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THE
HTSTOEY
OF
LIVINGSTON COUNTY,
ILLINOIS
CONTAINING
A History of the County— its Cities, Towns, &c. ; a Directory of its
Tax-Payers; War Record of its Volunteers in the late Re-
bellion ; Portraits of Early Settlers and Prominent Men ;
General and Local Siatistics; Map of Livingston
County; History of Illinois, Illustrated;
History of the Northwest, Illustrated;
Constitution of the United States,
Miscellaneous Matters,
Ac, &e.
IIJLTJSTI^^^TE^D
> <»> »
CHICAGO:
WM. LE BARON, JR., & CO., 18G DEARBORN STREET.
1878.
^1 7.3^/
PREFACE
TN presenting our History of Livingston County, we deem a few prefatory words
necessary. We have spared neither pains nor expense to fulfill our engagement with
our patrons and make the work as complete as possible. We have actjd up »n the
principle that justice to those who have subscribed, be they few or many, requires that
the work should be as well done as if it was patronized by every citizen in the county.
We do not claim that our work is entirely free from errors ; such a result could not be
attained by the utmost care and foresight of ordinary mortals. The General History of
the County was compiled by 0. F. Pearre, Esq., of Pontiac ; and the Township His-
tories by our historians, W. H. Perrin, H. H. Hill and A. A. (Iraham. Some of the
Township Histories are indeed longer than others, as the townships are older, containing
larger cities and towns, and have been the scenes of more important and interesting
events. While fully recognizing this important difference, the historians have sought to
write up each township with equal fidelity to the facts and information within their
reach. We take this occasion to present our thanks to all our numerous subscribers
for their patronage and encouragement in the publication of the work. In this confident
belief, we submit it to the enlightened judgment of those for whose benefit it has been
prepared, believing that it will be received as a most valuable and complete work.
THE PUBLISHEKS.
CHIOAGO:
CULVER, PAGE, HOTNK & CO., PRINTERS,
IIB and 120 Monroe Street.
CONTENTS.
Page.
HUtory Northwest Territory 19
Geographical 19
Early Exploration 20
discovery of the Ohio ■i'i
English Explorations and Settle-
ments 35
American Settlements 60
Division of the Northwest Terri-
tory 66
Tecumseh and the war of 1812 70
Black Hawk and the Black Hawk
War 74
HISTORICAI..
Paoe. I
Other Indian Troubles 79
Present Condition nf the Northwest 87
Illinois 99
Indiana 101
Iowa 102 1
Michigan 103
Wisconsin 104 |
Minnesota .106
Nebraska 107
History of Illinois 109 I
Coal 125 I
Compact of 1787 117
Paoe.
History of Chicago 132
Early Discoveries 109
Early Settlements 115
Education 129
First French Occupation.... 112
Genius of La Salle 113
Material Resources 124
Massacre ol Fort Dearborn 141
Physical Features 121
Progress of Development 123
Religion and Morals 128
War Record of Illinois 130
Paoe.
Source of the Mississippi 21
Mouth of the Mississippi 21
Wild Prairie «3
La Salle Landing on the Shore of
Green Bay 25
Buffalo Hunt 27
Trapping 29
Hunting- 32
Iroquois Chief. 34
Pontiac, the Ottawa Chieftain 43
Indians Attacking Frontiersmen... 56
A Prairie Storm 59
A Pioneer Dwelling 61
Breaking Prairie 63
ILIiUSTRATIONS.
I Paoe.
Tecumseh, the Shawnee Chieftain... 69
Indians Attacking a Stockade 72
Black Hawk, the Sac (Chieftain 75
Big Eagle 80
Captain Jack, the Modoc Chieftain.. 83
Kinzic House 85
! Village Residence 86
A Representative Pioneer 87
Lincoln Monument, Springfield, 111. 88
A Pioneer School House 89
Farm View in the Winter 90
High Bridge and Lake Bluflf 94
Great Iron Bridge of Chicago, Rock
Island & Pacific Railroad, Cross-
Paob.
ing the River at Davenport. Iowa 96
A Western Dwelling 100
Hunting Prairie Wolves at an
Early Day ......108
Starved Rock, on the Illinois River,
La Salle County, 111 HO
An Early Settlement lib
Chicago in 1833 133
Old Fort Dearft-on in 1830 1S6
Present site of Lake Street Bridge,
Chicago, in 1833 136
Pioneers' First Winter 142
View of the City of Chicago 144
Shabbona 149
l.IVIIIf«STO]¥ t'OirXTY IIISTORT.
Page.
General History of Livingston Co..223
Avoca Township 375
Amity " 404
Belle Prairie " 351
Broughton " 4.58
Chatsworth " 388
Charlotte ' 450
Dwigbt " 479
Eameu " 540
Eppard's Point" 512
Forreiit " 519
Paoe.
Fayette Township 562
Germantown " 570
Indian Grove " 327
Long P.iint " ■''00
Newtown " 531
Nebraska " 468
Nevada " 428
Ortell " 3.58
Owego " 422
Pontiac " 291
Paoe*
Pleasant Ridge Township 415
Pike " 461
RooksCi.-ek " 436
Round Grove '■ 445
Reading " ■'""*
SHunemin " 397
Sullivan " 475
Sunlinry " 555
Union ■■ 506
Waldo " 464
LilTHOU K.\ HIIIC 1><»IM'RA 1 1 .S.
IV. .ii r '.
Burton, AIIh., A •.'75 Ib.M. S A /!••; N'' '■" I ••
Bullurd, .1 T ■v. Ilol.lri.igr, K. 1 47:1 N.lxi.. Mm.
Bn-liigh, W.C ^.">5 .leiikinn. W ii IM I', am- «>. K..
f illver, .I..He|.h K -.^21 Kraik, I. J 3ii .>tiii»ii 1. ■ ..
(Uvanaiigh, J. A 54.'i Muidi.ck, I) L 2.57 Tiitllf. Z.pli.'
riear.v. M 4:i7 M<k)Ii, All»-rt 50!) Wyllic, .I..I111
K..r«lick, Samuel T ..:v^9
I
..t !•
,...:ill
. 4;u
liMl\<iST0X < 01 XTY WAR Ri:<'ORI>.
Infantry..
Paoe. I
591 I ("avaliy.
Paok.
y I .\rlillery
I'aOB.
...620
35051
ly
CONTENTS.
BIOGBAPHICAI. SKETCHRS.
Page. [ Page.
Avoca Township 7.31 Fayette Township 804
Amity " 698 Germantown Township 816
Belle Prairie Township 790
Broughton
Chatsworth
Charlotte
Dwight
Esmen
Eppard's Point
Forrest
.817
.751
.800
.667
.726
.796
.763
Indian Grove
Long Point
Newtown
Nebraska
Nevada
Odell
Owego
Pontiar
.737
,....720
,....705
808
....695
....655
....819
623
Page.
Pike Township 810
Pleasant Kidge Township 820
Rook's Creek " 793
Bound Grove " 690
Beading " 715
Saunemin " 776
Sullivan " 784
Sunbury " 680
Union ' " 685
Waldo " 813
niRE<'IORY OF TAX-PAYEKS.
I'AIJK.
Avoca Township 876
Amity " 849
Belle Prairie Township 861
Broughton " 8.55
Chatsworth " 839
Charlotte " 880
Dwight " 8.36
Esmen " 882
Eppard's Point " 860
Forrest " 843
Fayette " 883
Germantown " 883
Indian Grove " 832
Page.
LoLg Point Township 867 [
Newtown " 847'
Nebraska " 869
Nevada " 875]
Odell " 842
Owego " 881 t
Pontiac •' 828
Pike " 865
Pleasant Bidge " 874 ,
Rook's Creek " 878
Round Grove " 862 I
Reading " 846 |
Page.
Saunemin Township 856
Sullivan " 858
Suntiury " 864
Union " 853
Waldo " 871
Chatsworth Village 838
Cornell " 851
Dwight " 834
Fairbury " 829
Forrest " 845
Odell " 841
Pontiac City 826
ABSTRACT OF ILrEINOIS STATE L.A\VS.
Page.
Adoption of Children ..160
Bills of Exchange and Promissory
Notes 151
County Courts 155
(Conveyances 164
Church Organizations 189
Descent 151
Deeds and Mortgages 157
Drainage 163
Damages from Trespass..., 169
Definition of Commercial Terms 173
Exemptions from Forced Sale 156
Estrays 157
Fences 168
Forms :
Articles of Agreement 175
Bills of Purchase 174
Bills of Sale 176
Bonds 176
Page.
Chattel Mortgages 177
Codicil 189
Lease of Farm and Build-
ings 179
Lease of House 180
Landlord's Agreement 180
Notes 174
Notice Tenant to Quit 181
Orders 174
Quit Claim Deed 185
Receipt 174
Real Estate Mortgaged to Secure
Payment of Money 181
Release 186
Tenant's Agreement 180
Tenant's Notice to Quit 181
Warranty Deed 182
Will 187
Paoe
Game 168
Interest 151
Jurisdiction of Courts 154
Limitation of Action 155
Landlord and Tenant 169
Liens 172
Married Women 156
Millers 159
Marks and Brands 159
Paupers 164
Roads and Bridges 161
Surveyors and Surveys 160
Suggestions to Persons Purchasing
Books by Subscription 190
Taxes 164
Wills and Estates 152
Weights and Measures 158
Wolf Scalps 164
Page.
Map of Livingston County Front
Constitution of the U. S 192
Electors of President and Vice Pres-
ident 206
Practical Rules for Every Day Use.207
U. S. Government Land Measure. ..210
Agricultural Productions of Illi-
nois by Counties, 1870 210
Surveyors" Measure 211
How to Keep Accounts 211
Interest Table 212
Miscellaneous Tables 212
9IIS€EL.I.ABrv:OVS.
Page.
Names of the States of the Union
and their Signification 213
Population of the United States 214
Population of Fifty Principal Cities
of the United States 214
Population and Area of the United
States 216
Population of the Principal Coun-
tries in the World 215
Population of Illinois 216-217
State Laws Relating to Interest 218
State Laws Belating to Limitations
of Actions 219
Paok.
Productions of Agriculture of Illi-
nois 220
Population of Livingston Co 622
Business Directory 885
Assessors' Report 898
Old Settlers' Association 583
Drainage 821
Illinois National Guards 589
Fairbury Zouave Cadets 690
Livingston County Court House 588
Geological Features 579
Agricultural Association 573
Errata 896
The Northwest Territory.
GEOGRAPHICAL POSITION.
When the Northwestern Territory was ceded to the United States
by Virginia in 1784, it embraced only the territory lying between the
Ohio and the Mississippi Rivers, and north to the northern limits of the
United States. It coincided with the area now embraced in the States
of Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, Illinois, Wisconsin, and that portion of
Minnesota lying on the east side of the Mississippi River. The United
States itself at that period extended no farther west than the Mississippi
River ; but by the purchase of Louisiana in 1803, the western boundary
of the United States was extended to the Rocky Mountains and the
Northern Pacific Ocean. The new territory thus added to the National
domain, and subsequently opened to settlement, has been called the
" New Northwest," in contradistinction from the old " Northwestern
Territory."
In comparison with the old Northwest this is a territory of vast
magnitude. It includes an area of 1,887,850 square miles ; being greater
in extent than the united areas of all the Middle and Southern States,
including Texas. Out of this magnificent territory have been erected
eleven sovereign States and eight Territories, with an aggregate popula-
tion, at the present time, of 13,000,000 inhabitants, or nearly one third of
the entire population of the United States.
Its lakes are fresh-water seas, and the larger rivers of the continent
flow for a thousand miles through its rich alluvial valleys and far-
stretching prairies, more acres of which are arable and productive of the
highest percentage of the cereals than of any other area of like extent
on the globe.
For the last twenty years the increase of population in the North-
west has been about as three to one in any other portion of the United
States.
(10)
20 THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY.
EARLY EXPLORATIONS.
In the year 1541, DeSoto first saw the Great West in the New
World. He, however, penetrated no farther north than the 35th parallel
of latitnde. The expedition resulted in his death and that of more than
half his army, the remainder of whom found their way to Cuba, thence
to Spain, in a famished and demoralized condition. DeSoto founded no
settlepaents, produced no results, and left no traces, unless it were that
he awakened the hostility of the red man against the white man, and
disheartened such as might desire to follow up the career of discovery
for better purposes. The French nation were eager and ready to seize
upon any news from this extensive domain, and were the first to profit by
DeSoto's defeat. Yet it was more than a century before any adventurer
took advantage of these discoveries.
In 1616, four years before the pilgrims " moored their bark on the
wild New England shore," Le Caron, a French Franciscan, had pene-
trated through the Iroquois and Wyandots (Hurons) to the streams which
run into Lake Huron ; and in 1631:, two Jesuit missionaries founded the
first mission among the lake tribes. It was just one hundred years from
the discovery of the Mississippi by DeSoto (1541) until the Canadian
envoys met the savage nations of the Northwest at the Falls of St. Mary,
below the outlet of Lake Superior. This visit led to no permanent
result ; yet it was not until 1659 that any of the adventurous fur traders
attempted to spend a Winter in the frozen wilds about the great lakes,
nor was it until 1660 that a station was established upon their borders by
Mesnard, who perished in the woods a few months after. In 1665, Claude
Allouez built the earliest lasting habitation of the white man among the
Indians of the Northwest. In 1668, Claude Dablon and James Marquette
founded the mission of Sault Ste. Marie at the Falls of St. Mary, and two
years afterward, Nicholas Ferrot, as agent for M. Talon, Governor Gen-
eral of Canada, explored Lake Illinois (Michigan) as far south as the
present City of Chicago, and invited the Indian nations to meet him at a
grand council at Sault Ste. Marie the following Spring, where they were
taken under the protection of the king, and formal possession was taken
of the Northwest. This same year Marquette established a mission at
Point St. Ignatius, where was founded the old town of Michillimackinac.
During M. Talon's explorations and Marquette's residence at St.
Ignatius, they learned of a great river away to the west, and fancied
— as all others did then — that upon its fertile banks whole tribes of God's
children resided, to whom the sound of the Gospel had never come.
Filled with a wish to go and preach to them, and in compliance with a
THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY.
21
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22 THE NORTHWEST TERRITOxxY.
request of M. Talon, who earnestly desired to extend the domain of his
king, and to ascertain whether the river flowed into the Gulf of Mexico
or the Pacific Ocean, Marquette with Joliet, as commander of the expe-
dition, prepared for the undertaking.
On the 13th of May, 1673, the explorers, accompanied by five assist-
ant French Canadians, set out from Mackinaw on their daring voyage of
discovery. The Indians, who gathered to witness their departure, were
astonished at the boldness of the undertaking, and endeavored to dissuade
them from their purpose by representing the tribes on the Mississippi as
exceedingly savage and cruel, and the river itself as full of all sorts of
frightful monsters ready to swallow them and their canoes together. But,
nothing daunted by these terrific descriptions, Marquette told them he
was willing not only to encounter all the perils of the unknown region
they were about to explore, but to lay down his life in a cause in which
the salvation of souls was involved ; and having prayed together they
separated. Coasting along the northern shore of Lake Michigan, the
adventurers entered Green Bay, and passed thence up the Fox River and
Lake Winnebago to a village of the Miamis and Kickapoos. Here Mar-
quette was delighted to find a beautiful cross planted in the middle of the
town ornamented with white skins, red girdles and bows and arrows,
which these good people had offered to the Great Manitou, or God, to
thank him for the pity he had bestowed on them during the Winter in
giving them an abundant " chase." This was the farthest outpost to
which Dablon and Allouez had extended their missionary labors the
year previous. Here Marquette drank mineral waters and was instructed
in the secret of a root which cures the bite of the venomous rattlesnake.
He assembled the chiefs and old men of the village, and, pointing to
Joliet, said : " My friend is an envoy of France, to discover new coun-
tries, and I am an ambassador from God to enlighten them with the truths
of the Gospel." Two Miami guides were here furnished to conduct
them to the Wisconsin River, and they set out from the Lidian village on
the 10th of June, amidst a great crowd of natives who had assembled to
witness their departure into a region where no white man had ever yet
ventured. The guides, having conducted them across the portage,
returned. The explorers launched their canoes upon the Wisconsin,
which they descended to the Mississippi and proceeded down its unknown
waters. What emotions must have swelled their breasts as they struck
out into the broadening current and became conscious that they were
now upon the bosom of ths Father of Waters. The mystery was about
to be lifted from the long-sought river. The scenery in that locality is
beautiful, and on that delightful seventeenth of June must have been
clad in all its primeval loveliness as it had been adorned by the hand of
THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY,
23
Nature. Drifting rapidly, it is said that the bold bluffs on either hand
" reminded tliem of tlie castled shores of their own beautiful rivers of
France." By-and-by, as they drifted along, great herds of buffalo appeared
on the banks. On going to the heads of the valley they could see a
country of the greatest beauty and fertility, apparently destitute of inhab-
itants yet presenting the appearance of extensive manors, under the fas-
tidious cultivation of lordly proprietors.
THE WILD PEAIRIE,
On June 25, they went ashore and found some fresh traces of men upon
the sand, and a path which led to the prairie. The men remained in the
boat, and Marquette and Joliet followed the path till they discovered a
village on the banks of a river, and two other villages on a hill, within a
half league of the first, inhabited by Indians. They were received most
hospitably by these natives, who had never before seen a Avliite person.
After remaining a few days they re-embarked and descended the river to
about latitude 33°, where they found a village of the Arkansas, and being
satisfied that the river flowed into the Gulf of Mexico, turned their course
24 THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY.
up the river, and ascending the stream to the mouth of the Illinois,
rowed up that stream to its source, and procured guides from that point
to the lakes. " Nowhere on this journey," says Marquette, •' did we see
such grounds, meadows, woods, stags, buffaloes, deer, wildcats, bustards,
swans, ducks, parroquets, and even beavers, as on the Illinois River."
The party, without loss or injury, reached Green Bay in September, and
reported their discovery— one of the most important of the age, but of
which no record was preserved save Marquette's, Joliet losing his by
the upsetting of his canoe on his way to Quebec. Afterward Marquette
returned to the Illinois Indians by their request, and ministered to them
until 1675. On the 18th of May, in that year, as he was passing the
mouth of a stream — going with his boatmen up Lake Michigan — he asked
to land at its mouth and celebrate Mass. Leaving his men with the canoe.
he retired a short distance and began his devotions. As much time
passed and he did not return, his men went in search of him, and found
him upon his knees, dead. He had peacefully passed away -^hile at
prayer. He was buried at this spot. Charlevoix, who visited the place
fifty years after, found the waters had retreated from the grave, leaving
the beloved missionary to repose in peace. The river has since been
called Marquette.
While Marquette and his companions were pursuing their labors in
the West, two men, differing widely from him and each other, were pre-
paring to follow in his footsteps and perfect the discoveries so well begun
by him. These were Robert de La Salle and Louis Hennepin.
After La Salle's return from the discovery of the Ohio River (see
the narrative elsewhere), he established himself again among the French
trading posts in Canada. Here he mused long upon the pet project of
those ages — a short way to China and the East, and was busily planning an
expedition up the great lakes, and so across the continent to the Pacific,
when Marquette returned from the Mississippi. At once the vigorous mind
of LaSalle received from his and his companions' stories the idea that by fol-
lowing the Great River northward, or by turning up some of the numerous
western tributaries, the object could easily be gained. He applied to
Frontenac, Governor General of Canada, and laid before him the plan,
dim but gigantic. Frontenac entered warmly into his plans, and saw that
LaSalle's idea to connect the great lakes by a chain of forts with the Gulf
of Mexico would bind the country so wonderfully together, give un-
measured power to France, and glory to himself, under whose adminis-
tration he earnestly hoped all would be realized.
LaSalle now repaired to France, laid his plans before the King, who
warmly approved of them, and made him a Chevalier. He also receivjcl
from all the noblemen the warmest wishes for his success. The Chev-
THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY.
•25
alier returned to Canada, and busily entered upon his work. He at
once rebuilt Fort Frontenac and constructed the first ship to sail on
these fresh-water seas. On the 7th of August, 1679, having been joined
by Hennepin, he began his voyage in the Griffin up Lake Erie. He
passed over this lake, through the straits beyond, up Lake St. Clair and
into Huron. In this lake they encountered heavy storms. They were
some time at Michillimackinac, where LaSalle founded & fort, and passed
on to Green Bay, the " Bale des Puans" of the French, where he found
a large quantity of furs collected for him. He loaded the Griffin with
these, and placing her under the care of a pilot and fourteen sailors,
LA SALLE LANDING ON THE SHORE OF GREEN BAY.
started her on her return voyage. The vessel was never afterward heard
of. He remained about these parts until early in the Winter, when, hear-
ing nothing from the Griffin, he collected all the men — thirty working
men and three monks — and started again upon his great undertaking.
By a short portage they passed to the Illinois or Kankakee, called by
the Indians, "Theakeke," wolf, because of the tribes of Indians called
by that name, commonly known as the Mahingans, dwelling there. The
French pronounced it KiakiJd, which became corrupted to Kankakee.
"Falling down the said river by easy journeys, the better to observe the
country," about the last of December they reached a village of the Illi-
nois Indians, containing some five hundred cabins, but at that moment
26 THE NORTHWEST TEEBITOEY.
no inhabitants. The Seur de LaSalle being in want of some breadstuffs,
took advantage of the absence of the Indians to help himself to a suffi-
ciency of maize, large quantities of which he found concealed in holes
under the wigwams. This village was situated near the present village
of Utica in LaSalle County, Illinois. The corn being securely stored,
the voyagers again betook themselves to the stream, and toward evening,
on the 4th day of January, 16S0, they came into a lake which must have
been the lake of Peoria. This was called by the Indians Fim-i-te-ivi. that
is, a place ichere there are many fat beasts. Here the natives were met
with in large numbers, but they were gentle and kind, and having spent
some time with them, LaSalle determined to erect another fort in that
place, for he had heard rumors that some of the adjoining tribes were
trvinf to disturb the srood feelinsr which existed, and some of his men
were disposed to complain, owing to the hardships and perils of the travel.
He called this fort '• Crevecceur" (broken-heart), a name expressive of the
verv natural sorrow and anxiety which the pretty certain loss of his ship,
Gri£G.n. and his consequent impoverishment, the danger of hostihtyon the
part of the Indians, and of mutiny among his own men, might well cause
him. His fears were not entirely groundless. At one time poison was
placed in his food, but fortunately was discovered.
While building this fort, the Winter wore away, the prairies began to
look green, and LaSalle, despairing of any reinforcements, concluded to
teturn to Canada, raise new means and new men. and embark anew in
the enterprise. For this purpose he made Hennepin the leader of a party
to explore the head waters of the Mississippi, and he set out on his jour-
ney. This journey was accomplished with the aid of a few persons, and
was successfully made, though over an almost u iknown route, and in a
bad season of the year. He safely reached Cana ia, and set out again for
the object of his search.
Hennepin and his party left Fort Crevecoeur on the last of February,
1680. When LaSalle reached this place on his return expedition, he
found the fort entirely deserted, and he was obliged to return again to
Canada. He embarked the third time, and succeeded. Seven days after
leaving the fort, Hennepin reached the Mississippi, and paddling up the
icy stream as best he coidd, reached no higher than the Wisconsin River
by the 11th of April. Here he and his followers were taken prisoners by a
band of Northern Indians, who treated them with great kindness. Hen-
nepin's comrades were Anthony Auguel and Michael Ako. On this voy-
age they found several beautiful lakes, and '• saw some charming prairies."
Their captors were the Isaute or Sauteurs, Chippewas. a tribe of the Sioux
nation, who took them up the river until about the first of May. when
they reached some fails, which Hennepin christened Falls of St. Anthony
THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY.
27
in houor of his patron saint. Here they took the land, and traveling
nearly two hundred miles to the northwest, brought them to their villages.
Here they were kept about three months, were treated kindly by their
captors, and at the end of that time, were met by a band of Frenchmen,
BUTFALO HUNT.
headed by one Seur de Luth. who, in pursuit of trade and game, had pene-
trated thus far by the route of Lake Superior ; and with these fellow-
countrvmen Hennepin and his companions were allowed to return to the
borders of civilized life in November. 1680, just after LaSalle had
returned to the wilderness on his second trip. Hennepin soon after wen:
to France, where he published an account of his adventures.
28 THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY.
The Mississippi was first discovered by De Soto in April, 1541, in his
vain endeavor to find gold and precious gems. In the following Spring,
De Soto, weary with hope long deferred, and worn out with his wander-
ings, he fell a victim to disease, and on the 21st of May died. His followers,
reduced by fatigue and disease to less than three hundred men, wandered
about the country nearly a year, in the vain endeavor to rescue them-
selves by land, and finally constructed seven small vessels, called brigan-
tines, in which they embarked, and descending the river, supposing it
would lead them to the sea, in July they came to the sea (Gulf of
Mexico), and by September reached the Island of Cuba.
They were the first to see the great outlet of the Mississippi ; but,
being so weary and discouraged, made no attempt to claim the country,
and hardly had an intelligent idea of what they had passed through.
To La Salle, the intrejDid explorer, belongs the honor of giving the
first account of the mouths of the river. His great desire was to possess
this entire country for his king, and in January, 1682, he and his band of
€xj)lorers left the shores of Lake Michigan on their third attempt, crossed
the portage, passed down the Illinois River, and on the 6th of February,
reached the banks of the Mississippi.
On the 13th they,commenced their downward course, which they
pursued with but one interruption, until upon the 6th of March they dis-
covered the three great passages by which the river discharges its waters
into the gulf. La Salle thus narrates the event :
" We landed on the Imnk of the most western channel, about three
leagues (nine miles) from its mouth. On the seventh, M. de LaSalle
went to reconnoiter the shores of the neighboring sea, and M. de Tonti
meanwhile examined the great middle channel. They found the main
outlets beautiful, large and deep. On the 8th we reascended the river, a
little above its confluence with the sea, to find a dry place beyond the
reach of inundations. The elevation of the North Pole was here about
twenty-seven degrees. Here we prepared a column and a cross, and to
the column were affixed the arms of France with this inscription :
Louis Le Grand, Roi De France et de Navarre, regne ; Le neuvieme Avril, i632.
The -whole party, under arms, chanted the Te Deum, and then, after
a salute and cries of " Vive le Roi,'' the column was erected by M. de
La Salle, who, standing near it, proclaimed in a loud voice the authority of
the King of France. LaSalle returned and laid the foundations of the Mis-
sissippi settlements in Illinois, thence he proceeded to France, where
another expedition was fitted out, of which he was commander, and in two
succeeding voyages failed to find the outlet of the river by sailing along
the shore of the gulf. On his third voyage he was killed, through the
THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY.
29
treachery of his followers, and the object of his expeditions was not
accomplished until 1690, when D"Iberville, under the authority of the
crown, discovered, on tlie second of March, by way of the sea, the mouth
of the " Hidden River.*" This majestic stream was called by the natives
^^ 3Ialbouchia,^^ and Ijy the Spaniards, "/a Palissade,'^ from the great
I J
TRAPPING.
number of trees about its mouth. After traversing the several outlets,
and satisfying himself as to its certainty, he erected a fort near its western
outlet, and returned to France.
An avenue of trade was now opened out which Avas fully improved.
In 1718, New Orleans was laid out and settled by some European colo-
nists. In 1762, the colony was made over to Spain, to be regained by
France under the consulate of Napoleon. In 1803, it was purchased by
30 THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY.
the United States for the sum of fifteen million dollars, and the territory
of Louisiana and commerce of the Mississippi River came under the
charge of the United States. Although LaSalle's labors ended in defeat
and death, he had not worked and suffered in vain. He- had thrown
open to France and the world an immense and most valuable country ;
had established several ports, and laid the foundations of more than one-
settlement there. " Peoria, Kaskaskia and Cahokia, are to this day monu-
ments of LaSalle's labors ; for, though he had founded neither of them
(unless Peoria, which was built nearly upon the site of Fort Crevecoeur,)
it was by those whom he led into the West that these places were
peopled and civilized. He was, if not the discoverer, the first settler of
the Mississippi Valley, and as such deserves to be known and honored.''
The French early improved the opening made for them. Before the
year 1698, the Rev. Father Gravier began a mission among the Illinois,
and founded Kaskaskia. For some time this was merely a missionary
station, where none but natives resided, it being one of three such vil-
lages, the other two being Cahokia and Peoria. What is known of
these missions is learned from a letter written by Father Gabriel Marest,
dated " Aux Cascaskias, autrement dit de I'Lnmaculate Conception de
la Sainte Vierge, le 9 Novembre, 1712.." Soon after the founding of
Kaskaskia, the missionary, Pinet, gathered a flock at Cahokia, while
Peoria arose near the ruins of Fort Crevecoeur. This must have been
about the year 1700. The post at Vincennes on the Oubache river,
(pronounced Wri-ba, meaning summer cloud movbig swiftly) was estab-
lished in 1702, according to the best authorities.* It is altogether prob-
able that on LaSalle's last trip he established the stations at Kaskaskia
and Cahokia. In Jul}^ 1701, the foundations of Fort Ponchartrain
were laid by De la Motte Cadillac on the Detroit River. These sta-
tions, with those established further north, were the earliest attempts to
occupy the Northwest Territory. At the same time efforts were being
made to occupy the Southwest, which finally culminated in the settle-
ment and founding of the City of New Orleans by a colony from England
in 1718. This was mainly accomplished through the efforts of the
famous Mississippi Company, established by the notorious John Law,,
who so quickly arose into prominence in France, and who Avith his.
scheme so quickly and so ignominiously passed away.
From the time of the founding of these stations for fifty years the
French nation were engrossed with the settlement of the lower Missis-
sippi, and the war with the Chicasaws, who had, in revenge for repeated
• There is considerable dispute about this date, S)me asserting it was founded as late as 174^. AVlieu
tlie new court Iiouse at Vincenues was erected, all authorities ou the subject were carefully examined, and
iV02 fixed upon as the correct date. It was accordingly engraved on the corner-stone of the court house.
THE NORTHWEST TERRITOP.Y. 31
injuries, cut off the entire colony at Natchez. Although the company
did little for Louisiana, as the entire West was then called, yet it opened
the trade through the Mississippi River, and started the raising of grains
indigenous to that climate. Until the year 1750, but little is known of
the settlements in the Northwest, as it was not until this time that the
■attention of the English was called to the occupation of this portion of the
New World, which they then supposed they owned. Vivier, a missionary
among the Illinois, writihg from " Aux Illinois," six leagues from Fort
Chartres, June 8, 1750, says: "We have here whites, negroes and
Indians, to say nothing of cross-breeds. There are five French villages,
and three villages of the natives, within a space of twenty-one leagues
situated between the Mississippi and another river called the Karkadaid
(Kaskaskias). In the five French villages are, perhaps, eleven hundred
whites, three hundred blacks and some sixty red slaves or savages. The
three Illinois towns do not contain more than eight hundred souls all
told. Most of the French till the soil; they raise wheat, cattle, pigs and
horses, and live like princes. Three times as much is produced as can
be consumed ; and great quantities of grain and flour are sent to New
Orleans." This city was now the seaport town of the Northwest, and
save in the extreme northern part, where only furs and copper ore were
found, almost all the products of the country found their way to France
by the mouth of the Father of Waters. In another letter, dated Novem-
ber 7, 1750, this same priest says : " For fifteen leagues above the
mouth of the Mississippi one sees no dwellings, the ground being too low
to be habitable. Thence to New Orleans, the lands are only partially
occupied. New Orleans contains black, white and red, not more, I
think, than twelve hundred persons. To this point come all lumber,
bricks, salt-beef, tallow, tar, skins and bear's grease ; and above all, pork
and flour from the Illinois. These things create some commerce, as forty
vessels and more have come hither this year. Above New Orleans,
plantations are again met with ; the most considerable is a colony of
Germans, some ten leagues up the river. At Point Coupee, thirty -five
leagues above the German settlement, is a fort. Along here, within five
or six leagues, are not less than sixty habitations. Fifty leagues farther
up is the Natchez post, where we have a garrison, who are kept prisoners
through fear of the Chickasaws. Here and at Point Coupee, they raise
excellent tobacco. Another hundred leagues brings us to the Arkansas,
where we have also a fort and a garrison for the benefit of tlie river
traders. * * * From the Arkansas to the Illinois, nearly five hundred
leagues, there is not a settlement. There should be, however, a fort at
the Oubache (Ohio), the only path by which the English can reach the
Mississippi. In the Illinois country are numberless mines, but no one to
32
THE NOKTHWEST TERRITORY.
work them as they deserve." Father :Marest, writing from the post at
Vinceniies in 181 2, makes the same observation. Vivier also says : " Some
individuals dig lead near the surface and supply the Indians and Canada.
Two Spaniards now here, who claim to be adepts, say that our mines are
like those of Mexico, and that if we would dig deeper, we should find
silver under the lead ; and at any rate the lead is excellent. There is also
in this country, beyond doubt, copper ore, as from time to time large
pieces are found in the streams."
HUNTING.
At the close of the year 1750, the French occupied, in addition to the
lower Mississippi posts and those in Illinois, one at Du Quesne, one at
the Maumee in the country of the Miamis, and one at Sandusky in what
may be termed the Ohio Valley. In the northern part of the Northwest
they had stations at St. Joseph's on the St. Joseph's of Lake Michigan,
at Fort Ponchartrain (Detroit), at Michillimackanac or Massillimacanac,
Fox River of Green Bay, and at Sault Ste. Marie. The fondest dreams of
LaSalle were now fully realized. The French alone were possessors of
this vast realm, basing their claim on discovery and settlement. Another
nation, however, was now turning its attention to this extensive country,
THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY. 33
and hearing of its wealth, began to lay plans for occupying it and for
securing the great profits arising therefrom.
The French, however, had another claim to this country, namely, the
DISCOVERY OF THE OHIO.
This " Beautiful " river was discovered by Robert Cavalier de La-
Salle in 1669, four years before the discovery of the Mississippi by Joliet
and Marquette.
While LaSalle w^as at his trading post on the St. Lawrence, he found
leisure to study nine Indian dialects, the chief of which was the Iroquois.
He not only desired to facilitate his intercourse in trade, but he longed
to travel and explore the unknown regions of the West. An incident
soon occurred which decided him to fit out an exploring expedition.
While conversing with some Senecas, he learned- of a river called the
Ohio, which rose in their country and flowed to the sea, but at such a
distance that it required eight months to reach its mouth. In this state-
ment the Mississippi and its tributaries were considered as one stream.
LaSalle believing, as most of the French at that period did, that the great
rivers flowing west emptied into the Sea of California, was anxious to
embark in the enterprise of discovering a route across the continent to
the commerce of China and Japan.
He repaired at once to Quebec to obtain the approval of the Gov-
ernor. His eloquent appeal prevailed. The Governor and the Intendant,
Talon, issued letters patent authorizing the enterprise, but made no pro-
vision to defray the expenses. At this juncture the seminary of St. Sul-
pice decided to send out missionaries in connection with the expedition,
and LaSalle offering to sell his improvements at LaChine to raise money^
the offer was accepted by the Superior, and two thousand eight hundred
dollars were raised, with which LaSalle purchased four canoes and the
necessary supplies for the outfit. ^
On the 6th of July, 1669, the party, numbering twenty-four persons,
embarked in seven canoes on the St. Lawrence ; two additional canoes
carried the Indian guides. In three days they were gliding over the
bosom of Lake Ontario. Their guides conducted them directly to the
Seneca village on the bank of the Genesee, in the vicinity of the present
City of Rochester, New York. Here they expected to procure guides to
conduct them to the Ohio, but in this they were disappointed.
The Indians seemed unfriendly to the enterprise. LaSalle suspected
that the Jesuits had prejudiced their minds against his plans. After
waiting a month in the hope of gaining their object, they met an Indian
84
THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY.
from the Iroquois colony at the head of Lake Ontario, who assured them
that they could there find guides, and offered to conduct them thence.
On their way they passed the mouth of the Niagara River, when they
heard for the first time the distant thunder of the cataract. Arriving
'^H.^3.^^_
IKOyUOlS CUliii?'.
among the Iroquois, they met with a friendly reception, and learned
from a Shawanee prisoner "that they could reach the Ohio in six weeks.
Delighted with the unexpected good fortune, they made ready to resume
their journey ; but just as they were about to start thc}^ heard of the
arrival of two Frenchmen in a neighboring village. One of them proved
to bs Louis Joliet, afterwards famous as an explorer in the West. He
THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY. 35
had been sent by the Canadian Government to explore the copper mines
on Lake Superior, but had failed, and was on his way back to Quebec.
He gave the missionaries a map of the country he had explored in the
lake region, together with an account of .the condition of the Indians in
that quarter. This induced the priests to determine on leaving the
expedition and going to Lake Superior. LaSalle warned them that the
Jesuits were probably occupying that field, and that they would meet
with a cold reception. Nevertheless they persisted in their purpose, and
after worship on the lake shore, parted from LaSalle. On arriving at
Lake Superior, they found, as LaSalle had predicted, the Jesuit Fathers,
Marquette and Dablon, occupying the field.
These zealous disciples of Loyola informed them that they wanted
no assistance from St. Sulpice, nor from those who made him their patron
saint ; and thus repulsed, they returned to Montreal the following June
without having made a single discovery or converted a single Indian.
After parting with the priests, LaSalle went to the chief Iroquois
village at Onondaga, where he obtained guides, and passing thence to a
tributary of the Ohio south of Lake Erie, he descended the latter as far
as the falls at Louisville. Thus was the Ohio discovered by LaSalle, the
persevering and successful French explorer of the West, in 1669.
The account of the latter part of his journey is found in an anony-
molis paper, which purports to have been taken from the lips of LaSalle
himself during a subsequent visit to Paris. In a letter written to Count
Frontenac in 1667, shortly after the discovery, he himself says that he
discovered the Ohio and descended it to the falls. This was regarded as
an indisputable fact by the French authorities, who claimed the Ohio
Valley upon another ground. When Washington was sent by the colony
of Virginia in 1753, to demand of Gordeur de St. Pierre why the French
had built a fort on the Monongahela, the haughty commandant at Quebec
replied : " We claim the country on the Ohio by virtue of the discoveries
of LaSalle, and will not give it up to the English. Our orders are to
make prisoners of every Englishman found trading in the Ohio Valley."
ENGLISH EXPLORATIONS AND SETTLEMENTS.
When the new year of 1750 broke in upon the Father of Waters
and the Great Northwest, all was still wild save at the French posts
, already described. In 1749, when the English first began to think seri-
ously about sending men into the West, the greater portion of the States
of Indiana, Ohit>, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota were yet
under the dominion of the red men. The English knew, however, pretty
36 THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY.
conclusively of the nature of the wealth of these wilds. As early as
1710, Governor Spotswood, of Virginia, had commenced movements to
secure the country west of the Alleghenies to the English crown. In
Pennsylvania, Governor Keith and James Logan, secretary of the prov-
ince, from 1719 to 1731, represented to the powers of England the neces-
sity of securing the Western lands. Nothing was done, however, by that
power save to take some diplomatic steps to secure the claims of Britain
to this unexplored wilderness.
. England had from the outset claimed from the Atlantic to the Pacific,
on the ground that the discovery of the seacoast and its possession was a
discovery and possession of the country, and, as is well known, her grants
to the colonies extended " from sea to sea." This was not all her claim.
She had purchased from the Indian tribes large tracts of land. This lat-
ter was also a strong argument. As early as 1684, Lord Howard, Gov-
ernor of Virginia, held a treaty with the six nations. These were the
great Northern Confederacy, and comprised at first the Mohawks, Onei-
das, Onondagas, Cayugas, and Senecas. Afterward the Tuscaroras were
taken into the confederacy, and it became known as the Six Nations.
They came under the protection of the mother country, and again in
1701, they repeated the agreement, and in September, 1726, a formal deed
was drawn up and signed by the chiefs. The validity of this claim has
often been disputed, but never successfully. In 1744, a purchase was
made at Lancaster, Pennsylvania, of certain lands within the " Colony of
Virginia," for which the Indians received <£200 in gold and a like sum in
goods, with a promise that, as settlements increased, more should be paid.
The Commissioners from Virginia were Colonel Thomas Lee and Colonel
William Beverly. As settlements extended, the promise of more pay was
called to mind, and Mr. Conrad Weiser was sent across the mountains with
presents to appease the savages. Col. Lee, and some Virginians accompa-
nied him with the intention of sounding the Indians upon their feelings
regarding the English. They were not satisfied with their treatment,
and plainly told the Commissioners why. The English did not desire the
cultivation of the country, but the monopoly of the Indian trade. In
1748, the Ohio Company was formed, and petitioned the king for a gram
of land beyond the Alleghenies. This was granted, and the government
of Virginia was ordered to grant to them a half million acres, two hun-
dred thousand of which were to be located at once. Upon the 12tli of
June, 1749, 800,000 acres from the line of Canada north and west was
made to the Loyal Company, and on the 29th of October, 1751, 100,000
acres were given to the Greenbriar Company. All this time the French
were not idle. They saw that, should the British gain a /oothold in the
West, especially upon the Ohio, they might not only prevent the French
THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY. 37
settling upon it, but in time would come to the lower posts and so gain
possession of the whole country. Upon the 10th of May, 1774, Vaud-
reuil, Governor of Canada and the French possessions, well knowing the
consequences that must arise from allowing the English to build tradino-
posts in the Northwest, seized some of their frontier posts, and to further
secure the claim of the French to the West, be, in 1749, sent Louis Cel-
eron with a party of soldiers to plant along the Ohio River, in the mounds
and at the mouths of its principal tributaries, plates of lead, on which
were inscribed the claims of France. These Avere heard of in 1752, and
within the memory of residents now living along the "■ Oyo," as the
beautiful river was called by the French. One of these plates was found
with the inscription partly defaced. It bears date August 16, 1749, and
a copy of the inscription with particular account of the discovery of the
plate, was sent by DeWitt Clinton to the American Antiquarian Society,
among whose journals it may now be found.* These measures did not,
however, deter the English from going on with their explorations, and
though neither party resorted to arms, yet the conflict was gathering, and
it was only a question of time when the storm would burst upon the
frontier settlements. In 1750, Christopher Gist was sent by the Ohio
Company to examine its lands. He went to a village of the Twigtwees,
on the Miami, about one hundred and fifty miles above its mouth. He
afterward spoke of it ,as very populous. From there he went down
the Ohio River nearly to the falls at the present City of Louisville,
and in November he commenced a survey of the Company's lands. Dur-
ing the Winter, General Andrew Lewis performed a similar work for the
Greenbriar Company. Meanwhile the French were bus}^ in preparing
their forts for defense, and in opening roads, and also sent a small party
of soldiers to keep the Ohio clear. This party, having heard of the Eng-
lish post on the Miami River, early in 1652, assisted by the Ottawas and
Chippewas, attacked it, and, after a severe battle, in which fourteen of
the natives were killed and others wounded, captured the garrison.
(They were probably garrisoned in a block house). The traders were
carried away to Canada, and one account says several were burned. This
fort or post was called by the English Pickawillany. A memorial of the
king's ministers refers to it as " Pickawillanes, in the center of the terri-
tory between the Ohio and the Wabash. The name is probably some
variation of Pickaway or Picqua in 1773, written by Rev. David Jones
Pickaweke."
•• The following is a translation of the inscription on the plate: "In the year 1749, reign of Louis XV.,
King of France, we, Celeron, coniuiandant of a detachment by Monsieur the Marquis of Gallisoniere, com-
mancler-ln-chief of New France, to establish tranquility in certain Indian villages of tliese cantons, have
buried this plate at the confluence of the Toradakoin, this twenty-ninth of July, near the river Ohio, otherwise
Beautiful River, as a monument of renewal of possession which we have taken of the said river, and all its
tributaries; inasmuch as the preceding Kings of France have enjoyed it, and maintained it by their arms auU
treaties; especially by those of Ryswick, Utrecht, and Aix La Chapelle."
gg THE NORTHWEST TERRITOEji.
This was the first blood shed between the French and English, and
occurred near the present City of Piqua, Ohio, or at least at a point about
forty-seven miles north of Dayton. Each nation became now more inter-
ested in the progress of events in the Northwest. The English deter-
mined to purchase from the Indians a title to the lands they wished to
occupy, and Messrs. Fry (afterward Commander-in-chief over Washing-
ton at the commencement of the French War of 1775-1763), Lomax and
Patton were sent in the Spring of 1752 to hold a conference with the
natives at Logstown to learn what they objected to in the treaty of Lan-
caster already noticed, and to settle all difficulties. On the 9th of June,
these Commissioners met the red men at Logstown, a little village on the
north bank of the Ohio, about seventeen miles below the site of Pitts-
burgh. Here had been a trading point for many years, but it was aban-
doned by the Indians in 1750. At first the Indians declined to recognize
the treaty of Lancaster, but, the Commissioners taking aside Montour,
the interpreter, who was a son of the famous Catharine Montour, and a
chief among the six nations, induced him to use his influence in their
favor. This he did, and upon the 13th of June they all united in signing
a deed, confirming the Lancaster treaty in its full extent, consenting to a
settlement of the southeast of the Ohio, and guaranteeing that it should
not be disturbed by them. These were the means used to obtain the first
treaty with the Indians in the Ohio Valley.
Meanwhile the powers beyond the sea were trying to out-manoeuvre
each other, and were professing to be at peace. The English generally
outwitted the Indians, and failed in many instances to fulfill their con-
tracts. They thereby gained the ill-will of the red men, and further
increased the feeling by failing to provide them with arms and ammuni-
tion. Said an old chief, at Easton, in 1758 : " The Indians on the Ohio
left you because of your own fault. When we heard the French were
coming, we asked you for help and arms, but we did not get them. The
French came, they treated us kindly, and gained our affections. The
Governor of Virginia settled on our lands for his own benefit, and, when
we wanted help, forsook us."
At the beginning of 1653, the English thought they had secured by
title the lands in the West, but the French had quietly gathered cannon
and military stores to be in readiness for the expected blow. The Eng-
lish made other attempts to ratify these existing treaties, but not until
the Summer could the Indians be gathered together to discuss the plans
of the French. They had sent messages to the French, warning them
away ; but they replied that they intended to complete the chain of forts
already begun, and would not abandon the field.
Soon after this, no satisfaction being obtained from the Ohio regard-
THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY. 39
ing the positions and purposes of the French, Governor Dinwiddie of
Virginia determined to send to them another messenger and learn from
them, if possible, their intentions. For this purpose he selected a young
man, a surveyor, who, at the early age of nineteen, had received the rank
of major, and who was thoroughly posted regarding frontier life. This
personage was no other than the illustrious George Washington, who then
held considerable iftterest in Western lands. He was at this time just
twenty-two years of age. Taking Gist as his guide, the two, accompanied
by four servitors, set out on their perilous march. They left Will's
Creek on the 10th of November, 1753, and on the 22d reached the Monon-
Q-ahela, about ten miles above the fork. From there they went to
Logstown, where Washington had a long conference with the chiefs of
the Six Nations. From them he learned the condition of the French, and
also heard of their determination not to come down the river till the fol-
lowing Spring. The Indians were non-committal, as they were afraid to
turn either way, and, as far as they could, desired to remain neutral.
Washington, finding nothing could be done with them, went on to
Venaneo, an old Indian town at the mouth of French Creek. Here the
French had a fort, called Fort Machault. Through the rum and flattery
of the French, he nearly lost all his Indian followers. Finding nothing
of importance here, he pursued his way amid great privations, and on the
11th of December reached the fort at the head of French Creek. Here
he delivered Governor Dinwiddle's letter, received his answer, took his
observations, and on the 16th set out upon his return journey with no one
but Gist, his guide, and a few Indians who still remained true to him,
notwithstanding the endeavors of the French to retain them. Their
homeward journey was one of great peril and suffering from the cold, yet
they reached home in safety on the 6th of January, 1754.
From the letter of St. Pierre, commander of the French fort, sent by
Washington to Governor Dinwiddie, it was learned that the French would
not o-ive up without a struggle. Active preparations were at once made
in all the English colonies for the coming conflict, while the French
finished the fort at Venango and strengthened their lines of fortifications,
and gathered their forces to be in readiness.
The Old Dominion was all alive. Virginia was the center of great
activities ; volunteers were called for, and from all the neighboring
colonies men rallied to the conflict, and everywhere along the Potomac
men were enlisting under the Governor's proclamation — which promised
two hundred thousand acres on the Ohio. Along this river they were
gathering as far as Will's Creek, and far beyond this point, whither Trent
had come for assistance for his little band of forty-one men, who were
40 THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY.
working Siwuy in hunger and want, to fortify that point at the fork of
the Ohio, to which both parties were looking with deep interest.
" The first birds of Spring filled the air with their song ; the swift
river rolled by the Allegheny hillsides, swollen by the melting snows of
Spring and the April showers. The leaves were appearing ; a few Indian
scouts were seen, but no enemy seemed near at hand ; and all was so quiet,
that Frazier, an old Indian scout and trader, who had been left by Trent
in command, ventured to his home at the mouth of Turtle Creek, ten
miles up the Monongahela. But, though all was so quiet in that wilder-
ness, keen eyes had seen the low intrenchment rising at the fork, and
swift feet had borne the news of it up the river ; and upon the morning
of the 17th of April, Ensign Ward, who then had charge of it, saw
upon the Allegheny a sight that made his heart sink — sixty batteaux and
three hundred canoes filled with men, and laden deep with cannon and
stores. * * * That evening he supped with his captor, Contrecoeur,
and the next day he was bowed off by the Frenchman, and with his men
and tools, marched up the Monongahela."
The French and Indian war had begun. The treaty of Aix la
Chapelle, in 1748, had left the boundaries between the French and
English possessions unsettled, and the events already narrated show the
French were determined to hold the country watered by the Mississippi
and its tributaries ; while the English laid claims to the country by virtue
of the discoveries of the Cabots, and claimed all the country from New-
foundland to Florida, extending from the Atlantic to the Pacific. The
first decisive blow had now been struck, and the first attempt of the
English, through the Ohio Company, to occupy these lands, had resulted
disastrously to them. The French and Indians immediately completed
the fortifications begun at the Fork, which they had so easily captured,
and when completed gave to the fort the name of DuQuesne. Washing-
ton was at Will's Creek when the news of the capture of the fort arrived.
He at once departed to recapture it. On his way he entrenched him-
self at a place called the " Meadows," where he erected a fort called
by him Fort Necessity. From there he surprised and captured a force of
French and Indians marching against him, but was soon after attacked
in his fort by a much superior force, and was obliged to yield on the
morning of July 4th. He was allowed to return to Virginia.
The English Government immediately planned four campaigns ; one
against Fort DuQuesne ; one against Nova Scotia ; one against Fort
Niagara, and one against Crown Point. These occurred during 1755--6,
and were not successful in driving the French from their possessions.
The expedition against Fort DuQuesne was led by the famous General
Braddock, who, refusing to listen to the advice of Washington and those
..... NOKTHWEST TERRITORY. 41
acquainted with Indian warfare, suffered such an inglorious defeat. This
occurred on the morning of July 9th, and is generally known as the battle
of Monongahela, or '' Braddock's Defeat." The war continued with
various vicissitudes through the years 1756-7 ; when, at the commence-
ment of 1758, in accordance with the plans of William Pitt, then Secre-
tary of State, afterwards Lord Chatham, active preparations were made to
carry on the war. Three expeditions were planned for this year : one,
under General Amherst, against Louisburg ; another, under Abercrombie,
against Fort Ticonderoga ; and a third, under General Forbes, against
Fort DuQuesne. On the 26th of July, Louisburg surrendered after a
desperate resistance of more than forty days, and the eastern part of the
Canadian possessions fell into the hands of the British. Abercrombie
captured Fort Frontenac, and when the expedition against Fort DuQuesne,
of which Washington had the active command, arrived there, it was
found in flames and deserted. The English at once took possession,
rebuilt the fort, and in honor of their illustrious statesman, changed the
name to Fort Pitt.
The great object of the campaign of 1759, was the reduction of
Canada. General Wolfe was to lay siege to Quebec ; Amherst was to
reduce Ticonderoga and Crown Point, and General Prideaux was to
capture Niagara. This latter place was taken in July, but the gallant
Prideaux lost his life in the attempt. Amherst captured Ticonderoga
and Crown Point without a blow ; and Wolfe, after making the memor-
able ascent to the Plains of Abraham, on September 13th, defeated
Montcalm, and on the 18th, the city capitulated. In this engagement
Montcolm and Wolfe both lost their lives. De Levi, Montcalm's successor,
marched to Sillery, three miles above the city, with the purpose of
defeating the English, and there, on the 28th of the following April, was
fought one of the bloodiest battles of the French and Indian War. It
resulted in the defeat of the French, and the fall of the City of Montreal.
The Governor signed a capitulation by which the whole of Canada was
surrendered to the English. This practically concluded the war, but it
was not until 1763 that the treaties of peace between France and England
were signed. This was done on the 10th of February of that year, and
under its provisions all the country east of the Mississippi and north of
the Iberville River, in Louisiana, were ceded to England. At the same
time Spain ceded Florida to Great Britain.
On the 13th of September, 1760, Major Robert Rogers was sent
from Montreal to take charge of Detroit, the only remaining French post
in the territory. He arrived there on the 19th of November, and sum-
moned the place to surrender. At first the commander of the post,
Beletre, refused, but on the 29th, hearing of the continued defeat of the
42 THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY.
French arms, surrendered. Rogers remained there until December 23d
under the personal protection of the celebrated chief, Pontiac, to whom,
no doubt, he owed his safety. Pontiac had come here to inquire the
purposes of the EngHsh in taking possession of the country. He was
assured that they came simply to trade with the natives, and did not
desire their country. This answer conciliated the savages, and did much
to insure the safety of Rogers and his party during their stay, and while
on their journey home.
Rogers set out for Fort Pitt on December 23, and was just one
month on the way. His route was from Detroit to Maumee, thence
across the present State of Ohio directly to the fort. This was the com-
mon trail of the Indians in their journeys from Sandusky to the fork of
the Ohio. It went from Fort Sandusky, where Sandusky City now is,
crossed the Huron river, then called Bald Eagle Creek, to " Mohickon
John's Town" on Mohickon Creek, the northern branch of White
Woman's River, and thence crossed to Beaver's Town, a Delaware town
on what is now Sandy Creek. At Beaver's Town were probably one
hundred and fifty warriors, and not less than three thousand acres of
cleared land. From there the track went up Sandy Creek to and across
Big Beaver, and up the Ohio to Logstown, thence on to the fork.
■ The Northwest Territory was now entirely under the English rule.
New settlements began to be rapidly made, and the promise of a large
trade was speedily manifested. Had the British carried out their promises
with the natives none of those savage butcheries would have been perpe-
trated, and the country would have been spared their recital.
The renowned chief, Pontiac, was one of the leading spirits in these
atrocities. We will now pause in our narrative, and notice the leading
events in his life. The earliest authentic information regarding this
noted Indian chief is learned from an account of an Indian trader named
Alexander Henry, who, in the Spring of 1761, penetrated his domains as
far as Missillimacnac. Pontiac was then a great friend of the French,
but a bitter foe of the English, whom he considered as encroaching on his
hunting grounds. Henry was obliged to disguise himself as a Canadian
to insure safety, but was discovered by Pontiac, who bitterly reproached
him and the English for their attempted subjugation of the West. He
declared that no treaty had been made with them; no presents sent
them, and that he would resent any possession of the West by that nation.
He was at the time about fifty years of age, tall and dignified, and was
civil and military ruler of the Ottawas, Ojibwas and Pottawatamies.
The Indians, from Lake Michigan to the borders of North Carolina,
were united in this feeling, and at the time of the treaty of Paris, ratified
February 10, 1763, a general conspiracy was formed to fall suddenly
THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY.
13
PONTIAC, THE OTTAWA CHIEFTAIN.
44 THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY.
upon the frontier British posts, and with one blow strike every man dead.
Pontiac was the marked leader in all this, and was the commander
of the Chippewas, Ottawas, Wyandots, Miamis, Shawanese, Delawares
and Mingoes, who had, for the time, laid aside their local quarrels to unite
in this enterprise.
The blow came, as near as can now be ascertained, on May 7, 1768.
Nine British posts fell, and the Indians drank, " scooped up in the hollow
of joined hands," the blood of many a Briton.
Pontiac's immediate field of action was the garrison at Detroit.
Here, however, the plans were frustrated by an Indian woman disclosing
the plot, the evening previous to his arrival. Everything was carried out,
however, according to Pontiac's plans until the moment of action, when
Major Gladwyn, the commander of the post, stepping to one of the Indian
chiefs, suddenly drew aside his blanket and disclosed the concealed
musket. Pontiac, though a brave man, turned pale and trembled. He
saw his plan was known, and that the garrison were prepared. He
endeavored to exculpate himself from any such intentions ; but the guilt
was evident, and he and his followers were dismissed with a severe
reprimand, and warned never to again enter the walls of the post.
Pontiac at once laid siege to the fort, and until the treaty of peace
between the British and the Western Indians, concluded in August, 1764,
continued to harass and besiege the fortress. He organized a regular
commissariat department, issued bills of credit written out on bark,
which, to his credit, it may be stated, were punctually redeemed. At
the conclusion of the treaty, in which it seems he took no part, he went
further south, living many years among the Illinois.
He had given up all hope of saving his country and race. After a
time he endeavored to unite the Illinois tribe and those about St. Louis
in a war with the whites. His efforts were fruitless, and only ended in a
quarrel between himself and some Kaskaskia Indians, one of whom soon
afterwards killed him. His death was, however, avenged by the northern
Indians, who nearly exterminated the Illinois in the wars which followed.
Had it not been for the treachery of a few of his followers, his plan
for the extermination of the whites, a masterly one, would undoubtedly
have been carried out.
It was in the Spring of the year following Rogers' visit that Alex-
ander Henry went to Missillimacnac, and everywhere found the strongest
feelings against the English, who had not carried out their promises, and
were doing nothing to conciliate the natives. Here he met the chief,
Pontiac, who, after conveying to him in a speech the idea that their
French father would awake soon and utterly destroy his enemies, said :
*' Englishman, although you have conquered the French, you have not
THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY. 45
yet conquered us ! We are not your slaves! These lakes, these woods,
these mountains, were left us by our ancestors. They are our inheritance,
and we will part with them to none. Your nation supposes that we, like
the white people, can not live without bread and pork and beef. But you
ought to know that He, the Great Spirit and Master of Life, has provided
food for us upon these broad lakes and in these mountains."
He then spoke of the fact that no treaty had been made with them,
no presents sent them, and that he and his people were yet for war.
Such were the feelings of the Northwestern Indians immediately after
the English took possession of their countr3\ These feelings were no
doubt encouraged by the Canadians and French, who hoped that yet the
French arms might prevail. The treaty of Paris, however, gave to the
English the right to this vast domain, and active preparations were going
on to occupy it and enjoy its trade and emoluments.
In 1762, France, by a secret treaty, ceded Louisiana to Spain, to pre-
vent it falling into the hands of the English, who were becoming masters
of the entire West. The next year the treaty of Paris, signed at Fon-
tainl)leau, gave to the English the domain of the country in question.
Twenty years after, by the treaty of peace between the United States
and England, that part of Canada lying south and west of the Great
Lakes, comprehending a large territory which is the subject of these
sketches, was acknowledged to be a portion of the United States ; and
twenty years still later, in 1803, Louisiana was ceded by Spain back to
France, and by France sold to the United States.
In the half century, from the building of the Fort of Crevecoeur by
LaSalle, in 1680, up to the erection of Fort Chartres, many French set-
tlements had been made in that quarter. These have already been
noticed, being those at St. Vincent (Vincennes), Kohokia or Cahokia,
Kaskaskia and Prairie du Rocher, on the American Bottom, a large tract
of rich alluvial soil in Illinois, on the Mississippi, opposite the site of St.
Louis.
By the treaty of Paris, the regions east of the Mississippi, including
all these and other towns of the Northwest, were given over to England ;
but they do not appear to have been taken possession of until 1765, when
Captain Stirling, in the name of the Majesty of England, established him-
self at Fort Chartres bearing with him the proclamation of General Gage,
dated December 30, 176-4, which promised religious freedom to all Cath-
olics who worshiped here, and a right to leave the country with their
effects if they wished, or to remain with the privileges of Englishmen.
It was shortly after the occupancy of the West by the British that the
war with Pontiac opened. It is already noticed in the sketch of that
chieftain. By it many a Briton lost his life, and many a frontier settle-
46 THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY.
ment in its infancy ceased to exist. This was not ended until the year
1764, when, failing to capture Detroit, Niagara and Fort Pitt, his confed-
eracy became disheartened, and, receiving no aid from the French, Pon-
tiac abandoned the enterprise and departed to the Illinois, among whom
he afterward lost his life.
As soon as these difficulties were definitely settled, settlers began
rapidly to survey the country and prepare for occupation. During the
year 1770, a number of persons from Virginia and other British provinces
explored and marked out nearly all the valuable lands on the Mononga-
hela and along- the banks of the Ohio as far as the Little Kanawha. This
was followed by another exploring expedition, in which George Washing-
ton was a party. The latter, accompanied by Dr. Craik, Oapt. Crawford
and others, on the 20th of October, 1770, descended the Ohio from Pitts-
burgh to the mouth of the Kanawha ; ascended that stream about fourteen
miles, marked out several large tracts of land, shot several buffalo, which
were then abundant in the Ohio Valley, and returned to the fort.
Pittsburgh was at this time a trading post, about which was clus-
tered a village of some twenty houses, inhabited by Indian traders. This
same year, Capt. Pittman visited Kaskaskia and its neighboring villages.
He found there about sixty-five resident families, and at Cahokia only
forty-five dwellings. At Fort Chartres was another small settlement, and
at Detroit the garrison were quite prosperous and strong. For a year
or two settlers continued to locate near some of these posts, generally
Fort Pitt or Detroit, owing to the fears of the Indians, who still main-
tained some feelings of hatred to the English. The trade from the posts
was quite good, and from those in Illinois large quantities of pork and
flour found their way to the New Orleans market. At this time the
policy of the British Government was strongly opposed to the extension
of the colonies west. In 1763, the King of England forbade, by royal
proclamation, his colonial subjects from making a settlement beyond the
sources of the rivers which fall into the Atlantic Ocean. At the instance
of the Board of Trade, measures were taken to prevent the settlement
without the limits prescribed, and to retain the commerce within easy
reach of Great Britain.
The commander-in-chief of the king's forces wrote in 1769 : " In the
course of a few years necessity will compel the colonists, should they
extend their settlements west, to provide manufactures of some kind for
themselves, and when all connection upheld by commerce with the mother
country ceases, an independency in their government will soon follow."'
In accordance with this policy. Gov. Gage issued a proclamation
in 1772, commanding the inhabitants of Vincennes to abandon their set-
tlements and join some of the Eastern English colonies. To this they
THE NQRTHWEST TERRITORY. 47
Strenuously objected, giving good reasons therefor, and were allowed to
remain. The strong opposition to this policy of Great Britain led to its
change, and to such a course as to gain the attachment of the French
population. In December, 1773, influential citizens of Quebec petitioned
the king for an extension of the boundary lines of that province, which
was granted, and Parliament passed an act on June 2, 177-4, extend-
ing the boundary so as to include the territory lying within the present
States of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois and Michigan.
In consequence of the liberal policy pursued by the British Govern-
ment toward the French settlers in the West, they were disposed to favor
that nation in the war which soon followed with the colonies ; but the
early alliance between France and America soon brought them to the side
of the war for independence.
In 1774, Gov. Dunmore, of Virginia, began to encourage emigration
to the Western lands. He appointed magistrates at Fort Pitt under the
pretense that the fort was under the government of that commonwealth.
One of these justices, John Connelly, who possessed a tract of land in the
Ohio Valley, gathered a force of men and garrisoned the fort, calling it
Fort Dunmore. This and other parties were formed to select sites for
settlements, and often came in conflict with the Indians, who yet claimed
portions of the valley, and several battles followed. These ended in the
famous battle of Kanawha in July, where the Indians were defeated and
driven across the Ohio.
During the years 1775 and 1776, by the operations of land companies
and the perseverance of individuals, several settlements were firmly estab-
lished between the Alleghanies and the Ohio River, and western land
speculators were busy in Illinois and on the Wabash. At a council held
in Kaskaskia on July 5, 1773, an association of EngHsh traders, calling
themselves the " Illinois Land Company," obtained from ten chiefs of the
Kaskaskia, Cahokia and Peoria tribes two large tracts of land lying on
the east side of the Mississippi River south of the Illinois. In 1775, a mer-
chant from the Illinois Country, named Viviat, came to Post Vincennes
as the agent of the association called the " Wabash Land Company." On
the 8th of October he obtained from eleven Piankeshaw chiefs, a deed for
37,497,600 acres of land. This deed was signed by the grantors, attested
by a number of the inhabitants of Vincennes, and afterward recorded in
the office of a notary public at Kaskaskia. This and other land com-
panies had extensive schemes for the colonization of the West ; but all
were frustrated by the breaking out of the Revolution. On the 20th of
April, 1780, the two companies named consolidated under the name of the
" United Illinois and Wabash Land Company." They afterward made
48 THE NORTHWEST TEBIIITORY.
strenuous efforts to have these grants sanctioned by Congress, but all
signally failed.
When the War of the Revolution commenced, Kentucky was an unor-
ganized country, though there v^ere several settlements within her borders.
In Hutchins' Topography of Virginia, it is stated that at that time
" Kaskaskia contained 80 houses, and nearly 1,000 white and black in-
habitants — the whites being a little the more numerous. Cahokia con-
tains 50 houses and 300 white inhabitants, and 80 negroes. There were
east of the Mississippi River, about the year 1771 " — when these observa-
tions were made — " 300 white men capable of bearing arms, and 230
negroes."
From 1775 until the expedition of Clark, nothing is recorded and
nothing known of these settlements, save what is contained in a report
made by a committee to Congress in June, 1778. From it the following
extract is made :
"Near the mouth of the River Kaskaskia, there is a village which
appears to have contained nearly eighty families from the beginning of
the late revolution. There are twelve families in a small village at la
Prairie du Rochers, and near fifty families at the Kahokia Village. There
are also four or five families at Fort Chartres and St. Philips, which is five
miles further up the river."
St. Louis had been settled in February, 1764, and at this time con-
tained, including its neighboring towns, over six hundred whites and one
hundred and fifty negroes. It must be remembered that all the country
west of the Mississippi was now under French rule, and remained so until
ceded again to Spain, its original owner, Avho afterwards sold it and the
country including New Orleans to the United States. At Detroit there
were, according to Capt. Carver, who was in the Northwest from 1766 to
1768, more than one hundred houses, and the river was settled for more
than twenty miles, although poorly cultivated — the people being engaged
in the Indian trade. This old town has a history, which we will here
relate.
It is the oldest town in the Northwest, having been founded by
Antoine de Lamotte Cadillac, in 1701. It was laid out in the form of an
oblong square, of two acres in length, and an acre and a half in width.
As described by A. D. Frazer, who first visited it and became a permanent
resident of the place, in 1778, it comprised within its limits that space
between Mr. Palmer's store (Conant Block) and Capt. Perkins' house
(near the Arsenal building), and extended back as far as the public barn»
and was bordered in front by the Detroit River. It was surrounded by
oak and cedar pickets, about fifteen feet long, set in the ground, and had
four gates — east, west, north and south. Over the first three of these
THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY. 49
gates were block houses provided with four guns apiece, each a six-
pounder. Two six-gun batteries were planted fronting the river and in a
parallel direction with the block houses. There were four streets running
east and west, the main street being twenty feet wide and the rest fifteen
feet, while the four streets crossing these at right angles were from ten
to fifteen feet in width.
At the date spoken of by Mr. Frazer, there was no fort within the
enclosure, but a citadel on the ground corresponding to the present
northwest corner of Jefferson Avenue and Wayne Street. The citadel was
inclosed by pickets, and within it were erected barracks of wood, two
stories high, sufficient to contain ten oflBcers, and also barracks sufficient
to contain four hundred men, and a provision store built of brick. The
citadel also contained a hospital and guard-house. The old town of
Detroit, in 1778, contained about sixty houses, most of them one story,
with a few a story and a half in height. They were all of logs, some
hewn and some round. There was one building of splendid appearance,
called the " King's Palace," two stories high, which stood near the east
gate. It was built for Governor Hamilton, the first governor commissioned
by the British. There were two guard-houses, one near the west gate and
the other near the Government House. Each of the guards consisted of
twenty-four men and a subaltern, who mounted regularly every morning
between nine and ten o'clock. Each furnished four sentinels, who were
relieved every two hours. There was also an officer of the day, who per-
formed strict duty. Each of the gates was shut regularly at snnset;
even wicket gates were shut at nine o'clock, and all the keys were
delivered into the hands of the commanding officer. They were opened
in the morning at sunrise. No Indian or squaw was permitted to enter
town with any weapon, such as a tomahawk or a knife. It was a stand-
ing order that the Indians should deliver their arms and instruments of
every kind before they were permitted to pass the sentinel, and they were
restored to them on their return. No more than twenty-five Indians were
allowed to enter the town at any one time, and they were admitted only
at the east and west gates. At sundown the drums beat, and all the
Indians were required to leave town instantly. There was a council house
near the water side for the purpose of holding council with the Indians.
The population of the town was about sixty families, in all about two
hundred males and one hundred females. This town was destroyed by
fire, all except one dwelling, in 1805. After which the present ''new"
town was laid out.
On the breaking out of the Revolution, the British held every post of
importance in the West. Kentucky was formed as a component part of
Virginia, and the sturdy pioneers of the West, alive to their interests,
60 THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY.
and recognizing the great benefits of obtaining the control of the trade in
this part of the New World, held steadily to their purposes, and those
within the commonwealth of Kentucky proceeded to exercise their
civil privileges, by electing John Todd and Richard Gallaway,
burgesses to represent them in the Assembly of the parent state.
Early in September of that year (1777) the first court was held
in Harrodsburg, and Col. Bowman, afterwards major, who had arrived
in August, was made the commander of a militia organization which
had been commenced the March previous. Thus the tree of loyalty
was growing. The chief spirit in this far-out colony, who had represented
her the year previous east of the mountains, was now meditating a move
unequaled in its boldness. He had been watching the movements of the
British throughout the Northwest, and understood their whole plan. Ht
saw it was through their possession of the posts at Detroit, Vinceunes,
Kaskaskia, and other places, which would give them constant and easy
access to the various Indian tribes in the Northwest, that the British
intended to penetrate the country from the north and south, and annihi-
late the frontier fortresses. This moving, energetic man was Colonel,
afterwards General, George Rogers Clark. He knew the Indians were not
unanimously in accord with the English, and he was convinced that, could
the British be defeated and expelled from the Northwest, the natives
might be easily awed into neutrality ; and by spies sent for the purpose,
he satisfied himself that the enterprise against the Illinois settlements
might easily succeed. Having convinced himself of the certainty of the
project, he repaired to the Capital of Virginia, which place he reached on
November 5th. While he was on his way, fortunately, on October 17th,
Burgoyne had been defeated, and the spirits of the colonists greatly
encouraged thereby. Patrick Henry was Governor of Virginia, and at
once entered heartily into Clark's plans. The same plan had before been
agitated in the Colonial Assemblies, but there was no one until Clark
came who was sufficiently acquainted with the condition of affairs at the
scene of action to be able to guide them.
Clark, having satisfied the Virginia leaders of the feasibility of his
plan, received, on the 2d of January, two sets of instructions — one secret,
the other open — the latter authorized him to proceed to enlist seven
companies to go to Kentucky, subject to his orders, and to serve three
months from their arrival in the West. The secret order authorized him
to arm these troops, to procure his powder and lead of General Hand
at Pittsburgh, and to proceed at once to subjugate the country.
With these instructions Clark repaired to Pittsburgh, choosing rather
to raise his men west of the mountains, as he well knew all were needed
in the colonies in the conflict there. He sent Col. W. B. Smith to Hoi-
THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY. 51
ston for the same purpose, but neither succeeded in raising the required
number of men. The settlers in these parts were afraid to leave their
own firesides exposed to a vigilant foe, and but few could be induced to
join the proposed expedition. With three companies and several private
volunteers, Clark at length commenced his descent of the Ohio, which he
navigated as far as the Falls, where he took possession of and fortified
Corn Island, a small island between the present Cities of Louisville,
Kentucky, and New Albany, Indiana. Remains of this fortification may
yet be found. At this place he appointed Col. Bowman to meet him
with such recruits as had reached Kentucky by the southern route, and
as many as could be spared from the station. Here he announced to
the men their real destination. Having completed his arrangements,
and chosen his party, he left a small garrison upon the island, and on the
2-J:th of June, during a total eclipse of the sun, which to them augured
no good, and which fixes beyond dispute the date of starting, he with
his chosen band, fell down the river. His plan was to go by Avater as
far as Fort Massac or Massacre, and thence march direct to Kaskaskia.
Here he intended to surprise the garrison, and after its capture go to
Cahokia, then to Vincennes, and lastly to Detroit. Should he fail, he
intended to march directly to the Mississippi River and cross it into the
Spanish country. Before his start he received two good items of infor-
mation : one that the alliance had been formed between France and the
United States ; and the other that the Indians throughout the Illinois
country and the inhabitants, at the various frontier posts, had been led to
believe by the British that the " Long Knives" or Virginians, were the
most fierce, bloodthirsty and cruel savages that ever scalped a foe. With
this impression on their minds, Clark saw that proper management would
cause them to submit at once from fear, if surprised, and then from grati-
tude would become friendly if treated with unexpected leniency.
The march to Kaskaskia was accomplished through a hot July sun,
and the town reached on the evening of July 4. He captured the fort
near the village, and soon after the village itself by surprise, and without
the loss of a single man or by killing any of the enemy. After sufficiently
working upon the fears of the natives, Clark told them they were at per-
fect liberty to worship as they pleased, and to take whichever side of the
great conflict they would, also he would protect them from any barbarity
from British or Indian foe. This had the desired effect, and the inhab-
itants, so unexpectedly and so gratefully surprised by the unlocked
for turn of affairs, at once swore allegiance to the American arms, and
when Clark desired to go to Cahokia on the 6th of July, they accom-
panied him, and through their influence the inhabitants of the place
surrendered, and gladly placed themselves under his protection. Thus
62 THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY.
the two important posts in Illinois passed from the hands of the English
into the possession of Virginia.
In the person of the priest at Kaskaskia, M. Gibault, Clark found a
powerful ally and generous friend. Clark saw that, to retain possession
of the Northwest and treat successfully with the Indians within its boun-
daries, he must establish a government for the colonies he had taken,
St. Vincent, the next important post to Detroit, remained yet to be taken
before the Mississippi Valley was conquered. M. Gibault told him that
he would alone, by persuasion, lead Vincennes to throw off its connection
with England. Clark gladly accepted his offer, and on the 14th of July,
in company with a fellow-townsman, M. Gibault started on his mission of
peace, and on the 1st of August returned with the cheerful intelligence
that the post on the " Oubache " had taken the oath of allegiance to
the Old Dominion. During this interval, Clark established his courts,
placed garrisons at Kaskaskia and Cahokia, successfully re-enlisted his
men, sent word to have a fort, which proved the germ of Louisville,
erected at the Falls of the Ohio, and dispatched Mr. Rocheblave, who
had been commander at Kaskaskia, as a prisoner of war to Richmond.
In October the County of Illinois was established by the Legislature
of Virginia, John Todd appointed Lieutenant Colonel and Civil Governor,
and in November General Clark and his men received the thanks of
the Old Dominion through their Legislature.
In a speech a few days afterward, Clark made known fully to the
natives his plans, and at its close all came forward and swore alle-
giance to the Long Knives. While he was doing this Governor Hamilton,
having made his various arrangements, had left Detroit and moved down
the Wabash to Vincennes intending to operate from that point in reducing
the Illinois posts, and then proceed on down to Kentucky and drive the
rebels from the West. Gen. Clark had, on the return of M. Gibault,
dispatched Captain Helm, of Fauquier County, Virginia, with an attend-
ant named Henry, across the Illinois prairies to command the fort.
Hamilton knew nothing of the capitulation of the post, and was greatly
surprised on his arrival to be confronted by Capt. Helm, who, standing at
the entrance of the fort by a loaded cannon ready to fire upon his assail-
ants, demanded upon what terms Hamilton demanded possession of the
fort. Being granted the rights of a prisoner of war, he surrendered to
the British General, who could scarcely believe his eyes when he saw the
force in the garrison.
Hamilton, not realizing the character of the men with whom he was
contending, gave up his intended campaign for the Winter, sent his four
hundred Indian warriors to prevent troops from coming down the Ohio,
THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY. 53
and to annoy the Americans in oil ways, and sat quietly down to pass the
Winter. Information of all these proceedings having reached Clark, he
saw that immediate and decisive action was necessary, and that unless
he captured Hamilton, Hamilton would capture him. Clark received the
news on the 29th of January, 1779, and on February 4tli, having suffi-
ciently garrisoned Kaskaskia and Cahokia, he sent down the Mississippi
a " battoe," as Major Bowman writes it, in order to ascend the Ohio and
Wabash, and operate with the land forces gathering for the fray.
On the next day, Clark, with his little force of one hundred and
twenty men, set out for the post, and after incredible hard marching
through much mud, the ground being thawed by the incessant spring
rains, on the 22d reached the fort, and being joined by his " battoe," at
once commenced the attack on the post. The aim of the American back-
woodsman was unerring, and on the 24th the garrison surrendered to the
intrepid boldness of Clark. The French were treated with great kind-
ness, and gladly renewed their allegiance to Virginia. Hamilton was
sent as a prisoner to Virginia, where he was kept in close confinement.
During his command of the British frontier posts, he had offered prizes
to the Indians for all the scalps of Americans they would bring to him,
and had earned in consequence thereof the title '' Hair-buyer General,"
by which he was ever afterward known.
Detroit was now without doubt within easy reach of the enterprising
Virginian, could he but raise the necessary force. Governor Henry being
apprised of this, promised him the needed reinforcement, and Clark con-
cluded to wait until he could capture and sufficiently garrison the posts.
Had Clark failed in this bold undertaking, and Hamilton succeeded in
uniting the western Indians for the next Spring's campaign, the West
would indeed have been swept from the Mississippi to the Allegheny
Mountains, and the great blow struck, which had been contemplated from
the commencement, by the British.
" But for this small army of dripping, but fearless Virginians, the
union of all the tribes from Georgia to Maine against the colonies might
have been effected, and the whole current of our history changed."
At this time some fears were entertained by the Colonial Govern-
ments that the Indians in the North and Northwest were inclining to the
British, and under the instructions of Washington, now Commander-in-
Chief of the Colonial army, and so bravely fighting for American inde-
pendence, armed forces were sent against the Six Nations, and upon the
Ohio frontier. Col. Bowman, acting under the same general's orders,
marched against Indians within the present limits of that State. These
expeditions were in the main successful, and the Indians were compelled
to sue for peace.
6i THE XOETHWEST TERKITOEY.
During this same rear (1779) the famous " Land Laws" of Virginia
were passed. The passage of these laws was of more consequence to the
pioneers of Kentucky and the Northwest than the gaining of a few Indian
conflicts. These laws confirmed in main all grants made, and guaranteed
to all actual settlers their rights and privileges. After providing for the
settlers, the laws provided for selling the balance of the pubHc lands at
forty cents per acre. To carry the Land Laws into effect, the Legislature
sent four Virsrinians westward to attend to the various claims, over manv
of which great confusion prevailed concerning their validity. These
gentlemen opened their court on October 18. 1779, at St. Asaphs, and
continued until April 26. 17S0. when they adjourned, haAring decided
three thousand claims. They were succeeded by the surveyor, who
came in the person of Mr. George May. and assumed his duties on the
lOrh day of the month whose name he bore. With the opening of the
next year (1780) the troubles concerning the navigation of the Missis-
sippi commenced. The Spanish Government exacted such measures in
relation to its trade as to cause the overtures made to the United States
to be rejected. The American Government considered thev had a right
to navigate its channel. To enforce their claims, a fort was erected below
the mouth of the Ohio on the Kentucky side of the river. The settle-
ments in Kentucky were being rapidly filled by emigrants. It was dur-
ing this year that the first seminary of learning was established in the
West in this young and enterpiising Commonwealth.
The settlers here did not look upon the building of this fort in a
friendly manner, as it aroused the hostility of the Indians. Spain had
been friendly to the Colonies during their struggle for independence,
and though for a while this friendship appeared in danger from the
refusal of the free navigation of the river, yet it was finally settled to the
satisfaction of both nations.
The Winter of 1779-80 was one of the most unusually severe ones
ever experienced in the West. The Indians always referred to it as the
"Great Cold."' Numbers of wild animals perished, and not a few
pioneers lost their lives. The following Summer a j)arty of Canadians
and Indians attacked St. Louis, and attempted to take possession of it
in consequence of the friendly disposition of Spain to the revolting
colonies. They met with such a determined resistance on the part of the
inhabitants, even the women taking part in the battle, that they were
compelled to abandon the contest. They also made an attack on the
settlements in Kentucky, but, becoming alarmed in some unaccountable
manner, they fled the country in great haste.
About this time arose the question in the Colonial Congress con-
cerning the western lands claimed by Virginia, New York, Massachusetts
THE 'SiMClMWEST TEESOOBK.
and Conneefieiit. The a^iitalioii e wi r w HJii g tliB stAsedb Samify led Sc
Toik, on the 19di of Fdnnny, 1780, to pens s lav giving: Id Hht
gates ci tibat Slate in Coi^ie» tiie power to eede ber wcifeem lands fiv
the benefit of the United Slates. Tlds law was laid befiore Coi^RaB
dmiiig: the next montli, bat no steps wexe taken eoncendng it nntil S^-
temba fiHi, wben a leadntion passed Ihat bo^calliag: i^on tdie Slates
daindng westein lands to release tbeir daian in fii^vor of tlie whole bodj.
This baas fomied the nnian,andwas tbefixstaflberadloCtbaBe legiftljlive
measmes whi^ resolted in file ezeation of tiie Slates of OUo,In£anae
TnifwiJR, "Mi cbigan, Wiamn^ amd IRitngsBni a- Li Deeenber of Ae ~:>.nT
Tear, the plan of emqacnn^ Deizait aiZi'- Tbe eonqnesl: r
hare easibr beoi effie^ed br Claik had - 1 ^^ -sid been fmn
him. Nodm^ deeiare was dme, jet tl t jowrtmnent / ~
that the safetr of tbe Xurtbwest &?>!!!• ^ '' ~ in Ae Cii .
and letenticm of tliat impoftant i-it:. i_ _ _r2ed one l_ : z
leiiiloi w
•»T - ~- _
rjiSrS t\t \ - -^-- -_-- ,T___T- -■- . - _ _
7 _.- - :_- -^ jris also note — v -
A: 1 --" :^ - -T T- r^edAmot- -
'- ■■:---->_ -1^ :-;•-•-■: '-"- • 2d
dav : : _ : ^. ii ::^1 - - ^ • " "
«-.- ^-^-^-T.,, . - '. "'!i the str: - .-.„■..:_ . _
conseqiE"r~ - " : : little h^c . \* . -
Fpontt ^"S^- -^efiisi - _
AwiPTtft _ j=^thaftof>!^ :: :
of tbe wide^^ . i?5i«5eirr. "^ -
liKJiaiMy son . - : : bv l4te i
frontier serdeis. "^ ~ the mnrd^ :
their ne.. -«tTai regant to hn^ttrLinnr,
a deed ^ ^>e npon thor Bves.
For thi^ iiuc- p«2€ ui uiie whites^ ihe TiMJMMfl^
etHnmit: hieh darfcen the Teaacs of 1771 and
17T2 in
Dr. " _ - - ' " r '"' - Indian^ amd
56
THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY.
frontier outlaw, Simon Girty, whose name, as well as those of his brothers,
was a terror to women and children. These occurred chiefly in the Ohio
valleys. Cotemporary with them were several engagements in Kentucky,
in which the famous Daniel Boone engaged, and who, often by his skill
and knowledge of Indian warfare, saved the outposts from cruel destruc-
INDIAXS ATTACKIXG FliOXTlEKSMEN.
tion. By the close of the year victory had perched upon the American
banner, and on the 30th of November, provisional articles of peace had
been arranged between the Commissioners of England and her uncon-
querable colonies. Cornwallis had been defeated on the 19th of October
preceding, and the liherty of America was assured. On the 19th of
April following, the anniversary of the battle of Lexington, peace was
THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY. 57
proclaimed to the army of the United States, and on the 3d of the next
September, the definite treaty which ended our revolutionary struggle
was concluded. By the terms of that treaty, the boundaries of the West
were as follows : On the north the line was to extend along the center of
the Great Lakes ; from the western point of Lake Superior to Long Lake ;
thence to the Lake of the Woods ; thence to the head of the Mississippi
River; down its center to the 31st parallel of latitude, then on that line
east to the head of the Appalachicola River; down its center to its junc-
tion with the Flint ; thence straight to the head of St. Mary's River, and
thence down along its center to the Atlantic Ocean.
Following the cessation of hostilities with England, several posts
'■ were still occupied by the British in the North and West. Among these
was Detroit, still in the hands of the enemy. Numerous engagements
with the Indians throughout Ohio and Indiana occurred, upon whose
lands adventurous whites would settle ere the title had been acquired by
the proper treaty.
To remedy this latter evil. Congress appointed commissioners to
treat with the natives and purchase their lands, and prohibited the set-
tlement of the territory until this could be done. Before the close of the
year another attempt was made to capture Detroit, which was, however,
not pushed, and Virginia, no longer feeling the interest in the Northwest
she had formerly done, withdrew her troops, having on the 20th of
December preceding authorized the whole of her possessions to be deeded
to the United States. This was done on the 1st of March following, and
the Northwest Territory passed from the control of the Old Dominion.
To Gen. Clark and his soldiers, however, she gave a tract of one hundred
and fifty thousand acres of land, to be situated any where north of the
Ohio wherever they chose to locate them. They selected the region
opposite the falls of the Ohio, where is now the dilapidated village of
Clarksville, about midway between the Cities of New Albany and Jeffer-
son ville, Indiana.
While the frontier remained thus, and Gen. Haldimand at Detroit
refused to evacuate alleging that he had no orders from his King to do
so^ settlers were rapidly gathering about the inland forts. In the Spring
of 1784, Pittsburgh was regularly laid out, and from the journal of Arthur
Lee, who passed through the town soon after on his way to the Indian
council at Fort Mcintosh, we suppose it was not very prepossessing in
appearance. He says :
" Pittsburgh is inhabited almost entirely by Scots and Irish, who
live in paltry log houses, and are as dirty as if in the north of Ireland or
even Scotland. There is a great deal of trade carried on, the goods being
bought at the vast expense of forty-five shillings per pound from Phila-
58
THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY.
delphia and Baltimore. They take in the shops flour, wheat, skins and
money. There are in the town four attorneys, two doctors, and not a
priest of any persuasion, nor church nor chapel."
Kentucky at this time contained thirty thousand inhabitants, and
was beginning to discuss measures for a separation from Virginia. A
land office was opened at Louisville, and measures were adopted to take
defensive precaution against the Indians who were yet, in some instances,
incited to deeds of violence by the British. Before the close of this year,
1784, the military claimants of land began to occupy them, although no
entries were recorded until 1787.
The Indian title to the Northwest was not yet extinguished. They
held large tracts of lands, and in order to prevent bloodshed Congress
adopted means for treaties with the original owners and provided for the
surveys of the lands gained thereby, as well as for those north of the
Ohio, now in its possession. On January 31, 1786, a treaty was made
with the Wabash Indians. The treaty of Fort Stanwix had been made
in 1784. That at Fort Mcintosh in 1785, and through these much land
was gained. The Wabasti Indians, however, afterward refused to comply
with the provisions of the treaty made with them, and in order to compel
their adherence to its provisions, force was used. Daring the year 1786,
the free navigation of the Mississippi came up in Congress, and caused
various discussions, which resulted in no definite action, only serving to
excite speculation in regard to the western lands. Congress had promised
bounties of land to the soldiers of the Revolution, but owing to the
unsettled condition of affairs along the Mississippi respecting its naviga-
tion, and the trade of the Northwest, that body had, in 1783, declared
its inability to fulfill these promises until a treaty could be concluded
between the two Governments. Before the close of the year 1786, how-
ever, it was able, through the treaties with the Indians, to allow some
grants and the settlement thereon, and on the 14th of September Con-
necticut ceded to the General Government the tract of land known as
the " Connecticut Reserve," and before the close of the following year a
large tract of land north of the Ohio was sold to a company, who at once
took measures to settle it. By the provisions of this grant, the companjr
were to pay the United States one dollar per acre, subject to a deduction
of one-third for bad lands and other contingencies. They received
750,000 acres, bounded on the south by the Ohio, on the east by the
seventh range of townships, on the west by the sixteenth rajige, and on
the north by a line so drawn as to make the grant complete without
the reservations. In addition to this. Congress afterward granted 100,000
acres to actual settlers, and 214,285 acres as army bounties under the
resolutions of 1789 and 1790.
THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY.
69'
While Dr. Cutler, one of the agents of the company, was pressing
its claims before Congress, that body was bringing into form an ordinance
for the political and social organization of this Territory. When the
cession was made by Virginia, in 1784, a plan was offered, but rejected.
A motion had been made to strike from the proposed plan the prohibition
of slavery, which prevailed. The plan was then discussed and altered,
and finally passed unanimously, with the exception of South Carolina.
By this proposition, the Territory was to have been .divided into states
A PRAIRIE STORM.
by parallels and meridian lines. This, it was thought, would make ten
states, which were to have been named as follows — beginning at the
northwest corner and going southwardly : Sylvania, Michigania, Cher-
sonesus, Assenisipia, Metropotamia, Illenoia, Saratoga, Washington, Poly-
potamia and Pelisipia.
There was a more serious objection to this plan than its category of
names,— the boundaries. The root of the difficulty was in the resolu-
tion of Congress passed in October, 1780, which fixed the boundaries
of the ceded lands to be from one hundred to one hundred and fifty miles.
^0 THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY.
square. These resolutions being presented to the Legislatures of Vir-
ginia and Massachusetts, they desired a change, and in July, 1786, the
subject was taken up in Congress, and changed to favor a division into
not more than five states, and not less than three. This was approved by
the State Legislature of Virginia. The subject of the Government was
again taken up by Congress in 1786, and discussed throughout that year
and until July, 1787, when the famous "Compact of 1787" was passed,
and the foundation of the government of the Northwest laid. This com-
pact is fully discussed and explained in the history of Illinois in this book,
and to it the reader is referred.
The passage of this act and the grant to the New England Company
was soon followed by an application to the Government by John Cleves
Symmes, of New Jersey, for a grant of the land between the Miamis.
This gentleman had visited these lands soon after the treaty of 1786, and,
being greatly pleased with them, offered similar terms to those given to the
New England Company. The petition was referred to the Treasury
Board with power to act, and a contract was concluded the following
year. During the Autumn the directors of the New England Company
were preparing to occupy their grant the following Spring, and upon the
23d of November made arrangements for a party of forty-seven men,
under the superintendency of Gen. Rufus Putnam, to set forward. . Six
boat-builders were to leave at once, and on the first of January the sur-
veyors and their assistants, twenty-six in number, were to meet at Hart-
ford and proceed on their journey westward ; the remainder to follow as
soon as possible. Congress, in the meantime, upon the 8d of October,
had ordered seven hundred troops for defense of the western settlers, and
to prevent unauthorized intrusions ; and two days later appointed Arthur
St. Clair Governor of the Territory of the Northwest.
'AMERICAN SETTLEMENTS.
The civil organization of the Northwest Territory was now com-
plete, and notwithstanding the uncertainty of Indian affairs, settlers from
the East began to come into the country rapidly. The New England
Company sent their men during the Winter of 1787-8 pressing on over
the Alleghenies by the old Indian path which had been opened into
Braddock's road, and which has since been made a national turnpike
from Cumberland westward. Through the weary winter days they toiled
on, and by April were all gathered on the Yohiogany, where boats had
been built, and at once started for the Muskingum. Here they arrived
on the 7th of that month, and unless the Moravian missionaries be regarded
as the pioneers of Ohio, this little band can justly claim that honor.
THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY.
61
Gen. St. Clair, the appointed Governor of the Northwsst, not having
yet arrived, a set of Laws were passed, written out, and published by
being nailed to a tree in the embryo town, and Jonathan Meigs appointed
to administer them.
Washington in writing of this, the first American settlement in the
Northwest, said : " No colony in America was ever settled under
such favorable auspices as that which has just commenced at Muskingum.
Information, property and strength will be its characteristics. I know
many of its settlers personally, and there never were men better calcu-
lated to promote the welfare of such a community."
^^^^mmmw^^^^P^
A PIONEER DAVELLING.
On the 2d of July a meeting of the directors and agents was held
on the banks of the Muskingum, " for the purpose of naming the new-
born city and its squares." As yet the settlement was known as the
''Muskingum," but that was now changed to the name Marietta, in honor
of Marie Antoinette. The square upon which the block -houses stood
was called ^'Campus Martins ;"" square number 19, "■ Capitolium ;"" square
number 61, '■'■ Cecilia T and the great road through the covert way, " Sacra
Via.'" Two days after, an oration was delivered by James M. Varnum,
who with S. H. Parsons and John Armstrong had been appointed to the
judicial bench of the territory on the 16th of October, 1787. On July 9,
Gov. St. Clair arrived, and the colony began to assume form. The act
of 1787 provided two district grades of government for the Northwest,
62 THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY.
under the first of which the whole power was invested in the hands of a
governor and three district judges. This was immediately formed upon
the Governor's arrival, and the first laws of the colony passed on the 2oth
of July. These provided for the organization of the militia, and on the
next day appeared the Governor's proclamation, erecting all that country
that had been ceded by the Indians east of the Scioto River into the
County of Washington. From that time forward, notwithstanding the
doubts yet existing as to the Indians, all Marietta prospered, and on the
2d of September the first court of the territory was held with imposing
ceremonies.
The emigration westward at this time was very great. The com-
mander at Fort Harmer, at the mouth of the Muskingum, reported four
thousand five hundred persons as having passed that post between Feb-
ruary and June, 1788 — many of whom would have purchased of the
"Associates," as the New England Company was called, had they been
ready to receive them.
On the 26th of November, 1787, Symmes issued a pamphlet stating
the terms of his contract and the plan of sale he intended to adopt. In
January, 1788, Matthias Denman, of New Jersey, took an active interest
in Symmes' purchase, and located among other tracts the sections upon
which Cincinnati has been built. Retaining one-third of this locality, he
sold the other two-thirds to Robert Patterson and John Filson, and the
three, about August, commenced to lay out a town on the spot, which
was designated as being opposite Licking River, to the mouth of which
they proposed to have a road cut from Lexington. The naming of the
town is thus narrated in the "Western Annals "' : — " Mr. Filson, who had
been a schoolmaster, was appointed to name the town, and, in respect to
its situation, and as if with a prophetic perception of the mixed race that
were to inhabit it in after days, he named it Losantiville, which, being
interpreted, means : ville^ the town ; anti^ against or opposite to ; os, the
mouth : L. of Licking.''
Meanwhile, in July, Symmes got thirty persons and eight four-horse
teams under way for the West. These reached Limestone (now Mays-
ville) in September, where were several persons from Redstone. Here
Mr. Symmes tried to found a settlement, but the great freshet of 1789
caused the " Point," as it was and is yet called, to be fifteen feet under
water, and the settlement to be abandoned. The little band of settlers
removed to the mouth of the Miami. Before Symmes and his colony left
the " Point," two settlements had been made on his purchase. The first
was by Mr. Stiltes, the original projector of the whole plan, who, with a
colony of Redstone people, had located at the mouth of the Miami,
whither Symmes went with his Maysville colony. Here a clearing had
THE NORTHWEST TEREITOBY.
63
been made by the Indians owing to the great fertility of the soil. Mr.
Stiltes with his colony came to this place on the 18th of Xoyember, 1788,
with twenty-six persons, and, building a block-house, prepared to remain
through the Winter. They named the settlement Columbia. Here they
were kindly treated by the Indians, but suffered greatly from the flood
of 1789.
On the 4th of March, 1789, the Constitution of the United States
went into operation, and on April 30, George Washington was inaug-
urated President of the American people, and during the next Summer,
an Indian war was commenced by the tribes north of the Ohio. The
President at first used pacific means ; but these failing, he sent General
Harmer against the hostile tribes. He destroyed several \illages, but
BREAKING PEAIKLE.
was defeated in two battles, near the present City of Fort Wayne,
Indiana. From this time till the close of 179-5. the principal events were
the wars with the various Indian tribes. In 1796. General St. Clair
was appointed in command, and marched against the Indians : but while
he was encamped on a stream, the St. :Mary, a branch of the Maumee,
he was attacked and defeated with the loss of six hundred men.
General Wavne was now sent against the savages. In August, 1794,
he met them near the rapids of the Maumee, and gained a complete
victory. This success, followed bv vigorous measures, compelled the
Indians to sue for peace, and on the 30th of July, the following year, the
treaty of Greenville was signed by the principal chiefs, by which a lar^re
tract of country was ceded to the United States.
Before proceeding in our narrative, we will pause to notice Fort
Washington, erected in the early part of this war on the site of Cincinnati.
Nearly aU of the great cities of the Northwest, and indeed of the
64 THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY.
whole country, have had their nuclei in those rude pioneer structures*
known as forts or stockades. Thus Forts Dearborn, Washington, Pon-
chartrain, mark the original sites of the now proud Cities of Chicago,
Cincinnati and Detroit. So of most of the flourishing cities east and west
of the Mississippi. Fort Washington, erected by Doughty in 1790, was a
rude but highly interesting structure. It was composed of a number of
strongly-built hewed log cabins. Those designed for soldiers' barracks
were a story and a half high, while those composing the officers quarters
were more imposing and more conveniently arranged and furnished.
The whole were so plaj3ed as to form a hollow square, enclosing about an
acre of ground, with a block house at each of the four angles.
The logs for the construction of this fort were cut from the ground
upon which it was erected. It stood between Third and Fourth Streets
of the present city (Cincinnati) extending east of Eastern Row, now
Broadway, which was then a narrow alley, and the eastern boundary of
of the town as it was originally laid out. On the bank of the river,
immediately in front of the fort, was an appendage of the fort, called the
Artificer's Yard. It contained about two acres of ground, enclosed by
small contiguous buildings, occupied by workshops and quarters of
laborers. Within this enclosure there was a large two-story frame house,
familiarly called the " Yellow House," built for the accommodation of
the Quartermaster General. For many years this was the best finished
and most commodious edifice in the Queen City. Fort Washington was
for some time the headquarters of both the civil and military governments
of the Northwestern Territory.
Following the consummation of the treaty various gigantic land spec-
ulations were entered into by different persons, who hoped to obtain
from the Indians in Michigan and northern Indiana, large tracts of lands.
These were generally discovered in time to prevent the outrageous
schemes from being carried out, and from involving the settlers in war.
On October 27, 1795, the treaty between the United States and Spain
was signed, whereby the free navigation of the Mississippi was secured.
No sooner had the treat}^ of 1795 been ratified than settlements began
to pour rapidly into the West. The great event of the year 1796 was the
occupation of that part of the Northwest including Michigan, which was
this year, under the provisions of the treaty, evacuated by the British
forces. The United States, owing to certain conditions, did not feel
justified in addressing the authorities in Canada in relation to Detroit
and other frontier posts. When at last the British authorities were
called to give them up, they at once complied, and General Wayne, who
had done so much to preserve the frontier settlements, and who, before
the year's close, sickened and died near Erie, transferred his head-
THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY. 65
quarters to the neighborhood of the lakes, where a county named after
him was formed, which included the northwest of Ohio, all of Michigan,
and the northeast of Indiana. During this same year settlements were
formed at the present City of Chillicothe, along the Miami from Middle-
town to Piqua, while in the more distant West, settlers and speculators
began to appear in great numbers. In September, the City of Cleveland
was laid out, and during the Summer and Autumn, Samuel Jackson and
Jonathan Sharpless erected the first manufactory of paper — the " Red-
stone Paper Mill" — in the West. St. Louis contained some seventy
houses, and Detroit over three hundred, and along the river, contiguous
to it, were more than three thousand inhabitants, mostly French Canadians,
Indians and half-breeds, scarcely any Americans venturing yet into that
part of the Northwest. >
The election of representatives for the territory had taken place,
and on the 4th of Februar}^ 1799, they convened at Losantiville — now
known as Cincinnati, having been named so by Gov. St. Clair, and
considered the capital of the Territory — to nominate persons from whom
the members of the Legislature were to be chosen in accordance with
a previous ordinance. This nomination being made, the Assembly
adjourned until the 16th of the following September. From tl^ose named
the President selected as members of the council, Henry Vandenburg,
of Vincennes, Robert Oliver, of Marietta, James Findlay and Jacob
Burnett, of Cincinnati, and David Vance, of Vanceville. On the 16th
of September the Territorial Legislature met, and on the 21:th the two
houses were duly organized, Henry Vandenburg being elected President
of the Council.
The message of Gov. St. Clair was addressed to the Legislature
September 20th, and on October 13th that body elected as a delegate to
Congress Gen. Wm. Henry Harrison, who received eleven of the votes
cast, being a majority of one over his opponent, Arthur St. Clair, son of
Gen. St. Clair.
The whole number of acts passed at this session, and approved by
the Governor, were thirty-seven — eleven others were passed, but received
his veto. The most important of those passed related to the militia, to
the administration, and to taxation. On the 19th of December this pro-
tracted session of the first Legislature in the West was closed, and on the
30th of December the President nominated Charles Willing Brj'd to the
office of Secretary of the Territory vice Wm. Henry Harrison, elected to
Congress. The Senate confirmed his nomination the next day.
^6 THE NOKTHWEST TERRITORY.
I
DIVISION OF THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY.
The increased emigration to the Northwest, the extent of the domain,
and the inconvenient modes of travel, made it very difficult to conduct
the ordinary operations of government, and rendered the efficient action
of courts almost impossible. To remedy this, it was deemed advisable to
divide the territory for civil purposes. Congress, in 1800, appointed a
committee to examine the question and report some means for its solution.
This committee, on the 3d of March, reported that :
"In the three western countries there has been but one court having
cognizance of crimes, in five years, and the immunity which offenders
experience attracts, as to an asylum, the most vile and abandoned crim-
inals, and at the same time deters useful citizens from making settlements
in such society. The extreme necessity of judiciary attention and assist-
ance is experienced in civil as well as in criminal cases. * * * * To
minister a remedy to these and other evils, it occurs to this committee
that it is expedient that a division of said territory into two distinct and
separate governments should be made ; and that such division be made
by a line beginning at the mouth of the Great Miami River, running
directly north until it intersects the boundary between the United States
and Canada."
The report was accepted by Congress, and, in accordance with its
suggestions, that body passed an Act extinguishing the Northwest Terri-
tory, which Act was approved May 7. Among its provisions were these :
" That from and after July 4 next, all that part of the Territory of
the United States northwest of the Ohio River, which lies to the westward
of a line beginning at a point on the Ohio, opposite to the mouth of the
Kentucky River, and running thence to Fort Recovery, and thence north
until it shall intersect the territorial line between the United States and
Canada, shall, for the purpose of temporary government, constitute a
separate territory, and be called the Indiana Territory."
After providing for the exercise of the civil and criminal powers of
the territories, and other provisions, the Act further provides :
" That until it shall otherwise be ordered by the Legislatures of the
said Territories, respectively, Chillicothe on the Scioto River shall be the
seat of government of the Territory of the United States northwest of the
Ohio River ; and that St. Vincennes on the Wabash River shall be the
seat of government for the Indiana Territory."
Gen. Wm. Henry Harrison was appointed Governor of the Indiana
Territory, and entered upon his duties about a year later. Connecticut
also about this time released her claims to the reserve, and in March a law
THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY. 67
was passed accepting this cession. Settlements had been made upon
thirty-five of the townships in the reserve, mills had been built, and seven
hundred miles of road cut in various directions. On the 3d of November
the General Assembly met at Chillicothe. Near the close of the year,
the first missionary of the Connecticut Reserve came, who found no
township containing more than eleven families. It was upon the first of
October that the secret treaty had been made between Napoleon and the
King of Spain, whereby the latter agreed to cede to France the province
of Louisiana.
In January, 1802, the Assembly of the Northwestern Territory char-
tered the college at Athens. From the earliest dawn of the western
colonies, education was promptly provided for, and as early as 1787,
newspapers were issued from Pittsburgh and Kentucky, and largely read
throughout the frontier settlements. Before the close of this year, the
Congress of the United States granted to the citizens of the Northwestern
territory the formation of a State government. One of the provisions of
the "compact of 1787" provided that whenever the number of inhabit-
ants within prescribed limits exceeded 45,000, they should be entitled to
a separate government. The prescribed limits of Ohio contained, from a
census taken to ascertain the legality of the act, more than that number,
and on the 30th of April, 1802, Congress passed the act defining its limits,
and on the 29th of November the Constitution of the new State of Ohio,
so named from the beautiful river forming its southern boundary, came
into existence. The exact limits of Lake Michigan were not then known,
but the territory now included within the State of Michigan was wholly
within the territory of Indiana.
Gen. Harrison, while residing at Vincennes, made several treaties
with the Indians, thereby gaining large tracts of lands. The next year is
memorable in the history of the West for the purchase of Louisiana from
France by the United States for $15,000,000. Thus by a peaceful mode,
the domain of the United States was extended over a large tract of
country west of the Mississippi, and was for a time under the jurisdiction
of the Northwest government, and, as has been mentioned in the early
part of this narrative, was called the "New Northwest." The limits
of this history will not allow a description of its territory. The same year
large grants of land were obtained from the Indians, and the House of
Representatives of the new State of Ohio signed a bill respecting the
College Township in the district of Cincinnati.
Before the close of the year. Gen. Harrison obtained additional
grants of lands from the various Indian nations in Indiana and the present
limits of Illinois, and on the 18th of August, 1804, completed a treaty at
St. Louis, whereby over 51,000,000 acres of lands were obtained from the
68
THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY.
aborifrines. Measures were also taken to learn the condition of affairs in
and about Detroit. '
C. Jouett, the Indian agent in Michigan, still a part of Indiana Terri-
tory, reported as follows upon the condition of matters at that post :
" The Town of Detroit. — The charter, which is for fifteen miles
square, was granted in the time of Louis XIV. of France, and is now,
from the best information I have been able to get, at Quebec. Of those
two hundred and twenty-five acres, only four are occupied by the town
and Fort Lenault. The remainder is a common, except twenty-four
acres, which were added twenty years ago to a farm belonging to Wm.
Macomb. * * * A stockade incloses the town, fort and citadel. The
pickets, as well as the public houses, are in a state of gradual decay. The
streets are narrow, straight and regular, and intersect each other at right
angles. The houses are, for the most part, low and inelegant."
