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Ill  hi 


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Publication  Number  Twenty-eight 


OF  THE 


ILLINOIS  STATE  HISTORICAL  LIBRARY 


TRANSACTIONS 


OF  THE 


Illinois  State  Historical  Society 


FOR  THE  YEAR  1921 


Twenty-second  Annual  Meeting  of  the  Society,  Springfield,  Illinois, 
May  10-11,  1921 


Board  of  Trustees  of  the  Illinois  State  Historical  Library 


[Printed  by  authority   of  the  State  of  Illinois.] 


'1656— 3M— 1922 


CONTENTS. 


Officers  of  the  Society  page 

Editorial  Note '. 7 

Constitution  of  the  Illinois  State  Historical  Society 8 

An  Appeal  to  the  Historical  Society  and  to  the  General  Public 11 

PART   I— RECORD    OF   OFFICIAL    PROCEEDINGS,   ANNUAL   MEETING, 

1921. 

Directors'  Meeting   15 

Business  Meeting 18 

Report  of  the  Genealogical  Committee 23 

Secretary's  Report   26 

PART  II— PAPERS  READ  AT  THE  ANNUAL  MEETING,  1921. 

William  E.  Barton,  D.  D.,  LL.  D. — The  Making  of  Abraham  Lincoln  and 

the  Influence  of  Illinois  in  his  Development. 32 

R.  E.  Hieronymus — Art  in  Historic  Communities 54 

John  M.  Glenn— The  Industrial  Development  of  Illinois 55 

Chester  J.  Attig — Some  Governmental  Problems  in  the  Northwest  Terri- 
tory, 1787-1803   75 

John  H.  Hauberg — Indian  Trails  Centering  at  Black  Hawk's  Village.  ...     87 
E.  Bently  Hamilton — The  Union  League:    Its  Origin  and  Achievements 

in  the  Civil  War   110 

William  W.  Sweet — Peter  Cartwright  in  Illinois  History 116 

Ralph  Dempsey — William  Reid  Curran — In  Memoriam,  1854-1921 124 

PART  III— CONTRIBUTIONS  TO  STATE  HISTORY. 

The  Zearings,  Earliest  Settlers  of  the  Name  in  Illinois,  by  Luelja  Zear- 

ing  Gross 129 

Sketch  of  the  Life  of  Major  James  Roberts  Zearing,  M.  D., 139 

Civil  War  Letters  of  Major  James  Roberts  Zearing,  M.  D.,  1861-1865 150 

Index. 

List  of  Publications  of  the  Illinois  State  Historical  Library  and  Society. 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 

in  2012  with  funding  from 

State  of  Indiana  through  the  Indiana  State  Library 


http://archive.org/details/transactionsofilv28illi 


OFFICERS  OF  THE  SOCIETY. 


President 
Dr.   Otto  L.   Schmidt Chicago 

Vice  Presidents. 

George  A.   Lawrence Galesburg 

L.  Y.  Sherman Springfield 

Richard  Yates Springfield 

Ensley  Moore   Jacksonville 

Charles   L,   Capen Bloomington 

Directors 

Edmund  J.  James,  University  of  Illinois Urbana-Champaign 

E.  B.  Greene,  University  of  Illinois. Urbana-Champaign 

Mrs.  Jessie  Palmer  Weber Springfield 

Charles  H.  Rammelkamp,  President  Illinois  College.  . .  .Jacksonville 
George  W.  Smith,  Southern  Illinois  State  Normal  University.  . .  . 

: Carbondale 

Richard  V.   Carpenter. Belvidere 

Edward  C.  Page,  Northern  Illinois  State  Normal  School DeKalb 

Andrew  Russel   Jacksonville 

Walter  Colyer Albion 

James  A.  James,  Northwestern  University Evanston 

H.   W.    Clendenin Springfield 

Stuart  Brown   Springfield 

Rev.  Ira  W.  Allen LaGrange 

John  H.  Hauberg Rock  Island 

Orrin  N.  Carter Chicago 

Secretary  and  Treasurer 
Mrs.  Jessie  Palmer  Weber Springfield 

Assistant  Secretary 
Miss  Georgia  L.  Osborne Springfield 

Honorary  Vice  Presidents 
The  Presidents  of  Local  Historical  Societies 


EDITORIAL   NOTE. 


Following  the  practice  of  the  Publication  Committee  in  previous 
years,  this  volume  includes,  besides  the  official  proceedings  and  the 
papers  read  at  the  last  annual  meeting,  some  essays  and  other  matter 
contributed  during  the  year.  It  is  hoped  that  these  "contributions  to 
State  History"  may,  in  larger  measure  as  the  years  go  on,  deserve  their 
title,  and  form  an  increasingly  valuable  part  of  the  Society's  transac- 
tions. The  contributions  are  intended  to  include  the  following  kinds 
of  material: 

1.  Hitherto  unpublished  letters  and  other  documentary  material. 
This  part  of  the  volume  should  supplement  the  more  formal  and  exten- 
sive publication  of  official  records  in  the  Illinois  historical  collections, 
which  are  published  by  the  trustees  of  the  State  Historical  Library. 

2.  Papers  of  a  reminiscent  character.  These  should  be  selected 
with  great  care,  for  memories  and  reminiscences  are  at  their  best  an 
uncertain  basis  for  historical  knowledge. 

3.  Historical  essays  or  brief  monographs,  based  upon  the  sources 
and  containing  genuine  contributions  to  knowledge.  Such  papers  should 
be  accompanied  by  foot-notes  indicating  with  precision  the  authorities 
upon  which  the  papers  are  based.  The  use  of  new  and  original  material 
and  the  care  with  which  the  authorities  are  cited,  will  be  one  of  the  main 
factors  in  determining  the  selection  of  papers  for  publication. 

4.  Bibliographies. 

5.  Occasional  reprints  of  books,  pamphlets  or  parts  of  books  now 
out  of  print  and  not  easily  accessible. 

Circular  letters  have  been  sent  out  from  time  to  time  urging  the 
members  of  the  Society  to  contribute  such  historical  material,  and 
appeals  for  it  have  been  issued  in  the  pages  of  the  Journal.  The  com- 
mittee desires  to  repeat  and  emphasize  these  requests. 

It  is  the  desire  of  the  committee  that  this  annual  publication  of  the 
Society  supplement,  rather  than  parallel  or  rival,  the  distinctly  official 
publications  of  the  State  Historical  Library.  In  historical  research,  as 
in  so  many  other  fields,  the  best  results  are  likely  to  be  achieved  through 
the  cooperation  of  private  initiative  with  public  authority.  It  was  to 
promote  such  cooperation  and  mutual  undertaking  that  this  Society 
was  organized.  Teachers  of  history,  whether  in  schools  or  colleges, 
are  especially  urged  to  do  their  part  in  bringing  to  this  publication  the 
best  results  of  local  research  and  historical  scholarship. 

In  conclusion  it  should  be  said  that  the  views  expressed  in  the 
various  papers  are  those  of  their  respective  authors  and  not  necessarily 
those  of  the  committee.  Nevertheless,  the  committee  will  be  glad  to 
receive  such  corrections  of  fact  or  such  general  criticism  as  may  appear 
to  be  deserved. 


CONSTITUTION  OF  THE  ILLINOIS  STATE  HISTORICAL 

SOCIETY. 


ARTICLE  I— NAME  AND  OBJECTS. 

Section  1.  The  name  of  the  Society  shall  be  the  Illinois  State 
Historical  Society. 

Sec.  2.  The  objects  for  which  it  is  formed  is  to  excite  and 
stimulate  a  general  interest  in  the  history  of  Illinois ;  to  encourage 
historical  research  and  investigation  and  secure  its  promulgation;  to 
collect  and  preserve  all  forms  of  data  in  any  way  bearing  upon  the 
history  of  Illinois  and  its  people. 

ARTICLE  II— OFFICERS  OF  THE  SOCIETY— THEIR  ELEC- 
TION AND  DUTIES. 

Section  1.  The  management  of  the  affairs  of  this  Society  shall 
be  vested  in  a  board  of  fifteen  directors  of  which  board  the  President 
of  the  Society  shall  be  ex-ofdcio  a  member. 

Sec  2.  There  shall  be  a  President  and  as  many  Vice-Presidents, 
not  less  than  three,  as  the  Society  may  determine  at  the  annual  meet- 
ings. The  board  of  directors,  five  of  whom  shall  constitute  a  quorum, 
shall  elect  its  own  presiding  officer,  a  secretary  and  treasurer,  and 
shall  have  power  to  appoint  from  time  to  time  such  officers,  agents 
and  committees  as-  they  may  deem  advisable,  and  to  remove  the  same 
at  pleasure. 

Sec.  3.  The  directors  shall  be  elected  at  the  annual  meetings 
and  the  mode  of  election  shall  be  by  ballot,  unless  by  a  vote  of  a  ma- 
jority of  members  present  and  entitled  to  vote,  some  other  method 
may  be  adopted. 

Sec.  4.  It  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  board  of  directors  diligently 
to  promote  the  objects  for  which  this  Society  has  been  formed  and 
to  this  end  they  shall  have  power:     ■  •     • 

(1)  To  search  out  and  preserve  in  permanent  form  for  the  use 
of  the  people  of  the  State  of  Illinois,  facts  and  data  in  the  history  of 
the  State  and  of  each  county  thereof,  including  the  pre-historic  periods 
and  the  history  of  the  aboriginal  inhabitants  together,  with  biographies 
of  distinguished  persons  who  have  rendered  services  to  the  people  of 
the  State. 

(2)  To  accumulate  and  preserve  for  like  use,  books,  pamphlets, 
newspapers  and  documents  bearing  upon  the  foregoing  topics. 

(3)  To  publish  from  time  to  time  for  like  uses  its  own  transac- 
tions as  well  as  such  facts  and  documents  bearing  upon  its  objects  as 
it  may  secure. 

(4)  To  accumulate  for  like  use  such  articles  of  historic  interest 
as  may  bear  upon  the  history  of  persons  and  places  within  the  State. 


•  (5)  To  receive  by  gift,  grant,  devise,  bequest  or  purchase,  books, 
prints,  paintings,  manuscripts,  libraries,  museums,  moneys  and  other 
property,  real  or  personal,  in  aid  of  the  above  objects. 

(6)  They  shall  have  general  charge  and  control  under  the  direc- 
tion of  the  Board  of  Trustees  of  the  Illinois  State  Historical  Library,  of 
all  property  so  received  and  hold  the  same  for  the  uses  aforesaid  in 
accordance  with  an  act  of  the  Legislature  approved  May  16,  1903,  en- 
titled, "An  Act  to  add  a  new  section  to  an  act  entitled,  'An  Act  to  estab- 
lish the  Illinois  State  Historical  Library  and  to  provide  for  its  care  and 
maintenance,  and  to  make  appropriations  therefor,'  "  approved  May  26, 
1889,  and  in  force  July  1,  1889;  they  shall  make  and  approve  all  con- 
tracts, audit  all  accounts  and  order  their  payment,  and  in  general  see 
to  the  carrying  out  of  the  orders  of  the  Society.  They  may  adopt 
by-laws  not  inconsistent  with  this  Constitution  for  the  management  of 
the  affairs  of  the  Society ;  they  shall  fix  the  times  and  places  for  their 
meetings ;  keep  a  record  of  their  proceedings,  and  make  report  to  the 
Society  at  its  annual  meeting. 

Sec.  5.  Vacancies  in  the  board  of  directors  may  be  filled  by  elec- 
tion by  the  remaining  members,  the  persons  so  elected  to  continue  in 
office  until  the  next  annual  meeting. 

Sec.  6.  The  President  shall  preside  at  all  meetings  of  the  Society, 
and  in  case  of  his  absence  or  inability  to  act,  one  of  the  Vice  Presidents 
shall  preside  in  his  stead,  and  in  case  neither  President  nor  Vice  Presi- 
dent shall  be  in  attendance,  the  Society  may  choose  a  President  pro 
tempore. 

Sec.  7.  The  officers  shall  perform  the  duties  usually  devolving 
upon  such  offices,  and  such  others  as  may  from  time  to  time  be  pre- 
scribed by  the  Society  or  the  board  of  directors.  The  Treasurer  shall 
keep  a  strict  account  of  all  receipts  and  expenditures  and  pay  out  money 
from  the  treasury  only  as  directed  by  the  board  of  directors ;  he  shall 
submit  an  annual  report  of  the  finances  of  the  Society  and  such  other 
matters  as  may  be  committed  to  his  custody  to  the  board  of  directors 
within  such  time  prior  to  the  annual  meetings  as  they  shall  direct,  and 
after  auditing  the  same  the  said  board  shall  submit  said  report  to  the 
Society  at  its  annual  meeting. 

ARTICLE  III— MEMBERSHIP. 

Section  1.  The  membership  of  this  Society  shall  consist  of  five 
classes,  to-wit :    Active,  Life,  Affiliated,  Corresponding,  and  Honorary. 

Sec.  2.  Any  person  may  become  an  active  member  of  this  Society 
upon  payment  of  such  initiation  fee  not  less  than  one  dollar,  as  shall 
from,  time  to  time  be  prescribed  by  the  board  of  directors. 

Sec.  3.  Any  person  entitled  to  be  an  active  member  may,  upon 
payment  of  twenty-five  dollars,  be  admitted  as  a  life  member  with  all 
the  privileges  of  an  active  member  and  shall  thereafter  be  exempt  from 
annual  dues. 

Sec.  4.  County  and  other  historical  societies,  and  other  societies 
engaged  in  historical  or  archaeological  research  or  in  the  preservation 
of  the  knowledge  of  historic  events,  may,  upon  the  recommendation  of 


10 

the  board  of  directors  be  admitted  as  affiliated  members  of  this  Society 
upon  the  same  terms  as  to  the  payment  of  initiation  fees  and  annual 
dues  as  active  and  life  members.  Every  society  so  admitted  shall  be 
entitled  to  one  duly  credited  representative  at  each  meeting  of  the 
Society,  who  shall,  during  the  period  of  his  appointment,  be  entitled  as 
such  representative  to  all  the  privileges  of  an  active  member  except  that 
of  being  elected  to  office;  but  nothing  herein  shall  prevent  such  repre- 
sentative becoming  an  active  or  life  member  upon  like  conditions  as 
other  persons. 

Sec.  5.  Persons  not  active  nor  life  members  but  who  are  willing 
to  lend  their  assistance  and  encouragement  to  the  promotion  of  the 
objects  of  this  Society,  may,  upon  recommendation  of  the  board  of 
directors,  be  admitted  as  corresponding  members. 

Sec.  6.  Honorary  membership  may  be  conferred  at  any  meeting 
of  the  Society  upon  the  recommendation  of  the  board  of  directors  upon 
persons  who  have  distinguished  themselves  by  eminent  services  or 
contributions  to  the  cause  of  history. 

Sec.  7.  Honorary  and  corresponding  members  shall  have  the 
privilege  of  attending  and  participating  in  the  meetings  of  the  Society. 

ARTICLE  IV— MEETINGS  AND  QUORUM. 

Section  1.  There  shall  be  an  annual  meeting  of  this  Society  for 
the  election  of  officers,  the  hearing  of  reports,  addresses  and  historical 
papers  and  the  transaction  of  business  at  such  time  and  place  in  the 
month  of  May  in  each  year  as  may  be  designated  by  the  board  of 
directors,  for  which  meeting  it  shall  be  the  duty  of  said  board  of 
directors  to  prepare  and  publish  a  suitable  program  and  procure  the 
services  of  persons  well  versed  in  history  to  deliver  addresses  or  read 
essays  upon  subjects  germane  to  the  objects  of  this  organization. 

Sec.  2.  Special  meetings  of  the  Society  may  be  called  by  the 
board  of  directors.  Special  meetings  of  the  boards  of  directors  may  be 
called  by  the  President  or  any  two  members  of  the  board. 

Sec.  3.  At  any  meeting  of  the  Society  the  attendance  of  ten  mem- 
bers entitled  to  vote  shall  be  necessary  to  a  quorum. 

ARTICLE  V— AMENDMENTS. 

Section  1.  This  constitution  may  be  amended  by  a  two-thirds 
vote  of  the  members  present  and  entitled  to  vote,  at  any  annual  meeting : 
Provided,  that  the  proposed  amendment  shall  have  first  been  submitted 
to  the  board  of  directors,  and  at  least  thirty  days  prior  to  such  annual 
meeting  notice  of  proposed  action  upon  the  same,  sent  by  the  Secretary 
to  all  the  members  of  the  Society. 


1! 


AN    APPEAL    TO    THE    HISTORICAL    SOCIETY    AND    THE 
GENERAL  PUBLIC. 


Objects  of  Collection  Desired  by  the  Illinois  State  Historical  Library 

and  Society. 

(Members  please  read  this  circular  letter.) 

Books  and  pamphlets  on  American  history,  biography,  and  gene- 
alogy, particularly  those  relating  to  the  West ;  works  on  Indian  tribes, 
and  American  archaeology  and  ethnology ;  reports  of  societies  and  in- 
stitutions of  every  kind,  educational,  economic,  social,  political,  co- 
operative, fraternal,  statistical,  industrial,  charitable ;  scientific  publica- 
tions of  states  or  societies ;  books  or  pamphlets  relating  to  all  wars  in 
which  Illinois  has  taken  part  and  the  wars  with  the  Indians ;  privately 
printed  works ;  newspapers ;  maps  and  charts ;  engravings ;  photo- 
graphs ;  autographs ;  coins ;  antiquities ;  encyclopedias,  dictionaries,  and 
bibliographical  works.     Especially  do  we  desire — 

EVERYTHING  RELATING  TO  ILLINOIS. 

1.  Every  book  or  pamphlet  on  any  subject  relating  to  Illinois,  or 
any  part  of  it ;  also  every  book  or  pamphlet  written  by  an  Illinois  citi- 
zen, whether  published  in  Illinois  or  elsewhere ;  material  for  Illinois 
history ;  old  letters,  journals. 

2.  Manuscripts ;  narratives  of  the  pioneers  of  Illinois ;  original 
papers  on  the  early  history  and  settlement  of  the  territory ;  adventures 
and  conflicts  during  the  early  settlement,  the  Indian  troubles,  or  the 
great  rebellion,  or  other  wars ;  biographies  of  the  pioneers ;  prominent 
citizens  and  public  men  of  every  county,  either  living  or  deceased, 
together  with  their  portraits  and  autographs ;  a  sketch  of  the  settle- 
ments of  every  township,  village  and  neighborhood  in  the  State,  with 
the  names  of  the  first  settlers.  We  solicit  articles  on  every  subject 
connected  with  Illinois  history. 

3.  City  ordinances,  proceedings  of  mayor  and  council ;  reports 
of  committees  of  council ;  pamphlets  or  papers  of  any  kind  printed  by 
authority  of  the  city ;  reports  of  boards  of  trade  and  commercial  asso- 
ciations ;  maps  of  cities  and  plats  of  town  sites  or  of  additions  thereto. 

4.  Pamphlets  of  all  kinds ;  annual  reports  of  societies ;  sermons 
or  addresses  delivered  in  the  State;  minutes  of  church  conventions, 
synods,  or  other  ecclesiastical  bodies  of  Illinois ;  political  addresses ; 
railroad  reports ;  all  such,  whether  published  in  pamphlet  or  newspaper. 

5.  Catalogues  and  reports  of  colleges  and  other  institutions  of 
learning;   annual  or  other  reports  of  school  boards,   school   superin- 


12 

tendents  and  school  committees ;  educational  pamphlets,  programs  and 
papers  of  every  kind,  no  matter  how  small  or  apparently  unimportant. 

6.  Copies  of  the  earlier  laws,  journals  and  reports  of  our  terri- 
torial and  State  Legislatures;  earlier  Governor's  messages  and  reports 
of  State  Officers ;  reports  of  State  charitable  and  other  State  institu- 
tions. 

7.  Files  of  Illinois  newspapers  and  magazines,  especially  com- 
plete volumes  of  past  years,  or  single  numbers  even.  Publishers  are 
earnestly  requested  to  contribute  their  publications  regularly,  all  of 
which  will  be  carefully  preserved  and  bound. 

8.  Maps  of  the  State,  or  of  counties  or  townships,  of  any  date; 
views  and  engravings  of  buildings  or  historic  places ;  drawings  or 
photographs  of  scenery,  paintings,  portraits,  etc.,  connected  with  Illinois 
history. 

9.  Curiosities  of  all  kinds ;  coins,  medals,  paintings ;  portraits ; 
engravings;  statuary;  war  relics;  autograph  letters  of  distinguished 
persons,  etc. 

10.  Facts  illustrative  of  our  Indian  tribes — their  history,  charac- 
teristics, religion,  etc.,  sketches  of  our  prominent  chiefs,  orators  and 
warriors,  together  with  contributions  of  Indian  weapons,  costumes, 
ornaments,  curiosities  and  implements ;  also  stone  axes,  spears,  arrow 
heads,  pottery,  or  other  relics. 

In  brief,  everything  that,  by  the  most  liberal  construction,  can 
illustrate  the  history  of  Illinois,  its  early  settlement,  its  progress,  or 
present  condition.  All  will  be  of  interest  to  succeeding  generations. 
Contributions  will  be  credited  to  the  donors  in  the  published  reports  of 
the  Library  and  Society,  and  will  be  carefully  preserved  in  the  State- 
house  as  the  property  of  the  State,  for  the  use  and  benefit  of  the  people 
for  all  time. 

Your  attention  is  called  to  the  important  duty  of  collecting  and 
preserving  everything  relating  to  the  part  taken  by  the  State  of  Illinois 
in  the  late  great  World  War. 

Communications  or  gifts  may  be  addressed,  to  the  Librarian  and 
Secretary. 

(Mrs.)  Jessie  Palmer  Weber. 


PART  I 

RECORD  OF  OFFICIAL  PROCEEDINGS 

1921 


15 


MEETING   OF   THE   DIRECTORS   OF    THE   ILLINOIS   STATE 
HISTORICAL  SOCIETY,  MAY  11,  1921. 


The  directors  of  the  Illinois  State  Historical  Society  met  in  the 
Clerk's  office  in  the  Supreme  Court  building  on  May  11,  1921.  There 
were  present  Doctor  O.  L.  Schmidt,  Mr.  Andrew  Russel,  Mr.  H.  W. 
Clendenin,  Walter  Colyer,  J.  H.  Hauberg,  Charles  H.  Rammelkamp 
and  the  Secretary,  Mrs.  Jessie  Palmer  Weber. 

The  minutes  of  the  last  previous  meeting  of  the  directors  were 
read  and  approved.  The  Secretary's  report  was  read  and  the  various 
items  presented  were  considered.  The  Secretary  spoke  of  the  new  plan 
for  consolidation  of  some  departments  of  the  State  Library  and  of  the 
proposed  new  Division  of  Archives.  Doctor  Rammelkamp  spoke  of 
the  extreme  importance  of  this  step  and  said  that  he  believed  that  the 
Secretary  of  State  was  the  logical  person  to  have  this  work  in  charge. 
The  question  was  asked  as  to  what  constituted  State  Archives,  and 
it  was  the  consensus  of  opinion  of  those  present  that  State  Archives 
include  papers  and  documents  of  the  various  departments  of  the  State 
administration  and  also  may  include  the  records  of  the  counties  of  the 
State.  Some  one  spoke  of  various  letters  of  Mr.  Lincoln  and  Doctor 
Schmidt  said  that  of  course,  these  belonged  to  the  department  of 
biography,  and  that  in  any  event  Mr.  Lincoln  was  not  an  official  of 
the  State  of  Illinois,  and  of  course  anything  relating  to  him  is  of  great 
importance.  Dr.  Schmidt  spoke  of  the  letters  written  by  Mr.  Lincoln 
to  the  War  Governor  Yates  and  said  that  he  understood  that  the 
younger  Governor  Yates  had  sold  them  to  some  dealer  in  New  York 
for  the  sum  of  $3,000,  but  that  this  was  a  rumor  and  he  had  made 
no  effort  to  verify  it. 

The  proposed  State  Park  Commission  bill  was  considered.  Mr. 
Hauberg  spoke  of  the  various  historic  sites  in  and  about  Rock  Island. 
A  memorial  was  presented  from  the  citizens  of  Randolph  County  in 
relation  to  the  proposed  parks  in  that  neighborhood,  particularly  the 
one  known  as  Garrison  Hill.  The  directors  recommended  that  the 
Society  pass  a  resolution  on  the  subject  of  the  purchase  of  these  his- 
toric sites  and  its  approval  of  the  proposed  State  Park  bill. 

The  Librarian  reported  that  the  plan  for  the  purchase  of  the 
property  adjacent  to  the  Lincoln  Home  had  been  received  with  favor 
by  the  Appropriations  Committee  of  the  General  Assembly.  Mr. 
Roberts,  a  member  of  the  House  of  Representatives,  has 
taken  a  great  deal  of  interest  in  the  matter  and  will  take  care  of  it  in 
the  House.  There  is  no  doubt  but  what  a  reasonable  appropriation 
will  be  made. 

The  Secretary  reported  plans  for  the  completion  of  the  work  of 
the  Lincoln  Circuit  Marking  Association  and  the  directors  gave  their 


16 

approval  to  them  and  suggested  that  the  Historical  Society  aid  in  this 
work  in  every  manner  possible. 

The  Secretary  reported  that  plans  were  well  on  foot  to  mark  the 
important  places  in  Springfield  which  were  connected  with  the  life 
of  Abraham  Lincoln  as  a  resident  of  this  city.  The  Secretary  also 
reported  as  to  the  progress  of  the  Centennial  Memorial  Building  and 
said  that  she  hoped  that  within  another  year  the  Library  and  Society 
would  be  able  to  move  into  new  quarters. 

She  reported  on  the  manner  in  which  the  names  to  be  engraved 
on  the  exterior  of  the  building  were  selected.  There  are  28  names 
and  Doctor  Schmidt,  Professor  Greene,  Mr.  Alvord  and  the  Secretary 
of  the  Historical  Society  and  other  persons  were  asked  to  make  a  list 
of  28  persons  connected  with  the  history  of  Illinois  from  the  very 
beginning.  These  lists  were  made  and  as  a  matter  of  course  a  large 
number  of  names  appeared  on  each  list.  After  the  names  appearing 
on  each  list  were  checked  off  those  having  a  preponderance  of  votes 
were  voted  upon  and  in  this  manner  a  list  was  arranged. 

The  Librarian  reported  that  the  records  of  the  State  Council  of 
Defense  including  papers,  films,  etc.,  had  been  turned  over  to  the  Illi- 
nois State  Historical  Library  by  the  Council  when  closing  up  its  busi- 
ness. 

The  Secretary  reported  that  the  Genealogical  Department  of  the 
Library  is  growing  rapidly,  has  many  patrons  and  much  interest 
is  shown  in  this  department  by  persons  studying  family  history  or 
attempting  to  make  up  records  for  entrance  into  hereditary  societies. 
The  chairman  of  the  Genealogical  Committee  will  report  at  length  on 
this  work. 

The  Secretary  also  reported  on  the  progress  of  the  History  of 
the  33d  Division,  by  Lieutenant  Colonel  Frederic  L.  Huidekoper,  now 
in  press.  She  stated  that  the  plan  is  to  produce  the  work  in  three  or 
more  volumes.  The  first  volume  to  be  the  narrative  history  of  the 
entire  movement  of  the  division  from  the  time  it  was  mustered  into 
the  Federal  service  until  mustered  out.  A  copy  of  this  history  will  be 
sent  to  each  member  of  the  division  as  far  as  the  members  can  be 
located.  The  Secretary  requests  that  the  Society  be  urged  to  assist 
in  the  labor  of  finding  the  correct  addresses  of  the  soldiers  of  the 
Division. 

The  President  of  the  Society  has  appointed  in  the  place  of  Mr. 
William  A.,  Meese,  deceased,  Professor  J.  A.  James  as  a  member  of 
the  Committee  to  locate  the  site  of  Fort  Crevecoeur.  The  General 
Assembly  has  appropriated  a  small  sum  of  money  to  place  the  marker 
on  the  site  selected  by  the  Historical  Society  as  the  site  of  the  old 
fort,  the  site  of  which  is  so  much  disputed.  The,  other  members  of 
this  committee  are  Jacob  C.  Thompson  and  Professor  C.  W.  Alvord. 

The  Secretary  spoke  of  the  fact  that  the  committees  of  the  Illinois 
State  Historical  Society  are  doing  very  little  and  urged  the  members 
to  make  suggestions  as  to  committees,  their  personnel  and  duties.  The 
Secretary  reported  that  she  had  sent  letters  to  a  considerable  number 
of  members  of  the  Society  asking  suggestions  for  topics  and  speakers 


17 

for  the  annual  meeting  and  for  publication  in  the  Journal  and  that  she 
had  received  very  satisfactory  response. 

The  Secretary  stated  that  Professor  J.  A.  James,  one  of  the  Direc- 
ors  of  the  Historical  Society,  has  been  invited  to  deliver  a  series  of 
lectures  at  the  University  of  Prague  in  Bohemia  and  he  is  about  this 
time  starting  to  assume  these  duties.  He  will  probably  be  abroad 
through  the  summer  and  is  accompanied  by  Mrs.  James.  It  was  sug- 
gested that  the  best  wishes  of  the  Society  go  with  Professor  and  Mrs. 
James  for  their  good  health  and  for  the  success  of  the  lecture  course. 

The  Secretary  also  reported  that  Professor  E.  B.  Greene  usually 
unfailing  in  his  attendance  on  the  meetings  of  the  Society  is  doing 
some  special  work  in  the  libraries  of  Cambridge  and  Boston  and  will 
be  unable  to  be  present. 

The  Secretary  reported  the  deaths  of  a  large  number  of  the 
members  of  the  Historical  Society,  among  them  being  two  directors, 
Mr.  William  R.  Curran  and  Mr.  Clinton  S.  Conkling.  She  also  spoke 
of  the  death  of  Doctor  J.  F.  Snyder,  one  of  the  founders  of  the  Society 
and  one  of  the  most  interested  and  painstaking  historians  of  Illinois. 
She  spoke  of  the  death  of  Mrs.  Alice  Edwards  Ferguson,  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Society,  who  had  always  been  most  interested  in  the  work. 
Mrs.  Ferguson  was  a  member  of  an  historic  family,  being  the  daughter 
of  Judge  Benjamin  S.  Edwards  and  the  granddaughter  of  Governor 
Ninian  Edwards,  territorial  and  State  Governor  and  United  States 
Senator.  Other  members  deceased  were  also  mentioned.  The  report 
of  the  Secretary  was  read  with  attention,  was  approved  and  it  was 
directed  that  it  be  read  at  the  business  meeting  of  the  Society. 


18 


BUSINESS  MEETING  OF  THE  ILLINOIS  STATE  HISTORICAL 
SOCIETY,    WEDNESDAY,  MAY  11,  1921. 


The  annual  business  meeting  of  the  Illinois  State  Historical 
Society  was  held  in  the  Supreme  Court  Building,  Wednesday,  May 
11,  1921,  President,  Doctor  Otto  L.  Schmidt,  presiding. 

The  first  order  of  business  was  a  call  for  the  reading  of  the  min- 
utes of  the  previous  meeting.  As  they  had  been  published  in  the  1920 
Transactions  of  the  Society,  this  formality  was  dispensed  with. 

The  Chairman  then  called  for  the  reading  of  reports,  the  first 
being  that  of  Secretary-Treasurer  of  the  Society.  Miss  Osborne,  the 
Assistant  Secretary  of  the  Society  and  Chairman  of  the  Genealogical 
Committee,  was  called  upon  to  give  the  report  of  that  committee. 

The  next  order  of  business  was  the  reports  from  the  various  local 
Historical    Societies. 

Mr.  Ensley  Moore  of  Jacksonville  took  a  point  of  order  and 
asked  if  it  would  not  be  necessary  to  take  action  on  the  two  reports 
submitted.  Doctor  Schmidt  replied  as  there  were  no  objections  to 
either  report  they  stood  approved. 

Mr.  Moore  stated  that  he  wanted  to  suggest  that  the  Society  rise 
in  respect  to  the  departed  members  and  that  the  Reverend  Ira  W. 
Allen  be  asked  to  make  a  prayer. 

Doctor  Schmidt  requested  that  the  Society  arise  in  reverential 
memory  of  those  who  have  passed  on  and  Reverend  Ira  W.  Allen 
offered  prayer. 

The  Chairman  then  requested  that  the  local  Historical  Society 
reports  be  given.  Doctor  Rammelkamp  was  called  upon  for  the  report 
from  Morgan  County  and  stated  his  Society  was  not  particularly  active 
at  this  time.  That  during  the  Centennial  year  they  cooperated  with 
the  Centennial  Commission  and  the  other  counties  in  putting  on  an  his- 
torical pageant  at  that  time.  Since  then  the  Society  has  been  rather 
quiescent,  but  will  probably  become  active  again  as  Morgan  County 
will  soon  celebrate  its  own  centennial. 

Mr.  Hauberg  spoke  for  Rock  Island  County.  He  told  of  the 
placing  of  cases  in  the  corridor  of  the  County  Court  House ;  one  case 
contained  exclusively  Indian  relics,  another  pioneer  relics  and  the  third 
a  mixture.  People  as  they  come  through  from  all  parts  of  the  State 
and  county  see  these  cases,  are  attracted  by  them  and  through  this  in- 
terest the  County  is  constantly  receiving  relics  because  the  people 
seeing  these  things  are  reminded  of  things  they  have  at  home. 


19 

Mrs.  Weber  stated  she  had  received  reports  from  County  His- 
torical Societies  as  follows : 

Galesburg,  Illinois, 
May  9,  1921. 
From  Knox  County. 
Sec'y  Illinois  State  Hist.  Society. 

My  Dear  Mrs.  Weber:  My  brief  report  concerning  the  present  status  of 
the  Knox  County  Historical  Society  has  been  delayed  from  various  causes. 
I  am  now  sending  you  a  special  delivery  letter,  hoping  it  may  reach  you 
before  the  meeting  of  tomorrow  morning  has  progressed  beyond  the  report 
from  the  various  counties.  As  you  already  know,  our  Knox  County  organiza- 
tion has  been  inactive  for  some  years.  The  war,  politics  and  disturbed  con- 
ditions in  general  have  been  unfavorable  to  the  renewal  of  our  activities. 
T  am  hoping  that  some  time  we  may  take  on  new  life  and  action.  I  am  trying 
hard  to  bring  that  good  time  about.  In  the  meantime  the  officers  continue  in 
their  respective  offices  until  their  successors  are  appointed,  and  so  I  will 
report  the  following  officers: 

Mr.  Fred  R.  Jelliff,  editor  of  the  Galesburg  Republican-Register  is  the 
acting  President,  since  the  death  of  Dr.  J.  P.  Standish,   (President). 

Mrs.  Charles  Ashley  Webster,  Secretary. 

Mr.  James  H.  Lacey   (?),  Treasurer. 

Mr.  W.  F.  Boyes,  County  Superintendent  of  Schools,  is  acting  Vice  Pres- 
ident. 

The  four  above  named  represent  the  present  active  interest  in  the  organ- 
ization. It  was  not  possible  for  either  one  of  us  to  attend  the  meeting, 
although  we  all  would  have  been  very  glad  to  do  so. 

Very  truly  yours, 

Martha  Farnam  Webster, 
(Mrs.  Charles  Ashley  Webster) 


Apt.  1,  144  West  Simmons  St., 

Galesburg,  Illinois. 
The  following  was  received  from  St.  Clair  County: 
St.  Clair  County  was  131  years  old  on  April  27th.  It  was  the  first  county 
organized  in  the  Northwest  Territory.  We  have  the  oldest  and  most  valuable 
historical  repository  in  the  State  at  Belleville,  the  county  seat.  The  oldest 
civil  record  west  of  the  Alleghany  Mountains  is  here;  it  dates  back  to  1737, 
and  is  bound  in  hog-hide.  We  have  a  County  Historical  Association  composed 
of  27  members. 

Respectfully, 

(Signed)     J.  Nick  Perrin, 
President  St.  Clair  County  Hist.  Assn. 

From  Kankakee  County. 

Kankakee,  Illinois, 
May  9,  1921. 
To  Officers  and  Members  of  the  Illinois  State  Historical  Society,  in  Session 
at  Springfield,  Illinois,  May  10th  and  11th,  1921  : 

A  hearty  greeting  of  the  officers  and  members  of  the  Kankakee  County 
Historical  Society  is  extended,  and  an  earnest  wish  for  the  successful  carry- 
ing out  of  the  very  interesting  and  entertaining  program  prepared  for  the 
edification  of  those  in  attendance.  Sorry  not  to  be  able  to  enjoy  the  interest- 
ing features  of  the  session. 

Very  Respectfully  and  Sincerely, 

Benjamin  F.  Uran, 
President  Kankakee  County  Historical  Society. 


20 

Marseilles,  Illinois, 
May  9,  1921. 
Secretary  State  Historical  Society, 

Springfield,  Illinois: 
Dear  Madam: — The  invitation  to  the  Manlius-Rutland  Historical  Sbciety 
received.     The  society  regrets  that  it  is  unable  to  send  a  personal  delegate 
to  Springfield  to  attend  the  annual  meeting  of  the  Illinois  State  Historical 
Society  on  Wednesday,  May  11th,  1921. 

At  a  meeting  held  this  afternoon,  the  society,  by  resolution,  instructed 
the  secretary  to  convey  to  the  meeting  of  the  Illinois  State  Historical  Society 
their  appreciation  of  the  invitation  extended  to  them,  and  desire  to  report 
to  your  meeting  that  the  Manlius-Rutland  Historical  Society  is  meeting 
regularly  each  month,  and  are  engaged  in  general  research  work  relating 
to  the  history  of  the  two  townships  in  which  the  city  of  Marseilles  is  located, 
and  collecting  and  preserving  all  historical  data  pertaining  to  this  locality. 

