at  which  time  he  sold  to  Ben- 
jamin Dolson  and  David  Weisner  and  re- 
moved two  miles  further  west  into  the  adjoin- 
ing township  of  Cumberland.  Scliollield  was 
a  good  man,  and  did  much  in  a  quiet  way  to 
advance  the  interests  of  the  community  in 
which  he  resided.  He  moved  to  Oregon  in  the 
year  185G  and  at  the  present  time  is  living  in 
that  State.  His  son,  .Judge  Scholfield,  a  man 
of  State  reputation  and  the  leading  lawyer  of 
the  county,  resides  in  Marsliall.  The  fol- 
lowing year  witnessed  the  arrival  in  the 
township,  of  William  McGahan  and  Amos 
Bixby.  McGahan  located  here  for  the  pur- 
pose of  working  on  the  National  Road.  He 
entered  forty  acres  of  land  near  Martinsville, 
which  he  sold,  on  the  completion  of  the  road, 
and  joined  the  tide  of  immigration  which  at 
that  time  was  making  its  way  to  Oregon  and 
California.  Bixby  was  an  unmarried  man,  or 
to  express  it  in  more  terse  English,  an  old 
bachelor.  He  entered  land  a  few  miles  west 
of  the  village,  in  this  and  the  adjoining  town- 
ship of  Cumberland.  He  was  a  man  of  ample 
means  and  continued  to  add  to  his  original 
tract  of  land  until  he  became  the  possessor 
of  more  than  six  hundred  acres.  A  good 
portion  of  this  land  ^yas  rented  to  early  set- 
tlers on  their  arrival  in  the  county,  before 
they  had  time  to  improve  farms  of  their  own. 
Bixby  was  a  man  of  intelligence  and  con- 
siderable business  tact,  but  possessed  manv 
peculiar  characteristics.  His  conduct  at 
times  was  very  singular  and  he  seemed  to 
labor  under  the  weight  of  some  secret  trouble 
which  gave  rise  to  the  question  of  his  sanity. 


He  built  a  good  house  on  his  farm  which  he 
fitted  up  with  great  care  for  his  own  use. 
The  morning  after  its  completion,  he  went 
to  a  neighbor  near  by  and  borrowed  a  gun 
for  the  purpose,  he  said,  of  killing  a  deer.  No 
sooner  did  he  get  the  gun  than  he  returned 
to  his  house,  entered  and  securely  fastened 
the  door.  He  then  placed  the  muzzle  of  the 
gun  beneath  his  chin,  discharged  it  with  a 
stick  and  killed  himself  instantly.  The 
manner  of  his  death  left  no  doubt  in  the 
minds  of  the  people  as  to  his  insanity. 
Among  others  who  settled  in  the  township 
prior  to  183u  were  Green  Redman  and  Joshua 
P.  Cooper.  The  former  was  a  native  of 
Kentucky,  and,  after  his  arrival  here  became 
an  active  politician.  He  was  a  man  of  con- 
siderable talent  and  possessed  the  happy 
faculty  of  telling  what  he  knew,  which  he 
often  did  in  such  jjlain  English,  as  to  offend 
his  political  opponents.  He  was  chosen 
justice  of  the  peace  at  the  first  election  held 
in  the  precinct,  and  served  the  people  in  that 
capacity  for  several  terms.  In  the  year  1840, 
he  sold  his  possessions  in  Martinsville  and 
moved  to  Clay  County.  From  there  he  went 
to  Missouri  a  few  years  later,  and  subse- 
quently became  a  citizen  of  Kansas.  He 
took  an  active  part  in  the  Kansas  agitation, 
and  was  a  member  of  the  Lecompton  Con- 
stitutional convention.  He  was  afterward 
elected  a  member  of  the  Legislature  of  that 
State  and  made  himself  obnoxious  to  the 
anti-slaverv  members  by  his  vigorous  out- 
spoken pro-slavery  sentiments.  Cooper's 
native  State  was  Pennsylvania,  which  he  left 
in  early  manhood  and  went  to  Indiana.  He 
moved  to  Illinois  and  settled  near  Martins- 
ville in  the  summer  of  the  year  alluded  to, 
but  made  no  improvements.  He  was  an 
attorney,  and  might  have  become  a  rising 
man  but  for  his  innate  love  of  low  things, 
which  made  him  many  enemies  in  the  com- 
munity.    He  was  one  of  the  principal  actors 


HISTORY  OF  CLARK  COUNTY. 


409 


in  till!  formation  of  the  villajre  of  Martinsville 
and  took  a  livel}'  interest  in  its  growth  and 
development.''  He  afterward  moved  to 
^farsliall.  During  the  succeeding  year  the 
following  persons  settled  within  the  present 
limits  of  the  township:  Albert  Kitchell, 
David  Chancellor,  James  Wriij^ht  and  Samuel 
Dolson.  Later  came  Asa  Starks,  Addison 
Spenny,  Lemuel  S.  Cla^-pool  and  Willis 
Doiighet-e.  Starks,  of  whom  but  little  is 
known,  immigrated  from  the  State  of  New 
York  and  located  a  short  distance  east  of  the 
]iresunt  site  of  Martinsville.  He  remained 
but  few  years  when  he  sold  out  and  left  the 
township.  Spenny  came  to  Illinois  from 
Ohio  in  company  with  his  father  and  settled 
a  few  miles  south  of  Martinsville.  A  brother, 
Morrison  Spenny,  came  about  the  same  time 
and  located  in  the  same  vicinity.  He  was, 
like  many  of  the  early  settlers  in  and  around 
Martinsville  village,  a  politician.  He  served 
one  term  as  sheriif  and  shortly  after  the  ex- 
piration of  his  term,  became  involved  in 
.some  domestic  d.fliculty  and  left  the  county. 
Addison  Soenny  subsequently  moved  to  Cali- 
fornia, where,  at  the  last  account,  he  was 
still  living. 

Claypool  came  to  this  township  from  Mel- 
rose, where  he  had  settled  several  years 
■  previous.  He  was  one  of  the  earliest  school- 
teachers in  the  county,  and  taught  the  first 
term  in  this  township,  the  same  year  of  his 
settlement.  He  entered  forty  acres  of  land 
in  section  17,  which  he  occupied  for  a  number 
of  years. 

Willis  Doughetee  came  to  Clark  County 
from  Peoria,  Indiana.  His  native  State  was 
Kentucky,  and  he  left  his  early  homo  with 
the  expectation  of  making  a  fortune  in  the 
newly  developed  country  of  the  Hoosier 
State.  Kot  realizing  his  exprctations  tluiro 
he  was  induced  to  move  to  this  State,  owing 
to  the  flattering  accounts  of  the  country  ho 
heard   on  every   hand.     He   entered   land  in 


section  9,  and  improved  a  very  good  farm. 
His  distinguishing  characteristic  appears  to 
have  been  an  inordinate  love  for  public  posi- 
tions, and  he  was  what  might  be  termed  a 
chronic  office  seeker.  His  official  career  com- 
menced when  he  was  chosen  justice  of  the 
peace,  the  duties  of  which  office  he  dis- 
charged with  all  the  dignity  of  a  Supreme 
judge.  Later  he  was  appointed  postmaster, 
at  Martinsville,  and  in  1849  was  nominated 
by  his  party  for  the  Legislature,  and  elected 
by  a  handsome  majority.  He  was  a  promi- 
nent and  enterprising  citizen,  but  possessed 
a  love  of  self,  which  was  developed  to  an 
abnormal  degree.  It  is  related  that  upon  one 
occasion,  he  submitted  to  a  public  exami- 
nation, at  the  request  of  an  audience,  to  have 
his  character  delineated  by  a  phrenological 
lecturer.  After  speaking  of  his  many  good 
qualities  and  characteristics,  the  lecturer  pro- 
ceeded to  tell  in  what  vocations  of  life  the 
subject  would  best  succeed.  '•  He,possesses 
many  qualifications  of  a  chief  justice,  but  has 
peculiar  fitness  for  the  army,  and  would  make 
a  brilliant  general.  As  a  soldier,  you  could 
always  find  him  in  the  front  rank — in  a  re- 
treat." A  few  years  after  the  expiration  of 
his  term  in  the  Legislature,  he  sold  his  farm 
t.)  a  man  by  the  name  of  ShaiTnor,  and  moved 
with  his  family  to  one  of  the  Western  States. 
He  returned  to  Illinois  a  few  years  later  and 
purchased  land  on  Parker  Prairie  in  the  ad- 
joinino-  township. 

Shortly  after  the  foregoing  settlers  arrived, 
James  O.  Hedges,  and  his  son,  James  V. 
Hedges,  settled  in  the  township,  on  land 
■which  is  situated  a  little  west  of  Martinsville 
village.  They  came  here  from  Ohio,  and  for 
a  number  of  years  were  prominently  identi- 
fiid  with  the  history  and  srowth  of  the  town- 
ship. The  names  of  nuny  other  settlers 
could  be  added  to  the  list  enumerated,  but 
the,  limits  of  this  chapter  forbid  a  further 
mention.      But   few   of  these    who    came    in 


410 


HISTORY  OF  CLAEK  COUNTY. 


when  the  county  was  a  wilderness,  re- 
main to  tell  the  story  of  their  struggles 
and  hardships;  of  their  many  trials  while  lay- 
ing the  foundation  of  the  homes  where  their 
descendants  now  live,  surrounded  by  circum- 
stances calculated  to  make  life  happy.  The 
pioneers  in  this  part  of  the  county  found  no 
"  royal  pathway  to  aflQuencc — for  many  years 
their  lot  was  anything  but  enviable."  Hard 
work  was  the  duty  of  each  day,  in  order  to 
keep  the  hungry  wolf  from  the  door.  The 
first  crops  were  principally  corn,  which  af- 
forded the  chief  means  of  subsistence  for  a 
number  of  years.  The  settler's  rifle,  which 
was  one  of  his  most  valuable  pieces  of 
property,  furnished  the  table  with  meat;  tliis 
was  easily  obtained,  as  deer  and  other  game 
were  so  plenty  as  to  prove  very  troublesome. 
Deer  would  come  close  enough  to  the  cabin 
to  be  shot  from  the  door,  while  large  numbers 
of  prairie  chickens  made  their  roosting  places 
on  the  roofs  of  the  houses.  Much  of  this 
game  was  shot  during  the  fall  season  by  a 
band  of  Kickapoo  Indians,  who  had  their 
camp  on  Turkey  Run  and  North  Fork.  At 
the  time  the  first  settlers  made  their  appear- 
ance, there  were  five  hundred  of  these  Indi- 
ans in  the  country.  They  would  leave  at 
the  beginning  of  winter  and  remain  away 
until  the  following  fall,  when  they  would  re- 
turn on  their  annual  hunts.  Tliev  were  not 
troublesome,  but,  on  the  contrary,  showed  a 
great  deal  of  friendship  toward  the  settlers. 
and  would  bring  moccasins,  beads,  and  vari- 
ous other  articles  into  the  settlement,  and  ex- 
change them  for  calico,  pork,  tobacco  and 
whiskv,  of  which  every  settler  always  kept 
a  supply.  These  annual  hunts  were  finally 
discontinued,  and,  since  1836,  no  Indians 
have  been  seen  in  the  township.  Owing  to 
the  lack  of  natural  facilities  in  this  part  of 
the  country,  tiiere  was  little  indiiC'-ment  to 
erect  mills  of  any  sort,  especially  as  the  older 
communities  of  Marshall  and  the  eastern  part 


of  the  county  were  easily  accessible.  Situ- 
ated in  the  western  part  of  the  county,  con- 
siderably removed  from  the  early  lines  of 
business  activities,  the  country  di;veloped  no 
tendency  for  mercantile  pursuits. 

The  stores  of  Marshall  and  elsewhere  sup- 
plied such  articles  as  were  necessary,  and  the 
settlement  was  for  several  years  purely  a 
farming  community.  In  the  year  1832,  how- 
ever, Joseph  Martin  came  to  the  county  and 
located  in  section  7,  on  the  National  lioad. 
Ho  was  a  native  of  Oliio  and  a  man  of  no  par- 
ticular enterprise  and  drifted  to  this  point 
without  any  definite  motive.  The  land  where 
he  settled  had  originally  been  entered  by 
John  Chancellor,  who  subsequently  sold  it  to 
Amos  Potts.  Martin  purchased  the  land  in 
about  the  year  1833.  A  short  time  afterward 
Joshua  Cooper,  with  some  genius  for  specu- 
lation, suggested  to  Martin  the  plan  of  plat- 
ting a  village  on  part  of  the  property  which 
was  done  in  the  year  1833  under  some  ar- 
rangement of  partnership  by  the  two  men. 
The  platting  of  the  town  attracted  a  small 
settlement,  the  out-growth  of  which  was  the 
erection  of  a  little  log  cabin  where  a  small 
stock  of  groceries  ajid  more  whisky,  were  of- 
fered for  sale.  This  little  store,  or  gin-shop 
rather,  was  started  by  Fitch  &  Redman  and 
was  the  general  rendezvous  of  the  entire 
neighborhood.  The  community  which  early 
gathered  here,  consisted  largely  of  a  floating 
class  of  people  whose  practices  gave  the 
place  a  very  unsavory  reputation.  The  peo- 
ple were  chiefly  characterized  by  their  dis.-olute 
habits  and  general  lack  of  thrift.  Sunday 
was  especially  devoted  to  horse-racing  and 
carousing,  a  system  of  things  which  continued 
to  characteiize  the  place  for  several  years. 
In  the  year  1836,  John  Stockwell  and  a  Mr. 
Chenoweth  came  from  Darwin  and  moved  a 
stock  of  goods  into  the  little  cabin  that  had 
been  used  by  Redman  &  Fitch  for  a  grocery. 
About  the  same  time  Willis  Doughetee  com- 


HISTORY  OF  CLARK  COUXTY. 


411 


monced  the  erection  of  a  iVamo  buildirijr  near 
the  central  part  of  the  town,  for  tlie  pur]iose 
of  eng  iging  in  the  mercantile  business,  but 
sold  the  house  to  Stockwell  &  Chenoweth 
before  its  completion,  who  transferred  their 
stock  to  it.  This  firm  was  composed  of  men 
of  high  character  and  active  business  abilities 
and  gave  the  village  a  new  lease  of  life. 
From  the  time  of  their  advent,  a  better  class 
of  citizens  was  attracted  and  society  betran  to 
amend  at  once.  Their  stock  of  goods  con- 
sisted of  a  miscellaneous  assortment  of  mer- 
chandise and  represented  a  cash  value  of 
about  §3,000.  Their  business  kept  pace  with 
the  development  of  the  country  and  their 
trade  became  very  extensive  and  lucrative. 
Tliey  continued  the  business  as  partners  until 
the  year  18J0,  when  they  closed  out  their 
stock  at  public  auction.  A  second  store  had 
been  started  in  the  meantime  by  Messrs.  Hunt 
&  Gamble,  who  kept  a  small  stock  of  general 
merchandise  and  a  liberal  supply  of  "  fire- 
water." The}'  did  business  about  eighteen 
months,  when,  finding  that  they  could  not 
cope  *ith  the  larger  and  more  successful 
store  of  Stockwell  &  Chenowetli,  closed  out 
their  goods  and  retired  from  the  field.  Stock- 
well  again  engaged  in  business  about  the 
yearlSil,  with  McClureas  a  partner.  They 
continued  the  business  very  successfully  to- 
gether until  the  year  184G,  when  McClure 
purchased  tlie  entire  interest.  McClure  ran 
the  store  on  an  extensive  scale  until  about 
the  year  1856,  at  which  time  he  sold  to  other 
parties  ami  removed  from  the  village.  The 
Preston  brothers  erected  a  store  building 
about  the  year  18i2,  just  opposite  the  Nicho- 
las hotel.  They  stocked  it  the  same  year 
with  a  large  assortment  of  clothing,  dry-goods, 
groceries,  etc.,  to  the  amount  of  $5,000,  and 
soon  acquired  a  very  extensive  trade.  Will- 
iam Lindsoy  purchased  this  store  in  1853, 
increased  the  stock  and  continued  the  busi- 
ness until  the  year  185G. 


A  number  of  other  business  houses  sprang 
up  from  time  to  time  and  the  place  soon  be- 
came noted  as  a  permanent  trading  point. 
One  of  the  principal  factors  which  gave  char- 
acter to  ttie  town,  was  the  National  Road, 
which  offered  the  only  means  of  communica- 
tion with  other  points.  The  increasing  travel 
over  this  thorouglifare  necessitated  the  open- 
ing of  hotels,  and  one  was  built  shortly  after 
the  village  was  laid  out.  Joseph  Martin  kept 
the  first  public  house  in  a  little  cabin  which 
stood  near  the  Vandalia  Railroad.  His  place 
was  not  very  well  patronized,  however,  and 
he  discontinued  the  business  soon  afterward. 
Oliver  Hall  succeeded  Mai'tiu  about  the  year 
1S36,  but  did  not  realize  a  fortune  in  his 
"role  "  as  landlord.  The  first  regular  hotel 
was  built  about  the  year  1837,  and  stood 
where  the  Nicholas  House  now  stands.  It 
was  a  large  hewed  log  building  and  was  first 
kept  by  a  man  named  Jenkins.  He  kept  a 
stage  stand  also,  and  his  house  was  a  favorite 
stopping  place  for  travelers  on  the  National 
Road.  Major  Caldwell  succeeded  Jenkins  in 
the  management  of  this  hotel,  and  had  charge 
of  it  until  the  year  1850.  At  that  time  the 
building  was  torn  down  and  replaced  by  a 
more  substantial  and  convenient  brick  struct- 
ure which  is  still  standing.  It  was  built  by 
Jacob  Anderson  who  kept  it  for  some  years. 
Another  early  hotel  was  built  by  Willis 
Doughetee  in  1810  and  was  known  as  the 
Rocky  Mountain  House.  Doughetee  kept  the 
house  for  a  number  of  years  and  it  became  a 
very  popular  resort.  The  building  is  still 
standing,  near  the  Pan  Handle  depot,  and  is 
used  at  the  present  time  for  a  dwelling. 

The  first  mechanic  who  came  to  the  village 
was  Cornelius  Jenkins.  H.;  built  a  black- 
smith shop  near  the  central  part  of  the  village 
where  the  Knapp  store  building  stands,  in 
the  year  1838.  He  was  joined  the  same  year 
by  Joseph  Dixon,  and  together  they  operated 
the    shop    Tor   several   years    and  did  a  very 


412 


HISTORY  OF  CLARK  COUNTY. 


g'ood  business.  Among  other  early  black- 
smiths, are  rpinernbered,  William  Gordon  and 
James  Wilson,  both  of  whom  worked  at  their 
trade  prior  to  the  year  1842.  A  very  small 
space  will  be  sufficient  in  which  to  notice  the 
early  manufacturing  interests  of  Martinsville. 
The  absence  of  facilities  prevented  the  erec- 
tion of  mills  and  factories  in  an  early  day  and 
it  was  not  until  the  ye.ar  1854  that  a  umnufact- 
uring  establishment  of  any  kind  was  put  in 
operation.  In  that  year,  Messrs.  Davis  & 
McMurray  erected  a  carding  machine  in  the 
eastern  part  of  the  villnge  which  proved  a 
moderately  successful  venture.  Tlie  building 
was  frame  and  the  machinery  was  run  by 
steam.  It  was  in  operation  about  five  years, 
when  the  building  was  torn  down  and  used  in 
the  remodeling  of  Cooper's  flouring  mill. 

The  latter  mill  was  built  in  the  year  1854 
at  a  cost  ol  $14,000.  The  original  building 
was  three  stories  high  and  stood  in  the  north- 
eastern part  of  the  village.  The  machinery 
was  operated  by  steam  and  the  mill  became 
extensively  patronized.  It  was  purchased  by 
G.  W.  Cooper,  the  present  proprietor,  in  the 
year  ISoG,  who  afterward  remodeled  it,  en- 
larged the  building  and  added  new  and  im- 
proved machinery.  .  It  is  at  nrcsent  three  sto- 
ries and  a  half  high,  has  ten  run  of  buhrs,  and 
a  grinding  capacity  of  about  two  hundred  and 
twenty- five  barrels  of  flour  per  day.  It  is  one 
of  the  largest  mills  on  the  line  of  the  Vanda- 
lia  railroad  and  ships  flour  to  all  parts  of  the 
country. 

Another  steam  flouring  mill  was  erected  in 
the  town  in  the  year  1868  by  Samuel  Macy. 
It  stands  in  the  southern  part  of  the  village, 
and  is  at  present  run  by  W.  L.  Roberts.  The 
Sallee  brothers  erected  a  large  steam  saw- 
mill near  the  railroad  in  the  eastern  part  of 
the  town  in  the  year  1880.  This  mill  does  an 
immense  business  and  manufactures  large 
quantities  of  lumber. 

In  the  meantime  the  business    interests  of 


the  town  had  increased,  and  the  completion 
of  the  Vandalia  llailroad  in  1871,  gave  the 
place  a  permanency  it  did  not  before  possess. 
Since  that  time  a  number  of  good  store  build- 
ings have  been  erected,  and  the  village  has 
taken  upon  itself  the  dignity  of  an  incor- 
porated town.  Its  business  is  represented  by 
the  following  exhibit:  Three  large  dry  goods 
stores  kept  by  Charles  Douglass,  W.  G.  Del- 
ashmuth  and  Elizabeth  Vaughn;  J.  Ishler 
keeps  a  general  assortment  of  merchandise. 
Grange  Store  kept  by  Levi  Williams;  Black 
&  Fasig,  Tichenor  &  Bro.  and  John  Gamble, 
druggists;  Henry  Randal  and  Benjamin 
Welch  make  groceries  a  specialty.  There 
are  two  large  hardware  stores  kept  by  the 
Lindsey  brothers,  and  Martin  Flenner,  John 
Sanderson  and  Martin  Taggart,  harness- 
makers.  There  are  in  addition  to  the  above, 
two  restaurants,  an  agricultural  store,  one 
wagon  shop,  two  millinery  stores,  two  ware- 
houses, one  shoo  shop,  two  barber  shops  and 
one  livery  stable.  Tiie  present  town  board  is 
composed  of  the  following  persons:  W.  H. 
Randal,   John    Deahle,    W.   G.  Delashrauth, 

F.  J.  Johnson,  J.  T.  Sanderson  and  O.  D. 
Germain,  Trustees;  B.  H.  Welsh,  clerk. 

Clark  Lodge  No.  603,  F.  and  A.  M.  was 
organized  Oct.  6,  1S6S,  with  the  following 
charter  members:  A.  G.  Fetter,  Thomas  Milli- 
gan,  Samuel  Medkiff,  George  Stevens,  Charles 
Duncan,    John    Gamble,    Alexander    Ryan, 

G.  W.  Ewalt,  J.  Fulton  and  John  F.  Alex- 
ander.  First  officers  were  A.  G.  Fetter, 
W.  M.;  Thomas  Milligan,  S.  W.;  and  Samuel 
MedkifF,  J.  W.  The  present  officers  are  .lerry 
Ishler,  W.  M.;  H.  Gassoway,  S.  AV.;  MHlliam 
Barbee,  J.  W.;  John  Gamble,  Sec't;  W.  H. 
Randal,  Treas.  There  are  forty-five  members 
belonging  to  the  lodge  at  present  and  it  is 
reported  in  good  working  order.  The  meet- 
ings are  held  in  Odd  Fellows'  Hall. 

Martinsville  Lodge  No.  134,  I.  O.  O.  F. 
was    instituted    February  28,  1853,  by  J.  W. 


HISTORY  OF  CLARK  COUNTY. 


413 


Ellis,  G.  M.  The  following  names  appear  on 
the  charter.  Benjamin  McKeen,  B.  F.  Mc- 
Clure,  Jonathan  Rains,  George  Conger,  T.  B. 
MuClure,  William  I/indsey,  Daniel  Gard, 
Morrison  Spenny  and  Jacob  Anderson.  The 
present  membership  is  about  thirty-six.  The 
hall  in  which  the  lodge  holds  its  meetings  was 
erected  in  the  year  1854.  It  is  a  good  sub- 
stantial building  and  belongs  to  the  organiza- 
tion. The  present  officers  of  the  lodge  are 
Isaac  Ishler,  N.  G.;  Carey  Winterowd,  V.  G.; 
J.  T.  Sanderson,  Sec't.;  J.  C.  Porter,  Treas.; 
Thomas  Troughton,  R.  S.  N.  G.;  Walter  Mc- 
Cleary,\L.  S.  N.  G. 

The  Martinsville  Encampment  was  institu- 
ted in  the  year  1838  by  the  Paris  Encamp- 
ment. The  original  membership  was  fourteen. 
The  present  officers  are  Isaac  Ishler,  Chief 
Patriarch;  J.  T.  Sanderson,  Scribe;  J.  P. 
Spahr,  High  Priest;  J.  C.  Portf^r,  S.  W.;  S.  A. 
Fasig,  J.  W.;  and  John  Deahle,  Treas.  There 
are  about  twenty-one  members  belonging  at 
the  present  time.  A  Lodge  of  K.  of  H.  was 
organized  in  the  year  1874  with  a  member- 
ship of  fourteen  which  has  since  increased  to 
twenty. 

They  hold  their  meetings  in  Odd  Follows' 
Hall.  The  present  officers  are  D.  W.  Tibbs, 
P.  D.;  Levi  Williams,  D.  ;  H.  Bradshaw, 
V.  D.;  Thomas  Murphy,  Ass't  D.;  F.  J.  Harris, 
Rep.;  H.  Gassoway,  F.  R.;  Jerry  Ishler,  Chap- 
lain; B.  H.  Welsh,  Guide;  O.  D.  Germain, 
Guardian;  and  C.  B.  Waterford,  Sen't. 

Tlio  first  school  in  Martinsville  was  taught 
about  the  year  1834  by  Lemuel  S.  Claypool 
in  a  little  cabin  which  stood  a  short  distance 
west  of  the  village.  The  house  had  been 
previously  used  as  a  residence  by  a  squatter. 
Claypool  taught  here  several  years  but  did 
not  seem  to  give  very  good  satisfaction. 
The  second  school  was  taught  by  Salmon 
Rice  some  time  later.  Unlike  many  pioneer 
teachers.  Rice  was  a  man  of  culture  and 
brought  with  him  to  his  work  the  advantages 


of  a  collegiate  education.  He  was  a  man  of 
extensive  information  but  was  marked  by 
many  eccentricities  among  which  was  his 
aversion  to  societj'.  He  was  an  unmarried 
man  and  lived  in  a  small  cabin  by  himself 
and  mingled  but  little  with  his  fellow  men. 
Among  the  early  pedagogues  was  Seth  Hitch- 
cock. He  was  a  dwarf  in  stature,  but  pos- 
sessed the  strength  of  a  giant  which  he  did 
not  hesitate  to  e.xercise  upon  any  pupil  who 
had  the  temerity  to  violate  aliy  of  his  iron-clad 
rules.  He  had  but  one  finger  on  his  right 
hand  but  with  it  he  could  wield  the  rod  with 
such  force  as  to  bring  the  most  obdurate 
to  speedy  terms.  Absalom  Hurley,  Oliver 
Hall  and  Robert  Williamson  taught  schools 
in  the  village  during  the  early  years  of  its, 
history.  The  old  Methodist  church  building 
was  used  jointly  for  church  and  school  pur- 
poses from  1843  until  1853.  In  the  latter 
year  a  frame  school- house  was  erected  in  the 
south  part  of  the  town  near  the  Vandalia 
depot.  It  was  used  until  the  year  1871,  at 
which  time  the  present  handsome  and  com- 
modious brick  structure  was  erected.  This 
building  stands  on  an  eminence  in  the  south 
part  of  the  village  and  is  one  of  the  most 
complete  school  edifices  in  the  county.  It  is 
two  stories  high,  contains  four  large  size 
rooms,  and  was  built  at  a  cost  of  $10,000. 
The  schools  at  the  present  time  are  under  the 
efficient  management  of  Prof.  L.  S.  Kilbourn, 
princi|  al,  assisted  by  Jasper  Bennett,  Laura 
Arbuckle,  Mattie  Sutherland  and  Lucy  Ryan. 
The  average  attendance  throughout  the  year  is 
about  three  hundred  pupils. 

The  first  religious  services  in  Martinsville 
Township  were  held  at  private  residences, 
and  conducted  by  missionary  preachers  of  the 
Methodist  church.  The  early  settlers,  what- 
ever their  beliefs  or  lack  of  belief,  were 
generally  ready  to  open  their  doors  to  these 
missionaries.  The  early  community  of  Mar- 
tinsville, however,  seems  to  have  been  an  ex- 


414 


HISTOKY  OF  CLARK  COUNTY. 


ception  to  tills  general  rule,  and  in  1834  John 
Chambers,  the  pioneer  preacher  of  this 
section  found  it  imp  issible  to  hold  services 
because  of  the  people's  unwillingness  to  open 
their  cabins  for  that  purpose.  Nothing 
daunted  by  the  inhospitable  treatment,  he 
arranged  to  hold  a  meeting  in  a  grove  near 
by,  the  novelty  of  which  served  to  bring  out 
quite  an  audience.  A  littl^e  later  several 
Methodist  families  moved  into  the  com- 
niunity,  and  services  were  regularly  he'd 
thereafter.     Among  the    early    ministers    are 

remeiiiljercd,  Jesse  H.iil,  John   Strange, 

BiundiWl  an<l  -^ —  ^IcGinnis,  all  of  whom 
preached  to  the  little  band  of  worshipers 
"  without  money,  and  without  price."  None 
of  these  preachers  were  men  of  brilliant 
scholastic  attainmants,  but  they  all  possessed 
a  rude  and  forceful  eloquence  which  suited  the 
needs  and  appreciation  of  their  hearers.  In 
the  year  1838  Rev.  Mr.  Chenoweth,  was  sent 
to  Martinsville  by  the  Paris  circuit  for  the 
purpose  of  organizing  a  society.  With  the 
assistance  of  Rev.  Holland  James,  and 
WilliaiTi  Wilson,  an  organization  was  effected 
tlie  latter  part  of  the  same  year  with  the  fol- 
lowing members:  John  Stockwell  and  wife, 
Oliver  Hail  and  wife,  Wesley  Low  and  wife, 
Walter  Hill  and  wife,  and  Miss  Hill.  Serv- 
ices were  regularly  held  at  the  residences  of 
the  different  members  until  about  the  year 
1843,  when  a  small  hewed  log  house  was 
erected  on  the  National  Road,  in  the  eastern 
part  of  the  village.  The  society  was  at- 
tached to  the  Livingston  circuit  the  same 
year  in  which  the  organization  took  place. 
The  first  pastor  was  Lewis  Amdson,  who 
served  one  year.  He  was  succeeded  by 
Samuel  Burr  who  preached  the  same  length 
of.  time.  L.  Oliver  followed  JBurr  arid  re- 
mained one  year.  Then  came  Jesse  Hail 
wlio  had  charge  of  the  congregation  for  one 
year.  Hail  vras  a  native  of  North  Carolina, 
and   a  man   of   fine  education.     He  traveled 


extensively  over  the  greater  part  of  the 
western  country  and  was  widely  known  on 
account  of  his  many  peculiarities.  Rev. 
Joseph  McMurtry  succeeded  Hail,  and 
preached  one  year.  He  was  followed  by 
William  C.  Blundell,  who  remaiied  the  same 
length  of  time,  and  was,  in  turn,  succeeded 
by  Thomas  C.  Lopez.  The  last  named  was 
an  able  preacher,  and  did  much  toward 
building  up  the  church  during  his  pastorate. 
The  nantes  of  other  pastors  were  not  learned. 
The  old  log  house  served  as  a  meeting  place 
until  the  year  1854,  at  which  time  steps  were 
taken  to  build  a  house  more  in  keeping  with 
the  growth  of  the  congregation.  The  pres- 
ent edifice  was  erected  the  latter  part  of  that 
year,  and  is  still  a  comfortable  house  of  wor- 
ship. It  is  a  substantial,  frame  structure,  and 
cost  about  §1,'200.  The  church  has  increased 
ra|)idly  in  numbers  and  is  now  one  of  the  best 
appointments  in  the  Martinsville  circuit.  A 
flourishing  Sunday  school  is  maintained  in 
connection  with  the  church,  and  is  well  at- 
tended. The  present  pastor  is  Rev.  Mr.  Mc- 
El  fresh. 

The  Old  School  Baptists  had  a  small  con- 
aTeffation  in  Martinsville  at  an  early  dav,  but 
its  existence  was  of  short  duration.  Their 
preachers  were  Richard  Newport,  Stanley 
Walker  and  —  Shields. 

The  Church  of  God  at  Martinsville  was 
established  in  the  year  1847.  The  members 
comprising  it  were  all  from  Richland  County, 
Ohio,  and  their  names  are  as  follows:  H. 
Rupp,  Sarah  Rupp,  William  Fasig,  Betsy 
Fasig,  Henry  Fasig,  Elizabeth  Fasig,  Chris- 
tian Fasig,  Catherine  Fasig,  John  Suavely, 
Eliza  Suavely,  William  Taggart  and  Sarah 
Tao-gart.  The  first  minister,  was  Elder 
Henry  Rupp,  a  German  preacher,  of  the  Ohio 
Eldership.  His  zeal,  and  devotion  to  right 
principles,  gave  him  a  firm  hold  upon  the 
people,  which  he  still  retains,  at  the  age  of 
77  years.     It  is  said  that  he  has  officiated  a 


HISTORY  OF  CLARK  COU^'TY. 


415 


iiiMif  I'LiniTals  than  any  other  preacher  in  the 
oil  ity.  The  second  pastor  was  Elder  J. 
lilickeiistafF,  under  whose  pastorate  large  ac- 
rcssions  were  made  to  the  society.  The  next 
pastor  was  Elder  Geo.  Sander,  who  was  sent 
out  by  the  East  Pennsylvania  El.lership,  as  a 
liomj  missionary,  in  the  spring  of  1851.  He 
served  the  church  ten  or  twelve  years  at 
different  intervals.  Elder  S.  N.  Miller,  came 
next  in  the  line  of  pastors.  He  was  an  old 
and  tried  man  and  served  the  church  with 
great  acceptance.  Elder  R.  H.  Bolton,  pres- 
ent secretary  of  the  General  Board  of  ilis- 
s'ons,  preached  for  the  congregation  from 
18G1,  until  1SG7.  Ilis  son,  Cyrus  Bolton,  as- 
sisted him  in  the  work  during  the  last  year 
of  his  pastorate.  Elder  A.  J.  Fenton  suc- 
ceeded Bolton,  and  preached  very  acceptably 
lor  two  years.  Elder  J.  W.  Neely  acted  as 
pastor  two  3'ears.  He  was  a  physician  of 
extensive  practice  and  a  fine  theologian. 
Elders  W.  B.  Lewellen  and  E.  Hart,  each 
served  the  church  acceptably  as  pastors.  The 
present  pastor  is  Elder  R.  Perry.  Their 
house  of  worship  was  built  in  the  3'ear  lS.jS. 
It  is  a  good  frame  building  and  cost  SI, 000. 
The  present  membership  is  seventy-five. 
Their  Sunday  school  was  organized  ii:  the 
j'ear  1859,  with  J.  MciMauus,  as  superintend- 
ent, a  position  he  held  for  over  fourteen 
years.  Henry  Ishler,  is  the  present  superin- 
tendent. The  school  has  ten  teachers  and  an 
average  attendance  of  seventy-five  scholars. 
The  Island  Grove  Baptist  Church  dates  its 
history  from  the  year  1858.  It  was  organized 
by  a  council,  appointed  for  the  purpose,  of 
which  Elder  Linus  Gilbert  was  moderator 
and  Rev.  Daniel  Harbert,  olerk.  At  the  first 
meeting,  the  following  names  were  presented 
for  membership:  Gideon  Stafford,  S.irah  Staf- 
ford, Samuel  Midkiff,  Agnes  MidkifT,  Jolin 
Cooper,  Eliz:ibeth  Cooper,  MaiiMa  Stevens 
and  Phebe  Nichols.  Rev.  Daniel  Harbert 
was  chosen  pastor,  a  position  he  filled  but  a 


few  months,  when  he  resigned,  on  account  of 
poor  health.  He  died  a  short  time  afterward. 
Rev.  Eli  Frey  was  called  iu  1859  and  served  the 
church  until  the  j'ear  1870.  He  was  succeeded 
by  Rev.  F.  M.  Doty,  who  ministered  to  the 
congregation  until  1872.  The  fourth  pastor 
was  L.  W.  P.  Gilbert,  a  native  of  Ohio,  and 
graduate  of  Granville  college.  He  was  a 
very  able  preacher,  and  remained  with  the 
church  until  the  year  1875.  Rev.  T.  J. 
Thornton,  was  next  employed,  and  preached 
acceptably  for  three  years.  Then  came  Rev. 
T.  J.  Neal,  who  served  from  1878  until  1881. 
The  seventh,  and  present  pastor,  is  Rev.  S. 
T.  Reynolds,  who  was  called  to  the  pastorate 
in  the  year  1881.  The  present  church  edifice 
is  a  frame  structure  thirty  by  forty  feet,  and 
was  erected  at  a  cost  of  $1,"2G0.  It  was  built 
in  1873. 

A  Sunday  school  is  maintained  during  the 
greater  part  of  the  year,  and  is  at  present 
under  the  management  of  Mills  Huckabec, 
superintendent. 

The  Methodists  have  two  churches  in  the 
southern  part  of  the  township,  both  of  which 
are  strong  organizations  and  in  flourishing 
condition.  They  have  good,  substantial 
houses  of  Worship,  and  are  known  as  the 
Saint  Paul,  and  Sliiloh  churches.  Their  pres- 
ent pastor  is  the  Rev.  McElfresh.  The 
Methodist  Church  South  maintains  two  or- 
ganizations in  the  township  also.  They  were 
organized  about  twelve  years  ago,  and  at 
present,  are  ministered  to  by  Rev.  J.  D.  R. 
Brown. 

The  United  Brethren  have  a  strong  society 
in  the  western  part  of  the  township,  known 
as  the  Lincoln  church.  Their  church  edifice 
is  a  good,  brick  structure — a  model  of  neat- 
ness— and  was  erected  at  a  cost  of  about 
S'2,000.  The  pastor  in  charge  at  the  present 
time  is  Rev.  E.  Hanley. 

There  is  a  small  society  of  the  Adventists 
in  the  township,  a   few    miles   south  of  Mar- 


416 


HISTORY  OF  CLARK  COUNTY. 


tinsville.  They  have  a  neat  frame  buildina^, 
and  are  at  present  under  charge  of  Rev.  M. 
Taggart,  pastor. 

The  Baptist  Church  of  Martinsville  was 
organized  February  33,  1879,  by  a  council 
consisting  of  Elders  F.  J.  Thornton,  John 
Bratton,  and  others.  The  original  members 
were  the  following:  John  Roberts,  Lucinda 
Kemper,  Nannie  Randal,  Lucy  Laingor, 
Catherine  Howell,  Julia  Grey  and  Martha 
Maxwell.  The  first  pastor  was  Rev.  T.  J. 
Thornton,  of  Westfield,  who  served  six 
months,  when  he  resigned.  The  church  was 
without  a  pastor  for  one  year,  when  Elder 
J.  L.  Parker,  of  Casey,  was  called.  He  served 
one  year,  and  was  succeeded  by  Elder  S.  T. 
Reynolds,  who   served  the    same   length    of 


time.  At  the  expiration  of  Reynolds'  term 
as  pastor,  T.  J.  Thornton  again  took  charLre 
of  the  church,  and  is  the  present  pastor.  The 
membership  is  about  twenty-eight. 

The  Christians  have  an  organization  in  the 
village,  and  a  neat,  brick  house  of  worship. 
Their  number,  at  one  time  quite  large,  h  is 
diminished  considerably  during  the  last  few 
years,  and  at  the  present  time,  they  do  not 
maintain  a  pastor. 

The  Mount  Pleasant  Christian  Church  was 
organized  in  1879,  by  Elder  C.  W.  Hill,  with 
fourteen  members.  Soon  after  the  oruani- 
zation,  a  good,  hewed  log  house  was  erected, 
in  the  southeast  corner  of  section  14.  The 
present  membership  is  about  twenty-five. 
The  pastor  in  charge,  is  Rev.  James  Hill. 


CHAPTEE    XYI.* 


DOLSON  TOWNSHIP-TOPOGRAPHY  AND  PHYSICAL  FEATURES-THK  COMING  OF  THE  PIO- 
NEERS—CHARACTER OF  THE  PEOPLE-MILLS,  ROADS  AND  OTHER  IMPROVE- 
MENTS-SCHOOLS, CHURCHES,  ETC.— VILLAGE  OP  CLARKSVILLE,  ETC. 


THREE  quarters  of  a  century  ago  this 
section  was  a  wilderness  undisturbed  by 
the  enterprise  of  the  white  man.  Its  history 
begins  with  the  year  183S,  when  the  first  set- 
tlers made  their  appearance,  and  the  influx  of 
population,  which  commenced  with  the  dawn 
of  that  year,  ceased  not  until  all  the  vacant 
land  was  taken  up  and  improved.  The  in- 
ducements which  invited  immigration  to  this 
part  of  the  country  were  all  that  the  most  exact- 
ing could  demand,  or  that  nature  in  her  most 
pleasant  moods  could  offer.  Forests  of  the 
finest  timber,  streams  of  flowing  water  and 
broad  stretches  of  fertile  prairie  lands,  were 
considerations  not  to  be  overlooked  by  tiio 
pioneers  in  selecting  homes  for  themselves  and 
their  posterity. 

Dolson  is  situated  in  the  northern  tier  of 
townships,  and  originally  included  within  its 
area  forty-five  square  miles  of  territory,  but 
in  the  year  1S59  four  and  a  half  sections  were 
taken  off  the  southeast  corner  and  used  in  the 
formation  of  Auburn  township.  It  is  bounded 
on  the  east  bv  the  townships  of  Doug-lass  and 
Marshall,  on  the  south  by  Auburn  and  Mar- 
tinsville, on  the  west  by  Parker  and  Westfii-ld, 
on  tlic  north  by  Edgar  County,  and  forms  part 
of  two  congressional  towns,  the  northern  part 
being  known  as  town  12  north,  range  13 
west,  and  the  southern  half  as  town  11  north, 
range  13  west.  The  country  presents  a 
pleasant  diversity  of  surface  and  soil,  with 
prairie  and  woodland  in  about  equal  propor- 

*By  G.N.  Bciry. 


tions,  the  timbered  districts  being  confined  to 
the  eastern  and  western  parts,  where  the  land 
in  many  places  is  considerably  undulating 
and  broken.  The  luxuriant  forest  growth 
which  once  covered  these  portions  of  the 
township  has  largely  given  way  to  meadow 
land  and  grain  field,  save  where  each  farmer's 
woodland  gives  token  of  what  the  country 
was  before  disturbed  by  the  innovation  of  the 
settler.  The  timber  consists  of  the  varieties 
common  to  this  part  of  the  State,  and,  at  the 
time  the  first  settlements  were  made,  was 
entirely  devoid  of  undergrowth,  owing  to  the 
prevalence  of  fires,  which  swept  over  the 
country  in  the  fall  of  every  year.  Dolson 
prairie,  from  which  this  division  derived  its 
name,  occupies  the  central  part  of  the  town- 
ship, extending  from  the  northern  to  the 
southern  boundary,  and  presents  one  of  the 
finest  agricultural  regions  to  be  found  within 
the  limits  of  the  county.  Its  surface  is 
gently  undulating,  and  was  originally  covered 
with  a  dense  growth  of  tall  grass,  which  at- 
tested the  fertile  quality  of  the  soil  beneath, 
which  was  not  brought  into  cultivation  until 
several  years  had  elapsed  from  the  date  of 
the  first  settlement,  on  account  of  its  wet, 
slushy  nature,  and  the  prevalent  belief  that 
it  was  totally  unfit  for  farming  purposes.  la 
time,  however,  this  delusive  belief  was  dis- 
pelled by  the  enterprising  settlers  who  first 
turned  over  the  tough  sod,  and  who  were  re- 
warded for  their  labors  by  ample  crops,  pro- 
duced from  the  rich  soil,  a  soil,  which,  after 
more  than  forty  years  of  constant  tillage,  still 


418 


IIISTOnY   OF  CLARK  COUNTY. 


retains  all  of  its  orio-lnul  I'ortilitj'.  The  soil 
of  the  woodland  differs  very  materially  from 
that  of  the  prairie,  being  principally  of  a  light, 
clayey  nature,  and  not  so  well  adapted  for 
general  farming.  But  it  is  fertile,  neverthe- 
less, and  well  calculated  for  wheat  and  the 
other  cereals  usually  grown  in  this  part  of  the 
State,  and  produces  many  fine  varieties  of 
fruit,  in  abundance. 

North  Fork   which  affords    the    principal 
drainage  of  the  western   part   of  the   county 
enters  the  township  in  section  7,  flows  almost 
due   south   along   the   western  boundary  and 
receives  in  its  course  a  number  of  small  trib- 
utaries, chief  among  which  is  Slater's  Branch. 
The  latter  stream  has  its  source  near  the  cen- 
tral part  of  the  townshii?,  passes  through  parts 
of   sections  5,  8  and    17,   unites  with  North 
Fork  in  section  18,  and  affords  ample  drain- 
age to  that  part  of  the  country  through  which 
it  flows.     The  principal  stream  of  note  in  the 
eastern  part  of  the  township  is    Mill  Creek. 
It   crosses  the  northern   boundary  in  section 
21,   flows   through    an  irregular  channel  in  a 
southeasterly  direction  and  leaves  the  town- 
ship from  sectixDn  13.      A  tributary  of  North 
Fork  in  the  southwestern  part,  known  as  Blue 
Grass   Creek,    completes  the  list  of  the  more 
important    water-courses    of     the     township. 
Water     is     everywhere     easily      accessible. 
Springs   abound  along  the  streams,  while  in 
other  portions  of  the  township,  no  special  dif- 
ficulties   have    been   experienced  in  securing 
o-ood  wells.     The  soil  is    the    chief  resource, 
and    as  an   agricultural  district,  the  township 
was  first  sought  by  the  early  settlers.     Such  a 
country  generally  attracts  hardy,  enterprising 
immif  rants    through    certain    and  thrifty  re- 
wards   it   offers  to  well-directed  labor.     The 
early    pioneers  brought    families  with    them 
and  came  to  found  homes  and  fortunes,    and 
to  "-ain  both  by  industrious  and  thrifty  lives; 
frugality   and  industry  were  the  cardinal  vir- 
tues of  the  pioneer  farmers  who  first  felled  the 


forests  and  turned  the  prairie  soil  of  Dolson. 
Years  of  self-denying  effort  made  up  lor  the 
price  which  the  settlers  paid  for  their  lands 
where  their  descendants  now  live  in  comfort 
and  plenty. 

The  first  permanent  settlement  in  Dolson, 
according  to  the  most  reliable  testimony, 
seems  to  have  been  made  in  the  north-eastern 
part  near  the  prasent  village  of  Clarksville,  as 
early  as  the  year  1828,  by  three  immigrant 
families  from  Kentucky.  The  heads  of  these 
families  were  John  Drake,  William  Rogers 
and  William  Smith,  all  of  v^'liora  erected  cab- 
ins and  improved  small  patches  of  ground  in 
the  same  locality.  Drake  settled  temporarily 
on  apiece  of  land  lying  south  of  Clarksville  a 
part  of  which  he  improved  and  on  which  he 
lived  for  six  years,  when  he  sold  the  improve- 
ments to  Daniel  Lycan,  who  entered  the  land. 
A  son,  John  Drake,  was  born  the  year  after 
the  family  moved  here,  which  was  the  first 
birth  in  Dolson,  two  years  later  Mrs.  Drake 
died.  This  was  the  first  d.-ath  that  occurred 
in  the  township.  Drake  afterward  purchased 
land  and  resided  in  the  township  until  the 
time  of  his  death  in  1847. 

Rogers  remained  where  he    originally   set- 
tled but  a  short  time,  when  he  moved  further 
south  and  improved  a  small  farm  in  the  south- 
west quarter  of  section  1,    which   he    entered 
in  the  year    1833.     He    occupied   this   place 
about  one  year,  when  he  sold  it  to  Daniel  El- 
ledo-e  and  moved  to  Martinsville.     From    the 
latter  place  he  went  to  Texas,  where  he  died 
a   number   of    years   ago.      William    Smith 
settled  the  farm  where  J.  G.  Lycan  lives,  to 
whom  he  sold  his  im   rovements,  in   the  year 
1834.     He    was   a   man  well  calculated  for  a 
pioneer,  and  raised  a  family  of  stalwart  sons, 
who  partook  of  his  adventurous  nature  to  a 
great  extent.     Among  these  son  was  William 
or  "  Snorting  Bill  "  as  he  was  more  familiarly 
known  in  the  early  history  of  the  country  and 
who  figured  prominently  in  the  pioneer  settle- 


HISTORY  OF  CLARK  COUXTY. 


419 


ineiit  of  Djlson.  He  was  an  eccentric  char- 
acter and  spent  the  greater  part  of  his  time 
with  a  tribe  of  Indians,  who  had  a  village  a 
short  distance  north  of  the  little  settlement. 
He  seems  to  have  heen  a  great  favorite  with 
the  "redskins  "  and  adopted  their  style  of 
dress  and  conformed  to  their  manners  and 
customs  of  living,  but  for  no  good  purpose,  as 
he  secretlv  despised  the  race  and  never  let  an 
opportunity  of  sending  one  to  the  "  happy 
hunting  grounds"  go  iiy  unimproved.  After 
several  of  their  number  had  unaccountably 
disappeared,  the  Indians  began  to  suspect 
foul  pla3-  on  the  part  of  the  whites,  and  made 
strenuous  efforts  to  discover  their  secret  ene- 
my. Bill  was  not  suspieioned  by  his  savage 
companions.  He  took  an  active  part  in  the 
search,  and  was  instrumental  in  averting  the 
indiscriminate  vengeance  which  the  Indians 
proposed  to  wreak  upon  the  settlement. 
Bill's  father,  who  had  long  suspected  him  of 
beiiiff  the  cause  of  the  trouble,  at  length 
charged  him  with  it,  which  Bill  would  not 
deny,  neither  would  he  ])lead  guilty.  This  so 
enraged  the  old  gentleman  ihat  he  determined 
to  o.Ki/rcise  his  panmtal  authority  in  such, 
a  manner  as  to  extort  a  confession.  Accord- 
ingly he  procured  a  ramrod  which  he  applied 
so  vigorouslv  over  the  shoulders  and  back  of 
his  undutiful  son  that  it  was  soon  reduced  to 
S])linters.  Bill  bore  the  cruel  punishment 
with  heroic  fortitude  until  a  second  rod  was 
obtained,  when  be  acknowledged  that  the  last 
he  saw  of  the  missing  redskins,  "  they  were 
lying  on  the  ground  unable  to  get  up."  He 
afterward  became  a  great  athlete  and  fighter 
and  was  never  better  satisfied  than  when  en- 
gaged in  tests  of  pli3'sical  strength,  or  a  rough 
and  tumble  knock-down.  Becoming  dissatis- 
fied with  the  tame  life  in  this  part  of  the 
country,  he  went  further  west,  and  finally 
made  his  way  to  Texas  at  about  tiie  time  of 
its  struggle  for  independence.  He  joined  the 
jiatriot  army,  participated  in  many  of  the  hot- 


ly contested  engagements  of  that  war,  and 
fell  with  the  noted  David  Crockett  at  the  tak- 
ing of  the  Alamo. 

The  next  in  the  catalogue  of  early  settlers 
were  Isaac  and  David  Murray,  two  brothers, 
who  came  to  the  county  in  the  spring  of  1830. 
They  selected  sites  for  their  homes  in  the 
northern  part  of  the  township,  where  the  first 
named  entered  two  hundred  and  fifty  acres  of 
government  land,  a  portion  of  which  he  sold  to 
his  brother  a  short  time  afterward.  Isaac  was 
a  bachelor,  and  a  man  of  fine  business  talents 
and  considerable  wealth.  He  expended  his 
means  in  impr. iving  his  land,  and  soon  had 
a  fine  farm  under  successful  cultivation.  A 
few  years  later  he  erected  a  carding  machine 
on  his  place,  which  he  operated  very  success- 
fully for  a  number  of  years.  This  mill  was 
a  very  primitive  affair,  operated  by  h.orse- 
power,  and,  during  the  time  it  was  run,  did  a 
flourishing  business,  having  been  exti^nsively 
patronized  by  the  early  settlers  of  Dolson 
and  surrounding  townships.  David  Mur- 
ray, like  his  brother,  was  a  man  of  consid- 
erable enterprise,  and  was  highly  respected  in 
the  township  which  he  was  instrumental  in 
settling.  His  death  occurred  in  the  year 
ISSO. 

From  1830  until  1834  no  other  settlements 
were  made  within  the  present  limits  of  Dol- 
son. During  the  latter  year  the  following 
persons  made  entries  in  the  township:  Henry 
Doutjhty,  in  section  35;  Henry  Harrison, 
section  34;  and  Ralph  Haskitt,  in  section  £6; 
all  of  whom  were  non-residents.  Daniel 
Elledge,  to  whom  reference  has  already  been 
made,  was  probably  the  next  settler;  he  im- 
migrated to  this  State  from  Kentuckj-  in  the 
year  1833,  and  purchased  land  of  William 
Rogers,  one  year  later.  He  afterward  en- 
tered fort)'  acres  of  land  adjoining  his  farm, 
and  in  time  became  the  possessor  of  consid- 
erable re;d  estate.  He  was  a  preacher  of  the 
Christian    church,    and     conducted    ll\e    first 


420 


HISTORY  OF  CLARK  COUNTY. 


religious  exercises  ever  held  in  the  township 
at  his  own  residence.  He  resided  in  Dolson 
until  the  year  1847,  at  which  time  he  sold  his 
property  to  a  man  by  the  name  of  Sudors, 
and  moved  with  his  family  to  Iowa.  De- 
Liney  Kidwell  located  in  the  township  about 
the  same  time  as  tiie  forej;oing,  but  made  no 
entry  of  land  until  the  vear  1835.  He  im- 
proved a  farm  in  sections  5  and  6,  which  he 
sold  to  a  man  by  the  name  of  Blackburn,  in 
the  year  1845.  Amoi'g  the  settlers  who  came 
in  prior  to  1835,  were  William  Sjiencer  and 
Hiram  Taylor.  Spencer  settled  east  of 
Dolson  Prairie,  in  section  23,  but  made  no 
permanent  improvement.  Taylor  improved 
forty  acres  of  land  lying  in  sections  21  and 
22.  He  was  a  man  of  intelligence,  and  was 
the  first  justice  of  the  peace  elected  in  the 
township  after  its  organization.  J.  G.  L^'can 
and  Reason  "Wilson  both  settled  in  the  town- 
ship about  the  year  1831,  the  former  in  the 
northeastern  part,  on  section  1,  where  he  stid 
lives,  and  the  latter  on  section  21,  where  he 
entered  an  extensive  tract  of  land,  on  wiiich 
he  resided  for  about  thirty  years,  when  he 
sold  to  Isaac  Claypool  and  emigrated  to 
Missouri.  During  the  year  183)  the  follow- 
ing persons  selected  lands  in  different  places 
throughout  the  township:  Alfred  McCracken, 
Peter  Bartmess,  James  B.  Downs,  Edwin 
Brown,  William  Brown,  Allen  Stewart,  John 
I.earns,  Peter  Barrick  and  Reason  Richard- 
son. James  Ennis  arrived  in  the  township 
in  the  spring  of  1830,  and  located  near  the 
central  part  on  section  4.  He  was  a  native 
of  Kentucky,  a  man  of  sterling  integrity, 
and  gave  character  to  the  com]nunity  in 
v.hich  he  lived.  The  farm  on  which  he  orirri- 
n:dly  settled  is  at  present  owned  and  occu- 
pied by  Elisha  Heath.  Jacob  and  Ben- 
jamin Bartmess  came  about  the  same 
time,  and  soon  after  were  joined  by  Georo-e 
Bartmess.  The  first  named  settled  east  of 
the  prajrie,  and  proved  a  valuable  accession 


to  the  little  settlement,  owing  to  his  skill  as 
a  mechanic.  He  operated  the  first  black- 
smith shop  in  the  township,  repaired  wagons, 
worked  at  the  carpenter's  trade,  built  chim- 
neys for  the  settlers,  and  was  equally  profi- 
cient in  a  number  of  other  trades.  In  later 
years  he  added  the  medical  profession  to  his 
many  oth.T  accomplishments,  and  was  widely 
known  throughout  the  county  as  a  "steam 
doctor."  B:'njamin  located  alarm  in  section 
27,  while  George  settled  west  of  the  prairie, 
where  he  lived  until  the  year  1857.  In  this 
year  came  George  Lee,  who  settled  near  the 
northeast  corner  of  the  township,  in  section 
30,  where  he  afterward  laid  out  the  village  of 
Clarksville;  he  sold  the  land  in  1SG7  and 
emigrated  to  a  distant  State.  Others  came 
from  time  to  time,  to  gladden  tlie  hearts  and 
share  the  burdens  of  the  little  frontier  com- 
munity. 

It  is  not  possible,  at  this  time,  to  learn  all 
the  particulars  of  their  coming,  or  even  their 
names.  Among-  those  who  came  prior  to 
1840,  were  Harrison  Husted,  Amos  Daniel, 
George  Phelps,  Norton  Lawrence,  John  H. 
Bean,  Elzy  Ncal,  Alexander  Williams,  Elias 
Llibhard,  Ira  Harding,  Wesley  Low,  Alfred 
McClure,  John  MeClure,  Moses  Stark,  Will- 
iam Fitzgerald,  Eli  Covington,  Enoch  Red- 
man, J.  G.  Zimmerman,  James  Schreech, 
William  Comstock,  Levi  Comstoek,  William 
Morris,  George  Metcalf,  James  Cunningham, 
Perry  Metcalf,  George  Coons,  Eliphaz  Gray, 
James  B.  Downs,  Philip  Boyer,  John  Covino-- 
ing,  Stanford  Nay,  John  Farrell,  Samuel 
Keys,  John  Matthews,  William  Murray, 
Nahum  Sargent,  James  Lowrv,  Charles 
Welch,  Perry  Welch.  Ryan  E.  Welch,  Sperry 
Claypool,  Robert  Welch,  and  many  others 
whose  names  were  not  ascertaine  J.  It  may 
bo  said  that  the  greater  numbL^r  of  these 
settlers  were  from  the  States  of  Ohio  and 
Kentucky.  Several  came  from  the  older  set- 
tled  portions    of  the   country,   and  a  number 


HISTORY  OF  CLARK  COUNTY. 


421 


undoubteiily  came  in  who  afterward  became 
dissatisfied  with  the  country,  and  removed 
fiirtiier  west,  or  went  back  East.  By  1840 
the  township  was  quite  well  settled  up  and 
improvements  were  pushed  rapidly  forward, 
and  industries  Kogan  to  rise  as  the  demand 
for  various  articles  nearer  home  was  created. 

As  early  as  1S38,  a  small  horse  mill  was 
erected  in  the  northern  part  of  the  township, 
but  by  whom,  was  not  learned.  It  was  a  very 
rude  affair,  but  did  a  good  business  for  a  mill 
of  its  capacity,  and  was  in  operation  about 
six  j-ears. 

Christian  Clapp  built  a  water  mill  on  Mill 
Creek  about  the  year  1840,  which  proved  a 
very  successful  enterprise.  It  was  exten- 
sively patronized,  and,  during  the  first  two 
years  after  its  erection,  was  kept  running  al- 
most constantly,  in  order  to  supply  the  great 
demand  for  flour  and  meal.  An  addition  was 
afterward  built  to  it,  and  machinery  for 
manufacturing  linseed  oil  attached.  The  last 
venture,  however,  did  not  prove  very  re- 
munerative to  the  proprietor,  and  the  enter- 
prise was  soon  abandoned.  The  mill  was  kept 
running  for  about  twelve  years. 

The  first  roads  through  Dolson  were  mere 
trails  made  by  the  Indians,  and  afterward 
traveled  bj'  the  settlers  until  they  became 
recognized  as  highways.  Several  of  these 
crooked  roadwavs  were  in  later  vears  re^u- 
larlj'  established,  and  are  still  traveled.  The 
first  road  legally  laid  out  was  the  Auburn  and 
Westfield  road  which  crosses  the  southern 
part  of  the  township  in  a  northwesterly  direc- 
tion. It  was  established  in  the  year  1835, 
and  is  still  one  of  the  leading  highways  of 
the  western  part  of  the  county.  The  Robin- 
son or  Grandview  road  was  surveyed  about 
the  same  time.  It  passes  through  the  central 
j)art  of  the  township  from  north  to  south,  and 
intersects  the  Westfield  road  in  the  western 
part  of  section  21. 

Among  the  early    highways    is   Charleston 


road    leading    from    Darwin    to     Springfiell. 

It  traverses  the  northern  part  of  the  town- 
ship in  a  northwesterly  direction,  and  was 
laid  out  and  established  bj'  William  B.  Archer 
in  the  year  1840.  Like  the  other  divisions  of 
the  county  Dolson  is  well-supplied  with  good 
roads  which  intersect  each  other  at  various 
points  throughout  the  township. 

The  little  hamlet  of  Clarksville  which  hard- 
ly deserves  the  dignity  of  a  village,  is  situated 
in  the  eastern  part  of  the  township  and  dates 
its  history  from  the  year  1851.  It  was  a 
cherished  thought  of  George  Lee,  to  be  the 
founder  of  a  town,  coupled  with  the  desire  of 
a  speculation,  which  he  thought  could  be 
realized  out  of  the  venture.  The  outo-rowth 
of  these  desires  was  the  village,  which  was 
surveyed  and  platted  by  James  Lawrence, 
county  surveyor,  in  January  of  the  year 
referred  to.  The  town  is  situated  on  the 
southwest  quarter  of  the  northeast  quarter  of 
section  36,  and  commands  a  very  beautiful 
location.  Its  close  proximity  to  the  city  of 
Marshall,  and  absence  of  facilities,  prevented 
business  men  from  locating  in  the  village,  and 
consequently  its  growth  has  been  very  slow. 
The  first  house  was  a  dwelling  erected  by 
John  Myers,  who  ran  a  shoe  shop  in  the 
village  for  a  number  of  years.  Reason  Bea- 
dle erected  a  store  building  shortly  after  the 
town  was  laid  out,  which  he  stocked  with  a 
general  assortment  of  merchandise.  He  did 
a  good  business  lor  five  years,  when  he  sold 
to  a  man  by  name  of  Kline  who  in  turn  dis- 
posed of  the  store  to  Mr.  Stevenson,  the  pres- 
ent proprietor,  after  having  run  it  a  short 
time. 

In  the  meantime  a  small  grocery  store  or 
"gin  mill,"  rather,  was  started  by  Joseph 
Cartwright  who  erected  a  small  building  for 
the  purpose.  He  continued  his  business 
against  a  popular  pressure  for  five  or  six 
years,  when  he  closed  out  his  stoi  k  and 
sought  other  emjjioyment.     In  the  year  1S78 


422 


HISTORY  OF  CLARK  COUNTY. 


a  drug  store  was  started  in  the  viilapre,  by 
Ryley  Wealan,  and  is  still  in  operation. 
Two  stores,  one  wagon-shop,  one  harness- 
shop  and  a  shoe  shop  comprise  the  present 
business  status  of  the  town.  About  twenty 
families  compose  its  population. 

Schools  are  the  offspring  of  civilization. 
They  are  unknown  among  barbarous  people, 
and  are  found  numerous  and  p(Mfect  in  the 
degree  of  their  removal  from  the  savage  state. 
Among  the  pioneers  of  Dolson  were  a  number 
of  men  who  took  a  lively  interest  in  educa- 
tional matters  and  schools  were  established  in 
an  earljr  daj'. 

Opinion  is  somewhat  divided  as  to  when 
the  first  school  was  taught  and  where  the  first 
house  was  built.  It  is  known  that  Reuben 
Warner  taught  a  term  as  early  as  the  year 
1839,  in  a  little  log  house  which  stood  in  the 
western  p:irt  of  the  township  in  section  8. 
The  building  was  about  sixteen  feet  square, 
and  like  all  the  early  school-houses  of  pioneer 
times  was  furnished  with  rough  puncheon 
benches,  a  wide  board  desk  for  writijig  pur- 
poses., and  the  inevitable  widu-moutlied  fire- 
place in  one  end  of  the  room.  The  structure 
was  erected  by  tlie  neighbors  who  turned  out 
en  masse  for  the  purpose,  and  there  were 
probably  not  five  dollars  in  money  expended 
on  the  building.  Among  the  families  who 
sent  to  this  school  were  the  Kidwclls,  Coons, 
Ennises  and  Welches.  The  building  was  in 
use  for  school  purposes  about  ten  years  when 
it  was  torn  down  and  replaced  by  a  more  com- 
fortable and  convenient  structure.     The  sec- 


ond sohool-liouso  in  the  township  stood  about 
a  half  mile  north  of  the  one  mentioned  which 
it  resembled  in  both  its  construction  and  fur- 
niture. Another  early  school  building  stood 
in  the' southwestern  part  of  the  township,  and 
was  constructed  alter  the  usual  pioneer  moJ- 
el.  As  the  years  went  by,  these  rude  log 
buildings  disappeared,  and  in  their  stead  neat 
frame  houses  wore  erected.  There  are  at 
the  present  time  eight  good  school-houses  in 
the  township,  in  which  schools  are  taught 
from  six  to  eight  months  of  each  j'ear. 

In  the  year  1882,  there  was  paid  for  teachers' 
salaries  in  this  township  the  sum  of  $1,903.26. 

The  early  religious  history  of  Dolson  is  in- 
volved in  some  obscurity,  and  it  can  not  be 
determined  with  exactness  who  preached  the 
first  sermon  in  tlie  townsliip.  Pioneer 
missionaries  of  the  Methodist  church  held  serv- 
ices at  the  residence  of  George  Goons  at  a 
very  earl\-  day.  A  flourishing  society  was  af- 
terward organized,  which  is  stdl  in  existence 
and  known  as  the  Dolson  Methodist  Episco- 
pal Church.  They  have  a  good  building  a 
shoTt  distance  southwest  of  ClarksviUe. 

Tlie  United  Brethren  held  services  at  dif- 
ferent places  in  the  township  in  an  early  day, 
but  dill  not  organize  any  society.  Anioi.g 
their  preachers  were  John  an  1  Ephraim  Shu- 
ey  and  a  man  by  the  name  of  Briley.  The  Bap- 
tists have  a  large  congregation  near  Clarks- 
viUe and  sustain  a  good  church.  They  have 
a  good  frame  building  anil  report  their  socie- 
ty in  a  flourishing  condition. 


*s^^ 


^^<^i 


-c^ 


CHAPTER    XYII.* 


ANDERSON  TO-VTNSHTP-THE  LAY  OF  THE  LAND-ORIGINAL  ENTRTE?-EARLY    SETTLE- 
MENT—THE BIRCH  FAillLY-SCHOOLS  AND  CHURCHES. 


ANDERSON  is  the  name  applied  to  town- 
ship 10,  range  12  west,  which  is  bounded 
on  the  north  by  Marshall  and  Auburn,  on  the 
east  bj'  Darwin,  on  the  south  by  Melrose,  and 
on  the  west  by  Martinsville.  It  is  somewhat 
irregular  in  outline,  occasioned  by  the  surveys 
on  either  side  of  the  Indian  Boundary  line, 
•which  passes  diagonally  tlirough  the  central 
part  of  the  township,  and  the  loss  of  one  sec- 
tion from  the  northwest  corner,  taken  to  fill 
out  the  township  of  Auburn.  The  area  thus 
included  was  originally  covered  with  a  heavy 
growth  of  limber,  including  all  the  varieties 
common  to  this  vicinity,  and  pleasantly  wa- 
tered by  Mill  Creek  and  its  tributaries.  This 
stream  enters  the  northern  line  of  the  town- 
ship near  the  middle  point  and  passes  out  al 
the  southeast  corner,  thus  marking  the  line 
and  direction  of  the  natural  drainage.  There 
are  several  tributaries,  all  of  which  reach  the 
main  stream  by  nearly  a  due  east  and  west 
course.  The  valleys  are  well  marked  and  have 
some  breadth  of  bottoms,  but  the  surface 
of  the  township  elsewhere  is  quite  broken. 
There  is  but  very  little  waste  land  here, 
though  much  of  it  is  too  broken  for  tillage. 
The  present  resident  population  is  largely 
German,  a  class  of  people  who  have  more 
faith  in  wheat  growing  than  in  stock  raising, 
and  the  result  is  that  too  much  of  Anderson 
is  practically  waste  land.  There  is  an  ob- 
servable change  going  on,  however,  which 
■will  eventually  correct  this  error,  and  stock 

»  By  G.  N.  Berry. 


will    form,  in   the   near  future,  an  important 
source  of  income  to  the  farmer. 

There  is  little  in  the  history  of  this  town- 
ship to  challenge  the  attention  of  citizen  or 
historian.  Its  settlement  was  delayed  until 
about  183G,  though  for  some  years  before  it 
was  occupied  by  a  remnant  of  a  band  of  the 
Kickapoo  Indians  and  certain  squatters  and 
hunters  who  found  plenty  of  game  and  pleas- 
ant surroundings  here.  There  was  an  abun- 
dance of  game  as  was  found  everywhere  in  the 
county.  Deer  and  small  game  abounded  and 
contributed  to  the  early  settler's  comfort  and 
sport.  Wolves  infested  these  wooded  slopes 
and  made  havoc  with  the  young  stock,  but 
the  bustle  and  hostility  of  the  new  commu- 
nity soon  drove  them  out  of  the  country.  The 
Indians  had  long  before  ceded  tiiis  country 
to  the  whites  and  were  but  little  seen  here. 
For  only  one  or  two  seasons  did  they  return 
for  the  purpose  of  hunting  and  sugar  making 
on  their  old  familiar  grounds  when  they  left 
for  their  reservations   west  of  the  Mississippi. 

The  first  entry  of  land  was  made  by  J  sse  K. 
Archer  on  section  12,  in  1830.  This  was  fol- 
lowed in  1832  by  an  entry  of  land  on  section 
4,  by  John  Birch.  He  was  a  singular  charac- 
ter and  but  little  is  known  of  his  antecedents. 
He  probably  settled  here  about  this  time, 
making  little  or  no  improvements,  living  more 
like  an  animal  than  a  human  being  in  a  little 
log  cabin  surrounded  by  underbrush  and 
timber.  He  was  father  of  Robert  Birch  whose 
record  is  so  large  a  part  of  the  ci'iminal  his- 
tory of  the  State.     The  latter  made  an  entry 


42fl 


HISTORY  OF  CLARK  COUNTY. 


of  land  on  the  same  section  with  his  father  in 
1835,  but  it  is  safe  to  say  made  no  more  per- 
manent improvement  in  the  material  than  in 
the  moral  character  of  the  township.  In  the 
meantime  Marshall  had  been  founded  and 
was  attracting  a  good  deal  of  interest  to  lands 
in  its  vicinity,  and  in  1830,  not  only  were 
land  entries  more  numerous  but  the  actual 
settlement  bejrun.  Among:  the  entries  of  this 
year  are  noted,  on  section  4,  Isaac  C.  Miller 
and  Christian  Jeffers;  on  section  9,  Martin 
Shipp;  on  section  13,  William  Dixon;  on  sec- 
tion 14,  Thomas  and  John  Craig;  on  section 
15,  Sam'l  and  Jacob  Tengley;  on  section  21, 
Richard  Phillips;  on  section  35,  Thomas  Spen- 
cer and  Robert  Craig;  on  section  35,  Abel 
Lanham,  and  others.  A  number  of  these 
entries  were  evidently  made  by  residents  of 
the  older  communities  in  the  county  for  spec- 
ulative purposes.  Thomas  Spencer  was  one 
of  those  who  made  a  land  entry  in  1836,  but 
he  had  come  to  this  section  the  year  before. 
He  was  an  old  man  at  the  time  of  his  com- 
ing, settled  on  one  of  the  minor  tribu- 
taries of  Mill  Creek,  and  lived  here  until 
1862.  Thomas  Craig  came  in  1836.  He  viras 
a  native  of  Tennessee,  but  moved  to  Indiana 
in  early  boyhood.  From  thence  he  came  to 
Edgar  County,  Illinois,  and  settled  near  Paris 
ill  1814.  He  subsequently  settled  on  Mill 
Creek  where  at  this  writing  he  still  resides, 
the  oldest  resident  of  the  township  and  next 
to  the  oldest  man  in  the  county.  His  nephew 
Robert  Craig  preceded  him  one  year  and 
settled  on  section  14,  where  he  died  in  1869. 
Alexander  Craig  was  another  of  the  family 
who  came  here  early  but  subsequently  moved 
to  Arkansas.  Jesse  K.  Archer  was  a  brother 
of  Col.  Archer,  and  moved  into  Darwin  with 
the  family  at  a  very  early  date,  and  came  to 
Anderson  in  1836,  settling  on  the  land  he  had 
entered  near  the  Grand  Turn.  lie  was  a  pub- 
lic-spirited man  and  was  of  that  energetic 
character   which    marked   the   whole   family. 


He  first  built  an  ordinary  cabin  which  he 
subsequently  replaced  by  a  double-hewed  log 
house  which  is  still  standing  in  a  good  state 
of  preservation,  and  is  occupied  by  Joseph 
Lake.  William  Dixon,  another  of  the  emi- 
grants of  183G,  was  a  native  of  Kentucky. 
He  came  to  Illinois  with  Archer,  and  settled 
finally  on  section  13,  where  he  afterward 
built  the  first  frame  house  in  the  township. 
The  Tengloys  were  natives  of  Kentucky  also, 
and  came  direct  to  Anderson.  They  were 
not  long  residents,  however,  as  they  moved 
away  some  ten  or  twelve  j^ears  later.  Richard 
Pliillips  came  in  the  same  year  from  Kentucky 
and  later  made  extensive  improvements,  liv- 
ing in  the  township  until  his  death.  Samuel 
Fleming,  a  settler  of  this  year  was  a  noted 
hunter  and  never  lost  his  interest  in  this  sport 
until  the  day  of  his  death.  William  Weldon, 
Christian  Jeffers,  and  William  Maxwell  were 
settlers  of  this  v'ear.  In  1837,  the  most  noted 
accessions  were  the  Chapman  brothers,  John, 
Edward,  William,  and  Jacob,  who  were 
natives  of  Kentucky,  and  settled  near  each 
other  in  this  township.  In  1838,  Edward 
Pierce,  a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  came  into 
Anderson  and  settled  on  section  13. 

The  community  which  gathered  in  Ander- 
son was  not  isolated  as  many  of  the  earlier 
ones.  ,  On  the  north  Marshall  was  rapidly 
growing  into  importance,  developing  business 
facilities  which  furnished  the  settlements  in 
the  surrounding  country,  many  advantages 
for  getting  supplies,  mails,  etc.,  for  which  they 
would  otherwise  have  been  obliged  to  go 
many  miles.  Mill  Creek  was  too  good  a 
stream  to  pass  neglected  notwithstanding  the 
presence  of  mills  otherwheres  near  at  hand,  and 
several  were  earl3'  put  upon  its  banks  giving 
it  the  name  by  which  it  is  known  to-day. 
The  first  of  those  was  a  combined  saw  and 
grist-mill  erected  by  John  Tengley,  which 
afterward  passed  into  the  hands  of  James 
Anderson    who  gave   name    to   the   township 


HISTORY  OF  CLARK  COUNTY. 


427 


upon  its  organization.  Another  was  built 
l)v  James  Craig,  which  found  plenty  of  work 
for  some  eight  years,  when  it  was  abanJoned. 
Such  industries  were  demanded  by  the  char- 
acter of  the  country  and  there  was  little  dan- 
ger that  they  would  be  excessively  multiplied. 
The  variable  character  of  the  water  power 
and  the  unusual  demand  for  lumber  during 
the  early  years  of  a  settlement  gave  plenty  of 
work  to  each  one  of  these  mills,  which  subse- 
quently, as  conditions  changed,  were  aban- 
doned and  rotted  down.  The  nearness  of  the 
county  seat  effectually  checked  the  growth 
of  other  industries  called  out  by  the  seclusion 
of  pioneer  settlements,  and  the  early  history 
of  Anderson  is  little  more  than  the  prosaic 
record  of  felling  trees  and  planting  crops. 
And  yet,  while  the  record  may  not  show  any 
thrilling  experiences,  the  task  of  hewing  out 
a  farm  from  the  wilderness  was  no  holiday 
adventure.  Economy  was  the  forced  practice 
of  the  well-to-do  not  less  than  the  unfortunate, 
and  hard  work  and  privation  the  general  lot 
of  all.  Some  of  its  early  citizens,  however, 
achieved  a  State  notoriety  that  attaches  con- 
siderable interest  to  the  township. 

The  early  communities  in  Clark  County  were 
considerably  troubled  b}'  petty  thieving  and 
by  an  occasional  burglarious  attack  of  more 
alarming  nature.  Horses  were  stolen  almost 
with  impunity  and  it  began  to  be  the  general 
belief  among  oflBcials  that  the  county  was  the 
rendezvous  of  a  band  of  men  who  made  rob- 
bery their  chief  occupation.  The  whole  ifis- 
sissippi  valley  seemed  to  be  afflicted  in  the 
same  way.  Depredations  were  committed  in 
rapid  succession  at  points  widely  separated, 
and  yet  with  such  characteristic  skill  as  to 
create  the  beiief  that  they  were  done  by  the 
same  inspiration  if  not  by  the  same  persons. 
Such  a  conclusion  involved  a  belief  in  a  wide- 
spread conspiracy,  which  so  covered  the  terri- 
tory with  abettors  and  sympathizers  that  the 
ordinary  officials  felt  powerless  to   thwart   its 


plans  or  arrest  the  offenders  against  law. 
The  achievements  of  this  confederated  band 
of  thieves  culminated  July  4,  184:5,  in  the 
murder  of  Col.  Davenport  of  Rock  Island. 
The  Mormon  Community  of  Nauvoo  were  be- 
lieved to  be  the  resort  of  this  class  of  despera- 
does and  their  expulsion  was  involved  in  the 
overthrow  of  the  Prairie  Banditti. 

Robert  Birch  had  been  suspected  of  being 
implicated  in  these  nefarious  operations  be- 
fore this  time,  and  he  no  longer  visited  his 
home  openly.  His  father  was  popularly 
known  as  the  "  Old  Coon,"  and  though  gener- 
ally suspected  of  complicity  in  these  crimes, 
and  though  all  sorts  of  traps  had  been  set  to 
catch  him  with  the  evidence  of  his  guilt,  he 
had  remained  in  his  isolated  cabin  secure 
from  the  penalties  of  outraged  justice.  He 
was  a  man  of  undoubted  intelligence,  with 
the  reputation  of  being  one  of  the  shrewdest, 
most  cautious  and  cunning  men  i.i  the  North- 
west. He  feigned  extreme  ignorance,  how- 
ever, and  refused  to  sign  his  name  in  any 
business  transaction.  His  son,  Robert,  is  de- 
scribed as  being  a  man  of  about  twenty-five 
or  thirty  years  of  age,  at  this  time,  and  had 
been  suspected  of  robbery,  and  even  murder, 
ever  since  the  age  of  fifteen  years.  "  He  was 
a  well  made,  broad  breasted  man,  of  light 
complexion,  large  blue  eyes,  and  light  auburn 
hair;  when  fashionably  dressed  seemed  rather 
slightly  built.  He  was  very  loquacious  and 
could  play  the  bar-room  dandy  to  perfection. 
Rock  Island  had  been  one  of  his  most  fre- 
quented haunts,  where  he  was  known  by  the 
name  of  Brown;  he  had  also  appeared  in 
different  parts  of  the  country  under  the  names 
of  Birch,  Harris  and  others.  He  was  un- 
doubtedly one  of  the  most  adroit  villains  in  the 
territorj'  of  the  Northwest."  This  family  was, 
of  course,  a  constant  object  of  suspicion,  but 
no  clue  could  be  got  of  their  transactions  or 
connection  with  the  deeds  of  crime  that  were 
constantly  being  perpetrated. 


428 


HISTORY  OF  CLARK  COUXTY. 


The  murder  of  Col.  Davenport  incited  the 
leadings  men  and   officials  to  renewed  efforts, 
and  Edward  Bonney  was  employed  to  ferret 
out  the  o-ar.or.     He  initiated  himself  into  their 
confi  lence  and    was   the    means    of  bringing 
the  principal  ones  of  these  bandits  to  justice. 
In     tiie     course    of  his    eiforts,  he     came    to 
Marshall  and  visited  the  "Old  Coon,"  an  ac- 
count of  which  is  taken  from  a  book  written 
by   the   detective,  from  which  the  preceding 
quotations    are    made.     The    visit    here    was 
made  in  the  early  part  of  September,  in  1815; 
the  author  says:    "I  determined  to  call  upon 
the  '  Old   Coon,'  in  his  own  house,  believing 
that  I  could  succeed  in  passing  myself  off  as  one 
of  the  sano-  with  him,  as  well  as  with  others. 
The    road    from    ilarshall    to  the    habitation 
of  old  Birch,  a   distance  of    nine  miles,  led 
through  an   exceedingly  dense  forest,  and  by 
a  blind  path,  to   follow  which   was  nearly  im- 
practicable   to  a  stranger.       Sheriff  Bennett 
kindly  consented    to   accompany    me  a  suffi- 
cient  distance   on    my   way   to   enable  me  to 
find  the  house.     We   traveled    on  horseback, 
and  the   sheriff  left   me  when  we   had   come 
within    half  a   mile   of  the    house,    and  pro- 
ceeded to  a  dense  thicket,  in  which  he  prom- 
ised me  that    he    would  conceal    hmiself  and 
await  my    return.     Following  the    direction 
the  sheriff  had  given  me,  for  a  short  distance,, 
I  emero-ed   from  the  thick  forest  and  entered 
a  large,  and    partially    cultivated  enclosure, 
near  the   center  of  which  stood   a  miserable 
log  cabin    in    a    very    dilapidated  condition, 
almost   crumbling   to    the   ground.     Leaving 
my    horse    at    the   edge   of  the    wood,   I  ap- 
proached the   house  cautiously  on  foot.     The 
door  was  standing  open,  and  within,  near  the 
foot  of  the  bed,  sat  a  very  old  man.     His  ap- 
pearance was  wretched  and  poverty-stricken. 
An  old  woman   and  a  young  girl  of  sixteen 
were  in  the  act  of  adjusting  some  portions  of 
his  dress,  as  I  entered  the  room.     Some  bustle 
ensued    upon   my    abrupt   entrance,      They, 


however,  placed  a  stool  for  me  to  sit  upon, 
and  brought  me  some  water  to  drink.  I 
drank  from  a  gourd  shell,  having  a  hole  cut 
in  its  side;  a  very  common  substitute  in  some 
parts  of  our  country  for  a  dipper.  After 
some  incidental  conversation,  the  'Old  Coon,' 
for  it  was  Birch  himself,  upon  whom  I  had  in- 
truded, inquired:  'Do  you  live  in  this  part  of 
the  country? ' 

'  No,  I  do  not.' 

'  Where  do  you,  then?' 

'In  no  particular  place.  I  spend  my  time 
in  traveling,  speculating,  etc' 

'  Do  you  want  to  see  me? ' 

'  Why,  some  of  your  old  acquaintances 
wished  me  to  call  upon  you,  if  I  ever  passed 
near  you,  and  my  business  leading  me  this 
way,  I  have  sought  you  out.' 

'  Who  do  you  mean?' 

'Granville  Young  and  Bundy.' 

'  How  large  a  man  is  this  Granville  Young?' 

'A  small  man  with  dark  hair.' 

'Are  you  acquainted  with  Owen  Long?' 

'Only  by  description,'  I  replied,  'I  never 
■  saw  him;  but  I  know  the  boys.' 

'Do  you?  what,  Aaron  and  John?' 

'Yes.' 

'  Aaron  and  John  are  Owen  Long's  sons. 
Owen  Long  and  I  wore  raised  together  in  old 
North  Carolina.  I  have  known  him  ever  since 
he  was  a  boy.  He's  a  right  smart  old  man, 
and  has  got  two  smart  boys.' 

'  I  think  so.  At  least  they  know  enough  to 
take  care  of  themselves.' 

'  Well  they  do.' 

'I  left  my  horse  at  the  edge  of  the  wood, 
let  me  step  out  and  look  to  him.'  Saying  this, 
I  winked  to  the  old  man  who  readily  followed 
me  out,  and  when  we  were  out  of  hearing  he 
said:  'Well,  stranger,  what  is  it?' 

'  The  boys  tell  me  that  you  are  of  the  right 
stripe,  and  friendly  to  us,  so   1  suppose  I  can 
safely  proceed  to  disclose  my  business.' 
'  I  neyer  l)urts  nobody.' 


HISTORY  OF  CLARK  COUNTY. 


429 


'I  folt  certain  tliat  vou  were  one  of  us.  I 
have  left  the  main  traveled  road  because  I 
liad  promised  the  boys  I  would  see  you  on 
my  way  down,  and  give  you  a  little  accom- 
modation in  my  line.  Look  at  these  blank 
notes.  They  are  a  small  sample  of  my  work. 
I  have  a  large  amount  to  fill  up  and  sign.  I 
am  now  on  my  way  to  Cincinnati  after  it,  and 
on  my  return  shall  wish  to  dispose  of  it.  I 
suppose  you  can  help  me  some.' 

'  Yes,  I'll  take  right  smart  of  it  myself.  A 
heap  of  the  boys  stop  with  me,  and  I  know 
of  'em  what  will  buy  it.  If  you  can  sell  it 
fair,  I  can  get  rid  of  a  power  of  it.' 

'  Do  you  think  you  could  get  a  lot  of  horses 
with  such  paper  as  this,  and  have  them  de- 
livered at  Louisville  or  St.  Louis?' 

'  Yes,  and  a  smart  chance  of  money,  too.' 

'Have  you  any  confidential  friends  in  this 
I'ouiitry  who  understand  this  business,  and 
:iie  acquainted  with  the  boys'::" 

'  Wliy,  yes,  I  reckon  so.  There  is  one  Mr. 
Arbuckle,  at  Marshall,  and  the  clerk  of  the 
court.  They  both  understand  such  matters, 
and  are  first  rate  men.  I  reckon  they  would 
liki?  to  trade  with  you.' 

'Are  you  suspected  of  being  connected 
with  the  boys?' 

'  Not  a  bit  of  it.  Anyhow  I  reckon  not. 
Tiie  clerk  is  a  good  friend  of  mine,  and  al- 
ways tells  me  what  is  going  on.  They  can't 
hurt  the  Old  Coon,  as  long  as  he  is  clerk  of 
the  court.  If  the  sheriff  should  get  a  writ 
against  me,  the  clerk  would  let  me  know  soon 
tMiough  to  let  me  get  out  of  the  way.  *  *  Do 
you  know  a  man  by  the  name  of  Robert 
Birch?' 

'Robert  H.  Birch?  he  is  my  son;  Rob- 
ert is  a  smart  fellow;  do  you  know  him?  ' 

'I  have  heard  the  boys  mention  his  name, 
but  have  never  seen  him.' 

'He  is  a  smart  fellow,  my  son  Robert  is, 
you  would   like   to   travel   with  him.' 

'Well  1  would.' 


'  He  has  traveled  eight  years.  Has  got 
heaps  of  money.  He  never  gets  caught.  He 
has  not  been  home  in  eight  years.  He  wrote 
me  from  St.  Louis  a  few  months  ago,  that  he 
would  be  here  before  this  time,  but  he  has 
not  come;  I  reckon  he  is  making  money.  He 
and  my  son  John  left  our  home  in  Oid  Caro- 
lina together.  John,  poor  fellow,  they  hung  in 
Texas.  They  just  strung  him  up  by  the  neck 
without  judge  or  jury,  hung  him  like  a  dog; 
but  they  don't  catch  Robert.' 

"  By  this  time  we  had  returned  to  the  house, 
where  we  found  the  old  man's  son,  Tim  Birch, 
who  had  just  returned  from  the  forest  with 
his  rifle.  He  was  the  youngest  son  of  the  Old 
Coon,  and  as  his  father  proudly  remarked  to 
me,  looked  very  much  like  Robert.  Old 
Birch  described  the  appearance  of  his  favorite 
son  at  length,  dwelling  minutely  upon  his 
qualities  and  peculiarities.  He  was  evidently 
very  proud  of  that  son  of  his,  Robert.  He 
very  earnestly  desired  me  to  seize  the  first 
opportunity  I  might  have  to  cultivate  Robert's 
acquaintance,  and  associate  myself  with  him. 
I  need  not  say  that  I  very  readily  promised 
to  become  as  intimate  with  him  as  possible. 
The  old  woman  and  her  daughter  being  in- 
formed that  I  was  one  of  the  boys,  became 
very  talkative.  They  were  at  least  equal  in 
wickedness,  to  any  member  of  the  gang  of  the 
other  sex,  and  appeared  much  worse,  for  as 
woman  in  her  purity  seems  surpassingly 
loveh',  so  in  her  degradation  she  seems  more 
than  debased.  The  old  woman  indulged  in 
the  most  bitter  denunciations  against  a  cer- 
tain neighbor  of  the  Birch's,  by  the  name  of 
Miller.  She  swore  some  terrible  vengeance 
against  him.  She  would  shoot  him,  chop  him 
into  mince  meat,  etc.,  and  all  because  Miller, 
as  she  said,  had  tried  to  have  her  Tim  prose- 
cuted just  for  stealing  a  miserable  little  colt, 
not  worth  thirty  dollars;  and  she  seemed  also 
to  believe  that  Miller  was  in  some  way  in- 
strumental in  having  .John  hung  in  Texas. 


430 


HISTORY  OF  CLARK  COUNTY. 


"  I  was  earnestly  solicited  by  the  family  to 
remain  a  few  days  to  recruit  myself  and 
horse.  I  was  satisfied,  however,  that  Robert 
Birch  was  not  concealed  in  the  vicinity  of 
his  father's  residence,  and  that  there  was  no 
prospect  of  niy  discovering  any  track  of  the 
murderers  from  the  Old  Coon.  Giving  my 
name  to  them  as  Tom  Brown,  and  promising 
to  call  on  my  return  from  Cincinnati,  and 
spend  more  time  with  them,  I  left,  having 
evidently  satisfied  the  family  that  I  was  one 
of  the  boys,  and  a  worthy  associate  of  their 
son  Robert. 

"  I  searched  the  thicket  for  my  friend,  the 
sheriff,  but  supposing  that  I  would  remain 
with  the  Birchs  all  night,  he  had  returned 
home,  leaving  me  to  make  the  best  of  my  way 
to  Marshall,  unassisted  and  alone.  Confiding 
in  my  trusty  horse,  I  was  carried  safely  through 
the  dense  forest  and  reached  Marshall  about 
midnight.  The  following  morning  T  disclosed, 
as  far  as  prudence  dictated,  the  facts  drawn 
out  in  my  conversation  with  old  Birch.  I 
also  mentioned  the  character  which  the  Old 
Coon  gave  of  his  neighbor  Arbuckle,  and  of 
the  clerk  of  the  court.  Sheriff  Bennett  re- 
marked that  several  criminal  prosecutions 
had  been  brought  in  the  county  within  the 
last  three  years,  but  from  some  cause  here- 
tofore unknown,  the  authorities  had  not  been 
able  to  procure  a  conviction,  but  had  never 
suspected  anything  wrong  with  the  officers  of 
the  court.  The  sheriff  promised  to  watch 
closely  the  movements  of  old  Birch  and 
family,  and  to  advise  me  of  any  appearance 
of  the  suspected  individuals,  and  also  to  keep 
an  eye  on  Arbuckle  and  the  clerk  of  the 
court.  I  then  left  Marshall  and  returned  to 
Terre  Haute." 

As  a  sequel  to  this  narrative,  it  may  be 
added  that  Robert  Birch  was  arrested  and 
while  awaiting  trial  in  the  Knoxvillo,  Illinois, 
jail,  escaped  on  the  23d  of  March,  1847. 
The  clerk  of  the  court  mentioned  was  so  well 


watched  that  the  conviction  that  he  had  inti- 
mate relations  with  this  gang  became  general, 
and  a  mob  seized  him  one  Sunday  and  taking 
him  outside  the  village  of  Marshall,  gave 
him  a  cruel  whipping.  The  whole  famdy  soon 
afterward  left  the  county. 

This  was  the  outcome  of  the  "Birch  War' 
in  1852.  Before  this  Tim  Birch  and  a  com- 
rade had  been  arrested  and  through  some 
falling  out ''peached"  on  each  other.  This 
brought  the  character  of  the  Birch  gang  so 
clearly  before  the  people  that  several  parties 
were  severely  whipped.  One  of  these  persons, 
a  relation  of  the  Birch  family  by  marriage,  to 
gain  favor  with  the  people  came  into  Mar- 
shall one  morning  and  reported  Bob  Birch 
to  be  in  the  neighborhood;  that  he  had  given 
him  his  breakfast  at  a  certain  ])oint  to  which 
he  was  ready  to  lead  the  people.  A  large 
number  of  armed  men  gathered  at  once  and 
went  to  the  point  designated,  after  hunting 
in  the  woods  in  vain  for  a  clue  to  his  where- 
abouts, a  favorite  dog  of  Birch's  was  got  and 
by  its  aid  the  evident  track  of  the  outlaw  was 
found  and  followed  for  some  distance.  After 
a  time,  the  dog  showing  evident  signs  of 
nearing  his  master,  the  leash  was  loosed. 
Unfortunately  the  dog  got  so  far  ahead  of  the 
pursuers  that  it  was  lost  sight  of  and  no 
further  trace  of  Birch  obtained.  This  was 
just  at  night  and  neither  dog  nor  Birch  have 
ever  been  heard  of  in  this  vicinity  since. 
The  whole  Birch  family  subsequently  moved 
to  Missouri. 

The  first  school-house  erected  in  Anderson 
was  a  small  hewed  log  structure  built  in  1838, 
about  the  center  of  the  township.  Sebastian 
Fox  was  the  first  teacher.  He  was  a  resident 
of  the  township  and  settled  on  section  twenty- 
one.  A  few  years  latter  a  log  school  building 
was  erected  in  the  southern  part  of  the  town- 
ship, and  was  known  as  the  Combs  school- 
house.  It  still  serves  a  useful  purpose  as  a 
stable.     The    first   frame    school-bouse    was 


HISTORY   OF  CLARK  COUNTY. 


431 


built  near  the  residence  of  William  Craicf. 

The  first  relisrious  services  were  conducted 
by  Sebastian  Fox.  He  was  a  man  of  good 
education  and  served  with  equal  ability  in 
the  school  room  or  in  the  pulpit.  He  was 
universally  esteemed,  was  the  first  justice  of 
the  peace,  and  met  a  cruel  death  in  1852,  by 
falling  from  his  horse  and  being  dragged  by 
the  stirrup  until  horribly  mangled.  The 
Methodist  itinerants  were  early  on  the  field 
here  and  held  frequent  services,  but  effected 
no  organizations.  In  1845,  Elder  Jonathan 
Ward  of  the  "Christian"  denomination  held 
services  here  and  in  1847,  organized  a  church 
of  twelve  members,  at  the  residence  of  Michael 
Combs.  Services  were  held  for  years  in  the 
school-house,  the  church  simply  maintaining 
itself.  In  186G,  it  was  revived  under  the 
preaching  of  Elder  Houston.  A  year  later 
a  building  was  erected  at  a  cost  of  $1,800,  on 
land  donated  by  William  Craig.     The  edifice 


stood  near  the  Marshall  road  on  section  thir- 
teen. The  membership  increased  ra'pidly  to 
the  number  of  125,  but  the  organization  is 
now  disbanded,  and  the  place  of  worship  so 
neglected  as  to  be  occupied  by  the  animals 
that  run  the  streets.  This  disaster  grew  out 
of  the  killing  of  one  of  the  members  by  a  man 
in  whose  behalf  the  sympathy  of  a  large  part 
of  the  church  was  enlisted.  This  division  of 
sentiment  led  to  a  disruption  that  has  gone 
beyond  the  hope  of  healing. 

The  Grand  Turn  Evangelical  Church  was 
organized  in  1863.  A  log  building  was  put 
up  the  same  year  near  the  Grand  Turn  as  a 
place  of  worship.  There  are  about  thirty 
members  over  whom  Rev.  C.  Wessling  pre- 
sides. 

The  United  Brethren  Denomination  had  an 
early  church  on  Mill  Creek.  It  was  subse- 
quently transferred  to  the  Grand  Turn  where 
a  neat  little  frame  building  aiTords  them  a 
place  of  worship. 


CHAPTEE  XVIII. 


ORANGE  TOWNSHIP— POSITION— TOPOGRAPHY— SOIL  AND  PRODUCTIONS— PIONEER  SET- 
TLEMENT—INCIDENTS—EARLY CONDITION  OF  COUNTRY— PIONEER  DWELL- 
INGS—FIRST BIRTH— FIRST  MARRIAGE— EARLY  SCHOOLS- 
CHURCH  HISTORY. 

These  pests  together  with  the  miasma  that 
lurked  in  the  dank  decaying  vegetation 
caused  the  pioneers  to  shun  this  part  of  the 
country  and  select  for  their  homes  more  eli- 
gible sites,  as  they  supposed,  along  the  water 
courses  and  in  the  woodlands.  Some  of  the 
best  farms  in  the  country  were  improved  from 
these  lands  that  were  once  looked  upon  as  com- 
paratively valueless.  The  township  rests  upon 
a  clay  subsoil  which  is  covered  with  an  alluvial 
mold  in  the  prairies,  varying  in  depth  from 
eighteen  inches  to  two  feet,  and  is  well  adapt- 
ed to  almost  every  variety  of  grain  and  fruit 
indigenous  to  Southern  Illinois.  The  soil  in 
the  wooded  districts  is  lighter  and  more  clay 
mixed  and  not  so  well  calculated  for  eeneral 
farming  as  the  prairies.  It  produces  good 
wheat,  to  which  it  seems  peculiarly  adapted, 
and  by  proper  tillage,  good  crops  of  the  other 
cereals  can  be  raised  also.  There  are  some 
fine  grazing  sections  in  different  parts  of  the 
township,  and  considerable  attention  is  being 
given  to  stock-raising,  an  industry  too  lono- 
neglected  in  this  part  of  the  State.  The  prin- 
cipal streams  by  which  this  region  is  watered 
and  drained,  are  Willow  Creek  and  Little 
Willow.  The  first  named  enters  the  town- 
ship about  one  and  a  half  miles  west  of  the 
eastern  boundary,  takes  a  southerly  course  and 
passes  out  of  section  31.  Little  Willow  rises 
in  the  northeast  corner  of  the  township,  flows 
a  southerly  direction  and  unites  with  Willow 
in  section  20.  A  stream  of  considerable  size 
and  importance  traverses  the  southeast  corner 


"  The  ax  rang  sharply  'mid  those  forest'shades 
Which  from  creation,  toward  the  sky 
Had  tower'd  in  unshorn  beauty." 

— Mrs  Sigourneij. 

THE  Townsliip  of  Orange  to  which  the  fol- 
lowing pages  are  devoted,  comprises 
thirty-six  sections  of  land  in  the  southern 
part  of  the  county  and  was  known  in  the 
congressional  survey  as  town  9  north,  range 
13  west. 

The  surface  is  composed  of  prairie  and 
■woodland  in  about  equal  proportion,  the  lat- 
ter being  confined  principally  to  the  western 
and  central  parts,  where  in  many  places 
the  land  is  irregular  and  somewhat  broken. 
The  forest  growth  of  the  township  comprises 
the  varieties  of  timber  common  to  Southern 
Illinois,  and  was  at  one  time  the  source  of 
considerable  revenue  to  the  lumber  merchants, 
several  of  whom  operated  saw-mills  at  differ- 
ent points  along  Willow  Creek.  The  walnut 
and  poplar,  once  so  numerous,  have  long  since 
disappeared,  and  the  most  valuable  timber 
now  standing  is  oak,  of  which  several  varie- 
ties are  found  growing  in  abundance.  The 
prairies,  in  their  natural  state,  were  covered 
with  a  dense  growth  of  grass,  so  tall  that  a 
person  riding  through  it  would  be  entirely 
hidden  from  view,  and  so  thick  that  the  sun's 
rays  were  entirely  excluded  from  the  soil  be- 
neath. As  a  consequence  the  ground  was  al- 
ways damp  and  slushy,  and  served  as  the 
breeding  place  of  myriads  of  green-headed 
flies,  the  common  enemy   of  man  and   beast. 


HISTORY  OF  CLARK  COUNTY. 


433 


of  the  township  and  furnishes  the  principal 
means  of  drainage  for  that  part  of  the  coun- 
try. 

The  settlement  of  Orange  by  white  men 
dates  from  the  year  18'5G,  when  the  first  en- 
tries of  land  were  made,  though  it  can  not 
be  stated  with  correctness  who  was  the  earli- 
est settler. 

In  the  above  year  Nathan  Howerton  and 
Moses  Engle  made  entries  in  section  1~,  Eli- 
jah Peacock  in  section  25,  and  John  F.  Dodd 
in  section  3,  all  of  whom  moved  on  to  their 
respective  lands  the  same  year  and  began 
improving.  Howerton  located  the  farm 
where  William  Hodge  now  lives,  on  which 
he  made  a  number  of  extensive  improve- 
ments, and  which  continued  to  be  his  home 
for  a  period  of  twenty  years.  Peacock  was  a 
native  of  Ohio,  and  made  his  way  into  this 
part  of  the  country  on  a  tour  of  inspection 
for  the  purpose  of  selecting  a  home.  Being 
pleased  with  the  appearance  of  the  country, 
he  entered  eighty  acres  in  the  section  named, 
and  moved  his  family  here  shortly  afterward. 
He  was  a  prominent  citizen  of  the  township 
and  during  the  period  of  his  residence  here 
was  highly  respected  by  the  entire  commu- 
nity. The  farm  on  which  he  settled  is  at 
present  occupied  by  Mrs.  Baker.  In  the  year 
1837  a  man  by  name  of  Stout  came  to  Orange 
and  entered  land  in  section  27,  lot  7,  now 
owned  by  the  widow  Hunter.  Stout  was  born 
in  North  Carolina  and  passed  his  youth  and 
early  manhood  amid  the  genial  airs  of  his 
mountain  home.  By  a  life  of  constant  activ- 
ity he  early  acquired  remarkable  physical 
strength  and  a  vigorous  constitution,  which 
fitted  him  well  for  the  duties  of  a  pioneer  in 
later  years.  He  was  a  Quaker  of  the  ortho- 
dox wing,  dressed  in  their  peculiar  garb  and 
used  the  quaint  language  of  the  sect  in  his 
conversation.  His  life  was  a  practical  demon- 
stration of  the  pure  doctrines  of  his  church, 
and   his   honesty  and   integrity  became  pro- 


verbial throughout  the  entire  community. 
Ijike  many  of  the  early  settlers,  he  was  a 
noted  hunter  and  ranged  this  county  in  quest 
of  his  favorite  sport.  He  sold  his  possessions 
here  about  the  year  18i3  and  moved  to  Indi- 
ana, where  he  died  a  number  of  years  ago. 

Other  entries  were  made  in  the  year  18  )7, 
by  Enoch  Thompson,  in  section  20,  C.  Hille- 
bert  in  section  1,  and  Moses  Aughin  in  the 
same  section.  Thompson  and  Hillebert  never 
resided  in  the  township,  and  Aughin  lived 
here  but  few  years  when  he  sold  his  place  and 
moved  to  a  distant  State.  In  the  year  1838 
the  following  persons  secured  lands  in  Or- 
ange: Francis  Howerton,  (J.  Harrison,  Hen- 
ry Harrison,  Herman  Canady,  William  Ma- 
pels,"  Isaac  Foster  and  Ezekiel  Rubottom. 

Howerton,  of  whom  but  little  is  known, 
settled  in  section  21,  where  he  made  a  num- 
ber of  improvements.  He  sold  his  land  and 
moved  to  Walnut  prairie  about  the  year  1847. 
U.  Harrison  entered  land  in  section  2,  and 
Henry  Harrison  in  section  10,  neither  of 
whom  was  ever  a  resident  of  the  township. 
Herman  Canady  came  to  this  State  from  Ten- 
nessee in  company  with  a  number  of  other 
families,  and  improved  a  farm  near  the  central 
part  of  the  township  in  section  15.  He  was 
a  man  of  considerable  education  and  pure 
morals,  and  bore  a  commendable  part  in  de- 
veloping the  resources  of  the  country.  His 
death  occurred  in  the  year  1850. 

In  striking  contrast  to  Canady  was  William 
Mapels,  who  came  to  the  township  about  the 
same  time  and  settled  in  the  same  localitv. 
This  man  bore  a  very  unenviable  reputation  in 
the  community,  and  was  known  throughout 
the  country  as  a  desperate  character,  whose 
greatest  delight  was  a  brawl  or  drunken 
knock-down. 

He  associaled  with  a  set  of  blacklegs,  and 
desperadoes  as  villainous  as  himself,  and 
many  acts  of  lawlessness  and  crime  committed 
in  various  parts  of  the  country  were  traced  to 


434 


HISTORY  OF  CLARK  COUNTY. 


his  door.     He  became  the  possessor  of  eighty 
acres   of    land  near   the  central    part    of    the 
township,  which  he  sold  to  John  S.  Hix    two 
years  later,  ami  left  the  country  accompanied 
by  the  wife  of  another  man,  since  which  time 
nothing  has  been   heard  of  him.     Israel  Fos- 
ter   settled    in    the   southwestern   part  of  the 
township  on  section  30.     He  was  born  in  Vir- 
ginia,  but  moved   to  Ohio  when  the  latter 
State  was  on  the  remote  outskirts  of  civiliza- 
tion.    He  joined  the  tide  of  emigration  which 
came  to  Southern  Illinois  in   1S37,  and  found 
his  way    into    this   part   of    the    county    one 
year  later,  and   being    a  man   of    more    than 
usual  energy  he  soon  had  a  goodly  number  of 
acres  under   successful   cultivation.     At   the 
first  election  held  in  the  precinct   he  was  cho- 
sen justice  of  the  peace,  a  position  he   filled 
very  creditably  for  a  number  of  years.    Among 
the  early  pioneers  deserving  of  special   men- 
tion  were    Aaron    Mills,   Richard    Imcs    and 
John  Smith,  all  of  whom  came    in    the    year 
1839.    The  first  named  was  a  brother-in-law  of 
Herman  Canady,  at  whose  earnest  solicitation 
he    was   induced    to    come  West.     He    came 
from  Tennessee  and  entered  a  tract  of  land 
in  section  15,  which  is  at   present   in  posses- 
sion  of    his   descendants.      Imes   located  in 
section  30,  and   was   for  a  number   of  years 
prominently  identified  with  tlie  early  history 
of  the   township.     He   subsequently   moved 
to  Iowa,  where    he    died   a  number  of  years 
ago   from   the   effects   of  poison  accidentally 
taken.     Smith  selected  his  home  in  the  north- 
east corner  of  the  township,  where  he  located 
for  the  two-fold  purpose  of  farming   and  en- 
gaging   in    the  tannery  business.     The   tan 
vard  which  he  operated  was  one  of  the   first 
in  the  county,  and  returned  him  a  handsome 
revenue  during  the  time   he  worked  it.     He 
acquired  a  considerable  amount  of  real  estate 
during  his  life  in  this  county,  which  is  at  pres- 
ent owned  by  his  descendants,  several  of  whom 
reside  in  the  township.     His    death  occurred 


thirt\'  years  ago.  About  the  same  time  the  fore- 
going settlers  came  to  the  country,  Natlianiel 
Blakeman  made  his  appearance  and  improv- 
ed a  farm  in  section  29,  where  he  still  lives, 
the  oldest  living  settler  in  Orange.  He  came 
here  from  Ohio,  and  for  forty  three  years  has 
been  a  prominent  resident  of  the  township, 
whioli  he  has  seen  changed  from  a  wilderness 
to  its  present  high  state  of  improvement  and 
civilization.  The  other  settlers  who  came 
prior  to  1840  were  Mahlon  Malone,  John 
Beauchamp  and  George  Bennett. 

Malone  was  an  Ohioan  and  located  in  sec- 
tion 4,  on  land  now  owned  by  Clark  Downey, 
where  he  lived  until  1845,  at  which  time  he 
sold  the  place  and  moved  to  Missouri.  Beau- 
champ  emigrated  to  Chirk  County  from  Vir- 
ginia, and  improved  a  farm  in  section  4,  which 
he  disposed  of  in  1852,  and  went  to  a  distant 
State.  Bennett  settled  in  section  25,  where 
he  still  resides. 

Prominent  in  the  list  of  pioneers  who  se- 
lected homes  in  Orange, was  Andrew  Hardway, 
father  of  William  Hardway,  who  moved  his 
family  to  the  township  in  the  spring  of  1840. 
He  came  here  from  Ohio,  but  was  originally 
from  Virginia,  which  State  he  left  in  his  early 
manhood.  The  farm  which  he  improved  and 
on  which  he  lived  until  the  time  of  his  death, 
twelve  years  ago,  is  situated  near  the  northern 
boundary  in  section  4.  William  Hardway, 
son  of  the  preceding,  can  be  called  an  early 
settler,  as  he  was  but  eighteen  years  of  age 
when  his  father  settled  in  Orange,  and  has 
lived  since  that  time  within  the  township 
limits. 

The  following  incident  is  related,  which 
shows  the  high  estimation  in  which  he  was 
held  by  the  neighliors  of  his  community. 
Many  of  the  first  settlers  in  this  country  came 
west  merely  on  tours  of  observation,  and  after 
having  selected  and  entered  their  lands,  would 
appoint  some  one  of  their  number  to  go  back 
to  their  former  homes  for  money.     This  was 


HISTORY  OF  CLARK  COUNTY. 


435 


an  uiKlertaking  attended  with  many  difficul- 
ties and  considerable  danger,  as  the  journey 
had  to  he  made  on  foot  or  horseback  through 
a  sparsely  settled  countr)',  which  at  that  time 
was  known  to  be  infested  with  thieves  and 
roi^bcrs.  Young  Hard  way  was  selected  for 
this  liuty  in  his  father's  neighborhood,  and  at 
once  started  on  the  triji,  wiiich  he  made  on 
foot,  and  was  a  number  of  davs  in  reaching 
his  destination.  He  remained  in  Dayton, 
Ohio,  about  one  week,  collected  three  thou- 
sand dollars  in  money  and  started  on  liis  return. 
On  his  way  back  he  avoided  the  most  fre- 
quented roads  and  passed  the  nights  in  the 
woods  without  fire  or  shelter,  not  caring  to 
trust  himself  to  the  care  of  any  of  the  hotels 
along  the  way,  as  many  of  them  were  the  re- 
sorts of  desperadoes  who  would  not  hesitate 
to  commit  any  species  of  crime.  He  arrived 
in  Marshall  late  one  evening  ami  was  pressed 
to  remain  over  night  by  a  friend,  but  so  anx- 
ious was  he  to  get  home  and  deliver  the  nionev 
that  he  determined  to  complete  the  journey 
that  night.  He  still  had  about  fourteen  miles 
to  make,  and  after  traveling  six  of  the  > 
number  he  became  lost  in  the  woods.  After 
rambling  about  for  some  time  he  came  to  a 
small  house  at  which  he  knocked  and  was  ad- 
mitted. This  place  proved  to  be  the  home 
of  the  notorious  John  Birch,  and  was  the 
headquarters  of  the  most  daring  set  of  black- 
legs and  thieves  that  was  ever  known  in  this 
country.  Hardway  remained  at  this  place 
until  morning,  but  did  not  sleep  any  durino- 
the  night.  He  knew  well  the  langer  of  his 
situation,  but  fortunately  w.is  not  disturbed. 
.After  getting  out  of  sight  of  the  house  the 
next  morning  he  started  on  a  run  which  he 
kept  up  until  he  arrived  at  home,  where  he 
found  his  parents  very  uneasy  on  account  of 
his  long  absence. 

John  S.  Hix  and  Alfred  Prindle  made  set- 
tlements in  the  year  1840;  also  the  former 
where  Mapel  had  lived,  and  the  latter  in  the 


northern  part  of  the  township  in  section  7. 
Prindle  was  supposed  to  have  been  connected 
with  the  notorious  Birch  gang,  as  a  number 
of  them  had  made  his  house  a  stopping  place 
while  in  the  neighborhood.  During  the  ex- 
citement which  prevailed  in  the  country  at 
that  time,  he  was  visited  by  a  vigilance  com- 
mittee, and,  despite  his  vigorous  denial  of  any 
connection  with  the  gang,  was  cruelly  whipped 
and  compelled  to  leave  the  country.  He  went 
to  Missouri  where  he  afterward  became  very 
wealthy. 

The  other  settlors  who  came  in  ]S-iO,  as  far 
as  known,  were  Elias  Wilson,  George  Holt, 
Peter  Shwalter,  Jacob  Allen,  Basil  Wells, 
John  Bostvvick,  Elijah  King,  and  John  Elliott, 
all  of  whom  made  entries  in  different  parts  of 
the  township,  but  the  limits  of  our  space  for- 
bids a  more  extended  notice. 

The  condition  of  the  country  at  the  time  of 
its  first  settlement  was  wild,  in  the  extreme 
sense  of  that  term — game  of  all  kind  was 
plenty,  and  furnished  the  principal  means  of 
subsistence  for  many  families  during  the  first 
two  or  three  years  of  their  sojourn  in  the  wil- 
derness. Deer  was  especially  abundant,  and 
formed  in  that  day  the  staple  supply  of  meat 
in  every  household.  They  were  easily  secured 
almost  in  sight  of  the  cabin,  though  occasion- 
ally, when  met  on  equal  footing,  proved  no 
mean  antagonists. 

It  is  related  of  Cyrus  King  that  passing 
through  the  woods  one  day  he  came  upon  a 
couple  of  bucks  that  had  engaged  in  a  strug- 
gle  for  the  mastery  with  the  usual  result  of 
inextricably  locking  their  horns.  The  small 
buck  was  found  dead  but  still  holding  his 
victor  a  close  prisoner;  with  the  instinct  of  a 
hunter,  though  unarmed.  King  sought,  t-o  se- 
cure the  game  thus  brought  within  his  reach. 
Seizing  a  pole  lying  at  hand  he  attempted  to 
break  the  legs  of  the  victorious  buck,  but 
without  effect.  He  then  tried  to  break  its 
back,  but    the  powerful   animal  throwing  his 


436 


HISTORY  OF  CLARK  COUNTY. 


dead  antagonist  aljout  by  the  horns  proved 
no  unequal  match  for  his  new  assailant.  In 
his  desperate  struggles  the  buck  became  dis- 
engaged and  once  freed,  the  enraged  animal 
turned  the  tables  and  King  was  obliged  to 
make  for  an  adjacent  tree.  The  hunter, 
lortunntely,  made  his  retreat  in  time  to  escape 
the  ruthless  prongs  of  his  would-be  assailant, 
■which,  circling  around  the  tree  cut  off  the 
hunter's  further  escape.  At  times  the  animal 
seemed  to  realize  that  its  efforts  would  prove 
futile  and  leisurely  start  off  but,  attracted  by 
the  stir  of  the  descending  hunter,  would  as 
often  return  to  the  siege  with  renewed  ardor 
to  find  his  victim  back  again  out  of  his  reach. 
After  several  attempts  of  this  kind,  King 
waited  until  his  enemy  had  disappeared 
when  he  cautiously  descended.  He  got  back 
to  his  cabin  late  in  the  evening  worn  out  by 
his  efforts  and  with  a  higher  appreciation  of 
the  character  of  deer  in  general  and  this 
buck  in  particular. 

The  early  homes  of  the  settlers  were  con- 
structed on  the  most  primitive  plan  and  con- 
sisted of  but  a  single  apartment  which  an- 
swered the  fourfold  purpose  of  kitchen,  bed 
room,  dining  room  and  parlor.  Yet  from 
these  humble  abodes  no  stranger  was  ever 
permitted  io  go  hungry  and  a  lodging  was 
always  assured  the  benighted  traveler  if 
desired.  Hospitality  was  a  prominent  vir- 
tue which  the  pioneer  cultivated  to  a  high 
decree  of  perfection,  and  his  latch  string,  to 
use    his  own   expression,  "always  hung  out." 

Hard  as  was  life  in  the  wilderness  it  had  its 
seasons  of  recreation  and  enjoyment,  log  rol- 
lings and  raisings  were  occasions  always  hailed 
with  deligiit  as  they  served  to  bring  remote 
neighborhoods  in  social  contact,  and  were 
generally  followed  by  the  dance,  the  chief 
amusement  of  pioneer  times.  Hard  work, 
good  digestion,  and  clear  consciences  made 
the  time  pass  merrily,  and  many  a  gray-haired 
veteran  whose    youth  was  passed  amid    the 


stirring  scenes  of  these  times  recalls  the  good 
old  days  and  thinks  of  them  as  the  happiest 
period  of  his  existence.  The  nearest  source 
of  supplies  were  York  and  Darwin,  though 
many  of  the  early  settlers  went  to  Terre 
Haute  and  Vmcennes  for  their  groceries  and 
dry  goo  Is.  The  mills  on  Mill  Creek  and 
North  Fork  furnished  breadstuffs,  but  a  num- 
ber of  families  manufactured  their  own  meal 
with  a  hand  mill  or  mortar  when  the  con- 
dition of  the  ground  rendered  going  about  im- 
possible, as  was  frequently  the  case  during 
the  winter  and  spring  months.  Honey  was 
found  in  large  quantities  in  the  woods,  and 
furnished  a  valuable  addition  to  the  daily  bill 
of  fare. 

Elijah  Elliott  introduced  the  cultivation  of 
flax  into  the  township  in  an  early  day,  and 
hauled  his  first  crop  to  Chicago  and  sold  it  for 
fifty  cents  per  bushel.  He  marketed  his  first 
wheat  there  also,  and  says  that  he  could  have 
purchased  a  good  lot  in  that  city  with  the 
price  of  one  load  but  considered  the  sum 
too  exorbitant. 

The  first  person  born  within  the  present 
limits  of  Orange  was  Francis  Hardway,  son 
of  Andrew  and  Margaret  Hardway,  whose 
birth  occurred  in  the  year  IS-tO.  In  the  win- 
ter of  1842  two  brothers,  Charles  and  Max- 
well Auld,  while  crossing  Big  Prairie  one  cold 
nio-ht  got  lost  and  were  frozen  to  death. 
These  were  the  first  deaths  as  far  as  known 
that  occurred  in  the  township. 

The  first  marriage  ceremony  was  solem- 
nized in  the  year  1840  by  Squire  Nathan  Wells, 
the  contracting  parties  being  John  S.  Hix 
and  Olive  Blakeman.  The  pioneers  of 
Orange  took  considerable  interest  in  the 
cause  of  education  and  schools  were  estab- 
lished as  early  as  the  year  1841.  The  first 
school-house  stood  in  the  western  part  of  tiie 
township  near  the  Mt.  Olive  Church.  It  was 
a  hewed  log  building,  much  better  than  the 
majority  of  early  school-houses  and  was  built 


HISTORY  OF  CLARK  COUNTY. 


437 


by  the  neighbors,  each  one  contributing  so 
mach  work  or  a  certain  amount  of  material. 
The  Krst  teacher  was  iloses  Downey  who 
tauo-ht  a  three  months'  term  with  an  attend- 
ance of  about  fifteen  pu[)ils.  Silas  White- 
head, present  editor  of  tlie  Il/inuisaii,  was  an 
early  pedagogue  at  tiiis  jiUice  and  wieUleil 
the  iiirch  vigorously  for  several  consecutive 
terms.  The  second  school-house  stood  on 
the  farm  of  John  S.  Hi.x  and  was  first  used  by 
Hayden  Hix,  one  of  the  early  teachers  of  the 
county.  Another  early  school-house  stood 
in  section  i  and  was  known  as  the  Malone 
school-house.  The  first  frame  school-house 
was  erected  about  the  year  18.59  and  is  still 
standing,  and  known  as  the  American  school- 
house. 

In  educational  matters  at  the  present  day 
Orange  is  not  behind  her  sister  townships  of 
the  county.  There  are  a  number  of  substan- 
tial frame  buildings,  well  furnished  with  all 
the  modern  appliances,  and  schools  last  from 
six  to  eight  months  in  the  year.  In  tracing 
back  the  religious  history  of  the  townships  but 
limited  satisfaction  has  been  derived.  It  is 
known  that  Elder  Joseph  Thomas  held 
services  at  the  Malone  school-house  at  a  very 
early  day  and  was  probably  the  first  minister 
in  the  township.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
Christian  church,  or  as  they  are  more  famil- 
iarly known,  New  Lights.  Elders  Bates, 
ISIattox  and  Metheny  were  early  preachers  of 
that  church,  and  held  services  in  the  different 
school-houses  and  private  residences  through- 
out the  township,  but  do  not  appear  to  have 
organized  any  society. 

Rev.  Robert  Bailiff  of  the  Cumberland 
Presbyterian  church  jireachcd  at  various 
places  in  the  township,  at  an  early  day,  and 
organized  the  Willow  Creek  church  some  time 
prior  to  18.58.  Among  the  first  members  of 
this    society    were    Jacob    Keller,    Elizibeth 

Keller,  Mrs. Keller.    Sariih  M.   Bennett, 

George     Bennett,     Martha     Bennett,     Ruth 


Spraker,  Mrs. Philipy,    Mrs.    Martz,  and 

Mrs.  Polly  Morgan. 

The  last  named  was  one  of  the  chief  movers 
in  the  organization,  and  to  her  wise  counsels 
and  untiring  zeal  in  the  cause  of  the  Master, 
is  the  church  indebted  for  much  of  its  pros- 
perity and  success.  Immediately  after  the 
organizition  a  movement  was  made  to  build 
a  house  of  worship,  and  in  the  summer  of 
1858  a  neat  substantial  edifice  was  erected  at 
a  cost  of  about  $700.  It  is  a  frame  building 
20x-2G  feet,  and  stands  in  the  southern  part 
of  the  township. 

Rev.  Thomas  Bailiff  has  been  the  faithful 
and  efficient  pastor  ever  since  the  organiza- 
tion, and  during  the  period  of  his  labors  has 
won  a  warm  place  in  the  hearts  of  the  con- 
gregation. Under  his  fostering  care  the 
church  has  grown  constantly,  and  at  the 
present  time  numbers  about  seventy-five  com- 
municants, among  whom  are  many  of  the 
best  citizens  of  the  surrounding  country.  A 
flourishing  Sunday  school  is  kept  up  during 
the  year,  and  is  well  attended.  The  present 
superintendent  is  S.  S.  Morgan.  The  Wesley 
Chapel  M.  E.  Church  was  organized  about  the 
year  1846,  and  was  known  for  some  time  as 
the  Baker  class.  The  first  members,  Thomas 
L.  Baker  and  wife,  William  Chapman  and 
wife,  John  Elliott  and  wife,  Sobrina  Hull, 
Johi\  Holt  and  wife,  Mrs.  Bostick  and  Mrs. 
HoUowell.  Meetings  were  held  at  different 
places  until  the  year  1853,  when  a  house  of 
worship  was  erected.  This  building  was  frame, 
about  26x36  feet,  and  cost  the  sum  of  $000. 
It  was  used  by  the  church  until  the  year 
1879,  when,  finding  it  too  small  for  the  con- 
gregation, steps  were  taken  to  erect  a  more 
commodious  structure,  A  fine  brick  house  was 
built  the  next  year  at  an  expenditure  of  about 
$3,000.  Its  dimensions  are  32x52  feet,  and 
the  audience  room  is  one  of  the  most  commo- 
dious to  he  found  in  the  townshp.  The  fol- 
lowing pastors  have  ministeitd  to  the  church 


438 


HISTORY  OF  CLARK  COUNTY. 


in  regular  succession  since  its  organization: 
Munsell,  Young,  Anderson,  Moore,  Blundell, 
Shepherd,  Kellogg,  Groves,  Foster,  Cowden, 
Nelson,  Moore,  Slater,  Harris,  McVey,  Hun- 
gerford,  Barthlow,  Orr,  Mitchell,  Gay,  Pal- 
mer, Corington,  Hook,  Lacy,  Ma}',  Gall,  Muir- 
head,  Thornburg,  Atkinson,  Ellis,  Shutnaker, 
Wahnsley,  Jones,  Haincl,  Middleton  and  Mc- 
Elfresh,  the  last  named  being  the  pastor  in 
charge  at  the  present  time. 

The  society  is  in  a  very  flourishing  con- 
dition and  has  a  substantial  membership. 
Their  Sunday  school  was  organized  in  the  year 
1851,  and  has  been  kept  up  ever  since.     The 


average  attendance  is  about  fil'ty  scholars. 
A  Methodist  church  is  sustained  in  the  south- 
ern part  of  the  township  and  numbers  among 
its  members  many  of  the  best  and  most  sub- 
stantial citizens  of  the  community.  Their 
house  of  worship  is  a  neat  brick  structure, 
which  does  credit  to  the  energy  and  spirit  of 
the  congregation.  The  Missionary  Baptists 
have  a  church  in  the  northern  part  of  the 
township  which  is  largely  attended  and  well 
sustained.  Nothing  concern!  g  its  history 
was  learned,  and  we  will  be  compelled  to  leave 
it  with  the  above  brief  notice. 


CHAPTEE    XIX.* 


MELROSE  TOWXSHIP-SUKFACE  CHARACTERISTICS— TIMBER,  GROWTH.  POILS,  ETC -FIRST 
SETTLEMENT— BACKWOOD  EXPERIENCES— PIONEER  INDUS- 
TRIES-CHURCHES AND  SCHOOLS. 


TOWNSHIPS,  like  children,  are  often  found 
convenient  objects  with  vvhich  to  assi  ci- 
ate  the  names  of  cherished  friends  or  the  recol- 
lections of  earlier  homes.  The  early  emi- 
grant casting  off  from  the  scenes  that  blessed 
his  childhood  and  goiiia;  into  surroundings 
that  almost  blot  out  the  remembrance  of 
brighter  scenes,  perpetuates  the  names  of  his 
early  years  as  an  anchor  that  still  holds  him 
fast  to  his  native  land  though  stress  of  cir- 
cumstances may  lengthen  the  cable  indefi- 
nitely. So  long  as  the  name  remains,  the  ca- 
ble is  not  parted.  It  is  probably  on  this  prin- 
ciple that  the  township,  to  which 'this  chapter 
is  devoted,  bears  the  euphonious  name  of  the 
old  English  village.  Melrose  lies  in  the  lower 
tier  of  townships  in  Clark  County  and  is  the 
second  from  the  AValiasli  River.  It  was  orig- 
inally pleasantly  diversified  by  prairie  and 
woodland  and  offered  a  tempting  home  to  the 
early  settler  who  not  unfrequently  prized  the 
present  advantages  of  a  new  home  not  less 
than  its  possibilities  for  the  future.  The  ear- 
ly settler  was  no  more  blessed  with  prophetic 
vision  than  the  generation  of  to-day,  and 
chiefly  sought  as  a  site  for  a  new  settlement, 
a  land  that  would  furnish  him  the  comforts 
and  pleasures  to  which  his  early  surroundings 
had  accustomed  him,  and  it  is  no  uncommon 
thing  to  find  those,  who,  after  passing  through 
the  stern  vicissitu il<'S  of  pioneer  days,  regret 
the  change  and  siuh  for  the  jovs  that  r)nce 
they  knew.     But  this  township  seems  to  have 


"By  G.  N.  Berry. 


supplied  both  demands  equally  well.  Tl.e 
surface  is  somewhat  broken  in  the  northern 
and  eastern  jjarts,  and  along  the  course  of 
Raccoon  Creek  which  rising  in  the  northwest 
part  flows  diagonally  through  the  township. 
Just  north  of  the  center  the  surface  seems  to 
be  marked  by  an  elevation  which  divides  the 
natural  drainage,  sending  off  a  branch  due 
eastward  to  Mill  Creek,  and  another  branch 
near  the  northern  border  in  the  same  direction 
to  the  same  stream.  This  part  of  the  town- 
ship was  originally  well  covered  with  a  large 
growth  of  the  various  kinds  of  oak  and  hick- 
ory, and  in  the  eastern  part  with  maples  as 
well.  The  prairie  land  was  chiefly  in  the 
western  part  where  an  arm  of  Dolson  prairie 
invades  the  township.  A  small  prairie  of  a 
few  hundred  acres,  known  as  Crow's  Prairie, 
is  situated  in  the  southeastern  part.  These 
lands  were  originally  low  and  wet  and  were 
marked  by  the  growth  of  some  walnut  timber. 
There  was  but  little  undergrowth,  however,  in 
any  part  of  the  township,  and  it  is  said  that 
an  ox-goad  could  not  be  procured  short  of  the 
Waliash  River.  The  soil  varies  with  the  char- 
acter of  the  surface;  that  of  the  woodland 
being  chiefly  a  light  clay,  admirable  for  the 
culture  of  wheat,  and  that  of  the  prairie  be- 
ing a  black  loam  with  clay  subsoil,  better 
adapted  to  corn  raising.  These  qualifications 
of  soil  have  determined  the  industry  of  the 
farmers  who  devote  their  attention  to  raising 
their  specialty  in  corn  or  wheat. 

The  early  settlement  of  this   county    came 
in  from  the  east,  and  it  was  not  until  the  more 


440 


HISTORY  OF  CLARK  COUNTY. 


attractive  lands  along  the  Wabash,   in   York 
township,    were  occupied  that  the  inflow    of 
population    invaded    this    section.       Reuben 
Crow,  a  resident  of  York,   made  an  entry  on 
section  30,  as  early  as  1816,  but  beyond  giv- 
ing his  name   to  the   prairie   here,    made    no 
improvement  and  never  was  a  resident  of  the 
township.     The   first   actual    settler,   Joseph 
Willard,  came  here  about  the  samj  time   and 
settled  on  the  same  section.     He  was  a  native 
of   North    Carolina,    and    made   the    journey 
from  his  native  State  with  an  ox-cart.     In  the 
following  year  the   township   settlement   re- 
ceived several  accessions.     Amons:  these  was 
James  Bartlett,  a  native  of  New  York,  who 
came  by  raft  to  Cincinnati  and  from  thence 
by  wagon.     He   was   an  energe.tic   man    and 
soon  became  a  prominent  citizen  in   the    new 
community  which  grow   up  here.     He    died 
in  1872,  and  was  at  that  time  the  oldest  of  the 
masonic   fraternity   in   the   county.     Stephen 
Handy,  who  came  into  York   with    his   father 
in  1814,  in  this  year  made  a  start   for  himself 
and  entered  land  on  section  13.     He  was  the 
first  justice  in  the  township,  and  subsequently 
was    elected    as    county    surveyor.     William 
Martin  was  another  addition   to  the    Melrose 
settlement  in  1817.     He  whs  a  native  of  New 
York,  a  cabinet  maker  by  trade,  and  came  by 
the  river  forcing  his  way  on  a  keel  boat.     In 
18"23    John   ^loorcraft   came    and    settled    on 
section  11.     He  was  a  native   ol   New  York; 
a  man  of  some  wealth  who  had   met   financial 
embarrassment  and  came  to  this  new  country 
with  the  hope  of  retrieving   his   fortune.     He 
was  a  man  of  good  parts,  gained   prominence 
in  the  community,  and  was  influential  in  form- 
ing its   character.     In    this    year    also    came 
Benjamin  Dolson,  from  whom  the  prairie  and 
one  of  the  northern  townships  of  the  county 
■was  named.    Mr.  Dolson  was  a  marked  charac- 
terinthe  early  community,  and  won  a  regard 
that  will    perpetuate    his    memory.     He    was 
b  ).n  in  St.  Lawrence  County,  New  York,  and 


spent  his  childhood  and  youth  under  the  rug- 
ged influences  of  a  pioneer  community.     At 
eighteen   years    of   age,    in    company  with  a 
single  comrade,  he  took  a  raft  of  lumber   to 
Quebec  during  the  British  embargo.     He  and 
his  companion  were  seized  and  impressed  into 
the  naval  service.     On  the  following  night  he 
planned  to  escape,  and  seizing  the  long  boat 
the  two  got  clear  of  the  ship.     This   was  not 
effected  without  alarming  the  watch,  however, 
and  they  were  saluted  by  a  broadside  from 
the  ship's  guns.     Though  near  enough  to  hear 
the  captain  e-xclaim,  "  This  will  send  them  to 
hell,"  they   were  so  fortunate   as  to  receive 
no  injury  from  the  shot.     The  darkness  of  the 
night  and  the  rough   state  of  the  river  gave 
them  more  anxiety,  but  they  were  finally  suc- 
cessful   in    reaching    the    American     side    in 
safety.     But  once  on  land  their  troubles  had 
only   just    begun.     Here   they   found  an  un- 
tracked    wilderness    with     which    they    were 
entirely  unacquainted.     They   launched    into 
these    interminable    woods,    and    for     weeks 
waii'lered   without    getting    any    trace    of    a 
human  being,  and  subsisting  in  the  meantime 
on    buds,   roots,   a   porcupine    and   a  ground 
squirrel   which    they    secured.     They    finally 
reached  the  settlements  in    New  Hampshire, 
famished  and  worn  out  with  their  experience, 
and  for  two  weeks  were  unable  to  proceed  to 
their  homes.     Mr.  Dolson  was  subsequently  a 
scout    attached    to    (jen.   Brown's   army    and 
became    noted    for   his   woodcraft   and   manv 
thrilling  adventures.     At  the  close  of  the  war 
he  engaged  with  the  Onondaga  salt  company 
and  here  received  injuries  which  caused   him 
to  limp  the  rest  of  his  life.     It  is  said  that  he 
and  his  father,  who    was   a   widower  at   this 
time,  were  both  suitors  for  the   hand  of  the 
same  lady,  who  favored  the  older  man.     This 
mav  or  may  not  have  been    the   cause   of  his 
coming  to  the  west,  but  he,  at  all  events,  came 
to  Ohio  in  1818  and  married  in  thi^  following 
year.     On  coming  to  Clark  Couiu\,  he  settled 


■•*■; 

% 


•U" 


^^%^^^^^-^-^^  J)        ^^^^  -L^M. 


HISTORY   OF  CLARK  COUNTY. 


413 


his  farailj'  in  York  until  he  had  built  him  a 
cabin  on  the  prairie.  The  land  was  at  that 
time  wet  and  unprepossessing,  and  his  choice 
■was  considered  by  the  rest  of  the  settlement 
as  the  height  of  folly.  His  cabin  stood  near 
an  old  Indian  trail  which  was  subsequently 
used  by  the  Kentucky  immigration.  The  de- 
mands of  the  situation  induced  the  opening 
of  his  cabin  for  public  entertainment,  which 
■was  the  first  hotel  in  the  township.  Mr.  Dol- 
son  sold  out  in  1832,  and  removed  to  Martins- 
ville, where  he  opened  a  hotel  on  a  larger 
scale  on  the  National  Road.  He  is  remem- 
bered as  one  of  the  most  athletic  and  powerful 
men  of  his  time;  a  good  hunter,  a  man  of 
quiet  demeanor,  of  few  words,  and  singularly 
■well  preserved.     He  died  in  1842. 

The  community  seemed  to  have  received 
no  further  accessions  of  importance  until 
1828,  when  a  number  of  families  came  into 
the  township.  Of  these  were  Jonathan  ilet- 
sker,  a  native  of  Kentucky,  came  from  Indi- 
ana and  settled  on  section  seven;  Benjamin 
Odgen  settled  on  the  same  section;  Benja- 
min Long,  a  native  of  Virginia,  Joseph 
Evans  and  James  Hayes  on  section  eighteen. 
Others  came  in  from  time  to  time,  but  of 
■whom  it  is  impossible  to  learn  anything  defi- 
nite. Among  these  may  be  noted  the  names 
of  Joseph  Edwards,  a  native  of  Virginia,  who 
settled  on  section  19,  in  18.31;  Cooper  in 
southern  part  of  township  in  same  year; 
Xatham  Wells,  from  North  Carolina,  in  1832; 
Peter  Dosher,  from  Tennessee,  and  settled  on 
section  18,  in  1832;  Levi  Sharp,  from  Ken- 
tucky, in  1836;  Isaac  Welden,  in  same  year, 
and  others. 

Among  the  various  belongings  brought  in 
by  the  settlers  none  proved  more  useful  than 
the  gun  with  which  each  man  was  provided. 
Next  to  his  ax  and  plow,  he  depended  upon 
it  for  support  in  subduing  the  wild  land  in 
which  he  reared  his  cabin  home.  The  wood- 
land abounded  with  game,  which  at  first  was 


his   principal  dependence  for  sustenance,  and 
later  his  greatest  annoyance  and  chief  cause 
of  damage.     Deer  and  wolves  were  found  in 
large  numbers,    with  occasionally  a  wild    cat 
and  bear  to  vary  the  sport.     The  wolves  were 
of  the  large   timber   variety  which    attacked 
young  pigs,  calves  and  sheep  almost  with  im- 
punity.    A  story  is  told   of  a  settler  v;ho  was 
aroused  in  the  night  by  a  disturbance  among 
his  stock  near  his  cabin    and   suspecting    the 
cause,  rushed  out  of  doors  with  but  very  lit- 
tle  clothing.      A   large    wolf  broke    for   the 
woods   at  his  approach,  and  determined  that 
he  should  not  escape,  the  settler  hallooed  his 
dog  to  the  pursuit  and  followed  on  forgetting 
his   gun  and  outer  clothing  in  the  excitement 
of  the   chase.     It    was  early    spring  and  not 
warm  enough  to  warrant  so  light  clothing  but 
cheered  by  the  baying  of  his  dog  and  that  of 
a  neighbor's  dog  which  had  joined  the  chase, 
he  pressed  on  and  found  the   wolf  sitting    on 
the  ice  of  the    creek   keeping    the    untrained 
dogs  at  a  safe   distance  by  snapping  at  them 
vigorously.     Not  a    stick   or    weapon   of  any 
sort  was  at  hand,  and  it  occurred    to  the  set- 
tler that  if  he  could    seize    the   wolf  by   the 
tail  and  swinging  him  over  his  head  he  could 
bring  him  down  on  the  ice    with  fatal   force. 
He    made    the    attempt    and    succeeded    in 
seizing   the   animal,  but  the   rest  of  the   pro- 
gramme was  seriously  interfered  with.     The 
wolf  turning,  cat-like,  upon    its  new    enemy 
closed  its  teeth  upon  the  hunter  wherever  op- 
portunity   offered.     To  add    to    the  predica- 
ment the  dogs  ceased  their  attack  and   began 
fighting    each  other,    leaving  the     man     and 
wolf  to  settle  it  for  themselves.     In  the  midst 
of  the  short  and  sharp  struggle  that    ensued, 
the  ice  broke    and  precipitated  both  combat- 
ants in  three  or  four  feet  of  cold  water.     This 
accident  suggested  the  idea    of  drowning  the 
wolf,  but  at  this  juncture   the    dogs    tired   of 
their   own     diversion,   renewed    their    attack 
on  the  wolf,  and    no  sooner    would  the    mati 


444 


HISTORY  OF  CLARK  COUNTY. 


get  the  wolf,  as  he  hoped,  iicaily  drowned 
than  the  dogs  would  fasten  on  it  and  in  the 
struggle  bring  its  head  to  the  surface.  The 
struggle  went  on  in  this  way  for  a  half  hour 
■when  the  noise  of  the  dogs  and  shouting  of 
the  man  brought  a  near  neighbor,  and  the 
two  dispatched  the  animal. 

Wolves  were  hunted  on  horseback  when 
the  ground  was  frozen  and  was  counted  rare 
sport.  Organized  hunts  were  frequent,  when 
relative  values  were  put  upon  the  different 
kinds  of  game  and  the  defeated  party  paid 
for  the  whisky.  A  keg  of  the  liquor  would 
be  provided,  and  a  day  or  two  after  the  hunt 
both  parties  would  gather  at  some  point  and 
if  the  liquor  lasted  a  day  or  two  would  be 
spent  in  shooting  at  a  mark,  athletic  sports, 
etc.,  which  not  unfrequeiitly  included  two 
or  three  serious  bout  of  fisticuffs.  In  such  a 
country,  and  in  a  community  very  largely 
from  the  south,  there  would  bo  a  good  many 
who  were  more  or  less  noted  as  hunters. 
Melrose  had  its  full  share  of  these  characters, 
and  their  adventures  formed  the  chief  topic 
of  the  early  fireside  talk.  Among  this  class 
is  remembered  Levi  Wells,  a  native  of  North 
Carolina,  who  settled  on  section  30,  in  1833; 
and  William  Maxwell,  a  New  Yorker,  who 
settled  here  in  1S3G.  Another  man  who 
gained  some  celebrity  as  a  hunter  was  Wil- 
liam Maple.  He  was  an  old  man  upward  of 
seventy  years  of  age  when  he  left  the  town- 
ship in  1817.  He  was  a  gunsmith,  and  lived 
in  a  retired  cabin  by  himself,  and  gained  his 
livelihood  principally  by  hunting.  He  re- 
newed his  youth  and  startled  the  community 
somewhat  by  eventuallj'  eloping  with  a  young 
woman  of  the  settlement. 

The  early  settlement  was  scarcely  younger 
than  that  of  York,  and  the  only  outlet  was  by 
the  ferry  across  the  Wabash  and  thence  to 
Vincennes.  After  the  first  crop  of  corn  was 
secured  they  were  pretty  independent  of  out- 
side resources.      The  woods  furnished   meat 


and  sugar,  and  with  the  various  wild  fruits, 
and  the  different  forms  in  which  the  corn 
product  was  made  up,  the  pioneer's  fare  was 
not  such  as  to  invite  starvation  ai  least.  It  was 
not  very  long  before  the  growth  of  York  sup- 
plied such  groceries  as  the  pioneer  could  afford 
to  buy  and  mills  on  the  adjacent  streams 
afforded  facilities  for  turning  their  own  crops 
to  available  use  without  the  inconvenience  of 
going  long  journeys  over  almost  impassable 
roadways.  An  early  mill  was  erected  in  the 
west  part  of  town  by  Lewis  Huckabee.  This 
was  a  horse  mill  with  "nigger-head  buhrs," 
and  did  good  service  for  some  fifteen  years. 
The  patrons  were  obliged  to  bring  their  teams 
and  run  the  mill,  paying  toll  for  the  use  of 
the  machinery.  Jacob  Shelter  who  settled  on 
section  20,  built  an  early  saw-mill  on  Raccoon 
Creek,  and  when  water  was  plenty  did  a  good 
business.  In  the  low  stages  of  the  water  he 
turned  his  attention  to  making  brick,  which 
found  a  sale  quite  early.  The  numljer  of 
mechanics  who  gathered  here  in  the  early 
years  was  quite  remarkable,  and  solved  many 
a  problem  that  often  prove  vexatious  to  the 
first  comers  to  a  new  country.  As  early  as 
18-8  Benjamin  Odgen  settled  on  section  7, 
and  set  up  a  blacksmith  shop.  He  was  quite 
as  well  skilled  in  shoeing  men  as  horses,  and 
in  the  winter  turned  his  attention  to  shoemak- 
ing.  Metsker  was  quite  a  mechanical  genius 
and  did  a  general  wagon  making  business, 
making  plows,  etc.,  as  well.  Armitage  Kin- 
derdine  who  settled  early  on  section  35,  com- 
bined the  qualities  of  a  carpenter  and  mill- 
wright. None  of  these  men  devoted  them- 
selves exclusively  to  their  trades,  but  added 
the  cares  of  a  backwoods  farm. 

But  with  these  advantages  there  was  plenty 
for  each  household  to  do  in  preparing  the 
clothing  for  the  family.  The  lack  of  facili- 
ties to  prepare  wool  and  flax  and  the  distance 
of  any  place  of  supply  obliged  the  early  set- 
tlers to  resort  to  such  mateiial  as  could  be 


HISTORY  OF  CLARK  COUNTY. 


445 


preijared  without  machinery.  The  men  gen- 
eral.y  wore  buckskin  pants  and  shirts.  Flux 
was  early  raised  and  as  this  could  be  prepared 
entirely  at  home  came  into  general  use  for 
clothes  of  both  sexes.  Sheep  were  early 
brouirht  in,  and  though  they  were  protected 
from  the  ravages  of  the  wolves  only  by  con- 
stant and  laborious  care,  the  wool  product 
amply  repaid  their  toil.  The  yield  was  not 
large  but  such  an  absolute  necessity  that  one 
can  hardly  imagine  the  community  getting 
along  without  it.  For  years  this  wool  had  to 
be  taken  long  distances  to  be  carded.  Then 
the  work  of  the  housewife  began.  From  this 
and  flax  were  made  the  serviceable  jean  and 
linsey-woolsey  with  which  young  and  old  were 
clad.  Boots  were  unknown,  and  both  sexes 
wore  moccasins  at  first  and  a  little  later  coarse 
shoes  made  by  traveling  workmen. 

Their  amusements  grew  out  of  their  work. 
'Loggings,  raisings,  and  hunting  were  the  oc- 
casions when  men  got  together  for  a  frolic  as 
well  as  work.  Quilting  and  spinning  bees 
gave  the  women  an  opportunitj'  for  social  in- 
tercourse, the  occasion  generally  closing  with 
a  generous  supper  and  a  dance  at  night,  when 
the  gentlemen  came  in.  Dancing  was  the 
favorite  amusement  of  the  time.  Notwith- 
standing the  dancers  had  only  rough  puncheon 
floors,  and  no  better  refreshments  than  whis- 
ky sweetened  with  maple  sugar,  there  is 
probably  to-day  no  more  happy  company 
than  those  who  danced  the  "scamper-down, 
double-shufl[le,  western-swing  and  half-moon," 
a  half  century  ago.* 

The  growth  of  the  school  idea  in  this  town- 
ship was  slow.  There  were  the  usual  d.ffi- 
cullies  in  the  way.  The  scholars  were  few 
and  the  population  so  scattered  that  there  was 

*  The  first  weddingr  in  this  ( ommunity  was  that  of 
Nathan  Wells  and  Susan  VVillard,  and  the  second 
that  of  Samuel  Og:den  and  Martha  Morgan.  The 
first  birth  was  a  dauprhter  of  Daniel  Wolls.  now  Mrs. 
Mai7  Dodds.  The  death  of  .John  Beauchamp,  in 
1828,  is  the  firet  noted  m  M  Irose. 


some  difficulty  in  fixing   upon  a  satisfactory 
location    for   a  house,   and   a   more   effectual 
hindrance  than  either  was  the  idea  that  chil- 
dren should  early  learn  to  be  useful.     It  was 
not  until  about  18  34  that  the  first  school-house 
was  put  up.     This  stood  near  Melrose  village, 
on   section  seventeen.     This  structure  was  a 
split-log  cabin,  covered  with  shakes,  and  one 
end   entirely  occupied   by  a  mammoth  fire- 
place.    Tiie  floor  was  of  puncheons,  the  desk 
was   a  puncheon   supported   by  pegs   driven 
into  the  wall,  and  before  this  was  placed  the 
rude  puncheon   bench  on  which  the  scholars 
sat.     Joseph  Claypool,  a  native  of  Virginia, 
who   settled  on   section  seven,  was  the   first 
teacher.     He  was  hardly  fitted  to  suit  modern 
demands,  but  in  that  day  was  about  the  only 
one  to  be  got  for  the  position,  and  doubtless 
filled  the  place  acceptably.  He  was  rather  pro- 
fane and  did  not  hesitate  to  use  such  language 
in   the   school  room.     School    government   in 
those  days  was  a  "rough-and-tumble"'  affair 
in  which  the  scholar  frequently  got  the  better 
of  the  set-to.     In  one  of  these  encounters 
Claypool  was   put  out  of   the  house,  but   he 
subsequently  paid  tribute  in  whisky  and   ma- 
ple  sugar,   on    which   the    whole    school    got 
drunk.     Clavpool  afterward  joined  the  church 
through  the  influence  of  a  Methodist  revival, 
but  even  then  his  habit  of  swearing  got  the 
better  of  him,  and  would  occasional!}'  break 
out  and  command  the  "d — d  lazy  little  cusses 
to  get   still   and   go   to  work."      The   house 
burned  down  the  next  year,  but  was  replaced 
in    ten   days    by  the    neighbors.      A  second 
school-house   stood  in   the  northwest  corner 
of  the  township.      S.  C.  Fox  was  the    first 
teacher  here,  and  an  exceptionally  good  one. 
He  was  a  minister  and  held  services  here  on 
Sunday.     Liberty  school-house,  in  the  north- 
east part  of  the  township,  was  built  in  1840, 
and  was  first  used  by  John  Page  as  teacher. 
These  old  log  structures  have  final  y  all  passed 
away,  the  last  one  dii-apjiearing  in  18S1.    The 


446 


HISTORY  OF  CLARK  COUNTY. 


first  frame  school-house  was  built  in  Melrose 
village  in  1850,  and  in  it  was  taught  the  first 
public  school.  Hitherto  schools  were  sup- 
ported by  subscription  or  pro  rata  payment 
according  to  the  number  of  scholars  sent,  and 
these  payments  made  in  such  property  as  the 
patron  had  to  spare.  There  are  now  seven 
districts  all  well  supplied  with  frame  buildings. 

Among  the  early  settlers  were  several 
preacliers  who  early  introduced  public  relig- 
ious worship.  Among  these  was  John  Salmon, 
a  native  of  New  York,  who  settled  in  \'6\Vl 
on  section  25.  He  was  a  Methodist  minis- 
ter, and  early  held  services  in  his  own  and 
others'  cabins.  He  was  a  man  of  some  ability 
and  made  a  valuable  impression  on  the  com- 
munity. Robert  Bailiff  was  another  early 
minister,  who  came  from  Tennessee  to  Craw- 
ford County  in  18.30,  and  a  year  later  came  to 
Melrose.  He  was  a  man  of  fine  character  and 
great  energy.  He  made  the  journey  to  this 
State  in  an  ox  cart,  and  started  his  new  home 
here  with  §10,  as  the  sum  of  his  earthly  capi- 
tal. He  was  a  Cumberland  Presbyterian,  and 
notwithstanding  the  pressing  need  of  his 
family,  added  to  his  cares  of  a  frontier  farm 
by  preaching  in  various  parts  of  the  county. 
He  was  pastor  of  a  single  churcli  for  forty 
years,  and  died,  universally  beloved,  in  1879. 
His  son  and  grandson  both  followed  in  his 
steps  and  are  in  the  ministry  now.  James 
McCord  was  an  early  Methodist  circuit  rider, 
and  preached  the  first  sermon  heard  in  the 
log  school-house  near  Melrose  Village.  Revs. 
Chrissey,  Chamberlain,  Massey,  McGinnis  and 
ISIcMurtry  wore  early  and  devout  Method- 
ist missionaries  of  the  Baptist  church.  Revs. 
Thomas  Young  and  Richard  Newport  were 
early  preachers. 

The  first  church  organization  was  the 
"  New  Providence  Cumberland  Presbyterian 
Churcli."  Services  were  held  at  the  cabin  of 
Robert  Bailiff  in  1833,  by  Rev.  Silas  Osborne. 
In  the  following  year  a  church  was  organized  by 


Rev.  Henry  Groves  at  Mr.  Bailiff's  residence, 
with  Mr.  Bailiff  and  wife,  Joseph  Green  and 
wife,  Sarah  Buekner  and  Thomas  Hanily  as 
members.  For  ten  years  meetings  were  held 
at  Mr.  Bailiff's  residence;  a  log  house  20x26 
feet  was  erected  on  section  36,  the 
land  being  donated  for  the  purpose  by  Mr. 
Bailiff.  This  building  served  for  a  place  of 
worship  until  1867,  when  it  was  torn  dovyn 
and  the  material  used  to  erect  a  dwelling 
where  it  is  still  doing  service.  In  1867  a 
frame  building,  26x36  feet,  was  erected  on 
the  site  of  the  old  log  structure  at  a  cost  of 
$1,100,  and  is  still  doing  service.  It  was  ded- 
icated in  the  same  year  by  Rev.  Jesse  Bcals. 
Rev.  I.  C.  Hill  was  pastor  of  this  church  until 
1838,  when  Rev.  Robert  Bailiff  was  called  as 
pastor,  and  continued  in  the  service  of  the 
church  until  his  death,  in  1879.  His  son, 
Thomas  succeeded  him,  and  is  now  the  pas- 
tor. The  membership  numbers  fifty-eight 
persons. 

Plymouth  Methodist  Ejiiscopal  Church  was 
organized  in  1838  at  the  old  school-house  near 
Melrose  Village,  by  Rev.  William  Blundell. 
The  original  members  were  Nixon  Evans  and 
wife,  T.  Handy  and  wife,  R.  Handy  and  wife 
and  Hannah  Willard.  The  first  meetinars 
were  held  at  the  residence  of  Mr.  Evans  and 
at  the  school-house  until  1859,  when  a  frame 
building,  37x30  feet,  was  erected  at  a  cost  of 
$1,000.  This  is  an  appointment  on  the  Liv- 
ingston circuit.  The  church  has  at  present 
fifty -seven  members. 

Potter  Hall  United  Brethren  Church  was 
organized  in  1863,  and  a  frame  building-  put 
up  for  its  use  at  a  cost  of  $1,000  in  the  same 
year.  The  church  is  located  in  the  northern 
part  of  the  township,  and  was  organized  by 
Rev.  Helton,  with  a  fair  membership.  The 
numljer  has  somewhat  diuiinislied  since  then, 
tho\igh  regular  services  are  still  maintained. 
Rev.  Hartwell  is  the  present  pastor. 

The  growth  of  the  early   settlement  in  Mei- 


HISTORY  OF  CLARK  COUNTY. 


447 


rose  Township  was  not  such  as  to  warrant 
the  laying  of  any  village.  The  two  thorough- 
fares that  cross  the  county  from  east  to 
■west  and  from  north  to  south,  do  not  touch 
this  township.  The  York  and  Charleston 
road,  a  route  which  was  originally  blazed  out 
by  Nathan  Wells  when  he  came  to  his  place 
in  the  west  part  of  town,  was  located  in  1838. 
It  was  extensively  traveled,  and  through  the 
exertion  of  Colonel  W.  B.  Archer,  the  Legisla- 
ture made  an  appropriation  for  improving  it. 
In  later  years  it  lost  very  much  of  its  earh'  im- 
portance. The  York  and  Martinsville  road 
was  established  about  the  same  time,  but 
neither  of  these  roads  brought  with  it  such 
influences  as  to  develop  village  growth.  In 
May,  1847,  however,  the  village  of  Melrose 


was  platted  on  the  corner  of  sections  17,  18, 
I'J  and  /i^),  the  land  belonging  to  Nathan 
Wells,  Joseph  Edwards  and  Samuel  Keline. 
This  was  simply  a  business  venture  which  has 
resulted  in  a  village  of  some  eighty  inhabit- 
ants, two  stores,  a  blacksmith  shop  and  a 
combined  saw  and  grist  mill. 

The  first  store  was  put  up  soon  after  the  laying 
out  of  the  village  bj'  John  Gwin,  but  two  years 
later  it  was  destroyed  by  fire,  the  stock  and 
building  proving  a  total  loss.  Nathan  Wells 
succeeded  him,  erecting  a  building  and 
putting  in  it  a  general  stock,  but  it  was  closed 
out  a  year  later  at  his  death.  The  Melrose 
mill  was  erected  in  1868  by  Sibley  at  a  cost 
of  $4,000. 


CHAPTEE   XX. 


JOHNSON    TOWNSHIP— LOCATION    AND    BOU^td^rjes—topOGRAPHY— PIONEER    SETTLE- 
MENT—EARLY  MILLS— FIRST    BIRTH,    MARRIAGE,  DEATH— 
SCHOOLS— CHURCH  HISTORY. 


JOHNSON  Township  lies  in  the  extreme 
southwestern  part  of  Chirk  County,  em- 
bracing an  area  of  23.0iO  acres,  or  thirty-six 
square  miles  of  territory,  and  in  the  conn-res- 
sioual  survey  was  designated  as  town  9  north, 
range  14  west.  It  is  bounded  on  the  north  by 
Casey  township,  on  the  east  by  Orange,  on 
the  south  by  the  counties  of  Crawford  and 
Jasper,  on  the  west  by  Cumberland  County, 
and  received  its  name  in  compliment  to  Thom- 
as Johnson,  a  man  prominently  identified 
with  its  early  growth  and  development.  The 
surface  in  the  northern  and  central  portions  is 
pleasantly  situated,  being  principally  a  fin« 
rolling  prairie,  in  some  places  almost  level,  but 
nowhere  without  sufficient  slope  to  drain  the 
surface  water.  Elsewhere  throughout  the 
township  the  land  is  more  undulating,  the 
principal  irregularities  being  in  the  eastern 
part  along  the  North  Fork  of  the  Embarras 
River,  where  for  several  miles  on  both  sides  of 
the  stream  the  country  is  considerably  broken 
and  in  some  places  precipitous  bluffs  are  to  be 
seen.  This  creek  which  affords  the  principal 
drainage  of  this  region  is  the  onlv  stream  of 
note  in  the  western  part  of  the  county.  It  en- 
ters the  northern  boundary  of  the  township  in 
section  1,  flowing  a  southwesterly  direction, 
passes  out  of  section  34,  and  receives  in  its 
course  a  number  of  small  tributaries,  which 
are  not  designated  by  any  particular  names. 
The  current  is  very  sluggish,  having  a  fall  of 
but  three  and  a  half  feet  per  mile,  and  during 
the  spring  freshets  and  rainy  seasons  is  not 


sufficient  to  carry  off  tjie  water  which  flows 
into  it. 

Asa  consequence  the  bottom  through  which 
the  creek  runs  is  frequently  overflowed,  and 
entire  crops  sometimes  completely  destroyed. 
Many  pe  sons  have  abandoned  farming  on 
these  lowlands  altogether,  and  use  them  for 
grazing  purposes  only. 

This  township  is  very  well  timbered,  fully 
two-thirds  of  its  area  being  woodland.  The 
best  timber  is  found  in  the  eastern  and  west- 
ern parts  and  along  the  various  water-courses, 
and  consists  principally  of  the  following  vari- 
eties: walnut,  hickory,  poplar,  maple,  asli, 
linn,  some  beech,  and  several  different  kinds 
of  oak,  elm  and  sj'camore  grow  along  the 
streams,  and   sometimes  attain  gigantic  size. 

Much  valuable  timber  was  ruthlessly  de- 
stroyed by  the  first  settlers  in  clearing  up 
their  farms,  which,  if  standing  to-day  would 
h '  worth  more  than  double  what  the  lands 
would  bring  at  the  highest  market  price.  A 
number  of  saw-mills  were  erected  on  the 
North  Fork  in  an  early  day,  and  for  years 
the  lumber  business  was  an  important  indus- 
try in  this  part  of  the  country,  consequently 
but  little  walnut  and  poplar  are  left  standing. 
Tiie  woods  skirting  the  North  Fork  were  at 
one  time  the  rendezvous  of  and  hiding  place 
for  all  kinds  of  wild  animals,  and  early  at- 
tracted the  attention  of  the  hunter  and  trap- 
per, several  of  whom  made  temporary  settle- 
ments along  the  banks  of  the  stream  for  the 
purpose  of  hunting  their  favorite   game.     A 


HISTORY  OF  CLARK  COUNTY. 


440 


diminutive  cabin  with  a  small  patch  of  cleared 
ground  surrounding  it  was  the  extent  of  this 
transient  settler's  improvement,  the  greater 
part  of  his  time  being  spent  in  the  woods, 
■where  he  led  a  wild  free  life  in  his  favorite 
pursuit. 

As  game  became  scarce,  and  as  population 
increased  these  hunters  lelt  their  rude  homes 
and  moved  further  west,  all  the  time  keeping 
in  the  van  of  civilization.  The  first  actual 
settler  in  Johnson  was  one  John  Burris  who 
came  to  the  township  in  the  year  1833,  ai  d 
entered  land  in  section  32,  which  he  improved, 
and  on  which  he  lived  until  the  year  1848. 

He  appears  to  have  been  an  intelligent  and 
public  spirited  man,  and  accumulated  during 
the  period'of  his  residence  here,  a  handsome 
property  which  is  at  present  owned  and  oc- 
cupied by  John  D.  Bennett.  In  the  fall  of 
1833  a  man  by  name  of  Ingraham  settled  in 
the  northeastern  part  of  the  township  near 
where  M^'illiam  How  now  lives,  but  made  no 
entry  of  land.  He  was  a  noted  character  in 
the  little  community,  a  great  hunter,  and  was 
■widely  known  throughout  the  county  for  his 
many  eccentricities.  In  one  of  his  hunting 
tours,  he  discovered  a  salt  spring  near  the 
North  Fork  from  which  he  afterward  manu- 
factured salt,  not  only  for  his  own  use,  but  in 
quantities  sufficient  for  the  entire  neighbor- 
hood, trading  it  to  the  settlers  for  meal,  gro- 
ceries, articles  of  clothing,  etc.  He  sawed  the 
first  lumber  ever  made  in  the  township  with 
a  small  whip  saw  and  furnished  the  material 
out  of  which  much  of  the  furniture  used  by 
the  early  settlers  was  manufactured.  One 
clay  while  sawing  lumber  with  Burris,  the 
platform  on  which  the  log  rested,  and  under 
which  he  was  standing,  gave  way,  and  fell,  and 
crushed  him  beneath  its  weight;  from  injuries 
thus  received  he  died  a<  short  time  afterward. 

Conspicuous  among  tiic  pioneers  of  Johnson 
was  Daniel  Doughty,  a  Baptist  preagher,  who 
came  to  Illiiiois  from  Indiana  in  the  year  1836. 


His  native  State  was  Kentuckj-,  which  he  left 
in  early  boyhood  and  had  rambled  over  much 
of  the  western  country  before  settling  in 
Clark  County.  He  conducted  the  first  relig- 
ious services  ever  held  in  the  township,  at 
his  own  residence  and  assisted  in  the  organ- 
ization of  many  of  the  early  churches  of  his 
denomination  throughout  the  county.  He 
was  a  noble  type  of  the  pioneer,  tall,  vigorous, 
endowed  with  vmusual  physical  powers,  and 
fotid  of  all  athletic  and  out-door  sjjorts,  partic- 
ularly hunting,  in  -which  he  was  a  great 
adept.  He  subsequently  moved  to  Jasper 
County,  where,  after  a  long  and  useful  life,  he 
died  about  four  years  ago. 

Jacob  Janney  made  the  second  entrj'  of  land 
in  the  township  in  the  spring  of  1834,  and 
selected  for  his  home  eighty  acres  of  land,  ly- 
ing on  the  east  side  of  North  Fork  in  section  7, 
where  the  remains  of  his  old  log  cabin  can  still 
be  seen.  He  did  not  move  onto  this  land, 
however,  until  about  the  year  1837,  though 
a  number  of  acres  had  been  cleared  and  put 
in  cultivation  before  that  time.  Janney  was 
a  man  of  more  than  ordinary  intellectual 
ability,  a  shrewd  trader  and  prominent  stock 
dealer,  in  which  business  he  amassed  consid- 
erable wealth  while  a  resident  of  this  town- 
ship. He  met  with  a  violent  death  in  the  year 
1843  by  being  thrown  from  a  horse. 

No  other  settlements  appear  to  have  been 
made  within  the  present  limits  of  Johnson 
until  the  year  183G,  when  the  following  en- 
tries of  land  were  recorded:  James  Alex- 
ander in  section  3,  John  L.  Mount,  James  C. 
Mount  and  James  Megeath  in  section  4.  The 
first  named  was  never  a  resident  of  the  town- 
ship but  lived  near  Darwin.  The  Mounts 
were  a  prominent  family  in  this  part  of  the 
country,  and  figure  rather  conspicuously  in 
the  early  history  of  the  township.  Thi>y  en  me 
to  this  State  from  Kentucky,  and  unlike 
many  of  the  first  settlers  in  a  new  country, 
were  men  of  means  and  made  extensive  im- 


450 


HISTORY  OF  CLARK  COUNTY. 


provements  on  their  respective   farms.     John 
resided  here  but  one  year,  when  he    sold    iiis 
place   to  his   brother  and  moved  to  Indiana. 
James  Mount  was  the  first  justice  of  the  peace, 
in  the  precinct  of  which  Johnson  Township  at 
that  time  formed  a  part,  havinsr  been   elected 
in  the  year  1838,  and  served  in   that  capacity 
until  his  death,  which  occurred  in  1841.     Sev- 
eral descendants  of  this  family  are  living',in  the 
county.     The    place  where    James  C.    Mount 
lived  is  now  owned  by  his  grandchildren,  Ed. 
Stevens  and   sister.     James    R.  Geddes,    was 
among  the  early  settlers  of  Johnson,    having 
come  here  in  the  spring  of  1837.     He  entered 
land  in   section  3,    and  afterward    was  joined 
by  David  How  and  John  Cole,  both  of  whom 
made  entries  in   the  same   section.     Geddes 
came  from   Indiana  and    lived  here  until  the 
year  1855,  at  which  time   his  death  occurred. 
How  came  from  Indiana  also  and  was   one  ot 
the  prominent   citizens  of  Johnson.     His  son, 
Joseph  How,  who    now  owns    the  old  place, 
is   the  oldest    living  settler    of   the  township. 
He    came  here    in    company    with  his    father 
when  eighteen  years  of  age,  and  has    resided 
on  the  same  place  ever  since.     Cole  moved  to 
Illinois  from    Ohio,  but   originally  came  from 
Maryland.     He  earned  the  reputation  of  being 
an  energetic,  intelligent,  and  wide  awake  busi- 
ness man,  and  was  well   respected  by  all  who 
knew  him.     He  died  about  twenty-two  years 
ago.     One  daughter,  Mrs.  Kline,  is  now  living 
in  Casey  Township.    The  year  1838  was  signal- 
ized by  the  arrival  in  Johnson  of  William  D. 
Crouch,  Zachariah  Davee,  William    Hilburn, 
and  Henry  W.    Owings.     Crouch    settled   in 
section  11,  where   Mrs.    Williams    now  lives. 
He  was  a  native  of  Ohio  and  for  a  number  of 
years  after  coming    to  this    State  was    exten- 
sively engaged  in   farming  and  stock  raising. 
He  died  in  the  year  1866  leaving  a  widow  and 
one  son,  both  of  whom  are    still  living    in  the 
township.     Davee  settled  in  section  13,  where 
he  entered  land  on  which  he    afterward   built 


a  mill.  This  mill  stood  on  North  Fork,  from 
which  it  received  the  power  thiit  operated  it, 
and  was  run  by  Davee  aliout  fifteen  years  and 
afterward  sold  to  F.  Johnson.  Tiie  latter 
added  several  improvements  and  operated  it 
about  five  years  longer,  when  the  building 
was  ruined  by  an  overflow  of  the  creek.  Da- 
vee moved  to  Missouri  in  the  year  1S53,  and 
afterward  to  California  where  he  died  a  few 
years  ago.  The  place  where  he  settled  is  now 
owned  by  a  Mr.  Adkins.  Hilburn  came  to  this 
county  from  Indiana  and  entered  land  in 
section  17,  which  he  sold  about  seven  years 
later  to  D.  Albright,  the  present  owner. 

Owings  came  from  Ohio  in  company  with 
John  Cole  and  entered  land  in  section  30, 
which  he  sold  ten  years  later  and  moved  back 
to  his  native  State.  Entries  were  made  in  the 
same  year  by  Andrew  Hardway,  section  12; 
James  Brooks,  section  18;  Ira  Prevo,  in  18; 
and  Lewis  Huckabee  in  section  23;  none  of 
whom  were  ever  residents  of  the  township. 

Prominent  among  those  who  came  to  John- 
son in  an  early  day  was  Henry  King,  after- 
ward a  noted  physician  both  in  this  State 
and  Oregon.  His  youth  was  spent  chiefly  in 
the  employ  of  William  How,  with  whom  he 
lived  a  number  of  years,  working  on  the  farm, 
driving  oxen,  etc.,  and  utilizing  his  intervals  • 
of  rest  in  the  study  of  his  favorite  profession. 
In  this  he  was  encouraged  by  his  employer 
who  advised  him  to  quit  the  farm  and  devote 
his  attention  to  study,  which  King  did, 
although  he  was  not  what  would  now  be 
termed  an  educated  physician. 

For  a  number  of  years  he  had  an  extensive 
practice  in  Johnson  and  adjoining  townships, 
but  thinking  there  was  a  more  remunerative 
field  for  his  talents  elsewhere,  he  left  this  part 
of  the  country  and  located  in  a  thriving  town 
near  St.  Louis,  where  for  some  years  he 
carried  on  an  extensive  mercantile  business 
in  connection  with  his  profession  and  became 
quite  wealthy.      He  subsequently  moved  to 


HISTORY  OF  CLARK  COUNTY. 


451 


Oregon  and  died  in  that  State  about  the  year 
1850.  The  ibllowing  incident,  which  he  said 
was  not  to  be  told  until  he  had  been  out  of 
the  country  twenty-five  years,  is  related  by 
Mr.  How.  At  one  time  he  was  called  to  a 
neighboring:  community  to  see  a  colored  lady 
who  was  taken  very  ill,  and  twenty  minutes 
after  his  arrival  the  woman  was  a.  corpse. 
That  evening  he  met  How,  who  inquired 
after  his  patient.  "  Oh,"  says  the  doctor,  "  I 
tried  an  ex]M:riment  on  the  old  lady  by  giving 
her  an  entirely  new  medicine."  "  With  what 
effect?  "  said  How.  "  ^Yhy,  by  G— d,  it  killed 
hor  in  less  th:ui  five  minutes,  but  remember  my 
reputation  is  at  stake  and  this  must  be  kept 
mum  for  twenty-five  years  at  least." 

Another  character  deserving  of  particular 
mention  was  James  Henderson,  an  Irishman, 
who  entered  forty  acres  of  land  in  section  2 
in  the  year  1839.  He  was  a  man  of  brilliant 
attainments  and  had  been  educated  for  the 
priesthood  in  his  native  country,  but  for  some 
reason  never  took  iioly  orders.  He  was  one 
of  the  first  school  teachers  in  .Tohnson,  and 
was  considered  the  ablest  instructor  in  the 
county,  at  that  time.  During  the  later  years 
of  his  life  he  became  very  dissipated  and  died 
a  mere  wreck,  about  the  year  1858. 

Hawley  Childs  was  a  character  in  the  early 
history  of  Johnson  also,  though  the  exact  date 
of  his  arrival  was  not  learned.  He  was  the 
possessor  of  fifteen  large  hounds,  and  did 
valuable  service  to  tiie  country  in  ridding  it 
of  the  wolves,  which  at  that  time  were  very 
numerous  and  troublesome. 

Childs  moved  to  Iowa  a  number  of  years 
ago  where  he  is  still  living.  The  entry  book 
shows  that  the  following  persons  selected 
lands  in  this  township  in  1839:  Robert 
Mount,  section  5;  Priscilla  Jennings,  section 
10;  Jeremiah  Dunham,  section  18;  James 
Thomas,  in  the  same  section;  Barnett 
Thomas  and  William  Wilson  in  section  21; 
Noah  Peters.  William  James  and  Jessie  Bur- 


ris  in  section  23.  Robt.  Jlount  was  a  brother 
of  John  and  James  C.  Mount,  already  alluded 
to,  and  resided  in  this  township  until  1853, 
when  he  moved  to  Terre  Haute,  his  present 
place  of  residence. 

Dunham  settled  where  a  man  by  name  of 
Weaver  now  lives,  and  died  in  this  township 
in  the  year  181'3.  James  Thomas  came  to  this 
State  from  Indiana  and  died  ten  years  after 
his  arrival.  His  son  Barnett  Thouias,  now 
living  in  Edgar  County,  was  second  justice  of 
the  peace  in  Johnson.  Wilson  was  an  Indi- 
anian  also  and  lived  on  the  place  he  settled 
about  six  years,  when  he  sold  the  farm  and 
moved  to  Iowa. 

Noah   Peters   improved    the    farm    where 
James  Fessler  lives,  and  erected  a   saw  and 
grist-mill  on  the  North  Fork,  about  the  year 
1811.     He    operated    this    mill    a   numl)er  of 
years  and  did  a  very  remunerative  business  as 
it  was    patronized   by   the  country  for   many 
miles  around.     It  disappeared  long  since  and 
no  vestige  remains  to  show   where   the   build- 
ing stood.     William  Jannes  entered  the  land 
now  occupied  by  Robert  Johnson   and    lived 
tnere  ten  years  when,  he  disposed  of  the  place 
and  went   back   to  Indiana,  his  former  home. 
Jesse    Burris   was    the  father   of  John  Burris, 
the    first   settler,    of  whom    mention    has  al- 
ready been  made,  and  was  induced  to  immi- 
grate here  by  reason  of  the  glowing  descrip- 
tion of  the  country  given  by  his  son.     He  was 
a  good  man  and  did  much  in  a  quiet  way  to 
advance  the   interests  of  the  country.     For 
twenty-three  years  he  lived   here  an  honored 
and  respected  citizen,  and    died   in  the    year 
1802.     The  foregoing  list  comprises  the  most 
prominent   settlers   in  Johnson  down  to  the 
year   1810,    though    there    were  a  number  of 
transient    residents    whose    names  were    not 
learned.      Since    1810,  the    population     has 
steadily  increased;  all  the  available  lands  have 
been  put  in  cultivation  by  a  thrifty  class  of 
farmers;  schools  and  churches  established  and 


452 


HISTORY  OF  CLARK  COUNTY. 


various  industries  inaugurated,  and  at  the 
present  time  Joiinson  occupies  a  prominent 
place  in  the  galaxy  of  townships  I'oniiing 
Clark  County. 

The  first  death  in  the  township  was  that  of 
David  Ii'igraham,  who  was  killed  as  already 
stated,  about  the  year  1837.  The  second 
death  occurred  one  year  later,  when  the  wife 
of  James  R.  Gcddes  departed  this  life. 

John  Burris,  son  of  John  and  Elizabeth 
Burris,  was  the  first  white  person  born  within 
the  present  limits  of  Johnson.  This  gentle- 
man is  now  forty-si.x  years  old,  which  would 
carry  the  date  of  his  introduction  into  the 
v?orld  back  to  the  year  1836. 

Cupid's  first  victims  in  this  township,  were 
Amos  Carian  and  Amanda  Brewster,  whose 
marriage  occurred  in  the  j-ear  1838,  and  in  the 
latter  part  of  the  same  year,  their  laudable 
example  was  imitated  by  Noah  Peters  and 
Mary  Ann  Peters,  who  were  joined  in  holy 
wedlock  by  Squire  Jacob  Janney.  Among 
other  earl\'  marriages  were  those  of  George 
Janney  and  Eliza  Williamson,  Joseph  How 
and  Letty  Foster.  In  the  year  1838,  a  small 
losr  school-house  was  built  near  the  northern 
boundary  of  the  township  and  occupied  the 
winter  of  the  same  year  by  Isaac  Schaffstall, 
who  taught  a  three  months  term  with  an  at- 
tendance of  about  fifteen  pupils.  The  follow- 
ing year  a  second  building  for  school  purposes 
was  erected  near  the  southwestern  part.  This 
was  a  rude  log  structure  also,  about  twelve  by 
sixteen  feet  and  was  first  used  by  Isaac 
Hughes,  who  taught  in  it  for  several  consec- 
utive years.  The  first  frame  school-house  in 
the  township  was  erected  in  the  year  1850, 
and  stood  near  the  western  boundary  in  the 
neighborhood  of  the  Union  Mount  church. 
Here  the  first  public  school  was  taught  the 
same  year  by  Isaac  ShaiFstall.  There  are  at 
present  a  number  of  good  school-houses  in  the 
township,  the  majority  of  which  are  substan- 


tial frame  buildings,  well  finished  and  furn- 
ished. 

The  Old  School  Baptists  and  Methodists 
were  the  pioneer  religious  denominations  of 
Johnson.  The  first  meetings  were  held  at 
private  residences  and  in  groves,  and  were 
attended  by  the  neighbors  for  many  miles 
around.  At  these  early  meetings  all  met  on 
a  common  level,  worshiped  the  same  God, 
irrespective  of  dogma  or  creed,  and  the  ques- 
tion, "What  church  do  you  belong  to?"  was 
never  asked.  Am  ng  the  pioiu  er  preachers 
were  Daniel  Doughty,  Richard  Newport,  John 
Shields  and  William  Wilson,  of  the  Baptists, 
and  William  Blundell  of  the  Methodists.  The 
first  church  was  organized  by  Richard  New- 
port in  the  eastern  part  of  the  township  with 
a  small  membership,  and  continued  with  va- 
ried success  for  a  number  of  years,  but  was 
finally  disbanded. 

William  Blundell  was  a  circuit  rider  and 
conducted  services  at  the  residence  of  James 
C.  Mount  as  early  as  1838.  He  preached  reg- 
ularly at  this  point  for  about  two  years  but 
did  not  organize  a  class. 

The  oldest  religious  organization  in  the 
township  at  the  present  time  is  the  Mount 
Olive  Christian  Church.  It  dates  its  history 
from  the  year  1857,  at  which  time  the  organi- 
zation was  effected  by  Elders  R.  Metheny  and 
R.  Bates,  the  former  of  whom  is  the  present 
pastor. 

The  original  membership  numbered  about 
twenty,  which  was  afterward  increased  to 
more  than  twice  that  number.  Elder  R.  Bates 
was  the  first  regular  pastor,  in  which  capacity 
he  served  the  church  about  two  years,  and 
was  succeeded  by  Elder  Thomas  Mattox,  who 
preached  for  the  congregation  the  same 
length  of  time.  In  180:i  Elder  Metheny 
took  charge  of  the  church  and  has  preached 
regularly  ever  since.  The  building  stands  in 
the  east  side  of  the  township  and  was  erected 
the  same  year  the  church  was  organized.     It 


HISTORY  OF  CLARK  COUNTY. 


453 


is  a  loo;  structure,   hut  very  comfortable  and 
convenient,  and  vill  seat  250  persons. 

A  flourishing  Union  Sunday  school  is  main- 
tained at  this  place  during  the  entire  year 
and  has  an  average  attendance  of  more  than 
one  hundred  scholars.  It  is  at  present  under 
the  efficient  management  of  Joseph  Jones, 
superintendent. 

Mount  Moriah  Christian  Church  was  organ- 
ized about  nine  years  ago  by  Elder  Metheny 
with  an  original  membership  of  sixteen. 
Their  house  of  worship  is  a  log  building  and 
was  erected  in  the  fall  of  1873.  Many 
large  meetings  and  interesting  revivals  were 
held  at  this  house,  and  in  time  the  church 
grew  to  be  a  strong  organization,  but 
from  some  cause  not  learned,  there  has  been 
a  considerable  falling  off  in  the  last  four  years 
until  now  there  are  only  twenty-three  names 
on  the  records. 

Elder  Metheny  is  still  pastor,  in  which 
rapacity  he  has  acted  ever  since  the  organiza- 
tion. Jonathan  Brewer  is  superintendent  of 
the  Sunday  school,  which  is  large  and  well 
attended. 

A  society  of  Missionary  Baptists  was  or- 
ganized at  the  Mount  Moriah  church,  in  the 
year  1876,  by  Rev.  William  Bridgeman,  with 
a  membersJiip  of  ten  persons.  Bridgeman 
preaclied  for  the  congregation  two  years,  and 
was  succeeded  by  Rev.  Thomas  Reynolds, 
who  ministered  to  the  church  one  year,  and 
was  in  turn  followed  by  Rev.  Bratton,  the 
present  pastor,  under  whose  care  the  society 
has  grown  rapidly  in  numbers  and  influence. 

About  two  years  ago  Elder  JlcCash,  of  the 
Reformed  Christian  church,  or  as  they  are 
more  familiarly  known,  Disciples,  organized  a 
flourishing  society  at  the  Mount  Moriah 
church,  which,  at  the  present  time,  is  in  good 
condition. 

Services  are  conducted  regularly  by  Elder 
McCash,  the  pastor,  who  is  assisted  in  his 
work  at  intervals  by  Elder  Williams. 


In  the  year  1881  a  small  society  of  the 
Southern  Methodist  Church  was  organized  at 
the  How  school-house  by  Revs.  Jones  and 
Cross,  and  a  movement  set  on  foot  by  them  to 
erect  a  house  of  worship.  A  lot  for  that  pur- 
pose was  obtained  near  Union  Mount,  and 
work  on  the  building  was  pushed  rapidly 
forward.  It  had  not  proceeded  far,  however, 
before  a  very  disagreeable  fact  stared  the 
projectors  in  the  face,  namely,  that  the  funds 
collected  were  far  from  being  sufficient  to 
complete  the  edifice,  and  as  the  organization 
numbered  but  few  members  the  project  was 
finally  abandoned  and  the  building  sold. 

None  of  the  community  desired  to  see  the 
property  abandoned  in  this  summary  manner 
and  William  How,  who  was  abundantly  able 
to  do  so,  was  urged  to  buy  the  building  when 
offered  at  public  sale.  This  he  consented  to  do, 
and  a  number  of  the  citizens,  but  few  of  whom 
belong  to  any  religious  denomination,  contrib- 
uted to  its  completion,  and  furnishing  for 
church  purposes,  an  organization  was  effect- 
ed and  the  business"  placed  in  the  hands  of  a 
board  of  trustees  who  were  instructed  to 
allow  it  to  be  used  by  an}'  religious  denomi- 
nation which  would  keep  in  repair.  The  re- 
sult is,  that  each  denomination  now  hears  the 
Gospel,  "  each  in  his  own  tongue,"  the  Bap- 
tists, Christians  and  Universalists  alternating 
in  holding  services. 

The  building  is  frame,  cost  about  $1,500, 
and  is  the  most  commodious  audience  room 
in  the  township. 

The  Winebrennarian,  or  Church  of  God, 
sect  have  a  place  of  worship  in  the  southern 
part  of  the  township,  known  as  Oak  Point. 
The  society  was  organized  about  1876,  and 
for  some  years  had  a  vigorous  existence.  The 
society  built  a  neat  frame  place  of  wor- 
ship soon  after  its  organization,  at  a  cost  of 
some  ^1,200,  where  regular  worship  and  Sun- 
day school  is  still  maintained.  Rev.  Mr.  San- 
doe  is  t' e  present  pastor. 


CHAPTER  XXI.* 


PARKER  TOWNSHIP— SURFACE  FEATURES-THE  FIRST  SETTLERS-PIONEER  INDUSTRIES 
AND  IMPROVEMENTS-CHURCHES  AND  PREACHERS-EDUCA- 
TIONAL FACILITIES,  ETC. 

^OWNSHIP  11  north,  range  14  west,  is  one 


-L  of  the  western  range  of  townships  in  Clark 
Couniy,  and  is  bounded  on  the  north  by 
Westfield,  on  the  east  by  Dolson,  on  the 
south  by  Cumberland  and  on  the  west  by 
Cumberland  County.  Its  lines  coincide  with 
those  of  the  congressional  survey  and  include 
thirty-six  sections.  Originally  its  surface  was 
divided  between  prairie  and  woodland,  the 
latter  covering  about  one  third  of  the  town- 
ship on  the  east  side  bordering  the  North 
Fork  of  the  Enibarrae.  The  balance  of  the 
township  was  occupied  by  a  fine  rolling  prai- 
rie that  bore  the  name  of  Parker,  from  George 
Parker,  an  early  settler  here,  and  subsequent- 
ly gave  the  name  to  the  township. 

Parker  is  so  situated  between  the  settle- 
ments of  Westfield  and  Cumberland  town- 
ships as  to  lose  any  strong  marks  of  individ- 
uality which  it  might  otherwise  have  had. 
The  National  Road,  and  later  the  railroad, 
drew  such  material  as  goes  toward  a  villao-e 
growth  to  the  latter  town,  while  to  the  north 
Westfield,  inspired  by  the  activity  of  the 
northern  thoroughfare  and  aided  by  public- 
spirited  enterprises,  added  its  influence  to 
keep  Parker  to  the  level  of  an  agricultural 
community. 

The  first  settlement  was  made  by  Hezekiah 
Martin  in  1837.  Coming  from  Crawford 
County  he  settled  in  the  eastern  part  of  the 
township  on  section  6,  where  he  erected  a 
cabin,  and  cleared  twelve   acres    of   timber. 


*By  G.  N.  Berry. 


He  made  no  attempt  to  secure  the  land,  and 
made  uo  permanent  improvements  which  the 
necessity  of  the  situation  did  not  demand. 
So  far  did  he  carry  this  policy  that  he  lived 
in  his  cabin  three  years  without  a  window  or 
a  floor.  At  the  end  of  this  time  he  sold  his 
property  to  Samuel  Brown  who,  in  1831, 
entered  the  land.  In  1838,  George  Parker 
came  to  the  northern  part  of  this  township. 
He  came  originally  from  Butler  County,  Ohio, 
by  wagon  to  Crawford  County,  but  dissatis- 
fied with  the  aspect  of  the  country  there  he 
traveled  over  a  large  part  of  the  settled  por- 
tions of  the  State  in  quest  of  a  home,  but 
failed  to  find  a  place  suited  to  his  taste  until 
he  reached  this  locality.  Here  he  settled, 
entered  land,  and  spent  the  rest  of  his  life 
where  his  son  John  now  lives.  Mr.  Parker 
became  a  prominent  man  in  the  community 
which  gathered  here,  and  giving  name  to  the 
prairie  eventually  gave  his  name  to  the  town- 
ship also. 

In  1830,  John  G.  Morrell  joined  the  settle- 
ment thus  begun.  Originally  emigrating 
from  Kentucky  to  North  Carolina,  after  a 
short  residence  in  the  latter  place  he  came  to 
Indiana  and  three  years  later  to  Coles  County. 
After  two  years  residence  there,  Mr.  Morrell 
came  to  Parker  and  settled  on  the  east  half 
of  the  southeast  quarter  of  section  4. 
Here  he  improved  a  good  farm  and  by  his 
intelligent  activity  became  an  important  fac- 
tor in  the  growth  of  the  communitv  in  which 
he  lived  until  1856.  Lewis  Walker  came  in 
1831.     He  was  a  native  of  Kentucky  and  first 


HISTORY  OF  CLARK  COUXTY. 


455 


rmicrrated  to  Indiana,  but  dissatisfied  with 
the  country  thore  he  soon  after  came  to  Clark 
County,  building  his  cabin  on  section  G,  whore 
he  subsequently  entered  land.  Mr.  Walker 
Was  a  man  of  marked  piety,  of  orood  education 
and  remarkably  public-spirited,  taking  a  live- 
ly interest  in  the  laying  out  of  roads,  estab- 
lishing schools,  churches,  etc.  John  Pence 
came  the  same  year  direct  from  Kentucky. 
He  settled  on  section  2,  and  improved  a  good 
farm  where  he  lived  until  his  death  in  1651. 
His  place  is  now  owned  by  Benjamin  Perry. 
Isaac  and  David  Stark  came  about  the  same 
time  and  settled  on  section  11,  where  they 
bought  about  forty  acres.  They  were  noted, 
liowever,  as  hunters  and  trappers  rather  than 
farmers,  and  gave  more  attention  to  the  pur- 
suit of  garfle  than  to  improvement  of  their 
land.  As  the  land  settled  up  and  game  grew 
scarce  they  became  dissatisfied  with  the 
country  here  and  a  few  years  later  left  for 
newer  lands  further  west. 

In  1832,  the  settlement  received  several 
accessions,  among  whom  was  Morris  Carru- 
thers.  He  came  from  Indiana  hepe,  settled 
on  section  4,  and  while  not  marked  for  his 
high  moral  character,  was  an  energetic  citizen 
and  a  useful  member  of  the  community. 
He  was  a  great  hunter  but  when  the  game 
grew  scarce,  turned  his  energies  to  farming, 
making  stock  raising  something  of  a  spe- 
cialty. Stanley  B.  Walker  was  also  an  im- 
migrant of  this  year.  He  was  a  native  of 
Kentucky,  a  preacher  of  the  Old  School  Bap- 
tist Church  and  divided  his  time  and  efforts  be- 
tween his  farm  and  church  work.  He  preached 
far  and  near  wherever  a  cabin  was  opened 
to  give  him  a  hearing  and  assisted  in  the 
organization  of  nearly  every  Baptist  church 
in  the  county.  Thomas  Lamb  located  in  this 
year  on  section  .3,  where  he  lived  for  twenty 
years,  finally  selling  his  property  to  a  man  by 
the  name  of  Grant,  and  removing  to  Texas. 
David     Easton     came    here    from    Kentucky 


about  this  time  and  settled  on  section  4. 
He  was  an  adventurous  character,  spending 
much  of  his  time  in  hunting,  and  finally  sold 
his  place  to  a  Mr.  Elkin  and  went  west.  In 
183:!  came  William  Lee  and  John  Johnson, 
both  locating  their  cabins  on  section  4. 
The  latter  came  from  Indiana,  and  lived  here 
but  a  short  time.  Charles  Menary  settled  on 
the  same  section  in  the  following  year.  He 
made  his  way  from  Kentucky  by  wagon,  built  a 
cabin  and  made  improvements  on  agnail  farm. 
Thouarh  an  active  man  he  n-ave  more  of  his 
attention  to  hunting  than  firming.  Another 
settler  on  section  4,  was  Calvin  Boyd.  He 
was  a  man  of  some  power  and  an  enthusiastic 
controversialist,  his  favorite  tnpics  being  poli- 
tics and  religion.  He  made  a  campaign  lor  a 
position  in  the  Legislature  hut  was  defeated. 
In  183G  there  .vere  several  additions  to  this 
settlement.  Of  these  the  family  of  Timothy 
Terrell  was,  perhaps,  the  earliest.  They  came 
frjm  Indiana  and  settled  on  section  12  but 
they  stayed  only  about  two  years.  In  the 
meanwhile  Mr.  Terrell  made  some  slight  im- 
provements, and  served  as  constable,  an  office 
to  which  he  was  elected  soon  after  his  arrival, 
and  the  duties  of  which  he  seemed  peculiarly 
fitted  to  discharge.  He  sold  his  property  in 
1838  to  Vincent  Lindsey  and  removed  from 
the  township.  On  the  same  section  with  Ter- 
rell another  settlement  was  made  a  little 
later  in  tlie  year  by  Isaac  Bean.  He  came 
from  North  Carolina,  and  was  elected  one  of 
the  earliest  justices  of  the  peace  in  Parker. 
He  spent  the  remainder  of  his  life  here,  and 
at  the  time  of  his  death  was  the  oldest  man  in 
the  county.  In  this  year  the  township  received 
an  important  accession  in  the  coming  of  Levin 
D.  Robinson,  who  settled  on  section  33. 
When  a  babe  he  rode  in  his  mother's  arms 
on  horseback  from  Tennessee  on  the  road 
to  Indiana.  Arrived  at  Darwin,  the  family 
migration  came  to  a  halt,  and  Mr.  Robinson 
stayed  liere  for  some  time,  but  subsequently 


456 


HISTORY  OF  CLARK  COUNTY. 


removed  to  E  l<^ai-  County.  In  1836  Levin 
D.  led  the  niiajration  of  the  familv  to  this  lo- 
cality, his  lather,  who  was  an  old  man,  com- 
ing with  hitn.  Mr.  Robinson  early  took  a 
prominent  place  in  the  community,  and 
amassed  a  lar^e  property.  His  brother,  James 
C,  came  to  Parker  at  the  same  time,  and  was 
soon  afterward  elected  justice  of  the  peace. 
He  subsequently  took  up  the  study  of  law 
with  such  success  as  to  be  numbered  among 
the  few  leading  lawyers  of  the  State.  He 
served  three  terms  in  the  Lower  House  of 
Congress,  and  in  1864  was  a  candidate 
for  Governor,  but  was  defeated  by 
Ogelsby.  He  still  owns  a  large  farm  in  sec- 
tion, 6,  though  he  no  longer  resides  in  the 
township.  William  and  T.  H.  Connolly  came 
with  tReir  father,  Josiah,  about  1836,  and  have 
since  been  identified  with  the  township.  The 
latter  son  was  fouryears  sherilTof  the  county, 
and  the  other  the  first  justice  of  the  peace, 
after  the  township  organization  was  effected. 

Sa  1837  Messrs.  J.  J.  Houghton,  Chriss  and 
Shook  came  to  this  township.  The  former 
settled  on  section  9,  and  is  still  livinir 
here.  Isaac  Chriss  came  from  Kentucky  to 
Martinsville  and  thence  here.  He  sold 
out  in  1S59,  and  died  on  his  way  to  California, 
in  the  same  year.  William  Shook  was  a 
native  of  Kentucky,  from  whence  he  moved 
to  Indiana,  moving  to  this  locality  a  little 
later,  and  subsequently  moving  to  Dolson. 

The  early  life  in  the  S3ttlement  was  not 
different  from  that  of  other  early  communities 
in  the  county  save  that  it  was  shorn  of  many  of 
the  privations  which  thej'  experienced.  The 
niarlcets  and  means  of  communication,  though 
not  so  conveniently  placed  as  now,  were  not 
so  meagerly  afforded  as  to  amount  to  a  real 
hardship.  The  Grandview  and  JIartinsville 
road  was  the  first  one  established  through 
this  township,  and  was  laid  out  as  early  as 
1S33.  Two  years  later,  the  Auburn  road, 
passing  acioss  the    northeast  corner,  was  laid 


out,  and  in   1840   the    York    and    Charleston 
road  was  run  through  the  central  portion. 

The  first  mill  in  this  settlement  was  built 
on  section  11,  by  Ferguson  Johnson  He 
came  from  Edgar  County  in  1836,  and  at 
once  set  about  erecting  a  single-geared  horse 
mill.  It  was  a  rude  affair  and  was  run  night 
and  day  to  meet  the  demands  tnade  upon  it. 
This  served  the  public  fifteen  years  before 
it  was  superseded  by  more  modern  machinery. 
Another  early  mill  was  erected  by  Hibbardon 
the  North  Fork  in  the  south  part  of  Parker. 
This  was  a  water  mill  in  a  log  building,  and 
was  afterward  sold  to  the  Johnson  brothers. 
It  continued  doing  business  for  some  ten 
years,  when  it  was  abandoned.  Clark  Nichols 
also  constructed  a  water  mill  on  the  North 
Fork  in  the  southern  part  of  the  township. 
It  served  the  purpose  of  its  construction  for 
about  five  years.  A  saw  and  grist  mill  com- 
bined was  erected  in  1870  by  C.  W.  Ham- 
mond and  a  Mr.  Barbee  in  the  eastern  part 
of  Parker.  In  1878  this  was  burned  down, 
Init  it  has  since  been  replaced  by  a  steam  mill, 
two  stories  high,  by  C.  &  F.  Hammond.  This 
is  provided  with  improved  machinery  and 
does  a  fair  business. 

There  has  Ijeen  nothing  in  the  situation  of 
Parker  to  develop  any  considerable  business 
which  the  community  centered  here  could  not 
itself  support.  Considerable  towns  on  either 
side  of  it  have  prevented  the  development 
of  any  similar  growth  in  Parker,  and  even 
the  coming  of  the  railroad  has  failed  to  de- 
velop any  unusual  business  excitement.  The 
discovery  of  petroleum  for  a  time  promised 
to  do  what  other  advantages  had  failed  to  ac- 
complish. Wells  were  sunk  and  some  oil 
secured,  and  in  the  height  of  the  excitement 
the  beginning  of  a  village  was  started  near 
the  well  on  the  farm  of  T.  II.  Young.  A 
large  hotel  was  erected,  and  a  large  name  de- 
vised for  the  town  v.'hich  was  to  grow  up 
there,  but  Oil  City  is  now  only  a  memory  and 


HISTORY   OF  CLARK  COUNTY. 


437 


a  name.  There  is  no  doubt  as  to  the  charac- 
ter and  quality  of  the  oil,  but  the  business 
was  brought  to  an  untimely  stop  by  the  break- 
ao-e  of  a  drill  which  the  workmen  were  un- 
able to  recover,  and  which  not  only  stopped 
the  work,  but  prevented  the  flow  of  oil  to 
anv  paying  extent.  Efforts  are  now  being 
made  to  push  the  prospecting  until  the  "  fiiul " 
is  a  demonstrated  success  or  failure. 

The  first  school  was  held  about  1840,  in 
a  small  log  house  on  the  northeast  corner 
of  section  11,  where  Samuel  Hoskins  held 
sway  over  about  twenty  pupils.  The  second 
was  held  a  year  later  in  a  log  house  on  the 
Hammond  farm  in  section  13.  Among  the 
early  teachers  are  remembered  Burns  Harlan, 
R.  C.  Robinson,  Reuben  Warner  and  Isaac 
Johnson.  The  first  public  school  was  inaugu- 
rated in  Parker  about  1850.  Frame  build- 
ings for  school  purposes  were  not  erected, 
however,  until  about  18G5.  There  are  now 
six  districts  all  comfortably  provided  with 
frame  buildings  and  modern  appliances. 

Church  influences  were  early  introduced 
by  Rev.  S.  B.  Walker  who  was  one  of  the  early 
settlers  of  Parker.    He  began  holding  services 


in  the  cabms  around  the  neighborhood  as  early 
as  1836,  but  as  he  belonged  to  ttie  Baptist  de- 
nomination, his  own  cabin,  or  that  of  .losiah 
Connolly  was  generally  the  scene  of  his  labors. 
Among  the  early  Methodist  itinerants  were 
William  C.  Blundell  and  James  Martin.  Serv- 
ices were  usually  held  in  the  Hammond  School- 
honse,  and  the  latter  minister  succeeded  in 
organizing  a  class  which  had  an  e-xistence  for 
some  ten  years.  No  regular  place  of  wor- 
ship was  erected,  and  the  organization  was 
finally  abandoned.  Thomas  Sparks,  of  the 
United  Brethren  Church,  preached  in  this 
settlemetit,  holding  services  in  the  various 
cabins.  Ho  organized  a  class  at  the  residence 
of  David  Downs  where  services  were  main- 
tained for  several  years,  but  the  organization 
was  finally  abandoned.  In  1873,  a  "Church 
of  God  "  was  organized  with  a  small  member- 
siiip,  which  still  survives.  It  has  about 
twenty  members  and  a  regular  pastor.  In 
the  following  year  a  Union  place  of  worship 
was  erected  on  section  13,  to  wliich  the  whole 
community  contributed,  and  wliich  is  used  by 
the  United  Brethren,  Methodist,  and  "  Church 
of  God."  This  is  a  hewed  log  building  and 
the  only  church  edifice  in  the  township. 


CHAPTEE    XXII.* 


AUBURN  TOWNSHIP— "E  PLURIBUS  UNUM  "— ITS   PIONEERS  AND  ORGANIZATION— THE 
'■  EMPEROR  "  OF  AUBURN— EARLY  EXPECTATIONS— AUBURN 
VILLAGE-CHURCH  AND  SCHOOL. 

"  Sweet  Auburn!  loveliest  village  of  the  plain." 


IN  the  center  of  Clark  County,  as  near  as 
may  be,  lies  the  township  of  Auburn, 
resembling  on  the  map  of  the  county,  the 
ornamental  piece  which  ambitious  younw 
ladies  place  in  the  center  of  their  first  patch- 
work counterpane.  Its  history  as  a  separate 
organization  dates  from  the  year  1859,  when 
it  came  into  being  as  a  political  afterthought. 
Its  territory  comprises  sixteen  sections,which 
were  contributed  to  its  formation  by  the  town- 
ships of  Marshall,  Anderson,  Martinsville  and 
Dolson,  the  two  latter  townships  contributing 
the  larger  portion.  The  object  of  this 
"gerrymander"  it  is  difficult  to  ascertain. 
It  is  said  that  an  influential  gentleman  in  the 
county  desired  to  be  elected  justice  of  the 
peace,  and  that  in  the  event  of  a  new  town- 
ship constructed  on  this  plan,  his  jurisdiction 
could  be  exercised  with  convenience  to  him- 
self as  well  as  satisfaction  to  the  communitv, 
and  so,  on  this  theory,  the  new  political  factor 
was  built  up  around  the  village  of  Auburn, 
the  name  of  which  it  shares. 

Its  physical  features  are  not  espocially 
marked.  The  eastern  part  is  considerably 
broken,  well  timbered,  and  drained  by  Mill 
Creek  which  passes  through  the  northeastern 
part  of  its  territory.  Other  small  streams 
varj'  the  configuration  of  tlie  surface,  tlowino- 
to  the  south  or  southeast  and  finding  an  outlet 
into  other  streams  in  other  parts  of  tlie  coun- 
ty.    The  soil  is  a  light  clay,  which  furnislies 

*  By  G.  N.  Beny. 


the  chief  material  resource  of  the  citizens 
here,  who  are  devoted  to  agricultural  pur- 
suits. 

Its  settlement  liad  few  marked  characteris- 
tics, and  though  the  community  brought  to- 
gether by  its  modern  limits  had  hitherto 
looked  to  different  centers  of  influence,  their 
allegiance  was  easily  transferred  to  the  new 
center  established,  and  so  far  as  township  af- 
filiations are  concerned  the  community  of  Au- 
burn is  as  homogeneous  as  that  ofanj'  politi- 
cal divfsion  in  the  county.  Its  settlement, 
owing  to  its  central  position,  was  rather  later 
than  many  other  points.  Until  the  National 
Road  made  it  a  point  of  attraction  there  was 
little  to  invite  the  pioneer.  Land  was  plenty 
and  good  as  in  other  parts  of  the  county  and 
the  lines  of  business  activity  rather  led  else- 
where. The  agitation  in  regard  to  the  final 
removal  of  the  county  seat,  however,  aroused 
an  interest  in  its  central  location,  and  its  evi- 
dent fitness  on  that  account  as  the  site  for  a 
seat  of  justice,  and  this,  perhaps,  more  than 
any  other  reason,  determined  its  first  settle- 
ment. Jonathan  Rathbone,  a  shrewd  Yankee, 
from  one  of  the  New  England  States,  entered 
land  here  and  came  in  l!333,'largely  with  a  view 
of  speculating  on  the  event  of  a  change  in  the 
county  seat.  He  erected  a  cabin  on  the  site 
of  the  present  school  Ijuilding  in  Auburn  vil- 
lage and  lived  here  untd  his  death  in  1839. 
He  was  followed  in  the  following  year  by 
Ralph  Haskett,  a  native  of  New  York,  who 
built  a  cabin  on  the  west  fork  of  Mill  Creek, 
on  the  National  Road,   and   lived   here    eight 


cjMoa^c      ^^^^ 


HISTOPvY  OF  CLARK  COUXTY. 


461 


vcars.  Oreiuli)iir,  an  industrious  German, 
came  in  1835,  fiom  New  York,  improved  a 
iro'.)d  farm  but  attracted  by  the  California  ex- 
citement sold  iiis  place  to  Robert  D.'Wiis  in 
1830,  and  sought  bis  I'oriune  iu  the  gold- 
fields. 

The  National  Road  was  at  this  time  one  of 
the  prineip:d  routes  to  the  West.  It  was  very 
much  the  custom  for  emlLrrants  to  travel  with 
eyes  open  to  any  eligible  site  and  ready  to 
come  to  a  permanent  halt  wherever  the  coun- 
try promised  the  best  advantages.  Notwith- 
standing the  natural  competition  of  Marshall 
which  had  been  recoTitly  founded,  and  the  en- 
orgy  of  its  proprietor,  Auburn  profited  by  these 
circumstances  to  a  considerable  extent. 
Among  the  settlers  thus  attracted  was  .John 
Fredenberger,  who  came  here  almost  direct 
from  Germany.  In  his  company  was  his 
father,  Peter,  who  was  a  very  old  ma'i  and 
snl)sequently  died  full  of  years  at  the  age  of 
one  hundred  years.  The  family,  noted  for 
thiir  thr.ft  and  industry,  improved  a  good 
farm  adjoining  the  OrenJorEF  place.  Adam 
Weaver  was  another  accession  of  this  year 
and  settled  where  Fredenberger  now  lives. 
A  few  years  later  he  entered  land  at  an- 
other point.  Samuel  Williams,  a  native  of 
Kentucky,  was  also  a  settler  about  this  time, 
and  reared  his  cabin  on  the  National  Road 
near  the  village.  He  subsequently  moved 
into  Auburn  and  kept  hotel.  About  this  time, 
or  perhaps  a  little  later,  William  and  Zacha- 
riah  Shields  came  here  in  wagons  from  Ken- 
lucky.  They  settled  near  the  main  road  west 
of  the  village,  but  both  moved  again  further 
west,  William  celling  to  J.  Flood  in  1850. 
In  18:50,  three  Davis  brothers  came  to  the 
township.  Oliver  and  Hayward  entered  land 
in  the  eastern  part  in  partnership.  Allan 
bought  land  iu  the  same  locality  but  subse- 
quently sold  to  his  brothers  about  1840,  and 
dii'd  a  little  later  in  Iowa,  whither  ho  had  re- 
moved.    Tiie   others    soon   afterward  iell  the 


county.  The}'  are  remembered  as  boisterous, 
muscular  men,  always  ready  to  p  irticipate  in 
a  row  which  was  not  an  uiii'requent  occurrence. 
AVilliam  Duckwall  of  Kentucky,  entered  land 
here  at)out  ]Sl:0,and  settled  where  Nicholas 
Hurst  now  lives.  Duckwall  was  a  man  of 
good  intelligence,  a  blacksmith  by  trade  but 
skilled  as  a  physician,  and  earnest  as  a  Meth- 
odist preacher.  He  served  in  this  triple  ca- 
])acitv  for  some  years  when  he  sold  to  Mr. 
Hurst.  .lames,  his  brother,  settled  near  him 
aVout  the  same  time. 

Nicholas  Hurst,  though  not  an  early  settler 
in  Aui)urn  in  point  of  time,  was  a  prominent 
and  influential  citizen,  and  left  his  impress 
upon  the  destiny  of  the  township.  A  native 
of  Kentucky,  he  first  came  to  Douglas  Town- 
ship, and  later  to  Auburn.  He  early  fig- 
ured prominently  iu  county  politics,  serving 
four  years  as  associate  judge;  as  county 
treasurer  four  years;  as  sheriff  one  term, 
and  as  justice  of  the  peace  fourteen 
years.  To  him  is  due  the  peculiar  organiza- 
tion of  the  township,  vyhich,  at  the  late  day 
in  which  it  was  accomplished,  indicates  the 
possession  of  conslder.ible  influence  or  a  gen- 
eral belief  in  the  wisdom  of  the  change.  He 
still  survives  to  enjoy  his  success,  and  is 
popularly  called  the  "  Emperor  of  Auburn," 
though  there  is  little  about  him  to  suggest 
royalty,  unless  a  wooden  cane  with  a  carved 
serpent  tvpined  about  it  may  so  distinguish 
him.  Archibald  Starks,  a  native  of  Kentucky, 
was  another  man  of  some  note  in  the  town- 
ship. He  entered  840  acres  in  the  southwest 
corner,  and  by  his  untiring  energy  kept  suc- 
cess always  within  his  reach.  His  silk  hat 
was  the  pioneer  of  its  kind  in  this  community, 
and  the  man  and  hat  were  seldom  seen  sejja- 
rated.  He  subsequently  became  involved 
in  a  law  suit  with  Hillebert  and  sustained 
some  very  heavy  losses. 

There  was   very    little    of   the  romance   of 
piouecr  life  in  the  community  here.     Life  had 


462 


HISTORY  OF  CLARK  COUNTY. 


its  inconveniences,  its  privations,  its  urgent 
^cleinand  for  toilsome  achievement,  but  it 
laclied  that  last  degree  of  exaction  in  all  these 
requirements  that  gives  to  isolated  frontier 
experience  a  touch  of  heroism.  There  were 
no  mills  at  first  in  the  township.  The  streams 
were  small  and  uncertain,  and  the  near  loca- 
tion of  other  mills  discouraged  any  of  thuse 
cheap  attempts  that  are  so  vaKiable  an  addition 
to  an  isolated  settlement.  About  1S42,  how- 
ever, Laban  Record  erected  a  horse  mill  east 
of  tiie  village,  which  was  lilierallj^  patronized 
for  a  number  of  years.  After  running  it  some 
eight  years  the  mill  was  sold  to  Stephen  Ox- 
endine,  who  operated  about  the  same  length 
of  time,  when  it  was  abandoned.  It  was  a 
rude  affair,  and  the  old  buhrs  still  do  service 
as  a  well  top  on  Mrs.  Gilbert's  place.  A  steam 
mill  was  suijsequently  erected  in  the  village 
with  a  frame  building  and  somewhat  more 
modern  appliances. 

Of  the  early  experiences  in  Auburn,  there 
is  little  to  be  said.  There  was  nothing  to  in- 
dividualize tiie  community.  The  people  lived 
in  log  cabins,  wore  home-made  clothing,  sub- 
sisted upon  game  and  the  products  of  the 
soil,  and  indulged  in  the  recreations  common 
to  the  rest  of  the  county.  The  community 
was  peculiar  in  one  respect,  however.  The 
early  settlers  had  great  expectations  for  the 
village  which  utterly  failed,  and  with  this 
failure  went  the  prospect  of  the  town.  The 
village  was  platted  by  O.  B.  Ficklin,  Demas 
Ward  and  Jonathan  N.  Rathbone,  and  located 
on  the  west  half  of  section  31,  in  what  was  a 
part  of  Marshall  Township.  It  consisted  of^ 
twenty-seven  squares,  through  which  the 
Cumberland  road  passed  as  Main  street. 
Block  thirteen,  fronting  Main  street  from  the 
north,  was  reserved  for  the  use  of  the  county 
buildings,  but  in  the  event  of  some  other 
site  being  chosen  for  the  county  seat,  it  was 
provided  that  this  square  should  be  used  as  a 
public  ground.     The    contest  for  the  location 


of  the  seat  of  justice  was  sharp  between  Mar- 
shall and  Auburn.  Whisky  was  a  potent 
factor  in  every  phase  of  life,  and  it  played  a 
prominent  part  in  this  contest.  Every  form 
of  amusement  that  could  be  devised  was  used 
to  call  the  voters  together  and  entertainment 
the  most  lavish  that  the  times  would  afford 
was  freely  furnished.  While  Auburn  had  the 
advantage  of  central  location  and  pleasant 
surroundings,  Marshall  had  the  heaviest  vote. 
This  defeat  ruined  the  prospect  of  the  village. 
This  first  show  of  village  growth  was  a 
wayside  inn,  by  R.  B.  McCowen,  about  1836. 
He  was  an  emigrant  from  Kentuckv  in  1834, 
but  in  the  latter  year  he  entered  land  near 
the  site  of  the  village,  erected  a  hewed  log 
house  and  hung  out  a  sign  on  which  a  deer 
was  painted.  There  was  considerable  travel 
on  the  road,  and  the  old  "  Buck  Tavern,"  as 
it  was  called,  did  a  good  business.  McUowen 
was  a  man  who  looked  upon  his  own  achieve- 
ments with  great  complacency;  was  some- 
thing of  a  horse  jockey  and  politician.  About 
the  same  time  John  Burks,  a  Kentuckian  by 
birth,  put  up  a  blacksmith  shop  just  west  of 
the  village  site.  He  subsequently  moved  to 
York  Township.  On  the  laying  out  of  the 
village  Samuel  Williams  moved  on  to  the  plat 
put  up  a  cabin  and  opened  it  for  public  enter- 
tainment. It  became  the  stage  hotel  and  for 
some  ten  years  did  a  thriving  business.  A 
second  tavern  was  started  by  George  Baker 
and  was  maintained  for  a  number  of  years. 
These  were  the  pioneers  of  the  village  busi- 
ness, which  had  but  little  following.  A  store 
was  early  opened  in  a  log  cabin  near  the 
central  part  of  the  village  by  John  Salmon, 
where  a  few  groceries  and  dry  goods  and  a 
good  deal  of  whisky  was  sold.  This  store  was 
noted  as  a  rendezvous  of  rather  rough  charac- 
ters. A  second  store  of  much  better  charac- 
ter was  kept  by  James  Booth,  and  several 
others  have  since  had  little  mercantile  ventures 
here.     The  village  is  now  marked  by  a  store, 


HISTORY  OF  CLARK  COUNTY. 


4'33 


two  bhicksmith  shops,  a   wagon  shop  and    a 
dozon  houses. 

Tht!  first  school  was  held  in  a  little  cubin 
west  of  the  village,  and  taaglit  by  Robert 
Runkin,  who  cauie  from  Kentucky  about 
1838.  He  was  an  illiterate  man,  addicted  to 
gambling,  and  ruled  his  school  by  main 
strength.  When  subsequently  elected  eon- 
stable,  he  proved  one  of  the  best  collectors  in 
tlie  county,  a  man  without  fear,  and  success- 
ful in  the  most  difficult  cases  of  arrest.  It  is 
said  on  one  occasion  he  was  given  a  warrant 
to  arrest  a  man  who  lived  on  the  east  side  of 
the  county,  his  house  being,  in  fact,  on  the 
Indiana  side  of  the  line.  He  had  been  over 
to  the  man's  residence  several  times,  but 
found  no  opportunity  of  catching  him  within 
his  jurisdiction.  Rankin  had  gone  out  on 
another  occasion,  but  the  man,  suspecting  the 
constable's  errand,  refused  to  be  drawn  over 
the  fatal  line  in  a  heedless  moment,  and  so 
the  former  resorted  to  a  ruse  which  proved 
successful.  Alter  talking  upon  inLiifferent 
suljjects  for  a  time  he  rode  over  to  the  Illinois 
side  of  the  line,  and  suddenly  feigned  to  fall 
from  his  horse,  at  the  same  time  giving  an 
outcry  for  assistance.  The  whole  maneuver 
was  so  cleverly  performed  that  it  threw  the  ob- 
server entirely  off  his  caution,  and  the  man 
ran  to  the  constable's  assistance  only  to 
realize  it  was  a  ruse  when  Rankin  seized  him 
and  read  a  warrant  for  his  arrest. 

Another  early  teacher  was  an  old  man  b}"^ 
tiie  name  of  Kennedy,  wlio,  though  quite  an 
old  man,  was  very  strong,  and  acted  upon  the 
theory  that  whipping  was  the  main  part  of 
school  teaching.  Samuel  Lowry  was  one  of 
the     early    teachers   also. 

The  first  frame  building  was  built  near  the 
central  part  of  the  village,  about  1S4G,  by 
Thomas  Leise.  Since  then  the  townsiiip  has 
been  divided  into  four  districts,  each  of  which 
is  provided  with  a  frame  building. 

The  first  effort  to  introduce  Christian  wor- 


ship in  this  township  was  met  with  no  more 
encouragement  here  than   elsewhere    in    the* 
county.     Tlie  people  were  rather  given  to  the 
excessive  use  of  whisky,  gambling  and  hoise 
racing,  which  did  not  prepare  them  to  accept 
religious  services  in  a  decorous  way.     There 
were  among  the  settlers  notable  exceptions  to 
this  general  rule,  but  their  number  was  too 
small  to  protect  traveling  ministers  from   the 
rude  jests  and  gibes  of  the  crowd.     The  first 
religious  services  in  the  township  were   hekl 
at   the    cabin   of  Samuel  Williams,  by  Rev. 
Chas.  Doyle,  an   Irishman,   but   ^  protestant 
and    a    Methodist.       He     was    a  loud-voiced 
speaker  and  accompanied  his   sermons  with 
the  most  violent  gestures.     This  was  a  novel 
entertainment  and  of  a  character  to  draw  out 
the  majority'  in   the  settlement.     On  one  oc- 
casion some  of  the  "  boys"  intending  to  em- 
barrass the    speaker,  placed    a    pack    of  well- 
used  cards  in  his  hat.     After  his  sermon,  on 
taking  up  his  hat  the  cards  fell  out  before  the 
audience,  and  without  the  least  hesitation   or 
embarrassment,  he  said:  "  If  the  brother  who 
owns  this  property  will  come  forward  he  may 
have   it  again."     Rev.  Mr.  Witherspoon  was 
an  early  itinerant  of  the  Protestant  Method- 
ist denomination,  who  held  religious  services 
in  the  private  houses  here.     In   184;i  he  or- 
ganised a  society  which  flourished  for  several 
years,  holding  its  meetings   in   the  houses   of 
the  members.      The  society  never  erected  a 
house  of  its  own,  and  gradually  passed  out  of 
existence. 

About  1850  Rev.  Robert  Carson  organized 
a  Missionary  Baptist  church  at  the  village  of 
Auburn.  There  were  about  twenty-five 
members,  and  very  soon  after  organization  the 
society  set  about  erecting  a  place  of  worship. 
It  was  not  completed  by  the  church,  however. 
The  project  halted  and  -finally  fell  through 
entirely.  It  is  now  finished  and  used  as  a 
stable.  After  some  years  of  existence  it  was 
merged  into  the  Bethel  church. 


404 


HISTORY  OF  CLARK  COUNTY. 


In  1851  Elder  Gilbert  moved  from  Ohio  to 
Auburn.  He  was  a  Missionary  Baptist 
preacher,  and  finding  there  was  no  church  of 
his  denomination  nearer  than  ten  miles  he 
determined  to  organize  one  in  the  township. 
In  the  following  June,  those  interested  in  the 
movement  met  in  a  school-house  and  effected 
an  organization,  with  the  following  members: 
Elder  Gilbert  and  wife,  Electa  Nnrris,  Sarah 
Wright,  Willis  Gilbert,  William  Beabout, 
Sr.  and  wife,  Celia  McCune  and  Eunice  Gil- 
bert. Soon  after  this  organization.  Revs. 
Fuson,  J.  Riley  and  H.  Humphrey  met  with 
the  society  and  formally  recognized  it  as  a 
church,  in  regular  standing.  In  1860  a  new 
log  school-house,  about  two  miles  northwest 
of  Auburn  was  erected  and  the  little  church 
held  its  services  there  until  1873,  when  a 
frame  building,  30  by  40  feet  was  erected  on 
the  National  Road,  two  miles  west  of  Auburn 


and  three  miles  east  of  Martinsville,  at  a  cost 
of  about  a  thousand  dollars.  Elder  Gilbert 
preached  for  the  church  about  fifteen  years 
without  pay,  and  was  succeeded  by  Revs.  R. 
O.  Hawkins,  Bridgman,  J.  Bratton,  A.  Jones, 
and  R.  Wiley,  the  present  pastor.  The 
church  is  out  of  debt,  numbers  about  eighty- 
six  members,  and  holds  services  about  once  a 
month.  A  Sunday  school  was  maintained 
from  the  first  nearly  every  summer.  In  1880 
the  school  was  reorganized  and  since  has 
been  regularly  maintained,  using  the  regular 
quarterly  lesson  helps,  and  having  an  at- 
tendance of  about  sixty-two  scholars. 

The  "Christian"  denomination  organized  a 
society  in  Auburn,  in  1863,  and  met  at  the 
school-house  for  a  year  or  two  under  the  min- 
istrations of  Elder  Thomas  Good,  but  it  since 
has  died  out. 


CHAPTER   XXIII.* 


DOUuLAS    TOWNSHIP— GEOGRAPHICAL   POSITION— SETTLEMENT   BY    THE    WHITES— IM- 
PKOVEMENTS— DISTILLERIES,  MILLS  AND  ROADS— SCHOOLS,  SCHOOL- 
HOUSES,  CHURCHES,  ETC.— VILLAGE  OP 

CASTLE  FINN. 


IN  writing  the  history  of  even  so  small  a 
part  ol"  the  earth's  surface  as  is  contained 
in  a  sinG;le  township  it  becomes  evident  that 
nothing  li!<e  absolute  justice  and  impartiality 
can  be  attained.  No  history  absolutely  cor- 
rect in  all  its  details  was  ever  written.  To 
give  just  the  right  amount  of  importance  and 
space  to  each  individual  and  interest  would 
manifestly  be  impossible.  It  might  be  a 
curiosity  to  see  a  book  wherein  each  person 
was  allowed  to  dictate  or  write  up  his  own 
consequence,  and  that  of  his  family;  such  a 
production  would  give  a  very  incorrect  idea 
of  individuals  and  their  affairs.  Some  would 
be  swelled  out  of  all  proportion  as  to  their 
real  merit  or  standing  in  the  community, 
while  others,  through  innate  modesty,  would 
only  occupy  a  few  lines,  if  they  allowed  them- 
selves to  appear  at  all.  It  will  be  readily  seen 
therefore,  that  the  historian's  task  is  one  beset 
with  many  difficulties,  but  it  is  hoped  that  the 
following  pages  may  contain  a  brief  synopsis 
of  history  free  from  an\'  serious  error. 

Douglas  is  known  as  town  13  north,  range 
12  west,  and  was  formerly  included  within  the 
limits  of  Marshall  Township  from  which  it  was 
separated  and  organized  into  a  distinct  di- 
vision. It  is  a  fractional  township  com- 
posed of  eighteen  square  miles  of  territory 
lying  in  the  northern  part  of  the  county,  and 
is  bounded  on  the  east,  south  and  wost  by 
the  townships  of  Wabash,  Jlarshall  and  Dolson 

•By  G.  N.  Berr)'. 


respectively,  and  on  the  north  by  Edgar 
County.  The  greater  part  of  the  surface  is 
rolling  and  broken,  though  quite  an  extensive 
tract  in  the  southwest  corner  is  comparatively 
level  and  was  originally  known  as  the  "  bar- 
rens." This  part  at  one  time  was  wet  and 
swampy  and  covered  with  a  growth  of  willows, 
and  small  jack  oak,  and  for  many  years  was 
looked  upon  by  the  settlers  as  being  totally 
unfit  for  agricultural  purposes.  A  class  of 
thrifty  Germans,  attracted  by  the  fertile  qual- 
ity of  the  soil,  settled  in  this  part  of  the  town- 
ship in  an  early  day,  and  after  several  years 
hard  work  ditching,  and  clearing  away  the 
thick  scrubby  growth,  succeeded  in  bringing 
quite  a  large  tract  into  cultivation.  It  is  at 
the  present  time  looked  upon  as  the  most 
valuable  farm  land  in  the  township,  and  pos- 
sesses a  deep  rich  soil,  well  adapted  to  all 
the  crops  raised  in  this  part  of  the  country. 
The  soil  in  the  more  broken  portions,  though 
largely  clay,  contains  sufficient  alluvium  to 
insure  remunerative  crops  of  all  kinds.  In  the 
depressed  portions  among  the  hills  and  along 
the  water-courses,  the  earth  is  thorougjily 
mingled  with  decaying  vegetable  matter,  a 
portion  of  which  has  been  washed  in  by  past 
inundations.  This  land  is  very  easily  tilled 
and  produces  abundant  crops  of  wheat,  corn, 
rye,  oats,  barley,  grass  etc.,  etc. 

The  township  is  watered  and  drained  by 
Big  Creek  and  its  tributaries.  Big  Creek 
crosses  the  northern  boundary  in  section  22, 
flows  through  sections  27  and  34,  and  leaves 


466 


HISTORY  OF  CLARK  COUNTY. 


the  township  from   section  35.     The    portion 
of  country  through  which   this  stream    passes 
is    very  broken   and   was   originally    covered 
with    a  heavy    forest    growtli    of   oak,  beech, 
maple,  wa  nut  and  anumber  of  other  varieties, 
and  was  known   among  the    early  settlers    as 
the    wet    woods.     Parris    Branch    flows    in   a 
southerly     direction     through     the     eastern 
part   of  the   township  and    empties  into  Big- 
Creek  about  a  half  mile  south  of  the  southern 
boundary.      Rocks    Branch,    a  small    stream, 
meanders   through  the   northwestern    portion 
of  the  township,  and  furnishes  ample  drainage 
to  that    section.     Douglas  was  not   settled  as 
carlv  as  some  of  the  neighboring  townships,  at 
least  by  those  who  entered  land.     A  number  of 
snualter  families  located  along  Big  Creek  and 
the  neighboring  streams,  but  the  exact  date  of 
their  first   appearance  can  not  be  ascertained 
with    any    degree    of    certainty.     It   is   well 
known,    however,  that  when    the  first  perma- 
nent settlers  came  into  the  country   as   early 
as  1S23,  there  were  living  in    various  parts  of 
the    township,  a    number   of   these    transient 
residents,  several  of  whom  had  made  some  im- 
provements.    It  was  not  customary   for  these 
squatters  to    concern  themselves    very    much 
about    clearing  or    cultivating    the    soil.     A 
small    garden    spot    wherein    their    half-clad 
wives  and  children  could  raise  a  few  potatoes 
and  other  vegetables  was   the  extent  of  their 
farming.     Wild    meat   furnished   their    chief 
means  of  subsistence,  and  was  easily  procured, 
as  game  of   all    kinds  was    at   that  time  very 
plenty.     They  lived  in  the    rudest  of    cabins, 
and  in  the  most  primitive  fashion.     They  ap- 
parently copied  the  manners  and    customs  of 
the    Indians    and   many    of   them   existed  in 
about  the  same  miserable  plight.     The  names 
of  these  early    hunters    were  not    learned  as 
they    abandoned    their    cabins     and   moved 
further  west  soon  after   the  first  permanent 
settlers  began  improving  the  country. 

The   first  entries  of  land  in  Douglas  were 


made    in    the  year   183"i    by   J.  Blaze  and    S. 
Sharp,  on  section  36,  though  neither  of  them 
ever  occupied   their  lands  as  residents.     Joel 
Tucker  made  an  entry  in    section  19  the    lat- 
ter part  of  the    same  year    but  it  is  not    posi- 
tively known  whether  he  ever  resided    in  the 
township  or  not.     In  18;23  James  Cox  entered 
land  in  the  southvpest  corner  of  the  township 
in    section  36.     Of  him    but   little  is    known 
save  that  he    im|iroved  a   farm   which  he  sold 
soon  after  and  moved  from  the  country.     Da- 
vid Van  Winkel    who    had  been    in  Fort  La- 
motte  in  Crawford  County, came  to  the  town- 
ship in  the  year  1824  and  entered  the  west  half 
of  section  30,  but  did    not  improve   the  land. 
Adam  Shrader,  a  resident  of  Edgar  County, 
entered    a    portion    of   section  25    the    same 
year  but  was  never  identified  with   the  town- 
ship  in    the    capacity  of  a   cit  zen.     In   the 
spring  of  1828  Elisha    Minn  settled  the    west 
half   of    the  southwest  quarter  of  section  25, 
and  in  the  same  year  a  man  by  name  of  Solo- 
mon located  on  Big    Creek  near  the  southern 
limit  of  the   township  where  he  entered    land 
in  section  4.     Solomon  was  a  native  of   Eng- 
land, and  came  to  America  in  company    with 
several  other  immigrant  families  all  of  whom 
located  in   different  parts  of  the  West.     He 
was  a  man  of  considerable  enterprise  and  ac- 
quired a  valuable   tract  of    land  during    the 
period  of  his  residence  in  the  township.     His 
death  occurred  a  number  of  years  ago.     David 
Reynolds  came  to  the  county  in  the  year  1828, 
and  entered  the  west  half  of  section  34,  which 
he  improved,  and  where  he  still  lives,  the  oldest 
resident  in  the  township,  and  one  of  its  leading 
and  most  public  spirited   citizens.     He   came 
to  Illinois    from    Tennessee,   and    during  the 
period  of   his  long  residence    in  Douglas   has 
been   prominently    identified   with  all   move- 
ments calculated  to  advance  its  material  pros- 
perity.    An  early  settler  in  the  northern  part 
of  the  township  was  Jacob  Groves  who  made 
his  appearance  about  the  year  1828.     He  im- 


HISTORY  OF  CLAitK  COUNTY. 


467 


jjioved  a  farm  near  the  nortliern  lioundury,  on 
Bii^  Creiik,  which  he  sold  to  Austin  Griffin  in 
1833  and  moved  to  tlie  adjoininsc  township  of 
M'ahash.  In  the  year  1831  the  following 
persons  entered  land  in  Douglas:  Abner 
Cooper,  section  35,  Abraha  n  Walters,  section 
25,  Samuel  McClure,  section  25,  and  Jesse 
Every,  section  35.  McClure  moved  to  this 
part  of  the  State  from  Lawrence  County,  in 
company  with  his  father,  Andrew  McClure, 
■whose  death  occurred  one  year  after  their  ar- 
rival. Samuel  McClure  was  a  man  of  more 
than  ordinary  intelligence  and  enterprise,  and 
at  the  first  election  held  in  the  precinct  of 
which  Douglas  at  that  time  formed  a  part, 
was  chosen  justice  of  the  peace.  He  was  sub- 
sequently called  to  the  offices  of  county  com- 
missioner, county  treasurer  and  sheriff,  in  all 
of  which  he  served  the  people  in  a  very  satis- 
factory manner.  He  resided  in  the  township 
until  about  ten  years  ago,  when  he  disposeil 
of  his  possessions  and  moved  to  Iowa.  In  the 
latter  State  he  became  extensively  engaged 
in  baling  and  shipping  hay,  and  it  was  while 
operating  one  of  his  presses  that  he  mot  a 
violent  death  by  being  caught  and  drawn  into 
the  machiner}'. 

During  the  year  1832  the  following  ac- 
cessions were  made  to  the  population  of  the 
community:  Robert  Ashmore,  William  For- 
sythe,  Greenwood  Davis,  Samuel  Galbraith, 
Elisha  Hurst,  William  Lycan,  and  a  man 
by  the  name  of  Francis.  Ashmore  and  For- 
sythe  were  Kentuckians.  They  settled  in 
the  eastern  part  of  the  township,  the  former 
on  section  35,  and  the  latter  a  short  distance 
north  on  section  25.  They  made  extensive 
■  improvements,  and  became  prominent  farm- 
ers, but  did  not  always  live  on  the  most 
friendly  terms,  as  the  following  will  go  to 
prove:  Forsythe,  it  ap]iears,  lost  a  very  valu- 
able calf,  which  he  accused  Ashmore  of  steal- 
ing, whereupon  the  latter  sued  him  for 
slander.     Th.s  so  enraged  Forsythe,  who  was 


a  very   passionate  man,  that  he  declared  he 
would  kill  Ashmore  unless  the  suit  was  with- 
drawn  before  court  convened,  and  sent   the 
latter    word  to    that    effect.     To    this    threat 
Ashmore  paid    no  attention,  but,  on  the  con- 
trary, made  every  preparation    to    prosecute 
the  case    against    his    enemy.     While  in  the 
act   of    sadd  ing    his    horse,    preparatory    to 
starting  to  Robinson,  the  morning  court  was 
to  meet,  Ashmore  was  shot  from  behind  with 
a  heavy    load  of  slugs  and  almost    instantly 
killed.     Forsythe  was  at  once  arrested  for  the 
crime,  and  his  guilt  clearly  established  in  the 
trial  that  followed.     The   verdict  of  the  jury 
was  murder  in    the  first  degree    and  he  was 
sentenced  to  be  hanged.      The  sentence  was 
afterward    commuted    by    the    Governor,    to 
imprisonment    for    life.     While  in  the  peni- 
tentiary   he    became     afflicted     with    a    very 
loathsome  cancer  which    ate  away  the  greater 
part  of  his  face,  and  his  condition  became  so 
pitiable,  that  a  petition    was  afterward  circu- 
lated in  his  behalf.     This  had  the  desired  ef- 
fect,  and    the    wretched    man    was  released, 
after  an  incarceration   of  eight  years,  only  lo 
die   the   same   year  he  obtained   his    liberty. 
The  murder  and  trial  occurred  about  the  j'ear 
1853.     Samuel   Galbraith     was    a    native    of 
Tennessee.     He  st'ttled  in  the    southeastern 
part  of  the  township  and  was  one  of  the  sub- 
stantial   citizens    of  his    community.     Elisha 
Hurst  immigrated   to  Illinois  from  Kentucky 
and  settled  in    the  southern    part    of  Edgar 
County  a  couple  of  miles  north  of  the  Doug- 
las line.     From   the   latter  place  he  moved  to 
this    township    in    the    spring    of    1832,    and 
located   in    the    eastern    part,  where    he  pur- 
chased forty-eight    acres    of  land  at  sheriff's 
sale.     He  lived  on   this    place  for  four  years 
when  he  sold  the  far  in  and  moved  intoDolsori 
Township  where  he  died    a  number  of  years 
ago.     Nicholas  Hurst,   son    of  the  I'oregoing, 
came  with    his    father    to    the    township  and 
entered    land    in    section     13     a   few   years 


468 


HISTORY  OF  CLARK  COUNTY. 


later.     He   was  a  resident  of    Douglas  until 
1856  wlieu  he  moved  to  Auburn  Townsliip,  in 
the  formation  of  which  he  was  the  chief  actor. 
He  has  been  a   prominent  politiciiin  and  has 
served   the   people    of  the  county  in  several 
positions    of  trust.     He   is  at   present  known 
by  the  high    sounding   title    of  "  Emperor  of 
JIuuiit  Auburn"  an   iionor  he   wears  with  be- 
coming dignity.     William  Lyc-an  immigrated 
from  Kentucky  and  locati'd  near  the  central 
part  of  the    township    where    he    improved  a 
farm  and  built  a  steam  mill  which  he  operated 
for  a  number  of  years.     This  mill  was  one  of 
the  earliest  steam  mills  in  the  northern  part  of 
the  county,  and   was    extensively  patronized 
during   the    time    it   was    in    operation.      It 
burned  down  a  number  of  years  ago  and  has 
never  been  rebuilt.     In    the   year  1833   Eli 
Kitchen   entered   land  near  the   central  part 
of  the  township.     He  was  a  local  preacher  of 
the   Methodist  church,   and  did  much  to  in- 
troduce Cliristianity  into  the  new  community. 
He  died  aljiiut    thirty    years    ago.     The  land 
on  which    he   settled    is    at   the  present  time 
owned  and  occupied  by  William  Thorn|)son. 
A  brother-in-law    of    Kitchen    by    name    of 
Gibbons    came     to   the    township  the     same 
year  and  settled  in  the  same  locality.     After 
1832  the  settlers   came    in   more  rapidly,  and 
bv  1837  the  township  was  quite  well  popu- 
lated.    Among  those    wiio  came  in  between 
these  two  years,  and  obtained   the  patents  of 
their  land   from    the    Government,  were   the 
following:    Lyman    Squires,    J.    H.  Walters, 
James  EUedge,    Robert   Craig,  Stephen  Lee, 
Merrick    Porter,  George    Hamilton,    Richard 
Grace,  Joseph  Burnett,  Thomas  Davis,  Rich- 
ard Wood,  John  L\'can,  .Joseph   Clapp,  Silas 
Dunham,  George    Clapp,    Nicholas  Hundly, 
Jiilm  Travis,  Samuel  Haiidly,  Richard  Morris, 
Margaret  Davis,  Samuel  Wheeler  and  Joseph 
Grisham.     The    names  of  many    other  early 
settlers  have,  unfortunately,  been   forgotten. 
From  the  year  1838   until   1815  the  tide  of 


imtiiigratlon  into  the  township  was  very  great, 
tlie  settlers  during  that  period  being  largely 
Germans.  These  settlers  located  chiefly  in 
the  southwestern  part  of  the  towns. lip,  and 
by  their  industry  soon  transformed  the  "  bar- 
rens "  of  that  section  from  a  quagmire  into 
one  of  the  most  fertile  farming  districts  in 
that  region  of  the  country. 

