REMINISCENCES
o/ a FORTY-NINER
BY W. G. GOGHRAN
WILLIAM GRANVILLE COCHRAN
REMINISCENCES
of a FORTY-NINER
Being a Brief History of Lovington
and Vicinity When It Was Yet
In Its Swaddling Clothes
BY
WILLIAM GRANVILLE COCHRAN
REPORTER PRINTING COMPANY
LOVINGTON : : : : :: ILLINOIS
NINETEEN : HUNDRED : AND : EIGHT
FOREWORD
in 1906 the following reminiscences of early days in
Ivovington and vicinity were published in THE LOVING-
TON REPORTER. Numerous requests having been made by my
friends for copies of the articles, I have decided to fill the
"long felt want" by issuing this little booklet. The appendix
hereto is an appreciation from the pen of Editor Stanley of the
Reporter and was published in his paper following the series
of Reminiscences.
Trusting that this story of ' 'ye olden days' ' will strike a
responsive chord in many hearts; that it will revive tender
memories of the long ago, and that somehow it may give you
pleasure in its perusal, I wish you a Merry Christmas and a
Happy New Year. Faithfully yours,
W. G. COCHRAN.
December 25th, 1908.
f
Reminiscences of a Forty-Niner
HAVK had a notion for some time to write about
the early settlers, settlement and other matters of
interest in I/ovington township and village, and
trust that the following necessarily brief resume
of the early days in this vicinity will be worthy of
perusal and preservation. Such history is not
usually interesting to the young, but those who have helped
build up a community are always interested in reminiscences
of the same.
It has been about seventy-five years since the first set-
tlers located in what is now Lovington township. A Mr.
" Daniel Pea. from Kentucky, settled on what is known as
the Wilkinson farm, now owned by Stanton Adkins. He
. settled there about 1830 or '31, and was soon followed by
the Southers, who settled on the home place of Mr. Adkins.
The next year the Snyders, Kellars and some of the Hud-
son and Wood families dropped in from Kentucky.
The first homes were necessarily log cabins and very
small. The crops were not very good and from the reports
that went back from these first settlers, persons intending
to emigrate postponed their coming for a year or two.
The next emigrants came from North Carolina. They
REMINISCENCES *f * FORTY-NINER
were few and most of them went back or moved on west.
Some of them remained a few years and joined the Mor-
mons and moved over to Nauvoo, Illinois, which was
Mormon headquarters at that time.
I am told that the first settlers had a hard time. Some
of them were poor and were wholly dependent upon what
they could raise and kill for their living. The Southers,
Kellars and Snyders had money, or could get it from their
friends in Kentucky.
Andrew Jackson was president and his well-known op-
position to the banking system then in vogue caused a
money panic and for a few years money was not very
plentiful, especially in the new states.
About 1835 emigration set in again from Kentucky and
quite a good many pushed out into Lovington township,
which was then a part of Macon county. Moultrie coun-
ty was not organized until February 16. 1842, most of the
territory being taken from Shelby county. The first set-
tlers located along the edge of the timber, it was said, be-
cause they feared the storms and wanted to be near fuel;
but there were, perhaps, some other good reasons. The
streams are all near the timber and they wanted to be near
running water and away from the ponds of the prairies.
From 1835 to 1845 the country settled up pretty fast and
there are some living who came during that period, but of
the first few families not many remain. Some of Mr. Pea's
family live in the township yet. All of the improvements
are gone. Time and the elements have destroyed them
and there is not one original landmark left. For a long
time a part of the first house built in the township stood
back of the newer house on the Wilkinson farm, but even
the newer, as well as the old one, is gone.
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Peter Hasting, one of the early settlers, used to own the
farm and lived there, but he is dead and his family gone.
"Hickory" Kellar, as he was called, was perhaps one of
the most influential men of all the early settlers. He was
one of the commissioners who organized the county and
the only one from the north part of the county. He owned
a mill, run by horse power, and if the people's digestion
had been as poor then as now, they would have had a
good deal of trouble with the meal made at that horse
mill. Fortunately indigestion was not fashionable then
and people did not take to it very much.
Trouble With Mormons
About this time Mormonism began to be discussed and
some missionaries from Nauvoo came into the community
and courted argument, which finally ended in debate, with
the result that quite a good many of the settlers joined
the Mormon church. Finally they all assembled and in
wagons started west, taking some of the settlers' women
with them. A posse of men with guns followed them and
over west, on the Springfield road, about the John Ullrich
farm, they overtook the Mormon elders and their converts
and compelled the women and children to return to their
homes. They allowed the men to go on and some of them
never came back.
I have, in the last few years, followed the wanderings
of one of them through Iowa, Missouri and on to Idaho
and recovered for his widow her interest in lands that he
owned in these different states and which he and his Mor-
mon wife had conveyed away. They could not defeat the
lawful wife he had married in Kentucky and lived with and
left here in Illinois in 1848.
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Most of this information as to these years I have gath-
ered from old settlers. I did not arrive until 1849.
Incidents of Early Days
We came to Lovington directly from Ross county, Ohio,
arriving about October 7. 1849. We traveled in covered
wagons and first stopped at Uncle Andy Foster's. Soon
thereafter father bought a farm of Clarkson Williamson,
where we soon settled, and lived until father and mother
died. Their oldest son still owns and lives on a part of
the same farm.
The leading men in the precinct, as it was then called,
were the Fosters, Dawsons, Porters, Hewitts, Howells,
Woods. Cochrans. Abram Kellar and the Snyders. About
that time the Loves moved into the township and settled
just west of Lovington on the Springfield road, where the
first postoffice was established. It was soon after moved
to Stephen Cannon's store, which stood on the corner of
the lot where .Byron Cheever now lives. The postorfice
was the center of attraction, and the elections were held
there.
At the election after we came to the township there were
about thirty-five votes polled. The mail was carried or.
horseback by a man called "Sheepskin." He would make
a trip a week from Charleston or Paris to Decatur and
back, provided the rivers were not high. That gave us
two mails a week in good weather. The postmaster kept
most of the letters in his hat, so as to have them handy
when anyone called for their mail. There are families in
the township now who get more mail each week than all
the people got then in the same length of time, but letters
received by the settlers were greatly prized, as they
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brought news from the old homes back in Kentucky and
Ohio and farther east.
The early settlers were men of honor and good charac-
ter. There was little use for law officers, but they elected
justices of the peace and constables, and there were some
lawsuits in those local courts. George Hewitt was the
first justice of the peace in the township. He lived where
S. S. Wood lived at the time of his death. He bought that
farm from a man who went west with the Mormons. Mr.
Wood settled in the township in 1833. At the time of his
death he was the oldest settler in Lovington township.