During this year. Congress granted a township of land for the sup-
port of a college, and began to offer inducements for settlers in these
wilds, and the country now comprising the State of Michigan began to
fill rapidly with settlers along its southern borders. This same year, also,
a law was passed organizing the Southwest Territory, dividing it into two
portions, the Territory of New Orleans, which city was made the seat of
government, and the District of Louisiana, which was annexed to the
domain of Gen. Harrison.
On the 11th of January, 1805, the Territory of Michigan was formed,
Wm. Hull was appointed governor, with headquarters at Detroit, the
chano-e to take effect on June 30. On the 11th of that month, a fire
occurred at Detroit, which destroyed almost every building in the place.
When the officers of the new territory reached the post, they found it in
ruins, and the inhabitants scattered throughout the country. Rebuild-
ing, however, soon commenced, and ere long the town contained more
houses than before the fire, and many of them much better built.
While this was being done, Indiana had passed to the second grade
of government, and through her General Assembly had obtained large
tracts of land from the Indian tribes. To all this the celebrated Indian,
Tecumthe or Tecumseh, vigorously protested, and it was the main cause
of his attempts to unite the various Indian tribes in a conflict with the
settlers. To obtain a full account of these attempts, the workings of the
British, and the signal failure, culminating in the death of Tecumseh at
the battle of tlie Thames, and the close of the war of 1812 in the Northwest,
we will step aside in our story, and relate the principal events of his life,
and his connection with this conflict.
THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY.
6if
TECUMSEH, THE SHAWANOE CPIIEFTAIN.
TO
THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY.
TECUMSEH, AND THE WAR OF 1812.
This famous Indian chief was born about the year 1768, not far from
the site of the present City of Piqua, Ohio. His father, Puckeshinwa,
was a member of the Kisopok tribe of the Swanoese nation, and his
mother, Methontaske, was a member of the Turtle tribe of the same
people. They removed from Florida about the middle of the last century
to the birthplace of Tecumseh. In 1774, his father, who had risen to be
chief, was slain at the battle of Point Pleasant, and not long after Tecum-
seh, by his bravery, became the leader of his tribe. In 1795 he was
declared chief, and then lived at Deer Creek, near the site of the
present City of Urbana. He remained here about one year, when he
returned to Piqua, and in 1798, he went to White River, Indiana. In
1805, he and his brother, Laulewasikan (Open Door), who had announced
himself as a prophet, went to a tract of land on the Wabash Rivei', given
them by the Pottawatomies and Kickapoos. From this date the chief
comes into prominence. He was now about thirty-seven years of age,
was five feet and ten inches in height, was stoutly built, and possessed of
enormous powers of endurance. His countenance was naturally pleas-
ing, and he was, in general, devoid of those savage attributes possessed
by most Indians. It is stated he could read and write, and had a confi-
dential secretary and adviser, named Billy Caldwell, a half-breed, who
afterward became chief of the Pottawatomies. He occupied the first
house built on the site of Chicago. At this time, Tecumseh entered
upon the great work of his life. He had long objected to the grants of*
land made by the Indians to the whites, and determined to unite all the
Indian tribes into a league, in order that no treaties or grants of land
could be made save by the consent of this confederation.
He traveled constantly, going from north to south ; from the south
to the north, everywhere urging the Indians to this step. He was a
matchless orator, and his burning words had their effect.
Gen. Harrison, then Governor of Indiana, by watching the move-
ments of the Indians, became convinced that a grand conspiracy was
forming, and made preparations to defend the settlements. Tecumseh's
plan was similar to Pontiac's, elsewhere described, and to tlie cunning
artifice of that chieftain was added his own sagacity.
During the year 1809, Tecumseh and the prophet were actively pre-
paring for the work. In that 3^ear, Gen. Harrison entered into a treaty
with the Delawares, Kickapoos, Pottawatomies, Miamis, Eel River Indians
and Weas, in which these tribes ceded to the whites certain lands upon
the Wabash, to all of which Tecumseh entered a bitter protest, averring
THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY. 71
as one principal reason that he did not want the Indians to give up any
lands north and west of the Ohio River.
Tecumseh, in August, 1810, visited the General at Vincennes and
held a council relating to the grievances of the Indians. Becoming unduly
angry at this conference he was dismissed from the village, and soon after
departed to incite the southern Indian tribes to the conflict.
Gen. Harrison determined to move upon the chief's headquarters at
Tippecanoe, and for this purpose went about sixty-five miles up the
Wabash, where he built Fort Harrison. From this place he went to the
prophet's town, where he informed the Indians he had no hostile inten-
tions, provided they were true to the existing treaties. He encamped
near the village early in October, and on the morning of November 7, he
was attacked by a large force of the Indians, and the famous battle of
Tippecanoe occurred. The Indians were routed and their town broken
up. Tecumseh returning not long after, was greatly exasperated at his
brother, the prophet, even threatening to kill him for rashly precipitating
the war, and foiling his (Tecumseh's) plans.
Tecumseh sent word to Gen. Harrison that he was now returned
from the South, and was ready to visit the President as had at one time
previously been proposed. Gen. Harrison informed him he could not go
as a chief, which method Tecumseh desired, and the visit was never
made.
In June of the follownig year, he visited the Indian agent at
Fort Wayne. Here he disavowed any intention to make a war against
the United States, and reproached Gen. Harrison for marching against his
people. The agent replied to this ; Tecumseh listened with a cold indif-
ference, and after making a few general remarks, with a haughty air drew
his blanket about him, left the council house, and departed for Fort Mai-
den, in Upper Canada, where he joined the British standard.
He remained under this Government, doing effective work for the
Crown while engaged in the war of 1812 which now opened. He was,
however, always humane in his treatment of the prisoners, never allow-
ing his warriors to ruthlessly mutilate the bodies of those slain, or wan-
tonly murder the captive.
In the Summer of 1813, Perry's victory on Lake Erie occurred, and
shortly after active preparations were made to capture Maiden. On the
27th of September, the American army, under Gen. Harrison, set sail for
the shores of Canada, and in a few hours stood arouncUthe ruins of Mal-
" den, from which the British army, under Proctor, had retreated to Sand-
wich, intending to make its way to the heart of Canada by the Valley of
the Thames. On the 29th Gen. Harrison was at Sandwich, and Gen.
McArthur took possession of Detroit and the territory of Michigan.
72
THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY.
On the 2d of October, the Americans began their pursuit of Proctor,
whom they overtook on the 5th, and the battle of the Thames followed.
Early in the engagement, Tecumseh wlio was at the head of the column
of Indians was slain, and they, no longer hearing the voice of their chief-
tain, fled. The victory was decisive, and practically closed the war in
the Northwesto
' INDIANS ATTACKING A STOCKADE.
Just who killed the great chief has been a matter of much dispute ;
but the weight of opinion awards the act to Col. Richard M. Johnson,
who fired at him with a pistol, the shot proving fatal.
In 1805 occurred Burr's Insurrection. He took possession of a
beautiful island in the Ohio, after the killing of Hamilton, and is charged
by many with attempting to set up an independent government. His
plans were frustrated by the general government, his property confiscated
and he was compelled to flee the country for safety.
THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY. 73
In January, 1807, Governor Hull, of Michigan Territory, made a
treaty with the Indians, whereby all that peninsula was ceded to the
United States. Before the close of the year, a stockade was built about
Detroit. It was also during this year that Indiana and Illinois endeavored
to obtain the repeal of that section of the compact of 1787, whereby
slavery was excluded from the Northwest Territory. These attempts,
however, all signally failed.
In 1809 it was deemed advisable to divide the Indiana Territory.
This was done, and the Territory of Illinois was formed from the western
part, the seat of government being fixed at Kaskaskia. The next year,
the intentions of Tecumseh manifested themselves in open hostilities, and
then began the events already narrated.
While this war was in progress, emigration to the West went on with
surprising rapidity. In 1811, under Mr. Roosevelt of New York, the
first steamboat trip was made on the Ohio, much to the astonishment of
the natives, many of whom fled in terror at the appearance of the
" monster." It arrived at Louisville on the 10th day of October. At the
close of the first week of Januairy, 1812, it arrived at Natchez, after being
nearly overwhelmed in the great earthquake which occurred while on its
downward trip.
The' battle of the Thames was fought on October 6, 1813. It
effectually closed hostilities in the Northwest, although peace was not
fully restored until July 22, 1814, when a treaty was formed at Green-
ville, under the direction of General Harrison, between the United States
and the Indian tribes, in which it was stipulated that the Indians should
cease hostilities against the Americans if the war were continued. Such,
happily, was not the case, and on the 24th of December the treaty
of Ghent was signed by the representatives of England and the United
States. This treaty was followed the next year by treaties with various
Indian tribes throughout the West and Northwest, and quiet was again
restored in this part of the new world.
On the 18th of March, 1816, Pittsburgh was incorporated as a city.
It then had a population of 8,000 people, and was already noted for its
manufacturing interests. On April 19, Indiana Territory was allowed
to form a state government. At that time there were thirteen counties
organized, containing about sixty-three thousand inhabitants. The first
election of state officers was held in August, when Jonathan Jennuigs
was chosen Governor. The officers were sworn in on November 7, a.nd
on December 11, the State was formally admitted into the Union. For
some time the seat of government was at Corydon, but a more central
location being desirable, the present capital, Indianapolis (City of Indiana),
was laid out January 1, 1825.
74 THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY.
On the 28th of December the Bank of Illinois, at Shawneetown, was
chartered, with a capital of $300,000. At this period all banks were
under the control of the States, and were allowed to establish branches
at different convenient points.
Until this time Chillicothe and Cincinnati had in turn enjoyed the
privileges of being the capital of Ohio. But the rapid settlement of the
northern and eastern portions of the State demanded, as in Indiana, a
more central location, and before the close of the year, the site of Col-
umbus was selected and surveyed as the future capital of the State.
Banking had begun in Ohio as early as 1808, when the first bank was
chartered at Marietta, but here as elsewhere it did not bring to the state
the hoped-for assistance. It and other banks were subsequently unable
to redeem their currency, and were obliged to suspend.
In 1818, Illinois was made a state, and all the territory north of her
northern limits was erected into a separate territory and joined to Mich-
igan for judicial purposes. By the following year, navigation of the lakes
was increasing with great rapidity and affording an immense source of
revenue to the dwellers in the Northwest, but it was not until 1826 that
the trade was extended to Lake Michigan, or that steamships l)egan to
navigate the bosom of that inland sea.
Until the year 1832, the commencement of the Black Hawk War,
but few hostilities were experienced with the Indians. Roads were
opened, canals were dug, cities were built, common schools were estab-
lished, universities were founded, many of which, especially the Michigan
University, have achieved a world wide-reputation. The people were
becoming wealthy. The domains of the United States had been extended,
and had the sons of the forest been treated with honesty and justice, the
record of many years would have been that of peace and continuous pros-
perity.
BLACK HAWK AND THE BLACK HAWK WAR.
This conflict, though confined to Illinois, is an important epoch in
the Northwestern history, being the last war with the Indians in this part
of the United States.
Ma-ka-tai-me-she-kia-kiah, or Black Hawk, was born in the principal
Sac village, about three miles from the junction of Rock River with the
Mississippi, in the year 1767. His father's name was Py-e-sa or Pahaes ;
his grandfather's, Na-na-ma-kee, or the Thunderer. Black Hawk early
distinguished himself as a warrior, and at the age of fifteen was permitted
to paint and was ranked among the braves. About the year 1783, he
went on an expedition against the enemies of his nation, the Osages, one
1
I
I
THE NORTHWEST TERRITOBY.
76
BLACK HAWK, THE SAC CHIEFTAIN.
76 THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY.
of whom he killed and scalped, and for this deed of Indian bravery he was
permitted to join in the scalp dance. Three or four years after he, at the
head of two hundred braves, went on another expedition against the
Osages, to avenge the murder of some women and children belonging to
his own tribe. Meeting an equal number of Osage warriors, a fierce
battle ensued, in which the latter tribe lost one-half their number. The
Sacs lost only about nineteen warriors. He next attacked the Cherokees
for a similar cause. In a severe battle with them, near the present Citv
of St. Louis, his father was slain, and Black Hawk, taking possession of
the " Medicine Bag," at once announced himself chief of the Sac nation.
He had now conquered the Cherokees, and about the year 1800, at the
head of five hundred Sacs and Foxes, and a hundred lowas, he waged
war against the Osage nation and subdued it. For two years he battled
successfully with other Indian tribes, all of whom he conquered.
Black Hawk does not at any time seem to have been friendly to
the Americans. When on a visit to St. Louis to see his " Spanish
Father," he declined to see an}^ of the Americans, alleging, as a reason,
he did not want two fathers.
The treaty at St. Louis was consummated in 1804. The next year the
United States Government erected a fort near the head of the Des Moines
Rapids, called Fort Edwards. This seemed to enrage Black Hawk, who
at once determined to capture Fort Madison, standing on the west side of
the Mississippi above the mouth of the Des Moines River. The fort was
garrisoned by about fifty men. Here he was defeated. The difficulties
with the British Government arose about this time, and the War of 1812
followed. That government, extending aid to the Western Indians, by
giving them arms and ammunition, induced them to remain hostile to the
Americans. In August, 1812, Black Hawk, at the head of about five
hundred braves, started to join the British forces at Detroit, passing on
his way the site of Chicago, where the famous Fort Dearborn Massacre
had a few days before occurred. Of liis connection with the British
Government but little is known. In 1813 he with his little band descended
the Mississippi, and attacking some United States troops at Fort Howard
was defeated.
In the early part of 1815, the Indian tribes west of the Mississippi
were notified that peace had b^n declared between the United States
and England, and nearly all hostilities had ceased. Black Hawk did not
sign any treaty, however, until May of the following year. He then recog-
nized the validity of the treaty at St. Louis in 1804. From the time of
signing this treaty in 1816, until the breaking out of the war in 1832, he
and his band passed their time in the common pursuits of Indian life.
Ten years before the commencement of this war, the Sac and Fox
THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY. 77
Indians were urged to join the lowas on the west bank of the Father of
Waters. All were agreed, save the band known as the British Band, of
which Black Hawk was leader. He strenuously objected to the removal,
and was induced to comply only after being threatened with the power of
the Government. This and various actions on the part of the white set-
tlers provoked Black Hawk and his band to attempt the (Capture of his
native village now occupied by the whites. The war followed. He and
his actions were undoubtedly misunderstood, and had his Avishes been
acquiesced in at the beginning of the struggle, much bloodshed would
have been prevented.
Black Hawk was chief now of the Sac and Fox nations, and a noted
warrior. He and his tribe inhabited a village on Rock River, nearly three
miles above its confluence with the Mississippi, where the tribe had lived
many generations. When that portion of Illinois was reserved to them,
they remained in peaceable possession of their reservation, spending their
time in the enjoyment of Indian life. The fine situation of their village
and the quality of their lands incited the more lawless white settlers, who
from time to time began to encroach upon the red men's domain. From
one pretext to another, and from one step to another, the crafty white
men gained a foothold, until through whisky and artifice they obtained
deeds from many of the Indians for their possessions. The Indians were
finallv induced to cross over the Father of Waters and locate amona- the
lowas. Black Hawk was strenuously opposed to all this, but as the
authorities of Illinois and the United States thought this the best move, he
was forced to comply. Moreover other tribes joined the Avhites and urged
the removal. Black Hawk would not agree to the terms of the treaty
made with his nation for their lands, and as soon as the military, called to
enforce his removal, had retired, he returned to the Illinois side of the
river. A large force was at once raised and marched against him. On
the evening of May 14, 1832, the first engagement occurred between a
band from this army and Black Hawk's band, in which the former were
defeated.
This attack and its result aroused the whites. A large force of men
was raised, and Gen. Scott hastened from the seaboard, by way of the
lakes, with United States troops and artillery to aid in the subjugation of
the Indians. On the 24th of June, Black Hawk, with 200 warriors, was
repulsed by Major Demont between Rock River and Galena. The Ameri-
can army continued to move up Rock River toward the main body of
■the Indians, and on the 21st of July came upon Black Hawk and his band,
and defeated them near the Blue Mounds.
Before this action. Gen. Henry, in command, sent word to the main
army by whom he was immediately rejoined, and the whole crossed the
1
78 THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY.
Wisconsin in pursuit of Black Hawk and his band who were fleeing to the
Mississippi. They were overtaken on the 2d of August, and in the battle
which followed the power of the Indian chief was completely broken. He
fled, but was seized by the Winnebagoes and delivered to the whites.
On the 21st of September, 1832, Gen. Scott and Gov. Reynolds con-
cluded a treaty with the Winnebagoes, Sacs and Foxes by which they
ceded to the United States a vast tract of country, and agreed to remain
peaceable with the whites. For the faithful performance of the provi-,
sions of this treaty on the part of the Indians, it was stipulated that
Black Hawk, his two sons, the prophet Wabokieshiek, and six other chiefs
of the hostile bands should be retained as hostages during the pleasure
of the President. They were confined at Fort Barracks and put in irons.
The next Spring, by order of the Secretary of War, they were taken
to Washington. From there they were removed to Fortress Monroe,
"there to remain until the conduct of their nation was such as to justify
their being set at liberty." They were retained here until the 4th of
June, when the authorities directed them to be taken to the principal
cities so that they might see the folly of contending against the white
people. Everywhere they were observed by thousands, the name of the
old chief being extensively known. By the middle of August they
reached Fort Armstrong on Rock Island, where Black Hawk was soon
after released to go to his countrymen. As he passed the site of his birth-
place, now the home of the white man, he was deeply moved. His village
where he was born, where he had so happily lived, and where he had
hoped to die, was now another's dwelling place, and he was a wanderer.
On the next day after his release, he went at once to his tribe and
his lodge. His Avife was yet living, and with her he passed the remainder
of his jiays. To his credit it may be said that Black Hawk always re-
mained true to his wife, and served her with a devotion uncommon among
the Indians, living with her upward of forty years.
Black Hawk now passed his time hunting and fishing. A deep mel-
ancholy had settled over him from which he could not be freed. At all
times when he visited the whites he was received with marked atten-
tion. He was an honored guest at the old settlers' reunion in Lee County,
Illinois, at some of their meetings, and received many tokens of esteem.
In September, 1838, while on his way to Rock Island to receive his
annuity from the Government, he contracted a severe cold which resulted
in a fatal attack of bilious fever which terminated his life on October 3.
His faithful wife, who was devotedly attached to him, mourned deeply
during his sickness. After his death he was dressed in the uniform pre-
sented to him by the President while in Washington. He was buried in
a grave six feet in depth, situated upon a beautiful eminence. " The
THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY.
79
body was placed in the middle of the grave, in a sitting posture, upon a
seat constructed for the purpose. On his left side, the cane, given him
by Henry Clay, was placed upright, with his right hand resting upon it.
Many of the old warrior's trophies were placed in the grave, and some
Indian garments, together with his favorite weapons."
No sooner was the Black Hawk war' concluded than settlers began
rapidly to pour into the northern parts of Illinois, and into Wisconsin,
now free from Indian depredations. Chicago, from a trading post, had
grown to a commercial center, and was rapidly coming into prominence.
In 1835, the formation of a State Government in Michigan was discussed,
but did not take active form until two years later, when the State became
a part of the Federal Union.
The main attraction to that portion of the Northwest lying west of
Lake Michigan, now included in the State of Wisconsin, was its alluvial
wealth. Copper ore was found about Lake Superior. For some time this
region was attached to Michigan for judiciary purposes, but in ISSf) was
made a territory, then including Minnesota and Iowa. The latter State
was detached two years later. In 1848, Wisconsin was admitted as a
State, Madison being made the capital. We have now traced the various
divisions of the Northwest Territory (save a little in Minnesota) from
the time it was a unit comprising this vast territory, until circumstances
compelled its present division.
OTHER INDIAN TROUBLES.
Before leaving this part of the narrative, we will narrate briefly the
Indian troubles in Minnesota and elsewhere by the Sioux Indians.
In August, 1862, the Sioux Indians living on the western borders of
Minnesota fell upon the unsuspecting settlers, and in a few hours mas-
sacred ten or twelve hundred persons. A distressful panic was the
immediate result, fully thirty thousand persons fleeing from their homes
to districts supposed to be better protected. The military authorities
at once took active measures to punish the savages, and a large number
were killed and captured. About a year after, Little Crow, the chief,
was killed by a Mr. Lampson near Scattered Lake. Of those captured,
thirty were hung at Mankato, and the remainder, through fears of mob
violence, were removed to Camp McClellan, on the outskirts of the City
of Davenport. It was here that Big Eagle came into prominence and
secured his release by the following order :
80
THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY.
BIG EAGLE.
THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY. 81
"Special Order, No. 430. "War Department,
" Adjutant General's Office, Washington, Dec. 3, 1864.
" Big Eagle, an Indian now in confinement at Davenport, Io\va»
will, upon the receipt of this order, be immediately released from confine-
% ment and set at liberty.
'' By order of the President of the United States. •
" Official : " E. D. TowNSEND, Ass't Adft G-en.
" Capt. James Vanderventer, Corny Sub. Vols. .
"Through Com'g Gen'l, Washington, D. C."
Another Indian who figures more prominently than Big Eagle, and
who was more cowardly in his nature, with his band of Modoc Indians,
is noted in the annals of the New Northwest: we refer to Captain Jack.
This distinguished Indian, noted for his cowardly murder of Gen. Canby,
was a chief of a Modoc tribe of Indians inhabiting the border lands
between California and Oregon. This region of country comprises what
is known as the " Lava Beds," a tract of land described as utterly impene-
trable, save by those savages who had made it their home.
The Modocs are kn9wn as an exceedingly fierce and treacherous
race. They had, according to their own traditions, resided here for many
generations, and at one time were exceedingly numerous and powerful.
A famine carried off nearly half their numbers, and disease, indolence
and the vices of the white man have reduced them to a poor, weak and
insignificant tribe.
Soon after the settlement of California and Oregon, complaints began
to be heard of massacres of emigrant trains passing through the Modoc
country. In 1847, an emigrant train, comprising eighteen souls, was en-
tirely destroyed at a place since known as " Bloody Point." These occur-
rences caused the United States Government to appoint a peace commission,
who, after repeated attempts, in 1864, made a treaty with the Modocs,
Snakes and Klamaths, in which it was agreed on their part to remove to
a reservation set apart for them in the southern part of Oregon.
With the exception of Captain Jack and a band of his followers, who
remained at Clear Lake, about six miles from Klamath, ^ the Indians
complied. The Modocs who went to the reservation were under chief
Schonchin. Captain Jack remained at the lake without disturbance
until 1869, when he was also induced to remove to the reservation. The
Modocs and the Klamaths soon became involved in a quarrel, and Captain
Jack and his band returned to the Lava Beds.
Several attempts were made by the Indian Commissioners to induce
them to return to the reservation, and finally becoming involved in a
1
82
THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY.
difficulty with the commissioner and his military escort, a fight ensued,
in which the chief and his Land were routed. They were greatly enraged,
and on their retreat, before the day closed, killed eleven inoffensive whites.
The nation was aroused and immediate action demanded. A com-
mission was at once appointed by the Government to see what could be
done. It comprised the following persons : Gen. E. R. S. Canby, Rev.
Dr. E. Thomas, a leading Methodist divine of California ; Mr. A. B.
Meacham, Judge Rosborough, of California, and a Mr. Dyer, of Oregon.
After several interviews, in which the savages were always aggressive,
often appearing with scalps in their belts. Bogus Charley came to the
commission on the evening of April 10, 1873, and informed them that
Capt. Jack and his band would have a " talk " to-morrow at a place near
Clear Lake, about three miles distant. Here the Commissioners, accom-
panied by Charle3% Riddle, the interpreter, and Boston Charley repaired.
After the usual greeting the council proceedings commenced. On behalf
of the Indians there were present : Capt. Jack, Black Jim, Schnac Nasty
Jim, Ellen's Man, and Hooker Jim. They had no guns, but carried pis-
tols. After short speeches by Mr. Meacham, Gen. Canby and Dr. Thomas,
Chief Schonchin arose to speak. He had scarcely proceeded when,
as if by a preconcerted arrangement, Capt. Jack drew his pistol and shot
Gen. Canby dead. In less than a minute a dozen shots were fired b}^ the
savages, and the massacre completed. Mr. Meacham was shot by Schon-
chin, and Dr. Thomas by Boston Charley. Mr. Dyer barely escaped, being
fired at twice. Riddle, the interpreter, and his squaw escaped. The
troops rushed to the spot where they found Gen. Canby and Dr. Thomas
dead, and Mr. Meacham badly wounded. The savages had escaped to
their impenetrable fastnesses and could not be pursued.
The whole country Avas aroused by this brutal massacre ; but it was
not until the following May that the murderers were brought to justice.
At that time Boston Charley gave himself up, and offered to guide the
troops to Capt. Jack's stronghold. This led to the capture of his entire
gang, a number of whom were murdered by Oregon volunteers Avhile on
their way to trial. The remaining Indians were held as prisoners until
July when thttr trial occurred, which led to the conviction of Capt.
Jack, Schonchin, Boston Charley, Hooker Jim, Broncho, alias One-Eyed
Jim, and Slotuck, who were sentenced to be hanged. These sentences
were approved by the President, save in the case of Slotuck and Broncho
whose sentences were commuted to imprisonment for life. The others
were executed at Fort Klamath, October 3, 1873.
These closed the Ijidian troubles for a time in the Northwest, and for
several years the borders of civilization remained in peace. They were
again involved in a conflict with the savages about the country of the
THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY.
sa
CAPTAIN JACK, THE MODOC CHIEFTAIN.
rf4
THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY.
Black Hills, in which war the gallant Gen. Custer lost his hfe. Just
now the borders of Oregon and California are again in fear of hostilities ;
but as the Government has learned how to deal with the Indians, they
will be of short duration. The red man is fast passing away before the
march of the white man, and a few more generations will read of the
Indians as one of the nations of the past.
The Northwest abounds in memorable places. We have generally
noticed them in the narrative, but our space forbids their description in
detail, save of the most important places.. Detroit, Cincinnati, Vincennes,
Kaskaskia and their kindred towns have all been described. But ere we
leave the narrative we will present our readers with an account of the
Kinzie house, the old landmark of Chicago, and the discovery of the
source of the Mississippi River, each of which may well find a place in
the annals of the Northwest.
Mr. John Kinzie, of the Kinzie house, represented in the illustra-
tion, established a trading house at Fort Dearborn in 1804. The stockade
had been erected the year previous, and named Fort Dearborn in honor
of the Secretary of War. It had a block house at each of the two angles,
on the southern side a sallyport, a covered way on the north side, that led
down to the river, for the double purpose of providing means of escape,
and of procuring water in the event of a siege.
Fort Dearborn stood on the south bank of the Chicago River, about
half a mile from its mouth. When Major Whistler built it, his soldiers
hauled all the timber, for he had no oxen, and so economically did he
work that the fort cost the Government only fifty dollars. For a while
the garrison could get no grain, and W histler and his men subsisted on
acorns. Now Chicago is the greatest grain center in the world.
Mr. Kinzie bought the hut of the first settler, Jean Baptiste Point au
Sable, on the site of which he erected his mansion. Within an inclosure
in front he planted some Lombardy poplars, seen in the engraving, and in
the rear he soon had a fine garden and growing orchard.
In 1812 the Kinzie house and its surroundings became the theater
of stirring events. The garrison of Fort Dearborn consisted of fifty-four
men, under the charge of Capt. Nathan Heald, assisted by Lieutenant
Lenai T. Helm (son-in-law to Mrs. Kinzie), and Ensign Ronan. The
suro-eon was Dr. Voorhees. The only residents at the post at that time
were the wives of Capt. Heald and Lieutenant Helm and a few of the
soldiers, Mr. Kinzie and his family, and a few Canadian voyagers with their
wives and children. The soldiers and Mr. Kinzie were on the most
friendly terms Avith the Pottawatomies and the Winnebagoes, the prin-
cipal tribes around them, but they could not win them from their attach-
ment to the British.
THE NORTHWEST TERKTTORY.
85
After the battle of Tippecanoe it was observed that some of the lead-
ing chiefs became sullen, for some of their people had perished in that
conflict with American troops.
One evening in April, 1812, Mr. Kinzie sat playing his violin and his
children were dancing to the music, when Mrs. Kinzie came rushing into
the house pale with terror, and exclaiming, " The Indians ! the Indians I "
" What? Where? " eagerly inquired Mr. Kinzie. " Up at Lee's, kilHng
and scalping," answered the frightened mother, who, when the alarm was
given, was attending Mrs. Burns, a newly-made mother, living not fni- oi¥.
KINZIE HOUSE.
Mr. Kinzie and his family crossed the river in boats, and took refuge in
the fort, to which place Mrs. Burns and her infant, not a day old, were
conveyed in safety to the shelter of the guns of Fort Dearborn, and the
rest of the white inhabitants fled. The Indians were a scalping party of
Winnebagoes, who hovered around the fort some days, when they dis-
appeared, and for several weeks the inhabitants were not disturbed by
alarms.
Chicago was then so deep in the wilderness, that the news of the
declaration of war against Great Britain, made on the 19th of June, 1812,
did not reach the commander of the garrison at Fort Dearborn till the 7th
of August. Now the fast mail train will carry a man from New York to
Chicago in twenty-seven hours, and such a declaration might be sent,
every word, by the telegraph in less than the same number of minutes.
THE KOKTHWEST TERRITORY.
87
PRESENT CONDITION OF THE NORTHWEST
Preceding chapters have brought us to the close of the Black Hawk
• war, and we now turn to the contempLation of the growth and prosperity
of the Northwest under the smile of peace and the blessings of our civili-
za-tian. The pioneers of this region date events back to the deep snow
A KEPRESKNTATIVE PIONEER.
of 1831, no one arriving here since that date taking first honors. The
inciting cause of the immigration which overflowed the prairies early in
the '30s was the reports of the marvelous beauty and fertility of the
region distributed through the East by those who had participated in the
Black Hawk campaign with Gen. Scott. Chicago and Milwaukee then
had a few hundred inhabitants, and Gurdon S. Hubbard's trail from the
former city to Kaskaskia led almost through a wilderness. Vegetables
and clothing were largely, distributed through the regions adjoining the
88
THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY.
I
lakes by steamers from the Ohio towns. There are men now living in
Illinois who came to the state when barely an acre was in cultivation,
and a man now prominent in the business circles of Chicago looked over
the swampy, cheerless site of that metropolis in 1818 and went south-
ward into civilization. Emigrants from Pennsylvania in 1830 left behind
Li:5ifC0LN MO^^^UMENT, SPKIXGFIELD, ILLINOIS.
them but one small railway in the coal regions, thirty miles in length,
and made their way to the Northwest mostly with ox teams, finding in
Northern Illinois petty settlements scores of miles apart, altliough the
southern portion of the state was fairly dotted with farms. The
water courses of the lakes and rivers furnished transportation to the
second great army of immigrants, and about 1850 railroads were
pushed to that extent that the crisis of 1837 was precipitated upon us.
THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY.
89
from the effects of which the AVestern country had not fully recovered
at the outbreak of the war. Hostilities found the colonists of the prairies
fullv alive to the demands of the occasion, and the honor of recruiting
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.the vast armies of the Union fell largely to Gov. Yates, of Illinois, ann
Gov. Morton, of Indiana. To recount the share of the glories of the
campaign won Iby cujc Western troops is a needless task, except to
mention the fact that Illinois p^ave co the nation the President who save'*
90
THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY.
it, and sent out at the head of one of its regiments tne general who led
its armies to the final victory at Appomattox. The struggle, on the
FARM VIEW IN WINTER.
whole, had a marked effect for the better on the new Northwest, g; ring
it an impetus which twenty years of peace would not have produced.
In a large degree this prosperity was an inflated one, and with the rest
of the Union we have since been compelled to atone therefoi; l\v four
THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY. . 9S
years of depression of values, of scarcity of employment, and loss of
fortune. To a less degree, however, than the manufacturing or mining
regions has the West suffered during the prolonged panic now so near its
end. Agriculture, still the leading feature in our industries, has been
quite prosperous through all these dark years, and the farmers have
cleared away many incumbrances resting over them from the period of
fictitious values. The population has steadily increased, the arts and
sciences are gaining a stronger foothold, the trade area of the region is
becoming daily more extended, and we have been largely exempt from
the financial calamities which have nearly wrecked communities on the
seaboard dependent wholly on foreign commerce or domestic manufacture.
At the present period there are no great schemes broached for the
Northwest, no propositions for government subsidies or national works
of improvement, but the capital of the world is attracted hither for the
purchase of our products or the expansion of our capacity for serving the
nation at large. A new era is dawning as to transportation, and we bid
fair to dealalmost exclusively with the increasing and expanding lines
of steel rail running through every few miles of territory on the prairies.
T]ie lake marine will no doubt continue to be useful in the warmer
season, and to serve as a regulator of freight rates; but experienced
navigators forecast the decav of the system in moving to the seaboard
the enormous crops of the West. Within the past five years it has
become quite common to see direct shipments to Europe and the West
Indies coino- throug^h from the second-class towns along the Mississippi
and Missouri.
As' to popular education, the standard has of late risen very greatly,
and our schools would be creditable to any section of the Union.
More and more as the events of the war pass into obscurity will the
fate of the Northwest be linked with that of the Southwest, and the
next Congressional apportionment will give the valley of the Mississippi
absolute control of the legislation of the nation, and do much toward
securing the removal of the Federal capitol to some more central location.
Our public men continue to wield the full share of influence pertain-
ing to their rank in the national autonomy, and seem not to forget that
for the past sixteen years they and their constituents have dictated the
principles which should govern the country.
In a work like this, destined to lie on the shelves of the library for
generations, and not doomed to daily destruction like a newspaper, one
can not indulge in the same glowing predictions, the sanguine statements
of actualities that fill the columns of ephemeral publications. Time may
bring grief to the pet projects of a writer, and explode castles erected on
a pedestal of facts. Yet there are unmistakable indications before us of
94
THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY.
LAKE BLUFF.
The frontage of Lake Bluff Grounds on Lake Michigan, with one hnndred and seventy feet of gradual ascent.
HIGH BRIDGE, LAKE BLrFF, LAKE COUNTY, ILLINOIS.
THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY. 95
the same radical change in our great Northwest which characterizes its
history for the past thirty years. Our domain has a sort of natural
geographical border, save where it melts away to the southward in the
cattle raisins: districts of the southwest.
Our prime interest will for some years doubtless be the growth of
the food of the world, in which branch it has already outstripped all
competitors, and our great rival in this duty will naturally be the fertile
plains of Kansas, Nebraska and Colorado, to say nothing of the new
empire so rapidly growing up in Texas. Over these regions there is a
continued progress in agriculture and in railwa}^ building, and we must
look to our laurels. Intelligent observers of events are fully aware of
the strides made in the way of shipments of fresh meats to Europe,
many of these ocean cargoes being actually slaughtered in the West and
transported on ice to the wharves of the seaboard cities. That this new
enterprise will continue there is no reason to doubt. There are in
Chicago several factories for the canning of prepared meats for European
consumption, and the orders for this class of goods are already immense.
English capital is becoming daily more and more dissatisfied with railway
loans and investments, and is gradually seeking mammoth outlays in
lands and live stock. The stock yards in Chicago, Indianapolis and East
St. Louis are yearly increasing their facilities, and their plant steadily
grows more valuable. Importations of blooded animals from the pro-
gressive countries of Europe are destined to greatly improve the qualit}-
of our beef and mutton. Nowhere is there to be seen a more enticing
display in this line than at our state and county fairs, and the interest
in the matter is on the increase.
To attempt to give statistics of our grain production for 1877 would
be useless, so far have we surpassed ourselves in the quantity and
quality of our product. We are too liable to forget that we are giving
the world its first article of necessity — its food supply. An opportunity
to learn this fact so it never can be forgotten was afforded at Chicago at
the outbreak of the great panic of 1873, when Canadian purchasers,
fearing the prostration of business might bring about an anarchical condition
of affairs, went to that city with coin in bulk and foreign drafts to secure
their supplies in their own currency at first hands. It may be justly
claimed by the agricultural community that their combined efforts gave
the nation its first impetus toward a restoration of its crippled industries,
and their labor brought the gold premium to a lower depth than the
government was able to reach hy its most intense efforts of legislation
and compulsion. The hundreds of millions about to be disbursed for
farm products have already, by the anticipation common to all commercial
96
THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY.
nations, set the wheels in motion, and will relieve us from the perils so
long shadowing our efforts to return to a healthy tone.
" Manufacturing has attained in the chief cities a foothold which bids
fair to render the North\Yest independent of the outside world. Nearly
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our whole region has a distribution of coal measures which will in time
support the manufactures necessary to our comfort and prosperity. As
to transportation, the chief factor in the production of all articles except-
food, no section is so magnificently endowed, and our facilities are yearly
increasing beyond those of any other region.
THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY. 97
The period from a central point of the war to the outbreak of the
panic was marked by a tremendous growth in our railway lines, but the
depression of the times caused almost a total suspension of operations.
Now that prosperity is returning to our stricken country we witness its
anticipation by the railroad interest in a series of projects, extensions,
and leases which bid fair to largely increase our transportation facilities.
The process of foreclosure and sale of incumbered lines is another matter
to be considered. In the case of the Illinois Central road, which formerly
transferred to other lines at Cairo the vast burden of freight destined for
the Gulf region, we now see the incorporation of the tracks connecting
through to New Orleans, every mile co-operating in turning toward the
northwestern metropolis the weight of the inter-state commerce of a
thousand miles or more of fertile plantations. Three competing routes
to Texas have established in Chicago their general freight and passenger
agencies. Four or five lines compete for all Pacific freights to a point as
as far as the interior of Nebraska. Half a dozen or more splendid bridge
structures have been thrown across the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers by
the railways. The Chicago and Northwestern line has become an aggre-
gation of over two thousand miles of rail, and the Chicago, Milwaukee
and St. Paul is its close rival in extent and importance. The three lines
running to Cairo via Vincennes form a through route for all traffic with
the states to the southward. The chief projects now under discussion
are the Chicago and Atlantic, which is to unite with lines now built to
Charleston, and the Chicago and Canada Southern, which Hue will con-
nect with all the various branches of that Canadian enterprise. Our
latest new road is the Chicago and Lake Huron, formed of three lines,
and entering the city from Valparaiso on the Pittsburgh. Fort Wayne
and Chicago track. The trunk lines being mainly in operation, the
progress made in the way of shortening tracks, making air-line branches,
and running extensions does not show to the advantage it deserves, as
this process is constantly adding new facilities to the established order
of things. The panic reduced the price of steel to a point where the
railways could hardly afford to use iron rails, and all our northwestern
lines report large relays of Bessemer track. The immense crops now
being moved have given a great rise to the value of railway stocks, and
their transportation must result in heavy pecuniary advantages.
Few are aware of the importance of the wholesale and jobbing trade
of Chicago. One leading firm has since the panic sold 824,000,000 of
- dry goods in one year, and they now expect most confidently to add
seventy per cent, to the figures of their last year's business. In boots
and shoes and in clothing, twenty or more great firms from the east have
placed here their distributing agents or their factories ; and in groceries
98
THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY.
Chicago supplies the entire Northwest at rates presenting advantages
over New York.
Chicago has stepped in between New York and the rural banks as a
financial center, and scarcely a banking institution in the grain or cattle
regions but keeps its reserve funds in the vaults of our commercial insti-
tutions. Accumulating here throughout the spring and summer months,
they are summoned home at pleasure to move the products of the
prairies. This process greatly strengthens the northwest in its financial
operations, leaving home capital to supplement local operations on
behalf of home interests.
It is impossible to forecast the destiny of this grand and growing
section of the Union. Figures and predictions made at this date might
seem ten years hence so ludicrously small as to excite only derision.
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ILLINOIS.
Length, 380 miles, mean width about 156 miles. Area, 55,410 square
miles, or 35,462,400 acres. Illinois, as regards its surface, constitutes a
table-land at a varying elevation ranging between 350 and 800 feet above
the sea level ; composed of extensive and highly fertile prairies and plains.
Much of the south division of the State, especially the river-bottoms, are
thickly wooded. The prairies, too, have oasis-like clumps of trees
scattered here and there at intervals. The chief rivers irrigating the
State are the Mississippi — dividing it from Iowa and Missouri — the Ohio
(forming its south barrier), the Illinois, Wabash, Kaskaskia, and San-
gamon, with their numerous affluents. The total extent of navigable
streams is calculated at 4,000 miles. Small lakes are scattered over vari-
ous parts of the State. Illinois is extremely prolific in minerals, chiefly
coal, iron, copper, and zinc ores, sulphur and limestone. The coal-field
alone is estimated to absorb a full third of the entire coal-deposit of North
America. Climate tolerably equable and healthy ; the mean temperature
standing at about 51° Fahrenheit As an agricultural region, Illinois takes
a competitive rank with neighboring States, the cereals, fruits, and root-
crops yielding plentiful returns ; in fact, as a grain-growing State, Illinois
may be deemed, in proportion to her size, to possess a greater area of
lands suitable for its production than any other State in the Union. Stock-
raising is also largely carried on, while her manufacturing interests in
regard of woolen fabrics, etc., are on a very extensive and yearly expand-
ino- scale. The lines of railroad in the State are among the most exten-
sive of the Union. Inland water-carriage is facilitated by a canal
connecting the Illinois River with Lake Michigan, and thence with the
St. Lawrence and Atlantic. Illinois is divided into 102 counties ; the
chief towns being Chicago, Springfield (capital), Alton, Quincy, Peoria,
Galena, Bloomington, Rock Island, Vandalia, etc. By the new Consti-
tution, established in 1870, the State Legislature consists of 51 Senators,
elected for four years, and 153 Representatives, for two years ; which
numbers were to be decennially increased thereafter to the number of
six per every additional half-millicn of inhabitants. Religious and
educational institutions are largely diffused throughout, and are in a ver}^
fiourishino: condition. Illinois has a State Lunatic and a Deaf and Dumb
Asylum at Jacksonville ; a State Penitentiary at Joliet ; and a Home for
(99)
100
THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY.
Soldiers' Orphans at Normal. On November 30, 1870, the public debt of
the State was returned at $4,870,937, with a balance of $1,808,833
unprovided for. At the same period the value of assessed and equalized
property presented the following totals : assessed, $840,031,703 ; equal-
ized $480,664,058. The name of Illinois, through nearly the whole of
the eighteenth century, embraced most of the known regions north and
west of Ohio. French colonists established themselves in 1673, at
Cahokia and Kaskaskia, and the territory of which these settlements
formed the nucleus was, in 1763, ceded to Great Britain in conjunction
with Canada, and ultimately resigned to the United States in 1787.
Illinois entered the Union as a State, December 3, 1818; and now sends
19 Representatives to Congress. Population, 2,539,891, in 1870.
^ WESTERN DWELLING.
THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY. lUl
INDIANA
The profile of Indiana forms a nearly exact parallelogram, occupy-
ing one of the most fertile portions of the great Mississippi Valley. The
greater extent of the surface embraced within its limits consists of gentle
undulations rising into hilly tracts toward the Ohio bottom. The chief
rivers of the State are the Ohio and Wabash, with their numerous
affluents. The soil is highly productive of the cereals and grasses — most
particularly so in the valleys of the Ohio, Wabash, Whitewater, and
White Rivers. The northeast and central portions are well timbered
with virgin forests, and the west section is notably rich in coal, constitut-
ing an offshoot of the great Illinois carboniferous field. Iron, copper,
marble, slate, gypsum, and various clays are also abundant. From an
agricultural point of view, the staple products are maize and wheat, with
the other cereals in lesser yields ; and besides these, flax, hemp, sorghum,
hops, etc., are extensively raised. Indiana is divided into 92 counties,
and counts among her principal cities and towns, those of Indianapolis
Ctlie capital), Fort Wayne, Evansville, Terre Haute, Madison, Jefferson-
ville, Columbus, Vincennes, South Bend, etc. The public institutions of
the State are many and various, and on a scale of magnitude and
efficiency commensurate with her important political and industrial status.
Upward of two thousand miles of railroads permeate the State in all
directions, and greatly conduce to the development of her expanding
manufacturing interests. Statistics for the fiscal year terminating
October 31, 1870, exhibited a total of receipts, $3, 896,541 as against dis-
bursements, $3,532,406, leaving a balance, $364,135 in favor of the State
Treasury. The entire public debt, January 5, 1871, $3,971,000. This
State was first settled by Canadian voyageurs in 1702, who erected a fort
at Vincennes ; in 1763 it passed into the hands of the English, and was
by the latter ceded to the United States in 1783. From 1788 till 1791,
an Indian ware fare prevailed. In 1800, all the region west and north of
Ohio (then formed into a distinct territory) became merged in Indiana.
In 1809, the present limits of the State were defined, Michigan and
Illinois having previously been withdrawn. In 1811, Indiana was the
theater of the Indian War of Tecumseh, ending with the decisive battle
of Tippecanoe. In 1816 (December 11), Indiana became enrolled among
the States of the American Union. In 1834, the State passed through a
monetary crisis owing to its having become mixed up with railroad,
f;anal, and other speculations on a gigantic scale, which ended, for the
time being, in a general collapse of public credit, and consequent bank-
ruptcy. Since that time, however, the greater number of the public
102 THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY.
works which had brought about that imbroglio — especially the great
Wabash and Erie Canal — have been completed, to the great benefit of
the State, whose subsequent progress has year by year been marked by
rapid strides in the paths of wealth, commerce, and general social and
political prosperity. The constitution now in force was adopted in 1851.
Population, 1,680,637.
IOWA.
In shape, Iowa presents an almost perfect parallelogram ; has a
length, north to south, of about 300 miles, by a pretty even width of 208
miles, and embraces an area of 55,045 square miles, or 35,228,800 acres.
The surface of the State is generally undulating, rising toward the
middle into an elevated plateau which forms the "divide" of the
Missouri and Mississippi basins. Rolling prairies, especially in the south
section, constitute a regnant feature, and the river bottoms, belted with
woodlands, present a soil of the richest alluvion. Iowa is well watered ;
the principal rivers being the Mississippi and Missouri, which form
respectively its east and west limits, and the Cedar, Iowa, and Des
Moines, affluents of the first named. Mineralogically, Iowa is important
as occupying a section of the great Northwest coal field, to the extent of
an area estimated at 25,000 square miles. Lead, copper, zinc, and iron,
are also mined in considerable quantities. The soil is well adapted to
the production of wheat, maize, and the other cereals ; fruits, vegetables,
and esculent roots; maize, wheat, and oats forming the chief staples.
Wine, tobacco, hops, and wax, are other noticeable items of the agricul-
tural yield. Cattle-raising, too, is a branch of rural industry largely
engaged in. The climate is healthy, although liable to extremes of heat
and cold. The annual gross product of the various manufactures carried
on in this State approximate, in round numbers, a sum of $20,000,000.
Iowa has an immense railroad system, besides over 500 miles of water-
communication by means of its navigable rivers. The State is politically
divided into 99 counties, with the following centers of population : Des
Moines (capital), Iowa City (former capital), Dubuque, Davenport, Bur-
lington, Council Bluffs, Keokuk, Muscatine, and Cedar Rapids. The
State institutions of Iowa — religious, scholastic, and philanthropic — are
on a par, as regards number and perfection of organization and operation,
with those of her Northwest sister States, and education is especially
well cared for, and largely diffused. Iowa formed a portion of the
American territorial acquisitions from France, bv the so-called Louisiana
purchase in 1 803, and was politically identified with Louisiana till 1812»
THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY. 103
when it merged into the Missouri Territory; in 1834 it came under the
Michigan organization, and, in 1836, under that of Wisconsin. Finally,
after being constituted an independent Territory, it became a State of
the Union, December 28, 1846. Population in 1860, 674,913 ; in 1870,
1,191,792, and in 1875, 1,353,118.
MICHIGAN.
United area, 56,243 square miles, or 35,995,520 acres. Extent of the
Upper and smaller Peninsula — length, 316 miles; breadth, fluctuating
between 36 and 120 miles. The south division is 416 miles long, by from
50 to 300 miles wide. Aggregate lake-shore line, 1,400 miles. The
Upper, or North, Peninsula consists chiefly of an elevated j)lateau,
expanding into the Porcupine mountain-system, attaining a maximum
height of some 2,000 feet. Its shores along Lake Superior are eminently
bold and picturesque, and its area is rich in minerals, its product of
copper constituting an important source of industry. Both divisions are
heavily wooded, and the South one, in addition, boasts of a deep, rich,
loamy soil, throwing up excellent crops of cereals and other agricultural
produce. The climate is generally mild and humid, though the Winter
colds are severe. The chief staples of farm husbandry include the cereals,
grasses, maple sugar, sorghum, tobacco, fruits, and dairj'-stuffs. In 1870,
the acres of land in farms were : improved, 5,096,939 ; unimproved
woodland, 4,080,146 ; other unimproved land, 842,057. The cash value
of land was $398,240,578 ; of farming implements and machinery,
$13,711,979. In 1869, there were shipped from the Lake Superior ports,
874,582 tons of iron ore, and 45,762 of smelted pig, along with 14,188
tons of copper (ore and ingot). Coal is another article largely mined.
Inland communication is provided for by an admirably organized railroad
system, and by the St. Mary's Ship Canal, connecting Lakes Huron and
Superior. Michigan is politically divided into 78 counties ; its chief
urban centers are Detroit, Lansing (capital), Ann Arbor, Marquette,
Bay City, Niles, Ypsilanti, Grand Haven, etc. The Governor of the
State is elected biennially. On November 30, 1870, the aggregate bonded
debt of Michigan amounted to $2,385,028, and the assessed valuation of
land to $266,929,278, representing an estimated cash value of $800,000,000.
Education is largely diffused and most excellently conducted and pro-
vided for. The State University at Ann Arbor, the colleges of Detroit
and Kalamazoo, the Albion Female College, the State Normal School at
Ypsilanti, and the State Agricultural College at Lansing, are chief among
the academic institutions. Michigan (a term of Chippeway origin, and
104 THE NORXaWEST TERRITORY.
signifying " Great Lake), was discovered and first settled by French
Canadians, who, in 1670, founded Detroit, the pioneer of a series of trad-
ing-posts on the Indian frontier. During the " Conspiracy of Pontiac,"
following the French loss of Canada, Michigan became the scene of a
sanguinary struggle between the whites aijd aborigines. In 1796,. it
became annexed to the United States, which incorporated this region
with the Xorthwest Territory, and then with Indiana Territory, till 1803,
when it became territorially independent. Michigan was the theater of
warlike operations during the war of 1812 with Great Britain, and in
1819 was authorized to be represented by one delegate in Congress ; in
1837 she was admitted into the Union as a State, and in 1869 ratified the
loth Amendment to the Federal Constitution. Population, 1,181,039.
WISCONSIN.
It has a mean length of 260 miles, and a maximum breadth of 215.
Land area, 53,921 square miles, or 34,511,860 acres. Wisconsin lies at a
considerable altitude above sea-level, and consists for the most part of an
upland plateau, the surface of which is undulating and very generally
diversified. Numerous local eminences called mounds are interspersed
over the State, and the Lake Michigan coast-line is in many parts char-
acterized by lofty escarped cliffs, even as on the west side the banks of
the Mississippi form a series of high and picturesque bluffs. A group of
islands known as The Apostles lie off the extreme north point of the
State in Lake Superior, and the great estuary of Green Bay, running far
inland, gives formation to a long, narrow peninsula between its waters
and those of Lake Michigan. The river-system of Wisconsin has three
outlets — those of Lake Superior, Green Bay, and the Mississippi, which
latter stream forms the entire southwest frontier, widening at one point
into the large watery expanse called Lake Pepin. Lake Superior receives
the St. Louis, Burnt Wood, and Montreal Rivers; Green Bay, the
Menomouee, Peshtigo, Oconto, and Fox; while into the Mississippi
empty the St. Croix, Chippewa, Black, Wisconsin, and Rock Rivers.
The chief interior lakes are those of Winnebago, Horicon, and Court
Oreilles. and smaller sheets of water stud a great part of the surface.
The climate is healthful, with cold Winters and brief but very warm
Summers. Mean annual rainfall 31 inches. The geological system
represented by the State, embraces those rocks included between the
primary and the Devonian series, the former containing extensive
deposits of copper and iron ore. Besides these minerals, lead and zinc
are found in great quantities, together with kaolin, plumbago, gypsum,
^4
THE NORTH^VEST TERRITORY. 105
and various clays. Mining, consequently, forms a prominent industry,
and one of yearly increasing dimensions. The soil of Wisconsin is of
varying quality, but fertile on the whole, and in the north parts of the
State heavily timbered. The agricultural yield comprises the cereals,
together with flax, hemp, tobacco, pulse, sorgum, and all kinds of vege-
tables, and of the hardier fruits. In 1870, the State had a total number
of 102,904 farms, occupying 11,715,321 acres, of which 5,899,343 con-
sisted of improved land, and 3,437,442 were timbered. Cash value of
farms, 8300,414,064 ; of farm implements and machinery, $14,239,364.
Total estimated value of all farm products, including betterments and
additions to stock, $78,027,032 ; of orchard and dairy stuffs, 81,045,933 ;
of lumber, 81,327,618 ; of home manufactures, 8338,423 ; of all live-stock,
845,310,882. Number of manufacturing establishments, 7,136, employ-
ing 39,055 hands, and turning out productions valued at 885,624,966.
The political divisions of the State form 61 counties, and the chief places
of wealth, trade, and population, are Madison (the capital), Milwaukee,
Fond du Lac, Oshkosh, Prairie du Chien, Janesville, Portage City,
Racine, Kenosha, and La Crosse. In 1870, the total assessed valuation
reached 8333,209,838, as against a true valuation of both real and personal
estate aggregating 8602,207,329. Treasury receipts during 1870, 8886,-
696 ; disbursements, 8906,329. Value of church property, 84,749,983.
Education is amply provided for. Independently of the State University
at Madison, and those of Galesville and of Lawrence at Appleton. and
the colleges of Beloit, Racine, and Milton, there are Normal Schools at
Platteville and Whitewater. The State is divided into 4,802 common
school districts, maintained at a cost, in 1870, of 82,094,160. The chari-
table institutions of Wisconsin include a Deaf and Dumb Asylum, an
Institute for the Education of the Blind, and a Soldiers" Orphans* School.
In January, 1870, the railroad system ramified throughout the State
totalized 2,779 miles of track, including several lines far advanced toward
completion. Immigration is successfully encouraged by the State author-
ities, the larger number of yearly new-comers being of Scandinavian and
German origin. The territory now occupied within the limits of the
State of Wisconsin was explored by French missionaries and traders in
1639, and it remained under French jurisdiction until 1703. when it
became annexed to the British North American possessions. In 1796, it
reverted to the United States, the government of which latter admitted
it within the limits of the Northwest Territory, and in 1809, attached it
to that of Illinois, and to Michigan in 1818. Wisconsin became independ-
ently territorially organized in 1836, and became a State of the L'nion,
March 3, 1847. Population in 1870, 1,064,985, of which 2,113 were of
the colored race, and 11,521 Indians. 1,206 of the latter being out of
tribal relations.
106
THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY.
MINNESOTA
Its length, north to south, embraces an extent of 380 miles ; its
breadth one of 250 miles at a maximum. Area, 84,000 square miles, or
54,760,000 acres. The surface of Minnesota, generally speaking, con-
sists of a succession of gently undulating plains and prairies, drained by
an admirable water-system, and with here and there heavil}^- timbered
bottoms and belts of virgin forest. The soil, corresponding with such a
superfices, is exceptionally rich, consisting for the most part of a dark,
calcareous sandy drift intermixed with loam. A distinguishing physical
feature of this State is its riverine ramifications, expanding in nearly
every part of it into almost innumerable lakes — the whole presenting an
aggregate of water-power having hardly a rival in the Union. Besides
the Mississippi — which here has its rise, and drains a basin of 800 miles
of country — the principal streams are the Minnesota (334 miles long),
the Red River of the North, the St. Croix, St. Louis, and many others of
lesser importance ; the chief lakes are those called Red, Cass, Leech,
Mille Lacs, Vermillion, and WinibigoSh. Quite a concatenation of sheets
of water fringe the frontier line where Minnesota joins British America,
culminating in the Lake of the Woods. It has been estimated, that of
an area of 1,200,000 acres of surface between the St. Croix and Mis-
sissippi Rivers, not less than 73,000 acres are of lacustrine formation. In
point of minerals, the resources of Minnesota have as yet been very
imperfectly developed ; iron, copper, coal, lead — all these are known to
exist in considerable deposits ; together with salt, hmestone, and potter's
clay. The agricultural outlook of the State is in a high degree satis-
factory ; wheat constitutes the leading cereal in cultivation, with Indian
corn and oats in next order? Fruits and vegetables are grown in great
plenty and of excellent quality. The lumber resources of Minnesota are
important ; the pine forests in the north region alone occupying an area
of some 21,000 square miles, which in 1870 produced a return of scaled
logs amounting to 313,116,416 feet. The natural industrial advantages
possessed by Minnesota are largely improved upon by a railroad system.
The political divisions of this State number 78 counties ; of which the
chief cities and towns are : St. Paul (the capital), Stillwater, Red Wing,
St. Anthony, Fort Snelling, Minneapolis, and Mankato. Minnesota has
already assumed an attitude of high importance as a manufacturing State ;
this is mainly due to the wonderful command of water-power she pos-
sesses, as before spoken of. Besides her timber-trade, the milling of
flour, the distillation of whisky, and the tanning of leather, are prominent
interests, which, in 1869, gave returns to the amount of $14,831,043.
THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY.
10'
Education is notably provided for on a broad and catholic scale, the
entire amount expended scholastically during the year 1870 being $851,'
816 ; while on November 30 of the preceding year the permanent school
fund stood at $2,476,222. Besides a University and Agricultural College,
Normal and Reform Schools flourish, and with these may be mentioned
such various philanthropic and religious institutions as befit the needs of
an intelligent and prosperous community. The finances of the State for
the fiscal year terminating December 1, 1870, exhibited a balance on the
right side to the amount of |136,164, being a gain of 144,000 over the
previous year's figures. The earliest exploration of Minnesota by the
whites was made in 1680 by a French Franciscan, Father Hennepin, who
gave the name of St. Antony to the Great Falls on the Upper Missisippi.
In 1763, the Treaty of Versailles ceded this region to England.
Twenty years later, Minnesota formed part of the Northwest Territory
transferred to the United States, and became herself territorialized inde-
pendently in 1849. Indian cessions in 1851 enlarged her boundaries, and,
May 11, 1857, Minnesota became a unit of the great American federation
of States. Population, 439,706.
NEBRASKA.
Maximum length, 412 miles; extreme breadth, 208 miles. Area,
75,905 square miles, or 48,636,800 acres. The surface of this State is
almost entirely undulating prairie, and forms part of the west slope of
the great central basin of the North American Continent. In its west
division, near the base of the Rocky Mountains, is a sandy belt of
country, irregularly defined. In this part, too, are the " dunes," resem-
bling a wavy sea of sandy billows, as well as the Mauvaises Terres. a tract
of singular formation, produced by eccentric disintegrations and denuda-
tions of the land. The chief rivers are the Missouri, constituting its en-
tire east line of demarcation ; the Nebraska or Platte, the Niobrara, the
Republican Fork of the Kansas, the Elkhorn, and the Loup Fork of the
Platte. The soil is very various, but consisting chiefly of rich, bottomy
loam, admirably adapted to the raising of heavy crops of cereals. All
the vegetables and fruits of the temperate zone are produced in great
size and plenty. For grazing purposes Nebraska is a State exceptionally
well fitted, a region of not less than 23,000,000 acres being adaptable to
this branch of husbandry. It is believed that the, as yet, comparatively
infertile tracts of land found in various, parts of the State are susceptible
of productivity by means of a properly conducted system of irrigation.
Few minerals of moment have so far been found within the limits of
-f
108
THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY.
Nebraska, if we may except important saline deposits at the head of Salt
Creek in its southeast section. The State is divided into 67 counties,
independent of the Pawnee and Winnebago Indians, and of unorganized
territory in the northwest part. The principal towns are Omaha, Lincoln
(State capital), Nebraska City, Columbus, Grand Island, etc. In 1870,
the total assessed value of property amounted to $53,000,000, being an
increase of $11,000,000 over the previous year's returns. The total
amount received from the school-fund during the year 1869-70 was
$77,999. Education is making great onward strides, the State University
and an Agricultural College being far advanced toward completion. In
the matter of railroad communication, Nebraska bids fair to soon place
herself on a par with her neighbors to the east. Besides being inter-
sected by the Union Pacific line, with its off-shoot, the Fremont and Blair,
other tracks are in course of rapid construction. Organized by Con-
gressional Act into a Territory, May 30, 1854, Nebraska entered the
Union as a full State, March 1, 1867. Population, 122,993.
HTTXTTXG PRATHIE WOLVES IX AX EAKLY DAY.
Early History of Illinois.
The name of this beautiful Prairie State is derived from Illim^ a
Delaware word signifying Superior Men. It has a French termination^
and is a symbol of how the two races — the French and the Indians —
were intermixed during the early history of the country.
The appellation was no doubt well applied to the primitive inhabit-
ants of the soil whose prowess in savage warfare long withstood the
combined attacks of the fierce Iroquois on the one side, and the no less
savage and relentless Sacs and Foxes on the other. The Illinois were
once a powerful confederacy, occupying the most beautiful and fertile
region in the great Valley of the Mississippi, which their enemies, coveted
and struggled long and hard to wrest from them. By the fortunes of
war they were diminished in numbers, and finally destroyed. " Starved
Rock," on the Illinois River, according to tradition, commemorates their
last tragedy, where, it is said, the entire tribe starved rather than sur-
render.
EARLY DISCOVERIES.
The first European discoveries in Illinois date back over two hun-
dred years. They are a part of that movement which, from the begin-
ning to the middle of the seventeenth century, brought the French
Canadian missionaries and fur traders into the Valley of the Mississippi,
and which, at a later period, established the civil and ecclesiastical
authority of France from the Gulf of St. Lawrence to the Gulf of Mexico,
and from the foot-hills of the Alleghanies to the Rocky Mountains.
The great river of the West had been discovered by DeSoto, the
Spanish conqueror of Florida, three quarters of a century before the
French founded Quebec in 1608, but the Spanish left the country a wil-
derness, without further exploration or settlement within its borders, in
which condition it remained until the Mississippi was discovered bj' the
agents of the French Canadian governmeut, Joliet and Marquette, in 1673.
These renowned explorers were not the first white visitors to Illinois.
In 1671 — two vears in advance of them — came Nicholas Perrot to Chicago
He had been sent by Talon as an agent of the Canadian government tc
109
110
HISTORY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS.
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HISTORY OF THE STATE OF HiLINOIS.
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call a great peace convention of Western Indians at Green Bay, prepara-
tory to the movement for the discovery of the Mississippi. It was
deemed a good stroke of policy to secure, as far as possible, the friend-
ship and co-operation of the Indians, far and near, before venturing upon
an enterprise which their hostility might render disastrous, and which
their friendship and assistance would do so much to make successful ;
and to this end Perrot was sent to call together in council the tribes
throughout the Northwest, and to promise them the commerce and pro-
tection of the French government. He accordingly arrived at Green
Bay in 1671, and procuring an escort of Pottawattamies, proceeded in a
bark canoe upon a visit to the Miamis, at Chicago. Perrot was there-
fore the first European to set foot upon the soil of Illinois.
Still there were others before Marquette. In 1672, the Jesuit mis-
sionaries, Fathers Claude Allouez and Claude Dablon, bore the standard
of the Cross from their mission at Green Bay through western Wisconsin
and northern Illinois, visiting the Foxes on Fox River, and the Masquo-
tines and Kickapoos at the mouth of the Milwaukee. These missionaries
penetrated on the route afterwards followed by Marquette as far as the
Kickapoo village at the head of Lake Winnebago, where Marquette, in
his journey, secured guides across the portage to the Wisconsin.
The oft-repeated story of Marquette and Joliet is well known.
They were the agents employed by the Canadian government to discover
the Mississippi. Marquette was a native of France, born in 1637, a
Jesuit priest by education, and a man of simple faith and of great zeal and
devotion in extending the Roman Catholic religion among the Indians.
Arriving in Canada in 1666, he was sent as a missionary to the far
Northwest, and, in 1668, founded a mission at Sault Ste. Marie. The
following year he moved to La Pointe, in Lake Superior, where he
instructed a branch of the Hurons till 1670, when he removed south, and
founded the mission at St. Ignace, on the Straits of Mackinaw. Here
he remained, devoting a portion of his time to the study of the Illinois
language under a native teacher who had accompanied him to the mission
from La Pointe, till he was joined by Joliet in the Spring of 1673. By
the way of Green Bay and the Fox and Wisconsin Rivers, they entered
the Mississippi, which they explored to the mouth of the Arkansas, and
returned by the way of the Illinois and Chicago Rivers to Lake Michigan.
On his way up the Illinois, Marquette visited the great village of
the Kaskaskias, near what is now Utica, in the county of LaSalle. The
following year he returned and established among them the mission of
the Imm'aculate Virgin Mary, which was the first Jesuit mission founded
in Illinois and in the Mississippi Valley. The intervening winter he
had spent in a hut which his companions erected on the Chicago River, a
few leagues from its mouth. The founding of this mission was the last
112 HISTORl OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS.
act of Marquette's life. He died in Michigan, on his way back to GreeD
Bay, May 18, 1675.
FIRST FRENCH OCCUPATION.
The first French occupation of the territory now embraced in Illi-
nois was effected by LaSalle in 1680, seven years after the time of Mar-
quette and Joliet. LaSalle, having constructed a vessel, the " Griffin,'*
above the falls of Niagara, which he sailed to Green Bay, and having
passed thence in canoes to the mouth of the St. Joseph River, by which
and the Kankakee he reached the Illinois, in January, 1680, erected Fort
Crevecoeur^ at the lower end of Peoria Lake, where the city of Peoria is.
now situated. The place where this ancient fort stood may still be seen
just below the outlet of Peoria Lake. It was destined, however, to a.
temporary existence. From this point, LaSalle determined to descend
the Mississippi to its mouth, but did not accomplish this purpose till two
years later — in 1682. Returning to Fort Frontenac for the purpose of
getting materials with which to rig his vessel, he left the fort in charge of
Touti, his lieutenant, who during his absence was driven off by the Iro-
quois Indians. These savages had made a raid upon the settlement of
the Illinois, and had left nothing in their track but ruin and desolation.
Mr. Davidson, in his History of Illinois, gives the following graphic
account of the picture that met the eyes of LaSalle and his companions
on their return :
" At the great town of the Illinois they were appalled at the scene
which opened to their view. No hunter appeared to break its death-like
silence with a salutatory whoop ot welcome. The plain on which the
town had stood was now strewn with charred fragments of lodges, which
had so recently swarmed with savage life and hilarity. To render more
hideous the picture of desolation, large numbers of skulls had been
placed on the upper extremities of lodge-poles which had escaped the
devouring flames. In the midst of these horrors was the rude fort of
the spoilers, rendered frightful by the same ghastly relics. A near
approach showed that the graves had been robbed of their bodies, and
swarms of buzzards were discovered glutting their loathsome stomachs
on the reeking corruption. To complete the work of destruction, the
growing corn of the village had been cut down and burned, while the
pits containing the products of previous years, had been rifled and their
contents scattered with wanton waste. It was evident the suspected
blow of the Iroquois had fallen with relentless fury."
Tonti had escaped LaSalle knew not whither. Passing down the
lake in search of him and his men, LaSalle discovered that the fort had
been destroyed, but the vessel which he had partly constructed was still
I
HISTORY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS. 113
on the stocks, and but slightly mjured. After further fruitless search,
failing to find Tonti, he fastened to a tree a painting representing himself
iind party sitting in a canoe and bearing a pipe of peace, and to the paint-
ing attached a letter addressed to Tonti.
Tonti had escaped, and, after untold privations, taken shelter among
the Pottawattamies near Green Bay. These were friendly to the French.
One of their old chiefs used to say, " Th^re were but three great cap-
tains in the world, himself, Tonti and LaSalle."
GENIUS OF LaSALLE.
We must now return to LaSalle, whose exploits stand out in such
bold relief. He was born in Rouen, France, in 1643. His father was
wealthy, but he renounced his patrimony on entering a college of the
Jesuits, from which he separated and came to Canada a poor man in 1666.
The priests of St. Sulpice, among whom he had a brother, were then the
proprietors of Montreal, the nucleus of which was a seminary or con-
vent founded by that order. The Superior granted to LaSalle a large
tract of land at LaChine, where he established himself in the fur trade.
He was a man of daring genius, and outstripped all his competitors in
exploits of travel and commerce with the Indians. In 1669, he visited
the headquarters of the great Iroquois Confederacy, at Onondaga, in the
heart of New York, and, obtaining guides, explored the Ohio River to
the falls at Louisville.
In order to understand the genius of LaSalle, it must be remembered
that for many years prior to his time the missionaries and traders were
obliged to make their way to the Northwest by the Ottawa River (of
Canada) on account of the fierce hostility of the Iroquois along the lower
lakes and Niagara River, which entirely closed this latter route to the
Upper Lakes. They carried on their commerce chiefly by canoes, pad-
dling them through the Ottawa to Lake Nipissing, carrying them across
the portage to French River, and descending that to Lake Huron. This
being the route by which they reached the Northwest, accounts for the
fact that all the earliest Jesuit missions were established in the neis'hbor-
hood of the Upper Lakes. LaSalle conceived the grand idea of opening
the route by Niagara River and the Lower Lakes to Canadian commerce
by sail vessels, connecting it with the navigation of the Mississippi, and
thus opening a magnificent water communication from the Gulf of St.
Lawrence to the Gulf of Mexico. This truly grand and comprehensive
purpose seems to have animated him in all his wonderful achievements
and the matchless difficulties and hardships he surmounted. As the first
step in the accomplishment of this object he established himself on Lake
Ontario, and built and garrisoned Fort Frontenac, the site of the present
114 HISTORY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS.
city of Kingston, Canada. Here be obtained a grant of land from the
French crown and a body of troops by which he beat back the invading
Iroquois and cleared the passage to Niagara Falls. Having by this mas-
terly stroke made it safe to attempt a hitherto untried expedition, his
next step, as we have seen, was to advance to the Falls with all his
outfit for building a ship with which to sail the lakes. He was success-
ful in this undertaking, though his ultimate purpose was defeated by a
strange combination of untoward circumstances. The Jesuits evidently
hated LaSalle and plotted against him, because he had abandoned them
and co-operated with a rival order. The fur traders were also jealous of
his superior success in opening new channels of commerce. At LaChine
he had taken the trade of Lake Ontario, which but for his presence there
would have gone to Quebec. While they were plodding with their barK
canoes through the Ottawa he was constructing sailing vessels to com-
mand the trade of the lakes and the Mississippi. These great plans
excited the jealousy and envy of the small traders, introduced treason and
revolt into the ranks of his own companions, and finally led to the foul
assassination by Avhich his great achievements were prematurely ended.
In 1682, LaSalle, having completed his vessel at Peoria, descended
the Mississippi to its confluence with the Gulf of Mexico. Erecting a
standard on which he inscribed the arms of France, he took formal pos-
session of the whole valley of the mighty river, in the name of Louis
XIV., then reigning, in honor of whom he named the country Louisiana.
LaSalle then went to France, was appointed Governor, and returned
with a fleet and immigrants, for the purpose of planting a colony in Illi-
nois. They arrived in due time in the Gulf of Mexico, but failing to
find the mouth of the Mississippi, up which LaSalle intended to sail, his
supply ship, with the immigrants, was driven ashore and wrecked on
Matagorda Bay. With the fragments of the vessel he constructed a
stockade and rude huts on the shore for the protection of the immigrants,
calling the post Fort St. Louis. He then made a trip into New Mexico,
in search of silver mines, but, meeting with disappointment, returned to
find his little colony reduced to forty souls. He then resolved to travel
on foot to Illinois, and, starting with his companions, had reached the
valley of the Colorado, near the mouth of Trinity river, when he was
shot by one of his men. This occurred on the 19th of March, 1687.
Dr. J. W. Foster remarks of him : " Thus fell, not far from the banks
of the Trinity, Robert Cavalier de la Salle, one of the grandest charac-
ters that ever figured in American history — a man capable of originating
the vastest schemes, and endowed with a will and a judgment capable of
carrying them to successful results. Had ample facilities been placed by
the King of France at his disposal, the result of the colonization of this
continent might have been far different from what we now behold."
HISTORY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS. 115
EARLY SETTLEMENTS.
•
A temporary settlement was made at Fort St. Louis, or the old Kas-
kaskia village, on the Illinois River, in what is now LaSalle County, in
1682. In 1690, this was removed, with the mission connected with it, to
Kaskaskia, on the river of that name, emptying into the lower Mississippi
in St. Clair County. Cahokia was settled about the same time, or at
least, both of these settlements began in the year 1690, though it is now
pretty well settled that Cahokia is the older place, and ranks as the oldest
permanent settlement in Illinuite', as well as in the Mississippi Valley.
The reason for the removal of the old Kaskaskia settlement and mission,
was probably because the dangerous and difficult route by Lake Michigan
and the Chicago portage had been almost abandoned, and travelers and
traders passed down and up the Mississippi by the Fox and Wisconsin
River route. They removed to the vicinity of the Mississippi in order
to be in the line of travel from Canada to Louisiana, that is, the lower
part of it, for it was all Louisiana then south of the lakes.
During the period of French rule in Louisiana, the population prob-
ably never exceeded ten thousand, including whites and blacks. Within
that portion of it now included in Indiana, trading posts were established
at the principal Miami villages wliich stood on the head waters of the
Maumee, the Wea villages situated at Ouiatenon, on the Wabash, and
the Piankeshaw villages at Post Vincennes ; all of which were probably
visited by French traders and missionaries before the close of the seven-
teenth century.
In the vast territory ckiimed by the French, many settlements of
considerable importance had sprung up. Biloxi, on Mobile Bay, had
been founded by D'Iberville, in 1699; Antoine de Lamotte Cadillac had
founded Detroit in 1701 ; and New Orleans had been founded by Bien-
ville, under the auspices of the Mississippi Company, in 1718. In Illi-
nois also, considerable settlements had been made, so that in 1730 they
embraced one hundred and forty French families, about six hundred " con-
verted Indians," and many traders and voyageurs. In that i3ortion of the
country, on the east side of the Mississippi, there were five distinct set-
tlements, with their respective villages, viz. : Cahokia, near the mouth
of Cahokia Creek and about five miles below the present city of St.
Louis ; St. Philip, about forty-five miles below Cahokia, and four miles
above Fort Chartres ; Fort Chartres, twelve miles above Kaskaskia ;
Kaskaskia, situated on the Kaskaskia River, five miles above its conflu-
ence with the Mississippi ; and Prairie du Rocher, near Fort Chartres.
To these must be added St. Genevieve and St. Louis, on the west side
of the Mississippi. These, with the exception of St. Louis, are among
116
HISTORY Of the state of ilijnois.
HISTORY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS. 117
the oldest French towns in the Mississippi Valley. Kaskaskia, in its best
days, was a town of some two or three thousand inhabitants. After it
passed from the crown of France its population for many 3'ears did not
exceed fifteen hundred. Under British rule, in 1773, the population had
decreased to four hundred and fifty. As early as 1721, the Jesuits had
established a college and a monastery in Kaskaskia.
Fort Chartres was first built under the direction of the Mississippi
Company, in 1718, by M. de Boisbraint. a military officer, under command
of Bienville. It stood on the east bank of the Mississippi, about eighteen
miles below Kaskaskia, and was for some time the headquarters of the
military commandants of the district of Illinois.
In the CentenniabOration of Dr. Fowler, delivered at Philadelphia,
by appointment of Gov. Beveridge, we find some interesting facts with
regard to the State of Illinois, which we appropriate in this history:
In 1682 Illinois became a possession of the French crown, a depend-
ency of Canada, and a part of Louisiana. In 1765 the English flag was
run up on old Fort Chartres, and Illinois was counted among the treas-
ures of Great Britain.
In 1779 it was taken from the English by Col. George Rogers Clark.
This man was resolute in nature, wise in council, prudent in policy, bold
in action, and heroic in danger. Few men who have figured in the his-
tory of America are more deserving than this colonel. Nothing short of
first-class ability could have rescued Vincens and all Illinois from the
English. And it is not possible to over-estimate the influence of this
achievement upon the republic. In 1779 Illinois became a part of Vir-
ginia. It was soon known as Illinois County. In 1784 Virginia ceded
all this territory to the general government, to be cut into States, to be
republican in form, with " the same right of sovereignty, freedom, and
independence as the other States."
In 1787 it was the object of the wisest and ablest legislation found
in any merely human records. No man can study the secret history of
THE "COMPACT OF 1787," •
and not feel that Providence was guiding with sleepless eye these unborn
States. The ordinance that on July 13, 1787, finally became the incor-
porating act, has a most marvelous history. Jefferson had vainlj^ tried
to secure a system of government for the northwestern territory. He
was an emancipationist of that day, and favored the exclusion of slaverv
from the territory Virginia had ceded to the general government; but
the South voted him down as often as it came up. In 1787, as late as
July 10, an organizing act without the anti-slaTery clause was pending.
This concession to the South was expected to carr}- it. Congress was in
118 HISTORY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS.
session in New York City. On July 5, Rev. Dr. Manasseh Cutler, of
Massachusetts, came into New York to lobby on the northwestern terri-
tory. Everything seemed to fall into his hands. Events were ripe.
The state, of the public credit, the growing of Southern prejudice,
the basis of his mission, his personal character, all combined to complete
one of those sudden and marvelous revolutions of public sentiment that
once in five or ten centuries are seen to sweep over a country like the
breath of the Almighty. Cutler was a graduate of Yale — received his
A.M. from Harvard, and his D.D. from Yale. He had studied and taken
degrees in the three learned professions, medicine, law, and divinity. He
had thus America's best indorsement. He had published a scientific
examination of the plants of New England. His name stood second only
to that of Franklin as a scientist in America. He was a courtly gentle-
man of the old style, a man of commanding presence, and of inviting
face. The Southern members said they had never seen such a gentleman
in the North. He came representing a compan}' that desired to purchase
a tract of land now included in Ohio, for the purpose of planting a colony.
It was a speculation. Government money was worth eighteen cents on
the dollar. This Massachusetts company had collected enough to pur-
chase 1,500,000 acres of land. Other speculators in New York made
Dr. Cutler their agent (lobbyist). On the 12th he represented a demand
for 5,500,000 acres. This would reduce the national debt. Jefferson
and Virginia were regarded as authority concerning the land Virginia
had just ceded. Jefferson's policy wanted to provide for the public credit,
and this was a good opportunity to do something.
Massachusetts then owned the territory of Maine, which she was
crowding on the market. She was opposed to opening the northwestern
region. This fired the zeal of Virginia. The South caught the inspira-
tion, and all exalted Dr. Cutler. The English minister invited him to
dine with some of the Southern gentlemen. He was the center of interest.
The entire South rallied round him. Massachusetts could not vote
against him, because many of the constituents of her members were
interested -personally in the western speculation. Thus Cutler, making
friends with the South, and, doubtless, using all the arts of the lobby,
was enabled to command the situation. True to deeper convictions, he
dictated one of the most compact and finished documents of wise states-
manship that has ever adorned any human law book. He borrowed from
Jefferson the term " Articles of Compact," which, preceding the federal
constitution, rose into the most sacred character. He then followed very
closely the constitution of Massachusetts, adopted three years before.
Its most marked points were :
1. The exclusion of slaveiy from the territory forever.
2. Provision for public schools, giving one township for a seminary.
HISTORY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS. 119
and every section numbered 16 in each township ; that is, one-thiriy-sixth
of all the land, for public schools.
3. A provision prohibiting the adoption of any constitution or the
enactment of any law that should nullify pre-existing contracts.
Be it forever remembered that this compact declared that " Rehgion,
morality, and knowledge being necessary to good government and the
happiness of mankind, schools and the means of education shall always
be encouraged."
Dr. Cutler planted himself on this platform and would not yield.
Giving his unqualified declaration that it was that or nothing— that unless
they could make the land desirable they did not want it — he took his
horse and buggy, and started for the constitutional convention in Phila-
delphia. On July 13, 1787, the bill was put upon its passage, and was
unanimously adopted, every Southern member voting for it, and only one
man, Mr. Yates, of New York, voting against it. But as the States voted
as States, Yates lost his vote, and the compact was put beyond repeal.
Thus the great States of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan and Wis-
consin — a vast empire, the heart of the great valley — were consecrated
to freedom, intelligence, and honesty. Thus the great heart of the nation
was prepared for a year and a day and an hour. In the light of these eighty-
nine years I affirm that this act was the salvation of the republic and the
destruction of slavery. Soon the South saw their great blunder, and
tried to repeal the compact. In 1803 Congress referred it to a committee
of which John Randolph was chairman. He reported that this ordinance
was a compact, and opposed repeal. Thus it stood a rock, in the way
of the on-rushing sea of slavery.
With all this timely aid it was, after all, a most desperate and pro-
tracted struggle to keep the soil of Illinois sacred to freedom. It was
the natural battle-field for the irrepressible conflict. In the southern end
of the State slavery preceded the compact. It existed among the old
French settlers, and was hard to eradicate. The southern part of the
State was settled from the slave States, and this population brought their
laws, customs, and institutions with them. A stream of population from
the North poured into the northern part of the State. These sections
misunderstood and hated each other perfectly. The Southerners regarded
the Yankees as a skinning, tricky, penurious race of peddlers, fiUing the
country with tinware, brass clocks, and wooden nutmegs. The North-
erner thought of the Southerner as a lean, lank, lazy creature, burrowing
in a hut, and rioting in whisky, dirt and ignorance. These causes aided
in making the struggle long and bitter. So strong was the sympathy
with slavery that, in spite of the ordinance of 1787, and in spite of the
deed of cession, it was determined to allow the old French settlers to
retain their slaves. Planters from the slave States might bring their
120 HISTORY OF THE STATE 0¥ ILLINOIS.
slaves, if they would give them a chance to choose freedom or years
of service and bondage for their children till they should become
thirty years of age. If they chose freedom they must leave the State
in sixty days or be sold as fugitives. Servants were whipped for offenses
for which \Yhite men are fined. Each lash paid forty cents of the fine. A
negro ten miles from home without a pass was whipped. These famous
laws were imported from the slave States just as they imported laws foi
the inspection of flax and wool when there was neither in the State.
These Black Laws are now wiped out. A vigorous effort was made
to protect slavery in the State Constitution of 1817. It barely failed.
It was renewed in 1825, when a convention was asked to make a new
constitution. After a hard fight the convention was defeated. But
slaves did not disappear from the census of the State until 1850. There
were mobs and murders in the interest of slavery. Lovejoy was added
to the list of martyrs — a sort of first-fruits of that long life of immortal
heroes who saw freedom as the one supreme desire of their souls, and
were so enamored of her that they preferred to die rather than survive her.
The jDopulation of 12,282 that occupied the territory in A.D. 1800,
increased to 45,000 in A.D. 1818, when the State Constitution was
adoj)ted, and Illinois took her place in the Union, with a star on the flag
and two votes in the Senate.
Shadrach Bond was the first Governor, and in his first message he
recommended the construction of the Illinois and Michis^an Canal.
The simple economy in those days is seen in the fact that the entire
bill for stationery for the first Legislature was only $13.50. Yet this
simple body actually enacted a very superior code.
There was no money in the territory before the war of 1812. Deer
skins and coon skins were the circulating medium. In 1821' the Legis-
lature ordained a State Bank on the credit of the State. It issued notes
in the likeness of bank bills. These notes were made a legal tender for
every thing, and the bank was ordered to loan to the people $100 on per-
sonal security, and more on mortgages. They actually passed a resolu-
tion requesting tli£ Secretary of the Treasury of the United States to
receive these notes for land. The old French Lieutenant Governor, Col.
Menard, put the resolution as follows: " Gentlemen of the Senate : It is
moved and seconded dat de notes of dis bank be made land-office money.
All in favor of dat motion say aye ; all against it sa}^ no. It is decided
in de affirmative. Now% gentlemen, I bet you one hundred dollar he
never be land-office money ! " Hard sense, like hard money, is always
above par.
This old Frenchman presents a fine figure up against the dark back-
ground of most of his nation. They made no progress. They clung to
their earliest and simplest implements. They never wore hats or cap?
HISTORY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS. 121
They pulled their blankets over their heads in the winter like the Indians,
with whom they freely intermingled.
Demagogism had an early development. One John Grammar (only
in name), elected to the Territorial and State Legislatures of 1816 and
1836, invented the policy of opposing every new thing, saying, " If it
succeeds, no one will ask Avho voted against it. If it proves a failure, he
could quote its record." In sharp contrast with Grammar was the char-
acter of D. P. Cook, after whom the county containing Chicago was
named. Such was his transparent integrity and remarkable ability that
his will was almost the law of the State. In Congress, a young man,
and from a poor State, he was made Chairman of the Ways and Means
Committee. He was pre-eminent for standing by his committee, regard-
less of consequences. It was his integrity that elected John Quincy
Adams to the Presidency. There were four candidates in 1824, Jackson,
Clay, Crawford, and John Quincy Adams. There being no choice by the
people, the election was thrown into the House. It was so balanced that
it turned on his vote, and that he cast for Adams, electing him ; then
went home to face the wrath of the Jackson party in Illinois. It cost
him all but character and greatness. It is a suggestive comment on the
times, that there was no legal interest till 1830. It often reached 150
per cent., usually 50 per cent. Then it was reduced to 12, and now to
10 per cent.
PHYSICAL FEATURES OF THE PRAIRIE STATE.
In area the State has 55,410 square miles of territory. It is about
150 miles wide and 400 miles long, stretching in latitude from Maine to
North Carolina. It embraces wide variety of climate. It is tempered
on the north by the great inland, saltless, tideless sea, which keeps the
thermometer from either extreme. Being a table land, from 600 to 1,600
feet above the level of the sea, one is prepared to find on the health
maps, prepared by the general government, an almost clean and perfect
record. In freedom from feve"r and malarial diseases and consumptions,
the three deadly enemies of the American Saxon, Illinois, as a State,
stands without a superior. She furnishes one of the essential conditions
of a great people — sound bodies. I suspect that this fact lies back of
that old Delaware word, Illini, superior men.
The great battles of history that have been determinative of dynas-
ties and destinies have b.een strategical battles, chiefly the question of
position. Thermopylae has been the war-cry of freemen for twenty -four
centuries. It only tells how much there may be in position. All this
advantage belongs to Illinois. It is in the heart of the greatest valley in
the world, the vast region between the mountains- — a valley that could
122
HISTORY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS.
feed mankind for one thousand years. It is well on toward the center of
the continent. It is in the great temperate belt, in which have been
found nearly all the aggressive civilizations of history. It has sixty-five
miles of froiitage on the head of the lake. With the Mississippi forming
the western and southern boundary, with the Ohio running along the
southeastern line, with the Illinois River and Canal dividing the State
diagonally from the lake to the Lower Mississippi, and with the Rock and
Wabash Rivers furnishing altogether 2,000 miles of water-front, con-
necting with, and running through, in all about 12,000 miles of navi-
gable water.
But this is not all. These waters are made most available by the
fact that the lake and the State lie on the ridge running into the great
valley from the east. Within cannon-shot of the lake the water runs
away from the lake to the Gulf. The lake now empties at both ends,
one into the Atlantic and one into the Gulf of Mexico. The lake thus
seems to hang over the land. This makes the dockage most serviceable ;
there are no steep banks to damage it. Both lake and river are made
for use.
The climate varies from Portland to Richmond ; it favors every pro-
duct of the continent, including the tropics, with less than half a dozen
exceptions. It produces every great nutriment of the world except ban-
anas and rice. It is hardly too much to say that it is the most productive
spot known to civilization. With the soil full of bread and the earth full
of minerals ; with an upper surface of food and an under layer of fuel ;
with perfect natural drainage, and abundant springs and streams and
navigable rivers ; half way between the forests of the North and the fruits
of the South ; within a day's ride of the great deposits of iron, coal, cop-
per, lead, and zinc ; containing and controlling the great grain, cattle,
pork, and lumber markets of the world, it is not strange that Illinois has
the advantage of position.
This advantage has been supplemented by the character of the popu-
lation. In the early days when Illinois was first admitted to the Union,
her population were chiefly from Kentucky and Virginia. But, in the
conflict of ideas concerning slavery, a strong tide of emigration came in
from the East, and soon changed this composition. In 1870 her non-
native population were from colder soils. New York furnished 133,290;
Ohio gave 102,623; Pennsylvania sent on 98,352; the entire South gave
us only 206,734. In all her cities, and in all her German and Scandina-
vian and other foreign colonies, Illinois has only about one-fifth of her
people of foreign birth.
HISTORY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS. 123
PROGRESS OF DEVELOPMENT.
One of the greatest elements in the early development of Illinois is
the I'llinois and Michigan Canal, connecting the Illinois and Mississippi
Rivers with the lakes. It was of the utmost importance to the State.
It was recommended by Gov. Bond, the first governor, in his first message.
In 1821, the Legislature appropriated $10,000 for surveying the route.
Two bright young engineers surveyed it, and estimated the cost at
$600,000 or $700,000. It finally cost $8,000,000. In 1825, a law was
passed to incorporate the Canal Company, but no stock was sold. In
1826, upon the solicitation of Cook, Congress gave 800,000 acres of land
on the line of the work. In 1828, another law — commissioners appointed,
and work commenced with new survey and new estimates. In 1834—35,
George Farquhar made an able report on the whole matter. This was,
doubtless, the ablest report ever made to a western legislature, and it
became the model for subsequent reports and action. From this the
work went on till it was finished in 1848. It cost the State a large
amount of money ; but it gave to the industries of the State an impetus
that pushed it up into the first rank of greatness. It was not built as a
speculation any more than a doctor is employed on a speculation. But
it has paid into the Treasary of the State an average annual net sum of
over $111,000. '
Pending the construction of the canal, the land and town-lot fever
broke out in the State, in 1834-35. It took on the malignant type in
Chicago, lifting the town up into a city. The disease spread over the
entire State and adjoining States, It was epidemic. It cut up men's
farms without regard to locality, and Jut up the purses of the purchasers •
without regard to consequences. It is estimated that building lots enough
were sold in Indiana alone to accommodate every citizen then in the
United States.
Towns and cities were exported to the Eastern market by the ship-
load. There was no lack of buyers. Ever/ up-ship came freighted with
speculators and their money.
This distemper seized upon the Legislature in 1836-37, and left not
one to tell the tale. They enacted a system of internal improvement
without a parallel in the grandeur of its conception. They ordered the
construction of 1,300 miles of railroad, crossing the State in all direc-
tions. This was surpassed by the river and canal improvements.
There were a few counties not touched by either railroad or river or
canal, and those were to be comforted and compensated by the free dis-
tribution of $200,000 among them. To inflate this balloon beyond cre-
dence it was ordered that work should be commenced on both ejids of
124
HISTORY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS.
each of these railroads and rivers, and at each river-crossing, all at the
same time. The api^ropriations for these vast improvements were over
!|12,000,000, and commissioners were appointed to borrow the money on
the credit of the State. Remember that all this was in the early days of
railroading, when railroads were luxuries ; that the State had whole
counties with scarcely a cabin ; and that the population of the State was
less than 400,000, and you can form some idea of the vigor with which
these brave men undertook the work of making a great State. In the
light of history I am compelled to say that this was only a premature
throb of the power that actually slumbered in the soil of the State. It
was Hercules in the cradle.
At this juncture the State Bank loaned its funds largely to Godfrey
Gilman & Co., and to other leading houses, for the purpose of drawing
trade from St. Louis to Alton. Soon they failed, and took down the
bank with them.
In 1840, all hope seemed gone. A population of 480,000 were loaded
with a debt of $14,000,000. It had only six small cities, really only
towns, namely : Chicago, Alton, Springfield, Quincy, Galena, Nauvoo.
This debt was to be cared for when there was not a dollar in the treas-
ury, and when the State had borrowed itself out of all credit, and when
there was not good money enough in the hands of all the people to pay
the interest of the debt for a single year. Yet, in the presence of all
these difficulties, the young State steadily refused to repudiate. Gov.
Ford took hold of the problem and solved it, bringing the State through
in triumph.
Having touched lightly upon some of the more distinctive points in
the history of the development of Illinois, let us next briefly consider the
MATERIAL RESOURCES OF THE STATE.
It is a garden four hundred miles long and one hundred and fifty
miles wide. Its soil is chiefly a black sandy loam, from six inches to
sixty feet thick. On the American bottoms it has been cultivated for
one hundred and fifty years without renewal. About the old French
towns it has yielded corn for a century and a half without rest or help.
It produces nearly everything green in the temperate and tropical zones.
She leads all other States in the number of acres actually under plow.
Her products from 25,000,000 of acres are incalculable. Her mineral
wealth is scarcely second to her agricultural power. She has coal, iron,
lead, copper, zinc, many varieties of building stone, fire clay, cuma clay,
common brick clay, sand of all kinds, gravel, mineral paint — every thing
needed for a high civilization. Left to herself, she has the elements of
all greatness. The single item of coal is too vast for an appreciative
HISTORY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS. 125
handling in figures. We can handle it in general terms like algebraical
signs, but long before we get up into the millions and billions the human
mind drops down from comprehension to mere symbolic apprehension.
When I tell you that nearly four-fifths of the entire State is under-
laid with a deposit of coal more than forty feet thick on the average (now
estimated, by recent surveys, at seventy feet thick), you can get some
idea of its amount, as you do of the amount of the national debt. There
it is ! 41,000 square miles — one vast mine into which you could put
any of the States ; in which you could bury scores of European and
ancient empires, and have room enough all round to work without know-
ing that they had been sepulchered there.
Put this vast coal-bed down by the other great coal deposits of the
world, and its importance becomes manifest. Great Britain has 12,000
square miles of coal; Spain, 3,000; France, 1,719 ; Belgium, 578 ; Ilhnois
about twice as many square miles as all combined. Virginia has 20,000
square miles ;• Pennsylvania, 16,000; Ohio, 12,000. Illinois has 41,000
square miles. One-seventh of all the known coal on this continent is in
Illinois.
Could we sell the coal in this single State for one-seventh of one cent
a ton it would pay the national debt. Converted into power, even with
the wastage in our common engines, it would do more work than could
be done by the entire race, beginning at Adam's wedding and working
ten hours a day through all the centuries till the present time, and right
on into the future at the same rate for the next 600,000 years.
Great Britain uses enough mechanical power to-day to give to each
man, woman, and child in the kingdom the help and service of nineteen
untirino- servants. No wonder she has leisure and luxuries. No wonder
the home of the common artisan has in it more luxuries than could be
found in the palace of good old King Arthur. Think, if you can conceive
of it, of the vast army of servants that slumber in the soil of Illinois,
impatiently awaiting the call of Genius to come forth to minister to our
comfort.
At the present rate of consumption England's coal supply will be
exhausted in 250 years. When this is gone she must transfer her dominion
either to the Indies, or to British America, which I would not resist ; or
to some other people, which I would regret as a loss to civilization.
COAL IS KING.
At the same rate of consumption (which far exceeds our own) the
deposit of coal in Illinois will last 120,000 years. And her kingdom shall
be an everlasting kingdom.
Let us turn now from this reserve power to the annual products of
126 HISTORY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS.
the State. We shall not be humiliated in this field. Here we strike the
secret of our national credit. Nature provides a market in the constant
appetite of the race. Men must eat, and if we can furnish the provisions
we can command the treasure. All that a man hath will he give for his
life.
According to the last census Illinois produced 30,000,000 of bushels
of wheat. That is more wheat than was rai§ed by any other State in the
Union. She raised In 1875, 130,000,000 of bushels of corn — twice as
much as any other State, and one-sixth of all the corn raised in the United
States. She harvested 2,747,000 tons of hay, nearly one-tenth of all the
hay in the Republic. It is not generally appreciated, but it is true, that
the hay crop of the country is worth more than the cotton crop. The
hay of Illinois equals the cotton of Louisiana. Go to Charleston, S. C,
and see them peddling handfuls of hay or grass, almost as a curiosity,
as we regard Chinese gods or the cryolite of Greenland ; drink your
coffee and condensed milk ; and walk back from the coast for many a
league through the sand and burs till you get up into the better atmos-
phere of the mountains, without seeing a waving meadow or a grazing
herd ; then you will begin to appreciate the meadows of the Prairie State,
where the grass often grows sixteen feet high.
The value of her farm implements is $211,000,000, and the value of
her live stock is only second to the great State of New York. in 1875
she had 25,000,000 hogs, and packed 2,113,815, about one-half of all that
were packed in the United States. This is no insignificant item. Pork
is a growing demand of the old world. Since the laborers of Europe
have gotten a taste of our bacon, and we have learned how to pack it dry
in boxes, like dry goods, the world has become the market.
The hog is on the march into the future. His nose is ordained to
uncover the secrets of dominion, and his feet shall be guided by the star
of empire.
Illinois marketed $57,000,000 worth of slaughtered animals — more
than any other State, and a seventh of all the States.
Be patient with me, and pardon my pride, and I will give you a list
of some of the things in which Illinois excels all other States.
Depth and richness of soil ; per cent, of good ground ; acres of
improved land ; large farms — some farms contain from 40,000 to 60,000
acres of cultivated land, 40,000 acres of corn on a single farm ; number of
farmers ; amount of wheat, corn, oats and honey produced ; value of ani-
mals for slaughter ; number of hogs ; amount of pork ; number of horses
— three times as many as Kentucky, the horse State.
Illinois excels all other States in miles of railroads and in miles of
postal service, and in money orders sold per annum, and in the amount of
lumber sold in her markets.
HISTORY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS.
127
Illinois is only second in many important matters. This sample list
comprises a few of the more important : Permanent school fund (good
for a young state) ; total income for educational purposes ; number of pub-
lishers of books, maps, papers, etc.; value of farm products and imple-
ments, and of live stock ; in tons of coal mined.
The shipping of Illinois is only second to New York. Out of one
port during the business hours of the season of navigation she sends forth
a vessel every ten minutes. This does not include canal boats, which go
one every five minutes. No wonder she is only second in number of
bankers and brokers or in physicians and surgeons.
She is third in colleges, teachers and schools ; cattle, lead, hay,
flax, sorghum and beeswax.
She is fourth in population, ^'n children enrolled in public schools, in
law schools, in butter, potatoes and carriages.
She is fifth in value of real and personal property, in theological
eeminaries and colleges exclusively for women, in milk sold, and in boots
and shoes manufactured, and in book-binding.
She is only seventh in the production of wood, while she is the
twelfth in area. Surely that is well done for the Prairie State. She now
has much more wood and growing timber than she had thirty years ago.
A few leading industries will justify emphasis. She manufactures
$205,000,000 worth of goods, which places her well up toward New York
and Pennsylvania. The number of her manufacturing establishments
increased from 1860 to 1870, 300 per cent.; capital employed increased 350
per cent., and the amount of product increased 100 per cent. She issued
5.500,000 copies of commercial and financial newspapers— only second to
New York. She has 6,759 miles of railroad, thus leading all other States,
worth $636,458,000, using 3,215 engines, and 67,712 cars, making a train
long enough to cover one-tenth of the entire roads of the State. Her
stations are only five miles apart. She carried last year 15,795,000 passen-
gers, an average of 36|- miles, or equal to taking her entire population twice
across the State. More than two-thirds of her land is within five miles of
a railroad, and less than two per cent, is more than fifteen miles away.
The State has a large financial interest in the Illinois Central railroad.
The road was incorporated in 1850, and the State gave each alternate sec-
tion for six miles on each side, and doubled the price of the remaining
land, so keeping herself good. The road received 2,595,000 acres of land,
and pays to the State one-seventh of the gross receipts. The State
■ receives this year $350,000, and has received in all about $7,000,000. It
is practically the people's road, and it has a most able and gentlemanly
management. Add to this the annual receipts from the canal, $111,000,
and a large per cent, of the State tax is provided for.
128 . HISTORY OF THE STATE 01^' ILLINOiS.
THE RELIGION AND MORALS
of the State keep step with her productions and growth. She was born
of the missionary spirit. It was a minister who secured for her tlie ordi-
nance of 1787, by which she has been saved from slavery, ignorance, and
dishonesty. Rev. Mr. Wiley, pastor of a Scotch congregation in Randolph
County, petitioned the Constitutional Convention of 1818 to recognize
Jesus Christ as king, and the Scriptures as the only necessary guide and
book of law. The convention did not act in the case, and the old Cove-
nanters refused to accept citizenship. They never voted until 1824, when
the slavery question was submitted to the people ; then they all voted
against it and cast the determining votes. Conscience has predominated
whenever a great moral question has been submitted to the people.
But little mob violence has ever been felt in the State. In 1817
regulators disposed of a band of horse-thieves that infested the territory.
The Mormon indignities finally awoke the same spirit. Alton was also
the scene of a pro-slavery mob, in which Lovejoy was added to the list of
martyrs. The moral sense of the people makes the law supreme, and gives
to tlie State unruffled peace.
With $22,300,000 in church property, and 4,298 church organizations,
the State has that divine police, the sleepless patrol of moral ideas, that
alone is able to secure perfect safety. Conscience takes the knife from
the assassin's hand and the bludgeon from the grasp of the highwayman.
We sleep in safety, not because we are behind bolts and bars — these only
fence against the innocent ; not because a lone officer drowses oaa distant
corner of a street; not because a sheriff may call his posse from a remote
part of the county ; but because conscience guards the very portals of the
air and stirs in the deepest recesses of the public mind. This spirit issues
within the State 9,500,000 copies of religious papers annually, and receives
still more from without. Thus the crime of the State is only one-fourth
that of New York and one-half that of Pennsylvania.
Illinois never had but one duel between her own citizens. In Belle-
ville, in 1820, Alphonso Stewart and William Bennett arranged to vindi-
cate injured honor. The seconds agreed to make it a sham, and make
them shoot blanks. Stewart was in the secret. Bennett mistrusted some-
thing, and, unobserved, slipped a bullet into his gun and killed Stewart.
He then fled the State. After two years he was caught, tried, convicted,
and, in spite of friends and political aid, was hung. This fixed the code
of honor on a Christian basis, and terminated its use in Illinois.
The early preachers were ignorant men, who were accounted eloquent
according to the strength of their voices. But they set the style for all
public speakers. Lawyers and political speakers followed this rule. Gov.
HISTORY OF THE STATE OF ILLmOIS. l"^9
Ford says: "Nevertheless, these first preachers were of incalculable
benefit to the country. They inculcated justice and morality. To them
are we indebted for the first Christian character of the Protestant portion
of the people."
In education Illinois surpasses her material resources. The ordinance
of 1787 consecrated one thirty-sixth of her soil to common schools, and
the law of 1818, the first law that went upon her statutes, gave three per
cent, of all the rest to
EDUCATION.
The old compact secures this interest forever, and by its yoking
morality and intelligence it precludes the legal interference with the Bible
in the public schools. With such a start it is natural that we should have
11,050 schools, and that our illiteracy should be less than New York or
Pennsylvania, and only about one-half of Massachusetts. We are not to
blame for not having more than one-half as many idiots as the great
States. These public schools soon made colleges inevitable. The first
college, still flourishing, was started in Lebanon in 1828, by the M. E.
church, and named after Bishop McKendree. Illinois College, at Jackson-
ville, supported by the Presbyterians, followed in 1830. In 1832 the Bap-
tists built Shurtleff College, at Alton. Then the Presbyterians built Knox
College, at Galesburg, in 1838, and the Episcopalians built Jubilee College,
at Peoria, in 1847. After these early years colleges have rained down.
A settler could hardly encamp on the prairie but a college would spring
up by his wagon. The State now has one very well endowed and equipped
university, namely, the Northwestern University, at Evanston, with six
colleges, ninety instructors, over 1,000 students, and $1,500,000 endow-
ment.
Rev. J. M. Peck was the first educated Protestant minister m tne
State. He settled at Rock Spring, in St. Clair County, 1820, and left his
impress on the State. Before 1837 only party papers were published, but
Mr. Peck published a Gazetteer of Illinois. Soon after John Russell, of
Bluffdale, published essays and tales showing genius. Judge James Hall
published The Illinois Monthly Magazine with great ability, and an annual
called The Western Souvenir, which gave him an enviable fame all over the
United States. From these beginnings Illinois has gone on till she has
more volumes in public libaaries even than Massachusetts, and of the
44,500,000 volumes in all the public libraries of the United States, she
has one-thirteenth. In newspapers she stands fourth. Her increase is
marvelous. In 1850 she issued 5,000,000 copies ; in 1860, 27,590,000 ; in
1870, 113,140,000. In 1860 she had eighteen colleges and seminaries ; in
1870 she had eighty. That is a grand advance for the war decade.
This brings us to a record unsurpassed in the history of any age,
180 HISTORY OF THE STATE OP ILLINOIS.
THE WAR RECORD OF ILLINOIS.
I hardly know where to begin, or how to advance, or what to say. 1
can at best give you only a broken synopsis of her deeds, and you must
put them in the order of glory for yourself. Her sons have always been
foremost on fields of danger. In 1832-33, at the call of Gov. Reynolds,
her sons drove Blackhawk over the Mississippi.
When the Mexican war came, in May, 1846, 8,370 men offered them-
selves when only 3,720 could be accepted. The fields of Buena Vista and
Vera Cruz, and the storming of Cerro Gordo, will carry the glory of Illinois
soldiers along after the infamy of the cause they served has l^een forgotten.
But it was reserved till our day for her sons to find a field and cause and
foemen that could fitly illustrate their spirit and heroism. Illinois put
into her own regiments for the United States government 256,000 men,
and into the army through other States enough to swell the number to
290,000. This far exceeds all the soldiers of the federal government in
all the war of the revolution. Her total years of service were over 600,000.
She enrolled men from eighteen to forty -five years of age when the law
of Congress in 1864 — the test time — only asked for those from twenty to
forty-five. Her enrollment was otherwise excessive. Her people wanted
to go, and did not take the pains to correct the enrollment. Thus the
basis of fixing the quota was too great, and then the quota itself, at least
in the trying time, was far above any other State.
Thus the demand on some counties, as Monroe, for example, took every
able-bodied man in the county, and then did not have enough to fill the
quota. Moreover, Illinois sent 20,844 men for ninety or one hundred days,
for whom no credit was asked. When Mr. Lincoln's attention was called
to the inequality of the quota compared with other States, he replied,
" The country needs the sacrifice. We must put the whip on the free
horse." In spite of all these disadvantages Illinois gave to the country
73,000 years of service above all calls. With one-thirteenth of the popu-
lation of the loyal States, she sent regularly one-tenth of all the soldiers,
and in the peril of the closing calls, when patriots were few and weary,
she then sent one-eighth of all that were called for by her loved and hon-
ored son in the white house. Her mothers and daughters went into the
fields to raise the grain and keep the children together, while the fathers
and older sons went to the harvest fields of the world. I knew a father
and four sons who agreed that one of them must stay at home ; and they
pulled straws from a stack to see who might go. The father was left.