The  rapid  settlement  of  the  township  be- 
tween ttie  years  mentioned  led  to  the  imme- 
diate erection  of  mills  and  other  mechanical 
industries.  Samuel  Hanna  built  a  mill  on 
Big  Creek  near  the  Edgar  County  line  in  the 
year  1831.  It  was  a  water  mill,  and  rather  a 
rude  affair,  but  was  the  outgrowth  of  the 
home  demand.  Notwithstanding  the  presence 
of  other  mills  in  the  neighboring  townships, 
the  demand  for  one  in  this  vicinity  resulted 
in  its  erection.  The  mill  produced  a  very 
fair  artijsie  of  flour  and  meal  and  was  suffi- 
ciently well  patronized  to  warrant  its  continu- 
ance for  many  years. 

It  passed  into  the  hands  of  different  parties, 
and  was  afterward  improved  and  operated  by 
Thomas  Dixon  and  a  man  by  name  of  Ramey 
who  were  the  last  owners.  It  fell  into  disuse 
a  number  of  years  ago  and  in  time  disap- 
peared altogether.  Another  mill  was  erected 
on  the  Barn  Fork  of  Big  Creek  a  few  years 
later  by  the  Porter  brothers.  This  was  a 
combination  mill,  and  received  the  power  by 
which  it  was  operated  from  the  creek.  It 
was  extensively  patronized,  and  for  many 
years  did  agood  business,  both  in  sawing  lum- 
ber and  grinding.  It  disappeared  many  years 
a"-o,  and  ac  the  present  time  no  vestige  remains 
to  mark  the  spot  where  it  formeriy  stood.  A 
man  bv  name  of  Francis  settled  in  the  north- 
eastern part  of  the  township  in  the  year  1832 
and  soon  afterward  commenced  the  erection 
of  a  still  house  on  the  East  Fork  of  Big 
Creek.  The  building  was  irame,  about 
twenty  by  thirty  feet  and  a  story  and  a  half 
in    hei"-)it.      This   enterprise    proved    a   great 


HISTORY  OF  CLAEK  COUNTY. 


463 


benefit  to  the  settl'Ts  in  tiii;  vicinity  by 
bringing  a  market  lor  tiieir  wiaiii  into  their 
miilst.  As  corn  at  that  day  was  very  cheap, 
many  of  the  fanners  exchanged  their  grain 
for  whisl<y  vvliich  could  be  sold  at  any  time 
for  eighteen  and  twenty-five  cents  per  gallon. 

John  Lyoan  subsLHjuently  purchased  the 
still  and  operated  it  successfully  for  a  num- 
ber of  years.  He  afterward  built  *a  mill 
which  he  run  in  connection  with  the  distillery 
until  about  the  year  1847,  at  which  time  both 
enterprises  were  abandoned. 

One  of  the  earliest  mills  in  the  northern 
part  of  the  county  stood  on  the  West  Fork 
of  B  g  Creek,  and  was  erected  by  James  Kiil- 
well,  an  early  settler  who  came  into  the  county 
in  the  summer  of  1831.  It  was  first  started 
as  a  saw-mill  and  commenced  operating  in 
the  year  IS'oi.  A  set  of  buhrs  was  attached 
the  latter  part  of  the  same  year,  which  proved 
a  successful  venture.  The  mill  did  a  very 
good  business  ami  was  the  source  of  consid- 
erable revenue  to  the  propiietor  during  the 
time  it  was  in  operation.  The  mill  was 
bought,  about  the  year  18.35,  by  Messrs.  Row- 
ley and  Davidson,  of  Marshall,  who  run  it  for 
a  short  time,  when  they  tore  away  the  build- 
ing and  erected  in  its  place  an  extensive  dis- 
tillery. This  was  a  frame  building  two  sto- 
ries high  and  covered  a  space  of  ground  about 
thirty  by  forty  feet.  The  enterprise  proved 
a  success  and  was  operated  by  Rowley  and 
Davidson  until  the  year  1848,  when  it  fell 
into  disuse,  and  was  abandoned  al^put  one 
year  later.  A  part  of  the  old  building  is  still 
standing  and  serves  the  purpose  of  a  stable. 
A  certain  aspect  of  respectability  was  con- 
ceded the  distiller  in  early  years.  Whisky 
was  a  very  common  beverage,  and  was  to  be 
seen  on  every  sideboard,  and  the  custom  of 
dram  drinking  was  universal.  The  distil- 
leries mentioned  had  a  large  custom  trade, 
though  it  is  not  remembered  whether  their 
products  were  shipped  away  or  not.     The  old 


settlers  speak  in  high  terms  of  this  whisky, 
and  say  "  it  was  no  such  stuff  as  we  get  now- 
adays." They  also  state  that  drunkenness 
was  not  so  prevalent  then  as  it  is  at  the  pres- 
ent day,  although  at  log-rollings,  raisings  and 
other  gatherings  immense  quantities  of  liquor 
were  consumed.  A  man  by  name  of  Smith 
settled  near  the  Davidson  distillery  about  one 
year  after  its  erection  and  built  a  blacksmith 
shop.  This  was  the  first  shop  in  the  township, 
anil  was  operated  for  about  eight  years. 

The  early  settlers  of  Douglass  experienced 
great  difBoulties  in  traveling  from  place  to 
place  owing  to  the  absence  of  roads.  The 
first  legally  established  highway  was  surveyed 
through  the  eastern  part  of  the  township  some 
time  prior  to  184  ,  and  was  known  as  the 
Marshall  and  Paris  road.  It  passes  through 
the  township  from  north  to  south,  and  is 
still  extensively  traveled.  The  Chicago  road 
passes  through  the  township  near  the  eastern 
boundary.  It  was  laid  out  as  early  as  1845, 
and  at  the  present  time  is  the  principal  thor- 
oughfare in  the  township.  The  Grandview 
road  was  established  in  an  early  day,  and  was 
at  one  time  the  leading  highway  in  the  north- 
ern part  of  the  county.  In  the  meantime  the 
settlers  cut  roads  in  all  directions  to  facilitate 
travel,  and  in  the  course  of  fifteen  years  the 
township  was  well  supplied  with  highways. 
The  roads  of  the  township  at  the  present 
time,  while  not  so  good  as  those  in  some 
other  parts  of  the  county,  are  well  improved 
and  kept  in  fair  traveling  condition  during 
the  greater  part  of  the  year. 

The  early  educational  history  of  Douglass 
is  involved  in  considerable  obscurity,  and  it 
is  not  definitely  known  when  or  by  whom  the 
first  term  was  taught.  It  is  believed  by  many 
that  James  Miller  was  the  first  pedagogue, 
and  that  he  taught  school  in  a  little  log  house 
that  stood  on  the  Kitchen  farm  as  early  as  the 
year  1830.  This  school  was  attended  by 
about   twenty    pupils,  several    of  whom  only 


47J 


HISTORY  OF  CLARK  COUNTY. 


reached  the  school-house  by  a  walk  of  over 
three  miles.  A  second  building  for  school 
purposes  was  erected  a  few  years  later  and 
stood  on  the  farm  of  Samuel  McClure.  It 
was  known  as  the  McClure  school-house  and 
was  in  use  for  many  years.  One  of  the  fiist 
schools  in  the  township  was  taught  in  a  little 
log  dwelling  which  belonged  to  David  Rey- 
nolds. The  name  of  the  first  teacher  in  tiiis 
house  and  the  date  of  the  first  term  have  un- 
fortunately been  forgotten.  Among  the  early 
teachers  were  Lyman  C.  Squires  and  Samuel 
McClure,  both  of  whom  were  considered  effi- 
cient instructors  at  that  time,  but  would  hardly 
come  up  to  the  standard  required  of  the  pro- 
fession at  the  present  day.  School-houses 
were  erected  in  various  parts  of  the  township 
as  the  convenience  of  the  giowing  population 
demanded,  and  at  the  present  time  the  ad- 
vantages of  a  liberal  education  are  within  the 
easy  reach  of  all.  The  schools  are  well  sup- 
ported, and  teachers  receive  fair  salaries. 
Durino-  the  school  year  of  I8SI  and  I8S2 
there  was  paid  for  tuition  in  this  township  the 

sum  of  $i,b;35. 

The  religious  history  of  Douglass  dates 
from  the  year  of  the  township's  first  settlement. 
Many  of  the  pioneers  had  been  active  mem- 
bers of  different  churches  in  the  States  from 
whence  they  came  and  did  not  neglect  their 
religious  duties  upon  their  arrival  in  the  new 
country.  Meetings  were  at  first  held  at  pri- 
vate houses  and  groves,  and  were  generally 
conducted  by  traveling  preachers  of  the  Meth- 
odist church.     Among    these    early    pioneers 


of  the  cross  was  Rev.  James  McCord,  a  man 
widely  known  among  the  settlements  through- 
out the  northern  and  eastern  parts  of  the 
county.  He  was  a  great  revivalist  and,  though 
a  very  illiterate  man,  did  much  for  the  cause 
of  Christianity  among  the  sparsely  settled 
neisrhborhoods  of  Douarlass.  Eli  Kitchen,  to 
whom  reference  has  already  been  made,  was 
among  the  first  preachers  of  the  township,  and 
conducted  religious  services  at  his  residence 
for  several  years.  At  the  present  time  there 
are  two  churciies  in  the  township,  the  Bap- 
tists near  the  village  of  Castle  Finn  and  the 
Methodists  in  the  northern  part.  Both  or- 
ganizations have  good  houses  of  worship  and 
are  well  attended.  A  Union  meeting  house 
free  for  all  denominations  was  erected  a  few 
years  since  north  of  Castle  Finn.  It  is  a 
frame  building  and  represents  a  value  of 
about  $1,200. 

The  little  hamlet  of  Castle  Finn,  the  only 
village  in  the  township  is  situated  on  the 
northwest  quarter  of  the  northwest  quar- 
ter of  section  27.  It  was  surveyed  by  James 
Lawrence,  for  Robert  Wilson,  proprietor,  on 
the  17th  and  18th  days  of  May,  1818,  when 
the  lots  were  at  once  put  upon  the  market. 
The  name  of  the  village  was  given  it  by  the 
proprietor  in  honor  of  a  small  town  in  Ire- 
land near  the  birth-place  of  Mr.  Wilson.  The 
absence  of  any  inducements  prevented  busi- 
ness men  from  locating  in  the  village  and  as 
a  consequence  its  growth  has  been  rather 
slow,  ^t  the  present  time  it  can  boast  of  a 
store,  shoe  shop  and  a  blacksmith  shop. 


PART    III. 


JOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES, 


CLARK    COUNTY. 


PART  III 


Biographical  Sketches, 


CLARK    COUJSTTY. 


MARSHALL 

JOSEPH  L.  ALLISON,  Pension  Agent, 
Marshall,  is  a  native  of  Hancock  County,  Kj-., 
born  October  7,  1823.  The  parents  of  Mr. 
Allison,  William  L.  and  Kliza  B.  (Lewis')  Alli- 
son, were  natives  of  Kentncivy.  His  father  was 
born  November  23,  1794,  and  died  in  Coles 
Count3-,  111.,  August  21,  ISo-t.  His  mother, 
Eliza  B.  Lewis,  was  born  in  Hancock  County, 
Ky.,  Feburary  24,  I79.'j.  His  parents  removed 
to  Washington  County.  Ind.,  in  1825,  where 
his  mother  died  November  20,  1831.  His 
father  was  in  early  life  a  minister  in  the  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  Conference,  but  subsequently 
began  the  practice  of  medicine,  which  he  con- 
tinued until  his  death.  In  the  spring  of  1833, 
they  removed  to  Illinois,  and  settled  in  Coles 
County,  near  where  JIattoon  now  stands.  Here 
our  subject  grew  to  manhood  and  received  the 
elements  of  an  English  education  in  schools  of 
his  county.  These  were  what  were  known  as 
subscription  schools,  and  were  limited  to  three 
mouths  each  year.  For  some  years  previous 
to  his  marriage,  he  was  engaged  in  farming  and 
dealing  in  stock.  He  was  married  in  Clark 
County,  March  1,  1847,  to  Miss  Harriet  A. 
Easton,  daughter  of  Charles  and  Sarah  (Svvear- 
enger)  Easton.  Mrs.  Allison  was  born  in  Lex- 
ington,  Ky.,    March   23,    1S2S.      Mr.    Allison 


TOWE"SHIP. 

began  life,  as  before  mentioned,  as  a  farmer,  in 
Coles  County  about  1844.  which  ho  continued 
until  1855,  when  he  removed  to  Marshall,  in 
Clark  County,  and  is  still  a  resident  of  the 
place.  The  first  three  years  of  his  residence 
here  he  was  not  activelj-  engaged,  owing  to 
physical  disability.  In  1858.  he  was  appointed 
City  Marshal.  Mr.  Allison  refers,  with  some 
degree  of  pride,  to  the  fact  that  he  carried  a 
hod  in  the  construction  of  Mr.  Dulaney's 
dwelling  house.  In  1802,  he  formed  a  partner- 
ship with  Uriah  Manley  in  the  Claim  Agency 
business,  which,  in  connection  with  a  real 
estate  agency,  he  continues  still.  He  was 
admitted  to  practice  law  JIarch  25,  1803. 
Politics,  Kepnblican.  The3-  have  six  children 
living:  Anna  P].,  born  March  18,  1850  ;  Joseph 
L.,  born  October  7,  1851  ;  Sarah  M.,  born  May 
12,  1853;  Charles  E.,  born  June  12,  1859; 
Edgar  L.,  born  April  15,  1862  ;  Laura  M.,  born 
Augi'.st  8,  1807.  Family  residence  on  corner 
of  Hudson  and  Handy  streets. 

BURNS  ARCHER,  County  Treasurer,  Mar- 
shall, is  a  native  of  Clark  County,  111.,  born 
in  York  Township,  three  miles  south  from  Dar- 
win. He  is  a  son  of  Stephen  and  Nancy  (Shaw) 
Archer,  who  settled  in  this  county  in  1817. 
Subsequently,  was   educated    in    the   town   of 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


Marshall,  his  parents  having  moved  here  when 
he  was  eight  years  old.  He  was  born  July  25, 
1829.  Began  business  first  as  a  clerk  in  the  dry 
goods  house  of  Booth  &  Greenough,  for  whom 
he  worked  about  two  years.  Then  employed 
himself  for  awhile  in  teaching  public  schools. 
Afterward  worked  for  Lynn  &  Reed  for  six 
years,  and  bought  them  out  in  1861,  conduct- 
ing the  business  for  one  year,  when  he  closed 
out.  Subject  was  married  in  Marshall,  Nov- 
ember 6,  1851,  to  Miss  Maria  Drake,  daughter 
of  Rivers  and  Elizabeth  Drake.  She  was  born 
in  Virginia  September  20,  1827  ;  died  in 
Marshall,  July  27,  1855.  By  that  union  there 
were  three  children,  only  one  of  whom  is  now 
living :  Edgar  and  Emma  were  born  February 
18,  1853  ;  Cora  was  born  June  8,  1855.  Edgar 
and  Cora  Archer  died  in  infancy.  Emma  is 
married  to  Augustus  Markel,ofMarshall,Decem- 
ber  1,  1875.  Mr.  Archer  was  again  married 
in  Marshall,  November  3,  1859,  to  Mrs.  Elea- 
nora  Em  merson,  of  Ohio.  She  was  born  in  Can- 
ton, Ohio.  Subject  was  for  fifteen  months 
employed  as  Cashier  for  Quartermaster  Manly, 
and  settled  his  G-overnmental  affairs  at  his 
death,  which  occurred  in  the  fall,  1864.  Has 
served  as  Revenue  Assessor,  enumerating 
officer  of  the  census  of  Clark  County,  1870. 
In  January,  1873,  at  special  election,  he  was 
elected  Treasurer  of  Clark  County,  which  posi- 
tion he  has  held  for  nine  years.  His  official 
record  is  too  well  known  to  need  further  men- 
tion in  these  lines.  He  is  a  Republican,  and  a 
member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity  and  Knights 
of  Pythias. 

JOHN  M.  ARCHER,  carpenter,  Marshall, 
is  a  native  of  Clark  County,  111.  He  is  the 
fourth  of  a  family  of  eight  children  of  Jesse 
and  Jane  Archer.  His  father  was  born  in 
Warren  County,  Ohio,  July  2,  1799,  and  came 
with  his  brother  to  Illinois  in  1816.  They 
came  by  the  way  of  the  Ohio  and  Waljash 
Rivers  on  keel  boats,  and  made  a  settlement  in 
Darwin  Township.     The  entire  family  of  Zaeh- 


ariah  and  Jane  Archer  came  to  this  county 
perhaps  in  1817,  though  the  exact  date  is  a 
matter  of  dispute.  Here  in  the  wilds  the 
boys  grew  to  manhood.  Jesse  married  in 
Indiana  to  Miss  Jane  McDonald.  She  descends 
from  a  Scotch  family,  and  was  born  in  Knox 
County,  Ind.,  1802.  Mr."  Archer  brought  his 
bride  from  her  father's  home  in  Indiana  to 
the  "Western  wilds  on  horseback.  Jesse  Archer 
took  part  in  the  Black  Hawk  war  in  which  his 
brother,  William  B.,  obtained  the  title  of 
Colonel.  Jesse  Archer  raised  a  famil}'  of  eight 
children.  John  M.  Archer  was  born  on  Wal- 
nut Prairie,  in  York  Township,  on  the  7th  day 
of  February,  1834.  When  he  was  six  years  old, 
his  parents  moved  to  what  is  known  as  the 
"  grand  turn,"  where  he  grew  to  manhood,  and 
did  not  enjoy  the  benefits  of  a  free  school. 
When  nineteen  years  old,  he  began  the  trade 
of  carpenter,  which  he  used  as  a  means  to 
obtain  money  with  which  to  educate  himself 
He  spent  several  years  in  traveling  in  differ- 
ent parts  of  the  United  States,  but  returned  to 
Marshall  in- 1865,  and  on  the  Sth  day  of  August 
of  that  year  married  Miss  Maria  Smith,  of 
Ohio.  She  was  born  November  14,  1836. 
Their  family  consists  of  three  children,  all  born 
in  Marshall.  Cora  L.  was  born  A'ugust  23, 
1869  ;  Grace  G.  was  born  October  6,  1871  ; 
Ernest  Archer  was  born  October  4,  1872; 
Jesse  Archer,  father  of  John  M.,  died  at  the 
old  homestead  August  6,  1862.  The  mother 
died  in  Marshall  on  the  12th  of  March,  1868. 
John  M.  Archer  still  follows  the  business  of 
contractor  and  builder,  and  has  built  many  of 
the  modern  buildings  of  the  city  of  Marshall. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  I.  0.  0.  F.  Family 
residence,  corner  of  Michigan  and  North  street. 
IVAN  a.  BABLOW,  teacher,  Marshall. 
The  subject  of  these  lines,  Ivan  G.  Barlow,  is 
a  sou  of  the  late  J.  Milton  Barlow,  Sl.D., 
who  was  for  many  years  a  resident  of  Craw- 
ford Coimty.  His  father  was  educated  for 
a  physician  at   the  Rush  Medical  College  of 


MARSHALL   TOWNSHIP. 


Cnicago,  and  began  practice  at  Bell  Air,  in 
Jasper  County.  Ho  afterward  located  at 
Redmond,  in  Edgai-  County,  where  he  prac- 
ticed ior  about  fourteen  years.  That  he 
might  have  the  better  facility  for  educating 
his  children,  he  removed  his  family  to  West- 
tield.  111.,  in  1874.  From  here  he  removed 
to  Eaton,  Crawford  Count}-,  where  he  fol- 
lowed his  chosen  jarofession  until  compelled 
by  ill  health  to  abandon  practice,  which  he 
■lid,  retiring  to'  his  farm  near  Martinsville, 
111.,  where  he  died  October  12,  1880.  Susan 
R.  (Rubottom)  Bai-low,  mother  of  I.  G.  Bar- 
low, is  a  native  of  Indiana.  She  is  a 
daughter  of  Joseph  and  Elizabeth  Rubottom, 
the  former  a  native  of  North  Carolina  and 
the  latter  of  Indiana.  Mrs.  Bai-low  is  still 
living  in  the  old  homestead  near  Martins- 
ville. Subject  was  born  in  Jasper  County, 
111.,  February  23,  1858;  educated  principally 
at  Westfield,  where  be  was  qualified  for  the 
position  of  teacher,  which  he  has  acceptably 
filled  for  the  past  eight  years,  principally  in 
Clark  County.  He  is  now  in  his  third  year 
in  reading  law.  He  was  elected  to  the  ofiice 
of  Justice  of  the  Peace  in  Marshall,  April  5, 
1881,  a  position  held  by  his  grandfather  in 
this  place  many  years  ago.  He  was  married 
in  Mai'shall,  December  6,  1879,  to  Miss 
Hattie  Knowlton,  daughter  of  Benjamin 
Knowlton,  of  Massachusetts.  She  was  born 
in  Terre  Haute,  Ind.,  in  June,  1859. 

WALTEPt  BARTLETT,  collector,  Marshall, 
is  a  son  of  William  and  Sarah  Bartlott.  His 
father  is  a  son  of  John  Bartlett,  who  settled 
on  the  Walnut  Prairie  in  the  year  1S17.  He 
was  one  of  the  first  men  of  the  town  of  iMarshall. 
William  Bartlett  wa&  born  in  Clark  County, 
111.,  in  1828,  and  in  early  life  was  engaged  in 
farming ;  later,  in  the  milling  business,  and 
afterward  as  a  produce  merchant.  He  was 
married  in  JIarshall,  in  the  year  1854,  to  ^liss 
Sarah  McKeen,  tlaughter  of  William  and  Nancj' 


McKeen,  and  a  native  of  the  county.  She  was 
born  in  the  year  1832.  They  raised  a  family 
of  four  children,  of  whom  Walter  is  the  oldest. 
He  was  born  in  Marshall  April  10,1855.  The 
second  of  the  family  is  Frank  Bartlett ;  the 
third,  Mary  E.  Bartlett,  married  Charles  Ewalt; 
and  fourth,  Sallie  Bartlett.  Mrs.  Sarah  Bart- 
lett, mother  of  the  subject,  died  in  Marshall  on 
the  nth  of  May,  1863,  and  the  father  died  in 
same  place  on  the  2(ith  of  February,  1869. 
The  Bartlett  family  is  among  the  oldest  of 
Clark  County,  and  several  of  its  honored  mem- 
bers are  still  residents  of  the  county.  Walter 
is  engaged  in  an  abstract  office,  and  does  a 
general  collection  business.  He  is  a  member 
of  JIasonic  fraternit)-. 

HENRY  C.  BELL,  lawyer,  Marshall,  is  a 
native  of  Clark  County,  III.  He  was  born  in 
York  Township  January  5,  1849.  He  is  a  son 
of  Wiley  0.  and  Sarah  E.  Bell.  His  father  is 
a  native  of  North  Carolina,  and  was  born  on 
the  16th  of  March,  1816.  Reason  Bell,  father 
of  Wiley  O.  Bell,  came  to  Clark  County,  III. 
in  theyear  1819,  and  settled  near  the  present 
site  of  York,  where  Wiley  0.  grew  to  manhood 
and  where  H.  C.  Bell  was  born.  His  mother  was 
a  native  of  Crawford  County,  III.  She  is  a  daugh- 
ter of  Henry  and  Jemima  Buekner.  She  was. 
born  July  25,  1832,  and  was  married  to  W.  O. 
Bell  on  the  1st  day  of  February,  1848.  Henry 
C.  Bell  received  the  elements  of  an  English 
education  in  the  common  schools,  and  when  in 
his  sixteenth  year,  on  October,  1864,  became  a 
member  of  Company  K,  of  Twenty-ninth 
Indiana  Volunteer  Infantry.  He  participated 
in  Hood's  campaign  under  Gen.  Thomas,  and 
was  mustered  out  October  29,  1805,  at  Mari- 
etta, Ga.  Returning,  he  gave  his  attention  to 
study,  and  after  two  terms'  work  in  the  com- 
mon schools  of  the  county,  he  became  a  pupil 
in  the  Westfield  College,  where  he  remained  for 
four  years.  He  afterward  attended  the  Normal 
Institute  at  Carbondale,  III.  The  intervals 
between  school  terms  were  employed  in  teach- 


c 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


ing,  and  after  finishing  his  sturlies.  was  for 
several  years  a  teacher,  daring  which  time  he 
improved  his  opportunities  to  roaJ  hiw.  He 
read  with  the  firm  of  Scholfield  &  AVilkin,  but 
as  a  consequence  of  the  election  of  Scholfield  to 
the  Supreme  Judgeship,  he  entered  the  office 
of  Dulanej'  &  Golden.  He  was  admitted  to 
practice  June  13,  1S75.  In  July  of  that  year, 
he  was  appointed  totlic  office  of  County  Super- 
intendent of  Schools  of  Clark  County,  to  fill  the 
vacancy  occasioned  by  the  deatli  of  P.  A. 
McKane.  He  entered  on  the  practice  of  his 
profession  in  1875,  and  has  since  been  a  mem- 
ber of  the  bar  of  this  county.  He  is  at  this 
time  City  Attorney  for  Marshall,  an  office  to 
which  he  was  elected  in  April,  1882.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity  and  Knights 
of  Honor.  Mr.  Bell  was  married  in  Hudsou- 
ville,  Crawford  County,  July  22,  1875,  to  Miss 
Stella  Wilhite,  daughter  of  James  and  Nancy 
C.  (Cox)  Wilhite.  She  is  a  native  of  Crawford 
County,  111.,  and  born  August  18,  1855.  Mrs. 
Bell  is  a  member  of  the  Jlethodist  Episcopal 
Church  of  Hutsonville.  Their  fomily  consists 
of  two  children,  both  of  whum  were  born  in 
Marshall.  Their  names  are  as  follows  :  Edna 
Bell,  born  November  25,  1877  ;  lloscoe  Bell, 
born  May  2,  1881. 

HUBERT  BENEDICT,  retired,  Marshall. 
It  is  a  pleasure  to  chronicle  the  history  of  a 
man  who,  by  native  energy  and  honest  industry, 
has  stemmed  the  tide  of  poverty  and  adverse 
fortune,  and  come  to  old  age  with  an  unsullied 
character  and  a  competence  for  his  declining 
years.  Such  a  man  is  the  subject  of  these 
lines,  Hubert  Benedict,  born  in  Chenango 
County,  N.  Y.,  on  the  28th  of  November,  1816. 
He  remained  in  New  York  with  his  parents, 
Eliakim  and  Nancy  Benedict,  until  he  was  six- 
teen years  old.  At  this  time  he  and  an  elder 
brother,  in  companj-  with  some  emigrants, 
came  to  Huron  County,  Ohio.  When  they 
arrived  there,  their  earthly  store  consisted 
of    the     clothes    thej-     wore    and     95    cents, 


which  was  the  cash  account  of  Hubert.  Armed 
with  their  willing  hands  and  possessed  of  de- 
termined spirits,they  sought  work  in  the  countv. 
Work  was  soon  obtained  by  Hubert,  and  he 
gave  the  bank  account  to  his  older  brother, 
who  sought  employment  elsewhere.  After  two 
years'  service  on  the  farm,  he  began  driving  a 
stage  team,  a  work  which  he  followed  in  Ohio 
for  several  years.  He  was  married  in  Lancas- 
ter, Ohio,  on  the  24th  of  April,  1837,  to  Miss 
Nancy  Kelley,  daughter  of  Felix  and  Christina 
Kelley.  She  was  born  in  Ireland,  April  25, 
1816,  and  came  to  the  United  States  with  her 
parents  when  she.  was  fifteen  years  old.  In 
1839,  they  came  with  ox  team  to  Terre  Haute, 
Ind.,  and  drove  stage  from  that  place  to  Mar- 
tinsville, 111.  In  1842,  they  made  their  first 
residence  in  Marshall,  where  they  remained 
two  years,  at  which  time,  being  made  an  agent 
for  the  stage  line  from  Terre  Haute  to  Spring- 
field, III,  he  moved  to  Charleston,  111.,  but 
returned  to  Marshall  in  June  of  1846.  Since 
that  time,  he  has  been  a  resident  of  the  place. 
In  that  year,  he  embarked  in  the  grocery  busi- 
ness, which  he  followed  verj-  successfullj'  for 
several  years.  In  1856,  his  entire  property, 
consisting  of  dwelling  and  two  business  houses, 
was  destroj-ed  by  fire,  causing  him  a  loss  of 
about  $5,000.  In  1858,  he  built  the  present 
brick  block  on  the  old  site,  having  previously 
erected  a  large  dwelling  house.  He  now  owns 
two  farms,  besides  his  extensive  cit}'  pi'operty. 
They  have  a  family  of  nine  children,  of  whom 
six  are  now  living.  The  eldest,  Lyman  Bene- 
dict, was  born  March  11, 1839,  and  died  August 
6,  1841;  Margaret  Benedict,  born  November 
12,  1840,  and  died  October  1,  1841  ;  Nancy 
Benedict,  born  November  2,  1842,  and  married 
to  N.  Robinson  ;  Mary  J.  Benedict,  born  Sep- 
tember 31,  1844,  now  the  wife  of  T.  J.  Golden; 
William  Benedict,  born  January-  18,  1846,  mar- 
ried to  Mary  Montgomery  ;  Maggie  Benedict, 
born  August  5, 1848,  married  to  Chester  Little- 
field  ;  Josephine  Benedict,  born  April  13,  1850, 


MARSHALL    TOWNSHIP. 


and  married  to  D.  Tremble;  Melissa  Benedict, 
born  April  18,  1852,  and  died  June  18,  1853 ; 
Hubert  F.  Benedict,  born  November  26.  1853. 
Mrs.  Benedict  and  children  are  members  of  the 
Catholic  Church  of  Marshall.  Hubert  Benedict 
is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity. 

J.  B  BENNETT,  liquor  dealer,  Marshall, 
is  a  native  of  Clark  County,  III,  and  was  born 
on  the  7th  of  May,  1846.  He  is  a  son  of  Will- 
iam P.  Bennett,  so  long  and  favorably  known 
in  this  county.  His  father  was  born  in  York  State 
June  25,  1808,  and  settled  in  the  township  of 
York  in  the  pioneer  days  of  this  county's  his- 
tory. Here  he  was  married  to  Miss  Sarah 
Botsford.  She  is  a  native  of  Belleville,  111., 
born  April  2,  1820.  WMlliam  Bennett  was  en- 
gaged in  farming  and  milling,  and  for  some 
years  was  the  Sheriff  of  Clark  County,  and  Cir- 
cuit Clerk,  offices  which  he  filled  to  acceptance. 
He  assisted  in  the  apprehending  and  breaking- 
up  of  the  memorable  "Birch  gang,"  who  for  years 
■were  such  a  ten-or  to  this  county  and  adjoining 
country.  He  went  to  California  in  1849,  and 
after  returning  was  elected  to  the  office  of  Cir- 
■cuit  Clerk  of  Clark  County  for  eight  years. 
He  died  in  Marshall,  where  his  widow  still  lives, 
on  the  17th  of  July,  1880.  They  have  raised  a 
family  of  eight  children,of  whom  one  is  dead, and 
of  whom  J.  B.  Bennett  is  the  second.  Our  sub- 
ject was  raised  in  Clark  County,  III,  and  edu- 
cated in  the  common  schools.  In  1872,  he  be- 
gan work  for  a  Cincinnati  firm  as  traveling 
salesman,  for  whom  he  worked  until  he  opened 
business  for  himself  in  Marshall  in  1882.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  Knights  of  Honor. 

WILLIAM  T.  BESSER,  miller,  Marshall, 
the  youngest  of  a  large  family  born  to  Bates 
and  Huldah  Besser,  was  born  in  York  Town- 
ship, Clark  County,  on  the  26th  day  of  Oc- 
tober, 1842.  His  father  is  a  native  of  Switzer- 
land, born  June  15,  1797,  and  came  to  the 
United  States  with  his  parents  when  about  ten 
years  old.  They  settled  at  Buffalo,  N.  Y., 
where  they  resided  for  several  years.     When 


Bates  was  seventeen  years  old,  he  went  to  Phil- 
adelphia and  served  an  apprenticeship  to  the 
trade  of  cabinet-maker.  He  came  to  Illinois 
about  1823  and  settled  in  York  Township  of 
Clark  County.  Here  he  was  married  to  Miss 
Huldah  Holienback,  a  daughter  of  Lawrence 
Hollenback,  one  of  the  pioneers  of  Clark  Coun- 
ty. Bates  Besser  died  in  York  Township  Sep- 
tember 13,  1855.  Mrs.  Huldah  Besser  was  a 
native  of  the  State  of  New  York,  born  October 
10,  1805,  and  came  to  Illinois  from  that  State 
with  her  parents  in  1816.  She  died  in  Mar- 
shall September  9,  1873.  William  T.  Besser 
was  raised  in  Clark  County,  where  he  received 
a  common  school  education.  He  was  married 
on  the  19th  day  of  April,  1874,  to  Miss  Mary 
Craig,  daughter  of  James  and  Mary  Craig,  ot 
Sullivan  County,  Ind.,  where  she  was  born 
October  10,  1853.  Her  father  was  killed  in 
battle  in  the  civil  war.  Their  family  consists 
of  a  son  and  daughter,  Daniel  Besser,  born  in 
Vermillion,  Edgar  County,  January  30,  1875; 
Bertha  Besser,  born  in  Marshall,  Clark  County, 
August  24,  1880.  In  1866,  Mr.  Besser  asso- 
ciated himself  with  A.  M.  Payne  in  the  milling 
business,  in  the  first  steam  flouring  mill  of 
5Iarshall,  known  as  the  "Old  Marshall  Mill." 
This  mill  burned  in  1874,  and  the  two  years 
following  he  and  his  present  partner,  John 
Marvin,  were  in  the  milling  business  in  Ver- 
million, Edgar  County.  Returning  to  Marshall  in 
1876,  he  bouglit  a  one-third  interest  in  the 
"Quaker  City  Mill,"  which  was  erected  by 
Joseph  Cork  iu  1874.  Mr.  Besser  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Masonic  Order  and  I.  0.  0.  F.,  and 
his  wife  is  a  member  of  the  Christian  Church 
of  Marshall. 

WILLIAM  L.  BISHOP,  merchant,  Marshall, 
is  a  native  of  Crawford  County,  111.,  and  was 
born  on  the  20th  of  May,  1851.  His  father, 
Silas  Bishop,  was  born  in  1818,  in  North  Caro- 
lina, and  came  to  Illinois  with  his  parents,  who 
settled  in  Crawford  County  in  1830.  Here  he 
grew  to  manhood,  and  in  1841  was  married  to 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


Abigail  Guyer,  daugliter  of  E.  and  S.  Guyer. 
She  was  born  in  Crawford  County,  111.,  on  the 
13th  of  July,  1820,  and  still  survives.  Will- 
iam L.  Bishop  is  the  fourth  of  a  family  of  six 
children.  Besides  the  common  schools  of 
Crawford  County,  he  enjoyed  the  privileges  of 
a  course  in  the  Westfield  College,  after  which 
he  taught  school  for  four  years.  In  1875,  he 
embarked  in  the  mercantile  trade  at  Hudson- 
ville,  and  has  been  in  active  business  since. 
He  came  to  Marshall,  Clark  County,  in  Octo- 
ber, 1880,  where  he  is  now  doing  a  flourishing 
grocer)'  business,  and  is  associated  with  John 
Olwin,  of  Hudsonville,  111.  Mr.  Bishop  was 
married,  on  the  20th  of  January,  1880,  in  Hud- 
sonville, to  Miss  Emma  E.  Adams.  She  was 
born  in  Preble  County,  Ohio,  August  31,  1861. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  Order  and 
K.  of  H. 

HARRISON  BLACK,  County  Clerk,  Mar- 
shall, is  a  native  of  Westlield  Township,  Clark 
County,  born  July  17, 1838.  He  is  a  son  of  Will- 
iam and  Zerilda  (^ennett)  Black,  who  died 
when  HaiTison  was  about  two  years  old.  After 
the  death  of  his  parents,  be  was  cared  for  by 
his  grandfather  Bennett.  He  received  the 
elements  of  an  English  education  in  the  com- 
mon schools  of  Clark  County.  He  began  the 
course  in  the  Marshall  College,  but  gave  it  up 
to  become  a  defender  of  his  country.  In  1861, 
(May  17),  he  enlisted  in  Company  H,  Twenty- 
first  Illinois  Volunteer  Infantrj^  (Capt.  Har- 
lan), in  which  he  served  during  the  war  and 
was  mustered  out  as  Captain  on  the  28th  of 
January,  1866,  at  Springfield,  111.  He  partici- 
pated in  the  battles  of  Perryville,  siege  of 
Corinth,  battle  of  Stone  River,  Chickamauga 
and  the  Atlanta  campaign,  Jonesboro,  Frank- 
lin and  Nashville,  besides  many  of  less  impor- 
tance. On  the  13th  of  August,  1857,  he  was 
married,  in  Clark  Count}-,  to  Miss  Lucv  R. 
Stark,  daughter  of  .Aijen  and  Amanda  Stark. 
She  was  born  in  Clark  Count)-,  June  15,  1838, 
and   died    August   8,    1859.     After   returning 


from  the  war,  Mr.  Black  was  married,  October 
25,  1866,  to  Miss  Emma  R.  B.  Devers,  daugh- 
ter of  John  and  America  Devers,  of  Clark 
County.  She  was  a  native  of  Brown  County 
Ohio,  born  August  4,  1847.  He  has  one 
daughter  as  the  result  of  the  first  marriage 
Emma  A.  Black,  born  in  Clark  County  June 
16,  1858,  married  to  Harry  Schultz  of  Penn- 
sylvania. In  1871,  he  embarked  in  the  drug 
business  at  Martinsville,  Clark  Co.,  which  busi- 
ness he  still  continues.  He  was  elected  to  the 
office  of  County  Clerk  November,  1877,  and 
re-elected  in  November,  1882.  In  politics,  he 
is  Republican,  and  a  member  of  the  Masonic 
fraternity. 

JOHN  K.  BLACK,  merchant,  Marshall. 
John  K.  Black  is  the  second  of  a  family  of 
eleven  children  of  John  A.  Black  and  Nancy 
Baird.  His  parents  are  yet  living,  and  are 
highly  respected  citizens  of  Marshall  Town- 
shiiJ,  Clark  County.  John  K.  was  born  Jan- 
uary 4,  1848,  in  Wabash  Township,  and  was 
principally  reared  on  the  farm,  in  the  mean- 
time receiving  the  advantages  of  a  common, 
school  education.  At  the  age  of  seventeen, 
he  decided  to  qualify  himself  for  some  use- 
ful pursuit,'  and  decided  on  the  trade  of  har- 
ness maker,  which  he  learned  with  Messrs. 
Griffith  &  Fraker,  and  at  which  he  worked 
until  1874.  At  this  date  he  engaged  in  the 
produce  business,  which  he  continued  for 
some  time  with  fair  success.  ^About  1878, 
he  formed  a  partnership  ivith  the  late  John 
Coughlan  in  the  grocery  business,  which 
partnership  continued  until  the  failing  health 
of  Mr.  Coughlan  compelled  him  to  suspend 
business,  and  travel  for  his  health, which  h© 
did,  returning  in  1881,  when  they  again 
associated  themselves  in  trade,  this  time  in 
the  poultry  business.  This  partnership  con- 
tinued until  the  fall  of  1881,  when  Mr.  C. 
was  again  compelled,  by  loss  of  health,  to 
retire  from  the  business.      Mr    Black  then 


MARSHALL    TOWNSHIP. 


formed  a  partnership  with  Lyman  Lycan,  in 
the  grocery  and  provision  business,  which 
they  have  conducted  ever  since  with  satisfac- 
tory success  and  increasing  trade.  They  are 
located  on  the  southwest  corner  of  Public 
Square.  Mr.  Black  was  married,  September 
15,  1868,  to  Miss  Mary  Owuby,  then  of  Coles 
County,  111. ,  but  a  native  of  Lawrenceburg, 
Ind. ,  where  she  was  born  July  7,  1848.  She 
died  February  24,  1875.  He  was  married  to 
his  present  wife,  Miss  Maiy  L.  Warriner,  on 
the  1st  of  March,  1881.  She  was  born  June 
8,  1857,  in  Greensburg,  Decatui-  Co.,  Ind. 
They  have  one  child,  a  daughter,  Ida  Elnora 
Black,  born  in  Marshall  March  6,  1883.  Mr. 
Black  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  order,  and 
both  he  and  his  wife  are  honored  members  of 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  Chiu'ch. 

DR.'R.  H.  BRADLEY,  physician,  Marshall, 
is  a  native  of  Gallia  Couutj-,  Ohio.  He  was 
born  October  2,  1843.  His  father,  Lewis  M. 
Bradle3-,  was  a  native  of  New  York,  born 
August  9,  1805.  He  came  from  Ohio  to  Clark 
County,  111.,  in  1852,  and  was  a  resident  of  the 
town  of  Marshall  until  the  time  of  his  death, 
,  which  occurred  March  24,  1880.  Nancy  C. 
Knox,  mother  of  R.  H.  Bradley,  and  daughter 
of  Charles  G.  Knox,  was  born  in  Delaware 
August  8,  1808.  She  was  married  to  Lewis 
M.  Bradley  in  Ohio,  December  24, 1827.  The 
Doctor  is  the  seventh  of  a  familj-  of  ten 
children,  and  was  nine  years  old  when  he  came 
to  Marshall.  Graduated  from  the  Marshall 
College  in  1860.  He  began  the  study  of  medi- 
cine in  1867  under  Dr.  F.  R.  Payne,  and  after- 
ward became  a  student  in  the  Chicago  Medical 
College,  receiving  the  degree  conferred  b}-  that 
institution  in  March,  1873.  He  immediately 
began  what  has  proven  a  verj'  successful 
practice,  associated  with  Dr.  F.  R.  Payne.  He 
is  a  regularl}-  appointed  examining  physician 
for  the  Pension  department  since  1874.  He 
is  also  employed  as  surgeon  for  the  Wabash 


R.  R.  Co.,  office  on  Clinton  street;  residence  on 
corner  of  Market  and  West  streets.  Mr.  Bradley 
was  married  in  Coshocton,  Ohio^  January  30, 
1878,  to  Miss  Isabell  Campbell,  daughter  of 
Thomas  and  Martha  Campbell.  She  was  born 
at  Coshocton,  Ohio,  October  30,  1848.  They 
have  two  children  whose  name  and  ages  are  as 
follows:  Martha  L.,  born  January  2,  1879, 
Stephen,  born  December  10,  1880.  Mr.  B.  is  a 
member  of  the  Jlasonic  Order  and  Knights  of 
Honor. 

ALLEN  BRISCOE,  retired,  Marshall,  is  a 
native  of  Jefferson  County,  Ky.     He  was  born 
near  Louisville  on  the  14th  d.ay  of  February, 
1832.     His  lather,  Henry  Briscoe,  is  a  descend- 
ant of  an  English  family,  and  he  was  a  soldier 
in   the   Revolutionary   war.     He   was  born  in 
Virginia  and   came    from    the   State  of    Ken- 
tucky  to   Illinois   in  1S35.     He   settled   near 
where  Westfiekl  is  located,  where  he  soon  .after 
died.     Catharine  Brooks,  mother  of  A.  B.  Bris- 
coe, was  of  German  descent ;  she  was  a  native 
of  Virginia,  and  died  soon  after  the  death  of 
her  husband.     Allen  B.  was  thus  early  in  life 
left  an  orphan,  but  was  cared  for  by  the  older 
members  of  the  family,  who  kept  the  children 
together.     At    this   time,   educational    advan- 
tages were  very  inferior,  and  Mr.  Briscoe  thinks 
that,  when   all  told,  he  went   to  school  about 
one  year.     He  began  life  for  himself  by  haul- 
ing le.ad  ore  from  Galena  to  Milwaukee.     After 
some   time  thus  spent,  he  engaged   in  stock 
dealing  for  some  six  or  seven  years.     In  1852, 
he  was  elected  to  the  office  of  County  Clerk  of 
Clark  County,  and  moved  to  Marshall  in  1853, 
and  has  been  a  resident  of  the  town  ever  since. 
He  was  continuously  elected  to   the  office  of 
County  Clerk  for  twenty-four  years  from  fall  of 
1852.     He  married,  in  Marshall,  on  January  24, 
1859,  to  Miss  Slary  J.  Corey,  daughter  of  Lova 
and  3Iartha  (Archer)  Corey.     She  was  born  in 
AVinnebago  County,  111.,  July  2,    1837.     Her 
father  was  a  native  of  New  York,  and  came  to 
Illinois  about  1820,  and  is  among  the  very  first 


10 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


settlers  of  Walnut  Prairie.  Her  mother  was  a 
daughter  of  Charles  K.  Archer,  and  was  born 
in  Knox  Count}-,  Ind.,  in  1816,  and  came  to 
Illinois  with  her  parents  when  about  one  j-ear 
old.  She  was  married  to  Lova  Corey  in  1830  ; 
had  a  farailj'  of  ten  children,  of  whom  Mrs. 
Briscoe  is  the  third.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Briscoe 
have  a  familj-  of  four  children  whose  names 
and  ages  follow:  Carroll  Briscoe,  born  April 
12,  18G0;  Cora  Briscoe,  born  April  19,  1864; 
Walter  L.  Briscoe,  born  Maj'  12,  1871;  Jean- 
nette  Briscoe,  born  Februar}'  5,  1875.  The 
oldest  of  these  children,  Carroll,  is  now  a  grocer 
merchant  in  Marshall,  having  embarked  with 
H.  B.  Dulane}'  in  that  business  in  August  of 
1882.  He  is  a  member  of  the  I.  0.  0.  F.  Mr. 
Briscoe  owns  a  farm  in  York  Township,  and 
one  adjoining  the  city  of  Marshall. 

THOMAS  BROWN,  mechanic,  Marshall, 
was  born  at  Bedale,  in  Yorkshire,  England, 
December  8,  1819.  His  father,  John  Brown, 
and  mother,  Alice  (Kell)  Brown,  were  natives  of 
England,  but  descended  from  a  Scotch  family. 
They  died  in  their  native  countr}',  leaving  a 
family  of  nine  children,  Thomas  being  the  fifth. 
He  was  educated  in  England  and  learned  the 
blacksmith  trade  under  his  f;ilher.  He  came 
to  the  United  States  in  May,  1842,  landing  at 
New  York  City.  In  the  same  year,  he  located 
for  work  at  Queeustown,  Canada,  where  he 
plied  his  trade  for  a  year  and  a  half,  when, 
having  married  Margaret  J.  M<;Donough,  of 
Stamford,  Canada,  he  removed  and  settled  at 
that  place.  Mrs.  Black'  is  the  youngest  of  a 
family  of  six  children  of  Henry  and  Elizabeth 
McDonough.  She  was  born  in  Rochester,  N. 
Y.,  on  the  29th  of  December,  1827.  Thomas 
and  Margaret  Brown  have  had  a  family  of 
fourteen  children,  only  five  of  them  are  living 
at  this  time  (January,  1883).  John  F.,  Millicent, 
Elizabeth  and  Henry  T.  Brown  were  born  at 
Stamford,  Canada.  The  daughters  Millicent 
and  Elizabeth  died  at  same  place.  The  family 
then,  in   1848,  removed   to   Lockport,  N.  Y., 


where  were  born  Mary  L.,  Thomas  and  George 
A.  Brown,  and  where  Thomas  died.  The 
family  came  to  Marshall  in  1854,  after  which 
seven  children  were  added — Julia  E.,  Agnes 
A.,  Harriet  Dee.,  Annette,  Jennie,  Maggie 
and  Timothy  Brown;  of  these,  Agnes  and 
Harriet  are  living.  George  A.  Brown  died  in 
Westfield,  111.,  on  the  18th  of  January,  1876. 
He  was  a  rising  physician,  and  his  death  was 
deeply  felt  by  the  family  and  the  community. 
Frank  is  married  to  Miss  Mollie  Briscoe, 
Henry  is  married  to  Miss  Jennie  Esinger, 
Mary  is  married  to  E.  Tinsman,  Agnes  is  mar- 
ried to  A.  Matthews,  and  Harriet  is  married  to 
George  Collins.  Mr.  Thomas  Brown  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  I.  0.  0.  F.  and  Masonic  fraternitj-. 
Mrs.  Brown's  parents  were  of  foreign  birth,  the 
father  born  on  the  Isle  of  Jersey,  1797,  and  the 
mother  in  Ireland,  179S.  The  father,  Henry 
McDonough,  is  a  relative  of  Commodore  Mc- 
Donough, and  for  several  years  was  a  member 
of  the  British  Regular  Army,  occupying  the 
position  of  Band  blaster.  After  marrying  in 
Montreal,  Canada,  he  severed  his  connection 
with  the  army,  and  removed  to  Plattsburg,  N. 
Y.,  where  their  two  oldest  children,  Louisa  and 
Julia,  were  born.  The  family  then  removed  to 
Sackett's  Harbor,  where  were  born  three  chil- 
dren— Mary,  Catharine  and  William  H.  Mc- 
Donough. They  then  removed  to  Rochester, 
N.  Y.,  where  Blrs.  Brown  was  born  and  where 
the  father  died  in  1830.  The  mother  came  to 
Marshall  with  Mr.  Brown  in  1854,  but  returned 
to  Stamford,  Canada,  in  1861,  where  she  died 
the  3'ear  following. 

J.  C.  BRYAN,  retired,  Marshall,  is  a  native 
of  Bourbon  County,  Ky.,  and  was  born  July 
25,  1828.  He  is  a  son  of  James  and  Margaret 
(Burris)  Bryan.  In  1830,  his  parents  removed 
to  Indiana,  and  settled  in  Hamilton  County, 
in  the  town  of  Nobleville,  where  J.  C.  grew  to 
manhood,  and  where  in  1842  his  father  died, 
after  suffering  as  an  invalid  for  several  years. 
J.  C.  Bryan  was  thus  early  thrown  upon  his 


MARSHALL   TOWNSHIP. 


11 


own  resources.  He  began  what  has  been  a 
very  profitable  business  career  as  a  clerk  in 
Noblcville,  Ind.,  and  afterward  at  Livingston, 
111.;  later,  at  the  village  of  Pniirieton,  lud., 
where  he  was  associated  with  his  brother,  W. 
II.   Bryan,   in  a  general    store.     In   January, 

1852,  he  came  from  the  latter-named  place  to 
Marshall,  111.  Here,  after  a  clerkship  of  six 
months,  he  purchased  an  interest  in  the  store, 
which  was  afterward  run  in  the  firm  name  of 
"  Ritchie,  Hines  &  Bryan."  This  partnership 
continued  about  three  years.  He  was  then 
engaged  in  running  a  livery  and  feed  stable. 
In  1861,  he  openedUhe  first  exclusive  hard- 
ware store  ever  started  in  Marshall,  and  with 
slight  exception  has  been  engaged  in  this  busi- 
ness until  1870,  when  he  sold  out  to  his  sons, 
Clarence  and  William  Bryan,  and  retired  from 
active  business.  He  is  a  Democrat,  and  now 
represents  the  Forty-fifth  District  in  the  Gene- 
ral Assembly.     He   was  married,  October   20, 

1853,  to  Miss  Mary  J.  Shaw,  daughter  of  Nin- 
evah  and  Mary  Shaw,  of  Clark  County.  She 
was  born  August  12,  1832.  They  had  a  family 
of  four  children,  all  of  whom  were  born  in  Mar- 
shall, Clarence  Bryan,  born  August  29,  1854  ; 
William  Bryan,  born  June  19,  1857  ;  Albert 
Bryan,  born  February  1,  1863  ;  Maggie  Bryan, 
born  February  6,  1871.  The  two  elder  named 
are  the  successors  of  their  father,  and  among 
the  most  active  young  men  in  Marshall.  Mr. 
J.  C.  Bryan  owns  two  farms,  one  of  280  acres, 
Marshall  Township,  and  one  of  253  acres  in 
Darwin  Township.  Family  residence,  on  corner 
of  North  and  West  streets. 

•  LYMAN  BOOTH,  merchant,  Marshall,  is  a 
native  of  Washington  Count}',  Ind.,  born  Jan- 
uary 20,  1830,  son  of  Beebe  and  Hannah 
Booth,  who  for  many  years  have  been  residents 
of  Terre  Haute,  Ind.,  and  still  living.  Subject 
was  educated  at  Salem  and  Terre  Haute,  and 
began  business  as  a  dry  goods  merchant  in 
Marshall  in  the  year  1850,  and  that  year  erected 
the  building    which    lie  now  occupies,  having 


done  business  here  for  himself  for  thirty -two 
years,  besides  having  done  clerical  work  for 
five  years  for  the  firm  of  Booth  &  Greenough. 
This  business  career  renders  IMr.  Booth  so 
well  knowu  that  no  special  mention  of  ours  can 
add  to  his  sterling  -eputation  as  a  business 
man.  He  is  now  associated  with  Greenough 
in  the  dry  goods  and  clothing  business  on 
corner  of  Market  and  Hamilton  streets.  Sub- 
ject was  married  January  12,  1852,  to  Miss 
Fayette  Whitlock,  daughter  of  James  and 
Eliza  A.  Whitlock.  She  was  born  in  Yandalia, 
Fayette  County,  September  3,  1832.  They 
have  a  family  of  six  children,  three  of  whom 
are  living.  Politics,  Republican,  and  a  member 
of  the  I.  0.  0.  F. 

EDWIN  BOOTH,  lumber  dealer,  Marshall, 
is  a  son  of  Lyman  and  Fayette  A.  Booth.  He  is 
the  second  of  a  family  of  six  children,  and  was 
born  in  Marshall  December  30,  1858.  He  was 
.educated  in  the  common  schools  of  Marshall, 
and  obtained  a  practical  knowledge  of  business 
by  several  years'  experience  with  his  father. 
In  1878,  he  took  charge  of  a  lumber  yard  for 
John  A.  Whitlock,  and  managed  the  business 
for  him  for  one  year,  at  the  end  of  which  he 
became  the  owner  and  proprietor  of  the  yard, 
where  he  now  has  a  supply  of  everything  in 
his  line  which  the  market  can  demand.  He  is 
one  among  the  active  young  business  men  of 
Marshall  who  have  wisely  begun  life  on  a  tem- 
perance basis.  He  was  married,  December  14, 
1881,  to  Miss  Kate  L  Harlan,  daughter  of 
Cyrus  and  Julia  Harlan.  She  was  born  in 
Marshall  June  3. 1859.  Their  family  residence 
is  on  the  corner  of  Hamilton  and  Daviess 
streets. 

SiVMUEL  A.  "BURNER,  physician,  Marshall, 
is  a  native  of  Licking  County,  Ohio.  He  was 
born  February  13,  1838.  His  parents  were 
Abraham  and  Barbara  Burner.  His  father  was 
born  in  Shenandoah  County,  Va.,  on  the  8th 
of  October,  1799.  From  that  place  he  came 
to  Ohio  wheu  eighteen  vears  old,  and  on  March 


13 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


21,  1819,  was  married  to  Miss  Barbara 
Stover.  In  1845,  lie  came  with  his  family  to 
lUiuois  and  settled  in  Crawford  County,  where 
he  followed  farming  until  his  death,  which 
occurred  in  1877.  Mrs  Barbara  Burner  was 
also  a  native  of  Shenandoah  County,  Va., 
bom  July  22,  1798.  She  died  in  Crawford 
County,  III,  April  11, 1855.  The  Doctoris  the 
ninth  of  a  family  of  ten  children.  He  was 
educated  principally  in  Marshall  College,  and 
read  medicine  under  Drs.  Brengle  and  Meserve, 
of  Robinson,  Crawford  County.  He  attended 
lectures  at  the  Rush  Medical  College  of  Chicago. 
He  began  the  practice  of  his  profession  at  Por- 
tersville.  111.  Afterward  was  located  at  Robin- 
son for  six  years,  during  which  time  he  was 
the  regularly  appointed  jMedical  Examiner  for 
the  pension  bureau,  and  four  years  of  which 
time  he  served  Crawford  County  as  Superin- 
tendent of  Schools.  Since  1874,  he  has  been 
practicing  in  Marshall.  He  was  married  in 
Crawford  County,  111.,  May  18,  18G5,  to  Miss 
Sarah  Kirk,  daughter  of  James  and  Keziah 
Kirk.  She  is  a  native  of  Ohio,  and  was  born 
November  19,  1838,  and  died  in  Robinson,  of 
consumption,  April  2,  1871,  leaving  one  child 
named  Clitfe  Burner,  who  died  at  the  age  of 
seven  months.  His  present  wife.  Miss  Drue 
Sutton,  is  a  daughter  of  Samuel  and  JIatilda 
Sutton,  and  was  born  in  Fayette  County,  Ind., 
May  18,  1838.  They  were  married  April  7, 
1874.  They  have  a  family  of  two  children — 
Ethel  L.  Burner,  born  in  Marshall  August  28, 
1875  ;  Clarence  Burner,  born  in  Marshall 
March  16,  1879.  Mr.  Burner  and  wife  are 
members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  of 
Marshall. 

THOMAS  W.  CLARK,  express  agent,  Mar- 
shall, was  born  in  Highland  County,  Ohio,  on 
the  IGth  day  of  July,  1846.  His  father,  John 
Clark,  was  a  native  of  Ross  County,  Ohio,  and 
was  born  July  12,  1822.  His  mother,  Sarah 
E.  Dunlap,  was  born  in  Highland  County, 
Ohio,  November  28,  1821,  and  was  married  to 


John  Clark  January  17,  1843.  They  removed 
to  Illinois  in  October,  1852,  and  settled  in 
Marshall,  but  for  several  j-ears  past  have  re- 
sided at  Livingston.  They  have  had  a  family 
of  seven  children,  of  whom  Thomas'  W.  Clark 
is  the  second,  and  of  whom  six  are  living. 
Thomas  received  the  elements  of  an  education 
in  the  common  schools  of  Clark  Countj',  but 
at  the  age  of  sixteen  he  enlisted  in  the  army 
and  went  to  bear  a  part  in  the  struggle  for  na- 
tional Union.  He  was  a  member  of  Company 
H,  of  the  Seventieth  Illinois  Infantry,  until  the 
end  of  the  term  of  enlistment,  when  he  joined 
the  One  Hundred  and  Fifteenth  Indiana  Regi- 
ment, Company  H.  From  this  he  was  dis- 
charged on  the  25th  of  February,  1864,  when 
he  immediately  enlisted  in  Company  H,  of  the 
First  Indiana  Heavy  Artiller3-.  He  was  Anal- 
ly discharged  on  the  10th  of  January,  1866. 
He  participated  in  more  than  100  days  of 
fighting,  through  which  he  received  no  injur}-. 
After  returning  home,  he  worked  at  the  trade 
of  shoe-maker,  which  he  had  learned  previous 
to  his  enlistment.  This  he  followed  for  some 
years  in  Livingston,  where  he  was  married 
January  17,  1872,  to  Miss  Sarah  J.  Ball, 
daughter  of  Daniel  M.  and  Elizabeth  A.  Ball. 
She  was  born  in  Muskingum  Count}-,  Ohio, 
March  12,  1852.  The}-  have  a  family  of  four 
children,  all  of  whom  were  born  in  Clark  Coun- 
ty'. Their  names  are  as  follows;  Robert  H. 
Clark,  Lillian  M.  Clark,  Ernest  Clark  and  Wil- 
ber  F.  Clark.  Mr.  Clark  came  to  Marshall  in 
1876,  and  in  May  of  the  following  year  he  wa 
appointed  agent  for  the  American  Bxpress 
Company,  which  office  he  now  occupies.  He 
is  also  dealing  in  agricultural  implements. 
Store  and  office  ou  south  side  of  Main  street, 
corner  of  Franklin.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Masonic  Order  and  Secretary  of  the  Marshall 
Chapter.     In  politics,  he  is  Republican. 

THOMAS  W.  COLE,  cashier  of  Clark  Coun- 
ty Bank,  Marshall,  was  born  in  Switzerland 
Count}',  Ind.,  on  the  1st  of  December,  1828. 


MARSHALL   TOWNSHIP. 


13 


He  received  a  common  school  education  in  his 
native  State.     He  came  to  Clark  Count}',  111., 
in  1852,  and  in  1854  entered  the  Circuit  Clerk's 
office  as  Deputy,  which  position  he  continued 
to  hold  until  18C0.     He  was  elected  to  the  of- 
fice of  Circuit  Clerk  in   1860,  and  served  in 
that  capacity  acceptably  for  twelve  years.      In 
1872,  in  connection  with  Hamilton  Sutton,  he 
started  the  present  abstract  office,  from  which 
he  retired   in  1877,  and  was  again  appointed 
Deputy  Circuit  Clerk,  in  which  position  he  re- 
mained until  1882  (May),  when  he  was  induced 
to  accept  the  position  of  cashier  of  the  Clark  \ 
County    Bank,   which  he   now  occupies.     His 
father,  Thomas  Cole,  was  a  native  of  Delaware, 
which   State   he   left   with    his   parents  while 
quite   young.     His  parents   settled   in   Union 
County,   Penn.       In    1815,    they   removed   to 
Vevay,  Switzerland  Co.,  Ind.,  where  he  grew  to 
manhood  and  resided  until  1852,  when  he  re- 
moved to   Clark  County,  111.     He  died  April 
2,    1879,    aged    seventy-sis    years.      Kuanna 
(Littlefleld)  Cole,  mother  of  our  subject,  was 
born  on  the  12th  of  July,  1800,  and  still  sur- 
vives.    His   grandfather,   Daniel   Cole,   was  a 
soldier  in  the  war  of  1812,  and  participated  in 
Perry's  victory.     His  great-grandfather,  Cuth- 
bert  Cole,  was  a  native  of  Ireland,  and  a  Cap- 
tain in  the  Revolutionary  war.     Our  subject 
was  married  on  the  9th  of  June,  1853,  to  Miss 
Susan  Merriman,  whose  father  was  a  native  of 
Pennsylvania  and  came  to  Ohio  County,  Ind., 
at  an  early  day,  and  engaged  in  merchandising 
most  of  his  life.     He  was  an  active  member  of 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  and  leader  of 
the  same  class  for  fifty  years.     IMrs.  Cole  was 
born  in  Indiana  August  13,  1829.     They  have 
one  son,  Aaron  P.  Cole,  and  lost  a  daughter  in 
infancy. 

JOHN  COUGHLAN,  or,  as  he  was  more 
familiarly  known  among  his  friends  (and 
they  were  legion),  "Johnny"  died  at  the  resi- 
dence of  Mr.  Darius  Legore,  in  this  city, 
about  eight  o'clock  Saturday  evening,  March 


10.     Though  deceased  had  not  been  in  robust 
health  for  a   number  of    years,  the    sickness 
from    which   he  died    was  of    comparatively 
recent  origin,  and  his  death  quite  sudden  and 
unexpected.     Only  two  weeks  ago  yesterday, 
he  walked  up  to  the  Treasurer's  office,  and 
remained  some  time  transacting  some  busi- 
ness,   though  the  effort  proved  very  exhaust- 
ing to  him,  and  possibly  hastened  his  death. 
The   physicians    call    the  disease  scrofulous 
meningitis  of  the  brain.     Mr.  Coughlan  was 
thirty  years  of  age.     He  was  born,  we  believe 
in  Paris,  Ky. ,   and  moved  to  Marshall  with 
his  parents   when  quite   young.     An   older 
brother   James  was  an  officer  on  the  staff   of 
Gen.  J.  D.  Cox,   and  was  killed  during  the 
war    and   buried  in    Paris,    Ky.     After   the 
war,  the  mother  longed  to  be  near-  the  grave 
of  her   "  darling   Jimmy."   and    the  family 
moved   back   to   Kentucky,    to   gratify   her. 
The    father   died,  and   some   time,   1868    to 
1870,  John  and  his  mother  returned  to  Mar- 
shall, bought  property  and  settled  down  here 
for  life.     In  1873,  John  was  employed  by  G. 
A.    Hippard,  in  his  dry  goods  store,  and  re- 
mained in  his  employment  until  about  1878. 
During   this    time,    his    genial    disposition, 
prompt  business  habits  and  patient  industry 
had  won  for  him  the   confidence  and  esteem 
of  his  employer,  and  the  good  will  of  all  who 
knew  him ;  while  by  carefully  improving  his 
leisure  hoiu's,  he  had  mastered  the  subject  of 
accoiints  and  become  an  accomplished  book- 
keeper.      A   good    opening   offering   in    the 
Clark   County   Bank,  Mr.    Hippai'd,  though 
loth  to  part  with  him,  cordially  recommended 
him  for  the  position,  which  he  accepted  and 
filled  with  honor  for  about  three  years,  keep- 
ing   Mr.  Hippard' s  books   also  for  thirteen 
months  of  the  time.      His  mother  died  in  De- 
cember, 1874,    and  in  September,  1876,  he 
was   married  to  Miss    Carrie  Legore,  eldest 
daughter  of  Darius  Legore.     Close  confine- 


14 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


ment  to  his  work,  seemed  to  be  preying  upon 
his  health,  and  in  the  hope  of  improving  it, 
he  left  the  bank,  and  went  into  the  grocery- 
business  with  J.  K.  Black.  Not  experiencing 
the  desired  improvement,  he  went  to  Texas 
in  the  fall  of  1880,  and  returned  in  March, 
1881,  much  improved  in  health  and  spirits. 
He  again  formed  a  partnership  with  J.  K. 
Black,  but  this  time  they  engaged  in  the 
poultry  business,  which  they  prosecuted  quite 
successfully  till  the  fall  of  1881.  In  No- 
vember of  that  year,  he  went  to  Florida  for 
his  health,  whence  he  returned  in  May,  1882. 
much  improved.  He  was  nominated  for 
County  Treasurer,  by  the  Democrats,  in  -July, 
and  elected  by  a  large  majority  in  the  follow- 
incr  November.  He  conducted  the  canvass  in 
an  honorable,  dignified  way,  stooping  to 
none  of  the  trickeries  of  the  mereotlice-seeker, 
and  won  the  esteem  even  of  his  opponents, 
by  his  straightforward  coiirse  and  manly 
bearing.  He  was  a  faithful  member  of  the 
Catholic  Church  of  this  place,  and  highly 
esteemed  by  his  pastor.  Father  Kuhlman. 
The  funeral  services  were  conducted  by 
Father  Kuhlman,  in  the  Catholic  Church,  and 
were  attended  by  a  large  concourse  of  peo- 
ple, all  bearing  witness,  by  their  presence,  to 
the  high  place  he  held  in  the  estimation  of 
those  who  knew  him.  He  was  buried,  by  his 
own  request,  in  the  family- grounds  in  the 
cemetery  north  of  the  town.  Of  his  own 
family,  three  sisters  yet  siuwive  him,  all  liv- 
ing in  Kentucky.  These,  and  his  son-owing 
wife,  all  have  the  warmest  sympathies  of  the 
entire  community,  in  their  bereavement. — 
Marshall  Hemld.  March  V.i,  1883. 

JOHN  R.  CROSLEY,  farmer,  P.  O.  Mar- 
shall, the  subject  of  these  lines,  is  a  native  of 
Brown  County,  Ohio,  born  February  9,  1826. 
His  father,  Moses  Crosley,  was  also  a  native  of 
the  same  county,  and  was  born  July  11,  1800. 
He  died  in  his  native  county  on  the  8th  of 


May,  1830.  His  mother,  Nancy  (Hause)  Cros- 
ley, descended  from  a  Kentucky  family  and 
was  born  November  2,  1804.  She  was  mar- 
ried to  Moses  Crosley  January  2,  1823.  Sbe 
died  in  Ross  County,  Ohio,  February  22,  1856. 
When  our  subject  was  fifteen  years  old,  hia 
parents  moved  to  Ross  County,  Ohio,  his 
mother  having  married  to  Lemuel  Tweed  July 
16,  1840.  Mr.  Crosley  learned  the  tailor's 
trade  under  his  step-father,  but  has  not  followed 
it  closely.  He  was  a  soldier  in  the  Mexican 
war,  serving  in  Scott's  Division.  After  re- 
turning home,  lie  went  by  wagon  to  the  State  of 
Iowa,  and  in  company  with  his  brother,  Moses 
Crosley,  crossed  the  plains  to  Calilbrnia  in  the 
spring  of  1850.  He  was  there  about  seven 
years,  during  vvhich  time  he  was  fairly  success- 
ful in  business  of  a  general  nature.  He  re- 
turned to  Ross  County,  Ohio,  in  1857,  and  was 
married,  on  the  24th  of  December  of  that  year, 
to  Miss  Amanda  Rockhold,  of  Ross  County, 
Ohio.  She  died  in  Ohio  while  on  a  visit,  on 
April  21,  1861.  By  this  union  there  were  two 
children,  Eureka  and  Julia  A.  Crosley,  both  of 
whom  died  in  infancy.  On  the  6th  of  April, 
1864,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Maiy  A.  Falley, 
daughter  of  Samuel  L.  and  Abigail  (Damon) 
Fallev.  Mrs.  Croslej-  was  born  in  York  Town- 
ship, ot  this  county,  February  20,  1841. 
Her  fatheV  died  in  Marshall  on  the  9th  of  July, 
1850.  Her  mother  still  survives  and  is  living 
in  Marshall.  Mr.  Crosle^'s  family  consists  of 
three  sons — William  H.,  born  Januaiy  1,  1865; 
Elijah  R.,  born  December  13,  1869;  John  R., 
Jr.,  born  March  30, 1874.  They  have  a  fine  resi- 
dence on  3Iichigan  street  and  a  farm  of  200 
acres  in  Section  8  of  Wabash  Township. 

JOHN  G.  DOLSON.  furniture,  Marshall, 
is  a  son  of  David  H.  and  Amanda  M.  (Handy) 
Dolson,  and  was  born  in  Clark  County,  111., 
December  29,  184U.  His  father  was  perhaps 
the  fu-st  white  child  born  in  Clark  County, 
though  this  honor  is  claimed  by  others.  He 
was  born  on  the  29th  day  of  August,  1818. 


MARSHALL    TOWNSHIP. 


15 


Amanda  Handy,  mother  of  our  subject,  was 
bom  in  Clark  County,    January    10,    1820. 
She  was  married  to  David  H.  Dolson,  March 
26,  184S,  and  died  August  28,  185;^.     D.  H. 
Dolson   died   February  5,   1877.     He  was  a 
soldier  in  the  Mexican  war  and  took  part  in 
its  most  desperate  conliicts.      He  went  to  Cal- 
ifornia in   1849  and  engaged  for  some  three 
years  in    mining,    and  afterward    bought  a 
farm  in  York  Township,   of  Clark  County, 
where  he  spent    the   remainder  of  his   life. 
John  G.  Dolson  was  educated  in  the  common 
schools  of  Clark  County,  at  Westtield  and  the 
State  Normal  University.      He  went  to  Cali- 
fornia in   1871,  where   for  six  years  he  en- 
gaged in  stock-raising  and  farming.     He  was 
married  in  that  State,    February  9,  1870,  to 
Miss   Emma  Falor,   daughter   of  M.  J.   and 
Catherine  Falor,    of    California.      She  was 
bora  in  Humboldt  County,  Cal.,  on  the   1st 
day  of  May,  1856.     They  have  two  daughters) 
both    born    in   Marshall,  111.  —Clara  Dolson, 
born    June    22,    1880;  Vannie  Dolson.  born 
April    9,     1882.      In  November,    1879,    Mr. 
Dolson  came  to  Marshall  and  engaged  in  the 
livery    business    with    Howard   Harlan,     in 
which  he  continued  until  August.  1882,  when 
he  embarked  in  the  furniture  and  undertaker 
trade,   associated   with    Zach    T.  Dolson,   in 
which  he   still  continues.      He   is  a  Re{)ub- 
lican,   and    in    1879  was  elected  to  represent 
York  Township  in  the  County  Board.     He  is 
the  present  Mayor  of  Marshall. 

RICHARD  N.  DAVIDSON,  farmer,  P.  O. 
Marshall,  is  a  son  of  John  and  Paulina 
(Fears)  Davidson,  of  whom  mention  is  made 
in  another  sketch  on  these  pages.  He  is  the 
second  of  a  family  of  eight  childi-en,  and  was 
born  in  Clark  County,  111.,  on  Walnut  Prairie, 
June  12,  1833.  He  was  educated  in  the  com- 
mon schools  of  this  county,  and  was  raised  to 
the  pi;rsuit  of  farming,  which  he  followed 
until  the  breaking-out  of   the   war  in  1801, 


when,  in  August,  he  enlisted  in  Company  K, 
of  the    First  Missouri  Cavalry,   in  which  he 
served  for  the   full  term  of   his  enlistment. 
He  was  discharged  in  September,  1864,  hav- 
ing participated   in  all   the  active  service  of 
his  regiment.     In  politics,    he  is   a  Repub- 
lican, and  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  frater- 
nity.    He   was   appointed   to   the   office   of 
Deputy    Circuit    Clerk   of   Clark  County  in 
1872,   and  served   acceptably  for  live  years. 
He  was  married  on  the  5th  of  July,  1877,  to 
Miss  Barbara  J.  Watson.     She  is  a  daughter 
of    William    and    Sarah    A.    Watson.       Her 
father  was  born  in  Ii-eland  August  12,  1799, 
and  came  to  the  United  States  when  eighteen 
years  old.     He  located  in  Maryland,  where, 
on  the  21st  day  of  December,  1820,  he  was 
married   to   Miss  Sarah  A.   Kennedy.      Mr. 
Watson  was  by  trade  a  civil  engineer,  and  as- 
sisted in  the  survey   and  construction  of  the 
National  road  which  brought  them  to  Illi- 
nois and  Clark  County,    in    1837.     They  af- 
terward settled  where  subject  now  lives,  and 
where  they  both   died — the   mother    on  Sep- 
tember 20,   1840,    and  the  father  on  the  6th 
of   March,    1870.     Mr.   and  Mrs.   Davidson 
have   one    son — William  G.  Davidson,   born 
December  2,  1878.     They  own  a  farm  of  160 
acres  in  Section   19  of   Wabash  Township, 
one  of   120  acres  in  Section  12  of  Marshall 
Township,  besides  forty  acres  of  timber-land 
in  Wabash  Township.     Mrs.    Davidson  is   a 
member  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  of  Mar- 
shall. 

DANIEL  J.  DAVIDSON,  harness-maker, 
Marshall,  is  a  son  of  John  and  Paulina  Da- 
vidson. He  was  born  in  Clark  County,  111., 
November  8,  1839.  His  father,  John  Da- 
vidson, was  born  in  Pennsylvania  (Allegheny 
County),  January  2,  1805,  and  came  to  Vigo 
County,  Ind.,  with  his  parents,  Archibald 
and  Elizabeth  (Williams)  Davidson.  He  was 
married    on  Walnut  Prairie,  Clark  County, 


1(5 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


January   2,   1831,    to   Miss    Paulina  Fears, 
daughter  of  Ai-chibald  and  Nancy  Fears,  who 
came   from  Kentucky  and   settled   in  Clark 
County    in   1829.       Mrs.    Paulina  Davidson 
was  born  in  Kentucky  on  the   19th   day  of 
March,  1812.     Mr.  Davidson  followed  farm- 
ing on  the  Walnut  Prairie  until  the  time  of 
his  death,  which  occm-red  March  22,   1846. 
His  wife  still  survives  him  and  resides  with 
Daniel  J.  Davidson.     They  had  a  family  of 
six  children,  of  whom  Daniel  J.  is  the  third, 
and  of  whom  but  three  are  now  living — Dan- 
iel, being  raised  on  the   farm,  followed  this 
line  of  labor  until  1867.     December  25,  1 862, 
he  married  Miss  Anna  Sanford,  daughter  of 
Anderson  and  Emeline  Sanford.       She  died 
November  20,  1863,  in  her  eighteenth  year. 
Mr.  Davidson  was  married  to  Miss  Abbie  A. 
Smith  on  the  11th  of  March,  1875.     She  is  a 
native  of  Ohio,   and  daughter  of  George  and 
Mary  Smith.     She  was  born  March  27,  1851. 
They  have  a  family  of  four  childi-en  whose 
names  and  ages  ai-e  as   follows:     Lillie  Da- 
vidson, born  December  6,  1875;  William  R. 
Davidson,  bom  September  2,   1877;  George 
Davidson,  born  February  16,  1879;  John  D. 
Davidson,  born  April  27,  1882.     Mr.  David- 
son moved  to  Marshall   in   December,  1872, 
where  he   still  lives.      He  is  engaged  in  the 
harness  business,    and  since  October,   1882, 
has   beeu  agent    for   the  American  Express 
Company.     He  is  a  Democrat,  and  from  1872 
to  1880  was  Clerk  of  the  Circuit  Court  of 
Clark  County.     He  is   a  member  of  the  Ma- 
sonic fraternity  and  of  the  I.  O.  O.  F. 

HENRY  M.  DEMPSTER,  mechanic,  Mai-- 
shall,  was  born  in  Muskingum  County,  Ohio, 
on  the  1st  of  May,  1834.  His  father,  John 
P.  Dempster,  was  born  in  Virginia  in  1806, 
and  when  a  child  came  with  his  parents  to 
Ohio,  where  he  grew  to  manhood.  While 
a  young  man  he  retm-ned  to  Virginia  and 
learned  the  trade  of  blacksmith,  at  which  he 


worked  till  coming  to   this  county,  in    1853. 
He  was  married  in   Zanesville,  Ohio,  to  Mrs. 
Elizabeth   Wilson,  widow   of    John  B.  Wil- 
son, of   Ohio.     She  was   born  in  1800,  and 
was   a   daughter  of   Isaac  Shimer,    and  was 
married  to  John  P.  Dempster  in  1833.     Mr. 
Dempster  has  four  childi'en,  of  whom  Henry 
M.  is   the   eldest.     AVhen   he  came  to  Clark 
County  in  1853,  he  settled  on  Big  Creek,  in 
Wabash  Township,  and  here    his  wife  died. 
Some  years  later,  he  moved  near  the  river  in 
the    southern    part    of  Wabash    Township, 
where  he  died  in  March,  1874.     Our  svibject 
learned  the   trade   of    blacksmith  under  his 
father's  instruction,  and  has  followed  it  con- 
tinuously ever  since.     He  was  for  some  time 
during  the  war  in  the  employ  of  the  Govern- 
ment as  a  mechanic.     He  is    now   running  a 
shop   on    Michigan    street,    Marshall.      Mx. 
Dempster   was  married  in  Marshall  in  Sep- 
tember,   1857,     to    Miss    Margaret    Drake, 
daughter  of  John  and  Elizabeth  Drake.    She 
was  born  in  Clark  County,  111.,  on  the  10th 
of  May,  1836.     Their  family  consists  of  four 
children, of  whom  two  are  deceased — William 
Dempster,  deceased;  Ada  Dempster,  married 
to   William   Brannon;    Anna    Dempster,  de- 
ceased,-   and   Maggie    Dempster.      Mr.    and 
Mrs.  Dempster  are  members  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church  of  Marshall. 

N.  B.  DEVOL,  physician,  Marshall,  is  a 
native  of  Spencer  County,  Ky.,  born  March 
11,  1831.  He  is  a  son  of  Gideon  and  Frances 
Devol,  who  came  to  Indiana  from  Kentucky 
when  N.  B.  whs  a  small  boy.  He  is  the  sec- 
ond of  a  family  of  six  children,  and  was 
raised  and  educated  in  Vigo  County,  Ind. 
In  1861,  he  enlisted  as  a  member  of  the 
Fourteenth  Indiana  Regimental  Band,  in 
which  he  remained  about  nine  months.  Be- 
ing a  practical  gunsmith,  he  was  afterward 
employed  by  the  Government,  at  Springfield, 
Mo.,  in  repairing  firearms.     Mr.  Devol  began 


^^^^^>^2j^  rfc^^^-c 


^^^^ 


MARSHALL    TOWNSHIP. 


19 


life  as  a  blacksmith,  at  which  he  worked  about 
ten  years  before  learning  the  trade  of  gun- 
smith. He  is  a  natural  machinist,  being  able 
to  construct  almost  any  kind  of  machinery  at 
■will,  and  as  an  evidence  of  his  handiwork,  in 
his  dental  rooms  may  be  seen  a  perfect  mini- 
ature steam-engine,  which  he  has  made,  and 
which  he  uses  fi'eely  in  his  business.  He  is 
now  a  practical  dentist,  having  studied  his 
profession  under  Dr.  T.  C.  Poston.  He  was 
married,  January  21,  1855,  to  Miss  Martha 
Howell,  of  Marshall.  She  died  in  Marshall  on 
March  8, 1869,  leaving  a  family  of  three  chil- 
dren— Frances,  Mary  and  Martha  Devol.  Mr. 
Devol's  present  wife  was  Mrs.  Lydia  Weather- 
wax,  widow  of  Charles  Weatherwax.  They 
were  married  December  13,  1870,  and  have 
one  son  named  Harry  B.  Devol. 

JOHN  DOHERTY,  merchant,  Marshall,  is 
a  native  of  Canada,  and  was  born  in  Quebec 
about  1830,  though  the  exact  date  is  unknown, 
owing  to  the  destruction  of  the  family  record 
in  the  great  Quebec  fire  of  1842.  He  is  a 
son  of  Thomas  and  Margaret  A.  Doherty. 
His  pai'ents  are  of  Irish  birth,  and  came  to 
Canada  about  1828.  where  they  have  since 
lived.  The  mother,  however,  died  jn  Quebec 
in  1838.  Mr.  John  Doherty  was  educated  in 
Canada  and  came  to  the  United  States  in 
1848,  and  then  settled  in  Cincinnati,  Ohio. 
He  here  followed  his  trade,  that  of  baker, 
and  has  followed  the  same  line  of  business 
ever  since.  He  was  married,  September  8, 
1853,  to  Miss  Margai-et  Hall,  of  Canada. 
She  was  bom  in  1835,  and  died  in  Marshall 
in  1875.  They  have  a  family  of  sis  children,' 
two  of  whom  (Emma  and  Thomas)  are  dead. 
Those  living  are  Luelia,  James,  Willie 
and  Birdie  C.  Doherty.  Mr.  Doherty  came 
to  Marshall  in  1872,  from  Edgar  County,  111., 
and  has  been  since  engaged  in  a  bakery  and 
confectionery  store  on  south  side  of  Cumber- 
land street.     His  son,  James  Doherty,  has  a 


similai-  business  on  north  side  of  Cimiberland 
street. 

DANIEL  D.  DOLL,  merchant,  Marshall, 
is  a  native  of  Clark  County,  111.,  born  at 
Darwin,  November  2,  1848.  His  parents, 
Stephen  R.  and  Lucinda  Doll,  are  remem- 
bered among  the  eai-ly  pioneers  of  this  coimty. 
Stephen  Doll  was  born  in  Stark  County, 
Ohio,  May  8, 1819,  and  came  with  his  parents 
to  Clark  County  when  a  boy.  They  settled 
at  Darwin,  where  he  grew  to  manhood  and 
married  May  27,  1845.  About  1851,  he 
came  to  Marshall,  where,  until  1869,  he  was 
engaged  in  the  mercantile  ti-ade,  in  which  he 
was  very  successful.  He  was  appointed, 
dm-ing  the  war,  by  the  Government,  as  Col- 
lector of  Revenue.  He  died  in  Marshall  on 
the  27th  of  September,  1873.  Lucinda  Bid- 
lecome,  mother  of  D.  D.  Doll,  was  a  native 
of  Kentucky,  and  daughter  of  Asher  D.  and 
Lucretia  Biddlecome,  and  came  to  Clark 
County,  111.,  with  her  parents  when  a  small 
girl.  She  was  born  in  Kentucky  May  4, 
1825,  and  died  at  Marshall  November  4, 
1861.  D.  D.  Doll  is  the  oldest  of  a  family 
of  two  children,  having  one  sister,  Euuna  C, 
who  is  married  to  ili-.  Hami  Iton  Sutton.  He 
was  educated  in  the  public  school  of  Marshall 
and  at  Westfield  College.  In  1869,  he  em- 
barked in  the  grocery  and  provision  business 
with  Stephen  L.  Bradley,  and  still  continues 
under  the  firm  name  of  Bradley  &  Doll. 
They  are  located  on  Main  street,  north  of 
public  square,  Marshall.  jMi-.  Doll  was  mar- 
ried in  Mai-shall,  February  16,  1876,  to  Miss 
Belle  Littlefield.daxighter  of  John  and  Amelia 
Ltttletield.  Slie  is  a  native  of  Clark  County, 
born  in  Marshall  March  11,  1855.  Their 
family  consists  of  a  sou  and  a  daughter, 
named  as  follows:  Lewis  J.  Doll,  born  in 
Marshall  March  12,  1880;  Emma  Doll,  born 
in  Marshall  August  24,  1882. 

ROBERT    L.   DULANEY,    banker,  Mar- 


20 


BIOGKAPHICAL: 


shall.  The  subject  of  these  linos  is  a  native 
of  Loudoun  County,  Va.,  son  of  Zachariah 
and  Mary  E.  (Braden)  Dulaney.  His  mother 
dying  when  he  was  quite  young,  caused  the 
dissolution  of  the  family,  and  Robert  was 
placed  with  an  uncle,  Woodford  Dulaney,  who 
was  then  a  merchant  at  York,  Clark  County. 
He  thus  early  learned  the  elementary  prin- 
ciples of  business.  When  the  Black  Hawk 
war  broke  out,  his  uncle  enlisted  as  a  Lieu- 
tenant, leaving  Eobert  the  entire  control  of 
the  store,  He  was  then  about  twelve  years 
old.  He  received  the  elements  of  an  Eng- 
lish education  in  the  common  schools  of  Clark 
County,  and  completed  his  studies  at  the 
Bloomington  University  of  Indiana.  After 
leaving  this  school,  he  began  reading  law  un- 
der Judge  J.  Harlan  (1840),  took  a  law  course 
at  Transylvania  University,  Kentucky,  was 
admitted  in  1843,  and  then  began  his  prac- 
tice, which  has  continued  for  about  thirty- 
six  years;  retiring  from  the  law  in  1879.  Since 
retiring  from  the  legal  practice,  he  has  engaged 
in  a  general  banking  business  at  Marshall, 
bank  on  Hamilton  street,  north  of  P.  S. ;  resi- 
dence, corner  of  Franklin  and  Murray  streets. 
Our  subject  was  man-ied  December  24, 
1850,  in  Marshall,  to  Miss  Elizabeth  E. 
Bartlett,  daughter  of  John  and  Jane  Bart- 
lett.  She  was  born  September  3,  1833, 
in  Portland,  Ind.,  and  died  in  Marshall,  May 
31,  1882.  They  have  a  family  of  seven  chil- 
dren living,  whose  names  are  as  follows  (^all 
born  in  Marshall) :  Charles  W.  Dulaney,  born 
January  5,  1854,  married  December  5,  1882, 
to  Miss  Mollie  K.  Rice,  of  Kentucky;  Harry 
B.,  born  June  14,  1856,  married  Novem- 
ber 24,  1882,  to  Miss  Sallie  E.  Birch,  of 
Terre  Haute,  Ind. ;  Nellie  B.,  born  December 
3,  1858;  Mary  Lida,  born  August  31,  1864; 
Hector  B.,  born  December  19,  1860;  Robert 
W.,  born  January  1,  1867;  and  Elizabeth  Ce- 
cil, born  October  10,  1869.     Our  subject  was 


an  Old-Line  Whig,  and  has  adhered  to  the 
principles  of  Republicanism  through  his  en- 
tire life;  he  has  always  refused  the  honors  of 
office.  He  has,  however,  served  under  the 
appointment  of  the  Governor  of  Illinois,  and 
was  one  of  the  Commissioners  appointed  by 
Gov.  Beveridge  to  locate  the  Institution  for 
the  Feeble  Minded.  He  was  appointed  by 
Gov.  Cullum  one  of  the  Commissioners  of  the 
Sate  Penitentiary  at  Joliet,  April  1,  1877, 
and  has  been  President  of  the  board  ever  since. 
EDWARD  EMERSON,  miller,  Marshall. 
The  subject  of  these  lines,  Edward  Emerson, 
is  of  a  New  England  family,  born  in  New 
Hamfishire  on  the  1st  of  April,  1844.  His 
father,  Isaiah  Emerson,  was  born  in  Vermont 
in  1811,  and  died  in  New  Hampshire  in  1861. 
His  mother,  Elizabeth  P.  (Bean)  Emerson, 
was  a  native  of  New  Hampshire,  born  in  1820, 
and  died  in  that  State  in  April,  1881.  Ed- 
ward is  the  oldest  of  a  family  of  seven 
children,  and  grew  to  manhood  in  his  native 
State.  He  graduated'from  the  Kimball  Union 
Academy  in  1867,  and  in  the  fall  of  the  same 
year  he  came  to  Illinois.  He  engaged  in 
teaching  school  near  Charleston,  111.,  during 
the  winter  of  1867-68,  coming  to  Marshall, 
Clark  County,  in  the  spring  of  1868.  Here, 
for  three  years,  he  was  employed  in  teaching, 
and  was  here  married,  March,  1870,  to  Miss 
Alice  Doll,  daughter  of  Stephen  Doll,  of 
Marshall.  She  was  born  in  Marshall,  and 
died  there  in  1871.  As  a  result  of  this 
union,  there  is  one  daughter — Kate  May  Em- 
erson. Mr.  Emerson  was  married  to  Miss  Mary 
"F.  Porter  on  the  lOth  of  June,' 1875.  She  is  a 
daughter  of  Lemuel  and  Phcebe  Porter,  of 
Carthage,  Ind.,  where  she  was  born.  Lem- 
uel Porter  was  bom  in  Ohio  in  1817,  and 
died  in  Indiana  in  1869.  Phebe  (Brosius) 
Porter  was  born  in  Virginia  in  1823,  and  is 
still  living.  They  have  a  family  of  foiu- 
sons — Daniel,  born  April  30,  1876;  Robbie, 


.MAK8I1AI>L    TOWNSHIP. 


21 


born  August  30,  1877,  and  died  October  1, 
1882;  Bennie,  bom  July  31,  1879,  and  died 
September  16, 1880;  Biu-dette,  born  April  14, 
1881.  From  October,  1871,  to  April,  1882,  ili-. 
Emerson  was  employed  as  book-keeper  and 
salesman  in  the  store  of  Bradley  and  Doll. 
He  is  now  associated  with  Mr.  John  R.  Archer 
in  the  grain  trade.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
I.  O.  O.  F. ,  and  for  several  yearn  has  per- 
formed the  office  of  Cit)-  Clerk:  politics,  Re- 
publican. 

ABEL  ENGLISH,  Marshall.  Among  the 
pioneer  settlers  of  Marshall  Township  is  the 
family  of  Abel  and  Mai'garet  English,  both  of 
whom  are  natives  of  New  Jersey.  Abel  English 
was  born  in  1797.  grew  to  manhood,  married, 
and  lived  there  until  1835.  He  was  maiTied 
March  6,  1819,  to  Miss  Mai'garet  Babcock. 
She  was  bom  June  17,  1801.  In  1835,  they 
removed  "West  and  located  for  two  years  in 
Indiana,  coming  to  Illinois  in  1837.  They 
settled  in  Marshall  Township,  two  miles  north 
of  Marshall.  Mr.  English  was  local  minister 
in  the  Methodist  Episcoj^al  Church,  and  was 
the  leading  spirit  in  the  organization  of  the 
lii-st  society  ever  organized  in  Marshall.  The 
influence  of  his  life  and  molding  of  his 
plastic  hfind  are  still  felt  and  seen  in  the 
community  in  which  he  lived.  He  died  on 
the  11th  of  November,  1844,  and  is  buried  in 
the  Livingston  Cemetery.  Mrs.  Margaret 
English  sui'vived  him  about  twelve  years,  and 
died  at  the  old  homestead  on  the  2d  of  March, 
1857.  Isaac  English  is  tlfe  second  of  the 
family  of  thirteen  childi-en,  of  whom  but  six 
are  still  living.  He  was  born  in  New  Jersey 
on  the  20th  day  of  September,  1821,  and  was 
sixteen  years  old  when  the  famih'  came  to 
Illinois.  He  became  a  member  of  the  fu'st 
Methodist  Episcopal  society  of  Marshall,  and 
assisted  in  the  preparing  and  hauling  the 
material  for  the  Urst  church  built  in  the  town. 
He  was  married  in  Marshall,  Februaiy   29, 


.1.844,  to  Miss  Sarah  E.  Black,  daughter  of 
John  and  Sarah  Black,  who  came  to  Clark 
County  in  1839.  They  were  of  Irish  birth, 
married  on  the  4th  of  February,  1813.  They 
had  a  family  of  seven  children,  of  whom  Mrs. 
Ensrlish  is  the  voungest.  John  Black  was 
born  December  25,  1785,  and  died  in  Mar- 
shall, 111.,  October  1,  1865.  S  Jah  (Cooper) 
Black  was  born  January  17,  1788,  and  died 
in  Marshall  April  8,  1868.  Sarah  E.  English 
was  born  near  Zanesville,  Ohio,  February  2, 
1827.  They  have  raised  a  family  of  twelve 
children,  the  oldest  of  whom  is  dead.  Martha 
A.  English  was  born  Januaiy  7,  1846,  and 
was  married  to  Mr.  Huston,  of  Terre  Haute, 
where  she  died  September  28,  18S2;  John" 
A.  English,  born  August  21,  1847,  mar- 
ried to  -Marietta  Clemmins:  Mary  E.  English, 
born  May  28,  1850;  Sarah  M.  English,  born 
April  4,  1852,  and  maii-ied  to  John  Grisham; 
James  G.  English,  bom  November  11,  1^53, 
married  to  Katie  Barnett;  Isaac  W.  English, 
born  December  29,  1856;  Warden  B.  English, 
born  Febmary  20.  1859;  Charles  T.  English, 
born  December  29,  1861 ;  Robert  B.  English, 
born  December  6,  1863;  Carrie  C.  Jjinglish, 
born  September  1,  1869;  Edwin  P.  English, 
born  August  12,  1871. 

JACOB  FARR,  County  Sheriff,  Marshall, 
was  born  in  Vigo  County,  Ind.,  May  14, 1849. 
He  is  a  son  of  Jehu  and  Eliza  FaiT,  who  came 
to  Clark  County,  Hi.,  early  in  the  settlement 
of  Wabash  Township.  Jehu  Farr  was  a  native 
of  Fayette  County,  Penn.,  born  in  1811.  He 
was  married  in  Vigo  County,  Ind.,  July  23, 
1837,  to  Miss  Eliza  A.  Sturgis.  She  is  a  daugh- 
ter of  John  Stm-gis,  of  Indiana  born  1818. 
They  have  raised  a  family  of  eight  childi-en,  of 
whom  J  acob  is  the  fourth.  He  was  princi 
pally  raised  in  Clark  County  and  educated  in 
the  common  schools  of  same,  and  by  trade  a 
farmer.  He  was  maiTied,  September  14,  1882, 
I  to  Miss  Lena  R.   Setzer.    daughter  of  John 


2'. 


BTOGRAPHICAL: 


Setzer,  of  Wabash  Township,  where  she  was 
bora  December  17,  1858.  In  1882,  Novem- 
ber 7,  Mr.  Farr  was  elected  to  the  office  of 
Sheriff  of  Clark  County,  on  the  Republican 
ticket.  He  owns  a  farm  of  120  acres,  in  Sec- 
tion 19,  of  Wabash  Township.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Masonic  fraternity  and  Knights  of 
Honor. 

O.  B.  FICKLIN,  Jr.,  lawyer,  Marshall,  is 
the  youngest  of  three  sons  of  O.  B.  Ficklin, 
Sr.,  who,  for  over  fifty  years,  has  been  a 
prominent  lawyer,  and  a  resident  of  Charles- 
ton, 111.  ■  His  father  was  born  in  Kentucky 
in  1807,  and  came  to  Illinois  in  1828  ;  was 
admitted  to  the  bar  in  the  same  year.  In 
1834,  he  was  elected  to  the  State  Legislature, 
and  continued  a  member  of  that  body  for 
several  years.  He  was  a  Member  of  Con- 
gress from  1850  to  1860,  and  his  record  needs 
no  comment  here.  Lizzie  H.  Colquit.  mother 
of  our  subject,  is  a  native  of  Georgia,  and 
daughter  of  Hon.  W.  T.  Colquit,  for  many 
years  a  Senator  from  Georgia.  Her  brother, 
Alfred  H.  Colquit,  is  present  Governor  of 
Georgia,  and  Senator-elect  of  that  State. 
O.  B.  Ficklin,  Jr.,  was  boi'n  in  Douglas 
County,  111.,  April  25,  1859,  and  was  princi- 
pally raised  in  Charleston,  111.  Here 
he  obtained  the  rudiments  of  an  edu- 
cation, and  afterward  graduated  from 
the  Franklin  College,  of  Athens,  Ga. 
In  the  fall  of  1877,  he  entered  the  Law  De- 
partment  of  the  Bloomington  Wesleyan  Uni- 
versity, and  received  the  degree  conferred  by 
that  institution  in  1879.  In  18S0.  having  at- 
tained his  majority,  he  was  admitted  to  prac- 
tice, and  located  at  Marshall,  111.,  where  he 
is  now  practicing.  He  was  married  at 
Charleston  in  July,  1879,  to  Miss  Mary 
Wright,  daughter  of  W.  G.  Wright,  of 
Charleston.  She  was  bom  in  Charleston, 
October,  1861.  They  have  two  children — 
Joseph  C.  Ficklin,  born  in  Marshall  April  5, 


1881;    Mary  C.    Ficklin,  born    in  Marshall 
November  12,  1882. 

M.  O.  FROST,  editor  Herald,  Marshall, 
was  born  November  22,  1837,  in  Buffalo,  N. 
Y.  His  father,  Aaron  Frost,  was  born  May 
2,  1806,  in  Fjufield,  Conn.,  and  his  mother, 
Jane  McRoR,  was  born  December  7,  1809,  in 
Coventry,  Eng.  The  greater  j^ortion  of  our ' 
subject's  first  seven  years  was  spent  in  Brad- 
ford County,  Penn.  In  184-1,  his  parents 
removed  to  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  where  he  re- 
ceived a  limited  education,  and  at  the  age  of 
eleven  he  entered  the  business  office  of  the 
Cincinnatus  of  the  West,  serving  as  errand 
boy.  Here  he  formed  a  love  for  the  printing 
business.  While  conveying  copy  to  the  print- 
ers he  would  watch  them  set  type,  thus  ob- 
taining something  of  the  art.  When  thir- 
teen, he  was  ap)prenticed  to  the  proprietors 
of  the  Cincinnali  Atlas,  which  piiblication 
was  merged  into  the  Cincinnati  Gazette, 
within  about  two  years,  and  Mr.  Frost  was 
set  aside.  He  then  engaged  at  any  kind  of 
work  he  could  obtain,  until  1850,  when  he 
ao-ain  20t  a  situation  on  the  Cincinnati 
dailies.  In  1853,  he  moved  with  his  mother 
to  Batavia,  Ohio,  where  for  five  years  he  was 
conne.cted  with  the  Clermont  Courier,  the 
greater  portion  of  which  time  as  business 
manager  and  foreman.  In  1859,  he  pub- 
lished the  Felicity  Herald,  at  Felicity,  Ohio, 
from  which  he  withdrew  in  one  year,  and  be- 
gan the  publication  of  the  Daily  Hotel  Re- 
poiier,  Cincinnati.  This  he  continued  with 
srood  success  until  the  firing  on  Ft.  Sumter, 
which  struck  such  a  terror  to  the  hearts  of 
the  Cincinnati  merchants  that  there  was  no 
business  in  any  one,  hence,  his  literary  ef- 
forts were  not  very  paying  to  him.  In  July, 
1861,  he  enlisted  as  a  private,  and  was  sent 
to  St.  Louis  with  a  squad  of  men,  and  was 
subsequently  attached  to  the  Tenth  Missouri 
Infantry,  he    being    assigned  to  the  rank  of 


MAUSUALL    TOWXSHir. 


23 


First  Sergeant  of  Company  D,  in  which  ca- 
pacity  he    served    for  twenty-seven  months, 
when,  after   the   siege   of  Vicksburg,  he  was 
commissioned  First  Lieutenant   of  Company 
E.      He  was  in  several  skirmishes  in  North- 
eastern Missouri  daring  the  winter  of  1860- 
01 :  was   in  the  siege   of    Corinth,  battles  of 
luka,    Raymond,    Jackson,  Champion    Hills, 
Black  Kiver,  forty-seven  days  in  the  siege  of 
Vicksburg,    Mission    Eidge.   and    a    number 
more  of    small    battles   and  skirmishes.     He 
was  mustered  out   with   the   regiment  at  St. 
Louis,    October    10,    1864.      From    1804   to 
1868,  he    held    a    position  on  the  Cincinnati 
Commercial.     In    July,    1868,    he   came   to 
Marshall  with  material  preparatory  to  starting 
a  Eepublican  paper.  Here  he  met  with  many 
discouragements.      The    opposite   part}'  pre- 
dominated and  the   many  attempts  to  estab- 
lish a    journal  of    said  political  complexion 
having  as  often  failed,  the  leaders  of  the  Re- 
publicans   had    lost    all    courage    and    were 
averse  to  giving  Mr.  Frost  very  much  encour- 
agement.    He,  however,  told  his  friends  that 
he  would  take  an  obligation    to  fu'fill  a  con- 
tract  with    any  patron  for    one  year,  dm-ing 
which  time  he   could    ascertain  whether  the 
business  gave  promise  of    a    lucrative    enter- 
prise or  not.      At  the  end  of  the  first  year  he 
had  placed  the  Herald  on  a  fair  footing,  and 
ever  since  it  has  continued  to  gi-ow  in  favor 
of   the   public,  and  has  ascended  up  the  hill 
of  prosperity.     Jannarj-  1,  1881,  he  took  his 
son,  Han-y  W.,  in  as  a  full  partner,  who  has 
since  served  as  city  editor  and  has  done  well 
his   part.     The   success   and   efforts  of   Mr. 
Frost  with  the  Herald  is  carefully  noticed  in 
the  history  of  the  press  in  another  part  of  this 
work.     Mr.  Frost  was  married,  September  3, 
1857,  to  Mfl^y  S.  Carter,  in  Richland  County, 
111.,  which  Union  has  resulted    in  two  chil- 
dren, namely:    Lillie  M.,  born  July  14, 1859, 
atBatavia,  Ohio,  now  the  wife  of  William  H. 


Floyd,  express  messenger  on  the  Cairo  Divi- 
sion of  the  Wabash  Railroad;  Harry  W.,  born 
at  Felicity.  Ohio,  May  22,  1861.  Mrs.  Frost 
was  boru  December  7,  1 837,  at  Milf ord,  Ohio. 
THOMAS  J.  GOLDEN,  lawyer,  Marshall. 
Among  those  deserving  of  notice  in  this  de- 
partment of  our  work  is  Thomas  J.  Golden. 
He  was  born  of  Ii'ish  parents  in  ^\'ayne 
County,  Ind.,  December  21,  1841.  His  par- 
ents removed  to  Madison  Coiinty,  lad.,  in 
1848,  thence  to  Clark  Coimty,  111.,  in  1857. 
His  father  died  February  4,  1868;  his  mother 
still  survives.  At  the  two  latter  points  of 
residence,  our  subject  was  mainly  educated. 
In  August,  1861,  he  enlisted  in  Company 
K,  First  Missoiu-i  Cavalry,  and  was  mustered 
in  as  Second  Lieutenant.  This  place  he  held 
until  promoted  to  the  office  of  Regimental 
Quartei-master  in  the  fall  of  1862,  after 
which,  for  the  remainder  of  his  term,  he  was 
engaged  as  Brigade  and  Division  Quar- 
termaster, by  virtue  of  proper  orders  detail- 
incr  him  for  such  service.  He  was  in  a 
number  of  battles,  among  which  were  Pea 
Ridge,  Cross  Hollows,  Jenkins'  Ferry,  etc. 
After  retm-ning  from  the  army,  he  entered 
as  a  student  the  law  office  of  J.  W.  Wilkin, 
now  Circuit  Judge;  attended  law  school  at 
Ann  Arbor,  Mich.,  and  was  admitted  to 
the  bar  in  August,  1867.  He  was  a  member  of 
the  Legislature  from  the  Forty-fifth  Senatorial 
District  of  Illinois,  elected  in  1872;  was  one 
of  the  delegates  fi-om  Illinois  in  the  Nation- 
al Republican  Convention  at  Cincinnati  in 
1876,  and  is  on  the  military  staff  of  Gov. 
CuUom,  with  the  rank  of  Colonel.  Mr. 
Golden  was  married  at  Mai-shall,  Octo- 
ber 19,  1865,  to  Miss  Mary  J.  Benedict, 
whose  parents  are  still  living,  and  residing 
in  Marshall.  She  was  born  in  Marshall 
September  30,  1845. 

JAMES  W.  GRAHAM,  lawj'er,  Marshall. 
James    W.   Graham   is  a  native    of    Logan, 


34 


BIOGKAPIIICAL: 


Hocking  Co.,  Ohio  He  was  born  April  S, 
1849.  His  father,  Eichai'd  Graham,  is  a  de- 
scendant of  a  Scotch  family,  and  came  to 
Clark  County  in  1851.  Ho  settled  in  Section 
1  of  Casey  Township,  west  from  the  town  of 
Martinsville,  where  he  died  August  5,  1851. 
His  mother,  Ellen  Sloan,  was  of  Irish 
birth,  and  died  at  the  old  homestead  in 
Casey  Township,  December  22,  1881.  Mr. 
Graham  received  the  elements  of  an  Eng- 
lish ediTcatioo  in  the  public  schools  of 
Clark  County,  having  to  go  much  of  the  time 
time  two  and  a  half  miles  to  the  school.  He 
is  the  youngest  of  a  family  of  four  sons,  and, 
as  he  was  left  fatherless  when  but  two  j'ears 
old,  he  was  early  thrown  vipon  his  own  re- 
sources. By  assiduous  application  to  books, 
he  soon  qualified  himself  for  the  position  of 
teacher,  and  taught  more  or  less  for  seven 
yeai-s,  beginning  when  in  his  sixteenth  year. 
After  taking  a  course  in  the  State  Normal 
University,  he  entered  the  law  office  of  Scho- 
field  &  Wilkin,  having  decided  to  make  the 
law  his  profession.  He  was  admitted  to  prac- 
tice in  1875,  and  has  since  been  a  member  of 
the  bar  of  Clark  County.  In  1878,  he  was 
the  choice  of  the  people  of  the  Forty-fifth 
Senatorial  District  to  represent  them  in  the 
General  Assembly.  He  was  married  in  Mar- 
shall, February  10,  1874,  to  Miss  Etta  Crui- 
sen,  daughter  of  Richard  and  Han-iet  Crui- 
sen,  who  came  to  this  county  from  Ohio  in 
1853,  and  are  still  living  where  they  then 
settled,  in  Wabash  Township.  Mrs.  Graham 
was  born  Scptf^mber  10,  1855.  They  have 
two  children — HaiTy  C,  born  November  10, 
1874,  and  Mabel,  born  September  6,  1881. 
JAMES  GREENOUGH,  merchant,  Mar- 
shall, is  a  native  of  Clark  Couiity,  111.,  born 
August  24,  1839.  He  is  the  eldest  of  a  fam- 
ily of  eight  children  of  Jonathan  K  and 
Eliza  A.  Greenough.  His  father  was  a  native 
of  Maine,  and  was  born  July  20.  1809.     He 


was  educated  at  the  Military  Academy  at 
West  Point  and  in  early  life  was  a  com- 
missioned officer  in  the  Government  service. 
W^hile  stationed  at  Fort  Snelling,  in  Wis- 
consin, he  lost  his  health  and  resigned  his 
commission.  He  soon  after  located  at  Terre 
Haute,  Ind.,  and  was  employed  by  the  Gov- 
ernment as  a  civil  engineer  in  the  construc- 
tion of  the  National  road.  He  was  married 
in  Chicago.  111.,  November  7,  1838,  to  Miss 
Eliza  A.  Whitlock,  daughter  of  James  and  Eli- 
za A.  Whitlock,  formerly  of  Virginia,  where 
Mrs.  E.  A.  Greenough  v.-as  born  on  the  25th 
day  of  August,  1819.  Her  parents  settled  in 
Illinois  in  1825.  Immediately  after  marry- 
ing, Mr.  Greenough  came  to  Marshall  and 
embarked  in  business,  associated  with  Beebe 
Booth.  This  was  among  the  first  business 
houses  established  in  Marshall,  and  dates 
back  to  1838.  Mr.  Greenough  remained  a 
member  of  this  firm  till  his  death,  which  oc- 
cm-red  August  22,  1858.  The  business  is 
now  condxicted  by  his  widow  and  Lyman 
Booth,  son  of  Beebe  Booth.  James  Green- 
ough, the  subject  of  this  sketch,  was  educated 
in  the  Marshall  public  school,  and  in  1857 
graduated  from  Bell's  Business  College  of 
Chicago.  He  was  married,  August  24,  1864, 
at  Marshall,  to  Miss  Caroline  Clayton, 
daughter  of  Thomas  C.  Clayton,  of  Terre 
Haute,  Ind.  Caroline  Clayton  was  born  in 
Terre  Haute  on  the  2d  day  of  July,  1843. 
They  have  a  family  of  four  children,  whose 
names  and  ages  areas  follows:  Ogden.  born 
September  1,  1865;  Nellie,  born  December 
10,  1867;  Grace,  P.,  born  August  20,  1875; 
Robert,  born  April  26,  1881.  Mr.  Greenough 
is  a  member  of  che  Knights  of  Honor.  His 
family  residence  is  on  the  corner  of  Hamil- 
ton and  North  streets,  Marshall.  '  His  broth- 
ers and  sisters  are  Ogden,  Hannah,  Frances, 
Charles,  Mary,  William  and  Eva  Greenough. 
Ogden  Greenough  was  killed  in  battle  in  1864. 


MAllSIIALL   TOWNSHIP. 


25 


JUSTIN    HARLAN,  deceased,   was  bom 
December  6,  1800,  in  Warren  Coiinty,  Ohio. 
He    received    an    education    at   the   public 
schools,  and  early  fitted  himself  for  teaching, 
■which  occupation  he  followed  for  some  time. 
He  then  prepared  for  the  profession  of  law, 
studying  in  Cincinnati  under  Judge  McLean, 
who    was    subsequently    a   member    of    the 
United  States  Supreme  Court     Li  1825,  he 
came   to   Illinois,  took   pai-t   in    the    Black 
Hawk   war  as  a  Lieutenant,  and  was  subse- 
quently elected  by  the  Legislatui'e  as  Judge 
of  oneof  the  four  judicial  circuits  in  the  State. 
He  was  elected  a  member  of  the  Convention 
which  framed  the  constitution  of  1847,  and 
in  the  following  year  was    elected   Circuit 
Judge  under  its  provisions,  an  office  which 
he  filled  with  great  acceptance  until  1861. 
In  the  following  yeai-,  he   was   appointed  by 
President  Lincoln  Indian  Agent,  a  position 
he  tilled  until  he  was  removed  by  Andrew 
Jackson  in   1866.     In   1873,  he  was  elected 
and  served  the  county  as  County  Judge  until 
1877.      Public  service  interfered  very  much 
with  his  practice   as  a  lawyer,  but  when  at 
liberty  to  do  so  he  found  no  lack  of  business. 
He  did  not  accumulate  property  rapidly,  as 
his  generosity  to  his  clients  and  leniency  to 
his  debtors  made  his  interests  suffer  in  this 
regard.     He  was  married  March  4,  1832,  to 
Miss  Lucinda  Hogue,  a  daughter  of  David 
and  Sarah  Hogue.     She  was  born  October  4, 
1812,  in  Knox  County,  Ind.     Mr.   and  Mrs. 
Harlan  had  a  family  of  eight  children,  and 
it    was    while    visiting    a   daughter    living 
in  Kentucky,  that   Judge  Harlan   died,    on 
March  12,  1879,  in  the  seventy- ninth  year  of 
his    life.     He    was    a    man    of   tine    public 
and  private   character,    and    his   death   was 
felt  as  a  serious  loss  in  the  community  where 
he  had  spent  the    larger  part  of  his  active 
life.     His    wife    and  children  still   survive 
him. 


HOWARD  HARLAN,  hotel,   Marshall,  is 
the  eldest  of  a  family  of  eight  children  of 
Justin  and  Lucinda  Harlan.     He  was  born 
at  Darwin  on  the   19th  of  September,  1832. 
He  received  an  English  education  in  the  pub- 
lic schools  of  Darwin  and  Marshall,  and  be- 
gan life  for  himself  as  a  lumberman.     He 
was  engaged  in  the  milling  work  from  1854 
to  1858.     He   began  the  livery  business  in 
Marshall  in  1859,  and  continued  until  1863, 
dui-ino-  which  time  he  erected  a  frame  stable 
120  feet  long,  corner  of  Hamilton  and  Mar- 
ket streets.      He  was  appointed  Postmaster  at 
Mai'shall    under    Lincoln's    administration, 
and  served  until  i-emoved  by  Andrew  John- 
son, in  October,  1866.     He  next  associated 
himself  with  Alex  Payne  in  the  old  Marshall 
Mill,  continued  one  year,  selling  his  interest 
to  W.    T.    Besser.     In  1868,  he  again  en- 
gaged in  the  livery  business,   and  in  1871 
erected  the  brick  stable  and  hall  on  the  site 
of  the  original  frame  stable.     In  1876,    he 
embarked  in  the  hotel  business,  having  be- 
come  the  owner   of  the  Sherman  House  in 
1873,  and  is   the  present  owner  and  propri- 
etor, in  connection  with  which  he  runs  the 
livery  stable.     He  was  married  in  Marshall 
in  November,  1877,  to  Miss  Joann  Triplett, 
daughter   of    John    and   Ruth   Triplett,    of 
Ohio;    she   was   born    in    1S56.       Our   own 
experience  has  taught   us  that   Mr.  Harlan 
is  a   true   gentleman,    who   can    forget   the 
interest  of   self  to  extend    a    kindness,   and 
do  a  hospitable  act  for  a  stranger. 

EDWARD  HARLAN,  farmer,  P.  O.  Mar- 
shall, is  the  third  son  of  Justin  and  Lucinda 
Harlan.  He  was  born  in  Clark  County  Febru- 
ary 15,  1838,  and  was  raised  and  educated  in 
this  county.  In  1859,  he  entered  the  office  of 
Judge  Scholtield  as  a  law  student.  In  De- 
cember, 1860,  he  went  to  Cincinnati  to  at- 
tend law  lectures,  but  soon  after  sacriticed 
his  ambition  in  the  legal  line  to   take  his 


26 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


place  in  the  lines  of  his  country's  defenders. 
He  enlisted  in  Company  H,  of  Twenfcy-fii-st 
Illinois  Infantry,  of  which  he  was  soon  made 
the  Captain.  He,  with  fifteen  others,  pre- 
sented the  petition  to  Gov.  Yates,  by  which 
Gen.  Grant  was  made  Colonel  of  the  Twenty- 
first  Eegiment,  instead  of  Col.  S.  S.  Good. 
Mr.  Harlan  served  as  Captain  of  Company 
H  three  years;  he  was  wounded  and  taken 
prisoner  at  the  battle  of  Chickamagua.  At 
the  expiration  of  his  three  years'  enlistment, 
he  was  appointed  by  recommendation  of  Gen. 
Grant  to  the  position  of  Captain  of  Commis- 
BRTy,  which  he  held  until  discharged  in  Octo- 
ber, 1865.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Chicago 
Convention,  which  nominated  George  B.  Mc- 
Clellan  for  President.  He  represented  the 
Forty-fifth  District  in  the  Lower  House  of  the 
State  Legislature,  from  1806  to  1868,  and 
was  then  elected  as  Senator  from  same  State 
until  1872.  In  1879  and  1880,  he  was  Mayor 
of  the  city  of  Marshall.  Mr.  Harlan  was 
married  in  Marshall,  October  IS,  1869,  to 
Miss  Eliza  Bartlett,  daughter  of  John  and 
Jane  Bartlett;  she  is  a  native  of  Clark 
County,  and  was  burn  September  3,  1841. 
Mr.  Edward  Harlan  is  a  member  of  the 
Knights  of  Honor,  and  in  politics  a  Demo- 
crat. 

WILLIS  HATTEN,  mechanic,  Marshall, 
was  born  in  Niagara  County,  N.  Y.,  on  the 
13th  of  May,  1882.  His  parents,  Thomas 
and  Jane  Hatten,  were  born,  raised  and 
married  in  Ireland.  They  came  to  the 
United  States  and  settled  in  New  York  about 
1830.  They  soon  after  removed  to  Canada, 
and  now  live  in  London,  of  that  Province. 
The  early  life  of  Willis  Hatten  was  spent  in 
various  pursuits,  chief  of  which  were  travel- 
ing, steamboating  and  working  at  his  trade, 
which  is  blacksmithing;  this  he  acquired  in 
Detroit,  Mich.  On  the  13th  of  May,  1861, 
he  became    a  member   of    Company  E,  First 


Missouri  Engineers,  in  which  he  served  three 
years  and  received  his  discharge.  He  then 
entered  the  regular  service  as  a  member  of 
Company  A,  of  the  Eighth  United  States 
Infantry,  from  which  he  was  discharged  at 
the  expiration  of  his  term  of  enlistment.  He 
took  part  in  a  number  of  severe  engagements, 
including  Wilson's  Creek,  Springfield  and 
New  Madrid  in  Missouri,  Shiloh,  siege  of 
Vicksburg  and  Atlanta.  He  received  a  bay- 
onet and  saber  wound  at  Springfield,  Mo.,  a 
gunshot-wound  at  Wilson's  Creek,  and  two 
gunshot  wounds  at  the  battle  of  Shiloh. 
During  one  year  of  his  service  he  was  a 
special  messenger  for  Gen.  Grant.  He  was 
married  at  Washington,  D.  C,  January  1, 
1860.  They  have  one  daughter — Pinkie  Hat- 
ten, born  in  Greene  County,  Ind.,  on  the  12th 
of  November,  1868.  Mr.  Hatten  came  to 
Marshall,  111.,  in  September,  1877,  where  he 
has  since  lived,  and  is  running  a  shop  on 
Franklin  street.  He  owns  a  family  residence 
on  the  comer  of  Henry  and  Mechanic  streets. 
WILLIAM  B.  HODGE,  Jr.,  Circuit  Clerk, 
Marshall,  is  a  native  of  Clark  County,  born  in 
York  April  27  1853,  son  of  William  B.  and 
Callista  Hodge,  who  settled  in  this  county  a* 
an  early  date.  His  mother  was  daughter  of 
James  C.  Hillebert,  who  settled  in  York 
about  1819.  His  father  came  later,  perhaps 
in  1835,  and  is  still  living  in  York.  His 
mother  died  at  York  January  27,  1878.  Sub- 
ject is  the  third  of  a  family  of  sis  children, 
and  educated  in  the  common  schools  of  Clark 
County,  and  took  a  course  at  the  Terre  Haute 
Commercial  College.  For  ten  years  he  was 
book-keeper  and  salesman  for  E.  A.  Jack- 
son, of  York.  He  was  elected  Circuit  Clerk 
of  Clark  County,  in  the  fall  of  1880,  which 
position  he  still  occupies.  He  is  a  Eepub- 
lican  and  a  member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity, 
I.  O.  O.  F.  and  Knights  of  Honor.  Mr. 
Hodge  was  married,  February   19,    187-4,  to 


MARSHALL   TOWNSHIP. 


27 


Miss  Lucy   A.  Megeath,    daughter   of    Har- 
rison    Megeath.      She    was    born     in     the 
village    of     York,    Clark   County,    Septem- 
ber 9,  1849.     They  have  a  family  of  three 
childi-en — LilliR  A.   Hodge,  born  September 
9,  1875.   and  died  June  8,   1878;  Edith  D. 
Hodge,  born  December  11,  1877;  Walter  R. 
Hodge,     born     February     18,     1882.     Mi-s. 
Hodge  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episco- 
pal Chiirch  of  Marshall.     Her  mother  is  liv- 
ing with  Ml-,  and   Mrs.  Hodge,  having  been 
left  a  widow  by  the  death  of  Harrison  Me- 
geath, which  occurred  at  York  June  1,  1850. 
ROBERT  HUSTON,  farmer,  P.   O.  Mar- 
shall, was  born  in  Stark  County,  Ohio,  Ajiril 
14,  1822.     His  parents  were  natives  of  Penn- 
sylvania, where  they  grew   to  maturity  and 
were  married.     The  father's  name  was  Rob- 
ert Huston  and    the  mother's  was  Elizabeth 
bowman.     They  had  a  family  of  six  children 
of  whom  Robert   is  the  youngest,    and  what 
may  be  considered   remarkable    is   the  fact 
they  are  all  living  at  this  writing.     Our  sub- 
ject came  to  Clark  County,  111.,  in  1848,  and 
the  family  came  the  next  year.     They  settled 
in   Marshall    where   the   mother,    Elizabeth 
Huston,    died  in  1850.      The  father  died  ten 
years   later,    at    the    residence  of    his    son, 
George  Huston.       The  mother  died  in  her 
seventy-sixth    year,     and    the    father  in  his 
eighty-seventh  year.     Robert  Huston,  Jr.,  was 
man-ied  in  Clark  County,   111.,  January  11, 
1 849,  to  Miss  Catherine  Irwin,  daughter  of 
Ai-chibald  and  Catherine  Irwin,  of  this  county. 
She  was  born  in  Pennsylvania    January  14, 
1825.     They  have   a   family  of  six  children 
living  and  four  deceased — Albert  Huston  was 
born  October  14,  1849,  and    is    married  to 
Rachel  A.    Manning;    Leonard   Huston  was 
born   April    20,  1851,  and  married   to  Miss 
Margaret  Dick;  Henry  Huston,  born  Febru- 
ary, 1853;  Ebenezer  Huston,  born  in  Septem- 
ber,1855;  Selumiel  Huston,  deceased;  Lemuel 


Huston,  born  in  1857;  Mary  Huston, 
deceased;  Johanna  Huston,  deceased; 
Emma  Huston,  deceased;  Matilda  Hus- 
ton, born  September,  1862,  and  mai-ried 
to  William  R.  Bruce.  Albert  Huston 
has  a  family  of  four  children — Charles 
A.  Huston,  born  May  9,  1875;  Hiram  R. 
Huston,  born  July  30, 1877;  Cora  A.  Huston, 
born  April  20,  1880;  Ida  May,  born  Octoljer 
7,  1882.  Mr.  Robert  Huston  has  a  farm  of 
160  acres  in  Section  28,  of  Marshall  Town- 
ship, with  a  residence  thi-ee  miles  southwest 
fi-om  the  city  of  Marshall.  He  has  for  many 
yeai-8  been  a  member  of  the  Protestant  Meth- 
odist Church. 

MARTIN  V.  B.  IRW' IN,  farmer,  P.  O.  Mar- 
shall, is  a  native  of  Lancaster  County, Pa.,  and 
was  born  May  19,  1830.  He  is  the  fifth  of 
a  family  of  seven  children  of  Archibald  and 
Catharine  Irwin.  The  father  was  born  in 
Southeastern  Pennsylvania,  in  1798,  but 
when  young  he  went  into  Virginia,  where  he 
grew  to  manhood,  returning  to  Pennsylvania 
when  about  twenty-two  years  old.  He  was 
married  in  Pennsylvania  (Lancaster  County), 
about  1820,  to  Miss  Catharine  Rhodes.  She 
is  also  a  native  of  Lancaster  County,  Penn., 
and  was  born  October  20,  1794.  She  still 
survives  and  lives  in  Marshall  Township  of 
this  county.  This  family  came  to  this  county 
and  settled  in  Marshall  Township  in  1838, 
where  Archibald  Irwin  died  June  12,  1880. 
Martin  Irwin  was  married  in  Clark  County 
on  the  4th  of  July,  1850,  to  Miss  Martha 
Comstock,  daughter  of  Nathan  Comstock. 
Her  mother's  name  was  Mary  Sandridge. 
Mrs.  Irwin  was  born  in  this  county  January 
28,  1832.  Her  father,  Nathan  Comstock,  was 
born  in  Kentucky,  but  principally  raised  in 
Perry  County,  Ind.,  where  the  mother  was 
born  and  where  they  were  married.  Nathan 
Comstock  died  at  his  residence  in  this  county, 
and   the    mother    died    at    the    home  of  her 


28 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


daughter,  Mrs.  Irwin,  in  June,  1859.  They 
had  a  family  of  ten  children,  Mrs.  Mai-tha 
Irwin  being  the  third.  The  family  of  Martin 
Irwin  consists  of  three  children,  of  whom  one 
is  deceased — Martha  J.  Irwin — born  April 
16,  1857,  and  died  September  25,  1859;  Si- 
mon W.  Irwin,  was  born  April  20,  1863; 
Samuel  T.  Irwin,  was  born  September  30, 
1864.  They  are  members  of  the  Protestant 
Methodist  Church  at  Auburn.  Mr.  Ii-win 
owns  a  farm  of  fifty-seven  acres  of  land  in 
Sections  29  and  32  of  Marshall  Township.  In 
1879,  he  sustained  a  serious  loss,  by  fire,  of  a 
good  frame  house  and  the  entire  contents. 

J.  M  JANES,  physician,  Marshall,  is  a 
native  of  Darke  County,  Ohio,  born  April  6, 
1825.  He  was  reared  on  the  farm,  and  when 
eighteen  years  old  he  had  received  such  edu- 
cation as  was  to  be  obtained  in  the  log 
schoolhouse  of  the  new  country.  From  this 
time  until  he  was  twenty-two  years  old,  he 
taught  school  in  the  winter  season  and  ex- 
pended the  proceeds  in  going  to  school  in  the 
summer.  He  was  married  near  Winchester, 
Preble  County,  Ohio,  on  the  27th  day  of 
Febniaiy,  1847.  From  this  date  till  1853, 
he  was  engaged  variously,  principally  at 
farming  and  mercantile  business.  He  then 
entered  the  office  of  Dr.  Milo  Laurance,  in 
the  village  of  Spartansburg,  Ind.  Here  he 
studied  medicine  for  two  years.  He  prac- 
ticTed  medicine  and  surgeiy  with  this  old 
tutor  until  1857,  when  he  began  practice 
alone,  at  Hill's  Grove,  Ohio,  where  he  re- 
mained for  six  years.  From  here  he  removed 
to  Union  City,  on  the  boundary  between  In- 
diana and  Ohio.  About  1876,  he  came  to 
Marshall  and  engaged  in  the  practice  of  his 
profession,  and  is  regarded  as  one  of  the  first 
physicians  of  the  coimty.  Office  on  Hamil- 
ton, street  east  of  court  house. 

MILO  JANES,  di-uggist.  Among  the 
enterprising   business   men    of    Marshall    is 


Milo  Janes,  who,  though  a  young  man,  de- 
serves the  credit  of  ojiening  one  of  the  finest 
drug  stores  in  the  State.  He  is  a  son  of  Dr.  J. 
M.  Janes,  and  was  born  in  Union  City,  Ind., 
November  6,  1856.  He  is  the  eldest  of  a 
family  of  three  childi'en,  and  received  the 
elements  of  an  education  in  his  native  town, 
and  afterward  graduated  from  the  Terre 
Haute  College.  In  1877,  he  entered  the  drug 
store  of  Whitlock,  as  clerk,  with  whom  he 
continued  until  Mr.  Whitlock  died.  In  No- 
vember, 1879,  he  bought  the  stock  of  his  em- 
ployer, and  has  since  conducted  the  business. 
Mr.  Janes  needs  no  special  mention,  as  his 
reputation  as  a  straightforward  business  man 
is  already  known.  Suffice  to  say  he  has  a 
complete  stock  of  drugs,  books  and  stationery. 

HARRY  M.  JANNEY,  lawyer,  Marshall, 
is  a  son  of  the  late  Eldridge  S.  Janney,  who 
was  born  in  Alexandria,  Va.,  on  the  12th  of 
July,  1803,  and  came  to  Crawford  County, 
111. ,  in  1827,  and  who  for  many  years  was 
engaged  in  the  jaractice  of  law.  He  died  in 
Marshall  December  17,  1875.  The  mother 
of  our  subject,  Ann  E.  (Martin)  Janney,  is  a 
daughter  of  James  and  Ann  Martin.  She 
was  born  in  Loudonville,  Ohio,  January  30, 
1825,  and  now  living  in  Marshall.  Her  par- 
ents came  to  Clark  County,  111.,  in  1840. 
Harry  M.  was  born  in  Marshall  June  15, 
1855.  He  was  educated  in  the  public  school 
of  Marshall.  In  1877,  he  entered  the  law 
office  of  Wilkin  &  Wilkin,  under  whom  he 
read  two  yeai's.  He  was  admitted  to  prac- 
tice September  16,  1879.  At  the  close  of 
the  first  year's  practice,  he  was  elected  to  the 
office  of  City  Attorney  for  Marshall,  and 
served  two  years.  He  is  a  Democrat  and  a 
member  of  the  Knight  of  Pythias. 

SIMON  JUMPER,  M.  D. ,  Marshall,  is  a  na- 
tive of  Richland  County,  Ohio.  He  was  born 
October  26, 1 826.  He  is  the  twelfth  of  a  family 
of  thirteen  children,  of  whom   but  two   are 


JIAKSHALL    TOWNSHIP. 


29 


now  livinw.  Hia  parents,  Henry  and  Eliza- 
beth Jiimper,  were  each  natives  of  Pennsyl- 
vania, and  both  died  in  the  State  of  Ohio. 
Simon  Jumper  was  raised  in  Ohio,  and  edu- 
cated principally  in  Finley  and  Republic 
Colleges.  He  read  medicine  under  Drs. 
Collin  &  Rawson,  of  Ohio,  and  became  a  pu- 
pil in  the  Medical  Department  of  the  Ann 
Ai-bor  University  in  1853.  In  1855,  he  lo- 
cated at  Darwin,  in  Clark  County,  111,  for  the 
practice  of  his  profession,  where  he  contimted 
with  marked  success  until  1881,  when  he  re- 
tired from  practice  and  removed  to  Marshall. 
Mr.  Jumper  was  married  in  York  Township, 
December  12,  1859,  to  Miss  Mary  E.  Besser, 
daughter  of  Bates  and  Huldah  Besser.  Her 
parents  are  among  the  early  settlei's  of  Clark 
County,  and  more  particulai-ly  of  York  Town- 
ship, where  she  was  born  August  21,  1838. 
They  have  a  family  of  six  children,  of  whom 
but  three  are  living.  Their  names  and  ages 
are  as  follows:  Effie  E.  Jumper,  born  in 
Darwin  Township,  November  17,  1860;  Jen- 
nie Jumper,  born  in  Darwin  Township,  No- 
vember 2,  1862;  Lillie  May  Jumper,  born  in 
Darwin  Township,  January  13,  1806;  Cora 
Jumper,  born  March  2,  1868,  and  died  July 
20,  1870.  Mr.  Jumper  is  a  Royal  Arch  Mason. 
He  and  wife  and  one  daughter  are  members 
of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Chiu-ch  of  Mar- 
ehall.  Family  residence  on  corner  of  Main 
and  Fulton  streets,  Marshall. 

LAWSON  S.  KILBORN,  editor  Herald, 
was  born  in  Kingston,  Canada  West,  now 
Ontario,  December  28,  1835,  and  was  the 
youngest  child  of  a  family  of  eight  children. 
When  but  six  weeks  old,  the  family  removed 
to  Monroe  County,  N.  Y.  When  the  boy 
was  eleven  years  of  age.  his  father  died;  but 
by  the  earnest  eflbrts  of  his  mother  and  elder 
brothers,  the  family  was  kept  together,  and 
young  Lawson  received  such  educational  ad- 
vantages as  the  then  partially  free  school  sys- 


tem of  New  York  afforded.  In  the  spring  of 
1853,  the  family  came  to  Indiana,  and  located 
in  La  Fayette.  In  the  following  winter,  the 
boy,  now  eighteen  years  of  age,  taught  his 
first  school,  thus  commencing  a  profession 
he  has  since  pursued,  with  the  exception  of 
about  five  years.  March  25,  1857,  he  was 
married  to  Miss  Semantha  Aydelott,  who  has 
ever  proved  a  devoted  wife  and  mother,  and 
a  most  estimable  lady.  There  have  been 
born  to  them  eight  children,  six  of  whom  are 
now  living,  to  wit:  Mellie,  now  Mrs.  Claude 
Husted;  J.  W.,  Orrie  L.,  Charles  H.,  Emma 
L.  and  Ernest  J.  In  the  spring  of  I860, 
Mr.  K.  was  chosen  Principal  of  the  Cent  al 
School,  La  Fayette,  a  position  he  ably  and 
creditably  tilled.  In  the  spring  of  1862,  he 
enlisted  in  Company  E,  Seventy-second  Regi- 
ment of  Indiana  Volunteers;  was  elected  First 
Lieutenant  of  the  company,  promoted  to  Cap- 
tain and  then  to  Major.  He  served  with 
honor  and  distinction  throughout  the  Rebell- 
ion, participating  in  many  of  the  fiercest 
battles  of  the  war.  His  regiment  was  one  of 
the  four  composing  Wilder' s  famous  light- 
ninof  brigade.  In  the  autumn  of  1865,  he 
removed  to  Illinois,  and  has  since  resided  in 
tlie  State.  He  came  first  to  Shelby  County, 
and  there  remained  for  one  year,  and  then 
went  to  Marion  County,  where  he  was  ap- 
pointed Principal  of  the  graded  schools  at 
Kinmundy.  He  came  to  Marshall  in  1874, 
and  for  seven  years  filled  well  and  honorably 
the  arduous  position  of  Principal  of  our  high 
school;  and  by  his  untiring  efforts  in  the 
cause  of  education,  our  schools  were  brought 
from  a  very  inferior  condition  up  to  their 
present  standard  of  excellence.  He  is  well 
known  throughout  the  State,  and  enjoys  an 
enviable  reputation  as  an  educator.  He  pos- 
sesses, in  an  eminent  degree,  the  abilitj'  of 
quick  and  acute  analysis,  by  which  he  is  able 
to  grasp  and  master  the  most  abstruse  subjects 


30 


BIOGRAPHICAL : 


or  intricate  problems,  and  by  stripping  them 
of  all  extraneous  matter,  present  them  in  siich 
clear  and  simple  forms  that  the  dullest  pupil 
can  readily  comprehend  and  understand  them. 
It  is  this  rare  faculty  that  has  given  him  such 
prominence  as  a  teacher.  He  is  a  zealous, 
active  and  consistent  member  of  the  Christian 
denomination,  and  to  his  efforts,  in  a  great 
measure,  does  the  church  in  Marshall  owe 
its  present  prosjjerity  and  membership.  He 
is  a  radical  and  uncompromising  Prohibition- 
ist; his  convictions  and  opinions  on  the  liquor 
traffic  are  rugged  and  severe,  and  give  forth 
no  uncertain  sound.  His  name  was  promi- 
nently mentioned  in  connection  with  the  office 
of  State  Siiperintendent  of  Public  Instruction, 
at  the  Prohibition  convention  in  1882.  He 
is  of  a  nervous  and  sanguine  temperament, 
swift  of  foot  and  hand.  Though  not  larsre, 
he  is  compactly  built  and  muscular,  and  is 
the  personilicai  ion  of  industry.  He  is  never 
idle,  always  busy,  and  when  not  in  the  school 
room,  is  following  the  plow  or  in  the  harvest 
held.  Mr.  Kilboru  possesses  a  well  trained 
and  scholarly  mind,  and  a  clear  head  for  lit- 
erary or  editorial  labors.  Is  a  ready  thinker, 
and  a  rapid  writer.  His  stylo  of  writing  is 
epigrammatic,  and  though  sometimes  lacking 
smoothness  of  diction,  is  always  concise 
and  pointed.  In  politics,  he  is  earnestly  and 
ardently  Republican.  And  in  connection 
with  his  son,  Orrie  L.,  pLirchased  the  Herald, 
and  assumed  the  chief  editorship  in  Febru- 
ary last.  Under  their  management,  the  pa- 
per is  already  on  the  high  road  to  prosperity, 
and  is  fully  recognized  as  the  official  Repub- 
lican organ  of  the  county.  O.  L.,  the  asso- 
ciate editor  of  the  Herald  and  editor  of  the 
Martinsville  E.rpres.%  was  born  June  4,  1864. 
He  spent  six  years  clerking  for  merchants  of 
Marshall.  For  one  of  his  age,  he  displays 
remarkable  talent,  and  we  predict  that  not 
far  in  the  future  he  will  rank  among  the 
leading  journalists. 


DANIEL  KNOWLES  (deceased).  The 
subject  of  this  sketch,  Daniel  Knowles,  was  a 
native  of  Knox  County,  Ohio.  He  was  born 
in  Mt.  Vernon  on  the  27th  day  of  May.  1821. 
He  grew  to  manhood  in  his  native  town,  and 
in  1842  was  married  to  Miss  Lydia  Anderson. 
They  came  to  Illinois  and  settled  in  Wabash 
Township  of  Clark  County,  about  the  year 
1847.  Here  Mr.  Knowles  learned  the  trade 
of  Cooper,  at  which  he  worked  the  principal 
part  of  his  time  until  1864.  Soon  after 
coming  to  the  State  he  purchased  a  small 
tract  of  timbered  land,  of  Samuel  Plaster, 
situated  on  Crooked  Creek,  one-half  mile 
south  of  National  road.  Here  he  remained 
engaged  in  clearing  and  improving  his  farm 
and  working  at  his  trade  until  the  fall  of 
1861,  when  he  moved  his  family  to  Vigo 
County,  Ind.,  and  engaged  in  farming  until 
the  spring  of  1864,  when  he  again  moved, 
this  time  to  Shelby  County,  111.,  where  he 
spent  the  remainder  of  his  life.  They  had  a 
family  of  five  children,  of  whom  three  sur- 
vive: James  Knowles  was  born  in  Knox 
County,  Ohio,  on  the  25th  of  December,  184o. 
He  died  in  Hospital  at  Mound  City,  111.,  in 
March,  1862.  lie  was  a  member  of  Company 
F,  Thirtieth  Illinois  Regiment.  Mary  J. 
Knowles  was  born  in  Wabash  Township,  Clark 
County,  111.,  on  the  18th  day  of  May,  1848. 
She  was  married  in  Shelbyville,  111.,  October 
9,  1866,  to  Mr.  John  A.  McGrath.  David  T. 
Knowles,  was  born  in  Clark  County,  111., 
April  7,  1850.  Married  to  Miss  Annie  Neff, 
and  living  in  Cowden,  111.  Annie  Knowles, 
born  in  Clark  County,  111.,  May  II,  1860,  and 
died  in  Shelby  County,  111.,  on  the  5th  of 
October,  1867.  William  G.  Knowles,  the 
youngest  member  of  the  family,  was  born  in 
Vigo  County,  Ind.,  on  the  4th  of  March,  1862. 
Mrs.  Lydia  Knowles  died  in  Shelby  County, 
111.,  on  the  9th  of  January,  1869,  of  apoplexy 
of  the  heart.     Daniel  Knowles  was  afterward 


MARSHALL    TOWNSHIP. 


31 


married  to  Mrs.  Amelia  Noff,  widow  of  Jacob 
Neflf,  of  Fayette  County,  111.,  who  is  still  liv- 
ing. Daniel  Knowles  died  on  the  31st  of 
August,  1871.  He,  as  well  as  both  his  com- 
panions, was  a  zealous  member  of  the  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  Church  for  many  years,  and 
left  a  repvitation  for  Christian  character 
which  is  irreproachable. 

FRANK  LAKE,  marble  cutter,  Marshall. 
The  name  of   Frank  Lake  is  associated  with 
one  of  the  oldest  famlies  in  Clark  County. 
He  is  a  son  of  Milton  and  Nancy  C.  Lake. 
Milton  Lake  was  born   in  1800,   and  came 
from  Ohio  to  Clark  County,  111.,   in  1818, 
coming  the  entire  distance  on  foot.      He  en- 
tered land  in  York  Township,   upon  which 
he  lived  until  1852,  when  he  moved  to  Mar- 
shall.    His  first  wife  was  Miss  Rue  Shaw, 
who  died,  leaving  seven  children.     In  1849. 
he  was  married  to  Mrs.  Nancy  C.  Donaldson, 
widow  of  John  Donaldson.     In  Marshall,  he 
was  variously  engaged  in  business,    princi- 
pally the  marble  business.      He  died   Janu- 
ary 4,  1872.     Mrs.  Nancy  C.  Lake  died  Sep- 
tember 3    of   the   same   year,    leaving    four 
children — Sarah  E.  (Martin).  Frank,  Charles 
and    Edgar    Lake.        Mrs.     Lake    died    in 
York  Township,  Clark  County,  within  half  a 
mile  of  where  she  was  born.  October  7,  18'23. 
Frank  Lake  was  married,  April  25,  1880,  to 
Miss  MoUie  E.  Huston,  daughter  of  David 
Huston,   but   raised   by   George   Huston,   of 
Marshall.     She  wa=i  born  April  20,  1857,  in 
Clark   County.      They   have   one   daughter, 
Nellie  E.   Lake,   born  July  26,   1881.     Mx. 
Frank  Lake  is  engaged  in  the  marble  trade, 
associated  with  William  B.  Killie.      George 
Huston,    foster-father  of  Mrs.  Mollie  Lake, 
is  an  old  and  respected  citizen  of  Marshall, 
who  looks  back  with  some  degree  of  pride  to 
the  years  of  his  life  which  he  spent  in  the 
great   struggle    to    maintain    the   Union    of 
States,  and  thoush  home  and  health,  with  all 


the  happiness  which  they  bring,  were  sacri- 
ficed, he  has  never  regretted  having  borne 
his  part  in  the  contest.  He  was  born  in  Stark 
County,  Ohio,  March  1,  1814.  In  October, 
3835,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Emeline  Mus- 
ser,  who  was  born  in  Canton,  Ohio,  October 
19,  1817.  Mr.  H.  is  a  cai-penter  and  painter 
by  trade,  and  for  several  years  was  engaged 
in  the  chair  manufacture  in  Mai'shall.  They 
have  raised  three  children. 

DARIUS  LeGORE,  retired,  Marshall,  is 
a  son  of  Daniel  and  Sarah  Le  Gore.  His 
father  was  a  native  of  Maryland,  and  was 
born  in  1803;  was  married  to  Miss  Sarah 
Orr,  of  Ohio.  She  is  still  living  with  a  son 
in  Marshall,  the  father  having  died  in  Mar- 
shall. They  had  a  family  of  seven  children, 
of  whom  five  are  still  living,  and  of  whom 
Darius  is  the  fourth.  He  was  born  in  Belle- 
fontaine,  Ohio,  April  9,  1834;  came  to  Mar- 
shall in  1839,  where  he  grew  to  manhood, 
and  was  married  in  Marshall  on  the  1st  of 
March,  1855,  to  Miss  Rebecca  Payne,  daugh- 
ter of  Ebenezer  Payne.  She  was  born  in 
Clark  County  in  1833,  and  died  January  7, 
1876,  leaving  a  family  of  foiu-  children,  of 
whom  one  is  dead.  Their  names  are  Carrie 
Le  Gore,  who  is  married  to  J.  Coughlan, 
Frank  LeGore  and  Benjamin  Le  Gore.  Mr. 
Le  Gore  is  a  Democrat,  and  has  served  the 
county  as  School  Superintendent  and  Master 
in  Chancery  for  seven  years.  He  also  served 
the  city  five  years  as  magistrate. 

HENRY  LESEURE,  merchant,  Marshall, 
was  born  in  the  town  of  Nancy,  in  France, 
on  the  14th  day  of  December,  1839.  His 
parents'  names  were  Francis  E.  and  Marie  L. 
Leseure.  They  came  from  France  to  the 
United  States  in  1849.  Thoy  settled  in  Ed- 
gar Count}',  111.,  where  subject  gi'ew  to  man- 
hood. He  was  educated  principally  in  Terre 
Haute,  Ind. ,  and  Cincinnati,  Ohio.  He  mar- 
ried in  Vigo  County,  Ind.,  October  1,  1861, 


33 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


Miss  Elizabeth  Alvey.  She  is  a  daughter  of 
Hilary  and  Jane  Alvey,  and  was  born  in 
Indiana  December  22,  1840.  Her  parents  are 
natives  of  Kentucky,  and  both  are  dead. 
Mr.  Leseure  began  life  as  a  merchant  at 
Clarksville,  III.  He  came  to  Marshall,  111.,  in 
March,  1880,  where  he  has  since  engaged  in 
the  grocery  trade,  located  on'Main  street,  one 
door  west  from  St.  Jamc  s  Hotel.  The  entire 
family  are  members  of  the  Catholic  Chiu-ch 
at  Marshall.  They  have  a  family  of  eight 
childi-en,  of  whom  two  are  dead.  The  record 
is  as  follows:  Paul,  born  August  30,  1862; 
Lawrence,  born  June  5,  1864;  Frank,  born 
February  16,  1866;  Ernestine,  born  March 
9,  1868;  Lewis,  born  September  1,  1871; 
Charles,  born  August  11,  1875;  Lillie,  born 
January  8,  1878;  Grace,  born  September  11, 
1880. 

EMANUEL  LESEURE,  merchant,  Mar- 
shall, the  subject  of  these  lines  is  a  son  of 
F.  E.  and  M.  L.  Leseure.  He  was  born  in 
St.  Marys,  Vigo  County,  Ind.,  on  the  25th 
day  of  Decembei',  1853,  and  is  the  youngest 
of  a  family  of  sis  childi-cn,  of  whom  one, 
Prosper  P.  Leseure,  is  dead.  When  he  was 
quite  small,  his  parents  settled  in  Edgar 
County,  111.,  where  they  remained  until  1861, 
when  they  removed  to  Terre  Haute,  Ind., 
where  they  continued  until  the  spring  of 
1864,  when  they  again  moved,  this  time  set- 
tling in  Douglas  Township,  Clark  County. 
Emanuel  began  life  as  a  merchant  in  1873. 
He  came  to  Marshall  in  March,  1880,  where 
he  embarked  in  the  dry  goods  trade,  which 
he  still  pursues  and  is  doing  an  extensive 
business  in  his  line.  He  is  located  on  south 
side  of  Main  street.  He  was  married  in 
Aiibiu-n  Township,  Clark  County,  on  the  17th 
of  April,  1873.  to  Miss  Harriet  Hurst,  daugh- 
ter of  John  and  Martha  Hurst.  She  is  a 
native  of  Clark  County,  111.,  and  was  born 
November  22,  1856.     Their  family  consists 


of  four  children — Frances  E.,  bom  April  3, 
1875;  JohnR.,  March  8,  1877;  Mary  Lillie, 
July  22,  1879;  Martha  E.,  June  22,  1882. 
The  family  are  members  of  the  Catholic 
Church  of  Marshall. 

OLIVER  P.  LISTON,  railroad  agent,  Mar- 
shall, is  a  native  of  Coles  County,  111.,  born 
October  4,  1854.  He  is  a  son  of  Andrew  J. 
and  Lucy  A.  (Black)  Liston.  His  gi-and- 
father,  Joseph  Liston,  is  said  to  have  been 
the  first  white  settler,  and  plowed  the  first 
furrow  in  Vigo  County,  Ind.  Oliver's  father 
was  born  in  Knox  County,  Ind.,  on  the  2d  of 
March,  1815,  and  his  mother,  Lucy  A.  Black, 
was  born  in  Clark  County,  111.,  February  10, 
1819.  She  is  a  daughter  of  John  Black,  who, 
with  his  brothers,  settled  on  farms  in  Clark 
County,  in  1819,  which  are  still  owned  by 
them  and  their  heirs.  She  was  married  to 
Andrew  Liston  on  the  8th  of  March,  1838, 
and  they  lived  in  Clark  County  until  1850. 
when  they  moved  to  Coles  County,  111.,  where 
Oliver  was  born,  and  where  they  still  live. 
Oliver  P.  Liston  is  the  eighth  of  their  family 
of  nine  childi-en,  and  w..s  raised  and  educated 
in  Coles  County,  111.  At  the  age  of  sixteen,  he 
entered  a  railroad  office,  and  has  been  in  rail- 
road employ  continuously  ever  since.  The 
past  eight  years,  or  since  1874,  he  has  had 
charge  of  the  office  of  the  Wabash  Railroad 
at  Marshall.  April  4,  1877,  he  was  married 
to  Miss  Lizzie  J.  Killie,  daughter  of  Henry 
B.  and  Mary  A.  Killie.  She  was  born  in 
Marshall  January  20, 1860.  Her  father  was 
born  in  Ohio  April  2,  1832,  and  married 
Mary  A.  Mark,  November  15,  1855.  He  was 
a  member  of  Company  F,  Seventy-ninth  Illi- 
nois Regiment.  He  received  a  wound  in 
the  head,  fi'om  which  he  died  January  23, 
1863.  Her  mother  was  born  in  Marshall 
Januai'y  17,  1834,  and  is  now  the  wife  of 
George  P.  Hijapard.  Mi-,  and  Liston  have 
tvyo  children,  one  of  whom  is  dead — Floza, 


MARSHALL   TOWNSHIP. 


33 


born  March  16,  1878,  and  Cora  Bell,  born 
Februai-y  22,  1881,  and  died  July  12  of  the 
same  year.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Knights 
of  Honor. 

JOHN   LITTLEFIELD,    editor    of    The 
Mesenger,     Marshall.         The      subject      of 
this   sketch   first   saw  the  light    in  Warren 
County,  Penn.,  in  the  year  1818.     While  an 
infant,  his  parents  removed  to  Steubenville, 
Ohio,    on   a   raft,  where  they  remained  two 
years.     From  thence,  on  a  raft,  they  floated 
down  the  Ohio  to  Vevay,  Ind.,  at  which  place 
were  spent  ten  years  of  happy  boyhood.     The 
family   then  moved  northward,  about  twelve 
miles,  and  settled  on  a  farm,  near  a  village 
called   Allensville,    remaining   there    for    a 
period  of  ten  years.     At  the  early    age  of 
nineteen,  he  was  united  in  man-iage  to  Miss 
Kate  Burns,   an  Irish  lady  of  sixteen,   who 
emigrated   to   America   in    her   tenth    year. 
After  marriage,  he  removed  to  Bowling  Green, 
Ind.,    where   he    lived  a  short  time,   thence 
going  to   Greensburg,    in   same   State.     He 
then   moved   back   to    his    old   home,    near 
Allensville,  where  he  dwelt  for  some  time. 
He  purchased  the  land,  laid  out,  and  was  the 
original    proprietor   of  the  present  town  of 
East  Enterprise,  Ind.     In  September,   1852, 
his  beloved  wife  and  helpmeet  departed  this 
life,  and  in  the  following  October  he  removed 
to    Marshall,    this    county,     where    he    has 
since  resided.     Nearly  a  quarter  of  a  century 
of  this  period  has  by  him  been  spent  in  the 
arduous  labors  incident  to  journalism.     For 
two  years,  he  was  joint  proprietor  with  Messrs. 
Whitehead  &  Peyten,   of   the  Eastern  Illi- 
noisan.     In  politics,  he  always  has  been    a 
Democrat,    but  bitterly  opposed  to   slavery, 
and  a  firm  and  unflinching  adherent  to  the 
Government.      After   the    outbreak    of    the 
rebellion,  he  commenced  the  publication  of 
the  Flag  of  Our   Union,  and  continued  the 
same  throughout  the  long  and  bloody  four 


years  of  that   portentious   period.     Though 
firm  and  decided  in  his  principles,  he  was 
never  aggressive  or  abusive.     He  strongly  in- 
dorsed   the    war,    conscientiously    believing 
that  the  dogma  of  secession  was  inimical  to 
liberty  and  dangerous  to  the  perpetuity  of  free 
institutions.  After  the  war,  he  purchased  the 
IlUnoisan  office;  changed  the  name  to  Mar- 
shall Messenger,  and  has  published  the  same  as 
its  editor  and  proprietor,  with  the  exception 
of   one  year,  until  the  present  time.      His 
second  marriage  was  to  Miss  Amelia  Martin, 
of    Marshall,    daughter   of   the   late   James 
Martin.     He   is   singularly   abstemious   and 
temperate  in  all  his  habits.      Never  drank  a 
drop  of  alcoholic  stimulants,  or  used  tobacco 
in  any  form,  and  what  is  more  remarkable 
for  many  years  has  drank   no   water.     For 
forty-five  years,  he  has  been  a  zealous  and 
ardent  worker  in  the  temperance  cause,  both 
on   the  rostrum   and  in   private  walks,  and 
the  temperance  organization  in  Clark  County 
is  due  more  to  his,  than  to  the  efforts  of  any 
man.     He  never  bet  on  any  game  of  chance, 
or  made  a  wager  of  any  kind,  and  is  utterly 
ignorant   of   cards.     He   never  suffered  two 
weeks  illness  in  his  life,  and  is  remarkably 
well  preserved  and  vigorous  both  in  mind 
and  body,  and  is  yet  a  pedestrian  of  great 
speed  and  endurance.     In  religion,  he  is  a 
Methodist,  but  exceedingly  liberal  and  charita- 
ble in  his  religious  views.      In  profession, 
an  editor,  and  therefore  what  is  rare  to  find 
in    these    days,      a     Methodist-Democratic 
editor.     A   retrospection   of  his  long,   busy 
and  useful  career  of  labors  well  performed 
and  duties  faithfiiUy  dischai-ged,  must  cheer 
with  sincere  joy  the  evening  of  a  well-spent 
life. 

JACOB  S.  LYCAN,  miller,  P.  O.  Marshall, 
a  native  of  Clark  County,  was  born  on  the 
17th  of  Noveijaber,  1836.  He  is  a  son  of 
William  W.  and  Rebecca  Lycan.     His  father 


34 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


was  bom  in  Kentucky  in  1807,  and  came  to 
Illinois  in  1818,  when  he  settled  in  Edgar 
County.  Eebeeca  Heddy,  mother  of  our 
subject,  is  also  a  native  of  Kentacky,  where 
she  was  born  in  the  year  1811.  She  came  to 
Illinois  with  her  parents  when  she  was  but  a 
mere  child,  and  still  survives.  Jacob  S.  was 
educated  and  grew  to  manhood  in  Douglas 
Township  in  Clark  Coonty,  where  he  resided 
until  1S72,  at  which  time  he  came  with  his 
family  to  Marshall.  Here,  in  connection  with 
Messrs.  Ewalt  and  Quick,  he  erected  the 
flom-ing  mill  known  as  the  "  Little  Giant,"  of 
which  he  is  at  present  sole  owner.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  Masonic  Order  and  Knights  of 
Honor.  Jacob  S.  Lycan  and  Cynthia  A.  Fitz- 
simmons  were  married  November  2i,  1859. 
Mrs.  Lycan  is  a  daughter  of  John  Fitzsim- 
mons,  and  was  born  in  Douglas  Township  on 
the  29th  day  of  October,  1841.  They  have  a 
family  of  eight  children,  whose  names  and 
ages  are  as  follows:  Andrew  D.,  born  Septem- 
ber 4,  1860;  Clark  S.,  born  September  4, 
1862;  Alice,  born  April  16,  1866;  Alonzo, 
born  August  25,  1869;  Orlando,  born  March 
23,  1871;  Lyman,  born  January  11,  1874; 
Ella,  born  November  1,  1876,  died  December 
3,  1876;  Edith  May,  born  June  10,  1880. 

L.  L.  MARK,  Marshall,  is  a  native  of 
Putnamville,  Ind.  He  was  the  fourth  of  a 
family  of  live  children  of  Jesse  and  Eliza- 
beth Mark,  and  was  born  December  24, 1837. 
When  less  than  two  years  old,  he  came  with 
his  parents  to  Marshall  (1839).  His  father, 
being  by  trade  an  undertaker,  erected  a  build- 
ing, and  opened  the  first  shop  of  this  kind 
ever  opened  in  the  place.  The  building  still 
stands  on  Hamilton  street,  and  is  now  used  for 
the  marble  works.  L.  L.  Mark  took  the  in- 
itial steps  to  his  trade  by  holding  the  candle 
for  his  father  to  do  night  work,  and  began 
coiSn  making  as  soon  as  large  enough  to  han- 
dle tools,  and  has  worked  at  the  trade  contin- 


uously ever  since.  In  1861,  he,  in  connec- 
tion with  his  brother  Frank,  purchased  their 
father's  interest  in  the  business.  They  com- 
bined the  furniture  trade  with  the  coffin 
manufacture,  and  for  some  time  had  three 
business  houses,  for  which  they  manufact- 
ui'ed  the  principal  part  of  the  stock.  The 
father  and  mother  of  L.  L.  Mark  were 
natives  of  Pennsylvania.  Jesse  Mark  was 
born  in  1804,  and  died  in  Marshall  Decem- 
ber 22,  1871.  He  was  married  in  1825  to 
Miss  Elizabeth  Trostlo.  She  was  born  in 
1797,  and  died  July  26,  1880.  L.  L.  Mark 
was  married  in  Casey,  111. ,  May  9,  1867,  to 
Miss  Lizzie  B.  Lang;  she  was  born  in  Clark 
County,  111.,  December  24,  1843.  She  is  a 
daughter  of  John  and  Mary  Lang,  who  were 
formerly  of  Scotland,  but  for  many  years  res- 
idents of  Casey  Township,  Clark  County. 
Subject  has  one-  daughter,  Blanche  Mark, 
born  in  Marshall  August  25,  1871. 

WILLIAM  T.  MARTIN,  merchant,  Mar- 
shall, is  a  native  of  what  is  now  Ashland 
County,  Ohio.  He  was  boi-u  March  11, 1830. 
He  is  a  son  of  James  and  Barbara  Ann  Mar- 
tin. His  father  was  a  native  of  Bedford 
County,  Penn.,  born  April  4,  1793.  His 
mother  was  born  in  the  same  county  April 
11,  1796.  The  family  came  fi-om  Ohio  to 
Marshall,  111.,  in  1840,  where  the  father  died 
on  the  ISth  of  August,  1S75.  The  mother, 
Barbai-a  A.  (Sigapos)  Martin,  is  now  a  resi- 
dent of  Marshall,  and  in  her  eighty-seventh 
year.  "William  T.  Martin  was  educated  princi- 
pally in  Marshall,  of  which  place  he  was  ap- 
pointed Postmaster  under  the  administration 
of  President  Fillmore.  Previous  to  this  ap- 
pointment, he  and  his  '^brother,  J.  F.  Martin, 
embarked  in  the  clothing  trade,  which  busi- 
ness they  conducted  until  the  beginning  of 
1855.  From  1855  until  1865,  he  was  en- 
gaged m  the  milling  business  in  the  town  of 
Marshall,  running  the  first  steam  gi-ist-mill  of 


MARSHALL    TOWNSHIP. 


37 


the  place.  In  1867,  having  disposed  of  his 
milling  interests,  he  embarked  in  the  hard- 
ware trade,  which  he  has  continued  until  the 
present  time.  His  location  is  on  Main  street, 
north  of  the  public  square.  The  family  resi- 
dence is  on  Main  and  Handy  streets'.  Mr. 
Martin  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  fraterni- 
ty, and  I.  O.  O.  F.  He  was  married  in  the 
town  of  Marshall,  December  6,  1853,  to  Miss 
Elizabeth  Payne,  a  native  of  this  county,  and 
daughter  of  Ebenezer  and  Sarah  Payne.  She 
was  born  February  16,  1831.  They  have  a 
family  of  seven  children,  all  of  whom  were 
born  in  Marshall.  Their  names  are  as  fol- 
lows :  Eva  Martin,  married  to  E.  Y.  Mc- 
Mullen,  of  Canada;  Mary  Martin,  Elizabeth 
Martin,  John  A.  Martin,  Emma  Martin, 
Frank  Martin,  William  P.  Martin. 

BENSON  MARTIN,  Master  in  Chancery, 
Marshall,  is  the  twelfth  of  a  family  of  thir- 
teen children  of  James  and  Barbara  A.  Mar- 
tin. He  was  born  in  Loudonville,  Ohio,  on 
the  28th  day  of  January,  1838.  He  was  two 
years  old  when  his  parents  removed  to  Illi- 
nois and  settled  in  Marshall,  where  he  grew 
to  manhood.  He  received  a  common  school 
education  in  the  Marshall  schools.  In  1857 
(November  19),  he  was  married  to  Miss  Sarah 
G.  Donalson,  of  Marshall.  She  was  daugh- 
ter of  John  and  Nancy  C.  Donalson.  Her 
father,  John  Donalson,  died  at  Vincennes, 
Ind.,  in  1842.  Her  mother  subsequently 
married  Milton  Lake  (1849),  who  died  Janu- 
ary 4,  1872.  On  September  3  of  the  same 
year,  the  mother  died,  only  one-half  mile 
from  place  of  birth.  She  was  born  in  Knox 
County,  Ind.,  May  19,  1841.  Mr.  B. 
Martin  was]  engaged  in  farming  until  July, 
1862,  when  he  enlisted  in  Company  K, 
One  Hundi-ed  and  Thirtieth  Illinois  Vol- 
unteer Infantry,  under  Capt.  J.  W.  Wilkin. 
He  served  in  this  company  until  the  close  of 
the    war.     He   participated  in  the   siege  of 


Vicksburg,  and  other  severe  contests.  He 
was  taken  prisoner  at  Sabine  Crossroads  in 
Louisiana,  on  the  8th  of  April,  1864,  and 
held  at  Camp  Ford,  Texas,  until  June,  1865. 
From  this  prison  he  was  then  liberated,  in 
consequence  of  the  war  being  virtuallj^  end- 
ed, and  he  made  his  way  on  foot  to  Shreves- 
port,  a  distance  of  110  miles,  thence  by  wa- 
ter to  the  mouth  of  the  Red  River,  where  he 
met  the  Union  forces.  He  was  discharged  at 
Springfield,  111.,  in  July,  1865.  In  1875,  he 
was  elected  to  the  ofiSce  of  Justice  of  the 
Peace,  which  office  he  continues  to  hold.  He 
was  appointed  Master  in  Chancery  in  1880. 
Mr.  Martin  is  a  member  of  the  I.  O.  O.  F., 
Knights  of  Honor,  and  the  Grand  Army  of 
the  Republic.  His  family  consists  of  seven 
children,  of  whom  two  are  dead.  LillieMai'- 
tin,  bom  September  26,  1858,  married  to 
Dick  English;  William  T.  Martin,  born  June 
29,  1862 — he  is  the  present  Deputy  County 
Clerk;  Foster  Martin,  born  July  22,  1866; 
Charles  Martin,  born  March  13,  1868;  Nan- 
nie Martin,  born  October  25,  1872;  Jacob  W. 
Martin,  died  in  infancy;  Harrie  Martin. died 
in  infancy.  The  family  residence  is  on  Mich- 
igan and  North  streets. 

D.  O.  MARTIN,  merchant,  Marshall.  The 
subject  of  this  sketch  is  the  youngest  of  a 
family  of  thirteen  children  of  James  and 
Barbara  Ann  Martin,  who  came  with  their 
family  to  Marshall  in  June,  1840.  D.  O. 
Martin  was  born  in  Ohio,  October  27,  1839. 
He  was  educated  in  the  public  school  of  Mar- 
shall, and  when  about  fourteen  years  old  en- 
tered the  store  of  Bullion  &  Janney  as  a 
salesman.  He  was  subsequently  employed  in 
the  store  of  Booth  &  Co.  for  a  term  of  eight 
years.  On  the  18th  of  July,  1862,  he  was 
mustei-ed  into  the  service  as  Second  Lieuten- 
ant of  Comparjy  G,  of  the  Seventieth  Illinois 
Infantry  (Capt.  Harlan).  October  14,  1864, 
he  was  commissioned   as  Sutler  of  the  One 

c 


38 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


Hundred  and  Thirtieth  Illinois  Regiment,  and 
in  May,  1881,  he  received  a  commission  as 
First  Lieutenant  of  Company  A,  Seventeenth 
Infantry  Illinois  National  Guards.  He  was 
married  in  Marshall  September  1,  1863,  to 
Miss  Malinda  Frances,  daughter  of  Stephen 
and  Jane  E., (Talent)  Frances.  Her  father 
was  a  native  of  Virginia,  born  in  1801,  and 
died  in  Clark  County,  1853.  Her  motlier,  a 
native  of  Virginia,  died  in  Ohio  at  the  age 
of  thirty-two.  Mrs.  Malinda  Martin  was 
bom  on  24th  of  September,  1843.  The  rec- 
ord of  the  children  is  as  follows:  Clinton 
Martin,  born  June  11,  1864,  and  died  Sep- 
tember 28,  1865;  Frederick  Martin,  born 
July  13,  1866;  Mabel  Martin,  born  March  30, 
1875;  Oliver  P.  Martin,  born  February  25, 
1877.  Mr.  Martin  embarked  in  the  boot  and 
shoe  trade  on  Main  street,  of  Marshall,  in 
1871,  a  business  in  which  he  has  been  fairly 
successful,  and  which  he  still  continues.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  order  and 
Knights  of  Honor,  and  both  he  and  wife  are 
members  of  the  Congregational  Chm'ch  of 
Marshall. 

JOHN  MARVIN,  miller.  Marshal.  Among 
the  active  men  of  business  may  be  mentioned 
the  name  of  John  Marvin.  He  was  born  on 
Walnut  Prairie,  Clark  County,  November  20, 
1887,  and  is  the  youngest  member  of  a  fam- 
ily of  seven  children  of  Barnabas  and  Rachel 
Marvin.  His  father  was  a  native  of  the  State 
of  New  York.  He,  with  his  j)ax'ents,  came 
from  that  State  to  Ft.  Vincennes,  in  which 
the  winter  of  1816-17  was  passed;  coming  to 
what  is  known  as  the  Shaker  Prairie,  Indi- 
ana, in  1817.  John  Marvin  received  a  com- 
mon school  education,  and  has  spent  most  of 
his  time  on  the  farm,  in  connection  with 
which  he  has  dealt  considerable  in  stock. 
In  1866,  he  embarked  in  the  mercantile  busi- 
ness at  Darwin,  which  he  continued  four 
years.     From  1870  to  1874,  he  was  in   mill- 


ing business  at  Darwin,  and  the  two  years 
following  in  the  same  business  at  Vermil- 
ion, Edgar  County,  with  William  T.  Bessar. 
Since  1876,  he  has  been  a  partner  in  the 
Quaker  City  Mills  at  Marshall.  He  was 
married  at  Darwin,  March  20,  1862,  to  Miss 
Rosetta  M.  Hall,  daughter  of  William  T. 
and  Rosetta  Hall.  William  T.  Hall  was  a 
native  of  New  York.  IVIi-s  Marvin's  mother 
was  Rosetta  Babcock,  and  died  when  the  for- 
mer was  a  small  child.  They  have  a  family  of 
three  children — Lillie  L.  Marvin,  born  Feb- 
ruary 22,  1865;  Jennie  J.,  born  June  17, 
1867;  Emma  E.,  born  November  11.  1875. 
Mr.  Marvin  owns  three  separate  farms  in  the 
southeastern  part  of  Clark  County;  the  fam- 
ily residence  is  on  Lot  3  of  Block  41,  in  Mar- 
shall. He  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  order. 
JOHN  H.  MILLER,  of  the  firm  of  Gray 
&  Miller,  undertakers,  Marshall,  111.  In  an 
early  day,  the  Millers  came  from  Germany 
and  settled  in  Pennsylvania.  About  1767, 
Martin  was  born  in  Pennsylvania.  He  mar- 
ried.twice,  each  time  marrying  a  daughter  of 
Samuel  Hess.  He  moved  to  Ohio  in  1807, 
and  to  Pike  County,  111. ,  in  1824,  where  he 
died  at  an  old  age.  His  son,  Martin,  by  his 
first  marriage,  was  born  in  Pennsylvania 
April  28,  1791.  Moved  to  Ohio,  near  Cin- 
cinnati, in  1807,  where  he  married  Catharine 
Mitchell  in  1812.  She  was  born  in  Pennsyl- 
vania January  6,  1791.  Her  father,  John 
Mitchell,  of  German  ancestry,  was  born  in 
1758.  At  the  age  of  seventeen,  he  entered  the 
Revolutionary  war  and  served  seven  years,  a 
good  portion  of  the  time  a  prisoner  of  war, 
confined  in  England.  At  the  close  of  the  war, 
he  landed  in  Boston,  married  a  young  widow 
near  Pittsburgh,  Penn. ;  moved  to  Ohio,  then 
to  Indiana,  near  Indianapolis,  where  she  died 
in  1838,  aged  eighty-foiu-  years,  and  he  died 
in  1847,  aged  eighty-nine  years.  Martin  and 
Catherine  moved  to  Clark  County,  Ind.,    in 


MARSHALL    TOWX.SHIP. 


39 


1824,  and  to  Clai-k  County,  111.,  in  185.',  and 
to  Cumberland  Coxinty.  111.,  in  1858,  where 
he  died  October  11.  1870,  and  she  died  Feb- 
ruary (5,  1877.  Their  son  Emanuel,  the  third 
of  a  family  of  ten  children,  was  born  in  Cler- 
mont County,  Ohio,  February  9,  1818: 
moved  to  Clark  Cou.nty,  Ind. ,  in  1824,  where 
he  mai-ried  Nancy  Hutchings,  August  2,  1838. 
Nancy,  the  daughter  of  Esrom  and  Polly 
Hutchings,  was  born  in  Clark  County,  Ind., 
August  9,  1821.  Her  father  was  born  in 
Virginia  in  1790.  His  father,  Joseph,  was  a 
Virginian.  Esrom  married  Polly  Fifer,  in 
Clark  County,  Ind.,  in  1815.  Polly  was  the 
daughter  of  Chi-istian  and  Catherine  Fifer, 
nee  Headricks,  of  Pennsylvania.  Esrom  and 
Polly  moved  to  Clark  County,  111.,  in  1856, 
where  they  both  died  in  the  winter  of  1865-06. 
Emanuel  and  Nancy  Miller  moved  to  Clark 
County,  111.,  October  11, 1844,  and  purchased 
a  large  farm,  upon  which  they  still  reside. 
They  had  five  children:  William  A.,  Mary 
E.,  Sarah  E.,  John  H.,  and  Stephen  A. 
Stephen  A.  died  in  1856.  William  A.  ^  a 
member  of  Company  F,  One  Hundred  and 
Twenty-third  Illinois  Volunteers,  was  killed 
at  the  battle  of  Perryville,  Ky.,  October  8, 
1862.  He  was  brought  home  and  interred  in 
the  family  cemetery.  Mary  E.  died  in  1806. 
Sarah  E.  and  John  H.  are  still  living.  The 
subject  of  our  sketch  was  born  in  Dolson 
Township,  Clark  County,  111.,  June  24,  1852, 
where  he  received  the  advantages  of  a  com- 
mon school  education,  and  in  1870  became  a 
student  in  Westfield  College,  remaining  three 
years,  making  a  specialty  of  the  teachers' 
course;  followed  teaching  for  about  seven 
years,  and  in  connection  with  his  profession 
superintended  the  management  of  his  farm 
in  Dolson  Township.  He  taught  one  year 
neai'  Tuscola,  Douglas  County,  and  taught 
six  terms  in  one  district  in  Marshall  Town- 
ship, Clark  County.    He  was  married  in  Dol- 


son Township,  by  Rev.  J.  L.  B.  Ellis,  October 
5,  1876,  to  Miss  Sarah  Lycan,  daughter  of 
Jacob  G.  and  Mary  Lycan.  nee  Lockard. 
They  were  among  the  first  settlers  of  Dolson 
Township.  They  are  still  living,  and  cele- 
brated their  golden  wedfling  November  27, 
1882.  Sarah  was  born  in  Dolson  Township, 
October  5,  1858.  They  have  two  sons — 
Walter  Ai-thur,  born  September  15,  1877; 
Miio  Ralph,  boru  November  20,  1880.  Mr. 
Miller  lost  his  health  by  teaching  school.  He 
rented  his  farm  and  moved  to  Marshall  Au- 
gust 15,  1882,  and  engaged  in  the  undertak- 
ing business,  associating  with  Lote  Gray, 
who  has  been  in  the  business  for  more  than 
six  years.  They  are  proprietors  of  the  Mar- 
shall wagon-yard,  on  Cumberland  street, 
where  they  have  built  a  new  shop  for  their 
andertaking.  Hearse  free  for  every  funeral. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Miller  are  members  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  Mr.  Miller 
has  bought  property  since  he  came  to  town, 
and  is  making  preparations  to  erect  a  fine 
dwelling.  His  health  has  so  improved  that 
he  has  decided  to  make  Marshall  his  home. 
JOHN  MORTON,  banker,  Marshall.  Among 
the  leading  business  men  and  honored  citizens 
of  Marshall,  is  John  Morton,  a  native  of  Lan- 
arkshire, Scotland,  born  near  Glasgow,  April 
23,  1826.  He  is  the  third  of  a  family  of  four 
sons  of  John  and  Christina  CWood)  Morton, 
and  was  educated  in  his  native  country.  When 
about  twenty-two  years  old,  being  impressed 
with  and  aggrieved  by  the  unjust  laws  of  the 
transmission  of  property  to  the  eldest  son, 
he  resolved  to  seek  his  fortune  in  America. 
He  set  sail  in  the  packet  "  Ann  Harlot."  in 
1848,  and  in  due  time  he  was  landed  at  New 
York.  He  spent  tLe  summer  of  1848  in 
Rochester,  N.  Y.,  coming  fi-om  that  city  to 
Licking  County,  Ohio,  in  the  fall  of  same 
year.  In  the  spring  of  the  following  year, 
lui-ed  thence  by  the  "  gold  fever,"  he  went  to 


40 


BIOGKAPHICAL: 


California,  where  he  engaged  in  mining  for 
nearly  two  years.  He  returned  to  Ohio  in 
the  fall  of  1851,  and  until  1853  was  dealing 
in  real  estate.  Some  time  in  1853,  be  came 
to  Illinois,  and  settled  in  Melrose  Township, 
where  he  purchased  land  and  engaged  in 
farming  and  stjck-raising  for  several  years. 
He  still  owns  700  acres  of  land  in  Sections 
23,  24,  25  and  26  of  that  township.  He  is 
now  associated  with  Robert  Brown  and  Will- 
iam H.  Lockard,  in  the  Clark  County  Bank, 
located  on  Hamilton  street;  family  residence 
on  Michigan  street.  Mr.  Morton  was  mar- 
ried at  Rising  Sun,  [nd.,  November  1,  1855, 
to  Miss  Mary  McKain,  daughter  of  An- 
thony and  Catherine  McKain.  She  was  born 
in  Ohio  County,  Ind.,  May  12,  1834.  They 
have  a  family  of  nine  childi-en,  whose  names 
and  record  are  as  follows:  John  A.  Morton, 
born  May  18,  1857,  and  married  April  14, 
1879,  to  Alice  Prevo.  They  have  a  daiighter, 
Mary  Amy,  born  August  28,  1882.  Catherine 
C.  Morton,  born  June  1,  1859;  Janette  Morton, 
born  April  29,  1862;  James  K.  Morton,  born 
October  31,  1864,  and  died  June  19,  1866; 
Elizabeth  Morton,  born  December  9,  1866; 
James  Morton,  born  January  3, 1869;  Thomas 
Morton,  born  August  5,  1872,  died;  Charles 
S.  Morton,  born  March  10,  1874,  died  Feb- 
ruary 7,  1876;  Mark  Morton,  born  August 
14,  1878.  Mr.  Morton  is  a  Republican  and 
a  member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity.  Both 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Morton  are  leading  members  of 
the  Presbyterian  Church.  The  stability  of 
this  family  is  known  to  many  of  our  readers. 
and  requires  no  comment  here. 

J.  H.  MYERS,  butcher,  Marshall,  son 
of  George  and  Sarah  A.  Myers,  was  born  in 
Muskingum  County,  Ohio,  on  the  29th  day 
of  May,  1841.  He  is  the  eldest  of  a  family 
of  three  children;  his  father  was  a  native  of 
Pennsylvania,  born  about  1812,  and  died  on 
the  24th  of  June,  1844.     His  mother,  Sarah 


A.  Hawert,  is  a  native  of  State  of  New  York, 
and  now  lives  in  Ashport,  Ohio.  J.  H. 
was  raised  in  his  native  county,  and  in  the 
spring  of  1861  he  enlisted  in  the  three 
months'  service,  at  the  end  of  which 
term    he    became    a    member   of     Company 

B,  of  the  Seventy-eighth  Ohio  Regiment,  in 
which  he  served  three  yeai-s,  when,  with  the 
same  organization,  he  veteranized  and  was 
mustered  out  July  15,  1865.  He  took  part  in 
the  battles  of  Fort  Douelson,  Shiloh,  the  seige 
of  Vicksburg  and  of  Atlanta,  and  all  the  en- 
gagements incident  to  Sherman's  memorable 
mai-ch.  April  21,  1864,  while  on  a  furlough, 
he  was  maiTied  to  Miss  Margaret  Shaw, 
daughter  of  Shadrack  and  Mary  D.  Shaw; 
she  was  boru  in  Muskingum  County,  Ohio, 
December  25,  1840.  They  removed  to  Illi- 
nois and  settled  in  Marshall,  in  1867,  where 
they  still  live.  Mr.  Myers  is  acknowledged 
as  an  honorable  business  man,  and  for  many 
years  has  engaged  in  running  the  meat  mar- 
ket of  Mai'shall;  shop  on  west  side  of  public 
square.  He  has  a  family  of  six  children 
named  as  follows:  Emma  J.,  George  L., 
William  H.,  James  E.,  Avy  P.,  and  Can-ie 
B.  Myers.      He  is  a  member  of  the  I.  O.  O.  F. 

FLEMING  R.  NEAL.  Marshall.  The  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch  is  a  native  of  Clark  Coun- 
ty, 111.  He  is  among  the  younger  of  a 
large  family  of  Elza  and  Jane  Neal.  His 
father  was  born  in  Knox  County,  Ind.,  on 
the  25th  day  of  December,  1808.  He  grew 
to  manhood  in  Knox  County,  and  was  mar- 
ried in  Washington  County,  on  the  7th  of  Jan- 
uary, 1830,  to  Miss  Jane  McCampbell.  They 
lived  seven  years  in  Knox  County  after  mar- 
riage, diu'ing  which  time  were  born  four 
children — William  M.,  Calvin,  Rufus  and 
Margaret.  In  1837,  they  removed  with  their 
family  to  Marshall,  111.,  where  he  spent 
the  remainder  of  his  life.  He  was  by  trade 
a  wagon-maker,   and   followed  this  business 


MARSHALL    TOWNSHIP. 


41 


for  many  years.  He  afterward  engaged  in 
milling,  and  for  some  years  ran  a  saw  and 
grist  mill  sis  miles  east  of  Marshall.  He 
died  in  Marshall  on  the  30th  day  of  Jannary> 
1S82,  having  been  a  member  of  the  Presby- 
terian Church  over  forty  years.  Jane  Mc- 
Campbell  is  a  daughter  of  James  and  Jane 
McCampbell,  and  was  born  in  Clark  County, 
Ind.,  July  25,  1812;  she  was  principally 
raised  in  Washington  County,  Ind.,  where 
she  was  married.  She  has  raised  a  family 
of  fourteen  children,  of  whom  nine  are  still 
living.  She  still  survives,  and  has  a  resi- 
dence on  Hamilton  street.  She  has  been  a 
member  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  since 
1828.  F.  R.  Neal  was  born  July  19,  1853. 
He  was  raised  and  educated  in  Marshall,  and 
married  on  the  14th  of  October,  1874,  to 
Miss  F.  Spotts,  daughter  of  Conrad  and 
Nancy  (Calvert)  Spotts.  She  was  born  in 
Clark  County,  111.,  August  20,  1853;  they 
have  two  childi'en — Ruth  Neal,  born  Novem' 
ber  15,  1875;  Edith  Neal,  born  January  1, 
1882. 

THOMA.S  L.  ORNDORFF,  lawyer,  Mar- 
shall, is  a  native  of  Guernsey  County,  Ohio, 
born  March  24,  1839.  His  father,  Phineas 
Orndoff,  was  a  native  of  Frederick  County, 
Va.,  and  came  to  Clark  County,  111.,  from 
Ohio,  in  the  fall  of  1854.  He  settled  on 
Big  Creek,  in  Wabash  Township,  where  he 
died  in  December,  1864.  His  mother,  Cath- 
erine (Jennings)  Orndorff,  was  a  native  of 
Muskingum  County,  Ohio,  and  died  in  Clai-k 
County,  111.,  in  November,  1854.  Om-  sub- 
ject was  principally  educated  at  Zanesville, 
Ohio.  He  was  married  in  Clark  County,  111., 
January  1,  1858,  to  Miss  Sarah  A.  Pitman, 
daughter  of  William  and  Sarah  Pitman.  She 
was  born  in  Frederick  County,  Va..  January, 
1840,  and  died  in  this  county,  November, 
1864.  The  result  of  this  marriage  was  three 
daughters — Sarah  C,  born  October  27,  1858, 


and  died  in  Marshall  December  24,  1881; 
Josephine  Orudoft',  married  to  William  Mc- 
Gregor; and  Alice  A.,  born  January  8,  1863. 
Mr.  Orndorff  was  married  to  his  present  wi  f  e, 
Elizabeth  Fishback,  October  1,  1868.  She 
is  a  daughter  of  Jacob  Fishback,  of  Wabash 
Township,  and  was  born  September  17,  1S50. 
By  this  union  there  are  two  childi'en — Thom- 
as A.,  bom  September  11,  1869;  William  E., 
born  March  8,  1872,  and  died  June  23,  1872; 
and  Pearl,  born  August  29,  1875.  Our  sub- 
ject began  life  as  a  farmer,  and  in  this  call- 
ing and  in  teaching  were  spent  most  of  his 
years  from  1858  to  1874.  In  February, 
1865,  he  was  mustered  into  service  as  First 
Lieutenant  of  Company  G,  One  Hundred 
and  Fifty  second  Illinois  Infantry  (Capt. 
Pitman),  which  commission  he  held  until 
mustered  out  at  Memphis,  Tenn.,  September 
15,  1865.  In  1874,  he  removed  to  Marshall 
and  became  a  student  in  the  law  office  of 
James  C-  Robinson.  He  was  admitted  to  the 
bar  in  1877.  He  was  elected  to  the 
office  of  State's  Attorney,  which  office  he  now 
holds,  having  been  re-elected  in  1880.  He 
owns  a  farm  of  126  acres  in  Sections  24  and 
31  of  Wabash  Township,  including  two 
dwellings.  His  family  residence  is  on  the 
corner  of  Jefferson  and  Walnut  streets,  Mar- 
shall. He  is  a  Democrat  and  member  of  the 
Masonic  fraternity.- 

SAMUEL  PARK,  farmer,  P.  O.  Marshall, 
is  one  of  the  aged  citizens  of  the  city  of 
Marshall.  He  is  a  native  of  Licking  County, 
Ohio,  born  November  21,  1810.  At  that 
time.  Central  Ohio  was  a  vast,  heavily-tim- 
bered wilderness  but  thinly  settled.  His 
father,  John  Park,  was  born  in  Hampshire 
County,  Va.,  February  16,  1786,  where  he 
remained  with  his  parents  until  his  twenty 
third  year,  when  he  married  Miss  Margaret, 
daughter  of  Alexander  and  Jane  McBride. 
She    was    born   in  the  same  county,  and  of 


42 


BIOGKAPIIICAL: 


Irish  parentage.     Soon  after,  they  emigrated 
to    Licking   County,   Ohio,    where    they  re- 
tnainefl  during  life.      Many  of  the  Park  fam- 
ily were  sufferers  in  the  Revolutionary  war, 
among  whom  was  John  Park's  mother,  who 
was  taken  prisoner  by  the  Indians  in  Green- 
brier County,  Va.,  and  taken  to  Sandusky, 
in  the  Northwest  Territory,    where    she   re- 
mained a  prisoner  for  neaily  four  years.      Af- 
ter her  return  to  Virginia,  she  maiTied  Samuel, 
the  father  of  John  Park.     The  Park  family 
are  among  the  oldest  families  of  the  nation. 
They  are  of  English  origin,  and  commenced 
their    American    history    with    the    colony 
at    Jamestown,  Va.,  in  1608  or   1609,  from 
whence  they  have  spread  into  neai-ly  if  not 
quite  oveiy  State  and  Territory  in  the  Union. 
Samuel    Park,  the   subject   of   this  memoir, 
continued  to  reside  in  Licking  County  until 
the  fall  of  1850.      Then  he  moved  with  his 
family  to  the  Valley  of  the  AV  abash  and  set- 
tled in  the  southwest  corner  of  Hutsonville 
Township,  Crawford  County,  111.,   where  he 
remained  nine  years;  thence  to  his  present 
farm,  joining  the  town  of  Marshall,  in  Clark 
County.      This  change  was  made  to  obtain 
better    facilities  for  educating  the  younger 
members  of  his  family.     He  now  rents  his 
farm  and  resides  on  South  Michigan  street 
in  the  city  of    Marshall.     In  early  life,  he 
enjoyed  only  such  limited  facilities  for  ob- 
taining an  education  as  was  afforded  in  the 
pioneer  log-cabin  schools  when  there  was  no 
public  money  to  aid  in  keeping  up  schools. 
In  youth,  ho  learned  the  blacksmith   trade, 
after    which    ho    obtained    a    copartnership 
with  an  auger  and  sickle  maker,  and  acquired 
the  art  of  making  them,  which  he  followed 
until    compelled   to    abandon    his    trade  by 
loss  of  health.     Since  thon  he  has  followed 
farming  and  wool-growing  as  his  chief  busi- 
ness in  life.     On  June  2,  1831,  ho  married 
Miss   Aletha  A.,  daughter  of  Benedict  and 


Kachael  Belt,  who  was  also  born  in  Licking 
County,    Ohio,     November    3,    ISIO.      They 
had  been  schoolmates  and    associates    from 
childhood.     They   have    had  nine  children, 
eiij-ht  of  whom  lived  to  the  age  of  men  and 
women,  as  follows:  John  A.,  born  March  17, 
1832;    Wesley,    born    November    19.    1883; 
Henry   C,   born  August   16,  1835;  George, 
born    September    12,  1839;  Mary    E..   born 
May  10,  1842;  Samuel  B.,  bom  September  2, 
1844:  Alvin  T.,  born  October  28,  1846;  Ale- 
tha J.,  born  April  31,  1849;  Emily  A.,  born 
August  20,  1852,  and  died  March  11,  1854. 
Georse  and  Alvin  T.  lost  their  lives  in  the 
service  of  the  Union  in  the  war  or  1861-65; 
Aletha  J.  died  at  the  age  of  nineteen  years, 
and  Henry  C.    at  the  age  of  forty,  leaving 
a  wife   and  six  children.     There    are    three 
sons  and  one  daughter  still  living,  and  all 
have  families.      John  A.  is  a  fai-mer;  Wesley 
and    Samuel   B.    are   practicing   physicians. 
Samuel  Park  has  been  a  member  of  the  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  Chiu-ch  for  nearly  fifty-three 
years  and  Mrs.  Park  for  over  sixty  years.   Mr. 
Park  claims  to  be  a  real  frontiersman  in  his 
birth  and  early  life  experience,  and  has   an 
unusually  vivid  recollection  of  pioneer  usages 
and    incidents.     One,    among    many    land- 
mai-ks  in  his  early  recollections,  ii?  the  retiu-n 
of  the  soldiers  from    Gen.  Harrison's   cam- 
paign in  the  Northwest  in  1813.     Mr.   and 
Mrs.  Park  have  been  living  together  as  man 
and  wife  for  nearly  tifty-two  years,  and  are 
still  enjoying  pretty  good  health,  both  phys- 
ically  and  mentally.      They  are  now   living 
alone  as  happily  as  when  they  first  began  the 
cares  of  life  together.     The  above  is  the  pro- 
duction of  Mr.  Samuel  Park's  own  pen. 

ALEXANDER  M.  PAYNE,  grain  dealer, 
Marshall,  is  a  native  of  Clark  County,  111., 
born  September  11.  1838.  His  father.  Ebon- 
ezer  Payne,  was  a  native  of  Preble  County, 
Ohio,  and   was   one   of   the   firet  settlers  on 


MARSHALL   TOWNSHIP. 


43 


Walnut  Prairie.  He  died  in  Marshall.  Sallie 
McKeen,  motlier  of  our  subject,  was  a  native 
of  Warren  County,  Ohio.  She  died  in  Mar- 
shall. Mr.  Alexander  Payne  is  the  third  of 
a  family  of  four  chikken.  of  whom  but  two 
survive,  the  subject  of  these  lines  having 
one  sister,  Elizabeth,  who  is  married  to  W. 
T.  Martin.  Alexander  Payne  grew  to  man- 
hood in  this  county,  and  moved  to  Marshall 
with  his  j)arents  in  1848.  He  was  educated 
in  the  public  schools  of  Marshall,  where  he 
was  married  on  the  8th  of  March,  1860,  to 
Miss  Emma  Harlan,  daughter  of  Justin  and 
Lucinda  Harlan.  She  was  born  in  Marshall 
March  12,  1842.  They  have  a  family  of  five 
children,  all  of  whom  were  born  in  Marshall. 
Their  names  are  as  follows:  William  H., 
Edwin,  Sallie,  Mary,  Clara.  Mr.  Payne 
has  been  prominent  in  the  milling  inter- 
ests of  Marshall,  beginning  that  business 
in  1858.  In  1874,  he  and  Wilson  Harlan 
erected  a  large  brick  mill  on  the  site  of  the 
old  Marshall  Mill,  which  bui-ned  in  1879. 
Since  that  time  Mr.  Payne  has  been  operat- 
ing a  warehouse  on  the  Wabash  Railroad, 
opposite  depot.  Mr.  Payne  is  a  member  of 
the  Knights  of  Honor.  Residence  on  Hamil- 
ton street. 

HENRY  PLASTER,  farmer,  city  of  Mar- 
shall, is  the  third  of  a  family  of  nine  chil- 
dren, of  James  and  Hannah  Plaster.  He  was 
born  in  Loudoun  County,  Va.,  on  the  12th 
day  of  June,  ]8]9.  When  he  was  about 
twelve  years  old,  his  parents  removed  from 
Virginia  to  Clark  County,  111.,  and  settled 
on  Big  Creek,  in  Wabash  Township,  where 
they  lived  on  farm  until  coming  to  Marshall 
about  1858,  when  the  father  died  October  25, 
1882,  in  his  ninety-second  year,  the  mother 
having  died  in  Marshall  in  1874.  Henry  F. 
Plaster  was  raised  on  the  farm  and  received  a 
common  school  education  He  was  married 
in  Marshall,  October  24,  1861,  to  Miss  Maiy 


E.  Bradley,  daughter  of  Lewis  M.  and  Nancy 
C.  Bradley,  of  Marshall.  She  was  born  in 
Ohio,  March  13,  1838.  They  have  a  family 
consisting  of  two  children,  one  of  whom  is 
dead  ;  Leonidas  Franz  S.  Plaster,  born  in 
Marshall  on  the  14th  of  October,  1862  ;  Car- 
rie Loraine  Plaster,  born  in  Marshall  on  the 
1st  of  June,  1868,  and  died  October  14, 1876. 
Mr.  Henry  Plaster  came  to  Marshall  previous 
to  his  marriage,  and  has  been  a  resident  ever 
since.  The  family  residence  is  on  Michigan 
street.  He  owns  a  farm  of  65  acres  adjoin- 
ing his  residence  in  Section  13  of  Marshall 
Township.  He  and  wife  are  members  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church  of  Marshall. 

SAMUEL  C.  PREVO,  merchant,  Mar- 
shall. Among  the  merchants  who  have  taken 
position  in  the  front  rank  is  the  subject  of 
these  lines,  Samuel  C.  Prevo.  He  was 
born  in  Clark  County,  111.,  in  York  Town- 
ship, on  the  27th  day  of  August,  1847.  He 
is  the  second  of  a  family  of  six  children  of 
Henry  and  Amy  Prevo.  He  was  raised  in  this 
county,  in  which  he  received  a  common 
school  education.  In  1870,  he  graduated 
from  the  Terre  Haute  Business  College,  and 
began  life  as  a  merchant.  He  first  opened 
a  general  store  in  York  of  this  county,  where 
he  continued  until  1877.  He  then  engaged 
in  farming  for  a  few  years,  but  came  to  Mar- 
shall in  1881,  where  he  opened  an  extensive 
stock  of  dry  goods  and  clothing,  and  where 
he  now  has  a  store  of  which  Mai-shall  should 
be  proud.  While  Mr.  Prevo  has' had  flatter- 
ing success  in  business,  his  domestic  life  has 
not  been  all  sunshine.  Death  has  removed 
a  wife,  to  whom  he  was  married  February  1, 
1872.  Her  name  was  Eliza  Kelly,  daughter 
of  James  Kelly,  formerly  of  New  York  City, 
where  she  was  born  September  15,  1850. 
She  died  at  York,  this  county,  May  11,  1873, 
leaving  a  daughter,  iVlice  Prevo,  who  was 
born   in   York,    November   27,    1872.      Mr. 


44 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


Prevo  was  married  to  his  present  wife,  Emma 
Hogne,  on  the  7th  day  of  September,  1876. 
She  is  a  daughter  of  Jonathan  and  Tamar 
Hogue,  and  was  bom  in  Clark  County  on  the 
19th  of  April,  1855.  They  have  buried  one 
son,  Randal  Prevo,  who  was  born  March  4, 
1880,  and  died  July  31st  of  same  year. 

JOHN  SCHOLFIELD,  lawyer,  Marshall. 
Among  those  deserving  of  a  special  mention  in 
the  history  of  this  (Clai'k)  county,  is  Judge 
John  Scholfield.  The  first  that  is  known  of 
his  ancestry  is  the  migration  of  a  family  from 
England  who  settled  in  West  Chester,  Penn- 
sylvania, in  the  early  part  of  the  last  century. 
They  were  members  of  the  religious  society 
known  as  "Quakers  " — styled  by  themselves 
"  Friends."  He  followed  some  mechanical 
employment,  as  did  his  descendants,  until 
the  father  of  our  subject,  who  was  a  farmer. 
Shortly  after  the  close  of  the  Revolution, 
this  family  removed  to  Loudoun  County, 
Va.,  and  there  Thomas  Scholfield,  the 
father  of  subject,  was  bom  on  the  1st  of  Au- 
gust, 1805.  "When  he  was  five  years  old, 
his  fatiier  died,  and  soon  after  this  event  the 
family  moved  to  Muskingum  County,  Ohio, 
at  which  p,ace  Thomas  Scholfield  grew  to 
manhood.  In  October,  1828,  he  migrated 
to  Clark  County,  III.  In  April,  1831,  in 
what  is  now  Melrose  Township,  he  was  mar- 
ried to  Miss  Ruth  Beauchamp,  daughter  of 
John  Beauchamp,  a  native  of  Maryland,  who 
in  early  life  removed  to  South  Carolina, 
where  he  was  married  in  Rockingham  County 
of  that  State.  Here  the  mother  of  our  sub- 
ject was  born,  iu  June,  1810.  While  she 
was  yet  a  small  child, the  family  moved  from 
South  Carolina  to  Orange  County,  Ind. , 
and  settled  near  Paoli,  from  whence,  after  a 
residence  of  several  years,  they  r"moved  to 
Clark  County,  111.,  locating  a  few  miles 
west  from  York.  Mrs.  Beauchamp  was  a 
member    of    the   society    of    "Quakers"    or 


"Friends,"  and  this  fact  probably  accounts 
for  the  location  near  Paoli,  and  afterward 
near  York,  for  at  that  time  both  named 
places  were  provided  with  meeting-houses  for 
that  sect,  and,  considering  the  then  sparsely 
settled  condition  of  the  country,  quite  exten- 
sive settlements  had  been  made.  For  about 
one  year  and  a  half  after  the  marriage  of 
Joseph  Scholfield,  he  resided  from  one  half 
to  three  quarters  of  a  mile  north  from  the 
present  village  of  Melrose,  in  a  cabin  erected 
on  land  belonging  to  Jonathan  Medsker. 
Here  om*  subject's  oldest  brother  was  born. 
In  t-he  fall  of  1882,  his  father  having  become 
the  owner  of  a  small  tract  of  land  lying  im- 
mediately south  from  and  adjacent  to  that  on 
which  the  village  of  Mai'tinsville  was  subse- 
quently laid  oif,  built  a  cabin  upon  it  and 
moved  his  family  there.  There  his  brother 
died  the  ensuing  winter  or  spring,  of  croup. 
He  was  buried  within  the  limits  of  the  vil- 
lage of  Martinsville,  but  not  in  the  cemetery, 
as  there  was  none  at  that  time,  and  he  was 
the  first  white  person  buried  in  the  village. 
Here  at  this  residence  John  was  born,  on  tbe 
1st  of  August,  1834,  but  when  two  yeai-s  old, 
his  father  having  sold  this  place  and  entered 
land  west  fi-om  Mai'tinsville.  moved  upon  it. 
At  this  residence  his  mother  died  on  the  KJth 
of  August,  1849.  His  father  in  1850,  re- 
moved to  California,  whence,  after  a  year's 
residence,  he  removed  to  ^\'ashington  County, 
Oregon,  where  he  still  lives.  John  Sehol- 
field's  early  education  was  obtained  in  the 
common  schools  of  Clark  County,  which  were 
usually  limited  to  three  months  each  year. 
And  even  this  time  was  often  eiicrowhed  by 
withdi'awals  to  assist  iu  the  labor  and  supjiort 
of  the  family  In  April,  1851,  he  became  a 
pupil  in  the  private  academy  at  Marshall, 
owned  by  Rev.  D.  Andrews,  and  then-after 
for  about  three  years,  his  time  was  alternately 
occupied  in  teaching  in  the  common  schools. 


MARSHALL   TOWNSHIP. 


45 


and  attending  this  institution.  In  October, 
1854,  he  entered  the  Law  Depai-tment  of  the 
Louisville  University,  and  obtained  the  de- 
gree conferred  by  that  institution  in  March! 
1856.  He  began  the  practice  of  law  in  Mar- 
shall in  the  spring  of  1855,  between  the 
terms  of  the  law  school,  returning  to  Louis- 
ville in  October  of  that  year.  Mr.  Scholfield 
and  Hon.  James  C.  Robinson,  formed  a  part- 
nership for  the  practice  of  law  in  1S55,  which 
continued  until  the  election  of  subject  to  the 
oBBce  of  States  Attorney  of  the  Fourth  Judi- 
cial Circuit,  which  occun-ed  in  November, 
1850.  This  circuit  then  comprised  nine 
counties  in  Central  Illinois.  In  18G0.  he  was 
elected  to  the  Lower  House  of  the  State  Leg- 
islature, as  a  Douglas  Democrat.  In  1869, 
he  was  elected  a  delegate  from  the  counties 
of  Clark  and  Cumberland  to  the  convention, 
to  frame  a  new  constitution,  and  was  chair- 
man of  the  committee  on  schedule  in  that 
body.  In  1869,  a  partnership  was  effected 
between  Mr.  S.  and  Judge  Wilkin,  under  the 
name  of  Scholfield  &  Wilkin,  which  contin- 
ued until  1870,  at  which  time  Mr.  S.  was  em- 
ployed as  a  solicitor  for  the  St.  L.,  V.  &  T. 
H.  Railroad  Co.,  which  position  he  resigned 
thi-ee  years  after.  In  1873,  he  was  elected 
Judge  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  State 
from  the  Second  Supreme  Judicial  District 
to  till  the  vacancy  caused  by  the  resignation 
of  Judge  Thornton.  In  June,  1879,  he  was 
re-elected  to  the  same  office  for  the  full  term 
of  nine  years.  On  the  29th  of  December, 
1859,  he  was  married  to  Emma  J.  Bartlett, 
daughter  of  the  late  John  Bartlett  of  Mar- 
shall. 

JACOB  SCOTT,  retired,  Marshall.  Jacob 
Scott  is  a  native  of  Bucks  County,  Penn., 
and  is  the  second  of  a  family  of  eight  chil- 
dren of  William  and  Hannah  Scott.  William 
Scott,  father  of  Jacob,  was  born  in  Pennsyl- 
vania, and  the  mother,   Hannah  Hagerman, 


was  also  a  native  of  same  State.  Jacob  was 
born  June  2,  1811,  and  was  raised  principal- 
ly on  the  farm,  but  at  the  age  of  eighteen 
began  an  apprenticeship  at  the  carpenter  and 
joiner  trade.  At  this  he  worked  about  twelve 
years,  and  then  abandoned  the  trade  to  pur- 
sue the  interests  of  the  farm.  He  followed 
farming  in  Muskingum  County,  Ohio,  where 
his  father  had  moved  when  subject  was  a 
small  boy,  and  where  his  father  died,  leaving 
the  mother  and  children  a  good  farm  home. 
About  1836,  he  went  to  Licking  County, 
where,  on  the  1st  of  November,  1835,  he  had 
married  Miss  Hettie  Brown,  daughter  of 
Adam  and  Mary  (Canden)  Brown.  She  was 
born  in  Licking  County,  Ohio,  May  29, 
1818,  and  was  the  sixth  of  a  family  of  seven 
children.  One  brother  Solomon  Brown  is 
one  of  the  honored  citizens  of  Melrose  Town- 
ship, of  this  county.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Scott 
have  had  a  family  of  ten  children,  of  whom 
one  is  deceased,  viz.:  Mary  J.,  the  wife  of 
Robert  Craig,  was  born  September  8,  1836; 
William  was  born  September  25,  1888,  mar- 
ried Miss  Mary  Craig;  Adam  B.  was  bom 
September  16,  1840,  married  to  Miss  Sophia 
Mitchell;  James  was  born  October  2,  1842, 
married  to  Martha  Colven;  Alexander,  born 
October  27,  1844,  married  Miss  Ella  Robin- 
son; Hannah  M.,  born  December  22,  1846, 
widow  of  Lenhart  Leasure;  Martha  A.,  wife 
of  William  Kuykendall,  was  bom  December 
24,  1850;  Jacob  M.  was  born  August  5, 
1855,  man-ied  Sarah  Belch;  HattieA.,  wife 
of  Victor  Tobennach,was  born  September  28, 
1860.  Ml-.  Scott  emigrated  to  this  county 
fi-om  Licking  County,  Ohio,  in  the  fall  of 
1849,  and  settled  in  Melrose  Township,  on 
the  farm  now  owned  and  occupied  by  Wash- 
■  ington  Kreager.  Here  they  remained  until 
they  sold  out  to  Mr.  Ki-eager  about  1871. 
They  then  came  to  Marshall,  and  made  a 
residence  of  two  years,  and  in  1873  purchased 


46 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


a  farm  in  southern  Wabash  Township,  where 
they  remained  engaged  in  farming  for  three 
years,  but  owing  to  failing  health  they  sold 
out,  and  again  sought  the  retirement  of  the 
City  of  Marshall,  where  they  have  since  lived, 
and  where  they  have  made  for  themselves 
many  friends.  They  are  members  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church  of  that  place. 

THE  SHAW  FAMILY.  Joseph  Shaw 
was  one  of  the  earliest  settlers  of  Clark 
County.  He  emigrated  from  Knox  Coun- 
ty, Ind.,  to  the  south  end  of  Walnut 
Prairie,  near  the  narrows  of  the  Wabash 
River,  in  the  spiring  of  1818.  His  father, 
John  Shaw,  originally  came  from  L-eland  to 
Pennsylvania.  Joseph  was  born  the  25th  of 
December,  1773,  ana  came  West  with  his 
father's  family  to  Jefferson  County,  Ky.,  near 
Louisville.  In  one  of  the  Indian  raids  on 
the  early  settlers,  John  Shaw  was  killed  at  a 
spring  on  Chenowith's  Run,  where  he  and 
W^illiam,  a  twelve-year-old  son  had  gone  for 
water.  The  boy  was  taken  prisoner,  carried 
otf  and  adopted  by  his  captors.  In  1791, 
Joseph  was  in  a  command  of  Kentucky  troops 
iu  Gen.  St.  Clair's  camjaaign  against  the  In- 
dians in  the  wilderness  of  Western  Ohio.  On 
-  the  3d  of  November,  St.  Clair's  army  en- 
camped a  few  miles  from  the  Indian  villages 
on  the  Miami  River,  and  about  sunrise  the 
nest  morning  was  unexpectedly  attacked  by 
the  Indians — and  as  history  informs  us,  was 
badly  defeated  and  scattered.  The  subject 
of  this  sketch  had  his  left  arm  broken  be- 
tween the  elbow  and  shoulder,  and  fled  from 
the  battle-field,  pm'sued  by  an  Indian,  and 
in  crossing  a  deep  ravine  stumbled  and  fell 
into  the  top  of  a  fallen  tree,  and  laid  there 
awaiting  his  fate.  The  pursuing  savage 
came  to  the  top  of  the  bank  and  not  seeing 
him  turned  back  in  pursuit  of  other  fugi- 
tives. He  lay  there  covered  up  by  leaves  till 
night,  then    left   his   hiding   place  and  took 


his  course  for  Ft.  Jefferson.  By  night,  he 
was  pursued  and  beset  by  a  pack  of  wolves, 
drawn  by  the  scent  of  his  blood,  which  he 
had  to  drive  off  by  the  vigorous  use  of  a 
heavy  club.  He  was  three  days  in  reaching 
the  Fort,  only  traveling  by  night  for  fear  of 
capture  if  he  pursued  his  way  in  daylight. 
The  surgeon  of-the  Fort,  after  a  close  exami- 
nation of  his  wound,  which  had  been  un- 
dressed for  over  three  days  and  was  badly 
swollen,  decided  to  amputate  his  arm,  but  he 
firmly  objected,  and  by  careful  treatment  it 
was  saved.  During  the  time  he  was  on  the 
way  to  the  Fort,  he  lived  on  nuts  and  roots. 
His  brother  William,  who  was  taken  a  pris- 
oner when  a  boy,  was  now  grown  and  fought 
with  the  Indians  in  this  battle.  Joseph, 
some  time  about  the  beginning  of  this  cent- 
ury, moved  to  Clark  County,  Ind.,  and  lived 
there  till  about  1808  or  1809,  and  then 
moved  to  Knox  County,  Ind. ,  and  was  in  Vin- 
cennes  at  the  time  of  Gen.  Harrison's  con- 
ference with  Tecumseh  and  his  followers. 
It  was  in  this  council  that  the  great  chief 
told  the  General  he  lied.  In  the  fall  of  1811, 
Gen.  Harrison  made  his  campaign  against 
the  Indians  and  fought  the  battle  of  Tippe- 
canoe on  the  7th  of  November,  in  which 
Joseph  and  his  brother  William — who  had 
become  disgusted  with  savage  life,  and  re- 
tui-ned  to  his  own  people — both  took  a  part 
as  soldiers  under  Harrison.  On  the  morn- 
ing of  battle,  after  it  became  light  enough 
for  the  combatants  to  see,  they  found  they 
were  close  together,  and  one  of  the  Indians 
recognized  William  and  called  him  by  his 
Indian  name,  and  he  answered  him,  and  then 
they  immediately  exchanged  shots,  William 
receiving  a  mortal  wound  in  one  of  his 
lungs,  from  which  he  died  in  the  coiu-se  of 
time.  Joseph  lived  on  his  farm  in  Walnut 
Prairie  from  1818  to  October,  1847,  when 
he  moved  to  Marshall  and  died  the  following 


MxVRSHALL    TOWNSHIP. 


47 


February.     He  was  a  great  admirer  of    Gen. 
Jackson's   military    genius  and    daring;  and 
supported  him  for  the  Presidency  every  time 
he  was  a  candidate.      Aftei-ward,  for  the  same 
reasons  and  a  personal  friendship,  he  ardent- 
ly supported   Gen.  Harrison    for   that  office. 
In   May,  1844,  he,    with   the    writer,   visited 
the    Tippecanoe   battle-ground  to   attend    a 
large  mass  meeting,  and   heard   the  Hon.  E. 
W.  Thompson,  who    was    the  chief  orator  of 
the  occasion,  in  eloquent  terms  advocate  the 
election    of    Kentucky's    great    orator   and 
statesman  to  the  Presidency.      He  was  much 
disappointed    at   the   result  of    the  election, 
and  thought  the  American   people  were  very 
much  lacking  in    gratitude  in  not  rewarding 
him  with  the  office  for  his  distinguished  serv- 
ices to  his  country.     Joseph  Shaw  was  a  man 
of   marked   traits  of  character   and  firm  and 
unyielding  in  his  convictions  of  what  he  con- 
ceived to  be  right.     A  faithful  and  unfalter- 
ing and    a   man   of   unbounded  hospitality, 
keeping  open  house  for    all  who   came  to  his 
door.     Nineveh,  oldest  son  of    Joseph  Shaw, 
was  bom  in  Jefferson    County,   Ky.,  January 
18,  1796;  was  married  to  Miss  Mary  Latshaw 
in  January  or  February,  1820,  and  settled  near 
his  father  and    lived   there  till  he  died.     He 
filled    the    position  of  County  Commissioner 
for  one  or  two  terms,  and  was   Major  of  the 
Illinois  Militia,  and  had  frequent  drill  mus- 
ters of  his  batallion  at  Darwin,  when    it  was 
county  seat.     In   the    spring  of    1832,  when 
Gov.  Reynolds   called  for  volunteers  for  thft 
Black  Hawk  war,  he  enlisted  as  a  private  in 
Capt.    John   F.    Richardson's    Company   of 
Mounted  Militia,  went  to  Ft.  Wilboiurn,  near 
Hennepin,  the  place  of  rendezvous,  and  June 
18   was   mustered    into   the    service    of    the 
United  States  as  Adjutant  of  the  Spy  Battal- 
ion,   commanded    by    Maj.    McHem-y,    after 
whom  McHenry  County  was  named.     He  was 
with  his  command    diu'ing    the  war,  and  un. 


derwent  all  the  dangers  and  hardships  of 
this  short  but  decisive  campaign.  In  Decem- 
ber of  that  year,  he  went  to  Louisiana  to  at- 
tend to  the  estate  of  his  brother  William, 
who  had  just  died,  having  gone  to  Milliken's 
Bend  in  the  Mississippi  River,  in  May, 
1822,  and  was  thirty-four  years  old  when  he 
died.  Having  never  married,  he  left  his 
estate  to  his  elder  brother's  childrec ;  his  re- 
mains were  brought  north  and  buried  in  the 
cemeterj'  on  Walnut  Prairie.  Nineveh  made 
a  trading  trip  to  New  Orleans  in  the  spring 
of  1844,  returned  with  impaired  health,  and 
died  after  a  short  illness  on  November  5, 
following.  He  left  a  widow  and  eight  chil- 
dren— three  sons  and  five  daughters.  James 
Shaw,  third  son  of  Joseph,  was  born  Decem- 
ber 13,  1805;  man-ied  Miss  Sinai  Sharp 
January,  1828,  and  lived  in  the  neighbor- 
hood on  a  farm  given  him  by  his  father  till 
the  Black  Hawk  war;  and  then  enlisted  in 
Capt.  R.  A.  Nott's  Company  of  Mounted 
Militia,  and  faithfully  served  to  the  end  of 
the  war.  In  June,  1833,  he  went  on  a  trad- 
ing trip  to  the  South,  and  on  his  return 
died  with  the  cholera  near  Golconda,  111. 
He  left  a  widow  and  two  children,  the  old- 
est child,  now  Mrs.  Jane  Vance,  living  in 
Paris,  111. ;  the  other,  James,  living  in  Vin- 
eennes,  Ind.  Gilead,  the  fourth  an.d  young- 
est son  of  Joseph  Shaw,  was  born  in  Knox 
County,  Ind.,  June  15,  1817,  married  Miss 
Mary  W.  Drake  September  16,  1841,  and 
lived  with  his  father  till  April,  1846;  then 
moved  to  Marshall  and  went  into  the  mercan- 
tile business  with  Dr.  F.  R.  Payne.  Some 
time  in  1854,  he,  with  two  partnei's,  took  a 
contract  to  clear,  grade  and  bridge  a  division 
of  the  Wabash  Valley  Railroad  from  Paris 
to  Hutsonville,  and  did  all  he  could  with- 
out much  pecuniary  aid  from  the  comjiany 
or  his  partners,  and  finally  brought  suit 
against  the    railroad  company  for  the  work 


48 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


done,  oretting  judgment  and  damages  for 
$13,000,  but  this  did  not  begin  to  pay  up 
for  his  liabilities,  and  ccftisequently,  in  the 
end,  was  left  bankrupt.  In  September,  1861, 
he  enlisted  at  St.  Louis  in  Birge's  Sharp- 
shooters, afterward  numbered  the  Sixty-sixth 
Regiment  Illinois  Volunteers;  was  in  the 
United  States  seivice  for  nearly  three  years; 
came  home  in  the  last  stage  of  consumption 
in  February,  1864,  and  shortly  afterward  died. 
He  was  a  man  of  kind  and  generous  impulses, 
and  did  much  for  the  cause  of  education  and 
church  building  in  the  early  period  of  his 
residence  in  Marshal.  He  left  a  widow  and 
two  sons:  Edward  was  born  July  26,  1842, 
and  when  quite  a  boy  went  into  the  army  in 
the  Thirtieth  Illinois  Volunteers,  June, 
1861,  and  at  the  end  of  three  years,  re-enlist- 
ed as  a  veteran  and  served  to  the  end  of  the 
war;  was  married  in  November,  1872,  and 
has  lately  filled  the  office  of  County  Superin- 
tendent of  Schools  for  a  term  of  four  yeai's. 
Alphonso,  Gilead  Shaw's  second  son,  born 
November  27,  1847,  was  married  September, 
1873,  and  is  living  in  Terre  Haute,  Ind. , 
and  has  been  connected  with  the  Terre  Haute 
House  as  clerk  and  manager  for  over  ten 
years.  Albert,  oldest  son  of  Nineveh  Shaw, 
was  born  on  December  10,  1820,  is  living  in 
Marshall,  moving  his  mother  and  family 
there  in  April,  1846;  was  manned  in  Nash- 
ville, Tenn.,  February  26,  1850,  followed 
farming  on  Walnut  Prairie  until  April, 
1802;  went  to  New  Madi-id,  Mo.,  and  then 
enlisted  for  three  years  in  the  army  of  the 
United  States,  served  one  year  as  a  private 
in  the  Tenth  Regiment  Illinois  Infantry,  and 
then  was  promoted  to  Second  Lieutenant 
Company  I,  Seventy-ninth  Regiment  Illinois 
Volunteers.  Becoming  disabled  for  active 
duty  on  Sherman's  Atlanta  campaign,  he  re- 
signed and  came  home  the  last  of  July, 
1864.     For  a   sketch    of  William,  the  second 


son  of  N.  Shaw,  see  below.  John,  the  third 
and  youngest  son,  was  born  in  October,  1837. 
Received  a  good  academical  education  in 
Marshall,  and  was  engaged  in  the  study  of  law 
in  Cincinnati;  when  the  war  of  the  rebellion 
broke  out,  came  home  and  enlisted  as  a  pri- 
vate in  the  Thirtieth  Regiment  Illinois  Vol- 
unteers. In  January,  1863,  was  commis- 
sioned by  the  Secretary  of  War  as  Captain  of 
a  colored  company  of  heavy  artillery,  and 
resigned  in  April,  1864;  came  home,  was 
mai-ried  in  the  following  May,  and  April, 
1865,  moved  to  Kansas  City,  Mo.,  and  is  still 
living  there,  engaged  in  the  steam  and  gas 
fitting  business. 

WILLIAM  SHAW,  farmer,  P.  O.  Mar- 
shall. Among  the  pioneer  settlers  of  York 
Township,  Clark  County,  were  the  ancestors 
of  William  Shaw,  and  their  biographies  will 
be  found  among  those  of  that  township.  He 
is  the  fifth  of  a  family  of  nine  children  of 
Nijijeveh  and  j\Iary  Shaw,  and  was  born  in 
York  Township  July  26,  1830.  He  was 
raised  in  Clark  County,  receiving  the  benefits 
of  such  educational  institutions  as  were  to  be 
found  in  the  county  at  that  time,  consisting 
of  subscription  schools,  and  a  select  school 
taught  in  Marshall  by  Rev.  Dean  Andrews. 
In  Marshall,  on  the  17th  of  February,  1859, 
he  was  man-ied  to  Miss  Lucy  Young,  daugh- 
ter of  Thomas  and  Lucy  (Barbee)  Young,  of 
Crawford  County,  where  she  was  born  Feb- 
ruary 12,  1834.  Mr.  Shaw  for  many  years 
has  been  an  honored  resident  of  Mai-shall. 
His  family  consists  of  fivechildi-en,  of  whom 
two  are  deceased,  and  all  of  whom  were  born 
in  Marshall — Wilfred  Shaw  was  born  Feb- 
ruary 26,  1860;  Gertrude  Shaw  was  born 
August  17,  1861;  John  Y.  Shaw  was  born 
August  16,  1863,  and  died  April  8,  1807; 
Edith  F.  Shaw  was  born  June  27, 1807.  Mrs. 
Lucy  Shaw's  parents  settled  near  where  Pal- 
estine now  stands  in  1818.    Her  parents  were 


MARSHALL    TOWNSHIP. 


49 


both  natives  of  Kentucky,  where  they  grew 
to  maturity  and  married.      They  had  a  farai- 
ly  of  twelve  children,  of  whom  Mrs.  Shaw  is 
the  eleventh,  and  the  only  one  now  living  in 
this  State.     Her  parents  both  died  in  Craw- 
ford County  in  1845.     Her  mother's  maiden 
name  was  Barbee,  and  among   the   leading 
families  of  Crawford  County  there  are  found 
several  of  their  representatives.     Mrs.  Shaw 
has  for  several  years  been   a  member  of  the 
Congregational   Church.       Mi-.    Shaw  has    a 
farm  of  240   acres  in   Section   13,    of  York 
Township,  one  of  200  acres  in  Section  27  of 
Darwin  Township,  and  a  tract  adjoining  the 
city  of  Marshall,   with  family  residence  on 
the  corner  of  Franklin   and  Hudson  streets. 
JOHN  C.  SPOTTS,    farmer,  P.    O.    Mar- 
shall, was  born  in  Clark  County,  111.,  on  the 
23d  of  April,  1840.     He  is  the  oldest  of  three 
children  of  Com-ad  and  Sarah  (Reed)  Spotts. 
His  father  is  of  Gorman  parentage  and  was 
born  in  1802,  in  Berks  County,  Penn.,  where 
he  gi'ew  to  manhood  and  was  married  to  Miss 
Sarah  Reed.     He  came  West  andj  settled  in 
Clark  County,  HI.,  near  Marshall,  in   1839, 
where  he    lived  the  remainder  of  his   life, 
which  terminated  on  the  1st  of  Mai-ch,  1870. 
In  early  life,  he  was  a  member  of   the  Ger- 
man Lutheran  Church.    His  first  wife  having 
died  in  1847,  he  was  afterward  married  to 
Miss  Nancy  Calvert,  who  still  survives  him. 
By  this  union  thero  are  nine  children.    Sarah 
(Reed)   Spotts    was   born    in  Berks  County, 
Penn.,  about  1605,  and  elied  as  above  stated. 
John  Spotts  received  the  elements  of  an  Eng- 
lish education  in  the  common  schools  of  the 
county,  and  man-ied  in  Wabash  Township  to 
Miss  Mary  J.  Lockard,  daughter  of  William 
and  Diodame  Lockard,  who   are  still  living, 
and  are  among  the  pioneers  of  the  county, 
and  held  in  the  highest  regard  by  all  who 
know  them.      Mary  J.  Lockard  was  married 
to  Mr.  Spotts  January  3,  1858.      They  have 


a  family  of  eight  children — William  C.  Spotts 
was  born  October  1,  1858,  and  was  married 
to  Ida  Fawley,  December  24,  1882;  Sarah  D. 
Spotts,  born  July  27,  1860;  Diodame  Spotts, 
born  May  4,  1802;  John  H.  Spotts,  bom 
April  21,  1864;  Anna  M.  Spotts,  born  August 
21, 1867;  Walker  S.  Spotts,  born  November  16, 
1869;  Emma  J.  Spotts,  born  July  9,  1871; 
Elizabeth  Spotts,  born  February  3,  1873. 
The  family  residence  is  one-half  mile  north 
of  Marshall,  whei-e  Mr.  Spotts  owns  a  farm 
of  375  acres  of  land.  He  is  engaged  in 
in  mixed  husbandry.  He  and  wife  and  eldest 
daughter  are  members  of  the  Christian 
Church  of  Marshall. 

OLIVER    G.    STEPHENSON,    siu-veyor, 
Marshall,  is  a  native  of  Coos  County,   N.   H. 
He  was  born  September  16, 1829,  and  is  a  son 
of  Reuben  and  Mary    (Baker)   Stephenson. 
Subject  was  raised  and  educated  in  his  native 
State,  and  early  chose  the  profession  of  civil 
engineer,iwhich  business  he  has  since  followed* 
He  came  to  Clark  County  in  1854,  and  settled 
in  Marshall,  where  he  has  resided  since.     In 
the  fall  of  1855,  he  was  elected  to  the  office 
of  County  Surveyor,  on  the  Democratic  ticket, 
which  office  he  has  held  for  over  twenty  years. 
Mr.    Stephenson    was    married  in   Marshall, 
January,  1859,  to  Miss  Minerva  Shaw,  daugh- 
ter of  Nineveh  and  Mary  Shaw.      She  was 
born  in  Clark  County.    They  have  a  family  of 
two  children,  born  in  Clark  County — Eleanor 
Stephenson,  Lola  Stephenson.     They  own  a 
a  farm  of  220  acres,  in  Sections  22  and  23 
of   Township   11   north.  Range   11   west,  in- 
cluding  one   dwelling  house.      The    family 
residence  is  on  the  corner  of  Bond  and  Green 
streets,  of  Marshall.     Mr.   Stephenson's  offi- 
cial record  is  too  well  known  to  require  spe- 
cial mention  by  us. 

JOHN  STOCKWELL,  retired,  Marshall, 
one  of  the  oldest  of  the  residents  of  Mai'shall, 
was  bom  in  Worcester  County,  Mass.,   Octo- 


"^ 


50 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


ber  18,  1799.  His  father,  John  Stockwell, 
Sr.,  though  an  old-time  Democrat,  was  an 
influential  supporter  of  Madison's  war  policy. 
His  father  descends  from  a  Scotch  family,  and 
his  mother,  Abigail  Chamberlain,  was  of 
English  descent,  whose  parents  came  to  this 
country  previous  to  the  Revolution.  One 
brother  taking  part  in  this  war  was  engaged 
in  the  battle  of  Bunker  Hill.  His  parents 
died  in  Cayuga  County,  N.  Y.  Subject  re- 
ceived the  elements  of  an  English  education 
in  the  common  schools  of  Massachusetts, 
attending  about  ten  weeks  each  winter,  until 
fourteen  years  old.  Then  his  father,  having 
previously  moved  to  Southern  New  Hamp- 
shire, he  went  there  and  attended  the  Ches- 
terfield Academy,  thus  qualifying  himself  for 
teaching,  a  profession  in  which  he  never  en- 
gaged. In  18 18,  he,  in  company  with  an  older 
brother,  came  on  foot  to  Belmont  County, 
Ohio.  Here  they  engaged  in  the  lumber 
business,  running  a  saw  mill  for  some 
time.  Afterward  worked  in  the  construc- 
tion of  the  National  road.  lu  retm'ning 
from  one  of  bis  trips  to  New  Orleans  in  1824, 
he  came  up  the  Wabash  to  the  town  of  Dar- 
win, then  the  county  seat  of  Clark  County, 
and  has  been  a  resident  of  the  county  ever 
since.  In  Darwin,  October,  1831,  he  was 
married  to  Miss  Esther  McClure,  daughter  of 
Daniel  McClure,  one  of  the  pioneers  of  the 
Wabash  region,  and  an  intimate  friend  of 
Gen.  Harrison.  She  was  born  in  Knox 
County,  Ind.,  September  4,  1808,  and  died 
January  25,  1835,  at  Darwin.  Eesult  of  this 
union,  one  daughter,  Mary  Stockwell,  born 
in  Clark  County,  July  14,  1838.  Mr. 
S.  was  next  married  to  Mary  Thompson,  of 
Knox  County,  Ind.,  April  12,  1836.  She  was 
born  February  27,  1815,  and  died  March  9, 
1837.  Subsequently  married  to  Mrs.  Diana 
Patton,  February  20,  1839.  She  was  born 
in  Virginia  March    2,   1801,    and  died  No- 


vember 5,  1870.  Mrs.Nancy  (McClure)  Stock- 
well,  present  wife  of  our  subject,  was  boin 
May  11,  1813.  They  were  married  Novem- 
ber 28,  1872.  Mr.  Stockwell  has  served  this 
county  as  Sheriff,  County  Clerk,  County 
Judge,  and  his  political  career  is  too  well 
known  to  oiu-  readers  to  need  any  special  men- 
tioH)  by  us.  Though  eighty-three  years  old, 
his  mental  powers  are  still  unimpaired,  and 
his  physical  activity  is  a  matter  of  comment 
among  the  people  of  the  town.  He  has 
been  an  active  business  man,  and  for  some 
years  has  been  retired  with  a  handsome 
income.  They  are  both  members  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 

THOMAS  HAMILTON  SUTTON,  Mar- 
shall ;  first  made  his  entry  upon  the  stage  of 
action  at  La  Gro,  Wabash  Co.,  Ind.,  Novem- 
ber 6,  1843.  His  father,  Samuel  Sutton,  was 
of  Scotch  descent,  and  was  born  in  Berks 
County,  Penn.,  May  5,  1803,  and  died  in 
Marshall,  November  8, 1856.  His  mother  was 
born  near  Hamilton,  Butler  Co.,  Ohio, 
Christmas,  1808,  and  died  also  in  Marshall, 
January  26,  1881.  Her  maiden  name  was 
Matilda  Morrison;  she  was  of  Irish  parent- 
age, her  parents  emigrating  to  America  about 
the  year  1800.  Her  two  elder  sisters  were 
born  in  Ireland,  herself  and  a  younger 
brother  in  Ohio.  Samuel  Sutton  and  Matilda 
Morrison  were  married  in  Rush  County,  Ind., 
April  10,  1828.  The  result  of  this  union  was 
a  family  of  five  daughters  and  three  sons, 
five  of  whom  yet  survive,  to-wit:  Ann 
Archer,  wife  of  William  Archer;  Amanda 
Cole,  wife  of  De  Lance  Cole;  Drue  Burner, 
wife  of  Dr.  S.  A.  Burner;  Charlotte  Wal- 
lace, wife  of  L.  A.  Wallace,  and  the  subject 
of  this  sketch.  His  father's  family  removed 
from  Indiana  to  Illinois  in  1848,  and  finally 
settled  on  the  tarm  now  owned  by  Jarms 
Quick,  about  two  miles  north  of  Marshall, 
where    they  remained    about  two  years,  and 


^- 


MARSHALL    TOAVNSHIP. 


51 


then  removed  to  Marshall  in    March,  1851 
where  the  family  has  since  resided.     At   an 
early  age  the  boy  commenced  to  learn  the 
"art  preservative  of  all  arts,"  as  a  roller  boy 
in  the  office  of  the  Eastern  IlUnoisan,  work- 
ing at  nights  and  on  Satm'days.      What  edu- 
cation he  received  was  at  the  inferior  free 
schools  of  the    times,    aad   afterward  at  the 
Marshall  College,  under  the  tutorship  of  that 
kind  and    estimable    Christian    gentleman, 
Kev.  Elias  D.  Wilkin,  who  was  then  princi- 
pal of  the  institution,  and  of   whom  he  will 
ever  maintain  the  liveliest  feelings  of  grati- 
tude, and  whom  he  regards  as  his   gi-eatest 
benefactor.      He  swept  out  the  building  and 
built  fires  for  his  tuition,  and   worked  in  the 
printing  office  for  his  books.      In  June,  1802, 
he  enlisted  in  the  three  months'   service,  in 
Capt.  Newton  Harlan's  Comxaany,  Seventieth 
Illinois  Infantry.  The  command  was  stationed 
at   Camp  Butler  and  Alton,  111.,  its   princi- 
pal   duty    being   to    guard   rebel    prisoners. 
The  company  was  mustered  out  in  October, 
1862,  and  in  the  following  spring  he  entered 
the  service  of  the   United    States  as  a  store- 
keeper,  at  Springfield,  Mo.,    under  the  late 
Uri  Manly,  Captain  and  Quartermaster.      He 
was    afterward    assigned  to    duty  at  Little 
Rock,    Ark.,  where   he  was   appointed  Pur- 
chasing Agent  of  Government  supplies,  and 
supercargo  of  steamboats  plying  the  Arkan- 
sas River.    His  duties  at  times  were  delicate, 
difficult  and  important,'^for  one  so  young,  yet 
he  performed  them  to  the  entire  satisfaction 
of  his  superiors,  receiving  a  personal  letter 
of    commendation     from   Gen.    Carr,    Chief 
Quartermaster  of  the  Army  of  the  Southwest. 
In  consequence    of   a    sunstroke  received  in 
August,  1864,  followed  by  malarial  fever,  he 
returned  to  his  home  in  November,  1864    In 
February,    1865,    he   again    enlisted  in   the 
army,  and  was  elected  Second  Lieutenant  of 
Company  G,  One  Hundred  and  Fifty-second 


Illinois  Infantry.  He  was  Clerk  of  the  Mili- 
tary Examining  Board  in  Memphis,  and  was 
afterward  appointed  by  Maj.  Gen.  Milroy,  to 
take  charge  of  the  Bureau  of  Health  and 
Quarantine  in  said  city.  He  was  mustered 
out  in  September,  1865,  and  returned  home. 
In  the  year  1866,  and  a  greater  portion  of 
1867,  he  was  a  compositor  in  the  Messenger 
printing  office.  In  the  early  winter  of  1867, 
he  entered  the  County  Clerk's  office  as  Dep- 
uty, and  acted  as  such  imtil  January,  1873, 
when,  in  connection  with  Mi'.  T.  W^.  Cole,  he 
commenced  to  abstract  the  land  titles  of 
Clark  County,  and  continued  in  said  business 
until  1879.  One  year  of  the  time,  in  part- 
nership with  Mr.  'Eth  Sutton,  he  published 
the  Marshall  Messenger.  He  was  for  some 
years  connected  with  the  Terre  Haute  Ex- 
press, writing  the  well  known  "  Marshall 
Splinters."  He  served  as  Mayor  of  Mar- 
shall for  four  consecutive  terms,  covering  a 
period  of  seven  years.  December  21,  1875, 
he  was  united  in  marriage  to  Emma  Doll, 
daughter  of  the  late  Stephen  Doll.  One 
child,  a  son,  was  born  to  them,  which  died 
at  the  age  of  two  years.  In  politics  he  is  a 
Democrat,  as  were  all  his  ancestry.  He  has 
twice  been  Secretary  of  State  Democratic 
Conventions,  and  three  times  Secretary  of 
Congressional  Conventions.  He  is  also  au- 
thor  of  the  introductory  part  of  this  work, 
embracing  the  general  history  of  Clark 
County. 