The first trial I ever witnessed was held in the old school
house. Andrew Cochran and Alex Porter were the justices
of the peace. It was a preliminary hearing of a man who
had killed his neighbor, and it required two justices to
hear the case. Hon. John R. Eden was prosecuting attor-
ney, and Captain Lee represented the defendant. I thought
they were going to kill each other the way they talked,
but I have long since learned that what lawyers say to
each other is what they suppose their clients want them
to say, and does not mean much. I noticed that when
court adjourned and one of the justices asked them both
to go home with him for supper, they readily accepted
and walked off arm in arm. The defendant was held to the
circuit court and was afterwards indicted and tried at
Charleston, Illinois, and found "not guilty." The viola-
tions of the law were not very frequent and when a man
was accused of a crime, it was generally supposed he was
guilty.
Between farming on the high ground and hunting wild
game, which was very plentiful, the people had a good
living. The only diversion besides hunting was church
REMINISCENCES o/ * FORTY-NINER
once a month and a few parties for the young folks.
Sleighing was always good in the winter. Bart Foster
used to come all the way from Ohio each winter just to
get to sleigh ride and see the good looking girls out here.
I have known him to be out seven nights in the week and
part of the days.
The most amusing thing that ever happened in those
early days was a trial, held as usual, at the Hewitt school
house. A man was charged with larceny, and the trial
was in progress before Squire Andrew Cochran. It was
at night and the court took a recess to get a drink of
water. When the court resumed business, the defendant
could not be found, and the officers, with the crowd, rushed
for their horses and started in pursuit, as they supposed,
but the defendant could not be found. After a fruitless
search until late in the night, they gave up the chase and
the court stated that an adjournment would be taken until
the defendant was found. It turned out that the defendant
had concealed himself under the stile, where everybody
entered the school house yard, and when they all left he
came out and mounted a horse that was conveniently
near and rode off at his leisure. In about three months
he came back and was never molested thereafter.
The most frequent disputes were about hogs and young
cattle. There were some spirited trials about the owner-
ship of property, but they were only a source of amusement
to us young folks, as we had no financial interest involved.
In fact the property was not very valuable, as hogs were
plentiful and were running wild in the timber, and a calf
could be bought for three dollars. I have seen cows sell
for eight and ten dollars in those times.
I saw Charles Howell kill a deer in father's corn field,
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and he just took me off my horse and put the deer on in
front of himself, and let me walk around the road home.
I thought he had the buck ague; he seemed to be excited. \/\
Meagre School Facilities
The first school house built in Lovington township was
situated in the timber north of the Alex Porter farm, on
land which then belonged to the Wood family. It was
built of logs with a clapboard roof, held on by weight
poles, or rib poles, as they were called. There was no loft
in the house, a puncheon floor and seats made of logs split
in two and wooden pins stuck in the under side for legs.
The seats were not very smooth, yet they were very strong.
A log was taken out of the south end of the building and
greased paper pasted over the opening for windows. The
fireplace was very large, the lower part of the chimney
being a large stone and the upper part made of sticks and
clay. The larger boys were usually employed in bringing
in long sticks of wood to keep up the fire. There was
plenty of heat, but most of it found an outlet through
the upper end of the chimney.
The first teacher that I can remember was Ed Rain, a
Scotchman, who came out here from Ohio and taught one
school. He was a well-educated man and a good school
teacher for his day. I went to him a short time, but did
not get very far advanced. He started to return to his
native land, but was drowned while crossing the ocean.
Afterwards Newton Trabue taught in the same log
school house one or two terms. There were but two
school houses in the township, one located west of Lov-
ington on the Allen Clore farm, and the log house above
mentioned. There was also a grave yard at the school
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U. OF ILL LIB.
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house on the Clore farm and six or eight persons were
buried there, but their graves are all leveled down and
cannot be noticed now.
Mrs. John Love taught in the school house west of
Lovington. I went to school to her for a short time. She
was a sister of Judge Emerson of Decatur, and a very
bright woman. Some of her children are living yet. but
not in this county.
The two districts took in the entire township and the
schools of that day were not very crowded. Later on the
north school house was re-located and a building erected
out of logs at the Hewitt grave yard. One of the first
teachers was Jim Smith. George Hewitt was a school
director and I heard him examine Smith as to his quali-
fications. It took about five minutes and he was consid-
ered qualified. He was a very young man from Kentucky,
but he was spunky and could flog, as he called it, with
much satisfaction to himself. We had what was called
the large spelling class and the rule was that whoever
missed three words should be flogged. It is needless
for me to here state that I was always at the foot of the
class and eligible each day to be flogged. I had one
advantage, being at the foot of the class; by the time he
reached me he was pretty well played out and the strokes
were lighter than when he began.
Of all that class, and there were often as many as twen-
ty, reaching along one side of the little school room and
almost across one end, I can only recall two of us now
living in this county, John Porter and myself. Smith saved
his money, and after a few years he went into partnership
with Uncle Andy Foster in the dry goods business and
made money. Some twenty years or more ago he died in
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Lovington and was buried in the Hewitt grave yard, near
where the old school house stood, in which he taught his
first school.
But I have said enough to give some idea of the number
and kind of schools we had in that day. It was about that
time when the school law of this state was perfected and
schools began to multiply and improve. The great state
of Illinois may well be proud of her school system, but
it was not brought about so easily as we might suppose.
From 1825 to 1853 educational societies and school conven-
tions were constantly urging the improvement of our
school laws, and it was not until 1833 that the law pro-
vided for the payment of teachers from the income of the
school fund. In 1837 the government distributed to the
state $477..919.00, which was added to the school fund, and
a law passed providing for school trustees, and in 1841
school directors were substituted for trustees. Then the
building of school houses and the employment of teachers
began to be a regular business in each school district. The
system has continued up to this time, until now Loving-
ton township has about a dozen school houses and prob-
ably six hundred pupils, with a sufficient number of edu-
cated and competent teachers, most of whom have, to
some extent, secured their education in some of the schools
of the township. Some have gone out into the state and
made for themselves a reputation of which they should be
proud. I remember some who are now superintendents
of high schools in other places, and some who have en-
rolled their names among the faculties of some of our col-
leges.
No one should feel now that they cannot obtain in the
common schools of Lovington township all that is neces-
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sary to give them a start in the line of an education. If
there are those now living in the township who feel dis-
couraged in that line, just cast your eyes back to a period
of fifty years ago and draw a comparison between the op-
portunities of then and now; and take fresh courage. While
we of that day have not done very much in the way of ad-
vancement, remember that we had a very poor start, and
the field was not so large as it is now. Very many ave-
nues have opened up in the last half a century for the em-
ployment of the mental faculties. Invention has demanded
the operation of much machinery, which requires thought,
and education always develops thought. Hence, I think
the young people of the township should feel encouraged
with the opportunity now presented them for higher
education and I hope you will have a township high school
at no distant day. (Since above was written a township
high school has been organized and a fine high school
building erected.)