With  cordial  greeting  and  best  wishes  for  the  success  of  the  State  meet- 
ing, I  remain  sincerely  yours, 

Petet  M.  Mac  Arthur, 

Secretary. 

Mr.  Owen  Scott  spoke  for  Macon  County.  Said  that  the  Society 
was  moving  along  with  no  great  efficiency,  but  that  Judge  McCoy  was 
doing  his  best  to  keep  the  Society  together,  and  its  progress  is  reason- 
ably satisfactory.  He  stated  that  Decatur  had  many  historical  inter- 
ests—the organization  of  the  G.  A.  R.  occurred  in  Decatur.  Here  also 
Lincoln's  name  as  a  candidate  for  president  was  presented  for  the  first 
time  to  a  Convention. 

Mr.  L.  J.  Freese  represented  the  Woodford  County  Historical 
Society.  Told  about  the  number  of  relics  they  had.  Some  years  ago 
he  stated  he  took  steps  to  arrange  an  exhibit  to  show  the  people  of  his 
locality  the  necessity  of  having  a  museum  for  that  county.  The 
Society  was  very  active  until  the  war  came,  then  interest  waned  and 
was  diverted  to  other  channels,  but  the  Society  is  now  planning  to 
renew  their  efforts.  He  stated  that  the  County  has  the  old  Court  House 
in  which  Lincoln  practiced  law.  That  during  his  absence  in  the  South 
effort  was  made  to  have  the  Legislature  appropriate  a  sum  to  take 
over  this  building. 

Mr.  Freese  stated  that  his  home  was  one  of  the  oldest  in  the 
county,  and  ever  since  he  was  a  boy  he  had  collected  relics  and  that 
he  had  over  4,000  in  his  collection  containing  Indian  points.  He  has 
now  sold  his  home  and  does  not  know  what  will  become  of  the  relics. 
If  his  county  had  a  museum  he  would  present  his  collection. 

Doctor  Schmidt  suggested  that  they  be  given  to  the  State  His- 
torical Society  and  was  greeted  with  a  chorus  of  approvals  from  the 
members.  Doctor  Schmidt  then  spoke  of  an  archaeological  survey  for 
the  State  and  said  how  backward  we  were  on  the  archaeological  his- 
tory of  the  State.  Told  how  famous  Ohio  had  become  on  account  of 
its  collection.  Wisconsin,  too,  had  a  large  collection.  How  tourists 
were  going  there  to  look  at  the  Indian  relics,  mounds,  etc.,  each  year. 
Illinois  had  done  practically  nothing  on  this  line.  He  spoke  of  the 
bill  before  the  House  of  Representatives  for  the  purchase  of  historic 
and  beauty  spots  and  stated  that  if  this  were  done  we  would  thus  prob- 
ably secure  Cahokia  Mound  and  Black  Hawk's  watch  tower.  Stated 
little  was  known  in  Illinois  generally  about  this  archaeological  material. 


21 

Told  about  seeing  an  axe  2  feet  long,  probably  the  largest  in  the  coun- 
try, which  was  found  in  the  American  bottoms  near  Alton,  Illinois,  in 
a  museum  outside  of  this  state.  Missouri  has  a  large  collection  of 
Indian  tools.  In  one  museum  he  said  a  ceremonial  knife  and  other 
objects  which  came  from  Illinois — the  American  Bottoms — and  yet 
there  is  no  place  in  this  State  where  you  can  see  these  things.  Stated 
there  should  be  a  survey  to  know  where  these  mounds  are  and  what 
to  do  for  them.  Doctor  Schmidt  then  told  about  a  letter  that  had  been 
received  from  Winnebago  County,  telling  of  the  mound  in  that  county. 

Mr.  Moore  suggested  that  action  be  taken  toward  securing  the 
Woodford   County   collection. 

Mr.  Freese  stated  there  were  30  or  40  so  called  Indian  mounds 
that  had  been  ploughed  over.  Told  of  skeletons  having  been  removed 
from  them  and  taken  out  of  the  county,  and  hoped  that  there  would 
be  a  survey. 

Mr.  Colyer  spoke  of  a  collection  of  Indian  relics  of  which  he  had 
knowledge. 

The  Chairman  asked  for  further  reports.  Mr.  Bates  made  the 
report  for  Tazewell  County  and  spoke  of  the  loss  of  Judge  Curran,  the 
President  of  the  Society.  He  spoke  briefly  on  the  Union  League  and 
gave  a  list  of  the  names  of  the  first  council  of  that  League. 

Doctor  Schmidt  called  his  attention  to  the  paper  of  the  afternoon 
on  that  subject  and  asked  for  further  reports. 

Mr.  Lodge  made  the  report  for  Piatt  County.  He  stated  they 
had  a  room  in  the  Court  house  and  were  developing  a  museum  on  cer- 
tain lines — cooking  utensils,  fire  places,  weaving,  etc.,  of  the  pioneers. 
That  the  Lincoln  Circuit  had  been  privately  marked  in  their  county. 
Fort  Clark-Wabash  Trail  marked.  Place  where  arrangements  were 
made  for  the  Lincoln-Douglas  Debates  marked.  Have  a  full  line  of 
exemption  cards  used  by  the  Exemption  Board.  Have  letters  and 
portraits  of  all  the  boys  from  the  county  in  the  Service.  A  cabin  on 
the  banks  of  the  river  that  next  fall  will  be  one  hundred  years  old 
and  which  was  the  first  built  in  the  county.  Expect  to  celebrate  at  that 
time. 

Mrs.  I.  G.  Miller  of  Springfield  said  she  had  no  report  to  make, 
but  spoke  of  the  effort  of  business  men  of  this  city  to  have  the  present 
court  house,  (the  Third  Capitol  of  Illinois),  torn  down  to  make  room 
for  municipal  buildings,  and  desired  that  the  Historical  Society  vigor- 
ously protest  against  any  such  action. 

Doctor  Schmidt  asked  if  there  was  any  further  business.  Mr. 
Hauberg  moved  the  appointment  of  a  Nominating  Committee. 

Before  action  was  taken  on  this  motion,  Rev.  Ira  W.  Allen,  of 
LaGrange,  presented  resolutions  as  follows: 

Whereas,  Old  Kaskaskia  was  the  center  of  French  influence  in  the  upper 
Mississippi  Valley,  the  key  to  the  control  of  the  Northwest  by  Great  Britain, 
Virginia  and  the  United  States,  the  capital  of  Illinois  Territory,  and  the 
first  capital  of  the  State,  and  is  peculiarly  the  shrine  of  historic  interest  and 
memory  for  Illinois;  and, 

Whereas,  There  has,  been  introduced  into  the  Senate  of  the  Fifty-second 
General  Assembly  House  Bill  No.  310  entitled,  "An  Act  in  relation  to  State 
Parks  and  Preserves,"  providing  an  appropriation  of  $500,000  for  the  pur- 
chase of  parks  and  historic  sites;  and, 


22 

Whereas,  There  has  also  been  introduced  into  the  Senate  House  Bill 
526  entitled,  "An  Act  making  an  appropriation  for  the  purpose  of  creating 
and  establishing  a  State  Park  on  what  is  called  the  "Garrison  Hill  Tract," 
providing  an  appropriation  of  $25,000  for  the  purchase  for  a  public  park  of 
old  Garrison  Hill. 

Resolved,  That  the  Illinois  State  Historical  Society  in  its  annual  meeting 
is  deeply  interested  in  the  project  of  the  preservation  of  this  historic  site, 
the  site  of  Black  Hawk's  watch  tower  and  other  historic  sites  in  the  State, 
and  earnestly  urges  its  accomplishment  under  the  terms  of  one  or  the  other 
bill,  whichever  may  to  the  Governor  and  the  General  Assembly  seem  more 
expedient. 

Resolved,  That  copies -of  these  resolutions  be  transmitted  by  the  secretary 
of  the  society  to  the  Honorable  Len  Small,  Governor  of  Illinois,  to  the  Hon- 
orable Fred  Sterling,  Lieutenant  Governor,  and  to  the  Honorable  Gotthard 
Dahlberg,  Speaker  of  the  House  of  Representatives. 

On  motion,  this  resolution  was  seconded  and  passed. 

Mr.  Hauberg  asked  if  this  was  not  taken  care  of  in  Mrs.  Weber's 
report  and  was  told  her's  was  merely  a  suggestion. 

The  matter  of  a  nominating  committee  was  then  taken  up  and 
on  motion  the  appointment  of  this  committee  was  made  by  the  Chair- 
man as  follows: 

Mrs.  I.  G.  Miller,  Mrs.  Isabel  Jamison,  Mr.  Lodge,  Miss  Lotte 
E.  Jones  and  Mr.  Freese.    The  committee  retired  to  the  ante  room. 

Doctor  Schmidt  then  called  upon  Mrs.  Chubbuck,  State  Regent 
of  the  D.  A.  R.  for  a  short  talk. 

Mrs.  Cubbuck  said  that  as  a  D.  A.  R.  she  was  deeply  interested 
in  the  historical  work  of  the  organization  as  well  as  that  of  other 
organizations  of  the  State.  That  with  these  societies  combined  and 
the  same  object  before  us,  we  will  accomplish  much  that  will  prove 
valuable  to  us  of  today  and  to  those  who  follow  us. 

She  thought  the  movement  to  encourage  the  young  people  of  this 
State  to  read  and  search  for  these  gems  of  history  is  most  commend- 
able and  deserves  time  and  thought  in  its  organization  and  develop- 
ment. It  is  not  one  of  the  least  valuable  issues  of  this  movement 
that  it  will  greatly  enrich  the  lives  of  our  children.  She  assured  the 
Society  of  the  cooperation  of  the  State  D.  A.  R.  She  then  spoke  of 
the  formation  of  an  Historical  Commission  and  of  its  great  value  to 
the  State.  She  told  of  how  much  the  D.  A.  R.  had  accomplished  in 
preserving  historical  spots,  documents  and  relics  and  in  encouraging 
historical  research  and  of  how  much  interested  they  were  in  the  for- 
mation of  an  Historical  Commission  in  the  State  of  Illinois. 

Mrs.  Chubbuck  spoke  of  the  Michigan  Historical  Commission 
and  said  she  realized  that  changes  would  have  to  be  made  to  adapt 
the  plan  for  Illinois.  She  stated  that  Mrs.  Weber,  the  Secretary  of 
the  State  Historical  Society,  had  been  appointed  by  the  Illinois  Con- 
ference of  the  D.  A.  R.  to  look  into  this  and  make  plans  for  this 
Commission.  That  the  two  societies  could  cooperate  in  the  work  and 
get   a  bill  through   the   Illinois   Legislature. 

Doctor  Schmidt,  the  chairman,  then  called  for  the  report  of  the 
Nominating  Committee  which  had  returned  to  the  room.  The  Chair- 
man, Mrs.  Miller,  reported  the  nominations  as  follows : 

President — Dr.  Otto  L.  Schmidt,  Chicago. 


23 

Vice  Presidents — George  A.  Lawrence,  Galesburg;  L.  Y.  Sher- 
man, Springfield ;  Richard  Yates,  Springfield ;  Ensley  Moore,  Jackson- 
ville; Charles  L.  Capen,  Bloomington. 

Directors. 

Edmund   J.    James. 

E.  B.  Greene,  University  of  Illinois,  Urbana. 

Mrs.  Jessie  Palmer  Weber,  Springfield. 

Charles  H.  Rammelkamp,  Illinois  College,  Jacksonville. 

George  W.  Smith,  Southern  111.  State  Normal  School,  Carbondale. 

Richard   V.   Carpenter,   Belvidere. 

Edward  C.  Page,  Northern  111.  State  Normal  School,  DeKalb. 

Andrew   Russel,   Jacksonville. 

Walter   Colyer,   Albion. 

James  A.  James,   Northwestern  University,   Evanston. 

H.  W.  Clendenin,  Springfield. 

John  H.   Hauberg,   Rock   Island. 

Orrin  N.  Carter,  Evanston. 

Stuart  Brown,  Springfield. 

Rev.  Ira  W.  Allen,  LaGrange. 

Secretary  and  Treasurer — Mrs.  Jessie  Palmer  Weber,  Springfield. 

Assistant  Secretary — Miss  Georgia  L.  Osborne,  Springfield. 

It  was  moved  and  seconded  that  the  report  of  the  nominating 
committee  be  accepted.     Motion  passed,  and  the  report  was  adopted. 

Mr.  James  M.  Graham  moved  that  the  candidates  named  by  the 
Nominating  Committee  be  now  elected  and  that  the  Secretary  be  in- 
structed to  cast  the  ballot  at  the  meeting  for  those  nominations.  This 
motion  was  seconded  and  passed.  The  Secretary  cast  the  ballot  for 
the   Society. 

Doctor  Schmidt  stated  the  next  order  of  business  was  the  me- 
morial of  Judge  W.  R.  Curran  by  Mr.  Dempsey,  who  was  present 
and  gave  his  paper. 

At  the  conclusion  of  Mr.  Dempsey's  paper  Mr.  John  Glenn  was 
called  upon  for  his  paper  on  "The  Industrial  Development  of  Illinois/ 
at  the  conclusion  of  which  Mr.  Pringle  of  Chicago  made  a  motion  that 
the  thanks  of  the  Society  be  given  Mr.  Glenn  for  his  splendid  con- 
tribution. 

The  Society  then  adjourned  until  2  :45  in  the  afternoon. 

Report  of  Committee  of  Genealogy. 
To  the  Members  of  the  Illinois  State  Historical  Society: 

Your  Committee  on  Genealogy  and  Genealogical  Publications  begs 
leave  to  report  that,  "The  Ancestor  Industry  never  lags."  "After  each  war 
there  is  again  the  popular  interest  in  ancestral  and  family  trees.  Genealo- 
gists object  to  the  idea  that  there  is  a  revival  in  genealogy  now  going  on. 
because  they  say  that  a  revival  implies  a  lull  of  interest,  and  there  has  been 
no  lull.  Any  way  you  put  it,  since  the  war  there  has  been  a  great  deal  of 
ancestry  hunting.  Boys  who  fought  in  France  met  other  boys  with  the  same 
surname  or  some  odd  given  name  that  ran  in  families,  and  after  they  became 
acquainted  they  would  ask  are  you  related  to  the  Stewarts  of  Illinois,  the 
Strouds  of  North  Carolina,  or  the  Headleys  of  Kentucky,  or  whatever  the 
name  might  have  been,  and  as  a  rule,  the  answer  would  be,  "I  do  not  know." 

In  our  library  we  have  had  many  of  these  returned  soldiers  looking  up 
their  ancestors  in  former  wars.     The  Ter-Centenary  of  the  Mayflower  cele- 


24 

brations  renewed  interest  in  the  Pilgrims,  and  the  Mayflower  passengers. 
Our  workers  along  this  line  are  our  most  industrious  students.  One  young 
man  has  at  last  been  successful  in  tracing  his  ancestors  to  one  or  more  of 
the  Mayflower  passengers. 

We  have  recently  purchased  a  set  of  "The  Mayflower  Descendant,"  a 
quarterly  magazine  of  Pilgrim  genealogy  and  history,  published  by  the 
Massachusetts  society  of  Mayflower  descendants.  We  have  also  subscribed 
to  The  Boston  Transcript,  as  on  Wednesdays  and  Saturdays  of  each  week 
they  have  a  genealogical  department  as  well  as  a  fine  one  on  Book  Reviews. 

We  are  adding  from  time  to  time  to  our  collection  the  books  which  will 
be  most  valuable  to  our  workers.  Have  recently  secured  five  volumes  of  the 
Delaware  Archives,  published  by  the  Public  Archives  Commission  of  Dela- 
ware, two  volumes  and  index  of  Rhode  Island,  Civil  and  Military  Lists  cover- 
ing the  period  from  1647-185'0.  This  latter  an  exchange  for  our  centennial 
publications. 

We  asked  the  State  Regent  of  the  Daughters  of  the  American  Revolution, 
Mrs.  H.  C.  Chubbuck,  to  appoint  a  committee  on  genealogy  in  the  D.  A.  R., 
and  if  their  chairman  could  suggest  a  list  of  books  that  would  be  of  service 
to  the  Daughters  in  searching  out  family  history  we  would  be  glad  to  pur- 
chase them  for  our  collection.  Our  reference  work  by  mail  increases  and 
in  most  instances  we  have  been  able  to  supply  the  information,  if  not  to  put 
the  questioner  in  touch  with  persons  or  places  where  such  material  could 
be  obtained. 

The  gifts  to  the  department  we  acknowledged  through  the  Journal  of 
the  Historical  Society.    Some  recent  ones,  however,  are  the  following: 

Mrs.  Charles  EL  Knapp,  historian  of  the  Springfield  Chapter,  D.  A.  R., 
has  recently  made  a  map  of  Sangamon  County,  showing  the  location  of  the 
graves  of  the  Revolutionary  soldiers  buried  in  the  county;  also  the  location 
of  the  graves  of  "Real  Daughters."  This  map  has  the  old  post  roads  and 
Indian  trails  marked.  Mrs.  Knapp  has  also  compiled  many  interesting 
events  connected  with  Sangamon  County,  Illinois,  in  which  we  were  of 
service  to  her,  and  this  material  has  been  given  to  the  library. 

In  family  histories  we  have  received  the  following: 

The  Conkling  Family.  Typewritten  copy,  gift  of  Miss  Alice  Conkling, 
sister  of  the  late  Clinton  L.  Conkling,  one  of  our  directors. 

The  Devon  Carys.  Two  volumes.  Gift  of  Mr.  Fairfax  Harrison,  of 
Farquier  County  Virginia. 

The  Ewing  Family.  The  Ewing  Genealogy  with  cognate  branches.  Gift 
of  Judge  Presley  K.  Ewing,  of  Houston,  Texas. 

The  Minor  Family.  The  Diary  of  Manasset  Minor,  Stonington,  Conn., 
1696-1720.  Prepared  by  Frank  Denison  Minor  with  the  assistance  of  Miss 
Hannah  Miner,  1915.     Gift  of  Mrs.  Lewis  H.  Miner,  Springfield,  Illinois. 

Morgan  Family.  Francis  Morgan,  an  early  Virginia  Burgess  and  some 
of  his  descendants.  By  Annie  Noble  Sims,  from  the  notes  of  Mr.  William 
Owen  Nixon  Scott,  and  original  sources.  Savannah,  Ga.,  1920.  Gift  of  Mrs. 
William  Irwin  Sims. 

Sewall  Family.  Gift  of  Miss  Helen  Goodell,  of  Beardstown,  Illinois. 
Miss  Goodell  has  deposited  in  the  library  a  diary  of  her  ancestor,  William 
Sewall,  son  of  Gen.  Henry  Sewall,  on  officers  in  the  Revolutionary  War  and 
War  of  1812.  William  Sewall  came  to  Illinois  from  Augusta,  Maine,  and  kept 
this  diary  from  Sept.  1,  1819,  to  the  date  of  his  death,  1845,  at  Chandlerville, 
Cass  County  Illinois.  There  are  many  letters  and  documents  also  in  this 
collection  from  the  Revolutionary  ancestor,  Gen.  Henry  Sewall. 

Wood  Family,  of  Shelf,  Halifax,  Yorkshire,  England,  Massachusetts, 
Connecticut,  Long  Island,  N.  Y.,  and  Canada,  written  by  Dr.  Casey  A.  Wood. 
Gift  of  Dr.  Casey  A.  Wood,  M.  D.,  M.  R.  C.  U.  S.  Army.     Chicago,  1920. 

Mrs.  Weber  has  suggested  that  we  have  a  department  in  the  Journal 
called  "The  Genealogical  Department,  Notes  and  Queries."  If  this  is  done 
we  will  solicit  aid  from  the  members  of  the  society  and  trust  we  will  have 
your  hearty  support,  so  as  to  make  the  department  one  of  mutual  benefit. 

Respectfully  submitted, 

Georgia  L.  Osborne, 
Chairman  Genealogical  Committee, 
Illinois  State  Historical  Society. 


25 


PROGRAM   OF   THE    TWENTY-SECOND    ANNUAL   MEETING 
ILLINOIS  STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY. 


Order  of  Exercises. 
Tuesday  Evening,  May  10,  1921. 
Supreme  Court  Room. 
Illinois. 
Invocation. 

Address Art  in  Historic  Communities 

R.  E.  Hieronymus,  Community  Advisor  University  of  Illinois,  Urbana. 
Music. 

Address Illinois  History  and  Ideals  of  Beauty 

Lorado  Taft,  Chicago. 

Song Hail  Illinois 

The  Springfield  Art  Association  invites  the  Historical  Society  and  its  guests 
to  attend  a  Tea  and  Exhibition  at  Historic  Edwards'  Place  on  Tuesday 
afternoon,  May  tenth,  at  three  o'clock. 

Wednesday  Morning,  May  11,  1921. 
9.  A.  M.     Directors  Meeting  in  Conference  Room. 

Supreme  Court  Room. 
10  A.  M.     Annual  Business  Meeting  of  the  Society. 
Reports  of  Officers. 
The    Secretary's    Report — Includes   brief    biographies    of    deceased 

members  of  the  Society. 
Reports  of  Committees. 
Greetings  from  Local  Historical  Societies,  limited  to  five  minutes 

each. 
Unfinished  Business. 
Miscellaneous. 
Election  of  Officers. 
Memorial  on  the  Life  and  Services  of  William  R.  Curran,  late  a  Director  of 
the  Illinois  State  Historical  Society,  and  President  of  the  Lincoln  Cir- 
cuit Marking  Association,  by 

Ralph  Dempsey,  Pekin,  111. 

Address The  Industrial  Development  of  Illinois 

J.  M.  Glenn,  Chicago. 
12:30  O'Clock.    Luncheon— St.  Nicholas  Hotel. 

Address Poets   and   Poetry   of   Illinois 

Mr.  Stuart  Brown,  Springfield. 

Wednesday  Afternoon. 

2:45  O'Clock. 

Address Some  Governmental  Problems  in  the  Northwest  Territory 

Chester  J.  Attig,  Northwestern  College,  Naperville,  111. 

Address Indian  Trails  Centering  at  Black  Hawk's  Village 

John  H.  Hauberg,  Rock  Island. 
Address — The  Union  League — Its  Organization  and  Achievements  During  the 
Civil  War. 

E.  Bentley  Hamilton,  Peoria. 

Address Peter  Cartwright  in  the  History  of  Illinois 

William  W.  Sweet,  De  Pauw  University,  Greencastle,  Ind. 
Wednesday  Evening. 
Supreme  Court  Room. 
The  Illinois  Hymn. 
Songs. 

Annual  Address The  Making  of  Abraham  Lincoln 

William  E.  Barton,  Oak  Park,  111. 
Reception. 


26 


ANNUAL  REPORT  OF  THE  SECRETARY  OF  THE  ILLINOIS 
STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY. 


Members  of  the  Society : 

I  beg  to  submit  to  you  my  report  as  Secretary  of  the  Society  for 
the  year  ending  this  day,  May  11,  1921. 

Each  year  I  must  of  necessity  tell  you  of  the  same  duties  and 
accomplishments,  for  the  main  objects  of  our  work  do  not  change. 
The  Society  has,  I  believe,  made  a  real  growth  in  influence.  The  Sec- 
retary receive  many  letters  commending  our  work,  congratulating  us 
upon  some  particular  piece  of  work  or  upon  our  general  progress. 

The  New  Centennial  Memorial  Building. 
We  are  looking  forward  now  to  moving  into  the  new  Centennial 
Memorial  building,  where  we  will  have  better  facilities  in  every  way. 
We  will  be  sorry  to  leave  the  Capitol  building,  because  of  its  close 
proximity  to,  and  close  co-operation  with — other  departments  of  the 
State  work.  It  has  been  so  easy  for  friends  to  come  into  the  Library 
when  visiting  the  State  House,  and  members  of  the  Legislature  have 
brought  in  new  members  and  told  them  of  the  work  of  the  Society,  and 
we  have  made  many  staunch  friends  in  this  way.  We  think  we  have 
been  of  service,  too,  to  members  of  the  General  Assembly  and  other 
State  officials  in  research  work,  and  our  newspaper  files  have  been  most 
popular.  We  will  probably  miss  this  close  association,  but  we  hope  our 
rooms  will  be  so  attractive  and  our  material  so  well  arranged  and  our 
service  so  much  more  efficient  as  to  more  than  compensate  for  the 
losses  above  mentioned.  There  will  be  telephone  service  to  the  State 
House,  and  there  will  be  two  tunnels  between  the  new  building  and  the 
Capitol  building,  one  for  foot  passengers  and  one  will  be  a  service  tun- 
nel. We  hope  that  next  year  our  Annual  Meeting  will  be  held  in  the 
Auditorium  of  the  new  building  and  that  the  Society  will  be  settled  in 
its  permanent  home.  The  auditorium  will  comfortably  seat  about  500 
people.  It  will  have  a  stage,  a  screen  for  moving  picture  films,  etc.  It 
is  expected  that  the  room  will  be  used  for  many  small  conventions.  On 
the  second  main  floor  will  be  the  reading  rooms  and  offices  of  the  two 
libraries,  the  State  Library  and  the  State  Historical  Library  and  Soci- 
ety. The  steel  book  stacks,  which  it  is  contemplated  will  eventually 
house  more  than  a  half  million  books,  will  not  all  be  erected  at  present, 
but  there  will  be  ample  room  for  both  libraries  and  allowance  made 
for  more  rapid  growth  than  has  been  possible  in  our  cramped  quarters. 
One  of  the  main  features  of  the  Historical  Library  will  of  course  be  its 
Lincoln  collection.  A  beautiful  Lincoln  room  will  be  a  part  of  the 
new  equipment. 


27 

Collection  of  Lincolniana. 

The  Library  and  Society  continue  the  search  for  Lincoln  material, 
manuscripts,  books  and  pictures.  Our  collection  is  already  one  of  the 
finest  in  the  country.  It  should  be  the  greatest  and  most  complete  in 
the  world. 

Major  E.  S.  Johnson,  long  custodian  of  the  Lincoln  Monument, 
died  at  Lincoln  Lodge — the  custodian's  house — on  February  15,  1921. 

Mr.  H.  W.  Fay  of  DeKalb,  the  noted  collector  of  Lincolniana  and 
other  historical  material,  has  been  appointed  custodian  of  the  monu- 
ment. This  is  a  most  excellent  appointment.  Mr.  Fay  has  brought 
to  Springfield  his  unique  collection,  and  as  far  as  there  is  space  for  it, 
he  will  place  it  on  exhibition  at  the  monument. 

Newspaper  Files. 

One  of  the  most  important  and  badly  needed  rooms  will  be  the 
basement  rooms  for  newspaper  files.  Our  files  are  now  scattered,  and 
many  of  them  almost  inaccessible,  though  they  are  in  constant  demand, 
and  in  daily,  even  hourly,  use.  During  the  past  year  additions  have 
been  made  to  our  collection  of  files  besides  the  natural  growth  by  the 
completion  of  volumes.  As  I  have  often  before  told  you,  we  suscribe 
to  three  Chicago  daily  papers,  one  St.  Louis  paper,  two  Springfield 
papers,  and  to  newspapers  of  several  of  the  more  important  towns  of 
the  State.  We  bind  the  Chicago  and  St.  Louis  papers  monthly,  and 
the  volumes  are  quite  heavy.  This  makes  36  volumes  a  year.  We  bind 
the  Springfield  papers  and  some  others  every  two  months.  This  makes 
six  volumes  a  year  of  each  newspaper.  Some  of  the  smaller  papers 
we  bind  quarterly,  and  so  on,  according  to  the  size  of  the  papers. 
Their  growth  is  rapid  and  they  require  a  large  amount  of  shelf  room. 

Some  newspapers  have  beeen  added  because  of  the  excellent  his- 
tory of  the  part  taken  by  its  community  during  the  great  war,  which 
they  contain.  We  have  also  added  some  valuable  old  files,  among 
them  the  Illinois  Advocate,  Edwardsville,  1832-1833;  the  Quincy 
Whig,  1838-1850,  and  several  other  early  newspapers  of  the  State. 
The  care  and  binding  of  newspapers  is  laborious  and  expensive,  and 
yet  some  binders  will  not  bid  on  our  work,  as  they  say  there  is  no 
profit  in  it. 

Genealogical  Department. 

Our  genealogical  department,  which  now  suffers  for  want  of  space, 
will  be  conveniently  arranged. 

I  asked  Mrs.  Chubbuck,  State  Regent  of  the  D.  A.  R.,  to  appoint 
a  committee  to  suggest  books  for  a  working  genealogical  library.  She 
asked  one  of  the  best  genealogical  workers  in  the  State  to  make  up 
such  a  list,  which  she  did,  after  consultation  with  the  librarian  of  the 
genealogical  department  of  the  Newberry  Library,  and  kindly  sent 
me  a  list  embracing  some  200  titles  of  works  which  she  considered 
important  for  this  purpose.  We  had  in  the  library  all  but  two  of  the 
books  suggested,  and  we  have  since  acquired  these  two. 

The  chairman  of  our  committee  on  genealogy  will  make  her  annual 
report. 


28 

Labor  and  Problems  of  Moving. 
The  task  of  moving  into  the  new  building  will  be  a  considerable 
one,  but  by  careful  planning  it  can  be  accomplished  expeditiously  and 
much  of  our  present  equipment  can  be  utilized. 

Department  of  Archives  to  be  Organized. 
A  bill  is  before  the  present  General  Assembly  which  contemplates 
among  other  provisions  the  organization  of  a  department  of  Archives 
to  be  a  part  of  the  State  Library.  This  seems  to  be  an  excellent  plan 
as  the  Secretary  of  State  is  the  Librarian  of  the  State  Library  and  he 
is  also  the  natural  custodian  of  State  Archives.  The  Secretary  of 
State  will,  under  the  terms  of  the  law,  have  the  power  of  appointing 
an  archivist. 

Records  of  the  State  Council  of  Defense. 
The  State  Council  of  Defense,  which  did  such  wonderful  work 
for  Illinois  during  the  great  war,  has  turned  over  to  the  Historical 
Library  and  Society  its  great  mass  of  records.  These  cannot  be  col- 
lated until  we  are  in  the  new  building,  but  they  are  well  arranged  in 
separate  boxes,  and  papers  relating  to  certain  departments  can  be 
located  if  needed.  These  records  include  the  films  of  moving  pictures 
which  were  shown  by  the  State  Council  during  the  war. 

The  Gunther  Collection. 
The  great  collection  made  with  such  infinite  pains  and  labor  and 
such  a  great  expenditure  of  money  by  the  late  Mr.  Charles  F.  Gunther, 
who  was  a  member  of  this  society,  has  been  purchased  by  the  Chicago 
Historical  Society  through  a  committee  of  which  Dr.  O.  L.  Schmidt 
was  an  active  member.  The  work  of  arranging  and  classifying  it  is 
being  carried  on  as  rapidly  as  possible.  I  hope  that  at  our  next  meet- 
ing, if  not  before  that  time,  in  the  Journal,  we  can  have  a  description 
of  the  collection  and  the  work  of  arranging  it  presented  to  us  by  Miss 
Caroline  M.  Mcllvaine,  librarian  of  the  Chicago  Historical  Society, 
who  is  giving  much  labor  and  attention  to  this  great  task. 

War  History. 
This  Historical  Library  is  vigorously  pushing  the  collection  of 
material  relating  to  the  history  of  the  part  taken  by  Illinois  in  the 
World  War.  In  my  last  report  I  told  you  that  a  war  history  section 
of  the  library  had  been  inaugurated  with  Mr.  Wayne  E.  Stevens  as 
secretary  in  charge  of  the  work.  Mr.  Stevens  gave  up  this  position 
last  November  to  go  to  Washington  and  assist  in  the  preparation  of 
the  history  of  the  air  service  in  the  late  war.  He  was  succeeded  by 
his  assistant,  Miss  Marguerite  Jenison,  who  had  been  associated  with 
the  work  almost  from  the  beginning.  Miss  Jenison  has  recently  at- 
tended a  meeting  in  Washington  of  the  war  History  Association  in 
which  the  State  of  Illinois  is  represented.  This  is  an  association  of 
officials  of  the  various  states,  which  maintains  for  the  present  a  worker 
in  the  government  archives  at  Washington,  making  a  record  of  the 
papers  contained  therein  relating  to  the  war  work  of  the  several  states. 


29 

Within  the  next  year  or  two  the  Historical  Library  will  publish 
two  volumes,  at  least,  one  containing  statistics  relating  to  Illinois  war 
service,  particularly  in  regard  to  its  civilian  or  auxiliary  service,  the 
Red  Cross,  food  and  fuel  conservation,  the  amount  of  war  material 
furnished  by  Illinois  manufacturers,  etc. ;  the  other  volume  to  be  of 
documents,  largely  from  the  letters  and  diaries  of  the  Illinois  soldiers 
themselves. 

History  33d  Division. 

This  will  be  in  addition  to  the  History  of  the  33d  Division  by  Lieut. 
Col.  F.  L.  Huidekoper,  which  it  is  believed  will  be  ready  for  distribu- 
tion during  the  present  summer.  A  copy  of  this  last  mentioned  history 
is  to  be  sent  to  each  member  of  the  Division  and  to  the  families  of 
deceased  soldiers.  The  officers  of  the  Division  are  taking  great  in- 
terest in  the  history  and  will,  with  the  Posts  of  the  American  Legion, 
furnish  the  lists  of  names  and  addresses  to  which  the  history  is  to  be 
sent.  This  is  another  large  task.  Think  of  sending  out  more  than 
20,000  volumes.  Members,  please  let  the  soldier  boys  of  your  locality 
know  that  the  State  of  Illinois  is  publishing  an  accurate  history  of  the 
Division  written  by  a  scientific  and  eminent  historian  who  was  the 
adjutant  of  the  Division  during  its  service  over  seas.  The  history 
must  not  be  confused  with  any  commercial  history,  no  matter  how 
meritorious  the  commercial  history  may  be.  Governor  Small  is  taking 
the  greatest  interest  in  the  history  and  is  very  desirous  that  each 
soldier  shall  receive  a  copy. 

State  Park  Commission. 

There  is  now  before  the  General  Assembly  a  bill,  the  purpose  of 
which  is  to  create  a  State  Park  Commission,  which  shall  be  an  ad- 
visory commission,  and  shall  have  under  certain  restrictions,  control 
of  State  parks.  It  shall  from  time  to  time  recommend  the  purchase 
of  sites  of  historical  interest  or  scenic  beauty.  The  plan  is  that  this 
commission  shall  consider  the  merits  of  various  sites,  and  shall  gradu- 
ally and  economically  acquire  them,  having  due  regard  to  the  interests 
of  various  localities  of  the  State.  It  is  believed  that  if  this  commission 
is  created  one  of  its  first  objects  will  be  to  acquire  the  Great  Cahokia 
Mound.  This  wonderful  archaeological  relic  should  belong  to  the 
State  of  Illinois.  Its  owners,  the  Ramey  family,  are  anxious  that  it 
should  not  be  destroyed,  but  it  belongs  to  eight  persons,  the  heirs  of 
Thomas  Ramey,  and  they  naturally  desire  to  close  the  estate. 

The  author  of  this  bill  is  Representative  Kauffman  of  Ogle  County. 
Mr.  Kauffman  was  a  soldier  during  the  late  war,  and  saw  service 
across  seas.    He  is  a  member  of  this  society. 

Lincoln  Homestead. 
We  have  several  times  at  our  annual  meetings  called  the  attention 
of  the  people  of  the  State  to  the  constant  danger  of  fire  to  which  the 
Lincoln  Home  is  exposed.  We  have  urgently  called  the  attention 
of  the  State  Department  of  Public  Works  and  Buildings  to  this  menace, 
and  the  department  is  taking  steps  to  improve  the  condition,  and  at 
least  lessen  the  danger.     It  would  be  a  lasting  shame  to  the  State  if 


30 

this  house,  the  only  home  ever  owned  by  Mr.  Lincoln,  and  which  was 
presented  to  the  State  of  Illinois  by  Mr.  Robert  T.  Lincoln,  Mr. 
Lincoln's  only  son,  should  be  destroyed  by  fire  without  every  possible 
safeguard  being  used  to  protect  it.  I  hope  to  have  a  better  report  to 
make  on  this  matter  before  the  next  annual  meeting. 

Marking  Sites  Connected  with  Lincoln  in  Springfield. 
An  association  has  been  formed  in  Springfield,  consisting  of  the 
State  Historical  Society,  D.  A.  R.  and  private  citizens  to  mark  with 
bronze  tablets,  properly  inscribed,  places  in  Springfield  which  are 
connected  in  a  significant  manner  with  Mr.  Lincoln's  life  in  this  city. 
A  committee  was  appointed  to  select  the  places,  for  there  are  so  many 
of  them,  another  committee  to  write  the  inscriptions,  and  another  to  pur- 
chase the  bronze  tablets.  Mr.  I.  B.  Blackstock,  a  member  of  this  so- 
city,  is  the  chairman  of  the  committee  to  purchase  the  tablets,  and  I 
believe  that  these  will  soon  be  ready  and  will  be  placed  with  proper 
ceremonies.    Perhaps  they  will  be  ready  by  Memorial  Day. 