ETH.  SUTTON,  County  Judge,  Marshall, 
son  of  Noah  and  Lydia  Sutton,  is  a  native  of 
Putnam  County,  Ind.  He  was  born  Novem- 
ber 27,  1846,  and  is  the  sixth  of  a  family  of 
seven  children.  His  father  was  a  native  of 
Preble  County,  Ohio,  where  he  was  born  in 
1808.  He  died  in  same  county  in  December, 
1860.  His  mother  descends  from  a  Scotch 
family  named  Gard.  She  is  a  native  of 
Ohio,  and  died  when  subject  was  but  two  years 


52 


BIOGBAPHICAL: 


old.  Mr.  S.  was  raised  in  Indiana  and 
educated  in  the  common  schools  of  his  native 
State,  and  entered  the  Ashury  University  at 
Greencastle,  Ind.,  asapiipil,  in  1863.  He  was 
married  at  Greencastle,  Ind,,  Febniary  25, 
1865,  to  Miss  Lou  Lane,  a  daiighter  of  John 
F.  and  Parmelia  Lane.  She  was  born  in 
Putnam  County,  Ind.,  September  8,  1847. 
They  removed  to  Clark  County,  111.,  in  the 
spring  of  1867,  and  settled  at  Martinsville, 
where  for  five  years  Mr.  Sutton  was  employed 
as  book-keeper  and  salesman  for  the  firm  of 
C.  &  G.  Dimcan.  In  December,  1872,  he 
■was  appointed  Deputy  Circuit  Clerk  of  Clark 
County,  where  he  remained  for  two  years,  at 
which  time,  in  connection  with  Hamilton 
Sutton,  he  leased  the  office  and  conducted  the 
publication  of  the  Marshall  Messenger  for 
one  year.  He  then  accepted  the  office  of 
Deputy  County  Clerk,  until  1877,  when  he 
resumed  his  former  office  of  Deputy  Circuit 
Clerk,  which  he  held  until  elected  Comity 
Judge  in  November,  1882,  as  the  successor  of 
William  R.  Griffith.  Mr.  S.  is  a  Democrat, 
a  member  of  the  Masonic  Order  and  I.  O. 
O.  F.  He  has  one  daughter,  Tutie  Sutton, 
bom  in  Greencastle,  Ind.,  December  25, 
1866. 

THOMAS  TURNEE,  tailor.  Marshall. 
Thomas  Turner  was  born  in  Derby,  England, 
December  25,  1825,  where  he  grew  to  man- 
hood, being  educated  in  the  private  schools. 
At  the  age  of  foui-teen,  began  the  apprentice- 
ship at  the  trade  of  tailor,  at  which  he 
served  seven  years,  and  soon  after  opened  a 
shop  in  his  native  town  of  Derby.  Here  he 
continued  until  coming  to  the  United  States 
in  1851.  He  remained  in  the  City  of  New 
York  for  a  short  time,  but  returned  in  aboiit 
1853,  to  arrange  some  unsettled  business.  In 
1861  he  came  to  Clark  County,  and  opened  a 
shop  at  Martinsville,  where  he  had  a  lucra- 
tive busiijess    for    many    years.     December, 


1878,  he  removed  to  Marshall,  and  opened  a 
shop,  since  which  time  he  has  done  a  thriving 
business.  He  was  married  in  England  in 
1850,  to  Miss  Caroline  Marsh,  daTighter  of 
Richard  and  Eliza  Marsh.  She  died  in 
1854,  in  England,  leaving  three  childi-en — 
James  Tm-ner,  and  twins  who  died  in  infancy. 
Married  to  his  present  wife,  Rhoda  Macy,  in 
September,  1S62,  at  Martinsville.  She  is  a 
daughter  of  John  Macy.  She  was  born  in 
Union  County,  in  the  town  of  Liberty,  Ind.. 
December  12,  1824.  They  have  had  one  child, 
a  daughter,  Mary  Tm-ner,  who  was  born  Sep- 
tember 10,  1863,  and  died  of  spotted  fever  in 
March,  1866.  They  are  assiduous  temperance 
workers,  and  Mrs.  Turner  is  a  faithful  mem- 
ber of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Chmch  of 
Marshall,  and  is  Presiding  Officer  of  the 
Good  Templars  Lodge,  and  Secretary  of  the 
W.  C.  T.  U.  of  that  city. 

ROBERT  TWILLEY.  furniture,  Marshall, 
is  a  native  of  "Washington  County,  Ind  (Fred- 
ericksburg), born  March  4,  1833  sixth  of  a 
family  of  seven  childi-en  of  William,  P.  and 
Sarah  (Ferguson)  Twilley,  who  came  to  this 
county  when  subject  was  an  infant,  and  set- 
tled at  Livingston  where  the  father  died 
November  28,  1838.  His  mother  died  in 
ilarshall  December  14,  1877.  :Mi-.  Twilley 
was  raised  and  educated  in  this,  Clark  County, 
and  began  business  at  Livingston  in  1859. 
conducting  a  grocery  and  provision  store  at 
that  place  until  1864,  when  he  removed  to 
Westfield  and  engaged  in  the  drug  trade 
eight  years.  The  following  eight  years  he 
was  in  Casey,  in  the  same  business.  In 
April,  ISSO,  he  associated  himself  with  John 
R.  Archer  in  the  implement  trade.  Mr. 
Twilley  purchased  the  interest  of  Mr.  Ai-cher 
at  the  end  of  the  first  year,  and  continued  the 
business  alone  during  the  year  1881.  At  the 
close  of  1881,  he  sold  to  his  former  partner, 
and  bom^'-ht  a  half-interest   in  the  furniture 


MARSHALL    TOWNSHIP. 


55 


trade — firm  name,  Husted  &  Son;  location, 
on  Hamilton  street.  Subject  was  man-ied, 
October  16,  1862,  at  Paris,  111.,  to  Miss  Mar- 
tha A.  English,  daughter  of  Rev.  Abel  Eng- 
lish, of  Marshall,  111.  She  was  born  in  New 
Jersey  April  9,  1835.  They  have  a  family 
of  two  children,  both  born  in  Clark  County 
— Mary  W.,  born  November  12,  1864;  William 
A.,  born  August  11,  1867.  Mr.  Twilley,  wife 
and  daughter,  are  members  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Chui-ch  at  Marshall.  Mr.  Twilley 
is  also  a  member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity 
and  Knights  of  Honor. 

WILLIAM  WASHBURN,  farmer,  P.  O. 
Marshall,  a  son  of  Nathaniel  and  Elizabeth 
Washburn,  was  born  in  Marshall  Township, 
on  the  24th  of  July.  1849.  His  father  was  a 
native  of  Manchester,  Ohio,  where  he  lived 
until  nine  years  old,  when  his  parents  re- 
moved to  Southern  Illinois.  They  "^made  a 
residence  of  a  few  years  in  the  locality  of 
Shawneetown,  and  came  from  there  to  Clark 
County,  locating  where  the  city  of  Marshall 
now  stands.  At  that  time  there  was  but  one 
other  family  within  the  present  limits  of 
Marshall.  Here  Nathaniel  Washburn  mar- 
ried Miss  Mary  Polly,  to  whom  four  childi'en 
were  born,  of  whom  three — Abram,  Mary  and 
James — are  now  living.  Mrs.  Mary  Wash- 
burn died  about  1846,  in  Marshall  Township, 
and  in  September  of  1848,  Nathaniel  mar- 
ried Elizabeth  A.  McNary,  daughter  of  Will- 
iam McNary.  She  was  born  in  Columbus, 
Ohio,  November  18,  1824.  As  a  result  of 
this  union,  seven  children  were  born,  of 
whom  subject  is  the  eldest,  and  of  whom 
three  are  deceased.  William  was  reared  in 
Clark  County,  and  obtained  a  common  school 
education.  He  was  man'ied  December  2, 
1872,  in  Casey,  to  Miss  Viola  D.  Beau- 
champ,  daughter  of  William  and  Margaret 
Beauchamp.  She  was  born  June  5,  1854,  in 
Casey  Township,  of  Clark  County,  her  par- 


ents being  among  the  pioneers  of  that  part 
of  the  county.  Mr.  Washburn's  family  con- 
sists of  iive  children;  viz.:  Rosa  B.,  born 
September  3,  1873;  Nathaniel,  born  April 
24,  1871,  and  died  November  1,  1877;  Will- 
iam H.,  born  December  30,  1871;  Gracie, 
born  February  15,  1880,  died  December  29, 
1882,  and  Clifford  Washbtirn,  born  October 
30,  1881.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  W.  are  mem- 
bers of  the  United  Brethren  Church.  They 
own  a  farm  of  fifty-eight  acres  in  Sections 
20  and  29  of  Marshall  Township,  with  a  sub- 
stantial residence  three  and  one-half  miles 
west  from  the  city  of  Marshall.  Nathaniel 
Washburn,  father  of  William,  died  at  his 
residence  in  Marshall  Township,  on  the  17th 
day  of  June,  1874.  The  mother  is  still  liv- 
ing on  the  homestead,  is  a  faithful  member 
of  the  church,  and  beloved  by  all  for  her 
many  virtues. 

SILAS  S.  WHITEHEAD,  lawyer,  Mar- 
shall, is  a  native  of  Putnam  County,  Ind., 
born  June  18,  1829.  His  father,  Silas  White- 
head, Sr.,  is  remembered  by  all  as  one  of  the 
pioneers  of  Clark  County,  who,  while  of  lim- 
ited education,  wielded  an  extensive  influence, 
and  always  for  good.  He  was  a  man  of  un- 
bounded will  power  and  incorruptible  hon- 
esty. He  was  born  in  Chatham  County,  N.  C, 
near  Pittsboro,  May  25,  1785,  and  came 
to  Clark  County  in  the  year  1830.  He  was 
for  many  years  a  zealous  member  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  and  in  politics 
an  old-time  Democrat;  however,  never  allow- 
ing his  party  zeal  to  overcome  his  sense  of 
right.  He  died  in  Marshall  September  25, 
1855,  having  earned  an  enviable  reputation 
as  a  model  citizen.  DiU'ing  the  construction 
of  the  National  road  he  was  appointed  by  the 
Government  as  an  overseer  of  a  portion  of 
that  work.  His  son,  Silas  S.  Whitehead,  was 
educated  in  the  common  schools  of  Clark 
County,  and  having  decided  upon  the  pro- 


S6 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


fession  of    law  entered   the  office  of    Judge 
Scholfield,  under  whom  he  read.     He  was  ad- 
mitted to  the  bar  in  1862,  since  which  time 
he  has  been  in  active  practice.      Previous  to 
his  admission  (in  1853)  he  was  elected  to  the 
office  of  School  Commissioner,  which  he  held 
for  live  successive  terms.     In  1864,  he  was 
elected  to  the  office  of  State's  Attorney  in  the 
counties  of  Clark,  Cumberland,    Effingham, 
Shelby,  Coles  and  Edgai-,  and  was  re-elected 
in  1868  for  the  counties  of  Clark,  Crawford, 
Jasper,   Cumberland   and   Effingham.     This 
office  was  accepted  by  Mr.  Whitehead,  feel- 
ing it  a  duty  which  he  owed  the  community, 
to  use  his  ability  in  the  suppression  of  the 
general  outlawry  that  existed  in  those  turbu- 
lent times  of  our  country's  history.     His  pol- 
itics is  Democratic  and  he  is  a  member  of 
the   I.   O.   O.   F.     Emily  Yoiing,  mother  of 
subject,  descended  from  a  Welsh  family.    She 
was  born  in  Kentucky  March  26,  1807,  and 
was  married  to  Silas   Whitehead  February 
15,  1823.     She  died  in  Clai-k  County  in  May, 
1870.     Mr.  Whiteheai  was  married  in  Mar- 
shall,  February   12,  1857,  to  Miss   Theresa 
Wood,  daughter  of  William  and  Mary  (Gor- 
don) Wood,  who  came  from  Indiana  to  Clark 
County,    III.,    in    1844.       Mi-s.    Whitehead 
was  born  in  Hancock  County,  Ind. ,  September 
26,  1835.    Their  family  consists  of  eight  chil- 
dren, two  of  whom  died  in  infancy;  the  names 
of  the  surviving  ones  are  as  follows:  Frank 
E.,  born  April  1, 1858 ;  Margaret  E.,  born  April 
13,  1860,  maiTied  to  M.  Ambler;  George  W. 
Whitehead,  born  September  25, 1863,  married 
to  Miss  Lulu  Milburn;  Benjamin   G.,   born 
November  15,  1869;  Mary  E.,  born  April  11, 
1871;  Eichard  J.,  born  June  1,  1874. 

JACOB  W.  WILKIN,  Circuit  Judge,  Mar- 
shall. Among  the  men  who  have  made  an 
enviable  record  in  Clark  County  is  the  sub- 
ject of  these  lines.     Jacob  W.  Wilkin  is  a 


native  of  Licking  County,  Ohio,   born  near 
Newark  June  7,  1837.   He  is  the  son  of  Isaac 
and  Sarah  Wilkin,  who  moved   to  Crawford 
County,  111. ,  fi-om  Ohio,  in  1 845.  He  grew  to 
manhood  in  Crawford  County,  where  he  re- 
ceived the  elements  of  an  English  education. 
In  the  fall  of  1856,  he  entered  the  McKendi-ee 
College  and  took  the  classical  course  in  that 
institution.      Having  decided  upon  the  pro- 
fession of  law,  he  entered  the  office  of  Judge 
Constable  as  a  student  in  1860,  but  conse- 
quent to  the  election  of  Mr.  Constable  to  the 
Judgeship,  he  entered  the  law  office  of  John 
Scholfield.     In  1862,  however,  he  abandoned 
his  law  studies  to  discharge  what  he  felt  to 
be  his  duty  in  bearing  his  part  in  the  main- 
tenance of  the  Federal  Union.   He  was  mus- 
tered in  a  Captain  of  Company  K,   of    the 
One  Hundred  and  Thirtieth   Illinois   Regi- 
ment, and  was  mustered  out  as  Major  of  the 
same  regiment  in  September  of  1865.     He 
participated  in  the  siege  of  Vicksbui-g,  Fort 
Blakely,  and  Spanish  Fort.     After  retm-ning 
home,  he  was  married  in  Marshall,  September 
21,  1865,  to  Miss  Alice  E.  Constable,  daugh- 
ter of  Charles  and  Martha  Constable.  She  was 
born    at    Mount    Carmel,   Wabash    Co.  111., 
August  6,  1844.    They  have  three  childi-en — 
Hem-y  O.,    John  B.    and  Jessie  Bell  Wilkin- 
Both  Mrs.   and  Mr,  Wilkin  are  members  of 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.     Mr.  Wil- 
kin was  admitted  to  practice  law  in  January, 
1866,   and  began  his  practice  in  Marshall^ 
where  he  has  since  practiced  when  his  official 
employment  left  him  free  to  do  so.     He  was 
one  of   the  Presidential  electors   from    this 
State  in  1872.     In  June,  1879,  he  was  elected 
to  the  office  of  Judge  of  the  Fourth  Judicial 
District,  which  he  has  thus  far  filled  to  great 
acceptance.     He  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic 
order,   I.  O.   O.  F.,  Knights  of   Honor   and 
Knights  of  Pythias. 


WAllASII    TOWXSIIU'. 


57 


WABASH  TOWI^SHIP. 


JOHNCASTEEL,  farmer,  P.  O.  Marshall, 
is  a  native  of  Bedford  Comity,  Penn.  He 
was  born  on  the  25th  of  August,  1804.  His 
father  was  named  Archibald,  and  gi-andfather 
was  of  English  birth  and  named  Shadrack 
Casteel.  He  came  from  England  accompanied 
by  two  brothers  named  Meshack  and  Abedne- 
go  Casteel,  and  from  these  three  brothers  have 
sprung  the  families  bearing  their  names. 
Archibald  Casteel  was  born  in  Pennsylvan'a, 
and  was  married  to  Rebecca  Dew,  of  Mary- 
land. They  had  a  family  of  eleven  childien, 
John  being  the  tenth  and  the  only  one  known 
to  be  living.  He  came  to  Muskingum  Coun- 
ty, Ohio,  with  his  parents  when  foiu'  years 
old.  Here  he  grew  to  manhood.  He  became 
the  principal  of  a  f lu-  company,  and  was  sent 
among  the  Wj'andot  Indians  when  only  six- 
teen years  old.  Hoon  after  this,  he  learned 
the  trade  of  potter,  at  which  he  worked  for 
several  yeai's  in  Ohio,  and  afterward  in  Indi- 
ana and  Illinois.  He  was  married  in  Musk- 
ingum County,  Ohio,  on  the  2d  of  December, 
1824,  to  Miss  Dorcas  German,  daughter  of 
William  and  Sai'ah  German.  She  was  born 
on  the  22d  of  January,  1801,  and  died  Octo- 
ber 80,  1869,  having  raised  a  family  of  six 
children,  of  whom  four  are  living,  two  of  them 
in  this  county.  Mr.  Casteel  came  to  Clark 
County,  111.,  in  1850,  and  settled  in  Living- 
ston, near  which  place  he  bought  land  upon 
which  his  son  lives.  He  was  formerly  a  mer- 
chant in  Brownsville,  Ohio,  and  afterwiu'd  in 
this  county.  On  the  9th  of  January,  1871, 
he  was  maiTied  to  his  present  wife,  Mrs.  Mary 
F.  Rolison,  widow  of  Owen  C.  Rolison  and 
daughter  of  Dr.  Nathan  Spencer.     She  was 


born  in  Muskingum  County,  Ohio,  on  the  14th 
of  October,  1826,  and  began  teaching  at  the 
age  of  fourteen,  and  continuing  imtil  she  was 
married  in  1847,  to  Mr.  O.  C.  Rolison,  who 
died  in  the  fall  of  1866.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Cas- 
teel are  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church  at  Marshall. 

JOSIAH  CHRISTINE,  farmer,  P.  O. 
Macksville,  Ind.,  son  of  David  and  Hannah 
Christine,  who  were  natives  of  Pennsylvania, 
where  they  gi-ew  to  maturity  and  married, 
soon  after  which  they  emigrated  to  Indiana, 
from  whence  they  came  to  Clark  County,  111., 
in  1842.  They  first  settled  at  Livingston, 
but  soon  after  bought  a  tract  of  land  of  Al- 
exander McGregor,  in  the  center  of  Wabash 
Township,  where  David  Christine  died  April 
6,  1879.  He  was  of  German  parentage,  and 
was  a  great  hunter,  on  one  occasion  killing 
a  stag  with  uo  other  weapons  than  a  club 
and  his  pocket-knife.  Mrs.  Christine,  mother 
of  Jo.siah,  is  still  living,  and  resides  in  Kan- 
sas City,  with  a  daughter.  They  had  a  fam- 
ily of  eleven  children,  Josiah  being  the  sec- 
ond. He  was  born  June  14,  1843,  in  "Wabash 
Township,  in  which  he  remained  until  1861, 
when,  in  May,  he  enlisted  in  Company  H, 
Twenty-iirst  Illinois  Regiment,  in  which  he 
served  about  four  years.  He  participated  in 
the  battles  of  Liberty  and  Hoover's  Gap, 
Stone  River  and  Chickamauga,  and  at  the 
latter  engagement  was  made  a  prisoner  and 
held  in  various  prison  pens,  including  Bell 
Isle,  Danville  and  Andersonville,  witness- 
ing and  experiencing  many  of  the  horrors  of 
those  dens.  He  was  released  in  December, 
1864,  and   afterward  joined  the  Thirty-third 


58 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


Indiana,  in  which  he  served  until  the  close  of 
the  war.  He  was  married,  December  31, 
1867,  to  Miss  Martha  J.  Brown,  daughter  of 
John  and  Rachel  Brown,  and  was  born  Feb- 
ruary 18,  1848,  in  Wabash  Township.  Her 
father  was  a  native  of  Maryland,  where  he 
was  born  August  3,  1806.  The  mother  was 
born  May  1,  1806,  in  Virginia.  They  came 
from  Ohio  to  Crawford  County,  111.,  where 
they  made  a  short  residence,  coming  thence 
to  Clark  County  about  1815.  The  father  died 
September  25,  1875,  and  the  mother  Septem- 
ber 25,  1878.  Ml-.  Christine  has  a  family  of 
four  children,  viz  :  John  E.,  born  October  9, 
1868;  Arthur  E.,  October  29,  1872;  Charles. 
May  7,  1875,  and  Myrtie  M.,  October  30, 
1877.  They  own  the  old  Brown  homestead, 
consisting  of  eighty-three  acres. 

EDWAED  N.  COOPER,  farmer,  P.  O. 
Marshall,  was  born  in  York  Township,  of 
Clark  County,  January  5,  1832.  His  parents 
were  Abuer  and  Rebecca  Cooper,  the  former 
a  native  of  South  Carolina  and  the  latter  of 
North  Carolina.  His  parents  were  married 
in  Butler  County,  Ky.,  and  came  to  Clark 
County,  111.,  in  1828.  They  made  a  residence 
of  several  years  in  Walnut  Prairie.  About 
1810,  they  bought  eighty  acres  of  land  of 
Cyrus  Sharp  in  Section  31.  They  entered 
124:  acres  in  Section  32,  and  on  the  farm 
thus  acquired  they  spent  the  last  years  of  their 
lives.  They  raised  a  family  of  five  children, 
of  whom  Edward  N.  is  the  younger,  and  of 
whom  but  two  are  living.  Although  raised 
in  the  days  of  primitive  schools,  E.  N.  suc- 
ceeded in  gaining  a  fair  business  education, 
mainly  under  the  instruction  of  his  mother, 
who,  though  she  never  attended  school  but 
three  days,  had  a  very  analytical  and  power- 
ful mind.  She  was  bom  October  11,  1796, 
and  died  June  24, 1879.  The  father  was  born 
in  1792.  Mr.  Cooper  was  married,  January 
17,  1865,  to  Miss  Mary  Stephens,  daughter  of 


Elijah  Stephens  and  Ann  Smith.  She  was 
born  in  Des  Moines  County,  Iowa,  August  9, 
1843.  Their  family  consists  of  three  children 
all  of  whom  were  born  in  Wabash  Township. 
Sheridan  Cooper,  born  October  8,  1865;  Min- 
nie Cooper,  born  July  30,  1867;  Robert  Coop- 
er, born  February  23,  1870.  Mr.  Cooper  has 
a  farming  interest  of  323  acres  of  land  in 
Wabash  Township  and  114  acres  in  Darwin 
Township.  Residence,  eight  miles  east  from 
Marshall.  He  is  one  of  the  most  extensive 
and  prosperous  farmers  in  the  county. 

ANDREW  CORK,  farmer,  P.  O.  Living- 
ston, was  born  in  Berkeley  County,  W.  Va.,on 
the  8th  of  July,  1802.     He  is  a  son  of  George 
and  Susan  Cork.      The  father  was  born   in 
^Maryland;  the  mother  was  born  in  Virginia, 
in  which   State  they    were   married.     They 
made  their  residence  for  several  years  in  Vir- 
ginia, on  the    east   side    of    the    mountains, 
where  five  of  their  family  of   ten    children 
were  born,  the  subject  of  this  sketch  being 
the  iifth.      In  1804,  the  family   removed  to 
Harrison  County,  W.  Va.,   where  the  other 
members    of    the    family   were  born.      They 
moved  from  West  Virginia  to  Ross  County, 
Ohio,  in  1822.     There  Andi-ew  was  married, 
in    1834,    to   Miss    Nancy    Storm,    of    Ross 
County,   Ohio.      She   died    in  Ross   County 
in  1845,  leaving  a  family  of  four-  children, 
besides  two  who  died  previous  to  the  death  of 
their  mother.      Their  names  are  John,  Jane, 
Eliza,  Martha,  Harrison   and   Nancy   Cork. 
The   oldest  of  this  family,    John  Cork,  was 
killed  in  Ross  County,  Ohio,  by  a  thunder- 
bolt.    Mr.  Andrew  Cork  was  married  to  Miss 
Frances  J.  Clark,  his  present  wife,  in  1849 
(April  2).      She  is  a  daughter  of  Joseph  and 
Sarah    Clark,  and    was    born    in    Highland 
County,  Ohio,  on  the  10th  of  January,  1821. 
They  Tiave  one  son,  Andrew  Cork,  Jr.     He 
was  born  in  Ross  County,  Ohio,  on  the  20th 
of  December,  1854.     He  was  married  in  Clark 


AVABASII    TOWNSHIP. 


59 


County,  111.,  February  10.  1875,  to  Miss 
Zetta  Ball,  daughter  of  Morton  and  Elizabeth 
(Leach)  Ball.  Zetta  Ball  was  born  in  Frank- 
lin County,  Ohio,  April  10,'  1858.  Anckew 
and  Zetta  Cork  have  four  children — Frances 
J.,  born  November  20,  1875;  William  M., 
born  May  16,  1877;  Charles  A.,  born  Novem- 
ber 2,  1879,  and  Elizabeth  A  ,  born  January 
29,  1882.  Mr.  Andi-ew  Cork  came  to  this 
county  in  1855,  and  settleil  where  his 
brother,  Joseph  Cork,  now  lives.  He  now 
owns  337  acres  of  land  in  Sections  5  and  6 
of  Wabash  Township.  The  family  are  mem- 
bers of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  at 
Livingston. 

WILLIAM  DEMPSTER,  farmer,  P.  O. 
Marshall,  is  a  native  of  Virginia,  and  was 
born  on  the  18th  of  December,  1817.  His 
father's  name  was  William  Dempster  and  the 
maiden  name  of  his  mother  was  Mary  Par- 
sons. Our  subject  was  about  two  years  old 
when  his  parents  removed  from  Virginia  to 
Morgan  County,  Ohio,  and  it  was  here  he 
grew  to  matiu'ity.  Early  in  life,  he  mani- 
fested a  disposition  to  travel,  and  when  yet  a 
young  man.  had  visited  the  larger  part  of  the 
United  States,  besides  making  atrip  to  South 
America  and  Australia.  He  came  to  Illinois 
and  Clark  County  in  the  year  1856,  and  lo- 
cated where  he  now  lives,  on  land  bought  of 
Henry  Taylor,  in  Section  35.  He  now 
has  a  farm  of  207  acres.  Mr.  Dempster 
Vas'  married  in  Wabash  Township,  on  the 
24th  of  June,  1857,  to  Miss  Adaline  Mc- 
Guire,  daughter  of  William  and  Susan  Mc- 
Guire.  Her  father,  William  McGuire,  was 
born  in  Pennsylvania  August  18,  1798,  and 
her  mother,  Susan  Linch,  was  born  in  the 
same  State  on  August  30  of  1798.  They 
grew  to  maturity  and  were  married  in  their 
native  State,  but  afterward  became  pioneers 
iu  Butler  County,  Ohio,  where  Mrs.  Demp- 
ster was   born    June  5,    1835.     She  is  the 


ninth  of  a  family  of  twelve  children.  The 
McGuire  family  came  from  Ohio  to  Illinois 
in  1857  and  settled  in  the  southern  part  of 
Wabash  Township,  where  the  mother  died 
November  7,  1859,  and  the  father  died 
on  the  7th  of  January,  1867.  Both  are 
buried  at  the  Livingston  Cemetery.  The 
McGuire  family  is  somewhat  noted  for 
the  assistanae  rendered  in  the  struggle  for 
national  Union.  Besides  the  sons  of  William, 
Peter  McGuire  had  eight  sons,  all  in  the 
war,  some  of  whom  lost  their  lives,  others 
receiving  serious  wounds,  and  still  others 
were  confined  in  Southern  prisons. 

JACOB  FISHBACK,  farmer,  P.  O.  Mar- 
shall, who  has  for  many  years  been  a  resi- 
dent of  Wabash  Township  and  is  extensively 
and  favorably  known,  was  born  in  Virginia 
on  the  29th  of  December,  1816.  He  is  a  son 
of  Jacob  T.  Fishback  and  Sarah  Wyrick. 
His  father  was  a  native  of  Virginia,  and 
served  in  the  Revolutionary  war  with  com- 
mission of  Captain,  soon  after  which  service 
he  was  married  to  Miss  Sai-ah  Wyrick,  of 
Virginia.  Their  family  consisted  of  but  one 
son,  the  subject  of  these  lines.  In  his  child- 
hood, Jacob  was  adopted  by  his  gi-andfather 
Wyrick,  and  with  him  came  to  Clark  County, 
111.,  in  1830.  They  settled  on  Section  9  of 
Wabash  Township,  where  his  gi-andparents 
died  a  few  years  later.  Here  Mr.  Fishback 
grew  to  manhood,  having  obtained  the  ele- 
ments of  an  English  education  before  leaving 
Virginia.  On  the  18th  of  August,  1839,  he 
was  married  to  Miss  Rachel  ^^■.  Johnson, 
daughter  of  James  W.  Johnson,  of  Kentucky. 
She  was  born  in  Logan  County,  Ky. ,  Octo- 
ber 30,  1817,  and  came  to  Clark  County  in 
1835,  where  she  died,  December  16,  1872, 
having  raised  a  family  of  eight  children. 
Ml-.  Fishback  in  early  life  learned  the  trade 
of  stone-cutter  and  worked  at  this  business 
rather  extensively  in  the  construction  of  the 


60 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


Cumberland  road,  and  afterward  on  various 
public  works.  He  settled  where  he  now 
lives,  in  Section  26,  in  1840.  Mr.  Fisbback 
was  formerly  a  Whig,  and  since  their  day  has 
been  a  Democrat.  He  has  served  his  town- 
ship in  the  official  capacity  of  Justice  of  the 
Peace  for  over  twenty  years,  so  long,  in  fact, 
that  few  remember  when  the  title  of  Squire 
did  not  apply.  He  has  been  for  many  years 
a  member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity.  His 
present  wife  is  Martha  E.  Pitman,  to  whom 
he  was  married  September  4,  1878.  She  is  a 
daughter  of  Amos  Pitman  and  Sarah  Barr. 
She  was  born  in  Frederick  County,  Va.,  July 
25,  1840,  and  came  with  her  mother  to  this 
county  in  1854,  her  father  having  died  in 
Virginia.  The  mother  died  in  Wabash 
Townshija.  The  record  of  the  Fishback  fam- 
'  ily  is  as  follows:  Sarah  J.,  born  October  19, 
184u,  and  married  to  W.  W.  Wyrick;  Joseph 
S.,  born  October  30,  1842,  married  to  Susan 
Fletcher;  Jacob  P.,  born  January  1,  1845, 
married  Sarah  G.  Orndorff;  James  M.,  born 
April  10,  1847,  married  Orrel  V.  Adams; 
Elizabeth,  born  September. 7,  1850,  married 
to  Thomas  L.  Orndorff;  Eliza  C. ,  born  Jan- 
uary 28,  1853,  married  to  Milton  Orndorff: 
Mary  L.,  born  September  4,  1855,  married 
W.  W.  Purcell;  Alice  R.,  born  March  30, 
1858,  and  died  December  2,  1876. 

HUGH  FORBES,  retired,  Cohn,  was  born  in 
East  Tennessee,  1804  (April  3),  where  he 
grew  to  matui-ity  and  married  Miss  Eliza- 
beth Brown,  who  was  born  June  8, 1804,  soon 
after  which  he  i-emoved  to  Virginia,  where 
they  made  a  residence  of  live  years,  coming 
from  thence  to  Illinois  and  to  Edgar  Coun 
ty  in  the  year  1827.  He  settled  in  or  near 
Livingston,  Clark  County,  in  1834,  and  has 
been  a  resident  of  the  townshij)  of  Wabash 
since.  He  served  as  a  soldier  in  the  Black 
Hawk  war.  Mr.  Forbes  raised  one  son. 
Dr.     William    R.     Forbes,    who    was    born 


in  Virginia  on  the  10th  of  September, 
1828,  who  for  several  years  was  a  practicing 
physician  located  at  Livingston.  He  died 
February  13,  1859,  in  Marshall.  Mr.  Forbes 
is  now  raising  a  great-grandchild,  and  both  he 
and  his  aged  companion  maintain  their 
youthful  vigor  to  a  remarkable  degree. 

W.  C.  FORSYTHE,  farmer,  P.  O.  McKeen, 
is  a  son  of  William  and  Esther  Forsythe.   The 
father,  a  native  of  Butler  County,  Ky. ,  was 
born  in  the  year  1800,  raised  to  manhood  in  his 
native   State  and  married  Miss  Esther  Ash- 
more.     She    is    a  native  of  East  Tennessee. 
and  is  still  living.     The  father  died  in  1868. 
They  came  to  Clark  County  from  Kentucky 
about  1823,  and  first  made  settlement  on  Big 
Creek,  but  soon  after  removed  to  land  which 
they    entered    in   the   northeastern    part    of 
Douglas  Township.     Upon  this  old  Forsythe 
farm  it  is  said  that  no  one  has  ever  died  an 
ordinary  death  from  sickness,  owing,  probably, 
to  the  healthy  property  of  the  spring  water 
which  abounds.      The  Forsythe  family  con- 
sists of  ten  children,  of  whom  none  died  under 
the  age   of    forty-five   years,    and   of   whom 
eight  are  still  living.      When  W.  C.  Forsythe 
was  fifteen   years    old,  he,  in  company  with 
his  brother  Samuel  H.,  crossed  the  plains  to 
California.      He  remained  in  California  from 
1854  to  1865,  when  he  went  to  Montana  and 
made  a  residence  of  eight  years  ;  he  was  then 
two  years  in  Texas,  after  which  he  retui-ned 
home  to  remain,  having  been  absentif  rom  the 
scenes  of  his  boyhood  for  twenty-one  years. 
He  was  married,  December  26,  1877,  to  Miss 
Darthulia  Nicholas,  widow  of  James  Nicholas, 
and  daughter  of  Peter  Snedeker.     She  was 
born  in    Ohio    January   20,    1854;    has    one 
child  as  result  of  first  marriage.  Fairy  Nich- 
olas, born  October  25,  1872.     As  the  result 
of  present    union    there    are  two  children  — 
Oro  Forsythe,  born  October  26,  1878;  Ophia 
Forsythe,  born  July  12.  1880.     Mr.  Forsythe 


WABASH   TOWNSHIP. 


61 


is  engaged  in  mixed  husbandly,  and  owns  a 
farm  of  160  acres  five  miles  northeast  from 
Marshall. 

JACOB  FRAKER,  farmer,  P.  O.  Mar- 
shall, is  one  of  the  thorough  and  systematic 
farmers  of  Wabash  Township.  He  is  a 
native  of  Switzerland,  bom  in  the  canton  of 
Basle  on  the  1st  of  January,  1836.  His 
parents  are  natives  of  Switzerland.  The 
father,  Jacob  Fraker,  Sr. ,  was  born  in  1808, 
and  was  a  soldier  in  the  French  Army.  He  died 
in  Marshall,  III.,  September 7,  1868.  Eliza- 
beth Schauble,  mother  of  Jacob  Fraker,  Jr., 
was  born  in  1810,  and  died  in  Marshall,  111., 
October  5,  1863.  Both  are  bui-ied  in  the 
Marshall  Cemetery.  In  1844,  they  set  sail 
for  the  United  States,  and  were  forty-two 
days  on  the  ocean.  They  settled  in  Wyan- 
dot County,  Ohio,  where  they  resided  ten 
years,  and  where  the  two  younger  of  the  three 
children  were  born — John  Fraker,  on  the 
10thofAugust,1846,  and  Emil  Fraker,  on  24th 
of  November,  1848.  In  1854,  they  removed 
to  Illinois  and  made  a  residence  of  two  years 
in  the  country  near  Marshall,  and  in  1856 
came  to  Marshall,  where  the  parents  died  as 
above  stated.  In  September,  1861,  Jacob 
Fraker  became  a  member  of  Company  F,  of 
Thirtieth  Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry,  and 
was  mustered  in  at  Cairo,  111.  A.t  the  ex- 
piration of  three  years,  he  re-enlisted  and 
served  until  the  close  of  the  war,  and  was 
mustered  out  in  July,  1865.  From  the  15th 
of  June,  1864,  until  he  was  mustered  out, 
he  held  the  commission  of  First  Lieutenant 
of  the  company.  He  was  in  hospital  only 
about  two  days  during  his  service,  and  con- 
sequently took  part  in  all  the  engagements 
of  his  command,  including  the  battles  of 
Belmont,  Forts  Henry  and  Donelsou,  the 
sieges  of  Corinth,  Vicksburg  and  Atlanta, 
and  accompanied  Gen.  Sherman  on  his  mem- 
orable march  to  the  sea.     He  was  married  in 


Wabash  Township,  April  19,  1866,  to  Miss 
Phoebe  Hann,  daughter  of  Daniel  and  Susan 
Hann.  She  was  born  in  Washington  County, 
Tenn.,  on  the  26th  of  February,  1842,  and 
came  to  Clark  County,  111.,  with  her  parents, 
in  1856.  Her  father  was  born  in  Virginia  in 
1808,  August  17,  and  her  mother  is  a  native 
of  Tennessee,  born  February  26,  1810.  The 
father,  Daniel  Hann,  died  in  Wabash  Town- 
ship February  20,  1878.  The  mother  is 
still  living  on  the  old  homestead  in  this 
county.  Mr.  Fraker  has  a  family  of  four 
children,  one  being  deceased.  Ogden  Fraker 
was  born  June  23,  1868;  Alvin  Fraker  was 
born  November  23,  1871;  William  Fraker 
was  born  July  22.  1877;  Susan  E.  was  born 
October  18,  1870,  and  died  November  23, 
of  same  year.  Mr.  Fraker' s  farm  consists 
of  140  acres  of  land  with  good  improvements; 
the  land  is  in  Sections  16  and  17  of  Wabash 
Township.  Resides  two  and  one-half  miles 
east  from  Marshall.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
G.  A.  R.  and  K.  of  H.,  and  his  wife  of 
Lutheran  Chui'ch. 

VALENTINE  H.HAUN,  farmer, P.  O.  Mar- 
shall, was  born  in  Washington  County,  Tenn., 
on  the  11th  of  November,  1856.  He  is  a  son 
of  Daniel  and  Susan  Haun,  whose  record  in 
this  county  for  several  years  render  them  so 
well  and  favorably  known  that  no  especial 
word  in  this  sketch  would  seem  necessary. 
Daniel  Haun  was  born  August  17,  1808,  in 
Virginia;  came  to  ClarkCounty,  111.,  with  his 
family,  in  1856,  and  settled  in  the  west  central 
part  of  Wabash  Township,  where  his  death 
occmTed  February  20,  1878.  The  mother, 
Susan  Haun,  was  born  in  Tennessee,  on  the 
26th  of  February,  1810.  She  is  still  living, 
and  resides  with  the  subject  of  this  sketch  and 
a  daughter,  on  the  Haun  estate,  consisting  of 
175  acres  in  Sections  21  and  28.  Valentine 
Haun  was  educated  in  the  common  schools, 
and  on  the  5th  of  November,  1874,  at  Terre 


63 


BIOGRAPHICAL : 


Hauto,  Ind.,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Rachel 
Belser,  daughter  of  William  and  Elizabeth 
Belser.  She  was  born  in  Ohio,  July  1,  1847, 
and  died  on  the  8th  of  July,  1879,  in  Wa- 
bash Township,  leaving  two  sons,  whose  names 
and  ages  are  as  follows:  William  Daniel 
Haun,  born  September  13,  1875;  Jacob  B. 
Haun,  born  May  20,  1877.  The  family  are 
members  of  the  Lutheran  Chm-ch.  Mr.  V- 
Haun  is  a  member  of  the  I.  O.  O.  F. 

WILLM.M  S.  HOLMES,  farmer,  P.  O. 
Marshall,  an  honored  resident  of  Wabash 
Township,  was  born  in  Eastern  Virginia  on 
the  7th  of  August,  1819.  His  father,  Willis 
Holmes,  was  also  a  native  of  Virginia,  and 
was  born  on  the  5th  of  March,  1787,  and  was 
raised  in  his  native  State,  where  he  married, 
in  1811.  Miss  Isabell  Redman.  They  made 
their  residence  in  Virginia  until  1825,  dur- 
ing which  time  three  children — James.  John 
and  William  S. — were  born.  In  1825,  the 
family  removed  to  Muskingum  County,  Ohio, 
where  the  two  daughters — Elizabeth  and  Sa- 
rah A.  Holmes — were  born,  the  five  children 
comprising  the  family.  In  1840,  the  father 
sold  his  farm  and  removed  to  Licking  Coun- 
ty, Ohio,  where  the  parents  both  died,  the 
father  on  the  26th  of  February.  1871.  The 
wife  survived  him  until  July,  of  the  same 
year.  She  was  born  in  Virginia  in  Septem- 
ber, 1793.  Of  the  five  children,  but  two  are 
now  living — James  Holmes,  of  Ohio,  and  the 
subject  of  this  sketch.  William  S.  was  mar- 
ried in  Muskingum  County,  Ohio,  November 
26,  1840,  to  Miss  Sarah  Ann  Perry,  daughter 
of  Thomas  and  Elizabeth  (Walls)  Perry.  She 
was  born  in  Virginia  on  the  8th  of  April, 
1821.  Mr.  Holmes  removed  from  Licking 
County,  Ohio,  in  the  spring  of  1864,  and  set- 
led  where  he  now  lives,  near  the  city  of  Mar- 
shall, and  though  not  an  old  settler,  is  an  hon- 
ored citizen.  They  have  had  but  one  child, 
a  daughter,  Mary  Holmes,   who  was  born  in 


Licking  (bounty,  Ohio,  November  14,  1841. 
She  was  married  to  Perry  Swern,  of  Ohio, 
and  died  on  the  3d  of  July,  1873,  leaving  a 
family  of  iour  children,  three  of  whom  are 
now  in  the  care  of  oiu'  subject.  The  grand- 
children were  born  and  named  as  follows: 
William  C.  Swern,  born  August  30,  i860; 
Jay  M.  Swern,  born  February  8,  1863;  Min- 
nie Bell  Swern,  born  December  25,  1866; 
Hurley  M.  Swern,  born  January  1,  1870.  Mr. 
Holmes  has  335  acres  of  land  in  Sections  3, 
4,  9  and  10,  of  Wabash  Township,  and  fifty- 
five  acres,  including  the  residence,  in  Section 
18,  of  same  township.  He  is  engaged  in  farm- 
ing and  stock-raising.  They  are  both  mem- 
bers of  the  Christian  Church  of  Marshall. 

H.  A.  HUTCHISON,  farmer,  P.  O.  Cohn, 
was  born  in  Loudoun  County,  Va.,  vn  the  2d 
of  April,  1822.  His  father's  name  was  Henry 
H.  Hutchison,  and  his  mother  was  Susan 
Plaster.  Both  parents  were  born  in  Loudoun 
County,  Va.,  the  father  May  1,  1795,  and  the 
mother  April  6,  1818.  They  had  a  family  of 
eleven  children,  Henry  A.  being  the  third,  and 
of  whom  eight  were  born  in  Virginia.  In  1836, 
theyemigi'ated  to  Illinois,  and  bought  a  small 
farm  near  the  village  of  Livingston,  where  the 
three  younger  children  were  born.  Hemy  H. 
Hutchison  lived  in  Wabash  Township  until 
the  time  of  his  death,  which  occiu-red  at  the 
residence  of  his  son,  Hem-y  A.,  on  the  15th 
of  December,  1875.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
Masonic  fraternity,  and  in  political  matters 
was  an  old  Jackson  Democrat.  Susan  Hutch- 
ison, mother  of  Hemy  A,,  died  in  September 
of  1872.  Henry  A.  Hutchison  came  to  this 
county  with  his  parents,  in  1836,  and  grew  to 
manhood,  and  married  in  Wabash  Township, 
where  he  has  ever  since  lived.  He  was  mar- 
ried on  October  1,  1854,  to  Miss  Louisa  Cas- 
teel,  daughter  of  John  and  Dorcas  Casteel. 
She  was  born  January  4,  1833,  and  died  on 
October  10,  1855,  leaving  one  child — John  W. 


WABASH    TOWNSIIir. 


Hutchison,  born  on  the  30th  of  June,  1S55. 
He  was  maiTied  to  his  present  wife,  Nancy  E. 
Adams,  on  the  13th  of  April,  1858.  She  is  a 
daughter  of  William  Adams,  and  was  born  in 
Loudoun  County,  Va.,  January  11,  1834. 
They  have  a  family  of  five  childi-en  living  and 
four  deceased:  George  W.  Hutchison  was 
born  February  22,  1S59,  and  died  March  8, 
1864;  William  H.  Hutchison  was  born  Feb- 
ruary 11,  1861,  and  died  September  28, 
1862;  James  M.  Hutchison  was  born  Octo- 
ber 20,  1862,  and  died  February  22,  1864. 
Susan  L.  Hutchison,  born  September  17, 
1864;  Nelson  S.  Hutchison,  born  September 
19,  1866;  Armenia  S.  Hutchison,  born  March 
26,1870;  MaryE.  Hutchison,  born  January  29, 
1874;  Walter  H.  Hutchison,  born  January  19, 
1876.  Mr.  Hutchison  has  a  farm  in  Wabash 
Township  and  one  in  Anderson  Township, 
and  is  engaged  in  general  farming.  He  is  a 
Republican,  and  has  frequently  been  elected 
to  the  offices  of  the  township.  Residence  ig 
five  miles  southeast  of  Marshall. 

CHARLES  G.  KNOX,  farmer,  P.  O.  Mar- 
shall, was  born  in  Delaware  on  the  10th  of 
January,  1813.  He  is  a  son  of  Charles  Knox 
and  Elizabeth  Griffith,  both  of  whom  are  na- 
tives of  Delaware.  They  were  married  in 
their  native  State,  where  they  made  their 
home  until  1816,  in  which  year  they  emi- 
grated to  Muskingum  County,  Ohio;  here  the 
mother  died  after  raising  ten  children,  of 
whom  Charles  G.  is  the  fom-th.  His  father 
died  in  Gallia  County,  Ohio.  Charles  G. 
Knox  was  educated  in  Muskingum  County, 
Ohio,  where,  on  the  14th  of  November,  1836, 
he  married  Miss  Sarah  A.  Wilson,  daughter 
of  J.  W.  and  Elizabeth  Wilson,  of  Zanesville, 
Ohio.  She  was  born  November  2,  1820,  in 
Zanesville,  Ohio,  and  educated  in  the  Mcln- 
tyre  Academy.  For  fourteen  years  after 
marriage,  they  made  their  home  in  Ohio, 
during  which  time  four  childi-en  were  born. 


In  spring  of  1850,  they  came  to  Illinois,  and 
Clark  County,  and  settled  where  they  now 
live,  on  Section  23  of  Wabash  Township. 
Here  is  seen  the  effects  of  their  industry  in 
the  developing  of  a  desirable  farm  out  of  the 
native  forest.  They  now  have  a  farm  of  360 
acres.  •  Their  family  consists  of  ten  children, 
of  whom  thi-ee  are  deceased.  Those  living 
are:  Eliza  Knox,  married  to  E.  Lewis;  Ew- 
ing  Knox,  a  graduate  of  McKendree  College, 
and  now  in  Europe  with  his  wife,  Lena  Cor- 
ban,  who  is  a  noted  painter;  John  Knox,  a 
graduate  of  the  Indiana  Asbm-y  University, 
and  now  a  teacher;  Fillmore  Knox,  mairied 
to  Miss  Cai-rie  Taylor;  Lizzie  Knox,  Leroy 
Knox  and  Nelson  Knox.  The  family  de- 
scends from  a  pm-ely  Scotch  origin,  and  are 
now  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church. 

JOSEPH  E.  LEWIS,  merchant,  McKeen, 
was  born  in  Edgar  County,  111. ,  on  the  23d  of 
September,  1833.  His  father,  Jonathan 
Lewis,  was  born  in  Kentucky  in  1808,  and 
when  a  boy  came  to  Crawford  County,  Ill.> 
where  he  grew  to  manhood,  and  where 
he  married  Miss  Celinda  Cobb.  She  was  a 
native  of  Massachusetts,  and  sister  to  the  em- 
inent jurist  of  the  Supreme  Bench.  She  was 
born  in,  1814,  and  died  in  1882.  Soon  af- 
ter marriage,  Mr.  Jonathan  Lewis  removed 
to  Edgar  County,  111.,  where  he  made  a 
brief  residence,  coming  to  Clark  County  in 
1835.  He  settled  on  Mill  Creek,  and  en- 
gaged in  farming.  It  is  said  he  assisted  in 
the  sawing  a  portion  of  the  material  for  the 
County  Com^  House,  which  was  done  with 
an  old-style  whip-saw.  He  died  in  this 
county  in  1854,  leaving  a  family  of  eight 
children,  subject  being  the  second.  Thomas 
E.  was  educated  in  the  pioneer  schools  of 
Clark  County,  and  on  August  9,  1861,  he  en- 
listed in  Company  K,  of  the  First  Missouri 
Cavalry,  from  which  he  was  discharged   in 


64 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


October,  1862,  iu  consequence  of  injuries  re- 
ceived in  Missouri.  He  was  married  in 
Wabash  Township,  on  the  18th  of  November. 
1855,  to  Miss  Eliza  Knox,  daughter  of 
Charles  G.  and  Sarah  (Wilson)  Knox.  She 
was  born  in  Ohio  January  21,  1835.  They 
have  a  family  of  five  children,  whose  names 
and  ages  are  as  follows:  William  E.  Lewis, 
born  January  21,  1857;  Rosa  B.  Lewis,  born 
October  6,  1858,  deceased;  John  W.  Lewis, 
born  January  25,  1860;  Annie  Lewis,  born 
December  4,  1861,  deceased;  Catherine 
Lewis,  February  16,  1864.  Mr.  Lewis  is  a 
member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity.  He  is 
Postmaster  at  McKeen,  where  he  has  been 
engaged  in  mercantile  business  for  a  few 
years. 

WILLIAM  LOWRY  is  a  native  of  Jef- 
ferson County,  Ohio,  born  June  11,  1818, 
son  of  Robert  and  Ruth  (Pecem)  Lowry; 
the  father  a  native  of  Washington  County, 
Penn.,  and  the  mother  born  in  Providence, 
R.  I.  They  were  married  in  Jefferson  Coun- 
ty, Ohio,  in  1811.  They  had  a  family  of  ten 
children,  of  whom  William  is  the  fom'th. 
The  father  died  in  Jefferson  County,  Ohio, 
in  1832.  Ten  years  later,  the  mother  with  sub- 
ject and  five  younger  children  came  to  this 
county.  He  was  married  in  his  native 
county,  in  1837,  to  Miss  Martha  A.  Mc- 
Coy. She  died  in  June,  1841,  leaving  two 
children,  namely,  John  Lowry  and  Eliza- 
beth Moore.  IVIr.  Lowry  was  married  to  his 
present  wife,  Sarah  Jane  Black,  in  1847. 
She  was  born  in  Indiana,  and  is  the  daugh- 
ter of  David  and  Charlotte  Black,  who  came 
to  this  county  in  an  early  day.  David  Black 
died  in  Wabash  Township  in  1863.  Her 
mother,  Charlotte  Quick,  a  native  of  Con- 
necticut, died  at  the  residence  [of  William  - 
Lowry  in  1879.  As  a  result  oE  this  union, 
there  were  eight  children,  of  whom  two  are 
deceased.       David  William,  born   July   13, 


1848;  Robert  A.,  October  12,  1849;  Emily 
A.,  August  26,  1851,  wife  of  Albert  Lauther; 
Thomas,  December  20,  1853,  died  1855; 
Charlotte  J.,  February  9,  1856;  Rachel,  May 
10,  1858,  died  1859;  William  A.,  February 
25,  I860;  Ruth  A.,  May  1,  1864.  Mr.  Low- 
ry assisted  in  the  organization  of  Wabash 
Township,  since  which  time  he  has  served 
the  township  in  official  capacity  for  several 
years,  as  Justice  of  the  Peace  and  Township 
Commissioner.  In  politics,  he  is  connected 
with  the  Democratic  party. 

JAMES  MADISON,  farmer,  P.  O.  Mar- 
shall.  Among  the  pioneers  of  Clark  County 
should  be  mentioned  the  name  of  Channing 
and  Maria  J.  Madison.  Channing  Madison 
was  a  native  of  Rhode  Island,  and  was  born 
on  the  13tli  of  Fehruaiy,  1792.  When  he 
was  about  twelve  years  old,  his  parents,  Joab 
and  PhcBbe  (Waterman)  Madison,  removed  to 
Saratoga  County ,~N.  Y.,  where  he  grew  to 
manhood,  and  where  he  was  educated.  He 
came  from  New  York  to  Warren  County, 
Ohio,  in  181 1,  where,  on  the  21st  of  July, 
1814,  he  married  Miss  Maria  J.  Todd, 
daughter  of  Owen  Todd,  of  Kentucky.  She 
was  born  in  Kentucky,  near  Lexington,  on 
the  28th  day  of  July,  1793.  From  the  time 
of  marriage,  etc.,  until  1838,  Mr.  Madison 
made  his  home  at  various  points  in  Ohio  and 
Indiana,  during  which  time  he  was  engaged 
as  bridge  contractor  on  public  works.  In 
1838,  he  was  given  suiservision  of  bridges 
through  Illinois,  in  the  construction  of  the 
Cumberland  road,  and  that  year  settled  on 
the  land  now  occupied  by  his  sons.  He  erect- 
ed the  bridge  at  Big  Creek,  east  of  Marshall, 
in  the  smnmer  of  1861.  He  was  an  old-line 
Whig,  and  afterward  a  zealous  Republican; 
taking  an  active  though  unselfish  part  in 
local  politics,  yet  never  aspired  to  a  political 
honor.  He  died  on  the  old  homestead,  near 
Marshall,  on  the  22d  of  December,  1869,  the 


WABASH   TOWNSHIP. 


65 


wifo  of  liis  youth   surviving  him   until  De- 
cember 31,  1880,  and  died  at  the  mature  age 
of  eighty-seven  years.   They  left,  as  a  legacy 
to  the  county,  the  families  of  James  and  Ed- 
win Madison,  besides  John,  who  has  no  fam- 
ily, and  one  daughter,  the  widow  of  Robert 
Taylor,   the  first  pedagogue  of   the  county. 
One  son,  the  oldest  of  the  family   was  sacri- 
ficed on  the   altar  of  his  country  in    1863. 
James  Madison  is  the  third  of  this  family  of 
six  children,  and  was  born  in  Vevay,  Swit- 
zerland Co.,  Ind. ,    on   the  28th  of  January, 
1822,  and  came  to  Illinois  with  the  family  in 
1838.     The  most  part  of  his  early  education 
was  obtained  in  the  Marshall  Seminary,  uu  - 
dor  the  instruction  of  Dean  Andrews.        At 
the  age  of  twenty-five  years,  he    entered  the 
office  of  Dr.    Silas    H.    Smith,    of    Dayton, 
Ohio,  as  a  medical  student,  where  he  contin- 
ued for  three  years.      He  began  the  practice 
of  his   profession  at  West  Union,  Ind.,  and 
has  continued  in  the  practice  to  thn  present 
time.     Early  in  the  war,  he  became  a  member 
of  Battery  D,  of    the  Second  Illinois  Ai-til- 
larj,  under  his  brother,  Eelly  Madison.      He 
was  shortly   after  appointed  to  the  position 
of  Assistant  Surgeon  of  the  Twenty-first  Il- 
linois Regiment,  which  position  he  filled  for 
six  months.       He  had  the  honor  of  attending 
Gen.  Grant   through  aa  attack  of  malarial 
fever,  and  afterward  receiving  the  General's 
warmest    compliments    for  his    faithful  and 
efficient  treatment.       He  was  married  in  01- 
ney.  III.,  November  4,  1848,  to  Miss  Ellen  M. 
Glossbrenner.     They  have  never  been  blest 
with  offspring  of  their  own,  but  have  raised 
no  less  than  eight  children,  who  have  found 
beneath    their    roof     protection     and    care, 
and  in  their  affections  a  hearty  parental  wel- 
come.     He  has  a  farm  of   seventy-six  acres, 
in    Section   18  of  Wabash  Township.     Resi- 
dence, one  mile  east  from  Marshall   public 
sijuare. 


EDWIN    MADISON,    farmer,  P.  O.  Mar- 
shall, is  a  son  of  Chanuing  Madison,  and  was 
born  where  he  now  lives  in  Wabash  Town- 
ship on  the  6th  of  November,  1839.     He  was 
educated    principally    in    Marshall.     For    a 
time  during  the  war  of  the  rebellion,  he  was 
connected  with  Batterj'  D  of  the  Second  Illi- 
nois Artillery,  and  later  became  a  member  of 
Company  F  of  the  Thirtieth  Illinois^olun- 
teer  Infantry.     Retm-uing   home,  be  turned 
his  attention  to  the  study  of  law,  and  attend- 
ed law    lectures    at'  Ann    Arbor,  Mich.     He 
was  married  in  Marshall  on  the  28th  day  of 
December,  1865,  to  Miss  Cecelia  Huston,  of 
Marshall      She  was  born  in  Ohio   January 
8,    1843.     They  have  one  daughter,  Ada  E. 
Madison,  born  November  5,  1866,    and  one 
son,  Relly  Madison,  born  May  11,  1872,  and 
died    in    infancy.     Subject  owns  a  farm  of 
eighty-nine  acres,  in  Section  18  of    Wabash 
Township,  including  an  orchard  of  seventeen 
acres.     He  is  engaged  in  farming  and  fruit- 
growing.    John  Madison  was  born  in  Cin- 
cinnati,   Ohio,  June  26,  1825,  and  came  to 
this  county  with  the  family  in  1838;  and  has 
been  a  resident  ever  since,  with  the  exception 
of  two  years  spent  in  California.     He  mar- 
ried in  November,    1853,  to  Miss  Elizabeth 
Newton,  who  was  born   in  Cincinnati    June 
30,   1835,   and   died   in  Clark   County,  HI., 
in  1859,  having  lost  one  daughter  who  died 
in  infancy.      John  Madison  is  a  full  fledged 
Republican,   a   member   of   the   I.  O.  O.  F., 
and  a  graduate  of  the  law  school  of  Cincin- 
nati, Ohio,  but  has  never  entered  the  prac- 
tice.    Relly  Madison,  the  oldest  son  of  Chan- 
ning    Madison,    was    proficient    as   civil  en- 
gineer.    He  was  a  Lieutenant  in  the  Mexican 
war,  crossing   the  plains    five  times  dm-ing 
its  progress.     He  was  an  officer  in  Battery  D 
of  the   Second  Illinois  Ai-tillery,  and  died  at 
Corinth,    Miss.,  on  the  21st  of  April,  1863, 
leaving  a  wife  who  still  survives  him. 


66 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


ALEXANDER  McGEEGOE.  Died  at 
his  residence  in  Wcabash  Township,  three 
miles  east  of  Livingston,  December  20, 
1877,  Alexander  McGregor,  aged  seventy- 
one  years.  He  was  born  in  Perth,  Scotland, 
in  1806,  and  emigrated  to  America  at  the  age 
of  twenty,  and  settled  in  Cohimbia,  S.  C. 
He  was  by  trade  a  stone  mason,  and  was  en- 
gaged as  builder  on  the  State  House  in  Co- 
lumbia. He  came  to  this  coiinty  in  1836, 
whei'e  he  remained  until  his  death,  and  dur- 
ing the  construction  of  the  National  road 
was  employed  as  contractor  on  the  stone 
work.  In  January,  1846,  he  was  married  to 
Jane  Wood.  He  leaves  thi-ee  children,  viz. : 
Joseph,  William  and  Lizzie.  After  his  mar- 
riage, he  had  been  a  resident  of  Wabash 
Township,  where  he  died,  being  much  at- 
tached to  his  neighborhood  and  neighbors, 
contented  and  happy  to  remain  among  them, 
and  greatly  devoted  to  his  family.  He  be- 
came a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church  in  1854,  of  which  society  he  was  ever 
after  an  ornament.  Mr.  McGregor  made  but 
little  noise  in  the  busy  world  during  his  long 
and  faithful  life,  yet  few  men,  on  leaving  it, 
have  left  so  many  heartfelt  regrets  at  his 
loss;  so  many  kind  memories  of  his  upright, 
righteous  life;  his  noble  kindness  and  gentle- 
ness of  heart,  and  so  few  faults  to  be  apolo- 
gized for  by  his  friends.  Alexander  Mc- 
Gregor was,  in  the  fullest  extent,  an  honest 
man,  whose  word  was  as  lasting  as  the  hills, 
and  whose  kindness  endeared  him  to  all  who 
knew  him,  and  with  whom  his  memory  will 
remain  forever  green.  Few  men  were  his 
equals,  if  any  were  superior,  in  moral  worth, 
and,  old  as  he  was,  his  place  will  be  difficulfr 
to  fill. 

L.  MURPHY,  farmer,  P.  O.  Terre  Haute, 
one  of  the  first  farmers  of  Clark  County, 
and  owner  of  the  Willow  farm,  in  Wabash 
Township,  was  born  in  Lincoln  County,  Ky. , 


June  3,  1815.  His  father,  Thomas  Murphy, 
was  born  in  the  same  county,  on  the  9th  of 
November,  1788,  and  his  grandfather,  John 
Morgan,  was  a  native  of  Ireland,  where  he 
grew  to  manhood,  and  afterward  became  a 
soldier  in  the  British  Army.  He  came  to 
America  with  the  army  in  the  time  of  the 
Revolution,  but  in  company  with  thirty  of 
of  his  comrades,  deserted  the  English  stand- 
ard and  made  their  way  to  Vincennes,  Ind. , 
from  where  they  took  a  Southern  course  and 
made  a  settlement  in  Lincoln  County,  Ky. 
After  settling  here,  Mr.  Morgan  changed  his 
name,  taking  the  name  of  Murphy,  the 
maiden  name  of  his  mother.  Here  he  mar- 
ried a  woman  named  Sarah  Turner,  of  Vir- 
ginia, and  raised  a  family,  of  whom  Thomas 
Murphy  was  the  youngest.  Thomas  Murphy 
received  the  benefits  to  be  derived  from  the 
pioneer  schools  of  Kentucky.  He  was  mar- 
ried in  his  native  county  on  the  15th  of  Au- 
gust, 1811,  to  Miss  China  Stephens,  who  was 
born  in  Virginia  May  19,  1788.  They  raised 
a  family  of  ten  children,  of  whom  Liberty 
Murphy  is  the  third,  and  of  whom  all  but  one 
grew  to  maturity.  Thomas  Murphy  removed 
his  family  from  Kentucky  to  Crawford  County, 
111.,  and  settled  near  Palestine,  in  182(5, 
where  the  parents  spent  the  rest  of  their 
lives.  The  father  died  March  17,  1837,  and 
the  mother  died  in  Hutsonville,  Crawford 
County,  February  25,  1853.  Liberty  Mur- 
phy was  married  in  Crawford  County,  in 
March,  1835,  to  Miss  Margaret  Seaney. 
daiighter  of  Samuel  and  Catherine  Seaney, 
She  was  born  in  Crawford  County,  in  1819, 
and  died  June  29,  1837,  leaving  one  daugh- 
ter, Sarah  Jane  Mm-phy.  After  the  death  of 
his  wife,  Mr.  Murphy  returned  to  the  scenes 
of  his  boyhood,  where  he  took  the  trade  of 
cabinet-maker,  at  which  he  worked  some 
years,  principally  in  Crawford  County,  111. 
He  was  married  to  his   present   wife.   Miss 


WABASH    TOAVNSHIP. 


67 


Cynthia  M.  Hall,  at  Darwin,  on  the  24th  of 
November,  1840.  She  is  a  daughter  of  Elijah 
and  Eunice  Hall,  and  was  born  in  Genesee 
County,  N.  Y.,  February  13,  1822.  She  came 
to  this  county,  from  Vigo  County,  Ind.,  with 
her  parents  in  1836.  Here  her  mother  died 
September,  1845,  and  her  father  in  February, 
1846.  leaving  a  family  of  ten  childi'en,  of 
whom  Mrs.  Murphy  is  the  eighth.  Mr.  Mur- 
phy has  a  family  of  five  children,  but  one 
of  whom  is  living:  A.  E.  Murphy,  bom  April 
8,  1843,  and  died  December  16,  1844;  Adel- 
bert  B.  Miu-phy,  born  February  8,  1846,  and 
died  November  15,  1863;  Helen  M.  Murphy, 
born  May  3,  1850,  died  May  28,  1851;  John 
Franklin  Murphy,  born  October  23,  1860. 
Mr.  Miu-phy  located  on  what  is  known  as  the 
Willow  farm,  consisting  of  320  acres,  in  1854. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity. 

ISRAEL  ORNDOKFF,  farmer,  P.  0.  Mar- 
shall. Toward  the  close  of  the  eighteenth 
century  a  man  named  Orndorff  came  fr^.im 
Germany  and  settled  in  Pennsylvania.  He 
was  then  a  young  man,  and  soon  married  and 
raised  a  family  of  twelve  children,  of  whom 
nine  were  sons.  After  the  death  of  his  wife, 
he  moved  to  Frederick  County,  Va. ,  where 
he  again  married  and  became  the  father  of  a 
second  family  of  twelve  children,  and  as  in 
the  first,  nine  were  sons.  Seven  of  these 
sons  were  in  the  war  of  1812,  serving  in  the 
same  company.  As  a  farther  illustration  of 
the  fertility  of  this  family,  we  are  told  that 
four  of  the  nine  brothers  married  and  settled 
in  Virginia,  on  adjoining  farms,  and  were 
blessed  with  eleven  children  each.  The  fa- 
ther of  om-  subject,  Levi  Orndorff,  was  a 
member  of  the  second  nine,  and  born  in  Vir- 
ginia about  1791;  married  to  Eleanor  Young, 
who  was  also  a  native  of  Virginia,  and  was 
born  about  1799.  She  died  in  her  native 
State  in  1857,  and  Levi  Orndorff  died  in 
1864     Israel  Orndorff  was  first    married  to 


Mrs.  Sarah  Pitman,  widow  of  A.  Pitman,  and 
daughter  of  Samuel  Barr,  of  Virginia,  on  the 
26th  of  September,  1847.      She  was  born  in 
Frederick   County,    Va.,    January  29,  1816, 
and  died  in  Coles  County,  111.,  March  6,  1882, 
leaving  a  family  of  four  children — Lewis  C. 
Orndorff,    born    in   Virginia    September  6. 
1848,    and   married   to  Miss  Delilah  Evans; 
Milton  A.  was  born  in   Virginia  August  5, 
1850,  and  married  Eliza  A.  Lane,  nee    Fish- 
back;  Newton  E.  was  born  in    Virginia    De- 
cember 15,   1853,  and  married  Miss  Susan 
Gaily;  Jasper  L.  was  born  in  Clark  County, 
111.,  June  15,  1858.      In  1882,  IMi-.  Orndorff 
was  married  to  Mrs.  Nancy  C.  Taylor,  widow 
of  Eev.    William   Taylor,   and   daughter   of 
Daniel  Ball   and   Mary  A.   Plummer.      She 
was  born  in  Knox  County,  Ohio,  on  the  1st 
of  February,  1836,  and  is  the  seventh  of  a 
family  of  ten  children.     Her  father  was  born 
in  Pennsylvania  in  1800,  and   died  on  the 
17th  of  March,  1865.    Her  mother  was  a  na- 
tive of  Maryland,    born   in    1802,  and   died 
August  5,  1854.      Mrs.  Orndorff  was  married 
to    William    Taylor  October  6,    1853.      He 
died  June  25,  1875,  leaving  a  family  of  eight 
children,   all  born    in    Clark    County — John 
W.  was  bom  July  27,  1854,  and   is  married 
to    Miss  Maggie  Armstrong;    Mary  C.    was 
born  December  16,  1856,  and  is  married  to 
Leroy  Sears;  Carrie  J.  was  born   December 
31,  1859,  and  is  married  to  Fillmore  Knox; 
Rosetta  I.  was  born  November  17,  1863,  and 
is  married  to  George  Davidson;  William  H. 
was  bom  October  17,  1865;  George  W.   was 
born  April  10,  1868;  Flora  E.  was  bom  July 
31,  1870;  Charles  E.  was  born  October   15, 
1878.      Mr.  and  Mrs.  Orndorff  are  members 
of  the  Presbyterian  Church. 

GEORGE  G.  PLATZ,  farmer,  P.  O.  Mar- 
shall, was  born  in  Alsace,  France,  near  the 
Rhine  River,  on  the  9th  of  April,  1817.  His 
father,   Jacob    Platz,   was    born    in    Colmar, 


68 


BIOGKAPHICAL: 


France,  December  20,  1778,  and  his  mother, 
Barbara  Vogel,  was  born  at  the  same  jalace, 
on  the   5th  of  March,  1787.     They  resided 
in  France  until    1832,  when  they  sailed  in 
the  ship  Mercy  for  the  United  States,  and  in 
the   same    year   made    settlement    in    Erie 
County,  Penn. ,  where  they  died  at  a  matured 
age.      The  father,  Jacob  Platz,  was  for  eight 
years  an  officer  in  the  army  of  Napoleon  I, 
and  until  his  death,  drew  a  pension  in  conse- 
quence of  wounds  received.     He  had  a  fam- 
ily of  eight  children,  of  whom  six  grew  to 
maturity.     One   of   the   six,   Charles  Platz, 
sacrificed  his  life  in  the  army.     George  G. 
Platz  was  educated  in  the  German  language 
in  the  old  country  and  in  Pennsylvania;  he 
studied  for  the  ministry.      He  was  licensed 
to  preach  in  1844,  and  was  sent  by  the  con- 
ference to  the  Mount  Carmel  Mission,  em- 
bracing about  thirteen  counties    in   Illinois 
and   Indiana,    and    including    this    county. 
For  twenty-eight  years  he  remained  in  the 
active  itineracy,  in  which  time  he  filled  the 
office  of  Presiding  Elder  for  thirteen  years. 
He  was  married  at  Germantown,  Wayne  Co., 
Ind.,  April  13,  1848,  to  Miss  Sarah  Baum- 
gaj-dner,   daughter  of    Jacob  and   Elizabeth 
Baumgardner.     She   was   born    in   Pennsyl- 
vania August  4,   1824.     Their  family  con- 
sists of  nine  children,  two  of  whom  died  in 
infancy  —  Nim^od    J.    was    born    in    Cook 
County,    III,    September   25,    1851    (he    is 
married  to  Miss  Elizabeth  Dawson) ;  Mahala 
A.,  born  in  "Wayne  County,  Ind.,  December 
18,  1S53  (she  is  married  to  Peter  Dietrich); 
Noah  F.  was  born  in  Miami  County,  Ind., 
June  12,  1857  (married  to  Miss  Susan  Roth) ; 
Moses,  born  in  Miami  County,   Ind.,   June 
11,   1859;  Amanda   M.  was  born  in  Wayne 
County,  Ind.,  Jantiary  6,  1861;    Charles  E. 
was  born  in  Indianapolis,  Ind.,  June  8,  18G4; 
Levi  G.  was  born  in  Clark  County,  111.,  De- 
cember 7,   1866.     In  September,   1864,  Mr. 


Platz  moved  his  family  to  this  county,  and 
located  where  they  now  live,  one  mile  north- 
east from  Marshall,  where  they  have  a  farm 
of  eighty-two  and  a  half  acres.  They  are 
members  of  the  Evangelical  Association. 

ADDISON  ROBINSON,  farmer,  P.  0. 
Maoksville,  Ind.,  is  a  native  of  Fauquier  Coun- 
ty, Va.,  born  August  31,  1832,  and  is  the 
second  of  a  family  of  six  children  of  Moses 
and  Elizabeth  Robinson,  who  emigrated  to 
Illinois  and  settled  in  Wabash  Tovmship  in 
January,  1850.  Addison  went  to  Arkansas  in 
1852,  where  he  remained  about  three  years, 
dm-ing  which  time,  June  30,  1852,  he  was 
married  to  Miss  Sarah  A.  Creasey,  daughter 
of  Pleasant  and  Eliza  W.  Creasey.  She  was 
born  January  14, 1835,  in  Clark  County,  111. 
Her  parents  are  natives  of  Virginia,  and  pre- 
ceded the  family  of  Mr.  Robinson  in  settle- 
ment in  this  county,  but  afterward  moved  to 
Arkansas,  where  the  father  died,  and  where 
the  mother  is  living.  Mi's.  Sarah  A.  Robin- 
son died  in  Wabash  Township  June  7,  1879, 
leaving  a  family  of  twelve  children — Moses, 
Mary  E.,  Harriet  A.,  William  H.,  Charles 
E.,  George  D.,  Pleasant  J.,  Ann,  John,  Lu- 
cius, Minnie  and  Rose.  Mr.  Robinson  was 
married  to  his  present  wife,  Lizzie  McGreg- 
or, on  the  19th  of  September,  1882.  She 
is  a  daughter  of  Alexander  and  Jane  Mc- 
Gregor, and  was  born  July  9,  1854,  in  Wa- 
bash Township.  On  another  page  will  be 
found  an  obituary  of  A.  McGregor,  which 
was  clipped  from  the  IlUnoisan.  Mrs.  Jane 
(Wood)  McGregor  died  in  Wabash  Township 
in  1878.  She  was  born  May  23,  1814,  in 
South  Carolina,  and  came  with  the  family  to 
this  county,  1827.  Mi-.  Robinson  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Masonic  order  and  Baptist  Chiu-ch. 
Politics  Democratic,  and  is  the  present 
Justice  of  the  Peace  in  his  township. 

LUCIUS  ROBINSON,  Macksville,    Ind., 
was   born    January   28,   1838,    in    Fauquier 


WABASH   TOW^rSHIP. 


6& 


County,  Va.  Is  a  son  of  Moses  and  Eliz- 
abeth (Campbell)  Robinson,  natives  of  Vir- 
ginia, the  former  being  born  Mai'ch  4, 
1801,  and  the  father  of  six  children,  of 
whom  Lucius  is  the  youngest.  The  fam- 
ily', save  the  mother,  settled  in  Wabash 
Township,  Clark  County,  this  State,  in  1850, 
where  the  father  died  December  10,  1862. 
The  mother  of  our  subject  died  in  Virginia, 
and  the  father  was  mai-ried  a  second  time  to 
Juliet  Norris,  the  result  being  two  children. 
This  wife  came  with  Moses  Robinson  to  this 
county,  as  mentioned  above.  Lucius  had 
some  chance  of  the  country  schools.  He  was 
married,  November  17,  18G2,  to  Hannah  Tet- 
ley,  a  daughter  of  John  Tetley,  who  died 
when  she  was  but  two  years  old,  boin^  suffo- 
cated in  a  sand  bank  at  Terre  Haute,  Ind. 
Her  mother,  Naomi,  died  at  the  same  city 
with  a  congestive  chill.  Mrs.  Robinson  made 
her  home  with  her  uncle,  Michael  Tetley. 
She  has  blessed  her  husband  with  nine  chil- 
dren, viz.:  Addison, born  ou April  15,  1864; 
Lusana,  born  May  15,  1867;  Lucius,  born 
October  27, .  1869;  Hannah,  born  October 
17,  1870,  and  died  November  7,  1871 ;  Eliza- 
beth, born  August  24,  1874;  John,  born  July 
21,  1876;  Florence,  born  January  18,  1878; 
Nettie,  born  Januaiy  31,  18S1,  and  an  infant 
born  and  died  March,  1863.  Mi-.  Robinson 
owns  two  farms,  aggregating  273  acres,  on 
which  he  raises  stock,  etc.  He  is  a  Demo- 
crat.    Has  been  Township  Constable. 

MARION  F.  ROLLINGS,  farmer,  P.  O. 
Dennison,  is  a  son  of  Joseph  Rollings  and 
Lovina  Cooper,  and  was  boru  in  Edgar 
Coimty,  111. ,  November  30,  1 848.  His  father, 
Joseph  Rollings,  is  a  native  of  Loudoun 
County,  Va.,  born  January  26,  1823.  From 
Virginia,  he  went  with  his  parents  to  Ohio 
while  yet  a  small  boy;  here  he  grew  to  man- 
hood, and  married  Miss  Hannah  Hanks.  She 
died  soon  after  moving  to  this  State  in  1845. 


His  present  wife,  Lovina  Cooper,  is  a  daugh- 
ter of  William  Cooper,  and  was  born  in  Penn- 
sylvania in  the  month  of  February,  1822, 
and  came  to  this  county  with  her  parents 
when  a  child.  Mr.  Joseph  Rollings  was  a 
member  of  Company  F,  Thirtieth  Illinois 
Volxmteer  Infantry.  He  enlisted  in  Septem- 
ber, 1861,  and  was  discharged  on  account  of 
physical  disability  on  the  26th  of  November, 
1862.  He  participated  in  the  battles  of  Bel- 
mont, Fort  Henry  and  Fort  Donelson.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity,  and 
owns  a  farm  of  120  acres  on  the  border  of 
Clark  and  Edgar  Counties.  Residence  in 
Wabash  Township,  Clark  County.  His  fam- 
ily consists  of  seven  children,  of  whom  Ma- 
rion F.  is  the  eldest,  the  other  members 
being  Mary,  William  T.,  Hannah,  Lovina, 
Vilinda  and  George  W.  Rollings.  Marion 
F.  was  educated  in  the  common  schools,  and 
married,  on  the  8th  of  April,  1875,  to  Miss 
Louvisa  Fry,  daughter  of  John  and  Lucy  A. 
Fry.  The  father,  a  native  of  Indiana,  and 
the  mother  of  Virginia.  Louvisa  (Fry)  Rol- 
lings was  born  in  Indiana  (Green  County), 
on  the  16th  of  July,  1859.  They  have 
three  children,  all  born  in  Clark  County — 
Auta  M.,  born  March  5,  1876;  Josephine, 
born  April  1,  1878;  Fredrick,  born  June  6, 
1880;  M.  F.  Rollings  is  a  member  of  the 
Masonic  order,  and  in  politics  a  Democrat, 
and  has  served  Wabash  Township  as  Justice 
of  the  Peace  for  four  years.  He  is  the  pres- 
ent Town  Clerk,  and  an  insurance  and  claim 
agent. 

JOHN  C.  SACKS,  farmer,  P.  O.  Marshall, 
is  a  native  of  Bavaria,  Germany,  and  was 
born  December  27,  1827.  His  father,  Nicho- 
las Sacks,  was  born  in  Germany  in  1805,  and 
his  mother,  Elizabeth  Shallar,  was  also  of 
German  birth,  date  of  birth  1812.  The  father 
was  for  six  years  a  member  of  the  German  or 
Prussian   Army.     They  raised    a    family  of 


70 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


eight  children,  of  whom  John  C.  is  the  old- 
est. They  came  to  the  United  States  in 
1839;  and  settled  in  Montgomery  County, 
N.  Y.,  where  they  had  their  residence  until 
1851,  when  they  removed  to  Terre  Haute, 
Ind.  In  the  latter  place  they  died,  the 
mother  in  1866  and  the  father  in  1878. 
John  C.  Sacks  is  by  trade  a  railroad  engineer, 
as  was  also  his  father.  He  has  been  engaged 
on  many  of  the  roads  of  the  Eastern  States, 
and  has  ridden  the  engine  in  all  about 
twenty-two  years.  He  was  married  in  Terre 
Haute,  Ind.,  September  6,  1855,  to  Miss 
Jill  i  a  Stocker.  Her  parents,  John  W.  and 
Margaret  (Bader)  Stocker  were  both  natives  of 
Prussia,  where  the  mother  died,  1841.  The 
father  was  bom  December  24,  1797,  and 
came  to  the  United  States  with  his  family  in 
1849.  Mrs.  Sacks  was  born  March  28,  1836. 
Her  father  settled  in  Terre  Haute,  is  still 
livine,  and  married  to  Elizabeth  Snvder.  In 
1866,  Mr.  Sacks  removed  from  Terre  Haute 
to  Darwin  Township,  Clark  County,  where 
the  family  made  a  residence  of  six  years,  en- 
gaged in  farming.  They  then  returned  to 
the  city  of  Terre  Haute,  and  lived  until 
March  of  1878,  when  he  again  moved  into 
this  county,  having  bought  120  acres  of  what 
is  known  as  the  McCowen  farm  in  Wabash 
Township.  Their  family  consists  of  seven 
childi-eu — Emma,  born  January  27,  1859, 
and  married  to  Herman  Ramme;  Henry,  born 
October  22,  1861;  Carrie,  born  January  21, 
1866;  Fritz,  born  March  23,  1869;  Charlotte, 
born  August  18,  1871;  Rosa,  born  July  24, 
1874;  Sophia,  born  September  24.  1877. 
The  family  are  members  of  the  Lutheran 
Church,  and_  Mr.  Sacks  is  a  member  of  the 
A.  O.  U.  W.,  at  Terre  Haute. 

WILLIAM  SETTLE,  mechanic, Cohn,  was 
born  in  Virginia  on  the  7th  of  April,  1815. 
He  was  the  son  of  Enoch  Settle  and  Dorothy 
Wade.     In  early  life,  he  acquired  tlie  trade 


of  carpenter,  to  which  he  afterward  added 
the  trade  of  cabinet-maker,  and  later  still 
that  of  cooper.  When  about  twenty-two 
years  old,  he  came  to  Illinois  with  his  uncle, 
James  Parker,  and  in  1839  settled  in  Wood- 
ford County,  where  he  followed  his  trade  of 
builder  for  several  years.  He  worked  in  dif- 
ferent parts  of  Northern  and  Central  Illinois 
until  1852,  when  he  came  to  Clark  County 
and  worked  at  cabinet-making  some  years  in 
Marshall ;  he  afterward  learned  the  cooper  trade 
with  Daniel  Knowles,  at  which  he  worked  most 
of  the  time  until  compelled  by  loss  of  health  to 
desist  from  hard  labor.  In  1861,  he  became 
a  member  of  Battery  B,  Second  Illinois  Ar- 
tillery, in  which  he  served  about  one  year 
and  was  discharged  on  account  of  physical 
disability.  He  has  never  married  and  has 
been  faced  by  much  of  what  might  be  called 
the  dark  picture,  but  has  tried  ever  by  his 
open-hearted  honesty  to  give  a  lining  of  sil- 
ver to  each  dark  cloud.  His  closing  life  has 
been  made  sunny  by  a  handsome  pension 
from  the  Government,  which  enables  him  to 
live  in  ease  and  own  a  small  farm  of  120 
acres  in  Wabash  Township,  He  is  a  member 
of  the  Protestant  Methodist  Church. 

ROBERT  SMITH,  farmer,  P,  O  Terre 
Haute,  is  one  of  the  first  farmers  of  Wabash 
Township  and  a  man  who,  by  his  sterling 
worth  and  genial  manner,  has  made  himself 
known  to  a  large  circle  of  people  in  this 
county.  He  was  born  in  Belmont  County, 
Ohio,  on  the  1st  of  June,  1827.  His  father, 
whose  name  was  Robert  Smith,  was  born  on 
the  2d  of  February,  1795,  in  Ireland.  In 
1818,  he  came  to  the  United  States  and  was 
a  Government  contractor  on  the  construction 
of  the  National  Road  from  Cumberland,  Md., 
to  Indianapolis,  lud.  He  was  married  in 
Butler  County,  Penn.,  in  1823,  to  Miss  Jane 
McCandless.  She  was  born  on  December  13, 
1800,  in  Butler  County,   Penn.,   and  was  a 


WABASH    TOWXSIIIP. 


73 


cousin  to  Secretarj'  Hamilton  Fish.  They 
raised  a  family  of  eleven  childi'en,  of  whom 
our  subject  is  the  third.  In  1829,  they  sot- 
tied  in  Licking  County,  Ohio,  where  Robert, 
jr,  grow  to  manhood,  in  the  meantime  receiv- 
ing an  education  in  the  High  School  of  New- 
ark, Licking  County.  For  a  few  years,  be- 
ginning with  1849,  he  was  engaged  in  tavel- 
ing  and  teaching.  While  engaged  as  teacher 
in  Crawford  County,  he  went  on  a  visit  to  his 
brother,  George  Smith,  in  Wabash  Township, 
Clark  County,  and  by  him  was  induced  to  pur- 
chase the  land  upon  which  he  now  lives.  On 
the  24th  of  February,  1856,  he  was  married 
at  Livingston,  to  Miss  Rebecca  Birch, 
daughter  of  Johnson  Birch  and  Sarah  Col- 
well.  The  parents  were  each  born  in  Ten- 
nessee, the  father  in  1785  and  her  mother  in 
1792.  They  were  married  in  Tennessee  and 
raised  a  family  of  twelve  children,  of  which 
Mrs.  Smith  is  the  younger.  She  was  born 
in  Garret  County,  Ky. ,  September  9,  1831. 
Her  parents  came  to  Illinois  and  settled  in 
Livingston  in  1834,  where  for  some  years 
they  kept  a  hotel,  and  where  they  died.  The 
mother  died  in  1855  and  the  father  in  1859. 
Mr.  Smith  has  been  a  successful  farmer,  and 
is  now  enjoying  the  fruit  of  his  labor  in  see- 
inw  his  farm  in  a  good  state  of  cultivation 
and  very  substantially  improved.  His  health 
was  much  impaired,  due  to  long  and  contin- 
ued confinement  in  the  school  room,  where 
he  was  an  earnest  and  efficient  teacher.  The 
writer  of  this  sketch  has  a  distinct  recollec- 
tion of  havino;  the  advantage  of  IVIr.  Smith's 
teaching  when  he  was  a  tow-headed  boy  of 
nine  or  ten  winters.  They  have  a  family  of 
three  children — "William  C.  J.,  born  Febru- 
ruary  2,  1857;  Jennie,  born  September  17, 
1860,  and  married  to  William  C.  Kuyken- 
dall,  of  Vigo  County,  Ind. ;  Sarah  Martha^ 
bom  October  11,  1862.  The  family  are 
members  of  the  Congregational  Church. 


JOSIAH  SNEDEKER,  farmer,  P.  O.  Mc- 
Keen,  one  of  the  reliable  farmers  of  ^V'abash 
Township,  was  born  in  Belmont  County, 
Ohio,  on  the  5th  of  April,  1819.  His  father, 
Garret  Snodeker,  was  born  in  Virginia,  in 
1796,  and  went  from  there  to  Ohio  when 
young.  In  Belmont  County,  Ohio,  he  grew 
to  maturity,  and  married  Miss  Nancy  Stew- 
art; she  was  born  in  Ohio  in  1798.  They 
had  a  family  of  ten  children,  Josiah  being 
the  second  of  the  family.  He  was  principally 
raised  in  Knox  County,  Ohio,  and  says  he 
made  the  shingles  for  the  roof  of  the  first 
brick  foundry  ever  built  in  Mount  Vernon, 
and  also  to  roof  the  first  mill  ever  built  in 
Marshall.  He  was  married  in  Knox  County, 
Ohio,  December  26,  1839,  to  Miss  Sarah 
Glasener,  daughter  of  John  Glasener  and 
Mary  Holmes.  She  was  born  July  8,  1821, 
in  Harrison  County,  Ohio.  Her  father  was 
born  in  1797,  in  Maryland,  and  her  mother 
was  born  in  1801  in  Ohio.  They  raised  a 
family  of  thirteen  children,  Sarah  being  the 
second.  Her  father  died  on  the  4th  of  Octo- 
ber, 1855,  and  the  mother  still  survives. 
Mr.  Snedeker's  parents  died  as  follows:  The 
father,  July  3,  1877,  and  the  mother  March 
2,  1839.  Subject  came  to  Illinois  and  to 
Clark  County  in  1845,  and  in  November  of 
that  year  settled  where  he  now  lives,  in  the 
northwestern  part  of  Wabash  Township. 
He  has  a  farm  of  287  acres  in  Section  28. 
They  have  a  family  consisting  of  eleven  chil- 
dren, of  whom  seven  are  living — John  G. 
Snedeker,  born  in  Ohio  October  5,  1840, 
soldier,  died  at  Memphis,  December  18,  1862; 
Nancy  Snedeker,  born  in  Ohio  November  9, 
1842,  died  January  23,  1851;  Mary  Sned- 
eker, born  in  Ohio  March  19,  1845,  married 
to  Oliver  Butler  November  20,  1865;  Will- 
iam N.  Snedeker,  born  in  Illinois  June  19, 
1847,  veteran  soldier,  maiTied  to  Miss 
Sophia  Hukil  September   8,  1870;  Sarah  E. 


74 


BlUGKAPHICAL: 


Snedeker,  born  ia  Illinois  September  29, 
1849,  married  to  James  P.  Benson  January 
13,  1868;  Joseph  H.  Snedeker,  born  Febru- 
ary 9,  1852,  and  died  Aiigust  11,  1854; 
Francis  M.  Snedeker,  born  March  24,  1854, 
married    to  Martha  A.   Blundell  September 

20,  1877;  Julius  A.  Snedeker,  born  April  22, 
1856,  married  to  Dora  Park  January  8, 
1879;  Lucetta  A.  Snedeker,  born  August  24, 
1858,  died  May  27,  1859;  Lucy  Jane  Snede- 
ker, born  April  13,  1860,  married  to  G.  K. 
Lycan  May  22,  1882;  Josiah  Q.  Snedeker, 
born  November  16,  1864,  teacher.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Snedeker  have  been  'members  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church  for  more  than 
forty  years. 

HENRY  TAYLOR,    deceased,  whose  por- 
trait appears  in  this  book,  was  born  March 

21,  1804,  in  Pennsylvania,  in  which  year  he 
removed  with  his  parents  to  Ohio.  He  came 
to  Illinois  in  1821,  settling  in  the  then  wilds 
of  Wabash  Township,  where  he  died  Febru- 
ary 25,  1879.  He  was  married  to  Jane  Hick- 
lin.  Her  father,  Jonathan  Hicklin,  was 
born  in  1771  and  died  in  1877,  and  her 
mother,  Jane,  was  born  in  1769  and  died  in 
1829  They  came  to  this  county  in  1821, 
accompanying  Henry  Taylor.  Her  father's 
family  spent  their  first  night  in  this  country 
on  the  bare  ground  and  in  a  large  snow. 
Mr.  Taylor's  union  gave  him  eight  children, 
viz. :  Jane,  the  wife  of  A.  Shirely;  Mary  A., 
the  wife  of  W.  B.  Woods;  Samuel;  William 
H. ;  Robert  H. ;  M.  J.,  the  wife  of  M.  Bad- 
ger; M.  Rosetta,  the  wife  of  O.  J.  Hunt; 
John  F. ;  Flora  E.,  the  wife  of  William  Mc- 
Cann.  Mi-s.  Taylor  is  enjoying  good  health 
on  the  old  homestead,  with  her  son  John  F. , 
who  was  born  June  15,  1844,  in  Clark 
County,  111.  He  received  such  an  education 
as  the  country  schools  afforded  him,  in  those 
days  of  the  log  cabins.  He  has  always 
strictly  attended  to  the  rural  pursuits  of  life. 


He  was  married  May  10,  1881  to  Lizzie  Hill, 
a  daughter  of  Rev.  Robert  H.  and  Mary 
(Woods)  Hill.  The  result  of  this  union  has 
been  one  child — William  F.  Mr.  Taylor  is  a 
stanch  Republican.  His  wife  is  a  member  of 
the  Presbyterian  Church. 

ROBERT  B.  TAYLOR,  Marshall,  is  a  na- 
tive of  Wabash  Township,  Clark  County,  and 
was    born  on    the  25th   day  of    September, 

1837.  His  father,  Henry  Taylor,  was  born 
in  Pennsylvania  Mai-ch  21,  1804,  and  re- 
moved with  his  parents,  Robert  and  Jane 
Taylor,  to  Hamilton  County,  Ohio,  while  an 
infant.  When  he  was  thirteen  years  old,  he 
removed  to  what  is  known  as  Shaker  Prairie, 
where  he  grew  to  manhood.  He  came  to 
where  Livingston  now  stands,  where  he  was 
engaged  to  work  for  Jonathan  Hicklin,  whose 
daughter  he  married  March  31,  1825.  Mrs. 
Jane  (Hicklin)  Taylor  was  born  on  the  22d 
of  November,  1806,  in  Woodford  County, 
Ky.,  and  has  been  a  resident  of  Wabash 
Township  since  sixteen  years  old,  longer  in 
fact  than  any  one  now  living.  Her  father,  J. 
Hicklin,  settled  in  the  township  in  1821,  and 
died  near  Pana,  111. ,  at  the  advanced  age  of 
one  hundred  and  six  years.  Henry  and  Jane 
Taylor  had  a  family  of  ten  childi-en,  of  whom 
five  are  now  deceased.  Three  sons — Samuel, 
John  and  our  subject — still  live  in  the  town- 
ship. Robert  H.  Taylor,  was  educated  in  the 
pioneer  log  schoolhouses  of  the  township, 
and  was  married,  October  14,  1857,  to  Miss 
Naomi  Neal,  a  daughter  of  Elza  and  Jane 
Neal.     She  was    born    in   Marshall  June  1, 

1838,  and  died  at  the  same  place  August 
15,  1879,  leaving  a  family  of  six  chil- 
dren, of  whom  two  are  dead — Clara 
B.  Taylor,  born  October  26,  1859,  died 
June  13,  1863;  William  C.  Taylor,  born  Sep- 
tember 28,  1861,  died  June  9,  1863;  Cassius 
E.  Taylor,  born  August  28,  1863;  Florence 
N.  Taylor,  born  December  26,  1865;  Rice  H. 


WA15.V.SII    TOWNSHIP. 


75 


Taylor,  boru  September  9,  1869;  Mirtie  J. 
Taylor,  born  April  9,  1874.  Subject  was 
married  to  Miss  Lucinda  Belser  February  24, 
1880;  she  was  born  in  June,  1833:  her 
father,  William  L.  Belser,  was  a  native  of 
Highland  County,  Ohio,  and  was  born  July 
2,  1S17,  and  is  still  living.  The  mother, 
Elizabeth  Belser,  was  born  in  Floyd  County, 
Ind.,  February  24,  1824,  and  died  in  Clai-k 
County  October  28,  1880.  Mr.  Taylor  is  a 
successfal  farmer,  and  has  212  acres  of  land 
in  Section  22  and  27  of  Wabash  Township. 
He  is  a  Bepublican,  a  member  of  the  Mason- 
ic fraternity,  and   I.  O.  O.  F. 

WILLIAM  H.  THOilPSON,  farmer,  P. 
O.  Marshall.  There  are  but  f(iw  families  in 
Clark  County  whose  connections  with  the 
county  have  been  of  longer  dm'atiou  or  of 
gi'eater  benefit  than  the  name  under  consid- 
eration. Daniel  Thompson  was  born  in  Vir- 
ginia in  December,  1801,  and  was  removed, 
with  his  parents,  Thomas  and  Nancy  Thomp- 
son, to  Kentucky,  in  or  about  1814.  Here 
Daniel  grew  to  be  a  man,and  married  Miss  Ku- 
annah  Hughes,  daughter  of  Ishmael  and  Su- 
san Hughes.  She  was  boru  in  Virginia  in 
1809.  They  came  to  Clark  County  and  en- 
tered land  in  Wabash  Township  in  1827,  and 
here  the  father  died  on  the  12  th  of  March, 
1873.  The  mother  has  since  married  Stephen 
Archer,  who  is  another  of  the  county's  pio- 
neers. Daniel  and  Euannah  Thompson  had 
a  family  of  ten  children,  some  of  whom  are 
among  the  substantial  farmers  of  Wabash 
Township.  William  H.,  the  third  of  the  fam- 
ily, was  born  in  this  county  on  the  22d  of 
December,  1829.  His  early  education  con- 
sisted of  such  school  advantages  as  were  to  be 
obtained  in  the  pioneer  log  schoolhouses. 
He  was  married,  September  2,  1852,  to  Miss 
Sarah  C.  Edgerton,  daughter  of  Cyrus  and 
Roxanna  Edgerton.  She  was  born  in  Vigo 
County,  Ind.,  on  the  24th  of  November,  1832. 


Their  family  consists  of  fourteen  childi-en,  of 
whom  seven  are  deceased.  William  C,  born 
June  24,  1853;  MaryF.,  born  August  8, 1854; 
Daniel,  born  January  15,  185G;  Cyrus,  born 
July  1,  1858;  Hem-ietta,  born  August  20, 
1859;  Josephine,  deceased,  born  August  24, 
1861;  JohnD. ,  deceased,  born  November  2, 
1862;  Emily  J.,  deceased,  born  January  29, 
1864;  Aaron  S.,  deceased,  born  May  20,  1865; 
Archie,  born  December  25,  1869;  Amy  A., 
deceased,  born  August  28,  1871;  Oliver  K, 
deceased,  born  Marcli  27,  1873;  Hattie,  de- 
ceased, born  March  25,  1875.  Mr.  Thompson 
owns  a  farm  of  240  acres  in  Section  25.  of 
Wabash  Township.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Baptist  Church. 

FRANK  TRAVIOLI,  farmer,  P.  O.  Mar- 
shall. Prominent  among  the  farmers  in  Clark 
County  is  Frauk  Travioli.  His  father  was 
Dominickel  Travioli,  a  native  of  Italy,  and 
born  in  1775.  In  early  life  he  became  a  sol- 
dier in  the  French  Army,  serving  twelve  years 
under  the  great  French  conqueror.  Napoleon. 
Travioli  was,  on  several  occasions,  wounded, 
and  finally  taken  prisoner  by  the  English 
Government.  In  the  beginning  of  1813,  he 
was  offered  release  from  his  imprisonment  on 
the  condition  that  he  become  a  soldier  in  the 
English  ranks  and  participate  in  au  expedi- 
tion to  Canada  against  the  Americans.  This 
he  consented  to  do,  but  at  the  battle  of  Platts- 
burg,  in  Northern  New  York,  he  manifested 
his  disapproval  of  the  English  policy  toward 
Americans  by  deserting,  and  going  within  the 
American  lines  for  support  or  protection.  Af- 
ter the  war,  he  associated  himself  with  a 
French  colony  then  established  in  Jefferson 
County,  N.  Y.,  and  followed  the  trade  of  shoe- 
maker for  many  years.  In  1818,  there  was  an 
influx  of  Massachusetts  people  settled  in  this 
same  county,  and  among  them  was  the  family 
of  Parker  Chase.  A  daughter  of  this  family. 
Miss  Abagail  Chase,  was  married  to  D.  Trav- 


76 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


ioli,  in  1819,  and  became  the  mother  of  ten 
children,  of  whom  Frank  Travioli  is  the  third. 
The  family  continued  their  residence  in  Jef- 
ferson County,  N.  Y.,  until  1837,  where  the 
eight  children  were  born.  In  that  year  they 
removed  to  Licking  County,  Ohio,  where  the 
parents  made  their  residence  until  1861.  The 
father  came  to  Clark  County  in  that  year  and 
made  his  home  with  his  children,  and  died  at 
the  residence  of  Napoleon  Travioli  in  1863. 
The  mother  was  born  July  27,  ]  797,  and  died 
at  the  home  of  George  Smith,  in  June,  1876. 
Frank  Travioli  was  born  in  Jefferson  County, 
N.  Y..  April  16,  1824.  Educated  in  Gran- 
ville, Licking  Co.,  Ohio,  where  he  was  mar- 
ried, June  11,  1848,  to  Miss  Sarah  M.  Tie- 
bout,  daughter  of  Henry  Tiebout  and  Susan 
Enyart,  both  of  whom  are  of  Dutch  descent. 
The  father  was  born  in  New  York  City  June 
30.  1792.  He  was  by  trade  a  ship  architect, 
and  constructed  the  two  sailing  vessels  for 
John  Jacob  Astor  which  were  lost  on  the  Pa- 
cific coast  toward  the  middle  of  this  century. 
He  married,  September  21,  1826,  in  Licking 
County,  Ohio,  Miss  Susan  Enyart,  daughter 
of  Eufus  and  Sarah  Enyart.  She  was  born 
in  Hamilton  County,  Ohio.  October  17,  1803. 
They  raised  a  family  of  seven  children,  of 
whom  Mrs.  Travioli  is  the  eldest,  and  was 
born  September  19,  1828.  Her  father  died 
in  Ohio  October  31,  1849,  and  the  mother  in 
August  of  1878.  Frank  Travioli  came  to 
this  county  in  1849,  and  has  "ever  since  been 
a  resident  of  Wabash  Township,' which  he  as- 
sisted in  organizing,  and  of  which  he  was  the 
first  Assessor.  In  addition  to  his  farming  in- 
terest, he  has,  for  many  winters,  engaged  in 
school  teaching,and  in  various  ways  has  added 
to  the  eSiciency  of  the  schools  of  the  town 
ship.  His  family  consists  of  twelve  children, 
of  whom  but  one  is  dead.  Aurelia,  born  March 
13,  1849,  died  August  30,  1872;  Celia  C, 
born  May  8,  1850,  and  mai-ried  to  J.  W.  Ad- 


ams; Florence,  born  December  15,  1851,  and 
manned  to  Virgil  Carr;  George^  born  April 
12,  1853,  and  married  Mollie  Elswoi'th;  Ira, 
born  January  11,  1856,  and  man-ied  Henri- 
etta Thompson;  Howard,  born  February  11, 
1858;  Clara  M.,  born  November  15,  1859, 
married  W.  Elliott;  Joseph,  born  March  13, 
1862;  Martha,  born  October  8,  1863;  Rosa, 
born  September  18,1806;  Maggie,  born  March 
6,  1869;  Ogden,  born  February  16,  1871. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Travioli  are  members  of  the 
Methodist  Episcof)al  Church,  and  have  a  farm 
in  Wabash  Tovraiship  of  330  acres,  including 
three  frame  dwellings. 

GEORGE  WARSHTLER,  farmer,  P.  O. 
Marshall,  was  born  in  Stark  County,  Ohio, 
on  the  10th  day  of  May,  1845.  His  parents, 
Jonathan  and  Mary  (Hossler)  Warshtler,  were 
natives  of  Stark  County,  Ohio.  The  father 
was  born  in  IS  10,  grew  to  manhood,  married, 
raised  a  family,and  died  within  one  mile  of  the 
place  where  he  was  born.  The  mother  of  oui- 
subjectjWas  born  in  September,  1815,  and  is  at 
this  time  living  in  Stark  County,  Ohio.  This 
family  consisted  of  eleven  children,  George 
being  the  seventh,  and  of  whom  seven  are 
deceased.  George  was  raised  and  educated 
in  his  native  county,  where,  in  September, 
1867,  he  married  Miss  Mary  Mooshower.  She 
is  a  daughter  of  Allen  and  Anna  Mooshow- 
er, and  was  born  in  Pennsylvania,  and  came 
with  her  parents  to  Ohio,  when  young.  Mr. 
Warsbtler  came  to  this  county  from  Ohio 
in  1871  (October)  and  settled  in  Wabash 
Township,  where  he  bought  a  farm  of  eighty 
acres  in  Section  20,  upon  which  he  now  lives. 
Their  family  consists  of  six  children,  of 
whom  three  were  buried  the  same  month. 
Jemima  Warshtler  was  born  in  Stark  Coun- 
ty, Ohio,  Oc+ober  28,  1869;  Clara  Warshtler 
was  born  in  Stark  County,  Ohio,  August  1, 
1871,  and  died  in  this  county  February  16, 
1877;  Curtis  L.  Warshtler  was  born  in  Clark 


CASEY   TOWNSHIP. 


■?7 


bounty,  111.,  October  24,  1873,  and  died 
Februai-y  25,  1877;  Harry  A.  Warsh tier  was 
born  in  Clai-k  County  Juno  26.  1875,  and 
died  February  26. '1877;  jVrmautlia  Warshtler 


was  born  in  Clark  County  August  30,  1877; 
Emma  Warshtler  was  born  in  Clark  County, 
June  27,  1882.  They  are  members  of  the 
Presbyterian  Church  at  Oak  Grove. 


CASEY     TOAYNSHIP. 


BEONSON  L.  ADAMS,  express  agent, 
Casey.  The  efficient  express  agent  of  this 
place  was  born  in  Clark  County,  Ind.,  A[jril 
2,  1851,  son  of  William  T.  Adams  and  Ee- 
becoa  A.  Barlow.  Subject  removed  to  this 
county  with  his  parents  when  about  one  year 
old,  when  they  settled  in  Marshall,  where  his 
father  now  resides.  His  mother  died  in  187(5. 
Bronson  L.  lived  in  Marshall  until  1864, 
when  he  removed  with  his  parents  to  Grand- 
View,  Edgar  County,  this  State,  remaining 
here  one  year,  and  retm-ned  to  Marshall,  this 
county.  Subject  clerked  in  drug  store  for 
his  father,  at  Marshall,  who  finally  came  to 
this  place  in  1870,  and  continued  the  busi- 
ness here,  Bronson  engaging  in  business  with 
him  until  1873,  when  he  clerked  for  a  time. 
In  1874,  he  opened  up  a  notion  store,  con- 
tinuing the  same  until  1878.  The  following 
year,  in  August,  he  was  appointed  assistant 
station  agent  on  the  Yandalia  E.  E.,  at  this 
place,  and  in  Augiist,  1881,  station  agent  of 
the  Danville,  Olney  &  Ohio  E.  E.  August, 
1875,  he  received  the  appointment  as  agent 
for  the  American  Express  Company  here,  and 
since  May  1,  agent  of  the  Adams  Express 
Company,  having  charge  of  both  offices  since 
his  appointment  Has  been  Notary  Public 
since  1875;  been  a  member  of  Town  Board 
since  April,  1878,  and  in  April,  ISSO,  re-elect- 
ed President  of  the  same  for  two  years.  De- 
cember 11,  1871,  married  MaryE.  Bell,  born 
in  Cumberland  County,  daughter  of  Jesse 
Bell.     In  politics,  he  is  Democratic,  yet  he  is 


liberal  and  votes  for  men  rather  than  party. 
Is  a  member  of  Casey  Lodge,  No.  442,  A.,  F. 
&  A.  M.,  of  which  he  is  an  official  member. 
Mr.  Adams  was  appointed  Notary  Public, 
1875,  and  since  held  the  office.  Also  an  in- 
surance agent. 

SAMUEL  ADKISON,  livery,  Casey,  is 
a  Kentuckian  by  birth;  he  was  born  in  Breck- 
inridge County  September  4,  1826,  son  of 
Jeremiah  and  Nellie  (Johnson)  Adkison;  he 
was  born  in  Virginia  and  removed  to  Breck- 
inridge County,  Ky.,  and  there  married. 
Samuel  was  the  oldest  of  a  family  of  three 
— two  sons  and  one  daughter — and  came  to 
Vigo  County,  Ind.,  when  a  lad  of  five  years; 
his  father  was  a  farmer,  and  Samuel  was  be- 
reft of  both  parents  at  an  early  age,  and  was 
raised  by  a  giiardian  until  fom-teen,  when  he 
left  him  and  retm-ned  to  Kentucky,  where  he 
lived  about  nine  years,  and  while  here  was  en- 
gaged in  farming  and  stock-raising.  He  was 
married  in  this  county  in  March,  1849,  to 
Jane  E.,  born  in  same  county,  1832,  daugh- 
ter of  Allen  Epbertsf)n  and  Lucy  McDowell. 
In  the  fall  of  1851,  he  moved  to  Crawford 
County,  this  State,  and  purchased  a  farm  of 
forty  acres,  remained  here  until  his  removal 
to  Casey,  Febvuary,  1877.  Shortly  after 
coming  here,  he  engaged  in  the  lively  busi- 
ness; since  ran  it.  When  he  came  here,  he 
had  400  acres  of  land.  Ts  a  self-made  man. 
Has  five  children — Mary,  Essa,  Lucy  C, 
Flora  and  Malcomb.  Is  a  Methodist  in  belief, 
and  was  a  Whig  first,  later  a  Eepublican. 


78 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


DAVID  BAIK,  harness-maker,  Casey,  came 
to  Clark  County  in  July,  1S75,  and  has  since  ; 
been   a  resident  of  this  township.     He  was 
born  in  Daupliin  County,  Penn..  November 
25,  1829,  the  fifth  son  and  sixth  child  born 
to  John  Bair  and  Mary  Moore.     He  was  born 
in  Dauphin  County  about  th'e  year  1791  and 
died  in  1803.     She  was  born  in    Lancaster 
County,  Penn.,  daughter  of  Frederick  Moore.  - 
Oiu-  subject's  grandfather  was  Samuel  Bair. 
David  was  one  of  a  family  of  ten  children, 
seven  sons  and  thi-ee  daughters,  all  of  whom 
lived   to  be  grown   and   now    living,   except 
Jesse,   who  was  killed   at  the  battle  of   the 
"Wilderness.     The  childi-en   were  Susannah, 
Jacob,   John,   Samuel,   Jesse,   David,  Sarah, 
Mary,    Jeremiah    and    Isaac,    all   living   in 
Pennsylvania  save  Jesse,  Isaac  and  David. 
Isaac  resides  in  Marshall  County.  Kan.     Su- 
sannah, wife  of  Solomon  Matter;  Sarah,  wife  I 
of  John  Allbright;  and  Mary,  wife  o^  Abra- 
ham Crow.     These,    with   Jacob,   John   and 
Samuel,  all  reside  in  Dauphin  County,  Penn. 
David   was  raised    a   farmer    and   remained 
with  his  parents  until  twenty-two  years  of 
age;  then  left  home  and  ran  on  the  river, 
boating   and   rafting   on   the    Susquehanna 
Canal  and  river,  and  three  years  on  the  Sun- 
bury  &  Erie  Eailroad — did  job  work  also.    In 
the  spring  of  1861,  he  began  keeping  hotel 
at  Clark's  Ferry,   Dauphin  County,   and  for 
eight  years  ran  this  business.  He  then  disposed 
of  his  hotel  interests  and  moved  to  Halifax 
in  the  same  county,  and  was  here  elected  Jus  - 
tice  of  the  Peace,  and  for  six  years  he  held 
this  office.      Then  he  emigrated  to  this  State 
and  located  at  Casey,  where  he  has  since  lived. 
For  three  years  after  his  arrival  here,  he  en- 
gaged in  the  grain  trade;  then  he  engaged  in 
the  harness  business,  which  he  still  carries 
on.      He  has  recently  built  a  large  brick  bus- 
iness house,  22x80  feet  and  two  stories  high, 
on    Jasper   avenue.     October   30,    1860,   he 


married  Priscilla  C.  Freeland,  born  in  May, 
1834,  daughter  of  George  Freeland.  Mr. 
Bair  has  but  one  child.  Ella,  wife  of  C.  A. 
Hartwell.  railroad  agent  on  the  Vandalia 
Railroad.      Democrat. 

GEORGE  P.  BAIRD,  farmer,  P.  O.  Mar- 
tinsville.    This    gentleman    comes    of    Ken- 
tucky stock.      He  first  beheld   the    light  of 
day  August  8,  1887,  in  Nelson  County,    Ky. 
His  great-gi-andfather   on  the  paternal  side 
was  James  Baird.     He  was  a  native  of  Ii-e 
land  and  settled  in  Nelson  County.     Shortly 
after  the  Revolutionary  war,   he   and  eight 
brothers  made  their  settlement  in  that  county 
and  founded  Bairdstown.     His  grandfather 
was  Joseph  Baird,  who  married  Lucy,  who  was 
a  daughter  of  Proctor  Ballard,  a  Virginian. 
He  (Joseph)  was    born    in    Hardin  County. 
Ky.,  where  his  father  removed,  subsequently 
to  his  settlement   in  Nelson  County.      Here 
the  father  of  our  subject  was  bom  October 
10,    1S04.      His  name    is  T.  R.  Baird.      He 
was  married  in  Hai'din   County  October  28, 
1830,    where   he  was  born,    to  Elizabeth,  a 
native    of    Nelson   County,    born  August   3, 
1805,  daughter  of  George  Dawson   and  Katie 
Ballard.      George  Dawson  was  born  in  Penn- 
sylvania and  removed  to  Nelson  County,  and 
there  raised  a  family.     The  fii-st  member  of 
I  the  Baird  family  that  came  to  the  "Sucker 
i  State "  was  Joseph  Baird,  the  grandfather  of 
Georo-e  P.,  who  came  to   Lawi'ence  County, 
this  State,  at  the  close  of  the  war  of   1812, 
and  remained  here  until  his  death.     George 
P.  came  to  the  State  with  his  parents  about 
[  the  year-  1850,    and  located   with   them   in 
j  Crawford  County,   and  after  two  years'  resi- 
;  dence   removed   to  Clark  County,   where  he 
'  has  ever  since  lived.      After  coming  to  this 
i  county,  the  family  lived  two  years  in  Waliash 
Township,   remaining   here  two  years;  then 
lived  two  years  in  York  Township,  and  subse- 
quently to  Martijisville.     George  P.  remained 


CASEY   TOWNSHIP. 


79 


at  home  until  twenty  five  years  of  age. 
In  1861,  he  married  Anna  E.,  born  in  1842,  in 
Shelby  County,  Ind. ;  she  is  a  daughter  of 
Jesse  R.  Laingor  and  Polly  Cooper.  In 
the  summer  of  1862.  he  enlisted  in  Company 
F,  Seventy-ninth  Illinois  Volunteers,  and 
served  in  several  hard-fought  battles,  among 
which  were  Perry  ville,  Chickamauga,  Chatta- 
nooga, and  at  Resaca,  where  he  received  severe 
injuries  which  disabled  him,  and  was  finally 
discharged  on  account  of  the  disability,  and 
has  since  been  a  pensioner.  Upon  return  to 
civil  life,  he  returned  to  this  township  and 
has  since  been  a  resident  and  engaged  in 
farming  piu'suits.  He  located  on  the  farm 
he  now  owns  in  1871 ;  located  on  the  north- 
west quarter  of  Section  3.  Has  four  ohil- 
di-en.  viz.,  Alice,  George  E.,  Elie  M.  and 
Polly.  He  is  a  genuine  Republican.  Has 
served  as  Assessor  of  township  and  is  a  mem- 
ber of  A.,  F.  &  A..  M.  His  mother  died 
October  19,  1879;  father,  yet  living,  is  a  man 
well  preserved  for  one  of  his  years,  and  has 
given  his  life  to  farming  pursuits.  He  has 
raised  five  children.  The  eldest  is  Nancy, 
then  in  order  comes  George  P.,  Joseph,  Mar- 
garet and  Kate.  Nancy  resides  in  this  town- 
ship, wife  of  William  Beauchamp;  Margaret 
in  Martinsville,  wife  of  Lewis  C.  Tingley  ; 
Joseph  resides   in   Douglas  County. 

FRANK  BR  AN  AN,  dealer  in  stoves  and 
tinware,  Casey,  was  born  in  Indiana,  Marion 
County,  July  17,  1851,  son  of  Robert  and 
Sarah  Goff.  He  was  born  in  Pennsylvania 
and  removed  West  when  a  young  man,  and 
settled  in  Ohio,  where  he  married  and  lived 
several  years,  and  finally  located  in  Marion 
County,  Ind.,  remaining  until  1854.  when  he 
came  to  Auburn  To\vnship,  where  ho  settled 
pei-manently  and  lived  until  his  death,  June, 
1879.  His  wife  died  in  1875.  To  them  «ere 
born  eight  children;  all  grew  up  and  seven 
are  now  living.      Frank  was  the  fifth  child, 


and  remained  at  home  until  eleven  years  of 
acre.  Worked  on  a  farm  until  about  twenty 
years  of  age,  when  he  learned  his  trade  at 
Martinsville  with  John  R.  Baily,  and  re- 
mained with  him  four  years.  After  learning 
his  trade,  he  came  to  Casey  in  April,  1876, 
and  set  up  in  business  and  has  since  con- 
tinued. He  is  doing  an  excellent  business, 
keeps  one  man,  and  at  times  runs  several 
hands.  In  February,  1875,  he  was  married 
to  Laura  Snavely,  who  was  born  in  Martins- 
ville May  10,  1858,  daughter  of  Samuel 
Snavely  and  Sarah  (Barrett)  Snavely.  Have 
three  children — Nellie,  Eddie  and  Frank. 

J.  F.  BROWN,  druggist,  Casey.  John 
Franklin  Brown,  the  efficient  and  worthy 
^rug  clerk  of  the  firm  of  Lee  &  Wiley,  was 
born  June  15,  1844,  in  Niagara  County,  N. 
y.,  the  eldest  son  of  Thomas  Brown,  a  native 
of  England.  His  mother's  maiden  name  was 
Margaret  McDonuald;  she  was  a  native  of 
Rochester,  N.  Y.,  daughter  of  Henry  Mc- 
Donuald. Subject  removed  with  his  parents 
about  the  year  1853,  and  located  at  Marshall. 
His  father  was  for  several  years  Master  Me- 
chanic on  the  Wabash  Railroad  for  Busson. 
Shaw  &  Co.  He  and  wife  are  yet  living  at 
Marshall.  Subject  remained  at  home  until 
sixteen  years  of  age,  when  he  went  to  West- 
field,  this  county,  and  for  four  years  he 
worked  for  John  Briscoe  on  a  farm;  in  the 
meantime,  in  the  spring  of  1864,  he  went  to 
Nashville,  Tenn.,  and  for  eighteen  months 
was  in  the  Government  employ'  in  the  Quar- 
termaster's Department.  He  returned  to 
Westfield  and  for  two  years  was  Deputy  Post- 
master, and  clerked  in  a  hardware  and  gro- 
cery store.  About  the  year  1870,  he  engaged 
in  the  drug  business  at  Westfield  for  six  years; 
then  sold  out  and  engaged  in  farming  in 
Parker  Township,  and  remained  here  two 
years;  then  came  to  this  place  and  has  been 
here   since.       He   was   first    in  with  W.  L. 


80 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


Laingor,  and  afterward  with  Lee  &  Wiley. 
Twice  married,  first  in  Brownstown,  Ky. ,  to 
Mollie  M.  Briscoe,  bom  in  Kentucky,  daugh- 
ter of  Jacob  Briscoe.  She  died  in  about  a 
year,  at  child-birth.  May  29,  1872,  he  mar- 
ried Sarah  A.,  daughter  of  Andrew  Lee,  one 
of  the  prominent  farmers  and  early  settlers 
of  the  county.  Has  two  children — Edith  M. 
and  Eose  P.  He  has  served  as  Coroner  since 
1878,  and  previous  to  this  served  an  unex- 
pired term;  is  now  elected  for  his  third 
term.  He  is  a  Republican,  and  a  mem- 
ber of  the  A.,  F.  &  A.  M.  He  began  reading 
u^edicine  when  he  first  went  to  Westtield. 

DR.  W.  W.  BRUCE,  physician,  Casey,  has 
been  identified  with  the  interests  of  Clark 
County  since  May,  1869.  He  was  born  in 
Indiana  County,  Penn.,  in  1844,  January  1. 
He  is  a  son  of  J.  H.  Bruce  and  Margaret 
Rankin,  both  natives  of  the  same  county  and 
State.  The  Doctor  was  raised  on  a  farm  and 
received  a  common  school  education,  which 
was  supplemented  by  an  academic  course, 
and  aftenvard  taught  fom-  terms  of  winter 
school;  and  began  reading  medicine  in 
the  spring  of  1862  with  Dr.  Thomas  St. 
Clair,  of  Indiana  County,  Penn.,  and  contin 
ued  with  him  two  years  and  some  months. 
He  attended  medical  lectures  at  Jefferson 
Medical  College,  and  in  the  spring  of  1866 
he  began  the  practice  of  his  profession,  for  a 
time  with  his  preceptor,  afterward  went  to 
Burning  Springs,  Va.,  where  he  started  on  his 
own  account,  and  continued  one  year,  when 
he  removed  to  Parke  County,  Ind.,  where  we 
resumed  the  practice  of  his  profession  two 
years,  remaining  here  until  May,  1869,  when 
he  located  in  Casey,  Clark  County,  and  has 
since  been  identified  with  the  interests  of  the 
county,  not  only  as  a  practitioner  of  materia 
medica,  but  with  other  interests  in  the  county. 
He  was  married  January  1,  1873,  to  Sarah  E. 
Gutherie,  a  native  of  Madison  County,  Ind. , 


daughter  of  William  M.  Gutherie  and  Marga- 
ret Shroyer.  The  Doctor  has  no  children,  but 
has  raised  a  niece  of  his  wife's,  Jessie  Sturde- 
vant.  The  Doctor  is  a  member  of  the  Presby- 
terian Church,  also  of  the  Masonic  fraternity, 
and  has  been  W.  M.  of  Casey  Lodge  for  the 
past  five  years,  also  Worthy  Chief  Templar  of 
the  Independent  Order  of  Good  Templars. 
He  is  a  sound  Republican. 

MRS.  A.  CLOSSON,  Casey,  was  born  in 
the  State  of  Maine  December  19,  1810,  of  a 
large  family  of  children  born  to  Philip  Pow- 
ers and  Sarah  Ferguson.  Philip  Powers  was 
born  in  New  Hampshire,  son  of  Francis  Pow- 
ers, a  Revolutionary  soldier,  who  died  from  a 
stroke  of  lightning  in  the  town  of  Hollis. 
Sarah  was  born  in  Maine,  daughter  of  John 
Ferguson.  Philip  Powers  and  family  moved 
to  Ohio  and  settled  in  Delaware  County,  and 
remained  here  until  their  death.  The  sub 
ject  of  this  sketch  was  married  in  Galena, 
Delaware  County,  December  12,  1833,  to 
John  Closson,  a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  son 
of  Daniel  Closson  and  Martha  Devore.  John 
Closson  removed  with  his  father  (of  Holland 
descents  to  Delaware  County  when  a  boy. 
After  the  marriage  of  Mi\  Closson  he  settled 
in  Berkshire  Township,  where  he  engaged  in 
farminff,  and  continued'here  until  the  fall  of 
1844,  when  he  sold  his  fai-m  and  came  to 
Illinois  and  settled  in  Coles  County,  and  came 
to  this  place  in  the  spring  of  1858,  and  bought 
here  400  acres;  much  of  it  was  unimproved. 
Here  he  settled  and  remained  until  his  death, 
September  17,  1872.  He  was  a  member  of 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  for  many 
years;  he  served  as  class-leader  and  steward 
for  many  years.  He  was  a  thrifty  and  pros- 
perous farmer  and  a  kind-hearted  man,  a 
good  neighbor,  a  kind  husband  and  an  in- 
dulgent father.  He  was  a  Democrat,  yet  he 
voted  for  the  best  men;  in  Presidential  contests 
he  adhered  to  his  party.      He  was  a  raember 


CASEY  TOWNSHIP. 


81 


of  the  Masonic  fraternity,  and  one  of  the 
charter  members  of  the  Casey  Lodge.  They 
had  five  childien — Maiiha  E.,  Sarah  J., 
John  Milton,  Daniel  C.  and  James  L. ;  but 
two  living — Daniel  C.  and  Sarah  J.,  wife  of 
Andrew  Drumm;  Daniel  C,  resides  on  the 
homestead;  Martha  E.,  was  the  wife  of  Will- 
iam Boyd  and  died  July,  1872,  leaving  throe 
children — John  W\,  Milton  L.  and  Mary  A.; 
these  reside  with  Mrs.  Closson;  Milton,  died, 
agetl  twenty-one,  with  typhoid  fever;  James 
L.,  has  been  away  from  home  many  years  (res- 
idence not  known).  Mrs.  Closson  resides  on 
the  homestead  farm.  She  has  been  a  member 
of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  over  forty- 
four  years. 

M.  G.  COCHONOUR,  furniture.  Casey. 
Marion  Green  Cochonour  is  the  principal 
and  only  dealer  in  furniture  and  undertaking 
in  town  of  Casey.  He  was  born  March  29, 
1845,  on  the  line  of  Clark  and  Cumberland 
Counties,  and  has  been  a  resident  of  this 
county  up  to  the  present.  His  father,  David, 
was  born  September  22,  1818,  in  Baltimore 
County,  Md.,  and  i-emoved  to  York  County, 
Penn.,  in  1820,  and  from  here  to  Fairfield 
County,  Ohio,  in  1837,  where  he  was  married, 
Augiist  S,  1839,  to  Eebecca  Mouser,  daugh- 
ter of  Benjamin  Mouser,  a  Virginian.  She 
was  born  May  28,  1820,  in  Fayette  County, 
Ohio.  May  26,  1842,  David  Cochonoiu- 
landed  in  Clark  County,  and  there  settled 
cmd  since  been  a  resident  of  this  locality,  now 
of  Cumberland  County.  Of  the  children 
borne  them  now  living  are  M;u-ion  G. ,  Mary 
C,  Susan  E.,  Lewis  W.,  Perry  L.,  Hardin 
C.  and  Stephen  D.  The  brothers  are  farm- 
ers and  residents  of  Cumberland  County;  one 
of  the  sisters  resides  in  this  township,  wife 
of  J.  R.  Emerich,  and  the  other  is  the  wife 
of  William  Kilgore,  of  Jasper  County.  His 
paternal  grandsire  was  Chi'istian  Cochonour, 
a  native  of  York  County,  Penn. ;  his  progeni- 


tors were  natives  of  Wurtemberg,  Germany; 
his  paternal  grandmother  was  Catharine 
Mash,  a  Pennsylvaniau,  where  she  was  born 
in  1782.  His  mother's  grandparents  on  both 
sides  served  all  through  the  Revolution. 
Marion  G.  camo  West  with  his  parents  at  the 
time  of  their  removal,  and  was  brought  u^d  on  a 
farm,  where  he  remained  until  eighteen  years 
of  age,  when  he  went  to  learn  the  carpenter's 
trade,  at  which  he  worked  until  he  came  to 
Casey  in  July,  1870,  where  he  engaged  in 
the  furniture  and  undertaking  business,  be- 
ing the  first  to  keep  a  general  line  of  ready- 
made  caskets,  coffins  and  undertaker's  sup- 
plies in  Casey,  and  has  since  can-ied  on  a 
successful  business.  He  has  been  twice  mar- 
ried, first  time,  April  20,  1870,  to  Elizabeth 
Galbrath,  of  Charleston,  this  State,  daughter 
of  James  Galbrath.  She  died  March  6,  1871, 
leaving  one  child — Elizabeth.  November 
18,  1873,  he  married  to  Marietta,  daughter 
of  Charles  and  Martha  Geddes,  of  this  county. 
By  last  marriage  he  has  one  daughter — Ida 
L.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church,  and  also  a  member  of  the  A., 
F.  &  A.  M.  Politically,  he  is  a  Republican. 
JAMES  B.  CONDE,  retired  farmer,  Casey, 
was  bom  May  24,  1811,  in  Oneida  County, 
N.  Y..  the  youngest  child  of  Adam  Conde 
and  Elizabeth  Wilson.  Our  subject  removed 
with  his  pai-ents  when  three  years  old  to 
Campbell  County,  Ivy. ,  and  remained  there 
about  three  years,  when  they  removed  to 
Rush  County,  lud.,  where  his  parents  died. 
Our  subject  was  raised  on  a  fai-m  and  lived 
at  home,  until  forty  years  of  age,  making  his 
parents'  ho'ise  his  home  until  his  removal 
to  Illinois,  which  was  in  June,  1851,  when 
he  came  to  Jasper  County,  this  State,  bought 
a  farm  and  engaged  in  farming,  remaining 
here  until  September,  1870,  when  he  removed 
to  Casey  and  has  since  been  retired.  Jan- 
uary 10,    1850,  he   married  Elizabeth,    who 


83 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


was  born  Jamiary  13,  1830,  in  Nicholas 
Connty,  Ky.,  daughter  of  Thomas  Simms 
and  Lncinda  Hudson,  both  natives  of  Vir- 
ginia. From  there  they  removed  to  Ken- 
tucky and  remained  there  imtil  about  the 
year  1840,  when  they  removed  to  Rush 
County,  Ind.,  where  they  died.  Mr.  Simms 
and  wife  raised  a  family  of  seven  chil- 
dren. Mr.  Simms  died  in  1880,  his  wife  in 
1877.  Mr.  Conde  has  but  one  child,  Lucin- 
da  Olive,  and  resides  in  Willow  Hill,  Jas- 
per County.  She  is  the  wife  of  Charles 
Spiu'geon.     Greenbacker. 

M.  L.  COOK,  mining,  Casey.  Melvin  Le- 
roy  Cook  came  to  this  county  in  1849.  He 
was  born  July  21,  1840,  in  Chautai^qua 
County,  N.  Y.  His  father,  John  W.  Cook, 
was  born  in  the  same  county  in  1809,  and 
married  Lodeca  Drake,  daughter  of  Hiall 
Drake,  of  Chautauqua  County,  who  is  yet  liv- 
ing (1882)  and  has  attained  the  remarkable  age 
of  one  himdred  and  fifteen  years.  In  1849,  Mel- 
vin L.  Cook  removed  West  to  Illinois  with  his 
parents,  who  settled  in  Casey  Township  and  en-  j 
gaged  in  the  nui'sery  business,  which  his  fa-  ' 
ther  carried  on  until  1S76,  when  he  removed 
to  Arapahoe  County,  Colo. ,  and  there  resides, 
being  engaged  in  the  same  business.  Leroy 
was  but  a  lad  when  he  came  to  this  county. 
He  was  raised  up  in  the  nursery  business,  which 
he  carried  on  some  time  on  his  own  account, 
beginning  in  1870  and  continuing  about  four 
years.  He  afterward  engaged  in  the  hotel 
business  and  ran  the  National  House  for 
some  time.  Since  then  he  has  been  inter- 
ested in  the  mining  interests  in  California, 
being  Siiperintendent  of  the  Casey  Mining 
Company.  Mr.  Cook  has  done  much  for  the 
town  of  Casey  in  encouraging  the  erection  of  I 
good  buildings,  and  has  put  up  the  gi'eater 
portion  of  the  substantial  brick  buildings  in 
the  village.  He  has  recently  completed  a 
handsome  and  substantial  brick  building  on 


the  Lang  corner,  which  contains  three  large 
rooms,  admirably  adapted  for  mercantile  and 
business  purposes.  April  20,  1870,  he 
married  Eliza,  the  youngest  daughter  of  John 
Lang,  one  of  the  old  settlers  and  pioneers  of 
Casey  Township.  Mr.  Cook  has  no  children. 
He  had  one  son,  Thomas  F.,  born  November 
1,  1880;  died  January  4,  1882.  Mr.  Cook 
is  not  a  member  of  any  church  or  society, 
but  is  a  good  Republican. 

ISAAC  W.  COOPER,  retired  farmer,  P.  O 
Casey.  Isaac  Walton  Cooper  is  a  native 
of  the  Keystone  State.  He  was  born  on  St. 
Valentine's  Day,  1813,  in  Lycoming  County, 
Penn.  His  father  was  Andrew  Cooper,  a 
native  of  Lancaster  Coimty,  son  of  James 
Cooper.  His  mother's  maiden  name  was 
Ann  Walton,  for  whom  he  was  named.  She 
was  a  daughter  of  Isaac  Walton,  whose  wife 
was  a  Moore.  The  Cooper  family  trace  their 
ancestry  to  Scotland,  while  the  Moores  are  of 
Dutch  descent.  Isaac  Walton,  the  subject  of 
these  lines,  removed  with  his  parents  to  Rush 
County,  Ind.,  in  1825.  His  father  was  a 
poor  man,  and  rented  land,  and  made  several 
removes  while  in  Indiana.  After  three  years' 
residence  in  Rush  County,  he  removed  to 
Franklin  County.  Here  they  lived  three 
years,  then  moved  to  Fayette  County,  where 
they  sojourned  for  a  time,  then  located  in 
Shelby  County;  finally  made  a  tarry  of  several 
yeai-s  in  Marion  County.  Mr.  Cooper  has 
been  twice  married;  first,  while  in  Marion 
County,  to  Frances  M.  Parker.  She  died  six 
years  after,  leaving  no  issue.  Sej)tember  12, 
1850,  he  married  his  present  wife,  whose 
maiden  name  was  Melinda  Makin,  who  was 
born  April  21,  1829,  in  Greenup  County, 
Ky.,  eldest  daughter  of  Charles  Makin,  who 
was  born  December  3,  1800,  in  Russell 
Coianty,  Va.,  son  of  Cornelius  Makin,  who 
removed  with  his  family  to  Greenup  County, 
Ky. ,  in  1809.    Charles  Makin  married  Eunice 


CASEY    TOWNSHIP. 


83 


Gilkerson,  daughter  of  Jolin  Gilkerson,  who 
removed  with  his  family  to  Shelby  County, 
Ind.,  in  1836.  Eunice  died  1839,  in  Indi- 
ana. Charles  died  here  in  this  county  De- 
cember 3,  1880.  To  them  were  seven  chil- 
dren born  that  grew  up,  viz.,  Daniel,  James, 
Mrs.  Cooper,  Lucinda,  Mary  J.,  Cornelius 
and  Eliza.  Mr.  Cooper  made  the  several  re- 
moves with  his  parents  in  Indiana  as  above 
narrated,  and  with  them  moved  to  Lee 
County,  Iowa,  where,  after  a  short  residence, 
they  came  to  this  county  about  the  year  1852. 
He  purchased  a  farm  in  the  northeast  part  of 
this  township,  located  on  the  soTithwest  quar- 
ter of  Section  2,  where  he  engaged  in  fai-m- 
ing,  improving  his  laud,  and  in  1865  ho 
located  in  Martinsville,  and  engaged  in  the 
milling  business  for  several  years.  He  pur- 
chased the  farm  he  now  owtis  shortly  after 
the  close  of  the  war,  and  retui'ned  here  after 
his  leaving  Martinsville.  Mr.  Cooper  was 
the  only  son  of  his  parents.  He  had  three 
sisters — Mary  A.,  Martha  and  Sarah.  Mary 
is  the  wife  of  "William  Johnson,  and  resides 
at  Lyons,  Neb.;  Martha,  Mi-s.  William  Tom- 
linson^of  Kansas;  Sarah,  in  Casey,  Mrs.  Cor- 
nelius. Mr.  Cooper  and  wife  are  members  of 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  Mr.  Cooper 
havingf  been  identified  with  this  organiza- 
tion  for  forty  years,  and  politically  he  was 
first  a  Whig.  Since  the  dissolution  of  that 
party,  he  has  been  a  stanch  Republican. 
He  has  but  one  child,  a  daughter,  Anna,  wife 
of  John  Duncan,  who  have  two  children — ■ 
Pearl  Cooper,  born  August  28,  1877;  Lulie 
M.,  born  July  25,  1880. 

SAMUEL  DOSBAUGH,  grocer  and  re- 
tired farmer,  Casey,  is  the  senior  member  of 
the  firm  of  Dosbaugh  &  Durii.  He  is  a  na- 
tive of  Stark  County,  Ohio,  whore  he  was 
born  July  22, 1841.  He  is  a  son  of  John  Dos- 
baugh and  Mary  Coffman,  who  were  natives 
of  Germany,  and  emigi-ated  to  Stark  County 


about  the  year  1828,  where  they  lived  until 
the  year  1845,  when  they  removed  West  to  the 
Sucker  State,  in  1845,  and  located  in  Johnson 
Township,  this  county.  John  is  one  of  seven 
children  that  his  parents  re'ared  to  the  years 
of  man  and  womanhood,  and  was  but  about 
four  years  of  age  when  he  came  to  this  coun- 
ty. He  was  brought  up  on  a  f  anu  in  Johnson 
Township,  and  lived  with  his  parents  until 
his  enlistment  in  the  army,  going  out  in  De- 
cember, 1861,  in  Company  B,  Second  Artil- 
lery, and  served  three  years.  He  participated 
in  several  of  the  prominent  battles  of  the  war, 
at  Shiloh,  the  siege  and  battle  of  Cor- 
inth, and  other  engagements  of  note.  He  was 
discharged  in  the  winter  of  1864,  his  term  of 
enlistment  expiring.  Soon  after  his  retiuTi 
home,  he  located  in  the  southwest  part  of  this 
township,  and  engaged  in  farming.  He  has 
a  good  farm,  situated  on  the  Casey  and  Wil- 
low Hill  road,  and  one  of  the  best  barns  in 
the  township.  He  continued  farming  until 
1879,  when,  on  account  of  failing  health,  he 
rented  out  his  farm  and  moved  to  the  village 
of  Casey  where  he  lias  since  lived,  and  been 
engaged  in  the  grocery  business.  He  first 
purchased  the  interest  of  W.  R.  Stith,  but 
more  recently  associated  with  Mr.  Dunn,  un- 
der the  fii'm  name  of  Dosbaugh  &  Dunn,  and 
they  are  doing  a  good  business.  March  24, 
1867,  he  married  Margaret  Carr,  a  native  of 
Hancock  County,  Ind.,  daughter  of  Arthur 
Carr.  He  has  but  one  child — Edward.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  order  and  a 
Greenbacker. 

JOHN  R.  EMRICH,  farmer,  P.  O.  Casey, 
was  born  July  28,  1844,  in  Vinton  County, 
Ohio,  and  removed  to  Ross  County  when 
young,  where  he  grew  to  maturity,  and  from 
here  entered  the  ai'my.  He  enlisted  on  Oc- 
tober 13,  1863,  in  Company  I,  Twelfth  Ohio 
Cavalry,  and  served  until  November,  1865. 
He  was  captured  by   Gen.  Bilorgan.  in  June, 


84 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


1864,  and  afterward  released  on  parole.  His 
regiment  was  on  duty  in  Kentucky,  and  in 
the  last  year  of  the  war  was  with  Sherman 
on  his  campaign.  Soon  after  his  return  home 
from  service,  he  came  to  this  State  and  came 
to  Cumberland  County,  where  he  engaged  in 
farming,  and  remained  here  until  he  came  to 
this  county  and  township.  He  came  to  Casey 
in  1871,  where  for  five  years  he  was  engaged 
in  the  furniture  and  undertaking  business. 
He  located  here  on  this  farm  in  the  spring  of 
1876.  He  has  120  acres.  He  was  married 
on  September  17,  1867,  to  Miss  Susan  B. 
Cochonour,  born  in  Clark  County  August  23, 
1847.  She  is  the  second  daughter  of  David 
Cochonour  and  Rebecca  Mouser.  Mr.  Em- 
rich  has  three  children,  two  daughters  and 
one  son — Perry  C,  Rosa  M.  and  Ollie  E. 
Lillie,  an  infant,  died  Aiigust  20,  1872,  aged 
two  years  five  months  and  one  day.  Om*  sub- 
ject's father's  name  was  John  C.  Emrich,  and 
his  mother's  name  was  Charity  Ratcliff.  He 
was  born  November  2D,  ISOU,  in  Maryland, 
and  removed  with  his  father,  John  Emrich, 
to  Ohio,  when  young,  where  he  was  raised, 
and  where  he  was  married  to  Charity  Ratcliff, 
a  native  of  Ohio,  and  daughter  of  John  and 
Rachel  (Ray)  Ratcliff,  both  of  whom  were  na- 
tives of  North  Carolina,  and  who  removed  to 
Ohio  in  an  early  day.  Our  subject's  father 
moved  to  this  State  in  the  spring  of  1865,  and 
died  in  August,  1880,  in  this  township.  His 
wife  died  October  8,  1876,  in  Casey.  Mr. 
Emrich  was  elected  Collector  of  the  town- 
ship in  1882.  He  is  a  member  and  oificer  of 
the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic,  and  is  the 
only  son  living  born  to  his  parents.  In  pol- 
itics he  has  been  a  Rejaublican  since  he  cast 
his  first  vote. 

FERGUSON  BROTHERS,  dealers  in  mar- 
ble and  granite,  Casey.  Ferguson  Brothers, 
Samuel  J.  and  Morris  K.,  represent  the  mar- 
ble and  granite  works  in  this  portion  of  the 


county.  They  began  business  here  in  1865, 
Samuel  J.  being  the  senior  member  of  the 
firm,  who  first  started  the  business.  Morris 
K.  learning  the  trade  under  his  brother  Sam- 
uel. The  partnership  began  in  the  spring  of 
1874,  and  they  are  doing  a  good  business. 
Samuel  J.  was  born  in  this  county  September 
22,  1845,  in  Wabash  Township,  being  the 
third  son  of  Robert  A.  Ferguson,  a  native  of 
Indiana,  who  came  to  this  county  about  the 
the  year  1828,  and  remained  here  until  his 
death,  which  took  place  March  2,  1865,  be- 
ing sixty  years  of  age.  His  wife  died  De- 
cember 27,  1874,  aged  fifty-eight.  He  and 
wife  were  members  of  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church  for  many  years.  They  had 
nine  children  born  to  them,  viz. :  James  H., 
who  was  killed  in  the  battle  of  Pea  Ridge, 
being  a  member  of  Company  F,  Ninth  Mis- 
souri, afterward  of  the  Fifty-ninth  Indiana 
Volunteer  Infantry;  Celia  E.  resides  in  Oak- 
land, Coles  County,  wife  of  N.  R.  Duet; 
John  A.  resides  in  Newman,  he  also  served 
in  the  late  war;  Samuel  J.;  Laura  A.,  wife  of 
Joseph  Ingle;  Morris  K. ;  Barton  R. ;  Mary 
A. ,  of  Bell  Air,  wife  of  Robert  Ferguson,  and 
Frank  L.  are  the  names  of  the  children.  Sam- 
uel J.  is  the  eldest  son.  He  learne(,l  the 
marble-cucter's  trade,  and  subsequently  en- 
gaged in  business  with  Ben  Bancroft,  which 
association  lasted  but  a  few  months.  March 
10,  1872,  he  married  Elizabeth  L.,  born  in 
Shelbyville,  Ind.,  daughter  of  Martin  Jones 
aud  Mary  Harrison.  Samuel  J.  has  one  son 
— Fay.  Morris  K.  was  born  November  11, 
1851,  in  "Wabash  Township,  the  fourth  son 
of  his  parents,  with  whom  he  remained  until 
the  death  of  his  mother.  Since  that  time  he 
has  been  a  resident  of  this  town.  Samuel 
J.  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Chiu-ch.     Both  brothers  are  Republicans. 

A.  C.  GARRISON,   Justice  of  the  Peace, 
Casey,   was  born  in   Coles  County  June  0, 


CASEY    TOWNSHIP. 


1841,  the  fourth  child  aud  third  son  born  to 
Peter  Ganison,  who  was  bom  in  Onondaga 
County,  N.-Y.,  in  the  year  1809,  of  English 
descent.  He  emigrated  to  this  State  from 
New  York  when  a  young  man,  about  the  year 
1826,  settling  first  in  Lawrence  County,  re- 
maining there  about  two  years,  wten  he  re- 
moved to  Crawford  Coimty  and  there  married 
Parthena  Hill,  who  was  born  in  North  Caro- 
lina, a  daughter  of  Charles  Hill,  who  located 
in  Crawford  County  about  the  year  1816. 
Peter  Garrison  was  a  farmer,  and  also  prac- 
ticed medicine,  and  lived  in  Crawford  until 
about  1837,  when  he  removed  to  Coles  County, 
where  he  remained  until  his  death.  His  wife 
yet  survives  him.  To  this  couple  were  born 
seven  children,  named  John.  Charles,  Alma- 
rinda,  Alva  Curtis,  ^Mary,  Usher  C.  and  Laiu-a, 
all  living  but  Chai-los,  Usher,  Alva  C.  and 
Lam-a.  Subject  was  raised  in  Coles  County  on 
a  farm.  August  11,1 862,  he  enlisted  Company 
K,  One  Hundred  and  Twenty-third  Illinois 
Volunteer  (mounted)  Infantry,  and  in  this 
regiment  served  until  the  close  of  the  war,  re- 
ceiving his  discharge  July  5,  1865.  He  was 
in  the  battles  of  Perryville,  Chickamauga, 
Farmington,  Selma,  and  many  skirmishes, 
and  escaped  unharmed.  Upon  his  return 
home  from  war,  he  came  to  Coles  County. 
November  9,  1865,  he  man-ied  Maiy  J.,  a  na- 
tive of  Coles  County,  and  daughter  of  Arthur 
Ingrum  and  Elizabeth  Reynolds,  the  former 
a  native  of  Kentucky,  she  of  Indiana.  The 
family  were  early  settlers  in  Coles  County, 
where  Mr.  Ingrum  still  resides.  His  wife 
died  in  1855.  havingr  borne  him  live  children. 
After  Mr.  GaiTison's  marriage,  he  located  in 
Parker  Township  and  engaged  in  farming, 
afterward  retm-ning  to  Coles  County  and  re- 
maining three  years,  when  he  located  in 
Casey.  He  has  always  been  a  Republican, 
and  was  elected  Justice  of  the  Peace  in  the 
spring  of  18S0,  which  position  he  yet  holds. 


He  has  three  children — Retfca,  Charley  and 
Elver.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the  Masonic 
order.  Since  1876,  Mrs.  Garrison  has  been 
conducting  a  millinery  and  notion  store,  and 
does  a  good  business. 

JAMES  M.  GOOCH,  merchant,  Casey, 
one  of  the  leading  business  men  of  this 
township  is  Mr.  Gooch  who  was  born  in  Pu- 
laski County,  Ky. ,  December  17,  1852,  son 
of  Stephen  C.  Gooch,  a  Kentuckian  by  birth, 
who  married  Maiy  Eoff,  daughter  of  James 
Eoif.  James  M.  removed  with  his  par- 
ents to  Crawford  County,  this  State,  in 
the  fall  of  1860,  and  was  raised  on  a 
farm ;  he  received  but  common  school 
advantages,  and  remained  at  home  until 
September,  1808,  when  he  engaged  as  clerk 
in  a  store  at  Oblong,  same  county;  remained 
in  this  store  until  October,  187-i,  at  which 
time  he  engaged  in  business  on  his  own  ac- 
count at  Oblong,  with  George  McCrillis,  un- 
der the  firm  name  of  McCrillis  &  Gooch, 
keeping  general  store;  this  association  lasted 
fifteen  months,  when  the  stock  was  divided, 
and  he  then  associated  with  his  brothers, 
William  E.  and  G.  L.,  under  firm  name  of 
Gooch  Bros.:  this  partnership  lasted  until 
February,  1878.  Dui-ing  this  time  they 
were  running  store  also  at  Willow  Hill,  Jas- 
per County.  At  this  time,  Februai-y,  1878, 
the  stock  was  divided,  aud  James  M.  took  the 
Willow  Hill  store,  which  he  removed  to  Yale, 
same  county,  where  he  continued  about  fif- 
teen months,  when  he  sold  out  his  stock  and 
came  to  Casey,  and  started  in  that  business 
at  this  place,  and  has  since  continued.  He 
keeps  a  general  store  aud  is  doing  the  largest 
business  of  any  firm  in  town;  in  connection 
with  his  store,  he  is  engaged  in  the  grain 
trade;  he  is  also  doing  an  excellent  trade  in 
this  line.  He  was  married,  May  8,  1876,  to 
Alice  Lucas,  born  a  native  of  Indiara,  daugh- 
ter of  Frank  M.  Lucas.     He  has  two  children 


86 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


— Frank  Inez  and  Charley  Dickens;  members 
of  A.,  F.  &  A.  M.,  Oblong,  044.  Demo- 
cratic. 

GEORGE  F.  GREENWELL,  farmer,  P. 
O.  Casey.  George  Franklin  Green  well  was 
born  February  5,  1838,  in  Knox  County, 
Ohio,  and  was  principally  raised  in  the 
Sucker  State.  His  parents  were  John  Green- 
well  and  JMargaret  Curtis,  both  natives  of 
Berkeley  County,  Va.  John  Greenwell  was 
born  June  15,  1799;  his  wife,  Margaret  Cur- 
tis, was  born  April  10,  1803.  They  raised  a 
family  of  ten  childi'en — Rebecca,  Mary,  Ru- 
amy,  Stephen  "W.,  Catherine,  Sarah,  Nancy, 
John  SV.,  Margaret  and  George;  all  were 
raised  to  maturity.  George  P.  was  the 
yoimgest  of  the  family,  and  was  about  nine 
years  of  age  when  his  parents  came  to  this 
State,  who  came  to  this  county  in  October, 
1847,  and  stayed  that  winter  in  Martinsville 
Township,  and  the  spring  following  removed 
to  the  north  part  of  Johnson  Township,  and 
located  on  eighty  acres  of  land  that  he  had 
entered,  living  on  the  same  two  years,  when 
he  removed  to  Cumberland,  but  remained 
hero  a  short  time,  and  removed  to  another 
portion  of  the  township,  and  remained  until 
his  death.  He  was  a  carpenter  byti'ade,  and 
followed  this  vocation  during  his  life.  Our 
subject,  George  F.,  remained  at  home  until 
•  the  death  of  his  father,  when  he  commenced 
to  paddle  his  own  canoe;  he  began  working 
by  the  month  at  $6  jser  month,  for  Joshua 
Chancellor;  and  for  eighteen  years  he  worked 
by  the  month,  besides  three  years  spent  iu 
Uncle  Sam's  service.  He  volunteered  in 
August,  1861,  in  Company  K,  First  Missouri 
Cavalry,  for  three  years,  and  served  the  entire 
time,  and  was  discharged  in  August,  1864; 
during  his  time  of  service,  served  in  nearly 
all  the  battles  and  skirmishes  in  which  his 
company  was  engaged,  and  came  home  with- 
out a  wound  or  scratch.      Upon  his  return 


home,  he  purchased  forty-five  acres  in  Parker 
Township,  and  after  added  to  the  same,  re- 
maining here  until  March,  1880,  when  he 
moved  across  the  line  into  Casey,  and  pur- 
chased 100  acres  in  Section  5,  and  since  re- 
mained; he  has  altogether  208  acres.  He  was 
married,  February  12,  1863,  to  Josapliia 
Brookhart,  who  was  born  April  11,  1838,  in 
Westfield  Township,  daughter  of  Joseph 
Brookhart  and  Sophia  Briscoe,  both  were  na- 
tives of  Kentucky,  near  Louisville,  and  re- 
moved to  this  county,  in  October,  1837;  he 
died  on  July  4,  1838;  wife  yet  living.  Mrs. 
G.  has  but  one  brother,  Henry  Brookhart,  in 
Missouri,  only  one  of  her  brothers  and  sis- 
ters living.  Subject  has  five  children — Yal- 
tilly  A.,  Sophia  N.,  Stephen  W.,  Hem-y  and 
Franklin.     Republican. 

C.  A.  HARTWELL,  railroad  agent  and 
operator,  Casey,  the  efficient  and  accom- 
modating agent  on  the  Vfindalia  line,  was 
born  November  4,  1848,  at  Brockville,  in  the 
Queen's  dominion.  His  parents  were  Joseph 
King  Hartwell  and  Mary  Campbell.  At 
the  age  of  nineteen,  he  began  learning  teleg- 
raphy at  St.  Catherines,  and  remained  here 
until  1809,  when  he  came  to  this  State  and 
took  charge  of  the  ofSce  at  Bridgeport  on  the 
Vandalia  line.  His  office  for  two  years  was 
a  car  house,  which  he  used  for  two  years  until 
a  more  commodious  office  was  provided  him. 
He  subsequently  went  to  St.  Louis,  where  he 
held  a  responsible  position  in  ihe  General 
Freight  D<?partment,  and  in  the  fall  of  1876 
he  came  to  this  place  and  has  since  had 
charge  of  the  office  at  this  place.  Mr.  Hart- 
well  has  had  thirteen  yeai's  of  experience  in 
manijmlating  the  wires,  and  his  services  have 
always  been  in  demand  as  a  correct  and 
rapid  transmitter  of  messages,  and  is  held  in 
high  esteem  by  the  company,  as  well  as 
those  with  whom  he  comes  in  business  con- 
tact.    In    June,    1880,    he    was   married   to 


CASEY    TOWNSHIP. 


87 


Ella,  daughter  of  David  Bair,  of  this  town- 
ship. In  connection  with  his  official  duties 
as  operator  and  agent,  he  is  engaged  in  the 
produce  business,  and  is  doing  a  thriving 
and  prosperous  trade  in  this  line.  Has  for- 
merly been  connected  with  other  interests  in 
this  town,  which  he  has  discontinued,  giving 
his  outside  attention  to  shipping  produce. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity, 
Casey  Lodge,  A.,  F.  &  A.  M. 

JOHN  M.  HENDRICKS,  farmer,  P.  O. 
Casey,  came  to  this  county  in  1853.  He 
was  born  December  8,  1830,  in  Clermont 
County,  Ohio,  and  removed  with  his  parents 
to  Montgomery  County,  Ind. , ,  when  he  was 
three  years  of  age.  His  father's  name  was 
John  Hendricks,  a  Nortb  Carolinian,  and  re- 
moved to  Ohio  at  an  early  day  with  his 
father,  Joseph  Hendricks,  who  was  a  pioneer 
in  the  wilds  of  Ohio.  John  Hendricks,  the 
father  of  our  subject,  was  born  about  the  year 
1805,  in  Ohio,  and  there  married  Elizabeth, 
born  in  1808,  same  State,  daughter  of  Joseph 
Smith,  who  married  a  Meek.  About  the  year 
1833,  the  family,  consisting  of  Joseph  Hen- 
dricks, the  grandfather,  John,  his  father,  and 
the  childi'en,  all  moved  to  Montgomery 
County,  Ind.,  and  there  settled  when  the 
country  was  new.  Here  Joseph  and  John 
Hendricks  both  died.  Joseph  raised  three 
children — John,  Susan  and  Charlotte  Hen- 
dricks. To  John  and  Elizabeth  were  boi-n 
eleven  children  that  grew  up.  Those  living 
are  Nancy,  John  M.,  Susan,  Smith,  James 
W.,  Thomas,  Jane,  Adrian  and  Elizabeth. 
Those  living  in  this  State  are  Susan,  Jane  and 
Thomas,  and  John  M. ,  who  was  raised  on  the 
farm,  left  home  when  twenty-three  years  of 
age,  and  came  to  this  county  and  located  on 
the  farm  he  now  owns,  which  his  father  en- 
tered from  the  Government.  He  began  work 
on  the  place  at  once;  no  improvements;  and 
lived  with  his  brother-in-law  until  his  mar- 


riage, which  occurred  in  Indiana  October  16, 
1856,  to  Mahala  Barnett,  born  in  Indiana, 
daughter  of  Jonathan  Barnett  and  Nancy 
Blackford,  who  came  from  Ohio  to  Indiana. 
Mr.  Hendi'icks  has  three  children  living — 
Elizabeth  J.,  KosaA.  and  John  T.  Six  chil- 
dren born,  three  died.  Albert  lived  to  be 
sixteen,  the  others  dying  young.  Mr.  Hen- 
dricks put  all  the  improvements  on  this  farm. 
He  was  a  member  of  A.,  F.  &  A.  M:,  No. 
442.  He  is  a  Democrat,  and  his  farm  con- 
sists of  220  acres. 

DK.  C.  HEY  WOOD,  physician,  Casey. 
Among  the  leading  professional  men  of  this 
county  deserving  of  special  mention  is  Dr. 
Cj'rus  W.  Heywood,  who  was  born  in  Ver- 
milion County,  this  State,  May  4,  1844,  and 
is  the  third  son  and  ninth  child  born  to  his 
parents,  Thomas  Heywood  and  Sarah  Bfir- 
rett.  He  was  born  in  Maine,  1806;  is  a  phy- 
sician, and  removed  to  Vermillion  County  at 
an  early  day,  when  about  twenty-five  years  of 
age,  and  was  among  the  first  doctors  in  the 
county.  He  remained  here  until  his  death 
which  occuiTed  in  the  spring  of  1877.  Sarah 
was  a  native  of  Bourbon  County,  Ky.,  and 
removed  with  her  parents  to  Vermillion 
County,  where  she  was  married  to  Dr.  Hey- 
wood. They  raised  a  family  of  seven  chil- 
dren. She  died,  1877  within  thi-ee  weeks  of  her 
husband.  Subject  was  raised  in  Vermillion 
County,  had  common  school  advantages,  and 
finally  attended  a  term  in  Valparaiso,  Ind. 
He  began  reading  medicine  at  eighteen  years 
of  age,  continuing  same  until  his  graduation 
at  Rush  Medical  College,  Chicago,  February, 
1868.  The  following  summer,  began  the 
practice  of  his  profession  at  Fairmount,  Ver- 
million Coimty,  and  continued  hero  until  he 
came  to  Casey  in  the  fall  of  1871,  and  has 
since  been  engaged  in  practice.  Ho  has  been 
twice  married,  first  time,  February,  1874,  to 
Mattie,    born  in  Indiana,    daughter  of  Dr. 


88 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


Robert  Gilkerson.  She  died  October,  1877. 
By  her  he  had  two  children — Thomas  and 
Robert.  Second  time,  April  30,  1882,  he 
married  Katie  Lee,  bom  in  this  county, 
daughter  of  Andi-ew  Lee  of  this  county.  He 
is  a  Republican. 

ASA  JOHNSON,  farmer,  P.  O.  Martins- 
ville, was  born  February  7,  1841,  in  Newton 
TowiiShip,  Muskingum  County,  Ohio.  He 
was  the  sixth  child  and  fourth  son  of  his 
parents,  who  were  Richard  Johnson  and  Sarah 
Fogel,  to  whom  were  born  nine  children,  viz. , 
Creighton,  Ann,  Arf)hilia,  Alfred,  Carson, 
Asa,  Susan,  Amanda  and  Amos;  five  now  liv- 
ing and  residents  of  this  county — Carson, 
Asa,  Alfred,  Amanda  and  Amos.  The  John- 
son family  came  to  this  State  and  settled  in 
this  county  in  the  fall  of  1860,  on  Dolson 
Prairie.  Richard  Johnson  was  bom  about 
the  year  1801,  in  Pennsylvania,  and  removed 
west  to  Muskingum  County  when  a  young 
man.  and  engaged  in  farming,  which  he  fol- 
lowed until  his  death,  which  occurred  in 
April,  1878.  His  widow  still  survives  him. 
Asa  was  brought  up  on  a  farm  until  he  at- 
tained his  majority,  after  which  he  went  to 
Martinsville,  and  for  four  years  he  was  en- 
gaged in  the  drug  business.  He  was  mar- 
ried, October,  1871,  to  Mary  Ann,  born  July 
31,  1850,  in  Shelby  County,  Ind.,  the  eldest 
daughter  of  Hii-am  Cooper  and  Mary  Ann 
Depew.  both  natives  of  same  State  and  county. 
The  Cooper  family  emigrated  from  Shelby 
County  in  the  fall  of  1852,  and  located  on 
the  farm  now  owned  by  Mr.  Johnson.  Mrs. 
Cooper  died  in  Indiana.  Mr.  Cooper  died 
on  this  farm  in  1864.  Mrs.  Johnson  has  but 
one  brother,  who  resides  in  this  township. 
Mr.  Johnson  has  three  children — Harry  E., 
Eva  T.  and  Faii-y  A.  Mr.  Johnson  is  engaged 
in  farming,  having  804  acres.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  I.  O.  O.  F. ,  and  is  the  only  one  of  the 
family  that  adheres  to  Democratic  principles. 


WILLIAIM  KIMLIN,   farmer,  P.  O.  Mar- 
tinsville.     Among    the    prominent    families 
that  have  been  identified  with  the  interests 
of  this  township  for  nearly  half  a  centiu-y  is 
the  Kimlin  family,  of  whom  the  subject  of 
this  sketch  is  now  the  head.     He  was  born 
September    12,    1816,    in    Belmont   County, 
Ohio,  two  miles  from  Sinclairsville.     He  is 
the  eldest  son  of  his  father,  who  was  John 
Kimlin,    who  was  bom  in  County  Armagh, 
Ireland,    August  27,   1792,  son  of  William 
Kimlin,    a  captain   of   the   yeomen    in    that 
county.     John  Kimlin  was  a  weaver  of  double 
coverlets,  and  in  order  to  better  his  condition 
he  emigrated  to  America,  where  he  could  ply 
his    vocation   more   successfully.     He   came 
to  Belmont  County,    Ohio,  in  the  sj)ring  of 
1816,  and  remained  here  until  the  year  1824, 
when  he  removed  to  Fayette  County.  Penn., 
where  he  lived  until  1834,  and  then  returned 
to  Ohio,  and  located  near  Roseville,  in  Musk- 
ingum   Countv,    remaining    here   imtil    the 
fall  of  1839,   when  he  came   to  this  State, 
locating    on    Section    1    in    this    township, 
arriving  October  that  year.     He    purchased 
120  acres  of  David  Wisener,  paying  therefor 
$500,  and  remained   a  constant  resident  of 
the  township  until  his  death,  which  occurred 
June  11,  1861.     His  wife  was  Florence  Sloan, 
who  was  born    in    same  county  in   Ireland, 
daughter  of  James  Sloan,  a  family  of  large 
size    i>hysically.     His  wife  died    September, 
1842.     To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Kimlin  were  born  six 
children  who  lived  to  be  grown,  three  sons 
and  there  daughters — TVilliam,  James,  Jane, 
Elizabeth,   Mary  A.    and  John.      James  re- 
sides in  Parker  Township,  this  county;  John 
resides   in  Kansas;    the  girls  are   deceased. 
Elizabeth  was  the  wife  of  John  Alexander. 
She  has  one  son  living.  James,  who  resides 
near  Danville,  this  State.     Mary  was  the  wife 
of  James  V.  Hedges;  she  raised,  one  son  and 
two  daughters;  all  reside  in  this  township. 


CASEY    TOWNSHIP. 


91 


William,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  was 
raised  a  farmer  and  lived  at  home  until 
twenty-four  years  of  age.  When  eight,  ho 
removed  with  his  parents  to  Pennsylvania, 
and  lived  here  until  the  spring  of  1840.  He 
worked  out  by  the  month  here,  most  of  the 
time  for  one  man,  receiving  $S  per  month  for 
three  years,  saving  $oO  each  year,  remaining 
here  when  father  left  for  Illinois.  In  the 
spring  of  1840,  he  came  to  this  township 
from  Pennsylvania,  and  made  his  father's 
house  his  home  until  he  was  married,  June 
9,  1842,  to  Rebecca  Prevo.  She  was  born  in 
North  Carolina.  She  died  1846,  October  29. 
He  had  by  her  three  children;  two  lived  to 
be  grown — Mary  J.  and  Sammie.  Mary  J. 
became  the  wife  of  Eli  McDaniel.  She  died 
February  14,  1875,  leaving  one  child — Will- 
iam McDaniel.  Sammie  died  1872,  March 
23,  aged  twenty-five  years.  Mr.  Kimlin  was 
married  the  second  time  in  1849,  April  29, 
to  Elzina,  born  in  Culpepper  County,  Va., 
February  15,  1813,  daughter  of  Benjamin 
Spenny  and  Nancy  Morrison,  both  natives  of 
Virginia,  he  of  Fauquier  and  she  of  Culpep- 
per County.  Benjamin  was  a  son  of  James. 
Nancy  was  a  a  daughter  of  Stephen  Morrison. 
Mrs.  Kimlin  came  West  with  her  parents  to 
Ohio,  when  a  girl,  and  with  them  to  this 
county,  in  Martinsville  Township,  in  1838, 
where  her  parents  died.  They  raised  four 
childi'en — Addison,  Elzina,  Morrison  and 
Sarah.  Addison  went  to  California  in  1849, 
and  there  died.  Sarah  resides  in  Martinsville 
Township;  was  the  wife  of  Samuel  Taggart. 
Morrison  supposed  to  be  in  California.  After 
Mr.  Kimlin's  marriage,  he  located  where  he 
now  lives  and  since  remained.  He  has  raised 
one  child  by  last  marriage,  Benjamin  F.,  in 
this  township.  He  owned  over  GOO  acres 
before  dividing  out;  has  now  about  400.  He 
and  wife  are  members  of  the  Cumberland 
Presbyterian  Church  for  several  years.     He 


is  one  of  the  Elders  of  the  same,  and  one  of 
the  principal  founders  of  the  church,  which 
stands  on  his  land.  Politically,  was  first 
Whig,  cast  his  first  vote  for  Harrison.  Since 
that  time  has  been  Democratic.  Is  one  of 
the  founders  of  the  I.  O.  O.  F.  Lodge  at 
Martinsville.  In  all  things  pertaining  to 
the  good  of  the  township,  he  has  always  borne 
well  his  part,  and  will  long  be  remembei-ed 
for  his  good  deeds  and  his  many  virtues. 

B.  F.  KIMLIN,  farmer,  P.  O.  Martins- 
ville, was  born  March  25,  1851,  in  this 
townshij^,  the  eldest  and  only  son  of  Will- 
iam Kimlin  and  Elzina  Spenny.  He  was 
raised  on  the  farm,  where  he  lived  until  he 
was  married,  which  was  August  1872,  to  Su- 
mantha,  daughter  of  Milton  Shawver,  one  of 
the  prominent  farmers  of  this  county.  After 
his  marriage,  he  located  on  the  farm  he  now 
owns,  adjoining  the  Kimlin  homestead  farm. 
He  owns  337  acres.  He  has  two  childi-en — 
Ivy  Dell  and  William.  His  wife  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Christian  Church.  He  is  engraged 
in  farming  and  stock-raising. 

W.  A.  KLINE,  fai-mer,  P.  O.  Casey.  Will- 
iam Addison  Kline  was  born  January  10, 
1825,  in  Lancaster  County,  Penn.,  and  re- 
moved with  his  parents  to  Stark  County, 
Ohio,  in  1830,  remaining  here  until  1842, 
when  the  family  came  to  this  county  and  set- 
tled, and  have  since  been  identified  with  it. 
His  father's  name  is  David  Kline,  born  in 
Pennsylvania  March  13,  1801,  son  of  Michael 
Kline.  The  Kline  family  on  their  an-ival  in 
Johnson  Townshii^  were  comi^osedof  the  j)ar- 
ents  and  five  children — William  A.,  Edward, 
Daniel,  Simon,  Louisa,  all  living  save  Dan- 
iel. Edward  and  W.  A.  live  in  this  town- 
ship and  county.  Louisa,  wife  of  David 
Powers,  and  Simon  reside  in  Mattoon.  Will- 
iam A.  remained  at  home  until  of  age, 
when  he  was  married,  May  25,  1848,  to 
Elizabeth,  born  February  17,  1830,  in  Mary- 


93 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


land,*daugliter  of  John  Cole  and  Eleanor  Har- 
ris.      She  removed  West  to  Licking  Connty, 
Ohio,  when  about  two  years  of  age.      After 
six  years'  residence,  she  came  to  this  coiinty 
with  her   pai-ents,    who   settled  in  Johnson 
Township,  where  her  parents  died — he  June 
8,  1858,  aged  fifty-eight;  she,  April  1,  1873, 
aged  seventy-four.      They  raised   nine  chil- 
dren,   four   living — Oliver,  Margaret,    Mary 
and    Elizabeth.       Oliver    resides    in    Edgar 
County;  Margaret,  wife  of  William  Meadows, 
of  same  county;  Mary, wife  of  Isaac  Gross,  of 
Champaign  County.     After  Mi-.  Kline's  mar- 
riage, he   located  in  this   township,  on  the 
land  he  now  owns,  which  he  purchased  from 
the  Government.     He  first  built  a  pole  cabin 
with  stick  chimney,  sixteen  feet  square,  with 
one  room;   after  this  cabin  served  its  time, 
built  a  hewed-log  house  on  the  same  site,  and 
in  this  they  lived  until  1876,  when  they  built 
the  hoitse  they  now  occupy,    which   is  upon 
the  site  of  the  former  houses.      He  has  six 
children  born — Mary  S.,  Henrietta,  Angeline, 
Rice  L.,  John  W.,  Eddie  G.    Mary  S.  is  wife 
of  Hiram  Hetheriugton,  in  Parker  Township; 
Henrietta  resides  in  the  State  of  Oregon  and 
is  the  wife  of  Edward  Davis;  Augeline  is  the 
wife  of  James  Burnett;  others  at  home.    Mr. 
Kline  has  240  acres  of  land,   is  engaged  in 
farming  and  stock  raising,   and  has   been  a 
member  of  the  United  Brethren  for  twenty- 
five  years.      In  December,  1861,  he  enlisted 
in  Company  G,  Fifty-f'jurth  Illinois  Volunteer 
Infantry.     He  was  made  Orderly  Sergeant, 
serving  in  this  capacity  until  he  was  commis- 
sioned as  First  Lieutenant,  September,  1862. 
He  came  home  in  1863.  He  was  taken  prisoner 
at  Humboldt,  Tenn.,  by  Gen.  Forrest,  and  was 
six  months  a  prisoner.      He  is  a  Republican. 
ANDREW   LEE,    retired  fai-mer,  Casey. 
Andrew  Lee,  retired  farmer  in  Casey  Village, 
is  one  of  the  old  settlers  of  the  county.      He 
was  born  in  Crawford  County,this  State,  June 


28,  1822,   being  the  eldest  son  of  William 
Lee,  who  was  born  aboiit  the  year  1799,  in 
Butler  County,   Ohio,  where  his  father,  Levi 
Lee,  a  Kentuckian,  settled   at  an   early  day, 
making  his  settlement  near  Oxford.    William 
Lee,  his  father  was  a  farmer,  and  when  a  young 
man  removed  to  Crawford  County,  this  State, 
and  subsequently  married  Jane  Aimstrong.  a 
daughter    of    Andrew,    a  South    Carolinian, 
who  removed  to  what  is  now  Crawford  Coun- 
ty when  it  was  a  wilderness,  and  for  some  time 
he   sought  shelter  from    the  Indians  in  the 
fort,  and  after  the  trouble  subsided  he  located 
southwest  of  Palestine,    and  made   a  settle- 
ment here,  where  he  remained  until  his  death. 
The  children  born  to  Levi  Lee,  the  Kentuck- 
ian, who  was  Andrew's  grandfather,  were  six 
sons  and  two  daughters,    whose  names  were 
Goshem,  Ichabod,  Levi,    John,  William,  Na 
thaniel.     The  daughters  were  Polly  and  Nan- 
cy.     The  children  born  to  Andrew  Montgom- 
ery  were   Robert,    Andrew,    William,  Ann, 
Hannah,  Jane,   Sallie  and  Nellie.     Andrew, 
the   subject  of  these  lines,  removed  to  this 
county  with  his  parents,   when  a  lad  of  nine 
years,  and  settled  with  his  parents  in  West- 
field  Township.     Here  his  parents  died;  his 
father  in  June,  1869,  and  his  mother  in  1873. 
They  had  the  following  children  born  to  them, 
viz. :  Andrew,  Levi,  Ichabad,  Betsy,  Perlina, 
Nathaniel,  Salley  A.,  Nancy  J., Catherine  and 
Mary,  all  of  whom  lived  to  the  years  of  man 
and  womanhood,  and  settled  in  this  county, 
save  Catherine,  who  died  before  marriage. 
Andrew  was  raised  on  his  father's  farm,  and 
had  but  limited  school   advantages;  what  he 
did  obtain  were  at  subscription  rates  in  a  log 
schoolhouse.     His  marriage  occurred  Febru- 
ary 5,  1814,  to  Miss  Lydia  Briscoe,  a  native 
of  Jefierson  County,  Ky. ,  where  she  was  born 
April  28,  1822.  She  was  the  youngest  daugh- 
ter of  Hemy  Briscoe  and  Catherine  Brook- 
hart.    After  Ml".  Lee's  marriage,  he  settled  in 


CASEY    TOWXsHil' 


93 


Parker  Township  and  enj^aged  in  farming, 
which  he  carried  on  successfully  and  continu- 
ously here  until  Februarj-,  1880,  when  he 
came  to  the  village  of  Casey,  and  since  has 
been  living  a  retired  life.  He  has  over  600 
acres  of  land  and  nine  children,  viz. :  Jaae, 
"William.  Henry,  Sarah,  Delia,  Nathaniel, 
Katie.  Eoss  and  Kosa.  Jane  resides  in  Cum- 
berland County,  the  wife  of  Wyatt  Wood. 
Sarah  married  Frank  Brown.  Delia  is  the 
wife  of  John  Lang.  Katie  is  the  wife  of  Dr. 
Cy.  Heywood  Ross  and  Rosa  are  at  home. 
The  other  sons,  William  and  Henry  B.,  are 
residents  of  this  township,  and  are  doing  bus- 
iness for  themselves. 

"WILLIAM  LEE,  farmer,  P.  O.  Casey,  is 
a  native  of  Parker  Township ;  he  was  born  there 
January  19,  1847,  and  is  the  eldest  son  of 
Andrew  Lee,  one  of  the  old  settlers  of  Clark 
County.  He  was  raised  upon  the  home  farm, 
and  began  business  for  liimself  in  1876,  when 
he  commenced  work  on  the  farm  he  now  owns. 
The  following  year,  March  11,  1877,  he  mar- 
ried Josephine,  born  May  23,  1860,  in  Paris, 
Edgar  County,  daughter  of  Thomas  Metcalf 
and  Serilda  Napier.  Mr.  Lee  has  since  been 
a  resident  of  the  county  and  been  engaged  in 
farming  pui'suits.  which  he  has  always  fol- 
lowed with  the  exception  of  a  short  time  when 
he  was  engaged  in  the  mercantile  business, 
which,  not  suiting  him,  he  afterward  gave  all 
attention  to  farming  puruits.  He  has  three 
children — Harry  E.,  Daisey  and  Nathaniel. 
He  has  120  acres  of  land.  Mrs.  Lee  has  two 
sisters,  Nellie,  wife  of  William  Dougherty, 
of  this  township,  and  Nettie,  who  resides  in 
Ten-e  Haute,  wife  of  Aaron  Conover.  Her 
parents  are  both  deceased.  Father  died  1874, 
mother  about  1S04. 

HENRY  B.  LEE,  Casey.  Among  the 
thoroughgoing  business  men  of  this  county 
is  Harry  Briscoe  Lee.  He  was  born  in  Par- 
ker Township   September   11,  1849;    is  the 


second  son  of  Andrew  Lee,  one  of  the  old  set- 
tlers of  Clark  County,  a  sketch  of  whom  will 
be  found  elsewhere  in  this  work.  Harry  was 
reared  to  farming  pursuits  and  received  only 
common  school  advantages.  In  1873,  he  came 
to  the  town  of  Casey  and  associated  with  his 
brother  William  in  the  grocery  business  un- 
der the  firm  name  of  Lee  Brothers,  which 
partnership  continued  two  years,  afterward 
was  changed  to  Brooks  &  Lee,  which  asso- 
ciation continued  until  1876,  when  he  asso- 
ciated in  business  with  Capt.  Owen  Wiley  in 
the  grocery,  drug  and  hardware  and  imple- 
ment trade,  and  continued  until  January, 
1883,  when  the  partnership  was  dissolved, 
Mr.  Lee  taking  his  partner's  interest,  and 
since  continued  and  is  doing;  a  thriving  trade. 
July  17,  1877,  he  married  AUie  Thorn,  a  na- 
tive of  this  county,  daughter  of  Dr.  Thorn 
and  Mary  Long.  He  has  no  children.  Dem- 
ocratic. 

JOSEPH  McDowell,  barber,  Casey. 
The  popular  and  efficient  tonsorial  artist  of 
1  this  town  has  been  a  resident  of  the  place 
since  1874,  when  he  came  here  and  learned 
his  trade  with  George  W.  Grant,  and  in  the 
[  spring  of  1875  he  set  up  for  himself,  and  has 
j  since  been  carrying  on  the  business,  being  one 
of  the  best  workmen  in  his  line,  he  has  built 
up  a  large  and  flourishing  patronage,  and 
while  other  parties  have  come  in  the  town 
and  set  up  in  opposition  to  him,  yet  his  skill 
and  workmanship  has  in  every  case  made  their 
stay  short;  he  has  been  successful  in  carrying 
the  day  above  ail  competitors.  He  runs 
three  chairs,  all  manned  by  proficient  work- 
men, who  are  ever  ready  to  accommodate  all 
who  desire  tirst-class  work.  As  a  matter  of 
fact,  which  is  worthy  of  mention  in  the  his- 
tory of  this  county,  "Joe"  has  the  rojiutation 
of  being  the  "champion  shot,"  not  only  in 
this  county,  but  of  the  surrounding  ones, 
having  taken  several  valuable  premiums  in 


94 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


different  contests  for  prizes,  and  is  ever  ready 
for  a  good  hunt  or  a  friendly  contest  in  the 
hunting  arena.  Was  married,  February  25, 
1879,  to  Amy,  born  in  this  county,  daughter 
of  D.  Emerich.      He  has  one  child,  Harry. 

WILLLiM  A.    MINER,    retired  farmer, 
P.  O.  Casey,  was  born  in  1819,  January  19, 
in  Belmont  County,   Ohio,   and  in   183-4  re- 
moi^ed  to  Morrow  County,  remaining  here  un- 
til 1840,  when  he  removed  to  Missoiu-i,  and 
assisted  in  laying  out  St  Joseph.     He  was 
a  carpenter  and  millwright  by  trade  and  as- 
sisted in  building  the  first  house  in  that  place. 
He  returned  to  Morrow  County,  Ohio,  and  in 
August,  1846,  married  Lydia  Truex,  who  was 
born  October  27,  1827,  a  daughter  of  John  P. 
Truex  and  Miss  Mug  Truex,  which  family  was 
of  French  extraction.     In  1850,  Mr.   Miner 
moved  to  Madison  County,  Ind.,  where  he  re- 
mained until  August,  1863,  when  he  came  to 
this   county  and   purchased    land    in    Casey 
Township    and    engagad    in  farming.       His 
father's  name  was  Thomas  Miner,  whose  wife 
was   Sarah   Clark,  who  bore  him  eight  chil- 
dren, viz.:  Sophia,  Parley,  Mai-quis,  Thomas, 
Jane,  Bartlett,  Allen  and  Hibbard.     Thomas 
Miner,  the  father  of  William  A.,  was  a  native 
of  the  Eastern  States.      He  w  as  a  Lieutenant 
in    the  Fourth  Battalion  under  Sir  Gordon 
Drummond,  and  served  in  the  war  of  1812, 
aud  for  several  years  the  Miner  family  lived 
in  Upper  Canada.      His  maternal  grandfather 
was  Ebenezer  Clark,  whose  wife  was  Jemima 
Brundage.     Her  mother,  as  stated,  was  Jane 
Longford,  who  was  born  in  Dublin,  Ireland, 
about   1720.      She  was  fifteen  years  of   age 
when  she  was  stolen  and  brought  to  New  York 
City,  and  was  sold  there  and  kept  in  servitude 
until  of  age  to  pay  her  passage.      Jane  Long- 
ford married  Ebenezer    Clark,   and  by  him 
had  one  son,  Ebenezer,  who  married  Jemima 
Brundage,   aud  by  her  had  nine  children — 
William,  Ebenezer,   Daniel.   Bartlett,  Jane, 


Calvin,  Anna,  Jemima,  and  Sarah,  who  mar 
ried  Thomas  Miner.  To  William  Allen  Miner 
and  wife  were  born  four  childi-en — James  M. , 
Jerome.  Kosetta  and  Sarah.  Eosetta  resides 
in  California,  is  the  wife  of  Sylvester  Crouch; 
James  M.,  who  resides  on  the  homestead,  was 
born  August  17,  1847,  in  Morrow  County, 
Ohio.  He  was  married.  May  2,  1871,  to  Ju- 
ritta  Lee,  who  was  born  January  30,  1851,  in 
Parker  Township,  daughter  of  Levi  Lee  and 
Nancy  J.  Randall.  Since  his  marriage,  has 
been  a  resident  of  the  farm  he  now  occiipies, 
in  Casey  Township.  He  has  five  children, 
viz. :  Beulah,  Lydia,  Lucy  and  a  pair  of  twins, 
Allen  F.  and  Levi  E.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  Baptist  Church  and  Clerk  of  the  same, 
and  Trustee. 

HENRY  G.  MORRIS,  the  subject  of  this 
sketch  was  born  at  Savannah,  Ga.,  December 
9,  1850.  His  father  came  of  an  ancient  Eng- 
lish family,  and  took  great  pride  in  tracing 
his  ancestry  back  in  an  unbroken  line  to  Gil- 
bert de  Maurice,  who  came  over  with  William 
the  Conqueror  from  Normandy  and  laid  the 
Saxon  army  low  on  the  bloody  field  of  Sare- 
nac.  Since  that  eventful  day  the  familj'  has 
been  frequently  identified  with  English  his- 
tory, many  of  its  members  holding  high  po- 
sitions under  the  Government.  One  branch 
of  the  family  emigrated  to  Pennsylvania 
about  1680,  and  other  members  settled  at  a 
later  period  in  Virginia  and  Georgia,  the 
scions  of  the  older  stock  taking  a  conspicu- 
ous position  against  the  tyrauny  of  the  Gen- 
eral Government  and  taking  a  bold  stand  for 
independence  from  the  start.  The  grand- 
father of  oiu"  subject,  Thomas  Mon-is,  spent 
several  years  in  Canada  and  this  country,  and 
wrote  a  work  in  1820  on  the  progress  of  the 
young  republic,  which  had  a  wide  circula- 
tion. The  parents  of  Henry,  Joseph  R.  and 
Sarah  E.  Morris,  in  1849  were  residents  of 
Montreal,  Canada,  the  former  holding  a  re- 


CASE!'    TOWXj^IIIP. 


95 


sponsible  position  in  the  land  office  under 
the  Colonial  Government.  The  health  of  his 
wife  failing,  ih-.  M.  concluded  to  try  a  trip 
to  the  Sunny  South,  joui-neying  in  the  fall 
to  Florida,  where  they  remained  until  1850, 
when  they  crossed  over  to  Georgia,  and  in 
the  next  year  Henry  was  born.  After  remain- 
ing in  the  South  a  couple  of  years,  the  family 
crossed  the  Atlantic,  locating  near  London, 
where  Henry  was  sent  to  boarding  school  at 
an  eai'ly  date.  At  the  age  of  ten,  the  restless 
spirit  of  the  boy  became  uncontrollable,  and 
slipping  off  from  school,  he  shipped  on  an 
American  vessel  as  a  cabin  boy,  for  New 
York.  He  soon  after  made  his  way  to  Savan- 
nah, Ga. ,  and  found  a  home  with  Col.  Field, 
of  Pulaski.  The  breaking-out  of  the  war  set 
the  whole  country  wild  with  excitement,  and 
it  was  not  a  great  while  before  Henry  imag- 
ined himself  big  euotigh  to  endure  the  hard- 
ships and  fatigiies  of  the  campaigns  that  fol- 
lowed, and  cast  his  lot  with  a  regiment  of 
Georgia  Cavalry,  with  Field  iu  command. 
The  war  over  in  1SG5,  he  again  took  to  the 
"life  on  the  ocean  wave,"  and  from  that  time 
to  1870  traveled  on  land  and  water  over  a 
larger  part  of  the  habitable  globe.  1870 
found  him  in  Kochester,  N.  Y. ,  where  he  held 
a  lucrative  position  up  to  1874,  when  he  left 
it  for  a  temporary  sojourn  in  Illinois,  taking 
with  him  Robert  Walker,  member  of  the  old 
Twenty-lirst  Illinois,  who  had  worked  under 
Morris  in  Eochester,  and  being  an  applicant 
for  pension,  was  compelled  to  go  to  CJark 
County,  111. ,  to  complete  the  proof.  Mon-is 
worked  up  the  case  successfully,  but  it  took 
a  year  to  do  so,  and  by  that  time  he  had 
formed  so  many  friendships  and  acquaint- 
ances that  he  concluded  to  locate  permanently 
at  Casey,  where  he  had  been  stopping.  Com- 
ing into  the  county  a  total  stranger  and  with 
but  little  money,  he  has  fought  his  way  up 
through  many  obstacles  and  difficulties  until 


he  has  obtained  a  position  of  honor  and  a 
reputation  to  be  envied.  In  1879,  he  was 
elected  Police  Magistrate  over  AY.  A.  Crosby, 
aud  re-elected  in  1880  over  J.  F.  Woods,  by 
an  increased  majority.  In  June,  1881,  he. 
launched  the  Casey  Advocate,  an  independent 
newspaper,  which  has  since  Mtained  great 
success  iu  the  neighborhood  and  county.  In 
1882,  he  was  a  candidate  at  the  Democratic 
primary  election  for  the  nomination  for 
County  Judge,  aud  although  defeated  by  a 
much  older  and  better  known  man,  made 
such  a  gallant  race  that  his  chances  for  fut- 
ure preferment  in  that  direction  were  greatly 
increased.  Mr.  Morris  manned,  in  January, 
1881,  Catharine  Gorden,  daughter  of  James 
Gorden,  of  Osceola,  Madison  County,  Ind. , 
and  as  a  result  of  the  happy  union  have  one 
child,  Sydney  Gorden  Morris,  born  Novem- 
ber 21,  1881. 

LEWIS  MYERS,  meat  market,  Casey,  was 
born  November  25,  1838,  in  Butler  County, 
Ohio,  and  removed  with  his  parents  to  A\'ayne 
County,  Ind.,  in  185G,  and  ten  years  later  came 
to  Jasper  County,  111.,  where  he  remained 
imtil  his  removal  to  this  place  in  1877,  and 
engaged  in  butchering  and  since  run  a  meat 
market.  He  was  raised  on  a  farm,  and  upon 
coming  to  maturity  he  engaged  in  that  busi- 
ness, which  he  followed  until  he  came  to  this 
place.  August  10,  1860,  he  married  Marga- 
ret Shires,  a  native  of  Butler  County,  Ohio, 
of  German  ancestry.  He  has  the  following- 
named  children:  John  H.,  Oliver  M.,  Jesse 
F.,  Annie  M.,  Lizzie  E.,  Joseph  R.  and  Roy 
L.  The  father  of  our  subject  is  Jacob  Myers, 
a  prominent  and  well-to-do  farmer  in  Wayne 
County,  Ind  He  was  born  1811,  in  Lancas- 
ter County,  Penn.,  son  of  Lewis  Myers,  a 
blacksmith.  Jacob  Myers  was  a  shoe-maker 
by  trade,  and  came  West  to  Butler  County, 
Ohio,  in  1828.  and  engaged  at  his  trade  and 
earned  money  to  bring  his  brother  Benjamin 


OG 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


out,  wlion  they  both  toiled  on  late  and  early, 
many  nights  never  leaving  their  benches, 
sometimes  wbeu  overcome  with  sleej]  would 
recline  there,  or  sleeping  a  short  time  avd 
then  resume  their  labor.  These  brothers  in 
this  manner  earned  money  iu  this  way  to  bring 
out  the  balauS  of  the  family.  Jacob  Lewis, 
after  his  coming  to  Ohio,  married  Catharine, 
daughter  of  Jacob  Spohn.  a  native  of  Lan- 
caster Coiinty,  Penn.  She  bore  him  the  fol- 
lowing children,  eight  sons  and  one  daugh- 
ter, viz. :  Jacob,  Lewis,  John,  Henry,  Thomas, 
Benjamin,  Samuel,  Joseph  and  Sarah  E.,  all 
of  whom  are  residents  of  Wayne  County,  Tud., 
except  John,  who  resides  in  Champaign 
County.  In  politics,  the  family  are  all  Re- 
publicans. 

FRANK  PERKINS,  farmer,  P.  O.  Casey, 
■was  born  JDecember   18,    iS-tl,    in    Madison 
County,  Ind.     He  is  the  third  son  and  eighth 
child  of  his  parents,  George  Perkins  and  Ag- 
gie Allen,       George  Perkins,   the   father  of 
Frank,  is  a  Virginian  by  birth,   and  subse- 
quently settled  in    Madison    County,    Ind , 
where  the  family  lived  until  their  removal  to 
this  coimty  in  1865.      Prank  was  qarly  in  life 
iniu-ed  to  farm    labor,    and  continued  with 
his  parents  until  his  majority,  and  shortly  af- 
ter started  out  upon  life's  jom-ney  for  himself. 
December  31,  1863,  he  formed  a  matrimonial 
alliance    with    Nancy    Stinson,    a    native    of 
Madison     County,     Ind.       After    his    mai'- 
riage,  he  located    on    a    portion  of    his  fa- 
ther's land  and  engaged  in  farming  until  Jan- 
uary, 1 865,  when  lie  came  with  his  parents  to 
this  township.     He  has  100  acres  of  land,  80 
of    prairie  and  the"  remainder  timber.     His 
farming    land    lies    on    the    south    half    of 
Section  9.      He  has  no  children.     Has  one 
adopted  son  named  Rudolph  Stinson,  a  rela- 
tive of  his  wife. 

W.  S.  PETERS,  livery,  Casey,  has  been  a 
resident  of  the  county  for  twenty-foiu-  years. 


He  was  born  1823,   September  3,   in  Butler 
County,    Ohio,  the  youngest  of  a  family  of 
eleven  children,  six  sons  and  five  daughters. 
of  whom  ten  came  to  maturity.     His  father's 
name  was  Philip  Peters,  a  native  of  Pennsyl- 
vania, son  of  Henry  Peters,  also  a  Pennsyl- 
vanian,  and  of  Holland  descent,     Philip  was 
married  in  1779  to  Anna,   who  was  born  in 
Pennsylvania,    daughter  of  Jacob    Bennett, 
the  Bennetts  of  German  extraction.       Father 
(Philip)  emigrated  to  Ohio,  passed   through 
Cincinnati,  in  1800,  and  made  bis  settlement 
in    Butler    County.       Jacob    Bennett,    sub- 
ject's  grandfather,  served    in   war    of    Rev- 
olution:   was  Captain  of    cavalry  company; 
served  nearly  through  the  entire  war.     His 
father  came  from  Holland.     William  Smith, 
our  subject,  is  noW  the  only  one  of  the  fami- 
ly that  came  to  Illinois.     He  was  raised  on  a 
farm;  liad  but  common  school  advantages  in 
loo-  sclioolhouse.     Stayed  at  home  until  1858. 
January  8,  when  he  married  Elizabeth  Ann. 
born  in  Hamilton,   Ohio,   daughter  ot"  John 
K.  Wilson  and  Mary  James,  natives  of  But  - 
ler  County,  Ohio.     Wife  died  October,  1867. 
leaving  one  child,  Philip,  now  living.     Sec- 
ond marriage  was  October,  1870,  to  Mary  J. 
Long.        After    Mr.     Peters'     marriage,    he 
came    West   to    this    State,  in   May,    1858, 
and   for    a   time   lived   in    Johnson    Town- 
ship;   afterward  located  here  in  this  town- 
ship, and  engaged  in  farming,  which  he  still 
carries  on.     He  moved  to  this  town  after  his 
second  marriage ;  he,  in  March,  1871,  began  in 
the  hotel  and  livery  business.which  he  contin- 
ued six  years  in  hotel,  which  he  discontinued 
and  has  since  run   livery  and   feed   stable. 
Has  ]  32  acres  of  land.     No  children  by  last 
wife.     Republican  all  his  life.     In  1868,  he 
associated  with   Shannon   Wilson,  firm  name 
Peters  &  Wilson;   firm  lasted  two  years. 

MARTIN  PULTZ,  deceased.     Of  the  early 
settlers  in  Clark  County  was  Michael  Pultz. 


CASEY    TOWNSHIP. 


Ti 


who  came  to  Martinsville  ia  1832.     He  was 
born  1810,  in  Pennsylvania,  and  removed  to 
Jefferson  County,   \V.  Va. ,   with  his  parents 
when  about  seven  years  old.     His  father  was 
Michael  Pultz,    a  native  of    Germany.      He 
remained  in   West  Virginia    until    twenty- 
four   years  of    age,  and  then  removed  with 
his  father  into  Hampshire  County,  Va.,  where 
he  remained  a  short  time  and  removed  to  near 
Columbus,  Ohio,  when  he  removed  to  Cum- 
berland County,    this  State,  and  lived  there 
until    he  finally  located    in   this   county    in 
1832.      He  was  a  cabinet-maker,  and    soon 
after    his    coming     to    Martinsville    Town- 
ship  he  located  in    the  town   and  engaged 
in  the  grocery  business,  building  the  second 
business  house  in  this  town.      Here  he  re- 
mained until  his  death,  spring  of  1855.     He 
was  thrice  married,  first  to  a  Miss  Painter, 
second  to  a  Williamson  and  last  to  Sarah  Bur- 
nett, bom  in  this  county,  a  daughter  of  Jo- 
seph Burnett,   born  in  North  Carolina.      By 
last  marriage  he  had  two  children,  George  W. 
and  Tabitha.    Michael  Pultz  was  an  Old-Line 
Whig,  and  for  several  years  held  the  office  of 
Postmaster,  which  he  held    at  the  time  of  his 
death.     George  W.,   his   son,   now  sui'vives 
him;  was  born  October,  1850;  he  left  home 
when  ten  years  of  age,    and   lived  with  his 
grandmother.     Came  to  this  town  in  1876. 
He   learned    his  trade  with  Frank  Branan, 
and  has  since  worked  at  his  trade.     G.  W. 
married,  September,  1882,  to  Jennie  Gasset, 
born  in  Coles  County. 

JOHN  D.  EODEBAUGH,  flour  and  feed, 
Casey.  IVIr.  Rodebaugh  is  the  general  dealer 
in  flour  and  feed  in  the  town  of  Casey,  locat- 
ing in  the  village  July  12,  1877.  He  pur- 
chased the  interest  of  James  Emely  in  Sep- 
tember, 1882,  and  has  since  continued  the 
business,  keeping  on  hand  the  best  brands 
of  flour  in  the  market,  besides  feed,  etc.,  and 
has  a  good  trade.     He  was  born  November 


23,  1853,  in  Kosciusko  County,  Ind.,  son  of 
Alonzo  Rodebaugh  and  Clarinda  Bennett. 
His  father  was  a  native  of  New  York  State, 
and  was  born  1830  and  died  1882,  son  of  John 
Rodebaugh,  a  native  of  Germany.  His 
mother  was  a  Pennsylvanian.  John  remained 
at  home  until  he  was  eighteen  years  of  age; 
his  early  life  was  spent  on  the  farm,  but  af- 
ter leaving  home  he  learned  the  plasterer's 
trade,  which  he  followed  as  a  business  until 
he  engaged  in  the  flour  and  feed  store.  Jan- 
uary 14,  1875,  he  married  Mary,  a  daughter 
of  George  Clark  and  Sarah  Cowger.  He  has 
no  children, 

D.  R.  ROSEBROUGH,  plasterer  and  bee- 
farmer,  Casey,  was  born  in  1843,  March  17. 
in  Covington,  Ind.,  eldes^t  son  of  Samuel 
Rosebrough,  a  native  of  Butler  County,  Ohio. 
Sub.iect's  mother's  maiden  name  was  Amanda 
Stewat,  and  was  born  in  Ohio,  and  removed 
with  her  parents  to  Indiana,  where  she  mar- 
ried Mr.  Rosebrough,  and  bore  him  nine 
children,  viz.:  Harriet,  David  R.,  James  O., 
Howard,  Mary  J.,  Charles,  Fannie,  Sallie 
and  Thomas.  Subject  removed  to  Coles 
County  with  his  parents  in  1847,  where  his 
parents  settled.  His  father  is  yet  living,  and 
was  born  January  17,  1810.  Wife  died  July, 
1860.  David  R.  was  raised  on  the  farm  where 
he  remained  until  July  25,  1861,  when  en- 
listed in  Company  C,  Eighth  Illinois  Volun- 
teer Infantry,  and  served  three  years;  received 
his  discharge  July  25,  1864.  Dui-ing 
that  time,  he  was  on  the  following  battle 
fields:  First,  at  Fort  Donelson,  Shiloh, 
siege  of  Corinth,  Raymond,  Jackson,  Cham- 
pion Hill,  then  down  the  Mississippi,  and 
was  in  several  engagements  in  that  lo- 
cality. Was  at  the  siege  of  Vicksburg, 
and  was  discharged  at  this  place  and  re- 
turned home  to  Coles  County,  and  for  the 
first  year  of  his  return  he  farmed.  Was 
wounded  in  face  at  Fort  Donelson.     Since 


98 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


1865,  he  has  been  engaged  at  his  trade,  that 
of  a  plasterer,  which  he  learned  after  he 
came  from  the  service.  Came  to  Casey  in  the 
fall  of  1870,  and  has  since  his  residence  here 
been  engaged  at  his  trade.  For  a  few  years 
past  he  has  been  engaged  in  bee  culture;  keeps 
the  Italian,  Cyprian  and  native  bee,  making 
a  specialty  of  this  business,  giving  his  atten- 
tion to  their  culture  and  propagation,  and 
is  prepared  to  fill  orders  from  any  portion  of 
the  country.  August  7,  1872,  he  married 
Anna,  who  was  born  December  25,  1843,  in 
Fairfield  County,  Ohio,  daughter  of  John 
McCrackeu  and  Catharine  Stultz.  who  re- 
moved from  Ohio  in  1854,  locating  in  Indi- 
ana, and  came  to  this  State  in  1861.  Joha 
McCracken  died  September  1,  1865;  his  wife 
is  yet  living.  They  raised  a  family  of  seven 
children,  viz.;  George,  Frank,  Avthiu".  Anna 
E.,  Martha  J.,  Mary  C.  and  Lovina.  George 
and  Frank  reside  in  Colorado.  The  others, 
except  Mrs.  R.,  are  residents  of  Cumberland 
County.  Mr.  Rosebrough  has  had  two  chil- 
dren born  him,  Earl  and  Carl,  twins;  both  de- 
ceased. He  and  wife  are  members  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  A.,  F.  &  A.  M. 

LEWIS  RYAN,  deceased,  was  born  May 
6,  1822,  in  Logan  County,  Ohio,  son  of 
John  Ryan  and  Sarah  Binnegar.  Ryans 
of  Scotch  stock,  the  Binnegars  of  Ger- 
man stock.  To  John  and  Sarah  were 
born  eight  children  that  grew  up — Betsey, 
Lewis,  Jacob,  Louisa,  Benjamin,  James, 
Sarah  and  Emily.  Lewis  removed  with  his 
father  to  this  county  in  fall  of  1839,  locating 
on  Section  14,  in  this  township.  Here  his 
parents  settled  on  land  they  entered,  and  re- 
mained on  same  until  their  death.  His  death 
occurred  in  1876;  his  wife  died  about  1842. 
Lewis  was  raised  on  the  homestead,  and  upon 
his  coming  to  his  majority  he  began  for  him- 
self,  remaining  with  his    parents  imtil   his 


marriage,  which  was  on  March  13,  1845,  to 
Polly  Ann  McCrory,  who  was  born  1826, 
February  3,  in  Jefferson  County,  Ind.,  the 
fifth  child  of  John  McCrory,  a  native  of  Penn- 
sylvania, and  removed  with  his  parents  to 
Kentucky  when  two  years  of  age,  where  ho 
was  raised  and  removed  to  Jefferson  County, 
Ind.,  when  a  man.  Here  he  was  married  to 
Polly  Wilson,  of  Kentucky,  daughter  of 
Alexander  Wilson,  of  English  stock.  John 
was  a  sou  of  Samuel  McCrory  and  Anna 
Spence.  Samuel  McCrory  was  a  Scotch-Irish 
man,  and  removed  to  Pennsylvania  and 
here  married  Anna  Spence,  a  Dutch  woman, 
and  removed  from  Pennsylvania  to  Kentucky. 
]\Irs  Ryan  came  to  this  State  from  Indiana 
in  April,  1839,  same  year  as  Mr.  Ryan,  and 
located  in  this  township,  where  he  had  pre- 
viously entered  land,  and  lived  here  until 
their  death.  They  raised  eleven  childi'en 
to  be  grown:  Washington,  Jefferson,  Sel- 
ena, Mrs.  Ryan  and  Rebecca,  all  in  this 
county;  Nancy  in  Coles,  Margaret  in  Craw- 
ford County,  this  State.  Mr,  Ryan  fol- 
lowed farming  up  to  his  death,  which 
occiu-red  January  17,  1866.  Was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church; 
was  a  Republican  in  principles.  He  served 
several  years  as  Justice  of  the  Peace,  and 
was  a  man  highly  esteemed  in  the  commu- 
nity. They  raised  five  children,  Jennie, 
Roscoe,  Fannie,  Lucy  and  Mattie.  Jennie 
married  William  Poe  and  died  1874.  She 
had  two  children,  Alice  and  Lam-a.  Fan- 
nie, wife  of  Frank  McDaniel,  of  this  town- 
ship. Roscoe  resides  with  his  mother  on  the 
homestead;  farms  and  has  taught  school  for 
twelve  years;  began  teaching  about  1870. 
Served  as  Justice  of  the  Peace  one  term  and 
been  Assessor  and  Collector  one  term.  They 
have  a  snug  home  and  comfortable  property. 
MORRILL  SANFORD,  retired  farmer,  P. 
O.    Casey.     Among  the  substantial  citizens 


CASEY    TOAVXSHIP. 


99 


and  wealthy  men  of  this  township  is  Mr.  San- 
ford,  who  was  bom  August  8,  1816,  in  Alle- 
gany County,  N.  Y.,  and  moved  with  his 
parents  to  Decatur  County,  lud.,  when 
four  years  of  age,  remaining  here  until  1841, 
when  he  came  to  Cumberland  County,  this 
State.  His  father's  name  was  Isaac  Sanford, 
mother's  maiden  name  was  Miriam  Morrill, 
a  native  of  Vermont,  daughter  of  Abraham 
Morrill.  Subject's  father  died  the  first  sum- 
mer after  coming  to  Indiana,  leaving  three  chil- 
dren, Morrill,  Angeliue  and  Eunice;  both  the 
latter  died,  never  raisi?d  families.  Subject's 
mother  died  in  Indiana.  Subject  was  left 
fatherless  at  the  age  of  five,  and  was  raised 
by  his  mother,  whom  he  helped  to  support. 
At  age  of  eighteen,  he  commenced  for  self, 
farming  in  Decatur  County,  Ind.  April  22, 
1837,  married  to  Mary  E.,  born  in  Virginia, 
Loudoun  County,  November  20, 1820,  daughter 
of  William  James  and  Hannah  Thomas,  both 
Virginians.  Subject  bought  40  acres  of  land 
which  he  located  on  after  he  married,  upon 
which  he  lived  until  he  came  to  this  State. 
Before  coming  to  Cumberland  Countj%  he 
had  bought  160  acres  in  Crooked  Creek  Town- 
ship; located  on  the  land  in  December,  1840. 
He  had  been  out  in  September  previous  and 
put  up  a  cabin,  in  which  he  moved,  and  lived 
in  some  fifteen  or  sixteen  years.  This  was 
finally  supplied  with  a  hewed  log  and  part 
frame  house,  in  which  he  lived  until  he 
came  to  this  county.  Wife  died  1845,  Aug- 
ust, leaving  foiu-  children,  two  living,  Wash- 
ington, and  Angeline,  in  Cumberland,  wife  of 
Robert  Eeeds.  Was  married,  1849,  to  Sarah 
J.,  daughter  Abraham  and  Betsy  Huddlestun. 
By  last  wife,  has  had  ten  children,  fom-  liv- 
ing, Philip,  Charles,  Julia  and  Viola,  all  re- 
siding at  home.  While  in  Cumberland  Coun- 
ty, he  was  engaged  in  farming  and  stock-rais- 
ing, was  also  engaged  in  merchandising  about 
1851,  store  on  his  own  farm;  began  first  in  a 


small  way;  carried  on  his  business  here  only 
one  summer,  when  he  went  to  Crawford 
County;  remained  and  engaged  in  merchan- 
dising one  year;  not  being  successful,  he  re- 
turned to  Cumberland  County  and  resumed 
farming;  some  time  after,  started  again  in 
merchandising,  which  he  carried  on  success- 
fully. In  1863,  he  bought  a  stock  of  goods 
in  Casey,  and  in  company  with  his  son,  Wash- 
ineton,  has  since  run  the  business.  March 
]  3,  1876,  he  removed  here  to  Casey,  and  has 
since  remained.  Is  also  engaged  in  the  lum- 
ber business,  and  since  1870  has  been  on- 
gaged  in  the  grain  business.  Whig;  since 
Republican.  Had  poor  school  advantages; 
had  only  four  months'  school:  his  mother 
taught  him  some. 

WASHINGTON  SANFORD,  store.  Casey, 
is  one  of  the  oldest  business  men  of  the  town 
of  Casey  that  is  now  holding  forth.  He  wa<j 
born  in  Cumberland  County,  this  State,  De- 
cember 18,  1843,  the  oldest  son  living  and 
third  child  of  Morrill  Sanford  and  Sarah 
James.  Washington  was  raised  on  a  farm, 
and  received  common  school  advantages ;  re- 
mained on  the  farm  until  August,  1862,  when 
he  volunteered  his  services  in  Company  E, 
One  Hundi-ed  and  Twenty-third  Illinois  Vol- 
unteer Mounted  Infantry;  was  finally  trans- 
ferred to  Wilder's  Brigade.  He  served  until 
April,  1863;  was  first  Duty  Sergeant.  He 
was  wounded  at  Perryville,  and  was  dis- 
charged on  account  of  disability.  He  re- 
turned to  Cumberland  County,  and  contin- 
ued here  until  the  winter  following,  when  he 
came  here  to  Casey,  in  December,  1863,  and 
engaged  in  business  with  A.  R.  Huston,  under 
firm  name  of  Sanford  &  Huston;  ran  general 
store;  continued  together  about  four  years, 
when  Huston  sold  out,  and  his  place  was 
taken  by  his  father,  Morrill  Sanford,  and 
since  then  the  firm  name  has  been  M.  San- 
ford &  Son,  which  still  continues.       In  con- 


iOO 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


nection  with  tbeir  mercantile  business,  they 
are  engaged  in  the  grain  business  also.  He 
was  married  April  15,  1871,  to  Indiana  Rock- 
afeller,  born  in  Franklin  County,  Ind. , 
daughter  of  John  S.  Rockafeller.  Member 
of  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic.  Republican. 
R.R.  SCOTT,  farmer,  P.  O.  Casey.  Kich- 
ard  Ridgeway  Scott  is  a  Kentuckian  by  birth, 
and  first  beheld  the  light  of  day  November 
15,  1822,  in  Kenton  County.  His  father,  El- 
more Scott,  was  born  February  22,  1790,  in 
Bedford  County,  Va. ,  and  removed,  with  his 
parents  to  what  was  then  Campbell  County, 
Ky. ,  in  the  fall  of  1800,  sis  miles  south  of 
Covington,  on  Bank  Lick.  The  paternal 
grandsire  of  our  subject  was  George  Scott, 
who  married  Martha  Elmore,  a  Virginian. 
She  died  in  Virginia  in  1797.  For  his 
second  wife,  George  Scott  married  Theodo- 
sia  Dent.  George  Scott  served  under  Gen. 
Francis  Marion  in  the  Revolutionary  war, 
and  was  present  at  the  sm-render  of  Cornwal- 
lis.  He  finally  died  where  he  settled,  on 
Bank  Lick,  November  29,  1821.  To  George 
Scott  and  wife,  Martha  Elmore,  were  born 
six  children — Archibald,  Chastine,  Judith, 
Elmore,  Nancy  and  Susan.  Nancy  married 
Gen.  Benjamin  Fowler.  Susan  became  the 
wife  of  Dr.  Collins.  By  his  last  wife,  The- 
odosia  Dent,  he  had  six  children,  viz. :  Will- 
iam D.,  Obadiah,  Sallie,  Lucy,  James  and 
Minerva.  Sallie  became  the  wife  of  William 
Green;  Lucy  married  David  McCord,  and 
Minerva  became  IVIi-s.  Foster  Fleming.  The 
Elmore  family  were  Virginians.  Some  of 
the  family,  among  whom  was  John,  settled 
in  South  Carolina,  where  he  left  two  sons. 
He  afterward  settled  in  Alabama,  as  did  his 
brother  Thomas,  and  after  became  Governor. 
F.  H. ,  another  brother,  was  a  Member  of 
Congi-ess  in  that  State.  Elmore  Scott,  the 
father  of  R.  R.,  man-ied  Polly  Cleaveland, 
who  was  born  on   the  banks  of  the  Ohio  (on 


the  Kentucky  side),  four  miles  south  of  Cin- 
cinnati, November  13,  1795.  She  was  a 
daughter  of  Levi  Cleaveland,  of  Virginia 
stock.  Ten  children  were  the  frnit  of  this 
union,  viz.:  Chastine,  Wari'en  E.,  Cleave 
land,  Richard  R.,  Amanda,  Lott,  George, 
Levi,  William  R.  G. ,  and  Mary  L.  Cleave- 
land resides  in  Huntsville,  Ala. ;  Lott  in  At- 
lanta, Ga. ;  Amanda  resides  in  Chicago,  wife 
of  William  Garrett,  of  Chicago;  Maiy  L. 
resides  in  this  township,  wife  of  William 
Heaverin,  and  George  resides  in  Cynthiana, 
Harrison  Co.,  Ky.  The  other  brothers  and 
sisters  are  deceased.  Richard  R.  remained 
on  the  homestead  until  1841,  and  in  1849  he 
married  Rebecca  Paxton  Allen,  a  native  of 
Woodford  County,  Ky.,  in  April,  1829.  She 
was  daughter  of  William  Allen  and  Mary 
Paxton.  William  Allen's  father  was  John, 
and  served  during  the  war  of  the  Revolution, 
and  received  his  pay  in  Government  scrip. 
Mr.  Scott  came  to  this  State  in  1SG3,  locating 
in  this  township:  first  on  Section  8,  where 
he  remained  sometime;  finally  locating  where 
he  now  resides,  on  northwest  quarter  Section 
32,  where  he  is  engaged  in  farming  jiursuits. 
He  is  a  member  ef  the  Baptist  Church,  and 
is  in  favor  of  the  Greenback  system  as  a  na- 
tional cm-rency.  Has  the  following  children: 
Paxton,  William  E.,  Ida  M.  and  Mary.  Pax- 
ton resides  in  Texas.  Ida  M. ,  wife  of  Dr.  A. 
F.  West. 

<^  HENRY  SHERMAN,  farmer,  P.  O. 
Casey.  Henry  Sherman,  ex- Sheriff  of  Clark 
County,  was  born  in  Syracuse,  N.  Y.,  May 
16,  1826,  and  was  the  eldest  son  of  William 
H.  Sherman  and  Mary  Kennedy.  William 
H.  Sherman  was  born  May  15,  1802,  in 
Dutchess  County,  N.  Y.,  and  is  a  descendant 
of  Roger  Sherman.  William  H.  Sherman, 
the  father  of  the  above,  removed  with  bis 
father,  when  a  young  man,  to  Luzerne  Coun- 
ty, Penn.,  where  he  learned  the  carpenter's 


CASEY   TOWXSHIP. 


101 


and  joiner's  trade;  and  while  here  he  mar- 
ried, in  that  county,  to  Sarah    his  wife,  who 
was  born  1804,  in  that  connty.       She  was  a 
daughter  of  Thomas  Kennedy,    of  Irish  de- 
scent   After  his  marriage,  he  removed  to  Sa- 
lina,    now    Sj'racuse,    where  he    lived   until 
1836,  when  he  removed  to  Ohio,    and  lived 
in   Licking  and  later  in  Delaware  County, 
from  which  place  he  came  here  to  this  coun- 
ty in  1854,  and  purchased  800  acres  in  Casoy 
Township,    and  continued   here  a   constant 
resident   until    1878,   when   he   removed  to 
Franklin  County,  Ai'k.,  where  he  now  resides. 
While   here   he  was  prominently  identified 
with  the  interests  of   the  county,   and  was  a 
representative  man.       His   wife  died  in  the 
fall    of  1857.      They  raised  the   following- 
named  children:     Henry,  Elizabeth,  George, 
James,  Ira,  Almond,  John,  David  and  Mary. 
Four  of   the   above — Charles,  John,   David 
and  Ira — served  in  the  late  war.  Charles  and 
Ira   contracted   disease   while   there,    which 
subsequently  caused  their  death.     At  the  age 
of  eighteen,  Henry,  the  subject  of  these  lines, 
began  the  carpenter's  trade  with  his  father, 
and  after  its  completion  he  continued    at  the 
same  business  until  about  the    year    1872, 
when  he  engaged  in  farming.     He  was  mar- 
ried in  1846,  to  Mary  Ann,  who  was  born  in 
Luzerne  County,    Penn.,  April,  1828.       She 
was  a  daughter  of  Jacob  Boyd,  who  was  a  son 
of  Cornelius  Boyd,    of  Dutch  descent.    Her 
mother's  maiden  name  was  Elizabeth  Anderson. 
Mr.  Sherman  came  to  this  county  with  his  fa- 
ther in  1854,  and  for  several  years  was  engaged 
in  building  and  contracting,  but  since  1872  has 
been  engaged  in  farming  pursuits.    In  the  fall 
of  1880,  was  elected  Sheriff  of  the  coimty,  and 
has  also  served  in  other  positions  of  trust  in 
the  township  as  well.      He  has  five  children; 
viz.:  Lewis  C,  Lenora  E.,  Miner\'a  L.,  Morti- 
mer P.  and  Annetta.      Is  Democratic,  and  a 
member  of  the  A.,  F.  &  A.  M.,  Casey  Lodge. 


MORRIS  SLUSSER,  farmer,  P.  O.  Casey, 
was  born  September  26,  1850,  in  Johnson 
Township,  second  son  of  John  S.  Slusser  and 
Mary  Fix.  Morris  received  the  advantages 
afforded  by  the  common  schools,  and  was  ed- 
ucated to  farming  pursuits.  After  becoming 
of  age,  he  began  farming  for  himself.  Sep- 
tember 10,  1871,  he  married  Sybia  Shute,  a 
native  of  Hancock  County,  Ind.,  daughter  of 
E.  F.  Shute  and  Mary  Bulley.  After  his 
marriage,  he  bought  forty  acres  in  Johnson 
Township,  where  he  farmed  three  years.  In 
July,  1873,  he  purchased  the  farm  he  now 
owns,  situated  on  the  north  half  of  the  south- 
we.st  quarter  of  Section  29,  and  is  a  success- 
ful farmer.  He  has  one  son,  Robert  P.  Re- 
publican. 

MRS.  ELIZABETH  STEPHENS,  propri- 
etress  of    the    National   House,   Casey,    was 
born  in   Hardin    County,    Ohio.   April    19, 
1841.       Her  parents  were  George  and  Mary 
Ann    (Dill)  Freeland,    who  raised   a  family 
of  six  sons  and  four  daughters;  Mrs.  Ste- 
phens being  the    youngest  of    the    number. 
George  Freeland,    tbe  father  of    Mrs.   Ste- 
phens, was  born  in  Dauphin  County,  Penn., 
1801,  and  removed  "West  to  Crawford  prior 
to  1850,  where  he  settled,   and  yet  remains. 
Mrs.    Stephens   was   first   married,  July  21, 
1859,  to  George  D.    Swearingen,    who   was 
born  in  Ohio  April  12,  1824.      His    father, 
Benoni,  was  born  July  21,   1788,  and  died 
July  2,  1856.      His  wife,  Ruth,    was  born 
November  6,  1788,    and  died  December  14, 
1858.     To  them  were  born  two  sons — George 
D.  and  Daniel.       After  the  marriage  of  Mrs. 
Stephens,  they  settled   in  Crawford  County, 
on  a  farm,  where.,  they  engaged  in  farming. 
Here   Mr.     Swearingen    died,     February   4, 
1868,  leaving  four  children,  viz. :  May.  John, 
George  B.    and   Maude.       Maude  died  Oc- 
tober 15,  1878,  aged  eleven.    By  her  last  mar- 
'  riage  she  has  two  children,  Retta  and  Dick. 


103 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


Mi-s.  Stephens,  having  rented  her  farm,  is 
now  engaged  in  the  hotel  business,  and  is 
proprietress  of  the  National  House,  and  is 
doing  a  thriving  business. 

DE  WITT  C.  STURDEVANT,  Postmas- 
ter and  store.  The  present  efficient  Post- 
master of  Casey  and  ex-soldier,  was  born 
in  Portage  County,  Ohio,  October  31, 
1839,  the  youngest  son  of  Silas  Sturde- 
vant,  a  native  of  Pennsylvania.  His  mother's 
maiden  name  was  Betsey,  born  in  Connecti- 
cut, daughter  of  Mr.  Wright.  De  Witt  C. 
came  to  this  State  with  his  parents  in  May, 
1862,  locating  in  this  township;  here  father 
died  October  30,  iSGo;  was  seventy-six 
years  of  age;  was  a  tanner  by  trade,  which 
he  carried  on  in  Ohio;  after,  he  came  West 
and  engaged  in  farming;  mother  yet  living, 
now  residing  in  Westfield  Township,  and  is 
now  eighty-six  years  of  age;  born  about 
1796.  To  them  were  born  six  children,  three 
sons  and  three  daughters;  now  scattered 
over  different  parts  of  the  country.  D.  C. 
came  West  with  parents  at  the  age  of  eight- 
een. He  began  business  for  himself;  he 
learned  the  silversmith  trade  at  Delaware, 
Ohio.  After  his  trade  was  learned,  he  worked 
with  his  brother,  and  stayed  in  this  place 
until  he  came  West.  Soon  after  he  came 
West,  he  volunteered  his  services  in  Company 
G,  Fifty-fourth,  and  served  on  non-commis- 
sioned staff  as  Principal  Musician.  He  en- 
listed September  19,  1862,  and  served  until 
September,  1865,  when  he  was  discharged  and 
returned  to  this  place  and  set  up  in  business 
at  his  trade,  and  has  since  continued;  was 
elected  Postmaster  November  10,  1878;  since 
served.  Member  of  Presbyterian  Church  and 
Masonic  fraternity,  and  of  the  Grand  Army 
of  the  Republic.  Married,  November  10, 
1867,  to  Catharine,  born  in  Madison  County, 
Ind.,  daughter  of  William  Gutherie;  he  a 
native  of  Ohio,  she  of    West  Virginia.      Mr. 


Sturdevant  has  six  children — Grace,  Charles, 
Jessie,  Bruce  B.,  Daisy  and  Harry  C. 

WILLIAM  P,  WALKEE,  pianos  and  or- 
gans, Casey.  William  Preston  Walker  is  a 
resident  of  Casey,  and  for  several  years  has 
been  the  resident  and  traveling  dealer 
in  pianos  and  organs.  He  was  born  in  1844, 
March  30,  in  Coles  County,  this  State,  the 
eldest  son  and  third  child  of  his  parents,  who 
were  Jackson  Walker  and  Julian  Cartwi'ight. 
Jackson  Walker  was  born  in  Hardin  County, 
Ky,  son  of  John  Walker,  a  native  of  North 
Carolina,  and  removed  to  Kentiicky  at  an 
early  day.  Jackson  removed  from  Kentucky 
to  Vermilion  County,  Ind.,  and  finally  re- 
moved to  Coles  County  about  1835,  and 
there  married  and  raised  a  family  of  seven 
children — two  sons  and  five  daughters. 
Mother  died  April,  1857;  father  yet  living. 
Wm.  P.  was  raised  on  the  farm  and  remained 
at  home  imtil  June,  1861,  when  he  enlisted 
in  Company  E,  Twenty-fifth  Illinois  Volun- 
teer Infantry,  and  continued  on  until  Sep- 
tember 7,  1864.  During  this  time,  he  par- 
ticipated in  all  the  battles  in  which  his  regi- 
ment was  engaged,  being  about  thirty  in  aP 
He  was  wounded  in  three  different  battles. 
First,  at  Stone  Pi-iver,  Teun. ;  second,  at  Chicka- 
mauga,  and  third  at  Mission  Ridge.  Marched 
every  foot  of  the  ground  that  his  regiment 
did.  After  his  discharge,  he  returned  home 
to  Coles  County  and  immediately  began  busi- 
ness for  himself,  and  for  a  few  years  was  en- 
gaged in  farming.  Married  October  2,  1865, 
to  Mary  A.  Haddock,  who  was  born  in  Coles 
County,  daughter  of  Ransom  and  Elizabeth 
Mills.  Has  foiu-  children — ^Della,  Ora  A., 
Elva  C.  and  Katie  F.  He  moved  in  th's 
place  December,  1876,  and  engaged  in  the 
butchering  biisiness  for  a  time,  afterward 
was  with  Sanford  &  Son  in  grain  business. 
Since  1877,  he  has  been  in  the  music  trade 
for  the    firm    ot  W.  W.  Kimball  &  Co.,  and 


CASFA'    TOWXsHir. 


103 


since  been  in  their  employ  and  does  a  success- 
ful business.     Member   of  the  Presbyterian 
Church.      Member  of  A.,  F.  &  A.  M.,  also  of 
the  Grand  Army  of  ^.he  Republic.   Eepublican. 
GARRETT  WALL,  saloon, Casey,  is  grand- 
sou  of  William  Wall,    and    a    grand-nephew 
of    Garrett  Wall,  for    whom    he  was  named, 
who  ser-ved   as    an  officer  under  Washington 
in    the    Colonial    war.      His  father,  William 
Wall,  served    in   the  war  of  1812;  he  was  a 
tentuckian   by   birth;    was   born    1799,    in 
Licking   County,    and   married    Mary  E. ,  a 
daughter   of    John    Stipp,  a    Virginian,  and 
removed   to   Ohio,  where  he  lived   until  the 
year    1831,    when    he    removed    to    Morgan 
County,  Ind.,  where  he  died  May,  1880.    His 
wife   preceded   him    1866.     They   raised   a 
family  of  eleven  childi-en.  Garrett  is  now  the 
only  one  of  the  family  living    in   the   State. 
He  was  born  September  24,  1839,  in  Morgan 
County.  Ind. ,  the  youngest  son  of  his  parents. 
He  was  raised  to  farming  pm-suits,  where  he 
employed   his  time    until    his  enlistment  in 
the  army,  where   he  spent    about   four  years. 
He  first  enlisted    in  July.  1861,  in  Company 
K,  Twenty-first  Indiana  Regiment;  in  Novem- 
ber, the   following   year,  he  was  transferred 
into    the   heavy  artillery.     He   enlisted   as  a 
private  and  served  in  the  ranks  until  Novem- 
ber, 1863,  when   he    was   commissioned    as 
First  Lieutenant,  and  served  in  this  capacity 
until    January,  1865,  when    he  resigned    on 
account   of   disability,    caused   by  a   wound 
in  the  hip  by  a   rebel    bullet    he  received  at 
the   battle  Camp   Bizland,  on  Bayou  Teche, 
being  in  command  of  his  company  and  at  this 
battle   where    they  fought  Dick  Taylor,  and 
was  Adjutant   of   his  regiment  at  the  reduc- 
tion of  Ft.  Morgan.     He    served    in    all    the 
battles  in  which  his  command   was  engaged. 
TJpon  his   retiu-n   home   to    Morgan  County, 
Ind.,  he  engaged  in  farming  and  stock-trad- 
iner — continuing     here    until    Jiuie.     1872, 


when  he  came  to  Cumberland  County,  this 
State,  where  he  engaged  in  farming,  which 
he  abandoned  on  account  of  his  lameness  in 
hip;  and  in  1877  he  engaged  in  the  saloon 
business  at  Casey.  October  9,  1866,  he  mar- 
ried Sarah,  a  daiighter  of  Ezra  Cox  and 
Maria  Matthews,  of  Morgan  County,  Ind. 
He  has  four  children — Charley,  Daniel, 
William  and  Dick.  A  stanch  Republican 
and  a  member  of  the  Grand  Ai-my. 

HENRY   WECK,    merchant    and    dealer 
in    produce,    Casey,    came    here    in    Janu- 
ary,   1879,    and   started    in    business.       At 
the    time    of    his    coming,    there    was    no 
person   engaged   in   this    line   of    business. 
He   has   since   been  engaged   in  same,  and 
has  thribbled  in  the  time.       One   year   he 
paid   out   S75,000    for   produce,  1881.     He 
pays  the  highest  market  price  for  everything 
in  the  line  of   produce;  has  paid  out  as  high 
as  S2,300  in  one   week  alone.     Ships  mostly 
to  the  New  York   and  Indianapolis  markets; 
ships   mostly    in   car  lots.     He  was   born  in 
Washington   County,    Md.,    1831,    April   6, 
son   of     Michael     Week,    of     same    county, 
where   he   married   Chai-lotte  Edwards.     He 
died  in  1833,  and   Henry  was   raised   up  by 
his    mother,  with    whom    he   remained  until 
twenty-one  years  of  age;  1851,  he  left  Mary- 
land  and   came   to   Ohio,  Licking   County; 
lived  there  fx'om  October,  1851,  imtil  Febru- 
ary, 1853,  when  he  came  to    the  State,  locat- 
ing in    Crawford  County,  where  he  engaged 
in    farming,  and  remained  there  until  Janu- 
ary, 1879,  when  he  came   here  to  this  place. 
He  began  in  life  poor,  and  has  made  what  he 
has  by  hard   labor   and  industry.     Married, 
I  September  22,  1852,  in  Ohio,  to  Sarah  Alli- 
i  son,  born  in  Ohio,  daughter  of   Andrew  Alli- 
son and  Sarah  Blackburn.     Has  three  chil- 
dren—Sarah E. ,  Charlotte  A. ,  John  F.    Char- 
lotte, wife   of    Levi    M.  Biggs,  of  Crawford 
County.     Democratic. 


104 


HIOGRAPHICAL: 


CHAKLES  AYEKENjSIAN,  general  store, 
Casey,  dealer  in  groceries,  queensware,  flour, 
etc.  He  ranks  among  the  old  business  men 
of  this  town.  He  was  born  in  Wurtemberg, 
Germany,  1842,  October  21,  the  eldest  son 
of  Eegulait  Wekenman  and  Elizabeth  Hoch. 
Charles  came  to  this  country  in  the  year 
1S65,  arriving  here  in  this  coimtv  with  noth- 
iug.  Arrived  in  New  York  July  12,  1805;  re 
mained  there  until  October,  same  year,  when 
he  came  to  this  State  and  staid  four  years  in 
Charleston;  during  this  time  he  worked  on 
a  farm  and  in  a  nursery  Left  there  about 
1868,  December,  when  he  went  to  Coles 
County,  and  in  June,  1869,  he  came  to  this 
county,  and  has  since  been  a  resident.  When 
he  came  here  he  bought  out  John  Balsey, 
and  engaged  in  running  a  restaurant,  which 
he  carried  on,  at  about  which  time  he  added 
some  groceries,  and  continued  there  about 
three  years;  then  moved  to  this  place  and  has 
since  remained.  Came  here  in  the  fall  of 
1874;  keeps  groceries  and  provision  store, 
and  is  doing  an  excellent  business.  He  was 
married  Jxme  23,  1873,  to  March  Birch, 
born  in  same  place  as  himself,  daughter  of 
.Jonas  Birch  and  Magdalena  Eager.  Subject 
has  foiu"  children — Henry,  Freddie,  Lizzie, 
Emma.  Mr.  Wekenman  is  a  self-made  man; 
has  made  all  his  money  solely  by  his  own  in- 
dustry and  perseverance,  and  has  been  and 
is  now  among  the  successful  business  men  of 
the  town.  Member  of  Catholic  Chm-ch,  and 
one  of  the  leading  members  in  the  same.  Is 
also  a  member  of  the  Masonic  order,  Casey 
Lodge,  A.,  F.  &  A.  M. 

DR.  K.  F.  WILLIAMS,  physician,  Casey, 
is  one  of  the  oldest  phjsicians  in  this  part 
of  the  county.  He  came  to  Illinois  in  1827. 
He  was  born  November  3,  1820,  in  Casey 
County,  Ky. ,  son  of  Samuel  Williams,  of 
Virginian  stock.  He  (Samuel  Williams)  was 
born  December,  1798,  and  died  March,  1871. 


His  wife,  Letta  Mason,  was  born  1800,  and 
died  1870.  They  raised  a  family  of  eight 
children — sis  sous  and  two  daughters. 
Those  living  are  Joel,  William,  George, 
Lafayette  and  Ann.  Joel  resides  in  Jasjier 
County,  this  State,  is  a  farmer  and  jshy- 
sician.  W^illiam  resides  in  Auburn,  this 
county;  George  in  this  township;  Lafayette 
resides  at  Grand  Island,  Neb.  Ann  is  the 
i-elict  of  Dr.  George  Husband.  The  subject 
of  these  lines  was  reared  upon  a  farm  and 
emigrated  to  this  State  in  1827,  to  Edgar 
County,  where  they  remained  until  1837, 
when  they  settled  in  what  is  now  Auburn 
Township,  and  from  this  date  the  Williams 
family  have  been  identified  with  Clark 
County.  The  Doctor  remained  at  home  until 
twenty-sis  years  of  age.  He  commenced 
business  for  himself,  working  on  the 
national  road,  where  he  spent  three  years. 
Subsequent  to  this  he  was  engaged  in  run- 
ning on  the  river  to  New  Orleans  on  flat-boat, 
where  he  employed  his  time  for  nearly  ten 
years.  During  the  last  few  years  he  acted 
as  pilot,  receiving  $100  for  making  the  trip. 
During  this  time  he  was  giving  his  attention 
to  the  study  of  medicine  and  began  his  prac- 
tice in  Auburn,  1846,  July  5,  his  first  patient 
was  Bettie  Kidwell.  He  remained  here  till 
1853,  when  he  removed  to  Westfield,  and  in 
spring  of  1858,  he  went  to  Marshall,  where 
he  remained  until  that  fall,  when  he  went  to 
Chicago  and  completed  his  course  in  medi- 
cine and  returned  to  Westfield  in  1859, 
where  he  remained  until  November,  1862, 
when  he  returned  to  Marshall  and  continued 
here  until  July  1,  1868,  when  he  came  to 
Cumberland  and  located,  and  has  since  been 
in  the  practice  of  his  profession,  having  a 
large  and  extended  practice.  March  7,  1852, 
he  married  Cordelia,  born  January  5,  1834,  • 
in  Clark  County,  daughter  of  Thomas  White, 
one    of    the    early    pioneers  of    this   county, 


CASEY   TOAVNSHIP. 


105- 


came  in  1819,  now  being  eighty-two  years  of 
age.  The  Doctor  has  the  following  chil- 
dren: Thomas,  Mary  B.,  Letta,  Helen,  John 
and  Josie.  Thomas  is  following  in  the  foot- 
steps of  his  father,  having  taken  up  the  same 
profession.  Dr.  "Williams  has  wide  and  exten- 
sive practice,  and  has  done  more  for  the 
community  as  a  practitioner  of  materia  med- 
ica  than  any  other  physician  in  this  or  adjoin- 
ing counties,  and  received  less  money  for  bis 
services.  He  has  always  responded  to  calls 
that  have  been  made  upon  him,  administer- 
ing medicine  and  attention  to  the  poor  as 
well  as  the  rich.  He  has  been  now  in  active 
practice  for  nearly  forty  years,  and  although 
a  man  of  iron  constitution,  yet  his  continued 
exposure,  supj)lemeEted  with  his  advanced 
years,  has  had  its  effect  upon  him  and  fi'om 
the  force  of  circumstances  he  has  been  com- 
pelled to  abandon  nightly  visitations,  except 
in  rare  and  extreme  cases,  or  when  called  in 
counsel  with  others  of  the  fraternity. 

CAPT.  OWEN  WILEY,  merchant,  Casey. 
Among  the  leading  business  men  of  this 
town  is  Capt.  Owen  Wiley,  who  was  born  in 
this  county  February  25, 1828,  in  the  Bidwell 
settlement,  son  of  Reason  AViley,  born  May 
2,  1802,  in  Kentucky,  and  died  August  26, 
1852.  His  mother  was  Elizabeth,  daughter 
of  Eli  Hicks,  of  Kentucky,  and  was  raised  to 
agricultiu'al  pursuits,  at  which  business  he 
began  for  himself  at  the  time  he  arrived  at 
his  majority.  In  the  spring  of  1850,  he 
went  the  overland  route  to  California,  where 
he  spent  two  years,  engaged  in  mining  and 
in  running  a  saw  mill.  In  August,  1862,  he 
enlisted  in  Company  K,  One  Hundred  and 
Twenty-third  Illinois  Volunteer  Mounted 
Infantry,  and  subsequently  elected  Captain 
of  the  company  and  commanded  the  same 
until  his  discharge,  which  was  in  July,  1865. 
During  this  time,  he  participated  in  some  of 
the   hotly  contested    battles   of   the  war  and 


many  skirmishes.  His  last  engagement  was 
at  Selma,  Ala.  He  was  married,  November 
30,  1848,  to  Sarah  Fuqua,  by  whom  ho  has 
four  children — Reason,  ClaboiU'n,  Elziua 
and  Zana.  When  he  began  farming  for  him- 
self, he  located  in  Hiitton  Township,  in  Coles 
County,  where  he  engaged  in  farming,  and 
was  elected  Sheriff  of  the  county  in  1872, 
and  served  two  years.  In  the  spring  of  1876, 
he  came  to  Casey  and  engaged  in  business, 
and  has  since  been  a  resident  of  the  place. 
He  has  been  engaged  in  mercantile  pursuits. 
He  first  associated  in  business  with  John 
Brooks  and  H.  B.  Lee,  in  1876.  Soon  after, 
he  purchased  Brooks'  interest  and  continued 
on  with  H.  B.  Lee,  under  the  lirm  name  of 
Lee  &  Wiley,  which  association  continued 
withoiit  intermission  until  January,  18S3, 
when  he  sold  out  his  interest  to  his  partner, 
and  purchased  the  stock  of  dry  goods  of 
Charles  Fuqua  &  Sons,  and  has  since  been 
engaged  in  the  dry  goods  trade.  He  is  one 
of  the  solid  Republicans  of  the  county,  and 
has  served  as  Supervisor  and  filled  other 
positions  of  trust  in  the  township.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  Grand  Army  and  of  the  A.,  F. 
&  A.  M. 