The store house of knowledge is always full and who-
ever will, may, with the key of effort, unlock the door
and take out thoughts and crystalize them for the benefit
of humanity. Knowledge is like the honey in the flower,
the industrious bee gathers and stores it away for a useful
purpose; but the drone, or idle bee, is always sponging
its living. So it will be with humankind.
We pay lots of money for schools, but we are certain to
get good returns from some, in good citizenship and ad-
vancement in thought. Let us encourage the schools, as
one of the safeguards of our independence.
Civic Societies
The first church organized in Lovington township was
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the Christian church, by Abram Kellar, probably at his
home, between 1832 and 1837, the exact date I do not
know. Mr. Kellar was from Kentucky, and most of the
early settlers who located around him were also from
Kentucky, and they were nearly all members of the Chris-
tian church. I do not know whether Abram Kellar was
a minister or not, but he was a good Christian man and
deemed it wise to organize the people and have public
worship. He had two sons who were ministers, one of
whom is now living in California. (Dr. A. L. Kellar,
since deceased.)
After a few years, in about 1845, they erected a church
house on the lands belonging to Mr. Kellar and where
the cemetery is now located, just west of the lot occupied
by the Shepherd mausoleum. The house was used for a
long time for a church house exclusively. A large con-
gregation grew up, with a regular minister and church
almost every Sunday. About 1865 the congregation built
a house of worship in Lovington and the old church was
abandoned. It was then repaired and used for a school
house for many years, when it finally disappeared.
The congregation at Lovington has continued to prosper,
notwithstanding some dissensions about instrumental
music, and a few years ago they built a new modern church
house, in which the good people of that church continue
to meet and worship God. Beginning in 1837 with a few
members, possibly not more than a dozen, they now have
a large roll of members here and a much larger one in the
Better Land. Eternity alone will reveal the good that
has been accomplished by the drawing together of the lit-
tle band of Christian men and women in the early days of
the history of the township, and still it will continue as
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long as time shall last. Some man of God will be pressing
the truth upon the minds of each generation until time
shall be no more.
From 1824 to 1831 this part of Illinois was called a mis-
sionary field, under the charge of Rev. Baker of the M. E.
church, and preaching was usually done in the cabins of
the pioneers. About 1831 Mbultrie county was a part of
the Shelbyville circuit, but the north part of the county
was in the Danville or Vermilion circuit. There was not
much preaching in the north part of the county, as there
were but few settlers until about 1845, when Hiram Buck
was appointed junior preacher on the Danville circuit.
Then Buck and his senior, Rev. Fairbanks, would stop on
their way from Danville and once a month they would
preach in some cabin; often at the home of George
Hewitt. It was at his house, in about 1848. the first class
of Methodists were organized. The Mormons had preach-
ed all through the neighborhood and proselyted a few,
who had been members of other churches before they
came to this state, but they did not attempt to build a
church. If I had the old church records, I could give the
names of the members of the first class, but as I do not
have it, I will give the names of the families.
George Hewitt was the first class leader; John Foster led
the singing, and the Porters. Howells, Alexander Coch-
ran. Jacob Murphy. John Foster. Sr., and his wife, Ellenor,
and one woman that I know of. Aunt Betsy Cochran, yes,
and Lucinda Foster, her daughter, were the members.
There may have been others, but these are all than I can
remember as being members when I came here in 1849.
The meetings were held in the school house after it was
erected, and when they had quarterly meeting it was
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usually held in the grove. The people came from far and
near, and there was no hurry about having the services
over to get home to cook dinner, for all cooking was done
on Saturday, and there was a plenty. The preachers had
a message to deliver and they delivered it to the finish
and few, if any, went to sleep during the hour and a half
of its delivery. When they finally got through and the
congregation was dismissed, those living close would an-
nounce that people from a distance would find a welcome
and dinner and horse feed at their house. My recollection
is that most all from a distance and some not so distant
would readily accept the kind invitation to dinner. I have
seen as many as fifty people at father's for dinner on such
occasions, and they all got plenty to eat. I am sure if we
could have looked in at our neighbors' we could have
counted a like number and also plenty. The people would
drive ten and fifteen miles in a wagon or ride on horseback
and I have seen ox teams at quarterly meeting.
That class prospered, although they only had preaching
once a month. They had class meetings and Thursday
night prayer meeting. One thing that I thought was pe-
culiar, no one could gain an entrance to class without a
ticket, and a lady wearing flowers or jewelry could not
be admitted, but that rule has long since passed into
oblivion.
After a few years quite a number who had belonged to
the Presbyterian church united with the class, as there
was no Presbyterian church near there. Among the num-
ber were father's family, or some of them at least. About
that time Jonathan Davis came out from Kentucky. He
had a brother living near the school house, in what was
called "Mote's Den," a cabin of small dimensions. Mr.
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Davis was a Methodist, a local preacher and a singer. He
could preach, pray and sing, whether any one helped or not.
He joined the class and held a protracted meeting for some
time during the winter, and quite a good many of the set-
tlers' children united with the church. They could hardly
keep from it. Such sermons on the mercy, goodness and
wrath of God I had never heard before nor since, and then
when he would sing the old Methodist hymns one could
scarcely contain himself. He was the best hymn singer
I ever heard. Poor man, he was not a success financially,
and had lots of trouble, but amid it all he could read his
title clear to mansions in the skies. I have heard him sing,
accompanied by S. S. Wood on the bass, when I felt that
such music could not be duplicated. Brother Davis has
long since gone, but the good he did at those meetings
will live on.
About that time, in 1856, Julus Bicknell, who was a local
preacher in the Methodist church, moved in from Ohio
and he organized a Sunday school, what we called an
"evergreen Sunday school." open winter and summer. The
school was one of deep interest to the community. It was
kept up long after the class moved their membership to
town. Mr. Bicknell often preached for the people, and
was an active member of the class until his death only a
short time ago.