The next day he came into the camp, saying : " Mother says she can get
the crops in, and I am going, too." I know large Methodist churches
from which every male member went to the army. Do you want to know
HISTORY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS. 1'61
what these heroes from Illinois did in the field ? Ask any soldier with a
good record of his own, who is thus able to judge, and he will tell you
that the Illinois men went in to win. It is common history that the greater
victories were won in the West. When everything else looked dark Illi-
nois was gaining victories all down the river, a'nd dividing the confederacy.
Sherman took with him on his great march forty-five regiments of Illinois
infantry, three companies of artillery, and one company of cavalry. He
could not avoid
GOING TO THE SEA.
If he had been killed, I doubt not the men would have gone right on.
Lincoln answered all rumors of Sherman's defeat with, " It is impossible ;
there is a mighty sight of fight in 100,000 Western men." Illinois soldiers
brought home 300 battle-flags. The first United States flag that floated
over Richmond was an Illinois flag. She sent messengers and nurses to
every field and hospital, to care for her sick and wounded sons. She said,
'• These suffering ones are my sons, and I will care for them."
When individuals had given all, then cities and towns came forward
with their credit to the extent of many millions, to aid these men and
their families.
Illinois gave the country the great general of the war — Ulysses S.
Grant — since honored with two terms of the Presidency of the United
States.
One other name from Illinois comes up in all minds, embalmed in all
hearts, that must have the supreme place in this story of our glory and
of our nation's honor ; that name is Abraham Lincoln, of Illinois.
The analysis of Mr. Lincoln's character is difficult on account of its
symmetry.
In this age we look with admiration at his uncompromising honesty.
And well we may, for this saved us. Thousands throughout the length
and breadth of our country who knew him only as " Honest Old Abe,"
voted for him on that account ; and wisely did they choose, for no other
man could have carried us through the fearful night of the war. When
his plans were too vast for our comprehension, and his faith in the cause
too sublime for our participation ; when it was all night about us, and all
dread before us, and all sad and desolate behind us ; when not one ray
shone upon our cause ; when traitors were haughty and exultant at the
South, and fierce and blasphemous at the North ; when the loyal men here
"seemed almost in the minority ; when the stoutest heart quailed, the bravest
cheek paled ; when generals were defeating each other for place, and
contractors were leeching out the very heart's blood of the prostrate
republic : when every thing else had failed us, we looked at this calm,
patient man standing like a rock in the storm, and said : " Mr. l^incoln
132 HISTORY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS.
is honest, and we can trust him still.'" Holding to this single point with
the energy of faith and despair we held together, and, under God, he
brought us through to victory.
His practical wisdom made him the wonder of all lands. With such
certainty did Mr. Lincoln follow causes to their ultimate effects, that his
foresight of contingencies seemed almost prophetic.
He is radiant with all the great virtues, and his memory shall shed a
glory upon this age that shall fill the eyes of men as they look into his-
tory. Other men have excelled him in some point, but, taken at all
points, all in all, he stands head and shoulders above every other man of
6,000 years. An administrator, he saved the nation in the perils of
unparalleled civil war. A statesman, he justified his measures by their
success. A philanthropist, he gave liberty to one race and salvation to
another. A moralist, he bowed from the summit of human power to the
foot of the Cross, and became a Christian. A mediator, he exercised mercy
under the most absolute abeyance to law. A leader, he was -no partisan.
A commander, he was untainted with blood. A ruler in desperate times,
he was unsullied with crime. A man, he has left no word of passion, no
thought of malice, no trick of craft, no act of jealousy, no purpose of
selfish ambition. Thus perfected, without a model, and without a peer,
he was dropped into these troubled years to adorn and embellish all that
is good and all that is great in our humanity, and to present to all coming
time the representative of the divine idea of free government.
It is not too much to say that away down in the future, when the
republic has fallen from its niche in the wall of time ; when the great
war itself shall have faded out in the distance like a mist on the horizon ;
when the Anglo-Saxon language shall be spoken only by the tongue of
the stranger ; then the generations looking this way shall see the great
president as the supreme figure in this vortex of historv
CHICAGO.
It is impossible in our brief space to give more than a meager sketch
of such a city as Chicago, which is in itself the greatest marvel of the
Prairie State. This mysterious, majestic, mighty city, born first of water,
and next of fire ; sown in weakness, and raised in power ; planted among
the willows of the marsh, and crowned with the glory of the mountains ;
sleeping on the bosom of the prairie, and rocked on the bosom of the sea ,
the youngest city of the world, and still the eye of the prairie, as Damas-
cus, the oldest .city of the world, is the eye of the desert. With a com-
merce far exceeding that of Corinth on her isthmus, in the highway to
the East ; with the defenses of a continent piled around her by the thou-
sand miles, making her far safer than Rome on the banks of the Tiber ;
HIiSTORY OF THE STATE OP ILLINOIS.
188
CO
CO
CO
o
a
'■J
134 HISTORY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS.
with schools eclipsing Alexandria and Athens : with liberties more con-
spicuous than those of the old republics ; with a heroism equal to the first
Carthage, and with a sanctity scarcely second to that of Jerusalem — set
your thoughts on all this, hfted into the eyes of all men by the miracle of
its growth, illuminated by the flame of its fall, and transfigured by the
divinity of its resurrection, and you will feel, as I do, the utter impossi-
bility of compassing this subject as it deserves. Some impression of her
importance is received from the shock her burning gave to the civilized
world.
When the doubt of her calamity was removed, and the horrid fact
was accepted, there went a shudder over all cities, and a quiver over all
lands. There was scarcely a town in the civilized world that did not
shake on the brink of this opening chasm. The flames of our homes red-
dened all skies. The city was set upon a hill, and could not be hid. All
eyes were turned upon it. To have struggled and suffered amid the
scenes of its fall is as distinguishing as to have fought at Thermopylae, or
Salamis, or Hastings, or Waterloo, or Bunker Hill.
Its calamity amazed the world, because it was felt to be the common
property of mankind.
The early history of the city is full of interest, just as the early his-
tory of such a man as Washington or Lincoln becomes public property,
and is cherished by every patriot.
Starting with 560 acres in 1833, it embraced and occupied 23,000
acres in 1869, and, having now a population of more than 500,000, it com-
mands general attention.
The first settler — Jean Baptiste Pointe au Sable, a mulatto from the
West Indies — came and began trade with the Indians in 1796. John
Kinzie became his successor in 1804, in which year Fort Dearborn was
erected.
A mere trading-post was kept here from that time till about the time
of the Blackhawk war, in 1832. It was not the city. It was merely a
cock crowing at midnight. The morning was not yet. In 1833 the set-
tlement about the fort was incorporated as a town. The voters were
divided on the propriety of such corporation, twelve voting for it and one
against it. Four years later it*was incorporated as a city, and embraced
560 acres.
The produce handled in this city is an indication of its power. Grain
and flour were imported from the East till as late as 1837. The first
exportation by way of experiment was in 1889. Exports exceeded imports
first in 1842. The Board of Trade was organized in 1848, but it was so
weak that it needed nursing till 1855. Grain was purchased by the
wagon-load in the street.
I remember sitting with my father on a load of wheat, in the long
HISTORY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS. 135
line of wagons along Lake street, while the buyers came and untied the
bags, and examined the grain, and made their bids. That manner of
business had to cease with the day of small things. Now out elevators
will hold 15,000,000 bushels of grain. The cash value of the produce
handled in a year is $215,000,000, and the produce weighs 7,000,000
tons or 700,000 car loads. This handles thirteen and a half ton each
minute, all the year round. One tenth of all the wheat in the United
States is handled in Chicago. Even as long ago as 1853 the receipts of
grain in Chicago exceeded those of the goodly city of St. Louis, and in
1854 the exports of grain from Chicago exceeded those of New York and
doubled those of St. Petersburg, Archangel, or Odessa, the largest grain
markets in Europe.
The manufacturing interests of the city are not contemptible. In
1873 manufactories employed 45,000 operatives ; in 1876, 60,000. The
manufactured product in 1875 was worth 8177,000,000.
No estimate of the size and power of Chicago would be adequate
that did not put large emphasis on the railroads. Before they came
thundering along our streets canals were the hope of our country. But
who ever thinks now of traveling by canal packets ? In June, 1852,
there were only forty miles of railroad connected with the city. The
old Galena division of the Northwestern ran out to Elgin. But now,
who can count the trains and measure the roads that seek a terminus or
connection in this city ? The lake stretches away to the north, gathering
in to this center all the harvests that might otherwise pass to the north
of us. If you will take a map and look at the adjustment of railroads,
you will see, first, that Chicago is the great railroad center of the world,
as New York is the commercial city of this continent ; and, second, that
the railroad lines form the iron spokes of a great wheel whose hub is
this city. The lake furnishes the only break in the spokes, and this
seems simply to have pushed a few spokes together on each shore. See
the eighteen trunk lines, exclusive of eastern connections.
Pass round the circle, and view their numbers and extent. There
is the great Northwestern, with all its branches, one branch creeping
along the lake shore, and so reaching to the north, into the Lake Superior
regions, away to the right, and on to the Northern Pacific on the left,
swinging around Green Bay for iron and copper and silver, twelve months
in the year, and reaching out for the wealth of the great agricultural
belt and isothermal line traversed by the Northern Pacific. Another
branch, not so far north, feeling for the heart of the Badger State.
Another pushing lower down the Mississippi — all these make many con-
nections, and tapping all the vast wheat regions of Minnesota, Wisconsin,
Iowa, and all the regions this side of sunset. There is that elegant road,
the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy, running out a goodly number of
136
HISTORY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS.
OLD PORT DEARBORN, 1830.
PRESENT SITE OF LAKE STREET BRIDGE, CHICAGO, IN 1833.
HISTORY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS. 137
branches, and reaping the great fields this side of the Missouri River.
I can only mention the Chicago, Alton & St. Louis, our Illinois Central,
described elsewhere, and the Chicago & Rock Island. Further around
we come to the lines connecting us with all the eastern cities. The
Chicago, Indianapolis & St. Louis, the Pittsburgh, Fort Wayne &
Chicago, the Lake Shore & Michigan Southern, and the Michigan Cen-
tral and Great Western, give us many highwa3^s to the seaboard. Thus we
reach the Mississippi at five points, from St. Paul to Cairo and the Gulf
itself by two routes. We also reach Cincinnati and Baltimore, and Pitts-
burgh and Philadelphia, and New York. North and south run the water
courses of the lakes and the rivers, broken just enough at this point to
make a pass. Through this, from east to west, run the long lines that
stretch from ocean to ocean.
This is the neck of the glass, and the golden sands of commerce
must pass into our hands. Altogether we have more than 10,000 miles
of railroad, directly tributary to this city, seeking to unload their Avealth
in our coffers. All these roads have come themselves by the infallible
instinct of capital. Not a dollar was ever given by the city to secure
one of them, and only a small per cent, of stock taken originally by her
citizens, and that taken simply as an investment. Coming in the natural
order of events, they will not be easily diverted.
There is still another showing to all this. The connection between
New York and San Francisco is by the middle route. This passes inevit-
ably through Chicago. St. Louis wants the Southern Pacific or Kansas
Pacific, and pushes it out through Denver, and so on up to Cheyenne.
But before the road is fairly under way, the Chicago roads shove out to
Kansas City, making even the Kansas Pacific a feeder, and actually leav-
ing St. Louis out in the cold. It is not too much to expect that Dakota,
Montana, and Washington Territory will find their great market in Chi-
cago.
But these are not all. Perhaps I had better notice here the ten or
fifteen new roads that have just entered, or are just entering, our city.
Their names are all that is necessary to give. Chicago & St. Paul, look-
ing up the Red River country to the British possessions ; the Chicago,
Atlantic & Pacific ; the Chicago, Decatur & State Line ; the Baltimore &
Ohio; the Chicago, Danville & Vincennes; the Chicago & LaSalle Rail-
road ; the Chicago, Pittsburgh & Cincinnati ; the Chicago and' Canada
Southern ; the Chicago and Illinois River Railroad. These, with their
connections, and with the new connections of the old roads, already in
process of erection, give to Chicago not less than 10,000 miles of new
tributaries from the richest land on the continent. Thus there will be
added to the reserve power, to the capital within reach of this city, not
less than $1,000,000,000.
138
HISTORY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS.
Add to all this transporting power the ships that sail one every nine
minutes of the business hours of the season of navigation ; add, also, the
canal boats that leave one every five minutes during the same time — and
you will see something of the business of the city.
THE COMMERCE OF THIS CITY
has been leaping along to keep pace with the growth of the country
around us. In 1852, our commerce reached the hopeful sum of
820,000,000. In 1870 it reached 1400,000,000. In 1871 it was pushed
up above 1450,000,000. And in 1875 it touched nearly double that.
One-half of our imported goods come directly to Chicago. Grain
enough is exported directly from our docks to the old world to employ a
semi-weekly line of steamers of 3,000 tons capacity. This branch is
not likely to be greatly developed. Even after the great Welland Canal
is completed we shall have only fourteen feet of water. The great ocean
vessels will continue to control the trade.
The banking capital of Chicago is $24,431,000. Total exchange in
1875, $659,000,000. Her wholesale business in 1875 was $294,000,000.
The rate of taxes is less than in any other great city.
The schools of Chicago are unsurpassed in America. Out of a popu-
lation of 300,000 there were only 186 persons between the ages of six
and twenty-one unable to read. This is the best known record.
In 1831 the mail system was condensed into a half-breed, who went
on foot to Niles, Mich., once in two weeks, and brought back what papers
and news he could find. As late as 1846 there was often only one mail
a week. A post-ofi&ce was established in Chicago in 1833, and the post-
master nailed up old boot-legs on one side of his shop to serve as boxes
for the nabobs and literary men.
It is an interesting fact in the growth of the young city that in the
active life of the business men of that day the mail matter has grown to
a daily average of over 6,500 pounds. It speaks equally well for the
intelligence of the people and the commercial importance of the place,
that the mail matter distributed to the territory immediately tributary to
Chicago is seven times greater than that distributed to the territory
immediately tributary to St. Louis.
The improvements that have characterized the city are as startling
as the city itself. In 1831, Mark Beaubien established a ferry over the
river, and put himself under bonds to carry all the citizens free for the
privilege of charging strangers. Now there are twenty-four large bridges
and two tunnels.
In 1833 the government expended $30,000 on the harbor. Then
commenced that series of manoeuvers with the river that has made it one
HISTORY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS. 15^
of the world's curiosities. It used to wind around in the lower end of
the town, and make its way rippling over the sand into the lake at the
foot of Madison street. They took it up and put it down where it now
is. It was a narrow stream, so narrow that even moderately small crafts
had to go up through the willows and cat's tails to the point near Lake
street bridge, and back up one of the branches to get room enough in
which to turn around.
In 1844 the quagmires in the streets were first pontooned by plank
roads, which acted in wet weather as public squirt-guns. Keeping you
out of the mud, they compromised by squirting the mud over you. The
wooden-block pavements came to Chicago in 1857. In 1840 water was
delivered by peddlers in carts or by hand. Then a twenty-five horse-
power engine pushed it through hollow or bored logs along the streets
till 1854, when it was introduced into the houses by new works. The
first fire-engine was used in 1835, and the first steam fire-engine in 1859.
Gas was utilized for lighting the city in 1850. The Young Men's Chris-
tian Association was organized in 1858, and horse railroads carried them
to their work in 1859. The museum was opened in 1863. The alarm
telegraph adopted in 1864. The opera-house built in 1865. The city
grew from 560 acres in 1833 to 23,000 in 1869. In 1834, the taxes
amounted to $48.90, and the trustees of the town borrowed $60 more for
opening and improving streets. In 1835, the legislature authorized a loan
of $2,000, and the treasurer and street commissioners resigned rather than
plunge the town into such a gulf.
Now the city embraces 36 square miles of territory, and has 30 miles
of water front, besides the outside harbor of refuge, of 400 acres, inclosed
by a crib sea-wall. One-third of the city has been raised up an average
of eight feet, giving good pitch to the 263 miles of sewerage. The water
of the city is above all competition. It is received through two tunnels
extending to a crib in the lake two miles from shore. The closest analy-
sis fails to detect any impurities, and, received 35 feet below the surface,
it is always clear and cold. The first tunnel is five feet two inches in
diameter and two miles long, and can deliver 50,000,000 of gallons per
dav. The second tunnel is seven feet in diameter and six miles lonsf,
running four miles under the city, and can deliver 100,000,000 of gal-
lons per day. This water is distributed through 410 miles of water-
mains.
The three grand engineering exploits of the city are : First, lifting
the city up on jack-screws, whole squares at a time, without interrupting
the business, thus giving us good drainage ; second, running the tunnels
under the lake, giving us the best water in the world ; and third, the
turning the current of the river in its own channel, delivering us from the
old abominations, and making decency possible. They redound about
140
HISTORY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS.
equally to the credit of the engineering, to the energy of the people, and
to the healtli of the city.
That which really constitutes the city, its indescribable spirit, its soul,
the way it lights up in every feature in the hour of action, has not been
touched. In meeting strangei's, one is often surprised how some homely
women marry so well. Their forms are bad, their gait uneven and awk-
ward, their complexion is dull, their features are misshapen and mismatch-
ed, and when we see them there is no beauty that we should desire them.
But when once they are aroused on some subject, they put on new pro-
portions. They light up into great power. The real person comes out
from its unseemly ambush, and captures us at will. They have power.
They have ability to cause things to come to pass. We no longer wonder
why they are in such high demand. So it is with our city.
There is no grand scenery except the two seas, one of water, the
other of prairie. Nevertheless, there is a spirit about it, a push, a breadth,
a power, that soon makes it a place never to be forsaken. One soon
ceases to believe in impossibilities. Balaams are the only prophets that are
disappointed. The bottom that has been on the point of falling out has
been there so long that it has grown fast. It can not fall out. It has all
tke capital of the world itching to get inside the corporation.
The two great laws that govern the growth and size of cities are,
first, the amount of territory for which they are the distributing and
receiving points ; second, the number of medium or moderate dealers that
do this distributing. Monopolists build up themselves, not the cities.
They neither eat, wear, nor live in proportion to their business. Both
these laws help Chicago.
The tide of trade is eastward — not up or down the map, but across
the map. The lake runs up a wingdam for 500 miles to gather in the
business. Commerce can not ferry up there for seven months in the year,
and the facilities for seven months can do the work for twelve. Then the
great region west of us is nearly all good, productive land. Dropping
south into the trail of St. Louis, you fall into vast deserts and rocky dis-
tricts, useful in holding the world together. St. Louis and Cincinnati,
instead of rivaling and hurting Chicago, are her greatest sureties of
dominion. They are far enough away to give sea-room, — farther off than
Paris is from London, — and yet they are near enough to prevent the
springing up of any other great city between them.
St. Louis will be helped by the opening of the Mississippi, but also
hurt. That will put New Orleans on her feet, and with a railroad running
over into Texas and so West, she will tap the streams that now crawl up
the Texas and Missouri road. The current is East, not North, and a sea-
port at New Orleans can not permanently help St. Louis.
Chicago is in the field almost alone, to handle the wealth of one-
HISTORY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS. 141
fourth of the territory of this great republic. This strip of seacoast
divides its margins between Portland, Boston, New York, Philadelphia,
Baltimore and Savannah, or some other great port to be created for the
South in the next decade. But Chicago has a dozen empires casting their
treasures into her lap. On a bed of coal that can run all the machinery
of the world for 500 centuries ; in a garden that can feed the race by the
thousand years; at the head of the lakes that give her a temperature as a
summer resort equaled by no great city in the land ; with a climate that
insures the health of her citizens ; surrounded by all the great deposits
of natural wealth in mines aud forests and herds, Chicago is the wonder
of to-day, and will be the city of the future.
MASSACRE AT FORT DEARBORN.
During the war of 1812, Fort Dearborn became the theater of stirring
<3vents. The garrison consisted of fifty-four men under command of
Captain Nathan Heald, assisted by Lieutenant Helm (son-in-law of Mrs.
Kinzie) and Ensign Ronan. Dr. Voorhees was surgeon. The only resi-
dents at the post at that time were the wives of Captain Heald and Lieu-
tenant Helm, and a few of the soldiers, Mr. Kinzie and his family, and
a few Canadian voyageurs, with their wives and children. The soldiers
and Mr. Kinzie were on most friendly terms with the Pottawattamies
and Winnebagos, the principal tribes around' them, but they could not
win them from their attachment to the British.
One evening in April, 1812, Mr. Kinzie sat playing on his violin and
his children were dancing to the music, when Mrs. Kinzie came rushing
into the house, pale with terror, and exclaiming : " The Indians ! the
Indians!" "What? Where?" eagerly inquired Mr. Kinzie. "Up
at Lee's, killing and scalping," answered the frightened mother, who,
when the alarm was given, was attending Mrs. Barnes (just confined)
living not far off. Mr. Kinzie and his family crossed the river and took
refuge in the fort, to which place Mrs. Barnes and her infant not a day
old were safely conveyed. The rest of the inhabitants took shelter in the
fort. This alarm was caused by a scalping party of Winnebagos, who
hovered about the fort several days, when they disappeared, and for several
weeks the inhabitants were undisturbed.
On the 7th of' August, 1812, General Hull, at Detroit, sent orders to
Captain Heald to evacuate Fort Dearborn, and to distribute all the United
States property to the Indians in the neighborhood — a most insane order.
The Pottawattamie chief, who brought the dispatch, had more wisdom
than the commanding general. He advised Captain Heald not to make
the distribution. Said he : " Leave the fort and stores as they are, and
let the Indians make distribution for themselves ; and while they are
engaged in the business, the white people may escape to Fort Wayne."
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HISTORY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS. 143
Captain Heald held a council with the Indians on the afternoon ot
the 12th, in which his officers refused to join, for they had been informed
that treachery was designed — that the Indians intended to murder the
white people in the council, and then destroy those in the fort. Captain
Heald, however, took the precaution to open a port-hole displaying a
cannon pointing directly upon the council, and by that means saved
his life.
Mr. Kinzie, who knew the Indians well» begged Captain Heald not
to confide in their promises, nor distribute the arras and munitions among
them, for it would only put power into their hands to destroy the whites.
Actino- upon this advice, Heald resolved to withhold the munitions of
war ; and on the night of the 13th, after the distribution of the other
property had been made, the powder, ball and liquors were thrown into
the river, the muskets broken up and destroyed.
Black Partridge, a friendly chief, came to Captain Heald, and said :
" Linden birds have been singing in my ears to-day : be careful on the
march you are going to take." On that dark night vigilant Indians had
crept near the fort and discovered the destruction of their promised booty
o-oino- on within. The next morning the powder was seen floating on the
surface of the river. The savages were exasperated and made loud com-
plaints and threats.
On the following day when preparations were making to leave the
fort, and all the inmates were deeply impressed with a sense of impend-
ing danger, Capt. Wells, an uncle of Mrs. Heald, was discovered upon
the Indian trail among the sand-hills on the borders of the lake, not far
distant, with a band of mounted Miamis, of whose tribe he was chief,
having been adopted by the famous Miami warrior, Little Turtle. When
news of Hull's surrender reached Fort Wayne, he had started with this
force to assist Heald in defending Fort Dearborn. He was too late.
Every means for its defense had been destroyed the night before, and
arrangements were made for leaving the fort on the morning of the 15th.
It was a warm bright morning in the middle of August. Indications
were positive that the savages intended to murder the white people ; and
when they moved out of the southern gate of the fort, the march was
like a funeral procession. The band, feeling the solemnity of the occa-
sion, struck up the Dead March in Saul.
Capt. Wells, who had blackened his face with gun-powder in token
of his fate, took the lead with his band of Miamis, followed by Capt.
Heald, with his wife by his side on horseback. Mr. Kinzie hoped by his
personal influence to avert the impending blow, and therefore accompanied
them, leaving his family in a boat in charge of a friendly Indian, to be
taken to his trading station at the site of Niles, Michigan, in the event or
his death.
144
HISTOIiY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOifa.
HISTORY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS. 1-io
The procession moved slowly along the lake shore till they reached
the sand-hills between the prairie and the beach, when the Pottawattamie
escort, under the leadership of Blackbird, filed to the right, placing those
hills between them and the white people. Wells, with his Miamis, had
kept in the advance. They suddenly came rushing back, Wells exclaim-
ing, " They are about to attack us ; form instantly." These words were
quickly followed by a storm of bullets, which came whistling over the
little hills which the treacherous savages had made the covert for their
murderous attack. The white troops charged upon the Indians, drove
them back to the prairie, and then the battle was waged between fifty-
four soldiers, twelve civilians and three or four women (the cowardly
Miamis having fled at the outset) against five hundred Indian warriors.
The white people, hopeless, resolved to sell their lives as dearly as possible.
Ensign Ronan wielded his weapon vigorously, even after falling upon his
knees weak from the loss of blood. Capt. Wells, who was by the side of
his niece, Mrs. Heald, when the conflict began, behaved with the greatest
coolness and courage. He said to her, " We have not the slightest chance
for life. We must part to meet no more in this world. God bless you."
And then he dashed forward. Seeing a young warrior, painted like a
demon, climb into a wagon in which were twelve children, and tomahawk
them all, he cried out, unmindful of his personal danger, " If that is your
o-ame, butchering women and children, I will kill too." He spurred his
horse towards the Indian camp, where they had left their squaws and
papooses, hotly pursued by swift-footed young warriors, who sent bullets
whistling after him. One of these killed his horse and wounded him
severely in the leg. With a yell the young braves rushed to make him
their prisoner and reserve him for torture. He resolved not to be made
a captive, and by the use of the most provoking epithets tried to induce
them to kill him instantly. He called a fiery young chief a squaw, when
the enraged warrior killed Wells instantly with his tomahawk, jumped
upon his body, cut out his heart, and ate a portion of the warm morsel
with savage delight !
In this fearful combat women bore a conspicuous part. Mrs. Heald
was an excellent equestrian and an expert in the use of the rifle. She
fought the savages bravely, receiving several severe wounds. Though
faint from the loss of blood, she managed to keep her saddle. A savage
raised his tomahawk to kill her, when she looked him full in the face,
and with a sweet smile and in a gentle voice said, in his own language,
'* Surely you will not kill a squaw ! " The arm of the savage fell, and
the life of the heroic woman was saved.
Mrs. Helm, the step-daughter of Mr. Kinzie, had an encounter with
a stout Indian, who attempted to tomahawk her. Springing to one side,
she received the glancing blow oh her shoulder, and at the same instant
146 HISTORY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS.
seized the savage round the neck with her arms and endeavored to get
hold of his scalping knife, which hung in a sheath at his breast. While
she was thus struggling she was dragged from her antagonist by anothei
powerful Indian, who bore her, in spite of her struggles, to the margin
of the lake and plunged her in. To her astonishment she was held by
him so that she would not drown, and she soon perceived that she was
in the hands of the friendly Black Partridge, who had saved her life.
The wife of Sergeant Holt, a large and powerful woman, behaved as
bravely as an Amazon. She rode a fine, high-spirited horse, which the
Indians coveted, and several of them attacked her with the butts of their
guns, for the purpose of dismounting her ; but she used the sword which
she had snatched from her disabled husband so skillfully that she foiled
them ; and, suddenly wheeling her horse, she dashed over the prairie,
followed by the savages shouting, " The brave woman ! the brave woman !
Don't hurt her ! " They finally overtook her, and while she was fighting
them in front, a powerful savage came up behind her, seized her by the
neck and dragged her to the ground. Horse and woman were made
captives. Mrs. Holt was a long time a captive among the Indians, but
was afterwards ransomed.
In this sharp conflict two-thirds of the white people were slain and
wounded, and all their horses, baggage and provision were lost. Only
twenty-eight straggling men now remained to fight five hundred Indians
rendered furious by the sight of blood. They succeeded in breaking
through the ranks of the murderers and gaining a slight eminence on the
prairie near the Oak Woods. The Indians did not pursue, but gathered
on their flanks, while the chiefs held a consultation on the sand-hills, and
showed signs of willingness to parley. It would have been madness on
the part of the whites to renew the fight ; and so Capt. Heald went for-
ward and met Blackbird on the open prairie, where terms of surrender
were soon agreed upon. It was arranged that the white people should
give up their arms to Blackbird, and that the survivors should become
prisoners of war, to be exchanged for ransoms as soon as practicable.
With this understanding captives and captors started for the Indian
camp near the fort, to which Mrs. Helm had been taken bleeding and
suffering b}^ Black Partridge, and had met her step-father and learned
that her husband was safe.
A new scene of horror was now opened at the Indian camp. The
wounded, not being included in the terms of surrender, as it was inter-
preted by the Indians, and the British general, Proctor, having offered a
liberal bounty for American scalps, delivered at Maiden, nearly all the
wounded men were killed and scalped, and the price of the trophies was
afterwards paid by the British government.
HISTORY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS.
149
SHABBONA.
[This was engraved from a daguerreotype, taken when Shabbona was 83 years old.]
This celebrated Indian chief, whose portrait appears in this work, deserves
more than a passing notice. Although Shabbona was not so conspicuous as
Tecuraseh or Black Hawk, yet in point of merit he was superior to either
of them.
Shabbona was born at an Indian village on the Kankakee River, now in
Will County, about the year 1775. While young he was made chief of the
band, and went to Shabbona Grove, now DeKalb County, where they were
found in the early settlement of the county.
In the war of 1812, Shabbona, with his warriors, joined Tecumseh, was
150 HISTORY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS.
aid to that great chief, and stood hy liis side when he fell at the battle of
the Thames. At the time of the Winnebago war, in 1827, he visited almost
every village among the Pottawatomies, and by his persuasive arguments
prevented them from taking part in the Avar. Hy request of the citizens
of Chicago, Shabbona, accompanied bj Billy Caldwell (Sauganash), visited
Big Foot's village at Geneva Lake, in order to pacify the warriors, as fears
were entertained that they were about to raise the tomahawk against the
whites. Here Shabbona was taken prisoner by Big Foot, and his life
threatened, but on the following day was set at liberty. From that time
the Indians (through reproach) styled him " the white man's friend,"
and many times his life was endangered.
Before the Black Hawk war, Shabbona met in council at two differ-
ent times, and by his influence j^jrevented his people from taking part with
the Sacs and Foxes. After the death of Black Partridge and Senachwine,
no chief among the Pottawatomies exerted so much influence as Shabbona.
Black Hawk, aware of this influence, visited him at two different times, in
order to enlist him in his cause, but was unsuccessful. While Black Hawk
was a prisoner at Jefferson Barracks, he said, had it not been for Shabbona
the whole Pottawatomie nation would have joined his standard, and he
could have continued the war for years.
To Shabbona many of the early settlers of Illinois owe the pres-
ervation of their lives, for it is a well-known fact, had he not notified the
people of their danger, a large portion of them would have fallen victims
to the tomahawk of savages. B}^ saving the lives of whites he endangered
his own, for the Sacs and Foxes threatened to kill him, and made two
attempts to execute their threats. They killed Pypeogee, his son, and
Pyps, his nephew, and hunted him down as though he was a wild beast.
Shabbona had a reservation of two sections of land at his Grove, but
by leaving it and going west for a short time, the Government declared
the reservation forfeited, and sold it the same as other vacant land. On
Shabbona's return, and finding his possessions gone, he was very sad and
broken down in spirit, and left the Grove for ever. The citizens of Ottawa
raised money and bought him a tract of land on the Illinois River, above
Seneca, in Grundy County, on which they built a house, and supplied
him with means to live on. He lived here until his death, which occurred
on the 17th of July, 1859, in the eighty-fourth year of his age, and was
buried with great pomp in the cemetery at Morris. His squaw, Pokanoka,
was drowned in Mazen Creek, Grundy County, on the 30th of November,
1864, and was buried by his side.
In 1861 subscriptions were taken up in many of the river towns, to
erect a monument over the remains of Shabbona, but the war breaking
out, the enterprise was abandoned. Only a plain marble slab marks the
resting-place of this friend of the white man.
Abstract of Illinois State Laws.
BILLS OF EXCHANGE AND PROMISSORY NOTES.
No promissory note, check, draft, hill of exchange, order, or note, nego-
tiahle instrument payable at sight, or on demand, or on presentment, shall
be entitled to days of grace. All other bills of exchange, drafts or notes are
.entitled to three days of grace. All the above mentioned paper falling
due on Sunday, New Years' Day, the Fourth of July, Christmas, or any
day appointed or recommended by the President of the United States or
the Governor of the State as a day of fast or thanksgiving, shall be deemed
as due on the day previous, and should two or more of these days come
together, then such instrument shall be treated as due on the didij i^revious
to the first of said days. No defense can be made against a negotiable
instrument (^assigned before due} in the hands of .the assignee without
notice, except fraud was used in obtaining the same. To hold an indorser,
due diligence must be used by suit, in collecting of the maker, unless suit
would have been unavailing. Notes payable to person 7iamed or to order,
in order to absolutely transfer title, must be indorsed by the payee. Notes
payable to bearer may be transferred by delivery, and when so payable
every indorser thereon is held as a guarantor of payment unless otherwise
expressed.
In computing interest or discount on negotiable instruments, a month
shall be considered a calendar ynonth or twelfth of a year, and for less
than a month, a day shall be figured a thirtieth part of a month. Notes
only bear interest when so expressed, but after due they draw the legal
interest, even if not stated.
INTEREST.
The legal rate of interest is six per cent. Parties may agree in writ-
ing on a rate not exceeding ten per cent. If a rate of interest greater
than ten per cent, is contracted for, it works a forfeiture of the whole of
said interest, and only the principal can be recovered. ,
DESCENT.
When no will is made, the property of a deceased person is distrib-
uted as follows :
152 ABSTRACT OF ILLINOIS STATE LAWS.
First. To his or her children and their descendants in equal parts ;
the descendants of the deceased child or grandchild taking the share of
their deceased parents in equal parts among them.
Second. Where there is no child, nor descendant of such child, and
no widow or surviving husband, then to the parents, brothers and sisters
of the deceased, and their descendants, in equal parts, the surviving J
parent, if either be dead, taking a double portion ; and if there is no
parent living, then to' the brothers and sisters of the intestate and their
descendants.
Third. When there is a widow or surviving husband, and no child or
children, or descendants of the same, then one-half of the real estate and
the whole of the personal estate shall descend to such widow or surviving
husband, absolutely, and the other half of the real estate shall descend as
in other cases where there is no child or children or descendants of the
same.
Fourth. When there is a widow or surviving husband and also a child
or children, or descendants of the latter, then one third of all the personal
estate to the widow or surviving husband absolutely.
Fifth. If there is no child, parent, brother or sister, or descendants of
either of them, and no widow or surviving husband, then in equal parts
to the next of kin to the intestate in equal degree. Collaterals shall not
be represented except with the descendants of brothers and sisters of the
intestate, and there shall be no distinction between kindred of the whole
and the half blood.
Sixth. If any intestate leaves a ividoiv or surviving husband and 7io
kindred, then to such ividoiv or surviving husband ; and if there is no such
widow or surviving husband, it shall escheat to and vest in the county
where the same, or the greater portion thereof, is situated.
WILLS AND ESTATES OF DECEASED PERSONS.
No exact form of words are necessary in order to make a will good at
law. Every male person of the age of twenty-one years, and eYery female
of the age of eighteen years, of sound 7nind and memory, can make a valid
will ; it must be in writing, signed by the testator or by some one in his
or her presence and by his or her direction, and attested by two or more
credible ivitnesse's. Care should be taken that the loitnesses are not inter-
ested in the will. Persons knowing themselves to have been named in the
will or appointed executor, must within thirty days of the death of
deceased cause the will to be proved and recorded in the proper county,
or present it, and refuse to accept ; on failure to do so are liable to forfeit
the sum of twenty dollars per month. Inventory to be made by executor
or administrator within three months from date of letters testamentary or
ABSTRACT OF ILLINOIS STATE LAWS.
153
of administration. Executors' and administrators' compensation not to
exceed six per cent, on amount of personal estate, and three per cent,
on money realized from real estate, with such additional allowance as
shall be reasonable for extra services. Appraisers compensation $2 pei
day.
Notice requiring all claims to be presented against the estate shall b^^
given by the executor or administrator within six months of being quali-
fied. Any person having a claim and not presenting it at the time fixed
by said notice is required to have summons issued notifying the executor
or administrator of his having filed his claim in court ; in such cases the
costs have to be paid by the claimant. Claims should be filed within two
gears from the time administration is granted on an estate, as after that
time they 2iVQ forever barred, unless other estate is found that was not in-
ventoried. Married women, infants, persons insane, imprisoned or without
the United States, in the employment of the United States, or of this
State, have two years after their disabilities are removed to file claims.
Olaims are classified and j^cii-d out of the estate in the following manner :
First. Funeral expenses.
Second. The widow's aivard, if there is a widow ; or children if there
are children, and no widotv.
Third. Expenses attending the last illness, not including physician's
bill.
Fourth. Debts due the common school or township fund .
Fifth. All expenses of proving the ivill and taking out letters testa-
mentary or administration, and settlement of the estate, and the physi-
cian's bill in the last illness of deceased.
Sixth. Where the deceased has received money in trust for any pur-
pose, his executor or administrator shall pay out of his estate the amount
received and not accounted for.
Seventh. All other debts and demands of whatsoever kind, without
regard to quality or dignity, which shall be exhibited to the court within
two years from the granting of letters.
Award to Widow and Children, exclusive of debts and legacies or be-
quests, except funeral expenses :
First. The family pictures and wearing apparel, jewels and ornaments
of herself and minor children.
Second. School books and the family library of the value of $100.
Third. One sewing machine.
Fourth. Necessary beds, bedsteads and bedding for herself and family.
Fifth. The stoves and pipe used in the family, with the necessary
cooking utensils, or in case they have none, $50 in money.
Sixth. Household and kitchen furniture to the value of $100.
Seventh. One milch cow and calf for every four members of her family.
154 ABSTRACT OF ILLINOIS STATE LAWS.
Eighth. Two sheep for each member of her family, and the fleeces
taken from the same, and one horse^ saddle and bridle.
Niiith. Provisions for herself and family for one year.
Tenth. Food for the stock above specified for six months.
Eleventh. Fuel for herself and family for three months.
Twelfth. One hundred dollars ivorth of other property suited to her
condition in life, to be selected by the tvidow.
The tvidow if she elects may have in lieu of the said award, the same
personal property or money in place thereof as is or may be exempt from
execution or attachment against the head of a family.
TAXES.
The owners of real and personal property, on the first day of May in
each year, are liable for the taxes thereon.
Assessments should be completed before the fourth Monday in June.,
at which time the town board of review meets to examine assessments,
hear objections., and make such changes as ought to be made. The county
board have also power to correct or change assessments.
The tax books are placed in the hands of the town collector on or
before the tenth day of December, who retains them until the tenth day
of March following, when he is required to return them to the county
treasurer, who then. collects all delinquent taxes.
No costs accrue on real estate taxes till advertised^ which takes place
the first day of April, when three weeks' notice is required before judg-
ment. Cost of advertising, twenty cents each tract of land, and ten cents
each lot.
Judgment is usually obtained at May term of County Court. Costs
six cents each tract of land, and five cents each lot. Sale takes place in
June. Costs in addition to those before mentioned, twenty-eiglit cents
each tract of land, and twenty-seven cents each town lot.
Real estate sold for taxes may be redeemed any time before the expi-
ration of two years from the date of sale, hj payment to the County Qlerk
of the amount for which it was sold and twenty-five per cent, thereon if
redeemed within six months, fifty per cent, if between six and twelve
months, if between twelve and eighteen months seventy-five per cent.,
and if between eighteen months and two years one hundred per cent.,
and in addition, all subsequent taxes paid by the purchaser, with ten per
cent, interest thereon, also one dollar each tract if notice is given by the
purchaser of the sale, and a fee of twenty-five cents to the clerk for his
certificate.
JURISDICTION OF COURTS.
Justices have jurisdiction in all civil cases on contracts for the recovery
of moneys for damages for injury to real property, or taking, detaining, or
ABSTRACT OF ILLINOIS STATE LAWS. 155
injuring personal property ; for rent; for all cases to recover damages done
real or personal property by railroad companies, in actions of replevin^ and
in actions for damages for fraud in the sale, purchase, or exchange of per-
sonal property, when the amount claimed as due is not over $200. They
have also jurisdiction in all cases for violation of the ordinances of cities,
toivns or villages. A justice of the peace may orally order an officer or a
private person to arrest any one committing or attempting to commit a
criminal offense. He also upon complaint can issue his warrant for the
arrest of any person accused of having committed a crime, and have him
brought before him for examination.
COUNTY COURTS
Have jurisdiction in all matters of probate (except in counties havino- a
population of one hundred thousand or over), settlement of estates of
deceased persons, appointment of guardians and conservators, and settle-
ment of their accounts ; all matters relating to apprentices ; proceedings
for the collection of taxes and assessments, and in proceedings of executors,
administrators, guardians and conservators for the sale of real estate. In
law cases they have concurrent jurisdiction with Circuit Courts in all
cases wlrere justices of the peace now have, or hereafter may have,
jurisdiction when the amount claimed shall not exceed $1,000, and in all
criminal offenses where the punishment is not imprisonment in the peni-
tentiary, or death, and in all cases of appeals from justices of the peace
and police magistrates; excepting when the county judge is sitting as a
justice of the peace. Circuit Courts have unlimited jurisdiction.
LIMITATION OF ACTION.
Accounts jive years. Notes and written contracts ten years. Judg-
ments twenty years. Partial payments or new promise in writing, within
or after said period, will revive the debt. Absence from the State deducted,
and when the cause of action is barred by the law of another State, it has
the same effect here. Slander and libel, one year. Personal injuries, two
years. To recover land or make entry thereon, tiventy years. Action to
foreclose mortgage or trust deed, or make a sale, within ten years.
All persons in possession of land, and paying taxes for seven consecu-
tive years, with color of title, and all persons paying taxes for seven con-
secutive years, with color of title, on vacant land, shall be held to be the
legal owners to the extent of their paper title.
MARRIED WOMEN
May sue and be sued. Husband and wife not liable for each other's debts,
either before or after marriage, but both are liable for expenses and edu-
cation of the family.
4
156 ABSTRACT OF ILLINOIS STATE LAWS.
She may contract the same as if unmarried^ except that in a partner-
ship business she can not, without consent of her husband, unless he has
abandoned or deserted her, or is idiotic or insane, or confined in peniten-
tiary ; she is entitled and can recover her own earnings, but neither hus-
band nor wife is entitled to compensation for any services rendered for the
other. At the death of the husband, in addition to widow's award, a
married woman has a dower interest (one-third) in all real estate owned
by her husband after their marriage, and which has not been released by
her, and the husband has the same interest in the real estate of the wife
at her death.
EXEMPTIONS FROM FORCED SALE.
Home worth $1,000, and the following Personal Property : Lot of ground
and buildings thereon, occupied as a residence by the debtor, being a house-
holder and having a family, to the value of -f 1,000. Exemption continues
after the death of the householder for the benefit of widow and family, some
one of them occupying the homestead until youngest child shall become
tiventy-one years of age, and until death of widoiv. There is no exemption
from sale for taxes, assessments, debt or liability incurred for the purchase
or improvement of said homestead. No release or waiver of exemption is
valid, unless in writing, and subscribed by such householder and wife (if
he have one), and acknowledged as conveyancesof real estate are required
to be acknowledged. The folloioing articles of personal property owned
by the debtor, are exempt from execution, ivrit of attachment, and distress
for rent : The necessary ivearing apparel. Bibles, school books and family
pictures of every person ; and, 2d, one hundred dollars worth of other
property to be selected by the debtor, and, in addition, when the debtor
is the head of a family and resides with the same, three hundred dollars
worth of other property to be selected by the debtor ; provided that such
selection and exemption shall not be made by the debtor or allowed to
him or her from any money, salary or wages due him or her from any
person or persons or corporations whatever.
When the head of a family shall die, desert or not reside with the
same, the family shall be entitled to and receive all the benefit and priv-
ileges which are by this act conferred upon the head of a family residing
with the same. No personal property is exempt from execution when
judgment is obtained for the wages of laborers or servants. Wages of a
laborer who is the head of a family can not be garnisheed, except the sum
due him be in excess of $25.
ABSTRACT OF ILLINOIS STATE LAWS. 157
DEEDS AND MORTGAGES.
To he valid there must he a valid consideration. Special care should
be taken to have them signed, sealed, delivered, and properly acknowl-
edged, with the proper seal attached. Witnesses are not required. The
acknoivledgement must be made in this state, before Master in Chancery,
Notary Puhlic, United States Commissioner, Circuit or County Clerk, Justice
of Peace, or any Court of Record having a seal, or any Judge, Justice, or
Clerk of any such Court. When taken before a Notary Puhlic, or United
States Commissioner, the same shall be attested by his official seal, when
taken before a Court or the Clerk thereof, the same shall be attested by
the seal of such Court, and when taken before a Justice of the Peace resid-
ing out of the county where the real estate to be conveyed lies, there shall
be added a certificate of the County Clerk under his seal of office, that he
was a Justice of the Peace in the county at the time of taking the same.
A deed is good without such certificate attached, but can not be used in
evidence unless such a certificate is produced or other competent evidence
introduced. Acknowledgements made out of the state must either be
executed according to the laws of this state, or there should be attached
a certificate that it is in conformity with the laws of the state or country
where executed. Where this is not done the same may be proved by any
other legal way. Acknowledgments where the Homestead rights are to
be waived must state as follows : " Including the release and waiver of
the right of homestead." ^
Notaries Puhlic can take acknowledgements any where in the state.
Sheriffs, if authorized by the mortgagor of real or personal property
in his mortgage, may sell the property mortgaged.
In the case of the death of grantor or holder of the equity of redemp-
tion of real estate mortgaged, or conveyed by deed of trust where equity
of redemption is waived, and it contains power of sale, must be foreclosed
in the same manner as a common mortgage in court.
ESTRAYS.
Morses, mules, asses, neat cattle, swine, sheep, or goats found straying
at any time during the year, in counties where such animals are not allowed
to run at large, or between the last day of October and the 15th day of
April in other counties, the oivner thereof heing unknown, may he taken up
as e strays.
No person not a householder in the county where estray is found can
lawfully take up an estray, and then only upon or ahout his farm or place
of residence. Estray s should not he used hefore advertised, except animals
giving milk, which may be milked for their benefit.
158 ABSTRACT OF ILLINOIS STATE LAWS.
Notices must be posted up within five (5) days in three (3) of the
most public places in the town or precinct in whicli estray was found, giv-
ing the residence of the taker up, and a particular description of the
estray, its age, color, and marks natural and artificial, and stating before
what justice of the peace in such town or precinct, and at what time, not
less than ten (10) nor more than fifteen (15) days from the time of post-
ing such notices, he will apply to have the estray appraised. \
A copy of such notice should be filed by the taker up with the totvn
clerk, whose duty it is to enter the same at large, in a book kept l^y him
for that purpose.
If the otvner of estray shall not have appeared and proved ownership^
and taken the same away, first paying the taker up his reasonable charges
for taking up, keeping, and advertising the same, the taker up shall appear
before the justice of the peace mentioned in above mentioned notice, and
make an affidavit as required by law.
As the affidavit has to be made before the justice, and all other steps as
to appraisement, etc., are before him, who is familiar therewith, they are
therefore omitted here.
Any person taking up an estray at any other place than about or
upon his farm or residence, or without complying with the law, shall forfeit
and pay a fine of ten dollars with costs.
Ordinary diligence is required in taking care of estrays, but in case
they die or get away the taker is not liable for the same. ^
GAME.
It is unlawful for any person to kill, or attempt to kill or destroy, in
any manner, any prairie hen or chicken or woodcock between the 15th day
of January and the 1st day of September ; or any deer, fawn, wild-turkey,
partridge or pheasant between the 1st day of February and the 1st day
of October ; or any quail between the 1st day of February and 1st day of
November ; or any wild goose, duck, snipe, brant or other water fowl
between the 1st day of May and 15th day of August in each year.
Penalty : Fine not less than $5 nor more than $25, for each bird or
animal, and costs of suit, and stand committed to county jail until fine is •
paid, but not exceeding ten days. It is unlawful to hunt with gun, dog
or net within the inclosed grounds or lands of another without permission.
Penalty: Fine not less than $3 nor more than $100, to be paid into
school fund.
WEIGHTS AND MEASURES.
Whenever any of the following articles shall be contracted for, or
sold or delivered, and no special contract or agreement shall be made to
the contrary, the weight per bushel shall be as follows, to-wit :
ABSTRACT OF ILLINOIS STATE LAWS.
159
Pounds.
Pounds.
Stone Coal,
- 80
Buckwheat, -
- 52
Un slack eel Lime,
- 80
Coarse Salt,
- 50
Corn in the ear,
- 70
Barley, - - -
- 48
Wheat,
- 60
Corn Meal,
- 48
Irish Potatoes,
- 60
Castor Beans,
- 46
White Beans,
- 60
Timothy Seed, -
- 45
Clover Seed, -
- 60
Hemp Seed, -
- • - 44
Onions, - = ' -
57
Malt, - - - -
- 38
Shelled Corn,
- b^
Dried Peaches,
- 33
Rye, - - - -
- 56
Oats, - - - -
- 32
^lax Seed,
- 56
Dried Apples,
- 24
Sweet Potatoes, -
55
Bran, - - - -
- 20
Turnips, •
- 55
Blue Grass Seed, -
- 14
Fine Salt, - - -
55
Hair (plastering).
8
I
Penalty for giving less than the above standard is double the amount
of property wrongfully not given, and ten dollars addition thereto.
MILLERS.
The owner or occupant of every public grist mill in this state shall
o-rind all ffrain brouo-ht to his mill in its turn. The toll for both steam
and water mills, is, for grinding and bolting ivheat, rye, or other grain, one
eighth part; for grinding Indian corn, oats, harley and huekivheat not
required to be bolted, one seventh part; iox grinding malt, and chopping aW
kinds of grain, one eighth part. It is the duty of every miller when his
mill is in repair, to aid and assist in loading and unloading all grain brought
to him to be ground, and he is also required to keep an accurate half
bushel measure, and an accurate set of toll dishes or scales for weighing
the grain. The penalty for neglect or refusal to comply with the law is
$5, to the use of any person to sue for the same, to be recovered before
any justice of the peace of the county where penalty is incurred. Millers
are accountable for the safe keeping of all grain left in his mill for the
purpose of being ground, with bags or casks containing same (except it
results from unavoidable accidents), provided that such bags or casks are
distinctly marked with the initial letters of the owner's name.
MARKS AND BRANDS.
Owners of cattle, horses, hogs, sheep or goats may have one ear mark
and one brand, but which shall be different from his neighbor's, and may
be recorded by the county clerk of the county in which such property is
kept. The/ee for such record is fifteen cents. The record of such shall
be open to examination free of charge. In cases of disputes as to marks
or brands, such record is nrima facie evidence. Owners of cattle, horses,
hogs, sheep or goats that may have been branded by the former owner.
160 ABSTRACT OF ILLINOIS STATE LAWS.
may be re-branded in presence of one or more of his neighbors, who shall
certify to the facts of the marking or branding being done, when done,
and in what brand or mark they were re-branded or re-marked, which
certificate may also be recorded as before stated.
ADOPTION OF CHILDREN.
Children may be adopted by any resident of this state, by filing a
petition in the Circuit or County Court of the county in which he resides,
asking leave to do so, and if desired may ask that the name of the child
be changed. Such petition, if made by a person having a husband oi*
wife, will not be granted, unless the husband or wife joins therein, as the
adoption must be by them jointly.
The petition shall state name, sex, and age of the child, and the new
name, if it is desired to change the name. Also the name and residence
of the parents of the child, if known, and of the guardian, if any, and
whether the parents or guardians consent to the adoption.
The court must find, before granting decree, that the parents of the
ehild^ or the survivors of them, have deserted his or her family or such
child for one year next preceding the application, or if neither are living,
the guardian ; if no guardian, the next of kin in this state capable of giving
consent, has had notice of the presentation of the petition and consents
to such adoption. If the child is of the age of fourteen years or upwards,
the adoption can not be made ivithout its consent.
SURVEYORS AND SURVEYS.
There is in every county elected a surveyor known as county sur-
veyor, who has power to appoint deputies, for whose official acts he is
responsible. It is the duty of the county surveyor, either by himself or
his deputy, to make all surveys that he may be called upon to make within
his county as soon as may be after application is made. The necessary
chainmen and other assistance must be employed by the person requiring
the same to be done, and to be by him paid, unless otherwise agreed ; but
the chainmen must be disinterested persons and approved by the surveyor
and sworn by him to measure justly and impartially.
The County Board in each county is required by law to provide a copy
of the United States field notes and plats of their surveys of the lands
in the coiinty to be kept in the recorder's office subject to examination
by the public, and the county surveyor is required to make his surveys
in conformity to said notes, plats and the laws of the United States gov-
erning such matters. The surveyor is also required to keep a record
of all surveys made by him, which shall be subject to inspection by any
one interested, and shall be delivered up to his successor in office. A
ABSTRACT OF ILLINOIS STATE LAWS. 161
certified copy of the said surveyor's record shall be prima facie evidence
of its contents.
The fees of county surveyors are six dollars per day. The county
surveyor is also ex officio inspector of mines, and as such, assisted by some
practical miner selected by him, shall once each year inspect all the
mines in the county, for which they shall each receive such compensa-
tion as may be fixed by the County Board, not exceeding $5 a day, to
be paid out of the county treasury.
ROADS AND BRIDGES.
Where practicable from the nature of the ground, persons traveling
in any kind of vehicle, must turn to the right of the center of the road, so
as to permit each carriage to pass without interfering with each other.
The penalty/ for a violation of this provision is $5 for every offense, to
be recovered by the partT/ injured; but to recover, there must have
occurred some injury to person or property resulting from the violation.
The owners of any carriage traveling upon any road in this State for the
conveyance of passengers who shall employ or continue in his employment
as driver any person who is addicted to drunkenness, or the excessive use of
spiritous liquors, after he has had notice of the same, shall forfeit, at the
rate of $5 per day, and if any driver while actually engaged in driving
any such carriage, shall be guilty of intoxication to such a degree as to
endanger the safety of passengers, it shall be the duty of the owner, on
receiving written notice of the fact, signed by one of the passengers, and
certified by him on oath, forthwith to discharge such driver. If such owner
shall have such driver in his employ within three months after such notice,
he is liable for |5 per day for the time he shall keep said driver in his
employment after receiving such notice.
Persons driving any carriage on any public highway are prohibited
from running their horses upon any occasion under a penalty of a fine not
exceeding $10, or imprisonment not exceeding sixty days, at the discre-
I tion of the court. Horses attached to any carriage used to convey passen-
I gers for hire must be properly hitched or the lines placed in the hands of
' some other person before the driver leaves them for any purpose. For
violation of this provision each driver shall forfeit twenty dollars, to be
recovered by action, to be commenced within six months. It is under-
stood by the term carriage herein to mean any carriage or vehicle used
for the transportation of passengers or goods or either of them.
The commissioners of highways in the different tov/ns have the care
and superintendence of highways and bridges therein. They have all
the powers necessary to lay out, vacate, regulate and repair all roads^
build and repair bridges. In addition to the above, it is their duty to
erect and keep in repair at the forks or crossing-place of the most
162 ABSTRACT OF ILLINOIS STATE LAWS.
important roads post and guide boards with plain inscriptions, giving
directions and distances to the most noted places to which such road may-
lead; also to make provisions to prevent thistles, burdock, and cockle
burrs, mustard, yellow dock, Indian mallow and jimson weed from
seeding, and to extirpate the same as far as practicable, and to prevent
all rank growth of vegetation on the public highways so far as the same
may obstruct public travel, and it is in their discretion to erect watering
places for public use for \Vatering teams at such points as may be deemed
advisable.
The Commissioners, on or before the 1st day of May of each year,
shall make out and deliver to their treasurer a list of all able-bodied men
in their town, excepting paupers, idiots, lunatics, and such others as are
exempt by law, and assess against each the sum of two dollars as a poll
tax for highway purposes. Within thirty days after such list is delivered
they shall cause a written or printed notice to be given to each person so
assessed, notifying him of the time when and place where such tax must
be paid, or its equivalent in labor performed ; they may contract with
persons owing such poll tax to perform a certain amount of labor on any
road or bridge in payment of the same, and if such tax is not paid nor
labor performed by the first Monday of July of such year, or within ten
days after notice is given after that time, they shall bring suit therefor
against such person before a justice of the peace, who shall hear and
determine the case according to law for the offense complained of, and
shall forthwith issue an execution, directed to any constable of the county
where the delinquent shall reside, who shall forthwith collect the moneys
therein mentioned.
The Commissioners of Highways of each town shall annually ascer-
tain, as near as practicable, how much money must be raised by tax on real
and personal property for the making and repairing of roads, only, to any
amount they may deem necessar}^, not exceeding forty cents on each one
hundred dollars' worth, as valued on the assessment roll of the previous
year. The tax so levied on property lying within an incorporated village,
town or city, shall be paid over to the corporate authorities of such town,
village or city. Commissioners shall receive $1.50 for each day neces-
sarily employed in the discharge of their duty.
Overseers. At the first meeting the Commissioners shall choose one
of their number to act General Overseer of Highways in their township,
whose duty it shall be to take charge of and safely keep all tools, imple-
ments and machinery belonging to said town, and shall, by the direction
of the Board, have general supervision of all roads and bridges in their
town.
ABSTRACT OF ILLINOIS STATE LAWS. 163
As all township and county officers are familiar with their duties, it
is only intended to give the points of the law that the public should be
familiar with. The manner of laying out, altering or vacating roads, etc.,
will not be here stated, as it would require more space than is contem-
plated in a work of this kind. It is sufficient to state that, the first stej)
is by petition, addressed to the Commissioners, setting out what is prayed
for, giving the names of the owners of lands if known, if not known so
state, over which the road is to pass, giving the general course, its place
of beginning, and where it terminates. It requires not less than twelve
freeholders residing within three miles of the road who shall sign the
petition. Public roads must not be less than fifty feet wide, nor more
than sixty feet wide. Roads not exceeding two miles in length, if peti-
tioned for, may be laid out, not less than forty feet. Private roads
for private and public use, may be laid out of the width of three rods, on
petition of the person directly interested ; the damage occasioned thereby
shall be paid by the premises benefited thereby, and before the road is
opened. If not opened in two years, the order shall be considered
rescinded. Commissioners in their discretion may permit persons who
live on or have private roads, to work out their road tax thereon. Public
roads must be opened in five days from date of filing order of location,
or be deemed vacated.
DRAINAGE.
Whenever one or more owners or occupants of land desire to construct
I drain or ditch across the land of others for agricultural^ sanitary or
mining purposes, the proceedings are as follows :
File a petition in the Circuit or County Court of the county in which
the proposed ditch or drain is to be constructed, setting forth the neces-
sity for the same, with a description of its proposed starting point, route
and terminus, and if it shall be necessary for the drainage of the land or
coal mines or for sanitary purposes, that a drain, ditch, levee or similar
work be constructed, a description of the same. It shall also set forth
the names of all persons owning the land over which such drain or ditch
shall be constructed, or if unknown stating that fact.
No private property shall be taken or damaged for the purpose of
constructing a ditch, drain or levee, without compensation, if claimed by
the owner, the same to be ascertained by a jury ; but if the construction
of such ditch, drain or levee shall be a benefit to the owner, the same
shall be a set off against such compensation.
If the proceedings seek to affect the property of a minor, lunatic or
married woman, the guardian, conservator or husband of the same shall
be made party defendant. The petition may be amended and parties
made defendants at any time when it is necessary^ to a fair trial.
164 ABSTRACT OF ILLINOIS STATE LAWS.
When the petition is presented to the judge, he shall note there ^n
when he will hear the same, and order the issuance of summonses aad
the publication of notice to each non-resident or unknown defendant.
The petition may be heard by such judge in vacation as well as in
term time. Upon the trial, the jury shall ascertain the just compensation
to each owner of the property sought to be damaged by the construction
of such ditch, drain or levee, and truly report the same.
As it is only contemplated in a work of this kind to give an abstract
of the laws, and as the parties who have in charge the execution of the
further proceedings are likely to be familiar with the requirements of the
statute, the necessary details are not here inserted.
WOLF SCALPS.
The County Board of any county in this State may hereafter alluiv
such bounty on tvolf scalps as the board may deem reasonable.
Any person claiming a bounty shall produce the scalp or scalps with
the ears thereon, within sixty days after the wolf or wolves shall have
been caught, to the Clerk of the County Board, who shall administer to
said person the following oath or affirmation, to-wit: "You do solemnly
swear (or affirm, as the case may be), that the scalp or scalps here pro-
duced by you was taken from a wolf or wolves killed and first captured
by yourself within the limits of this county, and within the sixty days
last past."
CONVEYANCES.
When the reversion expectant on a lease of any tenements or here-
ditaments of any tenure shall be surrendered or merged, the estate which
shall for the time being confer as against the tenant under the same lease
the next vested right to the same tenements or hereditaments, shall, to
the extent and for the purpose of preserving such incidents to and obli-
gations on the same reversion, as but for the surrender or merger thereof,
would have subsisted, be deemed the reversion expectant on the same
lease.
PAUPERS.
Every poor person who shall be unable to earn a livelihood in conse-
quence ot any bodily infirmity^ idiocy, lunacy or unavoidable cause, shall
be supported by the father, grand-father, mother, grand-mother, children,
grand-children, brothers or sisters of such poor person, if they or either
of them be of sufficient ability ; but if any of such dependent class shall
have become so from intemperance or other bad conduct, they shall not be
entitled to support from any relation except parent or child.
ABSTRACT OF ILLINOIS STATE LAWS. 167
The children shall first be called on to support their parents, if they
are able ; but if not, the parents of such poor person shall then be called
on, if of sufficient ability ; and if there be no parents or children able,
then the brothers and sisters of such dependent person shall be called
upon ; and if there be no brothers or sisters of sufficient ability, the
grand-children of such person shall next be called on ; and if they are
not able, then the grand-parents. Married females, while their husbands
live, shall not be liable to contribute for the support of their poor relations
except out of their separate property. It is the duty of the state's
(county) attorney, to make complaint to the County Court of his county
against all the relatives of such paupers in this state liable to his support
and prosecute the same. In case the state's attorney neglects, or refuses, to
complain in such cases, then it is the duty of the overseer of the poor to
do so. The person called upon to contribute shall have at least ten days'
notice of such application by summons. The court has the power to
determine the kind of support, depending upon the circumstances of the
parties, and may also order two or more of the different degrees to main-
tain such poor person, and prescribe the proportion of each, according to
their ability. The court may specify the time for which the relative shall
contribute — in fact has control over the entire subject matter, with power
to enforce its orders. Every county (except those in which the poor are
supported by the towns, and in such cases the towns are liable) is required
to relieve and support all poor and indigent persons laufuUy resident
therein. Residence means the actual residence of the party, or the place
where he was employed ; or in case he was in no employment, then it
shall be the place where he made his home. When any person becomes
chargeable as a pauper in any county or town who did not reside at the
commencement of six months immediately preceding his becoming so,
but did at that time reside in some other county or town in this state,
then the county or town, as the case may be, becomes liable for the expense
of taking care of such person until removed, and it is the duty of the
overseer to notify the proper authorities of the fact. If any person shall
bring and leave any pauper in any county in this state where such pauper
had no legal residence, knowing him to be such, he is liable to a fine of
$100. In counties under township organization, the supervisors in each
town are ex-officio overseers of the poor. The overseers of the poor act
under the directions of the County Board in taking care of the poor and
granting of temporary relief; also, providing for non-resident persons not
paupers who may be taken sick and not able to pay their way, and in case
of death cause such person to be decently buried.
The residence of the inmates of poorhouses and other charitable
institutions for voting purposes is their former place of abode.
168 ABSTRACT OF ILLINOIS STATE LAWS.
FENCES.
In counties under township organization, the toton assessor and com-
missioner of highways are the fence-viewers in their respective towns.
In other counties the County Board appoints three in each precinct annu-
ally. A Imvful fence is four and one-half feet high, in good repair, con-
sisting of rails, timber, boards, stone, hedges, or whatever the fence-
viewers of the town or precinct where the same shall lie, shall consider
equivalent thereto, but in counties under township organization the annual
town meeting may establish any other kind of fence as such, or the County
Board in other counties may do the same. Division fences shall be made
and maintained in just proportion by the adjoining owners, except when
the owner shall choose to let his land lie open, but after a division fence is
built by agreement or otherwise, neither party can remove his part of such
fence so long as he may crop or use such land for farm purposes, or without
giving the other party ojie year's notice in writing of his intention to remove
his portion. When any person shall enclose his land upon the enclosure
of another, he shall refund the owner of the adjoining lands a just pro-
portion of the value at that time of such fence. The value of fence and
the just proportion to be paid or built and maintained by each is to be
ascertained by two fence-viewers in the town or precinct. Such fence-
viewers have power to settle all disputes between different owners as to
fences built or to be built, as well as to repairs to be made. Each party
chooses one of the viewers, but if the other party neglects, after eight
days' notice in writing, to make his choice, then the other party ma}
select both. It is sufficient to notify the tenant or party in possession,
when the owner is not a resident of the town or precinct. The two
fence-viewers chosen, after viewing the premises, shall hear the state-
ments of the parties , in case they can't agree, they shall select another
. fence-viewer to act with them, and the decision of any two of them is
final. The decision must be reduced to writing, and should plainly set
out description of fence and all matters settled by them, and must be
filed in the office of the town clerk in counties under township organiza-
tion, and in other counties with the county clerk.
Where any person is liable to contribute to the erection or the
repairing of a division fence, neglects or refuses so to do, the party
injured, after giving sixty days notice in writing when a fence is to be
erected, or ten days when it is only repairs, may proceed to have the
work done at the expense of the party whose duty it is to do it, to be
recovered from him with costs of suit, and the party so neglecting shall
also be liable to the party injured for all damages accruing from such
neglect or refusal, to be determined by any two fence-viewers selected
as before provided, the appraisement to be reduced to writing and signed.
ABSTRACT OF ILLINOIS STATE LAWS. 169
Where a person shall conclude to remove his part of a division fence,
and let his land lie open, and having given the year's notice required, the
adjoining owner may cause the value of said fence to be ascertained by
fence-vi^wers as before provided, and on payment or tender of the
amount of such valuation to the owner, it shall prevent the removal. A
party removing a division fence without notice is liable for the damages
accruing thereby.
Where a fence has been built on the land of another through mis-
take, the owner may enter upon such premises and remove his fence and
material within oix months after the division line has been ascertained.
Where the materiul to build such a fence has been taken from the land
on which it was built, then before it can be removed, the person claiming
must first pay for such material to the owner of the land from which it
was taken, nor shall tiuch a fence be removed at a time when the removal
will throw open or expose the crops of the other party ; a reasonable
time must be given beyond the .six months to remove crops.
The compensation of fence-viewers is one dollar and fifty cents a
day each, to be paid in the first instance by the party calling them, but
in the end all expenses, including amount charged by the fence-viewers,
must be paid equally b}^ the parties, except in cases where a party neglects
or refuses to make or maintain a just proportion of a division fence, when
the party in default shall pay them.
DAMAGES FROM TRESPASS.
Where stock of any kind breaks into any person's enclosure, the
fence being good and sufficient, the owner is liable for the damage done ;
but where the damage is done by stock running at large, contrary to law,
the owner is liable where th«ire is not such a fence. Where stock is
found trespassing on the enclosure of another as aforesaid, the owner oi
occupier of the premises may take possession of such stock and keep the
same until damages, with reasonable charges for keeping and feeding and
all costs of suit, are paid. Any person taking or rescuing such stock so
held without his consent, shall be liable to a fine of not less than three
nor more than five dollars for each animal rescued, to be recovered b}^
suit before a justice of the peace for the use of the school fund. Within
twenty-four hours after taking such animal into his possession, the per-
son taking it up must give notice of the fact to the owner, if known, or
if unknown, notices must be posted in some public place near the premises.
LANDLORD AND TENANT.
The owner of lands, or his legal representatives, can sue for and
recover rent therefor, in any of the following cases :
First. When rent is due and in arrears on a lease for life or lives.
170 ABSTRACT OF ILLINOIS STATE LAWS.
Second. When lands are held and occupied by any person without
any special agreement for rent.
Third. When possession is obtained under an agreement, written
or verbal, for the purchase of the premises and before deed given, the
right to possession is terminated by forfeiture on con-compliance with the
agreement, and possession is wrongfully refused or neglected to be given
upon demand made in writing by the party entitled thereto. Provided
that all payments made by the vendee or his representatives or assigns,
may be set off against the rent.
Fourth. When land has been sold upon a judgment or a decree of
court, when the party to such judgment or decree, or person holding under
him, wrongfully refuses, or neglects, to surrender possession of the same,
after demand in writing hj the person entitled to the possession.
Fifth. When the lands have been sold upon a mortgage or trust
deed, and the mortgagor or grantor or person holding under him, wrong-
fully refuses or neglects to surrender possession of the same, after demand
in writing by the person entitled to the possession.
If any tenant, or any person who shall come into possession from or
under or by collusion with such tenant, shall willfully hold over any lands,
etc., after the expiration the term of their lease, and after demand made
in writing for the possession thereof, is liable to pay double rent. A
tenancy from year to year requires sixty days notice in writing, to termi-
nate the same at the end of the year ; such notice can be given at any
time within four months preceding the last sixty days of the year.
A tenancy by the month, or less tlian a year, where the tenant holds
over without any special agreement, the landlord may terminate the
tenancy, by thirty days notice in writing.
When rent is due, the landlord may serve a notice upon the tenant,
stating that unless the rent is paid within not less than five days, his lease
will be terminated ; if the rent is not paid, the landlord may consider the
lease ended. When default is made in any of the terms of a lease, it
shall not be necessary to give more than ten days notice to quit or of the
termination of such tenanc}^ ; and the same may be terminated on giving
such notice to quit, at any time after such default in any of the terms of
such lease ; which notice may be substantially in the following form, viz:
To , You are hereby notified that, in consequence of your default
in (here insert the character of the default), of the premises now occupied
by you, being etc. (here .describe the premises), I have elected to deter-
mine your lease, and you are hereby notified to quit and deliver up pos-
session of the same to me within ten days of this date (dated, etc.)
The above to be signed by the lessor or his agent, and no other notice
or demand of possession or termination of such tenancy is necessary.
Demand may be made, or notice served, by delivering a written or
ABSTRACT OF ILLINOIS STATE LAWS. 171
pnnted, or partly either, copy thereof to the tenant, or leaving the same
with some person above the age of twelve years residing on or in posses-
sion of the premises ; and in case no one is in the actual possession of the
said premises, then by posting the same on the premises. When the
tenancy is for a certain time, and the term expires by the terms of the
lease, the tenant is then bound to surrender possession, and no notice
to quit or demand of possession is necessary.
Distress for rent. — In all cases of distress for rent, the landlord, by
himself, his agent or attorney, may seize for rent any personal property of
his tenant that may be found in the county where the tenant resides ; the
property of any other person, even if found on the premises, is not
liable.
An inventory of the property levied upon, with a statement of the
amount of rent claimed, should be at once filed with some justice of the
peace, if not over $200 ; and if above that sum, with the clerk of a court
of record of competent jurisdiction. Property may be released, by the
party executing a satisfactory bond for double the amount.
The landlord may distrain for rent, any time within six months after
the expiration of the term of the lease, or when terminated.
In all cases where the premises rented shall be sub-let, or the lease
assigned, the landlord shall have the same right to enforce lien against
such lessee or assignee, that he has against the tenant to whom the pre-
mises were rented.
When a tenant abandons or removes from the premises or any part
thereof, the landlord, or his agent or attorney, may seize upon any grain
or other crops grown or growing upon the premises, or part thereof so
abandoned, whether the rent is due or not. If such grain, or other crops,
or any part thereof, is not fully grown or matured, the landlord, or his
agent or attorney, shall cause the same to be properly cultivated, harvested
or gathered, and may sell the same, and from the proceeds pay all his .
labor, expenses and rent. The tenant may, before the sale of such pro-
perty, redeem the same by tendering the rent and reasonable compensation
for work done, or he may replevy the same.
Exemption. — The same articles of personal property which are bylaw
exempt from execution, except the crops as above stated, is also exempt
from distress for rent.
If any tenant is about to or shall permit or attempt to sell and
remove from the premises, without the consent of his landlord, such
portion of the crops raised thereon as will endanger the lien of the land-
lord upon such crops, for the rent, it shall be lawful for the landlord to
distress before rent is due.
112 ABSTRACT OF ILLINOIS STATE LAWS.
LIENS.
Any person who shall by contract, express or implied, or partly both,
with the owner of any lot or tract of land, furnish labor or material, or-
services as an architect or superintendent, in building, altering, repairing
or ornamenting any house or other building or appurtenance thereto on
such lot, or upon any street or alley, and connected with such improve-
ments, shall have a lien upon the whole of such lot or tract of land, and
upon such house or building and appurtenances, for the amount due to
him for such labor, material or services. If the contract is expressed, and
the time for the completion of the work is heyond three years from the com-
mencement thereof ; or, if the time of payment is beyond one year from
the time stipulated for the completion of the work, then no lien exists.
If the contract is implied, then no lien exists, unless the work be done or
material is furnished within one year from the commencement of the work
or delivery of the materials. As between different creditors having liens,
no preference is given to the one whose contract was first made ; but each
shares j)ro-rata. Incumbrances existing on the lot or tract of the land at
the time the contract is made, do not operate on the improvements, and
are only preferred to the extent of the value of the land at the time of
making the contract. The above lien can not be enforced unless suit is
commenced within six months after the last payment for labor or materials
shall have become due and payable. Sub-contractors, mechanics, workmen
and other persons furnishing any material, or performing any labor for a
contractor as before specified, have a lien to the extent of the amount due
the contractor at the time the following notice is served upon the owner
of the land who made the contract :
To , You are hereby notified, that I have been employed by-
(here state whether to labor or furnish material, and substantially the
nature of the demand) upon your (here state in general terms description
and situation of building), and that I shall hold the (building, or as the
case may be), and your interest in the ground, liable for the amount that
may (is or may become) due me on account thereof. Signature,
Date,
•If there is a contract in writing between contractor and sub-contractor,
a copy of it should be served with above notice, and said notice must be
served within forty days from the completion of such sub-contract, if there
is one ; if not, then from the time payment should have been made to the
person performing the labor or furnishing the material. If the owner is
not a resident of the county, or can not be found therein, then the above
notice must be filed with the clerk of the Circuit Court, with his fee, fifty
cents, and a copy of said notice must be published in a newspaper pub-
lished in the county, for four successive weeks.
ABSTRACT OF ILLINOIS STATE LAWS. 173
When the owner or agent is notified as above, he can retain any
money due the contractor sufficient to pay such claim ; if more than one
claim, and not enough to i3ay all, they are to be paid pro rata.
The owner has the right to demand in writing, a statement of the
contractor, of what he owes for labor, etc., from time to time as the work
progresses, and on his failure to comply, forfeits to the owner |50 for
every offense.
The liens referred to cover any and all estates, whether in fee for
hie, for years, or any other interest which the owner may have.
To enforce the lien of sub-contractors, suit must be commenced within
three months from the time of the performance of the sub-contract, or
during the Avork or furnishing materials.
Eotel, inn and boarding-house keepers, have a lien upon the baggage
and other valuables of their guests or boarders, brought into such hotel,
inn or boarding-house, by their guests or boarders, for the proper charges
due from such guests or boarders for their accommodation, board and
lodgings, and such extras as are furnished at their request.
Slable-keejJers and other persons have a lien upon the horses, car-
riages and harness kept by them, for the proper charges due for the keep-
ing thereof and expenses bestowed thereon at the request of the owner
or the person having the possession of the same.
Agisters (persons who take care of cattle belonging to others), and
persons keeping, yarding, feeding or pasturing domestic animals, shall
have a lien upon the animals agistered, kept, yarded or fed, for the proper
charges due for such service.
All persons who may furnish any railroad corporation in this state
with fuel, ties, material, supplies or any other article or thing necessary
for the construction, maintenance, operation or repair of its road by con-
tract, or may perform work or labor on the same, is entitled to be paid as*
part of the current expenses of the road, and have a lien upon all its pro-
perty. Sub-contractors or laborers have also a lien. The conditions and
limitations both as to contractors and sub-contractors, are about the same
as herein stated as to general liens.
DEFINITION OF COMMERCIAL TERMS.
$ means dollars, being a contraction of U. S., which was formerly
placed before any denomination of money, and meant, as it means now,^
United States Currency.
<£ means pounds, English money.
(fr stands for at or to. it) for jjound, and bbl. for barrel; '^ tor per or
by the. Thus, Butter sells at 20@30c ^ lb, and Flour at $8@12 f bbl.
yo for per cent and f for number.
May 1.— Wheat sells at .|1.20@1.25, "seller June." Seller June
174 ABSTRACT OF ILLINOIS STATE LAWS.
means that the person who sells the wheat has the privilege of delivering
it at any time during the month of June.
Selling short, is contracting to deliver a certain amount of grain or
stock, at a fixed price, within a certain length of time, when the seller
has not the stock on hand. It is for the interest of the person selling
"short," to depress the market as much as possible, in order that he may
buy and fill his contract at a profit. Hence the " shorts " are termed
" bears."
Buying long, is to contract to purchase a certain amount of grain or
shares of stock at a fixed price, deliverable within a stipulated time,
expecting to make a profit by the rise of prices. The "longs" are
termed "bulls," as it is for their interest to " operate " so as to "toss"
the prices upward as much as possible.
NOTES.
Form of note is legal, worded in the simplest way, so that the
amount and time of payment are mentioned.
1100. Chicago, 111., Sept. 15, 1876.
Sixty days from date I promise to pay to E. F. Brown,
or order. One Hundred dollars, for value received.
L. D. LowRY.
A note to be payable in any thing else than mone}^ needs only the
facts substituted for money in the above form.
ORDERS.
Orders should be worded simply, thus :
Mr. F. H. Coats: Cliicago, Sept. 15, 1876.
Please pay to H. Birdsall, Twenty-five dollars, and charge to
F. D. SiLVA.
RECEIPTS.
Receipts should always state when received and what for, thus :
$100. Chicago, Sept. 15, 1876.
Received of J. W. Davis, One Hundred dollars, for services
rendered in grading his lot in Fort Madison, on account.
Thomas Brady.
If receipt is in full it should be so stated.
BILLS OF PURCHASE.
W. N. Mason, Salem, Illinois, Sept. 15, 1876.
Bought of A. A. Graham.
4 Bushels of Seed Wheat, at $1.50 - - - - $6.00
2 Seamless Sacks " .30 - - .60
Received payment, $6.60,
A. A. Grahajvi.
ABSTRACT OF ILLINOIS STATE LAWS. 1T6
ARTICLES OF AGREEMENT.
An agreement is where one party promises to another to do a certain
thing in a certain time for a stipulated sura. Good business men always
reduce an agreement to writing, which nearly always saves misunder-
standings and trouble. No particular form is necessary, but the facts must
be clearly and explicitly stated, and there must, to make it valid, be a
reasonable consideration.
GENERAL FORM OF AGREEMENT.
This Agreement, made the Second day of October, 1876, between
John Jones, of Aurora, County of Kane, State of Illinois, of the first part,
and Thomas Whiteside, of the same place, of the second part —
WITNESSETH, that the said John Jones, in consideration of the agree-
ment of the party of the second part, hereinafter contained, contracts and
agrees to and with the said Thomas Whiteside, that he will deliver, in
good and marketable condition, at the Village of Batavia, 111., during the
month of November, of this year. One Hundred Tons of Prairie Hay, in
the following lots, and at the following specified times ; namely, twenty-
five tons by the seventh of November, twenty-five tons additional by the
fourteenth of the month, twenty-five tons more by the twenty -first, and
the entire one hundred tons to be all delivered by the thirtieth of
November.
And the said Thomas Whiteside, in consideration of the prompt
fulfillment of this contract, on the part of the party of the first part,
contracts to and agrees with the said John Jones, to pay for said hay five
dollars per ton, for each ton as soon as delivered.
In case of failure of agreement by either of the parties hereto, it is
hereby stipulated and agreed that the party so failing shall pay to the
other, One Hundred Dollars, as fixed and settled damages.
Id witness whereof, we have hereunto set our hands the day and
year first above written. John Jones,
Thomas Whiteside.
AGREEMENT WITH CLERK FOR SERVICES.
This Agreement, made the first day of May, one thousand eight
hundred and seventy-six, between Reuben Stone, of Chicago, County
of Cook, State of lUinois, party of the first part, and George Barclay, of
.Englewood, County of Cook, State of Illinois, party of the second part —
WITNESSETH, that Said George Barclay agrees faithfully and dili-
gently to work as clerk and salesman for the said Reuben Stone, for
and during the space of one year from the date hereof, should both
live such length of time, without absenting himself from his occupation ;
X7(j ABSTRACT OF ILLINOIS STATE LAWS.
durincT which time he, the said Barclay, in the store of said Stone, of
Chicago, will carefully and honestly attend, doing and performing all
duties as clerk and salesman aforesaid, in accordance and in all respects
as directed and desired by the said Stone.
In consideration of which services, so to be rendered by the said
Barclay, the said Stone agrees to pay to said Barclay the annual sum of
one thousand dollars, payable in twelve equal monthly payments, each
upon the last day of each month ; provided that all dues for days of
absence from business by said Barclay, shall be deducted from the sum
otherwise by the agreement due and payable by the said Stone to the said
Barclay.
Witness our hands. Reuben Stone.
George Barclay.
BILLS OF SALE.
A bill of sale is a written agreement to another party, for a consider-
ation to convey his right and interest in the personal property. The
purchaser must take actual possession of the property. Juries have
power to determine upon the fairness or unfairness of a bill of sale.
COMMON FORM OF BILL OF SALE.
Know all Men by this instrument, that I, Louis Clay, of Princeton,
Illinois, of the first part, for and in consideration of Five Hundred
and Ten dollars, to me paid by John Floyd, of the same place, of the
second part, the receipt whereof is hereby acknowledged, have sold, and
by this instrument do convey unto the said Floyd, party of the second
part, his executors, administrators, and assigns, my undivided half of
ten acres of corn, now growing on the farm of Thomas Tyrrell, in the
town above mentioned ; one pair of horses, sixteen sheep, and five cows,
belonging to me, and in my possession at the farm aforesaid ; to have and
to hold the same unto the party of the second part, his executors and
assigns, forever. And I do, for myself and legal representatives, agree
with the said party of the second part, and his legal representatives, to
warrant and defend the sale of the afore-mentioned property and chattels
unto the said party of the second part, and his legal representatives,
against all and every person whatsoever.
In witness whereof, I have hereunto affixed my hand, this tenth day
of October, one thousand eight hundred and seventy-six.
Louis Clay.
BONDS.
A bond is a written admission on the part of the maker in which he
pledges a certain sum to another, at a certain time.
ABSTRACT OF ILLINOIS STATE LAWS. 177
COMMON FORM OF BOND.
Know all Men by this instrument, that I, George Edgerton, of
Watseka, Iro(Xuois Count}- , State of Illinois, ara firmly bound unto Peter
Kirchoff, of the place aforesaid, in the sura of five hundred dollars, to be
paid to the said Peter Kirchoff, or his legal representatives ; to which
payment, to be made, I bind myself, or my legal representatives, by this
instrument.
Sealed with my seal, and dated this second day of November, one
thousand eight hundred and sixty-four.
The condition of this bond is such that if I, George Edgerton, my
heirs, administrators, or executors, shall promptly pay the sum of two
hundred and fifty dollars in three equal annual payments from the date
hereof, with annual interest, then the above obligation to be of no effect ;
otherwise to be in full force and valid.
Sealed and delivered in
presence of George Edgerton. [l.s.]
William Turner.
CHATTEL MORTGAGES.
A chattel mortgage is a mortgage on personal property for payment
of a certain sum of money, to hold the property against debts of other
creditors. The mortgage must describe the property, and must be
acknowledged before a justice of the peace in the township or precinct
where the mortgagee resides, and entered upon his docket, and must be
recorded in the recorder's office of the county.
GENERAL FORM OF CHATTEL MORTGAGE.
This Indenture, made and entered into this first day of January,
in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and seventy-five,
between Theodore Lottinville, of the town of Geneseo in the County
of Henry, and State of Illinois, party of the first part, and Paul Henshaw,
of the same town, county, and State, party of the second part.
Witnesseth, that the said party of the first part, for and in consider-
ation of the sum of one thousand dollars, in hand paid, the receipt whereof
is hereby acknowledged, does hereby grant, sell, conve}^, and confirm unto
the said party of the second part, his heirs and assigns forever, all and
singular the following described goods and chattels, to wit :
Two three-year old roan-colored horses, one Burdett organ. No. 987,
one Brussels carpet, 15x20 feet in size, one marble-top center table, one
Home Comfort cooking stove. No. 8, one black walnut bureau with mirror
attached, one set of parlor chairs (six in number), upholstered in green
rep, with lounge corresponding with same .in style and color of upholstery,
now in possession of said Lottinville, at No. 4 Prairie Ave., Geneseo, 111.;
178
ABSTRACT OF ILLINOIS STATE LAWS.
Together with all and singular, the appurtenances thereunto l3elong-
ing, or in any wise appertaining ; to have and to hold the above described
goods and chattels, unto the said party of the second part, his heirs and
assigns, forever.
Provided, always, and these presents are upon this express condition,
that if the said Theodore Lottinville, his heirs, executors, administrators,
or assigns, shall, on or before the first day of January, A.D., one thousand
eight hundred and seventy-six, pay, or cause to be paid, to the said Paul
Ranslow, or his lawful attorney or attorneys, heirs, executors, adminis-
trators, or assigns, the sum of One Thousand dollars, together with the
interest that may accrue thereon, at the rate of ten per cent, per annum,
from the first day of January, A.D. one thousand eight hundred and
seventy-five, until paid, according to the tenor of one promissory note
bearing even date herewith for the payment of said sum of money, that
then and from thenceforth, these presents, and everything herein con-
tained, shall cease, and be null and void, anything herein contained to the
contrary notwithstanding.
Provided, also, that the said Theodore Lottinville may retain the
possession of and have the use of said goods and chattels until the day
of payment aforesaid ; and also, at his own expense, shall keep said goods
and chattels; and also at the expiration of said time of payment, if said
sum of money, together with the interest as aforesaid, shall not be paid,
shall deliver up said goods and chattels, in good condition, to said Paul
Ranslow, or his heirs, executors, administrators, or assigns.
And provided, also, that if default in pa^-ment as aforesaid, by said
party of the first part, shall be made, or if said party of the second part
shall at any time before said promissory note becomes due, feel himself
unsafe or insecure, that then the said party of the second part, or his
attorney, agent, assigns, or heirs, executors, or administrators, shall have
the right to take possession of said goods and chattels, wherever they
may or can be found, and sell the same at public or private sale, to the
highest bidder for cash in hand, after giving ten days' notice of the time
and place of said sale, together with a description of the goods and chat-
tels to be sold, by at least four advertisements, posted up in public places
in the vicinity where said sale is to take place, and proceed to make the
sum of money and interest promised as aforesaid, together with all reason-
able costs, charges, and expenses in so doing ;'and if there shall be any
overplus, shall pay the same without delay to the said party of the first
part, or his legal representatives.
In testimony whereof, the said party of the first part has hereunto
set his hand and affixed his seal, the day and year first above written.
Signed, sealed and delivered in
presence of Theodore Lottinville. [l.s.]
Samuel J. Tilden.
ABSTRACT OF ILLINOIS STATE LAWS. 179
LEASE OF FARM AND BUILDINGS THEREON.
This Indenture, made this second day of June, 1875, between David
Patton of the Town of Bisbee, State of Illinois, of the first part, and John
Doyle of the same place, of the second part,
Witnesseth, that the said David Patton, for and in consideration of
the covenants hereinafter mentioned and reserved, on the part of the said
John Doyle, his executors, administrators, and assigns, to be paid, kept,
and performed, hath let, and by these presents doth grant, demise, and
let, unto the said John Doyle, his executors, administrators, and assigns,
all that parcel of land situate in Bisbee aforesaid, bounded and described
as follows, to wit :
[^Here describe the land.^
Together with all the appurtenances appertaining thereto. To have
and to hold the said premises, with appurtenances thereto belonging, unto
the said Doyle, his executors, administrators, and assigns, for the term of
five years, from the first day of October next following, at a yearly rent
of Six Hundred dollars, to be paid in equal payments, semi-annually, as
long as said buildings are in good tenantable condition.
And the said Doj-le, by these presents, covenants and agrees to pay
all taxes and assessments, and keep in repair all hedges, ditches, rail, and
other fences ; (the said David Patton, his heirs, assigns and administra-
tors, to furnish all timber, brick, tile, and other materials necessary for
such repairs.)
Said Doyle further covenants and agrees to apply to said land, in a
farmer-like manner, all manure and compost accumulating upon said
farm, and cultivate all the arable land in a husbandlike manner, accord-
ing to the usual custom among farmers in the neighborhood ; he also
agrees to trim the hedges at a seasonable time, preventing injury from
cattle to such hedges, and to all fruit and other trees on the said premises.
That he will seed down with clover and timothy seed twenty acres yearly
of arable land, ploughing the same number of acres each Spring of land
now in grass, and hitherto unbroken.
It is further agreed, that if the said Doyle shall fail to perform the
whole or any one of the above mentioned covenants, then and in that
case the said David Patton may declare this lease terminated, by giving
three months' notice of the same, prior to the first of October of any
year, and may distrain any part of the stock, goods, or chattels, or other
property in possession of said Doyle, for sufficient to compensate for the
non-performance of the above written covenants, the same to be deter-
mined, and amounts so to be paid to be determined, by three arbitrators,
chosen as follows: Each of the parties to this instrument to choose one,
180 ABSTRACT OF ILLINOIS STATE LAWS.
and the two so chosen to select a third ; the decision of said arbitrators
to be final.
In witness whereof, we have hereto set our hands and seals.
Signed, sealed, and delivered
in presence of David Patton. [l.s.]
James Waldron. John Doyle. [l.s.]
FORM OF LEASE OF A HOUSE.
This Instrument, made the first day of October, 1875, witnesseth
that Amos Griest of Yorkville, County of Kendall, State of Illinois, liath
rented from Aaron Young of Logansport aforesaid, the dwelling and lot
No. 13 Ohio Street, situated in said City of Yorkville, for five years
from the above date, at the yearly rental of Three Hundred dollars, pay-
able monthly, on the first day of each month, in advance, at the residence
of said Aaron Young.
At the expiration of said above mentioned term, the said Griest
agrees to give the said Young peaceable possession of the said dwelling,
in as good condition as when taken, ordinary wear and casualties excepted.
In witness whereof, we place our hands and seals the day and year
aforesaid.
Signed, sealed and delivered Amos Griest. [l.s.]
in presence of
NiCKOLAS SCHUTZ, AARON YoUNG. [l.S.]
Notary Public.
LANDLORD'S AGREEMENT.
This certifies that I have let and rented, this first day of January,
1876, unto Jacob Schmidt, ray house and lot, No. 15 Erie Street, in the
City of Chicago, State of Illinois, and its appurtenances ; he to have the
free and uninterrupted occupation thereof for one year from this date, at
the yearly rental of Two Hundred dollars, to be paid monthly in advance ;
rent to cease if destroyed by fire, or otherwise made untenantable.
Peter Funk.
TENANT'S AGREEMENT.
This certifies that I have hired and taken from Peter Funk, his
house and lot. No. 15 Erie Street, in the City of Chicago, State of Illi-
nois, with appurtenances thereto belonging, for one year, to commence
this day, at a yearly rental of Two Hundred dollars, to be paid monthly
in advance ; unless said house becomes untenantable from fire or other
causes, in which case rent ceases ; and I further agree to give and yield
said premises one year from this first day of January 1876, in as good
condition as now, ordinary wear and damage by the elements excepted.
Given under my hand this day. Jacob ScHJvnDT.
ABSTRACT OF ILLINOIS STATE LAWS. 181
NOTICE TO QUIT.
To F. W. Aelen,
Sir : Please observe that the term of one year, for which the house
and. land, situated at No. 6 Indiana Street, and now occupied b}' you,
were rented to you, expired on the first day of October, 1875, and as I
desire to repossess said premises, you are hereby requested and required
to vacate the same. Respectfully Yours,
P. T. Baknum.
Lincoln, Neb., October 4, 1875.
TENANT'S NOTICE OF LEAVING.
Dear Sir :
The premises I now occupy as your tenant, at No. 6 Indiana Street,
I shall vacate on the first day of November, 1875. You will please take
notice accordingly.
Dated this tenth day of October, 1875. F. W. Arlen.
To P, T. Barnum, Esq.
REAL ESTATE MORTGAGE TO SECURE PAYMENT OF MONEY.
This Indenture, made this sixteenth day of May, in the year of
our Lord, one thousand eight hundred and seventy-two, between William
Stocker, of Peoria, County of Peoria, and State of Illinois, and 011a, his
wife, party of the first part, and Edward Singer, party of the second part.
Whereas, the said party of the first part is justly indebted to the said
party of the second part, in the sum of Two Thousand dollars, secured
to be paid by two certain promissory notes (bearing even date herewith)
the one due and payable at the Second National Bank in Peoria, Illinois,
with interest, on the sixteenth day of May, in the year one thousand eight
hundred and seventy-three ; the other due and payable at the Second
National Bank at Peoria, 111., with interest, on the sixteenth day of May,
in the year one thousand eight hundred and seventj'^-four.
Now, therefore, this indenture witnesseth, that the said party of the
first part, for the better securing the payment of the money aforesaid,
with interest thereon, according to the tenor and effect of the said two
promissory notes above mentioned ; and, also in consideration of the fur-
ther sum of one dollar to them in hand paid by the said party of the sec-
ond part, at the delivery of these presents, the receipt whereof is hereby
acknowledged, have granted, bargained, sold, and conveyed, and by these
presents do grant, bargain, sell, and convey, unto the said party of the
second part, his heirs and assigns, forever, all that certain parcel of land,
situate, etc.
\_Descrihing the premises.^
To have and to hold the same, together with all and singular the
Tenements, Hereditaments, Privileges and Appurtenances thereunto
182 ABSTRACT OF ILLINOIS STATE LAWS.
belono'ing or in any wise appertaining. And also, all the estate, interest,
and claim whatsoever, in law as well as in equity which the party of
the first part have in and to the premises hereby conveyed unto the said
party of the second part, his heirs and assigns, and to their only proper
use, benefit and behoof. And the said William Stocker, and 011a, his
wife, party of the first part, hereby expressly waive, relinquish, release,
and convey unto the said party of the second part, his heirs, executors,
administrators, and assigns, all right, title, claim, interest, and benefit
whatever, in and to the above described premises, and each and every
part thereof, which is given by or results from all laws of this state per-
taining to the exemption of homesteads.
Provided always, and these presents are upon this express condition,
that if the said party of the first part, their heirs, executors, or adminis-
trators, shall well and truly pay, or cause to be paid, to the said party of
the second part, his heirs, executors, administrators, or assigns, the afore-
said sums of money, with such interest thereon, at the time and in the
manner specified in the above mentioned promissory notes, according to
the true intent and meaning thereof, then in that case, these presents and
every thing herein expressed, shall be absolutely null and void.
In witness whereof, the said part)'- of the first part hereunto set their
hands and seals the day and year first above written.
Signed, sealed and delivered in presence of
James Whitehead, William Stocker. [l.s.]
Fred. Samuels. Olla Stocker. [l.s.]
WARRANTY DEED WITH COVENANTS.
This Indenture, made this sixth day of April, in the year of our
Lord one thousand eight hundred and seventy-two, between Henry Best
of Lawrence, County of Lawrence, State of Illinois, and Belle, his wife,
of the first part, and Charles Pearson of the same place, of the second part,
Witnesseth, that the said party of the first part, for and in consideration
of the sum of Six Thousand dollars in hand paid by the said party of the
second part, the receipt whereof is hereby acknowledged, have granted,
bargained, and sold, and by these presents do grant, bargain, and sell,
unto the said party of the second part, his heirs and assigns, all the fol-
lowing described loi, piece, or parcel of land, situated in the City of Law-
rence, in the County of Lawrence, and State of Illinois, to wit:
[^Sere describe the property/.']
Together with all and singular the hereditaments and appurtenances
thereunto belonging or in any wise appertaining, and the reversion and
reversions, remainder and remainders, rents, issues, and profits thereof;
and all the estate, rignt, title, interest, claim, and demand whatsoever, of
the said party of the nrst part, either in law or equity, of, in, and to the
ABSTRACT OF ILLINOIS STATE LAWS. 185
above bargained premises, with the hereditaments and appurtenances.
To have and to hold the said premises above bargained and described,
with the appurtenances, unto the said party of the second part, his heirs
and assigns, forever. And the said Henry Best, and Belle, his wife, par-
ties of the first part, hereby expressly waive, release, and relinquish unto
the said party of the second part, his heirs, executors, administrators, and
assigns, all right, title, claim, interest, and benefit whatever, in and to the
above described premises, and each and every part thereof, which is given
by or results from all laws of this state pertaining to the exemption of
homesteads.
And the said Henry Best, and Belle, his wife, party of the first
part, for themselves and their heirs, executors, and administrators, do
covenant, grant, bargain, and agree, to and with the said party of the
second part, his heirs and assigns, that at the time of the ensealing and
delivery of these presents they were well seized of the premises above
conveyed, as of a good, sure, perfect, absolute, and indefeasible estate of
inheritance in law, and in fee simple, and have good right, full power,
and lawful authority to grant, bargain, sell, and convey the same, in
manner and form aforesaid, and that the same are free and clear from all
former and other grants, bargains, sales, liens, taxes, assessments, and
encumbrances of what kind or nature soever ; and the above bargained
premises in the quiet and peaceable possession of the said party of the
second part, his heirs and assigns, against all and every person or persons
lawfully claiming or to claim the whole or any part thereof, the said party
of tlie first part shall and will warrant and forever defend.
In testimony whereof, the said parties of the. first part have hereunto
set their hands and seals the day and year first above written.
Signed, sealed and delivered
in presence of Henry Best, [l.s.]
Jerry Linklater. Belle Best. [l.s.]
QUIT-CLAIM DEED.
This Indenture, made the eighth day of June, in the year of our
Lord one thousand eight hundred and seventy-four, between David Tour,
of Piano, County of Kendall, State of Illinois, party of the first part,
and Larry O'Brien, of the same place, party of the second part,
Witnesseth, that the said party of the first part, for and in considera-
tion of Nine Hundred dollars in hand paid by the said party of the sec-
ond part, the receipt whereof is hereby acknowledged, and the said party
of the second part forever released and discharged therefrom, has remised,
released, sold, conveyed, and quit-claimed, and by these presents does
remise, release, sell, convey, and quit-claim, unto the said party of the
second part, his heirs and assigns, forever, all the right, title, interest,
18(5 ABSTRACT OF ILLINOIS STATE LAWS.
claim, and demand, whicli the said party of the first part has in and to
the following described lot, piece, or parcel of land, to wit :
\_nere describe the land.']
To have and to hold the same, together with all and singular the
appurtenances and privileges thereunto belonging, or in any wise there-
unto appertaining, and all the estate, right, title, interest, and claim
whatever, of the said party of the first part, either in law or equity, to
the only proper use, benefit, and behoof of the said party of the second
part, his heirs and assigns forever.
In witness whereof the said party of the first part hereunto set his
hand and seal the day and year above written.
Signed, sealed and delivered David Tour, [l.s.]
in presence of
Thomas Ashley.
The above forms of Deeds and Mortgage are such as have heretofore
been generally used, but the following are much shorter, and are made
equally valid by the laws of this state.
WARRANTY DEED.
The grantor (here insert name or names and place of residence), for
and in consideration of (here insert consideration) in hand paid, conveys
and warrants to (here insert the grantee's name or names) the following
described real estate (here insert description), situated in the County of
in the State of Illinois.
Dated this day of A. D. 18 .
QUIT CLAIM DEED.
The grantor (here iYisert grantor's name or names and place of resi-
dence), for the consideration of (here insert consideration) convey and
quit-claim to (here insert grantee's name or names) all interest in the
following described real estate (here insert description), situated in the
County of in the State of Illinois.
Dated this day of A. D. 18 .
MORTGAGE.
The mortgagor (here insert name or names) mortgages and warrants
to (here insert name or names of mortgagee or mortgagees), to secure the
payment of (here recite the nature and amount of indebtedness, showing
when due and the rate of interest, and whether secured by note or other-
wise), the following described real estate (here insert description thereof),
situated in the County of in the State of Illinois.
Dated this day of A. D. 18 .
RELEASE.
Know all Men by these presents, that I, Peter Ahlund, of Chicago,
of the County of Cook, and State of Illinois, for and in consideration of
One dollar, to me in hand paid, and for other good and valuable considera-
ABSTRACT OF ILLINOIS STATE LAWS. 187
tions, the receipt whereof is hereby confessed, do hereby grant, bargain,
remise, convey, release, and quit-claim unto Joseph Carlin of Chicago,
of the County of Cook, and State of Illinois, all the right, title, interest,
claim, or demand whatsoever, I may have acquired in, through, or by a
certain Indenture or Mortgage Deed, bearing date the second day of Jan-
uary, A. D. 1871, and recorded in the Recorder's office of said county,
in book A of Deeds, page 46, to the premises therein described, and which
said Deed was made to secure one certain promissory note, bearing even
date with said deed, for the sum of Three Hundred dollars.
Witness my hand and seal, this seaond day of November, A. D. 1874.
Peter Ahlund. [l.s.]
State of Illinois, }
Cook County. ] ' I, George Saxton, a Notary Public in
and for said county, in the state aforesaid, do hereby
certify that Peter Ahlund, personally known to me
as the same person whose name is subscribed to the
foregoing Release, appeared before me this day in
[ "^szIl!^^ ] person, and acknowledged that he signed, sealed, and
delivered the said instrument of writing as his free
a.id voluntary act, for the uses and purposes therein
set forth.
Giv^n under my hand and seal, this second day of
November, A. D. 1874.
George Saxton, N. P.
GENERAL FOh-iVI OF WILL FOR REAL AND PERSONAL PROPERTY.
I, Charles Mansfield, of the Town of Salem, County of Jackson,
State of Illinois, being aware of the uncertainty of life, and in failing
health, but of sound mind and memory, do make and declare this to be
my last will and testament, in manner following, to wit:
First. I give, devise and bequeath unto my oldest son, Sidney H.
Mansfield, the sum of Two Thousand Dollars, cf bank stock, now in the
Third National Bank of Cincinnati, Ohio, and the farm owned by myself
in the Town of Buskirk, consisting of one hundred and sixty acres, with
all the houses, tenements, and improvements thereunto belonging ; to
have and to hold unto my said son, his heirs and assiguv, forever.
Second. I give, devise and bequeath to each of my daughters, Anna
Louise Mansfield and Ida Clara Mansfield, each Two Thousand dollars in
bank stock, in the Third National Bank of Cincinnati, Ohio, and also each
one quarter section of land, owned by myself, situated in the Town of
Lake, Illinois, and recorded in mv name in the Recorder's offic«! in the
county where such land is located. The north one hundred and sixty
acres of said half section is devised to my eldest daughter, Anna Louise.
6
188
ABSTRACT OF ILLINOIS STATE LAWS.
Third. I give, devise and bequeath to my son, Frank Alfred Mans-
field, Five shares of Railroad stock in the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad,
and my one hundred and sixty acres of land and saw mill thereon, situ-
ated in Manistee, Michigan, with all the improvements and appurtenances
thereunto belonging, which said real estate is recorded in my name in the
county where situated.
Fourth. I give to my wife, Victoria Elizabeth Mansfield, all ray
household furniture, goods, chattels, 'and personal property, about my
home, not hitherto disposed of, including Eight Thousand dollars of bank
stock in the Third National Bank of Cincinnati, Ohio, Fifteen shares in
the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, and the free and unrestricted use, pos-
session, and benefit of the home farm, so long as she may live, in lieu of
dower, to which she is entitled by law ; said farm being my present place
of residence.
Fifth. I bequeath to my invalid father, Elijah H. Mansfield, the
income from rents of my store building at 145 Jackson Street, Chicago,
Illinois, during the term of his natural life. Said building and land there-
with to revert to my said sons and daughters in equal proportion, upon
the demise of my said father.
Sixth. It is also my will and desire that, at the death of my wife,
Victoria Elizabeth Mansfield, or at any time when she may arrange to
relinquish her life interest in the above mentioned homestead, the same
may revert to my above named children, or to the lawful heirs of each.
And lastly. I nominate and appoint as executors of this my last will
and testament, my wife, Victoria Elizabeth Mansfield, and my eldest son,
Sidney H. Mansfield.
I further direct that iiiy debts and necessary funeral expenses shaJ
be paid from moneys now on deposit in the Savings Bank of Salem, the
residue of such moneys to revert to my wife, Victoria Elizabeth Mansfield,
for her use forever.
In witness whereof, 1, Charles Mansfield, to this my last will and
testament, have hereunto set my hand and seal, this fourth day of April,
eighteen hundred and seventy-two.
Signed, sealed, and declared by Charles
Mansfield, as and for his last will and
testament, in the presence of us, who,
at his request, and in his presence, and
in the presence of each other, have sub- V
scribed our names hereunto as witnesses
thereof.
Peter A. Schenck, Sycamore, Ills.
Frank E. Dent, Salem, Ills.
Charles Mansfield, [l.s.]
Charles Mansfield, [l.s.]
>
ABSTRACT OF ILLINOIS STATE LAWS. 18U
CODICIL
Whereas I, Charles Mansfield, did, on the fourth day of April, one
thousand eight hundred and seventy-two, make my last will and testa-
ment, I do now, by this writing, add this codicil to my said will, to be
taken as a part thereof.
Whereas, by the dispensation of Providence, my daughter, Anna
Louise, has deceased November fifth, eighteen hundred and seventy-three,
and whereas, a son has been born to me, which son is now christened
Richard Albert Mansfield, I give and bequeath unto him my gold watch,
and all ri'-ht, interest, and title in lands and bank stock and chattels
bequeathed to my deceased daughter, Anna Louise, in the body of this will.
In witness whereof, I hereunto place my hand and seal, this tenth
dav of March, eighteen hundred and seventy-five.
Signed, sealed, published, and declared to'
us by the testator, Charles Mansfield, as
and for a codicil to be annexed to his
last will and testament. And we, at
his request, and in his presence, and in
the presence of each other, have sub-
scribed our names as witnesses thereto,
at the date hereof.
Frank E. Dent, Salem, Ills.
John C. Shay, Salem, Ills.