JAMES  P.  WOOD,  farmer,  P.  O.  Martins- 
ville. Among  the  pioneers  of  Casey  Town- 
ship is  James  P.  Wood,  who  came  in  the 
spring  of  IS-tO,  and  has  since  been  a  resi- 
dent of  the  township.  He  was  born  October 
20,  1816,  in  Fauquier  County,  Va.,  and 
removed  with  his  parents  to  Muskingum 
County,  Ohio,  when  about  one  year  old. 
His  father's  name  was  William  Wood, 
who  man-ied  Mary,  the  daughter  of  Sam- 
uel Lampkin,  a  Virginian.  Mr.  Wood 
emigrated  here  with  his  parents  and  remained 
with  them  until  his  marriage,  when  he 
engaged  in  business  on  his  own  hook.  He 
has  been  twice  married;  first,  September  9, 
1840,  in   Ohio,  to   Mary   Meek,  a  native  of 


106 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


Muskingum  County,  Ohio,  daughter  of  Asa 
and  Kaehel  Meek.  Mrs.  Wood  died  January 
15,  1S44,  leaving  no  issue.  His  second 
marriage  was  April  9,  1845,  to  Marj'  Ann 
Webb,  a  native  of  Indiana,  born  Janu- 
ary 18,  1829,  daughter  of  Martin  Webb  and 
Martha  Leet.  This  marriage  has  been 
blessed  with  eight  children,  five  of  whom 
are  living,  viz.:  William  H.,  Joshua,  Emily, 
Samuel  and  Nancy,  all  of  whom  are  settled 
near  the  homestead.  Mr.  Wood  has  been  a 
re.sidenton  Section  2  for  many  years;  he  has 
seen  many  changes  and  has  been  affiliated 
with  the  interests  of  the  township  as  a  re- 
spected citizen  and  worthy  member  of  the 
community.  He  has  been  a  member  of  the 
Christian  Church  for  years,  and  is  a  stanch 
supporter  of  that  order.  In  polities,  he  is 
disposed  to  be  liberal;  was  first  Democratic, 
yet  later  in  life  has  been  more  in  sympathy 
with  the  Republican  party.  He  has  now 
about  160  acres  of  land.  Before  dividincf  out 
among  his  children  he  had   over  300  acres. 

E.  A.  YOUNG,  hardware,  Casey.  The 
leading  hardware  interest  of  the  place  is  rep- 
resented by  Richard  Alexander  Young,  who 
came  here  in  the  spring  of  1872  and  engaged 
in    the   hardware    business,  buj'ing    out   the 


interest  of  H.  A.  Boyd,  and  has  since  contin- 
ued the  same.  He  was  born  in  the  town  of 
Oxford,  Butler  Co.,  Ohio,  1850,  May  1, 
the  second  son  of  Alexander  Youngf,  an 
Ohioan,  native  of  Preble  County,  son  of  Will- 
iam Young,  an  early  settler  in  Preble  Coun- 
ty. Subject's  mother's  liaiden  name  was  Re- 
becca Scott,  a  native  of  Butler  County, 
daughter  of  Richai-d  Scott,  an  early  settler 
in  Butler  County,  Ohio.  Subject's  father  was 
born  March,  1820,  and  died  May,  1880;  wife 
died  1860,  August.  They  raised  a  family  of 
four  children — Richard  A.,  Abraham  W.. 
Laura  E.,  Rebecca.  But  two  living  in  the 
county — Rebecca  and  E.  A.  Richard  A.  was 
raised  on  the  farm  until  twenty-one  years  of 
age,  attended  common  school,  supplemented 
the  same  by  a  course  in  Normal  school  at 
Lebanon,  Ohio.  He  came  here  to  this  town 
in  March,  1872,  and  engaged  in  business  as 
above  described,  and  has  since  continued. 
Married,  1871,  November  23,  to  Ursulla,  born 
in  Butler  County,  daughter  of  Frederick  A. 
Hansel.  She  died  September  2,  1878;  no 
issue.  Second  marriage,  January  4.  188 1,  to 
Kate,  born  in  Indiana,  daughter  of  Kile 
Merrel;  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church.     He  is  a  Rej)ublican. 


MAETIIsTSViLLE  TOWIS^SHIP. 


THOMAS  BLOOD  WORTH,  farmer,  P.  O. 
Martinsville.  The  subject  of  this  sketch  was 
born  in  Pickworth,  Rutlandshire.  England, 
to  Francis  and  Ann  (Strickson)  Bloodworth. 
He  was  also  born  in  Pickworth;  she  in 
Spalding,  Lincolnshire,  England.  He  was 
born  in  1785.  and  died  in  March,  1858.  At 
the  time  of  her  d«ath  she  was  eighty-seven 
years  old.  His  occupation  was  that  of  fai-m 
laborer.       Our  subject  attended  the  common 


schools  of  his  native  county  till  he  was 
about  fourteen  years  of  age,  and  then 
worked  on  the  fai'm,  beginning  first  by  driv- 
ing a  team.  In  March,  1855,  he  enlisted  in 
the  E&glish  Army,  and  served  for  two  years, 
and  then  bought  his  discharge.  He  then 
went  home,  and  for  seven  months  worked  on 
the  farm,  when  he  started  for  America,  land- 
ing in  New  York  City  January  1,  1858.  He 
came  direct  to  Ohio,  stopping  in  Stark  Coun- 


MAKTINSVILLE    TOWIV^SHIP. 


109 


ty,  where  he  resided  for  a  nitmber  of  years. 
When  getting  to  Stark  Connty,  he  did  not 
have  money  to  pay  for  a  night's  lodging;  but 
he  got  a  chance  to  work  one  month  for 
$5,  and  from  that  time  he  had  no  diffi- 
culty in  finding  employment.  He  was  will- 
ing to  do  any  kind  of  work  that  would  bring 
him  money,  so  he  cleared  many  fields  of 
their  stumps,  and  got  the  name  of  ''the 
stump  machine;"  but  he  made  money  at  it, 
and  that  was  what  he  was  after.  He  re- 
mained in  Stark  County  most  of  the  time  till 
1805,  working  on  farm,  pulling  stumps,  etc. 
In  April  of  that  year,  he  landed  here,  and 
then  bought  fifty  acres  of  land,  where  he 
now  lives;  but  he  has  since  added  to  it,  till 
his  farm  consists  of  138  acres,  about  half  of 
which  is  in  cultivation.  There  were  no  im- 
provements of  any  consequence  when  he 
bought  his  place,  but  it  is  now  well  im- 
proved, with  good  farm  buildings,  etc.  He 
has  just  completed  a  neat  residence,  also  has 
good  barn  and  other  outbuildings;  but  his 
success  has  been  obtained  by  hai'd  work  and 
careful  attention  to  business.  In  1S03,  in 
Ohio,  he  was  married  to  Elizabeth  Gallatin. 
She  was  born  in  Stark  County,  Ohio,  ISS-t,  to 
Jacob  and  Elizabeth  (Butler)  Gallatin. 
They  were  both  born  ',in  Lancaster  County, 
Penn.,  he,  January  5,  1797,  and  she  October 
21,  1797.  He  died]  July  2,  1878,  age  of 
eighty-one  years  five  mouths  twenty-seven 
days.  She  died  February  5,  1879,  age 
eighty-one  years  three  months  fourteen 
days.  Both  died  in  Stark  County,  Ohio.  By 
trade  he  was  a  carpenter,  but  followed  farm- 
ing most  of  his  life.  They  were  the  parents 
of  twelve  children;  seven  of  whom  are  still 
living.  'Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bloodworth  have  two 
sons — Francis  Marion  and  Elmer  Herschel. 
Mr.  Bloodworth  is  a  Democrat  in  politics. 

G.  W.  COOPER,  miller,  Martinsville.   The 
subject  of    this    sketch    was   born    in    Eush 


County,  Ind.,  February  23, 1826,  to  James  and 
Rebecca  (Updegraflf)  Cooper,  both  of  whom 
were  born  in  Lycoming  County,  Penn.  They 
were  married  in  Pennsylvania,  and  moved  to 
Rush  County,  Ind.,  1820;  but  in  1831  moved 
to  Shelby  County,  Ind.,  and  he  died  there 
about  three  weeks  after  settling  in  the  coun- 
ty, and  left  a  family  of  eight  childi-en,  five 
girls  and  three  boys,  for  her  to  raise.  She 
remained  single  till  her  death,  in  1856,  in 
Shelby  County.  Of  the  family,  only  our 
subject  and  his  youngest  brother,  James,  are 
living.  Our  subject's  grandfather  Cooper 
settled  in  Rush  County,  Ind. ,  and  his  grand- 
father Updegraff  in  Shelby  County.  His  op- 
portunities for  an  education  were  very  limit- 
ed. Free  schools  were  unknown  in  Shelby 
County  then,  and,  besides,  every  one  of  the 
family  had  to  help  all  they  could  toward  the 
8upi:)ort  of  the  family;  so  his  early  life  was 
that  of  a  poor  boy  in  a  new  country.  In 
starting  for  himself,  he  chose  the  same  occu- 
pation as  that  of  his  father,  and  farmed  in 
Shelby  County,  Ind..  till  1854,  when  he  came 
to  Clark  County,  111.,  and  bought  him  a  farm 
of  200  acres,  two  miles  northeast  of  Mar- 
tinsville. Mr.  Cooper  continued  to  reside  on 
the  farm  till  the  fall  of  1863,  when  he 
moved  into  Martinsville,  and  has  continued 
to  reside  here  since;  however,  there  has  not 
been  a  year  but  what  he  has  farmed  to  some 
extent,  at  least  raised  a  crop  of  wheat.  He 
sold  his  original  farm  here,  but  still  owns 
about  two  hundred  acres  of  land,  most  all 
in  cultivation.  When  Mi-.  Cooper  came  in 
to  Martinsville,  it  was  to  take  a  half-interest 
in  his  present  mill,  which  he  had  bought  of 
B.  F.  McKeen.  They  continued  in  partner- 
ship for  one  year,  when  Mr.  Cooper  bought 
out  the  other  half  from  Mr.  McKeen,  and 
continued  sole  proprietor  till  1879,  when  he 
took  in  as  partner  H.  C.  McKeen.  They  con- 
tinued   in    pai'tnership    for  two   years,    and 


110 


BIOGRAPHICAL; 


during  the  time  rebuilt  ,the  mill,  putting  in 
all  new  machinery,  and  changed  the  mill 
from  a  custom  mill  to  what  it  is  now — a  mill 
with  the  capacity  of  about  two  hundred  barrels 
daily,  and  with  a  storage  capacity  of  1,500 
bushels.  In  1881,  Mr.  McKeen  sold  out  his 
one-third  interest  to  William  Cooper,  son  of 
G.  W.,  and  now  it  is  the  firm  of  Cooper  & 
Son.  In  connection  with  the  mill  they  have 
a  cooper  shop,  and  manufacture  the  barrels 
for  their  own  use.  October  5,  1848,  he  was 
married,  in  Shelby  County,  Ind. ,  to  Lavinia 
Hartman.  She  was  born  in  Bartholomew 
County,  Ind.,  daughter  of  Samson  Hartman. 
He  died  March,  1882,  at  the  age  of  eighty- 
nine,  but  she  died  when  her  daughter  was  a 
few  days  old.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Cooper  have 
seven  childi-en  living  and  four  dead — Will- 
iam, Martin,  George,  Susan,  Charles,  Eliza- 
beth and  Harry.  He  and  wife  are  members 
of  tho  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  All  of 
his  relatives  are  Methodists;  one  uncle,  Jo- 
siah  Cooper,  is  a  Methodist  Episcopal  minis- 
ter of  note.  Mr.  Cooper  is  a  member  of  the 
I.  0.  O.  F.,  and  is  Republican  in  politics. 
Mr.  Cooper's  life  has  been  one  of  activity,  as 
he  has  been  engaged  in  most  all  kinds  of 
business,  and  has  made  a  success  of  what- 
ever he  undertook;  but  has  been  made  by  his 
own  hard  work  and  energy.  For  some  time 
he  bought  and  shipped  stock  from  Martins- 
ville; also  bought  and  shipped  grain  for 
some  years.  Mr.  Cooper's  brother  James  now 
owns  the  old  homestead  in  Shelby  County, 
Ind.,  having  500  acres  there. 

DR.  W.  H.  DOAK,  physician,  Martinsville. 
The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  born  in  Coshoc- 
ton County,  Ohio,  January  22, 184:3,  toWilliam 
and  Evaline  (Mason)  Doak.  Both  were  born 
in  Washington  County,  Penn.,  1802.  Both 
are  still  living,  in  Coshocton  County,  Ohio, 
and  are  the  parents  of  seven  children,  of 
whom  five  are  still  living,  and  our  subject  is 


the  youngest.  He  was  first  educated  in  the 
common  schools,  and  then,  in  1862,  grad- 
uated at  McNeely  Normal  School,  at  Hope 
Dale,  Ohio.  In  1857  and  1858,  he  attended 
Hiram  College,  while  our  lamented  Gai-field 
was  President  of  that  institution  of  leaiTiing. 
In  1862,  he  was  appointed  one  of  the  Board 
of  School  Examiners  of  his  native  county, 
which  position  he  held  till  he  moved  West 
in  1866.  Dr.  Doak's  early  life  was  spent  on 
the  farm,  but  after  leaving  college  he  taught 
school  from  1862  till  1864,  when  he  went 
into  the  merchandise  business  with  his 
brother,  in  Chili,  Ohio,  but  continued  only 
for  two  years,  when  health  failed,  and  he 
came  West  in  1866.  For  one  year,  he  taught 
the  public  school  of  Martinsville,  and  then 
the  school  of  Westfield  for  one  year.  For 
the  year  1868-69,  he  was  Superintendent  of 
the  graded  schools  of  Marshall.  In  1869,  he 
returned  to  Ohio,  and  began  the  study  of 
medicine;  and,  after  taking  a  five-year 
course,  he  gi-aduated  in  the  Medical  Depart- 
ment of  Wooster  University  of  Cleveland, 
Ohio.  The  last  year  of  his  course,  he  was 
also  House  Physician  of  the  Charity  Hospi- 
tal of  Cleveland,  a  position  which  he  had 
gained  through  a  competitive  examination  in 
which  there  were  fifty  applicants.  After  leav- 
ing college,  he  practiced  medicine  for  nearly 
five  years  at  Avondale,  Ohio.  He  then  cam& 
to  Martinsville,  in  the  fall  of  1878,  and  went 
into  partnership  with  Dr.  W.  H.  McNary, 
and  has  continued  here  ever  since.  In  1869, 
while  teaching  at  Marshall,  he  was  married 
to  Sally  E.  McNary.  She  was  bom  in  Put- 
nam County,  Ind.,  January  6,  1847,  to 
Ebenezer  and  Elizabeth  McNary,  and  is  a 
neice  of  Dr.  McNary.  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Doak 
have  one  child,  Loring  Weber.  He  is  Re- 
publican in  politics.  Is  a  member  of  the 
J^sculapian  Medical  Society  of  the  Wabash 
Valley,  and  in  1878  became  a  member  of  the 
Ohio  State  Medical  Society. 


MAKTINSVILLE    TOWISTSHIP. 


Ill 


CHARLES    KNAPP    DOUGLASS,    mer- 
chant,   Martinsville,    was   born    in    Clinton 
County,  N.  Y.,  April  i,  1852,  to  Prentico  P. 
and  Delia  C.  (Knapp)  Douglass,  both  of  whom 
were  born  in  the  State  of  New  York.     From 
New  York,  they  removed  to  Indianapolis,  Ind., 
and  in  1S03  to  Coles  County,  111.,  and  in  Decem- 
ber of  the  same  year  she  died  there.   In  1866, 
he  removed  to  this  countj^  and  in  the  fall  of 
1867  came  to  Martinsville  and  started  into 
business    with    the     firm    name    of    C.    F. 
Knapp  &  Co.    December,  1S7S,  ho  died  here, 
but   was  sent   to  the  old  home  at  Mooer's, 
Clinton  County,   N.    Y.,  for  burial;  as   was 
also  his  wife.     Mr.  Douglass  was  in  the  mer- 
cantile  business  for  over   forty   yeai-s,    and 
died  at  the  age  of  sixty-five.      Our  subject 
was   educated   in    the  common  schools,  and 
then  attended  Westfield  College,  atAVesttield, 
111.    In  1869,  after  leaving  school,  he  entered 
the  First  National  Bank  of  Mattoon,   III., 
and  was  book-keeper  there  till   1878.      He 
then  was  elected  cashier  of  the  bank,  by  the 
directors,  but,  on   account  of  entering  busi- 
ness here,  he  had  to    decline  the  proffered 
position.  In  the  summer  of   1878,  he  bought 
out   C.  F.   Knapp  &  Co.,  and  has  since  had 
entire  charge  of  the  business.      He  carries  a 
stock   of    general    dry   goods    and  clothing 
which  averages  about   §10,000   or   §12,000, 
with  yearly  sales  of  about  $25,000.       "When 
entering   into  business  here,  he  had  the  ad- 
vantage of  his  father's  popularity  and  trade, 
but  by  his  close  attention  to  business  he  has 
increased  the  business  to  quite  an  extent.  In 
1875,  he  was  married   to  Miss  Belle  Johns, 
of  Ten-e  Haute,  Ind.,   oldest  daughter  of  T. 
B.  Johns.       She  died  January,  1878.       Mr. 
Douglass  is  a  grandson  of  Abel  Knapp,  of 
^looer's,  Clinton  County,  N.  Y.,  and  is  a  Re- 
publican in  politics.      He  is  a  member  of  the 
Masonic  fraternity,    belonging  to  the  Circle 
Lodge  of  Mattoon,  111.,  No.  707;  also  to  the 


Mattoon  Chapter,  No.  85;  also  to  Godfrey 
De  Bouillon  Commandery,  No.  44,  Knights 
Templar,  Mattoon,  111. 

S.  A.  FASIG,  druggist,  Martinsville,  was 
born  in  Richland  County,  Ohio,  February  2, 
1846,  to  William  and  Elizabeth  (Hibschman) 
Fasig.  They  were  born  in  Lebanon  County, 
Penn.,  he,  March  13,  1801,  and  she  August  24. 
1803,  and  died  February,  1882,  and  he  is 
still  living  in  Martinsville  with  our  subject. 
They  moved  from  Pennsylvania  to  Wayne 
County,  Ohio,  1824.  From  "\Va3'ne  County, 
Ohio,  they  moved  to  Richland  County,  1834, 
and  remained  there  till  1847;  going  first  to 
the  State  of  Missouri,  but  returned  to  Clark 
County  almost  immediately,  and  settled  near 
Martinsville.  By  trade  he  was  a  weaver  and 
brick-mason.  In  the  winter  time  he  would 
weave,  and  during  the  fall  lay  brick,  and 
frequently  farmed  during  the  summer.  He 
is  father  of  twelve  children.  The  oldest,  a 
daughter,  was  born  in  Pennsylvania,  before 
their  removal  to  Ohio.  Our  subject  is  the 
youngest  of  the  family.  Only  three  are  now 
living — 'Ml-.  Fasig  and  two  sisters.  When 
first  coming  here,  Mr.  Fasig  bought  ]  00  acres 
of  improved  land,  within  half  a  mile  of  the 
present  incorporation,  paying  S3. 25  per  acre; 
but  afterward  entered  other  land  in  the 
neighborhood.  Of  the  100  acres,  about  forty 
of  it  was  cleared  when  he  bought  it.  Our 
subject  was  educated  at  the  public  schools  of 
Martinsville.  At  the  age  of  seventeen,  he 
started  into  learning  the  saddlery  and  har- 
ness-making trade,  and  followed  his  trade  in 
Martinsville  for  fifteen  years,  and  then  went 
into  his  present  business  of  drugs  and  gro- 
ceries in  1877.  In  his  business  he  is  in  part- 
nership with  Harrison  Black,  now  County 
Clerk.  They  carry  a  stock  of  about  $4,000. 
and  have  an  average  yearly  sale  of  about 
§12,000.  He  was  married  in  Martinsville, 
1865,  to   Miss   M.  E.   Shafi'nar.       She    was 


113 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


born   iu  Ohio  August  20,   1847,  to    George 
and  Susan  (Cui-tis)  ShafFnav.      She  was  a  na- 
tive of  Virginia,   and  he  of  Virginia   also, 
and  died  in  1851,  and  she  in  1863.     Mi-,  and 
Mrs.    Fasig    have    one    child— Oscar — born 
June  1,  1806.      He  is  a  member  of  the  I.  O. 
O.  F.    and  a  Republican  in  politics.    He  has 
held   various    township    offices,    Supervisor, 
Clerk,  and  has  been  Township  School  Treas- 
ui'er  for  eleven  years.       From   1847  to  1856, 
Mr.  Fasig  lived  in  a  cabin,    16x18,  built  of 
logs  and  covered  with  split  boards  three  feet 
long;  not  having  nails,   these  boards   were 
held  down  by   poles    laid  on    top  across  the 
roof ;  but  when  the  wind  would  blow  it  would 
make  openings  large  enough  to  allow    the 
snow  to  drift  in.       This  cabin  had  its  garret, 
and    the  boys   had   to  sleep  up    there;  and 
many  mornings,  when  waking  up,  they  would 
find  the  bed  covered  with  snow,  and  also  the 
floor;  there    was    then    a    scramble  to    get 
clothes  on  and  down  to  the  open  fire  place  as 
soon  as  possible.      In  this  house  (there  were 
five  children    at  the  time)   they  would  hold 
meetings,     entertain     ministers     and   other 
guests.      For  use  during  meetings,  they  had 
a    number    of    benches    made,   which   they 
would  carry  in  when  the  meeting  was  held, 
but  would  be  piled  up  on  the   outside  when 
not  in  use.     When  first  coming  to  this  coun- 
ty, there  were  no  grist  mills  in  reach;  so  they 
had  to  depend  on  the  uncertainty  of    "  the 
horse  mill."       Many  times  Mr.  Fasig's  two 
older  brothers  would  fill  up  two  bags  of  corn 
and  put  them  across  a  horse  each  and  start 
to  mill  before  daylight  in  order  to  get  there 
first,   and  would  then  often   have   to    come 
home  late  at  night  with  no  meal.     In   this 
way  they  frequently  were   left  without  any 
mtel  in  the  house  at  all,  and  their  bill  of  fare 
■wcmld  be  lye  hominy,  pork,  milk  and  potatoes. 
DIl.      martin"  FLENNER,    physician, 
Martinsville,    was    born     in    Butler     Conu- 


ty,    Ohio,   September  16,   1810,    to    George 
and     Mary     (Andrew)    Flenner.       He    was 
born  in  Maryland,  and  she  in  Virginia.   The 
Doctor's  grandfather  Flenner  came  from  Ger- 
many to   Maryland.      Mr.    George  Flenner 
died  in  Martinsville  Township,  1866,  at  the 
age  of  seventy-sis.       The  Doctor's    mother 
died  in  Ohio.     His  father  was  a  farmer  all 
his  life.       Our  subject  was  raised  on  a  farm 
till   he   was   twenty-one,    and  then   studied 
medicine.    He  completed  a  course  in  the  Ec- 
lectic School  of  Cincinnati,  under   President 
Curtis.     The  Doctor  then  began  the  practice 
of  medicine  in  Ohio,  and  practiced  there  till 
he  came  to  Illinois,  1854.       When  fii'st  com- 
ing, he  settled   on  a  farm  about   four  miles 
north  of  Martinsville,  where  he  remained  for 
nine  years,  and  during  the  time  he  practiced 
medicine  and  farmed.      In    1863,  he  moved 
into  Martinsville,   and  has   been  here    ever 
since,  and  has  i  ontinued  the    practice  of  his 
profession,   but  has   been  engaged   in  other 
business  as  well.   In  1865, he  started  into  the 
mercantile  business,  keeping  a  general  store 
for  about  three  years;  but  he  did  not  give  his 
time  to  the  store.       He  has  since  engaged  in 
the    mercantile  business,    keeping    tin    and 
hardware  for  a  number  of  years,  and  now  has 
a   stock  of  about  81,000.     He  was  married 
fii-st  in  Ohio,  1831,  to  Rhoda  Fetherland.    She 
lived  only  about  a  .year  after  marriage,  leav- 
ing one  child — Mary  Ann,  now   married  and 
in  Arkansas,  near  Little  Rock.     In  1842,  he 
again  mai'ried,  to  Eliza  Cunningham.       She 
died  Jiily,  1881.       By  this   marriage  he  has 
five  children — Martin,  Martha  Ella,  Loncedis 
and  Lontillis  (twins),    Cerosca.       February, 
1882,  he  was  again  married,  to  Bernice  Ram- 
sey; the  Doctor  being   forty-two   years   her 
senior.      The  Doctor  has  been  a  hard  wouker 
during  his  lifetime,  and  has  had  a  large  prac- 
tice; but  now  has  retired   from  active  prac- 
tice, doing  only  office  practice  and  attending 


MARTINSVILLE    TOWNSHIP 


lia 


to  an  occasional  case  in  the  town ;  but  has 
made  a  competence  before  quitting,  having 
three  farms  which  aggregate  about  two  hun- 
dred acres.  The  Doctor  owns  the  I.  O.  0.  F. 
Hall  and  the  store  rooms  iinderneath.  He 
has  been  a  member  of  the  I.  O.  O.  F.  for 
many  years.  He  has  been  a  Republican  in 
politics  since  the  party  first  started.  For  a 
number  of  years  he  was  a  preacher  in  the 
Uuiversalist  Church.  He  still  holds  to  the 
same  belief,  but  has  not  preached  any  for  a 
few  years.  When  the  Doctor  first  settled 
here,  most  of  the  country  was  grown  i^p  with 
brush,  the  people  were  veiy  poor,  and  a  bug- 
<Tv  was  not  to  be  found  anv where,  and  no 
style  either.  Young  men  and  young  women 
went  to  church  barefooted  on  Sunday,  and 
nothing  was  thought  of  it. 

JOHN  GAMBLE,  di-ugs  and  groceries, 
Martinsville,  was  born  in  Martin  County, 
Ind.,  June  27,  1837,  to  Thomas  and 
Nancy  (Daugherty)  Gamble.  He,  born 
in  Ireland,  was  married  in  Indiana, 
and  came  to  this  county  in  1838,  and 
died  in  Martinsville  Township  June, 
1859.  He  spent  most  of  his  life  in  the  mer- 
cantile business,  being,  as  his  son  is,  in  the 
di'ug  and  grocery  business,  but  at  the  time 
of  his  death  living  on  the  farm.  The  mother 
was  born  in  Martin  County,  Ind.,  but  died 
here,  April,  1881,  at  the  age  of  sixty-seven 
years.  They  were  parents  of  eight  chikben, 
of  whom  our  subject  is  the  third,  the  two 
oldest  being  daughters.  Our  subject  came 
to  this  county  with  his  pai-ents,  1838,  and  has 
made  this  Lis  home  ever  since.  He  received 
such  an  education  as  was  furnished  by  the 
early  schools  of  this  county.  In  1858,  at  the 
age  of  twenty  one,  he  started  in  business  for 
himself  in  Martinsville,  and  chose  the  same 
line  as  his  father  had  carried,  that  of  drugs 
and  gi-oceries.  In  ISOl:,  he  was  married  in 
Sullivan     County,    Ind.,    to    Miss    Amanda 


Knotts,  daughter  of  Ambrose  Knotts.  She 
was  born  in  Sullivan  Coirnty,  Ind.,  1810. 
Ml',  and  Mrs.  Gamble  have  had  two  children, 
one  son  aud  one  daughter — Harry  and  Nel- 
lie. He  is  a  lifelong  Democrat,  and  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Masonic  fraternity.  Since  first 
starting,  he  has  continued  in  the  same  busi- 
ness, and  has  been  one  of  the  most  successful 
business  men  of  the  town.  Besides  his  stock 
of  goods,  which  averages  about  $8,000,  and 
his  property  in  town,  he  has  about  sis  hun- 
dred acres  of  land.  He  is  also  in  the  grain 
business,  the  firm  being  Gamble  &  Fessen- 
back.  They  have  been  in  the  gi-ain-buying 
for  about  three  years.  His  average  yearly 
sales  of  dnigs  aud  groceries  reaches  about 
$18,000. 

H.  GASAWAY,  Justice  of  the  Peace 
and  insurance  agent,  Martinsville,  was 
born  in  Parke  County,  Ind.,  December 
4,  18-18,  to  Peter  and  Loveless  (French) 
Gasaway.  He  was  a  native  of  Ken- 
tucky, born  in  1815.  She  was  a  native 
of  Indiana,  was  raised  in  Vermilion  Coun- 
ty, Ind.  She  died  in  Ne\vport,  Ind., in  185'2. 
In  1856,  he  left  Parke  County,  and  moved  to 
Terre  Haute,  and  from  there  to  Sullivan, 
Ind.,  February,  1857,  but  resided  there  till 
July,  1867;  returned  to  Terre  Haute,  and 
December,  1867,  they  moved  to  Marshall,  111. 
He  resided  in  Marshall  till  1876,  and  then 
removed  to  Arkansas.  Oui'  subject  had  Mar- 
shall for  his  home  till  1872,  but  most  of  the 
time  was  traveling  in  the  photographing 
business.  In  1872,  he  removed  to  this  place, 
and  was  in  the  photogi'aph  business  with  V. 
E.  Bean  for  five  years  and  a  half.  He  was 
then  elected  Justice  of  the  Peace,  April, 
1876,  and  since  has  served  as  Justice  of  the 
Peace.  In  1874,  he  began  in  the  insurance 
business,  and  since  that  has  represented  most 
of  the  leading  stock  companies  in  the  United 
States,  at  one  time  representing  as  many  as 


114 


BIOGRAPHIC  AJ.: 


fifteen.  He  now  is  agent  for  the  iEtna  of 
Hartford,  Phcenix  of  Hartford,  the  Phcenix 
of  New  York,  the  Hartford  of  Hartford, 
Continental  of  New  York,  the  American 
Central  of  St.  Louis,  the  German  of  Peoria, 
111.  He  has  also  been  Notary  Public  since 
1876.  He  received  his  education  in  the 
academy  of  Sullivan,  Ind. ,  but  left  school  at 
fifteen  years  of  age  and  entered  a  print- 
ing office  at  Sullivan,  Ind.,  under  Murray 
Briggs,  and  remained  there  over  two  years, 
and  then  went  into  tlie  office  of  I.  M.  Brown, 
the  Sullivan  County  Union  office;  remained 
with  Brown  for  about  six  months.  His  father 
was  one  of  the  earliest  photographers  in 
Indiana,  and  our  subject  was  raised  to  the 
business,  and  after  quitting  the  printing 
office  of  I.  M.  Brown  he  followed  photogra- 
phy till  he  entered  ui^on  his  office  of  Justice 
of  the  Peace.  He  was  married,  November 
18,  1879,  in  Martinsville,  to  Mrs.  Rachel 
(Duncan)  Wagner,-  daughter  of  George  and 
Mary  A.  Duncan,  and  widow  of  A.  B.  Wag- 
ner. She  was  born  in  Sullivan  County,  Ind., 
February  10,  1856.  Her  parents  were  both 
raised  near  Terre  Haute,  Ind.,  and  are  both 
living  in  Martinsville — a  farmer  at  present 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity, 
becoming  a  member  January  17, 1870;  he  took 
his  first  degree  in  the  Marshall  Lodge,  133. 
In  the  summer  of  the  same  year  took  the 
chapter  degree  in  the  Marshall  Chapter,  No. 
70.  At  present  is  member  of  the  Clark  Lodge, 
603,  at  Martinsville;  also  retains  his  mem- 
bership in  the  Chapter  of  Marshall.  He 
is  also  a  member  of  the  Success  Lodge, 
1204,  Knights  of  Honor,  of  Martinsville. 
He  is  Democratic  in  politics.  In  1880,  he 
was  re-elected  Justice  of  the  Peace,  and  is 
serving  his  second  term.  He  has  been  Clerk 
of  the  village,  serving  three  terms.  He  has 
represented  the  Success  Lodge,  1204,  in  the 
Grand  Lodge  of  the  State  twice,    and   lias 


tilled  the  offices  of  Past  Dictator,  Reporter 
and  Treasurer,  and  is  at  j)resent  Financial 
Rei^orter  and  Treasiu-er.  In  the  Blue  Lodge, 
A.,  F.  &  A.  M.,  he  has  filled  all  of  the  offices 
2)ro  tern.,  but  has  been  elected  Secretary, 
Junior  Warden,  and  is  at  present  Senior 
Warden. 

J.  W.  GREENWELL,  stock  dealer, 
Martinsville,  was  born  in  Berkeley  Coun- 
ty, Va.,  1832,  to  John  and  Margaret 
(Curtis)  Greenwell.  They  were  both 
born  in  Virginia,  but  moved  to  Knox 
County,  Ohio,  1834,  and  in  1847  came 
to  Clark  County,  111.,  and  settled  in  Pai-ker 
Prairie,  south  of  Casey.  He  died  there  in 
185o,  and  she  in  1854.  By  trade  he  was  a 
carpenter,  but  also  followed  farming.  They 
first  moved  into  a  rented  cabin  in  Parker 
Prairie,  when  there  were  but  three  houses  in 
the  prairie,  and  when  most  of  the  land  was 
Government  land.  There  were  only  two 
schoolhouses  anywhere  near  them;  one  six 
miles  south  of  Case}',  and  the  other  at  Mar- 
tinsville. These  were  also  used  to  hold 
meetings  in,  and  then  if  services  were  held 
in  the  community,  it  was  in  the  private 
houses.  They  were  the  parents  of  ten  chil- 
dren, of  whom  om-  subject  is  the  eighth  child. 
Five  of  the  ten  are  now  living.  Our  subject 
received  most  of  his  education  in  this  county; 
attending  the  school  near  home,  and  then  the 
one  in  Martinsville.  In  1850,  he  left  home 
and  came  to  Martinsville,  where  he  remained 
for  two  years.  February,  1853,  ho  was  mar- 
ried, in  Clark  County,  to  Ellen  J.  Wood. 
She  was  born  in  Muskingum  County.  Ohio, 
1827,  to  William  and  Mary  (Lampton)  Wood. 
They  were  both  born  in  Virginia,  and  came 
to  Clark  County,  111.,  1840.  and  died  here. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Greenwell  have  three  children 
living-  -James  W.,  George  R.  and  Mary.  After 
Mr.  Greenwell  was  married,  he  moved  onto 
his    present   farm,    one  and    one-half  miles 


MARTINSVILLE   TOWNSHIP. 


115 


northwest  of  Martinsville,  in  Parker  Town- 
ship. His  farm  now  consists  of  400  acrss. 
all  but  fifty  of  which  is  in  cultivation.  Mr. 
Greenwell's  occupation  has  always  been  that 
of  farming  and  dealing  in  stock,  and  in  1877 
he  began  buying  and  shipping  live  stock 
from  Martinsville.  His  average  yearly  ship* 
ment  of  hogs  reaches  about  a  thousand  head. 
When  first  starting  into  life  for  himself,  he 
had  nothing  at  all;  and  his  success  has  been 
the  result  of  his  own  energy.  He  and  his 
wife  are  members  of  the  Christian  Church. 
He  is  Eepublican  in  politics. 

F.  J.  HAINES,  operator  and  station  agent, 
Martinsville.  The  subject  of  this  sketch  was 
born  in  Clinton  County,  Ohio,  September  3, 
1853,  to  Cyrus  F.  and  Almira  (Haynes)  Haines, 
who  are  now  both  living  in  Hendi-ieks  County, 
Ind.  He  was  born  in  North  Carolina  Novem- 
ber 27,1830,  she  in  Clinton  County,  Ohio,18B5. 
They  have  five  children  living,  of  whom  our 
subject  is  the  oldest.  By  trade,  his  father  is 
a  carpenter,  and  came  from  North  Carolina 
when  he  was  about  fifteen  years  old.  Our 
subject  received  his  education  in  Clayton, 
Hendricks  Co.,  Ind.  When  he  was  at  the 
age  of  twenty  years,  he  began  to  learn  tele- 
graphing, under  Mr.  Hartwell,  of  Clayton, 
but  now  of  Casey,  and  since  beginning  at 
Clayton  he  has  been  employed  by  the  Van- 
dalia  line.  April  13,  1880,  he  was  located 
at  this  point,  and  has  continued  here  since, 
acting  as  agent  and  operator.  July  2,  1878, 
he  was  married,  in  Keokuk,  Iowa,  to  Louisa 
Menz,  who  was  born  in  Highland,  111.,  to 
John  and  Chi-istina  ]\Ienz.  Mi-,  and  Mrs. 
Haines  have  one  little  son,  Harry  Lee,  born 
February  6,  1882.  Mr.  Haines  is  a  member 
of  the  Knights  of  Honor;  is  also  Republican 
in  politics.  Through  close  attention  to  busi- 
ness, and  gentlemanly  bearing,  Mr.  Haines 
has  gained  the  good  will  of  all  in  Martins- 
ville. 


WILLIAM  HAMMEELY.  dealer  in  wines, 
liquors,  etc.,  Martinsville,  was  born  in  Chilli- 
cothe,  Ohio,  September  27, 1843,  to  Joseph  and 
Rosa  (Kramer)  Hammerly.     He  was  born  in 
AVurtemberg,   and   she  in  Baden,  Germany. 
Immediately  after  their  marriage,  they  came 
to  America,  and  settled  in  Chillicothe,  Ohio. 
In  1854,  they  came  to  Clark  County,  111. ,  and 
settled  about   five  miles  south  of  IMarshall, 
Our  subject  remained  on   the  farm  till  1857, 
when   he    went  to  Terre    Haute,   Ind.,    and 
leai-ned  the  trade  of   weaver,   working  there 
for  foiu-  years.       September  22,  1861,  he  en- 
listed  in    Company    E,    Nineteenth    United 
States  Regulars,  Capt.  Mussey,  of  Cincinnati. 
He  served  the  time  of  his  fii-st  enlistment  and 
then  re-enlisted  in  the'  Second  Indiana  Cav- 
alry  under  Capt.    Debenbraugh.      He   then 
sei-ved  till  the  close  of  the  war,  when  he  was 
mustered  out  at  Edgefield,   Tenn.       Most  of 
the  time  during  the   last  year  in   service  he 
was    Orderly    for    Col.    George  Pui-dy,   and 
still  has  passes  which  he  had  to  permit  his 
going  through  the  picket  lines.       He  was  in 
the  battle  of  Shiloh,  Miu-fi-eesboro,  etc.,   and 
went   through  the  entire   service  without  a 
wound — except    having    his    feet  frozen    at 
Green  River,  Ky.  After  retvirning  home  from 
the  service,  he  went  to  Indianapolis,   where 
he  remained  till  1873.      Two   years  of  the 
time  while  in  Indianapolis,  he  was   engaged 
to  Messrs.  Smith  &  Edenbaugh  in  their  stone 
and  marble  yards,    and  while   with  them  he 
helped   to   erect   Roberts'    Chapel,    on   Del- 
awai-e  street.       In  the  fall  of  1873,  he  came 
to  Martinsville,  and   engaged    in  the  confec- 
tionery and  bakery  business,    and  continued 
in  the  same  till  June,    1882.       In  February, 
1882.  he  also  took  charge  of  the  St.  Nicholas 
House,  of  IMartinsville.    and   was  proprietor 
of  it  till  November,  1882.      June  23,    1882, 
he  started  into  his  present  business,  of  dealer 
in  wines,  liquors,  etc.      September  23.  1871, 


116 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


in  Indianapolis,  Ind.,  he  was  married  to  Miss 
Sophia  Richards.  Slie  is  a  native  of  Ind- 
iana, and  daiighter  of  Ruel  and  Elizabeth 
Richards.  Both  are  now  living  in  Terre 
Haute,  Ind.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hammerly  have 
four  children — Charles,  Nora,  Nellie  and 
Harry.     He  is  Republican  in  polities. 

H.  C.  HOWELL,  agricultui'al  implements 
and  Justice  of  the  Peace,  Martinsville,  was 
born  in  Virginia,  1832,  and  was  left  an  or- 
phan when  six  days  old;  his  father  died  be- 
fore his  birth.  At  his  mothei  's  death,  he  was 
taken  into  the  family  o"  Coldwell  Can-,  and 
was  raised  as  one  of  their  own  children  until 
he  was  foui-teen  years  old,  when  Mr.  Carr 
told  him  who  his  jiarents  were,  and  gave  him 
the  choice  whether  to  learn  a  trade  or  go  into 
a  store.  At  iirst  he  chose  the  store,  but  after 
ten  months'  trial  he  was  not  satisfied  with  it, 
so  he  returned  home  and  wont  to  school  for 
some  time,  and  then  entered  the  saddle  and 
harness  shop  of  Daniel  Campbell,  of  Wash- 
ington, D.  C,  and  remained  with  him  for 
some  years,  and  then  went  to  Leesburg,  Va, 
Loudoun  County,  and  worked  at  his  trade  for 
about  three  years.  Then  to  Martinsburg, 
Berkeley  Co. ,  Va. ,  and  was  there  durinw  the 
cholera  scoru-ge  of  the  place,  where  no  one 
was  allowed  to  leave  the  town  for  fear  of 
spreading  it.  In  1856,  he  left  Martinsburg, 
Va.,  and  came  to  Martinsville,  111.,  and  went 
into  the  employ  of  William  G.  Files,  in  the 
saddle  and  harness  business.  Mr  Files  was 
also  Justice  of  the  Peace  and  Postmaster  at 
the  time.  Mr.  Howell  carried  on  the  busi- 
ness for  Mr.  Files  till  the  time  of  his  death 
— 1860.  He  then  succeeded  Mr.  Files  in  the 
saddle  and  harness  business,  and  continued 
in  that  till  1861,  when  he  entered  the  serv- 
ice, going  in  at  the  first  call  for  three  months 
in  Madison's  Battery,  but  they  were  never 
mustered  in.  So  he  returned  home  and  en- 
listed in  the  One  Hundi-ed  and  Twenty-third 


Illinois  Infantry,  and  sei-ved  till  he  lost  his 
hearing  and  had  to  quit  the  service  August, 
1864.  At  the  time  he  was  disabled,  he  was 
First  Lieutenant  and  had  command  of  the 
Company.  He  was  in  the  battles  of  PeiTy- 
ville,  Ky.,  Milton,  Tenn.,  Hoover's  Gap, 
Farmington,  Rome,  Ga.,  etc.  Also  in  the 
charge  of  Big  Shanty.  After  retm-ning  home, 
he  again  went  into  his  old  business  of  sad- 
dles and  hai'ness,  and  continued  till  1874, 
when  he  sold  out  and  engaged  in  his  present 
business  of  agricultural  implements.  Since 
1867,  he  has  been  Justice  of  the  Peace  in 
connection  with  his  other  business.  In  1857, 
he  was  married  to  Catharine  Alexander.  She 
was  bom  in  Edgar  County,  111.,  1839.  They 
have  four  childi-en  living — Maiy  A.  (Polk), 
Retta  (Tyler),  William  C.  and  Lulu.  He  is 
a  member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity,  also  of 
the  I.  O.  O.  F.  and  Knights  of  Honor,  and 
is  Republican  in  politics. 

ISAAC  ISHLER,  Postmaster,  Martins- 
ville, was  born  in  Wayne  County,  Ohio,  Octo- 
ber 15,  1841,  to  George  and  Martha  (Gar- 
rett) Ishler;  both  were  born  in  Pennsylvania. 
In  1852,  they  moved  to  Clark  County,  and 
have  resided  in  this  county  and  township 
ever  since,  and  are  now  both  living  at  Martins- 
ville. He  is  a  cabinet  maker  by  trade. 
They  had  thirteen  children,  of  whom  six 
boys  and  five  girls  are  still  living.  Our  sub- 
ject is  the  second  oldest  son  now  living.  He 
received  most  of  his  education  in  the  school 
of  Martinsville.  By  trade  he  is  a  cabinet- 
maker and  undertaker,  learning  it  at  Marshall, 
with  Nathan  Husted.  He  worked  at  his  trade 
till  the  beginning  of  the  war.  and  then  en- 
listed in  Thirtieth  Illinois  Infantiy — Capt. 
Bradshaw.  He  served  nearly  three  years, 
and  then  re-enlisted  with  the  veterans,  serving 
for  about  four  years  in  all.  He  entered  as 
private,  then  was  Corporal  and  Sergeant, 
but  was  brevetted  Second  Lieutenant  at   the 


MARTINSVILLE    TOWNSHIP. 


in 


close  of  the  war.  He  was  at  Ft.  Donelson, 
Champion  Hill,  first  siege  of  Corinth,  siege 
of  Vicksbui'g,  and  Sherman's  grand  march 
to  the  sea.  After  his  dischai-ge,  he  came  to 
Martinsville,  and  has  been  here  ever  since, 
working  at  his  trade  for  some  time,  and  then 
sold  out  his  undertaking  and  furnitiu-e  and 
went  into  clerking  in  gi'ocery  and  provision 
store  and  post-office.  His  brother  was  Post- 
master under  Hayes'  Administration,  but 
resigned  about  a  year  before  the  time  was  out, 
and  om-  subject  was  appointed  and  has  tilled 
the  office  of  Postmaster  ever  since.  In  July, 
1875,  he  was  married  in  this  county  to  Sierra 
Nevada  Bennett,  daughter  of  George  Bennett. 
She  was  born  in  this  county.  They  have 
one  daughter— Edna  B.  Our  subject  is  Re- 
publican in  politics.  He  and  wife  are  mem- 
bers of  the  Methodist  Church,  and  he  is  a 
member  of  the  L  O.  O.  F.,  of  Martinsville. 
George  Bennett,  his  wife's  father,  came  to 
this  county  about  1839,  and  was  one  of  the 
earliest  in  "  Moonshine"  prairie,  his  present 
residence.  He  moved  from  Ohio  to  this 
State. 

JERRY  ISHLER,  merchant,Martinsville, 
was  born  in  West  Lebanon,  Wayne  Co., Ohio, 
December  IG,  1842,  to  George  and  Martha 
Ishler  (see  sketch  of  Isaac  Ishler).  Till 
the  age  of  nine  j-ears,  he  lived  in  W^ayne 
County,  and  then  came  to  Clark  County  in 
May,  1862,  and  this  has  been  his  home  al- 
most all  his  life  since.  He  attended  school 
in  Wayne  County,  Ohio,  till  they  removed 
to  this  place,  and  afterward  in  Martinville. 
At  the  age  of  eighteen,  in  1801,  he  started 
to  learn  the  trade  of  harness-maker,  but  soon 
after  enlisted  in  the  army.  In  May,  1861,  he 
enlisted  in  Company  B,  Second  Regiment 
Illinois  Light  Artillery — Capt.  Relley  Madi- 
son. He  served  till  August  31,  1864,  when 
he  received  his  discharge  at  Springfield,  111., 
at  the   expiration  of    his  term  of  enlistment. 


Most  of  the  time  they  were  in  the  Army  of 
the  Tennessee  and  the  Ai-my  of  the  Missis- 
sippi, serving  under  Gens.  Logan,  Sherman, 
Grant,  etc.  Their  active  service  commenced 
in  Northwestern  Missouri,  but  were  trans- 
ferred to  the  Army  of  the  Tennessee  March, 
1862,  landing  at  Pittsburg  Landing,  Tenn. . 
and  were  engaged  in  the  battle  of  Shiloh,  in 
the  siege  of  Corinth,  and  also  in  the  battle 
of  Corinth,  November,  1862.  They  were 
then  transferred  to  the  army  of  the  Missis- 
sippi, and  did  guard  duty  at  Memphis  for  a 
few  months,  and  then  started  to  meet  Sher- 
man on  his  march  to  the  sea,  but  met  Forrest, 
Chalmers  and  Van  Dorn,  and  were  repulsed, 
lost  all  their  battery,  etc.,  and  had  to  retreat 
back  to  Memphis— about  140  miles.  That 
ended  the  active  service  of  the  company. 
After  returning  from  the  army,  Mr.  Ishler 
went  back  into  the  harness  shop  to  complete 
his  trade,  continuing  there  till  1868.  He 
then  went  to  clerking  in  a  general  store.  In 
1869,  he  worked  on  the  Vandalia  road,  as 
they  were  building  it.  Spring  of  1870,  he 
went  to  Kansas,  stopping  till  October,  1870, 
and  then  returned  and  began  clerking,  and 
continued  till  1871,  in  spring,  and  was  elected 
Police  Magistrate,  and  served  for  one  term. 
In  1873,  he  engaged  in  business  for  himself, 
and  has  continued  in  a  general  merchandise 
business  since.  He  carries  a  stock  of  about 
11,500,  with  yearly  sales  of  about  $7,500. 
In  1875,  he  was  elected  President  of  the 
Town  Board,  serving  for  one  year.  He  was 
commissioned  Postmaster  by  Marshall  Jew- 
ell, September,  1873,  and  held  that  office 
till  1880,  and  then  resigned.  He  was 
married  in  1805,  in  Martinsville,  to  Miss 
P.  A.  Neer,whowasborn  in  Richland  County, 
Ohio,  in  October,  1843,  daughter  of  Josiah 
and  Martha  Neer.  They  have  four  children 
— Pontius,  Nina,  Lizzie  E.  and  Jesse  G. 
He  is  Republican   in  politics,  and  a  member 


118 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


of  the  Masonic  fraternity,  having  been  in- 
itiated in  ISG'J;  also  a  member  of  the  Knights 
of  Honor.  Mr.  Ishler  has  been  connected 
with  the  Martinsville  Express  for  ten  years 
as  its  local  editor  and  correspondent. 

HENRY  ISHLER,  undertaker,  Martins- 
ville, vyas  born  in  West  Lebanon,  Wayne  Co., 
Ohio,  December,  1846,  to  George  Ishler. 
(See  sketch  of  Isaac  Ishler).  He  received 
his  education  in  this  county,  attending  the 
school  of  Martinsville,  and  afterward  the  col- 
lege at  Westfield,  quitting  school  in  1868. 
For  some  years  he  did  whatever  kind  of 
work  came  handy  to  do — working  at  car- 
penter's trade,  at  cabinet- making  with  his 
father,  and  also  on  railroad,  as  it  was  being 
built  through  here.  In  1875,  he  began  his 
present  business  of  undertaker,  and  has  con- 
tinued it  to  the  present  time,  carrying  such 
a  stock  of  goods  as  will  meet  the  demands 
of  his  trade;  alao  having  hearse,  teams,  etc. 
He  was  married  1868  in  Martinsville  to 
Rhoda  Suavely,  daughter  of  John  Suavely, 
one  of  the  old  settlers  in  Martinsville.  She 
was  born  in  Martinsville  in  1852.  They  have 
one  daughter — Ivah — born  February,  1875. 
He  is  Republican  in  politics.  He  and  wife 
belong  to  the  Church  of  God.  Mx.  Ishler 
has  lived  in  this  county  since  he  was  six 
years  old,  first  living  about  one  mile  north 
of  town  and  then  one  mile  east,  till  1868, 
they  moved  to  Martinsville. 

S.  L.  LEFFLER,  hardware,  Martinsville, 
was  bom  in  Muskingum  County,  Ohio,  1837, 
to  Henry  and  Lydia  (Weller)  Leffler.  He 
was  a  native  of  Pennsylvania  and  she  of 
Ohio.  He  died  April,  1865,  in  Terre  Haute, 
Ind.,  at  the  age  of  fifty-six  years.  She  died 
in  this  county  about  the  same  age,  in  1871. 
They  were  the  parents  of  eight  children — 
three  boys  and  live  girls — of  whom  three  are 
now  living.  Our  subject  was  the  fourth 
child.      In  1846,  the  parents  moved  to  Clark 


Count}',  III.,  settling  about  two  and  a  half 
miles  northwest  of  Martinsville.  Remained 
there  till  1861,  then  went  to  Terre  Haute, 
and  our  subject  remained  there  for  three 
yeai's,  and  then  returned  to  the  farm.  Mr. 
Henry  Leffler  was  a  cooper  by  trade  and 
was  following  his  trade  in  Terre  Haute  at 
the  time  of  his  death.  Our  subject  also 
learned  the  cooper's  trade  of  his  father  and 
worked  at  it  during  the  three  years  in  Terre 
Haute.  He  and  his  brother  run  a  stave 
mill  in  this  county  from  1864  to  1871,  on 
the  old  farm.  He  then  followed  farming 
till  1881,  when  he  moved  to  Martinsville  and 
entered  into  the  hardware  business  May, 
1882,  his  brother  still  ccmtinuing  on  the  farm. 
In  his  business  here,  he  carries  a  stock  of 
about  ^1,500,  with  sales  averaging  about 
$400  per  month  since  starting.  He  also 
retains  his  home  farm.  Mr.  Leffler  was 
married  in  Clark  County,  1868,  to  Ma- 
tilda A.  Altland.  She  was  born  in  Ohio, 
Stark  County,  1847,  to  Peter  and  Cath- 
erine Altland.  He  died  about  1850. 
She  is  now  Mrs.  Hanley,  and  is  living  in 
this  county.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Leffler  have  six 
children,  of  whom  five  are  still  living — Cora 
F.,  Priscilla  A.,  Levi  Ai'thui-,  Lyman  Edwin, 
Clarence  Luther  (deceased)  and  Myrtle  Ari- 
zona. He  and  wife  are  members  of  the  Lu- 
theran Chiu'ch,  He  is  Democratic  in  politics. 
Ml-.  Leffler  has  had  to  rely  upon  his  own  self 
since  starting  in  life,  and  they  had  to  go 
through  all  the  hardships  of  an  early  settled 
country,  going  to  horse  mills,  and  laying 
out  night  waiting  for  grinding;  and  other 
incidents  necessary  to  early  settlers. 

WILLIAM  LINDSEY,  Martinsville,  was 
born  in  Owen  County,  Ind.,  May  21,  1821,  to 
Vincent  and  Martha  (Warren)  Liudsey.  The 
father  was  born  in  Kentucky,  1789,  and  re- 
mained there  till  he  was  ten  years  old,  when 
his  father  moved  to  Lawrenceburg,  Ind.     In 


MARTINSVILLE    TOWNSHIP. 


119 


1813,  he  retm-ned  to  his  native  State  and  was 
there  luaiTied  to  the  mother  of  our  subject  be- 
tween  Lexington   and  Frankfort,  Ky.     She 
was  born  and  raised  there.     After  they  were 
married,  he  moved   back  to  Indiana,  and  re- 
mained there  till  1830;  they  moved  to  Edgar 
County,    111.,    and     in    1836,    to    this,  Clark 
County,  and    made   this   his    heme    till    the 
time   of   his   death — 1862.     They  were   the 
parents  of  four   childi-en,  of    whom  oiu'  sub- 
ject   is    the   youngest.      Our  subject  aud  his 
oldest  brother   are  the   only  ones  now  living 
of  the  family.    Mr.  Vincent  Lindsey's  desire 
was  to  come  to  the  cheap  lands  where  he  could 
make  a   home  and   have  his  children  around 
him :  so  he  gave  each   about  ninety  acres   of 
laud  for  them  to  make  a  start.     Our  subject's 
opportunities    for    an    education   were    very 
limited,  there  being   only  the   three  months 
winter   schools    which   he  could  attend,  and 
they    were    kept    by    subscription.     But    as 
many  other   pioneer   boys,  he  made  the  most 
of  it,  and  did    not    quit  his  study  as  soon  as 
out  of   the   school-room,  but  by  perseverance 
he  completed  a  law  coui'se  and  was  admitt<}d 
to  the  bar    in    1865.     He   ha:;    not   followed 
the  practice  of  law  as  an   advocate  to  any  ex- 
tent, but    as    an  aid    in  his  business  career. 
He  remained    on  the  farm  till  he  was   thirty- 
three  years  old,  and  then   moved  to  Martins- 
ville and  entered  the  mercantile  business, but 
continued  in  that  only  for    a   few  years,  and 
then  went  into  the  real  estate  and  stock  busi- 
ness, which  he  followed  for    about  ten  years. 
In  1874,  he  was   employed   by  the  Vandalia 
line  as   local   attorney  and  adjusting   agent. 
He    continued    in   this   till  February,  1882. 
Since  that  time  he  has  given  his  attention  to 
the  Toledo,  Texas  &  Rio  Grande  Railroad, 
a  company  of   which  Mi\  Lindsay  is   one  of 
the  incorporators,  and   is    at    present  oqg  of 
the  directors  and   Assistant  Superintendent. 
This  road  is  one   of   the  connecting  links  of 


the  narrow-gauge  system  between  Toledo 
and  the  City  of  Mexico,  and  extends  from 
Cairo,  111.,  through  Martinsville,  to  near 
Metcalf,  111.,  to  the  point  of  intersection 
with  the  Toledo,  Cincinnati  &  St.  Louis 
R.  R.,  and  at  present  writing  they  are  almost 
ready  to  begin  work  on  the  road.  April  25, 
1844,  in  Martinsville,  ovu-  subject  was  mar- 
ried to  Rebecca  Jane  McCroiy.  She  was 
born  in  Jefferson  County,  Ind.,  near  the  old 
town  of  Paris,  November  15,  1827,  To  them 
four  children  have  been  born,  three  sons 
and  one  daughter — Alexander,  John  Quincy, 
James  M.  and  Laura  Bell.  She  is  now  the 
wife  of  Mr.  Elmer  "Williams,  an  attorney  of 
Terre  Haute,  Ind.  The  three  brothers  are  in 
the  hardware  business  in  Martinsville.  Our 
subject  was  a  charter  member  of  the  I.  O. 
O.  F.,  established  here  in  1853.  Of  the 
number,  only  four  are  now  living — T.  B. 
McClure,  B.  F.  McClure,  B.  F.  McKeeu 
and  William  Lindsey;  all  the  other  charter 
members  are  dead.  He  has  been  a  Repub- 
lican in  politics,  and  has  been  since  the 
party  was  orgpnized,  and  when  there  were 
but  fovir  in  the  townshij)  who  would  acknowl- 
edge the  party.  Mi'.  Lindsey  has  not  been 
without  jJolitical  honors — was  a  number  of 
times  a  member  of  the  county  board  of  Su- 
pervisory and  in  1876  was  elected  a  member 
of  the  State  Legislatm-e  from  his  district. 
When  first  starting  in  life,  his  father  gave 
him  about  ninety  acres  of  land,  but  he  has 
not  been  idle  since.  He  now  has  a  farm  of 
320  acres,  a  handsome  residence  in  town,  be- 
sides a  brick  business  building,  20x80,  and 
other  property.  Mr.  Lindsey  was  one  of  the 
main  workers  in  bringing  the  Vandalia  road 
to  this  place,  and  has  always  done  his  utmost 
for  Martinsville's  interests,  and  has  been  one 
of  the  leading  citizens. 

F.  S.  MAXWELL,    jeweler,  Martinsville, 
was  born  in  Franklin  County,  Ind.,  January 


130 


BIOGEAPHICAL: 


15,  1853,  to  William  and  Elizabeth  A.  (Max- 
well) Maxwoll.  He  was  born  nine  miles  from 
Philadelphia,  on  the  Lancaster  Pike.  He 
was  married  to  Elizabeth  A.  Maxwell,  June 
19,  1836,  at  her  home  on  the  banks  of  the 
Ohio  Eiver,  in^  Kentucky-  opposite  New 
Richmond.  He  then  returned  to  Philadel- 
phia and  worked  at  his  trade  of  ship  black- 
smith for  three  years,  and  in  1839,  moved  to 
a  fai-m  in  Franklin  County,  Ind.,  where  ho 
remained  for  twenty  years.  Then  becoming 
dissatisfied  he  decided  to  come  further  west. 
After  six  months'  search  for  a  suitable  place, 
they  settled  in  Anderson  Township,  Clark 
Co.,  111.,  in  the  fall  of  1859.  He  resided 
there  till  the  time  of  his  death — August  31, 
1881 — being  then  sixty-nine  years  five 
months  and  seven  days  of  age.  Death  to  him 
was  simply  a  change  to  a  brighter  world, 
where  he  would  meet  those  dear  to  him  in  a 
short  time.  Mrs.  Maxwell,  the  mother  of  our 
subject,  is  still  living.  They  were  the  par- 
ents of  five  children,  ^f  whom  our  subject  is 
the  third.  He  was  educated  in  the  common 
schools  of  this  and  Franklin  County,  Ind., 
November,  1875,  he  began  his  present  busi- 
ness of  jeweler,  and  has  continued  in  the 
same  since,  but  has  added  other  lines  of  trade 
also,  and  now,  besides  carrj'ing  a  stock  of 
jewelry,  clocks,  watches,  etc.,  he  also  deals 
in  sewing  machines  and  musical  instruments. 
Is  agent  for  the  New  Home  Sewing  Machine. 
He  makes  a  specialty  of  organs,  also  of  op- 
tical goods.  December  25,  1875,  he  was 
married  in  his  own  house  in  Martinsville, 
111.,  to  Martha  J.  Ludington,  the  adopted 
daughter  of  David  and  Sarah  Humphreys. 
Martha  Ludington  was  born  April  10,  1851, 
at  Warsaw,  Hancock  Co.,  111.,  to  Ananias 
and  Ellen  (Mannis)  Ludington.  He  was  born 
1802,  in  Dutchess  County,  N.  Y.  She  was 
born  in  Ohio.  They  were  married  in  Frank- 
lin County,  Ind. ,  1838.    He  died  in  Franklin 


County,  Ind.,  1874.  She  died  at  Dallas,  111., 
in  spring  of  1856.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Maxwell 
have  two  chi  Idren  living  and  one  dead.  Their 
first  child,  Arilla  G.,  was  born  September 
30,  1876,  and  died  Jtouary  20,  1877;  Charles 
A.,  born  January  27,  1878;  Cinderella  May, 
born  December  20,  1881.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Maxwell  ai-e  members  of  the  Baptist  Church 
of  Martinsville.  He  is  Democratic  in  politics. 
Through  his  own  industry  and  energy,  he 
has  made  his  own  way  in  life. 

DE.  W.  H.  McNARY,  physician,  Martins- 
ville, was  born  in  Mason  County,  Ky. ,  July 
14,  1821,  to  John  and  Sallie  (Tennis)  Mc- 
Nary.  He  was  born  1768  on  the  Potomac 
River,  Virginia,  and  died  in  this  county 
in  1861.  She  was  born  in  Bucks  County 
Penn.,1778,  and  died  here  October  14,  1844. 
By  occupation  he  was  a  farmer,  and  remem- 
bered well  the  time  of  the  Declaration  of  In- 
dependence and  incidents  of  the  Revolution- 
ary war.  In  spring  of  1840,  they  came  to 
Clark  County,  111.,  and  settled  on  a  farm 
seven  miles  from  Martinsville.  In  1826, 
they  had  moved  from  Kentucky  to  Green - 
castle,  Ind.,  and  from  there  came  to  this 
county.  In  Greencastle,  our  subject  re- 
ceived his  early  education,  and  before  com- 
ing to  Illinois  had  attended  one  session  of 
the  Asbury  University,  when  Dr.  Matthew 
Simpson  was  President.  He  also  attended 
a  school  after  coming  to  this  county,  taught 
by  S.  C.  Fox.  Our  subject  was  the  youngest 
of  twelve  children,  and  the  cai'e  of  his  par- 
ents in  their  old  age  fell  on  him,  as  the 
others  were  married  and  away  from  home. 
His  medical  education  was  obtained  in  this- 
county.  Dr.  Samuel  McNary  was  an  older 
brother  and  a  practicing  physician  at  Mel- 
rose, so  Dr.  W.  H.  studied  under  him,  and 
in  1847  commenced  practicing  with  him 
From  1847  till  the  present  time,  he  has  con- 
tinued   in   practice    in   this    county,    except 


MARTINSVILLE    TOWNSHIP. 


131 


three  years  spent  in  California.  In  1850,  lie 
and  his  brother  emigrated  to  California. 
WTaile  there  his  main  business  was  mining, 
but  also  practiced  to  some  extent.  In  1853, 
he  returned  to  Melrose  and  again  went  into 
practice  theru  with  his  bi'other,  who  had  also 
returned  from  California.  He  continued  in 
practice  there  till  1856;  he  then  came  to 
Martinsville,  but  in  1858  his  brother  died, 
and  he  returned  to  Melrose  to  settle  up  the 
estate;  so  he  practiced  there  for  about  one 
and  a  half  years,  and  then  came  here,  and 
has  ever  since  been  actively  engaged  in  fol- 
lowing his  profession.  In  Febmary,  1857, 
he  was  mamed  to  Miss  Lydia  Milligan,  who 
was  born  in  Ohio,  and  daughter  of  Thomas 
Milligan.  He  was  born  in  Ohio  and  moved 
to  Marshall.  111.,  in  the  winter  of  1856,  and 
in  the  spring  of  1857  he  moved  onto  his  farm 
west  of  Martinsville,  but  remained  there  only 
for  a  short  time,  when  he  sold  it  and  moved 
to  Martinsville.  By  trade  Mr.  Milligan  is  a 
carpenter,  and  has  followed  his  trade  to  quite 
an  extent  in  Martinsville,  building  and  over- 
seeing the  building  of  some  of  the  best  build- 
ings  here;  but  on  account  of  old  age  he  has 
retired  from  active  life  and  with  the  highest 
esteem  of  the  citizens  of  Martinsville,  gained 
by  his  unoffieious  ways,  and  by  his  being  a 
great  reader  and  thinker.  November,  1882, 
he  moved  to  Michigan  to  one  of  his  daugh- 
ters there.  In  September,  1864,  Dr.  McNary's 
tirst  wife  died.  By  her  he  had  thi'ee  sons; 
two  are  still  living — Byron  and  Herschel  V., 
Clement  L.  (deceased).  November  22,  1871, 
he  was  again  manned  to  Miss  Mary  V.  Steel. 
She  was  born  in  Paris,  111.,  daughter  of  Dr. 
Robert  Steel,  an  old  practicing  physician  of 
Edgar  County.  By  her  he  had  two  children, 
one  living — Eobert  P.  (William  H.,  de- 
ceased). The  Doctor  is  a  member  of  the 
.S^sculapian  Medical  Society  of  the  Wabash 
Vallev.  and   of    the   Illinois   State   Medical 


Society,  also  of  the  American  Medical 
Society.  He  has  been  President  of  the 
Jjjsculapian  Society,  and  has  represented 
it  at  Atlanta,  Ga,  and  Eichmond,  Va. ; 
was  also  elected  to  represent  the  same 
society  at  St.  Paul,  Minn.,  and  New 
York  City,  but  could  not  attend.  He  was 
sent  by  the  State  Medical  Society  to  repre- 
sent it  in  the  American  Medical  Society  in 
Buffalo,  N.  Y.  With  one  exception,  Dr. 
McNary  has  practiced  longer  in  this  county 
than  any  other  physician.  Dr.  Williams,  of 
Casey,  beginning  in  the  spring,  and  Dr. 
McNary  in  the  fall  afterward.  He  has, 
perhaps,  had  a  larger  practice  than  any  other 
physician  in  the  eoimty,  for  his  has  been  a 
constitution  that  could  bear  up  under  more 
exposure  than  most  others.  The  Doctor's  first 
and  only  entrance  into  political  life  was  No- 
vember 7,  1882,  when  he  was  elected  on  the 
Democratic  ticket  to  the  State  Senate. 

J.  D.  NICHOLS,  farmer.  P.  O.  Martins- 
ville. The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  born 
in  Adams  County.  111.,  June  27,  1835,  to 
Clark  and  Phcebe  (Morrison)  Nichols.  He 
was  born  in  Vermont  in  1804,  and  died  in 
Clark  County,  III.,  July,  1859,  and  is  bm'ied 
near  the  farm  he  settled  in  this  county.  She 
is  still  living  and  is  in  Kansas.  In  fall  of 
1835,  he  came  to  Clark  County  and  settled  in 
Darwin,  where  he  was  in  the  mei'cantile  busi- 
ness for  some  time.  In  1837,  he  settled  the 
present  farm  of  Mr.  J.  D.  Nichols.  When 
settling  there  first,  the  nearest  neighbors 
were  two  and  a  half  and  three  miles  distant. 
After  living  on  the  farm  for  some  years,  they 
then  went  to  Parker  Township,  where  he  was 
in  a  mill  for  about  five  years,  and  in  1848 
retui'ned  to  the  farm,  where  he  remained  till 
the  time  of  his  death.  Our  subject  is  the 
oldest  of  a  family  of  seven  boys  and  two 
girls;  and  as  his  father  was  one  of  the  early 
settlers,  his    boyhood   days  were  the  same  as 


122 


lilOGRArillCAL: 


those  of  most  frontiersmen  —helping  to  im- 
prove the  fai-m,  running  wolves,  deer,  etc., 
also  having  his  share  of  danger,  running 
from  fires,  etc.  But  he  was  a  boy  that  took 
to  the  hardships  as  well  as  the  pleasures  of 
frontier  life,  doing  his  part  all  the  time.  He 
received  his  education  in  the  schools  of  this 
county,  but  when  they  first  removed  to  the 
farm  there  were  no  schools  or  churches  near 
them,  so  his  first  term  of  school  was  in  Dar  ■ 
win,  then  in  Parker  Township,  but  after- 
ward in  his  home  district.  Their  first  house 
was  a  log  cabin  in  the  hazel  brush  of  "Island 
Grove, "  and  here  the  mother  would  stay  for 
weeks  at  a  time  with  her  two  small  children 
and  not  see  any  one,  while  the  father  was 
away  at  work.  Wolves  would  come  around 
the  cabin,  but  still  the  mother  cared  for  the 
stock  and  her  little  family.  Our  subject 
worked  on  the  farm  till  he  was  twenty-one 
years  old,  and  then  hired  to  John  Briscoe  and 
worked  for  him  for  three  years,  driving  cattle 
to  Chicago  and  other  Northern  markets.  In 
1858,  he  went  to  California,  but  on  account 
of  his  father's  sickness,  soon  returned,  and 
was  farming  till  1862,  when  he  and  his  four 
oldest  brothers  enlisted  in  the  army — two  in 
the  One  Hundred  and  Twenty-third  Illinois, 
and  three  in  Madison's  Battery.  Our  subject 
only  served  for  about  nine  months,  when  he 
was  discharged  on  account  of  injuries  re- 
ceived as  they  were  jiutting  up  breastworks 
at  Louisville,  Ky.  He  then  came  home  and 
remained  on  the  old  farm  most  of  the  time, 
till  1864,  when  his  mother  sold  out  the  farm 
to  William  Hoskins.  He  then  came  to  Mar- 
tinsville and  engajred  in  the  mercantile  busi- 
ness  for  about  three  years,  and  then  sold  out 
and  bought  a  farm  near  Darwin,  Clark 
County.  He  remained  on  the  farm  for  six 
years,  improving  it,  and  sold  it  in  1873.  He 
then  again  moved  to  Martinsville,  where  he 
engaged    in  trading  in    stock    for  two  years. 


He  then  bought  the  Nichols  House,  but  re- 
mained in  it  for  only  a  short  time  and  traded 
it  for  land,  which  he  again  traded  for  the 
old  homestead  of  his  father.  This  was  in 
spring  of  1875.  Since  that  time,  he  has  lived 
on  the  farm  part  of  the  time,  and  part  of 
the  time  rented  it  and  lived  in  Martinsville. 
The  farm  consists  of  400  acres,  and  is  well 
improved.  In  the  present  year,  he  has  rebuilt 
and  remodeled  his  residence  and  built  a  good 
barn.  Mr.  Nichols'  main  business  has  always 
been  trading  in  stock  or  anything  that  he 
might  think  would  make  any  money.  No- 
vember 26,  1859,  he  was  married  in  this 
township  to  Miss  E.  J.  Newman.  She  was 
born  in  Edgar  County,  111.,  February  14, 
1842,  to  Samuel  and  Eliza  (Dudley)  Newman. 
They  were  natives  of  Kentucky,  and  came  to 
Edgar  County,  111.,  about  1828,  moving  on 
horseback,  bringing  two  children  and  all 
their  household  goods  on  two  horses.  In 
1854,  they  came  to  Clark  County,  III,  and 
died  here — he,  July,  1861,  she,  January. 
1863.  They  were  the  parents  of  ten  children, 
five  of  whom  are  still  living.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Nichols  have  four  children  livmg  and  one 
dead — Viola,  Grace,  Harry  and  Lillie.  He 
is  Republican  in  polities,  and  is  a  member 
of  Masonic  fraternity. 

DR.  P.  A.  PEARSON,  physician,  Martins- 
ville, is  a  native  of  Hamilton  County,  lud., 
born  December  25,  1850,  to  Herman  and 
Nancy  (McMurtry)  Pearson.  He  was  born 
in  Vermont,  1804,  and  died  in  Hamilton  Coun- 
ty, Ind.,  1879,  after  living  in  the  county  for 
forty-seven  years,  and  on  the  same  farm. 
She  was  a  native  of  Ohio.  She  died  when 
the  Doctor  was  an  infant.  When  Herman 
Pearson  settled  in  Hamilton  County,  he  had 
to  cut  his  own  road  for  about  foxu:  miles 
through  the  green  forest  to  get  to  the  land 
which  he  had  entered  from  the  Government, 
and  in  the  township  there  were  but  four  or 


MARTINSVILLE    TOWNSHIP. 


123 


five  settlers  earlier  than  he.      His  life  was 
then  spent  iu  farming,   leading  a  quiet  life, 
but  practiced  medicine  among  the  settlers  till 
the  county  was  settled,  and  then  abandoned 
the  practice  of  medicine  and  gave  his  time 
to  his  farm.    In  1812,  they  were  driven  from 
their  home  in  Vermont  by  the  Indians,   and 
moved  to  Ohio,  where  his  father  settled  and 
followed    farming.     He    read    medicine    at 
Georgetown   with   Dr.  Buckner,   and    after- 
ward practiced  there  for  some  time.    He  had 
also  learned  the  carpenter's  trade,  and  while 
in  Georgetown  he  did  the  finishing  work  on 
Jesse  Grant's  house,  while  U.  S.  Grant  was  a 
boy  gi-inding  tan  bark  at  the  time.     He  was 
maiTied  in  Ohio,  but  his  first  wife  died  and 
he  afterward  man-ied  the  mother  of  our  sub- 
ject there.      Our  subject  received  most  of  his 
education  in  Hamilton  County,  attending  the 
graded  schools  of  Boxley  and  Sheridan.     He 
had  been  reading  his  father's  medical  works 
from  the  time   he  was  fifteen  years  old,  and 
in  1809  he  went  to  reading  with  Dr.  Burrows, 
of  Boxley.    He  read  with  him  over  two  years, 
and   then   came  to    Piatt   County,  HI.,    and 
commenced  the  practice  of  medicine,    May 
6,  1871,  and  practiced  there  for  three  years 
and  then  removed  to  Indiana,  again  to  Sheri- 
dan, practiced  there  for  three  years  and  then 
to  Clark  County,  1879,  and  located  six  miles 
south    of   county  seat,    and  remained  there 
till  October  1,  1882,  when  he  located  at  Mar- 
tinsville.     While  living  in  Piatt  County,  111., 
he  was  married,  February  2,  1875,  to  Malinda 
Eudy.     She  was  bom  in  York  County,  Penn. , 
October  30,  1854,  to  Jacob  and  Susan   (Ni- 
man)  Rudy.     Mrs.  Pearson's  grandfather  Ni- 
man  was  the  father  of  thirteen  children,   all 
of  whom  survived  him.     He  died  at  the  age 
of    ninety-one,    having  seventy-nine    grand- 
children and  forty-eight  great  grand-children. 
At  the  time  of  his  death,  all  of  the  chikli-en 
attended  his  funeral  and  many  of  the  grand- 


children and  great-grandchildren  also.  One 
of  his  grandsons,  Hon.  Levi  Maish,  was  rep- 
resenting his  district  in  Congress  at  the  time. 
Our  subject  has  two  childi-en,  William  Hen- 
dricks and  Gertie  Estella.  The  Doctor  is  a 
member  of  the  Christian  Chiu'ch.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  I.  O.  O.  F.,  and  also  of  the 
Knights  of  Honor,  and  is  Democratic  in  pol- 
itics. The  Doctor  has  always  been  very  suc- 
cessful in  the  practice  of  his  profession,  and 
has  established  for  himself  a  good  practice 
in  this  county. 

W.  H.  RANDAL,  groceries,  Martinsville, 
111.,  was  born  near  Westfield,  Clark  County, 
1834,  October  0,  to  Henry  and  Sarah  (Ben- 
nett) Randal.  They  came  from  Kentucky  to 
this  State  about  1830.  He  was  born  in  Ken- 
tucky and  she  in  Virginia.  In  their  family 
there  were  five  children,  of  whom  our  subject 
is  the  youngest.  He  was  reared  on  a  farm 
and  received  his  education  in  an  old  log 
schoolhouse,  and  remained  on  the  farm  with 
his  father  until  he  was  twenty-one  years  old, 
and  then  commenced  farming  for  himself  in 
Parker  Prairie  near  the  Round  Grove,  buy- 
ing 40  acres  at  the  start.  He  continued  farm- 
ing in  Parker  Township  from  spring  of  1856 
till  spring  of  1870  he  moved  to  Martinsville, 
aud  has  been  here  since.  In  summer  of  1872, 
he  started  in  his  present  business  of  family 
groceries,  and  has  continued  in  it  since.  In 
1856,  he  was  married  to  Nancy  J.  Kemper; 
she  was  born  in  Edgar  County,  111.,  March 
20,  1830,  to  Joseph  Kemper,  who  had  set- 
tled in  Edgar  County,  1834,  coming  from 
Virginia,  his  native  place  being  Culpepper 
County,  Va.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Randal  have 
four  children  living  and  one  dead— John  T., 
Sallie  L.,  Mary  J.,  Zona,  and  Rosa,  deceased. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity. 
He  is  a  Democrat  in  politics.  Mr.  Randal 
still  retains  his  farm,  which  consists  of  90 
acres.     He  carries  a  stock  of  about  §2,000, 


124 


BIOGRAPHICAL : 


and  his  yearly  sales  amount  to  about  $6,000 
to  18,000.  Mr.  Eandal  has  seen  most  of  the 
changes  that  have  taken  place  in  this  coun- 
ty, from  the  time  that  the  prairies  were  cov- 
ered with  tall  grass,  and  run  over  by  droves 
of  deer  till  the  present  time. 

J.  L.  EOBEETS,  milling,  Martinsville, 
was  born  in  Delaware  County,  Ohio,  1833,  to 
Hezekiah  and  Nancy  (I'lace)  Roberts.  They 
were  both  natives  of  Luzerne  County,  Penn. 
He  was  born  in  1797  on  the  Shawnee  Flats, 
on  the  Susquehanna  River.  In  1809,  his  par- 
ents moved  to  Delaware  County,  Ohio.  She 
was  born  in  1799,  and  her  parents  moved  to 
Ohio,  1813.  The  parents  of  our  subject  lived 
in  Ohio  iintil  1871,  when  they  came  to  Clark 
County,  111.  She  died  here  February,  1873, 
and  he  in  October  of  the  same  year.  They 
were  the  parents  of  nine  children,  seven  of 
whom  are  still  living  as  far  as  known.  Oui- 
subject  was  raised  on  a  farm,  but  as  his  father 
also  had  a  mill,  he  worked  in  that  part  of 
his  time.  He  was  educated  in  the  common 
schools  of  his  native  county,  attending  for 
several  terms  a  school  taught  in  an  old  farm- 
house, used  before  there  was  a  schoolhouse 
ever  built  in  the  district.  His  first  occupa- 
tion was  that  of  a  farmer,  but  he  also  learned 
the  carpenter's  trade  and  followed  that  for 
some  time.  In  1871,  he  came  to  this  county 
and  bought  a  farm  of  200  acres  six  miles 
south  of  Martinsville;  he  then  followed  farm- 
ing till  the  spring'of  1877;  he  came  to  Mar- 
tinsville and  went  into  his  present  floiu-ing 
mill  and  has  been  running  it  since.  Since 
buying  this  mill,  he  has  given  it  a  complete 
overhauling  and  has  put  in  almost  entirely 
new  machinery,  and  now  has  three  run  of 
buhrs,  and  everything  for  a  complete  custom 
mill.  In  1853,  he  was  married  in  Ohio  to 
Jane  Cosner,  who  was  born  in  Ohio  to  Jacob 
B.  and  Margaret  (Leonard)  Cosner.  He  was 
born  in  Virginia  and  she  in   Pennsylvania, 


and  both  are  still  living  in  Licking  County, 
Ohio.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Roberts  have  seven 
childi-en  living — J.  H.,  Leonard  W.,  Rosa 
Dell,  William  S.,  Lawrence  M.,  Ida  A.  and 
Lloyd  M.  He  is  Republican  in  politics.  In 
1864,  he  enlisted  in  Company  C,  One  Hundred 
and  Seventy -fourth  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry, 
Capt.  William  H.  Robb,  and  served  ten 
months  till  the  war  closed.  The  last  active 
service  that  Mr.  Roberts  did  was  to  help 
guard  arms  at  Durham's  Station  after  John- 
ston's surrender.  He  was  in  Gen.  Schofield's 
command  when  they  were  closing  in  on  John- 
ston, and  helped  to  repulse  Johnston  as  he 
tried  to  break  through. 

WESLEY  ROBERTS,  farmer,  P.  O.  Mar- 
tinsville, was  born  in  Shelby  County,  Ind., 
May  12,  1837,  to  William  and  Catherine 
(Billby)  Roberts.  He  was  born  June  17, 
1791,  in  Virginia,  and  died  August  27,  1873, 
in  Clark  County,  111.  She  was  born  in  New 
York  September  24,  1805,  and  died  in  Clark 
County  October  3,  1873.  The  father  moved 
to  Indiana  at  an  early  date,  when  Indianap- 
olis contained  but  three  houses,  and  they  log 
cabins.  He  lived  in  Shelby  County,  Ind., 
till  1860,  when  he  came  to  this  county  and 
here  resided  until  the  time  of  his  death.  They 
were  the  parents  of  two  children,  one  son 
and  one  daughter,  but  om-  subject  is  the  only 
one  now  living.  He  was  raised  on  a  farm 
and  received  his  education  in  Shelby  County, 
Ind.  He  remained  at  home  till  January  16, 
1862,  when  he  was  married  to  Miss  Ann 
Jones;  she  was  born  in  Coshocton  County, 
Ohio,  August  22,  1840,  to  Abram  Tegard 
and  Sarah  (Edmondson)  Jones.  They  were 
both  born  in  Virginia.  He  died  when  Mrs. 
Roberts  was  twelve  years  old,  and  she,  July 
3,  1881,  at  the  age  of  seventy-four  (see  sketch 
of  Edmond  Jones,  of  Marshall).  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Roberts  have  two  children  living — Ijilian 
Fayetty  and  Ceve  Vernon.     In  18G3,  Mr.  and 


MAKTINSVILLE    TOWNSHIP. 


127 


iVIrs.  Roberts  moved  to  their  present  farm, 
one  and  one  half  miles  south  of  Martinsville. 
It  consists  of  125  acres,  90  of  which  is  in  cul- 
tivation. When  they  moved  to  it,  it  was  but 
partly  improved.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Masonic  fraternity,  and  is  also  Republican  in 
politics.  His  occupation  has  always  been 
that  of  farming,  but  he  is  also  of  a  mechan- 
ical turn  of  mind,  and  in  September  27,  1881, 
be  prociu-ed  a  patent  for  the  "Novel  Baby 
Jumper "  and  stand  combined.  This  is  an 
ingenious  device  for  giving  small  children 
amusement  and  exercise,  where  they  will  be 
fi-ee  from  danger,  and  out  of  mischief,  and 
also  save  the  mrither  many  of  her  endless 
steps.  The  rights  of  this  patent  are  now  for 
sale,  which  should  give  Mr.  Roborts  a  hand- 
some return  for  his  ingenous  invention. 

JOHN  F.  SH^VrFNER,  farmer,  P.  O. 
Martinsville,  was  born  in  Lebanon  County, 
Penn.,  December,  1839,  to  John  B.  and  Mary 
E.  (Fiddler)  Shaffner.  They  were  both  born 
in  Lebanon  County;  he  in  1812,  she  in  1818. 
They  moved  to  Fayette  County,  Ind.,  1842, 
and  in  spring  of  1850  to  Clark  County,  111., 
and  settled  two  and.  one  half  miles  east  of 
Martinsville,  where  she  died  1872,  ho  in  Mar- 
tinsville, 1880.  They  were  the  parents  of 
four  children,  all  are  now  living.  By  trade 
he  was  a  carpenter,  but  only  followed  it  when 
he  was  a  young  man.  His  later  life  was 
spent  in  farming.  Our  subject  received  his 
education  in  the  common  schools  of  Fayette 
County,  Ind.,  and' Clark  County,  111.  His 
occupation  has  always  been  that  of  farming. 
He  has  always  farmed  on  the  old  homestead, 
renting  it  till  his  father's  death  and  then  it 
fell  to  his  part  of  the  estate.  He  now  has  a 
farm  of  240  acres,  besides  a  neat  i-esidence  in 
Martinsville.  He  was  married  in  this  coun- 
ty, 1874,  to  Sai-ah  Adelia  McFarland.  She 
was  born  in  Clark  County,  111.,  July  14,  1856, 
t(i  William  and  Margaret  (Dawson)  McFar- 


land. He  died  August,  1880.  She  is  still 
living  in  this  county.  She  was  born  in 
Pennsylvania,  but  he  in  Ohio.  They  were 
the  parents  of  eleven  children,  seven  of  whom 
are  still  living.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Shaffner  have 
three  children,  one  boy  and  two  girls — Hard- 
ford,  Maud  and  Pearl.  He  is  Democratic  in 
politics. 

NEWTON  TIBBS,  attorney,  Martinsville, 
was  born  in  Kentucky  July  19,  1854,  to 
Aaron  and  Mary  A.  (Wilcher)  Tibbs.  In 
1860,  the  family  moved  to  this  county  and  the 
mother  died  here  April,  1864.  The  father 
is  now  living  in  Southern  Kentucky.  At  the 
age  of  eleven  years,  our  subject  was  without 
a  mother,  and  without  a  home,  and  with  noth- 
ing. He  then  went  to  live  with  a  gentleman 
by  name  of  Philip  L.  Boyer,  a  farmer  in  the 
north  part  of  Clark  County.  'Mr.  Tibbs  re- 
mained with  him  for  alx>ut  eight  years,  work- 
ing in  the  summer  and  going  to  district 
school  in  the  winter.  In  the  fall  of  1873,  our 
subject  and  two  brothers  went  from  here  to 
Kansas,  going  by  wagon:  they  went  to  look 
at  the  country  and  to  take  an  excursion. 
They  retiu-ned  home  that  fall,  and  diu-ing  the 
winter  he  again  went  to  the  district  school, 
doing  chores  for  his  board.  For  the  succeed- 
ing'six  winters,  he  tatight  school,  but  worked 
on  a  farm  in  the  summers.  In  the  winter  of 
1878,  he  commenced  reading  law  nights  while 
teaching.  March,  1880,  he  went  to  Phillips 
County,  Kan.,  and  studied  law  with  Elihu 
Davis.  September,  1880,  he  was  admitted 
to  practice  law  in  the  District  Court  of  Kan- 
sas. December,  1880,  he  returned  to  this 
county,  to  Westfield,  and  practiced  law  there 
till  September,  1881.  In  June,  1881,  he  was 
admitted  to  practice  in  the  Supreme  Court  of 
Illinois.  Since  September,  1881,  he  has  been 
located  in  Martinsville.  August  30,  1877, 
he  was  married  in  this  coimty  to  Nancy  J. 
Redman.     vShe  was  born  in  this  county,  Sep- 


128 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


tember  28,  1857,  to  John  B.  aacl  Susan  (Eea- 
sor)  Redman.  They  were  both  from  near 
Louisville,  Ky.  He  died  1869.  She  is  still 
living  in  this  county.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Tibbs 
have  one  little  son,  Sebert  Otho,  born  August 
20,  1878.  Our  subject  is  Democratic  in  poli- 
tics, but  exercises  an  independent  right  of 
suffrage.  He  is  meeting  with  success  in  the 
practice  of  his  chosen  profession  he  so  well 
deserves,  for  his  has  been  a  life  which  re- 
quired great  moral  force  to  bear  him  up,  and 
it  was  not  found  wanting. 

DAVID  THOMPSON,  farmer,  P.  O.  Mar- 
tinsville, was  born  in  Knox  County,  Ohio, 
May  1,  1827,  to  Bennett  and  Rhuamy  (Ciurtis) 
Thompson.  Both  of  them  were  born  in 
Berkeley  County,  Va.  They  moved  to  Onio 
1826,  and  in  1850  to  Clark  County,  111.,  and 
settled  near  Martinsville,  in  Martinsville 
Township.  Both  died  here  within  three  days 
of  each  other  in  1854.  His  occupation  was 
that  of  a  farmer.  They  were  the  parents  of 
ten  children,  six  of  whom  are  still  living. 
Our  subject  was  educated  in  Knox  County, 
Ohio.  By  trade  he  is  a  shoe-maker,  having 
learned  the  trade  in  Ohio,  and  came  to  this 
county  in  1849  and  started  at  his  trade  in  Mar  - 
tinsville  and  continued  until  1872,  when  he 
came"to  his  present  farm,  but  has  followed  his 
trade  some  since  that  time.  When  he  settled 
in  Martinsville,  he  was  the  only  shoe-maker 
here,  and  was  the  only  one  for  several  years, 
but  others  had  been  in  some  time  before. 
The  town  was  then  mostly  log  cabins  and 
hazel  brush.  His  farm  consists  of  90  acres, 
about  70  of  which  are  in  cultivation.  But 
little  of  it,  however,  was  improved  when  he 
came,  mostly  being  in  timber.  In  1853,  he 
was  married  in  Martinsville  to  Mary  Eliza- 
beth Pultz,  who  was  a  native  of  Virginia,  and 
daughter  of  Michael  Pultz.  She  died  1856. 
By  her  he  had  two  children,  Marion  D.  and 
George  M.  (deceased).     In  1858,  he  was  again 


married  to  Eliza  Jane  Ulrey.  She  was  born 
in  Knox  County,  Ohio  (see  sketch  of  Michael 
Ulrey).  By  her  he  has  three  childi-en  living, 
William  H.,  Lillie  Belle  and  Oscar.  He  and 
wife  are  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Chiu-ch.  He  is  a  member  of  the  I.  O.  O.  F. , 
also  Democratic  in  politics. 

DR.    P.   F.  THORNBURGH,    physician, 
Martinsville,   was  born  in  Morgan   County, 
Ind.,  May  9,  1835,  to  Benjamin  and  Susan- 
nah (Mouical)  Thornbm-gh.      They  were  both 
born  in  Virginia,  November,  J 797,   but  on 
different  days  of  the  month.     She  died  1877, 
in  Morgan  County,   Ind.     He  is  still  living 
in  Morgan  County,  Ind.,  on  the  land  he  en- 
tered in  1825,  and  is  the  only  man  living  in 
the  township  on  land  which  he  entered  from 
the  General  Government.   His  occupation  has 
always  been  that  of  a  farmer.     Dr.   Thorn- 
burgh  spent  his  early  life  on  the  farm,   and 
received  his  education  in  the  district  schools. 
He  remained  at  home  till  he  was  twenty-one,* 
then  taught  school.     In  1848,  he  was  mar- 
ried.    In  1851,   began  traveling  as  a  circuit 
rider  in  the  Indiana  Conference  of  the  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  Church.     He  continued  trav- 
eling till  1861,  and  then  was  on  the  superan- 
nuated list  for  two  years,  and  during  that  time 
read  medicine  near  Indianapolis,  reading  first 
with  Isaac  Furnis.     In  1864,  he  enlisted  in 
Company  D,  One  Hundred  and  Twenty-fourth 
Indiana  Infantry,  Capt.  Gibson.     He  served 
for  one  year  and  was  discharged  by  sui-geon's 
certificate  of  disability.      He  then  spent  two 
years  in  reading  medicine  in  Indiana,  and  in 
1867  came  to  Casey,  Clark  County,  and  has 
practiced  in  this  county  since,  except  two  years. 
He  remained  in  Casey  for  three  years,   then 
practiced  in  Martinsville  for  two  years.      He 
then  spent  one  year  in  Coles  County  and  one 
in  Edgar;  then  located  on  his  farm,  five  miles 
southeast  of  Martinsville,  and  has  continued 
practicing  and  farming  since.      His  farm  con- 


.MAUTIX-SVILLE    TOWNSHIP. 


129 


sists  of  100  acres.  When  first  coming  to  this 
county,  Le  was  a  local  minister,  but  in  1870 
was  re-admitted  in  tbo  Illinois  Conference,  a 
position  he  still  holds,  but  is  on  the  super 
annuated  list  His  first  wife  was  Maria  Mc- 
Creery,  daughter  of  John  and  Mary  McCreery, 
of  near  Indianapolis.  His  wife  died  1876, 
at  the  age  of  fifty  vears.  By  her  he  has  five 
children  living  and  one  dead — Amanda  J., 
William  B.  (deceased),  Mary  C,  Ida,  J.  "\V. 
and  Don  Alonzo.  January  0,  188 1 ,  he  was 
again  married  to  Mrs.  Sarah  K.  Hamilton,  of 
Martinsville  She  was  born  in  Pennsylvania. 
Her  maiden  name  was  Jemison.  The  Doctor 
has  been  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episco- 
pal Church  for  forty-five  years.  Is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  I.  O.  O.  F.  and  of  the  A.,  F.  .V  A. 
M.      He  is  Republican  in  politics. 

MICHAEL  ULREY,  farmer,  P.  O.  Mar- 
tinsville, was  born  in  Harrison  Township, 
Knox  County,  Ohio.  January  29,  1830,  to 
Daniel  and  Mary  (Harod)  Ulrey.  They  were 
both  born  in  Pennsylvania,  but  came  to  Ohio 
about  1820.  In  October,  1849,  they  came  to 
Clark  County,  111.,  and  lived  here  till  the 
time  of  their  death.  He  died  July,  1859,  at 
the  age  of  sixty-six.  She  died  October,  1802, 
at  the  age  of  sixty-four.  His  occupation  was 
that  of  farmer,  and  at  tlie  time  of  his  death, 
he  was  farming  in  Parker  Township.  Our 
subject  received  his  education  in  the  common 
schools  of  Ohio,  and  has  always  been  engaged 
in  farming.  He  is  one  of  eight  children, 
three  of  whom  are  now  living.  Mr.  Ulrey 
began  farming  for  himself  on  his  father's 
farm,  and  bought  most  of  the  farm,  but  sold 
out  there,  and  iu  1803  moved  to  his  present 
farm,  which  now  consists  of  240  acres  of  land, 
and  is  well  improved.  "When  he  first  bought, 
it  was  but  partly  in  cultivation,  over  40  acres 
being  raw  prairie.  In  1864  and  1865,  he  was 
also  engaged  in  the  mercantile  business  at 
Marshall,  111.,  but  remained  on  the  farm  most 


of  the  time  himself,  and  left  the  care  of  the 
store  to  his  partner.  In  1852,  he  was  mar- 
ried in  Parker  Township  to  Susan  Bean. 
She  was  born  in  Stokes  County,  N.  C,  to 
Isaac  and  Sarah  (Miller)  Bean.  He  died  in 
this  county  November  19,  1S82,  at  the  age  of 
ninety-three.  She  died  April  11,  1874,  at  the 
age  of  seventy-seven.  They  were  both  born  in 
Stokes  County,  N.  C.  and  came  to  this  county, 
1834.  His  occupation  was  always  that  of  a 
farmer.  Mrs.  Ulrey's  grandfather  Bean  was  an 
Englishman  by  birth,  but  was  in  this  country 
before  the  Revolutionary  war,  and  helped  the 
colonists.  He  carried  a  scar  till  the  time  of 
his  death,  received  fi'om  a  Tory's  .sword.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Ulrey  have  four  children  living  and 
one  dead — Rosa,  Isaac  N.,  Belle  (^deceased), 
Martin  and  Clarence.  He  and  wife  are  mem- 
bers of  the  Baptist  Church.  He  is  a  member 
of  the  Knights  of  Honor  and  I.  O.  O.  F.  He 
is  also  Democratic  in  politics.  In  starting  in 
life,  it  was  with  nothing  but  thorough  econ- 
omy and  perserverance  he  has  made  a  good 
property. 

MRS.  E  H.  VAUGHAN,  merchant,  Mar- 
tinsville. Ml'.  A.  L.  Vaughan,  the  husband 
of  the  subject  of  om*  sketch,  was  Iiorii  in  Ken- 
tucky May  5,  1841,  to  Winston  and  Sallie 
(Scofield)  Vaughan,  he  born  in  Virginia  in 
1798,  and  is  still  living  in  Franklin  County, 
Ky.  He  has  always  followed  farming,  but 
for  some  years  has  been  retired  from  active 
life.  The  mother  was  born  in  Franklin 
County,  Ky  ,  1800,  and  always  lived  in  the 
same  house  till  the  time  of  her  death,  1872. 
Ml'.  Vaughn  was  educated  in  his  native  coun- 
ty, attended  the  Kentucky  Military  Institute, 
and  completed  his  course,  1859.  He  remained 
in  Kentucky  till  the  winter  of  18r)5,  when  he 
left  and  moved  to  S-allivau  County,  Ind. , 
where  he  was  engaged  in  the  mercantile  bus- 
iness  in  Carlisle  for  ten  years,  and  then  came 
to  Martinsville,  111.,  and  has  been  in  themer- 


130 


BUXJUAPHICAL: 


cantile  business  since.      In  1S75,  he  was  mar- 
ried in  Martinsville  to  our  subject,  Elizabeth 
H.  Moore,  daughter  of  E.  B.  and  Mary  Ann 
(Hatrick)   Moore.     He  was  born  in  County 
Donegal,  Ii-eland,  May,  ISOS,  to  Scotch  and 
English  parents.       She  wa?    also  born  two 
miles   from  Londonderry,    Ireland,    Novem- 
ber 5,  1807.     They  were  married,  1830,  and 
came  to  America,  1831.     She  died  November 
9.  1880,  and  he  April  13,   1881.     For  about 
one  year  after  first  coming  to  America,  they 
lived  on  Hudson  street,  New  York  City,  and 
then  to  Phelps,  Ontario  County,  N.  Y.,   and 
remained  there  until  1838.     In  that  year,  Mr. 
Moore  came  to  Clark  County,  111. ,  and  entered 
400  acres  of  land.      He  then  went  back  to  New 
York,  and  from  there  he  traveled  all  through 
the  Southern  States  selling  goods.     He  and 
his  brothers,  William  and  Robert,  were  to- 
gether.    They  soon  afterward  established  a 
store   at  Vicksburg,  Miss.     In   1841,   he  re- 
turned   to   Ireland,    but   soou    returned  and 
moved  his  family  to  Martinsville  the  same 
year.     They  then  lived  here  till  1848,  when 
they  moved  to  Vicksbui-g,  Miss. ,  where  they 
remained  for  one  year  and  then  moved  to  Do- 
ver, Yazoo  County,  Miss. ,    where  Mr.  Moore 
was  in  the  mercantile  business  till  1856,  when 
they  moved  to  this  county  again,  and  settled 
on  the  farm,  which  consisted  of  600  acres 
then,  he  having  added  200  more  to  it  in  1841. 
April,  1857,  he  again  engaged  in  the  mercan- 
tile business  in  the  store  now  owned  by  his 
daughter,  our  subject.      He  continued  in  this 
all  the  time  till  his  death,  but  still  cai'riedon 
the  farm,  which  he  added  to  till  it  contained 
72L)   acres.      In  his  family  there  were  nine 
children,  of  whom  fom-  are  now  living — Eze- 
kial,   Elizabeth  H.,    William   J.    and    Jane. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Moore  were  lioth  Presbyterians 
in  the   old  country,    but  did  not   join    any 
chiu-ch  here  till  1851,  when  they  united  with 
the  Old-School  Baptist,  in  Mississippi.     They 


are  both  buried  in  Martinsville.  Sir.  and 
Mrs.  Vaughan  have  one  son,  Winston  Moore 
Vaughan.  They  are  now  carrying  on  the 
same  bvisiness  that  IMr.  Moore  was  so  long 
ensrao'ed  in — carrying  a  stock  of  general  mer- 
chandise,  which  averages  about  $2,500.  Mrs. 
Vaughan' s  great -grandfather  Moore  was  in 
the  Irish  war,  and  in  the  battle  of  Vinegar 
Hill  captured  a  gun  from  the  Catholics,  and 
this  gun  is  sfill  in  the  family. 

B.    H.    WELSH,    merchant    and    express 
agent,  Martinsville,  was  born  in  1849  in  Clai-k 
County,  111.,  near  Marshall,  to  James  H.  and 
Anna    (Lockard)    Welsh.     They  had  moved 
from  Chillicothe,  Ohio,  to  this  county  in  1848, 
and  were  both  natives  uf  Ohio.      He  died  in 
this  county,  1868,   and  she  in  fall  of  1881. 
They  were  the  parents  of  seven  children,  six 
of  whom  are  still  living.      Our  subject  is  the 
youngest,  and  received  his  education  in  this 
and  Edgar  Counties,  attending  the  schools  of 
Paris    and   Marshall.     Till  he  was  thirteen 
years  of  age,  he  was  raised  on  a  farm,    but 
since  that  time  his  life  has  been  varied.     For 
some  years,  he  was  employed  by  a  man  who 
was  in  the  agricultural  implement  business, 
and  who  was  also  express  agent.     In  July, 
1878,  Mr.  Welsh  stai-ted  in  business  for  him- 
self, selecting  the  grocery  business,  carrying 
a  stock  of  about  $1,000.     But  most  of  his  at- 
tention is  given  to  the  express  business,    as 
he  has  been  agent  for  both  the  Adams  and 
American  Express  Companies  since  1878.    He 
is  also  local  editor  of  the  Martinsville  En- 
terprise,   a.  weekly    paper    which    has    been 
started    about    a    year.       Mr.    Welsh    took 
hold  of  the  Enterprise  soon  after  it  was  first 
started,  and  by  his  energy  is  making  quite  a 
success  of  it.      November  8,  1874,    he  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Miss  EUa  P.   Suther- 
land.     She  was  born  in  Morrow  County,  Ohio, 
1851,  to  Joseph  Sutherland     Mr.   and  IVIi's. 
Welsh  have  one  daughter  and  one  son,   Ora 


JOHNSON    TOWXSIIIR 


131 


Alice  and  Cary  S.  He  is  a  momber  of  the  I. 
O.  O.  F.,  also  a  member  of  the  Knights  of 
Honor,  and  carries  $2,000  in  that  society. 
He  is  Democratic  in  politics,  and  has  held 
various  offices  in  the  town  and  tuwnship,  be- 
ing at  present  City  Clerk  and  also  Township 
School  Trustee. 

LEVI  WILLIAMS, merchant.  Martinsville, 
was  born  in  Pennsylvania,  December  12,  1837, 
to  J.  C.  and  Susan  (Riddle)  Williams.  They 
were  both  natives  of  Cecil  County,  Md.  From 
Maryland,  they  removed  to  Pennsylvania, 
and  in  1844  removed  to  Tipton  County,  Ind., 
and  both  died  there  in  1803.  He  was  a 
farmer  by  occupation.  In  1855,  our  subject 
came  to  Clark  County,  111.,  and  engaged  in 
teaching  school.  He  received  most  of  his 
education  in  the  common  schools,  Tipton 
County,  Ind.,  but  also  attended  the  high 
school  of  Marshall,  111.  He  was  engaged  in 
teaching  till  1862  and  most  of  the  time  in 
Martinsville.  He  then  enlisted  in  Company 
F,  One  Hundred  and  Twenty-third  Illinois 
Volunteer  Infantry,  Col.  Monroe.  The  regi- 
ment was  a  part  of  Wilder's  famous  brigade. 
He  was  in  the  battle  of  Pei-ryville,  etc.     He 


continued  service  till  the  close  of  the  war. 
He  entered  the  service  as  First  Sergeant  and 
was  mustered  out  as  Sergeant  Major.  After 
the  close  of  the  war,  he  traveled  in  Minne- 
sota for  some  time,  traveling  for  an  Indian- 
apolis publishing  house.  He  then  settled  on 
a  farm  in  Missouri,  in  1870.  He  continue<l 
to  farm  there  till  1870,  and  then  came  to 
Martinsville,  and  entered  the  present  Farmers' 
Mercantile  Association,  and  for  two  -svinters 
taught  school  in  the  town.  In  1879,  he  took 
charge  of  the  business  here  and  has  contin- 
ued in  it  since.  According  to  their  charter  the 
limit  of  stock  was  $1,500,  but  by  legal  vote 
since,  the  charter  has  been  changed  so  as  to 
give  them  the  privilege  of  $6,000  stock,  and 
at  the  present  time  about  $3,000  of  the  stock 
is  taken,  and  since  he  took  hold  of  it  the  bus- 
iness has  increased  from"  about  $15,000  per 
year  to  about  $30,000  per  year.  Our  subject 
was  mai-ried  in  spring  of  1800,  in  Martinsville, 
to  Amanda  E.  West,  native  of  Kentucky.  They 
have  one  son  living,  Arthur  L.  Our  subject 
is  a  Republican  in  politics.  Is  a  member  of 
the  I.  O.  O.  F.  and  also  to  the  Knights  of 
Honor.  Is  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church. 


JOHNSOI^  TOWNSHIP. 


DAVID  BAUGILM  AN,  farmer  and  merchant, 
P.  O.  Oak  Point.  Among  the  pioneers  of  Clark 
County,  and  one  among  the  earliest  settlers  in 
this  township  is  l\Ir.  David  Baughman.  He  was 
born  May  19,  1820,  in  Zanesville,  Muskingum 
County,  Ohio,  the  eighth  son  of  Christian 
Baughman,  and  Elizabeth  Bair;  he  was  born 
November  2G,  178,5,  in  Penna.,  son  of  Christian 
Baughman,  a  native  of  Germany.  Elizabeth 
Bair  was  born  in  Vermont  January  24,  1785, 
daughter  of  Adam  and  Elizabeth  Bair.  Chris- 
tian Baughman  moved  west  to  Muskingum 
county,  and  settled  near  Zanesville,  about  the 


year  1808,  and  remained  there  until  his  death, 
which  occurred  August  3,  1836  ;  his  wife  died 
November  8,  1866.  They  raised  twelve  chil- 
dren, eleven  sons  and  one  daughter,  all  of  whom, 
lived  to  raise  families.  The  first  death  in  the 
family  of  children  was  in  August,  1861;  Joseph 
was  killed  by  the  kick  of  a  horse ;  he  was  over 
fifty-seven  years  of  age.  The  second  death 
was  that  of  Jacol),  which  occurred  in  1863;  he 
was  killed  near  lloseville,  Ohio ;  his  murderer 
has  not  to  this  day  been  discovered ;  much 
litigation  has  been  in  consequence.  The  chil- 
dren in  order  of    birth  were  John,   born  Sep- 


132 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


tember    Ifi,    ]S04;    Jacob,   born   October   31, 
1805;  Cbrislian,  born  April  27,  1807;  Joseph, 
born  December  11,  1808;  Adam,  December  3, 
1810;  George,  born  February  14, 1813;  Andrew, 
born  June  1,  1815;  David.  Ijorn  May  1!*,  1820; 
Samuel,  l>orn  May  17,  1822;   Elizabeth,  born 
February  27,  1824;  Solomon  S.,  born  June  14, 
1827;  Jesse  M.,  October  24,  1829;  John,  Jacob, 
Joseph  and  Adam   are  deceased.     David  was 
raised  on  the  home  place  until  after  his  father's 
death,  when  he  staid  with  his  mother  until  he 
was  of  age.     May  6.  1841,  he  married  Lucy  H., 
born  in  Delaware  County.  Ohio,  September  16, 
1821  ;  she  was  the  second  daughter  of  Andrew 
and  Olive    (Horr)    Buck.     The   Buck   family 
were  among   the  prominent    families  in  Ohio. 
Andrew  Buck  was  born  in  New  York  June  13, 
1793;  Olive,  his  wife,  was  born  May  14,  1800. 
Andrew  was  a  son  of  Levi  Buck,  of  Irish  de- 
scent ;  Olive  was  a  daughter  of  Frances  Horr, 
a  native  of  Maine.     Andrew  and  Olive  Buck 
raised  nine  children,  all  lived  to  be  grown  ex- 
cept one.     Children  were  Levi,  Ruth  H.,  Lucy, 
Matilda  A.,  Andrew   M.,  Josiah  H.,  Sophrona 
H.,  Phebe   C,  Harriet  N.,  Ruth   H.  and    :Mrs. 
Baughman  ;  oul^-  one  in  this  county,  Ruth  H., 
wife  of  Asa  Owiugs,  of  this  township.     After 
Mr.  Baughman's  marriage,  he  removed  to  this 
county  and  came  here  spring  of  1841 ;  he  came 
in  a  wagon,  and  in  June  16,  same  3'ear,  settled 
on  land  he  entered  ;  he  built  him  a  cabin  where 
his  house  stands  now  on  Section  20  ;  he  moved 
into  his  house  July  1,  1841,  without  floor,  win- 
dows or  doors.     He  went  a  long  distance  to 
mills,  sometimes  consuming  four  days  to  get  two 
bushels  of  meal.     He  entered  240  acres  in  all. 
He    has  since  remained    here   and   been   en- 
gaged    in     farming.     Has    carried    on    store 
since  January,  1852.     He    has    been  success- 
ful and   has  accumulated  about  2,300   acres  ; 
has  lost  over  S40,000  within    the  last   thirty 
years.     He  has  two  children  living,  Jesse  F. 
and  Sarah  C.;  the  latter  is  wife  of  James  Davis, 
of  Cumberland  Countv.     Jesse  F.   resides  in 


Case}-.  Mr.  B.  has  served  as  P.  M.  since  the  in- 
auguration of  Lincoln.  He  cast  one  of  the 
first  Whig  votes  in  the  township  ;  member  of 
the  English  Lutheran  since  a  young  man. 
Member  of  A.,  F.  &  A.  M.  Hazel  Dell,  No. 
580,  served  as  Township  Treasurer  since  1865  ; 
Republican. 

HAMAN     FINNEY,    farmer,    P.    0.    Oak 
Point.     Is  an  old  settler  of  Johnson  Township. 
He  was  born  October  8, 1809,  in  Essex  County, 
New  York ;  was   the   third   son   of  Jonathan 
Finnej-,  whose  mother  was  Miranda  Sacket,  a 
native  of  Cape  Cod,  Blassachusetts,  of  English 
descent.     His     mother's     maiden    name    was 
Mary,   a   daughter   of  John    Richards,  whose 
ancestors   cauae   from   Holland.     Our   subject 
removed  with  his  parents  to  Penna.,  when  he 
was  three  years  of  age,  where  the  family  staid 
one  year  ;  then  came  down  the  Ohio  on  a  rafi 
and  located  in  Butler  County,  Ohio  ;  here  his 
father  died.     He  raised  a  family  of  eight  chil- 
dren,    viz.;    Damon,     Ira,     Haman,     George, 
Elizabeth,  Ruth,  Miranda  and  Jonathan,  all  of 
whom  lived  to  be  grown  and  married.    Haman, 
our  subject,  was  married  October  23,  1831,  to 
Susan  L.,  born  1813,  May  5,  in  Butler  County, 
Ohio,  daughter  of  John  A.  White  and  Mary 
Herron,  both  of  Loudoun  Count}",    Va.   After 
Mr.   Finney's   marriage,    he   settled    in  Union 
County,    Ind.    and    engaged     in    farming  on 
his  own  account,    and    here  lived  until  about 
1836,    when    he  moved   across   the  line    into 
Franklin    County,   where  he   bought   a   small 
place  and  lived  here  until  the  spring  of  1842, 
emigrating  to  this  State,  landing  on  this  spot 
April  6.    He  had  entered  240  acres,  and  upon  his 
coming  he  lived  with  a  neighbor  until  he  built 
a  cabin,  which  he   afterward  moved  into,  and 
engaged  in  improving  the  land.     He  has  since 
added  to  his  first  purchase,  until    he  now  has 
400  acres,  all  of  which  he  made  himself     Left 
Indiana  with  S35  ;   for  several   years    he  had 
hard  times.     He  has  been  successful  and  has 
acquired  a  competence.     He  has  had    eleven 


JOHNSOX    TOWNSHIP. 


133 


children  borne  him,  seven  of  whom  are  living, 
viz.:  Jonatiian  S.,  George  W.,  William  B., 
Edward  A.,  Mary  J  ,  Beulah  and  Josephine- 
all  living  in  this  count}'  except  Mar\-  Jane,  who 
resides  in  Bell  Air,  wife  of  Noah  Durham  ; 
Beulah.  wife  of  Benjamin  Shoemaker;  Josephine 
married  Silas  Durham.  Sons  all  married,  and 
in  the  township ;  members  of  Universalist 
Church.  Was  Old-Line  Whig,  after  Republi- 
can. He  sent  to  the  late  war  two  sous  and  a  boy 
he  had  raised  ;  Jonathan  S.  and  George  W.  en- 
listed in  Company  F,  Fifty-ninth  Illinois 
Volunteer  Infantry,  and  served  over  three 
years,  and  returned  home  unscathed.  He  had 
also  one  brother  Jonathan  who  served  three 
years  in  the  army  and  never  lost  a  day's  duty 
while  in  the  service. 

JACOB  FLI^'T,  farmer,  P.  O.  Casey,  came 
to  the  county  in  1840,  and  has  been  a  resident 
here  ever  since.  Jacob  Flint  was  born  1832, 
September  6,  in  Franklin  County,  Ind.;  he 
was  the  third  son  of  Benjamin  Flint,  who  was 
born  in  Maryland  in  1795,  and  removed  to 
Indiana,  in  Franklin  County,  when  a  young 
man,  and  there  married  Elizabeth  Bake,  a 
Pennsylvanian,  born  1800,  January  22,  daugh- 
ter of  Jacob  Bake,  soldier  in  the  war  of  1812. 
Mr.  Flint,  the  father  of  Jacob,  engaged  in  farm- 
ing in  Indiana,  and  remained  there  until 
the  spring  of  1840,  March  4,  landing  at  the 
head  of  Painter  Point,  and  located  on  land  in 
the  southwest  part  of  the  township  which  he 
had  previously  entered  ;  he  located  his  cabin  in 
the  southeast  corner  of  Section  30,  and  there 
spent  the  remainder  of  his  days.  He  died  of 
milk-sick  on  October  27,  1849;  his  wife  out- 
lived him  until  1878,  June  14.  They  had 
seven  children  born  ;  six  lived  to  he  grown,  viz.: 
Peter,  John,  Jacob,  Samuel,  William  and 
Keziah ;  but  Jacob  and  WilUiam  now  living, 
Jacob  now  represents  the  father,  and  remains 
on  the  homestead;  he  came  here  with  his 
parents  as  above  described,  and  remained  on 
tne  farm  until  August,  1861,  when  he  enlisted 


in  Company  F,  Fift}--ninth  Regiment  Vol- 
unteer Infantry,  and  served  three  years  and 
over  ;  received  his  discharge  September,  1864  ; 
during  this  time,  he  participated  in  the  fol- 
lowing-named battles :  first,  at  Pea  Ridge, 
Stone  River,  Chickamauga,  Lookout  Mountain, 
and  all  the  battles  up  to  the  taking  of  Atlanta. 
At  Stone  River,  he  received  a  slight  wound  ; 
aside  from  this,  received  no  wounds,  but  con- 
tracted disease — scurvy  in  feet  and  legs. 
Upon  his  return  from  the  war,  he  resumed 
farming  on  the  homestead,  and  has  since  re- 
mained. He  was  married,  June  18,  1855,  to 
Hannah,  born  in  Ohio,  1831,  July  7,  daughter 
of  William  J.  Shaddley  and  Frances  his  wife. 
He  had  six  children,  five  living  viz.:  Albert, 
Clarinda.  Mary,  Joseph  Hooker  and  Charles  ; 
all  at  home  save  Albert,  who  is  doing  for  him- 
self Members  of  Universalist  Church.  In 
politics,  he  is  Republican.  Subject's  grand- 
father on  his  mother's  side  was  Jacob  Bake,  a 
soldier  of  the  war  of  1812. 

JOHN  FORESTER,  deceased,  was  born  in 
1811,  January  26,  in  Muskingum  County,  Ohio ; 
he  was  the  second  sou  of  John  Forester  and 
Hannah  Adams,  both  natives  of  Penusylvania, 
and  came  and  settled  in  Muskingum  County  at 
an  earl}'  day  ;  his  brother's  name  was  John, 
also.  He  had  two  sons,  Elijah  and  John,  aud 
four  daughters,  Sallie,  Ann,  Hannah  and  Mary. 
John  and  wife  died  in  Muskingum  county. 
John,  the  subject  of  tliese  lines,  was  raised  to 
fanning,  and  lived  at  home  until  February  2, 
1837,  when  he  married  Mary  Ann,  born  in 
1816,  January  22,  in  Muskingum  County,  Ohio, 
of  a  family  of  eight  daughters,  she  being  the 
fifth,  born  to  Samuel  Stover  and  Mary  Deitrich  ; 
he  (Samuel)  was  born  in  Virginia,  sou  of 
Gabriel  Stover,  an  early  settler  in  "Muskingum 
County.  Mary,  his  wife,  was  born  in  Pennsyl- 
vania, daughter  of  Balsley  Deitrich,  a  Revolu- 
tionary soldier.  Samuel  Stover  served  in  the 
war  of  1812,  and  died  in  Ohio  in  1838  ;  his  wife 
died  tlie  year  following.     They  raised  a  family 


134 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


of  twelve  children,  none  living  in  this  State. 
After  the  marriage  of  John  Forester  and  wife, 
they  moved  to  Hocking  Counti',  Ohio,  and  pur- 
chased land  here  and  engaged  in  farming,  re- 
maining here  twelve  years,  and  from  here  re- 
moved to  this  county  in  the  spring  of  1 847, 
and  located  on  southeast  quarter  of  Section  20, 
where  he  located  and  spent  the  remainder  of 
his  days ;  his  death  occurred  September  6, 
1 S71 ;  he  was  a  man  highly  respected  in  the 
community,  for  several  years  a  member  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  and  in  politics  a 
stanch  Republican.  He  left  400  acres  of  land ; 
upon  a  portion  of  this  his  widow  occupies ; 
eight  children  were  born  him.  six  gi-ew  up,  viz.: 
Samuel,  Lewis,  John,  Taylor,  Sarah,  Orilla  ;  all 
deceased,  save  Lewis,  Sarah  and  Orilla. 
Samuel.  John  and  Lewis  served  in  the  late 
war.  John  died  in  the  service  ;  he  was  a  mem- 
ber of  Company  F,  Fifty-ninth  Illinois 
Volunteer.  Taylor  died  June  6,  1882,  and  left 
three  children,  Ethelbert.  Blanche  and  Edward. 
Sarah  married  W.  D.  HiU,  of  this  township 
Orilla  married  George  Orndorf  a  native  of 
Delaware  County,  Ohio,  who  was  bom  Januar} 
11. 1854,  son  of  Phineas  Orndorf,  who  died  in 
1862  ;  his  wife,  Mrs.  Orndorf,  died  in  1855.  Mr. 
Orndorf  has  by  Orilla  three  children — WiUiam 
L..  Marj-  M.  and  Estella. 

DEXXIS  FOSTER,  farmer,  P.  0.  Casey. 
Mr.  Foster  was  born  December  8, 1832,  in  Lick- 
ing County,  Ohio.  He  is  a  son  of  Israel  Foster 
and  Esther  Steinmetz.  His  grandfather  was 
Moses  Foster,  a  Virginian,  to  whom  were  born 
five  sons,  viz.:  Frank,  Israel,  Thomas,  Jona- 
than and  Elijah,  all  of  whom  came  to  Licking 
Count}-,  Ohio,  and  there  settled  when  the  coun- 
try was  new.  In  the  fall  of  1837,  Israel  Foster 
came  out  here  and  entered  320  acres  in  Orange 
Township:  Butternut  Church  stands  on  the 
ground.  In  the  fall  of  1838.  the  family  came 
here,  arriving  November  7.  When  the  family 
arrived,  the  snow  was  falling  and  there  was  no 
cabin  built  for  their  reception.    Forks  were  put 


in  the  ground  and  sheets  hungup,  a  log-heap  in 
in  the  center  to  keep  the  children  warm  until 
better  quarters  could  be  secured.  The  family 
consisted  of  the  parents  and  nine  children — 
Lettie,  Orin,  David.  Jerusha,  Mary,  Eliza.  Den- 
nis, Francis  M.  and  Israel,  Jr.  Here  the  family 
settled  and  remained.  Israel,  the  father,  died 
March  16.  1847.  his  wife  died  April  15,  1841. 
and  was  the  first  person  buried  in  the  Butter- 
nut Graveyard.  But  three  of  the  children  are 
now  living — Lettie  (Mrs.  Joseph  Howe).  Den- 
nis, and  Israel,  now  in  Labette  County,  Kan. 
Dennis  was  left  an  orphan  at  an  early  age,  at 
which  time,  April  14,  1847,  he  went  to  live 
with  William  Leamon  in  Jasper  Count}-,  and 
with  him  remained  until  April  9,  1855.  He 
subsequently  made  a  trip  to  Wisconsin  in  June 
of  the  same  year,  and  upon  his  return  went  to 
Woodford  County  with  horses,  remained  here 
from  March  until  December,  1856;  here  he  cast 
his  first  vote,  for  Fremont  and  Dayton.  'V\'as 
with  Mr.  Leamon  assisting  him  iu  handling 
stock,  making  several  trips  to  Minnesota  and 
the  adjoining  States,  and  traveled  over  much 
country.  He  bought  his  first  land  in  February, 
1857,  150  acres  at  $7,  on  Sections  31  and 
32.  He  was  married,  January  31,  1858,  to 
Francesca,  born  in  Stark  County,  Ohio,  January 
15,  1838,  second  daughter  of  John  S.  Slusser, 
one  of  the  prominent  farmers  and  early  settlers 
in  this  township.  In  March,  1858,  he  moved 
on  this  place,  and  since  has  been  engaged  in 
farming.  He  has  six  children  living,  viz.: 
JIary  A..  John  S.,  Kate,  Homer,  Fred  and 
Frank  (twins).  Deceased  is  Harry,  who  died 
August  18,  1878,  aged  twelve  years  and  eight 
months.  Mr.  Foster  enlisted  December  2, 
1861,  in  Company  G.  Fifty-fourth  Illinois  Vol- 
unteer Infantry,  and  served  until  August  13, 
1864;  he  was  in  Steele's  command,  also  under 
Gens.  Quimby  and  Grant.  He  is  a  member  of 
tha  A.,  F.  &  A.  M.,  No.  580.  He  is  a  Repub- 
lican straight,  and  has  never  scratched  a 
ticket 


JOHNSON    TOWNSHIP. 


135 


RICIIAKD  L.  GARD,  tanner,  P.  0.  Casey, 
is  the  third  sou  of  Richard  Lott  Gard,  who  was 
born  Febriiarj-,  1S08,  in  Pennsylvania,  son  of 
Jacob  Gard,  of  German  stock.  Jacob  Gard 
married  Mary  Ann  Bennett,  and  by  her  had 
two  children — one  son  and  one  daughter.  Sub- 
ject's mother's  name  was  Rebecca  Scott,  born 
1812,  in  Butler  County,  Ohio,  a  daughter  of 
Robei't  Scott.  Richard  L.  removed  to  this 
State  in  18.^)7,  and  located  in  this  township  and 
remained  here  until  his  death,  April  7,  1861. 
His  wife  survived  him  until  October,  18(50. 
They  had  seven  children  and  all  lived  to  be 
grown — Jane,  Mary.  Robert,  Jacob,  Richard 
L.,  William  and  Elizabath.  Richard  L.,  our 
subject,  is  the  only  one  living  in  this  township; 
he  was  born  in  Butler  County,  Ohio,  Januar}^ 
12,  1840,  and  came  to  this  county  with  his 
parents  and  landed  with  them  in  the  township 
March  27,  1857,  and  was  raised  upon  a  farm 
and  remained  there  until  his  enlistment  in  the 
army,  which  was  in  May,  1861,  in  Company  B, 
Second  Regiment  of  Light  Artilkny;  he  was 
commissioned  Second  Lieutenant,  and  served 
about  one  year  ;  upon  his  discharge,  he  returned 
home  and  remained  here  until  he  was  married, 
October  5,  1804,  to  Martha  Geddes,  born  in 
this  township  April  15,  1842;  was  the  second 
daughter  of  James  R.  and  Martha  Ann  (Howe) 
Geddes.  James  R.  Geddes  was  born  in  Path 
Valley,  Penn.,  1802;  he  was  twice  married;  first 
to  Eliza  Austin;  by  her  had  three  children,  all 
deceased.  James  R.  came  West  to  this  State 
and  located  here  in  this  township  in  the  fall  of 
1838,  and  here  married  Martha  Ann  Howe,  who 
was  born  in  Boone  County,  Ky.,  daughter  of 
David  Howe  and  Sarah  Babb.  James  R. 
Geddes  died  Januarj-  20, 1856.  His  wife  is  yet 
living  and  resides  in  Terre  Haute.  The}-  reared 
seven  children — Sarah,  Martha,  Robert,  Mari- 
etta R.,  Thomas  D.,  James  E.  and  Lucy  A. 
After  the  subject's  marriage,  he  located  on 
the  Geddes  farm  and  here  lived  eight  years; 
here  three  children  were  born^Rosa.  Luna  and 


Rebecca  A.,  born  in  the  same  house  as  their 
mother.  He  came  in  this  place  in  March,  1873, 
and  has  since  remained;  he  has  10!-]  acres,  and 
is  engaged  in  farming;  no  children  were  born 
here.  Jlr.  and  Mrs.  Gard  are  both  members  of 
the  Presbyterian  Church.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  I.  0.  ( ).  P.,  Martinsville  Lodge.  Politically, 
he  is  a  Republican.  He  was  elected  Justice  of 
the  Peace,  but  never  served. 

DAVID  GROVES,  farmer,  P.  0.  Oak  Point, 
was  one  of  the  "  boys  in  blue  "  who  went  forth 
to  vindicate  the  rights  of  his  country.  He  was 
born  May  15,  1837,  in  Morgan  County,  Ohio, 
the  third  child  of  his  parents,  who  were  An- 
thony Groves  and  Susan  Cross,  both  natives  of 
Pennsylvania  and  removed  here  when  young, 
to  Ohio.  David,  our  subject,  was  left  father- 
less at  the  age  of  three  years,  and  was  raised 
by  his  step-father,  with  w^hom  he  lived  until 
1860,  when  he  came  to  this  State  and  enlisted, 
in  August,  1861,  in  Company  F,  Fifty-ninth 
Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry,  and  served  until 
January,  1863,  when  he  was  discharged  on  ac- 
count of  disability  from  a  wound  received  in 
the  instep  from  a  minie  ball,  from  which  dis- 
ability he  draws  a  pension.  He  was  wounded 
in  the  tirst  battle  he  was  engaged  in.  Upon 
his  discharge,  he  returned  to  Ohio  and  re-en- 
listed and  served  three  months  in  the  One  Hun- 
dred and  Forty-second  Ohio  National  Guards, 
Company'  C,  and  upon  his  discharge  returned 
to  this  county  in  the  fall  of  1864  and  has  since 
lived  here.  November  29,  1864,  he  married 
Elizabeth,  eldest  daughter  of  David  Baugh- 
mau  and  Lucy  Buck.  His  wife  died  April  17, 
1877.  By  her  two  children  were  born — Henry 
C.  and  Minerva  0.  He  married  his  present 
wife,  Mrs.  Charlotte  D.  Bailey,  November  21, 
1881.  She  was  born  in  Union  County,  Ohio. 
March  13,  1849,  and  is  a  daughter  of  Joseph 
Temple  and  Margaret  Washburn,  of  Ohio 
Mrs.  Groves  was  first  married  in  Ohio, 
to  Wayne  Bailey,  son  of  Edward  Bailey  and 
Mary  Campbell.     ^Mrs.  Groves  removed  to  this 


136 


BIOGRAPHICAL : 


county  with  her  husband,  in  1S68,  who  died 
January  16,  1880.  He  was  a  soldier  in  the  late 
war,  a  member  of  the  Eighty-second  Ohio,  and 
participated  in  thirteen  battles  and  skirmishes. 
By  Mr.  Bailey  she  had  three  children — Jacob 
R.,  AmyL.  and  Frank  B.  Since  Mr.  Groves 
returned  from  the  service,  he  has  been  a  resi- 
dent of  this  township  and  been  engaged  in 
farming.     In  politics,  he  is  Republican. 

WILLIAM  D.  HILL,  farmer,  P.  0.  Oak 
Point,  was  born  April  1-4,  1837,  in  Butler 
County,  Ohio.  He  was  the  eldest  son  of 
Philip  Hill  and  Margaret  Dodds.  He  was  a 
native  of  Maryland,  son  of  Reuben  Hill,  of 
Welsh  descent.  William  was  raised  on  the 
farm  of  his  father,  who  died  when  William  was 
about  six  3'ears  of  age.  He  was  then  raised 
by  his  mother,  with  whom  he  remained  until 
after  he  became  a  man,  and  came  West  with 
her  in  the  spring  of  1860,  when  the^'  came  to 
Jasper  County  in  this  State,  where  his  mother 
bought  land  and  settled  on  the  same.  At  the 
age  of  twenty-two,  he  began  for  himself  In 
August,  1861,  he  enlisted  in  Company  F,  Fif- 
ty-ninth Illinois  Volunteer  infantry,  and  served 
over  three  years,  and  during  this  time  he  par- 
ticipated in  the  battles  of  Pea  Ridge,  Stone 
River  and  all  the  battles  from  Chattanooga  to 
Atlanta,  where  he  was  discharged,  and  on  his 
return  home  he  bought  eighty  acres  of  land  in 
Orange  Township  in  this  county,  upon  which  he 
lived  until  1870,  when  he  sold  and  came  to  the 
place  he  now  owns,  having  200  acres  of  Section 
32.  and  since  has  engaged  in  farming.  Was 
married,  October  12,  1866,  to  Sarah,  born  in 
Ohio  in  1846,  and  removed  with  her  parents  to 
this  county  and  township  when  she  was  two 
years  of  age.  Her  parents  were  John  For- 
ester and  Mary  Stover.  Mr.  Hill  has  four  chil- 
dren— Harry  0.,  Charles  P.,  Lyman  and 
Maudie.  Mr.  Hill  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church, and  is  a  Republican  in  politics. 
He  has  served  as  Collector  two  terms.  He  is  the 
only  one  of  the  family  of  children  living. 


JOSEPH  A.  HOWE,  farmer,  P.  0.  Casey,  is 
now  the  oldest  living  male  resident  in  the 
township  that  settled  here.  He  was  born  July 
6,  1819,  in  Boone  County,  Ky.,and  removed  to 
Decatur  County.  Ind.,  with  his  parents,  when 
three  years  of  age.  His  father's  name  was 
David  Howe,  a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  son  of 
James  Howe,  a  native  of  the  North  of  Ireland 
His  mother's  name  was  Sarah  Babb,  who  was 
born  in  Virginia,  a  daughter  of  Eli  Babb. 
James  Howe  served  all  through  the  Revolu- 
tionary war.  David  Howe  had  three  brothers 
— Robert,  James  and  Joseph.  Joseph  was  a 
Surgeon  in  the  war  of  1812,  and  finally  settled 
near  Charleston,  S.  C  Robert  came  to  this 
State  and  was  killed  on  the  ice,  in  Law- 
rence County.  James  came  to  Kentucky  and 
settled  and  there  died.  David  (subject's  father) 
served  in  the  war  of  1812,  and  married  near 
New  Lancaster,  Ohio,  and  subsequently  settled 
in  Boone  County,  Ky.,  and  tliere  remained  un- 
til the  year  1823  ;  he  removed  with  his  family 
to  Decatur  County,  Ind.,  his  family  consisting 
of  himself,  wife,  and  eight  children.  Joseph 
A.  came  to  this  State  with  his  father  in  the 
spring  of  1837.     His  father  located  on  Section 

3,  in  Johnson  Township,  and  remained  until 
his  death,  which  occurred  November  29,  1846, 
aged  seventy-five  j-ears.     He  was  born  August 

4,  1771.     His  wife  survived  him  until  January 

5,  1881.  She  was  aged  ninety-one  j-ears. 
Joseph  A.  took  charge  of  tlie  home  affairs  at 
the  age  of  eighteen,  his  father  being  in  poor 
health,  and  was  married,  August,  1840,  to  Letty 
Foster,  who  was  born  in  Licking  County,  Ohio, 
August  11,  1821,  eldesi  daughter  of  Israel  Fos- 
ter and  Esther  Steihmetz.  The  Fosters  came  to 
this  county  about  the  year  1 838  or  1839.  After 
his  marriage,  he  located  on  the  farm  he  now  owns, 
situated  on  the  southwest  quarter  of  Section 
3,  and  has  since  remained  (with  the  exception 
of  four  years  spent  in  California,  where  he  first 
went  in  the  spring  of  1850  ;  went  the  second 
time  in  1859,  with  oxen,  both  times  walking  the 


JOIIXSOX    TOWNSHIP. 


Ib7 


entire  distance,  nearly).  He  has  served  in  dif- 
ferent offloes  of  trust,  as  Constable.  Justice  of 
the  Peace,  Supervisor,  and  was  elected  Sheriff 
of  the  county  in  1866.  He  has  170  acres  of 
land.  He  has  raised  nine  children,  of  whom 
five  are  living — John,  Joseph  B.,  David  D.,  Is- 
rael ¥.  and  Margery,  now  wife  of  Tliomas  C. 
Cooper,  of  Casey  Township.  John  resides  in 
Cumberland  County;  otiicr  sons  are  in  this  town- 
ship. He  was  a  Democrat  up  to  the  time  of 
the  starting  of  the  Greenback  party;  has  since 
been  a  supporter  of  the  Greenback  party. 

WILLIAM    HOWE,   farmer,    P.    0.   Casey. 
Mr.  Howe  was  born  December  11,  1826,  in  De- 
catur County,  Ind.     Ho  is  the  fourth  son  and 
seventh  child  that  was  born  to  David  Howe  by 
his  wife,  Sarah  Babb,  who  were  early  settlers 
of  Clark  County.     William  came  to  this  town- 
siiip  with  his  parents  when  he  was  ten  years  of 
age,  and  has  since  been  a  resident  of  the  county, 
excepting  eighteen  mouths  spent  in  California. 
He  remained  under  his  father's  roof  until  past 
his  majority,  and  in  October,  1848,  he  married 
to  Harriet  A.  Crouch,  who  was  born  in  iMarylaud, 
a  daughter  of  William  Crouch,  who  came  West 
to  this 'county  and  settled  in  this  township,  and 
lived  in  the  same  until   his  death,   which  oc- 
curred in  1866.     He  has  one  son  living  in  the 
township— William  Crouch.     William,  the  sub- 
ject of  these  lines,  after  his  marriage,   located 
on  the  homestead,  and  has  since  been  engaged 
in  farming  pursuits.     In  the  spring  of  1850,  he 
went  the  overland  route  to  California,  and  was 
gone  eighteen  montlis.      During  this  time,  he 
was  engaged  in  raining.  Upon  his  return  home, 
ho  resumed  his  place  upon  the  farm  and  re- 
sumed agricultural  pursuits.     He  has  four  chil- 
dren—Frank,  John.  Jacob  and  William  11.    Mr. 
Howe  has  been  identified  with  Democracy  since 
he  came  to  exercise  the  right  of  suffrage,  but 
since  the  Greenback  question  was  agitated  he 
has  been  in  favor  of  plenty  of  greenbacks.     Mr. 
Howe   has   filled  several    important  offices  of 
trust  in  the  township,  as  Supervisor.  Township 


Clerk,  and  Collector,  at  different  times.  He 
has  a  farm  of  120  acres.  His  father  was  twice 
married  ;  his  first  wife  was  Polly  Curry,  who 
bore  him  four  children — Julius,  Betsy,  Margery 
and  Sarah  ;  none  living  in  this  State. 

ASA    0 WINGS,   farmer,    P.  0.    Casey,    is 
among  the  old  pioneers  of  Johnson  Township, 
coming  here  in  the  fall  of  1840.     He  was  born 
Jlarch   22,    1816,   in   Licking   County.    Ohio 
second   son  of  Henry  Owings  and    Elizabeth 
Wells.     Henry  was  a  native  of  Maryland,  son 
of  Henry  Owings,  whose  ancestors  came  from 
the   British  Isles.     Henry  the  father  of  Asa, 
was  married  in  "N'irginia  and  remo\ed  West  to 
Ohio  in  an  early  day,  and  remained  there  until 
his  death,  in  1850.     He  raised  four  children 
by   his  wife    Elizabeth,    viz.:  Melissa.    Henry, 
Asa  and  Leah,  all  deceased  save  Asa,  who  was 
raised  a  farmer,  remaining  under  the  parental 
roof  until  the  fall  of  1840,  when  he,  in  company 
with  a  young  man,  came  here  on  horseback. 
He  hired  out  by  the   month   and   lived  with 
John  Cole   about    nine   years.     He   has   been 
thrice   married,  first  time   to   Mary  Lewis   in 
April,  1842;  she  died  leaving  two  children,  none 
living  ;  Mary  lived  to  be  married,  she  died  1879. 
Second  wife  was  Elizabeth  Durham,  she  died  six 
months  after,  leaving  no  children.     Third  time 
was  in  1850,  October  20,  to  Mrs.  Ruth  H.  Pres- 
ley, born   in  Delaware  County,  1820,  April  19, 
daughter  of  Andrew   Buck  and    Olive   Horr. 
Mrs.  Owen  came  to  this  county  in  June,  1830 ; 
has  two  children  by  last  marriage.     Henry  A., 
Ruth  E.,  and  wife  of  James   S.  Movers.     Mr. 
Owings  located  on  this  farm  in  1850,  and  has 
since  lived   here  ;  both   Blr.   and  Mrs.  Owings 
are    Methodists.     Politically.  Whig  first,  then 
Republican,  then  Greenbackor.   Owns  120  acres. 
Mrs.  Owings  was  thrice  married;  first  time  to 
Neri  Whittaker,  by  him  had   four;  Cyrus   L., 
Florella,  Sylvester  and  Augustus  E,;  Sylvester 
was  soldier  in   late   war,  One    Hundred    and 
Twenty-Third     Illinois     Volunteer     Infantry, 
Company  G  ;  was  killed  at  Perryville  ;  Cyrus 


138 


BIOGRArHICAL: 


L.,  member  of  the  Eleventh  Missouri  Cavalry; 
Augustus  in  !Madison  Batterj-. 

MARIOX  PARTLOW,  farmer,  P.  0.  Bell 
Air.  The  Partlow  famih"  came  to  this  county 
in  the  fall  of  1839.  The  father  of  the  above 
was  John  H.  Partlow.  who  was  born  in 
1811  in  one  of  the  Middle  States,  and  was  a 
son  of  Jacob  Partlow.  John  H.  Partlow  came 
from  Indiana  to  this  county,  in  1839  ;  he  came 
with  his  wile  Lydia,  and  a  team  of  horses,  and 
was  making  his  waj'  westward,  and  stopped 
for  a  time  to  rest  in  this  county,  intending  to 
pursue  his  journey  when  recuperated ;  but 
liking  the  county  so  well,  he  resolved  to  go  no 
farther,  and  accordingly  entered  SO  acres  on 
Section  35  in  Johnson  Township,  and  remained 
here  for  many  j-ears ;  he  finallj-  went  to 
Arkansas  for  his  health,  and  there  died.  He 
was  a  member  of  the  "  Church  of  God,"  and 
preached  that  doctrine.  His  wife  was  Lydia 
Bennett  (prior  to  her  marriage),  who  bore  him 
seventeen  children  ;  but  six  of  the  number  now 
living,  Marion,  Columbus  X.  and  four  sisters. 
Marion  was  born  February  27, 1844,  on  the  farm 
he  now  owns,  and  has  since  been  a  resident  of 
the  township  ;  he  married  Martha  L.  Bowles, 
who  was  born  in  Ohio,  daughter  of  Wilson 
Bowles  ;  she  died  in  3Iarch,  1881,  leaving  three 
children — Nollie  Franklin,  Henry  A.  and  Orie 
D.  Mr.  Partlow  has  117  acres  of  land.  He  was 
elected  Justice  of  the  Peace  in  the  spring  of 
1880,  and  has  been  affiliated  with  the  Democrat- 
ic party  since  he  cast  his  first  vote,  and  has 
served  as  Constable  and  in  other  offices  of 
trust  in  the  township.  He  has  four  sisters 
living — Annie  E.,  who  is  the  relict  of  John  M. 
Stocksdale ;  Sophia  is  the  wife  of  John  Simp- 
son ;  Roanna,  wife  of  John  Elliott,  of  Orange 
Township;  Phebe,  wife  of  Samuel  Simcox,  all  of 
this  county.  Mr.  Partlow  in  1880  had  the  mis- 
fortune to  have  his  house  and  contents  burned 
to  the  ground,  which  has  been  replaced  on  the 
site  of  the  old  one. 

ISAAC  REED,  farmer,  P.  0.  Casey,  is  one 
of  the  self-made  men  of  the  countj-,  and  is  now 


one  of  the  wealthy  and  thoroughgoing  farmers 
in  the  township.  He  was  born  in  Shelby 
Countj-,  Ind.,  1837,  November  28.  He  is  the 
son  and  child  of  Philip  Reed  and  Mary  Smith, 
both  natives  of  North  Carolina,  where  thej' 
were  married,  and  removed  to  Shelby  County, 
Ind.,  about  the  year  1818.  Here  they  lived 
until  their  death.  They  had  eleven  children 
born  to  them,  seven  of  whom  were  raised  to 
maturity.  Isaac  was  thrown  upon  his  own 
resources  at  an  early  age,  his  mother  dying, 
and  a  step-mother  was  not  congenial  to  him  ; 
and  at  the  age  of  fourteen  he  began  for  himself, 
and  when  nineteen  years  of  age  he  came  to 
this  State  and  to  the  township  in  the  fall  of 
1856,  and  has  since  been  identified  with  the 
interests  of  the  county,  excepting  a  j-ear  and  a 
half  when  he  lived  in  Edgar  Count}'.  He 
worked  out  by  the  month,  and  for  several 
j-ears  made  the  best  use  of  his  time,  and  saved 
his  mone}'  and  purchased  eighty  acres  in  1859, 
on  Section  4,  where  he  now  lives,  for  which 
he  paid  $1,01)3,  and  moved  on  the  same  in  the 
fall  of  ISCO,  and  since  that  time  has  been  a 
resident  of  this  place.  He  has  now  about  535 
acres,  all  in  this  township  except  IGO  in  Case}- 
Township.  He  was  married,  1800,  March  11, 
to  Josephine  Allen,  born  in  Edgar  County. 
1840,  May  24,  eldest,  daughter  of  \Tilliam 
Allen  and  Elizabeth  Barues.  William  Barnes 
was  a  Virginian;  she  (his  wife)  was  from  Indi- 
ana. William  was  son  of  James  Allen.  Mr. 
Reed  has  had  five  children,  four  are  living — 
Mary,  Louella,  Willie  and  Cora.  Mary  is  wife 
of  Charles  Gard.  Flora  died  May,  1881,  aged 
eighteen  j-ears  six  months  and  ten  days. 
Democratic.  Mr.  Reed  is  one  of  the  most  suc- 
cessful farmers  and  business  men  in  the  count}'. 
JOHN  SCOTT,  farmer,  P.  O.  Casey,  is  an 
Ohioan  by  birth.  He  was  bom  in  Butler 
County  in  1817,  February  (3,  the  eldest  child 
of  his  parents,  who  were  Richard  Scott  and 
Ann  Steele.  He  was  born  July  26.  1788,  in 
Adams  County,   Penn.,  son  of  John  Scott,  a 


JOHNSON    TOWNSHIP. 


139 


native  of  Ireland,  who  came  to  Penusylvaiiia 
and  settled  prior  to  the  Revolution.     He  mar- 
ried Rebecca  Elliot  in  Ireland,  and  by  her  had 
five  sous  and  one  daughter.    Two  of  the  sons 
lived   to    see   over   fourscore   years.     James, 
Jinsey,  Robert,  John,  William,  Richard,  were 
the   children.     John  Scott,  the  father  of  the 
above-mentioned    children,  removed  with   his 
family  to  Kentucky,  remaining  there  five  years; 
then  moved  to  Ohio  before  it  became  a  Stale  ; 
there  he  and  wife  both  died  in  what  was  after 
Butler  County.     The   children    all    settled   in 
that  neighborhood.     Ann,  the  mother  of  our 
subject,  was  born  March   16,  1796,  in  Bour- 
bon County,  Ky.,  daughter  of  William  Steele, 
who  raised  a  large  family,  consisting  of  the 
following    children  :    Joseph,    William,    Alex- 
ander, John,  Samuel,  James.  Jane,  Ann,  Mary 
and  Eleanor.     The  fiither  of  our  subject  Avas 
a  farmer  by  occupation.     He  was  a  soldier  in 
the   war   of    1812,    and   remained    in    Butler 
County  until  his  death,  on  December  7,  1874. 
His  wife  died  March  14,  1804.     They  raised  a 
family   of  five   children,  viz.,  John,  William, 
Eleanor,  Richard  and  Rebecca.     Richard  and 
Rebecca  are  deceased.     Richard  H.  served  over 
three   years   ui   Seventy-fifth   Ohio  Volunteer 
Infantry,  in  Capt.  H.  L.  :Morey's  company.    He 
finished  his   term  of  service,  and  re-enlisted, 
and  while  in  Florida  was  taken  prisoner  and 
confined   in   Audersouville   Prison,    where   he 
died  in   1865,  April  24,  just  two  days  before 
the  prisoners  were  released.     The  other  mem- 
bers of  the  family  are  living  back  in  Butler 
County,  Ohio.     John,  the  subject  of  these  lines, 
was  raised  a  farmer,  and  left  home  at  the  time 
of  his  marriage,  which  was  on  August  29,  1850, 
to  Christiana,  born  on  June   5.  1831,  in  Ger- 
manj',  daughter  of  John  and  Cliristiana  Sykle. 
After   his    marriage,    he   removed    to    Preble 
County,  where  he  purchased  lain!  and  engaged 
in   farming,  and  remained   here  eleven  years, 
and   in  the  fall  of  1S61  he  sold  out  and  came 
here  to  this  county;  and  in  October,  that  year. 


he  located  on  the  farm  he  now  owns  and  since 
remained.  He  has  260  acres  in  Sections  7  and  S. 
No  children  of  the  irown  :  have  raised  two  chil- 
dven — Nancy  E.  Steele  and  Rebecca  S.  Young. 
Member  of  Presbyterian  Church  all  liis  life. 
Republican. 

WILLIAM  T.  SHADLEY,  farmer,  P.  0.  Oak 
Point,  was  born  January  10,  1833,  in  Shelby 
County,  Ind.,  the  fourth  son  and  eighth  child 
of  a  family  of  twelve  children.  His  father  was 
William  J.  Shadley,  who  was  born  September 
8,  1800,  in  Virginia,  and  removed  to  Licking 
County,  Ohio,  when  a  young  man,  and  here 
married,  March  20,  1819,  to  Rebecca,  born 
April  8,  1797,  in  Virginia,  daughter  of  Joseph 
Francis.  After  his  marriage,  he  moved  to 
Shelbj-  County,  Ind.,  and  here  remained  until 
the  fall  of  1852,  when  he  removed  with  his 
family  to  this  State  and  bought  360  acres  in 
Johnson  Township,  land  in  Sections  33  and  28, 
and  died  here  in  the  township  October  1, 1857; 
his  wife  died  October  27,  of  the  same  year. 
They  raised  a  family  of  eleven  children,  viz.: 
Ursula,  Mary,  Nathaniel,  Amy,  James,  Mahlon, 
Hannah,  William  F.,  Daniel,  Francis  and 
Stephen,  all  living  save  Daniel;  all  living  in 
Shelby  County  except  Hannah,  Ursula,  Mary, 
Amy  and  William  F.  William  Francis,  our 
subject,  was  raised  a  farmer,  and  was  eighteen 
years  of  age  when  he  came  to  this  count}-.  At 
his  majoritj',  he  was  married,  in  January  21, 
1854,  to  Sarah  C,  born  in  Stark  County,  Ohio, 
eldest  daughter  (and  child)  of  Jolm  S.  Slusser 
by  his  wife,  Nancy  Montgomery.  After  Mr. 
Shadley's  marriage,  he  located  on  a  piece  of 
land  given  him  by  his  father,  and  engaged  in 
farming,  and  has  since  remained.  He  has  now 
265  acres  of  land,  all  in  this  township.  He  has 
six  children  living,  eight  were  Ijorn;  the  living 
—Viola  (wife  of  Jolm  A.  Thorp),  John,  Hanan, 
Frank,  Mary  and  Nevada;  deceased  were  Day- 
ton and  an  infant  daughter.  Mr.  Shadley  has 
two  sisters  in  this  township — Hannah,  Mrs. 
Jacob  Flint;  Marv,  wife  of  Jacob  Neighbarger. 


140 


BIOGRAPHICAL; 


Ursula  E.,  resides  in  Case}-,  wife  of  Thomas 
Bless;  Am_v,  lives  iu  Jasper  Count}-,  wife  of 
John  Foutz.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Methoci- 
ist  Episcopal  Church.  Politicall}-,  he  is  a 
Republican. 

BENJAMIN  F.  SHOEMAKER,  farmer  and 
stock-raiser,  P.  0.  Oak  Point,  is  the  eldest  of 
the  Shoemaker  brothers.  He  was  born  in  De- 
catur Count}-,  Ind.,  September  22,  1838;  is  the 
eldest  of  the  living  sons  of  Jesse  Shoemaker 
and  Marj-  Ann  Wiley.  Jesse  Shoemaker  was 
born  May  12,  1S09,  in  Guilford  County,  N.  C, 
son  of  Conrad  and  Jane  (Witt)  Shoemaker,  of 
German  stock.  Conrad  removed  with  his  family 
from  North  Carolina  and  settled  in  Boone 
County,  Ind.,  at  an  early  da\-,  and  here  died 
about  the  year  1840.  He  raised  a  family  of 
four  sons  and  four  daughters — Elijah,  Jesse, 
George,  Michael,  Polly,  Katie,  Eliza  and  Betsy 
Ann.  Elijah  and  Polly  remained  in  North  Caro- 
lina; the  others  came  with  their  parents  to 
Boone  County.  Our  subject's  maternal  grand- 
father was  Thomas  Wiley,  who  married  Mary 
Birney,  and  by  her  had  four  children,  two  sons 
and  two  daughters — Nathan,  Elizabeth,  Mary 
Ann  and  Thomas.  Benjamin  F.  came  to  this 
State  with  his  father  and  mother  when  ten 
years  of  age,  and  has  since  been  a  resident  of 
the  township.  His  father  is  j-et  living;  his 
mother  died  December  26,  1863;  she  was  born 
in  Guilford  County,  N.  C,  September  21,  1813. 
To  them  Ave  children  were  born,  viz.:  Wash- 
ington P.,  Benjamin  F.,  William  H.,  John  L. 
and  Indiana  L.,  all  deceased  except  Benjamin 
F.  and  John  L.,  both  residents  of  this  township. 
Washington  P.  died  in  the  army  in  1865;  he 
was  a  member  of  Companj-  G,  One  Hundred 
and  Fifty-second  Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry; 
W^illiam  H.,  was  iuthe  One  Hundred  and  Twen- 
ty-third Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry,  Company 
G..  died  October  2G,  1868,  and  left  one  child- 
John  D.;  John  was  in  Company  G,  One  Hun- 
dred and  Twenty-third  Indiana;  he  married 
Miss  Flint,  and  died  in  this  county  June  17, 


1879.  Benjamin  F.  enlisted  August  5.  18G1, 
in  Companj-  B,  Second  Illinois,  Batter}-  B,  and 
served  out  three  years  and  re-enlisted  in  Han- 
cock's corps,  and  served  one  year  in  the  corps, 
making  four  years  of  solid  service,  and  during 
his  four  years  of  service  he  was  never  absent 
from  his  command  except  five  days,  when  he 
was  taken  with  the  measles.  He  served  as 
a  private,  and  was  never  wounded,  but  did  his 
duty  faithfully  and  well.  The  Shoemaker 
family  were  well  represented  in  the .  late  war. 
The  father,  Jesse,  and  four  of  his  sons  wore 
the  blue — Washington  P.,  Benjamin  F.,  Will- 
iam H.  and  John  D.;  two  of  the  number  lost 
their  lives  in  the  service.  Benjamin  F.,  upon 
his  return  from  the  war,  came  home  on  the  farm, 
where  he  has  since  lived;  he  has  100  acres,  and 
is  engaged  in  farming  and  stock-raising.  Oc- 
tober 31,  1869,  he  married  Beulah,  born  De- 
cember 25,  184-1,  in  this  township,  second 
daughter  of  Tamar  Finney,  one  of  the  old  set- 
tlers in  this  township.  He  has  one  child — Ora 
Pearl,  born  July  28,  1881;  Anna,  died  Novem- 
ber 18,  1881,  aged  six  years  and  four  months. 
J.  S.  SLUSSER,  farmer,  P.  O.  Oak  Point. 
This  gentleman  was  born  September  16,  1812, 
in  Adams  County,  Peun.,  and  emigrated  to 
Stark  County,  Ohio,  with  his  pai-ents,  w-hen  two 
years  of  age.  His  father's  name  was  Henry 
Slusser,  a  Penusylvanian,  son  of  Philip  Slusser, 
a  native  of  German}-.  Our  subject's  mother 
was  a  Slusser  also ;  her  name  was  Mar}-, 
daughter  of  John  Slusser.  Henry  Slusser  set- 
tled near  Canton,  in  Stark  County,  where  he  en- 
tered his  land;  remained  here  until  his  death, 
which  occurred  about  the  year  1822.  His  wife 
survived  and  was  afterward  mai'ried  to  anotlior 
man,  David  First,  and  afterward  moved  to  In- 
diana and  died  there  in  1856,  in  Huntington 
County.  He  raised  four  children — John  S., 
Elizabeth,  Christiana  and  Frederick  ;  all  li\-ed 
to  be  grown,  and  raised  families.  John  S.  lived 
with  his  mother  and  with  his  uncles  until  he 
was  fifteen  years  old,  when  he  went  with  his 


JOHNSON   TOWNSHIP. 


141 


step-father  and  with  him  learned  the  brick- 
maker's  trade,  remaining  with  him  three  years, 
after  which  he  went  for  himself  and  hired  men 
and  contracted.  He  has  been  thrice  married, 
first  in  1S34,  to  Xanc}-  Montgomery,  daughter 
of  John  and  Sarah  Montgomery ,a  native  of  Penn- 
sylvania. In  the  fall  of  1842,  he  and  wife  with 
four  children  came  with  a  wagon  to  this  coun- 
ty. He  had  but  S200,  and  bought  1(50  acres  at 
$2,  paying  one-half  down,  in  Section  28,  northwest 
quarter.  Here  he  built  him  a  cabin  and  en- 
gaged in  improving  the  land,  and  for  several 
3'eai"S  had  a  hard  time  and  endured  the  hard- 
ships incident  to  the  settlement  of  a  new  coun- 
try. He  lived  in  the  log  house  until  1856, 
when  he  built  the  house  he  now  lives  in.  The 
first  floor  was  hewed  puncheons  and  the  door 
of  clapboards.  He  has  now  360  acres.  His 
first  wife  died  February  7,  1847.  By  her  he 
had  four  children — Catherine,  Francisco,  James 
A.  and  Thomas  J.  Catherine  resides  in  this 
township,  the  wife  of  William  F.  Shadley; 
Francesca,  wife  of  Dennis  Foster,  of  this  town- 
ship ;  James  A.  volunteered  in  1861,  in  Com- 
pany F,  Fifty-ninth  Regiment  Volunteer  Infan- 
try, went  into  the  army  and  never  returned, 
died  of  chronic  diarrhoea  ;  Thomas  J.  resides 
in  this  township.  He  served  in  the  army,  was 
wounded  and  is  now  a  pensioner.  He  married 
the  second  time,  June,  1847,  Mary  Schofield ; 
she  died  January  28,  1868.  She  left  seven 
children — John,  Morris,  Oscar,  Charlie,  Jane, 
Alice  and  Cecelia.  All  live  in  this  county  ex- 
cept Cecelia,  who  resides  in  Jasper  Countj'. 
November  3,  1870,  he  married  his  third  wife, 
^Irs.  Rachel  Ream,  born  in  Lancaster  County  ^ 
Penn.,  July  24,  1S32,  daughter  of  Al)ram  Wit- 
wer  and  Elizabeth  Sour.  No  children  by  the 
last  marriage.  In  1833,  he  cast  his  first  vote 
for  Jackson  ;  after  then  was  a  Whig,  since  Re- 
publican. He  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church. 

J.  E.  SLUSSER,  farmer,  P.  0.  Oak  Point. 
This    gentleman    came   of  Old    Pennsylvania 


stock,  but  was  born  in  Oliio,  and  first  beheld 
the  light  of  day  March  2,  1831,  in  Ogdensburg 
Township,   Stark   County.     His   father,  David 
Slusser,  was  Iiorn  May  30,  1S08,  in  Pennsyl 
vania,  a  son  of  John  Slusser,  who  served  in  the 
Revolutionary  war.     The  mother  of  our  sub- 
ject was  Sarah  Emich,  who  was  born  Septem- 
ber 5,  1808,  in  the  Keystone  State.     The  chil- 
dren born   to    David    Slusser   and   wife   were 
Zachariah,  Jeremiah,  Uriah,  Josiah,  Mary  A.. 
Benjamin  P.,  David  M.,  Ann  M.,  Harriet  0., 
Sarah  C,  Lucy  B.  and  Ezra,  all  of  whom  grew 
to   man   and    womanhood.     Jeremiah    E.,  the 
subject  of  these  lines,  had  but  limited  school 
advantages.     His    earh-    boyhood   was   spent 
working  on  the  farm  with  his  father,  and  upon 
attaining  his   majority    he   liegan   for  himself 
and  worked  out  by  the  month  at  such  wages 
as  he  could  obtain.     September  21,  1854,  he 
married  Elizabeth  Sell,  a  native  of  Stark  Coun- 
ty, where  she  was  born,  June  1, 1820,  daughter 
of  John  Sell  and  Kate  Shired,  early  settlers  in 
Stark   County,  Mrs.  Slusser    being   the  eighth 
child  of  the  family.     In  the  spring  of  1857,  he 
resolved  to  better  his  condition,  and  according- 
ly emigrated  to  this  State  and  first  piirchased 
eighty  acres  of  land  two  miles  south  of  Mar- 
shall in  this  county,  but  kept  this  a  short  time, 
selling  it  at  au  advance,  and  came  to  this  town- 
ship and  purchased  eighty  acres  in  Section  33, 
upon  which  he  settled  and  began  improving  the 
same.     In  1865,  he  sold  to  William  F.  Shadley, 
and  purchased  120  acres  of  unimproved  land 
in  the  southwest  quarter  of  Sectien  29,  costing 
about  $13  per  acre.    He  has  since  resided  here, 
and  by  hard  work  and  rigid  econom}'  he  has 
acquired  for  himself  a  good  home.     For  sever- 
al years  he  ran  a  threshing  machine  and  at  the 
same  time  conducting  his  farm  successfully. 
Mr.  Slusser  had  three  brothers — Uriah,  David 
M.  and  Benjamin  F. — who  served  in  the  late 
war.     Uriah  served  in  the   Seventy-first,  and 
was  found  dead  at  his  post  while  on  picket 
duty.     David  M.   and   Benjamin  F.  served  in 


143 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


the  Fift3--ninth  Regiment.  David  M.  served 
in  all  the  battles  with  his  regiment  and  died  at 
Springfield,  before  reaching  home  ;  Benjamin 
F.  was  the  onlj'  one  that  came  home  alive. 
Living  in  this  countj'  are  J.  E.,  Ezra  and  Celes- 
tia,  the  latter  the  wife  of  Weslej-  Kitchen,  of 
Marshall.  Josiah  resides  in  Cumberland  Coun- 
ty with  his  father,  who  came  here  in  1859. 
Mr.  Slusser  has  three  chiklren— Martha,  Clara 
L.  and  Simon.  Martha  resides  in  Elk  Count}', 
Kan.,  wife  of  Isaac  Smith.  Simon  L.  married, 
December  17,  1882,  Martha,  daughter  of  Felix 
Chesher,  of  this  township.  Our  subject  was 
raised  in  the  German  Reformed  Church.  Re- 
publican. 

THOMAS  J.  SLUSSER,  farmer,  P.  0.  Oak 
Point,  is  the  eldest  son  living  of  John  S. 
Slusser.  He  was  born  April  19,  1842,  in  Stark 
County,  Ohio,  and  removed  to  this  township 
with  his  parents  when  a  babe.  He  has  since 
been  a-  resident  of  the  township.  He  was 
brought  up  on  his  father's  farm,  where  he  lived 
until  he  was  about  twent3"-six  years  of  age. 
He  had  common  school  advantages  and  assisted 
his  father  on  the  farm.  In  August,  1861,  he 
was  among  the  number  who  went  out  in  re- 
sponse to  the  National  call,  and  enlisted  for 
three  years  in  Company  F,  Fifty-ninth  Illinois 
Volunteer  Infantry,  and  served  until  Septemljer, 
1863,  when  he  was  discharged  on  account  of 
wounds  received  at  the  battle  of  Stone  River, 
in  December.  1862.  He  was  in  the  battle  of 
Pea  Ridge,  Ark.,  and  Perryville.  His  wound 
was  in  the  left,  thigh,  with  piece  of  shell,  and 
he  was  also  shot  in  the  left  shoulder,  with 
minie  ball,  and  now  draws  a  pension  from  the 
Government.  Upon  his  discharge,  he  returned 
home  to  his  father's,  where  he  remained  until 
marriage,  which  was  November  28,  1867,  to 
Rebecca,  born  in  Orange  Township,  this  county, 
January  26,  1848,  the  fourth  daughter  of 
Thomas  L.  Baker  and  Lucy  Fancher.  who  were 
early  settlers  in  this  county,  from  Ohio.  The 
same  j'ear  Mr.  Slusser  was  married,  he  located 


on  the  farm  he  now  owns,  having  120  acres. 
He  has  three  children — Evert,  Frederick  and 
Gracie  G.  He  and  wife  are  members  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  He  is  Steward 
of  the  Church.     Politics,  Republican. 

S.  S.  SWIM,  farmer,  P.  0.  Casey,  was  born 
November  15,  1833,  in  Licking  County,  Ohio. 
He  is  the  third  son  of  Isaac  Swim  and  Mary 
Ann  Oiler.  He  was  born  in  January,  1803,  in 
Pennsylvania,  son  of  James  Swim.  The  Swim 
family  are  of  Irish  and  German  stock.  Isaac 
Swim  came  West  to  Ohio  with  his  father  when 
a  young  man,  and  here  married  Miss  Oiler,  and 
engaged  in  farming,  where  he  remained  several 
years,  and  then  removed  to  Wayne  County, 
Ind..  remaining  here  six  j-ears,  and  in  the  fall 
of  1844  he  removed  with  his  family  to  Clark 
County,  locating  in  this  township,  on  Section 
18.  He  died  October,  1878.  His  wife  yet  sur- 
vives him.  There  were  eight  children  raised — 
Alpheus,  Vincent,  S.  S.,  Mary,  Margaret,  Eliza- 
beth. Lucy  J.  and  William  H.  Alpheus,  Mary 
and  Margaret  are  deceased ;  the  others  are  liv- 
ing in  this  township,  except  Elizabeth,  who  re- 
sides in  Cumberland  County.  Sylvanus  was 
aljout  eleven  years  of  age  when  he  came  here 
with  his  parents,  remaining  with  them  until 
twenty-two  years  of  age.  His  father  becoming 
embarrassed.  S.  S.  was  thrown  upon  his  own 
resources.  He  hired  out  by  the  month.  He 
worked  twenty-two  months  for  John  C.  Dur- 
ham, at  §10  per  month,  and  continued  on  until 
he  was  enabled  to  make  a  start  in  farming, 
when  he  rented  land  some  seven  years,  and  in 
1864  he  purchased  sixty  acres  where  he  now 
lives,  costing  $20  per  acre,  and  has  since  added 
to  same  until  he  now  has  176  acres.  In  Janu- 
ary, 1857,  he  was  first  married  to  Mary  Mum- 
ford,  born  in  Ohio,  daughter  of  Levi  Mumford, 
who  came  to  this  county — an  early  settler.  His 
wife  died  May  29,  1878,  leaving  no  issue.  His 
last  marriage  was  to  Martba  J.  List,  born  in 
Montgomery  County,  Ind.,  daughter  of  William 
and  Hannah  (Aten)  List.     The  family  came  to 


JOHNSOX   TOAVXSHIP. 


145 


this  State  iu  1856  He  has  two  children,  Syl- 
vanius  Sylvester  and  Myrtle  51.  Liberal  in 
politics  ;  lately  Greenbacker.  His  father  and 
mother  were  members  of  the  Christian  Church. 
Mv.  Swim  had  one  brother,  Alpheus,  w  ho  was  a 
soldier  in  the  Fifty-fourth  Illinois  Volunteer 
Infantry,  Company  G,  and  was  killed  at  Charles- 
ton, this  State,  in  a  raid  there.  He  had  two 
children — Taylor  and  Elizabeth. 

G.  W.  WILEY,  farmer,  F.  0.  This  Casey, 
gentleman  ranks  among  the  thrifty  and  enter- 
prising farmers  of  Johnson  Township  ;  he  was 
born  1838,  November  29,  in  Decatur  Count}-, 
Ind.  His  parents  were  Thomas  Wiley  and  Ester 
Critzer  ;  Thomas  Wile}-  was  born  1816.  Decem- 
ber 10,  in  Guilford  County,  X.  C.  His  ances- 
tors were  of  English  descent.  Thomas  Wiley 
came  to  Indiana  when  a  young  man,  and 
was  married  in  Decatur  County,  to  Esther, 
daughter  of  Henrj-  Critzer,  who  served  iu  the 
war  of  1812.  Thomas,  after  marriage,  settled  in 
Decatur  and  engaged  in  farming,  and  remained 
here  until  the  fall  of  1850,  when  came  to  this 
county  and  lived  two  years  in  this  (Johnson) 
Township,  and  then  located  on  land  in  Case}- 
Township,  which  he  had  entered,  and  lived  here 
until  his  death,  December  13,  1864.  His  wife 
died  January  19,  same  year.  They  raised  a 
family  of  eight  children,  six  of  whom  are  living 
— George  W.,  Sarah  J.,  Frances  M.,  Nancy  M., 
Mary  A.  and  Josephine.  George  W.  is  the 
eldest  of  the  number,  and  the  only  one  now 
living  in  this  county.  He  came  to  this  county 
with  his  parents  in  1850,  and  began  on  his 
own  account  at  the  age  of  fifteen,  but  made  his 
father's  house  his  home  until  he  was  twenty- 
two  years  of  age,  when  he  volunteered  his  serv- 
ices in  the  defense  of  his  country,  enlisting 
July,  1861,  in  Company  B,  Second  Illinois  Light 
Artillery,  known  as  Madison  Battery,  and 
served  until  September  2,  1864  ;  during  this 
time,  he  pai'ticipated  in  the  battles  of  Pittsburg 
Landing  and  Corinth,  and  came  out  unscathed  ; 
upon  his  return  from  the  service  he  came  to  this 


county  and  engaged  in  farming  on  rented  land. 
Was  married,  January  14,  1865.  to  Susan,  born 
in  Clark  County.  Martinsville  Township,  April, 
1843,  daughter  of  Levi  and  Mary  Mumford, 
botl)  natives  of  Ohio,  and  came  to  this 
county  quite  early.  He  purchased  the  farm 
he  now  owns  in  1872,  first  bought  40  acres,  and 
has  since  added  to  the  first  purchase  until  he 
has  now  160  here,  and  80  of  timber — 240  in 
all.  He  began  when  his  resources  were  noth- 
ing, and  has  made  what  he  has  by  his  own  in- 
dustry. Has  nine  children — John.  Mary, 
Thomas.  Arthur,  Hettie.  Jane,  George,  Robert, 
and  Susan,  Democratic  ;  was  elected  Super- 
visor iu  spring  of  1882,  member  of  A.,  F.  & 
A.  M..  Casey  Lodge,  No.  442. 

WILLIAM  W.  WILLISON,  farmer,  P.  0. 
Bell  Air.  The  Willison  family  have  been  iden- 
tified with  Clark  County  since  1S41.  His 
father,  Elias  Willison.  was  a  Virginian,  and  was 
born  December  29, 1788,  son  of  Elisha  Willison, 
of  English  stock.  Elias  removed  to  Ohio 
when  a  young  man,  wheie  he  married  Phebe 
Vail,  in  Licking  County  ;  she  was  born  April  24^ 
1796.  in  Pennsylvania.  Mr.  Elias  Willison  was 
a  farmer  by  occupation,  and  after  his  marriage 
located  in  Licking  County,  Ohio,  where  he  lived 
until  1837.  when  he  moved  with  his  family  to 
Indiana  and  settled  ten  miles  from  Terra 
Haute,  where  he  lived  until  1841,  when  he 
came  to  this  county  and  located  in  the  spring 
of  1841  ;  he  (Elias)  purchasea  SO  acres  in 
Orange  Township,  locating  on  the  same  March 
17,  and  remained  there  until  his  death,  which 
occurred  August  19,  1845;  his  wife  survived 
him  until  July  29.  1848.  They  raised  to  ma- 
turity the  following  children,  viz.:  Sallie,  Silas, 
Clarissa,  John,  Aaron,  William  W.,  Harvey  and 
Leroy.  Leroy  and  Harvey  ser\-ed  as  soldiers  in 
the  late  war  ;  Aanm  afterward  died  at  Indian- 
apolis from  the  effects  of  exposure  and  disease 
contracted  while  in  the  army ;  our  subject, 
William  W..  was  born  November  16,  1S24,  in 
Licking  County,  Oliio,  and  camj  to  this  State 

I 


146 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


with  his  parents  and  remained  with  them  until 
his  marriage,  which  occurred  November  I, 
1853,  to  Sarah,  who  was  born  in  Lebanon 
County,  Penn.,  April  7,  1833  ;  her  parents  were 
Valentine  Dehl  and  Catherine  Daup,  who  came 
here  in  1842.  Mr.  Willison  has  no  children  ; 
after  his  marriage,   he  located  on  the  farm  he 


now  owns,  and  has  since  been  identified  with 
the  township.  In  1850,  prior  to  his  marriage, 
he  went  the  overland  route  to  California,  where 
he  was  for  three  years,  and  during  this  time 
was  engaged  in  mining.  In  1868,  he  was 
elected  Justice  of  the  Peace  and  served  two 
terms.     He  is  a  Democrat.     Has  140  acres. 


PAEKER  TOWI^rSHIP. 


WILLIAM  BAEBEE,  farmer,  P.  O.  Mar- 
tinsville, was  born  in  this  county,  in  West- 
field  Township,  June  27,  1833,  the  eldest  son 
of  John  Barbeo  and  Sallie  Lago.  John 
Barbee  came  from  Shelby  County,  Ky.,  and 
removed  with  his  brotheis  to  Crawford 
County,  this  State.  He  was  the  youngest  of  a 
large  family.  He  was  married  in  Crawford 
County  and  removed  to  this  State  in  1831, 
locating  in  Westfield,  on  Section  27,  and  re- 
mained here  until  his  death.  He  raised  a 
family  of  ten  children,  five  living,  and  all 
residents  of  the  county,  William  being  the 
only  one  in  the  township;  he  left  home  be- 
fore coming  of  age.  Worked  at  low  wages  by 
the  day  and  month,  and  has  worked  for  25 
cents  per  day  and  for  S6  per  month.  Was 
maiTied,  April  24,  1863,  to  Sallie  Robin- 
son in  this  township,  daughter  of  L.  D.  Rob- 
inson and  Elizabeth  Connelly.  Mr.  Barbee 
has  been  a  resident  of  the  township  since  his 
marriage.  Has  six  children — Leven  A.,  John 
W.,  Priscilla,  Aberilla,  Andrew  and  Patsey. 
He  is  a  Democrat  and  a  member  of  A.,  F.  & 
A.  M.,  and  R.  A.  Chapter,  No.  125.  Has 
340  acres  of  land. 

JOHN  B.  BRISCOE,  farmer,  P.  O.  West- 
field,  is  among  the  old  settlers,  and  one  of 
the  representative  men  of  the  county.  He 
was  born  July  28,  1817,  in  Jefferson  County, 
Ky.,  and  removed  to  this   State  and  arrived 


here  in  this  county,  landing  in  Westtield 
Township  November  11,  1835.  His  father 
was  Henry  Briscoe,  who  was  born  in  Febru- 
rary,  1762,  in  Queen  Anne  County,  Md. ,  and 
was  a  soldier  in  the  Revolution,  and  was 
present  at  the  sui-render  of  Lord  Cornwallis. 
His  parents  were  Philip  Briscoe,  whose  wife 
was  a  Foster,  and  bore  him  nine  children,  seven 
sons  and  two  daughters,  viz. ,  William,  Robert, 
George,  Premmenus,  Walter,  Philip,  Henry, 
Katie  and  Sarah.  William  settled  in  Madi- 
son County,  Ky. ,  Robert  in  Bullitt  County, 
George  in  what  is  now  Hopkins  County,  Prem- 
meniis  settled  in  Bourbon  County,  Walter 
in  Mason  County,  Ky .  The  father  of  the  above 
came  to  Kentucky  at  a  very  early  day,  but 
never  settled,  being  of  a  rambling  tarn  of 
mind,  and  died  in  Maryland,  near  Port 
Tobacco.  His  sons  went  out  to  Kentucky 
subsequently,  and  settled  there  from  1770  to 
1799.  Philip  never  came  West  to  locate. 
Katie  married  James  Summerhill,  and  located 
in  Jefferson  County,  Ky.,  and  there  died  at 
an  old  age.  She  raised  one  son,  Robert,  who 
died  on  the  same  farm  at  an  advanced  age. 
Mary  settled  in  Maryland.  She  married  a 
man  named  Swan,  and  by  him  raised  a  large 
family,  all  of  whom  settled  there  except  Philip 
Swan,  who  removed  to  Jefferson  County,  Ky. , 
and  there  died,  and  raised  a  family  of  several 
children.     Henrv  Briscoe,   the  father  of  our 


PAl!Ki:i;    TOWNSIIII- 


147 


subject,  was  twice  married;  first,  to  a  Miss 
Lattimore,  danghtor  of  Judge  Lattimore,  of  a 
prominent  family  in  Maryland.  After  his 
marriage,  he  removed  to  Jeifersou  County, 
Ky.,  in  1799,  and  engaged  in  fsu-ming.  His 
wife  died  on  the  route  where  Cincinnati  now 
stands.  He  came  from  Red  Stone,  now 
IMttsbui'gh,  on  a  boat  to  Louisville,  and  settled 
on  the  headwaters  of  Bear  Grass  Creek.  By 
his  first  wife  he  had  a  large  family,  all  of 
whom  settled  in  that  county  except  Nancy, 
who  married  Burk  Jones  and  settled  in  Clark 
County,  Ind.,  and  raised  a  family  of  chil- 
dren of  sons  and  daughters.  Henry  Bris(!oe, 
in  1803,  married  Catharine  Brookhart,  who 
was  born  near  Boonesljoro,  Va.,  daughter 
of  Jacob  Brookhart  and  Catharine  Keller, 
both  families  of  German  extraction.  Jacob 
Brookhart  was  a  Virginian,  and  removed  to 
Kentucky,  landing  in  Jefferson  County  Jan- 
uaiy  1,  ISOO,  and  died  there.  He  raised  a 
family  of  sons  and  daughters,  all  now  de- 
ceased. Henry  Briscoe,  the  father  of  our 
subject,  emigrated  from  Jefferson  County, 
Ky.,  in  fall  of  1835,  landing  in  what  is  now 
Westfield  Township,  October  IG,  same  year, 
and  located  on  120  acres  his  wife  entered, 
which  is  situated  on  the  east  half  of  the  north- 
west quarter  of  Section  28.  Here  the  parents 
died  and  were  buried  on  the  farm^  Henry 
Briscoe  died  in  October,  1838;  his  wife  died 
September,  183G.  They  raised  a  family  of 
eleven  children,  viz. ,  Joseph,  Sophia,  Robert, 
Jacob,  Rhoda,  Hester,  John  B.,  Walter, 
Lydia,  William  T.  and  Allen  B.,  all  of  whom 
lived  to  be  man-ied  and  raised  families,  and 
settled  in  Westfield  Township.  Joseph  set- 
tled in  Section  28  ;  Sophia  was  twice  .mar- 
ried; first,  to  Joseph  Brookhart,  and  second, 
to  William  Barker,  and  is  now  the  relict  of  the 
last  husband,  and  resides  on  Section  33; 
Robert  settled  in  Westfield  Township;  Jacob 
settled  in  Jefferson  County,   Ky. ,  and  raised 


a  family  there;  Rhoda  mai-ried  William  M. 
Swan  and  settled  in  Westfield  Township, 
and  raised  a  family  there,  and  finally  removed 
to  Sanders  County,  Neb.,  and  there  died; 
Hester  married  Hilton  P.  Redman,  and  settled 
in  Parker  and  raised  a  familj'  and  died  there; 
Walter  settled  near  the  homestead  in  Parker; 
Lydia  became  the  wife  of  Andrew  Lee  and 
settled  in  Parker  Township,  now  resident  of 
Casey;  William  T.  settled  in  Parke  first, 
and  now  resides  in  Westfield ;  he  too,  raised 
a  family  ;  Allen  B.  resides  in  Marshall,  and 
has  served  twenty- four  years  as  County  Clerk 
consectttively.  John  B  ,  the  subject  of  these 
lines,  was  raised  to  farming  iiursuits,  and 
was  married  uu  February  27,  IS-io,  in  Floyd 
County.  Ind.,  to  Eliza  Ann,  who  was  born  in 
Floyd  County.  Ind.,  January  24,  1826,  the 
eldest  daughter  of  Daniel  Keller  and  Zer- 
niah  Starr.  Both  were  Virginians,  and  re- 
moved to  Kentucky  with  their  parents  when 
young,  and  removed  to  Indiana  and  there 
settled  in  New  Albany  about  1823.  They 
raised  a  family  of  six  children,  viz.,  William, 
Eliza,  Lewis,  Rosana,  Margaret,  Barbara. 
But  two  of  the  above  are  in  this  county — 
Mrs.  J.  J}.  Briscoe,  and  Rosana,  wife  of  W. 
T.  Briscoe,  of  Westfield.  Mi\  Briscoe  was 
twenty-eight  years  of  age  when  he  married, 
and  began  for  himself,  having  nothing  left 
him  by  his  parents,  and  early  in  life  learned 
to  depend  upon  his  own  resources  He 
worked  out  by  the  month,  and  bought  the 
place  in  1847,  and  located  here  on  Sec- 
tion 5,  northwest  quarter,  and  since  has 
resided  here.  He  began  stock  Iradiug  in 
1842,  and  for  ten  years  he  was  actively  en- 
gaged in  this  business.  He  drove  the  first 
drove  of  cattle  that  went  out  of  the  county; 
drove  same  to  IMilwaukee,  Wis.  His  opera- 
tions were  confined  from  here  to  Chicago  and 
the  lakes.  Four  years  of  his  early  life  were 
spent  on  the  river  as  a  roustabout,  running 


148 


BIOGRAPHICAL : 


fi-om  Darwin  to  New  Orleans.  He  began  in 
1887,  first  trip.  Up  to  1852,  he  continued 
droving  from  1842,  and  since  1852,  he  has 
given  his  attention  to  fanning,  and  traded 
considerably.  He  has  300  acres.  He  was 
one  of  the  leading  men  in  getting  the  D.  & 
O.  R.  R.,  and  was  prominently  identified 
with  the  interests  of  the  township  and  county. 
He  has  been  affiliated  with  the  Democrat 
party  and  has  been  an  active  worker.  Served 
two  years  as  Sheriff ;  elected  in  November, 
1858.  He  was  one  of  the  three  Commis- 
sioners that  laid  off  the  county  into  town- 
ships. He  has'had  eight  children,  four  now 
living,  two  sons  and  two  daughters — Keller, 
Walter,  Zerniah  and  Annie. 

WILLIAM  M.  CONNELY,  farmer  and 
stock-raiser,  P.  O.  Westfield,  is  one  of  the 
oldest  residents  of  the  township,  having  been 
identified  with  its  interest  since  the  fall  of 
1832.  He  was  born  February  7,  1822,  in 
Lawrence  County,  Ind.,  and  is  the  third  son 
of  Josiah  Connely,  a  native  of  Ashe  County, 
N.  C,  whose  father,  John  Connely,  came 
from  Ireland  to  North  Carolina,  and  raised  a 
family  of  several  children,  six  sons  and  three 
daughters.  The  sons  were  William,  John, 
Elijah,  Josiah,  Edmond  and  Joel,  all  of 
whom,  with  the  daughter,  were  raised  in  North 
Carolina;  Josiah  removed  to  Indiana  at  an 
early  day,  locating  in  Lawrence,  and  entered 
land  here;  he  was  three  times  married,  first 
to  Sallie  Miller,  who  bore  him  thi-ee  children 
— Josiah,  Demiah  and  Sallie,  all  now  de- 
ceased. His  second  wife  was  Sallie  E.  Ter- 
rill;  by  her  he  had  the  following:  Nancy, 
Joel  A.,  Elizabeth,  William  M.,  Josiah,  Tim- 
othy H,  Temper.ance  and  Judah.  Of  this 
number  is  our  subject,  William  M.,  who  was 
a  mere  lad  when  he  came  to  the  county  with 
his  parents.  His  father  was  one  of  the  pio- 
neers of  the  tuwnsbip,  and  in  early  life  our 
subject  was  inured  to  farm  labor,  and  before 


coming  to  his  majority  he  formed  a  matri- 
monial alliance  with  Sallie  Robinson,  who 
was  born  in  Edgar  County  in  1825,  and  was 
a  daughter  of  Richard  and  Sallie  Robinson; 
she  died  in  1852,  having  borne  him  five  chil- 
dren— Elizabeth,  Edmond  R.,  Sallie,  Emily 
and  Nancy;  Elizabeth  married  William  Rush: 
Sallie,  I.  N.  Bean;  Emily,  John  F.  Barbee; 
Nancy,  Benjamin  F.  Perry,  all  of  whom  re- 
side in  this  township.  Shortly  after  his 
man'iage.  he  moved  or>.  the  place  he  now  owns. 
Section  3,  locating  on  laud  his  father  had 
entered.  He  was  married,  in  1855,  to  Lydia 
Hammond,  who  was  born  August  22,  ISS-l,  a 
daughter  of  Alanson  Hammond.  By  last 
man'iage  five  children  were  born — -^manda, 
Lydia,  Josiah,  Alanson  and  Francis.  ]Mi\ 
Connely  has  given  his  attention  to  farming 
pursuits,  having  been  successful  in  his  busi- 
ness. He  has  made  several  trips  to  Cali- 
fornia, first  in  184:9,  going  with  an  ox  team 
which  required  six  months  to  make  the  trip, 
returning  in  1851.  In  1S59,  he  went  out  to 
Pike's  Peak,  and  was  one  of  the  delegates  that 
assisted  in  organizing  the  Territory.  In 
1864,  he  organized  a  company  of  men  and 
went  to  Idaho  and  California,  and  in  1867 
made  another  trip  to  Pike's  Peak,  this  time 
took  five  men.  Mr.  Connely  has  farmed 
quite  largely,  and  has  opened  up  seven  fai-ms 
on  this  prairie.  He  had  1200  acres  of  land  be- 
fore making  any  division.  Has  now  over  600 
acres.  In  politics,  he  is  Democratic,  and  is 
a  member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity,  being 
affiliated  with  Westfield  Lodge. 

I.  P.  DAUGHHETEE,  deceased,  was  one 
of  the  oldest  settlers  in  the  township,  coming 
here  about  the  year  1820.  He  was  born  in 
Kentucky  June  8,  1799,  son  of  John  Daugh- 
hetee,  a  native  of  West  Virginia,  and  after- 
ward removed  to  Kentucky  and  there  settled. 
Our  subject's  mother's  maiden  name  was  Su- 
san Parker.     Isaac   P.  was  a  farmer  bv  occu- 


PARKER    TOWNSHIP. 


149 


pation,  and  came  to  this  State  about  the  time 
of  the  admission  of  the  State,  and  entered 
laud  in  Edgar  County,  remaining  here  sev- 
eral years,  when  he  sold  out  and  removed  to 
Section  3,  where  he  entered  about  300  acres 
of  land;  received  the  patent  during  Jackson's 
administration.  He  lived  hero  until  his 
death,  which  occurred  August  27,  1854,  in 
his  fifty -fifth  year.  He  leaves  a  wife  and 
five  children.  He  was  married  in  September, 
1842,  to  Sidney  Ann  Wayne,  who  was  born  in 
Clark  County,  Ky.,  June  U,  1809,  daughter 
of  Benjamin  Wayne  and  Nancy  Tankesty,  both 
Virginians.  Mr.  Daughhetee  had  six  children 
by  Sidney  Ann — Rachel,  Sidney  Ann,  Isaac 
P.,  Katie,  Nathaniel  P.,  Lafayette,  the  latter 
deceased,  others  living.  Rachael,  wife  of 
George  Wilson,  of  Martinsville;  Sidney  A.  in 
this  county,  wife  of  Sylvester  Stevenson;  Isaac 
P.  in  Dolson  Township ;  Catharine  K.,  wife  of 
Charles  Raney  in  Westfield  Township;  Na- 
thaniel P.,  on  the  homestead;  Lafayette  died 
in  1870,  aged  twenty-four  years.  Mr. 
Daughhetee  was  a  Democrat,  and  one  of  the 
leading  men  of  his  party,  though  he  never 
aspired  for  office.  For  many  years  he  was  a 
member  of  the  Regular  Baptist  ChiU'ch,  having 
joined  this  denomination  when  nineteen  years 
of  age,  and  up  to  the  time  of  his  death  took  a 
very  active  part  in  promoting  the  interests 
of  his  chui'ch.  Succeeding  him  on  the  home- 
stead is  Nathaniel  P.,  who  was  born  on  this 
place  on  December  21,  1850,  and  has  since 
been  a  resident,  and  resides  with  his  mother 
on  the  homestead;  he  has  250  acres.  He  is 
Democratic  in  politics,  and  in  1882  was 
elected  Supervisor  of  the  township,  and  is 
engaged  in  farming.  He  received  good 
school  advantages,  and  for  ten  winters  was 
engaged  in  teaching  in  this  county.  Mem- 
ber of  A.,  F.  &  A.  M.,  Westfield  Lodge,  163. 
FREDERICK  HAMMOND,  farmer  and 
stook-raiser,  P.  O.  Martinsville      One  of  the 


leading  and  most  successful  farmers  in  this 
township  is  Frederick  Hammond,  who  was 
born  June  29,  1831,  in  Rutland  County,  Yt. , 
and  is  the  secoml  son  of  Alanson  Hammond 
and  Sallie  Tarbell.  In  1836,  in  the  fall  of 
that  year,  Frederick  came  to  this  count}'  with 
his  parents,  and  settled  on  Section  12.  Here 
his  parents  died;  his  father  in  1846,  and  his 
mother  in  1842.  They  raised  a  famil}"  of  five 
children,  viz.:  Polly  A.,  Clark,  Frederick, 
Lydia  and  Wesley.  Polly  is  the  wife  of 
Josiah  A.  Connelly,  and  Lydia  of  William 
Connelly,  brother  of  J.  A. — all  of  this  town- 
ship. Frederick  was  aboiit  fifteen  years  of 
age,  being  left  an  orphan,  and  was  left  with- 
out patrimony,  §67.25  being  the  only  money 
or  effects  left  him  from  the  estate,  and  he 
worked  out  by  the  month  and  the  week,  re- 
ceiving as  low  as  SI  per  week  and  $5.50  per 
month.  He  continued  on  in  this  way  working 
by  the  month  until  1850,when  he  went  to  Cali- 
fornia and  staid  nearly  two  years,  and  retiu-ned 
in  the  summer  of  1852,  purchased  the  north- 
east quarter  of  Section  15  in  this  township, 
costing  S5  per  acre,  and  engaged  in  farming. 
He  was  married  in  March,  1855,  to  Margaret 
Bean,  born  in  North  Carolina,  and  daughter 
of  Isaac  Bean.  His  wife  died  in  1856;  no  issue 
now  living.  September  20, 1858,  he  married 
Patsey  Connelly,  born  in  this  township,  and 
daughter  of  Josiah  Connelly  and  Sallie  Dix- 
on. Last  marriage,  seven  children — Sallie, 
Ida,  Emily,  Francisco,  Alanson  P.,  Serena 
A.  and  Patsey  E.  Emily  is  the  wife  of  Perry 
Black,  of  Casey  Township.  In  1S69,  he  lo- 
cated on  this  farm,  Section  14,  and  since  re- 
mained. He  has  been  successful,  and  has  now 
about  1,600  acres  of  land.  Mr.  Hammond 
cast  his  first  vote  for  James  Buchanan,  and 
has  since  followed  iip  in  this  line.  He  is  a 
member  of  A.,  F.  &  A.  M. 

WILLIAM  JEFFERS,  farmer,  P.  O,  Mar- 
tinsville.   This  gentleman  is  a  Kentuckian  by 


150 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


birth,  and  is  one  of  the  pioneers  of  the  town- 
ship. He  was  born  June  12,  1817,  near  Crab 
Orchard,  Mercer  Co.,  Ky.  His  father's  name 
was  William  Jeffers,  a  Virginian  by  birth, 
and  removed,  when  a  young  man,  to  Mercer 
County,  Ky.,  where  he  married  Annie  Jett, 
and  by  her  twelve  children  were  born,  whose 
names,  according  to  their  age,  were  Presley, 
Enoch,  Sallie,  Matilda,  Hannah,  Lucy,  Ma- 
ria, Susan,  William,  James,  Elijah  and  Fe- 
licia. Mr.  Jeffers,  when  a  child,  removed 
with  his  parents,  and  with  them  settled 
in     Washington    County,    same    State.      In 

1823,  his  father  died,  and  in  December, 
1829,  he  came  to  this  State  and  landed  in  Ed- 
gar County,  where  he  lived  until  the  winter 
of  1842,  when  he  came  to  this  township  and 
located  temporarily  on  Section  23,  where  he 
remained  until  he  built  a  cabin  on  the  north- 
east quarter  of  Section  22.  His  cabin  was 
raised  March  0,  1844,  where  he  has  since  re- 
sided. He  entered  the  land  in  his  mother's 
name,  as  he  had  no  means  of  his  own  at  the 
time.  There  were  no  improvements  on  the 
place  whatever.  Mr.  Jeifers  has  now  200 
acres  of  land.  August  9,  1840,  he  married 
Miss  Francis   Hurst,  born  in  Virginia  about 

1824.  She  was  a  daughter  of  Nathaniel 
Hurst.  Mr.  Jeffers  has  nine  children,  viz. : 
John,  Elijah,  Mary  M.,  Nathaniel,  William, 
Lucretia,  Madison,  Colman  and  Catherine. 
Mr.  Jeffers  was  raised  under  the  Baptist  in- 
fluence,  but  later  in  life  he  has  been  an  advo- 
cate of  the  United  Brethren,  as  a  church.  In 
politics,  he  has  been  a  Democrat,  and  has  al- 
ways been  a  quiet  and  worthy  citizen,  and  is 
now  enjoying  the  fruits  of  his  labors,  though 
infirm  in  body  and  in  poor  health. 

JA.MES  KIMLTN,  farmer,  P.  O.  Martins- 
ville, is  one  of  the  old  pioneers  and  self-made 
men  of  the  tovpnship.  He  came  to  this  coun- 
ty with  his  parents,  and  located  in  Casey 
Township  in  the  fall  of  1838,  and  has  since 


been  a  resident  of  the  county ;  he  was  born 
in  Belmont  County,  Ohio,  the  second  son 
now  living  that  was  born  to  his  parents, 
John  Kimlin  and  Florence  Sloan,  and  re- 
moved with  them  to  Fayette  County,  Penn., 
when  four  years  of  age,  remaining  here  un- 
til the  fall  of  1833,  when  the  family  re- 
moved to  INIuskingum  County,  Ohio,  where 
they  abode  until  October,  1838,  when  he  re- 
moved with  them  to  this  county,  and  located 
with  them  in  the  northeast  part  of  Casey 
Township.  In  June  6,  1846,  he  was  united 
by  marriage  to  Julia  Ann,  who  was  born 
September  16,  1821,  in  Bourbon  County, 
Ky.,  being  the  eldest  daughter  of  CharlesMc- 
Nary,  a  native  of  that  State.  Her  paternal 
grandfather  was  Chai'les  McNary,  a  native  of 
Ireland;  his  wife  was  MaryHahn,  of  German 
descent.  Her  mother  was  Eachael  Wills, 
whose  parents  were  James  Wills  and  Cathe- 
rine Owens.  After  Mi\  Kimlin's  marriage, 
he  located  in  Casey  Township  near  his  father's 
place.  He  had  nothing  to  commence  with 
but  a  team  and  a  few  articles  of  a  primitive 
character.  His  hands,  and  with  the  aid  of 
his  faithful  v^ife,  v^^as  his  endowment,  and  they 
began  in  right  good  earnest.  They  had  hut 
little  or  no  fm-nitiu'e;  such  as  he  had  he  man- 
ufactured himself;  for  a  time  used  pumpkins 
for  seats  to  sit  on  until  be  made  some  rude 
seats  out  of  slabs,  with  pegs  for  legs.  Their 
"company"  table  they  bought  for  three 
bushels  of  wheat — a  cheap  pine  affair — which 
they  yet  have  in  their  possession  as  a  souve- 
nir of  the  "  by -gone  days."  Their  living 
was  jjlain,  yet  working  hard  they  relished  it 
and  labored  on.  In  1856,  he  removed  to  his 
present  place  of  living,  situated  on  the  north- 
west quarter  of  Section  34,  where  they  have 
since  lived.  They  have  now  over  600  acres 
in  this  and  Westtield  Townships;  of  twelve 
children  boi-nthem,  but  two  are  living — John 
and  Perry.     The  latter  resides  with  his  par- 


PARKER    TOWNSHIP. 


151 


ents  on  the  homestead;  September  22,  1880, 
he  married  Rebecca,  a  native  of  Barren  Coun- 
ty, Ky.,  daughter  of  George  \V.  Piersall. 
Peny  has  one  child — Mary  A.  Mr.  Kimlin 
is  a  member  of  the  Cumberhmd  Presbyterian 
Chiu'ch;  he  cast  his  first  vote  for  Van  Buren, 
and  is  since  Democratic. 

JOHN  LINN,  Westfield.  The  subject  of 
these  lines  was  born  October  10,  1844,  in 
Congress  Township,  Moitow  Co.,  Ohio,  sec- 
ond son  of  Levi  Linn  and  Melinda  Trues. 
He  was  born  in  Maryland  in  October,  1809, 
son  of  Caleb  Linn,  of  L-ish  descent;  Melinda 
■was  born  in  Pennsylvania,  Hancock  County, 
1814,  daughter  of  John  Trnex.  John  came 
to  this  county  with  his  parents  in  the  fall  of 
1864,  and  located  with  them  in  this  township. 
His  father  located  on  the  southeast  quai- 
ter  of  Section  14,  in  this  township,  and 
yet  resides  here.  John  remained  at  home 
until  twenty- two  years  of  age,  when  he  was 
married  in  December  31,  1866,  to  Nancy  J., 
born  in  Hendricks  County,  Ind.,  August, 
1849,  daughter  of  Milton  Shawver,  one  of  the 
prominent  farmers  of  this  township.  IVlr. 
Linn  began  teaching  at  twenty,  and  has 
taught  about  eight  years,  and  is  one  of  the 
successful  teachers  of  the  county.  He  lo- 
cated on  the  place  in  1872,  where  he  now 
resides — Section  20,  south  half  of  southeast 
quarter,  and  has  eighty  acres  of  land.  Has 
six  children — Cora  B.,  Walter  B.,  Melinda 
M. ,  Mary  J. ,  Ada  O. ,  John  M. ;  member  of 
A.,  F.  &  A.  M.,   No.  163.     Democratic. 

DANIEL  PERISHO,  farmer,  P."  O.  Mar- 
tinsville, is  one  of  the  pioneers  of  this  town- 
ship. He  was  born  October  14,  1816,  in 
Monroe  County,  Ind.  He  is  a  son  of  Joseph 
Perisho,  a  native  of  North  Carolina,  and 
married  Barbara  Zinck,  and  settled  in  Mon- 
roe County,  111.  Daniel  was  eight  years  of 
age  when  he  came  with  his  parents,  to  this 
•State,  arriving  in  the  fall  of  1824  at  Grand- 


view,  Edgar  County.  Staid  there  one  winter 
and  then  moved  three  miles  east,  where  his 
father  entered  eighty  acres  of  land,  and  lived 
on  the  same  until  his  death  in  April,  1838, 
aged  fifty- two  years.  His  wife  lived  to  the 
age  of  eighty  years.  Daniel  staid  at  home 
until  after  the  death  of  his  father.  He  was 
married,  Januaiy  9,  1838,  to  Sarah  Morris. 
She  was  born  in  Owen  County,  Ind.,  June 
11,  1819,  and  was  the  youngest  daughter  of 
Richard  Morris  and  Catherine  Teal,  daughter 
of  Henry  Teal.  After  Mr.  Perisho's  marriage, 
they  settled  on  a  portion  of  the  homestead, 
but  remained  on  it  but  a  short  time,  and 
in  1842  he  came  to  this  township  and 
entered  the  land  he  now  owns,  160  acres, 
and  the  coming  year,  in  February,  1841, 
located  on  the  same  and  has  since  re- 
mained. He  has  now  the  same  amount  of 
land.  He  had  seven  children  born  him,  viz. : 
George  W.,  William  A.,  Elvina,  Emline, 
Richard  H.,  John  M.  and  La  Fayette.  Will- 
iam died  May  26,  1863,  at  Murfeesboro, 
Tenn.  He  was  a  member  of  the  One  Hun- 
di-ed  and  Twenty-third  Illinois  Volunteer 
Infantry.  All  the  children  married  except 
Lafayette.  Mr.  Perisho  served  in  the  late 
war.  He  volunteered  in  1861,  and  was  mus- 
tered in.  June  28,  at  Springfield,  and  served 
three  years,  and  came  home  unscathed.  He 
served  in  the  Pioneer  Corps  over  one  year. 
He  contracted  disease  while  in  the  service, 
and  is  now  suffering  from  its  effects.  He  had 
three  sons  also  in  the  army,  viz. :  George  W., 
William  A.  and  Richard  H.  George  served 
ia  Company  H,  Twenty -first  Regiment,  under 
Capt.  E.  Harlan.  William  was  under  Capt. 
Lovelace,  One  Hundred  and  Twenty-third 
Regiment.  Richard  H.  was  in  the  Seven- 
teenth Indiana  Light  Infantry.  Mr.  Perisho 
is  a  stanch  Republican,  and  is  a  Methodist 
in  religious  matters.  John  M.,  Richard  H 
and  Lafayette  are  teachers. 


152 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


JOHN  ROBINSON,  farmer,  P.  O.  Mar- 
tinsville, is  a  representative  of  one  of  the  old- 
est families  in  the  township.  His  father, 
Levin  Dixon  Eobinson.  was  born  in  Dixon 
County,  Tenn.,  January  28,  1819,  and  was  the 
second  son  of  Kichard,  and  a  grandson  of 
Michael  Robinson.  The  Eobinson  family 
came  originally  from  Tennessee.  Here  Rich- 
ard was  born,  and  left  his  native  State  in 
1821,  and  settled  in  Edgar  County,  this  State, 
and  was  one  of  the  pioneers  of  that  locality. 
In  1836,  he  removed  with  his  family  to  this 
county,  and  entered  720  acres  of  land  in 
Parker  Township,  and  remained  here  until 
his  death,  which  was  in  1843.  His  wife's 
maiden  name  was  Sallie  Dixon,  a  daughter  of 
Levin  Dixon,  who  sui-vived  her  husband  sev- 
eral years.  The  children  born  to  them  were 
Abigail,  Levin  D.,  James  C,  Isaac,  Nancy 
R.  C,  Sereney  and  Emily.  But  two  sons  ai-e 
now  living — Levin  D.  and  Hon.  James  C. , 
of  Springfield.  Levin  D.  resides  in  this 
township,  and  is  one  of  the  largest  land-hold- 
ers in  the  township,  and  ranks  among  the 
wealthiest  men  in  the  county,  as  well  as  one 
of  the  most  successful  farmers.  He  was  thrice 
married.  His  first  wife  was  Elizabeth  Con- 
nely,  daughter  of  Josiah.  She  died  leaving 
six  children.  His  second  man-iage  was  to 
Melinda  Johnson,  a  daiighter  of  Thomas 
Johnson.  She  died  leaving  one  child — Me- 
linda J.  His  last  wife  was  Abarillia  Jones, 
who  was  born  May  9,  1821,  in  Dixon  Coiinty, 
Tenn.  She  was  a  daiighter  of  John  Jones 
and  Jane  James,  both  Tennesseans  Four 
childi-en  by  the  last  marriage,  viz.:  John, 
Emily,  Priscilla  and  Levin  D.  John,  whose 
name  heads  this  page,  is  the  eldest  of  this  set 
of  children.  He  was  born  July  13,  1849,  in 
this  township,  and  was  married  December  26. 
1872,  to  Caroline  Fish,  who  was  boi-n  June 
6,  1S52,  in  Mon-ow  County,  Ohio,  and  is  a 
daughter  of  Robert   Fish  and  Mary  Lumm. 


Robert  Fish  was  born  March  29,  1804,  in 
Loudoun  County,  Va.  Mary,  his  wife,  was 
born  in  1812.  They  came  from  Virginia  to 
Morrow  County,  Ohio,  and  in  1865  moved  to 
this  township.  Mrs.  Fish  died  in  February. 
1880,  having  raised  six  children — Joshua. 
Nancy,  Mary,  Martha,  Caroline  and  Ella. 
Ml-.  Robinson,  since  his  marriage,  has  been  a 
resident  of  the  township  of  which  he  has 
served  as  Supervisor  and  Collector,  and  in 
Democracy  is  one  of  the  leading  lights.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  order,  Martins- 
ville, No.  603.  He  has  two  children — Jeffer- 
son, born  May  11,  1879;  Mary,  September  7,  ' 
1882. 

MILTON  SHAWVER,  farmer,  P.  O.  Mar- 
tinsville. Among  the  stanch  and  able  farm- 
ers of  this  township  is  the  above  gentleman, 
who  was  born  in  Fayette  County  Decern)  ler 
14,  1826.  He  is  the  eldest  son  of  William 
Shawver,  son  of  George  Shawver,  both  Yiv- 
ginians.  Mother's  name  was  Charlotte,  daugh- 
ter of  George  Shawver.  Mr.  Shawver  removed 
West  with  his  uncle,  Alexander  Shawver,  to 
Hendricks  County,  Ind.,  about  the  year  1842, 
remaining  there  until  the  fall  of  1854,  when 
he  came  to  this  State,  and  has  since  been  a 
resident  of  the  county.  He  began  for  him- 
self at  the  age  of  eighteen,  having  nothing 
except  his  hands  and  a  good  resolution.  He 
hired  out  by  the  month  at  $8,  working  for 
one  man  four  years.  October  18,  1847.  he 
married  Mary  E.  McDaniel,  born  in  North 
Carolina,  and  a  daughter  of  John  and  Betsy 
McDaniel,  who  removed  with  her  parents  to 
Morgan  County,  Ind.,  when  she  was  young. 
When  he  came  here  he  purchased  forty  acres 
of  land  on  the  northeast  quarter  of  Section 
16,  and  twenty  acres  in  timber,  costing  $5 
per  acre.  He  remained  here  about  one  year, 
when  he  sold  out  and  purchased  140  acres  in 
Parker  Township,  remaining  here  about  ten 
years,  when  he  sold  out  and  located  where 


PARKER    TOWNSHIP 


153 


he  now  resides.  He  first  purchased  290  acres, 
at  the  close  of  the  war,  costing  S25  per  acre. 
He  has  since  added  to  the  same  until  he  now 
has  453  acres,  170  in  Casey  Township,  and 
the  remainder  in  this  township.  He  is  one 
of  the  most  successful  farmers  in  the  town- 
ship. He  has  had  ten  children  born  to  him, 
four  sons  and  sis  daughters,  seven  of  whom 
are  now  living,  viz.:  Nancy  J.,  Samantha, 
John  W.,  George  W.,  Charles  Y.,  Eli  A.  and 
Mary  A.  Nancy  J.  is  the  wife  of  John  Linn,  of 
this  township.  Samantha  is  the  wife  of  Ben- 
jamin F.  Kimlin.  John,  George  and  Charles 
are  members  of  the  Christian  Church.  Mr. 
Shawver  is  a  Republican. 

WILLIAM  T.  SINCLAIR,  farmer,  P.  O. 
Martinsville,  was  born  February  27,  1843,  in 
Shelby  County,  Ind. ,  and  is  the  eldest  son  ' 
livinir  born  to  Amos  Sinclair  and  Miriam 
Boone,  both  natives  of  Bath  County,  Ky.  He 
was  born  July  6,  1807,  of  Scotch-Irish  de- 
scent. Miss  Boone  was  born  September  28, 
1S16,  and  was  married  February  6,  1834,  in 
Indiana,  where  they  settled  and  lived  until 
1855,  when  they  removed  to  this  covmty,  and 
lived  five  years,  and,  returning  to  Indiana, 
staid  three  years,  and  then  came  back  to  this 
county,  and  lived  here  until  their  death. 
Amos  Sinclair  died  March  12,  1881,  and  his 
wife  died  January  29,  of  the  same  year. 
They  raised  six  children,  viz. :  Susan  F. ,  Cas- 
sandria,  William  T. .  Lafayette,  Benjamin 
H.  and  Nancy  E.,  all  living  in  this  county  ex- 
cept Cassandria,  ]\Irs.  Alexander  and  Lafay- 
ette, who  reside  in  Jasper  County.  A\'illiam 
T.  began  on  his  own  account  at  the  age  of 
twenty-two,  when  he  commenced  for  himself; 
began  by  the  month,  and  was  man'ied  March 
26,  18fi5,  to  Mary  Ferguson,  born  in  Decatur 
County,  Ind.,  January  27,  1850,  and  a  daugh- 
ter of  Sanford  Ferguson  and  Jane  Ii-eland. 
He  was  born  in  Indiana,  and  was  a  son  of 
Benjamin  Ferguson.     Jane  was  born  in  Ken- 


tucky, and  was  a  daughter  of  Richard  Ire- 
land. Mrs.  Sinclair  came  to  Jasper  County, 
this  State,  with  her  parents,  in  1858.  Her 
father  died  October  14,  1865,  aged  thirty-sis 
years.  Her  mother  is  still  living.  They 
raised  seven  children — Mary,  Sarah,  Rich- 
ard, Benjamin,  John,  Indiana  and  Johanna, 
all  in  Jasper  County.  After  Mr.  Sinclair's 
marriage,  be  located  in  Casey  Township, 
where  he  lived  three  years,  then  located  where 
he  now  lives,  and  has  since  been  a  resident. 
He  has  120  acres  of  land,  all  of  which  he  has 
made  himself,  having  nothing  to  begin  with 
at  the  start.  He  has  five  children,  viz. :  Ben- 
jamin, Melvin  M.,  Frederick  H.,  Nellie  V. 
and  Daisey  E.  'Mi:  Sinclair  is  a  Liberal  in 
politics. 

JAMES  S.  TURNER,  fai-mer,  P.  O.  Mar- 
tinsville, was  born  November  11,  1838,  in 
Hocking  County,  Ohio.  He  is  the  second  son 
now  living  that  was  born  to  William  A.  Tur- 
ner and  Ann  Sloan.  William  Turner  was  an 
Ohioan  by  birth.  His  father  was  an  early  set- 
tler in  that  State.  William  Tm-nor,  subject's 
father,  removed  with  his  family  to  this  coun- 
ty in  1839,  locating  land  in  this  township  in 
the  fall  of  that  year,  and  remained  here  until 
his  death,  which  occurred  May  18,  1882.  His 
wife  yet  suiwives  him.  They  raised  a  family 
of  six  children,  viz.:  William  B..  James  S., 
Ellen,  Jane.  George  F.  and  Sarah  Ann,  Sa- 
rah and  Jane  both  died  in  the  summer  of 
1881.  Ellen  is  the  wife  of  William  Willis, 
of  this  township.  Jane  was  the  wife  of  John 
A.  Ryan.  The  others  reside  in  this  town 
ship  except  George  F.,  who  is  in  Colorado. 
James  S.  remained  about  the  homestead  until 
the  spring  of  1862,  when  he  went  to  the  "NA'est 
and  spent  nearly  six  years,  returning  in  Oc- 
tober, 1867.  While  there,  he  was  engaged  in 
furnishing  wood  for  the  quartz  mills,  and  was 
successful  there,  and  upon  his  return  he  pur- 
chased land  where  he  now  resides.      He  has 


154 


BIOGRiiPHICAL; 


BOW  433  acres,  and  is  one  of  the  successful 
farmers  of  the  township.  February  19,  18(38, 
he  was  married  to  Miss  Marv  Dunn,  born 
October  20,  1846,  in  Hancock  County,  Ind. 
She  was  the  third  daughter  of  John  Dunn 
and  Mary  J.  Percell,  and  came  here  with  her 
parents,  when  fourteen  years  of  age.  Has 
Hvo  children — James  E.,  Alice  A. ,  Nevada  E. ,'' 
Amanda  R.  and  William  C.  Two  deceased 
— John  E.  and  Percy  ;  JohnE.  died  Septem- 
ber 30,  1882,  aged  four  years.  Percy  died 
"when  a  young  babe.  In  politics,  Mr,  Tiu-ner 
is  a  Democrat. 

TIMOTHY  K.  YOUNG,  Casey.  Among 
the  old  settlers  of  Clark  County  is  Timothy 
Eoberts  Young,  who  was  born  in  the  town  of 
Dover,  Sti-afford  Co.,  N.  H.,  November  19, 
1813,  and  wasthe  youngest  son  of  a  family  of 
six  children,  of  whom  Timothy  is  one  of 
three  now  living.  His  parents  were  Jeremiah 
Young,  a  son  of  Ezra,  and  Anna  Kimball. 
Jeremiah  Young  was  a  native  of  New  Hamp- 
shire. His  ancestry  is  traced  to  "Wales.  Jer- 
emiah was  a  man  of  general  business;  ran  a 
manufacturing  business;  also  farmed  and  car- 
ried on  a  store,  and  at  one  time  did  quite  an 


extensive  shipping  business.  Our  subject  had 
a  liberal  education,  and  in  1835  graduated  at 
Bowdoin  College.  After  graduating  he  com- 
menced reading  law  at  Dover,  and  read  under 
John  P.  Hale.  He  read  with  him  two  years 
and  a  half.  He  came  to  Marshall,  this  coun-. 
ty,  in  the  spring  of  1838,  and  began  the 
practice  of  his  profession  in  May,  of  the  same 
year,  continuing  here  until  1849,  when  he  was 
elected  to  Congress  and  served  until  1851,  and 
then  entered  the  land  where  he  now  lives,  and 
has  since  given  but  little  attention  to  legal 
matters.  He  has  865  acres  of  land,  and  has 
since  carried  on  the  same.  He  was  married 
in  January,  1852,  to  Margaret  Jones,  born  in 
Vandalia,  and  a  daughter  of  B.  L.  W.  Jones 
and  Fannie  Whitlock,  of  Mattoon.  He  re- 
moved to  Mattoon  with  his  family  in  1867,and 
has  since  resided  there,  but  spends  much  of 
his  time  on  his  farm  here.  He  has  three 
children,  viz. :  Kimball,  Nellie  and  Fannie. 
Kimball  is  a  lawyer  in  Chicago.  He  was  a 
member  of  the  Constitutional  Convention  of 
1860.  Mr.  Young  is  not  a  member  of  any 
chiirch  or  lodge,  and  has  always  been  a  Dem- 
ocrat. 


WESTFIELD  TOWNSHIP. 


HENRY  BRISCOE,  stock-dealer,  Westfield, 
is  one  of  the  leading  stock-dealers  in  this  town- 
ship,and  was  born  November  12, 1835.  theeldest 
son  of  Joseph  Briscoe  and  Lucinda  Frederick. 
Henrj-  was  born  on  Section  27,  and  was  raised 
on  the  homestead  and  remained  here  until 
1850,  when  he  began  for  himself  in  stock  deal- 
ing, and  for  several  years  drove  cattle  to  Chi- 
cago, and  in  1857  went  to  Minnesota.  He 
has  since  been  engaged  in  stock  dealing.  From 
1869  to  1871,  he  was  quite  extensiveh'  engaged 
in  farming.     He  was  married  in  October,  1862, 


to  Sophia  M.,  born  in  this  county,  daughter  of 
Clark  Nicholas  and  Phebe  Morrison.  Has  four 
children  living,  viz.,  Alice,  Charles  B.,  Joseph 
D.  and  William  T.  Democratic  in  politics. 
First  wife  died  Ma}'  4,  1876.  Present  wife 
was  Mrs.  Abigail  Hays,  born  in  this  county, 
daughter  of  Michael  York.  No  children  by 
last  wife.  Is  still  carrjiug  on  farming  in  con- 
nection with  his  stock  dealing. 

ISAAC  BROWN,  fanner,  P.  0.  Westfield, 
has  been  a  resident  of  this  township  for  thirty- 
three  yeai's.     He  was  born  August  4,  1824,  in 


WESTFIELD   TOWNSHIP. 


155 


Floyd  Count}-,  Tnd.,  and  removed  to  Jasper 
County  with  his  parents  when  twelve  years  of 
age.  His  fother's  name  was  George  Brown,  a 
Pennsylvanian  by  birth  and  a  son  of  Michael 
Brown.  His  mother's  maiden  name  was  Mar- 
garet Hoch,  born  in  Curaberhinrt  County,  Penn., 
daughter  of  Henry  Hoch.  Our  subject's  father 
was  a  shoe-maker  bj-  trade,  and  was  engaged 
ill  the  ministry  in  a  local  way,  and  labored  in 
the  United  Brethren  Church  up  to  the  time  of 
iiis  death,  which  occurred  in  1849  in  Jasper 
Count}-.  His  wife  survived  him  several  years, 
dying  in  Westfield  Township.  They  raised  a 
family  of  eight  children.  Isaac  was  the  fourth 
child  born  to  his  parents  until  his  marriage, 
which  occurred  in  March,  1848,  to  Catharine 
Evinger,  born  in  Ohio,  daughter  of  Thomas 
Evinger.  She  died  in  1840,  leaving  no  issue. 
The  year  following,  Mr.  Brown  came  to  this 
State  locating  on  Section  19  in  Westfield  Town- 
ship, purchasing  eighty  acres,  paying  $5 
per  acre.  He  has  since  been  a  resident 
and  engaged  in  farming  and  stock-raising. 
He  has  now  310  acres.  He  was  married  to  his 
present  wife  April  10,  1851,  Mary  Ann,  born 
in  Kentuck}-,  eldest  daughter  of  Garrett  White, 
one  of  the  early  settlers  of  this  township.  Mr. 
Brown  had  by  last  wife  seven  children — Will- 
iam H.,  James  G.,  George  I.,  John  W.,  David 
T.,  Willis  E.  and  Mattie  J.  All  married  and 
doing  for  themselves  except  the  three  youngest. 
Mr.  Brown  is  a  member  of  the  United  Brethren 
Church,  having  been  connected  with  that  body 
for  fort}-  years,  and  held  responsible  positions 
in  the  same.  Republican  in  politics,  but  not 
partisan. 

C.  B.  DAWSON,  farmer,  P.  O.  Westfield, 
is  one  of  the  pioneers  of  this  township,  having 
been  a  resident  of  the  township  since  October, 
18:53.  He  was  born  October  8,  1808,  in  Staf- 
ford County,  Va.,  the  youngest  sou  of  Bailey 
Dawson  and  Catherine  Shelton,  both  natives  of 
'Virgifia.  His  paternal  grandfather  was  John 
Tawsc  n,  of  Irish  descent.     His  maternal  grand- 


sire  was  Wilson  Shelton.  When  ten  years  of 
age,  he  removed  with  his  parehts  to  Jefferson 
County,  Ky.,  where  he  lived  until  the  fall'  of 
1833,  and  then  came  to  this  township,  and  that 
fall  he  entered  eighty  acres  where  he  now  re- 
sides and  has  since  been  a  resident  of  the  town- 
ship, having  now  320  acres.  He  was  married 
in  Kentucky,  May  24,  1831,  to  Christina,  born 
April  25,  1811,  in  Spencer  County,  Kv.  She 
was  the  oldest  child  of  Benjamin  Drake  and 
Mary  Riley.  He  was  a  native  of  New  Jersey, 
she  of  Virginia.  Mr.  Dawson  has  five  children, 
viz.,  Benjamin,  James.  John.  Catherine,  Phamy 
J.  Catherine,  wife  of  W.  R.  Comstock,  Phamy, 
wife  of  William  S.  Stanley,  of  Coles  County. 
Mr.  Dawson  has  been  a  member  of  the  Regular 
Baptist  Church  since  1831,  and  of  this  organi- 
zation here  since  1834,  and  is  the  present 
pastor  of  the  church,  and  been  acting  in  an 
official  capacity  in  the  same  for  many  years. 
Politically,  he  has  been  Democratic  ;  for  five 
years  was  Supervisor,  and  School  Trustee  for 
twenty  3-ears  of  the  township. 

JOHN  ENDSLY,  merchant  and  stock- 
dealer  of  Westfield,  was  born  in  Hutton 
Township,  Coles  County,  this  State,  October 
20,  1842,  the  second  son  of  Andrew  Endsly 
and  Elizabeth  Bell.  He  was  born  in  Harri- 
son County,  Ohio,  son  of  Andrew  Endsly, 
a  Pennsylvanian,  and  removed  to  Ohio  and  set- 
tled in  Harrison  at  an  early  day.  In  1838, 
Andrew  ilndsly,  the  father  of  our  subject,  came 
to  Coles  County,  and  there  settled  and  yet  re- 
sides, now  in  his  sixty-fifth  year  of  age.  They 
raised  a  family  of  four  children.  He  was 
raised  on  the  farm,  where  he  remained  until 
twenty-two  years  of  age,  when  he  began  in 
business  for  himself  and  engaged  in  farming, 
where  he  remained  until  the  winter  of  1867, 
when  he  removed  to  Westfield  Township  and 
since  remained  and  here  engaged  in  farming 
and  stock-trading.  He  began  merchandising 
in  the  spring  of  1880,  and  since  been  engaged 
in    mercantile   business.     He  has  in   the   two 


156 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


counties  laud  to  the  amouut  of  GOO  acres.  100 
acres  of  which  is  in  Coles  Couut}-.  He  was 
marriecl  January  10, 1867,  to  Meliuda  E.  York, 
born  in  this  county,  a  daughter  of  Michal  York 
and  Rachel  Boj-d,  who  were  early  settlers  in 
Crawford  County.  Mr.  Endsly  has  two  chil- 
dren— Kobert  and  Daisy.  Member  of  the  A.,  F. 
&  A.  M.,  and  of  the  Royal  Arch.  Politically, 
Democrat. 

JACOB  EVINGER,  farmer,  P.  O.  Westfield, 
is  one  of  the  natives  of  the  township.  -He  was 
born  on  Section  19  August  3,  1833  ;  he  is  the 
fourth  son  of  Jacob  Evinger  and  Sarah  Snider. 
Jacob  Evinger  was  born  in  Kentucky,  son  of 
John  George  Evinger.  a  German  b3'  birth,  and 
settled  in  Kentuck\-  where  he  died.  He  raised 
a  large  family,  among  whom  were  Adam,  John, 
George,  Henry,  Thomas,  Frederick,  David,  Ja- 
cob, Mary,  Catherine,  Elizaljoth  and  Rebecca, 
some  of  whom  settled  in  Kentucky  and  there 
died.  Those  who  came  to  Illinois  were.  Hen- 
ry, George,  David,  Fred,  Thomas,  and  Ja- 
cob ;  the  girls  that  came  were  Catherine  and 
Mary ;  Thomas  settled  in  Edgar  County  ; 
Henry  in  Coles  County,  and  the  remaining  ones 
in  Clark  County.  Jacob,  the  father  of  our  sub- 
ject, came  here  in  the  spring  of  1833,  and  made 
his  settlement  on  Section  19,  and  remained 
here  until  his  death,  which  occurred  about  the 
year  1840  ;  his  wife  yet  survives  him,  now  sev- 
enty-seven years  of  age.  They  raised  six  chil- 
dren— William,  Alfred,  Sarah,  David,  Jacob 
and  Mary.  William  and  Alfred  in  California  ; 
Sarah  in  Westfield,  relict  of  John  Atkins  ; 
David  resides  in  Charleston,  Coles  County  ; 
3Iary  deceased,  was  wife  of  Charles  Wood. 
Jacob  is  the  only  one  residing  in  the  county, 
and  was  raised  on  the  homestead  where  he 
lived  until  twenty-three,  when  he  left  home  ; 
was  then  married,  in  January  22, 1856,  to  Sarah 
Ann  Cornwell,  who  .was  born  on  June  3,  1835, 
in  Jefferson  County,  Ky.,  daughter  of  Hiram 
Coruwell  and  Lucy  Tolar,  both  natives  of  Ken- 
tucky, and  emigrated  to  Coles  County  about 


the  year  1840,  where  thej-  now  reside.  After 
Mr.  Eviuger's  marriage,  he  lived  about  six 
years  in  Coles  County,  and  located  in  West- 
field  at  the  beginning  of  the  war,  and  has  been 
engaged  in  farming.  He  has  245  acres,  and 
has  no  children  ;  he  and  wife  are  members  of 
the  United  Brethren,  father  also  was  a  member 
of  that  society,  and  a  Democrat.  Jacob  is  a 
Republican,  though  not  a  partisan. 

DR.  JOSEPH  HALL,  physician,  Westfield. 
One  of  the  practitioners  of  materia  medica  in 
Clark  County  now  located  in  Westfield  since 
1875,  is  Joseph  Hall,  who  was  born  in  Belmont 
County,  Ohio,  January  7,  1849,  only  son  and 
cliild  now  living  of  Joseph  Hall  and  Martha 
Farquhar.  He  was  born  in  Ohio,  son  of  John 
Hall,  a  native  of  North  Carolina,  and  emigrated 
to  Belmont  County  at  an  early  day.  The  sub- 
ject of  these  lines  was  reared  to  farming  pur- 
suits, and  received  a  liberal  education.  His 
parents  were  Quakers,  and  he  was  educated  in 
the  common  branches,  completing  his  literary' 
education  at  Westown  College  in  Chester 
County,  Penn.  After  leaving  college,  he  began 
teaching,  first  in  Columbiana  County,  Ohio> 
where  he  taught  two  years,  and  moved  to 
Montgomery  County,  Ind.,  where  he  taught  two 
years,  and  while  here  began  the  study  of  medi- 
icine,  and  attended  his  last  course  of  lectures 
in  1872,  at  Cincinnati,  and  immediately  began 
the  practice  of  his  profession  in  Owen  Count}-, 
Ind.,  continuing  here  until  the  fall  of  1875, 
when  he  removed  to  this  town  and  has  since 
been  engaged  in  his  profession.  He  was  mar- 
ried on  July  2.  1872,  to  Margaret  L.,  daughter 
of  John  and  Jane  (Bagus)  Daugherty.  of  Cler- 
mont County,  Ohio.  Doctor  has  three  children 
— Grace  E.,  Roy  W.  and  Chester  G.  Member 
of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  and  is  one 
of  the  charter  members  of  Westfield  Lodge 
of  I.  O.  0.  F.,  Xo.  044.  Politically,  is  a  stanch 
Republican. 

WILLIAM  G.  JOHNSON,  P.  0.  Westfield, 
was  born  March  IS,  1849,  in  Ohio  County,  Ind., 


WESTFIELD    TOWNSHIP. 


157 


and  removed  to  Switzerland  County  when 
young,  with  his  parents,  who  were  Joseph  and 
Tacy  (Bear)  Johnson.  Joseph  Johnson  was  I 
born  in  the  Old  Dominion  October  10,  1819;  is 
a  son  of  Abram  Johnson,  also  a  Virginian. 
Joseph  removed  to  Indiana  with  his  parents,  and 
there  married  Tacy  Bear,  of  German  descent. 
William  was  raised  on  a  farm,  and  removed  to 
this  county  with  his  parents  in  1869,  locating 
in  this  township,  where  his  father  died  Septem- 
ber 30, 1866;  his  wife  in  1862.  They  raised  a 
family  of  seven  children;  William  was  the  sixth 
in  order  of  birth,  and  the  fifth  that  grew  up,  and 
began  business  for  himself;  he  learned  the  shoe- 
maker's trade,  and  in  IST-t  began  in  business 
on  his  own  account,  and  has  since  conducted 
the  same  and  does  strictly  a  manufacturing 
business,  and  runs  three  workmen  the  greater 
portion  of  the  time.  Politically,  he  is  a  Re- 
pul)lican.  and  was  elected  Justice  of  the  Peace 
in  the  spring  of  1881.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
I.  0.  0.  F.,  Westfleld,  No.  644,  and  of  the  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  Church.  He  was  mai-ried, 
June  2.  1876.  to  Jennie,  born  in  this  township, 
daughter  of  Edward  Metcalf  and  Sarah  Mitchell, 
both  Ohioans.     He  has  one  child — Gertie. 

C.  F.  KN  APP,  merchant,  Westfield.  Among 
the  representative  business  men  of  this  pi 
is  Chauncey  F.  Knapp,  who  came  to  the  county 
in  the  fall  of  1866,  and  has  since  been  engaged 
in  the  commercial  and  mercantile  interests  of 
the  country.  He  was  born  in  Clinton  County, 
N.  Y.,  December  31,  1833,  the  second  son  and 
fourth  child  of  his  parents,  who  were  Abel 
Knapp  and  Maria  Southwick.  He  was  a  native 
of  Vermont,  born  1803,  and  removed  to  Clinton 
County,  N.  Y.,  when  a  young  man,  and  there 
married  Maria  M.  M.,  a  daughter  of  Daniel 
Southwick.  The  subject  of  this  sketch  was 
raised  in  the  store  of  his  father  until  1856, 
when  he  left  home,  and  after  one  year's  resi- 
dence in  Iowa  he  went  to  Indiana,  where  he  en- 
gaged as  a  salesman  for  Samui-l  T.  Ensley  for 
eighteen  months,  after  which  time  he  engaged 


in  business  on  his  own  account,  at  Manhattan, 
Indiana,  where  he  continued  until  1863,  then 
removed  to  Mattoon,  this  State,  and  there  en- 
gaged in  the  mercantile  trade,  and  contiuued 
until  the  fall  of  1866,  when  he  located  in  this  vil- 
lage, and  engaged  in  merchandising,  and  has 
since  been  engaged.  He  keeps  a  general  stock. 
He  was  married  at  Greencastle,  Ind.,  November.  ~ 
1863,  to  Fannie,  born  in  Indiana,  daughter  of 
J.  W.  Matlock.  He  has  but  one  child — Walter 
M.  Politically,  he  is  Republican.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  A.,  F.  &  A.  M.  In  1867,  Mr. 
Knapp,  in  company  with  P.  P.  Douglass,  en- 
gaged in  running  a  general  store  at  Martins- 
ville, under  the  firm  name  of  C.  F.  Knapp  & 
Co.,  which  association  lasted  until  1879.  Same 
party  was  in  business  with  him  at  this  place  at 
same  time.  He  has  now  interests  in  and  about 
Martinsville;  has  264  acres  of  land  and  business 
houses  in  Martinsville. 

ANDREW  LEE,  farmer,  P.  0.  Westfield. 
The  subject  of  these  lines  was  born  July  5, 
1829,  in  Oxford,  Ohio,  the  second  son  and 
sixth  child  that  was  born  to  David  Lee  and 
Harriet  Murdock.  The  latter  is  a  native  of 
Vermont  and  daughter  of  Asel  Murdock.  An- 
drew removed  with  his  parents  to  Wayne 
County,  Ind.,  in  1832.  Here  his  parents  died, 
he  in  February,  1869  ;  his  wife  survived 
him  four  years  afterward.  They  raised  a  fam- 
ily often  children,  nine  of  whom  are  now  liv- 
ing, Andrew  being  the  only  one  living  in  this 
county.  He  remained  at  home  until  twenty- 
three  years  of  age,  when  he  went  to  California 
in  the  spring  of  1854,  and  remained  there  five 
years  and  was  engaged  in  ranching.  Return- 
ing to  Wayne  County,  Ind.,  he  came  to  this 
State  the  same  fall  and  located  in  Hutton 
Township,  Coles  County;  purchased  laud  here, 
and  after  three  years'  residence,  he  came  to 
Westfleld  Township,  this  county,  and  purchased 
eighty  acres  on  Section  32,  and  has  since  re- 
sided there.  He  has  since  purchased  more 
land,  having  220   acres  in  all.     He  has  been 


l.->8 


BIOaRAPHICAL 


twice  married  ;  first,  oa  Jauuary  23,  1861, 
to  Fidelia  Biggs,  a  native  of  the  townsliip, 
daughter  of  Charles  Biggs  and  Jane  Boyd. 
His  wife  died  in  August,  1872,  leaving  six  chil- 
dren— Jennie,  Charles,  David,  Elder,  Hattie 
and  Belle.  His  last  marriage  was  to  Isabel 
Bearers,  January,  187ti.  She  was  born  in 
Coles  County,  a  daughter  of  Matthias  Bearers 
and  Elizabeth  Endsley.  By  his  last  marriage 
he  had  three  children,  but  one  now  living — Os- 
car. Politically,  he  is  Bepublican,  but  is  not 
partisan  in  politics. 

JOHN  R.  SHUEY,  Westfield,  was  born  in 
this  county  in  Dolson  Township,  April  6,  1849, 
the  youngest  child  of  John  P.  Shuey,  who  was 
born  in  Augusta  County,  Va.,  about  the  year 
1816.  He  was  a  son  of  John  Shuey,  of  Ger- 
many. Our  subject's  mother's  maiden  name 
was  Elizabeth  Grass,  also  a  native  of  Augusta 
County,  Va.  The  father  of  John  R.  was  a 
minister,  and  for  several  3'ears  labored  as  a 
United  Brethren  pastor.  He  came  to  this  State 
about  1847,  locating  on  Dolson  Prairie,  and 
purchased  land  and  engageil  in  farming.  He 
remained  here  until  about  1855,  when  he  came 
to  Westfield  and  located  near  or  at  the  village, 
and  for  some  time  was  engaged  in  mercantile 
business,  and  remained  here  until  March  17, 
1880.  His  wife  survives  him.  To  them  were 
born  four  children — Josiah  G.,  William  R.,  Al- 
ma and  John  R.;  Alma  deceased.  The  oth- 
ers all  reside  in  the  village  of  Westfield. 
John  R.  remained  at  home  until  nineteen  years 
of  age,  when  he  left  home  and  was  married, 
September  26,  1868,  to  Mary  D.  Ormsby,  born 
in  Cumberland  County,  this  State,  daughter  of 
Selah  and  Henrietta  (Righter)  Ormsby.  Since 
his  marriage,  he  has  been  a  resident  of  this  vil- 
lage. After  his  marriage,  was  engaged  in  the 
mercantile  business,  first  with  his  brother,  W. 
R.,  under  the  firm  name  of  W.  R.  Shuey  & 
Brother.  The  association  lasted  about  eight- 
een months,  when  he  sold  out  and  engaged  in 
farming  about  tliree  years.     He  then  associated 


with  his  father,  under  the  firm  name  of  J.  R. 
Shuej'  &  Co.  This  copartnership  lasted  until 
March,  1878,  since  which  time  has  been  en- 
gaged in  insurance  and  fulfilling  the  duties  of 
the  other  offices  confided  to  his  trust.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  Republican  partj-  and  was  elect- 
ed Justice  of  the  Peace  in  the  spring  of  1881, 
and  in  the  spring  of  1882  that  of  Supervisor. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  U.  B.  Church. 