The class continued to meet at the Hewitt school house
with increasing members until 1859, when the church
house was built at Lovington and most of its membership
was transferred to the Lovington class, or rather the
class was transferred to Lovington and met in the new
church, which was dedicated in the fall of 1858. Soon
after the war came on and some went to the war and some
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left the church. During the war the church did not prosper
very well, but a remnant of the membership kept up the
fight and had many seasons of rejoicing at their class and
prayer meetings. The minister, Rev. Y. Heacock, left be-
fore the end of the year, and the Sullivan circuit, of which
the charge at Lovington was a part, was without a preach-
er for a while. \J^
When the war closed, or just before, while the Christian
people were building their first church house in Loving-
ton, Elder Black came to hold a protracted meeting and
the M. E. people let them have the church to hold this
meeting in. A great many joined the Christian church
during that meeting, and that spurred the M'ethodist peo-
ple again, and in 1866 Rev. Lapham Truman (not John)
held a meeting and about sixty persons professed and unit-
ed with the church. It was the centenary year of the church,
and six months afterwards forty-two of us were taken into
full connection, many of whom have gone Home. A few
went back, but most of the class have proven faithful.
One or two are preachers and have served in the Illinois
conference. Brother Joseph Funston is still laboring in
Kansas, Joseph Martin has retired to his farm and a good
many have moved to other places, but are still faithful.
In 1869 Lovington circuit was set off from Sullivan and
John W. Lapham was appointed to the circuit. After a
few years it was made a station and it soon became ap-
parent that we would need a new house of worship. The
matter was not agitated very strongly until 1893, when
the present beautiful church was erected and dedicated by
Bishop Moore and the old building was sold. And now,
with a new church, a new preacher and a new congrega-
tion, the good work goes on.
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There is but one of that original class now living, Uncle
John Foster, who is in his ninety-second year, and who
was once an active working member. Still rejoicing in
hope, but weak in body, he is able to sing:
"Children of the Heavenly King,
As we journey, let us sing."
Time waits not for man, but rushes him on from year
to year.
This sketch would not be complete without a word about
some of the members who have gone Home. Uncle John
Cochran was a steward in the church, with a life tenure.
He was the best collecting steward I have ever known.
Faithful as any one could be, his influence will live a long
time. Aunt Susan Cochran, his wife, was a noble Christian
woman. I will always remember the testimony of Aunt
Betsy Cochran, who always gave it at class. There are
also some yet living who have had a good influence, but
I refrain from mentioning the living.
Of the first members that were faithful was George
Hewitt. Alex Porter, Andrew Cochran and the members
of their families, and others whom I have forgotten. No
one can ever forget "Grandma" Foster, who with Irish
zeal and Christian grace was instant in prayer and praise
for her many blessings.
I could write many more pages, but I will weary your
readers and spoil the reputation of your paper. My hope
is that the Lord will bless the efforts of the present mem-
bership and that a good many follow them to the next
generation.
Later on the Advents organized and built a church house
and now have a regular pastor, and also the F. M. church
have a good church house and a good congregation with
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a regular pastor. So that the people are well supplied
with church privileges.
When Lovington Was Young
In the beginning the village of Lovington was without
form and void. Its streets were traversed by the covered
wagons of the pioneers going west, and the disappointed
returning to the east. Its parks were inhabited only by the
prairie chicken and other wild fowls, and the lakes by the
ever-present frog.
The first improvement was a tavern and barn, called
the "Black Horse Tavern," built by the Snyders, who were
from Kentucky. They kept refreshments for man and
beast. The house was built about 1840 and stood a little
south and east of where the Maple hotel now stands. The
well is still in use. I believe the place was known all
the way from Dayton, Ohio, west as far as travelers had
gone. The sign was a black horse painted on a board,
suspended from a pole some twenty feet high. That was
the only improvement until 1849. when Jonathan Tiffen,
commonly called Jackey TifTen, built a log house where
Mr. Wilt now lives. That was built late in 1849 and about
that time a man by the name of Spore (who was usually
called Spud) erected a small building just east of where
Peter Lux now lives, about where the street runs north
from Foster's livery stable. Spore kept a small store, a
general stock, including liquor. He did not remain very
long until Stephen Cannon bought him out and moved the
store down into a building he had erected on the corner of
the lot where Byron Cheever now lives. Cannon was ap-
pointed postmaster and the town and postoffice were called
Lovington in honor of John and Andrew Love, who had
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settled a little west of that point and kept the first post
office at their home. I think the name was given to the
town about the year 1852, possibly a year or two earlier.
as events of that period succeeded each other pretty fast.
The country was filling up rapidly and hundreds of cov-
ered wagons would pass along on the Springfield road
each week.
About that year Green and Taylor, who had bought the
tavern and land connected with it laid off a tier of lots,
about three blocks on the south side of the Springfield
road, now called State street. In a few years there were
quite a number of houses built in the village. A doctor,
a blacksmith and wagon maker and an auctioneer had
settled in the village. In 1858 there was a population of
probably two hundred inhabitants. In that year the M. E.
church house was built and a school house, in which they
had preaching and Sunday school, called a Union school.
There were a few business houses and one or two rather
good dwelling houses for that day.
All the goods, lumber and all building material had to
be hauled from Arcola by wagons. Capt. Gregory and
Andrew Foster and John Cochran ran a very good store
from about 1858 to 1862. As the people accumulated, the
saloon began to flourish and Zink Wymer, with his broth-
ers-in-law, the Simes boys, started a saloon on the corner
where the pumping works now stand, and Arch Thayer
opened up in a building that stood where the Foster livery
stable is now. So one could get drinks at two different
saloons within one hundred feet of each other in a village
of less than three hundred people.
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John Barley Corn Routed
A few years later the women put the saloons out of
business, by organization a Carrie Nation Club, as we
would call it now. They marched across from the north
side of the street in good order, well armed and rolled the
barrels of whisky to the door of the saloon, knocked the
heads in and poured the contents into the gutter at the
side of the street. Two old topers looked at the red liquid
for a few moments and one said to the other, "It's too
bad to waste all that good liquor." And they got down on
their knees and drank of the liquor as it flowed westward
in the ditch at the side of the street. That was long before
Carrie Nation was heard of. Several of these women are
living yet. I could give all their names, but it might get
me into trouble if I did. The saloons soon received an-
other lot of the same kind of goods and resumed business
as before. They did not have a license law then, hence
all they took in was profit, less the cost of the goods and
expenses of the business, which was very small compared
with the profits^
^War Times in Lovington
When the war broke out in 1861, there was great excite-
ment. The town did not grow very much during the five
years of war. The only means the people of the village
had of keeping posted as to the events of the war was to
send to Arcola each day for a daily paper. James A.
Gregory and John A. Foster would each take a day about
riding to Arcola on horseback and bring the Chicago paper
out. As the Illinois Central did not run fast trains then
it would be four o'clock or later before they could get
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the paper to start home with it and often, when the roads
were bad, it would be late at night before the paper would
arrive. But the people would wait at the store until the
paper came and Dr. Cheever or Capt. Gregory would stand
up on the counter in the store and read the war news.