CHURCH ORGANIZATIONS
May be legally made by electing or apjjointing, according to the usages
or customs of the body of which it is a part, at any meeting held for that
purpose, two or more of its members as trustees, wardens or vestrymen, and
may adopt a corporate name. The chairman or secretary of such meeting
shall, as soon as possible, make and file in the office of the recorder of
deeds of the county, an affidavit substantially in the following form :
State of Illinois, ]
• County. \
I, , do solemnly swear (or affirm, as the case may be),
that at a meeting of the members of the (here insert the name of the
church, society or congregation as known before organization), held at
(here insert place of meeting), in the County of , and State of
Illinois, on the day of , A.D. 18 — , for that purpose, the fol-
lowing persons were elected (or appointed) \Jiere insert their name8~\
trustees, wardens, vestrymen, (or officers by wliatever name they may
choose to adopt, with powers similar to trustees) according to the rules
and usages of such (church, society or congregation), and said
190 ABSTRACT OF ILLINOIS STATE LAWS.
adopted as its corporate name (here insert name), and at said meeting
this affiant acted as (chairman or secretary, as the case may be).
Subscribed and sworn to before me, this day of , A.D.
18—. Name of Affiant
which affidavit must be recorded by the recorder, and shall be, or a certi-
fied copy made by the recorder, received as evidence of such an incorpo-
ration.
No certificate of election after the first need he filed for record.
The term of office of the trustees and the general government of the
society can be determined by the rules or by-laws adopted. Failure to
elect trustees at the time provided does not work a dissolution, but the
old trustees hold over. A trustee or trustees may be removed, in the
same manner by the society as elections are held by a meeting called for
that purpose. The property of the society vests in the corporation. The
corporation may hold, or acquire by purchase or otherwise, land not
exceeding ten acres, for the purpose of the society. The trustees have
the care, custody and control of the property of the corporation, and can,
ivhen directed by the 'society, erect houses or improvements, and repair
and alter the same, and may also when so directed by the society,
mortgage, encumber, sell and convey any real or personal estate belonging
to the corporation, and make all proper contracts in the name of such
corporation. But they are prohibited by law from encumbering or inter-
fering with any property so as to destroy the effect of any gift, grant,
devise or bequest to the corporation ; but such gifts, grants, devises or
bequests, must in all cases be used so as to carry out the object intended
by the persons making the same. Existing societies may organize in the
manner herein set forth, and have all the advantages thereof.
SUGGESTIONS TO THOSE PURCHASING BOOKS BY SUBSCRIPTION.
The business of publishing books by subscription having so often been
brought into disrepute by agents making representations and declarations
not authorized by the publisher ; in order to prevent that as much as possi-
ble, and that there may be more general knowledge of the relation such
agents bear to their principal, and the law governing such cases, the fol-
lowino- statement is made :
A subscription is in the nature of a contract of mutual promises, by
which the subscriber agrees to pUy a certain sum for the work described ;
the consideration is concurrent that the publisher shall publish the book
named, and deliver the same, for which the subscriber is to pay the price
named. The nature and character of the work is described in the prospectus
and by the sample shown. These should be carefully examined before sub-
scribing, as they are the basis and consideration of the promise to pay,
ABSTRACT OF ll^LINOIS STATE LAWS. 191
and not the too often exaggerated statements of the agent^ who is merdy
employed to solicit subscriptions, for which he is usually paid a commission
for each subscriber, and has no authority to change or alter the conditions
upon which the subscriptions are authorized to be made by the publisher.
Should the agent assume to agree to make the subscription conditional or
modify or change the agreement of the publisher, as set out by prospectus
and sample, in order to bind the principal, the subscriber should see that
such conditions or changes are stated over or in connection with his signa-
ture, so that the publisher may have notice of the same.
All persons making contracts in reference to matters of this kind, or
any other business, should remember that the law as to written contracts is^
that they can not be varied, altered or rescinded verbally, but if done at all,
must be done in writing. It is therefore important that all persons contem-
plating subscribing should distinctly understand that all talk before or after
the subscription is made, is not admissible as evidence, and is no part of the
contract.
Persons employed to solicit subscriptions are known to the trade as
canvassers. They are agents appointed to do a particular business in a
prescribed mode, and have no authority to do it in any other way to the
prejudice of their principal, nor can they bind their principal in any other
matter. They cannot collect money, or agree that payment may be made
in anything else but money. They can not extend the time of payment
beyond the time of delivery, nor bind their principal for the payment of
expenses incurred in their buisness.
It would save a great deal of trouble, and often serious loss, if persons,
before signing their names to any subscription book, or any written instru-
ment, would examine carefully what it is ; if they can not read themselves,
should call on some one disinterested who can.
6
192 (JUNSTITOTION OF THE UNITED STATES
CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
AND ITS AMENDMENTS.
We, the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union,
establish justice, insure domestic tranquillity/, provide for the common
defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty
to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution
for the United States of America.
Article I.
Section 1. All legislative powers herein granted shall be vested in
a Congress of the United States, which shall consist of a Senate and
House of Representatives.
Sec. 2. The House of Representatives shall be composed of mem-
bers chosen every second year by the people of the several states, and the
electors in each state shall have the qualifications requisite for electors of
the most numerous branch of the State Legislature.
No person shall be a representative who shall not have attained to the
age of twenty-five years, and been seven years a citizen of the United
States, and who shall not, when elected, be an inhabitant of that state in
which he shall be chosen.
Representatives and direct taxes shall be apportioned among the sev-
eral states which may be included within this Union, according to theii
respective numbers, which shall be determined by adding to the whole
number of free persons, including those bound to service for a term of
years, and excluding Indians not taxed, three-fifths of all other persons.
The actual enumeration shall be made within three years after the first
meeting of the Congress of the United States, and within every subse-
quent term of ten years, in such manner as they shall by law direct. The
number of Representatives shall not exceed one for every thirty thousand,
but each state shall have at least one Representative ; and until such
enumeration shall be made the State of New Hampshire shall be entitled
to choose three, Massachusetts eight, Rhode Island and Providence Plan-
tations one, Connecticut five, New York six. New Jersey four, Pennsylva-
nia eight, Delaware one, Maryland six, Virginia ten. North Carolina five,
and Georgia three.
When vacancies happen in the representation from any state, the
Executive authority thereof shall issue writs of election to fill such
vacancies.
The House of Representatives shall choose their Speaker and other
officers, and shall have the sole power of impeachment.
Sec. 3. The Senate of the United States shall be composed of two
Senators from each state, chosen by the Legislature thereof for six years ;
and each Senator shall have one vote.
Immediately after they shall be assembled in consequence of the first
election, they shall be divided as equally as may be into three classes.
The seats of the Senators of the first class shall be vacated at the expira-
AJH) ITS A]VIEND]MENTS. 193
tion of the second year, of the second class at the expiration of the fourth
year, and of the third class at the expiration of the sixth year, so that
one-third may be chosen every second year; and if vacancies happen by
resignation or otherwise, during the recess of the Legislature of any state,
the Executive thereof may make temporary appointments until the next
meeting of the Legislature, which shall then fill such vacajcies.
No person shall be a Senator who shall not have attained to the age
of thirty years and been nine years a citizen of the United States, and
who shall not, w^hen elected, be an inhabitant of that state for which he
shall be chosen.
The Vice-President of the United States shall be President of the
Senate, but shall have no vote unless they be equally divided.
The Senate shall choose their other officers, and also a President pro
tempore, iu the absence of the Vice-President, or when he shall exercise
the office of President of the United States.
The Senate shall have the sole power to try all impeachments. When
sitting for that purpose they shall be on oath or affirmation. When the
President of the United States is tried the Chief Justice shall preside.
And no person shall be convicted without the concurrence of two-thirds
of the members present.
Judgment, in cases of impeachment, shall not extend further than to
removal from office, and disqualification to hold and enjoy any office of
honor, trust, or profit under the United States; but the party convicted
shall nevertheless be liable and subject to indictment, trial, judgment,
and punishment according to law.
Sec. 4. The times, places and manner of holding elections for Sen-
ators and Representatives shall be prescribed in each state by the Legis-
lature thereof; but the Congress mav at anv time bv law make or alter
such regulations, except as to the places of choosing Senators.
The Congress shall assemble at least once in every year, and such
meeting shall be on the first Monday in December, unless they shall by
law appoint a different day.
Sec. 5. Each house shall be the judge of the election, returns, and
qualifications of its own members, and a majority of each shall constitute
a quorum to do business ; but a smaller number may adjourn from day to
day, and may be authorized to compel the attendance of absent members
in such manner and under such penalties as each house may provide.
Each house may determine the rules of its proceedings, punish its
members for disorderly behavior, and, with the concurrence of two-thirds,
expel a member.
Each house shall keep a journal of its proceedings, and from time to
time publish the same, excepting such parts as may. in their judgment,
require secrecy ; and the yeas and nays of the members of either house
on any question shall, at the desire of one-fifth of those present, be entered
on the journal.
Neither house, during the session of Congress, shall, without the
consent of the other, adjourn for more than three days, nor to any other
place than that in which the two houses shall be sitting.
Sec. 6. The Senators and Representatives shall receive a compen-
sation for their services, to be ascertained by law, and paid out of the
treasury of the United States. They shall in ail cases, except treason,
194 CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES
felony, and breach of the peace, be privileged from arrest during their
attendance at the session of their respective houses, and in going to and
returning from the same; and for any speech or debate in either house
they shall not be questioned in any other place.
No Senator or Representative shall, during the time for which he was
elected, be appointed to any civil office under the authority of the United
States, which shall have been created, or the emoluments whereof shall
have been increased during such time ; and no person holding any office
under the United States, shall be a member of either house during his
continuance in office.
Sec. 7. All bills for raising revenue shall originate in the House of
Representatives ; but the Senate may propose or concur with amendments
as on other bills.
Every bill which shall have passed the House of Representatives and
the Senate, shall, before it becomes a law, be presented to the President
. the United States ; if he approve he shall sign it ; but if not he shall
return it, with his objections, to that house in which it shall have origi-
nated, who shall enter the objections at large on their journal, and
proceed to reconsider it. If, after such reconsideration two-thirds of that
house shall agree to pass the bill, it shall be sent, together with the objec-
tions, to the other house, by which it shall likewise be reconsidered, and if
approved by two-thirds of that house, it shall become a law. But in all
such cases the votes of both houses shall be determined by yeas and nays,
and the names of the persons voting for and against the bill shall be entered
on the journal of each house respectively. If any bill shall not be returned
by the President within ten days (Sundays excepted), after it shall have
been presented to him, the same shall be a law, in like manner as if he
had signed it, unless the Congress, by their adjournment, prevent its
return, in which case it shall not be a law.
Every order, resolution, or vote to which the concurrence of the
Senate and House of Representatives may be necessary (except on a
question of adjournment), shall be presented to the President of the
tjnited States, and before the same shall take effect shall be approved by
him, or, being disapproved by him, shall be re-passed by two-thirds of
the Senate and House of Representatives, according to the rules and lim-
itations prescribed in the case of a bill.
Sec. 8. The Congress shall have power —
To lay and collect taxes, duties, imposts and excises, to pay the debts,
and provide for the common defense and general welfare of the United
States ; but all duties, imposts, and excises shall be uniform throughout
the United States ;
To borrow money on the credit of the United States ;
To regulate commerce with foreign nations, and among the several
Str.tes, and with the Indian tribes ;
To establish a uniform rule of naturalization, and uniform laws on
the subject of bankruptcies throughout the United States ;
To coin money, regulate the value thereof, and of foreign coin, and
fix the standard of weights and measures ;
To provide for the punishment of counterfeiting the securities and
current coin of the United States;
To establish post offices and post roads ;
AND ITS AMENDMENTS. 195
To promote the progress of sciences and useful arts, by securing,
for ^'mited times, to authors and inventors, the exclusive right to their
respective writings and discoveries ;
To constitute tribunals inferior to the Supreme Court ;
To define and punish piracies and felonies committed on the high
seas, and offenses against the law of nations ;
To declare war, grant letters of marque and reprisal, and make rules
concerning captures on land and water ;
To raise and support armies, but no appropriation of money to that
use shall be for n longer term than two years ;
To provide and maintain a navy ;
To make rules for the government and regulation of the land and
naval forces ;
To provide for calling forth the militia to execute the laws of the
Union, suppress insurrections, and repel invasions ;
To provide for organizing, arming and disciplining the militia, and
for governing such part of them as may be employed in the service of the
United States, reserving to the states respectively the appointment of the
officers, and the authority of training the militia according to the disci'
pline prescribed by Congress ;
To exercise legislation in all cases whatsoever over such district (not
exceeding ten miles square) as may, by cession of particular states, and the
acceptance of Congress, become the seat of the government of the United
States, and to exercise like authority over all places purchased by the
consent of the Legislature of the state in which the same shall be, for
the erection of forts, magazines, arsenals, dock yards, and other needful
buildings ; and
To make all laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying
into execution the foregoing powers, and all other powers vested by this
Constitution in the government of the United States, or in any depart-
ment or officer thereof.
Sec. 9. The migration or importation of such persons as any of the
states now existing shall think proper to admit, shall not be prohibited
by the Congress prior to the year one thousand eight hundred and eight,
but a tax or duty may be imposed on such importation, not exceeding ten
dollars for each person.
The privilege of the writ of habeas corpus shall not be suspended,
unless when in cases of rebellion or invasion the public safety may
require it.
No bill of attainder or ex post facto law shall be passed.
No capitation or other direct tax shall be laid, unless in proportion
to the census or enumeration hereinbefore directed to be taken.
No tax or duty shall be laid on articles exported from any state.
No preference shall be given by any regulation of commerce or rev-
enue to the ports of one state over those of another; nor shall vessels
bound to or from one state be obliged to enter, clear, or pay duties in
another.
No money shall be drawn from the Treasury, but in consequence of
appropriations made by law ; and a regular statement and account of
the receipts and expeditures of all public money shall be published from
time to time.
196 CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES
No title of nobility shall be granted by the United States : and no
person holding any office of profit or trust under them, shall, without the
consent of the Congress, accept of any present, emolument, office, or title
of any kind whatever, from any king, prince, or foreign state.
Sec. 10. No state shall enter into any treaty, alliance, or confeder-
ation ; grant letters of marque and reprisal ; coin money ; emit bills of
credit ; make anything but gold and silver coin a tender in payment of
debts ; pass any bill of attainder, ex post facto law, or law impairing the
obligation of contracts, or grant any title of nobility.
No state shall, without the consent of the Congress, lay any imposts
or duties on imports or exports, except what may be absolutely necessary
for executing its inspection laws, and the net produce of all duties and
imposts laid by any state on imports or exports, shall be for the use of the
Treasury of the United States ; and all such laws shall be subject to the
revision and control of the Congress.
No state shall, without the consent of Congress, lay any duty on
tonnage, keep troops or ships of war in time of peace, enter into any
agreement or compact with another state, or with a foreign power, or
engage in war, unless actually invaded, or in such imminent danger as will
not admit of delay.
Akticle II.
Section 1. The Executive power shall be vested in a President of
the United States of America. He shall hold his office during the term
of four years, and, together with the Vice-President chosen for the same
term, be elected as follows :
Each state shall appoint, in such manner as the Legislature thereof
may direct, a number of Electors, equal to the whole number of Senators
and Representatives to which the state may be entitled in the Congress ;
but no Senator or Representative, or person holding an office of trust or
profit under the United States, shall be appointed an Elector.
[ * The Electors shall meet in their respective states, and vote by
ballot for two persons, of whom one at least shall not be an inhabitant of
the same state with themselves. And they shall make a list of all the
persons voted for, and of the number of votes for each ; which list they
shall sign and certify, and transmit, sealed, to the seat of the government
of the United States, directed to the President of the Senate. The Pres-
ident of the Senate shall, in the presence of the Senate and House of Rep-
resentatives, open all the certificates, and the votes shall then be counted.
The person having the greatest number of votes shall be the President,
if such number be a majority of the whole number of Electors appointed ;
and if there be more than one who have such majority, and have an equal
number of votes, then the House of Representatives shall immediately
choose by ballot one of them for President ; and if no person have a ma-
jority, then from the five highest on the list the said House shall in like
manner choose the President. But in choosing the President, the vote
shall be taken by states, the representation from each state having one
vote ; a quorum for this purpose shall consist of a member or members
from two-thirds of the states, and a majority of all the states shall be
necessary to a choice. In every case, after the choice of the President,
• This clause between .brackets has been superseded and annulled by the Twelfth amendment.
AND ITS AMENDMENTS. 197
the person having the greatest number of votes of the Electors shall be
the Vice-President. But if there should remain two or more who have
equal votes, the Senate shall choose from them by ballot the Vice-Presi-
dent.]
The Congress may determine the time of choosing the Electors, and
the day on which they shall give their votes ; which day shall be the same
throughout the United States.
No person except a natural born citizen, or a citizen of the United
States at the time of the adoption of this Constitution, shall be eligible
to the office of President ; neither shall any person be eligible to that
office who shall not have attained the age of thirty-five years, and been
fourteen years a resident within the United States.
In case of the removal of the President from office, or of his death,
resignation, or inability to discharge the powers and duties of the said
office, the same shall devolve on the Vice-Piiesident, and the Congress
may by law provide for the case of removal, death, resignation, or inabil-
ity, both of the President and Vice-President, declaring what officer shall
then act as President, and such officer shall act accordingly, until the dis-
ability be removed, or a President shall be elected.
The President shall, at stated times, receive for his services a com-
pensation which shall neither be increased nor diminished during the
period for which he shall have been elected, and he shall not receive
within that period any other emolument from the United States or any of
them.
Before he enters on the execution of his office, he shall take the fol-
lowing oath or affirmation:
" I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the
office of President of the United States, and will, to the best of my ability,
preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States."
Sec. 2. The President shall be commander in chief of the army and
navy of the United States, and of the militia of the several states, when
called into the actual service of the United States; he may require the
opinion, in writing, of the principal officer in each of the executive
departments, upon any subject relating to the duties of their respective
offices, and he shall have powei- to grant reprieves and pardon for offenses
against the United States, ex-cept in cases of impeachment.
He shall have power, by and with the advice and consent of the
Senate, to make treaties, provided two-thirds of the Senators present con-
cur; ai)d he shall nominate, and by and with the advice of the Senate,
shall appoint ambassadors, other public ministers and consuls, judges of
the Supreme Court, and all other officers of the United States whose
appointments are not herein otherwise provided for, and which shall be
established by law ; but the Congress may by law vest the appointment
of such inferior officers as they think proper in the President alone, in
the courts of law, or in the heads of departments.
The President shall have power to fill up all vacancies that may
happen during the recess of the Senate, by granting commissions which
shall expire at the end of their next session.
Sec. 3. He shall from time to time give to the Congress information
of the state of the Union, and recommend to their consideration such mea-
sures as he shall judge necessary and expedient ; he may on extraordinary
198 CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES
occasions convene both houses, or either of them, and in case of disagree-
ment between them, with respect to the time of adjournment, he may
adjourn them to such time as he shall think proper ; he shall receive
amlDassadors and other public ministers ; he shall take care that the laws be
faithfully executed, and shall commission all the officers of the United
States.
Sec. 4. The President, Vice-President, and all civil officers of the
United States, shall be removed from office on impeachment for, and con-
viction of, treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors.
Article III.
Section I. The judicial power of the United States shall be vested
in one Supreme Court, and such inferior courts as the Congress may from
time to time ordain and establish. The Judges, both of the Supreme and
inferior courts, shall hold their offices during good behavior, and shall, at
stated times, receive for their services a compensation, which shall not be
diminished during their continuance in office.
Sec. 2. The judicial power shall extend to all cases, in law and
equity, arising under this Constitution, the laws of the United States, and
treaties made, or which shall be made, under their authority ; to all cases
affecting ambassadors, other public ministers, and consuls ; to all cases of
admiralty and maritime jurisdiction ; to controversies to which the United
States shall be a party ; to controversies between two or more states ;
between a state and citizens of another state ; between citizens of differ-
ent states ; between citizens of the same state claiming lands under grants
of different states, and between a state or the citizens thereof, and foreign
states, citizens, or subjects.
In all cases affecting ambassadors, other public ministers, and consuls,
and those in' which a state shall be a party, the Supreme Court shall have
original jurisdiction.
In all the other cases before mentioned, the Supreme Court shall
have appellate jurisdiction, both as to law and fact, with such exceptions
and under such regulations as the Congress shall make.
The trial of all crimes, except in cases of impeachment, shall be by
jury ; and such trial shall be held in the state where the said crimes shali
have been committed ; but when not committed within any state, the
trial shall be at such place or places as the Congress may by law have
directed.
Sec. 3. Treason against the United States shall consist only in levy-
ing war against them, or in adhering to their enemies, giving them aid
and comfort. No person shall be convicted of treason unless on the tes-
timony of two witnesses to the same overt act, or on confession in open
court.
The Congress shall have power to declare the punishment of treason,
but no attainder of treason shall work corruption of blood, or forfeiture,
except during the life of the person attainted.
Article IV.
Section 1. Full faith and credit shall be given in each state to the
public acts, records, and judicial proceedings of every other state. And
AND ITS AMENDMENTS. l--^
the Congress may, by general laws, prescribe the manner in which such
acts, records, and proceedings shall be proved, and the effect thereof.
Sec. 2. The citizens of each state shall be entitled to all privileges
and immunities of citizens in the several states.
A person charged in any state with treason, felony, or other crime,
who shall flee from justice and be found in another state, shall, on demand
of the executive authority of the state from which he fled, be delivered
up, to be removed to the state having jurisdicf.on of the crime.
No person held to service or labor in one state, under the laws thereof
escaping into another, shall, in consequence of any law or regulation
therein, be discharged .from such service or labor, but shall be delivered
up on the claim of the party to whom such service or labor may be due.
Sec. 3. New states may be admitted by the Congress into this Union ;
but no new state shall be formed or erected within the jurisdiction of any
other state ; nor any state be formed by the junction of two or more states,
or parts of states, without the consent of the Legislatures of the states
concerned, as well as of the C6ngress.
The Congress shall have power to dispose of and make all needful
rules and regulations respecting the territory or other property belonging
to the United States ; and nothing in this Constitution shall be so construed
as to prejudice any claims of the United States or of any particular state.
Sec. 4. The United States shall guarantee to every state in this
Union a republican form of government, and shall protect each of them
against invasion, and on application of the Legislature, or of the Execu-
tive (when the Legislature can not be convened), against domestic vio-
lence.
Article V.
The Congress, whenever two-thirds of both houses shall deem it
necessary, shall propose amendments to this Constitution, or, on the ap-
plication of the Legislatures of two-thirds of the several states, shall call
a convention for proposing amendments, which, in either case, shall be
valid to all intents and purposes as part of this Constitution, when rati-
fied by the Legislatures of three fourths of the several states, or by con-
ventions in three-fourths thereof, as the one or the other mode of ratifi-
cation may be proposed by the Congress. Provided that no amendment
which may be made prior to the year one thousand eight hundred and
eiofht shall in anv manner affect the first and fourth clauses in the ninth
section of the first article ; and that no state, without its consent, shall
be deprived of its equal suffrage in the Senate.
Article VI.
All debts contracted and engagements entered into before the adop-
tion of this Constitution shall be as valid against the United States under
this Constitution as under the Confederation.
This Constitution, and the laws of the United States which shall be
made in pursuance thereof, and all treaties made, or which shall be made,
under the authority of the United States, shall be the supreme law of the
land ; and the Judges in every state shall be bound thereby, anything in
the Constitution or laws of any state to the contrary notwithstanding.
The Senators and Representatives before mentioned, and the mem-
7
200
CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES
bers of the several state Legislatures, and all executive and judicial offi-
cers, both of the United States and of the several states, shall be bound
by oath or affirmation to support this Constitution ; but no religious test
shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under
the United States.
Article VII.
The ratification of the Conventions of nine states shall be sufficient
for the establishment of this Constitution between the states so ratifying
the same.
Done in convention by the unanimous consent of the states present, the
seventeenth day of September, in the year of our Lord one thousand
seven hundred and eighty-seven, and of the independence of the
United States of America the twelfth. In witness whereof we have
hereunto subscribed our names.
GEO. WASHINGTON,
President and Deputy fro^n Virginia.
New Hampshire.
John Langdon,
Nicholas Gilman.
Massachusetts.
Nathaniel Gorham,
RuFus King.
Connecticut.
Wm. Sam'l Johnson,
Roger Sherman.
New York.
Alexander Hamilton.
New Jersey.
WiL. Livingston,
Wm. Paterson,
David Brearley,
JoNA. Dayton.
Pennsylvania.
B. Franklin,
RoBT. Morris,
Thos. Fitzsimons,
James Wilson,
Thos. Mifflin,
Geo. Clymer,
Jared Ingersoll,
Gouv. Morris.
Delaivare.
Geo. Read,
John Dickinson,
Jaco. Broom,
Gunning Bedford, Jr.,
Richard Bassett.
Maryland.
James M' Henry,
Danl. Carroll,
Dan. of St. Thos. Jenifer.
Virginia.
John Blair,
James Madison, Jr.
North Carolina.
Wm. Blount,
Hu. Williamson,
Rich'd Dobbs Spaight.
South Carolina.
J. Rutledge,
Charles Pinckney,
Chas. Cotesworth Pinckney,
Pierce Butler.
Georgia.
William Few,
Abr. Baldwin.
WILLIAM JACKSON, Secretary.
ASD ITS AJVIENDMENTS. 203
Articles in Addition to and Amendatory op the Constitution
OF THE United States of America.
Proposed hy Congress and ratified hy the Legislatures of the several states,
pursuant to the fifth article of the original Constitution.
Article I.
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion,
or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of
speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble,
and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
Article II.
A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free
state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.
Article III.
No soldier shall, in time of peace, be quartered in any house without
the consent of the owner, nor in time of war but in a manner to be pre-
scribed by law.
Article IV.
The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers,
and effects Against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be vio-
lated ; and no warrants shall issue but upon probable cause, supported by
oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched
and the persons or things to be seized.
Article V.
No person shall be held to answer for a capital or otherwise infamous
crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a Grand Jury, except in
cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the militia when in actual
service in time of war or public danger ; nor shall any person be subject
for the same offense to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb ; nor shall
be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be
deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law ; nor
shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.
Article VI.
In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a
speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the state and district
wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have
been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and
cause of the accusation ; to be confronted with the witnesses against him;
to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor ; and to
have the assistance of counsel for his defense.
Article VII.
In suits at common law, where the value in controversy shall exceed
twenty dollars, the right of trial by jury shall be preserved, and no fact
204 CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES
tried by a jury shall be otherwise re-examined in any court of the United
States than according to the rules of the common law.
Article VIII.
Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed,
nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.
Article IX.
The enumeration, in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be
construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.
Article X.
The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution,
nor prohibited by it to the states, are reserved to the states respectively,
or to the people.
Artici-e XI.
The judicial power of the United States shall not be construed to
extend to any suit in law or equity commenced or prosecuted against one
of the United States by citizens of another state, or by citizens or sub-
jects of any foreign state.
Article XII.
The Electors shall meet in their respective states and vote by ballot
for President and Vice-President, one of whom, at least, shall not be an
inhabitant of the same state with themselves ; they shall name in their
ballots the person to be voted for as president, and in distinct ballots the
person voted for as Vice-President, and they shall make distinct lists of
all persons voted for as President, and of all persons voted for as Vice-
President, and of the number of votes for each, which list they shall sign
and certify, and transmit sealed to the seat of the government of the United
States, directed to the President of the Senate. The President of the
Senate shall, in presence of the Senate and House of Representatives,
open all the certificates, and the votes shall then be counted. The person
having the greatest number of votes for President shall be the President,
if such number be a majority of the whole number of Electors appointed ;
and if no person have such majority, then from the persons having the
highest number not exceeding three on the list of those voted for as
President, the House of Representatives shall choose immediately, by
ballot, the President. But in choosing the President, the votes shall be
taken by States, the representation from each state having one vote; a
quorum for this purpose shall consist of a member or members from two-
thirds of the states, and a majority of all the states shall be necessary to
a choice. And if the House of Representatives shall not choose a Presi-
dent whenever the right of choice shall devolve upon them, before the
fourth day of March next following, then the Vice-President shall act as
President, as in the case of the death or other constitutional disability of
the President. The person having the greatest number of votes as Vice-
President, shall be the Vice-President, if such number be the majority
of the whole number of electors appointed, and if no person have a major-
I
AND ITS AMENDMENTS. 205
ity, then from the two highest numbers on the list, the Senate shall choose
the Vice-President ; a quorum for the purpose shall consist of two-thirds
of the whole number of Senators, and a majority of the whole number
shall be necessary to a choice. But no person constitutionally ineligible
to the office of President shall be eligible to that of Vice-President of the
United States.
Article XIII.
Section 1. Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a
punishment for crime, whereof the party shall have been duly convicted,
shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their juris-
diction.
Sec. 2. Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appro-
priate legislation.
Article XIV.
Section 1. All persons born or naturalized in the United States and
subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States, and
of the state wherein they reside. No state shall make or enforce any law
which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United
States; nor shall any state deprive any person of life, liberty, or property,
without due process of law, nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction
the equal protection of the laws.
Sec. 2. Representatives shall be appointed among the several states
according to their respective numbers, counting the whole number of per-
sons in each state, excluding Indians not taxed ; but when the right to
vote at any election for the choice of Electors for President and Vice-
President of the United States, Representatives in Congress, the execu-
tive and judicial officers of a state, or the members of the Legislature
thereof, is denied to any of the male inhabitants of such state, being
twenty-one years of age and citizens of the United States, or in any way
abridged except for participation in rebellion or other crimes, the basis of
representation therein shall be reduced in the proportion which the num-
ber of such male citizens shall bear to the whole number of male citizens
twenty-one years of age in such state.
Sec. 3. No person shall be a Senator or Representative in Congress,
or Elector of President and Vice-President, or hold any office, civil or
military, under the United States, or under any state, who, having previ-
ously taken an oath as a Member of Congress, or as an officer of the
United States, or as a member of any state Legislature, or as an execu-
tive or judicial officer of any state to support the Constitution of the
United States, shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the
same, or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof. But Congress mav
by a vote of two-thirds of each house, remove such disability.
Sec. 4. The validity of the public debt of the United States author-
ized by law, including debts incurred for payment of pensions and boun-
ties for services in suppressing insurrection or rebellion, shall not be ques-
tioned. But neither the United States nor any state shall pay any debt
or obligation incurred in the aid of insurrection or rebellion against the
United States, or any loss or emancipation of any slave, but such debts,
obligations, and claims shall be held illegal and void.
£06
CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES.
Sec. 5. The Congress shall have power to enforce, by appropriate
legislation, the provisions 'of this act.
Article XV.
Section 1. The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall
not be denied or abridged by the United States, or by any state, on
account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude.
Sec. 2. Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appro-
priate legislation.
ELECTORS OF PRESIDENT AND VICE-PRESIDENT.
November T, 1876.
COUNTIES.
Adams
Alexander
Bond
Boone
Brown
Bureau
Calhoun
Carroll
Cass
Champaign
Christian
Clark
Clav
Clinton
Coles
Cook
Crawford
Cumberland...
DeKalb
DeWitt
Douglas
DuPage
Edgar
Edwards
Effingham
Fayrtte
Fora
Franklin
Fulton
Gallatin
Greene
Grundy
Hamilton
Hancock
Hardin
Henderson
Henry
Iroquois
Jackson
Jasper
Jefferson
Jersey
Jo Daviess
Johnson
Kane
Kankakee
Kendall
Knox
Lake
La Salle
Lawrence
Lee
' a> Q
- (ss
-X-
c —
c =
£.2
X u
I c
COUNTIES.
C ^
4953
1219
1520
1965
944
3719
441
2231
1209
4530
2501
1814
1416
1329
2957
36548
1355
1145
3679
1928
1631
2129
2715
970
1145
1881
1601
966
4187
703
1695
1996
627
3496
330
1315
4177
3768
2040
1346
1345
2907
1367
5398
2627
1869
5235
2619
6277
1198
3087
6308
1280
1142
363
1495
2218
900
918
IfilS
3103
3287
2197
1541
1989
2822
39240
1643
1407
1413
1174
1357
1276
2883
466
2265
2421
742
1302
4669
1140
3160
1142
1433
4207
611
1015
1928
2578
2071
41 17
17
43
183
145
111
74
604
207
2361
112!
132
102
277
38
129
65
746
94
25
161
61
43
57
204
391
89
282;
1
108
770
10
1667
2166
2276
893
2850
1363
524
2632
1647
6001
1329
2080
134
1
340
249 14
106
647
140
61
172
26
309
141
55
514
27
100
11
1
1
15
Livingston
Logan
Macon
Macoupin....,
Madison
Marion
Marshall.. ...
Mason
Massac ,
McUonough..
McHenry
McLean
Menard
Mercer
Monroe
Montgomery .
Morgan
Moultrie
Ogle
Peoria
Pope
Perry
Piatt
Pike
Pulaski
Putnam
Randolph
Richland
Rock Island...
Saline
Sangamon ....
Schuyler
Scott
Shelby
Stark
St. Clair
Stephenson...
Tazewell
Union
Vermilion
Wabash
Warren
Wasliington..
Wavne
White .
Whiteside
Will
Williamson...
Winnebago...
Woodford ....
•c
c '^^
H
c
c^zn
S^S
II
Is
£5
a.—
•"0
._ o
3550
2788
3120
3567
4554
2009
1553
1566
1231
2952
3465
6363
1115
2209
845
2486
3069
1245
3833
4665
1319
1541
1807
3055
1043
646
2357
1410
3912
980
4851
1522
910
2069
1140
4708
3198
2850
978
4372
650
2795
1911
1570
1297
3851
4770
1672
4505
1733
2134
2595
2782
4076
4730
2444
1430
1939
793
2811
1874
4410
1657
1428
1651
3013
3174
1672
1921
5443
800
1383
1316
4040
772
459
2589
1552
2838
1081
5847
1804
1269
3553
786
5891
2758
3171
2155
3031
936
1984
1671
1751
2066
2131
3999
1644
1568
2105
Total 275958|257099 16951 130 157
1170
37
268
114
39
209
135
86
20
347
34
518
10
16
"i
■3
■'8
■i
"i
"i
7
90
7
201
109
28
104
95
5
48
117
35
"i
3
"s
"a
""a
14
2
55
27
641
29
115
....
....
182
341
96
99
26
44
288
207
138
39
482
469
133
677
41
70
237
■■'2
"8
■13
1
"i
3
2
"9
■ "i
"4
1
"2
4
Practical Rules for Every Day Use.
How to find the gain or loss per cent, zvhen the cost and selling price
are given.
Rule. — Find the difference between the cost and selling price, which
will be the gain or loss.
Annex two ciphers to the gain or loss, and divide it by the cost
price ; the result will be the gain or loss per cent.
Hoiv to change gold into currency.
Rule. — Multiply the given sum of gold by the price of gold.
Hoiv to change currency into gold.
Divide the amount in currency by the price of gold.
How to find each partner's share of the gain or loss in a copartnership
business.
Rule. — Divide the whole gain or loss by the entire stock, the quo-
tient will be the gain or loss per cent.
Multipl}' each partner's stock by this per cent., the result will be
each one's share of the gain or loss.-
How to find gross and net weight and price of hogs.
A short and simple method for finding the net iveight, or price of hogs^
when the gross weight or price is given, and vice versa.
Note.— It is generally assumed tliat the gross weight of Hogs dimini^ihed by 1-5 or 20 iit-r cent,
of itself gives the net weight, and the net weight increased by K or 25 per cent, of itself equals the
tcross weight.
To find the net weight or gross price.
Multiply the given number by .8 (tenths.)
To find the gross weight or net price.
Divide the given number by .8 (tenths.)
How to find the capacity of a granary, bin, or ivagon-bed.
Rule. — Multiply (by short method) the number of cubic feet by
6308, and point off one decimal place — the result will be the correct
answer in bushels and tenths of a bushel.
For only an approximate ansioer, multiply the cubic feet by 8, and
point off one decimal place.
How to find the contents of a corn-crib.
Rule. — Multiply the number of cubic feet by 54, short method, or
(207)
208 MISCELLANEOUS INFORMATION.
by 4i ordinary method, and point off one decimal place— the result wili
be the answer in bushels.
NOTE -In estimating corn in the ear, the quality and the time it has been cribbed must be taken
into consideration, since corn will shrink considerably during the Winter and Spring. Tins rule generally holdi
good for corn measured at the time it is cribbed, provided It is sound and clean.
How to find the contents of a cistern or tank.
Rule. — Multiply the square of the mean diameter by the depth (all .
in feet) and this product by 5681 (short method), and point off one
decimal place — the result will be the contents in barrels of 31i gallons.
Hoiv to find the contents of a barrel or cask. "
Rule. — Under the square of the mean diameter, write the length
(all in inches) in reversed order, so that its units will fall under the
TENS ; multiply by short method, and this product again by 430 ; point
off one decimal place, and the result will be the answer in wine gallons. ^^
How to measure boards. %
Rule. — Multiply the length (in feet) by the width (in inches) and
divide the product by 12 — the result will be the contents in square feet.
How to measure scantlings, joists, planks, sills, etc.
RuLE.-^Multiply the width, the thickness, and the length together
(the width and thickness in inches, and 'the length in feet), and divide
the product by 12 — the result will be square feet.
How to find the number of acres in a body of land.
Rule. — Multiply the length by the width (in rods), and divide the
product by 160 (carrying the division to 2 decimal places if there is a
remainder) ; the result will be the answer in acres and hundredths.
When the opposite sides of a piece of land are of unequal length,
add them together and take one-half for the mean length or width.
How to find the number of square yards in a floor or tvall.
Rule. — Multiply the length by the width or height (in feet), and
divide the product by 9, the result will be square yards.
Hoiv to find the number of bricks required in a building.
Rule. — Multiply the number of cubic feet by 22^.
The number of cubic feet is found by multiplying the length, height
and thickness (in feet) together.
Bricks are usually made 8 inches long, 4 inches wide, and two inches
thick ; hence, it requires 27 bricks to make a cubic foot without mortar,
but it is generally assumed that the mortar fills 1-6 of the space.
Hoiv to find the number of shingles required in a roof.
Rule. — Multiply the number of square feet in the roof by 8, if the
shingles are exposed 4^ inches, or by 7 1-5 if exposed 5 inches.
To find the number of square feet, multiply the length of the roof by
twice the length of the rafters.
MISCELLANEOUS INFOKISIATION. 209
To find the length of the rafters, at one-fourth pitch, multiply the
width of the building by .56 (hundredths) ; at one-third pitch, by .6
(tenths) ; at two-fifths pitch, by .64 (hundredths) ; at one-half
pitch, by .71 (hundredths). This gives the length of the rafters from
the apex to the end of the wall, and whatever they are to project must be
taken into consideration.
NOTE.— By X or ]4 pitch is meant tliat the apex or comb of thereof is to be X or )^ the widtli of the
building liigfher than the walls or base of the rafters.
Mow to reckon the cost of hay.
Rule. — Multiply the number of pounds by half the price per ton,
and remove the decimal point three places to the left.
How to measure grain. *
Rule. — Level the grain ; ascertain the space it occupies in cubic
feet ; multiply the number of cubic feet by 8, and point off one place to
the left.
Note.— Exactness requires the addition to every three hundred bushels of one extra bushel.
The foregoing rule may be used for finding the number of gallons, by
multiplying the number of bushels by 8.
If the corn in the box is in the ear, divide the answer by 2, to find
the number of bushels of shelled corn, because it requires 2 bushels of eai
corn to make 1 of shelled corn.
Rapid rules for measuring land without instruments.
In measuring land, the first thing to ascertain is the contents of any
given plot in square 3'ards ; then, given the number of yards, find out the
number of rods and acres.
The most ancient and simplest measure of distance is a step. Now,
an ordinary-sized man can train himself to cover one yard at a stride, on
the average, with sufficient accuracy for ordinary purposes.
To make use of this means of measuring distances, it is essential to
walk in a straight line ; to do this, fix the eye on two objects in a line
straight ahead, one comparatively near, the other remote ; and, in walk-
ing, keep these objects constantly in line.
Farmers and others hy adopting the folloiving simple and ingenious con-
trivance, may always carry ivith them the scale to construct a correct yard
measure.
Take a foot rule, and commencing at the base of the little finger of
the left hand, mark the quarters of the foot on the outer borders of the
left arm, pricking in the marks with indelible ink.
To find hoiv many rods in length loill make an acre., the width being given.
Rule. — Divide 160 by the width, and the quotient will be the answer.
210 MISCELLANEOUS INFORMATION.
How to find the number of acres in any plot of land, the number of roda
being given.
Rule. — Divide the number of rods by 8, multiply the quotient by 5,
and remove the decimal point two places to the left.
The diameter being given, to find the circumference.
Rule. — Multiply the diameter by 3 1-7.
How to find the diameter, when the circumference is given.
Rule. — Divide the circumference by 3 1-7.
To find hotv many solid feet a round stick of timber of the same thick-
ness throughout will contain tvhen squared.
Rule. — Square half the diameter in inches, multiply by 2, multiply
by the length in feet, and divide the product by 144.
General rule for measuring timber, to find the solid contents in feet.
Rule. — Multiply the depth in inches by the breadth in inches, and
then multiply by the length in feet, and divide by 144.
To find the number of feet of timber in trees with the bark on.
Rule. — Multiply the square of one-fifth of the circumference in
inches, by twice the length, in feet, and divide by 144. Deduct 1-10 to
1-15 according to the thickness of the bark.
Howard s new rule for computing interest.
Rule. — The reciprocal of the rate is the time for which the interest
on any sum of money will be shown by simply removing the decimal
point two places to the left ; for ten times that time, remove the point
one place to the left ; for 1-10 of the same time, remove the point three
places to the left.
Increase or diminish the results to suit the time given.
Note.— The reciprocal of the rate is found by inverting: the rate ; thus 3 per cent, per month, in-
verted, becomes 3i of a month, or 10 daj's.
When the rate is expressed by one figure, always write it thus : 3-1,
three ones.
Rule for converting English into American currency.
Multiply the pounds, with the shillings and pence stated in decimals,
by 400 plus the premium in fourths, and divide the product by 90.
U. S. GOVERNMENT LAND MEASURE.
A township — 36 sections each a mile square.
A section — 640 acres.
A quarter section, half a mile square — 160 acres.
An eighth section, half a mile long, north and south, and a quarter
of a mile wide — 80 acres.
A sixteenth section, a quarter of a mile square — 40 acres.
jVnSCELLANEOUS INFORMATION. 211
The sections are all numbered 1 to 36, commencing at the north-east
corner.
The sections are divided into quarters, which are named by the
cardinal points. The quarters are divided in the same way. The de-
scription of a forty acre lot would read : The south half of the west half of
the south-west quarter of section 1 in township 24, north of range 7 west,
or as the case might be ; and sometimes will fall short and sometimes
overrun the number of acres it is supposed to contain.
The nautical mile is 795 4-5 feet lonsrer than the common mile.
o
SURVEYORS' MEASURE.
7 92-100 inches make 1 link.
25 links '^ 1 rod.
4rods '* 1 chain.
80 chains '• 1 mile.
Note. — A chain is 100 links, equal to 4 rods or 66 feet.
Shoemakers formerly used a subdivision of the inch called a barley-
corn ; three of which made an inch.
Horses are measured directly over the fore feet, and the standard of
measure is four inches — called a hand.
In Biblical and other old measurements, the term span is sometimes
used, which is a length of nine inches.
The sacred cubit of the Jews was 24.024 inches in length.
The common cubit of the Jews was 21.704 inches in length.
A pace is equal to a yard or 36 inches.
A fathom is equal to 6 feet.
A league is three miles, but its length is variable, for it is strictly
speaking a nautical term, and should be three geographical miles, equal
to 3.45 statute miles, but when used on land, three statute miles are said
to be a league.
In cloth measure an aune is equal to li yards, or 45 inches.
An Amsterdam ell is equal to 26.796 inches.
A Trieste ell is equal to 25.284 inches.
A Brabant ell is equal to 27.116 inches.
HOW TO KEEP ACCOUNTS.
Every farmer and mechanic, whether he does much or little business,
should keep a record of his transactions in a clear and systematic man-
ner. For the benefit of those who have not had the opportunitj' of ac-
quiring a primary knowledge of the principles of book-keeping, we here
present a simple form of keeping accounts which is easily comprehended,
and well adapted to record the business transactions of farmers, mechanics
and laborers.
212
MISCELLA]SIEOUS INFORMATION.
1875.
A. H. .TACKSON.
Dr
Cr.
Jan.
Feb.
March
it
April
May
((
July
10
17
4
4
8
8
13
O'V
'ii
9
9
6
24
To 7 bushels Wheat at 81.25
By shoeing span of Horses
To 14 bushels Oats at $ .45
To 5 lbs. Butter at .25
By new Harrow .-
By sharpening 2 Plows
By new Double-Tree
To Cow and Calf.
To half ton of Hay
By Cash -
By repairing Corn-Planter
To one Sow with Pigs
By Cash, to balance account
88
75
12
G
30
1
25
18
2
48
00
6
25
25
4
17
50
35
$88
$88
05
50
00
40
25
00
75
15
05
1875.
CASS A MASON,
Dr.
Cr
ATflrch
21
21
23
1
1
19
26
10
29
12
12
1
Bv 3 davs' labor . ....
. - at $1.25
$6
8
10
2
2
20
18
00
10
00
75
70
00
20
S3
25
12
IS
9
$67
75
a
t(
May
To 2 Shoats
To 18 bushels Corn.
By 1 month's Labor.
at .3.00
at .45
00
To Cash
June
Bv 8 davs' Mowins:
at $1.50
00
ii
To 50 lbs. Flour
July
Aug.
To 27 lbs. Meat
at $ .10
By 9 days' Harvesting
By 6 days' Labor . . . -
To Cash . . . '. -
at 2.00
at 1.50
00
00
Sept.
To Cash to balance account
'
$67
75
75
INTEPtEST TABLE.
A Simple Rule for
AccPRATKLr Computing Interest at
Length of Time.
Any Given Per Cent, for Any
Multiplytlie jjridcipa! (amount of money at interest) by the time reduced to days; then divide this product
by the gitofif (It ol)tainpd by dividing 360 'the number of days in the interest year) by the per cf (it. of interest,
andt/ic qxiotient thus obtained will Ije the required interest.
illustration. Solution.
RequiretheinterestofS463.50 for one month and eighteen days at 6 per cent. An S462.50
interest month is 30 days; one month and eighteen days equal 48 days. S4b2.50 multi- .48
plied bv .48 gives S222 0000; 360 divided by 6 (the per cent, of interest; gives 60, and •
$22-2.0600 divided by 60 will give you the exaf't interest, which is 33.70. If the rate of 370000
interest in the above e.xample were 13 per cent., we would divide the S222.0000 by 30 6)360 \ 18.5000
(because 360 divided by 12 gives 30); if 4 per cent., we would divide by 90; if 8 per
... ..... ■ _ . „^y
cent., by 45: and in like manner for any otber per cent.
60 >
$222.0000(53.70
180
420
420
"oo
MISCELLANEOUS TABLE.
12 units, or things, 1 Dozen.
12 dozen, 1 Gross.
20 things, 1 Score.
196 pounds, 1 Barrel of Flour.
200 pounds, 1 Barrel of Pork.
56 pounds, 1 Firkin of Butter.
24 sheets of paper. 1 Quire.
20 quires paper 1 Ream.
4 ft. wide, 4 ft. high, and 8 ft. long, 1 Cord Wood.
MISCELLANEOUS INFORMATION. 213
NAMES OF THE STATES OF THE UNION, AND THEIR SIGNIFICATIONS.
Virginia. — The oldest of the States, was so called in lionor of Queen
Elizabeth, the "Virgin Queen," in whose reign Sir Walter Raleigh made
his first attempt to colonize that region.
Florida. — Ponce de Leon landed on the coast of Florida on Easter
Sunday, and called the country in commemoration of the day, which was
the Pasqua Florida of the Spaniards, or "• Feast of Flowers."
Louisiana was called after Louis the Fourteenth, who at one time
owned that section of the country.
Alalama was so named by the Indians, and signifies " Here we Rest."
Mississippi is likewise an Indian name, meaning " Long River."
Arkansas^ from Kansas, the Indian word for " smoky water." Its
prefix was really arc, the French word for " bow."
The Carolinas were originally one tract, and were called "Carolana,"
after Charles the Ninth of France.
Georgia owes its name to George the Second of Engla^ad, who first
established a colony there in 1732.
Tennessee is the Indian name for the " River of the Bend," i. e., the
Mississippi which forms its western boundary.
Kentucky is the Indian name for " at the head of the river."
Ohio means " beautiful ; " loiva, " drowsy ones ; " Minnesota., " cloudy
water," and Wisconsin., " wild-rushing channel."
Illinois is derived from the Indian word illini, men, and the French
suffix ois, together signifying "tribe of men."
Michigan was called by the name given the lake, fish-weir, which was
so styled from its fancied resemblance to a fish trap.
Missouri is from the Indian word " muddy," which more properly
applies to the river that flows through it.
Oregon owes its Indian name also to its principal river.
Cortes named California.
Massachusetts is, the Indian for " The country around the great hills."
Connecticut, from the Indian Quon-ch-ta-Cut, signifying " Long
River."
Maryland, after Henrietta Maria, Queen of Charles the First, of
England.
New York was named by the Duke of York.
Pennsylvania means " Penn's woods," and was so called after William
Penn, its orignal owner.
214
MISCELLANEOUS INFORMATION.
Delaware after Lord De La Ware.
New Jersey, so called in honor of Sir George Carteret, who was
Governor of the Island of Jersey, in the British Channel.
Maine was called after the province of Maine in France, in compli-
ment of Queen Henrietta of England, who owned that province.
Vermont, from the French word Vert Mont, signifying Green
Mountain.
New Hampshire, from Hampshire county in England. It was
formerly called Laconia.
The little State of Rhode Island owes its name to the Island of
Rhodes in the Mediterranean, which domain it is said to greatly
resemble.
Texas is the American word for the Mexican name by which all that
section of the country was called before it was ceded to the United States.
POPULATION OF THE
UNITED STATES.
STATES AND TEHRITORIES.
Alal)aina
Arkansas
Calif uriiia
Connecticut
Delaware
Florida
Georgia
Illinois
Indiana
Iowa
Kansas
Kentucky
Louisiana
Maine
Maryland
Massachusetts
Michigan
Minnesota
Mississippi
Missouri
Nebraslia
Nevada
New Hampshire.
New Jersey
New York
North Carolina ..
Ohio
Oregon
Pennsylvania
Rhode Island
South Carolina...
Tennessee
Texas
Vermont
Virginia
West Virginia
Wisconsin
Total States.,
Arizona
Colorada
Dakota
District of Columbia.
Idaho
Montana
New Mexico
Utah
WaeMington
Wyoming
Total
Population.
Total Territories,.
Total United States 38.555,983
996.
484.
5t>(),
537.
Vio.
187,
1.184
2,539
1,680
1,191,
364,
1,321,
726.
626
780.
1,457
1,184
439,
827.
1,721
122
42
318
906.
4,382.
1,071,
2,665.
90,
3,521,
217,
705,
1,258,
818.
330,
1,225.
442.
1,054
992
471
247
454
015
748
109
891
637
792
399
Oil
915
915
894
351
059
06
922
295
993
491
300
096
759
361
260
923
791
353
606
520
579
551
163
014
670
38.113,253
9,658
39,864
14,181
131.700
14,999
20,595
91,874
86,786
23,955
9,118
442,730
POPULATION OF FIFTY
PRINCIPAL CITIES.
Cities.
New York. N. Y
Philadelphia, Pa
Brooklyn, N. Y
St. Louis, Mo
Chicago, 111
JSaltimore, Md
ISoston, Mass
Ciiicinnati, Ohio
New Orleans, La. ...
San Fninclsco, cal. . .
Buffalo, N. Y
AVashlngton, D. C...
Newark, N. J
Louisville, Ky
Cleveland, Ohio
Pittsburg, Pa
Jersey City, N. J
Detroit, Mich
Milwaukee, Wis
Albany, N. Y
Providence, R. I
Rochester, N. Y
Allegheny, Pa
Richmond, Va
New Haven, Conn...
Charleston, S. C
Indianapolis, Ind
Troy, N. Y
Syracuse, N. Y
Worcester, Mass
Lowell. Mass
Memphis, Tenn
Cambridge, Mass
Hartford, Conn
Scranton, Pa
Reading, Pa
Paterson, N. J
Kansas City, Mo
Mobile, Ala
Toledo. Ohio
Portland, Me
Columbus, Ohio
Wilmington, Del
Dayton, Ohio
Lawrence, Mass
Utica, N. Y
(Jharlestown, Mass.
Savannah, Ga
Lvnn. Mass
Fall River, Mass
Aggregate
Population.
942,
674,
396,
310,
298,
267
250,
216,
191,
149.
117,
109,
105,
100,
92,
86
82
79,
71
69,
68.
62.
53.
51.
50
48
48,
46,
43,
41,
40.
40
39.
37
35
33.
33
32
32
31
31
31
30
30
28
28
28.
2a
28,
26
292
022
099
864
977
354
526
239
418
473
714
199
059
753
829
076
546
577
440
422
904
386
180
038
840
956
244
465
051
105
928
226
634
180
092
930
.579
,260
,034
.584
,413
,274
841
473
.921
804
,323
235
233
766
&USCELLANEOUS INFORMATION.
21^
POPULATION OF THE UNITED STATES.
States and
Territories.
States.
Alabama
Arkansas..
California
Connerticut
Delaware
Florida
Georgia
Illinois
Indiana
Iowa
Kansas
Kentucky
Louisiana
Maine
Maryland
Massachusetts...
Michigan*
Minnesota
Mississippi
Missouri
Nebraska
Nevada
New Hampshire.
New Jersey
New York
North Carolina. .
Ohio
Oregon
.\rea in
sfiuare
Miles.
50,
53,
188,
4.
2,
59,
58,
55,
33,
55,
81,
37,
41,
31,
11,
7,
56,
83,
47,
65,
75,
112,
9,
8,
47,
50,
39,
95,
722
198
981
674
120
268
000
410
809
045
318
600
346
776
184
800
451
531
.156
350
995
090
280
320
000
704
964
244
POPI'LATTOX,
1870.
996,992
484,471
560,247
537.454
125,015
187.748
184,109
539,891
680,637
191.792
364,399
321,011
726.915
626.915
780.894
,457,351
,184,059
439.706
827.922
,721.295
123.993
42,491
318,300
906,096
,382,759
,071,361
,665,360
90,923
1875.
1,3.50. .544
528,349
857,039
1.651,912
1,334.031
598,429
246,280
52,540
1.036. .502
4,705.208
Miles
R. R.
1872.
1,671
25
1,013
820
227
466
2.108
5,904
3.529
3.160
1,760
1,123
539
871
820
1.606
2.235
1,612
990
2,580
828
593
790
1.265
4.470
1.190
3,740
lo9
Last Census of Michigan taken in 1874.
State.s aud
Territories.
States.
Pennsylvania
Rhode Island
South Carolina...
Tennessee
Texas
Vermont
Virginia
West Virginia
Wisconsin
Total States
Territories.
Arizona
Colorado
Dakota
Dist. of Columbia.
Idaho
Montana
New Mexico
Utah
Washington
Wyoming
Total Territories.
Area in
square
Miles.
46,000
1,306
29.385
45,600
237,504
10.212
40.904
33,000
53,934
1,950,171
113,916
104.500
147,490
60
90.932
143,776
121.201
80.056
69,944
93.107
965,032
Population.
1870.
3,531,791
217,353
70.'). 606
1,258,520
818.579
.330,551
1,225,163
442,014
1,054,670
38,113,253
9,658
39,864
14.181
131,700
14,999
20,595
91.874
86,786
23,955
9,118
442,730
1875.
5,113
258,239
925,145
136
1,301
1,520
865
675
1,490
485
1,236.729
1.725
59,587
392
«
375
498
1,265
Miles
R. R.
1872.
Aggregate of U. S.. 2,915,203 38,555,983 60.852
• Included in the Railroad Mileage of Maryland.
PRINCIPAL COUNTRIES OF THE WORLD
I'OPULATION AND AeEA.
Countries.
Population.
China
British Empire
Russia
United States with Alaska.
France
Austria and Hungary
Japan
Great Britain and Ireland.
German Empire
Italy
Spain
Brazil
Turkey
Mexico
Sweden and Norway
Persia
Belgium
Bavaria
Portugal
Holland
New Grenada
Chili
Switzerland
Peru
Bolivia
Argentine Republic
Wurtemburg
Denmark
Venezuela
Baden
Greece
Guatemala
Ecuador
Paraguay
Hesse
Liberia
San Salvador
Hayti
Nicaragua
Uruguay
Honduras
San Domingo
Costa Rica
Hawaii
446,500,000
236,817,108
81.925,400
38,925,600
36,469,800
35.904,400
34.785.300
31.817,100
29,906,092
27,439,921
16,642,1)00
10.000.000
16,463.000
9,173.000
5,921,500
5.000.000
5.021,300
4,861,400
3,995,200
3,688.300
3.0O0.000
2,000,000
3,669.100
3,500,000
2,000,000
1,812.000
1,818.500
1.784.700
1,500,000
1,461,400
1,457,900
1,180,000
1,300,000
1,000.000
823,138
718,000
600,000
572.000
350.000
300.000
350,000
136.000
165.000
62.9.50
Date of
Census.
1871
1871
1871
1870
1866
1869
1871
1871
1871
1871
1867
1869
1870
1870
1869
1871
1868
1870
1870
1869
1870
1871
'1869
1871
1870
'isii
1870
1871
'1871
■1871
1871
'isii
1871
1871
isio
Area in
Square
Miles.
3,741.846
4.677.432
8.00.3.778
2,603,884
204.091
240,348
149,399
121,315
160,207
118,847
195,775
3,253,029
672,621
761.526
292.871
635.964
11,373
39,393
34,494
12,680
357,157
132,616
15,992
471,838
497,321
871,848
7,533
14,753
368,238
5,912
19,353
40,879
218,928
63,787
2,969
9,576
7,335
10,205
58,171
66,722
47.092
17.827
21.505
7.633
Inhabitants
to Square
Mile.
119.3
48.6
10.2
7.78
178.7
149.4
232.8
262.3
187.
230.9
85.
3.07
24.4
20.
7.8
441.5
165.9
115.8
290.9
8.4
15.1
166.9
5.3
4.
2.1
241.4
120.9
4.2
247.
75.3
28,9
5.9
15.6
277.
74.9
81.8
56.
6.
6.5
7.4
7.6
7.7
80.
Capitals.
Pekin
London
St. Petersburg. ,
Washington
Paris
Vienna
Yeddo
London
Berlin ,
Rome
Madrid
Rio Janeiro
Constantinople
Mexico
Stockholm
Teheran ,
Brussels
Munich
Lisbon
Hague
Bogota
Santiago
Berne
Lima
Chuquisaca
Buenos Ayres..
.Stuttgart
Copenhagen
Caraccas
Carlsruhe
Athens
Guatemala
Quito
Asuncion
Darmstadt
Monrovia
Sal Salvador...
Port au Prince
Managua
Monte Video...
Comayagua
San Domingo...
San Jose
Honolulu
Population.
1,648,800
3,251,800
667,000
109,199
1,825,300
833.900
1.554.900
3,251,800
82.5,400
244,484
332.000
420.000
1,075,000
210.300
136,900
120.000
314.100
169.500
224.063
90,100
45.000
115.400
36,000
160,100
25,000
177.800
91.600
162,042
47.000
36,600
43,400
40,000
70,000
48,000
30.000
3.000
15.000
20.000
10.000
44.500
12.000
20,000
2.000
7,633
216
MISCELLANEOUS INFORMATION
POPUIATION OF ILLINOIS,
By Counties.
COUNTIES.
Adams
Alexander. .
Bond
Boone
Brown
Bureau
Calhoun
Carroll
Cass
Champaign .
Christian . .
Clark
Clay
Clinton
Coles
Cook
Crawford
Cumberland .
De Kalb
De Witt
Douglas
Du Page
Edgar
Edwards
Effingham
Fayette
Ford . -
Franklin
Fulton
Gallatin
Greene
Grundy
Hamilton
Hancock
Hardin
Henderson ..
Henry
Iroquois
Jackson
Jasper
Jefferson
Jersey
Jo Daviess..
Johnson
Kane
Kankakee. ..
Kendall
Knox
Lake
La Salle
Lawrence
Lee
Livingston .
Logan
AGGREGATE.
1870.
56362
10564
I3152
12942
12205
32415
6562
16705
II580
32737
20363
18719
15875
16285
25235
349966
138S9
12223
23265
14768
13484
16685
21450
7565
15653
19638
9103
12652
38291
III34
20277
14938
13014
35935
5113
12582
35506
25782
19634
1 1234
17864
15054
27820
11248
39091
24352
12399
39522
21014
60792
12533
27171
31471
23053
1860.
41323
4707
9815
I1678
9938
26426
5144
II733
II325
14629
10492
14987
9336
1 094 1
14203
144954
II55I
831I
19086
10820
7140
I4701
16925
5454
7816
1 1 189
1979
9393
33338
8055
16093
10379
9915
29061
3759
9501
20660
12325
9589
8364
12965
12051
27325
9342
30062
15412
13074
28663
18257
48332
9214
17651
11637
14272
1850.
1840.
26508
2484
6144
7624
7198
8841
3231
4586
■ 7253
2649
3203
9532
4289
5139
9335
43385
7135
3718
7540
5002
9290
10692
3524
3799
8075
5681
22508
5448
12429
3023
6362
14652
2887
4612
3807
4149
5862
3220
8109
7354
18604
4114
16703
7730
13279
14226
17815
6121
5292
1553
5128
14476
3313
5060
1705
4183
3067
1741
1023
2981
1475
1878
7453
3228
3718
9616
10201
4422
1697
3247
3535
8225
3070
1675
6328
1830.
1820.
3682
13142
10760
II951
3945
9946
1378
1260
1695
3566
1472
5762
4535
6t8o
3626
6501
7060
2634
9348
7092
2035
759
2333
2186
1390
3124
1090
3940
755
2330
3"7
4071
1649
2704
4083
1841
7405
7674
2616
483
41
1828
2555
2111
1596
274
'3668
626
2931
931
*23
2999
3444
1763
3155
1542
691
843
MISCELLANEOUS INFOKMATION.
217
POPULATION OF ILLINOIS— Concluded.
COUNTIES.
Macon
Macoupin...
Madison
Marion
Marshall —
Mason
Massac
McDonough.
Mc Henry ...
McLean
Menard
Mercer
Monroe
Montgomery
Morgan
Moultrie
Ogle
Peoria
Perry
Piatt
Pike -
Pope.
Pulaski
Putnam
Randolph..
Richland ..
Rock Island
Saline
Sangamon .,
Schuyler
Scott
Shelby
Stark
St. Clair
Stephenson.
Tazewell
Union
Vermilion. .
Wabash
Warren
Washington
Wayne
White
Whitesides .
Will
Williamson.
Winnebago -
Woodford..
Total-.
A(}ORKQATE.
1870. 1860. 1850. 1840. 1830. 1820
26481
32726
4413I
20622
16950
16184
9581
26509
23762
53988
II735
18769
12982
25314
2S463
10385
27492
47540
13723
10953
30708
II437
8752
6280
20859
12803
29783
12714
46352
17419
10530
25476
I0751
51068
30608
27903
16518
30388
8841
23174
17599
19758
16846
27503
43013
17329
29301
18956
253989'
13738
24602
31251
12739
13437
1093 1
6213
20069
22089
28772
9584
15042
12832
13979
22II2
6385
2288S
36601
9552
6127
27249
6742
3943
5587
17205
9711
21005
9331
32274
14684
9069
14613
9004
37694
25112
21470
11181
19800
7313
18336
13731
12223
12403
18737
29321
12205
24491
13282
1711951
3988
12355
20441
6720
5180
5921
4092
7616
14978
10163
6349
5246
7679
6277
16064
3234
10020
17547
5278
1606
18S19
3975
2265
3924
1 1079
4012
6937
5588
19228
10573
7914
7807
3710
20180
1 1666
12052
7615
1 1492
4690
8176
6953
6825
8925
5361
16703
7216
11773
4415
851470
3039
7926
14433
4742
1849
5308
2578
6565
4431
2352
4481
4490
19547
3479
6153
3222
1172S
4094
2131
7944
2610
14716
6972
6215
6659
1573
13631
2800
7221
5524
9303
4240
6739
4810
5133
7919
2514
10167
4457
4609
476183
1122
1990
6221
2125
(^)
26
2000
2953
12714
1215
2396
3316
4429
12960
<^2959
2972
7078
4716
3239
5836
2710
308
1675
2553
6091
1574-15
13550
*2I
I516.
2610
3492
*5
5248
2362
1517
1114
4828
=^49
55162
218
MISCELLANEOUS INFORMATION.
STATE LAWS
Relating to Rates of Interest and Penalties for Usury.
States and Territories.
Alabama
Arizona
Arkansas
California
Colorado
Connecticut
Dakota
Delaware
District of Columbia ...
Florida
Georgia
Idaho
Illinois
Indiana
Iowa
Kansas
Kentucky
Louisiana
Maine
Maryland
Massachusetts
Michigan
Minnesota
Mississippi ■
Missouri
Montana
Nebraska
Nevada
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New Mexico
New York
North Carolina
Ohio
Ontario, Canada
Oregon
Pennsylvania
Quebec, Canada
Rhode Island
South Carolina
Tennessee
Texas
Utah
Vermont
Virginia
Washington Territory
West Virginia
Wisconsin
Wyoming
Legal 1 Rate al-
Rate of lowed by
Interest. Contract.
per cent
8
lo
6
lo
lO
7
7
6
6
8
7
lO
6
6
6
8
6
5
6
6
6
7
7
6
6
lO
lO
lO
6
7
6
7
6
6
6
lO
6
6
6
7
6
8
lO
6
6
lO
6
7
12
Penalties for Usury.
per cent.
8
Any rate
lO
Any rate.
Any rate
7
12
6
lO
Any rate
12
24
lo
lO
lO
12
8
8
Any rate.
6
Any rate.
lo
12
lo
lo
Any rate.
12
Any rate.
6
7
Any rate.
7
8
8
Any rate,
12
Any rate.
Any rate,
Any rate.
Any rate.
lO
12
Any rate
6
6*
Any rate
6*
lo
Any rate
Forfeiture of entire interest.
Forfeiture of principal and interest.
Forfeiture of excess of interest.
Forfeiture of entire interest.
Forfeiture of principal.
Forfeiture of entire interest.
Forfeiture of entire interest.
Fine and imprisonment.
Forfeiture of entire interest.
Forfeiture of excess of interest.
Forfeiture of entire interest.
Forfeiture of ex. of in. above 12 pei cent.
Forfeiture of entire interest.
Forfeiture of entire interest.
Forfeiture of excess of interest.
Forfeiture of ex. of in. above 7 per cent.
No Usury Law in this State.
Forfeiture of excess of interest.
Forfeiture of entire interest.
Forfeiture of entire interest.
Forfeiture of thrice the excess and costs.
Forfeiture of entire interest.
Forfeiture of contract.
Forfeiture of entire interest.
Forfeiture of excess above 6 per cent.
Forfeiture of excess of interest.
Forfeiture of excess of interest.
Forfeiture of excess of interest.
Forfeiture of entire interest.
Forfeiture of excess of interest.
Forfeiture of entire interest.
* Except in cases defined by statutes of the State.
MISCELLANEOUS INFORMATION.
219
STATE LAWS
Relating to Limitations of Actions : Showing Limit of Time in which
Action may be Brought on the following :
States and Tbrbitories.
Alabama
Arkansas —
California,...
Colorado
Connecticut.
Dakota
Delaware
District ot Columbia ,
Florida
Georgia
Idaho
Illinois
Indiana
Iowa
Kansas
Kentucky.
Louisiana.
Maine
Maryland
Massachusetts .
Michigan
Minnesota
Mississippi
Missouri
Montana
Nebraska
Nevada
New Hampshire.
New Jersey
New Mexico
New York
North Carolina...
Ohio
Ontario (U. Canada).
Oregon.
Pennsylvania
Quebec (L. Canada).
Rhode Island
South Carolina
Tennessee
Texas
Utah
Vermont
Assault
slander,
&c.
virgmia
Washington Territory.
West Virginia
Wisconsin
Wyommg
Years.
I
I
I
I
3
2
I
I
2
I
2
I
I
2
I
2
2
2
I
2
2
I
2
2
2
I
2
3
I
2
2
I
I
I
2
I
I
I
2
I
2
I
2
I
Open
Accts.
Years.
3
3
2
6
6
6
3
4
4
2
5
6
5
3
2
3
6
->
o
6
6
6
3
5
5
4
2
6
6
6
6
3
6
6
6
6
5
6
6
6
6
5
3
5
6
6
Notes.
Years.
6
5
4
6
6
6
6
3
5
6
4
lO
20
lO
5
5
20
3
20
6
6
6
lo
lO
5
4
6
6
lo
6
3
15
6
6
6
5
6
6
6
4
4
4
5
6
10
6
15
Judg-
ments.
Sealed and
witnessed
Instru-
ments.
Years.
20
10
5
3
20
20
20
12
20
7
5
20
2o
20
5
15
10
20
12
20
6
10
7
20
10
5
5
20
20
ic^
20
10
15
20
10
20
30
20
20
10
10
5
8
10
6
10
20
15
Years.
10
10
5
3
17
20
20
12
20
20
5
10
20
10
15
15
20
20
12
20
10
6
7
10
10
10
4
20
16
10
20
10
15
20
20
20
30
20
20
6
S
7
8
20
6
10
20
15
PRODUCTIONS OF AGRICULTURE, STATE OF ILLINOIS, BY C0UNT1ES.-I870.
JOUNTIES.
Total ..
ImiJioveil
Land. WootU'iid
Number.
19. 329. 952
OClieruii-
inproved
Nuinliei. X
.5,061. 5?S 1
umber.
.491.331
Spring
Wheat.
Jiusliel.s.
io.i33.2n';
Winter
Wlieat.
IJiisliels. lUisnels
19 99.5.198 2 45K.5r8
Rye.
Induiu
Corn.
Oats.
Adaius
Alexander
Bond
Boone ,
Brown
Bureau
Oallioun
Carroll
Cass
Champaign...
Christian
Clark
Clay
Clinton
Coles
Cook
Crawford
Cumuerlaud.
Delvalb
DeWitt
Douglas
BuPage
Kdgar
Edwards
Effingham —
Fayette
Ford
Franklin
Fulton
Gallatin
Greene
Grundy
Hamilton
Hancock
Hardin
Henderson. .
Henry
Iroquois. . ..
Jackson
Jasper .. ..
Jefferson
Jersey
JoDaviess ..
■Johnson . ..
Kane
Kankakee....
Kendall
Knox ..
Lake
LaSalle
Lawrence . . .
Lee
Livingston...
Logan
Macon
Macoupin
Madison
Marion
Marshall
Mason
Massac
McDonough..
McHenry
McLean
Menard
Mercer
Monroe
Montgomery.
Morgan
Moultrie
Ogle
Peoria
Perry
Piatt
Pike
Pope
Pulaski
Putnam
Randolph
Richland
Rock Island. .
Saline
Sangamon
Schuyler
Scott
Shelby
Stark..
St. Clair
Stephenson..
Tazewell
Union
Vermilion
Wabash
AVarren
Washington.
Wayne
White..
Whitosides...
AVill
Williamson..
AVinnebago...
V/oodford...,
287.92(3
13.83t)
145,045
137,307
57,062
398,611
37,684
186,864
92.902
419,368
241.472
118,594
146,922
150,177
208,337
348,824
105,505
75,342
334,502
168,539
147,63a
364,874
58.91
120,343
187,196
141,228
80,749
228,132
49,572
175,408
193,999
88.996
311.517
2S.11T
140,954
26.5,904
322.510
78,548
90,867
118,951
94,147
156.51'.
57,820
240,120
312,18:i
164.004
330,829
207,77if
533,724
87,8:^8
322,212
377,505
321,709
205,259
231.059
257,032
173,081
166,057
209,453
25,151
261,635
230.566
494,978
134.173
222.809
92,810
276,682
293,450
144,220
316,883
170.729
93,754
94,454
233.785
55.980
19,319
37,271
140,764
75,079
155,214
72,309
421,748
96,195
85,331
310,179
138,129
231,117
254,857
229,126
75,832
360,251
54,063
266,18
177.592
147.3.52
92,398
289.809
419.442
128.448
241,373
22.5,504
112,576
17,761
42,613
29,886
35,491
41,866
63,443
29,793
33,493
16,789
19,803
102,201
80,612
48.868
45,214
19,635
78,350
40,334
17,722
29,548
11,897
17,243
66,803
57,585
56.330
93,460
2,996
3,994
123,823
68,750
93,242
6,256
93,878
43.385
44.771
34,705
12,620
22.478
87,642
67,023
94.888
51,427
82,07t
3
34,646
10,978
14,244
41,566
21,072
48,lli
72,738
12.071
12.46-.i
17,394
18,153
81,224
89,450
61,579
28,261'
31,739
3.3.391
52,54.
53,290
40,36t
34,931
45,97';
83,369
47,804
60,217
24,783
43,643
48,666
68,470
5,978
128,953
87,754
12,51b
17,184
162.274
50,618
31,239
70,393
51,085
62,477
44,633;
74,908;
12,375
76,591'
43.167i
45.268i
83,606
53,078
37,558
27 294
55.852
146,794
78.167
21.823
24,261
116,949
37,238
25,21'
19,370
■"i',91.5
2,658
25.608
15,803
2,754
33,302
6,604
58,502
19,173
5,420
5,225
8,722
3,274
17,337
27,185
5,604
6,551
17,633'
7,316;
3,851
14,282!
830
26,206
16,786
63.976
86,710
4,076
2.565
29.653
4,505
3,343
18.480
107
14,243
31,459
63.498
5.991
12,250
778
1,363
45,779
79,141
399
10,598
2,283
2.5,155
24.399
2.356
3,273
7,409
41,78b
408
9,115
7,343
13,67o
4.142
2,976
31.013
311
14,035
57,998
49,087
13,9.52
22,588
666
8,495
1,376
1.3,1 r-i
14,913
2,516
220
13,897
9,302
4.174
1,170
2 025
20,755
809
19,9.32
21,294
1,610
9,314
2,783
2,016
13,701
14,846
5,300
31,122
509
14,583
1.931
10,486
869
37.310
6,335
1,648
15,237
23,135
16,1911
■■■■"too
241,042
13,276
465,236
75
418,073
12.165
102 577
18,360
1,894
500
2,651
144,296
60
550
398,059
106,493
7,683
106,096
13 283
77
"'42,571
365
193,669
21,700
129
181,378
13
161,112
462,379
57,160
890
282,758
188,82h
10.3,466
90.681
267,764
168,914
271,181
■■45(V.79:-
120,20t
198,056
55,239
160
550
■ l66,i^29
73,261
273,871
401,790
211,801
36,152
289,291
59
18,196
17,128
497,038
92,361
■"26,382
130
28,137
450
■243,54i
200
89,304
56,221
18
15,526
124,630
2,550
527,394
132,417
"44; 806
■'l86i290
266
"457,455
195,286
176
408,606
178,139
947 616
42,658
368.625
599
11 7. .502
724
221,298
260
127.054
123.091
504.041
195 118
85,737
6111,888
154,485
4,904
212,924
84,697
19(1
11,695
65.461
693
247,360
122,703
195,716
351,310
1,008
111.324
223.930
83,093
577,400
1511
92.347
232,7.5(1
32.306
69,062
445
10.48(1
329,036
87.K08
100.553
558,367
555
92,191
325
480
1,249
7,654
221
2,193
264,134
2,260
1,339
40,96;i
196,613
861,39b
1,207,181
173,65:;
90(1
125,628
72,316
36,146
270
10,95.T
45.793
13,2(13
651,767
744,891
357,523
196,436
,5,580
31.843
350,446
39.762
1.057,497
70,457
44,922
79t
1,031,022
150,268
2.27!<
83.011
247.65S
165.724
266.105
452,015
■l,'562'62i
2,118
72,410
180,231
249,558
202.201
5,712
672,486
164.689
184,321
264
1.996
170,787
2,468
108,307
20,989
30
6,240
35,871
4,742
43,811
186
25,721
2.772
45,752
10,722
7,308
3,221
1,619
8,825
20,171
15,497
14,798
21,018
11 540
9,017
7,532
37,508
528
19,759
25.328
11,577
5,195
131,711
512
415
4,931
11.672
133,533
86.^
96,43t
35,76(
23,25i-
52-i
9,16.'
5,93h
■■"7.'i85
2,46^
2.3,618
12,93.T
5.16:
113.547
5.871
48,-iiOI-
1,121
14,82fc
26,16
37.232
29,22:-.
2.404
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1-4,517
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52.401
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:i9.824
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6.670
157,504
99.50i
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7.707
3,23J
:i.401
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23,07:-
20,841
930
23,686
:10.534
1,008
135,362
59,027
1,737
52,476
■"7r2;212
2,576
8,665
418
31.658
8,030
6,228
137.985
20,426
Hushels. Bushels.
129.921.395 42.780.851
759,074
21,627
461,097
579,127
70,852
987,426
26.234
775,10c
168,784
721,375
38:i,821
212.628
269.945
446.324
315.954
1,584,225
136,255
171,880
1,087,074
216,756
225,074
860,809
290,679
129,152
386,073
497,395
154.589
222,426
261,390
27,164
64,029
269.332
203,464
579.599
26,991
229,286
668,367
430,746
149,931
149,214
28.5,949
71.770
874,016
74,525
785.608
772.408
468,890
787,952
699,069
1, .509,642
131,386
90:3,197
659,300
490,226
454,648
459,417
475,2.52
389,446
362,604
272,660
22,097
280,717
910.397
911,127
2:i5,091
452,889
152,251
668,424
198,724
26:j.992
141,540
334,892
338,760
i:iO,610
161,419
67,886
16,511
86,519
414,487
204,634
276,575
69,793
397,718
119.35S
13.462
637,812
316,726
476.851
960.620
505,841
124,473
436.051
110,793
601.054
533.398
404,482
119.653
880.8:38
1,868.682
180.986
868.903
744,581
1,4.52,905
244,220
1,064,052
466,985
337.769
3,030.404
234.041
1.367 965
l,14r).980
:3, 924, 720
1,883,336
614,582
1,019,994
813.257
2,13:3,111
570,427
581.964
403.075
1,02:3,849
1,311,635
1,680,225
331,981
2,107.615
352,371
620,247
962,525
56,5,671
65:3,209
1,508,763
509,491
1,051,313
295,971
735,25-J
1,510.401
172.651
1,712.901
2.541,683
799,811
611,951
461,34.=
887,981
519,121
1,286,321
34:3,29t-
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637,395
681,267
2.708,319
517,353
;3,077,02!-
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l,656,97^
l,182,69t
4,221, 64(
2,214,468
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2,648,721
13:3,126
1,362,49(1
1,14.5,005
3.72:3.379
1.97:3.88(
2,054,962
54:3,718
1, .527.898
:3,198,835
1,75:3.141
1,787,066
969,224
384,446
1,029.725
1,399,188
315,95!-
195.735
334,259
510.081
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1.459,65::
531, 5U
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440,975
' 7.52.771
2,082.578
1,149 878
1,423 121
1.615,679
2,062,053
679.753
2,818.027
421,361
2,982,853
836.115
1,179.291
870.521
2,162,943
1,131,458
655,710
1,237,406
2,154,185
-^^4' /^
PONTIAC
.<^inMNf|
HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY.
A PERIOD of time which would be considered remote in the records of the
civilization of Central Illinois, would be regarded as recent in the annals of
the Eastern or Southern States ; and in the history of a county which, less than
fifty years ago, was inhabited only by the aborigines, it will not be expected that
an undue flavor of antiquity will pervade the pages ; still, the pages of few
histories, either ancient or modern, furnish more instructive lessons than are to
b* found in the record of the pluck, perseverance and success of the early set-
tlers of this county.
The facts pertaining to the early settlement of the county have been gleaned
from the few old pioneers who still survive ; and the writer desires especially to
acknowledge his indebtedness to Hon. Woodford G. McDowell, who came to the
Territory and settled in what is now Livingston County, forty-six years ago,
for much valuable information, without which it would have been impossible to
record some of the most interesting facts and incidents in the history of the
county.
Of the colony which settled in Avoca Township, in the year 1832, Judge
McDowell, his brother; John and James, and a sister, Mrs. Joel Tucker,
still survive and are living in this county. It is fortunate for the historian that
the colony reckoned the McDowell brothers among its numbers ; for they were
not only fully competent to do so, but did take a deep interest in preserving
the more interesting details of the progress and development of the county.
The work of writing this history has been begun none too soon ; as, by far,
the greater number of the early settlers have passed away ; and age and decrep-
itude are clouding the memories of some who remain ; and, had the work been
deferred for a few years, a considerable portion of the history would have been
lost.
This work is not written for the purpose of recording panegyrics on any ^
man or set of men ; and, if an individual receives prominent mention, it is
because his history is interwoven with the history of the county, in such a
manner as to render it necessai'y.
So far as writing up the official and political portion of the work is con-
cerned, care has been taken to follow the official records, so far as there were
records to follow ; but, beyond that, the writer has been forced to hunt his facts
wherever he could find them throughout the countv.
224
HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY.
SETTLEMENT AND POPULATION, AND AVHENCE DERIVED.
Livingston County contains 1,035 square miles of territory, extending west
from the north part of Grand Prairie, and having most of the characteristics of
that district ; and it was among the last counties of the State to attract immi-
gration.
For many years after the first settlers located, our broad prairies failed to
induce c^eneral settlement, as immigrants seemed to prefer the more rolling lands,
of the northern and western counties, or the timbered regions farther south.
It was not until the building of the Illinois Central Railroad, which passed
through many miles of similar country, and brought its peculiar characteristics
into favorable notice, and the construction of the Chicago & Mississippi Road,
which passed directly through the county, that immigrants generally began to
discover the value of the lands of this hitherto neglected region.
Much of the land donated by the Government to the State, and, by the
State transferred to the Central Railroad Company, lay in this county, and was
put upon the market. This land rapidly found purchasers and occupants ; and
the building of these roads, together with the construction of the Toledo, Peoria
Warsaw Road, made it possible for producers to market their grain, and
greatly enhanced the value of the land ; and the real settlement of the county
dates from this era.
The historv of the county naturally divides itself into three epochs : First,
the occupation by the Indians, from the discovery of the prairie country by the
French, to the first white settlement, in the Fall of 1829. Second, from the first
settlement of the whites to the building of the railroads, in 1854. Third, from
that period to the present time. But, before the subject is treated in this
order, a short statement of the derivation of our population will be given, and,
also, the topography and geology of the county will receive attention.
The earlier settlers came, principally, from Indiana and Ohio, with only a
few from the States further east and south, while a large portion of those
who, during the third epoch, reduced the virgin soil to cultivation, were
immigrants from foreign lands, or from the older and more populous counties of
this State. These last mentioned Avere attracted hither by cheaper lands and by a
wider range of pasturage. Nearly all of these were men of small pecuniary means,
but possessed of courage, industry and thrift, and found themselves benefited
by their change of locality. The older counties of La Salle, 'Bureau, Peoria,
Knox, Fulton, Tazewell and Woodford have sent us not a few of their young
and active men. Many of our most esteemed and Avorthy citizens are natives
of Ireland, Germany, Norway and Demark. England has contributed her
share, and many freedmen are settled in the county.
But it is not to immigration alone, active and constant as it has been, that our
great and rapid increase of population is to be attributed. There are no statistics to
shoAv the number of births in the county previous to the present year, and
speculation must be left to others than the historian. Fortunately, however,
HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY. 225
the law which requires the registration of births and deaths has been in force
lono- enoucrli to give a few figures. Registration commenced in December, 1877,
but it was not until late in January, 1878, that the full statistics could be ob-
tained.
In four months, 318 births have been recorded, and it is believed that many
others have occurred which, for various reasons, have not been reported. But
this would make the number of births in this county (which contains a popula-
tion of 40,000) about one thousand per year, or two and one half per cent, per
annum. The number of deaths registered during the same period is seventy-
six, showing that the natural increase does not vary much from two per cent,
during the year. The number of marriage licenses issued during this period
is 140.
TOPOGRAPHY.
The county is bounded on the north by La Salle and Grundy Counties ; on
the east by Kankakee and Ford ; on the south by Ford and McLean ; on the
west by McLean, Woodford and La Salle Counties. It embraces Ranges from
o to 8, east of the Third Principal Meridian ; and Townships from 25 to 30,
north of the base line of the State, being thirty-six miles from cast to west, and
twenty-four from north to south, with an addition of eighteen by nine and three-
fourths miles, lying south of the eastern half of the county. It contains twenty-
seven full Congressional Townships, namely: Reading, Newtown, Sunbury,
Nevada, Dwight, Round Grove, Long Point, Amity, Esmen, Odell, Lnion,
Broughton, Nebraska, Rook's Creek, Pontiac, Owego, Saunemin, Sullivan,
Waldo, Pike, Eppard's Point, Avoca, Pleasant Ridge, Charlotte, Indian Grove,
Forrest and Chatsworth ; and three fractional townships, to wit. Belle Prairie,
Fayette and GermantoAvn.
In size, it is the fourth largest county in the State, being exceeded only by
La Salle, McLean and Iroquois. It is principally prairie land ; but timber is
found along the Vermilion River and its branches, and also in some fine groves
of native timber, in various parts of the county. Round Grove, near the north-
eastern corner, originally contained 80 acres ; Oliver's Grove about 800 acres,
situated near the southeastern corner; Indian Grove, near the soutliwestern
corner, about 800 acres; and Babcock's Grove embraces 100 acres, standing on
high ground near the center of the county ; Packwood's Grove, near this point,
contains 20 acres ; and Five Mile Grove, near the head of the north branch of
the Vermilion, closes the list. Each of these, with the exception of Round
Grove, which is on a branch of the Mazon, stands at the head of a small stream'
which, on leaving the timber, flows through the open prairie and empties into
the Vermilion.
The timber land does not exceed six per cent, of the area. The different
varieties of oak, elm, maple and walnut predominate, while ash, Cottonwood, white-
wood and some other varieties are not uncommon, and a few cedars are found on
the banks of the Vermilion.
226 HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY.
The Vermilion River has its rise in the extreme southeastern portion of the
county, and has the following tributaries : South Branch, Indian Creek, Turtle
Creek, Wolf Creek, Rook's Creek, Mud Creek, Long Point and Scattering
Point Creeks, most of which have their rise in the county. All of these streams
are living water, fed by springs, affording ample Avater for stock, and splendid
drainage for all parts of the county.
The Vermilion and the larger branches are well stocked with fish, of which
the pickerel, bass and cat-fish are the predominant varieties. The Vermilion
affords water-power for a few mills, the best point being at Pontiac, where
Thomas Williams' fine grist-mill and saw-mill are located.
This river has thus been noticed by a local writer :
THE VERMILION.
Vermilion is no classic stream,
She is not named in song or story ;
No mighty deed or poet's dream
Have placed her on the page of glory ;
And yet her banks are just as fair
As those of classic rivers are.
The Rubicon with all its fame,
When sifted down is but a sham ;
Vermilion is a longer name,
And quite as wide above the dam,
And as for Ctvsar riding through it —
Why, any half-baked fool could do it.
Some men go out to see the Nile,
Because they think 'tis great and manly;
And one stayed out there such a while.
He had to be looked up by Stanley.
It really did him no more good
Than paddling up Vermilion would.
Burns sang the praise of Bonnie Doon,
Because a song he must deliver ;
Had he lived here he would as soon
Have sung thy praise, Vermilion River.
Buck's springs would then as famous be
As the castle of Montgomery.
Flow on, Vermilion, gently flow,
And turn the wheels of AVilliams' mill;
Still on thy way rejoicing go —
A river is a river still.
And all the rivers known to fame
Are made of water just the same.
The soil is principally the deep, black alluvial, common in this State. The
surface is gently undulating, with broader stretches of level land than are
found in the northern and western counties. The lands lying south, southwest
and northwest of the center of the county are, for the most part, level, while
north, east and southeast of the center, the land is more rolling, yet not so
uneven as to receive any ill eifects from washing, while under the plow.
HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY. 227
The chief advantage which land of this character has over a more rolling
and broken surface is that, for many years to come, there can be no perceptible
loss in its fertility, from washing while under cultivation.
GEOLOGY.
The geological formations are not unlike those common to the Grand Prairie
district, with the important diiference that, in this county, coal and stone are
found in abundance.
For some years after the first settlement, and during the second epoch, the
people lived in ignorance of the vast coal fields of the county. All residents
then lived in or upon the skirts of the timber, and no fuel was needed, other
than the forest supplied. It is true that the outcroppings of coal along the
banks of the river, in the northwestern part of the county, were discovered and
commented upon ; but the pioneer had no means of utilizing it, and considered
it of no value.
About the year 18G0, Henry L. Marsh, who owned a large tract of land near
Fairbury, had his attention called to the fact that the rapidly increasing popu-
lation must necessarily require a more abundant supply and a cheaper fuel.
There was not timber enough in the county to supply it for ten years, at the
rate it was being consumed ; and, from his knowledge of coal formation. Marsh
believed that it could here be obtained, by going to a sufficient depth.
At that day, coal mining, by deep, perpendicular shafts, was unknown in this
bituminous district. La Salle, Peoria and Morris were sending out the few
tons they were called upon to supply, and Coalville supplied a meager local
trade.
The Wilmington coal fields were not yet discovered, and Streator, which
now, from its various shafts, sends up its thousands of tons per day, was
unknown to the Avorthy man whose name it bears ; and for a decade after
Marsh's pioneer labors, the place was known only by the name of " Hard-
scrabble." To a man of less force, will-power and energy than Marsh, the idea
of mining coal on the open prairie of Livingston County would have remained an
idea, or it might have grown into a desire ; but he was made of the right material to
push a gigantic enterprise to completion. He at once set about an investigation of
the facts in the case, and, under his investigation, the possibilities steadily grew
into a reality. The story of his struggles with adverse fortune, his heavy losses, his
trials and failures, and his final success, would make an interesting and instruct-
ive chapter of history. Water, at various depths, so flooded his work and
damaged it in various ways, that his friends and backers deemed the scheme
impracticable ; but he was not discouraged, and, in the last extremity, he com-
pleted an invention of his own, by which the difficulty was overcome. At a
depth of 180 feet, he struck a paying vein of excellent coal. The success
attending Marsh's efforts incited others to like enterprises, and, in 1865, a shaft
was sunk at Pontiac, another shaft at Fairbury in 1808, one near Streator in
228 HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY.
1872, one at Cornell in 1875, and one at Cayuga in 1878. ■ Cayuga, which is
distant five miles from the river, is, thus far, the farthest point from the Ver-
milion at which a paying vein of coal has been reached in the county. The
efforts to find coal at Odell and Dwight have thus far proved failures. The
mining at Coalville is carried on by horizontal entries, and is not so expensive
to the operators. The capital invested in coal mining in Livingston will not
fall short of a quarter of a million dollars, and, thus far, the enterprise has
proved far more profitable to purchasers than to the proprietors of the mines.
Ledges of limestone, suitable for building purposes, are found along the banks
of the Vermilion ; and at Pontiac and in the vicinity, inexhaustible quar-
ries of calcareo-silicious stone are found. In sinking the coal shafts at Fair-
bury, a fine dark sandstone of peculiar color and quality was discovered. This
stone is easily dressed, and is a superior stone for building purposes.
INDIAN HISTORY.
When the white settlers first began to locate in the territory out of which
Livingston County was formed, they found it in the possession of the Kickapoo
and Pottawatomie Indians.
These tribes claimed the country by right of conquest, and their eventful
history demands a far more extended notice than can be given to it in these
pages. The final and decisive battle between the Kickapoos and the Pottawato-
mies on the one hand, and the Miamis on the other, finds no parallel in history,
except it be the battle of "Chevy Chase" between the followers of Douglas
and Percy. This " duel of the tribes," as it is called, will again be referred to.
The " mini " Avcre the first inhabitants of which history gives any authentic
account.
This name means " Superior men " and did not apply to a tribe, but to a
confederation of tribes, composed of the Peorias, Moinquienas, Kas-kas-kias,
Tamaroas and Cahokias. In 1872, this powerful confederation had dwindled
to forty souls, and these were living on a reservation southwest of the land
assigned by the Government to the Quapaws.
Chicago was their great chief in the days of their glory. In 1700, this
chief went to France, and was treated with distinguished honors. His son, of
the same name, was also a powerful chief to the time of his death, in 1754.
Against this confederation, the Kickapoos, PottaAvatomies and Miamis com-
bined for a war of extermination. After a long and bloody struggle, the Illini
made their last stand at Starved Rock, in La Salle County, in the year 1774.
The Illini suffered a disastrous defeat, and left their enemies in undisputed
possession of the territory. But when the victorious tribes came to divide the
domain among themselves, fresh difficulty arose, and they again resorted to
arms.
In this struggle, the Kickapoos and Pottawatomies combined their forces,
and made common cause against the Miamis. The war which followed was
HISTORV OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY. 229
not of long duration ; but it was exceedingly bloody and fatal to the participants.
In the year 1774, less than twelve months from the time that they had con-
quered the Illini, it was agreed that the Miamis should select three hundred
warriors, and the Kickapoos and Pottawatomies a like number, and that these
SIX hundred men should meet in combat and decide the (quarrel. The
opposing forces met on the banks of Sugar Creek and fought from the rising to
the setting of the sun, and at the close of the day there remained only- twelve
men who were not killed or mortally wounded ; and of these, five were Miamis
and seven Kickapoos and Pottawatomies.
The ballad of "Chevy Chase." with which every student of historv is
familiar, and which records the only parallel of this conflict to be found in
history, tells us that
" The fight did last from break of day
Till setting of the sun :
for when they rung tlie evening bell,
The battle scatce was done.
"And the Lord Maxwell, in likewise,
Did with Earl Douglas die ;
Of twenty hundred Scottish spears,
Scarce fifty-five did fly.
" Of fifteen hundred Englishmen,
Went home but fifty-three ;
The rest were slain at Chevy Chase.
Under the greenwood tree."
But this people had no written language, and many of their deeds of noble
•daring will perish with them ; but it would require but little imairination to
quote further from the records of Chevy Chase, and apply it to this'conflict :
" Next day, did many widows come,
Their husbands to bewail ;
They washed their wounds in briny tears,
But all could not prevail.
" Their bodies, bathed in purple blood,
They bore with them away ;
They kissed them, dead, a thousand times
Ere they were clad in clay."
In this battle, the Kickapoos and Pottawatomies were declared the victors,
and the Miamis retired to the east side of the AYabash River, leaving them in
possession of the territory.
The victorious tribes then divided the land between them, and the Indian
trail passing near Oliver's Grove marked the dividing line. East and southeast
of this line belonged to the Kickapoos, and the remainder to the Pottawatomies.
Hon. Perry A. Armstrong, a gentleman of culture and natural talent, who
resides at Morris, in Grundy County, has made the study of the history of these
Indian tribes a specialty for the past twenty-five years ; and it is to him that the
writer is indebted for valuable dates in this connection.
230 HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY.
Armstrong says, in speaking of the Indian trail referred to : " It was very
distinct when I last saw it, in 1845 ; and Avhen I first saw it, in 1831, it was,
on an average, eight inches deep by fifteen inches wide." This trail was the-
dividing line between the two tribes up to the year 1835, when the Government
moved them west of the Mississippi.
When the boundary line was established, the Pottawatomies retired to the-
vicinitv of Fox River, while the Kickapoos established their headquarters on
Salt Creek, near where the town of LeRoy now stands ; and the vicinity was^
known to the first settlers by the name of Old Town Timber. The Pottawato-
mies would come up as far as Rook's Creek, on their hunting excursions, and'
they frequently camped on the Vermilion River, in the vicinity of the present
residence of Emsley Pope, in Newtown ; but the boundary line was respected,,
and the two tribes remained on friendly terms.
In the Spring of 1828, the Kickapoos removed their headquarters within
the present bounds of Livingston County. They erected a council house and
built a villao-e on the east side of Indian Grove, and the tribe at that time num-
bered about 700 souls. They possessed all the ordinary characteristics of the
typical American Indian — the copper complexion, black, straight hair, well-pro-
portioned limbs and keen, black eyes.
The women Avere far more attractive in personal appearance than the gener-
ality of squaws, notwithstanding the fact that upon them devolved all the drudg-
ery of domestic life ; and, while they remained at Indian Grove, the women
cultivated the land, after a rude fiishion, and raised corn, beans and potatoes,
Avhile the men devoted themselves to hunting and fishing, but the squaws were
expected to dress all game after it was brought home.
In the Spring of 1830, they removed to Oliver's Grove, then known as
Kickapoo Grove, where they erected a large and permanent council house,
ninety-seven wigwams and several small encampments.
It was here that an exact census of them Avas taken, and they numbered —
men, women and children — 630 souls.
In the year of 1832, a pioneer Methodist preacher by the name of William
Walker, who resided at Ottawa, 111., visited them and established a Mission.
Father Walker was at the time an old man, and the journey was a long one for
him to make ; but, under his ministrations, several of the tribe were converted
to Christianity, among the number being a young man whom Walker ordained,
and who held regular service every Sabbath when Walker could not attend-
They soon came to have great respect for 'the Sabbath, and, at whatever dis-
tance from home they might be hunting during the Aveek, they ahvays returned
to camp on Saturday night, so as to be in attendance at church on Sunday
morning.
Their prayer books consisted of Avalnut boards, on Avhich were carved char-
acters representing the ideas intended to be impressed upon the mind. At the
top of the board Avas a picture of a AvigAvam.
I
HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY. 231
These boards were quite uniform in size and appearance, and were held very
sacred, and were protected with the utmost care ; no Indian thought of retiring
for the night without first consulting his board.
Each Sabbath they had a public dinner, of which the whole community
partook. In the center of the ground in which their religious meetings were
held, a fire was kindled, and over this the camp kettles were hung in a line.
The men were grouped on one side of this line and the women on the other;
at one end gathered the children, and at the other end stood the preacher.
Two men stood near the children to see that perfect order was preserved; and
no congregation, even in the days of the Puritan fixthers, was more decorous
than were these newly Christianized Kickapoos. While the minister preached,,
the dinner cooked ; and when the religious services were over, the kettles were
removed from the fire, and the dinner was served out into Avooden bowls and
trenchers, with ladles and spoons of the same material. The dinner generally
consisted of venison, coon, opossum, turtle, fish, or any other animal food they
coukf obtain, together with corn, beans and potatoes, all boiled together.
Hon. Woodford (x. McDowell, on whom we have largely drawn for infor-
mation, says that a dinner of this kind "generally left a quantity of soup,
which was highly flavored and quite nutritious." It is natural to suppose that
such would be the case.
The Kickapoos remained at this point until September, 1832, when they-
were removed by the Government to their lands west of the city of St. Louis.
Shabbona, the friend of the whites, with whom many of the earliest settlers
were acquainted, was neither a Kickapoo nor a Pottawatomie, but an Ottawa
Indian. After the death of Pontiac, after whom the county seat of Livings-
ton County is named, the Ottawa tribe became merged into the Pottawatomies ;
but many individual members of the tribe clung to the old name, and cherished
with pride the history of their descent from this superior stock. Of this num-
ber was Shabbona, who was very sensitive on the question of his origin. If he
was called a Pottawatomie, says Armstrong, he would immediately and invari-
ably reply: "Me Ottawa Indian ; me no Pottawatomie."
The history of the great chief Pontiac is interwoven with the history of the
nation ; yet it has remained for Hon. Perry A. Armstrong, of Morris, to give
to the world a reliable account of his last days.
The last event recorded in his career, in the commonly received history, is
his attack on Capt. Dalzell, who, at the head of three hundred men, was march-
ing to the relief of Detroit, about the last of July, 1763. Says the national
historian : "Subsequent to this period, we have no reliable history of the Great
Sachem of the Ottawas." Armstrong says : " He was a great brave, who had
enemies and rivals, who finally caused him to be assassinated. He was invited
to a war dance on a dark night, solely for this purpose. He was warned to stay
away, or if he attended to take with him a strong force of braves ; but aspir-
ing to be the leader of all, he knew that if he showed fear on this occasion
232 HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY.
he would be forever disgraced; he started alone, and was waylaid and mur-
dered before he reached his destination." This event occurred is 1772, near
where East St. Louis stands,
EARLY SETTLEMENT AND INCIDENTS.
V. M. Darnall and Frederick Rook were the first white men to locate in
the territory now embraced in Livingston County. Darnall erected his cabin in
the southern part of the timber known as Indian Grove, in the Fall of 1829,
soon after the Kickapoo Indians had exchanged this locality for Oliver's Grove.
At or about the time that Darnall made his settlement at Indian Grove,
Frederick Rook located five miles west of Pontiac, on the creek which still
bears his name ; and, soon after, Isaac Jordan selected his location. Rook
removed to Missouri at an early day, and the exact date of his settlement here
cannot be obtained. These three men, Avith their fiimilies, Avere the only white
persons, in this locality, who saw the " great snow " Avhich fell in the Winter of
1830-31. This fall of snow was phenomenal, and its like, probably, had never
occurred before, and certainly has not since within the limits of the State. In
a dead calm, it fell to the depth of four feet. This was followed by a drizzling
rain, which soon turned to sleet. Then the weather became intensely cold, and
the whole face of the country was covered with a sheet of ice, overlying a
field of snow that was four feet deep on the level.
This storm was very destructive to game of all kinds, and it was several
years before it again became abundant. Deer, by the hundred, starved to
death, and birds, such as grouse and quail, perished in great numbers. Squire
L. Payne, of Eppard's Point, who at that time resided near Danville, informs
ihe writer that deer, showing no signs of fear, would stand and eat the branches
from a fallen tree while the woodman was chopping and splitting the body of
the same. He further says that, after the snow had continued for some time,
the deer were not molested, as they were so emaciated as to be unfit for food,
and were only occasionally killed for their skins.
At this period, the Kickapoo Indians had a village at Oliver's Grove, and
they, as Avell as the few white settlers, suifered severely from the intense cold
and scarcity of food. During the continuance of the snow, they used their
largo council house as a common kitchen for all. Their camp kettles were kept
constantly boiling, and into them were thrown such animal food as they could
procure. A starved deer was a welcome addition to their larder, and, when
•other supplies failed, a pony was sacrificed, and horse soup dished out.
Frederick Rook and Isaac Jordan found their stock of provisions failing,
and thev conceived the idea of manufacturino; snow-shoes from boards and going
to Mackinaw for supplies, for it was impossible for them to travel with a horse.
They accomplished the journey on their snow-shoes, and Avhen they reached
that, to them, Egyptian storehouse, they were so fortunate as to receive, each, a
bushel and a half of corn. They placed this on hand-sleds and drcAv it home,
HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY. 233
arriving there on the evening of the fourth day. This corn they pounded into
meal, and, by careful husbanding, made it last them till further supplies could
be obtained.
When the snow began to fall, jNIajor Darnall was over on the Mackinaw, his
wife and four small children being at home in Indian Grove, with a scanty sup-
ply of prodsions. He waited during the night for the storm to abate ; but, at
the early dawn, he mounted his horse, which Avas an excellent one, and taking
the half of a deer before him, without guide or compass, he started across the
trackless snow-field for his distant home. It was a perilous undertaking and,
at times, it seemed useless to ti-y to proceed, as the horse would sink to his saddle-
girths in the snow ; but horse and rider persevered, and, just as the sun was
setting, he espied the smoke curling from the chimney of his little cabin, which
was half buried in the snow. Imagination can paint the blissful meeting of
husband and wife on this occasion ; and there have been few happier family
meetings than the one gathered around Major Darnall's hearthstone on that
memorable evening.
Major Darnall still resides in the vicinity of Fairbury, possessed of a com-
petence, honored and respected ; and it is worth something to hear him recount
the history of the early days of Livj ^-ston County.
Durins: the vear 1830, Andrew/ »IcMillan and Garret M. Blue located on
Rook's Creek, and their descendant - are numerous. Blue's name and those of
his sons frequently appear in the political annals of the county.
Jacob Moon came to Moon's Point in the same year, and his progeny are
among the most wealthy and respected in the county.
On the 5th day of May, 1832, William McDowell, i"rom Sciota County,
Ohio, with his five sons, John, Hiram, Woodford G., Joseph and James, and his
two daughters, Betty and Hannah, settled in what is now Avoca Township, on
the Little Vermilion. Their nearest white neighbor on the south was one Philip
Cook ; but they could call around on Frederick Rook, Isaac Jordan or William
Popejoy, almost any time, by going a distance of from five to fifteen miles.
The elder McDowell displayed excellent judgment in selecting this location,
for after forty-five years' continual farming, the soil is still rich and productive.
The McDowells at once proceeded to erect their cabin. The principal tool
used in its construction Avas an axe. They brought with them a few panes of
glass for a window, and, in this particular, they had the advantage of their
neighbors. The boards which furnished the material for the door and window
casing of this primitive dwelling, were purchased of the Kickapoo Indians, and
were brought from Oliver's Grove with an ox team. The Indians had hewn
them out for some purpose of their own, but were induced to part with them
for a small s.upply of ammunition.
The Black Hawk war Avas then in active operation, and this settlement Avas
within a short march of the headcpiarters of this terrible chief. This same year,
Wm. Popejoy, John Hanneman and Franklin Oliver located, and soon took an act-
234 HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY.
ive part m the affairs of the settlement. Black Hawk maintained his position, and
the situation of the settlers became alarming, as it was not known what attitude the
Kickapoo Indians (numbering 030) at Oliver's Grove, would assume ; and, on
the 20th of May, they were waited upon by a deputation of whites for the pur-
pose of ascertaining their intentions.
At this meeting, the venerable Franklin Oliver presided. On their return
from the council, the members of the deputation stopped at the McDowell cabm
and took dinner, and they advised the settlers either to abandon their homes or
proceed to erect fortifications. The latter scheme was impracticable, for the
reason that there were but two rifles in the whole settlement, and very little
ammunition. On the 27th of May, all the white men in the settlement held a
council, and it Avas then and there decided that the best thing that could be
done, under the circumstances, was to retire to the white settlements in Indiana ;
and, on the evening of the 28th, the entire white population camped in and
around the McDowell cabin, preparatory to a march the next morning.
This company consisted of the McDowell family, and William Popejoy,
Abner Johnson, Uriah Blue, Isaac Jordan and John Hanneman, and their fam-
ilies — thirty-one souls in all. In speaking of this party, Hon. Woodford G.
McDowell, who was one of the number, says : "I feel sure, if the entire outfit
^ had been required to raise twenty-five dollars among them, or be scalped by the
Indians, they would have been compelled to throw up the sponge — they could
not have raised the money."
On the morning of the 29th of May, the whole company of seven families,
in six wagons, took up the line of march and left the embryo county in posses-
sion of the Indians. Darnall must have retreated some time previous, as his
name is not mentioned in this exodus ; and as far as Oliver is concerned, he
came and went among the Indians at his own pleasure, and without fear of
molestation. He thoroughly understood their character, and was accounted a
favorite among them ; and, in fact, an Indian chief was called after his name.
Durin^r the march to Indiana, several interesting incidents transpired.