The  Lincoln  Circuit  Marking  Association. 
The  Lincoln  Circuit  Marking  Association  hopes  to  place  the 
markers  on  the  county  lines  of  the  eighteen  counties  of  the  old  Eighth 
Judicial  Circuit  during  the  coming  summer  and  autumn.  This  is  a 
D.  A.  R.  project  in  regard  to  which  you  are  well  informed.  Mrs. 
Chubbuck,  State  Regent  of  the  D.  A.  R.,  is  much  interested  in  this 
work  and  is  adding  her  splendid  energy  to  the  work  already  inaugurated 
by  Miss  Lotte  E.  Jones,  Dr.  Schmidt,  Mrs.  E.  H.  Waldo,  Mrs.  Geo. 
Busey,  Dr.  Anna  Zorger,  Mrs.  Mary  Lee  and  other  pioneers  of  the 
movement.  The  Lincoln  Circuit  Marking  Association,  as  has  the 
Historical  Society,  has  met  with  a  sad  loss  in  the  death  of  Judge  W. 
R.  Curran,  president  of  that  association,  and  a  director  of  this  society. 
A  biographical  address  on  the  life  of  Judge  Curran  will  be  presented 
at  this  meeting  by  Mr.  Ralph  Dempsey,  of  Pekin,  law  partner  of 
Judge  Curran. 

Site  of  Fort  Crevecoeur.  . 
The  last  session  of  the  General  Assembly  appropriated  a  small 
amount  ($1,500)  to  the  Department  of  Public  Works  and  Buildings 
for  the  purpose  of  placing  a  marker  or  memorial  on  the  site  of  LaSalle's 
old  Fort  Crevecoeur,  the  site  to  be  designated  by  the  Illinois  State 
Historical  Society.  The  society  has  for  several  years  had  a  committee 
on  the  site  of  Fort  Crevecoeur.  Captain  Burnham  and  Mr.  Wm.  A. 
Meese,  both  deceased  had  been  members  of  this  committee.  Dr. 
Schmidt,  the  president  of  the  society,  appointed  on  the  committee 
Prof.  C.  W.  Alvord,  of  the  University  of  Illinois,  and  Prof.  J.  A. 
James,  of  the  Northwestern  University.  Mr.  Jacob  C.  Thompson, 
already  a  member  of  the  committee,  was  made  chairman  of  the  com- 
mittee. There  could  hardly  be  three  persons  better  fitted  for  the  work 
of  investigating  impartially  and  intelligently  the  various  sites  and  the 
sources  of  information.  The  committee  held  meetings  and  visited  the 
several  sites  and  made  a  report.  In  another  Act  of  the  General  As- 
sembly the  Department  of  Education  and  Registration  was  also  re- 


31 

quired  to  designate  a  site.  This  Act  carried  no  appropriation.  The 
Department  of  Public  Works  and  Buildings  is  waiting  for  the  Director 
of  Education  and  Registration  to  make  his  recommendation  which  he 
will  do  before  the  fund  for  the  purchase  of  the  marker  lapses,  which 
will  be  on  September  30,  1921,  unless  it  is  reappropriated. 

One  of  the  directors  of  this  society,  Prof.  J.  A.  James,  has  been 
invited  to  deliver  a  course  of  lectures  this  summer  at  the  University 
of  Prague.  He  has  accepted  the  honor  and  is  about  this  time  starting 
on  his  way  to  begin  his  duties.  The  society  wishes  for  him  success 
in  his  undertaking,  a  pleasant  vacation  and  a  safe  return. 

Prof.  E.  B.  Greene,  another  director  of  the  society,  is  doing  his- 
torical work  in  Boston  and  Cambridge,  and  will  not  be  with  us  at  this 
meeting,  and  we  greatly  miss  him. 

This  society  has  1,475  members,  men  and  women  of  all  ages  and 
walks  of  life,  the  best  people  in  the  State.  We  have  not  made  a 
membership  campaign,  but  new  members  come  in  by  invitation  and 
recommendation  of  our  members. 

We  have  lost  by  death  two  directors  of  the  society,  Mr.  Clinton 
L.  Conkling  and  Judge  William  Reid  Curran.  We  have  also  lost  a 
former  president  and  one  of  the  founders  of  the  society,  the  venerable 
and  venerated  Dr.  John  F.  Snyder,  of  Virginia,  who  on  March  22, 
1921,  observed  the  ninety-first  anniversary  of  his  birth.  I  will  ask 
Dr.  Lyles,  a  member  of  the  society,  an  intimate  friend  of  Dr.  Snyder, 
and  who  spoke  feelingly  at  his  funeral,  to  prepare  an  adequate  tribute 
to  this  remarkable  man. 

Publications  of  the  Society. 
Our  publications  are  so  greatly  delayed  that  I  am  almost  ashamed 
to  mention  them.  We  have  two  Journals  now  ready  for  distribution 
and  another  in  press.  The  story  of  the  vexatious  and  provoking  de- 
lays might  be  funny  if  it  had  not  such  serious  consequences,  and  the 
present  strike  of  the  job  printers  may  add  another  chapter  to  the  story 
of  disappointment  and  delay.  I  am  hopeful,  however,  as  usual,  and 
I  believe  another  year  we  will  be  able  to  do  better. 

Historical  Museum. 
I  wish  to  again  call  your  attention  to  the  urgent  necessity  of  col- 
lecting objects  for  our  proposed  Historical  Museum.  We  are  hoping 
when  we  move  into  the  Centennial  Memorial  building  to  have  space 
to  make  a  beginning  in  this  important  branch  of  our  work.  Nothing 
appeals  more  to  the  public  than  an  historical  museum  and  it  is  of 
great  educational  value.  These  are  some  of  the  more  important  mat- 
ters of  our  work  to  which  I  desire  to  call  the  attention  of  the  society. 

Respectfully  submitted, 

Jessie  Palmer  Weber, 
Secretary  Illinois  State  Historical  Societv. 


32 


THE  INFLUENCE  OF  ILLINOIS  IN  THE  DEVELOPMENT  OF 
ABRAHAM  LINCOLN. 


By  William  E.  Barton,  D.D.,  LL.D. 

Lincoln  and  Illinois  were  twin-born.  Abraham  Lincoln  first  saw 
light  on  Sunday,  February  11,  1809.  Nine  days  before  his  birth,  Illi- 
nois, by  Act  of  Congress,  began  its  autonomous  existence  as  a  territory. 
The  future  commonwealth  and  its  most  illustrious  citizen  began  life 
together,  both  unconscious  of  the  influence  which  each  was  to  exert 
upon  the  destiny  of  the  other. 

The  first  seven  years  of  Lincoln's  life  were  spent  in  Kentucky,  and 
twice  seven  years  following  were  spent  in  Indiana.  Both  of  those 
States  did  well  by  him ;  but  when  he  came  to  his  twenty-first  year, 
Illinois,  his  own  State,  beckoned  to  him,  and  he  came.  He  came  in 
the  dawn  of  his  young  manhood,  and  the  whole  of  that  manhood  he 
spent  as  a  citizen  of  this,  his  State.  From  the  time  he  entered  the 
young  commonwealth  in  the  Spring  of  1830,  driving  an  ox-team 
through  the  rich,  deep  mud  of  her  prairies,  until  he  left  it  to  be  inau- 
gurated President  of  the  United  States,  he  lived  in  Illinois-  Gladly 
yielding  him  to  the  Nation,  when  the  Nation  called,  Illinois  still  knew 
him  as  her  own,  and  believed  in  him  and  loved  him ;  and  when  his  work 
was  accomplished,  and  crowned  by  his  martyrdom,  Illinois  stood  tear- 
fully awaiting  the  arrival  of  that  majestic  funeral  train  that  wound 
its  way  westward  through  many  cities  from  the  Nation's  capitol,  and 
received  back  again  into  the  heart  of  her  soil  the  precious  dust  of  her 
own  Abraham  Lincoln. 

It  should  be  an  interesting  and  profitable  inquiry,  what  influence 
had  Illinois  upon  Abraham  Lincoln?  Did  she  help  or  hinder  in  his 
development?  Might  it  have  been  as  well  for  him  and  the  State  had 
he  lived  otherwhere  ?  These  are  legitimate  questions,  and  not  unprofit- 
able ;  the  more  so  because  I  do  not  find  ,that  they  have  been  answered, 
or  even  very  seriously  asked.  Among  the  biographers  of  Lincoln,  no 
one,  I  think,  traced  his  life  so  lovingly  in  its  relation  to  that  of  his 
State,  as  Hon.  Isaac  N.  Arnold.  He  approached  the  possibility  of 
considering  this  question,  but  did  not  pursue  the  inquiry  far,  nor  did 
he,  apparently,  arrive  at  a  convincing  answer.     He  said : 

"When,  in  1830,  Lincoln  became  a  citizen  of  Illinois,  this  great  common- 
wealth, now  the  third  or  fourth  state  in  the  Union,  and  treading  fast  upon 
the  heels  of  Ohio  and  Pennsylvania,  was  on  the  frontier  with  a  population  a 
little  exceeding  one  hundred  and  fifty  thousand.  In  1860,  when  Lincoln  was 
elected  President,  it  had  nearly  two  millions,  and  was  rapidly  becoming  the 
center  of  the  Republic.  Perhaps  he  was  fortunate  in  selecting  Illinois  as 
his  home." — Life  of  Abraham  Lincoln,  p.  29. 


ABRAHAM    LINCOLN. 


33 

Mr.  Arnold  went  on  to  show  how  central  to  the  Union  Illinois 
had  become,  and  he  wrote  of  the  growing  importance  of  Illinois  geo- 
graphically, but  he  did  not  in  any  definite  way  undertake  to  answer 
his  question,  whether  it  was  well  for  Lincoln  to  have  lived  here,  other 
than  with  a  judicial  qualification.  "Perhaps  he  was  fortunate  in  select- 
ing Illinois  as  his  home." 

It  seems  to  me  that  the  time  has  come  for  a  more  positive  answer. 
I  believe  that  Lincoln  would  have  been  a  great  man  if  he  had  lived 
in  another  State,  but  that  Illinois  contributed  to  his  making  some  ele- 
ments which  were  of  particular  significance,  and  which  may  have  been 
indispensable  to  his  preparation  for  the  particular  work  to  which  God 
and  the  Nation  called  him. 

Two  Theories  of  the  Origin  of  Great  Men. 

There  are  two  opposing  theories  of  the  origin  of  great  men.  One 
of  them,  derived  from  Buckle  and  his  school,  attempts  to  account  for 
all  men,  both  individually  and  racially,  by  their  environment,  and  by 
the  conditions  of  the  times  in  which  they  live.  The  other,  of  whose 
conviction  Carlyle  is  the  indignant  spokesman*,  explains  not  the  man 
by  his  times,  but  his  times  by  the  man.  Emerson  agreed  with  Carlyle, 
and  went  even  farther.  Emerson  would  seem  to  say  that  the  Atlantic 
Ocean  was  there  because  nothing  smaller  would  have  answered  the 
purposes  of  Columbus.  Columbus  needed  a  large  earth  and  a  round 
earth  and  a  wide  ocean  to  express  what  was  inherent  in  himself.  The 
world  and  all  external  conditions  are  to  be  explained  by  the  man,  and 
not  the  man  by  his  world. 

Something  of  this  latter  theory  must  be  held  as  to  genius.  It  has 
its  own  laws.  It  produces  its  great  exponents  in  manner  and  form 
which  cannot  be  predicted-  It  is  impossible  to  explain  Robert  Burns 
without  Scotland,  but  Scotland  alone  does  not  explain  Burns.  Scot- 
land has  been  on  the  map  for  a  long  time,  and  still  there  is  but  one 
Robert  Burns.  Henry  Ward  Beecher.  stood  at  the  foot  of  his  class 
in  Amherst  College.     Since  his  day  many  men  in  Amherst  College 


*  Thus,  with  hot  indignation,  did  Carlyle  reply  to  the  theory  that  great  men  are 
the  product  of  their  time  and  only  that :  "I  am  well  aware  that  in  their  days  hero- 
worship,  the  thing  I  call  hero-worship,  professes  to  have  gone  out  and  finally  ceased. 
This,  for  reasons  which  it  will  be  worth  while  some  time  to  inquire  into,  is  an  age 
that  as  it  were  denies  the  existence  of  great  men  ;  denies  the  desirability  of  great  men. 
Show  our  critics  a  great  man,  a  Luther,  for  example,  they  begin  to  what  they  call 
'account'  for  him ;  not  to  worship  him,  but  to  take  the  dimensions  of  him  and  bring 
him  out  to  be  a  little  kind  of  man  !  He  was  the  'creature  of  the  time,'  they  say  ;  the 
time  called  him  forth,  the  time  did  everything,  he  nothing — but  whatever  the  little  critic 
could  have  done,  too  !  This  seems  to  me  but  melancholy  work.  The  time  call  forth  ? 
Alas,  we  have  known  times  call  loudly  enough  for  their  great  man,  but  could  not  find 
him  when  he  was  called  !  He  was  not  there  ;  Providence  had  not  sent  him  ;  the  time 
calling  its  loudest,  had  to  go  down  to  confusion  and  wreck  because  he  would  not 
come  when   called. 

"For  if  we  will  think  of  it,  no  time  need  have  gone  to  ruin  could  it  have  found 
a  man  great  enough,  a  man  wise  and  good  enough  ;  wishing  to  discern  truly  what  the 
times  wanted,  valor  to  lead  it  on  the  right  road  thither  ;  these  are  the  salvation  of 
any  time.  But  I  liken  common  languid  times,  with  their  unbelief,  distress,  per- 
plexity, with  their  languid  doubting  characters  and  embarrassed  circumstances  im- 
potently  crumbling — down  into  ever  worse  distress  toward  final  ruin — all  this  I 
liken  to  dry,  dead  fuel,  waiting  for  the  lightning  out  of  heaven  that  should  kindle  it. 
The  great  man,  with  his  free  force  out  of  God's  own  hand,  is  the  lightning.  The 
dry,  mouldering  sticks  are  supposed  to  have  called  him  forth  !  Thev  are  critics  of 
small  vision,  I  think,  who  cry:  'See  is  it  not  the  sticks  that  make  the  fire?'  No  sadder 
proof  can  be  given  by  a  man  of  his  own  littleness  than  disbelief  in  great  men." — 
Carlyle,  Heroes  and  Hero  Worship,,  Chapter  1,  pp.  14-15. 


34 

have  stood  at  the  foot  of  the  class,  and  it  is  not  known  that  that  envi- 
ronment has  produced  any  more  Beechers.  Socrates  was  the  product 
of  the  life  and  spirit  of  Athens;  but  Athens  has  long  since  given  up 
the  expectation  of  producing  by  wholesale  and  as  the  product  of  Athe- 
nian environment  men  of  Socratic  mind.  Of  each  of  these  men  we 
must  say  that  Drinkwater  says  first  of  other  great  leaders  and  then  of 
Lincoln,  "He  was  the  lord  of  his  event." 

But  no  great  man  can  be  understood  entirely  apart  from  his  envi- 
ronment, and  if  he  could,  it  would  be  unfair  both  to  him  and  to  his 
environment  thus  to  attempt  to  interpret  him. 

Lincoln  would  have  been  a  great  man  in  almost  any  environment. 
But  Gray  is  not  the  only  man  who  has  had  occasion  to  moralize  con- 
cerning the  "mute  inglorious  Miltons"  or  the  Cromwells  guiltless  of 
their  country's  blood,  and  guiltless  of  anything  else  good  or  bad  enough 
to  be  mentioned,  who  lived  and  died  in  environments  unsuited  to  their 
development. 

If  Lincoln  Had  Lived  in  Another  State. 

Illinois  has  a  right  to  remind  herself  of  those  elements  in  the 
character  of  Lincoln  which  were,  we  will  not  say  produced  or  created, 
but  developed,  by  his  Illinois  environment. 

Lincoln  was  born  in  the  very  heart  of  Kentucky.  It  was  the  claim 
of  the  La  Rue  County  when  its  representatives  asked  to  be  severed 
from  Hardin  and  to  become  a  separate  county,  that  La  Rue  County,  as 
measured  from  east  to  west,  and  from  the  northermiost .  point  in  the 
State  direct  to  the  southern  boundary,  was  the  precise  geographical 
center  of  the  State.  Its  centrality  gave  rise  to  some  semi-burlesque 
oratory  at  the  time,  and  this  probably  suggested  to  Proctor  Knott  a 
portion  of  his  noted  speech  which  many  years  later  did  so  much  for 
Duluth,  and  relieved  the  solemn  tedium  of  the  United  States  House 
of  Representatives  with  a  hearty  laugh. 

It  is  conceivable  that  Lincoln  might  have  lived  and  died  in  Ken- 
tucky. If  so,  it  is  not  certain  that  he  would  have  lived  and  died  un- 
known. Men  from  his  own  county  rose  to  distinction,  and  he  might 
have  done  so.  But  it  is  certain  that  he  would  not  there  have  lived  in 
an  environment  such  as  evoked  in  him  those  qualities  that  made  him 
President- 
Indiana  has  its  honorable  place  in  the  development  of  Lincoln. 
We  cannot  spare  the  record  of  those  years  of  frontier  life,  nor  of 
its  proximity  to  that  highway  of  traffic  and  thought,  the  Ohio  River. 
Lincoln's  life-long  interest  in  river  navigation  was  prompted  by  his 
experience  in  Indiana.  His  strong  convictions  on  the  slavery  question 
were  influenced  in  no  unimportant  degree  by  his  voyage  to  New 
Orleans  and'  his  visit  to  the  slave-market.  Even  if  we  discount  the 
statement  of  John  Hanks  that  Lincoln  then  declared  that  if  he  had  an 
opportunity  to  "hit  that  institution"  he  would  hit  it  hard,  we  know  from 
Lincoln  himself  that  the  sight  of  slaves,  chained  and  sold,  aroused  in 
him  emotions  of  enduring  significance;  and  this  we  must  credit  in  no 
small  part  to  his  life  in  Indiana. 


35 

The  Notable  Influence  of  a  Short  Migration. 

I  have  sometimes  ventured  to  wonder  what  would  have  happened 
to  the  Lincoln  family  had  Thomas  Lincoln  continued  to  live  in  the 
home  on  Nolin  Creek  where  Abraham  Lincoln  was  born  until  the 
time  when  the  Lincoln  family  left  Kentucky.  He  would  not  have 
sailed  down  the  same  stream.  It  might  never  have  occurred  to  Thomas 
Lincoln  to  sail  down  the  river  at  all,  for  the  distance  by  Nolin  Creek 
and  Green  River  is  several  times  as  great.*  By  crossing  Muldraugh's 
Hill  and  living  on  Knob  Creek  he  was  within  much  shorter  distance 
of  the  Ohio  River,  and  he  reached  it  by  an  entirely  different  route. 
Had  he  continued  to  live  on  the  Nolin  Creek  farm,  and  had  he  taken 
his  long  voyage  from  there,  he  would  have  landed  much  farther  down 
the  Ohio,  at  a  point  where  the  confluence  of  the  rivers  had  already 
caused  considerable  settlements  to  be  made.  It  is  quite  possible  that 
he  might  have  floated  on  as  faf  as  the  shores  of  Missouri  before  finding 
land  as  convenient  and  as  remote  from  settlement  as  he  found  in 
Spencer  County,  Indiana. 

If  Lincoln  had  grown  up  in  Hardin  County,  Kentucky,  he  might 
have  received  as  good  an  education  as  he  received  in  Spencer  County, 
Indiana ;  have  studied  law  and  been  admitted  to  the  bar ;  have  traveled 
the  circuit  and  entered  political  life,  and  possibly  have  been  elected 
to  Congress.  But  it  is  hardly  conceivable  that  Kentucky  alone  could 
have  made  him  the  man  that  he  was  when  he  left  Illinois. 

Had  the  Lincoln  family  remained  in  Spencer  County,  Indiana, 
Lincoln's  most  feasible  avenue  out  into  life  was  by  way  of  the  Ohio 
river.  That  might  have  given  him  valuable  contacts  with  life  farther 
south,  and  have  widened  his  influence  and  made  him  a  man  of  note 
in  some  southern  State.  But  that  would  not  have  done  for  him  what 
was  done  for  him  in  Illinois. 

Had  the  Lincoln  family  landed  farther  down  the  Ohio  and  made 
their  home,  as  Daniel  Boone  did  toward  the  end  of  his  life,  and  as  many 
other  Kentuckians  of  Lincoln's  day  were  doing,  near  the  Mississ- 
ippi river  and  within  the  borders  of  the  State  of  Missouri,  it  is  hardly 
possible  that  he  would  have  found  there  the  environment  which  would 
have  made  him  what  he  became. 

Social  conditions  in  rural  Kentucky,  Missouri  and  southern 
Indiana  were  not  notably  different  from  those  in  the  portion  of  Illinois 
where  Lincoln  made  his  home ;  but  Lincoln  found  at  New  Salem  and 


*  In  response  to  my  request,  the  Director  of  the  United  States  Geological  Survey 
furnishes  me  this  information  : 

From  Knob  Creek  by  way  of  Rolling  Fork  and  Salt  River,  the  flat  boat  of  Thomas 
Lincoln  floated  42  miles  to  the  Ohio,  and  then,  assuming  that  he  landed  at  the  point 
in  Spencer  County  nearest  his  farm,  91  miles  down  the  Ohio  to  his  debarcation  near 
the  mouth  of  Anderson  River.  Had  he  embarked  on  Nolin  River,  at  its  point  nearest 
to  the  Lincoln  cabin  before  the  removal  from  Nolin  to  Knob  Creek,  he  would  have 
floated  down  Nolin  and  Green  Rivers  256  miles  to  reach  the  Ohio,  and  would  have 
been  46  miles,  by  the  Ohio  channel,  below  the  mouth  of  Anderson  River. 

So  far  as  I  am  aware,  no  one  has  considered  the  importance  of  this  short  removal 
from  one  sterile  farm  to  another  in  the  same  county.  I  intend  at  some  future  time  to 
work  out  more  in  detail  the  effects  of  the  removal  of  the  Lincoln  family  from  Nolin 
Creek  to  Knob  Creek.  For  the  present  it  is  enough  to  state  that  it  appears  to  me 
that,  while  the  distance  was  only  about  15  miles,  and  within  the  same  county,  the 
effect  upon  the  life  of  Lincoln  was  very  great.  Had  the  family  remained  upon  Nolin 
Creek,  they  would  not  have  been  so  likely  to  undertake  a  voyage  of  256  miles  to  the 
Ohio  ;  and  had  they  done  so,  they  would  have  been  very  likely  not  to  locate  till  they 
reached  Missouri. 


36 

at  Springfield,  and  in  the  circuit  of  the  Eighth  Judicial  District,  some- 
thing which  he  did  not  find,  and  to  the  same  degree  was  not  very 
likely  to  have  found,  in  any  other  place  where  he  had  lived,  or  was 
likely  to  have  lived,  had  he  not  removed  to  Illinois. 

Remembering  that  wherever  he  lived  he  would  have  been  an 
honest  and  influential  man,  and  remembering  further,  that,  in  any 
environment  which  Thomas  Lincoln  would  probably  have  chosen,  con- 
ditions of  his  life  would  have  possessed  many  elements  in  common  with 
those  which  obtained  in  Illinois,  we  may  move  on  from  the  realm  of 
hypothesis  and  inquire  what  as  a  matter  of  fact  Illinois  did  for  Lin- 
coln that  assisted  in  the  development  of  his  latent  greatness- 

Illinois  Stimulated  Lincoln's  Love  of  Learning. 

Lincoln  found  in  Illinois  conditions  which  powerfully  stimulated 
his  ambition  to  learn.  He  had  received  valuable  instruction  in  Indiana. 
He  had  learned  to  read,  and  had  developed  a  strong  desire  to  read. 
He  had  read  the  Bible,  Pilgrim's  Progress,  a  History  of  the  United 
States,  Robinson  Crusoe,  Weems'  Life  of  Washington  and  the  Stat- 
utes of  Indiana.  To  this  excellent  list  he  had  added  a  few  other  books 
which  happened  to  be  within  reach,  and  so  far  as  we  know  they  were 
all  remarkably  good  books.  But  he  himself  declared  that  "There  was 
absolutely  nothing  to  stimulate  ambition  to  learn."  He  learned,  not 
because  his  environment  was  favorable,  but  because  he  had  within 
him  the  determination  to  learn. 

In  Illinois,  Lincoln  found  himself  in  an  environment  which  greatly 
encouraged  his  love  of  learning.  New  Salem  may  seem  to  the  modern 
student  a  poor,  squalid  little  village,  no  one  of  whose  few  houses  cost 
much  more  than  one  hundred  dollars.  To  Lincoln  it  was  a  city.  It 
was  not  sufficiently  metropolitan  to  make  him  feel  like  a  stranger,  but 
it  had  within  it  and  passing  through  it  men  who  greatly  assisted  in 
making  Lincoln  what  he  would  not  have  been  likely  to  become  in 
Spencer  County,  Indiana.  There  he  met  Mentor  Graham,  the  school- 
master. The  "few  chicken-tracks"  which  Lincoln  was  able  to  make 
on  paper  when  he  arrived  became  a  clear,  strong  chirography.  He  had 
already  written  his  "Chronicles  of  Ruben,"  and  certain  treatises  on 
Temperance  and  on  Cruelty  to  Animals;  but  the  debating  society  of 
New  Salem  encouraged  him  to  write  on  many  great  themes,  and  gave 
him  an  appreciative  audience. 

Oliver  Wendell  Holmes  has  reminded  us  that  authors  need  a 
"mutual  admiration  society"  in  order  to  do  their  best  work.  Such  a 
society,  with  its  adjuncts  of  frank  and  robust  criticism  and  free  dis- 
cussion, Lincoln  found  at  New  Salem. 

There  he  studied  Kirkham's  Grammar  under  Mentor  Graham. 
There  he  learned  the  rudiments  of  surveying.  There  he  obtained  his 
copy  of  Blackstone  and  read  law.  It  was  not  simply  that  he  found 
books  in  slightly  larger  number  than  had  been  available  in  Indiana; 
he  found  an  atmosphere  that  encouraged  him  to  make  the  largest  pos- 
sible use  of  books. 


37 

A  College  Education  Not  Impossible. 

At  this  time  Lincoln  may  even  have  considered  the  possibility  of 
a  college  education.  Some  of  his  associates  at  New  Salem  were  stu- 
dents at  Illinois  College.  Lincoln  himself  became  possessed  of  a  book 
of  Greek  exercises.  He  probably  did  not  make  large  use  of  it;  but 
the  fact  that  he  owned  it  shows  us  that  he  did  not  think  it  impossible 
that  he  might  learn  Greek.  After  his  removal  to  Springfield  he  engaged 
in  a  short  study  of  German.  Ann  Rutledge  desired  him  to  spend  at 
least  one  year  at  Illinois  College,  while  she  attended  its  academy.  I 
have  often  wondered  whether  a  college  course  would  have  made  or 
unmade  Lincoln.  It  might  not  have  done  either,  but  it  is  an  interesting 
question,  and  one  which  I  hope  sometime  to  give  a  conjectural  answer, 
whether  a  college  course,  such  as  Lincoln  might  have  obtained  at  Illi- 
nois College  in  Jacksonville,  would  have  developed  his  mind  and 
character  more  directly  toward  his  success  in  life  than  did  his  years 
at  New  Salem.  He  could  probably  have  emerged  from  Illinois  College 
less  deeply  in  debt  that  he  was  when  he  left  New  Salem.  Financially 
and  geographically  a  college  course  was  not  impossible.  At  present  we 
will  not  ask  whether  it  would  have  been  better  for  him  and  the  world 
had  he  taken  it,  but  only  remind  ourselves  that  Lincoln  in  Illinois  was 
so  situated  that  a  college  course  was  one  of  the  possibilities. 

We  cannot  pursue  the  history  of  Lincoln's  six  years  at  New  Salem 
intelligently  and  confine  our  study  to  the  financial  adventures  of  the 
firm  of  Lincoln  and  Berry,  or  the  vicissitudes  of  Denton  Offutt  or  of 
Lincoln's  rough-and-tumble  encounters  with  the  Clary  Grove  boys. 
Lincoln  was  in  an  environment  that  gave  him  adequate  mental  stimu- 
lous  and  encouragement. 

Illinois  Favored  Lincoln's  Political  Ambition. 

Lincoln  found  in  Illinois  conditions  highly  favorable  to  his  ambi- 
tion to  become  a  political  leader.  He  had  hardly  landed  from  the 
return  voyage  of  the  flat  boat  which  had  conveyed  him  to  New  Orleans 
than  he  announced  himself  a  candidate  for  the  Legislature.  The  out- 
break of  the  Black  Hawk  War,  if  it  interrupted  for  a  few  weeks  his 
campaigning,  brought  him  a  popular  election  as  captain,  and  did  not 
diminish  his  political  ambition  or  his  prospect  of  success  in  that  field. 

Llad  Abraham  Lincoln's  flat  boat  stuck,  not  on  Rutledge's  dam, 
but  let  us  say  at  the  foot  of  Long  Wharf,  Boston,  or  at  the  Battery 
in  New  York,  or  in  Mobile  or  New  Orleans,  and  had  he  made  any  one 
of  those  cities  his  home,  and  there  entered  political  life,  he  would  not 
have  found  conditions  as  favorable  either  for  his  immediate  entry,  or 
for  his  prospective  development,  as  he  found  in  Illinois. 

Illinois  offered  Lincoln  an  opportunity  to  enter  politics  almost  the 
moment  he  crossed  the  State  line.  After  a  year  spent  as  a  day  laborer 
in  the  vicinity  of  his  father's  home  near  Decatur,  he  made  his  second 
flat-boat  journey  to  New  Orleans,  and  by  good  fortune  his  boat  stuck 
on  the  dam  of  Rutledge's  mill  at  New  Salem.  Returning  from  New 
Orleans,  in  the  Summer  of  1831,  he  took  up  his  home  in  that  micro- 
scopic and  short-lived  village,  and  almost  immediately  proclaimed  him- 
self a  candidate  for  the  legislature. 


38 

Illinois  politics  up  to  this  time  had  been  local  and  factional.  The 
State  was  a  Democratic  State ;  its  southern  part  was  settled  very  largely 
from  Kentucky,  and  its  northern  portion  as  yet  was  almost  uninhab- 
ited. National  politics  entered  the  State  with  the  popularity  of  Andrew 
Jackson,  and  took  a  strong  hold  on  the  life  and  enthusiasm  of  the 
voters  in  1840,  when  William  Henry  Harrison  was  a  candidate,  and 
the  watchwords  were  "Log  cabin  and  hard  cider."  It  was  not  neces- 
sary for  a  candidate  to  have  any  large  political  program  in  1832.  Abra- 
ham Lincoln  fitted  well  into  his  new  environment.  An  unlettered 
backwoodsman,  just  off  a  flat  boat,  could  poll  a  very  respectable  vote 
as  a  candidate  for  a  member  of  the  legislature  in  1832,  and  could  be 
elected  two  years  thereafter,  and  re-elected  regularly  once  in  two  years 
so  long  as  he  cared  to  announce  himself  a  candidate.  But  Abraham 
Lincoln  and  Illinois  politics  were  both  developing  through  that  period. 
Neither  he  nor  the  political  situation  remained  unmodified.  Illinois 
was  not  too  proud  to  receive  Abraham  Lincoln  as  a  member  of  her 
legislature  in  1834,  and  was  gratified  and  honored  to  have  a  share  in 
electing  him  President  in  1860.  Illinois  furnished  a  part  of  the  neces- 
sary environment  for  the  political  development  of  Lincoln. 

We  know  the  political  character  of  Illinois  at  the  time  when  Lin- 
coln became  a  resident  of  the  State.  It  was  Democratic,  and  its  De- 
mocracy was  divided  between  the  "whole-hog"  Democrats  and  those 
whose  devotion  to  Andrew  Jackson  carried  them  to  less  violent  ex- 
tremes. Lincoln's  personal  backgrounds  were  those  of  Jacksonian 
Democracy.  Thomas  Lincoln  was  a  Jackson  Democrat;  John  Hanks, 
as  late  as  1860,  was  "an  old  Democrat  who  will  vote  for  Lincoln." 
Persons  who  heard  what  is  believed  to  have  been  Lincoln's  first  stump 
speech  at  Decatur  in  the  summer  of  1830  say  that  he  was  then  for 
Jackson  and  internal  improvements.  I  have  not  found  the  personal 
recollections  of  those  who  profess  to  have  heard  this  speech  very  clear 
or  consistent,  but  they  may  be  correct.  Andrew  Jackson  was  a  name  to 
capture  the  imagination,  and  he  may  at  that  time  have  been  Lincoln's 
hero  personally  if  not  politically.  Lamon  holds  that  Lincoln  at  the 
outset  was  "a  nominal  Jackson  man."  He  says  on  the  authority  of 
Dennis  Hanks  that  Lincoln  was  "Whiggish  but  not  a  Whig."  (Lamon : 
Life  of  Lincoln,  123,  126.) 

From  the  time  of  his  first  candidacy,  however,  there  is  nothing 
that  identifies  Lincoln  with  Jackson  Democracy.  His  earliest  announce- 
ment of  himself  as  a  candidate  for  the  legislature  did  not  name  the 
party  with  which  he  was  affiliated,  and  he  was  warmly  supported  by 
local  Democrats  as  well  as  Whigs.  But  as  soon  as  he  began  to  express 
any  principles  which  could  be  alligned  with  national  issues,  they  were 
unqualifiedly  those  of  the  Whigs.  He  may  have  continued  to  admire 
Andrew  Jackson,  but  he  became  immediately  a  disciple  of  Henry  Clay. 
(See  Nicolay  and  Hay,  1 :  102,  103;  Morse,  1 :  38.) 

In  this  development  his  personal  evolution  was  like  that  of  the 
State.  But  Lincoln's  own  development  was  in  advance  of  that  of  the 
State  as  a  whole,  and  qualified  him  to  lead  in  a  movement  that  in  time 
committed  Illinois  against  the  policy  of  the  extension  of  slavery. 


39 

The  Incidental  Values  of  Political  Mistakes. 

It  would  perhaps  be  but  fair  to  add  that  the  standards  which  ob- 
tained in  Illinois  politics  were  the  more  favorable  to  the  advancement 
of  Lincoln  because  the  mistakes  of  politicians  in  his  day,  in  which  mis- 
takes Lincoln  participated,  were  so  largely  the  mistakes  of  the  whole 
body  of  the  people  and  of  Lincoln's  constituents,  that  a  public  official 
was  not  too  summarily  condemned  to  oblivion  for  his  errors  of  judg- 
ment. Governor  Ford  comments  on  this  matter  with  characteristic 
severity,  condemning  the  "Long  Nine"  whose  log-rolling  in  connection 
with  the  removal  of  the  Capital  from  Vandalia  to  Springfield  cost  the 
State,  as  he  maintained,  more  than  the  value  of  all  the  real  estate  in  the 
vicinity  of  Springfield,  and  he  records  the  names  of  those  members 
of  the  House  of  Representatives  who  voted  for  the  disastrous  "Inter- 
nal improvement  system."  He  was  especially  indignant  when  he  con- 
sidered how  many  of  these  men,  who,  as  he  believed,  ought  to  have 
been  repudiated  by  the  people,  were  continued  in  office.  Ninian  W. 
Edwards  and  others  were  "since  often  elected  or  appointed  to  other 
offices,  and  are  yet  all  of  them  popular  men.  .  .  .  Dement  has  been 
twice  appointed  Receiver  of  Public  Moneys.  .  .  .  Shields  to  be 
Auditor,  Judge  of  the  Supreme  Court,  Commissioner  of  the  General 
Land  Office,  and  Brigadier  General  in  the  Mexican  War.  .  .  .  Lin- 
coln was  several  times  elected  to  the  Legislature  and  finally  to  Con- 
gress ;  and  Douglas,  Smith  and  McClernand  have  been  three  times 
elected  to  Congress,  and  Douglas  to  the  United  States  Senate.  Being 
all  of  them  spared  monuments  of  popular  wrath,  evincing  how  safe 
it  is  to  be  a  politician,  and  how  disastrous  it  may  be  to  the  country  to 
keep  along  with  the  present  fervor  of  the  people." — History  of  Illinois, 
pp.  195,  196. 

We  need  not  claim  for  Lincoln  in  these  matters  wisdom  superior 
to  that  of  his  associates,  but  may  remind  ourselves  that  his  errors  of 
judgment  were  not  only  shared  by  his  associates  in  office,  but  that  their 
errors  did  not  prevent  his  repeated  re-election,  much  to  the  disgust  of 
Governor  Ford,  who  counted  him  one  of  the  "spared  monuments  of 
popular  wrath." 

The  historian  of  the  future  is  certain  to  set  enhanced  value  upon 
Governor  Ford's  History  of  Illinois.  The  future  student  is  not  likely 
to  condemn  with  less  severity  than  Governor  Ford  either  the  log-rolling 
of  early  Illinois  politics  or  the  folly  of  the  financial  methods  by  which 
it  was  undertaken  to  support  the  State  banks  and  the  Internal  Improve- 
ment system  which  ended  with  the  financial  crash  of  1837.  In  the 
main  Governor  Ford  was  right.  But  Governor  Ford  lacked  perspec- 
tive. He  was  not  strictly  accurate  in  describing  Lincoln  and  his  asso- 
ciates as  "spared  monuments  of  popular  wrath."  There  ought  to  have 
been  more  wrath  than  there  was.  The  men  who  were  responsible  for 
those  measures  in  the  Legislature  fairly  represented  the  will  and  the 
wisdom  or  unwisdom  of  their  constituents.  The  law-makers  and  the 
men  who  elected  them  to  make  laws  were  involved  in  the  same  attempts 
to  create  values  out  of  things  that  had  no  value.  The  long  list  which 
Governor  Ford  gives  us  of  men  who  were  responsible  for  the  financial 


40 

evils  of  their  time  and  who  nevertheless  were  thereafter  elected  and 
re-elected  to  office  is  its  own  answer.  These  men  were  as  wise  as  their 
constituents,  and  not  much  wiser.  Illinois  had  to  learn  from  bitter 
experience,  and  Lincoln  was  one  of  the  men  who  had  his  share  in  the 
education  which  the  whole  State  was  compelled  to  undergo. 