There would usually be one or more from each family in
the town and neighborhood present to carry the news
home to the family. I remember in February, 1862. after
the battle of Crab Orchard in Kentucky, the news came
that the Union army had gained a great victory and had
killed the Rebel General, Zollicoffer. I thought the war
was over, as I supposed they had only one general and now
that he was killed certainly the war would end. I started
home afoot repeating the name of the general killed, so
that I would not forget it and could tell the folks at home
who it was that our army had slain, and I have never for-
gotten that general's name.
The war was not over, as I soon found out. Several
had already gone into the army. Captain Love had re-
cruited a company from this county and a few from Lov-
ington went into his company S. S. Boggs, your present
mayor and one or two more. That was Co. E. of the 21st
Illinois. Grant's regiment. Some had joined Captain Lee's
company in the 41st Illinois and Captain Thayer and oth-
ers joined Company B of the 5th Illinois cavalry. James
A. Gregory went out to hunt his father's cows and did not
return for three years. He enlisted at Cairo in company
H. 62d Illinois infantry.
In the summer of 1862, when President Lincoln called
for three hundred thousand volunteers, quite a number of
the boys from Lovington enlisted in company A, 126th
regiment Illinois infantry for three years. On July 31st,
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the people gave a dinner in the grove west of town to all
soldiers who then enlisted and about forty of us were
sworn in by Andrew Cochran, a justice of the peace, and
on the morning of the 7th of August we all met in Loving-
ton to go to camp at Mattoon. Farmers came in with
their wagons to haul us to Mattoon. Mothers, sisters,
wives and others were there to say good-by and to some,
it was the last good-by; their bodies lie buried in the sands
of the south. But it was a grand sight to us, who had
never been very far from home before, when we looked
back and beheld the large company of our friends waving
us adieu as we drove south on our way to Sullivan and on
to Mattoon. Time has not even dimmed the vision and I
could name scores of those who cheered us as we waved
the flag and beat the drum and pledged eternal vigilance
as the price of Liberty.
Reconstruction Days
When we came back after three years, the town had not
grown very much, in fact, I don't believe there was a
house built in town during that three years. Some of the
people had grown and some had moved in from the east,
some had moved away, but the population in 1864 was
about the same as it was in I860, in fact the country went
back. Fields were left uncultivated, fences were down for
want of laborers. The young men and middle-aged men
had been gone three years. I see I must stop and finish
this subject in another article, as I am not near through
with it.
It did not take long for the soldier to find his place
where he left off when he went into the army; and in field,
business, home and school room, the hand that had wield-
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ed the gun was ready to work again about as it had been
when the flag was fired upon. Lovington township, like
the most of the county, has been fortunate. Crops have
usually been good, corn, wheat and 'oats being the leading
products, with cattle, hogs and horses as the principal
stock industries. There has never been a failure in crops.
In 1858, the wet year, when it rained forty days and corn
planting was delayed until the last of June and the first
of July, the crop was not very abundant and did not ma-
ture very well, but the people had enough and some to
spare. And again in 1863, on August 27, a heavy frost
killed most all the corn and made seed corn very scarce,
yet they got along very well.
The severe storms have avoided the locality, and there
have been but few epidemics that have taken off the peo-
ple. In 1855 we had the cholera, but only a few persons
died with it; hence. I conclude that we have been excep-
tionally fortunate.
Few Crimes Committed
Five persons have been indicted and tried for murder.
One of them is now in the penitentiary, and one other in-
dicted, who has not yet been tried. Even that is not as
bad as some large cities, but it would be better if we
could say, as Marrowbone township, that there had never
been but one murder case from the township. Of the six
cases most, if not all of them, were caused by whisky and
usually by the licensed saloon, which Marrowbone town-
ship has never had, if I remember correctly. But the peo-
ple of Lovington township, as a rule, are good people, and
have always protested against the sale of liquor.
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Politics
In politics, the township has usually been Democratic.
yet very many good men of both parties have been hon-
ored by the voters. Alexander Porter, James A. Gregory,
S. P. Drake, Robert Selby, B. N. McMullin and others have
been chosen supervisors at different times. Stephen Can-
non was association county judge at one time, and also a
member of the legislature. Arnold Thomason was county
judge for a good many years and also served one term in
the legislature. H. M. Minor was county judge one term.
M. R. Davidson, who lived in Lovington for a while, was
elected county judge in Piatt county after he moved up
there. Martin Neilan, who was raised in the township,
went to Sioux City, Iowa, became a lawyer and served
as city judge of Sioux City, and has now retired on a com-
petency. O. T. Atchison and Thos. McDaniel also served
one term each in the Illinois legislature. S. T. Foster and
A. E. Foster each served a term as sheriff. Art Lux is
now state's attorney. There may be some that I have for-
gotten, who have risen to places of honor and trust by
the energy imbibed in the atmosphere of that rural retreat.
Thus it will be seen that the environments have not been
such as to keep out the spirit of hope and determination
among the dwellers of that small part of the globe.
Material Growth
The business interests have been productive of activity.
It would be enjoyable to name all who have engaged in
business from time to time in Lovington. It began with
Sport, or Spud, as he was called, and ends with your pres-
ent wide-awake, up-to-date merchants and business men.
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At one time, from about 1874 to 1879. there were several
general stores carrying large stocks of goods. Dixon
& Bishop, Foster & Gregory, Bishop & Stout and others
had very full and complete stocks of goods, but I believe
that L. H. Pollard is the only man in business there now
who was in business on January 1, 1873, when I moved to
Lovington from the country. The rest have gone out of
business or moved away. It has always been a good town
for trade, because it is surrounded by a fine agricultural
community, but few of the business men have ever grown
rich. All. or most all, have done very well, but to become
rich in a mercantile business you must have more custom-
ers than a sparsely settled community or a small village
furnishes. The men who have become rich in Lovington
township are the farmers. I can count at least a dozen
now who have accumulated fifty thousand dollars and over
in the last forty years, and each one of them began life
as a poor man, none having inherited large amounts of
money. There is but one way to get rich in land, that is
to buy when cheap and hold it. I have seen land in that
township go from two dollars and a half per acre to one
hundred and fifty dollars, or almost whatever you will
ask for it. and that within fifty-five years.
Not only has the land increased in value, but the power
of production has been increased by tiling out the ponds
and low places. At first it was very difficult to farm more
than one-half or two-thirds of a piece of land on account
of the wet places. The improvements are much better,
the old log house has given way to good frame dwellings,
and the straw-covered shed to go ,d barns for horses and
cattle. In the village the mud sidewalks have been cov-
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ered up first with board walks, but in the last few years
concrete and brick walks are seen almost all over town.