WILLIAM  A.  SNIDER,  merchant.  West- 
field.  William  Anthony  Snider  is  one  of  the 
oldest  merchants  in  the  town  of  Westfield,  and 
a  native  of  the  township,  and  also  one  of  the 
"  boj's  in  blue."  He  was  born  on  the  northwest 
quarter  of  Section  20,  in  this  township,  April 
17,  1840.  the  second  son  of  David  Snider  and 
Sophia  Evinger,  both  natives  of  Kentucky,  and 
removed  to  Indiana  and  to  this  count}',  locat- 
ing In  this  township  in  the  fall  of  1839,  and  re- 
mained here  until  their  death.  He  died  Octo- 
ber 31,  1854,  aged  fort^'-two.  She  died  August 
1876,  aged  sixty-two.  They  raised  a  family  of 
eight  children,  seven  now  living.  The  paternal 
grandsire  was  Anthony  Snider,  a  Pennsyl- 
vanian,  afterwai'd  removing  to  Kentuckj'  and 
married  a  Brookhart.  Sophia  was  a  daughter 
of  George  Evinger,  also  a  native  of  Pennsyl- 
vania. The  subject  of  these  lines  is  now  the 
only  member  of  the  family  in  the  township. 
He  was  raised  on  the  homestead  and  brought 
up  to  farming.  In  Ma}',  1861,  he  enlisted  as  a 
musician  in  Company  H,  Twent3'-first  Illinois 
\''olunteer  Infautr}',  and  served  until  his  term 
of  enlistment  expired,  which  was  for  three 
years,  receiving  his  discharge  Jul}'  5,  1864. 
He  participated  in  several  engagements  during 
the  war,  and  upon  his  return  home  came  to  the 
home  farm,  and  remained  here  until  December, 
1865,  when  he  came  to  the  village  of  Westfield 
and  started  in  trade  m  a  small  wa\',  and  ran  a 
restaurant  about  one  year,  and  shortly  after- 
ward engaged  in  the  grocery  trade,  and  has 
since  been  connected  with  the  commercial  in- 
terests in  the  place.     He  has  served  as  Post- 


WESTFIELD    TOWNSHIP. 


159^ 


master  about  fifteen  years,  and  has  been  Town 
Clerk  several  terms.  He  was  married  first  in 
1874,  to  Flora  Loekard,  daughter  of  James 
and  Susan  Locliard.  She  died  five  months  af- 
terward. In  1877,  he  married  to  Mary  Com- 
stock,  daughter  of  Dr.  Norman  Comstoek.  He 
has  one  child  named  Hallie. 

GARRETT  WHITE,  retired  farmer,  P.  0. 
Westfield.  This  gentleman  is  one  of  the  old 
settlers  of  this  township.  He  was  born  Sep- 
tember 3,  1801,  in  Albemarle  County,  Va.  He 
was  the  second  son  of  his  parents,  who  were 
James  White  and  Lucy  Martin,  both  natives  of 
same  county.  Garrett  was  raised  a  farmer  and 
remained  at  home  until  he  was  twenty-eight 
years  of  age,  when  he  married,  March  18,  1828, 
to  Dicy  Gentry.  She  died  February  22,  1829. 
By  her  he  had  one  child,  which  died  an  infant. 
He  was  married  the  second  time,  November  14, 
1831,  to  Martha  Marr,  daughter  of  John  and 
Mary  Marr.  After  his  marriage,  he  and  the 
Marr  family  removed  to  Bourbon  County,  Ky., 
where  he  remained  until  the  following  year, 
when  he  removed  to  Madison  County,  and  Octo- 
ber 9,  1837,  he  left  this  county  and  came  to 
Coles  Count}-,  this  State,  and  after  one-year's 
residence  there  he  finally  located  permanently 
in  this  township,  on  Section  20,  purchasing  160 
acres,  with  but  little  improvements  on  the  same. 
His  wife  died  June  2,  1878,  having  boi-ne  him 
eleven  children,  ten  of  whom  lived  to  be  grown, 
viz.:  Mar3',  Lucy  A.,  James,  Martha,  John, 
Millie,  Susan,  Louisa,  Tazewell  and  Sarah  ; 
deceased  at  two  years  was  Ellen.  Nine  of  this 
number  are  living — Marj-  married  Isaac  Brown  ; 
Lucy  Ann,  relict  of  Henry  Snyder  ;  Millie,  wife 
of  James  Fox  ;  James  and  Tazewell,  all  of  this 
township ;  John  resides  in  La  Fayette  County, 
Mo.;  Susan  resides  in  Douglas  County,  wife  of 
George  Timons  ;  Martha,  in  Coles  County,  wife 
of  Levi  Snyder.  Mr.  White  united  with  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church  in  1846,  and  as 
this  church  was  so  far  removed  from  him,  for 
convenience  he  united  with  the  United    Breth- 


ren Church  in  1848.  Politically,  he  was  first 
a  Whig ;  since  that  time  he  has  been  a  Repub- 
lican. His  son  John  was  in  the  war  three  j'ears, 
in  the  One  Hundred  and  Twenty-third  Regiment 
Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry. 

ORVILLE  WILHOIT,"  farmer,  P.  0.  West- 
field.  Among  the  old  pioneers  of  this  township  is 
Mr.  Wilhoit,  who  is  one  of  the  prominent  farmers 
and  stock-raisers  uf  the  county.  He  was  bora 
February  9,  1816,  in  Oldham  County,  Ky., 
and  removed  when  very  young  to  Jefferson 
Count}',  Ky.  His  father's  name  was  Julius 
Wilhoit,  who  was  a  Virginian,  son  of  John 
Wilhoit.  His  mother's  maiden  name  was  Luc}- 
Lewell,  born  in  Virginia,  daughter  of  James 
Lewell.  Subject's  father  removed  from  Virginia 
to  Oldham  County,  Ky.,  in  the  beginning  of  the 
year  1800.  Subject  removed  with  his  parents  to 
Edgar  County  in  1830.  Here  his  father  died 
in  August,  three  years  after.  His  wife  survived 
him  until  1879.  The}'  raised  a  family  of  seven 
children,  Orville  being  the  eldest — Lorel,  John 
R.,  Nancy,  Elizabeth,  Roley  E.  and  Julius.  John 
R.  resides  near  homestead  in  Edgar  County  ; 
Nancy  married  Jacob  Stoneburner;  Elizabeth  is 
the  wife  of  Prosper  Leseure ;  Roley  is  in  Cali- 
fornia ;  Julius  died  in  Andersonville  Prison, 
being  a  soldier  of  the  late  war.  Orville  re- 
mained at  home  until  January  6,  1836,  when  he 
married  Elizabeth  Evinger,  born  in  Jefferson 
County,  Ky.,  in  the  year  1819,  daughter  of  D. 
Evinger,  Sr.  After  he- married,  he  came  to  this 
township  and  located  on  80  acres  in  the  north- 
western part  of  the  township.  He  began  com- 
paratively poor,  but  has  been  a  hard-working 
man  and  has  been  successful,  and  has  now  over 
700  acres  in  all.  He  had  about  1,000  before 
dividing  out  among  his  children.  He  has  now 
six  children,  all  of  whom  lived  to  lie  grown — 
James,  David,  John,  Lucy  Ann,  Mary  E.,  Rob- 
ert C.;  David  died  after  being  grown.  James 
served  three  years  in  One  Hundred  and  Twenty- 
third  Regiment  Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry, 
and  now  resides  in  McPherson  County,  Kan.j 


100 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


Johu  resides  in  Charleston,  Coles  Count}- ; 
Luc}-  is  the  wife  of  Davis  Swiclc,  and  now  re- 
sides in  Greenup,  Cumberland  County  ;  Mary 
E.  resides  in  Charleston,  Coles  County,  wife  of 


Tilford  T.  Shoot ;  Robert  C.  resides  in  Coles 
County.  Mr.  Wilhoit  has  given  his  life  t»  farm- 
ing and  stock-raising.  Member  of  the  United 
Brethren  Church,  and  politically  is  a  Republican. 


D  AEWIE"  TOWl^SHIP. 


JOHN  ATJER.  farmer.  V.  0.  Marshall,  born 
August,  20  1820,  in  Bishofgruen,  Bavaria.  Ger- 
many; son  of  Bouavazeus  Auer,  born  and  died  in 
Germany.  He  married  Katrine  Bergebocli, 
born  and  died  in  Germany  ;  she  was  the  mother 
of  five  children.  Our  subject  was  a  mechanic 
in  the  old  country.  He  came  to  the  United 
States  in  1854,  lauding  in  Baltimore  on  August 
20.  He  vcorked  eighteen  years  in  the  railroad 
shops  at  Terre  Haute,  Ind.  Mr.  Auer  came  to 
this  county  March  17,  187-t,  and  bought  a 
farm  of  eighty  acres  with  good  buildings.  He 
was  married  Januarj'  3,  1859,  in  Terre  Haute, 
Ind.,  to  Christine  Koenig.  born  August  10. 
1834,  in  Quatzen,  Prussia,  Germany.  She  is 
the  daughter  of  Christian  and  Loise  (Auman) 
Koenig,  and  the  mother  of  five  children — Emma 
C.  B.,  born  October  13.  1850  ;  Maria  C.  born 
September  26,  1861  ;  Loise,  deceased  ;  Wil- 
helmina,  bom  February  26,  1871  :  and  Harry, 
born  January  17, 1877.  Mr.  Auer  was  a  soldier 
in  the  German  Arm}',  serving  in  the  "  First 
Regiment,"  also  called  "  Crown  Prince  Regi- 
ment." He  served  eleven  and  one  half  yeajs  ; 
this  was  dui'iug  the  Revolution.  Mr.  Auer  is 
connected  with  the  Republican  party. 

WILLIAM  A.  BAKER,  farmer,  P.  0.  Hat- 
ton.  The  gentleman  whose  name  heads  this 
sketch  represents  an  old  English  family  ;  he 
was  born  October  20,  1848.  in  this  count  v. 
His  great-grandfather  was  a  soldier  in  the  Eng- 
lish Army,  and  named  his  son  Major,  who 
married  Ann  Knight ;  she  was  the  mother  of 
eleven  children,  of  whom  Major,  Jr.,  and  Will- 
iam came  to  the  United  States  in  1833.     The 


former  crossed  the  ocean  five  times  ;  he  was 
married  in  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  to  Elizabeth 
Green,  born  January  1.  1820,  in  Harrison 
County,  W.  Va.,  the  old  home  of  Stonewall 
Jackson,  with  whom  she  was  well  acquainted  ; 
she  was  the  mother  of  three  sons — James  H., 
John  W.  and  William  A.  The  oldest,  James  H., 
was  born  in  1840  ;  he  was  a  soldier  in  Grant's 
Regiment,  the  Twenty-first  Illinois  "^'olunteers, 
Company  H.  He  was  wounded  twice  at  the 
battle  of  Stone  River  ;  after  the  war,  he  gradu- 
ated at  the  Ohio  Medical  College,  is  practicing 
now  at  AVest  Union,  Clark  County.  He  was 
married  to  Matilda  Bartlett  ;  John  W.  was 
born  June  17,  1851;  he  is  a  medical  student  at 
the  Ohio  Medical  College.  Our  subject  was 
educated  in  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  and  this  county, 
where  he  was  married.  December  24,  1878.  to 
Mary  L.  Prust,  born  July  16.  1861,  in  Indian- 
apolis, Ind.;  she  is  a  daughter  of  Daniel  and 
Adelaide  (Balthis)  Prust,  and  is  the  mother  of 
Effie,  born  October  12,  1879.  Her  father, 
Daniel  Prust,  born  February  3,  1832,  in  Dev- 
onshire, near  Biddleford,  Eng.  His  father, 
Daniel  Prust,  Sr.,  was  a  sheep-raiser ;  his  wife's 
name  was  Grace.  Major  Baker,  Jr.,  was  born 
January  18,  1803  ;  he  died  October  8,  1882. 
His  wife  died  October  9,  1878.  Our  subject 
has  a  good  farm  of  110  acres.  He  has  filled 
township  and  school  offices.  lu  politics,  he  is 
identified  with  the  Republican  party.  His 
grandmothers  brother,  Thomas  Knight,  was  in 
the  English  Army  under  Gen.  Brock  at  Detroit, 
when  Gen.  Hull  surrendered.  Fifty-two  years 
afterward,  James  H.  Baker,  who  is  a  brother  of 


DARWIN    TOWNSHIP. 


163 


our  subject,  was  mustered  out  of  the  service 
from  our  late  war  in  the  same  place. 

B.  J.  BEARD,  farmer,  P.  0.  Marshall  ;  born 
May  16,  1816,  in  Muhlenburg  County,  Ky., 
grandson  of  Samuel  Beard,  born  In  Ireland  ; 
his  son  John  was  born  in  Virginia;  he  was  mar- 
ried to  Mary  M.  Unsel,  born  in  Maryland  ;  she 
was  the  mother  of  twelve  children,  of  whom 
Benjamin  J.  was  the  youngest  ;  he  went  to 
school  in  Kentucky.  In  1833,  he  came  to  this 
county  ;  he  was  married  to  Elizabeth  Maxadent, 
born  in  Indiana  ;  she  was  the  mother  of  six 
children — John,  deceased  ;  Lucinda,  born  May 
7,  1844,  wife  of  Robert  Brannin,  and  the 
mother  of  five  children — Laura  E.,  Ricie  P., 
Lola  H.,  Lou  C,  Jafa  T.;  James,  deceased  ; 
Wesley,  he  married  Lucj'  Keeran,  she  is  the 
mother  of  Eva  E.;  Charles  E.,  born  April  15, 
1856  ;  Jacob  S.,  deceased.  Mr.  Beard  has  a 
farm  of  eighty  acres.  He  is  identified  with  the 
Democratic  party. 

JACOB  BUEHLER,  minister,  Marshall. 
Of  the  men  whose  influence  for  good  has  been 
felt  in  this  county,  we  must  count  him  whose 
name  heads  this  sketch.  He  was  born  August 
27, 1820,  in  Adelberg,  Aa.  Schorudorf,  Kingdom 
of  Wurtemberg,  Germany.  He  is  a  grandson 
of  Jacob  Buehler,  Sr.,  whose  son,  Henry,  born 
1781,  died  1866,  married  Eva  Catharina  Muel- 
ler, born  1793,  died  1860.  She  was  the  mother 
of  twelve  children,  of  whom  Michael  and  Gott- 
leib  were  educated  in  Germany,  and  afterward 
became  missionaries,  one  going  to  East  India 
and  the  other  to  Africa.  Our  subject  was  ed- 
ucated in  Germany.  He  came  to  New  Orleans, 
TJ.  S.,  in  1847,  where  he  was  joined  in  matri- 
mony, November  12,  the  next  year,  to  Susanna 
Maeglin,  born  in  Germany.  She  died  in  New 
Orleans.  She  was  the  mother  of  Susanna,  who 
is  now  the  wife  of  Johan  Garlin,  and  the  mother 
of  Emilie.  Mr.  Buehler  was  married  a  second 
time  to  Matilda  Kuemmerle,  born  in  Stuttgart, 
Germany,  died  in  Indiana.  She  was  the  mother 
of  six  children,  viz.:  Gottleib,  died  of  sunstroke. 


aged  twenty-four  years  ;  Gustav  A.,  born  De- 
cember 15, 1856  ;  William,  born  April  22, 1861  ; 
John,  born  October  30,  1862  ;  Benjamin,  bom 
November  8,  1864  ;  Emilie,  born  September  7, 
1858.  Mr.  Buehler  went  to  Germany  in  1865, 
returning  the  same  year.  While  in  New  York, 
he  was  married,  January  5,  1866,  to  Christiane 
L.  Jaeckle,  born  March  10,  1838,  in  Kirchheim, 
U.  Tek.,  German}',  daughter  of  John  and  Louise 
(Maier)  Jaeckle.  Her  mother  is  living  with 
her.  Mr.  Buehler  was  ordained  as  a  minister 
of  the  Evangelical  Lutheran  Church,  serving 
eight  and  one-half  years  in  New  Orleans,  nine 
years  in  Warrenton,  Ind.;  two  3'ears  in  Madi- 
son, Ind.;  two  years  in  Loudon ville,  Ohio. 
He  came  to  this  countj'  in  1869,  where  he  has 
been  connected  with  the  church  ever  since. 
He  has  360  acres  of  land  under  good  culti- 
vation. He  is  independent  in  politics,  voting 
for  the  best  man. 

EDWARD  CLOPPER,  farmer,  P.  0.  Mar- 
shall, born  November  3,  1833,  in  Stark  County-, 
Ohio,  son  of  Henrj'  Clapper,  born  1787,  in 
Pennsylvania;  who  died  1873,  in  Ohio.  He 
was  married  to  Sallie  Moon,  born  in  Pennsyl- 
vania ;  she  died  1869,  in  Ohio.  She  was  the 
mother  of  twelve  children.  Edward  Clopper 
was  joined  in  matrimony  November  3,  1854,  in 
Stark  County,  Ohio,  to  Mary  Ann  Liley,  born 
May  9,  1835,  in  Stark  County,  Ohio.  Siie  is  a 
daughter  of  Conrad  and  Susannah  (Neidich) 
Liley,  and  the  mother  of  four  children,  of  whom 
the  first  three  are  now  dead — Salinda  ;  Madison 
and  Addison  were  twins ;  Edward,  born  Janu- 
ary 31,  1859  ;  he  was  married  September  15, 
1880,  in  this  county,  to  Emma  Holler,  born 
February  28,  1800,  in  Clark  County,  III.  She 
is  a  daughter  of  John  and  Dorothea  (Strohm) 
Haller.  Mr.  Clopper  came  to  this  county  in 
1878.  He  has  now  a  farm  of  125  acres.  In 
February,  1864,  he  obeyed  the  call  of  his  coun- 
try to  protect  the  stars  and  stripes,  by  enlist- 
ing in  the  One  Hundred  and  Ninety-first  Ohio 
Infantry  Volunteers,  Company  H,  serving  till 


164 


BIOGRAPHICAL : 


the  close  of  the  war.  He  is  now  identified 
with  the  Kepublican  party.  He  is  School  Di- 
rector now. 

D.  DAVIDSON,  farmer,  P.  0.  Marshall, 
born  February  10,  1812,  in  Ohio,  grandson  of 
James  Davidson,  born  in  England.  His  son,  ! 
Archibald,  was  born  in  New  Jersey,  where  he 
was  married  to  Elizabeth  Williams,  born  in 
Pennsylvania.  She  died  in  Clark  County,  111. 
She  was  the  mother  of  thirteen  children.  Our 
subject  was  a  soldier  in  the  Black  Hawk  war, 
enlisting  in  Gen.  Alexander's  regiment  of  vol- 
unteer horsemen.  After  the  war,  he  returned 
to  this  county,  where  he  was  married,  in  1838, 
to  Delight  Kinney,  born  in  New  York.  She 
died  1875,  in  this  county.  She  had  five  chil- 
dren, of  whom  only  John,  who  married  Katie 
Stevens,  is  now  living.  Mr.  Davidson  was 
married  a  second  time,  August  16,  1875,  to 
Mrs.  Nancy  Schweitzer,  born  in  Clark  County, 
111.,  daughter  of  Martin  Grove,  and  the  mother 
of  two  children  of  her  first  husband— Robert 
C.  and  Malvina.  Robert  married  Mrs.  Emma 
Cummings,  daughter  of  Edward  Powell,  and 
the  mother  of  Edmund  Cummings  and  Burns 
Schweitzer.  Malvina  married  Joseph  Magill ; 
she  is  the  mother  of  Ralph,  Vera  L.  and  RoUin 
C.  Mr.  Davidson  has  a  farm  of  190  acres  ; 
has  helped  his  children  in  starting  in  life ;  is 
independent  in  politics,  but  is  identified  with 
the  Republican  party. 

S.  J.  DICKERSON,  farmer,  P.  O.  Darwin, 
born  December  31,  1830.  in  Vigo  County,  Ind.; 
grandson  of  Walter  Dickerson  from  New  Jer 
sey,  who  was  a  soldier  in  the  Revolutionary 
war.  He  married  Penelope  Heton,  who  raised 
ten  children.  Her  son  Samuel  married  Rachel 
Boyer,  who  was  the  mother  of  ten  children. 
Our  subject  went  to  school  in  Vigo  County:  he 
obeyed  the  call  of  his  country  to  protect  the 
stars  and  stripes  by  enlisting,  August  21,  1862, 
in  Terre  Haute,  in  the  Fourth  Indiana  Cavalry 
Volunteers,  Co.  M,  he  holding  a  commission 
of  First  Lieutenant,  serving  till  close  of  war. 


After  the  battle  of  Murfreesboro,  he  was 
promoted  to  the  rank  of  Captain.  He  was 
with  Gen.  Sherman  in  his  famous  "  march  to 
the  sea."  After  the  war,  Capt.  Dickerson  went 
to  Toledo,  Ohio,  where  he  was  joined  in  matri- 
mony, February  10,  1867,  to  Mary  A.  Belz, 
born  March  10,  1847,  in  Toledo,  daughter  of 
John  and  Caroline  (Klinck)  Belz,  and  the 
mother  of  six  children — John  H.,  born  Decem- 
ber 20,  1867  ;  George  L.,  born  September  19, 
1869  ;  Carrie  M.,  born  April  11,  1871.  Steven 
B.,  born  November  28,  1873  ;  William  T.,  de- 
ceased, and  Ruby,  born  October  2,  1878.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Dickerson  have  been  connected  with 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  He  is  now 
Township  Trustee.  Mr.  Dickerson  has  a  farm 
of  280  acres  of  good  land,  with  good  buildings. 
He  is  identified  with  the  Republican  party. 

M.  D.  EDENS,  farmer,  P.  0.  Marshall,  born 
June  16,  1837,  in  McMinn  County,  East  Tenn., 
son  of  Archibald  Edens,  born  in  Tennessee, 
died  January  31,  1855,  in  Louisiana.  He  was 
a  soldier  in  the  Southern  Indian  wars  ;  he  wag 
married  to  Elizabeth  Peak,  born  in  Tennessee, 
died  in  Louisiana;  she  was  the  mother  of  fif- 
teen children  (ten  boys  and  five  girls);  one  of 
the  boys  was  a  doctor.  Mr.  Edens  went  to 
school  in  Tennessee  ;  he  was  married  in  Texas 
to  Emeline  Davidson,  born  in  Clark  County, 
died  April  15,  1878,  in  Clark  County.  Mr. 
Edens  was  married  a  second  time  to  Mrs. 
Lavinia  Strickler,  daughter  of  William  G.  and 
Mary  (Strickler)  Stevens,  and  the  mother  of 
three  children — Maude,  born  April  13,  1871,  of 
her  first  husband,  the  other  two  with  her  pres- 
ent husband— Francis  M.,  born  December  16, 
1879  ;  and  Marquis  De  La  Fayette,  born  No- 
vember 5, 1881.  Mr.  Edens  has  a  farm  of  122^ 
acres  of  good  land.  He  has  been  Tax  Col- 
lector for  three  terms,  Scliool  Trustee  and  Jus- 
tice of  the  Peace  for  two  years.  He  has  been 
identified  with  the  Republican  party,  although 
he  was  raised  in  the  South.  Mr.  Edens  came 
to  this  county  in  1860,  in  the  spring. 


DARWIN   TOWNSHIP. 


165 


DR.  M.  A.  HATFIELD,  physician,  Dar- 
win, born  March  IS,  1856,  in  Darwin,  111.  His 
fatlicr,  H.  C.  Hatfield,  came  here  about  18-10. 
He  kept  a  general  store  in  compan}-  with  A. 
Sackrider  for  twenty  years.  He  died  Janu- 
ary 12,  1867,  aged  thirty-six  years.  He  was 
married  to  Esther  Brown,  born  July  13,  1832, 
in  Vigo  Count}-,  lud.  She  is  a  daughter  of 
James  M.  and  Hannah  (Denney)  Brown,  and 
the  mother  of  three  children — Madison  A., 
Lola,  born  January  17,  1861  ;  Mary  E.,  born 
March  8,  1863.  Mrs.  Esther  Hatfield  was 
married  a  second  time  to  George  M.  Fort- 
une, who  is  the  father  of  four  children — Cas- 
sias L.,  Le  Roy,  Claude  and  Carl  are  twins. 
Mr.  Fortune  is  a  minister  in  the  M.  E.  Church. 
Our  subject,  Madison  A.,  was  educated  in  Dar- 
win, also  at  the  High  and  State  Normal  School 
at  Terre  Haute,  Ind.  After  this  he  devoted 
his  time  to  the  study  of  medicine,  attending 
lectures  at  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  Chicago,  111.,  and 
Indianapolis,  Ind.,  where  he  graduated  in  1877. 
He  commenced  to  practice  in  Darwin  in  1875, 
and  has  made  this  place  his  headquarters  ever 
since.  Dr.  Hatfield  was  joined  in  matrimony, 
December  7,  1876,  to  Miss  Julia  Dawson,  born 
January  21,  1854,  in  Bullitt  County,  Ky.  She 
is  a  daughter  of  Thomas  and  Elizabeth  (Cook) 
Dawson,  who  were  born  in  Kentuck}-,  where 
they  died.  Dr.  Hatfield  and  wife  are  members 
of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  The  Doc- 
tor is  identified  with  the  Republican  party,  but 
his  grandfather,  who  lived  in  Texas  many 
j-ears  before  the  war,  was  a  Brigadier  General 
in  the  Confederate  armj-. 

J.  M.  HOLLENBECK,  merchant,  Hatton. 
This  gentleman  represents  one  of  the  very  old- 
est and  best  pioneer  families  in  this  county. 
He  was  born  May  19,  1838.  The  family  is  of 
Holland  descent.  His  grandfather,  Lawrence 
Hollenbeck,  was  born  in  New  York  and  has 
heard  the  British  bombard  Bufl!alo.  He  was 
married  to  a  Miss  Lewis,  who  was  the  mother 
of  eleven  children.     The  trip  from  New  York 


to  this  count}'  was  made  mostly  by  water. 
They  settled  here  in  1816.  when  the  dark  forest 
was  yet  filled  with  wild  beasts  and  still  wilder 
men.  His  son  John  was  married  to  Isabell  Uouts. 
She  was  the  mother  of  three  children — John 
M.,  Emily  and  Harriet.  Emily  is  tlie  wife  of 
William  Lindley  and  Harriet  is  the  wife  of 
Samuel  Lindley.  Mrs.  Isabell  Hollenbeck  died 
in  1838.  John  Hollenbeck  was  married  a  sec- 
ond time  to  Isabel  Claypoole,  who  was  the 
mother  of  Jane,  wife  of  Charles  Hogue.  Our 
subject,  John  M.,  was  educated  in  this  count}-. 
He  was  married  here  to  Miss  Margaret  Neal, 
daughter  of  Washington  and  Hattie  (Stevens) 
Neal,  and  the  mother  of  five  children — Elsie, 
wife  of  George  Holwick  and  the  mother  of 
Edward  and  Bert ;  William  T.,  born  October 
17,  1861  ;  he  is  a  teacher  by  profession  ; 
Charles  G.,  born  in  1863 ;  and  Washing- 
ton, born  April  20,  1866.  Mr.  Hollenbeck 
was  a  soldier  in  our  late  war,  enlisting  twice, 
the  first  time  in  1861.  in  the  Twenty-first  Illi- 
nois, known  as  "  Grant's  Regiment,"  Company 
H ;  the  second  time  in  1864,  in  the  Tenth  Illi- 
nois, Company  G,  serving  till  the  close  of  the 
war.  He  lost  his  wife  in  1866.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Odd  Fellows  fraternity  and  also  a 
"  Knight  of  Honor,"  Marshall  Lodge,  No.  1198. 
He  has  a  farm  of  260  acres  in  this  county  and 
keeps  a  general  store  in  Hatton.  In  politics, 
he  is  identified  with  the  Republican  party. 

JACOB  LICKERT,  farmer,  P.  0.  Darwin. 
Mr.  Lickert  was  born  August  24,  1839,  in 
Dermbach,  Germany,  son  of  John  George 
Lueckertborn  1797,  in  Germany  ;  he  died  1863, 
near  West  Point,  Ind.  He  was  married  to 
Barbara  Elizabeth  Arnold,  born  in  (jermany, 
died  1841,  in  Dermbach,  Germany.  She  was 
the  mother  of  ten  children,  of  whom  John 
Adam  is  yet  living  in  Germany  ;  he  married 
Elizabeth  Zobel.  Mr.  Lickert  came  to  Indian- 
apolis, Ind.,  via  New  Orleans,  in  1853.  About 
Christmas  the  same  year,  he  came  to  Clark 
County,  111.,  where  he  has  made  his  home  ever 


166 


iilOGRAPHICAL: 


since.  He  obeyed  the  call  of  his  country  to 
protect  the  stars  and  stripes  by  enlisting 
August  1,  1862,  at  Mattoon,  111.,  in  the 
Seventy-ninth  Illinois  Infantry  Volunteers, 
Company  F,  serving  till  close  of  war ;  he  was 
taken  prisoner  in  the  battle  of  Chickainauga, 
suffering  untold  miseries  in  different  Southern 
prison  pens,  viz.:  Richmond,  Danville,  Ander- 
sonville  and  Florence,  being  in  captivity  four- 
teen months  and  seventeen  daj-s.  After  the 
war,  lie  returned  to  this  county,  where  he  was 
married  March  25,  1866,  to  Mary  Louisa 
Busch,  born  March  11,  1841,  in  Claasmuehle, 
near  Burscheid,  Rhein  Province,  Germany.  She 
is  the  mother  of  six  children — Flora,  born 
January  18,  1867;  Emma,  born  April  4,  1869; 
Anna,  born  November  2,  1870;  Ida,  born  De- 
cember 31,  1872;  Elizabeth,  born  June  10, 
1875;  and  William,  born  April  6,  1877.  Mr. 
Lickert  has  220  acres  of  land.  Our  subject 
and  wife  were  brought  up  and  confirmed  in  the 
Lutheran  Church.  Mr.  Lickert  has  been  iden- 
tified with  the  Republican  party.  His  stand- 
ing in  the  communit}'  is  good.  His  two  sis- 
ters, Elizabeth  and  Eliza,  are  living  in  Indian- 
apolis, Ind.;  his  brother  Simon  lives  near  the 
same  place. 

LEWIS  MAXHART,  farmer,  P.  0.  Marshall, 
born  January  25,  1833,  near  Baltimore,  Md., 
son  of  George  Manhart,  born  in  Germany  ;  he 
died  in  Vigo  County,  Ind.  He  was  married  in 
Maryland  to  Rachael  Romoser,  born  in  Ger- 
many ;  she  died  in  this  county.  She  was  the 
mother  of  three  children — George,  now  living, 
he  married  Anna  Switzer,  after  her  death,  he 
married  Sarah  Beltz,  he  is  now  living  in  Texas  ; 
John,  he  was  married  to  Katie  Neff,  deceased. 
Our  subject  was  married  to  Frany  Beltz,  born 
in  Ohio  ;  she  died  in  this  county.  She  was  the 
mother  of  five  children  now  living — Anna  S.i 
born  March  20,  1862;  Albert  L.,  born  January 
11,  1864;  William  A.,  born  September  16, 
1867;  Margaret,  born  December  30,  1870,  and 
Franklin  L.,  born  April  21,  1873.     Mr.  Man- 


hart  is  a  member  of  the  German  Evangelical 
Church.  He  was  married  a  second  time  to 
Mrs.  Ailsa  Swope,  born  December  29,  1832,  in 
Lawrence  County,  111.,  daughter  of  James  and 
Catharine  (Woodworth)  Vermillion.  Mr. 
Manhart  has  a  farm  of  110  acres  of  land.  He 
came  to  this  county  about  1840,  aud  in  politics 
he  is  identified  with  the  Democratic  party. 

HENRY  MILLER,  farmer,  P.  O.  Hatton, 
born  September  18,  1820,  in  Ohio.  His  father, 
John  Miller,  was  born  in  Pennsylvania  ;  he 
was  married  to  Hannah  Maloj',  born  in  Penn- 
sylvania ;  she  died  in  Darwin,  111.;  she  was  a 
daughter  of  John  Maloy,  and  the  mother  of 
thirteen  children,  one  of  them  named  William  ; 
he  died  while  in  the  army  in  our  late  war. 
John  Miller  came  to  this  county  in  1829,  and 
amid  the  hardships  of  pioneer  life  he  raised  a 
large  family' ;  his  son  Henry  was  married  to 
Eliza  Adams  ;  she  was  the  mother  of  Andy  Mil- 
ler, who  married  Nancie  Ingram  ;  they  have 
four  children,  Sophia,  Altamond,  Henry  and 
Marcus,  two  with  his  present  wife  and  two 
with  his  first  wife,  whose  name  was  Sarah  Jef- 
fers.  Mrs.  Henry  Miller  died  in  1847.  Mr. 
Miller  was  married  a  second  time  to  Salena 
Adams,  who^died  a  short  time  afterward.  His 
third  wife  was  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Sanford,  born 
in  1827  ;  she  is  the  mother  of  three  children 
now  living — Lydia,  born  January  9,  1856,  she 
married  Joseph  Klemm,  who  died  in  April, 
1881,  he  is  the  father  of  one  son — Henr}-  L. 
born  February  12,  1881  ;  Hattie,  born  July  24, 
1864  ;  and  Sinia,  born  March  7,  1872.  Mrs. 
Elizabeth  Miller  is  the  daughter  of  Henderson 
and  Catharine  (Walls)  Corey,  both  deceased. 
Mr.  Miller  took  quite  a  decided  stand  during 
our  late  war,  and  did  a  great  deal  toward  re- 
lieving Union  soldiers  and  their  families  ;  the 
work  done  bj-  him  for  the  good  cause  at  home 
was  not  outdone  by  many  in  the  field.  He  has 
never  sought  public  oflBces  but  rather  avoids 
publicity.  He  votes  the  Republican  ticket. 
By  industry  and  economy  he  has  laid  up  some- 


DARWIN    TOWNSHIP. 


187 


thing  for  a  rainy  daj-.     He  has  a  good  farm  of 
over  200  acres,  which  is  well  cultivated. 

R.  C.  MYLES,  farmer,  P.  O.  Darwin,  was 
born  July  31,  1831,  in  Shelby  County,  Ind., 
son  of  Isum  Myles,  who  married  Julian  Frank- 
lin, who  was  the  mother  of  nine  children,  of 
whom  only  William  R.  and  Richard  C.  are  now 
living.  Our  subject  was  married  in  this  county 
to  Sinia  Lawwill,  born  August  24,  1835, 
daughter  of  Oliver  C.  and  Jane  (Sharp)  Law- 
will.  Mrs.  Jane  Lawwill  was  of  the  third 
oldest  farailj'  that  settled  in  this  county  ;  she 
came  here  in  1814,  and  is  the  mother  of  five 
children.  Mrs.  Myles  is  the  mother  of  four 
children — Oliver  C,  married  Martha  Chica- 
daunce,  of  German  descent,  and  is  the  mother  of 
three  children — Nicholas  R.,  Anna  S.  and  Mary 
T.;  Julia  A.  is  now  the  wife  of  Le  Roy  B. 
Craig ;  Bruce  A.,  was  born  November  7,  1866, 
and  Clark  A.,  born  October  12,  1868.  Mr. 
Myles  has  a  farm  of  152  acres.  He  is  a  Re- 
publican. 

J.  W.  PADDOCK,  Postmaster  and  merchant, 
Darwin,  was  bor..  January  7,  1839,  in  Vigo 
County,  Ind.,  son  of  Ebeuezer  Paddock,  born 
in  Ohio  ;  he  was  a  firmer  ;  he  married  Amanda 
Shattuck,  daughter  of  William  Shattuck.  She 
was  the  mother  of  nine  children,  of  whom 
James  W.,  our  subject,  is  the  only  one  living. 
He  went  to  school  in  Vigo  County,  Ind.  He 
was  a  farmer  in  early  life.  In  1876,  he  came 
to  Darwin,  III,  where  he  entered  the  mercan- 
tile business,  keeping  a  general  store  in  connec- 
tion with  the  post  office.  He  has  been  Town- 
ship Assessor  and  School  Director.  Is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Odd  Fellows  fraternity,  "  Vigo 
Lodge."  Mr.  Paddock  was  joined  in  matri- 
mony in  Vigo  County,  Ind.,  July  31,  1862, 
to  Miss  Phoebe  Francis,  born  December  25, 1841, 
in  Lawrence  County,  Ohio,  daughter  of  John 
R.  and  Sarah  Ann  (Silverthorn)  Francis,  and 
i  T  the  mother  of  six  children  now  living — Conie 
born  "March  9,  1867  ;  Effie,  born  July  11,  1869; 
Otis  G.,  born  October  15,  1871  ;  John  N.,  born 


November  29,  1874  ;  Addie  A.,  born  May  22, 
1878,  and  James  B.,  born  April  27,  1882.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Paddock  are  members  of  the  United 
Brethren  in  Christ,  and  good  members  of  their 
community. 

CHARLES  PAKER,  farmer,  P.  O.  Marshall, 
born  August  31,  1847,  in  Bismarck,  Prussia, 
Germany,  grandson  of  Diederich  Paker,  whose 
son,  Charles,  was  born  1822  ;  he  died  1869,  in 
Terre  Haute,  Ind.  He  was  married,  1846,  in 
Germany,  to  Louisa  Schmidt,  born  December 
24,  1818  ;  she  is  now  living  with  her  son 
Charles  ;  she  is  the  mother  of  four  children — 
William  A.,  now  living  in  Terre  Haute,  where 
he  married  Rosa  Schmidt,  who  is  the  mother 
of  Ida,  Carl  and  Otilie,  Herman,  deceased, 
Frank  F.  (also  living  in  Terre  Haute,  where  he 
married  Matilda  Seitz),  and  our  subject,  who 
was  educated  in  Germany.  He  came  to  this 
country  with  his  parents  in  1862.  He  worked 
at  the  blacksmith  trade  for  six  years,  and 
clerked  in  a  queensware  store  for  five  years. 
He  was  joined  in  matrimony  December  14, 
1875,  to  Emma  Rottman,  born  December  29, 
1853,  in  Terre  Haute.  She  is  a  daughter  of 
Frederich  and  Sophia  (Steinmehl)  Rottman, 
and  the  mother  of  two  children — Clara  L.  S., 
born  November  7, 1876,  and  Emilie  Rosa,  born 
November  4,  1881.  Mr.  Paker  is  a  member 
of  the  Grange.  He  has  been  a  member  of  .sev- 
eral societies.  He  has  a  farm  of  120  acres. 
In  politics,  he  is  independent,  voting  for  the 
best  man.  Mr.  Paker  is  a  member  of  the 
County  Board,  representing  Darwin  Township; 
he  is  also  School  Director.  Mrs.  Paker's 
grandfather,  Joseph  Richard,  born  1807,  in 
Germany,  where  he  was  a  soldier,  is  j-et  living, 
a  hale  and  strong  man  ;  he  came  here  in  1 850. 

JOHN  PEARCE,  farmer,  P.  0.  Marshall, 
born  December  23, 1822,  near  Baltimore,  grand- 
son of  Richard  Pearce,  whose  son  Edward 
married  Sarah  Lawrence,  who  was  the  mother 
of  a  large  famil}'.  Her  son  John  came  to  this 
county  in  the   fall  of  1837.     He  was  married 


168 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


here  January  16,  1849,  to  Mahala  Craig,  born 
June  26,  1830.  She  is  a  daughter  of  Thomas 
and  Sarah  (Brown)  Craig,  and  the  mother  of 
three  children,  as  follows  :  Edward  ;  Thomas, 
born  January  16,  1852  (he  is  a  teacher  by  pro- 
fession); Sarah  E.,  born  April  18,  1856  (wife 
of  Emrait  Craig).  Mrs.  Pearce  has  a  good 
farm  of  120  acres.  Mr.  Pearce  has  been  Town- 
ship Trustee,  and  has  been  School  Ditector 
for  sixteen  3'ears.  In  politics,  he'  had  been 
identified  with  the  Republican  party.  Before 
the  existence  of  the  Republican  party,  he  voted 
the  Whig  ticket. 

EDWARD  PEARCE  physician,  Darwin, 
born  December  24,  1849,  in  this  county.  He 
is  a  grandson  of  Edward  Pearce,  Sr.,  born  in 
Delaware,  died  1860,  in  this  count}-.  He  was 
married  to  Sarah  Lawrence,  who  was  the 
mother  of  eight  children.  Edward  Pearce,  Sr., 
was  a  soldier  in  the  war  of  1812.  His  son 
John,  born  in  Maryland,  came  to  this  county 
with  his  parents  in  1837.  He  was  married 
here  to  Mahala  Craig,  daughter  of  Thomas  and 
Sarah  (Brown)  Craig,  who  were  early  settlers. 
Mrs.  M.  Craig  was  the  mother  of  three  children 
—Thomas,  born  January,  1852  ;  Sarah  E.,  wife 
of  E.  A.  Craig  ;  and  Edward,  our  subject,  who 
was  educated  partly  in  this  county,  Terre 
Haute  Commercial  College,  and  finished  his 
medical  education  in  the  Chicago  Medical  Col- 
lege, receiving  his  diploma  in  March,  1878. 
He  was  joined  in  matrimony  January  1,  1874, 
to  Miss  Martha  E.  Hufflngton,  born  July  27, 
1851,  near  Indianapolis,  Ind.  She  is  a  daugh- 
ter of  Edward  J.  and  Harriet  F.  (Turner)  Huf- 
flngton, and  the  mother  of  three  childi'en — 
Homer  N.,  born  June  S,  1875;  Effle  E.,  boi'n 
January  25, 1878;  Edmund  R.,  born  March  11, 
1881.  Mr.  Pearce  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic 
fraternitj',  "Darwin  Lodge,  No.  551,  of  which 
he  is  Master.  He  is  also  an  Odd  Fellow, 
"  Eureka  Lodge,  No.  64,  I.  0.  0.  F."  In  pol- 
itics, Mr.  Pearce  is  identified  with  the  Repub- 
lican party.     Has  been  Count}-  Superintendent 


of  Schools   for   two  years  ;  is  now  Township 
School  Treasurer. 

A.  POORM  AN,  farmer,  P.  0.  Walnut  Prairie. 
This  man  who  is  one  of  the  few  who  are  de- 
scendants of  pioneer  families  in  this  township, 
was  born  November  1,  1825,  in  this  county. 
His  father,  John  Poormau,  born  April  5,  1802, 
in  New  York.  He  came  to  thiscounty  in  1818, 
with  his  parents,  Jacob  and  Elizabeth  Poorman, 
who  were  born  in  Germany.  John  Poorman 
was  married  in  Indiana  to  Mary  Ann  Skomp, 
born  October,  1802,  in  Pennsylvania.  She 
was  the  mother  of  eight  children.  Her  son, 
Amaudar,  was  married  to  Jane  L.  Stevens,  born 
April  11, 1828,  in  Kentucky,  daughter  of  Henry 
and  Jane  R.  (Porter)  Stevens,  and  the  mother 
of  four  children  now  living— Elizabeth  Jane, 
born  September  23,  1852,  wife  of  Thomas  J. 
Garwood,  and  mother  of  Oceola  ;  John  J.,  born 
January  19,  1856  ;  he  was  married  to  Eliza 
Maneer,  born  January  2,  1858,  died  February 
20,  1883  ;  she  is  the  mother  of  Jennettie  B., 
born  September  4,  1878,  and  William  Franklin 
born  March  4,  1881  ;  Hattie  Ann,  born  Octo- 
ber 10,  1858,  wife  of  Levi  Garwood,  and  the 
mother  of  Margaret ;  Hannah  R.,  born  August 
29,  1860.  Mr.  Poorman  has  a  good  farm  of 
200  acres,  with  fair  improvements.  He  has 
filled  school  offices.  In  politics,  he  has  been 
identified  with  the  Democratic  party.  Is  a 
quiet,  respectable  citizen,  who  does  not  care 
much  for  outside  show. 

CHARLES  TAUBENECK,  farmer,  P.  0. 
Marshall,  born  December  30,  1820,  in 
Schkeutitz,  Prussia,  Germany.  He  is  a  son  of 
John  Frederick  Taubeneck,  born  July  7,  1797  ; 
he  died  in  1877,  in  this  county,  to  which  he 
had  come  in  1855.  He  was  married  to  Anna 
C.  W.  Gephart,  born  February  12,  1792,  in 
Hanover,  she  died  where  our  subject  was  born; 
she  was  the  mother  of  eight  children.  Her 
father  was  in  Paris  when  Louis  XVI  was 
I  beheaded  ;  one  of  her  brothers  was  a  minister, 
and  another  was  a  Professor  at  the  University 


DARWIN   TOWNSHIP. 


169 


in  Lfiipzig.  The  great-grandfather  of  our  sub- 
ject was  a  Russian  Nobleman,  who  married 
a  citizen's  daughter  while  a  student  at  the  Uni- 
versity of  Goettingen,  in  Germany,  of  which  he 
afterward  became  a  Professor.  Our  subject 
came  to  the  United  States  in  1850,  he  has  seen 
most  of  the  eastern  cities,  and  came  to  Clark 
County,  mostly  by  water,  where  he  was  mar- 
ried August  15,  1850,  to  Bertha  Nonnenbrnch. 
born  April  20,  1825,  on  the  Rhein,  in  Linchlin- 
gen,  Prussia,  daughter  of  Bertram  Nonnen- 
brnch, a  miller  by  occupation  ;  he  died  in  Cin- 
cinnati, Ohio.  Mrs.  Taubeneck  is  the  mother 
of  three  children  now  living — Matilda,  born 
August  13,  1853,  wife  of  F.  Bubeck,  she  has 
four  children  ;  Emil  C.,  born  February  5,  1856, 
he  married  Mary  Holtzer,  mother  of  Carl  Vic- 
tor ;  Victor  E.,  born  July  19,  1860,  he  married 
Hettie  Scott.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Taubeneck  are 
members  of  the  Lutheran  Church.  He  owns  a 
good  farm  of  100  acres  ;  he  has  given  almost 
200  acres  of  land  to  his  children.  Mr.  Tauben- 
eck is  a  strong  Republican. 

OTTO  TAUBKNECK,  farmer,  P.  0.  Mar- 
shall, born  October  16,  1825,  in  Schkeutitz, 
Prussia.  He  is  a  sou  of  Frederich  Taubeneck, 
who  married  Minna  Gephart,  born  in  Duder- 
stadt,  Hanover.  Her  father  was  in  France 
during  the  first  Revolution,  but  after  its  close 
he  again  returned  to  Germany.  Otto  Taube- 
neck has  two  sisters  in  Germany,  viz.,  Emilie 
and  Louisa.  He  was  educated  in  Germany, 
and  served  his  term  of  two  j'ears  in  the  army. 
In  the  spring  of  1848,  he  came  to  this  country, 
landing  in  New  York,  and  after  a  ten  months' 
stay  in  New  Jersey,  he  resolved  to  go  to  the  gold 
fields  of  California.  Owing  to  lack  of  funds, 
he  was  deterred  from  joining  a  company  of 
eighty-four  nice  young  men,  at  Cincinnati, 
Ohio,  who  intended  to  take  the  overland  route. 
This  little  circumstance,  probably,  saved  his 
life,  as  the  young  men  never  reached  their 
destination,  being  all  massacred  by  the  Indians. 
Mr.  Taubeneck  came  to  this  county  in  1851, 


and  on  Januarj'  1  of  the  following  year  he  was 
married  to  Emma  Nonnenbrnch,  born  Febru- 
ar}'  16,  1833,  on  the  Rhine  in  Prussia;  she  is 
the  mother  of  eight  children — Emma,  deceased; 
Herman,  born  January  2,  1855;  Oliver  0.,  born 
July  10,  1857;  Arvor,  born  May  17,  1861; 
Natalia,  born  January-  27.  1867;  Oscar,  born 
April  8,  1869;  Alfred,  born  April  9,  1871; 
Nellie  Agnes,  born  February  6,  1873.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Taubeneck  are  members  of  the 
Grange.  He  has  been  identified  with  the  Re- 
publican part}'  since  Fremont's  time,  but  is 
now  independent  in  politics,  voting  for  the  best 
man.  He  has  a  farm  of  366  acres,  which 
is  mostly  under  cultivation;  but  the  most  in- 
teresting feature  on  it  is  a  silver  mine  which 
was  discovered  by  our  subject  about  seven 
years  ago.  The  first  assay,  by  the  United 
States  Assayer  in  Nevada,  was  valued  at  over 
$11  per  ton.  Mr.  Taubeneck  has  made  mine- 
ralogy a  study  for  the  last  three  years  ;  he  has 
over  thirty  certificates  from  assays  made  the 
last  two  3'ears,  ranging  in  value  from  $2.60  per 
ton,  from  ttie  blossom,  to  $2<i  per  ton  of  gold 
and  silver  ores.  Mr.  Taubeneck's  sons,  Her- 
man and  Oliver,  are  engaged  in  mining  in 
Colorado 

T.  R.  UNDERWOOD,  miller,  Darwin,  born 
April  15, 1840,  in  Mt.  Carmel,  111.,  to  which  place 
his  father,  James  Underwood,  had  removed  in 
1832,  coming  from  Ohio,  where  he  bad  been 
married  to  3Iar\-  Wood,  of  German  descent. 
She  had  five  brothers  and  two  sisters.  The 
former  all  became  Methodist  ministers  of  con- 
siderable renown.  Their  names  are  Aaron, 
Wesley,  Enoch,  Jesse  and  Moses.  Rachel,  one 
of  the  girls,  became  the  wife  of  Rev.  George 
Bennett,  and  Lydia  became  the  wife  of  T.  Laf- 
ferty.  James  Underwood  was  the  father  of 
five  children.  Our  subject  and  his  sister  Mary, 
wife  of  W.  Simons,  are  now  living.  Mr.  Under- 
wood dying.  Mrs.  Underwood  was  married 
again  to  H.  A.  Henderson.  They  raised 
four  children — Enoch,  Andromache  and  Bell- 


170 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


vereta  are  twins,  and  Cbailes.  Our  subject 
was  educated  parti}'  in  this  county  and  partly 
in  Iowa,  to  which  place  his  parents  had 
moved.  He  returned  to  this  countj'  in  1858. 
In  1861,  he  enlisted  in  the  First  Missouri 
Cavalry  Volunteers,  Company  K,  participating 
with  his  regiment  in  many  thrilling  scenes  and 
famous  battles  west  of  the  Mississippi  River, 
among  others,  at  Sugar  Creek,  Pea  Ridge  and 
Coldwater.  Mr.  Underwood  was  a  Sergeant, 
serving  till  close  of  war,  after  which  he  re- 
turned to  this  county,  where  he  was  married, 
February  1,  1866,  to  Amelia  G.  McClure,  born 


January  2,  1847,  in  York,  111.  She  is  a  daugh- 
ter of  Louis  and  Elizabeth  (Rockafellar)  Mc- 
Clure, and  is  the  mother  of  three  children — 
Willie  L.,  born  August  20,  1869;  Mary  E., 
January  30,  1872  ;  Anna  B.,  bom  September 
24,  1873.  Mr.  Underwood  lived  seven  years 
in  Indiana.  After  that  he  came  to  Darwin, 
where  he  bought  the  steam  saw  and  flour  mill, 
which  he  has  run  ever  since.  He  is  a  member 
of  the  Masonic  fraternity,  "  Darwin  Lodge, 
No.  551,"  A.,  F.  &  A.  M.  In  politics,  is  a  Re- 
publican. He  and  his  wife  are  members  of 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 


YOEK    TOWNSHIP. 


J.  H.  G.  BAKER,  M.  D. ,  was  born  Decem- 
ber 31,  1842.  in  Cincinnati,  Ohio.      He  was 
the  oldest  son  of  Major  and  Elizabeth  Baker, 
who  came  to  Clark  County,  111.,   when  our 
subject  was  live  years  old.     They,  afterward 
returned  to  Cincinnati,  where  they  gave  him 
the  advantages  of  its  good  schools,  and  after 
retiu-ning  to  this  county  he  taught  school. 
In  the  spring  of   1861,  when  the  war  cloud  j 
gathered  over  this  fair  nation,  he  resolved  to 
protect    the  stars    and   stripes,  and    enlisted 
May    11,     at   Darwin,     in   the    Twenty-first 
Illinois  Volunteers,  Company  H,  and   after- 
ward re-enlisted  for  the   three    years'  term.    } 
Our  subject  participated  in    many  thrilling 
scenes  and  famous  battles.     He  was  wound- 
ed in  the   battle  of    Stone    River,  from  the 
effects  of  which  he  died,  March  28,  1883,  in 
West  Union,  111.      He  served  out  his  three  | 
years'   term  doing  light  guard  duty  ;    after 
that  he  assisted  in  raising  a  company  of  men  j 
for  the  war.       Afterward  he  taught  several  j 
terms   of    school,  and   then    commenced   the 
study  of  medicine  with  Dr.  R.  C.  Prewett,  of 
Marshall,  111.,    and   graduated    at   the  Ohio 


Medical  College,  in  1875.  He  followed  his 
profession  in  York  and  in  West  Union,  111. 
Mr.  Baker  was  married  in  1876,  to  Miss  Tilly 
Bartlett,  who  is  the  mother  of  three  children. 
Dr.  Baker  was  a  member  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church,  also  a  member  of  the  Ma- 
sonic fraternity,  and  of  the  Chapter  at  Mar- 
shall, 111.  He  filled  several  offices  with  abil- 
ity and  honesty.  In  his  death  the  community 
lost  a  good  member  of  society  and  of  the 
profession,  a  kind  brother,  husband  and  fa- 
ther. Sweet  rest  be  his  till  the  grand  roll- 
call  in  heaven. 

J.  L.  BRADBURY,  merchant,  York.  This 
gentleman  is  a  member  of  one  of  our  old  pio- 
neer families  who  came  here  when  the  set- 
tlements were  few,  and  wild  beasts  and  wilder 
men  roamed  through  the  forest.  He  was 
born  August  9,  1850,  in  Crawford  County. 
His  father,  John  S.  Bradbury,  whose  portrait 
is  in  this  work,  is  a  farmer  by  occupation. 
Our  subject  was  also  a  tiller  of  the  soil  in 
early  life.  He  was  educated  mostly  in  Rob- 
inson and  Terre  Haute.  He  taught  school 
two  years,   after  which  he  clerked  four  years 


YORK   TOWNSHIP. 


171 


in  York  and  Sullivan.  He  opened  a  gi-ocery 
store  in  the  former  place  in  1877.  Mr.  Brad- 
bury was  joined  in  matrimony,  March  22, 
1877,  in  this  county,  to  Miss  Mary  A.  Hamill, 
born  May  7,  1855,  in  Sullivan  County,  Ind. 
She  is  a  daughter  of  Marks  and  Jane  (Kelly) 
Hamill,  who  were  born  in  Ireland.  Mrs. 
Bradbury  is  the  mother  of  one  little  girl:  Ola 
Joy,  born  November  1,  1882.  Mrs.  Brad- 
bury is  a  member  of  the  Old  School  Presby- 
terian Church.  Mr.  Bradbury  is  identified 
with  the  Democratic  party. 

JOSEPH  BROOKS,  farmer,  P.  O.  West 
Union,  born  May  29,  1842,  in  Union  Prairie. 
He  is  a  son  of  James  Brooks,  born  1796,  in 
Kentucky;  he  died  in  November,  1853,  in  this 
county.  He  was  married  twice;  his  first  wife 
died  at  Carlisle,  Ind. ;  she  was  the  mother  of 
James  and  Andrew  Brooks,  deceased.  James 
Brooks  came  to  this  county  in  1832,  and  was 
married  here  the  same  year  to  Mrs.  Abigail 
Lacy,  born  October  6,  1800,  in  North  Caro- 
lina; she  is  a  daughter  of  Samuel  and  Jane 
(Lee)  Prevo.  She  is  the  mother  of  six  chil- 
dren, viz. :  Mary,  Robert,  Samuel,  Alfred,  de- 
ceased, from  her  first  husband,  and  Caroline 
and  Joseph  from  her  second  husband.  Our 
subject,  Joseph  Brooks,  was  joined  in  mat- 
rimony in  this  county,  December  30,  1880, 
to  Mrs.  Sofrona  Greenlee,  bom  April  23, 
1844,  in  this  township.  She  is  a  daughter 
of  Robert  and  Sofrona  (Howerton)  Harrison. 
Mrs.  Brooks  is  a  member  of  the  Cumberland 
Presbyterian  Church.  Mr.  and  Mi-s.  Brooks 
have  a  fai-m  of  120  acres.  Mr.  Brooks  has 
been  identified  with  the  Democratic  party. 

F.  E.  BUCKNER,  farmer,  P.  O.  West  York, 
born  December  25,  1828,  in  Crawford  Coun- 
ty, 111.  Bis  great-grandfather,  Jessie Buck- 
ner,  was  a  man  of  considerable  wealth  and 
renown.  He  was  a  minister  of  the  Baptist 
Church  for  forty  years,  having  formerly  been 
an     ofiicer   in  the    Revolutionary   war.      He 


married  Mary  Pyle.  Their  son,  Elisha,  wa.s 
born  in  Chatham  County,  N.  C,  he  died  there 
in  1829.  He  married  Sai'ah  Steele,  born  in 
Njrth  Cai-olina,  she  died  1842,  in  Clark 
County,  111.  Her  son,  John  Buckner,  was 
born  July  26,  1805,  in  North  Carolina,  he 
died  December  15,  1876,  in  this  county.  He 
came  to  Crawford  County  in  1828.  He  was 
married  March  3,  1825,  in  Tennessee,  to  Mar- 
garet Decker,  born  October  3,  1806,  in  Smith 
County,  Tenn.  She  was  a  daughter  of  Fred- 
erick and  Anna  (Earnest)  Decker.  Mrs.  Anna 
Decker's  father,  Andi'ew  Earnest,  and  his  six 
sons,  viz. :  Capt.  Andrew,  John,  George, 
Peter,  Daniel  and  Christopher  were  all  sol- 
diers in  the  Revolution.  Andrew  Earnest.  Sr. , 
was  a  wealthy  shad  fisher  in  Philadelphia; 
he  married  Katie  Sommers,  a  sister  of  Gen. 
Sommers,  of  Revolutionary  fame,  who  raised 
and  commanded  a  regiment  of  German  troops 
from  Pennsylvania.  Andrew  Earnest,  Sr. , 
received  several  land  grants  from  the  United 
States,  of  which  he  made  no  use  whatever, 
and  it,  together  with  property  in  Philadel- 
phia, belongs,  properly  to  his  heirs.  Mrs. 
Margaret  Buckner  is  yet  living,  at  the  home 
of  her  only  son,  Frederick  E. ,  who  was  edu 
cated  in  Smith  County,  Tenn.,  to  which  place 
he  had  moved  back,  with  his  parents,  in  1829. 
He  was  also  maiTied  there  to  Miss  Avaline 
Vantreaso,  born  1831,  in  Tennessee;  she  died 
in  1866.  She  was  the  mother  of  two  children, 
viz. :  Margaret  F. ,  deceased,  former  wife  of 
Robert  Waire,  and  the  mother  of  Eva,  Lydia, 
and  Freddy.  Julia  Ann,  wife  of  C.  S.  Buck- 
ner, and  the  mother  of  Emma  R.  Mr.  Buck- 
ner was  married  a  second  time  to  Bethiah 
Snipes,  born  1835,  in  Tennessee;  she  died 
there  1872.  She  was  the  mother  of  Martha 
E.,  born  October  19,  1808;  and  John  W., 
bom  January  28,  1871;  he  died  December 
27,  1879.  Our  subject  was  joined  in  matri- 
mony a  third  time,  Norember  8,1877,  in  this 


173 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


county,  to  Miss  Rebecca  L.  Richards,  born 
August  28, 1851,  in  Ohio;  daughter  of  Thomas 
and  Mary  A.  (Brown)  Richards.  Mr.  Buck- 
ner  obeyed  the  call  of  his  country  by  enlist- 
ing November  1,  1864,  in  the  Fourth  Regi- 
ment of  Mounted  Infantry,  Tennessee  Volun- 
teers, Col.  Blackburn,  serving  till  close  of 
war.  Mr.  Buckner  came  back  to  this  county 
in  1876.  He  has  S-tO  acres  of  land  with  good 
improvements.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Buckner  are 
members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity 
and  also  the  G.  A.  R.  In  politics,  he  is  in- 
dependent 

G.  T.  BURKS,  merchant,  York,  born 
December  25,  1835,  in  Sullivan  County,  Ind. 
He  is  a  grandson  of  George  Burks,  born  in 
Kentucky,  where  he  participated  in  the  scenes 
and  struggles  of  the  early  pioneers  on  "  the 
dark  and  bloody  ground."  He  died  there 
in  1820.  His  son,  Woodson  Burks,  was  born 
January  25,  1809,  in  Kentucky;  he  came  to 
Sullivan  Count}',  Ind.,  in  1830,  where  he  was 
married  December  25,  1833,  to  Nancy  Bur- 
ton, born  April  25,  1819,  she  died  February 
7,  1856:  she  was  the  mother  of  eight  chil- 
dren, of  whom  Martha  Miller,  Ellen  William- 
son, Cynthia  Houpt,  and  George  T.  are  now 
living.  Our  subject  was  educated  at  Merom 
College,  Ind.  He  was  a  tiller  of  the  soil,  in 
early  life.  In  1860,  he  commenced  the  mer- 
cantile business  by  clerking  one  year  in  York, 
then  two  years  in  Sullivan,  Ind.,  and  four 
years  in  Terre  Haute  for  W.  T.  Stone  &  Co. 
After  that  he  kept  a  boot  and  shoe  store  him- 
self in  Sullivan,  Ind.  In  1875,  he  came 
back  to  York,  where  he  opened  a  dry  goods 
store.  Mr.  Bm-ks  was  joined  in  matrimony, 
December  30,  1865,  in  Sullivan  County,  to 
Miss  Charlotte  Murphy,  born  August  16, 
1841,  in  Sullivan  County,  Ind.,  daughter  of 
Amos  and  Mary  L.  Murphy,  and  the  mother  of 
Gertie,  born  November  22,  1866;  Claude  and 


Nevah,  deceased,  and  Lulu,  born  December 
30,  1878.  Mrs.  Burks  died  June  3,  1881 
Mr.  Burks  was  married  a  second  time,  March 
2,  1882,  to  Mrs.  Nancy  Nieoson,  born  August 
10,  1845,  in  Sullivan  County,  Inl.,  daugh- 
ter of  Benjamin  and  Mary  A.  (Earnest)  Gray; 
and  the  mother  of  Rosalie  Nieoson,  born 
August  27,  1865,  wife  of  S.  Wilson,  M.  D.; 
David  T.  Nieoson,  born  September  3,  1869; 
Bruce  Nieoson,  deceased;  Grace  Nieoson, 
born  May  8,  1876.  Mrs.  Burks  is  a  member 
of  the  Presbyterian  Church.  Mr.  Burks  is 
identified  with  the  Republican  party. 

GEORGE  CLINE,  farmer,  P.  O.  Walnut 
Prairie,  born  October  2,  1854,  in  Wyandot 
County,  Ohio,  son  of  Porter  Cline,  born  Jan- 
uary 14,  1821,  in  Pennsylvania,  he  died  Feb- 
ruary 23,  1882,  in  this  township.  He  was  a 
farmer  and  stockman  by  occupation.  He  was 
married,  in  Perry  Coiinty,  Ohio,  to  Miss  Mary 
King,  born  March  20,  1824,  in  Perry  Coun- 
ty, Ohio,  davighter  of  Peter  and  Mary  (Whit- 
mer)  King,  and  the  mother  of  eight  children 
now  living,  viz.:  Albert,  married  Ellen  Ray, 
she  is  the  mother  of  Maiy  and  Nellie;  Frank- 
lin P.  he  married  Anna  Allison,  who  is  the 
mother  of  Mary  A.  and  Franklin  LeRoy; 
Maiy,  wife  of  William  Crumrine;  George, 
David  L.,  he  married  Alice  Wilson;  Jeflfer- 
son,  he  married  Sarah  Handy.  Henry  N., 
born  March  12,  1861,  and  Charlie  C,  born 
Februai-y  2,  1863.  Mrs.  Cline  is  a  member 
of  the  Presbyterian  Church.  Mr.  George 
Cline  came  to  this  county  with  his  father,  a 
man  respected  by  all  who  knew  him,  in  the 
fall  of  1867;  he  was  educated  in  this  county 
and  in  Ohio;  he  is  at  present  farming  on  his 
mother's  farm  of  175  acres,  near  Walnut 
Prairie.  In  politics,  he  is  connected  with  the 
Democratic  party,  as  was  his  father  before 
him. 

F.  DERKSEN,  shoe-maker,  York,  born 
September   30,    1823,    in   Goch,    Kreis    (or 


YORK   TOWNSHIP. 


173 


county)  Cleve,  Eegb,  Dusseldorf,  Rhein 
Provinz,  Germany.  His  grandfather  was 
Diederich  L.  Derksen.  was  born  in  Eng- 
land, where  he  was  a  large  business  man. 
and  was  also  man-ied  to  Susanna  Van  Keuk- 
hoven,  born  in  Holland,  whose  ancestor's 
name  was  Hoven.  Her  son,  Diederich  L. 
Derksen,  Jr.,  was  a  physician;  was  wounded 
in  the  battle  of  Jena.  He  married  Susanna 
S.  Stembergh,  born  1790,  yet  living;  she  is 
the  mother  of  Diederich  L..  Johan  F.,  Eliza- 
beth A.,  Carl  R.,  deceased,  Maria  M.,  Anto- 
netta  S.  and  Florence  A.,  who  was  a  soldier 
in  the  German  army  four  years  during  the 
war  of  1848,  was  wounded  three  times.  He 
married  Maiy  M.  Berr,  born  in  Germany, 
died  1847  in  New  York.  She  was  the  mother 
of  Herman  A.,  born  May  15,  1852,  in  Rot- 
terdam, Holland.  He  enlisted  in  the  Foui-th 
United  States  Cavalry,  in  St.  Louis,  and  lost 
his  right  hand  in  a  fight  with  the  Indianp 
who  had  killed  Gen.  Custer.  He  is  now  a 
pensioner  in  Washington.  Mr.  Derksen  was 
married  a  second  time  in  New  York,  Febru- 
ary 11,  1858,  to  Miss  Sophia  W.  C.  Von  Pu- 
laski, born  August  29,  1825,  inMuender,  Han- 
over, Germany,  daughter  of  Count  C.  Pu- 
laski and  Maria  A.  Herwig.  Mrs.  Derksen' s 
grandfather  was  the  famous  Polish  Count 
Pulaski,  who  fell  at  Savannah.  Mrs.  Derk- 
sen is  the  mother  of  three  children,  viz.: 
Maria  M.,  deceased;  Florence  A.,  born  Oc- 
tober 10,  1860,  in  Terre  Haute,  Ind. ;  and 
Annas.  C,  bora  April  18,  1862,  in  Terre 
Halite,  wife  of  T.  J.  Jones,  and  the  mother 
of  Helena,  and  infant  son.  Mr.  Derksen  was 
a  merchant  in  Holland  for  fom-  years.  He 
lived  four  years  in  New  York  City,  and 
twelve  years  in  Terre  Haute,  Ind.  He  came 
to  York  in  1870,  where  he  followed  his  trade. 
He  enlisted,  1861,  in  the  Thirty-second  Indi- 
ana German  Infantry,  Company  E;  partici- 
pating in  the  battles  of  Shiloh  and  Corinth. 


He  draws  a  pension.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Derksen 
are  members  of  the  Protestant  Church.  He 
is  an  I.  O.  O.  F.,  and  also  a  member  of  the 
G.  A.  R.     He  is  a  Republican. 

MOSES  C.  DOLSON,  farmer,  P.  O.  York. 
The  gentleman  whose  name  heads  this  sketch 
represents  one  of  our  old  pioneer  families; 
he  was  born  March  15,  1822,  in  Crawford 
County.  He  is  a  grandson  of  Tunis  Dolson 
born  in  Wales;  he  died  iu  New  York. 
He  came  to  this  county  before  the  Revo- 
lution, in  which  he  took  an  active  part, 
fighting  for  the  Colonies;  although  his  two 
brothers,  Matthew  and  Isaac,  fought  for  the 
King,  agreeing,  at  parting,  that  if  they  should 
meet  in  battle,  to  meet  as  strangers.  They 
never  met  again  in  life,  although  they  raised 
large  families,  after  the  war.  Tunis  Dolson 
was  married  twice,  his  second  wife  was  Mary 
A.  Crose.  He  raised  seventeen  children. 
His  son  John  raised  twenty-six  children. 
His  son  James  was  born  in  New  York;  he 
died  here  in  1828;  he  married  Susannah 
Minier,born  in  Pennsylvania;  she  died  here 
in  1872.  She  ws  the  mother  of  twelve  chil- 
dren, of  whom  only  Moses  C.  and  Elizabeth 
are  now  living.  Our  subject  was  married  in 
this  county  to  Esther  N.  Gorham,  born  April 
6,  1842,  she'died  November  14,  1869.  She 
was  the  mother  of  four  children,  of  whom 
only  Harry  C,  born  April  24,  1865,  is  now 
living.  Mr.  Dolson  was  married  a  second 
time,  December  19,  1871,  to  Caroline  Brooks, 
born  September  10,  1836.  She  is  a  daughter 
of  James  and  Abigail  (Prevo)  Brooks.  Mr. 
James  Dolson  came  to  this  county  in  1817 ; 
he  was  a  soldier  in  the  war  of  1812.  Mr. 
Dolson  has  422  acres  of  land  in  this 
county.  Mrs.  Dolson  is  a  member  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  In  politics, 
our  subject  is  connected  with  the  Republican 
party.  He  has  tilled  township  and  school 
offices. 


174 


BIOGRAPHICAL; 


MES.  MAEY  EARNER,  West  Union,  born 
Anguet  31,  1820,  in  Jackson  County,  Tnd. 
She  is  a  grand-daughter  of  John  and  Maiy 
(Davis)  Stever,  of  German  descent;  they  died 
in  Indiana.  Their  son,  Davis  Stever,  was 
born  May  11,  1800,  on  White  River,  in  In- 
diana; he  died  February  24,  1833,  in  Clark 
County,  Ind.  He  was  married,  December  1, 
1824,  in  Indiana,  to  Elizabeth  Banks,  who 
was  born  April  19,  1805,  in  Stokes  County, 
S.  C.  She  is  yet  living  in  Indiana,  with 
her  daughter  Maggie  Julian.  Mrs.  Stever 
was  married  a  second  time  to  Moses  Block- 
son,  a  soldier  in  the  war  of  1812;  he  died 
January  27,  1846,  in  this  county.  Mrs. 
Stever  was  the  mother  of  five  children  by  her 
first  marriage,  of  whom  only  oiu"  subject  is 
now  living;  and  three  children  by  her  second 
marriage.  Our  subject  came  to  this  county 
with  her  .parents  in  1844;  she  was  married 
here  March  6,  1846,  to  Albert  Marvin,  born 
September  25,  1825;  he  died  May  1,  1852,  in 
Clark  County.  He  was  the  father  of  three 
childi-en:  William  J.,  born  May  15,  1848; 
he  married  Sarah  Ward;  Mary  E.,  born 
March  19,  1850,  she  died  August  3,  1870; 
Albert  W.,  born  March  25,  1S52;  he  died 
August  26,  1878.  Our  subject  was  married 
a  second  time,  April  8,  1855,  to  William 
Harner,  born  December  31,  1828;  he  died 
September  17,  1875.  He  was  the  father  of 
four  children,  viz. :  J.  Allison,  born  April 
5,  1857;  infant  son;  Morton  D.  born  Febru- 
ary 22,  1859;  he  married  Lucia  Prevo,  who 
is  the  mother  of  Mary  E.  and  Emma  G. ; 
Maggie  E.,  born  June  14,  1862.  Mrs.  Harner 
is  the  owner  of  150  acres  of  land.  Her  last 
husband  was  a  soldier  in  om*  late  war,  enlisting 
February  20,  1864,  serving  till  close  of  war. 
W.  H.  HARRIS,  stockman  and  farmer,  P. 
O.  West  Union,  born  January  19,  1844,  in 
Butler  County,  Ohio.  Grandson  of  William 
H.  Harris,  Sr. ,  a  farmer  by  occupation.      He 


was  a  soldier  in  the  war  of  1812;  he  was 
married  to  Nancy  Meeker,  born  in  New  Jer- 
sey; she  died  in  Butler  County,  Ohio;  she 
was  the  mother  of  eleven  children.  William 
H.  Harris,  Sr.,  was  born  in  New  Jersey;  he 
died  in  Butler  County,  Ohio.  His  son,  Meeker 
Harris,  married  Sarah  Byers,  who  was  the 
mother  of  nine  children.  Meeker  Harris  and 
family  came  to  this  county  in  1858,  when  he 
bought  Rev.  R.  H.  Lilly's  farm  of  700  acres  sit 
uated  on  Walnut  Prairie.  He  died  in  1871; 
his  wife  is  still  living  on  the  old  farm.  Our 
subject,  W.  H.  Harris,  was  educated  partly 
in  Ohio  and  in  this  county.  He  learned  the 
blacksmith  trade  in  early  life,  and  at  the 
breaking-out  of  our  late  war  he  obeyed  the  call 
of  his  country  by  enlisting,  though  only  six- 
teen years  old,  August  13,  1861,  in  this  county. 
He  was  mustered  in  at  Jefferson  Barracks, 
near  St.  Louis,  in  the  First  Cavaky  Missouri 
Volunteers,  Company  K.  Capt.  Crookshank, 
participating  in  many  thrilling  scenes  and 
famous  battles.  Mr.  Hai-ris  was  joined  in 
matrimony,  March  6,  1865,  to  Elizabeth 
Blockson,  bom  December  27,  1840,  in  Vigo 
County,  Ind.,  daughter  of  Moses  and  Eliza- 
beth (Banks)  Blockson,  and  the  mother  of 
three  children,  viz. :  Hem-y,  deceased,  aged 
three  years;  Ruth,  born  September  30,  186 1, 
and  Sadie,  deceased,  aged  one  year.  Mr. 
Harris  has  been  a  member  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Chui-ch.  Mrs.  Harris  is  a  member 
of  the  Presbyterian  Church.  Mr.  Harris  has 
a  farm  of  310  acres.  He  is  Independent  in 
politics.  Has  been  a  member  of  the  County 
Board  for  six  years,  representing.  Martins- 
ville Township  two  years  and  York  Township 
four  years;  is  still  a  member,  giving  general 
satisfaction.  He  was  conspicuous  in  the 
Briscoe  campaign,  concerning  the  County 
Clerk's  office.  Mr.  Harris  possesses  quite  a 
fund  of  useful  knowledge;  is  qualified  to  fill 
almost  any  county  office. 


YORK   TOWNSHIP. 


175 


A.  HARRISON,    surveyor,    West    Union, 
born   June  29,    1840,    in  this   county.      His 
great-grandfather  was  William  H.  Harrison^ 
■who  was  a  distant  relative  to  Gen.  Harrison's 
ancestors.      He  was  born  in  England;  his  son, 
William  H,  Jr..    was  born   in   Virginia;   he 
was  married  in  North  Carolina,  to  Mary  Ann 
Reason,  who  was  the  mother  of  four  sons  and 
three  daughters.     William  H.  HaiTison,  Jr., 
was  a  surveyor  by  occupation;  he  died  1850. 
He  entered  land  in  this  county  in  1816.    His 
son,  Henry,  was  also  a  surveyor.    His  second 
son,  Robert,  was  born  1811,  in  North  Caro- 
lina;   he  died  184-1   in   Clark  County.       He 
came  to  this  county  in  1818,  he  was  married 
here  to  Sophronia  Howerton,    born  in  Ten- 
essee,  1815,  she  is  yet  living,  and  the  mother 
of  three  sons  and  two  daughters,  viz. :  Nancy 
Ann,  Abram,  James,  William  H.,  Sophronia. 
Our  subject  was  educated  in  this  county;  he 
was  joined  in  matrimony,  December  24,  1872, 
near  Sullivan,   Ind.,  to  Alice  M.   Goodwin, 
born  in  Coshocton   County,  Ohio,  in  March, 
1850.     She  is  a  daughter  of  James  C.    and 
Catharine  (McKee)  Goodwin,  the  former  came 
from  Pennsylvana  and  the  latter  from  Ohio. 
Mr.    Harrison    adheres     to    the     "  Friends 
Church  "  (or  Quaker).   Mrs.  Harrison  adheres 
to  the  "  Old  Presbyteran  Church. "    Mr.  Har- 
rison is  a  practical  surveyor;  he  is  a  member 
of  the  Masonic  fraternity,  York   Lodge,   No. 
313.     He  has  178  acres  of  land,  to  the  culti- 
vation of  which  he  devotes  most  of  his  time. 
He  is  a  Greenbacker  in  politics. 

WILLIAM  B.  HODGE,  York,  born  May 
23,  1818,  in  TeiTe  Haute,  Ind.  He  is  a 
grandson,of  Lewis  Hodge,  Sr.,  who  was  a 
soldier  in  the  British  service  in  the  Revolu- 
tion. His  son,  Lewis  Hodge,  Jr.,  was  a  cab- 
inet-maker, also  a  Royal  Arch  Mason.  His 
Bon,  William  B  was  clerking  in  a  general 
store  in  Ten-e  Haute  in  his  early  life.  In 
December  28,  1843,    he  came  to  York,    111., 


where  he  opened  a  general  store,  kept  it  till 
1849,  when  he  went  to  California,  where  he 
gold-mined  on  the  Yuba  River.  He  returned 
in  1851.  Since  then  he  has  followed  farm- 
ing and  milling  mainly.  He  owns  a  mill  yet 
and  also  the  old  home  farm  of  160  acres. 
Mr.  Hodge  was  joined  in  matrimony  Janu- 
ary 1,  1846,  in  York,  111.,  to  Callista  Hille- 
bert,  born  October  10,  1827,  in  York,  III.  She 
was  a  daughter  of  James  C.  and  Charlotte 
(Rathbone)  Hillebert,  and  the  mother  of  six 
children,  viz.:  Hem-y  G.,  born  February 
17,  1847;  Mary  A.,  born  September  30,  1848; 
William  B.,  born  April  7,  1853;  Charlotte 
H.,  born  November  22,  1856,  wife  of  James 
Chew;  Alice  C,  born  September  19,  1859, 
wife  of  O.  Lowe;  and  Margaret,  born  August 
5,  1872.  Mrs.  Hodge  died  January  27,  1876. 
Mr.  Hodge  has  been  Township  Clerk,  School 
Director,  Justice  of  the  Peace,  for  twelve 
years,  and  is  now  a  Notary  Public.  He  was 
formerly  a  Whig,  but  is  now  a  Republican  in 
politics. 

H.  G.  HODGE,  merchant,  York,  born  Feb- 
ruary 17,  1847,  in  York,  Clark  County,  111. 
Ho  is  a  son  of  William  B.  Hodge,  who  has 
also  been  a  merchant  in  this  place  for  many 
years.  Mr.  Hodge  was  educated  in  York, 
111.  After  his  school  days  were  over,  he  en- 
tered his  father's  general  store  as  clerk, 
where  he  stayed  about  five  years,  and  then 
entered  into  partnership  with  him;  he  con- 
tinued in  that  for  one  year,  and  then  became 
a  tiller  of  the  soil  for  two  years.  Since  then 
he  has  followed  various  occupations.  He  was 
joined  in  matrimony,  December  22,  1872,  in 
this  county,  to  Miss  Sarah  Park,  born  No- 
vember 23,  1850,  near  Newark,  in  Licking 
County,  Ohio.  She  is  a  daughter  of  John 
P.  and  Nancy  (Hull)  Park,  who  came  from 
Ohio.  Mrs.  Hodge  is  a  member  of  the  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  Church,  and  the  mother  of 
four  children  now  living,   viz. :     Mary,   born 


176 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


July  6,  1873;  Nancy,  August  24, 1877;  Fanny 
M.,  born  May  12,  1880;  William  H.,  born 
July  27,  1882.  Mr.  Hodge  is  a  member  of 
tbe  Masonic  Erateruity,  York  Lodge,  No.  313, 
of  which  he  is  Secretary.  He  has  been  Town- 
ship Assessor  and  Collector;  in  politics,  he  is 
connected  wifh  the  Republican  party.  Mr. 
Hodge  is  an  antiquarian  of  considerable  re- 
nown, having  made  it  a  specialty  since 
1880. 

ADAM  HULL,  farmer,  P.  O.  West  Union, 
born  May  25,  1830,  in  Licking  County,  Ohio. 
He  is  a  grandson  of  William  Hull,  who  came 
from  Virginia;  he  died  in  Licking  County, 
Ohio.  He  served  in  the  war  of  1812.  His 
son,  Daniel,  was  born  1803,  in  Virginia;  he 
married  Mary  Brown,  born  1806,  in  Pennsyl- 
vania. She  is  a  daiighter  of  Adam  and  Mary 
Brown,  and  is  the  mother  of  eight  children, 
of  whom  Sarah  Handy,  Martha  Kreager  and 
Adam  are  now  living.  Mr.  Adam  Hull  came 
to  this  county  with  his  parents,  in  the  fall  of 
1850;  he  was  joined  in  matrimony  here, 
November  28,  1852,  to  Miss  Mary  Handy, 
born  February  1,  1829,  in  Melrose  Township. 
She  is  a  daughter  of  Stephen  D.  Handy,  born 
May  15,  1792;  he  died  September  23,  1852, 
a  ranger  in  the  Blackhawk  war.  participating 
in  the  battle  of  Tippecanoe  and  others.  Her 
mother  was  Margaret  (Dixon)  Handy,  born 
July  30,  1798;  she  died  January  11,  1862; 
she  was  married  July  17,  1815.  They  came 
to  thip  county  in  1816.  Mi-s.  Hull  is  the 
mother  of  two  children,  viz. :  Maggie  M.,  born 
October  15,  1853;  she  died  February  22,  1878, 
the  former  wife  of  E.  H.  Swineheart;  and 
Daniel  W.,  born  October  8.  1861.  Mr.  Hull 
and  family  are  members  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church.  He  is  identified  with  the 
Greenback  party,  in  politics. 

E.  A.  JACKSON,  merchant,  York,  born 
June  26,  1841.  near  Terre  Haute,  Ind., 
grandson  of  John  Jackson,  Esq.,  who  settled 


in  Terre  Haute  when  there  were  only  three 
houses;  he  raised  cotton  there.  His  son, 
Abraham,  born  May  8,  1807,  died  February 
19,  1852.  He  married  Nancy  Ann  Brown, 
born  May  21,  1821;  died  December  10,  1850, 
daughter  of  Elisha  U.  Brown,  Esq.,  the  well 
known  pioneer  of  Vigo  County,  Ind.  Mrs. 
N.  A.  Jacksou  was  the  mother  of  Cordelia 
H.,  wife  of  Rev.  E.  R.  Lathrop,  of  Minnesota, 
former  Chaplain  of  Tenth  Minnesota  Regi- 
ment; Eliza  B.  Lee;  Albert  C,  a  member  of 
Sixth  Indiana  Cavalry,  was  captured  in  tjen. 
Stoneman's  raid  in  Georgia,  1864;  six  months 
a  prisoner;  and  our  subject,  who  enlisted 
April  17,  1861,  in  First  Minnesota  Regiment, 
Company  F,  the  first  three-year  regiment.  He 
participated  in  the  battle  of  Bull  Run,  Va., 
was  honorably  discharged,  re-enlisted  in  1863, 
Illinois  Infantry,  was  transferred,  and  served 
two  years  in  United  States  Signal  Corps, 
Army  of  Tennessee,  Lieut.  W.  H.  Sherfy. 
Was"  with  Sherman  from  1862  till  1864,  at 
I  tl^  battle  of  Atlanta,  Ga.,  when  he  returned 
1  home.  Mr.  Jackson  was  joined  in  matrimony 
September  26,  1867,  in  York,  to  Miss  Mary 
A.  Hodge,  born  September  30,  1848,  in  York, 
daughter  of  William  B.  and  Callista  jHille- 
bert)  Hodge.  She  is  the  mrjther  of  four  chil- 
dren, now  living,  viz.;  Henry  A.,  born 
December  10,  1869 ;  Eva  A. ,  born  September 
19,  1876;  Jessie  M.,  December  10, 1878;  and 
Howard  O.,  June  24,  1882.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Jackson  are  members  of  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church.  He  is  a  Mason,  Terre  Haute 
Lodge,  No.  19,  also  an  I.  O.  O.  F.  of  York, 
Star  Lodge,  No.  — .  Mr.  Jackson  served 
three  years  and  four  months  in  our,late  war. 
He  is  also  a  member  of  the  G.  A.  R.,  York 
Post,  No.  148;  which  was  organized  mainly 
through  his  exertions.  He  is  an  Anti-Mo- 
nopolist in  politics.  Mr.  Jackson  was  for- 
merly a  student  at  the  Asbury  College,  In- 
'  diana.     He    is    also  an   heir  to  the  famous 


YORK   TOWNSHIP. 


17  T 


"  Anneke  Jans  estate,"    which    is  valued   at 
$317,000,000. 

JOHN  KETCHUM,  druggist,  York.  This 
gentleman  represents  one  of  our  old  pioneer 
families,  who  camo  here  when  this  country 
Ti-as  yet  a  wilderness,  and  the  woods  were 
tilled  with  wild  beasts  and  wilder  men.  He 
was  born  October  26,  1829,  in  York,  111. 
His  father,  William  Ketchum,  was  born  Octo- 
ber, 1781,  in  New  York;  he  died  January  19, 
1839.  in  York;  he  was  a  carpenter  by  occu- 
pation. He  married  Harriet  J.  Sparks,  born 
January  5,  1798,  in  New  York;  she  died  May 
5,  1878,  in  York.  She  was  the  mother  of 
foui'  childi'en,  viz. :  Maria,  Lydia  J.,  Car- 
oline, and  John,  who  went  to  school  in  York, 
in  eai'ly  life  he  learned  and  followed  the 
wagon-maker's  trade  ;  but  the  last  twenty-live 
years  he  has  followed  the  mercantile  business. 
He  is  now  keeping  a  drug  store  and  the  post 
oifiee.  He  was  joined  in  matrimony,  Feb- 
ruary 17,  1876,  in  York,  III.,  to  Miss  Emily 
Wait,  born  April  27,  1850,  in  Ohio.  She  is 
a  daughter  of  James  and  Almina  Ann  (Will- 
cox)  Wait,  and  the  mother  of  two  children, 
viz.:  William  James,  born  February  11, 
1877,  and  John  Milton,  born  April  2,  1880. 
Mrs.  Ketchum  is  a  member  of  the  Presbyte- 
rian Church.  Ml'.  Ketchum  is  a  member  of  the 
Masonic  fraternity,  York  Lodge,  No.  313. 
Ho  is  no  office  seeker;  in  politics,  he  is  con- 
nected with  the  Republican  party. 
'  SAMUEL  LACY,  farmer,  P.  O.  West  Un- 
ion, boi'n  July  20,  1826,  on  Union  Prairie. 
He  is  a  son  of  Evau  Lacy,  born  1796,  in 
Perquimons  County,  N.  C. ;  he  died  June  28, 
1829,  on  Union  Prairie.  He  came  to  this 
county  in  1816;  he  was  also  married  here  in 
1820,  to  Miss  Abigail  Prevo,  born  October  6, 
1800,  in  Randolph  County,  N.  C. ;  sh3  is  yet 
living  with  her  son,  Joseph  Brooks.  She  was 
the  mother  of  seven  children.  Mrs.  Evan 
Lacy   was   a  daughter   of  Samuel   and   Jano 


(Lee)  Prevo,  who  came  here  in  1817.  IL'. 
Samuel  Lacy  was  joined  in  matrimony,  Hep- 
tember  7,  1848,  in  Crawford  County,  to  Zil- 
pha  Jane  Cos,  born  January  19,  1829,  in 
Crawford  County.  She  died  March  9,  1877. 
She  was  the  daughter  of  Thomas  and  Debo- 
rah (Lindley)  Cox,  who  raised  eight  children. 
Mrs.  Lacy  was  the  mother  of  eight  children, 
viz.:  Robert,  born  August  18,  18-t9,  he  mar- 
ried Viola  Martz,"  in  Rice  County,  Kan. ; 
William,  born  June  28,  1851;  Evan,  born 
November  23,  1853;  Mary  E.,  born  Aj)ril  6, 
1856,  wife  of  Allen  C.  Evringham,  and  the 
mother  of  Alma  J. ;  Samuel,  born  Septem- 
ber 28,  1859;  Eliza,  born  April  4,  1862,  wife 
of  Richard  H.  Hoge;  Hannah,  born  April  13, 
1866;  Martha  M.,  born  July  23,  1869.  In 
1870,  Mr.  Lacy  was  elected  Sheriff  of  Clark 
County,  serving  one  term.  He  has  been 
Township  Trustee  and  also  a  member  of  the 
County  Board.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Bap- 
tist Church.  Mr.  Lacy  has  a  farm  of  120 
acres,  and  in  politics  he  is  identified  with  the 
Democratic  party. 

S.  W.  LINDLEY,  farmer,  P.  O.  West  Union. 
This  gentleman  ropreisents  another  of  our 
pioneer  families  who  came  here  when  the  dark 
forest  was  filled  with  wild  beasts  and  wilder 
men;  he  was  born  August  2,  1837,  in  Craw- 
ford Coimty.  He  is  a  grandson  of  Hemy 
Harrison,  who  came  to  this  county  in  1816. 
Our  subject's  father,  Samuel  Lindley,  was 
born  in  North  Carolina;  he  died  1838,  in 
Crawford  County.  He  was  married  to  a  Miss 
Conrad,  who  died  in  Crawford  County;  she 
was  the  mother  of  four  children.  Mr.  S. 
Lindley  was  married  a  second  time  to  Mary 
Harrison,  who  is  the  mother  of  foiu- children; 
Rebecca,  Elizabeth,  deceased,  Mary  Jane  and 
Samuel  W.,  who  was  educated  in  this  county 
where  he  was  also  married,  January  22, 
1860,  to  Miss  Hetty  Ann  Pyle,  born  Decem- 
ber 24,  1840,  in  Licking  Countj,   Ohio;  she 


178 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


is  a  daughter  of  William  and  Sarah  (Brown) 
Pyle,  and  is  the  mother  of  six  children,  viz. : 
Henrietta,  deceased;  William,  born  July  22, 
1862;  Sarah  E.,  born  December  12,  1864; 
Astoria,  born  July  26,  1866;  Frank,  born 
February  28,  1868;  and  Samuel,  born  Feb- 
ruary 25,  1871.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lindley  are 
members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity, 
York  Lodge,  No.  313.  Mr.  Lindley  has  435 
acres  of  land.  On  the  place  where  he  is  now 
living  is  a  block-house,  built  by  his  grand- 
father, Hem-y  Harrison,  in  1816.  Mr.  Lind- 
ley has  filled  school  offices,  he  has  also  been 
a  member  of  the  County  Board.  He  is 
identified  with  the  Republican  party. 

W.  J.  MALONE,  farmer,  P.  O.  West  Un- 
ion. This  gentleman  was  born  March  6,  1819, 
in  Limestone  County,  Ala.  He  is  a  great- 
grandson  of  W.  J.  Malone,  Sr.,  born  in  Ire- 
land. His  son,  William  J.,  Jr.,  was  born  in 
the  same  country;  he  came  to  this  country 
with  his  parents,  before  the  Revolution,  in 
which  he  took  an  active  part.  After  being 
taken  prisoner  by  the  English  and  paroled, 
his  father  was  robbed  and  tortured  by  the 
Tories,  whereupon  he  burnt  his  parole  and 
again  entered  the  army,  serving  under  Gen. 
P.  Marion  till  close  of  war.  He  was  married 
to  Mary  McFarland,  a  Welsh  lady.  He  was 
the  father  of  six  boys  and  four  girls.  His 
son,  Solomon  S.,  was  born  1797,  in  South 
Carolina;  he  died  1857,  in  Darwin.  He  and 
his  half-brother,  William  J.,  served  in  the 
war  of  1812;  receiving  a  grant  of  land  in  this 
county  for  hie  services.  He  was  married,  in 
Alabama,  to  Jane  Moore,  born  in  1800;  she 
died,  1837,  in  this  county.  She  was  a 
daughter  of  Mr.  Alexander  Moore,  the  pro- 
prietor of  Moorsville,  Tenn.  Mrs.  S.  S.  Ma- 
lone was  the  mother  of  four  boys  and  three 
girls.  Our  subject  came  to  this  county  with 
his  parents,  in  1830.     He  was  also  married 


here,  November  18,  1847,  to  Miss  Eunice  D. 
Rardin,    born   April    1,    1828,    in  Fountain 

•  County,  Ind. ;  she  died  November  12,  1876; 
her  memory  is  cherished  by  all  who  knew  her. 

[  She  was  a  daughter  of  Timothy  and  Catha- 

I  rine  (Dolson)  Rardin,  and  the  mother  of  seven 
children  now  living,  viz.:  Mary  C,  born 
September  10,  1848;  Jane,  born  April  13, 
1855,  wife  of  Clarence  Prevo;  Samuel  C, 
born  February  5,  1858;  Harriet,  born  Feb- 
ruary 18,  1860;  Augustin,  born  April 
15,  1865;  Eunice  D.,  born  March  30, 
1869;  and  Anna,  bom  June  21,  1874.     Mr. 

!  Malone  is  a  member  of  he  Cumberland  Pres- 
byerian  Church.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the 
Masonic  fraternity,  York  Lodge,  No.  313. 
He  and  his  family  have  265  acres  of  land. 
In  politics,  he  is  a  Democrat,  though  liberal 
in  his  views. 

H.  L.  MARVIN,  farmer  and  stockman,  P. 
O.  Walnut  Prairie,  born  June  18,  1819,  in 
Onondaga  County,  N.  Y.     He  is  a  son  of  Eli 

I  Marvin,  born  in  Vermont;  he  died  be- 
fore the  war;  he  married  Anna  Robinson, 
born  in  New  York;  she  died  in  this  county. 
She  is  the  mother  of  five  children,  three  girls 
and  two  boys.  Mi-.  Marvin  came  to  this 
county  with  his  parents,  in  1837.  He  was 
married  here  to  Adeline  Marvin,  born  1821, 
in  this  county ;  she  died  here  in  187S.  She 
was  the  mother  of  eight  children,  viz.:  Mary, 
wife  of  R.  Alexander,  Rachel,  wife  of  Charly 
Poorman;  Albert  M.,  he  married  Mrs.  Tamar 
Shawler ;  Emeline,  deceased,  formerly  the  wife 
of  Samuel  Prevo;  Franklin  P.,  he  married 
Elizabeth  Wapper;  John,  William  and  Dora 
are  deceased.  Mr.  Marvin  was  joined  in 
matrimony  a  second  time.  May  11,  1880,  to 
Emily  Horner,  born  January  7,  1834,  in  this 
county.  She  is  a  daughter  of  George  and 
Frances  (Pitts)  Horner,  and  the  mother  of 
one  little  girl.  Maggie  May,  born  December 
9,  1882.     Mr.   Marvin  has  been  School  Di- 


YORK    TOWNSHIP. 


181 


rector  and  Township  Commissioner;  he  is  liv- 
ing ou  a  farm  of  220  acres  with  good  improve- 
ments. He  has  altogether,  965  acres  of  land 
in  different  townships.  Mrs.  Marvin  is  a 
member  of  the  Methodist  Church.  Mr.  Mar- 
vin is  mainly  a  self-made  man.  In  politics, 
he  is  connected  with  the  Kepublican  party. 
WILLIAM  MARVIN,  farmer,  P.  O.  Wal- 
nut Prairie.  This  gentleman  was  born  July 
2,  1833,  in  this  township.  He  is  a  son  of 
Barnabas  Marvin,  born  December  23,  1795, 
in  Vermont.  He  was  married  March  5, 1820, 
on  La  Motte  Prairie,  near  Palestine,  to  Kachel 
Butterlield,  born  July  5,  1792,  in  Vermont; 
she  died  April  8,  1860,  at  the  home  of  our 
subject.  She  was  the  mother  of  seven  chil- 
dren, of  whom  only  William  and  his  brother 
John  are  now  living.  Mr.  B.  Marvin  was  a 
soldier  in  the  war  of  1812,  participating  in 
the  battle  of  Fort  Meigs.  He  died  May  17, 
1838,  in  this  township.  Our  subject  was  ed- 
ucated in  this  county  where  he  was  also  mar- 
ried, Februai-y  12,  1861,  to  Miss  Susan  C. 
Jordan,  born  May  15,  1839,  in  Virginia; 
she  died  June  8,  1861,  in  this  county.  Mr. 
Marvin  was  joined  in  matrimony  a  second 
time,  September  17,  1865,  to  Miss  Lucetta 
Johnson,  born  May  18,  1845;  she  is  a  daugh- 
ter of  William  and  Mary  (Stevens)  Johnson, 
and  the  mother  of  four  children,  viz. :  Julia 
F.,  born  September  12,  1866;  Flora  A.  born 
March  24,  1869;  Mary  L-,  born  September 
20,  1871 ;  Anna  P.,  born  January  27,  1876. 
Mr.  and  Mrs,  Marvin  are  member  of  the  Pres- 
byterian Church.  He  has  been  Township 
School  Treasurer  ever  since  1869;  has  been 
Justice  of  Peace  for  four  years.  Mr.  Mar- 
vin has  460  acres  of  fine  land  with  good 
buildings.  He  is  a  Mason,  Darwin  Lodge, 
No.  551,  and  in  politics  he  is  identified  with 
the  Republican  party.  Mr.  McU'vin  obeyed 
the  call  of  his  country  to  protect  the  stars 
and  stripes,    by   enlisting    September,  1861, 


in  the  Tenth  Illinois  Infantry  Volunteers, 
Company  G,  Capt.  J.D.  Mitchell,  participat- 
ing in  man}'  thi'illing  scenes  and  famous 
battles,  among  others  that  of  Mission  Ridge. 
He  served  three  years. 

AMBROSE  MILAM,  magistrate,  West  Un- 
ion, born  January  28,  1831,  in  Sullivan 
County,  Ind.  He  is  a  grandson  of  Moses 
Milam,  born  in  Virginia.  His  son,  William, 
was  born  in  Kentucky;  he  moved  to  Sullivan 
County,  Ind.,  with  his  parents;  he  died  in 
1847,  in  this  county.  He  was  married  in 
Sullivan  County,  Ind.,  to  Sarah  South,  who 
was  born  in  Kentucky;  she  died  at  the  home 
of  her  son,  Ambrose,  in  this  county,  she 
was  the  mother  of  thirteen  children.  Our 
subject  went  to  school  in  Sullivan  aud  Clark 
Counties.  He  was  a  farmer  by  occupation 
in  early  life,  and  yet  owns  71  acres  of  land 
besides  town  property.  Mr.  Milam  was 
joined  in  matrimony,  Februaiy  5,  1854,  on 
Walnut  Prairie,  in  York  Township,  to  Ellen 
Adams,  born  September  30,  1829,  in  Ohio. 
She  is  a  daughter  of  John  C.  and  Grace  (Hay) 
Adams,  the  former  was  born  in  Delaware, 
and  the  latter  in  South  Carolina.  Mrs.  Mi- 
lam is  the  mother  of  four  children,  viz.: 
William  B.,  born  December  10,  1854;  Alice, 
born  April  22,  1857;  Henry  Walter,  born 
May  29,  1861,  he  was  married  to  Alice  L. 
Drake,  a  widow  lady;  she  is  a  daughter  of 
Hiram  and  Sarah  (Snider)  Lee;  and  Ulysses 
G.,  born  July  23,  1867.  Mr.  Milam  has 
filled  the  following  township  offices:  Com- 
missioner of  Highway,  Constable,  Assessor 
three  terms.  Tax  Collector,  and  Justice  of 
the  Peace.  He  is  independent  in  politics, 
voting  for  the  best  man. 

JAMES  A.  MITCHELL,  farmer,  P.  O. 
Walnut  Prairie.  This  gentleman  was  born 
November  17,  1848,  in  Walnut  Prairie, 
grandson  of  James  A.  Mitchell,  Sr.,  whose 
son,  John  Doke,   born  in  Tennessee,  receiv 


182 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


ing  his   academic    education   in  Paris,   111., 
where  he  also  commenced  the  study  of  medi- 
cine under  Dr.  Denbrook,   which  he  finished 
in  Louisville,  Ky.,  and  Philadelphia,   Penn. 
He  is  now  practicing   in  Terre  Haute.      He 
was  Captain    of  Company   G,  of   the  Tenth 
Illinois    Regiment  Volunteers,    in   our    late 
war.     ,He  was  afterward  a    Surgeon    in  the 
Freedman's   Hospital,    in   Vicksburg,    Miss. 
He    was    married    to    Elizabeth    H.   Welsh, 
daughter    of    James     Welsh,    one    of     the 
first     settlers    in   this    county.       She   is  the 
mother  of  eight   children  now   living,  viz. : 
James  A.;    Mary  A.,  wife   of  Samuel   Prevo; 
William  L., Orlando,  who  is  now  a  doctor  in 
Marshall;  Anna,   Nannie,   Robert  and  John. 
Ml',  and  Mrs.   Mitchell  are  members  of  the 
Presbyterian  Church.     Mr.  Mitchell  is  iden- 
tified with  the  Republican  party.     Mr.  Mitch- 
ell was  joined  in   matrimony,  June  29,  1871, 
in  this  county,  to  Emma  R.  Anderson,  born 
June  2,  1852,  in  Hagerstown.  Md.,  daughter 
of  James  and  Adelaide  M.    (Dasher)  Ander- 
son,   and   the    mother    of    three  children — 
James  D.,  born  November  7,    1872;  Estella 
M.,  born  July  7,  1874;  and  William  O.,  born 
Sejitember  6,  1875;  he  died  September   29, 
1877.      Mrs.  Mitchell  is  a  teacher  of  vocal 
and  instrumental  music. 

JAMES  A  MOUNT,  farmer,  P.  O.  Wal- 
nut Prairie.  This  gentleman  was  born  Jan- 
uary 27,  1836,  in  this  county,  son  of  John 
L.  Mount,  born  in  Kentucky;  died  in  Indi- 
ana; he  married  Tamer  Megeath,  born  1812, 
in  Virginia.  She  is  now  living  in  Marshall. 
She  was  married  a  second  time  to  J .  Hoge. 
She  is  the  mother  of  three  childi-en,  now  liv- 
ing, viz.:  John  L.,  he  married  Percilla 
Bishop;  Emily  Hoge,  wife  of  S.  C.  Prevo; 
and  James  A., who  went  to  school  in  this  coun- 
ty. He  has  been  a  farmer  all  his  life.  He 
was  joined  in  matrimony  April  2,  1863,  to 
Mary  C.  Brown,    born  December   29,    1839, 


near  Terre  Haute,  daughter  of  James  M.  and 
Hannah  (Hickey)  Brown,    and  the  mother  of 
six  children.       Their  names  are  Clayton  B., 
born  April  2,  1864;  John  C,  born  April  7, 
1866,  he  died  February  26,  1883;  James  V.. 
born  November   7,    1868;  Madison  H,    bora 
May    28,   1871;  Mary    Ann,   born  March    4, 
1875;     and     Emma     H.,     born      November 
29,      1879.       Ml-,     and    Mrs.     Mount     are 
members  of  the  Presbyterian   Church.      He 
has  a  farm  of   140  acres.     Has  been  School 
Director.     In  politics,  he  has  been  connected 
with  the  Republican  party.       Mrs.    Mount's 
mother,  Hannah  Hickey,    was  the  first  white 
child  born  in  Orange  County,    Ind. ,  on  Lost 
River.      Mrs.  Mount's  great  grandfather  and 
uncle  were  killed  in  the  battle  of  Tippecanoe. 
WILLIAM   MURPHY,    grain    merchant. 
West  Union,  born  October  7,   1823,  in  Lou- 
doun County,  Va.     He  is  a   son   of  Amos  A. 
Murphy,    born  in  Virginia,   near   the   Blue 
Ridge  Mountains;  he  died  1879,  in  this  coun- 
ty.    He  was  married  to  Mary  Warford,  laorn 
1804,  in  Loudoun  County,  Va. ;  she  is  yet  liv- 
ing.     She   is    the   mother   of    ten    children. 
Her  father,  William  Warford,  son  of  Abram 
and  Hannah  Warford,    was  born  August  15, 
1766.      Her  mother,   Hannah  Warford,    was 
born  March  7.    1764;   she  died  October  28, 
1816.     William  Warford  died  April  21, 1835. 
Our  subject,  William  Murphy,   was  married 
June  3,  1849,  in  Lawrence  County,   111.,  to 
Hannah  J.  Warford,  born  September  22,1830, 
in  Knox  County,  Ind.      She  is  a  daughter  of 
David  and  Mary   (Settle)   Warford,   and  the 
mother    of    three  children  now   living,  viz.: 
Amos  P.,  born  June  9,  1850:  David  A.,  born 
November  6,    1851;  Mattie  L.,  born  January 
29,  1869.      Mr.  and  Mrs.   Murphy   are  mem- 
bers of    the    Christian    Church.     He    was   a 
farmer  in  early  life,  but  is  now  buying  grain; 
has  about  six  years  of  experience  in  the  bus- 
iness, and  is  therefore  able  to  give  general 


YORK    TOWNSHIP. 


183 


satisfaction.  He  bas  yet  370  acres  of  land, 
besides  his  share  in  bis  father's  estate.  He 
came  to  this  county  in  1827,  with  his  parents, 
who  bought  land  at  SI. 25  per  acre.  He  has  | 
spent  many  happy  hours  in  playing  with  the^ 
childi-en  of  an  Indian  chief.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  York  Masonic  Lodge,  No.  313.  In 
politics,  he  has  been  identified  with  the  Re- 
publican party.  Mr.  William  Mui-phy's  sons, 
David  and  Amos,  are  keeping  a  general  store 
in  West  Union;  they  have  about  five  years 
of  experience  in  the  business.  Amos  Mur- 
pljy  is  Postmaster  in  West  Union. 

IRA  PREVO,  farmer,  P.  O.  West  Union, 
born  January  25.  1808,  in  Randolph  County, 
N.  C.  He  is  a  son  of  Snmuel  Prevo,  born  in 
North  Carolina;  be  died  iu  ibis  county.  He 
married  Jane  Lee,  who  was  born  in  Phila- 
delphia, Penn.  She  was  the  mother  of  eight 
children.  Our  subject  came  "to  this  county 
with  his  parents  in  1817,  settling  on  Union 
Prairie,  over  which  he  has  seen  the  prairie 
fire  roll  three  different  times.  He  was  a 
soldier  in  the  Black  Hawk  war,  going  out 
with  Capt.  Archer,  but  afterward  joined  Capt. 
Richardson's  scouting  pai-ty.  He  partici- 
pated in  the  engagement  on  the  Upper  Missis- 
sippi River.  IVIr.  Prevo  was  mairied  Novem- 
ber 14,  1839,  to  Amanda  Hm-st,  bom  March 
4,  1818,  in  Fairfax  County,  Va.  She  was 
the  mother  of  tlu-ee  children  now  living,  viz. : 
Emily,  born  November  22,  1850,  wife  of 
Henry  Irwin;  Orra,  was  bom  February  25, 
1853,  wife  of  J.  Bradbury;  and  James,  born 
September  4,  184(3.  be  was  joined  iu  matri- 
mony, December  26,  1878,  to  Miss  Anna 
Kirby,  bom  July  12,1849,  in  Grayson  Coun- 
ty, Texas,  daughter  of  Isaac  and  Mary  ^Jew- 
ell) Kirby.  She  is  the  mother  of  William, 
bom  December  10.  1879,  and  Emily  O. ,  born 
August  21,  1882.  Mrs.  A.  Prevo  died  April 
3,  1857.  Mr.  Prevo  has  a  farm  of  320  acres 
of  eood  land.      He   is  a  member  of  the  Ma- 


sonic fraternity,  York  Lodge.  No.  313.  He 
has  filled  school  offices,  and  in  politics  he  is 
connected  with  the  Democratic  party. 

HENRY  PREVO,  farmer,  P.  O.  West  York, 
born  November  14,  1 813,  in  North  Carolina. 
He  is  a  son  of  Samuel  Prevo,  born  in  Dela- 
ware; be  died  in  1843,  on  the  olu  iiome  place 
owned  now  by  his  son  Henry.  Samuel  Prevo 
was  married  in  North  ('arolina  to  Jane  Lee, 
who  was  born  in  North  Carolina;  she  died 
1850  in  this  county.  She  was  the  mother  of 
eight  children.  Our  subject,  Henry  Prevo, 
came  to  this  county  in  1817  with  bis  parents; 
he  was  educated  in  this  county,  where  he  was 
also  mai-ried,  Jutiie  10,  1843,  to  Miss  Amy 
Lindley,  born  January  14,  1826,  in'  Craw- 
ford County;  she  died  March  23,  1877,  in 
this  county.  She  was  the  daughter  of  Sam- 
uel Lindley,  and  the  mother  of  four  children, 
viz.:  Samuel  C.  Prevo,  born  August  7, 1847, 
he  married  Lida  Kelley,  now  deceased,  she 
was  the  mother  of  Alice;  Samuel  C.  was 
married  a  second  time  to  Miss  Emma  Hoge; 
Helen,  born  March  16,  1854,  wife  of  Alexan- 
der Biyce,  and  the  mother  of  Mabel  and 
Ethel;  Alice,  born  August  7,  1858,  wife  of 
John  Morton,  and  the  mother  of  Mary  Amy: 
Charlie,  born  September  21, 1862.  Mr.  Prevo 
is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity.  He 
has  400  acres  of  land  with  good  improvements. 
Mr.  Prevo  well  remembers  when  droves  of 
deer  and  troops  of  Indians  roamed  over  this 
county.  In  politics,  he  is  a  straight  Demo- 
crat, having  seen  no  reason  why  he  should 
change  his  political  views. 

SAMUEL  PREVO,  farmer.  Walnut  Prai- 
rie. This  gentleman  is  a  descendant  of  one 
of  our  pioneer  families,  who  came  to  this 
county  when  the  forest  was  fillnd  with  wild 
beasts  and  wilder  men.  He  was  bom  Decem- 
ber 29,  1840,  in  this  township.  He  is  a  grand- 
son of  Samuel  Prevo,  Sr.,  born  in  France:  he 
lived    many  years   in  North   Carolina,   from 


184 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


whence  he  came  to  this  county  with  his  wife 
and  children.  His  son,  Samuel  Prevo,  who 
is  the  father  of  our  subject,  was  born  October 
4,  1802;  he  died  1850,  while  a  member  of  the 
Legislature,  representing  his  native  and  ad- 
joining counties.  He  was  married  to  Eliza- 
beth Evans,  born  December  24,  1810,  she 
died  February  26, 1852.  She  was  the  mother 
of  five  grown  children:  William,  Albert, 
Samuel,  Abigail,  deceased,  the  former  wife 
of  H.  Holladay;  and  Jane,  wife  of  R.Hvitch- 
ison.  Our  subject,  Samuel  Prevo,  was  edu- 
cated in  this  county,  where  he  was  also 
joined  in  matrimony,  November  25,  1868,  to 
Miss  Mai-y  Mitchell,  born  September  27, 
1850,  in  Darwin.  She  is  a  daughter  of  Dr. 
John  D.  Mitchell,  now  a  resident  of  Terre 
Haute,  and  is  the  mother  of  three  children 
now  living,  viz. :  John  D.,  born  January  25, 
1810;  Edith,  born  June  1,  1878;  and  Her- 
bert, born  April  7,  1880.  Mr.  Prevo  has 
filled  school  .offices;  he  is  a  member  of  the 
Masonic  fraternity,  Darwin  Lodge,  No.  551. 
He  obeyed  the  call  of  his  country  by  enlist- 
ing, August  20,  1861,  for  the  three  years' 
term,  in  the  Thii-ty-first  Indiana  Infantry 
Volunteers,  Company  A,  participating  in 
many  thrilling  scenes  and  battles,  among 
others  Shiloh,  Stone  River,  Chickamauga, 
Perryville  and  others.  Mr.  Prevo  has  260 
acres  <>f  land.  In  politics,  he  is  a  Democrat. 
Mrs.  Prevo  is  a  grand-daughter  of  James 
Welsh,  who  may  with  right  be  classed  among 
the  early  pioneers. 

STEPHEN  PRITCHARD,  hotel  keeper, 
York.  This  gentleman  is  the  oldest  living 
settler  in  York.  He  was  born  March  28.  1810 
in  Hamilton  County,  Ohio.  His  grandfather 
Stephen  Pritchard,  Sr. ,  was  of  foreign  birth 
His  son,  Reese  Pritchard.  was  born  in  Win 
Chester,  Va. ;  he  died  in  Marshall,  Clark 
County,  111.  He  married  Sarah  Peaters 
born  in  Vermont;  she  died  in  Clark  County 


111.  She  was  the  mother  of  Stephen,  Reese, 
Housen,  David,  John,  Sarah,  Lydia  and 
Mary.  Our  subject  came  to  this  county  in 
1825,  with  his  parents,  who  were  fanners. 
He  was  a  tiller  of  the  soil  in  early  life.  In 
1832,  he  took  to  the  river,  running  from  here 
to  the  different  points  on  the  Ohio  and  Mis- 
sissippi, making  twenty-two  trips  on  flat- 
boats  to  New  Orleans  Mr.  Pritchard  was 
joined  in  matrimony,  in  Marshall,  III.,  July 
11,  1847,  to  Miss  Mahala  Curtis,  born  April 
13  1825,  in  Zanesville,  Ohio.  She  is  the 
daughter  of  Eli  and  Nancy  A.  (Thompson) 
Curtis,  who  were  born  in  Virginia.  Mr. 
Curtis  was  a  cooper  by  occupation.  Mrs. 
Pritchard  is  the  mother  of  seven  children, 
viz.:  Sarah  A.  and  Mary  are  deceased; 
Charles  T.,  born  November  15,  1851,  he  mar- 
ried Nancy  McCrary,  who  is  the  mother  of 
Vernon  Pritchard;  Emma  Jane,  born  Feb- 
ruary 13,  1854,  wife  of  E.  Swineheart,  and 
mother  of  Myi'tle  R. ;  Reese  H. ,  born  August 
26,  1856;  Lucy  G.,  born  December  30,  1858; 
George,  born  June  14,  1860,  he  was  married 
to  Can"ie  Combs,  deceased.  Mrs.  Pritchard 
is  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Protestant 
Church.  Mr.  Pritchard  was  a  pilot  on  the 
river  for  twenty-five  years,  never  losing  a  ves- 
sel. He  was  on  the  "  Ben  Sherd  "  when  that 
vessel  was  burnt,  below  Natchez,  with  a  loss 
of  nearly  300  men.  He  has  followed  farm- 
ing and  hotel  keeping  the  latter  part  of  his 
life.  He  was  formerly  a  Whig,  but  now  is 
a  Republican  in  politics. 

C.  D.  RYERSON,  physician.  West  Union. 
The  gentleman  whose  name  heads  this  sketch 
was  born  June  14,  1854,  in  Turman  Town- 
ship, Sullivan  County,  Ind.,  on  what  is  known 
as  the"old  Ryerson  homestead."  His  grand- 
father, David  Ryerson,  was  born  in  Germany. 
He  came  to  the  United  States  while  a  young 
man,  settling  in  Newark,  N.  J.,  from  there 
he  went  to  Terre  Haute,   Ind.,    where  he  fol- 


YORK   TOWNSHIP. 


185 


lowed  the  carpenter  trade  with  his  brother- 
in-law,  Elijah  Leak.  He  hnally  settled  in 
Sullivan  County,  where  he  was  killed  by  the 
falling  of  a  tree,  in  185G.  He  was  married 
to  Martha  Leak,  who  was  the  mother  of  four 
children,  viz.:  Byron,  Mai-y,  Martha  and 
Anna.  He  was  married  to  Matilda  Wil- 
son, who  died  March  17,  1879,  in  York. 
She  was  a  daughter  of  John  and  Abigail  (Evans) 
Wilson, and  themother  of  twochildi-en,  Charles 
D.  and  Nellie,  by  her  first  husband;  and 
seven  children,  Frederick  G.,  Caroline,  Grant, 
Maud,  William.  John  and  Mary,  by  her  sec- 
ond husband,  aa  she  was  married  a  second 
time  to  Perry  Murphy.  Our  subject  was 
partly  self-educated,  but  he  finished  his  med- 
ical education  in  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  graduat- 
ing March  1,  1881.  He  practiced  two  years 
in  York.  Mr.  Ryerson  was  married,  April 
19,  1881,  in  this  county,  to  Miss  Emma 
Myers,  born  November  1.  1858,  in  this  coun- 
ty, daughter  of  George  F.  and  Margaret 
(Murphy)  Myers,  and  the  mother  of  Cai-l, 
bom  April  24,  1882.  Mr.  Ryerson  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Masonic  fi-aternity,  York  Lodge, 
No.  313,  and  also  of  the  I.  O.  O.  F.,  York 
Star  Lodge,  No.  419.  He  is  identified  with 
the  Republican  party. 

MRS.  MARY  SPENCER,  Terre  Haute, 
bom  February  18,  1840,  in  Marshall,  Clark 
County,  111.;  she  was  educated  in  Mar- 
shall, 111.,  and  at  St.  Marys,  Ind.  Mrs. 
Spencer  was  for  many  j^ears  a  resident  of 
Clark  County,  where  she  is  remembered  ae  a 
very  reserved  lady,  whose  unimproved  op- 
portunities for  doing  good  were  few.  She 
is  a  grand-daughter  of  Charles  K.  Arch- 
er, born  in  Kentucky;  he  died  in  this 
county.  He  is  a  brother  of  Col.  William 
Archer,  who  is  mentioned  in  our  general 
history.  Mrs.  Spencer  is  a  daughter  of  Wake- 
field Williams,  who  is  also  mentioned  in  oui- 
general  history.     Mrs.    Spencer  was  joined 


in  matrimony  in  this  county  to  Nathan  Bes- 
ser,  born  in  this  county;  he  died  near  Corinth 
while  in  the  army.  His  two  sons,  Frank  W. 
and  Walter  N.,  were  born,  viz.:  Frank  W., 
October  14,  1859,  and  Walter  N. ,  June  13, 
1861;  the  latter  is  keeping  a  general  store  in 
Walnut  Prairie.  Mrs.  Spencer  was  married 
a  second  time  to  Rev.  Thomas  Spencer,  a 
minister  of  the  Presbyterian  Church.  He 
was  born  in  Vermont;  he  died  while  working 
in  the  ministry  in  Palestine,  111.,  where  his 
memory  is  cherished  by  all  who  knew  him. 
Mrs.  Spencer  is  now  a  resident  of  Terre 
Haute,  Ind.  She  is  a  member  of  the  Pres- 
byterian Church. 

S.  R.  WILSON,  physician,  York.  This 
gentleman  was  born  February  20,  1858,  in 
Sullivan  County,  Ind.  He  is  a  grandson  of 
John  W^ilson,  born  in  Kentucky.  He  is 
an  ex-Sheriff  of  Marion  County,  Ind.  He 
married  Casander  Steel,  who  was  the  mother 
of  six  children.  John  Wilson  was  a  soldier 
in  the  Mexican  war.  His  son,  Charlie, 
was  born  in  Sullivan  County,  Ind.,  and 
died  in  same  place.  He  was  also  mar- 
ried in  Sullivan  County,  to  Miss  Sadoua 
Wilson.  She  was  married  a  second  time  to 
John  Brewer,  now  deceased.  She  is  yet  liv- 
ing and  the  mother  of  one  son,  Samuel  Rol- 
lins, our  subject,  who  received  his  classical 
education  in  Sullivan  County,  Ind.,  and  his 
medical  ediicatiou  in  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  and 
Louisville,  Ky.,  graduating  in  the  latter 
place  on  February  25,  1881.  Shortly  after 
graduating.  Dr.  Wilson  permanently  located 
in  York,  Clark  County,  111.,  where  he  enjoys 
the  patronage  and  confidence  of  the  town  and 
siuTounding  country.  He  was  also  joined  in 
matrimony  here,  December  25,  1881,  to  Miss 
Rosalie  Nicoson,  born  in  Sullivan  County, 
Ind.  Dr.  Wilson  is  a  member  of  the  Odd 
Fellows  fraternity,  York  Star  Lodge,  No. 
419.      In  politics,  he  is   a  Republican. 


186 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


MELROSE    TOWNSHIP. 


EBENEZER    BARTLETT    was   born    in 
Clark  County,  111.,  in  1820,  and  was  a  son  of 
James  and  Hannah  Bartlett,   of  whom  men- 
tion has  been  made.       He  grew  to  manhood 
under  the|  pressure   of   pioneer  life,    which 
only  the  better  qualitied  him  for  the  realities 
of  life  when  he  was  called  to  confront  them. 
He  was  married,  February  14,  1843,  to  Miss 
Malinda  Edwards,    daughter  of   Joseph  and 
Hannah  Edwards.     She  was  born  in  Daviess 
County,  Ind.,  October  9,   1822,    and  in  1832 
came  to  this  county   from  Indiana  with  her 
parents.     Her  father,  Joseph  Edwards,  was 
born  in  the  town  of  Viucennes,    or  what  was 
then  an  Indian  trading  post  in  Southern  In- 
diana.    He  was  born  March  5,   1795.     The 
mother,  Hannah  Morgan,  was  born  June  3, 
1797,  in  South   Carolina.     They  were  mar- 
ried in  Indiana,  and  had  a  family  of  twelve 
children,  of  whom  Mrs.  Bartlett  is  the  fourth. 
Mr.  Edwards  died   in  Melrose  Township,    in 
November,    1856,  and   the   mother  in  same 
place  October  8,  1875.     They  were  members 
of  the  Methodist  Episcopal   Chiirch.       The 
family  of  Ebenezer  Bartlett  consists  of  ten 
childi'en,    of  whom  one  is  dead — Anna  M. 
Bartlett  was  born  December,   1844,   married 
to   Morton   Wilson;  Matilda  Bartlett,   born 
September  23,  1845,  married  to  Dr.  Baker; 
William  W.  Bartlett,   born  March  3,   1847, 
killed  in  battle  near  City  Point,   Va. ,   June 
17,  1864;  Sarah  L.  Bartlett,   born  December 
8,  1848,  she  is  a  veteran  teacher  of  fifteen 
years'  experience,    and    stands    in    the    front 
rank  of  her  profession;  James  Bartlett,  born 
March  5,  1855,  married  to  Josephine  Trasper ; 
Giles  E.  Bartlett,    born   February  19,  1853, 


married  to  Roanna  Gard;  Mary  A.  Bartlett, 
born  January  29,  1856;  George  Bartlett,  born 
June  15,  1858;  Charles  L.  Bartlett,  born 
September  20,  1860;  Albert  Bartlett,  born 
October  29,  1862.  They  have  a  farm  of 
about  200  acres  in  Melrose  Township. 

WARREN    BARTLETT,    farmer,    P.    O. 
West  Union.       Among  the  most  successful 
farmers  of   Melrose  Township  may  be  men- 
tioned Warren  Bartlett.      He  is  a  native  of 
Clark  County,  111.,   born  May  20,  1825,  and 
raised  within  half  a  mile  of  his  present  home. 
His  father,  James  Bartlett,  was  born  in  York 
State,  in  May,  1792,  where  he  grew  to  ma- 
turity and  married  to  Hannah  M.  Tuladay, 
of  York  State.     She  was  born  about  1793. 
They  settled  near  York,  this  county,  in  1818, 
where  they  made  a  residence  of  one  year,  re- 
moving then  to  what  is  now  Melrose  Town- 
ship.    Here  he  entered  a  tract  of  land  and 
proceeded  to  make  for  himslf  a  home  of  the 
then  wild  country.      At  that  time  there  were 
very  few  families  in  the  county,  and  of  course 
this  family  witnessed  all  of   the  hardships 
incident  to  an  untamed  country,   tilled  with 
their  native  inhabitants,  Indians.      Our  sub- 
ject   vividly   remembers    the    roving    tribes 
which   occupied  the    country,    and    used   to 
amuse  the   elder  people   by  wrestling  with 
yoiing   Indian  lads.     Mr.    Bartlett  raised   a 
family  of  six  children  who  grew  to  maturity, 
besides  three  which  died  in   youth.     Of  this 
family  the  subject  is  the  sixth.      The  mother 
died  in  this  county  in  1833,  and  the  father, 
in  June,  1871,  having  spent  tifty-three  years 
of  his  life  in  this  county.      He  was  a  member 
of   the   Masonic  fraternity,    and  was  buried 


MELROSE    TOWNSHIP. 


187 


•with  the  honors  of  that  ancient  brotherhood. 
Warren  was  given  such  educational  advan- 
tages as  were  to  be  had,  consisting  of  about 
three  months  each  winter.  He  was  married 
May  30,  1847,  to  Miss  Sarah  Ann  Smith, 
daughter  of  John  and  Charlotte  Smith.  She 
was  born  in  Ohio,  March  7,  1825,  and  came 
to  this  county  with  her  parents  in  1846,  and 
died  here  on  the  'id  of  August,  1878, 
leaving  a  family  of  ten  children,  of  whom  one 
is  deceased.  She  was  for  several  years  a 
member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church, 
and  the  last  ten  or  twelve  years  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  United  Brethren  Church.  De- 
voted to  her  church  and  to  her  family,  the 
loss  in  her  death  is  felt  by  a  large  circle  of 
friends,  whose  confidence  and  love  she  en- 
joyed in  the  fullest  degree,  but  more  espe- 
cially by  her  husband  and  family,  to  whom 
she  appears  to  have  performed  the  office  of  a 
guardian  angel.  The  record  of  the  family  is 
as  follows:  Delilah  H.,  born  June  4,  1848, 
married  to  Thomas  J.  Suavely;  Perry  C.  Bart- 
lett,  born  September  8,  1851,  married  Miss 
Sarah  Janney,  two  children,  viz. :  Ethelbert 
and  Avery  B.  Bartlett;  Charlotte  M.,  born 
June  23,  1853,  married  Jeremiah  Grant,  and 
died  November,  1876,  leaving  two  children, 
viz. :  Edward  Grant  and  Nellie  F.  Grant, 
the  former  in  the  family  of  Joseph  Smith, 
and  the  latter  a  member  of  subject's  family; 
Martha  A.  Bartlett,  born  January  30,  1855; 
Jeflerson  Bartlett,  born  April  7,  1857;  Ire- 
dell Bai-tlett,  born  February  2,  1859;  Warren, 
born  May  6,  1861,  mairied  to  Mary  J.  Scott, 
widow  of  James  Scott,  and  daughter  of 
James  W.  and  Mary  J.  Boyles,  one  child, 
Dora  May  Scott;  Joseph  Bartlett,  born  De- 
cember 14,  1862;  William  N.  Bartlett,  born 
October  7,  1865;  Edward  E.  Bartlett,  born 
August  18,  1869.  Mr.  "Warren  Bartlett  is  a 
member  of  the  United  Brethren  Church,  and 
labors  assiduously  for  the  promotion  of  tem- 
perance or  total  abstinence. 


PERRY  BARTLETT,  farmer,  P.  O.  Walnut 
Prairie,  is  a  native  of  Clark  County,  111.,  and 
born  September  8,  1851.  He  is  a  son  of 
W^arren  and  Sarah  A.  (Smith)  Bartlett,  of 
whom  mention  has  already  been  made. 
Perry  Bartlett  was  raised  in  Melrose  Town- 
ship, and  received  the  elements  of  an  Eng- 
lish education  in  the  common  schools  of  the 
county.  In  1871  (September  1),  he  was  mar- 
ried to  Miss  Sarah  B.  Janney,  daughter  of 
Isaiah  B.  and  Hannah  S.  Janney.  She  was 
!  also  born  in  Clark  County,  on  March  23, 
I  1850  (for  biography  of  her  parents  see  biog- 
raphy of  Sumner  Maring).  Their  family 
consists  of  two  sons,  viz. ;  Ethelbert  Bartlett, 
I  born  November  20,  1872;  Avery  B.  Barnett, 
1  born  March  2,  1875.  Mrs.  Bartlett  is  a 
member  of  the  United  Brethren  Church. 
Subject  owns  a  farm  of  122  acres,  on  which 
in  1880  they  erected  a  handsome  frame  resi- 
dence; farm  situated  in  Section  1  of  Melrose 
Township.  Politics,  Republican.  His  farm 
bears  the  imprint  of  an  industrious  and  sys- 
tematic management,  and  it  is  only  a  matter 
of  time  when  his  influence  will  be  forcibly 
felt  in  the  community. 

SOLOMON  BROWN,  Sr.,  farmer,  P.  O. 
Walnut  Prairie,  is  a  native  of  Licking  Coun- 
ty, Ohio,  where  he  was  born  October  22, 
1823.  and  was  a  resident  of  Licking  County 
until  coming  to  this  county,  in  1849.  He 
was  raised  on  the  farm  and  was  the  seventh 
of  a  family  of  eight  children  of  Adam  aud 
Mary  (Cowden)  Brown,  who  came  from  Fay- 
ette County,  Penn. ,  to  Ohio,  in /the  pioneer 
days  of  Licking  County,  where  the  mother 
died  about  1846.  The  father  was  born  in 
1777,  and  died  in  Melrose  Township,  Clark 
County,  about  1857.  Solomon  Brown  was 
married,  in  Licking  County,  Ohio,  to  Miss 
Sarah  Casteel,  who  died  in  Brazil,  Ind.,  leav- 
ing two  childi-en,  Dorcas  and  John  W.  Brown, 
'  the  former  is  the  wife  of  Thomas  Hutehi- 


188 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


son,  and  the  latter  married  Julia  Hunter. 
Subject  was  afterward  married  to  his  pres- 
ent wife,  Nancy  Handy,  daughter  of  Stephen 
and  Margaret  Handy,  September,  i85S.  She 
was  born  in  this  county  January  28,  1824 
By  this  union  there  are  two  children,  viz. : 
Daniel  Brown,  June  30,  18G();  Sarah  Brown, 
March  31,  1862.  He  settled  where  he  now 
lives  in  184U,  buying  land  of  George  Potter. 
Has  a  farm  of  2-19  acres  of  land  in  Section 
10,  except  forty  acres  in  Section  11. 

NIXON  EVANS,  farm«r,  P.  O.  West  York. 
One  of  the  principal  farmers  of  Melrose 
Township  is  the  subject  of  this  sketch, 
Nixon  Evans.  He  is  a  native  of  Paoli,  Ind. , 
born  December  27,  1814,  and  is  the  thir- 
teenth of  a  family  of  sixteen  children  of 
Benjamin  and  Rebecca  (Willard)  Evans. 
The  parents  were  both  born  in  North  Caro- 
lina, and  came  from  Indiana  to  Illinois  in 
1816.  They  then  settled  in  Crawford  Coun- 
ty, where  they  remained  two  years,  coming 
from  there  to  Clark  County,  in  1818.  The 
mother  died  in  18  23  and  the  father  afterward 
mai-ried  Mrs.  Hannah  Moore,  by  whom  he 
had  a  family  of  eight  children.  He  died  in 
1851.  The  circumstances  under  which  he 
received  his  early  education  were  identical 
with  all  other  pioneer  boys,  viz. :  Sitting  on 
a  split-log  bench  in  a  round-log  house  with 
a  puncheon  floor,  greased  paper  windows  and 
eight-foot  fireplace,  fuel  for  which  was  ob- 
tained by  the  larger  boys  from  the  adjacent 
forest.  Subject  says  he  can  yet  distinctly 
remember  of  his  old  teacher,  Joseph  Clay- 
pool,  addressing  them  in  this  way.  "  Dis- 
missed and  git  wood. "  Mr.  Evans  was  mar- 
ried, December  15,  1837,  to  Miss  Minerva 
Bartlett,  daughter  of  James  and  Hannah 
Bartlett,  and  was  born  July  6,  1818,  and  died 
September  17,  1853,  having  six  children, 
viz. :  Iredell,  Warren,  Sr. ,  James,  Sr. ;  the 
two  latter  dying  in  youth,  their   names  were 


transferred  to  the  next  two  sons;  Warren,  Jr., 
and  James,  Jr.,  one  died  unnamed.  Subject 
was  married  to  his  present  wife,  Clarissa 
Hungerford,  on  November  27,  1853,  by  whom 
there  are  six  children,  Chai'Ies  H.  Evans, 
Emily  M.  Evans,  Julia  M.  Evans,  Ulysses 
G.  Evans.  Sai-ah  E.  Evans,  and  Clarence 
N.  Evans;  Ulysses  G.  is  deceased.  Mrs. 
Clarissa  Evans  was  born  October  2,  183-1. 
Mr.  Evans  is  engaged  in  farming  and 
milling,  having  a  mill  which  he  has  run 
since  1849,  commencing  with  horse  power. 
He  owns  a  farm  of  273  acres  of  land  in 
Melrose  Township,  about  170  in  cultiva- 
tion. James  B.,  Sr. ,  born  December  19, 
1842;  James  B..  Jr.,  born  October  9,  1846; 
Warren  B.,  Sr.,  born  May  13,  1850;  War- 
ren B.,  Jr..  born  April  22.  1853;  Charles, 
born  Sejitember  1,  1854;  Emily  M. ,  born 
February  14,  1861;  Ulysses  G.,  born  February 
25,  1866;  Lula  M.,  born  September  9.  1869; 
Sarah  E.,  born  May  23.  1871;  Clarence,  born 
February  16.  1876.  They  are  members  of 
the  Methodist  Episcoj)al  Church.  Mr.  Evans 
has  been  a  minister  in  that  connection  since 
1836.     Politics,  Republican. 

IREDELL  EVANS,  farmer,  P.  O.  Mel- 
rose, is  a  son  of  Nixon  and  Minerva  (Bart- 
lett) Evans.  He  is  a  native  of  Clark  Coun- 
ty, 111.,  born  May  18,  1841,  and  was  raised 
in  the  county,  and  educated  in  the  common 
schools,  and  in  August,  1862,  he  became  a 
member  of  Company  I,  Seventy-ninth  Illi- 
nois Volunteer  Infantry,  from  which  he  was 
discharged  in  spring  of  1865,  at  Nashville, 
Tenn.  Participated  in  the  battles  of  Stone 
River  and  Chiekamauga,  where  he  was  taken 
prisoner,  and  held  at  Danville  and  Richmond 
for  eight  months  as  a  prisoner  of  wai',  dur- 
ing which  time,  in  the  Danville  Prison,  he  had 
small-pox.  He  was  a  non-commissioned 
officer.  After  retm-ning  home,  he  became  a 
student  in  the  Westlield  College,  where  he  re- 


MELROSE    TOW]SrSHIP. 


189 


mained  one  year,  thus  qualifying  himself  for 
the  profession  of  teacher,  which  he  followed 
for  some  years.  Mari'ied,  in  Melrose  Town- 
ship, October  1,  1867,  to  Miss  Alice  Drake, 
daughter  of  Peter  and  Christina  Drake.  She 
was  born  in  Livingston  County,  N.  Y. ,  on 
the  2yth  of  September,  184y.  Her  parents 
were  also  natives  of  New  York;  the  father 
was  born  November,  1817,  and  the  mother 
was  born  in  1820.  She  died  in  the  State 
of  New  York,  in  1853.  and  the  father 
afterward  removed  to  this  county  in  18G6, 
whore  he  died  April  27,  1877.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Evans  have  a  family  of  four  children, 
of  whom  one  is  dead,  Bartlott  J.  Evans,  born 
June  27,  1868,  and  died  July  24,  1870; 
Bruce  D.  Evans,  born  April  9,  1870;  Jennie 
G.  Evans,  born  February  9,  1873;  Earnest 
E.,  born  April  26,  1877.  He  owns  a  farm 
of  173  acres  in  Sections  27  and  34  of  Melrose 
Township.  Engaged  in  stock-raising.  He 
is  Republican  and  has  represented  the  town- 
ship in  the  capacity  of  Supervisor,  Assessor 
and  Justice  of  the  Peace. 

DAVID  FEEEEL,  farmer,  P.  O.  Melrose. 
Mr.  David  Ferrel  is  a  native  of  Licking 
County,  Ohio,  and  was  born  on  November 
23,  1841  He  is  the  youngest  of  a  family  of 
nine  children  of  John  and  Nancy  Ferrel. 
The  father  was  born  near  Wheeling,  W.  Va., 
December  9,  1802,  and  the  mother,  Nancy 
Wallace,  was  born  April  28,  1825,  in  same 
State.  They  were  maiTied  January  18,  1822. 
The  father  died  in  Licking  County  June 
17,  1849,  and  the  mother  February  25,  1872, 
in  Clark  County,  111.  Subject  grew  to  man- 
hood in  his  native  county,  and  came  to  Craw- 
ford County  with  his  mother  in  1865,  where 
they  lived  three  years,  during  which  time  he 
was  married.  He  was  married  on  the  10th 
day  of  February,  1867,  to  Miss  Evaline  Blank- 
enbeker,  daughter  of  Samuel  and  Mary 
(Hull)   Blankenbeker.      She  was  born  in  In- 


diana December  16,  1844.  In  1868,  Mr. 
Ferrel  removed  to  Orange  Township,  Clark 
County,  where  he  lived  two  years.  In  Feb- 
ruary, 1870,  he  bought  240  acres  in  Sections 
29,  30  and  31,  of  Melrose  Township.  He  is 
engaged  in  general  farming  and  stock-raising. 
They  have  a  family  consisting  of  six  children, 
of  whom  three  are  deceased,  viz. :  Infant 
daughter,  died  January  9,  1868,  aged  twenty- 
two  days;  Ella,  born  July  14,  1870;  Emma, 
born  October  6,  1872,  died"  October  30,  1878; 
Edward,  born  October  26, 1874,  died  August  5. 
1875;  Samuel,  born  July  27,  1876;  Alice, 
born  September  5,  1879.  They  are  mem- 
bers of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  at 
Wesley  Chapel.  Mr.  Ferrel  is  a  Democrat, 
and  has  served  his  township  in  official  capac- 
ities. 

J.  W.  FISK,  farmer,  P.  O.  Melrose. 
Among  the  more  enterprising  of  the  farmers 
of  Melrose  Township  should  be  mentioned 
the  name  of  J.  W.  Fisk.  He  was  born  in 
Putnam  County,  Ind.,  July  10,  1834.  His 
father,  James  Fisk,  was  born  in  Virginia, 
January  5,  1805,  and  was  raised  principally 
in  Kentucky.  He  was  there  married  in  1822, 
to  Miss  Cassander  Frakes,  daughter  of  Jo- 
seph Frakes,  who  was  a  native  of  England, 
and  died  at  the  advanced  age  of  one  hun- 
dred and  six  years.  He  served  through 
the  Eevolution,  and  was  never  sick  an 
hour  in  his  long  life,  and  dropped  as  an 
autumn  leaf  falls  from  the  bough.  Cas- 
sander was  born  in  Kentucky  about  1807, 
and  died  when  William  was  three  years  old. 
Subject's  grandfather  on  his  mother's  side 
was  named  John,  and  was  born  in  England. 
He  also  served  through  the  war  of  the  Revo- 
lution. The  family  is  somewhat  noted  for 
its  military  record.  The  father  of  our  sub- 
ject held  the  commission  of  Colonel  in  the 
Mexican  war,  and  William  Fisk  took  part  in 
the  late  war,  as  did  also  his  three  brothers, 


190 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


Robert  W.,  Richard  S.  and  Francis  M.  Fisk. 
William  was  enlisted  in  Company  A,  of  the 
Thirty-eighth  Indiana,  but  most  of  his  time 
was  on  detailed  duty  in  the  Fifteenth  Army 
Corps,  Ordnance  Brigade.  Discharged  July 
14,  1865.  Took  part  in  all  the  service  of  his 
corps  incident  to  Sherman's  march  to  the 
sea.  Received  a  sunstroke  from  over  fa- 
tigue on  his  return,  near  the  scenes  of  Bull 
Run  battle-lield.  Mr.  Fisk  was  married  in 
Clark  County.  111.,  January  25,  1858,  to 
Miss  Sarah  A.  Dodd,  daughter  of  Emanuel 
and  Mary  J.  (Wells)  Dodd.  Her  father  was 
a  native  of  Licking  County,  Ohio,  born  on 
the  10th  of  September  1816,  and  the  mother 
was  born  in  what  is  now  Melrose  Township, 
May  7,  1824.  They  had  a  family  of  three 
children,  of  whom  Mrs.  Fisk  is  the  first,  she 
was  born  in  Melrose  Village  April  2,  1843. 
She  has  a  brother,  Frank  Dodd,  resident  in 
Melrose.  One  sister,  Susanna  C.  Dodd,  born 
October  10,  1845,  and  died  in  infancy.  Sub- 
ject has  a  family  consisting  of  four  childi-en, 
of  whom  two  are  deceased,  viz. :  Robert  W. 
Fisk,  born  November  7,  1858;  Albert  S.  Fisk, 
born  September  10,  1861,  died  October  4, 
1880;  James  E.  Fisk,  born  September  21, 
1880;  Una  R.  Fisk,  born  April  21,  1866,  died 
in  infancy.  'Mi:  Fisk  came  to  this  county 
from  Indiana  in  1856.  They  settled  where 
they  now  live  in  1861,  having  bought  a  tract 
of  timber  land,  which  has  been  cleared  and  de- 
veloped into  a  beautiful  and  desirable  home. 
They  now  own  a  tract  of  200  acres  in  Section 
19  of  Melrose  and  80  in  Section  24  of 
Orange  Township;  value  of  land,  S80  per  acre. 
The  entire  family  are  members  of  the  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  Church.  Mary  J.  Dodd  died 
December  30,  1879,  at  Melrose,  and  Eman- 
uel Dodd  is  still  living,  and  a  resident  of 
Martinsville  Township.  He  is  married  to 
Lizzie  Connel. 


ALLEN  T.  GARD,  farmer,  P.  O.  Walnut 
Prairie,  is  a  native  of  Licking  County,  Ohio, 
born  on  19th  of  August,  1830.  His  father, 
Jeremiah  Gard,  born  in  Licking  County, 
Ohio,  March,  1806,  and  spent  his  entire  life 
in  his  native  State.  He  married,  about  1828, 
Miss  Rosanna  Brown,  of  same  county.  They 
had  a  family  of  nine  children,  of  whom  Allen 
T.  is  the  oldest.  The  father  died  at  the  old 
homestead,  iu  Licking  County,  where  his  wife 
still  survives  him;_he  died  in  1866.  Allen  T. 
Gard  was  raised  and  educated  in  the  pioneer 
schools  of  Licking  County,  during  which  time 
he  qualified  himself  for  the  position  of 
teacher,  which  profession  he  has  followed 
since  1857,  without  missing  a  winter,  which 
cannot  be  said  of  any  other  teacher  in  the 
county.    He  was  married  in  Ohio,  August  30, 

1853,  to  Miss  Martha  A.  Garner,  daughter  of 
Edmund  and  Susan  Garner.  She  was  born 
in  Muskingum  County,  Ohio,  on  July  1,  1833. 
Her  father  and  mother  were  born  in  Vir- 
ginia. The  father  was  born  in  1776  and 
died  December  19,  1850.  The  mother  was 
born  in  1795,  and  died  in  1864.  Mrs.  Gard 
is  the  youngest  of  a  family  of  eleven  children 
of  whom  four  are  now  living.  Mi'.  Gard 
came  to  Illinois  and  Clark  County  in  1861, 
and  settled  where  he  now  lives  on  a  farm 
purchased  of  Joseph  Brown,  consisting  of 
120  acres  in  Section  11  of  Melrose  Township. 
His  family  comprises  five  children,  viz.: 
Rowena  C.  Gard,   born  in  Ohio.    June  22, 

1854,  married  to  Giles  Bartlett,  of  this  coun- 
ty; Alexander  J. ,  born  in  Ohio  July  25,  1858, 
present  Township  Collector  (1882).  also  in 
1881;  Horatio  V.  Gard,  born  in  Illinois 
December  30,  1862:  Jeremiah  Gard,  born 
November  2.  1866;  Edmund  Gard,  born 
August  4,  1871.  They  are  members  of 
Protestant  Methodist  Church.  Politics, 
Democrat,    and  has  served  his  township    as 


MELROSE   TOWNSHIP. 


191 


Treasurer  since  1803,  and  now  serving 
the  third  term  as  Justice  of  the  Peace 
besides  serving  as  a  County  Coroner  for  two 
years,  and  represented  his  township  on  the 
County  Board  one  year. 

WILLIAM  A.  HANDY,  farmer,  P  O.  West 
Union,    is    a    native  of   Clark  County,    111., 
born  May  19,  1837.     He  is  a  son  of  Stephen 
D.  and  Margaret  (Dixon)  Handy.    The  father 
was  born  in  York  State,  about   1792,   where 
he  was  reared.    He  was  married  at  Fort  Har- 
rison, in  Indiana,  to  Miss   Margaret  Dixon, 
who  was  a  native  of  Virginia,    and  was  born 
in  1803.     They  settled  soon  after  man-iage 
on  Union    Prairie,    of    this    county,    where 
they  spent  the  remainder  of  their  lives.     The 
father  died  in  1852  and  the  mother  in  Janu- 
ary, 1862.      They  had  a  family  of  ten  chil- 
dren, viz.:  Eliza,  Sarah  A.,  Chester,  Joseph, 
Nancy,  John,  Mfvry,  Illinois,  William  A.  and 
Stephen  Handy.     Six  of  these  are  now  living 
and  residents  of  this  county.     Mr.  Handy,  in 
1862   (August),  became  a   member  of  Com- 
pany I,  Seventy-ninth  Illinois   Volunteer  In- 
fantry, in  which  he  served  imtil  discharged 
at  Nashville,    June,  1865.     Be  participated 
in  the  battle  of  Buzzard's  Roost,  in  Georgia; 
owing,  however,  to  loss  of  health  he  did  not 
take  part  in  the  principal  service  of  the  regi- 
ment.    He  was  married,  December  31,  1858, 
to  Miss  Sarah   J.   Hull,  daughter  of  Daniel 
and  Mary  Hull,  of  whom  mention  is  made  in 
these  pages.     Mrs.  Handy  was  born  in  Lick- 
ing County,   Ohio,   July  9,  1838,    and  came 
with  her  father's  family,  in  1850,  to  this  coun- 
ty.     They  have  a  family  of  live  children,  viz. : 
Mary  E.  Handy,  born  March  10,  1860;  Will- 
iam W.  Handy,  born  July  25,  1862;  Solomon 
Handy,  born  July  20.  1867;  Mattie  F.  Han- 
dy, born  November  8,  1868;  Everett  Handy, 
bom  October  2,  1878.       Mary  E.  Handy  has 
been  for  some  years  and  is   now   a  practical 
teacher  in  the  county.     Mr.  Handy  has  also 


taught,  and  was  educated  in  the  county.  Mr. 
Handy  erected  a  small  cabin  house  where  he 
now  lives  in  1861  on  land  that  his  father  had 
owned;  the  land  was  then  covered  with  a 
dense  growth  of  timber,  which  they  have 
taken  off  till  they  now  have  a  farm  of  115 
acres,  of  which  65  are  in  cultivation.  Erected 
a  frame  house  in  which  they  now  live  in 
1873.  They  are  members  of  the  Protestant 
Methodist  Church.  Politics,  Greenback-Re- 
publican, and  he  represented  the  township  as 
Supervisor,  and  for  several  years  Collector  of 
Taxes. 

SUSANNA  HOLLENBECK,  Melrose,  is  a 
daughter  of  Isaiah  and  Hannah  Janney,  and 
is  the  fourth  of  a  family  of  eleven  children, 
of  whom  six  are  now  living.  She  was  born 
in  Melrose  Township,  July  23,  1843.  She 
was  married  March  28,  1864,  to  William 
Brown,  son  of  Adam  and  Mary  Brown.  He 
was  born  in  Licking  County,  Ohio,  March 
16,  1841,  and  came  to  this  county  in  1860, 
from  where  he  entered  the  First  Missouri 
Cavalry,  in  1861,  and  served  as  a  soldier  for 
four  years,  diu-ing  which  time  he  contracted 
the  disease  from  which  he  died,  November 
9,  1868,  leaving  two  children,  viz.:  Jennie 
A.  Brown,  November  1,  1866;  William  R. 
Brown,  January  12,  1869,  and  died  Septem- 
ber 13,  1879.  Mrs.  H.  was  afterward  mar- 
ried, February  11,  1872,  to  Mr. John  Winsett, 
son  of  John  and  Mary  Winsett.  He  was  a 
native  of  Ohio  and  was  born  July  6,  1818, 
and  died  November  3,  1876.  She  married 
John  Hollenbeck,  April  28,  1878,  and  one 
son.  Homer  Hollenbeck,  was  born  December 
18,  1879.  Mi-s.  Hollenbeck  has  a  farm  of  200 
acres  of  land,  mostly  improved  land,  in  Section 
8  of  Melrose  Township,  containing  a  substan- 
tial farm  residence  erected  in  1S82.  She  is  a 
member  of  the  Protestant  Methodist  Church. 
DANIEL  HULL,  farmer,  P.  O.  West  Un- 
ion.    One  of  the  most  venerable  of  the  citi- 


193 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


zens  of  Melrose  Township,  is  Daniel  Hull, 
born  in  Harrison  County,  Va.,  March  30, 
1803,  and  when  he  was  six  years  old  his 
parents,  William  and  Sarah  Hull,  removed 
to  Ohio  and  settled  in  Licking  County. 
There  Daniel  grew  up,  receiving  a  limited 
education  in  the  common  schools  of  Licking 
County,  and  was  married,  August  30,  1825, 
to  Miss  Mary  Brown,  daughter  of  Adam  and 
Mary  Brown.  She  was  born  in  Pennsyl- 
vania, September  3,  1807,  and  came  to  Ohio 
with  her  parents  as  early  as  1808.  Mr.  Hull 
made  his  home  in  Licking  County  nntil  com- 
ing to  this  county,  in  1850,  having  previously 
had  born  to  them  eight  children,  of  whom 
but  three  are  now  living.  Their  family  re- 
cord is  as  follows:  William  Hull,  born  Oc- 
tober 15,  1826,  deceased;  Adam  Hull,  born 
May  25,  1830,  married  to  Mary  Handy;  Mary 
Hull,  born  December  13,  1832,  married  to 
Peter  Cumrine  and  died  April  8,  1856,  leav- 
ing three  children;  John  W.  Hull,  born 
December  12,  1835,  deceased;  Sarah  J.  Hull, 
bom  July  9,  1838,  and  married  to  William 
Handy;  Solomon  Hull,  born  February  28, 
184:1,  died  in  the  hospital  at  Nashville,  Tenn., 
December,  1862;  Elizabeth  Hull,  born 
August  10, 18-43,  married  George  Richardson, 
and  died  in  February,  1878,  leaving  four 
children;  Martha  A.  Hull,  born  February  1, 
1847,  and  married  to  Washington  lii-eager. 
Uncle  Daniel  Hull  and  wife  settled  in  Mel- 
rose Township,  where  they  now  live,  in  1850, 
and,  though  not  pioneers  of  the  county,  have 
lived  in  it  long  enough  to  endear  themselves 
to  a  large  circle  of  fi'iends,  who  esteem  them 
for  their  many  virtues.  Uncle  Daniel  cast 
his  first  Presidential  vote  for  Andi'ew  Jack- 
son, and  is  now  a  stanch  Kepublican. 

WASHINGTON  KREAGER,  farmer,  P. 
O.  West  Union,  is  a  native  of  Licking 
County,  Ohio,  born  February  24,  1841.  His 
father,    George  Kreager,  was  a  Virginian  by 


birth,  born  in  1785  and  raised  in  his  native 
State.  He  came  from  there  to  Ohio  with  his 
father,  Jacob  Kreager,  who  was  a  native  of 
Germany.  In  ISll,  he  was  married  to  Miss 
Cynthia  Bartholomew,  of  Pennsylvania,  born 
Decembers,  1795,  and  is  still  living.  George 
Kreager  was  a  soldier  in  the  war  of  1812, 
and  died  in  Ohio,  1867.  They  had  a  family 
of  sixteen  children,  of  whom  seven  are  now 
living,  and  of  whom  Washington  is  the 
youngest.  Subject  grew  to  manhood  in  Ohio, 
and  married,  June  19,  1870,  to  Miss  Mattie 
A.  Hull,  daughter  of  Daniel  and  Mary  Hull. 
She  was  born  in  Ohio,  on  February  1,  1847, 
and  came  to  this  county  with  parents  when 
four  years  old  (1851).  Mr.  Kreager  settled 
in  this  county  where  he  now  lives,  in  1870, 
buying  his  land  from  Jacob  Scott.  The 
farm  consists  of  310  acres,  of  which  about 
220  acres  are  improved.  Their  family  con- 
sists of  three  children,  viz. :  Albert  C.  Krea- 
ger, born  April  30,  1873;  Maud,  born  March 
29,  1876;  Freddie  Kreager,  born  April  9, 
1879.  He  is  a  Democrat,  and  has  represented 
Melrose  Township  as  Supervisor  for  three 
terms. 

SUMNER  MARING,  farmer,  P.  O.  Mel- 
rose, is  a  native  of  this  county,  where  he  was 
born  August  5,  1859,  son  of  William  and 
Caroline  Maring,  the  father  of  Ohio  and  the 
mother  of  Virginia.  They  were  married  in 
Illinois,  and  raised  three  children,  viz. :  Anna 
Banks,  Chester  Maring  and  the  subject  of 
this  sketch  The  father  died  from  the  effect 
of  gun-shot  wound  received  in  the  late  war. 
The  mother  is  still  living,  and  resides  in 
Kansas.  Subject  grew  to  manhood  and  ed- 
ucated in  the  common  schools  of  this  county. 
He  was  married,  January  1,  1880,  to  Miss 
Elma  Janney,  daughter  of  Isiah  B.  and 
Hanuah  S.  Janney.  Mrs.  Elma  Maring  was 
born  in  Clark  County,  III.,  July  9,  1848. 
The  father  was  a  native  of  Loudoun  County, 


MELROSE    TOWNSHIP. 


193 


Va.,  born  August  31,  1812,  where  he  grew 
to  maturity,  and  married  to  Miss  Han- 
nah Hurst,  also  a  native  of  Virginia,  and 
born  October  24,  1812.  They  were  married 
September  15,  1836,  and  came  immediately 
to  Illinois  and  settled  in  what  is  now  Melrose 
Township.  Here  they  raised  a  family  of 
eleven  children,  of  whom  six  are  living  and 
residents  of  this  county.  Susanna,  married 
to  Milton  Hollenbeck;  Elizabeth,  married 
to  William  Miller;  Sarah  B.,  married  to 
Perry  Bartlett;  Isaiah  B.  Janney,  married  to 
Margaret  Pyle;  Amanda  P.,  married  to  L. 
Gray;  3d  Elma,  married  to  subject  of  these 
lines.  Mr.  Janney  died  at  his  homestead, 
September  7,  1878,  lamented  by  a  large  cir- 
cle of  friends,  whose  confidence  he  enjoyed  to 
the  fullest  extent;  his  wife  siu'vives  him,  and 
makes  her  home  with  her  daughter,  Elma 
Maring.  Subject  has  a  farm  of  120  acres  in 
Melrose  Township.  Substantial  frame  resi- 
dence erected  in  1881.  They  are  members  of 
the  United  Brethren  Church.  Politics,  Re- 
publican. 

ROBERT  E.  JIcKAIN,  farmer,  P.  O. 
West  Union,  was  bom  July  14, 1823,  in  Ohio 
County,  Ind.,  and  resided  on  the  farm  where 
he  was  born  and  raised  until  he  was  married, 
in  1849,  to  Martha  J.,  daughter  of  Samuel 
and  Nancy  Gould,  of  Fayette  County.  Ind. 
In  1852,  Mr.  McKain  pm-ehased  a  farm 
on  what  is  known  as  Clay  Prairie,  Clay 
County,  and  with  his  wife  and  two  children 
moved  there  in  the  fall  of  the  same  year. 
After  remaining  on  the  farm  two  years,  he 
went  to  California  in  1856  and  remained 
until  1859,  when  he  returned  and  again 
with  his  family  moved  to  Clark  County, 
where  he  resided  until  his  death,  Decem- 
ber 17,  1879.  Ml-.  McKain  had  a  family 
of  four  childi-en.  Perry  A.,  the  oldest, 
was  born  January  7,  1850.  in  Ohio  Coim- 
ty,  Ind.,    and   was  quite  a  small   boy  when 


his  parents  moved  to  this  State.  His  boy- 
hood days  were  spent  on  the  farm,  where  he 
worked  in  siunmer  and  attended  district 
school  in  winter.  He  taught  his  first  school 
the  winter  of  1866,  in  Crawford  County,  at 
the  age  of  sixteen.  He  was  educated  at 
Westfield  College,  and  followed  the  profes- 
sion of  teacher  with  sucess  for  some  time.  In 
1872,  he  began  the  study  of  law  in  the  office 
of  Messrs.  Scholfield  &  Wilkin.  In  1873,  he 
was  elected  by  the  Republican  party  to  the 
office  of  Superintendent  of  Schools;  was  ad- 
mitted to  the  bar,  in  1874,  and  died  May  1, 
1875.  Eugene  McKain  was  born  March  4, 
1851.  He  received  his  education  in  the  dis- 
trict school  and  Westfield  College;  taught 
several  terms  of  school  with  success,  and  be- 
gan the  study  of  medicine  in  Dr.  Prewett'a 
office,  in  the  year  of  1873.  Was  married, 
December  14,  1875,  to  Lizzie  E.  Rains.  To 
them  one  child,  a  daughter,  named  Frankie, 
was  born,  November  21,  1877.  The  two  other 
children,  Robert  E.,  born  February  22,  1857, 
and  Mamie,  born  January  26,  1861;  are 
both  single  and  reside  with  the  widowed 
mother. 

CHARLES  M.  MEEKER,  farmer,  P.  O. 
Melrose.  Charles  M.  Meeker,  is  a  native  of 
Delaware  County,  Ohio,  born  March  16,  1829. 
He  is  the  fourth  of  a  family  of  six  children 
of  Enoch  and  Joannah  (Morehouse)  Meeker. 
They  were  each  born  in  New  Jersey,  where 
they  grew  to  matiu'itj'  and  married  soon  after 
coming  to  Ohio,  and  settled  in  Delaware 
County.  There  they  made  a  residence  of 
about  twenty  years,  and  then  removed  to  this 
county  in  1840.  They  settled  in  Melrosd 
Township,  where  they  died;  the  mother  about 
1848,  and  the  father  in  1875.  Subject  grew 
to  manhood  in  this  county,  and  in  1851 
(June  13)  married  to  Miss  Sarah  A.  Ed- 
wards, daughter  of  Joseph  and  Hannah  Ed- 
wards.   She  was  born  in  Daviess  County,  Ind., 


194 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


January  29,  1830,  and  came  to  this  county 
with  parents  when  about  two  years  old.  Mr. 
Meeker  has  a  family  of  six  children,  of  whom 
three  are  deceased,  viz.:  Joseph,  born  Sep- 
tember 24,  1853,  died  in  infancy;  George  If., 
December  24,  1854,  and  died  November  2, 
1859;  Jasper,  September  3,  1859;  Arthur, 
April  3,  1863;  Oliver,  May  11,  1865.  In 
August,  1861,  Mr.  Meeker  became  a  member 
of  Company  K,  First  Missouri  Cavalry,  from 
which  he  was  discharged  in  June,  1862,  on 
account  of  disability.  He  is  a  Eepublican 
in  politics.  Both  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Meeker  are 
members  of  the  United  Brethren  Church. 
Subject  owns  a  farm  of  ISO  acres,  120  in 
Jlelrose  Township  and  60  in  Orange  Town- 
ship. 

WILLIAM  MILLER,  farmer,  P.  O.  West 
Union.  Among  the  oldest  settlers  now  living 
in  Melrose  Township  is  the  subject  of  this 
sketch,  William  Miller.  He  was  born  near 
York,  in  Clark  County,  111.,  September  24, 
1818.  His  parents,  Hugh  and  Polly  (Gor- 
don) Miller,  came  from  the  State  of  New 
York  and  settled  in  what  is  now  York  Town- 
ship, this  county,  in  1815;  this  was  perhaps 
about  the  first  settler  in  the  county,  and 
when  William  was  growing  up  the  Indians 
were  very  common  in  the  country,  and  for 
many  years  the  country  was  so  infested  with 
wolves  that  great  care  was  necessary  to  in- 
sure the  stock  of  the  settlers  from  their  rav- 
ages. The  parents  of  William  Miller  were 
born  in  New  York,  the  father  July  4,  1791, 
and  the  mother  in  December  of  same  year. 
They  had  a  f  amil  y  of  seven  children,  of  whom 
William  was  the  second,  and  of  whom  one 
died  in  infancy.  Mr.  William  Miller's 
early  education  consisted  of  what  could 
be  obtained  by  attending  from  one  to 
three  months  in  the  year,  often  going  a 
distance  of  three  miles.  Having  this  pio- 
neer   experience,    he   was    better    prepared 


to  grapple  with  the  stern  realities  of  life, 
and  has  lived  to  see  the  country  of  his 
boyhood  develop  into  comfortable  and  at- 
tractive homes.  He  was  married  to  Matilda 
Bai'tlett,  daughter  of  James  and  Hannah 
Bartlett,  of  whom  mention  has  been  made. 
They  were  married  in  November,  1841. 
Matilda  Bartlett  was  born  July  6,  1818,  and 
died  March  27,  1844,  leaving  two  children, 
viz.:  Hannah  and  Wesley  Miller;  the  former 
died.  She  was  man'ied  to  George  Riley  and 
left  six  children,  the  younger,  Bruce  Riley, 
being  now  a  member  of  the  family  of  Will- 
iam MillA".  Mrs.  Riley  was  born  September 
9,  1842,  and  died  April  14,  1876.  Wesley 
Miller  is  married  to  Elizabeth  Janaoy.  Sub- 
ject was  married  to  Margaret  Ancker  about 
1845.  She  was  born  April  23,  1811,  and 
died  February  6,  1870.  By  this  union  there 
are  three  childrKn — Martha  J.  Miller,  born 
October  1,  1846,  and  died  February  28, 1851; 
Charles  J.  Miller,  born  February  26,  1848, 
died  March  12,  1851;  Mary  E.  Miller,  born 
January  21,  1853,  and  died  Mirch  29,  1854. 
Married  to  his  present  wife,  Elizabeth  Handy, 
October  4,  1870.  She  was  born  in  this 
county  February  25,  1826,  and  is  a  daughter 
of  Thomas  and  Elizabeth  Handy.  Two 
nieces  are  members  of  this  (Miller)  family, 
viz.:  Doratha  E.  Miller,  born  July  8,  1858; 
Alzada  Miller,  born  June  3,   1870. 

WILLIAM  W.  MILLER,  farmer,  P.  O. 
Melrose,  is  a  son  of  William  and  Matilda 
(Bartlett)  Miller,  whose  sketch  appears  else- 
where. He  was  born  in  Clark  County  March 
4,  1844,  and  has  always  resided  in  Melrose 
Township.  He  received  the  elements  of  an 
English  education  in  the  common  schools,  and 
in  August,  1862,  became  a  member  of  Com- 
pany I,  Seventy-ninth  Illinois  Regiment, 
in  which  he  served  about  three  years  and  was 
mustered  out  Jime  25,  1865.  He  was  twice 
wounded,  once  in  the  right  shoulder  and  once 


MELROSE    TOWNSHIP. 


195 


in  the  left  arm;  participated  in  the  battles 
of  Stone  River,  Chickamaiitra,  Liberty  Gap 
and  a  number  of  other  active  engagements, 
including  all  the  service  of  his  regiment.  He 
was  married,  January  23,  1808,  to  Miss  Han- 
nah E.  Janney,  daughter  of  Isaiah  and  Han- 
nah Janney.  She  was  born  February  4,  1840, 
in  Melrose  Township.  Their  family  consists 
of  four  children,  viz. :  Minnesota  Miller, 
born  December  24,  1869;  Edmond  Miller, 
born  September  15,  1871;  Ella  T.  Miller, 
Dorn  September  22,  1875;  Rosa  Miller,  born 
April  15,  1878.  Mi-.  Miller  has  a  farm  of 
120  acres  of  improved  land  in  Section  8  of 
Melrose  Township.  Mrs.  Miller  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  United  Brethren  Church,  and  Mr. 
Miller  is  a  member  of  the  I.  O.  O.  F.  Pol- 
itics, Repiiblican.  Engaged  in  stock-rais- 
ing and  general  farmipg. 

THOMAS  RICHARDS,  farmer,  P.  O.  Wal- 
nut Prairie,  is  a  native  of   Maryland,  where 
he  was  born  November  22, 1821.     His  father 
was  Andrew  Richards;  was  a  native  of  Mary- 
land, and  descends  from  Scotch  origin.     He 
grew  to  manhood  in  Maryland,   and  married 
Miss  Rebecca  Merman,  also  a  native  of  Mary- 
land.   They  had  a  family  of  eleven  childi-on, 
of  whom  Thomas  is  the   ninth,    and  all  but 
two  born  in   Maryland.     They   emigrated  to 
Ohio  and  settled  in  Licking  County  in  1825. 
There  the  parents  died,    the  father  in  1855 
and  the  mother  in   1859.     Subject  grew  to 
matLU-ity  in  Licking  County,  Ohio.    His  early 
education  consisted  of  such   as  was  to  be  ob- 
tained in  the  pioneer  schools  of  the  then  new 
country.      He  was  married,  in  Licking  Coun- 
ty, April  11,  1850,  to  Miss  Mary  Ann  Brown, 
daughter  of  Jacob  and  Letitia  Brown.     She 
was  born  in  Licking  County,  Ohio,  June  24, 
1824.     They  made  a  residence  of   two   years 
in  Ohio,  and  in  April  of    1852,  they  came  to 
Illinois  and  settled  where   they   now  live  in 
Melrose   Township,    Clark     County.       They 


bought  land  of  a  man  named  Baker,  which 
was  covered  with  a  dense  growth  of  timber, 
brush  and  vines,  which   they  have    removed 
until  now  they  have  a  comfortable  home  con- 
sisting of    293  acres,    with  very  substantial 
improvements.      Their  family  comprises  four 
children,   whose  record  is  as  follows:     Re- 
becca L.  Richards,  born  in  Ohio,  August  28, 
1851,  married  to  ¥.  E.  Buckner,  November  8, 
1877;  Diixsilla  Richards,  born  April  3,  1854, 
married  December  20,    1872,   to   Nathaniel 
Jeflers,  they  have   three  children,    viz. :   Es- 
sie,  Ottie  and   Mirlie    Jeffers;    Thomas  \V. 
Richards,  born  July  2,   1860,  married  June 
18,  1882,  to  Miss  Isabell  Cummins;  John  Will- 
iam Richards,  born  November  2,  1863.      The 
family  are  among  the  substantial  element  of 
the  county.      Mr.  Richards  is  a  Democrat. 

JAMES    B.    SHEAPLEY,    farmer,   P.  O. 
Melrose.      Prominent  among  the  citizens  of 
Melrose  Township  and  a  man  who  enjoys  the 
confidence  of   a  large  circle  of  acquaintances 
is  the  subject  of  these  lines,  James  B.  Sheap- 
ley.     He  was   born  in  York  Township,  this 
county,     January     11,     1881.       His    father, 
Michael  Sheapley,  was  born   about  1801,  in 
Prehle  County,  Ohio,    where  he  grew  to  ma- 
turity and  learned  the  trade  of  a  pump  maker. 
He  came  to  Terre  Haute,  Ind. ,    about  1828, 
where  he  engaged   at  his    trade,    and  where 
he  married  Parthenia  Smith,    who  was  born 
June  4,  1811,  near  Chillicothe,  Scioto  Coun- 
ty, Ohio.    Soon  after  the  marriage,  they  made 
a  settlement  in  what  is  now  York  Township, 
where  they  made  their  permanent  residence, 
he,  however,  working  at  his  trade  at  various 
points,  principally  at  Terre  Haute,  where  he 
died  in  the  winter  of  1836.      Thus  left  alone 
with  one  child,  then  five  years  old,  and  hav- 
ing  no  resources  but  personal    effort,    Mrs. 
Sheapley  succeeded  in  providing  for  herself 
and  son.  whom  she  sent  to  school  during  the 
winter,  by  the  product  of  her  loom.    In  1839, 


196 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


she  was  married  to  Samuel  Stepp,  who  was 
bom  about  1800,  in  Butler  County,  Ky. ,  and 
died  m  York  Township  in  fall  of  1842,  leav- 
ing one  son,  William  T.  Stejsp,  now  a  resi- 
dent of  Missoiu'i.  Mrs.  Step]^  subsequently 
married  John  Porter,  and  died  April  18, 
1848.  A.fter  the  death  of  his  mother,  James 
went  near  Chicago  and  worked  one  summer 
as  a  farm  hand,  returning  in  the  winter  and 
attended  school  and  afterward  taught  school 
for  one  year.  He  was  married,  October 
4,  1850,  to  Mrs.  Hannah  White,  widow  of 
William  C.  White,  and  daughter  of  Law- 
rence and  Sarah  Hollenbeek.  She  was 
born  in  New  York,  near  Albany,  May  11, 
1812.  In  1852,  subject  went  to  California 
and  remained  two  years,  returning  in  1854-. 
He  has  taught  more  or  less  until  1876,  in 
connection  with  which  he  has  followed  the 
pui'suit  of  farming.  In  1876,  he  removed  to 
Martinsville  and  took  charge  of  the  Grange 
Store,  which  was  established  by  the  farmers 
of  the  county;  he  conducted  this  business 
imtil  1880,  when  he  retui-ned  to  his  farm, 
consisting  of  175  acres  in  Melrose  Township, 
Sections  6  and  7.  Mrs.  Sheapley's  father 
came  to  this  county  in  the  fall  of  1817,  and 
settled  on  Walnut  Prairie.  Her  mother, 
Sarah  (Lewis)  Hollenbeek,  born  in  the  State 
of  New  York,  died  in  Linn  County,  Iowa 
in  1847.  The  father  died  in  Texas  about 
1868.  Mrs.  Sheapley  was  married  to  Will- 
iam C.  White,  February  1,  1827.  He  died 
September  1,  1847,  having  had  nine  childi-en, 
of  whom  but  three  are  living.  As  the  result 
of  second  marriage  there  are  two  childi'en 
one  of  whom  died  in  infancy — Nineveh 
White,  born  May  11,  1833;  G-ilead,  born 
January  1,  1835;  Elizabeth  E.,  wife  of  L. 
Kelley,  born  February  17, 1841;  Parthenia 
Sheapley,  born  October  30,  1852.  Mr.  Sheap- 
ley is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity 
and  I.  O.  O.  F.  Mrs.  Sheapley  has  been  a 
member  of  church  since  her  childhood. 


JOSEPH  SMITH,  farmer,  P.  O.  West  Un- 
ion, is  a  native  of  Ohio,  born  October  9, 1888. 
He  is  a  son  of  John  and  Charlotte  (Oaks) 
Smith.  The  father  was  a  native  of  Mary- 
land, and  born  in  the  year  1  SOI.  The  mother 
was  born  in  Maryland  in  about  1S02.  They 
both  came  to  Ohio  with  their  parents  while 
yet  in  childhood,  and  grew  to  maturity  and 
married  in  Muskingum  County,  Ohio.  They 
remained  in  Ohio  until  coming  to  Illinois, 
in  1846.  In  May  of  that  year,  they  settled 
on  the  old  William  B.  Archer  farm,  where 
they  made  a  residence  of  but  one  yenr,  when, 
becoming  dissatisfied  with  the  then  un- 
healthy climate,  they  determined  to  return  to 
Ohio,  but  afterward  located  in  Greene  Coun- 
ty, lad.,  where  they  both  died,  the  mother 
in  spring  of  1853,  and  the  father  in  March, 
of  1855.  They  had  a  family  of  ten  children, 
of  whom  Joseph  Smith  is  the  seventh.  He 
returned  to  this  county,  in  July,  1855,  and 
engaged  as  a  farm  hand  until  the  breaking- 
out  of  the  rebellion.  He  became  a  member 
of  Company  K,  First  Missouri  Cavalry,  in 
August,  1861,  and  served  for  the  term  of  his 
enlistment,  and  then  became  a  veteran  in 
the  same  organization,  from  which  he  was 
discharged  in  September,  1865,  and  was 
mustered  out  at  Little  Rock,  Ark.  Mr.  Smith 
participated  in  the  Arkansas  campaign,  in- 
cluding the  engagement  at  Springfield,  Mo., 
and  the  fighting  of  several  days  immediately 
following;  afterward  at  Pea  Ridge,  Ark.,  on 
the  6th,  7th  and  8th  of  March,  1862,  and  par- 
ticij)ated  in  all  the  active  engagements  of  his 
regiment.  He  was  made  a  Corporal  in  1862, 
which  position  he  held  until  discharged.  In 
1866  (March  11).  he  was  man-ied  to  Miss  Mar- 
tha Bartlett,  daughter  of  James  and  Hannah 
(Taladsy)  Bartlett.  She  was  born  in  Clark 
County,  on  the  26th  of  January,  1823.  They 
have  no  children,  but  are  raising  a  nephew, 
Edward  Grant,  son  of  Jeremiah  and   Char- 


MELROSE    TOWKSHIP. 


199 


lotte  M.  Grant,  who  was  born  July  31,  1874. 
Mr.  Smith  has  a  farm  of  105  acres  in  Section 
14.  of  Melrose,  with  substantial  buildings, 
which  has  to  a  great  extent  been  the  result 
of  his  own  labor.  They  are  both  members 
of  the  Blethodist  Episcopal  Church  at  Plym- 
outh Church,  Melrose  Township.  Politics, 
Greenback,  and  has  served  the  township  in 
official  capacity,  and  is  an  ardent  advocate  of 
the  cause  of  temperance. 

MARTIN  WILLARD,  farmer,  P.  O.  West 
York,  is  the  oldest  settler  now  living  in  Mel- 
rose Township,  coming  to  the  immediate  lo- 
cality where  he  now  lives,  in  June,  1818. 
His  father,  Joseph  Willai-d,  was  a  native  of 
North  Carolina,  and  was  born  November  14, 
1769.  He  was  a  son  of  Martin  and  Rachel 
Willard,  and  was  raised  in  his  native  State, 
and  was  married  November  23,  1796,  to  Miss 
Peninah  Jessop.  She  was  born  in  North 
Carolina,  and  died  in  Clark  County,  111.,  on 
the  8th  of  October,  1841.  They  had  a  fam- 
ily of  eleven  children,  all  but  the  two  younger 
born  in  North  Carolina.  Margaret  and  Mar- 
tin was  born  in  Orange  County,  Ind.,  and 
the  latter,  the  subject  of  these  lines,  born 
on  the  19th  of  May,  1817.  The  family 
landed  in  what  is  now  Melrose  Township,  on 
the  r2th  of  June,  1818,  and  was  the  owner 
of  one  horse  and  cart.  He  began  without 
house  or  any  shelter  other  than  a  rude  pro- 
tection for  his  family,  which  he  constructed 
of  poles  set  up  and  covered  with  poplar  bark. 
Here,  surrounded  by  a   dense  forest  of  tim- 


er, infested  with  wild  animals  and  Indians, 
be  began  to  make  for  himself  a  home,  and 
with  the  help  of  his  older  children,  soon  had 
made  a  cabin  house  and  cleared  a  small  field. 
He  lived  to  make  for  his  family  a  comforta- 
ble home,  and  died  where  Martin  now  lives, 
on  the  14th  of  February,  1845.  The  circum- 
stances, therefore,  under  which  Martin  was 
raised,  were  siich  as  to  fit  him  well  for  the 
battle  of  life,  and  now,  although  sixty-six 
years  old,  is  still  able  to  oversee  the  interests 
of  the  farm.  He  was  married,  February  21, 
1841,  to  Miss  Sarah  Drajier.  She  was  born 
in  Indiana  July  13,  1819,  and  is  the  daugh- 
ter of  Jesse  and  Abigail  Draper.  Their  fam- 
ily consists  of  ten  chiidi-en,  two  of  whom  are 
dead,  viz. :  Caroline,  born  March  8,  1842, 
the  wife  of  Riley  Mills;  Mary  J. ,  born  Novem- 
ber 20, 1843,  died  September  11,  1865;  Isaiah, 
bom  September  17,Sl845,  died  July  19, 1879; 
William  M.,  born  December  21,  1847,  mar- 
ried to  Miss  I.  Burrows;  Charlotte,  born 
November  13, 1849,the  wife  of  Edward  Wolf; 
Amanda,  born  August  22,  1851,  the  wife  of 
William  P.  Claypool;  George  Willard,  born 
July  3,  1853;  Martha  A.,  born  November  20, 
1855,  the  wife  of  Henry  Newlin;  Alice  C, 
the  wife  of  A.  Gideon,  was  born  Novem- 
ber 11,  1857;  Frank  P.,  born  June  3, 
1861,  married  to  Barbara  Stuck.  Mr.  Wil- 
lard and  wife  are  members  of  the  Society  of 
Friends,  commonly  called  Quakers.  Their 
ancestors  were  members  of  the  same  organi- 
zation. 


200 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


ATJBURl^  TOWNSHIP. 


JOHN  H.  ADAMS,  farmer,  P.  O.  Martins- 
ville, was  born  in  Rockingham  County,  Va., 
August  13,  1827,  and  when  ten  years  old  re- 
moved   with    his     parents,    John  and    Mary 
Adams,  to  Butler  County,  Ohio.     Hie  father 
was  born  in  Pennsylvania  in  1789,  and  when 
a  young  man  went  to  Virginia  to  engage  at 
his  trade,  that  of  saddler  and  harness-maker. 
In  1824,  he  married  Miss   Mary    Long,  who 
was  born  in    Rockingham    County   in    1800. 
From  Virginia  they  moved   to  Butler  Coun- 
ty, Ohio,  in    1837,    where    they    died.     The 
mother  died  in  April  in  1848,  and  the  father 
in  1851  (January).       John  H.  is  the  third  of 
their  family    of  eleven  childi-en.       He    was 
educated  in  the  common  schools,  and  married 
on  the  20th  of  March,  1850,  in  Butler  Coun- 
ty, Ohio,  to  Miss  Julia  A.  Flenner,  daughter 
of  George  and  Mary  (Andrew)  Flenner.    She 
was  born  April  29,  1823.     She   is    the  ninth 
of  a  family  of  ten  chidren,  of  whom  four  are 
residents  of  Clark  County.    Her  mother  died 
in  Butler  County,  Ohio.       Mr.  Adams  came 
from  Ohio  to  this  county   and  settled   where 
he  now  lives  in  1850,  buying  a  tract  of  land 
of    John  McCune.     He  now  owns  a  farm  of 
215  acres,  well  improved,  including  a  substan- 
tial frame  dwelling;  engaged  in  general  farm- 
ing and  wool-growing.   He  has  seven  children, 
viz. :  George  H.Adams,  bornSeptember  20, 1854, 
and  died  April  23,  1855;  Mary  E.,  born  Jan- 
uary 11,  1857,  married :  Margaret,  born  June 
27,    1858,  the  wife  of  George   S.   Sharp;  Al- 
ma, born  January  21,  1860,  the  wife  of  P.  F. 
Kittering;  John   L. ,  born  October  29,  1861, 
married  Mary  E.   Shaftner;    Alice  A.,   born 
Jiuie29,  1867:  Carrie  E.,born  July  28,  1869. 
Ml-,  and  Mrs.  Adams  and  three  elder  daugh- 


ters are  members  of  the  "United  Brethren 
Church  at  Dolson  Chapel.  The  following 
obituary  of  the  father  of  Mi's.  Adams  is 
taken  from  the  Telescope:  George  Flenner 
died  at  his  residence,  in  Clark  County,  111., 
June  26,  1864,  aged  seventy-seven  years  ten 
months  and  seven  days.  Brother  F.  was  born 
in  Lancaster  County,  Pa. ,  August  19,  1786. 
Soon  afterwar  1,  he  emigrated  with  his  par- 
ents to  Butler  County,  Ohio,  where  he  was 
converted  and  joined  the  United  Brethren 
Church,  under  the  labors  of  Rev.  Jacob  An- 
1  rim,  about  forty-five  years  ago.  From  that 
timeimtil  his  death,  he  lived  a  devoted  Chris- 
tian. In  his  last  illness,  he  was  patient  and 
very  much  resigned,  for  he  had  been  wait- 
ing for  some  time  to  be  summoned  home,  and 
when  the  messenger  of  death  came  he  was 
ready  and  anxious  to  go.  So  his  end  was 
peace.  He  held  an  oiBcial  connection  with 
the  church  as  an  exhorter  and  class  leader 
for  many  years,  and  his  house  was  a  preach- 
ing place,  and  the  home  of  the  weary  itiner- 
ant for  a  great  while.  He  has  left  many  rel- 
atives (for  ho  had  ten  children)  and  very 
many  classmates  to  mourn  his  loss,  but  their 
loss  is  his  gain. 

WILLIAM  H.  BEADLE,  farmer,  P.  O. 
Martinsville,  was  born  in  Clark  County,  Ind., 
February  13,  1835.  His  father,  Abraham  H 
Beadle,  was  a  Virginian  by  birth,  which  oc- 
curred February  16,  1800,  and  when  he  was 
six  years  old  removed  with  his  father,  James 
Beadle,  to  Kentucky,  where  he  grew  to  man- 
hood, removing  to  Indiana  when  twenty  years 
old.  Here  he  followed  boating  on  the  Ohio 
in  the  winter  and  farming  in  the  summer, 
and  was  married  May  5,  1820,  to  Miss  Sarah 


AUBURN   TOWNSHIP. 


201 


Carr,  daughter  of  Elisha  Carr,  one  of  the  pio- 
neers of  Indiana.  She  was  born  May  25, 
1800.  They  made  their  residence  in  Clark 
Connty,  Ind.,  until  1850,  when  they  removed 
to  Clark  County,  111.  DiU'ing  the  residence  in 
Indiana,  five  children  were  born,  of  whom  but 
two  are  living.  The  record  of  this  family  is  as 
follows:  Nancy  Beadle,  born  in  Clark 
County.  Ind.,  A.ugust  28, 1822,  and  died  No- 
vember 25,  1822;  Mary  C.  Beadle,  born  No- 
vember 23,1823,  she  married  John  Campbell 
of  Indiana,  and  died  in  this  County  October 
10,  1850,  leaving  a  family  of  two  children: 
Mary  E. ,  married  to  John  Garver,  and  Jo- 
seph A.  Campbell,  of  Casey,  111. ;  Ann  Eliza 
Beadle,  born  June  13,  1829,maiTied  to  J.  H. 
Watson,  of  Martinsville  Township;  Edward 
E.  Beadle,  born  January  6,  1832  and  died 
December  1,  1834;  and  William  H.  Beadle, 
born  as  above  stated.  He  obtained  the  rudi- 
ments of  an  education  in  the  primitive 
schoolhouse  with  puncheon  floor,  slab 
benches  and  greased  paper  window,  and 
came  with  the  family  to  this  county  in  the 
spring  of  1850.  He  was  maiTied  in  July, 
1855,  to  Miss  Sarah  C.  Jones,  daughter  of 
Abram  T.  Jones,  of  Dolson  Township.  She 
was  born  in  Coshocton  County,  Ohio,  Janu- 
ary 4, 1833,  and  came  to  this  county  with  her 
parents  about  1853.  After  the  marriage  of 
William  H.  Beadle,  his  father  gave  him  the 
control  of  the  farm  and  moved  to  Marshall, 
where  the  mother  died  March  24,  1859,  and 
the  father  April  3,  1859,  the  father  contract- 
ing his  sickness  while  attending  the  burial 
of  his  wife.  They  were  characterized  by 
their  public  spirit,  were  members  of  the 
Christian  Church  and  enjoyed  the  confidence 
of  a  large  circle  of  friends.  Subject  lost  his 
wife  by  death  March  4,  1857,  leaving  one 
child,  Sarah  C.  Beadle.  She  was  born 
December  26,  1856,  and  married  to  Lewis 
Heath  in  February,  1877.     Mr.  Beadle   was 


married  to  his  present  wife  Malinda  Chilcote, 
on  the  17th  of  April,  1859.  She  is  a  daugh- 
ter of  Nicodemus  aad  Anna  Chilcote,  former- 
ly of  Ohio,  and  natives  oE  Pennsylvania. 
The  father  died  in  Douglas  County  Decem- 
ber 24,  1879;  the  wife  survives  him  and  re- 
sides in  Douglas  County.  Mrs.  Beadle  was 
born  in  Morrow  County,  Ohio.  April  18, 
1841.  Mr.  Beadle  is  a  member  of  the 
Knights  of  Honor,  a  Republican,  and  from 
1878  to  1880  served  the  county  as  Sheriff. 
He  has  also  served  his  township  officially  for 
several  years.  He  owns  a  farm  of  153  acres 
in  Sections  22  and  23  of  Auburn  Township; 
has  a  substantial  frame  residence  on  the 
Westtield  road  eight  miles  west  from  Mar- 
shall, engaged  in  mixed  husbandry. 

GEORGE  FREDENBERGERi  farmer,  P. 
O.  Clark  Centre.  The  subject  of  these  lines 
is  a  native  of  this  county.  Auburn  Township, 
July  31,  1848,  son  of  .John  A.  and  Elizabeth 
(Wendel)  Fredenberger.  The  father  was  born 
in  Bavaria,  Germany,  as  was  also  his  grand- 
parents Fredenberger,  and  came  to  the  Unit- 
ed States  about  1833,  and  located  for  a  short 
time  in  Ohio,  and  soon  after  came  to  what  is 
now  Clark  CoTinty,  and  assisted  in  the  con- 
struction of  the  Cumberland  road,  and  after- 
ward entered  land  in  Section  30,  where  he 
lived  until  the  time  of  his  death,  which  oc- 
curred May  18,  1879,  in  his  seventy-fourth 
year.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Evangelical 
Church  of  Marshall  for  many  years,  being 
among  the  organizers  of  that  society,  and 
had  meetings  in  his  private  house  before  the 
founding  of  the  Marshall  society.  He  was  a 
man  who  enjoyed  the  confidence  of  all  who 
knew  him.  The  mother  of  our  subject.  Eliza- 
beth Wendel,  was  a  native  of  Prussia ;  was  born 
about  1806,  and  gi-ew  to  matiu-ity  in  the  old 
country.  She  liied  in  the  old  homestead  in 
September  2,  1878.  She  was  also  for  many 
years  a  member  of   the  Evangelical  Church. 


202 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


Had  a  family  of  six  children,  of  whom  two 
are  deceased  and  of  whom  George  is  the 
youngest.  J.  P.  Fredenberger,  the  oldest, 
was  killed  in  battle  at  Perryville,  Ky.;  Eliza- 
beth Coimts,  of  California;  Catherine  Lutz, 
Dolson  Township,  and  Mary  S.  Gilbert,  of 
Wabash.  Subject  was  raised  in  Aiiburn 
Township,  and  educated  in  the  common 
schools;  married,  February  22,  1872,  in  Mar- 
shall Township,  to  Miss  Sarah  A.  Biorbaum, 
daughter  of  Christian  and  Mary  (Salter) 
Bierbaura.  She  was  born  in  Indiana,  Marion 
County,  May  6.  1850.  The  parents  are  resi- 
dents of  Marshall  Township.  They  have  a 
family  of  six  childi-en — John  W.  Fredenber- 
ger, born  May  11,  1873;  Edward  W.,  born 
October  7,  1874;  Mary  A.,  born  October  1, 
18'76;  Emma  L.,  born  August  17, 1878;  Cora 
M.,  born  February  17,  1882,  died  May  18, 
1882;  infant,  born  February  27,  1883. 
They  are  both  members  of  United  Brethren 
Church,  Marshall  Township.  In  April,  1880, 
ill-.  F.  was  elected  to  the  office  of  Justice  of 
the  Peace  for  the  township  of  Anburn. 

ALLEN  HURST,  farmer,  P.  O.  Auburn, 
son  of  Nicholas  and  Harriet  Hurst,  was  born 
November  25,  1852,  in  Clark  County,  111., 
and  received  the  elements  of  an  English  edu- 
cation in  the  common  schools  of  Auburn 
Township.  He  was  married  January  23, 1873, 
in  Dolson  Township,  to  Miss  Nancy  Johnson, 
daughter  of  Abram  and  Mary  Johnson.  She 
was  born  in  Dolson  Township  July  21,  1855. 
Mr.  A.  Hurst  is  one  of  the  most  reliable  men 
in  the  county,  and  is  held  in  high  esteem  for 
his  upright  walk  and  temperate  habits.  He 
has  a  farm  of  eighty  acresjof  land  in  Auburn 
Township,  and  for  several  years  has  served 
the  township  as  Constable.  His  family  con- 
sists of  three  children,  viz. :  John  Hurst, 
born  August  5,  1876;  Nicholas,  born  April, 
1878;  Harriet,  born  February  4,1882.  Nich- 
olas Hurst,    father    of  Allen,   was  born   in 


Kentucky  February  23,  1818.  He  came  to 
this  State  in  1832.  "'and  lived  for  a  short  time 
in  Edgar  County,  from  where  he  came  to 
this  county.  He  is  a  man  in  whom  has  been 
placed  a  vast  degree  of  public  trust,  having 
tilled  the  offices  of  Associate  Judge,  County 
Sheriff  and  two  terms  as  County  Treasurer. 
For  the  past  twenty  years,  he  has  been  in  the 
office  of  Justice  of  the  Peace;  has  been  three 
times  married,  in  each  case  raising  a  family. 
His  first  wife  was  Harriet  Craig,  [who  died 
April  4,  1856.  The  second  wife  was  Sarah 
J.  Rains,  who  died  October  1,  1864.  Present 
wife  is  Nancy  Harner,  to  whom  he  was  mar- 
ried April  1,  1867. 

RICHARD  JOHNSON  deceased,  was  born 
in  Bucks  County,  Penn.,  October  4,  1801. 
He  was  a  son  of  Nathaniel  Johnson  and  was 
reared  in  Pennsylvania.  He  was  a  practical 
farmer  and  miller,  and  was  married  March 
14,  1830,  in  Muskingum  County,  Ohio,  to 
Miss  Sarah  Fogle,  daughter  of  John  and 
Susan  (Baird)  Fogle.  She  was  born  April 
7,  1810,  near  Hagerstown,  on  the  Potomac, 
where  the  first  eight  years  of  her  life  were 
spent.  Her  parents  then  settled  near  Zanes- 
ville,  Muskingum  Co.,  Ohio,  where  she  grew 
to  womanhood.  In  this  locality  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Johnson  spent  the  greater  part  of  their  mar  - 
ried  life,  and  reared  their  family  of  nine 
children,  four  of  whom  are  residents  of  this 
county.  They  came  to  this  county  and  set- 
tled on  the  farm  now  occupied  by  Amos  W. 
Johnson  in  fall  of  1860.  Richard  Johnson 
died  on  this  farm  April  15,  1877.  Although 
not  a  pioneer  of  the  county,  he  lived  in  it 
long  enough  to  endear  himself  to  a  large  cir- 
cle of  friends  whose  confidence  he  fully  en- 
joyed. His  wife,  Sarah  Johnson,  survives 
him,  and  has  a  comfortable  home  with  her 
son,  Amos  W.  Ann  Johnson  was  born  Oc- 
tober 20,  1830,  the  wife  of  Martin  Thomas, 
and  died  April  20,  1850;    Clayton,  born  Oc- 


AUBURN    TOWNSHIP. 


203 


tober  20,  1832,  died  in  August,  1857;  Arth- 
ely,  born  September  28,  1834,  and  died  in 
November,  1838;  Alfred,  born  October  28, 
1836;  Carson,  born  November  1,  1838;  Asa, 
born  February  7,  1841;  Susannah,  born  June 
26,  1843,  married  Noah  Smithly,  and  died 
on  the  13th  of  November,  1879;  Amanda,  born 
July  29  1846,  married  W.  E.  Bony;  Amos 
W.,  bom  April  23,  1848.  The  latter  was 
educated  in  this  county  and  married  i'ebru- 
ary  14,  1876, to  Miss  Maria  R.  Bair,  daugh- 
er  of  John  and  Abbie  Bair.  She  was  born 
November  21,  1853,  in  DeKalb  County,  Ind. 
Her  father  was  a  native  of  Pennsylvania  and 
her  mother  of  Ohio.  They  were  married  in 
Ohio  and  came  to  Illinois  and  Clark  County 
in  the  spring  of  1870,  and  are  now  residents 
of  Martinsville.  Amos  W.  Johnson  has  a 
family  of  three  children,  viz. :  Gertrude  M., 
born  November  9,  1876;  Clarence  E.,  born 
November  15,  1878,  and  Charles  W.,  born 
November  3,  1880.  A.  W.  Johnson  has  a 
farm  of  100  acres  in  good  state  of  cultivation 
and  well  improved.  His  mother  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 

CARSON  JOHNSON,  farmer,  P.  O.  Mar- 
tinsville, is  the  fifth  of  a  family  of  nine  chil- 
dren of  Richard  and  Sarah  Johnson,  whose 
sketch  is  given  herein.  He  was  born  in  Mus- 
kingum County,  Ohio,  November  1,  1838, 
and  came  to  this  county  with  the  family  in 
1860.  In  the  spring  of  1862,  he  enlisted  in 
Company  G,Fifty-foiu-th  Illinois  Volunteers. 
He  served  his  time  of  enlistment  and  vet- 
eranized, being  discharged  and  mustered  oiit 
at  Springfield,  111. ,  in  fall  of  1865.  He  lost 
his  right  hand  at  Paducah,  Ky.  After  re- 
turning home,  he  pursued  his  farm  work. 
He  bought  his  first  eighty  acres  of  land  of 
Lewis  Fulton.  He  now  owns  367  acres  of 
land,  of  which  pai-t  is  in  Martinsville  Town- 
ship. He  h/is  a  substantial  frame  residence 
on  the  southwest  quarter  of  southeast  quarter 


of  Section  27.  He  engages  in  stock  raising 
and  general  faiTuing.  He  was  married  Feb- 
ruary 11,  1872,  in  Clark  County,  to  Miss 
Mary  E.  Cook,  daughter  of  Eli  and  Martha 
Cook.  She  was  born  February  18,  1852. 
This  family  came  from  Clark  County,  Ind., 
to  this  county  in  1853.  They  have  a  family 
of  one  daughter,  viz. :  Sarah  A.  Johnson,  born 
April  20,  1880.  Mrs.  Johnson  is  a  member 
of  the  United  Brethren  Church. 

F.  E.  LESEURE,  Postmaster  and  grocer, 
Auburn,  is  a  native  of  France,  born  Sep- 
tember 21,  1816,  a  son  of  Joseph  and  Fel- 
icite  (Hurel)  Leseure.  Our  subject  grew  to 
manhood  in  his  native  country,  and  was  mar- 
ried in  February,  1838,  to  Miss  Lawrence 
Collin,  who  was  born  in  France  about  1817, 
and  died  in  Terre  Haute,  Ind.,  in  March, 
1864,  leaving  five  children,  all  of  whom  are 
living — Hem-y  and  Emanuel,  who  are  resi- 
dents of  Marshall,  111. ;  Agathe,  who  married 
Lafayette  Ashmore;  Mary,  married  Hubert 
Guthwick,  of  Harper's  Ferry,  Iowa,  and  Er- 
nestine., who  is  also  living  in  Harper's  Fer- 
ry, Iowa.  Our  subject  came  to  the  United 
States  in  December,  1849,  and  has  since  been 
engaged  in  mercantile  business.  He  came  to 
Clark  County  in  1864,  and  for  fifteen  years 
has  been  Postmaster  at  different  points.  He 
married  his  second  wife,  Sarah  M.  Hollings- 
worth,  July  28,  1855.  She  is  a  native  of 
Clay  County,  Ind.,  born  December  2,  1843. 
They  are  the  parents  of  the  following  chil- 
dren: Pauline,  born  November  4,  1871; 
Prosper,  February  10,  1876,  and  Sophia, 
April  28,  1881.  Our  subject  is  at  present  en- 
gaged in  business  in  the  village  of  Auburn. 
He  is  also  the  owner  of  three  farms,  two  of 
which  are  located  in  Anderson  Township,  and 
consist  of  eighty  and  120  acres,  and  the  other 
in  Auburn  Township  consisting,  of  eighty 
acres.  Mr.  Leseure  is  a  member  of  the 
Catholic  Church 


204 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


TILGHMAN  H.  LINTON,  farmer,  P.  O. 
Clark  Centre,  was  born  November  13,  1847, 
in  Parke  County,  Ind.  His  father  was  Will- 
iam Linton  and  the  mother  was  Sarah  Bul- 
ling ton.  His  father  was  born  in  1820,  in 
Kentucky,  and  losing  his  parents  when 
young,  was  raised  by  an  uncle,  William 
Payne,by  whom  he  was  brought  to  Indiana, 
where  he  was  married  to  Sarah  Bullington. 
She  was  born  in  Parke  County,  Ind. ,  in  1827, 
and  was  the  daughter  of  William  and  Mar- 
garet Bullington.  They  had  a  family  of  two 
sons,  viz. :  George  and  T.  H.  Linton.  When 
the  latter  was  quite  young,  his  father,  Will- 
iam Linton,  died.  His  mother  afterward 
married  to  James  K.  Bullion,  and  died  in 
Iowa  in  1866.  Mr.  William  Linton  came  to 
this  county  with  his  family  about  1849,  but 
his  health  failing,  be  retm-ned  to  Indiana, 
where  he  died  as  above  stated.  In  spring  of 
1869,  Mr.  T.  H.  Linton  retui'ned  to  this 
county,  and  for  four  years  made  his  home 
with  his  brother  George,  who  had  moved  here 
in  1868.  T.  H.  was  married  January  26, 
1873,  to  Miss  Sarah  M.  Wright,  daughter  of 
Wesley  and  Sarah  Wright.  She  was  born  in 
Clark  County,  April  24,  1857.  Her  parents 
were  born  in  Coshocton  County,  the  father 
on  the  26th  of  October,  1824,  and  the  mother 
February  10,  1827.  They  had  six  children, 
viz.:  Sylvina,  Lemuel  E.,  Joseph  L  ,  Will- 
iam H.,  Sarah  M. ,  John  A.  and  James  W. 
Wright.  William  H.  was  killed  by  the  burst- 
ing of  a  grindstone  on  August  10,  1880; 
John  A.  died  January,  1866,  of  spotted  fever. 
The  father  died  November  26,  1864.  The 
mother  is  the  wife  of  Samuel  Norris.  T.  H, 
Linton  has  a  family  of  fom-  children,  viz. : 
Josephine  and  Joanna,  born  May  8,  1874; 
William,  born  June  12,  1877;  Alonzo,  born 
November  14,  1881.  He  owns  a  farm  of 
eighty  acres  of  land;  sixty  of  which  are  in  cul- 
tivation ;     engaged     in    mixed    husbandry. 


George  Linton  was]born  August  19, 1844,  and 
married  April  23,  1869,  to  Miss  Emrick. 
They  have  a  daughter,  Annie  May,  born 
February  10,  1873. 

ALLEN  H.  anCHAEL,  farmer,  P.  O.  Clark 
Centre,  who  has  been  long  and  favorably 
known  in  Auburn  Township,  was  born  in  Rush 
County,  Ind.,  October  11,  1828.  His  father, 
John  Michael,  was  a  soldier  in  the  war  of 
1812;  was  married  in  Ohio  and  became  one 
of  the  pioneers  of  the  Hoosier  State.  His 
first  wife  died  in  Indiana,  leaving  six  chil- 
dren. He  was  subsequently  married  to  Mar- 
garet Consore,  a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  but 
of  German  parentage.  As  a  result  of  this 
marriage,  there  were  nine  children,  Allen  H. 
being  the  fifth.  His  father  died  in  Missouri 
in  1876.  The  mother  is  living  in  Kansas  in 
her  eighty-fourth  year.  Mr.  Allen  H.  Mi- 
chael came  to  Clark  County,  111.,  with  his  par- 
ents when  twelve  years  old,  and  has  resided 
in  the  county  since.  He  describes  the  school- 
house  in  which  he  received  his  early  educa- 
tion as  being  of  round  .logs,  slab  benches, 
dirt  floor  and  clapboard  door.  He  was  mar- 
ried in  Clark  County   on  the  27th  of  March, 

1853,  to  Miss  Celia  Hurst.  She  was  born 
February  23,  1832,  in  Edgar  County,  111., 
but  principally  raised  in  Clark  County.  They 
have  a  family  of  eight  children,  all  born  in 
this  county,  viz. :     Charles,   born  January  5, 

1854,  and  married  to  Susan  Cloe — they  have 
one  child,  Cora  Bell,  born  September  21, 
1877;  James  A.,  born  May  2,  1855,  and  mar- 
ried Dora  Williams,  one  son — Hartford, 
born  June  10,  1882;  Clara  J.,  wife  of  Joseph 
James,  was  born  July  22,  1858;  Margaret 
v.,  wife  of  J.  F.  Taylor,  was  born  June  17, 
1850 — they  have  one  son,  Hariy,  born  Septem- 
ber 26,  1882;  Sarah  B.,  born  August  27, 
1862;  Mary  F.,  born  October  27,1864;  John 
R.,  born  December  23,  1866;  Elisha,  born 
Januar\'    5,    1869.      In    1857,    Mr.    Michael 


AUBURN    TOWNSHIP. 


205 


bought  his  farm  of  R.  B.  Sutherland.  He 
has  sixty  acres  in  Section  35  and  twenty- 
acres  in  Section  2,  of  Auburn  Township. 
Mr.  Michael,  wife  and  six  children  are  mem- 
bers of  the  Baptist  Church.  He  is  a  mem 
her  of  the  Masonic  fraternity;  has  served  one 
term  as  Deputy  County  Sheriff,  and  for  some 
years  has  tilled  the  office  of  Justice  of  the 
eace.  He  was  a  member  of  Company  H, 
Forty-eighth  Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry,  and 
accompanied  Gen.  Sherman  on  his  march  to 
the  sea. 

JOHN  REED.  The  subject  of  these  lines 
is  a  native  of  Henry  County,  Ky.,  where  he 
was  born  August  30,  1808.  His  father,  Jon- 
athan Reed,  was  born  in  western  Pennsylva- 
nia, and  was  a  soldier  under  Gen.  Wayne. 
He  was  married  in  Virginia  to  Miss  Margaret 
Eweing,  of  Virginia.  They  removed  to  Ken- 
tucky soon  after  marriage  and  made  a  resi- 
dence of  several  years, coming  from  thence  to 
Indiana,  where  they  died  (in  Clark  County). 
They  had  a  family  of  eight  children,  of 
whom  John  Reed  is  the  fourth.  He  attained- 
his  majority  in  Clark  County,  Ind.,  and 
married  in  same  county  in  the  year  1833 
(September  5)  to  Miss  Frances  Beadle,  daugh- 
ter of  James  Beadle.  She  was  born  in  Jeffer-. 
son  County,  Ky.,  March  1,  1816,  and  came 
when  a  child  to  Clark  County,  lud.,  where 
the  parents  settled.  Mr.  Reed  came  to  this 
county  in  1847,  and  in  that  year  located  in 
what  is  now  Dolson  Township,  where  he  en- 
tered forty  acres  land,  upon  which  he  lived  a 
few  years,  and  then  sold  out  and  moved 
where  he  now  lives.  They  have  a  family  of 
twelve  children,  of  whom  four  are  deceased. 

LEANDER  N.  REED,  farmer,  P.  O.  Clark 
Centre,  native  of  Clark  County,  Ind.,  born 
November  28,  1837,  son  of  John  S.  and 
Frances  (Beadle)  Reed.  The  father  was  born 
in  Kentucky  August  30,  1808.  Subject  came 
to    Illinois     and    to    Clark      County    with 


parents  in  1846,  where  he  grew  to  man- 
hood, settled  in  what  is  now  Dolson 
Township.  He  received  the  elements  of  an 
English  education  in  the  common  schools  of 
the  county,  and  married  March  21,  1858,  in 
Auburn  Township,  to  Miss  Eveline  Hurst, 
daughter  of  Nicholas  and  Han-iet  (Craig) 
Hurst.  She  was  born  in  Edgar  County,  III., 
August  19,  1839.  In  1859,  he  bought  ^the 
land  on  which  he  has  since  lived  of  Allen 
Michael,  and  entered  by  Richard  Sutherland, 
consisting  of  fifty-live  acres,  to  which  he  has 
added  sixty-five  acres.  Seventy-five  acres  are 
in  Section  35  and  the  remainder  in  Section 
2;  eighty  acres  in  cultivation;  principal  pro- 
duction, small  grain.  Member  of  the  Mason- 
ic fraternity,  a  Democrat  and  has  represented 
his  township  several  years  as  Supervisor. 
Their  family  consists  of  nine  children,  all 
born  in  Auburn  Township.  Harriet  E. ,  born 
September  19,.  lS59;'Nicholas,  born  June  14, 
1861;  Dora  F.,  born  March  20,  1863;  Eas- 
ter, bom  April  1,  1866,  died  September  18, 
1872;  Emily  M.,  bom  April  27.  1869;  Eve- 
line, born  September  2,  1871;  Viola,  born 
July  12,  1874;  John  A.,  born  July  27,  1877; 
Ollie,  bom  March  26,  1879;  an  infant  died. 
Mrs.  Reed  and  two  oldest  children  are  mem- 
bers of  the  Baptist  Church.  Dora  F.  mar- 
ried March  7,  1883,  to  James  \V.  Dunn. 
He  is  a  native  of  the  county,  son  of  Judge 
and  Rebecca  Dunn.  He  was  bom  Decem- 
ber, 1861. 

WILLIAM  F.  ROMINES,  Martinsville, 
was  born  January  25,  1831,  in  Wythe  County, 
Va.  At  the  age  of  two  years,  he  removed 
with  his  parents,  Jasper  and  Mahala  Rom- 
ines,  to  Clark  County,  111.  The  former  was 
a  native  of  Tennessee  and  the  latter  of  Vir- 
ginia. Mahala  was  a  daughter  of  John 
Wyriek,  a  native  of  Virginia.  Mr.  Jasper 
Romines  located  with  his  family  in  Wabash 
Township,  and  subsequently   made  his  final 


206 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


settlement  iu  Marshall  TowDship,  where  be 
died  March,  1847,  leaving  a  family  of  foiir 
children — Polly  A,  deceased,  wife  of  M. 
N.  Canady;  Jane,  wife  of  James  Wallace; 
Rheuhamy  A.,  wife  of  Gilman  Noyes.  Will- 
iam F.,  whose  name  heads  these  notes,  was 
principally  educated  in  the  schools  of  Mar- 
shall. He  was  married  September  9,  1856,  in 
Clark  County,  to  Miss  Barbara  Meskimen,  a 
daughter  of  Abram,  born  in  17'J8  in  Mary- 
land, and  Amelia,  born  in  Cochocton  Coun- 
ty, Ohio,  in  1808.  Mrs.  Eomines  was  one 
of  nine  children,    and   was   born  March   24, 


1835.  Her  father  received  his  death  by  an 
attack  of  cholera  while  in  the  Western  country 
prospecting  for  land.  William  F.'s  union 
blessed  him  with  foui-  children,  viz.:  Yiola 
R.,  born  November  2,  1860,  man-ied  C.  D. 
Cleaver,  September,  1879;  Leroy,  born  July 
21,  1865;  Charley,  born  July  13,  1868;  Fred- 
die, born  August  27, 1873.  Mr.  Romines  pos- 
sesses a  fine  farm  of  640  acres,  mostly  the 
result  of  his  energy  and  frugal  dealings. 
He  and  wife  are  marked  among  the  long- 
time members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church  of  Martinsville. 


DOUGLAS  TOWNSHIP. 


ROBERT  BROWN,  farmer,  P.  O.  Mar- 
shall, was  born  September  2,  1811,  in  Wash- 
ington County,  Penn.,  a  son  of  Samuel  and 
Nancy  Brown.  His  father  was  a  native  of 
Ireland  and  emigrated  to  Pennsylvania  in 
1801,  settling  in  Washington  County,  that 
State,  and  died  in  Ross  County,  Ohio,  in 
1841,  at  the  home  of  our  subject.  Our  sub- 
ject's mother  was  a  native  of  Scotland;  came  to 
America  with  her  husband,  and  died  iu  Wash- 
ington County,  Penn.,  when  our  subject  was 
about  six  years  old.  They  were  the  parents 
of  sis  children,  three  boys  and  three  girls — 
James,  Margaret,  John.  Robert,  Eliza  and 
Martha.  Our  subject  and  Margaret  are  the 
only  ones  now  living.  'Mr.  Brown  received 
a  limited  education  by  walking  three  miles 
over  the  rugged  hills  to  the  subscription 
schools  of  his  native  county.  He  moved  to 
Ohio  in  1834.  settling  in  Ross  County  and 
purchased  a  house  in  Frankford  and  worked 
at  his  trade  of  shoe- making  for  twenty  years 
He  was  first  married  in  Ross  County,  Febru- 
ary 24,  1836,  to  Cynthia  Rittenhouse,  of 
Virginia;    she   was    a   daughter   of    Samuel 


and  Judy  Rittenhouse,  both  of  German  de- 
scent, but  natives  of  Virginia.  By  this  wife, 
who  died  February  26, 1843,  our  subject  had 
three  children — Mai-y,  born  November  23. 
1836;  Eliza,  born  February   9,  1830;    John, 

:  born  June  16,  1841;  Nancy,  the  last  surviv- 
ing of  these  children,  died  June  19.  1880. 
Our  subject  was  married  a  second  time,  Jan- 
uary 26,  1844,  to  Eleanor  King,  born  April 
22,  1821,  in  Fayette  County,  Ohio,  daughter 
of  Reuben  and  Prudence  (Davis)  King;  he 
a  native  of  Maryland  and  she  of  Ross 
County,  Ohio.  Both  parents  died  when  she 
was  small.  By  this  mai'riage  our  subject  had 
two  children — Edward  R.,  born  in  Ross 
County,  Ohio,  February  24,  1845.  and  Rob- 
ert H. ,  born  in  Clark  County,  111. ,  November 
13,  1861.  Our  subject  removed  by  wagon  in 
September,  1853,  from  Ross  County,  Ohio, 
to  Clark  County,  111.,  and  lived  in  Marshall 
about  eleven  years,  after  which  he  removed 
to  his  present  farm  in  Section  25,  which  he 
had  previously    pxu'chased.       Mr.    and    Mrs. 

i  Brown  are  members  of  the  Methodist  Episco- 
pal  Church,  of  Marshall.    In  politics,  he  is  a 


DOUGLAS   TOWNSHIP. 


207 


Democrat;  he  cast  his  first  vote  for  Jackson, 
ami  still  adheres  to  the  principles  of  the  old 
Jacksonian  school.  Our  subject  has  served 
Douglas  Township  as  Supervisor  for  a  period 
of  about  four  years.  He  has  a  farm  of 
287  acres,  about  one-half  of  which  is  in  culti- 
vation, the  balance  being  in  timber. 

JOHN   FALLAN,  teacher,  Marshall,  is  a 
native  of  Eastern  Pennsylvania,   born  Feb- 
ruary 8.  1852,  a  .son  of  Matthias  and  Hannah 
(Grogan)  Fallan,  natives  of  Ii-eland;  he  was 
born  in   1827,   was    a    farmer    and  came   to 
America  about  1833  and  died  in  1868,  in  Coles 
County,  this  State;  she  born  in  183-1  and  died 
in  Coles  County  in   1873.     They  were  mar- 
ried August  6,  1850.  and  wei-e  the  parents  of 
nine  children,  three  boys   and   six  girls,  all 
living  except  one  boy  and  one  girl.  Our  sub- 
ject's mother  was  married  a  second  time,  Au- 
gust 15,1870,  to  Patrick  Dunn,  also  a  native 
of  Ireland,  and  by  him  had  two  children,  one 
of  whom,  Elizabeth,  is  living.    Our  subject's 
early   education  was    gained  from    only  110 
days  attendance  at   the  schools  of  his  native' 
coimty,     Clark,  Edgar    and   Coles   County, 
this  State.     He  learned  the   trade  of   photo- 
graphing at  Mattoon,  this   State,  and  after- 
ward  ran    a    gallery  at    Windsor,  and    then 
went  to  St.  Mary's,  after  which  he  went  into 
the  confectionery  and  cigar  business  at  Mat- 
toon.      He  railroaded  on  the   Midland,  and 
also  on  what  is  now    called  the  P. ,  D.  &  E. 
In  1881,  he  went  to  East  St.  Louis,  where  he 
was  engaged  at  car  repairing  on  the  Wabash 
Railroad,  and   was  also  car  inspector.       He 
worked  at  his  trade  of  photographing  at  Mar- 
shall, when  he  also  attended  two  teacher's  in- 
stitutes.       January  6,  1876,  he  took  charge 
of  the  Pike's  Peak   school,  where  he   taught 
three  terms,  and  after   teaching  one  term  at 
East   Liberty,  he  resumed   charge  at  Pike's 
Peak,  and  taught  two  six-months  terms.    He 
then  read  law   with   O.  B.  Ficklin,  Jr.,  Mar- 


shall, and  again  took  charge  of  the  Pike's 
Peak  school,  where  he  is  the  present 
(1883),  qualified  and  popular  teacher.  In 
1880,  he  was  elected  Assessor  of  Douglas 
Township  and  served  one  term  in  that  capac- 
ity. He  is  a  member  of  the  I.  O.  O.  F.  , 
Eiu-eka  Lodge,  No.  64.  In  politics,  he  is 
Democratic. 

CHARLES     L.     HOLLINGS  WORTH, 
farmer,  P.   O.    Oliver,    Edgar   County,    is    a 
native    of     Jefferson    County,     Ky.,     born 
three  miles  south   of    Louisville,  at   a  little 
place  called  Man's  Lick,  April    13,  1809,  to 
Joseph  and  Margaret  (Beeler)  Hollingsworth; 
he  a  painter  and   farmer,  born    in  Frederick 
County,   Va.,    March  5,    1771,    and  died    in 
Jackson   County,  Mo.,    in  December,    1841, 
She  is  a  native  of  the  same  county  as    her 
husband,  born  about    1777,  and   died  at  the 
home  of  our  subject  January  8,  1861.     They 
were  the  parents   of  twelve    children,    seven 
sons  and  five  daughters,  three   of  whom    are 
living — Mary,  in  Missouri;  John,    a  banker 
in  Califoraia,     and   our  subject.       He   was 
three  years  old  when  his  father  removed    to 
Shelby  Coiinty,   Ky.,  where  oui-  subject  re- 
mained till  sixteen  years  of  age.    He  then  re- 
moved to  Morgan  County,  Ind.,  remaining  two 
years,    then   to   Owen   County,  same    State, 
where  he  resided  twelve  years.      Diu'ing  this 
time,  November  10,  1836,  he  was  married  to 
Adeline  Griffith,  a  daughter  of  the  Rev.  Sam- 
uel   Griffith,     of    Gainsboro,    Tenn.        Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Hollingsworth  have  had  thirteen 
childi-en,  of  whom  there  are  ten  living — Ad- 
dison, Lewis,  Sarah,  Margaret,  Susan,  Emily, 
Louisa,  Minerva,  Nancy,  Mary  and  Edward. 
In    November,    1843,   our   subject   came   to 
Douglas  Township,  Clark    County,  where  he 
has  since  resided.        In  1860,  he  was  elected 
Justice  of  the  Peace,  which  office  he    held 
for   about  fourteen   years,    having  resigned 
before  the  expiration  of  his  last  term.     Dur- 


208 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


ing  this  long  period  of  official  service,  his 
judgments  were  so  satisfactorily  received  that 
but  one  appeal  was  taken  from  his  court,  and 
that  was  ultimately  settled  before  it  reached 
a  higher  tribunal.  Our  subject  has  a  farm 
of  200  acres  in  Section  23,  mostly  in  cultiva- 
tion. He  is  a  Republican  in  politics.  His 
son  Edward,  received  the  advantages  of  a  dis- 
trict school  education,  and  at  seventeea  years 
of  age,  passed  an  examination  before  the  Coun- 
ty Superintendent  of  schools,  and  received 
a  first  grade  certificate.  He  was  employed 
as  teacher  in  his  district,  and  was  retained 
four  years.  In  1882,  he  was  a  candidate  for 
County  Superintendent  of  Schools.  He  in- 
tends studying  law  with  Golden  &  Wilkin 
of  Marshall. 

MUS.  REBECCA  LYCAN,  farmer,  P.  O, 
Marshall,  was  born  January  24, 1811,  in  Nel- 
son County,  Ky. ,  close  to  the  Salt  River,  a 
daughter  of  Stillwell  and  Susanna  (Stone- 
breaker)  Heady,  he,  a  farmer,  was  a  native 
of  Kentucky,  and  died  when  our  subject  was 
small;  she  was  born  in  Pennsylvania,  of 
German  descent,  and  died  about  1850. 
They  were  the  parents  of  four  children — 
Christina,  Rebecca,  Thomas  and  Elizabeth. 
Cm-  subject  received  her  early  education  in 
the  old  subscription  schools  of  her  native 
county,  attending  the  same  for  about  a  year. 
At  the  age  of  twenty,  she  removed  to  Edgar 
County,  this  State,  where  she  remained  about 
two  and  a  half  years,  during  which  time  she 
was  married,  December  26,  1830,  to  William 
W.  Lycan,  also  a  native  of  Kentucky,  born 
on  Lincoln  River,  September  1 1,  1807,  a  son 
of  John  and  Nancy  (Whitley)  Lycan  (see 
dates  in  sketch  of  David  Reynolds  of  this 
township).  Our  subject  left  Paris,  Edgar 
County,  the  year  following  her  marriage,  and 
eam^to  what  is  now  Douglas  Township, with 
her  husband.  He  was  a  farmer,  and  after 
coming  to  this  township  worked  in   a   distil- 


lery run  by  his  father.  In  the  fall  of  1834, 
he  purchased  eighty  acres  of  land,  of  which 
there  was  about  twenty  improved.  He  made 
several  subsequent  purchases,  and  at  the  time 
of  his  death  he  owned  217|  acres,  forty  of 
which  lies  across  the  line  in  Marshall  Town- 
ship. He  died  March  16,  1878.  For  about 
sixteen  years,  he  ran  a  grist  mill  on  Big  Creek 
in  Douglas  Township,  and  afterward  operat- 
ed a  saw  mill  for  about  three  years.  He 
came  to  this  State  with  his  parents  in  1820, 
and  settled  on  the  north  arm  in  Edgar  Coun- 
ty, living  there  for  two  or  three  years,  when 
they  moved  near  Paris,  where  he  was  mar- 
ried as  before  stated.  He  was  the  father  of 
eight  _children — Nancy  Whitley,  born  May 
23,  1883;  Harriet  Ruth,  August  17,  1834; 
Jacob  Stilwell,  November  17,  1836;  Mary 
Jane,  December  5,  1838;  William  Shields, 
October  13,1844;  Frances  Leura,  August  25, 
1846;  Sarah  Ellen,  October  5,  1848,  and 
Lyman  Booth,  December  8,  1851.  Our  sub- 
ject rents  out  the  farm  which  is  given  to  gen- 
feral  farming. 

LYMAN  B.  LYCAN,  farmer,  P.  O.  Mar- 
sliall,  was  born  on  the  home  farm,  Douglas 
Township,  December  8,  1851,  a  son  of  Will- 
iam and  Rebecca  (Heady)  Lycan,  (see  sketch 
elsewhere).  Our  niibject  obtained  his  early 
schooling  iu  an  old  log  schoolhouse  in  this 
township,  and  farming  was  his  first  occupa- 
tion in  life.  He  assisted  his  father  on  the 
home  farm,  and  afterward  in  connection  with 
his  brother,  W.  S.  Lycan,  rented  their 
father's  flouring  mill,  which  they  ran  about 
two  years,  when  the  mill  was  burned,  since 
which  time  our  subject  has  been  engaged  in 
farming.  He  was  married  September  30, 
1874,  in  Marshall  Township,  to  Sarah  Black, 
born  January  25,  1852,  a  daughter  of  John 
A.  and  Nancy  N.  (Baird)  Black,  natives  of 
Ohio,  both  living  in  Marshall  Township.  Mr 
and  Mrs.  Lycan  have  had  one  child — Robert, 


DOUGLAS    TOWNSHIP. 


209 


born  January  12,  1878,  and  died  when  quite 
young.  Our  subject  rents  land  of  his  mother 
and  engage  s  in  general  farming.  He  is  also 
in  partnership  with  John  K.  Black,  of  Mar- 
shall, where  they  cany  a  general  line  of  gro- 
cery and  provision  goods.  Our  subject  is 
Democratic  in  politics. 

DAVID  REYNOLDS,  farmer,  P.  O.  Mar- 
shall, was  born  near  Crab  Orchard,  Ky., 
Miirch  6,  1802,  a  bon  of  William  and  Jane 
(Milligan)  Reynolds,  both  natives  of  East 
Tennessee,  he  a  blacksmith,  and  died  when 
our  subject  was  about  six  years  old  by  over- 
working himself  in  his  shop  in  the  summer; 
she  died  in  Bedford  County,  Tenn.,  about 
1840.  They  were  the  parents  of  eleven  chil- 
dren, ten  sons  and  one  daughtei' — Thomas, 
James,  John,  Benjamin,  William,  Elizabeth, 
Henry.  David,  Andi-ew,  Joshua  and  Richard. 
Our  subject's  early  and  only  education,  re- 
ceived in  schools  was  gained  by  a  month  or 
two  attendance  in  the  old-fashioned  subscrip- 
tion schools.  He  started  in  life  as  a  farmer, 
which  occupation  he  has  since  followed.  In 
1822,  he  came  to  Clark  County  and  worked 
as  a  hired  hand  for  Jesse  Essary,  a  French- 
man, who  was  one  of  the  first  to  settle  in  this 
county.  Our  subject's  first  marriage  oc- 
curred near  his  jjresent  farm  June  1,  1826,  at 
which  time  he  wedded  Plata  Davis,  a  native 
of  Kentucky,  born  March  1,  1808,  a  daugh- 
ter of  Margaret  Davis.  She  died  December 
9,  1855.  By  her  our  subject  had  sixteen  chil- 
dren, the  following  of  whom  were  named 
Jane,  Margaret,  AVilliam,Wilson,  Wellington, 
Washington,  Walter,  David,  Plata,  Eliza- 
beth. Richard  and  Izilla.  About  1827,  our 
subject  purchased  eighty  acres  of  land  on 
Big  Creek.  He  entered  several  tracts  of  the 
Government,  and  now  has  a  farm  of  360 
acres,  which  was  once  all  timber.but  is  now 
mostly  in  cultivation.     Our  subject  was  mar- 


ried a  second  time,  March  6,  1856,  to   Dolly 
C.  Davis,  his  present  wife,  who  was  born  May 
27,  1822,  on  the  North  Arm,  Edgar  County, 
this  State,  a  daughter   of    John  and   Nancy 
(Whitley)  Lycan,  he  born   in  North  Carolina 
April  27,  1782;    she  in  Virginia  January  19, 
1787.    They  were  the  parents  of   eleven  chil- 
dren— Jeremiah,     William     W.,    Jacob   G., 
Oliver,    Elizabeth,     Daniel,     Sarah,     Dolly, 
Nancy,  Jane  and  Illinois.  Our  subject's  pres- 
ent wife  was  first  married  February  29,1844, 
to  Haywood   Davis,  born  in  Kentucky  J  uly 
31,   1817,   a  son  of  Margaret  Davis.       He 
died  October  7,  1852,  in  Clark  County,  the 
father  of  four  children — Justus,  born  Decem- 
ber  8,     1844,    and    died   August    18,  1879: 
Mary,  born  October  11,  1846;    Nancy    Jane, 
January  10,    1849,    and   Salinda,    April   8, 
1851.      By  his  present  wifti,  our  subject  had 
five  children — .John  B.,  born    December   17, 
1856;  Virginia  Ann,  January  21,  1859,  died 
when  seven  years  old;  Tenney,   October  17, 
1861;  Henry,  Januaiy  22,  1864;  and  Daniel 
W.,  April  26,  1867.     When  our  subject  first 
came  to  this  county,  the  wilds  were  in  the- 
possession   of  the  Pottawatomie  and  Kicka- 
poo  Indians, with  whom  he  always  entertained 
the  most  friendly  relations.        Throughout 
our  subject's  long  life,  he  never  sued  but  two 
persons,  and  he  himself  was  never  sued,  pre- 
ferring always  to  settle  up  his  own    accounts 
without  the  aid  of  the  law.      He  cast  his  first 
vote  for  Jackson,    and  "votes    for   Jackson 
now."     He  had  three  brothers  in  the  war  of 
1812 — James,    John   and    Benjamin,   and  a 
brother-in-law,  Arthur  Campbell.    He  volun- 
teered his  own  services  during  the   Mexican 
war,  and  took  a  load  of  eight  to  Alton,   but 
they  were   not   received.     Our    subject   has 
in   his   possession    deeds    of    lands   signed 
by    Presidents    Jackson,     Van    Buren    and 
Tyler. 


310 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


DOLSOISr  TOWNSHIP. 


SPERRY  CLAYPOOL,  farmer,  P.  O.  Mar- 
shall, was  born  in  Licking  County,  Ohio, 
July  3,  181'2.  His  father,  William  Claypool, 
was  a  native  of  Hardy  County,  Va.,  born  July 
3,  1781,  a  son  of  John  Claypool,  who  came 
from  England.  William  Claypool  served  in 
the  war  of  1812,  and  died  in  the  spring  of 
1845.  The  mother  of  our  subject  was  a  na- 
tive of  Virginia,  and  died  in  Delaware  Coun- 
ty, Ohio.  The  parents  had  eleven  childi-en 
who  lived  to  maturity,  our  subject  being  the 
fifth  of  the  family.  He  received  his  early 
education  in  the  old  subscription  schools  of 
Ross  County,  Ohio,  and  also  attended  school 
a  short  time  in  Delaware  County,  of  the  same 
State,  to  which  county  his  parents  removed 
in  the  spring  of  1826,  where  our  subject  lived 
about  ten  years.  He  was  married  in  Ross 
County,  Ohio,  January  19,  1835,  to  Nancy 
Kirkendall,  bom  October  25,  1810,  in  Ross 
County,  a  daughter  of  Jeremiah  and  Phcebe 
(Hoi^kins)  Kirkendall,  who  came  from  Penn- 
sylvania. In  1839,  our  subject  came  to  his 
present  place,  and  made  a  purchase  of  320 
acres,  to  which  he  has  made  several  subse- 
quent additions.  He  has  now  a  farrn  of  195 
acres,  having  distributed  large  portions  of  his 
land  to  his  boys.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Claypool  are 
the  parents  of  seven  children,  all  of  whom 
have  farms  in  the  immediate  vicinity.  They 
are  Jeremiah,  Isaac,  Joseph,  Elijah,  Elisha, 
John  and  Nancy.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Claypool 
are  members  of  the  Blue  Grass  Christian 
Church.  In  political  affairs,  our  subject  does 
not  draw  any  party  lines,  but  votes  for  whom 
he  considers  the  best  man. 

FREDERICK  B.  ENNIS,    farmer,   P.   O. 
Dolson,  was  the  third  person  to  settle  in  what 


is  now  Dolson  Township.  He  came  about 
the  1st  of  November,  1833,  with  his  parents, 
who  located  on  the  place  where  Moses  Heath 
now  lives  He  was  born  in  Gallatin  County, 
Ky.,  April  17,  1817,  a  son  of  James  and 
Judy  (Boyer)  Ennis,  he  a  farmer,  born  in 
Virginia  March  4,  1790,  and  died  August  3, 
1855,  in  Auburn  Township,  this  county.  He 
served  in  the  war  of  1812.  The  mother  of 
our  subject  was  a  native  of  Pennsylvania, 
born  April  12,  1791,  and  died  in  Auburn 
Township  April  13,  1868.  The  parents  had 
twelve  children,  five  sons  and  seven  daugh- 
ters, our  subject  being  the  eldest  of  the  fam- 
ily. He  received  a  very  limited  education  in 
the  old  subscription  schools  of  his  native 
county,  and  spent  his  early  life  in  assisting 
his  father  on  the  home  place.  At  an  early 
age,  he  commenced  to  learn  the  shoe-maker's 
trade,  with  his  own  ingenuity  for  a  teacher, 
and  made  the  first  pair  of  boots  he  ever  wore. 
On  becoming  of  age,  he  started  out  for  him- 
self, and  worked  at  stone  cutting,  to  which 
trade  he  served  an  apprenticeship.  He  also 
worked  at  brick-making  and  making  rails, 
and  had  made  over  33,000  of  the  latter  be- 
fore he  had  reached  the  age  of  twenty - 
five,  for  most  of  which  he  received  only 
33^  cents  per  hundi-ed.  Mr.  Ennis  was  mai-- 
ried,  December  23,  1845,  in  what  is  now 
Dolson  Township,  to  Rachel  Marrs,  born  May 
4,  1822,  in  Washington  County,  Ind.,  a 
daughter  of  William  B.  and  Margaret  (Snod- 
gi-ass)  Marrs,  he  a  native  of  Tennessee,  and 
she  of  Virginia.  The  mother  died  in  1866, 
and  the  father  in  the  year  following.  Oiu- 
subject  purchased  forty  acres  of  his  present 
place  in  1839,  and  now  has  a  farm  of  186J 


DOLSON    TOWNSHIP. 


311 


acres  in  Dolson  Township.  He  also  owns 
eighty  acres  in  Jasper,  and  forty  acres  in 
Cumberland  Counties.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ennis 
are  members  of  the  Clarksville  Baptist  Church, 
of  which  he  is  a  Deacon  and  Church  Clerk 
He  is  Democratic  in  politics.  He  has  served 
his  township  twelve  years  as  School  Trustee; 
about  fourteen  years  as  School  Director;  four 
years  School  Treasurer;  Collector,  two  years; 
Assessor  and  Deputy,  five  years;  and  Town- 
ship Clerk  for  about  tliirteen  years. 

WILLIAM  H.  GARVER,  P.   O.  Martins- 
ville,   is   a  native  of    Butler  County,  Ohio, 
bom  May  27, 1851,  a  son  of  Abraham  and  Eliz- 
abeth (Galloway)  Garver ;  he,  a  farmer  born  in 
Pennsylvania,  April  7,  1810,  and  died  May 
7,  1876,  in  Dolson  Township;  she,  born  May 
13,  1816,  in  Butler  County,  Ohio,  and  is  still 
living  in  this  township.      They  were  the  par- 
ents   of     ten   children,    five   sons    and   five 
daughters — Lucinda,  John,  Rhoda,  Hannah, 
Thomas  (deceased),  Mary  Ann,  oui-  subject, 
Martin,  Jackson  and  Elizabeth.     Our  subject 
received   his    education  in  this    county,  his 
parents  removing  here  in  1858.     He  started 
in  life  as  a  fanner,  which  occupation  he  has 
since  been  engaged  in.     He  was  married  De- 
cember 9,  1877,  in  this  township,  to  Hattie 
Raadebaugh,    born    February    6,     1858,    a 
daucfhter  of  Jacob  S.  and  Rebecca  (Rhodes) 
Raudebaugh;  he    died  August  24,  1876,  and 
she  is  still  living.     Mr.  and  Mrs.  Garver  are 
the  parents  of    two  children — Hattie   May, 
born  May  1,  1879,  and  Franklin,  August  26, 
1881.     Mr.    Garver    votes    the    Democratic 
ticket. 

ALBERT  C.  HAMMOND,  farmer,  P.  O. 
Martinsville;  born  in  Dolson  Township  Sep- 
tember 17,  1857,  son  of  Clark  H.  and  Rox- 
anna  (Hammond)  Hammond.  The  father  was 
born  in  Rutland  County,  Vt.,  April  21,  1829,  a 
son  of  Alanson  P.  and  Sally  (Tarble)  Ham- 
mond ;  he,  born  September  23,  1802,  in  Ver- 


mont, and  died  July  7,  1846;  she  was  also  a 
native  of  Vermont,  born  February  22,  1804, 
and  died  January  25,  1842.      The  mother  of 
our  subject  was  born  May  25,  1834,  a  daugh- 
ter of  Lyman  C.  and  Jane  Augusta  (Daulcy) 
Hammond.     The  parents  of  our  subject  were 
blessed  with  seven  children,  four  of  whom  are 
living,  our  subject   being  the  eldest  of  the 
family.     The  others  are  Clara  A.,  George  A. 
and  Francis  H.      Our  subject  received  a  good 
education   in    the    schools  of  Clark   County, 
and  he  started  in  life  as  a  farmer,  and  he  has 
always  given  his  attention  to  farming  pur- 
suits.    He  was  married    September  3,  1882, 
in  this  county,  to  Martha    Jane  Hurst,  born 
February   23,   1860,   a  daughter  of    Samuel 
and  Elizabeth  (Boyer)  Hurst.     Our   subject 
runs  part  of  his  father's  property,  his  father 
ovming  1,679  acres  of  land,  all  of  which  lies 
in  Dolson  Township,  with  the  exception   of 
431  acres,  which  is  situated  in  the  adjoining 
township  of    Parker.      In   politics,  om-   sub- 
ject is  a  Democrat. 