Lake  and  River  Transportation. 

Lincoln  became  a  factor  in  Illinois  life  just  at  the  time  when  the 
question  of  transportation  was  becoming  most  acute.  Whatever  sur- 
plus Illinois  produced  in  the  early  days,  was  floated  down  the  Mississ- 
ippi, whose  commercial  outlet  was  New  Orleans ;  but  there  were  other 
agricultural  states  tributary  to  the  Mississippi,  and  the  wharves  of 
New  Orleans  were  piled  high  in  time  with  unmarketable  produce.  It 
was  less  easy  to  float  goods  upstream  than  down,  and  New  Orleans 
was  not  a  manufacturing  city.  The  goods  which  Illinois  required  for 
her  own  use  were  largely  produced  in  Philadelphia  or  New  York.  The 
accounts  and  bills  payable  of  Illinois  merchants  tended  to  accumulate 
in  New  York ;  the  credits  were  in  New  Orleans.  The  money  in  circu- 
lation was  largely  issued  by  wildcat  banks,  and  afforded  no  suitable 
basis  of  exchange.  If  this  situation  went  on  permanently,  Illinois 
could  have  no  great  commercial  future.  Her  banking  was  principally 
done  in  St.  Louis.  In  1831,  for  the  first  time,  goods  were  imported 
from  the  East  to  St.  Louis  by  way  of  Chicago  at  one-third  less  cost 
than  by  New  Orleans.  That  fact  did  more  than  we  can  now  imagine 
to  compel  the  unification  of  Illinois.  Lake  Michigan  became  a  neces- 
sity to  Menard  and  Sangamon  Counties,  as  certainly  as  to  Cook  County 
and  the  northern  end  of  the  State,  We  remember  the  disastrous  experi- 
ments in  public  improvements  by  means  of  which  creeks  were  to  have 
become  rivers  and  canals  were  to  have  connected  the  heads  of  naviga- 
tion through  the  State.  Let  us  not  forget  that  these  conditions  with 
all  their  blundering  and  bankruptcy  were  potent  in  making  Illinois  a 
commercial  unit  and  in  securing  her  a  place  of  influence  in  the  com- 
mercial life  of  the  nation. 

Illinois  and  the  Unification  of  the  Nation. 

The  relation  of  Illinois  to  the  unification  of  the  nation  was  no 
accident.  Governor  Thomas  Ford  died  in  1850,  leaving  the  manu- 
script of  his  History  of  Illinois  to  be  published  after  his  decease.  In 
that  work  he  clearly  set  forth  the  aim  of  Hon.  Nathaniel  Pope,  delegate 
in  Congress  from  the  Territory  of  Illinois,  when,  in  January,  1818,  he 
on  his  own  responsibility  amended  the  proposal  for  the  admission  of 
Illinois  to  the  Union  by  moving  her  boundary  north  from  the  southern 
extremity  of  Lake  Michigan  to  the  line  of  42°  30'  so  as  to  include 
within  the  State  fourteen  additional  counties  and  the  port  of  Chicago. 
Governor  Ford  said : 

"It  was  known  that  in  all  confederated  republics  there  was  danger 
of  dissolution  .  .  .  Illinois  had  a  coast  of  150  miles  on  the  Ohio 
river,  and  nearly  as  much  on  the  Wabash;  the  Mississippi  was  its 
western  boundary  for  the  whole  length  of  the  State ;  the  commerce  of 
all  the  western  country  was  to  pass  by  its  shores,  and  would  necessarily 


41 

come  to  a  focus  at  the  mouth  of  the  Ohio,  at  a  point  within  this  State, 
and  'within  the  control  of  Illinois,  if,  the  Union  being  dissolved,  she 
should  see  proper  to  control  it.  It  was  foreseen  that  none  of  the  great 
States  in  the  West  could  venture  to  aid  in -dissolving  the  Union,  with- 
out cultivating  a  State  situate  in  such  a  central  and  commanding  posi- 
tion. What  then  was  the  duty  of  the  national  government?  Illinois 
was  certain  to  be  a  great  State  with  any  boundaries  which  that  govern- 
ment could  give.  ...  If  left  entirely  upon  the  waters  of  these  great 
rivers,  it  was  plain  that,  in  case  of  threatened  disruption,  the  interest 
of  the  new  State  would  be  to  join  a  southern  and  western  confederacy. 
But  if  a  large  portion  of  it  could  be  made  dependent  upon  the  com- 
merce and  navigation  of  the  great  northern  lakes,  connected  as  they 
are  with  the  eastern  States,  a  rival  interest  would  be  created,  to  check 
the  wish  for  a  western  and  southern  confederacy.  It  therefore  became 
the  duty  of  the  national  government,  not  only  to  make  Illinois  strong, 
but  to  raise  an  interest  inclining  and  binding  her  to  the  eastern  and 
northern  portions  of  the  Union.  This  could  be  done  only  through  an 
interest  in  the  lakes.  At  that  time  the  commerce  on  the  lakes  was 
small,  but  its  increase  was  confidently  expected,  and  indeed  it  has 
exceeded  all  expectations  and  is  still  in  its  infancy.  To  accomplish 
this  object  effectually,  it  was  not  only  necessary  to  give  to  Illinois  the 
port  of  Chicago,  and  a  route  for  the  canal,  but  a  considerable  coast  on 
Lake  Michigan,  with  a  country  back  of  it  sufficiently  extensive  to  con- 
tain a  population  capable  of  exercising  a  decided  influence  upon  the 
councils  of  the  State." — Ford's  History  of  Illinois,  22-23.- 

If  Governor  Ford  had  written  these  words  after  the  Civil  War, 
we  might  have  suspected  him  of  attributing  to  Judge  Pope  more  of 
political  foresight  than  either  he  or  Judge  Pope  really  possessed.  But 
he  wrote  before  1850,  and  we  have  no  reason  to  doubt  that  this  remark- 
ably clear  view  of  the  influence  of  Illinois  as  a  State  that  might  bind 
together  the  expanding  Union  was  really  possessed  by  Judge  Pope 
when  he  secured  for  the  new  State  her  fourteen  additional  counties, 
including  the  port  of  Chicago,  and  keenly  appreciated  by  Governor 
Ford  in  his  stern  opposition*  to  the  proposals  of  Wisconsin  that  the 
northern  counties  of  Illinois  should  be  restored  to  the  newer  State. 

The  Courts  of  Illinois  Developed  Lincoln. 

Illinois  offered  to  Lincoln  through  her  Circuit  Courts  an  oppor- 
tunity of  widening  his  acquaintance  and  influence  and  also  of  meeting 
in  political  and  legal  relations  a  circle  of  men  admirably  suited  to  his 
intellectual  development.  The  lawyers  of  early  Illinois  represented 
widely  divergent  types.     There  were  frontier  shysters  of  small  ability 


*  The  fight  of  Wisconsin  was  very  strong  in  Ford's  administration.  Not  only  so,  but 
the  northern  counties  of  Illinois  were  inclined  to  think  they  had  more  in  common  with 
Wisconsin  than  with  Egypt.  There  Avas  more  than  one  petition  from  the  counties 
themselves  or  from  some  party  within  ther  asking  that  they  be  severed  from  Illinois  and 
joined  to  the  State  to  the  north.  Governor  Ford's  argument  in  refutation  of  the  claim 
of  Wisconsin  is  given  in  extenso  in  his  History  and  is  a  document  of  permanent 
interest. 

A  proposal  to  separate  northern  Illinois  from  southern  Illinois  is  at  this  moment 
pending  before  the  General  .Assembly.  Those  who  propose  such  a  sundering  of  what 
God  hath  joined  will  find  instructive  reading  in  some  of  the  early  literature  of  this 
State. 


42 

and  less  legal  learning,  but  there  also  were  men  of  large  native  ability, 
whose  wits  were  sharpened  by  much  experience.  Lincoln's  practice 
soon  brought  him  before  the  Supreme  Court  of  Illinois,  where  he  had 
to  plead  before  judges  of  learning  and  high  standing.  The  courts  of 
Illinois  were  not  essentially  different  from  those  of  Indiana  and  Mis- 
souri in  the  same  period.  Any  of  the  frontier  States  then  rapidly 
filling  could  have  furnished  him  an  arena  for  his  legal  skill;  but  the 
skill  which  Lincoln  developed  and  the  acquaintance  which  he  formed 
in  Illinois  had  their  relation  to  a  political  situation  which  no  other 
State  could  quite  have  duplicated.  Mr.  Arnold  relates  an  interesting 
incident  which  occurred  after  Mr.  Lincoln  was  elected  President.  He 
was  asked  to  appoint  a  man  named  Butterfield  to  a  position  in  the 
Army.  This  man  Butterfield  was  the  son  of  Justin  Butterfield,  who  in 
1849.  had  secured  an  appointment  to  the  Land  Office,  a  position  greatly 
desired  by  Lincoln  at  the  close  of  his  term  in  Congress.    Arnold  says : 

When  the  application  was  presented,  the  President  paused,  and  after 
a  moment's  silence,  said:  "Mr.  Justin  Butterfield  once  obtained  an  appoint- 
ment I  very  much  wanted,  and  in  which  my  friends  believed  I  could  have 
been  useful,  and  to  which  they  thought  I  was  fairly  entitled,  and  I  have 
hardly  ever  felt  so  bad  at  any  failure  in  my  life;  but  I  am  glad  of  an  oppor- 
tunity of  doing  a  service  to  his  son."  And  he  made  an  order  for  his  commis- 
sion. He  then  spoke  of  the  offer  made  to  him  of  the  governorship  of  Oregon. 
To  which  the  reply  was  made:  "How  fortunate  that  you  declined.  If  you 
had  gone  to  Oregon,  you  might  have  come  back  as  Senator,  but  you  never 
would  have  been  President." — Life  of  Abraham  Lincoln,  81. 

Lincoln  assented  to  the  foregoing  and  said  he  had  always  been  a 
fatalist,  believing  with  Hamlet  in  the  Divinity  that  shapes  our  ends.  ^ 

Oregon  could  have  made  Lincoln  a  Senator,  but  it  is  not  certain 
that  any  other  State  than  Illinois  could  have  made  him  President.  He 
needed  essentially  the  conditions  which  he  found  in  Illinois  to  develop 
the  qualities  which  were  inherent  in  him;  and  he  needed  a  political 
situation  such  as  existed  in  Illinois  to  make  him  at  the  opportune  time 
the  President  of  the  United  States.  We  can  never  be  too  certain  con- 
cerning the  negative  implications  of  a  study  like  this.  We  can  never 
be  quite  sure  what  another  State  might  have  done.  We  are  quite 
certain  that  no  other  State,  then  in  the  Union,  could  have  furnished 
all  the  conditions  which  Illinois  supplied  and  which  were  so  important 
both  in  the  evolution  of  Lincoln  and  in  his  elevation. 

Illinois  the  National  Keystone. 

Pennsylvania  is  proud  of  her  soubriquet,  "the  Keystone  state." 
Had  that  name  not  been  pre-empted  when  the  Union  formed  a  smaller 
arch,  it  should  have  been  reserved  for  Illinois.  Both  the  shape  and 
geographical  position  of  Illinois  entitle  her  to  that  designation.  Her 
superficial  area  extends  from  the  lakes  to  the  confluence  of  the  great 
rivers,  and  hence  virtually  from  the  northern  boundary  of  the  nation 
to  Mason  and  Dixon's  Line.  In  the  beginning  it  shared  with  Ken- 
tucky and  Missouri  the  status  of  a  southern  State,  but  Lincoln  saw 
and  had  some  reason  to  fear  the  development  of  its  northern  and  larger 
portion.  It  was  an  ominous  sign  for  Linocln  when  he  who  had  done 
so  much  for  the  election  of  Zachary  Taylor  as  President,  was  set  aside 


43 

in  his  application  for  the  Land  Office  and  that  position  was  given  to 
Mr.  Justin  Butterfield  of  Chicago.*  Lincoln  had  good  reason  to  fear 
the  growth  of  Chicago  and  of  northern  Illinois.  As  late  as  the  State 
Convention  of  the  Republican  party  at  Decatur  in  1860,  the  northern 
part  of  Illinois  was  for  Seward.  Not  even  the  sight  of  John  Hanks' 
two  fence  rails  wholly  convinced  the  politicians  of  the  Chicago  area 
that  Lincoln  was  the  right  man  for  President.  His  solidifying  of  his 
own  State  was  an  important  step  toward  the  solidifying  of  the  nation. 

The  River  and  Harbor  Convention. 

So  far  as  I  am  aware  no  biographer  of  Lincoln  has  ever  heard  of 
the  River  and  Harbor  Convention  of  1847.  I  do  not  find  it  mentioned 
by  Nicolay  and  Hay,  by  Arnold,  by  Morse,  by  Miss  Tarbell,  or  by  any 
other  biographer  of  Lincoln.  But  it  Avas  that  which  first  brought 
Lincoln  to  Chicago.  The  Chicago  papers,  truthful  then  as  always, 
stated  that  this  was  the  first  visit  of  the  Honorable  Abraham  Lincoln 
to  the  "commercial  emporium  of  the  State."*  He  was  more  welcome 
than  he  might  have  been  at  some  earlier  periods  in  his  career.  In  the 
first  place  he  was  the  only  Whig  member  of  Congress  from  Illinois, 
was  just  elected  and  had  not  yet  taken  his  seat.  In  the  second  place 
he  was  thoroughly  committed  to  the  policy  of  developing  inland  waters 
and  of  connecting  the  lakes  with  the  rivers.  It  will  some  time  become 
the  duty  of  the  historian  to  show  what  that  convention  did  for  Abra- 
ham Lincoln.  The  presiding  officer  of  that  convention  was  Edward 
Bates  of  Missouri.  Lincoln  probably  did  not  know  it  at  the  time,  but 
then  and  there  he  probably  formed  the  impression  which  later  made 
Bates  a  member  of  his  Cabinet.  It  was  there  that  Lincoln  first  heard 
Horace  Greeley,  and  Greeley  heard  Lincoln  in  a  short  and  tactful 
speech.  Greeley  did  not  know  it,  but  he  was  forming  an  impression  of 
Lincoln,  which  thirteen  years  later  was  to  influence  his  judgment  in 
accepting  Lincoln  as  the  compromise  candidate  who  could  not  only 
defeat  Seward  in  the  Convention,  but  defeat  the  Democratic  nominee  in 
the  election  following.  What  Lincoln  came  to  learn  of  the  qualities 
essential  to  unifying  his  own  State  went  far  toward  making  him  capable 
of  unifying  the  nation. 


*  Justin  Butterfield  was  born  in  Keene,  N.  H.,  in  1790.  He  studied  at  Williams 
College,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  at  Watertown.  N.  Y.,  in  1812.  After  some  years 
of  practice  in  New  York  state  he  removed  to  New  Orleans,  and  in  1835  to  Chicago. 
He  soon  attained  high  rank  in  his  profession.  In  1841  he  was  appointed  by  President 
Harrison  United  States  District  Attorney.  In  1849  he  was  appointed  by  President 
Taylor  Commissioner  of  the  General  Land  Office.  He  was  logical  and  resourceful,  and 
many  stories  are  told  of  his  quick  wit.     He  died  October  25,  1835. 

Mr.  Butterfield  probably  owed  his  appointment  over  Mr.  Lincoln  to  the  influence 
of  Daniel  Webster,  who  was  his  personal  friend,  and  also  to  the  growing  importance 
of  the  northern  portion  of  the  State  of  Illinois.  Taylor  was,  according  to  his  own 
pre-election  statement,  "a  Whig,  but  not  an  ultra-Whig."  The  Whig  interests  in 
Illinois  could  better  afford  to  overlook  the  claims  of  a  down-state  ex-congressman  than 
those  of  a  strongly  backed  representative  from  the  Whig  end  of  the  State. 


*  "Abraham  Lincoln,  the  only  Whig  representative  to  Congress  from  this  State, 
we  are  happy  to  see  in  attendance  upon  the  Convention.  This  is  his  first  visit  to  the 
commercial  emporium  of  the  State,  and  we  have  no  doubt  his  first  visit  will  impress 
him  more  deeply,  if  possible,  with  the  importance,  and  inspire  a  higher  zeal  for  the 
great  interest  of  river-and-harbor  improvements.  We  expect  much  from  him  as  an 
representative  in  Congress,  and  we  have  no  doubt  our  expectations  will  be  more  than 
realized,  for  never  was  reliance  placed  in  a  nobler  heart  and  a  sounder  judgment. 
We  know  the  banner  he  bears  will  never  be  soiled." — Chicago  Journal,  July  6,   1847. 


44 

The  Chicago  Journal  in  an  indignant  editorial  inquired  whether 
of  the  River  and  Harbor  bill,  on  August  3,  1846,  by  President  James 
K.  Polk.  That  bill  had  contained  appropriations  of  $15,000  for  the 
Harbor  of  Buffalo,  $20,000  for  Cleveland,  $40,000  for  the  St.  Clair 
flats,  $80,000  for  Milwaukee,  Racine,  Chicago  and  other  nearby  ports, 
and  sums  for  other  lake  harbors.  President  Polk  affirmed  that  as  these 
ports  were  not  harbors  of  vessels  used  in  international  trade,  "It  would 
seem  the  dictate  of  wisdom  under  such  circumstances  to  husband  our 
means,  and  not  waste  them  on  comparatively  unimportant  objects." 

The  Chicago  Journal  in  an  indignant  editorial  inquired  whether 
this  same  James  K.  Polk  was  not  squandering  millions  upon  an  inva- 
sion of  Mexico  for  the  sake  of  the  extension  of  slavery?  Was  he  not 
buying  steamboats  at  exorbitant  prices  for  use  in  the  transportation 
of  troops  and  supplies  to  Mexico,  and  leaving  our  legitimate  commerce 
on  the  lakes  unprotected,  with  lives  liable  to  be  lost  for  lack  of  safe 
harbors,  and  great  territory  of  our  own  undeveloped  while  he  sought 
to  acquire  other  territory  by  bloody  means  and  for  ignoble  ends? 
What  an  insult  to  the  intelligence  of  the  nation  for  him  to*  declare  that 
these  lake  harbors  were  "comparatively  unimportant  objects !" 

A  great  convention  assembled  in  Chicago  on  July  5,  1847,  to  pro- 
test against  James  K.  Polk  and  all  his  works,  to  advance  the  interests 
of  the  lake  harbors,  and  incidentally  to  promote  the  welfare  of  the 
Whig  party.  The  significance  of  that  convention  has  never  been  ade- 
quately understood.* 

The  attendance  upon  the  River  and  Plarbor  Convention  was  not 
limited  to  residents  of  lake  cities.  There  were  seven  delegates  from 
Connecticut,  one  from  Florida,  two  from  Georgia,  twelve  from  Iowa, 
two  from  Kentucky,  two  from  Maine,  twenty-eight  from  Massachu- 
setts, forty-five  from  Missouri,  two  from  New  Hampshire,  eight  from 
New  Jersey,  twenty-seven  from  Pennsylvania,  three  from  Rhode 
Island,  one  from  South  Carolina.  I  have  not  tried  to  count  the  long 
lists  from  New  York,  Ohio,  Indiana,  Illinois,  Michigan  and  Wiscon- 
sin. These  are  all  located  by  counties,  and  show  a  widespread  repre- 
sentation from  all  parts  of  these  States.  The  Convention  was  felt  to 
be  of  vast  economic  interest,  and  was  by  no  means  lacking  in  political 
importance.  Theoretically  it  was  assembled  for  the  consideration  of 
internal  improvements ;  but  in  addition  to  this  it  was  convened  for  the 
sake  of  opposing  James  K.  Polk  and  all  his  political  associations. 

Daniel  Webster,  Henry  Clay,  Thomas  H.  Benton,  Lewis  Cass 
and  other  national  leaders  all  were  invited,  and  responded  in  letters, 
that  of  Webster  especially  being  a  document  of  considerable  size  and 
importance.  Anson  Burlingame  headed  the  Massachusetts  delegation, 
and  Ohio  followed  the  lead  of  Thomas  Corwin. 

Horace  Greeley  was  there,  and  he  wrote  up  the  convention  for 
the  New  York  Tribune,  and  ever  afterward  advised  young  men  to 
"Go  West,  and  grow  up  with  the  country."    Thurlow  Weed  reported 


*  I  am  indebted  to  Mr.  James  Shaw,  of  Aurora,  for  first  calling  my  attention  to 
the  significance  of  this  convention. 


45 

it  in  full  for  the  Albany  Journal,  and  gave  an  interesting  account  of 
his  own  journey  around  the  lakes  on  "the  magnificent  steamer, 
Empire." 

The  political  aspects  of  the  convention  are  suggested  by  the  fact 
that  Lewis  Cass  of  Michigan,  which  State  might  have  benefited  by 
river  and  harbor  improvements,  remained  away  and  sent  a  very  dis- 
tant note  of  regret,  while  Daniel  Webster,  from  Massachusetts,  in  a 
long  letter  read  at  the  convention,  came  out  unqualifiedly  for  all  that 
the  convention  stood  for.  Cass  wanted  to  be  President,  and  greatly 
needed  the  vote  of  the  slave  States ;  Webster's  position  was,  of  course, 
that  of  a  politician  who  greatly  desired  to  link  the  political  and  eco- 
nomic future  of  the  new  States  with  the  North  and  East. 

David  Dudley  Field  was  present  to  speak  for  the  administration. 
He  did  it  with  shrewdness ;  Greeley  gives  the  gist  of  his  address.  The 
convention  did  not  treat  him  any  too  courteously ;  and  Lincoln  followed 
with  his  one  speech,  a  tactful  one,  of  which  we  have  no  report,  but 
one  that  appears  to  have  stood  for  fair  play  while  being  ardently  in 
favor  of  the  whole  plan  of  internal  improvements.  The  convention 
at  its  next  session  apologized  to  Mr.  Field  for  the  uncivil  treatment 
he  had  received,  but  did  not  alter  its  program  or  change  its  convictions 
on  account  of  this  apology  for  bad  manners. 

*  The  River  and  Harbor  Convention  of  1847  put  Chicago  upon  the 
nation's  map.  It  did  more  than  any  previous  or  subsequent  assembly 
to  link  the  fortunes  of  the  great  State  of  Illinois  with  the  North  and 
East. 

It  must  have  been  a  very  illuminating  event  to  Lincoln.  It  was 
his  first  visit  to  Chicago,  his  first  view  of  the  great  lakes.*  It  was  his 
first  important  reminder  that,  while  he  was  elected  from  Central  Illi- 
nois, he,  as  the  only  Whig  member  of  Congress  from  the  State,  must 
find  his  political  support  thereafter  largely  in  the  newer  portion  of 
the  State  where  the  Whigs  were  more  largely  in  control.  It  must  have 
reminded  him,  and  he  was  soon  to  be  rudely  reminded  again,  that 
Chicago,  and  Northern  Illinois  with  her,  was  thenceforth  to  be  reck- 
oned with  as  an  important  political  as  well  as  economic  factor.  He 
had  hoped  to  effect  the  unity  of  Illinois  by  a  canal  connecting  the  lakes 
with  the  rivers ;  whether  this  ever  was  accomplished  or  not,  the  whole 
future  of  Illinois,  central  and  southern  as  well  as  northern,  was  tied 
up  with  Chicago,  and  through  Chicago  with  the  East  and  North.  Illi- 
nois, with  her  whole  western  boundary  washed  by  the  Mississippi,  her 
southern  border  hemmed  in  by  the  Ohio,  and  a  large  part  of  her  east- 
ern border  determined  by  the  Wabash,  and  all  of  these  streams  bearing 
their  cargoes  through  slave  territory  to  New  Orleans,  was  an  indivis- 
ible political  and  economic  unit,  bound  by  Chicago  and  the  great  lakes 
to  New  York  and  New  England,  Ohio  and  Pennsylvania. 


*  My  good  friends,  Mr.  J.  Seymour  Currey,  of  Evanston,  and  Prof.  Julius  E.  Olson, 
of  the  State  University  of  Wisconsin,  are  of  opinion  that  Lincoln  made  two  earlier  visits 
to  Chicago  ;  and  they  may  be  correct.  To  me,  however,  the  evidence  does  not  appear 
entirely  conclusive ;  and  in  any  event,  those  earlier  visits,  if  they  occurred,  were  with- 
out important  significance.  Prof.  Olson's  interesting  study  is  published  by  the  Wis- 
consin Historical  Society,  Vol.  4,  p.  44,  1920,  and  Mr.  Currev's  suggestive  article  is  in 
the  Journal  of  the  Illinois  State  Historical  Societv.  Vol.  12,  No.  3,  Oct.,  1919,  p.  412. 


46 

Illinois  and  Slavery. 

In  1808,  one  year  before  the  birth  of  Lincoln,  the  slave  trade 
ceased  by  constitutional  limitation.  If  slavery  itself  could  have  gone 
out  with  the  importation  of  slaves,  the  history  of  Lincoln  and  our 
nation  had  been  quite  otherwise.  It  was  not  so,  and  in  1820  came  the 
Missouri  Compromise.  By  this  act  Missouri  was  admitted  to  the 
Union  as  a  slave  State,  and  slavery  which  before  that  time  had  been 
held  south  of  Mason  and  Dixon's  line  was  extended  for  north  on  the 
west  side  of  the  Mississippi  river;  but  by  the  agreement  then  entered 
upon,  States  thereafter  to  be  admitted  into  the  Union  were  to  come 
in  free  unless  they  lay  south  of  the  parallel  of  36  degrees  and  30  min- 
utes north  longitude,  the  southern  boundary  of  Missouri.  For  thirty- 
four  years  that  Compromise  had  stood,  but  thirty- four  years  is  a  long 
time,  and  slavery  had  been  gaining  ground.  The  Louisiana  purchase 
had  brought  in  material  for  a  number  of  new  slave  states  and  the 
Mexican  War  had  brought  in  others.  California  had  indeed  entered 
the  Union  as  a  free  State,  but  that  was  not  the  fault  of  the  slave- 
holding  element  in  Congress  or  even  of  the  then  occupant  of  the 
White  House. 

The  removal  of  the  Capital  of  the  United  States  from  Washington 
and  later  from  Philadelphia  to  a  small  district  taken  from  and  bounded 
by  the  two  slave  States  of  Maryland  and  Virginia  did  much  to 
strengthen  slavery  socially  and  politically.  In  1854  the  Kansas- 
Nebraska  Bill  repealed  the  Missouri  Compromise,  started  Kansas  to 
bleeding,  set  John  Brown's  soul  and  body  to  marching  in  the  path 
that  led  to  the  gallows,  and  called  Abraham  Lincoln  back  into  politics, 
from  which  he  had  retired  in  1848. 

Abraham  Lincoln  could  not  remember  the  time  when  he  had  not 
believed  slavery  to  be  wrong,  but  he  found  no  occasion  in  his  early 
political  life  to  make  slavery  a  direct  issue.  It  was  well  for  him  and 
the  nation  that  his  home  was  in  a  State  where  he  had  to  define  his  own 
position  on  the  slavery  question  in  terms  both  ethical  and  legal. 

Illinois  as  a  part  of  the  Northwest  Territory  was  forever  dedi- 
cated as  a  shrine  of  freedom ;  but  Illinois  as  a  State  settled  from  Ken- 
tucky permitted  a  good  many  slaves  to  be  held  by  families  who  moved 
into  the  State  and  brought  their  negroes  with  them.  Illinois  had  a 
"Black  Code"  of  disgraceful  and  revolting  severity.  On  March  3, 
1837,  Abraham  Lincoln  and  Dan  Stone,  representatives  from  the 
County  of  Sangamon,  filed  their  protest  against  resolutions  adopted 
on  the  preceding  day  by  their  fellow  members  of  the  House  of  Rep- 
resentatives, violently  denouncing  abolitionists  and  expressing  strong 
pro-slavery  sympathies.  This  protest  of  Lincoln  and  Stone  stated  that 
its  two  signers,  "believe  that  the  institution  of  slavery  is  founded  on 
both  injustice  and  bad  policy."  In  1841  the  sale  of  a  negro  girl  named 
Nancy,  resulted  in  the  case  of  Bailey  vs.  Cromwell,  which  was  carried 
to  the  Supreme  Court  of  Illinois.  There  Lincoln  contended  that  this 
slave  girl  was  free  by  virtue  of  the  Ordinance  of  1787,  which  prohibited 
slavery  in  the  Northwest  Territory.     This  case  which  Lincoln  argued 


47 

when  he  was  thirty-two  years  of  age,  compelled  him  to  consider  slavery 
both  in  its  legal  and  its  moral  aspects.  Such  an  issue  could  hardly 
have  risen,  except  in  Illinois  or  Indiana  or  Ohio.* 

The  Repeal  of  the  Missouri  Compromise. 

The  leader  in  the  repeal  of  the  Missouri  Compromise  was  Stephen 
Arnold  Douglas,  Senator  from  Illinois,  and  at  that  time  chairman  of  the 
Senate  Committee  on  Territories.  Whether  he  was  the  real  author  of 
the  measure  is  hotly  disputed.  The  most  careful  study  of  this  question 
seems  to  me  to  be  that  of  Prof.  P.  Orman  Ray,  who,  after  a  careful 
analysis  of  the  material  available,  supports  the  view  of  Colonel  John 
A.  Parker,  in  his  pamphlet,  "The  Secret  History  of  the  Kansas- 
Nebraska  Bill",  and  derives  the  movement  for  the  repeal  to  the  fac- 
tional strife  in  Missouri  between  Thomas  Hart  Benton  and  David  R. 
Atchison.  Atchison,  as  Professor  Ray  believes,  was  the  real  author  of 
the  measure;  and  his  conclusions  appear  to  me  to  be  valid.  (See  The 
Repeal  of  the  Missouri  Compromise,  by  P.  Orman  Ray,  Ph.D.,  Cleve- 
land, 1909).  He  shows  that  much  has  been  written  about  the  part 
which  Douglas  took,  and  of  his  motive  in  the  matter,  is  not  sustained 
by  adequate  evidence,  and  that  some  things  which  Douglas  claifned, 
as,  for  instance,  that  for  eight  years  prior  to  the  repeal,  he  had  stead- 
ily advocated  it,  appear  to  be  unreliable.  But  conceding,  as  we  may 
well  concede,  the  authorship  of  the  repeal  to  David  R.  Atchison,  and 
perhaps  also  in  part  to  Judge  William  C.  Price,  it  is  Douglas  with 
whom  we  have  to  reckon  as  the  man  responsible  for  the  form  of  its 
presentation,  for  its  report  from  the  Committee,  and  for  its  adoption 
by  Congress  and  discussion  by  the  country,  and  Douglas  was  proud 
to  be  known  as  its  responsible  author. 

And,  whatever  Douglas'  motive  at  the  outset,  or  even  if  he  had 
then  no  motive  except  that  of  the  possibility  of  being  removed  from 
the  chairmanship  of  the  Committee  on  Territories,  to  make  way  for 
Atchison  to  introduce  the  bill,  he  must  ultimately  have  seen  that  he 
was  certain  to  be  held  responsible  for  it,  and  it  was  well  for  him,  if  he 
expected  to  be  a  candidate  for  the  Presidency,  to  use  to  his  advantage 
in  the  Southern  States  what  was  certain  to  be  used  to  his  disadvantage 
in  the  States  where  a  strong  anti-slavery  sentiment  existed. 

Beyond  any  reasonable  doubt  Douglas  hoped  to  gain  sufficient 
political  influence  in  the  slave-holding  states  to  make  him  President. 
In  the  two  sketches  of  Lincoln's  life  which  he  himself  prepared, 
Abraham  Lincoln  stated  that  after  his  return  from  Congress  in  1848, 
he  returned  to  the  practice  of  law  with  more  ardor  than  he  ever  had 
manifested  before,  but  that  the  Missouri  Compromise  recalled  him 
to  political  activity.  When  Abraham  Lincoln  found  himself  recalled 
to  political  life  by  a  great  moral  crisis  in  the  life  of  the  nation,  it  was 
the  good  fortune  of  Illinois  to  be  able  to  furnish  to  Abraham  Lincoln 
a  foeman  worthy  of  his  steel.  He  did  not  have  to  go  out  of  his  own 
State  to  meet  the  national  issue.     Illinois  furnished  him  an  arena  of 


*  Theoretically,  such  a  case  might  have  risen  in  any  one  of  the  five  States  carved 
out  of  the  Northwest  Territory,  but  it  would  not  have  been  likely  to  rise  in  Wisconsin 
or  Michigan,  because  they  were  newer  and  more  remote  from  slave  territory. 


48 

national  proportions.  He  did  not  need  to  go  to  Missouri  or  to  bleed- 
ing Kansas,  though  he  paid  an  important  visit  to  the  latter;  he  was 
able  to  beard  the  slavery  lion  in  his  political  den  in  his  own  State  and 
the  State  of  Douglas. 

An  Illinois  Foeman  Worthy  of  Lincoln's  Steel. 

Who  can  measure  the  influence  upon  Lincoln  of  the  fact  that 
Stephen  A.  Douglas  was  in  1854  and  still  in  1858  not  only  a  resident 
of  Illinois  but  a  dominant  force  in  national  politics?  The  joint  debate 
between  these  two  great  men  stands  out  in  our  national  life  and  occu- 
pies a  place  all  its  own.  The  significant  fact  of  our  present  purpose 
is  that  this  contest  found  both  of  its  notable  participants  in  this  State 
and  the  State  itself  on  tiptoe  eager  for  the  contest  between  them. 

Both  Lincoln  and  Douglas  knew  that  Illinois  was  not  a  unit, 
and  each  of  them  used  that  fact  to  the  utmost  to  the  disadvantage  of 
the  other.  Douglas  repeatedly  charged  Lincoln  with  uttering  senti- 
ments in  Northern  Illinois  which  he  would  not  dare  to  repeat  in 
Egypt;  and  Lincoln  succeeded  in  committing  Douglas  to  the  "Free- 
port  heresy"  which  ultimately  proved  his  undoing. 

But  Lincoln  forced  the  issue  on  this  platform,  that  while  the 
Constitution  recognized  slavery  as  existing,  and  he  had  no  plan  or 
purpose  to  interfere  with  it  where  it  then  was,  the  framers  of  the 
Constitution  had  clearly  understood  that  slavery  was  an  evil,  and  it 
was  a  thing  to  be  faced  as  such.  At  Galesburg,  Lincoln  quoted  Doug- 
las as  saying  that  Douglas  did  not  care  whether  slavery  was  voted  up 
or  voted  down ;  and  he  proceeded : 

"Judge  Douglas  declares  that  if  any  community  wants  slavery,  they  have 
a  right  to  it.  He  can  say  that  logically,  if  he  says  there  is  no  wrong  in 
slavery;  but  if  you  admit  that  there  is  a  wrong  in  it,  he  cannot  logically  say 
that  anybody  has  a  right  to  do  wrong.  He  insists  that,  upon  the  score  of 
equality,  the  owners  of  slaves  and  the  owners  of  property — or  horses  and 
every  other  kind  of  property — should  be  alike,  and  hold  them  alike  in  a 
new  territory.  That  is  perfectly  logical  if  the  two  species  of  property  are 
alike  and  equally  founded  in  right.  But  if  you  admit  that  one  of  them  is 
wrong,  you  cannot  institute  any  equality  between  right  and  wrong. 

"Now,  I  confess  myself  as  belonging  to  that  class  in  the  country  who 
regard  slavery  as  a  moral,  social  and  political  evil  having  due  regard  for 
its  actual  existence  among  us  and  the  difficulties  of  getting  rid  of  it  in  any 
satisfactory  way,  and  to  all  the  constitutional  obligations  which  have  been 
thrown  about  it;  but,  nevertheless,  desire  a  policy  which  looks  to  the  pre- 
vention of  it  as  a  wrong,  and  look  hopefully  to  the  time  when  as  a  wrong 
it  may  come  to  an  end.  He  is  blowing  out  the  moral  lights  around  us  when 
he  contends  that  whoever  wants  slaves  has  a  right  to  hold  them." 

It  was  thus  that  Lincoln  came  to  his  position,  not  as  an  aboli- 
tionist, but  as  one  who  could  say  what  Lincoln  did  say  with  great 
deliberation  at  Springfield  on  June  17,  1858 : 

"  'A  house  divided  against  itself  cannot  stand.'  I  believe  this  govern- 
ment cannot  endure  permanently  half  slave  and  half  free.  I  do  not  expect 
the  Union  to  be  dissolved — I  do  not  expect  the  house  to  fall — but  I  do  expect 
that  it  will  cease  to  be  divided.  It  will  become  all  one  thing,  or  all  the 
other.  Either  the  opponents  of  slavery  will  arrest  the  further  spread  of  it, 
and  place  it  where  the  public  mind  shall  rest  in  the  belief  that  it  is  in  course 
of  ultimate  extinction,  or  its  advocates  will  push  it  forward  till  it  shall  be- 
come alike  lawful  in  all  the  states,  old  as  well  as  new,  north  as  well  as  south." 