The old frame business houses are fast disappearing, and
already many good and substantial brick business build-
ings are in use. Electric lights have taken the place of
the tallow candle of fifty years ago. A good telephone
system is in operation not only in the town but all over
the county, and every day except Sunday five men start
out in as many different directions, taking the mail to the
farmers, so that each day he can tell just what his farm
products are worth in the market.
You have voted license out. and I hope you will keep
them out, because you don't need them. You have voted
for a township high school, which shows your good judg-
ment and will be a lasting blessing to generation yet to
come; if there are any unpleasant things don't think about
them. We are admonished to think of the good things
and appropriate them to our use. but there are other in-
terests that I will have to mention in my next and last
article.
More Recent History
Heretofore I have spoken mostly of the early days, and
have only glanced at the last period of the history of Lov-
ington township and village.
The name was given first to the .postoffice in honor of
John and Andrew Love. The former became a captain in
Grant's regiment, the 21st Illinois Infantry, in the Civil
war, and after his return from the the army he lived up in
Woodford county for a while and then moved to near
Hammond. Illinois, wht~e he bought a large tract of land,
and lived there until the time of his death, some ten years
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REMINISCENCES f a, FORTY-NINER
ago. Andrew Love joined the Mormons and went west
with them in 1848 and finally located in Salt Lake City,
where he resided until his death.
Captain John Love was regarded as a good, conscien-
tious man. He was long a leading member of the Chris-
tian church, and was very liberal towards the cause of
Christianity. They lived just west of town on what was
later called the Hogland farm, now owned by some of the
Clores. The house was on the north side of the Spring-
field road, just west of where the house of J. H. Wood now
stands and. as I have said, the first postofHce was kept by
them in that house. Hence, the name of Lovington orig-
inated in honor of the Love family.
The first public highway established in the township
was the Springfield road, extending from Terre Haute,
Indiana, to Springfield, 111. It was laid out in 1825 by three
commissioners appointed by the governor. A Mr. Craig
from Coles county and Jacob Hausel of Edgar county
were two of the commissioners, the other I do not know.
Jacob Hausel was the grandfather of Jacob Dumond. now
of Sullivan. He died when about 80 years old. Mr. Du-
mond has an enlarged picture of Mr. Hausel, taken when
he was about sixty-five years old. I have examined the
picture as it hangs in Mr. Dumond's parlor. The com-
missioners traveled on horseback and selected the route
on the highest grounds possible, keeping in the direction
of Springfield, but paid no attention to lines. They camped
out of nights, having their provisions and camping outfit
hauled along in wagons. They were engaged about three
months in establishing the road, which may explain the
practice now in use and the expenses of the highway
commissioners in laying out roads.
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The postoffice has moved up and down the Springfield
road from that point as far east as the Dixon restaurant
building. The postmasters have been, as far as I can re-
member, Stephen Cannon, Elijah Wingate, Martin Wood,
Captain Linegar, C. M. Hamilton. W. C. Foster, Mr. Thay-
er, Robert Selby. John H. Gailey, John H. Williams, W.
H. Atchison, James A. Gregory and Charley Gregory, the
present postmaster. There were others, but their names
have escaped me.
Early Religious Spirit
Lovington has always been a good town for societies,
the oldest of which is the Masonic Lodge, chartered in
1856. It was organized in 1855 under a dispensation, the
exact date I cannot give. John Bradley, a cabinet maker,
was the moving spirit in the organization of the lodge. He
was a Mason when he came here from Pennsylvania. The
lodge first met in his shop, later they met in the old school
house, and finally they rented a hall of Elijah Wingate, and
then of M. T. Shepherd. About 1870 the lodge joined
with Andrew Foster and built a hall, just across the street
north of Foster's livery stable, where they held their
meetings for a long time, and now they hold their meetings
in a hall in the brick building on the south side of State
street.
The next society organized was the Odd Fellows, the
date of which I do not know, but it is very much more
recent than the Masonic Lodge. They have a very good
membership. The Rebekahs also have a lodge. In all, I
believe there are about seven or eight lodges, or different
secret societies, in the town. The population is now over
one thousand.
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The Grand Army post, a society composed of men who
served in the Union army during the Civil war, and who
were honorably discharged therefrom, was organized at
Lovington in 1875 or 1876. There is no distinction of rank,
religion, wealth or politics in the Grand Army. Its mem-
bers are growing less every day. When the post was or-
ganized there was a large membership, just how many I
do not now remember, but possibly fifty or sixty. Now
there are but few left, and soon all will be gone. The
teachings of this society or post are patriotism and loy-
alty. Each year they meet on May 30 and decorate the
graves of their departed comrades with beautiful flowers,
and they are always assisted by the patriotic people of the
village and surrounding country. When all the old soldiers
are gone, the organization of the G. A. R. will cease to ex-
ist and the record will be closed, never to be opened again.
It is the first organization of its kind and will be the last.
Others similar may come into existence, but they cannot
be like this, because all its members are veterans of our
Civil war. for the preservation of the Union and the free-
dom of a race of slaves. There can be no other Lincoln,
Grant. Sherman and Logan and no such an army as they
commanded. The teaching of patriotism and love for the
old flag have received a mighty uplift by this loyal organ-
ization of old soldiers. In the schools, they teach the
young to repeat: "I give my head and heart to God and
my country. One country; one languege; one flag."
There are enough lodges in Lovington to please all
lovers of societies. All of them have many good tenets
and teach good morals, and some have a benefit feature,
as well as an insurance feature, whereby much help may
be given to those who may be needy.
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Financial Institutions
The first bank establishing in Lovington was the Mer-
chants and Farmers Bank. S. H. Morrell of Sullivan was
the proprietor and Z. T. Banks was cashier and manager.
The bank was started about 1874 and did a good business
for a few years, but on January 1. 1884, it came to grief
and was closed out by Mr. Morrell making an assign-
ment. The cause of the failure was speculating on the
Board of Trade in Chicago by the cashier.
In January, 1884, the Lovington bank commenced doing
business. L. H. Pollard was the cashier and it continued
for over three years, when the bank was sold to Messrs.
Drake and Smith, on November 1, 1887. who consolidated
it with the Hardware bank, which they had started in 1885
or 1886, and which is still in operation, owned by Drake
and Hostetler, and doing a good business. Mr. M. T.
Shepherd did a private banking business for a number of
years and in 1900 he. together with others of his family,
organized the Shepherd National bank with $25.000.00
capital. It was the first national bank organized in the
town and is still in operation under the management of
his sons, and is doing a good business. These facts are
generally known to all your readers, but fifty years from
now some careful person will be able to produce a copy of
your paper and the facts here stated will be history to the
men doing business in Lovington. We will all be gone,
but the cold type, if preserved, will still live. There is
more money now in the banks of Lovington than there
was in all the banks of Moultrie county twenty years ago.