The more timid were in hourly anticipation of an attack from Black Hawk, and
could scarcely be persuaded to regulate their pace with the ox teams which drew
the women and children. On the second day of their march, the Avife of Isaac
Jordan presented him with an infant daughter ; and James McDowell, then a
young man of 17 years, together with another youth, walked to a grove of
timber four miles distant to procure wood enough to build a camp fire. On
their return, they found the camp in great commotion. A couple of Indians
had been seen on a ridge overlooking the camp, and then to disappear in the
tall grass. Women and children were crying, and even some of the men were
badly frightened, and counseled an immediate flight, as they supposed the
Indians they had seen were scouts sent out by Black Hawk. Others were less
excited, and proceeded to light the camp fire and prepare their supper, the elder
McDowell remarking, as he held his frying-pan over the fire, that " he did not
HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY. 235
propose to be scalped on an empty stomach." It was soon ascertained, how-
ever, that the Indians Avere two friendly Kickapoos, who had come to bid their
white friends farewell ; but the incident proved the different material of which
the company was composed, and had not a little to do with the estimate in
which they subsequently held each other's character.
The next day, the mother and child were left at the house of Philip Cook,
before mentioned, as this Avas considered sufficiently remote from the seat of war
to be safe ; and the remainder of the party pushed on to Indiana. A. B. Phil-
lips and James Spence, with their families, had taken refuge within a fortifica-
tion on the Mackinaw. But, in the Fall of the same year, nearly all of the
persons mentioned in the exodus returned to their claims.
We have seen how near the daughter of Isaac Jordan came to being born in
the limits of the county, but the first white child actually born within the bor-
ders of Livingston, Avas a son of A. B. Phillips. He grew to manhood, and
when the hour of his country's peril came, he was one of the first to answer her
call, and he gave his life to maintain her honor. Thus the county literally gave
her " first born for a sacrifice." All honor to such men !
" On fame's eternal camping ground
Their silent tents are spread,
And glory guards, with solemn round,
The bivouac of the dead."
The second birth in the county was J. W. Darnall, noAV 47 years old, and a
worthy and respected citizen. When the settlers returned from Indiana, Avith
them came Nathan Popejoy, and located a fcAv miles east of Pontiac. At this
period. Judge McDoAvell informs us that there Avere but tAvo young ladies
within a distance of fifty miles up and doAvn the Vermilion, but this condition of
thino-s did not long exist, for the year 1833 saAV a considerable influx of new
families. In this year. Dr. John DaAis settled near the present residence of
Philip Rollins. He Avas the first physician in the county, and had the medical
practice, without a rival, for some time. About the same time came Daniel
RockAvood and the Weeds, Henry, E. F. and James, also John Recob, John
Johnson, the Murry family, Squire Hayes, John Chew, Daniel Barackman,
John DoAvney, Joseph Reynolds and his brothers. The Government had just
removed the last Kickapoo Avest of the Mississippi, and Franklin Oliver, this
year, permanently located at Kickapoo Grove, Avhich, since that date, has borne
his name. The Indian trouble Avas now forever settled, so far as this county Avas
concerned, the hardest trials were past and a brighter day was daAvning ; but
the old settler never groAvs weary of talking about this period, and of recount-
ing his trials and exploits. Among the number Avhose recollection is perfectly
unimpaired, is John Johnson, of Rook's Creek. He Avas born in Ontario
County, NcAv York, and came to ShaAvneetoAvn, in this State, as early as 1821.
There Avere only some fifty Avhite persons in the county Avhen Johnson settled
here, and he kncAv them all. He calculates that he and his sons have killed
236 HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY.
over a thousand deer within the limits of the county. In the Fall hunt of 1834,
they killed seventy-five and took the skins and hams to Ottawa, and received
for them the sum of sixty dollars — a large amount of money in those days.
Franklin Oliver, although in his ninety-second year, still retains his faculties in
a wonderful degree, and is a walking encyclpp?edia of facts pertaining to the
early settlement ; also Emsley Pope (whose history will receive further mention),
together with James and Woodford G. McDowell and Major Darnall are still
with us, their minds and memories unimpaired. Frederick Rook, the old
pioneer, after whom Rook's Creek Township is named, is described by James-
McDowell, as a well-made, fat-faced, easy natured and accommodating German?
and not at all such a character as has been described in later days. He had a
wife and family, and, at the date of his departure, his eldest daughter, Mary,
w'as seventeen years old. He frequently deplored the lack of facilities for giv-
ing his children an education, and it is stated that this was the cause of his
removing from the county at an early day. He was a capital sliot, a generous
provider for his family, and altogether a worthy man ; and the aspersions cast
upon his character are without any foundation in fact, and may be considered as
false.
The nearest post office at this time was at Bloomington ; but, as James
McDowell says, they did not take a daily paper or write many love letters in
those days ; they managed to live with a post office even at that distance.
They took their grain fifty miles, with an ox team, to a mill owned and run by
John Green, on the other side of Ottawa ; and, after hauling it that distance,
they frequently had to wait a day or two for their turn, and it never happened
that a man went to mill, called round by the post office and returned home on
the same day.
Among some of the earliest settlers were Truman Rutherford, John Foster,
James Holman, William K. Brown, .Judge Breckenridge, Amos Edwards and
Andrew McDowell, of Long Point ; Walter Cornell, Andrew Sprague, Joel B.
Anderson, H. Steers, Isaac Burgit, John Darnall, John Travis, J. W. Reynolds,
Charles Jones, Philip Rollins, John Marks, James Demoss, Benjamin Hie-
ronymous and the Garner brothers.
It was several years before the pioneers erected a church edifice, but they
were not heathens. For miles around, the community would, on a Sunday^
assemble at the house of John Terhune, who possessed a book of sermons, and
who would read to them on these occasions. Terhune was a man of education^
who quietly came among these pioneers, and, after remaining a few years,
departed as he came. His destination was not known, and the date of his
departure is not fixed ; and, as he was of a retiring and unobtrusive disposition,
but few facts concerning him can be obtained.
In 1884, William Royle, a Methodist preacher, established a mission in this
locality ; but, as his circuit embraced such distant points as Waupansee, Ottawa
and Mazoii, he could only hold service here on a week day ; yei men w^ould
HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY. 23T
leave their work and come ten and even fifteen miles to attend religious service.
In the Fall of the year, the whole community — men, women and children — -
would yoke ujx their ox teams and go over to Mackinaw to attend camp meeting.
This was considered the event of the year, and was eagerly anticipated by the
young people, who had not many opportunities of enjoying each other's society
and forming new acquaintances. Joseph C. Morrison, of Avoca Township, and
now one of the wealthiest and most respected citizens of the county, was, at
this period, one of the rising young men of the community. He says that the
enjoyment of these trips could only be appreciated by a community placed in
like circumstances.
Yet these pioneers were not without their amusements and recreations ; but;
they generally contrived to combine business with pleasure. James ]McDowell
came twelve miles, with his father, to assist in raising the first cabin that was
erected in Pontiac ; and he remembers it as a day given to pleasure.
Another popular amusement was to assemble the community for the " grand
circular hunt." Having selected the territory, which embraced as large a tract
as the number of hunters could command, they placed themselves in a circle, on
the outside, and drove the game toward a common center. The gams thus encir-
cled consisted mainly of wolves and deer, which were always captured or killed
in great numbers. The hunt, and especially the closing up of the circle, wa&
exciting in the extreme, and no small amount of skill was displayed in the man-
ner of disposing of the animals as they attempted to break through the lines of
their persecutors.
The State paid a bounty for wolf scalps in those days, and this Avas a source
of revenue to the settlers.
On one occasion, while Nicholas Hefi"ner was both Sheriff and Tax Collect-
or for the county, and Washington Boyer was School Commissioner, Heff-
ner was taken sick, and requested James McDowell to go to Springfield for
him and make a settlement with the State, and the School Commissioner^
learning that he was about to make the trip, called on him and requested that he
should bring back with him, from Springfield, the amount due the county from
the State school fund.
McDowell mounted his horse and, taking a huge bag of legal tender, in the
shape of wolf scalps, before him, set out on his journey, and, arrived at the State
Capital, he not only paid the entire amount due the State in wolf scalps, but
exchanged a sufficient number of the remainder with the State Treasurer, to
cover the amount coming to the county from th3 school fund. Notwithstanding
this remarkable instance of the profit derived from rearing wolves, their propa-
gation is now entirely neglected in this county, and a wolf found occasionally iS'
viewed as an object of curiosity.
James McDowell still flourishes in his pristine vigor, though upward of 60
years old. He owns over 2,100 acres of choice farming land in the vicinity
where he first located, and is enjoying the competence he has so justly earned.
^38 HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY.
It is a matter of wonder to many now living in the county, how the pioneers
managed to live and rear large families where there was no money in the country,
•and no market for produce. In the first place, they did not go in debt, for they
.could not do so ; then game was abundant, and if it Avould not bring a price, it
.filled a very important place in the household economy. They raised their own
.coffee, which was prepared from parched corn ; they made their own sugar, and
:as for store tea, that was dispensed with. Then, again, a dealer from some of the
•earlier settled portions of the State, would occasionally ride through this region
on horseback, and purchase a few steers at a very low price, but a little money
went a great way with the fathers. Deer skins and the skins and furs of
smaller animals always brought cash when they could be got to market, and
occasionally a pioneer would collect these and push through to some distant
point and, disposing of them, return with their value in money.
The introduction of a few sheep by Maj. Darnall helped matters very much.
Tlie carding, spinning and weaving Avere done at home, and cost no money.
This industry was first introduced into the community by the good wives of
Maj. Darnall and A. B. Phillips, and was soon copie(J by other matrons. Taxes
swere very low ; and if a settler of this period received from all sources an
income of §15 or $20 per annum, he had sufiicient to pay his cash expenses.
The amount of money now paid for a new bonnet, or a Spring overcoat, would
.have sufiiced to support a family at that time for six months." There were few
schools for the children, and they were required to help carry on the farm work,
.and everything was made to count for what it was worth.
But what was already a difficult financial problem was made doubly so by
the general crash which the year 1887 brought to all business and monetary
affairs.
During the very year that saw our county legally organized, the State
Legislature passed the bill for internal improvement at public expense ; and
on the passage of this suicidal law, near ten millions of dollars Avere appro-
priated for building a network of railroads all over the State, and work was
actually commenced on them at various points. The scheme bankrupted the
State, and, for nineteen years, Illinois paid neither principal nor interest on her
indebtedness.
Emigrants avoided a State thus incumbered ; and one cliief source of ready
money (that brought by new comers) Avas denied to us. But the pioneers of
Livingston, in this extremity, showed pluck and energy worthy of record.
There being no market for anything in the interior of the State, they, with their
ox-teams, hauled their produce to Chicago, and even drove their hogs across the
pathless prairie to that point.
Joseph C. Morrison, who frequently made the trip with a drove of hogs, tells
us that it Avas accomplished in the foUoAving manner : A number of farmers
Avould collect their hogs and start on the journey, agreeing to feed the hogs at
night by tarns, each in succession returning to his home for a load of corn,
.^
f "i -is-^S,'^-
W
PONTIAC
^
AfNlVtiv^i I I iiuib
HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY. 241
from which the hogs were fed upon his again coining up with the drove ; and
thus, by relieving each other, they accomplished wliat would otherwise have been
an impossible task.
When the slaughter house was reached, the hogs were dressed for the offal,
and the dressed hogs were put upon the market : tliose weighing 200 and oveV
generally selling at $1.50 per hundred, and those weighing less at $1.00 per
hundred. A farmer made but one such trip during the year, and brought home
with him the absolute necessaries of life.
The first mill erected in the county was run by horse power. It was built
by Garrett M. Blue, near his residence, in Rook's Creek Township, This was
justly considered by the early settlers, as a most valuable acquisition to the
institutions of the county. The bolting was done by tacking a yard of fine
muslin on a frame, and through this was rubbed, by the hand, small portions
of the crushed wheat.
In 1838, the saw-mill at Pontiac was erected by C. H. Perry and James
McKee, but a grist-mill was not attached for some years.
John Foster, who resides with his son Robert, at Pontiac, is the oldest set-
tler in that part of the county. He reached that point from Cayuga County,
New York, in 1836. Two deserted cabins were then the only buildings on the
site of the now^ flourishing city. The land was then considered too low and
swampy to be habitable. Foster saAv the toAvn laid out, and took the contract
for building the first Court House, the price agreed upon being $800. The
building is still standing near the M. E. Church, and is owned by Jacob Strea-
mer and leased to the city for various purposes. Foster also kept the first
hotel, and, in the early days, he entertained the Judge, attorneys, juries and
litigants to the satisfaction of all parties concerned.
In order to maintain his reputation as a landlord, he would, when a term of
the Circuit Coui't was approaching, go out into the country and borrow bed-
steads, beds and bedding, and what crockery there was to loan. This manner
of procedure worked very well for a time, but on one occasion, the portly Judge
David Davis, who had perhaps retired to rest with a heavy case on his mind,
occupied one of the borrowed bedsteads, and he quashed it. The Judge was
rescued from the debris by friendly hands ; but the bedstead, as a bedstead,
had lost its usefulness, and thereafter Foster found some difficulty in inducing
his neighbors to loan furniture.
Foster, on these occasions, entertained Douglas, Lincoln, and other distin-
guished lawyers, for the attorneys follow'ed the judge from county to county.
Lincoln, during one term of court paid his hotel bill by attending to a suit, in
which Foster, as Constable, was concerned in the replevin of some goods "taken
on execution. Lincoln gained the case, and Uncle John formed a high opinion of
his new boarder. Foster's recollections of these early days are vivid and interesting.
The amounts of revenue levied and collected during the first four vears of
the county's existence, commencing with the year 1837, are as follows : First
242 HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY.
year, $113.71 ; second year, $109.80 ; third year, $180.56 ; and the fourth
year, $166.26.
When it is recorded that the levy in the county for the year 1877 is
about $400,000, the figures in the former years are as astonishing as the fig-
ures in the latter year are astounding.
The first post office was that established in Pontiac, in 1837, and Cornelius
W. Reynolds was the first Postmaster.
Letter postage was then twenty-five cents, payable either on mailing the let-
ter or at the office where it was received.
No inconsiderable number of letters came to the office unpaid, and such was
the scarcity of money that some of them would remain in the office for weeks
and even months, before they could be taken out and paid for.
Martin A. Newman was the first Route Agent. He traveled on horseback
from OttaAva to Bloomington, by way of Pontiac and Lexington, and made a
trip in two weeks.
The first Court House was erected in 1839-40, by Henry Weed, Lucius
Young and Seth W. Young. It Avas accepted from them, and a bond of
$3,000 surrendered, in which they had stipulated to erect the house at their
own expense, provided the county seat was located on the land selected by
them.
The second Court House was erected under the county judgeship of Billings
P. Babcock, and was as good a building as could be erected at that time for the
money expended. Judge Babcock gave the same particular care to every item of
its material and construction that he displays in his own financial affairs.
The previous year. Judge Henry Jones erected, at Pontiac, the first brick
building ever erected in the county. It is the one that has recently been remod-
eled, and is now occupied as a residence by Joseph P. Turner. The brick of
which it was composed were purchased at Bloomington and hauled to Pontiac ;
and, in stipulating with the contractors, Judge Babcock required the brick to be
of as good quality as the material used in the building of this house. This
opened up a new industry, and the first bricks were made during the same
year.
The building was two stories high, having offices for the Circuit Clerk,
County Clerk, Sheriff and Treasurer on the first floor, and the court room and
jury room on the second floor. In 1871, a fire-proof vault, in an added wing,
was completed.
On the 4th day of July, 1874, this building was destroyed by fire, together
with Union Block and the Phoenix Hotel.
The present Court House was erected the following year, and was com-
pleted in the month of December, and dedicated by the first Old Settlers' meet-
ing. This structure is one of the finest in the State. J. C. Cochrane, of Chi-
cago, was the architect, and the contract for building Avas awarded to Colvin,
Clark & Co., of Ottawa.
HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY. 243
To the Building Committee of the Board of Supervisors is due an honora-
ble mention for the honest and satisfactory manner in which they discharged
their duty, in this connection. The names of these gentlemen Avere Jar^es E.
Morrow. Edson Wilder, Jacob Phillips, E. G. Greenwood, Wm. S. Sims and J.
B. Parsons. The entire cost of the building and furniture Avas |75,000.
The first jail was built at Pontiac in 1866. Previous to that time, the pris-
oners of the county were kept at Joliet, Ottawa or Blooraington, where such
conveniences of civilization existed. In that year, a good substantial stone jail
was erected at a cost of $18,000.
The first county election was at the residence of Andrew McMillan, a mile
northwest from Budd's Mill, on the north bank of the Vermilion.
The first County Commissioners and the first Sheriff" performed the duties
of their offices without any authority from the State, and, as they are all dead, the
manner in which they obtained any authority to act will, perhaps, remain a mystery
The ancient archives of the county contain no certificate of election or other
evidence that they held their offices by virtue of either election or appointment.
The records of the Secretary of State, have also been ransacked to discover, if
possible, a clue to the matter ; but nothing appears to indicate that either these
or any other officers, previous to 18oS, were legally qualified to act. In this
year, Nicholas Hefner was duly elected and qualified to act as Sheriff".
It is known, however, that the form of an election had been observed, and
that Joseph Reynolds had been declared Sheriff", and the Board of Commission-
ers had appointed him Collector of Taxes ; and as no one desired to hold office
in those days, no investigating committee inquired into the irregularity. The
first marriage license issued in the county was made out by H. W. Beard, Clerk
of the County Commissioners' Court, and it was, no doubt, intended to authorize
Mr. Williamson Spence and Miss Mary Darnall to solemnize a marriage ; but
so far as the record goes, it only authorized the marriage of Williamson to Miss
Mary Darnall ; so that, so far as the record has anything to do with the matter,
the descendants of Spence are all Williamsons. It is not improlxxble that this
clerk — H. W. Beard — was an old bachelor, and took delight in mutilating mar-
riage licenses ; for the next license authorized Simeon Mad, instead of Simeon
Madden, to marry Elizabeth Rutherford.
Since' that period, 6,000 marriages have been authorized by the various
County Clerks.
Samuel C. Ladd came to Pontiac from Connecticut in October, 1842. Only
two houses remain in Pontiac, which had been erected previous to his coming.
One of these, is the old Court House, and the other is the building now occupied
■ by Samuel Mossholder as a dwelling. Seth W. Young Avas the fii'st man to
erect a house on the site of the city of Pontiac. He died at this place, as also
did his brother, Lucius Young. They were interested with Henry Weed in
securing the location of the county seat at this point, and after their death, C
H. Perry, Henry Stephens, Samuel C. Ladd and some others became interested
244 HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY.
C. H. Perry brought the first stock of goods to the county, b^ before he
was established in business, S. C. Ladd bought him out. About this time, Mr.
Ladd entered into partnership with Willet Gray, and they purchased James
McKee's interest in the mill. Their store stood on the banks of the river near
where Robert Aerl's feed yard noAv is. Ladd soon after erected a frame business
building on the present site of Gunsul's livery stable; and, for several years,
he and Gray, were the only resident merchants of the county. These mer-
chants secured the services of John A. Fellows as salesman, and he was so
popular that it was said of him that "he drew all the trade of the Vermilion
Valley, and would have drawn more if the valley had been longer." C. H. Perry
was then the capitalist. He brought to the place the first piano, the first "store
carpet " and the first looking glass. His residence was a log cabin, and it used
to be told how a horse once walked in at the open door, and stood surveying
himself in Perry's looking glass, while he fought flies with his natural protector.
The piano remained the only musical instrument of its kind in the county until
Perry removed to Iowa and took it with him, and it was many years before its
place was filled.
Samuel C. Ladd was, at once, an able and popular man. He has held the
offices of Circuit Clerk, County Clerk, Recorder and Postmaster ; and, in later
years, he was appointed Assessor of Internal Revenue and filled the office accept-
ably, from 1863 to 1869.
Emsley Pope, the pioneer of Newtown, was born in Rowan County, North
Carolina, in the year 1797, and removed with his farther to Champaign County,
Ohio, in 1810. His father enlisted in the war of 1812, but was prevented from
serving by sickness. Young Pope, then but 15 years of age, begged permission
to go as his father's substitute, and, permission being given, he shouldered his
musket and served during the war.
When peace was restored, he resided with his father until 1836, when he
was married and came to this State, and located upon the identical piece of
ground upon which he has ever since resided. His house, a double log cabin,
erected forty-three years ago, still serves him for a residence ; and, with the
exception of repairs to the roof, it has remained without alteration from the
date of its erection to the present time. The only tools used in its construction
were an axe, a saw and an auger. The boards composing the roof are held in
place by logs upon them, through Avhich wooden pins are passed into the raft-
ers. The flooring is also secured by wooden pins, as are also the door and win-
dow frames. The flooring and ceiling were hewn out ; and the chimney was
built of stone taken from the stream near by.
Pope's Spring, from which hundreds of red men have slaked their thirst,
furnishes the family with an abundant supply of excellent Avater.
For a number of years after his arrival, his family, together with the families
of Daniel Barrackman, Samuel Brumfield and Amos Lundy constituted the
entire community. Their market was Chicago.
HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY. 245
In the Fall of the year, Pope, Brumfield, Barrackraan and Lundy would
form a company for mutual benefit and protection ; and each man, with his rifle
and ox-team drawing a load of corn, would start for this distant market, making
calculations to be absent from home for ten or twelve days. On the route, the
company camped where night overtook them, and they never slept under a roof
from the time of their departure to the time of their return. There was at
that time not even an Indian trail leading from that point to Chicago, but these
pioneers took their way over the unbroken prairie, guided by signs and indica-
tions which never led them astray. Thirty bushels of corn was their average
load; and for this, on their arrival at market, they received 12| cents per
bushel, and only on one or two occasions did they receive as high as 15 cents.
They rarely made more than two such trips in a year ; and the $6, $8 or $10
which they thus received was all the money they handled during the year, and
most of this was spent in purchasing supplies in Chicago.
Pope was intimately acquainted with old Shabbona, the Pattawatomie chief,
and holds his memory in great respect, and says that no white man was more
welcome at his cabin than this Indian.
This kindly feeling was doubtless reciprocated on the part of the red man,
for he frequently pitched his tent near Pope's cabin, on his hunting excursions
along the banks of the Vermilion.
Wild turkevs and deer abounded, and when Chief Shabbona was successful in
the chase, the spoils were generously divided with his white friend ; and his
coming was looked forAvard to with pleasant anticipations of a good time, and
his departure was regretted.
On one of these occasions, Shabbona and the twelve Indian hunters who
accompanied him, killed fifty deer, within a circuit of three miles, taking Pope's
cabin as a center. This Chief must have been, in many respects, a remarkable
man, as every pioneer who Avas acquainted with him bears witness to his char-
acter for upright and lionorable dealing. This speaks volumes for Shabbona, as
the whites at this time were not disposed to regard the Indians with a favorable
eye. Pope is still a hale and active old man, and will tell you, in speaking of
the early period, that the pioneers enjoyed themselves fully as well as people do
at the present day. His early friends and neighbors have long since passed
away, while he remains, a link connecting the present with the past. He is
cheerful, hopeful and perfectly contented with his lot. He is the father of four-
teen children, many of whom are living and are honorable members of societ3\
Pope is much i-espected in his neighborhood, and he will doubtless spend the
remainder of his days in the county which he has seen transformed from a wil-
d(rness to one of the finest agricultural districts in the State.
Martin A. Newman, of Newtown, justly claims to be the pioneer merchant of
the county. He was born in Vermilion County in 1818, and removed to Ottawa in
1838. In the year 1847, he made a tour of discovery through Livingston County,
and found that there was not a store of any kind within its borders. He returned'
246 HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY.
to Ottawa and fitted up a peddling wagon, filling it with a great variety of
merchandise, from a needle to a wash tub, and, with this traveling establishment,
he visited every family in the county, once in every month of the year. In
exchange for his goods, he took from his customers deer-skins, mink-skins,
ginseng root, feathers and many other articles. He was a great favorite, and
soon built up an extensive and lucrative business. When he was on his rounds,
couriers would be sent out to ascertain when he would be at a particular point,
so that the products of the country might be gathered, in readiness for
exchange.
In the Fall of 1847, he purchased of John and Theodore Popejoy the skins
of fifty-four deer, which they had killed in Avoca Townshij). In July of the
same year, Joseph C. Morrison, who has before been mentioned, and who was
the young man of the period and the leader of fashion, gave Newman an order
to bring him, from Ottawa, a full suit of real linen clothes. It was strictly
stipulated that the clothes should be delivered by the 3d, as there was to be a
grand ball in Avoca on the 4th, and the dress suit was ordered for that occasion.
Newman made the trip, executed the commission, and duly arrived in Pontiac
on the 3d, Morrison was so well pleased with the fit and the price that he
gave Newman an invitation to the ball ; and his attendance was most opportune,
for the violinist hired for the occasion got tired, and Newman had to fill his
place, which he did, to the satisfaction of all parties. When Newman now meets
one of his old customers, it is pleasant to see the kindly look and hearty hand-
shake that passes between them as the recollections of the past are called up.
There is much that might be added concerning many others who helped to
develop this great county, which is necessarily omitted.
There was Nelson Buck, who loved his profession as he did his life ; and
Jacob Streamer, who has long been a resident, and is well known throughout
the county. He has collected all local statistics and incidents sufficient to
fill a volume. 0. B. Wheeler commenced business by buying a steer for |5,
taking it to Chicago, dressing it and selling the meat for |7.50. This started him
in business, and he is now one of the wealthy men of the county.
The mention of Morgan L. Payne must not be omitted, as he was an old
and well known resident. He was Captain of a company in the Black Hawk
war, and performed distinguished service. He was a Texas Ranger when the
war between Mexico and this Government was declared, and was in the first
battle under Gen. Taylor, on the Rio Grande. When the time of his enlist-
ment as a ranger expired, he returned to Greenboro, Indiana, and raised a
company of militia ; and returning to Mexico, he served during the war. He
was at the taking of Monterey, and the battle of the City of Mexico. He
received an honorable discharge, and afterward filled many positions of public
trust. When the war of the Rebellion was inaugurated, he raised a company
of men in this county, was again elected and commissioned Captain, and served
l)js country faithfully. This hero. of three wars died at Pontiac, of cancer, in
HISTORV OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY. 247
1878. He was a man of fiery and impetuous energy that overcame all obstacles
with which he came in contact. He had many warm personal friends, who
cherish his memory.
Isaac Wilson, who is still living, is distinguished as one of the litigants in
the first law suit in the Circuit Court. William Strawn, who resides at Odell
was a personal friend of Old John Brown, whose " soul goes marching on."
Strawn fought by his side in Kansas. He was one of the charter members of
the "underground railroad" through Livingston County, over which many a
negro traveled on his way to Canada.
Pontiac has grown to be a beautiful city of near four thousand inhabitants.
A few of her old stagers still remain, but, in the course of nature, they must
soon pass away. Their view of the present situation is best expressed by the
following :
OLD STAGER'S SOLILO(jUY.
A good many strangers are coming here now,
As I told Eli Davis to-day ;
New forms and new faces will make us think how
We old ones are passing away.
The town is improving, and growing so fast
Old landmarks are fading from view.
And whichever way my glances I cast.
My old eyes can see something new.
The churches, six of them, with carpets and pews,
With paid preachers to manage the works !
Elder Stubbles, in them days, preached the glad news
'Till he gave the people the "jerks."
And the Phrenix, all brick and three stories high,
With basement — it cuts such a swell ;
As I think of the days forever passed by.
When Willet Gray kept a hotel.
And the Post Office, too, is wonderful now,
With drawers and lock boxes and that ;
Why, I can remember distinctly just how
Jerome carried the thing in his hat.
And them Indian signs where they sell the cigars,
Lord ! once we were thankful for pipes,
When we heard not the rumble of railroad cars.
And Ladd went hunting for snipes.
And fancy saloons, with wine, rum and gin,
And little back rooms all so snug ;
Why, once we were glad to take our whisky in
From the neck of a little brown jug.
And croquet and billiards and such games as these
Have banished the old games from sight ;
Then, on boxes and kegs, we sat at our ease
And played good old poker all night.
248
HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY.
A good many strangers are coming here now,
As I told Eli Davis to-day ;
^ New forms and new faces will make us think how
We old ones are passing away.
The fifth verse of the above requires the following explanation : Jerome
Garner was the second Postmaster at Pontiac, and when he received his appoint-
ment he purchased a bell-crowned stove-pipe hat, and in it he kept all mail
matter which arrived at this point. He was extremely fond of fishing ; and
when any one was desirous of mailing a letter or expecting to receive one, it
was necessary to seek for Jerome up or down the Vermilion until he was found,
when he would take off his hat, perform his official duties, and then return it to
his head.
HISTORY OF THE COURT HOUSE BELL.
In Troy, New York, the bell was bought ;
"Out West," to Chicago, the bell was brought.
In "Eighteen Sixty" the bell came down,
For the Methodist Church in our little town.
A Methodist bell, its voice rang out
With a martial ring and a joyous shout,
As high it hung in the belfry there,
Calling the people to sermon and prayer.
Till the church grew small for the growing throng,
Who came at the call of its bold, "ding dong."
Then the house was sold to " The Band and Gown,"
And the bell from the belfry was handed down,
And placed on high in the Court House steeple.
Then sold to the county— a bell for the people.
As of yore, it did its duty well,
In its new position of " Court House bell."
It called the lawyers to wordy fray—
They came to spout, and remained to P^ey.
It startled the ear of the Court House rats,
As it summoned the Supervisor cats ;
Saying, "Walk to your Council Chamber, please.
And examine the state of the public cheese."
It spoke when political hacks came by,
To preach for truth some ancient lie.
It rang for joy, when the first glad ray
In the east proclaimed our Natal Day.
It shrieked aloud when the tire fiend came.
And called the people to fight the flame.
Solemn and slow was its measured toll,
As it rang the knell of the parting soul.
Slow and solemn its measured beat.
When funeral pall and marching feet
HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY. 249
Went by with the dead, and the last farewell
Was heard from the throat of the sobbing bell.
But July the Fourth of •'Seventy-Four,'"
It rang at noon to ring no more.
And the tones that came from the quivering bell
Were the tones of its own funeral knell.
For Union Block, our city's pride,
Was bathed in a fiercely rolling tide
Of lurid, hungry flames, that clasped
The city's heart within its grasp ;
And a fiend that lay in the doomed hotel.
Glared hot and fierce on the Court House bell.
With a tiger" s spring and a tongue of flame,
Across the chasm the fire fiend came.
On the Court House roof, with fiery claws,
He sprang as the springing lion draws
His prey to the earth, then clasped the bell.
To his fiery breast, till it, tottering, fell
To the earth below, with burning beam,
And blazing rafter, till a stream
Of molten metal came out to tell
The end of the Pontiac Court House bell.
OLD settlers' ASSOCIATION.
In the year 1875, when the new Court House was completed, it was deter-
mined by the old settlers throughout the county that a grand re-union should be
held and the new building properly dedicated. A preliminary meeting was
called at the fair ground early in the Fall of the year, at which C. B. Ostrander
presided, and John A. Fellows was appointed Secretary.
The 30th of December was the day fixed upon for the re-union, and com-
mittees of arrangements were appointed in every township in the county. On
the day appointed, the old settlers turned out en masse. Tables, capable of
seating fifteen hundred people, had been prepared by the citizens of Pontiac,
and these were all filled. James McDowell was President of the day, and
John A. Fellows, Secretary. An address of welcome was delivered by Nathan-
iel J. Pillsbury. Letters were read from Judge Treat, who held the first term of
court in Pontiac, and from Hon. David Davis and Jesse W. Fell. 0. F. Pearre,
who had been requested to furnish a poem for the occasion, read the following
ADDRESS TO THE OLD SETTLERS OF LIVINGSTON:
One hundred years ago to-day.
The British troops in Boston lay ;
Our sires then hardly thought that they
Would found a Nation
Whose ships would whiten many seas,
Whose flag should float on every breeze,
Whose armies could maintain with ease
Her lofty station.
250 HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY.
And in that hundred years ago.
The deer, the wolf, the butfalo,
- « At will went roaming to and fro
Where now our county
Spreads out one vast and fertile plain
Of golden corn and waving grain,
Rejoicing 'neath a constant rain
Of Heaven's bounty.
Yea, men now sitting in this hall
In mem'ry can the time recall
When nature brooded over all ;
When was unbroken
The solitude that wrapped the land
Where now our smiling cities stand,
When silence reigned on every hand,
^ And gave no token.
Save by the hooting of the owl.
The clangor of the water fowl,
The red deer's signal or the howl
Of gray wolf, weary
In searching for his scanty food,
Save where, perhaps, some cabin rude
Seemed on the lonely scene to brood,
And served to point the solitude
So lone and dreary.
Oliver, Cummings, these can tell,
Wilson, McDowell and Darnell ;
John Johnson knows the story well,
The quaint old story :
How Chief Shabbona and his band
Kindled their camp fires on the strand
Of fair Vermilion, when the land
Stood robed by virgin Nature's hand
In pristine glory.
Peace to thy shade ; Shabbona, rest;
A warm, true heart beat in thy breast ;
The white man's friend you stood confessed.
Among the bravest, truest, best.
Of those we mention.
Thy name deserves a worthy place.
Brave chieftain of a warlike race,
Hist'ry accords thee little space ;
I would more worthy pen could trace^
Thy fame, and, with befitting grace.
Thy virtues mention.
But, ah : what mighty change has passed
Since the brave Chief Shabbona last
Upon the stage his vision cast.
What grandeur looming
HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY.
Is this through which Vermilion flows
From early morn to evening's close :
Through towns and farms the tra\'ler goes,
Where fifty thousand souls repose ;
The desert blossoms like the Rose
Of Sharon blooming.
Not Homer in his valiant crew
Could mention more good men and true ;
McMillen, Breckenridge and Blue,
McDowell and Tuttle, Campbell, too,
And other worthies not a few.
Ye pioneers, it is to you
The debt of gratitude is due ;
Ye builded wiser than ye knew
The broad foundation
On which our superstructure stands ;
Your strong right arms ami willing hands,
Your earnest eflFort still commands
Our veneration !
And you, who yet upon the shore
Of Time remain, strike hands once more.
To-day recount your trials o'er.
Repeat to us, from out your s»ore,
The legions and the early lore.
Repeating
The name of Ruramery, he who found
That famous railroad under ground ;
Then pass the name of Corey round,
Cornell and Sprague, their praises sound ;
Ladd, Dehner, Fellows, Fyfe, profound
On finance, Spafford, such names sound
In greeting.
We point to you, old friends, and say
The heat and burden of the day
You bore, and in an earnest way
We meet you.
Well pleased, indeed, to see you stand.
On this glad day, a gallant band.
Whose hands have wrought, whose brains have planned
Such vast improvement in the land ;
With beating heart and open hand.
We greet you !
251
After these exercises, various old settlers made short addresses, and the day
was spent in relating incidents and anecdotes of the early days, and a regular
Old Settlers' Association was formed.
The second meeting was held on the fair grounds in September, 1876. The
third meeting was held at Fairbury, September 4, 1877, and was largely
attended. The meeting was called to order by the President, James McDowell,
and Dr. Fraley delivered an address of welcome. Hon. Woodford G. McDow-
252 HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY.
ell delivered a historical address, and letters from various distingnislied persons,
who visited the county in an early day, were read.
The officers elected for the following year, were : President, Walter Cornell;
Secretary, John A. Fellows ; Scribe, David Murdock ; Chaplain, Rev. James
Parcells. The village of Cornell Avas chosen for its next point of meeting.
CHURCHES.
The first religious organizations and buildings Avere, of course, as in all our
new countries, by that glorious band of pious pioneer preachers, the Methodists.
There is something so natural in their doctrines and so artless in their way of
advancing them, that the history must be blind to one of the brightest lights
which fails to give these plain privates their proper place in its pages.
From here and there in the log school houses, where earnest worshipers
rdternately wept, sung and clapped their hands, have grown the full fruition of
all those early hopes and prayers.
The churches at present organized Avithin the county are : Methodist (by
Conference Report of 1877)— Fairbury, Fairbury Circuit (2), Forrest, Chats-
worth, Avoca (2), Pontiac, Saunemin, Rook's Creek (2), Waldo and Nebraska
(3), Reading (2), Cornell and Newtown (2), Odell, Nevada, Dwight ; total, 14
charges, 21 churches, 2,561 members. Value of houses of worship, $83,900.
Number of Sunday schools, 34 ; scholars, 3,243.
Presbyterian— Pontiac, Cayuga, Dwight, Union, Fairbury, Reading, Chats-
worth ; total, 7. Membership, 560. Value of church edifices (estimated),
$40,000.
Baptist— Pontiac (2), Dwight (2), Odell, Nebraska, Fairbury, Ocoya ; total,
8. Membership estimated at about 450.
There are six Christian churches, with an estimated membership of 400.
There are four Congregational churches, with about 300 members.
There are eight Roman Catholic churches in the county : Pontiac, Nebraska,
Odell, Union (German), Dwight, Broughton, Fairbury, Chatsworth, and a
station at Cornell, embracing, in the aggregate, 1,135 families, Avith probably
not less than 3,500 communicants Avho have received confirmation.
There are a few other scattering churches, or bare organizations, of which
statistics cannot be found.
SOCIETIES.
There are Odd Fellows' Lodges at Cornell, Pontiac, Odell, Dwight, Fair-
bury, Forrest and Chatsworth, eight in all, with a membership of 400, and
three Encampments, with 100 members.
There are Lodges of Master Masons at Pontiac, 84 members ; Odell, 63 ;
Dwight, 55; Fairbury, 101; Forrest, 40; Chatsworth, 37; Ancona, 28; Cor-
nell, 14; Sullivan, 19. Total, 441.
There are Chapters of Royal Arch Masons at Fairbury and at Odell ; and
at Fairbury is a Commandery of the Knight Templars.
HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY. 253
PUBLIC SCHOOLS.
Number of public schools sustained 250
Number of persons between the ages of 6 and 21 13,612
Number of male pupils enrolled 5,715
Number of female pupils enrolled 5,346
Number of male teachers 188
Number of female teachers 289
Number of graded schools *'
Whole amount received by School Treasurers |152,619 54
Estimated value of school property 204,8(5 00
Principal of Township School Fund 207,732 31
Witli the exception of Cook County, Livingston has the kxrgest township
school fund of any county in the State.
POLITICAL AND OFFICIAL ANNALS.
COUNTY ORGANIZATION.
The territory which is now Livingston County was, in the first division of
the State, a portion of Cook County. After that, it became a portion of Ver-
milion County, and hence the name of the river which flows through it, which
had no other reason for its name, either in the color of its water or its surround-
ings. Subsequently, in the organization of those counties, nearly all of it
became portions of McLean and La Salle, though a portion remained attached
to Vermilion until this organization. By act of the Legislature, approved
and in force, February 27, 1837, Livingston was created a county with its
present boundaries. Its name was suggested by Jesse W. Fell, and was due to
the popular esteem in which Edward Livingston was held, in consequence of his
being the reputed author of President Jackson's famous proclamation to the
South Carolina nullifiers, in their first unseccessful attempt to disrupt the
L^nion.
In the act of organization, James W. Piatt, of Macon County ; William B.
Peck, of Will County, and Thompson S. Flint, of Tazewell County, were
appointed Commissioners to locate the permanent seat of justice; and they were
to take into consideration the convenience of the people, and the situations of
the settlements, with an eye to the future population.
Edward Livingston was a native of New York, and one of the prominent
Livingston family of that State. He removed to New Orleans on account of
his health, and became a leading lawyer of that city. He was appointed, by
President Jackson, Minister to England, and was recalled to take the position
of Secretary of State, when Jackson re-organized his Cabinet, in consequence
of his quarrel with Calhoun. He was popularly credited with being the author
. of the proclamation which "Old Hickory " sent out against the South Caroli-
nians, when they adopted the ordinance of nullification. No more worthy
name could have been selected for this great county than the one popularly iden-
tified with Jackson's stern determination to maintain this Union under all
circumstances.
254 HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY.
At this date, there were no settlements to receive the commission kindly
vouchsafed in the enabling act, except those along the river from Indian Grove
to La Salle County ; and the entire population did not exceed 450.
They were to meet at the house of Andrew McMillan, on the Vermilion
River, about four miles northwest of Avhere Pontiac now stands, on the first
Monday in June, and proceed to examine and determine upon a place for the
permanent seat of justice. The county seat was to be located on government
land, or if upon private land, then the owners thereof should be required to
donate twenty acres, or the sum of three thousand dollars, the proceeds of the
land, or the money in lieu thereof, to be used in erecting county buildings. The
Commissioners met and selected the ground, and accepted the offer of Henry
Weed, Lucius and Seth M. Young, who, as proprietors of the land, proposed to
give three thousand dollars, a block of land two hundred feet square on which
to put the Court House, and an acre of land not more than thirty rods distant
from the Court House block, on which a jail was to be built, and an estray pen,
and agreed, further, to build a good and substantial wagon bridge across the Ver-
milion River at that point. They gave their bond, signed by themselves as
principals, and C. H. Perry, Avho was the first merchant in the county, James
McKee, who Avas interested in the water privilege at Pontiac, and J. W. Fell, as
sureties for the faithful performance of the contract.
By the enabling act, an election was to be held at the house of Andrew
McMillan, on the second Monday in May, for a Sheriff, Coroner, Recorder,
County Surveyor and three County Commissioners, to serve until the next
regular election in August, 1838. This election was held, and officers were
duly elected to launch the new county on the stormy sea of political existence :
Joseph Reynolds, Sheriff; Robert Breckenridge, Jonathan Moore and Daniel
Rockwood, County Commissioners, who met May 18, and organized, appoint-
ing Abram W. Beard, Clerk. That there was the usual amuount of log-rolling
and managing to secure the location of the county seat is more than probable,
as at the next session of the Legislature held after the location was made, an
act was passed providing for an election in the new county to determine whether
the county seat should be changed from its location.
The County Commissioners for a time held their meetings at McMillan's.
There were three voting precincts in the county ; the upper was called Indian
Grove ; the middle one Center, and the one in the northwestern portion of the
county Bayou.
The Commissioners, at their first meeting, ordered that ''All horses over
three years old, and all horned cattle over three years old, all sheep over one
year old, all wagons, carriages, clocks, watches, jacks, jennies, mules, etc., are
considered as being taxable property, upon which there shall be a tax of ^ per
cent." The Court also ordered that an election should be held in the several
precincts for the election of Justices of the Peace and Constables, on the 24th
of June, and appointed John Recob, Treasurer, who gave bond in $1,000. At
HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY. 255
the session of the Court July 11th, Cornelius W. Reynolds was granted a
license to keep a store for a year on payment of $5. Sept. 4th, Court appoint-
ed Matthias I. Ross, Clerk. Dec. 4th, James C. McMillan was appointed first
School Commissioner. The Sheriff having failed to receive his commission, the
Court appointed Joseph W. Reynolds, Collector of Taxes.
At the March term, 1838, the Court prepared the first list of grand and
petit jurors, which embraced such well known names as Darnall, Spence, Moore,
Isaac Wilson, Popejoy, Blue, McMillan, Edgington, Barrackman, Boyer, Nor-
ton, Moon, Steere and Donah o, who, or their representatives, still remain with
us. It is not known that these juries performed any duty, as, by the records
of the Circuit Court, no term of Court was held until October, 1839, at which
Court there was no Clerk and no grand or petit jury, the Clerk, Henry Weed,
having removed from the county. Joseph Reynolds, Sheriff, presented at this
term his settlement with the Treasurer, and presented a receipt for ^68.71.
For the following year, the Court added to the taxable property "All town
lots, hogs over one year old, stock in trade, fiirm and household utensils, money
loaned, houses, mills and factories."
The first general election held in the county was the State election, the
first Monday in August, 1838. At that election there were cast for Governor:
For Cyrus Edwards, 45 ; for Thomas Carliji, 59. For Member of Congress —
S. A. Douglas, 62; J. T. Stewart, 46. For county officers, the votes were:
For County Commissioner — Uriah Springer, 90 : Albert Moon, 60 ; William
Popejoy, 59 ; Robert Breckenridge, 41 ; Robert Smith, 29. For Sheriff —
Nicholas Hefner, 65 ; Joseph Reynolds, 31. For Coronor — Simeon Mead,
45 ; Ambrose Sprague, 17. For Clerk — James S. Munson, 58 ; Matthias
Ross, 34. For Recorder — James S. Munson, 60 ; Truman Rutherford, 34.
For Surveyor — Isaac Whitaker, 59 ; Franklin Oliver, 41.
The county formed a legiflative district with Kane, De Kalb, La Salle and
Iroquois Counties. Joseph H. Churchill and Wm. Stadden were elected Rep-
resentatives at that election. John T. Stewart was elected to Congress from
this district, which embraced all the State north of Springfield, the " Little
Giant"' being for the time defeated. In drawing for seats by the County Com-
missioners, L'riah Springer, Avho was absent, drew the three years term, Albert
Moon two years and Wm. Popejoy one year. This Court had more bills to pay
than its predecessor. Among them was one to Henry Weed for "^4.12| for
paper, sand and ink, used by him as Circuit Clerk up to this time." Just how
much of it was for sand, the bill fails to mention ; but it should be remembered
in honor of Livingston County, that it paid for the sand its first Circuit Clerk
used. April 9, 1839, the Court appointed the first Assessors, one for each
precinct — Robert Smith for Indian Grove Precinct, Andrew McMillan for
Center, and John Dermey for Bayou — and ordered that seventy cents on $100
be levied and collected on certain property, among which is this singular item :
" Slaves and servants of color." It is not generally known that the laws of
256 HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY.
this State at that time, or at any time, recognized property in human chat-
tels, but such was the revenue law of 1839. Robert Smith was appointed
School Commissioner.
At the general election in August, 1839, Truman Rutherford was elected
Probate Justice of the Peace, an office which had jurisdiction in all probate
business ; Lemuel White, County Commissioner ; C. W. Reynolds, Recorder
and County Court Clerk ; Jacob Moon, Treasurer ; Isaac Burgit, Coroner ;
Franklin Oliver, Surveyor ; W. G. Hubbard and J. C. McMillan, Justices of
the Peace.
Eighty-one votes were given for and fifty -six votes against removing county
seat. Seventy-eight votes were given for removing to the location ofi'ered by
Rockwood, Hubbard and Weed, at a point about four or five miles up the river
from Pontiac, Avhere fiftv acres of land were ofi'ered ; the bond for the donation
having been approved by the court.
This vote was taken by virtue of an act passed March 1, 1839, directing a
vote to be taken at the August election, for and against re-locating the county
seat, by which it was provided that, if two-thirds of all the votes cast were for
removal, and a majority were for removal to any place named, then the county
seat should be removed. It lacked a few votes of the required two-thirds,
though a majority favored Rockwood 's.
On the 3d day of December, 1839, the County Commissioners entered into
a contract with the proprietor of the town for the erection of a Court House, to
be 22x30 feet, two stories high ; to be built and completed within twelve months
after " there is sufficient rise in the Vermilion River to allow the proprietors of
the saw-mill to put said mill in operation." When completed, the Commission-
ers were to cancel and deliver up the bond which had been given for the loca-
tion of the county seat.
At the general election held in August, 1840. the following vote was cast :
For State Senator — John Moore, 62 ; David Davis, 38. For Representative,
Welcom P. Brown, 62 : I. T. Gildersleeve, 61 ; Asahel Gridley, 38 ; Isaac
Funk, 38; A. R. Dodge, 14; L. W. Leek, 32. For Sheriff"— Garrett M. Blue,
66 ; John Foster, 29. Davis M. Pendell was elected Coroner ; Andrew Mc-
Millan and Nicholas Hefner, County Commissioners. There is no record of
the vote at Presidential or Congressional election.
John W. Reynolds was appointed School Commissioner, and qualified under
a bond for $12,000.
The Court extended the time for building the Court House to May 1, 1841;
and John Foster received an order for $5.00, for use of his room for holding
Circuit Court.
Robert Smith and John Blue were appointed Assessors.
In 1841, Daniel Barrackman was elected County Commissioner ; Samuel
Boyer, School Commissioner; S. S. jNIead, Assessor; W. G. McDowell w&s
appointed Collector, and D. S. Ebersol was appointed Clerk of the Court.
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STATES ATTORNEY, FAIRBURY
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HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUIITY. 259
At a meeting of the County Court, July 23, 1842, the Court House was
accepted and occupied.
After the census of 1840, the State was re-apportioned for Congressional
Representatives, giving seven Representatives instead of three, as heretofore.
This county was in the Fourth District, which first elected John Wentworth
to Congress. He remained our Representative as long as we remained in that
District. Previous to this, John T. Stewart, of Springfield, had been our
Representative.
At the election held in 1843, the following vote was cast : For. Congress —
John Wentworth, 111; Giles Spring, (}6. For County Commissioner — Charles
Jones, 84; Augustus Fellows, 50. For County Clerk, D. S. Ebersol, 122;
Wm. K. Brown, 28. For School Commissioner — Samuel Boyer, 136. For
Recorder — D. S. Ebersol, 121 ; S. C. Ladd, 16. For Probate Justice — Truman
Rutherford, 82 ; Wm. K. Brown, 49. For Treasurer— Truman Rutherford, 92 ;
Lyman Bergit, 45. For Surveyor — Amos Edwards, 67 ; Orin Phelps, 39 ;
Franklin Oliver, 38.
At a special election held in November, the following votes were cast : For
Probate Justice — Andrew McMillan, 46 ; Augustus Fellows, 37 ; S. S. Mead.
5. For County Treasurer and Assessor — McMillan, 46 ; Fellows, 37 ; Mead, 5.
At the August Election in 1844, for Member of Congress, John Wentworth
received 110 ; B. S. Morris, 61. For State Senator, S. G. Nesbitt received
106; G. W. Powers, 66. For Representative, James Robinson received 106 ;
E. B. Myers, 63. For County Commissioner, Andrew McDowell received 104;
Walter Cornell, 65. For Sheriff, R. P. Breckenndge received 97 ; Thomas
Sawyer, 71. For Coroner, John Blue, 113.
At the Presidential election in November, James K. Polk received 109 ;
Henry Clay, 66. Birney did not receive any votes in the county.
On the 2d day of December, the following minute is entered of record :
" This day comes Andrew McMillan, Treasurer of Livingston County, and
makes settlement with the Court, and pays over to the Court $13.00 in county
orders and 20 cents in specie, it being the whole amount of funds received by
him." It is hardly necessary to add that McMillan did not default to the county
during his term.
In 1845, the same Treasurer reported and turned over without default, 20
cents in silver. There is no record of what his commissions amounted to.
At the March Term, 1845, Hugh Taylor was rented the jury room, for a
store, and the court room for three months, on paying $3.00 per month.
Andrew McMillan was appointed to take the census for that year.
. At the June Term of the County Court, D. S. Ebersol resigned the Clerk-
ship, and S. C. Ladd was appointed Clerk.
At the regular election in August, Murrell Breckenridge was elected County
Commissioner; Augustus Fellows, School Commissioner; S. C. Ladd, Clerk;
S. S. Mead, Coroner. And at a special election in December, S. C. Ladd was
elected Recorder. c
260 HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY.
And again, Hugh Taylor appears of record in the following :
Ordered That Hugh Taylor & Co. remove their goods, chattels, etc., out of the Court House
by the 1st day of November next ; and if they should fail to do so, then they shall pay additional
rent
As they were already paying the sum of $3.00 a month, this seemed like a
threat to ruin their business.
At the regular election held in August, 1846, A. C. French, for Governor,
received 124 votes; T. M. Kilpatrick, 60. John Wentworth, for Congress,
received 124 votes ; John Kerr, 58. James Robinson, for Representative,
received 122 votes ; Bissell Chubbuck, 42. R. P. Breckenridge was elected
Sheriff; Charles Jones, County Commissioner, and John Blue, Coroner.
In 1847, Isaac Hodgson was elected Commissioner ; S. C. Ladd, Clerk.
In September, the County Court contracted with Henry Jones, J. H. De-
moss and Philip Rollings to build the bridge over the river at Pontiac, for |450.
An election was held in March, 1848, to vote upon the new Constitution
and the separate articles. The vote was, for the Constitution, 71 ; against it,
25. For the separate article in relation to colored people, there were 8^
votes ; against it, 12. For the two-mill tax, which was intended to pay off the
long past due State debt, 71 votes ; against it, 35.
At the regular election in August, the vote for Governor was : For A. C.
French, 135. For Congress, John Wentworth, 108 ; John Y. Scammon, 62.
For Senator, Wm. Reddick, 131. Murrell Breckenridge was elected Sheriff;
Henry Jones, County Commissioner, and John Blue, Coroner.
At the judicial election in September under the new constitution, John D.
Caton received eighty votes for Supreme Court Judge; Lorenzo Leland, seventy-
seven votes for Clerk of the Supreme Court; B. F. Fridgley, sixty-three votes
for Judge of the Ninth Circuit ; T. Lyle Dickey, forty-seven for Judge ; Bur-
ton C. Cook, eighty votes for State's Attorney, and S. C. Ladd, eighty votea
for Circuit Clerk.
At this election, Dickey was elected Judge, and was for some years our Cir-
cuit Judge.
At the Presidential election, Cass received 130 votes; Taylor, 82 votes ;
and for the first time in our history as a county, the third party received a vote.
Four votes were cast for the Van Buren electoral ticket, upon which were the
names of such veteran Abolitionists as President Jonathan Blanchard. For the
first time also, the vote indicates a healthy increase of population in the county.
Up to this year, the vote had been very nearly uniform,
"In March, 1849, tlie bridge which had just been completed and accepted
bv the court was carried away by a freshet, and Rollings and Demoss were
ordered to save what they could of it, and report what portion of it could be
used.
At the election May 20th, M. B. Patty and L. E. Rhoades were elected
County Commissioners At the November election, J. C. McMillan received
HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY. 261
161 votes for County Judge; S. Miller, 2. S. C. Ladd, 137 for Clerk;
Jason Tuttle, 8. James Bradley, 114 for County Justice of the Peace; Philip
Rollings, 95 for same ; W. G. McDowell, 55. Franklin Oliver, 73 votes for
Surveyor ; Amos Edwards, 53. Walter Cornell was elected School Commis-
sioner, and J. D. Garner. Coroner. 55 votes were given for township organiza-
tion out of a total of 164 votes cast ; not a majority.
That all the offices were not vastly remunerative is evidenced by the following
order at the October term of the Commissioners' Court : " Ordered, that Andrew
McMillan be allowed ten dollars ($10) for services as County Treasurer for two
years."
The County Court under the new Constitution organized December 31.
1849. J. C. McMillan, County Judge ; Philip Rollings and James Bradley,
County Justices, and S. C. Ladd, Clerk.
At this time first appeared the constitutional clause in the oath of office : " I
do solemnly swear that I have not fought a duel, nor sent or accepted a chal-
lenge to fight a duel, the probable issue of which might have been the death of
either party, nor been a second to either party, nor in any way aided or assisted
in such duel, nor been knowingly the bearer of such challenge since the adop-
tion of the Constitution, nor will be engaged in such duel during my continuance
in office."
That our foremost citizens earned their bread in those days is drawn from the
following recorded order : " Ordered, that John A. FelloAvs be allowed sixty two
and one-half cents for chopping wood for county." It does not appear Avhether
his services, like McMillan's, were of two years' duration.
Murrell Breckenridge was elected County Judge at a special election in Sep-
tember, 1850. Henry Loveless was elected Sheriff, and Joseph Springer Coro-
ner, in November. At the regular election in 1852, the vote for Secretary of
State was for Alexander Starne, Democrat, 209; B. S. Morris, Whig, 161;
Erastus Wright, Anti-slavery, 11.
For State's Attorney, D. P. Jenkins, 158 votes; M. E. Hollister, 85 ; W.
H. L. Wallace, 22. For State Senator, Burton C. Cook, 207; William
Paul, 10.
For Representatives, C. I. Starlech, 207 votes ; C. R. Patton, 203 ; A. A.
Fisher, 159 ; George M. Radcliffe, 156 ; William Strawn, 26. Strawn was on
the Anti-slavery or Abolition ticket.
The four Anti-slavery votes of 1848 seem to have grown into eleven this year,
Mr. Wallace, notwithstanding his small vote for State's Attorney in the
".ounty, was elected, and proved a very acceptable officer. He was a son-in-law
of Judge Dickey, and went with him into the army, where he yielded up his
life at Shiloh. He is spoken of as a brilliant lawyer and a very popular man.
No record of the Presidential and Congressional vote of that year is found ;
but it must have been about the same as above — Democratic, 208 votes ; Whig,
160; Abolition, 11. Total 379, indicating a population of about 2,000.
262 HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY.
In 1853, the number of voting precincts had been increased by addition of
Reading, New Michigan, Mud Creek and Avoca Precincts. Any inhabitant of
the county will recognize these localities, although the precincts are known to
the law no longer.
The vote at that election was : For County Judge — Billings P. Babcock, 243
votes; John Hoobler, 133. For Clerk, George W. Boyer, 221 ; 0. Chubbuck.
118. For Associate Justice, D. Mcintosh, 4 ; J. P. Garner, 74 ; Eli Myer,
278 ; John Darnall, 228. For Treasurer and Assessor, Walter Cornell,
272 ; Philip Rollings, 94. County Surveyor — James Stout, 156 ; Charles
Hustin, 73; Amos Edwards, 48 ; Nelson Buck, 58; E. B.Oliver, 21. For
School Commissioner — Joseph A. Hews, 118 ; Eli Meyer, 103 ; H. H. Hin-
man, 134.
This list, together with those elected to the minor offices at this election,
embraces many names new to the records of the county, but which are now
familiar as household words. The Breckenridges, the McMillans and other
old families seem to have given way all at once to such new blood and new
material as B. P. Babcock, James Stout, Louderback, Hinman, Boyer. Chub-
buck and Mcintosh, although Darnall seems to have have retained a place in
official life.
New life was coming into the county. The first dash of the tidal wave of
immigration was reaching us. The Chicago k Mississippi and Illinois Central
Railroads were being built. Of the men whose names appear above, whose
lives are well remembered, are B. P. Babcock, who, after a faithful term as
County Judge, where he displayed the same clear, cautious and honest care in
public which has always marked his private affairs, is now one of the largest
farmers in the county, owning two splendid sections of land, upon which is
Babcocks Grove, of which Isaac Funk once said, that "next to Elkhart Grove,
he thought nature had made this the handsomest spot in this whole glorious
State." Geo. W. Bover, as his records in the different offices of this countv
show, was a singularly neat and efficient Clerk. Orlando Chubbuck, after
having served an apprenticeship as an honest farmer and faithful citizen, read
law, and now practices the same in La Salle County. David Mcintosh, among
many other, perhaps, as honorable things, has once faithfully served us in the
Legislature. Jerome Garner was one of the first local attorneys at law. Eli Myer
has passed away, leaving an honored name, which is kept alive by a large family
of descendants. Walter Cornell still upholds the faith that has led him thus far,
an honored, esteemed and beloved old man. Rollins is still with us, though he
long since eschewed politics and office holding. Nelson Buck, after several
terms of official service, and many years of active life, received an appointment
to survey in Western Nebraska, and was, in 1869, massacred by the Sioux.
H. H. Hinman still faithfully serves his day and generation as a missionary,
after having lived many years in Africa. He now represents the Anti-Secret-
Society Association in its crusade against Masonry and kindred clans. He was
HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY. 263
one of the first to espouse Abolition sentiments in the county, and never let his
light be hid under a bushel, or anything else. James Stout — no one living in
the county from '55 to "70 but knows the intrepid, earnest, positive, lively,
jagged and, perhaps, "sassy " Jim Stout. In early life, he had tried teaching
school in Kentucky, but gave more attention to teaching the negroes the ety-
mology of the word "freedom " than his employers approved of, and he left
town between two days, without calling around to get his Avages, and believes to
this day that blood-hounds were on his track until he forded the Ohio River.
With a not very passive nature, the little experience he had there set every drop
of blood in him on fire, and he became the fiery champion of down-trodden
Africa from that hour. He was possessed of a vast fund of indignation, and
never failed to surround all his efforts with the glitter of attraction which that
gave. At one time he helped "steal a nigger," as the phrase went, the story
of which must have a place here. A fugitive slave had been taken and was
before the court at Ottawa, to have his case legally determined. Stout, with some
other Abolitionists, was in attendance. With most of them, it was probably
their first experience, and no well developed plan was agreed upon how they
might best help the slave. After as patient a hearing as could be given under
the great excitement, the Court decided that the fugitive must be sent back to
his master. While the opinion of the Court was being delivered, a breathless
silence reigned in the court room. The Abolitionists, embracing many who
hardly accepted that title, were undecided. The crisis had arrived, and Stout,
carried away with excitement, sprang upon a table and shouted, " I move we
form ourselves into a committee of the whole, to carry this poor slave back to
slavery and bondage ! " The entire room was at once in an uproar which passes
all description. While attention was thus called to the mover of this resolution,
the slave was spirited out of the window, put into a close carriage and, quicker
than it can bs told, was on his way to Canada. The parties engaged in this
rescue were arrested and tried for the crime, for it was a crime to help a fugitive
away. Stout refused to employ any counsel, refused the aid of the Court, who
nffered to assign him a legal adviser, and persisted in defending his own case,
and by his quick, sharp wit, he was cleared. All that could certaiily be proved
against him was his motion. His line of defense was that he had only proposed
to carry the fugitive back to slavery and bondage, but the prosecution endeavored
to show by the witness, Judge Caton of the State Court, before whom the
former hearing had been had, that Stout, the defendant, did not mean what he
said when he proposed to carry the slave back to bondage. The question was
asked Judge Caton, ''What is your opinion of the intent of the defendant in
making that remark?" "I object! " shouted Stout. In the course of the
discussion which followed, in regard to the right of an answer to the question.
Stout sprang to his feet and demanded " a subpoena for God Almighty ! He is
the only one who knows my intent." Defendants were not then competent
witnesses. The Sherift' jocularly remarked tliat he would find it <lifEcult to
264 HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY.
serve such a subpoena. Stout sharply retorted, " You can, for it is written,
' He will be found of those who diligently seek Him.' " This turned the tide,
and he was acquitted, while the others were convicted and fined. Mr. Stout,
after being several years editor and proprietor of the Pontiac Sentinel^ was
appointed, in 1869, Receiver of Public Moneys, at Boise City, Idaho, by President
Grant, where he now resides. He was possessed of more fire for the fluid ounces
of blood he contained, and more fight to the square inch, than any resident of
Livingston County, unless history is at fault.
At the election in 1854, which occurred in the midst of the political excite-
ment in regard to Kansas, the county seems for the first time to have given
majorities for the Whig and Anti-slavery, or, rather, Anti-Nebraska candidates.
The vote for Congressman was: For Jesse 0. Norton, 319 ; J. N. Drake, 207.
Por Representatives — P. S. Day, 317 ; David Strawn, 331 ; J. L. McCormick,
185 ; George W. Armstrong, 201. Por Sheriff— W. B. Lyon, 187 ; M. Breck-
enridge, 133 ; M. B. Patty, 69 ; Jerome P. Garner, 104. Por Coroner — Laban
Prakes, 178; Jacob Streamer, 171; Ira Loveless, 118. Por Surveyor — T. P. Nor-
ton, 267 ; I. R. Clark, 80; N. Buck, 115. Jesse 0. Norton was a Whig, a resident
of Joliet, and has been nearly all the time in public life since that election until
his death abo'ut two years ago. Of the Representatives voted for that year, two
are well known in the county. G. W. Armstrong has served more terms in the
Legislature of this State, probably, than any man now living. David Strawn,
though not a resident of the county, had a large landed interest in it, and was
subsequently the builder of the Chicago & Paducah Railroad. In 1855, Walter
Cornell was elected Treasurer and Assessor ; H. H. Hinman, School Commis-
sioner ; I. R. Clark, Surveyor ; Thomas Croswell, Coroner. Dwight Precinct
had been added. No records of the important election of 1856 are on file. At
the election of 1857, two more precints had been added — Nebraska and Days,
the latter embracing what is now Broughton and Round Grove. At this
election, about 1,000 votes were cast. For County Judge the vote was: Por
Henry Jones, 510 ; 0. Chubbuck, 436. Por Associte Justice — John Darnall,
469; J. P. Morgan, 497; Decatur Veatch, 453; Jacob Angle, 473.
For Clerk— S. S. Saul, 525; S. L. Manker, 427. For School Commis-
sioner — J. H. Hagerty, 480 ; J. W. Strevell, 465. Por Surveyor — Nelson Buck?
493 ; James Stout, 444. Por Treasurer — J. R. Woolverton, 488 ; James Gib-
son, 447. Por Township organization, 738 ; against, 40. This was the last
election held under the old county organization. Township organization went
into effect the next year.
The election of 3 858 will ever remain a memorable one. Douglas and
Lincoln were before the people of the State as representatives of the two politi-
cal ideas of the day. Douglas had separated from the President, and stood
upon the platform of Popular Territorial Self-Government, called in derision,
" Squatter Sovereignty," holding the doctrine that the people of each Territory
had the inherent right to decide for themselves whether they would have
HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNT!'. 265
slavery in the Territory or not ; Lincoln, the chosen representative of all the
various shades of political and moral opponents of slavery, conservative himself,
held strongly the view that slavery could not be interfered with in States
where it already existed, could be prohibited in Territories by Congress, and
in States it could only be abolished by State authority.
These two leaders were candidates for the United States Senate, and made
a very thorough canvass of the State. There was a third ticket in the field,
which represented the ultra State Rights doctrine, that slavery could not even
be kept out of a Territory, either by State or Territorial authority, but as
property, slavery would go wherever the Constitution went. This ticket, how-
ever, seems to have got but two votes in the county, one at Pontiac and one in
Dwight. If this was, as was said at the time, a Postmaster's ticket, it probably
■could not now receive those two Postmaster's votes. A rapid increase of
population, together with the excitement consequent on the interesting contest
increased the vote to double that of the year before. The county gave about
200 majority to the Republican ticket. There were then twenty-three town-
ships in the county. The vote was : For State Treasurer — James Miller,
1,001 ; William B. Fondy, 789. For Superintendent of Instruction — Newton
Bateman, 998 ; A. C. French, 790. For Congress — Owen Lovejoy, 986: G.
W. Armstrong, 794. For Representatives — Alexander Campbell, 1,003 ; R.
S. Hick, 1,000 ; S. C. Collins, 784 ; William Cogswell, 776. For Sheriff-
William T. Russell, 987 ; Joshua C. Mills, 806.
At the special election in 1859, W. G. McDowell was elected County
Judge, and in November, the vote for Treasurer was : For Philip Cook, 739 ; J.
S. Gumm, 620. For School Commissioner : I. T. Whittemore, 728 ; A. E.
Harding, 616. For Surveyor : E. W. Gower, 498 ; T. F. Norton, 442 ; N.
Buck, 417.
The interest taken in the Presidential election of 1860 was sufficient to call
out a very full vote. The entire vote polled was 2,563. Lincoln received
1,475; Douglas, 1,088. The majority of Yates and Hoffman was about, the
same. For Congress, Owen Lovejoy received 1,451 ; R. N. Murray, 1,097.
It is interesting to notice that in all these recorded votes, Lovejoy always lacks
a few of the full party vote. He was such a pronounced Abolitionist that,
probably, in nearly every county, there were some who called themselves Re-
publicans who would not vote for him. Way down in the heart of many others
who did vote for him; there was undoubtedly a rebellion against voting for so
pronounced an Abolitionist. Still, he was one of the most brilliant men of his
day. Those who had the opportunity to hear him on the canvass will remem-
ber him to their dying day, as one of the very ablest and most interesting pub-
lic speakers they ever heard. To those who used to hear him in the pulpit,
before he became an official, the same clear elucidation of doctrine, the same
fearful, rugged, pointed portraiture of wrong and error, is well remembered.
The vote for State Senator for that year was : For Washington Bushnell, 1.464 ;
2t)6 HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY.
for John Hise, 1,074. For Representatives — A. J. Cropsey, 1,474 ; J. W. New-
port, 1,475; H. H. Brower, 1,092 ; Daniel Evans, 1,097. For Circuit Clerk —
James W. Remick, 1,345 : Ben. W. Gray, 1,229. For Sheriff— E. R. Maples,
1.547 : James M. Perry, 1,023. For Coroner— Thos. Croswell, 1,475 ; T. B.
Norton, 1,043. For State's Attorney— C. H. Wood, 927 ; G. H. Watson, 859 ;
Joshua Whitmore, 829. For Constitutional Convention, 1,743 ; against, 120.
The election of Col. Cropsey as Representative marked the first election of
a citizen of the county to either house of the General Assembly. Heretofore,
candidates had been selected from other counties in the district, this county not
being deemed of sufficient importance to be entitled to representation. He soon
left us however, for he early went into the military service, and soon after
removed to Nebraska, where he has been honored with more distinguished official
recognition.
At the June election in 1861, the unanimous vote of the county was given
to Hon. C. R. Starr for Circuit Judge, who remained upon our bench until he
resigned in 1866.
At the November election, in this year, there were three tickets in the field.
A Union ticket was formed, which was composed of an equal number of Dem-
ocrats and Republicans. Disaffection was caused in both parties. However, and
party or independent tickets were named. For Delegates to the Constitutional
Convention of that year. Perry A. Armstrong received 1,153 votes, and Alex-
ander Campbell 1,115. On county officers the vote was: For County Judge
—Jonathan Duff, 918 ; N. S. Grandy, 191 ; W. J. McDowell, 245. For Clerk
— R. B. Harrington, 822 ; J. F. Culver, 511. For Treasurer— Samuel Max-
well, 818 ; J. R. Woolverton, 312 ; T. W. Brydia, 224. For Surveyor-
Nelson Buck, 925 ; T. F. Norton, 403. For School Commissioner — J. W.
Smith, 1,096; C. M. Lee, 217.
The Union ticket was elected, but it did not stop the war.
Robert B. Harrington and Samuel Maxwell, who this year came into
official notice, were influential men, and both very popular and efficient officers.
Mr. Maxwell removed to Missouri soon after his two years' term closed. Mr.
Harrington served two full terms as Clerk, and after a short but eventful resi-
dence in Mississippi, struck Nebraska, and at Beatrice now serves the public
acceptably as Receiver in the Land Office.
In June, the new proposed Constitution was submitted, and received 852 votes-
to 1,466 against. This Constitution was not adopted by the vote of the State.
At the November election, the vote for State Treasurer was — Wm. 0. Butler,
1,099 ; Alex. Starne, 938. For Sheriff— Job E. Dye received 1,036 votes, and
S. H. Putnam, 902. For Coroner— Thomas Croswell, 1,056 ; S. B. Norton,
971. For Congress (at large)— E. C. Ingersoll, 1,096: J. C. Allen, 954. For
Congress, Eighth District— Leonard Swett, 1,110 ; John T. Stewart, 938. For
Member of Legislature— J. 0. Dent, 950 ; T. C. Gibson, 950 ; M. B. Patty,
976 ; A. A. Fisher, 1,085 ; Franklin Corwin, 1,098 ; Albert Parker, 1,097.
HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY. 267
This county composed, with La Salle, a district, and the three former were
elected by 150 majority. Of these latter, Mr. Corwin was after this repeatedly
elected, was twice elected Speaker of the House, and afterward represented his
district (the seventh) in Congress.
In 1863, M E. Collins was elected Treasurer, Nelson Buck Surveyor, and
0. F. Pearre School Commissioner.
The Presidential vote in 1864 was: For Abraham Lincoln, 1,746 ; George
B. MeClellan, 1,100. Seven towns — Nebraska, Reading, Rook's Creek, Belle
Prairie, Sullivan, Owego and Nevada — gave Democratic majorities, the latter two
by only one majority each. R. J. Oglesby for Governor, William Bross for
Lieutenant Governor, Sharon Tyndale for Secretary of State, 0. H, Miner for
Auditor, James H. Beveridge for Treasurer, Newton Bateman for Superin-
tendent, S. W. Moulton for Congress (at large), S. M. Cullom for Congress,
Washington Bushnell for Senator, and Franklin Corwin, John Miller and
Jason W. Strevell for Representatives, each received 650 majority. Wm. T.
Ament was elected State's Attorney, E. W. Capron Coroner, and Amos Hart
Sheriff by the same average vote. This was Mr. Cullom's first election to
Congress, although he had already served the Springfield District in the Legis-
lature, was Speaker of the House, and had been a candidate for Congress at a
preceding election. He continued to be our Representative in Congress until
1871. He subsequently served two terms in the Legislature, and was then
elected Governor.
The election in 1865 was an exceedingky exciting one, arousing animosities
which were not allayed in years. The large Republican majorities given at the
last election discouraged the Democracy, while the recent return of so large a
body of Union soldiers who had been for years promised by those who served
in the grand army of stay-at-homes, that when "this cruel war was over" they
should certainly be remembered in the distribution of offices, that the Democ-
racy were easily led to unite with the soldiers in the support of a distinctly
soldiers" ticket. True, nearly all the candidates on both tickets were soldiers,
but the one was known as Republican and the other as the Soldiers' ticket.
The vote was: For Judge — J. F. Culver, 1,034 ; James Stout, 575. For
Clerk — R. B. Harrington. 969 ; George W. Rice, 840. For Treasurer — Hugh
Thompson, 1,077 ; B. F. Hotchkiss, 729; for Superintendent of Schools — H. H.
Hill, 910 ; Hugh Pound, 895. For Surveyor— A. E. Huetson, 1,013 ; Nelson
Buck, 772. Of these gentlemen, B. F. Hotchkiss was for many years Chair-
man of the Board of Supervisors, and was elected Surveyor, a position lie
resigned, and took up his home in Nebraska. In his new home, the citizens
will find him a valuable and worthy man, true to convictions, and one whom to
know is to love and respect. Mr. Huetson, after serving repeated terms as Sur-
veyor, left us for Dakota Territory, where he can but make himself a useful
and honored citizen, H. H. Hill was a successful school teacher when elected
Superintendent, and served two terms in that capacity. Under his administra-
268 HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY.
tion of this responsible position, the schools of the county rapidly increased in
efficiency, and still feel the effect of his laborious, methodical and conscientious
work. Soon after retiring from office, he took up his residence in Chicago,
where he is engaged in business.
At the election in 1866, over 3,300 votes were cast, and the average major-
ity for Republican candidates was 1,100. Franklin Corwin, Elmer Baldwin
and Capt. Wm. Strawn were elected from this district to the Legislature, over
Douglas Hapeman, James Clark and Capt. M. L. Payne. The vote for county
officers was: For Sheriff — James H. Gaff, 2,188; James Kirby, 1,115. For
Coroner — Thomas Croswell, 2,231 ; Eben Norton, 1,117.
Capt. M. L. Payne, whose candidacy appeared at this election, was a well-
known citizen of the county for many years. He served as Captain of a com-
pany raised at Danville, in the Black Hawk war; as Captain in the Mexican
war, and subsequently as a Captain in the war against rebellion. He was a
man of great energy and indomitable courage. He died of cancer, in May,
1878, and was buried with military honors, in the cemetery at Pontiac.
Hon. Elmer Baldwin, after his service in the Legislature, served one term
in the State Senate, and is the author of the very complete and valuable His-
tory of La Salle County, recently published.
At the judicial election in June, Charles H. Wood received 897 votes for
Judge of the Twentieth Circuit, and Geo. B, Joiner. 221. W. M. Taylor,
1,181 votes for Clerk of the Supreme Court; S. G. McFadden, 48.
In November, the vote was : For County Treasurer — Wm. B. Fyfe, 1,898 J
J. I. Dunlop,738 ; John Dehner, 597, For Surveyor— A, C. Huetson, 1,525 ;
E. B. Neville, 615 ; N. Buck, 555. Keeping up stock — For, 1,249 ; against,
977. This vote was under the provisions of a law, by which the county was
to determine whether it would permit cattle to run at large or not. The
adoption of the law rendered the expensive system of fencing unnecessary.
No single act did as much to aid in the development of the county ; yet
it caused violent opposition and litigation, quarrels, and at least one death. Its
application to this county was due to Capt. Strawn, and it nearly defeated his
renomination to the Legislature the next year.
In 1868, 5,595 votes were cast, the average Republican majority being
about 1,320. Four towns only gave Democratic majorities : Reading, 2 ; Sun-
bury, 1 ; Belle Prairie, 6 ; Nevada, 83.
The vote for President was: For U. S. Grant, 3,448; for Horatio Sey-
mour, 2,182. For Congress— S. M. Cullum, 3,447 ; B. S. Edwards, 2,184.
For Senator — J. W. Strevell, 8,403 ; Julius Avery, 2,146. For Representa-
tives— Wm. Strawn, 3,885 ; F. Corwin, 8,446 ; Samuel Wiley, 3,425 ; Moses
Osman, 2,149; E. B. Wood, 2,147 ; B. M. Armstrong, 2,132. For State's
Attorney — Mason B. Loomis was elected. For Circuit Clerk — J. E. Morrow,
3,476 ; W. W. Sears, 2,117. For Sheriff— Geo. H. Wentz, 3,422 ; W. H.
Cleland, 2,144.
HISTORY OF LIVIiNGSTON COUNTY. 269
This was the first time in our history that a citizen of this county was elected
to the State Senate.
To the Constitutional Convention in 1869, the following were elected from
this district (La Salle and Livingston): N. J. Pillsbury, Joseph Hart, Geo. S.
Eldredge, over Jonathan Duflf, J. D. Caton and G. W. Armstrong.
The vote for county officers was : For Judge — L. E. Payson, 1,896 ; A. E.
Harding, 1,126; Hiram Parsons, 108*. For Clerk— Byron Phelps, 1,806;
R. B. Hunna, 1,22-1: ; Eben Norton, 124*. For Treasurer— Aaron Weider,
1,844; J. McIlduflF, 1,226 ; R. G. Morton, 103*. For Surveyor— A. C.
Huetson, 1,921 ; Charles Smith, 1,127 ; M. McCabe, 105*. For School Com-
missioner— H. H. Hill, 1,659 ; Dr. M. Woolley, 1,182 ; A. D. Jones, 21.
The following townships voted for or against township subscription to the
Fairbury, Pontiac & Northwestern R. R. Co.:
FOR. AGA1N3T.
Amity... 90 9
Eppard's Point 67 25
Newtown 76 49
Pontiac 374 6
Esmen 75
Indian Grove 273 211
Avoca 65 63
wego 90
This voting in aid of the railroad was under the law of 1869, which gave
to all counties, townships, cities and towns, which voted such aid, all the State
tax which should be raised, for ten years after such voting, upon the increase of
assessment over the assessment of the year 1868 ; to be used by such counties,
etc., as a fund for paying the interest and meeting the principal of such bonds
at maturity — commonly known as the "grab law." The law was deemed
vicious in its spirit and eflFect ; and, after several years of operation, in which
millions of indebtedness was voted throughout the State, the Supreme Court
declared it unconstitutional — or rather, that the act had been repealed by the
Constitution of 1870.
By virtue of this vote, bonds were issued by all townships thus voting,
except Esmen, which ignored the vote entirely, on the ground that the seventy -
five votes cast were not a majority of all the voters of the town. This view was
held by Dr. Woolley, who, as Supervisor of the Township, would not consent to
the issuing of the bonds on that vote.
The bonds thus issued, aggregating $220,000, were given to the company,
which built the road, now the Chicago k Paducah.
July 2, 1870, an election was held for and against the new Constitution,
and the articles submitted separately, all of which received very nearly the
unanimous vote of the county, the article on Minority Representation having
473 votes against it.
* Votes cast for Temperance ticket.
270 HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY.
At this election, Hon. John M. Scott received 1,304 votes for Judge of the
Third Judicial District, and was at that time elected Supreme Judge, E. S.
Terry receiving 704 votes for the same.
At the November election, the vote cast was only 3,100. The Republican
ticket was elected, except Sheriff, by an average majority of about 150.
Under the new Constitution, the county was a legislative district alone for
that single election, and was entitled to two Representatives. The vote was :
For Representatives — John Stillwell, 1,607; J. G. Strong, 1,607; Rufus W.
Babcock, 1,527 ; J. I. Dunlop, 1,446.
For an additional Senator, the vote was : For Wra. Reddick, 1,720 ; For
E. Follett Bull, 1,391. For Sheriff— J. W. Hoover, 1,613 ; S. L. Glover,
1,500. For Coroner— J. J. Wright, 1,676; Samuel Stewart, 1,444.
In 1871, Aaron Weider was re-elected Treasurer, and ^A. C. Huetson Sur-
veyor, without serious opposition.
In October, 1870, Hon. M. B. Loomis, State Attorney, having removed to
Chicago, where he was subsequently elected County Judge, Gov. Palmer
appointed Chris. C. Strawn, of P(»ntiac, in his place. Mr. Strawn, though a
young lawyer, just commencing practice, proved a very efficient and successful
officer.
At the Presidential election, 1872, 5,355 votes were polled. U. S. Grant
received 3,110; Horace Greeley, 1,888: O'Connor, 201. For Governor —
R. J. Oglesby, 3,153 ; Gustavus Koerner, 2,062.
• The Liberal defection from the Republican party was noticeable mostly in
those townships where a strong German element existed, but its influence was
somewhat felt throughout the county.
A new apportionment had been made for Congressional Representative,
and the county was placed with Kankakee, Iroquois, Ford, Marshall and Wood-
ford, making the Eighth District.
An earnest contest occurred in the Republican Convention for nomination
for Congressman, the District being so strongly Republican that it was believed
a nomination carried the certainty of election. After repeated ballots, Green-
bury L. Fort, of Marshall, was nominated ; and, being elected, has continued to
represent the county in Congress from that time. The vote for Congressional
Representative was: For G. L. Fort, 3,158; for G. 0. Barnes, 2,111.
At this election, we were for the first time in a new Senatorial and Repre-
sentative District, with Ford County comprising the Eighteenth District.
Under a scheme known as " Minority Representation," a State Senator and
three Representatives were elected, but only two of which Representatives
could be on the same ticket ; that is, tlie voter may vote three votes for the
same candidate, or two for one and one for another ; or one and one-half vote
for each of two ; or one vote each for three candidates.
The vote for Senator was: For J. G. Strong, 3,093 ; for Wm. Colon, 2,162.
For Representatives— Luoien Bullard, 4,313 ; John Pollock, 4,152^ ; John P.
HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUmV. 271
Middlecoff, 2,o01 ; John F. Blackburn, 3,001|; Robert Thompson, 2,186|,
The three former were elected. For State's Attorney, James H. Funk received
3,116 ; H. H. Brower, 2,151. For Circuit Clerk— J. A. Fellows, 3,244 ; S. S.
Brucker, 2,058 ; For Sheriff— B. E. Robinson, 2,883 ; J. W. Hoover, 2,472.
Late in this year, a movement took form which, within a year, politically
revolutionized the county. No history would be complete which did not take
note of the causes which led to one of the most remarkable political movements
in the history of the county.
The year had been a bountiful one in the production of the staple crop of
the county, corn. During several preceding years, the crop had been meager,
and prices had ruled high. With this year's extraordinary yield, the prices fell
to the lowest known since the general settlement of the county. With the
farmers of this county, corn is the chief article of sale. With interest to pay
upon their indebtedness, which was large, payments, taxes, store bills, hired
help to meet in addition to the actual family necessities, with freights as high
as at any time, a feeling of uneasiness became general, and complaint grew
against the oppression of capital as aggregated in the enormous railroad corpora-
tions of the State.
It was believed that in justice the railroads ought to reduce their rates, and
at least divide the losses which the farmers, their chief patrons, were meeting in
selling their chief crop at ruinous prices. It did not reduce the general dis-
satisfaction at all to be told that if it Avere not for the railroads they could not
sell their superabundant crop at any price ; nor did it meet the case to be
advised that they ought to hold their crop till they could realize ; for with per-
haps a majority sales were necessary. About this time, the Legislature had
passed a law requiring all railroads and warehouses to reduce their rates. The
law was openly defied, and suits were at once commenced on the part of the
people of the State to compel a compliance with the law. The idea that these
monster corporations were above all law, while the natural citizen must comply
or go to jail, was not a pleasant one to contemplate. It took two bushels of
corn to pay the freight on one to tide-water.
With foreclosures staring many citizens in the face, and inability to pay
their just debts, with the largest crop they ever raised in their possession, their
minds were naturally led toward united political action. While in other counties
the matter was hardly thought of, in this the entire community was aroused to
seek any relief they could find. A few citizens of the township of Pike met
together and called a County Convention to demand a redress of grievances.
The convention met and warmed up in its denunciation of monopolies, and
the "Farmers' Mevement " was fairly launched in this county. Granges of
the Patrons of Husbandry were started in every neighborhood, and men and
women pledged each other to defend, unto death, the interests of the farmers
against monopolies.
272 HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY.
t
The unfortunate result of the Greeley movement had already convinced
many that the Democratic party was practically dead, by suicide ; and many
who did not particularly sympathize with the farmers were anxious to find some
healthy political organization with which to connect themselves. The move-
ment was the outgrowth of political injustice and business oppression. The
farmers had but too many reasons for feeling that their interests were deemed
as naught, by the combined and controlling aggregation of capital, and, whether
blind or not, saw no other way but by political organization to save themselves.
Thus was the Anti-Monopoly party formed in this county, which for years,
under one name or another, exercised a controlling influence on the political
affairs of the county, and gradually grew into the Greenback party.
In the judicial election of 1873, Nathaniel J. Pillsbury received the unani-
mous vote of the county for Circuit Judge, and was elected, being the first
citizen of this county to receive that honor. He still remains upon the bench,
and is showing such excellent judicial qualifications that his continuance is
apparently alone dependent on his own choice.
At the November election of this year, the two tickets in the field were
Republican and Anti-Monopoly. The latter swept the county by a majority of
nearly 1,400 votes. The vote Avas : For County Judge — R. R. Wallace, 2,725;
L. E^Payson, 1.322. For Clerk— G. W. Langford, 2,254; W. H. Jenkins, 1,811.
For Treasurer — J. H. Stitt, 2,526; A. G. Goodspeed, 1,560. For Superintend-
ent of Schools— M. Tombaugh, 2,728 ; J. W. Smith, 1,295. Republican
majorities were given only in the townships of Eppard's Point, Pontiac, Indian
Grove, Avoca, Odell and Forrest. Several towns did not cast a vote for that
ticket, so complete and sweeping was the revolution. The Democratic party
was for the time being extinct, their vote being generally given to the new party.
In 1874, the vote ^as : For Sheriff— B. E. Robinson, 2,326 ; A. W. Sny-
der, 1,926. For Coroner— E. G. Johnson, 2,185; S. Stewart, 2,052.
In 1875, the vote was : For Treasurer— J. H. Stitt, 1,943 ; Martin Dolde,
1,909. For Survevor— B. F. Hotchkiss, 1,987 ; M. B. Logier, 1,867.
The vote polled in 1876 was 6,858, of which R, B. Hayes received 3,551 ;
S. J. Tilden, 2,134; Peter Cooper, 1,170 ; and the Anti-Masonic ticket, 3.
For Governor— Shelby M. Cullom, 3,509 ; Lewis Steward. 3,327. For Con-
gi-ess— G. L. Fort, 3,538 ; George W. Parker, 3,310. For State Senator—
S. T. Fosdick, 3,485; C. C. Strawn, 8,338. For Representative— E. C.
Allen, 6,7781 ; Geo. B. Gray, 5,546* : John H. Collier, 4,920 ; John Rich-
ardson, 3,1331. For State's Attorney — D. L. Murdock, 3,539 ; George W
Patton, 3,297. For Circuit Clerk— Wm. H. Jenkins, 3,679 ; W. S. Sims,
3,157. For Sheriff— B. E. Robinson, 3,479 ; John Thompson, 3,316. The
vote for Jenkins is the largest ever cast singly for any man in this county, and
the vote for Allen the largest ever cast for one man.
At an election held August 2, 1877, for an additional Circuit Judge,
Franklin Blades received nearly the unanimous vote.
HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY. 273^
In 1877, the vote for county officers was : For Judge — R. R. Wallace,
2,677 ; A. P. Wright. 2.208 , J. Duff, 466. For Clerk— Alvin Wait, 2,515 ;
G. W. Langford, 2,475; J. Mcllduff, 382. For Treasurer— I. J. Krack,
2,349; J. n. Stitt, 2,334; J. T. Bullard, 650. For Superintendent of
Schools— M. Tombaugh, 2,866 ; 0. F. Avery, 2,240.
This closes the political and official annals of the county. The reader will
find them complete in the record of all facts of interest, except that the abstract
of votes for the years 1837, 1841, 1851, 1856 and 1871 are not on file in the
office of the County Clerk. They are supposed to have been lost at the time of
the fire, and there is no known way of restoring them, unless the county orders
them restored from the files of the Secretary of State.
ANNALS OF THE CIRCUIT COURT.
The first term of the Livingston County Circuit Court was held October
21, 1839, by Judge S. H. Treat, now of the United States Court. At
the time the county was organized, it was placed in the First Circuit, but
the Judge sitting in that circuit did not get time to come here, no law
had been passed fixing the time for holding Circuit Court in this county,
and the Clerk had moved away out of the State. By the act of 1839, we were
placed in the Eighth Circuit, and October fixed for the time of holding Court.
Judge Treat wrote up the record, and in the minutes his own attendance is
mentioned, and that of David B. Campbell, State's Attorney ; Nicholas Hefner,
Sheriff; David Davis and Geo. B. Markley, attorneys. An order was entered
removing the Clerk, Henry Weed, by reason of his absence from the State for
more than a year, and appointing D. B. Campbell Clerk pro tetn. No grand
or petit jurors were summoned to this term. Twenty-nine cases were on the
docket, and parties litigant seem to have been taken by surprise, for against
eighteen of the cases the minute is entered, '* Neither party appearing, this case
is continued." Nicholas Hefner filed his bond as Sheriff, and it was approved.
C. W. Reynolds filed his appointment as Clerk, and Judge Treat certified that
Hefner had attended Court one day.
At the May term, 1840, W. G. Hubbard was appointed Foreman of the
Grand Jury, and, being charged by the Court, retired — Judge Treat says in a
letter — to some convenient saw-logs by the mill near by.
The grand jury returned five indictments, the first of which was for selling
whisky contrary to the statutes made and provided. It is not, perhaps, singu-
lar that the first indictment ever returned to our Court was for that, and it will
not be hard to anticipate that the last one may possibly be for the same
This term, Hefner was certified to for two davs' attendance.
At the October term, 1840, Garret M. Blue appears as Sheriff. At the
April term, 1843, D. S. Ebersol Avas appointed Clerk, and Augustus Fellows
Master in Chancery. At the September term, 1844, R. P. Breckenridge
appeared as Sheriff, and John Blue as Coroner. At the September term, 1846,
274 HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY.
Andrew McMillan appeared as Circuit Clerk. At the June term, 1847, John
D. Caton presided as Judge. At the June term, 1848, S. C. Ladd appeared
as Clerk. At the December term, 1848, T. Lyle Dickey presided, and Murrill
Breckenridge was Sheriff. At the November term, 1850, Hugh Henderson, of
the Eleventh Circuit, held court in exchange with Judge Dickey, and B. 0.
Cook appears as State's Attorney. September, 1851, Henry Loveless was
Sheriff. September, 1852, David Davis was Judge, and J. 0. Glover State's
Attorney. May, 1853, E. S. Leland was Judge ; Geo. W. Boyer, Clerk ; Jere-
miah Mathis, Sheriff ; W. H. L. Wallace, State's Attorney. In September,
1853, B. C. Cook was appointed State's Attorney pro tern. In 1855, W. B.
Lyon appeared as Sheriff. This brings the record down through the earlier
days.
The first deed recorded was one by Benj. Darnall and wife to Garret M.
Blue, consideration $100, bearing date October 15, 1836, for the west half of
the southwest quarter of Section 14, Town 28, Range 4 ; the said land being in
McLean County.
FARMING IN THE OLDEN TIME.
The way our fathers performed their farming operations is so little known
to the present generation, who depend so much on improved farm machinery
and require their horses to do all the work which men, women and children
formerly did, that a description of the olden way cannot prove uninteresting.
Banish reapers, mowers, corn planters, sulky plows, wire-tooth horse rakes,
double-shoveled plows, horse hay forks, threshing machines, grape-vine cradles,
and a conception can be formed of the primitive farming facilities. Corn was
"got in " in this way : After the land had been plowed, it was harroAved and
"marked out" both ways, one way with a small, eight-inch mold-board plow,
and the other by a marker made of 4x4 scantling, having on it four blocks or
pegs, which would mark three rows at a time (if one happened to have so con-
venient an article, otherwise the land was marked out both ways with the corn
plow). This marker had attached to it a pair of shafts, and a boWed sapling
for a handle. If the horse was "handy" and tractable, the marking could be
done without the aid of a rider ; but horses were so seldom driven single that
the boys, who had most of this kind of work to do, could not manage them well
enough to perform the work without a rider, so a " low-priced boy " was usually
put astride the horse, who rode as long as the sheepskin, which reduced the
terrors of bareback riding, and his unwilling seat could be induced to continue
an unhappy partnership, when he was exchanged for a new recruit. Ah, the
horrors of this ad sternum service I Boys who think riding horse is '"just
fun ' should try the experiment of a week's experience during marking-out and
corn plowing time, and endeavor to ascertain just how much fun can be
extracted from it.
After marking, all the children were taken out of school for a week to
" drop" corn. The ancient farmer who was so unfortunate as to have no grist
J^v lHu',/o.. jis^j}..
(ncuasca
FORREST
iiHivfe«*ni .f'^»«f^^5
HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY. 277
'of children was in a bad row of stumps. This may account for the tendency
to large families so common in past years. They had work for the children to
do in those days, and Nature is kindly disposed to supply the wants of
population.
Corn dropping was done from little tin pails or baskets held in the hand, or
buttoned into the clothing in front, or fastened by a belt around the waist. The
covering was done with a hoe having an eye into which the handle was put. This
was a tedious job compared with our present plan, but '' tending " the growing
crop was no less so. " Plowing out" was all done with one horse, using the
small mold-board, or a single-shovel plow, when again the small boy was fre-
(juently made to earn his bread by the sweat of his — body.
" Changing work " was a common device. While one ftirraer was getting his
land plowed, another wouhl employ his force of small help in getting in a crop,
and then return the work.
The harvesting and securing of the small grain crops were even more
tedious.
The hay was all cut with a scythe and raked into windrows with a hand
rake ; the grain cut with the old straight handled cradle, and raked into bundles
with a hand rake. Threshing wheat was done with a flail, and other grains
were trod out by keeping a troop of unshod horses circulating over it, each floor-
ing requiring about an hour. Where grain raising was largely followed, " harvest
hands" were scarce, and they often demanded and received two or three times
as much for that as for any other kind of farm work. To swing a cradle all
day was thought to be as laborious work and calling for as good pay as anything
to be done, and he who could " rake and bind " and follow a cradle, keeping up
his swath, need not tramp for a living during harvest time at least.
It is not easy to see how, with corn at from six to ten cents per bushel, oats
little more, wheat from thirty to sixty cents, and other crops in proportion, the
farmer succeeded in getting enough from the proceeds of his crop to pay for the
labor he was obliged to hire. It is not difficult to understand why the best land
that " ever lay out-doors ' remained for so long without purchasers.
Of course the farmers in those days did not ride in carriages, nor pay heavy
taxes, nor buy luxuries, nor pay hotel bills when they traveled, nor dress them-
selves and families in "store clothes," but some of them lived comfortably.
How did they do it ?
AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTIONS.
This has been and still remains pre-eminently a farming county, very little
manufacturing ever having been done here. The citizens send abroad for their
clothes, their plows and farm machinery, for their boots, shoes, cheese, many of
their wagons, and even in a measure for hams and bacon. Since the farm lands
have come into general cultivation, it has been pre-eminently a corn raising
county. It is believed that more corn is now raised and shipped from this than
278 HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY.
from any county in the country. In the earliei" years, Winter wheat wa*
largely and profitably grown ; cases occurred where the farmer paid for his
farm and implements from his single crop of wheat. It soon became an uncer-
tain crop, and was gradually abandoned. The growing of Spring wheat did
not long continue after it had been destroyed a few years by the chinch bug,,
and flour and wheat have become one of the principal imports into the county.
Oats remain a standard crop, and give a fair yield. In the northwestern part
of the county, timothy is largely raised for seed, it being in great demand in the
Eastern States by reason of its freedom from the foul seeds which are found in
that raised in older States. In the southeast, flax is a favorite crop, ftid its
growth is extending. Rye is raised by many farmers, by reason of the cer-
tainty of its yield and because its sowing and harvest occur at a time when
other work is not pressing, and that it is the best crop to seed with, now that
wheat has been abandoned, and oats are apt to grow so rank as to smother the
young grass plants.
Corn, however, is the only real staple article of farm production. The
county is in the very center of the corn growing belt ; the land is better
adapted to its production, the land is not liable to wash, and may be kept
annuallv under plow without deterioration. The perfection of farm machinery has
reduced the cost of production of this crop to the minimum. The rapidity with
Avhich it makes returns, the security with which it can be stored a year or more,
the importance of the hog crop, and the cheapness with which it can be-
marketed in that shape, are all inducements to raising corn. Besides these, are
reasons found in the needs of the citizens. The population is largely made up
of men with small means, who purchased small farms, but had not sufficient
capital to fence and stock them for varied agriculture. Under the stimulus
of the no-fence law, adopted in 1867, these open prairies were ploAved and
planted in corn, without a rod of fence on them, for there was no necessity for
fencing their farms and dividing into fields. Among the newer settled townships,
there are those which have more than four-fifths of all their land annuallv in
corn ; pastures are rare, and herds of cattle are not seen. Time will change-
this, however, in a measure ; but the great staple will remain the principal
article of production.
In the year 1877, the production of corn, by the report of the State Board
of Agriculture, is put down at 10,930,000 bushels. It is believed that na
other county in the world raised so much.
Fruits are receiving much attention. Apples, everywhere the staple, are
becoming an important product. It will be a long time, however, before they
will be found in great abundance on all farms. The borer and the blight make
havoc with the young trees ; latterly, the severe Winters have ruined many, old
and young, besides which, the system of farming practiced is a great hindrance
to growing orchards. With few or no cross fences on the farms, the cattle roami
at will among the trees during the Winter and early Spring.
HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY. 270
The blight has left but few pear trees growing in the county. Peaches are
an uncertain crop.
Grapes produce abundantly-and reguhirly: indeed, no crop is so certain of
producing a fair return. The Concord grape is a.s easily raised as com, and
more sure of a crop.
Small fruits are fast popularizing, where only a few years ago they were
only found in the garden or on the plantation of the horticulturist.
The Snyder blackberry, by reason of its ability to stand our severest
Winters, and not being injured by Spring frosts, is fast being planted; all
other varieties are too uncertain.
LIVE STOCK.
At one period of the history of the county, sheep were largely raised : and dur-
ing the war, the high price of wool stimulated the spread of this branch of hus-
bandry unduly. Particularly was this true of the fine-wooled varieties, ^^■ith
the close of rebellious hostilities, prices fell, and disease began to spread amon»
the sheep. Losses were terrible, and sheep husbandry disappeared from the
county. There are now only a few of the middle wooled sheep kept, and thev
seem to be comparatively remunerative.
Late years have shown a decided improvement in horses. The importation
of Clydesdale, Belgian and Norman horses into the county has awakened a lively
interest in that line. The peculiar nature of corn farming calls more for
strength and endurance than for speed and action. The farmer reasons that
two horses are better than three to draw a plow, if they can draw it as well.
The heavy work with corn raisers is plowing and hauling the corn to market,
and both of these require heavy horses.
The time was when the cattle which roamed over these prairies showed dis-
tinctly the dun. black, brindle and yellow colors characteristic of the native
cattle. Now the short horns have so changed the general appearance of the
herds that these colors are seldom seen. The entire "constitution"' of the
horned cattle has been reformed — nobody breeds or cares to breed anything
else. The hog crop now cuts so important a figure in the economy of the
county, that much care has latterly been taken to secure the very best breeds for
profit. The Chester White gradually gave way to the Poland China, and that
in turn to the Berkshire, which is now the popular, not to say the fashionable,
color.
The importation of Norman horses directly from France is largely due to the
active business management of John Virgin, Esq., of Fairbury. In IsTO,
Virgin, J. C. Morrison and Decatur Veatch formed a partnership for that busi-
ness. Mr. Virgin was sent out, and brought home the first venture of that
kind. That partnership was soon dissolved by the death of Mr. Veatch, but
Virgin has continued the business of importation.
280 HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY.
Of kin to the subject is the organization of Agricultural Societies. The
county society, now known as the Livingston County Agricultural Board, was
formed in 1855 by a few citizens. It owns a fine fair ground on the bank of
the river at Pontiac, which is beautifully shaded with native trees, and has a
fine half-mile track on it.
The Fairbury Union Agricultural Society was formed in 1875, as a stock
company, and owns a fine ground at Fairbury. These two stimulate a gener-
ous rivalry, and are the means of vast good to the cause in the county.
RAILROADS.
The four railroads which pass through the county make no small item in the
importance and wealth of the county. From their building dates the filling up
of our county and the bringing its lands into market. Without them we were,
and, in all human probability, would have, remained a waving prairie.
The first road in date of construction, the Chicago & Mississippi, running
from Joliet to Alton, was built in 1853 and '54. A few years later, it was sold
out on the second mortgage, and bid off by Joel A. Matteson, for |6,500. He
run it for a time, and then permitted it to be sold, and it was purchased by T.
B. Blackstone and others, Avho formed the Chicago & Alton Company, and have
made it a successful road. The company purchased a controlling interest in the
stock of the Chicago & Joliet road, and now, practically, it is a continuous line.
The stations on their main line are Dwight, Odell, Cayuga, Pontiac and
Ocoya. In 1869, this road built the Western Division, running from Dwight
through the northern part of the county to Streator, thence southwest to Wash-
ington, in Tazewell County, with Nevada, Blackstone and Smithdale on it, and
about the same time put down a second track from Odell north as far as
Gardner.
This road now has sixty miles of track in the county. In the years 1858
and 'oU, the Toledo, Peoria & Warsaw road was built through the county. It
was then known as the Eastern Extension of the Peoria & Oquawka R. R.
The road becoming embarrassed, the Peoria & Oquawka part of it passed into the
possession of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy R. R., and all the company
had was an extension to a road they did not own. The company was re-organ-
ized as at present known, and pushed their road on, reaching the Mississippi at
Burlington, Keokuk and Warsaw. They own eighteen miles of track in this
county. Its stations are Fairbury, Forrest and Chatsworth. The road now
known as the Chicago & Paducah has a local history, it being a Livingston
County corporation. In 1865, Mr. Samuel L. Fleming, of Pontiac, a man who
had spent a small fortune in railroading, drew, and got passed by the Legisla-
ture, a charter for a railroad from Ottawa to Fairbury. The corporators '
named in the charter were S. C. Ladd, B. P. Babcock, Samuel L. Fleming,
Nelson Buck, Jonathan Duff, Wm. Strawn, R. B. Harrington, S. C. Crane,
HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY. 281
John Dehiier, Walter Cornell, M. E. Collins, Ralph Plumb, Enoch Lundy,
David Mcintosh, H. L. Marsh, W. G. McDowell, J. W. Strevell, I. B. Tyler
and Wrn, B. Lyon.
In 1867, the charter was amended so that the road might run anywhere
northerly and southerly of Pontiac— that point being retained. The name,
however, in the charter was retained. Under the impetus given to railroad
building by the "grab law" of 1869, the company was formed, M. E. Collins
being elected President and S. S. Lawrence, Secretary. The townships of
Indian Grove, Avoca, Eppard's Point, Owego, Pontiac, Amity and Newtown
issued bonds, and with these in hand the Fairbury, Pontiac & Northwestern
Company made a c^ontract with Col. Ralph Plumb, of Streator, Col. W. H. W.
Cushman, of Ottawa, and David Strawn, to build and equip the road, transfer-
ring to them all the bonds and issuing the stock to them, so that when built it
became theirs. In this contract was a stipulation that the parties of the second
part would never transfer the road to the Chicago & Alton R. R. Co.; the intent
being, of course, to keep this a competing road. They built the road from Streator
through this county, pushing it south through Ford, Champaign, Piatt, Moul-
trie, Shelby and Effingham Counties to Altamont. Its stations in this county
are Newtown, Cornell, Rowe. Pontiac, McDowell, Lodemia, Fairbury, Murphy's
and Strawn. It connects at Streator with the Ottawa branch of the Chicago,
Burlington k Quincy. It has forty-one miles of track in the county.
The Chicago, Pekin & Southwestern has about twelve miles of track
through the county, having stations at Reading and Long Point.
Several other railroad projects are in contemplation or progress, principal
among which, that are likely to be built at no distant day, are the road from
Dwicrht to Kankakee, and the Decatur & State Line road, to pass through the
eastern tier of townships.
NEWSPAPERS.
In the early days, the newspaper was not thought to be, as now, a necessity
of civilization. Men had other ways of spending their time than poring over
column after column of Tribune, Inter-Ocean or Times; but with the railroad
came the printing press, awd we find flung to the prairie breeze, Mar«h 14,
1855, from "Ladd's building, immediately north of the Court House, Pontiac,
Illinois," the Livingston County News, published and edited by J. S. France—
" independent in everything." It was a twenty-four column paper, well printed for
the times, having only two columns of advertisements. Just how many subscri-
bers it had is hard to state, but a reasonable guess could hardly place the number
above two hundred. The first number, which is carefully preserved among a
marvelous conglomeration of other county antiquities, newspapers, books, old
demijohns, with their sere and yellow contents, with a chaos of unenumerated
articles, by Uncle Jacob Streamer, of Pontiac, contains an editorial bewailing
the lack of school houses and churches^, and the blighting prevalence of intem-
.■V'V*'
282 HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY.
perance ; an account of a temperance meeting, at which W. T. Garner, Wm.
B. Lyon, H. H. Norton, I. P. McDowell and Robert Aerl were appointed a
committee to call on the liquor sellers, and remonstrate vvith them against con-
tinuing their nefarious business ; upon failure to desist, they were to be prose-
cuted according to law. A committee, consisting of Nelson Buck, Dr. Darius
J.ohnson and J. H. McGregor, presented a stirring lot of resolutions, which were
heartily adopted by the meeting. A list giving the discount at which bank bills
were received also appears, with a long list of "closed banks," which was
expected to need to be " revised and corrected weekly," like the market reports.
A statement of the profit of wheat growing is made by Mr. John J. Taylor, in
which he shows, in double entry, how his wheat crop of the preceding year had
paid all the expense of buying, improving and working his farm, including pur-
chase money, and the harvesting of his crop. An old citizen remarks that this
ruined many a man, as, for several years after that, wheat raising proved unre-
munerative.
D. Johnson and J. M. Perry were the physicians; J. S. France, George
Bishop and McGregor & Dart the attorneys, and J. Streamer, Ladd & Mc-
Dowell, Buck & Gray, the merchants, having cards in this first paper. It ought
to be added here that some time before this, Thomas Cotton had published a
paper at New Michigan, which did not survive its second number. The issues
of his paper which did see light were devoted to enforcing Mr. Cotton's well
known reform principles.