HARVEY  M.  KESTER,  P.  O.  Dolson,  is  a 
substantial  farmer  of  Dolson  Township.      He 
is  a  native  of  Clark  County,  Ind. ,  born  De- 
cember 28,   1819,  the  third  child  of  Daniel 
and  Elizabeth  (Carr)  Kester,  both  natives  of 
Kentucky  ;  he,  a  farmer,  died  about  1845,  in 
Clark    County,   Ind. :  she  died  in    the  same 
county  as  her   husband  about  1857  or  1858. 
They  were  the  parents  of  eight  children,  six 
of  whom  lived  to  man  and  womanhood,  three 
sons   and    thi-ee    daughters,  five  now  living, 
one  girl   having  died.     Our   subject's   early 
education  was  very  limited,  being  received  in 
the   old    subscription    schools  of  his  native 
coirnty.     In  his  early    life,  he   assisted    his 
father  on  the  home  farm,  and  after  becoming 
of  acre,  rented  land  in  connection    with  his 
brother,  Fielden  S.     In  the  spring  of  1847, 
he  came  to  this  county,  and  in  the  fall  of  the 
same  year  purchased   160  acres  of  land,  and 


212 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


by  subsequent  additions  now  has  a  farm  of 
440  acres  in  a  good  state  of  cultivation,  about 
130  acres  being  in  timber.  He  also  has  an 
interest  in  160  acres  in  Douglas  Township. 
Our  subject  was  married  in  1860,  in  this 
county,  to  Lorinda  Jane  McDonald,  a 
daughter  of  Edward  and  Nancy  (Dade)  Mc- 
Donald. Mrs.  Kester  died  May  2,  1878,  in 
Dolson  Township,  leaving  eight  children, 
one  having  died.  Those  living  are  Fielden 
H.,  Elizabeth  F.,  Nancy  Ellen,  Charles  P., 
Mary  A.,  Sarah  Ann,  Harriet  C.  and  Amanda 
Jane.  In  politics,  oiir  subject  is  a  Repub- 
lican. He  has  served  two  years  as  Assessor  of 
Dolson  Township,  and  is  the  present  Treas- 
urer of  Schools,  Township  11,  Eange  13. 

JACOB  G.  LYCAN,  farmer,  P.  O.  Dolson, 
is  one  of  the  old  settlers  of  Dolson  Township. 
He  was  born  November  28,  1809,  in  Ken- 
tucky, a  son  of  John  and  Nancy  (Whitley) 
Lycan,  he  a  farmer  and  blacksmith,  born  in 
North  Carolina  April  27,  1782,  a  son  of  Ja- 
cob G.  Lycan,  who  was  a  son  of  Hance  Ly- 
can, who  was  a  son  of  Nicholas  Lycan,  of 
Swedish  descent.  The  mother  of  our  subject 
was  born  in  Virginia  January  19,  1787.  They 
were  married  July  10,  1804,  and  were  the 
parents  of  eleven  children — Jeremiah,  Will- 
iam W.,  our  subject,  Oliver  W.,  Betsey  S., 
Daaiel  W.,  Sarah,  Dolly  C,  Nancy,  Polly  J. 
and  Illinois.  The  father  of  our  subject  died 
February  15,  1856,  in  this  county,  and  the 
mother  March  31,  1872.  Our  subject  was  about 
eleven  years  old  when  his  parents  came  to 
Edgar  County,  this  State,  where  he  received 
his  early  education.  In  1832,  he  enlisted  in 
the  Black  Hawk  war,  and  served  three  months 
without  seeing  any  active  service.  In  the 
fall  of  1832,  he  came  to  this  county,  and 
November  27  of  the  same  year  was  married 
to  Mary  Lockard,  born  November  25,  1815, 
in  Coshocton  County,  Ohio,  a  daughter  of 
William   and   Mary  (Doll)  Lockard,    he,   of 


Irish  descent,  she,  born  in  Virginia.  Our 
subject  moved  to  his  present  place  in  the 
spring  of  1834,  and  bought  at  first  forty  acres 
of  land,  and  by  several  subsequent  additions 
now  has  a  farm  of  420  acres,  about  250  acres 
of  which  are  in  timber.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lycan 
are  the  parents  of  thirteen  children,  eight  of 
whom  are  now  living — William,  born  July 
18,  1833,  and  died  October  5,  1834;  Jane, 
born  January  8,  1835;  Nancy  Rebecca,  April 
7,  1839;  James  Milton,  October  11,  1842; 
Daniel  W.,  June  17, 1844,  was  drowned  in  the 
Pacific  Ocean  November  4,  1875;  John  Mills, 
August  16,  1846,  died  January  5,  1847;  Ase- 
nath,  October  16,  1847;  Greenough  K.,  May 
7,  1849;  Maiy,  October  10,  1851,  died  Octo- 
ber 13,  1853;  Jacob  G.,  March  22,  1854; 
Martin  P.,  June  8,  1857,  died  September  19, 
1857;  Sarah  L.,  October  5,  1858;  and  Amos 
B.,  May  23,  1862.  In  political  matters,  our 
subject  votes  the  Democratic  ticket. 

JOSEPH  B.  STUARD,  fanner.  P.  O.  Dol- 
son, is  a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  born  De- 
cember 15,  1818,  a  son  of  James  and  Nancy 
(Ogden)  Stuard,  who  were  the  parents  of 
eight  childi-en,  five  sons  and  three  daughters, 
our  subject  being  the  second  child  of  the 
family.  His  early  education  was  acquired  in 
the  old  subscription  schools  of  Indiana,  to 
which  State  he  came  with  his  parents  at  an 
early  age.  The  parents,  who  were  farmers, 
both  died  in  that  State.  In  Johnson  County, 
Ind.,  in  December,  1840,  our  subject  was 
married  to  Mary  Jane  Patterson,  bom  Sep- 
tember 28,  1825,  in  Clark  Coimty,  Ind..  a 
daughter  of  James  C.  and  Jane  (Kelley)  Pat- 
terson, natives  of  Kentucky;  he  died  March 
24,  1865,  and  she  when  Mi-s  Stuard  was 
very  small.  In  1849,  our  subject  removed  to 
his  present  place,  and  fii'st  purchased  120 
acres  of  land,  which  has  been  increased  by 
subsequent  additions  to  230  acres  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Stuard  ai'e  the   parents   of  twelve  chil- 


ORANGE   TOWNSHIP. 


213 


(iren,  eight  of  whom  are  living — Nancy  Jane, 
Sarcah  Ann,  Maiy  Catharine,  Lucy  Mildred, 
Elizabeth    Margaret,    Lyman    Booth.    Emily 


Frances  and  William  Henry.  Mr.  Stuard  is 
a  member  of  the  Clarksville  Lodge,  No.  713, 
I.  O.  O.  F.      In  politics,  he  is  a  Democrat. 


ORANGE  TOWNSHIP. 


JOHN  J.  AKNEY,  farmer,  P.  O.  Martins- 
ville,  was  born   October  5,  1S25,  in  Canton 
Basle,  Switzerland,  and  immigrated  to  this 
country  in  1851,  settling  in  the  State  of  Ohio, 
Delaw;u-e  County;  afterward  moved  to  Wyan- 
dot Ci'unty,  near  Upper  Sandusky.      In  1854, 
he  was  married  to  Miss  Catharine  Bussinger. 
In  1866,  removed  to  Clark  County,  111.,  where 
he  has  lived  to  this  date.     He  is  a  thriving 
fcvrmer  by  occupation.      Mrs.  Catharina  (Bus- 
singer)  Arney  was  born  August  1,   1832,  in 
Canton  Basle,   Switzerland.     She  came  with 
her  parents  to  this  country  in  1845,  settling 
in  Wyandot    County,   Ohio.      She  was  mar- 
ried to  Jacob  Arney  in  1854.     She  is  a  woman 
of  unpretending  demeanor,  yet  zealous  in  re- 
gard to  the  moral  culture  of  her  children. 
' '  Strength  and  honor  are  her  clothing.      In 
her   tongue    is    the  law    of   kindness.      She 
looketh  well  to  her  household.      Her  children 
arise  up  and  call  her  blessed."     The  union 
of  Mr.  and  Mi-s.  Ai-ney  was  blessed  with  four 
children,  one  daughter  and  three  sons— John 
Jacob  Arney,  Jr.,  was  born  August  13,  1856, 
in  Wyandot  County,  Ohio,  and  came  with  his 
parents  to  this  State  in  1866.     He  was  edu- 
cated in  the  common  schools,  and  attended 
college  in  Westfield,  111.,   and  at  the  Central 
Normal,    Danville,     Ind.       He    is    a   school 
teacher   by  profession.     He   was   appointed 
census  enumerator  for  Orange  Township,  in 
1880.     He  was  nominated  for  Superintend- 
ent  of   Schools   by  the  Eepublican  County 
Convention,  in   1882.      He  read  law  in   the 
offif>e  of  R.  E.  Hainmil  and  T.  L.  Orndoft'.  ;n 


Marshall,   111.      Miss  Minnie,    second  child 
and  only  daughter  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Arney, 
was  born  July  11, 1858,    in  Wyandot  County, 
Ohio,  and  came  with  her  parents  to  this  State 
in  1866.      She  has  taught  school  some  in  this 
county.     She  is  a  lady  of  more  than  ordinary 
energj'.     Frederick  William  Arney  was  born 
May    1,   1862,   in    Wyandot   County,    Ohio. 
He  was  educated  in  the  common  schools  of 
the   coimty,    and    has    taught   school    some. 
George  Franklin  Arney  was    born  March  16, 
1865,   in  Wyandot  County,  Ohio,    and  came 
with  his  parents  to  this  State  in  1866.      The 
parents  and  children   of  this  family  are  all 
members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 
F.  BLANKENBEKER,     farmer,    P.     O. 
Martinsville.      Mr.  Felix  Blankenbeker  is  a 
native  of  Harrison  County,  Ind.,  born  on  the 
5th  day  of  March,  1819.      He  is  a  son  of  Fe- 
lix and  Mary  Blankenbeker.     The  former  a 
native  of  Virginia,  where  he  was  born  April 
25,   1785,  and  served  as  a  soldier  in  the  war 
of  1812,    going    from  Kentucky,    where  his 
parents  had  moved  when  he  was  but  five  years 
old.      He  was  married,  in  Kentucky,   to  Miss 
Mary  Crisler,  who  was  born  in  Virginia  De- 
cember 4,  1787.     They  had  a  family  of  ten 
children,  of  whom   Felix  is   the  sixth.     The 
family  removed  to  Hanison    County,   Ind., 
about  1817,    where  the    parents    died,    the 
mother  in  the  year  1840,  February  3,  and  the 
father  in  1859,  January  16.     Subject  was  ed- 
ucated in  the  common  schools  and  reared  in 
his  native  county,  where  on  the  6th  of  Au- 
crust.  1840.  he  married  IMiss  Lucy  Ann  Utz. 


214 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


daughter  of  Conrad  and  Elizabeth  (Baker) 
Utz.  She  was  bom  in  Floyd  County,  Ind., 
February  28,  1819.  She  died  in  Orange 
Township,  April  27,  1859,  leaving  a  family 
of  nine  children,  of  whom  six  are  deceased, 
viz.:  Martha  J.,  born  January  4,  1842,  died 
January  1,  1856;  Samuel  C,   born  May  22, 

1843,  married  to  Miss  S.  Atha;  Julia  A.,  wife 
of  W.  H.  Rubottom,  was  born  November  10, 

1844,  and  died  December  24,  1877,  leaving 
four  children  ;  John  H.,  born  August  23, 
1846,  died  August  9,  1871;  Benjamin  F., 
born  July  3,  1848,  married  to  Matilda  Sloan; 
Mary  E.,  wife  of  William  A.  Simmons,  was 
born  September  4,  1850,  and  died  January, 
1874,  leaving  two  children,  one  deceased; 
Christia  A.,  the  wife  of  John  Lawrence,  was 
born  November  8,  1852;  Sylvester,  born  De- 
cember 17,  1854,  and  died  September  16, 
1872;  Amanda,  was  born  September  13, 1857, 
and  died  September  9,  1872.  Mr.  Blanken- 
beker  was  married  to  his  present  wife,  Sarah 
Hughes,  widow  of  Edward  Hughes, .  and 
daughter  of  Joseph  and  Elizabeth  Eubottom, 
on  the  2d  of  February,  1860.  Her  father  was 
born  in  North  Carolina,  in  1793,  where  he 
grew  to  manhood.  He  was  married,  in  Indi- 
ana, to  Miss  Elizabeth  Westfall,  and  died 
May  4,  1872.  She  was  born  in  Ohio  Octo- 
ber 7,  1800,  and  is  still ;  living  with  her 
daughter,  Mrs.  Blankenbeker.  They  had  a 
family  of  seven  children;  Mrs.  B.  is  the  sec- 
ond. She  was  born  in  Greene  County,  Ind., 
October  30,  1826.  They  have  been  blest 
with  four  children,  viz.:  Emma,  born  August 
15,  1861,  died  July  19,  1862;  Joseph  F., 
born  January  13, 1863.  William,  born  April 
1,  1865,  died  March  12,  1866;  Sarah,  born 
April  19,  1867.  Besides  these,  Mrs.  B.  had 
two  childi'en  as  the  result  of  former  marriage, 
both  of  whom  are  dead — John  W.  Hughes, 
born  July  11,  1848,  and  died  in  infancy; 
William  F.,  born  August  19,  1850,  and  died 


in  infancy.  Mr.  B.  came  to  this  county  from 
Indiana,  in  1853,  and  settled  in  Orange 
Township,  near  where  he  now  lives.  He  is 
engaged  in  general  farming  and  owns  a  farm 
of  380  acres  of  land.  They  are  members  of 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  at  St,  Pauls. 
Have  been  members  of  the  church  for  twen- 
ty-five years,  sixteen  years  of  the  time  held 
official  connection,  in  the  capacity  of  Class- 
leader  and  Steward.  Mrs.  B.  ha?  been  con- 
nected with  the  church  over  forty  years. 

SAMUEL  BLANKENBEKER,  farmer,  P. 
O.  Martinsville.  Samuel  Blankenbeker  is 
the  seventh  of  a  family  of  ten  children  of 
Felix  and  Mary  Blankenbeker.  He  was  born 
in  Harrison  County,  Ind.,  October  11.  1821. 
He  was  reared  on  the  farm,  and  educated  in 
the  common  schools.  He  was  married  Octo- 
ber 26,  1843,  in  Indiana,  to  Miss  Mary  A. 
Hull,  daughter  of  John  and  Susan  Hull.  She 
was  born  in  Virginia  Febrviary  8,  1826,  and 
came  to  Indiana  with  her  parents  when  a 
child.  She  died  on  March  18,  1868.  Their 
union  was  blessed  with  five  children,  viz.: 
Evaline,  the  wife  of  David  Ferrel,  born  De- 
cember 16,  1844;  George,  born  May  5,  1846, 
married  to  Naoma  Dix;  Ellen,  wife  of  John 
Baker,  born  January  15,  1849,  died  on  De- 
cember 16,  1869,  leaving  one  child,  Savilla 
Baker;  Savilla,  the  wife  of  Wily  W.  Phil- 
lippe,  born  March  21,  1851;  and  William  C, 
born  June  15,  1853,  married  to  Priscilla 
Fix.  Oiar  subject  was  married  to  his  present 
wife,  Elizabeth  H.  Cooper,  widow  of  John 
Cooper,  and  daughter  of  Samuel  and  Agnes 
Midkiff,  on  the  13th  of  June,  1869.  She 
was  born  in  Shelbyville,  Ind.,  June  15, 1832. 
Her  father  was  born  in  Kentucky,  and  the 
mother,  Agnes  Rodopher,  was  a  native  of 
Virginia.  They  moved  to  this  county  from 
Indiana,  in  1857.  They  settled  in  Martins- 
ville Township,  where  they  died — the  mother 
October  1,  1875,  and  the    father  September 


ANDERSON    TOWNSHIP. 


217 


22,  1877.  They  were  members  of  the  Baptist 
Church.  Mr.  Blaakenbeker  came  to  this 
county  in  September,  1852,  and  settled  where 
he  now  lives,  where  he  owns  a  farm  of  200 
acres.  He  is  engaged  in  stock-raising  to  some 
extent.  He  is  a  man  who  enjoys  the  confi- 
dence of  the  people,  is  a  Democrat,  and  has 
several  years  served  the  township  offi- 
cially. 

d.  M.  ELLINGTON,  farmer,  P.  O.  Mar- 
tinsville, son  of  Jonathan  and  Ruth  (Price) 
Ellington,  the  seventh  of  twelve  children, 
was  born  in  Madison  County,  Ohio,  July  1, 
1830.  His  father  was  born  in  Kentucky 
about  the  year  1801,  and  died  in  Harrison 
County,  Ohio,  in  1857.  His  mother,  a  niece 
of  Gen.  Sterling  Price,  of  Missouri,  was 
born  in  Ohio  in    1805,  and   at   this  writing 


(February,  1883),  she  is  living  in  Orange 
Township,  Clark  County.  Mr.  Ellington 
moved  to  this  county  at  an  early  day  and  at- 
tended the  subscription  schools  of  Orange 
Township,  before  the  present  system  of  pub- 
lic schools  was  inaugurated.  In  November, 
1863,  Mr.  Ellington  was  married  to  Miss 
Mary  Rubottom,  daughter  of  Joseph  and 
Elizabeth  (Westfall)  Rubottom.  Of  this 
maiTiage,  there  are  eight  children  living,  two 
having  died  in  infancy.  Those  living  are 
Joseph  F.,  Lizzie  M. ,  Sai'ah,  Susan,  Cora  L. , 
Anna  G.,  May  and  Mary.  Mr.  Ellington  has 
a  well-improved  farm  of  120  acres  in  Orange 
Township,  all  in  cultivation.  In  religion, 
Mr.  Ellington  is  liberal.  In  politics.  Dem- 
ocratic. He  cast  his  first  vote  for  James  Bu- 
chanan. 


ANDERSON  TOWNSHIP. 


THOMAS  CRAIG,  Jr.,  farmer,  P.  O.Mar- 
shall, son  of  William  "W.  Craig  and  Catharine 
(Serwies)  Craig,  and  grandson  of  Thomas 
Craig,  Sr.,  was  born  in  Anderson  Township, 
Clai-kCo.,  111.,  June  27,  1853.  Mr.  Craig's 
father,  William  W.,  was  born  in  Indiana 
September  21,  1826,  and  died  in  Clark 
County,  111.,  in  March,  1867.  Catharine 
(Serwies)  Craig,  mother  of  the  subject  of 
this  notice,  was  bom  in  Wurtemberg,  Ger- 
many, in  1827,  came  to  America  with  her  par- 
ents in  1829  or  1830,  and  at  this  writing 
(February,  1883),  resides  in  Anderson  Town- 
ship, Clark  County.  Mr.  Craig  was  the  third 
of  eight  children,  five  of  whom  are  still  liv- 
ing, three  having  died  in  infancy.  Hav- 
ing completed  his  education  in  the  public 
schools  of  his  native  county,  Mr.  Craig  com- 
menced business  life  as  a  school  teacher,  and 
has  followed   that   occupation  for  ten  years; 


in  May,  1877.  he  was  maiTied  to  Miss  Mary 
C.  Holwick,  daughter  of  Daniel  and  Adeline 
(Fogle)  Holwick.  The  wife's  father  was 
born  in  Ohio  about  1830;  her  mother,  a  na 
tive  of  the  same  State,  was  born  about  1835, 
are  both  living  (February,  1883)  in  Darwin 
Township.  In  politics,  Mr.  Craig  is  Demo- 
cratic, and  he  has  been  elected  to  several  of- 
fices by  that  party.  In  April,  1874,  he  was 
elected  Township  Assessor,  and  served  two 
years  ;  in  April,  1876,  Township  Collector, 
serving  one  year  ;  in  April,  1879,  School 
Trustee,  serving  three  years,  and  in  April, 
1882,  Justice  of  Peace,  which  office  he  now 
(February,  1883)  holds.  Mr.  Craig  has  a 
well-improved  farm  of  160  acres  in  Anderson 
Township,  on  which  he  resides. 

JOHN  HOLLER,  farmer,  P.  O.  Marshall, 
born  February  6,  1828,  in  Wurtemberg, 
Germany.     He    is    a    grandson    of     Jacob 

M 


218 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


Holler,  born  and  died  in  Germany  ;  he  was  a 
shoe-maker  by  occupation.  His  son,  John 
Holler,  Sr.,  was  born  1800,  in  Germany,  he 
died  1868,  in  this  county.  He  served  six 
years  in  the  German  Army;  he  was  married 
there  to  Anna  Mary  Mack,  born  1800;  she 
died  1855;  she  was  the  mother  of  five  chil- 
dren, viz.,  Jacob,  Henry,  Katharin,  Mary 
and  John,  our  subject,  who  came  to  the  United 
States  with  his  parents  in  1829,  living 
several  years  in  Little  York,  Penn.,  about 
eight  years  in  Marion  County,  Ohio,  and  in 
1841  he  came  to  this  county,  where  he  was 
joined  in   matrimony,  November  1,  1855,  to 


Dartha  Strohm,  born  June  25,  1830,  in  Al- 
sace, Germany,  daughter  of  George  J.  and 
Margaret  E.  (Spitler)  Strohm.  Mrs.  Holler 
is  the  mother  of  eight  children  now  living — 
Emma,  born  February  29,  1860;  Lizzie,  born 
November  7,  1862;  AnnaD.,  born  September 
9, 1864;  Barbara  E.,  born  February  23,  1866; 
John  A.,  born  January  19,  1868;  Katy, 
born  April  15,  1870;  Eosetta,  born  January 
5,  1872;  Flora  TJ.,  born  July  5,  1874.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Holler  are  members  of  the  Evangel- 
ical Church.  He  has  a  farm  of  155  acres, 
with  good  buildings;  has  been  School  Direc- 
tor.    Mr.  Holler  is  a  Democrat. 


Biographies  Received  Too   Late  for   Insertion    in    Proper   Place. 


MARSHALL 

GEORGE  A.  HIPPARD,  merchant,  Mar- 
shall. While  the  term  "  he  is  a  self-made  man" 
is  often  so  unjustly  applied  as  to  become  a  lit- 
tle monotonous,  yet  he  whose  name  heads  these 
lines  is  justly  and  fully  entitled  to  the  distinc- 
tion. Away  back  in  the  famous  old  State  of 
Virginia,  in  Middlebrook,  Augusta  County, 
January  26,  1830,  the  subject  of  this  sketch 
first  saw  the  light,  born  of  English  parentage. 
His  father,  George,  was  born  in  Pennsylvania, 
in  1798,  and  is  still  living  at  Westerville,  Ohio. 
His  mother's  maiden  name  was  Sarah  Lawman. 
His  parents  were  married  in  1828,  and  George 
A.  is  the  second  child  of  a  family  of  eight  chil- 
dren. The  familj'  migrated  from  Virginia  to 
Richland  County,  Ohio,  in  1837,  where  they  re- 
sided about  seven  years,  and  removed  to  Preble 
County,  same  State.  The  mother  died  when  the 
boy  was  twelve  years  old.  Afterward  the  family 
removed  to  Butler  County,  Ohio,  where  the 
father  remarried,  and  the  family  resided  for 
many  years.  His  father  was  neither  rich  nor 
poor,  yet  in  such  circumstances  as  to  be  able 
to  give  each  of  his  children  that  best  of  all 


TOWNSHIP. 

capital,  a  good  English  education;  though  liis 
means  were  such  as  to  preclude  any  financial 
assistance,  on  arriving  at  full  age  young  George 
received  his  first  eduational  instruction  in  Shel- 
by, and  later  in  Camden,  Ohio.  His  first  vent- 
ure in  life  was  at  the  age  of  fourteen,  when  he 
became  an  engineer  in  a  woolen  factor^-,  and 
retained  the  position  for  two  years.  At  the 
age  of  sixteen,  he  commenced  to  learn  the 
tailor's  trade,  which  he  followed  for  many  3' ears, 
with  varying  success,  but  never  disheartened 
— never  discouraged.  In  1856,  he  turned  his 
face  toward  the  West,  and  on  a  bleak,  bluster- 
ing November  day,  he  arrived  in  Marshall  a 
stranger,  with  but  25  cents  in  his  pocket.  The 
prospect  was  anything  but  bright,  but  with  that 
characteristic  energy  that  has  ever  marked  his 
life,  he  at  once  began  to  cast  around  for  some- 
thing to  do.  He  lauded  one  evening  and  be- 
fore noon  the  next  day  had  opened  an  humble 
tailor  shop,  and  was  waiting  for  his  first  job. 
In  the  great  battle  of  life,  pluck,  vim  and  en- 
ergy are  always  victorious,  and  never  was  this 
more  fully  illustrated  than  in  this  case.     He 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


219 


battled  along  about  a  j'ear,  accumulating  a  lit- 
tle all  the  time,  and  at  last  was  able  to  enlarge 
his  business  bj*  purchasing  a  few  pieces  of 
cloth,  thus  adding  a  merchant  tailoring  depart- 
ment. By  close  application  to  his  business  and 
that  fair  dealing  for  which  he  has  ever  been 
known,  and  b}-  which  he  laid  the  foundation  of 
his  future  success,  ho  prospered,  and  his  busi- 
ness increased  beyond  his  most  sanguine  ex- 
pectations. In  1860,  he  married  Miss  Lizzie 
Stinnett,  a  most  estimable  lady,  who  became 
the  mother  of  two  children:— the  elder  now 
Mrs.  Cora  Blakie,  and  William  C.  Hippard. 
His  business  under  his  careful  rnanagement 
continued  to  prosper,  his  home  was  happy,  and 
the  future  seemed  bright  indeed.  But  death 
crossed  his  threshold,  and  in  December,  1863, 
he  was  called  upon  to  mourn  the  loss  of  his 
beloved  wife.  In  the  spring  of  1864,  he  put 
into  execution  a  long-cherished  design — that 
of  entering  the  drj-  goods  business.  He  there- 
fore closed  out  his  tailoring  establishment  and 
investing  his  all  in  merchandise,  launched  upon 
the  great  and  treacherous  mercantile  sea,  on 
which  so  few  float  and  so  many  sink.  Many 
predicted  that  he  would  be  engulfed.  But  heed- 
less of  their  prophecies,  he  kept  bravely  on. 
Being  a  splendid  judge  of  every  kind  of  goods, 
a  safe  and  close  buyer,  he  took  advantage  of 
everj-  market,  sold  at  small  margins,  dealt  just 
and  honorably  with  all,  and  soon  weathered 
every  gale  and  rode  in  the  peaceful  waters  of 
prosperity'  and  assured  success.  In  August, 
1874,  he  married  Mrs.  Mary  A.  Killie,  two  sons 


being  the  result  of  this  union.  5Ir.  Hippard 
is  in  the  very  prime  of  life,  of  medium  build, 
solid  and  compact,  and  deliberate  in  his  move- 
ments. He  is  sober,  temperate  and  industrious, 
and  of  active  habits.  He  is  a  man  of  clear 
head,  sound  judgment  and  foresight,  a  born 
merchant.  He  is  a  man  qf  generous  impulses 
and  warm  friendships.  Though  occupied  with 
the  affairs  of  trade,  Mr.  Hippard  has  alwaj-s 
found  time  to  post  himself  on  the  leading  is- 
sues of  the  day,  and  has  always  been  an  ardent 
partisan,  though  never  allowing  political  mat- 
ters to  interfere  with  his  business.  From  his 
majoritj'  until  within  the  last  few  j^ears,  he  was 
identified  with  the  Democratic  party,  but  be- 
came a  convert  to  the  financial  theories  of  the 
Greenback  party,  and  is  known  politically  as  a 
Greenback  Democrat.  In  religious  belief,  we 
believe  Mr.  Hippard  is  a  Presbyterian.  He  is 
also  a  Mason.  It  must  be  a  matter  of  proud 
reflection  for  him,  as  he  looks  over  the  long 
and  busj'  j-ears  that  mark  the  pathwaj'  of  his 
life,  to  think  that  from  his  humble  beginning, 
by  business  probity,  straightforward  and  hon- 
orable dealing,  energy  and  perseverance,  ho  has 
built  up  a  business  second  to  none  in 
Eastern  Illinois.  His  name  is  a  household 
word  in  Clark  County,  and  is  known  to  and 
his  custom  sought  b3'  the  prominent  whole- 
sale merchants  of  the  East.  He  is  yet  hale 
and  vigorous,  and  destined,  we  hope,  for 
many  years  to  manage  and  superintend  his 
extensive  and  constantly  increasing  busi- 
ness. 


WABASH 

WILLIAM  MACHLAN,  merchant,  Macks- 
ville,  Ind.  William  Machlan  is  a  son  of 
Homer  and  Catharine  (Glover)  Machlan,  and 
was  born  in  Clark  County,  111.,  November 
30,  1855.  His  father  was  born  March  31, 
1831,  in  Rush  County,  Ind.,  and  was  the 
second  of  a  family  of  three  children  of  Will- 


TOWNSHIP. 

iam  E.  Machlan  and  Elizabeth  Stiles  ;  the 
former  born  in  1799,  in  Pennsylvania,  and 
the  latter  in  1804,  in  Lavn-enceburg,  Ind. 
Soon  after  marriage,  they  settled  in  Rush 
County,  Ind.,  where  the  father  died  July  28, 
1833,  leaving  three  children,  viz. :  Sarah, 
wife  of  I.   P.   Brown ;  Homer,    and  George 


220 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


W.  Machlan.  The  mother  afterward  mar- 
ried Randolph  Lee,  with  whom  she  lived  un- 
til the  time  of  her  death,  which  occurred  in 
March,  1860.  Homer  Machlan  was  married 
September  5,  1854,  in  Clark  County,  to  Miss 
Catharine  Glover,  daughter  of  William  and 
Nancy  (Downey)  ©-lover.  Her  father  was 
born  in  Pennsylvania  August  8,  1789,  and 
served  as  a  soldier  through  the  war  of  1812, 
and  was  married,  September  23,  1819,  to  Miss 
Nancy  Do^Tiey,  who  was  born  in  March, 
1777.  They  had  a  family  of  five  children, 
of  whom  Mrs.  M.  is  the  youngest.  She  was 
born  in  Muskingum  County,  Ohio,  April  24, 
1882,  and  came  to  this  county  with  her 
parents  in  1S52.  Here  the  mother  died, 
September  3.  1  SoS.     Her  father  subsequently 


married  Lucinda  Travioli,  and  died  at  his 
home.  December  14,  1872.  Homer  Mach- 
lan has  a  family  of  four  children,  of  whom 
one  is  deceased,  viz. :  William  T.  Machlan, 
born  November  80,  1855  ;  Walter  B.,  born 
October  24, 1857,  and  married  to  Miss  Adelia 
Sims  ;  Ella  M.,  born  May  14,  1864,  and  died 
September  20,  1865  ;  Nancy  A. ,  born  August 
16,  1867.  Our  subject  was  principally 
educated  in  Marshall,  and  married  on 
the  23d  of  March,  1882,  to  Miss  Jennie 
Broadhurst,  of  Vigo  County,  Ind.  She  was 
born  October  5,  1862.  Mr.  Macklin,  since 
April,  18S0,  has  been  engaged  in  the  mer- 
cantile business  on  the  Terre  Haute  &  Dar- 
win road,  in  the  southeast  part  of  the  town- 
ship of  Warren;  carries  a  stock  of  gen- 
eral merchandise. 


CASEY    TOWNSHIP. 


B.  F.  WARD,  editor  Casey  Banner,  was 
born  in  Bath,  Steuben  County,  N.  Y.,  June 
15,  1887.  a  son  of  David  N.  H.  and  Mary 
(Webb)  Ward.  His  father  was  a  physician, 
having  graduated  at  Bm-lington,  Vt.  He 
emigrated  West,  and  settled  in  Tuscola, 
111.,  in  1860,  and  died  four  yeai-s  later.  He 
was  a  Royal  Arch  Mason,  and  was  buried 
with  honors  by  his  lodge.  The  mother  of 
our  subject  was  a  native  of  Allegany 
County,  N.  Y.  At  the  time  of  her  marriage 
she  received  160  acres  of  laud  from  her 
father,  which  now  lies  within  the  limits  of 
the  city  of  Hornellsville.  N.  Y.  She  died 
in  Tuscola,  111.  She  was  a  second  cousin  of 
Henry  Ward  Beecher,  and  our  subject's  un- 
cle, Josiah,  married  a  sister  of  Horatio 
Seymour.  The  parents  were  blessed  with 
seven  children,  three  of  whom  are  living — 
B.  F.,  W.  H.  and  Flora.  Our  subject  re- 
ceived a  country  school  education,  and  was 
brought  lip  in  the  drug  store  of  his  father, 


and  also,  when  quite  young,  worked  in  a 
printing  office.  In  August,  1862,  he  enlisted 
as  musician  in  Company  B,  Seventy-ninth 
Indiana  Volunteer  Infantry,  and  served 
nearly  two  years.  He  took  part  in  the 
memorable  battles  of  Stone  River,  Lookout 
Mountain  and  the  siege  of  Chattanooga,  be- 
sides many  other  skirmishes.  He  was  pro- 
moted to  the  position  of  Regular  Ai-my  Hos- 
pital Steward,  which  he  filled  till  the  close  of 
the  war.  At  Nashville,  he  was  Surgeon  to  a 
regiment  of  colored  guards.  He  returned 
home,  and  afterward  moved  to  Cumberland 
County,  this  State,  and  entered  into  partner 
ship  with  William  M.  P.  Quinn,  and  prac- 
ticed medicine  until  1872.  He  then  started 
the  original  Casey  Times,  which  he  operated 
up  to  1878,  in  which  year  it  was  removed  to 
Marshall,  and  sold  to  a  stock  company,  its 
name  being  afterward  changed  to  the  East- 
ern Illinoisan.  He  had  charge  of  the  paper 
at  Marshall  for  one  year.     In  1879,  he  started 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


221 


the  Casey  Banner,  which  at  once  sprung  into 
popular  favor,  and  it  now  enjoys  an  enviable 
circulation.  Our  subject  was  married  in 
June,  1868,  in  Clark  County,  to  Sarah  E. 
Cook,  born  in  this  county,  a  daughter  of 
Elisha  and  Elizabeth  (Gorell)  Cook,  he  born 
in  South  Carolina,  and  she  a  native  of  Indi- 


ana. Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ward  are  the  parents 
of  two  children,  Fairy  and  Mary  K.  Mrs. 
AVard  is  a  member  of  the  Catholic  Church. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  A.,  F.  &  A.  M. ,  K. 
of  H.  and  G.  A.  R. .  being  Post  Commander 
of  the  latter.  In  politics,  he  is  Republi- 
can. 


WESTFIELD 

REV.  SAMUEL  BROWN  ALLEN,  D.  D., 
Casey.     Eight  or  nine  miles  east  of  Harris- 
burg,  the  capital  of  Pennsylvania,   may    be 
found  a  venerable  old  homestead,  at  present 
owned  and   occupied   by  "William   Allen,  a 
cousin  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch.      There 
his  ancestors  settled   more   than   a  century 
and  a  half  ago  ;    and,  what  is  rare  in  this 
land  of  change,  that  homestead  farm  has  de 
scended  from  fatlier  to   son   for  foui-  or  five 
generations.      In  that   vicinity,   Samuel    B. 
Allen    was   bom   January   17,   A.   D.   1830. 
His  ancestors,  both  paternal   and  maternal, 
were  among  the  pioneers  of  that  section  of 
the  new  world,  to  which  they  had  migrated 
from  the  North  of  Ireland.      They  were  of 
the  Scotch-Irish  descent,  than  whom,  as  is 
well  known,  no  more  worthy  race  ever  graced 
this    land.     His  great  grandfathers  were  in 
the  arena  of  conflict  during  the  Revolution- 
ary war,  and  contributed  to  the  achievements 
over  both  the  British  and  the  Indians.     They 
also  pai-ticipated  prominently  in  the  states- 
manship   of  the   day,  one,    at   least,    having 
been  a  member  of  the  convention  that  framed 
the    original  constitution   of    the   State    of 
Pennsylvania.     They  and  their  descendants 
were    zealous    supporters    of    the   Gospel  of 
Christ,  associated   in  those  early  days  with 
the    Covenanter    Church ;    but   later    years 
found  among  the  earnest  and  prominent  in 
the  Presbyterian  Chui-ch.      They  were  also 


TOWNSHIP. 

active  in  the  field  of  education,  according  to 
the  standard  of  their  era  ;  and  in  due  course 
of  time  they  furnished  two  successive  Presi- 
dents to  Jefferson  College,  in  Western  Penn- 
sylvania, viz. :  Rev.  Matthew  Brown  (who  was 
an  uncle  of  the  brother  of  President  Allen) 
followed  by  his  son,  Rev.  Matthew  Brown, 
Jr.  The  father  of  President  Allen  was 
Samuel  Allen,  born  A.  D.  1790,  died  A.  D. 
1863.  He  was  a  man  of  vigorous  and  acute 
intellect,  who  failed,  perhaps,  of  his  greatest 
usefulness  by  devoting  himself  to  business 
instead  of  letters.  Though  utterly  opposed 
to  the  war,  his  patriotism  led  him  to  take  up 
arms  during  the  war  of  1812,  in  which  he 
served  as  an  officer.  His  life  was  not  spared 
quite  long  enough  to  see  the  extinction  of 
slavery,  of  which  his  sense  of  justice  made 
him  an  ardent  opposer.  He  married  Eleanor 
Brown,  resident  of  Lycoming  County,  Penn. , 
whither,  in  pm-suit  of  increased  prosperity, 
her  parents  had  betaken  themselves  from  the 
older  settlement  near  Har'risburg.  She  was 
a  woman  of  i-obust  nature,  amiable  spirit, 
upright  life,  and  fair  education.  The  boy- 
hood of  President  Allen  was  spent,  in  part, 
in  Harrisburg,  Penn.,  where  his  education 
was  begun.  While  yet  young,  his  parents 
emigrated  to  Center  County,  Penn.,  where, 
in  a  district  school,  their  children  pursued 
their  education.  Their  fom'th  child,  the 
subject  of  this  article,  was  quite  successful 


233 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


in  study,  so  much  so  that,  before  he  was  six- 
teen he  was  solicited  to  try  his  hand  at  teach- 
ing a  school,  which  he  conducted  prosper- 
ously for  four  months.  He  had  previously 
maintained  himself,  for  a  time  attending 
an  academy  in  Bellefont,  the  pictui'esque 
and  aristocratic  county  seat  of  Centre  County, 
Penn.  After  busy  years  of  manual  toil  in 
summers,  interspersed,  in  winter,  with  study 
and  teaching,  he  at  length  entered  Mount 
Pleasant  College,  an  institution  then  doing 
good  work  in  Westmoreland  County,  Penn. 
For  financial  reasons,  in  A.  D.  1856,  he  took 
a  situation  as  teacher  in  Vincennes  Univer- 
sity, in  Indiana.  In  A.  D.  1858,  he  was 
married  to  Miss  Elizabeth  Smith,  residing 
with  her  widowed  mother  near  Vincennes, 
Ind.  Her  i-elatives,  both  Smith  and  McClure 
(her  mother's  maiden  name),  were  among  the 
vigorous  and  enterprising  people  of  that 
community  and  elsewhere,  some  of  them 
known  in  halls  of  legislation,  others  as  pro- 
fessional men.  Soon  after  his  marriage,  Mr. 
Allen  re-entered  college,  and  graduated  with 
approval  from  Otterbein  University,  Ohio,  in 
June,  A.  D.  1859.  Presently  he  entered  the 
Theological  Seminary  at  Oberlin,  Ohio,  but 
retired,  before  finishing  the  course,  to  take 
charge  of  Michigan  Collegiate  Institute,  at 
Leoni,  Mich.,  where  he  labored  with  energy 
and  success  for  three  years.  Then,  in  A.  D. 
1862,  he  was  called  to  a  chair  of  langaages 
in  his  alma  mater,  Otterbein  University.  Af- 
ter five  years  of  taxing  toil,  he  resigned  his 
position,  doubtful  whether  his  health  would 
permit  his  ever  undertaking  further  labor  in 
teaching.  But  after  two  years  of  variegated 
employment  and  rest,  he  reluctantly  con- 
sented to  take  the  position  of  President  of 
Westfield  College,  to  which  he  had  been  ap- 
pointed. His  reluctance  arose  principally 
fi-om  fears  as  to  his  health  ;  but  his  endur- 
ance far  surpassed   his  expectations,  so  that 


with  the  college  year  ending  June,  1883,  he 
will  end  his  fourteenth  year  in  this  service. 
His  work  has  been  done  honorably  and  well. 
It  is,  with  him,  far  more  a  work  of  conscience 
than  is  usual.  His  eye  is  constantly  fixed 
upon  the  best  interests  of  the  nation  and  of 
the  Christian  religion,  regarding  it  as  quite 
possible  that  our  national  liberties  might  be 
lost,  but  being  confident  that  this  sad  catas- 
trophe is  certain  to  occur  unless  averted  by 
the  potency  of  enlightenment  and  divine 
truth,  he  has  patiently  toiled  these  years,  not 
always  understood  or  fairly  treated  by  the 
public.  He  has  confidence  in  truth.  He 
dares  to  maintain  his  convictions  on  all  sub- 
jects, expecting  victory  at  last.  He  makes 
no  pretefision  to  unbounded  erudition  ;  yet 
quite  unsolicited  and  unexpected,  his  alma 
mater  honored  him  with  the  degree  of  Doctor 
of  Divinity,  her  first  gift  of  that  kind  to  one 
of  her  own  sons.  As  a  public  speaker,  he  is 
rather  logical  than  eloquent ;  rather  strong 
and  impressive  than  brilliant  and  enchanting. 
As  a  teacher,  he  laboriously  endeavors  to 
make  the  most  of  his  ptipils  during  their 
connection  with  him.  This  he  does,  not  by 
htuTying  them  over  mtich  surface,  but  by 
conducting  them,  by  methods  of  his  that  are 
not  unsuccessful,  to  the  principles  that  ai'e 
ftindamental  in  character.  As  a  disciplin- 
arian, his  ideas  and  his  j^ractice  are  expressed 
by  the  words,  "Kind  and  parental,  yet  firm 
and  effective."  Trttsting  much  to  student's 
honor,  nevertheless  his  eyes  and  ears  are  not 
dull.  Offenders  are  not  flattered  ;  yet  no 
man  ever  sought  more  diligently  than  Presi- 
dent Allen  to  rescue  the  erring  and  establish 
them  in  right  paths.  "Weak  and  designing 
persons  have  sometimes  branded  him  as  ty- 
rannical ;  but  his  associates  in  governing  uni- 
formly, with  scarcely  an  exception,  declare 
that,  though  thorough  a  ad  searching  in 
bringing  evil-doers   to  account,  his  voice  al- 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


ways  favored  all  allowable  forbearance  and 
leniency.  Many  a  hard  case  has,  in  later 
years,  tenderly  acknowledged  his  obligations 


to  the  friendly  remonstrances,  together  with 
the  faithful  firmness  and  counsel  of  this  self- 
sacrificing  teacher. 


MELROSE 

THE  COWDEN  FAMILY.  James  Cow- 
den,  who  now  resides  with  his  son,  A.  G. 
Cowden,  on  Section  8,  Mekose  Township, 
Clark  Co.,  111.,  was  born  in  Loudoun  County, 
Va. ,  March  26,  A.  D.  1805  ;  emigrated 
with  his  parents  in  his  early  boyhood  days  to 
Licking  County,  Ohio,  where  he  received  a 
liberal  common  school  education.  His  par- 
ents were  of  English  stock.  He  chose  farm- 
ing and  teaching  as  an  occupation,  and  be- 
came inured  to  all  the  hardships  of  a  pio- 
neer life.  Was  married  in  the  year  1826  to 
Elizabeth  Goflf,  who  was,  strictly  speaking, 
of  pure  Yankee  extraction,  having  been  born 
and  reared  in  Rutland  County,  Vt.,  her  par- 
ents being  of  English  extraction.  She  was 
born  November  6,  1802.  Died  August  12, 
1866.  Was  a  good  scholar  ;  early  espoused 
the  doctrines  of  Methodism,  and  was  un- 
flinching in  her  religious  belief.  Her  oldest 
brother,  Abner  Gofif,  was  a  noted  pioneer 
Methodist  preacher.  Seven  children  were 
the  result  of  this  union — four  sons  and  three 
daughters.  Angeline,  the  oldest,  was  born 
September  9,  1827,  married  to  A.  J.  Hower- 
ton  in  1845,  died  March  29,  1865,  leaving  a 
large  family  of  children,  all  of  whom  are 
now  living  save  one.  Caroline,  the  next  in 
age,  was  born  June  29,  1829,  and  is  still  liv- 
ing with  her  husband,  William  Cjx.  and  fam- 
ily, in  the  city  of  Lockport,  Will  Co.,  111., 
their  family  consisting  of  one  son,  James  A. 
Cox.  Abner  G.,  the  third  in  age,  was  born 
December  30,  1831  -,  died  October  15,  1855  ; 
was  single  at  the  time.  Benson  L.  was  born 
September  17, 1836,  died  February  28,  1858, 


TOWNSHIP, 

was  unmarried.  James  Orin  was  born  Jan- 
uary 10,  1839,  died  September  10, 1843.  Al- 
mira  M.  was  born  November  8,  1841,  and  is 
still  living  with  her  husband,  John  C.  Elston, 
in  Anderson  Township,  and  is  the  mother  of 
four  children,  namely,  Frank  G. ,  James  D. , 
Leroy  and  Maud.  All  the  children  of  James 
Cowden,  with  the  exception  of  Almira,  were 
born  in  the  State  of  Ohio.  In  the  fall  of 
the  year  1839,  he  removed  to  Clark  County, 
111.,  and  bought  Government  land  near  Mar- 
tinsville. At  that  time  Clark  County  was  al- 
most an  unbroken  wilderness.  Four  or  five 
log  houses  constituted  the  village  of  Martins- 
ville, which  was  then  the  business  center  for 
the  inhabitants  of  the  suiTounding  forests  ; 
wild  deer  would  occasionally  gallop  through 
town  chased  by  some  hunter's  hound. 
James  Cowden  has  killed  ninety-six  deer 
with  one  gun  ;  they  were  so  plentiful  that  it 
required  but  little  effort  to  secure  a  buck.  In 
the  year  1848,  he  settled  on  Section  16, 
in  Melrose  Township,  and  made  a  farm  in  the 
timber,  where  he  resided  till  the  year  1866  ; 
since  that  time  he  has  resided  with  his  son, 
A.  G.  Cowden,  and  is  at  this  time  hale  and 
strong,  though  in  his  seventy-ninth  year ; 
was  the  first  Supervisor  of  Melrose  Town- 
ship, after  the  adoption  of  township  organ- 
ization. His  parents'  history  in  brief  :  Da- 
vid Cowden  was  born  September  7,  1785 ;  died 
April  5,  1839,  aged  fifty-three  years.  Ee- 
beeca  Cowden  was  born  February  28,  1785; 
died  July  16,1855,  aged  seventy  years  ;  they 
were  born  and  resided  in  Loudoun  Coimty, 
Va. 


234 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


ALFRED  G.  COWDEN.  The  subject  of 
this  sketch  is  the  second  son  of  James  and 
Elizabeth  Cowden;  was  born  in  Knox  Coun- 
ty, Ohio,  June  8,  1834  ;  removed  with  his 
l)arents  to  Clark  County,  III.,  in  the  year 
1839,  and  lived  on  a  farm  the  greater  part  of 
his  life  ;  received  a  liberal  common  school 
education,  and  by  close  application  to  his 
studies  was  able  to  pass  a  successful  examin- 
ation, and  began  teaching  in  the  year  1856 
in  the  Martinsville  district,  where  he  first 
learned  his  letters  in  the  year  1840,  sixteen 
years  prior  to  the  time  he  taught  his  first 
school.  Since  that  time  he  has  taught  twen- 
ty-four terms  of  school  in  the  county,  fifteen 
of  which  he  taught  in  Melrose  Township  ; 
has  passed  successful  examinations  under  the 
supervision  of  all  the  County  Superintend- 
ents of  Schools  since  1856,  and  has  kept 
pace,  and  by  dint  of  hard  study  has  been 
able  to  hold  an  honorable  place  with  the 
craft,  and  a  first-grade  certificate.  In  poli- 
tics he  is  a  Eepublican,  and  early  in  life  de- 
nounced human  slavery  in  all  its  forms  as  a 
sin  against  God  and  man,  and  cast  his  first 
vote  for  the  Pathfinder  for  President  (1856), 
and  since  that  time  has  espoused  the  cause 


of  Eepublicanism.  Was  married,  April  3, 
1859,  to  Margaret  Wells,  the  youngest 
daughter  of  Nathan  Wells,  of  the  town  of 
Melrose,  she  then  being  in  her  eighteenth 
year,  having  been  born  in  the  year  1841,  in 
Melrose,  six  children  being  the  result  of  this 
union— Emma  F.,  born  February  2,  1860, 
and  in  her  sixteenth  year  was  a  teacher  in 
the  common  schools  ;  was  married  July  14. 
1878,  to  Charles  Hodges,  and  resides  in  Mel- 
rose Township  on  a  farm.  Nora  was  born 
May  17,  1862,  and  is  now  a  teacher  in  the 
common  schools  ;  Minnie  A.  was  born  No- 
vember 15,  1866  ;  Ola  was  born  March  3, 
1869  :  May  was  born  March  20,  1871  ;  Net- 
tie C.  was  born  August  31,  1874,  there  hav- 
ing been  no  deaths  in  the  family  of  either 
pai-ents  or  children.  He  has  held  all  the  of- 
fices in  the  township,  and  was  never  defeated; 
was  elected  Justice  of  the  Peace  in  the  year 
1876,  and  re-elected  in  the  year  1881.  He 
resides  on  a  farm  on  Section  8,  in  Melrose 
Township,  is  a  successful  farmer  and  stock- 
raiser,  teaching  in  the  winter  months.  W  as 
representative  to  the  Grand  Lodge  of  I.  O. 
O.  F.  for  eight  consecutive  sessions. 


^'%^^^f 


PART  IV 


Biographical  Sketches. 


CRAWFORD    COUNTY. 


ROBINSON  TOWNSHIP. 


FEANCIS  M.  ADAMS,  son  of  Thomas 
Adams,  was  bom  October  20,  1860,  in  this 
county.  He  was  raised  on  a  farm;  his  facil- 
ities for  ediTcation  were  the  common  schools 
of  the  county;  he  was  married  in  this  county 
January,  1880,  to  Sarah  A.  Kirk,  daughter 
of  Jacob  Kirk;  has  one  child— William 
Jacob.  He  owns  109  acres.  Politically,  is 
Democratic. 

JOSEPH  ALEXANDER,  faimer,  P.  O. 
Robinson,  was  born  May  23,  1811,  in  Lick- 
ing  County,  Ohio,  where  he  was  brought  up; 
he  engaged  in  farming,  when  he  started  for 
himself.  In  1847,  he  came  to  Crawford 
County,  111.,  and  located  in  the  northwest 
part  of  Robinson  To\TOship.  In  1853,  he 
purchased  160  acres  of  land  to  which  he 
added  120  acres,  which  he  aftei-ward  sold. 
In  1858,  he  bought  forty  acres,  to  which  he 
since  added  240  acres.  Mr  Alexander  was 
maiTied  May  2, 1854,  in  this  county,  to  Miss 
Lydia  King.  Politically,  he  is  a  Republican. 
He  is  of  Scotch  and  English  nationality. 

SING  B.  ALLEN,  lawyer,  real  estate  and 
abstract  office,  Robinson.  The  subject  of 
this  sketch  was  born  in  Rockville,  Ind.,  Sep- 
tember 7,  1840.     When  six  yeai-s  of  age  his 


father  removed  to  Texas.     In  1857,  subject 
went  to    Washington,  D.  C,  where   for   two 
years  he  was  a  clerk  in  the  House  of  Repre- 
sentatives.    He    then    went     to    Clarksville, 
Tenn.,    where  he    attended  Stewart  College 
for    eighteen    months,     when    he    came    to 
Palestine,   111.,  and  entered  upon  the  stiidy 
of  law  with  his  uncle.  Judge  Allen,  of  Pales- 
tine.    He  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1863, 
and -came  to  Robinson  and   commenced  the 
practice   of  his  profession,  but  did  not  con- 
tinue long,  until  he  was  elected  to  the  office 
of  Circuit  Clerk,  a  position   he  held  for  ten 
years,  when  he  retired.      Since  1876,  he  has 
been  in   the    business   of    abstracting,    law 
and  real  estate,   and    is  a  member    of    the 
firm  of  Wilson,  Maxwell  &  Allen.     Mi-.  All- 
ien is  a  Democrat,  and  has  been  Master  in 
Chancery,    appointed    by    Judge    Halley    in 
1877,  also   served  as  School  Treasiu-er  since 
1868.     He   was   manied,    in    1876,  to   Miss 
Lydia  Whittaker,  of  this  town.     They  have 
two  children,  a    son   and   a    daughter — Byrl 
and  Belle. 

HUGH  E.  ALLEN,  Deputy  County  Clerk, 
Robinson;  is  a  sou  of  Robert  N.  and  Marga- 
ret A.  (McNutt)  Allen,  the  former  a  native  of 


226 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


Kentucky,  and  the  latter  of  Virginia.  They 
moved  to  Parke  County,  Ind.,  and  from 
thence  to  Texas,  where  they  both  died. 
Hugh  E.,  the  subject,  was  born  in  Koekville, 
Parke  Co.,  Ind.,  June  3,  1845.  His  facilities 
for  an  education  were  such  as  were  afforded 
by  the  common  schools.  In  September, 
1861,  though  but  sixteen  years  old,  he  en- 
listed in  the  Eighth  Texas  Cavalry — better 
known  as  Terry's  Texas  Rangers,  Confeder- 
ate Army,  for  three  years  or  during  the  war, 
at  Bastrop,  Texas,  particij)ating  during  his 
term  of  service  in  the  battles  of  Shiloh,  Per- 
ryville  and  over  three  hundi-ed  other  battles 
and  skirmishes,  remaining  faithful  to  the 
"stars  and  bars"  until  they  went  down  for- 
ever on  the  field  of  Appomattox.  In  1871, 
he  came  to  Eobinson,  Crawford  County, 
where  he  has  resided  ever  since.  He  filled 
the  office  of  Deputy  Circuit  Clerk  from  1871 
to  1877;  was  appointed  Deputy  County  Clerk 
in  December,  1878,  which  position  he  still 
holds;  was  Acting  Justice  of  the  Peace  from 
May  1,  1877,  to  1881.  He  is  a  Democrat  in 
politics,  and  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  fra- 
ternity. ]VIi-.  Allen  was  married,  December 
25,  1875,  to  Miss  Louisa  E.  Miner,  in  Cum- 
berland County,  111.,  and  a  daughter  of 
Hemy  A.  and  Amanda  (McConnaha)  Miner, 
the  former  born  in  the  State  of  New  York 
and  in  the  latter  in  Ohio.  They  (subjects) 
have  thiee  childi-en,  viz.:  Cora  L.,  Robert 
H.  L.  and  Oscar  W. 

D.  M.  BALES,  Sherifi"  of  county,  Robin- 
son. The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  born  in 
Monroe  County,  Ind.,  December  1,  1825,  and 
was  brought  up  principally  in  Lawrence 
County,  Ind.,  on  a  fai-m.  His  educational 
facilities  were  limited,  and  comprised  the 
ordinaiy  schools  of  the  neighborhood,  which 
in  that  day  were  rather  poor.  He  removed 
to  Crawford  County,  111.,  and  located  about 
four-  miles  southwest  of  Robinson.      He  pur- 


chased a  tract  of  wild  land,  comprising  160 
acres  of  prairie  and  forty  acres  of  timber. 
He  built  a  cabin  on  it,  into  which  he  moved 
on  the  31st  day  of  December,  and  the  first 
year  put  into  cultivation  sixty  acres  of 
ground — forty  acres  of  it  in  com,  which  ma- 
tui-ed  well  and  in  good  time.  He  improved 
his  farm  and  put  it  in  fine  condition,  and  in 
1864  sold  it  for  $4,000.  He  bought  another 
farm,  and  continued  farming  and  milling, 
having  pui-chased  a  steam  saw  mill,  and 
bought  and  sold  several  farms,  until  the  pres- 
ent time.  He  is  a  Democrat  in  politics,  and 
a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church,  and  has  the  sti-ongest  faith  in  his 
politics  and  his  religion.  In  1882,  he  was 
elected  Sheriff  of  the  county,  which  office  he 
now  holds.  He  has  held  the  office  of  Justice 
of  the  Peace  and  Supervisor  of  his  township 
(Martin);  the  latter  he  held  for  two  terms. 
He  was  married  in  Lawrence  County,  Ind., 
to  Miss  Hannah  Henderson,  who  died  of 
spotted  fever  January  24,  1872,  at  which 
time  he  lost  three  members  of  his  family 
within  a  month.  Of  a  family  of  ten  chil- 
dren, eight  survive,  viz. :  Sarah  J.,  Mary  E., 
Andrew  J.,  Martha,  Ellen,  Euphemia,  Will- 
iam T.,  and  David  M.  Dead — Charles  N.  and 
James  L.  He  was  married  a  second  time  m 
this  county  in  1875,  to  Sarah  Winger,  by 
whom  he  has  one  child — A.  A.  Bales. 

L.  H.  BARLOW,  lawyer,  Robinson,  was 
born  November  1,  1854,  and  is  a  native  of 
this  county.  His  father  is  also  a  native  of 
the  county,  and  said  to  be  the  first  white 
child  born  in  it.  Subject  was  raised  on  a 
farm,  where  he  continued  until  1880,  farm- 
ing and  teaching  school  occasionally;  when 
tiring  of  these  piu-suits,  he  commenced  the 
study  of  law  under  Judge  Robb,  and  in 
May,  1882,  was  admitted  to  the  bar,  and  en- 
tered at  once  upon  the  practice  of  his  profes- 
sion in  the  town  of  Robinson.     He  was  mar- 


ROBINSON    TOWNSHIP. 


227 


ried  December  31,  1874,  to  Miss  Melcona 
Morris,  of  this  county.  Tliey  have  two 
childi-en — J.  Edgar  and  Cora  M. 

EZE9:iEL  BISHOP,  retired  farmer,  P.  O. 
Robinson.  Among  the  pioneers  of  Crawford 
County,  who  are  still  living,  is  he  whose 
name  heads  this  sketch,  and  whose  portrait 
appears  elsewhere  in  this  volume.  He  has 
lived  in  the  county  for  more  than  half  a  cen- 
tury, and  has  seen  it  a  hov^rling  wilderness 
infested  by  wild  beasts,  transformed  into  a 
land  (figuratively)  flowing  with  milk  and 
honey.  Mr.  Bishop  was  born  in  Wayne 
County,  N.  C,  February  22,  1816,  and  came 
to  Illinois  in  1828,  with  his  parents,  locating 
in  Crawford  County.  Ho  has  followed 
farming  most  of  his  life,  and  owns  a  farm  of 
200  acres  near  Hutsonville,  also  an  excellent 
residence  and  other  jjroperty  in  Robinson, 
where  he  has  resided  for  the  past  few  years. 
In  1837,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Rebecca 
Musgrave  in  Vigo  County,  Ind. ,  who  died 
in  January,  1881,  at  the  age  of  sixty-six 
yeai-s,  leaving  four  chikh-en,  viz. :  Priscilla, 
George  W.,  who  lives  in  Washington  Terri- 
tory, Lucy  M.  and  Amanda  E.  Mr.  Bishop 
was  married  a  second  time  on  the  9th  of 
August,  1881,  to  Mary  J.  Musgrave,  of  this 
County. 

P.  G.  BRADBURY,  State's  Attorney,  Rob- 
inson, one  of  the  most  distinguished  and  suc- 
cessful young  attorneys  in  this  part  of  Illi- 
nois, is  the  gentleman  whose  name  heads 
this  biography.  He  is  a  native  of  Crawford 
County,  111.,  being  born  October  6,  1847;  is 
a  son  of  John  S.  Bradbury,  whose  portrait 
and  sketch  appears  elsewhere.  He  was  the 
second  of  three  children  by  his  father's  union 
with  Jemima  Buckner,  who  died  when  our 
subject  was  quite  small.  His  father's  busi- 
ness being  that  of  a  ruralist,  from  early  boy- 
hood until  he  reached  the  age  of  twenty-one, 
P.  G.  worked   on    the    farm  with  unceasing 


industry,  the   only  relaxation   being   his  at- 
tendance at  the  York  schools  from  five  to  six 
months   during   the  winters,    imtil   he   was 
twenty  years  old.     He  had    the  advantage  of 
the  Normal  Schools  of  Bloomington  and  Car- 
bondale.  111.,  a    short   time.     At    the  age  of 
fifteen,  he  fonned  a  dislike  for  farming  and 
decided  upon    a  broader  field  of    labor.     His 
ambition    did    not   slumber,  and  his  zeal  for 
his  anticipated    profession,  that   of    law,'  did 
not  abate;  and, of  coui-se,  prosperity  crowned 
his  efforts.     So  anxious   was   he   to  gain  the 
knowledge  requisite  to  his  future  prosperity, 
that  he  carried  his  history  and  algebra  to  the 
field   with   him,  and   while   the  horses  were 
resting,    he    applied    himself    vigorously  to 
those  two  studies.     Soon    after  attaining  his 
majority,  he  passed  an  examination   and  was 
awarded  a  certificate  to  teach  in  the  common 
schools  of  both  Clark  and  Crawford  Counties. 
He  at  once  began  teaching  in  the  Mail  neigh- 
borhood, in  his  native    borough  at    $33^  per 
month.     He  continued  the   labor  of    a  peda- 
gogue for  ten  consecutive  years,  receiving  for 
his    last   term    a    compensation  of    $110  per 
month.       Diu-ing   his    labor   in   the    school- 
room, he  saved  $1,700,  a  portion  of  which  he 
loaned  and  the  remainder  was  used  to  defray 
necessary  expenses.      His  reputation  soon  be- 
came widespread,  and   eveiy   year  increased 
the  demand  of  his  services  and  added  laurels 
to  his   professional   career,  and  accordingly, 
in  1873,  he   was  elected   Superintendent   of 
schools  of  Crawford    County,  which  position 
he  resigned  within    about   three   years  to  ac- 
cept the  office  of  State's  Attorney,  which  was 
tendered  him  in  1876.  which  position  he  has 
held  ever  since.     He  began  reading  law  with 
Judge    RoVib,  of  Robinson,  in  1874,  and  was 
examined  by  the  Supreme  Com't  at  Mt.  Ver- 
non, 111.,  and    was    admitted   to    the    bar  in 
1876.      He  at  once  formed  a  partnership  with 
his  preceptor,  which  still  exists.      During  his 


228 


i3I0GRAPHICAL: 


first  term  as  State's  Attorney,  he  turned  over 
to  the  school  funds  $1,859  as  fines.  Before 
this  time,  the  records  don't  show  one  cent 
ever  having  been  reported  by  any  previous 
prosecutor.  He  has  been  very  earnest  as  an 
ofiScial,  and  has  convicted  nearly  oOO  persons 
for  felonies  and  misdemeanors.  It  is  not 
often  we  find  in  one  man  such  a  devotion  to 
his  profession  and  to  science,  and  at  the 
same  time  such  an  undaunted  public  spirit 
as  we  find  in  Mr.  Bradbiu-y.  In  his  profes- 
sion he  is  possessed  of  a  fu-mness,  a  calm, 
cool  brain,  a  quick,  unfailing  eye,  a  steady 
nerve,  a  strength  of  will,  and  a  physical  en- 
dui-ance,  which  give  him  so  much  distinction 
as  a  prosecutor.  He  performs  a  prodigious 
amount  of  professional  labor — enough  to 
banki-upt  the  physical  system  of  any  man  of 
ordinary  endurance — but  yet  he  finds  time 
to  attend  to  scores  of  enterprises  of  a  local 
but  important  character.  Everything  he 
undertakes  bears  the  unmistakable  impress 
of  his  energy,  sound  judgment  and  genius. 
In  addition  to  all  this,  he  is  a  thorough  scholar, 
and  a  true  gentleman,  and  enjoys  the  abid- 
ing confidence  and  respect  of  the  people  for 
his  manly  character  and  imimpeached  integ- 
rity. He  is  an  energetic  Democrat,  and 
labors  ardently  for  the  success  of  the  party. 
He  was  married  December  31,  1879,  to  Jen. 
nie  Kellpy,  born  December  5,  1855,  in  Sulli- 
van County,  Ind,  Her  father,  James  Kelley, 
was  a  native  of  Ireland,  and  came  to  Sulli- 
van County,  Ind.,  when  a  boy;  started  there 
with  nothing,  and  at  his  decease  in  1801, 
was  worth  $50,000.  Her  mother,  Melinda 
(Johnson)  Kelley,  was  a  native  of  Sullivan 
County,  Ind. ,  and  blessed  Mr.  K.  with  three 
children,  viz. :  William,  John  and  Jennie. 
The  mother  was  married  after  the  decease  of 
Mr.  Kelley  to  Dr.  Van  Vleck,  of  New  York, 
who  is  also  deceased.  She  survives  on  the 
old  farm  in    her  native  county.      Mrs.  Brad- 


bury was  educated  at  the  State  Normal 
School,  Terre  Haute,  Ind. ;  is  a  very  pleasant, 
affable  lady,  and  belongs  to  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church.  Mi-.  B.  is  a  member  of  the 
A.,  F.  &  A.  M.  Lodge  of  Robinson. 

THOMAS  N.  BROWNING,  Justice  of 
the  Peace  and  insurance  agent,  Robinson, 
was  born  October  25,  1844,  in  Harrison 
County,  Ind. ;  came  to  Crawford  County,  111., 
with  his  jaarents  at  the  age  of  five,  and  has 
made  this  his  home  since,  with  the  exception 
of  three  years  spent  in  Terre  Haute.  His 
father  died  when  he  was  about  seven  years 
old,  and  he  was  put  out  among  strangers. 
He  gained  his  education  princiisally  in  the 
school  of  experience.  He  was  married,  Sep- 
tember 26,  1866,  to  Miss  Sarah  A.  Huls, 
daughter  of  Joseph  Huls.  a  well  and 
favorably  known  family  of  this  county. 
After  farming  one  year,  removed  to  Terre 
Haute,  and  in  the  employ  of  the  Terre 
Haute  iron  and  nail  works  remained  four 
years.  He  then  removed  to  his  farm,  five 
miles  north  of  town,  and  farmed  two  years. 
In  1874,  he  was  elected  Justice  of  the  Peace, 
and  moved  to  Robinson,  and  has  served  in 
that  capacity  continuously  since.  He  does  a 
good  business  in  insurance.  He  represents  the 
following  reliable  companies;  Home,  Phenix, 
German-American  of  New  York,  Royal, 
German,  both  of  Freeport  and  Peoria,  111. 
When  civil  war  threatened  our  republic,  Mr. 
Browning  was  one  of  that  number  to  volun- 
teer in  defense  of  the  union  and  liberty.  Al- 
though too  young  for  service  as  a  common 
soldier,  he  enlisted  as  a  di'ummer  boy  in 
Company  F,  Sixty-second  Illinois,  for  a  term 
ot  three  years,  at  the  expiration  of  which  ho 
veteranized  for  another  term  of  three  years 
or  during  the  war.  He  was  placed  on  the 
staff  of  musicians  as  a  drummer  boy,  in 
which  position  he  served  till  the  "  regimental 
band  "  was  organized.     He  was  made  a  pris- 


ROBINSON    TOWNSHIP. 


2i9 


oner  at  Holly  Springs,  and  paroled  on  the 
ground  and  sent  to  Benton  Ban-acks,  Mo., 
where  they  were  exchanged.  "SVas  discharged 
at  Little  Rock,  Ai-k.,  March  15,  1860,  after  a 
service  of  four  years  and  three  months.  He 
was  elected  Captain  of  Company  D.  Seven- 
teenth Battalion  Illinois  National  Guards. 
Also  served  on  Col.  Smith's  staff  as  inspector 
of  rifle  practice  with  the  rank  of  Captain. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  and  Odd  Fel- 
lows fraternities.  His  children  are  Clifford, 
Leola  H. ,  lona  Lee  and  Ralph  H. 

E.  BRUBAKER,  of  the  lirm  of  Wiseman 
&  Brubaker,  proprietors  of  the  Robinson 
planing  mills,  was  boi-n  February  10,  1842, 
in  Lawrence  County,  Ohio.  In  1856,  came 
to  Illinois  and  engaged  in  farming,  afterward 
in  carpentering  in  Terre  Haute.  In  August, 
1862,  enlisted  in  the  war.  Company  E,  Eighty- 
fifth  Indiaaa.  "Was  assigned  to  the  army 
of  the  Cumberland;  was  in  Sherman's  march 
to  the  sea,  and  participated  in  that  cam- 
paign. Was  discharged  in  June,  1865.  He 
was  married,  December  27,  1800,  to  Miss 
Mary  M.  Batey,  and  has  three  children — 
Charles  Clifford,  William  Arthur  and  Kate 
Alma.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Knights  of 
Honor,  also  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church.  The  father  of  oiu-  subject  was  John 
Brubaker,  a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  bom  in 
1818,  and  died  in  1845.  His  mother's 
maiden  name  was  Mary  E.  Ai-thur,  born  in 
1822,  and  still  living. 

EDWIN  F.  BULL,  merchant,  Robinson. 
The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  born  in  1817, 
in  Lexington,  Ky.,  the  metropolis  of  the 
world-renowned  Blue  Grass  Region,  where 
he  lived  until  he  was  eighteen  years  of  age. 
He  then  entered  the  Te.Kan  war,  serving  the 
Texan  Government  about  two  years,  after 
which  he  went  on  board  a  vessel  as  assistant 
supercargo.  He  followed  the  sea  some  six 
years,  and   then    went  to  Iowa  and  engaged 


in  the  mercantile  business  at  Wapello,  where 
he  remained  until  1803,  when  he  sold  out 
and  came  to  Charleston,  111.,  and  bought  a 
farm  in  Coles  County,  which  he  operated 
several  years.  He  sold  his  farm  and  en- 
ffRcred  in  the  boot  and  shoe  business,  which 
he  afterward  sold  aud  went  to  coopering, 
but  was  burnt  out  in  1873;  he  then  came  to 
Robinson  and  bought  out  Francis  Lucas'  dry 
goods,  boots,  shoes,  etc.,  which  business  he 
is  still  engaged  in,  with  an  extensive  trade, 
selling  from  S15,000  to  $20,000  worth  of 
goods  annually.  jMr.  Bull  was  married,  in 
1846,  to  Miss  Nancy  McKenny,  and  has  four 
childi-en  living,  viz.:  Emma,  Theodore, 
John  and  James.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Masonic  fraternity, 

HON.  ETHELBERT  CALLAHAN,  law 
yer,  Robinson.  Mr.  Callahan,  whose  portrait 
appears  in  this  work,  was  born  in  Licking 
Couity,  Ohio,  December  17,  1829.  His  an- 
cestors, contemporaries  of  Daniel  O'Connell, 
left  "  Old  Ireland  "  to  find  a  home  free  from 
opj)ressiou  in  the  new  world,  and  engaged 
in  the  primitive  pm-suit  of  tilling  the  soil, 
Mr.  Callahan  followed  in  the  footsteps  of  his 
father,  and  spent  the  first  twenty  years  of 
his  life  iu  farming.  During  this  time,  he 
enjoyed  the  advantages  of  a  common  school 
education.  At  the  age  of  twenty,  he  resolved 
to  leave  the  parental  home  and  push  his  fort- 
une in  the  then  great  West.  Accordingly,  he 
arrived  in  Crawford  County  in  the  spring  of 
1849.  When  Mr.  Callahan  left  the  parental 
roof,  he  had  but  a  few  dollars  in  his  pocket, 
and  he  started  out  with  his  little  pack  con- 
taining all  his  worldly  possessions,  taking  his 
course  on  the  National  road  running  centrally 
through  Ohio.  Indiana,  Illinois  to  St.  Louis. 
Over  this  route  he  could  pick  vip  many  chance 
rides  when  his  means  ran  too  low  to  travel 
by  stage  coach.  Soon  after  crossing  the  Ohio 
line,  ho  had  found  the  bottom  of  his  pocket, 


330 


BIOGRAPHICAL; 


and  stopping  at  one  of  the  many  country 
hotels,  which  abounded  along  that  then  great 
national  thoroughfare,  which  occupied  almost 
as  great  a  niche  in  the  histoiy  of  the  coun- 
try in  connection  with  immigration  as  the 
Pacific  Railroad  does  at  Ihe  present.  On  ask- 
ing for  a  night's  lodging  and  telling  his 
financial  condition,  he  was  offered  work 
through  harvest,  which  was  then  just  on 
hand.  This  he  gladly  accepted,  and  by  it  he 
raised  sufficient  funds  to  enable  him  to  reach 
Crawford  County  by  a  careful  husbanding 
of  his  means.  He  was  possessed  of  fine 
physical  health,  and  a  determination  and  will 
to  sixcceed.  He  immediately  cast  about  him 
for  something  to  do,  and  as  he  had  improved 
his  oppoi'tunities  both  in  and  out  of  school, 
he  was  specially  qualified  for  teaching,  a  po- 
sition which  was  lacking  at  that  time  in  first 
class  qualifications  in  this  county.  He  ac- 
cepted a  position  as  teacher  of  a  country  school 
the  wages  at  that  time  being  merely  nomi- 
nal with  that  paid  at  present.  This  he  fol- 
lowed, alternately  working  on  the  farm  for 
three  years,  when  he  took  a  position  as  a 
clerk  in  the  store  of  Preston  Bros. ,  where  he 
remained  for  a  time,  when  he  purchased  the 
Hutsonville  Journal  printing  office,  and  took 
charge  of  the  paper  and  commenced  his  pol- 
itical career,  taking  strong  grounds  in  favor 
of  free  territories  and  free  States.  He  con- 
tinued in  the  newspaper  business  about  a 
year.  His  vigorous  intellect,  under  a  proper 
com'se  of  reading  and  study,  had  been  ex- 
panding, and  then  he  entered  the  memorable 
campaign  of  1856,  with  a  mind  well  stored 
with  facts  and  fancy,  and  acquitted  himself 
with  honor  as  a  campaign  speaker.  In  1857, 
he  was  elected  a  Justice  of  the  Peace,  and 
commenced  the  study  of  law.  In  1859,  he 
was  admitted  to  the  bar,  and  almost  at  once 
took  rank  among  the  oldest  and  best  lawyers 
at  the  bar  of    the    county.      He  continued  to 


reside  at  Hutsonville  until  1861,  when  he 
removed  to  Robinson  in  order  to  be  at  the 
headquarters  of  the  coui't.  He  had  in  his 
two  years'  practice  made  such  a  reputation  as 
a  lawyer  and  a  pleader,  that  there  was  not  a 
case  in  our  court  of  the  least  importance 
upon  which  he  was  not  engaged  on  one  side 
or  the  other,  and  when  a  law  suit  was  about 
to  come  up  it  was  a  race  between  the  liti- 
gants as  to  which  should  see  Callahan  first. 
His  reputation  was  not  confined  to  the  county 
alone,  but  in  the  neighboring  counties  of  the 
circuit  he  was  employed  in  important  cases, 
both  civil  and  criminal,  and  he  enjoys  a 
large  practice  in  the  Circuit,  Appellate,  Su- 
preme and  United  States  Courts  at  Spring- 
field. In  his  extensive  practice,  he  has  been 
almost  iiniversally  successful,  frequently  gain- 
ing cases  in  jury  trials  that  when  he  took 
charge  of  them  looked  almost  hopeless.  He 
is  conscientious,  however,  in  his  practice, 
being  careful  to  ascertain  that  the  cause  is  a 
just  one — that  his  client  has  a  case — before 
taking  charge  of  it.  In  politics,  Mr.  Calla- 
han was  originally  a  Whig,  with  Free-Soil  an- 
tecedents, and  has  been  a  Republican  since 
the  Republican  party  was  first  organized. 
Although  he  has  taken  an  earnest  stand  for 
his  party,  and  given  much  of  his  time  and 
labored  hard  for  its  success,  he  has  not  en- 
joyed miTch  of  the  emoluments  of  its  tri- 
umphs. It  has  been  his  misfortune,  if  he 
had  political  aspirations,  to  live  in  a  section 
of  the  State  where  his  party  has  been  largely 
ir:  the  minority.  When  the  war  broke  out, 
he  took  his  stand  boldly  in  favor  of  the 
prosecution  of  the  war  for  the  preservation 
of  the  Union,  and  contributed  much  by  his 
speaking,  working  and  influence  to  raising 
soldiers  and  recruiting  dejileted  ranks.  His 
pocket-book  was  always  open  to  the  wants 
of  a  crippled  or  needy  soldier,  or  to  the  fam- 
ilies   of    those    who    were  at   the  front.     In 


ROBINSON    TOWNSHIP. 


23t 


1864,  he   was   nominated   by  his   party   for 
Congress,  and  made   the  race   against  Judge 
S.  S.  Marshall,  in  the  face  of  a  hopeless  op- 
position.   He  made  a  gallant  and  noble  fight 
for   the   principles   of   his  party,  polling  a 
larger  vote   than  had  been  anticipated,  and 
by  his  clear,  logical  arguments  adding  to  the 
future  good  of  his   party.     When   the  State 
Board  of    Equalization  was  organized  under 
our    new   constitution,  he  was  appointed  by 
the  Governor  the  first  member  of   the  Board 
for  this  district,  and    took  a  prominent  part 
in  its  proceedings.     In  1872,  he  was  a  can- 
didate  for   nomination    by   the   Republican 
State   Convention   to   the   office  of  Attorney 
General,  and  would  have  received  the  nomi- 
nation had  it  not  been  that  he  was  too  con- 
scientious   to   resort   to  the   trading  and  in- 
trigues too  common  in  such  places.      As  it 
was  he  was  beaten  by  less  than  a  dozen  votes. 
In  1874,  he  was  elected  as  the  minority  mem- 
ber of   the    State  Legislature  from  this  dis- 
trict.     He   took   an   active   and   prominent 
part  in  the  workings  of  the  session,  and  came 
out  of  it  with  a  much  better   reputation  than 
many  others  of  more  experience — the  session 
of  which  he  was  a  member  being  known  gen- 
erally as  "  Hoyne's  Circus."     In  the  Kepub- 
lican  State  Convention  of  1880  IVIr.  Callahan 
was  selected  as  one  of  the  Presidential  elect- 
ors for  the  State  at  lai-ge,  and   made  a  num- 
ber of  speeches  throughout  different  parts  of 
the  State,  contributing   largely  by  his   able 
and   clear    presentation  of   the  principles  of 
his  party  to  the  40,000  majority  given  by  the 
State   to    the   lamented    James  A.   Garfield. 
jMr.    Callahan   has    been    a   member   of   the 
Methodist   Episcopal   Church   from  his  boy- 
hood, and,  as  with  everything  else,  in  his  re- 
ligious  views    he  has   been  no  idler,  but  an 
earnest   believer  and   worker.     He  has  been 
either   superintendent   or   a   teacher    in  the 
Sunday  schools   most  of   his  life.     Thi'ough 


his  earnest  works  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church  at  Robinson,  which  is  a  credit  to  the 
town  and  county,  was  erected,  he  paying 
more  towards  its  erection  than  any  other 
three  or  foui'  members.  He  was  a  lay  dele- 
gate from  this  State  to  the  National  Confer- 
ence of  the  church  which  met  in  New  York 
in  1872,  and  took  an  active  part  in  the  pro- 
ceedings of  that  body,  being  on  some  of  its 
most  important  committees.  In  1855,  he 
was  maiTied  to  Mrs.  Mary  Jones,  of  Hutson- 
ville,  who  had  a  young  son,  now  one  of  the 
Circuit  Judges  of  the  Fourth  District,  who  re- 
sides at  Robinson.  Since  their  maiTiage  two 
children  have  been  born,  a  son  who  died 
quite  young,  and  a  daughter.  Miss  Mary,  who 
graduated,  in  1879,  at  the  Illinois  Female 
College,  at  Jacksonville,  and  was  for  a  short 
time  a  teacher  in  the  Institution  for  the 
Feeble  Minded  at  Lincoln.  This  not  being  to 
her  tastes,  she  gave  up  her  position,  and 
having  given  her  attention  somewhat  to 
painting  and  drawing  while  at  school,  has 
recently  been  a  stiident  in  an  art  school  at 
Chicago,  and  is  now  devoting  her  attention 
and  talents  to  that  of  art. 

BENJAINIIN  V.  CAREY,  lumber  dealer 
and  Adams  express  agent,  Robinson,  a  mem- 
ber of  the.fii-m  of  Midkiff  &  Carey,  in  the 
lumber  business,  was  born  July  15,  1838.  in 
Highland  County,  Ohio.  He  attended  the 
common  schools  of  his  county,  and  taught 
diu'ing  the  year  of  1857-58;  he  served  an 
apprenticeship  at  carpentering  dm-ing  his 
boyhood.  In  1855,  he  came  to  Meredosia, 
Morgan  Co.,  111.  Jime  1,  1861,  he  enlisted 
in  the  war  in  Company  I,  Twenty-fom-th 
Ohio.  His  command  was  first  assigned  to 
armies  of  West  Virginia,  afterward  the  Army 
of  the  Cumberland.  Was  in  the  following 
battles:  Green  Brier,  Bowling  Green,  Fort 
'  Donelsou,  Shiloh,  Stone  River,  Chickamauga. 
He   was   made    a   prisoner    at  Athens.   Ala. 


232 


BIOGKAPHICAL 


Upon  being  shown  some  open  graves  he  very 
willingly  took  the  oath  of  allegiance.  Soon 
after  was  discharged.  August  15,  1862,  he 
enlisted  in  Company  E,  One  Hundred  and 
Twenty-second  Illinois  Volunteers,  and  was 
elected  First  Lieutenant.  His  command  was 
placed  on  guard  of  the  Mobile  &  Ohio  Rail- 
road. The  railroad  and  300  of  his  regiment 
were  captured  and  paroled  on  the  ground  and 
escorted  to  the  union  lines  of  Gen.  Forrest's 
army.  Was  sent  to  Benton  Barracks,  where 
he  became  disabled  for  service  and  remained 
on  the  sick  list  for  some  time.  When  the 
war  closed,  he  returned  to  his  home  in  Ma- 
coupin County,  111.,  where  he  followed  the 
saw  mill  business.  In  1872,  he  moved  to 
Chi-istian  County,  111. ,  and  engaged  in  car- 
pentering. In  1876,  he  removed  to  Robin- 
son, 111. ;  has  been  in  the  lumber  business 
since,  except  two  years  spent  in  Indiana.  He 
was  married  in  Macoupin  Covmty,  111.,  Octo- 
ber 2,  1862,  to  Miss  Harriet  Nixon,  by  whom 
he  has  one  son,  Gen.  U.  S.  Carey,  born 
February  2,  1864. 

JOHN  COLLINS,  Junction  Mills,  Robin- 
son, is  a  native  of  Pennsylvania  and  was 
born  June  13,  1830.  When  but  eight  years 
of  age,  he  removed  with  his  parents  to  Ohio, 
where  he  gi-ew  to  manhood.  He  engaged  in 
teaming  for  a  time,  and  afterward  in  farm- 
ing. In  1863,  he  removed  to  Crawford 
County,  111.,  and  located  on  a  farm  in  Robin- 
son Township.  In  1878,  he  engaged  in  the 
milling  and  grain  business,  and  is  a  member 
of  the  firm  of  Collins  &  Kirk,  in  the  Junc- 
tion Flouring  Mills  oi  Robinson.  They  turn 
out  about  twenty-five  barrels  of  flour  per  day, 
and  have  recently  doubled  the  capacity  of  the 
mills.  They  do  a  large  business  in  grain, 
and  for  the  four  months  of  August,  Septem- 
ber, October  and  November  shipped  213  car- 
loads of  wheat  and  forty  car  loads  of  corn. 
Mr.  Collins  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  fra- 


ternity. He  has  been  three  times  married — 
all  but  his  last  wife  being  dead.  He  has  a 
family  of  seven  children  living.  P.  S. — 
Since  the  above  sketch  was  written,  the  Junc- 
tion Mills  have  been  destroyed  by  tire,  to- 
gether with  several  thousand  bushels  of 
wheat,  involving  a  loss  to  Collins  &  Kirk  of 
112,000  to  §15,000.  But  with  characteristic 
energy  they  are  preparing  to  rebuild  their 
mills. 

J.  W.  COOPER,  butcher  and  grocer,  Rob- 
inson, was  born  October  28,  1826,  in  Scott 
County,  Ind.  He  engaged  in  farming  in  Shelby 
County,  Ind.,  in  1844,  where  he  remained 
till  March,  1856,  when  he  removed  to  Clark 
County,  111. ;  settled  on  a  farm.  In  1872,  he 
exchanged  farms  with  a  neighbor,  and  crossed 
over  into  Crawford  County.  February  1, 
1882,  he  removed  to  Robinson  and  joined  his 
son,  F.  J.  Cooper,  in  the  butchering  and  gro- 
cery business.  Mr.  Cooper  has  been  twice 
married.  First,  September  14,  1847,  to 
Miss  Susanna  Robertson:  again,  December  4, 
1854,  to  Priscilla  Wheeler.  Has  two  chil- 
dren living  by  his  first  wife,  and  eight  by  his 
second,  as  follows:  F.  J.  Cooper  and  I.  N. 
Cooper  by  first  marriage;  J.  W.,  Mary  S., 
Emma,  Nancy  J.,  Arzela,  Leonetta,  Rachel 
and  Eddie. 

F.  ,).  COOPER,  butcher  and  grocer,  Rob- 
inson, was  born  June  8,  1848,  in  Shelby 
County,  Ind.  Removed  with  his  parents  in 
1858,  to  Annapolis,  Crawford,  Co.,  111.  In 
1872,  he  removed  to  Robinson  and  engaged 
in  his  present  business  of  butcher  and  grocer. 
He  was  mai-ried  April  8,  1875,  in  Hutson- 
ville.  to  Miss  Emma  Voorhies.  They  have 
two  children — Frank  and  Harry.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  Masonic  and  Odd  Fellows 
fraternities. 

JOHN  THOMA.S  COX,  circuit  clerk,  Rob- 
inson, one  of  the  largest,  stoutest  and  hand- 
somest men  in  Crawford  County,  is  the  good- 


;?^ 


ROBINSON    TOWNSHIP. 


235 


nattu-ed  clerk  of  the  Circuit  Court  whose 
name  stands  at  the  head  of  this  sketch.  He 
was  born  in  this  county  April  29,  1843.  His 
educational  facilities  were  such  as  the  times 
afforded,  being  principally  confined  to  the  log 
school  houses,  now  things  of  the  past.  His 
education  was  finished  up  with  a  term  at  the 
public  school  in  Hutsonville.  At  the  age  of 
eighteen,  he  entered  the  ministry,  which  he 
followed  about  eight  yeara  as  a  preacher  of 
the  Christian  Chui'ch,  and  dui'ing  his  minis- 
try he  proved  himself  an  able  exponent  of 
the  doctrines  of  the  renowned  Alexander 
Campbell  and  Barton  W.  Stone.  But  after 
serving  his  chui'ch  some  eight  years  as  a 
minister,  he  retui-ued  to  his  farm  (says  he  re- 
formed) near  Hutsonville.  He  continued  on 
his  faim  until  1876,  when  he  was  elected  Cir 
cuit  Clerk  of  Crawford  County,  and  in  1880, 
he  was  re-elected  to  the  same  office,  which  he 
fills  satisfactorily  to  the  people.  During  his 
political  canvass  he  wholly  refrained  from  the 
pernicious  practice  of  fi-equenting  saloons, 
and  the  soliciting  of  votes  through  the  influ- 
ence of  whisky.  'Mi:  Cox  owns  an  excellent 
farm  near  Hutsonville  of  220  acres,  in  a  fine 
state  of  cultivation.  He  was  married  January 
16.  1868,  to  Miss  Lucinda  J.  Buckner,  of 
Clark  County,  HI.  They  have  three  chil- 
dren, viz. :  Hattie  L.,  born  November  3,  1868; 
EstelleE.,  born  July  6,  1870,  Manford  E., 
born  March  20,  1880. 

S.  B.  CROWLEY,  carpenter,  Robinson, 
was  born  April  26,  1820,  in  Coshocton 
County,  Ohio.  He  followed  his  trade  a 
short  time,  then  enlisted  in  the  Mexican 
war.  Company  B,  Third  Ohio  Volunteers; 
served  hie  time  and  returned  home  in  1847. 
He  was  elected  Sheriff  of  Coshocton  County 
for  a  term  of  four  years.  In  1858,  he  re- 
moved to  Jasper  County,  111.  He  located 
near  the  Embarass  River,  and  spent  his  time 
in  deer  hunting    till  the  war  broke  out.     He 


enlisted  in  Company  K,  Thirty-second  Illi- 
nois, was  elected  Captain  of  the  company, 
which  position  he  filled  for  fifteen  months. 
He  resigned  this  position  at  Grange,  Tenn. , 
and  returned  home.  Was  in  the  battles  of 
Shiloh,  Forts  Henry  and  Donelson,  Corinth. 
He  farmed  till  1868,  when  he  was  elected 
Sheriff  of  Jasper  County;  was  re-elected  in 
1870.  In  1871,  he  resigned  that  position 
and  removed  to  Robinson,  111.  He  was 
married  August  3,  1847,  in  Coshocton  County, 
Ohio,  to  Miss  Elizabeth  Williams.  Has  a 
family  of  five  children  living,  namely:  Mrs. 
Julia  A.  Parker,  Joseph  B. ,  a  member  of  the 
law  firm  of  Parker  &  Crowley,  Mrs.  Marga- 
ret Talbot,  Charles  W.  and  Emma.  He  is  a 
Royal  Arch  Mason  and  member  of  the  Odd 
Fellows  and  a  Democrat. 

DR.  C.  C.  DAVIS,  physician,  Robinson, 
was  born  January  23,  1830,  and  is  a  son  of 
the  Hon.  John  Wesley  Davis.  The  latter  was 
bom  April  16,  1799,  in  New  Holland,  Lan- 
caster Co.,  Penn.,  where  most  of  his  time  was 
spent  on  his  father's  farm,  until  he  was  seven- 
teen years  of  age.  He  graduated  at  the  Uni- 
versity of  Maryland,  in  Baltimore,  April  2, 
1821,  and  after  several  unsuccessful  attempts 
to  practice  medicine  in  different  towns  in 
Maryland,  he,  in  1823,  came  to  Carlisle,  Ind. 
Here  he  soon  gained  his  share  of  practice. 
His  political  career  dates  from  1829,  when 
he  was  elected  Sergeant-at  Arms  of  the  Indi- 
ana State  Senate.  From  this  time  until  his 
death  in  1859,  he  was  one  of  the  prominent 
men  of  Indiana.  He  was  a  judge  of  the 
court,  often  a  legislator,  repeatedly  a  Con- 
gi-essman.  In  1846,  he  was  elected  Speaker 
of  the  House  of  Representatives;  he  was  sev- 
eral times  Speaker  of  the  House  in  the  State 
Legislature.  In  1847,  he  was  appointed  by 
President  Polk  Minister  to  China;  in  the  fol- 
lowing year  asked  permission  of  his  Govern- 
ment to  be  relieved,  and  accordingly  returned 


236 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


home,  visiting  Egypt,  England  and  France 
on  his  way.     Again  he   served   in  the  Legis- 
lature, and  was    appointed    by  the  President 
Governor  of  Oregon  Territory,   wJiich  posi- 
tion he  resigned  after  one  year's  service.     In 
June,    1852,  he  was   chairman   of    the    Na- 
tional Democratic    convention  at  Baltimore, 
which  nominated   Gen.  Franklin    Pierce  for 
President,  and  in  the  convention  caucus  he 
came  within  one  vote  of  being  selected  as  the 
choice  of    the  convention  instead  of  Pierce — 
receiving  sixteen  votes   to  Pierce's  seventeen 
votes.      This  is  only  a  brief    statistical  state- 
ment of  this  great  man's  crowded  and  event- 
ful public  cai-eer.      He  was  maiTied  in  Penn- 
sylvania   in   1823,  to  Miss  Ann  Hoover,  and 
raised  a  family  of   ten  children,  six  of  whom 
still  survive  -John    L.  bavis.    who  has  been 
Commodore  in  the  United    States    Navy  for 
two  years,  entering  the  navy  forty  years  ago 
as    midshipman,  and  resides    in  Washington 
City;  Mrs.  Aiken,  of  Evansville,  Ind.,  Dr.  C. 
C,  the   subject,  Caroline  W.,  wife  of   James 
C.  Denny,  ex- Attorney-General  of    the  State 
of  Indiana;  and  two  twins — William  J., resides 
near  Sullivan,  Ind.,  and  Henry  B.,  a  resident 
of  Indianapolis.     Dr.  Davis,  the  subject,  at- 
tended   A&bury  University  three   years,  and 
then  the  Ohio  Medical  College  at  Cincinnati, 
from  which  he  graduated  in  1853.      He  soon 
after  located  in  Robinson, where  he  has  since 
practiced  his  profession.      He  is  a  member  of 
the  Masonic  fraternity,  also  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church,  and  is  a  Democrat  in  pol- 
itics.    He  was   married    in  October,  1853,  in 
this  county,  to  Miss  Lucretia   J.  Payue,  who 
died  in  1864.     She  was  the  mother  of    four 
children,    only    two  of    whom    now    survive, 
viz.:     Charles  E. ,  born    in  April,  1856,   and 
James,    born    in    January,    1863.     He   was 
again  married  in  the    fall  of    1864,  to  Sarah 
A.  Showers.     She  is  the  mother  of  two  chil- 
dren, one  of  whom  is  living — Mary  J.,  born 
in  November,  1868. 


J.  M.  EAGLETON,  tavern  keeper,  Robin- 
son,  was   born    in    this    county   February  8, 
]  832.      His  father,  James  Eagleton,  was  a  na- 
tive of  Blount  County,  Tenn.,  born  in  the  year 
1795.     Here  he  grew  to  manhood,  and  at  the 
age  of  twenty-four,  in  1856,  he  came  to  Craw- 
ford County,  111.,  and  settled  on  a  farm.     He 
married  shortly  after   he   came  here   to  Miss 
Margaret  Montgomery,  a  daughter  of  James 
Montgomery,  at  which  time  he  purchased  a 
farm  near  Palestine  and  engaged  in  the  bus- 
iness of  farming.   In  1841,  he  sold  his  farm 
and    purchased  another   near    New  Hebron. 
Here  he  made  his  home  until  his  death,  which 
occurred    in    1877.     He  raised    a    family    of 
eleven    children,    six   of    whom    are    living, 
four     in     this     county,     namely.     William, 
!  David,     George    and     our    subject.      Their 
mother    died    in     1874.      Subject     of     our 
I  sketch  was  married  in   this  county  February 
i  16,  1854,  to  Miss  Nancy  Banguess,  at   which 
time  he  enlaced  in  farcninc;  in  the  southern 
I  part  of  this  county.     In  the  fall  of   1869,  he 
1  removed  to  Southwest  Missouri,  but  remained 
,  there    about  two  years,   when  he  retiii-ned  to 
I  this  county  and  engaged  in  the  marble  busi- 
1  ness  in    Robinson,  but   shortly  after  built  a 
house   near    the    Wabash    Railroad,  and  en- 
-  gaged  in  his  present  avocation,  where  he  has 
I  good   property.       He  has  a    family    of   two 
children  living,  namely:     George  and    John 
Cornelius.  He  and  his  wife  are  church  mem- 
bers, they   belong   to  the   church  called  the 
Church  of  God.     Politically  he  is  a   Repub- 
lican. 

DR.  I.  L.  FIREBAUGH,  physician  and 
sui-geon,  Robinson,  a  s&n  of  David  Fire- 
baugh,  and  whose  portrait  appears  in  this 
volume,  was  born  July  14,  1847,  in  Crawford 
County,  Ohio.  At  the  age  of  eight  years,  he 
removed  with  his  parents  to  Crawford  County, 
111.,  and  settled  on  a  farm  four  miles  west  of 
Robinson,    where  he  grew  to  manhood,  en- 


H015INS0N    TOWNSHIP- 


237 


gaged  from  the  age  of  nine  in  running 
a  steam  engine  in  his  father's  saw-mill. 
His  educational  facilities  during  his  boy- 
hood were  limited,  and  confined  to  the 
common  schools  of  the  county.  In  1867, 
when  twenty  years  or  age,  he  entered  the 
State  University  of  Indiana,  which  he  at- 
tended for  neai-ly  f oui-  yeai's.  Ho  then  taught 
school  two  winters  and  operated  a  saw-mill 
two  summers,  after  which  he  began  the  study 
of  medicine  under  Dr.  Meserve,  remaining 
with  him  six  months,  and  then  entered  the 
Miami  Medical  College,  Ohio.  He  attended 
lectures  two  winters  and  one  summer,  stiidy- 
iug  in  the  meantime  under  Dr.  J.  C.  McKen- 
zie,  a  professor  in  the  college.  He  passed  a 
competitive  examination,  and  was  placed  on 
the  staff  of  resident  physicians  of  the  Cincin- 
nati City  Hospital.  He  remained  in  this  in- 
stitution one  year,  and  then  received  a  di- 
ploma from  the  Miami  Medical  College.  His 
studies  completed,  he  now  came  to  Robinson, 
and  commenced  the  practice  of  his  chosen 
profession.  He  was  man-ied,  October  20, 
1881,  to  Miss  Mary,  daughter  of  Thomas  J. 
Sims.  They  have  one  son — William  Charles, 
bom  September  15,  1882.  The  Doctor's 
father,  David,  was  born  November  22,  1812, 
in  HaiTison  County,  Ohio.  He  is  a  son  of 
Philip,  a  blacksmith  by  trade,  who  died  at 
Indianapolis,  Ind. ,  and  Barbara  Vangundy, 
a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  who  died  in  Illi- 
nois. They  were  the  parents  of  eight  child- 
ren, viz. :  David,  Jacob,  Martha,  Rebecca, 
Barbara,  Elizabeth,  Maiy  and  Joseph.  David 
had  but  little  chance  of  education.  He 
worked  with  his  father  in  the  shop  during  his 
younger  days.  He  was  married.  1836,  to 
Mary  Ludwig.  born  July  2,  1818,  in  Berks 
County,  Penn.  She  was  a  daughter  of  Sam- 
uel and  Elizabeth  (Redca)  Ludwig,  natives  of 
Pennsylvania.  The  result  of  this  union  has 
been  nine  children,   viz.:      Samuel  L. ;  Will- 


iam H,  wholesale  hardware  merchant,  Texas, 
was  in  the  Commissaiy  Department  in  the 
late    war;    David  was    killed    February    13, 

1877,  on  account  of  having  refused  a  djunken 
man  a  drink;  H.  C,  attorney  in  San  Fran- 
cisco, Cal. ;  I.  L. ;  Charles  W.,  is  a  part- 
ner with  William  H. ;  Joseph,  is  Assist- 
ant Cashier  of  the  Robinson  Bank;  Mary 
J. ;  Chester,  attorney  at  Robinson.  The  par- 
ents reside  in  Robinson.  Mary,  the  wife  of 
our  subject,  was  born  April  28,  1858.  in 
Crawford  County,  111.  She  is  a  daughter  of 
Thomas  J.  and  Arminta  M.  (Ellege)  Sims; 
the  former  a  native  of  Edgar  County,  111., 
born  1830,  and  the  latter  of  Kentucky,  born 
1828.  They  came  to  Crawford  County.  April 
15,  1853,  where  the  father  engaged  in  black- 
smithing  for  some  time,  and  then,  in  partner- 
ship with  N.  S.  Brown,  he  built  the  brick 
mill  now  owned  by  John  Newton,  in  which 
he  engaged  until  1878,  when  he  withdrew  on 
account  of  ill    health.     He    died  April    27, 

1878.  Was  a  member  of  the  I.  O.  O.  F. 
His  consort  is  still  living,  and  blessed  him 
with  eleven  children,  five  of  whom  survive; 
viz.:  Mary,  John  T.,  Stella,  Roy  and 
Cloyd.  The  parents  were  members  of  the 
Christian  Church. 

JAMES  GUINNIP.  boot  and  shoe  dealer, 
north  side  of  the  public  square,  was  born 
in  Clark  County,  111.,  February  3,  185U, 
where  he  grew  to  manhood  with  good 
facilities  for  education;  also  spent  a  term  in 
the  Terre  Haute  Commercial  College.  He 
then  engaged  in  farming  a  short  time.  In 
1882,  he  commenced  his  present  business,  in 
partnership  with  Griffith  Brothers.  His 
father.  Joseph  Guinnip,  was  born  in  Tomp- 
kins County,  N.  Y..  December  14,  1814,  where 
he  remained  till  1828,  when  his  parents  re- 
moved to  Steuben  County,  N.  Y.  At  the  age 
of  twenty-two  be  removed  to  Erie  County, 
shortly  after  to  Terre  Haute.  Ind.     In  1840, 


238 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


he  moved  to  Clark  County,  111. ;  bought  a 
farm  of  eighty  acres  two  miles  north  of  Mar- 
shal and  engaged  in  farming,  which  he  has 
made  a  success,  and  owns  a  farm  of  280  acres 
of  choice  improved  lands,  together  with  some 
valuable  property  in  Marshal.  He  was  mar- 
ried in  Seneca  County,  N.  Y.,  to  Miss  Sabina 
Smeed,  who  died  in  September,  1856.  He 
was  married  in  Clark  County  to  Ellen  Crane, 
by  whom  he  has  seven  children. 

GEORGE  W.  HARPER,  editor  and  pro- 
prietor of  the  Argus,  Robinson,  whose  por- 
trait appears  in  this  volume,  was  born  near 
Richmond,  Wayne  County,  Ind.  His  father 
was  a  farmer,  and  young  Harper  was  brought 
up  on  the  farm  until  thirteen  years  of  age, 
attending  the  district  school  during  the  win- 
ter months.  He  had  early  formed  the  desire 
to  learn  the  art  of  printing,  and  declaring 
his  intention  to  become  a  newspaper  man  be- 
fore he  was  ten  years  old,  won  for  him  the 
appellation  of  "editor"  among  his  schoolfel- 
lows. When  he  was  thirteen  years  of  age, 
his  father  retired  from  farming,  and  removed 
to  Centerville,  then  the  county  seat  of  Wayne 
County,  to  accept  the  position  of  Deputy 
Sheriff.  George  then  desired  to  go  into  a 
printing  office,  but  as  his  father  strenuously 
oj)posed  it,  he  went  to  work  in  a  cabinet  shop 
for  the  purpose  of  learning  that  trade.  He 
was  never  pleased  with  the  business,  and  in 
the  spring  of  1853,  he  quit  the  shop  and  went 
back  to  the  farm,  where  he  remained  some 
months.  In  October,  determining  to  put  his 
cherished  plans  into  execution,  of  becoming  a 
printer,  he  went  to  Richmond  unknown  to  his 
father,  and  apprenticed  himself  to  Messrs. 
Holloway  &  Davis,  in  the  Palladium  office. 
He  then  went  home  and  laid  his  plans  before 
his  father,  and  obtained  his  consent  to  learn 
the  art  he  had  so  great  a  passion  for.  In 
1854,  while  yet  an  apprentice,  he  commenced 
the  publication  of  a  little  paper,  which  after- 


ward was  continued  under  the  name  of  the 
^^Broad  Ax  of  Freedom  and  Grubbing  Hoe 
of  Truth."  In  1856, he  came  to  Illinois,  and 
became  connected  with  the  Ruralist,  at  Pal- 
estine, as  one  of  its  editors.  In  1857,  he 
started  the  first  paper  ever  published  in  Rob- 
inson, under  the  title  of  the  Robinson  Ga- 
zelle. In  1859,  he  published  the  Crawford 
Banner,  at  Palestine,  and  in  1860  was  con- 
nected with  a  paper  at  Pana,  1)1.,  as  editor 
and  publisher.  In  1862,  he  went  back  to 
Eastern  Indiana,  and  there  took  charge  of  a 
paper  at  Centerville,  his  old  home,  but  in 
1863  returned  to  Robinson,  and  established 
the  Robinson  Argus  on  a  very  small  founda- 
tion, gradually  increasing  the  material  and 
business  of  the  establishment  and  paper,  un- 
til he  has  made  it  second  to  none  in  South- 
ern Illinois,  or  in  the  State.  [For  a  Repub- 
lican, Brother  Harper  is  a  splendid,  jolly, 
good  fellow — he  has  no  other  fault. — Ed.] 
He  has  three  times  been  appointed  Postmas- 
ter at  Robinson^the  first  time  declining  the 
appointment;  the  second  time  holding  it  a 
few  years,  and  then  resigning,  and  by  virtue 
of  the  third  apj^ointment  he  is  now  Post- 
master General  of  the  town.  He  has  also 
served  six  years  as  Justice  of  the  Peace.  Al- 
though his  position  as  editor  of  a  political 
paper  has  brought  him  more  or  less  among 
politicians  and  connected  him  with  politics, 
he  declares  his  love  to  be  for  the  newsj^aper 
business,  and  that  his  ambition  is  to  do  bet- 
ter in  it  than  he  thinks  any  one  else  could 
have  done  similarly  situated.  For  a  sketch 
of  his  paper — the  Argus — see  history  of  the 
press  in  a  preceding  chapter.  Mr.  Harper 
was  married,  December  24,  1857,  to  Hannah 
Amanda,  eldest  daughter  of  Dr.  Nelson  Good- 
win, of  Lamotte  Township,  who  died  in 
1870,  leaving  fom-  children,  who  still  sur- 
vive. He  was  again  married,  in  1871,  to 
Miss  Lucy  H.  Gatton,  of  Martin  Township. 


ROBINSON  TOWNSHIP. 


JOHN  HILL,  merchant,  Robinson.   Among 
the  old  and  prominent  citizens  of  Crawford 
County  is  John  Hill,  whose  name  heads  this 
sketch.      He  is  a  native  of  the  Hoosier  State, 
and  was  born  in    Sullivan  County  November 
10,  1816,  but  removed  with  his  parents  to 
this  county  in  1818,  where  his  home  has  ever 
since  been.     His  career  has  been  tilling  the 
soil  until  recently,  and  before  he  divided  up 
his  land  among  his  children,    he  was   one  of 
the  largest,  if  not  the  largest,  land  owners  in 
Crawford  County— being  the  owner  of  some 
2,500  acres,    among  which  was  the  original 
160  acres  entered  and  settled  on  by  his  father 
in  1818.     To  this  he  added  until  it  comprised 
620  acres,  and  on   this  he  lived  until  his  re- 
moval to  Robinson,  a  few  years    ago.     He 
was  one  of  the  most  successful  farmers  in  the 
county,  and  accumulated  a  handsome  prop 
erty  by  his  persevering  energy  and  industry. 
"Upon  his  removal  to  Robinson  he  engaged  in 
the  grocery  business,  and  in  this,  as  in  farm- 
ing,   his    usual    success   has  attended  him. 
He  erected   a  handsome  brick  storehouse  on 
the  east  side  of  the  public  square,  and  has  a 
large  and  complete  stock  of  goods.     He  does 
a  large  and  profitable  business,  his  annual 
sales  amounting  to  $20,000  to  $30,000.     Mr. 
Hill  was  married  February  28,  1838,  in  this 
county,   to  Miss   Morris,    by    whom   he   has 
foin-  children,  viz.— Charles  M.,  Henry  M., 
Diana    Boofter    and    Mary   McLean.       His 
wife  died  in  1863,  and  he  was  married  a  se- 
cond time,  in  1875,  to  Mrs.  Sterrett.     Polit- 
ically, Mr.  Hill  is  a  Democrat  of    the  Jackson 
type. 

CHARLES  M.  HILL,  faimer  and  mer- 
chant, Robinson,  is  a  son  of  John  Hill,  and 
was  born  in  this  county,  December  5,  1839; 
he  has  always  made  his  home  in  this  county. 
In  addition  to  the  common  schools  of  the 
neighborhood,  he  attended  school  for  some 
time   at  Marshall,   Clark  County.      He  was 


married,  January  25,  1861,  to  Miss  Mary 
Wolfe,  a  daughter  of  Henry  Wolfe,  Esq. 
He  engaged  in  farming  in  Hutsonville  Town- 
ship, on  a  fann  of  200  acres.  They  have 
four  children  living  and  one  dead;  their 
names  are  as  follows:  Sarah  L.,  Catharine 
v.,  John  C,  Marj'  C.  and  Henry  E.  Polit- 
ically, Mr.  Hill  is  a  Democrat. 

ALVA  G.  HILL,  farmer.  P.  O.  Robin- 
son, was  born  August  17,  1845,  and  is  a  na- 
tive of  this  county;  his  early  life  was  spent 
on  a  farm  in  Licking  Township.  He  at- 
tended the  common  schools  of  the  neighbor- 
hood and  the  colleges  at  Westfield  and  at 
Merom,  Ind.  He  taught  four  winter  terms 
and  farmed  dui-ing  the  summers.  He  was 
married,  August  26,  1873,  to  MissE.  E.  Wat- 
kins,  a  daughter  of  Jesse  Watkins,  Esq.,  of 
this  county.  He  owns  considerable  land. 
Has  resided  with  his  father-in-law,  Mr.  Wat- 
kins,  since  1874.  He  has  three  children — • 
Henry  K.,  Ray  W.  and  Joseph  A.  Mr. 
Hill  is  a  Republican. 

HENRY  O.  HISER,  County  Superintend- 
ent of  Schools,  Robinson,  was  born  in  Licking 
Township.  Crawford  County,  111.,  May  13, 
1848,  a  pon  of  Samuel  and  Susan  E.  (High)  Hi- 
ser,  who  are  both  living.  The  father  is  a  native 
of  Licking  County.  Ohio,  born  October  24, 
1818.  He  is  a  farmer  by  occupation.  The 
mother  of  oiu-  subject  was  born  in  Clear- 
spring,  Penn.,  April  16,  1819.  The  parents 
were  blessed  with  ten  childi-en,  four  of  whom 
are  living— Perry  N.,  E,  W.,Mrs.  J.  F.  Bryan 
and  our  subject.  He  received  a  common 
school  education  and  spent  one  term  at  the 
United  Brethren  College  at  Westfield,  111., 
and  also  afterward  attended  for  two  years 
the  State  Normal,  at  Terre  Haute,  Ind.  He 
started  in  life  as  a  farmer,  but  soon  turned 
his  attention  to  teaching,  which  he  has  fol- 
i  lowed  for  fourteen  years.  He  was  married, 
'  November  2,  1875,  in  Crawford  County,  111., 


240 


BIOGRAPHIC  A.L: 


to  S.  Olive  Keenan,  born  in  Perry  County, 
Ohio.  January  21,  1845,  a  daughter  of  An- 
drew and  Mary  J.  Keenan,  both  of  whom  are 
living,  the  fonner  a  native  of  Ohio,  and  the 
latter  of  Pennsylvania.  Mrs.  Hiser  died 
January  1,  1879.  By  her  our  subject  had 
two  children — John  W.  (died  in  infancy) 
and  Bertram  A.  Mr.  Hiser  is  a  member  of 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  Chtrrch,  and  in  pol- 
itice  is  a  Democrat. 

ALPHEUS  B.  HOUSTON,  farmer  and 
stock  dealer,  P.  O.  Robinson,  was  born  in 
Rush  County,  Ind.,  November  16,  1844.  In 
1863,  he  enlisted  in  Company  H,  Ninth  In- 
diana Cavalry,  and  served  in  Gen.  Thomas' 
command  and  was  in  the  following  eno-ace- 
ments:  Pulaski,  Nasliville,  Franklin,  Little 
Harpeth,  Lawi-encebvirg,  Elk  River,  Grany 
White  Pike,  Hollow  Tree  Gap,  Reynolds  Hill 
and  Sugar  Creek.  His  brother,  Casander  T. 
Houston,  was  in  the  same  command  and  was 
killed  at  Sulphur  Trussel,  Ala.  December 
25,  1866,  he  came  to  Robinson,  and  has  made 
his  home  there.  He  clerked  in  a  hotel  two 
years,  and  for  two  years  in  a  store,  then  pur- 
chased an  interest  in  a  hotel,  and  engaged  in 
that  business.  In  1872, he  was  elected  Sher- 
iff of  Crawford  County  by  the  Republican 
party,  notwithstanding  the  Democracy  had  a 
large  majority  usually.  After  his  term  of 
office  expired,  he  engaged  in  the  livery  busi- 
ness in  connection  with  buying  and  shippino' 
horses.  At  present  he  is  a  farmer,  and  owns 
two  good  farms  near  Robinson,  of  200  and 
160  acres  respectively.  He  owns  a  dwelling 
and  one  acre  and  several  unoccupied  lots  in 
Robinson.  Mr.  Houston  has  been  twice  mar- 
ried, first,  August  29,  1869,  to  Mary  J.  Ham 
ilton,  who  died  in  1873,  leaving  two  chil- 
dren, one  of  whom,  Ella  W. ,  is  still  living. 
He  was  again  married,  January  6,  1874,  to 
Miss  Lavona  Myers,  of  Robinson,  by  whom 
he  has  two  children — Maud  H.    and  Alpheus 


C.  Mr.  Houston's  father,  Joseph  W.  Hous- 
ton, was  born  in  Maryland  January  1, 
1813,  and  died  January  6,  1880.  He 
was  married  in  La  Fayette,  Ind., 
December  17.  1837,  to  Miss  Sarah  J.  Brown, 
born  in  Ross  County,  Ohio,November  2,1819. 
Of  their  family  of  nine  childi-en,  three  only 
are  living — Alpheus  B.,  Mrs.  Anna  M.  Durst 
and  Charlotte  A.  L.  Henson. 
•  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,  Deputy  Sheriff, 
Robinson,  was  born  in  this  county  Septem- 
ber 19,  1822,  and  was  brought  uj)  on  a  farm, 
receiving  but  a  limited  education.  At  the  age 
of  twenty-eight  years,  he  commenced  trading 
in  stock,  which  he  continued  until  1862, 
when  he  was  elected  Sheriff  of  the  county. 
He  did  an  extensive  business  in  stock;  buy- 
ing and  driving  cattle  and  horses  to  Chicago, 
also  bought  and  shipped  cattle  to  New  Or- 
leans. He  is  a  stanch  Democrat,  and  in  1862 
was  elected  Sheriff';  in  1864,  Circuit  Clerk, 
and  in  1876  was  again  elected  Sheriff.  He 
has  also  served  as  Justice  of  the  Peace.  He 
was  appointed  Deputy  Sheriff  in  1SS2,  which 
position  he  now  holds.  In  1848,  he  was  mar- 
ried to  Miss  Martha  J.  Ford,  of  this  county. 
They  have  nine  children  living,  viz.:  Price, 
Lauretta,  Frank  P.,  Amelia,  CaiToll,  Ludus- 
key,  Martha,  William  D.  and  Maud.  Sub- 
ject's father  was  born  in  Kentucky  in  1775, 
and  was  man-ied  in  1803  to  Miss  Nancy  Mc- 
Carty,  born  in  1784,  on  the  banks  of  the  Ohio, 
where  Louisville  now  stands.  They  came  to 
Crawford  County,  III.,  April  9,  1818, shortly 
before  Illinois  was  admitted  into  the  Union. 
He  entered  234  acres  of  land  in  what  is  now 
Montgomery  Township.  A  part  of  this  (123 
acres)  is  still  owned  by  his  descendants. 
-  DUANE  JOHNSON,  merchant,  Robin- 
son, a  son  of  Hiram  and  Sarah  A.  (Melton)  p  * 
Johnson,  was  born  October  3,  1838,  in  Craw- 
ford County,  111.  In  1861,  he  engaged  in 
farming  in  Montgomery  Township,  where  he 


/ 


KOBINSON  TOWNSHIP. 


241 


owned  a  farm  of  239  acres.  He  moved  to 
Robinson,  and  in  1882  engaged  in  the  hard- 
ware business — a  member  of  the  firm  of  Wil- 
lis &  Johnson.  He  was  married  in  Robin- 
son, 111.,  March  5,  1861,  to  Margaret  E. 
Henderson.  They  have  a  family  of  six  chil- 
dren living,  viz.:  Charles  A.,  Willard,  Alvin, 
Lucy  J.,  Carrie  E.  and  Everett.  His  wife 
died  March  9,  1881.  Mr.  Johnson  is  a 
Democrat.  Hiram  Johnson,  subject's  father, 
was  born  in  Kentucky  December  15, 1807, emi- 
grated to  Illinois  with  his  father  in  April, 
1818,  and  served  in  the  Black  Hawk  war  in 
1832.  December  15,  1837,  he  married  Sarah 
A.  Melton,  who  was  born  in  1815,  and  is  still 
living  in  Robinson;  her  father  was  born  in 
Warren  County  in  1792.  Hiram  Johnson 
was  elected  Justice  of  the  Peace  in  1843, 
elected  Sheriff  in  1S52,  Circuit  Clerk  in  1856, 
and  re  elected  Clerk  in  1860.  He  died  Jan- 
uary 19,  1865.  He  was  a  son  of  James  and 
Nancy  A.  (McCarty)  Johnson ;  he  was  born  in 
Henry  County,  Ky.,  in  1774,  died  in  l841; 
she  born  in  Jefferson  County,  Ky.,  March 
27,  1783,  died  in  April,  1871. 

HON. WLLLIAM  C.  JONES, Circuit  Judge, 
Robinson.  (A  sketch  of  Judge  Jones  will 
be  found  in  the  chapter  on  the  Bench  and 
Bar.) 

ALFRED  H  JONES,  attorney  at  law, 
Robinson,  is  a  native  of  Crawford  County, 
and  was  born  July  4,  1850.  He  was  raised 
on  the  farm,  and  attended  the  common  schools 
of  the  neighborhood,  finishing  in  the  West- 
field  College,  in  Clark  County,  111.,  where  he 
remained  two  years,  1867-68.  He  followed 
teaching  for  a  time,  and  was  Principal  of  the 
schools  in  St.  Mary,  Kan.  In  1872,he  com- 
menced reading  law  with  Callahan  &  Jones 
(W.  C);  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1874, 
and  at  once  entered  into  practice.  He  was 
appointed  by  the  court  to  fill  out  the  unex- 
pired term  of  Gr.  S.  Alexander  (deceased),   as 


county  prosecutor.  He  has  also  filled  the 
position  of  City  Attorney  one  term.  In  1877, 
he  entered  into  partnership  with  Hon.  E. 
Callahan,  and  is  now  the  junior  partner  of 
the  law  firm  of  Callahan  &  Jones.  He  is  a 
Mason  and  an  Odd  Fellow;  is  a  Republican 
in  politics,  and  Secretary  of  the  Republican 
County  Central  Committee.  Mr.  Jones  was 
man-ied,  in  1872,  to  Miss  Ellen  Thompson. 
One  child  was  born  of  this  marriage — Gusta- 
vus.  His  wife  died  shortly  aftei'ward.  and 
in  1878  he  was  married  a  second  time,  to 
Miss  Catherine  Beals,  of  Robinson.  They 
have  one  child — Roscoe. 

GEORGE  E.  KESSLER,  wagon  and  car- 
riage maker,  Robinson,  was  born  June  24, 
1848,  in  Stark  County,  Ohio,  son  of  William 
and  Elizabeth  (Harter)  Kessler;  he  a  native 
of  Lancaster  County,  Penn.,  born  in  1829 
and  dying  in  1854 ;  she  born  in  Stark  County, 
Ohio,  in  1832,  and  still  living.  Our  subject 
came  to  Crawford  County  and  settled  on  a 
farm,  and  located  at  his  trade  in  Robinson 
in  1873.  He  was  maiTied  in  Crawford 
County,  111.,  October  14,  1877,  to  Rachael 
C.  Clark,  a  native  of  Carroll  County,  Ind., 
born  August  2,  1857,  dtiughter  of  William  S. 
and  Han-iet  (Parrish)  Clark;  thi-ee  children 
have  been  born  to  them — Carrie  Grace,  Ger- 
tie and  Arthur  Edward. 

JAMES  S.  KIRK,  millwright,  Robinson, 
was  born  December  18,  1838,  in  Licking 
County,  Ohio.  In  1851,  his  parents  removed 
to  ^rawford  County,  111.  Subject  attended 
the  Marshall  College  during  the  years  of 
1860-61.  In  May,  of  the  latter  year,  he  en- 
listed in  Company  H,  Twenty -first  Illinois 
Infantry.  Was  assigned  at  first  to  the  armies 
of  Missom-i.  Was  in  the  battles  of  Fredericks- 
tovsm,  Stone  River,  Buzzard's  Roost,  Chicka- 
mauga,  Resaca,  at  Kenesaw  Mountain,  etc. 
His  time  expired  and  he  returned  home  in 
July,  1864.     Engaged  in  farming  in  Sections 


243 


BIOGEAPHICAL: 


29  and  32,  Kobinson  Township.  To  his 
farm  of  120  acres,  which  he  started  with,  he 
has  added  120  acres.  In  September,  1881,  he 
engaged  in  milling  business,  as  a  member  of 
the  firm  of  Collins  &  Kirk.  He  is  a  member 
of  the  Knights  of  Honor  and  the  Grangers 
Lodge.  Subject  was  married,  January  12, 
1869,  to  Miss  Emily  Doty.  Has  seven  chil- 
dren— Annie  F.,  Alma  A.,  William  O. ,  Alice 
L.,  Martha  A.,  Lola  Acme  and  Otho  J.  D. 

JOHN  KIRK,  son  of  William  Kirk,  a 
farmer,  P.  O.  Robinson,  was  born  in  Licking 
County.  Ohio,  November  4,1840.  At  the  age 
of  eleven,  came  with  hie  parents  to  Crawford 
County,  111.,  and  located  in  west  part  of 
Robinson  Township.  His  education  was 
obtained  in  the  common  schools  of  the 
county.  He  was  married,  March  28,  1865, 
in  this  county,  to  Miss  Emeline  V.  Holmes, 
and  engaged  in  farming.  Purchased  a  farm 
of  260  acres  in  Sections  30  and  31,  Robinson 
Township.  He  raises  mostly  corn  and  wheat, 
and  a  fair  amount  of  gras£.  also  stock.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  Grange  society.  Polit- 
ically, he  is  a  Democrat.  He  has  a  family  of 
four  living  and  one  dead — Victor  Lee,  Will- 
iam D..  Elliot,  Allen  J.  Palmer,  Addie  Anna, 
and  one  dead,  Arthur  E. 

HENRY  W.  KING,  farmer,  P.  O.  Robin- 
son, is  a  son  of  Joel  King,  who  was  born  on 
the  22d  of  January,  1774,  in  Massachusetts. 
He  was  married,  May  4.  1797,  to  Miss  Julia 
Loy,  of  New  York.  He  entered  upon  the 
business  of  farming  in  Oneida  County,  N. 
Y.,  which  he  abandoned  on  account  of  phys- 
ical inability,  and  engaged  in  shoe-making 
at  Mount  Vernon,  N.  Y.,  where  Henry  W., 
the  subject  of  this  sketch,  was  born,  Decem- 
ber 31,  1815.  He  was  the  youngest  of  a  fam- 
ily of  ten  children,  of  whom  but  two  are  now 
living,  the  subject  and  Mrs.  Welton,  resid- 
ing in  Hamilton  County,  N.  Y.  Mr.  King 
was   married  in    Lexington,     Ky. ,    to  Miss 


Utiey,  a  daughter  of  John  Utley,  Esq.  He 
then  engaged  in  merchandising  in  Cincin- 
nati, as  a  member  of  the  firm  of  King,  Ship- 
ley &  Co.,  and  afterward.  King,  Corwin  & 
Co.  In  1860,  he  sold  out  his  interest  in  the 
store  and  engaged  in  clerking  in  the  same 
city  until  1869,  when  he  came  to  Robinson, 
111.,  where  he  has  purchased  considerable 
property.  He  owns  320  acres  of  land  in 
Casey  Township,  Clark  County,  as  well  as 
a  tract  of  275  acres  in  Clark,  not  under  cul- 
tivation; also  owns  a  farm  of  120  acres  in 
Jasper  County.  Mr.  King  is  a  Democrat  in 
politics. 

IRA  KING,  retired  farmer,  P.  O.  Robin- 
son, is  a  native  of  the  State  of  New  York, 
where  he  was  born  January  22,  1822.  When 
quite  young,  his  parents  came  to  Illinois  and 
settled  in  Edgar  County.  In  1829,  with  his 
mother — his  father  having  died — he  came  to 
Crawford  County,  where  he  has  since  lived. 
They  settled  about  seven  miles  west  of  Rob- 
inson. Mr.  King  now  owns  a  farm  of  120 
acres,  and  another  of  80  acres,  all  under  a 
good  state  of  cultivation.  He  also  owns  400 
acres  in  Oblong  Tovraship,  about  half  of 
which  is  in  cultivation,  and  3,000  acres  of 
uncultivated  lands  in  the  Embarras  River  bot- 
toms. In  1881,  he  built  a  handsome  fiame 
residence  in  Robinson,  at  a  probable  cost  of 
$10,000.  He  was  married,  in  June,  1846,  to 
Miss  Caroline  Beckwith,  of  this  county. 
They  have  three  childi-en  living,  viz.:  Eliza, 
Mary  and  Horace  F. ,  the  later  a  graduate  of 
Wabash  College,  at  Crawfordsville,  Ind. 
Sophia  E.  and  Annis  are  dead. 

JAMES  LAMB,  farm  implement  dealer 
and  grain  buyer,  Robinson,  was  born  October 
5.  1817,  in  Shenandoah  County,  Va.  His 
parents  died  when  he  was  quite  young,  and 
he  was  taken  to  Licking  County,  Ohio,  in 
1824,  by  an  uncle.  Here  he  was  married, 
August  18,  1842,  to  Miss  Mary  Randall,  and 


KOBINSON   TOWNSHIP. 


243 


engaged  in  farming.  In  1847,  he  removed 
to  Crawford  County,  111.,  and  purchased  a 
farm  of  120  acres,  in  Licking  Township, 
which  he  improved  and  sold  and  purchased 
another  farm  in  the  township,  of  300  acres, 
mostly  improved  land,  on  which  he  had  good 
buildings  and  an  excellent  orchard.  In  1871, 
he  removed  to  Robinson,  and  soon  after  en- 
gaged in  the  farm  implement  business,  pur- 
chasing a  residence  in  town.  He  has  a  fam- 
ily of  sis  children— William  J. ,  Mrs.  Caroline 
M.  Newlin,  Mary,  Emma,  Lillie  and  Stephen 
A.  D. 

G.  W.  LEWIS,  manager  Co-operative  Com- 
pany's store,  Robinson,  was  bom  April  5, 
1835,  in  Montgomery  County,  Perm.;  his 
father,  who  was  a  physician,  removed  to  Car- 
roll County,  Ohio,  when  subject  was  very 
small,  and  when  he  was  four  years  old  his 
father  died.  The  family  soon  after  removed 
to  Columbiana  County,  Ohio,  where  he  made 
his  home  until  1870,  when  he  came  to  Craw- 
ford County,  111.,  and  engaged  in  farming, 
in  Hutsonville  Township,  on  a  farm  of  200 
acres,  which  he  still  owns.  Having  had  sev- 
eral years'  experience  in  merchandising  in 
Ohio,  he,  in  1877,  took  the  position  of  mana- 
ger of  the  Co-operative  Company' s  store  in 
Robinson,  and  after  one  year  returned  to 
the  farm,  but  was  recalled  by  the  stock-liold- 
ers  of  the  store,  and  has  held  the  position  of 
manager  ever  since.  He  was  married  in 
1859  to  Miss  Elizabeth  Calvin,  a  daughter  of 
Robert  Calvin  They  have  six  childi'en  liv- 
ing— Mrs,  Jeanette  J.  Brown,  Douglas  A., 
Fernando  W.,  Clement  L.,  John  V.,  and 
Loretto  L. 

SASrUEL  T.  LINDSAY,  photographer, 
Robinson,  was  born  in  Crawford  County,  111., 
January  20,  1847,  and  is  a  son  of  John  T. 
and  Elizabeth  (Clayton)  Lindsay,  both  of 
whom  are  living,  he  born  in  Versailles,  Rip 
ley    County,    Ind.,     January  28,    1825;  she 


born  in  Crawford  County,  III.,  February  26, 
1831.  Subject  was  raised  on  a  farm  in  Mont- 
gomery Township  and  engaged  in  teaching  and 
farming  alternately.  In  1879,  he  was  elected 
Sheriff  by  the  Republican  party,  and  served 
in  that  capacity  two  years.  After  his  term 
of  office  had  expired,  he  engaged  in  his  pres- 
ent business.  In  September,  1882,  he  was 
burned  out.  but  has  rebuilt  and  restored  his 
business.  In  Montgomery  Township,  Craw- 
ford County,  111.,  in  1867,  he  married  Mary 
E.  Harris,  born  in  New  Hebron,  Crawford 
County,  111.,  November  11,  1848,  daughter 
of  William  and  Elizabeth  (Roar)  Harris;  he, 
a  native  of  Virginia,  bom  December  17,  1817, 
died  April  14,  1855;  she  a  native  of  North 
Carolina,  born  November  30,  1824,  and  is 
still  living. 

AIJSBY  L.  LOWE,  Deputy  Cii:cuit  Clerk, 
Robinson,  is  a  son  of  Isaac  N.  and  Amanda 
(Hurst)  Lowe,  and  was  born  in  the  town  of 
Hutsonville,  this  county,  November  18,  1857. 
He  grew  to  manhood  with  such  facilities  for 
education  as  the  town  afforded,  until  in  1877, 
when  he  entered  Earlham  College,  at  Rich- 
mond, Ind.,  and  there  completed  his  educa- 
tion. Upon  leaving  school  he  became  Dep- 
uty Circuit  Clerk  of  Crawford  County, 
which  position  he  has  satisfactorily  filled 
ever  since.  From  childhood,  Ausby  has 
practiced  the  strictest  honor  and  integi-ity, 
and  is  to-day,  what  may  be  termed  in  the  full 
sense  of  the  term,  an  honest  man.  He 
was  married  November  20,  1879,  to  Miss 
Alice  C.  Hodge,  of  York,  111.  The  result  of 
this  union  is  one  child — A.  Lyman,  bom 
August  18,  1880.  Politically,  Mr.  Lowe 
is  a  Democrat  of  the  old  Jackson  school. 

HOWARD  B.  LUTES,  clothing  merchant, 
Robinson,  is  a  native  of  Indiana,  and  was 
born  in  Jacksonboro,  December  23,  1850,  and 
at  the  age  of  fifteen  he  entered  the  State 
University  at  Bloomington,   remaining  there 


344 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


three  years.  He  took  a  commercial  course 
in  Bryant  &  Stratton's  College  at  liouisville, 
Ky.,  from  which  he  graduated.  He  then 
engaged  in  teaching  school,  and  followed  it 
in  Indiana  and  Illinois.  For  one  year  he 
was  engaged  in  the  agi-icultural  implement 
business,  after  which  he  opened  a  clothing 
house  in  Robinson,  in  which  business  he  is 
still  engaged.  He  has  a  large  and  lucrative 
trade  and  carries  a  heavy  stock  in  his  line, 
selling  annually  from  $15,000  to  120,000 
worth  of  goods.  Sir.  Lutes  was  married  in 
]  874  to  Miss  Flora  B.  Harness.  She  died 
in  1876,  leaving  two  children,  one  of  whom, 
Maud,  is  still  living.  He  was  married  a 
second  time  in  1881,  to  Miss  Rosa  Iddings. 

I.  D.  MAIL,  farmer  and  stock  dealer,  P. 
O.  Robinson,  was  born  March  26,  1831,  and 
is  a  native  of  this  county,  and  a  son  of  Fred- 
erick and  Louisa  H.  (McGahey)  Mail,  the 
former,  born  April  15,  1803,  in  Knox  Coun- 
ty, Ind.,  and  the  latter  born  February  2, 
1806.  Mr.  Mail  settled  in  Crawford  County 
about  the  year  1828,  and  died  here  February 
8,  1873;  his  wife  died  December  9,  1865. 
The  subject  (I.  D.  Mail)  was  brought  up  on 
the  farm,  receiving  such  education  as  was  to 
be  obtained  in  the  common  schools.  He 
commenced  farming  for  himself,  in  Lamotte 
Township  on  a  fai-m  of  94  acres;  at  jaresent 
owns  upward  of  700  acres  of  land  in  this 
county,  with  the  exception  of  200  acres, 
which  is  in  Lawrence  County.  Formerly  he 
dealt  largely  in  stock,  and  made  stock-raising 
a  specialty  in  connection  with  farming.  Polit- 
ically, i\Ir.  Mail  is  a  Democrat,  and  has  taken 
an  active  interest  in  political  issues.  He  held 
the  office  of  Associate  Justice  under  the  old 
county  organization,  and  has  served  one  term  as 
County  Treasurer.  He  was  married,  October 
8, 1854,  to  Miss  Mary  Boatright,  of  this  coun- 
ty. Seven  children  are  the  result  of  this 
marriage,  viz.:  Mrs.  Julia  St.  Clergy,  Mollie, 


Albert  T.,  Virginia,  Louisa  and  I.  D.,  Jr. 
His  wife  died  March  8,  1872,  and  in  Janu- 
ary, 1874,  he  was  a  second  time  married  to 
Miss  Mollie  Poland. 

LOUIS  N.  MARBRY,  farmer,  P.  O.  Robin- 
son, was  born  in  Calloway  County.  Ky.,  April 
11,  1838.  His  father,  Alfred  Marbry,  was  a 
native  of  Virginia.  He  was  raised  there  and 
removed  into  Tennessee,  and  there  married 
Martha  Freeman,  a  native  of  Virginia.  In 
a  short  time  after  marriage,  they  removed  into 
Calloway  County,  Ky.,  at  which  place  he  died 
in  March,  1849,  leaving  a  wife  and  nine 
children  to  mourn  his  loss.  Foui'  of  his 
children  are  now  living,  three  are  residents 
of  this  county,  namely:  Martha,  wife  of 
John  McGrue,  deceased;  Garret,  farming; 
Louis  N.,  our  subject;  Mary,  wife  of  John 
Wagner,  living  in  Union  County,  111. 
Their  mother  died  here  March  21,  1876. 
Our  subject  was  brought  by  his  mother  to 
this  county  in  1849,  and  here  was  raised  on 
a  farm,  and  his  education  was  limited  to  the 
common  schools  of  the  country  what  time  he 
attended.  As  early  as  1851,  when  but  thir- 
teen years  of  age,  he  commenced  working 
out  by  the  month,  in  order  to  help  support 
himself,  his  mother  and  family.  In  1854, 
when  sixteen  years  of  age,  he  engaged  in 
fai'ming  for  himself,  in  this  county,  and  suc- 
cessfully continued  in  agricultural  pursuits 
until  1861,  at  which  time,  April  13,  he  en- 
listed in  Company  I,  Twenty-first  Illinois 
Volunteer  Infantry.  He  was  in  several  bat- 
tles, namely:  Fredericktown,  Mo.,  Perry ville, 
Liberty  Gap,  Stone  River,  Chickamauga,  Dal- 
las, Resaca  and  Kenesaw.  He  was  mustered 
out  at  Chattanooga,  July  5, 1864,  at  which  time 
he  came  back  to  this  county  and  engaged  in 
farming.  He  made  his  first  purchase  of  land 
in  Hutsonville  Township,  south  of  Hutson- 
ville;  on  selling  out  there  he  bought  land 
northwest  of  Palestine;  on  selling  out  there 


IIOBINSON    TOWNSHIP. 


345 


he  bought  land  in  Licking  Township.     He 
sold  his  farm  in  Licking  Township  and  bought 
property  in  Robinson,  and  after  traded  it  for 
land  in  Richmond  County,    111.,    and   after 
traded  it  for  80  acres  of  land  adjoining  his 
farm  of  100  acres,  since  purchased.     It  is  all 
in  cultivation,    and  he    is   successfully    en- 
gaged in  the  raising  of  grain  and  stock.     Pre- 
vious to  his  engaging  in  farming,  in  1864  and 
18t)r>,  be  took  a  contract  on   the  building  of 
the  P.  &  D.,  now  the  Wabash  &  Southeast- 
ern Railroad.     In  1800.  November  1,  he  was 
married  to   Sarah    E.    Walters,    a  native  of 
Crawford  County,   bom  November  28,  1848. 
They  have  three  childi-en,    living,    namely: 
Chailes,  John  and   Medford,   and  two  dead, 
namely:    William  and  Maud.     Oui-  subject, 
beginning  in  1873.  ran  a  livei-y  stable  in  Rob- 
inson until  1875,  at  which  time  sold  out  and 
removed  to  his  farm,   whei-e  he  is  now  en- 
gaged in  agricultural  pursuits.    He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Knights  of  Honor,  Robinson  Lodge. 
JOHN   MAXWELL,   Sr.,    deceased,   was 
born  in  Blount  County,  Tenn. ,    on  the  28th 
day  of  November,  1805,  and   was  married  to 
Eliza  Love  of  sameeounty  in  1831.    In  1848, 
he.    together    with    several    other    families, 
moved  to  Crawford  County,  111.,  and   settled 
in  the  southern  pai-t  of  the  county.      Like 
many  of  the  early  settlers,  he  chose  the  broken 
timber  land  instead    of    the    prairie.       The 
place  of  his  residence,    nine  miles  south  of 
Robinson,   had   foimerly  been   very   heavily 
timbered,  but  had  been  the  scene  of  a  hm'ri- 
cane,   about   1800,  which  destroyed    all    the 
timber, so  that  it  was  then  almost  like  a  prai- 
rie, the  yeai-ly  bm-ning  of    the  grass  having 
kept  the  young  timber  fi-om  gi-owing  up.     He 
reached  this  county  with  about  $500  in  mon- 
ey, which  was  mostly  put   into  land,  and  he 
commenced  life  anew  in  a  log  cabin  hastily 
erected  in  the  woods.      Year  by   year  a  few 
more  acres  were  cleared,  until  about  100  acres 


of  the  stool  grubs  had  been  dug  out  with  the 
mattock  by  himself  and  older  sons.     He  had 
seven  sons  and  four  daughters.      When  the 
civil  war  broke  out,  three  of  his  sons,  Archi- 
bald b. ,  Joseph  and  William  M.,  entered  the 
Union  army.      The  two  former  were   in  the 
battle  of  Stone  River,    and  there  Joseph  was 
killed  and  Archibald  was  woimded  and  taken 
prisoner,  but  soon  recaptured.     On  the  morn- 
ing of  the  2d  of  November,  1864,    his  house 
was  the  scene  of  the  most  luiwarranted  out- 
rage ever  perpetrated  in  the  county.     Just  at 
the  break  of  day   the  house  was  surrounded 
by   a  mob  of  armed  men  of   Crawford    and 
Lawi-ence  Counties.      His  sons  Archibald  and 
William  M.  were  home  on  furlough  until  af- 
ter the  election.      They  and  a  soldier  by  the 
name  of  Henry  Beaman  staid  there  overnight. 
All  in  the  house  were  aroused  just  before  day- 
break by  the   violent  barking  of  the  dogs, 
and  the  old  gentleman  went  out  to  ascertain 
what  was  the  cause.     He  was  fired  upon  by 
some  of  the  mob,  when  he  hastened  into  the 
house  and  fastened  the  door.      The  mob  fol- 
lowed him  up  on  an  open  porch,    when  they 
were  halted  by  William  M.  from  a  window  up 
stairs.      They  paid  no  attention  to   his   com- 
mand to  stop,  when  he  fired  at  them,  but  missed 
his  aim.    The  mob  immediately  opened  fire  all 
around  the  house,  firing  in  at  the   windows. 
One  of  his  daughters,    Elizabeth,  who    had 
just  arose  from  bed,  was   mortally  wounded, 
being  hit   by   two  rifle  balls  in   the  groin, 
while   standing  by  the  bed.       William  M., 
hearing  her  cry  out  that  she  was  shot,  run 
down  stairs  and  opened  one  of  the  doors  and 
emptied  his  revolver  at  the  crowd,  wounding 
one   of   them   in  the  thigh  and  receiving  a 
wound  in  the  leg.     The  mob  then  retreated 
and  stationed  themselves  behind  the  outbuild- 
ings, and  remained  there  until  after  daylight. 
When  it  was  found  that  they  were  still  around 
the  house,  Mrs.  Eliza  Maxwell  determined  to 


246 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


venture  out  and  see  what  was  wanted.  They 
told  her  that  they  had  come  to  arrest  William 
M.  Maxwell,  and  had  the  Sheriff  of  Lawrence 
County  with  a  writ.  She  told  them  if  they 
had  the  Sheriff  he  would  not  resist  them.  They 
then  came  in  and  took  William  M. ,  Archibald 
and  John  C.  Maxwell  to  Lawrenceville.  But 
it  was  ascertained  that  they  had  no  officer  nor 
no  writ,  or  any  authority  whatever  for  their 
action.  They,  however,  swore  a  warrant  for 
him  after  getting  to  Lawrenceville,  on  a 
charge  of  assault  with  intent  to  kill.  He  was 
tried  on  this  charge  and  acquitted.  The 
daughter  suffered  untold  agony  for  about 
seven  weeks,  when  she  died  from  the  effect  of 
her  wound.  William  M.  never  recovered 
from  his  wound.  It  continued  to  ulcerate, 
and  could  not  be  healed.  The  vilceration  run 
up  to  the  body,  and  he  died  from  it  after 
long  suffering,  on  the  12th  day  of  February, 
1867.  Some  of  the  mob  afterwards  boasted 
that  they  had  used  poisoned  bullets,  and  the 
doctors  were  of  the  same  opinion.  To  the 
disgrace  of  Cra'^ford  County,  it  must  be  said, 
that  no  indictments  were  ever  found  against 
the  murderers.  Many  of  them, however,  have 
gone  forth  with  the  mark  of  Cain  upon  them, 
and  have  been  a  curse  to  themselves.  The 
mob  was  composed  of  rebel  sympathizers  and 
members  of  the  order  of  the  Knights  of  the 
Golden  Circle,  and  was  caused  by  the  wild  ex- 
citement that  was  rife  in  that  section  of  the 
country.  After  the  close  of  the  war  but  lit- 
tle worthy  of  note  occurred  in  his  life.  He 
died  at  his  home  on  the  20th  day  of  May, 
1879,  at  a  good,  ripe  old  age. 

J.  C.  MAXWELL,  attorney  at  law,  Robinson, 
was  born  September  26, 1847,  in  Blount  Coun- 
ty, Tenn.,  and  when  one  year  of  age  his 
parents  removed  to  Crawford  County,  111., 
and  settled  on  a  farm,  where  the  subject  grew 
to  manhood.  His  opportunities  for  obtain- 
ing an  education  were  such  as  the  common 


schools  of  the  county  afforded.  Upon  arriv- 
ing at  manhood  he  attended  Waveland  Acad- 
emy one  year,  at  Waveland,  Ind. ,  also  at- 
tended the  National  Normal  School,  at  Leb- 
anon, Ohio,  where  he  graduated  in  the  clas- 
sical course  in  1872,  having  taught  school  at 
intervals  to  defray  his  expenses.  In  1873,  he 
began  the  study  of  the  law  in  Robinson,  un- 
der Callahan  &  Jones  (W.  C),  and  was  ad- 
mitted to  the  bar  in  January,  1875.  He  at 
once  entered  upon  the  practice  of  his  profes- 
sion, and  was  for  a  time  in  partnership  with 
his  preceptors — Callahan  &  Jones.  At  pres- 
ent he  is  a  member  of  the  iirm  of  Wilson, 
Maxwell  &  Allen.  He  was  married  in  Octo- 
ber, 1881,  to  Miss  Gertie  E.  Jackson,  of  New 
Albany,  Ind. 

STEPHEN  D.  MESERVE,  physician  and 
surgeon,  Robinson.  The  subject  of  this  sketch 
is  a  native  of  New  Hampshire,  and  his  boy- 
hood was  spent  among  its  bleak  hills.  He 
was  born  August  9,  1818,  and  his  early  edu- 
cational facilities  were  such  as  are  enjoyed  by 
the  favored  youth  of  New  England.  A\'hen 
grown,  he  entered  Fryeburg  Academy,  where 
he  spent  about  four  years  in  study.  After 
leaving  school,  he  began  reading  medicine 
under  Dr.  Barrrows,  of  Fryeburg,  continu- 
ing for  one  year.  He  then  came  West  to  Cin- 
cinnati, Ohio,  where  he  continued  his  studies. 
After  practicing  some  five  years,  he  took  a 
regular  course  of  lectures,  graduating  from 
Miami  Medical  College  in  1855.  Afterwards 
he  took  the  addendiun  degree  in  the  Ohio 
Medical  College,  Cincinnati.  In  1848,  pre- 
vious to  his  gi-aduation,  he  came  to  Clark 
County,  111.,  and  located  in  York,  and  in  1850 
removed  to  Hutsonville,  in  this  county.  Here 
he  remained  until  March,  1856,  when  he  re- 
moved to  Robinson,  and  has  resided  here  ever 
since,  in  the  practice  of  his  profession.  Oc- 
tober 23,  1850,  Dr.  Meserve  was  married  to 
Miss  Martha  Barlow,  daughter  of  E.  Barlow, 


ROBINSON   TOAVNSHIP. 


247 


Esq.     He  has  four  children  living — Ashbel, 
G.,  Mattie  H.  Shafer,  Maud  and  Blanche. 

A.  G.  MESERVE,  M.   D.,  Robinson,  was 
born  May  6,  1854,  in  Hutsonville,  Crawford 
County,  111.     His  opportunity  for  education  | 
was  good.      He  attended  an  academy  in  Rob- 
inson about  five  years,  studied  medicine  un-  i 
der  his  father,  and  attended  lectures  in  the  i 
Miami  Medical  College,  where  he  graduated, 
Mai-ch  3, 1874,  and  at  once  engaged  in  the  prac- 
tice of  medicine  in  partnership  with  his  father, 
in  Robinson,  111.     He  was  married  July  19, 
1876,  to  Miss  Theodosia  E.  Fitch.     To  them 
have  been  given  two  children,  Ashbel  F.,  born 
August  26,  1877,  and  Maud,  July  20,  1880. 

JOHN  B.  MEYER,  tailor,  Robinson,  is  a 
native  of  Bavaria,  Germany,  and  was  born 
May  9,  1824.  In  1849.  he  emigrated  to  Amer- 
ica, landing  in  New  York,  and  soon  he  pushed 
out  to  Philadelphia,  and  there  engaged  in 
tailoring,  a  trade  he  had  learned  in  the  old 
country.  He  went  to  Madison,  Ind.,  where 
hn  met  some  old  acquaintances  from  Ger- 
many. From  Madison  he  went  to  Edinburg, 
and  in  1853  came  to  Robinson,  where  he 
went  to  work  at  his  trade.  In  1862,  having 
sold  out  his  business,  he  enlisted  in  the 
Ninety-eighth  Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry 
■for  three  years.  His  regiment  was  attached 
to  the  Army  of  the  Cumberland,  and  he  was 
in  many  of  the  battles  fought  by  that  portion 
of  the  Army  of  the  Union,  among  which  were 
Hoover's  Gap, Kingston,  Atlanta,  Chancellors- 
ville,  Selina,  etc. ,  etc.  He  was  discharged 
July  3,  1865,  and  the  next  year  returned  to 
Germany  on  a  visit,  but  came  back  in  due 
time  to  America,  and  returned  to  Robinson, 
and  located  among  old  friends.  He  owns  con- 
siderable property  in  the  town,  and  still 
continues  working  at  his  trade  of  tailoring, 
in  which  he  has  been  very  successful. 

SAMUEL  MIDKIFF,    Robinson,    of    the 
firm  of  Midkiff  &  Carey,  lumber  dealers,  also 


a  farmer,  was  born  April  8,  1824,  in  Granger 
County,  Tenn.  Removed  w  ith  his  parents  to 
Shelby  County,  Ind. ,  when  six  years  old.  He 
was  married  February  14,  1848,  to  Miss  Mary 
J.  Keck  and  moved  to  Wisconsin  in  1849, 
where  he  remained  four  years,  and  then  re- 
moved to  Illinois,  locating  within  two  miles 
of  Robinson,  and  engaged  in  farming.  He 
owns  a  farm  of  300  acres,  on  which  he  has 
good  buildings  and  an  excellent  orchard. 
He  produces  a  great  deal  of  grain  and  raises 
a  large  amount  of  stock.  December  6,  1882, 
he  purchased  an  interest  in  a  lumber  yard  at 
Robinson,  and  embarked  in  that  business. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity. 
Has  a  family  of  seven  children,  namely — 
Henrietta  P.,  Alpheus  J.,  William  H.,  Dan- 
iel K.,  Benjamin  F. ,  Lucinda  J.  and  Samuel 
P.,  all  of  whom  are  married.  Previous  to 
his  marriage  he  enlisted  in  the  Mexican  war. 
Company  H,  Third  Indiana,  and  served  in 
Taylor's  army,  and  was  in  the  battle  of  Buena 
Vista.  Retm-ned  home  after  one  year's  serv- 
ice. 

MATHIAS  CORWIN  MILLS,  lawyer  and 
police  magistrate,  Robinson,  was  born   Feb- 
ruary  22,    1838,  and  is    a  native   of  Darke 
Countj,  Ohio,   and  when    nine  years  of  age, 
his    parents   removed     to    Howard    Comity, 
Ind.     He    attended  the  common  schools    of 
the    neighborhood,    and    two   years    in   the 
I  State   Normal  School,    then   located  at  Ko- 
komo.       At   the    end    of  that  time  the  war 
broke  out,  and  he  enlisted,  in  April,  1861,  in 
Company    D,    Sixth    Indiana    Infantry,    for 
three  months.      Upon  the  expiration  of  his 
term,   he   again  enlisted   in   Company  C,  as 
\  Adjutant   of  the  Thirty -ninth  Indiana,   and 
;  •served  until  January  1,  1865,  when  he   was 
discharged.    He  was  in  the  battles  of  Shiloh, 
i  Perryville,  and  Stone  River,  in  the  latter  of 
which  he  was  captured,  and  lodged  in  Libby 
Prison.      He  returned  to  his  command  just  in 


248 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


time  to  take  part  in  the  campaign  in  Tennes- 
see, which  ended  in  the  battle  of  Chickamauga. 
He  was  at  Mission  Ridge,  and  in  most  all 
the  battles  during  "Sherman's  March  to  the 
Sea."  After  leaving  the  army  he  returned  to 
Kokomo  and  engaged  in  the  grocery  busi- 
ness, which  he  followed  but  a  short  time, 
when  he  went  to  Sullivan,  Ind.,  where  he  en- 
gaged in  the  practice  of  law,  having  pre- 
viously studied  for  the  profession.  In  1870, 
he  removed  to  Robinson  and  engaged  in 
teaching,  which  he  followed  for  nine  years  as 
principal  of  the  public  schools.  In  1879,  he 
again  engaged  in  the  practice  of  law;  and 
held  the  position  of  City  Attorney  for  three 
terms,  1877, 1878,  187U.  He  was  elected  Po- 
lice Magistrate  in  1880,  which  office  he  still 
holds.  He  is  a  Republican  in  politics;  is  a 
member  of  Robinson  Lodge,  No.  250,  A.,  F. 
&  A.  M.,  and  Robinson  Chapter,  R.  A.  M., 
and  also  a  member  of  the  Odd  Follows.  Mr. 
Mills  was  married  May  I'S,  18G3,  in  Kokomo, 
Ind.,  to  Miss  Hattie  A.  Welsh,  a  native  of 
Lancaster  County,  Penn.  They  have  a  fam- 
ily of  four  children,  viz. :  Thomas  G. ,  Clif 
ford  D.,  Emma  K.  and  Gloria. 

SOL.  MOERS,  watch  maker  and  jeweler, 
Robinson,  was  born  in  Germany  JJecember 
14,  1851.  Came  with  his  parents  in  1859  to 
Cincinnati,  where  he  was  raised.  He  at- 
tended the  schools  of  the  city,  also  spent 
four  years  as  an  apprentice  in  his  profession. 
In  1873,  he  located  in  Robinson  in  his  pres- 
ent avocation.  He  carries  a  fine  assortment 
of  goods  in  his  line,  and  sells  over  $0,000 
worth  annually.  Subject  was  married  in 
this  town  to  Miss  Sallie  Hedden,  in  1879. 
Has  two  children,  Mamie  and  Selina.  He  is 
an  A. ,  F.  &  A.  M. ,  a  R.  A.  M. ,  and  an  Odd 
Fellow  and  Knight  of  Honor. 

E.  E.  MURPHY,  merchant,  Robinson,  was 
born  in  Licking  County,  Ohio,  February  18, 
1834,  and  when    quite  young  removed  with 


his  parents  to  Michigan,  where  he  remained 
three  years.  In  1854,  he  came  to  Palestine, 
in  this  county,  and  commenced  clerking  in  a 
store  there — an  employment  he  continued  for 
some  three  years,  when  he  commenced  mer- 
chandising on  his  own  account.  He  remained 
at  Palestine  until  1875,  when  he  removed  to 
Robinson,  continuing  the  merchantile  busi- 
ness in  his  new  quarters.  He  built  a  store 
house  which  he  still  occupies.  He  does  an 
extensive  business,  selling  annually  about 
$20,U00  worth  of  goods.  Mr.  Murjshy  was 
married  June  11,  1857,  to  Miss  Eliza  Alexan- 
der, of  Palestine,  by  whom  he  had  two  chil- 
dren— Jeanetta  and  Mary  B.  His  wife  died 
in  1867,  and  in  February,  1872,  he  was  mar- 
ried a  second  time  to  Miss  Sallie  C.  Swear- 
ingen,  who  died  in  October,  1875.  He  was 
married  again,  in  July,  1878,  to  Frances  Da- 
vis, of  Greenville,  Illinois. 

H.  MYERS,  merchant,  Robinson,  was  born 
in  Alsace,  Germany,  in  1839,  and  when  six- 
teen years  of  age  emigrated  to  America,  land- 
ing in  New  York.  He  went  to  Ohio,  where 
he  engaged  in  clerking  in  a  clothing  store. 
He  remained  there  about  a  year  and  a  half 
and  then  retm-ned  to  Europe,  but  in  three 
months  came  back  to  America,  and  located  at 
Jacksonport,  Ark.,  where  he  remained  until 
the  breaking  out  of  the  war,  in  1861,  when 
he  enlisted  in  Hardee's  Corps,  Maj.  Schoup's 
Battalion  of  Artillery,  C.  S.  A.,  for  a  term  of 
four  years,  or  until  the  clo.se  of  the  war;  he 
participated  in  the  following  battles;  Shiloh, 
Corinth,  Bowling  Green,  Nashville,  Mur- 
freesboro,  Franklin,  Tenn.,  Meridian,  Miss., 
Columbus.  Miss.,  etc.  He  was  discharared  at 
Meridian,  Miss.,  in  1865.  He  went  to  Mem- 
phis, Tenn.,  and  engaged  in  steamboating, 
then  to  Hopkinsville,  Ky. ,  and  back  to  Ten- 
nessee, and  engaged  in  the  mercantile  busi- 
ness, but  in  1869,  sold  out  and  went  to  Evans- 
ville,  Ind.,  where  he  remained  about  a  year. 


ROBINSON'  TOWNSHIP. 


24» 


when  he  made  another  trip  to  Europe,  but 
shortly  after  returned  to  Evansville,  thence 
to  CohiEobus,  Ky.,  where  he  went  into  mer- 
chandising. He  next  went  to  Sullivan,  Ind., 
but  soon  after  removed  to  Robinson,  where 
he  still  resides,  and  is  extensively  engaged  in 
the  clothing  business.  He  was  married  in 
1870  to  Miss  Jeanetta  Pettinger,  of  Evans- 
ville. They  have  four  children  living — Me- 
lanie,  Jacob,  Abraham  and  Isaac.  IVIi-.  Myers 
is  a  member  of  the  Robinson  Lodge,  No.  250, 
A. ,  F.  &  A.  M.,  and  of  the  ELnights  of  Honor. 
JUDGE  J.  C.  OLWIN,  lawyer  and  County 
Judge,  Robinson,  was  born  December  6, 
1838,  in  Montgomeiy  County,  Ohio,  and  was 
brought  up  on  the  farm.  His  facilities  for 
an  education  were  good,  and  he  attended  sev- 
eral of  the  leading:  institutions  of  learnincf 
of  his  native  State,  thus  receiving  a  good, 
practical  education.  In  1860,  be  commenced 
the  study  of  law  in  Dayton,  and,  in  1862, 
matriculated  in  the  Ohio  State  and  Union 
Law  School  of  Cleveland,  where  he  gradu- 
ated in  1863,  and  in  the  fall  of  the  next  year 
came  to  Crawford  County,  111.  Upon  his 
arrival  here  he  taught  one  term  of  school 
near  Palestine,  and  then  located  in  Robinson 
and  commenced  the  practice  of  bis  chosen 
profession — the  law.  He  was  elected  to  the 
Thirty-second  General  Assembly,  which  term 
expired  in  1882,  and  in  November  of  the 
same  year,  was  elected  County  Judge,  which 
position  he  now  fills.  He  has  also  filled  the 
office  of  master  in  chancery  two  terms  (four 
years).  Judge  Olwin  is  a  R(3publican  in 
politics,  and  when  it  is  taken  into  cosidera- 
tion  that  he  has  been  elected  to  these  posi- 
tions in  a  Democratic  county,  his  popularity 
as  a  citizen  and  his  integrity  as  a  public  offi- 
cer is  at  once  apparent  to  the  reader.  Judge 
Olwin  was  married  January  4,  1866,  to  Miss 
Amelia  A.  Tobey,  of  Montgomery  County, 
Ohio.      The  result  of  this  marriage  is  a  f;i!ii- 


ily  of  six  children,  five  of  whom  are  living, 
viz. :  Harry,  Claudia  E.,  Ora  M.,  Tobey  and 
Beulah.     Dead-  -Jessie. 

E.  N.  OTEY,  Robinson,  member  of  the 
firm  of  Otey  &  Son,  was  born  in  March,  1831, 
in  Palestine,  111.  He  learned  his  trade  of 
house  cai'penter  in  Terre  Haute;  has  worked 
mostly  in  this  county.  In  1881,  he  and  his 
son  built  a  planing  mill  in  Robinson,  and  has 
been  engaged  in  that  business  ever  since. 
He  ovsTis  a  good  residence  in  town  and  ten 
acres  adjoining  the  corporation.  He  was 
man-ied  in  Terre  Haute,  December  20,  1854, 
to  Miss  Mary  C.  Hebb.  They  have  four 
children,  namely:  Harry  E.,  Rose,  Clifford 
F.  and  Helen. 

WILLL^M  PARKER,  merchant,  Robin- 
son, is  a  native  of  Illinois,  and  was  born  in 
Clark  County,  November  21,  1832.  His  early 
life  was  spent  in  York,  in  that  county,  with 
rather  limited  facilities  for  receiving  an  edu- 
cation. In  1852,  he  commenced  clerking  in 
Palestine,  in  this  county,  for  Preston  Bros. , 
remaining  in  their  employ  about  ten  years. 
In  1862,  he  came  to  Robinson,  then  a  sickly 
village  of  not  more  than  300  inhabitants,  and 
engaged  in  general  merchandising  which 
he  followed  until  1872,  when  he  closed  out 
and  opened  a  hardware  store,  first  on  the 
north  side  of  the  public  square,  but  in  1875, 
he  removed  to  the  east  side,  when  together 
with  J.  H.  Weeds  he  JJerected  two  elegant 
brick  buildings,  Nos.  4  and  5,  in  which  he 
sold  his  interest  in  1877,  but  continued  the 
hardware  business.  He  was  married  in  May, 
1860,  to  Miss  Sarah  E.  Conditt,  of  Palestine, 
He  has  five  children  living,  viz.:  Charles  C, 
Frederick  A.,  Harry  H.,  Maggie  and  Fannie. 
Mr.  Parker  is  a  Republican  in  politics,  and 
during  a  part  of  President  Grant's  term. 
President  Hayes'  and  President  Garfield's, 
he  was  Postmaster  at  Robinson,  a  position  in 
which  he  gave  universal  satisfaction. 


350 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


GEORGE  N.  PARKER,  attorney  at  law, 
Robinson,  a  native  of  this  county,  was  born 
April  9,  1843,  and  was  brought  up  on  the 
farm.  He  attended  the  common  schools  of 
the.  neighborhood,  finishing  his  education 
at  Union  Christian  College  at  Merom, 
Ind.  After  his  return  to  this  county,  he 
was  elected  Superintendent  of  Schools  in 
1865.  He  read  law  one  year  and  then  en- 
tered Ann  Arbor  law  school,  where  he  re- 
mained one  year.  He  was  admitted  to  the 
bar  in  1870,  in  Illinois,  and  entered  upon 
the  practice  of  his  profession  in  Robinson, 
where  he  has  ever  since  remained.  Mr.  Par- 
ker is  a  Democrat  in  politics,  and  has  been 
chairman  of  the  County  Democratic  Commit- 
tee for  several  years.  He  was  married  May 
5,  1870,  to  Miss  Julia  A.  Crowley,  a  daughter 
of  Samuel  B.  Crowley,  of  Jasper  County, 
111.  Samnel  Parker,  father  of  our  subject, 
was  born  in  Butler  County,  Ohio,  and  when 
very  young  came  to  Illinois  (in  1818),  while 
it  was  still  a  territory,  and  located  in  Craw- 
ford County.  He  has  followed  farming  most 
of  his  life  and  accumulated  a  considerable 
amount  of  property  He  was  married,  Decem- 
ber 31,  1835,  to  Miss  Emeline  Lanham,  and 
has  three  children  living — one  son  (subject) 
and  two  daughters,  viz. :  Mary  J. ,  wife  of 
Peter  C.  Barick,  and  Sabina  Ann,  wife  of 
John  P.  Deam,  all  residents  of  this  county. 
In  the  fall  of  1866,  Mr.  Parker  purchased 
property  in  Robinson  and  moved  into  town, 
where  he  still  resides. 

THOMAS  S.  PRICE,  clerk  of  County 
Court,  Robinson,  a  native  of  Ci'awford 
County,  111.,  and  a  son  of  James  D.  and 
Mary.  E.  (Smith)  Price,  was  born  May  1, 
1850.  He  was  brought  up  on  the  farm,  at- 
tending the  common  school  of  the  neighbor- 
hood until  the  age  of  twentj-,  when  he  went 
to  Westfield  College  for  seven  months.  After- 
ward he  attended  the  Indiana  State  Normal 


School  at  Terre  Haute,  for  three  years, 
1871-73,  graduating  in  the  common  course. 
Upon  leaving  school,  he  engaged  in  teach- 
ing, which  he  followed  until  1878,  when  he 
received  the  appointment  of  Deputy  County 
Clerk  under  Mr.  Reavill,  remaining  one  year, 
when  he  bought  an  interest  in  the  Constitu- 
tion. In  August  following  he  sold  out,  and 
was  apjiointed  by  the  Board  of  Supervisors 
County  Clerk,  to  fill  the  vacancy  occasioned 
by  the  death  of  Mr.  Reavill,  and  in  Novem- 
ber, was  duly  elected  to  fill  out  the  unexpired 
term.  In  the  fall  of  1882,  he  was  re-elected 
to  a  second  term,  which  office  he  now  fills. 
He  was  married  in  Palestine,  111.,  December 
17,  1879,  to  Miss  Fannie  B.  Haskett,  bom  in 
Crawford  County,  III.,  November  19,  1859, 
daughter  of  E.  C.  Haskett,  of  Palestine. 
They  have  two  children — Ralph  W.,  and 
Harry  H.  Mr.  Price  is  a  member  of  Robin- 
son Lodge,  No.  250,  A,  F.  &  A.  M.,  and  of 
Crawford  Lodge,  L  O.  O.  F.  Subject's 
father  was  born  in  Calloway  County,  Ky.,  in 
1806,  and  came  to  Illinois  in  1829,  stopping 
first  at  Palestine,  but  afterward  settled  north- 
west of  Robinson,  where  he  died  November 
22,  1873.  He  was  twice  married,  first  to 
Miss  Caldwell,  she  dying;  he  afterward  mar- 
ried Mrs.  Mary  E.  Smith,  a  widow,  and 
daughter  of  Guy  W.  Smith,  an  early  settler 
of  Crawford  County.  She  was  born  March 
13,  1821,  and  is  still  living  on  the  old  home- 
stead. Mr.  James  D.  Price  had  two  children 
by  his  first,  and  eight  by  his  second,  mar- 
riage, seven  of  whom  are  living,  viz.: 
Thomas  S.  (subject),  Alice  J.,  John  Z.,  Min- 
nie, Austin  G. ,  Luella  C.  and  Everett  E. 

PHILIP  REINOHL,  engineer  and  farm- 
er, was  born  on  October  4,  1821,  in  Leba- 
non County,  Penn.,  engaged  in  farming,  and 
in  1853,  he  came  to  Crawford  County  and 
located  near  New  Hebron.  He  owns  a  farm 
of  160  acres,  all  under  cultivation.    In  June, 


KOBINSON   TOWNSHIP. 


353 


1882,  he  engaged  in  his  present  avocation — 
entrineerins.  He  was  married  in  1843,  to 
Miss  Sarah  Saul.  Has  a  family  of  seven 
childi-en,  six  sons  and  one  daughter — Will- 
iam E.,  Reuben,  Franklin  P.,  Albert, 
Philip,  U.  S.  Grant,  Mrs.  Emma  C.  Man.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  United  Brethren  Church. 

JUDGE  FRANKLIN  ROBB,  attorney  at 
law,  Robinson,  is  a  native  of  Gibson  County, 
Ind.,  where  he  was  born  February  15,  1817. 
When  sixteen  years  of  age,  he  removed  with 
his  parents  to  Laporte,  Ind.  After  remain- 
ing there  for  a  time,  he  entered  Wabash 
College,  at  Crawfordsville,  which  he  attended 
for  five  years,  taking  a  classical  course  and 
graduating  in  184U.  He  then  engaged  in 
the  study  of  law  at  Princeton,  Ind. ,  under 
Judcre  Embree,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar 
in  1842.  He  practiced  law  for  a  short  time 
at  Princeton,  and  then  abandoned  it  and 
began  the  study  of  medicine,  which  he  fol- 
lowed for  about  three  years,  attending  lectures 
at  Louisville,  Ky.,  and  at  Cincinnati,  Ohio. 
In  1845,  he  removed  to  Robinson,  111.,  and 
engaged  in  the  practice  of  medicine — except 
one  year,  1847-48,  which  he  spent  in  York, 
111.,  then  returned  to  Robinson,  where  he  has 
since  resided.  He  finally  abandoned  medi- 
cine on  account  of  his  health,  and  resumed 
the  practice  of  law,  which  he  has  since  con- 
tinued to  follow  to  the  present  time.  Politi- 
cally, Judge  Robb  is  a  Republican.  He  has 
held  the  office  of  County  Superintendent  of 
Schools,  Justice  of  the  Peace,  a  member  of 
the  school  board,  etc.  He  was  elected 
County  Judge  in  1879,  and  served  one  term 
ably  and  to  the  satisfaction  of  his  constitu- 
ency, and  declined  a  nomination  for  a  second 
term.  Judge  Robb  was  married  June  13, 
1844,  to  Miss  Martha  J.  E.  Ing,  a  daughter 
of  Thomas  Ing,   Esq. 

RUDDELL  BROTHERS,  druggists,  etc., 
Robinson.    Had  Dickens  written  his  Nicholas 


Nickleby  in  Robinson,  it  would  have  been 
evident  that  he  took  his  characters  of  Cheery- 
ble  Brothers  from  the  subjects  of  this  sketch, 
barring  the  facts  that  the  Cheerybles  were 
old  men  and  twins.  In  other  respects  the 
characters  are  very  similar.  Zalmon  and 
J.  D.  Kuddell  (the  subjects)  are  descended 
from  that  old  pioneer  stock  of  Ruddells,  of 
Bourbon  County,  Ky.,  for  whom  Ruddell 
Station  in  that  county  was  named,  an  early 
settlement  several  times  attacked  by  Indians 
in  the  early  days  of  the  "  Dark  and  Bloody 
Ground."  The  subjects  are  sons  of  George 
aud  Martha  (Neal)  Ruddell,  natives  of  Ken- 
tuckj%  who  emigrated  to  Crawford  County  in 
1853,  locating  in  Lamotte  Township.  Mr. 
Ruddell  purchased  an  excellent  farm  there 
of  some  800  acres  of  land.  He  was  a  soldier 
of  the  war  of  1812,  an  honorable  man  and  a 
good  citizen,  and  died  September  25,  1855. 
Zalmon  Ruddell  was  born  February  9,  1847, 
and  J.  D.  Ruddell  was  born  March  11,  1849, 
both  in  Kentucky,  emigrating  with  their 
parents  to  Illinois  in  1853,  as  above.  They 
were  brought  up  on  the  farm,  attending  the 
common  schools  of  the  neighborhood.  In 
1868,  both  entered  college,  attending  the 
same  number  of  terms,  and  after  leaving 
school  engaging  in  the  drug  business  together. 
May  17, 1872,  atMerom,  Ind.,  and  remaining 
there  till  1 877,  when  they  removed  to  Robin- 
sou,  111.,  continuing  in  the  drug  business 
there  till  1878,  when  they  also  engageil  in 
the  furniture  and  undertaking  business,  and 
have  since  conducted  the  three  branches  of 
business  with  success,  their  annual  receipts 
amounting  to  $15,000  or  $20,000.  They 
have  indeed  proved  veritable  Cheeryble 
Brothers.  Th(3  only  thing  in  which  they  have 
materially  diverged  from  each  other  was,  Zal- 
mon, in  1864,  enlisted  in  Company  C,  of  the 
One  Hundred  and  Fifty-fifth  Illinois  Volun- 
teer Infantry,  for  one  year,  J.  D.  being  too 

o 


254 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


young  at  the  time  to  enter  the  army.  Zal- 
mon  served  until  the  close  of  the  war,  when 
he  was  discharged.  He  was  married  April  1, 
1873,  in  Sullivan  County,  Ind.,  to  Miss  Cam- 
rie  French,  granddaughter  of  Gen.  French 
of  Revolutionary  fame.  They  have  three 
children,  viz. :  Ruth  Pearl,  Frank  and  Burel. 
J.  D.  was  married  November  24,  1881,  to  Miss 
Ettie  Updyke,  a  davighter  of  Hon.  William 
Updyke.  The  Rudd«ll  brothers  are  enter- 
prising merchants  of  Robinson,  and  do  a 
large  and  profitable  business,  amounting  to 
some  115,000  annually.  In  November,  1881, 
Zalmon  was  unanimously  elected  Captain  of 
Company  E,  Eighth  Regiment  Illinois  Na- 
tional Guards,  a  position  his  experience  in 
the  late  war  eminently  qualifies  him  to  fill. 
Martha  (Neal)  Ruddell,  mother  of  the  Rud- 
dell  brothers,  subjects  of  the  sketch,  and 
whose  portrait  appears  in  this  volume,  was 
born  in  Boone  County,  Ky.,  December  'lo, 
1805.  She  was  married  to  George  Ruddell 
in  August,  1825.  George,  with  his  young 
wife,  moved  to  Grant  County,  Ky.,  and  set- 
tled in  the  unbroken  wilderness,  where  they 
toiled  amid  hardships  and  danger,  converting 
their  wilderness  home  into  a  comfortable  and 
profitable  farm.  In  1853,  with  her  husband, 
she  removed  to  Illinois,  settling  in  Lamotte 
Township,  in  Crawford  County.  In  1855, 
the  grim  messenger  of  death  deprived  her  of 
her  husband  and  protector,  leaving  her  with 
a  large  family  of  small  children  to  educate 
and  train  for  the  duties  of  life,  which  duty 
she  has  performed  nobly,  the  subjects  of 
the  sketch  being  the  youngest  of  her  charge. 
She  is  a  faithful  and  devoted  Christian.  She 
joined  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  in 
childhood. 

JAMES  N.  SHIPMAN,  dealer  in  grocer- 
ies, queensware,  boots  and  shoes,  etc.,  Rob- 
inson, was  born  in  Martin  Township,  Craw- 
ford  Co.,   111.,   February    25,   1853,    son   of 


Savilla  and  Mary  (Doyal)  Shipman,  he  a 
native  of  Jackson  County,  Ind.,  born  Octo- 
ber 6,  1824,  she  born  in  Crawford  County, 
111.,  January,  1826,  died  October  9,  1874. 
Mr.  Shipman  was  raised  on  a  farm  and  fol- 
lowed agricultui'al  piursuits  till  he  entered  the 
store  of  G.  B.  Hicks,  of  Hardinsville,  whore 
he  remained  about  two  years.  In  October, 
1881,  he  engaged  in  his  present  business  and 
is  doing  a  good  trade,  carrying  a  full  assort- 
ment of  goods  in  his  line. 

ALBERT  R.  SHORT,  di-uggist,  Robinson, 
was  born  in  Danville,  111.,  June  11,  1853, 
and  his  boyhood  days  were  spent  in  Vermil- 
ion and  Champaign  Counties.  He  came  to 
Robinson  in  March,  1875,  and  engaged  in 
the  di-ug  business,  which  he  still  follows  .suc- 
cessfully. His  annual  sales  amount  to  from 
$8,000  to  111,000.  He  carries  a  complete 
stock  of  drugs  and  notions,  and  has  an  ex- 
tensive patronage.  Subject  was  married  Oc- 
tober 9,  1879.  to  Miss  Mai-y  King,  a  daughter 
of  Ii-a  King,  of  Robinson.  The  result  of  this 
marriage  is  two  children — Frank  Alexander 
and  an  infant  daughter,  Carrie. 

JAIMES  H.  STEEL,  whose  portrait  ap- 
pears in  this  book,  was  born  in  the  city  of 
Philadelphia,  Penn.,  on  the  23d  day  of  June, 
1823.  His  ancestors  were  of  English,  Scotch 
and  Irish  blood.  At  an  early  day  in  his  life, 
his  father  removed  to  Terre  Haute,  Ind., 
taking  him  along.  From  that  time  forward 
until  after  he  was  of  age,  most  of  his  time 
was  spent  clerking  in  Western  stores.  About 
the  year  1849,  he  settled  in  the  then  small 
and  new  town  of  Robinson,  having  been  pre- 
viously elected  County  Clerk  of  Crawford 
County.  He  held  the  county  clerkship  about 
nine  years,  part  of  the  time  by  appointment 
to  fill  the  vacancy  caused  by  Hosea  B.  Jolly 
leaving  this  county  and  his  office.  Mr.  Steel 
read  law  during  the  time  he  was  County 
Clerk,  and  on   the  13th  day  of   July,  1857, 


ROBINSON    TOWNSHIP. 


255 


was  licensed  to  practice  law.  From  that 
time  he  successfully  pursued  his  profession 
until  the  year  1865,  when  the  Hon.  Ethol- 
bert  Callahan  and  himself  formed  a  partner- 
ship for  the  practice  of  law  in  Robinson. 
That  partnership  continued  about  fourteen 
months;  then  owing  to  the  failing  health  of 
Mr.  Steel  it  was  dissolved.  For  two  or  three 
years  after  the  dissolution  of  the  firm,  Mr. 
Steel  practiced  alone,  taking  only  such  cases 
as  suited  his  inclination  and  strength,  after 
which  time  he  entirely  abandoned  the  law. 
Mr.  Steel  was  one  of  the  founders  of  the  Re- 
publican party  in  this  part  of  Illinois,  and 
he  stood  firmly  by  the  Government  and 
the  Union  soldiers  in  the  war  for  the  preser- 
vation of  the  Union.  He  was  a  man  of  good 
business  capacity,  honorable  and  generous  in 
his  dealings,  enjoyed  the  confidence  and  es- 
teem of  his  neighbors  and  the  people  of  the 
county.  On  the  ith  day  of  February,  1847, 
Mr.  Steel  was  married  to  Miss  Emily  J.  Otey 
daughter  of  James  S.  Otey,  deceased,  of  this 
county.  This  lady  was  born  in  Palestine,  of 
this  county,  and  nol^ly  helped  and  sustained 
him  through  their  married  life.  To  them 
were  born  sis  children.  After  a  lingering  ill 
ness,  Mr.  Steel  departed  this  life  on  the  2d 
day  of  December,  1872,  leaving,  surviving 
him,  his  wife  and  four  children — I\Irs.  Will- 
iam C.  Jones,  James  O.  Steel,  Charles  H. 
Steel  and  Frank  O    Steel. 

JAMES  O.  STEEL,  attorney  at  law,  Rob- 
inson, a  son  of  James  H.  Steel,  was  born  in 
this  county  January  7,  1848.  He  was  brought 
up  in  Robinson,  where  he  had  good  facilities 
for  learning,  and  finished  his  education  in 
Asbury  University  at  Greencastle,  Ind.  He 
studied  law  under  Mr.  Hayward,  of  Olney, 
111.,  and  attended  one  term  of  the  law  school 
at  Ann  Arbor,  Mich.  He  was  admitted  to 
the  bar  in  1873,  and  has  practiced  his  pro- 
fession in  Robinson  ever  since.   He  was  mar- 


ried June  4,  1873,  to  Miss  Mary  E.,  daughter 
of  Hon.  \Yilliam  Updyke,  of  Robinson.  They 
have  three  childi'en — Herbert,  James  H.  and 
Kate.  Jlr.  Steel  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic 
fratei'nity,  and  politically  is  a  Republican. 

CHARLES  H.  STEEL,  Auditor  Narrow 
Gauge  Railroad,  Robinson,  was  born  in 
Robinson  September  8,  1856,  and  is  a  son 
of  James  H.  Steel.  He  received  a  good 
education,  finishing  up  by  attending  a  select 
school  for  four  years.  He  engaged  in  the 
abstract  of  titles,  real  estate  business,  etc., 
and  in  1881,  accepted  the  position  of  Auditor 
of  the  S.  E.  &  S.  E.  R.  R.  (Narrow  Gauge), 
which  position  he  now  holds.  He  was  mar- 
ried February  21,  1876,  to  Miss  Loretta 
Miner,  of  Shelbyville,  Ind.  They  have  three 
children- -Erie,  Emily  and  Gertrude.  Mr. 
Steel  is  both  a  Mason  and  Odd  Fellow. 

F.  ST.  CLERGY,  dentist,  was  born  in 
Spain  July  9,  1854.  Went  with  his  father, 
when  quite  young,  to  Buenos  Ayres,  S.  A. 
He  located  in  a  little  town  about  sixty  miles 
fi-om  Buenos  Avres,  by  the  name  of  Sinal- 
onio  de  Ai-eco.  At  the  age  of  twelve,  he  was 
sent  to  New  York  City,  where  he  attended 
school  under  Prof.  George  Smiley,  and  grad- 
uated in  dentistry.  He  practiced  his  profes- 
sion in  dental  offices  in  several  of  the  lead- 
ing cities  of  this  country.  In  1872,  he 
located  in  Robinson,  his  present  home.  He 
was  married,  October  5,  1878,  to  Miss  Julia 
Mail,  daughter  of  I.  D.  Mail.  Has  two  chil- 
dren— Fernando  Magarinhos  and  an  infant. 

CORNELIUS  STEPHENSON,  farmer  and 
stock  dealer,  P.  O.  Robinson,  was  born  No- 
vember 20,  1829,  in  Butler  County,  Ohio. 
He  was  raised  in  that  county.  He  was  mar- 
ried, in  that  county,  July  8.  1855,  to  Miss 
Mary  Hulse,  daughter  of  Josejjh  Hulse.  In 
1857,  he  removed  to  Crawford  County,  111., 
and  purchased  a  farm  of  160  acres  in  Section 
4,  Robinson  Township.     He  improved  it  and 


256 


BIOGRAPHICAl;: 


built  buildings,  and  has  an  excellent  orchard; 
to  this  he  has  added  312,  mostly  under  culti- 
vation. Raises  an  immense  amount  of  wheat, 
oats  and  corn — wheat  principally;  keeps  a 
large  amount  of  stock.  He  has,  for  the  last 
three  years,  produced  an  average  of  800 
bushels.  He  has  a  family  of  four  children, 
three  sons  and  one  daughter,  as  follows: 
Mrs.  Emma  Wakefield,  wife  of  Andrew  Wake- 
field; Joseph  C. ;  Benjamin  F. ;  Cornelius 
H.  Subject  is  a  Democrat.  His  (subject's) 
father,  Benjamin  Stephenson,  was  born  in 
New  Jersey.  Removed  with  his  j)arents,  at 
the  age  of  four  years,  to  Ohio — Butler  County 
— where  he  remained  till  his  death,  which 
occurred  in  1873  (June)  aged  about  sixty- 
seven  years.  He  followed  the  profession  of 
farming,  and  became  quite  wealthy.  He 
owned,  at  one  time,  about  four  hundred  acres 
of  land.  He  was  married,  in  Butler  County, 
to  Miss  Theodosia  Lowe,  by  whom  he  had 
twelve  children,  of  whom  nine  survive  him. 
He  was  also  a  Democrat. 

L.  E.  STEPHENS,  surgeon  dentist,  Robin- 
son, is  a  son  of  John  H.  Stephens,  and  was  born 
in  Loudoun  County,  Va. ,  September  8,  1845, 
and  when  quite  young  came  to  Illinois  with 
his  parents,  and  located  in  Hutsonville,  in  this 
county;  in  1854,  moved  to  Porterville,  and  in 
1871  came  to  Robinson.  Subject  received  a 
good  common  education,  and  attended  West- 
field  College,  ill  Clark  County,  two  years. 
After  leaving  school,  he  studied  dentistry 
with  his  father,  and  in  1871  began  the  prac- 
tice of  his  profession  in  Robinson,  where  he 
has  since  resided.  The  subject  was  married, 
July  29,  1873,  to  Miss  May  G.,  a  daughter  of 
Judge  James  B.  Trimble,  of  this  county. 
They  have  a  family  of  five  sons  and  one 
daughter,  viz. :  Arthur  G.,  Franklin  A., 
John  M. ,  Frederick,  Earle  (twins)  and  Mabel. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Knights  of  Honor, 
and  a  thorough    Democrat  politically.     His 


father,  John  H.  Stephens,  died  in  Robinson, 
September  7,  1877;  his  mother  is  still  living 
in  the  town. 

RICHARD  TALBOT,  editor,  Robinson, 
was  born  July  19,  1848,  in  Somerset,  Perry 
Co.,  Ohio.  He  is  a  brother  of  Percy  J.  Tal 
bot,  whose  sketch  appears  below.  He  re- 
ceived the  greater  portion  of  his  education 
in  his  native  village.  He  was  married,  March 
22,  1875,  to  Margaret  Crowley,  born  March 
22,  1854,  in  Ohio.  She  is  a  daughter  of  S. 
B.  and  Elizabeth  (Williams)  Crowley,  natives 
of  Coshocton  County,  Ohio.  Mr.  Talbot 
enlisted  in  the  One  Hundred  and  Thirty-fifth 
Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry,  and  served  five 
months.  His  union  gave  him  two  children 
— Ida  B.  and  Emma  C.  He  engaged  at  the 
printing  business  in  1863;  and  had  continued 
the  same  until  he  joined  the  editorial  staff  of 
the  Constitution,  to  which  he  now  gives  his 
entire  personal  attention.  He  is  a  "stanch 
Democrat, "  and  works  earnestly  for  the  cause 
of  that  f>rganization.  Further  notice  made 
of  him  and  P.  J.  in  the  history  of  the  press 
of  Robinson. 

PERCY  J.  TALBOT,  editor,  Robinson. 
The  subject  of  this  biography  was  born  Au- 
gust 28,  1855,  in  Somerset,  Perry  Co.,  Ohio. 
His  father,  John,  whose  portrait  appears  in 
this  work,  was  born  September  21,  1797,  in 
Tipperary,  L'eland.  He  was  not  one  of  Fort- 
une's petted  ones,  born  with  a  silver  spoon 
in  his  mouth,  but  a  member  of  an  industrious 
family.  Early  in  his  manhood,  he  became  a 
citizen  of  Canada,  and  espoused  the  cause  of 
that  country,  publishing  a  lively  newspaper 
known  as  the  Liberal.  In  1839,  he  located 
at  Somerset,  Ohio,  where  he  engaged  in  +he 
hardware  business,  which  he  continued  with 
success  imtJl  1863,  when  he  withdrew  and 
became  a  resident  of  Terre  Haute,  Ind.,  and 
subsequently  of  Robinson,  111.,  and  at  the 
latter  entered  the  newspaper  business,  taking 


ROBINSON    TOWNSHIP, 


257 


the  management  of  the  Robinson  Constitu- 
tion September,  1803,  his  efforts  in  which  are 
carefully  noticed  in  the  history  of  the  press 
in  another  portion  of  this  work.  Mr.  Talbot 
was  a  man  of  culture,  liberal  thought  and 
decided  opinion.  lie  early  imbibed  the  prin- 
ciples of  the  Whig  party,  at  the  extermina- 
tion of  which  he  joined  the  Democratic  party, 
in  the  interests  of  which  he  labored  until  his 
decease.  He  possessed  a  noble  character, 
and  his  intercourse  with  his  fellow-man  was 
marked  with  that  courtesy  and  suavity  of 
manner  which  accompanies  true  manhood. 
"  None  knew  him  but  to  praise."  When 
the  time  came  for  him  to  be  stricken  from 
life's  roll  on  earth,  he  was  prepared  for  life 
eternal.  His  death  occurred  September  22, 
1874,  in  Robinson.  He  was  married  to 
Mary  Jane  Blake,  born  in  Ireland  January 
5,  1817,  and  died   in    Robinson    January  5, 

1879.  The  result  of  the  union  was  seven  chil- 
dren, Percy  J.  received  a  limited  education 
in  the  Robinson  schools  until  he  was  nine 
years  old,  when  he  was  taken  to  the  printing 
office,  to  help  maintain  his  father's  family. 
He  has  learned  the  trade  thoroughly,  from 
"devil"  up  to  editor.  In  1879,  he  took 
one-half  interest  in  the  Constitution,  since 
which  time  he  has  been  an  element  in  its  his- 
tory. He  was  married,  at  Robinson,  Sep- 
tember IB,  1879,  to  Mai-tha  F.  Dickson,  born 
February  28,  1859,  in  Robinson.  She  is  a 
daughter  of  William  C.  and  Caroline  V. 
(Inge)  Dickson.  The  result  of  his  union  has 
been   one  child — Gertrude   M.,   born   April, 

1880,  and  died  April,  1881.  He  is  a  Demo- 
crat. 

SAMSON  TAYLOR.  County  Treasurer, 
Robinson.  The  subject  of  this  sketch,  the 
accommodating  County  Treasurer,  is  a  native 
Buckeye,  born  in  Ohio  (Champaign  County), 
February  22,  1825.  He  removed  to  Craw- 
ford County,  111.,    in  1848,    and  settled  on  a 


farm  in  the  present  township  of  Honey 
Creek.  He  purchased  attract  of  eighty  acres 
of  land,  and  has  since  added  sixty  acres  to 
it,  making  140  acres,  120  of  which  are  in  cul- 
tivation. Politically,  Mr.  Taylor  is  a  Demo- 
crat. He  has  taken  an  active  part  in  politics, 
and  has  frequently  been  elected  to  the  offices 
of  Collector  and  Treasurer  of  the  county, 
holding  the  latter  office  from  1861  to  1867. 
He  was  again  elected  Treasurer  in  Novem- 
ber, 1882.  He  sold  goods  in  Crawfordsville 
from  1868  to  1874,  when  bis  store  was  biu-nt 
out  and  he  returned  to  farming.  Subject  is 
a  leading  Mason,  having  been  a  member  of 
the  fraternity  since  1846.  Mr.  T.  was  mar- 
ried, June  18,  1846,  to  Miss  Barbara  Taylor 
(no  relative,  however),  of  Champaign  County, 
Ohio.  They  have  had  the  following  chil- 
dren: Joseph  B..  Sarah  L. ,  Julia  A.,  Henry, 
Hiram,  Mary  A.,  Samson,  James  C,  Charles 
A.,  John  H.,  George,  William  S.,  David  Y. 
The  last  four  are  dead. 

PETER  WALKER,  of  the  firm  of  Bull  & 
Walker,  was  born  October  15,  1848,  in  Edin- 
burgh, Scotland.  He  came  to  America  in 
1871,  and  located  in  Indianapolis,  Ind.  He 
engaged  in  the  dry  goods  business  for  one 
year,  also,  for  a  short  time,  at  Terre  Haute. 
In  1874,  he  located  in  Robinson,  and  engaged 
in  the  same  business.  September  5, 1873,  he 
was  married  to  Miss  Emma  Bull,  daughter  of 
E.  F.  Bull.  They  have  two  children-Dale 
and  Peter.  He  is  a  member  of  Odd  Fellows, 
Knights  of  Honor  and  Knights  and  Ladies 
of  Honor. 

ALDRIDGE  WALTERS,  son  of  Jacob 
Walters,  stock  dealer  and  farmer,  buys  cattle 
principally,  also  hogs,  horses  and  all  kinds  of 
stock.  Was  born  October  28,  1837,  a  native 
of  this  coimty.  When  he  began  life  for  him- 
self he  engaged  in  farming.  Afterward  in 
stock  dealing  in  Lamotte  Township.  He 
owns  a  farm  of  430  acres  in  Robinson  Town- 


258 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


ship.  Also  40  acres  iu  Lamotte  Township. 
He  removed  to  Robinson  in  1872  and  has 
made  stock  dealing  his  special  business  since. 
He  was  married  on  October  26.  1862,  to  Han- 
nah Mitchell,  who  died  May  29,  1869.  He 
was  married  to  Margaret  R.  Mitchell  March 
17,  1870.  She  died  July  16.  1875.  He  was 
married  September  6.  1877,  to  Miss  Martha 
Delzell.  He  has  three  children  living,  one 
by  his  first  wife  and  two  by  his  last,  as  fol- 
lows: Jacob  S.,  Mary  T.  and  Ollie  P.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  Knights  of  Honor.  His 
father,  Jacob  Walters,  was  born  1803,  in 
Hamilton  County,  Ohio.  He  was  mai-ried  to 
Miss  Mary  Jeffries  about  1833.  He  was  the 
owner  of  about  600  acres  of  land  at  his  death, 
on  Februai-y  1,  1866. 

JESSE  S.  WATKINS,  farmer,  P.  O.  Rob- 
inson, was  born  in  Tuscarawas  County,  Ohio, 
March  28, 1816.  His  father  removed  to  Perry 
County,  Ohio,  when  he  was  quite  young, 
where  he  was  mostly  'raised.  Mr.  Watkins 
came  to  Illinois  in  1847,  and  located  on  a 
farm  en  Section  20,  Robinson  Township, 
which  has  since  been  his  home.  He  first 
purchased  120  acres,  only  a  part  of  which 
was  improved.  He  now  owns  206  acres, 
mostly  under  cultivation.  He  cast  his  first 
vote  for  Van  Bureu,  and  has  voted  the  Dem- 
ocratic ticket  ever  since.  He  was  married 
August  15,  1844,  in  Licking  County.  Ohio, 
to  Miss  Elizabeth  Alexander,  a  daughter  of 
Henry  Alexander,  Esq.  They  have  one  child 
living  and  two  dead. 

H.  O.  WILKIN,  Robinson,  was  born  in 
Crawford  County,  111.,  and  was  educated 
mostly  in  the  common  schools,  attending 
for  a  time  the  high  school  at  Marshall.  In 
1862,  he  enlisted  in  the  Ninety-eighth  Illinois 
Volunteer  Infantry,  which  regiment  formed 
a  part  of  the  Army  of  the  Cumberland.  He 
participated  in  the  battles  of  Stone  River, 
Hartsville,  Chickamauga,  and  in  the  Atlanta 


campaign.  After  leaving  the  army,  he  came 
to  Robinson  (in  1865),  and  engaged  iu  clerk 
ing  for  Haskett  Brothers,  which  he  followed 
eight  years,  when  he  went  into  the  grocery 
business  with  S.  B.  Allen.  He  afterward 
sold  out  and  went  to  Minnesota,  remaining 
a  year,  when  he  returned  and  bought  an  in- 
terest in  a  mill;  continuing  in  the  milling 
business  three  years,  he  sold  out  and  engaged 
in  farming.  He  bought  a  farm  which  he 
operated  for  some  three  years  and  which  he 
still  owns.  He  again  went  into  the  grocery 
business  (firm  Wilkin  &  Callagan),  but  in 
December,  1882,  sold  out.  Mr.  Wilkin  was 
married  August  31,  1869,  to  Miss  Sarah  E. 
King,  of  Eobinson,  a  daucrhter  of  Ira  Kins. 
They  have  three  children  living  —  Ralph, 
Anna  and  Ira — and  one  dead,  viz.,  Lelia. 

WILLIAM  N.  WILLIS  (Willis  &  John- 
son), hardware,  Robinson,  was  born  near 
Indianapolis  August  16,  1839,  son  of 
Toliver  M.  and  Lncinda  J.  S.  (Langster) 
Willis,  and  when  quite  young  removed  to 
Kentucky,  but  afterward  to  Covington,  Ind. , 
where  he  worked  for  three  years  in  the  mar- 
ble business;  he  then  engaged  in  clerking  in 
a  hardware  store,  which  he  continued  for 
seven  years  for  the  same  house.  He  came 
to  Robinson  in  1875,  and  began  the  hard- 
ware business  here,  which  he  has  since 
followed,  and  is  at  present  a  member  of 
the  firm  of  Willis  &  Johnson.  They  carry 
a  large  stock  of  goods,  and  have  an  excel- 
lent trade.  He  was  married  May  8,  1872, 
to  Miss  Virginia  Prather,  daughter  of  Dr.  C 
W.  Prather,  of  Covington,  Ind.,  and  has  a 
family  of  four  children,  viz.:  Edna  S.,  Pearl 
L..  William  N.  and  Charles  H.  Mr.  Willis 
is  a  member  of  the  Knights  of  Honor,  and  of 
Knights  and  Ladies  of  Honor,  and  also  the 
Baptist  Church. 

JOSEPH  J.  WILSON,  farmer  and  stock 
raiser,  P.  O.   Robinson,   was  born   June   11. 


ROBINSON    TOWNSHIP. 


259 


1825,  in  Morgan  County,  Ohio,  and  is  a  son 
of  David  Wilson,  a  native  of  Pennsylvania, 
who  removed  to  Illinois  and  settled  in  Craw- 
ford County  in  1850.  He  died  here  about 
1863.  He  has  three  sons  and  one  daughter 
living— the  sons  all  live  in  this  county,  and 
are  David,  Solomon  and  Joseph  J. ,  the  sub- 
iect.  The  elder  Wilson  came  from  Ohio  by 
wagon,  over  the  old  National  road,  passing 
through  Zanesville  and  Dayton, Ohio,  and  on 
through  Terre  Haute.  Joseph  J. ,  the  sub- 
ject, was  brought  up  on  the  farm,  receiving  a 
good  common  school  education.  He  came 
with  his  father  to  Illinois,  and  some  time 
later  bought  160  acres  of  land  one  mile  north 
of  Robinson,  and  '.^0  acres  of  limber.  Here 
he  has  since  followed  the  business  of  farm- 
ing, raising  wheat  and  corn  mostly,  producing 
annually  about  800  bushelu.  He  was  married 
in  the  fall  of  1859  to  Miss  Nancy  Conrad, 
of  this  county.  They  have  four  children  liv- 
ing, viz. :  Isabel,  Mary  E.,  Joshua  S.  and 
Emma. 

HON.  WILLIAM  C.  WILSON,  farmer,  P. 
O.  Robinson,  was  born  in  Palestine,  III.,  on 
the  5th  of  November,  1832,  and  has  spent  his 
whole  lite  in  Crawford  County.  He  is  a  son 
of  William  and  Elizabeth  (Kitchell)  Wilson; 
the  former  was  born  in  Virginia  February 
11,  1790,  and  died  in  March,  1850;  he  came 
to  Illinois  in  1816,  when  the  county  was  a 
comparative  wilderness,  and  settled  near 
Palestine,  where  he  spent  his  life,  mostly  in 
farming;  was  for  four  years  (1845  to  1849) 
Receiver  of  the  Land  Office  at  Palestine;  his 
wife  belonged  to  the  Kitchell  family,  long 
prominent  in  the  county,  and  was  born  in 
New  Jersey  in  1799.  Their  children  were 
Eliza  A.,  Robert  C,  JohnAV.,  Jeretta,  James, 
Hannah,  William  C.  (subject),  Martha  and 
Afla  W. ;  three  died  in  infancy.  Mr.  Wilson, 
the  subject,  was  brought  up  on  the  farm,  and 
in  those  days   farming  was  not  the  science 


that  it  is  now;  ox  teams  were  then  common, 
and  the  old  wooden  mold -board  plow.  When 
he  beean  work  for  himself,  he  had  80  acres 
of  land,  given  him  by  his  father.  He  now 
owns  about  560  acres  near  Robinson,  well  im- 
proved His  education  was  received  in  the 
common  schools  of  the  neighborhood,  which 
he  was  unable  to  attend  except  during  the 
winter  season.  When  twenty  years  of  age, 
Mr.  Wilson  was  appointed  Deputy  Clerk,  and 
served  for  one  year;  he  was  elected  County 
Treasurer  in  1854,  for  two  years,  and  in  1856 
postmaster  at  Palestine,  which  he  held  some 
time.  He  then  engaged  in  the  milling  busi- 
ness, but  retired  from  it  in  1861;  and  the 
same  year  was  elected  County  Clerk,  a  posi- 
tion he  held  for  sixteen  consecutive  years;  in 
1879,  was  elected  State  Senator  from  the 
Forty-fifth  District  composed  of  the  counties 
of  Crawford ,  Clark  and  Jasper,  and  during 
the  sessions  served  on  the  committees  of  Ap- 
propriation, Printing,  Education,  etc.,  etc., 
working  actively  during  his  term.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  and  of 
the  Masonic  fraternity.  He  is  a  Democrat 
in  politics  and  cast  his  first  vote  for  James 
Buchanan  for  Pi-esident.  Mr.  Wilson  was 
married  December  4,  1855,  to  Miss  Sue  F. 
Waldrop,  a  daughter  of  Francis  and  Amelia 
(Redmon)  Waldrop— he  a  native  of  North 
Carolina,  and  she  of  Ohio.  He  died  March 
11, 1848,  and  she  died  March  22,  1874.  Mrs. 
Wilson  is  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church. 

THOMAS  N.  WILSON,  proprietor  ma- 
chine shop,  Robinson,  was  born  in  Wayne 
County,  Ohio,  April  18,  1853.  He  came  to 
Crawford  County,  111.,  in  1867.  He  engaged 
in  farming  a  short  time,  and  then  went  into 
the  Western  country  on  a  trip;  visited  the 
Black  Hills,  from  which  ho  returned  to  this 
county  in  1879.  He  purchased  a  saw  mill 
and  engaged  in  the  lumber  business,  which 


260 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


lie  continued  until  the  latter  part  of  1882, 
whon  he  sold  his  mill  and  bought  an  interest 
in  the  machine  shop  he  now  operates.  He 
owns  four  good  dwellings  in  Robinson  and 
thirteen  vacant  lots.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Odd  Fellows.  Mr.  Wilson  was  married  April 
28.  1880,  to  Miss  May  E.  Myers,  who  died 
October  28,  1882.  She  leaves  one  child, 
Mabel  Lenore,  born  September  29, 1882,  who 
was  about  one  month  old  at  her  mother's 
death. 

J  A.  WISEMAN,  Robinson,  of  the  fu-m  of 
Wiseman  &  Brubaker,  of  the  Robinson  Plan- 
ning Mills,  was  born  January  24,  1849,  in 
Cincinnati,  where  he  grew  to  manhood  with 
good  facilities  for  education,  and  made  good 
use  of  the  opportT»nity.     He  took  up  his  trade, 


!  carpentering,  at  the  age  of  fifteen,  and  at  the 
I  age  of  nineteen  he  began  contracting  and  do- 
j  ing  a  regular  business  for  himself.      He  lo- 
cated in  Robinson  in  1875.     He  bought    a 
I  planing  mill  and  has  run  that  in  connection 
I  with  a  lumber  yard  and  regular  contracting 
and    building    business.      He     was    married 
February  3,    1871,    in  Crawford  County,   to 
I  Miss  Lucy  C.  Sheets,  born  in  Terre  Haute, 
Ind.,    July  5,    1848,  daughter  of  John  and 
,  Susan  (Bayless)  Sheets.   This  union  has  been 
I  blessed   with    four  childi'en— Minnie    May, 
Maudie,  William  F.,  Mary  Ella. 

ABNER  P.  WOODWORTH,  Cashier  Rob- 
inson Bank,  Robinson.  (A  sketch  of  Mr. 
Woodworth  will  be  found  in  Palestine  biogra- 
phies in  connection  with  Woodworth  family). 


HUTSONYILLE    TOWNSHIP. 


LEWIS  ADAMS,  hotel,  Hntsonville,  is  a 
native  of  Preble  County,  Ohio,  born  April 
13,  1832.  His  father,  Samuel  Adams,  is  a 
native  of  New  Jersey;  he  was  brought  to  Pre- 
ble County,  Ohio,  by  his  parents,  when  he 
was  eighteen  j^ears  of  age.  In  1868,  he  re- 
moved to  Cass  County,  Ind.,  where  he  is  now 
living  a  retired  life  upon  his  farm.  His 
mother,  Emily  (Cook)  Adams,  was  a  native 
of  New  Jersey,  and  died  in  Cass  County,  Ind. , 
in  1872.  She  was  the  mother  of  nine  chil- 
dren, of  whom  Lewis,  our  subject,  was  the 
second  child.  He  was  raised  on  a  farm 
and  educated  from  the  common  schools 
of  his  native  county.  At  twenty-one  years 
of  age  he  engaged  in  the  huckster  busi- 
ness. In  1857,  he  engaged  in  the  butter 
and  egg  business  at  Cincinnati.  In  1858, 
he  returned  to  Preble  County,  and  en- 
gaged in  the  mercantile  business  in  part- 
nership with  Frank  McWhinney, at  Eldorado; 


here  he  remained  for  about  eight  years.  In 
1 864,  he  sold  his  interest  in  the  store  and  re- 
moved to  Galveston,  Ind.,  where  he  engaged 
in  the  same  business  for  himself.  In  1870, 
he  engaged  in  the  saw  mill  business  in  part- 
nership with  David  Thomas.  In  1873,  he 
exchanged  his  interest  in  the  mill  for  a  farm, 
and  remained  upon  the  same  about  one  year, 
In  1874,  he  again  embarked  in  the  mercan 
tile  business,  at  Galveston,  until  1876,  when 
the  crisis  of  that  year  swept  away  all  of  his 
property.  In  1877,  he  again  engaged  in  farm- 
ing, and  the  following  year  removed  to  Craw- 
ford County,  where  he  engaged  in  the  same 
business  until  1879,  when  he  bought  his 
present  business  at  Hntsonville,  "The  Adams 
Hotel."  In  his  last  vocation,  Mr.  Adams  has 
met  with  success;  his  house  is  the  best  hotel 
of  the  county,  and  the  geniality  and  courtesy 
of  the  landlord  keep  the  house  well  filled. 
In  1854,  he  married  Miss  Hannah  Shuman, 


HUTSONVILE    TOWNSHIP. 


201 


who  has  borue  him  eight  children,  of  whom 
five  are  now  living — Sarah,  Emma,  Anna, 
Frank  and  Harvey.  Mr.  Adams  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  I.  O.  O.  F. ,  and  a  Republican  in 
politics. 

WILLIAM  F.  ATHEY,    stock-raiser  and 
farmer,    P.    O.    Annapolis,    is   one    of    the 
largest   and    most   successful   of    the  stock- 
raisers    iind    farmers  of   Crawford  County. 
He    was    born    in    Licking    County,    Ohio, 
July     17,      1833.        His      father,     Robert 
Athey,  was  born  in   Fauquier  County,  Va., 
April   23,   1801.      Here  he  was  raised,  edu- 
cated and  married.     In  1830,  he  removed  to 
Licking  County,  Ohio;  in  the  fall  of  18-50,  he 
removed  to  Crawford  County,    111.     He  has 
followed  the  occupation  of  a  farmer,   but  is 
now  living  a  retired  life  upon  his  farm  of  260 
acres,  in  Hutsonville  Township.     His  father 
was  Elijah  Athey,  a  native  of  Virginia,  and 
of  Scotch  de.icent.     He  died  in  Ohio,  in  1835 
or  1836,  aged  eighty-  four  years.      The  mother 
of  our  subject,  Eliza  Smith,  was  born  in  Virgin- 
ia, and  died  in  1885,  age  thirty* years.      She 
was  the  mother  of  three  children,  of    whom 
William  was   the  second    child.      His  early 
life  was  spent  at   home,  receiving  such  an 
education  as  could  be  obtained  from  the  com- 
mon schools,  and  assisting  to  till  the  soil   of 
his  father's  farm.     At   twenty-one  years  of 
age,  he  left  his  home  and    embarked    on  his 
career  in  life  as  a  hired    hand  upon    a  farm 
for  John  Hill,  and  remained  in   his  employ 
for    about   four  years.     In  1859,  he  bought 
eighty     acres     of    land     where      he       now 
resides,     and      began      farming      on       his 
own  account;  here  he  has    since  remained, 
and   by  his  honesty,  industry  and  economy, 
succeeded  in  accumulating  a  good  property. 
He  is  now  the  owner  of  9G0  acres  of  prairie 
land  in  one  body.     Mr.  Athey  raises  a  large 
quantity  of  stock  and  deals  largely  in  stock, 
making  it  a  specialty.     In  1859,    he  married 


Miss  Adeline  Newlin,   a  native  of  Crawford 
County.      Politically,  he  is  a  Democrat. 

SAMUEL  L.  BENNETT,   hardware,  Hut- 
sonville,  was  born  in  Sullivan  County,  Ind., 
November  13,  1847,  to  Vance    and  Elizabeth 
(Armstrong)  Bennett.       His  father  was  born 
in  Virginia  April    13,    1806,   emigrated    to 
near  Lancaster,  Ohio,  in  1822,  and  to  Sulli- 
van County,  Ind,    in  1824,   where   he   died 
October  15,    1866.     He  was  a  farmer.     His 
wife,  the  mother  of  our  subject,  was  born  in 
Fayette  County,  Ky.,  in  Febniary,  1810,  and 
died  in  Sullivan  Coimty,    Ind.,   October  3, 
1865;  her  father,  Thomas  Armstrong,  was  a 
soldier  in  the  Revolutionary    war.     Samuel 
was   the  tenth  child  of  the  eleven  childi-en 
born  to  his  parents;  he  was  raised  on  a  farm 
and  educated  from  the  common  schools,  and 
the  U.  C.  College  at  Merom.      At  seventeen 
years  of  age,  he  enlisted  in  the  late  rebellion, 
serving  from  February,  1865,  to  the  close  of 
the  war,  in  Company  G,  One  Hundred  and 
Forty-ninth  Indiana  Volunteers,  under  com- 
mand of  Col.  Fairbanks.      After  the  close  of 
the   war,  he  returned  home,   and  assisted  to 
till  the  home  farm  until  1867,  when  he  en- 
tered the  college  at  Merom.      In  1869,  he  be- 
gan teaching  the  common  schools  of  Craw- 
ford County;   in  1872,  engaged  in   the  drug 
business   at  Robinson,  continuing  the  same 
but  a  few  months,   when  he  engaged  as  clerk 
in  the  dry  goods  house  of  Frank  Imcas.      In 

1874,  in  company  with  Howard  Lutes,  en- 
gaged in  the  clothing  business;  in  October, 

1875,  he  came  to  Hutsonville,  where  he  has 
been  engaged  in  the  hardware  business,  the 
firm  being  Draper  &  Bennett.  In  Crawford 
County,  in  1873,  May  6,  he  married  Miss  Mat- 
tie  Draper.  He  is  an  active  member  of  the 
Masonic  order.     Politically,  is  a  Republicari. 

JOHN  S.  BOYD,  farmer,  P.  O.  Hutson- 
ville, is  a  native  of  Crawford  County,  111., 
bom  November  11,  1838.     His  fatlier,  Wil- 


1162 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


son  Boyd,  was  born  in  Guilford  County, 
N.  C,  in  1806;  when  about  sixteen  years 
of  age,  he  was  brought  to  Indiana  by  his 
parents,  and  subsequently  to  Crawford  Coun- 
ty, 111. ;  during  his  life,  he  followed  the 
occupation  of  a  farmer;  he  died  March  16, 
1842.  The  mother  of  our  subject  was  Mary 
E.  (Sackrider)  Boyd;  she  was  born  in  the 
State  of  New  York  April  30,  1816,  and  was 
brought  to  Crawford  County  by  her  parents 
in  the  sirring  of  1818.  She  died  in  Febru- 
ary, 1876.  She  was  a  daughter  of  John 
Sackrider,  a  native  of  New  York;  was  Captain 
in  the  war  of  1812.  The  parents  of  our  sub- 
ject had  four  children,  of  whom  three  are  now 
living.  John  S.  Boyd  was  principally  raised 
by  his  grandfather  Sackrider,  and  was  edu- 
cated from  the  subscription  schools.  At 
twenty-two  years  of  age,  he  embarkod  on  his 
career  in  life  as  a  farmer;  he  then  bought 
eighty  acres  of  land,  a  portion  of  his  present 
farm,  and  though  he  was  compelled  to  go  in 
debt  for  it,  he  finally  succeeded  in  paying  for 
it,  and  by  his  industry  and  economy  has  ac- 
cumulated a  good  property,  and  is  now  the 
owner  of  365  acres  of  well  improved  land. 
In  1858,  iu  Crawford  County,  he  married 
Miss  Mary  A.,  a  daughter  of  Matthew  Cox, 
and  a  native  of  Crawford  County.  This  un- 
ion has  been  blessed  with  three  children,  of 
whom  two  are  now  living,  viz.,  Ellison  and 
Ross. 

WILLIAM  W.  BOYD,  farmer,  P.  O.  Hut- 
sonville,  is  the  youngest  of  a  family  of  three 
children  born  to  Wilson  and  Mary  E.  (Sack- 
rider) Boyd.  (See  biography  of  John  S. 
Boyd.)  He  was  born  in  Crawford  County, 
III,  August  26,  1841;  he  was  raised  on  the 
home  farm  and  educated  from  the  subscrip- 
tion schools,  taught  in  the  old  log  cabins  com- 
mon in  his  day.  In  1861,  he  married  Miss 
Fidelia  Bailiff,  a  native  of  Clark  County, 
111.      They  are  the  parents  of  the  following 


childi-en:  Henry  W.,  Bruce,  Amanda  A.  and 
Allen  C.  Mr.  Boyd  is  one  of  the  most  success- 
ful farmers  and  stock-dealers  of  Crawford 
County.  His  farm  contains  267  acres  of 
good  land.  In  politics,  Mr.  Boyd  is  identi- 
fied with  the  principles  of  the  Democratic 
party. 

JOHN  S.  BRADBURY,  farmer,  P.  O.  West 
York.  This  enterprising  pioneer,  whose  por 
trait  appears  in  this  book,  was  born  August 
IV,  1822,  in  North  Carolina,  is  a  son  of  John 
and  Mary  (Hines)  Bradbury,  natives,  the  for- 
mer of  North  Carolina,  and  the  latter  of 
Maryland,  and  the  parents  of  six  children — 
Anna,  married  Cornelius  Martin;  Peter  (de- 
ceased); Martha,  married  Bryant  Cox,  she  is 
deceased;  James  (deceased) ;  Moreland  (dead) 
and  John  S.  The  father  was  a  farmer  and 
cooper  by  trade,  and  at  one  time  possessed  a 
large  fortune  in  North  Carolina,  but  with  a 
child-like  confidence  he  trusted  many  persons 
and  went  security  for  them,  the  result  of 
which  comf)letely  broke  him  up.  In  1828, 
the  family  rigged  up  two  two-wheeled  carts 
and  came  to  Orange  County,  Ind. ,  where 
they  remained  among  a  number  of  acquaint- 
ances who  had  located  there.  Their  stay  was 
prolonged  on  account  of  James  being  sick 
They  located,  in  the  year  mentioned  above,  in 
Crawford  County.  In  1829,  the  father  died, 
leaving  the  family  on  a  rented  farm.  The 
boys,  possessing  that  eternal  grit  that  is 
characterized  in  the  Carolinians,  rolled  up 
their  sleeves  and  soon  had  enough  means  to 
buy  a  small  home  for  the  family.  The 
mother  died  in  1847.  In  thos-e  days  the  only 
chance  for  obtaining  an  education,  was  at  the 
pioneer  school  cabin,  with  slab  seats,  and 
writing  desks,  greased  paper  for  window 
lights,  etc.  Mr.  B.  had  only  six  months' 
schooling,  and  in  such  a  structure  as  the  one 
mentioDed  above.  John  was  the  younger 
son,  and  upon  him  devolved  the  duty  of  go- 


HUTSONVILLE  TOWNSHIP. 


2G3 


iug  to  mill,  as  the  other  boys  were  stronger 
and  could  handle  the  plows  and  do  the  gen- 
eral   farm   work   with   more    ease   than   he. 
On   one    occasion,   he  and   a   neighbor   boy 
started  to  mill,  some  miles  away,  on  horse- 
back,   the   usual   way   of   going,    and   after 
they    had    journeyed    a    distance    from    any 
settlements,  the  sacks  managed   to  tip,   and 
off  they  went.     The  little  fellows  were  not 
able  to  get  the  sacks  on  their   faithful  ani- 
mals, with  all  the  corn  in  them,  so  they  emp- 
tied about  one  half  of   it  to  the  disposal  of 
the  little  wild  animals,  and  went  on  with  the 
rest.  At  one  time  our  subject  was  dropping  corn 
for  a  man  by  the  name  of  AVilliamson,   who 
sent  him  for  the  cows  one  evening,  aud  when 
he    was  just  entering  the  timber  he  saw  a 
large  Indian  coming,  whereupon  he  turned 
for  home  and   fled   for  safety.     The  Indian 
was  very  friendly  and  was   only  on  his  way 
to  a  neighbor's  to  trade  some  skins  for  corn. 
Meetings  were  often  held  abovit  Mr.  B.'s  home 
by  the  red  men,  and  he  became  well  acquainted 
with  some  of  them.     He  was  married  in  Feb- 
ruary 12,  1844,  to  Jemima  Buckner,  a  daugh- 
ter of  Henry  and  Martha  (r^vaas)  Buckner. 
Her  parents  emigrated  to  this  county  about 
1818,  settling  in  Hutsonville  Township.    Her 
parents  were  blessed  with  Jesse,  Charles,  Enos, 
John,  Jemima,  Sarah  and  William.   Her  par- 
ents were  Methodists  while  Mr.  B.'s  were  Quak  ■ 
ers.    Mrs.  Bradbury  died  in  1851,  and  he  was 
subsequently  married  to  Nancy  Huckaby.   The 
result  of  the  first  union  was  James,  P.    G. 
and  Catharine,  who  married  Harper  Ingals. 
The  last  union  gave  him  eight  children,  viz.: 
Andrew,  John,  Rora,  George,   Alice,   Abbie, 
Willis  and  Nancy.      It  is  not  too   much  to 
say  he  has  reared  an  excellent  family.     Not 
one  of  them  ever  used  intoxicating  drink  or 
tobacco,  unless  it  was  to  occasionally  smoke  a 
cigar.     He  settled  his  present  farm  in  1850, 
buying  90  acres  and  going  in  debt  for  it.     He 


now  owns  335  acres  of  well  improved  land, 
che  result  of  his  own  labors.  He  cast  his  first 
Presidential  vote  for  James  K.  Polk,  and  has 
always  been  a  stanch  Democrat.  He  is  a 
member  of  York    Lodge,  A.,  F.  &  A.  M. 

C.  S.  BUCKNER,    merchant,   West  York, 
is  next  to  the  youngest  of   a  family  of  six 
childi-en;   was  born    January    16,    1855,    in 
Clark    County,    111.      His  early  years    were 
spent  upon  his  father's  farm,   and  was  edu- 
cated from  the  common  schools.     At  twenty - 
one  years  of  age  he  left  his  home  and  eagaged 
in  farming  on  his  own  account.     In  1878,  he 
bought  80  acres  of  land  in  Clark  County  and 
sold  it  in  1881,  when  he  bought  the  stock  of 
goods  of  Moore  &  Reynolds,   at   West  York 
and  eno-aged  in  merchandising,   at  which  he 
is  still  engaged,  and  has  the  exclusive  trade 
of  the  town.      His  father,  Charles  Buckner, 
was  born  in  Crawford  County,  lU.,  in  March, 
1822;  he  is  now  residing  in  Clark  County, 
engaged  in  agricultural  pui-suits.   His  mother, 
Rebecca  (Osborn)  Buckner,  was  born  in  1824 
February  <he  14th,  at  Sullivan.    111.      Mr. 
Buckner  was   married    to    Miss    Harriet    A. 
Maxwell,    in   1870,    who  died    December   6, 
1876,  leaving  one  child  as  the  result  of  their 
union,   viz.,    Frederick.     In  1877,  in  Clark 
County,  he  married  a  second  time,  Miss  Julia 
A.  Buckner,  a  native  of  Tennessee,  who  has 
borne  him  two  children,  of  whom  one  is  liv- 
ing, Emma  R.     Mr.    and  Mrs.  Buckner  are 
religiously    connected    with    the    Methodist 
Church.    In  politics,  he  is  a  Republican  and 
an   enterprising  man,   bearing   a  name   and 
reputation  which  is  beyond  reproach. 

LEROY  E.  CHAMBERS,  stock-dealer, 
P.  O.  Hutsonville,  is  a  native  of  Orange 
County,  Ind.,  born  September  13,  1848,  a 
son  of  Charles  F.  and  Mary  S.  (Elrod)  Cham- 
bers, both  natives  of  Orange  County.  The 
father  was  born  May  3, 1823,  a  son  of  Samuel 
and  Eleanor  (Lindley)  Chambers,  he,   born 


2G4 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


Oct,ob«r  20,  1783.  in  North  Carolina,  and 
she,  August  18,  1784.  The  grandparents  of 
our  subject  were  blessed  with  nine  children, 
Charles  F.  being  the  youngest  of  the  family, 
and  his  brother,  William  G.,  is  the  only  liv- 
ing representative  of  the  old  family.  He 
was  born  March  27,  1816.  The  father  of 
our  subject  was  a  harness-maker  by  trade, 
but  was  also  engaged  in  farming.  He  was 
also  a  great  inventor,  and  the  many  untimelj' 
hours  which  he  spent  in  this  direction,  per- 
ceptably  hastened  his  death,  which  occurred 
May  12,  1876.  The  mother  of  our  subject 
was  born  February  24,  1828,  and  died  in 
June,  1851.  She  v^as  the  mother  of  two 
children,  our  subject  being  the  only  one  who 
lived  to  maturity.  The  father  was  married 
a  second  time,  to  Mary  Lindley,  born  May 
16,  1830,  and  died  June"  26,  1876.  She  was 
the  mother  of  nine  children.  Our  subject's 
great-grandfather,  Jonathan  Lindley,  was 
the  founder  of  Paoli,  Ind.,  and  his  grand- 
father, Samuel  Chambers,  laid  out  Cham- 
bersburg,  of  the  same  State,  and  was  once 
Judge  of  Orange  County.  Our  subject  re- 
ceived but  a  meager  education,  mostly  in  his 
native  county.  He  was  married,  March  10, 
1870,  to  Lucetta  Newlin,  bom  September  13, 
1848,  in  this  county,  a  daughter  of  Cyrus 
and  Eliza  Ann  (Hill)  Newlin.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Chambers  are  the  parents  of  sis  children — 
Oscar  E.,  born  July  23,  1871;  Estella  B., 
November  1,  1873;  Everett  A.,  March  9, 
1875;  Elmer  A.,  September  4,  1877;  Alice 
C,  November  12,  1879,  and  Arthur  C,  De- 
cember 6,  1881.  Our  subject  has  a  farm  of 
416  acres,  and  he  engages  in  general  farm- 
ing and  stock  dealing.  He  is  a  Republican  in 
politics. 

CAPT.  W.  J.  COLLIFLOWER,  farmer, 
P.  O  Hutsonville,  was  born  iu  Washington 
County.  Md.,  September  18,  1833.  He  was 
the  oldest  of  six  children  born  to  Peter  and 


Mary  (Markett)  CoUiflower,  and  passed  his 
youth  with  his  father  on  the  farm,  where  he 
acquired  a  robust  constitution,  which  fitted 
him  for  the  active  duties  of  subsequent  years. 
His  early  education  was  somewhat  limited, 
owing  to  the  indifferent  schools  of  that  day, 
but  by  mingling  in  society,  and  coming  in  con- 
tact with  all  classes  of  men,  he  has  since  ac- 
quired a  practical  knowledge  not  to  be  de- 
rived from  books.  When  our  subject  was 
but  thirteen  years  of  age,  his  father  died,  leav- 
ing him  to  fight  his  own  way  in  life  and  make 
■  his  own  livelihood.  He  first  found  employ- 
ment on  a  farm  where  he  was  compelled  to 
work  early  and  late  for  the  meager  sum  of 
$3  per  month,  a  sum  which  in  his  eyes  at 
that  time  appeared  princely.  In  the  fall  of 
1847,  he  accompanied  his  brother-in-law, 
Samuel  Sowders,  to  Columbus,  Ohio,  and  in 
the  sjjring  following  moved  near  Dayton,  in 
the  saoie  State,  where  he  remained  for  four 
yea^s  working  as  a  farm  hand.  In  the  year 
1851,  he  changed  his  occupation,  and  engaged 
in  the  huckster  business  for  Levi  Lemon,  and 
one  year  later  for  himself.  He  continued 
hucksterincr  but  a  short  time;  afterward  en- 
gaged  as  a  clerk  in  a  dry  goods  and  grocery 
store,  in  which  business  he  developed  rare 
business  qualities  and  won  the  esteem  of  his 
employer.  In  the  spring  of  1853,  in  com- 
pany with  a  number  of  persons  as  restless  as 
himself,  he  made  an  overland  trip  to  Califor- 
nia, for  the  pui-pose  of  engaging  in  the  min- 
ing business.  He  remained  in  California 
until  July,  1854,  when,  becoming  dissatisfied 
with  the  country,  he  returned  to  his  home  in 
Ohio,  but  only  to  remain  a  short  time,  for  in 
September,  1855,  we  find  him  again  on  his 
way  to  the  Golden  i^tate,  but  this  time  by 
water.  From  California  he  made  a  trip  to 
Van  Couver's  Island,  in  company  with  sev- 
eral prospectors,  where  they  built  a  boat  for 
the  purpose  of  exploring  the  Frazer  River 


HUTSONVILLE    TOWNSHIP. 


265 


and  country  adjacent,  in  the  hope  of  discov- 
ering new  mines.     The  little  company  toiled 
for  msny  weary  days  and  ascended  the  stream 
for  a  distance  of  200  miles,  but  met  with  no 
success  in  their  mining  venture.  In  the  spring 
of  1859,  he  again  returned  to  California, where 
he    spent   the    summer,    and  found  himself 
back  with  his  friends  in  Ohio  the  following 
winter.       One   year    later,  be    embarked    in 
another   business  venture,  with  Texas  as  his 
objective  point,  but  being  favorably  impressed 
with  Southwest  Missouri,   he  stopped   there 
and  encased  in  the  fruit  tree  business.     He 
also  bought  furs  of  the  Indians  while  here, 
which  he  took  back  East  and   disposed  of  at 
a  handsome  profit.      In  August,  1862,   he  en- 
listed in  the  Sixty-third  Ohio  Infantry,  Com- 
pany I.     He  went  out  as  Captain  of  his  com- 
pany, and  participated  in  all  the  battles    in 
which  his  regiment  was   engaged.     He  was 
mustered  out  in  Aiigust,  1864,  and  immedi- 
ately thereafter  came  to  Illinois  and  purchased 
his  present  farm  in  Crawford  County,  where 
he  has  since  remained,  one  of  the  prominent 
citizens  of  the  community.      He  has  added  to 
his  original  pui'chase,   and  is   at  the  present 
time  owner  of  265  acres  of  choice  land.     In 
June,  1S61,  near  Dayton,  Ohio,   he  married 
Miss  Sarah  A.  Horning,  she  being  born  May 
19,  1838.    They  are  the  parents  of  eight  chil- 
dren, viz.:  Minnie  H.,  John  S.,  ^Villiam  P., 
Lawrence  G.,  Estella  M.,  Myrtle  M.,  Roscoe 
and  Ralph.     In  politics,  Mr.  Colliflower  is  an 
ardent  supporter   of   the  Republican   party. 
The  father  of  our  subject  was  born  in  Wash- 
ington County,  Md.,   in  the  year  1780,  and 
passed  his  life  as  a  farmer,  dying  in  January, 
1846.     The  mother  was  born  1802,  and  is 
still  living  near  Dayton,  Ohio. 

THOMAS  CORRELL,  farmer,  P.  O. 
Trimble,  was  born  in  Crawford  County,  111., 
July  30,  1830,  to  Hiram  and  Rebecca  (New- 
lin)  Correll.      The  father  was  a  farmer,  born 


August   12,    1807,    in  North   Carolina,    and 
died  September  7,  1873,  in  this  county.    The 
mother  of  our  subject  is  a  native  of  Randolph 
County,  N,  C,  born  July  1,  1810,  and  is  still 
living  in  this  county.      The  parents  had  elev- 
en children — Thomas,   Sophia,  Alfred,  John, 
Matthew,    Margaret,   Mary,  Irena,  Jane,  Lu- 
cretia  and  Wintield  S.     Those  deceased  are 
John,    Margaret,    Jane    and    Lucretia.     The 
early  schooling  of  oiu-  subject  was  limited. 
He  started  in  life  as  a  farmer,  and  he  has 
always  applied  himself  to   farming  pursuits. 
He  was  married  in  this  county.  May  23,  1850, 
to  Susannah  York,  born  in  this  county  July 
28,  1828,  a  daughter  of    John  and   Martha 
(Eaton)  York,  natives  of  Kentucky.      In  1855, 
our  subject  moved  to  his  present  place,  hav- 
ing at  the  time  eighty  acres,  which  additional 
pui'chases  have  increased  to  345  acres,  which 
is    given    to    general    farming    and    stock- 
raising.      Of  late  years,  he  has  done  consider- 
able outside  threshing  and  has  recently  pur- 
chased a  tile-making  outfit,  including  an  en- 
gine  and   mill,  which  he  and  his  sons  con- 
template operating  in  the  future.     Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Correll  are  the  parents  of  ten  children 
— Albert  N.,  born  June  27,  1853;  Orlan  N., 
October  15,  1854;  Matilda  E.,  June  20,  1857, 
and  died  June  13,  1867;  Sojjhia  I.,  February 
27,  1859,  and  died  August  13,  1860;  Celestia 
J.,  November  6,  1860,  and  died  in  the  spring 
of  1881;  Charles  M.,  June  21,  1862;  Minnie 
B.,  December  20,  1865;  Ira  H.,  August  10, 
1867,    and   died  April    13,   1809;    John  A., 
April  13,  1869,  the  same  day  as  the   latter's 
death,   and   William   W.,  August    12,    1873. 
Our  subject  is  a  member  of   the  Patrons  of 
Husbandry,  Science  Lodge,  No.  1161,  and  is 
also,  with  his  wife,  a  member  of  the  Chris- 
tian Church.      In   politics,   he  is  a  Repub- 
lican. 

ALFRED  CORRELL,  farmer,  P.  O.  Trim- 
ble,  was   born    in   this   county  January  19, 


266 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


1834,  a  son  of  Hiram  and  Rebecca  (Newlin) 
Correll  (see  sketch  of  Thomas  Correll  else- 
where). His  early  education  was  limited. 
He  started  for  himself  in  life  at  the  plow, 
and  has  always  given  his  attention  to  agri- 
cultural pursuits.  He  was  first  married, 
April  12,  1857,  in  this  county,  to  Nancy  Jane 
Hill,  born  January  23,  1837,  in  this  county, 
a  daughter  of  Sargent  and  Lydia  Catharine 
(Griggs)  Hill.  She  died  November  30,  1877. 
By  her  our  subject  had  ten  children — Melissa 
E. ,  born  J  anuary  24,  1858 :  Leander,  Novem- 
ber 4,  1859,  and  died  December  29,  1881; 
Catharine  R,  November  15,  1861,  died  May 
2,  1867;  Clara  A.,  April  30,  1865;  Rosetta, 
August  8,  1867;  Levi,  April  8,  1869,  died 
August  18.  1869;  Harlem,  December  16, 
1870;  Arthur  A.,  August  9,  1873;  a  son, 
March  3,  1876,  died  March  7,  1876,  and 
Thomas  L. ,  November  30,  1877,  and  died 
April  19,  1879.  Our  subject  was  married  a 
second  time,  in  this  county,  October  6,  1878, 
to  Sarah  Jane  (York)  Correll,  born  May  28, 

1835,  in  this  county,  a  daughter  of  John  and 
Martha  (Eaton)  York.  She  was  first  married 
to  Jonathan  R.  Correll,  born  June  4,  1835, 
and  by  him  had  foui-  children — Louvisa.  born 
April  2,  1856;  Henry  A.,  December  23,  >857; 
Mahala  E. ,  August  23,  1859,  and  Everett, 
July  31,  1860,  and  died  in  March,  1863.  In 
1857,  our  subject  moved  to  his.  present  place, 
which  at  that  time  consisted  of  eighty  acres. 
It  now  contains  120  acres,  mostly  in  cultiva- 
tion. He  is  a  member  of  the  Patrons  of 
Husbandry,  and  with  his  wife,  of  the  Chris- 
tian Church.  He  votes  the  Republican 
ticket. 

BYRANT  COX,  retired  farmer,  P.  O.  Hut- 
sonville,  whose  portrait  appears  in  this  work, 
is  a  son  of  Thomas  and  Winney  (Harml)  Cox, 
and  was  born  in  Wayne  County,  N.  C,  Oc- 
tober 21,  1804.  His  father,  a  native  of  the 
same  State,  died  in  1809,  and  his  mother  be- 


tween  1850  and  1860.     Byrant  was  the  foui-th 
of  a  family  of  seven  children,  and  his  father 
dying  left  him    a  lad  of  about  five   years  old 
to  be  supported  and  reared  by  his  widowed 
mother.      His  youth  was  spent  upon  a  farm, 
where  he  early  learned  to  do  his  part  toward 
the  general  support  of  the   family.      Educa- 
tion at  the  schools  was  impossible  under  such 
circumstances,  and  he  was  obliged  to  be  sat- 
isfied with   seventeen  days  with  the  school 
master.    He  was  not  without  other  resources, 
however,  and  by  his  quick  and  intelligent  ob- 
servation, Mr.  Cox  gained  an  education  which 
has  served  him  well  in  business.     After  pass- 
ing his  twentieth  birthday  some  six  months, 
he  married   and  began   farming  on  his  own 
account,  paying  out  more  than  half  he  made 
for  rent.    This,  with  the  unprofitable  style  of 
farming  prevalent  in  his  native  State,  deter- 
mined him  to  emigrate  to  the  Northwest,  and  in 
1830  he  started   for  Illinois.     On  June  1,   of 
this  year,  he  reached  Crawford  County,  mak- 
ing the  whole  journey  on  foot,  his  wife  and 
children  coming  in  a  cart  drawn  by  two  horses, 
onlyoneof  which  be  could  call  his  own.  Be- 
sides this  his  whole  earthly  possessions  were 
comprised  in  $30  cash  which  he  had  in  his 
pocket.     He  rented  land  and  began  farming 
in  Hutsonville  Township,  about  a  quarter  of 
a  mile  from  his  present  residence.      Here  the 
whole  family  slept  on  the  floor  of  their  cabin, 
as    their    straitened    circumstances    denied 
them    even  the  luxui-y  of  a  bedstead.      The 
first  crop  was  corn,  which   proved  a  success, 
and  found  sale  at  8|  cents  per  bushel.     Here 
Mr.   Cox  labored  three  years  before  he  got 
money  enough  to  enter  land;  but  in  1833  he 
secured  a  pre-emption  for  three  years,  and. 
though  nearly  losing  the  land,  finally  entered 
it  in  June,    1836.     From  this   start    of    70 
acres,  by  industry  and  economy,  he  added  to 
his  possessions  until    he  owned  61 1    acres, 
which    he  subsequently  divided   among   his 


HUTSONVILLE    TOWNSHIP. 