There are about fifty sections of land in Lovington
township, about thirty-eight in township fifteen and twelve
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in township fourteen, range five, making about 32.000
acres, worth on the average about $100.00 per acre, making
the value of real estate $3,200,000. The value of town lots,
merchandise, moneys, credits and personal property is
about $900,000, making the total wealth of the township
$4,100,000. Fifty years ago, the same real eastate, with
their improvements, could have been bought for one-tenth
of its present value. The personal property has been the
accumulation of the years. The tax of the township for
all purposes last year, including court house tax, was $27,-
479.19, and it was all paid to the township collector except
$2.646.95, which shows that the people are in good finan-
cial condition. Perhaps the largest item of the tax is
school tax, which is expended at home, as is also the town-
ship and road and bridge tax. Local government is al-
ways expensive, but it is the best government man has
yet devised, and as time goes on it will be found to in-
crease in importance and perfection.
Retrospective
When one looks back over the past and views lost op-
portunities, he cannot help but have some regrets. Any
one who, fifty, or even thirty years ago, had bought a
thousand acres of that rich.black land on credit, and had
done nothing but make it produce enough to pay interest,
expenses and taxes up to this time, would now be a rich
man. At least he would not need to worry about his living
for the rest of his days. And yet. who can tell but what
the next fifty years will bring as great results. In 1878 I
said to a man now living in Champaign, "This rich, black,
wet land will bring one hundred dollars per acre in our
life time." He laughed at me. I had no money with
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which to make a purchase. There is but one way to get
rich in farming lands, that is to buy and never sell, unless
you re-invest in lands again and that soon.
Perhaps I have said enough about the commercial in-
terests of that locality, except to record the facts that the
railroad reached Lovington in the fall of 1871 and the
winter of 1871 and 1872. The Wabash, then called the
Bloomington & Ohio River railroad, was built from Be-
ment on the north and Windsor on the south. The last
rail was laid, joining the two ends together in Mr. O. T.
Atchison's field south of Lovington, on the 17th day of
March, 1872. I was helping lay the iron; Frank Green was
engineer on the construction train; Andy Ricketts was con-
ductor, and Mr. Philhour, who is now at the Masonic
home, was boss of the construction gang. The Midland,
now the Pennsylvania, was built about the same time.
John Bowers and Mr. Hamlin assisted in its construction.
For a long time the railroads were not much more than a
right of way and two streaks of rust. Mr. L. H. Pollard
was the first agent for the Wabash. I think he brought
the first car of coal to the town by rail with a yoke of oxen
or a span of mules. I don't remember which. That was in
1872, before the road had put on regular trains.
The people of Lovington township have always been so-
cial and kind. They are always ready to help those need-
ing help. In the early days, when every family had more
or less sickness in the fall of the year, there was always
plenty to come in and help take care of the sick. Trained
nursing had not come in fashion out here and some of
the best nurses were the good women, who spent all
day hard at work and then would go and sit up half or
all the night, if necessary, with a sick neighbor, and the
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men would do as much if their neighbors needed them. I
have had occasion in later years to be very thankful to
neighbors in Lovington for their kindness during times
of sickness and death, which has always remained with me
a debt of gratitude I cannot sufficiently repay.
Conclusion
Before closing this article I want to make a correction
or two. I stated from information, which I believed re-
liable, that Mr. Pea first settled on a part of the Wilkinson
farm. I have since learned that he settled further south
on land that he lived on up to the time of his death, and
that Mr. Stevens first settled on the Wilkinson farm in
1831.
I am also able to give the exact date of the organization
of the first church in the township. The Christian church
was organized on November 17. 1832, at the home of Mr.
Stevens. There were twelve original members. Abraham
Kellar seems to have been the organizer of the congrega-
tion.
I also want to record the fact that George Hetherington
was one of the active men in the affairs of the township
during most all the time of his residence there. He served
one term as county clerk. S. P. Eary also served as sheriff
of the county. Col. Clore. as he was called, always took
an active interest in the growth and prosperity of the vil-
lage, and he added to the territory by laying off an addi-
tion or two. Noah Hostetler also helped in building up
the town. John Rhodes and Frank Porter were public
spirited men and good farmers. Elihu Welton was always
active in promoting the county fair and the raising of
good stock. James Bennett. John Kearney, the father of
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T. C. Kearney, John Wood, Hiram Cunningham, Thomas
Dunn, Stephen Turner, S. L. Wood, T. C. Wood. S. S.
Wood, Cannon Dawson and Joseph Dawson were all far-
mers at an early period in the history of the township,
and by their industry and honesty have left a good name,
besides property, to their children. They are all gone.
They did not live to see your present prosperity.
There is but one more thing I want to say and my ef-
forts will be finished, and that is to the young people.
Solomon said, "Young man, get wisdom, but with all thy
getting, get understanding." Isaiah says, "Wisdom is to
know God. Understanding is to cease to do evil and learn
to do good." Pure thoughts will produce good actions
and kind words. You should not be discouraged because
of the failure of others, but rather be stimulated to great
watchfulness and thereby excel in purity of thought.
One reason there was little crime among the early set-
tlers was the fact that they had pure thoughts and talked
upon pure subjects; hence they did not need to commit
offences to carry out their thoughts. Criminal actions are
but the external signs of inward evil thoughts. The man
who steals has thought upon that subject. The man who
commits a crime has thought upon the subject of his crime;
hence the sure way to avoid committing crime is to banish
all such thoughts from your mind. If you would permit
me to suggest, I would say, read such books as will help
you to have good thoughts. If the mind is empty, evil will
fill the vacuum more readily than good. Then keep the
mind well stored with good thoughts and you will soon
learn to banish evil. You have many helps, the pulpit,
Sunday school, young people's societies, together with a
great many good books. All of which are good compan-
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ions and much better than evil persons.
The business of the community will soon fall upon you
and if you are well-prepared, you can take the places of
your fathers and mothers and carry forward the work
much better than they have done and be a success. If
you are not prepared, you already know what the results
will be. Look around you and see what those have done
who were not prepared to take the place left vacant by
death or old age, and you can soon verify my statement.
Therefore, I will repeat what Solomon said many years
ago and no one yet has said a wiser thing, so far as I
know. Wisdom is the principal thing. Therefore, "Get
wisdom, but with all thy getting, get understanding."
I must conclude. If you have any subscribers left after
publishing these articles you will be fortunate. I must
ask your readers to pardon the use of the personal pro-
noun "I," as it would be impossible to write about that
which is a part of my life history without using it occas-
ionally. I will have to be like the colored boy who re-
quested the lawyer to write for him a letter to his girl.