49 

How  carefully  Lincoln  had  prepared  this  paragraph  and  its 
context  is  shown  by  the  fact  that  when  Douglas  made  quotations  from 
it  a  few  months  later,  Lincoln  was  able  to  repeat  it  word  for  word, 
saying  as  he  did  so,  that  Douglas  had  repeated  it  so  often  that  Lincoln 
had  learned  it  from  him.  That,  of  course,  was  only  an  excuse  for 
knowing  it  so  well  that  he  could  repeat  it  months  after  the  occasion 
for  which  it  had  been  prepared.  The  fact  is,  that  when  Lincoln  went 
before  the  convention  which  on  June  17,  1858,  nominated  him  as  a 
candidate  against  Douglas  for  Senator,  Lincoln  had  determined  to 
force  the  slavery  issue  upon  moral  grounds,  indicated  by  the  repeal  of 
the  Missouri  Compromise;  and  the  man  with  whom  he  had  to  discuss 
that  issue  was  not  John  C.  Calhoun  of  North  Carolina  or  any  other 
statesman  from  the  Southern  States,  but  Stephen  A  Douglas,  of 
Illinois. 

The  Slavery  Issue  National  and  Moral. 

Considered  in  their  intellectual  aspects,  it  is  hard  to  decide  which 
to  admire  the  more,  the  speeches  of  Lincoln  or  those  of  Douglas. 
But  what  we  are  to  remember  is  that  Lincoln  deliberately  forced  the 
consideration  of  slavery  in  its  ethical  aspects.  Douglas  set  forth 
strongly  his  claim  for  "squatter  sovereignty."  He  maintained  that  the 
founders  of  the  republic  never  intended  that  there  should  be  uniform- 
ity in  matters  of  local  concern,  but  that  there  should  be  large  liberty 
in  each  State  to  decide  its  own  policy  in  matters  within  its  own  bound- 
aries. The  slavery  issue  thus  was  an  issue  for  each  State  to  determine 
in  its  own  way.  He  insisted  that  to  hold  this  principle  was  not  to 
commit  one's  self  to  the  pro-slavery  view ;  he  did  not  care,  so  far  as 
this  principle  was  concerned,  whether  slavery  was  voted  up  or  voted 
down,  but  he  did  care  for  the  sacred  right  of  each  State  to  work  out 
its  own  salvation  in  matters  of  its  own  concern. 

But  what  Lincoln  said  at  the  outset,  he  reiterated  in  nearly  every 
speech,  and  stated  thus  in  the  debate  at  Quincy: 

"The  difference  of  opinion,  reduced  to  its  lowest  terms,  is  no  other  than 
the  difference  between  the  men  who  think  slavery  a  wrong,  and  those  who  do 
not  think  it  a  wrong.  The  Republican  party  think  it  wrong;  we  think  it  is 
a  moral,  a  social,  a  political  wrong.  We  think  it  a  wrong  not  confining  itself 
to  the  persons  or  the  states  where  it  exists,  but  that  it  is  a  wrong  in  its 
tendency,  to  say  the  least,  that  extends  itself  to  the  existence  of  the  whole 
nation.  Because  we  think  it  wrong,  we  propose  a  course  of  policy  that  shall 
deal  with  it  as  a  wrong.  W!e  deal  with  it  as  with  any  other  wrong,  in  so  far 
as  we  can  prevent  its  growing  any  larger,  and  so  deal  with  it  that  in  the 
run  of  time  there  may  be  some  promise  of  an  end  to  it.  We  have  a  due 
regard  to  the  actual  presence  of  it  amongst  us,  and  the  difficulties  of  getting 
rid  of  it  in  any  satisfactory  way,  and  all  the  constitutional  obligations  thrown 
about  it." 

It  was  no  political  accident  that  drove  Lincoln  to  this  position. 
The  Kansas-Nebraska  bill  and  the  Dred  Scot  decision  had  practically 
nationalized  slavery.  This  he  affirmed  in  his  speech  in  Springfield, 
June  17,  1858,  and  in  that  speech  declared  that  a  house  divided  against 
itself  could  not  stand.  He  knew  what  answer  Senator  Douglas  would 
make.     There  was  nothing  in  the  Chicago  speech  of  Douglas  on  July 


50 

9,  1858,  that  surprised  him,  and  Lincoln  was  present  and  heard  it. 
Douglas  quoted  Lincoln's  "house  divided  against  itself"  paragraph, 
and  commented. 

"In  other  words,  Mr.  Lincoln  asserts,  as  a  fundamental  principle  of  this 
government,  that  there  must  be  uniformity  in  the  local  laws  and  domestic 
institutions  of  each  and  all  the  states  of  the  Union. 

"Now,  my  friends,  I  must  say  to  you  frankly,  that  I  take  bold,  unqualified 
issue  with  him  upon  that  principle.  I  assert  that  it  is  neither  desirable  nor 
possible  that  there  should  be  uniformity  in  the  local  institutions  and  domestic 
regulations  of  the  different  states  of  the  Union.  The  framers  of  our  govern- 
ment never  contemplated  uniformity  in  its  internal  concerns.  Mr.  Lincoln 
has  totally  misapprehended  the  great  principles  upon  which  our  government 
rests." 

Lincoln  did  not  misapprehend.  He  knew  just  what  he  was  doing, 
and  he  knew  why  he  was  doing  it.  He  was  determined  to  force  the 
fight  with  Douglas  on  these  two  grounds,  that  the  slavery  issue  was 
national,  and  that  it  was  fundamentally  moral. 

Illinois  is  not  the  only  State  in  which  Lincoln  might  have  form- 
ulated or  forced  that  issue :  but  Illinois  was  the  State  in  which,  above 
all  other  States,  that  issue  could  be  squarely  joined  between  himself 
and  the  advocate  of  "squatter  sovereignty,"  Stephen  A.  Douglas. 
The  event  made  Douglas  a  Senator  again,  and  two  years  later  it 
made  Lincoln  President. 

Illinois  the  Forum  for  Lincoln's  Greatest  Speeches. 

Illinois  offered  to  Lincoln  a  forum  for  the  delivery  of  very  nearly 
all  his  greatest  speeches  up  to  the  time  of  his  departure  for  his  Inaug- 
ural. If  we  except  only  the  Cooper  Union  address,  virtually  all  the 
other  of  Lincoln's  outstanding  speeches  were  delivered  in  his  own 
State,  and  it  was  the  best  possible  place  for  their  delivery.  The 
"House-divided-against-itself"  speech  has  already  been  referred  to. 
His  "Lost  Speech"  at  Bloomington,  May  20,  1856,  could  not  so  well 
have  been  delivered  in  any  other  State  convention.  His  Peoria  speech 
of  October  16,  1854,  might  have  been  ignored  if  delivered  in  another 
State,  but  in  Illinois,  it  virtually  made  certain  the  contest  four  years 
later  with  Douglas. 

Illinois  Gave  Lincoln  Most  of  His  Offices. 

Illinois  gave  to  Lincoln  every  office  that  he  ever  held,  except 
that  of  the  Presidency  and  the  postmastership  of  New  Salem.  Even 
in  those  important  positions  Illinois  exerted  an  influence  far  from 
negligible.  When  he  was  a  candidate  for  the  Presidency  he  recorded 
in  a  sketch  of  his  life  written  with  his  own  hand  that  his  election  as 
captain  of  his  company  in  the  Black  Hawk  war  gave  him  at  the  time 
more  satisfaction  than  any  subsequent  honor.  He  also  recorded  that 
his  defeat  in  1832  when  he  was  a  candidate  for  the  Legislature  was 
the  only  defeat  he  ever  suffered  at  the  hands  of  the  people.  The 
people  who  thus  voted  for  him  whenever  they  had  opportunity  were, 
down  to  1860,  wholly  Illinois  people.  Even  in  the  election  of  1832 
when  he  was  defeated,  that  part  of  Illinois  that  knew  him,  the  part 


51 

adjacent  to  and  inclusive  of  New  Salem,  voted  overwhelmingly  in 
his  favor.  A  Legislature  declined  in  1858  to  make  him  Senator;  a 
President  in  1848  declined  to  make  him  Land  Commissioner,  but  the 
people  of  Illinois  gave  him  every  office  which  he  ever  asked  of  them. 

Illinois  Fence  Rails  and  Their  Various  Uses. 

Illinois  did  something  for  Lincoln  worth  remembering  in  pre- 
serving some  of  his  fence-rails,  and  the  memory  of  his  making  them. 
He  made  them  in  1830,  and  the  State  Republican  Convention  of  1860 
was  held  in  Decatur,  only  ten  miles  away  from  where  those  rails  still 
formed  some  part  of  a  fence.  Thither  came  Lincoln,  to  attend  the 
convention  that  on  May  9  and  10,  1860,  was  to  elect  delegates  to  the 
National  Republican  Convention,  to  be  held  in  Chicago,  scarcely  a 
week  later,  May  16.  The  northern  part  of  the  State  was  still  strongly 
for  Seward,  though  the  Chicago  Tribune  had  already  come  out 
squarely  for  Lincoln.  But  the  Decatur  Convention  was  not  long 
divided.  Richard  J.  Oglesby  and  old  John  Hanks  had  found  two  of  the 
old  rails,  and  at  the  opportune  moment  they  were  brought  into  the 
Convention,  with  a  reminder  that  Lincoln  was  "the  rail  candidate.,, 
So  he  proved  to  be ;  and  the  Seward  boom  fell  flat  in  Illinois.  From 
Decatur  the  Lincoln  hosts  went  almost  directly  to  Chicago,  carrying 
with  them  the  fresh  enthusiasm  of  their  Decatur  experience. 

Illinois  the  Scene  of  the  Convention  that  Nominated  Lincoln. 

Finally,  Illinois  offered  to  Lincoln  a  place  for  the  National  Re- 
publican convention  of  1860.  In  the  boisterous  young  city  by  the  lake, 
within  the  borders  of  the  very  State  where  Lincoln  had  split  his  rails, 
convened  the  delegates  from  all  the  States  where  there  was  organized 
opposition  to  the  extension  of  slavery.  We  do  not  know  what  would 
have  happened  if  the  Republican  Convention  had  been  held  in  some 
other  city  where  as  many  men  were  shouting  for  Seward  as  in  Chi- 
cago were  shouting  for  Lincoln.  We  do  know  that  the  galleries  were 
potent  then  and  even  now  not  wholly  lacking  in  their  power  to  influ- 
ence a  body  of  delegates.  It  was  Lincoln's  own  State  that  furnished 
the  theater  for  that  dramatic  act  which  made  him  President  of  the 
nation. 

But  the  theater  was  not  the  whole  play.  Illinois  was  geographic- 
ally and  politically  even  then  a  State  whose  support  was  of  vast  impor- 
tance to  the  ticket  of  the  new  political  party.  Illinois  did  not  dictate  the 
nomination;  that  was  done  by  the  opponents  of  Seward,  after  failure4 to 
discover  another  candidate  who  could  carry  the  convention  with  good 
prospect  also  of  carrying  the  election;  but  the  influence  of  Illinois  in 
both  these  matters  was  important ;  and  Illinois  was  by  that  time  united 
in  support  of  Lincoln.  And,  when  all  else  has  been  said,  it  is  not  to 
be  forgotten  that  Illinois  furnished  a  large  fraction  of  the  shouting. 

Lincoln's  Farewell  and  Return  to  Illinois. 

The  time  came  for  him  to  say  farewell  to  his  own  Illinois.  He 
said  it  first  to  his  aged  step-mother,  who  remembered  with  loving 
heart  how  he  had  been  dear  to  her  as  her  own  son,  and  had  never 


52 

spoken  to  her  an  unkind  word.  He  said  it  to  his  old  neighbors,  as  he 
stood  on  the  rear  platform  of  the  train  with  the  wet  eyes  asking  them  to 
commend  him  to  God  in  their  prayers.     And  then  he  went  away. 

He  came  not  back,  save  only  the  sacred  memory  of  him,  and 
the  holy  pride  with  which  he  was  held  to  lasting  honor,  and  the  dust 
that  once  had  enshrined  his  great  soul.  Thus  wrote  Walt  Whitman 
in  the  spring  of  1865 : 

"When  lilacs  last  in  the  door-yard  bloomed, 

And  the  great  star  early  drooped  in  the  western  sky  in  the  night, 

I  mourned,  and  yet  shall  mourn  with  ever  returning  spring. 

0  ever-returning  spring!  trinity  sure  to  me  you  bring; 
Lilacs  blooming  perennial,  and  drooping  star  in  the  west, 
And  thought  of  him  I  love. 

Over  the  breast  of  the  spring,  the  land  amid  cities, 

Amid  lanes  and  through  old  woods  (where  lately  the  violets  peeped  from 

the  ground,  spotting  the  gray  debris;) 
Amid  the  grass  in  the  fields  each  side  of  the  lanes — passing  the  endless 

grass; 
Passing  the  yellow-speared  wheat,  every  grain  from  its  shroud  in  the 

dark-brown  fields  uprising; 
Passing  the  apple-tree  blows  of  white  and  pink  in  the  orchards; 
Carrying  a  corpse  to  where  it  shall  rest  in  the  grave, 
Night  and  day  journeys  a  coffin. 

Coffin  that  passes  through  lanes  and  streets, 

Through  day  and  night,  with  the  great  cloud  darkening  the  land, 
With  the  pomp  of  the  inlooped  flags,  with  the  cities  draped  in  black, 
With  the   show   of   the   States   themselves,   as    of   crape-veiled   women 

standing, 
With  processions  long  and  winding,  and  the  flambeaus  of  the  night, 
With  the  countless  torches  lit — with  the  silent  sea  of  faces  and  the  un- 
bared heads, 
With  the  waiting  depot,  the  arriving  coffin,  and  the  somber  faces, 
With  dirges  through  the  night,  with  the  thousand  voices  rising  strong 

and  solemn; 
With  all  the  mournful  voices  of  the  dirges,  poured  around  the  coffin, 
The  dim-lit  churches  and  the  shuddering  organ — where  amid  these  you 

journey, 
With  the  tolling,  tolling,  bells'  perpetual  clang; 
Here!    Coffin  that  slowly  passes, 

1  give  you  my  sprig  of  lilacs!" 

The  long  journey  ended.  The  lilacs  bloomed  and  drooped.  The 
gates  of  Oak  Ridge  opened  and  closed.  Abraham  Lincoln  was  at 
home  again,  in  his  own  Illinois.* 

As  the  body  of  Lincoln  returned  to  the  soil  of  his  own  State, 
Edna  Dean  Proctor,  then  a  young  woman,  wrote  a  noble  poem,  a  copy 
of  which  in  her  own  handwriting  hangs  in  the  tomb  of  Lincoln,  from 
which  I  quote  a  few  lines : 


*  Abraham  Lincoln  was  assasinated  on  Good  Friday  night,  April  14,  1865,  and 
died  the  following  morning.  His  funeral  was  held  from  the  White  House  at  noon 
on  Wednesday,  April  19.  The  body  left  Washington  at  7  o'clock,  Friday  morning, 
April  21,  and  journeyed  by  wav  of  Baltimore,  Harrisburg,  Philadelphia,  New  York, 
Albany,  Buffalo,  Cleveland, '  Coluinbus,  Indianapolis  and  Chicago.  The  departure  from 
Chicago  was  at  8  o'clock  p.  m.  on  Tuesday,  May  2.  Springfield  was  reached  next 
morning.  The  Springfield  funeral  took  place  on  Thursday,  May  4.  Late  on  the  after- 
noon of  that  day,  his  body  was-laid  to  rest  in  Oak  Ridge  cemetery. 


53 

"Now  must  the  storied  Potomac 

Honors  forever  divide; 
Now  to  the  Sangamon  fameless 

Give  of  its  century's  pride; 
Sangamon,  stream  of  the  prairies, 

Placidly  westward  that  flows, 
Far  in  whose  city  of  silence 

Calm  he  has  sought  his  repose. 

"Not  for  thy  sheaves  nor  savannas 

Crown  we  thee,  proud  Illinois! 
Here  in  his  grave  is  thy  grandeur, 

Born  of  his  sorrow  thy  joy. 
Only  the  tomb  by  Mount  Zioh 

Hewn  for  the  Lord  do  we  hold 
Dearer  than  his  in  thy  prairies, 

Girdled  with  harvests  of  gold." 

Is  Illinois  Capable  of  Producing  More  Lincolns.? 

Times  have  changed.  We  no  longer  have  or  need  those  same 
conditions,  but  we  need  men  of  the  same  spirit.  Is  Illinois  adapted  to 
produce  men  now  of  the  Lincoln  type?  We  have  sung  tonight  our 
State  song  which  has  some  merit,  and  some  undeniably  fine  lines.  I 
could  wish  that  it  had  more  idealism.  It  is  not  enough  that  we  have 
rivers  gently  flowing  or  prairies  verdant  growing  and  straight  roads 
leading  along  section  lines  to  Chicago,  nor  that  the  breezes  murmur 
the  musical  name  of  our  State.  What  does  that  name  mean  ?  To  the 
Indians  it  meant,  'We  are  men.'  It  was  a  proud  boast  of  the  manhood 
of  the  State.  Are  we  producing  manhood  like  Lincoln's?  I  have  not 
undertaken  to  write  a  new  State  song,  but  I  have  written  a  little 
rhymed  sermon,  and  that  is  no  apology: 

Not  thy  farms  with  cattle  teeming, 

Illinois,  Illinois, 
Nor  thy  factories  smoking,  steaming, 

Illinois,  Illinois, 
Nor  thy  railroads  hauling  freight, 
Made  thee,  or  can  make  thee  great, 
Righteous  manhood  buids  a  State, 

Illinois. 

By  thy  rivers  gently  flowing, 

Illinois,  Illinois, 
Arc  there  any  great  men  growing, 

Illinois,  Illinois? 
Long  before  the  white  man's  ken, 
Proud  thy  boast,  "My  sons  are  men"; 
This  thy  glory  now  as  then, 

Illinois. 

Lincoln's  ashes  thou  dost  cherish, 

Illinois,  Illinois, 
Guard  his  virtues,  lest  they  perish, 

Illinois,  Illinois, 
Justice,  righteousness  and  skill, 
Honor,  faith  and  strong  good  will, 
These  thy  guiding  beacons  still, 

Illinois. 


54 


ART  IN  HISTORIC  COMMUNITIES. 

By  R.  E.  Hiebonymus,  Community  Advisee,  University  of  Illinois. 

A  year  and  a  half  ago  the  Art  Extension  Committee  was  formed 
at  the  Better  Community  Conference  of  the  University  of  Illinois.  One 
of  the  most  important  activities  in  any  community  is  the  making  of 
that  community  a  more  beautiful  as  well  as  a  better  place  in  which  to 
live. 

The  special  purpose  of  the  Art  Extension  Committee  is  to  assist 
in  making  Art  a  more  potent  elevating  force  in  the  lives  of  the  people 
of  the  State  of  Illinois.  It  aims  to  help  the  people  to  discover  beauty 
in  Nature  and  to  enjoy  it,  to  recognize  beauty  in  Art  and  to  appreciate 
it,  and  to  stimulate  the  production  of  beautiful  things. 

For  the  development  of  its  work  the  General  Committee  has  sub- 
committees on  Community  Festivals,  Club  Activities,  Competitions, 
Bulletins,  Speakers,  Legislation,  etc.  Three  exhibits  have  been  pre- 
pared and  are  now  in  circulation  throughout  the  State,  one  of  original 
Oil  Paintings,  another  of  photographs  of  Illinois  Sculpture,  and  a  third 
on  Landscaping  Plans  for  both  large  and  small  communities.  Others 
are  in  preparation. 

The  Illinois  State  Historical  Society  and  the  Art  Extension  Com- 
mittee may  well  join  hands  in  beautifying  still  further  the  communities 
of  the  State.  It  is  a  happy  thought  that  we  are  thus  brought  together 
in  this  Annual  Meeting  to  study  ways  in  which  we  may  be  helpful  each 
to  the  other. 

Tablets,  statues,  monuments  and  memorials  will  increase  in  num- 
ber as  the  people  come  to  appreciate  the  place  that  real  works  of  art 
may  come  to  have  in  enriching  the  life  of  the  people.  Instead  of  the 
vicious  street  carnivals  now  infesting  all  too  many  places,  masques  and 
pageants  given  by  the  people  themselves  would  familiarize  both  young 
and  old  with  the  earlier  history  of  their  own  community  and  at  the 
same  time  create  a  deeper  interest  in  dramatic  art.  City  Planning  is 
blazing  the  way  for  beautifying  the  cities  of  the  State  in  many  ways. 
And  now  plans  are  shaping  through  legislation  and  the  sympathetic 
co-operation  of  State-wide  associations  and  agencies  for  a  State  Plan 
and  a  comprehensive  system  of  State  Parks.  We  deserve  little  credit 
for  what  nature  has  already  done  for  Illinois,  but  the  obligation  is  upon 
us  all  to  add  through  the  various  forms  of  Art  to  the  natural  beauty 
and  charm  of  our  boundless  prairies,  the  wooded  valleys  and  the  many 
historic  spots  throughout  the  Commonwealth. 


55 


THE  INDUSTRIAL  DEVELOPMENT  OF  ILLINOIS. 

By  John  M.  Glenn,  Secretary  of  the  Illinois  Manufacturers'  Association, 

Chicago,  Illinois. 

The  wresting  of  Illinois  from  the  Indians  and  the  wild  beasts  is 
one  of  the  most  interesting  episodes  in  American  history,  and  the  story 
of  the  industrial  development  of  the  State  which  followed,  so  far  as 
the  manufacturing  industry  is  concerned,  is  quite  as  romantic  as  the 
tales  of  Indian  fighting  and  buffalo  hunting. 

Nature  endowed  the  territory  with  wonderful  resources,  but  the 
means  of  transportation  enjoyed  by  the  early  settlers  were  primitive 
and  tedious.  To  these  pioneers  a  trip  across  Lake  Michigan  in  a  craft 
which  would  not  now  be  regarded  as  safe,  or  a  voyage,  up  the  Mississ- 
ippi River  in  a  steamboat  like  that  described  by  Lincoln  which  had  to 
stop  every  time  the  whistle  blew,  was  as  much  of  a  luxury  as  a  ride  on 
the  Twentieth  Century  train  to  New  York  or  a  trip  to  California  on 
the  Overland  is  to  the  present  generation. 

The  moving  of  lumber  and  logs  down  the  Mississippi  River  and 
the  trafhc  up  and  down  the  Illinois  was  no  more  of  a  novelty  than  a 
freight  train  is  today.  It  was  the  way  the  traffic  moved  and  it  was  a 
cheap  and  a  convenient  way  and  a  sure  way. 

The  modern  method  of  fabricating  steel  on  the  eastern  coast  and 
shipping  it  to  San  Francisco  by  rail  instead  of  by  water  simply  shows 
the  impatience  of  the  modern  buyer.  He  would  rather  pay  the  price 
of  rail  transportation  than  wait  for  delivery  by  the  water  route.  In 
Illinois,  in  the  early  half  of  the  last  century,  when  it  took  thirty  days 
to  go  to  the  seat  of  government  at  Washington,  a  merchant  put  in  an 
order  for  his  goods  far  enough  ahead  to  have  the  delivery  made  in 
time  for  next  season's  trade. 

I  suspect  that  Louis  Joliet,  a  French  soldier  of  Fortune,  who  in 
company  with  Pere  Marquette  and  five  or  six  couriers  du  bois  happened 
around  this  way  in  the  spring  of  1673  was  about  the  first  one  to  adver- 
tise ourlocality.  He  was  sojourning  up  around  Green  Bay,  where  there 
was  a  French  settlement,  and  he  and  Marquette  did  a  lot  of  tramping 
around  in  these  parts,  if  our  early  historians  are  correct.  He  stirred 
things  up  on  the  other  side  of  the  ocean  with  an  occasional  letter,  in 
one  of  which  he  made  the  statement  that  we  had  "ready-to-wear"  farm 
lands.  He  wrote  to  friends  that  one  did  not  have  to  cut  down  trees 
preceding  the  spring  plowing  and  that  about  all  one  had  to  do  was  to 
sow  his  grain,  chase  down  a  few  buffaloes  to  get  some  hides  from  which 
to  make  shoes  and  cure  a  little  wild  meat  and  reap  a  bountiful  harvest. 
He  seemed  to  think  that  the  effort  to  get  food  and  clothes  was  mere 
play.  Anyway,  he  got  the  French  people  started,  and  it  was  not  long 
until  some  of  the  settlers  in  Ohio  and  Indiana  who  were  chopping  down 


56 

trees  to  get  a  clearing  upon  which  to  raise  food  heard  of  the  wonderful 
prairies  and  they  came  this  way.  The  news  spread  farther  east  to  Vir- 
ginia and  down  to  the  Carolinas  and  these  states  commenced  to  send 
settlers  up  through  the  Cumberland  Gap.  The  Ohio  River  and  the 
Mississippi  River  brought  them  in  on  one  side  and  the  great  lakes 
brought  them  in  on  the  other. 

These  waterways  upon  which  the  government  has  spent  millions 
of  dollars  in  recent  years  in  an  effort  to>  make  them  navigable  were,  so 
far  as  the  early  settler  was  concerned,  the  highways  of  commerce,  and 
they  were  in  their  virgin  state.  Such  streams  as  the  Sangamon  River, 
made  famous  by  Abraham  Lincoln  and  hundreds  of  others,  now  no 
longer  navigated,  were  the  mainstay  of  transportation  during  the  long 
period  between  Louis  Joliet's  time  and  1850.  Yes,  it  was  many  years 
after  1850  before  the  iron  horse  superseded  the  steamboat. 

What  I  want  to  emphasize  is  that  the  men  who  first  came  to  Illinois 
and  those  who  lived  here  two  or  three  generations  afterwards  used  the 
waterways  without  the  lavish  expenditure  on  the  part  of  the  govern- 
ment which  has  been  demanded  in  later  years  and  which  thus  far  has 
not  been  especially  effective  or  helpful.  When  the  early  settler  found 
an  obstruction  in  a  stream  he  went  around  it  and  he  built  the  craft  in 
which  he  transported  his  goods  to  conform  to  the  gauge  of  the  water. 
He  did  not  try  to  change  the  waterway  to  conform  to  his  style  of  a 
craft.  Nor  did  he  wait  for  a  fourteen-foot  lake-to-the-gulf  gauge  or  a 
Mark  Twain. 

Illinois  always  was  a  good  market.  Even  before  the  farmer  com- 
menced to  turn  over  its  fertile  soil  it  carried  on  a  wonderful  fur  trade, 
and  I  am  sure  the  buffalo  in  the  very  early  days  found  its  prairies  just 
as  the  Short  Horn,  Polled  Angus  and  Herefords  of  today  find  its  fat 
blue-grass  pastures. 

Louis  Joliet,  it  is  claimed,  was  the  first  man  to  suggest  a  canal 
connecting  Lake  Michigan  with  the  Illinois  River.  The  first  actual 
survey  was  made  in  1820.  The  first  earth  was  turned  in  1836  and  the 
canal  was  completed  in  1848.  As  early  as  1832  Congress  commenced 
to  spend  money  on  the  Chicago  harbor.  This  was  fourteen  years  after 
the  State  came  into  the  Union  and  five  years  before  Chicago  was  an 
incorporated  city.  Peoria  and  some  of  the  down  State  settlements 
were  much  more  important.  But  adequate  means  of  transportation, 
which  has  been  one  of  the  factors  in  our  development,  and  one  of  our 
chief  hobbies,  was  felt  to  be  very  important. 

The  first  railroad  was  called  the  Northern  Cross  and  it  was  pro- 
jected to  extend  from  Springfield  to  Meredosia  in  Morgan  County  on 
the  Illinois  River.  It  was  a  crude  affair.  The  first  rails  were  laid  in 
May,  1838*  It  did  not  prosper  and  in  1847  was  purchased  by  Nicholas 
H.  Ridgely,  a  pioneer  banker  of  Springfield,  and  a  man  of  great  ability, 
energy  and  vision,  and  was  opened  again  for  business  in  1849.  In  1850 
the  State  boasted  of  111  miles  of  railroad.  This  included  the  line  be- 
tween Chicago  and  Elgin.   In  1837  the  legislature  passed  an  act  author- 


*  Its  first  division  was  between  Meredosia  and  Jacksonville  and  it  was  completed 
first.  On  November  8,  1838,  the  first  train  was  run.  The  road  was  completed  to 
Jacksonville  on  January  1,  1840. 


57 

izing  the  construction  of  a  railroad  from  Galena  to  Cairo.  This  road  has 
been  referred  to  frequently  as  the  first  Illinois  Central.  Its  estimated 
cost  was  $3,500,000.  Several  other  lines,  the  estimated  cost  of  which 
was  $14,000,000,  were  part  of  a  very  ambitious  program.  A  financial 
panic  swept  the  country  about  this  time  and  hampered  the  State  in  the 
disposal  of  the  bonds,  but  the  commissioners  who  had  the  matter  of  sell- 
ing the  securities  in  hand  disposed  of  almost  $5,000,000  worth.  The 
Galena  &  Chicago  Union  Railroad  was  completed  to  a  point  near  the 
Desplaines  River,  twelve  miles  west  of  Chicago,  in  the  latter  part  of 
1848.  In  January,  1850,  it  was  extended  into  Chicago,  giving  the 
rapidly  growing  lake  port  a  direct  connection  with  Elgin.  From  that 
time  on  Illinois  railroads  boomed  and  the  State  now  boasts  of  13,000 
miles  of  first  line  track. 

So  much  for  natural  resources  and  transportation.  The  manu- 
facturing industry  of  the  State  dates  its  birth  from  1850.  It  is  true 
the  census  shows  there  were  some  factories  prior  to  that  time  and,  like 
all  pioneer  frontier  settlements,  we  boasted  of  our  prowess.  But  the 
fact  is  that  we  did  not  do  much  until  the  fifties  and  then  we  began  to 
jump  at  an  average  rate  of  thirty  per  cent  per  decade.  We  had  to 
learn  the  value  of  our  cheap  coal  and  how  to  take  advantage  of  our 
cheap  raw  materials.  We  knew  so  little  about  coal  in  those  days  that 
we  burned  wood  on  our  freight  engines. 

Illinois  embraces  much  of  what  is  known  as  the  central  fields  of 
bituminous  coal,  covering  an  area  of  37,000  square  miles  and  under- 
lying sixty  counties,  forty-five  of  which  mine  the  coal  on  a  commercial 
scale,  principally  Saline,  Marion,  Franklin,  Williamson,  Sangamon, 
St.  Clair,  Vermilion,  Macoupin  and  LaSalle.  In  some  of  the  southern 
counties  coke  also  is  manufactured.  The  first  coal  was  mined  near 
Springfield  in  1840,  with  an  output  of  16,000  tons  for  the  year.  Frank 
S.  Peabody  in  a  speech  recently  stated  that  the  Illinois  coal  mines  pro- 
duced 90,000,000  tons  in  1918. 

Salt  mining  was  one  of  the  earliest  of  Illinois  industries,  being  of 
more  or  less  importance,  until  it  became  more  economical  to  bring  the 
product  from  Michigan.  The  lead  mines  in  the  neighborhood  of  Ga- 
lena assisted  materially  in  the  development  of  the  northwestern  part 
of  the  State. 

A  review  of  census  figures  of  1850  shows  that  the  invested  indus- 
trial capital  was  $6,385,000,  that  the  factories  were  employing  11,632 
men  and  433  women ;  that  the  wages  amounted  to  $3,286,000  and  that 
the  value  of  the  product  was  $17,263,000.  Meat  packing,  and  plants 
devoted  to  the  fabrication  of  iron  and  steel  began  to  expand  as  the 
manufacture  of  agricultural  implements  and  the  grinding  of  grain  and 
the  distilling  of  corn  into  liquor  had  grown  during  the  earlier  period. 
Illinois,  and  especially  the  northern  part  of  the  State,  was  accessible 
to  the  inexhaustible  iron  and  copper  mines  of  Michigan  and  after  the 
construction  of  the  Illinois  Central  railroad  and  the  development  of 
the  coal  mines  vast  stores  of  fuel  were  available  for  the  manufacture 
of  iron  and  steel.  The  first  rail  mill  was  established  in  1857  by  Captain 
E.  B.  Ward  on  the  north  branch  of  the  Chicago  River.     This  plant 


58 

is  now  owned  by  the  Illinois  Steel  Company.  The  growing  influence 
of  the  railroads  was  indicated  in  the  starting  of  this  plant.  The  Union 
Car  Works,  another  Chicago  enterprise,  started  in  1852. 

The  meat  packing  industry  had  its  rise,  like  many  other  industries, 
in  inconsequential  beginnings.  It  developed  in  a  marked .  degree  at 
Peoria  and  in  the  early  sixties  flourished  in  Chicago  where  the  first 
packing  plants  were  established  by  the  Armours,  Swifts,  Morris'  and 
later  the  Cudahys  and  others,  but  the  business  did  not  reach  its  full 
stride  until  the  development  of  refrigeration  in  1870,  which  made  it 
possible  to  ship  dressed  pork,  beef  and  mutton  to  all  sections  of  the 
country  as  well  as  abroad. 

The  Civil  War,  as  did  the  late  World's  War,  created  an  enormous 
demand  for  food  and  clothing  and  for  other  commodities  and  ma- 
chinery. The  great  advance  in  prices  caused  tremendous  expansion. 
Heavy  war  tariffs  on  imported  goods  encouraged  the  development  of 
manufacturing  enterprises.  The  population  grew.  The  production  of 
grain,  live  stock  and  other  necessities  was  greatly  stimulated.  More 
railroads  were  built  and  people  began  to  flock  to  the  cities,  higher 
wages  were  the  rule  and  a  more  expensive  standard  of  living  was  very 
noticeable. 

For  some  time  after  the  Civil  War  there  was  a  period  of  high 
prices.  Later  the  bottom  dropped  out  and  all  industrial  enterprises 
went  through  a  period  of  depression  and  readjustment.  Profits  were 
low  or  absolutely  wiped  out.  Many  manufacturing  plants  suspended 
operations  but  on  the  whole,  in  spite  of  financial  and  industrial  re- 
verses, some  advancement  was  noticeable.  The  federal  industrial 
returns  for  1870  showed  Illinois  as  making  progress.  The  next  twenty 
years  were  marked  by  great  achievements.  New  labor  saving  machines 
were  invented  and  new  power  methods  devised.  It  is  stated  that  in 
1881  alone  more  than  1,000  patents  were  granted  to  the  residents  of 
Illinois.  Machinery  replaced  hand  labor.  The  natural  consequence 
was  a  great  increase  in  the  amount  of  capital  invested  and  in  the  volume 
of  output.  The  $94,000,000  of  invested  capital  in  1870  had  increased 
to  over  $500,000,000  in  1890.  More  women  were  constantly  entering 
industry.  In  1850  there  were  only  433.  In  1870  there  were  6,617;  in 
1914,  82,888;  and  a  careful  estimate  would  indicate  that  the  number 
in  industry  in  1920  was  132,040. 

Reference  has  been  made  to  the  influence  of  the  railroads  on  the 
industrial  development  of  Illinois.  Other  public  utilities  have  been 
quite  as  important,  notably  the  telephone,  interurban  traction  lines,  the 
development  of  gas  and  electrical  power.  Computing  machinery  and 
other  time-saving  devices  now  are  quite  as  indispensable  in  the  general 
offices  as  labor-saving  machinery  is  in  the  shops. 

Transportation  improved  greatly  in  this  period,  along  with  manu- 
facturing and  marketing  facilities.  In  the  Lake  Superior  region  new 
ranges  were  opened  from  which  iron  ore  could  be  transported  quickly 
and  cheaply  to  the  Illinois  factory  districts.  Improved  loading  devices 
were  developed  and  larger  boats  were  employed  in  lake  transportation. 

The  manufacture  of  steel  rails,  which  began  in  1867,  made  possible 
the  transportation  of  heavier  loads. 


59 

The  iron  and  steel  industry  in  Illinois  dates  from  about  the  sixties. 
Originally  Hardin  County  gave  promise  of  an  abundant  supply  of  ore, 
but  the  works  were  soon  abandoned.  The  Iron  Mountain  district  of 
Missouri  next  furnished  the  ore,  but  since  sometime  in  the  eighties  the 
Lake  Superior  iron  ranges  have  supplied  the  greatest  amount  of  raw 
material  for  iron  and  steel  plants. 

Eber  Brock  Ward,  born  in  1811  in  New  Hamborough,  Upper 
Canada,  was  a  pioneer  in  the  iron  and  steel  industry  in  the  State.  In 
1855  he  built  the  first  iron  mill  west  of  Pittsburgh  at  Wyandotte,  Michi- 
gan, a  suburb  of  Detroit.  Two  years  later,  finding  the  need  for  a 
larger  field,  he  built  iron  works  on  the  north  branch  of  the  Chicago 
river  and  in  1872  this  plant,  together  with  one  he  had  established  at 
Milwaukee,  were  consolidated  as  the  North  Chicago  Rolling  Mill  Com- 
pany. The  Chicago  works  rolled  the  first  steel  ever  made  in  America, 
on  May  24,  1865. 

Orrin  W.  Potter,  a  native  of  Rochester,  N.  Y.,  where  he  was  born 
in  1836,  had  much  to  do  with  the  development  of  the  State's  iron  and 
steel  industry.  He  became  connected  in  1857  in  a  clerical  capacity 
with  the  rolling  mill  established  by  Captain  E.  B.  Ward  and  was  chosen 
secretary  and  general  superintendent  of  the  works  on  its  incorporation 
in  1865.  He  afterwards  became  its  president  and  occupied  this  impor- 
tant position  for  twenty-five  years,  until  the  consolidation  of  the  enter- 
prise with  the  Illinois  Steel  Company.  In  1869  the  mill  was  credited 
with  manufacturing  about  one-third  of  the  iron  and  steel  produced  in 
the  country. 