36r 


children  and  retired  with  his  wife  to  a  life 
of  ease.  On  February  5,  1824,  Mr.  Cox  mar- 
ried Martha  Bradbury,  in  North  Carolina. 
On  February  5,  1842,  she  died,  leaving  live 
children,  the  youngest  onlj'  three  months 
old.  Of  these  children,  only  three  are  now 
living — Sally,  William  and  Andrew.  July 
15,  1842,  in  Crawford  County,  he  married 
Candace  Harrison,  who  died  March  1.  1879, 
leaving  three  children — Simpson,  Angeline 
and  John  Thomas.  In  August  14,  1881,  he 
married  Sarah  Afiller,  a  native  of  Crawford 
County.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Cox  are  members  of 
the  Christain  Church. 

WILLIAJM  R.  COX,  farmer,  P.  O.  Hutson- 
ville,  is  a  son  of  Byrant  and  Martha  (Brad- 
biuy)  Cox,  born  in  Wayne  County,  N.  C, 
January  14,  1828.  He  was  brought  to  Craw- 
ford County  by  his  parents  when  sixteen 
years  of  age.  His  education  was  limited  to 
the  subscription  schools,  and  never  attended 
them  until  after  he  was  twelve  years  old. 
Arriving  at  his  majority,  he  marked  upon  his 
career  in  life  as  a  farmer  upon  his  own  ac- 
count. He  first  rented  a  farm  of  eighty 
acres,  on  Lamotte  Prairie,  and  remained  upon 
the  same  until  August,  1854,  when  he  re- 
moved to  his  present  residence.  His  farm 
contains  70  acres,  and  was  mostly  in  timber 
and  brush  when  he  removed  to  it.  He  has 
cleared  54  acres  of  it,  and  erected  a  large  and 
commodious  residence.  He  makes  the  rais- 
ing of  stock  a  speciality.  In  1854,  on  the 
12th  of  March,  he  married  Miss  Nancy  Ann 
Dawson,  a  native  of  Clark  County,  111.,  born 
Februarj'  26,  1831,  to  Daniel  and  Esther 
(Wells)  Dawson.  Her  father  was  born  in 
South  Carolina,  November  12, 1797,  and  died 
in  Crawford  County,  111.,  in  February,  1869. 
He  was  an  early  settler  of  Clark  County. 
Her  mother  was  born  in  North  Carolina  June 
18,  1795,  and  is  now  residing  with  her 
daughter,  Mrs.  Cox.     She  came  to  Crawford 


County  with  her  parents  in  1819,  and  located 
near  Hutsonville.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Cox  have 
fom*  children — Martha  May,  Henry  W.,  Ella 
and  Amanda  C.  Mr.  Cox  is  an  industrious 
man,  a  practical  farmer,  a  kind,  indulgent 
father,  and  a  good  neighbor.  He  has  never 
been  farther  away  from  home  than  Terre 
Haute.  He  and  family  are  members  of  the 
Christian  Chui'ch.  Politically,  he  is  a  Demo- 
crat. 

REV.  JOHN  L.  COX,  farmer  and  preacher, 
P.  O.  Hutsonville,  was  born  in  Crawford 
County,  on  his  present  farm,  December  10, 
1840.  His  father  was  a  farmer,  born  in 
Wayne  County,  N.  C,  September  25,  1804. 
He  came  to  Union  County,  111. ,  with  his  par- 
ents in  1823,  and  in  1855  to  Crawford 
County,  and  three  years  later  married  Miss 
Debora  Lindley,  a  native  of  North  Carolina, 
born  April  5.  1811.  He  died  January  22, 
1868,  and  she  died  November  24, 1878.  They 
had  ten  children,  eight  of  whom  lived  to  be 
gi'own,  John  L.  being  the  sixth  child.  His 
early  life  was  spent  on  the  home  farm,  and 
was  educated  fi'om  the  common  schools.  At 
twenty -five  years  of  age,  he  left  his  home, 
married,  and  engaged  in  farming  on  his 
own  account.  His  wife  died  the  same 
3'ear,  and  the  following  summer  he  re- 
turned to  the  home  farm,  where  he  has 
since  remained.  In  Januaiy,  1867,  he 
began  preaching  in  the  Missionary  Baptist 
Church,  near  his  present  residence,  and  for 
the  last  twelve  years  he  has  been  the  regular 
pastor  of  that  church.  He  is  now  dividing 
his  time  between  the  above  church  and  the 
Mount  Zion  and  Liberty  Churches,  He  was 
five  years  pastor  of  the  Rich  Woods  Baptist 
Church,  southeast  of  Palestine,  ilr.  Cox  is 
a  man  of  energy,  and  in  connection  with  his 
clerical  duties,  is  actively  engaged  in  farm- 
ing. He  is  the  owner  of  a  good  farm  of  145 
acres.     His  first  marriage  occurred  January 


268 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


25,  1866,  to  Miss  Augusta  Rains,  wlio  died 
November  21,  1866.  His  present  marriage 
occurred  November  25,  1875,  to  Miss  Lucinda 
Mickey,  a  native  of  Crawford  County,  born 
February  8,  1856.  This  union  has  been 
blessed  with  the  following  children:  Earnest, 
Eunice  and  Almie. 

A.  J.  COX,  druggist,  Hutsonville.  This 
gentleman  was  born  in  Crawford  County,  III., 
November  1,  1841,  tu  Bryant  and  Martha 
(Bradbury)  Cox,  whose  history  appears  in  an- 
other part  of  this  work.  His  early  life  was 
spent  at  home,  receiving  siich  an  education  as 
the  common  schools  afforded,  and  assisting  in 
tilling  his  father's  farm;  arriving  at  his  ma- 
jority, he  left  his  home  and  embarked  on 
his  career  in  life  as  a  hired  hand  in  a 
stable  for  William  B.  Touel,  of  Terre  Haute. 
He  continued  to  work  out  by  the  month  until 
about  1806,  when  he  came  to  Hutsonville, 
and  entered  into  partnership  with  J.  T.  Cox, 
in  the  dry  goods  business;  three  years  later, 
his  partner  died  and  J  A.  Parker  entered  the 
til-m;  they  continued  the  business  until  1873, 
when  he  sold  his  interest  to  Parker,  and  the 
following  year  bought  the  whole  stock  of 
goods  and  ran  it  individually  until  ttie  crisis 
of  1876,  when  he  lost  everything.  In  1877, 
he  engaged  in  the  drug  business,  at  which  he 
still  continues  in  his  large  and  commodious 
brick  store.  In  1865,  he  married  Miss  Celesta 
Fleming,  a  native  of  Crawford  County. 
In  politics,  is  a  Democrat,  and,  with  his  wife, 
is  connected  with  the  Christian  Church.  He 
enjoys  the  highest  esteem  of  the  community 
in  which  he  lives. 

SIMPSON  COX,  farmer,  P.  O.Hutsonville, 
was  born  near  his  present  residence  in  Craw- 
ford County,  August  19,  1847.  He  is  the 
youngest  son  of  Byrant  Cox,  whose  biography 
appears  in  this  work.  His  early  life  was 
spent  at  home  assisting  in  tilling  the  soil  of 
his  father's  farm  and  receiving  such  an  edu- 


cating as  the  common  schools  afforded.  "When 
he  became  of  age  he  was  given  by  his  father 
106  acres  of  home  farm,  and  he  has  since  re- 
mained here  engaged  actively  in  farming  and 
stock-raising.  He  is  now  the  owner  of  460  acres 
of  good  land.  In  Crawford  County,  February 
11,  1879,  he  married  Miss  Olive  Newlin,  a 
native  of  the  county,  born  February  7,  1847 
to  Cvi'us  and  Eliza  Ann  (Hill)  Newlin.  Mr. 
and  IVIrs.  Cox  are  member-!  of  the  Christian 
Church.  Mr.  Cox  is  now  holding  the  office 
of  Supervisor. 

FRANK  DRAPER,  farmer,  P.  O.  Hutaon- 
ville,  is  a  native  of  Crawford  County,  111.,  born 
one  half  mile  from  his  present  residence, 
March  4,  1819,  to  Chalkley  and  Rhoda  (Wil- 
lard)  Draper.  His  father  was  a  native  of 
North  Carolina;  emigrated  to  Crawford  Coun- 
ty in  1815;  his  occupation  was  that  of  wagon 
making,  which  he  continued  to  the  time  of 
his  death,  which  occurred  in  about  1840,  aged 
fifty  four  years.  His  mother  was  bom  in  North 
Carolina,  and  died  in  Crawford  County,  in 
November,  1848. aged  sixty-four  years;  she  was 
the  mother  of  eleven  children,  of  whom  Frank 
was  the  tenth  child  born;  he  was  raised  on  a 
farm,  and  deprived  of  the  opportunity  of 
receiving  an  education;  at  twenty-three  years 
of  age,  he  left  his  home  and  commenced  farm- 
ing upon  his  present  farm  on  his  own  ac- 
count; the  farm  then  contained  00  acres,  but 
by  his  industry  and  studied  economy  he  has 
enlarged  it  until  now  it  contains  225  acres  of 
good  land.  In  August,  1879,  Mr.  Draper 
was  afflicted  with  a  stroke  of  paralysis,  from 
which  he  has  never  recovered.  While  in  good 
health,  he  was  a  very  industrious  man,  and 
never  went  farther  away  from  home  than 
TeiTe  Haute.  In  Crawford  County,  June  1, 
1845,  he  married  Miss  Mety  Morgan,  a  na- 
tive of  North  Carolina,  born  October  31, 1824, 
to  William  and  Mary  (Lamb)  Morgan,  both 
natives  of  North  Carolina.      He    was    born 


HUTSONVILLE   TOWNSHIP. 


371 


NoYember  23,  1801,  and  died  February  20, 
1846.  ybe  was  born  April  1,  1805,  and  died 
in  August,  1866.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Draper  have 
two  children,  Oliver  and  Alonzo.  Mrs.  D. 
is  a  member  of  the  Universalist  Church.  Po- 
litically, Mr.  Draper  is  a  Democrat. 

.  W.    L.     DEAPEE,    hardware     merchant, 
Hutsonville,  is  a  native  of  Crawford  County, 
111.,  bom  September  22,  1827.     His  father, 
Exum  Draper,  was  a  native  of  North   Caro- 
lina, born  in  1804.      He  was  brought  to  Illi- 
nois by  his  parents,  who  located  in  Crawford 
County  in   1816,   being  among  the   earliest 
settlers;  here  he  was  raised  on  a  farm  and  ed- 
ucated from  the  common  schools.     During  his 
life  engaged   in    agricultural    pursuits    and 
also  worked  at  the  trade  of  a  carpenter.     In 
1846,  he  removed  to  New  Orleans,  and  there 
died  in  1847.      The  mother  of  om-  subject, 
Mary  Wells,  was  born  in  North  Carolina  in 
about  1806,  died  on  the  Mississippi  Eiver, 
while  en    route   to   New   Orleans,    in   1846. 
They    were   the    parents    of    four    children, 
of  whom  William,  our  subject,  was  the  oldest 
child.      He  was  raised  on  a  farm  and  edu- 
cated   from    the   subscription   schools    com- 
mon   in    his    day.      He   has    however,  ac- 
quired   more    than    an    ordinary    education 
from  observation.     In  1846,   he  i-emoved  to 
New  Orleans  with  his  ])ai'ents  and   entered 
the  employ  of  his  brother-in-law.      In  1849, 
he  returned   to    Hutsonville,    where   he  em- 
barked on  his  career  in  life,  a  merchant,  do- 
ing a   general  merchandising  business  on  a 
small  capital,  and  continued  the  same  until 
1863,    when  he  sold  his  stock  of  goods  and 
removed  to  Terre   Haute   and  engaged   in  a 
cotton  speculation,  which  proved  very  unsuc- 
cessful;   he  lost  over  $40,000  by  the  transac- 
tion, and  went  into  bankruptcy.    In  1870,  he 
returned  to  Hutsonville  and  again  embarked 
in   the   mercantile  business,   carrying   on  a 
general  store  for   two   years.     In   1872,  he 


started  a  new  hardware  store,  at  which  he 
is  still  actively  engaged,  carrying  a  large  and 
complete  stock,  and  doing  the  only  business 
of  the  kind  in  town.  It  might  be  said  to 
Mr.  Draper's  credit  that  he  struggled  through 
bankruptcy,  paid  his  individual  debts,  and 
is  now  one  of  the  wealthiest  men  in  this  part 
of  the  county.  In  York,  January  22,  1850,  he 
married  Miss  Elizabeth  Foster,  who  has  borne 
him  five  children,  of  whom  three  are  now  liv- 
ing, viz. :  Beatrice,  widow  of  Frank  Boyd, 
residing  in  Iowa;  Mattie,  wife  of  Samuel 
Bennett,  and  Henry  L,  at  home.  He  has 
been  an  active  member  of  the  I.  O. 
O.  F.  for  thirty-two  years,  and  has  repre- 
sented his  lodge  at  the  Grand  Lodge  several 
times.  He  is  a  thorough  and  energetic  bus- 
iness man,  always  first  in  any  public  enter- 
prise, and  well  worthy  of  the  high  esteem  in 
which  he  is  held.  Politically,  he  is  a  Dem- 
ocrat. 

W.  EATON,  M.  D.,  Hutsonville.  Among 
the  enterising  practitioners  of  medicine  in 
Crawford  County  is  Dr.  Eaton,  who  was 
born  in  Sullivan  County,  Ind  ,  on  the  22d 
day  of  February,  1838.  He  was  raised  on  a 
farm  until  he  was  nineteen  years  of  age,  and 
educated  from  the  common  schools  and  sem- 
inary at  Sullivan.  At  twenty  years  of  age, 
he  began  teaching  the  common  schools  of  his 
native  county  diu'ing  the  winter  months,  and 
working  on  the  farm  in  the  summer.  April 
20, 1861,  he  enlisted  in  the  last  rebellion,  and 
served  in  Company  I,  Seventeenth  Indiana 
Vohmteers,  under  command  of  Col.  John  T. 
Wilder,  and  was  engaged  in  many  battles; 
the  following  are  among  the  most  prominent, 
viz. :  Stone  Eiver,  Hoover"  s  Gap,  Selma,  Ala. , 
Chattanooga  and  Nashville.  He  was  mus- 
tered out  of  service  August  19,  1865,  and  im- 
mediately returned  to  his  native  tovm  and 
began  the  study  of  medicine  with  Dr.  Hin- 

■  kle,  with  whom  he  had  studied  before  enter- 

p 


272 


lilOGKAPHICAL: 


ino-  the  army.     In  1865,  he  entered  the  Rush 
Medical  College  at  Chicago,  and  graduated 
in  1867.     He  immediately  entered  upon  the 
practice    of    his    profession    at  Hutsonville, 
where  he  has  built  up  a  largo  and  increasing 
practice.      He  was  united  in  wedlock  in  1867, 
May  7,  to  Miss  Eliza  Griffith,  who  has  borne 
him fom- children, viz.:  Georgia,  Fanny,  Char- 
ley and  Bethel.      Capt.   Charles  Eaton,   the 
father  of  oui-  subject,  was  a  farmer,   born  in 
Kentucky,    emigrated   to    Sullivan   County, 
Ind.,  in  about  1825,  where  he  died  in  18/3, 
aged  sixty-six  years.     His  wife  and  mother 
of  oiu-  subject  was  born  in  Kentucky,  and 
died  in  Sullivan  County,  Ind. ,  in  1866,  aged 
tifty-seven  years.     They  had  eleven  children, 
seven  of  whom  are  now  living,   viz. :  James, 
Madison,  Sarah,  Lewis  S. ,  William,  Eobert 
and  Charles,  the  latter  a  physician  at  Ann- 
apolis.     The   Doctor   is    a   member  of   the 
Esculapian     Medical     Association     of     the 
Wabash  Valley,  and  President  of  the  Craw- 
ford County  Association.      He  is  an  Odd  Fel- 
low. Knight   of  Honor,    and   with  his  wife, 
member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 
C  CAPT.    GEORGE    B.    EVERINGHA.M, 
farmer,    P.    O.  Hutsonville,    was    born    near 
Trimble    Station.     Crawford    County,     111, 
March  2.  1843.     His  father,  John  Evering- 
ham,    was  born  near  Cincinnati,   Ohio,  and 
there  raised  and  educated.      In  1830,  he  emi- 
grated to  Crawford  County.  111.,  and  located 
at  Palestine,  where  he  engaged  at  his  trade, 
that    of    a   harness- maker,   which  had   been 
learned  in  Ohio.     He  afterward  divided  his 
time  between  farming  and  working  at    his 
trade.     He  died  June  20,    1873.     He  was  a 
son  of  Enoch  Everingham,  a  native  of   Sus- 
sex   County,  N.  J.,    a  millwi-ight  by  trade. 
The  mother  of  our  subject,  Sarah  (Newlin) 
Everingham,  was  born  in  Crawford  County, 
111.,  and  died  April  15,  1878.     She  was  the 
mother  of  fourteen  childi-en,   of  whom  nine 


are  now  living,   George  B.   being  the  oldest 
child.     He  was  raised  on  a   farm,  and  was 
compelled  to  workout  for  his  board,  while  re- 
ceiving a  limited  common  school  education. 
At  nineteen  years  of   age,  he   enlisted  in  the 
late  rebellion,  serving  in  Company  F,  of  the 
Sixty-second    Illinois    Volunteers   Infantry. 
He  was  in  the  following  engagements:  Jack- 
son, Tenn. ;  Cross  Roads,  Tenn. ;  aud  Little 
Rock,  Ark.     He  entered  the  service  Decem- 
ber 1,  1861,  as  a  private,  and  was  mustered  out 
March   6,   1866,   Captain    of   his   company. 
After  the  close  of  the  war,  he  returned  home 
and   worked  with  his   father  at  the  harness - 
maker's  ti'ade  for  about  three  months,  and  then 
engaged  in  the  livery  business,  at  Palestine, 
in  partnership  with   John  E.    Miller.      After 
one  year  in  this  business,  he  engaged  in  farm- 
ing with  his  brothers,  William  and  Allen  C. 
renting  a  farm  on  the  prairie.     In  1868,  he 
bought  30  acres  of  the  home   farm  and  re- 
mained upon  the  same  until  January,   1871, 
when  he  traded  this  land  for  112  acres  where 
he  now  resides.      Mr.   Everingham's  life  has 
I  been  marked  with  many  ups  and  downs,  but 
being  a  man  of  good  health,   he  has  worked 
many  days  from  sunrise  till  sunset,  and  by 
his  energy,  honesty  and  economy  he  has  man- 
;  aged  to  meet  his  many  discouragements  and 
drawbacks,  and  at  present  stands  among  the 
more  substantial  men  of  Crawford  County. 
I  He   is  now  the    owner    of    one    of   the  best 
improved   farms    of    the  county,   containing 
260  acres  of  good  land.     In  February,  1868, 
he    married   Miss    Anna    M.,    daughter    of 
William  Musgrave.     They  have  the   follow- 
ing childi-en:     Nora,  Ellen,  Ida,   Ai-thur  C. 
and  Esther.      He  and  wife  are  members   of 
the  Baptist  Church;  he  is  Deacon  of  the  same. 
Politicallv,  he  is  a  Republican. 

JOHN  R.  FITCH,  farmer,  P.  O.  West 
York.  This  gentleman  was  born  January 
2,  1862,  in  York,  111.     He  was  a  grandson  of 


HUTSONVILLE    TOWNSHIP. 


273 


Chester  Fitch,  born  April  12,  1787,  in  Rut- 
land, Vt.,  who  died  Augiist  23,  1847,  in  York, 
111.  He  married  Elizabeth  Richardson,  bom 
December  15,  1789,  in  Now  York.  She  died 
September  25,  1869,  in  York.  111.  She  was 
the  mother  of  seven  children,  of  whom  Ed- 
ward Fitch  was  one.  He  was  born  Novem- 
ber 1,  1829,  in  York,  111.,  and  died  January 
9,  1870,  in  York,  111.  He  married  Mary  Jane 
Mount,  born  October  14,  1832,  in  Clark 
County,  111.  She  died  April  27,  1865,  in 
York,  111.  She  was  a  daughter  of  John  L. 
and  Tamar  (Megeath)  Mount,  and  the  mother 
of  one  son,  John  R.  Fitch,  om-  subject. 
Chester  Fitch  may  be  classed  among  our  old 
pioneers  and  bis  grandson  yet  owns  the  old 
home  place  which  was  entered  by  him.  Mr. 
John  R.  Fitch  now  owns  aboiit  500  acres  of 
land  in  Clark  and  Crawford  Counties.  He 
is  identified  with  the  Republican  party,  as 
were  his  ancestors  before  him.  Edward 
Fitch  was  married  November  22,  1860,  and 
after  spending  a  portion  of  the  following 
winter  in  the  South,  he  came  back  to  York 
and  settled  on  the  old  farm  which  then  be- 
longed to  the  heirs.  By  his  careful  manage- 
ment of  the  farm,  and  dealing  in  stock,  he 
made  enough  money  to  buy  the  interests  of 
tne  other  heirs,  and  at  the  time  of  his  death 
owned  500  acres  of  land  free  from  debt, 
which  our  subject  inherited. 

H.  H.  FLESHER,  merchant,  Hutson- 
ville.  The  father  of  this  gentleman,  Isaac 
Flesher,  was  a  native  of  West  Virginia,  born 
in  1796.  His  occupation  was  that  of  a  car- 
penter. For  several  years  previous  to  his 
death,  was  High  Sheriff  of  Jackson  County. 
He  was  a  soldier  in  the  war  of  1812.  He 
died  in  1841.  His  father  was  Andrew  Fles- 
her, of  French  descent,  a  native  of  Virginia 
and  a  soldier  in  the  Revolutionary  war. 
The  mother  of  our  subject  was  Elizabeth 
Bonnett,    a    native   of    Pennsylvania,     bom 


October  4,  1802,  and  died  in  March,  1880. 
William  Bonnett,  her  father,  was  of  German 
descent  and  a  native  of  Pennsylvania;  he  was 
noted  for  his  strength.  H.  H.  Flesher  was 
the  youngest  of  eleven  children  bora  to  his 
parents.  He  remained  at  home  until  he  was 
twenty  one  years  of  age,  and'  attended  the 
common  schools  of  his  native  county.  He 
first  began  farming,  and  continued  the  same 
about  two  yeai's,  and  then  engaged  in  boat- 
ing on  the  river,  commencing  as  second 
clerk,  afterward  pilot,  and  subsequently  Cap- 
tain and  owner.  He  continued  in  this  busi- 
ness until  1881,  when  he  came  to  Hutsonviile 
and  embarked  in  the  iuercantile  business,  at 
which  he  is  still  actively  engaged.  In  1861, 
at  Racine,  Ohio,  he  married  Miss  Catherine 
Batey,  a  native  of  Racine.  Ohio.  He  is 
Secretary  of  the  Odd  Fellows  Lodge  at  Hut- 
sonviile, No.  106;  is  Town  Clerk,  and  poli- 
tically a  Democrat. 

MANUEL  FURRY,  farmer.  P.  O.  Hutson- 
viile, was  born  in  Johnsville,  Montgomery 
Co.,  Ohio,  September  20,  1832.  His  father, 
Martin  FuiTy,  was  a  native  of  Washington 
County,  Md..  born  in  October,  1799.  He 
was  raised  on  a  farm  and  received  a  common 
school  education.  In  1832  he,  with  his  fam- 
ily, emigrated  to  Montgomery  County,  Ohio, 
where  he  remained  actively  engaged  in  farm- 
ing until  he  died  in  1880.  He  was  of  Ger- 
man descent.  His  wife,  and  mother  of  our 
subject,  was  born  in  Washington  County. 
Md.,  in  1799,  and  died  in  Ohio  in  1840.  She 
was  the  mother  of  nine  children,  of  whom 
seven  are  now  living,  Manuel  being  the  fifth 
child.  He  remained  with  his  parents,  assist- 
ing in  tilling  the  home  farm  and  receiving 
a  common  school  education,  until  he  was 
twenty-eight  years  of  age.  He  then  enlisted 
in  the  last  rebellion,  in  the  Sixty-third 
Ohio  Infantrj',  .  in  the  company  of  Capt. 
Colliflower.       He  was  mustered  out   of   the 


274 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


service  in  Jaly,  I860,  at  Camp  Dennison. 
After  the  war,  he  removed  to  his  present 
residence  in  Crawford  County,  where  he  has 
since  been  engaged  in  farming.  He  is  now 
the  owner  of  sixty-five  acres  of  land.  In 
1860,  in  Johnsville,  he  married  Miss  Lydia 
A.  Horning,  a  native  of  Johnsville,  Ohio. 
This  union  has  been  blessed  with  the  follow- 
ing children:  Josephine  E.,  Viola  A.,  and 
Bernice  B.  Mr.  Furry  and  wife  are  members 
of  the  Union  Church  of  Lamotte  Prairie. 
He  is  a  Kepubliean. 

JOHN    J.    GOLDEN,    M.    D.,   hardware 
merchant,    Hutsonville,    whose    portrait    ap- 
pears in  this  work,  is  the  youngest  in  a  fam- 
ily of   fourteea  children,   was   born  October 
28,  1837,  at  Xenia,  Clay  Co.,  111.     His  early 
years   were  spent  upon  his   father's  farm  in 
his  native  place   until  about  sixteen  years  of 
age,    when  he   accompanied    his   parents  to 
Texas.      Here  he  remained  with  his  father, 
who  was  engaged  in  stock  raising,  until  1859. 
In  the  meantime  he  had  laid  the  foundation 
of   a  good  ediication   at    the  public  schools, 
but  with   no  intention  of   entering   upon   a 
professional  career.     His  tastes  were  toward 
the  trade  of  silversmith,   but  his   father,  who 
was  well  to  do,   urged   him  to    take   up    the 
medical  profession.     A  chance  book  on  anat- 
omy,   w}nch    fell    into  his    hands   while    in 
Texas,    tmned    the    scale    in    favor    of    his 
father's  wishes,  and  in  1859  he   entered  the 
St.  Louis  School  of  Medicine.      Here  he  en- 
tered with  ardor  upon  the  preparation  for  his 
chosen  profession,  and  was  thus  engaged  when 
the  war  of  the  rebellion  summoned  him  to  the 
field.      While  devoted    to  the    profession  he 
had  learned  to  love,  he  felt  his  highest  duty 
called  him  to  the  defense  of  his  country,  and 
he  at   once   enlisted  in    Company  K,  of   the 
Forty-eighth    Illinois    Infantry.       Here   his 
medical    ability    found    recognition,  and  he 
was  soon   made  Hospital    Steward,  and  sub- 


sequently   promoted   to     Hospital    Surgeon. 
He     shared    the    fortune    of    his    regiment 
through   the    war,  however,    and  with    them 
traveled,    by  land   and  water,  13,000   miles, 
and  took   part   in    thirty-two   engagements. 
After  serving  to   the  end  of    the    war,    and 
being  mustered  out  at  Little    Rock,  in  1865, 
he   retiu-ned  to  Clay  County,  111.,  and  began 
the  practice  of  his  profession.     Four  years 
later  he  returned  to    his  college,   completed 
his  studies  inten-upted  by  the  war,  gi-aduat- 
ing  in  1870,  and  resumed  his  practice.     In 
1872,  Dr.   Golden    removed  to   Hutsonville, 
111.,  and  the    following   year,  in    connection 
with  his  practice,  engaged  in  the  drug  busi- 
ness.      He    was    appointed     Postmaster    in 
1872,  which  he  held  until  1879,  when  he  sold 
his  drug  business  and  retired  to  his  farm  in 
the  suburbs  of  the  village.     It  was  his  inten- 
tion, at  this  time,  to  give  up  his  riding  prac- 
tice and    attend  only  to    ofiSce  calls,  but  the 
force  of  business  habits,  and  the  burning  of 
his    residence    in    the    spring   of    1882    has 
again  brought  him  to  the  village,  where  he 
has  just  embarked  in  the  hardware  business 
in  partnership   with  K.  W.    Kennedy.     The 
earliest    of   Mi-.    Golden"  s    ancestry    in  this 
country  came  from  County  Tyrone,  Ireland. 
His  father,  Edmond  Golden,  was  born  in  the 
year  1776,  in  Virginia,  where  he  passed  his 
youth  and-  early    manhood.      He    served   as 
Captain  in  the  war  of  1812,  and  in  1815  he 
removed  to  Barbersville,  Ky.,  and  five  years 
later  to    Orange    County,    Ind.,   and   there 
helped  to  erect  the  first  coiu-t  house  in  that 
county.     In  1830,  he  came  to  Clay  County, 
111.,    and    in    1853,    to    Wise  County,    Tex. 
Here  he]  entered   largely  in  stock   raising, 
and  accumulated  considerable  property;  but 
the  fate  of    war    wi'ecked  his    fortunes.      In 
1865,  he  returned  to  Clay  County,  111. ,  where 
ho  died  three  years  later      His  mother,  Mary 
(Cheser)  Golden,  was  born  in  Grayson  Coun- 


HUTSONVILLE    TOWNSHIP. 


275 


ty,  Va.,  in  1780,  and  died  in  1872,  in  Clay 
County,  111.  Her  father  was  William  Cheser, 
a  native  of  England,  who  emigrated  to  this 
country  very  early.  He  was  subsequently  a 
soldier  in  the  war  of  1812.  Dr.  Golden  was 
married  to  Miss  Mary  E.  Trinkle,  a  native 
of  Covington,  Ind.,  in  1864.  In  public  mat- 
ters, as  in  business  affairs.  Dr.  Golden  has 
been  animated  by  an  energetic  spirit  of  en- 
terprise. Receiving  an  injury  dm-ing  his 
army  experience  that  has  prevented  active 
professional  practice  of  late  years,  he  has 
tm-ned  his  attention  to  business,  and  in  each 
case  with  marked  success.  Starting,  practi- 
cally, upon  his  own  resources,  he  accumulated 
a  large  estate  in  business  and  farm  proper- 
ty. He  is  a  Republican  in  politics,  and  a 
public-spirited  citizen. 

SAMUEL  S.  GREEN,  farmer,  P.  O.  Hut- 
sonville,  is  a  native  of  Crawford  County,  111., 
born  August  14,  1834.  His  father,  Joseph 
Green,  was  born  in  North  Carolina,  in  1802, 
emigrated  to  Union  County,  111.,  in  1822, 
and  a  few  years  later  to  Crawford  County, 
where  he  remained  actively  engaged  in  farm- 
ing to  the  time  of  his  death,  which  occm-red 
in  1855.  He  was  a  soldier  in  the  Black 
Hawk  war.  His  wife,  and  mother  of  our  sub- 
ject, was  Queen  E.  (Lindley)  Green.  She  was 
born  in  North  Carolina  in  1811,  and  died  in 
Crawford  County  in  July,  1856.  She  was 
the  mother  of  twelve  children,  of  whom  Sam- 
uel was  the  fourth  child.  He  was  raised  on 
a  farm  and  educated  from  the  common 
schools;  at  twenty-one  years  of  age,  he  left 
his  home  and  embarked  on  his  career  in  life  as 
a  farmer.  His  iii-st  farm  contained  forty  acres, 
located  near  his  present  residence.  After  ten 
years  spent  on  this  farm,  he  returned  to  the 
old  homestead  farm,  where  he  has  since  re- 
mained. He  is  now  the  owner  of  230  acres 
of  land.  He  married  Miss  Alice  R.  Boyd, 
September    13,    1854.     She   is    a    native  of 


Crawford  County.  They  have  the  following 
children:  Elzora  E.  (Morton)  Gyer,  Joseph 
W.,  James,  Henry  E.,  Harry  E.,  Charle,s  O., 
Ulysses  G.,  Anna  L.  and  Thomas  E.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Green  are  members  of  the  Friends 
Church.  Politically,  he  is  a  firm  Repub- 
lican. 

WOODFORD  D.  HAND,  farmer,  P.  O. 
Hutsonville,  is  the  oldest  in  a  family  of  three 
children  born  to  James  F.  and  Nancy 
(Draper)  Hand.  He  was  born  in  the  same 
house  he  is  now  occupying  as  a  residence, 
July  29,  1835.  His  father  was  a  farmer, 
born  near  Chillicothe,  Ohio,  May  20,  1805. 
He  was  brought  to  Crawford  County,  III.,  by 
his  parents,  who  located  on  the  same  farm 
where  our  subject  resides.  Their  arrival  was 
dated  April  21,  1821.  He  died  October  9, 
1876.  He  was  elected  Second  Lieutenant  of 
the  Sixteenth  Regin:ent.  Illinois  Militia,  in 
1827,  and  was  Justice  of  the  Peace  and  As- 
sociate Justice  of  Crawford  County  for  many 
years  previoiis  to  his  death.  He  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Baptist  Church.  The  mother  of 
our  subject  was  born  in  North  Carolina  De- 
cember 12,  1806.  She  was  brought  to  Craw- 
ford County  by  her  parents  in  1816.  She 
died  August  23,  1860.  Woodford  D.  Hand 
was  raised  on  the  farm  and  educated  from 
the  subscription  schools.  October  5,  1861, 
he  enlisted  in  the  late  rebellion,  serving  in 
Company  D,  Thirtieth  Illinois  Infantry.  He 
entered  as  a  private,  and  when  mustered  out 
July  17,  1865,  was  Captain  of  his  company. 
He  was  with  Sherman  on  his  march  tn  the 
sea,  and  took  part  in  most  of  the  engage- 
ments of  his  regiment.  After  the  war,  he 
retm-ned  to  the  home  farm,  and  began  farm- 
ing, at  which  he  still  continues.  He  is  now 
the  owner  of  100  acres  of  good  land.  He 
was  married,  in  Crawford  County,  October 
21,  1855,  to  Miss  Mary  J.  Cox,  a  daughter  of 
Needham  Cox,  a  native  of  Wayne  County,  N. 


376 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


C.  Mrs.  Hand  was  born  in  Crawford  County, 
May  3,  1838.  They  have  the  following 
children:  Malinda  E..  MaryB,,  Daniel  W., 
Augusta  B.  and  William  S.  Mr.  Hand  is 
now  holding  the  offices  of  Justice  of  the 
Peace  and  School  Treasurer.  He  and  wife 
are  members  of  the  Baptist  Church.  Polit- 
ically, he  is  a  Republican. 

JOHN  C.  H.4RNESS,  miller  and  farmer, 
P.  O.  Hutsouville,  was  born  in  Ross  County, 
Ohio,  September  27,  1812,  to  Job  and  Rachel 
(Liming)  Harness.  His  father  was  born  in 
Old  Virginia,  on  the  South  Branch  of  the 
Potomac,  February  11,  1748;  here  he  was 
raised  and  educated.  In  1800,  he  was  re- 
moved by  his  parents  to  Hamilton  County, 
Ohio.  He  was  married  on  the  17th  of  March, 
1808,  and  immediately  removed  to  Ross 
County,  in  the  same  State.  la  1  817.  he  re- 
moved to  Vincennes,  Ind. ,  here  his  wife  died, 
a,nd  in  1818,  he  removed  to  Lamotte  Prairie, 
in  Crawford  County,  on  a  farm  he  had 
bought  and  partially  improved  while  in 
Vincennes.  After  five  years,  he  returned  to 
Ross  County,  and  there  remained  until  1830, 
when  he  returned  to  Crawford  County,  and 
died  November  28,  1834.  He  was  a  son  of 
Michael  Harness,  of  German  descent  and  a 
native  of  Virginia.  He  served  in  the  Revo- 
lution and  war  of  1812.  The  mother  of  our 
subject  was  born  in  New  Jersey,  August  12, 
1786,  and  died  August  7,  1817.  She  was 
the  mother  of  three  children,  John  being  the 
youngest  child.  She  was  a  daughter  of 
Isaac  Liming,  of  French  descent,  a  native  of 
New  Jersey  and  a  soldier  of  the  Revolution- 
ary war.  John  Harness  spent  his  early  life 
in  assisting  his  father  in  the  flour  mill  in 
Ohio,  and  in  Crawford  County  to  till  the 
farm.  He  was  sent  to  a  high  school  at 
Cincinnati,  Ohio,  to  receive  a  thorough  edu- 
cation, but  at  the  end  of  two  months  his 
father's  property  was  destroyed  by  fire,  and 


he  was  obliged  to  return  to  his  home  and  go 
to  work,  and  give  up  receiving  an  education. 
At  twenty-one  years  of  age,  he  left  his  home 
and  embarked  on  his  career  in  life,  the  first 
fifteen  years  being  divided  between  farming 
and  boating  on  the  river.  In  ]849,  he  went 
to  California,  and  engaged  in  mining,  con- 
tinuinor  the  same  until  1854,  when  he  was 
called  home  at  the  death  of  his  brother  Isaac. 
He  then  engaged  in  farming  in  Crawford 
County,  and  in  1855  came  to  Hutsouville  and 
engaged  in  the  milling  business,  at  which  he 
is  now  actively  engaged.  He  is  the  owner  of 
sixty-two  acres  of  land,  which  he  superin- 
tends in  connection  with  his  mill  duties.  In 
Terre  Haute,  in  1855,  he  married  Miss  Pau- 
lina C.  Wood,  a  native  of  Ohio.  They  have 
two  children — Stacey  E.,  a  partner  in  the 
mill,  and  Elenor  P.  He  is  an  active  mem- 
ber of  I.  O.  O.  F.  at  Hutsouville.  In  poli- 
tics, is  a  Democrat.  He  and  wife  are  mem- 
bers of  Christian  Chitrch.  Mr.  Harness  has, 
by  his  studied  economy  and  business  habits, 
succeeded  in  gaining  a  good  property,  and  a 
name  and  reputation  which  is  beyqnd  re- 
proach. He  has  served  on  the  Town  Board 
of  Hutsonville  for  five  years. 

DOCTOR  HILL,  farmer,  P.  O.  Hutson- 
ville, whose  portrait  appears  in  this  work,  is 
one  of  the  worthy  pioneers  of  Crawford 
County.  He  settled  in  what  is  now  Hutson- 
ville Township,  with  his  family,  in  the  year 
1818,  after  having  resided  for  a  period  of 
nearly  two  years  in  what  is  now  Sullivan 
County,  Ind.  He  was  born  June  28,  1796, 
in  Randolph  County,  N.  C. ,  a  son  of  John 
and  Rachel  (Sargent)  Hill.  The  father  was 
a  farmer,  bom  and  raised  on  the  same  place 
our  subject  was,  and  died  in  1849,  aged 
about  eighty-two  years.  The  mother  was 
also  a  native  a  North  Carolina,  and  died  in 
this  county,  at  the  advanced  age  of  ninety- 
three  years.     The  parents  were  blessed  with 


HUTSONVILLE   TOWNSHIP. 


277 


nine  children.  The  educational  facilities  of 
our  subject's  younger  days  gi-anted  him  but 
a  meager  education  in  the  old  subscription 
schools.  His  early  life  was  spent  in  farming 
pursuits,  and  as  necessity  required  he  also 
engaged  at  shoe-making  and  blacksmithing, 
and  at  the  advanced  age  of  eighty-six  years, 
he  made  two  plows,  upon  which  implement 
he  claims  to  be  the  original  inventor  of  many 
substantial  improvements.  He  was  first  mar- 
ried in  his  native  county,  in  1815,  to  Nancy 
Boyd,  born  March  9,  1797.  in  Guilford 
County,  N.  C,  a  daughter  of  James  Boyd. 
She  died  in  1825.  leaving  a  family  of  five 
children — Sargent,  Elizabeth,  Kachel,  Mary 
and  Nancy.  The  second  marriage  of  our 
subject  occurred  November  13.  1828,  in  this 
county.  He  wedded  Cynthia  Smith,  born 
July  2,  1795,  on  the  South  Branch  of  the  Po- 
tomac, Virginia,  a  daughter  of  Jacob  B.  and 
Hannah  (Hand)  Smith,  he  a  native  of  Ger- 
many, and  she  of  Virginia.  Mra  Hill  died 
in  January,  1872.  When  he  first  came  to 
this  county,  our  subject  purchased  160  acres 
of  land,  of  the  Governmimt,  but  being  unable 
to  pay  for  the  same,  retained  only  one -fourth 
of  it,  an  act  of  Congress  compelling  him  to 
relinquish  the  balance.  His  present  farm 
consists  of  about  402  acres,  which  is  given  to 
general  farming.  Our  subject  has  served 
this  county  as  a  Commissioner,  under  the  old 
system  of  county  organization.  In  politics 
he  adheres  to  the  Democratic  principles  of 
Thomas  Jefferson,  and  he  has  distinct  recol- 
lections of  the  administration  of  that  devoted 
espouser  of  the  cause  of  Colonial  liberty. 

HENKY  HOLADAY.  farmer,  P.  O. 
West  Y'ork,  was  born  in  the  same  house  in 
which  he  is  now  residing,  December  4.  1827, 
to  Robert  and  Margaret  (Willard)  Holaday. 
His  father  was  born  in  North  Carolina  in 
1779;  emigrated  to  Orange  County,  Ind. ,  in 
1816,  and  to  Crawford  County,  111.,  in  1818. 


Here  he  remained  engaged  in  farming  until 
he  died  in  1837.  He  was  of  Scotch  descent. 
His  mother  was  born  in  South  Carolina  in 
1775,  and  died  in  Crawford  County  1843. 
They  were  the  parents  of  four  children,  of 
whom  Henry  was  the  youngest  child.  He  has 
always  made  his  present  residence  his  home, 
but  has  been  to  New  Orleans  several  trips  on 
a  flat-boat  with  grain,  and  in  1850  went  to 
California  and  followed  mining  for  three 
years  and  six  months.  He  is  now  engaged 
in  tilling  the  soil  of  the  home  fai-m,  and  is 
the  owner  of  197  acres  of  good  land.  In 
1855,  he  man-ied  Miss  Abigail  Prevo,  who 
died  March  4,  1835,  leaving  five  children  as 
the  result  of  their  union,  of  whom  foxir  are 
now  living,  viz. :  William,  Elizabeth,  Usher 
and  Abigail.  In  1881,  on  the  13th  June,  he 
married  Miss  Nancy  Willett,  a  native  of  Ten- 
nessee. Mrs.  Holaday  is  a  member  of  the 
Baptist  Church.  Mr.  Holaday  is  a  man  of 
good  principles  and  bears  a  name  and  reputa- 
tion which  is  beyond  reproach.  He  is  a 
Democrat. 

ANDREW  J.  HOLMES,  farmer,  P.  O. 
Eaton,  was  born  in  Licking  County,  Ohio, 
August  30,  1841,  to  Reuben  A.  and  Lucy 
(Fristo)  Holmes.  His  father  was  born  in 
Virginia  in  1798,  where  he  was  raised,  edu- 
cated and  married.  Soon  after  he  married, 
he  removed  to  Ohio,  and  there  remained  until 
1848,  when  he  immigrated  to  Illinois,  and 
settled  in  Crawford  County.  Here  he  re- 
mained engaged  in  farming  until  he  died  in 
December,  1853.  During  his  younger  days, 
he  worked  at  the  carpenter's  trade.  He 
was  Associate  Judge  of  Crawford  County, 
a  very  prominent  and  enterjjrising  citizen 
and  the  owner  of  about  two  thousand  acres 
of  land.  His  wife,  and  mother  of  our  sub- 
ject, was  born  in  Shenandoah  County,  Va., 
July  11,  1812,  and  died  in  Crawford  County, 
111.,  in  November,  1878.    She  was  the  mother 


278 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


of  nine  children,  of  whom  seven  are  now  liv- 
ing, Andrew  being  the  fourth  child  and 
youngest  son.  He  was  brought  to  Crawford 
County  by  his  parents  when  he  was  seven 
years  of  age.  He  received  the  benefit  of 
the  common  schools  of  the  county,  and  ar- 
riving at  his  majority  embarked  on  his  career 
in  life  as  a  farmer  upon  the  old  homestead 
farm,  where  he  now  owns  320  acres  of  land. 
April  2,  1865,  in  Crawford  County,  he  mar- 
ried Miss  Melissa,  a  daughter  of  Andrew 
and  Nancy  (Hill)  Newlin.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Holmes  have  four  children — Orlin  G., 
Evaline  V.,  Augusta  F.  and  an  infant  un- 
named. He  and  wife  are  members  of  the 
Christian  Chm-ch.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Granger's  Lodge,  No.  825,  of  Eaton,  and  a 
Democrat  in  politics. 

A.  W.  HORNING,  Principal  of  Schools, 
Hutsonville,  was  born  July  2,  1854,  near 
New  Lebanon.  Ohio.  At  the  age  of  eleven 
years,  his  father  purchased  a  farm  in  Craw- 
ford County,  to  which  he  moved  in  1865. 
Owing  to  a  gi-eat  amount  of  labor  that  was 
to  be  performed  on  the  farm,  the  great  dis- 
tance from  the  schoolhouse,  and  adverse  cir- 
cumstances, he  was  deprived  of  the  educa- 
tional advantages  offered  by  the  common 
schools.  On  attaining  his  majority,  he  en- 
tered the  normal  school  at  Valparaiso,  which 
he  attended  one  year.  On  returning  horn 
he  began  teaching,  which  occupation  he  fol- 
lowed during  the  fall  and  winter  months,  and 
during  the  spring  and  summer  months  atr 
tended  school.  On  his  retiu-n  from  school  in 
1880,  was  elected  President  of  the  Crawford 
County  Teachers'  Association,  which  position 
he  held  until  1882.  Li  the  spring  of  1882, 
was  appointed  Principal  of  the  Hutsonville 
schools,  which  position  he  has  since  retained. 
Politically,  he  is  a  Republican,  a  firm  be- 
liever in  tbe  principles  of  total  abstinence 
from  all  that  intoxicates,  and  an  earnest  ad- 


vocate of  all  that  has  a  tendency  to    elevate 
the  morals  of  mankind. 

JOHN  R.  HURST,  retired  merchant,  Hut- 
sonville, 111.,  whose  portrait    appears  in  this 
work,   was  born  in  Wayne   County,    N.  C, 
August  7,  1811.     When  about  twelve   years 
old,  he  accompanied  his  uncle,  with  whom  he 
was  then  living,  from  his  home  near  Golds- 
boro  to  Union    County,  111.,  and  three  years 
later  to  Crawford  County  in  the  same  State. 
After  living   here  two  years,  anxious  to  try 
the  world  on  his  own  account,  ho  gladly  ac- 
cepted his  uncle's  permission  and  aid  to  re- 
turn to  Union  County  to  engage  for  himself. 
He   remained   only  about  six  months,  when 
he  returned  to  Crawford  County  and  engaged 
with  William  Cox  as  a  farm  hand  at  the  rate 
of  $40  per   year.      He  served  at  this   work 
some  ten  months,  when   he  went  to  Prairie- 
ton,  Ind.     Here  he  made  a  conditional  con- 
tract with  a  carpenter  to  learn  the  trade,  but 
after  four  weeks'    trial    concluded  to  resume 
his  early  occupation  and  work  at  farm  labor. 
In  the  meantime,  he  arranged  to  attend  school 
a  part  of  the  time   until  October  28,   1830, 
when  he  returned  to  Crawford    County,  111. 
On  his  return,  he  made  his   home  with   his 
uncle,  and,  in   the  meantime,  taking  a  boat- 
load of  pork  to  New  Orleans   for  him.     He 
returned    from    this   trip,  and   on  Christmas 
Day_^left  his  uncle  for  Union  County,  where 
he  received  the  benefit  of   the  subscrijstion 
schools  for  some  nine  months.     In  the  early 
winter  or  late  fall  of  1833,  Mr.  Hurst  set  out 
for  Hutsonville,  making  the  journey  on  horse 
back  without  incident     It  may  be  noted  that 
the  famous  meteoric  shower  of  this  \'ear  over- 
took him  on  his  way,  and  while  it  created 
considerable   alarm  to  many,  he  did  not  hesi- 
tate to  pursue  his  journey,  and  with  no  more 
serious  result  than  the  close  fall  of  meteoric 
stone.     At  Hutsonville,  Mr.  Hurst  found  work 
at  various   occupations    until   the  spring  of 


HUTSONVILLE   TOWNSHIP. 


27!> 


1835,  when  he  got'  together  a  team  of  three 
yoke  of  oxen  and  a  mammoth  wagon  to  go  on 
the  National    road  ;    other  plans  intervened, 
however,  and  he  engaged  in  hauling  goods, 
varying  this  business  with  "  breaking  prai- 
rie."    A  serious   attack  of  illness  in  the  fall 
pat  a  stop  to  this   heavy  work,  and,  being 
elected  Constable  in  August,    1835,  he  gave 
his  attention  entirely  to  his  ofBcial  duties, 
until  the  following  March.      Marrying  at  this 
time,   he  remained  with  his   wife's  parents 
until  the  fall  of  1836,  when  he  bought  a  lit- 
tle  farm  of  75^  acres  of  land,  erected  a  log 
cabin,  and  prepared  to  h  ew  out  a  farm.      Mr. 
Hurst  stayed  here  only   about  a  year,   then 
farmed  his  father-in-law's  property  for  about 
the  same  lenrrth  of  time,  and  then  went  to 
Hutsonville.      Here  the  next  ten  years  were 
passed  in  farming  with  varied  success.     The 
last  two  years,  owing  to  sickness  and  the  par- 
tial loss  of  crops,  proved  somewhat  discour- 
aging, and  in  1850  he  engaged  in  the  grocery 
business.     This  involved  the  sale  of  whisky 
to  a  considerable  extent,  and  after  four  years 
of  experience,  he  sold  out  in  disgust.      Mr. 
Hurst  then  bought  the  mail  and  stage  line 
from  Vincennes  to  Danville.      This  business 
taxed  his  energy  and  endurance  to  the  utmost, 
and,  while  it  proved  fairly  remunerative,  was 
glad  to  relinquish  the  business    in  1858  and 
return  to   his   farming.     In  1862,   he  began 
dealing  in  cattle  exclusively,  driving  them  to 
Terre  Haute  ;  but  in  the    following  year  he 
divided  his  attention   between  his  fai-m  and 
cattle  business.     In  1864,  he  began  the  mer- 
cantile business  in  a  small  way,  and  continued 
it  with  success  until  he  retired  in  1876,  leaving 
the  lousiness  in  the  hands  of  his  sons  and  sons- 
in  law.     Mr.  Hurst  was   married  March  10, 
1836,  to  Miss  Nancy  Owen  Barlow,  a  native  of 
Crawford  County,  where  she  was  born  May  5, 
1818.      Thirteen  children  have  been  born  to 
them,  four  of  whom  only    are  living — Sarah 


E.,wife  of  John  McNutt ;  Rebecca,  wife  of 
John  Olwin  ;  William  B.  and  Lucius  C. 
Mrs.  Hurst  is  a  daughter  of  John  and  Eliza- 
beth (Gordon)  Barlow,  who  were  natives  of 
Kentucky,  and  came  to  Crawford  County  in 
1816.  They  took  up  their  residence  in  the 
yard  made  memorable  by  the  massacre  of  the 
Hutson  family  by  the  Indians.  Mr.  Hvu"st  is  a 
member  of  the  Universalist  Church,  a  Demo- 
crat in  politics,  and  a  self-made  man  in  busi- 
ness experiences.  He  started  into  the  world 
for  himself  with  $1.25  in  money,  and,  with- 
out special  advantages,has  accumulated  a  com- 
petency, and  earned  an  old  age  of  ease  and 
influence.  His  career  has  been  one  of  activi- 
ty ;  he  is  one  of  the  founders  of  the  Univer- 
salist Church  of  Hutsonville ;  the  eighth 
member  in  Hutsonville  Lodge  of  Masons,  No. 
1 36,  and  a  prominent  worker  in  the  order,  and 
was  Deputy  Sheriff  from  1839  to  1844. 

W.  B.  HURST,  merchant,  Hutsonville. 
Prominently  identified  among  the  leading, 
energetic  business  men  of  this  county,  is  the 
gentleman  whose  name  heads  these  notes. 
He  was  born  April  3,  1850,  in  Crawford 
County,  111. ,  and  is  the  son  of  John  R.  Hui-st, 
who  is  elaborately  mentioned  elsewhere.  He 
experienced  the  scenes  of  the  farmer  boy  and 
attended  the  country  schools,  also  at  AVest- 
field,  Clark  County,  and  Terre  Haute,  Ind. 
He  was  man-ied  in  April  11,  1875,  to  Clara 
E.  Holderman,  born  October  16,  1852,  in 
Montgomery  County,  Ohio.  She  is  a  daugh- 
ter of  Jacob  and  Lydia  (Repp)  Holderman, 
who  reside  in  Hutsonville.  This  union  has 
resulted  in  one  child — Lois  B.  born  March 
16,  1876.  Mrs.  Hui-st's  parents  came  to  this 
county  in  1864  or  1865;  they  were  blessed 
with  eight  children,  viz. :  Lizzie,  lola,  Clara 
E.,  Laura,  David,  Hamilton,  Minnie  and 
Chauncey;  the  father  holds  to  the  United 
Brethren  faith,  while  the  mother  is  a  Meth- 
odist.    In  1868,  Mr.  Hurst  was  employed  as  a 


280 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


clerk  by  Hurst  &  Olwin,  which  position  he 
held  until  1871,  when  he  was  given  an  in- 
terest in  the  same,  receiving  one-third  of  the 
profits  of  the  firm  as  a  comi^ensation  for  his 
labors.  He  now  possesses  one- fourth  interest 
in  the  firm  of  Hurst  &  Olwin,  to  which  he 
gives  his  entire  attention. 

L.  C.  HUKST,  merchant,  Hutsonville. 
This  enterprising  young  business  man  is  the 
son  of  John  R.  Hurst,  whose  portrait  appears 
in  this  work,  and  was  born  March  16,  1854, 
in  Hutsonville,  111.  His  early  days  were 
spent  on  the  farm  and  in  the  country  school 
ruoni.  He  had  the  advantage  of  one  term  at 
Earlham  College,  Richmond,  Ind.  Novem- 
ber 11,  1880,  in  Clark  County,  this  State, 
he  was  married  to  Minnie  E.  Patterson,  born 
in  Kentucky  September  19,  1860.  She  is 
a  daughter  of  John  and  Susan  (Gibbs)  Pat- 
terson, natives  of  Maine  and  the  parents  of 
seven  children,  four  of  whom  survive,  viz. : 
George,  Angle,  Adelia  and  Minnie  E.  Her 
parents  are  residents  of  Terre  Haute,  where 
the  father  is  engaged  as  a  sub-railroad  con- 
tractor. The  mother  is  an  energetic  Method- 
ist. Mr.  Hurst  was  employed  as  a  clerk  for 
a  while  and  in  January  1,  1881,  he  took  an 
interest  in  the  fii-m  of  Hm-st  &  Olwin, 
general  merchants  at  Hutsonville,  and  is  giv- 
ing his  entire  attention  to  the  same.  He  is 
pleasant  and  sociable  with  his  customers, 
which  treatment  only  binds  his  friends  more 
closely  to  him.  His  union  has  resulted  in 
one  child,Roscoe  P.,  born  September  18,  1883. 
!Mr.  H.  is  a  stanch  Democrat.  He  is  a  member 
of  Osmer  Lodge,  K.  of  H.,  of  Hutsonville. 

C.  W.  KEYS,  physician,  Hutsonville,  111. 
Among  the  large  list  of  physicians  of  Craw- 
ford County,  none  are  more  worthy  of  a  sketch 
in  this  work  than  Dr.  Keys.  He  was  born  in 
Knox  County,  Ohio,  December  13,  1844,  to 
John  and  Elenor  (Gappen)  Keys.  His  father 
was  a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  where  he  was 


raised  and  married.  In  1824  emigrated  to 
Knox  County,  Ohio,  and  in  1865  to  Greene 
County,  Ind.,  where  he  died  in  1877,  aged 
about  sixty-nine.  His  occupation  was  that  of 
a  farmer.  He  was  of  German  descent.  The 
Doctor's  mother  was  of  English  descent, born 
in  Pennsylvania  in  1810,  and  is  now  living 
with  her  children  in  Greene  County,  Ind. 
She  is  the  mother  of  eight  children;  of  the 
six  now  living  the  Doctor  is  the  third  child. 
His  early  life  was  spent  at  home  assisting  to 
till  the  soil  of  his  father's  farm.  He  was 
educated  from  the  common  schools  and  the 
Bloomington  University.  In  1867,  he  began 
the  study  of  medicine  with  Dr.  A.  J.  Axtell, 
of  Bloomington.  and  in  1870  entered  upon 
the  practice  of  his  profession  at  Salisbury, 
Ind.  In  1872,  he  removed  to  Cincinnati, 
Ind.,  and  in  August,  1873,  came  to  Hutson- 
ville, where  he  has  since  resided,  engaged  in 
practicing  medicine,  and  has  built  up  a  good 
practice  and  is  considered  one  of  the  best 
physicians  of  the  town.  He  is  a  graduate 
from  the  Keokuk  Medical  College,  at  Keokuk, 
Iowa.  In  1871,  he  married  Emma  M.  Cook, 
a  native  of  Ohio,  and  a  dau£;hter  of  T.  R. 
and  Harriet  (Gibbins)  Cook,  natives  of  Ohio, 
who  are  now  residing  at  Salisbury,  Ind.  The 
Doctor  has  been  blessed  with  three  children, 
of  whom  two  are  now  living,  viz..  Pearl  and 
Henry.  He  has  been  a  member  of  the  Town 
Board  for  several  years.  Is  an  active  mem- 
ber of  the  K.  of  H,  Osmer  Lodge,  No.  2330, 
and  the  State  Medical  Association,  the 
Wabash  Valley  Association  and  the  Crawford 
County  Association.  In  polities,  is  united 
with  the  Republican  party. 
-  SAMUEL  LINDLEY,  farmer,  P.  O.  Hut- 
sonville, was  born  in  Crawford  County,  111., 
May  28,  1832,  to  William  and  Mary  (Prevo) 
Lindley.  His  father  was  a  farmer,  born  in 
North  Carolina,  July  16,  1795,  and  removed  to 
Peoria,  Ind.,  with  his  parents,  when  sixteen 


HUTSONA'ILLE   TOWNSHIP. 


281 


years  of  age.  In  1827,  he  removed  to  Craw- 
ford County,  111. .  and  there  remained  to  the 
time  of  his  death,  which  occurred  March  20, 
1853.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Quaker 
Church.  His  mother  was  born  in  North  Car- 
olina July  4,  1799,  and  is  now  living.  She 
was  brought  to  Clark  County,  111.,  by  her 
parents,  in  the  year  1817.  She  was  married 
February  20,  1828,  and  is  the  mother  of  sev- 
en children,  of  whom  Samuel  was  the  third 
child  born.  He  was  raised  on  a  farm  and  ed- 
UL-ated  in  the  common  schools.  After  the 
death  of  his  father,  he,  with  his  brother 
Thomas,  managed  the  home  farm.  At  thirty 
years  of  age  he  married,  and  began  farming 
on  his  own  account  upon  a  farm  of  160  acres 
left  him  by  his  father.  In  March,  1865,  he 
exchanged  his  farm  for  one  containing  140 
acres,  where  he  is  now  residing.  He  is  now 
the  owner  of  285  acres  of  good  land.  In 
Eobinson,  October  2,  1861,  he  married  Miss 
Harriet  Hollenbeck,  a  native  of  Clark  Coun- 
ty, 111.,  and  a  daughter  of  John  and  Isabelle 
(Houts)  Holenbeck,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lindley 
have  six  children,  viz,:  Emma,  Charles  E., 
(Ollie  and  John  AA'„  twins),  Viola  and  Sam- 
uel E.  Mr.  Lindley  and  wife  are  members 
of  the  Baptist  Chvu-ch.  He  is  an  active  mem- 
ber of  the  order  of  Knights  of  Honor;  is  a 
Democrat  in  politics,  and  served  the  county 
as  Supervisor  for  two  terms, 
,  CYRUS  A.  LINDLEY,  farmer.  P.  O.  Hut- 
sonville,  is  a  native  of  Crawford  County,  111., 
where  he  was  born  December  8,  1847.  His 
father,  John  H.  Lindley,  was  born  February 
11,  1816.  in  Orange  County,  Ind.,  from 
whence  ho  came  when  quite  young,  with  his 
father,  to  Crawford  County.  Here  he  passed 
his  youth,  assisting  in  the  work  of  a  farm  in 
a  new  country,  picking  up  such  education  as 
the  country  schools  afforded,  and  the  work  of 
the  farm  allowed.  In  1840,  he  commenced 
life  on  his  own  account,  marrying,  and  going 


on  to  a  farm  of  his  own.  He  followed  farm- 
ing to  the  day  of  his  death,  November  19, 
1878,  and  with  such  success  as  to  die  pos- 
sessed of  360  acres  of  land.  Mr.  Lindley 
was  a  public-spirited  man,  a  liberal  contrib 
utor  to  the  support  of  churches,  schools,  and 
for  charitable  objects.  He  was  also  an  active 
member  of  the  Universalist  Church,  and  a 
charter  member  of  the  Masonic  Lodge.  Mary 
Jane  (Lacy)  Lindley,  wife  ot  the  above  and 
mother  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  was  born 
in  Clark  County,  111.,  August  6,  1832.  She  is 
now  residing  on  the  homestead.  Her  parents, 
Eben  and  Abigail  (Prevo)  Lacy,  were  natives 
of  North  Carolina,  and  emigrated  to  Clark 
County  about  1822.  Her  father  died  about 
1829,  but  her  mother,  born  October  4,  1800, 
is  still  living  in  Clark  County,  Mrs,  Lind- 
ley was  the  oldest  of  four  children  bom  to 
her  parents,  Cyrus  Lindley  was  the  third  in 
a  family  of  thirteen  children,  nine  of  whom 
are  still  living.  His  youth  was  spent  upon 
the  farm,  gaining  the  rudiments  of  an  educa- 
tion at  the  common  schools  during  the  less 
busy  seasons.  In  his  twenty-eighth  year,  he 
left  home  and  engaged  in  farming  on  his  own 
account,  locating  two  miles  north  of  his  pres- 
ent residence.  In  1877,  he  removed  to  his  pres- 
ent fai-m  containing  100  acres.  March  30, 1875, 
he  married  Miss  Amanda  Bishop,  a  native  of 
Crawford  County.  She  is  a  daughter  of 
Ezekiel  and  Rebecca  (Musgrave)  Bishop,  both 
natives  of  North  Caroliua.  Her  father  was 
born  in  1816,  came  to  Crawford  County  about 
1833,  and  is  now  residing  in  Robinson.  Her 
mother  was  born  in  1815,  and  died  in  Janu- 
ary, 1880.  To  Cyrus  and  Amanda  (Bishop) 
Lindley  have  been  born  three  children — Les- 
lie,^Irma  and  011a.  Mrs.  Lindley  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Universalist  Church.  Mr.  Lind- 
ley is  an  active  member  of  the  Masonic  Lodge, 
No.  313,  located  at  York,  and  a  prominent 
Republican  in  politics. 


283 


BIOGRAPEIICAL,: 


J.  M.  McNTTT,  lumber  dealer,  Hutson- 
vilie,  III.,  is  a  native  of  Harrison  County, 
Ohio,  and  a  son  of  Joseph  and  Nancy  (Yates) 
McNutt.  Joseph  McNutt  was  born  in  York 
County,  Penn. ,  July  13, 1798.  He  was  brought 
to  Harrison  County,  Ohio,  in  1808,  where  he 
remained  until  1846,  when  he  removed  to 
Guernsey  County,  Ohio,  and  there  died  July 
21,  1870.  He  was  a  farmer.  His  father 
and  grandfather  of  our  subject  was  James 
McNutt,  a  native  of  Ireland,  who  emigrated 
to  America  just  after  the  close  of  the  Revolu- 
tionary war.  The  mother  of  our  subject 
was  born  in  Berkeley  County,  Va.,  December 
4,  1808,  and  died  in  Guernsey  County, 
Ohio,  November  24, 1851.  She  was  the  mother 
of  eight  children,  of  whom  our  subject  was  the 
fifth  child.  Hewasborn  January  18,  1844.  At 
two  years  of  age,  he  was  removed  to  Guernsey 
County,  Ohio,  and  there  spent  his  early  life 
assisting  in  tilling  the  soil  of  his  father's 
farm  and  receiving  such  an  education  as  the 
conunon^  schools  afforded.  In  1862,  he  en- 
tered the  last  rebellion,  serving  in  Company  A, 
of  the  Seventy-eighth,  Ohio  Volunteers.  He 
served  three  years,  was  mustered  out  in  June, 
1865.  From  Stephenson's  History  we  take  the 
following:  "  The  men  of  Company  A,  never 
came  out  second  best  in  anj'thing — in  cool 
ness,  courage,  discipline,  facility  and  rapidity 
of  military  movements  and  combinations,  and 
eveiy  attainment,  had  few  requests  to  make, 
no  faults  to  find;  as  good  soldiers  they  could 
not  be  excelled.  For  reliability,  faithful- 
ness in  every  duty,  quiet  submission  to  all 
orders,integrity,and  consistent  Christian  char- 
acter, the  company  could  not  be  surpassed. " 
After  the  war,  Mr.  McNutt  engaged  in  raising 
sheep  for  two  years.  In  the  fall  of  1866, 
bought  an  interest  in  a  saw  mill,  and  in  the 
spring  of  1867  removed  it  to  Lawrence 
County,  Ind. ,  and  subsequently  to  Owen 
County,  Ind.,  in  the  fall  of    the  same  year. 


where  he  engaged  in  the  mill  business  until 
September,  1871,  when  he  entered  the  employ 
of  Samuel  McKeen.  at  Terre  Haute,  acting  as 
yard  man  in  the  lumber  yard,  and  in  1875 
his  employer  gave  him  exclusive  control  of  a 
yard  at  Hutsonville.  In  1880,  he  bought  out 
the  interest  of  AIcKeen  and  is  now  rmming  a 
large  and  lucrative  business  under  the  firm 
name  of  J.  M.  McNutt  &  Co.  In  Owen 
County,  Ind.,  in  1873  he  married  Miss  Lucy 
A.  Agee,  who  died  February  24,  1877,  leav- 
ing one  child  as  the  result  of  their  union, 
viz.,  Willie  T.  In  Hutsonville,  March  21, 
1878,  he  married  a  second  time  Miss  Sarah 
Hurst,  who  has  borne  him  one  child,  viz. , 
Bruce  O.  Mr.  McNutt  is  Junior  Warden  of 
the  Masonic  lodge  of  which  he  is  a  member. 
Politically,  is  a  Republican. 

H.  MEGEATH,  M.  D.,  Postmaster  of  West 
York,  is  descended  from  a  family  of  Scotch- 
Irish  origin.  His  father,  James  Megeath,  was 
born  in  Loudovm  County,  Va.,  November 
14,  1809,  and  came  to  Clark  County,  111., 
with  his  parents  when  a  lad.  After  serving 
his  minority  upon  the  farm  and  getting  in 
the  meanwhile  such  education  as  the  schools 
of  the  period  afforded,  he  engaged  with  his 
brother,  John,  in  the  mixed  business  of 
farming,  flat-boating  and  merchandising. 
In  1854,  he  removed  to  Charleston,  in  this 
State,  where  he  engaged  in  mercantile  per- 
suits  exclusively,  continuing  the  business 
until  his  death  on  July  31,  1871.  He  was 
married  November  1,  1836,  in  Coles  County, 
111.,  to  Cynthia  Craig,  who  was  born  April 
30,  1813,  in  Bracken  County,  Ky.  She  died 
March  30,  1875.  Dr.  Megeath  is  the  young- 
est of  three  children  born  to  his  parents.  He 
is  a  native  of  Clark  County,  where  he  was 
born  January  1,  1845.  He  was  little  more 
than  nine  years  old  when  the  family  moved 
to  Charleston,  and  very  soon  began  attending 
the  academy  at  that  town;  at  the  age  of  six- 


HUTSONVILLE    TOWNSHIP. 


283 


teen,  he  began  the  study  of  medicine  with 
Drs.   Allen    and    Van  Meter,   of   Charleston. 
After  studying  with  them  for  some  five  years, 
he  entered,  in  1865,  the  Eush  Medical  Col- 
lege in  Chicago,  entering  upon  the  practice 
of  his  profession  a  year  later  at  Olney,  111. 
Here  he  formed  a  partnership  with  Dr.  Center, 
now  a  professor  of    the  Evansville  Medical 
College,  until  1868,  when  he  removed  to  St. 
Marie,  Jasper  County,  111.     From  thence  he 
went  to  Dundas,  and  later  to  Hardinsville, 
in  Crawford  County,  111.     At  the  latter  place, 
he  entered  into  partnership  with  F.  K.  Wal- 
ler, but   in   1877    he   again   removed    to   his 
present    location    at    West   York.       At   this 
place  Dr.  Megeath  took  an  active  part  in  the 
general  business  of  the  place,  erecting  several 
houses  and  subsequently  disposing  of  them. 
In  December,  1881.  he  erected  a  large  two- 
story  building,  designed   for   a  residence  in 
the  upper  story,  and  a  store  room  and  ofiice 
below.     In  the  following  spring  he  entered 
the    mercantile  business,    at  the    same  time 
receiving  the  appointment  as  Postmaster  and 
Notary  Public.      Since  then  the  business  has 
rapidly  increased,  and  he  is  now  fitting  up 
facilities  for  a  large  stock  of  goods,  and  con- 
siderable extension  of   his   trade.     Mr.  Me- 
geath is  a  member  of  the  Star  Lodge,  No.  419, 
of   Independent   Order   of   Odd   Fellows,  at 
York. 

JOHN  L.  MOUNT,  farmer,  P.  O.  West 
York,  is  a  native  of  Clark  County,  111.,  born 
February  26,  1838,  to  John  L.  andTamar 
(Megeath)  Mount.  His  father  was  a  farmer, 
born  in  Jefferson  County.  Ind.,  in  1807,  and 
died  in  his  native  county  in  October,  1837. 
His  mother  was  born  in  Loudoun  County, 
Va.,  in  September,  1812.  She  was  brought 
to  Clark  County  by  her  parents,  in  1818,  and 
is  now  residing  in  Marshall,  111.  Of  the 
three  children  bom  to  them  John  L.  Mount 
was  the  youngest  child.     His  early  life  was 


spent  at  home,  assisting  in  tilling  the  soil  of 
the  home  farm,  and  receiving  such  an  educa- 
tion as  could  be   obtained  from  the  common 
schools.     AiTiving   at  his  majority  he  began 
farming  for  himself.       In   1862,   he  bought 
his  first  land,  a  farm  of  160  acres,  located  in 
York  Township,  Clark  County.    He  remained 
on  this  farm  for  five  years,  and  in  18(37  mar- 
ried, and  removed  to  Hutsonville  Township, 
Crawford  County,    on  a   farm  he  had  bought 
of  his  father-in-law      In   1872,  he  sold  this 
farm   and  bought  the  farm  now  owned  by 
R.   W.   Kennedy,   three  miles   northwest  of 
Hutsonville.      In  November,  1881,  he  sold  his 
farm,  and  removed  to  West  York,  where  he 
has  since  been  engaged  in  managing  and  im- 
proving a  500-acre  farm  for  his  nephew,  John 
R.  Fitch.  Mr.  Mount  being  his  guardian.   In 
Crawford  County,  July  16,  1867,  Mr.  Mount 
married  Mi.ss  Percilla  Bishop,    a   native   of 
the  same    county.      She    is    a    daughter   of 
Ezekiel  and  Rebecca  (Musgrave)  Bishop.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Mount  have  the  following  ehildi-en: 
Edward,   Jonathan,  Tamar  and  Martha.   Mr. 
Mount  is  a  practical  farmer,  and  well  worthy 
of    the  high   esteem  of    the  community    in 
which  he  lives.     Politically,  he  is  a  Repub- 
can,  and  cast  his  first  vote  for  Abraham  Lin- 
coln. 

WILLIAM  MUSGRAVE,  farmer,  P.  O. 
Hutsonville  Among  the  old  settlers  of  Craw- 
ford County,  none  are  more  worthy  of  men- 
tion in  this  histoiy  than  William  Musgrave, 
the  subject  of  this  sketch.  He  is  a  native  of 
Wayne  County,  N.  C,  born  February  8,  1816. 
His  father,  John  Musgrave,  was  a  native  of 
North  Carolina,  born  in  1758,  and  died  in 
April,  1824.  His  mother.  Charity  Cox,  was 
also  a  native  of  North  Carolina,  born  in  1774, 
and  died  in  June,  1824.  Of  the  seven  chil- 
I  drenborn  to  them,  William  was  the  youngest 
I  son  and  sixth  child.  He  was  left  an  orphan 
at  eight  years  of  age;  was  brought  to  Illinois 


284 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


by  his  brothers  Josiah  and  John,  who  located 
in  Union  County.  William  made  his  home 
in  Union  County  with  his  brother  Caleb, 
who  had  come  to  the  county  about  four  years 
previous  to  his  brothers.  In  1833.  William 
accompanied  his  brother  John  to  Crawford 
County,  and  worked  one  year  with  him  at 
carpentering.  In  1834,  he  married,  and  com- 
menced farming  on  his  present  farm,  which 
had  been  improved  by  John  Snipes.  Here 
he  has  since  remained  and  succeeded  in  gain- 
ing a  good  property;  and  at  one  time  owned 
about  500  acres  of  land,  which  he  divided 
among  his  children,  only  reserving  the  old 
homestead  and  about  fifty  acres.  In  June, 
1881,  Mr.  Musgi-ave  met  with  a  serious  acci- 
dent, while  reaping,  which  caused  him  to 
lose  the  use  of  one  arm  by  having  his  elbow 
cut,  by  being  thrown  in  contact  with  the 
knives  of  the  machine.  Mi-.  Musgrave  was 
married,  in  183-1,  to  Miss  Eliza  Ann  Cox,  a 
native  of  Greene  County,  N.  C,  born  January 
17,  1816.  She  has  borne  him  nine  children, 
of  wliom  five  are  now  living,  viz. :  Sally 
Ann,  Anna  M. ,  Jonathan  K. ,  George  A.  and 
Harriet.  He  and  wife  are  members  of  the 
Universalist  Church.  In  politics,  he  is  a 
Republican. 

SARGENT  NEWLIN,  farmer,  P.  O.  Hut- 
sonville,  was  born  in  Crawford  County,  111., 
February  5,  1823.  His  father,  John  New- 
lin,  was  born  in  North  Carolina,  where  he 
was  raised  on  a  farm,  educated,  and  married. 
In  1815,  he,  with  his  family  and  the  Hill 
family,  emigrated  to  Indiana  and  settled  in 
Sullivan  County,  and  in  1818  came  to  Craw- 
ford County.  He  entered  200  acres  of  land 
in  Section  28,  of  Hutsonville  Township,  and 
afterward  bought  120  acres.  He  was  among 
the  first  settlers  of  Crawford  County.  He 
died.  His  wife,  and  the  mother  of  our  sub- 
ject, was  Jane  (Hill)  Nevs-lin,  born  in  North 
Carolina,  and  died  in  Crawford  County.  She 


was  the  mother  of  eight  childi-en,  of  whom 
the  following  are  now  living:  Malinda,  Will- 
iam H.,  Dinah,  Sargent,  Eachael  and  Charles. 
Sargent  Newlin  was  raised  on  a  farm  and  ed- 
ucated from  the  subscription  schools.  At 
twenty-one  years  of  age,  he  married,  and  em- 
barked on  his  career  in  life  as  a  farmer.  He 
was  given  eighty  acres  of  unimproved  land 
by  his  father,  and  has  since  added  to  it  until 
now  his  farm  contains  317  acres.  December 
22,  1842,  he  married  Miss  Jane  Lackey,  a 
native  of  Bourbon  County,  Ky. ,  born  in 
1826.  She  has  borne  him  the  following 
children:  Anna  M.,  John  T.  and  Rose  E. 
Politically,  Mr.  Newlin  is  a  Democrat,  and  has 
served  the  township  as  Supervisor. 

CYRUS  NEWLIN,  farmer,  P.  O.  Hut.son- 
ville.  was  born  one  half  mile  from  his  pres- 
ent residence,  in  Crawford  County,  111. ,  June 
3,   1825,  to  James   and   Elizabeth   (Simons) 
Newlin.      His    father    was    born    in  Orange 
County,  N.    C,    December  4,  1781,  where  he 
was  raised,  educated  and  married.     In  1818, 
he  emigrated   to  Crawford  County,  111.,  en- 
tered 480  acres  of  land,  where  Cyrus  now  re- 
sides.    His  occupation  was  that  of  a  farmer, 
and  he  continued  the  same  until  he  died  in 
1852.     He  was  a  son  of  John  Newlin.  a  na- 
tive of  North  Carolina.      The  mother  of  our 
subject  was  born  in  Orange   County,  N.  C, 
and  died  in  Crawford  Couuty,  111.,  in  1850. 
They  were  the  parents  of   ten  children,    of 
whom    eight    lived    to  be  grown — all    boys, 
Cyrus  being  the  youngest.    He  was  raised  on 
the  farm,  and  educated  from  the  subscri)  tion 
schools  of  his  native  county.     At  twenty -one 
years  of  age  he   married,  and  remained  with 
his   parents  until    foiu'  years   later,  in  1850, 
when  he  went  to  California  and  engaged  in 
mining  and  merchandising  for  one  year.     In 
1851,     he    retm-ned    to    Crawford    County, 
bought  IfiO  acres  of  land,  and  began  farming 
where  he  now  resides.     In  1 862,  he  went  to  . 


HUTSONVILLE   TOWNSHIP. 


285 


Chicago,  and  visited  the  Northern  part  of  Ill- 
inois. In  1872,  he  went  to  Colorado,  where 
he  remained  about  two  months,  visiting  Den- 
ver City,  Central  City,  in  the  mountains, 
Colorado  Springs  and  Pueblo.  Mr.  Newlin 
has  made  this  trip  and  many  others  for  the 
improvement  of  his  health.  Since  1850, 
Mr.  Newlin  has  been  extensively  engaged  in 
raising  and  trading  in  stock,  finding  market 
for  the  same  at  home.  In  his  farming  and 
business  transactions,  he  has  met  with  success, 
and  is  now  the  owner  of  400  acres  of  land. 
In  March,  1846,  he  married  Miss  Eliza  Ann 
Hill,  a  native  of  Crawford  County,  born  Sep- 
tember 12,  1825.  She  is  a  daughter  of  John 
A.  and  Sarah  (Barbee)  Hill.  He  was  a  na- 
tive of  Orange  County,  N.  C,  born  in  1801, 
emigrated  to  Crawford  County  in  1818,  and 
engaged  in  farming  to  the  time  of  his  death 
which  occm-red  in  1834.  She  was  born  in 
Shelby  County,  Ky.,  in  1801,  and  died  at 
Palestine,  in  Crawford  County,  in  1855.  She 
was  brought  to  the  county  by  her  parents  in 
1819,  who  settled  near  Palestine.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Newlin  have  been  blessed  with  three 
childi'en,  of  whom  two  are  now  living:  Olive, 
wife  of  Simpson  Cox,  and  Lucetta,  wife  of 
Leroy  Chambers. 

ANDREW  NEWLIN,  farmer  and  stock- 
dealer,  P.  O.  Hutsonville,  was  bom  in  Craw- 
ford County,  111.,  Jiuie  25,  1829,  the  young- 
est sou  of  William  and  Kaehel  (Hill)  New- 
lin. The  father  was  a  native  of  North  Car- 
olina, and  was  a  son  of  Tliom;  a  Newlin,  of 
Irish  descent.  The  mother  of  our  subject 
was  also  a  native  of  North  Carolina,  and 
died  in  August,  1833,  her  husband  following 
her  about  five  years  later.  The  parents  were 
blessed  with  six  children — four  sons  and  two 
daughters.  The  advantages  of  a  good  edu- 
cation were  not  accorded  our  subject,  a  lim- 
ited attendance  in  the  old  subscription 
schools  of    the  county  having   to    sufiiee    in 


this  direction.     His  early   life  was  given  to 
farming  pursuits,  and   he  has  since  turned 
his  attention  to  no  other  business.     He  was 
married,    April    8,  1852.  in   this    county,  to 
Mary  Holmes,  born  August  23,  1830,  in  Lick- 
ing County,  Ohio,  a  daughter   of  Reuben  A. 
and  Barbara  (Hockman)  Holmes,  natives    of 
Shenandoah   County,    Va.      The   father  died 
in  this  coixnty  in  December,  1853,  aged  fifty- 
six  years  in  the  previous  August.     The  moth- 
er died  in  Ohio,  in  April,  1832.     They  were 
the  parents  of  six  children.      The  father  was 
man'ied   a    secoad    time,    the    union    being 
blessed   with  nine  childi'en.     Mr.   and   Mrs. 
Newlin   are  the   parents   of   ten   children — 
Albert,    born   Februaiy   14,    1853;  Amanda. 
May   22,   1855;    Laura,    February    7,   1857; 
Allen,   October   31,   1858;  Adaline,  April  9, 
1860;  Stephen  D.,  May  4.    1862;    Lawrence, 
June  28,  1864;  Ira,  June  29,  1868;  an  infant, 
died   March   20,    1871,    and    Clinton,    born 
September  27,  1872      Our  subject's   present 
farm  property  consists  of  2.396  acres  of  land, 
all  of  which  lies    in   Hutsonville   Township, 
with  the  exception  of  sixty  acres,  which  is  in 
Clark  County.      He  started    in  life  with  but 
$150,  which  his    father   left   him,   and   the 
manner  whereby  was  gained  the  vast  differ- 
ence  between   these   figui-es    and    the    ones 
which  represent  his  present  fortune,  is  worthy 
of  the  studious  emulation  of  all.      The  affairs 
of  his  place  have  been  conducted  under  the 
immediate  supervision  of  a  master  mind,  and 
his  present  ownings  are  the  direct   result  of 
his  own  tact,  industry  and  perseverance.    He 
has  served  his  township  as  Supervisor  for  a 
period  of    three   years,  and    has    also   filled 
many  other  minor  ofiices.     In  politics,  he  ad- 
heres to  the  principles  of  Democracy. 

C.  V.  NEWTON,  merchant,  Hutsonville, 
was  born  April  20,  1851,  in  Trumbull  Coun- 
ty, Ohio.  His  father,  Lemuel  Newton,  was 
a  native  of  the  same  county,  where  he  spent 


286 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


his  boyhood  at  the  common  schools  and  upon 
the  farm.  Arrived  at  his  majority,  he  en- 
gaged in  dairying  and  farming  on  his  own 
account,  until  the  close  of  the  war.  In  1865) 
he  removed  to  Oberlin,  Ohio,  for  the  purpose 
of  educating  his  children,  where  he  died  after 
a  residence  of  three  or  four  months.  His 
wife,  Josephine  A.  (Gager  )Newton,  and  three 
children  survived  him.  Mrs.  Newton  was 
born  in  1830,  at  Norwich,  Conn.,  of  a  family 
prominently  identified  with  the  eai-ly  history 
of  that  State.  On  the  death  of  her  husband, 
she  still  remained  at  Oberlin  to  continue  the 
plan  of  educating  their  three  children — all 
sons.  Thomas,  the  oldest,  entered  college 
and  graduated  with  the  class  of  1871,  subse- 
quently engaging  in  the  sewing-machine  bus- 
iness, in  Cleveland,  Ohio.  Warren,  the 
second  son,  is  dead.  Charles  V.,  the  young- 
est of  the  family,  was  fifteen  years  of  age 
when  he  came  to  Oberlin  with  his  parents. 
After  studying  two  years,  he  engaged  in 
teaching  two  terms,  and  in  the  following  year 
entered  the  telegraph  school  at  Oberlin. 
Completing  his  course  some  eight  months 
later,  he  followed  the  business  of  telegraph- 
ing in  the  service  of  the  Western  Union  and 
railroad  companies,  and  in  1872  came  to 
Danville,  111.,  continuing  in  this  business 
until  1875,  when  he  came  to  Hutsonville  and 
engaged  with  the  Wabash  Railroad  and  the 
Adams  and  Pacific  Express  Companies  as 
agent,  a  jiosition  he  still  holds.  In  1879,  in 
company  with  Mr.  Rackerby,  he  bought  out 
the  drug  business  of  Dr.  Golden,  where  he  is 
now  doing  a  large  and  increasing  business. 
In  1873,  Mr.  Newton  married  Miss  Irene  How- 
ell, a  resident  of  Danville,  but  a  native  of 
New  Jersey.  They  have  two  children,  Ber- 
nard and  Josephine.  Mr.  Newton  is  an  active 
member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity  and  of  the 
Knights  of  Honor.  He  has  served  the  village 
as  Town  Clerk,  and  is  now  President  of  the 
Town  Board. 


JOHN  OLWIN,  merchant,  Hutsonville,  is 
a  native  of  Montgomery  County,  Ohio,  born 
December  5,  1838,  to  David  and  Nancy 
(Grabill)  Olwin.  His  father  was  born  in 
Pennsylvania  about  1812,  but  was  raised  and 
educated  in  Montgomery  County,  Ohio,  after 
he  arrived  at  his  majority,  he  taught  school 
for  sixteen  years,  and  afterward  engaged  in 
agricultural  pursuits  until  he  died  in  1875. 
He  was  of  German  descent  and  a  son  of 
Anthony  Olwin,  a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  a 
soldier  of  the  Revolutionary  war.  The 
mother  of  our  subject  was  born  in  Virginia, 
and  died  in  1851,  aged  thirty-five  years.  Her 
ancestry  was  also  of  German  descent.  She 
was  the  mother  of  nine  children,  of  whom 
John  Olwin  was  the  third  child  born.  He 
was  principally  raised  in  Darke  County,  Ohio, 
and  had  but  a  limited  common  school  educa- 
tion. At  twenty-one  years  of  age,  he  left  his 
home  and  embarked  on  the  rugged  pathway 
of  life  as  a  farm  hand,  working  for  small 
wages.  At  twenty-three  he  enlisted  in  the 
Fourty-fourth  Ohio  Infantry,  under  com- 
mand of  Col.  Gilbert,  and  was  in  about 
twenty  battles,  among  the  largest  was  the 
charge  of  Greenville,  Tenn.  He  was 
taken  prisoner  at  the  Cumberland  Mount- 
ains, Tenn.,  while  on  a  retreat,  and  con- 
fined in  the  Libby  Prison  for  about  a 
month,  when  he  was  exchanged.  He  entered 
the  war  April  23,  1802,  and  was  mustered 
out  Jime  4,  1865.  After  the  war,  he  returned 
to  his  home,  made  his  parents  a  short  visit, 
and  then  located  in  Hutsonville  and  engaged 
in  the  furniture  business  in  company  with 
Fred  Earnest.  After  six  months,  he  sold  out 
the  business  to  J.  A.  Parker,  and  entered  his 
employ  as  clerk  for  one  year.  The  follow- 
ing year,  he  joined  the  partnership  of  J.  R. 
Hurst  &  Co.  He  has  been  connected  with 
this  firm  for  fifteen  years,  and  at  the  present 
time  is  at  the  head  of  the  firm,  and  takes 


HUTSONVILLE    TOWNSHIP. 


289 


upon  himself  the  general  management  of  the 
difterent  stores  and  grain  business.  He  was 
married  October  6,  1866,  to  Miss  Eebecca  F. 
Hurst  who  has  borne  him  the  following  chil- 
dren, viz.:  Charley  H.,  Lola  M.,  Georgia 
E.,  Oceola,  Fredie  B.  and  Birdie  Garfield, 
llr.  Hurst  has  removed  his  family  to  Paris, 
Ills.,  where  his  children  can  receive  the 
benefit  of  its  superior  schools.  Mr.  Olwin  is 
an  active  worker  in  the  orders  A.,  F.  &  A. 
M.  and  K.  of  H. ;  he  is  Senior  Warden  of  the 
former  and  Treasurer  of  the  latter.  He  has 
served  the  town  as  School  Director,  Trustee  of 
the  town  for  five  years,  and  Township  Treas- 
urer for  seven  years.  Politically,  is  a  Repub- 
lican, aijd  he  and  wife  are  members  of  the 
Christian  Church.  Mr.  Olwin  is  a  member 
of  the  community  whose  loss  would  be  deep- 
ly felt,  and  is  now  enjoying  the  fruits  of  a 
well-established  business,  which  is  wholly  the 
results  of  his  own  energy,  industry  and  good 
financiering. 

L.  B.  PEAKCE,  retired  farmer,  Hutson- 
ville,  was  born  September  18,  1810,  in 
Champaign  County,  Ohio;  is  the  son  of  John 
and  Elizabeth  (Stewart)  Pearce,  natives,  the 
former  of  the  State  of  New  York  and  the 
latter  of  Maryland,  and  the  parents  of  eight 
children,  four  of  whom  are  living,  Joseph, 
L.  B.,  Lewis  and  John.  The  parent  are  de- 
ceased, the  fathei^was  in  the  war  of  1812;  he 
and  consort  were  members  of  the  Methodist 
Church.  L.  B.  experienced  the  scenes  that 
made  up  the  life  of  the  early  country  school 
boy,  in  the  time  of  log  cabins,  slab  seats, 
puncheon  floors,  greased  paper  for  window 
lights.  His  father's  avocation  being  that  of 
a  farmer,  he  of  com'se  was  employed  the 
greater  portion  of  the  time  in  rural  ptu-suits. 
Before  entering  farm  life  for  himself,  he  en- 
gaged in  the  construction  of  some  saw  and 
grist  mills,  at  the  present  site  of  the  city  of 
Logansport,  Ind.      These    mills    were  erect- 


ed for  the  Pottawatomie  Indians,  under 
the  supervision  of  Gen.  Tipton.  Our 
subject  began  farming  for  his  own  benefit  on 
the  Shawnee  plains.  Fountain  County,  Ind.. 
and  two  years  later  he  bought  land  in  War- 
ren County,  the  same  State.  Three  years 
were  spent  here,  after  which  he  moved  to  the 
Kankakee  "  marshes,"  near  Lake  Michigan, 
in  Indiana,  where  he  remained  but  one  year 
and  retm-ned  to  Warren  County.  He  soon 
after  sold  out  and  bought,  herded  and  sold 
cattle  in  Benton  County,  Ind.,  at  which  he 
was  successful.  He  entered  the  dry  goods 
business  at  Independence,  the  same  State,  for 
awhile,  and  then,  in  1851,  settled  on  the  La- 
Motte  Prairie,  Crawford  Coimty,  111.,  and 
subsequently  engaged  in  the  mercantile  busi- 
ness at  Hutsonville,  under  the  firm  name  of 
Pearce  &  Neely.  In  three  years,  the  fu-m 
sold  to  John  Merrick,  and  Mr.  Pearce  again 
entered  farm  life  for  a  few  years  and  then 
traded  his  farm  to  John  Merrick  and  re- 
sumed the  dry  goods  business  for  awhile  at 
Hutsonville.  In  1861,  he  sold  his  business 
and  engaged  in  carrying  soldiers  to  and  from 
Sumner,  a.  point  on  the  O.  &  M.  Railroad. 
At  the  close  of  the  war,  he  bought  a  farm 
and  owns  the  same  yet.  He  settled  in  Hut- 
sonville in  1863.  Was  married,  1830,  to 
Anna  Hurley,  a  daughter  of  Zadock  and 
Lillus  (Campbell)  Hurley,  natives,  the  father 
of  Maryland  and  the  mother  of  South  Car- 
olina. Her  parents  died  in  Warren  County, 
Ind.,  and  were  blessed  with  eleven  children, 
two  of  whom  survive,  Anna  and  Elizabeth. 
Her  father  was  in  the  war  of  1812.  Her 
parents  were  Methodists.  Mr.  P.  was  blessed 
with  eight  children  as  the  result  of  his  . 
union;  two  of  whom  are  living,  Zadock  and 
John.  His  wife  is  a  Methodist,  while  he  be- 
longs to  the  Universalist  Church.  He  has 
served  in  some  small  offices.  Has  been  a 
stanch  Republican  since  the  l)red  Scott  De- 

Q 


290 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


cision;  has  always  been  a  temperance  man. 
His  son  John  was  born  January  13.  1835,  in 
Fountain  County,  Ind.  He  was  educated 
in  the  country  schools.  He  was  with  his 
parents  until  reaching  his  majority.  He  en 
gaged  for  awhile  with  his  father  in  the 
mercantile  business  at  Hutsonville.  He  was 
in  the  employ  of  Parker  in  the  furniture 
factory  some  time.  On  June  14,  1863,  he 
married  Mary  J.  Willard,  a  native  of  Craw- 
ford County,  being  born  here  February  9, 
1843;  is  a  daughter  of  Charles  and  Lucy  M. 
(Fulton)  Willard,  natives  of  this  borough. 
He  began  farming  soon  after  marriage,  and 
in  1869  he  settled  on  bis  present  farm  of  220 
acres,  in  which  he  makes  a  specialty  of  grain. 
He  and  wife  are  members  of  the  La  Motte 
Union  Association.  He  is  a  Eeijublican. 
His  union  resulted  in  several  children,  six  of 
whom  survive,  viz.:  Claudia,  Mattie,  Fred 
W.,  Edward,  Charley,  Lucy  Ann  and  John 
B.  Mr.  P.  has  always  contributed  liberally 
to  benevolent  institutions. 

WILLIAM  PREVO,  farmer  and  grain 
dealer.  West  York.  This  gentleman  is  a 
native  of  Clark  County,  111.,  born  February 
25,  1839,  to  William  and  Setha  (Bell)  Prevo. 
His  father  was  a  farmer,  born  in  North  Cai- 
olina,  in  the  year  ISOO,  and  brought  to  Clark 
County,  111.,  by  his  parents  in  1814.  Here 
he  was  principally  raised  and  educated.  He 
died  in  Januaiy,  1867.  His  mother  was  born 
in  Clark  County,  111.,  and  died  in  the  same 
county  in  1867,  aged  forty-seven  years. 
They  were  the  parents  of  seven  children. 
William  was  the  second  child  born  to  them. 
His  early  life  was  spent  at  home  assisting  in 
tilling  the  soil  of  his  father's  farm  and  re- 
ceiving such  an  education  as  the  common 
schools  afforded.  When  he  was  twenty-five 
years  of  age,  he  left  his  home  and  began 
farming  for  himself  in  his  native  county,  and 
continued    the    same    until    1866,    when    he 


moved  to  Hutsonville,  and  engaged  in  a  mill 
for  about  two  years.  In  1868,  he  returned  to 
his  native  county,  and  again  engaged  in 
farming,  and  in  1877  he  removed  to  his 
present  residence  at  West  York,  and  has 
since  been  engaged  in  buying  and  shipping 
grain  in  connection  with  the  duties  of  his 
farm.  Mr.  Prevo  was  married  September  24, 
1862,  to  Miss  Penina  Willard,  a  native  of 
Clark  County,  111. ,  born  October  4,  1835,  to 
Exum  and  Lucinda  (Claypool)  Willard. 
Mr.  Willard  was  born  in  North  Carolina  Oc- 
tober 4,  1808;  came  to  Clark  County,  111., 
in  1814  and  engaged  in  farming  until  he 
died  in  1867.  Mrs.  Willard  was  born  in 
Muskingum  County,  Ohio,  Fpbruai-y9,  1812, 
and  is  now  residing  with  oiu-  subject.  She 
came  to  Clark  County  in  1828.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Prevo  have  two  children — Katie  and  Anna 
L.     Politically,  Mi-.  Prevo  is  Democratic. 

M.  P.  RACKERBY,  Postmaster  and  di'ug- 
gist,  Hutsonville.  This  gentleman  is  a 
native  of  Princeton,  Caldwell  County,  Ky,, 
born  December  30,  1846.  He  was  educated 
from  the  High  Schools  of  Dubuque,  Iowa, 
where  he  took  a  complete  English  course  ;  at 
twenty-one  years  of  age,  he  left  his  home  and 
embarked  on  his  life's  career,  engaging  in 
the  drug  business  at  Hutsonville,  111.  ;  in 
1873,  he  sold  his  stock  of  goods  and  went  to 
Lincoln  County.  Kan. ,  where  he  engaged  in 
a  general  merchandising  business  ;  in  1875, 
he  returned  to  Hutsonville  and  again  en- 
gaged in  the  drug  business  ;  in  1877.  he  re- 
moved to  Ellsworth  County,  Kan.,  and  en- 
gaged in  agricultural  piu'suits;  in  1879,  he 
again  returned  to  Hutsonville,  where  he  has 
since  remained  engaged  in  the  di-ug  business 
with  Mr.  C.  V.  Newton  ;  they  are  also  inter- 
ested in  the  "Hutson  Mill."  Mr.  Kacker- 
by  was  appointed  Postmaster  in  1878,  which 
office  he  is  now  tilling.  He  was  married 
October    17,    1873,   to    Miss    Anna    L.    Mc- 


HUTSONVILLE    TOWNSHIP. 


201 


Cutcheon,  a  native  of  Indiana,  and  a  daugh- 
ter of  Samuel  and  Pine  McCutcheon.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  R.  have  one  child — Louisa  Maud, 
who  is  attending  school  at  Hutsonville.  Mr. 
llackerby  enjoys  the  highest  esteem  of  the 
community  in  which  he  lives  ;  is  a  member 
of  the  orders  A.,  F.  &  A.  M.  and  K.  of  H.,  and 
an  active  worker  of  the  order.  In  politics,  is 
a  Republican.  John  H.  Rackerby,  the  father 
of  our  subject,  was  born  in  Virginia  Febru- 
ary 28,  1799,  was  brought  to  Kentucky  by 
his  mother  and  brother;  here  he  married,  and 
in  1856  removed  to  Gi*ant  County,  Wis.;  in 
1859,  to  Dubuque,  Iowa ;  in  1872,  to  Pearce 
City,  Mo.,  where  he  is  now  living  a  retired 
life,  enjoying  the  fi-uits  of  his  past  labors. 
The  mother  of  our  subject  was  Georgiana 
Dudley,  born  near  Bowling  Green,  Ky.,  in 
1812;  she  is  now  living.  They  have  ten 
children  living,  live  boys  and  five  girls. 
John  H.  Rackerby  was  a  very  prominent 
man  of  Kentucky,  and  in  his  younger  days 
held  many  I'esponsible  positions  and  many  of 
the  county  offices. 

'  SIMPSON  RMNS,  farmer,  P.  O.  Hutson- 
ville, born  in  Crawford  County,  111.,  Septem- 
ber 6,  1829.  His  father,  Ambrose  B.  Rains, 
was  born,  raised  and  educated  in  Wayne  Coun- 
ty, N.  C.  He  emigrated  to  Illinr.is  in  a  very 
early  day,  locating  in  Union  County,  and 
subsequently  to  Crawford  County  in  1827. 
He  settled  on  the  farm  now  owned  by  our 
subject.  He  died  February  22,  ISfiO.  aged 
_gixty  years.  His  grandfather  was  a  soldier 
of  the  Revolutionary  war.  The  mother  of 
'our  subject  was  Charlotte  Cox,  a  native  of 
near  Goldsboro,  N.  C.  She  was  brought  to 
Illinois  by  her  parents  in  an  early  day,  who 
settled  in  Union  County.  She  died  June  1, 
1850,  aged  forty-five  years  one  month  and 
fourteen  days.  Of  the  eleven  children  born 
to  them,  four  are  now  living,  viz.,  Simpson, 
Nancy      (John)     Kaufman,    Lafayette     and 


Henrj'.  Simpson  Rains  was  raised  on  the 
I  farm,  and  educated  from  the  subscription 
schools,  common  in  his  day.  When  he  was 
I  twenty-four  years  of  age,  he  left  bis  home 
imd  embarked  on  his  career  in  life  as  a  farm- 
er. He  then  bought  sixty  acres  of  land,  and 
though  he  was  compelled  to  go  in  debt  for  it 
and  pay  ten  per  cent  interest  on  the  princi- 
pal, he  managed  to  struggle  through  and 
prosper,  and  in  a  few  years  to  make  an  addi- 
tion of  forty  acres  to  his  farm,  which  was 
located  in  Section  16,  Hutsonville  Town- 
ship. In  1864,  he  sold  his  farm  and  re- 
moved to  the  old  homestead  farm,  buying  302 
acres  of  the  other  heirs.  He  continued  to 
add  to  this  until  his  farm  contained  432 
acres.  He  has  deeded  forty  acres  of  this  to 
his  oldest  son.  In  1853,  he  married  Miss 
Nancy  Jane  Lindhfy,  a  native  of  Crawford 
County,  born  June  22,  1884.  She  is  a 
daughter  of  Owen  and  Hannah  Lindley,  na- 
tives of  Indiana.  Mr.  and  ]Mrs.  Rains  have 
the  following  children:  Edward.  Morton, 
Clarissa,  Mary,  Emma,  George,  Louisa, 
Nancy  and  Fanny,  twins,  and  Ellen.  He 
and  wife  are  religiously  connected  with  the 
Universalist  Church.  Politically,  he  is  a 
Republican.  He  has  served  the  people  as 
School  Director  for  about  twenty  yeai's. 

LAFAYETTE  RAINS,  stock-raiser  and 
farmer,  P.  O.  Hutsonville,  is  one  of  the 
largest  and  most  prosperous  stock-raisers 
and  farmers  of  Hutsonville  Township.  He 
is  a  son  of  Ambrose  B.  and  Charlotte  (Cox) 
Rains,  whose  history  appears  in  another 
part  of  this  work.  He  was  born  near  his 
present  residence  in  Crawford  County,  Seji- 
tember  26,  18.33.  He  was  raised  on  a 
farm,  and  educated  from  the  common 
schools.  At  seventeen  years  of  ago,  he  went 
to  California,  and  there  engaged  in  mining 
for  about  sixteen  months.  He  then  returned 
home,  and    engaged    in  farming  on  a  rented 


292 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


farm.  In  1854,  he  bought  his  first  land,  a 
farm  of  eighty  acres,  located  three  miles 
west  of  his  present  residence.  In  1858,  he 
sold  his  farm  and  bought  eighty  acres  where 
he  now  resides.  His  industry  and  economy 
has  gained  him  more  than  ordinaiy  success, 
and  he  is  now  the  owner  of  546  acres  of  land, 
well  stocked  and  improved,  with  a  large  com- 
modious residence,  and  a  large  stock  bai'n. 
Since  1872,  he  has  been  making  the  raising 
of  stock  a  specialty.  He  has  now  about  sixty 
head  on  his  place.  In  January,  1856.  he 
married  Miss  Nancy  Cox,  a  native  of  Craw- 
ford County.  She  is  a  daughter  of  Thomas 
and  Deborah  Cox.  Mr.  ani  Mrs.  Rains  have 
f om-  childi-en— John  C,  Martha,  Mary  A.  and 
Emily.  He  and  wife  are  members  of  the 
Baptist  Church.  He  is  a  member  of  the  A. , 
F.  &  A.  M. .  and  a  Republican. 

HENRY  RAINS,  stock-raiser  and  farmer, 
P.  O.  Hutsonville;  is  a  son  of  Ambrose  B. 
and  Charlotte  (Cox)  Rains,  whose  history 
appears  in  the  biography  of  Simpson 
Rains.  He  was  born  in  Crawford  County, 
111.,  March  2,  1837  ;  his  early  life  was 
spent  at  home,  assisting  to  till  the  soil  of 
his  father's  farm,  and  receiving  such  an  ed- 
ucation as  could  be  obtained  fi-om  the  com- 
mon schools  When  he  was  twenty-one  years 
of  age.  his  father  gave  him  120  acres  of  land, 
and  he  immediately  began  farming  for  him- 
self, and  remained  upon  this  land  iintil  1863, 
when  he  sold  a  part  of  it,  and  exchanged  the 
remainder  with  his  brothers  ■,  the  following 
sunomer,  he  bought  160  acres,  known  as  the 
Soiithworth  farm.  In  1865,  he  traded  this 
farm  for  139  acres,  where  he  now  resides. 
Mr.  Rains  has  made  the  raising  of  stock  a 
specialty,  and  also  deals  largely  in  stock.  He 
is  now  the  owner  of  281  acres  of  good  land. 
In  1861 — November  21 — he  married  Miss 
Rebecca  Lindley,  who  has  borne  him  six 
children,  viz.:  William   A.,  Alice  Ii.,  Nestus 


O.,  Nellie  A.,  Thomas  L.  and  Mary  A.  Mr. 
and  Mrs,  Rains  are  members  of  the  Baptist 
Chm-ch.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Knights  of 
Honor,  and  a  Republican  in  politics. 

PETER  RAUSCH,  fai-mer,  P.  O.  Hutson- 
ville, is  a  native  of  Grosherzochtum,  Hesse- 
Darmstardt,  Germany,  born  August  1,  1836. 
His  father,  Peter  Rausch,  was  born  in  1808, 
and  is  the  owner  of  a  small  farm  in  Ger- 
many, where  he  is  now  residing,  engaged  in 
farmins  and  weaving:.  His  mother,  Kati- 
rina  (Steiger)  Rausch,  was  born  in  1811, 
and  died  in  Germany,  her  native  place,  July 
4,  1877.  She  was  the  mother  of  seven  chil- 
dren, of  whom  six  are  now  living,  and  four 
residents  of  America.  Peter  Rausch  was 
raised  on  a  farm,  and  at  an  early  age  learned 
the  weaver's  trade.  His  education  was  re- 
ceived from  the  Lutheran  schools  of  his  na- 
tive place.  "When  he  was  eighteen  years  of 
age,  he  borrowed  enough  money  to  pay  his 
passage  to  America,  from  Havre  to  New 
York,  where  he  landed  May  24,  1855,  after 
twenty-one  days  in  a  sailing  vessel.  He  lo- 
cated in  Altoona,  Penn.,  where  he  was  em- 
ployed to  work  on  a  farm,  for  $10  per  month, 
but  by  pleasing  his  employer  was  given  $1 
extra  per  month  through  harvest.  After  six 
months  he  gave  up  farming  and  engaged  in 
a  saw  and  grist  mill,  continuing  in  the  same 
business  until  1856,  when  he  went  to  Johns- 
town, and  there  remained  about  one  month, 
breaking  iron  in  a  foundry.  He  then  went 
to  Dayton,  Ohio,  and  worked  in  a  mill  for 
three  years.  In  1859.  he  rented  a  saw-mill 
and  six  acres  of  land  ;  he  ran  the  mill  and 
tended  the'land,  upon  which  he  raised  tobac- 
co, and  in  this  business  he  was  met  with  fair 
success,  and  in  1865  he  had  accumulated 
enough  means  to  buy  him  a  fai-m  of  eighty 
acres  of  unimproved  land  in  Crawford  Coun- 
ty, 111.  He  immediately  removed  his  family 
to  the  farm,  and  bv  his  hard  work  has  sue- 


HUTSONVILLE   TOWNSHIP. 


2»3 


ceeded  in  accumulating  a  good  property.  He 
is  now  the  owner  of  200  acres  of  good  land. 
He  was  married  in  Dayton,  Ohio,  in  1858,  to 
Miss  Rosena  Weld,  a  native  of  Konigreich, 
VVurtemberg,  Germany.  She  was  born  Feb- 
ruary 25,  1835.  and  died  June  11, 1882,  after 
a  sickness  of  eight  weeks.  Mr.  Rausch  has 
had  many  difficulties  to  contend  with  in  his 
life.  He  commenced  life  in  America  as  a  la- 
boring man,  to  pay  back  the  money  he  had 
borrowed  to  get  to  America,  and  has  since 
worked  hard;  and  i)y  honesty,  industry  and 
economy  he  has  accumulated  a  good  prop- 
erty, and  a  worthy  name  and  reputation.  He 
has  the  following  children:  Maggie,  Willie, 
Mrs.  Barbara  (Greenlee)  Steel,  and  Emma. 
Mr.  Rausch  is  a  Democrat  in  politics,  and  a 
member  of  the  German  Lutheran  Chui'ch. 

ABEL  REYNOLDS,  carpenter.  West 
York,  is  a  native  of  Randolph  County,  N. 
C. ,  born  January  4,  1812.  His  father,  Jesse 
Reynolds,  was  a  farmer,  born  in  the  year 
1784,  in  North  Carolina.  He  emigrated  to 
Crawford  County,  111.,  in  1820,  and  there  died 
in  1850.  His  mother,  Wilmety  (Lamb)  Rey- 
nolds, was  born  in  North  Carolina,  in  1786, 
and  died  in  Crawford  County  in  1848.  Of 
the  eleven  children  born  to  them,  Abel  was 
the  second  child.  He  was  raised  on  a  farm, 
and  educated  from  the  subscription  scliools  of 
Crawford  County.  He  began  farming  for 
himself  at  twenty-one  years  of  age,  upon 
rented  land.  In  1833,  he  bought  his  first 
land — a  small  tract  of  eighty  acres,  located 
in  the  western  part  of  Hutsonville  Township. 
In  1838,  he  sold  his  farm  and  bought  a  grist 
and  saw  mill  at  York,  m  Clark  County.  His 
mill  was  destroyed  by  fire  in  1851 ;  it  con- 
tained all  of  his  wealth,  and  he  was  com- 
pelled to  return  to  farming  upon  a  rented 
farm,  and  after  ten  years'  of  hard  work  he 
was  able  to  again  buy  a  small  tract  of  eighty 
acres  in  Clark  County.      He  did  not  remove 


to  this,  however,  but  sold  it,  and  bought  160 
acres  located  near  West  York,  in  Hutsonville 
Township.  He  remained  upon  this  farm  un- 
til, November,  1882,  when  he  removed  to 
West  York  and  engaged  in  carpentering. 
The  trade  he  had  never  served  an  apprentice- 
ship at,  but  picked  up  while  working  for  a 
carpenter,  and  has  worked  at  the  same  in 
connection  with  his  farming  duties  for  the 
past  fifteen  years.  Mr.  Reynolds  was  mar- 
ried in  Indiana,  November  11,  1832,  to  Miss 
Sarah  Cox,  a  native  of  Miami  County,  Ohio, 
who  was  born  August  1,  1816.  They  have 
been  blessed  with  six  children,  of  whom  two 
are  living,  viz.:  John  and  Ruth,  both  mar- 
ried. Ml'.  Reynolds  and  wife  are  members 
of  the  Quaker  Church.  He  is  a  Republican. 
CHILTON  ROGERS,  furniture  and  un- 
dertaking, Hutsonville,  is  a  native  of  Nel- 
son County,  Ky.,  born  March  12,  1832. 
His  father,  Greenbeny  Rogers,  was  a 
farmer,  born  in  Nelson  County,  Ky.,  in 
1790,  and  died  in  Bardstown,  the  same 
county,  in  1847.  He  enlisted  in  the  war  of 
1812,  but  did  not  serve,  the  war  ending  be- 
fore he  became  engaged.  Elizabeth  Shelton, 
the  mother  of  our  subject,  was  born  in  Mary- 
land, and  died  in  Grayson  County,  Ky.,  in 
1861,  aged  seventy-three  years.  Chilton 
Rogers  was  the  ninth  child  of  a  family  of 
eleven  children  born  to  his  parents.  The  first 
thirteen  yeai's  of  his  life  were  spent  on  the 
home  farm.  His  education  was  limited  to 
tliree  days  in  the  common  schools.  He  has, 
however,  acquired  a  fair  business  education 
since  by  observation.  At  thirteen  years  of 
age,  he  was  apprenticed  to  his  uncle,  Felix 
Rogers,  to  learn  the  cabinet-maker's  trade, 
and  served  seven  years  with  him,  and  after- 
ward worked  for  a  short  time  as  a  journey- 
man at  his  trade  in  his  native  county,  and 
then  spent  two  years  in  traveling  over  Ken- 
tucky, working  only  a  few  weeks  in  a  place, 


294 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


his  object  being  to  become  more  skillful  at 
his  trade.  In  1853,  he  came  to  Terre  Haute, 
Ind. .  and  there  worked  at  his  tyade  and  car- 
pentering for  about  five  years:  during  the 
time  was  employed  in  the  car  shops  for  one 
year.  In  1858,  he  removed  to  Edgar  County 
111.,  where  he  remained  only  a  few  months, 
and  then  went  to  Clark  County,  locating  at 
York,  where  he  remained  five  years.  In  1863, 
he  came  to  Hutsonville,  and  entered  the  cabi- 
net factory  in  the  employ  of  J.  A.  Parker, 
and  afterward  became  his  partner  in  the  same 
business.  In  1872,  he  bought  a  half-interest 
in  the  Hutson  Mill,  with  Mr.  John  Harness, 
and  continued  in  that  business  for  three 
years.  In  1875,  he  erected  his  jaresent  store- 
room and  cabinet  shop,  and  has  since  been 
engaged  in  the  furniture  and  undertaking 
business.  Mr.  Rogers  has  been  four  times 
married  —in  1855,  to  Miss  Jane  Test,  who 
died  in  1866;  in  1867.  to  Mary  L.  Test,  a  sis- 
ter to  his  first  wife;  she  died  in  1876,  leaving 
three  children,  of  whom  one  is  living — Char- 
ley. In  1876,  he  married  Jane  Wilson,  who 
died  in  1878,  leaving  one  child — Allie.  In 
1878,  he  married  Bertina  Everlett.  Mr. 
Rogers  has  served  on  the  Town  Board  for  two 
terms.  Is  a  member  of  the  A.,  F.  &  A.  M., 
I.  O.  O.  F.  and  K.  of  H.  Politically,  he  is 
a  Republican. 

POSEY  RUSH,  Justice  of  the  Peace  and 
wagon-maker,  Hutsonville,  111.,  was  born  in 
Shelby  County,  Ky.,  July  30,  1823,  to  Abra- 
ham and  Mary  (Mattos)  Rush.  His  father 
was  a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  born  in  1800; 
emigrated  to  Shelby  County,  Ky.,  in  1820, 
and  to  Parke  County,  Ind.,  in  1830,  where  he 
died  in  1866.  He  followed  farming  dm'ing 
his  life.  His  wife,  the  mother  of  our  sub- 
ject, was  born  in  Virginia  in  1802,  and  died 
in  Joslin,  Mo.,  in  March.  1882.  They  had 
eight  children,  Posey  Rush  being  the  second 
child  born  to  them.     His  early  life  was  spent 


at  home,  receiving  a  limited  common  school 
education,  and  assisting  to  till  the  soil  of  his 
father's  farm.  When  he  was  twenty  years  of 
age,  he  left  his  home  and  embarked  on  his  ca- 
reer in  life.  He  followed  farming  and  driv- 
ing cattle  and  horses  until  1862,  when  he  en- 
listed in  the  late  rebellion,  in  Company  G., 
of  the  One  Hundred  and  Thirtieth  Illinois 
Regiment  under  command  of  Col.  Niles,  and 
was  engaged  in  the  following  battles,  viz. : 
Port  Gibson,  Champion  Hills.  Raymond, 
Jackson,  Miss.,  Black  River  Bridge,  siege  of 
Vicksburg  and  many  smaller  engagements. 
On  account  of  a  diseased  hip,  was  discharged 
from  the  service  July  22,  1863.  He  imme- 
diately returned  to  his  home  in  Parke  County, 
Ind.,  and  was  unable  to  work  tor  several  years. 
In  1868,  he  removed  to  Middletown,  Ind., 
bought  a  farm  and  remained  upon  the  same 
five  years.  In  1873,  he  removed  to  Sullivan, 
Ind.,  and  there  engaged  in  the  livery  busi- 
ness. In  1877,  he  came  to  Hutsonville,  111. , 
where  he  has  since  been  engaged  in  wagon- 
making.  In  April,  1881,  was  elected  Justice 
of  the  Peace,  and  is  now  holding  the  office. 
He  was  married,  in  1843,  in  Parke  County, 
Ind.,  to  Miss  Martha  Doggette,  who  has 
borne  the  following  childi'en:  Lillie  and 
James  W.  He  is  a  Republican,  an  active 
member  of  the  Masons,  and  with  his  wife 
unites  with  the  Baptist  Church. 

HENRY  A.  VOORHEIS,  farmer  and  stock- 
raiser,  P.  0.  Hutsonville,  is  a  native  of  Craw- 
ford County,  111.,  born  November  14,  1826, 
on  the  same  farm  he  is  now  residing  on. 
His  father.  Mahlon  Voorheis,  was  a  fanner, 
born  March  29,  1797,  in  New  Jersey.  He 
was  married  May  12,  1824,  and  the  same 
year  removed  to  Cravyford  County,  111.,  locat- 
ing on  the  same  farm  now  occupied  by  our  sub- 
ject. He  died  February  6,  1848.  His  mother, 
Eliza  (Tuttle)  Voorheis,  vras  born  in  New 
Jersey  July  29,  1S04,  and  died  in  Crawford 


J. A  MOTTE    TOWNSHIP. 


295 


County,  111.,  October  19,  1843.  They  had 
eleven  children,  of  whom  three  are  now  liv- 
intr.  Henry  A.  Voorheis  being  the  oldest  child 
His  early  life  was  spent  at  home,  assisting 
in  tilling  the  soil  of  his  father's  farm  and  re- 
ceiving such  an  education  as  could  be  obtained 
from  the  subscription  schools.  He  left  his 
home  at  twenty-one  years  of  age  and  engaged 
to  Nathan  Musgi-ave  to  work  on  the  farm  by 
the  month.  The  following  year,  ho  rented 
the  farm  of  Mr.  M.  and  remained  upon  the 
same  for  five  years.  During  this  time,  he 
had  been  fortunate  enough  to  make  enough 
money  to  enable  him  to  buy  the  old  home- 
stead farm,  which  had  changed  hands  since  his 
father's  death.  In  1805,  he  removed  to  the 
old  farm,   and   has  since   remained  upon  it 


actively  engaged  in  farming  and  stock-rais- 
ing. He  is  now  the  owner  of  274  acres  of 
good  land.  Upon  his  farm  he  has  a  beau- 
tiful residence,  and  the  surroundings  in  gen- 
eral bespeak  for  him  enterprise  and  industry. 
In  Crawford  County,  May  8.  1856,  he  mar- 
ried Miss  Eliza  N.  Cox,  a  daughter  of  Thomas 
and  Debora  (Lindley)  Cox,  natives  of  North 
Carolina.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Voorheis  have  had 
six  children,  of  whom  five  are  now  living, 
viz.:  Emma,  wife  of  F.  J.  Cooper,  of 
Robinson;  John,  Charley  H.,  William  and 
Mary.  Mr.  Voorheis  is  a  member  of  the 
Friends'  Church,  and  his  wife  of  the  Baptist. 
He  has  held  the  oflSce  of  School  Trustee 
for  twenty  years.  In  politics,  is  a  Repub- 
lican. 


LAMOTTE  TOWNSHIP. 


JAMES  A.  ALEXANDER,  Palestine.  This 
gentleman  was  born  September  18,  1845, 
in  Palestine.  He  is  a  son  of  Dr.  H.  Alexan- 
der, bom  August  4,  1804,  in  Woodford  Coun- 
ty. Ky. ;  he  died  December  13,  1876.  in  Pal- 
estine. He  was  educated  in  Kentucky.  At 
the  age  of  twenty-one  he  came  to  this  county, 
where  he  practiced  medicine  and  was  after- 
ward married  to  Eliza  Kitchell,  in  Novem- 
ber 27,  1828;  she  was  the  mother  of  three 
children,  who  ai-e  all  dead;  she  died  while 
quite  young.  The  Doctor  was  married  a 
second  time  to  Mrs.  Julia  Danforth,  October 
13,  1836.  She  was  a  sister  to  the  Doctor's 
first  wife,  and  the  mother  of  six  children,  of 
whom  only  our  subject  and  his  brother, 
Charles  C. ,  are  living.  Mrs.  Kitchell  died 
in  1855.  The  Doctor  was  married  again 
August  20,  1856,  to  Miss  Jeretta  Wilson,  who 
died  December  31,  1881.  She  was  the 
mother  of  William  Alexander,  who  married 


Margaret  Lanham;  and  Elizabeth,  born  March 
2,  1860.  Dr.  Alexander  was  one  of  the 
most  prominent  and  useful  men  in  the  coun- 
ty. He  was  a  practicing  physician  for  over 
forty  years,  ind  as  his  real  worth  and  charac- 
ter became  known,  the  public  honored  him 
with  different  positions  of  trust  and  honor. 
Aboiit  the  first  office  that  he  filled  was  his 
connection  with  the  land  office,  as  Land  Com- 
missioner; after  that  he  was  chosen  County 
Judge,  which  office  he  filled  with  honor  and 
ability.  He  was  elected  to  the  Legislature 
several  times,  and  tilled  the  position  to  the  sat- 
isfaction of  his  constituents.  His  memory 
is  cherished  by  all  who  knew  him.  Our  sub- 
ject was  educated  in  this  county.  He  was 
married,  January  27,  1873,  in  Clark  County, 
111.,  to  Miss  Adeline  Pennell,  born  Decem- 
ber 4,  1848,  in  Ohio.  She  is  the  mother  of 
four  children — Faytie  W.,  born  January  14, 
1874;   William  H.,    born    March   19,    1875; 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


Lola  B.,  born  November  29,  1876;  and  Daisy 
D.,  born  March  20,  1882.  Mr.  Alexander  is 
a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  Chiu-ch.  Mrs. 
Alexander  belongs  to  the  Congregational 
Church.  Our  subject  responded  to  the  call 
of  his  country,  October  8,  1864,  enlisting  in 
the  Sixty-second  Illinois  Volunteers,  Com- 
pany F.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Alfred  Har 
rison  Post,  No.  152,  G.  A.  E.  In  politics, 
he  is  a  Democrat. 

JOHN   B.    ANDREW,    farmer,   was  born 
March   17,    1807,   in  Caroline  County,   Md. 
He  is  a  snn  of  William  Andrew,    who  was 
born  and  died  in  Maryland.      He  was  a  farm- 
er, and  was  married  to  Margaret  Beechum, 
who  was  the  mother  of  eight  children.      One 
of  them,    named  David,  was   in   the  war  of 
1812.     Mr.  Andrew  went  to  school  in  Mary 
land  and  Ohio,  and  was  manied  in  the  for- 
mer State,  January  15,   1833,  to  Miss  Eliza- 
beth Ireland,  born    1809;   she   is  dead  now. 
She  was  the  mother  of  one  child,  named  De- 
lilah, who  was  married  December  5,  1867,  to 
Mr.  John  W.  Leaverton,  born  April  14, 1840. 
He  is  a  farmer  by  occupation,    and  is  men- 
tioned  in   another  part  of  this    work.     Mr. 
Andrew   was  married  a  second  time,  January 
17,  1853,  in  Marion  County,    Ohio,   to  Mrs. 
E.  A.  Essex,  born  September  12,  1821;  she  is 
a  daughter  of  John   and  Nancy   Parott,  and 
is  the  mother  of  three  children,  two  boys  and 
one  girl;  the  boys,  L.  J.  Essex,  born  Decem- 
ber 2,  1839,   and  J.  P.  Essex,    born  Decem- 
ber 21,  1844,  are  now  living;  the  girl,  Fran- 
ces E.,  bom  May  16,  1854,  and  who  married 
H.  W.    Hutchings,    is   now  dead;    she   died 
April  12,  1873.       Mr.  Andrew  is  a  hale  old 
man,  and  carries  his  years  well.      He  and  his 
wife  belong  to  the  Christian  Chui'ch.      He  is 
a  Democrat  in  politics. 

J.  APPLE,  farmer,  P.  O.  Palestine,  ia  a 
native  of  Clermont  Coimty,  Ohio,  where  he 
was  born  June  3,  1820.      His  father,  Daniel 


Apple,  born  1794,  in  Pennsylvania,  married 
Rebecca  Williamson,  born  1792,  in  Virginia. 
I  She  is  the  mother  of  five  children.  Our  sub- 
ject, J.  Apple,  is  the  descendant  of  very  in- 
dutrious  and  high-minded  people.  He  was 
educated  in  Ohio,  where  he  spent  his  happy 
boyhood,  and  was  joined  in  matrimony, 
February  27, 1842,  to  Miss  Eunice  Ellsworth, 
born  September  7,  1818,  in  Shelby  County, 
Ohio;  she  is  a  daughter  of  Aquilla  and  Me- 
hitabel  (Tuttle)  Ellsworth,  and  the  mother 
of  nine  children — Mary  J.,  Rebecca,  decea.sed, 
Lemuel  F.,  William  S.,  Sarah  A.,  Caleb  H. , 
Cyrus  S. ,  Union  G.,  and  James  E.  Mr. 
Apple  is  identified  with  the  Democratic 
party,  and  through  his  commendable  zeal  and 
industry  he  is  the  possessor  of  435  acres  of 
fine  land  in  a  good  farming  district. 

ALBERT  BOKER,  farmer,  P.  O.  Robin- 
son, was  born  May  8, 1843,  in  Germany.  He 
was  raised  in  Cincinnati,  Ohio.  He  fought 
for  the  stars  and  stripes  in  our  late  war,  hav- 
ing enlisted  as  a  volunteer  in  the  Eleventh 
Missouri  Infantry.  He  was  detailed  after- 
ward to  the  artillery.  After  the  war,  he 
lived  some  years  in  Cincinnati,  and  finally 
came  to  Crawford  County,  111.,  where  he  was 
married,  November  29,  1876,  to  Miss  Mad- 
die  McDowell,  born  May  12,  1843.  Her 
father  was  Benjamin  McDowell,  whose  grand- 
father, Robert  McDowell,  was  one  of  the  pi- 
oneers of  Crawford  Coiinty,  having  come 
here  in  1814.  He  and  his  son  John  H.  were 
also  in  the  Indian  war  of  1815.  His  daugh- 
ter, Mary  H.  McDowell,  born  October  29, 
1811,  and  who  is  yet  living,  remembers  of 
having  seen  old  Fort  Foote,  and  has  herself 
been  in  Fort  La  Motte.  Mr.  Boker  is  an  Odd 
Fellow,  and  is  identified  with  the  Republican 
party.  Mrs.  Boker  is  the  proud  mother  of 
four  bright  children;  their  names  and  births 
are  as  follows:  Sarah  L.,  born  July  21,  1877; 
Benjamin,   born  September  28,  1879;   Will- 


LA  MOTTE   TOWNSHIP. 


397 


iam  Henry,  born  April  25,  1881;  and  George 
v.,  bom  December  29,  1882.  Mrs.  Boker's 
brother,  William  A.  McDowell,  was  killed  at 
the  battle  of  Fort  Donelson. 

H.  BEECHER,  blacksmith,  Palestine,  was 
born  1829,  in  Vincennes,  Ind.       He  is  a  son 
ot  Alva  Beecher,    born   March  31,    1793,  in 
Massachusetts;  he   was  a  patent  right  dealer 
by  occupation,  having  come   to  Palestine  at 
an    eai-ly    date.     He    was    married   to    Miss 
Achsah  Bloss,  born  in  1794,    in  Massachu- 
setts.     She   is   the  mother  of  ten  children, 
four  boj's  and  six  girls.     Mr     Beecher  went 
to    school    in  Vincennes,    Ind.      He  learned 
the  blacksmith  trade,  which  ho  has    followed 
all  his  life.     In  1841,  he  came  to  Palestine, 
where  he  was  married,  in  1849,  to  Miss  Eliz- 
abeth Leatherman,  born  February  18,  1827, 
near  Montezuma,  Ind.      She  is  a  daughter  of 
David  and  Catharine  Iieatherman.     Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Beecher  are  members  of  the  Christian 
Church.     He  is  a  Republican,   and  is  known 
as   an   honest,    hardworking   man.        Zelim 
Beecher,  who  was  bom,  1815,    in  Pennsyl- 
vania, is  living  in   Palestine,    where  he  was 
man'ied  to  Charlotte  Leatherman.   She  is  the 
mother  of  five  children   now   living:     Catha- 
rine, Emma  J.,  Sarah  E, ,  Will  W.  and  Ida. 
W.  J.  CREWS,   farmer,  P.    O.   Palestine. 
This  worthy  gentleman  first  beheld  the  light 
of  this  world  on  the  7th  day  of  August,  1802, 
in  Halifax  County,    Va.     His   father,   John 
Crews,   was  born   October  7,   1868,   in  Vir- 
ginia.    He  was  married  to  Elizabeth  Samson, 
bom  January  6,  1778,  in  Virginia.     She  was 
the  mother  of  seven  children,   three  of  whom 
are  now  living.      Mr.   J.    Crews   was   one  of 
the  fii-st  settlers  in  this  county,  having  come 
here  with  his   family  in  1817,    and  entered 
100  acres  of  land  in  what  is  now  called  Mont- 
gomery Township,  where  his  son,  the  subject 
of  this  sketch,  was  brought  up,  and  on  June 
18,    1829,   he  was  joined   in  matrimony   to 


Miss  Amelia  Spraggins,   born  July  9,  1810, 
in  Lincoln  County,  Ky.       She  is  the  daugh- 
ter of    Nathaniel   and  Christiana    (Carpen- 
ter) Spraggins,  who  came  to  this  county   in 
1815.  Mrs.  Crews  is  the  mother  of  nine  chil- 
dren— Christiana  A.,  born  April   15,    1830, 
she  was   married  June   13,    1850;    Mary   E., 
born  September  29,  1831,   married  February 
29.    1848;   Martha  A.,    born  November    22, 
1834,   married  February  19,   1852;  William 
J.,  born  November  27,  1836,   he  died   Octo- 
bers, 1855;  Margaret,   born  March  6,  1839, 
married  November  8,  1858;    John  H.,    born 
April  23,  1841,  married  February  13,  1866; 
Angeline,  born  September  1,  1844,    married 
September  1,  1863;   Sarati  A.,  born   October 
25,  1846,  married  February  28,    1867;  and 
Eliza  J. ,  bom  July  28,  1849,  married  Decem- 
ber 30,  1869.     Mr.  Crews  has  given   all  ;,his 
children  a  good  start  in  life,   and  has   also 
given  them  that  home   training    which    has 
made   of  them   excellent   members    of    their 
respective  communities;  altogether  his  life  has 
been  a  success,  and  we  feel  assured  that  he 
can  look  back  with  the  gi-eatest  pleasiure  to  the 
days  that  are  long  since  passed.      He  is  a  Re- 
publican, and  with  his  excellent  wife  and  chil- 
dren   belongs    to    the   Methodist    Episcopal 
Church. 

WILLIAM  CUNNINGHAM,  farmer,  P. 
O.  Palestine,  was  born  April  3,  1853,  in 
Morgan  County,  111.  He  is  a  son  of  Thomas 
J.  Cunningham,  who  was  born  September  11, 
1825;  his  occupation  was  that  of  a  stockman 
and  farmer.  He  was  married,  June  13, 
1850,  to  Miss  Christiana  A.  Crews,  born 
April  15,  1830.  Mr.  Cunningham  was  edu- 
cated in  Morgan  and  Crawford  Counties.  He 
is  a  farmer  and  stockman,  and  was  joined  in 
matrimony,  April  1,  1874,  to  Miss  Mary  S. 
I  Otey,  born  July,  1855,  in  this  county.  She 
i  is  the  mother  of  two  children — Edward,  born 
December  15,    1875,   and  who  passed  from 


298 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


earth  to  heaven  July  10,  1877 ;  and  Ella,  who 
was  born  May  10,  1877.  Mr.  Cunningham 
is  a  Republican,  but  is  in  favor  of  a  new 
third  party.  He  and  his  wife  are  members 
of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 

JEFFERSON  DAUGHERTY.  farmer,  P. 
O.  Palestine,  was  born  March  20,  1841,  in 
Sullivan  County,  Ind.  His  grandfather  was 
in  the  Revolutionary  war.  His  father,  John 
Daugherty,  was  born  in  Kentucky,  and  died 
in  Indiana.  He  was  married  to  Mary  Jane 
Daugherty,  who  was  also  born  in  Kentucky. 
Our  subject  went  to  school  in  New  Lebanon, 
Ind.,  and  Palestine,  111.  He  was  a  farmer  in 
early  life.  In  the  summer  of  1861,  on  July  20, 
he  obeyed  the  call  of  his  country,  enlisted  in 
the  Eleventh  Missouri  Infantry  Volunteers, 
and  marched  forth  to  defend  the  stars  and 
stripes.  He  participated  in  the  battles  of 
Frederickstown,  Corinth,  luka,  Vicksburg 
and  others.  Mr.  Daugherty  lost  his  eyesight 
in  the  service  of  his  country.  He  came 
home  in  1864,  and  was  married,  October  7, 
1868,  in  New  Iiabanon,  Ind.,  to  Miss  S.  J. 
Schoonover,  born  January  16,  1851,  in  Sul- 
livan County,  Ind.  She  is  the  mother  of 
one  child  now  living,  William  E.,  born  April 
28,  1872.  Mr.  Daugherty  is  a  member  of 
the  "Alfred  Harrison  Post,"  No.  152,  in  Pal- 
estine Department,  G.  A.  R.  He  and  his 
wife  are  members  of  the  Christian  Church. 
He  receives  a  goodly  pension  from  the  Ignited 
States  Government. 

MRS.  M.  E.  DECKER,  Palestine,  was 
born  October  20,  1825,  on  La  Motte  Prairie. 
She  is  a  daughter  of  Lawson  Linton,  born 
in  Virginia.  He  married  Sarah  Ensworth, 
born  in  Pennsylvania.  She  was  the  mother 
of  nine  children.  Mrs.  Decker's  father  came 
to  this  county  at  an  early  date,  and  she  lived 
here  till  her  sixth  year,  when  she  went  with 
her  father  to  Parke  County,  Ind. ,  where  she 
was  educated  and  was  joined  in  matrimony, 


February  5,  1846,  to  John  E.  Decker,  born 
October  12,  1814,  in  Vincennes,  Ind.  He 
died  December  12,  1866.  He  is  the  father 
of  sis  children,  cf  whom  the  first  two  are  by 
his  tii-st  wife— Edward  V.,  born  July  16, 
1837;  Luke,  born  September  20,  1839;  Rhoda 
A.,  born  August  23,  J 847:  Isaac  L. ,  born 
July  4,  1850;  Sarah  Bell,  born  July  9,  1854; 
and  one  infant  son  who  died.  Mrs  Decker 
is  a  lady  who  is  endowed  with  a  great 
deal  of  sound  sense;  she  is  a  fond  mother  and 
a  faithful  Christian,  being  a  member  of  the 
Methodist  Church.  She  returned  after  she 
was  married  to  this  county,  where  she  lives 
in  a  fine,  comfortable  home,  which  was  built 
on  one  of  her  jsroduetive  prairie  farms.  Mrs. 
Decker's  daughter,  Sarah  Bell,  married  W. 
T.  Lisman,  now  dead;  she  is  now  married  to 
W.  S.  Apple,  and  is  the  mother  of  three 
children  living — Charlie,  John  E.  and  one 
infant  girl  that  has  not  been  named. 

J.  S.  DEWITT,  farmer,  P.  O.  Palestine, 
was  born  July  4,  1833,  in  Kentucky.  He  is 
a  son  of  John  Dewitt,  born  in  Virginia, 
where  he  man-ied  Mary  Spurling,  born  in 
Virginia.  Mr.  Dewitt  went  to  school  in  Ken- 
tucky, where  he  farmed,  and  was  married, 
June  2,  1855,  to  Mildred  A.  Reynolds,  who 
died  in  this  county.  She  was  the  mother 
of  six  children,  of  whom  only  Emma  M., 
bom  September  15,  1863,  is  now  living. 
She  married  Jesse  Wright.  Mr.  Dewitt  was 
married  a  second  time  to  Mrs.  Stacy  Walters, 
born  October  15,  1822.  She  is  a  daughter  of 
T.  H.  McColpin,  and  is  the  mother  of  ten 
children,  five  are  now  living — Eliza  Jane, 
born  December  23.  1850,  she  married  T.  J. 
Pifer;  Rosa  Ann,  born  January  18,  1856, 
she  married  John  Jefferson;  Jacob  L.,  born 
July  3,  1860,  he  man-ied  Maggie  Wright; 
Charles  F.,  born  June  11,  1862;  Grant,  born 
September  7,  1864;  these  are  all  from  her 
first  husband.      Mrs.  Dewitt  is  a  member  of 


LA  MOTTE  TOWNSHIP. 


299 


the  Methodist  Episcopal   Church,     llr.  De- 
witt  is  identified  with  the  Democratic  party. 
MRS.  ALICE  DONNELL  was  born  No- 
vember 26,  1846,  in  Dayton,  Ohio.     She  is 
a  daughter  of  Cyrus  McLean,  born   1795,    in 
Frederick  City,  Md. ,  he  died  in  Sidney,  Ohio. 
He  was  a  farmer  by  occupation  and  was  mar- 
ried in  Frederick  City,  Md.,  to  Sarah   Flem- 
ming   born  1799,   and  who   died    1871,    in 
Hutsonville,  111.     She  is  the  mother  of  three 
children,  of  whom  only   our  subject  is  now 
living,  who  went  to  school  in  Bellefontaine, 
Ohio.       She  lived  awhile   in  Palestine,   and 
was  there  married,  March   16,   1881,    to  Mr. 
D.  K.  Donnell,  born  March  3,  1823,  in  Ten- 
nes^^ee.  and  who  died  March  15, 1882,  in  Pal- 
estine.    He  had   been  married  once  before. 
Several  children  were  the  result  of  his  first 
marriage;  three  of  them  are  now  living;  they 
are  all  married  and  are  known  as  Mrs.    Mary 
Wright,  Mrs.    Sarah  E.  Rafferty,    and  Mrs. 
Rosa  Ma  lone.     Mrs.  Donnell  lives  in  a  com- 
fortable house  in  Palestine,  near  Mi-.  William 
Donnell,  who  came  to  Palestine  at   an  early 
age.     Mrs.  Donnell's  parents   were  members 
of   the  Presbyterian  Chui-ch,   but    she    is   a 
member  of  the  Methodist  Chiu-ch.    She  has  the 
respect  of  all  with  whom  she  associates. 

W.  R.  EMMONS,  magistrate,  Palestine, 
was  born  April  14.  1836.  in  Russellville, 
Lawrence  County,  111.  He  is  a  son  of 
Charles  D.  Emmons,  born  1805,  in  Kentucky. 
He  was  a  Sheriff  of  Lawrence  Coimty,  and 
died  1850,  in  Russellville,  111.  He  was  mar- 
ried to  Miss  Sarah  Mills,  born  1810,  in  a 
fort  near  Russellville.  and  is  the  mother  of 
ten  children.  Mr.  W.  R.  Emmons  went  to 
school  a  few  years  in  Russellville,  but  is  main- 
ly self  educated.  He  taught  school  several 
years  in  Crawford  County,  111.  In  1863,  he 
bought  a  farm  south  of  Robinson,  lived  there 
almost  five  years,  when  he  bought  a  half-in- 
terest in  the  steam  grist  mill  at  Palestine. 


Three  years  after  that  he  sold  out,  and  in 
1871  bought  a  farm  near  PalestiAe,  which  he 
works,  though  living  in  town.  Has  filled  the 
following  township  offices:  Assessor,  two 
years;  Collector,  four-  years;  Supervisor,  two 
years.  In  the  spring  of  1881,  he  was  elected 
Justice  of  the  Peace,  and  has  continued  in 
that  office  up  to  date.  Mi-.  Emmons  was 
joined  in  matrimony,  March  27,  1860,  in 
Robinson,  111.,  to  Miss  Sarah  Nichols,  born 
January  12,  1841,  in  Crawford  County.  She 
is  the  daughter  of  Merritt  and  Elizabeth 
(Brown)  Nichols,  and  is  the  mother  of  four 
children— Hattie,  born  April  20,  1867;  Eliza, 
born  February  17,  1871;  Blanche,  born  Sep- 
tember 17,  1875;  and  one  little  boy  cherub, 
William  Roy,  born  May  29,  1882.  Mr,  Em- 
mons is  a  Knight  of  Honor,  and  adheres  to 
the  Republican  party. 

GEORGE  G.  ERFFT,  farmer,  P.  O.  Pal- 
estine, was  bom  August  23,  1811,  in  Muehl- 
haus,  Prussia,  Germany,  where  he  went  to 
school.  Hunted  a  great  deal  and  learned 
the  blacksmith  trade.  He  served  in  the  Ger- 
man Ai-my,  and  was  one  of  the  King's  Body 
Guard.  He  was  also  married  there,  Febru- 
ary 16,  1844,  to  Miss  Elizabeth  Helbeng, 
who  was  born  April  4,  1821,  and  is  the 
mother  of  the  following  childi-en:  Carl  A., 
Phillip  J.,  Juliane,  Friedericha,  Julius, 
Henry  G.,  Caroline,  Anna  P.,  Sarah  E., 
Doretta  F.  Mr.  Erfft  came  to  the  United 
States  in  1849,  settling  in  Cincinnati;  from 
there  he  went  to  Reading,  and  finally  came 
to  Palestine,  where  he  followed  his  trade. 
His  two  boys,  Carl  and  Julius,  are  both  mar- 
ried and  are  mechanics,  working  in  the  rail- 
road shops  at  Palestine.  In  1875,  Mr.  Erfft 
moved  on  to  a  farm,  where  he  built  all  his 
buildings  himself.  He  and  his  wife  are  mem- 
bers of  the  Presbyterian  Church.  Although 
Mr.  Erfft  was  not  a  soldier  in  the  late  war, 
yet  he  was  ever  ready  to  encourage  the  good 


300 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


cause,  and  welcomed  the  "  boys  in  blue  "  when 
they  would  be  home  on  a  furlough. 

GEORGE  FERGUSON,  farmer,  P.  O. 
Trimble.  This  gentleman  was  born  June 
27,  1823,  in  Scotland,  son  of  John  Ferguson, 
born  in  Ireland.  He  married  Susannah  Mil- 
ler, born  in  Scotland,  she  is  the  mother  of 
twelve  children.  Our  subject  came  to  the 
United  States  in  1844,  settled  in  New  Jer- 
sey, lived  one  year  in  Terre  Hnute,  and  seven 
years  in  Clark  County,  111.;  then  six  years 
again  in  Indiana,  settling  here  in  1865.  He 
has  now  a  good  farm  of  161  acres  of  fine 
land,  which  he  keeps  in  good  shape.  He  was 
married  first  in  Scotland,  to  Margaret  Daley, 
who  died  here  February  1,  1877;  she  had 
the  following  children — Susan,  James  Alex- 
ander, Mary  A.,  Margaret  W.  Simpson, 
John,  married  Eva  Page;  George,  married 
Margaret  Cooley;  James,  Letitia,  F.  Gross, 
Elizabeth,  William  and  Thomas  are  dead. 
Mr.  Ferguson  was  mai-ried  again,  November 
19,  1879,  to  Mrs.  Judith  A.  Fulton,  born 
June  2,  1827,  in  Perry  County,  Ohio,  daugh- 
ter of  Joseph  H.  and  Ann  (Schofield)  Clay- 
pool,  and  is  the  mother  of  four  boys — John 
H.,  Gus,  married  Anna  Rodgers;  Otto,  Adam 
Leo.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ferguson  are  members 
of  the  Christian  Chiu-ch,  and  good  members 
in  society.  Oiu-  subject  has  many  of  the 
good  characteristics  of  the  Scotch  race,  among 
others,  honesty  and  piety,  and  strict  tem- 
perance. 

D.  W.  FOX,  farmer,  P.  O.  Palestine,  was 
born  February  25,  1845,  in  Crawford  Coun- 
ty. He  is  a  son  oi  John  Fox,  whose  father 
was  a  minister  of  the  Gospel,  and  one  of  the 
first  settlers  in  this  county.  Our  subject  has 
been  a  farmer  all  his  life.  He  was  joined  in 
matrimony,  December  30,  1869,  to  Miss  E. 
J.  Crews,  born  July  28,  1849;  she  is  the 
youngest  daughter  of  W.  J.  and  Amelia 
(Spraggins)  Crews,  and  is  the  mother  of  the 


following  children:  Frederick,  born  Octo- 
ber 25,  1870;  Francis,  born  December  14, 
1872,  he  died  December  1, 1875;  Harry,  born 
July  25,  1874;  Lucy  M.,  born  April  11, 
1877;  Martha,  born  March  22,  1879;  and 
William  P.,  born  May  1,  1881.  Mr.  Fox  is 
a  wide-  awake  farmer,  and  has  been  identified 
with  the  Democratic  party. 

JOSEPH  C.  FREEMAN,  wagon-maker, 
Palestine,  was  born  September  1,  1836,  in 
Adams  County,  Ohio,  a  son  of  James  Free- 
man, who  learned  the  wagon -maker's  trade 
in  Pittsbm-gh,  Penn.,  and  who  in  after  life 
became  a  local  Methodist  minister.  He  was 
joined  in  matrimony  to  Miss  Lydia  Shaj^ 
she  was  the  mother  of  eighteen  children, 
nine  boys  and  nine  girls;  she  is  now  living 
in  Vanceburg,  Ky.  Seven  of  the  boys  learned 
the  wagon -maker  trade;  and  the  members  of 
this  large  family  were  good  citizens  in  their 
respective  communities.  Mr.  Joseph  C. 
Freeman  went  to  school  in  Jacksonville  and 
Rome,  at  which  latter  place  he  learned  the 
trade  of  wagon-maker,  and  when  he  was 
twenty  years  old  he  went  to  Natchez, 
Miss.,  where  he  worked  most  of  his  time  till 
1860,  when  he  went  home  to  Rome,  Ohio, 
and  in  June  the  next  year  he  enlisted  in  the 
Twenty-fom-th  Ohio  Infantry,  Company  D, 
and  was  honorably  discharged  at  the  end  of 
the  three  years'  term.  In  the  winter  of  1864, 
while  home  on  a  furlough,  he  was  married 
to  Miss  Sarah  Beach,  who  was  born  in  1840, 
in  Adams  County,  Ohio;  her  parents  were 
John  and  Sarah  Beach.  She  is  the  mother 
of  seven  children,  five  boys  and  two  girls; 
those  now  living  are  Frank  D.,  Kate  C 
Walter  and  Oscar.  Mr.  Freeman  came  to 
Palestine,  111.,  in  October,  1865,  where  he  has 
followed  his  trade.  He  is  identified  with 
the  Republican  party,  yet  is  independent. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  "  Alfred  Harrison  Post 
of  the  G.  A.  R. "     His  oldest  sister,  Mary, 


LA  MOTTE    TOWNSHIP. 


301 


married  James  Ellison,  who,  while  defending 
his  property  near  Nauvoo  from  the  Mormons, 
was  taken  prisoner  by  them  and  condemned 
to  be  shot.  He  effected  his  escape,  but  died 
from  exposure  after  reaching  a  place  of  safe- 
ty. 

HENRY  FULLING,  farmer,  P.  O.  Pales- 
tine, was  bom  May  18,  1824,  in  Essen,  Prov- 
ince Hanover,  Germany.  He  is  a  son  of  Cli- 
mar  Fulling,  born  1802,  in  Germany;  he  died 
in  Gibson  County,  Ind.  He  was  a  soldier  in 
the  old  country,  and  was  married  there  to 
Ellen  Roea,  who  was  born  and  died  in  the  old 
country,  and  who  was  the  mother  of  four 
children.  Mr.  Fulling  went  to  school  in 
Essen,  Germany,  and  at  the  age  of  fifteen 
came  to  Palestine,  where  he  stayed  with  Mr. 
F.  Paull  for  about  twelve  years,  and  is  now 
a  well-to-do  farmer,  owning  353  acres  of 
land.  Mr.  Fulling  has  been  the  architect 
of  his  own  fortune  and  owes  his  success  to  his 
perseverance  and  hai'd  work.  He  was  maiTied, 
in  Crawford  County,  111.,  to  Miss  Samina 
McColpin,  born  August  24,  1826,  in  this 
county.  She  is  the  daughter  of  Abraham  and 
Jemima  (Higgins)  McColpin,  and  is  the 
mother  of  six  children;  four  are  now  living, 
and  their  names  are  John  T.,  born  August 
23,  1850;  Mary  E.,  born  February  20,  1853; 
Sarah  E.,  born  August  8,  1855;  and  Henry 
A.,  born  June  4,  1861.  Mr.  Fulling  has 
been  identified  with  the  Democratic  party, 
and  he  and  his  wife  are  members  of  the  Pres- 
byterian Church. 

ENOCH  GOGIN,  carpenter,  Palestine,  was 
bom  October  9,  1812,  in  Clermont  County, 
Ohio,  a  son  of  Thomas  Gogin,  born  April  5, 
1773,  in  Morris  County,  N.  J.,  who  was  a 
wagon-maker  and  farmer  by  occupation.  He 
died  in  Crawford  County.  His  father,  John 
Gogin.  born  April  8,  1749,  was  lost  at  sea. 
Mrs.  Thomas  Gogin' s  maiden  name  was 
Sarah  Scull,  born  1781,  in  Cape  May  County, 


N.  J.  She  was  married.  August  31,  1796, 
and  was  the  mother  of  twelve  children. 
Seven  are  now  living,  and  their  ages  will 
average  seventy-two  years.  Mr.  E.  Gogin 
went  to  school  in  Hamilton  County,  Ohio. 
In  early  life  he  farmed  with  his  father,  then 
learned  the  carpenter  trade,  followed  that  till 
1860,  when  he  was  elected  Postmaster  at 
Palestine,  111.,  where  he  had  removed  with 
his  father  in  1841,  continuing  in  that  office 
till  1876,  when  he  resigned  on  account  of 
rheumatism ;  is  an  invalid  at  the  present  day. 
He  was  married,  in  Hamilton  County,  Ohio, 
June  6, 1835,  to  Mary  A.  Ewell,  born  Novem- 
ber 18,  1817.  She  is  the  oldest  child  of  John 
and  Helen  Ewell,  who  died  in  Cincinnati, 
Ohio,  after  which  she,  her  sister  Eliza  J., 
and  her  brother  John,  who  died  in  Piqua, 
Ohio,  in  1862,  were  brought  up  in  Hamilton 
County,  by  Scotch  people.  Eliza  J.  is  now 
living  in  Robinson,  111.,  with  her  husband, 
O.  VV.  Gogin,  a  mai'ble  dealer.  Mrs.  M.  A. 
Gogin  is  the  mother  of  two  children — Leon- 
idas  H.,  Catharine  M.,  born  June  25,  1836, 
died  August  13, 1856;  she  married  J.  Purcell, 
and  was  the  mother  of  Sarah  E.,  born  April 
6,  1856;  she  married  Dr.  J.  S.  Thompson,  of 
Bruceville,  Ind. ;  one  son,  Frank  P,  was  born 
August  28,  1878,  is  the  result  of  this  union. 
Leonidas  H.,  was  born  November  30,  1838, 
died  August  28,  1872.  Was  a  soldier  in  the 
Twenty-first  Illinois  Infantry,  Company  I 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Gogin  are  members  of  the 
Christian  Chui-ch.  Mrs.  Gogin  has  carried 
on  a  dry  goods  and  notion  business  for  the 
last  eighteen  years.  She  is  a  strong  church 
and  Sunday  school  worker. 

S.  R.  GOODWIN,  farmer,  P.  O.  Palestine, 
was  born  August  3,  1835,  in  Decatur  Coun- 
ty, Ind.  He  is' a  son  of  Nelson  Goodwin, 
born  in  Kentucky.  He  was  a  physician  by 
occupation,  and  married  Miss  Sarah  Travis. 
Mr.  S.  R.   Goodwin  was  educated    in  Deca- 


302 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


tur  County,  Ind.  In  1854,  he  moved  to  this 
county,  where  he  enlisted  in  the  summer  of 
1862,  in  the  Ninety-eighth  Illinois  Infantry 
Volunteers,  Company  D.  His  regiment  was 
afterward  mounted  and  did  some  hard  fight- 
ing till  the  close  of  the  war.  Mr.  Goodwin 
was  joined  in  matrimony,  August  30,  1867, 
to  Mary  M.  Pif er.  born  May  30,  1844,  on  La 
Motte  Prairie;  she  is  a  daiighter  of  Jo- 
seph Pifer,  born  September  24,  1819,  in  Vir- 
ginia. He  was  married,  August  25,  1842,  to 
Margaret  Walker,  born  January  23,  1822. 
Ml-.  Pifer  died  January  1,  1876,  and  his  wife 
died  November  5,  1878.  Mrs.  Goodwin  is 
the  mother  of  two  children — Maggie  E.,  born 
July  14,  1868,  she  died  October  2,  1869;  and 
Harlin  Leslie,  born  February  20,  1870.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Goodwin  are  members  of  the  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  Church.  He  is  identified 
with  the  Republican  party,  is  a  "  Knight  of 
Honor,"  and  is  a  member  of  the  "  G.  A.  E." 
DAVID  GOODWIN,  farmer,  P.  O.  Pales 
tine,  was  born  December  18,  1843,  in  Coshoc- 
ton County,  Ohio.  His  father,  John  Good- 
win, was  born  July  29,  1815;  was  a  mason  by 
occupation,  and  enjoyed  the  respect  of  ail 
who  knew  him.  He  was  married  to  Miss 
Morris,  born  January  4,  1823;  she  died  Feb- 
ruary, 1881.  She  was  a  daughter  of  Elisha 
and  Casine  (Cullison)  Morris,  and  the  mother 
of  eight  children.  Mr.  D.  Goodwin  went  to 
school  in  Montgomery  Township,  and  was 
joined  in  matrimony,  April  5,  1866,  to  Stacy 
A.  Magill,  a  daughter  of  William  L.  and 
Elizabeth  (McCorpin)  Magill;  she  was  born 
October  3,  1847,  and  is  the  mother  of  four 
children — Emma  J.,  born  January  30,  1867; 
John  W.,  born  July  30,  1868,  he  died  Octo- 
ber 4,  1869;  Noah  F.,  born  November  7, 
1873;  and  Chester  A,,  born  August  6,  1877. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Goodwin  are  exemplary  mem- 
bers of  their  community,  and  both  belong  to 
the  Christian  Church.     He  has  been  identi- 


fied with  the  Democratic  party.  He  has 
good  buildings  on  his  farm,  which  he  man- 
ages with  great  care  and  profit. 

A.  C,  GOODWIN,  farmer,  P.  O.  Pales- 
tine. The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  born 
October  11,  1848  in  Decatur  County,  Ind. 
He  is  a  son  of  Nelson  Goodwin,  M.  D.,  who 
was  born  in  Kentucky,  but  who  died  in  Craw- 
ford County,  111.  The  mother  of  oiu'  subject, 
Sarah  B.  Goodwin,  was  born  in  Travis,  Ind. 
She  is  the  mother  of  four  children  now  liv- 
ing— Shadrich  R. ;  Mary  J.,  who  married 
George  D.  Griswold;  oiir  subject,  A.  C. 
Goodwin,  and  his  sister,  Sarah  M.,  who  mar- 
ried C.  J.  Price,  a  physician  in  Hardinsville. 
Ml-.  Goodwin  was  educated  at  "  The  Union 
Christian  College,"  in  Merom,  Sullivan  Coun- 
ty, Ind.  In  early  life,  he  distinguished  him- 
self as  a  teacher,  he  taught  for  five  consecu- 
tive years.  He  is  now  living  in  Palestine, 
but  carrying  on  farming.  He  was  married 
there  March  6,  1878,  to  Miss  Aggie  Cun- 
ningham, born  December  4,  1856.  Her 
father,  Isaac  Cunningham,  was  born  in  Ohio; 
her  mother,  Jane  (Cunningham,  was  born  in 
Palestine.  Mr.  Goodwin  is  the  father  of  one 
child,  named  Ethel  Cleo.  Mr.  Goodwin  is  a 
Republican,  and  a  Knight  of  Honor.  He 
had  three  brothers  in  the  army;  one  of  them 
was  killed  at  the  battle  of  Nashville. 

C.  A.  GORDON,  farmer,  P.  O.  Palestine, 
was  born  September  18,  1816.  in  New  Jersey. 
He  is  a  son  of  W.  T.  Gordon,  born  1794, 
in  New  Jersey,  who  died  1830,  in  Morgan 
County,  Ohio.  He  married  Anna  La  R-ue, 
born  September  23,  1798,  in  New  Jersey. 
She  is  still  living  and  the  mother  of  eight 
children,  of  whom  i.he  two  youngest  were 
from  her  second  husband,  Peter  McMullen. 
Mr.  Gordon  was  educated  in  Ohio,  where  he 
learned  the  carpenter  and  joiner  trade,  which 
he  followed  about  twelve  years.  He  was 
joined  in  matrimony,    October  29,    1844,    in 


LA  MOTTE   TOWNSHIP. 


303 


Now  Reading,    Ohio,   to  Miss  Mary  Bugh, 
born  November  5,  1820,  in  Ohio.     Her  father 
was  Michael   Bugh,  born    in    Pennsylvania. 
She  is  the  mother  of  three  children — Will- 
iam   La   Fayette,    born    January,    3,    1846; 
Francis    G.,    deceased;     Charles    A.,     born 
August  22,   1849.     Mrs.    Gordon    died  Au- 
gust,   1851,   in  Crawford  County,  111.      Our  ' 
subject  was  man-ied  a  second  time,    Septem- 
ber 2,  1852,  to  Miss  Sarah  M.  Callahan,  born 
January  2, 1832,  in  Ohio.      She  is  the  daugh- 
ter of  John  and  Margaret  (Brown)  Callahan, 
and  the  mother  of  six  children — Theodore 
C,  born  September  8,  1853;  Ida,  born  June 
22,   1858;    John  O.,    bom  August  5,   18B0; 
Orin  L. ,  born  June  27,  1862 ;  Clarence,  born 
November  25,    1863,   and  George  E.,    born 
June  6, 1868.    Mr.  Gordon,  who  is  a  descend- 
ent    of  a   Scotch    nobleman,   went   West    in 
1852,  living  fifteen  years  in  Iowa  and  Ne- 
braska.      He  came  back  to  Crawford  County, 
111.,   in  1868,   and  owns  a  farm  of  (300  acres. 
ilr.    Gordon  is    identified  with    the  Repub- 
lican party,  and  he  and  his  wife  ai-e  members 
of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 

JUDGE  JOHN  B.  HARPER,  blacksmith, 
Palestine,  to  whom  this  sketch  is  devottd, 
was  born  February  6,  1813,  in  Knox 
County,  Ind.  He  is  a  son  of  James 
Harper,  born  May  15,  1790,  in  Fayette 
County,  Ky.,  who  died  December  1,  1829, 
in  Knox  County,  Ind.  He  was  a  brave 
soldier  in  the  Indian  war  of  1812,  par- 
ticipating in  the  battle  of  Tippecanoe,  where 
he  received  a  shot  in  his  leg;  he  carried  the 
bullet  in  it  to  his  giave.  He  was  married  to 
Peggy  Walker,  bom  July  25,  1795,  in  Mer- 
cer County,  Ky.;  died  August  26,  1826,  in 
Knox  County,  Ind.  She  was  the  mother  of 
seven  childi-en.  >Ir.  James  Harper's  father, 
George  Harper,  was  one  of  the  pioneers  of 
Fayette  County,  Ky.,  participating  in  many 
of  the  terrible  contests  of  that  country,  well 


called  the  "dark  and  bloody  ground."       He 
was  also   in  the   Revolutionary  war;   on  ac- 
count of  that  he  received  a  grant  of  land  in 
Indiana,  from  the  United  States  Government. 
After  building  a  fort  on  it  to  protect  his  fam- 
ily fi'om  the  Indians,   he  settled  there  and 
commenced  to  farm,  stationing  always  one  of 
his  children  with'a  horn  on  top  of  the  tower 
in  the  fort  so  as  to  be  ready  to  give  the  alarm 
if  the  Indians  should  be  near.     Oiu:  subject 
went  to  school  in  country  log  schoolhouses. 
He   came   to   Palestine    in    1830,  where   he 
learned  the  blacksmith  trade,    which  he  fol- 
lowed  for   thirty-six    years,    when  he    com- 
menced to  farm.      He  was  married,  Novem- 
ber 16,   1837,    to  Miss  Abigail  Everingham, 
born   November   19,    1S20,     in    Ohio.     Her 
father  was  a  millwright;   her  parents  Enocii, 
and  Triphena  (Kitchell)   Everingham,   came 
from  the  East.     Mrs.  Harper  was  the  mother 
of   six  children — James  E.,   Mary  V.,  Rhoda 
A.,  Charles  O.,  Lizzie  Bell  and  Lucy  J.    Mr. 
Harper  is  one  of  the  most  prominent  men  in 
the  county.     He  has  been  honored  with  the 
office  of  Township  Justice  of  the  Peace   for 
ten    years,    and  county  magistrate  for    four 
years;  has  been  School  Treasiu-er,    and  from 
1869  till  1877  has  filled  the  honorable  office 
of  County  Judge  to  the  entire  satisfaction  of 
the  people.     He    and    his  family  are  orna- 
ments of  our  society.    Mr.  Harper  is  identified 
with  the  Democratic  party. 

C.  O.  HARPER,  farmer,  I'.  O.  Palestine, 
was  born  July  17,  1848,  in  Palescine.  He 
is  a  son  of  Judge  John  B.  Harper,  who  was 
horn  February  6,  1813,  and  is  one  of  the  most 
prominent  men  in  the  county.  He  has  filled 
satisfactorily  various  offices  the  last  one  was 
that  of  County  Judge,  which  he  tilled  for 
eight  years.  He  was  married  to  Miss  Abi- 
gail Everingham,  who  was  born  in  Ohio, 
and  who  is  the  mother  of  six  children.  Our 
subject    was  educated   in   Palestine.      After 


304 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


his  school  days  were  over,  he  turned  his  at- 
tention to    agricultural   jjursuits,  which  was 
only    interrupted  by  his  obeying  the  call  of 
his  counti-y  and  enlisting  February  11,  1865, 
iu  the  One  Hundred  and  Fifty-second  Regi- 
ment  of   Illinois   Volunteers,    Company  H, 
and  serving  till  the  close  of  war,  after  which 
he  went  to  school  one  year,  and  then  taught 
school  for   two   winters,    one   north  of  Rob- 
inson   and    another    at    Morea.       IVIr.    Har- 
per was  married,  September  10,  1873,  in  La 
Motte  Township,  to  Miss  Catharine  P.   Lis- 
man,  born   December  25,   1853,    in  Merom. 
She    is    a    daughter    of    David    and    Nancy 
(Wells)   Lisman.     Mr.   Harper  is  identified 
with  the   Republican   party,   a   "  Knight  of 
Honor,"  and  a  member  of   the  "  Alfred  Har- 
rison Post,"  No.  152,  of  Palestine   Depart- 
ment, Illinois  G.  A.  R.     Mr.   and  'Mrs.  Har- 
per are  members  of  the  Presbyterian  Church. 
E.    C.  HASKETT,    merchant,    Palestine, 
was  born  near  Hutsonville,    Crawford  Coun- 
ty, 111.;   son  of  John  Haskett,  who  was  born 
in  North  Carolina.      The    father  was  a  far- 
mer  by  occupation,    and    at   an    early    age 
came  to    Crawford    County,    111.,    where   he 
bought  land  near  Hutsonville,  on  which  he 
lived  till   his   death,  which  occurred  in  the 
spring  of   1841.       He   was  married  to  Miss 
Nancy  West,  born  in  1810,    in    North   Caro- 
lina, and  now  living  near  Hutsonville;  she  is 
the  mother   of  sis   children,   four  of  whom 
are  now  living.      Mr.  E.  C.   Haskett  went  to 
school  a  short  time    in    Hutsonville,  but   is 
mainly  self-educated;  remained  on  the  home- 
stead till  he  was  sixteen  years  old,  when  he  en- 
tered a  general  store  in  Hutsonville,  clerking 
there  six  years,   and  one  year    in    Melrose, 
Clark  County;  from  there  he  came  to   Pales- 
tine, and  in  the  spring  of   1852,   commenced 
to  clerk  for  the  Preston  Bros.;  in  1855,  he  be- 
came a  partner;  in  1865,  he  and  his  brothers 
bought  out  the  "Preston  interest,  at  this  time 


they  did  one  of  the  largest  business  in  the 
State.  In  1876,  they  dissolved  partner.ship. 
Mr.  Haskett  was  married  twice,  his  first  wife 
was  Miss  E.  A.  Kitchell,  born  December, 
1827;  she  died  in  1867,  and  was  the  mother 
of  four  children— Catlin  P.,  Ida  B.,  Fanny 
B.  and  John  C.  His  swcond  wife  was  Mrs. 
Sarah  E.  Kitchell,  who  was  born  May  30, 
1832,  in  Palestine.  Her  father  was  Dr.  R. 
H.  Mauzy,  once  an  officer  in  the  Black  Hawk 
war;  he  died  in  1834,  in  Palestine.  SIi-s. 
Haskett  had  four  children — Richard  H.  and 
Garvin,  by  her  first  husband;  Edmund  C. 
and  Sarah  E.,  by  her  second  husband,  Mr. 
Haskett  opened  a  general  store  in  1880.  Is 
an  Odd  Fellow,  also  a  member  and  deacon 
of  the  Presyterian  Church.  Is  identified 
with  the  Democratic  party. 

JOHN  M.  L.  HILL,  stockman,  P.  O. 
Palestine.  Mr.  Hill  was  born  March  19, 
1820,  in  Knox  County,  Ind.  He  is  a  son  of 
John  Hill,  born  1793,  in  North  Carolina, 
who  died  1825,  in  Knox  County,  Ind. ;  he 
was  a  farmer,  and  a  soldier  in  the  war  of 
1812;  he  married  Mary  Clark,  born  1795,  in 
North  Carolina.  She  is  the  mother  of  nine 
children.  Our  subject  went  to  school  in 
Knox  County,  Ind.,  and  in  early  life  learned 
the  saddler  and  harness  trade.  He  had  a 
hard  time  in  early  life.  He  earned  his  first 
money  by  raising  corn  on  the  shares  and  tak- 
ing it  to  New  Orleans  on  a  flat-boat,  where 
he  sold  it  for  25  cents  per  bushel.  After- 
ward, he,  in  partnership  with  two  tailors, 
went  into  the  stock  business,  which  proved 
successful.  In  1845,  he  opened  a  harness 
shop  in  Palestine,  111.;  in  1854,  he  went  into 
the  stock  business.  .  From  time  to  time  he 
entered  land  in  different  counties.  He  owns 
now  717  acres  of  land  besides  town  property. 
Financially,  our  subject's  life  has  been  a  suc- 
cess. He  was  married  October  8,  1846,  in 
La  Motte  Township,    to  Miss  Jane  Pm'cell, 


LA  MOTTE    TOWNSHIP. 


807 


born  March  24,  1824,  in  La  Motte  Township. 
She   is   a  daughter  of  Jonathan  Purcell,  a 
pioneer,  who  was  born    in    Virginia.       Her 
mother  was  Sarah  Boatright,    who  was  born 
in  Tennessee.      Mr.  Hill  was  identified  with 
old  Whig  party,  but  he  is  now  a  Republican. 
E.  B.  HILL,  deceased.     Mr.  Hill  will  be 
remembered  by  many  who  have  lived  in  Pales- 
tine as  one  of  the  best  professors  of  music, 
especially  leader  and  teacher  of  brass  bands; 
he  was  born  February  22,  1825,   m  Liberty, 
Union   County,    Ind.       His    father,    Samuel 
Hill,  was  born  in  Kentucky;   he  died  in  In- 
diana.    He  was  raised  among  the  Shakers 
in  Ohio,  and  from  them  learned  the   hatter's 
trade.        He    left    the   society    and    man'ied 
Nancy  Hardman,    who   was   the    mother    of 
eight  children.    Mr.  E.  B.  Hill  was  educated 
in  Liberty,  Ind.     He  studied  medicine  with 
a  view  of  becoming   a  physician,  but  being 
foiled  in  this  hope,  and   being  , naturally  in- 
clined to  music,  he  made  it   the  object  of  his 
life,  and  is  well  known  in  Eastern  Indiana 
and  Crawford  County  as  a  competent  teacher; 
to  the  latter  place  he  came  iu  1857,  and  there 
made  the  acquaintance  of  Miss  Mary  E.  Mc- 
Gahey,  and  made  her  his  wife  May  1,  1860. 
She  was  born  November  25,    1831,   and  was 
the  mother  of  one  child,   Hattie,  born  Janu- 
ary 12,  1861 ;  she  died  March  17,  1880.     Mrs. 
Hill  is  living  in  a  comfortable  home  provided 
by    her    late   husband.      Her    father,    Allen 
McGahey,    born    September    6,    1797,    died 
August  8,   1857.     His  father,    David  McGa- 
hey,   came  to  Palestine  at  an  early  day,  and 
may  be  called  a  pioneer,  a  scholar  and  minis- 
ter   of    the   United  Christian  Church,    then 
called  the  New  Light  Church.     He  was  mar- 
•    ried  November   24,  1796.  to  Elizabeth  Don- 
nell;  he  died  in  September,  1851.  Mr.  Allen 
McGahey   was  married  August  7,    1828,  to 
Harriet  Newland,  born   February  27,   1810, 
and  died  October  2,  1851.      Mrs.    Hill   has 


traveled    in     many    parts    of     the     United 

States. 

LAFAYETTE  HUGHES,  lecturer,  Pales- 
tine, was  born  September  12,  1852.  He  is  a 
son  of  John  Hughes,  born  August  14,  1803, 
in  South  Wales.  He  is  a  son  of  John 
Hughes,  Sr. ;  his  occupation  was  that  of  a 
puddler;  he  was  married  in  the  old  country 
to  Mary  Moms.  They,  with  two  of  their 
children,  who  afterward  died  in  New  Jersey, 
came  to  Quebec,  Canada,  in  1832,  at  the 
time  of  the  first  cholera  in  this  country. 
They  were  shipwrecked  in  their  passage 
across  the  ocean,  while  on  board  the  Welsh 
sailing  ship,  "  King  Henry  V,"  but  were  res- 
cued by  Capt.  Seward,  from  Sunderland.  Mi-. 
Hughes  raised  fourteen  childi-en  after  com- 
ing to  this  country,  of  whom  only  seven  are 
now  living;  their  names  are  David,  Victoria, 
Alice,  John,  Edward,  Lafayette  and  Adaline. 
Mr.  John  Hughes  is  a  Free- Will  Baptist, 
and  has  been  identified  with  the  Republican 
party.  Two  of  his  children,  Adaline,  born 
April  22,  1854,  and  Edward,  born  February 
27,  1845,  are  at  home  taking  care  of  the  old 
folks.  The  latter  enlisted  July  18,  1861,  in 
the  Thirty-eighth  Illinois  Infantry  Volun  - 
teers.  Company  D.  He  was  afterward  at- 
tached to  the  light  artillery,  serving  till  the 
close  of  the  war.  He  was  at  Murf reesboro ; 
in  Sherman's  campaign;  suffered  nine  months 
in  the  Southern  prison  pens  and  was  dis- 
charged October,  1866,  in  Fort  Kearney, 
Neb.  Lafayette  Hughes  was  educated  at 
the  U.  C.  College,  in  Merom,  Ind.,  was  a 
salesman  in  early  life,  but  for  the  last  six 
years  he  has  been  a  temperance  lecturer,  la- 
boring in  Iowa,  Illinois,  Canada,  Kansas,  In- 
diana, Michigan  and  Ohio. 

Z.   ILIFF,   farmer,  P.   O.   Palestine,    was 

born  July   30,   1839,    in  Hampshire  County, 

W.  Va.     He  is  a  son  of   James   Uifi".      Mi\ 

i  Z.  Iliff  spent  most  of  his   early  life   among 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


strangers,  being  six  years  in  Ohio.  In  1866, 
he  came  to  Crawford  County,  where  he  was 
joined  in  matrimony,  May  14,  1868,  to  Mrs. 
Margaret  Barker,  born  July  4.  1838;  she  is 
the  daughter  of  William  Hicks,  whose  father, 
William  Hicks,  Sr.,  was  one  of  the  pioneers 
of  this  county.  William  Hicks,  Jr.,  mar 
ried  Elizabeth  Montgomery,  who  was  the 
mother  of  four  children.  Mrs.  Iliflf  is  the 
mother  of  three  children — Charles  Barker, 
born  August  26,  1859,  he  died  November  8, 
1862,  he  was  a  son  from  her  first  husband; 
Lessie,'born  November  4,  1869;  and  Nora, 
born  May  8,  1874,  are  from  her  second  hus- 
band. On  the  10th  of  February.  1865,  Mr. 
Iliff  obeyed  the  call  of  Union  to  defend  the 
stars  and  stripes,  and  enlisted  in  the  One 
Hundred  and  Eighty  fifth  Ohio  Infantry 
Volunteers,  and  served  till  the  close  of  the 
war.  Mr.  IlifT  is  independent  in  politics, 
and  is  a  wideawake,  well-to-do  farmer,  and, 
together  with  his  estimable  wife,  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 

D.  F.  JOHNSON,  tile  manufacturer,  Rob- 
inson, was  born  November  6,  1842,  m  Cham- 
paign County,  Ohio.  He  is  a  son  of  John 
Johnson,  born  1780,  in  Kentucky.  He  is  a 
machinist  by  occupation,  and  is  considered 
one  of  the  pioneers  of  Champaign  County. 
He  is  of  a  long-lived  race,  as  he  is  still  liv- 
ing, having  reached  the  almost  incredible  age 
of  one  hundred  and  two  years.  He  is  a 
grand  old  man  and  does  not  seem  to  mind 
his  age  much.  He  was  married  to  Elizabeth 
Dodson,  who  was  born  in  Pennsylvania,  but 
who  died  in  Ohio.  She  is  the  mother  of 
eleven  children;  nine  of  them  are  now  living. 
Mr.  Johnson  was  educated  in  Ohio,  where  he 
became  a  machinist.  He  was  married  there, 
January  7,  1864,  to  Mary  Ann  Lochard,  born 
February  22,  1846.  She  is  the  daughter  of 
Isaac  and  Isabelle  (Bothal)  Lochard,  who 
came  from  the  East.      She  is   the  mother   of 


three  children — Isaac  Newton,  born  August 
17,  1865;  Lily  May.  born  July  30,  1863; 
and  T.  T..  born  October  25.  1874.  Mr. 
Johnson  has  tilled  township  oflSces  in  Ohio. 
He  came  to  Crawford  County,  111.,  in 
the  fall  of  1870,  and  has  run  machinery 
and  farmed  of  late  years.  He  has  made  tile 
and  run  a  saw  mill.  He  is  a  very  indus- 
trious raan;  has  been  identified  with  the 
Democratic  party,  and  in  1868  he  joined  the 
Odd  Fellows  fraternity,  in  Ohio. 

J.  KITCHELL,  storekeeper,  Palestine, 
was  born  January  2,  1839,  in  Palestine;  he 
is  a  son  of  James  H.  Kitchell,  born  in  New- 
ark, N.  J.  He  was  one  of  the  jiioneers  of 
Crawford  County,  and  a  merchant  and  farm- 
er by  occupation.  He  died  in  Palestine. 
I  His  wife's  maiden  name  was  Nancy  Gill, 
I  born  February  3,  1802,  died  1879.  She  was 
the  mother  of  thirteen  children,  of  whom  only 
our  subject  and  his  sister  Julia,  who  mar- 
ried Judge  J.  C.  Allen,  are  now  living.  Mr. 
Kitchell  was  educated  in  Palestine;  in  early 
life  he  clerked  in  a  dry  goods  store  till  1857, 
when  he  went  to  Washington,  D.  C,  where  he 
clerked  in  the  House  of  Representatives  till 
1859  when  he  came  back  to  Palestine  and  in 
partnership  with  Judge  Allen  started  a  gen- 
eral store.  They  continued  in  that  about 
thirteen  years,  when  they  sold  out  and  com- 
menced a  hardware  and  agricultural  business, 
continuing  in  that  till  1877,  when  Mr.  Kitch- 
ell went  out  of  business  and  was  elected 
Township  Assessor  for  three  terms  in  suc- 
cession. In  the  spring  of  1881,  he  com- 
menced to  do  business  for  J.  L.  Woodworth 
in  a  hardware  store.  jMt.  Kitchell  was  mar- 
ried in  Palestine,  December  5,  1872,  to  Miss 
R.  M.  Wilson,  born  March  29.  1844.  She 
has  two  children.  Anna,  born  September  5, 
1878;  and  Bessie,  born  March  9,  1882.  Her 
parents  were  Presly  O.  and  Maria  Kitchell 
Wilson.      Her  father  died  in  California;  but 


LA  MOTTE    TOWNSHIP. 


300 


ber  mother  is  living  in  Palestine.  Mr. 
Kitchell  is  a  Democrat,  an^l  a  member  of  the 
Presbyterian  Chiu-ch.  He  is  a  good  buai- 
ness  man. 

R.  H.  KITCHELL,  merchant,  Palestine, 
was  born  September  21,  1854,  in  Palestine. 
His  father,  J.  A.  Kitchell,  was  born  in 
Palestine.  1824,  he  died  in  January,  ISfiO. 
He  was  a  son  of  J.  H.  Kitchell,  who  was  a 
pioneer  in  Crawford  County,  living  at  one 
time  at  Fort  La  Motte,  and  whose  father  was 
a  soldier  in  the  Revloutionary  war.  The 
mother  of  our  subject  was  born  May  30, 
1832,  in  Palestine.  Her  father  was  Dr.  R. 
H.  Mauzy,  who  was  also  an  officer  in  the  Black 
Hawk  war.  Mr.  R.  H.  Kitchell  went  to 
school  in  Paestine,  and  in  early  life  clerked 
for  the  Haskett  Bros.,  till  they  dissolved 
parnership,  when  he  commenced  a  grocery 
business  in  Palestine,  and  through  his  hon- 
esty and  square  dealing,  he  has  built  up  a 
good  business.  He  was  married  in  La  Motte 
Township.  October  20.  1875,  to  Miss  Amanda 
Lackey,  born  June  16,  1854,  in  La  Motte 
Township.  She  is  the  mother  of  two  chil- 
dren— Lena,  born  Sejjtember  19,  1876,  and 
Olna,  born  December  5,  1877.  Hor  father 
is  Thomas  Lackey,  a  farmer  by  occupation, 
who  was  born  Januarj'  3,  1822,  in  Kentucky. 
Her  mother  was  Ann  Eliza  Boatright,  who 
was  bom  in  Crawford  County,  111.,  where  she 
died.  She  was  the  mother  of  three  chil- 
dren. Mr.  Kitchell  is  identitied  with  the  Re- 
publican party. 

THOMAS  LACKEY,  farmer,  P.  O.  Pales 
tine,  was  bom  January  3,  1824,  in  Clark 
County.  Ky.  His  father,  John  Lackey,  was 
also  born  in  Kentucky.  His  occupation  was 
that  of  a  farmer  and  wheelwright,  manu- 
factiu-ing  spinning  wheels.  He  was  married 
in  Kentucky  to  Nancy  Wilson,  born  in  Ken- 
tucky. She  was  the  mother  of  nine  children, 
and  died  in  this  county.     Mr.    Lackev   came 


to  this  county  in  1828,  with  his  father,  and 
went  to  school  here  and  was  married,  1852, 
to  Miss  A.  E.  Boatright,  who  died  in  1862. 
She  was  the  mother  of  three  childi-en — 
Amanda,  born  June  16,  1854;  Helen,  born 
September  22.  1857;  and  Mary,  born  Decem- 
ber 20,  1859.  Mr.  Lackey  was  joined  in 
matrimony  a  second  time  in  1863,  to  Mrs. 
Malissa  Kibler,  born  October  12,  1824,  in 
this  county.  She  is  a  daughter  of  Hudson 
and  Hannah  (Higgins)  McCorpin,  and  the 
mother  of  four  children — John  Kibler  and 
Ellen  Kibler  were  from  her  lirst  husband; 
Richard,  born  October  6,  1867;  and  Ann 
Eliza,  born  February  9,  1865,  are  children 
of  her  present  husband.  His  two  oldest  chil- 
dren are  married,  Amanda  to  R.  H.  Kitchell, 
and  Helen  to  William  Walters.  Mr.  Lackey's 
grandparents  were  of  the  Old  Virginia  stock, 
characterized  "for  their  known  hospitality, 
honesty  and  straightforwardness.  He  had  a 
brother  in  the  late  war.  He  is  identified 
with  the  Republican  party,  but  in  local 
affairs  he  votes  for  the  best  man. 

JOHN  W.  LEAVERTON,  farmer,  was 
born  April  14,  1840,  in  Greensborough,  Md. 
His  father  was  John  H.  Leaverton,  born 
March  20,  1813,  in  Mai-yland.  He  died 
March  17,  1852,  in  Ohio.  He  was  a  farmer, 
and  was  married  December  25,  1834,  to  Miss 
Tamsey  Irland,  born  April  5,  1815;  she  died 
January  19,  1870,  and  is  the  mother  of  eight 
children.  Ivlr.  Leaverton  went  to  school  in 
Marion  County,  Ohio.  He  enlisted,  Novem- 
ber 7,  1861,  in  the  Eighty-second  Ohio  Volun- 
teer Infantry.  The  first  battle  in  which  he 
took  an  active  part  was  at  Bull  Run,  and  the 
last  at  Bentonville.  He  was  in  sixteen  hard 
fought  battles;  was  with  Sherman  in  his 
famous  march  to  the  sea,  and  was  also  a  non- 
commissioned officer  in  the  army.  Mr. 
Leaverton  was  married  December  5,  1867, 
in    Marion    County,    Ohio,  to    Miss    Delilah 


310 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


Andrew,  born  November  7,  1836.  Mr.  Lea- 
verton  is  respected  by  all  who  come  in  con- 
tact with  him.  He  has  been  Township 
Assessor;  is  a  Republican;  is  a  Knight  of 
Honor,  having  occupied  the  office  of  Dicta- 
tor. He  is  Commander  of  the  "Alfred  Harri- 
son Post,"  No.  152,  in  Palestine  Depart,  of 
111.,  G.  A.  R.;  he  is  peculiarly  fitted  for  this 
place  on  account  of  his  military  knowledge; 
he  has  organized  three  posts. 

W.  L.  MAGILL,  farmer,  P.  O.  Palestine, 
was  born  October  23,  1823,  in  Lincoln 
County,  Ky.  He  is  a  son  of  William  Magill,  ' 
who  was  born  February  2S,  1788,  in  Virginia;  ' 
he  died  in  1839.  He  came  to  this  county  in  I 
1826,  and  was  married  to  Unity  Gooch,  who 
was  the  mother  of  nine  children;  three  ai-e 
now  living.  His  oldest  brother  was  in  the 
war  of  1812,  participating  in  the  battle  of  i 
New  Orleans.  Our  subject.  Mi-.  W.  L.  ; 
Magill,  went  to  school  in  Crawford  County, 
where  he  has  been  a  stock  man  and  farmer 
all  his  life.  He  was  joined  in  matrimony, 
January  11,  1844,  to  Miss  Elizabeth  Mc- 
Colpin,  born  January  3,  1820,  in  this  county. 
She  is  a  daughter  of  Hudson  and  Hannah 
(Cheek)  McColpin,  and  is  the  mother  of 
eight  children.  Four  of  them  are  now  liv- 
ing: their  names  are  Emily  J.,  born  January 
3,  1846,  she  married  E.  Goodwin;  Stacey  A., 
born  October  3,  1847,  she  married  D.  Good- 
win; Martha  F.,  born  October  24,!  1853,  she  : 
married  A.  Fox;  and  Lida,  born  May  15, 
1861.  Mr.  Magill  lives  on  a  good  farm,  a 
part  of  which  his  father  bought  from  Alexan- 
der Houston,  but  which  was  formerly  owned 
by  George  Smith,  who  was  one  of  the  first 
settlers  in  this  county;  the  other  part  was 
entered  as  Government  land.  Mr.  Magill 
has  filled  school  offices,  and  has  been  iden- 
tified with  the  Republican  party,  but  al- 
ways votes  for  whom  he  considers  the  best 
man. 


JOHN  F.  MAIL,  farmer,  P.  O.  Robin- 
son, was  born  June  16,  1846,  in  La  Motte 
Township.  His  father  was  Fredeiich  Mail, 
born  April  15,  1803,  in  Knox  County,  lud. ; 
he  died  February  8,  1873.  He  was'married 
September  18,  1828,  to  Louisa  H.  McGahey, 
born  February  2,  1806;  she  died  December 
9,  1865,  and  is  the  mother  of  four  children. 
Her  father,  David  McGahey,  represented 
Lawrence  and  Crawford  Counties  in  the  Sen- 
ate of  1832-33,  which  sat  at  Vandalia,  111. 
Frederick  Mail's  father  was  born  in  German- 
town,  Penn.,  and  his  father,  who  came  from 
Germany  about  1754,  and  who  spelled  his 
name  Mehl,  got  his  naturalization  papers  in 
1761,  under  King  George,  against  whom  he 
fought  afterward  in  the  Revolutionary  war. 
Mr.  J.  F.  Mail  was  educated  in  Palestine, 
and  at  the  Union  Christian  College  in  Merom; 
he  clerked  two  years  in  Palestine,  farmed 
aftRrward,  and  was  married,  November  17, 
1868,  to  Miss'Ella  M.  Murrell,  born  Septem- 
ber 2,  1847,  in  Clinton  County,  Ohio.  She 
is  a  daughter  of  Alexander  and  Amanda  (Pen 
■quite)  Murrell;  her  grandmother's  maiden 
name  was  Jane  Cummings.  Mi's.  Mail  is  the 
mother  of  four  children,  Frederich  M.,  bom 
October  4.  1869;  Elmer  B.,  bom  April  28, 
1871;  Bessie  Leota,  born  December  20,  1872, 
she  died  September  13,  1873 ;  and  Medford 
B.,  born  January  2,  1874.  Mr.  Mail  is  an 
intelligent,  wide-awake  farmer;  a  member  of 
the  Presbyterian  Church,  and  has  been  iden 
tified  with  the  Democratic  party. 

M.  MAIL,  farmer,  P.  O.  Palestine,  first 
beheld  the  light  of  this  world  in  the  year 
1857,  in  La  Motte  Township,  Crawford 
County.  His  father,  Isaac  D.  Mail,  was 
born  in  1832.  He  was  a  farmer  by  occupa- 
tion, and  his  father,  Frederick  Mail,  was 
born  in  1803,  a  blacksmith  by  trade,  and  a 
pioneer  of  Crawford  County.  He  was  joined 
in  matrimony    to  Louisa  H.  McGahey,  born 


LA  MOTTE    TOW-NSHir. 


311 


in  1806.  Her  father  was  one  of  the  pioneers 
of  Crawford  County,  and  she  is  the  mother 
of  four  children.  Mr.  Isaac  D,  Mail  was 
married  to  Mary  E.  Boatright,  who  was  born 
in  Crawford  County,  and  is  the  mother  of 
seven  children.  Our  subject  went  to  school 
in  Crawford  County  and  Carboudale,  111.  He 
has  been  a  farmer  all  his  life,  and  was  joined 
in  matrimony,  in  Crawford  County,  111., 
October  3,  1877,  to  Miss  Sarah  J.  Reavill, 
born  January  9,  1857,  in  Crawford  County. 
She  is  a  daughter  of  Andrew  J.  and  Martha 
A.  (Seaney)  Reavill,  who  were  both  bom  in 
Crawford  County,  111.  Mrs.  Mail  in  the 
mother  of  two  children  living.  Avis  Faith, 
born  October  13,  1879,  and  Aubrey,  born 
May  13,  1881.  Mr.  Mail  can  trace  his  an- 
cestors back  to  one  of  his  great -great- grand- 
fathers, who  spelled  his  name  Mehl,  and  who 
came  from  Germany.  In  politics,  our  subject 
is  identified  with  the  Democratic  party. 

A.  MALONE,  M.  D.,  Palestine,  was  born 
March  20,  1819,  in  Gibson  County,  Ind.  He 
is  a  son  of  James  Malone,  born  1792,  in 
Woodford  County,  Ky.  He  was  a  farmer 
by  occupation.  He  died .  1877,  in  Owens- 
ville,  Ind.  The  maiden  name  of  his  wife 
was  Christina  Hunter,  who  died  in  Owens- 
ville,  Ind.  She  was  the  mother  of  five  chil- 
dren now  living.  Our  subject  went  to  school 
in  Owensville,  bat  is  mainly  self-educated. 
He  finished  his  medical  education  at  the 
Ohio  Medical  College  at  Cincinnati.  Mr. 
Malone  clerked  in  early  life  at  Princeton  and 
Owensville,  Ind.  About  five  years  after  that, 
he  commenced  to  teach  school;  he  taught 
one  year  in  Gibson  County,  Ind. ,  and  almost 
three  years  in  Hamilton  and  White  Counties, 
111.  After  that,  he  took  np  the  study  of 
medicine,  and  continued  it  till  he  graduated 
in  1846,  when  ho  went  to  Albion,  111.,  where 
he  practiced  almost  two  years,  and  a  little 
longer  than  that  in  Lawrenceville,  111.     Mr. 


Malone  came  to  Palestine  in  1850,  where  he 
has  made  his  home  ever  since,  keeping  a 
general  store  and  drugs,  as  well  as  following 
his  profession.  In  politics,  Mr.  Malone  is 
neutral;  he  has  not  voted  since  he  helped  to 
elect  Abraham  Lincoln.  He  has  been  mar-  . 
ried  twice;  the  first  time,  December,  1842, 
near  Albion,  111.,  to  Miss  E.  Fisher,  born 
1819,  and  died  1861,  in  Palestine.  She  was 
the  mother  of  three  children  living — Alva 
C,  now  married;  Rosaline,  also  married,  and 
Abraham  Lincoln.  Mr.  Malone  mai-ried 
again,  December  16,  1862,  in  Akron,  Ohio, 
to  Miss  A.  M.  Bisbee,  born  in  Union  Mills, 
Ind.  She  has  one  son,  Percy  B. ,  born  July 
13,  1870.  Oui-  subject  is  known  as  a  gentle- 
man and  a  scholar.  He  is  the  author  of 
"  Bible  Religion,"  and  "  The  Age  to  Come;" 
both  meritorious  works;  he  has  also  been  a 
contributor  to  the  Cincinnati  Gazette,  and 
three  other  political  papers.  Is  a  contributor 
to  the  Medical  Times,  Chicago,  the  Medical 
Recorder,  Cincinnati,  and  the  American 
Journal  of  Medicine,  Cincinnati.  Has  con- 
tributed to  the  following  religious  papers: 
Prophetic  Watchman,  Howard,  111.,  the 
Gospel  Banner,  Geneva,  111.,  the  Herald  of 
the  Coming  Kingdom,  Chicago,  and  the 
Restitution,  Plymouth,  Ind.  His  present 
wife  was  educated  by  our  late  President, 
James  A.  Garfield,  at  Hiram  College,  Ohio. 
WILLIAM  MARTIN,  miller  and  lumber- 
man, Palestine,  was  born  March  19,  1841, 
grandson  of  John  Martin,  from  Kentucky, 
who  came  here  1810,  when  the  country  was 
in  a  wild  state,  and  the  forest  was  filled  with 
wild  beasts  and  wilder  men.  His  son, 
Hezekiah  Martin,  was  joined  in  matrimony  to 
Nancie  McColpin,  who  was  the  mother  of  a 
large-family,  of  whom  William,  oiu-  subject, 
was  the  youngest.  He  was  educated  in  this 
county,  where  he  was  also  married  December 
28,  1871,  to  Miss  Sarah  Netbery,  born  1844; 


312 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


she  died  October  28,  1882.  She  was  a 
daughter  of  John  and  Margaret  (Crawford) 
Nethery,  who,  with  their  daughter,  were 
born  in  Ireland.  Mrs.  Martin  was  the 
mother  of  three  children,  of  whom  two  are 
now  living — John  O.,  born  March  10,  1873, 
and  Rosalie,  born  April  24,  1878.  Mr.  Mar- 
tin's occupation  in  early  life  was  that  of  an 
engineer  in  his  father's  mill,  of  which  he 
took  possession  about  1870.  He  connected  a 
woolen  mill  with  it,  which  may  be  said  to 
have  been  the  only  industry  in  the  township, 
Mrs.  Martin  was  a  member  of  the  Presbyte- 
rian Chm'ch.  Mr.  Martin  was  rocked  iu  the 
Democratic  cradle,  and  therefore  has  been 
identified  with  that  party.  He  is  now  en- 
gaged in  the  lumber  business  in  Palestine. 
DR.  J.  A.  MARTIN,  physician,  Pal- 
estine, was  born  January  1,  1856,  in  Barren 
County,  Ky.  His  father,  F.  M.  Martin,  is 
a  carpenter  b^'  occupation;  he  was  born  Feb- 
ruary 26,  1831,  in  Kentucky.  He  was  mar- 
ried, in  Barren  County,  Ky.,  December  12, 
1853,  to  Miss  Mary  Jane  Newberry,  born 
February,  1834,  in  Kentucky.  She  is  the 
mother  of  foui-  children — James  A.,  Winfield 
Scott,  Joseph  T.  and  John  W.  Mr.  J.  A. 
Martin  came  to  Palestine  in  1864,  wiih  his 
father;  went  to  school  there,  and  at  the  age  of 
fourteen  he  commenced  to  clerk  in  a  general 
store,  continued  in  that  till  he  was  seventeen; 
for  the  next  three  years,  he  attended  the  vil- 
lage Bchool,  and  in  the  fall  of  1876  he  went 
to  Cincinnati,  where  he  attended  lectures  in 
the  Medical  College.  In  the  spring  of  1877, 
he  came  home  and  read  medicine  with  Dr. 
Rafferty  for  eighteen  months.  In  October, 
1878,  he  again  attended  the  Medical  College 
of  Ohio,  in  Cincinnati,  and  graduated  Feb- 
ruary 28,  1879.  Since  then  he  has  practiced 
most  of  his  time  in  Palestine.  Dr.  Martin 
is  a  young  man  who  deserves  a  great  deal  of 
credit  in  fitting  himself  for  his  present  posi- 


tion. He  is  a  Knight  of  Honor,  and  a  mem- 
ber of  Crawford  County  Medical  Association. 
Is  a  Democrat  in  politics. 

JAMES  A.  MAXWELL,  Pincipal  of 
Schools  in  Palestine,  111.,  was  born  Novem- 
ber 8,  1837,  in  Blount  County,  Tenn.  His 
lather,  James  N.  Maxwell,  was  born  in  the 
same  State  and  county,  August  15,  1809.  The 
father  was  a  farmer,  and  supported  himself 
and  family  by  constant  daily  toil  in  the  culti- 
vation of  the  soil.  Being  too  poor  to  pur- 
chase a  farm  for  himself  in  the  old  and  well 
improved  tate  of  his  birth,  where  land  was 
worth  from  $50  to  $75  per  acre,  he  concluded 
to  emigrate  Westward,  where  he,  with  a  few 
hundred  dollar's,  accumulated  by  industiy 
and  frugality,  could  buy  land  for  himself 
and  boys.  Crawford  County,  111.,  was  final- 
ly selected  as  his  place  of  destination  and 
future  home,  to  which  he,  with  his  family, 
in  the  fall  of  1849,  in  two  two-horse  wagons, 
joiu'neyed.  He  entered  a  tract  of  land  con- 
taining about  three  hundred  acres,  at  Con- 
gress prices,  lying  two  miles  west  of  the 
village  of  Flat  Bock,  in  Honey  Creek  Town- 
ship, which,  after  many  years'  hard  toil,  he 
cleared  and  improved  as  it  now  is,  and  where 
he  finally  died  in  the  year  1865,  January  28, 
at  the  age  of  fifty-six.  The  maiden  name  of 
his  wife  was  Dickson.  She  was  born  Febru- 
aiy  18,  1808,  in  the  same  State  and  county 
as  her  husband,  and  died  June  25,  1863,  at 
her  home  in  Honey  Creek  Township.  The 
parents  lived  to  raise  nine  children,  five  soqs 
and  four  daughters,  all  of  whom  are  dead  at 
thia  writing  except  the  second  son,  John  G., 
and  the  third,  James  A.,  the  subject  of  this 
biography.  James  A.  Maxwell  is,  for  the 
most  part,  a  self-educated  man.  When  fif- 
teen years  of  age,  he  was  very  desirous  of  a 
good  education.  The  opportunities  for  edu- 
cating at  that  time  in  the  West  were  few.  A 
few  log  schoolhouses,  suiTounded  with  hazel 


LA  MOTTE    TOWNSHIP. 


3ia 


brush  for  shade,  were  scattered  over  the 
coanty.  Subscription  schools  were  main- 
tained for  only  two  or  three  months  dui-ing 
the  year.  The  schools  were  what  we  call 
loud,  and  could  be  heard  a  mile  or  two  read- 
ing and  singing  their  spelling  lessons,  which 
were  the  principal  branches  taught  then. 
Text-books  were  very  scarce,  inferior,  and  ob- 
tained from  a  distance  only.  But  in  the 
face  of  all  these  unfavorable  opportunities, 
young  Maxwell,  without  money  and  teacher, 
having  nothing  but  his  time,  will,  family 
fireside  and  a  few  books,  commenced  a  course 
of  study  in  the  common  branches  of  an  Eng- 
lish education.  This  he  continued  for  three 
consecutive  years,  during  which  time  he  ac- 
quired a  general  knowledge  of  English 
grammar,  geography,  arithmetic,  history, 
philosophy  and  the  rudiments  of  Latin,  with 
but  very  little  assistance,  which  he  obtained 
occasionally  from  a  clergyman  living  six 
miles  distant,  ^\'hen  scarcely  seventeen,  he 
taught  his  first  school,  on  the  subscription 
plan,  and  accoi'ding  to  the  old  flint-lock  sys- 
tem, during  the  winter  of  which  term  the 
law  was  passed  by  the  Illinois  Legislature 
establishing  our  free  system  of  public  schools. 
By  its  provisions,  it  became  necessary  for 
teachers  to  pass  an  examination  in  seven 
branches,  and  thus  secure  a  teacher's  certifi- 
cate, which  young  Maxwell  did,  having  been 
examined  by  Dr.  (now  Judge)  Eobb,  of  Rob- 
inson. When,  in  1857,  an  academy  of  learn- 
ing was  instituted  at  Palestine,  young  Max- 
well entered  that  school  at  its  commencement, 
and  completed  an  academical  coiu-se  there. 
Owing  to  bad  health,  he  was  unable  to  re- 
sume his  studies*  at  college.  He  then  em- 
ployed his  time  in  teaching,  and  has,  for  the 
most  part,  been  following  that  profession  for 
twenty-three  years  in  Crawford  County, 
principally  at  Robinson,  Hutsonville  and 
Palestine;  at  the  latter  of    which  places  he 


now  resides,  being  Principal  of  the  public 
schools  there.  Our  subject  was  mamed, 
April  12,  1860,  at  Palestine,  to  Mary  V. 
Harper,  bom  August  5,  1842,  at  the  place  of 
her  maiTiage,  and  is  the  daughter  of  John 
B.  and  Abigail  Harper.  Mi-,  and  Mi-s.  Max- 
well have  three  childi-en — two  daughters, 
Alice  C,  aged  twenty  years,  and  Edna  B., 
aged  ten  years,  and  one  boy,  Frank  N.,  aged 
two  years.  He  was  in  politics  a  Republican 
until  the  close  of  our  civil  war,  since  which 
time  he  has  been  neutral,  but  seldom  exer- 
cising his  right  of  suffrage.  He  is  now 
identified  with  the  temperance  cause,  and  is 
a  worker  for  the  cause  of  prohibition.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  and 
an  active  Sabbath  school  worker,  seeking  the 
moral,  social  and  intellectual  advancement 
of  all  with  whom  he  comes  in  contact.  Is  a 
member  of  the  Knights  of  Honor,  and  in 
good  standing  in  that  order. 

MRS.  DORCAS  McGAHEY,  Palestine, 
bom  August  21,  1838,  in  La  Motte  Town- 
ship. She  is  a  daughter  of  Ethan  Walters, 
who  was  born  in  Ohio,  and  who  died  August 
13,  1859.  He  was  a  farmer  by  occupation. 
He  married  Mai-guerette  Brimberry,  who  was 
born  November  19,  1819,  in  Kentucky,  and 
who  is  the  mother  of  nine  children;  four  of 
them  are  now  living.  Mrs.  McGahey  went 
to  school  in  Palestine,  and  was  married 
March  21,  185-t,  to  James  A.  McGahey,  born 
March  15,  1830;  he  died  December  21,  1871. 
His  grandfather  was  a  minister,  and  one  of 
the  first  settlers  in  the  county.  Mr.  J.  A. 
McGahey  went  to  school  in  Palestine ;  he  has 
been  a  farmer  all  his  life;  has  voted  the 
Democratic  ticket;  has  tilled  school  offices, 
and  is  the  father  of  five  children.  Their 
names  are  Charles  A.,  born  January  10, 1857; 
Frederick  E.,  born  October  30,  1859;  Lucy 
E.,  born  October  4,  1861 ;  Maggie  A.,  August 
28,    1864    (she   died    July  30,    1870);    and 


314 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


James  O.,  born  April  27,  1870.  Mrs.  Mc- 
Gahey  and  her  daughter  Luoy  are  intelligent, 
hospitable  and  respected  by  all  with  whom 
they  come  in  contact.  They  are  members  of 
the  Methodist  Church.  Mrs.  McGahey  owns 
a  comfortable  home  and  a  farm  of  360  acres; 
her  prosperity  is  due  chiefly  to  her  own  energy 
and  wise  management.  The  largest  part  of 
her  farm  was  once  owned  by  George  Bathe, 
Sr. ,  who  sold  it  to  Allen  McGahey. 

R.  P.  McGAHEY,  farmer,  P.  O.  Robin- 
son, was  born  June  21,  1846,  on  the  old 
homestead  in  La  Motte  Township.  He  is  a 
son  of  Allen  McGahey,  born  September  6, 
1797;  be  died  1857;  he  was  the  first  Coroner 
in  this  county,  and  was  married  to  Miss  Har- 
riet Newland.  born  February  27,  IBIO;  she 
died  October  2.  1851.  David  McGahey,  who 
was  the  grandfather  of  our  subject,  married 
Elizabeth  Donnell;  he  was  one  of  the  first 
settlers  in  this  county,  and  died  in  Septem- 
ber, 1851.  Our  subject  went  to  school  in 
Palestine,  and  has  been  a  farmer  all  his  life. 
He  answered  the  call  of  his  country  to  de- 
fend the  stars  and  stripes,  and  enlisted  in 
the  spring  of  1865,  in  the  One  Hundred  and 
Fifty-second  Infantry  Volunteers,  Company 
H,  and  served  till  the  close  of  the  war.  He 
was  married,  February  27,  1869,  to  Miss 
Maggie  Van  Horn,  born  June  2,  1848,  in 
Ohio.  She  is  the  daughter  of  Joseph  and 
Parthenia  (Moor)  Van  Horn,  and  the  mother 
of  the  following  children:  Allen,  born  No- 
vember 25,  1871;  John  "W.,  born  February 
7,  1873  (he  died  September  16,  1873);  and 
Ralph,  born  December  9,  1875.  Mr.  Mc- 
Gahey is  a  Knight  of  Honor;  a  Democrat  in 
politics,  and  a  member  of  the  "  Alfred  Harri- 
son Post,"  No.  152,  in  Palestine  Depart.,  111., 
G.  A.  R. 

D.  B.  MILLS,  blacksmith,  Palestine,  was 
born  August  4,  1885,  in  Muskingum  County, 
Ohio.      His  father  was  James  Mills,  a  farmer 


by    occupation;    he  died  in  Ohio.      He  was 
joined  in  matrimony  to  Eliza  Wright,  born 
1807,  inZanesville,  Ohio.    She  died  1875,  in 
Wells  County,  Ind. ,  and  was  the  mother  of 
nine  children.     Mr.  Mills   went  to  school  in 
Allen  County,  Ind. ;  he  served  his  apprentice- 
shija    in    Fort    Wayne,    Ind.;    after    that  he 
rambled  for  some  two  years.     April  26,  1858, 
he  came  to  Palestine,  and  has  called  that  place 
home  ever  since,  following  his  trade.     One 
season  he  ran  a  woolen  factory.     He  enlisted, 
August  12,  1862,  in  the  Ninety-eighth  Illinois 
Infantry   Volunteers,  Company   E;  his  regi- 
ment was  mounted  during  the  second  year  of 
service.    He  was  mustered  out  June  27,  1865, 
at  Nashville,  Tenn.     After  the  war,   he  came 
back  to  Palestine,  where  he  has  followed  his 
trade,  and  was   married  November  8,  1864, 
while  home  on   a   furlough,   to    Miss  C.  P. 
Griffith,    a   distant  relative   of    ex-President 
Franklin  Pierce.      She    was  born  April  30, 
1841,  and  died   October   31,  1868;  she   was 
the    mother   of     one   child,    living,    named 
Pierce,   born   October  21,   1868.     Mr.   Mills 
was  married  a  second  time,  December  5,  1872, 
in  Adams  County,   Ohio,  to  Miss  T.  E.  Mc- 
Colm, born  February  18,  1842;  she  died  De- 
cember 14,  1878.     She  is  a  daughter  of  John 
and    Hannah  (Beech)  McColm;    her   grand- 
parents came   from    Ireland    in   1795;  they 
were  robbed  on  the  high  sea  by  pirates,  sup- 
posed to  have  been  French  privateers,  and 
were    landed  in  the  United  States  in  a   very 
destitute  condition,  even  hatless  and  coatless. 
Mrs.  McColm  is  the  mother  of  one  boy,  named 
Orville,  born  January  7,    1875.     Mr.    Mills 
has  traveled  extensively  in  the  United  States, 
having  been  in  twenty- four  States. 

MRS.  E.  A.  PATTON,  Palestine.  This 
lady,  who  is  respected  by  every  one  who  en- 
joys her  acquaintance,  was  born  December  6, 
1817,  in  Palestine.  She  is  the  daughter  of 
William  Wilson,  one  of    the  old    pioneers. 


LA  MOTTE   TOWNSHIP. 


315 


and   first  Postmaster  in  Palestine.     He  was 
born   April  4,  1790,  and  died  February  12, 
1850;  he  was  a    magistrate   for  somo  years, 
and  also  served  in  the  Legislature.     He  was 
joined  in   matrimony,   January   15,  1817,  in 
Harrison.    Ohio,  to   Miss  E.    Kitchell,    born 
November  19,  1799,  in  New  Jersey.    She  died 
February  6,  1859,   in'Palestine;  she  was  the 
mother  of  fifteen  children,  of   whom  our  sub" 
ject  is  the  oldest.     Mrs.  Patton  went  to  school 
in   Palestine,  where  she    was  married,    De 
cember  31,  1835,  to  Dr.   E.  L.   Patton,  born 
November  31,  1809,  in   Tennessee.      He  was 
educated    in    Washington    College,    Tenn. ; 
followed  his  profession  in  Palestine  till  his 
death,    December     30,    1862;    filled    several 
county   offices,    and   is  the  father  of  twelve 
children,  of  whom  W.  R    Patton  is  the  old- 
est.    He  was  born  October  14,  1836 ;  was  edu- 
cated in  Palestine,  Hanover  and  Chicago;  at 
the  latter  place  he  graduated  in  the  Medical 
Department;  is  now  a  physician  in  Charles- 
ton, 111.      The   second    son,  CuUen   M.,  is  a 
merchant  in  Robinson.    The  third  son,  Allen 
M.,    was    killed   in    the  battle    of  Murfrees- 
boro,    Tenn.,     on    the    same    day    that    his 
father    died    in     Palestine.       The   youngest 
daughter,     Hannah     May,     is    teaching    in 
Charleston,  111.    The  oldest  daughter,  Nancie 
A. ,  has  a  millinen,-  stoi-e  in  Olney.    The  other 
chikh-en — Martha,  Mar}',  Emily  J. ,  John  and 
Carroll,  who  is  married — are  living  in  or  near 
Palestine.      Mrs.    E.  A.  Patton  is    a    zealous 
worker  in  the  Presbyterian  Church,  of  which 
she  is  a  member.      A  residence  built  by  Dr. 
Patton  is  her  present  home.    Her  sister  Jane 
is  living  with  her. 

FINDLEY  PAULL,  retired  merchant,  Pal- 
estine, was  born  in  Fayette  County,  Penn., 
February  26,  1809.  His  father  was  James 
PauU,  born  1781,  in  Fayette  County,  Penn. ; 
he  died  there  in  June,  1S56.  His  occupation 
was  that  of  a  farmer  and  iron  manufacturer, 


running  several  furnaces;  he  was  one  of  the 
most  prominent    men  in   his   county.      Mr. 
James  Paull  was    married  three  times,  and 
our  subject  is  the  oldest  son  of  fourteen  chil- 
dren.    His  mother's  maiden  name  was  Han- 
nah Jackson,  born  in  Fayette  County,  Penn., 
where  she    died.       Both    grandfathers    and 
great-grandfathers  of  our  subject  were  in  the 
Revolutionary  army.    His  grandfather  on  his 
father's    side   was  in  Crawford's    defeat    in 
Ohio,  where  he  had  to  flee  for  his  life,  being 
out    in  the   wilderness   eight    days;  he    was 
made  Colonel  afterward.      Slover,  the  noted 
scout,  escaped  with  him.     Mr.  Paull  went  to 
school  in  Fayette  County,  Penn.     At  the  age 
of  fifteen,  he  commenced  to  clerk  for  his  un- 
cle in    Wheeling,  W.  Va.     In    1835,  he,   in 
partnership  with  his  uncle,  whom  he  bought 
out  after  five    years,  opened  a  general  store 
in  Palestine,  111.     The  same  year,  Mr.  Paull 
went  back  to  Wheeling,  W.  Va.,  where  he  was 
married,  October   15,  to  Miss   Ann  M.   Bay- 
less,  born   1811,   in   Steubenville,  Ohio:  she 
died  in  Palestine,  October,  1877.     She  was  a 
daughter  of   John  C.  Bayless,   a   merchant. 
Mr.    Paull    has    five    children    living;  their 
names  are    Ellen,  Fanny,   Anna,    James   T. 
and  William   O. ;  two  other  boys  are  dead. 
His  three   daughters  and  youngest   son   are 
married.     Mr.   Paull   was  married  a    second 
time,  June  15,  1880,  in  York,  Clark  Co.,  III., 
to  Mrs.  E.  Gorham,  the  widow  of  Dr.  C.  Gor- 
ham.     Mr.   Paull  is    much  respected  by  his 
fellow-men;  has  been   an  Elder  in  the  Pres- 
byterian Church  for    forty-seven    years;    is 
identified    with   the    Republican    party,   but 
believes  the  Prohibition  party  should  be  the 
party  in   power;  he    is   a  good    temperance 
worker. 

Z.  A.  PEARCE,  farmer,  P.  O.  Palestine, 
was  born  March  4,  1829,  in  Warren  County, 
Ind.  He  is  a  great-grandson  of  Thomas 
Pearce,  who  came  from  New  York.     He  was 


316 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


a  brave  soldier  in  the  Revolutionary  war, 
where  he  fought  for  independence  under  the 
illustrious  George  Washington.  Thomas 
Pearce  married  a  Miss  Barnes;  their  son 
John  married  Elizabeth  Steward,  and  their 
son  Lemuel  B.  married  Anna  Hurley,  who 
was  a  daughter  of  Zadock  and  Lilis  (Camp- 
bell) Hurley,  and  who  is  the  mother  of  eight 
children,  of  whom  only  our  subject  and  his 
brother  John  are  now  living.  Mr.  Z.  A. 
Pearce  was  educated  in  Fountain  County, 
Ind.  In  early  life  he  was  engaged  in  the 
mercantile  business,  and  in  1851,  in  company 
with  his  father,  he  came  to  this  county, 
where  be  was  joined  in  matrimony,  June  3, 
1852,  to  Miss  Louisa  J.  Wilhite,  born  Sep- 
tember 18,  1833,  on  La  Motte  Prairie.  She 
is  a  daughter  of  Enoch  and  Mary  (Myers) 
Wilhite,  of  whom  the  former  was  born  in 
Virginia,  and  the  latter  in  Kentucky.  Mrs. 
Pearce  is  the  mother  of  six  children;  four 
are  now  living — Ora,  born  February  23, 
1853;  Eva  and  Ida  are  twins,  they  were  bom 
November  26,  1856;  and  William  C,  born 
May  4,  1864.  Mrs.  Pearce  is  an  amiable 
Christian  woman,  who,  with  her  husband,  is 
a  member  of  the  Union  Christian  Church. 
Mr.  Pearce  has  a  line  farm  of  390  acres.  He 
is  a  radical  temperance  man,  and  is  identified 
with  the  Republican  party. 

T.  J.  PIFER,  stockman  and  farmer,  P.  O. 
Palestine.  This  gentleman  was  born  August 
14,  1844,  on  La  Motte  Prairie.  His  father,  E. 
S.  Pifer,  was  born  March  1,  1816,  near  Har- 
per's Fen-y,  Va. ;  he  died  November  10, 
1849.  He  was  an  industrious  farmer,  coming 
to  this  county  in  an  early  day,  where  be  was 
married,  December  30,  1840,  to  Jane  S. 
Walker,  born  February  18,  1817,  in  Fayette 
County,  Ohio,  she  is  still  living.  The  grand- 
parents of  our  subject  were  John  and  Mar- 
garet Pifer,  born  respectively  June  13,  1784, 
and  March  8,  1789.     Mr.  T.  J.  Pifer  went  to 


school  in  this  county,  and  after  the  war  com- 
menced his  heart  was  stirred  with  patriotic 
zeal  and  a  desire  to  save  the  stars  and 
stripes.  He  enlisted  August  2,  1862,  in  the 
Ninety-eighth  Illinois  Infantry  Volunteers, 
Company  E,  which  was  afterward  mounted. 
He  was  under  fire  twenty-three  times;  he 
served  till  the  close  of  the  war,  when  he 
came  home,  and  was  joined  in  matrimony, 
February  21,  1867,  to  Miss  Eliza  Walters, 
born  December  23,  1850,  in  this  county.  She 
is  a  daughter  of  Jacob  and  Stacy  (McCorpin) 
^\' alters,  and  is  the  mother  of  four  children 
living — Maggie  R.,  born  Dacember  16, 
1867;  Edward  E.,  born  October  2,  1869; 
Luther  L.,  born  August  17, 1874;  and  Arthur 
D.,  born  October  2,  1880.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Pifer  are  members  of  the  Union  Christian 
Church;  he  has  traveled  extensively;  is  a 
Republican;  a  Knight  of  Honor,  and  mem 
ber  of  the  "  Alfred  Harrison  Post,"  of  Pales- 
tine Depart,  111.,  G.  A.  R. 

L.  S.  PIFER,  farmer,  P.  O.  Palestine, 
was  born  on  La  Motte  Prairie  November  16, 
1852.  He  is  a  son  of  Joseph  Pifer,  born 
September  24,  1819,  in  Virginia;  he  was 
married  August  25,  1842,  to  Margaret  Wal- 
ker, born  January  23,  1822,  in  Ohio.  Oui- 
subject  was  educated  in  this  county,  where 
he  was  joined  in  matrimony,  March  25,  1879, 
to  Miss  Mary  A.  Cooley,  born  February  2, 
1859.  She  is  a  daughter  of  William  R,  and 
Elizabeth  (Myei's)  Cooley,  and  is  the  mother 
of  one  child,  Medford  O.,  born  December  20, 
1879.  Mrs.  Pifer  is  a  lady  who  believes  in 
making  home  cheerful  and  haj^py,  and  is  a 
member  of  the  Union  Chirstian  Church.  Mr. 
Pifer  is  an  energetic,  enterprising  young 
farmer,  not  behind  his  neighbors  in  any  re- 
spect; he  has  been  identified  with  the  Re- 
publican party. 

ROBERT  PLUNKETT,  farmer  and  stock- 
man, P.  O.  Hutsonville,  was  bom  October  4, 


LA  MOTTE    TOWNSHIP. 


317 


1828,  in  Shelby  County,  Ky.  He  is  a  de- 
scendant of  a  Lord  Plunkett,  who  is  connect- 
ed with  the  history  of  Ireland,  where  his 
estates  were,  and  becoming  involved  in  her 
political  affairs  with  England,  he  had  to  flee 
for  his  life,  and  settled  in  Virginia.  His 
son,  Jesse,  who  is  the  grandfather  of  our  sub- 
ject, removed  to  the  dark  and  bloody  grounds 
of  Kentucky,  where  he  participated  in  the 
border  warfare  with  the  red  man  of  the 
woods,  and  married  a  Miss  Moseley;  they 
reared  a  large  family.  One  of  the  boys, 
named  Robert,  married  Nancie  Hartley, 
daughter  of  Daniel  and  Rebecca  Hartley, 
and  the  mother  of  thirteen  children.  Abra- 
ham, one  of  the  boys,  was  killed  at  the  battle 
of  Stone  River,  Tenn.  Our  subject  was  edu- 
cated in  Indiana,  where  his  father  had  re- 
moved in  1833;  from  there  he  went  to  the 
Mexican  war,  in  1846,  and  participated  in 
the  battle  of  Buena  Vista.  He  was  married, 
August  19, 1847,  in  Montgomery  County,  Ind., 
to  Christina  Andrews,  daughter  of  John  and 
Nancie  Andrews,  who  came  from  Ohio.  She 
is  the  mother  of  four  children  now  living: 
John  M..  was  married  twice;  is  the  father  of 
one  little  boy,  named  Rollin  A.;  he  is  a  min- 
ister of  the  Union  Christian  Church,  receiv- 
ing his  theological  education  at  Merom, 
Ind.  His  brother,  Robert  A.,  born  August 
19,  1850,  was  educated  in  the  same  college; 
he  is  now  engaged  in  the  insurance  busi- 
ness; Nancie  A.,  wife  of  Asa  Eckard,  a  tiller 
of  the  soil  in  this  counM',  he  is  the  father  of 
Anna,  Josephine  and  Henrietta;  Henry  S. 
L.,  born  February  27,  1860.  Mrs.  Phinkett 
is  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church;  her  daughter  belongs  to  the  Chris- 
tian Chui-ch.  Mr.  Plunkett  enlisted,  1861, 
for  the  three  years'  term,  in  the  Thirty- 
eighth  Illinois  Infantry  ]  Volunteers,  Com- 
pany D,  as  Second  Lieutenant.  He  was 
afterward    detailed    to  Gen.     Jefferson    C. 


Davis'  staff,  of  the  Union  army.  He  partic- 
ipated in  many  thrilling  scenes  and  battles. 
He  came  to  this  county  in  1858.  He  and  his 
boys  have  about  four  hundred  acres  of  tine 
land;  they  pay  a  gi-eat  deal  of  attention  to 
stock  raising,  and  iu  political  affairs  are 
identified  with  the  Republican  party.  Mr. 
Plunkett  has  tilled  school  offices. 

T.  N.  RAFFERTY,  physician,  Palestine. 
The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  born  June  12, 
1846,  in  Springville,  Lawi-ence  Co.,  Ind. 
His  father  was  M.  C.  Rafferty,  born  1816. 
near  Covington,  Ky,  a  merchant  in  Spring- 
ville, who  was  joined  in  matrimony  to  Mary 
S.  Benedict,  born  1823,  in  Nicholasville,  Ky. 
She  was  the  mother  of  three  children — Theo- 
dore N.,  MollieE.,  Malcolm  E.  Oui-  sitb- 
ject,  Theodore  N.,  went  to  school  in  Spring- 
ville, Ind.  In  early  life,  he  clerked  in  his 
father's  store,  and,  after  attending  the  State 
Universitj  at  Bloomington,  he  taught  school 
three  years,  but'  during  that  time  he  took  a 
commercial  course  at  Indianapolis,  where  he 
graduated.  At  an  early  age,  he  became  im- 
bued with  a  thirst  for  medical  knowledge, 
and  in  the  winter  of  1867-68  he  entered  the 
Medical  Department  at  Ann  Arbor,  Mich. 
He  finished  his  medical  studies  iu  the  Ohio 
Medical  College  at  Cincinnati,  where  he 
graduated  in  the  spring  of  1869.  He  went 
back  to  his  old  home  and  practiced  medicine 
one  year;  in  the  spring  of  1870,  he  came  to 
Palestine,  where  he  follows  his  profession. 
Mr.  Rafferty  has  served  his  township  in  the 
capacity  of  Township  Supervisor  for  two 
years.  He  also  filled  school  offices.  He  was 
married,  at  Palestine,  October,  1827,  to  Miss 
Sadie  E.  Donnell,  born  iu  Palestine,  March 
12,  1849.  She  is  the  mother  of  three  chil- 
dren, living — Pearl,  born  December  8,  1873; 
Herbert  N.,  born  September  22,1878,  and 
Glen  A.  born  February  19,  1881.  Her  father, 
Dennis  Donnell,  was  one  of  the  pioneers  of 


318 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


this  county.  The  maiden  name  of  her 
mother  is  Eliza  Netherton.  Our  subject  is  a 
member  of  the  county  Medical  Association, 
a  Knight  of  Honor,  a  member  the  Escula- 
pian  Society  of  the  Wabash  Valley,  and  also 
a  member  of  the  Tri-State  Medical  Society. 
J.  C.  EANEY,  farmer,  P.  O.  Palestine, 
was  born  in  Greene  County,  Ohio,  November 
8,  1836.  He  is  a  son  of  James  Raney,  who 
was  born  July  22,  1789,  in  Berkeley  County, 
Va.,  who  was  a  farmer  by  occupation.  In 
the  year  1812,  he  obeyed  the  call  of  his  coun- 
try, and  fought  for  American  rights  and  free- 
dom; he  died  in  1864;  he  was  joined  in 
matrimony  to  Miss  Martha  Siler,  born  Sep- 
tember 5,  1794,  in  Berkeley  County,  Va., 
who  was  the  mother  of  ten  children.  Our 
subject  went  to  school  in  Greene  County, 
Ohio,  where  he  farmed  afterward.  He  was 
married  there,  also,  October  12,  1863,  to  Miss 
Charlotte  M.  Archer,  born  December  10, 
1842,  in  Washington  County,  Penn.  She  is 
the  daughter  of  Ebenezer  Archer,  born  1806, 
in  West  Virginia,  near  Steubenville,  whose 
occupation  was  that  of  a  tiller  of  the  soil,  and 
whose  father  came  from  Scotland.  Her 
mother  was  Marguerette  McCrea,  born  1807, 
near  Steubenville,  Ohio.  Mr.  Raney  has 
been  identified  with  the  Republican  party, 
but  is  now  strongly  in  favor  of  the  Prohibi- 
tion party.  He  has  three  children,  Albert  I., 
bom  November  25,  1864,  in  Greene  County, 
Ohio;  Marguerette  E.,  born  December  29, 
1866.  in  Greene  County,  Ohio;  Ai-cher  Rus- 
sell, born  July  1,  1873,  near  Palestine.  In 
•the  spring  of  1867,  Mi-.  Raney  came  to  Craw- 
ford County,  111.,  where  he  had  bought  200 
acres  of  land  the  year  before,  lived  on  it 
seven  years,  when  he  sold  out  and  bought  the 
David  Lagow  farm,  situated  just  west  of 
Palestine.  Mr.  Raney  is  a  useful  member 
of  the  community  in  which  he  lives;  he  is 
an    Elder  of     the  Presbyterian    Church,    of 


which  body  his  wife  is  also  a  member.  She 
is  also  known  as  a  good  Sunday  school 
worker. 

JOHN  RICHEY,  farmer,  P.  O.  Palestine, 
was  born  in  County  Derry,  Ii-eland.  He  is  a 
son  of  Andrew  Richey,  who  was  born  and 
died  in  the  same  country.  There  were  eight 
children  in  the  family.  Mr.  J.  Richey  was 
educated  mostly  in  Ireland.  He  has  been  a 
fai-mer  all  his  life.  He  came  to  the  United 
States  in  the  fall  of  1858,  settling  in  Greene 
County,  Ohio.  He  came  to  this  county  in 
1868,  where  he  was  joined  in  matrimony  the 
following  year  to  Miss  Sarah  A.  Fox,  born 
January  26,  1840,  in  this  county.  She  is  a 
daughter  of  John  and  Emeline  (McGahey) 
Fox,  and  is  the  mother  of  the  following  chil- 
di-en;  Abbie  J.,  born  July  13,  1871;  Will- 
iam O.,  born  October  10,  1873;  James  C, 
born  April  11,  1876;  Freddie  F.,  born  Sep- 
tember 24,  1878;  and  David  A,  born  October 
12,  1881.  Mr.  Richey,  through  his  honesty, 
frugality  and  industry,  has  become  the  pos- 
sessor of  a  nice  farm  of  227  acres  of  land, 
on  which  he  has  good  buildings.  He  has 
been  identified  with  the  Republican  party, 
is  an  honored  citizen  of  the  community  in 
which  he  resides,  and,  with  his  wife,  is  a 
member  of  the  United  Presbyterian  Church. 

JAMES  RICHEY,  farmer,  P.  O.  Pales- 
tine, was  born  in  County  Derry,  Ireland.  His 
father,  Andi'ew  Richey,  was  born  and  died  in 
County  Derry,  Ireland.  Our  subject  went  to 
school  mainly  in  Ii-eland.  His  occupation  is 
that  of  a  farmer.  He  came  to  the  United 
States  in  1861,  settling  in  Cedarville,  Ohio. 
He  finally  came  to  Illinois,  where  he  was 
joined  in  matrimony,  November  26,  1874, 
to  Miss  Emma  L.  Miller,  born  December  29, 
1854,  in  this  county.  She  is  the  daughter  of 
Hem-y  H.  and  Luna  CWTieeler)  Miller,  and 
the  mother  of  three  children — Flora  J.,  born 
September  28,  1875,  Luna  B.,  born    August 


LA  MOTTE    TOWNSHIP. 


319 


2,  1877,  and  Harry,  born  September  28, 
1880.  Mr.  Richey  is  a  quiet,  unassuming 
gentleman;  the  owner  of  a  nice  farm,  with 
good  buildings,  and  also  tlie  architect  of  his 
own  fortune.  He  is  a  Eepublican.  Mrs. 
Richey  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episco- 
pal Church;  her  uncle,  J.  E.  Miller,  was  a 
First  Lieutenant  in  the  army. 

A.   SALESBERRY,    merchant,    Palestine, 
first  beheld  the  light  of    this  world  May  1, 
1834,  in  La  Motte  Township,  Crawford  Co., 
111.      His  father  was   James   Salesberry,  who 
was  born,  1810,  in  Virginia,  a   farmer  by  oc- 
cupation.    He  came  to  Palestine  at  an  early 
age.  and  for  awhile  ran   a    ferry   across  the 
"Wabash    River.      He    died  in    18-18.      His 
wife's  maiden  name  was  Elizabeth  Harden, 
born  in    1805,   in   Kentuckj-.     She   died  in 
1879  in  La  Motte  Township.     She  was  the 
mother  of  five  children.    Our  subject  went  to 
school  in  Merom,  Ind.;  was  a  farmer  in  early 
life.     In     1875,   in    partnership  with  A.   J. 
Plough,  he  started  a  general  store  in  Hut- 
sonville;    continued  in  that   till   1880,  when 
they  dissolved  partnership,  and,   after  divid- 
ing the  stock,  Mr.  Salesberry  came  to  Pales- 
tine, where  he  opened  a  general  store.      Our 
subject  has  been  married   three  times.      His 
first  wife  was  Sarah  Mackey,  who  was  born 
in  Kentucky,   and   died  in  La  Motte  Town- 
ship.     She  had  three   children — Andrew  C, 
Ida  Bell  and  Anna.     His  second  wife  was 
Miss     Sarah     Stratton,    born     in    Crawford 
County,   died  in    Hutsonville.      She  was  the 
mother  of  one  child  named  Lucy.     His  third 
wife  was  Mrs.  P.   A.    Hasselbach,  who  was 
born  in  1829,  in  Kentucky;  her  father  was  a 
farmer  in  Indiana.     Mr.  Salesberry  has  been 
connected  with  the  Democratic  party.     He  is 
a  member  of  the  Christian  Church. 

J.  R.  SMITH,  farmer,  P.  O.  Palestine, 
was  born  in  Fayette  County,  Ky.  He  is  a 
sou  of  W.   B.   Smith,   who   was  born  in  the 


same  place,  and  who  married  a  Miss  Casey, 
born  March  28,  1772.  She  is  the  mother  of 
twelve  children,  and  is  now  living  at  Mat- 
toon,  aged  one  hundred  and  ten  years.  The 
grandfather  of  our  subject  was  a  Judge  of  the 
Circiiit  Court  at  Logausport,  Ind.,  when  he 
was  one  hundred  and  two  years  old;  he  died 
at  the  age  of  one  hundred  and  fifteen.  This 
proves  that  oiu'  subject  is  of  a  long-lived 
family.  He  was  married,  1854,  in  Bartholo- 
mew County,  Ind.,  to  Miss  Nancie  Chields, 
who  was  born  in  the  same  place,  and  who 
is  the  mother  of  the  following  children: 
Oscar,  Finley,  Joe,  Harry,  Amanda,  Eme- 
line,  Martha  I.  and  Rose  Bell.  Mr.  Smith  is 
independent  in  politics;  his  father  was  a 
soldier  in  the  Black  Hawk  war. 

DANIEL  STONER,  farmer,  P.  O.  Hut- 
sonville, was  born  January  1, 1810,  in  Freder- 
ick County,  Md.  His  father,  William 
Stoner,  married  Elizabeth  Garber,  who  was 
the  mother  of  nine  children.  Mr.  Stoner 
went  to  school  in  Maryland;  from  there  he 
went  to  Ohio,  where  he  was  joined  in  matri- 
mony, March  3,  1832,  to  Esther  Pfoutz,  born 
December  10,  1809,  in  Maryland.  She  is  a 
daughter  of  Samuel  and  Rebecca  (Rinehart) 
Pfoutz,  and  is  the  mother  of  six  children 
now  living — Samuel  P.,  born  March  21, 
1835;  William  H,,  born  July  25,  1838;  Mary 
E.,  born  April  14,  1840;  Jessie  C,  born  July 
19,  1844;  ChloeS.,born  October  1,  1848;  and 
Lloyd  R.,  born  September  7,  1855.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Stoner  are  members  of  the  German 
Baptist  Church,  of  which  he  is  a  deacon  and 
an  exemplary  member.  He  has  a  nice  farm. 
Is  a  Republican. 

S.  G.  SWEARINGEN,  farmer,  P.  O. 
Duncanville,  who  is  the  personification  of 
good  humor  and  kindness,  was'born  January 
8,  1807,  in  Ohio.  He  is  a  son  of  Thomas  V. 
Swearingen,  a  merchant  by  occupation,  who 
was  born  December  19,    1779,   in  Virginia, 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


and  who  died  September  29,  1863.  He  was 
joined  in  matrimony,  April  6,  1806,  to  Miss 
Theodosia  Good  ale,  born  February  25,  1785. 
She  died  April  6,  183&,  and  was  the  mother 
of  six  children.  Ottr  subject's  ancestors 
were  of  French  and  Holland  descent,  and  he 
can  date  his  family  back  as  far  as  the  begin- 
ning of  the  seventeenth  century.  He  was 
educated  in  Chillicothe,  Ohio,  and  in  early 
life  clerked  for  his  father:  afterward  he 
learned  the  tanner's  trade,  which  he  followed 
till  1851,  when  he  came  to  Crawford  County, 
111.,  where  he  has  been  a  farmer  ever  since. 
Mr.  Swearingen  was  married  to  Miss  Sarah 
N.  Colwell,  born  December  19,  1808,  in 
Pennsylvania.  She  died  May  20.  1871, 
and  she  is  the  mother  of  four  children,  as 
follows:  Lincoln  G.,  who  died  near  Vicks- 
burg,  while  in  the  army:  Sally  C,  deceased; 
Cynthia,  deceased:  Theodore  P.,  born  No- 
vember 16,  1848,  he  is  now  married.  Mr. 
Sweai'ingen  was  married  a  second  time,  No- 
vember 28,  1872,  to  Mi's.  C.  A.  Cunningham, 
born  April  15,  1830,  she  is  a  daughter  of  W. 
J.  and  Amelia  Crews,  and  the  mother  of  thi-ee 
children,  from  her  lirst  husband.  The  chil- 
dren are  all  married,  and  their  names  are 
Thomas  H,  William  O.  and  Charles  A.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Swearingen  are  members  of  the 
Methodist  Chiu-ch. 