During the first year of its publication, France transferred the News to
Philip Cook and M. A. Renoe ; Cook soon after selling to Jones. During the
proprietorship of Cook & Renoe, which was during the dark and bloody days in
which "Bleeding Kansas" furnished inspiration for most political discussion,
the liberal sentiments of the proprietors did not permit them to hold their peace,
even in an "independent" paper. In one of the papers, the editor complains
that Capt. Payne had falsely accused them of running an " Abolition paper."
The younger generation will probably never know the height and the depth of
infamy which attached to that term in the mind of the average Illinoian of a
generation ago. Renoe k Jones sold the News to Albee, and the publication was
soon after discontinued.
Cook & Gagan started the Pontiac Sentinel in July, 1858, as a Republican
paper. They sold to M. E. Collins, he to Stout & Decker, they to W. F. Dens-
low, he to Stout. Stout, in 1866, purchased a Taylor cylinder press, at an
expense of about $1,500, and soon after the entire concern was consumed by
fire, with but little insurance with which to start anew. The paper was going
again within two weeks, and in 1869 he sold to Jones & Renoe, Avho werepub-
lishing the Free Press, who consolidated the papers under the name of Sentinel
a d Press. In July, 1873, H. C. Jones became sole proprietor, and changed
the name again to the Sentinel, and in 1875, sold to F. L. AUes, who still owns
HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY. 283
and edits it. During all these changes it has remained Republican, and for
twenty years — the life of the Republican party — it has battled for the success of
that party.
The Republican was started in 1865, by Thomas Harper, and was published
by him for a year. E. B. Buck, noAv of Charleston, Coles County, started the
Constitution in 1864, as the organ of the Democratic party, and published it
about six months, when the material fell to Maxwell and Duff, who disposed of it.
Jones & Renoe commenced the publication of the Free Press, at Pontiac,
in August, 1867. In 1869, it was consolidated with the Sentinel.
The Livingston County Democrat was started by Milton & Organ, in 1868.
Mr. Organ soon after became sole proprietor, and sold to Peter Johnson, who
published it as a Temperance paper, for about six months, when he re-sold it to
Mr. Organ, who, after about a year, suspended its publication. M. A. Renoe
published the National Union for several months in 1866.
Thomas Wing became possessed of a printing office and published the
People's Advocate for a few months, in 1870. The material was afterward
l)ought by Prince Kellogg, who removed it to Odell, and commenced the publi-
<5ation of the Odell Times in January, 1872, which, in the course of a year, he
sold to H. D. Wilson, who continued it for some months.
J. H. Warner commenced the publication of the Independent at Odell in
1869, and continued it several months, when it was discontinued. ,
John H. Hewitt published the Pontiac Herald for a year, in 1871-72. Its
circulation was not large, but its proprietor was happy with his *' Hurld," as
lie called it.
A. L. Bagby commenced the publication of the Pontiac Free Trader, May
11, 1870, as a Democratic paper. In 1871, Bagby disappeared, and the pub-
lication was suspended, until C. S. Postlewait revived it, issuing the first num-
ber of Volume 2 in June, 1871, with R. W. Babcock as associate editor. C.
A. McGregor and E. M. Johnson pui'chased it in October, 1871, for $150.
Mr. Johnson has continued as co-proprietor and editor without intermission from
that time. Jan. 1, 187-4, M. A. Renoe purchased McGregor's interest, and,
in 1877, sold to John Stuff.
In 1873, the Free Trader became the organ of the Anti-Monopoly party,
"which grew into the Independent Greenback party of 1876, and still remains
the vigorous and prosperous champion of the political doctrines of that party.
J. H. Warner commenced the publication of the Herald at Odell, in 1877,
and continues to publish it.
John Harper, the great newspaper starter, commenced the publication o^
the Intelligencer at Fairbury, in 1863, which soon suspended; and Moses
Osman published a paper for awhile.
In 1866, H. S. Decker commenced the publication of the Journal at Fair-
bury. He soon after sold to I. P. McDowell, and he to Otis Eastman, in 1867,
who continued to publish it until 1873.
284 HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY.
In June, 1871, the Dimmicks commenced the publication of the Inde-
pendent at Fairbury, and in 1876 C. B. Holmes commenced the Blade. These
papers were published until 1876, when J. S. Scibird became proprietor, and
combined the two, with the title of Independent- Blade, which he publishes yet.
In June, 1868, Smith & Rutan began the publication of The Weekly Cou-
rier at Dwight, which, after six months, was discontinued.
May, 5, 1868, C. L. Palmer commenced the Star at Dwight, a two column'
paper somewhat larger than a good-sized shirt bosom, which he has continued
without change of proprietor, except the association of his brother with him for
a year in 1871-2. It has grown to a six-column quarto, with a steady growth,
and has continued its issue until now.
In 1878, C. M. Cyrus commenced the Dwight Commercial, which is still
published. C. L. Palmer commenced, in October, 1875, the publication of the
Western Postal Review, a monthly paper devoted to matters of interest to-
Postmasters, with Homer A. Kenyon as editor, which is still published.
In 1873, Dimmick Bros, commenced the publication of the Palladium at
Chatsworth, which they sold to George Torrance, he to C. B. Holmes in 1874.
The paper was afterward changed to Plaindealer, and is now published by R.
M. Spurgen.
The press of the county has ever been marked by an intelligent and earnest
desire to promote public morals and the general welfare of the county. There
has been an almost universal absence of personal animosity which so freijuently
mars the conduct of rival papers. A generous rivalry has not awakened per-
sonal hostility, and the general fairness has seldom been broken. The men who-
have formed the editorial fraternity have been usually worthy men, whose
influence has been for good. This is particularly true of those who are at
present conducting this powerful and wide-spreading department of intelligence.
Who can estimate the amount of good they have and can yet accomplish ? The
first telegraphic dispatch ever received in the county was on election night of
1856, giving the news of the election of Buchanan. The Livingston County
News the next morning contained full telegraphic news of the result of the
election from all over the country. It was to all a mystery how the news was
obtained, for it was not supposed that the News was able to pay for all that
telegraphic matter. A friend who had somewhere learned how to read the
wires supplied the enterprising publishers with them, and that night they were
put in type as fast as received.
THE ANTI-SLAVERY MOVEMENT.
In the earlier days of the county, very little of what was called Abolition
sentiment existed. There was plenty, however, of latent anti-slavery sentiment,
and it onlv needed a little friction to bring it out. In 1848, there were four
votes cast for Van Buren, and while many voted for him in some parts of the
.country who were not, it is pretty sure that these four men were Abolitionists..
HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY. 285
It is not now possible to find out who they were, but Capt. Strawn, pretty
good authority, says he believes the four pioneer anti-slavery voters were Otis
Whaley, George and Xenophon Richards, and Moses Rumery. At any rate
these men, together with Dr. H. H. Hinraan, C. P. Paget, Capt. Wm
Strawn, and perhaps James Stout, formed the nucleus, a few years after that
date, of the first Abolition organization in the county. For some years, they
had taken a decided stand against the extension of slavery, and were looked
upon as dangerous men.
Word was brought to some of them that some of the officers at Pontiac had
captured a fugitive slave who was pushing through the country to Canada.
The story ran that the fugitive was chained to a staple driven into the floor of
the old Court House. The news created considerable excitement, and Avas the
means of the organization, by Dr. Hinman, of an Abolition society. The slave
was returned to his master, but he did not suff'er in vain, for if ttie Society
thus formed did not liberate all the slaves in America, it certainly did its part
toward it. Moses Rumery, who was closely identified with the movement,,
did not join the Society, as it was both a church and a political organization,
and he, being a Methodist, could not well join it, but was with them in spirit..
These men laid the track of the underground railroad through the county,
with Rumery as conductor, and Hinman, Strawn, Paget and Whaley as station
agents, flagmen and stokers. No dividends were declared on the stock, but the
officers worked with untiring zeal, and no more negroes were seen chained to
the Court House.
About this time, an incident occurred which aroused the minds of some citi-
zens who had before this been much opposed to abolition. One Sunday morn-
ing, about the year 1853, Judge Babcock, who had recently purchased the Grove
farm, heard a terrible racket down the road, and, accompanied by a man who
was making it his home there, stepped to the road to see what was the matter,
when a most singular, and to him a new sight, met his eyes. In a covered
wagon were two as frightened negroes as ever drew breath in the prairie air of
Illinois ; beside the wagon were two men on horseback, demanding in the most
boisterous tones an unconditional surrender. Between them and the two chat-
tels, walked a man, with a pistol in each hand, threatening the lives of the
two pursuers if they came any closer, and alternately threatening the fugitives if
they attempted to get out of the wagon, in response to the demands of their
pursuers. They were two fugitives, accompanied by a colored barber from
Bloomington, and pursued by two Pontiac citizens. As soon as the pursuers
saw Judge Babcock and his companion, they rushed up and demanded help,
which was politely refused, and then wanted to borrow their guns, which was
also refused, and the Judge was, by the force of circumstances, forced to help
these fleeing fugitives on their way to Col. Stewart at Wilmington, whereas for
all his life, up to that moment, he had been an opponent of all the schemes of
Abolitionists. The next time he went to Pontiac, he found it generally noised
"286 HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY.
about that "a d d Abolitionist had just come from York State, and settled
almost right in our midst."
Hon. William Strawn, whose whole heart was in the move, who not only
spoke for the cause here, but went to Kansas to fight, and afterward enlisted in
the war against rebellion from sentiments of anti-slavery, writes: "My partic-
ular acquaintance with Livingston County did not begin till 1850. Dr, H. H.
Hinman's advent into the county was, I think, in 1852. A man who, with
little physical strength, possessed the most magnificent moral courage and
downright integrity of any man I ever knew, save perhaps, old John Brown,
who added to an equal moral courage physical courage and bodily vigor of
grand proportions. The Doctor, meek, heroic, energetic, persistent for the
right, like his Divine Master loving absolutely all men, instant in season and
•out of season in every good work, was a power for good in this county which
few could rightly estimate.
" The precise date at which James Stout came into the county, I can-
not say, but to him and Dr. Hinraan, this county owes more than to all others
-combined for redemption from pro-slavery rule. Courageous to a ftiult, never
thoroughly happy except when miserable — like the typical Englishman ; never
sparing his dearest friend, if he thought he caught him in a mean trick, bellig-
erently honest to his convictions, he secured both the enmity and sincere
regard of a vast proportion of the inhabitants of the county. * * Though
not then a resident of the county, I had the honor to be the anti-slavery candi-
•date for the Legislature. I remember making a speech in the old Court
House, to perhaps an audience of fifteen persons. S. C. Ladd was of the num-
ber, who thoroughly agreed with me in all propositions, except the voting part."
In addition it must be said that Owen Lovejoy, who, as a candidate for
Congress, spoke here, did much to arouse the latent anti-slavery sentiment. He
was probably the most effective political speaker ever heard in this vicinity.
Thoroughly at heart believing every word he spoke, clear, positive and convinc-
ing, he never had his superior on the stump in this State. The remarkable
unanimity with which the people of this county accept the ideas which were so
unpopular a quarter of a century since, the slow growth of those ideas through the
previous quarter, and until the passage of the "Nebraska bill," that Pandora's
box of the propagandism, illustrates one of those wise sayings of an unlearned
but very sensible negro, to a friend whose want of information he was lament-
' ing, "Ignorance is a mighty thing, sah ! and comes without study."
► NAMES OF THE TOWNSHIPS.
The curious may want to know who named and why the townships came to
be named as they are. There is almost always a reason for any name. An
investigator once discovered, by close study, how there came to be so mary
Smiths in the world. He said, after the Lord had thought of all conceivable
names to give the different families. He decided to call the remainder Smith.
HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY. 287
The investigator has been among the townships. Reading was so named
from the little village in its borders, which received its name from old Reading,
in Pennsylvania. Newtown was but a slight change from New Michigan, a
little hamlet in that township, named so in consequence of its being settled by
Michigan folks. Sunbury, from the post office of that name in the township,
kept by Wm. K. Brown. Nevada, from the prominence just then given to the
present Western State of that name, just then drawing attention. Dwight,
from the village of Dwight, which was named by Col. R. P. Morgan, Jr., an
engineer on the Chicago & Mississippi Railroad, in honor of his friend, Henry
Dwitrht, the builder of the road. Round Grove, from a small grove in its bor-
ders. Long Point, from the stream and point of timber in it. Esmen was
named by Judge Babcock. It is the first person plural of the Greek verb to he,
and means "we are the chaps," or words to that effect. Odell was named by
S. S. Morgan, after W. H. Odell, of Wilmington. Broughton, from and by
Wm. Broughton, the first settler there. Nebraska, by Reuben Macey, from the
then prominence of "Nebraska Bill," who proved to be a very important per-
sonage in the affairs of this county. Rook's Creek, from the stream, named in
honor of Frederick Rook, the pioneer. Pontiac, by Jesse W. Fell, from Pontiac,
Mich., where the first settlers had moved from. Saunemin is a mystery; the
•only man living who ever knew how it derived its name, and what it means,
has forgotten. Sullivan, an abbreviation for Sullivant, who, at the time it was
named, owned half the town. Waldo, by Parker Jewett, who named it from
his old home, Waldo, Maine. Eppard's Point, from the point of timber land
in it. Indian Grove, from the grove in that township. Forrest was first named
Forestville by the railroad men, who there encountered, in building, the only piece
of timber land for fifty miles on their road. Frost, the President of the com-
pany, came along, one day, and said it should be changed to Forrest, the name
•of his New Yor^ partner, and railroad Presidents were a power in those days.
Chatsworth, by the officers of the railroad company, from the country seat of
the Duke of Devonshire. Germantown, by the German settlement in that
township.
MILITARY RECORD.
No history of the county would be complete without at least brief mention
of the part taken by her patriotic citizens in the struggle to mintain the unity
and the honor of the Government.
By the census of 1840, the county had a population of 759, which had
increased in 1860 to 12,000. Out of this number, scarce 1800 were subject to
military duty ; yet Livingston County sent over 1,500 soldiers to the field.
Fields of ripened grain were left to be harvested by women and children.
Pastors of churches exhorted their parishioners to take up arms, and set them
an example by placing their own names on the muster-roll ; clerks threw down
the yard-stick to shoulder the musket, and, in several instances, even those hold-
288 HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY.
in<y public offices resigned their positions and went forward with their constitu-
ents to battle for the right. A number went singly and in twos and threes,
and enlisted in various batteries and regiments, Avhich cannot find separate men-
tion ; but, in addition to these, Livingston sent the following companies to the
field:
January, 1861, Company D, Twentieth Illinois Volunteers, 85 men ; of this
number, 30 re-enlisted as veterans.
August, 1861, Company F, Thirty-third Illinois Volunteers, 40 men; 14
re-enlisted as veterans.
August and September, 1861, Company C, Thirty-ninth Illinois Volunteers.
88 men, of whom 30 re-enlisted as veterans. Six Livingston County men also
enlisted in the regimental band of this regiment ; and 8 men served in Com-
pany D.
In July, 1861, Company C, Forty-fourth Illinois Volunteers, 38 men ; 8
re-enlisted as veterans ; also 5 men from this county mustered in Company B
of this regiment.
January, 1862, Company G, Fifty-third Illinois Volunteers, 42 men, of
whom 10 re-enlisted as veterans.
In August, 1862, when the One Hundred and Twenty-ninth Illinois Volun-
teers was formed, the county furnished the following Companies :
Company A, 100 men ; Company B, 62 men ; Company C, 94 men ; Com-
pany E, ItO men ; Company G, 101 men ; Company K, 21 men ; officers and
non-commissioned officers, 28. Total, 496.
January, 1864, Company E, One Hundred and Thirty-fourth Illinois Vol-
unteers, 13 men. April, 1864, Company F, One Hundred and Thirty-eighth
Illinois Volunteers, 57 men. February, 1864, Company G, One Hundred and
Fifty-fourth Illinois Volunteers, 6 men. February, 1864, Company G, One-
Hundred and Fifty-fifth Illinois Volunteers, 9 men. August, ^864, Company
A, Third Illinois Cavalry, 20 men. August, 1864, Company D, Third Illinois
Cavalry, 20 men ; August, 1864, Company K, Third Illinois Cavalry, 118 men ;
and in various other companies, 14 men.
The Twentieth Regiment contained many Livingston County men, among
whom are such well remembered names as John A. Hoskins, John A. Fellows
and Joshua Whitmore. Hoskins, who was a soldier in the Mexican war, was
Captain of Company D. but was afterward promoted Major.
Fellows and Whitmore entered the service as First and Second Lieutenants of
Company D. This regiment first engaged the enemy under Jeff". Thompson, at
Fredericktown, Oct. 20, 1861, and in the battle there fought, gave proof of the
splendid material of which it was composed. On the 2d day of February, 1862,
it marched into Fort Henry, and on the 11th, it was before Donelson, and did
excellent service in the famous three days' battle, which caused the surrender
of that important post, together with 20,000 rebel troops. Livingston claims
her full share in this important victory, which sent a thrill of joy to every loyal
HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY, 289
heart, and revived the fainting hope of the nation. It was here that Grant
uttered his "Nothing but unconditional surrender, " and the nation took it up
as a battle cry, and it rang through the land, until the last foe laid down his
arras. Four naen of Company D were killed in this battle, and many were wounded.
April 6th and 7th, this regiment fought at Shiloh, and remained in the service
during the war. The troops were mustered out at Louisville, Ky., July 16,
1865.
About one-half of Company F of the Thirty-third Illinois Volunteers were from
this county, and enlisted from the northwestern townships. The regiment had
an eventful, perilous and toilsome service. It marched through Missouri,
Arkansas, Louisiana and Texas, and did good service at Vicksburg, Port Gib-
son and Mobile.
Company C, of the Thirty-ninth Illinois Volunteers was raised in this
county, in August, 1861. It was enlisted from the central townships, and was
composed of the very best material. This celebrated reginient was better
known by the name of the "Yates Phalanx," so named after the patriotic Gov-
ernor of the State. It was not filled up in time to be accepted under the first
call for troops, but it kept up its organization and drill, and after the battle of
Bull Run it found no difficulty in entering the service. The regiment was
marched to the Potomac, and was engaged in the various battles, marches and
counter-marches on that historic ground. It afterward joined Gen. Foster's
command, at Newberne, N. C, and was marched from there to Hilton Head,-
S. C. It formed the advance of the brigade in command of Col. Mann, in the
siege of Fort Wagner, and marched into one end of that stronghold while the
enemy were marching out at the other. This regiment re-enlisted in March,
1864, and again started for the front. In May, it was under Gen. Butler, at
Drury"s Bluffs, and participated in all the battles that followed, meeting with
loss after loss, until the 18th of October, when it » was reviewed and found to
contain only two hundred men, and the highest officer left was Lieut. James
Hannum, who was promoted to Captain, and who is still living, and resides
near Cayuga, in Esmen Township. These gallant men were engaged in tlie
stormi^ig of Fort Gregg, where they made a daring charge and planted the
Union colors on the heights of the parapet, and placed their name forever on
the pages of national history. For their heroic conduct they Avere presented
with an eagle by Gen. Gibbon. They fought in every battle in which their
command was engaged, and were present at the final surrender, and were
mustered out Dec. 6, 1865, a mere handful of battle-scarred veterans.
" The muffled drum's sad roll has beat
The soldier's last tattoo ;
No more on life's parade shall meet
The brave and daring few."
About half of Company C, Forty-fourth Illinois Volunteers, was raised in Read-
ing Township, and served in the Missouri campaign, "mit Siegel." It was in
290 HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY.
the engagement at Corinth, and at Stone River nearly half of the regiment
was lost ; it fought at Chattanooga, re-enlisted and again returned to the front
in time to take part in the Atlanta campaign. It was in nearly all the battles
which resulted from the bold attempt of Hood to overrun Tennessee and
Kentucky-
In January, 1862, the old hero, Capt. Morgan L. Payne, recruited a com-
pany of men at Pontiac. which entered the service as Company G, of the Fifty-
third Illinois Volunteers. Payne had served his country through the Black
Hawk war, was in many a hard fought field in the Mexican war, and on the
breaking out of the rebellion he closed his business engagements as soon as pos-
sible, and again took the field. In March, this regiment was ordered to
Savannah, Tenn., and arrived at Shiloh just in time to take an active part in
that engagement ; it was engaged in the siege of Vicksburg, and in the battle
of Jackson fully one-half of the regiment was lost. The regiment re-enlisted
and again reached the front in time to participate in the battle of Atlanta, and
marched on to Savannah, and was engaged in the campaign in North and
South Carolina. From thence it marched to Washington, D. C, and took part
in the grand review after the surrender of the enemv.
The One Hundred and Twenty-ninth Illinois Volunteers was organized at
Pontiac, and for some time camped on the old Fair Grounds, just south of tlie
city. Five full companies were raised in this county, four in Scott, and one in
Moline, Rock Island County. Half of its regimental ofiicers were from Livingston
County, and when the regiment entered the service it was officered as follows :
Colonel, George P. Smith, of Dwight ; Major, A. J. Cropsey, of Fairbury ;
Adjutant, Philip D. Platenburg, of Pontiac; Sergeant Major, H. H. McDowell,
of Fairbury ; Surgeon, Dr. Darius Johnson, of Pontiac ; Steward, J. A. Fel-
lows, of Pontiac ; Chaplain, Rev. Thomas Cotton, of Pontiac. The Pastor and
every male member of the Methodist Episcopal Church at Pontiac, save two, en-
listed in this regiment. This church contained many leading men who believed in
muscular Christianity, and in "the Sword of the Lord and of Gideon; " and
strange to say, after fighting innumerable battles, and undergoing all kinds of
hardships, every member of this church returned alive. This regiment num-
bered among its company officers such men as J. F. Culver, J. W. Smith, J.
F. Blackburn, H. B. Reed, C. W. Baird, B. F. Fitch and John B. Perry, and
made for itself a name that shall last as long as the history of the war shall be
preserve!.
The One Hundred and Thirty-fourth and One Hundred and Thirty-eighth
Regiments contained many men from this county ; they were 100-day men,
and did service in Kentucky, Missouri and Tennessee, under the command of
Col. J. W. Goodwin, of Pontiac.
The One Hundred and Fifty-fourth and One Hundred and Fifty-fifth Reg-
iments were one year troops, and fought bushwhackers in Tennessee and
Kentucky.
HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY.
291
Company K, of the Third Cavalry, was raised in the vicinity of Fairbury,
and was officered by Aaron Weider, John Zimmerman and Byron Phelps,
This dashing company served during the entire war, and saw as much hard
fighting as any 118 men in the service. Their regiment was better known as
the Carr Regiment, and was officered as follows, by the Carr brothers : Eugene
A. Carr, of the regular army. Colonel; Horace M., Chaplain, and Byron Carr,
Quartermaster.
Livingston County also gave twenty men to Companies A and D, of the
Seventeenth Cavalry, thirty-seven to Coggwell's Battery, and eight to Battery
M, First Light Artillery.
The county may well be proud of her war record. The great majority who
went from Livingston County were men of intelligence and thought, who were
willing to lay down their lives for the preservation of a principle that was
dearer to them than life itself; and to such men the word "failure" was
unknown.
PONTIAC TOWNSHIP.
The city and township of Pontiac, as is supposed by many, must have been,,
in some way, associated directly with the noted Indian Chief whose name they
bear. It has been asserted by some that the site of the present city was ari
ancient Indian burying place, and that the bones of Pontiac lie in its soil.
By others, it has been said that, at one time, the old chief, when deserted by
his followers, retired to this place and made it his temporary home ; and by still
others, more ignorant of the life of this famous brave, it has been inferred that
he actually resided in this vicinity at the time that the earliest settlements were
made by the whites.
It seems a pity to spoil these pretty little romances, and one could wish that
they were not fiction ; but truth compels a diflferent interpretation of the name
of the city.
Pontiac was, indeed, a great Indian Chief, and that the town was named in
honor of him is equally true ; but that he ever even passed through this part of
Illinois is not probable. That he was buried in the neighborhood is still more
improbable ; and that he still resided here when the whites first settled is out of
the question, as he had then been dead more than half a century.
Pontiac, as has already been mentioned on page 42, was the chief of the
Ottawas, and lived with his tribe, near Detroit, Mich., and, during the trouble-
between France and England, otherwise known in this country as the " French
and Indian war," was a strong ally of the French, neither bribes nor threats
being sufficient to induce him to espouse the English cause. Even after the
French had treated with the English and had transferred all of Pontiac's pos-
sessions to the English, he remained stubborn and spurned their proffers of
friendship. On one occasion, after many of his followers and some whole
tribes had given in their allegiance to the English, Pontiac answered a proposi-
-292 HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY.
tion to take up arms against the French by saying, " When the French came
among us, they took us by the hand. They lived with us in peace. They
made us brothers. When the English came, they brought hornets. They
•destroyed our houses. They called us dogs. The French have been true to
us. We will be true to them. The English are our enemies, and we can never
he friends."
However, one by one the followers of Pontiac were alienated, and joined the
British cause, until he was left almost alone. Disappointed and disgusted, he
abandoned his home and came to Illinois. But here he was not permitted to be
at peace, for an Indian spy was commissioned by British authority to accompany
him in all of his movements. He had partially assented to neutrality, but was
still suspected of favoring the French. In 1772, some time after settling near
Kaskaskia, he was invited to a party, given by members of a neighboring tribe ;
and, though warned to go well protected and well prepared for trouble, he pre-
ferred to go unaccompanied. On this occasion he made a violent speech against
the English, when the spy, who sat near, sprang to his feet and buried his
hatchet in Pontiac's brain.
The town of Pontiac, like several others in the West, owes its name to this
great chief; but the true version is, doubtless, that the original proprietors of
the town, having lived for some years at Pontiac, Mich., fancied the name, and
bestowed it on their new enterprise.
At the date when the history of this township begins, the county of Livings-
ton had not been organized ; indeed, the number of residents in the county was
not sufficient to warrant a separate county government.
In Avoca, Indian Grove, Rook's Creek, Amity, Reading and Oliver's
Grove a few hardy pioneers had built cabins and cultivated little patches of
ground, but the balance of what is now embraced within the limits of the
-county was all a desolate waste, literally a " howling wilderness." The tall,
rank grass, the few stunted oaks, the thick and briery underbrush and the
marshy soil of the banks of the Vermilion at this point must have presented
but few attractions as a location for a town, or, indeed, tor the opening of a
farm, as, both up and down the river, settlements had been made before this
point was selected by any one. Perhaps the shallow water at this point in the
river, known as the '• Ford," had something to do with attracting to the place
Henry Weed and the two Youngs ; but if their settlement was made with a
-view of establishing a county, with this as the central point, their vision must
have been prophetic, as but few points presented scantier natural advantages.
Be that as it may, in 1837 the county was formed, and the Commissioners to
locate the " Seat of Justice," in consideration of donations consisting of the
Public Square and Jail lot, $3,000 to build a Court House, and the construc-
tion of a bridge across the Vermilion at this point, located the county seat on
the land which had been pre-empted by them.
EST /
FORREST
mm
HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY. 295
On the 26th of July, 1837, forty-one years prior to the present writing,
n accordance with this arrangement, the town of Pontiac was surveyed and
slatted by Isaac Whicher, County Surveyor of Livingston County, for " Henry
Weed, Lucius W. Young and Seth M. Young, from the southeast quarter of
Section 22 and part of the northeast quarter of the same."
The Court House Square, the Jail lot, six acres reserved for mill purposes,
ivith all the streets as they now appear, were all designated. This, then, was
;he nucleus, the germ, the foundation of the first town in the county, and whose
existence is co-eval with that of the county itself; and, though outranked in
mtiquity as a settlement, is the point from which, in a measure, has emanated
md grown all of its institutions. Settlements have been made, roads and other
public improvements have been established, and locations have been selected,
with regard to their connection with the county seat.
By the time of which we speak, about a half dozen families had settled in
what are now the bounds of Pontiac Township.
Henry Weed and the Youngs were from New York, and, as stated, settled
(it this place in 1833. Weed was brother-in-law to the Youngs, having married
their sister. They built the first cabin in the township, in which all, including
an unmarried sister of the Y'^oungs, lived. A few years after their settlement,
occurred in this family what proved to be the first marriage and the first death
in the township. The wife of Weed died a year or two after coming to the
place, and he soon after married the younger sister. Mrs. Weed was buried
near their cabin, which stood adjacent to the spot on which C. J. Beattie
erected his brick dwelling, a few years ago. Her coffin consisted of walnut
slabs, hewed with an ax to a proper thickness. Her remains, with those of
a few others, still lie there, but no stone or other indication marks their
resting place.
The two Young boys died soon after the establishment of the town, in 1837.
They were interred in a burying-place near Charles Knight's residence. These,
with several others who were buried there, still lie in the place selected by
themselves as a resting place for the dead.
Weed continued to reside here for some years. Though his county seat
scheme turned out according to agreement, it did not seem to be as great a
financial success as he had evidently hoped. Soon after its location, he made a
sale of lots, and a few were disposed of to James Weed ; but they wore afterward
bought by Henry Stephens for $5.00 each. Even as late as 1850, the whole
block on which now stands the McGregor House, the Filkins' houses and sev-
eral more, sold for $20 ; and the block on which stands the American Hotel,
Dr. Darius Johnson's residence and others sold for $10.
■ In 1839, Weed entered the land on which stood his town, and, soon after,
went away from the county to assist in the survey and construction of a rail-
road. While engaged in this business, he was attacked with pneumonia and
bleeding of the lungs, from which he died at Binghamton, N. Y., in 1842.
296 HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY.
Isaac Whicher, whose name has already been mentioned in connection with
the laying out of the town, came to the place in 1834. He was employed
by Weed, at $50 per month, to assist in surveying. He was the first County
Surveyor, being elected to that office over C. W. Reynolds, by a vote of 47 to
35, May 8th, 1837 ; and when Weed left to engage in his railroad enterprise,
resigned his office to continue in his employ.
Nathan Popejoy was from Ohio. He came to the township, and settled
about two miles east of town, and opened the farm now occupied by Philip
Rollings. The date of his coming is not quite certain, but was probably in
1884. He did not buy the land on which he settled, but turned over his claim
to other parties and removed to Avoca Township.
Truman Rutherford and his son Erastus, with their families, emigrated from
Vermont to this place in 1885. The elder Rutherford built a cabin near the
place where Samuel C. Ladd's residence now stands. Erastus lived in a cabin
which stood on the lot now occupied by the Baptist Church.
Although it might admit of a very reasonable doubt whether a Methodist
preacher could properly be called a settler, yet John Hoi man, who was of that
faith and of the profession named, came to the township and resided for a time,
about the years 1835 and 1836. Holman preached at dwelling houses and
in the grove, as the season and the occasion seemed to indicate. Holman's
daughter married Isaac Whicher, who was also a Methodist, as were all who
made professions of religion.
Truman Rutherford was, in the early times of the county, a man of more
than ordinary character. At the first county election, held May 8, 1837, he
was candidate for Recorder ; and though he received but twenty-one votes in
the whole county, it was not considered an indication of his unpopularity, a»
his opponent was elected by the small majority of forty-four. Mr. Rutherford
was a man of strong religious principles, though somewhat liberal in his views.
He was a Methodist, but about this time, Wm. Miller began to preach the "early
coming of Christ," and Rutherford embraced the doctrine, and became so firm
a believer that, in 1843, at the time set for the ''appearing of the Lord," and
the " end of the world," he bid his neighbors all good-bye, and arrayed himself
preparatory to taking his flight in the air. He, however, continued to reside
here until 1845, when he died. His wife died three years later.
Of John Davis, who was the first physician in the county, but little else is
known, except that he came to the township in about the year 1838, and lived a
few miles east of town.
No doubt Cornelius W. Reynolds was the first physician who was an actual
resident of the village. He had settled in Amity Township, in 1836, but in
1837, came to Pontiac, where he resided about four years'. He was for a time
Clerk of the County Commissioners' Court, and was the first Postmaster. A
dozen years later, it is related that the post office at Pontiac was kept in a
man's hat. In Postmaster Reynolds' time, it must have been a very small
HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY. 297
affair. Certain it is that postal facilities were very meager. For a number of
years after his time, there was but one mail a week.
John Foster, familiarly known as "Uncle Johny," is the oldest living resi-
dent of Pontiac. He first came to the county in 1836, from New York. He
lived for a year in Rook's Creek Township, and then returned to his home in
the East to bring out his family, making his second advent into the township in
1838, this time settling on the farm adjoining the new fair grounds, and by some
known as the N. T. Hill place. When Foster came the second time, he brought
his father-in-law and family, which, with his own, numbered seventeen persons.
Foster's father-in-law, at that time, was Jabez Shepard. This was a very
sickly season for this country, and many people died of milk sickness and other
malarious diseases. Among the number who died were Jabez Shepard and
wife, and Foster's wife and two children. After residing in Pontiac a few
years, Foster changed his abode to Avoca, where he remained about six years,
when he again removed to Owego Township, to what is known as the Stinson
farm, he in the meantime having married Widow Stinson. For the past dozen
years he has resided in the city of Pontiac. "Uncle Johnny" is one of the
few "old landmarks" yet remaining, and relates, with much precision, the events
of the early days of the county. He takes special delight in relating how,
during the time that he first resided in the village and kept a place of enter-
tainment for transient people, he furnished accommodations for Judge Treat,
Senator Douglas, President Lincoln, and many other celebrities. To some,
whose acquaintance with Uncle John does not extend back many years, it may
be interesting, if not surprising, that he organized and with his wife conducted
the first Sunday School in the township. The school was held in the old
Court House, and he was Superintendent by the authority of an appointment
from the Presiding Elder of the Methodist Church.
Garret M. Blue came to the township in 1836, from Rook's Creek Town-
ship, where he had previously located, and settled a few miles northwest of town.
He was, at one time, Sheriff of the county. In his canvass for election he had
for his opponent John Foster. The candidates were, doubtless, equally popular,
as, on counting the ballots, it was found there was a tie. The usual method
of casting lots was resorted to, and the "lot fell not upon John," but upon
Garret. Blue resided here until 1849, when he died of cholera.
The first stock of goods brought to this vicinity was hauled, by ox team,
from Pekin, Illinois, and displayed for sale by C. H. Perry, who had come to
the place from Jacksonville, in 1836. He had his store and dwelling in a little
log cabin, which stood on the bank of the river, at the north end of the bridge,
on the spot now occupied by John Schneider's dwelling. He kept the store
and the records of the court for M. I. Ross, for about two years, and then fol-
lowed the fortunes of Henry AVeed in his railroad enterprise, and never returned.
While residing here, he was also interested in the mill site, and he and James
McKee erected a saw-mill.
298 HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY.
James McKee was from Joliet. He came to this point about a year later
than Perry, and, as mentioned, built the saw-mill. McKee had been one of the
earliest settlers at Joliet, and at one time was proprietor of all of the West Town,
which, before the completion of the Chicago & Alton Railroad, was the main
town. McKee was also engaged in a mill project at Joliet, and erected, in
1832, the first flouring-mill in that city.
Joseph and Sylvester Perry were from Ohio, They came to this county in
1833, and settled a few miles northwest of town. They pre-empted land and,
in 1839, bought of the Government. The latter died about the last mentioned
date, but '' Uncle Jo." continued to reside here until his death, which occurred
October 7, 1865.
Dr. James S. Munson must have been one of the first inhabitants, for while
M. I. Ross was Clerk of the Commissioners' Court, he was appointed to
fill the place of Ross, who had been removed. Ross had been elected in 1837.
and had served a year, when it was ascertained that he was not eligible to hold
the office, as the law required that officer to reside at the county seat. On the
5th of June, 1838, the court made an order that, ''the above facts appearing,
M. I. Ross be removed for this cause and for no other;" whereupon James
Munson was duly appointed to fill the vacancy.
Thus far we have noted the settlements of what may, with propriety, be
termed the pioneers of the community, and, in most instances, have noted their
nativity, advent and location with some precision. In addition to these are
also remembered James Campbell, Thomas Campbell, Daniel Blue, Andrew S.
McMillan, Leonard Franklin, David Demewitt, Wm. H. Wells and Joseph
Hefner. Some of these are so indistinctly remembered that nothing more than
the name can be recalled, while others lived such a short time in the township,
before removing to another, that it is thought best to mention them in connec-
tion with their later residence. All, however, mentioned in the list had located
prior to 1839.
It will, doubtless, be entertaining to any having a real estate interest
in the town of Pontiac, to follow, for a little distance, the chain of title
of the lands which they now occupy, and which, as we have seen, were
primarily vested by right of pre-emption in Weed and the two Youngs. The
three men were originally equally interested in the town site, and in some of
the adjoining lands ; but, before a patent was obtained from the Government,
the Youngs both died. Weed then, in 1839, entered the land and the title of
the whole tract was consequently in his name. Soon after this, Isaac Fellows,
a brother-in-law to the Youngs, came out from New York for the purpose of
administering on their estate, and of securing to himself, as heir, their interest.
Amicable settlement was made, by Weed transferring an undivided one-half
interest in the tract to Isaac Fellows. Thus Fellows and Weed became joint
proprietors of the town. Subsequently, Isaac Fellows conveyed to Augustus
Fellows all of his interest, and some other parties, who laid some claim to the
HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY. 299
Young estate, quit-claimed to him. The title then vested in Henry Weed and
Augustus Fellows. In 1842, Henry AVeed died, leaving, as his heirs, Henry
Weed, Jr., John P. Lewis and Henry Stephens — the last two by virtue of their
marriage with Weed's daughters. In 1849, Augustus Fellows died, leaving
the undivided half interest to his wife, who subsequently married Nelson Buck.
A few years later, a suit was instituted for the purpose of dividing the property.
Commissioners were appointed, and what Avas considered by them as an
e({uitable portion was set off to the heirs of Weed — Lewis, Stevens and Weed
— and the remainder to Mrs. Buck. This will explain how some of the oldest
titles run from Weed, and some from Weed and Fellows, and why some of the
more modern primary titles run from Stevens, Lewis and Weed, and others
from Mrs. Buck.
The Court House which the Youngs and Weed agreed to build for the county
was erected in due time, being completed in 1841 and occupied, for the first
time, July 23, 1842. Though but a modest affair in the extreme, being simply
a small frame building 22 feet wide and 30 long and a story and a half in height,
and though much inferior to the $3,000 Court House that had been promised,
it gave great satisfaction.
Previous to this time. Court had been held in a small log cabin, in which
the Weeds had lived, in the east part of the town, and this was comparatively
commodious and convenient. It had a court room above, which was 22x20
feet, and a small jury room 10 feet square. Below were small offices, for the
various county dignitaries ; and. on the whole, it answered the wants of the county.
It was, too, a great local convenience. In it have been held political meet-
ings, debating societies, churches, Sunday schools and public schools, indigna-
tion meetings and ratification meetings, and assemblies of all sorts and sizes
except large sizes.
Another reason why the people of this vicinity rejoiced was that, as it was
then believed, the county seat question was settled. Though Livingston County
has been afllicted comparatively little with the removal malady, yet in the very
infancy of the count3% a severe attack was experienced. On the 30th of Au-
gust, 1839, an election was held for the purpose of moving the " Seat of Jus-
tice " several miles up the river. The arguments urged in its favor were numer-
ous and forcible. Among the reasons given by the "movers" were that Pon-
tiac was not the most central point ; that it was an unhealthy locality, being low
and marshy ; and, finally, that the proprietor of the town was not fulfilling his con-
tract in making the improvements proposed. On the other hand they proposed
a better site, being high and dry, a central location, being the nearest the center
of any on the river, and that the Court House should be erected forthwith.
The result of the election Avas a large majority in favor of removal — 80 in favor
and 56 ajrainst.
The vote, though insufficient to remove the county seat, was sufficient to
infuse into the parties interested in real estate at Pontiac a disposition to hurry
300 HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY.
up the building of the Court House ; and it was soon ready for occupancy, aa
we have seen.
Though the removal question was settled, though the Court House was built and
though the destiny of the town seemed to be fixed, all failed to produce results equiv-
alent to the expectations of its friends ; and its progress was marked only by its
absence. It is true the country was receiving some accessions to its farming
population, and that occasionally, on the retirement of a store keeper or a county
officer, or, which was generally the case, of both — being united in the same indi-
vidual — a new settler was noticed ; and at the end of the first decade after its
foundation, which brings us to 1847, the town of Pontiac was but a little more
than a name. Travelers frequently stopped at the store, and, in earnest,
inquired " how far it was to Pontiac ; " and, on being informed that they were
now within the precincts of that classic metropolis, gazed with looks which indi-
cated mingled feelings of wonder and disgust. It consisted, even at the day
mentioned, of only a half-dozen cabins beside the Court House, and these so
scattered and hid among the clumps of bushes that they were thereby rendered
almost invisible.
In 1842, Samuel C. Ladd came from Connecticut, and settled in the village.
No accessions of any consequence had been made for two or three years, except
such as remained but a short time, and are not entitled to mention as perma-
nent inhabitants. Mr. Ladd proved indeed a valuable addition to the settlement,
as he was a man of education, social culture and large business qualifications. Mr.
Ladd resided here until the time of his death, which, at the time of this writing,
has just occurred; and to tell the story of his life is to give the history of the
town. He was, in one sense of the word, here at the beginning, and has con-
tinued to reside at the place until the present year. He has held almost every
position of trust, and has been more intimately connected with the growth and
development of the place than almost any other man. He taught the first
school in the neighborhood, in 1843, in the old Court House. He was the first
real merchant ; he held numerous offices, among which were those of Postmaster,
County Clerk, Circuit Clerk and Assessor of Internal Revenue, the duties of
which offices he performed to the entire satisfaction of all. He was for many
years engaged in agricultural pursuits, and was one of the originators of the Liv-
ingston County Agricultural Society. He died at his residence, June 22, 1878.
Willet Gray, who was associated with Mr. Ladd in his mercantile enterprises,
came to Pontiac, in 1844, as clerk for John & Williara'K. Brown, of Blooming-
ton. He continued with the Browns for a couple of years, when they sold out
and Ladd & Gray engaged in the business. They together, for a time, also
owned and operated the saw-mill which had been built by McKee & Perry. In
these branches of business they continued for several years, when they sold out
to B. T. Phelps, of Ottawa.
Phelps did not come to Pontiac to reside, but employed John Wolgamot to
superintend the store, installing Allen Fellows as clerk.
HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY. 301
John A. Fellows had come to the county from New York, in October, 1847,
and lived in Avoca until 1849, when he came to Pontiac to work on the farm
for Augustus Fellows, and Avhen Ladd & Gray sold out, aa has already been
stated, Allen "laid down the shovel and the hoe" and took up the yard stick.
He made a popular clerk, and in all branches of business, society, politics and
war, his peculiar faculty, then developed, of making himself agreeable has
marked his life as his distinguishing feature. He has held the office of Post-
master of Pontiac, Circuit Clerk and many other minor positions, all of which
have been filled in a most acceptable manner.
John Wolgamot was from Ottawa, and came to the place as manager of
Phelps' store. He has been Justice of the Peace, Township School Treasurer
and Schoolmaster by terms. He was a good business man and, though of
<|uiet habits, made ^any friends.
Philip Rollings and family came from Highland County, Ohio, in 1846,
and settled on the farm two miles east of Pontiac, on which they still reside.
Chas. Jones, familiarly known as " Old Charley," who was the orjginal
owner of the land on which the town of Forrest is built, came to Pontiac and
lived from 1843 till 1850, He now resides in Belle Prairie,
In 1846, Augustus Fellows, having come into possession of half of the town
of Pontiac, and having removed to the place, erected the first hotel. Though
accommodations for man and beast were obtainable, even in the more primitive
times, yet this was the first attempt to make a specialty of serving the transient
public, for a compensation. The hotel, which was afterward known as "Buck's
Tavern," was ready for occupancy in 1848, and, though still incomplete; was
hailed by citizens and travelers as an invaluable addition to the institutions of
this part of the country. And, indeed, it proved so to be, as many a weary
traveler who yet survives attests. The " tavern " was rented in the first year
to Champlain, brother-in-law of Gen. Gridley, who occupied it, while Mr. and
Mrs, Fellows went on a trip of business and pleasure to their former home in
New York. On their return from the East, they took charge, and it was during
the administration of this landlady that the tavern gained its greatest popu-
larity.
And now this brings us to one of the most eventful periods in the history
of the township. This year, 1849, was the "cholera season," and the ravages
made in this section were terrible ; and, for the number of inhabitants in the
settlement, the fatality was greater than in almost any locality in the county.
Out of a total population of seventy-eight within the limits of the township,
thirteen died. Among the number who perished by the awful scourge were
Augustus Fellows and two children. In all, five died at the hotel. When Fellows
was stricken down. Dr. Holland, who then resided in Rook's Creek, was called
to attend him, was attacked with the disease and lived but a few days. Ann
Oliver, sister of Franklin Oliver, mentioned in Chatsworth Township, was
leaching school in Owego, and came in to nurse the Fellows family, and was
302 HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY.
80on numbered with the dead. Garret M. Blue, who lived northwest of town,
dropped in to see the afflicted family, and while conversing with some of the
attendants at the house, felt some of the symptoms of the disease. He hurried
out and, mounting his horse, galloped rapidly home, where he arrived with only
sufficient strength to crawl to bed, from which he never rose. In this house,
five died — Blue, wife, son, daughter and grandchild. John Blue lived on the
farm known in later years as the Miller farm, two miles east of Pontiac. In
this family occurred three deaths out of the four members. Blue and wife and
one child all perished. These were truly dark days, and no one but an actual
observer can picture the gloom that settled on the little community, or describe
he alarm and excitement that prevailed. At times, the number of persons
afflicted was greater than the number of those who were well, and much greater
than those who were willing or could be induced to wait upon them ; and the
disposition of the dead was a very serious question. Business of all kinds was
stopped. Intercourse with the outer world was entirely cut off. as those having
business at this point invariably avoided the route through this part of the
county.
This proved a real drawback to the prosperity of the township, as several
of its most enterprising citizens had died, and the reputation of this locality
for health had suffered greatly. However, an emigrant occasionally alighted
upon the place. A relative or friend, writing back to the old home in the East
or South, would induce some one to come out on a visit, see the country and
perhaps work a year, and once here he would likely continue.
In 1852, Jacob Streamer arrived at the place. Mr. Streamer had
left his native State, Pennsylvania, in 1844, and had come to Illinois,
stopping, for a time, at Magnolia. In 1850, he came to Livingston
County, and clerked two years for Jerry Mathias, who wa^ then running
a store at Reading. He arrived at Pontiac May 8, 1852. Perhaps Pontiac
has never had a better example of what perseverance and industry will accom-
plish than that presented by Mr. Streamer. When he arrived at Pontiac, he
found a poor opening for business. There were not a dozen families in the
place, and, including the Court House, there were but six houses. The man-
ners and style of the inhabitants were of a primitive character, and but poorly
prepared to support a man in the business which Mr. Streamer proposed to
carry on. With physical disabilities that would have discouraged almost any
young man just setting out in life, and with but ^15.00 in his possession, he yet
went to work, and by constant and untiring energy has built up a large busi-
ness, made himself a good home, and provided amply for his declining years.
Not only so, but his house is crammed with books and other evidences of culture
and refinement. His store, as well as his library, is packed with curiosities.
He makes a specialty of such goods as improve with age. His old wines,
brandies and cigars have become noted to such an extent that, to illustrate, the
following story is current. Some years ago, he took into his store a young man
HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY. 303
to learn the business, and who was advised that the best way to gain such
knowledge was simply to "keep his ears open." The young man soon learned
that many of the articles were the more valuable as they increased in years, and
soon became habituated to offering to his customers that argument in favor of
the wares he desired to sell. One morning, a lady entered the store, desiring to
purchase some butter of a good quality, and inquired of the young man if he
had any of the desirable article on hand. With promptness, the bright and
rising merchant replied : " Yes, ma'am, we have some that is very fine — none
like it in town — an article that we have had on hand over fifteen years.'' The
story does not go further to indicate that the lady was thereby convinced of the
desirable qualities to such an extent that she was induced to purchase.
After the death of Augustus Fellows, l\is widow married Nelson Buck, who
came about this time, from McLean County, and who has since figured largely
in the affairs of Livingston, and especially in the local politics and business o*
Pontiac. Mr. Buck was the President of the first Board of Trustees elected in
the town. He was, for many terms, elected Surveyor of the county, in the
the discharge of which duties he took the greatest pride. A few years ago, he
received an appointment from the Government to proceed to the West and sur-
vey some lands that were to be brought into market. Mr. Buck raised his force
of assistants in Pontiac, and made his way to his field of labor. They had,
however, but just begun operations, when, as is supposed, the Avhole party were
massacred by the Indians. No positive trace of him or any of his men has
ever been discovered, but indirect information has been obtained, which leaves
little doubt that the above are the sad facts.
The reputation gained by the town, during the year 1849, brought an influx
of doctors, and, among others. Drs. John Hulse and C. B. Ostrander. The for-
mer was from Kentucky, and practiced in Pontiac several years, and then
removed to Oregon.
Ostrander remained here but a short time, and changed his location to
Avoca, where he still resides ; and, in the history of that township, he receives
further attention. The Doctor was formerly very fond of playing practical jokes
upon his friends ; and in the largeness of his stories he had a reputation that was not
excelled in the country. A story, illustrating both of these peculiarities of his
character, is here related :
After he had removed to his farm, in describing the good qualities and fine
features of his plantation to some of his Chicago friends, he alluded to a won-
derful fish pond that occupied a corner of it, from which "barrels and barrels"
of fine fish had been taken by him, in an incredibly short space of time. His
friends, not dreaming that it was simply a fish story, and desiring a little rural
sport, concluded to pay the Doctor a visit, and try their luck wnth the hook and
the net, and wrote the Doctor accordingly.
A few weeks later, the party, duly equipped with fishing tackle of various
kinds, drove up to the door. They were entertained over night, and the next
304 HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY.
morning, contrary, perhaps, to the Doctor's hopes, inquired for the fishing
ground. Ostrander was equal to the occasion ; and, without betraying the least
hesitation, conducted them to the back of the place, to an old well, which had
been dug for supplying water to the cattle. When arrived within a short dis-
tance of the well, with seeming surprise, he said to the fishers, " Well, gentle-
men, this is the place where the pond has been, but," pointing to the well, "I
think it must all have leaked out at that hole."
The first resident lawyers were J. H. McGregor and J. H. Dart. It is not
intimated that there was no litigation in this vicinity prior to their arrival, for
the records of the court show that the contrary was the case. Counsel, how-
ever, was obtained from Bloomington and Ottawa, and, in many cases, lawyers
from Chicago practiced in this court.
McGregor was doubtless the pioneer lawyer, Dart coming in a short time
after, and going into partnership with him.
About this time, or a little later, Lee & Cowan opened up, on the west side
of the square, their general store. The store occupied a position near where
the Livingston County Bank now stands. The former of these gentlemen,
Charles M. Lee, was somewhat of a politician, and was, at one time, Judge of
the county.
A.B. Cowan was a very popular merchant. He died at this place a few
years since.
J. W. Reraick came from Pennsylvania, and, after arriving in this part of
the county, followed the trade of miller for several years. In 1856, he was
elected Sheriff' of the county, in which capacity he served two years. After
two years, during which time he was engaged in farming, he was elected to the
office of Circuit Clerk, serving as such officer for eight years.
The Garner family, consisting of Samuel and sons — William T., Jerome
and James — arrived at this place about the year 1851. Jerome was a lawyer,
and practiced here until 1861, when he removed from the county.
Henry and Ira Loveless made their advent about this time. They were
from Ohio. The former came through the county first as a peddler, and being
pleased with the location of a little town that was being started just east of
Pontiac, located there and opened a store. But the town failed, and Loveless
went into politics and was elected Sheriff". Ira had aspirations for office, also,
and was one of the Justices of the Peace before the adoption of the Township
Organization Act. Both are long since dead.
Dr. J. M. Perry, from Ohio, came in 1852, and practiced medicine in Pon-
tiac and vicinity twelve or fifteen years. He died six years ago.
After the cholera season, for five years, nothing of importance or interest
occurred worthy of record. A few changes in business took place, a new
family arrived once in a while, and a new house or shanty made its appearance ;
but, at the end of the period mentioned, but little change had been made in the
general aspect of the village and its surroundings. But during the year 1854,
HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY. 305
an event occurred which proved to be of the utmost importance, not only to
this community, but to all of Central and Eastern Illinois — an event which,
had it happened in any other way, or had in the least varied from the original
design, would have so affected the destiny of the town as to have made it
almost useless to have written its history. Of course it will be guessed that
reference is made to the completion of the Chicago & Alton Railroad, then
known as the Chicago & Mississippi. For nearly twenty years had the county
seat been located ; but with the lack of commercial advantages, the progress of
this part of the State had been extremely slow. Not only in growth and pop-
ulation had there been but little perceptible change, but the morals of the
people in general were not what we find them in later years. True, there were
well-meaning and honest people, but society was fashioned after the frontier
style. Fights were common, drinking, horse-racing and gambling were usual
pastimes, and the Sabbath was almost wholly disregarded. Commerce is said
to be the great civilizer and educator, and by many is deemed the Christianizer
of communities as well as of nations. In this instance, it proved to be all of
the above and more ; it brought the people here, and improved their condition
more than the most enthusiastic could have imagined. With the railroad, came
the people, and with the people came schools and churches, and to these came
teachers and books and ministers and Sunday schools. With the railroad, came
improved methods of farming, better plows, better means of harvesting grain,
better prices for grain. With the railroad, came lumber, which enabled those
who would settle on the prairie to protect their grain from the stock which
roamed at large, and to protect their cattle and horses and themselves from the
inclemencies of the weather. This made it possible to utilize all of that vast
extent of country which, till then, was thought to be useless, except for a
boundless pasture field. As a consequence, we find that, within the period of
two years from the time that the road became a fixed fact, ten times as much
land was entered in Livingston County as had been during the fifteen years
before.
As an illustration of the state of society which existed here at that time, it
IS related that, at one of the stations on the road between this and Chicago, an
individual who had evidently taken a drop too much got aboard the train and
took his seat. By the time the conductor came around, he was somewhat over-
come, and to the request of the conductor to satisfy the demands of the com-
pany in regard to fare, replied in a very unsatisfactory and unintelligible man-
ner. The conductor allowed him to remain until after having passed a few
stations, hoping that he might, in a measure, regain his senses, and then again
requested his ticket or its equivalent ; but the passenger was still oblivious, and
answered only in words, the meaning of which was obscure. At last, the ofl5-
cial becoming discouraged and somewhat irritated, asked him " where he was
going to, anyway?" To this question, the traveler answered, with more than
ordinary lucidity, that he was ''going to the City of Destruction." The con-
30t) HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY.
ductor, after cogitating a moment, replied, " Well, my friend, that station is not
on this road, but I will put you off at Pontiac, which is the nearest point, and
I have no doubt you will find parties there who will do all in their power to
assist you to your destination." As before intimated, a new era was dawning
upon the community, and a new impetus seemed to be imparted to the whole
country. New houses sprang up in Pontiac ; demands were made for a school
house ; the old Court House was soon found inadequate for its purpose; churches
were in requisition, and everything had an encouraging appearance.
The first train of cars passed through the place July 4, 1854. It was a
grand holiday and fuller of importance than any had dreamed. A year later,
the population of the little village had increased to over three hundred ; and in
eighteen months the town was organized. A newspaper was started, the first
number appearing March 14, 1855, only eight months after the completion of
the road. As further indicating the condition of affairs at the seat of justice,
a few items gleaned from its pages are here given. The first item noticed is
one which shows an improved sentiment in regard to the morals of the people.
A meeting had been called at the Court House to take into consideration the
means of suppressing the sale of intoxicating liquors. J. H. Dart was Chair-
man and Samuel C. Ladd Avas appointed Secretary. After duly considering
the matter, a resolution was adopted, to the eff'ect that a committee be appointed
to wait on the liquor dealers and request them to stop the business. The com-
mittee consisted of Wm. T. Garner, AVm. B. Lyon, H. H. Norton, Robert
Aerl and I. P. McDowell. The committee to draft the resolution was composed
of George Bishop, Nelson Buck, J. H. McGregor and Darius Johnson. Indica-
tive of the state of business at this time, cards are inserted in the psiper showing
that Ira Loveless was Justice of the Peace ; McGregor & Dart were in the law
and real estate business, as also was George Bishop ; J. M. Perry and Darius
Johnson were practicing medicine, the latter having lately come to the town;
Jacob Streamer had quit tailoring, and had been elected Justice of the Peace,
and was selling drugs and groceries ; Buck & Gray were selling clothing, dry
goods and groceries — Buck had but a few years before married the widow Fel-
lows, had been keeping the tavern, and now desired to sell the same ; Buck &
Gray were also buying grain ; Ladd was still in the mercantile business, but
with another partner, I. P. McDowell ; B. J. Phelps had a general store, which
was under the supervision of John Wolgamot ; H. G. Challis was here then,
and was carrying on the blacksmithing business, and advertised it. John Kin-
gore, "sir," then kept the hotel "sir." A few months later. Dr. Sheldon and
Dr. Thomas Croswell had arrived. Attorney Simeon DeWitt had located here.
A lumber yard was opened, by Ellis & Olmstead ; A. Stephens had opened
another hotel ; Z. H. Nettleton was finding some sale for jewelry, and clocks
and watches were needing repairs. Alexander Scott found sufficient demand
for harness, to induce him to set up in business here. And last but greatest^
the Livingston County News, the paper from which this information has been
gained, had three hundred subscribers.
HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY. 307
Certainly this is a good showing for so short a time. It shows that there
was beginning to be a demand for almost all kinds of goods. It shows that
there were people throughout the county to use the goods, and that there was
money, or its equivalent, with which to purchase them. It indicates, too, that
a taste for reading and a desire for information were being developed.
Perhaps but few items of news, in a little local paper, have had more to do
with settling up the country, or have had more influence in bringing people to
realize the value of the farming lands in this vicinity, than the following-, which
is an extract from a letter written by John J. Taylor, now banker, of Fairbury,
then farmer, of Pontiac Township :
I have broken inj land, fenced it, built a house and stable, dug a well and paid for the land
and all of the improvements, from the first crop, and have $144.00 overplus.
This was said of what is still known as the Taylor farm. Mr. Taylor had
broken his land and sowed it to wheat, and the yield had been enormous, aver-
aging over thirty bushels to the acre ; and, as the land had been bought cheap,
and the price of wheat that year was over f 1.00 per bushel, the result was
easily accomplished. This item was copied into the agricultural papers, and
from them into many of the Eastern journals, and by them commented upon ;
so that it was brought to the notice of many who were thereby induced to emi-
grate to the county.
Four years after the completion of the railroad, the village of Pontiac num-
bered not less than 700 inhabitants, and the toAvnship 200 more.
Another newspaper, the Sentinel^ was established. The old Court House
had, as a temple of justice, outlived its usefulness, and a new brick one had
appeared. A school house, costing $2,000, had been built; and nearly all of
the north side of the public square was built up. The west side of the square
was almost solid. Two new church buildings, the Presbyterian and Methodist,
furnished relig-ious privileges for all who desired them, and manv convenient
and tasty residences had begun to appear.
In 1857, the county voted to adopt what is known as the Township Organi-
zation Act ; and accordingly, the first township election held in this township
took place April 6, 1858.
The election was held at the Court House, Dr. Darius Johnson being called
to the chair. A motion was made and carried that Ira Loveless act as Moder-
ator, and Nelson Buck was chosen Clerk. After being sworn by J. W. Remick,
the polls were opened and 179 votes polled.
The result of the first election was the choosing of Wm. T. Russell as Super-
visor ; E. R. Maples, Clerk ; S. L. Manker, Assessor ; Jerome Garner, Over-
seer of the Poor ; Wm. Manlove, James Nelson and A. D. Eylar, Commission-
ers of Highways ; Jacob Streamer and Adams Morrow, Justices of the Peace ;
E. H. Masters and Joseph H. Virgin, Constables. Samuel McCormick and
James W. Remick were candidates for Collector, and, each receiving eighty-nine
votes, a tie was declared. The candidates agreed to a new election, which was
308
HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY,
held on the 24th. The second election brought out a very full vote, Remick
receiving 109 and McCormick 91.
The first road authorized by the Commissioners was that known as the
Avoca Road, and " extended from the south end of Locust street, in Pontiac, run-
ning south, east and south, to a point at the township line, being the southeast
corner of the Taylor farm." Five other roads were also authorized and sur-
veyed during the year.
The following shows the names of the principal officers elected at each sub-
sequent township election, and, also, the number of votes cast at each :
Date.
Supervisor.
1858 William T. Russell..
1859
1860
1861
1862
.Jonathan Duff..
Henry Hill
4enry Hill
B. W. Gray
1863 John Dehner.
1864
1865
1866
1867
1868
1869
1870
1871
1872
1873
1874
1875
1876
1877
John Dehner...
John Dehner...
John Dehner...
W. B. Lyon
J. Duff
J. Duff
J. Duff
R. W. Babcock.
R. W. Babcock.
J. E. Morrow ..
Morrow..,
Morrow ..
Morrow ..
Morrow ..,
Clerk.
E
E
J. E
J. E
E. R. Mflples
R. W. Babcock....
A. W. Cowan
J. R. Wolgamot...
\. W. Cowan
F. H. Bond
F. H. Bond
J. W. Smith
Isaac Aerl
S. S. Lawrence....
J. A. Fellows
George Pittenger.
W. H. Jenkins....
J. T. Kay
J. T. Kay
A. W. Cowan
A. W. Cowan
A W. Cowan
A. W. Cowan
Z. Winters
1878 J. E. Morrow A. W. Cowan.
Assessor.
S. L. Manker....
William Gore...,
J. F. Culver
William Gore...,
William Gore...,
S. C. Ladd
S. C. Ladd
S. S. Lawrence.
J. H. Gaff
N. Buck
William Gore...,
William Gore....
William Perry...
William Perry...
William Perry...
v^illiam Perry...
J. H. Gaff
J. H. Gaff
J, H. Gaff
Wiliam Perry..
William Perry..
Collector.
James W. Remick
C. N. Coe
H. J. Babcock
J. A. Fellows
J. A. Fellows
G. Wo'gamat
J. R. Wolgamot,
Robert Kingore
George Fowler
H. Tuckerman
(/harles Watson
L. Bancroft
>;. A. Campbell
L. G. Goodspeed
L. G. Goodspeed
J. H. Smith
James H. Campbell...
John Egan
John Egan
S. Mossholder
S. Mossholder
Vote.
179
200
121
208
262
237
186
214
292
259
387
378
427
458
462
424
454
520
537
636
648
In addition to the last named, completing the list of township officers elect,
are the following : Township School Tre:isurer, D. M. Lyon ; Justices of the
Peace, J. VV. Woodrow, M. I. Brower and Henry Hill ; Constables, John Gib-
bons, Charles Watson, John Egan ; Road Commissioners, John Wallace, Arthur
Marsh and N. W. Kellogg.
It will be noticed that, while there has been no sudden increasings of the
vote (which is a fair indication of the population), there has been gradual and
decided growth in that respect. Whatever falling off there may have been at
any time can be easily accounted for by temporary causes ; and the next elec-
tion will show a corresponding addition. In 1862, the poll was 262. The next
year, quite a number of the voting population were " off to the war," and the
vote decreased to 237. The next year, the One Hundred and Twenty-ninth
Regiment took nearly a hundred voters from Pontiac and vicinity, and a corres-
ponding lack is noticed in the poll. In 1866 the war had ended, and the
soldiers, whose lives were spared, had returned, and from that time forward the
usual increase is noticed.
Though Pontiac Township was considered, for some years, a little backward
in the attention paid to the education of the youth, in later years, ample amends
HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY.
J09
have been made, and Pontiac Township has expended moi*e money in the last
dozen years, for school purposes, than any other in the county. Not until
1858 was there more than one school house. In 1856, but one school was
supported, and that at an expense of but $100. There were in attendance but
fifty-eight scholars, though there were one hundred and sixty-seven in the town-
ship. The highest wages paid to the teacher that year was $20.00 per month.
The following table will show at a glance, better than a page of sentences,,
the growth of the school system for this locality :
DATE.
1856.
186G.
187S.
1877.
Schools.
Teachers.
ScholarH.
1
1
58
6
12
421
10
23
931
9
23
994
Children Be- iHighest wages:
tween 6 and 21. | paid teachers
167
672
1051
1137
$ 20 00
100 00
100 00
112 00
Total paid to
Teachers.
I 100 00
3220 00
4208 00
6710 00
The most encouraging feature of the foregoing table is the evidence, not
only of increase in per cent, of persons in school, but the present proportion of
those of school age, who receive the benefits offered by the public school system.
While the attendance is not as general as that attained in States where a com-
pulsory law is in force, it is still much greater than in most other States, and, as
compared with other portions of Illinois, stands much higher in this regard than
the average.
In the late war, this township took no unimportant part. Several almost
entire companies were raised here, and this is one of the few townships that
raised their full quota without being drafted. Notably, the M. E. Church of
Pontiac sent, with the exception of two, all of its male members, including the
Pastor, with the One Hundred and Twenty-ninth Regiment ; and a remarkable
fact may be added that, though engaged in many and fierce battles, every one
returned alive.
Of those who thus took their lives in their hands, as it were, to fight their
country's battles, seventy-two either died on the field in actual conflict, of
wounds or of disease contracted while in the service.
A full list of all these, together with all soldiers and officers who enlisted
from this township, will be found on another page.
The township of Pontiac is described in the survey as Congressional Town
28 north, Range 5 east of the Third Principal Meridian. It is one township
west of the center of the county, and twenty-nine miles from the farthest corner.
The land is quite level, but not so much so as to render any part of it unfit
for cultivation. Formerly, some portions were Hat and marshy ; but, by good
drainage, have become tillable, and prove to be of the best quality for agricul-
tural purposes. At present, there is scarcely an acre in the whole township,
except what is occupied by the bed of the Vermilion River, that is not well
adapted to farming.
The Vermilion River flows through the township, from the southeast to the
northwest, dividing it into two nearly equal parts. Wolf Creek runs through
310 HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY.
the northern part, and empties into the Vermilion after leaving the township.
These furnish an abundance of excellent stock water to the farms near which
they pass, and Vermilion River affords good water-power for the mill located at
Pontiac. Fish, in some variety, abound.
The timber at this point is mostly oak, walnut, maple and linn, and covers
the larger part of Section 7 and small portions of 17, 25 and 36. Building
stone, suitable for foundations, is found in the western part ; and on Sections
25 and 36, gravel, of a good quality for building roads, is obtained.
The Chicago & Alton Railroad, from the northeast to the southwest, and the
Chicago & Paducah, from northwest to southeast, cross each other and the Ver-
milion River at Pontiac.
CITY OF PONTIAC.
The village of Pontiac was incorporated under the general law of the State,
February 12,^ 1856, by the election of a Board of Trustees, consisting of Nel-
son Buck, J. W. Strevelle, S. C. Ladd, Z. H. Nettleton and H. Jones — the
first named being chosen Chairman or President.
Under this organization the town continued for nine years. During the
time much discussion arose, and much bitter feeling was engendered, in regard
to the sale of intoxicating liquors. Indeed, the local politics of the town con-
sisted almost wholly in this question ; and, upon this, the two parties were
almost evenly divided. Sometimes the license party elected the Board, and
sometimes the anti-license party succeeded.
At last, in 1865, an attempt was made, by way of legislation, to set the
question at rest by obtaining a special charter, which prohibited, not only the
sale of liquors, but restrained the Trustees from granting any authority Avhat-
ever to saloon keepers to vend such article. The charter, however, was satis-
factory to its friends only in so far as they were enabled to elect Trusetes who
would enforce its provisions in accordance Avith their views of its merits ; and
the temperance question was not fully settled.
The other provisions of the charter were much the same as those in effect in
other towns of like size; but on account of this peculiarity, it was obnoxious to
a portion of the inhabitants. Attempts were therefore made to obtain a new
special charter, but Avithout effect ; and the Princeton Charter, as it was denom-
inated, continued in force until 1872.
In 1870, the people of the State, at a general election, adopted a new Con-
stitution, in which was a clause prohibiting " class legislation ; " and under this
Constitution, the Legislature passed a general law in regard to the government
of cities and towns, in the Winter of 1870-71.
On the 11th of September, 1872, the city of Pontiac was organized under
the new law, by the election of R. W. Babcock as first Mayor ; F. C. Brown,
W. H. Clelland, Martin Dolde, L. E. Kent. William Perry and Charles Gross
as Aldermen : and A. W. Cowan as Clerk.
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HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY. 318
An important measure, adopted that year, has had a marked effect upon the
appearance of the city, rendering it, at the same time, more substantial and
handsome than it otherwise ^ould have been. An extensive fire, consuming a
large portion of the business houses northwest of the public square, had just been
experienced ; and, to prevent, in a measure, the repetition of such a catastrophe,
the Council passed the ordinance known as tlie " fire limits law," which prevented
the erection of wooden buildings, not only in the ''burnt district," but in any
part of the business portion of the city. The consequence has been that the
new buildings about the square are all of brick, making this part of town not
only much more solid, but adding greatly to its fine appearance.
The present officers of the city are : A. F. Fisher, Mayor ; M. A. Renoe
(Acting Mayor), B. Humiston, E. Wilson, H. H. Norton, J. P. Turner and
Samuel Hancock, Aldermen; Z. Winters, Clerk; W. S. Lacey, Treasurer.
Until 1874, the schools of Pontiac were under the control of a Board of
Directors, consisting of three persons, and ranked in their government with
the otlier district schools of the county ; but, at the date mentioned, the town
having a population of over 2,000, and the friends of the schools realizing that
some advantages would accrue from the adoption of the general law authorizing
a Board of Education, organized under this act, electing as the first Board
Jonathan Duft", J. W. Woodrow, E. W. Capron, S. 0. Pillsbury, Aaron Weider
and Martin Dolde, the first named being President, and the second, Secretary.
Under the new system, the schools have worked with great satisfaction. A better
method of grading has been adopted. Teachers have been selected more with refer-
ence to qualification for the particular positions to be filled. Better rules and
regulations for their government have been adopted and enforced, than formerly.
The school buildings, though yet scarcely adequate for their purpose, are
the best in the county. The main building, near the center of the north side
of the city, was erected in 1866, at a cost of $23,000. It is a fine building, three
stories in height, containing five principal and two class rooms, and is capable of
of accommodating nearly four hundred pupils. A principal and six assistants are
employed for this building. A primary school on the south sideof the river,
and one on the west side of the Chicago & Alton Railroad, are also maintained.
The present corps of teachers consists of R. B. Welch, Superintandent ;
Belle Borin, E. 0. McCulloch, Mary Sumner, Rose Rilea, A. W. Kellogg,
Josie Schneider, H. M. Fursman and Rose Camp, Assistants.
A few items taken from the Principal's report for 1876, though two years
past, will not vary greatly from the report of the present year, which has not
yet been submitted.
Number of cliildren between 6 and 21 1,209
Total enrolled during llie year 767
Total eiir..lle<l in High School 112
Total enrolled in Graniniar School Itlf)
Total enrolled in Inierniediate School 175
Total enrolled in Primary School :!15
Number of teachers employed 10
Total paid out for support of schools $H,947 11 r»
314 HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY.
But few towns of the size of Pontiac are better supplied with church privi-
leges than this. At a very early day in the history of the place, church
services were held, but not till a comparatively nij^lern date was there a church
organization, or even regular service. A MethOTlist class was organized in
1850; and irregular services by Presbyterian clergymen were held in the old
Court House, and in the Buck Hotel a little later; but no building was erected, or
even an organization effected, until 1855. The first preaching by a Presbyte-
rian minist'^r was in 1852, by Rev. Amasa Drake, of Chicago. The services
were conducted in the hotel named, and were at irregular intervals. Rev. Mr.
Day, of Morris, preached a few times in the old Court House, as did also Par-
son High. The first regular preaching was by Rev. L. H. Loss, in 1855, when
he organized the Presbyterian Church of Pontiac. The church was organized
October, 1855. The original members were William J. Murphy, Sen., and wife,
Abel C. Kidder and wife, and Mrs. Maria Buck ; the total number being but five.
The Rev. I. T. Whittemore, was the first pastor chosen, in 1856. Under his ad-
ministration, was the first church building in the town and (with one exception)
in the county erected. This was built in 1856, at a cost of nearly $3,000.
It was considered, in its early days, a very handsome and commodious edifice,
and doubts were entertained whether the society needed so extensive a structure,
or would ever see the time when its capacity would be equalled by its congre-
gation. Not only did it outlive its usefulness, but it saw during its existence
the erection of five others, four of which are larger and much more expensive.
In 1872, it Avas decided by the society to replace their old building, by one
commensurate in size to their increased wants; and their present neat and sub-
stantial house of worship was erected. The old building was sold to Wallace
Lord, and is used by him as an opera house, and though it is no longer a
place of worship, it is still the Lord's house. The new building was con-
structed at a cost of a little over $18,000, including grounds. Its size is forty-
two feet in width, and, including the chancel, ninety in length ; and it is capable
of seating about four hundred persons. The present membership of the
church is 162. The Pastors in charge of the society since Whittemore have
been Adam Johnson, Alonzo P. Johnson, J. McConnell, W. H. Gardner, R.
Kesslar, and the present Pastor, Rev. Benjamin L. Swan. The Sunday school
in connection with this church was organized in 1855, with forty scholai's, and
with Rev. W. J. Murphy as Superintendent. The next year, J. W. Strevelle
was elected Superintendent, and held the office continuously until 1870. The
present Superintendent is A. W. Kellogg. The school numbers at this time
180 scholars.
The M. E. Church was organized in 1861, but a class had been formed
nearly ten years before, and, in 1858, they had built a house of worship. The
old house, which has since been sold to the Catholic society, cost $2,600. The
society, at its first organization, numbered sixty persons, and was under the
pastorate of Rev. M. Spurlock. Under his preaching, and that of his success-
HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY. 315
ors, the society grew rapidly in numbers, influence and wealth, until, in 1866,
its demands were found to be largely in excess of the old building, and a new
one, adequate to the wants /and means of the congregation, was decided upon.
This was the centennial year of Methodism in the United States ; and, though
building materials were never before nor since so high, a building worthy of the
church and the year was founded, and, in due time, completed. The structure
was erected at an outlay of $22,000, is forty-three by seventy feet in size, and
will accommodate a congregation of 480 persons.
The society has increased steadily and rapidly, numbering at this time
265 members. In 1872, a neat and comfortable parsonage was erected at a
cost of $2,000, thus making, in value, the largest church property owned by
any one society in the county. The Sunday school, in connection with this
church, was organized at the time the first class was formed, and consisted of about
forty scholars, with Mrs. Sarah Remick as Superintendent. The school has grown
to number, at present, nearly three hundred. J. F. Culver, present Pastor of
the Church, is Superintendent, and has occupied the position for eighteen years.
As early as 1854, Rev. Washington Houston, a pioneer preacher of the
Christian or Disciple Church, preached at this place, and organized a society of
this denomination about a year later. The primary organization consisted of
John Powell, William Perry, Dr. J. M. Perry, Wilson Hull, Robert Sample
and their wives. Irregular services were held in the Court House and in the
school house until 1865, when they united with the other denomination of
Christians, sometimes called "New Lights," in the erection of a church edifice.
The house was put up at a cost of about five thousand dollars, and occupied by
both societies for a few years, when the latter abandoned their organization, and
both societies, through financial difficulties, relinquished the building. The loss
of the house proved to be a great discouragement to the society, and its organi-
zation was in a measure discontinued. However, on January 1, 1874, through
the efforts of a few of the members, the society was reorganized, and Elder
Chfirles Rowe was chosen Pastor. He served in this capacity oneyear, and was
then followed by Elder W. F. Richardson, who has since ministered to the
Church. Although they own no church property, they meet in the building
formerly occupied and owned by them. The society numbers about one
hundred members. The Sunday school, under the Superintendency of John
Bell, numbers about sixty.
Catholic services were held here for the first time in July, 1857, by Rev
Father Hurley, and occasionally thereafter Fathers Kennedy, Sherry, Cahill and
Lonergan visited the town and preached at William Cleary's house. In 1866,
the Catholic Church bouglit of the Methodists their house of worship for $2,000,
and fitted it up for the use of themselves. The first mass celebrated in this
house was by the Rev. Father O'Neill. Since this time, regular services have
been held here by Revs. Quigley, Fanning, Hanley and the present priest,
Rev. Father Finch.
316 HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY.
The Baptist denomination had held meetings here, with varying regularity,
for a number of years before an organization was effected. Rev. Frederick
Ketchara came and preached for them during the year 1861, and organized the
society, and, in 1862, he moved to Pontiac and took charge of the public
schools, and also of the church, as its Pastor. He continued to preach for the
congregation until the year 1865 ; and during the last year of his ministry a
house of worship was erected. The building is a neat frame, substantially con-
structed and nicely furnished, and will accommodate about three hundred sit-
tings. After its dedication, Rev. Geo. A. Simonson was called to the pastorate.
He was followed in turns by Revs. William B. Watson,* C. E. Taylor and
the present Pastor, J. W. Icenbarger. The Sunday school connected with the
denomination is under the superintendence of Randolph Zeph.
In addition to these, the colored people have two small places of worship.
The colored Methodists occupy and own the building originally erected as an
Academy ol Music or Turner Hall. The colored Baptists Avorship in the old
school house, which they have bought and fitted up for the purpose.
A Universalist Society was organized here about twelve years ago. They
purchased and fitted up the Academy of Music for $1,000, and held meetings
there for a few years. They finally sold their house to the colored Methodists,
and dispensed with church services, though the organization remains intact.
A history of the press of Pontiac would not only be almost a complete his-
tory of Pontiac, but a history of the county as well, as a paper was established
here very soon after the town and county really began to grow. As a faithful
record of passing events, in the succeeding issues of a newspaper, must con-
tain everything of importance not only in the town, but in the vicinity, so
files of such papers must be the most complete and reliable history obtainable.
To these files we are greatly indebted for whatever worth these pages shall
prove to be, as from them has been drawn, largely, the matter contained herein.
The first newpaper was established here in 1855, by J. S. France, a lawyer,
from Ottawa. The first number made its appearance March 14, 1855. The
paper was independent in politics, and was to be devoted to the interests of the
community, regardless of sect or party. The publication, however, either
lacked financial strength or editorial ability ; for, within a few months, the
enterprise was so involved that it was found impossible to proceed, and the
sureties of the concern were obliged to turn it over to other parties. This date
marks the advent of one of the very few successful newspaper men that have
carried on the business at this point.
M. A. Renoe came to the place June 9, 1855 ; and he, with Philip Cook,
took possession of the office. Reno had $100, which he invested, and Cook,
having nothing, gave his note in an equal amount, and with this capital the
Livingston County News was again on its feet. The firm continued the publi-
cation of the paper for several years, when James G. Albe came into possession,
* Mr. Watson's last ministry was with this Church. He died during his last year's service.
HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY'. 317
and continued its issue until the beginning of the war. The News, in the
meantime, had become a Democratic paper, and during the war the popular
feeling in this county being largely in favor of an aggressive prosecution of the
struggle, and the Neivs being quite conservative, it met but poor encourage-
ment, and was abandoned.
In 1858, the Sentinel was started, by Cook & Gagan. Philip Cook had
retired from the News, and William Gagan having recently arrived, the two
formed a partnership to start a Republican paper in opposition to the News.
They continued the publication until 1860, when, Cook having been elected
County Treasurer, they sold out to M. E. Collins. Collins was, two years later,
also elected Treasurer, and the paper then passed into the hands of H. S.
Decker and James Stout. Later, it was published by Stout & Denslow, and
again by Stout alone.
In 1867, Henry Jones and M. A. Renoe commenced the publication of the
Free Press, in opposition to the Sentinel. They afterward bought out the
Sentinel, and merged the tAvo publications into one, calling it the Sentinel and
Press. A short time after, the latter part of the name was dropped, and the
old name Sentinel only was retained ; and by this name it has been known ever
since. In 1875, F. L. Alles. having bought out the establishment, took control
as editor and proprietor.
In the meantime, quite a number of cotemporary papers had been founded,
but none were entirely successful until the Free Trader was established. The
first number of this publication appeared May 11, 1870. A national political
campaign was approaching, and it was desirable that the Democratic party
should have an organ to advocate the claims of that party in this county;
hence the Free Trader, with A. L. Bagby as editor, was established. The
enterprise, however, was but partially successful, until it came into the hands of
McGregor & Johnson. They came into possession of the office October 28,
1871. About this time, a great wave of feeling on the monopoly question
began to sweep over the country ; and this county being in the midst of the
flood, the time was auspicious, and the proprietors being possessed of both
means and ability, the success of the enterprise was fully assured. After a
short time, M. A. Renoe bought out McGregor, and the firm of Renoe & John-
son published the Free Trader as an advocate of the Farmers' Movement. A
little over a year ago, Renoe retired from the firm, and John Stuff became a
partner.
Among the other papers established here since the failure of the News
have been :
The Co7istitution, started in July, 1864, by E. B, Buck. It was a Demo-
cratic paper, to support McClellan and Pendleton.
The Pontiac Jiejmblican, started in October, 1865, by T. B. Harper.
The National Union was a Democratic campaign paper, published by J.
W. Youman. It appeiired in October, 1866.
318 HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY.
The Democrat was established at the request of the Democratic Central
Committee, by Messrs. Milton & Organ. This was the Democratic organ until
near the establishment of the Free Trader.
The Weekly Monitor was started July 29, 1870, by T. B. Harper, to advo-
cate a county temperance ticket.
In the Spring of 1870, Thomas Wing issued a fcAv numbers of the People's
Advocate. This was to be a Prohibition paper, but it lasted but a few weeks.
The first number of Ford's Livingston County Democrat has just made its
appearance. It is published by the authority and in the interests of the Dem-
ocratic party of this county. The editor and proprietor is J. B. Ford, formerly
of the Democrat, of Marshall County.
The subsequent movements of some of the persons connected with these
enterprises will doubtless be interesting to many readers.
Philip Cook was from New York, and came to Pontiac to work f.)r the
assignees of the News. After the expiration of his term of office as Treasurer,
he removed to California, where he has resided until the present. He is now
connected with the paper known as the Evening Call, at San Francisco.
William Gagan was an acquaintance of Cook's in New York, and came to
Pontiac to establish a Republican paper. After closing up his affairs at this
place, he also removed to California, and published the Oakland Daily News.
He continued its publication until a few years ago, when he died.
Henry Jones is a son of Judge Jones, and was raised in this county. After
his retirement from the Sentinel, he went to Dallas, Texas, where he is engaged
in the business of publishing.
James Stout, formerly from Ohio, came from Ottawa to Pontiac in 1855.
He engaged for a time in farming, and betimes practiced his profession — that of
a lawyer. Mr. Stout was an Abolitionist of the most ultra character, and at a
time when it was anything but popular to promulgate the doctrine. After his
connection with the Sentinel ceased, he received from the Government the
appointment of Receiver of Moneys of Idaho Territory, and removed thither
with his family.
Henry S. Decker was from Chicago, where he had acted as foreman of the
Journal office. Decker was a man who sacrificed everything for his friends,
and died in want. After his connection with the press of Livingston County
had terminated, he returned to Chicago, just before the great fire, broken down
in health, discouraged and poverty-stricken. He and his wife both died within
a few days of each other, and were buried by charity. Decker was at once one
of the hardest workers and the least appreciated of all who were connected for
any length of time with the press of this city.
Pontiac Lodge, No. 294, A., F. & A. M., was instituted in October, 1858-
The charter was granted to William Manlove, J. R. Wolgamot, Samuel B. Nor-
ton, Aaron Weider, S. C. Ladd, A. E. Harding, I. T. Whittemore and George
P. Olrastead, of which Aaron Weider was appointed first Master; S. C. Ladd,
HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY. 319
Senior Warden; Wm. Manlove, Junior Warden; and A. E. Harding, Sec. The
successive Masters have been William Manlove, two years ; J. R. Wolgaraot,
three years ; E. R. Maples, three years ; H. H. Hill, six years : A. W. Cowan,
three years ; J. E. Morrow, one year ; and E. E. Wallace, two years. A com-
plete list of the present officers is as follows : E. E. Wallace, W. M. ; P. M.
Schwartz, S. W. ; E. E. Kent, J. W.; A. W. Cowan, Sec; A. Brower, Treas.;
A. Babcock, S. D.; F. L. Alles, J. D.; E. M. Johnson, S. S.; D. Kavanaugh,
J. S.; Jno. E. Bell, Tyler : J. F. Culver, Chaplain. The present membership
of the Lodge is eighty-four. The regular meetings are held on the first and
third Tuesdays of each month.
A charter was granted by the Grand Master of the I. 0. 0. F., to establish
a lodge of that order in Pontiac, to be known as Pontiac Lodge, No. 262, in
1858. The charter was granted to R. W. Babcock, B. W. Gray, Jacob
Streamer, John A. Fellows and F. H. Bond. Prior to 1870, the Lo'lge had
erected a neat and convenient hall for their use ; but in the year named, it, with
a large number of other buildings, was consumed by fire. Immediately after
its destruction, steps were taken to replace it by the present handsome and com-
modious building. The structure is thirty feet by eighty, and is three stories
high. The first story is used for a store-room, the second for offices, and the
third is the Lodge room, used by this and other secret societies. The present
officers of the Lodge are E. L. Wilson, N. G.; Thomas Bowden, V. G.; J. W.
Daman, Rec. Sec; Z. Winters, Per. Sec; M. Dolde, Treas.
In 1864, an Encampment of this order was established here, and denomi-
nated Vermilion Encampment. The charter was granted to F. H. Bond, J. B.
McCleary, Peter Johnson, A. Hinsey, W. W. Stinett, G. Wolgamot and others.
The present principal officers are E. L. Wilson, C. P.; Richard Smith, S. W.;
C. C. Gilbert. J. W. : J. S. Lee, H. P.; H. H. Lucas, Scribe; M. Dolde,
Treas.
Company A., of Tenth I. N. G., was organized at Pontiac in June, 1877.
The company, at present, consists of seventy three men, including officers.
The officers' roster is as follows : B. E. Robinson, Captain ; R. J. Johnson,
First Lieutenant ; J. C. Reach, Second Lieutenant; James Fenton, Orderly.
The company is nicely uniformed, and armed with breech-loading needle guns.
The regimental headquarters are at Dwight, Col. J. B. Parsons, commanding.
Numerous and destructive fires ip. the city demonstrated the fact that Pon-
tiac had not only suffered severely from a lack of efficient means of controlling
the element, but from this her citizens realized the necessity of more thorough
organization. A fire engine of excellent quality and fine powers having been
purchased by the city authorities, a company to operate it was formed shortly
after. The organization took place in February, 1874. James E. Morrow was
chosen Chief Marshal ; J. II. Smith, Assistant ; John K. Clark, Foreman of
the Engine, and R. D. Folks, Assistant ; James Briglit, Foreman of Hose Com-
pany ; Charles Bigelow, Foreman of Hook and Ladder Company, and F. D.
320 HISTORY, OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY.
Cannon, Assistant; C R. Wheeler, Engineer, and D. Kavenaugh, Assistant
The Avhole number of men in the service at the time was about sixty. Bj
June of the year named, the most of the men and some of the officers had
dropped out of the organization, and in reality the companies had been almost
disbanded.
On the 4th of July of this year occurred the most destructive fire in the
history of the city, and this, with the proposition from the Council to grant
privileges and pay, which the old company had not enjoyed, had the effect of
bringing about a new organization. On the 9th of the same month, the new
organization was effected, which, with immaterial change, has existed to the-
present. J. E. Morrow was elected Chief Marshal; J. II. Smith, Assistant;
John Clark, Foreman of Engine ; F. Armstrong, Assistant ; C R. Wheeler,
Engineer; D. Kavenaugh, Assistant.
No single instrumentality has had more to do with the appearance of the-
city than that of fires; and, while they have entailed hardships on the individual
owners of the property destroyed, their effect has, in the end, been to add greatly
to the beauty and safety of the city.
The first fire of any considerable proportions was that which consumed the
row of wooden buildings on the south side of Madison street, December 8, 1867.
The fire originated in the office of the Pontiac Sentinel, and destroyed, beside-
this, Croswell's drugstore, Schneider's meat market and several other buildings.
The loss occasioned by this fire was estimated at about $20,000.
On the night of July 7, 1870, happened one of the most destructive confla-
grations that have visited the city. The fire broke out in the store of Herbert &
Son, which stood north of the place now occupied by the Odd Fellows' H:ill,
extending to the hall, consuming it, the City Hotel, and continuing its course
to the corner of Mill and Madison streets, and thence west on Madison, more
than Half the length of the block. Twelve stores and other property, amount-
ing in value to about $50,000, were swept away.
Where now stands a fine row of brick buildings, known as Union Block,
stood prior to November 2, 1871, a row of ungainly wooden structures. On the
day mentioned, these were burned. The loss was estimated at $10,000. As
soon as the debris was fairly cleared away, a movement was set on foot to replace
them with a fine block of stores and a hotel, that should be a credit to the town.
The buildings were soon up and occupied, and the proprietors and the citizens
felt almost glad that the fire had taken the old row away — certainly all felt proud
of the new. However, their congratulations were of but short duration, for on the
4th day of July, 1874. they, too, with several other buildings, including the Court
House, were totally consumed. It is supposed the fire originated from torpedoes,
that were being thrown about promiscuously. This was doubtless the most disas-
trous fire, taking into account the size of the town, th;it had occurred in the central
part of the State. In the amount lost, the rapidity of the destruction, and the
completeness of its devastation, it could hardly be equaled. The buildings
HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY. 321
were new and had been but recently filled with new goods, and the hotel, which
bad just received its finishing touches, and was occupied, was furnished in a
most elegant manner. In less than three hours, this, the finest part of the city,
was entirely annihilated.
On the night of the 3d of July, 1875, a saloon and two other buildings oik
the corner of Mill and Washington streets were consumed. All of these,
including the Court House, have since been replaced with structures of such a
character as makes one almost cease to regret that the fires took place. The
Court House, especially, had become an "eyesore," not only to the citizens of
Pontiac, but to everybody interested in the safe keeping of the county records ;
and in further consideration of the beautiful Temple of Justice which now
graces the spot, but little sorrow is manifested for the misfortune.
The second Court House was built in 1856, at a cost of $30,000, and,
at that time, was considered a very creditable affair, and such as would answer
for many generations to come. Many thought it larger and more expensive
than necessary. It served for a long time, not only for Court House, but for
post office, and most of the lawyers found room Avithin it for their headquarters.
Its hall, until the last, was used by those denominations of Christians without
houses of worship, as a place to hold church services ; and public meetings of
various other kinds were accommodated here. In time, as the county grew in
importance and population, it began to be realized that, at no distant day, it
must be replaced by something more commodious and more in keeping Avith the-
wants and ability of the county.
It is the opinion of all who have examined, and have had opportunities for
comparing, thu,t the present structure is, without exception, the best for the
money in the State of Illinois. The work of rebuilding was entered upon,
immediately after the fire, and within a year it was ready for occupancy.
The Committee on Building consisted of J. E. MorroAV, C. G. Greenwood.
Jacob Phillips and W. S. Sims. They employed J. C. Cochrane, of Chicago,
as architect, and Colwell, Clark & Co., of Ottawa, as builders. The cost of the
building was $63,406.00, and the architect's fees were $3,173.30, making a
total cost of $66,639.30.
Contrary to the usual custom, even where officials ai*e honest, there has never
been a hint that either committee or contractors " made anything" out of the
job. On the contrary, it is supposed that the contractors lost heavily. Certain
it is, that the splendid edifice which now adorns the Court Square is a credit to
the committee, an honor to its builders, and a source of congratulation to the
people of the county.
• Previous to 1866, the prisoners of the county had to be taken to other
counties for safe keeping, as no jail had yet been provided. The jail lot
provided for, by Weed and the Youngs, had been occupied only by a tem-
porary building used by the town as a calaboose. Thirty years had elapsed
before the county authorities found the necessity of occupying the lot. In the
S22 HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY.
jear named, having realized the expensive method of caring for prisoners, and
not being desirous longer of depending on other counties for such accommoda-
tions, the Board of Supervisors erected upon the spot designed for the purpose
a building eminently fitted for the purpose. It is a built of massive stone,
thirty-five by fifty feet, and cost ^32,000. It has been called a "model jail,"
and committees from various counties have been sent to examine it, with a view
of making it a pattern for similar buildings.
Perhaps the case which has produced the greatest excitement — and on
account of recent developments excites additional intei'est — that ever came
before the courts of Livingston County, was a trial for murder committed in the
vicinity of Pontiac, in 1858.
In October of that year, the body of a young woman named Mary Murphy
was found near the railroad track, a short distance south of town. She had
been missing about eighteen days, and certain suspicious circumstances occur-
ring at the time led to the arrest of a colored man, who gave his name as Wiley
J. Morris. lie was brought to Pontiac and examined before Jacob Streamer,
Justice of the Peace, and by him committed to jail to await trial. He was con-
fined in the jail at Bloomington, where he lay until the Fall of 1860, when his
trial came off".
It was shown on the part of the prosecution that Morris had been seen walk-
ing on the railroad track, about a mile behind the girl afterward found mur-
dered; that the rate at which he was walking, as compared with her pace, would
cause him to overtake her at the point ^here the body was found ; and that he
had just been in a murderous brawl in Bloomington, and was of desperate char-
acter. The evidence was wholly circumstantial, but quite strong. He was ably
defended by A. E. Harding, Esq., of this city, who, however, labored greatly
under the disadvantage of a popular feeling, which then existed in the commu-
nity, against the color of his client.
The jury, after an absence of an unusually long time, failed to agree, and
the prisoner was again remanded to jail to await a new trial.
In the meantime, the counsel for defense made application for a change of
venue, which being granted, the case was carried to Kankakee County.
The second trial came off April, 1861. In this trial he was still more unsuc-
.<3essful, and he was adjudged guilty of murder in the first degree, and con-
<iemned to hang, in May of the year named.
The doomed man protested his innocence to the Inst, declaring that he was
teing murdered on account of prejudice against his race; and on the scaffold,
his last words were, " You murder me ! You murder me ! You murder me ! "
Subsequent revelations show that probably Morris was an innocent man ;
.and, though otherwise a bad character, that he was not guilty of the murder of
Mary Murphy.
A short time since, Hawkeye Bill, a notorious desperado and murderer, on
his dying bed made confession that, at the time of the murder of Mary Murphy,
HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY. 323
he was fully cognizant of all of the facts — that he was a confederate of Bill
Britt, Jo. Montana and Charles Logue. He says that these three men were on
a horse stealing expedition, and were camping for a few days in the timber,
near Pontiac, and that the three were the g'lilty parties. He gives dates and
circumstances with so much precision as to leave but little doubt that they were
the actual murderers. He further states that Britt and Montana have since
been hung for other crimes, and that Logue has died in prison.
The Reform School at Pontiac, though a State institution, is mentioned here
for the reason that the city and township of Pontiac were interested largely in
securing its location at this place. The Legislature had passed an act allowing
certain towns, possessing specified natural and already acquired advantages, to
compete for the establishment of the school in their midst. After due examina-
tion by the commission appointed for that purpose, and hearing the proposi-
tions from each locality, they settled on Pontiac ; and the building was com-
pleted and ready for occupants in 1870. George W. Perkins, former Warden
■of the Illinois Penitentiary, was selected as Superintendent, and in his charge
the school remained until 1872, when the present efficient Superintendent, J.
D. Scouller, was appointed. Through his kindness we are able to give the fol-
loAving items in relation to the institution :
There is belonging to the institution, in land, 280 acres, which is worked
by the inmates. A system of thorough drainage has been commenced, and
$5,000 have been spent for the purpose, including 3,000 feet of sewer from the
main building.
The buildings alone are valued at $110,000. Over 6,000 shade and fruit
trees have been planted. The inmates have a large play ground of several
acres, including an excellent base ball ground.
An additional building, called a Family Building, has recently been erected,
where about thirty of the better class of boys will reside apart from the others.
■Great good is expected from this classification by the managers.
Five teachers are employed, also a farmer, engineer, baker, overseers of
shops and others to the number of eighteen employes.
The school was opened for the reception of boys, in June, 1871, ami to this
date there have been 756 admitted. There are at this time in the school 194.
Between seventy and eighty are employed making shoes in the fictory con-
nected with the institution. Nearly 300 pairs are turned out daily. The con-
tractors, Messrs. Tead & Son, pay eighteen cents per day (of six hours each) for
the services of each boy employpd.
About sixty of the smaller boys are engaged in caning chairs for the Bloom-
ington Furniture Manufacturing Company. This branch is not profitable, but
keeps the boys busy, and teaches them habits of industry.
The rest of the inmates are employed on the farm, in the laundry, bakery
and garden, and at miscellaneous labor.
324 HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY.
All clothing worn in the institution is manufactured by the inmates. Besides
these duties of six hours' labor each day, all attend school four hours. All of
the common branches are taught, and several of the boys have taken Latin and
Greek lessons. The course of instruction is very thorough, the school being
well graded, and competent teachers employed. The libiary consists of 1,500
volumes, and many of the boys spend all of their spare time in reading. Over
twenty magazines and papers are taken for the inmates, and all are read eagerly.
A large number of those committed, on entering the institution, can neither
read nor write, but, when discharged, many of them are fair scholars, and have
obtained and are holding responsible positions.
Nine hours are allowed for sleep, and the rest of the twenty-four is spent in
play and at meals.
The Board of Trustees, at present, consists of Obadiah Iluse, Evanstou,
Illinois ; Solon Kendall, Geneseo ; and J. F. Culver (resident Trustee), Pontiac,
Illinois ; Dr. J. D. Scouller, Superintendent.
Visitors are welcome at the school from 1 to 3.30 P. M., on Monday,
Wednesday and Friday, and on Sunday at chapel services, at 2 P. M.
Pontiac lias been honored above any other town in the county, by the number
of persons selected from among her citizens for positions of honor, trust and profit.
William T. Russell, who was the first Supervisor of the township, was also
the first Sheriff after the "• Act far Township Organization " had been adopted.
For a number of years, after his term of office had expired, he was a resident of
the city. He is now engaged in farming.
S. S. Saul was from Pennsylvania, and came to Pontiac to teach school in
1854 or '55. He was elected to the office of County Clerk in 1857, and held,
the position until 1861.
Through the instrumentality of Saul, J. F. Culver removed to this place in
1859. Previous to his coming, he had been employed by the County Clerk to
assist in the office. After the expiration of the term of office, Mr. Culver wa&
elected Justice of the Peace, which office he resigned in 1862, to enlist in the
One Hundred and Twenty-ninth Regiment. He was elected Captain of Co. A,
and served through the var. On his return, he was elected to the office of
County Judge. He still resides in Pontiac, and is engaged in banking and real
estate business. Mr. Culver has probably done more work, physically, relig-
iously and politically, for his age, than any other man in the county, having
held almost every office of honor and trust in the gift of the people.
John W. Smith came from Ohio, and engaged in teaching in this town in
1859. In 1861, he was elected to the position of County Superintendent of
Schools. In the discharge of the duties of the office, he was one of the most
active and faithful servants the county has ever had. He too, resigned his
office to take part in putting doAvn the rebellion, and received a wound, from,
which a man with less pluck would have died. He, however, lives, and is
engaged in the drug and book trade in this city.
HISTORY OF LIVTNCtSTON COUNTY. 325
E. R. Maples is a synonym for " good fellow." He was one of the most
irenial, warm-hearted men that Pontiac ever knew. He held the office of Sheriff
from 1860 to 1862. He died about a year ago: his residence prior to his
<',orainc!; to Pontiac was Chicago.
Job E. Dye was an early resident of the county, and made a good Sheriff".
Since then he has been engaged in the grain business.
Time and space will allow cmly the mere mention of others, of whom we
can only stop to say, they have fdled their places in a manner that has given
the county no cause to regret their elevation to their several places of trust.
J. W. Strevelle, member of Legislature, two terms ; L. E. Payson and
Jonathan Duff", each County Judge, one term ; J. E. Morrow, John A. Fellows
and William H. Jenkins, each Circuit Clerk, one term ; C. C. Strawn and
William T. Ament, each State's Attorney, a term ; 0. F. Pearre one, and H.
H. Hill, County Superintendent of Schools, two terms ; James H. Gaff", Sheriff",
one term ; M. E. Collins one, and William B. Fyfe, Treasurer, two terms.
The first coal Avas raised at Pontiac January 12, 1866 ; the first lump taken
from the shaft being now in the possession of Jacob Streamer, with that date
attached. The shaft was sunk on contract for the Directors of the company, by
Isaac Custer. This work, with the buildings, cost the company $10,000. The
shaft was sunk to the depth of 253 feet, but a vein at 175 feet is the only one
worked to advantage. The charter members of the company were: S. C.
Crane. President ; J. Duff", John Dehuer and Thomas Wing, Directors. The
enterprise has not, on the whole, been very successful. Over |100,000 has
been spent, and owing to fires and other misfortunes, it has scarcely in its his-
tory been on a paying basis. In February of 1871, the shaft and all of its-
interests were sold to Messrs. Franz, Campbell & Bullock, of Woodford County,
for $45,000. It is now under control of W. H. Levers, who has operated it
for several years past. Statistics in regard to its present workings are not
obtainable, and are necessarily omitted.
The Chicago & Paducah Railroad, at first called the Fairbury, Pontiac
k Northwestern Railroad, was built through this part of the county in 1871.
The city of Pontiac and township took a lively interest in procuring its location
through this part of the county, and voted the company a donation of $50,000
to eff"ect the purpose. While some may doubt whether the interests of the city
have been enhanced by the location of a second railroad at this point, it will
hardly be disputed that the farming community has been greatly benefited.
Much has been saved in the way of freights, as by means of this line, competi-
tion has produced lower rates than otherwise would have prevailed. Small
towns have sprung up along the line, and, while they have taken some trade
from Pontiac, they have proved to be a great convenience to the sections in the
midst of which they have been located.
As an indication of the amount of business done in this city, no page
could be written that would give the reader as good an idea as the follow-
326 HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY.
ing items, furnished by the agents of the two railroads at this place, for the
year 1877 :
CHICAGO & ALTON RAILROAD.
Received from freights forwarded |26, 233.30
Received from freights received 20,703.38
Ticket, sales 14,641.49
$61,578.12
CHICAGO & PADUC.4H RAILROAD.
Received from freights received $11,250.00
deceived from freights iorwarded 6,100.00
Ticket, sales 4,250.00
21,600.00
Total from both roads $83,178,12
One of the results of the late war was to bring to the North a class of people
previously but little seen north of the Ohio River, and, in Pontiac, almost a
curiosity. Soon after the proclamation by the President which struck the
bonds from several millions of these people, they made haste to profit by that
act. The North had been almost drained of its laborers who had gone to
accomplish indirectly this very result. Peculiarly so was this the situation in
this vicinity in the year 1864. Harvest was coming on. It was great, and
"the laborers were few." A few of the leading farmers in this vicinity sent a
committee to Cairo, where a number of these emancipated people had gathered,
and induced them to come to Pontiac. Quite a large number of families came,
and were quartered for a year or two on the farms of their employers. Grad-
ually they have concentrated in the city, until, with the additions made by sub-
sequent immigration, nearly three hundred have found homes in Pontiac.
Though their educational and moral progress has not been so rapid as was
hoped by their friends, yet, taking their poverty and their former condition into
account, it must be admitted that their condition is quite satisfactory. Many
of them have built and furnished little homes for themselves ; their children
attend school ; and, as for piety, they certainly excel.
THE VILLAGE OF RICHMOND.
The reader will not be troubled to wade through statistics, as to this item,
as the only thing to record is its history, and that of an ancient nature. Still,
it is history, and not fiction, that we write ; for, though the reader may never
have heard of it, the town of Richmond did exist. Not only so, but it was the
rival of Pontiac, and but for a very small circumstance would doubtless have
been by to-day the most flourishing city in the county. Richmond was located
two miles east of Pontiac. It was regularly laid out and platted, by Franklin
Oliver, County Surveyor, for Henry Jones and Henry Loveless, June 23, 1851.
Rumors of a railroad through this section were afloat; and that being a nice
location for a town, and that point in the river being a good one for a railroad
iTossing, it was not doubted by its friends that this would be the favored point.
HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY. 32T
Stores and shops and a school house soon sprang into existence ; lots were dis-
posed of for good prices : dwellings were built, and everything indicated a
rising town. But alas for human hopes and desires ! The road lacked just
two miles of passing through the historic village, and its bright anticipations
burst like a bubble and vanished almost as quickly. Some of the buildings
were moved to Pontiac, some did service afterward as stables and granaries, and
the only monument that now exis<-s of the once sprightly little village is an
open space just south of Philip Rollings' house.
INDIAN GROVE TOWNSHIP.
The magnificent body of timber called Indian Grove^ from which this town
takes its name, and which extends from Belle Prairie into Avoca Township, is
one of the earliest settled portions of Livingston County. Indeed, the very
first Settlement made in the county was at the head of tliis grove, as noted in
the history of Belle Prairie Township, and, a few months later, white men were
found in that portion of the timber lying in Avoca ; while not until the Fall of
1831 was there a settlement made in what is now Indian Grove Township.
The first to locate in this immediate vicinity was Joseph Moore. He came
from Overton County, Tenn., and arrived here in the Fall of 1831, as already
stated above. Ilis journey to the new country was not accomplished with all
the ease and pleasure that would attend a similar one at the present day. When
we reflect upon the improvements made in the mode of transit in the last forty
or fifty years, we look back to the period of the early settlement of this section
of the country with a kind of pity for what the pioneers had to undergo in
making it what it now is. This man came through from Tennessee on horse-
back, or rather his Avife came on horseback and carried their only child, an
infant, in her lap, while he trudged along on foot. He staked out a claim in
the timber bordering Indian Creek, on which he permanently settled. He
lived an honored and respected citizen of the neighborhood, and died in Octo-
ber, 1851.
A. B. Philips, commonly known as Barney Philips, settled here the next
Spring. He, also, was from Tennessee, and an old neighbor of Moore's in the
"land of cotton" before removing to the West. Mr. Philips is still living, a
thrifty farmer, in the vicinity of where he settled forty-seven years ago. A
son of his is mentioned in the general history as the first white child born in
Livingston County. Judge McDowell relates the first meeting with his father's
family, of Philips, which is referred to in the history of Avoca Township, as
showing the quiet manner in which the people lived in those early days, and the
interest a new comer in the neighborhood excited. Pliilips, who was hunting
some hogs that had strayed away from his place, came unexpectedly on the
McDowell Camp, and seemed speechless from wonder in finding white people
80 near, while, from his backwoods dress, the McDowells did not, at first, know
328 HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY.
whether he was a white man or Indian ; but soon learned, however, and a pleas-
ant acquaintance was formed, which proved of mutual satisfaction.
Rev. John Darnall, a brother of Martin Darnall, the first settler of Belle
Prairie, came to Indian Grove soon after Barney Phillips, and in the same
Spring. The first preacher in the new settlement, and a man of a good deal of
native intelligence, he was a kind of leader in all religious, social and political
affairs.