The  first  furnace  was  built  in  1868  by  the  Chicago  Iron  Company, 
and  the  following  year  or  two,  more  were  built  by  the  North  Chicago 
Rolling  Mills  Company.  The  Joliet  Iron  &  Steel  Company  was  estab- 
lished in  1871  and  two  furnaces  added  in  1873.  Two  other  mills  were 
established  near  St.  Louis  and  three  more  in  the  region  about  Grand 
Tower,  in  1876.  Of  the  total  output  of  rails  in  1875  Illinois  produced 
about  one- fourth,  ranking  second  to  Pennsylvania.  The  first  Bessemer 
steel  in  this  country  is  said  to  have  been  rolled  at  the  North  Chicago 
Rolling  Mill  Company  in  1874. 

The  Illinois  Steel  Company  took  in  many  of  the  works  mentioned, 
but  there  were  thirteen  other  steel  plants  in  Chicago  and  vicinity. 

One  of  the  striking  figures  of  the  advancing  days  of  the  iron  and 
steel  industry  in  Illinois  was  the  late  John  W.  Gates  who,  as  a  young 
man,  sold  goods  behind  the  counter  in  his  father's  hardware  store  at 
Turner's  Junction,  now  West  Chicago.  Young  Gates  sold  so  much 
barbed  wire  that  he  was  impressed  with  the  possibilities  of  that  product 
and  made  an  eloquent  plea  to  I.  L.  El  wood  to  take  him  into  the  plant 
that  had  developed  barbed  wire,  as  a  partner.  Mr.  Elwood  declined  to 
do  so.  After  an  exceedingly  successful  series  of  trips  to  Texas,  during 
which  he  sold  several  train  loads  of  barbed  wire,  Mr.  Gates  interested 
some  St.  Louis  people  and  started  a  wire  plant  of  his  own.  It  was  the 
beginning  of  the  American  Steel  &  Wire  Company  and  the  Gates 
millions. 

Another  great  manufacturer  who  did  not  start  at  the  bottom  of  the 
workmen's  ladder,  but  who,  like  Mr.  Gates,  has  developed  wonderful 


60 

capacity  for  organization,  is  Judge  E.  H.  Gary,  the  present  chairman 
of  the  board  of  directors  of  the  United  States  Steel  Corporation.  Mr. 
Gary  was  born  at  Wheaton,  Illinois,  in  1846.  He  served  as  mayor  of 
that  town  for  three  terms  and  county  judge  for  two  terms.  Then  he 
removed  to  Chicago  and  devoted  himself  to  corporation  law.  He  be- 
came counsel  for  several  railroads  and  industrial  corporations  and  in 
1898  retired  from  practice  of  law  to  become  president  of  the  Federal 
Steel  Corporation,  which  in  1901  was  merged  into  the  United  States 
Steel  Corporation.  He  is  the  most  prominent  captain  of  industry  in  the 
country  and  has  more  influence  than  any  other  man  engaged  in  the 
manufacturing  business. 

The  general  tendency  of  large  scale  operation,  the  inevitable  con- 
sequence of  improved  processes  of  manufacture,  the  standardization 
of  machinery,  better  transportation  facilities  and  the  economies  made 
possible  by  efficient  management  was  made  evident  in  the  1914  census 
reports.  The  development  and  employment  of  corporate  forms  of 
organization  for  industrial  companies,  the  organization  of  stock  and 
produce  exchanges  have  been  potent  factors  in  this  modern  drift. 

The  tendency  to  concentrate  in  fewer  establishments  of  larger 
units  has  been  in  the  interest  of  the  public.  It  has  made  most  products 
much  cheaper  than  otherwise  would  have  been  possible.  It  has  made 
possible  the  installation  of  expensive  machinery,  specialization,  more 
skillful  management,  the  utilization  of  by-products,  as  in  the  meat  pack- 
ing, iron  and  steel,  woodworking  and  paper  industries.  Raw  material 
can  be  bought  to  greater  advantage  and  the  finished  product  can  be 
marketed  more  extensively.  Large  investments  of  capital  are  essential 
to  economical  operation. 

It  might  be  worth  while  to  say  something  about  the  attainment  of 
the  State  and  what  it  has  reached  in  the  way  of  development,  so  far 
as  figures  are  concerned.  The  latest  statistics,  so  far  as  the  census 
enumeration  is  concerned,  are  for  1914.  They  show  an  invested  capital 
of  $1,943,836,000  and  a  value  of  the  product  reaching  $2,247,323,000. 
It  is  more  than  probable  that  the  figures  for  1919  will  be  double  those 
of  1914,  at  least  as  far  as  the  value  of  the  product  is  concerned.* 

The  industrial  development  of  Illinois  has  been  due  largely,  as  we 
have  tried  to  point  out  to  the  advantage  of  waterways,  supplemented 
by  railroads  and  cheap  fuel,  together  with  other  natural  resources.  The 
location  of  these  resources  had  much  to  do  with  the  establishment  of 
the  numerous  industrial  centers,  of  which  Chicago  is  only  one,  although 
the  largest. 

Peoria  ranks  next  to  Chicago,  its  important  manufacturing  lines 
being  distilling,  slaughtering  and  packing,  and  agricultural  implements. 
It  is  the  home  of  one  of  the  largest  wire  products  companies  in  the 
State. 

Joliet  has  important  steel  and  rolling  mills,  blast  furnaces  and 
manufactories  of  wire  and  coke  and  advertising  specialties. 

East  St.  Louis  shows  the  greatest  growth  of  any  city  in  the  State 
in  the  last  decade,  with  flour  and  grist  mills,  chemical  works,  slaughter- 


*  Since  this  was  written  the  1919   census  figures  have  been   secured.     They  place 
the  value  of  manufactured  products  for  1919  at  $5,426,662,000. 


61 

ing  and  packing  and  rolling  mills.  It  is  the  leading  manufacturing 
center  in  the  country  for  aluminum  products  and  animal  feed  products. 
Rockford,  in  the  last  census,  ranked  fifth  in  the  value  of  manufac- 
tured products,  but  second  in  the  number  of  employes,  the  leading 
industries  being  furniture,  knitting  mills  and  foundries.  It  is  one  of  the 
most  important  centers  of  the  furniture  industry  in  this  country. 

Moline  has  immense  agricultural  implements  plants  and  factories 
for  the  manufacture  of  automobiles,  carriages  and  wagons. 

Alton  has  one  of  the  largest  glass  and  bottle  plants  in  America  and 
the  only  brass  rolling  mill  west  of  Connecticut.  It  is  also  the  location 
of  one  of  the  largest  cartridge  factories  in  the  country. 

Decatur  is  a  center  of  car  repair  shops  and  plumbers'  supplies  and 
has  about  eighty  different  plants  of  varied  industry.  A  great  concern 
for  the  manufacture  of  flour  and  feed  is  located  there. 

Springfield  is  famous  for  its  production  of  motor  car  accessories, 
watches,  mill  work  and  agricultural  implements.  It  has  ninety  manu- 
facturing establishments,  with  an  output  of  about  $14,000,000  annually. 
Aurora  has  extensive  railroad  car  repair  shops,  foundries  and  a 
number  of  plants  devoted  to  the  manufacture  of  heavy  machinery  and 
textiles. 

Elgin  has  achieved  international  fame  as  a  center  of  the  watch- 
making industry,  also  for  the  manufacture  of  scientific  instruments. 
It  has  large  plants  for  the  manufacture  of  condensed  milk  and  other 
dairy  products  and  is  the  world's  recognized  butter  market. 

Belleville  shares  with  Quincy  the  distinction  of  having  made  Illi- 
nois the  largest  center  of  stove  manufacturing  in  the  world.  It  also 
has  large  plants  devoted  to  the  production  of  hosiery,  mining  and  agri- 
cultural implements. 

Quincy  is  a  well  located  manufacturing  center  on  the  Mississippi 
River,  with  excellent  harbor  and  terminal  facilities.  It  employs  over 
7,000  persons  in  stoves,  vehicles  and  varied  industries. 

Bloomington,  located  near  the  center  of  the  State,  possesses  good 
distribution  facilities.  Its  principal  industries  are  agricultural  equip- 
ment, railroad  shops,  canning,  foundries,  candy  and  printing. 

Cairo,  being  a  center  of  rail  and  water  transportation,  possesses 
the  advantage  of  competitive  freight  rates.  It  handles  over  150,000,000 
feet  of  lumber  annually.  It  possesses  inexhaustible  quantities  of  silica, 
kaolin  and  ganister,  used  in  the  production  of  high  grade  china  and 
crockery.  Approximately  $10,000,000  is  invested  in  its  varied  indus- 
tries. 

Galena  was  for  many  years  the  center  of  the  lead  mining  industry 
of  the  West.    It  has  important  iron  works. 

Danville's  proximity  to  cheap  coal  has  made  it  a  prominent  manu- 
facturing point.  The  principal  products  are  zinc,  brick  and  foundry 
specialties.    It  also  has  important  glass  works. 

Galesburg  has  fifteen  plants  devoted  to  agricultural  equipment, 
boilers  and  engines  and  creamery  specialties. 

Kankakee  has  large  factories  devoted  to  trucks  and  trailers,  motor 
cars,  tile  and  brick,  and  hosiery.    Agricultural  implements,  metal  bed- 


62 

steads  and  wagons  are  important  industries  in  the  adjoining  town  of 
Bradley. 

LaSalle  is  the  center  of  great  deposits  of  fire  clay,  brick  clay, 
cement  rock,  silica  sand  and  coal  in  the  LaSalle-Peru-Oglesby  trio  of 
towns.  Zinc,  cement,  chemicals  and  allied  products,  machine  tools, 
clocks  and  watches,  are  the  principal  manufacturing  lines. 

Rock  Island  is  the  site  of  the  U.  S.  Government  arsenal  and,  with 
Moline  and  Davenport,  forms  the  great  manufacturing  district  known 
as  the  Tri-Cities. 

Steger,  another  important  manufacturing  town,  owes  its  chief  im- 
portance to  the  location  of  a  great  plant  for  the  manufacture  of  pianos 
and  phonographs. 

Champaign  and  Urbana  together  form  an  important  manufactur- 
ing district  for  machinery,  scientific  instruments,  road  and  locomotive 
cranes,  hardware  and  tools  and  foundry  products. 

Sterling  is  the  largest  center  in  the  West  for  the  manufacture  of 
builders'  hardware.  It  also  has  large  plants  for  the  manufacture  of 
foundry  products,  wire  and  rod  products,  and  vehicles. 

Streator  is  the  home  of  one  of  the  largest  bottle  factories  of  the 
West  and  is  noted  for  its  plants  for  the  manufacture  of  clay  products, 
brick,  canned  goods,  freight  cars  and  tin. 

Waukegan  has  large  plants  for  the  manufacture  of  asbestos  and 
magnesia  products,  including  packing  and  roofing,  envelopes,  wooden- 
ware  specialties,  steel  heating  boilers  and  tanks,  wire  fences  and  wire 
products.  It  has  advanced  rapidly  within  the  last  year  as  an  industrial 
center.  North  Chicago,  in  the  same  district,  has  extensive  plants 
„devotel  to  the  production  of  conveying  machinery,  creamery  machin- 
ery, brass  and  bronze,  electrical  steel  and  chemical  products. 

Granite  City,  which  adjoins  East  St.  Louis,  has  large  scale  steel, 
granite,  chemical  and  aluminum  ware  operations. 

Chicago  Heights  represents  one  of  the  numerous  manufacturing 
districts  formed  by  plants  which  found  advantages  outside  of  the  me- 
tropolis. It  has  large  terra  cotta  works,  plants  for  the  manufacture  of 
manganese  steel  castings,  brick,  machine  tools,  mining  and  crushing 
machinery,  aniline  dyes  and  sectional  steel  buildings.  Cicero  is  another 
important  manufacturing  center  in  the  general  Chicago  metropolitan 
district,  and  so  are  Maywood,  Argo,  Arlington  Heights,  Pullman,  West 
Chicago,  DeKalb,  Harvey,  Lamont,  Sycamore  and  Woodstock,  a  center 
of  the  writing  machine  industry.  Gary,  East  Chicago,  Hammond  and 
Indiana  Harbor,  although  located  in  Indiana,  also  are  considered  in  the 
Northern  Illinois  manufacturing  district. 

Freeport's  leading  industries  are  patent  medicine  and  pharmaceu- 
tical preparations,  soaps  and  spices,  wind  mills,  foundry  machinery, 
automobiles,  toys  and  machine  tools. 

Metropolis  is  located  in  "Egypt"  and  fast  becoming  the  industrial 
center  its  founders  predicted.  The  most  important  industries  are  plan- 
ing mill  products,  stoves,  shafts,  bows  and  gearwoods,  staves  and 
headings,  and  fruit  baskets. 


63 

Ottawa  has  several  plants  for  the  manufacture  of  silica  sand,  and 
establishments  of  allied  character  producing  opalescent  and  colored 
sheet  glass  and  plate  glass. 

Pekin  has  one  of  the  largest  cooperage  establishments  in  the  West 
which  ships  its  products  to  all  parts  of  the  world. 

Peru  is  the  center  of  an  important  clock  industry  and  zinc  works. 

Piano  is  the  location  of  one  of  the  most  important  agricultural 
plants  of  the  State. 

Now  I  have  given  you  in  a  cursory  way  a  review  of  the  manufac- 
turing industry  in  Illinois,  its  various  important  centers,  and  said 
something  about  its  achievements.  The  greatest  feature  of  all,  how- 
ever, in  connection  with  the  growth  of  industry  has  been  the  develop- 
ment of  the  wonderful  men  who  have  been  responsible  for  its  growth. 
Some  one  has  said  that  "a  great  institution  is  the  length  of  a  shadow 
of  a  great  man,"  and  I  am  sorry  it  is  not  possible  to  mention  all  who 
are  worthy  of  notice  in  a  review  of  this  kind,  but  I  must  single  out 
a  few. 

Among  the  famous  pioneers  should  be  mentioned  Cyrus  H. 
McCormick,  the  founder  of  the  Harvester  organization  bearing  his 
name,  and  John  Deere,  who  established  the  immense  implement  plant 
at  Moline.  These  men  started  at  the  anvil  and  they  came  to  Illinois 
because  Illinois  had  a  market  for  the  things  they  had  in  mind. 

Mr.  McCormick  was  a  native  of  Virginia  which  in  his  youthful 
days,  was  a  great  wheat  producing  state.  After  years  of  contriving 
and  developing  Mr.  McCormick  produced  a  crude  but  effective  reaper. 
His  first  factory  was  a  blacksmith  shop  in  which  he  used  a  flat  stone 
for  an  anvil.  In  1847  he  established  his  first  Chicago  plant.  The  next 
year  he  built  500  reapers  and  from  that  output  the  McCormick  plant 
has  grown  until  it  is  now  the  largest  farm  machine  producer  in  the 
world,  making  more  than  half  a  million  farm  machines  annually. 

John  Deere  made  his  first  two  plows  by  hand  at  his  blacksmith 
shop  in  Grand  Detour,  Ogle  County,  in  1833.  He  gradually  increased 
his  output  until  in  1848  he  made  a  thousand  finished  plows  which  es- 
tablished his  position  as  the  foremost  manufacturer  of  that  day. 
John  Deere  is  said  to  have  made  the  earliest  all-steel  plows,  as  con- 
trasted with  the  still  earlier  ones  which  were  supplied  with  wooden 
mold  boards.     The  steel  plows  would  scour  in  the  sticky  Illinois  soil. 

William  Parlin,  born  in  Akron,  Mass.,  in  1817,  journeyed  over- 
land to  Canton,  Illinois,  in  1840.  He  started  the  little  shop  that  made 
plows  and  other  agricultural  implements  which  later  became  famous 
the  world  over.  In  1852  William  T.  Orendorff,  a  brother-in-law  of 
Parlin,  and  a  native  of  Illinois,  joined  the  firm  and  the  firm  became 
Parlin  &  Orendorff  in  1860,  the  partnership  continuing  for  thirty 
years.  Mr.  Parlin  was  a  mechanical  genius,  who  worked  at  the  bench 
and  forge  and  even  in  later  years  continued  to  perfect  and  develop 
agricultural  implements.  He  was  the  first  to  make  a  plow  bottom  en- 
tirely of  steel,  replacing  wooden  mold  boards.  He  also  put  the  first 
crude  stalk  cutter  on  the  market,  originated  the  disk  harrow  and  led 
in  the  manufacture  of  the  double  plow. 


64 

George  Stephens,  a  pioneer  manufacturer  of  Moline,  Illinois,  and 
president  of  the  second  largest  steel  plow  factory  in  the  world  at  the 
time  of  his  death,  in  1902,  was  a  native  of  Pennsylvania.  He  came 
west  in  1841  without  a  dollar  save  what  he  earned  at  his  daily  work. 
But  he  was  a  skillful  millwright.  He  had  erected  several  mills  in 
Pennsylvania  and  Ohio,  and  consequently  was  well  equipped  for  the 
task  that  awaited  him  at  Moline.  The  first  work  he  did  in  that  grow- 
ing industrial  center  was  installing  the  machinery  for  the  flour  mill 
of  D.  B.  Sears,  afterwards  remaining  with  the  mill  in  charge  of  the 
machinery.  He  erected  other  mills  and  in  1859,  in  company  with 
Jonathan  Huntoon  and  Timothy  Wood,  leased  a  saw  mill,  which  also 
was  utilized  in  the  manufacture  of  furniture.  In  1865  he  engaged  in 
the  manufacture  of  plows  in  company  with  R.  K.  Swan  and  Andre 
Friberg,  the  venture  proving  so  successful  that  in  1870  it  was  incor- 
porated as  the  Moline  Plow  Company,  with  a  capital  of  $240,000. 
This  was  increased  as  the  business  expanded  to  a  capital  of  $18,000,000. 

Daniel  M.  Sechler,  founder  of  the  Sechler  Carriage  Company  of 
Moline,  Illinois,  organized  that  company  in  1887.  He  was  born  at 
Danville,  Pennsylvania,  in  1818,  learned  his  trade  in  Newark,  N.  J., 
and  built  carriages  and  engaged  in  other  manufacturing  enterprises 
in  Ironton  and  Cincinnati  and  in  Montgomery  County,  Tenn.,  before 
removing  to  Moline. 

Daniel  C.  Stover  was  born  in  Greencastle,  Pennsylvania,  in  1839. 
He  left  home  at  the  age  of  18  years  and  went  to  California  and  tried 
gold  mining  for  a  time,  but  in  1864  he  came  to  Illinois.  After  two 
years  in  Lenark,  Carroll  County,  he  located  in  Freeport,  where  he  lived 
until  his  death  in  1908.  A  corn  cultivator  was  his  first  invention  and  a 
windmill  the  next.  He  also  invented  an  extensive  line  of  barbed  wire 
machinery  and  a  machine  to  make  a  woven  wire  mat.  He  was  at  the 
head  of  the  Stover  Manufacturing  Company,  organized  for  the  pur- 
pose of  producing  barbed  wire  machines,  tripple  geared  grinders  and 
windmills. 

Alvah  Mansur  was  another  of  the  long  line  of  pioneer  manufac- 
turers of  agricultural  implements  in  Illinois.  A  native  of  Lowell, 
Massachusetts,  where  he  was  born  in  1833,  he  came  west  and  entered 
the  hardware  business  in  Moline,  where  he  made  a  friend  of  John 
Deere  and  afterwards  became  interested  with  his  son,  Charles  H. 
Deere,  in  the  Deere  &  Mansur  Company  for  the  manufacture  of  corn 
planters  and  other  implements,  developing  into  the  largest  corn  planter 
works  in  the  world.    He  died  in  1898. 

Robert  H.  Avery,  one  of  the  industrial  leaders,  who  made  Peoria 
so  important  a  manufacturing  center,  and  was,  the  founder  of  the 
great  agricultural  implement  fabricating  firm  now  known  as  the 
Avery  Company.  He  was  confined  in  Andersonville  prison  during 
the  Civil  War,  when  he  worked  out  his  first  idea  of  a  corn  planter.  A 
smooth  place  on  the  ground  and  a  pointed  stick  were  his  drafting 
equipment.  In  1874,  on  land  he  pre-empted  in  Kansas,  he  built  and 
put  into  successful  operation  the  first  working  model  of  the  corn 
planter  he  had  conceived  while  an  inmate  of  the  southern  prison.  In 
1877  he  returned  to  Illinois  and  in  co-partnership  with  his  brother, 


65 

C.  M.  Avery,  started  to  make  planters  at  Galesburg,  in  connection 
with  stalk  cutters  and  other  agricultural  implements.  The  business 
grew  so  rapidly  that  in  1882  the  brother  removed  to  Peoria,  which 
attracted  them  by  the  advantage  of  river  transportation,  railroad 
facilities  and  a  dependable  labor  market.  In  1889  the  manufacture  of 
steam  engines  and  threshing  machinery  was  taken  up.  Mr.  Avery  and 
his  brother  both  have  passed  away,  but  the  stupendous  enterprise  de- 
veloped by  them  still  thrives  and  employs  more  than  4,000  people, 
sending  its  machinery  to  all  parts  of  the  world. 

Other  men  who  took  high  rank  in  production  more  or  less  de- 
pendent on  the  farm  were  Phillip  D.  Armour,  Gustavus  F.  Swift, 
Nelson  Morris,  Michael  Cudahy  and  Samuel  W.  Allerton.  They  were 
packers  of  meat  and  they  builded  great  fortunes. 

Philip  Danforth  Armour,  one  of  the  founders  of  the  packing  in- 
dustry, was  a  native  of  New  York.  At  the  age  of  19  years  he  started 
with  several  companions,  on  foot,  for  the  gold  fields  of  California,  but 
he  was  the  only  one  who  reached  the  coast.  He  remained  there  sev- 
eral years,  digging  ditches,  building  sluices  and  keeping  store.  Re- 
turning with  a  few  thousand  dollars  in  capital,  he  was  impressed  with 
the  possibilities  of  Milwaukee,  then  the  stopping  place  for  gold  seekers 
on  their  way  to  the  mines  and  returning  from  the  West.  He  engaged 
in  the  slaughtering  and  packing  of  hogs,  was  quite  successful,  and  in 
the  sixties  came  to  Chicago  and  laid  the  foundation  for  the  immense 
packing  business  of  Armour  &  Company.  The  invention  of  the  re- 
frigerator car  which  permitted  the  shipment  of  fresh  meat  in  the 
summer  months  contributed  greatly  to  the  extension  of  the  meat 
packing  business. 

Gustavus  Franklin  Swift,  who  was  a  contemporary  of  Mr.  Ar- 
mour and  other  pioneer  meat  packers,  was  born  in  Massachusetts, 
with  his  first  $20  capital,  loaned  by  his  father,  he  started  the  business 
which  before  he  died  was  worth  millions  of  dollars.  With  this  capi- 
tal he  bought  a  heifer,  killed  and  dressed  it  in  one  of  the  buildings  of 
his  father's  farm.  He  peddled  the  meat  about  the  country  and  cleared 
$10.  Then  he  went  to  buying  and  selling  pigs.  Soon  he  found  his 
way  to  the  big  stock  yards  at  Brighton,  just  outside  of  Boston,  where 
his  ability  was  recognized.  He  continued  to  peddle  meat,  later  open- 
ing a  butcher  shop  at  Barnstable,  and  still  later  other  shops  in  nearby 
towns,  finally  entering  into  buying  and  selling  cattle  on  the  Boston 
market  under  the  firm  of  Hathaway  &  Swift. 

As  Cyrus  H.  McCormick  had  seen  the  future  grain  market  in 
the  West,  Mr.  Swift  foresaw  the  possibilities  of  Illinois  as  a  livestock 
market  and  1875  found  him  among  the  cattle  buyers  at  the  Chicago 
stockyards.  The  family  found  a  home  in  Emerald  Avenue  and  there 
Mr.  Swift  continued  to  work  among  his  employes  for  -twenty-three 
years. 

Nelson  Morris,  another  of  the  pioneer  meat  packers,  was  a 
native  of  the  Black  Forest  section  of  Germany,  where  he  was  born 
in   1839.     He  was  a  self-educated  youth  who  came  to  this   country 


66 

when  he  was  twelve  years  old,  reaching  Chicago  in  1854  and  secur- 
ing employment  in  the  stockyards,  founding  several  years  later  the 
great  house  that  bears  his  name. 

Michael  Cudahy,  the  founder  of  Cudahy  Brothers,  meat  packers, 
was  a  native  of  Kilkenny,  Ireland,  where  he  was  born  in  1841.  He 
came  to  the  United  States  with  his  parents  at  the  age  of  8  years. 
When  14  years  old  he  entered  the  Milwaukee  packing  house  of  John 
Plankinton,  afterwards  a  partner  of  Philip  D.  Armour.  Later  he 
became  superintendent  of  Plankington  &  Armour  and  in  1875  was 
admitted  as  a  partner  in  the  firm  of  Armour  &  Company  of  Chicago. 
In  1881,  with  his  brothers  John  and  Patrick,  he  established  the  firm  of 
Cudahy  Brothers. 

Peter  Schuttler  of  the  Peter  Schuttler  Company,  in  1843  started 
to  make  wagons  in  Chicago  in  a  one  story  frame  building  at  the  cor- 
ner of  Franklin  and  Randolph  Streets.  The  six-year  old  town  then 
had  3838  adult  citizens.  The  high  grade  of  his  wagons  made  them 
popular  with  the  ambitious  gold  seekers  who  went  to  California  and 
other  western  states  in  the  stirring  days  of  1849.  The  Mormons  used 
his  wagons  in  their  exodus  to  Salt  Lake  in  1855.  In  1865  his  was  the 
largest  and  best  equipped  farm  wagon  factory  in  the  country.  Mr. 
Schuttler  was  a  native  of  Germany. 

Ludwig  Wolff  was  born  in  Germany  in  1836.  He  emigrated  to 
this  country  with  his  parents  at  the  age  of  17.  The  first  work  he  did 
was  clearing  land  for  a  Macoupin  County  farmer  at  $2.00  a  month. 
He  came  to  Chicago  with  a  two  cent  copper  coin.  He  had  learned 
copper  smithing  in  his  native  Germany  and  found  employment  at  that 
trade  until  1855,  when  he  formed  a  partnership  with  Terence  Maguire 
and  engaged  in  the  general  plumbing  and  coppersmithing  business. 
From  this  modest  beginning  grew  the  great  industrial  enterprise  now 
known  as  the  L.  Wolff  Manufacturing  Company. 

Dorr  E.  Felt,  inventor  of  the  Comptometer,  was  born  at  Beloit, 
Wisconsin,  in  1862.  He  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  until  he 
was  sixteen  when  he  went  to  work.  At  twenty  years  he  was  foreman 
of  a  rolling  mill  that  had  a  daily  output  valued  at  $2,000.  He  learned 
the  machinist's  trade,  became  a  mechanical  draftsman  and  developed 
his  inventive  genius.  His  first  Comptometer  was  made  from  a  wooden 
spaghetti  box,  meat  skewers,  rubber  bands  and  a  keyboard  of  crudely- 
cut  wooden  blocks.  From  the  beginning  his  knowledge  of  mechanics 
and  his  theoretical  education  enabled  him  to  construct  his  own  work- 
ing models,  and  even  now  he  frequently  fashions  some  delicate  or  in- 
tricate tool  utilized  in  his  great  computing  machinery  factory.  He  is 
a  close  student  of  governmental  and  economic  problems,  well  versed 
in  geology,  biblical  history  and  political  science.  He  took  up  study 
of  French  at  age  of  18  years  and  speaks  that  language  fluently. 

William  Worth  Burson,  one  of  the  pioneer  manufacturers  of 
Rockford,  and  inventor  of  the  Burson  knitting  machine,  was  born 
in  Pennsylvania  and  came  west  with  his  parents  who  settled  in  Fulton 
County  in  1843.  His  inventive  genius  was  displayed  at  an  early  age 
in  labor  saving  devices  and  machinery.  His  first  success  was  achieved 
in  a  self-raking  reaper,  completed  in  1858,  which  was  the  first  ma- 


67 

chine  to"  regulate  the  sheaf  by  weight.  He  obtained  a  patent  on  a 
twine  binder  two  years  later.  As  a  result  of  a  successful  demonstra- 
tion in  the  great  reaper  trial  in  Dixon  in  1862,  Mr.  Burson  was  en- 
couraged to  engage  in  a  large  scale  production  of  the  binder  and 
Emerson  &  Company  contracted  to  make  1,000  machines  for  him  to 
be  ready  for  the  harvest  in  1863.  It  was  the  purpose  of  carrying  out 
this  contract  that  Mr.  Burson  went  to  Rockford,  where  he  remained 
until  his  removal  to  Chicago  in  1881.  Unforseen  difficulties  attended 
his  first  venture  in  manufacturing.  The  production  and  sale  of  the 
binders  was  a  financial  failure  and  the  large  indebtedness  that  ensued 
was  not  entirely  liquidated  until  twenty  years  afterward.  Undaunted, 
Mr.  Burson  pursued  the  trend  of  his  inventive  genius  and  developed 
a  number  of  important  harvesting  inventions.  His  chief  success, 
however,  consisted  in  the  invention  of  the  family  knitting  machine. 
In  this  enterprise  he  was  associated  for  many  years  with  John  Nelson. 
In  1869  a  knitting  machine  part,  now  known  as  the  presser  hook,  was 
developed  and  the  following  year  the  first  sock  knit  by  an  automatic 
machine  in  Rockford  was  turned  out.  Valuable  improvements  were 
added  from  time  to  time  until  a  perfect  machine  was  developed. 
Rockford  seamless  hose  was  the  pioneer  in  seamless  hosiery  and 
"Burson  fashioned  hosiery"  became  a  widely  known  commodity  in 
this  and  foreign  lands.  Altogether,  Mr.  Burson  was  granted  more 
than  fifty  patents  in  the  United  States  and  foreign  countries  on  grain 
binders,  harvesters,  automatic  knitting  machine  and  other  improved 
machinery  of  various  kinds.     He  died  in  1913. 

John  Nelson,  who  was  one  of  the  founders  of  the  great  knitting 
industry  in  Rockford,  was  born  in  Sweden  in  1830.  He  became  a 
spinning  wheel  maker  in  his  native  land  and  was  engaged  in  that  trade 
until  he  emigrated  at  the  age  of  22  years.  His  association  with  Wil- 
liam W.  Burson  proved  not  only  profitable  for  both,  but  of  great  ad- 
vantage to  Rockford  and  industry  in  general.     He  died  in  1883. 

P.  A.  Peterson,  who  has  contributed  so  much  to  the  industrial 
development  of  Rockford,  was  born  in  Sweden  in  1846.  He  came  to 
this  country  in  1852  and  located  four  years  later  in  Winnebago  county, 
engaging  in  farming.  He  entered  the  furniture  manufacturing  indus- 
try in  Rockford  in  1875,  and  was  one  of  the  founders  of  the  Union 
Furniture  Company  the  following  year.  He  has  been  called  the 
"father  of  the  furniture  industry"  in  Illinois. 

Edward  C.  Hegeler,  a  leading  zinc  manufacturer  and  publisher 
of  scientific  periodicals  of  LaSalle,  Illinois,  for  many  years,  was  a 
native  of  Bremen,  Germany.  In  his  education  he  specialized  in  min- 
ing and  mechanical  engineering  in  one  of  the  best  German  institutions. 
In  1857,  at  the  age  of  twenty-two,  he  started  for  America  in  com- 
pany with  Frederick  W.  Matthiessen,  a  friend  and  fellow  student,  who 
also  was  to  become  one  of  the  leading  manufacturers  of  Illinois.  To- 
gether they  journeyed  to  LaSalle  where  they  ultimately  developed  the 
largest  zinc  works  in  the  world.  These  two  German  students  were 
the  pioneers  in  the  zinc  industry  in  this  country,  where  the  smelting 
of  zinc  had  been  unknown  until  their  arrival.    LaSalle  was  selected  as 


68 

the  location  for  the  industry  in  consequence  of  the  large  available 
supply  of  coal  underlying  the  earth's  surface  there,  for  it  require 
three  tons  of  coal  to  smelt  one  ton  of  zinc. 

Mr.  Matthiessen  did  much  to  develop  the  Western  Clock  Com- 
pany at  LaSalle,  one  of  the  greatest  enterprises  of  its  kind  in  the 
United   States. 

Richard  Teller  Crane,  founder  of  the  Crane  Company,  came  of 
New  England  stock.  Born  at  Passaic  Falls,  N.  J.,  1832,  he  became 
cotton  mill  operative  at  age  of  9  years.  He  died  in  1912,  for  more 
than  seventy  years  a  toiler  and  producer.  He  worked  for  a  time  in 
a  tobacco  factory,  but  in  1847  an  uncle  found  a  chance  for  him  to  learn 
the  brass  and  bell  foundry  and  brass  finishing  business  with  a  firm  in 
Boston.  He  received  $2.50  a  week  during  the  first  year  of  his  appren- 
ticeship. Later  he  worked  in  printing  press  works  in  lower  New 
York,  becoming  a  first  class  machinist.  He  came  to  Chicago  in  1855 
where  his  uncle,  Martin  Ryerson,  gave  him  permission  to  build  a  brass 
foundry  in  his  lumber  yard,  corner  Canal  and  Fulton  Streets.  From 
this  small  beginning  came  the  Crane  Company,  which  today  manu- 
factures probably  18,000  different  articles  for  use  in  connection  with 
steam,  water,  gas  and  air. 

John  Crerar,  founder  of  the  Crerar  Library,  in  Chicago,  where 
he  died  in  1889,  left  a  $2,500,000  endowment  fund  for  that  institution. 
Born  in  New  York,  1827,  at  the  age  of  18  he  became  connected  in  a 
business  way  with  William  Boyd,  who  married  his  widowed  mother 
and  was  American  representative  of  an  English  firm,  William  Jessup 
&  Sons,  extensively  engaged  in  the  steel  business.  Afterwards  he 
became  connected  with  Morris  K.  Jessup  &  Company.  In  1862,  with 
J.  McGregor  Adams,  he  bought  the  Chicago  branch  of  Jessup  &  Com- 
pany and  the  firm  of  Crerar,  Adams  &  Company,  dealers  in  railway 
supplies,  was  established.  He  was  also  largely  interested  in  the  house 
of  Adams  &  Westlake  and  was  one  of  the  original  incorporators  of  the 
Pullman  Palace  Car  Company.  He  was  one  of  the  directors  of  the 
Chicago  &  Alton  Railroad  and  at  one  time  of  the  Chicago  &  Joliet 
Railway. 

Philetus  Woodworth  Gates,  who  was  born  in  Fenner,  New  York, 
1817,  and  died  in  Chicago  in  1888,  was  a  nestor  in  the  machine  busi- 
ness in  the  middle  and  western  states  and  it  is  probable  that  there  are 
more  large  concerns  in  existence  today  which  sprang  from;  his  com- 
panies than  from  any  other  large  corporation  in  this  part  of  the  coun- 
try. At  the  age  of  fifteen  he  was  bound  as  apprentice  to  a  blacksmith 
at  Bristol  Center,  New  York.  After  working  for  a  time  in  that  and 
other  places  in  the  east  and  also  in  St.  Louis,  he  started  for  Chicago, 
but  stopped  at  "Yankee  Settlement",  about  twenty-five  miles  south- 
west of  Chicago  on  the  Illinois-Michigan  Canal,  in  the  neighborhood 
of  what  is  now  known  as  the  "Sag".  He  found  employment  on  a 
farm,  and  married  there.  In  1840  he  and  his  father-in-law  took  a  con- 
tract on  a  sub-section  of  the  canal,  but  depreciation  in  the  scrip  in 
which  they  were  paid  left  them  financially  bankrupt  and  heavily  in 
debt.     In  1842,  with  $3  in  money  and  a  horse  which  he  sold  for  $7, 


69 

Mr.  Gates  went  to  Chicago  accompanied  by  his  family  and  the  family 
of  his  father-in-law.  One  thousand  feet  of  lumber  was  bought  on 
credit,  for  which  they  paid  an  interest  rate  of  4  per  cent  a  month. 
This  lumber  the  men  carried  on  their  backs  to  a  point  on  the  Chicago 
River  and  erected  a  blacksmith  shop  and  foundry.  The  firm  pros- 
pered, several  different  partners  entering  it  with  Mr.  Gates,  although 
they  afterwards  disposed  of  their  interests  on  profitable  terms.  Car 
building  was  added  to  the  manufacturing  lines,  after  Andrew  Fraser, 
E.  S.  Warner  and  Thomas  Chalmers  became  connected  with  the 
house.  Mr.  Gates  made  many  valuable  inventions,  one  being  the 
conical  die  for  the  continuous  cutting  of  threads,  which  patent  covers 
the  principle  in  all  dies  which  have  since  been  manufactured  for  the 
continuous  cutting  of  threads.  He  also  made  many  of  the  improve- 
ments which  finally  resulted  in  the  Gates  rock  breaker,  now  the 
standard  gyratory  rock  crusher  of  the  world. 

Eliphalet  Wickes  Blatchford  was  born  at  Stillwater,  New  York, 
1826.  He  was  very  young  when  his  father,  who  was  the  first  man 
to  be  ordained  a  minister  of  the  gospel  in  Chicago,  came  to  Illinois. 
He  was  graduated  from  Illinois  college  at  Jacksonville  in  1845.  Five 
years  later  he  went  to  St.  Louis  and  engaged  in  the  lead  and  metal 
business,  also  extensively  in  oils.  He  came  to  Chicago  and  founded 
E.  W.  Blatchford  Company  in  1854.  For  forty  years  he  was  at  the  head 
of  the  Chicago  Theological  Seminary.  He  was  one  of  the  directors  of 
the  Crerar  Library  and  did  much  enthusiastic  work  in  the  interest  of 
the  Chicago  Manual  Training  School. 