CAPT.  G.  B.  SWEET,  painter,  Palestine, 
was  born  September  20,  1835,  in  Cincinnati, 
Ohio,  where  he  went  to  school.  He  is  a  son 
of  W.  M.  Sweet,  born  in  Fauquier  County, 
Va.,  a  machinist  by  occupation:  he  mai-ried 
Mary  A.  Goldsmith,  who  is  the  mother  of 
two  children.  In  early  life,  Mr.  Sweet 
boated  for  some  years  on  the  Ohio;  then 
learned  the  carpenter  trade  in  Indiana;  after- 
ward he  clerked  in  the  railroad  contractor's 
'of&ce  at  Tipton,  Ind.  In  1853.  he  came  to 
Palestine,  where  he  clerked  for  O.  H.  Bristol 
&  Co..  for  over  two   years.     Having   learned 


the  painter's  trade,  he  followed  it  till  Septem- 
ber 3,  1862,  when  he  enlisted  as  private  in 
the  Ninety-eighth  Illinois,  Company  E. 
During  the  wai',  through  his  bravery  and 
good  conduct,  he  rose  to  the  rank  of  A.  A.  A. 
General,  holding  the  rank  of  Brevet  Captain 
imder  Gen.  A.  O.  Miller.  The  Ninety-eighth 
Illinois,  as  is  well  known,  did  some  of  the 
heaviest  fighting  during  the  war.  It  was  in 
fifty-six  engagements:  in  all  of  which  Capt. 
Sweet  participated  except  one.  He  was 
wounded  only  once.  He  was  mustered  oat  of 
the  service  near  Springfield,  July  6,  1865, 
when  he  came  to  Palestine  to  follow  his 
trade.  He  was  married  in  Palestine,  Feb- 
raary,  1855.  to  Miss  C.  J.  Alexander,  born 
1835,  died  Deci^mber,  1876,  in  same  place. 
Her  father,  Dr.  H.  Alexander,  was  a  pioneer 
of  this  county,  a  member  of  the  Legislature 
and  County  Judge;  he  was  a  native  of  Ken- 
tucky. He  married  Julia  Kitchell,  a  daiigh- 
ter  of  Judge  Kitchell.  Mr.  Sweet  has  three 
childi-en  living — Edmund  C. ,  born  Decem- 
ber. 1856;  Janella,  born  January,  1862;  Ii'a, 
born  September  21.  1866.  He  is  a  Presby- 
terian, a  Democrat  and  a  member  of  the 
"  Alfred  Harrison  Post."  No.  152.  G.  A.  R. 
Dept.  of  111.  He  holds  the  office  of  "  Officer 
of  the  Day. " 

N.  VANE,  Postmaster,  Palestine,  was  born 
September  24,  1827.  in  Brown  County,  Ohio. 
He  is  a  son  of  Arthur  Vane,  who  came  to 
Palestine  in  1831.  He  was  a  farmer  by  oc- 
cupation, and  was  born  March  24,  1796;  he 
died  in  New  Hebron,  Crawford  Co.,  111.,  in 
1860.  He  married  Eleanor  Blair,  a  second 
cousin  of  Gen.  Frank  P.  Blair;  she  is  the 
mother  of  nine  children.  Mr.  Vane  went  to 
school  in  Palestine.  He  farmed  till  he  was 
of  age,  and  then  learned  the  cooper  trade  in 
Terre  Haute,  Ind.  He  followed  his  trade 
till  1864;  he  then  commenced  to  clerk  in  a 
drug  store  in  Palestine;  after  that  he  was  in 


LA  MOTTE    TOWNSHIP. 


321 


different  business  till  1877,  when  be  became 
Postmaster  of  Palestine;  has  caiTied  on  the 
office  ever  since,  together  with  a  stock  of 
drugs  and  medicine.  He  was  mairied,  Au- 
gust 31,  1851,  near  Palestine,  to  Miss  Julia  A. 
Wheeler,  bom  April  22,  1834,  in  Rutland, 
Vt.  She  is  a  daughter  of  Leonard  Wheeler, 
a  farmer,  who  died  in  Crawford  County;  her 
mother  was  Elizabeth  Wittmore,  who  was 
born  in  Massachusetts.  Mr.  Vane  has  two 
children  living — Arthur,  born  November  6, 
1852,  and  Flora,  born  July  13,  1856.  Mr. 
Vane's  two  brothers  died  in  the  army.  Mr. 
Vane  enjoys  the  esteem  of  his  fellow- men. 
He  and  his  wife  are  members  of  the  Method- 
ist Episcopal  Church;  he  is  a  supporter  of 
the  Republican  party. 

MRS.  SABRA  WALKER,  farmer,  P.  O. 
Palestine,  was  born  April  15,  1829,  in  Law- 
rence County,  111.  She  is  a  daughter  of 
James  Vermillion;  he  married  Catharine 
Woodworth,  who  was  the  mother  of  seven 
childi-en.  Mr.  Vermillion  died  November 
25,  1834.  Our  subject  went  to  school  in 
Lawrence  County,  111.  She  was  joined  in 
matrimony.  May  7,  1850,  to  Charles  S.  Wal- 
ker, born  July  20.  1825,  in  Ohio;  he  died 
March  9,  1869.  He  was  a  son  of  Thomas  and 
Mary  (Shortj  Walker,  and  was  the  father  of 
four  children — Orlando,  born  May  1,  1851, 
he  was  married  to  Matilda  Wright;  Mary  L. , 
born  January  15,  1854,  she  was  married  to 
James  Seeders;  Elsie  F.,  born  Januaiy  8, 
1859,  she  died  September  3,  1863;  Eva  C, 
born  September  IB,  1866,  she  died  October 
9,  1866.  Mrs.  Walker  owns  and  lives  in  a 
cozy,  comfortable  home,  and  is  a  member  of 
the  Methodist  Church. 

ORLANDO  WALKER,  farmer,  P.  O. 
Palestine,  was  born  May  1,  1851,  on  La  Motte 
Prairie.  He  is  a  son  of  Charles  S.  Walker, 
deceased,  who  was  a  fond  and  indulgent 
parent,  a  good  husband  and  an    industrious 


farmer.  Mr.  O.  Walker  was  educated  in 
this  county  and  at  Merom,  Ind.  In  early 
life.  he.  like  Nimrod,  of  Biblical  fame,  was 
very  fond  of  the  chase,  and  the  deep-mouthed 
baying  of  the  hounds,  was  music  in  his  ear. 
He  was  joined  in  matrimony.  November  16, 
1871.  to  Miss  Matilda  Wright,  born  Febru- 
ary 14,  1847,  in  Gibson  County,  Ind.  She 
is  a  daughter  of  Andrew  J.  and  Lucinda 
(Spain)  Wright,  and  is  the  mother  of  three 
children,  living,  Virgil,  born  June  17,  1875; 
Jessie,' born  December  14,  1877;  and  Horace, 
born  February  29,  1880.  Mrs.  Walker  is  a 
fond  mother  and  a  member  of  the  Union 
Christian  Chvuch.  Mr.  Walker  has  been 
identified  with  the  Republican  party. 

JAMES  WESTNER,  farmer,  P.  O.  Pales- 
tine. This  gentleman,  who  is  known  to  all 
the  old  settlers  in  this  county,  was  born  in 
La  Motte  Township  July  17,  1818.  He  is  a 
son  of  George  Westner,  born  May  7.  1765. 
in  Chester  County,  Penn.  His  brothers  were 
in  the  Revolutionary  war;  he  himself  was  in 
the  war  of  1812.  participating  in  the  battle 
of  New  Orleans.  He  was  married,  in  Ken- 
tucky, to  Miss  Nancy  Eaton,  who  was  the 
mother  of  fourteen  children.  It  is  generally 
supposed  that  he  came  to  this  county  at  a 
very  early  date,  probably  with  the  Eatons, 
of  Indian  lighting  fame.  Our  subject,  James 
Westner,  was  joined  in  matrimony,  October 
6,  1840,  to  Miss  Margaret  Kent,  who  was 
born  Augiist  12,  1819,  in  North  Carolina. 
She  is  a  daughter  of  Thomas  and  Ellen  (Con- 
nerly)  Kent,  and  is  the  mother  of  eight  chil- 
dren. Three  are  now  living;  their  names  are 
Elizabeth,  born  August  17, 1846,  she  mari-ied 
John  Gano;  George  L..  born  January  23, 
1849;  Rose  L.,  born  December  1,  1856,  she 
married  George  Hawkins,  and  is  the  mother 
of  the  following  children:  Pearl  B.,  born 
August  1.  1875,  Myrtle  G.,  born  May  16, 
1878,  and  AlthaE.,  born  December  13,  1882. 


323 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


Mr.  and  Mrs.  Westner  are  members  of  the 
Christian  Chiu'ch;  he  is  a  Republican,  and 
living  on  the  old  place  that  his  father  bought 
at  $3  per  acre  from  McCall,  who  was  the  old 
Government  Surveyor,  and  who  was  killed  by 
the  Indians. 

G.  S.  WILSON,  grain  dealer,  Palestine. 
The  gentleman  whose  name  heads  this  sketch 
was  born  August  27,  1836,  in  this  county. 
He  is  a  descendant  of  one  of  the  leading 
pioneer  families,  whose  members  filled  vari- 
ous public  offices,  among  others  that  of  Rep- 
resentative. James  Wilson,  grandfather  of 
our  subject,  was  of  Old  Virginia  stock;  his 
wife  was  the  mother  of  five  boys  and  four 
girls;  they  came  here  in  1817,  entering  Gov- 
ernment land  at  $1.25  per  acre.  Their  son, 
James  H.,  was  born  in  Virginia,  and  in  the 
same  year  that  his  parents  came  West  he 
went  South  to  New  Orleans,  but  came  back 
the  next  year  and  settled  in  Palestine,  on  the 
same  spot  where  his  son  now  lives.  He  was 
married  here,  also,  to  Jane  Caldwell,  daugh- 
ter of  James  Caldwell,  and  the  mother  of  six 
boys.  She  died  near  Palestine.  James  H. 
Wilson  was  married  a  second  time,  in  In- 
diana, to  Mrs.  Ashley,  who  was  the  mother 
of  Mary  Jane,  who  afterwai'd  married  R.  A. 
Bristol.  At  the  death  of  Mrs.  Wilson,  he 
was  married  a  third  time,  to  Mrs.  A.  Phelps. 
She  is  still  living  with  a  daughter  of  her  for- 
mer husband.  James  H.  Wilson  died  in  the 
year  1856.  His  son,  Guy  S.,  was  educated 
in  this  county,  and  in  Waveland  Academy, 
Ind.  He  was  joined  in  matrimony  August  6, 
1S6G,  in  Vincennes,  Ind.,  to  Miss  Hattie  M. 
Young,  born  November  14,  1848,  daughter 
of  Henry  and  Louisa  (Haddoc)  Young.  The 
former  came  from  New  Jersey,  the  latter 
from  North  Carolina.  They  were  married  in 
Palestine,  where  he  was  a  mechanic.  He 
died  in  New  York,  his  wife  died  in  Palestine. 
They  were  the   parents  of  two  boys  and  two 


girls.  William  G.,  the  oldest  boy,  was  a 
Colonel  in  the  late  war.  Our  subject  is  the 
father  of  three  boys  and  one  girl — Henry  H., 
born  March  14,  1868;  Charles  F.,  born  Octo- 
ber 2,  1870;  Cliff  W.,  born  March  19,  1872; 
Estelle,  born  January  16,  1874.  Mr.  Wilson 
has  traveled,  to  some  extent,  in  his  youth. 
In  politics,  he  is  identified  with  the  Demo- 
cratic party.  Mi-s.  Wilson  is  a  member  of 
the  Presbyterian  Church,  and  keeps  one  of 
the  best  boarding  houses  in  the  Wabash  Val- 
ley. 

THE  WOODWORTH  FAMILY,  Palestine. 
One  of  the  prominent  pioneer  families  of  Craw- 
ford County  is  that  of  Woodworth.  For  nearly 
three-quarters  of  a  century,  the  name  has 
been  identified  with  the  county's  interests, 
and  is  a  synonym  of  honor  and  integrity, 
industry  and  business  energy.  John  S. 
Woodworth,  the  progenitor  of  the  Wood- 
worth  family  in  this  county,  and  whose  por- 
trait appears  in  this  volume,  was  born 
December  29,  1785.  He  was  a  native  of 
New  York,  but  mostly  reared  in  Kentucky, 
and  emigrated  to  Illinois  in  1814,  locating 
near  where  Palestine  now  stands.  He  came 
here  with  Thomas  Gill  and  family,  and  after- 
ward married  a  daughter  of  Mr.  Gill.  Soon 
after  his  arrival,  he  bought  a  squatter's  claim 
from  Thomas  Kennedy,  and  during  his  life 
accumulated  a  large  landed  property,  own- 
ing at  the  time  of  his  death  about  a  thousand 
acres  of  land  in  La  Motte  Township,  near 
Palestine.  He  was  the  second  Sheriff  of 
Crawford  County,  but  never  aspired  to  office 
or  public  position,  prefen'ing  a  quiet  life, 
and  devoting  his  time  and  attention  to  the 
improvement  of  his  property  and  to  the  ties 
of  home.  In  1815,  he  was  married  to  INliss 
Gill,  who  died  in  a  few  years,  and  in  1827 
he  was  married  again,  to  Mrs.  Kincaide,  of 
Lawrence  County.  Of  ten  children  born  to  him 
there  are  now  but  three  living;  viz. :     Martin 


LA  MOTTE    TOWNSHIP. 


325 


B.,  James  L.,  of  Palestine,  and  Abner  P.,  of 
Kobinson.  He  died  July  28,  1850,  a  highly 
respected  citizen  of  the  county. 

M.  B.  WooDWORTH,  farmer,  P.  O,  Pal- 
estine, was  born  August  10,  1825,  in  La 
Motte  Township,  a  son  of  J.  S.  Woodworth, 
born  December  29,  1785,  in  Rensselaer, 
County,  N.  Y.  His  pai-ents  removed  to 
itount  Lebanon,  where  he  was  brought  up. 
In  the  twenty-third  year  of  his  age.  the  fa- 
ther left  his  native  State,  and  rambled  for 
some  three  years,  and  then  settled  in  Mount 
Sterling,  Ky.  In  1814,  he  removed  to  Illi- 
nois, and  settled  near  Palestine,  and  on  the 
19th  of  June,  1815,  he  was  married  to  Polly 
Gill,  who  died  in  August,  1827.  She  was 
the  moUier  of  six  children,  of  whom  our  sub- 
ject is  the  youngest  and  only  one  living. 
Mr.  J.  S.  Woodworth  was  married  again  in 
September,  1828,  to  Mrs.  E.  Kincaide,  who 
survives  him.  She  is  the  mother  of  four 
children,  of  whom  two  boys  are  now  living. 
He  was  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Chiuch,  of  which  he  was  a  willing  and 
liberal  supporter.  His  land  joined  the  old 
fort  of  La  Motte;  he  was  the  second  Sheriff 
of  Crawford  County,  and  died  July  28,  1850, 
aged  sixty-four  yeai-s.  His  son,  Martin  B. ,  re- 
members distinctly  of  having  seen  the  remains 
of  the  old  fort  in  his  boyhood ;  he  went  to 
school  in  La  Motte  Township  and  Palestine. 
He  followed  his  father's  vocation,  that  of  a 
farmer,  and  was  married,  February  29,  1840, 
in  La  Motte  Township,  to  Miss  Mary  E. 
Crews,  born  September,  1831,  in  La  Motte 
Township.  She  is  the  daughter  of  W.  J.  and 
Emily  Crews,  who  came  here  at  an  early 
date.  Mr.  Woodworth  is  still  carrying  on 
farming;  he  is  living  in  a  nice  residence;  a 
part  of  which  is  built  with  bricks  from  the 
old  court  house;  he  has  over  a  thousand  acres 
of  land,  which  speaks  for  his  success  as  a 
farmer;    779  acres  are  in  La   Motte  Town- 


ship, and  270  acres  are  in  other  places.  The 
old  fort  stood  on  his  present  place.  Mr. 
Woodworth  is  a  strong  Republican;  he  is 
also  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church. 

J.  L.  Woodworth,  merchant  and  farm- 
er, P.  O.  Palestine,  was  born  March  5, 
1831,  in  La  Motte  Township,  this  county.' 
He  is  a  son  of  John  S.  Woodworth,  one  of  the 
old  settlers  of  this  county,  who  was  born 
December  29,  1785,  in  Rensselaer  County, 
N.  Y.  Soon  after,  his  parents  removed  to 
New  Lebanon,  where  he  was  brought  up.  At 
the  age  of  twenty-three,  he  left  New  York, 
his  native  State,  and  rambled  for  some  three 
years,  and  then  settled  in  Mount  Sterling, 
Ky.  In  1814,  he  removed  to  Illinois,  and 
settled  near  Palestine.  On  the  19th  of 
June,  1815,  he  was  married  to  Polly  Gill, 
who  died  in  August,  1827.  She  was  the 
mother  of  sis  children,  of  whom  only  one  is 
now  living.  Mr.  J.  S.  W.  was  married  again, 
in  September,  1828,  to  Mrs.  E.  Kincaide, 
who  survived  him.  She  was  the  mother  of 
fom- children;  two  boys  are  living  now.  Mr. 
Woodworth's  farm  joined  the  old  Fort  La 
Motte.  As  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church,  he  was  a  liberal  and  willing 
supporter  of  that  body.  He  died  July  28, 
1850,  aged  sixty-four  years.  Mr.  J.  L.  Wood- 
worth  was  instructed  by  private  teachers,  but 
finished  his  education  in  Palestine.  He  has 
been  a  successful  farmer.  He  was  married, 
in  La  Motte  Township,  August  5,  1874,  to 
Miss  Louisa  Lisman,  born  December  6, 1851, 
in  Sullivan  County,  Ind.  She  is  a  daughter 
of  David  and  Nancy  (Wells)  Lisman,  and 
the  mother  of  three  children — Alta,  born 
January  27,  1875;  Johnny,  born  July  8, 
1878,  and  an  infant  boy  born  April  5,  1882. 
Mr.  Woodworth  has  been  identified  with 
the  Republican  party;  is  a  trustee  in  the 
Methodist  Church,  and  owns   a  large  inter- 


326 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


est  in  the  Robinson  Bank,  of  which  he  was 
one  of  the  founders,  and  is  now  one  of  the 
Directors  and  stockholders.  Financially,  Mi-. 
Woodworth  has  been  a  success,  as  he  is  one 
of  the  wealthiest  men  in  the  county. 

Abner  B.  Woodwokth,  Cashier,  Robin- 
son Bank,  Robinson,  whose  portrait  appears 
in  this  work,  was  born  June  20,  1829,  and  is 
a  native  of  this  county,  born  and  reared  with- 
in its  limits,  and  during  his  whole  life  has 
been  closely  identified  with  its  interests. 
He  received  a  fair  educafci  on  in  the  common 
schools  of  the  county,  and  then  attended  col- 


lege for  two  years  in  Indiana  After  leav- 
ing school,  he  engaged,  jn  1853,  in  merchan- 
dising in  Robinson,  which  he  followed  until 
1875,  when  he  went  into  the  banking  busi- 
ness, and,  with  others,  established  the  Rob- 
inson Bank,  of  which  he  is  Cashier.  He  was 
married,  August  18,  1868.  in  Binghampton, 
N.  Y. .  to  Miss  Ellen  King,  a  daughter  of 
Andrew  L.  King.  They  have  no  children, 
Mr.  Woodworth  was  originally  a  Whig  in  poli- 
tics, but  upon  the  organization  of  the  Repub- 
lican party,  he  cast  his  lot  with  it,  and  has 
ever  since  been  identified  with  it  politically. 


MONTGOMERY   TOWNSHIP. 


WILLIAM  C.  ADAMS,  farmer,  P.  O.  Pal 
estine,  was  born  Febrviary  12,  1824,  in  tbis 
county.  His  father,  Eli  Adams,  was  of  Ken- 
tucky pioneer  stock,  as  his  father,  William 
Adams,  had  settled  there,  where  Elizabeth- 
town  now  stands.  Eli  Adams,  in  company 
with  his  uncle,  James  Baird  who  was  after- 
ward killed  by  the  Indians,  came  to  this 
county  in  1810,  when  this  country  was  sparse- 
ly settled,  and  wild  beasts  and  still  wilder 
men  roamed  through  the  forest.  Here,  amid 
the  hardships  of  pioneer  life,  he  gained  the 
good  traits  which  characterized  him  in  after 
life;  here  he  wooed  and  won  for  his  wife 
Elizabeth  Shaw,  who  was  a  daughter  of  Jo- 
seph Shaw;  she  was  the  mother  of  thirteen 
children.  Our  subject  was  educated  in  this 
county,  where  he  afterward  was  joined  in 
matrimony  March  14,  1850,  to  Lowduskey 
Johnson,  born  July  27,  1S29,  whose  parents 
were  pioneers  of  this  county.  She  is  the 
mother  of  six  childi-en  now  living.  They  are 
Sarah  E.,  Elisha  Goodwin,  born  October  20, 
1852;  Augustus,  born  October  1,  1854,  he 
married  Rachael  J.Postlewaite;  John  Frank- 
lin, born  March  17,  1857;  Sue,  born  January 


26,  1861;  Philander,  born  January  27,  1863; 
Ida  D.,  born  March  16,  1867.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Adams  are  members  of  the  Methodist  Epis 
copal  Church,  and  with  their  children  are 
exemplary  citizens  of  their  respective  com- 
munities. He  is  the  owner  of  558  acres  of 
tine  land,  to  the  cultivation  of  which  he 
gives  considerable  attention;  he  has  filled 
the  office  of  School  Treasxirer  for  twenty-five 
years,  to  the  satisfaction  of  all  concerned;  is 
a  Democrat  in  politics. 

J.  H.  CREWS,  farmer,  P.  0.  Palestine. 
Mr.  Crews  was  born  April  23,1841,  in  Craw- 
ford County.  He  is  a  son  of  W.  J.  Crews, 
born  August  7, 1802,  in  Virginia.  He  married 
Amelia  Spraggins.  His  father  came  here  in 
1817,  when  he  entered  Government  land,  on 
which  the  subject  of  this  sketch  is  now  living. 
Mr.  Crews  was  educated  in  the  schools  ad- 
joining his  home;  he  has  been  a  farmer  all 
his  life,  and  was  married,  February  13,  1866, 
to  Miss  Ella  Pifer,  born  September  16,  1845, 
in  La  Motte  Prairie;  she  is  the  daughter  of 
Joseph  and  Margaret  Walker  Pifer,  and  the 
mother  of  two  children — Charles  W.,  born 
April  20,  1869.  and  Edwin  C.  born  Septem- 


MONTGOMERY    TOWNSHIP. 


327 


ber  25,  1875.  Mr.  Crews  is  h  Republican, 
a  Knight  of  Honor,  and  he  and  his  wife  are 
members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 

JOHN  FOX.  farmer,  P.  O.  Palestine.  Of 
the  men  who  have  given  wealth,  stamina  and 
character  and  to  whom  the  development  of 
earl}'  religious  institutions  in  Crawford  Coun- 
ty are  due,  we  attribute  a  large  share  of  credit 
to  the  man  whose  name  heads  this  sketch. 
He  was  bora  in  Now  Jersey  October  24, 
1808,  and  is  the  son  of  John  Fox,  Sr.,  born 
in  New  Jersey  October,  1775,  a  minister  of 
the  Gospel.  He  married  Mary  Veneman, 
born  1783  in  New  Jersey;  she  was  of  Swed- 
ish descent  and  the  mother  of  ten  children, 
of  whom  three  are  now  living.  Mr.  Fox 
lived  two  years  in  Pennsylvania  and  then  re- 
moved to  this  county,  where  he  bought  one- 
half  section  of  land,  and  immediately  began 
the  improvement  of  a  farm,  but  devoting  a 
great  deal  of  his  time  to  the  interest  of  the 
church.  Our  subject,  John  Fox,  was  married 
December  12,  1833,  to  Emeiine  L.  McGahey, 
bom  December  6,  1809,  in  this  county ;  she 
died  June  8,  1842;  she  is  the  mother  of  three 
children  now  living — Mary  E.,  AMlIiam  D. 
and  Sarah  A..  Mr.  Fox  was  married  a  sec- 
ond time  to  Mary  L.  Woodworth,  born  Au- 
gust 19,  1825,  died  Februai-y  7,  1854;  she  is  a 
twin  sister  of  AL  B.  Woodworth,  and  the 
mother  of  David  W.  and  Ansel  E.  Our  sub- 
ject was' joined  in  matrimony  a  third  time  to 
Mrs.  Mary  B.  McGahey,  a  daughter  of  Thom- 
as and  Elizabeth  (Anderson)  Buchanan, 
who  were  prominent  people;  he  was  also  an 
Elder  in  the  Presbyterian  Church.  Mr.  Fox 
is  a  man  that  stands  high  in  the  esteem  of 
his  fellow-men;  he  and  his  wife  are  members 
of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Chiu'ch.  He  has 
a  fine  farm  of  120  acres  of  choice  land,  and 
is  identified  with  the  Democratic  party. 

M.  H.  FULLER^  farmer,P.  O.  Heathville. 
This  gentleman   was    born    November     14, 


1812,  in  Deai'born  County.  Ind..  and  is  a 
true  type  of  the  old  pioneer  stock;  he  is  a 
son  of  Thomas  Fuller,  born  October  30, 
1774,  in  Virginia;  he  died  May  5,  1839;  he 
was  married  in  Indiana  to  Susannah  Tor- 
rence,  born  August  28,  1776,  she  died  No- 
vember 20,  1857;  she  raised  nine  children, 
five  boys  and  four  girls.  Her  father,  Will- 
iam Torrence,  came  from  Ireland;  her  moth- 
er, Martha  Stull.  came  from  Pennsylvania; 
she  was  of  German  descent.  Thomas  Fuller 
came  to  this  county  in  1820.  living  five  years 
at  Palestine;  then  removed  six  miles  south 
of  Palestine,  where  he  bought  land,  near 
where  his  son,  Martin  H  Fuller,  is  now  liv- 
ing, who  spent  his  youth  near  Palestine,  and 
at  the  age  of  twenty  went  to  the  Black  Hawk 
war.  His  father,  who  had  formerly  been  in 
the  war  of  1812;  was  an  Orderly  Sergeant 
in  this  war.  After  the  war,  Martin  H.  took 
charge  of  W.  KitchelFs  farm  while  he  was 
in  the  Legislature.  In  1835,  he  received  a 
call  to  Lawrence  County,  111.,  where  his 
fame  as  a  trustworthy  man  had  preceded 
him.  He  followed  various  occupations  till 
1840,  when  he  came  back  to  this  county, 
where  he  entered  and  bought  land,  owning 
at  one  time  over  500  acres;  he  has  now  a  farm 
of  237  acres  of  fine  land,  on  ^part  of  which 
is  a  coal  mine,  and  also  the  finest  prospect  for 
an  oil  well.  Mr.  Fuller  was  joined  in  matri- 
mony, in  Lawrence  County,  September  21, 
1837,  to  Rosan  Tromly,  born  November  10, 
1814,  daughter  of  Isaac  Tromly,  who  married 
the  widow  of  Joseph  La  Motte,  the  old  In- 
dian interpreter,  whose  successor  he  be- 
came. La  Motte  spoke  seven  difterent  In- 
dian dialects,  and  was  at  one  time  the  owner 
of  what  is  now  called  La  Motte  Prairie, 
which  was  given  to  him  by  the  Indians  for 
his  services  as  interpreter.  But  the  Indians^, 
who  coveted  the  land  and  who  wanted  to  be 
paid  for    it  by  the    Government,  killed    La 


328 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


Motte  and  threw  his  body  in  a  deep  hole  of  | 
water  west  of  the  cemetery  near  Palestine, 
in  the  creek  which  bears  his  name.  Mrs. 
Fuller  is  one  of  our  good  old  fashioned  la- 
dies who  was  raised  a  Catholic  and  still  ad- 
heres to  that  faith.  Mr.  Fuller  is  a  Demo- 
crat in  politics;  his  main  occupation  in  life 
has  been  the  cultivation  of  our  bounteous 
and  virgin  soil;  he  served  his  friends  in 
many  ways,  being  generally  considered  as  a 
leader  and  spokesman;  he  filled  school  offices 
and  was  Justice  of  the  Peace  for  twenty  years, 
mai-rying  in  that  time  eighty-eight  couples 
without  charging  anything;  on  account  of 
his  fair  and  just  dealmg.  he  is  called  the  com- 
promising Justice.  His  adopted  son,  Edwin 
Fuller,  born  December  2.  18G6,  is  a  steady, 
intelligent  young  man. 

ISAAC  FULLER,  farmer,  P.O.  Heathville, 
born  April  20,  1815,  in  Dearborn  County, 
Ind.,  son  of  Thomas  Fuller,  born  October  30, 
1774,  in  Virginia,  died  May  5,  1839;  he  was 
man-ied  in  Indiana  to  Susannah  Torrence, 
who  died  November  20,  1857;  she  is  the 
mother  of  nine  children;  her  father,  William 
Torrence,  came  from  Ireland;  her  mother, 
Martha  Stull,came  from  Pennsylvania.  Our 
subject  >ame  to  this  county  with  his  father 
in  1820,  living  five  years  in  Palestine,  where 
he  went  to  school,  settling  afterward  in 
Montgomery  Township,  on  what  is  now  called 
the  Carson  farm.  Mr.  Fuller  was  married 
November  29,  1840,  to  Nancy  Shaw,  born  in 
this  township  October  18,  1824,  daughter  of 
Joseph  and  Narcissa  (Middleton)  Shaw,  and 
mother  of  nine  children  now  living— George 
"W.,  born  January  5,  1843,  his  present  wife 
is  Sarah  Adams;  LydiaA.,  wife  of  S.  Kin- 
caid;  Thomas  J.,  born  November  18,  1852, 
married  Lurinda  Adams;  Isaac  R.,  born  No- 
vember 28,  1854,  married  Mary  E.  Brashear; 
Nancy  A.,  born  April  10,  1857;  Harmon  R., 
born  February  27,  1859;  Emma  J.,  barn  Au- 


gust 26,  1863;  Annie  L.,  born  December  20, 
1865;  and  Rosetta  A.,  born  April  4,1869. 
Mr.  Fuller's  father  and  brother  were  in  Black 
Hawk  war.  Through  his  economy  and  indus- 
try, he  has  accumulated  a  good  farm  of  215 
acres.  He  is  identified  with  the  Democratic 
party,  and  has  filled  township  and  school 
offices. 

DANIEL  FULLER,  farmer,  P.  O.  Heath- 
ville.    This  gentleman  was  born    March  24, 
1817,  in  Dearborn  County,  Ind.,  and  may  be 
classed   among  om'  pioneers.       His    father, 
Thomas  Fuller,  came  here  with  his  family  in 
1820,  when  this  county  was  sparcely  settled, 
and  the  forest  was  inhabited  with  wild  beasts 
and  wilder  men.     He  was   joined  in   matri- 
mony December,  1841,  in  Edgar  County,  111., 
to   Miss  Lydia  A.  Stanfield,    born   February 
13,  1817,  in  Tennessee,  daughter  of   Samuel 
and  Hannah  (Smith)  Stanfield;   she  died  Oc- 
tober 16,  1842.      Ml-.  Fuller  was  married  a 
second  time,    October,     1847.    in    Dearborn 
County,  Ind.,  to  Harriet  White,  born  Janu- 
ary 13,  1817,  in  Cincinnati,  Ohio,   she  died 
July  23,  1877,  she  was   a  daughter  of   Abel 
and   Lydia   (Iliff)   ^Vhite.     Mi-.    Fuller    has 
filled  school  offices  and  is  the  owner  of    100 
acres  of    good  land;    is  identified  with   the 
Democratic  party. 

JOHN  GOODWIN,  farmer.  P.  O.  Pales- 
tine, born  July  29,  1815,  in  Luzerne  County, 
Penn.,  son  of  George  Goodwin, born  1788  in 
Pennsylvania,  where  he  married  Mary  Sew- 
ard, born  in  JIassachusetts,  daughter  of 
Enos  Seward,  a  carpenter  by  occupation ;  she 
is  the  mother  of  two  children  now  living. 
Mr.  J.  Goodwin  was  educated  in  Coshocton 
■  County,  Ohio;  he  was  married  in  Licking 
County,  February  4,  1841,  to  Miss  Morris, 
born  January  4,  1823,  died  February  2,  1880; 
she  is  the  mother  of  David,  James,  Martha 
(who  married  J.  A  Wesner,  and  is  the  mother 
'  of   three  children   living),   and  Elisha,  born 


MONTGOMERY    TOWNSHIP. 


329 


August  15, 1850:  he  married  Sarah  L.  Adams, 
who  has  four  children— Gary  E..  Charles, 
Stella  and  Martha  Mabel.  Oar  subject  was 
married  again  March  2,  1SS2,  in  Greene 
County,  Ind.,  to  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Stalcup, 
born  Febraary  10,  1828;  she  is  a  daughter 
of  John  and  Eleanor  (Cox)  Templeton,  and 
mother  of  Maria  L.  and  Eleanor  ,1.;  the  for- 
mer was  born  December  5,  1846;  man-ied  N. 
C.  Burge,  and  is  the  mother  of  Ida  A.  and 
Frederick  O. ;  the  latter  was  born  August  22, 
1848;  married  R.  Cullison;  children,  five  — 
Oscar,  Edward,  Cora  L.,  Robert  E.  and  Ros- 
coe.  Mr.  Goodwin  is  a  tine  old  man,  who 
wins  the  respect  of  all  with  whom  he  comes 
in  contact;  he  came  here  in  1851;  he  and 
wife  are  members  of  the  Christian  Chiu-ch. 
He  has  a  fine  farm  of  180  acres,  with  good 
buildings  has  been  identified  with  the  Demo 
cratic  party.  His  sister,  Sarah,  married  Dan- 
iel Jones,  and  raised  a  large  famil}'. 

WILLIAM  H.  HIGGINS,  farmer,  P.  O. 
Russellville,  born  October  8,  1851,  in  this 
township.  He  is  a  gi-andson  of  Levi  Hig- 
gins,  who  came  here  in  an  early  day,  when 
the  dark  forest  was  filled  with  wild  beasts  and 
still  wilder  men.  His  son,  Jacob  Higgins,  was 
born  in  this  county,  where  he  was  also  mar- 
ried to  Eliza  Wesner,  daughter  of  Henry 
Wesner,  who  is  classed  among  the  old  pio- 
neers. She  was  the  mother  of  Albert  N.  and 
William  H.  Albert  N.  was  born  April  13, 
1853;  he  died  August  26,  1875,  in  this  coun- 
ty; he  was  married  to  Amanda  Pinkstafi'. 
Our  subject  was  educated  in  a  country 
school;  he  was  man-ied,  November,  16, 1876, 
to  Sarah  A.  Tobey,  born  March  3,  1860,  in 
this  county;  she  is  a  daiighter  of  Allen  G. 
and  Lovina  (Pullian)  Tobey,  and  the  mother 
of  two  children — Royal  A.,  born  November 
28,  1877,  and  Walter  L.,  bom  December  9, 
1880.  Mr.  Higgins  has  a  farm  of  155  acres 
of  good  land.      He  and  his  wife  ai-e  members 


of  the  Methodist  Protestant  Church.  He  is 
now  filling  the  ofiiceof  School  Treasurer  and 
is  also  Justice  of  the  Peace. 

AMOS  M.  HIGHSMITH,  farmer,  P.  O. 
Bird  Station,  was  born  February  27,  1889, 
in  this  county.  He  is  a  son  of  William  High- 
smith,  born  Mai-ch  19,1798,  in  Henry  Coun- 
ty, Ky.,  where  he  was  married,  1817,  to  Mai'ia 
F.  Ford,  born  in  same  place,  who  was  the 
mother  of  eleven  children.  William  High- 
smith  was  self-educated,  a  man  of  marked 
ability  and  integrity;  he  has  been  Justice  of 
the  Peace  about  twenty  years,  also  County 
Assessor  and  Township  Assessor;  he  was  also 
a  member  of  the  Legislature  and  has  been 
Associate  Judge.  In  politics,  he  was  an  anti- 
slavery  man.  His  son,  Amos  M.,  was  mar- 
ried here  to  Sai-ah  E.  Fisher,  1861,  daughter 
of  George  and  Elizabeth  (Hiskey)  Fisher, 
and  the  mother  of  five  children  now  living 
— Cora  E.,  Maria  L.,  Margaret  E.,  Oliver 
M.  and  John  F.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Highsmith 
are  members  of  the  Vnited  Brethren  in 
Christ.  Mr.  Highsmith  has  a  farm  of  158 
acres  of  good  land.  He  is  identified  with 
the  Republican  party.  His  father  came  here 
1820,  and  was  a  Captain  of  a  company  in  the 
Black  Hawk  war. 

W.  A.  HOPE,  fai-mer,  P.  O.  Flat  Rock, 
was  born  February  14,  1831,  in  East  Tennes- 
see. He  is  a  son  of  Adam  and  Mary  (Car- 
son) Hope,  who  were  the  parents  of  three 
childi-en — James  B.,  Mary  and  William  A. 
The  oldest  boy,  James  B.,  married  Margaret 
Ferguson;  Mary,  wife  of  Joseph  Goreuch. 
Our  subject  was  educated  in  Blount  County, 
East  Tenn.,  where  he  was  also  married,  in 
December,  1852,  to  Hannah  J.  Tedford. 
born  September  14,  1832,  in  Blount  County. 
East  Tenn.  She  died  May  17,  1873,  and 
was  the  mother  of  three  children — James  W., 
he  married  Johanna  Cooper;  Steward  M.. 
he  married  Jane  Highsmith;  Lizzie  A.,  born 


330 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


March  29,  1806.       Mr.  Hope  was  married  a 
second  time,  June    15,  1874,    to  Miss  Eliza- 
beth Tedford,  born  August  11,  1844,  daugh- 
ter of   Robert    A.     and   Eebecca    (McClurg) 
Tedford,  and  the  mother    of    live    children, 
four  now  living — Frederick    H.,  born  March 
9,  1875;  Marcus  S.,  born  May    29,  1876,  he 
died  November  29,  1877;  Artie  P.,  born  May 
17,  1878;  Nelson  A.,  born  January  8.  1880; 
and  Chester  A.,  born  April   18,   1882.       Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Hope  are  members  of  the  old  school 
Presbyterian  Church.     Mr.    Hope    came   to  [ 
this  county  in  1854,  and  the  same  winter  he  j 
settled  on  IGO  acres  of  wild  land  which  is  to- 
day  one  of  the  finest  farms  in  the  county,  and 
has  excellent    improvements.      Mr.  Hope  en- 
listed August  12,  1862,  in  the  Ninety-eighth 
Illinois   Infantry   Volunteers.     Company  E, 
who  were  afterward  mounted  and   formed  a 
part  of  Wilder's  brigade:  he  was  an  Orderly, 
and  with  his  regiment  participated  in  many 
thrilling  scenes  and  famous   battles.      He   is 
identified  with  the  Eepiiblicau  party. 

J.  A.  INGLES,  physician,  Morea.  This 
gentleman  was  born  May  27,  1838,  in  Carroll 
County,  Ind.,  son  of  Nathaniel  Ingles,  born 
May  5,  1798,  in  Pennsylvania;  his  father 
came  from  Scotland;  he  was  married  to  Eliza 
J.  Hillis,  born  July  16,  1813,  in  Jefferson 
County,  Ind.,  daughter  of  Hon.  David  Hillis, 
who  was  one  of  the  old  Indiana  State  survey- 
ors, and  who  afterward  served  his  friends  in 
Jefferson  County  by  representing  them  in  the 
Legislature;  he  was  afterward  elected  Judge. 
Our  subject's  two  grandfathers  were  soldiers 
in  the  Revolutionary  war.  His  father  was 
a  minister  in  the  Associate  Presbyterian 
Church,  having  received  his  theological  educa- 
tion in  the  Jeffersonian  College,  Penn.  Our 
subject  was  educated  in  Waveland  College, 
and  afterward  to  the  Starling  Medical  Col- 
lege, Columbus,  Ohio.  He  was  mairied,  Jan- 
uary 1,  1861,  to  Miss  Amy  S.  Ramsay,  born 


October   27,    1838,  in  Parke  County,  Ind., 
daughter  of  Samuel   W.   and  Maiy  (Wills) 
Ramsay,   and  is  the  mother  of  five  children 
— Nathaniel,   born   June  23,   1862,  he  died 
May  30,    1869;  David  W.,   born  March  14, 
1865;  John  S.,  born  April   19,  1871;  Harrie 
E.,  born  November  16,  1874;  Oracle  A.,  born 
February  5,  1877.    Mr.  Ingles  came  to  Morea 
in  1869,   and  has     followed  his  profession 
there  ever  since,    enjoying  the   esteem  and 
confidence  of  the  people    in   the  suiTounding 
country.      Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ingles  are  members 
of  the  LTuited  Presbyterian  Church.     He  has 
been  identified  with  the  Republican  party. 

THOMAS  R.  KENT,  farmer,  P.  O.  Heath- 
ville,  was  born  December  13,  1831,  in  Or- 
ange County,  Ind.  He  is  a  grandson  of 
Thomas  Kent,  born  in  North  Carolina.  His 
son,  Needham,  was  born  in  the  same  State, 
where  he  was  also  mai-ried  to  Mary  Lafferty, 
who  was  the  mother  of  eight  children.  Otii- 
subject  came  to  this  county  with  his  father  in 
1833;  he  was  educated  in  this  county,  and 
here  he  was  mamed  to  Nancy  ^Wesner,  who 
died  in  1868 ;  she  is  the  mother  of  Franklin 
J.,  born  November  19,  1862.  Mr.  Kent  was 
married  a  second  time  to  Mary  E.  Coe,  born 
March  26.  1835;  she  was  the  widow  of  Albert 
Coe  and  the  daughter  of  John  and  Lucinda 
(McOahey)  Fox.  Mr.  Kent  has  a  fine  farm 
of  160  acres  of  good  land  with  good  build- 
ings. He  keeps  it  in  a  high  state  of  cultiva- 
tion. He  is  identified  with  the  Democratic 
party,  and  has  been  Township  Sujiervisor  for 
six  years,  four  of  wliich  he  was  chairman  of 
the  board;  he  has  also  been  School  Trustee. 
His  wife  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Chnrch,  but  he  is  connected  with  the 
Christian  Church 

A.  KIN  C AID,  farmer,  P.  O.  Morea,  bom 
April  20,  1800,  in  Greene  Coimty,  N.  Y.  His 
father,  Samuel  Kincaid,  was  a  shoe-maker  by 
trade;  he   was   born    in    Ireland,   where  his 


MONTGOMERY    TOWNSHIP. 


331 


father,  Thomas  Kincaid,  fell  a  victim  to  the 
mueh-clreaded  ''Press  gaug,"  which  was  then 
in  vogue,  and  was  sent  with  the  Royal  troops 
to  this  country,  and  offered  his  services  to 
Gen.  Washington,  he  having  previously  de- 
serted the  British  flag.  He  was  made  an 
Orderly  Sergeant,  and  participated  in  the  bat- 
tle of  Bunker  Hill;  bis  son,  Samuel,  was  in 
the  same  battle,  though  he  was  only  fourteen 
years  old;  he  acted  as  drummer  boy;  he  after- 
ward participated  in  the  war  of  1812,  being 
stationed  at  Cleveland.  The  father  of  our 
subject  died  at  the  age  of  one  hundred  and 
three  years,  and  his  grandfather  lived  to 
be  one  hundred  and  five  years  old.  Samuel 
Kincaid  manied  Marian  H  ungerford,  born 
in  Massachusetts;  she  was  the  mother  of 
eleven  children.  Our  subject  moved  with  his 
father  from  New  York  to  Pennsylvania,  from 
there  to  Ohio,  thence  to  Kentucky,  then 
north  again  to  Indiana,  and  finally  in  1840 
he  settled  in  this  eoimty.  He  was  married, 
July  6,  1826,  to  Lucinda  Jenna;  she  had  six 
childi-en,  of  whom  only  Lucy  A.,  Lydia  M. 
and  Franklin  are  now  living.  He  was  mar- 
ried again,  July  16,  1874,  to  Mrs.  Hannah 
Cory,  born  May  3, 1 833 ;  she  is  a  daughter  of 
Robert  and  Sarah  (Gogin)  Young,  and  the 
mother  of  two  daughters,  who  are  now  living 
— Sarah  Jane  and  Mary  Electa.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Kincaid  are  members  of  the  Methodiit 
Episcopal  Church.  He  is  a  Democrat,  and 
as  far  as  earthly  possessions  are  concerned,  he 
is  well  provided,  having  386  acres  of  tine 
land,  besides  good  town  property  in  Robin- 
son. 

J.  W.  LINDSAY,  farmer.  P.  O.  Flat  Rock, 
was  born  March  7,  1835,  in  this  county.  He 
is  a  grandson  of  John  T.  Lindsay,  born  in 
Baltimore  County,  Md.,  where  he  married 
Susan  Dowden;  they  raised  twelve  children 
of  extraordinary  size.  They  went  to  Ken- 
tucky just  after  the  Revolutionary  war,  and 


there  participated  in  the  hardships  and 
struggles  of  the  frontiers.  Hazael  Lindsay 
was  one  of  the  twelve  children;  he  was  mar- 
ried, in  Kentucky,  to  Sarah  Ford,  who  was 
the  mother  of  seven  boys  and  foiu-  girls. 
He  came  to  this  coimty  in  1830;  he  was 
census  taker  once,  and  was  a  County  Assess- 
or, receiving  as  his  salary  165;  he  died  in 
1874.  His  son,  James  W.,  was  joined  in 
matrimony  to  Rhoda  A.  Richards,  born  in 
Bradley  County,  Tenn.,  and  died  here  1864; 
she  was  the  mother  of  three  children— La- 
vina  A.,  wife  of  Joseph  Phillippe,  and 
mother  of  three  children — Nathaniel  L.  Lind- 
say, born  July  10,  1862;  William  S.,  bom 
November  27, 1864.  Mr. Lindsay  was  mairied 
a  second  time,  December  22,  1873,  to  Hannah 
E.  Richards,  born  in  Bradley  County,  Tenn.; 
she  is  a  daughter  of  William  and  Matilda 
(Morrison)  Richards,  and  the  mother  of  four 
children— Rhoda  R.,  born  January  3,  1875; 
John,  born  November  20,  1876;  Sallie,  born 
December  22,  1878;  Forest  O.,  born  April 
20,  1880.  Mrs.  Lindsay  is  a  member  of  the 
Methodist  Church.  Mr.  Lindsay  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Masonic  fraternity,  Russellville 
Lodge,  No.  348.  He  is  the  owner  of  over  300 
acres  of  land,  to  the  cultivation  of  which  he 
gives  considerable  attention.  He  is  identi- 
fied with  the  Repiiblican  party. 

WILLIAM  LYNCH,  farmer,  P.  O.  Morea 
was  born  April  22,  1812,  in  Franklin  Coun- 
ty, Ohio,  grandson  of  Cornelius  Lynch,  born 
in  Ireland;  came  to  America  at  an  early  age; 
he  was  an  officer  in  the  Revolutionary  war, 
and  after  its  close  he  married  Catharine 
Downard,  born  in  Germany,  whose  brother, 
Daniel,  was  a  famous  backwoodsman  and 
Indian  fighter.  Their  children  are  John, 
Jonathan,  Charles,  Nancy,  Daniel,  Millie. 
Jonathan  Lynch  was  a  Generel  in  the  war 
of  1812.  John  Lynch  married  Martlia  Inks, 
born  in  Pennsylvania,  whose  brother,  John, 


332 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


was  wagon-master  under  Han-ison,  participat- 
ing in  the  battle  of  Tippecanoe.  They  had 
six  children.  Their  son.  William  Lynch, 
was  married  in  Ohio  to  Catharine  Bishop, 
born  1809  in  Virginia,  died  1836  in  Pales- 
tine, 111.,  He  was  again  married  to  Mrs.  Re- 
becca Kent,  born  January  7,  1825,  daughter 
of  William  H.  and  Hannah  (Dunlap)  Allison, 
and  the  mother  of  five  children  now  living — 
Elisa  A.  Kent;  John.  A.,  he  married  Jane 
Feasel;  William  E.,  he  married  Laura  E. 
Latham;  Anna  Bell  and  Hannah  E.  Mr. 
Lynch  has  been  a  member  of  several  lodges; 
through  his  industry  and  perseverance,  he  is 
now  in  possession  of  a  good  farm  of  230 
acres  of  fine  land,  to  the  cultivation  of  vhich 
he  gives  considerable  attention.  He  remem- 
bers of  having  seen  Gen.  Jackson  before  he 
was  elected  President  of  the  United  States. 
He  has  been  identified  with  the  Democrati  c 
party.  His  brother,  Jonathan,  was  five  years 
in  the  Florida  war.  Henry  Lynch  signed 
the  Declaration  of  Independence. 

ALEXANDER  MAC  HATTON,  minister, 
Morea.  This  gentleman  was  bom  February 
12,  1817,  in  Scott  County,  Ky.,  son  of  Sam- 
uel Mac  Hatton,  born  February  9,  1783,  in 
Pennsylvania;  he  removed  to  Kentucky, 
where  he  was  married  to  Sarah  Alexander, 
born  Febmary  3,  1795,  daughter  of  Hugh  Al- 
exander, who  married  a  Miss  Bell.  Alexan- 
der Mac  Hatton,  Sr.,  who  was  the  grand- 
father of  our  subject,  was  a  Colonel  in  the 
Revolutionary  war,  and  his  two  sons,  James 
and  Samuel,  were  soldiers  in  the  war  of 
1812;  the  former  was  killed,  with  hundreds 
of  other  brave  Kentucky  troops,  at  the  River 
Raisin.  Our  subject  was  educated  at  the 
Hanover  College,  in  Jefferson  County,  Ind. , 
and  after  graduating,  he  took  a  theological 
course  at  Cannonsburg,  Penn. ,  after  which  he 
entered  the  ministry,  representing  the  Asso- 
ciate Presbyterian,  continuing  with  untiring 


efforts  in  that  church  for  over  thirty  years 
In  1878,  he  transferred  his  relation  of  the 
former  church  to  the  Presbyterian.  Mr.  Mac 
Hatton  was  married  in  Marion,  Ind. ,  .\pril 
29,  1852,  to  Elizabeth  S.  Lomax,  born    July 

1,  1824,  in  W^ayne  County,  Ind.,  daughter 
of  Abel  and  Elizabeth  Ladd,  who  came  from 
North  Carolina.  She  is  the  mother  of  four 
children — Abel  L..  born  June  24,1856;  Sam- 
uel H. .  bom  Febmary  25,  1858;  Joseph  A., 
born  May  27,  1860;  William  H.,  bora  April 

2,  1862.  Mr.  Mac  Hatton  owns  a  good  fai-m 
of  200  acres  of  fine  land,  which  he  bought 
shortly  after  he  came  to  this  country,  which 
was  in  1861.  His  son,  Joseph,  is  a  teacher 
in  this  county.  Abel  and  Samuel  follow  the 
carpenter  trade.  Mr.  Mac  Hatton  is  inde 
pendent  in  politics,  but  has  been  identified 
with  the  Republican  party.  Mrs.  Mac 
Hatton's  father  represented  Wayne  County, 
Ind.,  in  the  Legislatm-e  for  nine  years. 

W.  W.  McCOY,  farmer,  P.  O.'Flat  Rock. 
This  gentleman  was  born  December  5.  1835, 
in  Greene  County,  Ohio,  grandson  of  Alexan- 
der McCoy,  born  in  Ireland,  but  of  Scotch 
descent;  he  was  mairied  in  Virginia  to  Sarah 
Frazier;  she  was  the  mother  of  James  McCoy, 
born  1776,  a  farmer  by  occupation;  he  mar- 
ried Elizabeth  McMillan,  born  1795,  in  South 
Carolina,  daughter  of  William  and  Jane 
(Walker)  McMillan,  and  the  mother  of  Mary 
A.,  Eliza  J.  and  our  subject.  Mrs.  McCoy 
died  March  4,  1866.  Mr.  McCoy's  first  wife 
was  Nancy  Nelson;  she  was  the  mother  of 
John  A.  James  McCoy  died  April  2,  1863; 
his  lirst  wife  died  1825.  William  Walker 
was  educated  in  Greene  County,  Ohio;  he  was 
married  in  Dayton,  same  State,  December 
27,  1877,  to  Frances  J.  Houghtelin;  born  Oc- 
tober 19,  1847;  she  is  a  daughter  of  William 
and  Jane  (Fuller)  Houghtelin:  her  father 
came  from  Pennsylvania  and  her  mother 
from  New  York.      Mr.  McCoy  has  a  farm  of 


MOMTGOMERY    TOWNSHIP. 


333 


160  acres  of  fine  land,  to  the  cultivation  of 
which  he  gives  considerable  attention.  He 
and  his  estimable  wife  are  members  of  the 
Presbyterian  Church.  He  has  been  identified 
with  the  Republican  party,  and  in  August  22, 
1862,  he  obeyed  the  call  of  his  country  and 
enlisted  in  the  Forty-fourth  Ohio  Infantry 
Volunteers.  Company  D.  He  participated 
in  many  battles  and  served  till  close  of  war. 

JOHN  MICKEY,  farmer,  P.  O.  Flat  Rock, 
bom  February  6,  1815,  in  Pennsylvania,  son 
of  James  Mickey,  who  married  Mary  Hair; 
she  was  the  mother  of  nine  children.  John 
Mickey  was  man-ied  August  6,  1846,  to  Elisa 
Ford,  daughter  of  Abner  Ford.  Mrs.  E. 
Ford  died  at  an  early  age.  Mr.  Mickey  mar- 
ried a  second  time,  in  La\vi'ence  County ;  Mary 
J.  Cook  was  the  object  of  his  choice;  she  is 
the  mother  of  seven  children,  who  are  all 
bright  and  intelligent — Maria  F.,  David 
Price,  George  H  (married  Emma  Hale) ,  Lu- 
cinda  (Rev.  J.  L.  Cox),  Ella,  Julia  A.  and 
David  C.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Mickey  are  members 
of  the  Methodist  Protestant  Church.  He 
has  been  Township  Trustee  and  filled  school 
offices.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  fra- 
ternity and  is  a  Republican.  All  these 
things  show  that  he  is  honored  and  respected 
by  his  fellow-men,  who  regard  him  as  one  of 
their  best  citizens. 

WILY  MONTGOMERY,  farmer,  P.  O. 
Bird  Station^  This  gentleman  is  a  descend- 
ant of  the  Montgomeiy  pioneer  family  who 
came  here  at  an  early  date,  when  they 
had  to  go  to  Ft.  La  Motte  in  time  of  Indian 
troubles.  The  country  was  then  in  a  wild 
state  and  the  woods  were  filled  with  wild 
beasts  and  wilder  men.  Our  subject  was 
born  in  the  township  that  bears  his  name, 
and  was  married  here  to  Lindsay,  daugh- 
ter of  Hazael  Lindsay;  she  is  the  mother  of 
ten  children  now  living — Abner,  married 
Marinda  Pinkstaff,   they  have  six  children; 


Hazael  L.,  man-ied  Jane  Ford,  they  have  five 
children;  William  E.,  man-ied  Harriet  J. 
Smith,  they  have  three  childi-en;  John,  mar- 
ried Ida  Rodgers,  she  is  the  mother  of  one 
child;  Dewitt  C,  married  Olivia  Ford;  Lafay- 
ette E.  and  Sarah R.,  born  January  17,  1864; 
Amos  was  born  January  13,  1866;  Charley, 
born  June  17,  1868;  EfQe,  born  November  19, 
1870.  Mr.  Montgomery  is  a  member  of  the 
Masonic  fraternity  at  Bird  Station,  Monroe 
Lodge,  No.  447.  He  has  320  acres  of  good 
land  with  goOd  improvements.  He,  as  were 
his  ancestors,  is  identified  with  the  Demo- 
cratic party. 

SAMUEL  C.  MONTGOMERY,  farmer,  P. 
O.  Flat  Rock,  born  March  25,  1849,  in  this 
county,  grandson  of  Andi-ew  and  Elizabeth 
(Colwell)  Montgomery,  who  came  from  Ire- 
land and  settled  in  this  county  in  an  early 
day  when  the  settlements  were  very  few  and 
the  dark  forest  was  filled  with  Im-king  wild 
btiasts  and  still  wilder  men;  amid  the  dan- 
gers of  pioneer  life  they  reared  a  large  fam- 
ily who  were  all  honored  citizens  of  their 
respective  communities.  One  of  the  childi-en, 
Andrew,  was  married  twice.  First  to  Sarah 
Carter,  who  had  five  childi-en;  his  second 
wife,  Martha  J.  Highsmith,  was  the  mother 
of  eight  children,  four  of  them— Nathaniel, 
Wiley,  Sarah  J.  and  Lucinda — are  married; 
Mary  E.,  John  D.,  Martha  V.  and  our  sub- 
ject are  living  on  their  father's  homestead,  he 
having  died  September  27,  1880,  the  mother 
died  December  9,  1872.  The  children  are 
living  on  a  farm  of  200  acres  of  good  land- 
The  boys  are  Democratic  in  politics.  When 
the  gi-andparents  of  our  subject  first  came  to 
the  United  States  they  settled  in  South  Caro- 
lina, from  there  they  moved  to  Tennessee, 
thence  to  Kentucky,  and  then  to  Indiana, 
where  they  forted  at  Ft.  Knox,  and  finally 
came  to  this  county  as  stated  above.  Andiew 
Montgomery  was   in   the   Black    Hawk  war. 


3o4 


BIOGRAPHICAL- 


Nathaniel  Highsmitli,  the  grandfather  of  our 
subject  on  the  mother's  side,  was  abo  in  the 
Black  Hawk  war  with  his  brother  William, 
who  was  Captain  of  his  company. 

WILEY  MONTGOMERY,  farmer,  P.  O. 
Flat  Rock.  This  gentleman  was  born  March 
18,  1856,  in  the  township  that  bears  his 
name,  which  was  bestowed  on  it  in  honor  of 
his  ancestors;  he  is  a  son  of  Andrew  Mont- 
gomery, whose  parents  came  here  at  an  early 
date  when  wild  beasts  and  wilder  men  roamed 
through  the  woods,  and  the  settler  went 
to  his  work  in  field  or  garden  with  his  gun 
on  his  shoulder.  Wiley  Montgomery  was 
married  in  this  county,  October  28,  1875,  to 
Margaret  Simones,  born  March  14,  1857: 
she  is  a  daughter  of  Robert  and  Mary  A. 
(Higgins)  Simones,  and  the  mother  of  Lily 
M.,  born  November  9,  1870;  Ross  E.,  born 
February  27,  1878;  Harmon  R.,  born  June 
26,  1880;  and  Andrew  C,  born  April  2i, 
1882.  Mr.  Montgomery  has  a  farm  of 
sevenfc}  acres  of  good  land;  he  has  been 
identified  with  the  Democratic  party;  his 
wife  ia  a  fond  mother  and  a  member  of  the 
Baptist  Chiu-ch. 

CHARLES  G.  PALMATEER,  farmer,  P. 
O.  Morea.  Of  men  who  have  made  farming 
a  success  in  this  county,  this  man  is  surely 
one;  he  was  born  August  15,  1820,  in  New 
York,  son  of  John  Palmateer,  born  in  New 
York,  farmer;  fought  under  George  Washing- 
ton in  the  Revolutionary  swar;  he  married 
Elizabeth  Quimby,  who  was  mother  of  thir- 
teen childi-en.  Our  subject  was  a  blacksmith 
in  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  for  seventeen  years. 
He  settled  in  this  county  in  1856,  and  was 
married  here  October  21,  1858,  to  Mary  L. 
/  Young,  born  December  15,  1835,  in  Hamil 
ton  County,  Ohio;  she  is  a  daughter  of  Rob- 
ert and  Sarah  (Gogin)  Young,  who  were 
born  in  New  Jersey.  Mrs.  Palmateer  is  the 
mother  of  six  children— Phebe  E.,   wife    of 


William  Jackson,  and  mother  of  one  son, 
Charles  E.  (Mrs.  Jackson  died  January  2, 
1881);  Joseph  C.,born  July  18,  1861;  Sarah 
E.,  born  November  10,  1863;  Effie  May,  born 
May  13,  1866,  she  died  March  15,"  1869; 
Anna  J.,  born  May  20,  1868,  and  Lily  A., 
born  February  8,  1871.  Mj-.  and  Mrs.  Pal- 
mateer and  three  children  are  members  of 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  His  broth- 
ers, Edward  and  Nathaniel,  were  soldiers 
in  the  late  war;  the  former  was  afterward  a 
sailor  for  twenty  years,  and  finally  killed  on 
the  Hudson  River.  He  has  a  tine  farm  of 
240  acres  of  good  land,  to  the  cultivation  of 
which  he  gives  considerable  attention.  Mr. 
Palmateer  has  been  identified  with  the  Re- 
publican party. 

I.  T.  G.  PARKER,  farmer,  P.  O.  Heath- 
ville.  This  gentleman,  who  is  a  descendant 
of  one  of  oui-  oldest  pioneer  settlers, 
came  here  when  the  Indians,  roamed  at  will 
through  the  deep  forest  and  smiling  prairies, 
and  who  were  afterward  forted  at  Ft.  Knox, 
Ind.  Our  subject  was  born  April  18,  1839; 
he  is  a  grandson  of  Jonathan  Parker,  whose 
son,  Thomas  N.,  was  one  of  the  most  noted 
deer  hunters  in  the  county;  he  was  married 
to  Maria  Jane  Attaway,  whose  parents  may 
be  classed  among  oar  old  pioneers.  Thomas 
N.  was  a  soldier  in  the  Black  Hawk  war,  and 
teamed  between  here  and  Chicago  with  an  ox 
team.  He  is  still  living  a  hale,  old  man; 
his  wife  died  in  1881;  she  was  the  mother  of 
a  large  family.  Our  subject  is  one  of  that 
family;  he  was  mairied  to  Hannah  Ann 
Montgomery,  born  January  3,  1840,datighter 
of  William  and  Zerelda  Highsmith,  whose 
parents  were  among  the  very  first  settlers  in 
this  county,  and  after  whom  this  township 
was  named.  Mrs.  Parker  is  the  mother  of 
six  children  living — Mary  E.,  she  is  the  wife 
of  Francis  M.  Kent;  Newman  E.,  I'lora  A., 
Maria  E. ,  Zerelda  J.  and   George  H.       Mr. 


MONTGOMERY    TOWNSHIP. 


335 


Parker  has  a  good  farm  of  240  acres  of  fine 
land.  He  obeyed  the  call  of  his  country  to 
protect  the  stars  and  stripes,  and  enlisted  July 
20,  1801,  in  the  Eleventh  Missouri  Infantry 
Volunteers,  Company  H,  participating  with 
his  regiment  in  many  thrilling  scenes  and 
famous  battles;  he  served  till  close  of  war. 
In  politics,  Mr.  Parker  is  a  Republican. 

.\.  J.  REAVILL,  stockman  and  farmer,  P. 
O.  Flat  Rock.  This  gentleman  was  a  descend- 
ant of  an  old  pioneer  family,  and  of  whom 
he  actjuired  many  of  their  virtues,  was  born 
December  24,  1834,  in  this  township,  where 
he  now  lives.  His  grandfather  was  born  in 
France,  but  was  man-ied  in  this  country  to  a 
Miss  Crow.  Their  son,  David,  born  1782, 
in  Delaware,  on  the  bay,  came  to  this  State 
in  1810,  making  his  home  in  Kaskaskia, 
which  was  then  the  capital.  In  1812,  he  re- 
turned to  Vincennes,  Ind.,  and  joined  the 
rangers.  After  the  war,  he  removed  to  Pales 
tine,  where  he  followed  the  tanner  trade. 
He  'Was  married  to  Ann  Montgomery,  born 
September  12,  1792.  in  South  Carolina;  she 
is  a  daughter  of  Andrew  and  Elizabeth 
(Colwell)  Montgomery,  and  the  mother  of 
nine  children,  four  now  living;  their  father 
was  killed  at  Palestine  by  lightning.  Our 
subject  was  educated  in  this  county  and  was 
also  joined  in  matrimony  here  December  13, 
1850,  to  Miss  Martha  A.  Seaney,  born  Oc- 
tober 9,  1835,  in  this  county,  daughter  of 
John  and  Elizabeth  (Attaway)  Seaney,  who 
are  classed  among  oui'  pioneers.  Mrs.  Rea- 
vili  is  the  mother  of  nine  children,  six  boys 
and  three  girls— Sarah  J.,  wife  of  Marlin 
Mail;  William  D.  D. ,  deceased;  John  D., 
married  Ada  Taylor;  Almera,  deceased; 
Charles  McClellen,  born  April  28,  1863; 
David  A.,  bom  May  11,  1865;  Parmer  Sey- 
more,  born  February  6,  1 868 ;  Dora,  October  6, 
1869:  and  Edmund  H.,  deceased.  Mr.  Rea- 
vill   still  owns  the  place  which  his  parents 


entered  as  Government  land  in  Vincennes,  at 
$2.50  per  acre,  in  installments,  but  it  was  re- 
duced to  half  the  price  by  act  of  Congress 
about  1817.  Mr.  Reavill  lived  on  a  farm  of 
840  acres  with  good  improvements;  he  has 
about  340  acres  near  Robinson,  on  which 
tenants  lived.  At  the  age  of  twenty-two,  he 
was  elected  Justice  of  the  Peace;  afterward 
he  was  Township  School  Treasurer  for 
twelve  years,  and  tilled  other  school  offices. 
He  has  been  township  Supervisor  for  two 
terms,  and  director  of  the  Robinson  Bank 
ever  since  its  re-organization.  Mr.  Reavill 
has  been  connected  with  railroad  history,  as 
he  has  been  a  director  of  the  Paris  &  Dan- 
ville Railroad  till  it  was  connected  to  the  Wa- 
bash system.  In  1875,  he  helped  to  organ- 
ize the  Bishop,  Meserve  &  Co.  syndicate, 
which  completed  the  Paris  &  Danville  Rail- 
road from  Hutsonville  to  Vincennes,  Ind. 
In  1877,  Mr.  Reavill  was  elected  by  the 
Democratic  party  to  the  Legislature,  repre- 
senting the  Forty-fifth  District,  comprising 
Crawford,  Clark,  Lawrence  and  Jasper  Coun- 
ties. Durinsr  this  term  occurred  the  memor- 
able  contest  which  terminated  in  the  defeat 
of  John  A.  Logan  and  the  election  of  David 
Davis  to  the  United  States  Senate.  Mi-.  Rea- 
vill was  re-elected  to  the  Legislature  in  1879. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity, 
Robinson  Lodge,  No.  250.  No  comment  is 
needed  on  the  past  life  of  our  subject;  the 
difi'erent  positions  which  he  has  tilled  in  life 
speak  for  themselves  and  show  that  manly 
qualities  are  appreciated  by  his  fellow- men. 
CHARLES  ROSS,  farmer,  P.  O.  Flat 
Rock,  born  October  14,  1831,  in  Washington 
County,  Penn. ,  son  of  Matthew  Ross,  born  in 
County  Antrim,,  Ireland;  he  married  Anna 
McFadden,  born  in  same  county;  both  are 
living  and  over  eighty-four  years  old.  Mr. 
Ross  was  educated  in  Pennsylvania;  from 
there  he  went  to  Ohio,  where  he  was  married 


336 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


to  Sarah  J.  Archer,  born  October  12.  1830, 
in  Virginia,  daughter  of  Ebenezer  and  Mar- 
garet (McCray)  Archer.  Mrs.  Ross  is  the 
mother  of  one  daughter,  Margaret  N. ,  born 
June  27,  1855.  Mi-.  Ross  came  to  this  coun- 
ty in  1866;  he  owns  now  a  good  productive 
farm  of  eighty  acres  of  line  land.  Mrs.  and 
Miss  Ross  are  members  of  the  United  Pres- 
byterian Chm-ch.  Mr.  Rossis  identified  with 
the  Republican  party.  Mr.  Ross  was  a  sol- 
dier in  the  late  war.  serving  in  the  Eighty- 
eighth  Regiment  of  Ohio  Infantry.  He  is  a 
man  well  spoken  of  by  all  his  neighbors,  and 
is  one  of  our  most  industrious  and  kind- 
hearted  citizens. 

SAMITEL  SEANEY,  farmer,  P.  O.  Flat 
Rock.  This  gentleman  was  born  October  22, 
1824,  in  this  county,  son  of  Samuel  Seaney, 
Sr.,  born  in  North  Carolina;  he  was  a 
a  farmer  by  occupation,  and  was  married  to 
Catharine  Wishon,  who  was  the  mother  of 
thirteen  children;  they  removed  to  Wayne 
County,  Ind. ,  and  in  1818  they  came  to  this 
county,  to  where  he  was  attracted  by  the  rich 
hunting  ground  which  the  red  man  of  the 
woods  valued  so  highly.  While  the  game 
was  plenty,  he  did  not  find  it  necessary  nor 
profitable  to  cultivate  the  bounteous  virgin 
soil,  to  which  his  children  pay  so  much  atten- 
tion now  and  with  such  marked  success.  Our 
subject  inherited  many  of  his  father's  quali- 
ties among  others  his  love  for  hunting,  and 
which  he  indulged  in  his  youth  to  his  heart's 
content,  and  yet  follows;  he  was  educated  in 
this  county,  where  he  was  married  February 
14,  1848,  to  Miss  Cinderilla  Kamplain,  born 
Jtily  16,1830,  daughter  of  William  and  Clem- 
ana  (Cobb)  Kao;  plain,  who  were  old  settlers  in 
this  county.  Mrs.  Seaney  is  the  mother  of 
twelve  children — Alvin  (he  married  Anna  B. 
McKibbin),  Leander,  Patrick  H.,  John  Frank- 
lin, Flora  R.,  Nancy  E.,  Emma  A.,  deceased, 
Samuel  Herman,  Charles  Carl,  Thomas  Har- 


lin,  David  Bruce,  Andrew  J.  Mr.  Seaney 
has  a  nice  farm  of  240  acres  of  tine  land,  is  a 
Democrat.  He  and  his  wife  are  members  of 
the  Christian  Church.  Has  good  buildings 
on  his  land;  keeps  Durham  stock  of  cattle,  is 
a  wide-awake,  intelligent  man,  who  takes  a 
great  deal  of  interest  in  all  public  afifairs. 

NIMROD  SEANEY,   farmer,    P.   O.   Flat 
Rock.     Mr.  Seaney  was   born  December   11, 
1827,  in  this  county;  he  is  a  son  of   Samuel 
Seaney,    born  in  North   Carolina,  where   he 
married    Catharine    Wishon;      she    was   the 
mother  of  twelve  children,  who  grew  up  to 
man  and  womanhood.        Nimrod  Seaney  was 
the  youngest  of  this  family,  and  was  married 
here  to  Rhoda  Higgins,  daughter  of  William 
and    Mary   A.    (Simons)     Higgins.    and   the 
mother  of   ten    children    now   living-  -Ben- 
jamin,   he  man-ied   Sarah    J.  Montgomery; 
Mary,    married   William    Dimcan;    Martha, 
married  Taylor  Z.  Swan;  Eliza  A., married  C. 
Duncan;    Emeline  R.,  married   Alvin   Prior; 
Rosa  E.,  man-ied   C.  Cunningham;    Julia  O., 
married  P.  Saunders;  Flora  B.,  James  E.  and 
LucyL.   Mrs.  Seaney  died  April  2,  1879.  Mr. 
Seaney  was  married  a  second  time  to  Fannie 
Daugherty,  born  February  4,  1842,  daughter 
of  John  and  Susan  (Lamb)  Daugherty,  and 
the  mother  of  four  children  —Mary  I.,  Anna 
B. ,    Aimer    and    Chalmer,    who     are    twins. 
Mrs.  Seaney   is  a  member  of  the  Christian 
Church.     Mr.  Seaney  has  a  good  farm  of  324 
acres  of  fine  land,  to  the  cultivation  of  which 
he  crives  a  great   deal  of   attention;  has   al 
ways    been  identified  with   the  Democratic 
party.     Mr.  Seaney  did  not' have  the  advan- 
tages of  education  which    his  children  now 
enjoy,    but    natiu-e    has    endowed   him  with 
many    good    qualities,   among   others,  good, 
hard  common  sense;  he  has  killed  more  deer 
than  any  man  in  the  township. 

MRS.    ELIZABETH    SHAW,    Palestine. 
This  lady,  who  has  reared  a  large  f amil} ,  for 


MONTGOMERY    TOWNSHIP. 


837 


whom  she  plans  and  beautifully  provides,  was 
born  April  7,  1843,  in  Lexington,  La  Grange 
Co.,  Ind. ;  she  is  a  daughter  of  George  and 
Nancie  Emily  Donaldson,  her  father  was 
born  in  Virginia  and  her  mother  in  Ohio; 
they  were  the  parents  of  ten  children.  Mr. 
Donaldson  was  a  blacksmith  in  Indiana,  and 
removed  to  this  county  in  1854.  Oivr  sub- 
ject was  man'ied  in  this  county  November  3, 
1861,  to  Thomas  Shaw,  born  October  28, 
1836;  he  died  December  30,  1880;  he  was  a 
son  of  Joseph  M.  and  Narcissa  (Middleton) 
Shaw,  and  is  the  father  of  ten  children  now 
living — Lydia  A.,  born  October  30,  1862; 
Laura,  born  February  12,  1864;  Nota,  Au- 
gust 27,  1865;  Andi-ew  J.,  born  November  9, 
1866;  Nai-cissa  J.,  born  Februarj^  21,  1867; 
Ella,  born  July  12,  1870;  Sarah,  born  Janu- 
ary 15,  1873:  Emma,  born  September  8, 
1874;  Cora,  born  January  7,  1877;  and 
Thomas  M.  J.,  born  June  11,  1880.  The  oldest 
daughter,  Lydia  A,  married  Henry  A.  Falk, 
who  is  an  industrious  man.  While  Mr. 
Shaw  was  alive,  he  was  a  bountiful  provider, 
a  good  husband  and  fond  father;  his  memoiy 
is  cherished  by  all  who  knew  him;  he  ac- 
cumulated 175  acres  of  fine  land,  on  which 
his  family  are  now  livmg. 

S.  F.  WATERS,  farmer,  P.  O.  Heath 
ville,  was  bom  October  18,  1833,  in  Salis- 
bury, Conn. ;  he  is  a  son  of  William  Wat- 
ers, born  1796,  in  England;  he  was  a 
soldier  in  the  British  service  under  Wel- 
lington, fighting  against  Napoleon  I,  and 
participating  in  the  battle  of  Watei'loo;  he 
was  afterward  transferred  with  the  army  to 
Canada,  and  liking  this  country  he  settled  in 
Massachusetts,  where  he  was  married  to 
Asenath  Slater,  born  1803  in  Massachusetts, 
of  Scotch  descent,  and  the  mother  of  nine 
children.  S.  F.  Waters  was  educated  in 
Salisbury,  Conn.,  where  he  also  learned  the 
shoe-maker  trade,  which  he  followed  in  Ohio, 


where  he  was  joined  in  matrimony,  March  9, 
1857,  to  Miss  Laura  Chariher,  of  German 
descent,  born  1837  in  Ohio;  she  died  1862, 
in  Palestine,  111.,  to  which  place  Mr.  Waters 
had  moved  in  1801.  He  enlisted  August  12, 
1862,  in  the  Ninety-eighth  Illinois  Volun- 
teers, Company  D,  ■vthich  formed  a  part  of 
the  famous  Wildera  Lightning  Brigade; 
with  it  he  participated  in  many  thrilling 
scenes  and  famous  battles;  he  was  wounded 
at  Mission  Ridge,  and  raised  from  private 
to  First  Lieutenant.  After  the  war,  he  fol- 
lowed his  trade  in  Palestine,  where  he  was 
married  again,  September  25,  1806,  to  Mary 
Jane  Bartmess,  born  January  10,  1845,  in 
this  county,  where  her  parents,  Peter  and 
Sarah  (Langton)  Bartmess,  were  old  settlers. 
She  is  the  mother  of  three  children  now  liv- 
ing— Lucy,  born  March  13,  1809;  Grace, 
born  July  5,  1870,  and  Mary,  born  December 
2,  1878.  Mr.  Waters  has  filled  township  and 
school  oifices;  he  has  a  splendid  farm  of  120 
acres,  which  he  keeps  in  a  high  state  of  cul- 
tivation, and  on  which  he  built  one  of  the 
finest  farm  residences  in  the  county;  he  and 
his  family  are  honored  and  respected  by  all 
with  whom  they  come  in  contact. 

ENOCH  WESNER,  farmer,  P.  O.  Flat 
Rock,  bom  in  La  Motte  Township  July  24, 
1829;  son  of  William  Wesner.  born  1800,  in 
Pennsylvania;  farmer  by  occupation;  he 
married  Nancie  Pearson,  born  1798;  she  is 
the  mother  of  six  children.  AVilliam  Wes- 
ner came  hero  at  an  early  date,  when  the 
dark  forest  was  filled  with  wild  beasts  and 
still  wilder  men;  being  a  man  of  some  means, 
he  erected  a  grist  mill  run  by  ox  power,  which 
he  turned  into  a  saw  mill,  supjjlying  the 
people  of  Palestine  with  building  hmiber;  he 
was  of  German  descent,  his  memory  is  cher- 
ished by  all  pioneers.  Enoch  Wesner  was 
educated  in  this  county,  where  he  was 
married    to    Louisa    Allison,    born    July    1, 


338 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


1828,  in  this  county;  she  is  a  daughter  of 
Samuel  H.  and  Polly  (Highsmith)  Allison, 
who  came  from  Kentucky.  Mrs.  Wesner  is 
the  mother  of  seven  children — Isabell  L. ,  she 
man-ied  Samuel  Douglas,  Charles  A.,  Mary 
A.,  deceased,  William  F.,  Nannie  C, 
Charles  M.  and  Ira  O.  '  IVIr.  Wesner  has  a 
good  farm  of  248  acres  of  tine  land,  to  the 
cultivation  of  which  he  gives  considerable 
attention.  He  is  identified  with  the  Granger 
Society;  has  been  Township  Collector;  has 
filled  school  offices;  has  been  connected  with 
the  Democratic  party;  is  a  wide-awake  farmer. 
L.  H.  WHEELER,  farmer,  P.  O.  Morea. 
This  gentlemaa,  who  is  recognized  as  a  good 
farmer,  was  born  June  27,  1841,  in  Rutland 
County,  Vt.;  his  father,  Leonard  Wheeler, 
also  a  fai-mer,  was  born  March  2,  1804,  in 
New  Hampshire;  he  married  Elizabeth  Wet- 
more,  who  was  the  mother  of  eight  children; 
they  left  Vermont  in  1843,  and  on  their 
route  to  this  county  they  came  mostly  by 
water,  then  the  best  way  of  traveling.  They 
first  went  to  Erie,  N.  Y.,  then  via  Erie  Canal 
to  Buffalo,  thsuse  on  ths  lake  to  Cleveland, 
from  there  by  canal  to  La  Fayette,  and  then 
down  the  Wabash  River  on  a  steamboat  to 
Bristol,  landing  opposite  Palestine,  in  this 
county,  where  oiu-  subject  was  educated,  and 
afterward  went  to  the  war.  enlisting  Febru- 
ary 11,  1865,  in  the  One  Hundred  and  Fifty- 
second  Illinois  Infantry  Volunteers,  Company 
H;  served  till  close  of  war;  was  mustered 
out  at  Memphis,  Tenn.  He  was  joined  in 
matrimony,  February  28.  1867,  to  Miss  Sarah 
A.  Crews,  born  October  25,  1856,  daughter 
of  W.  J.  Crews,  and  mother  of  Elizabeth  A., 
born  October  21,  1868;  Fannie  L,  born  April 
29,  1874,  and  Chauncy  Crews,  born  Septem- 
ber 8,  1881.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wheeler  are 
members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church; 
he  is  a  stroug  advocate  of  the  temperance 
c.iuse,  in  which  he  sets  a  good  and  worthy  ex- 


ample; is  a  Republican  in  politics.  Has  a 
splendid  farm  of  200  acres  with  good  build- 
ings; to  the  cultivation  of  his  land  he  gives 
a  great  deal  of  attention,  with  marked  suc- 
cess. 

AARON   YOUNG,  farmer,    P.  O.  Morea. 
This  gentleman  was  born  August  16,  1830,  in 
Hamilton    County,    Ohio.      His    father    was 
Robert  Young,   born    February  13,  1787,  in 
Newark,  N.  J.,  where    he  was   educated  and 
also  learned  the  shoemaker  trade;  he  traveled 
a   great  deal,  and  was  married  in  Ohio  to 
Sarah  Gogin,  born  September   16,    1803,  in 
Cape  May,  N.    J.,  daughter  of  Thomas  and 
Sarah  (Scull)  Gogin.      She   is  the  mother  of 
seven    children,    and    counting     grand    and 
great-grandchildrerl,  it  may  be  said   that  she 
is  the  parent  of  fifty-two  children,  of  whom 
nineteen  are  now  dead      Robert  Young  was  a 
soldier  in   the  war   of    1812,    and   his    son, 
Robert  S.,  died  while   in  the  Ninety-eighth 
Illinois  Volunteers,  in  Scottsville.  Ky.       Our 
subject,  Aai'on,   was  educated  in  Cincinnati 
and  Crawford  County,  III.      He  was  married 
in  Miami  County,  Ohio,  January  4,   1865.  to 
Miss  Sarah  Yates,   born  June  29,  1842.    in 
Miami  County,   Ohio,  daughter  of    Edmund 
C.  and    Sarah  (Leniing)   Yates,    and   is   the 
mother   of  five  children  now  living — Sarah 
L.,  born  February  1,  1866;  Hannah  C,  June 
23,  1867;  Robert  E.  and  Maria  J.  are  twins, 
born  July  7.   1869;   and  Mary  L.,   born  No- 
vember 4,  1877.    Mr.  Young's  ancestors  were 
of  Scotch   descent,  but  Mrs.  Young's  ances- 
tors were  of  Indian  descent.     Mr.  Young  has 
a  fine  farm,  to  the  cultivation   of   which  he 
sives   a   great  deal  of  attention        ^Ir.  and 
Mrs.  Young  are   members   of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church.    Mr.  Young  is  a  well-read 
man,  and  has  been  identified  with  the  Ropub 
lican  party.       His  mother  is  yet  living,  well 
known  to  all  old  pioneers.       Robert  Yoang 
died  September  23,  1814. 


OBLONG    TOWNSHIP. 


399> 


OBLONG   TOWNSHIP. 


CHAS.  S.  BEEIVLVN,  farmer,  P.  O  Oblong,    \ 
is    an    enterprising    farmer,    and    an   expe- 
rienced wagon-maker  of   Oblong    Township,    | 
in  which  last  business  he  is  not  engaged  very   ] 
much,  at  the  present.      He  was  born  in  Peo- 
ria County,  111.,  November  24,  1837.     When 
ten  years  old,  was  brought  by  his  parents  to 
Clark  County,  111  ,  and  there  they  settled  on 
a  farm.      His  education    was    limited  to  the 
common  schools  of  the  country.      At  the  age 
of  seventeen,  went  to  serve  as  an  apprentice 
in  a   wagon- maker's    shop    in    York,    Clark 
County,    111.,    uader    Richard    Falley.     He 
served  three  years,  after  which  worked  as  jour- 
neyman in  Clark  and  Crawford  Counties  for 
about  ten  years.     In  1871,  he  erected  a  shop 
in  Oblong,  and  after  about  five  years  success-* 
fully   spent   there,  he  sold  out  and  returned 
to  his  family  in  Oblong  Township,  on  a  nice 
little   farm  in  the  eastern  pai't  of  the  town- 
ship, where  he  is  comfortably    situated,  and 
has  a  nice  residence,  and  is  successfully  en- 
gaged in  fanning,  and  works  also  at  the  car 
penter's  trade  considerably.     He  was  maiTied 
December  30,  1858,  to  Margaret  E.  Wood. 
She  was  born  and  reared  in  Crawford  Coun- 
ty, 111.     They  have  nine  children,   namely: 
William  F.,  Marion  N.,  Joseph  Lincoln,  Anna 
Belle,  Charles  E.,  Ulysses  E.,  Pussy,  Everet 
P. ,  Lura  A.     His  father.  Nelson,   was  a  na- 
tive   of     Pennsylvania,     and    his     mother, 
Lydia  L.   (Bostwick),  was  a  native  of  Ver- 
mont. 

J.  R.  BOOFTER,  farmer,  P.  O.  Robinson, 
is  a  substantial  and  enterprising  f  firmer  of 
Oblong  Township.  He  was  born  in  Stewart 
County,  Tenn. ,  January  19,  18-17.     His  jai- 


ents  died  when  he   was  quite    small,  and  he 
was  compelled,  as  a  great  many  orphan  boys 
are,  to  shift  for  himself   when  very    young. 
^Vhen    about   seven  years  of    age,  he  com- 
menced   working   on  a  farm  by  the    month. 
His  chances  for  an  education   was  limited  ta 
subscription    schools  of   country   there.     In 
1863,  when  about  sixteen  years  old,  came  to 
Crawford  County,  111.,  to  Portsville,  Licking 
Township,  with  J.  C.  Gault.  with  whom  he 
worked  one  summer.   ■  He  continued  working 
by  the  month   until    1867,  at  which  time  at- 
tended one    term    of    school    at   the   Union 
Christian    College,    located  at  Merom,  Ind. , 
after  which    attended  two  terms  of  school  at 
Westfield,  111.,  in  the  spring  and  fall  of  1868, 
where,  in  the  winter  of  1868  and  1869,  taught 
school.     He  was  married,  December  5,  1868, 
to  Dinah  Hill,      She  was  born  iu  Crawford 
County,  111.,  February  9,  1849.      He  farmed 
with  his  father-in-law  for  two  or  three  years 
after   marriage,  and  at  which  time    removed 
on  a  farm  of  240  acres,  given  his  wife  by  her 
father,  of  which  he  has    about   200   acres  in 
cultivation,  and  is    successfully   engaged  in 
the  raising  of  grain  principally.      They  have 
one  child,  namely,  Alva.     Subject  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Grange. 

WILLIAM  R.  DALE,  M.  D.,  P.  O.  Ob- 
long, is  a  young  jnan  of  superior  intellectual 
ability,  and  has  had  good  advantages  afford- 
ed him  in  his  chosen  profession.  He  was 
born  in  Henry  County,  Tenn.,  July  16,  1854. 
He  spent  his  early  days  on  a  farm,  and  at  the 
age  of  eleven  he  was  taken  by  his  parents  tu 
Kentucky,  and  he  remained  on  the  farm  and 
industriously  attended  school  in  winter  time 


340 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


until  nineteen  years  of  age,  at  which  time 
engaged  in  teaching  in  Calloway  County, 
Ky.  The  last  school  he  attended  was  the  in- 
stitute at  the  county  seat.  He  commenced 
the  study  of  medicine  January  4,  1875,  and 
successfully  continued  his  studies  until  the 
autumn  of  1875,  at  which  time  attended  lect- 
ures at  Louisville,  Ky. ;  attended  the  ses- 
sions of  1875  and  1876,  and  received  his  de- 
gree. In  the  spring  of  1877,  he  located  in 
Graves  County,  Ky.,  but  remained  there  but 
a  short  time,  and  removed  bapk  to  Murray, 
Calloway  County,  Ky,,  and  there  was  con- 
nected with  a  drug  store,  besides  successfully 
engaging  in  his  profession  until  the  autumn 
of  1880,  at  which  time  came  to  Oblong  and 
formed  a  partnership  with  Dr.  Kibbie,  and  is 
successfully  engaged  in  his  profession.  In 
July  9,  1879,  in  Henry  County,  Tenn.,  tired 
of  living  a  single  life,  he  took  unto  himself 
Miss  Nannie  A.  McKnight.  They  have  one 
child  living,  William  Roy,  and  an  infant  girl 
dead.  Mrs.  Dale  died  January  6,  1883.  Dr. 
Dale  is  an  A.,  F.  &  A.  M.,  Oblong  Lodge, 
No.  644. 

JAMES  EOFF,  retired  farmer,  Oblong,  is 
a  native  of  Pulaski  County,  Ky.,  born  May 
14,  1810.  He  was  reared  there  on  his  fa- 
ther's farm  until  the  age  of  eighteen,  at  which 
time  he  went  out  into  the  world  to  battle  for 
himself.  At  the  age  of  twenty,  in  1830,  he 
chose  Christina  Leach,  a  native  of  Kentucky, 
as  a  helpmeet.  After  marriage,  he  engaged 
in  farming  in  Pulaski  County,  until  1849, 
at  which  time  came  to  Crawford  County,  Ob- 
long Township,  and  settled  on  a  farm  of  wild 
land  and  engaged  in  farming  successfully. 
In  1874,  he  concluded  to  remove  to  Oblong, 
and  there  enjoy  the  blessings  of  a  ripe  old 
age  and  to  retire  fronj  the  business  bustle  of 
the  world.  He  and  his  wife  are  living  by 
themselves.  Of  their  children,  six  are  living 
and  married  and  have  families  of  their  own. 


It  was  their  misfortune  to  lose  five  of  their 
dear  ones,  namely:  Polly  Jane,  wife  of 
Stephen  Gooch,  living  in  Oblong;  William 
Davis,  is  living  in  Oregon;  Amelia,  wife  of 
Samuel  R.  Mock,  living  in  Crawford  Coimty, 
Oblong  Township;  Minerva  Ann,  George  and 
Martha  Susan  are  deceased;  John  James 
Eoff,  living  in  Robinson,  Crawford  County, 
111. ;  Cynthia  Ellen,  wife  of  John  James,  liv- 
ing in  Oblong  Township;  Phoebe  Alice,  wife 
of  Joseph  Barker,  living  in  Oblong  Township; 
Alfred  and  Louisa  Ann,  are  deceased.  Sub- 
ject's father,  John  Eoff,  was  a  native  of  Mad- 
ison County,  Ky,  and  engaged  in  farming,  in 
Pulaski  County,  Ky.  Subject's  mother,  Jane 
(Higgins),  was  also  a  native  of  Kentucky- 
Lincoln  County.  Their  children  are,  namely, 
Minervia,  deceased  wife  of  Bryant  Brown; 
Sarah,  wife  of  Isaac  Taylor,  deceased,  she  re- 
sides in  Kentucky,  Pulaski  County;  George, 
is  farming  in  Oregon,  and  also  John  Leonard 
and  Fleming;  Louisa  Ann,  deceased  wife  of 
Newton  Perril,  deceased:  Elizabeth,  deceased 
Subject  has  160  acres  of  prairie  land  in  Ob- 
long Township,  and  when  he  lived  thereon 
he  raised  stock  to  some  extent,  besides  grain. 
He  owns,  in  Oblong,  four  lots  and  two  dwell- 
ing houses;  the  one  in  which  he  lives  is  a 
very  nice  and  comfortable  one.  May  peace 
and  happiness  crown  them  during  the  re- 
mainder of  their  lives,  and  when  done  with 
the  trials  and  cares  of  this  life,  find  a  home 
beyond  the  skies,  where  all  is  joy  and  peace 
and  love,  and  where  nature  never  dies. 

JAMES  W.  GOOD,  Grand  Glade,  was 
born  in  Fairfield  County,  Ohio,  March  22, 
1832,  son  of  Jacob  and  Margaret  A.  (Mont- 
gomery) Good;  he  born  in  Virginia  February 
12,  1804,  and  dying  December  4,  1850;  she 
born  in  Maryland  May  28,  1803,  and  dying 
January  8,  1876.  Our  subject  was  married 
in  Ohio,  March  31,  1859,  to  Rebecca  Belt, 
born  in  Fairfield  County,  Ohio,   January  22, 


OBLONG  TOWNSHIP. 


343 


1833,  daiighter  of  Benjamin  and  Ann  J. 
(Parrish)  Belt;  he  waa  boru  February  10, 
1801,  in  Maryland,  and  dying  November  13, 
1863;  she,  also,  a  native  of  Maryland,  born 
March  6,  1804.  Nine  childi-en  have  been 
born  to  Mr.  Good — David  L.,  Benjamin  D. , 
Jacob  "\V.,  Eosanna  L.,  Thaddeus  O.,  Lilly 
R.,  Mary  L.  A.,  Margaret  A.  J.  and  Charles 
E.  A. 

D.  F.  HALE,  farmer,  P.  O.  Eaton,  is  an 
old  pioneer  of  Crawford  County,  born  in 
Genesee  County,  N.  Y.,  July  19,  1809. 
When  foiu-  years  old,  in  1813,  he  was  taken 
by  his  parents  to  Jackson  County,  Ind.,  and 
there  they  settled  on  wild  beech  wood  land, 
and  remained  there  until  1821,  at  which  time 
they  came  to  Crawford  County,  and  landed, 
November  2,  near  Palestine.  At  that  time, 
there  were  but  three  or  four  good  buildings 
there,  and  about  nine  or  ten  cabins,  which 
constituted  the  town.  They  wintered  aljout 
one-half  of  a  mile  from  Palestine,  and  in  the 
spring  of  1822,  removed  to  Palestine.  After 
two  years  of  siiccessful  farming  near  town,  with 
which  they  were  furnished  seed  and  land  and 
gave  half  of  their  productions,  they  removed 
onto  a  piece  of  wild  raw  prairie  land  owned  by 
subject's  uncle;  built  a  cabin  and  farmed  there 
until  1830.  In  December,  1829,  he  was  mar- 
ried to  Catharine  Walters.  She  was  born  in 
Dearborn  County,  Ind.,  November  17,  1811. 
After  which,  subject  built  a  house  on  a  piece 
of  the  land  given  him  by  his  father,  and  re- 
moved thereon  in  the  spring  of  1830.  He 
procured  an  ox  team  and  went  to  plowing; 
after  successfully  engaging  in  his  pursuits 
of  farming  until  183-t,  he  sold  out  and  re- 
moved to  Robinson  Township  and  purchased 
a  piece  of  land  160  acres,  of  which  forty  acres 
was  in  cultivation.  In  1839,  he  sold  out 
again  and  pui-chased  200  acres  of  raw  land 
now  in  Oblong  Township.  He  went  to  clear- 
ing it  up  and  removed  thereon  and  remained 


there  about  six  years,  when  he  sold  out  and 
purchased  eighty  acres,  on  which  place  he  now 
resides.  In  Crawford  County,  111.,  December 
3,  1829,  he  married  Catharine  Walters,  a 
native  of  Pennsylvania,  and  daughter  of  Isaac 
Walters.  His  children  are,  namely,  Mary  E. 
and  Isaac  Newton,  are  dead;  George  P.,  liv- 
ing; Ethon  Allen,  deceased;  Samuel  L.,  de- 
ceased; Sarah  E.,  living;  Jacob  W.,  deceased, 
killed  in  the  battle  at  Port  Gibson,  Miss. ; 
Lydia  M,  deceased;  Winfield  Scott,  deceased; 
Alva  D.,  living;  John  W.,  living;  William 
R.,  living.  He  has  always  been  a  Repub- 
lican, and  has  served  as  Justice  of  the  Peace 
at  different  times  in  Oblong  Township, 
amounting  in  all  to  sis  years. 

LEVI  HENRY,  farmer,  P.  O.  Oblong.  He 
was  born  in  Perry  County,  Ohio,  September 
20,  1832.  His  father,  George,  was  a  native 
of  Ohio  also,  and  his  mother,  Anna  (Rarick), 
was  a  native  of  Ohio.  Mr.  Henry  is  an  esti- 
mable farmer  of  Oblong  Township,  and  was 
roared  on  a  fai-m.  He  had  a  pretty  good 
chance  for  obtaining  an  education.  In  1848, 
at  the  age  of  sixteen,  his  father  and  family 
came  to  Crawford  County,  Oblong  Township, 
and  settled  on  raw  land,  and  he  (subject)  re- 
mained with  his  father  and  helped  improve 
their  land  until  thirty-one  years  of  age,  at 
which  time  engaged  in  farming  forhimself. 
At  the  death  of  his  father,  he  inherited  160 
acres  of  land.  Since  then,  he  has  added  250 
acres.  He  raises  grain  and  stock.  He  was 
married  in  Crawford  County,  Februarv  16, 
1860,  to  Catharine  Dennis,  born  in  Ohio  De- 
cember 28,  1838.  They  have  six  children, 
namely:  Anna  C,  Laura  J.,  Marion  Silas, 
Harlan  Preston,  George  Edward  and  Estella. 
Mr.  Henry  has  always  been  a  Democrat,  and 
served  two  years  as  Highway  Commissioner 
of  Oblong  Township. 

SAMUEL  HENRY,  farmer,  P.  O.  Oblong, 
is  an  industrious    and  enterprising  farmer  of 


344 


BIOGRAPHIC  Al.: 


Oblong  Township.      He   was  born  in  Pen-y 
County,  Ohio,  January  21,  1837.     At  the  age 
of  twelve  years,  in  1849,  he  was  taken  by  his 
parents    through    the   northern  part  of  this 
State  and  into  Iowa,  but  they  finally    settled 
here  in  Crawford  County  in  1849,  and  settled 
in  Oblong  Township.     They    bought   a  little 
farm  at  first,  but  his  father  entered   land  af- 
terward.     He  (subject)    was   married    at  the 
age  of  twenty-one  to  Hi  la  Dorcas    Manhart. 
She  was  born  in  Jennings  County,  Ind.,  1839. 
After  marriage,  he  engaged    in  farming.     In 
18()5,  his  father  gave  him  200  acres  of  land, 
since  thathehas  added  ninety- six  acres.     Mr. 
Henry  has  a  well-improved  farm,    and  raises 
some    stock,   but  his    main    productions  are 
grain,  wheat,  corn  and  oats.     He  enlisted  on 
February    18,    1865,    in    Company    C,    One 
Hundred  and  Fifty-fifth    Illinois  Volunteer 
Infantry,  and  was  mustered  out  at    Spring- 
field September  20,  1865,  at  which   time   he 
came    back  to    Oblong   Township.     He   has 
seven  children,   namely:     William  Frederic, 
George  W  ,  Eliza  Jane,  Thomas  W.,  Charles 
Everet,  Sarah  Rosella,  Clara  May.    Mr.  Henry 
has  always  been  a  Democrat,  and   has  taken 
some  part  in  political  matters.     He  has  never 
asked  for  any  offices,    but  was    elected  Com- 
missioner of  Highways  in  the  spring  of  1882. 
PETER   HENRY,   farmer.   P.  O.  Oblong. 
He  is  an   honorable  and   industrious  farmer 
of  Oblong  Township.     He  was  born  in  Perry 
County,  Ohio,  February   24,  1839.     He  was 
brought  by  his  parents   to  Crawford  County 
in    the    fall    of    1849,  when    ten    years  old. 
They  bought    land   in  Watts  Precinct,  now 
Oblong  Township,  and  his  father  at  one  time 
owned    1,000    acres,    which    he    divided    up 
among  his  children.     His  chances  for  an  ed- 
ucation   were    quite    limited.       The  school- 
houses  were  very  scattering,  and  in   order  to 
attend  school  was  compelled    to  go  quite   a 
distance.      He    attended    school    about    two 


months  in  the  year  until  twenty-one  years  of 
age.  He  remained  and  worked  with  his 
father  until  twenty-seven  years  of  age,  and 
on  April  18,  1867,  was  man-ied  to  Sarah 
Jane  Kirk,  a  native  of  Licking  County,  Ohio, 
born  June  28,  1843.  He  then  built  on  the 
farm  of  200  acres  given  him  by  his  father. 
Since  that  he  has  added  IGO  acres,  and  has 
it  all  in  cultivation,  and  raises  grain  and 
stock.  They  have  five  children,  namely: 
Frances,  William,  Emma  C,  Herbert  G. 
find  Maud.  Mr.  Henry  has  always  been  a 
Democrat  and  has  taken  some  little  part  in 
political  matters.  He  served  in  various  town- 
ship offices. 

JAMES  HOPPER,  harness  maker,  Oblong, 
was  born  in  Wayne  County,  Ind.,  September 
21,  1821.  His  parents  were  natives  of  Vir- 
ginia. His  father,  John  Hopper,  was  born 
in  the  year  1787  and  died  in  1823,  when  onr 
subject  was  but  two  years  old.  Our  subject's 
mother,  Sarah  (Shortridge),  was  born  in  the 
year  1788  and  died  in  1852.  The  early  part 
of  oui-  subject's  life  was  spent  in  Wayne 
County,  the  place  of  his  birth.  When,  in 
1833,  at  twelve  years  of  age,  he  and  his 
mother  and  family  emigrated  to  Hancock 
County,  Ind.,  and  there  he  devoted  most  of 
his  time  to  farming,  although  he  spent  his 
spare  time  in  a  blacksmith  shop.  In  1846,  he 
emigrated  to  Jasper  County,  111.,  and  pur- 
chased a  farm,  and  successfully  engaged  in 
agricultural  pursuits  for  twelve  years,  at 
which  time,  in  1858,  he  removed  to  Willow 
Hill,  of  the  same  county,  and  engaged  in 
blacksmithing.  When  after  about  fom- years 
of  success  in  that  line  of  business,  in  1862 
he  enlisted  in  Company  D,  Ninety-eighth 
Illinois  Volunteers,  and  was  engaged  in  sev- 
eral battles,  namely :  Frankfort,  Ky. ,  Mur- 
freesboro,  were  the  principle  ones,  besides 
quite  a  number  of  skirmishes.  He  was  dis- 
charged at  Chicago  on  account  of  disability. 


OBLONG    TOWNSHIP. 


U43 


February  12,  1864,  at  which  timo  he  came 
back  to  his  farm  in  Jasper  County,  and  en- 
gaged in  the  raising  of  grain  and  stock  until 
the  fall  of  1878,  at  which  time  he  came  to 
Oblong  and  engaged  in  harness-making.  His 
stock  invoices  at  about  §600.  Mr.  Hopper 
has  been  man-ied  twice,  the  first  time  in  Han- 
cock County,  Ind.,  November  9,  1843,  to 
Verlinda  "Walker,  a  native  of  Cai-olina.  They 
had  five  children,  namely:  George,  John  H. 
(deceased),  Sarah  Ann,  Mary  Jane  and  Susan 
Louisa.  His  wife  died  December  11,  1869. 
He  maiTied  again  June  29.  1871,  to  Eebecca 
Pearce. 

JOHN  IKEMIER,  farmer,  P.  O.  Eaton. 
He  was  born  in  Ohio  July  3,  1838.  His 
father,  Andrew,  was  a  native  of  Pennsylva- 
nia, born  in  the  year  1795,  and  died  March, 
1880.  His  mother,  Catharine  (Snyder),  was 
born  in  Pennsylvania  in  the  year  1798,  and 
died  in  the  year  1870.  Subject  was  reared 
on  a  fai-m  in  Ohio  until  fifteen  years  of  age, 
at  which  time  he  came  with  his  parents  to 
Crawford  County  and  settled  on  a  farm  in 
Oblong  Township,  on  the  farm  now  occupied 
by  subject.  His  chaflces  for  education  were 
rather  limited.  In  Ohio,  the  schools  were 
far  apart,  and  consequently  he  did  not  at- 
tend school  very  much.  He  remained  at 
home  and  worked  for  his  father  until  about 
twenty-eight  years  of  age.  at  which  time  he 
engaged  in  farming  for  himself.  He  owns  a 
nice  farm  of  120  acres,  of  which  about  all  is 
in  cultivation,  and  raises  grain,  principallv 
wheat,  corn  and  oats.  He  was  married  in 
Crawford  County,  at  the  age  of  twenty- two,  to 
Laura  Stephens,  a  native  of  Licking  County, 
Ohio.      They  have  one  child — John. 

ELISHA  KENDALL,  farmer,  P.  O.  Grand 
Glade,  is  an  enterprising  farmer.  He  was 
born  in  Shelby  County,  Ind.  He  was  reared 
there,  and  his  chances  for  an  education  was 
limited  to  subscription  schools,  would  attend 


about  four  months  in  the  year  until  nineteen 
years  of  ago,  at  which  timo  commenced  work- 
ing out  by  the  month  in  Davis  County,  Iowa; 
worked  there  one  year.  During  this  time, 
his  father  removed  to  Lucas  County,  Iowa, 
and  he  (subject)  as  soon  as  his  father  came, 
joined  him  and  farmed  with  him  one  year,  at 
which  time  he  (subject)  came  back  to  Shelby 
County,  Ind.,  and  worked  by  the  month  one 
year.  On  July  7,  18r>3,  he  was  married  to 
Mary  B  Elkins,  daughter  of  Judge  Elkins. 
She  was  a  native  of  Randolph  County,  Ind. 
In  the  same  yeai-,  1853,  they  removed  to  Lu- 
cas Coiinty,  Iowa,  and  engaged  in  farming 
on  a  piece  of  land  of  120  acres  given  him 
(subject)  by  his  father,  and  after  four  years 
of  successful  farming,  went  back  to  Shelby 
County,  Ind.,  in  the  fall  of  1857.  In  the 
meantime,  he  had  traded  his  farm  in  Iowa 
for  land  in  Crawford  County,  111.,  Oblono' 
Township.  They  remained  in  Indiana  one 
year,  when,  in  the  fall  of  1858,  came  to  Craw- 
ford County  and  built  a  house  on  his  land 
and  commenced  improving  the  land.  He  has 
forty  acres  in  cultivation  and  eighty  acres  of 
timber  land,  and  has  ever  since  been  success- 
fully engaged  in  the  raising  of  grain  and 
stock,  with  exception  of  the  time  he  was 
sei-ving  in  defense  of  our  country's  liberties. 
He  enlisted  August  9,  1862,  in  Company  D, 
Ninety-eighth  Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry, 
but  was  mounted  after  two  or  three  months' 
service.  He  was  in  several  battles,  namely: 
Hoover's  Gap,  Chickamauga,  Shelbyville, 
Buzzard  Eoost,  Mission  Ridge,  Selma,  be- 
sides several  other  skirmishes.  Dui'ing  the 
time  he  was  in  the  army,  his  wife  was  at 
home  on  a  farm  almost  in  a  wilderness,  with 
three  little  children.  They  have  had  five 
children,  namely:  Sarah  M.,  who  died  in  Iowa 
from  the  bite  of  a  rattlesnake,  which,  in  her 
play,  she  had  picked  up  on  the  ground;  The- 
odore P. ,  is  a  well-educated  man  and  a  profes- 


346 


BIOGRArmCAL: 


sional  school  teacher,  has  had  seven  years'  ex- 
perience m  teaching;  Victoria,  deceased, died 
in  1859;  William  E.,  is  a  superior,  talented 
young  man,  he  commenced  teaching  school 
when  sixteen  years  old;  Mary  Annette,  de- 
ceased, died  October  25,  1862.  Our  subject 
has  never  taken  much  part  in  political  mat- 
ters, but  his  wife  was  a  great  politician,  and 
a  favorite  of  the  Eepublican  party. 

HAMILTON  C.  KIBBIE,  M.  D.,  Oblong. 
Although   a    young    man.    Dr.     Kibbie    has 
had   such    advantages    for    advancement    in 
his    chosen    profession    as    are   afforded   to 
few.     He    is    a    graduate    of    the    Medical 
Department    of    the    University   of    Michi- 
gan, and    of    the    Chemical    Department  of 
the    same    institution.     He    also   was   con- 
nected,  as    Assistant    Surgeon,    with    mili- 
tary   services    during     the    war;     and    be- 
sides having  been  the  private  pupil  of  sev- 
eral  of    the   most   eminent    American   pro- 
fessors,   he  has   had   the    additional    advan- 
tages derived  from  some  four  years'  residence 
in  Europe,  and  study  and  training  under  the 
most    celebrated    savans    in    London,  Berlin 
and  Paris.      Being  conversant  with  both  the 
French    and    German    languages,    he    was 
enabled   to   study  with   advantage  under  the 
instructions  of    the  renowned   medical  men 
of  those  countries.     He  attended  the  lectures 
of    the  celebrated  Yon  Neimeyer,  of   Fiebin- 
gen.  South  Germany,  and  of    the  lectures  of 
professors    of    the   Ecole-de-Medicin,    Paris, 
France,    and    of    the   IJniversity    of   Berlin, 
Germany;    also  attended  the  clinics  of  Pro- 
fessors Von  Graafe,   of   Berlin,  Nelaton,  of 
Hospital  Hotel  Dieu,  Paris,  and  Neidhart,  of 
Stuttgart,    Germany.      No    man    could    have 
made  more  out  of   the  advantages  afforded 
him  than  has  Dr.   Kibbie.      He  is  a  man  of 
very  great  energy  and  "  push,"  working  with 
all  his  might   on  whatever   matter  he  may 
have    in   hand.     He    was   born    in    Somers, 


Tolland  County,  Conn.,  September  25,  1844. 
He   was  reared  there  in   the  town,    and  re- 
ceived  the   benefit  of   the  common  schools 
there.     At  the  age  of   thirteen  he  attended 
high  school,  and  afterward  received  instruc- 
tions   at   Edward    Hall's    family    boarding 
school  for  five  years,  at  which  time  went  to 
Saratoga  Springs,  N.   Y.,  and  served    as    an 
apprentice  there,   working   on  the  Saratoga 
Fi-ess.     As  early  as  1861,  he  commenced  the 
study  of    medicine  under    Joel    &  Warren, 
and  attended  his  first   course  of    lectures  at 
Berkshire  Medical   College,  Pittsfield,  Mass. 
He  went  from   there   to    the   University  of 
Michigan,  situated   at  Ann  Arbor,  and  con- 
tinued there  one  year,  at  which  time   he  en- 
tered the  United   States  service  as  Medical 
Cadet,   United  States   Army.     After   a   few 
months'    service,    he    appeared    before    the 
United    States   Medical    Examining    Board, 
passed  the  examination,  and  received  the  ap- 
pointment as  Assistant  Surgeon  United  States 
Army;  detailed  to  duty,  and  afterward  trans- 
ferred, and  served  as    an  executive  ofiScer  at 
St.  Mary's  United  States  Army  General  Hos- 
pital.    At  the  close  of  the  war,  he  returned  to 
the  University  of    Michigan,  and  graduated 
from  the  Medical  Department,  and  took  up 
an  optional   course  in  the  Scientific  Depart- 
ment, and  graduated  from  the  Depai-tment 
of   Medicine   and  the  Department  of    Chem- 
istiy,  in  the  class  of    1866.      On  leaving  the 
University,  he  went  to  Eui-ope,  spending  the 
winter   of    1867    at   the   clinics    at    Berlin, 
Prussia.      He  ti-aveled  through  Prussia,  Aus- 
tria and   Switzerland  the  next  summer,  and 
attended  the   University  of    Tubingen.     At- 
tended there  about  three   months,  at  which 
time  he  went  to  Paris,  and  spent  nine  months 
in   walking  the  hospital   wards  of    Paris,  at 
which  time  he  returned  home  to  Hartford, 
Conn.,  by  way  of  London  and  Edinburgh.    In 
1870,     he    located   at   Roscoe,  Mo.,   for  the 


OBLONG   TOWNSHIP. 


347 


practice  of  medicine.  He  edited  the  first 
Democratic  newspaper  in  St.  Clair  County 
after  the  war.  He  advocated  the  election 
of  B.  Gratz  Brown,  and  the  re-enfran- 
chisment  of  the  white  citizens  of  the 
country.  After  the  success  of  the  liberal 
movement,  he  removed  the  office  to  the 
county  seat  of  St.  Clair  County — Osceola; 
lived  there  seven  years,  and  held  an  interest 
in  the  paper,  but  practiced  medicine  to  a  con- 
siderable extent.  Afterward,  he  was  the  ex- 
amining physician  for  a  medical  iniu-mary, 
and  traveled  throughout  the  Gulf  States,  and 
also  traveled  for  same  institution  one  year 
in  the  Northwest.  He  removed  from  Osceola 
to  Oblong,  Crawford  County,  111.,  in  1878, 
built  a  residence  in  the  town,  and  engaged 
in  the  practice  of  medicine.  He  was  mai-- 
ried  in  Germany,  in  1868,  to  Ida  F. 
Gerdes,  a  native  of  South  Germany.  They 
have  three  children  living,  namely:  Kenton 
v.,  Carlos  E.,  Eobert  Cushman.  Our  sub- 
ject is  a  lineal  descendant  of  Robert  Cush- 
man, the  first  Puritan  minister  that  came  over 
in  the  Mayflower.  His  father,  Charles  E., 
is  a  native  of  Connecticut,  born  in  Somers 
County,  in  the  year  1818,  and  is  living  in 
Hartford,  Conn.  His  mother,  Elizabeth 
(Jennings),  was  a  native  of  Beckett,  Berk- 
shire County,  Mass.,  and  died  at  subject's 
birth.  He  is  a  Eoyal  Arch  Mason,  and  a 
member  of  the  Philadelpiiia  Society.  He  is 
the  author  and  composer  of  the  medical  case 
notes  and  case  records — Kibbie's  Case  Notes, 
and  Kibbie's  Case  Records. 

D.  P.  KIRTLAND,  miller.  Oblong,  was 
born  in  York  State,  Ontario  County,  in  the 
year  1849,  and  was  reared  there  on  his  fa- 
ther's farm,  and  remained  thereon  until  twen- 
ty-two years  of  age.  He  is  a  man  of  .superior 
business  qualities.  When  twenty-two  years  of 
age,  in  1871,  he  emigi'ated  to  Kansas,  and 
engaged  in  farming  and    stock-dealing,  and 


also  spent  some  of  his  time  in  a  grist-mill 
there.  He  continued  there  ten  years  to  a 
day.  In  1881,  he  came  to  Crawford  County, 
Oblong  Township,  and  finished  or  rebuilt 
the  mill  there  with  machinei-y,  and  is  doing 
quite  an  extensive  business  in  buying  grain 
and  milling.  The  firm  name  is  Kirtland 
Bros.  They  handle  about  22,000  bushels 
of  grain  in  a  year.  He  was  married  in  Sep- 
tember, 1882,  to  Almira  Hawkins,  a  native  of 
Crawford  County. 

ORLANDO  B.  KIRTLAND,  miller.  Ob- 
long, was  born  in  York  State  June  20,  1853. 
His  education  was  limited  to  the  common  and 
graded  schools  of  that  State.  In  1877,  he 
emigrated  to  Kansas,  and  engaged  in  farm- 
ing and  stock-dealing,  and  remained  there 
until  1879,.  at  which  time  he  went  back  o 
York  State.  In  1881,  he  came  to  Crawford 
County  and  engaged  in  the  mill  at  Oblong, 
with  his  brother,  which  business  they  are 
still  engaged  in. 

RICHARD  LACKEY,  farmer,  P.  O.  Ob- 
long, was  born  in  Clark  County,  Ky. ,  No- 
vember 13,  1814,  and  is  one  of  the  pioneers 
of  Crawford  County.  At  about  the  age  of 
fifteen,  in  1829,  he  came  with  his  parents  to 
Crawford  County,  and  they  settled  near  Pal- 
estine. About  four  miles  north  of  Palestine 
they  bought  and  entered  land  also.  His 
chances  for  an  education  were  limited.  The 
nearest  school  for  some  time  was  at  Pales- 
tine, a  distance  of  four  miles.  At  about 
twenty-one  years  of  age,  he  engaged  in  farm- 
ing for  himself.  In  1839,  he  came  into  Ob- 
long Township  and  entered  200  acres  of  land 
in  Section  2,  mostly  timber  land.  He  has 
about  seventy  acres  in  cultivation.  He  was 
married,  February,  1837,  to  Rachael  Wood. 
She  was  born  in  Crawford  Coimty,  111. .  Jan- 
uary 19,  1818.  They  have  six  children, 
namely:  William  T. ,  Mary,  Joseph,  Nancy 
Ann,   Caroline  and  Margaret.     Mr.    Lackey 


348 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


was  raised  an  Old-Line  \Vliig,  and  now  is  a 
member  of  the  Republican  party.  His  fa- 
ther (John)  was  a  native  of  Virginia,  and 
his  mother  (Nancy  Wilson)  was  also  a  native 
of  Virginia. 

WILLIiUI    T.    LACKEY,   farmer,   P.  O. 
Oblong,  is  an  enterprising  farmer  and  a  na- 
tive of  Crawford  County,  111.     He  was  born 
about  two  miles  southeast  of  Robinson,  Sep- 
tember 13,  1838.     He  was  reared  here  on  a 
farm  and  received  a  common   school  educa- 
tion, as  good  as  any  of   tbe  boys  received  in 
that  time.     He  attended  school  in  the  tii-st 
schoolhouse  that  was  built  in   the  neighbor- 
hood by  the  neighbors.      He  first   attended 
subscription  schools,  but  afterward   attended 
free  schools.     The  distance  he  had  to  travel 
was  from  one   and   one-half    to  three  miles. 
He  lived  with  his  father  until  twenty-three 
years  of  age,  then  went  to   farming  for  him- 
self.     Rented  a  farm  at  first  for  one  year, 
but  afterward  purchased  eighty  acres  in  Sec- 
tion 3,  where  he  has  been   successfully  en- 
gaged in  farming.      He  has  seventy-five  acres 
in  cultivation,   and  raises  grain  principally. 
He  was  married,  November  21,  1861,  to  Mary 
Moyer,  a  native  of  Perry  County,  Ohio.   They 
have  nine  children,  namely:     Rosella,  Han- 
nah J.,  Joseph,  Rachael  C,  John   T.,  Elmer 
R.,  Richard  D.,  William  E.,  and  Mary  B. 

REUBEN  LEACH,  farmer,  P.  O.  Oblong. 
Mr.  Leach  is  one  of  Crawford  County's  old 
pioneers,  that  has  endured  hardships,  battled 
with  the  Indians,  hunted  deer,  and  at  the 
same  time  enjoyed  himself  as  well  or  better 
than  any  of  us  do  at  this  present  day  and  age 
of  the  world.  He  was  born  in  Lincoln  Coun- 
ty, Ky.,  September  17,  1807,  and  was  reared 
there  on  his  father's  farm.  In  1880,  he  em- 
igrated (when  twenty-three  years  of  age)  to 
Montgomery  County,  but  did  not  remain 
there  but  two  months,  at  which  time  he  came 
to  Crawford  Counly,  111.,  and  after  remain- 


ing here  awhile  settled  down  to  farming.     In 
1831,  he  pm-chased  a  farm  of  200  acres  three- 
fomths  of  a  mile  north  of  Oblong,  and  suc- 
cessfully engaged  in   farming  until   1870,  at 
which  time  he  was  chosen  by  the  people  of 
Crawford  County  to  fill  the  responsible  and 
important  ofBce  as  Sheriff  of  the  county,  and 
served  one  term  of  two  years,   after  which 
he  retired  to  Oblong,  where  he  is  now  com- 
fortably taken  care  of  in  his  old  days.     Mr. 
Leach  has  always  been  a  Democrat,    and  be- 
sides the  honorable  position  as  Sheriff  which 
he  has  held,  he  has  served  in  various  town- 
ship offices,  as  Constable    at  different  times 
for  fifteen  years  in  all,  and  as  Justice  of  the 
Peace  three   years.     He  chose  a  partner   to 
battle  with  him  through   this   vale  of  tears, 
July  15,  183-1.     Her  name  was  Amelia  Stew- 
ard.    They  lived  together  happily  until  July 
80,  1854,   at  which  time  it  pleased  the  Al- 
mighty to  take  her  home  to  rest.     His  fancy 
was  awakened  when  afterward  he  met  one 
Lydia  Bo%vman.  a  native  of  Perry  County, 
Ohio,  and  they  were  united  March  30,  1856. 
His  childi-en  are,  namely:  Polly,  wife  of  Ja- 
cob Noble,  living  in  Kansas;  David  S. ;  Jane, 
wife  of  Rev.  AVilliam  P.  Hart,  living  in  Mor 
gan  County,  111. ;  Alfred  C.  and  John  A.  are 
livino-  in  Kansas;  Alice  Ella,  wife  of  Robert 
Wood,  living  in  Oblong  Townshijs.   Subject's 
father,  Mathew  Leach,  aqd  his  mother,  Polly 
(Gullet),  were  natives   of  Virginia,  and  were 
the  parents  of  eight  children,  namely:  Will- 
iam (deceased),Reuben  (subject), Mathew,  Da- 
vidson, Jane  and  Susan  are  deceased,  Phoe- 
be, living  in  Lincoln  County,  Ky. ;  Christina, 
wife  of  James  Eoff,  living  in  Oblong. 

JAMES  M.  LEFEVER,  farmer,  P.  O.  Ob- 
long, is  a  substantial  farmer  of  Oblong  Town, 
ship.  He  was  born  in  Richland  County, 
Ohio,  January  31,  1838.  His  father  (Abra- 
ham) was  a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  and  his 
mother  (Mary  Close)  was  a  native  of  Virginia. 


OBLONG    TOWXSHIP. 


349 


Our  subject  was  taken  by  his  parents  to  Ma- 
rion County,  Ohio,  when  foui'  years  old,  in 
1848.  He  was  reared  on  a  farm  and  en- 
joyed the  luxuries  of  fai'm  life.  His  chances 
for  an  education  were  somewhat  limited.  In 
those  days,  the  schools  that  were  in  existence 
were  subscription  schools  and  very  few  in 
number.  His  father  died  when  he  was  about 
eight  years  of  age,  and  he  remained  at  home 
and  helped  his  mother  support  the  family 
until  nineteen  years  old.  After  that  he  came 
to  Greene  Coimty,  111. ,  and  worked  out  by 
the  month  for  three  years,  after  which  time 
he  returned  to  Marion  (Jounty,  Ohio,  and  en- 
gaged in  farming.  On  April  19,  1866,  he 
was  married  in  Marion  County,  Ohio,  to 
Susan  Curfman,  a  native  of  Ohio.  They 
have  four  children  living  and  one  dead, 
namely:  John  A.,  Eva  Jane,  "Wesley  An- 
drew, James  T.  and  Mary  Etta  (deceased). 
July  1,  1873,  he  came  to  Crawford  County. 
Oblong  Township,  and  he  and  his  brother 
bought  155  acres  of  land,  which  was  equally 
divided.  Since  that  he  has  purchased  forty 
acres  in  Section  24,  and  forty  in  Section  23, 
besides  more  additional  puirhases.  He  has 
about  170  acres  in  cultivation  and  is  success- 
fully engaged  in  the  raising  of  grain  and 
stock.  Mr.  Lefever  is  no  politician,  nor  has 
he  taken  any  part  in  political  matters,  only 
to  go  to  the  polls  and  vote  the  Republican 
ticket. 

A.  F.  LEFEVER,  farmer,  P.  O.  Oblong, 
was  bom  in  Marion  County,  Ohio,  March 
26,  1843,  and  is  now  a  reliable  farmer  of 
Oblong  Township.  He  was  reared  in  Ohio, 
and  his  chances  for  an  education  were  very 
limited.  His  father  died  when  he  (subject) 
was  three  years  old,  and  left  his  mother  with 
a  large  family  of  children  to  support.  He 
did  not  attend  school  any  after  he  was  ten 
years  old  but  remained  at  home  and  very 
generously  helped  to  support  his  mother  and 


family.  In  the  summer  of  1861,  he  did  the 
first  work  for  himself,  and  on  October  15, 
1861,  he  enlisted  in  Company  B,  Sixty- 
fourth  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry,  and  showed 
his  bravery  in  several  battles,  namely:  Battle 
of  Shiloh,  Murfreesboro,  Peach  Tree  Creek 
Chattanooga,  Ringgold,  Buzzard  Roost,  Res- 
aca,  Kenesaw  Mountain,  Atlanta,  Jonesboro, 
Franklin,  Tenn.,  besides  many  other  skir- 
mishes. He  was  mustered  out  at  Nashville, 
Tenn.,  December  11,  1865.  at  which  time  he 
came  back  to  Ohio  to  his  mother's,  and  the 
next  spring  took  a  contract  for  making  ties 
and  chopping  wood;  continued  in  that  for 
one  year.  He  then  went  Ho  farming  in  Mar 
ion  County,  and  sucoe-ssfully  engaged  in 
farming  there  until  July,  1873,  at  which 
time  he  came  to  Crawford  County,  111.,  and 
he  and  his  brother  bought  155  acres  of  land 
which  was  equally  divided;  since  then  he  has 
added  forty-live  acres  and  raises  grain  prin- 
cipally. He  was  maiTied,  March  26,  1868, 
to  Sarah  Cui-fman.  Their  children  are, 
namely:  Isaac  Francis  (living),  James  Rob- 
ert (deceased),  Amanda  (living),  William  A. 
(living),  Ella  May  (living),  Mary  Ida  (living), 
Pearley  (living),  Maggie  (living), 

J.  H.  LIVELY,  farmer,  P.  O.  Oblong,  is 
a  substantial  farmer  of  Oblong  Township. 
He  was  born  in  Morgan  County,  Ind. ,  August 
7,  1842.  His  father,  William,  was  a  native 
of  Kentucky,  born  in  the  year  1812,  died 
March,  1870.  His  mother.  Charity  (Pearcy), 
was  also  a  native  of  Kentucky,  and  died 
about  the  year  1847.  Subject  was  reared  in 
Morgan  County,  and  his  chances  for  edua- 
tion,  although  limited,  were  obtained  in  com- 
mon  schools  of  Morgan  County.  He  was 
reared  on  a  farm,  and  at  the  age  of  seven- 
teen years,  commenced  working  out  by  the 
month,  and  worked  by  the  month  until 
twenty- two  years  of  age  although  one  year 
I  in  that  time  put  out  a  crop  for  himself.      In 


350 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


the  spring  of  1865,  he  came  to  Crawford 
County,  111.,  and  worked  by  the  month  that 
summer,  when,  on  May  7,  1865,  he  was 
married  here  in  Crawford  County,  111.,  to 
Anna  C.  Hess.  She  was  born  in  Morgan 
County,  Ind.  When  married,  his  wife  had 
1'20  acres  of  land;  they  removed  thereon  and 
since  then  has  added  120  acres  more,  and 
has  been  successfully  engaged  in  the  raising 
of  grain  principally.  They  have  had  seven 
children,  of  which  sis  are  now  living,  namely: 
William  C,  James  C,  Mary  Catharine,  de- 
ceased, Salena.  Ireiia,  Iva  Alice  and  Emma 
Esther.  He  belongs  to  the  Masonic  order, 
Oblong  City  Lodge,  No.  644. 

JOSEPH  F.  MARSHALL.  County  Sur- 
veyor, Oblong,  is  a  man  of  superior  business 
qualities,  and  quite  a  politician.  He  was 
born  July  11,  1820,  in  Virginia.  He  spent 
his  early  days  on  «  farm,  and  at  the  age  of 
thirteen  was  taken  by  his  parents  to  Hamil- 
ton County,  Ind.,  and  settled  there  in  the 
woods,  and  commenced  clearing  up  their  land; 
it  was  situated  one  and  one  half  miles  west 
of  Westtield,  on  a  creek  called  Cool  Creek, 
at  which  time  his  father,  in  1833,  died  at 
the  age  of  forty-two  years.  He  was  a  native  of 
Periy  County,  N.  C,  aad  in  the  fall  of  1834 
his  mother  died.  She  was  also  a  native  of 
North  Carolina.  Leaving  a  family  of  seven 
children,  of  whom  live  are  now  living, 
namely:  Joshua,  Joseph  F.,  subject,  Martha, 
Job,  Ruth.  Subject,  after  the  death  of  his  par- 
ents, rambled  in  several  counties  in  Indiana, 
namely:  Henry,  Rush,  and  Hancock,  jarinci- 
pally.  He  was  the  manager  of  several  saw 
mills  during  this  time  up  to  1848,  at  which 
time,  eager  to  change  his  occupation,  re- 
moved to  Philadelphia,  and  engaged  in  mer- 
chandising. In  1861,  he  came  to  Crawford 
Connty,  Oblong  Township,  and  settled  on  a 
farm.  He  successfully  engaged  in  farming 
until  ISSl,  at  which  time  he  rented  his  farm 


out  and  came  to  Oblong  City  to  live.  He 
was  chosen  to  till  the  responsible  office  of 
County  Surveyor,  by  the  votes  of  the  Demo- 
cratic party,  in  the  fall  of  1875,  and  being 
an  energetic  and  go-ahead  kind  of  man,  and 
one  that  understands  his  profession,  is  still 
serving  in  same  office.  He  has  served  as 
Justice  of  the  Peace  at  different  times,  which 
office  he  now  holds.  Was  elected  Justice  of 
the  Peace  of  Oblong  Township  in  the  spring 
of  1881.  He  was  married,  Januai'y  5,  1843, 
to  Susan  Byrket,  a  native  of  Indiana.  They 
were  married  in  Henry  County,  Ind.  They 
have  four  childi-en,  namely:  Mary  Eliza- 
beth, John,  Heniy,  Joseph  A. 

B.  C.  McLAIN,  farmer,  P.  O.  Robinson, 
is  a  man  of  superior  agricultural  talent,  and 
a  neat  and  enterprising  farmer  of  Oblong 
TownshijJ.  He  was  born  in  Licking  County, 
Ohio,  January  1,  1837,  and  reared  there. 
His  chances  for  education  were  limited  to 
the  common  schools  of  the  county.  In  about 
the  year  1841,  when  about  fom-  years  of  age, 
he  was  brought  by  his  parents  to  Illinois. 
They  rented  a  farm  near  Peoria,  but  on  ac- 
count of  sickness  in  the  family  they  did  not 
remain  there  but  one  year,  at  which  time  re- 
tui-ned  to  Ohio.  In  the  winter  of  1864,  he 
and  his  f)arents  came  to  Crawford  County 
and  purchased  a  farm  in  Licking  Township. 
At  the  age  of  twenty-one,  he  commenced 
working  for  himself.  He  cropj)ed  with  his 
father  the  first  year.  His  father,  William, 
was  a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  and  his  mother, 
Sophia  (Blind),  was  a  native  of  Virginia,  born 
in  the  Shenandoah  Valley.  Subject  was  mar- 
ried, November  29,  1868.  to  Mary  Hill.  She 
was  bom  in  Crawford  County  November  23, 
1851.  They  have  two  children,  Elmer  H.,  Ira 
Dale.  After  man'iage,  his  father  gave  him  240 
acres  in  Section  36,  of  which  he  has  200 
acres  in  cultivation,  and  is  principally  en- 
gaged in  the  raising  of  grains. 


UBLONG   TOWNSHIP. 


351 


WILLIAM  E.  MITCHELL,  farmer,  P.  O. 
Grand  Glade,  is  a  substantial  farmer  of  Oblong 
Township.     He  was  bom  in  Lawi-ence  Coun- 
ty,  Ind.,  March  7,    1833.      He  was   reared 
there  on  a  farm.      His  chances  for  an  educa- 
tion were  fair.      He  received  a  good  common 
school  education.       He  would   attend   about 
three  months  in  the  year.      In  1852,  he  came 
to  Crawford  County  and  settled  in  Robinson 
Township.      He  took  a  lease  on   a  piece  of 
land  for  foiir  years,  and  afterward  pui-chased 
land  there.     His  father  was  a  native  of  Ken- 
tuckj%  born  in  the  year  1790,  and  died  Octo- 
ber 11,    1S55.      After  his  father's  death,  he 
remained  with  his  mother  on  the  farm,  which 
they  had  a  lease  on.     They   purchased   100 
acres  of  land,  of  which  40  acres  was  oui-  sub- 
ject's.      He  remained  with  his  mother  and 
helped  improve  this  land  until  1857,  at  which 
time  he   was   married   to  Maria  Dispeunett, 
a  native  of  Licking  County,  Ohio.     She  died 
February    4,    1859,    leaving   him   with    one 
child,  namely,  Isaac  W.      He  was  then  mar- 
ried to  Miss  Martha  Dispennett,  December  21, 
1860.     She  is    a  native  of  Licking  County, 
Ohio,  born   February  4,   1840.      They  have 
seven  children,  namely:     Mary  I.,  Margaret 
P.,  John  A.,  Jacob  E.,  Charles  E.,  Merit  M. 
and  Ethel.      They  have  three   dead,  namely: 
William  H.,  Mai-tha  J  ,  Joseph  A.    Our  sub- 
ject is  possessed  with  traits  of  mechanism. 
He  served  an  apprenticeship  in  making  and 
laying  brick,  commencing  at  about  nine  years 
of  age,  and  continued  at  different  times  until 
nineteen  years.      He  served,  in   1857,   three 
mcinths  as  plasterer  under  George  Harper,  and 
afterward  went  in  as  a  partner  with  William 
Walters.      And  after  worked  under  some  car- 
penters for  some  time,  and  went  into  partner- 
ship with  them.     At  those   trades  and  some 
farming  he  is  successfully  engaged. 

D.  F.  NEWBOLD.  farmer,  P.  O.  Oblong, 
is  an  industrious  and  enterprising  farmer  of 


Oblong  Township.       He  was  born  in  Scott 
County,  Ky.,  October  25,   1825.     When  five 
years    old,  he    was  taken   by  his  parents    to 
Rush  County,   Ind. ,    and  they    settled  there 
on  a  farm.     His   chances  for  education  were 
rather  limited.      He   was   reared  on  a   farm 
and    attended    common    school    about    two 
months  in  the  year,   until  seventeen  years  of 
age.       At  the  age  of  twenty-two,  he  engaged 
in  farming  for  himself  in  Rush  County,  and 
successfully  continued  in  farming  there  until 
1857,    at  which   time  he  came    to    Crawford 
County,    III,    Oblong    Township,    and    pui'- 
chased  a  farm.     He  successfully  engaged  in 
farming  until  fall  of  1860,  at  which  time  re- 
tui-ned  to  Rush  County,   Ind.     In   October, 
1863,  he  came  back  to  Crawford  County,  Ob- 
long Township,  and  bought  80  acres  in  Sec- 
tion 25;  since  that  he  has  added  145  acres  to 
it,  making  in  all   225   acres  of    nice  prairie 
land.     He  is  engaged  in  raising  grain   and 
stock.      He  was  man-ied,  Januaiy  1,  1847,  in 
Rush  County,  Ind. ,  to  Sai-ah  Thomas,  a  na- 
tive   of    Pennsylvania.       Have    one    child, 
namely:     James  Thomas,    farming  in  Rush 
County,  Ind.     Her  death  occun-ed  in  Rush 
County,  Ind.,  July  1,  1850.     He  was  man-ied 
again,    in   Rush  County,  Ind.,    August   30, 
1854,  to  Eliza  Jane   Kirkpatrick,  and  have 
three  children  living,  namely:     Sarah  Flor- 
ence, Theodore,  Jesse  R.      Her  death  occur- 
ring in  Januaiy,  1873,  in  Oblong  Township, 
he  was  married  again  in  same  year  to  Mary 
Ann  Smith.     Have  one  child,    Nellie.     One 
step-daughter,    Albina  E.  Smith.      Mr.  New- 
bold  has  always   been   a  Democrat,  and  has 
served  in  various  township  offices.    He  served 
as  Collector  of  township  four  terms,  and  as 
Assessor  one  teiTQ,    and  was  elected  Super- 
visor by  the  Democratic  party    in  spring  of 
1881,  and  was  re-elected  for  a  second  term 
in    spring    of    1882,    which    office    he    now 
holds. 


352 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


M.  E.  RAFFERTY,  M.  D.,  Oblong,  is  a 
young  man  of  principle  and  good  moral  char- 
acter, and  has  quite  an  extensive  jbractice  in 
medicine  in  the  vicinity  of  Oblong.  He  vyas 
born  in  Lawrence  County,  Ind. ,  July  31, 
1851.  He  was  reared  in  Springville,  Law- 
rence County,  Ind.,  and  had  good  advantages 
afforded  him  in  the  opportunity  of  a  good 
education,  and  being  a  youth  of  energy  and 
industrious  habits,  enjoyed  the  privilege  of 
attending  free  schools  in  Springville  until 
manhood,  and  when  not  engaged  in  the 
schools  was  clerking  in  his  father's  store.  At 
the  age  of  twenty-one,  he  became  a  partner  of 
his  faiher  in  a  general  store  of  merchandise. 
In  1872,  he  came  to  Palestine  and  engaged 
in  the  drug  business,  but  not  liking  that, 
sold  out  and  returned  to  his  father  and  again 
as  a  partner  in  the  store,  and  at  leisure  time 
was  reading  medicine.  In  1878,  he  attended 
Long  Island  Hospital  College,  situated  at 
Brooklyn,  N.  Y.  In  1879,  came  to  Palestine 
and  went  into  partnership  with  his  brother 
to  practice  medicine.  After  successfully  en- 
gaging in  his  practice  for  some  time,  in  1881 
removed  to  Oblong,  111.,  and  has  been  suc- 
cessfully engaged  in  his  practice.  His 
father,  M.  C.  Rafiferty,  is  a  native  of  Ken- 
tucky, born  in  the  year  1817,  and  is  in  the 
mercantile  business  in  Springville,  Ind. 
His  mother,  Mary  S.  Benedict,  is  also  a  na- 
tive of  Kentucky,  born  in  Lexington,  in  the 
year  1824.  Subject  belongs  to  the  Oblong 
City   Lodge,   A.,  F.  &  A.  M.,  No.  644. 

ALEXANDER  REED,  farmer,  P.  O.  Ob- 
long, was  born  and  reared  in  Crawford  Coun- 
ty, 111.,  and  is  one  of  Oblong's  substantial 
farmers.  He  was  born  on  La  Motte  Prairie, 
below  Hutsonville,  February  6,  1839.  When 
quite  a  small  boy,  was  brought  by  his  parents 
to  Watts  Precinct,  now  Oblong  Township. 
His  chances  for  an  education  were  very  limit- 
ed;   for  some  time  there  were  no  schools  in 


existence.  The  first  school  he  attended  was 
at  the  age  of  fourteen  years,  at  which  time 
patrons  of  school^'went  to  work  and  built  a 
log  schoolhouse.  At  the  age  of  twenty- two, 
he  com.menced  working  for  himself.  He  en- 
gaged in  farming.  In  April,  1861,  he  was 
married  to  Elizabeth  Kirbj".  She  was  born 
in  Crawford  County.  After  marriage  he  set- 
tled on  a  farm'  in  Licking  Township,  and 
successfully  engaged  in  farming  there  four 
years.  In  March,  1865,  came  to  his  present 
place  of  location,  of  108  acres,  and  has  it 
partly  in  cultivation,  and  raises  grain  prin- 
cipally. He  has  three  children,  namely: 
Clara,  wife  of  Edward  Roberts,  Charles  and 
Enos  Jesse. 

JACOB  SEARS,  farmer,  P.  O.  Oblong, 
was  born  in  Edgar  County,  111.,  March  19, 
1837.  His  parents  emigrated  to  Indiana 
when  he  was  but  an  infant.  In  1843,  when 
he  was  six  years  old,  was  brought  to  Craw- 
ford County,  111.,  and  they  settled  on  the  wild 
land  in  Martin  Township.  There,  amid  the 
life  of  pioneers,  our  subject  spent  his  early 
days.  He  had  no  chances  for  education 
whatever  there,  as  there  was  no  school  in  the 
neighborhood,  and  consequently  got  no  edu- 
cation. He  was  industrious  and  energetic 
and  remained  with  his  parents  until  the  war 
broke  out,  at  which  time,  in  1862,  enlisted 
in  Company  F,  Sixty-second  Regiment  Illi- 
nois Volunteer  Infantry,  and  served  as  a 
gallant  soldier  until  close  of  the  war.  He 
was  mustered  out  at  Springfield.  After  the 
war,  came  back  to  his  home  in  Martin  Town- 
ship, after  which  went  to  working  out  by 
the  month  as  a  farm  hand  for  some  time. 
He  was  married,  in  1869,  to  Maria  Hess,  a 
native  of  Indiana,  and  have  four-  blooming 
little  childi-en,  namely:  Anna  Christina, 
Samuel,  Millie,  Louis. 

ADAM  S.  SILER,  farmer,  P.  O.  Hardins- 
ville,  is  an  old  settler  and  pioneer  of   Craw- 


OBLONG    TOWXSIIIP. 


353 


ford  County,  and  a  substantial  fanner  of  Ob- 
long Township.      He  was  born   in   Licking 
County,    Ohio,    June    23,     1820.     H^    was 
reared  and  lived  there  until  over  thi)  ty  years 
of  his    life  were  spent   there.     His  chances 
for  an  education  were  veiy  limited.    At  about 
the  age  of   five    years   he  entered  a  school 
room.     He  had  learned  his  A  B  O's  at  home, 
and  an  Englishman  was  teaching  the  school, 
a  kind  of  an  old  tp-ant.     He  canned  a  veiy 
lar "e  cane,  taken   from  a  thorn  tree,  with  a 
forked  knot    whittled    sharp    for    a   handle. 
"With  that  he  would  peck  his  scholars.      And 
because    he  could  not  spell  and  pronounce 
the  word  "Ba, "   he  was  beaten  over  the  head 
with  that  cane  as  above  described  until  the 
blood  streamed  down  his  shoulders.     He  also 
compelled  him  to  stand  in  the   corner  of  the 
room  and  would  not  let  him  go  home  for  his 
dinner,  which  was  but  a  short  distance.     He 
was  so   frightened   that    he  could  not  pro- 
nounce the  word.      His  older  brothers  went 
home  for  their  dinners  and  their  father  came 
back  with  them  and  inquired  what  was  the 
matter.      He  called  to  his  boy  to  come  to  him 
and  spell  the  word,  which  he    did  readily. 
He  then  was  released  and  went  home  for  his 
dinner,  but  was  so  frightened  that  he  would 
not  attend  school   any  more.      He  was   sent 
but  would  play  tniant.     He  would  go  off  into 
the  woods  or  some  other  place.      But  on  ar- 
riving at  the  age  of  twenty -one,    and  know- 
ing what  an  education  was  worth,   he  pro- 
cured a  set  of  bookt--  and  attended  school  about 
thi'ee  months,  and  in  that  time  learned  to  read 
and  write.    On  entering  the  school  room,  told 
the   teacher  that  he  came  there  to  learn,  and 
as  he  never  attended  school,  that  he  was  very 
ignorant  and  that  he  did  not  want  to  be  made 
the  laughing  stock  of  the  school,  and  more, 
he  would  not  take   it.     He  told  the  teacher 
that  he  wanted  him  to  try  and  learn  him  all 
that  he  could.     He  entered  a  class  composed 


of  small  boys,  their  ages  ranging  from  six  to 
sQven  years,  and  by  diligence,  at   the  end  of 
the  term  made  quite  an  advancement   in  his 
studies.     He  was  reared   on   a  farm  and  re- 
mained  with    his* father    until    twenty-five 
years  of    age.      The    next   year    engaged    in 
farming  for  himself.     He  was    married,  Au- 
gust  23,  1847,  to  Cynthia  Stone.     She  was 
born   and  raised   in  Licking  County,  Ohio. 
They    were    married    in    Ohio.       He    then 
rented  a   farm,  and  after  three  years  spent 
in   successful    farming,  he    emigrated    to    a 
new  country.      He  came   to   Crawford  Coun- 
ty, Oblong  Township,    in  the  fall   of  1850, 
and  purchased  160  acres  of  raw  land.    There 
was  a  little  log  cabin  on  the  land  and  about 
four   acres    in    cultivation.     He  commenced 
improving  his  land,  and  after  four  years   of 
unsuccessful  farming  and  discouragement  he 
retui-ned  to  Ohio.     While  here  he  had  bor- 
rowed money  and  invested  it  in  hogs,  which 
all  died  with  the  cholera.      He  also  invested 
some  money  in  milch  cows,  which  died  also. 
While  he  was  in  Ohio,  which  was  about  four 
weeks,  some  hunters  from  Terre  Haute  came 
out    in  the    neighborhood  of   his   farm  and 
set    fire   to   the  grass,  which   bui-nt  all   the 
fencing  he  had  built  on  his  farm,   which  was 
about  21,000  rails  and  stakes.       The   first 
mill  that  he  went  to  was  down  on  the  Em- 
barrass River,  and  thought  it  very  funny  to 
see  them  sharpening  the  "buhrs"  with  an 
old   ax  and  mattock.     Since    then  has  sold 
fifty    acres,   leaving  him  110  acres,  of  which 
95  acres  is  in  cultivation,  and  is  successfully 
engaged  in  the  raising  of  grain.      It  was  his 
misfortune    to    lose   his    wnfe    February    8, 
1875,  leaving  him  with  one  child,  namely, 
Edgar.     He    was    mai-ried    again,    in    June, 
1877,   to  Ruth  A.   Cunningham.      She   was 
born  in  York  State,    March  24,    1835.     They 
have  two  children,  namely:     Lily  Maud  and 
Arthur   Philip.       She    was    married    before. 


■Soi 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


also,  and  has  the  following  children,  namfilj': 
James  Edward,  John  Osborne,  George  A., 
Samuel  Elruer,  Frank  Medford,  Thomas 
Hartford,  Frederic  William.  Mr.  Siler  is  a 
very  pious  old  gentleman,  and  has  been  a 
member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church 
for  over  twnnty-five  years.  His  wife  is  also 
a  member  of  the  same  church.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Patrons  of  Husbandry. 

HENRY  SHEETS,  farmer,  P.  O.  Oblong, 
is  an  enterprising  and  reliable  farmer  of  Ob- 
long Township.  He  was  born  in  Vigo  Coun- 
ty, Ind.,  June  18,  1844.  At  the  age  of 
seven,  was  brought  by  his  parents  to  Craw- 
ford County,  III.,  and  settled  on  a  farm  in 
Oblong  Township,  about  one  mile  west  of 
the  farm  subject  now  lives  on,  and  in  a 
few  months  removed  to  the  farm  now  occu- 
pied by  subject.  Oar  subject's  education 
was  limited  to  a  common  school  education, 
although  had  as  good  a  chance  for  education 
as  any  one  had  at  that  time.  At  the  age  of 
twenty-one,  he  commenced  working  for  him- 
self on  his  father's  farm,  and  successfully 
engaged  in  farming  there  for  six  years,  at 
which  time  purchased  49  acres  of  unimproved 
land  and  commenced  improving  it,  and  lived 
thereon  about  two  years.  He  then  removed 
near  Vincennes,  Ind.,  in  Lawrence  County, 
and  after  about  one  and  one  half  years  of 
successful  farming,  came  back  to  the  farm  in 
Oblong  Township,  which  was  deeded  him  by 
his  father,  and  has  been  successfully  engaged 
in  the  raising  of  grain.  He  was  married  in 
Crawford  County  to  Esther  Balie,  in  1867. 
She  was  a  native  of  Indiana.  Her  death  oc- 
cun-ing  February  21,  1871,  he  was  married 
again  in  1874  in  Knox  County,  Ind.,  to  Mar- 
tha E.  Marshall,  a  native  of  Indiana.  They 
have  foui-  ehildien,  namely:  Elmer,  Ai-thiu-, 
Calvin  and  Ida.  His  father,  John,  is  a  na- 
tive of  Knox  County,  Ind.,  born  in  the  year 
1817,  and    is    living    in   Oblong   Township. 


His  mother,  Susan  Bales,  was  a  native  of 
Tennessee,  born  in  the  year  1816,  and  died 
in  Oblong  Township  in  1856. 

JOHN  H.  SNYDER,  farmer,  P.  O.  Oblong. 
is  an  enterprising  farmer  of  Oblong  Town- 
ship. He  was  born  in  Perry  County,  Ohio, 
December  14,  1833.  In  1841,  when  subject 
was  about  eight  years  old,  they  (he  and  his 
parents)  removed  to  Licking  County,  Ohio, 
and  settled  there  on  a  farm.  His  chances 
for  education  were  rather  limited.  They  re- 
mained in  Licking  County  some  two  or  three 
years,  when  his  father  and  family  returned 
to  Perry  County,  and  took  care  of  subject's 
grandfather  and  grandmother  about  one  year, 
at  which  time  came  back  to  Licking  County 
to  the  farm  previously  settled  on.  At  the  age 
of  twenty-one,  he,  our  subject,  commenced 
working  for  himself.  He  worked  for  John 
B.  Jones  seven  years;  the  wages  he  received 
were  $175  per  year.  After  he  had  served  so 
faithfully  and  so  long  for  Mr.  Jones,  he 
(Jones)  pui-chased  a  farm  and  put  it  in  the 
hands  of  subject  to  run.  He  ran  the  farm 
about  eighteen  months,  at  which  time  Mr. 
Jones  died.  In  1865,  he  (subject)  came  to 
Crawford  County,  Oblong  Township,  and 
piu'chased  a  farm  known  as  the  Sol  Hacket 
farm,  and  removed  thereon,  but  farmed  there 
but  one  year,  at  which  time  sold  out  on  ac- 
count of  its  sickly  location.  The  next  year 
he  rented.  In  the  spring  of  1869,  he  pur- 
chased his  present  farm  of  80  acres,  and  is 
engaged  in  the  raising  of  grain  and  stock. 
He  was  married,  January  31,  1855,  to  Cath- 
arine Bell.  She  was  born  in  Greene  County, 
Penn.,  in  the  year  1835.  Their  children 
are  Emma  M.,  Albert  W.,  Zella  F.,  Anna 
M.  Subject's  father  was  a  native  of  Penn- 
sylvania, and  his  mother  a  native  of  Mary- 
land. 

J.   H.   WILKIN,   farmer,    P.    O.   Oblong, 
is  an  estimable  and  reliable  farmer  of  Ob- 


OBLONG  TOWNSHIP. 


33S 


long  Township.     He   was  born  in   Licking 
County,  Ohio,  July  22,  1825.     In  1829,  when 
about  fmu-  years  old,  he    was    taken  by    his 
parents  to  Fairfield  County.      His  chances  for 
education  were  somewhat  limited.      He  at- 
tended school  about  two  months  in  the  year. 
At  the  age  of  twenty-one  he  engaged  iu  farm- 
ing for  himself.     On  June  21,  1846,   he   was 
man-ied  to  Lavina  Ann  Hilton.       She  was  a 
native  of  Fairfield  County,  Ohio.     Have  one 
child  living,  William.     In  October,  1848,  he 
came  to  Crawford  County,   and  pui'chased   a 
fai-m  of    200  acres   in    Sections    17  and  IS, 
Oblong  Township,  of  unimproved  land.     His 
wife  died  December  7,  1848.      He  remained 
here  in  Crawford  County  until  March,  1849, 
at  which  time  returned  to  Licking  County, 
Ohio,  and   engaged   in   fai-ming.     In  1851, 
June  21,  was  married    to  Emily  Wilson,   a 
native  of  Licking  County.     Have  one  child 
living  and  one  dead,    namely:     Marj'  Fran- 
ces, Harriet  O.,   deceased.     In  April,   1852, 
he  came   back  to   Crawford   County.       His 
wife's  death  occmring  September  3,  1854,  in 
Crawford    County,   he    was   married    again, 
March  1,  1855,   to  Mary  E.  Comly,   a  native 
of   Perry    County,  Ohio,   and  has  two  chil- 
dren living  and  one   dead,  namely:     Lafay- 
ette Clarence,  and  Lticy  E.,  are  living,  Kosa 
A.,   deceased.      Our  subject's  father,   Jacob, 
was  a  native  of  Virginia,      He  was  Ijorn  in 
Shenandoah  County  in   the   year  1797,  and 
died  in  Crawford  County  about  the  year  1856. 
His  mother,  Catharine   (Bm-ner),  was  also  a 
native  of  Shenandoah  County,  Va.,  born  in  the 
year  1802,    and   died    in    Crawford    County 
about  the  year  1874.      Subject  has  160  acres 
of  his  laud  in  cultivation,  and  is  successfully 
engaged   in  the  raising  of  gi'ain  and  stock. 
He    feeds    his   coarse    grain   to    stock.      He 
takes   some   part    in   political   matters,   and 
has  served  two  terms  as  Supervisor  of   town- 
ship in  succession.     Now  he   is    serving  as 


School  Trustee,  which  olfice  he  has  held  for 
three  successive  terms.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  Patrons  of  Husbandly. 

THOMAS  WILLIAMS,  farmer,  P.  O.  Ea- 
ton.    He  was  bom  in  Kentucky,  April  27,  in 
the   year    1841.     In   1851,    March    20,    was 
taken  by  his  parents  to  Vigo  County,    Ind. ; 
remained  there  three  years,   at  which    time 
they  removed  to  Sullivan  County,  and  settled 
there  on  a  farm.      His  chances  for  education 
were  limited.    When  but  a  small  boy,  he  had 
an  attack  of  white    swelling  on  his  left  leg, 
and  which  kept  him  from  school,  and  when 
he  grew  up  was   ashamed  to  attend  school. 
At  the  age  of  twenty-one  he  went  to  working 
for  himself.      He  engaged  in  farming  in  Sul- 
livan County,  Ind.     After  several  successful 
yeai's  in  farming  there,  he  sold  out,    and  in 
spring  of   1873   came  to  Crawford  County, 
Oblong  Township,  and  piu'chased  a  farm  in 
Sections  10  and   11,  of  120  acres,  of  which 
60  acres  is  in  cultivation.    Raises  grain,  prin- 
cipally wheat,  corn  and  oats.     He  was  mar- 
ried, in  1864,  to  Fannie  Kester;  she  was  born 
in    Clark   County,    111;     have   one    adopted 
boy,    namely,    Claudius    Kester.       Our  sub- 
ject's   father,    James,   was   born    in   Hardin 
County,  Ky. ,  in  1803 ;  was  a  farmer,  and  died 
in    1873,    in    Sullivan    County,    Ind.        His 
mother,  Anna  McQuilran,  was  born  in  Har- 
din County,  Ky.,  1805;   died  1876,  in  Sulli- 
van County,  Ind. 

DANIEL  H.  WINTERS,  shoe-maker.  Ob- 
long, was  born  in  Wayne  County,  Ohio,  April 
26,  1842,  and  in  that  county  spent  his  early 
days.  In  1852,  at  the  age  of  ten,  was  brought 
by  his  parents  to  Clark  County.  At  the  age 
of  sixteen,  commenced  to  leam  the  trade  of 
shoe  and  boot  making,  by  serving  as  appren- 
tice in  winter  and  in  the  summer  time  would 
help  his  father  on  the  farm.  He  continued 
in  that  way  for  four  years.  He  then,  in 
1862,  enlifited  in  Comjjany  G,  One  Hundj-ed 


35(5 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


and  Twenty- third  Illinois  Volunteer  Infan- 
try, and  was  ss  brave  and  gallant  a  soldier 
as  was  ever  mustered  into  force.  He  was  in 
a  great  many  hard  fought  battles,  namely: 
Hoover's  Gap,  Gordon  Mills,  Crawfish 
Springs,  Dalton,  Ga.,  Dallas,  Ga.,  Kenesaw 
Mountain,Chickamauga.  Atlanta, besides  quite 
a  number  of  skirmishes.  He  was  mustered  out 
at  Nashville,  Tenn.,  June  28,  1865,  at  which 
time  came  back  to  Clark  County,  111.,  and  at 
Martinsville  completed  his  apprenticeship, 
and  worked  at  his  trade  there  until  1870,  at 
which  time  removed  to  Indiana,  and  worked 
there  at  his  trade  two  years,  then  came  back 
to  Clark  County,  and  remained  there  for  some 
time.  In  July,  1880,  came  to  Oblong,  and 
has  been  successfully  engaged  at  his  trade 
ever  since.  He  was  maiTied,  March  23, 
1867,  to  Adaline  Brusman,  a  native  of  Ohio. 
They  have  three  children  living,  namely: 
Hartford  Sylvester,  Charles  Henry,  William 
Franklin,  and  Susie  Estella  Mauk,  an  orphan 
child,  living  with  them.  His  father,  George 
Winters,  was  born  in  Lancaster  County, 
Penn.,  in  the  year  1812.  His  mother,  Eve 
Hibsohman,  was  born  in  Lebanon  County, 
Penn.,  in  the  year  1808.  They  have  two 
childi-en  living.  Daniel  H.,  subject,  Mary, 
wife  of  Christian  Wearing,  living  in  Clark 
County,  111. 

JACOB  WIKT,  farmer,  P.  O.  Oblong,  is  a 
substantial  farmer  of  Oblong  Township.  He 
was  boin  in  Lancaster  County,  Penn.,  Febru- 
ary 28,  1825.  A-t  about  the  age  of  eight 
years,  in  1833,  he  was  taken  by  his  parents 
to  Decatur  County,  Ind.,  and  settled  in  the 
woods.  Mr.  Wirt  is  what  is  called  a  self- 
made  man.  His  chances  for  education  were 
rather  limited.  He  attended  school  very  lit- 
tle when  young.  After  twenty-one  years  of 
age,  be  obtained  books  and  educated  himself 
to  some  extent.  He  was  reared  on  the  farm, 
and  at  the  age  of  seventeen  commenced  work- 


ing for  himself  and  gave  his  father  half  until 
twenty- one  years  of  age.  He  worked  on  a 
farm  four  years  by  the  month,  afterward 
farmed  on  his  father's  farm  for  three  years, 
at  which  time,  February  22,  1S50,  was  mar- 
ried in  Decatm-  County,  Ind.,  to  Catharine 
Johnson,  a  native  of  Stiles  County,  Va.,  born 
October  23,  1830.  They  have  live  childi-en, 
namely:  Zachariah,  merchant  in  Oblong; 
Isaiah,  farming  in  Jasper  County;  Henry, 
farming  at  home;  Ennis.  Mary  Belle.  In 
the  fall  of  1853,  he  came  to  Crawford  Coun- 
ty, and  pui-chased  40  acres  of  raw  land,  and 
removed  thereon  in  a  little  cabin  that  was  on 
the  land.  He  remained  there  but  six  weeks, 
when  he  removed  to  Davis  Coimty.  Iowa,  and 
spent  the  winter.  He  gave  up  the  land 
which  he  had  purchased,  and  iu  the  next 
spring,  1854,  came  back  to  same  place  and 
piu'cbased  80  acres.  Since  then,  he  has  ad- 
ded 220  acres,  but  now  has  given  160  acres 
to  his  two  sons.  He  is  successfully  engaged 
in  the  raising  of  grain  and  stock.  His  father, 
Jacob,  was  a  native  of  Germany,  born  in  the 
year  1783,  and  died  in  Decatur  County,  Ind., 
in  1851.  His  mother,  Elizabeth  Seabolt, 
was  also  a  native  of  Gennany.  Subject,  when 
fii-st  came  here,  lived  a  pioneer  life.  He  was 
obliged  to  go  twelve  miles  to  the  jiost  office, 
and  the  nearest  mill  was  twenty  miles, 
the  distance  he  was  obliged  to  go  when  he 
had  wheat  to  grind. 

CAPT.  WILLIAM  WOOD,  farmer,  P.  O. 
Oblong,  is  one  of  Crawford  County's  pioneer 
subjects,  and  a  reliable  citizen.  He  was  born 
three  miles  east  of  Eobinson,  this  county, 
September  4,  1824,  and  was  reared  there  on 
his  father's  farm,  when,  in  the  fall  of  1840, 
subject  removed  West  about  eleven  miles, 
and  settled  on  a  farm  in  Watts  Precinct. 
After  eight  years  of  successful  farming,  he, 
in  1848,  removed  to  the  farm  he  now  occu- 
pies.    He  entered  280  acres  of  land  at  above 


MARTIN   AND    SOUTHWEST   TOWNSHIPS. 


357 


time  stated,  and  commenced  improving  it, 
and  now  has  as  well  an  improved  farm  as  you 
will  find  in  Oblong  Township.  Mr.  "Wood 
has  quite  a  war  record.  He  enlisted,  on  the 
9th  of  August,  1862,  in  Company  D,  Ninety- 
eiffhth  Illinois  Mounted  Infantry,  and  was 
engaged  in  quite  a  number  of  battles.  Some 
of  the  principal  battles  were,  namely:  Bat- 
tle of  Hoover's  Gap,  June  24,  1863;  battle  of 
Chickamauga,  which  lasted  three  days.  He 
was  on  the  raid  after  "Wheeler,  which  lasted 
nine  days  and  nights,  and  on  the  raid  he  was 
in  the  battles  of  Murfreesboro,  McMinnville. 
and  Farmington,  and  at  the  latter  place  capt- 
ured Wheeler's  Cavalry.  The  nest  battles 
he  was  entraged  in  were  the  battles  of  Cleve- 
land,  Tenn. ,  and  Loudon;  battle  of  Buzzard 
Eoost.  and  the  siege  of  Atlanta,  and  in  the 
battle  of  Dallas.  He  engaged  in  the  service 
as  Captain,  which  position  he  held  until  hon- 
orably discharged  in  December,  1864,  on  ac- 
count of  disability.  His  brother,  Albert 
Wood,  enlisted  in  Company  I,  Twenty-first 
Illinois  Regiment;  he  was  captured  at  Chicka- 
mauga, and  died  at  Andersonville.  Our  sub- 
ject was  married  to  Caroliue  E.  Ames,  July 
2,  1848.  She  was  a  native  of  Clark  County, 
Ohio.  Eight  children  was  the  result  of  their 
marriage,  of  whom  two  are  living,  viz. :  Vf. 
F.  Wood  and  James  A.     Six  are  dead — Sarah 


A.  and  Helen  C,  and  four  died  in  infancy. 
Mr.  Wood  is  an  offspring  from  Joseph  and 
Margaret  Wood;  both  were  natives  of  Vir- 
ginia. Their  family  were,  viz.  :  Rachel,  wife 
of  Richard  Lackey,  farming  in  Oblong  Town- 
ship; Mary,  deceased;  William,  our  subject; 
Albert,  deceased;  Angeline,  deceased;  Emily 
and  Julia,  twins;  Emily,  wife  of  R.  F.  Ames, 
deceased;  she  is  living  in  Oblong  Township; 
Julia,  deceased;  Eliza,  deceased;  Margaret, 
deceased,  wife  of  James  A.  Gill  (deceased); 
Virginia,  deceased,  wife  of  Hiram  Larabee; 
J.  H.  Wood,  merchant  in  Robinson;  Robert, 
farming  on  the  old  farm,  three  miles  east  of 
Robinson.  Their  father  was  a  farmer  and 
stock  dealer.  He  came  into  Illinois  as  early 
as  1810,  when  it  was  in  its  wild  stage,  and 
endured  the  life  of  a  pioneer  in  hardship  or 
in  pleasure,  as  you  may  call  it — in  hunting, 
and  also  fighting  with  the  red  men  of  the 
country.  As  early  as  1815,  he  came  to  Craw- 
ford County,  and  settled  on  land  three  miles 
east  of  Robinson.  Oui-  subject  has  always 
been  a  Republican,  and  has  served  in  various 
township  olfices.  He  was  elected  Justice  of 
the  Peace  in  1850,  and  served  twenty-four 
years  until  1880,  and  also  served  as  School 
Trustee  for  ten  years.  He  has  for  several 
years  been  a  member  of  the  Masonic 
order. 


MAETIN   AND   SOUTHWEST  TOAVNSHIPS. 


C.  P.  CARLTON,  farming,  P.  O.  Hardins- 
vilie,  was  born  in  Champaign  County,  Ohio, 
on  the  13th  day  of  December,  1850.  He  was 
reared  there  in  Mechanicsburg,  and  received 
the  benefits  of  a  common  and  graded  school 
there  until  seventeen  yeai's  of  age,  at  which 
time,  in  1867,  he  and  his  parents  came  to 
Crawford  County,  111.,  and  settled  on  a  farm 
in  Martin  Township.    When  twenty-one  years 


of  age,  he  commenced  working  for  himself  on 
his  father's  farm.  His  father  died  January 
31,  1877,  and  the  next  year,  1878,  oiu-  sub- 
ject obtained  possession  of  the  farm,  of  which 
he  has  120  acres  of  improved  land  and  forty 
acres  of  timber  land.  Be  is  engaged  in  the 
raising  of  grain  and  stock.  He  was  married 
here  in  Crawford  County,  111.,  on  the  3d  of 
March,  1875,  to    Joanna    Hughes.     She  is  a 


358 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


native  of  Kentucky.  They  have  two  children, 
namely :  Lizzie  and  HaiTy.  Mi'.  Carlton  has 
^•jrays  been  a  Democrat,  and  has  served  as 
X)Ilector  of  the  township  one  term.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  Masonic  fi-aternity,  Hardins- 
ville  Lodge,  No.  756.  His  father,  James,  was 
born  in  Johnstown,  Penn. ,  in  1811,  and  died 
in  Crawford  County,  111.,  December  31,  1876. 
Our  subject's  mother,  Eliza  (Owen),  was  a  na- 
tive of  Champaign  County,  Ohio,  born  in  the 
year  1813,  and  died  in  Crawford  County,  111., 
in  1878. 

WILLIAM  CORTELYON,  farmer,  P.  O. 
Oblong,  is  a  substantial  farmer  of  Martin 
Township.  He  was  born  in  Warren  County, 
Ohio,  December  13,  1826.  His  father,  Peter, 
was  a  native  of  York  State,  and  died  in  Shelby 
County,  Ind.,  at  about  the  age  of  seventy 
years.  His  mother,  Catharine  (Vanpelt),  was 
a  native  of  New  Jersey,  and  died  in  Wan-en 
County,  Ohio.  Subject  was  reared  on  a 
farm  in  Ohio,  and  his  chances  for  an  educa- 
tion was  limited  to  subscription  schools  of 
the  country;  he  would  attend  school  about 
three  months  in  the  year.  At  the  age  of 
seventeen,  he  went  to  serve  as  an  apprentice 
as  a  wagon  and  buggy  maker.  He  served 
four  years.  He  afterward  worked  as  jour- 
neyman in  different  places  in  Ohio  until 
twenty -eight  years  of  age,  at  which  time,  in 
1854,  removed  to  Middletown  and  bought  a 
house  and  lot,  built  a  shop  and  engaged  in 
the  making  of  wagons  and  buggies,  and  also 
done  considerable  of  repairing.  He  also  en- 
gaged in  the  undertaker's  business.  After 
about  seven  years  successfully  spent  in  Mid- 
dletown, he  removed  to  Hendricks  Township, 
Shelby  County,  and  there  piu-chased  a  farm 
of  twenty-four  acres,  and  engaged  in  farm- 
ing some  and  worked  some  at  his  trade,  and 
also  was  engaged  partly  in  the  undertaker's 
business  there.  After  spending  about  seven 
yeai-8  there,  in  the   fall    of  1867  he  came  to 


Crawford  County,  111.,  and  rented  land  near 
Eobinson,  and  after  about  seven  years  spent 
there  in  successful  farming  he  came  to  Ob- 
long Township  and  rented  the  farm  now 
owned  by  John  Sheets.  In  the  spring  of  1876, 
he  bought  land  in  Martin  Township  and  is  suc- 
cessfully engaged  in  the  raising  of  gi-ain  and 
stock,  principally  hogs  and  corn.  In  185-i, 
he  was  married  in  Shelby  County,  Ind.,  to 
Ann  Rebecca  Boggs,  a  native  of  Lancaster 
County,  Penn.  Have  live  children,  namely: 
Han-iet  Eliza,  Leslie  E.,  Everet  L.,  Eletta  A., 
William  Clark.  Subject  is  a  member  of  the 
Grange. 

FOSTER  DONNELL,  farmer,  P  O.  Har- 
dinsville,  he  was  born  in  Wilson  County, 
Tenn.,  June  18,  1818.  He  was  taken  by  his 
pai-ents  fi-om  there  to  Jackson's  Piu'chase  in 
Tennessee  in  1830,  when  he  was  twelve  years 
old.  They  remained  there  two  or  three  years, 
at  which  time  they  came  to  Crawford  County, 
111.,  and  rented  land  near  Palestine.  Our 
subject's  father  lived  there  until  his  death, 
which  occurred  in  1858;  he  was  born  in 
North  Carolina  1797.  Oiu-  subject's  mother 
was  born  in  Delaware  about  the  close  of  the 
eighteenth  century,  and  died  near  Pales- 
tine in  18-41.  Our  subject  received  but 
very  little  education.  He  was  engaged  in 
helping  to  support  the  family.  When 
nineteen  years  of  age,  he  engaged  in  farm- 
ing for  himself,  and  September  28,  1837, 
was  married  to  Caroline  Martin.  She  was 
born  in  Crawford  County,  thi-ee  miles 
south  of  Palestine,  December  19,  1821.  In 
1839,  he  borrowed  money  and  entered  land  in 
Mai-tin  Township.  He  built  a  little  cabin  on 
the  land  without  any  daubing,  and  a  punch- 
eon floor.  He  never  wore  a  pair  of  boots  un- 
til he  was  of  age,  or  an  overcoat  until  he  had 
a  wife  and  two  children.  He  has  added  200 
acres  to  his  first  purchase  and  has  had  240 
acres,  of  which  he  has  sold  forty    acres.      He 


MARTIN    AND   SOUTHWEST  TOWNSHIPS. 


301 


has  125  acres  in  cultivation  and  raises  grain 
and  stock.  They  have  had  four  children 
born  to  them — Margaret,  Sarah  Jane,  Lavina 
E.  and  John  M. 

C.  L.  DUCOMMON,  farmer,  P.  O.  Har- 
dinsville,  was  born  in  Wayne  County,  Ohio, 
on  December  1,  A.  D.  1844.  In  1854,  when 
he  was  ten  years  of  age,  he  was  brought  by 
his  parents  to  Crawford  County,  111.,  and 
they  settled  in  Martin  Township  where  they 
purchased  improved  land.  Our  subject  was 
reared  here  on  a  farm  and  had  a  tolerable 
fair  chance  for  an  education.  When  twenty- 
one  years  of  age,  he  engaged  in  farming  for 
himself  on  a  piece  of  land  of  sixty  acres, 
given  him  by  his  father.  Since,  he  has 
bought  120  acres,  and  has  150  acres  in  culti- 
vation, and  is  successfully  engaged  in  the 
raising  of  grain  and  stock.  He  was  married 
in  Wabash  County,  111.,  May  27,  1875,  to  Ju- 
lia A.  Fite.  They  have  two  boys — William 
Harris  and  Charles  Harvey.  Our  subject's 
father,  Samuel,  was  a  native  of  France,  born 
about  the  year  1802,  and  died  in  Crawford 
County,  111.,  on  December  24,  1878.  Our 
subject's  mother,  Mary  C.  (Fetters),  is  a  na- 
tive of  Stark  County,  Ohio,  and  is  living  in 
Crawford  County,  111. 

R.  M.  DUE,  farmer,  P.  O.  Hardinsville, 
was  born  in  Crawford  County.  111.,  on  the 
2d  day  of  November,  A.  D.  1851.  His  father. 
Nelson  R. ,  was  a  native  of  North  Carolina, 
and  his  mother,  Elizabeth  (Hemy),  a  native 
of  Tennessee.  Our  subject  was  reared  here 
in  Crawford  County,  and  did  not  attend 
school  very  much.  As  early  as  fifteen  years 
of  age,  he  commenced  working  out  by  the 
month  on  the  farm.  In  November,  1880,  he 
purchased  200  acres  of  land,  of  which  he 
sold  120  acres.  He  has  fifty-five  acres  in 
cultivation,  and  twenty-five  acres  of  timber 
land,  and  is  engaged  in  the  raising  of  grain. 
He  was  married  in  Crawford  County,  on  the 


10th  day  of  November,  A.  D.  1874,  to  Lovisa 
Purcell,  a  native  of  Crawford  County.     They 
have  three  children,  namely — James  Nelso 
Carrie  E.  and  John  R. 

S    A.  FRISTOE,  farmer,  P.  O.    Hardins- 
ville,  was    born    in    Page    County,  Va.,  No- 
vember 11,  182(3.     When  five  years  of  age  (in 
1831),  he  was  taken  by  his  parents  to  Lick- 
ing  County,  Ohio.     And  there  they  rented 
land  and  remained  until  the  spring  of   1852, 
at  which  time  they  came  to  Crawford  County, 
and  they  settled  in  Robinson  Township,  north 
of    Robinson,  while  om-  subject  remained  in 
Licking  County.     Our  subject  was  reared  on 
a  farm  in  a  new  country,  and  his  chances  for 
an  education  was  very  limited.      He  was  en- 
gaged in  helping  clear  up  the  farm,  and  did 
not  attend  school  on  an  average  more  than 
month  in  the  year.     At  twenty-two  years  of 
age,  he  commenced  working  for  himself.    He 
worked  on  a  farm  by  the  month,  in  all  about 
fifteen  months,  and  the  remainder  of  the  time, 
until  twenty-five  years  of  age,  he  was  engaged 
in  chopping.    He  would  take  jobs  of  clearing 
by  Ihe  acre,  but  during  that  time  he  was  an 
invalid  for  about  thirteen  months.     He  was 
married,    November    11,    1851,    in    Licking 
County,  to  Melissa  Hook,  a  native  of  Licking 
County,  Ohio,  at  which  time  he  engaged  in 
farming.      On  October  24,  1855,  they  arrived 
in  Crawford  County,  and  bought  forty  acres 
of  raw  land  in  Martin  Township,  and  since 
he  has  added  forty  acres,  and  has  his  farm 
about  all  in  cultivation,  and  is  engaged  in 
the  raising  of   grain  and  stock.     They  have 
fom-  children,  namely:     James  F.,  Henry  N. 
N.,  Violet   E.  and  Clara  May.     Mr.  Fristoe 
has  always  been  a  Democrat,  and  has  served 
in  various  township  ofiices,  although  he  has 
never  asked  for  an  ofiice  or  any  one  Lo  vote 
for  him.     He  was  elected  first  as  Assessor  of 
the  township,  and    served  two   terms;  as  Su 
pervisor  three  terms,  and  at  present  is  serving 


362 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


as  School  Trustee,  and  has  served  for  several 
years.  Our  subject's  father,  James,  was  born 
in  Page  County,  Va.,  1799,  and  died  in  Ford 
County,  111.,  November,  1881.  Our  subject's 
mother,  Sidney  (McCoy),  was  born  in  War- 
ren County,  Va.,  in  1804,  and  died  in  Hewitt 
County,  111.,  in  February,  1877. 

J.  A.  GOFF,  farmer,  P.  O.  Hardinsville, 
was  born  in  Crawford  County,  111.,  August  2, 
1847.  His  father,  Iredell,  is  a  native  of 
Kentucky,  and  is  living  in  this  county.  Our 
subject's  mother,  Mary  J.  (Price),  deceased. 
Our  subject  was  reared  here  on  a  farm,  and 
received  the  benefits  of  a  common  school  edu- 
cation. He  would  attend  school  about  four 
months  in  a  year.  In  October,  1864,  when 
but  seventeen  years  of  age,  he  enlisted  in 
Company  D,  Sixty-second  Illinois  Volunteer 
Infantry,  and  was  after  transferred  to  Com- 
pany E,  of  same  regiment,  and  was  mustered 
out  at  Camp  Butler,  111.,  March  20,  1866,  at 
which  time  came  back  to  Crawford  County, 
and  engaged  in  farming.  He  married,  De- 
cember 30,  1866,  Margaret  Bennett,  a  native 
of  this  county,  born  in  1847.  Four  children 
living,  one  dead,  is  the  result  of  their  mar- 
riage, namely:  Marbui-y  S.,  born  August 
15,  1867;  Mary  Jane,  deceased,  born  January 
1,  1870;  Barbara  Ellen,  born  February  14, 
1873;  Samuel  Tilden,  born  August  8,  1876; 
Leander  F.,  born  September  29,  1880. 

R.  E.  HASIQN,  farmer,  P.  O.  Hardinsville. 
He  was  born  in  Crawford  County,  111.,  January 
1,  1824,  south  of  Palestine  about  two  miles. 
At  six  years  of  age,  in  1832,  he  was  taken  by 
his  parents  to  Macomb  County,  Mich.,  and 
after  engaging  in  farming  successfully  for 
two  years,  in  the  fall  of  1832  started  back 
here.  They  got  down  as  far  as  La  Fayette, 
in  Indiana,  and  stopped  there  with  Dr. 
Dirgy,  on  account  of  bad  roads,  at  which 
place  they  spent  the  winter.  In  the  spring 
of  1833.  tbev  came  to  Union  Prairie,  Clark 


County,  111.,  and  rented  land.  After  three 
years  of  successfully  farming,  they  removed 
into  the  southeastern  part  of  Crawford  Coun- 
ty, and  rented  the  farm  owned  by  William 
Garret.  In  about  1838,  our  subject's  father 
entered  land  in  Martin  Township,  now  in 
Honey  Creek  Township,  and  remained  there 
until  his  death.  He  was  the  first  man  that 
traveled  with  wagon  from  Ft  Wayne,  Ind., 
to  Ft.  Defiance.  He  would  have  to  cut  his 
road  through  the  woods  at  times.  Our  sub 
ject  was  reared  on  a  farm  in  the  wild  coun- 
try, and  had  a  very  poor  chance  for  obtain- 
ing an  education.  The  education  he  received 
was  in  Clark  County.  He  attended  school 
pretty  regularly  in  the  fall  and  winter  while 
they  remained  there.  He  was  married  Jan- 
uary 9,  1845,  to  Margaret  Higgins,  a  na- 
tive of  Crawford  County,  at  which  time  en- 
gaged in  farming  where  Hardinsville  now 
stands.  In  the  summer  of  1845,  he  pur- 
chased forty  acres  of  land  in  Section  35, 
and  in  the  fall  of  the  same  year  he  entered 
forty  acres  adjoining  on  the  east.  And  the 
same  fall  he  built  a  house  and  removed  into 
it  in  the  spring  of  1846.  It  was  all  raw 
prairie  land.  Since  he  has  added  eighty 
acres  in  the  prairie  and  forty  acres  of  tim- 
ber land.  He  has  all  of  his  home  place  in 
cultivation — eighty  acres.  His  main  produc- 
tions are  grain.  He  has  had  ten  children 
born  to  him — Robert  Franklin,  Mary  Ema- 
line,  Thomas  Henry,  Amanda  E. ,  John  F., 
William  E.,  Eliza  J.,  Sarah  E.,  Latira  A., 
Kittie  P.  Our  subject's  wife  died  in  Craw- 
ford County  April  3,  1877.  He  has  always 
been  a  Democrat,  but  of  late  years  he  has 
taken  some  interest  in  the  Greenback  party. 
He  was  elected  to  serve  as  the  first  Super- 
visor of  Martin  Township,  when  they  went 
into  township  organization,  and  served  two 
terms,  and  has  since  served  three  terms.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  order.  Harding- 


MAKTIN    AND    SOUTHWEST    TOWNSHIPS. 


383 


ville  Lodge,  No.  756.  Our  subjects  recollec- 
tions are  dated  back  on  the  Vincennes  road 
loading  to  Palestine  :  there  his  father  owned 
a  horse  mill  and  an  apple  distillery.  His 
father  was  a  native  of  Vermont,  and  a  grand- 
son of  Col.  Robert  Cochran,  of  the  Revolu- 
tionary war. 

THOMAS  H.  HASKIN,  P.  O.  Hardinsville. 
He  was  born  in  Crawford  County,  111.,  on  the 
1st  day  of  May,  1852.  He  was  reared  here 
on  a  farm  until  about  fifteen  yeeirs  old,  and 
received  the  advantages  of  a  common  school 
education.  He  would  get  to  attend  school 
about  six  months  in  the  year,  and  the  remain- 
der of  the  time  he  would  help  his  father  on 
the  farm.  When  sixteen  j'ears  of  age,  he  en- 
gaged at  the  carpenter's  trade.  He  served  as 
an  apprentice  for  three  years,  at  which  time 
commenced  clerking  here  for  G.  B.  Hicks, 
and  after  spending  two  years  with  "  Mr. 
Hicks,"  he  engaged  in  buying  and  selling 
sewing  machines,  which  business  he  contin- 
ued in  about  one  and  one-half  years.  Since 
then  he  has  been  employed  at  his  trade,  and 
also  in  the  undertaker's  business.  He  was 
married  in  Crawford  County  on  the  29th  of 
March,  1874.  to  Miss  Nancy  Prier,  a  native 
of  Crawford  County,  111.  They  have  two 
children  living,  namely  :  Orley  and  Hollis. 
Mr.  Haskin  has  always  been  a  Democrat,  and 
has  served  in  various  township  offices.  He 
was  elected  first  for  Town  Clerk  and  re-elect-  I 
ed;  served  two  terms.  He  served  as  Assess- 
or of  Township  two  terms,  and  as  Collector 
three  terms.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic 
order.  Lodge  No.  756,  Hardinsville.  111. 

G.  B.  HICKS,  merchant,  Hardinsville,  is 
possessed  with  superior  business  faculties.  1 
He  was  born  in  Crawford  County  October 
23,  1843.  He  was  reared  here  in  Crawford 
County,  and -his  education  is  somewhat  lim- 
ited, he  attended  subscription  schools.  His 
father  died  before  his  (subject's)  birth,  and  at 


about  ten  years  of  age  commenced  working 
out  by  the  month  for  himself,  and  continued 
working  out  by  the  mouth  until  1861,  at 
which  time  he  enlisted  in  Company  G, 
Seventh  Missouri  Mounted  Infantry.  It  was 
his  misfortune  to  receive  a  very  dangerous 
and  painful  wound.  In  the  battle  of  Ray- 
mond he  was  shot  through  the  body,  the 
ball  entering  the  right  side  at  the  second  rib, 
and  came  out  at  the  lii-st  rib  on  left  side. 
He  was  wounded  May  12,  1863,  in  the  battle 
of  Raymond,  Miss.  Besides  that  battle,  he 
was  in  the  battles  of  Corinth,  Miss.,  Shiloh 
and  Grand  Gulf,  and  was  as  faithful  and  as 
ready  for  duty  as  any  soldier  that  ever  shoul- 
dered a  gun.  He  was  discharged  on  account 
of  his  wound,  October  23,  1863,  and  came  home 
to  his  mother's  in  Crawford  County.  It  was 
several  months  after  receiving  the  shot  before 
he  could  walk,  and  about  two  years  be- 
fore it  healed  up.  When  he  regained  his 
strength,  he  purchased  a  farm  in  Martin 
Township,  and  engaged  in  farming.  After 
about  seven  years  successfully  spent  in  farm- 
ing, removed  to  Hardinsville,  but  did  not  sell 
his  farm,  and  bought  a  stock  of  goods.  He 
keeps  a  general  stock  of  well-assorted  goods, 
and  in  calling  at  his  ])laceof  business  you  will 
find  Mr.  Hicks  busy  behind  the  counters  and 
ready  to  show  you  anything  in  his  line  of 
goods;  always  smiling  and  jovial,  ready  to 
talk  with  you  on  any  subject,  and  at  the 
same  time  give  you  a  lirst-class  bargain.  His 
sales  range  from  $8,000  to  $10,000  per  year. 
He  was  married  in  Lawrence  County,  111.,  in 
1872,  to  Nancy  Ellen  Sanders,  a  native  of 
Crawford  County,  111.  They  have  two  chil- 
dren living,  and  one  dead,  namely:  Bettie 
L.,  Mary  Florence  (deceased),  and  Lewis 
Calvin.  Mr.  Hicks  has  always  been  a  Dem- 
ocrat, and  has  taken  some  part  in  political 
matters.  He  has  served  in  various  township 
offices.     He  served  as  Justice  of   the  Peace 


364 


BIOGRAFHICAl. 


for  about  eight  years  in  Martin  Township, 
and  as  Town  Clerk  one  term.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber ot  the  A.,  F.  &  A.  M.,  Hardinsville 
Lodge,  No.  756. 

HARRISON  MARTIN,  farmer,  P.  O.  Har- 
dinsville, born  in  Crawford  County,  near 
Palestine,  June  22,  1829.  His  father  (John) 
was  a  native  of  Georgia,  born  in  the  year 
1784  and  died  here  October  15,  1858.  Our 
subject's  mother  (Margaret)  was  a  native  of 
South  Carolina,  born  in  1791  and  died  here 
in  1854.  Our  subject  was  raised  here  on  a 
farm  and  received  the  benefits  of  a  common 
school  education.  When  about  twenty-two 
years  of  age,  he  engaged  in  agricultural  pur- 
suits for  himself.  Ou  October  5,  1850,  he 
married  Catharine  Lemon,  and  they  have  six 
children  living — Emily,  John  A.,  William  E., 
James,  Mary  L,  and  Rosa.  In  1863,  he 
traded  his  farm  near  Palestine  for  land  in 
Martin  Township,  and  moved  thereon,  De- 
cember 20,  of  same  year.  He  has  over  200 
acres,  of  which  160  are  in  cultivation,  and  he 
is  engaged  in  the  raising  of  grain  and  stock. 
Mr.  Martin  takes  some  part  in  political  mat- 
ters. He  has  always  been  a  Democrat  and 
has  served  in  various  township  offices,  first 
as  Justice  of  the  Peace,  which  office  he  held 
for  eight  years  in  succession.  He  has  served 
as  Collector  of  the  township  five  terms,  and 
as  Assessor  four  terms. 

C.  J.  PRICE,  physician,  Hardinsville. 
although  a  young  man,  has  had  such  ad- 
vantages in  his  chosen  profession  as  are 
offered  to  few.  He  was  born  in  Crawford 
County,  III.  May  14,  1851.  He  is  a  grad- 
uate of  the  American  Medical  College  of  St. 
Loui.s.  He  graduated  there  in  the  spring  of 
1878.  He  was  reared  in  Crawford  County, 
and  received  the  benefits  of  a  common  educa- 
tion until  seventeen  years  of  age,  at  which 
time  he  attended  Normal  school  at  Robinson 
one  year.     He  also  attended  college  at  Merom, 


Ind. ,  for  two  years.  He  then  engaged  in 
school  teaching;  he  taught  two  terms.  In 
1877,  commenced  the  study  of  medicine  un- 
der Dr.  Connett,  at  New  Hebron,  Crawford 
Co.,  111.  He  attended  his  first  course  of  lect- 
ures in  the  M.  E.  Institute,  located  at  Cin- 
cinnati. In  1878.  he  located  at  Hardinsville, 
where  he  has  quite  an  extensive  practice.  He 
was  married  in  Crawford  County,  [September 
23,  1874,  to  Miss  Sarah  Goodwin,  a  native  of 
Palestine,  111.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Ma 
sonic  order,  A.,  F.  &  A.  Masons,  Hardins 
ville  Lodge,  No.  756.,,    ^- '  ■"  ^  ^i 


K\. 


-   ALFRED  PRIER,  farmer,  P.  O,  Hardins-  "^  \1'' 
ville.     He   was  born  in  Clark  County,   111.,  : 

April  3, 1829,  and  was  brought  by  his  parents 
to  Crawford  County  in  1831,  when  two  years 
of  age.  They  purchased  raw  land  in  Martin 
Township.  There  was  but  one  family 
living  on  a  piece  of  land  in  Martin  Town- 
ship at  that  time,  and  that  was  Daniel 
Martin.  Our  subject  was  reared  on  a  farm 
and  his  chances  for  education  were  very 
limited.  There  were  no  schools  in  exist- 
ence here  at  that  time,  and  the  first  school 
he  attended  he  was  sixteen  years  of  age,  at 
which  time  he  attended  subscription  school 
twenty  days.  When  at  about  the  age  of 
eighteen,  he  attended  about  three  months  of 
school.  At  about  the  age  of  twenty-one  he 
bouo-ht  timbered  land  in  Martin  Township 
from  the  Government  at  $1.25  per  acre.  He 
built  a  house  on  the  land  and  commenced  im- 
proving it,  and  since  then  has  added  forty 
acres.  He  has  about  fifty-five  acres  in  cul- 
tivation, and  his  main  productions  are  grain 
and  grass.  He  was  married,  August  1,  1850, 
to  Matilda  Flinn,  a  native  of  White  County, 
Term.  They  have  four  children,  namely: 
Mary,  Charles,  Emily  and  John.  Mr.  Prier 
has  always  been  a  Democrat,  and  uas  served 
as  Commissioner  of  Highways  for  three  suc- 
cessive terms. 


v> 


MARTIN     AND    SOUTHWEST    TOWNSHIPS. 


365 


D.  W.  RICHART,  farmer,  P.  O  Hardins- 
ville.  He  was  born  in  Owen  County,  Ind. 
December  28,  1844.  In  1850,  when  six 
years  of  age,  he  was  brought  by  his  parents 
to  Crawford  County,  111.  Our  subject  was 
reared  here  on  a  farm,  and  received  the  ben- 
efits of  a  common  school  until  sixteen  years 
of  age.  In  1861,  September  14,  when  not 
seventeen  years  of  age,  he  enlisted  in  Com- 
pany F,  Fifth  Illinois  Cavalry,  and  served 
until  the  close  of  the  war.  He  was  in  the 
battles  of  Mechanicsbiu-g,  Miss.,  and  in  the 
siege  of  Vicksburg,  besides  several  skir- 
mishes, and  was  mustered  out  at  Springfield 
on  the  27th  day  of  October,  1865,  at  which 
time  he  came  back  to  his  father  in  Crawford 
County,  Martin  Township;  and  the  next  year, 
in  the  spring  of  1866,  commenced  farming 
for  himself  on  land  deeded  him  by  his  father, 
which  was  120  acres,  and  since  has  added 
forty  acres,  and  is  successfully  engaged  in 
the  raising  of  grain,  principally  wheat.  He 
was  married  on  the  22d  day  of  August,  1875, 
to  Mary  A.  Padgett,  a  native  of  Crawford 
County.  They  have  three  children,  namely: 
Lucy,  John  and  Alice.  Oui-  subject's  father 
was  a  native  of  Kentucky.  His  mother,  Lu- 
cy A.  (Ogden),  a  native  of  Ohio. 

SAVILLA  D.  SHIPMAN,  farmer,  P.  O. 
Hardinsville,  was  born  in  Jackson  County, 
Ind.,  October  6,  1824.  His  father,  Ste- 
phen) and  his  mother  Eleanor  (Gifford), 
were  natives  of  Kentucky.  Our  subject, 
while  but  a  small  boy,  too  small  to  recollect, 
was  taken  by  his  parents  to  Monroe  County, 
Ind.,  and  remained  there  for  some  time,  when 
came  to  Crawford  County,  111.  They  settled 
on  Big  Creek  in  the  timber,  and  remained 
there  three  years,  during  which  time  had  two 
grists  of  corn  ground.  They  subsisted  on 
corn  bread  and  wild  meat.  The  meal  was 
obtained  by  beating  it  in  what  was  called  a 
mortar,  and    sifted  by   a  sieve  made  from  a 


piece  of  raw- hide  stretched  over  a  hoop,  and 
holes  punched  in  by  hot  irons.  Our  subject's 
father,  while  on  Big  Creek,  built  a  water- 
mill.  He  did  all  the  work,  cut  out  the 
stonea  and  shaped  the  irons,  and  on  leaving 
there  they  returned  to  Monroe  County  and 
engaged  in  farming  and  milling,  and  re- 
mained there  two  or  three  years,  at  which 
time,  in  the  fall  of  18^7,  came  back  to  Craw- 
ford County,  Martin  Township,  and  entered 
land  in  Section  3.  Our  subject's  chances  for  _ 
an  education  was  rather  limited,  there  being 
no  schools  in  existence  when  he  first  came 
here,  and  not  until  he  was  nearly  grown. 
The  first  school  he  attended  was  in  Harrods- 
burg,  Ind.,  at  which  time  attended  about  one 
month.  His  father  was  running  a  mill  in 
Greene  County,  Ind.,  for  some  time,  and  while 
they  were  there  our  subject  attended  school 
about  two  months,  and  this  was  all  the 
schooling  he  ever  obtained.  He  remained  at 
home  and  worked  for  his  father  until  twenty- 
two  years  of  age,  at  which  time  engaged  in 
farming  for  himself.  He  entered  forty  acres 
of  timber  land  in  Section  10,  and  commenced 
clearing  it  up.  On  the  13th  day  of  April, 
A.  D.  1848,  he  was  married  to  Mary  Doyl,  a 
native  of  Crawford  County,  111.,  at  which 
time  removed  on  his  land. 

"  PHILIP  SILER,  P.  O.  Grandglade,  was 
born  in  Berkeley  County,  Va. ,  in  the  year 
1793.  At  the  ag^  f  seventeen  (in  1810),  he 
removed  with  his  parents  to  Licking  County, 
Ohio.  He  was  reared  on  a  farm,  and  re- 
ceived the  benefits  of  a  common  school  edu- 
cation. He  attended  school  about  three 
months  in  the  year  until  seventeen  years  of 
age.  His  father  died  before  our  subject  was 
twenty-one,  and  he  had  to  take  the  place  of  a 
father  in  supporting  the  family.  Ho  has 
worked  in  nearly  every  branch  of  business. 
In  1822,  he  engaged  in  "hatting"  in  Mar- 
tinsbm-g,  Knox  Coimty,  Ohio,  and  since  then 


366 


BIOGKAPHICAL: 


he  has  followed  diflerent  occupations.  If  a 
hoase  or  barn  were  to  be  built,  he  could  build 
it,  or  if  any  of  his  family  needed  a  pair  of 
shoes,  he  would  sit  down  and  make  them,  or 
'  even  a  hat — he  would  make  it.  He  was  en- 
gaged in  framing  locks,  bridges  and  culverts 
on  the  Ohio  Canal.  Although  his  main  oc- 
cupation was  farming,  but  branched  into  oth- 
er work.  He  had  gathered  together  340  acres 
of  land  in  Licking  County,  Ohio,  of  which 
he  gave  a  part  to  his  sons  and  sold  the  re- 
mainder, in  1SG8  or  1SG4,  and  since  then  he 
has  been  living  with  his  children  in  different 
places  in  Missouri,  Ohio  and  Illinois.  He 
was  married  in  Ohio  in  1815  or  1816  to  Lav- 
ina  Chanuell,  a  native  of  Virginia.  They 
reared  eight  childi-en,  four-  boys  and  four 
girls,  namely:  Lucinda,  John,  J.  W.,  Adam 
S.,  Sarah  Ann,  Almira,  Rebecca  and  Jere- 
miah. Mr.  Siler  took  part  in  with  the  cause 
of  defending  our  liberties,  and  is  an  old  Jef- 
feraonian  Democrat.  His  father  was  a  sol- 
dier in  the  Revolutionary  war.  Our  subject 
is  a  strong  Calvinistical  Presbyterian,  and 
has  taken  as  much  part  in  the  cause  as  in 
Democracy.  He  has  been  a  professor  of  re 
ligion  for  over  sixty  years.  His  wife  was  a 
Methodist,  and  they  lived  together  in  differ- 
ent chmxh  relationship  until  six  years  before 
her  death,  at  which  time  she  joined  in  with 
him.  She  died  in  Licking  County  in  1855. 
J.  W.  SILER,  farmer,  P.  O.  Grandglade 
Township.  Martin  was  born  in  Licking 
County,  Ohio,  November  12,  1818.  He  was 
reared  there  on  a  farm,  and  received  the  ben- 
efits of  a  common  school  education.  When 
twenty-one  years  of  age,  he  commenced  work- 
ing out  by  the  month  on  a  farm.  He  worked 
about  ten  months,  at  which  time  he  engaged 
in  the  sale  of  Goodrich's  Pictorial  Histoiy  of 
the  United  States;  he  worked  at  that  for  some 
time,  and  he  next  engaged  in  soliciting  or- 
ders for  school  books,   Bibles,  etc.      He  next 


engaged  in  the  sale  of  patent  medicine  for 
three  years.  He  traveled  over  the  eastern 
and  central  part  of  Illinois,  and  on  leaving 
this  State  returned  to  Ohio,  and  attended 
two  terms  of  select  school  at  Fredonia,  at 
which  time  he  purchased  a  small  library  of 
law  books  and  read  law  for  two  years,  at 
which  time  he  was  out  of  money.  Fortu- 
nately his  uncles  were  contractors  of  the  build- 
ing of  the  Ohio  &  Pittsbm-gh  Railroad.  They 
gave  him  a  position  as  overseer  of  a  part  of 
the  work,  at  which  business  he  continued  one 
year.  August  18,  1853,  he  married,  in  Lick- 
ing County,  to  Susan  Snider,  a  native  of 
Perry  County,  Ohio,  at  which  time  he  engaged 
in  farming.  In  March,  1S55,  he  came  to 
Crawford  County,  and  engaged  in  farming, 
in  Oblong  Township,  with  his  brother,  Adam 
S.,  and  in  the  winter  taught  school.  He 
taught  thi-ee  terms  of  school  in  winter  and  in 
the  summer  he  would  farm.  Since  he  has 
been  engaged  in  farming.  He  purchased 
forty  acres  of  raw  land  in  Martin  Township, 
at  first  purchase;  since  then  he  has  added 
eighty  acres,  and  has  eighty-five  acres  in  cul- 
tivation, and  is  engaged  in  the  raising  of 
grain  and  stock.  He  has  been  engaged  in 
the  raising  of  sheep  quite  extensively.  He 
has  two  children,  namely:  Demetrius  Frank- 
lin and  Newton  Wellington.  Mr.  Siler  has 
always  been  a  Democrat,  and  has  served  in 
various  township  offices,  namely,  as  Justice 
of  the  Peace,  two  terms,  and  as  Supervisor, 
one  term.  He  was  reared  by  Christian  people, 
and  at  the  age  of  twenty- four  he  joined  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Chm-ch. 

J.  C.  SPILLMAN,  farmer,  P.  O.  Chaun- 
cey,  was  born  in  Gibson  County,  Ind.,  De- 
cember 13,  1834.  His  father,  John,  was  a 
native  of  Kentucky,  and  emigrated  to  Indiana, 
in  1811.  Our  subject's  mother,  Eliza  Mont- 
gomery, was  a  native  of  Kentucky  also. 
Subject  was  raised  in  Indiana  on  a  farm,  and 


MARTIN    x\.ND   SOUTHWEST    TOWNSHIPS. 


367 


received  the  benefits  of  a  common  school  ed- 
ucation; he  would  attend  Pchool  about  throe 
months  in  the  year.  His  father  dying  before 
he  was  born,  he  was  reared  by  his  uncle,  and 
when  twenty- one  years  of  age  engaged  in 
farming  for  himself.  In  1860,  he  married 
Miss  Amanda  Finch,  a  native  of  Vanderburg 
County,  Ind.  They  have  five  childi-en, 
namely:  Sarah  A.,  Alcy  E.,  George  Jb'.,  John 
C.  and  James.  In  1863,  he  came  to  Craw- 
ford County,  111.,  and  bought  100  acres  of 
improved  land  in  Southwest  Township,  and 
is  successfully  engaged  in  the  raising  of  grain 
principally.  IMi".  Spilhnan  takes  some  part 
in  political  matters.  The  first  vote  he  cast 
for  President  was  for  Lincoln.  He  was 
elected  first  Collector  of  Southwest  Township, 
and  served  two  terms;  he  was  next  elected  as 
Supervisor  and  served  two  terms;  next  elected 
Commissioner  of  Highways,  and  is  at  present 
Supervisor  of  the  township,  having  served 
three  terms  in  succession. 

ISAAC  WEIRICK,  farmer,  P.  O.  Hai-dins- 
■ville,  was  born  in  Lebanon  County,  Penn., 
February  4,  1826.  When  he  was  about  five 
years  of  age,  he  was  taken  by  his  parents  to 
Wayne  County,  Ohio,  and  there  they  pur- 
chased a  small  farm.  Our  subject  was  reared 
on  a  farm  and  his  chances  for  an  education 
was  rather  limited.  His  father  being  a  poor 
man,  he  was  compelled  to  remain  at  home 
and  work  when  there  was  anything  to  do, 
and  when  there  was  no  ui'gent  work  to  do  he 
would  attend  school  in  a  country  log  school- 
house,  within  were  puncheon  seats  and  desks. 
He  attended  school  about  two  months  in  the 
year  until  fifteen  years  of  age,  at  which  time 
he  remained  at  home  and  helped  his  father 
until  between  eighteen  and  nineteen  years  of 
age,  at  which  time  he  went  to  serve  as  an  ap- 
prentice as  shoe-maker  under  his  brother, 
Jacob,  in  West  Lebanon,  Wayne  County, 
Ohio.      After  two  year's  work,  he  learned  the 


trade  and  continued  work  in  the  same  shop 
for  six  months,  at  which  time  he  set  up  a  shop 
in  his  father's  wagon-shop,  near  West  Leba- 
non. October  5,  1848,  he  was  married  to 
Eliza  Reincehl,  a  native  of  Lancaster  County, 
Penn.  She  was  born  December  1,  1830. 
After  marriage  he  removed  to  Stark  County, 
Ohio,  and  after  working  successfully  at  his 
trade  there  for  one  and  one-half  years  he  re- 
moved, in  the  fall  of  1850,  to  De  Kalb  County. 
Ind.,  and  purchased  forty  acres  of  timber 
laud.  He  commenced  improving  his  land 
and  worked  there  on  his  farm  and  at  his  trade 
for  over  four  years,  when,  in  the  spring  of 
1855,  he  came  to  Crawford  County,  and 
bought  100  acres  of  brush  land.  He  remained 
on  his  farm  but  one  year,  when  he  leased  it 
and  bought  an  interest  in  a  steam  saw-mill 
at  New  Hebron.  After  about  one  year's  work 
in  thd  mill,  they  sold  out,  and  our  subject 
worked  there  at  his  trade  for  about  two  years, 
at  which  time,  in  the  spring  of  1861,  he  came 
back  to  his  farm,  and  on  August  12  he  en- 
listed in  Company  D,  Thirtieth  Illinois  Vol- 
unteer Infantry  and  served  three  years.  He 
was  mustered  out  at  Chattanooga,  Tenn.,  in 
August,  1864.  When  he  fii-st  enlisted  he  was 
appointed  Forage  Master  of  the  regimental 
train,  and  after  worked  as  harness  maker 
of  the  regimental  division  train.  He  was  in 
one  battle,  namely,  Belmont,  Mo.  When  he 
was  discharged,  he  came  back  to  his  family 
in  Crawford  County,  and  since  has  been  suc- 
cessfully engaged  in  farming,  and  has  in- 
creased his  farm  to  230  acres,  of  which 
200  acres  is  in  cultivation.  His  main  pro- 
ductions are  grain.  He  has  had  six  chil- 
dren born  to  him — Lucinda,  Simon,  John 
Hem-y,  Mary  Alice,  Laura  Belle  and  Emma 
Elizabeth. 

J.  P.  WILLSON,  farmer,  P.  O.  Hardins- 
ville,  born  in  Guernsey  Coiinty,  Ohio,  Octo- 
ber 11,  1833.     His  father  was   a  native   of 


368 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


Ohio  also,  born  November  30,  1809  He 
emigrated  to  Richland  County,  111.,  in  1839, 
and  entered  wild  land  and  remained  there 
until  his  death,  which  occurred    August    3 1 , 

1843.  Our  subject's  mother,  Rachael  (Pow- 
ell), was  born  in  Pennsylvania  February  1, 
1810,  and  after  the  death  of  her  husband  she 
and  our  subject  came  to  Crawford  County  in 

1844,  and  is  now  living  with  our  subject. 
His  chances  for  an  education  was  very  limit- 
ed owing  to  the  death  of  his  father,  which  oc- 
curred as  above  stated  in  1843,  and  at  that  time 
which  you  can  see,  oui*  subject  was  but  eleven 
years  of  age.  In  1845,  when  but  twelve  years 
of  age,  he  was  compelled  to  go  to  working 
out  by  the  mouth  to  help  support  himself  and 
his  mother's  family.  Mr.  Willson  has  been 
married  twice.  First,  in  January,  1861,  to 
Nancy  J.  Gan-ard,  a  native  of  Crawford.  Her 
death   occurring  in  July,  1863;    he   married 


again,  April  2,  1876,  Emma  Hudson,  a  native 
of  Indiana.  He  enlisted  in  Company  K,  One 
Hundred  and  Twenty-third  Illinois  Volunteer 
Infantry,  in  August,  186'2,  and  was  in  several 
battles,  namely:  Perryville,  Ky.,  Milton, 
Teiin.,  Lavergne,  Tulahoma,  McMinnville, 
Chickamauga,  Hoover's  Gap  and  Farmington, 
and  several  other  battles  and  skirmishes  not 
named.  But  the  last  battle  he  was  in  was  at 
Farmington,  as  above  named,  and  there  was 
shot  in  the  knee  of  the  right  leg.  He  was 
taken  to  a  hospital  at  Shelbyville,  Tenn. ,  and 
there,  October  11,  1863,  had  his  leg  amputat- 
ed. He  remained  in  a  hospital  until  Feb- 
ruary, 1864,  at  which  time  he  was  discharged 
and  came  back  to  Crawford  County;  since,  he 
has  been  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits. 
He  has  sixty  acres  of  land  in  Section  1,  of 
which,  thirty-five  acres,  is  in  cultivation,  and 
his  main  productions  are  grains. 


HONEY   OEEEK  TOWI^SHIP. 


C.  E.  HIGHSlVnTH,  farmer  and  black- 
smith, of  Honey  Creek,  Crawford  Co.,  111., 
was  born  in  Crawford  County  January  17, 
1851.  He  is  the  son  of  Ewing  and  Harriet 
(Wallace)  Highsmith,  the  former,  born  in 
Crawford  County,  and  the  latter  in  Ohio. 
He  was  twice  married,  first  to  Elizabeth  Wal- 
lace, a  sister  of  the  former,  and  born  in  the 
same  State.  By  the  first  marriage,  they  had 
four  children,  viz. :  Sarah  Ann,  Catharine, 
George  R.  and  Rachel  J.  By  the  second, 
eleven,  as  follows :  Joseph  A. ,  Cornelius  E. , 
Mary  E.,  Martha  A.,  Stephen  D.,  Margaret 
M.,  Charles  M.,  Julia  A.,  Nancy  Lavina,  Ar- 
dilla  and  Frank.  Our  subject  was  married 
in  this  county  March  22,  1870,  to  Miss  Mar- 
tha Harris,  of  the  same  county,  though  born 
in  Pennsylvania,  and  moved  to  this  State 
when  a  small  child.      Our  subject   has  three 


children  living  and  one  dead — Ira  F.  Those 
living  are  Ruben.  Walter  and  one  not  named. 
Mr.  Highsmith  was  educated  in  this  county, 
and  was  reared  a  farmer,  which  he  followed 
until  recently.  He  is  now  engaged  in  the 
blacksmith  business.  He  is  favorably  known 
in  the  neighborhood  where  he  lives.  He  was 
elected  to  the  office  of  Justice  of  the  Peace 
in  Honey  Creek  Township  in  1881.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  Missionary  Baptist  Church. 
The  Highsmiths  are  of  English  extraction. 
Their  grandfather,  Richard  Highsmith,  came 
to  this  country  in  an  early  day,  and  from  him 
originated  the  name  of  Highsmith  in  this 
country.  His  advent  to  this  country  was 
probably  before  the  Revolution.  Mr.  High- 
smith's  grandsire  on  his  mother's  side  was 
Benjamin  Wallace,  and,  on  his  father's  side, 
Richard  Highsmith.     He  was  one  of  the  first 


HONEY  CREEK    TOWNSHIP. 


369 


10  assist  in  the  construction  of  the  fort  at 
Russellville,  and  one  of  the  first  to  occupy  it 
with  one  who  aftei-ward  became  his  wife. 

A.  W.  JONES,    an  enterprising  physician 
and  surgeon   of  Flat   Rock,    Crawford  Co., 
111.,  was  born  in  the   same   place  September 
15,  1847.     He  is  the  son  of  John  M.  and  Mrs. 
Elizabeth  Ford  Jones,  the   former   was  born 
in  Butler  County,  Ohio,  December  25,  1815. 
His  occupation  through  life  has  been  that  of 
a  farmer;  he  came  to  Crawford  County  as  early 
as  1832,  at  which  time  the  country  was  a  vast 
wilderness.     His  brother,  Asa,  was   the  first 
to  enter  land  east  of  the  range   road  leading 
from  Mt.  Carmel  to  Chicago.     His  wife,  for- 
merly Mrs.  Elizabeth  Ford,  was  born  in  Ken- 
tucky in  1813,  and  died   in  this  county  Sep- 
tember 22,  1881.     Her  remains  are  reposing 
in  Flat   Rock  Cemetery.     Dr.  Jones'    father 
was  descended  from  Welsh  and  English  par- 
ents, where  many    of  the   same   name    and 
relationship,  have  attained  positions  of  trust 
and   great   personal    influence.     His    gi'ancl- 
father  on  his  father's  side  came  from  Wales, 
and    on   his   mother's   side   from   England. 
The     latter   came   to    America    long   before 
the  Revolution,  and  it  is    supposed  that  they 
settled  in  Virginia.     He  was  a  wagoner  dur- 
ing the  war  of  the  Revolution.     The  marriage 
of  Dr.  Jones'  parents  occurred  December  19, 
1837,  and  by  the  union  resulted  the   births 
of  six  children,  as  follows,  named  in  the  order 
of    their    births:    J.     William,     Sarah  Ann, 
Cynthia  Ann,  A.  W.,  A.  H.and  H.  F.     Sarah 
Ann  and  Cyntha  Ann  are  deceased.     In  early 
life,  Dr.  Jones  spent  his  youth  on  his  father's 
farm,  or,  more  properly    speaking,    in  assist- 
ing his  father   in    opening  and   improving  a 
farm.     In  this  occupation,  the  subject  of  this 
sketch  spent  his  youth,    only  alternating  the 
labors  incident  thereto  with  such  brief  terms 
as  neighborhood  schools  afforded  chances  for 
gaining  a  little  rudimentary  learning.      Dur- 


ing his  years  of  minority,  however,  his  brain 
was  not  idle,  and  his  hard  toil  by  no  means 
exhausted  his  energies  or  blighted  his  ambi- 
tion. Actuated  by  a  desire  for  knowledge, 
and  the  purpose  to  be  and  do  something  for 
his  fellow-men,  he  chose  for  his  life  work  the 
medical  profession,  and,  accordingly,  entered 
the  Otterbein  University,  of  Ohio,  and,  later, 
the  Michigan  University.  He  also  took  a 
scientific  coiu-se  and  gi-aduated,  receiving  the 
degree  of  B.  A.  After  his  graduation,  he  lo- 
cated and  began  the  practice  of  his  profession 
at  LaGrange  County  in  1878,  where  he  re- 
mained but  a  short  time,  and  removed  to  Flat 
Rock  in  August  of  the  same  year.  He  was 
married  in  Logan  County,  111.,  in  1872,  to 
Miss  Mary  E.  Ambrose,  formerly  from  Ohio. 
She  was  born  April  3,  1851.  Three  children 
was  the  result  of  this  union,  as  follows:  Wen- 
dall  Ambrose,  Hanby  R. ,  and  Eva  N.,  who 
died  while  young.  Her  parents  are  Lewis 
D.  and  Nancy  Leib  (Ambrose),  both  of  whom 
were  born  in  Ohio.  Dr.  Jones  is  a  man  of 
pleasant  manners  and  fine  personal  appear- 
ance, a  fluent  speaker  and  conversationalist, 
using  correct  language.  In  politics,  he  is 
well-informed,  and  possessed  of  decided  opin- 
ions, which  he  does  not  seek  to  conceal.  He 
is  a  Republican,  while  not  loud  or  preten- 
tious. He  is  interested  in  the  spread  of  re- 
ligion, morality  and  educational  interests  of 
the  neighborhood  in  which  he  lives. 

JOHN  P.  WEGER,  farmer  and  stock- 
dealer,  of  Honey  Creek  Township,  Crawford 
County,  was  born  in  Lawrence  County,  111., 
April  7,  1839.  William  Weger,  his  father, 
a  hale  old  man  of  many  winters,  is  residing 
near  his  son's  farm,  in  the  same  township. 
He  was  born  in  the  east  part  of  Tennessee, 
the  date  of  which  has  been  made  obscure  by 
the  loss  of  the  records  of  the  family,  but  is 
supposed  to  have  been  about  1808.  He  came 
to  Crawford  County,   in    company   with  his 


370 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


parents,  in  1828,  at  which  time  he  was  but  a 
child.  By  his  marriage  with  Miss  Elizabeth 
Highsmith,  January  8,  1832,  they  had  ten 
children  born  to  them,  amongrst  whom  was 
John  W.,  the  subject  of  this  sketch.  The 
rest  of  the  children  of  the  family  were  Ma- 
lisse,  Matilda,  Mary  E.,  Margaret,  Joseph, 
George  E.,  Eliza  A.  and  James  William. 
Two  not  named  died  in  infancy.  She  was  a 
native  of  Kentucky,  and  died  in  Crawford 
County,  111.,  November  15,  1853.  After  her 
death  he  married  as  second  wife,  Miss  Nancy 
Lackey.  They  had  four  childi-en  born  to 
them,  as  follows:  William  Jasper,  Jesse  N,, 
Sarah  Ann,  Charles  S.  Adam  Lackey,  father 
of  Mrs.  Weger,  was  born  in  Tennessee,  and 
fought  under  Gen.  Marion  during  the  Revolu- 
tion. Her  name  was  Catharine  Lester.  She 
was  born  in  Tennessee,  and  was  the  mother 
of  eighteen  children.  She  died  about  the 
year  1856.  Mr.  Weger  was  reared  a  farmer, 
and  his  early  life  was  necessarily  accompa- 
nied by  hardships  and  privations  incident  to 
pioneer  life.  He,  however,  acquired  a  fair  edu- 
cation in  the  neighborhood  school.  Though 
poor,  yet  possessed  with  the  riches  of  hardi- 
hood and  the  industrious  characteristics  of 
his  father,  he  soon  made  a  start  in  life,  and 
at  the  present  time  is  one  of  the  principal 
farmers  and  stock-dealers  of  the  county.  He 
was  married  in  Crawford  County,  111.,  April 
2,  1868,  to  Miss  Lavina  Jones,  daughter  of 
Lewis  and  Polly  Jones.  Both  were  born  in 
Pennsylvania,  the  former,  August  6,  1801, 
and  the  latter,  1807.  Mi-.  Weger  has  five 
children,  as  follows:  Mary  Elizabeth,  Jose- 
phine, John  O.,  Carl  Carson  and  Louisa. 
He  and  wife  are  both  members  of  the  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  Church.  He  is  also  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Masonic  fraternity,  in  which  he 
officiated  as  Worthy  Master  for  ten  years. 

GEORGE    PARKER,   farmer,   of   Honey 
Creek,  Crawford  County,  111.,  was  born  near 


Four  Mile  Creek,  which  runs  through  Butler 
County,  Ohio,  in  1812.  His  father  was 
Samuel  Parker,  a  native  of  Kentucky,  in  which 
State  he  was  born  in  1782.  He  removed  from 
that  State  to  Ohio  in  an  early  day,  and  to 
Illinois  in  1819.  Dui-iug  his  residence  in 
Kentucky,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Sarah  New- 
man, who  was  in  -that  State  at  a  point  where 
the  Rolling  Forks  and  Beech  Forks  join,  about 
1783.  They  reared  a  family  of  ten  children, 
live  boys  and  five  girls.  Their  names  are  as 
follows:  Merinty,  John,  George,  William, 
Julia,  Rachel,  James  and  Annie,  and  two 
others  not  named.  Mi\  Parker  came  with 
his  parents  to  Russelville,  111.,  in  1816,  at 
which  time  the  country  was  wild  and  unset- 
tled, and  the  Indians  were  running  wild  all 
over  the  land.  His  father  was  amongst  the 
first  few  white  settlers  who  first  entered  land 
in  this  county,  and  om-  subject's  early  life 
was  devoted  to  assisting  his  father  in  improv- 
ing and  making  a  farm.  In  the  meanwhile, 
he  attended  the  neighborhood  school,  and  as 
often  as  permitted,  and  thus  succeeded  in  ob- 
taining a  fair  practical  education.  Early  in 
life  he  joined  the  Missionary  Baptist  Church, 
and  for  many  years  after  preached  at  vai'ious 
places  throughout  the  county.  He  has  been 
twice  married — first  to  Miss  Pattie  Henry,  and 
again  to  Mrs.  Jane  Monroe,  formerly  wife  of 
Powell  Conover.  By  the  first  union  he  reared 
a  family  of  ten  children,  as  follows:  Annie, 
William,  Eliza  J.,  John,  Hem-y,  Julia,  Sarah 
A.,  Washington,  La  Fayette  and  Barbara 
A.  Mr.  Parker  is  of  Dutch-English  origin. 
His  maternal  grandparents  were  Dutch,  while 
on  his  mother's  side  they  were  English.  John 
Parker,  a  brother  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch 
ia  a  resident  of  the  county,  and  was  a  soldier 
in  the  Black  Hawk  war. 

JOHN  R.  SHAW,  farmer,  of  Honey  Creek, 
Crawford  County,  111.,  was  born  in  Henry 
County,  Ky.,  July  3,  1832.     His  father,  Ste- 


HONEY    CREEK    TOWNSHIP. 


371 


pben  Shaw,  was  bom  in  Virginia  in  1810. 
He  removed  from  that  State  to  Kentucky  in 
1824,  where  he  followed  farming  until  the 
time  of  his  death  in  1837.  His  remains  re- 
pose in  Shelby  Coimty,  that  State.  He  was 
a  man  of  widespread  influence  amongst  the 
people  of  his  State,  having  been  once  ap- 
pointed Paymaster  of  Pensions  for  the  South- 
ern District  of  Kentucky,  and  prominent  in 
Masonic  circles  of  that  State.  He  was  a 
farmer  by  occupation,  and  on  bis  farm  our 
subject  was  reai-ed  and  educated.  His  mother, 
formerly  Miss  Milcah  Nutall,  was  born  in  the 
same  State  about  the  year  1812.  After  her 
husband's  death,  in  1837,  she  came  to  Illinois 
in  1846,  and  made  her  home  with  her  son 
John  E.  She  is  now  deceased,  and  her  re- 
mains are  deposited  in  the  Jones  Cemetery, 
in  this  township.  Seven  children  constituted 
this  family.  Mr.  Shaw  received  his  educa 
tion  at  the  seminary  at  Newi^astle,  Ky.,  and 
in  late  years  has  been  dealing  in  live  stock, 
in  connection  with  farming.  He  is  a  man  of 
sterling  integrity,  and  is  widely  known  and 
respected.  In  addition  to  the  above,  it  is 
but  justice  to  add  that  his  success  in  life  is 
owing  to  his  extreme  energy.  He  was  mai'- 
ried  in  Crawford  County.  111.,  October,  1850, 
to  Miss  Rosana  Parker,  youngest  daughter 
of  Jonathan  Parker.  She  was  born  in  this 
county  in  1835.  Eleven  children  was  the  re- 
sult of  this  happy  union,  as  follows:  Cass- 
andra, Elvessa  M.,  Stephen  B.,  Mary  F., 
William  D.,  Lawretta,  Martha  E.,  Deborah, 
Scilman  P.,  John  L.,  and  Morris.  Mr.  Shaw 
is  of  Irish  extraction.  His  great-grandfather, 
James  Shaw,  came  to  America  at  an  early 
period,  and  settled  in  Virginia  He  served 
as  a  soldier  under  Washington,  and  was  with 
him  at  Valley  Forge,  and  lost  an  arm  in  the 
service  of  his  country.  Mr.  Shaw's  own 
grandsire  was  born,  reared  and  died  in  Vir- 
ginia    His  great-grandfather,  on  his  mother's 


side,  was  of  Welsh  extraction,  and  a  seafar. 
ing  man.  His  grandson,  John  Mone,  served 
during  the  Revolutionary  war,  and  was  capt- 
ured by  the  Indians.  Price  Nutall,  grand- 
father of  our  subject,  oo  his  mother's  side, 
was  a  Major  in  the  war  of  1812,  and  his  son, 
Elijah  F.,  was  a  noted  criminal  lawyer,  and 
was  twice  elected  to  the  Legislature  of  that 
State  (Kentucky). 

WILLIAM  THOMPSON,  farmer,  Honey 
Creek  Township,  Crawford  County,  III.,  was 
born  in  Blount  County,  East  Tenn.,  October 
28,  1816.  His  father  Alexander  Thompson, 
a  fuller  by  trade  and  later  a  farmer,  was  a 
native  of  Pennsylvania.  He  removed  from 
that  State  to  Indiana  about  the  year  1831, 
here  he  bought  some  improved  land  and  re- 
mained until  the  death  of  his  wife,  formally 
Mrs.  Elizabeth  Neal.  Five  years  later  or, 
about  1836  he  came  to  Illinois  and  lived 
amongst  his  children  until  the  time  of 
his  death.  Mrs.  Thompson  was  born  in 
East  Tennessee.  Eight  children  were  born 
to  them  as  follows:  Sarah,  wife  of  Arch- 
ibald McCalie,  John,  Margarett,  Rachel, 
Polie  Ann,  Alexander,  William  and  Rachel. 
Mr.  Thompson  was  married  in  Crawford 
County,  111.,  January  1,  1839,  to  Miss  Mar- 
garet Walace,  who  was  born  in  Blount  County, 
Tenn.,  December  8,  1816.  Her  parents 
were  Benjamin  and  iCachael  (Neal)  Wallace, 
nine  children  was  the  result  of  this  union,  as 
named — Elizabeth,  Joseph,  Alexander,  Rach- 
el, Newton,  John  C,  James  R.,  George  A. 
and  Cyrus  B.,  George  A.  is  deceased.  When 
the  war  of  the  rebellion  broke  out  in  1861, 
Mr.  Thompson  fm-nished  two  sons,  who 
served  from  the  beginning  to  the  end  of  the 
great  struggle,  viz. :  Joseph  and  Alexander, 
they  were  members  of  the  twenty-first  Illinois 
Volunteer  Inf antiy.  Mr.  Thompson  received 
an  education  such  as  the  common  schools  of 
Indiana  afforded,  after  which  he  learned  tho 


372 


BIOGRAPHICAl^: 


shoe-making  trade,  at  which  he  worked  for 
many  years  after  he  came  to  Illinois  in  connec- 
tion with  farming.  Since  his  settlement  in 
Honey  Creek  Township,  he  has  filled  many  of 
the  town  offices  from  the  office  of  Justice  of 
the  Peace  down.  His  popularity  as  an 
officer  has  made  for  him  friends  in  the  town- 
ship and  widely  and  favorably  known.  He 
traces  his  ancestral  lineage  to  Scotland  and 
Ireland.  His  great-grandfather  on  his 
father's  side  was  Scotch,  while  on  his  great- 
grandmother's  side  they  were  Irish,  her 
name  before  coming  to  this  country  was 
O'Neal,  but  since  their  advent  to  America 
the  O  has  been  dropped.  The  same  extrac- 
tion prevails  on  Mrs.  Thompson's  side.  Ben- 
jamin Wallace,  her  father,  enlisted  as  a  sol- 
dier for  the  Black  Hawk  war  and  started  to 
join  his  regiment,  but  after  five  days  re- 
tui'ned,  his  services  iiot  being  needed.  He 
removed  to  Ohio  in  an  early  day,  but  came 
to  Crawford  County,  1838,  where  he  entered 
land  and  where  he  died. 

LOUIS  TOHILL,  farmer,  Honey  Creek 
Township,  Crawford  County,  111.,  was  born 
in  this  county  in  1830.  His  father,  John 
Tohill,  a  farmer  also,  was  a  native  of  Penn- 
sylvania, where  he  was  born  in  1816.  He 
removed  from  that  State  to  Ohio  with  his 
parents  at  the  age  of  seven  years.     Here  he 


spent  his  youth.  He  was  educated  in  the 
neighborhood  school,  and  subsequently  mar- 
ried Miss  Maith  Springer,  in  1838,  after 
which  he  removed  to  Crawford  County,  111., 
where,  soon  after  his  arrival,  he  entered  a 
piece  of  land  two  miles  east  of  Flat  Rock. 
After  selling  which,  a  few  years  later,  he 
removed  to  Macon  County  in  1863.  Mrs. 
Tohill.  formerly  Miss  Maith  Springer,  was 
born  in  Ohio  in  1818.  In  her  father's  fam- 
ily there  were  thirteen  children,  named  in 
the  order  of  their  births  as  follows:  Lewis, 
Noah,  John,  Mary,  Jonah,  Lawi'ence,  Mar- 
tha, George,  Andrew,  Sarah,  Eli,  Ella  and 
Clara.  Our  subject  spent  his  youth  assisting 
his  father  to  improve  and  make  a  farm, 
and  was  educated  at  a  subscription  school,  in 
this  county.  He  was  twice  married,  first  to 
Miss  Cynthia  Ann  Jones,  in  1867.  Seven 
children  was  the  result  of  the  union,  as  fol- 
lows: William,  Noah,  Ira,  Henry,  Lillian 
and  Elizabeth.  His  second  marriage,  with 
Mis"  Amanda  Fisher,  occm-red  in  1875,  by 
which  they  have  had  born  to  them  three  chil- 
dren, viz. :  Dora,  and  two  not  named.  Mrs. 
Tohill  was  born  in  Crawford  County  in  1853. 
Her  father  was  George  Fisher,  and  her 
mother  formerly  Miss  Elizabeth  Hickey,  was 
born  in  Pennsylvania.  His  first  wife  was 
born  in  Ohio.     Her  father  was   John   Jones. 


LIOKII^G  TOAVNSHIP. 


JAMES  T.  ATHEY,  farmer  and  stock- 
raiser  of  Licking  Township,  Crawford 
County,  111.,  and  son  of  Robert  and  Miss 
Louisa  Smith  (Athey);  was  born  in  Frederick 
County,  Md.,  1831.  His  father  and  mother 
were  both  born  in  Virginia.  The  former  in 
Prince  "William  County,  1801,  and  the  latter 
it  is  supposed  in  the  same  county,  1810. 
They   removed    to    Licking   County,    Ohio, 


where  she  died  1835;  by  this  union  they  had 
I  three  children,  namely,  James  T.,  William 
(a  resident  of  Hutsonville  Township),  and  Mil- 
ton, a  resident  of  Ohio.  His  father  married 
again,  1838,  to  Miss  Mary  Roberts.  By  this 
union  they  reared  four  girls  and  three  sons. 
He  came  to  Illinois,  1850,  and  settled  in  the 
southwestern  part  of  Hutsonville  Township, 
where  he  bought  a  farm  of  200  acres.      Oiu- 


LICKING    TOWNSHIP. 


373 


subject  was  educated  in  the  common  schools 
of  Ohio,  and  came  with  his  parents  to  this 
county  when  a  young  man.      He  was  married, 
1855,  to  Miss  Uretta  S.  Baker,  the  result  of 
which  union  was  six  children — George,  de- 
ceased,  Hemy,  Clarissa,  Mary,  and  one  who 
died   in   infancy.     Lorenus  Baker,  father  of 
Mrs.  Athey,  was  bom  in  Vermont,  1810.     He 
removed  to  Ohio  in  an  early  day,  where  he 
married   Miss  Clarissa   Wilson,  some    three 
years    after  which  they  removed   to   Edgar 
County,   111.,   and    from    there  to  Clark  and 
Crawford  Counties,  1850.    Mrs.  Athey  having 
died,  Mr.  Athey  was  married  a  second  time, 
in  July,  1882,  to  Miss  Elvina  Simms.  daugh- 
ter of   Conrad  and  Charity  Shook  Simms,  of 
this  county;  she  was  one  of  the  early  settlers 
who  took  refuge   from   the  Indians    in    the 
fort  at   Palestine.     It   is  supposed  that   Mr. 
Simms  was  one  of  the  number  also.     In  this 
family  there  were  eight  children,  four  boys 
and  four  girls,  who  are  living  in  the  neigh- 
borhood.     Mr.  Athey's  business  qualities,  to- 
gether with  his  affable  nature,  has  made  him 
widely  and  favorably   known.     He  owns  220 
acres  of  choice  land  in  this  county,  which  is 
the  result  of  his  own  efforts. 

ROBERT  R.  LINCOLN,  farmer,  Licking 
Township,  Crawford  County,  111.,  was  born 
in  Zanesville,  Muskingum  Co.,  Ohio,  Decem- 
ber 19,  1822.  His  father,  Leonard  Lincoln, 
was  a  machinist  and  nailer,  who  removed  to 
Zanesville  in  an  early  day,  where  he  worked 
in  the  first  nail  factory  in  Ohio.  He  was 
born  in  Massachusetts  about  1800  and  died 
at  Zanesville  in  1830.  He  was  married  soon 
after  his  arrival  in  Musliingum  County,  to 
Miss  Nancy  Dick,  daughter  of  Esquire  Dick, 
who  was  the  first  blacksmith  of  Falls  Town- 
ship. She  was  born  in  Pennsylvania  about 
1802.  Seven  sons  were  born  to  them,  as  fol- 
lows: Robert  R..  John,  Dudley,  George, 
Abraham,  Elijah    and    one    not   named,  who 


died  in  infancy.     Of    this  family  two   only 
survive,    the   oldest   and   youngest,  namely, 
Robert  R.  and    Elijah.      After  the  death  of 
Mr.  Lincoln,  Mrs.  Lincoln  married  William 
Baker,  who  was  the  first  to  keep  a  tavern  in 
Falls  Township.      In    1852,   she  died.     Our 
subject  received  a  fair  common  school  educa- 
tion in  Ohio,  where  he  afterward  worked  in 
a  machine    shop,  and   for    two   years   ran   a 
steamboat  on  the  river.      In  1842,  he  came 
to  Crawford  County,  111.,  where  for  the  first 
few  years  he  worked  at  anything  he  could 
find  to  do,  until  he  had  accumulated  enough 
with  which  to  make  a  start  in  life.      In  1848, 
he  entered  160  acres  of  land  on   Sections   29 
and  81,  and  subsequently  bought  400  acres 
adjoining,   in    different    sections.       He    was 
joined  in   marriage  with  Miss  Mary   Lamb, 
daughter  of  William  Lamb,  of   Ohio,  Janua- 
ry 5,  1850.     This  union  was  blessed  by  the 
births  of  the  following  children:     Charles  B., 
Henry  C,  Emma  J.,  Ai-aminta  and  one  that 
died  in  infancy.     William  and  Isabell  (Lam- 
berson)  Lamb,  parents  of  Mrs.  Lincoln,  were 
natives    of    Virginia.     Their  children    were 
Isaac,    John,    Samuel,    Mary,  Ann,    Sophia, 
Alexander,  Eliza  and  Margaret.      Mr.    Lin- 
coln   is    a    great  nephew    of     ex-Gov.    Lin- 
coln of  Massachusetts,  and  perhaps  a  distant 
relative  to  Abraham  Lincoln.     One  tradition 
afiu-ms  that  the   Lincoln    family  originated 
at   Hingham,   Mass. ,  and  was   derived   from 
a  common  stock,  with   Gen.   Benjamin  Lin- 
coln,   of    Revolutionary    fame,    and    this    is 
doubtless  a  branch  of  the  same  family, 

M.  T.  VANCE,  farmer.  Licking  Township, 
Crawford  County,  III,  was  born  in  Licking 
County,  Ohio,  Febniary  9,  1834.  His  father, 
John  E.  Vance,  also  a  farmer,  was  born  in 
Shenandoah  County,  Va. ,  August  18,  1797. 
He  removed  from  that  State  to  Ohio  about 
1815,  where  he  bought  land,  and  subsequent- 
ly married   Miss  Maria  Holden,  daughter  of 


374 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


Alexander  Holden,  who  was  born  in  Virginia, 
and  removed  to  Ohio  in  1804,  where  he  died. 
Of  our  subject's  father's  family  there  were 
the  following  children:  Alice,  Riley,  Mary 
Jane,  Ruth,  John  A.  and  Louis.  IVIrs. 
Vance's  mother  was  Isabell  Lamberson.  She 
was  born  in  Pennsylvania.  Her  father  was 
William  Lamb,  and  in  this  family  there  were 
nine  children.  Our  subject  was  reared  on 
a  farm,  and  educated  in  the  common  schools 
of  Ohio.  In  1847,  he  came  to  Crawford 
County,  at  which  time  he  was  fourteen  years 
old.  His  father  bought  120  acres  of  land 
soon  after  their  arrival,  on  Section  33,  and 
120  acres  after.  His  father  died  in  1855  and 
his  mother  in  1857.  Oiu-  subject  was  mar- 
ried in  1859,  to  Miss  Mai-gtirec  Lamberson. 
They  have  had  nine  children,  as  follows:  John 
A.,  Almenia  A.,  Louis  Clay,  Ira  Lincoln, 
Louisa,  Margaret,  and  Malone  (twins)  and 
Emma  M.     One  died  in  infancy. 


G.  H.  WIMAN,  farmer.  Licking  Town- 
ship, Crawford  County,  111.,  was  born  in  the 
same  coimty  in  1847.  His  father,  James 
Wiman,  was  among  the  first  early  settlers  of 
Crawford  County.  He  came  to  the  county 
about  18 IG.  He  was  born  in  KentucW  about 
1812;  and  is  still  living  in  this  county.  He 
began  life  empty  handed,  and  through  in- 
dustry and  economy  acquired  some  1,100 
acres  of  land,  which  he  divided  among  his 
children,  except  500  acres  which  he  still 
owns.  His  children  are  all  living,  among 
whom  are  Jacob,  Elizabeth,  Margaret.  Sarah, 
Emily,  G.  H,  Albert,  Lucie  A.  and  Rebecca. 
Our  subject  was  educated  in  the  common 
schools  of  the  county,  and  reared  a  farmer. 
He  was  married,  in  1872,  to  Miss  Jane  Barr, 
daughter  of  Dr.  Frank  Barr.  Three  chil- 
dren was  the  result  of  the  union,  as  follows: 
Edgar,  Louis  and  Martha.