Malachi Spence and his son, James Spence, and Richard Moore settled here
a year or two after those already mentioned. The latter was from Overton
County, Tenn., and the Spences and Darnalls from Kentucky. Mrs. Glenn
Phillips, a widow lady, came from the same neighborhood in Tennessee, and
about the same time that Richard Moore and the Spences came to the settle-
ment.
This comprised the first batch of settlers in what is now Indian Grove
Township ; and some of them are still living on their original homesteads, while
those who have died or removed to other States have left honored representa-
tives behind them. Rev. John Darnall sold out some years ago and removed
to Oregon. Malachi Spence is dead, but a son lives at the old home. Mrs.
Phillips is also dead. Richard Moore and Barney Phillips are still living in the
township.
In 1834, another delegation of Tennesseeans came out and settled in Indian
Grove, viz.: Francis J. Moore, Jonathan, a brother; Lewis Moore, a cousin,
and David Travis, who was quite an old man at the time. These came
together, and were from the place before noted — Overton County, Tennessee.
Several other families came with them, but settled in what is now Belle Prairie
Township, where their history is given. Francis J. Moore first settled on the
west side of the grove, but in a year or two " swapped " claims with a neigh-
bor, and moved over on the east side, about five miles from the present village
of Fairbury. He is still living, an active man for his time of life and the rough
scenes through which he passed in the early days of the country. David Travis,
not liking the outlook of frontier life, after a year or two, returned to Tennessee,
where the remainder of his life was spent. Lewis Moore followed him in a few
years; Jonathan Moore died in 184L
This section of the country, at the period of which we write, was embraced
in McLean County, and the land was not yet in market when these settlements
were made. Mr. Moore says it was the custom to blaze out a claim and squat
wherever one was suited, provided no one else had a previous claim ; then it
was not always pleasant or healthy to intrude. For many years, all new comers
settled in and around the timber, without the remotest idea that the prairies
would ever amount to a " pinch of snufi"' for anything but pasturage. And
to talk with the old settlers now, who came to the country forty or fifty years
ago, nothing in the way of its development seems to surprise them so much as
the settling up of the prairie land ; that where, at the period of their first
I
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cn^uu; l/U^ilAlL
Qii^Ji!))Sh2j^<..\
r.c
IWWEKS'n ^tttLfNf
HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY. 331
acquaintance with the country, grew the rank grass and weeds, and wild flowers,
sliould now be the most productive and flourishing farms, is a point that puzzles
them to the present day.
A few years later, probably about 1835-6, a man named Donohoo, and two
sons, Wilson Y. and Jefferson Donohoo, settled in this neighborhood. The
old gentleman and Wilson Y. are dead, but Jefferson is still living on the old
homestead. Rev. Robert Smith, a Cumberland Presbyterian preacher, settled
in the township about the same time. He was originally from Kentucky, but
came from Sangamon County to this place. This includes all the settlers in
Indian Grove Township, until the virtues of the prairies were discovered and
the people began to settle away out from the timber, on the great plains.
When the first white people settled here, they had to go some distance to
mill — to Green's mill, on Fox River, near Ottawa, and on Crow Creek, below
Peoria. To the latter mill Mr. Moore informed us that he made his first mill
trip, and was gone a week. The distance was sixty miles, and was the best
•chance for grinding in their reach, until a mill was built on the Kankakee
River, at Wilmington, which was about as far away as the one on Crow Creek. It
was sometimes about as hard for the new comer to find grain as to get it ground
after he had got it, for no one had been in the country long enough to have an
over-supply. There was no mill in this township until the erection of one in
the village of Fairbury, except a little horse-mill built by one Smith, about the
year 1840.
For many years, Bloomington was the post office, and, at the time of the
first settlements in this section, contained but one little store, which was kept
in a small log house, and in it also was kept the post office. The postage on
letters was twenty -five cents, a sum not always at the command of the fortunate
one to get a letter; and as a consequence, their mail would sometimes have to
lie in the office a considerable length of time before the much-wished-for
twenty-five cents could be procured.
The first road through Indian Grove Township was the State Road leading
from the east line of the State to Peoria, but has been obsolete for many years.
In those early times, the settlers hauled wheat to Chicago, and congratulated
themselves highly if they were so fortunate as to get fifty cents a bushel for it.
Chicago proper was not. The city had not yet risen from the bogs and marshes
of Lake Michigan, and the great grain market there was not what it is to-day.
Several farmers would join in a company, and, with their wagons loaded with
wheat, drive through to Chicago, camping out at night, as their load of wheat
would hardly have justified the paying of a tavern bill. Times, since then,
have changed.
The first birth in this township was that of John R. Phillips, a son of Bar-
ney Phillips, and occurred May 9, 1832. He is mentioned in another page as
the first white child born in Livingston County, and received a touching tribute
from the fact of having died in the army during the late war. The first wed-
332 HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY.
ding solemnized was that of John Darnall and Keziah Spence. They were
married by 'Squire John Thompson, of Mackinaw, in the early part of 1832.
Esther Spence died in 1832, and was buried in the little graveyard situated on
the line between Indian Grove and Belle Prairie Township, near where Martin
Darnell originally settled. This was the first death in the Indian Grove settle-
ment, and perhaps the first in the county. Her coffin was made of walnut slabs
split out of the tree, hewed down and then dressed smooth. The first Justice of
the Peace was Rev. John Darnall, who, in addition to being a preacher, was a
Justice of the Peace, Postmaster, and a man of considerable importance in the
neighborhood. He was the first Postmaster, and was commissioned some years
after the post office had been established in Avoca Township. His appointment
came about in this wise : As the country settled up, the people of the neigh-
borhood concluded they must have a post office, and accordingly petitioned for
one. The name of Robert Smith was mentioned in the petition for Postmaster,
but as he was the only Whig in the settlement, and Long John Wentworth, of
Chicago, then a strong Democrat,* and Representative of this District in Con-
gress (and this, it is said, was about the center of his district), thought it
would not do to have a Whig Postmaster, and so, without leave or license, had
John Darnall appointed instead of Smith.
It is not positively known who the first doctor was to practice medicine in
this township. Some are of opinion that Dr. John Davis, mentioned elsewhere
as the first physician in the county, used to extend his professional visits to this
section, while others think that Dr. Ostrander, an old physician of Avoca, who,
in the early times, practiced all over the eastern part of the county, was the
first regular physician. It is altogether probable that the latter supposition is
correct, for at that period there were very few families living in Indian Grove
timber but had had occasion for Dr. Ostrander's services. It is told of him that
a patron objected, one day, to the amount of his bill, when the Doctor informed
him, very confidentially, that if he knew the cost of the medicine he had used
in his case, he would not be surprised at his bill being so large. Upon his
patron's expressing some curiosity, the Doctor told him that the medicine he
had used cost $2,700 an ounce ; that it required the services of ten men four
months to gather one ounce, and that nine out of the ten lost their lives while
at it.
The sound of the Gospel Avas heard in Indian Grove Township almost as
soon as the pioneer's axe. Rev. John Darnall was a Baptist preacher, and the
first to proclaim the word of God in the new settlement. Rev. Robert Smith, a
Cumberland Presbyterian, was the next preacher. He made an effort, soon
after he came to the settlement, to establish a Sabbath school, but was opposed
by Rev. Darnall, who took ground against it, denouncing the measure as a kind
of speculation, and drew a ludicrous illustration from the story of the Good
Samaritan ; though just where the analogy came in, no one was able to discern.
*Some of his old Democratic friends here have lost faith in him since he has turned Republican, and don't swear
by him as they did twenty-five or thii-ty years ago.
HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY. 833
Mr. Darnall seems to have been quite a remarkable man, and possessed a vei^
independent way of his own. It is related of him that he was preaching one
day to a large congregation, and had occasion to quote a passage from St. Paul,
after which he emphatically remarked : " But I do not agree with Mr. St. Paul."
And upon another occasion, he made a lengthy quotation from the man of Tar-
sus, when, in a spirit of the most unbounded liberality, he observed : " And I
partially agree with St. Paul." The only churches in the township, outside of
Fairbury, are the Union Church, in the southern part, and the Ormish Church,
in the southeastern corner. Of the latter, we have been unable to obtain any
definite information. The Union Church was built in 1857, and is occupied
principally by Baptists and Christians, who have their regular days, and both
have established societies. As long as he lived in the country. Rev. John Dar-
nall was the leading light of the Baptists, Avhile the Rev. David Sharpless was
long a leader among the Christians. Rev. John Miller organized the first
society of Christians about the year 1858, and soon after the completion of the
church. Rev. Dr. Green preaches for the Christians at present, and Rev. Mr.
Thompson, of Ottawa, for the Baptists.
The first school in Indian Grove Township was taught by Chancy Standish,
in 1835. He was from New York, and came to the settlement in the year
above noted, when the people at once set to work to build a little log cabin for
school purposes, and which was the first school house in the township. In this
building Standish taught the first school, which was a general subscription
school, and it was some time before there was any public money for educational
purposes.
From the school records in possession of Dr. C. C. Bartlett, Township
Treasurer, which extend back only to the year 1857, we find that on the 1st
day of April of that year, " A meeting of the Trustees — James Spence,
Chancy Standish and James Moore, of Township 26 north. Range 6 east of the
Third Principal Meridian, was held at the house of John Darnall, the School
Treasurer," The meeting was taken up mostly in examining books, papers,
schedules, etc. The school fund at that time consisted of $721.20, in notes;
fund for town and interest, $67.70; fund on hand in notes, $170.00. There
were five school districts in the township, and several schedules of teach-
ers were examined and the Treasurer ordered to pay the amount demanded in
them for teaching.
The early records are rather poorly kept, and to get information from them
is quite a difficult task.
A good story, not out of place in this connection, is related of a young man
in the township, who, wishing a school in some particular district, went over to
Lexington, where the dignitary lived who had the position at his disposal, for
the purpose of procuring the required authority. Not being as well up in his
examination as the law required, the certificate was at first refused, but after
much importunity from. the young man it was at length written, "signed, sealed
334 HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY.
and delivered " to him under cover. Armed with this document, he returned
to Indian Grove and presented it to the School Director or Trustee, who, on
breaking the seal and taking out the certificate found it to read : ''This is to
certify that Mr. is qualified to teach a common school in Indian
Grove Township and no where else, and a common one at that."
At the meeting of Trustees on the 3d day of April, 1865, Dr. C C. Bart-
lett was appointed Treasurer, an office he has ever since held.
The following is the present Board of Trustees : J. F. Fraley. S. S. Rog-
ers and Wm. B. Cain.
From Treasurer Bartlett's last annual report we extract the following sta-
tistical facts :
Number of males in township under 1^1 years 82;.
Number of females in township under 21 years 8-5]
Total 1*^76
Number of males in township between 6 and 21 years o32
Number of females in township between and 21 years t)55
Total ^18"'
Number of males attending school 458
Number of females attending school 482
Total.
93
;>
Number of male teachers employed ~
Number of female teachers employed 13
Total 20
Amount paid male teachers $2,142 08
Amount paid female teachers 3,307 44
Total IM49 52
Estimated value of school property $12,000 00
Principal of school fund of township $7,198 39
The township has nine school districts and ten good, comfortable school
houses, all of which are frame buildings. None but first-class teachers are
employed, and the schools of the entire town are in a most flourishing state.
Indian Grove, as an election precinct, embraced that portion of the county
lying east of the mouth of the Little Vermilion River ; or, more properly speak-
ing, east of the old village of Avoca, in Avoca Township. In the days of
Whigs and Democrats, it was largely Democratic, and very ultra in its polit-
ical opinions.
The first newspaper ever taken in what is now Indian Grove Township was
the Chicago Journal, then a Whig paper. It had been subscribed for by John
and Jesse Moore, who had done so without inquiring into the color of its politi-
cal faith. When it came, and the Rev. Mr. Darnall found out that it was a
Whig paper, he set his veto on it and would not let it be read in the neighbor-
hood. It was when Avoca was the only post office in all the country round,
and so great was the faith of the Moores in Mr. Darnall's opinions, that they
HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY. 335
refused to take the papers out of the office,and there they accumulated until the
subscription expired.
Political principles have undergone a great change since those early times.
At least two-thirds of the vote is now Republican, and large Republican major-
ities are rolled up on all occasions where party lines are drawn. There are,
liowever, a few old true-blue Democrats who still stand by their old party and
principles, and think that Long John Wentworth has backslidden beyond
hope, since he has turned over to the Republican Party.
The war record of the township is given in the history of the village of Fairbury.
Indian Grove takes its name from the Indian settlement or camp once in the
fine forest along Indian Creek, which receives its name from the same cause. Pre-
vious to the Indians locating at Kickapoo Town, they had their wigwams or
lodges in the timber, now in Indian Grove Township, They had left the place
before the settlement of the county by the whites, or at least before there were
settlements made in this immediate neighborhood.
A large number of Indians were living at the Kickapoo town, not far
distant ; but we have no account of their ever molesting their pale-face neigh-
bors, though Black Hawk made every effort to stir them up to mischief, and
some of the settlers, in another part of the grove, took fright during the excite-
ments of the Black Hawk war, and fled to the frontier settlements ; but those
who remained were left undisturbed. Soon after the close of this war, the Indi-
ans were removed to reservations and hunting-grounds beyond the '" Great
Father of Waters," and our settlements here were no more disturbed by their
war-whoop.
This township has the benefit of two lines of railway, the Toledo, Peoria &
Warsaw and the Chicago & Paducah Roads. The former is more fully noticed
in the history of Fairbury. The Chicago & Paducah Railroad was completed
through this town in 1872, since which time it has been in active operation.
The people of this section seem to have awakened to the necessity of extended
railroad facilities since the building of the T., P. & W., as it, we were informed,
encountered much opposition from the very inception of the enterprise, until its
success and energy won for it a degree of independence ; while the Chicago &
Paducah received a hearty and substantial support, and a stock subscription
from the township of $50,000.
The benefit of these roads to this section of the county is almost incalcula-
ble, and the amount of grain and stock shipped over them annually is immense.
When the county adopted township organization, in 1857, in the process of
naming, this town was called Worth ; but discovering that there wag a Worth
Township in the adjoining county of Woodford, it was found necessary to look
up a new name for this. Francis J. Moore, a prominent citizen and one of the
early settlers of the township, suggested Indian Grove, which was adopted.
At the first meeting of the Board of Supervisors, we fii)d the township rep-
resented by John Crumpton, as Supervisor.
33d history of LIVINGSTON COUNTY.
The present township officers are as follows: H. Kingman, Supervisor; 0.
J. Dimmick, R. B. Hanna and 0. P. Ross, Justices of the Peace ; T. T. Bab-
eock, Assessor ; N. Shepherd, Collector ; N. A. Souars, Town Clerk.
Indian Grove Township is bounded on the west by McLean County; on
the north by Avoca Township ; on the east by Forrest, and on the south by
Belle Prairie. It is about one-fourth timber to three-fourths prairie, and is
drained by Indian Creek, which flows through it from the southwest to north-
east, and empties into the Little Vermilion River, just beyond its borders. Corn
is the main crop, and the immense quantities grown in the township would prob-
ably equal the entire crops of the Nile-washed lands of Egypt.
THE VILLAGE OF FAIRBURY.
Fairbury was laid out in 1857, by Caleb L. Patton and Octave Chenute. The
former owned the land on which the village stands, and in return for the influence
exercised by Chenute — who was one of the Civil Engineers of the Peoria &
Oquawka* Railroad Company — with the stockholders of the road, in getting a
station at this point, he received from Patton one-half of the town lots. He it
was that planned the town and named it, and superintended the laying of it ofi".
Isaac R. Clark, County Surveyor at the time, surveyed it, and made the plat on
file in the Recorder's office, and from which we find that the village of Fair-
bury originally embraced only the southeast quarter of Section 3, and a part of
the northeast quarter of Section 10, in Township 26 north, Range 6 east, and
is dated November 10, 1857. Since it was first surveyed and laid out, several
additions have been made to it, as follows : By Patton, Cropsey and Chenute,
August 9, 1859 ; by H. L. Marsli, August 9, 1859, July 27 and December
17, 1868 ; by C. L. Patton, February 4, 1864, and July 9, 1869 ; by —
Atkeins, May 8, 9 and 10, 1865, January 25, 1865, and April 30, 1868 ; by
Isaac P. McDowell, July 12, 1865, and May 14, 1867, and by G. W. Suber,
May 14, 1870. A space of 200x870 feet was reserved by the railroad in the
center of the original village for depot buildings.
The first house in the village of Fairbury was built by John Coomer, who
came here from Vermont, the old Green Mountain State, in 1857. The house
stands on the corner, just across the street from the Fairbury Hotel, and is a
good, comfortable residence at the present day. Coomer finished his house
and moved into it on the last day of the year ; says he came very near not getting
into it in 1857 any way. The first store house was built by A. L. Pogue, David
Thomas and R. B. Amsbury, Avho opened a store in it in the early part of 1858,
and for a number of years did an extensive business. At length Thomas sold
out, and went to Missouri, but the remaining partners continued in the business
some time longer, when they finally dissolved, Amsbury going to the gold regions.
William Mitchell built a store about the same time of the one just mentioned, in
which he opened a small stock of goods and groceries. The first brick store
'The former title of the Toledo, Peoria & Warsaw Railroad.
HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY. 337
liouse was built by Franklin Elliott in 1864, and occupied as a store by his
brother as soon as completed. The store house alluded to, as put up by Wm.
Mitchell, is at present a part of the Fairbury House, and with many additions
and changes, internally and externally, since the first part of the building was
put up in 1857, it has become, as stated, the Fairbury House. With all the
improvements and additions made to it, together with the original outlay, it has
•cost about $6,000, and is now kept by S. S. Rogers, who owns the building, and
has made a first-class hotel of it. The first tavern in the village was, built by
Geo. W. Morris in 1 858, and kept by him for some time, when it changed hands
and S. S. Rogers became the proprietor. It was finally moved away from its
original location, and became the Central House, a name it still bears. The
first post office was established in the early part of 1858, and H. H. McKee
was the first Postmaster. The mail was then carried on horseback from Pontiac
to Lexington, and a round trip made each week. After many changes in the
administration of its affairs, the office has passed into the hands of John Virgin,
who is the present Postmaster. The first blacksmith shop in Fairbury was kept
by 0. S. Mason and Michael Gately, two young men, who commenced the
lousiness about 1858, when the village was rushing ahead at a breakneck speed.
In 1859, a large flouring-mill was built in the village, where Coomer's lum-
her office now stands. It was built or commenced by parties for whom Judge
McDowell endorsed, and upon their failure, he became the owner of the property,
and completed the building. It was a frame edifice three stories high, thirty by
fifty feet in size, with three run of buhrs, and cost upward of f8,000. The
building was burned in 1872, and has never been rebuilt. Ben Walton built
his first mill in Fairbury in 1866, at a cost of |25,000. It was a frame build-
ing thirty by sixty feet, with three run of buhrs, and was burned in August,
1868. He at once commenced to rebuild, and the result was his present mag-
nificent mill, which is forty-eight by sixty feet in size, four and a half stories
high, and cost $35,000. It has six run of buhrs, and a capacity for making
175 barrels of fiour per day. In connection with his mill is a grain elevator,
with storage for 20,000 bushels, and cribbing room for 75,000 bushels. He
landles annually over 300,000 bushels of grain, the most of which is sold on
the track to buyers who ship principally to the East. When his mill was
burned, in 1868, in twelve days after the fire he was buying grain in a tempo-
rary building, and by the next February,* liad bought and handled nearly
300,000 bushels.
Fairbury is a fine grain center, and it is generally conceded that it is one of
the best grain markets in the county. There are at present two large steam
elevators,. besides the one mentioned with Walton's Mill, and several very fine
ones have been burned in the numerous conflagrations that have at difterent
times visited the ill-fated village. The best one ever built was by Hogue &
Bartlett. and the first one was built in the Fall and Winter of 1858, by Fitch
•His mill was burned on the 12th of August.
338 HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY,
& Van Eman, who were the first men to buy grain in Fairbury. They bought
and piled it up in sacks by the railroad, until shipped. This one, as well as
that built by Hogue & Bartlett, were burned. One of the steam elevators above
mentioned, and tnown as the Union Elevator, was built by H. M. Gillette, and
the other by Amsbury & Jones, all of whom have formerly been extensive grain
dealers.
As already stated, several additions were made to the village of Fairbury
after the laying out of the original place. One of the largest of these Avas
made by H. L. Marsh, who, it seems, has always been one of the wide-awake
citizens of the town. He built a large and elegant hotel and depot in the west
end of the village, which, at the time of its building (1866) cost $17,000. But
this, too, " went up " in one of the destructive fires before alluded to. Although
Fairbury was laid out about the time the railroad was completed through this
section, and it grew rapidly, as new railroad villages generally do, yet it was-
not until 1864 that it was organized under village laws and charter. At an
election held on the 8th day of August, 1864, after due notice had been given,
we find, upon examination of the records, that John Coomer was chosen Presi-
dent, and C. C. Bartlett, Clerk. At this election, there were " eighty votes given
in favor of incorporation and twenty-six votes against incorporation." Where-
upon it was declared that the town of Fairbury was incorporated under act of
the Legislature, by more than a two-thirds vote." The first Board of Trustees
elected were H. L. Marsh, E. T. Joy, I. P. McDowell, J. H. Van Eman and
Delos Wright. The Board organized by electing H. L. Marsh, President, and
W. G. McDowell, Clerk. John Coomer was elected Police Magistrate, but
refused to qualify, and R. W. McKee was elected in his place. The village
Board at present is J. F. Fraley, H. Kingman, L. B. Dominy, George Kin-
near and Jesse Hanna. J. F. Fraley is President of the Board, and L. B.
Dominy, Clerk. H. Kingman is Treasurer, Nathan Shepherd, Police Magis-
trate, and John Allum, Town Marshal.
The first school taught in the village of Fairbury was by Alonzo Straight,
in a little frame building on the'south side of the T., P. & W. Railroad, but had
originally been devoted to some other use. The first house built for school
purposes was in 1860, and is situated on the north side of the railroad, and is
still in use as a school house. It is a frame building, two stories high, and cost
$2,500. The first teacher to occupy the new building was Smith Olney, who
taught in it as soon as completed. The " South Side School House," as it is
called, was built in 1868. It is also a frame building, two stories, and cost
$3,500. Fairbury is somewhat behind other towns and villages of its preten-
tions, in the quality of its school buildings, which have quite a dingy, weather-
beaten appearance. Though uncomely in exterior, they are substantial in struc-
ture and comfortable inside, and the village, it is said, supports most excellent
schools. The Principal and corps of Teachers for the school year just closed,
are as follows : Prof. C. H. Rew. Principal of High School Department ; Miss
HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY. SSO-
M. M. Daly, Assistant in High School Department ; Miss Ella B. Erwin^
Teacher of Second Grammar Department ; Philip Hutchinson, Teacher of First
Grammar Department ; Miss Delia Chesebrough, Teacher of Second Interme-
diate ; Miss Cynthia E. Earnhart, Teacher of First Intermediate ; Miss Laura
Colvin, Teacher of Second Primary ; Miss Anna E. McDowell, Teacher of
South Primary ; Mrs. S. M. Hempstead, Teacher of North Primary ; Miss
Mary Kilbury, Teacher of West Primary and Intermediate School. For thc^
coming year, some few changes are made, but most of the old teachers remain.
The following is the roster : Prof. C. H, Rew, Superintendent and Principal
of High School Department ; Miss Delia Chesebrough, Assistant in High
School Department ; T. W. Gore, Teacher in First Grammar Department ;
Miss Ella B. Erwin, Teacher in Second Grammar Department : Miss Cynthia
E. Earnhart, Teacher in First Intermediate ; Miss Mary Kilbury, Teacher in
Second Intermediate ; Mrs. S. M. Hempstead, Teacher in First Primary, North
Side ; Miss Anna E. McDowell, Teacher in First Primary, South Side ; Miss
Flora Potter, Teacher in Second Primary, South Side ; Miss Ellen Vanover,
Teacher in Second Primary, North Side. The attendance during the school
year averages about 500 pupils for the tAvo schools. Both of these schools are
under the supervision of one Principal, Mr. Rew. They are graded, and have
what is termed a High School Department, though not High Schools in the
strict acceptation of the term.
The first church societies organized in Fairbury were the Methodist and
Presbyterian. The Methodist Church was organized in July, 1858, under the
ministerial labors of Rev. J. W. Stubbles, with the following members ; Francis
J. Moore, Garrison Bowen, Rachel Bowen, Busey, Nancy Busey, Dr. L.
Beech, Edith Beech, John Kring, Rachel Kring, Catherine Kring and John
Potter. But few of these are members still, viz. : Francis J. Moore, Dr. L.
Beech, John Kring, Catherine Kring, Rachel Kring and John Potter, The
others are either dead or have moved away. The first church building was
erected in the Fall of 1858, and was a frame, 32x55 feet, dedicated, in the latter
part of the year, by Rev. J. W. Flowers, Presiding Elder. It was enlarged in
1866, under the pastorate of Rev. J. E. Rutledge. In the Spring of 1874,
Dr. L. Beech, a zealous member of the church and a man of broad and liberal
benevolence, headed a subscription for a new church edifice, to cost from ten ta
twelve thousand dollars. Dr. Beech subscribed $2,000 ; others put down .their
names for liberal amounts, and thus several thousand dollars were raised.
Nothing was done, however, until the Summer of 1876, when the Trustees deter-
mined to put up a substantial brick, 45x75 feet, one full story and a basement.
The basement was finished in the Fall of 1876, and was dedicated by Rev. R.
G. Pierce, R. B. Williams, Pastor. It was intended, in the following Fall, to
have the audience room on the second floor completed, but, on the 2d day ot
July, 1877, a fearful tornado passed over the village, and the church was laid
in ruins. In the Fall of 1877, Rev. J. Wilkinson was appointed Pastor, and
S40 HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY.
the society, though somewhat discouraged, had determined to rebuild. Largely
through the generosity of Ben Walton, an elegant brick church was erected on
the foundation of the old one, and was dedicated January 20, 187b, by Rev. W.
H. H. Adams, D. D., of Bloomington. The present membership of the church is
280. The first Methodist Sunday school was organized in the Spring of 1859,
•with Jacob Hunt as Superintendent. It is in a flourishing condition at present,
and an average of about 300 children attend.
The Presbyterian society was organized July 25, 1858, with 10 original
members. The first Pastor was Rev. Benjamin B. Drake. The church was
built in 1862, and is a frame, 25x40 feet, costing $750. It was dedicated,
when completed, by Rev. A. Eddy. The present Pastor is Rev. T. Hemp-
stead, and his church numbers 88 members. A Sunday school was organized
in 1863, with William Mitchell as Superintendent. With the periods of lan-
guishing, usual to such organizations, it still exists, and is in quite a flourishing
condition at this time. A few years after the organization of the Presbyterina
Church, it divided into the Old and New Schools, and the latter branch built
a church similar to that worshiped in by the other ; but, re-uniting again in a
short time, the New School church was sold to the Ormish society, who still
occupy it, having preaching regularly, a flourishing membership and a large
congregation.
The Baptist Church was erected in 1865, but the society was organized
several years previous. It is a brick edifice, 38x50 feet, costing $3,000, and
was dedicated by Rev. J. Cairns, at the time its Pastor. At present, it has a
large membership, and Rev. C. D. Merritt is Pastor. Its Sunday school was
organized in 1864, the year before the building of the church. William Car-
penter is the Superintendent, and about 140 children attend on an average.
The Roman Catholic congregation Avas organized about 1857, and was
visited from that time, semi-annually, by Rev. B. Lonergan, of Wilmington,
until 1867, when the mission was attached to Pontiac, a resident priest having
been appointed there. This priest, whose name was O'Neill, was one of the
oldest priests in America, the first Irish priest who ever came west of the Alle-
ghanies, and was succeeded by Rev. Thomas Quigley, now of Henry. 111. The
congregation, however, had not assumed any permanent organization until
1868, when, under the leadership of Rev. John A. Fanning, the present Pas-
tor, a fiame church was built, 33x60 feet, to which important additions have
been made, at a total cost, up to the present time, of about $4,000. The
original membership consisted of some thirty families, and has since then
increased to about one hundred and twenty-five families. The church edifice
was dedicated on the 24th of June, to St. John the Baptist, by Rev. C.
Gonaut, of Chebanse, assisted by the Pastor and other clergymen. The Sun-
day school of this church was organized cotemporaneously with the congrega-
tion. Its first Superintendent was Owen McKay, now of Cheyenne, Wyoming
Territory.
HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY. 341
As early as 1862, movements were made here toward developing the coal
fields, believed to exist sufficiently near the surfjica to be reached with light
expense. In the Fall of this year, H. L. Marsh commenced to sink the
west shaft, and at the distance of 216 feet, struck the first vein
of coal, which varies from four and a half to five feet in thickness, and produces
a very fair quality of coal. At a distance of 180 feet below this
vein another was found, but not of sufficient thickness to warrant its being
profitably worked. It is the best coal, however, in any of the neighboring
shafts, but^ to quote the slang of the day, it is "too thin" — to be valuable.
To sink this shaft and equip it for work has cost altogether about $30,000 ; the
works have a capacity for taking out at least five hundi-ed tons daily, but the
demand has never required it to run to the full extent of its ability. Some
years ago, it passed into the hands of Eastern capitalists, who leased it to Knight
& Gibb, of Fairbury, for two and a half years, which term, we believe, has
expired, and the mine is at present idle, except in keeping the water pumped
out. This was the first shaft sunk between Braidwood and x\lton, where more
than a hundred now perforate the ground. It for some time proved an expen-
sive affair on account of so much water, and the third shaft was sunk before one
could be secured against overflow.
The east shaft was commenced in April, 1867, and struck a profitable vein
of coal at a depth of one hundred and sixty feet. This shaft was originally
begun by a stock company, consisting of Jones, Amsbury, Darnall, Gribb,
Atkins and Archer. Amsbury and Jones were the principal business men, and
Gibb the Superintendent. The sinking of the shaft at that time cost about
$15,000, but could be done for, perhaps, half the amount now. A few years
after the opening of the shaft, Gibb leased it from the company, and has been
operating it advantageously for the past four years. Mr. Gibb is a native of
Scotland, and has been in this country since 1852. He thoroughly under-
stands coal mining, and under his supervision this shaft yields on an average
seventy-five tons daily, the year round. At present, they supply the railroad
companies 1,000 tons per month, while the remainder is mostly disposed of to
the local trade. The different foi*mations passed through in reaching coal were
yellow clay immediately after the soil, then quite a thickness of blue clay, after
which a considerable stratum of soft stone — usually called soapstone^-and then
a vein of lime rock, followed by a shelly sandstone, with thin layers of sand
between the layers of rock, when coal was struck. A peculiarity of the country
here is the diflerence in the formations passed through in these shafts, which
are not more than two miles apart. In the west end shaft, the clay is about the
same as in the other, but much more water; after passing through the clay,
two strata of lime ledges were met with ; then a stratum of red fire-clay, and
after it about eighty feet of shelly lime rock, followed by thirty feet of soap-
stone, underlying which was the first vein of coal. In the new shaft, sunk the
present season, about midway between the other two. a very soft, red rock was
342 HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY.
found in large quantities, and Avhich is supposed to contain mineral properties
that may be converted into something valuable. This vein, or bed of stone,
was found at a depth of about eighty feet, and is seven feet in thickness.
Speaking of it at the time, the Independent Blade said :
The stone is strongly impregnated with mineral, mostly iron In color it is gray and dark
brown. It also has an oily substance, that shows itself very plainly when immersed in water,
the oil rising to the surface. Experiments have been made with this stone ground to powder
and mixed with oil for painting purposes, and to all appearances it makes an excellent article.
We have samples of this paint in this office, which may be seen. Further tests will be made,
and should it turn out as is now anticipated, there is a mine of wealth in it, and the manufac-
ture of mineral paint may be commenced at once in this city.
This shaft is owned by Knight, Gibb & Co. They bought six acres of Mr.
Marsh, with the privilege of mining under seventy acres more, belonging to the
same party. They reached coal — a vein four and a half feet thick — at a depth
of 176 feet, and at an expenditure of about $10,000. This is the third shaft
that has been successfully sunk in the environs of Fairbury, and, next to grain,
coal mining is the most extensive line of business engaged in by its citizens.
Aside from the amount furnished the railroads, the trade is of a local character,
mostly, and very extensive of that kind.
The first bank was established in Fairbury by Judge McDowell and Nathan
E. Lyman, in 1864, and was known as the Fairbury Bank. In 1867, Jno. J..
Taylor was admitted a partner, and it finally developed into the First National
Bank, and was organized as such in 1874, with Isaac P. McDowell as President,
and Nathan E, Lyman (now of Rockford, 111.) as Cashier. I. P. McDowell is
still President, and T. S. 0. McDowell is Cashier. Bartlett, Beech & Dominy
commenced the banking business June 15, 1874, and still conduct it in all
its branches.
A woolen-mill was built here about the year 1867-68, by three brothers
from New York, named Barnard. It was supposed at one time that sheep
raising would prove a very profitable business in this section of the country, and
a number of farmers embarked in it extensively. A man named Hiner, living
a little west of Fairbury, had at one time over 1,300 head of sheep, but after
considerable experimenting, it was found to be a failure. Owing to the wet
nature of so much of the land, the disease called " foot rot " prevailed to an
extent to render the raising of sheep not only expensive, but entirely profitless^
and it was finally abandoned altogether. From this fact, the woolen-mill proved
a failure, and the parties owning it took out the machinery and moved it to Los
Angelos, Cal., where sheep are a spontaneous growth and are cultivated to
an extent calculated to make a mill of its caliber profitable. The Chicago &
Paducah Railroad Company purchased the old building, after the machinery had
been removed, with the intention of converting it into a grain elevator, but the
partial failure of crops for the past year or two has prevented, and it still stands
an empty shell, a monument of misplaced investment.
The Fairbury Union Agricultuial Board was incorporated under legislative
act in 1876. The certificate of organization is signed by Geo. H. Harlow, Secre-
HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY. 843
tary of State, under the great seal, and is dated January 19, 1870. It was organ-
ized and officers duly elected March 2r)th, as follows : John Virgin, President ;
John G. Steers, Vice President ; C. C. Bartlett, Treasurer, and Smith Olney,
Secretary. The first Board of Directors were Jacob B. Bally, Stephen Herr,
Henry Kingman, John F. Myers, Henry Skinner and George W. Myers, whose
terms expire in 1877 ; and Robert Elmore, J. F. Earnhart, Owen Finegan, D. L.
Murdock, R. E. Norman, D. R. Potter and Benjamin Cumpston, whose terms
expire in 1878. Their grounds consist of about twenty-one acres of land, pur-
<-hased at an aggregate cost of $2,800, and are located just south of the village
and are excellently adapted to the purpose for which they are used. They are
well improved and enclosed with a substantial fence and have large and com-
modious buildings.
The first exhibition of the association was held in September, 1870, and con-
tinued four days. The last election of officers resulted as follows: John Virgin,
President ; Joel Strawn, Vice President ; C. C. Bartlett, Treasurer, and H. L.
Bruce, Secretary. It is a Union Association of Livingston and McLean Coun-
ties ; is in a flourishing condition and is patronized and supported by both
counties in a liberal manner.
The Masonic and Odd Fellows' societies are well represented in the village
of Fairbury, by all the grades of those honorable bodies. Tarbolton Lodge,
No. Sol, Ancient, Free and Accepted Masons, was chartered October 3, 1800,
and the document authorizing its existence as a body was signed by D. C Cre-
gier. Grand Master of Illinois at that time, and J. H. Miles, Grand Secretary.
Charter members — Aaron Weider, L. H. Nash, R. Rumbold, J. B. Hulsey,
0. P. Ross, S. C. Roberts, H. Remington and some others, of whom 0. P. Ross
and H. Remington alone are now members. Aaron Weider was the first
Worshipful Master. At present. Smith Olney is Master ; T. W. Duftey, Sec-
retary, and 104 members are on the records. The Lodge Hall was burned
March 29, 1875, and the loss in paraphernalia, furniture, etc., was about |2,000.
The hall did not belong to them, but was rented for Lodge purposes, so that the
loss of the building did not fall on them. The Lodge was originally organized
in Remington's parlor, and continued to meet there until other rooms were pro-
cured.
Fairbury Chapter, No. 99, Royal Arch Masons, was chartered October 5,
1800, and their charter signed by J. A. DeLancey, Grand High Priest of the
State, and J. H. Miles. Grand Secretary. The first High Priest was J. W.
Peck, and H. Remington was the first Secretary. At present, W. H. Allen is
High Priest, and Smith Olney, Secretary, with a present membership of 83.
Fairbury Council, No. 30, Royal and Select Masters, was chartered January
11, 1808, and J. W. Peck was the first T.-. I.-. G.\ M.\, and M. Osman the
first Recorder. By a joint act of the Grand Chapter and the Grand Council
of Illinois, the degrees of the latter are now conferred in the Chapter, and the
Council, as a body, is discontinued.
344 HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY.
St. Paul Commandery, No. 36, Knight Templars, was chartered Oct. 26^
1870. Sir D. C. Cregier was then Grand Commander of the State, and as
such signed the charter authorizing its organization. The first Eminent Com-
mander was Sir J. J. Wright, and Sir John Zimmerman, Recorder. There are
at present 56 members upon the books, and Sir John Zimmerman is Com-
mander, and Sir Demas Elliott, Recorder.
Livingston Lodge, No. 290, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, was
organized under dispensation August 15, 1860, and chartered Oct. 12th of the
same year. The charter members were J. F. Blackburn, John J. Young, W.
H. Strevelle, John T. Bowen and John Zimmerman. Of these, there are still
living Blackburn and Zimmerman, but the latter only is still a member of the
body. The present Noble Grand is J. F. Earnhart, and J. M. Thornton is Sec-
retary, with 44 members.
Fairbury Encampment, No. 71. I. 0. 0. F., was chartered Oct. 8, 1867, and
has a large membership. At present, Benj. P. Lightfoot is Chief Patriarch;
T. W. Gore, Scribe.
The history of the press extends back but a dozen years in this little city.
In 1866, H. S. Decker commenced the publication of a paper called the
Journal, in Fairbury, but soon sold out to I. P. McDowell, who, after a short
time, sold it to a man named Eastman, and he continued to publish it until
1873. In 1871, the Dimmicks commenced the publication of the Independent,
and in 1876, C. B. Holmes commenced the Blade. These papers were pub-
lished in the interests of the east and west ends of the village for a time, when
J. S. Scibird, formerly of Bloomington, purchased the two, and consolidated
them, upon the principle that "in union there is strength," and from the com-
bination brought forth a kind of journalistic Siamese twins, known as the
Independent-Blade. It is independent in politics, well and ably edited, and is
one of the flourishing newspapers of the county.
John Virgin, J. C. Morrison and Decatur Veach formed a company, some
years ago, for the purpose of importing Norman horses. In 1870, Virgin was
sent out and brought the first lot across the Atlantic to this county. Their
partnership was soon dissolved by the death of Veach, but Virgin still continues
in the business, and has imported some very fine specimens of this popular breed.
The most extensive manufacturing of any kind in the village is George W.
Kring's. He commenced, in 1866, the manufacture of cultivators, a business
he is still engaged in. Lately, he has added the manufacture of check-rowers,
which he makes a specialty.
The village of Fairbury makes no pretensions to wholesale business, or to
extensive manufacturing, but is merely a retail place, and as such every line of
business is well represented. Many large mercantile firms, whose bases no
financial storms can shake, are doing a heavy but safe business.
As noted in another place, this village and township have the advantage of
two railroads. The Toledo, Peoria & Warsaw, formerly known as the Peoria
HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY. 345
& Oquawka Railroad, in the early period of its existence had a hard struggle for
life. It was poor and moneyless, and, as is usually the ease under such circum-
stances, every one gave it a kick down the hill. No stock was taken in it in
this immediate vicinity, except a little toward building a station. Owing to
their straitened circumstances, and their inability to pay their obligations,
the bitterest enmity arose between the road and the town, and attachments
were made against everything in the way of property belonging to the road,
liable to such process, and even freight bills were garnisheed before they could
be collected. Every occasion was sought to annoy each other, and they did not
always stop at annoyance, but did considerable injury. A train passed through
the town one very dry, windy day at full speed, with fires and steam at a high
stage, and emitting from its smoke-stack great blazing cinders, which caught in
some combustible matter, communicated to the town, and a destructive confla-
gration was the result. When the train arrived at Forrest, the next station,
the engineer looked back and saw the dense smoke, then remarked that he set
the town of Fairbury on fire as he came through. The road, how-
ever, lived and prospered, and grew out of its financial troubles, and is to-day
one of the prosperous roads in the country. Its name was changed from
Peoria & Oquawka to Toledo, Peoria & Warsaw Railway, and it is a great
trunk line between East and West. It was finished through here in 1857, and
there are few roads at the present time in the State of Illinois that are doing a
heavier business.
The Chicago & Paducah Road is a valuable addition to this section of
the county, as it unites it by rail with the county seat, and also gives competi-
tion in the shipment of freights, which are extremely heavy from this point —
as much, perhaps, as from any other in Livingston County. As an illustra-
tion of its importance, we give some statistical facts, kindly furnished by Mr,
Winters, of the Toledo, Peoria & Warsaw, and Mr. Rogers, of the Chicago &
Paducah. which are as follows for the year 1877 :
TOLEDO, PEORIA & WARSAW RAILROAD.
Freight forwarded 600 car loads in bulk.
Freight forwarded 60 car loads stock.
Freight forwarded 300 car loads of coal.
Total freight forwarded for the year about 960 car loads.
Amount received on freight for year 1877, about ^24,000 00
Amount of ticket sales for year 1877 12,(i00 00
CHICAGO & PADUCAH RAILROAD.
Freight forwarded — total grain, stock and coal H17 car loads.
Amount received on freight for 1877 $17,617 84
Amount ticket sales for 1877 7,990 20
Fairbury has been a most unfortunate town in the way of fires, and it would
be rather difficult, perhaps, to find another place of its size that has been so
often and so disastrously visited by the "fire fiend." The first great fire occur-
red in October. 1868, and is the one already alluded to as catching from a pass-
346 HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY.
ing locomotive, on the T., P. k W. R. R. It commenced in the Dresser
Warehouse, located in East End, and communicated to a row of wooden build-
ings on the north side of Locust street. Eighteen stores were burned, little of
the contents saved, and the loss estimated at $75,000. Two other serious fires
■occurred in 1869, though neither was quite as destructive as the one just men-
tioned. In the month of February, a fire broke out in a frame store building on
the corner of Locust and Fourth streets, belonging to I. P. McDowell, and
communicated to a row of wooden buildings adjoining on the west. Ten
buildings were burned, some goods saved, and loss estimated at |20,000.
Another fire occurred this year. It originated in a wagon shop, owned by
N. S. McDonald, in the West End, and simultaneously in Elliott's jewelry
store, in East End, as though by a preconcerted arrangement of incendiaries to
burn and plunder the entire town. Seven buildings were totally destroyed,
with a loss of about $12,500.
In addition to the hostile feelings mentioned as existing between the vil-
lage and the T., P. & W. Railway, for years, quite a kindred feeling existed
between the east and west ends of the village, and mutterings, " deep and dire,''
were often indulged in between the sections, which bade fair, at times, to burst
out like some of their own conflagrations. As this is an unpleasant part of
our work, however, we will draw the veil over these human frailties, with a
Bible admonition to the citizens, to " dwell together in unity."
The village has provided itself with a pretty good and efficient fire depart-
ment, and organized volunteer companies. In 1874, they purchased a couple
<»f hand engines, at a cost of about $1,800, and the village government allowed
them $100 for keeping their fire tackle in good working order, while the remain-
der of their services is gratuitous.
One of the most interesting and exciting little incidents that has ever
occurred in this village, perhaps, was the first exercising of the rights of fran-
chise by a member of the " Fifteenth Amendment." Richard Quarles, known
nearly all over McLean and Livingston Counties as " Side Hill Dick," on
account of one leg being several inches shorter than the other, was the first
colored man to cast a ballot at an election in Fairbury. The occasion was the
^lection of township officers, in the Spring of 1870, and called out nearly as
many people, to witness the performance, as would a circus. But no one chal-
lenged or contested his right to vote, and it passed off all in good humor.
There are living in and around Fairbury about 100 negroes. They came
mostly from Mr. Sullivant's, in Ford County, who imported them to work on
his large farm ; but as times grew hard and dull, he would get rid of his col-
ored help, and they would wander toward Fairbury, where they found homes.
They have always conducted themselves in an orderly manner, with a disposi-
tion to work and get along in the world. The Supervisor says he has given
less charity to negroes, in proportion, than to whites ; and, taken all together,
nothing can truthfully be said to their disadvantage. They have a church, of
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HISTORY OF LIVINGSTOX COUNTY. 349
the Methodist Episcopal denomination, with a regular Pastor, Rev. Aaron
Ward, of Pontiac, and a local preacher, also, Rev. Washington Farrer. A
Sunday school is in full operation at their church, under the superintendence
of James Allen, which is Avell attended. Their children go to the common
schools, and share all the advantages of education equallv with white chil-
dren.
The village has a very handsome little cemetery, which was surveyed by
Isaac R. Clarke, August 30, 1855, and was originally one-fourth of northwest
quarter of Section 2, and has had an addition made to it since it was laid out,
of about six acres of ground. It is well improved and set in trees and shrub-
bery, and much respect shown by the living to the dead. The first burial in
this cemetery was a Mrs. Hughes, wife of David Hughes, and was interred
soon after the grounds were laid out.
Fairbury was originally called South Avoca, but was changed by Chenute,
as noted in another place. It is situated at the crossing of the Toledo, Peoria
k Warsaw and the Chicago & Paducah Railroads, twelve miles from Pontiac
and 103 miles from Chicago. Though claiming a population variously estimated
at from 2,500 to 3,000, it is still under village organization. The bar is repre-
sented here by Hon. D. L. Murdock, State's Attorney, Jiidge W. G. McDowell,
A. J. Clarke, R. T. Perry and J. D. Fraley, all of whom are menof ability. There
are other able men in the place, but space forbids the mention of the names of
all who have distinguished themselves, but will give only the followino-, who
were identified with the army during the late war : Jo. H. Scibird, Major of
the Seventieth Illinois Infantry ; John W. Morris, Captain of Company C,
Srxty-eighth Illinois Infmtry ; J. M. Wright, Lieutenant in Second Illinois
Cavalry ; John Zimmerman, Lieutenant in Third Illinois Cavalry ; H. H. Staf-
ford, First Lieutenant Company H, Seventy-second Indiana Infantry, livino- at
present in Fairbury.
Tlie following went into the army from Fairbury, but are now residing in
other places : Rev. A. J. Cropsey, a Methodist preacher, Major of the One
Hundred and Twenty-ninth Illinois Infantry, and since the war has represented
his district in the Lower House of the State Legislature. He at present lives in
Lincoln, Nebraska. B. E. Robinson, First Lieutenant Company I, Ninety-fifth
Ohio Volunteer Infantry, and served a full term in Andersonville prison, with all
its horrors. He has served three terms as Sheriff of Livincfston County, havino-
been elected in 1872, 1874 and 1876, and is a candidate again for re-election.
No man has ever held the office three terms in succession, since township
organization. Byron Phelps, a son of Orin Phelps, mentioned as one of the
early settlers of Forrest Township, was a Lieutenant in the Third Illinois Cav-
alry, and after the close of the war was elected County Clerk, an office he
filled satisfactorily for four years, and at present lives in Decatur, 111. Aaron
Weidcr was an officer in the Third Cavalry, and after the war was Treasurer
of the county for four years. W. H. H. McDowell was Second Lieutenant in
350 HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY.
the One Hundred and Twenty-Ninth Illinois Infantry, and lives now in Pontiac.
As to those who carried muskets, their names and regiments will be found in
the general war record, on another page of this work. Henry H. Rogers, a son
of S. S. Rogers, of Fairbury, was educated at the Naval Academy at Annapo-
lis, Md. ; and when he graduated last Summer (1877), was appointed a inidship-
man on board of the U. S. steamer Pensacola, and is at present stationed at
Mare Island, near San Francisco.
The medical fraternity of the village is as follows: Drs. S. M. & H. E. W.
Barnes, J. F. Fraley, D. Brewer and James Pearson ; Dr. J. R. Rayburn,
dentist.
Fairbury Guards, Company C, Tenth Battalion of the Illinois State Guards,
with regimental headquarters at Dwight, 111., was organized in October, 1877,
with the following officers : J. L. Sacriste, Captain ; J. M. Wright, First
Lieutenant ; J. W. Morris, Second Lieutenant ; and J. S. DeWolf, Orderly
Sergeant.
Last but not least in the history of the village of Fairbury, we would men-
tion in the most complimentary terms the Scibird Zouave Cadets, a company
of small boys from 10 to 14 yeai'S old, and but recently organized into a
military company. They have now forty members, and are being drilled
in genuine military style by J. H. Scibird, Major of the Seventieth Illinois In-
fantry, during the late war. Their uniform consists of red pants, blue shirts,
red caps with blue top, white stockings and shoes. They have toy guns made
under the direction of Maj. Scibird, and are pine stocks with tin barrels. Maj.
Scibird takes great pride in drilling the little fellows, and, in justice to them,
we must say that they do honor to their drill-master. Their evolutions are per-
formed with perfect military precision, and older soldiers might learn much from
their maneuvers. The country need fear no danger from enemies at home, or
from foes abroad, which produces such manly and soldierly little boys as the
Zouave Cadets. The following are their officers: Joe H. Scibird, Captain;*
Thomas Baker, First Lieutenant ; Willie Van Doom, Second Lieutenant ;
Charley Rettenmayer, First Sergeant ; Herman Gillett, Second Sergeant ;
Fred Baker, Third Sergeant; Frank Duell, Fourth Sergeant; Fred Wright,
Fifth Sergeant ; Grant McDowell, First Corporal ; George Decker, Second
Corporal ; Clarence Murdock, Third Corporal ; Eddie Smith, Fourth Corporal ;
Thomas Langabeer, Fifth Corporal ; Henry Sweet, Sixth Corporal ; Bruce
Amsbury, Seventh Corporal ; Robby Mack, Eighth Corporal.
And perhaps Napoleon, Wellington, Washington or Lee never wore their
official greatness with more dignity than do these embryo generals. But we
leave them with a w^ord of encouragement, and a kind Avish for their future
happiness :
" There's a page in their s(ory, too bright to be lost !
May souls so heroic win laurels and praises
Eternal, beyond where the dark stream is crossed.''
*The boys insisted on Maj. Scibird, who had organized and drilled them, being their Captain, and so unanimously
elected him.
HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY. 351
BELLE PRAIRIE TOWNSHIP.
Belle Prairie is known as Township 25 north, Range 6 east of the 3d Prin-
cipal Meridian, and is fractional, containing only about half the amount of ter-
ritory embraced in a regular Congressional Township. It lies in the extreme
southern part of the county, bounded on the south and west by Ford and Mc-
Lean Counties ; on the east by Fayette Township ; on the north by Indian
Grove, and is all prairie land, except a small body, comprising but a section or
so, adjoining the latter township. Tlie land is rolling, or gently undulating,
affording good drainage, and the soil is rich and very productive. It is entirely
devoted to farming and stock-raising, and contains no cities or villages, nor even
a post office or store. However, the people are not deprived of these accom-
paniments of civilization. There are plenty of them within easy reach, and
several situated on the territorial limits, are liberally patronized and supported
by the citizens of Belle Prairie.
This township is noted for being the scene of the first permanent settlement
in Livingston County. In the Fall of 1830, a single emigrant wagon drew up
at the head of the grove of timber, afterward named by the whites Indian
Grove, and the owner of the w\agon, or "prairie schooner," as the big "cov-
ered wagons " of the emigrants were sometimes called, proceeded to pitch his
tent on the banks of Indian Creek, which has its source in this vicinity. This
early pioneer was Valentine Martin Darnall, recognized as the first actual set-
tler of the county. He w^as born in Virginia, and, when a mere child, his
parents removed to Kentucky, and settled in Boone County, one and a quarter
miles from Boonesboro, the site of the first settlement made in the '' Dark
and Bloody Ground " by the " pale face," and where Daniel Boone, the pioneer,
built a fort more than a century ago. His parents died there while he was yet
quite young, and some years after attaining his manhood, and having taken to
himself a life partner, he came to Illinois, arriving in the settlement above
Pleasant Hill, on the Mackinaw River, in October, 1830. He had three
brothers-in-law living at that place, and he left his wagon and family with them
Avhile he came over to Indian Grove on a prospecting tour. After deciding upon
his location, he borrowed a wagon from a brother-in-law to avoid unloading, and
again loading his own, and having procured some grain, went over on the San-
gamon River, eight miles from Springfield, to mill,* as he could not live, he
says, even in a wilderness, without something to eat. He was gone fourteen
days, as the miller couldn't or wouldn't grind for him sooner, nor hire him the
mill to grind it for himself. On the 26th of October, he got back to the settle-
ment, and on the 27th came over to the spot destined to be his home for many
years. The first thing after pitching his tent, and getting " a bite to eat," was
to cut down a " board tree" and " chop off a cut " — he had no saw — which he
cut eight feet long and quartered, in order that he might " rive " boards by fire-
*The mill was owned by a man named Archie.
352 HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY.
light. He informed us that he would cut house logs during the day and make
boards at night, and that on the 1st day of November he raised his first cabin.
His help came from the settlement at Mackinaw, a distance of ten or twelve
miles, raised the house, covered it, and a portion of them went home the same
day. There were no nails in this country then, and where they were needed
wooden pins were used. This ancient relic, perhaps the first cabin built in
Livingston Coun.ty, has long ago crumbled into ruins, but a "smoke house"
built the next Spring by Mr. Darnall is still standing and in a good state of
preservation. It is built of red elm logs, and the original door, which is a
model of architectural genius, is still, to it and doing duty as such. It was made
without a nail, and the frame is a small forked sapling, one prong being
straight, the other standing out at an angle of about forty. five degrees, with a
cross piece "let in " at the top of the straight one, and to these unique " bat-
tens " heavy slabs are fastened with wooden pins. This style of door was quite
fashionable in this section of the country forty odd years ago.
The Winter of the deep snow was the first after his settlement here. The
snow commenced falling in the latter part of December and continued until it
was four feet deep on the level. He had gone to Mackinaw with a wagon and
two horses, for his Winter's pork, which he had bought in that settlement. And
there the great snow storm caught him. Finding it impossible to get back with
his team, he left his wagon and one horse at the settlement, and, wrapping him-
self up securely to keep from freezing, mounted the other horse, and, with half
a hog before him to live on while the snow might last, started for home. His
route lay across the open prairie, and without compass or any mark for a guide,
save the direction the snow was drifted by the wind, he struggled against the
storm. The wind was blowing and the air filled with snow, so that at times he
could see but a few yards distant. With sad forebodings of Avhat might be the
fate of his wife and little children through the short wintry day that seemed to
him very long, he toiled on through the snow, which, he informed us, on an
average, came to his knees, as his noble beast waded through it. As the shades
of evening began to gather around him, and when almost ready to give up as
lost on the prairie, the sun, just before setting, burst from the clouds that had
shrouded his face all day, and, as his last lingering rays reflected across the
great fields of snow, they tinged with gold the tops of the trees which he knew
surrounded his cabin. He says that his feelings just then may be imagined,
but not easily described. But his own precarious situation had caused little
of his uneasiness. He had been absent four days, and for the first time in his
married life, had failed to reach home at the time he had promised his wife that
he would return, and he knew not but that he would find them frozen to death.
Anxious as he was, however, to learn their fate, yet knowing that if the snow
remained on the ground all Winter, they could not (if his family was alive) get
alono- without something to eat, he went out of his way, after discovering the
grove of timber, to see four wild hogs that he had been trying some time to tame
HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY. 353
They "were so hungry that they followed him as far as the creek without trouble.
He found his family as comfortably situated as could be expected under the cir-
cumstances. The snow, where the wind had whirled it around his cabin, was
in places eight feet deep. When he left home, he had three young calves in a
rail pen in the yard, and, after the snow came, his wife succeeded in getting
them out of the pen, and into their cabin by the fire to prevent their freezing.
She had dressed herself in a pair of her husband's trousers, to the better enable
her to get through the snow, and had cleared it away from the calf and sheep
pens. Mr. Darnall, the next day after his return home, went back and suc-
ceeded in getting his wild hogs home, two of which found their way into his
scanty larder during the Winter. Through the period that the snow remained,
he cut timber enough to make 3,000 rails. He would cut down a tree, then
tramp a road to it through the snow, so that his cattle and sheep could get to it
and •■' browse " off the branches. It was thus, together with a very small allow-
ance of dry corn, that he wintered nine head of cattle and fifteen sheep without
losing a single one. There was a plum thicket near liis cabin, where the snow
had drifted up eight or ten feet deep, and after a crust had formed on it, the
sheep would go up and browse off the tops of the bushes. When the snow
melted away, the tops of the plum trees were sticking full of wool plucked from
the sheep during the Winter. Of four horses he had when he settled here,
three of them died the first year Avith the milk sickness, and he was forced to use
oxen for sometime afterward. It was two months, lacking three days, from the
time he had left the settlement on the Mackinaw, before he saw a human beins;,
except his own family, and his friends there were wholly ignorant and power-
less to learn whether he had reached home or perished in the snow. When, at
the expiration of the time mentioned (two months), his brother- in-laAv came over
to learn the fate of him and his family, he was rejoiced to find them all well and
enjoying life to the utmost. As already stated, this is pronounced the first
permanent settlement in Livingston County, as well as the first in Belle Prairie
Township. And we would mention, in this connection, that Mr. Darnall is still
living, a hearty and vigorous old man, considering that he has borne the sun-
shine and storms of eighty years. But his good wife, the companion of his
early toils and privations, left him in September, 1872, for a home up beyond
the blue skies, where the weary find rest.
The next settlement w^as made in this township by William Spence,* in
1831. He was a son of Malachi Spence, one of the early settlers of Indian
Grove Township. He came from Indiana to this settlement, but was originally
from Kentucky, where all the Spences and Darnalls came from.
.In 1834, Jeremiah Travis, James Cooper and Hugh Steers made claims in
the settlement, upon which tliey located. The two former were from Tennessee,
and the latter from Kentucky. Travis was the first white man to strike a fire
on the west side of Indian Grove timber, a fact of which he was always (juite
* Williamson Spence, though usually calk-il William.
354 HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY.
proud. He died upon his original settlement, in 1844. James Cooper remained
in the settlement, a good citizen, until 1865, Avhen he died. Steers died in a
few years after coming to the country.
Spencer Kates, Benjamin Hieronymous and Decatur A^each are from Ken-
tucky. Kates settled here in 1835-6, where he remained until about the year
1864, when he sold out and removed to Oregon. Hieronymous came to the
settlement in 1838, and made a claim, on which he still lives, a highly-respected
citizen. He informed us that he had hauled grain to Chicago when they had to
go around by Naperville ; that he had hauled peaches and other fruits there —
had teamed it to that city, in fact, almost constantly for twenty-five years,
before the day of railroads. Veach is among the early settlers of this township,
and is said to have been the first Abolitionist in Livingston County.
Charles Jones and his son, Thomas Jones, and Orin Phelps came from New
Jersey and settled, first, in what comprises at the present day Forrest Town-
ship, in the history of Avhich further mention is made of them. Thomas Jones
settled in Belle Prairie at an early day, having remained in Forrest but a few
years. After farming successfully for a number of years, he rented out his
farm, which is one of the finest in Belle Prairie, and removed to Fairbury,
where he engaged extensively in the grain business, but has recently quit it,
and is at present superintending his farm.
The foregoing names comprise all the early settlers in this township of
whom we have been able to obtain any definite information, and these settled in
and around the small body of timber at the head of Indian Grove ; and it was
a number of years before a settlement was made out on the prairie. Mr. Dar-
nall says that, when he settled in the country, he entertained not the remotest
idea of ever living to see a settlement made on the prairie. Benjamin Walton
was the first to venture out beyond the shelter of the timber. He was the first
permanent settler on the prairie in this township, and was generally pronounced
a lunatic for building a house away out on what was termed a "barren waste."
He came from the old Quaker State, though stoutly denies being a Pennsyl-
vania Dutchman, and settled here in 1854, buying a claim from a man named
De Board, who had made a little opening on the prairie, but soon got disgusted
and left it. The whole broad prairies in this section were then unbroken save
by the beaten paths of wild beasts, or the neighbors' stock which grazed upon
them uninterruptedly.
Mr. Walton was one of the first men in the country to advocate a stock law,
and resolutions on the subject, offered by him at the county fair at Pontiac,
went the rounds of the press and circulated extensively over the Western States.
He argued the question on all occasions, and the debates of him and Rev. John
Darnall, who lived in Indian Grove Township and took ground against the
proposed measure, are quite voluminous, and, if printed, would make a rather in-
teresting volume. Another enterprise of his was the putting up of stone corners
to each section of land in the township. He made the move, and, after encounter-
HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY. 355
ing considerable opposition, succeeded in carrying; the point, and, to-day, every
section of land in Belle Prairie Township has stones, weighing not less than
two hundred pounds, at each corner. Walton is a zealous temperance man,
and has published a pamphlet in the interests of the cause, in which his views
are ably given. Some years ago, he removed to Fairbury, where he still lives,
an enterprising business man.
R, B. Harrington came from New York, and is another of the early settlers
on the prairie. While not fully ranking as an old settler, he was a man of
much prominence, and deserves special mention. He was the second Super-
visor of the township, and through his popularity and good business qualities
was elected County Clerk in 1861 on the Republican ticket. In 1865, he was
re-elected to the office, and served another four years. During his services as
County Clerk, he is said to have been one of the most popular leaders of the
party it has ever had in the county. He at present lives in Nebraska, where
he holds some important office in the government.
Other settlers soon located on the prairie lands, and at the present time it
is the most valuable and productive in the county.
As already stated. Belle Prairie had originally but a very small body of
native timber. Since the commencement of settlements on the prairie, tree-
planting has been extensively engaged in by the farmers, and with considerable
success. Walnut is the favorite timber thus cultivated, and many fine groves
are found throughout the township. The nuts are planted in rows, and
though a rather slow growth, the walnut is hardy and well adapted to
this climate.
The first white child born in the settlement is supposed to have been Will-
iam Steers, a son of Hugh Steers, and was born in 1834. The first wedding was
that of William Spence and Miss Mary Darnall, and the license authorizing the
solemnization of their nuptials was the first issued from the Clerk's office of
Livingston County after its formation. They were married by Rev. John
Darnall, in 1837. Benjamin Hieronymous and a Miss Darnall, sister to the
bride just mentioned, were married soon after, and were probably the second
marriage in the township. Apropos of weddings ; when a son of Mr. Hierony-
mous was married, some years ago, to a Miss Post, of Pontiac, a local poet
thus rhapsodized the event :
" Hieronymous stood by his Post —
The brave young Dick Hieronymus :
Said he, my dear, I feel almost
As if I was some blessed ghost.
Said she, I feel synonymous."
Who was the first 'to enter the dark valley of the shadow of death in this town-
ship we were unable learn. But few settlements were made until a very late
356 HISTORY OF LITIXGSTOX COUNTF.
dav. and of the few early settlers, none now living can tell who was the first
to pas5 away.
The first Justice of the Peace in Belle Prairie Township was Spencer Kates,
and was commissioneii as such about the vear 184r0, while this town was vet a
part of Indian Grove Precinct. Jeremiah Travis was the first blacksmith, and
plied his vocation from his first senlement. so fer as the few scattering settlei"s
required his services. He was als<-^ a chair maker, and many of his mak^ are
still to be found in this and surrounding neighborhoods. Who the first practicing
physician was is a question involved in some doubt, but was. perhaps. Dr.
Ostrander. mentioned elsewhere as one of the first physicians in this part of the
county, and who practiced his profession in early times, all through this entire
section.
The first church and the only one that has ever been built in this settlement
is the Metho^iist Episcopal Church, in the southern part of the township. It is a
good frame building, and was erected in 1865. at a cost of §1.500. and was
dedic-ated. on its c-ompletion. by Rev. Mr. Rh<3des, then Presiding Elder of the
district. Rev. Mr. Sanders is the present Pastor : his church is in a flourishing
con<iition. and has a large membership. A good Sunday school is in successful
operation, with a large attendance every Sunday, and Rev. Mr. Sanders is the
Superintendent. A comfortable parsonage is attached to the church, which is
a very pleasant arrangement. A handsome and well-kept little cemetery has
been laid off near the church, where many of its former worshipers sleep in
peace. Mrs. Hanna was among the first buried in it. if not the first. Be that
as it may. however, it is agreed that her monument was the first put up in the
linle gravevard. Although this church was not built until 1865. and the first
settlement was made here thirty-five years before, it does not foUow that the
pec»ple were without religious instruction. The sound of the Gospel was
heard here almost from the coming of white men : and their cabins and
the groves served as sanctuaries of worship, until the building of school
houses. Rev. John Damall. Rev. David Sharpless and Rev. John Miller.
mentioned in other parts of this work, were among the early preachers of
the time.
In 1858, the first temple of learning was bmlt in Belle Prairie Township.
A few of the neighbors resolved to have a school house, and, upon consultation
with carpenters and builders, found that it would cost more than they could
well afford to pay. Finally. Ben. Walton took the contract and proceeded! at
once to put up the building. He hauled the material from Pontiac, took what
pav he could get. and eventually succeeded in collecting a suflBcient amount to
bring down his own quota to a fair proportion with that of his neighbors. The
town is well supplicl with good, substantial school houses at convenient distances
from each other, and within easy reach of all. The school records furnish no
teres t to these pages. From the last report of the
HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COCNTT. 357
Treasurer, David Crum, to the County Superintendent of Schools, ire take
the following :
No. of males in township under 21 years l^J*
No. of females in township onder 21 jears 1~^'
Total „ ^56
No. of males in township between 6 and 21 jear«_ 146
No. of females in township between and 21 years 1-^
Total- 2.!>*>
No. of males attending school : 112
No. of females attending school- '0^
Total 218
No. of male teachers employed- 4
No. of female teachers employed 10
Total 14
Amoont paid male teachers 1 fSOO 00
Amount paid female teachers 1.360 00
Total §2-160 00
Estimated ralne of school property 4,000 W
Amount of tax lery for support of^hools 2,-541 00
Principal of township fond 5,772 00
Politically. Belle Prairie was very strongly Democratic, in the days of
Whigs and Locofocos. but. at the present time, it is more evenly contesteil on
the political issues of the day ; though still giving small Democratic majorities.
\vhen the party lines are closely drawn. While on this theme, a little episode
which occurred at the village of Potosi, just over the border in McLean County.
but with some of its suburban residences extending into Belle Prairie, may not
be inappropriate. Just after the close of the war. and while Hon. R. J. Oglesby
was Governor of Illinois, the Democrats around Potosi, both in Livingston and
McLean Counties, raised a pole at a political gathering in the village, and
which some imprudent Democrat denominated a ** secesh " pole. The Republi-
cans swore that the pole should not stand, while the Democrats swore that it
should, and in pure defiance had run up a string of butternuts on it. Excite-
ment was at a white heat : the war had just ended, and the " bloody chasm "
still yawneii between the parties. Serious apprehensions were entertained by
the more conservative of both sides that the affair would end in blood, when
some "blessed peacemaker" proposed to telegraph the circumstances to Gov.
Oglesby. a man whose loyalty none dared ijuestion. and abide his decision.
It was agreed to by both parties ; the despatch was sent, and quick on the
lightning's wing flashed back Oglesby's answer: "Let the Republicans go
home and behave themselves, and let the Democrats take down their pole and
save their nuts." This despatch created a laugh, and put the crowd in a good
humor : all shook hands across the chasm, and went home in peace and quiet.
It is said that the obnoxious butternuts were sent to Oglesbv as a memento of
c
858 HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY.
liis timely and successful interference in their little broil, and that he has them care-
fully laid away in his oflfice ; that he frequentl}^ takes them out of their resting place,
relates the story to his friends, and enjoys a hearty laugh at the recollection.
Belle Prairie was set off from Indian Grove at the time of township organi-
zation, and from that time until about the year 1871, embraced Fayette Town-
ship within its limits. When the county was organized into townships, the
first Supervisor of Belle Prairie was V. M. Darnall, its first settler. Its pres-
ent officers are as follows : Supervisor, P. 0. Abbey ; D. S. Crum and Wm.
Younger, Magistrates ; Ira C. Pratt, Assessor ; Richard Smith, Collector, and
J. R. Spence, Town Clerk.
The name Belle Prairie was given to the township by R. B. Harrington,
mentioned in another page, who seems to have been imbued with a keen sense
of the glorious and beautiful. The country to which he gave the poetical name
is fine and magnificent almost beyond description, and the name is as beautiful
as the sweet wild flowers of its own prairies. The name provoked quite a dis-
cussion among those who wanted one more practical and suggestive of every
(lay life, but the other was finally adopted. Thefe is not a village, posf office or
store in the township, but the majority of the inhabitants receive their mail at
Potosi, just over the line in McLean County. Indeed, a part of the village is
in Belle Prairie, but the store and post office are across the line.
The record of Belle Prairie was good durino; the late war. Notwith-
standing it was usually termed a Copperhead stronghold, but one draft occurred
during the war, and it was for but a half-dozen men. Through the energy and
enterprise of Ben Walton, then one of the leading spirits of the town, substi-
tutes were procured in three days for those drafted, and at lower figures than
any neighboring town had to pay for the same kind of material. While the
township claims no Major Generals, or very noted or distinguished officers of
any rank, it does feel proud of its brave boys who went in at the beginning
and fought it out on that line.
'O
ODELL TOWNSHIP.
Perhaps but few better illustrations of what resolution, energy and industry
will accomplish can be found than that displayed by the rise and progress of the
town of Odell.
But a quarter of a century has passed since the first stroke was made which
has proved to be the foundation of what is now, in intelligence, wealth and
thrift, one of the foremost in the county. Twenty-five years, when looked at
retrospectively, seems but a short period of time ; but the changes which it has
brought, not only to this community but to the country in general, are remark-
able. A quarter of a century has seen what was literally "a desert waste"
changed into a series of well-cultivated farms and gardens. Where then roamed
the wild deer by the hundred, and skulked the wolf, unscared, now graze the
less romantic ox and the more* practical pig and other domestic animals.
HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY. 359
Where now stands the prosperous and beautiful little city, with its well-built
and tasty residences, its lines of stores and shops, its churches and school
houses, and tall trees, shading its well-kept streets, was then — simply nothing
but the tall grass ; not even enough more to fill out a well-rounded sentence.
The history of Odell and the township dates back no further than to the
completion of the Chicago, Alton k St. Louis Railroad. In fact, we may say
the railroad is, in eveisy sense of the word, the foundation of the town and its sur-
roundings. Not only so, but that the whole country through which it passes
owes its development to this enterprise is a fact acknowledged and accepted
by every one acquainted with the circumstances.
In 1854, with the exception of a few small and unthrifty villages, there was
scarcely a human habitation between Joliet and Bloomington. Further west,
the Illinois River had attracted many immigrants, and the smaller streams, with
their belts of timber, had begun to show signs of settlement ; but on account
of the scarcity of fuel and lumber, none dared or even seemed to think of locat-
ing on the prairie. But when the road was completed, these, together with all
kinds of conveniences common to the oldest settlements, appeared at once, and
there was nothing that money or produce could buy but was immediately fur-
nished.
When we reflect that all of these houses, all of the stone, brick and lumber
of which they are composed, all of the fences, all of the orchards in their pri-
mary state, all of the agricultural and mechanical implements, together with
their equivalents in the shape of grain, cattle, hogs, butter, eggs and poultry,
have been transferred bv a single line of road, and remember that this is onlv
a single point out of several hundreds, we begin to realize the extent and impor-
tance of this grand scheme.
In 1847, the Legislature of the State of Illinois passed an act authorizing
the building of a railroad from Alton to Springfield, to be called the Alton k
Sangamon Raih'oad; and, in 1851, the charter was so amended as to include a
line to Bloomington, to which place it was completed the following year.
Also, in 1851, the Legislature granted a charter for the building of what
was known as the Chicago & Mississippi Railroad, extending from Chicago,
by way of Joliet, to Bloomington, thus completing a through line from Chicago
to St. Louis. The road was finished through this county in 1854, and the first
train passed through on the 4th day of July. The road, in its early years,
suflFered many reverses and drawbacks ; but, under its later management, by
steady and enduring perseverance and a liberal course toward its patrons, thus
gaining their hearty co-operation, the line has become the most important and
wealthy in the State, being placed alone by the Railroad Commissioners, in
their apportionment, in Class A.
As soon as it was definitely known that a town was to be located here, settle-
ments began immediately to be made, not only with a view of being within the
limits of the village, but, also, of opening farms. Indeed, the prospect of the
360 HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY.
•
road had been a sufficient incentive to speculation ; and the charter had no more
than been obtained when crowds of speculators were attracted hither, and within
the three years 1852—5, almost all of the land of this township was entered.
Scarcely a whole section was taken Avitli a view to improvement, but was
entered and held for a rise in the market, which was sure to follow the comple-
tion of the railroad. In this the speculators were not mistaken ; and the town-
ship of Odell is to-day represented by but few persons who were the original
purchasers of the land.
As the immediate point of attraction for this vicinity was the station, so the
first settlements were made, quite naturally, as close to it as circumstances
would allow. The land on which the town of Odell has subsequently been
built was owned, primarily, by James C. Spencer and Henry A. Gardner.
They purchased the land of the Government May 4, 1853, exactly a quarter of
a century previous to this writing. Spencer owned the north half of the quar-
ter section, and Gardner the south half Of this, Spencer sold, September 3,
1853, his land to William H. Odell, after whom the town of Odell was named,
and who subsequently became one of the joint proprietors of the town. On the
7th of June, 1855, Gardner and Odell exchanged deeds of their undivided half
interests in their respective pieces of land, and thus became equal partners in
the northwest quarter of Section 10, which embraced all of the original town of
Odell. A short time after this, June 26, 1855, S. S. Morgan, who has, per-
haps, had more to do with the early growth and development of the town and
township than any other man, purchased the interest of Odell ; and by Morgan,
and for him and Henry A. Gardner, the plat of the town was made.
The town was surveyed and platted by Thomas F. Norton, Deputy County
Surveyor, August 10, 1856, the proprietors having previously conveyed to the
Chicago & Mississippi Railroad Company fifty feet on each side of the railroad
track, extending through the whole quarter section. Thus was the town firmly
fixed, and the attention of emigrants consequently turned to this quarter.
For a year after the switch was located, the only inhabitants of the place
were the few employes of the road who attended the station and the water tank
and who were engaged in keeping the track in order. Of these, Daniel Smith,
from New York, was the first agent ; and, as a post office was established about
this time, he received the appointment of Postmaster. Mr. Morgan, thougli at
the time a resident of Joliet, alternated between that point and this ; and when
Smith was superseded by J. H. Link (formerly of Canada) as Station Agent,
Morgan was appointed, by James Buchanan, as Postmaster. Though Morgan
was principal, yet Link, acting as deputy, had charge of the mails ; and he also
brought on a few goods and kept them for sale in the station house.
In the meantime, David Williams, from the town of New Michigan, had
come to the place and erected a little shanty and displayed a few basketfuls of
groceries and notions. He was, however, a chronic grumbler and chronically
sick, and stayed but a few months and returned to New Michigan.
HISTORY' OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY. 361
About the time of Williams' exit, S. W. Cuitiss, of Kendall County, estab-
lished a general store in the warehouse that been erected by the Railroad Com-
pany. Curtiss did not make this his home, but employed S. P. Lundgren, of
the same county, and known to the people of Odell as " Peter," to take charge.
Link, having become disgusted with the store business, and also with the
annoyance from the care of the mails, was anxious to turn these two branches
of business over to other parties, and in this connection, the following incident
is related : Lundgren says that when he stepped off the train, on his first arrival
in the Winter of 1856-7, he was eyed sharply by Link (much after the manner
of other lynx), who asked him if he was not the man Avho was to have the post
office. Lundgren replied that he was an entire stranger, and that he was cer-
tain that no such arrangement had been made. He Avas then questioned as to
Avliat his business was at the place. Lundgren acknowledged that he had come
to take charge of business for S. W. Curtiss, but had not yet had any instruc-
tion as to the location of the store. Link then turned to the station house, and,
taking the bag in which .he had just received the mail, began crowding into its open
mouth, indiscriminately, papers, books, letters and everything pertaining to the
office, remarking the while that he knew this was the man, and, having com-
pleted his packing, handed him the bag. Lundgren, however, protested that he
was neither appointed nor qualified, and that he could not accept it; upon which,
Link gently pushed him from the door, throwing the post office after him, and
no amount of argument or persuasion could induce him to again permit it to be
placed in his possession. Lundgren says that, in this instance, he verily felt
that the " office was seeking the man " with a vengeance. After deliberatino-
upon the matter a few minutes, and concludino; that there could be nothino-
criminal in caring for that which was in a fair way of being lost or destroyed,
Lundgren picked up the office and, with it on his shoulder, proceeded to hunt
up his other mission, which, in due course of time, he found. A few days after
installing himself as manager of the store — there being no Justice of the Peace
or other officer qualified to administer an oath in the neighborhood — he pro-
ceeded to Mud Creek, where resided one of those worthies, and took the oath
to support the Constitution of the United States, and, as Deputy Postmaster,
to transact the business of the office according to the rules and edicts of the
head of the department.
At this time, there v^'ere, besides those already mentioned, but four families.
Thomas Lyons was an employe of the railroad company, and pumped water for
the tank. One night, while in the performance of his duty, he discovered a
colored fugitive concealing himself in the building. The fellow had evidently
mistaken the newly built railroad for a branch of the "underground," and this
point as one of the "stations." Lyon reported the discovery to S. S. Morgan,
who says that he found the poor fellow in a bad plight. He was ragged and
sore, and his feet were torn and lacerated, and were bound up with some old
rags tied on with strips of hickory bark, and he looked as though he were more
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364
HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY.
of the town, this was a large amount to appropriate for that purpose, but it
proved to be only the beginning of a very extensive scheme for making the
liighways of tlnis township the best in the county. During the year, petitions
were presented and granted, for the laying out of thirty-eight miles of new
road; and, almost every year since, large appropriations have been made for
their construction and improvement. In some instances, as much as $5,000 has
been appropriated for that purpose. As a result of this wise course, Odell is
the greatest grain market in the county ; and, with two or three exceptions, the
greatest on the road.
The following table shows the number of votes cast, and the names of the
succeeding Supervisors and Clerks to the present time:
DATE.
1858.
18o9.
1860.
1861.
1862.
1863.
1864.
1865.
1866.
1867.
1868.
1869.
1870.
1871.
1872.
1873.
1874.
1875.
1876.
1877.
1878.
VOTES.
CLERK.
SUPERVISOR.
23
A. A. Streator.
S. S. Morgan.
32
A. A. Streator.
John Harbison.
38
A. A. Streator.
Samuel Hoke.
53
A. A. Streator.
H. F. Hamlin.
63
E. Williams.
A. Aerl.
76
J. D. Curtiss.
B. F. Hotciikiss.
58
.1. D. Curtiss.
B. F. Hotchkiss.
1 ^^
S. H. Penny.
B. F. Hotchkiss.
131
S. H. Penny.
B. F. Hotchkiss.
160
S. H. Penny.
B. F. Hotchkiss.
1 154
.John Keeder.
B. F. Hotchkiss.
! 212
John Reeder.
B. F. Hotchkiss.
1 268
B. F. Pound.
Stephen Wooley.
212
B. F. Pound.
Stephen Wooley.
301
B. F. Pound.
John McWilliams.
130
B. F. Pound.
L. G. Green.
V30
B. F. Pound.
Michael Cleary.
292
B. F. Pound.
Michael Cleary.
340
C. A. Vincent.
Michael Cleary.
881
C. A. Vincent.
Michael Cleary.
238
C. A. Vincent.
Michael Clearv.
The names of the balance of the officers for 1878 are : A. G. Goodspeed,
for this and the last eleven years. Assessor; G. W. Abbaduska, Collector; C.
N. Coe and J. D. Pound, Justices of the Peace ; T. D. Thompson and E.
Debraie, Constables ; Z. Supplee, School Treasurer : S. S. Morgan, J. JST. Moore
and C. W. Barber, Road Commissioners.
It will doubtless be noticed that "rotation in office," "third term" and like
phrases could not have entered largely into politics in this town, the main ques-
tion being the fitness of the man for the position. B. F. Hotchkiss, whose
name appears seven times as Supervisor, Avas a man eminently qualified for such
a position, and so highly was he appreciated by the Board, that, while he con-
tinued in office, he was honored as their presiding officer. A. G. Goodspeed
has been Assessor so long, and knows so well what everybody is possessed of,
that he can almost perform the duties without leaving his office. S. S. Morgan,
who has had much to do with building the fine roads in this and adjoining
townships, has held the office of Road Commissioner for nineteen years.
■^
■^^^\
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m
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.^
J
/
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^UNTY TREASURER
PONTIAC
imiVEftiiii «»ttu
HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY. 367
The first grain was shipped from the station in 1855. by James Henry.
This grain was not handled bv anv dealer, but was loaded from the wagons
directly into the cars, and this continued to be the principal method of disposing
of the products of the farm until 1861. when L. E. Kent, of Pontiac, built the
elevator now occupied by C. A. Vincent. Prior to this, the only convenience
for handling grain, beside the direct transfer from the wagon to the car, was a
small board shanty that had been in use by various persons and for various
purposes, and the Kent elevator was considered a fine addition to the business
facilities of the place. A. Aerl, who had come from Pontiac two years before,
was placed in charge of the elevator, and continued in the grain business for
some years. J. B. Curtiss also built, about the same time, the elevator occu-
pied until recently by Z. Supplee. In 1866, J. tfc W. Hossack erected their
fine elevator, which, for capacity and convenience for handling grain, has few
superiors in the State. The cost of the building was 823.000; it is sixty feet
in Avidth and ninety in length, and has a capacity of 60.000 bu.shels. Messrs. J.
k W. Hossack buy annually 700,000 bushels, and have handled, some years,
over 1.000,000 bushels.
The first school taught in the township was organized in the dwelling house
of Joseph French, in 1857. The school was taught by Mrs. H. H. Robinson,
and consisted of seven pupils. By the next year, 1858, there were two schools
in the township, and the number of scholars in both was twenty-eight.
That the reader may be able to lealize the growth of the system in the
township, a few statistics are presented : *
No. of Children
under 21 years.
No. of Scholars
in attendance.
No. of
Schools.
1858
65
486
968
24
150
490
o
1860
1877
3
The following additional items will prove interesting, ^s indicating more
fully the state of schools at the present time :
Number of schools f»
Number of scholars enrolled 400
Number of persons between 6 and 21 637
Number of persons under 21 968
Number of teachers in the township 15
Whole amount paid for teachers' wages $4,191 00
Amount raised for school purposes by special tax .'..... 4.840 00
Principal of township fund 7,184 00
From the above it will be seen that the schools have kept pace with the
other enterprises.
VILLAGE OF ODELL.
After the survej'ing and platting of the village, alluded to on another page,
the lots were offered for sale, and many of the best were purchased for S20 to
368 HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY.
|30 each. The business lots, first sold, almost all went at the former price.
At first, the east side of the square seemed to be the favorite place for business,
and the first respectable sized store building erected was the one into whicli
Curtiss & Dewey moved their goods after leaving the warehouse.
This buildino- still stands on the corner, just south of Hossack's ofiice, and
is occupied as a saloon. But gradually the west side of the square built up ;
and as the newer buildings, owing to a demand for more commodiousstore rooms,
were larger and better, the east side, to some extent, fell behind, its smaller
buildings serving the purpose of shops and the smaller class of trade. Espe-
ciallv was this noticeable when, in 1867, Wm. Strawn erected the hotel, Avith a
number of convenient store rooms. At the time of its erection, it was consid-
ered, as it really was, the finest hotel in the county. The hotel drew about it,
at once, a number of business men ; and, ever since, the west side has had the lead.
We left the post office on the hands, or rather on the shoulders, of Peter
Lundo-ren. S. S. Morgan was, at that time. Postmaster ; but, as soon as the
duties of the office became such as to need careful attention, he, too, turned it
over to other parties. His successors have been as follows : John Williams, A.
A. Streator, S. H. Putnam, H. G. Challis, S. H. Putnam and the present effi-
cient incumbent, S. H. Hunt, who was appointed in 1869, and has held the
office continuously ever since.
As already intimated, Rev. I. T. Whittemore held the first church service
in the town. After a few services had been held in the station, a carpenter shop
was erected by Seyftiour & Ni(*liols, who, by the way, were the first resident
carpenters in the place ; and in their shop services were conducted for a while.
The people all worshiped together, and sect and denomination Avere scarcely
thought of, but all were glad of the privilege of hearing the Gospel preached,
even in a carpenter shop. When, in 1858, the school house was built, they
were more comfortably situated. Mr. Whittemore continued to minister to the
people, and with such acceptance that, in 1862, the Congregational Society was
organized. Among the original members Avere Mr. and Mrs. B. F. Hotch-
kiss, Mary P. Camp, Mrs. A. R. Morgan, Mrs. Polly Robinson, Mrs. Sarah
Lucas, Mrs. S. C. Putnam.
In 1866, the society, having increased very considerably in numbers and
Avealth, and being desirous of possessing a house of Avorship which they might
feel was their "religious home," erected their present neat and substantial
church building. The house is thirty-eight feet in Avidth and sixty in length,
and cost the society ^8,000. At the time of its erection. Rev. L. Leonard was
Pastor of the congregation. He Avas a man of much energy and influence, and
it was largely due to his zeal and management that the enterprise was begun.
The society is in quite a healthy condition, and is increasing in numbers and
influence. Rev. J. Allen is the present Pastor.
The history of the Methodist Church of Odell is very similar, in many
respects, to that of the Congregational just given. The tAvo societies — or
HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY. 369
rather the two peoples — worshiped together in the depot, in the carpenter shop,
and in the school house. Both organized about the same time, and held ser-
vices alternately in the scliool house, and both built their houses of worship the
same year. The Rev. Thomas Cotton, a man whose influence in social and
religious matters in Livingston County has, perhaps, been as great as
that of any other man of like profession who ever resided in its limits, organ-
ized the church in 1860. The prosperity of the society has been (juite marked.
Beginning Avith a very few, they have grown in numbers until at present the
church consists of 130 members ; and, though laboring under the disadvantages
of hard times, high material and expensive labor, erected, in 1866-67, their
present tasty and commodious house of worship. It is fifty-six feet in length
and thirty-six in width, and cost $6,000. The present Pastor is Rev. W. P. Graves.
In connection with the church is a very flourishing Sunday School, under
the supervision of M. Torabaugh.
The Catholics of this place, in 18T5, completed a very large house of wor-
ship. It is forty feet in width by eighty-six in length, and cost $5,300. The
society consists of about 120 families. The parish is in charge of Rev. Ber-
nard Boylan.
The citizens of Odell justly pride themselves on their excellent schools. In
the selection of teachers, they have always been very successful ; and during
the eight years ending with 1873, the Odell school, with one exception, pre-
pared more teachers than any other school in the county.
The Board of School Directors, as now constituted, are : S. S. Morgan, T.
0. Bannister and James Funk. Teachers : W. W. Lockwood and Misses Craw-
ford, Graves, Pound and Bell.
The society of A., F. & A. M. was constituted as Odell Lodge, No. 401,
Oct. 5th, 1864. The charter members were L. H. Cordry, E. G. Putnam, Z.
Supplee, who were the first three principal officers. The charter was granted
by Thomas J. Turner, Grand Master. The Lodge numbers at present sixty
members. Odell Chapter was chartered by John M. Pearson, High Priest,
Oct. 7, 1870. The charter was granted to Z. Supplee, A. E. Gammon, John
E. Williams, A. B. Dunlap, A. P. Wright, J. Martin, C. H. Ellenwood, R.
G. Morton, J. Ford, Charles Finefield, E. Williams, A. G. Goodspeed, J. B.
Garwood, H. H. Hill and R. B. Harrington. Elisha Williams was first High
Priest; Z. Supplee, King, and J. E. Williams, Scribe. The present principal
officers are: R. G. Morton, High Priest; D. A. Walden, King; Joel Kidder,
Scribe : J. F. Trowbridge, Secretary, and J. A. Hunter, Treasurer.
Company B, Tenth Regiment Illinois National Guards, regimental head-
quarters at Dwight, was organized June 25, 1876. J. F. Trowbridge is
Captain ; E. M. Vaughn, First Lieutenant ; J. L. Trowbridge, Second
Lieutenant : Wm. T. Angell, Orderly. The company, as now constituted,
contains, besides the officers, fifty-three enlisted men, fully equipped, uniformed
and armed with needle guns.
370 HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY.
Odell Lodge, No. 464, I. 0. 0. F., was chartered by Thomas B. Needles,
Grand Master, Oct. 10, 1871, and instituted by N. J. Pillsbury, Deputy Grand.
Master. The charter members were J. A. Hunter, W. Dalley, E. P. Utley,
Jerry Clay and I. H. Scovell. B. F. Pound was installed first N. G.; N. E.
Wright, V. G.; A. P.Wright, Rec. Sec; J. A. Hunter, Treas. The present
officers are : I. H. Scovell, N. G.; E. DeBriae, Y. G.; J. M. Beck, Rec. Sec:
T. 0. Bannister, Per. Sec; G. Z. T. Kenyon, Treas.
Several attempts have been made to establish a newspaper at this point, but
with indifierent success. Owing to various circumstances, previous to 1877,
enterprises of this kind have failed. But, during the year named, J. H. Warner,
realizing that the time had come when a paper was really needed, established
the Odell Herald, which bids fair to become one of the popular publications of
the county. Merchants and other business men are beginning to realize that,
to succeed in business, they must let their patrons know what they are doing,
and, consequently, must invest in printer's ink.
A TRUE STORY OF CHARLEY ROSS.
Though but little given to sensations, the town of Odell has had enacted
within its limits a little drama which, at the time, created the most intense
excitement ; and to this time, by many of the citizens who had the most ample
means of knowing the facts, it is confidently believed that some of the persons
connected with the Charley Ross abduction, together with the child in question,
were the persons who figure in the folloAving story : During the Summer of
1874, a woman, giving her name as Hannah Cole, arrived at Odell, bringing
with her a child of five or six years of age, and Avhom she called Jimmy Hen-
derson. She was a stranger to the people of Odell ; but subsequent events
proved her to be a relative of George W. Murkins, who lived just south of town,
and with whom she took up her residence for a time. A few weeks later,
another stranger, calling himself Lewis Dungan, arrived from Philadelphia,
bringing another little boy, who, as afterward remembered, very much resem-
bled the descriptions given of the abducted Charley Ross. Dungan also went
to Murkins' to reside. This, as will be remembered, was just after the
abduction had occurred, and the $20,000 reward had been oifered for the return
of the missing child. Some of the children at Murkins' had heard the older
ones of the family speak of $20,000 that Dungan was expecting to get from
the East ; and this item, which soon became known to some of the neighbors,
together Avith certain other suspicious movements, excited apprehensions which
led to a quiet investigation of the matter. The inquiry, though conducted
quietly, was evidently not unobserved by Dungan, for he seemed to take alarm, and
procuring a close carriage, and tying the child up in a bag, and placing him
under the seat, started at dark for Ottawa. Near Streator, they are known to
have stopped and camped in the woods until near morning, when they again
pursued their journey to Ottawa. Here Dungan is known to have stopped
HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY. 371
Avith a man by the name of Tarr, who. as has since been ascertained, was an
ex-convict of the Pennsylvania penitentiary, and a former confederate of the
notorious Mosher who was shot in New York and who asserted that his accom-
plice in that last burglary was one of the abductors of Charley Ross. It is
believed that Dungan transferred the child to Tarr, and that he took him to
St. Louis, where he was lost sight of It is known that, immediately on
Dungan's arrival at Tarr's, he (Tarr) left Ottawa, having expi'essed his baggage
to Peoria, in care of Mrs. Ellen Webster, and from there the baggage was expressed
to Bloomington, in care of Madame Webster, and thence to St. Louis, in care
of Mrs. Webster. While the baggage was at the express office in St. Louis, a
party appeared, desiring to open one of the trunks. Procuring therefrom a
suit of child's clothing, the party stated that the trunks would be taken away in
a few days; but they were never removed, by the owners, from the office.
Another circumstance Avhich the detectives hoped would lead to a clue to the
mysterious movements (»f the parties was a personal, which appeared in
the St. Louis HepuhUeari, which read as follows: "To Christian Ross,
Philadelphia — Charley will be given up for- $'),000. Answer." Mr.
Ross did answer, accepting the proposition ; but here again, either from
the departure of the persons connected with the matter, or from appre-
hension that thev were being; closelv shadowed, the thread was broken ;
and, Dungan (avIio, in the mean time, had been arrested and put in jail), having
had his trial and being released, the detectives gave up the pursuit. Reverting
to Dungan. after he returned from Ottawa he was arrested and, on a prelimi-
nary examination, was held for b»il, which being unable to give, he was placed
in jail to aAvait trial. A few days later, he was tried, but no positive evidence
appearing, he was released. He subse(|uently sued S. H. Penny. Solomon
Bishop. Henry Curtis. E. F. Bolter. Reese Jones, C. N. Coe, J. J. Halm,
Carlos Putnam, A. S. Wisner and L. Putnam, for ^50,000, for trespass and
false imprisonment. The jury found the first three parties guilty of trespass
and allowed the plaintiff damages in the sum of one cent !
Though not marvelous for a Western town, the growth and prosperity of
Odell has been not only satisfactory, but much more rapid than ordinary.
From a population of about one hundred in 1858, the town has grown in twenty
years to a real little city, containing at least 1,000 inhabitants, thus showing
an increase, in this respect, of nearly 100 per cent, every six years.
From a few loads of grain, which were bought on the track, we now find
about 1,500,000 bushels forwarded during a single year.
As indicating the amount of business done at this place during the 3'ear end-
ing January 1, 1877, the following items have been kindly furnished by Mr. N.
S. Hill. Agent of the C, A. & St. L. R. R., at this place :
Amount received from freights forwarded $30,647.73
Amount received from freights received 14,638.26
Amount received from sales of tickets 4.863.80
Total $50,149.79
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374 HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY.
Agent, which positions he held for a number of years. C. N. Coe, brother of
J. H., was the first Station Agent, being appointed in the yeat 1856. He also
bought the first grain shipped from this place, during the same year. Grain
was handled in a small warehouse which had been built by Weed, the original
proprietor of the town.
Eli Pearson, from Ohio, came in the Fall of 1855, and opened a fiirm just
east of the village. He has since removed to the township of Esmen, where he
still resides. Hanford Kerr and family, from the same State, came about the
same date.
Moses Pearson arrived a few months later, and opened a farm east of the
town.
In 1856, the Fish brothers, C, U. Udell and Dr. B. J. Bettleheim arrived.
The last named was an eminent scholar and a learned and successful physician.
He traveled extensively in China, Japan and other countries. In 1858, he
gave a series of lectures at Pontiac on his Eastern travels, and on vai-ious relig-
ious subjects, which were interesting and instructive in the extreme.
In 1857, Wm. Skinner, Wm. J. Murphy and a few others settled in the
neighborhood. Skinner opened the farm just north of the village, where he
still resides. Murphy started a broom factory. Mr. Murphy was also a
preacher, and subsequently removed to Pontiac, Avhere he took charge, for a
time, of the Presbyterian Church. While at Pontiac, he opened the nursery
where A. W. Kellogg now resides.
In 1858, Augustus Coleman, from Troy, Ohio, came in. Coleman was a
graduate of West Point, and, on the breaking out of the rebellion, returned to
Ohio, organized a regiment and took the field. He was afterward promoted to
the oflfice of Brigadier General, but was killed at the battle of Antietam.
David J. Evans opened the first store in 1857, which he continued about a
year, when he closed out and was succeeded in the business by John F.
Pickering.
In 1862, D. Hunt built the first warehouse, now owned and operated by C.
N. Coe. In 1868. L. E. Kent, of Pontiac, erected the one now operated by
him. Though the village compai-es but poorly with many other towns of the
county, the business done here is, by no means inconsiderable as will be seen
by the following items, as given by the obliging agent of the Chicago, Alton k
St. Louis Railroad, Edwin Chapman :
Amount received on freight forwarded, 1877 | 23,^0'J 00
Amount received on freight received, 1877 1,644 74
Amount received on tickets sold, 1877 '527 62
Total receipts , • ^ 25,:^81 36
DESCRIPTION OF ODELL TOWNSHIP.
Odell Township is situated north of the center of the county. It is exactly
six miles square and embraces a full congressional town, and is described as
Town 29 north. Range 6 east of the Third Principal Meridian. It is cut almost
HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY. 375
diagonally, from northeast to southwest, by the Chicago, Alton & St. Louis
Railroad, which divides it into two nearly equal portions. With the exception
of a branch of Deer Creek, which takes its rise and flows through the south-
western portion of the township in the vicinity of Cayuga, the township is des-
titute of ruwning streams, and, with the exception of the little groves, here and
there, planted by the owners of the land, is also destitute of timber. The soil
is of a very rich and fertile character, and well adapted to the raising of corn,
immense quantities of which are produced.
AVOCA TOWNSHIP.
This township is situated in the southern part of the county, or south of the
center, and is bounded on the north by Owego, on the east by Pleasant Ridge,
on the south by Indian Grove, and on the west by Eppard's Point Township.
About three-fourths is prairie to one-fourth of timbered land, while the surface
is gently undulating, and better adapted to agricultural pursuits than many
other portions of the county. It is drained by the Vermilion River ; the con-
fluence of the north and south branches is near the center of the township, and
their margins and bottoms afford an abundance of excellent timber for all farm
and building purposes. Avoca is known as Township 27 north, Range 6 east
of the Third Principal Meridian.
The first settlement was made in Avoca Township in 1830. In December
of that year, Isaac Jourdan made a claim here, upon which he settled, but a
few days before the commencement of the "deep snow." He came from Brown
County, Illinois, but whether that was his native place or not we were unable to
learn. His wife was the first white woman in this township. William
Popejoy, John liannaman and their families settled in this neighborhood on
Christmas Day of the same year, and but a week or two after Jourdan. These
latter were from Ohio, and became permanent citizens. This constituted the
settlements in this section vq) to 1832, when William McDowell came to the
county and made a claim upon which he settled in May, which was the Spring
of the Black HaAvk war. He left his old home in Ohio in 1828, and stopped at
La Fayette, Ind., on account of school facilities, as Illinois (or this portion of
it) Avas then beyond the confines of civilization. He remained there four years,
when he came to Livingston County and settled in what is now Avoca Town-
ship, as noted above, in the Spring of the Black. Hawk war. His family con-
sisted of five sons — John, Woodford G., James, Hiram and Joseph B.
McDowell, and one daughter, who married a Mr. Tucker. They, together
with John McDowell, still live in Avoca ; Woodford G. and James live in
Fairbury, Hiram is in Kansas, and Joseph is Register of the Land Office at
Lincoln, Nebraska.
Soon after the settlement of the McDowells, vague rumors began to circulate
through the sparsely settled community in regard to the Black Hawk war,
which was raging north of their settlement. But there was no mail nearer
.376 HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY.
than Bloomington, no railroad or telegraph lines, and news facilities were
restricted within the nari'owest limits. In illustration of the disadvantages
under which they lived regarding the reception of news, several weeks after the
McDowells had settled in their new home, a man named Phillips, living but a
mile or tAVO distant, in what is now Indian Grove Township, was out hunting
some hogs that had stra3'ed away from him, when he came suddenly upon the
McDowell encampment, and the astonishment he displayed in having neighbors
of whose proximity he was ignorant was almost equal to that exhibited by Rob-
inson Crusoe when he discovered the footprints on his lonely island. Rumors
becoming more rife of the Indians and Indian outrages, Mr. McDowell and
some of his neighbors went to the Kickapoo town, one Sunday, to church,*
Avhere there were several hundred Indians, and their suspicions were aroused at
the absence of all warriors from the Indian camp. The Kickapoos informed
them that the Sacs had threatened "to come and kill them if they did not join
them in the war," and advised the whites, with whom they were on the most
friendly terms, to return to the settlements further east. This so alarmed the
little colony that, after considering the matter, they decided to return to the
Wabash, and on the 29th of May, 1832, they commenced their retreat toward
the rising sun. Though this retreat never became so famed in history as that
of Bonaparte from Moscow, yet an event occurred upon the route worthy of
record in these pages. The first night after their departure, Mrs. Jourdan, who
was in a delicate condition, was taken sick, and, notwithstanding their haste and
fright, the party agreed to stop a day or two, on her account. But, the next
morning, their alarm Avas much heightened by discovering a couple of Indians
ride up and take a survey of their camp froni a distant elevation. Believing
that an attack would be made, and notwithstanding their arms consisted of but
two old fowling pieces, they nobly resolved to stand by the Jourdans. Mrs.
Jourdan. however, with a courage and resolution worthy of a Spartan mother,
made up her mind to travel, and the cavalcade moved on. The McDowells,
who had a large "old Pennsylvania wagon-bed," surrendered it to the ladies,
and they converted it into a kind of hospital for Mrs. Jourdan, and all through
the long day that heroic woman bore her suffering and pain without a murmur.
The next morning, and the second after starting for the east, she was delivered
of a daughter, which, here be it said, grew up and made a most estimable lady.
Without further incident worthy of note, they arrived at the Indiana settlement
in safety.
In the Fall of 1832, after the storms of war had passed by, and the sun of
Black Hawk had forever set on the plains of Illinois, the little colony returned to
their claims on the Vermilion River, where they made permanent settlements.
The mode of making a claim in those days was by "blazing" it out in the
timber or staking it off on the prairie. The land was not surveyed until 1833,
and every man squatted where it suited his inclination, providing no one else
had preceded him.
* A missionary had established a cliurch in tlie Indian town.
HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY. 377
Of these few early pioneers, who came here before the Black Hawk war and
who sought safety in flio;ht, we would say, before passing to other and subse-
• juent scenes, that Jourdan remained in the settlement for several years, then
sold out his claim and returned to the southern part of the State, from whence
he came. Popejoy and Hanneman both died in the neighborhood, the Jatter
soon after his return in the Fall of 1832, and Avas the first death in the new
settlement. Mi-. McDowell, the old patriarch of all the McDowells,
died here in 1834. His widow remained on the homestead ; filled the place
of both father and mother toward her children, and died in 1858 at an
advanced age.
Before the close of the year 1832, the little settlement was increased by the
arrival of Charles Brooks, John Wright and his sister, Mary Ann Wright, who
came fiom Indiana. Brooks was related to Popejoy and Hannaman, and came
our perhaps through their influence.
M. B. Miller, from Cazenovia, N. Y., came in the Spring of 1833, and
bought the claim of Charles Brooks, upon which he remained for a few years,
when he sold out and removed to Ottawa.
In the Fall of the same year, Piatt Thorn, from Western New York,
settled in this section, but he, too, after a time, sold out and went to Ottawa.
About the same time, Isaac Burgit came from New York to this settlement,
and, like the other New Y^orkers, finally sold out and likewise removed to
Ottawa.
A young man named Richard L. Ball, ver^^ worthy and liighly respected,
came out with Burgit. After remaining in the settlement some ten or twelve
years, he returned to his home in New York, where he committed suicide, from
what cause was never known.
David Terhune and a man named Dean came from New Y^ork in 1834.
Terhune bought a claim from Hanneman, upon which he settled, while Dean
settled near by.
Elijah Thompson came from Indiana, in 18'33, and made a claim in this
section. Perhaps no man Avho had settled here received so warm and hearty a
welcome as did Thompson ; and all on account of his having in his family three
very accomplished and buxom daughters, who were the first marriageable young
ladies in the settlement, and of course great belles. One of them is noticed
elsewhere, as the first marriage in Avoca Township. Thompson settled on
what, after the lands were surveyed, turned out to be the school section., and,
after the survey was made, sold out his improvements and removed " over on
Kankakee," where, so far as we know, he still lives.
Harrison Flesher came from the Mackinaw settlement, in 1834, and made a
claim in this township.
Thomas G. McDowell, a younger brother of Wra. McDowell, came to Illi-
nois in 1848. He settled out on the prairie, about half a mile from the timber,
and Avas the first actual settlement made outside of the timber. It was spoken
378 HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY.
of in considerable wonderment, and the people used to say that '" Uncle
Tommy McDowell had settled away out on the prairie," which was looked upon
then as equivalent to being " out of creation." He states that when he came
to Avoca there were but three settlements between the Wabash country and this
place. The people did their milling at Green's mill, on the Fox River, and
their "store trading" at OttaAva. His first trip to mill was to the one above
mentioned, and he was four days in making it. He contracted to take twenty-
five bushels of grain to mill and have it ground for a man in the neighborhood,
for which he Avas to receive fifty bushels of corn, worth then the enormous sum
of ten cents per bushel.
Nathan Popejoy, James Blake and Col. George Johnson came from Ohio.
Popejoy first settled in Pontiac Township, where he remained but a short time,
when he removed to this section and made a permanent settlement. Blake
settled here in the Spring of 1836, and in 1852 moved to Iowa. Col. John-
son settled in Avoca in 1835, and died in 1859. He had served in the War
of 1812, though not as a Colonel, which title was more honorary than
otherwise. He took quite an interest in fighting his battles over again,
and imitating "noble war" in drilling the militia, and thus obtained the
military title.
Isaac Wilson and James Demoss were from Indiana. Wilson settled in this
section in 1837, where he resided until 1853, when lie removed into Pleasant
Ridge Township. He was one of the first lot of Justices of the Peace elected
after the formation of the county, and has served as such ten years, altogether.
He is still living in Pleasant Ridge. Demoss was originally from Ohio, but had
lived for some years in Indiana before settling in Avoca Township. He came
to the toAvn in 1844, which date scarcely admits of his being termed an '"old
settler" in this neighborhood, where settlements extend back to 1830; but
his numerous descendants, who number some of the very best families in this
section, it seems meet that they should receive notice in these pages. The old
gentleman himself is dead, but has left behind him a number of honorable sons,
whose honesty and integrity are above reproach.
James Glennin came from Ireland, in 1845, and, like the last mentioned,
hardly ranks as an old settler. He was said to have been a man of sterling
integrity, and his word, in all cases, was his bond. His family, too, were as
conscientious as himself.
The first white child born in what is now Avoca ToAvnship was Charles A.
Brooks, a son of Charles Brooks, one of the early settlers of the place, and
was born on the 1st day of July, 1833. But for the fright occasioned by the
Black Hawk war, which drove the few pioneers from this section back to the
Indiana settlements. Master Brooks would have been preceded some thirteen
months by the little Miss Jourdan, Avho made her first appearance on the way
back to civilization, as already noticed, and which event prevented her being
born in the township.
HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY. 379
The first marriage was that of Harvey Rounsaville and Miss Ann Thomp-
son, who were married in September, 1833.