Robert  Fergus,  who  printed  the  first  book  in  Chicago,  a  city 
directory  in  1843,  came  to  Illinois  in  an  old  side-wheeler  from  Mil- 
waukee in  1839.  On  the  vessel  that  brought  him  to  Chicago  was 
Edward  H.  Rudd,  with  material  for  the  first  job  printing  office  that 
was  established  in  a  city  that  now  numbers  them  by  thousands.  In 
1842,  with  his  partner,  William  Ellis,  Mr.  Fergus  started  Quid  Nunc, 
the  first  1-cent  daily  west  of  the  Alleghenies. 

Morris  Selz  began  the  manufacture  of  shoes  in  1871  in  Chicago. 
He  was  a  native  of  Neiderstetten,  Wurttemberg,  Germany.  When  he 
landed  in  New  York  in  the  early  forties  his  entire  capital  consisted  of 
seventy-five  cents.  He  traveled  with  a  pack  on  his  back  through  Con- 
necticut, went  to  Georgia  as  soon  as  he  made  enough  money  to  buy 
a  horse  and  wagon,  learned  the  English  language,  and  advanced  in 
business  success.  In  1849  he  went  to  California  and  there,  chiefly 
as  storekeeper,  amassed  $20,000  and  came  to  Illinois  to  go  into  busi- 
ness. At  first  he  entered  the  clothing  business,  but  his  ambitions 
always  were  in  the  direction  of  production,  and  these  were  fulfilled 
when  he  began  the  manufacture  of  shoes  on  a  large  scale.  From  a 
small  factory,  at  first  employing  not  more  than  100  men,  the  enter- 
prise grew  until  it  now  has  a  dozen  large  plants  employing  thousands 
of  workers,  sending  its  product  all  over  this  country  and  the  world. 
When  he  died  in  1913  he  left  $150,000  to  the  workers  who  had  helped 
him  achieve  success. 


70 

Patrick  Joseph  Healy,  who  founded  the  music  house  in  Chicago 
that  bears  his  name,  was  born  on  a  farm  near  Bufort  County,  Cork, 
Ireland,  in  1840,  and  died  in  1905.  He  was  10  years  old  when  the 
family  removed  to  Boston.  Through  the  influence  of  a  music  teacher, 
whose  organ  he  blowed,  young  Healy  found  work  when  he  was  14 
years  old  in  a  music  store.  The  firm  he  was  working  for,  Oliver  Dit- 
son  and  John  C.  Haynes,  sent  Mr.  Healy  to  Chicago  in  1864  to  revive 
their  trade  which  had  reached  a  critical  situation.  Later  he  and  a 
fellow  clerk,  Mr.  Lyon,  started  the  music  *house  that  became  famous, 
both  before  and  after  the  Chicago  fire.  They  were  the  first  to  sell  the 
upright  piano  in  Chicago,  just  before  the  fire.  Mr.  Lyon  withdrew 
from  the  firm  in  1889. 

Ambrose  Plamondon  was  born  in  Quebec  in  1833  and  died  in 
1896.  He  settled  in  Oswego,  New  York,  and  learned  the  millwright 
trade.  Came  west  in  1856,  superintended  the  erection  of  the  Ottawa 
Starch  works,  subsequently  building  several  flour  mills  in  western 
states.  In  1859  he  started  a  small  plant  with  a  Mr.  Palmer  in  a  build- 
ing on  West  Water  Street,  Chicago.  He  did  millwright  work  at  first 
for  flour  mills  and  grain  elevators,  afterwards  adding  the  manufacture 
of  pulleys,  gearing  and  shafting.  He  developed  machinery  for  a  new 
system  of  malting  houses. 

George  Mortimer  Pullman,  who  more  than  any  one  man  has  con- 
tributed to  the  traveling  comfort  of  the  public,  built  his  first  two 
"palace  cars"  in  a  small  shop  on  the  west  side  of  the  present  Union 
Station  in  Chicago.  From  this  small  beginning  the  Pullman  Palace 
Car  Company,  later  changed  to  the  Pullman  Company,  advanced 
steadily  to  its  place  among  the  large  industries  of  the  United  States. 
Plants  were  established  at  Detroit,  in  New  York  State  and  Pennsyl- 
vania, St.  Louis  and  Delaware.  It  was  not  until  1880  that  the  model 
plant  near  the  Calumet,  fourteen  miles  south  of  Chicago,  was  estab- 
lished. 

Mr.  Pullman  was  at  least  seventy-five  years  ahead  of  his  time 
and  his  vision  was  blinded  by  the  people  of  Illinois.  He  erected  in 
the  state  an  ideal  work-shop  and  a  model  home  town  for  the  men  of 
his  plant.  The  State  of  Illinois,  through  its  courts,  recognized  that 
he  had  the  right  to  build  stables  for  his  horses,  but  not  the  right  to 
build  homes  for  his  men,  and  it  was  judicially  decreed  that  the  model 
town  of  Pullman  should  be  dismantled.  The  judgment  of  the  court 
was  carried  out,  and  not  one  reformer  or  one  citizen,  so  far  as  we 
know,  ever  protested. 

Among  the  other  manufacturers  who  built  up  the  state  were  men 
like  Jacob  and  John  W.  Bunn,  who  started  the  watch-making  industry 
in  Springfield ;  George  W.  Brown,  who  in  1878  had  what  was  said 
to  be  the  world's  largest  corn  planter  works,  in  Galesburg;  A.  S. 
Cole,  a  pioneer  flour  manufacturer  and  distiller  of  Peoria ;  John  Ham- 
lin and  John  Sharp  who  had  a  large  flour  mill  running  on  Red  Bud 
Creek  near  Peoria  as  early  as  1830 ;  Jonas  Clybourn  and  his  son 
Archibald,  who  had  a  slaughter  house  on  the  north  branch  of  the 
Chicago  River,  as  far  back  as  1823,  and  began  to  furnish  the  settle- 
ment  with    meat;    Frederick   Weyerhaeuser,    a   native   of    Germany, 


71 

who  removed  to  Illinois  in  1856,  and  was  shrewd  enough  to  perceive 
the  possibilities  of  the  lumber  trade  and  as  the  head  of  the  lumber 
company  bearing  his  name  became  internationally  known  as  the 
"lumber  king". 

There  were  scores  of  others.  Many  of  the  sons,  nephews  and 
other  kinsmen  of  the  pioneers  who  contributed  so  largely  to  the  indus- 
trial growth  of  Illinois  are  conducting  the  enterprises  started  by  their 
elders. 

The  problems  of  business  have  increased  with  the  extension  of 
industrial  enterprises  and  the  present  generation  has  not  lost  the  grit 
and  the  progressive  spirit  of  the  early  days.  All  the  large  packing  en- 
terprises continue  to  be  operated  by  the  families  who  founded  them. 
T.  E.  Wilson,  president  of  the  institute  of  American  Meat  Packers, 
is  one  of  the  new  generation.  John  A.  Spoor,  who  has  had  so  much 
to  do  with  building  up  the  Chicago  Union  Stock  Yards  and  the  surface 
transportation  system  of  the  city,  as  well  as  the  great  manufacturing 
district  west  of  the  Stock  Yards,  also  belongs  to  a  later  generation. 
The  large  agricultural  implement  houses  have  developed  new  indus- 
trial talents,  and  there,  too,  the  spirit  of  the  founders  still  is  vigorous 
and  ambitious.  A  new  generation  of  iron  and  steel  fabricators  has 
made  modern  history. 

There  are  many  others  worthy  of  mention  in  this  paper  who 
must  be  passed  over,  but  in  closing  I  want  to  again  bring  attention 
to  the  greatest  captain  of  industry  of  the  age,  Elbert  H.  Gary,  the 
head  of  the  U.  S.  Steel  Corporation,  and  in  doing  so  I  want  to  empha- 
size the  fact  that  Judge  Gary  is  only  one  of  many  men  produced  in 
Illinois  who  are  now  managing  great  industries  in  other  states. 

Twenty-eight  years  ago  a  group  of  manufacturers,  headed  by 
W.  B.  Conkey,  feeling  the  necessity  of  united  action  on  the  part  of 
those  producing  goods,  organized  the  Illinois  Manufacturers'  Associa- 
tion. It  was  the  first  group  of  its  kind  in  America.  The  first  board  of 
directors  was  composed  of  W.  B.  Conkey,  Joseph  E.  Tilt,  Charles  F. 
Wolff,  Percival  B.  Palmer  and  W.  F.  Holden.  Its  record  for  activity 
and  accomplishment  surpasses  that  of  any  organization  of  a  similar 
character  in  the  world.  Its  influence  is  unlimited  and  the  sun  never 
sets  on  its  trail.  It  has  developed  a  public-spirited  set  of  men  such  as 
no  other  organization  has  brought  forth  and  has  been  the  example 
which  other  organizations  in  every  industrial  state  in  the  union  have 
followed.  Its  purpose  is  to  stand  for  the  best ;  its  object — the  general 
good  of  the  manufacturing  industry  in  Illinois,  as  well  as  the  public. 

The  manufacturing  industry  in  Illinois  has  been  encouraged, 
fostered,  and  put  upon  a  high  plane  by  the  Illinois  Manufacurers' 
Association.  Progressive  measures  in  state  and  federal  legislation 
have  been  supported,  such  as  improved  working  conditions  in  the 
factories  and  workshops,  compensation  for  injured  workers,  better 
transportation  facilities,  including  improved  highways  and  waterways. 
Legislative  measures  which  would  have  had  the  effect  of  shackling 
industry,  restricting  its  operation  to  the  detriment  of  employes  and 
the  public,  as  well  as  to  the  manufacturers  themselves,  vigorously  and 
successfully  have  been  opposed. 


72 

The  Association  has  taken  a  leading  position  in  the  development 
of  foreign  trade.  It  has  cooperated  with  the  railroads.  It  has  opposed 
dishonest  practices  in  industry.  It  has  always  been  in  the  front  line 
of  public  enterprise. 

During  the  World  War  two  former  presidents  of  the  association 
served  respectively  as  chairman  of  the  United  States  Shipping  Board 
and  director  of  the  Emergency  Fleet  Corporation.  Other  members 
were  prominent  officials  of  the  National  Counsel  for  Defense,  the 
Fuel  Commission,  the  Food  Commission,  War  Trade  Board  and  other 
vital  governmental  agencies.  Member  firms  were  represented  in 
much  of  the  detailed  work  involved  in  the  peace  treaty.  A  special 
bureau  of  the  association  did  effective  service  in  securing  millions  of 
dollars  worth  of  war  contracts  for  Illinois.  During  the  readjustment 
period  following  the  war  the  association  took  an  active  part,  among 
other  things  including  "Our  Country  First"  conference,  lasting  two 
days  and  attended  by  prominent  business  .men  from  all  parts  of  the 
country. 

William  B.  Conkey  was  the  first  president  of  the  association, 
directing  its  affairs  from  1894  to  1899.  He  was  succeeded  by  the  late 
Charles  A.  Plamondon,  who,  with  Mrs.  Plamondon,  was  one  of  the 
victims  of  the  Lusitania,  torpedoed  during  the  war.  Others  who  have 
served  as  president  are : 

Martin  B.  Madden,  Charles  H.  Deere,  B.  A.  Eckhart,  John  H. 
Pierce,  John  E.  Wilder,  U.  G.  Orendorff,  C.  H.  Smith,  Fred.  W. 
Upham,  La  Verne  W.  Noyes,  P.  A.  Peterson,  Charles  Piez,  H.  G. 
Herget,  Edward  N.  Hurley,  S.  M.  Hastings,  William  Butterworth, 
Dorr  E.  Felt,  William  Nelson  Pelouze  and  the  present  incumbent, 
George  R.   Meyercord. 

The  men  who  have  served  as  counsel  for  the  association  have 
contributed  much  to  its  influence  and  success — Levy  Mayer,  William 
Duff  Haynie,  and  Colin  C.  H.  Fyffe. 

The  Illinois  Manufacturers'  Association,  in  common  with  all 
progressive  citizens,  wants  to  see  industry  flourish  and  grow  until 
Illinois  stands  first  among  the  industrial  states. 


73 


INCREASE  IN  FACTORY  EMPLOYES. 

United  States  Census  Figures  for  Illinois  and  Thirty-two  of  its  Cities 

Announced. 

Sixteen  Illinois  cities  with  between  10,000  and  25,000  inhabitants, 
and  the  same  number  of  25,000  and  above,  showed  a  large  increase 
in  their  manufacturing  population  between  1914  and  1919.  More  than 
two  years  are  required  in  calculating  totals,  hence  the  United  States 
census  figures  for  the  latter  year  have  become  available  only  recently. 
Joliet  showed  the  largest  percentages  of  increase,  123.2,  among  the 
cities  of  25,000  and  over.  In  1914  there  were  5,922  people  employed 
in  Joliet  factories  and  in  1919  there  were  13,215.  These  figures  in- 
clude the  officers  as  well  as  factory  employes.  Among  cities  of  be- 
tween 10,000  and  25,000  the  greatest  percentage  of  increase  was  made 
by  Centralia,  261.5  per  cent.  The  manufacturing  population  of  Cen- 
tralia  increased  from  309  to  1,117.  The  greatest  numerical  increase 
was  noted  at  Chicago  Heights.  There  the  manufacturing  population 
rose  from  5,018  to  6,621,  or  31.9  per  cent. 

Census  figures  for  31  cities  follow: 

CITIES  OF  25,000  POPULATION  AND  OVER. 


Population. 

Aurora    36,397 

Bloomington  28,725 

Chicago    2,701,705 

Danville  33,776 

Decatur 43,818 

East  St.  Louis 66,767 

Elgin     27,454 

Evanston    37,234 

Joliet 38,442 

Moline    30,734 

Oak  Park 39,858 

Peoria 76,121 

Quincy 35,978 

Rock  Island 35,177 

Rockford    65,651 

Springfield     59,183 


Persons  engaged 

Per 

in  manufacturing. 

cent  of 

1914. 

1919. 

increase. 

5,496 

8,016 

45.9 

2,828 

3,306 

16.9 

387,319 

502,303 

29.7 

2,481 

4,018 

62.0 

4,989 

6,860 

37.5 

6,796 

10,637 

56.5 

5,974 

7,617 

27.5 

1,153 

1,876 

62.7 

5,922 

13,215 

123.2 

5,811 

6,484 

11.6 

366 

605 

65.3 

7,976 

9,907 

24.2 

3,983 

5,550 

39.3 

2,320 

3,929 

69.4 

11,828 

17,760 

50.2 

5,007 

6,448 

28.8 

CITIES  FROM  10,000  TO  25,000  POPULATION. 


Population. 

Alton 24,682 

Belleville 24,823 

Cairo 15,203 

Canton    10,928 


Persons  engaged  Per 
in  manufacturing,  cent  of 

1914.         1919.  increase. 

3,061            3,688  20.5 

2,869            3,723  29.8 

1,769            2,081  17.6 

1,113            1,544  38.7 


74 


Persons  engaged  Per 

in  manufacturing,  cent  of 

Population.         1914.  1919.  increase. 

Centralia    12,491              309  1,117  261.5 

Champaign 15,873              549  504  —8.2 

Chicago  Heights    19,653  5,018  6,621  31.9 

Freeport 19,669  3,013  3,772  25.2 

Galesburg    23,834       -  1,672  2,620  56.7 

Granite 14,757  5,698  6,220  56.7 

Jacksonville    15,713  1,162  1,307  12.5 

Kankakee 16,753  1,574  2,151  36.7 

Kewanee    16,026  3,261  4,546  39.4 

LaSalle  13,050  1,311  2,015  53.7 

Lincoln  11,882              327  279  —14.7 

Mattoon    13,552               889  1,342  51.0 

Pekin    12,086              860  1,069  24.3 

Streator   14,779  1,908  1,516  ..20.5 

Waukegan   19,226  2,744  3,071  11.9 

Slaughtering  and  meat  packing,  an  industry  in  which  Illinois  leads 
the  world,  in  the  last  census  again  tops  the  list  as  the  largest  manu- 
facturing industry  in  the  United  States,  considered  from  the  stand- 
point of  value  of  output,  as  it  has  done  during  the  last  three  census 
periods.  In  1909  the  value  of  this  output  was  one  and  one-third  bil- 
lion dollars;  in  1914  almost  one  and  one-half  billion  dollars;  in  1919, 
$3,714,340,000. 

The  number  of  people  employed  in  manufacturing  in  the  entire 
State  of  Illinois  increased  30.3  per  cent  from  1914  to  1919,  or  from 
617,927  to  805,008. 


75 


SOME    GOVERNMENTAL    PROBLEMS    IN    THE    NORTH- 
WEST TERRITORY  1787-1803. 

By  Chester  J.  Attig,  Northwestern  College,  Naperville,  Illinois. 

At  the  close  of  the  American  Revolution  the  United  States  gov- 
ernment, through  the  treaty  of  1783  and  the  cession  of  their  Western 
Lands  by  the  original  states,  came  into  possession  of  a  large  tract  of 
land  east  of  the  Mississippi  River.  It  was  the  first  of  a  number  of 
such  tracts  which  were  finally  to  make  the  Pacific  Ocean  our  Western 
boundary.  The  story  of  the  occupation  and  settlement  of  these  lands 
constitutes  a  large  part  of  our  history  as  a  nation — viewed  from  one 
angle  our  history  is  the  story  of  colonization.  The  states  of  the  Union 
assume  the  role  of  the  mother  country,  sending  colonists  to  the  new 
and  unsettled  country  of  the  west.  These  new  communities  develop, 
become  states,  and  in  turn  send  out  other  colonists  to  regions  still 
farther  west.  And  thus  the  process  is  repeated  until  the  whole  coun- 
try has  become  settled  and  organized  as  states  of  the  Union.  The 
organization  of  the  Northwest  territory  as  the  beginning  of  this 
movement  under  the  Federal  Government  is  therefore  of  special  in- 
terest and  importance.1 

No  sooner  were  the  land  cessions  completed  than  the  Continental 
Congress  began  to  wrestle  with  the  problem  of  the  government  of 
this  western  territory.  On  April  23,  1784,  they  passed  an  ordinance 
providing  for  the  division  of  the  territory  into  districts  which  might 
be  admitted  as  states  when  they  reached  a  population  of  20,000  free 
inhabitants.  This  was  followed  in  1785  by  the  famous  land  ordinance 
which  committed  us  to  the  rectangular  system  of  survey.  But  in  spite 
of  legislation  there  was  scarcely  anything  in  the  territory  north  of 
the  Ohio  worthy  of  the  name  of  law  or  government.  The  population 
was  so  far  adrift  that  they  did  not  know  to  whom  they  were  respon- 
sible. Open  anarchy  prevailed.  The  people  were  too  poor  to  provide 
an  expensive  government  of  their  own.  In  an  effort  to  get  a  show 
of  authority  for  the  little  government  which  they  did  have,  they 
petitioned  the  legislature  of  Kentucky,  Feb.  5,  1787,  to  confirm  their 
appointment  of  thirteen  Frenchmen  and  two  Americans  as  judges 
and  magistrates.  But  even  while  they  were  doing  this  they  found 
themselves  at  the  mercy  of  lawless  elements  who  said  that  they  came 
from  Kentucky,  but  who  brought  in  liquor  and  sold  it  to  the  Indians, 


1  Both  the  settler  in  the  West  and  the  Federal  Government  in  the  East  were  con- 
sciously aware  of  this  colonial  relationship  while  it  was  taking  place.  In  the  west  the 
terms  "colony"  and  "mother  states"  were  used  frequently,  and  the  leading  men  openly 
testified  to  their  gratitude  for  the  "paternal  care"  which  the  Federal  Government 
"exercised  over  the  colony."  Western  Spy,  Sept.  30,  1799  :  .  The  relationship  was  in 
fact  not  new  at  all,  for  it.  had  been  observed  in  the  colonies  farther  to  the  East  even 
in  the  days  before  the  Revolution. 


76 

thus  jeopardizing  the  lives  and  property  of  .  the  inhabitants  still 
further.2 

Quite  discouraged,  many  of  the  better  citizens  were  removing  to 
the  Spanish  side  of  the  Mississippi,  where  the  inducements  held  out 
were  by  no  means  unattractive.  This  left  an  element  living  in  some 
of  these  places,  like  Kaskaskia,  that  was  so  lawless  that  even  some  of 
the  officials  refused  to  live  there  any  longer  and  moved  with  their 
families  to  Cahokia.3  These  were  the  days  when  unscrupulous  men 
were  making  capital  out  of  the  necessities  of  widows  and  orphans, 
when  neither  life  nor  property  was  secure,  when  evil  counsels  pre- 
vailed on  every  side  and  even  the  troops  which  existed  had  been  ille- 
gally raised  and  instead  of  proving  a  protection  were  actually  a  men- 
ace to  rights  and  property.4 

It  was  to  meet  such  a  situation  as  this  that  Congress  on  July  13, 
1787,  passed  the  famous  ordinance  organizing  the  Northwest  Terri- 
tory. The  chief  authority  rested  with  the  governor  and  the  judges 
who  were  to  be  appointed  by  Congress.  The  governor  was  to  reside 
within  the  territory  and  was  to  be  the  owner  of  at  least  one  thousand 
acres  of  land.  It  was  intended  that  the  judges  should  act  together 
with  the  governor  in  selecting  laws  from  the  old  states  for  the  use  of 
the  territory  as  well  as  in  dealing  out  justice  in  the  new  territory. 
But  when  it  was  not  possible  for  all  of  them  to  be  present,  any  two 
of  them  constituted  a  court.5  Besides  the  governor  and  judges  there 
was  the  secretary  who  in  the  course  of  time  was  to  exercise  "all  the 
powers  and  perform  all  of  the  duties  of  the  governor  in  the  absence 
occasioned  by  his  removal,  resignation  or  necessary  absence  of  the 
said  governor".6  Then  there  were  officials  who  acted  as  agents  for 
the  federal  government  among  the  Indians  and  others  whose  duty 
it  was  to  survey  and  superintend  the  sale  of  public  lands. 

Now  the  territory  into  which  these  officials  were  coming  was  one 
in  which  anarchy  had  prevailed,  one  in  which  there  were  neither  laws 
nor  court-houses.  There  had  not  been  a  single  county  erected  to  take 
care  of  the  local  government.  On  every  hand  there  were  the  hostile 
Indians  with  whom,  it  was  imperative  that  terms  should  be  made  at 
once.  All  of  these  conditions  in  fact,  called  for  immediate  solution, 
but  the  obstacles  and  difficulties  which  confronted  the  governor  and 
judges  could  not  but  result  in  delays  and  inefficiency.  In  the  first 
place  there  were  obstacles  arising  from  the  physical  characteristics 
of  the  territory.     Lack  of  roads  and  poor  means  of  communication 


2  L.  C.  MSS.,  Papers  of  the  Continental  Congress  48 :  111.  They  suggest  that 
authorities  in  Kentucky  should  give  passes  to  the  people  who  leave  them  and  come 
across  the  Ohio.  They  thought  that  if  this  were  done  they  could  the  better  determine 
whom  they  were  to  trust. 

8  Gabuniere  to  Congress,  July  17,  1786,  L.  C.  MSS.,  Papers  of  the  Continental 
Congress  48  :9  ;  Kaskaskia  Records  :  510. 

4  L.  C.  MSS.,  Papers  of  the  Continental  Congress  48  :4 ;  Boggess,  Settlement  of 
Illinois:  50-53. 

5  Chase,  Statutes  of  Ohio  1 :19. 

6  U.  S.  Statutes  at  Large  I  :50.  Often  in  the  history  of  the  territory  was  the 
secretary  called  on  to  exercise  the  duties  of  the  Governor  when  the  latter  was  no 
farther  away  than  Kentucky,  and  he  did  not  hesitate  to  make  full  use  of  his  powers, 
even  to  the  extent  of  laying  out  new  counties,  and  erecting  ferries  over  the  Ohio. 
Archives,  Bureau  of  Rolls  and  Library,  Papers  and  Records  of  the  Territories,  II;  L.  C. 
MSS.,  Northwest  Territory. 


77 

made  it  next  to  impossible  to  get  anything  done,  e.  g.,  when  the  gover- 
nor arrived  in  the  territory  he  entered  into  negotiations  with  the  Indi- 
ans at  once.  From  the  very  nature  of  the  case  a  great  deal  of  time 
would  have  to  elapse  before  he  could  get  any  returns.  In  the  mean- 
time, however,  he  could  not  go  to  the  Mississippi  settlements,  no 
matter  how  much  they  needed  him  in  the  anarchy  which  there  pre- 
vailed, because  in  his  absence  those  Indians  for  whom  he  had  sent 
might  arrive,  and  the  whole  of  the  Indian  negotiations  would  be  set 
at  naught.7 

All  through  the  territorial  period  the  immense  distances  that  had 
to  be  traversed  through  the  trackless  forests  added  dangers  and  delays 
to  the  duties  of  the  officers,  and  the  appropriation  of  Congress  for 
the  governor's  salary  was,  under  these  circumstances,  quite  inade- 
quate to  meet  the  expense  of  travel,  house  rent,  etc.  The  territory 
was  1500  miles  in  extent  from  southeast  to  northwest  and  the  actual 
distance  traversed  by  the  judges  in  holding  court  in  the  settlements 
most  remote  from  each  other  was  1300  miles.  Taking  into  account 
the  native  trackless  wilderness  it  is  not  surprising  to  find  that  justice 
was  uncertain  and  that  terms  of  court  were  held  at  long  and  uncertain 
intervals.  All  of  this,  of  course,  only  added  to  the  difficulties  of  ad- 
ministration, because  the  uncertainty  of  the  courts  made  the  people 
lose  respect  for  the  law  and  the  government.8 

The  second  class  of  difficulties  arose  from  the  character  of  the 
people  themselves.  The  western  settler  as  a  rule  was  brave  and 
courageous  as  well  as  adventurous.  He  came  west  in  spite  of  the 
fury  of  the  Indians  or  the  hardship  of  the  journey  through  the  wilder- 
ness. It  is  true  as  was  stated  in  Congress  in  1789,  that  "forming 
settlements  in  the  wilderness  between  the  savages  and  the  least  pop- 
ulated of  the  civilized  parts  of  the  United  Sates  (required)  men  of 
enterprising,  violent,  nay,  discontented  and  turbulent  spirit ;  such 
always  are  our  first  settlers  in  the  ruthless  and  savage  wild".9  Set- 
tlers generally  came  west  with  the  ambition  expressed  by  Parsons  in 
1788:  "to  place  my  family  in  easy  circumstances".10  Many  of  them 
were  single  young  men.  In  spite  of  the  signs  which  pointed  to  early 
Indian  hostilities,  they  pushed  right  into  the  Indian  country  in  1790, 
although  men  like  Putnam  pronounced  it  risky  and  imprudent.11  They 
were  not  merely  adventurous  either,  they  seemed  to  be  naturally  rest- 
less. Many  of  them  settled  here  and  there,  but  nowhere  seemed  to  be 
a  permanent  abiding  place  for  them. 

People  of  such  characteristics  were  attracted  by  the  wild  country, 
the  mild  climate  and  the  fertile  soil  and  were  determined  to  make  it 


7  St.  Clair  Papers  II  :86-87. 

8  It  was  reported  March  3,  1800,  that  a  certain  law  of  March  3,  1791,  granting 
land  to  certain  individuals  in  the  western  part  of  the  territory  and  directing  the  laying 
out  of  the  same  remained  unenforced,  and  great  discontent  had  resulted  on  the  part 
of  those  concerned.  All  of  this  happened  because  the  conditions  in  the  territory  im- 
posed almost  insuperable  difficulties  to  the  exercise  of  the  function  of  government. 
Senate  Files,  Dec.  5,  1792 ;  Bureau  of  Indexes  and  Archives,  Domestic  Letters  10  :210  ; 
Messages  and  Reports  of  Congress,  1799-1801  :  219-220 ;  American  State  Papers,  Public 
Lands  I  :206. 

9  Benton,  Abridgement  1 :114  ;  Kaskaskia  Records  :  445-446. 

10  Hall,  Life  and  Letters  of  Samuel  H.  Parsons  :  521. 

11  Howe,  Ohio  Historical  Collections  11:309. 


78 

their  own,  as  many  a  traveler  testified,  but  they  did  not  like  restraint 
of  any  kind.  Military  rule  such  as  that  which  became  necessary  in 
the  days  of  Wayne's  expedition,  made  them  discontented.  Insubor- 
dination was  common  in  the  militia.  The  westerner  was  far  too  much 
of  an  individualist  to  train  well  as  a  soldier.  He  did  not  obey  orders 
of  vigilance  enough  to  prevent  horses  from  passing  through  the  lines 
of  the  army  at  night.  As  Captain  Doyle  testified  at  the  inquiry  in 
Harmar's  trial-  in  1790,  "the  Kentucky  militia  showed  great  signs  of 
revolt".12 

But  if  the  settler  sometimes  showed  signs  of  insubordination  he 
made  up  for  his  short-coming  in  that  particular  by  his  alertness,  which 
was  almost  equal  to  that  of  the  Indian.  The  situation  in  which  he 
found  himself,  his  very  isolation,  forced  him  to  stand  on  his  own  feet, 
taught  him  self-reliance;  but  that  frequently  developed  into  an  ex- 
treme form  of  individualism.  It  is  not  strange  that  the  man  who 
would  come  into  the  new  country  with  nothing  but  his  ax  to  rely 
upon  for  support  and  future  success,  should  prefer  to  stand  on  his 
own  feet  in  matters  of  government  and  social  usage.  Newspaper 
editorials  deploring  the  fact  that  we  constantly  imitate  Europe  and 
borrow  half  our  vices  in  that  way  are  very  well  in  keeping  with  the 
spirit  of  the  West  in  this  respect.  "To  imbibe  their  vicious  principles 
and  imitate  their  licentious  manners  is  to  betray  our  country/'  says  the 
Northwest  Centinel.13  The  western  settler,  therefore,  generally  did 
as  he  pleased  and  asked  no  questions.  He  carried  out  this  idea  in  his 
relations  with  the  Indians  as  well.  Murders  and  robberies  of  the 
Indians  by  irresponsible  whites  brought  great  danger  on  innocent  set- 
tlers, but  that  did  not  deter  the  men  who  had  a  private  grudge  to 
work  off.  In  fact,  this  individualism  even  led  to  the  organization  of 
private  expeditions  against  the  Indians.14 

If  the  frontier  had  the  tendency  to  develop  this  sort  of  individual- 
ism, it  also  had  the  power  to  attract  an  element  which  was  more  than 
individualistic;  it  was  the  lawless,  licentious  and  criminal  element 
which  had  been  rejected  and  driven  out  of  the  Eastern  States.15  It 
seemed  but  a  matter  of  course  for  such  a  settler  to  set  himself  up  as  a 
judge  to  decide  how  much  of  the  law  he  should  obey.  Thus  careless 
individuals  set  fire  to  the  leaves  in  the  forest  and  thereby  endangered 
the  property  of  many  settlers.  Others  refused  outright  to  obey  the 
law  forbidding  the  sale  of  liquor  to  soldiers.16  Then  there  were  people 
who  could  not  understand  why  they  should  give  up  the  pleasure  of 
shooting  at  mark  within  the  limits  of  a  town,  because  at  sometime  an 


11  Draper  Collection,  G.  R.  Clark  MSS.  40  :38-39  ;  Frontier  Wars  MSS.  IV  :28,  64. 

13  Northwest  Centinel,  May  14,  1796 :  4 ;  Old  Northwest  Genealogical  Quarterly 
IV  :3. 

14  St.  Clair  Papers  II  :26  ;  Philadelphia  General  Advertiser,  Nov.  26,  1792  ;  Howe  : 
Historical  Collections  II  :495  ;  American  State  Papers,   Indian  Affairs  1 :166,  241. 

15  Sargent  to  Symmes,  Jan.  13,  1793,  Archives,  Bureau  of  Rolls  and  Library, 
Tapers  and  Records  of  the  Territories  II ;  Northwest  Centinel,  Sept.  12,  1795  :  4. 

19  One  man  in  Detroit  in  1800  said  that  he  considered  that  he  had  a  right  to  sell 
liquor  to  whomsoever,  whensoever  and  wheresoever  he  pleased.  Burton  Collection, 
Sibley  Papers,  912-913  :17. 


79 

alarm  for  Indian  attack  might  be  mistaken  for  mere  harmless  shooting 
for  pleasure.17  Others  considered  it  as  perfectly  within  their  rights 
to  make  all  sorts  of  unnecessary  noise  and  commotion  near  the  court 
house  to  the  inconvenience  of  the  court,  and  still  others  were  opposed 
to  all  internal  revenue  as  a  needless  interference  with  liberty.18  We 
may  also  cite  instances  of  lawless  disturbances  perpetrated  by  some 
of  the  better  class  of  citizens  under  the  guise  of  Christmas  celebra- 
tions. In  Detroit  in  1788  Patrick  McNiff  undertook  to  perform,  a 
marriage  ceremony  for  a  man  and  woman  when  he  had  absolutely  no 
legal  right  to  do  so.19 

The  audacity  of  this  rampant  individualism  is  difficult  to  picture 
in  all  of  its  details,  but  it  certainly  had  a  tendency  to  complicate  the 
problem  of  government. 

A  third  difficulty  arose  in  connection  with  the  interpretation  of 
the  powers  given  the  governor  and  judges  under  the  ordinance.  That 
instrument  stated  that  "the  governor  and  judges  or  a  majority  of  them 
shall  adopt  and  publish"  laws  taken  from  the  original  states.  The 
judges  at  one  time  wanted  to  interpret  this  as  meaning  a  majority  of 
the  whole  number  including  the  governor.  But  this  would  mean  that 
the  judges  could  pass  laws  over  the  head  of  the  governor.  Naturally 
St.  Clair  objected  to  this  interpretation.  He  said  that  in  that  case 
"the  judges  would  be  complete  legislators,  which  is  the  very  definition 
of  tyranny".20  Neither  did  the  governor  and  judges  agree  altogether 
on  the  extent  of  their  powers  in  actually  initiating  legislation.  The 
judges  seemed  to  think  that  they  would  be  within  their  powers  if 
they  were  to  adopt  laws  as  long  as  they  were  not  repugnant  to  the 
laws  of  the  older  states,  but  Congress  did  not  think  so.  When  the 
laws  were  referred  to  a  committee  of  Congress  in  1794,  the  Commit- 
tee reported  that  "there  is  one  objection  which  applies  to  all  of  these 
laws  which  affords  sufficient  reason  for  disapproving  of  all  of  them". 
The  power  given  to  the  governor  and  judges,  they  said,  was  merely 
to  copy  laws  from  the  states,  but  "these  laws  seem  to  have  been 
passed  by  the  governor  and  judges  on  the  idea  that  they  possessed 
generally  the  legislative  power  and  have  not  either  in  the  whole  or  in 
part  been  adopted  from  the  original  states".  They  therefore  advised 
that  the  laws  be  disapproved  by  Congress,  thus  making  it  necessary 
for  the  governor  and  judges  to  adopt  other  laws.21 

Now  what  was  actually  accomplished  under  these  circumstances? 
The  first  legislative  enactments  came  along  the  line  of  the  greatest 
need,  and  the  needs  which  seemed  most  insistent  were  proper  defence 
against  the  Indians,  and  an  adequate  code  to  defend  the  lives  and 
property  of  the  inhabitants  against  the  lawless  elements  which  natur- 
ally drifted  to  the  frontier.     To  meet  the  first  need  we  have  a  law 


17  Proclamation  of  Winthrop  Sargent,  March  26,   1792,  Archives,   Bureau  of  Rolls 
and  Library,  Papers  and  Records  of  the  Territories  II. 

18  Reynolds,    Pioneer   History   of   Illinois :    149 ;    Burton    Collection,    Sibley   Papers, 
113:  3. 

19  Burton  Collection,  Sibley  Papers,  919  :  2. 

20  Archives,  Bureau  of  Rolls  and  Library,  Papers  and  Records  of  the  Territories  II ; 
Chase,  Statutes  of  Ohio  I  :  19. 

21  American  State  Papers,  Miscellaneous  I  :  82. 


80 

calling  for  universal  military  service  of  all  men  between  the  ages  of 
16  and  60.22  They  were  required  to  keep  a  certain  minimum  equip- 
ment of  arms  and  ammunition  on  hand  at  all  times  and  to  report  at 
drill  at  certain  stated  intervals  set  by  the  commanding  officer.  In  ad- 
dition, every  man  was  to  have  his  house  in  a  state  of  defense. 