After the lawyer had written what he thought would be
suitable and proper, he then said, "Is there anything more
you would wish me to say?" The boy rubbed his toes
against his heel and said, "I believe you ought to add.
'Please excuse this poor writing and bad spelling.' " The
printer can fix up the writing and spelling, but you will
please excuse the diction.
I am not familiar enough with the citizens of the village
of Lovington to know just what you are doing. I would
write about other interests, but I have been away for fif-
teen years, and for two years I have only passed through
the place. Hence. I cannot say much about the present
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conditions, only I know there are some very good people
living there. I have many good friends among them and I
hope to cherish them as long as I live. Some day I may
come back up there, and if I can give security for good
behavior, live and end my earthly days within the bounds
of Lovington township.
With nothing but good wishes for you all, I will close
this, my first and possibly last, effort at writing history.
W. G. COCHRAN.
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AN APPRECIATION
BY INT STANLEY,
EDITOR L-OVINGTON REPORTER.
5^ AST week in referring to Mr. Cochran's recent "recollec-
llj tions," which had been appearing in these columns, we
suggested that his part in the story of L,ovington's growth
should be written, and under the impulse of the moment agreed
to supply the missing links. After more mature reflection the
magnitude of the task has dawned upon us and it is with the
full knowledge that the story must be halting and incomplete
that we begin it.
Mr. Cochran first saw the light of day in the old Ross county,
Ohio, home, November I3th, 1844. Four years later his
parents, Andrew and Jane Cochran, came west and located
northwest of I^ovlngtoa in this township Here our subject
grew to young manhood. His life was that of the average
country boy of that period. The country was new. Raw prairie
and unbroken tracts of timber faced the sturdy manhood that
had come to this new country in search of fortune. Young
Cochran did his part to make fertile farms of the unbroken
fields of waving prairie grass. Industry has been one of the
characteristics of his life and those who in later years have
watched him climb from height to height will agree with us
that he was no drone when muscle and brawn met and made to
blossom the untilled acres of his father's farm.
At the call to arms in 1861 young Cochrau, at the age of 17
years, sought to enlist in his country's service. He was rejected
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on account of his youth by the captain of the company. The
following year, however, he enlisted in Co. A, I26th Illinois
infantry, and throughout the balance of that terrific struggle he
did a soldier's part. In the fighting at the siege of Vicksburg,
the troublous campaign through Arkansas and in the famous
Red River expedition Mr. Cochran did service for his country
and stood without flinching all the hardships and dangers inci-
dent to the soldier's life. He was promoted to sergeant and at
the expiration of three years service was honorably discharged
at Springfield in August, 1865. These three years, as he was
verging upon manhood's estate, was perhaps to him the most
interesting period of his life and he never tires of telling his
army experiences. For more than a third of a century Mr.
Cochran has been one of the most popular Grand Army orators
in the union and his services have always been in demand for
addresses at meetings of the veterans.
Mr. Cochran's strenuous life on the farm precluded even an
opportunity to take advantage of the meager educational advan-
tages of the period and at the time of his enlistment, not being
able to write his name, he made his mark. We mention this
fact to emphasize the remarkable progress which the develop-
ment of this sketch will disclose.
After hostilities had ceased and the plow share instead of the
sword had again secured full sway our subject returned to the
quiet life of the farm. He devoted several years to these pas-
toral pursuits but had acquired a thirst for learning and, like
Abraham Lincoln at an earlier period, he devoted every spare
moment to intellectual development. His natural bent was the
law and to that end he directed his reading. He began the
study of law under H. M. Minor in Ivovington in 1876 and was
admitted to the bar in 1879. Previous to this he united in mar-
riage with Charlotte Keyes, whose death occurred in December,
REMINISCENCES */ ^ FORTY-NINER
1899, and in 1873 they moved to Lovington where Mr. Cochran
engaged in the restaurant business for some time, afterward
clerking for Foster & Gregory, general merchants. With his
admission to the bar began his real upward climb. He is a
natural orator, quick witted, an attractive speaker and his suc-
cess in the practice of his profession was phenomenal from the
very start and his popularity and success continued up to his
election to the circuit judgeship which necessarily forced him
to give up the active practice of his profession. With the ex-
ception or Hon. John R. Eden, Mr. Cochran has probably been
interested in more suits at law than any other three lawyers in
the county. He is a safe counselor and his gratuitous advice
has perhaps saved his friends thousands of dollars in litigations
that less scrupulous lawyers would have urged on. With the
law politics naturally followed.
After being admitted to the bar Mr. Cochran began the prac-
tice of law in Loviugton. He also engaged in real estate busi-
ness. His clientage extended to neighboring counties. In
politics Mr. Cochran has always been an ardent republican.
His political career began by his election as constable of I/>v-
ington township early in the seventies. He afterwards served
as township assessor and as a village official. In 1888 he was
elected to the state legislature and at the special world's fair
session in 1890 was speaker of the house. He was again elected
to the legislature in 1894 and in 1895 was elected speaker of the
house. He was re-elected in 1896 and at the expiration of that
term was elected circuit judge to which office he was re-elected
six years later and at present serves in that official capacity.
Mr. Cochran has held many appointive offices of high honor
and has several times been prominently mentioned for the gov-
ernorship. His political career has been a steady upward climb
and every position in life has been filled with credit and high
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honor to himself and to his constituents.
In 1891 the family moved to Sullivan where they now reside.
Mr. Cochran always speaks of Lovington as home and our peo-
ple have always claimed him as one of them .
In 1866 he united with the Methodist Episcopal church and
has been a regularly licensed local preacher in that denomina-
tion since 1870. He is an ardent church and Sunday-school
worker and in this as in everything he undertakes he has
always been a leader. He is a member of the L/ovington
Masonic lodge, the Sullivan chapter and the Decatur com-
mandary. He is one of the trustees of the Masonic home and
was the leader in the work to secure the acceptance of the Miller
bequest . He is also a prominent member of other orders. Mr.
Cochran 's life has been a continued upward climb along all the
avenues of life. He has been favored by fortune through his
own exertions and because he merited the honors he sought.
Perhaps the highest eulogy we can write of him is that he is an
earnest, honest, industrious, manly man. Handicapped by
poverty and lack of education he entered life's arena and
bravely fovight down every obstacle. He refused to accept
defeat, and discouragement only served to spur him to greater
efforts. From an humble farmer boy he has become a national
figure. He is now, in the prime of his usefulness, a jurist of
ripe experience, and enjoys the confidence and esteem of not
only the legal fraternity of the district he serves but of all the
people.
His success on the bench and at the bar has been due, not
solely to his legal training and quick perception, but to his
sterling honesty and high sense of justice. We bespeak for
him many years of usefulness.
From The Reporter, May 25, '906.
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