" Will you trust me, Anna dear?
Walk beside me, without tear?
May I carry, if I will,
All youi burdens up the hill?"
And she answered, with a lanprh,
" No, but you may can-y half."
They were married by William McDowell, a Justice of the Peace, who had
been elected but a few weeks before, and this was his first official act in tying
matrimonial knots. Judge McDowell informed us that his father was very much
troubled about a form of ceremony to use on the momentous occasion, and did
not know Avhat to do about it. But his Avife came to his rescue. She was an
ardent Methodist, and, of course, possessed a Discipline, which she presented
to her husband. From this book he committed to memory the entire marriage
ceremony of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and used it to unite these two
loving hearts.
John Hannaman died in the Fall of 1832, just after the return of the set-
tlers from Indiana, where they had gone to escape the perils of the Indian war.
This is one of the first deaths in the county, as well as the first that occurred
in this township. His coffin was made of lumber, split out of a walnut tree,
and hewed as smooth as possible with an a.xe. Some say that a tree was cut
down, a "• cut " split open and the halves dug out like a trough, in which he was
put as a coffin. There was no such thing then in this section of the country
as sawed lumber.
The first sermon preached in Avoca Townshi}) was at the house of 'Squire
McDowell, and was preached by Rev. James Eckels in the Spring of 1833.
The first religious society was organized at his house in the following Fall, by
''Father Royle," as he was called, and one of the pioneer Methodist preachers
of Illinois. It was a kind of mission, and was embraced in the old preacher's
circuit, which extended from the Illinois River to the State line, and from
Ottawa to the Mackinaw River. When the weather was favorable, he would
make his round in four weeks ; but in bad weather was delayed, sometimes, in
reaching his appointments on time. McDowell's was tlie only preaching place
in the settlement until the era of school houses. Judge McDowell informed us
that, although his mother was blind for twenty yeax's previous to her death, yet
in all that time she never failed to have her house put in order for church.
Indeed, from all accounts to be had, Mrs. McDowell seems to have been an
extraordinary woman. Her husband died in 1834, and left her in an almost
unbroken wilderness, with a family on her hands. But she never shrank from
her trust, or sunk down in despondency. She kept her family together until
all were settled in life, and her work finished. The first church in the township
owes its erection principally to her and her family. It was built in 1857, and
as it was the first church in this part <)f the country, it was named by Mrs.
380 HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY.
McDowell the "Pioneer Methodist Church," a name it bears to this day. The
edifice is 32x50 feet, sixteen feet to the ceiling, a good frame, and cost two
thousand dollars. It has quite an interesting history. After it was framed
and put up, and two sides "weather-boarded" in, "the winds blew and the
floods came and beat upon that house, and it fell." Literally speaking,
we presume it was not founded upon a rock, but upon the sand — or soil.
Any way, it w^as blown down, and not one stone or stick Avas left upon
another. They Avent to Avork, howcA^er, with rencAved vigor. A subscription
of several hundred dollars had been made, and after the disaster. Judge Mc-
Dowell was appointed Superintendent of the work, and directed to push it for-
ward to completion. He had but little of the money that had been subscribed,
and but little of his own, as he informed us, yet it so happened that never was
there a bill presented to him, for Avork or material for the church, but lie had
money enough on hand at the time to pay it. When the building was finished
and dedicated, they OAved not a dollar, except to him, and to him their indebt-
edness Avas $1,400, on Avhich they agreed to pay him interest until the debt
was discharged. The financial crisis of '57 followed, and the amount, prin-
cipal and interest, finally reached $1,900. The Trustees concluded they
must have a deed for the property, and came to McDowell, who noAV lived in
Fairbury, to know what sum he AA^ould take and give them a deed. He told
them to go back and collect all the money they could, and then come and see
him again. They did so, and finally returned and told him that $200 was
all they could raise. He took the amount and gave them a deed to the church,
leaving the amount of his subscription to the edifice, inchiding interest, about
$1,700. The first preacher in charge of the church after it Avas completed Avas
Rev. James Watson. It was dedicated by Rev. Z. Hall, of Woodford County,
another of the old pioneer Methodist preachers of Central Illinois. The pres-
ent Pastor of the Church is Rev. Mr. Underbill, and, all things considered, it is
in quite a flourishing condition. It being the oldest church in this part of the
country, many others have been formed, which drcAv on its membership, and
thus its numbers are not so large as when it Avas the only house of Avorship for
miles around. This church is the final result of the little mission established
at McDoAvell's in 1833, by Father Royle, as already noticed.
The first post office Avas established in 1840, and Avas called Avoca.
Nicholas Hefner Avas the first Postmaster. The petition for this post office Avas
Avritten by Abraham Beard, a schoolmaster of the neigl>borhood, and Avhen sent
on to headquarters, was found to be addressed to the " Speaker of the Senate
and House of Representatives of the State of Illinois," instead of to the Post-
master General of the United States. Education Avas not so thorough in those
days as noAV, and many had signed the petition Avithout reading it, Avhile many
others had signed it with a X Avho could not have read it if they would. The office
was where the village of Avoca Avas afterward located, and was on the mail
route between Danville and Ottawa. It continued in active operation until
HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY. 381
1864, when, there being others more conveniently situated, the office at Avoca
was suspended.
The first store in the town was kept by W. G. and James McDowell, and
was opened in 1854.
The first physician who practiced in this section was Dr. John Davis, of
Pontiac, and noticed elsewhere as the first physician in the county. Dr. C. B.
Ostrander was the first located physician, and still resides on his farm near
Lodeniia station. In early times, when his practice extended over a circuit of
many miles, he never sufllered any trivial excuse to keep him from the bedside
of his patients. We were informed by a reliable party, who had the story from
the Doctor's own lips, that he was going to see a patient one day, who had sent
for him in a great hurry, and crossing Indian Creek, stopped a moment for his
horse to take a fcAv sips of water, when one end of the fore axle of his buggy
dropped to the gi-ound. Looking to see the cause, he found that one fore wheel
was gone, and he had driven so fast the axle hadn't time to drop doAvn until he
stopped. On going back to find the missing wheel, he met his dog, who always
followed him, coming on, dragging the wheel in his mouth. He has a fine
orchard and devotes a good deal of attention to the cultivation of fruits. It is
said that he has shipped gooseberries to Chicago by the car load, and boasts of
having raised as much as 800 bushels of cherries in a single season.
Harrison Flesher Avas the first blacksmith in the town, and opened a shop
on his claim late in the Winter of 1834.
In 1854, Judge McDowell and his brothers built a steam saw-mill in Avoca
Township, to which was attached one run of stones for grinding corn, but the
main business of the mill was sawing. In 1860, he moved the mill to Nebraska,
where it Avas chiefly instrumental in locating the county seat of Jefferson
County, at the village of Fah'bury, named by the Judge for the town in which
he lives. He succeeded in getting a post office and blacksmith shop at the
place, then moved his mill there, and after interesting the County Commissioners,
they located the county seat at his village. This was the first and only mill
ever in this town, except perhaps occasionally a portable saw-mill. In the
early times, most of the people of this section did their milling at Green's
Mill, on Fox River, near Ottawa. This was the principal mill until one was
built at Wilmington. Judge McDowell informed us that he once went on
horseback to Blue's horse mill down on Rock Creek, and on his return the
Vermilion was too high to cross, and he put his '' turn of meal ' on a raft and
ferried it over, and swam his horse by the side of it. At another time, he and
his brother-in-law, Hefner, went to Green's Mill, and both of their horses died
with the milk sickness before they could get back home.
The first public road through Avoca Township was the State road from
Danville to Ottawa, and extending on to the Rock River country. The mail
^as carried along this route on horseback, and was Uncle Sam's first trip
through here, except when his armed legions pursued the fugitive Black Hawk
382 HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY.
and his warriors. The road from Lafayette to Hennepin was also an early
liighway of travel through this country. The first ferry we have any account
of in the neighborhood was at the crossing of these roads over the Vermilion
River, and consisted of a raft of red elm logs, which, when seasoned, are
extremely light. When the river was too high to ford, they would put the
wagons and freight on the raft and take it across, while the horses were forced
to swim themselves over. One day in the Winter or early Spring, a man came
along in a wagon drawn by two horses and was very anxious to get over. The
river had been frozen for some time and was just breaking up. The man con-
cluded to try to cross on the ice, and taking out his horses led them on to a
large cake of ice which broke in tAvo after he had gotten them on it, leaving
their fore feet on one piece and their hind feet on the other. With the greatest
care he finally managed to get them on one piece and paddled them over in
safety. He then recrossed and got his wagon on another ice cake and ferried
it over without accident, hitched up his team and went on his way.
Tlie ]\IcDowells and some of the neighbors had a canoe in partnership,
which was used for neighborhood convenience. Finally, some of the stock-
liolders in this enterprise got at loggerheads, and to end the strife and hard
feelings, Judge McDowell and his brotherr James went down one day and
measured oif their own part of the canoe, and sawed it in two, and carried their
half away, and left the other half floating in the river, cabled to the bank.
When the McDowells came to Avoca, they brought with them some young
cattle belonging to a friend in Indiana, and which they proposed to "break to
Avork " for him. After they had become Avell "broke," Woodford G. and John
McDoAvell took them back to Indiana, and returned tlicm to the owner;
and as a kind of coincidence, Judge McDowell related to us an anecdote on the
26th of June, precisely forty-six years after he and his brother started with the
young cattle for Indiana. There was not a house, at the time, for forty-five
miles after leaving the settlement. For the purpose of riding, and as a protec-
tion against the rays of a June sun, they had built them a sled, to which they
had added a top, and with a good stock of provisions, they started for the
classic land of Hoosier. The trail of emigrant wagons had made two tracks,
Avith a kind of unbroken middle. While moving on, one day, they discovered,
settled on a wild crab-apple bush between these tracks, a SAvarm of bees. In
passing each side of them, the oxen struck their legs against tli« mass, knock-
ing them off, and when the young men discovered them, they AA^ere rising
around their team in an angry cloud. They whipped up their cattle and ran
out from amongst them without serious results. Some distance beyond, they
found a man ploAving corn, to whom they related the occurrence. He went
back and "hived" them, and on their return told them that their bees were
"working " well.
The first bridge in Avoca was built over the south branch of the Vermilion,
in 1844. Isaac Burgit, Road Supervisor on the west side of the river, and Judge
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HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY. 385
McDowell on the east side, called out the road labor and built the bridore. It
was all hewed out of the neighboring forest, and was a substantial structure.
The village of Avoca was laid out in 1854, by Judge W. G. McDowell, who
owned the land on which it was located. It was surveyed by Amos Edwards,
then County Surveyor.
The first store in it was opened just before it was laid out as a village, by
the McDowells, as noticed in the preceding pages, and for several years it
was a flourishing business place. But on the laying out of Fairbury, the sun
of Avoca began to decline. Many of the houses were removed to tlie latter
place, and the Judge at last got it vacated and discontinued by a special act of
the Legislature.
Avoca Cemetery, across the creek from the village, was laid off' by the
elder McDowell. He and those of his family who have departed this life are
buried there. Susan Philips was the first one to occupy the place, and was
buried in it in August, 1833.
Moore Cemetery is a private bur^- ing ground on the west side of the Grove.
Jonathan Moore was the first buried in it, and was interred there in 1839.
Nothing now remains to show where once stood a thriving vilhiffe but the
'■ Pioneer Methodist Church," which has already been noticed.
McDowell village is on the Chicago & Paducah Railroad, about six miles
south of Pontiac, and has between fifty and one hundred inhabitants. It was
laid out as a village in 1873, by Judge McDowell, who owns the land, and it is
named for him. Chas. HeAvitson surveyed it. The first house was put up by
McDowell before the village was laid out, and was used as a dwelling. The first
])Ost office was kept by John Cottrell, and was established in 1872. Hugli T.
Pound is the present Postmaster. The first store was built and occupied by
Ben Walton, now of Fairbury. The village has two stores at present, one kept
by R. B. Phillips and the other by Chas. Danforth ; two blacksmith and wagon
shops, the one by Henshaw, and the other by Jacob Schide. Frank ]5. Bregga
is an extensive grain dealer, but the village has no elevator or grain warehouse.
One of the principal features of the place is the stone quarry, (jwned by
McDowell, which yields a very good quality of lime rock, quite valuable for
foundations, and which makes also an excellent quality of lime. A large kiln
is in full operation at present, which turns out about 300 bushels at a burning.
Lodemia Station is on the Chicago & Paducah Railroad, a short distance
soutli of McDowell. It contains nothing but a post office and church. Has no
depot, but is merely a shipping point, with switch and side track. The post
office was established in August, 1877, with Dr. C. B. Ostrander as Postmaster.
It k kept at the parsonage, and the minister, Mr. Underbill, attends to the
duties. The church, which belongs to the Methodists, was built here in 1876,
and is a very neat little frame edifice, which cost 1^2,800. The society was
organized in 1858, in the school house, under the pastoral charge of Rev. John
W. Stubbles, and the church, when completed in 1876, was dedicated by Rev.
386 HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY.
Robert G. Pearce, Presiding Elder of the District at the time. Their present
preacher is Rev. Mr. Underbill, and the congregation is large and flourishing J
for a country church. I
Champlin is also a station, or rather a shipping point in this township, and is
just south of Lodemia : makes no pretensions beyond a side track for shipping
grain and stock.
The first school taught in Avoca Township was by Samuel Breese, com-
mencing in the Fall of 1835 and continuing until the next Spring. Mrs.
McDowell, the widow of William McDowell, Nathan Popejoy, who first settled
in Pontiac Township, and James Blake, built the first school house. It was a
little log cabin, 16x18 feet, having a big wood fire-place that would take in a
stick ten feet long ; and in this cabin Breese taught the first school as noted
above. James McDowell held the office of School Treasurer for twenty-seven
years in succession. Lyman Burgit was the first Treasurer, but died soon after
his appointment to the office, when McDowell was elected to succeed him, and
held the position until his removal into Indian Grove Township. When he
was first elected Treasurer, there was but one school district and it embraced
the entire township, and the school fund consisted of what was termed the
'' College and Academy Fund, "" from which this township drew annually about
^30. The first Board of Trustees were Isaac Burgit, W. G. McDowell and
N, Hefner. When McDowell resigned the office of School Treasurer, the fund
was about $1,500. At present, R. B. Foster is Treasurer; and from his last
report to the County Superintendent of Schools we extract the following :
Number of males in township under 21 200
Number of females in township under 21 210
Total : 410
Number of males in township between 6 and 21 153
Number of females in township between 6 and 21 163
Total : 316
Number of males attending gchool , 86
Number of females attending school 114
Total 200
Number of male teachers employed 8
Number of female teachers employed 10
Total 18
Amount paid male teachers $1,061 30
Amount paid female teachers 1,303 00
Total $2,364 30
Estimated value of school property $4,006 00
Amount of tax levy for support of schools 2,053 87
Principal of township fund 5,366 49
There are eight school districts in the township containing good, substantial
school houses, in which schools are taught for the usual number of months in
each year.
HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY. 387
The county adopted township organization in 1857, when this town took the
name of Avoca, from the village and post office which bore the same, and had
been given by Nicholas Hefner, who was the first Postmaster. It is an Indian
name, but what its signification is, we are unable to say. The first Supervisor
was Wm. Fugate, and the first Town Clerk, Isaac R. Clark. Gideon Hutchin-
son is at present Supervisor, and J. W. McDowell, Town Clerk. Formerly,
this and Indian Grove Township composed one election precinct. At that time,
it was largely Democratic and contained, it is said, but seven Whig votes. But
in the revolution of political parties, things have changed in Avoca Township,
as well as elsewhere, and it now goes as largely Republican as it did Democratic
in the old times. In the "eternal fitness of things," it is the Whig sections
that have generally turned out to be the strongest Republican, and not often
that a Democratic stronghold has made a change of this kind. During the late
.war, its record was as good as that of any township in Livingston County,
according to the number of its population, and it turned out many brave sol-
diers to battle for the Union. So far as can be obtained, their names are given
in the general war record of this work : their deeds are engraved upon the
hearts of their countrymen, and need no commendations hei'e.
Judo;e McDowell was Collector of Revenues in 1844, when Avoca and Indian
Grove were all one district, and at that time, as we were informed, there was a
premium on wolf scalps. A man who had killed a wolf could go before a Jus-
tice of the Peace and make affidavit to that effect, when he would receive a
State warrant or order for one dollar, which was good for State taxes, and on
presenting this document to the County Auditor, would get an order, which
was current for all county taxes. The Judge says he collected almost the en-
tire revenue that year in county orders and wolf scalps, not getting money
enough to pay his own per centage on collecting it.
The Chicago & Paducah Railroad was built through this township in 1872,
and has been of paramount importance and benefit in uniting this part of the
county with the seat of justice. The township of Avoca took f 10,000 stock in
the road, and has always shown the greatest interest in the enterprise and its
success. There is but one regular station and depot in the town — McDowell —
with two other shipping points, viz. : Lodemia and Champlin. These have
switches and side tracks, but at present are not provided with depot buildings
and telegraph offices.
The only representative of the legal fraternity in Avoca Township was
Judge McDowell, who lived in this town, where he practiced, as occasion required,
until 1800, when he removed to the village of Fairbury. In 1859, he was
elected County Judge, an office he filled with credit. He was Recording Stew
ard of the Methodist Church at Avoca for twenty-five years in succession.
388 HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY,
CHATSWORTH TOWNSHIP.
Cliatsworth is in the eastern tier of townships, and is known as Town 26
north, Range 8 east of the Third Principal Meridian. It is fine rolling
prairie, with the exception of Oliver's Grove in the southern part, a grove of,
perhaps, as fine natural timber as Livingston County can furnish. Like all the
prairie country, the people have devoted a great deal of attention to the plant-
ing and cultivation of trees, until beautiful groves of timber are to be found on
every section of land in the township. Originally, Chatsworth embraced For-
rest and Germantown, and was known as Oliver's Grove Township. But many
of the citizens disliking a compound name, petitioned the Board of Supervisors
for a change, at their annual meeting, the second year of township organization.
William H. Jones, who was the Supervisor at the time, gave it the name of
Chatsworth, which it has ever since borne. The name is said to have been
taken from an English story he had read, in which "Lord Chatsworth" figures
as a principal character.
The first settlement made in what is now Chatsworth Township was bj
Franklin C Oliver, wlio, at the age of 92 years, still occupies his original
claim.
" The ghostly shade of a man he seemed ;
His teeth were white as milk ;
And the long, white hair on his forehead gleamed
Like skeins of tangled silk."
He came from the State of New Jersey in 1832, and settled here
among the Indians, with whom he ever remained on the most friendly terms.
When other white people in the surrounding settlements, becoming frightened
at the warlike reports of the Black Hawk campaign, retreated toward the
Wabash settlements, Oliver remained upon his claim, and "went in and out"
among the red men without molestation. His father, he informed us, was a
Quartermaster in the Revolutionary war, and man}'^ of the old soldier's ofiicial
papers were in his possession until some years ago, when his house was burned
and they met the fate of much of his household property. Many of these
papers, he said, were rather quaint, and would present a marked contrast,
doubtless, to the ponderous accounts and vouchers of a Quartermaster in our
late Avar. Mr. Oliver and his family were the only white people in the township
for many years. A number of settlements Avere made in Indian Grove and
other timbered localities, but not till away up in the "fifties" were other settle-
ments made in Chatsworth. In 1855, Job H. and George S. Megquier settled in
this township. They were from Maine, and the former now lives in the village
of Chatsworth ; the latter died in 1871.
David Stewart came here from the State of New York in 1856. He
bought land and settled in the town, where he remained for a number of years,
when his wife died and he became dissatisfied, sold out and moved away.
HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY. 389
Romanzo Miller was a Vermonter, and settled here in 1855. He finally
sold his land and removed to Iowa, where he still remained, at last accounts of
him.
John Snyder and Trueman Brockway were from New York, the Empire
State of the Union. Snyder came in 1856 and made a settlement, upon which
he died about 1868. Brockway had settled in El Paso in 1855, but came here
in 1857. He was a single man when he came to Chatsworth, but after per-
manently locating, went back to New York, married and brought his wife here
to share his Western home.
Addison Holmes came from Indiana in 1855. After remaining for several
years, he sold out and removed to Champaign County, in this State, where he still
resides.
John P. Hart was from the blue-grass of Kentucky, and came in 1856. A
young man named James Greenwood came with him, and worked on his farm
as long as he remained here. Hart owned a laro;e tract of land, but finally
sold it and removed to Arkansas.
Peter Van Weir came from the "Faderland"' on the banks of the Rhine.
He settled here in 1858, but had lived for a while in Panola, Woodford County,
before coming to this settlement. He finally removed into Charlotte Township.
Wm. H. Jones came here from La Salle County in the Fall of 1857. His
family still reside here, but he, at present, is doing business at Burr O^k
Station, in Ford County.
The first birth and death are supposed to have occurred in Mr. Oliver's
family, as he was here so long before any other white people settled in the town.
The first marriage particularly remembered was Samuel Patton and Miss
Nellie Desmond in 1861, and they were married by the Baptist minister, sta-
tioned, at that time, in Fairbury. The first birth among the more modern
settlers, was a child born to Trueman Brockway. The first death also occurred
in his family in 1861. A man — a stranger that no one knew — was struck by
lightning soon after the death of Brockway's child. He came to the village of
Chatsworth, looking for work, and had been down on the prairie, where his .
efforts had failed, had come back, and wliile walking near the railroad track,
Avas killed by lightning, not far from Avhere Felker's store noAV stands. The
first blacksmith shop in the town was opened by Samuel Patton in 1859.
It was then the only shop between Fairbury and Gilman. William H.
Jones was the first Justice of the Peace in the town, and held the office when
Forrest and Germantown Avere included in ChatSAVorth. Dr. D. W. Hunt Avas
the first resident physician. He came here, and still resides in the village of
ChatsAvorth, and practices his pi-ofession in the township.
From the school records, we find the first meeting Avas held at the house of
John R. Snyder, the 12th of April, 1858, Avhen the toAvn Avas still calleil
Oliver's Grove. The folloAvinji Board of Trustees were elected: Franklin
Oliver. J. H. Megquier and Franklin Foot. On the 20th of the same month,
390 HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY.
the Trustees held a meeting and elected Wm. H. Jones, School Treasurer. In
the Summer of this year, the first school was taught in the township, by Miss
Jennie Adams. At present, there are seven school districts, with good, substan-
tial frame houses in each district. The office of Treasurer was held by Jones
until 1872, when J. T. Bullard was elected and still has the office. The follow-
ing facts are taken from his last report to the Superintendent of Schools :
Number of males in township under 21 years of ago, 491 ; females, 444 ; total,
935 ; number of males attending school, 198 ; females, 208 ; total, 406 ; number
of male teachers employed, 5 ; female teachers, 11, total teachers employed, 16 ;
estimated value of school property, f 15,600 ; estimated value of school appa-
ratus, $225 ; principal of township fund, $8,133.01 ; tax levy for the support
of schools, $3,365 ; highest monthly wages paid teacher, $110 ; lowest monthly
wages paid teachei', $25; average monthly wages paid male teachers, $66.88 ;
average monthly wages paid female teachers, $37.50 ; whole amount paid teach-
ers, $4,751.25. The present Board of Trustees are J. M. Roberts, President :
L. T. Stoutraeyer and S. T. Compton. The schools of Chatsworth Township
are in a flourishing condition, and compare favorably with those of any other
section of the county.
The first township meeting was held at the house of Franklin Oliver on the
6th of April, 1858, and officers elected for thg year for the " Town of Oliver's
Grove." The first election resulted as follows: James G. Meredith, Super-
visor ; W. H. Jones and J. G. Harper, Justices of the Peace ; C. Hart and
B. Harbert, Constables ; John Towner, Assessor ; J. B. Snyder, Collector,
and "Charles Cranford, Town Clerk. At the next election. April 1, 1859,
William H. Jones was elected Supervisor : Charles Cranford, Town Clerk and
Assessor also, and R. R. Miller, Collector. At the meeting of April 3, 1860.
Jones and Cranford were re-elected Supervisor and Town Clerk ; I. J. Krack.
Assessor, and J. G. Meredith, Collector. The officers of the Township at pres-
ent are as follows : G. W. Cline, Supervisor ; J. H. Meg(iuier and Peter
Shroyer, Justices of the Peace ; Charles Weinland, Assessor ; Charles Reiss,
Collector, and Thomas Nash, Town Clerk.
As already stated, Chatsworth, at the time of township organization, em-
braced the town of Forrest and the fractional town of German town. iVt the
meeting of the Board of Supervisors in 1861, Forrest, on petition, was set ott",
and became a separate and distinct township, and at the September meeting of
Supervisors for 1867, Germantown petitioned for separation, and was set off at
this meeting, since which time it has been a separate town. Since these divi-
sions and separations, Chatsworth remains still a complete Congressional town-
ship of thirty-six sections.
When the settling up of the town began, about 1855, deer and prairie
wolves were the almost undisputed possessors of the soil. In portions of
Oliver's Grove, there are still deer to be occasionally seen, but they are becom-
ing very scarce, and will soon all be gone, while the wolf, the natural foe of
the settler, is almost if not wholly exterminated.
HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY. 391
The first preacher to proclaim the Word of God in this section was Old
Father Walker, as he was called, of Ottawa, who in 1832 established a mission
among the Indians, whose lodges were then spread in Oliver's Grove. The
following extract is from an address delivered before the Old Settlers' Society by
Judge McDowell, of Fairbury, at the annual meeting in 1877 : ^' The early
footprints of Methodism began in this part of the country in 1832, Old Father
Walker, who established a mission at the Kickapoo town (now Oliver's Grove),
where there was, at that time, a village of ninety-seven wigwams, one large
council house, several small encampments, and 630 Indians in all, men, women
and children. Father Walker came out occasionally and held meetings with
them, appointed and ordained a missionary minister of their own tribe, who
always held services on the Sabbath, when Father Walker was not tlicre.
Their prayer book was a walnut board, on which were characters carved with
a knife, and at the fop an engraving. They had a great respect for the Sab-
bath, and no Indian thought of retiring at night Avithout consulting his board."
These ministrations of Father Walker were the first we have any account of
in this section, and were probably the first in Livingston County. As there
are no church buildings in the township, outside of the village of Chatsworth,
this part of our history will be again alluded to in connection with the villao-e.
The old Indian trail that marked the dividing line between the Kickapoo
and Pottawatomie tribes was plainly visible through this town, long after settle-
ments were made and the pale-faces had become numerous. And there are still
settlers living here who can point out the line along which the trail led.
The Toledo, Peoria & Warsaw Railway was completed through the township,
and trains commenced running regularly in 1857. This broudit immiia-ants
to the neighborhood, and was the means of the rapid settling up of this town
and the surrounding country. The amount of grain and stock shipped from
Chatsworth Township over this road is truly wonderful. The Kankakee k
SouthAvestern Railroad, projected to run from Kankakee City, through Chats-
worth Township, tapping the Gilman, Clinton k Springfield, at Gibson City,
will probably be in process of construction in a short time, ft is supposed that
the Illinois Central is the ''power behind the throne" in this new road, and
will push it forward to completion, in order to open to them (the Illinois Central)
a more direct route between Chicago and St. Louis. The new Company only
ask the right of way through Second street, in the village of Chatsworth, which
has been unanimously given.
Politically, Chatsworth is pretty evenly divided on national (juestions. prob-
ably Republican by a few votes. Its record during the late war was good for
so" thinly a populated section as this was at that time. N. C. Kenyon, the
present Postmaster of Chatsworth village, was Colonel of the Eleventh Regiment
of Illinois Volunteer Infantry, one of the brave regiments of Illinois, that it is
said, did as much hard fighting during the war as any regiment from the State.
Conrad Heppe, a resident at present of the village, has served nine years in the
392 HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY.
United States army, mostly in New Mexico. Many other brave fellows sh<jui-
dered their muskets and went forth from this and from Charlotte Townshij)
(which at the commencement of the war was a part of Chatsworth), to the
front, where "Avar's red blast raged the fiercest."
THE VILLAGE OF CHATSWORTH.
Chatsworth is situated on the Toledo, Peoria & Warsaw Railway, about forty
miles from State line, and seventy miles from the city of Peoria. It was sur-
veyed and laid out by Nelson Buck, County Surveyor, June 8, 1859, for Zeno
Secor and Cornelia Gilman of New York, who owned the land on which it is
located. In 1853, the land was entered by Solomon Sturges, who, in 1857,
conveyed it to Wm. H. Osborn, and Osborn and wife in turn conveyed it to
Secor and Gilman. The original town occupied 160 acres of land, embracing
the south half of the northwest quarter, and north half of the southwest quarter
of Section 3. Since then several additions have been made to the original plat
at different times. It has been organized as a village under the Incorporation
act, and the first board of officers were Jacob Titus, E. A. Bangs, John S.
McElhiny, W. W. Sears and Albert Tuttle. Jacob Titus was elected Presi-
dent of the Board, and George E. Esty. Village Clerk. At present its offi-
cial board is as follows : John Young, President ; W. F. Dennis, A. M.
Roberts, C. Spiecher, Samuel Crumpton and C Guenther; R. M. Spurgin,
Clerk; W. H. Wakelin, Treasurer; J. M. Myers, Superintendent of Police,
and T. S. Curran, Police Magistrate.
The first building was put up in the village in 1859, by Chas. D. Brooks
and Trueman Brockway, both of whom Avere from New York. It was a store
and residence combined, a frame building one and a half stories high, with
rooms over the store. They afterward went into partnership, and after Brock-
way got married, he lived over the store. A post office was established in 1860,
the first, not only in the village, but in the township. Chas. D. Brooks was
the first Postmaster, an office he held several years, when Matthew H. Hall
received it. He was succeeded by Col. N. C. Kenyon, who is at present Post-
master. The first hotel was built by C. W. Drake, in 1859. It has been con-
verted into a dwelling house, and is now used as such. The only hotel in the
village is the Cottage House, kept by Wm. Cowling. The first blacksmith, as
mentioned in the history of the township, was Samuel Patton, who is still in
the business, on the same old stand. He came from Ohio in the Fall of 1859,
and there was at that time but one house in the village (Brooks & Brockway 's
store), a little grain house and an old carpenter shop. There Avere tAvo others
in sight — the section house, and one tAvo miles out on the prairie, owned by
Franklin Foot. Mr. Patton is the inventor of a corn busker, which seems to
be a good thing. It husks corn as fast as horses will Avalk, and can be sold at
about ^225. He has not commenced the manufacture of them, but designs
doing so.
HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY. 39^^
The first school house was built in 1858, on two lots donated by Osborn for
school purposes. This was the first school house in both Chatsworth Township
and the village. The present elegant school edifice was built in 1870. Two
years ago additions Avere built to it, at a total cost of buildings and additions of
^11,000. It is a two-story frame building, with stone basement, and is finished
ofi" in fine style. The teachers and Principal of the school for the year just
closed* were as follows : Prof J. T. Dickinson, Principal ; Miss M. J. Speer.
Grammar Department : Miss Brown. Miss Aiken and Mrs. Tuckerman : Mrs.
Palmer, Primary Department.
The Germania Sugar Company built their large factory here in 1865, for
the purpose of manufacturing sugar from the beet. The capital stock of the
company was ^50,000, which was all owned in Springfield, except $1,000 held in
Peoria, The enterprise was projected by a man named Jennet, a German, and.
after the company was organized, he had the management. It proved unsuc-
cessful from the lack of water. One well bored on the premises, 1,200 feet
deep, cost $6,000, and afforded an insufficiency of water to meet the require-
ments of the business. It is believed that, with plenty of water, it would have
proved a valuable business. The beets jnelded about eight per cent, of their
weight in sugar. The factory was in operation here for about five years, when
the machinery was taken out and removed to Freeport, where it is devoted to
the same purpose as here. The property fell into the hands of Jacob Bunn, of
Springfield, who furnished the funds for its operation and removal to Freeport.
Though the capital stock was originally $50,000, it cost while here, we are told,
about $175,000. The "vacuum pan," as it was called, alone cost $6,000 in
Germany, and was an extraordinarily fine piece of machinery. But it was a
losing speculation as long as it remained in this village.
A coal shaft Avas sunk near the village of Chatsworth, in 1867, by Capt.
Beard, who had some connection at one time with the east shaft at Fairburv.
A stock company was formed among the citizens of Chatsworth, of $10,000, but
the stock was never all paid up. Enough, however, was collected to pay Beard
for sinking the shaft, which was about 218 feet deep. The works were finally
abandoned, upon the report of Beard that there was no prospect of coal. It is
thought by some that a good vein of coal was found, but for some reason the
fact was concealed, or at least never olficiall}^ reported. One of the men
employed in the work said to some frieftds one day, that they passed through a
vein of coal about five feet thick in sinking the Chatsworth shaft. Whether
this is true or false, we are unable to say.
The first grain elevator was built by Charles D. Brooks, in 1861, and was
b\n-ned in 1866. He then built another, which he afterward moved to Piper City.
Samuel Crumpton built one next, and then Havercorn & Mette built the one now
occupied by A. B. Searing. Joseph Rumbold built one, which is now owned by
Searing & Crumpton. The next was an old mill, moved up by the railroad, and
changed into an elevator by Chas. Weinland, and is now owned by H. L. Turner.
* Their Principal and teachers for the coining year are not yet chosen.
394 HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY.
The mill above referred to was originally built by Wright, Williams & Crip-
liver, and, after several changes, it was disposed of as already noted. Williams
then erected his present steam mill, and commenced operating it in December,
1877. It is a frame building, with two runs of buhrs, and is used mostly for
grinding corn meal and stock feed.
Another of Chatsworth's manuftictures is the Star Wind Mill, which is put
up by David E. Shaw, who is also the patentee of the Marvel Feed Mill, which
is adapted to wind mills. Also, the wagon factory of L. C. Spiecher is quite an
institution. He works seven hands, and make wagons and carriages principally.
Chatsworth has two banks — C. A. Wilson & Co., successors to the Chats-
worth Bank, and E. A. Bangs & Co. Both houses do a general banking and
exchange business.
The Chatsworth Plaindeahr is a five-column quarto newspaper, published
by R. M. Spurgin, and is one of the flourishing papers of the county. It was
t'Stablished in November, 1873, by C. B. Holmes, and in August, 1876, passed
into the hands of its present owner. It is an independent paper, and takes no
particular side in politics.
The first religious society organized in the village of Chatsworth was the
Methodist Church, in 1859, bv Rev. M. Dewev, with about fortv members. The
charge, at that time, included Forrest, Five Mile Grove, Pleasant Ridge,
Oliver's Grove and Bethel, with Rev. J. W. Flowers as Presiding Elder of the
District. The society held their meetings in the school house, two blocks north
of the railroad depot, until the year 1874, when they erected a good church
building at a cost of about $2,500, in which they have worshiped ever since,
having now upon the church rolls about 100 members. Adjacent, is a comfort-
able parsonage, worth about $500, and both it and the church are free of
t-ncurabrance. Rev. Samuel Wood is the present Pastor, and Rev. R. G.
Pierce. Presiding Elder of the District. The church was dedicated by Rev.
T. M. Eddy, D. D., of Chicago, on the 30th day of November, 1864. The
Sunday school of this society was organized in March, 1862. W. H. Wakelin
is the present Superintendent, and the average attendance is about 100
children.
The Presbyterian Church was built soon after the village was laid out, ahd
the society first organized in the school house, under the pastoral care of Rev.
Mr. Thomas, who preached here and at a school house in Ford County on
alternate Sundays. He then lived at Champaign. The first regular minister
in charge of the society was Rev. Oscar Park. The present Pastor is Rev.
Geo. F. Mcx'Vfee, formerly of Missouri, but a graduate of the Northwestern
Theological Seminary, and has in his charge about eighty members. A very
flourishing Sunday school belongs to this church. The Rev. Mr. McAfee is
Superintendent, and about one hundred and thirty-five children attend.
The Baptist Church Avas built in 1871, is a substantial frame building, 32x54
feet, and cost about three thousand six hundred dollars. Rev. A. Kenyon is
HISTORY f»F LIVINGSTON COUNTY. 395
Pastor, with a membership of over one hundred, and an interesting Sunday
school, of which A. H. Hall is Superintendent. There are two German socie-
ties, the Evangelical Association and the Lutherans : but they have no church
buildings, and we were unable to learn anything definite of their organizations.
The Roman Catholic Church was built in 1864, and dedicated, on the 17th
of March, to St. Patrick, by Rev. Thomas Roy, President of St. Victor's Col"
lege. The building cost about four thousand dollars, is a handsome frame, and
was built under tiie pastorate of Rev. John A. Fanning, of Fairbury. Owen
Murtagh, Patrick Monahan and William Joyce were the Building Committee.
It was made an independent mission on the 22d of July, 1867, when the Very
Rev. Learner Moynihan, formerly of New Orleans, and late of Jersey City,
N. J., succeeded the Rev. Father Fanning. A flourishing Sunday school is
attached, and the attendance, both at it and the church, are good.
Chatsworth Lodge, No. 539, A., F. & A. M., was chartered October 1,
1867, Jerome B. Gorin, Grand Master of Illinois, signing the charter, and H.
G. Reynolds, Grand Secretary. The charter members were George R. Wells,
E. L. Nelson, W. H. Jones, D. E. Shaw, E. A. Simmons, A. E. Anway, James
Davis. J. H. Dalton, Charles L. Wells, Ira W. Trask, J. S. McElhiny\md D.
W. Hunt. D. R. Wells was first Master ; D. R. Shaw, Senior Warden, and
E. A. Simmons, Junior Warden. The present Master is N. C. Kenyon, and
W. H. Wakelin, Secretary, with forty members.
Chatsworth Lodge, No. 339, I. 0. 0. F., chartered October 9, 1866, J. K.
Scroggs, Grand Master, and Samuel Willard, Grand Secretary. Charter mem-
bers — Arthur Orr, N. A. Wheeler, Peter Shroyer, T. L. Matthews, H. J.
Roberts and G. W. Blackwell. Arthur Orr was first Noble Grand, and N. A.
Wheeler, Secretary. C. Guenther is at present Noble Grand, and Arthur Orr,
Secretary, with thirty-seven members.
Livingston Encampment, No. 123, I. 0. 0. F., was chartered May 31,
ixll ; D. W. Jacoby, - Grand Patriarch, and N. C. Nason, Grand Scribe; J.
B. Renne, first Chief Patriarch; Peter Shroyer, Scribe. L. C. Spiecher is at
present Chief Patriarch, and P. J. Garhart, Scribe, with about twenty members
on the roll.
Chatsworth has a well organized fire department, with a good volunteer
company. Their engine is the old "Prairie Queen," formerly used in Bloom-
ington, and this village bought it for $1,300, which, Avith hose and other equip-
ments, runs the cost of the department up to about two thousand dollars. The
company has been a valuable acquisition, and has saved to the town more than
twenty thousand dollars' worth of property since its organization.
The bar is represented in Chatsworth by Hon. Samuel T. Fosdick and
George Torrence, Esq. The former was elected to the State Senate in the Fall
of 1876, on the Republican ticket, receiving 5,056 votes over C. C. Strawn, of
Pontiac, Democrat, who received 4,313 votes. The Senatorial District is com-
posed of Livingston and Ford Counties.
396 HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY.
The medical fraternity here are Drs. Charles True, D. W. Hunt, Wm. C.
Byington and Bostock.
John Walter, a merchant of the village, has a very ancient relic, and one
to be highly prized. It is an old Bible, printed in 1536. The following is the
inscription on the fly-leaf:
^rmtfb in luriclj
Be
Cljnstoffel ,Jfrosd]oiier
anb fiiiisjjtb on Ifi bag of Ularcj)
MDXXXVI.
It is printed in the Swiss dialect of the German language, bound in heavy
wood backs, covered with loatlier. with heavy iron clasps and corners. Mr.
Walter claims that it is the oldest Bible, but one, in the United States; and, for
a book that is 340 years old, it is in a state of excellent preservation. It is
profusely illustrated throughout the Old and New- Testaments with colored
engravings of Bible scenes and incidents.
The village of Chatsworth has one of the most beautiful little parks in this
section of the country. It embraces just one square, or block, in the village,
and is very handsomely shaded with young maples, of which there are over 500
in the enclosure, making it a fine place to pass an hour or two of a warm evening,
and a lovely pi-omenade for the boj^s and girls, who
Find in their wooing much moonshine yearning,
Such as young folks always have when they are learning
to be sweet on each other, and yearn for moonlight, solitude and the " mourn-
ful cooing of the turtle dove."
Chatsworth Cemetery was laid out January 4, 1864, and an addition made
to it March 2, 1865. It is a pretty little burying ground, and the good order
in which it is kept shows a high regard of the living for the dead. The first
party buried within its silent shades was an old German laborer who lived, at
the time, with Patrick Monahan, of Charlotte Township, and was buried on the
spot, before the cemetery was laid out. as noticed in the history of the latter
township.
HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY. 397
SAUNEMIN TOWNSHIP.
At the time of the formation of Livingston County, Saunerain, Sullivan,
Pleasant Ridge and Charlotte Townships were comprised in one election precinct,
and it so stood until the second year after townsliip organization, when Pleasant
Ridge and Charlotte were struck off, as noted in another place. When all four
of these towns were embraced in one, it was called Saunemin, after the old
sachem of the Kickapoo Indians, and was given to the precinct by Oliver, of
the present township of Chatsworth, who settled there when Indians were
plenty in the country, and knew the old chief well. The present township of
Saunemin is about seven-eighths prairie to one-eighth of timber. The prairie
lies in gentle swells, just sufficiently rolling to drain well, but not enough so to
wash, or to be termed knolly. The native timber is embraced in Five-Mile
Grove, lying along the borders of Five-Mile Creek, and is a body of very fine
timber but in the midst of a prairie country, like that by which it is surrounded,
it is too small in quantity to be of any material benefit, or very profitable for
building purposes.
The first settlement was made in Saunemin Township in 1845, on Five-Mile
Creek, in the northern part of Five-Mile Grove. The honor of making this
first settlement is given to David Cripliver and his two sons, Joseph and S. P.
Cripliver Joseph, who had settled in Wolf's Grove several years prior, came
to this section and made the claim, and then the family came on, as stated above,
in 184;"). They came from Indiana, and on their arrival in Five-Mile Grove,
went into and occupied the old "Survey hut," until they could erect a cabin of
their own. Joseph Cripliver says w^hen he first settled in Wolf's Grove in
1841, tliere were but eighty-two voters in the entire county. Criplivers sold
their original claim to John Ridinger, then took up the claim where they still
live. The elder Cripliver is dead, but his wife is still living, and makes her
home with her sons. ,
John Ridinger was the next settler after the Criplivers, and, as already
stated, bought their original claim. He was also from Indiana, and settled here
in the latter part of 1850^ and is still on the place where he first located. The
following settlers were also from Indiana, viz. : Thomas and Robert Spafford
and Samuel Scott. The Spaftbrds were originally from England, but had lived
some years in Indiana before settling in this township in 18.38. They had made
their first settlement in Avoca Township, where they remained two years, when
they came to their present settlements. Scott became dissatisfied soon after his
settlement, sold out and removed to Missouri. Being discontented there also,
he returned to this township within three months from the time he left it, and
died in 1874.
Samuel L. Marsh is a genuine New England Yankee, and came from Wor-
cester County, Miiss., in 1856. He settled first in La Salle County, where he
remained two years, when he removed to Saunemin, and settled where he now
398 HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY.
lives. He is an enterprising and thrifty farmer : has a good farm, and is well
prepai-ed for a "rainy day.'' whenever it may come. When he settleil here, he
found quite a number already in the township, among which were the Cripliv-
ers. Ridingers, Scott, and the Spaftbrds. who have aheady been noticed iu the
earlv settlements. There were living here at the time. also, the following families,
viz : T. W. Bridia. Jason Tattle. Thomas. Oliver and John Smith — three
brothers — Joshua Cheseb rough. Thos. Cleland. Rev. Felix Thornton. Wm.
Tounof. Robert Miller. John S. Thomas. James Funk and a vouns man named
Walter Good. Of these. T. W. Bridia came from the Green Mountains of
Vermont orisinallv. but senled first in Green Counrv. in this State, in 1887,
where he remained for twentv vears before coming to this neiffhborhood.
He made a claim here, upon which he still lives. His wife, however, who
shared with him his early toils, has been dead several yeai-s. Jason Tuttle
came from New York about 1854. He settled in Michigan, where he remained
some years, when he removed to this township, where he still lives. Thomas,
Oliver and John Smith, and Joshua Chesebrough were from Ohio, and settled
here — the Smiths about 1854— o, and Chesebrough a vear or two later.
Thomas Cleland settled here about the same time. He was a blacksmith, the
first in the township, and is now living in Pontiac. Rev. Felix Thornton, who
is noticed as one of the early settlers of Sullivan, and as the first minister in
that town, settled here in 1858. and some years later sold out and remove! to
Iowa. William Young came from New York in 1855. and bought the place
where Mariner now lives. He is dead, and his widow is married to Maiiner.
James Funk settled in the neighborhood in 1852—3, and came from McLean
County to this town. He opened the place where Squire Bridia now lives,
and. becoming dissatisfied, sold out and removed to Missouri, but after a time
came back to this settlement, and died in 1867. His widow lives in the south-
em part of the township, near the iron bridge over the Vermilion River,
between this and Indian Grove. Robt. Miller came from Marshall County,
near Lacon, to this settlement in 1856. John S. Thomas was an Englishman,
and
*' Had roamed through many lands."
He came from Plainfield. in this State, and settled in this township about 1855.
As stated, he was from England, and seems to have been a kind of ronng
character, as it is said that he had been all over the world. But he per-
manently settled here, and died in 1873. but his widow still lives on the old
homestead. Walter Good, a single man, is among the early settlers of this
town, but of him little is known beyond the fact that he enlisted in the
army during the late war. lost a hand in battle, and never returned to this
neighborhood. These names comprise the settlements made up to a period so
modem that all who have come since cannot very well be placed under the
head of earlv settlers.
HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY. 399
The sound of the Gospel is almost coeval with the first settlements of Saii-
riemin Township. The Rev. Feli.x Thornton was the first regular preacher.
althout'h there had been sermons preache<i and religions services held before he
settled in the neighborhoo<l. The first permanent church society was formed
by the Methorlists. in the school house, near where the Bethel Church now
stands. Through the influence and untiring energies of Rev. John Wilkers*ja-
Pastor, at that time, of the congregation, funds enough were raised to build a
church, and the work was commenced. Rev. Mr. Wilkerson. however, was
transferred to another field of labor before the building was finishes! When
completed, it was dedicated by some eminent divine from Chicago, whose name
our informant had forgotton. It is an elegant frame, and was finished and
opened for worship in 1872. It is known as the Bethel Methodist Episcopal
Church, and numbers eighty members. A Sabbath school, under the superintend-
ence of Mr. C. C. Boys, has been established by the church, and is. at the
present writing, in a very flourishing condition and well attended.
A societv of the Christian Church was formed in 1871, in the same scht^ol
house in which the Methodist Church was organized. They have no church
buildino-. and still hold their meetings in the school house. Rev. W. P. Carith-
ers ort^anized the church, «nd is still its Pastor, with a membership of eightv-sLx.
A larcre and flourishing Sunday school is maintained, with ^Villiam Watts as
Superintendent.
The United Brethren formed a church in this township in 1867. under the
pastorate of Rev. Mr. Elliott. Rev. Mr. Robinson was the first Unite<l Breth-
ren preacher in the neighborhood. The Rev. Mr. Mitchell is the present preacher,
and the school house is used as their sanctuary.
There has also been a society of the Presbyterians recently organized in this
school house.* Formerly, there was a Congregational Church in the township,
but it dwindled down to a handful and then died out, and this Presbyterian
Church has been organized on its ruins. Rev. D. A. Wallace is the present
Pastor. A Union Sunday school of this and the United Brethren is carried on
at the school house, where the churches hold their religiotis meetings.
The first school house was built of logs, about the year 1854. and Miss Julia
Hamlin is supposed to have taught the first school in it. which was the first in
the township. The first school house built by public funds was in 1863, and
Mrs. Bridia, nee Lilly, taught the first school in it. She commenced her school
in the little log school house, before this was finished, but, on its completion,
moved into the new edifice, where she finished out the session. The first School
Treasurer in the township was Thomas N. Smith. The first school record we
were able to find dates back to April 7. 1862. On this date, the Trustees held
a meeting. The Board, at the time, was composed of Jason Tuttle, John Cotrell
and S. P. Cripliver. There seems to have been but little business transacted,
save the apportionment of the funds on hand, which amounted to §o56.72.
*Bc-thel Methodist Church i« the onW church boildtng in the town.
400 HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY.
among
the three school districts then in the town. Two new districts were
created at this meeting, as previous to this date the entire town was one school
district. Samuel L. Marsh was elected School Treasurer at the regular meet-
ing, April 11, 1864, an office he still holds. At the annual meeting, April,
1867, we find there were five districts, and there was the additional sum on
hand of $222.03, which Avas apportioned among the five districts as follows,
viz.: District No. 1, $102.13; District No. 2, |64.60 ; District No. 3,
121.71 ; District No. 4, $20.02 ; District No. 5, $13.52. From Mr. Marsh's
last annual report we take the folloAving :
Number of males in township under 21 years 240
Number of females in township under "21 years 244
Total ~^484
Number of males between 6 and 21 in township 16^J
Number of females between 6 and 21 in township 156
Total ^^"^
Number of males attending school l^b
Number of females attending school 1-2
Total ^^^
Number of male teachers employed • '^'
Number of female teachers employed 1^
Total ^^
Estimated value of school property S?4,000 00
School fund of township ^•^'^^ '^^
Tax levy for support of schools l.-j-y 84
Highest monthly wages paid teachers..... '*'^ ^
Lowest monthly wages paid teachers ^o \jv
Whole amount paid teachers 2,088 :^H
There are at present nine School Districts in the town, in eight of which
there are good, comfortable frame school houses, and the coming Winter there
is a house to be put up in District No. 9, which has recently been created. The
Board of Trustees at present is composed of the following gentlemen : William
C. Burley, Wm. T. Bridia and James M. Rhodes.
Joseph Cripliver Avas the first party living in Saunemin to perpetrate the act
of matrimony. He married in Grundy County in 1851. The first marriage
ceremony solemnized in this township was Miss Scott (now Mrs. Mariner) and
William Young, but the exact date of it we Avere unable to learn. Catherine
Ellen, daughter of Joseph Cripliver, Avas the first birth in the township, and
occurred in January, 1852. The first death was probably the wife of John
Martin, in March, 1855. A couple of twin children of John Ridinger died in
March, 1855. also, and some are of the opinion that they died before Mrs. Mar-
tin, Avhile others believe to the contrary.
A sad occurrence which took place in this toAvnship will come in appropri-
ately in this connection. In the Summer of 1858, a woman was drowned in
Five-Mile Creek, about one mile from the present residence of S. L. Marsh.
PONTIAC
e A'C^
I'
HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY. 403
She was traveling through the country alone, and had called at the house of
Mr. Thomas the evening before she was drowned, but had not, it seems, given a
very definite or satisfactory account of herself, and had left late in the evening.
The next day she was found in Five-Mile Creek, "cold in death." Who she
was. whence she came, or Avhither going, none ever knew beyond mere supposi-
tion, which was, that she belonged to a company of emigrants who had passed
that way some time before ; had become dissatisfied and homesick, and was try-
ing to get back to the old home of her childhood, when fate overtook her, and
her destiny was brought to an abrupt close. The people generously and kindly
took the remains and decently interred them in their little grave yard in Five
Mile Grove. There they still repose, and her friends, if she had any, are igno-
rant of her fate to the present day.
Saunemin Post Office, the first in the township, was established in 1869, and
A. W. Parks was the first Postmaster. He held the office for two years, when
George D. Paddock became Postmaster, an office he still holds. The first store
was opened by Paddock in the Fall of 1871, and is still in successful operation.
It is located in the little village of Bethel, or, more properly speaking, Saunemin.
The Methodist Church, which is located here, is called Bethel, and hence the
name is often applied to the village, while the name of the post office is Saune-
min. Another store was opened here in 1874, by J. H. Richter, which still
exists, but the stock has run down, it is supposed for the purpose of quitting
business. In addition to the two stores mentioned, and the chui-ch, there is a
good, comfortable school house, a shoe shop kept by Homer Tiffany, a black-
smith shop by A. W. Young, and some half a dozen residences. These items
comprise the hamlet or village of Saunemin.
T. W. Bridia was the first Justice of the Peace in this township, and the
first Supervisor after Sullivan was separated and set off. Thomas Cleland was
the first blacksmith, and for a number of years the only one in the township.
The first bridge in the town was a rude wooden affair, built over Five Mile
Creek. In the Fall of 1876, an elegant iron bridge was put up over Five Mile.
Creek, where the principal road crosses leading to Pontiac.
Mr. Cripliver informed us that, when he settled in Five Mile Grove, there
was not a family living nearer than five miles. They used to go down in
Indian Grove, visiting, and thought that but a short trip. The small body of
timber in Five Mile Grove did not present many attractions to those in hunt of
homes, and the value of the prairies was yet undiscovered.
When Saunemin included Sullivan, Pleasant Ridge and Charlotte in its
territorial limits, and after the county had adopted township organization, Isaac
Wilson, now of Pleasant Ridge, was the Supervisor. After they had been
divided up, and Saunemin became a township of itself, T. W. Bridia was the
first Supervisor and Joshua Chesebrough the first Town Clerk. At present,
the township officers are as follows : Thomas Spafford, Supervisor ; Thomas
Spafford and Geo. D. Paddock, Justices of the Peace ; 0. H. P. Noel, As-
404 HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY.
sessor; George Dally, Collector; C. F. H. Carithers, Town Clerk. George
Langford, of this township, was elected Clerk of Livingston County, and held
the office for the term preceding Mr. Wait, the present incumbent, discharging
the duties with entire satisfaction to himself and the county.
The little cemetery in Five Mile Grove was laid out in the early settlement
of the township. The first of the grounds was one acre donated by John
Ridinger, and afterward the town bought one acre more, and then had the
cemetery incorporated. As stated in another place, Mrs. Martin and Ridinger'*
twin children were among the first burials in it.
In the days of Whigs and Democrats, Saunemin ToAvnshipwas Democratic,
but since 1860 it has been largely Republican. When the Grange movement
was in the noontide of its glory, it controlled the elections in this town, irre-
spective of political parties ; but of late it has fallen back on, not first, but
second principles — otherwise, is Republican again.
In the late war, it did its duty nobly in furnishing soldiers for the Union
army. Many who went to the front never returned. On the Southern plains,
where their valor won for them a soldier's death, they sleep, no more to answer
to roll-call until the great reveille shall sound in the last day. The town had
but one draft during the war, and for only six men. The lucky ones were William
Young, George Gray, Peter Munson and three brothers— Thomas, Oliver and
John C. Smith. All other calls were filled as soon as made, either by volun-
teers or substitutes.
Albigence Marsh, the father of Samuel L. Marsh, lives with his sou, as also
the latter's father-in-law, Mr. Lee. The elder Marsh is 87 years old, and quite
a sprightly old man. He was in the war of 1812, and went out in the regiment
of Col. Jonathan Lyon, but did not remain long in the service before being dis-
charged and sent home. Mr. Lee, Mrs. Marsh's father, is 81 years old, and as
vigorous as many men at 50. We were shown a very handsome "what-not"
made by him for his daughter since he entered the "80s," and which would
grace the most elegant parlor. He is a fine mechanic, or has been in his day,
and many a pretty piece of furniture in Mr, Marsh's dwelling bears witness to
his mechanical genius.
AMITY TOWNSHIP.
t 1833—1878. But little more than forty years ! Only half of a good life-
time. A very short period when past. And when our vision, in its backward
glance, is confined to our own narrow lives, how little has been done ! Yet
when we look around lis, and compare the present with the past, allowing our
imagination to run carefully over the intervening period, we are amazed at
what has been accomplished. Forty years ago, where stands the proud city of
Chicago, with its half million inhabitants, its tunnels, its water works, its custom
house and its magnificent system of railroads, was a small dilapidated, Avooden
town, located in a marsh. More than this, forty years has seen this same town
rise and fall and rise again.
HISTOKV OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY. 405
Forty years agu, there was not a railroad in the State, now there are thou-
sands of miles. In forty years, all of this country has been netted over with
telegraph wires, so that friends and business men and officials converse as readily
between New York and San Francisco, and between New Orleans and Chicago,
as did neighbors across the hedge that separated their lots fort}^ years ago.
Forty years have witnessed two bloody wars in which this country has been
involved. Mexico has given up her most valuable possession to the United
States, and 8,000,000 of slaves have been set at liberty. Within forty years.
10,000,000 of the oppressed of other countries have found a home in this free
land, many of whom have become citizens of this State, this county, this
township.
During the period named, wonderful changes have come to the West in
particular. At the former date, the county of Livingston had not yet been
organized. Not a town, not a school house, not a church building in all the
territory now embraced within its limits, had been built. In all of the thirty
townships were not half as many inhabitants, and less than one-tenth the Avealth
now contained in Amity alone. Indeed, had these remarks been confined to
the last thirty years, they would have been almost as appro])riate ; as the events
mentioned have almost all transpired within that time.
Forty-five years ago, no white man had ever called what is now embraced
in Amity Township his home. In the year 1838, Thomas N. Reynolds, Sam-
uel K. Reynolds and E. Breckinridge found their way to this then desolate
place, and, selecting spots on which to build, erected for themselves and families
little cabins, in which they lived for some years.
The farm on which the Reynoldses built is the same now known as the J. P.
Houston farm. His wife was the first white person buried in the township. She
lived but a few ^^ears after coming to the country. The coffin used to inclose her
remains was such as served the purpose of many a worthy pioneer. It was con-
structed by splitting open a walnut log and scooping out sufficient from each
portion to admit the body. These two troughs were then placed together in
their original position, and. in this rude casket, Mrs. Reynolds, the pioneer
woman of this township, awaits the call to proceed to a better country, where
frontier hardships are not known.
Of a large number of the name who eventually made this their home, onlv
Samuel K. Reynolds still remains. All others have either removed or died.
Breckinridge made some improvements and built a cabin on the James
McKee farm. He remained here about ten years, until he found he was beino-
"crowded," and then pushed on further west into the newer country •'beyond
the Mississippi." These three, with nearly all who sought this part of the
county for a number of years, were from the State of Ohio ; and this was, in
reality, as it was named, the "Buckeye" neighborhood.
The next year, 1884, Thomas Prindle came out from Ohio and located in
the southeastern part. Prindle was a blacksmith, as well as a farmer. He
406 HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY.
erected a shop and plied his anvil for the accommodation of himself and his few
neighbors while he stayed. But the light of his forge and the light of his life
went out together in 1845, and for thirty-three years his anvil has been silent.
In the latter part of 1834 and the early part of 1885, a large number of
families followed the ones already mentioned from the Buckeye region, at least
six of which came to this township. They were John W., Joseph, Stephen and
Cornelius W. Reynolds — brothers and cousins of the two who came in 1833 —
William Springer and Thomas Campbell.
John W. Reynolds was one of the first Justices of the Peace of Bayou Pre-
cinct, and performed the ceremony of marrying the first couple in the township.
The happy parties on tlie occasion were Isaac Painter and Nancy Springer.
The nuptials were celebrated in 1840 — perhaps a year earlier. The first mill
built in the county was constructed by John W. Reynolds, soon after his arrival.
It was as primitive an afiFair as any of the institutions of its time, being nothing
more than a corn cracker, the motive power of which was furnished by a horse.
Though a very rude concern, it was a very convenient one for this neighbor-
hood, and was well patronized. But its proprietor "ground the last grist," and
" took his last toll" thirty-five years ago.
Joseph Reynolds was a young, unmarried man, and lived with his brothers
Thomas and Samuel K. He was the first Sheriff' of Livingston County, being
elected May 8, 1837, at a county election held at the house of Andrew
McMillan. His opponent was Simeon S. Mead. He was probably a popular
man, as he received, out of the eighty-five votes cast, more than eight-ninths.
At this same election, another brother, Cornelius W. Reynolds, was a can-
didate for a county office, that of Surveyor ; but no doubt the people thought
one county office in a family was enough, for he was beaten by Isaac Whicher,
who received a small majority. C. W. was a physician, and, after election,
went to Pontiac and practiced medicine a little, acted as Deputy Sheriff for his
brother, was Postmaster of Pontiac, and was afterward elected Clerk of the
Court. He finally removed to Ottawa, at which place he is still engaged in the
practice of his profession.
Stephen Reynolds resided in the township until his death, which occurred
about seventeen years since.
William Springer was the forerunner of a large family, who came to the
county two years afterward. He lived only a year or two after his relatives
came out.
Thomas Campbell settled on Section 5, arriving at the place on the 5th of
July of the year named. He continued his residence here until November,
1865, which is the date of his death. His son, Thomas M., still occupies the
old homestead.
In 1836, H. M. D. Morris, Thomas Armon, William Reynolds and Samuel
Boyer made their advent into the neighborhood. The first three were from
Indiana, and the last from Pennsylvania.
HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY. 407
Morris settled on Section IT, on Short Point. He was the first preacher in
the township. He was not an itinerant, but a local Methodist exhorter, who
farmed all week and preached on Sunday at the cabins in the neighborhood or
in the grove — '' God's first temple " — as the weather or the occasion seemed to
indicate. Mr. Morris died here in 1848. His son, Chester Morris, still occu-
pies the old place.
William Reynolds was not a relative of the others of that name, who had
settled here previously, but was a brother-in-law of Morris and Armon, they
having married sisters of his. He was himself a bachelor, and remained here
but a few years, when he removed to Oregon, where he lived until about fifteen
years ago, when he returned on a visit, staying here a short time, and then
locating permanently in Iowa.
Samuel Boyer's name was one of the most familiar in the early days. He
was a man of means, education and piety, and, withal, very industrious and
economical. He brought with him, from his native State, all of the wagons and
farming implements needed in the cultivation of his land, bringing them all the
way by boat down the Oliio, up the Mississippi, and thence up the Illinois to
Hennepin. He was particularly interested in all religious services, and his house
was always open to the public for meetings of this kind, and his home was the
home of the missionary or others of •' the cloth." He was one of the first School
Commissioners, though the duties of the office then did not necessarily require
either a man of leisure or great ability, there being but three very small schools
in the county, and the course of instruction being of the most primary char-
acter. His son, Isaiah Boyer, resides in the village of Cornell.
The year 1837 brought several new families to this locality, among which
were two of the most worthy and solid that have ever made this their home.
Thomas Louderback and Uriah Springer were both from Ohio, and came to the
township within a few days of each other. They both had large families, and,
inasmuch as they were all of the most estimable character, their coming was a
valuable accession, not only to the neighborhood, but to the whole county.
From that day to this, the word of a Louderback passes for currency wherever it
is heard. The Louderbacks had lived a few years in Vermilion County, before
coming to Amity Township. The sons. Liberty, Mills and Levi, are still here,
and Thomas, Jr., is in Iowa, having left this place eight years ago. The^
elder Thomas Louderback died in 1854, his wife having preceded him twelve
years. The old homestead on Scattering Point is still in the possession of, and
occupied by the family. Uriah Springer and sons, Levi and Joseph, and son-
in-law, D. M. Prindle. arrived about ten days after the Louderbacks, and settled
on South Point.
Springer had been a man of some political standing in his native State, and
had held the office of Magistrate for twenty years. When he came to the
county, he was somewhat advanced in years, but. notAvithstanding. was elected
to the office of Associate Justice of the county, in the discharge of which duties
408 HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY.
he gave good satisfaction. He, with Thomas Barton and A. J. Gibnore, erected
the first real flour mill in the county, in 1838. The latter two were from Mc-
Lean County, and came to this place for the purpose named. The mill, how-
ever, was but partially successful, as the builders were not practical architects
and millers. The mill was located on the site of what is now known as the
Dodwell Mill.
D. M, Prindle was cousin of Thomas, who had preceded him three years,
and who had induced him to emigrate. He was a great singer, and led that part
of the service in all the religious meetings. There were no organs or church
choirs in his time, and he pitched the tune and sang the hymn as he was moved
by the spirit, "lining out the verse" to enable all of the worshipers to join in
the exercise. Prindle's voice was hushed, however, more than twenty years
ago, and he now sings a new song in the great temple above. The years 1838
and 1839 brought two men to this township, of whose advent the town and the
county are thankful.
Walter Cornell came from. Maine, and has been notorious as a leader in every
movement calculated to benefit the community. He has held several county offices,
among which are named those of Treasurer, School Commissioner and County
Assessor, and has filled many positions of minor importance in the township.
He was the first and, until last Spring, the only Postmaster of Cornell, having
filled the position since the establishment of the same.
Amos Edwards, formerly from New York, but directly from Ohio, was a
school teacher in those States, and had "wielded the ferule and the birch " for
a dozen years before coming here. He was the first resident teacher in this
part of the county, though to him does not belong the honor of pioneer educa-
tor in Amity Township, as he did not engage in the profession at once after his
location ; otherwise he would have received the credit, for up to this time no
steps had been taken to open a school. The first school taught in this part of
the county was opened in a small cabin, that had been built and occupied as a
dwelling by E. Breckenridge. The school was kept b}^ Martha Rutherford, and
the enterprise bid fair to be a great success, but " Uncle Johnny " Foster, of
Pontiac, had found out the worth of the young lady ; and to the regret and
somewhat to the disgust of the community, he paid her frequent visits, and
finally j)ersuaded her to desert the school and turn her attention to conjugal
matters. To be plain about it, Foster's wife having died, and he being sadly in
need of some one to look after his domestic affairs, married her. The school
consisted of only a dozen children, their tuition being paid for by subscription
at the rate of $1.50 per term. " Uncle Johnny " says, if they don't like the
part he took in this matter, they needn't grumble, as some of them still owe for
their tuition.
The same year, 1840, the first school house was erected. This was not only
the first in the township, but, as indicated by the United States census taken
that year, was one of only three in the Avhole county. Doubtless a description
HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY. 409
of it will be interesting to very many of our readers. Interested i)arties, to
the number of eight or ten, came together, by appointment, bringing with them
their axes, saws and whatever implements they possessed, and built it on the
mutual assistance plan. Small trees were felled and cut to the length of eighteen
feet. Notches were cut in each end, to admit of others designed to rest thm-eon.
Then the logs were built up in the manner of constructing a rail pen. When
the building had been raised to a sufficient height, openings were cut out for a
door, fire place and windows. The cracks between the logs were "chinked "—
that is, partially filled with small pieces of wood wedged in— and then daubed
with mud. The roof was of "clap-boards," very large shingles split from the
bodies of straight-grained trees ; and these were held in their places by the
weight of poles laid thereon. In the building of King Solomon's Temple," it is
found worthy of record that it was constructed "without the sound of axe, hammer
<.r other tool of iron." In our temple of learning, it is worthy of note that
not a nail or any other piece of iron entered into its composition. The door
was made of slabs split from the trees, after the manner of the shingles,
and the boards were pinned together with wooden pins. The door was hung
on wooden hinges, and fastened with a wooden latch, which only the ingenuity
of the backwoodsman can invent. The latch was raised by means of a leather
thong, attached to it, and hung through a small auger hole, a few inches above.
This was a very common method of fastening the doors of the ancient cabins,
and originated the saying that the "latch string is out." The floor was made
of "puncheons" or logs split in two parts, each of which, with its flat surface
turned upward, rested on the ground. The desks were broad boards, resting on
strong pins, driven into the wall. The seats were constructed of slabs, into
the ends of which were inserted wooden pins, serving as legs or supports. These
benches were placed in front of the desks ; and, while the children studied from
their books, they made the sharp edge of the desk the support for their backs.
When writing time came, the little fellows elevated their heels to a horizontal
line with their eyes, and, by a movement which can be more easily imagined
than described, and which must be learned by experience to be accompHshed
gracefully, performed a half revolution of the body, bringing the face toward
the desk. When writing was over, a reverse process brought them to the origi-
nal postui-e. The chimney and fireplace were composed of small sticks, built
up after the manner of the house, and plastered with mud, the fireplace being
very ample, to admit of large logs used for fuel. The windows, however, were
the parts which displayed peculiar ingenuity. Glass was too expensive, and
had the further objection of allowing the glaring rays of the sun to enter the room,
-and also of permitting the children to look out, thereby diverting their attention
from their studies. So, instead of using the trasparent medium, a translucent
one was invented. Strong white paper was thoroughly soaked in oil or lard,
and this process rendered it permeable to light, sufficient for the purpose, and
also dispensed with extra blinds. The house was located on Section 16, near
410 HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY.
the northwest corner, and thus, bemg near the center, was not only designed
for the use of the whole community, but was amply commodious, accommodating
pupils from what is now known as Rook's Creek Township. The first term
taught in this academy, seminary or institution was by Elizabeth Miller,
afterward wife of William Eaton. This was also a subscription school, of three
months, and tuition was $1.50 per term. The branches taught were reading,
spelling, a little arithmetic and writing. In the last named branch the teacher
was required, not only to understand the art itself, but also an art which may
now almost be counted as one of the ''lost arts" — that of making a pen out of
a "oose-quill ; and there are many who yet survive that declare that no pen
has ever been invented which writes like the quill pen, as made with the school-
master's pen-knife. The "Scattering Point Institute" served its purpose well,
and in it was received much sound instruction ; and many still remember the
days spent within its walls, and the precepts of Betsey Miller and her successors,
as the most pleasant period in their lives. However, by 1849, "Scattering
Point Institute " had outlived its day, its size and location being no longer ade-
quate to the increased population and the location of the newer settlers. So,
with many regrets, it was abandoned, and two new institutions, built much on
the same plan, and with like specifications and details, though somewhat larger,
were erected in portions of the township convenient for tlie patrons. The course
of instruction, salary, etc., were about the same as in their ])redecessor.
Teachers received |1.50 to $2.00 per week, and "boarded 'round."
The year 1840 brought to the neighborhood two reliable and solid men — Philip
Nigh and Charles Earp. They were both from Ohio, and still reside in the township.
Philip Dean was a contractor on the Illinois & Michigan Canal, which was
being constructed at this time, and entered some land and resided for a few
years in the township. He brought with him a few goods, and kept them for
sale. After his removal, he went to Chicago, of which city he has been Mayor.
Moses and Hiram Allen removed to this part of the county, from Ohio, in
1837, the year the county was organized. The former was a man of more than
ordinary character. He held several offices of trust and honor, among which was
that of Supervisor of the town. He and his brother have both been dead some years.
The Mormon troubles at Nauvoo, 1840-45, were the means of bringing to
this township a good family. James Bradley, who had professed the faith and
taken up his residence in the Mormon territory, at the breaking up of the set-
tlement, instead of following the fortunes of Brigham Young, came with his
family to this vicinity. Joseph Smith, it will be remembered, never professed
polygamy ; on the contrary, his lineal descendant, Joseph Smith, Jr., utterly
opposed that peculiar institution and became the acknowledged head of all the
dissenting Mormons throughout the States, establishing his headquarters at
Piano, 111., where he still resides. To this branch Mr. Bradley and those who
settled in Broughton Township afterward held allegiance.
Some of the implements of agriculture, used in the early times, were as
primitive as the methods of education. At first, it was not supposed that the
HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY. 411
vast prairies to the east and west would ever be utilized. The little bar-share
plow, with the wooden mold-board, in common use in the Eastern States, was
not to be thought of to turn over the prairie sod, matted thick Avith grass roots
as hard almost as hickory withes.' But soon the inventive genius of the Yankee
supplied an article, though somewhat rude and unwieldy, with which most of these
plains have been brought to cultivation. The original '' sod plow " is seen na
more, as it has long since outlived its usefulness. It consisted of a large share,
cutting a furrow of two feet in width, with iron bars for a mold-board. The
beam of the machine was fifteen feet in length. No handles were needed,
though sometimes they were attached, but were used only for the purpose of
starting or throwing it out of the ground. To this immense niacliine were
hitched five to eight yokes of oxen.
The breaking was usually done late iti the Spring, and with the turning
over of the sod was deposited seed, which produced an inferior crop of corn the
first year, which grew and ripened without further attention. From this crop
has come the brand of a favorite drink in the Western country.
Hay was cut with scythes, and gathered with hand rakes. Wheat was cut
with cradles, and threshed by causing horses to tread upon it.
These ancient landmarks have all passed away, and but few who wielded
them still remain to tell us the story of these and the many other peculiar
institutions of the olden time. Here and there is seen a whitening head. Here
and there we behold a tottering frame. Ere long, they too will have passed from
earth, and their places will be filled by the more modern style of humanity.
This township was perhaps the most generally settled by the date last
mentioned, 1843, of any in the county. In the ten years, it had numbered
within its limits not less than 200 persons, embraced in a fifth as many families,
nearly all of whom had become permanent settlers. Unlike many other neigh-
borhoods, whoever came usually stayed. The society was better than that found
•in most frontier places, and the interest manifested in educational enterprises,
as we have seen, was praiseworthy.
The preaching of the Gospel led to one of the earliest church organiza-
tions in the county. As early as 1840, H. G. Gorbet, a Methodist preacher,
known in the time of which we write as the " Prairie Breaker," organized a
society of this denomination (not Prairie Breakers, but Methodists) at the
Scattering Point Institute. He seems, however, not to have cultivated the soil
to any degree of success, as the organization went down in a few years. Perhaps
his first crop, like the first crop of sod-corn, was not of sufficient yield to war-
rant in harvesting, or to encourage subsequent planting. So, in 1848, the
United Brethren occupied the land. They organized a society under the
leadership of Isaac Messer, of McLean County, which flourished for six years,
when it, too, for want of cultivation or other cause, disbanded. In 1849^
another branch of the Methodist Church — the Protestaut — was organized by
Jacob Fowler, under whose pastorate, and that of his successors, it has flour-
412 HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY.
ished ever since. In 1876, the society having grown to number seventy-five or
eighty members, built for themselves a handsome little house of worship,
^t a cost of $1,400. The building is 28x38 feet and will seat, comfortably, 200
persons. Rev. Mr. Darby is present Pastor, and D. H. Snyder is local preacher.
In 1860, the M. E. Society, in the vicinity of Mud Creek, having, some years
previously, organized a church of this denomination, built the house of worship,
now at Cornell. When that village had been fully established, the building was
removed to the place named and newly fitted up. The building is a comfortable
frame edifice, about 30x40 feet in size, and will accommodate 250 persons.
The membership is about 120. T\xq present Pastor is the Rev. Mr. Smith.
In connection with the church is a flourishing Sunday school, under the super-
intendence of A. Newberry.
The township of Amity was one of the first twenty organized in the
•county in 1858. Electors to the number of fifty-six assembled on the 6th day
of April, 1858, and proceeded to organize by the election of Liberty Louder-
back as Moderator, and Walter Cornell, Clerk pro tern. Reason Mc Douglass
was elected Supervisor; Charles Hallam, Clerk; James Bradley and Liberty
Louderback, Justices of the Peace ; Walter Cornell, Assessor ; Moses Allen,
James Gourley and E. W. Breckinridge, Commissioners of Highways. On the
■question of keeping up stock, the vote stood singularly unanimous for allowing
stock to run at large. Doubtless this can be explained by the fact that Amity
Township, being one of the most heavily timbered in the county, and the farms
being already fenced, the owners preferred the free use of the vacant prairie
lands for pasture, rather than the trouble of herding their stock.
At the successive elections, the following are the names of the Supervisors
.and Clerks chosen :
Supervisor. Clerk.
1858 Reason M. Douglass C. H. Hallam.
1859 Moses Allen "
1860 " " "
1H61 " " "
1862 '• " '•
1863 •• •' ■'
1864 Walter Cornell "
1865 Liberty Louderback " "
1866 " " J. C. Antrim.
1867 Benjamin Bedea Amos Edwards.
1868 W. D.Blake "
1869 U. H. Snyder James Bradley.
1870 J. P. Houston W. A. Tyree.
1871 " " Uriah Springer.
1872 Liberty Louderback James Bradley.
1873 Eben Norton "
1874 " '■ •'
1875 " " "
1876 - " J. J. Reed er.
1877 " " William Miner.
1878 •' " .; J. J. Reeder.
HISTORY OF LIVINOSTON (JOflNTY. 418
The balance of the complete list of township officers elected is as follows :
David Heckmanii, Assessor ; George Louderback, Collector ; E. Norton,
School Treasurer ; Simon Jemmison, Alfred Gourley and John Calder, High-
way Commissioners; Liberty Louderback and A. L. Trim, Justices of Peace;
George Louderback and John P. Quernsey, Constables.
We have seen, in 1849. two school houses had been built. In 1855, James
Bradley reports an increase of one school house and numerous other interesting
items, showing an increasing interest in the subject of education, which, to
enable the reader to compare, are placed with like items in a convenient table :
Date.
No.
Schools.
Scholars in
teudance
at-
Whole amount
paid.
1855
3
•")
7
75
240
340
362
$ 185 03
1.035 00
2.264 00
3,413 00
1866
1873
1877
VILLAGE OF CORNELL.
The year of 1871 was an eventful one for this part of the county, as it saw
the completion of a railroad through this section, and a trading point located
in the midst of the township, which, within a very few years, has grown in size
and influence beyond the expectations of its most enthusiastic friends. Of all
the nine stations located on the road in this county, this one outnumbers in
population any other more than three to one. In less than three 3-ears from
the time of its survey, it had increased in population to the number required
by law to organize a village government.
Some little strife was evident between parties owning land in the vicinity of
the switch, as to the exact location of the business part of the town, and also
as to name.
Walter B. Cornell laid out a plat on June 15th, 1871, from the southwest
quarter of Section 11, and named it Cornell. Two days after, Willard D.
Blake laid out, from Section 14, the town named by him Amity. And while
the former name has been retained, the most of the business houses are in the
portion formerly called Amity Cornell, with other parties, built several houses
on the plat laid out by him, but they have since been removed.
In 1873, the village was organized by the election of H. M. Cornell, Jason
Curtis, John Withrow, George Bradley, James 0. Pond and Joseph Rucker, as
Trustees. At their first meeting, July 18th, Cornell was elected President ;
James W. Willis was appointed Clerk ; Jason Curtis, Treasurer ; and Samuel
Blake, Street Commissioner.
The ordinances of the town of Dwight were taken as a model, but niodifieil
to suit the necessities and opinions of the Board.
A peculiar feature in the history of the town has been the continued grant-
ing of license to sell spirituous liquoi's. However, the present year, the senti-
414 HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY.
merit of the people appearing positively against it, the Board have refused
authority to vend liquors of an intoxicating nature.
The Board have usually pursued a wise policy in making street and other
improvements, so that the appearance of the village is such as one would expect
to find in a town twice as old.
The officers of the village .at present are: I. B. Santee, E. C. Newberry, J.
B. Day, Philip Armon, E. Norton, James Bradley, Trustees ; William Miner.
Clerk; C. A. Herbert, Police Magistrate: J. Willis, Attorney.
The village, though not continuing its rapid growth of the first few years,
has still continued to improve in size and appearance. Its present population
is about 500. Several of the business buildings are of brick, and of a charac-
ter seldom found in towns of the age of Cornell.
A Lodge of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows was instituted at Cor-
nell, June 23, 1876, with J. W. A. Lilly as N. G.; B. W. Conner, V. G.; J.
G. Curtis, Sec. ; Ordam Deeds, Treas.
The Lodge numbers at present twenty-two members. Meetings are held
Saturday evenings of each week. P. K. Hilton is the present N. G.; I. A.
Wilson, V. G.; Joseph F. Corbin, Sec, and Ordam Deeds, Treas.
Cornell Lodge, A.. F. cS: A. M., was instituted December, 1877, the charter
being granted to John Guernsey, J. J. Reeder, H. M. Cornell, A. K. Brower,
E. Norton, H. H. Brower, Philip Armon, I, P. Santee, John Greene and H.
Bolt — the first five of whom were Master. Wardens, Secretary and Treasurer,
respectively.
The present officers are: L B. Santee, W. M.; John Jemmison, S. W.:
Philip Armon, J. W.: T. Jones, S. D.: H. Bolt, J. D.: E. Norton, Treas.; J.
J. Reeder, Sec: T. Coe, Tiler.
Amity Township took a prominent [)art in the late war. Some of the
bravest ajid best men that went from Livingston County were from this locality.
Some who enlisted from this part of the county were in the Fifty-third Infan-
try, and some in other regiments, but most were in the One Hundred and
Twenty-ninth Infantry.
The names of all deserve honorable mention, but space permits the record,
in this place, of but a few, and that number will be confined to those who not
only braved the dangers of the battle field, but who, in addition, gave up their
lives in defense of the principles which they went out to defend. Of these
were Joseph Springer, Uriah Springer, Judson Hoag, Samuel W. Houston,
Thompson Laycock, John B. Lucas and Thomas Sutcliff". There were others,
accredited to other towns, which will be found in the general Avar record.
Amity Township is (me of the best-watered and best-timbered in Livingston
County. To the early settlers, there were three special attractions in a new
country — wood, water and stone ; and these three being found in the vicinity
had much to do in drawing to this locality the people who first inhabited it.
The Vermilion River passes almost directly through the center of the township,
HISTORV OF LIVINGSTON COUNTV. 41o
from southeast to northwest. Rook's Creek comes in from the south, and forms
a junction with the Vermilion, near the center. Scattering Point also flows
from the south, and empties into the Vermilion, near the northwest corner.
Wolf Creek flows from the northwest corner of Pontiac Township, and empties
into the Vermilion near that point. Mud Creek flows through the northeastern
part, emptying into the Vermilion in Newtown Township. Besides all of these,
there are several small tributaries, which furnish' water to almost every section
of land in the township.
Each of these creeks is fringed with a belt of timber, varying in width from
a (juarter to a mile and a half, so that, originally, fully one-half of the township
was timber land.
Underlying the whole township is, doubtless, a bed of coal. A shaft was
sunk at Cornell, several years ago, and a good quality of this article found.
The Chicago & Paducah Railroad crosses the township, from northwest to
southeast, cutting off" about six sections from the northeast corner.
The meaning of the name of the township is friendship or good will ; and
if bestowed on it as denoting the peculiar trait of its inhabitantsrcould not have
been better selected. These ancient Buckeyes have always been noted for their
hospitality.
PLEASANT RIDGE TOWNSHIP.
Pleasant Ridge, at an early period in the history of Livingston County, was
one-quarter of the election precinct known as Saunemin, and. as noticed in another
chapter, for a year or two after township organization, was a portion of Sau-
nemin Township. It was soon divided, however, leaving Pleasant Ridge and
Charlotte one town, and they so remained until 1864, when, upon petition to
the Board of Supervisors, Pleasant Ridge was set off" from Charlotte, but through
some method of sharp practice, managed to retain the original name— Pleasant
Ridge— together with the township property, etc., as detailed in the l^istory of
Charlotte Township. As a political town. Pleasant Ridge is fractional. That
portion lying north of the river votes and transacts all of its business in Sau-
nemin Township, owing to the difficulty of crossing and re-crossing the some-
times turbulent little stream; while as a regular Congressional and School
Township, it comprises the usual thirty-six sections, and is known as Township 27
north. Range 7 east. Its soil is irrigated and drained by the North Branch of
the Vermilion River, which flows through the township in a westerlv direction,
and which is bordered by the only native timber the town aff'ords. "^The name
Pleasant Ridge is derived from the beautiful undulating surface of the land,
which has much the appearance of the gentle swell of the ocean.
The first permanent settler in what is now Pleasant Ridge Township was
Nathan Townsend. He came from Cape May County, New Jersey, and settled
on the southwest section (31) of the town, in June, 1843. His settlement and
clann was in the timber skirting the Vermilion River, and was the oidv one
416 HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY.
in the territory embraced in Pleasant Ridge for a number of years. He bought
his claim, which had been made originally by a man named Brooks, noticed
as one of the early settlers of Avoca Township. This man Brooks, though
he had built a cabin and made a claim here, and had even lived on the claim
for a short time, is really not considered an actual settler, and had sold the
claim to a man named Wilson, who had never lived on it, but had sold it to
one Leighton, and Leighton sold it to Townsend. It seems to have been
a practice of Brooks to make a claim, erect a cabin on it, and then sell it
to some other party, as we hear of him among the old settlers in several differ-
ent neighborhoods. After disposing of this claim, he made one in the next
grove east, being just on the edge of Forrest Township, and which he made
without any regard to the points of the compass, but was located on four differ-
ent " forties." He finally removed to Iowa. This settlement of Townsend,
however, is usually mentioned a§ the first in Pleasant Ridge, and, as stated above,
was made a number of years before another family sought the neighborhood.
For the first years of their life in the wilderness, and until they got a start, their
lot was rather a hard one. When Townsend first settled here, there were few
families within a radius of a dozen miles, and we have the word of Daniel
Townsend, a son of Nathan Townsend's, that he knew every man living between
Ash Grove and Rook's Creek, a distance of sixty miles. They sometimes had
hard scratching to live, and went to Chicago for salt, and to Wilmington to
mill, and to Green's Mill near Ottawa. Daniel Townsend related to us how
an uncle of his had been to mill once, in Winter, when the weather was intensely
cold. Becoming so cold that he could not remain in the wagon, he got out to
walk, when it is supposed that walking by the side of his wagon, he drew one
line a little tighter than the other, thus pulling his horses round in a circle.
He finally realized the fact that he was lost on the prairie, and it covered with
snow, with a cold wind blowing from the North. Seeing that he must inevita-
bly freeze to death if he wandered on in this way, he turned his horses loose
from the wagon, thinking that they would strike out on a due course for home,
and he would follow their trail, being too cold to attempt to ride ; but they
dashed off from the wind, contrary to his expectations. All night long he wan-
dered over the prairie and through the snow, the utmost exertions required to
keep from freezing to death. At daylight the next morning, he found his way
to Mr. Townsend's, so nearly frozen that he fell in the yard, and but for
timely aid must have died in a very short while. He was taken in and cared
for, and Mr. Townsend's boys went out to look for the horses, Avhich, how-
ever, were never found alive. They had wandered a long distance from home,
and seemed to have taken refuge from the wind in a deep ravine, where they
either starved or froze to death, and were found finally by tracking wolves to
their skeletons.
When Townsend used to go to Wilmington to mill, there was but one cabin
between their settlement and the Kankakee River, and it had been deserted for
HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY. 417
a time. Of the Townsend family, there are still living in this immediate neigh-
borhood three of the sons — Daniel, George and Aquilla ; and two sisters— Mrs.
A. Towns and Mrs. Breckenridge. Another brother lives in Wisconsin, and a
sister in Texas ; while the father, Nathan Townsend, has recently removed to
Nebraska.
Isaac Wilson came from Indiana, in 1837, and settled in Avoca, where he
is noticed in the early settlement of that township. He remained there until
he came to Pleasant Ridge and settled in ISo-S, among the eai-liest, after Town-
send, and where he is still living. He was the first Supervisor, and held the
office when Pleasant Ridge was included in Saunemin Township, together with
Sullivan and Charlotte. He was also one of the first, if not the verv first. Justices
of the Peace in this township, after becoming a town to itself. He stated that he
used to haul grain to Chicago, when this great city was a small village almost
buried in the mud and mire. Hiram Popejoy and Henry Demoss, both from
Avoca Township and belonging to fixmilies that rank among the earliest settlers
there, came to this neighborhood in or about 1850, and made settlements.
Popejoy finally removed to Fairbury, where he now lives. Demoss, after some-
years, returned to Avoca and still resides there. James Maddin is also an
early settler in Pleasant Ridge, though north of the river, and in that portion
of the town which votes in Saunemin. He came from Wheeling, Va., in 1834,
and settled in Marshall County, near Lacon, then called Columbia. Peoria was
called Ft. Clarke, and five miles up the river from the latter place was
another small settlement called Little Detroit. In 1872, he came to Pleasant
Ridge, and entered land upon which he still lives. He has held several local
offices in the town, such as Assessor and Collector. When Mr. Maddin first
settled here, his nearest neighbor, east, was forty miles distant. M. T. Veiley
came from New York and settled liere in 1855. He first settled in Wau-
kegan, Lake County, from whence he came to this township as above stated.
This comprises a list of some of the earliest settlers in the town, until they began,
to move in too fast to keep track of them.
The first birth in Pleasant Ridge Township is supposed to have occurred
in the family of Charles Brooks, during the short time he lived on the claim
that Townsend afterward bought, and was probably about 1840-41. The first
death in the township Avas Levi Ide, a young man who came from Ohio and was
living with Townsend. He took sick and died suddenly in 1848, and was
buried in the Popejoy graveyard, in Avoca Township. His family afterward
came on from Ohio, had his remains taken up and returned and interred
them in the family burying-ground in his native State. The first marriage was
a daughter of Charles Brooks and St. Clair Jones, son of Charles Jones, who
then lived in Forest Township, and occurred in 1841. His people opposed the
match rather strongly, but that ardent
" Young love that laughs at bolts and bars "
seemed to care little for parental frowns, and they were married in spite of all
opposition.
418 HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COl XTV.
Pleasant Ridge has neither a store, post office or mill within its borders.
It has but one church edifice, and that belongs to the Ormish society, and is
located in the southern part of the town. These people are of a rather peculiar
religious belief, as noticed elsewhere in this history, and take little or no inter-
est in worldly matters beyond their necessary pursuits, and hence we are unable
to obtain much information in regard to their church, aside from the fact that
it exists and is regularly occupied by the members of this faith in its vicinity.
There is a burying-ground adjacent, the only public cemetery in the township.
Notwithstanding there are no other church buildings, there are church organ-
izations, which are held in the school houses. There is a regular society of the
Christian denomination in School House No. 2, and services are held every
Sabbath by them or by the Methodists. A large Sunday school attends this
school house regularly. Services are also held in many of the other schoo
houses in the town.
The first Justice of the Peace in Pleasant Ridge, as already stated, was Isaac
Wilson, who was likewise one of the first lists of Justices elected after the
formation of the county. The first practicing physicians in the town were
Drs. Gentry and Hulsey, of Pontiac, who used to extend their professional
visits to this neighborhood. The first bridge was a wooden structure spanning
the North Branch of the Vermilion River, which was a kind of temporary aifair,
and was finally washed away. The spot where it was built is now adorned by
an elegant iron bridge, put up in the Fall of 1874, and at a cost of nibout thi-ee
thousand dollars.
The first schools in Pleasant Ridge were taught by Clement Hinmau, in
School House No. 2, and Perry Abby, in the Beal School House, in 1858.
These houses were both built that year, and the schools above noticed taught
immediately after they were completed. By examination of the school records
in possession of M. W. Moulton, Township Treasurer, we find that the first
meeting of Trustees of which there is any record was held on the 2d of March,
1861, and that there Avere present William R. Beatch and William R. Tucker;
Henry Hefner, Clerk. Henry C. Hefner presented his bond as Treasurer, in
the amount of $13,000, with Joel Tucker, James McDonald and Amos Bright
as security, which was approved and ordered to be filed. At a meeting held
March 18th of the same year, James Sackett was elected an additional Trustee,
and Beatch President of the Board. At the April meeting. Town 27, Range
7 east, was divided into school districts, as follows, viz. : District No. 1, to be
composed of Sections 36 to 25, and one-fourth from Sections 24, 23, 22, 21,
20, taken from the south side of said sections, and south half of southeast
quarter of Section 19. District No. 2, of Sections 5, 6, 7, 8, 17, 18
and 19, with some fractional parts of other sections. District No. 3
included ther emainder of the township. Several schedules of teachers
were presented and disposed of in the usual way. From Treasurer Moulton's
/V:^i^ ^^^^^^-T-^^
PONTIAC
iVLIftt*
HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY. 421
last report to County Superintendent of Schools we take the following
statistics :
Number of males in township under 21 years 29o
Number of females in township under 21 years 225
Total 520
Number of males between 6 and 21 years 281
Number of females between 6 and 21 years 147
Total 878
Number of males attending school 174
Number of females attending school 108
Total 282
Highest monthly wages paid any teacher $48 25
Highest monthly wages paid female teacher 35 00
Lowest monthly wages paid male teacher 30 00
Lowest monthly wages paid female teacher 22 00
Average amount paid male teachers 39 87
Average amount paid female teachers 30 13
Whole amount paid teachers |1,848 61
Estimated value of school property $5,400 00
Estimated value of school apparatus 90 50
Estimated value of school libraries 12 00
Principal of township fund 7,002 47
District tax levy for support of schools 1,640 00
There are seven school districts in the township, in all of which there are
good, comfortable frame buildings, and flourishing schools maintained for the
usual term during each year. Mr. Moulton, the School Treasurer, one of the
wealthy farmers of the. town, came from New Hampshire and settled on his
present place in 1866.
As stated in another portion of this history, Isaac Wilson was the first
Supervisor of this township, and held the office in 1859. In 1861, George E.
Esty was elected Supervisor, and was succeeded by C. G. Friend, in 1863, and
he the next year by H. J. Roberts. L. Wallace was elected in 1865, and J.
K. Clarke in 1866, who continued in office until 1870, when William Blain
came in as Supervisor of the town, and was in turn succeeded by M. T. Yeiley
in 1873. In 1875, J. 11. Carter was elected to the office, and succeeded by J.
K. Clarke in 1876, and he in 1878 by M. W. Moulton, who is the present
Supervisor. Other township officers are as follows : J, M. Hanna, Town Clerk ;
B. M. Bullard, Assessor ; William Bell, Collector ; J. H. Carter and Louis
Holloway, Justices of the Peace.
■ As stated in the early part of this chapter, the only native timber in Pleas-
ant Ridge Township is along the Vermilion River. But many of the citizens
have planted and cultivated timber, until there is not a section of the prairie
land, nor perhaps a quarter section, but has beautiful groves of timber
on it, planted since the land was settled. Pleasant Ridge has much very
M
4i22 HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY.
fine farming land, while there is some in the timber along the river that is
rather thin soil. It is situated in the second tier of townships, with Saunemin
on the north, Charlotte on the east, Forrest on the south, and Avoca on the
west, and is probably about four-fifths prairie land.
Politically, Pleasant Ridge is strongly Republican, and has been almost
from the first organization of the Republican party. Of late years, the Granger
element has had some eff"ect on its political status ; yet, in all cases involvinij
strict political principles, the Republicans carry the day.
The war record was equally good, and compares favorably with any town-
ship of a like population in the county. The names of its soldiers will be found
in our war record, in another department of this history.
OWEGO TOWNSHIP.
Owego, or Congressional Town 28 north. Range 6 east of the Third Princi-
pal Meridian, is the geographical center of Livingston County. The center of
the township is in a direct line, twenty-five miles from the northwest corner of
the county; twenty-two from the southwest ; twenty-three from the northeast, and
twenty-five from the southeast. It is a full town and contains thirty-six full sections
of land. The township in the northern part is quite level, indeed, almost flat,
but in the southern part is slightly undulating. With the exception of a little
fringe of the Vermilion River, which flows through the southwest corner of Sec-
tion 31, it i^ entirely devoid of natural timber. The only floAving stream of
water is the river just named. The Felky Slough, which extends through the
eastern part of the town and opens into the Vermilion River, also furnishes
stock water to the adjacent farms, except in the dryest seasons. In some parts
of the township, water from wells is obtained with difficulty, but when found is
of an excellent quality. The land is ol a very rich and productive character,
and well adapted to the cultivation of corn, rye, oats and vegetables.
Prior to 1858, Livingston Count}' was divided into voting precincts, which
were, from time to time, changed in location and number to suit the convenience
of the inhabitants. They were all established along the Vermilion River, as
this region was the first to settle. With the exception of this belt, varying in
width from one to five miles, extending from the southeast to the northwest part
of the county, it was but sparsely settled — indeed, we may say it was not occu-
pied at all. The earliest immigrants, being from thickly timbered localities,
doubtless considered the prairie lands of but little value, except as herding
places for their cattle, and so selected the timber and its immediate vicinity for
their homes. The territory now embraced in Owego, being for the most part
destitute of timber, was not considered of sufficient importance for, nor was the
number of inhabitants adequate to, a separate precinct, but was included in
what was known as the Center Pi-ecinct, which, at the first organization
of the county, included an extent of about fifteen miles up and down the
Vermilion River, with Pontiac near the middle. Latterly, or near the time
HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTS. 423
of the adoption of the township organization act, the boundaries of the Center
Precinct were more limited, but still embraced the territory now denominated
Owego.
Even in 1857, when the county was divided into political townships, this
contained barely enough qualified persons to hold all the offices, and these were
established in the southwest corner. Perhaps there were not more than a score
of voters in all.
The first permanent settlement was doubtless made by Daniel RockAvood.
Mr. Rockwood was not only the first resident of the township, but was among
the very first in the county. He settled on the place occupied by him until
recently, about the year 1833. He was a man of much influence and popular-
ity in the early days of the county. He was one of the first three County Com-
missioners, elected May 8, 1837, and was the only one who received a unani-
mous vote at the election, and one of the very few candidates that ever has
received such a compliment. It was through his influence and that of James
Weed, that the county seat came so near being removed from Pontiac in 1839.
Henry Weed's two partners had died, and the surviving partner becoming some-
what careless as to the fate of the county seat enterprise, his brother James, who
lived near Rockwood's, conceived the idea of removing it to that vicinity, and, as
stated in the history of Pontiac Township, almost succeeded in the scheme.
After the adoption of the act electing Supervisors from each township, instead
of County Commissioners for the whole county, Rockwood was the first Super-
visor, and was twice re-elected to the office. He became a man of considerable
wealth, and continued to reside at the old homestead until a few years ago, when
he died. The place of his nativity was Tioga County, New York.
Probably the next settlement made in what is now Owego Township, and
certainly the next permanent one, was made by James L. Stinson, nearly six
years after. Stinson entered his land November 12, 1839, and resided here
until his death in 1847. This, as far as can be ascertained, was the first death
in the township. The widow of Stinson, a year or so after, married John Fos-
ter, and thus came to pass, also, the first wedding. With James Stinson, also,
came two brothers — Alexander and Thomas. The former remained here a few
years, and then removed to Lexington, McLean County. Thomas found the
country too tame, even in those primitive times, and, after stopping a year or
two, pushed on further west into Kansas.
This marks the advent of John Foster into this neighborhood. " L^ncle
Johnny '" had been in the county ten or a dozen years — latterly in Avoca Town-
ship — but, after his marriage with Mrs. Stinson, moved his effects to the Stin-
son place and became a permanent inhabitant of the township.
A few years after Stinson's arrival, James Demoss came from Ohio and
located in the southeast pjirt.
In 1852, a number of families came out from Ohio, several of whom took
up their residence in this township.
424 HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY.
David Millliam had, all his life, been a sailor, and can scarcely be said to
have come from any country. He had, however, lived for a time in Licking
County, Ohio, locating in this town in 1851. He died on the place to which
he first came, a few vears since.
In 1851, William Rollings arrived from Ohio and settled on what has since
been known as the Benham farm. He was a peaceable and quiet citizen, but
came to a tragical end, being murdered in cold blood April 1, 1872. The facts
in the case seem to be about these : A man named John Soter claimed the land
occupied by Rollings, and, although he was but a renter, he had made frequent
threats on Rollings' life. On the evening of the 1st of April, in the year men-
tioned, Soter, who lived on a neighboring farm, invited a party of young folks
to his house to spend the evening. Among the rest was Rollings' son, who was
engaged to play the violin. Late in the evening, Rollings himself came to the
house and relieved his son for a while in the furnishing of the music. Though
Rollings had heard rumors of Soter's antipathy toward him, but, conscious of
his having had nothing to do with dispossessing Soter, and having been on
friendly terms with him, did not apprehend any danger, or even that he was
unwelcome at his neighbor's house. However, while engaged as stated, the
party were alarmed by the report of a gun, fired near the window, and William
Rollings, at the same moment, fell to the floor in a dying condition. He had
received a charge of shot in his breast, from the effects of which he died a few
hours later. Soter was arrested and sent to jail until the next term of the
Circuit Court, which convened in May. He was tried and convicted of murder
in the 5rst degree and sentenced to be hanged ; but the sentence was subse-
quently commuted to imprisonment in the penitentiary for life. Soter, at the
time of the act, was already 60 years of age, and his penalty proved to be but
a short term, as he died two or three years after his incarceration.
By the Spring of 1851, several other families had settled in the town, among
whom were William Wilson, who still resides here; Rudolph Patty and Elijah
Justis, brothers-in-law, the former of whom is dead, and the' latter now lives in
Texas; L. Mixer and Samuel Wentz.
John Whitman, Jacob Dragoo and Lewis Bright came from Ohio, about 1852.
Richard Evans settled in the town in the Spring of 1855. Mr. Evans was
the first Assessor of the town and has since held various offices of trust, and
has been closely identified Avith every movement in which the town has been
interested. A few years since, he changed his residence to Pontiac, where he
now lives.
The railroad employ brought many good citizens to this county, among
whom was James Burns, who had been employed in its construction. After the
completion of the road. Burns settled in this township, and was the first settler on
the north third of the township, and continued to be the only one for some time.
The next year after the Chicago & Alton Railroad was completed, quite a
number of settlements were made. Thomas Holman came in that year. He
HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY. 425
had left Pennsylvania several years before, and had been to Oregon and Califor-
nia, in search of gold, and having been quite successful in the hunt, brought it to
this township and invested it in land. When the school section was sold, he bought
it all. Mr. Holman removed to Pontiac several years ago, and still resides there.
Robert Smith, James Alexander, William and Samuel Aljo, George Barr,
William Harris and Ansel Hayes were here at the date last named, and still
reside in the town.
After this, the additions to the settlement were so frequent that space for-
bids further mention of names ; suffice it to say, that within three years the pop-
ulation of the township was over 100.
In 1858, the township was organized. On the assembling of the voters, at
the place designated in the call, at this, their first election, N. S. Grandy was
elected Moderator. A motion was then made that voting for town officers then
proceed ; but the 'Squire, being better posted in the law of elections, refused to
entertain the motion, giving as the reason that he had not yet been sworn ; and
there being no one present qualified to administer an oath, Grandy mounted his
horse, rode to Pontiac, was sworn by the County Clerk, and received from him a
ballot box and poll list, returned to the voting place and proceeded with the election.
The officers chosen at this first election were as follows : Daniel Rockwood,
Supervisor; John Scott, Clerk; Robert Smith, Collector; Richard Evans,
Assessor; N. S. Grandy and John Foster, Justices of the Peace; Hamilton
Demoss and George Van Saun, Constables ; John Benham, Thomas Holman and
William Wilson, Commissioners of Highways.
The township record does not contain a register of elections for the next
four years ; but, as nearly as can now be ascertained, the principal officers have
been as follows, to the present time :
Date. Supervisor. Clerk. '
1858 Daniel Rockwood John Scott.
185!t Daniel Rockwood .John Scott.
1860 Daniel Rockwood .John Scott.
1861 N. S. Grandy John Scott.
1862 N. S. Grandy John Scott.
1868 John Benham John Scott
1864 R. Smith (jeo. V-an Saun.
1865 R. Smith Geo. Van Saun
1866 R. Smith Geo. Ferris.
1867 Orlin Converse Geo. Ferris.
1868 Orlin Converse Geo. Ferris
1869 James Brown Wm. McKeighan.
1870 William Colon Geo. Ferris.
1871 William Colon Geo. Ferris.
1872 Geo. Ferris Silas Hays.
1873 Geo. Ferris Charles Swygert.
1874 S. F. Slyder Charles Swygert.
1875 S. F. Slyder Charles Swygert.
1876 Charles Swygert J. G. Lewis.
1877 Charles Swygert J. G. Lewis.
1878 Charles Swygert J. G. Lewis.
426 HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY.
The balance of the oflBcers for the present year are as follows : John
Augustine, Assessor; A. Dann. Collector: B. J. Benedict, F. Fienhold and
Silas Hayes, Road Commissioners; S. F. Slyder and G. B. Van Saun, Justices
of the Peace, and James Cain and W. D. Irwin, Constables.
Owego Township was one of the first to give attention to means of instruct-
ing the youth. As early as 18-10, a small school house or cabin was erected
near the Rockwood place, and a school kept. The attendance was limited to
only a dozen pupils. This school house was built and the school maintained
by private subscription. No public schools are reported in the township until
1855. In September of this year, the school lands were sold, and at once
steps were taken to make the income arising from it available, to do which, it
was necessary to establish schools and report the same. Accordingly, Ave find
that in the Fall of this year, L. Mixer, who was the first Treasurer of the
school fund for this tT)wnship, makes report to the School Commissioner that :
" We' have supported one school in the township during the past year, which
was taught by a female teacher, at ^9 per month. She has taught the school
to good acceptance, both to Directors and parents. The whole number of
scholars in attendance at the school has been fourteen, ten of which Avere males
and four females. There are in the township, forty-seven persons under 21
years of age. We have just sold our school land for ^3,994.91." No public
school houses bad yet been erected, nor were any built until 1857. Then three
new houses were put up, the same year. Two of these were union school
houses, on the line between this and Avoca Township, and the other near the
Foster farm, and known to this time as the Foster School House.
There had been a very perceptible advance in school matters by this year.
R. W. Babcock, who then resided in the town, and had been appointed custo-
dian of the public funds and gatherer of school statistics, makes a very full and
complete report for the year, from which a few items of interest are drawn,
showing the progress for the past three years.
*Number of schools taught in the township ^
Number of scholars in attendance 81
Highest monthly wages paid to any teacher S oo 00
Whole amount paid to teachers 233 81
Average number of months taught 8^
Eight years from this time, the number of schools had increased to six ; the
number of pupils had doubled; but the average number of months had
decreased a trifle, being only seven and a half for the year 1866. The whole
amount paid as teachers" wages during the year was $658. After a lapse of
eleven more years, a very satisfactory increase in all these items is noticeable.
One item, however, which figures cannot indicate, deserves more particular
mention. The advancement made in methods of instruction, in the govern-
ment of the schools, and in the classification of the pupils, has been greater
than that indicated by any statistics.
*This means two terms in each district.
HISTORY OF LIVIXGSTON COUNTY. 427
The followintj table shows at a glance other items of interest concerning the
system at this time :
Number of schools 8
Scholars enrolleiJ 24'.<
Persons under 21 527
Whole number of teachers 12
Amount paid teachers for 1877 S2,115 00
Total expenditure for school purposes 3.677 00
Special tax raised 2,221 00
Principal of township fund 7,27o 0<J
Were we to judge the piety of the people of Owego by the number of
church spires, we should form a very unjust opinion of them in this regard, as
but one church building is to be found, and that belonging to a German society,
the English speaking people having no house of worship in the township.
Though the inhabitants of the town lay no claim to excellence in this regard,
it is nevertheless true that they not only avail themselves of church privileges,
but contribute liberally to the support of the Gospel in other localities. Many
of them attend service in the neighboring towns, where societies have been
organized at convenient distances from the line of Owego. Unlike the public
schools, which must be located at certain points within the limits, the church
buildings have been erected outside, while some of their strongest pillars live
inside the confines of the township.
The German Evangelical Society, in 1872, erected, at a cost of S2,000, a
neat and substantial building, capable of seating about 2<I0 persons. The house
stands on a very fine elevation, embracing one a 