As  for  the  criminal  code,  a  very  elaborate  system  of  law  covering 
this  point  was  adopted  by  the  governor  and  judges  in  the  first  year 
of  the  territorial  government.  According  to  the  code  of  1788,  there 
were  listed  29  crimes  ranging  from  treason  and  murder  to  improper 
language  and  Sabbath-breaking.  Three  of  these  crimes  were  punish- 
able by  death  and  confiscation  of  property,  four  were  punishable  by 
death  without  the  specification  that  the  property  of  the  criminal  should 
be  confiscated.  There  were  twelve  crimes  mentioned  which  were 
punishable  by  whipping.  Among  them  were  arson,  burglary,  burglary 
with  theft,  robbery,  obstructing  authority,  both  first  and  second  of- 
fences, perjury  and  subordination  of  perjury,  which  were  all  punish- 
able by  the  traditional  forty  stripes  less  one ;  while  larceny  and  receiv- 
ing stolen  goods  were  punishable  by  31  stripes.  The  lowest  number  of 
lashes  mentioned  was  ten,  which  were  administered  in  the  case  of  dis- 
obedient children  and  servants.  Five  crimes,  viz.,  arson,  robbery, 
perjury  subordination  of  perjury,  and  forgery  were  punishable  by 
two  hours  in  the  pillory.  Seven  crimes  were  punishable  by  imprison- 
ment, among  them,  disobedience  of  children  and  servants.  Six  crimes, 
burglary,  burglary  with  theft,  robbery,  riots,  obstruction  of  authority, 
and  assault  and  battery  might  entail  the  giving  of  bonds  for  good  be- 
havior in  the  future.  The  period  during  which  the  bonds  would  be 
effective  was  all  the  way  from  six  months  to  ten  years.  If  a  man 
were  guilty  of  perjury  or  subordination  of  perjury,  he  might  be  de- 
prived of  the  right  to  hold  office.  On  the  second  offense  of  larceny, 
a  man  might  be  bound  out  seven  years  as  a  laborer.  In  the  absense 
of  penitentiaries  this  was  probably  as  effective  a  punishment  as  could 
be  meted  out,  and  in  view  of  the  opportunities  which  on  every  had 
surrounded  the  man  who  worked  on  his  own  initiative,  it  was  prob- 
ably as  severe  a  punishment  as  could  be  administered.23 

Another  group  of  laws  may  be  classed  under  the  general  heading 
of  moral  legislation.  Most  of  these  laws  appear  in  the  legislation  of 
the  first  territorial  legislature  in  1799.  They  deal  with  such  subjects 
as  drunkenness,  Sabbath  observance,  the  use  of  obscene  and  profane 
language,  fighting  in  which  maiming  or  disfiguring  of  the  body  might 
result,  cock-fighting,  betting  and  gambling,  dice,  billiards,  shuffle- 
boards  and  the  like.24  There  was  no  definite  law  against  lottery,  but 
when  a  request  came  from  the  people  of  Detroit  -for  a  lottery  to  build  a 
protestant  church  and  repair  a  catholic  church,  the  legislature  did  not 
allow  it.  Thus  did  the  legislature  early  take  a  definite  stand  against 
the  practices  that  would  be  demoralizing  and  ruinous  in  their  effect  on 
the  people. 


n  Chase,  Statutes  of  Ohio,  1 :  92. 

23  Chase,  Statutes  of  Ohio  ;  1 :  98-101. 

24  Chase,   Statutes  of  Ohio  I  :  228-229. 


81 

We  also  find  a  body  of  legislation  that  might  be  termed  social 
legislation.  It  has  to  do  with  the  regulation  of  charities  and  kindred 
subjects.  The  poor  and  the  dependents  of  the  community  became  a 
subject  of  legislation  quite  early  in  the  history  of  the  Territory.  As 
early  as  Nov.  6,  1790,  a  law  was  passed  providing  for  the  appointment 
of  overseers  of  the  poor.  In  each  county  the  justices  were  to  appoint 
annually  one  or  more  overseers  of  the  poor  in  each  township  of  the 
county.  They  were  not  only  to  concern  themselves  about  the  paupers 
of  whom  there  were  probably  few,  but  more  particularly  about  the  fam- 
ilies suffering  from  sickness,  accident  or  any  misfortune  or  inability 
which  might  render  them  proper  objects  of  public  charity.25  Widows 
and  orphans  were  especially  mentioned  as  persons  deserving  attention, 
but  any  who  had  relatives  who  could  support  them  were  not  to  be 
accepted  as  objects  of  charity,  it  being  decreed  that  they  should  be 
taken  care  of  by  their  relatives,  who  were  required  by  law  to  assume 
responsibility  under  penalty  of  a  fine. 

According  to  the  law  of  Dec.  19,  1799,  the  poor  were  to  be 
farmed  out.  At  a  given  time  an  auction  would  be  set  and  men  would 
bid  on  the  poor.  The  man  who  bid  the  the  lowest,  i.  e.,  the  man  who 
would  agree  to  assume  responsibility  for  the  care  and  nourishment  of 
the  poor  at  the  lowest  expense  to  the  community,  would  be  allowed  to 
take  charge  of  said  poor  persons.  Of  course,  they  were  to  act  as  his 
servants  in  such  capacity  as  they  could.  In  order  that  the  poor  should 
not  be  reduced  to  slavery  by  this  method,  they  were  allowed  to  make 
complaint  to  the  overseer  of  the  poor.  Besides  these  laws  concerning 
.the  care  of  the  poor,  the  widows  and  the  orphans,  there  were  laws 
governing  the  appointment  of  guardians  for  those  who  inherited 
property.26  Another  group  of  unfortunates  were  idiots  and  lunatics, 
who  were  entrusted  by  the  law  of  Jan.  4,  1802,  into  the  care  of  the 
overseer  of  the  poor,  who  were  to  take  the  property  of  such  persons 
in  charge  and  keep  it  safe  for  them  subject  to  the  direction  of  the 
probate  court. 

An  inquiry  into  the  organization  of  the  system  of  courts,  which 
included  the  court  of  Justice  of  the  Peace,  die  Court  of  Common 
Pleas,  the  Orphans  Court,  the  Probate  Court,  the  General  Court  of 
Quarter  Sessions,  the  Circuit  Court,  and  the  Superior  Court,  cannot 
be  undertaken  within  the  limits  of  this  paper,  but  a  brief  survey  of  the 
difficulties  that  had  to  be  met  in  establishing  them  and  their  consequent 
course  of  development  may  quite  properly  be  undertaken. 

When  Governor  St.  Clair  came  into  the  territory  in  1788  there 
were  but  the  merest  rudiments  of  justice  as  expressed  in  the  local 
courts  of  the  French  settlements.  The  whole  system  of,  courts  which 
we  have  mentioned  had  still  to  be  instituted.  Judges  and  justices  had 
still  to  be  appointed  from  among  the  citizens  who  had  the  best  repu- 
tation for  common  sense  and  fair  play.  All  of  this  took  time  and 
there  was  bound  to  be  some  delay  in  getting  the  courts  established. 


25  Chase,  Statutes  of  Ohio.  1:108. 

28  The  best  examples  of  the  operation  of  this  law  are  to  be  found  in  the  St.  Clair 
County  Records  at  Belleville*  111. 


82 

The  governor  and  those  who,  with  him,  were  responsible  for  the  gov- 
ernment of  the  territory  had  to  be  ready  for  almost  any  emergency, 
even  the  death  of  one  of  their  associates,  Judge  Varnum,  in  the  first 
year  of  the  settlement  at  Marietta.27 

The  difficulties  of  organization  were  only  increased  by  the  extent 
of  the  territory.  Until  there  should  be  a  greater  population  in  the 
territory,  the  counties  perforce  were  large,  and  justice  unwieldy. 
Probably  a  most  extreme  case  is  that  of  a  suit  at  Cahokia  involving 
the  value  of  a  cow.  Most  of  the  witnesses  were  at  Prairie  du  Chien. 
Summons  were  issued  and  the  sheriff  undertook  the  journey  to 
bring  in  the  witnesses.  The  cost  of  a  suit  of  this  kind  would  run  as 
high  as  $900.00.  It  was  not  only  difficult  under  such  circumstances 
to  get  the  witnesses  for  the  trial,  but  it  was  a  burden  for  the  people 
who  wished  to  use  the  courts  if  they  had  to  bring  their  difficulties 
before  a  court  convening  at  a  county  seat  so  far  removed  from  their 
place  of  residence.  The  judges  themselves  found  difficulty  in  getting 
around  over  the  territory  to  meet  the  various  courts  in  session.  Their 
times  was  so  taken  up  in  traveling  that  they  had  time  neither  to  hear 
the  courts  nor  to  make  laws  for  the  territory  as  they  were  supposed  to 
do  with  the  aid  of  the  governor. 

It  will  thus  be  seen  that  the  difficulties  presented  in  the  vastness 
of  the  country  and  the  primitive  conditions  as  well  as  the  scattered 
condition  of  the  population,  were  in  themselves  great  enough  to  cause 
the  boldest  leaders  to  hesitate.  But  the  story  is  not  yet  complete.  To 
all  of  these  difficulties  we  must  add  that  imposed  by  the  presence  of 
the  Indians.  One  of  the  results  which  the  court  hoped  to  accomplish, 
of  course,  was  the  cessation  of  Indian  bloodshed  in  the  establishment 
of  justice  for  the  Indians,  as  well  as  for  the  whites.  But  how  could 
that  be  done  when  the  criminals  escaped  to  Kentucky  and  there  were 
sheltered  because  the  jurisdiction  of  the  territorial  courts  did  not 
extend  to  that  point?  But  worse  still  was  the  condition  which  we  find 
reflected  in  the  claim  of  Kentucky  for  jurisdiction  to  the  North  Bank 
of  the  Ohio,  including  the  islands  which  were  sometimes  formed 
from  land  of  the  Northwest  Territory  in  times  of  high  water.  To 
recognize  this  claim  meant  that  the  territorial  judges  could  not  claim 
any  jurisdiction  over  deeds  done  on  vessels  anchored  at  the  wharves 
or  landing  places  on  the  north  bank  of  the  Ohio,  and  it  meant  a  serious 
setback  to  the  establishment  of  real  justice  in  the  Territory.28 

At  Detroit  there  was  another  difficulty  in  finding  men  as  judges 
who  could  understand  both  French  and  English.  Even  in  1800  it 
was  possible  for  a  correspondent  from  Detroit  to  say,  "Since  the  sus- 
pension of  Mr.  May  we  have  no  justice  in  Detroit  who  speaks  the 
English  language". 

Under  these  circumstances  courts  were  established  rather  slowly. 
A  committee  reporting  to  Congress  in  1800  said :  "In  the  three  west- 
ern  counties   there   has   been   but   one    court   having    cognizance    of 


27  Archives,  Bureau  of  Rolls  and  Library,  Papers  and  Records  of  the  Territories  II ; 
St.  Clair  Papers  II :  111. 

28  Burnet,  Notes,  308. 


83 

crimes  in  five  years,  and  the  immunity  which  offenders  experience 
attracts  as  to  an  asylum,  the  most  vile  and  abandoned  criminals  and 
at  the  same  time  deters  useful  and  virtuous  people  from  making  set- 
tlements".29 

But  probably  no  less  effective  in  counteracting  justice  than  the 
difficulties  which  we  have  just  mentioned,  were  some  of  the  courts 
which  were  established  in  the  territory,  courts  which  were  known 
chiefly  for  their  injustice,  their  unfairness  and  their  inefficiency;  such 
courts,  for  example,  as  Hamtramck  found  at  Vincennes,  where  fees 
were  so  high  that  they  amounted  to  robbery  and  the  people  would 
not  use  the  courts  at  all. 

Then  again  there  was  the  occasional  tyrant  among  judges  who 
would  exercise  his  authority  in  absurd  and  arbitrary  ways.  There  is 
the  case  of  George  Turner,  for  example.  When  his  career  as  judge 
was  investigated,  Charles  Lee  reported  the  following  charges  to  the 
House  of  Representatives,  May  9,  1796:  (1)  He  held  courts  in  ex- 
treme corners  of  the  population  of  the  county  without  announcement 
or  proper  notice  and  then  expected  the  people  to  attend,  even  though 
by  so  doing  they  exposed  their  families  to  attack  by  the  Indians  dur- 
ing their  absence.  There  was  one  instance  cited  where  the  majority 
of  the  judges  and  jurors  had  to. travel  66  miles.  (2)  He  levied  fines 
amounting  practically  to  forfeiture.  (3)  He  compelled  the  transfer 
of  records  to  the  extremities  of  the  county,  thus  making  them  unsafe. 
(4)  He  denied  the  operation  of  the  law  of  inheritance.  (5)  He  even 
seized  certain  intestate  estates  and  converted  them  into  money  to 
the  damage  of  the  heirs  and  creditors.30 

It  was  but  natural  under  such  circumstances,  that  the  people 
who  were  always  inclined  to  be  individualists  should  have  doubted 
the  value  of  the  courts,  and  it  follows  very  naturally  that  there  was 
more  difficulty  than  ever  to  get  the  authority  of  the  courts  established 
in  the  territory.  Of  lawless  individuals  there  seemed  always  more 
than  could  be  handled  anyway.  Many  a  murder  that  was  blamed  on 
the  Indians  was  no  doubt  committed  by  some  vagabond  white,  who 
covered  up  his  mischief  by  making  it  appear  to  have  been  done  by  the 
Indians.31 

Finally  the  infrequency  of  courts  and  the  lack  of  proper  jails 
and  prisons  had  a  great  deal  to  do  with  the  spread  of  crime  and  had 
a  tendency  to  complicate  greatly  the  task  of  the  courts  where  they 
were  established.  There  seemed  to  be  almost  an  entire  lack  of  prisons 
in  Cahokia,  Cincinnati,  Detroit  and  other  western  places.  The  only 
punishment  possible  was  a  fine  and  that,  the  judges  said,  was  not 
effective  in  producing  desired  results.32  It  is  no  wonder  that  jus- 
tice limped  along  for  about  a  decade  after  the  first  settlements.  Gov- 
ernor St.  Clair  was  well  aware  of  this  lack.  In  his  opening  speech  to 
the  House  of  Representatives  in  the  first  meeting  of  the  territorial 


29  American  State  Papers,  Miscellaneous  1 :  206 ;  Messages  and  Papers,  1799-1800  : 
219-220,  Senate  Library. 

30  American  State  Papers,  Miscellaneous  1 :  151-152,  157. 

31  Western  Spy,  August  27,  1799. 

32 American  State  Papers,  Miscellaneous  I:  206;  Cahokia  MSS. 


84 

legislature,  Sept.  25,  1799,  he  spoke  at  length  on  the  need  of  adequate 
jails  and  court  houses.  If  justice  was  to  be  administered  in  the  terri- 
tory, there  must  be  adequate  facilities  for  housing  the  criminals  as 
well  as  a  definite  place  in  each  county  where  justice  would  always  be 
administered  and  where  the  important  records  of  the  county  could 
be  kept  on  file.  This  was  the  burden  of  the  governor's  speech.  His 
advice  was  that  it  should  be  made  compulsory  upon  the  inhabitants 
of  each  county  to  erect  proper  jails  and  convenient  court-houses.33 
When  this  lesson,  taught  by  hard  experience,  became  thoroughly  im- 
pressed on  the  people,  then  the  preliminary  stages  were  past  and 
justice  was  quite  firmly  established  in  the  territory. 

To  a  large  extent  the  justice  awarded  in  the  early  trials  in  the 
Northwest  was  a  matter  of  development  just  as  much  as  were  the 
facilities  for  administering  that  justice.  By  no  means  all  of  the 
decisions  were  given  in  accordance  with  precedent,  nor  was  the  law 
in  the  case  always  nicely  weighed  and  considered.  Where  common 
sense  alone  was  the  guide  almost  invariably  followed  by  the  judges  of 
the  lower  courts  of  the  counties,  irrespective  of  precedent  or  legal 
form,  what  could  be  expected  of  a  justice  of  the  peace?  Yet  there 
was  such  a  nicely  balanced  sense  of  fairness  in  the  judgment  of  these 
men  that  there  seems  to  have  been  general  satisfaction  with  their  decis- 
ions in  the  great  majority  of  cases.  But  there  were  many  cases  of 
dispute,  even  crime,  that  were  settled  out  of  court  by  a  sort  of  tri- 
bunal made  for  the  occasion.  It  was  not  always  convenient  to  go  the 
long  distances  to  the  courts  and  then  it  was  not  certain  even  if  one 
went  to  the  court  whether  the  judges  and  the  jurors  would  be  there, 
as  a  consequence  we  have  a  great  deal  of  improvised  justice  made  on 
the  spur  of  the  moment.  For  this  reason,  the  number  of  criminal 
cases  coming  into  the  courts  is  by  no  means  a  criterion  of  the  amount 
of  crime  that  was  committed  in  the  territory.  A  few  instances  will 
suffice  to  explain  this  type  of  justice.  In  the  Draper  Collection  is  to 
be  found  this  instance  which  occurred  in  Cincinnati  in  1790.  A  man 
lost  a  barrel  of  flour.  He  informed  the  first  man  that  he  met  and  that 
man  proposed  a  search.  They  would  search  every  house.  As  they 
left  each  house  they  would  take  the  householder  along  with  them  to 
the  next  house,  where  search  would  be  continued.  This  they  did 
until  there  were  thirteen  of  them.  The  fourteenth  man  would  not 
admit  them,  so  they  forced  an  entrance  and  found  the  barrel  of  flour 
under  the  bed.  The  thirteen  men  then  formed  themselves  into  a  court 
and  determined  punishment.  They  tied  the  culprit  to  a  thorn  tree 
and  provided  themselves  with  thirteen  whips,  after  which  each  of 
them  gave  him  three  stripes,  making  the  traditional  forty  less  one. 
As  for  the  flour,  it  was  restored  to  the  owner  and  the  case  was  con- 
sidered settled.34 

As  late  as  1797  we  have  the  case  of  a  man  by  the  name  of  Bran- 
non,  who,  aided  by  his  wife,  stole  a  great  coat,  shirt,  and  handkerchief. 
They  were  pursued  and  brought  before  a  body  of  their  fellow-citizens 


83  Western  Spy,  Sept.  30,  1799  :  2. 

34  Draper  Collection,  Daniel  Drake  Papers,  1 :  10. 


85 

of  Chillicothe  for  trial.  One  man,  Samuel  Smith,  was  appointed  as 
judge.  A  jury  was  impaneled,  an  attorney  was  named  for  each  side, 
the  duty  of  this  attorney  being  to  conduct  the  case  and  call  the  wit- 
nesses. When  all  the  testimony  had  been  heard  the  case  was  given 
to  the  jury,  who  reported,  "Guilty".  The  judge  decided  that  the  man 
should  have  ten  lashes  on  his  bare  back  or  he  should  sit  on  his  pony 
and  let  his  wife  lead  the  pony  with  her  husband  on  it  to  every  house 
in  the  village  and  proclaim,  "This  is  Brannon  who  stole  a  great-coat, 
shirt  and  handkerchief".  Brannon  chose  the  latter  punishment  and 
it  was  duly  executed,  after  which  Brannon  and  his  wife  left  town.35 

Coming  one  step  nearer  the  regular  courts,  we  have  the  following 
case  similar  to  those  cited  above,  tried  in  the  court  of  a  justice  of  the 
peace  near  Chillicothe  in  1797.  A  man  by  the  name  of  McMurdy  had 
had  a  horse  collar  stolen  from  him  one  night.  The  next  morning  he 
examined  the  collars  used  by  the  plowmen  and  found  his  collar.  He 
claimed  it  of  the  workman  who  was  using  it,  but  the  latter  refused  to 
give  it  up,  and  threatened  to  beat  McMurdy  for  accusing  him  of  theft. 
McMurdy  went  to  the  justice  of  the  peace  who  immediately  had  the 
constable  bring  the  accused  and  the  horse  collar  before  him.  Court 
was  opened  at  once  under  a  tree.  McMurdy  was  asked  if  he  could 
prove  that  it  was  his  collar.  The  answer  was  that  Mr.  Spear,  who 
was  present,  could  identify  it.  Without  waiting  to  be  sworn  in, 
Mr.  Spear  advanced,  took  the  collar  and  turned  back  the  ear  and  dis- 
closed the  name  of  McMurdy  which  he  had  written  there.  "No  better 
proof  can  be  given,"  said  the  justice,  and  the  culprit  was  then  taken 
to  the  nearest  buckeye  tree  and  tied  while  five  lashes  were  laid  on. 
Thus  was  justice  dispensed  by  a  servant  of  the  law.36 

As  for  the  practice  of  regular  criminal  courts,  it  was  just  as  free 
from  strict  adherence  to  form  as  was  the  procedure  of  some  of  these 
justice  courts.  The  practice  of  referring  matters  to  arbitration  had 
such  a  hold  on  the  imaginations  of  the  men  who  composed  the  average 
court  that  it  happened  occasionally  that  a  regular  court  referred  a 
matter  that  had  been  brought  to  it  for  decision,  to  a  board  of  arbitra- 
tors. At  Cahokia  in  1788,  a  Mr.  German  refused  to  accept  some  joists 
that  had  been  made  for  him  by  a  Mr.  Brisson  because  they  were  not 
delivered  on  time.  Brisson's  plea  was  that  the  road  was  covered  with 
water  from  a  flood  so  that  they  could  not  be  delivered.  The  court 
appointed  arbitrators  to  see  if  the  joists  were  acceptable  and  if  they 
were  they  should  be  delivered  the  next  day.37 

But  there  was  nothing  wrong  in  these  decisions,  because  through 
all  of  these  cases,  whether  decided  in  or  out  of  court,  there  ran  the 
same  sound  fundamental  common  sense.  People  were  satisfied  be- 
cause the  decisions  appealed  to  their  sense  of  fairness.  Yet  a  court  of 
law  is  supposed  to  be  guided  a  little  more  by  precedent  and  actual 
law.     However,  that,  too,  was  to  be  acquired  in  the  course  of  time. 


35  Howe,  Ohio  Historical  Collections  II :  492-493. 

36  Finley,  Life  among  the  Indians  :  44-45. 

37  Cahokia  Records  :  329-331,  345  ;  Burton  Collection  475  :  71-72.  As  late  as  the 
April  term,  1797,  seven  out  of  the  twelve  cases  that  had  been  filed  in  the  court  of 
Cahokia  were  decided  out  of  court  by  arbitration.     Cahokia  Court  Records,  1797. 


86 

The  more  experience  these  settlers  acquired,  the  more  men  of  legal 
training  found  their  place  among  them,  the  more  the  cases  began  to 
conform  to  the  established  practice  of  the  courts  of  law.  As  a- result, 
by  1800,  whether  it  be  in  Cincinnati,  Steubenville  or  Detroit,  and 
whether  the  case  be  a  suit  for  damages  because  of  the  inundation  of 
land  caused  by  the  construction  of  a  mill-dam,  a  suit  of  libel,  or  a  case 
of  assault  and  battery,  the  case  was  in  any  event  handled  according  to 
the  recognized  principles  of  law  and  the  decision  was  reasonably  in 
accordance  with  proper  form.38 

Another  point  in  which  the  advancement  of  the  courts  is  to  be 
noted  is  in  their  dealing  with  the  crimes  involving  Indians.  According 
to  the  law  of  Dec.  8,  1800,  special  provision  is  made  for  the  trying  of 
persons  charged  with  homicide  against  Indians,  and  strenuous  efforts 
were  made  to  put  it  into  effect.  There  were  those  who  said  that  the 
sentiment  agajnst  the  Indians  was  such  that  no  jury  would  find  a 
white  man  guilty  of  the  murder  of  an  Indian.  To  a  certain  extent 
this  may  have  been  true,  and  yet  the  facts  in  the  various  cases  involv- 
ing theft  seem  to  belie  this  conclusion.  In  1796,  for  example,  a  cer- 
tain Daniel  McKean  arrived  in  Cincinnati  from  New  Jersey.  Within 
a  very  short  time  he  was  brought  before  the  court  for  stealing  a  horse 
from  the  Indians  who  had  camped  near  the  town.  He  had  entered 
their  camp  under  the  pretence  of  friendly  trade,  and  at  night  had  se- 
cured the  horse  and  made  away  with  it.  The  jury  brought  in  a  ver- 
dict of  ''Guilty".  He  was  sentenced  to  pay  a  fine  of  One  Dollar  to  the 
Indian  concerned  when  he  returned  the  horse  and  was  to  receive 
thirty-nine  lashes  on  the  bare  back,  to  be  inflicted  in  the  most  public 
streets  of  the  town.  All  the  while  the  prisoner  was  to  bear  a  placard 
bearing  in  large  legible  letters,  the  words,  "I  stole  a  horse  from  the 
Indians."  The  Centinel  in  commenting  on  the  case  was  quite  pro- 
fuse in  its  condemnations  of  the  crime.39  It  is  true,  the  feeling 
against  the  Indians  was  high,  but  the  courts  gave  special  care  in  the 
latter  part  of  the  territorial  period  that  due  justice  should  be  given  to 
any  Indian  offender,  even  the  murderer  of  a  white  man.  If  necessary, 
they  would  summon  military  assistance  to  prevent  his  falling  into  the 
hands  of  a  mob.40 

There  are  many  other  interesting  phases  connected  with  the  insti- 
tution of  government  in  the  first  of  the  Territories  of  the  United 
States  under  the  present  form  of  government,  but  the  limits  of  this 
paper  will  not  permit  a  discussion  of  them.  But  probably  sufficient 
evidence  has  been  advanced  to  establish  the  fact  that  although  there 
was  a  tendency  to  conform  to  Eastern  practice,  local  conditions  fre- 
quently imposed  difficulties  which  seemed  to  make  somewhat  irregular 
and  extra-legal  methods  necessary  and  desirable. 

38  Burton   Collection    475  :    31 ;    Jefferson   County   Deed    Record   A :    171 ;   Archives, 
Bureau  of  Rolls  and  Library,  Papers  and  Records  of  the  Territories  II. 
32  Northwest  Centinel,  March  26,  1796  :  3. 
40  Archives,  Bureau  of  Indian  Affairs,  Ricker  Files. 


Black  Hawk's  Watch  Tower  was  a  conspicuous  landmark  to  all  travellers 
coming  from  across  Rock  River. 


87 


INDIAN  TRAILS  CENTERING  AT  BLACK  HAWK'S  VILLAGE. 

By  John  H.  Haubehg. 

The  facts  set  forth  in  the  following  paper  were  gathered  during 
the  last  six  years.  In  that  time  the  writer  -has  not  neglected  to  see 
personally  every  man  or  woman  claimed  to  have  any  knowledge  of 
any  Indian  trail,  or  who  was  mentioned  by  others  as  probably  having 
knowledge  of  a  trail,  and  a  diligent  inquiry  among  the  older  residents 
of  the  counties  of  Rock  Island,  Henry  and  the  northern  part  of  Mercer 
County  has  been  kept  up.  A  liberal  use  was  made  of  the  automobile, 
and  the  method  consistently  followed  was  to  make  an  appointment 
and  take  the  person  to  the  very  spot  which  he  knew,  take  photographs 
there,  and  carefully  record  the  description  given,  as  also  all  the  side- 
lights in  the  way  of  a  running  narrative  of  the  early-day  life.  This 
paper  cannot,  of  course,  give  fully  all  these  narratives.  Nearly  all  of 
the  informants  had  passed  their  three-score  and  ten,  and  some  had 
passed  the  four  score  and  ten  years  of  life.  Over  and  over  again  the 
writer  would  hear  from  their  lips  something  like  this :  "If  you  had 
only  started  this  a  -few  years  ago.  Now  nearly  everyone  that  knew  is 
dead",  or  one  would  say,  "If  you  had  begun  this  a  year  or  two  ago  I 
could  have  directed  you  to  a  half  dozen  men  who  have  since  died". 
In  practically  every  instance,  the  trail  was  fixed  in  the  man's  mind  be- 
cause it  crossed  his  father's  farm ;  or  that  he  plowed  it  up ;  used  it  as 
the  path  to  the  public  school ;  herded  cattle  over  it ;  hunted  over  it ; 
had  seen  straying  bands  of  Indians  using  it ;  that  it  was  the  common 
tradition  among  the  pioneers  that  it  was  an  Indian  trail,  and  that  it 
was  not  the  kind  of  trail  commonly  made  by  animals  or  by  white  men. 

The  Sauk  and  Mesquaki  tribes,  usually  spoken  of  as  the  Sauk 
and  Fox,  formed  a  united  nation.  They  had  three  villages  about  the 
vicinity  of  the  mouth  of  Rock  River.  One  of  these,  a  Fox  village, 
was  on  the  west  side  of  the  Mississippi  where  Davenport,  Iowa,  now 
stands.  The  other  two,  both  on  the  Illinois  side,  joined  at  the  edges, 
but  the  distance  from  center  to  center  of  each  village  was  about  three 
and  one-half  miles  as  the  crow  flies.  The  one  a  Fox  village,  was 
located  opposite  the  lower  end  of  Rock  Island,  where  the  down-town 
part  of  the  City  of  Rock  Island  now  stands,  and  the  other  was  the 
Sauk  village  which  adjoined  it  to  the  south  and  extended  to  the  bluff 
overlooking  Rock  River,  known  as  Black  Hawk's  Watch  Tower, 
practically  all  of  the  old  Sauk  village  site  also,  is  today  included  within 
the  city  limits  of  Rock  Island,  Illinois. 

This  Sauk  village  was  the  home  of  the  most  prominent  individuals 
of  the  United  Nation.  Both  Black  Hawk  and  Keokuk  were  born 
here.  It  had  been  the  home  of  the  former  for  seventy  years  when  he 
was  finally  expelled  in  the  contest  known  to  history  as  the*Black  Hawk 


88 

War.  In  its  strictest  sense,  it  was  for  possession  of  this  particular 
village  and  its  adjacent  cornfields  and  pastures  that  the  war  was 
fought. 

Numerous  mounds  are  scattered  all  about  these  Indian  village 
sites.  These  mounds  are  believed  to  have  been  built  by  a  people  ante- 
dating the  Sauk  and  Fox  Indians  and  their  immediate  predecessors 
here,  and  it  is  probable  that  when  the  latter  located  here,  they  found 
the  principal  highways  mentioned  in  this  paper  already  existent. 

The  Indian  trails,  sections  of  which  are  described  in  this  paper, 
are  the  following: 

(1)  The  "Great  Sauk  Trail"  or  "Sauk  and  Fox  Trail"  which  is 
of  especial  interest  to  us  because  the  War  Chief  Black  Hawk  and  his 
band  used  this  trail  regularly  in  going  from  their  village  at  Rock 
Island,  Illinois,  to  Fort  Maiden,  Amherstberg,  Ontario,  to  secure  the 
annuities  which  the  British  authorities  continued  to  bestow  upon  them 
for  services  rendered  during  the  War  of  1812-T4. 

(2)  The  Indian  and  Military  Trail,  which  was  a  short-cut  from 
Rock  Island  to  Oquawka,  Illinois,  on  the  Mississippi,  fifty  miles  south- 
wards. It  was  a  well  known  Indian  trail,  and  its  greatest  use  as  a  mil- 
itary trail  was  in  the  two  campaigns  of  the  Black  Hawk  War,  1831 
and  1832  respectively,  when  the  Illinois  militia  marched  over  it,  to 
Black  Hawk's  village. 

(3)  The  Indian  trail  up  the  east  bank  of  the  Mississippi  from  the 
Sauk  and  Fox  villages  at  Rock  Island,  to  their  lead  mines  in  north- 
western Illinois  and  Southwest  Wisconsin. 

(4)  The  trail  up  Rock  River  toward  Prophetstown,  followed 
alike  by  Indians,  and  by  the  Illinois  soldiers  of  1832,  with  Capt.  Abra- 
ham Lincoln  in  command  of  a  company. 

(5)  Indian  trails  about  Moline  and'  Rock  Island;  some  of  them 
doubtless  branches  of  the  main  highways. 

Of  the  local  trails,  a  section  is  pointed  out  by  W.  C.  Wilson  of 
Moline.  Mr.  Wilson  says  he  has  known  this  trace  as  an  Indian  trail 
for  forty  years.  It  is  located  in  Prospect  Park,  near  the  east  line  of 
the  park.  It  is  visible,  beginning  at  a  point  150  feet  west  of  the  west 
line  of  Park  15th  St.  at  34th  Ave.,  Moline,  Illinois,  and  extends  south- 
eastwards  along  the  crest  of  the  ridge.  The  ground  here  for  forty-five 
paces  is  still  covered  with  native  timber  of  oak,  hickory,  etc.,  and  has 
never  been  cultivated.  The  trail  has  recently  been  filled  to  a  level  with 
the  surrounding  ground,  but  it  is  easily  followed  because  the  natural 
soil  here  is  dark,  nearly  black,  and  without  stone  or  gravel,  while  the 
filling  used  was  clay  containing  gravel  and  bits  of  crushed  limestone. 
This  trail  would  probably  be  one  of  the  branches  of  the  "Great  Sauk 
Trail"  and  a  short  cut  to  the  Fox  villages  where  Rock  Island  and  Dav- 
enport now  stand,  and  to  Fort  Armstrong  on  Rock  Island.  It  was 
doubtless  used  also  by  the  Winnebagoes,  whose  village  was  40  miles 
above  the  mouth  of  Rock  River,  as  they  came  to  the  fort  and  to  trade 
with  George  Davenport,  whose  establishment  adjoined  Ft.  Armstrong. 
It  is  said  (by  Alex  Craig,  Moline,)  that  there  was  an  excellent  ford 
across  Rock  river  opposite  Blossomberg,  on  the  section  line  between 
Sections   eight   and   nine,   Hampton   Township,   and   the   ford   across 


89 

Green  river  was  less  than  a  mile  above  this  Rock  river  ford.  It  is 
probable  that  these  fords  had  connection  with  the  trail  in  Prospect 
Park. 

Another  section  of  an  old  trail  is  located  along  the  crest  of  Black 
Hawk's  Watch  Tower — a  bluff  of  about  150  ft.,  having  a  view  of  rare 
beauty  overlooking  Rock  river.  The  trail  is  back  (north  of)  of  Indian 
Lovers'  Spring  and  leads  eastward  to  the  creek.  A  few  hundred 
yards  eastward  from  the  creek  on  a  gentle  rise  of  ground  from  Rock 
river,  one  may  find  at  any  time,  numerous  fragments  of  pottery  and 
flints  of  the  days  of  the  Indians  or  their  predecessors.  The  adjoining 
hill-tops  have  numerous  mounds,  probably  of  prehistoric  age,  and  it  is 
most  likely  that  residents  here,  from  prehistoric  times,  used  the  trail 
above  mentioned  in  going  to  and  from  the  Watch  Tower.  In  his 
autobiography,  Black  Hawk  says  that  this  spot — the  Watch  Tower, 
to  which  his  name  had  been  applied,  was  a  favorite  resort  for  the 
Indians  of  his  day.  In  our  present  day  it  is  continued  as  a  pleasure 
resort  where  tens  of  thousands  go  each  year  to  enjoy  the  scene.  This 
spot  adjoins  the  city  limits  of  Rock  Island. 

The  trail  from  the  top  of  the  Black  Hawk  Watch  Tower,  down  to 
the  Sauk  village  which  lay  at  its  foot,  immediately  to  the  west,  is  men- 
tioned by  Mrs.  Mary  Brackett  Durham,  late  of  Rock  Island,  in  a  poem 
entitled  "Black  Hawk's  Watch  Tower",  as  follows: 

(5)  "Among  the  boughs  of  that  tall  tree 

The  chief  oft  climbed  to  hide 
And  plan  his  raids,  while  he  could  see 
The  country  far  and  wide." 

(6)  "There,  unobserved  by  friend  or  foe, 

Above  the   Indian  trail, 
His  piercing  eyes  watched  all  below, 
Isle,  meadow,  hill  and  dale". 

(7)  "Narrow  and  deep  the  war  trail  ran, 

Diagonally   down, 
Well  worn  by  rain  and  foot  of  man, 
Down  to  the  old  Sauk  town". 

Mrs.  Durham,  author  of  the  above  lines,  secured  her  informa- 
tion at  first  hand  from  Mrs.  Lewis,  (as  per  letter  of  Col.  C.  W.  Dur- 
ham in  the  writer's  possession),  mother  of  George  L.  and  Bailey 
Davenport.  Mrs.  Lewis  was  a  member  of  the  Col.  George  Davenport 
household  on  the  island  of  Rock  Island,  for  many  years  preceding  the 
Black  Hawk  War,  was  a  good  friend  of  the  Indians,  and  became  well 
informed  as  to  the  various  phases  of  their  life  here. 

The  site  of  a  section  of  the  trail  from  Black  Hawk's  village  to  the 
Fox  village  and  to  Rock  Island,  is  pointed  out  by  Phil  Mitchell  of 
Rock  Island.  It  is  on  "Spencer  Place,  Out  Lot  1"  City  of  Rock 
Island,  and  this  small  section  of  it  runs  from  a  point  beginning  at  the 
east  line  of  19th  street,  forty-four  paces  south  of  the  south  line  of 


90 

Sixth  Ave.,  and  taking  a  northeasterly  course  which  would  strike 
Twentieth  St.  at  the  northwest  corner  of  20th  street  and  Sixth  Ave. 
The  location  of  this  part  of  the  trail  is  in  a  lot,  an  acre  or  so  in  extent, 
upon  which  is  one  of  Rock  Island's  substantial  residences.  The 
ground  was  originally  owned  by  John  W.  Spencer,  who  at  the  time  of 
the  Black  Hawk  War  had  his  log  cabin  located  on  the  adjoining  block 
on  what  is  now  the  southwest  corner  of  7th  Ave.  and  19th  St.,  and 
that  as  long  as  this  property  was  in  the  hands  of  Mr.  Spencer,  and 
that  of  his  nephew,  Spencer  Robinson,  this  deeply  worn  trail  was  left 
as  a  relic  of  the  olden  days,  but  that  when  the  property  passed  from 
their  hands  the  lot  was  graded  and  the  trail  obliterated.  It  is  prob- 
able that  by  digging  cross  trenches,  the  exact  course  of  this  trail  might 
be  found. 

Another  trail  which  may  have  run  somewhat  parallel  to  the  above 
named,  or  may  even  be  a  part  of  the  same  trail,  and  which  may  be  a 
section  of  the  "Great  Sauk  Trail"  to  tlie  Mississippi  and  beyond, 
crossing  at  Rock  Island,  is  to  be  found  near  the  crest  of  the  ridge 
from  the  Watch  Tower,  and  passing  northwards  toward  the  island  of 
Rock  Island. 

A  part  of  this  trail  is  preserved  just  within  the  east  edge  of  old 
Dixon  Cemetery,  now  within  the  city  limits  of  Rock  Island.  Another 
section  of  it  is  still  to  be  seen  in  the  virgin  woodlands  a  little  to  the  north 
in  the  west  edge  of  the  n.  e.  34,  Sec.  14,  South  Rock  Island  township, 
which  is  owned  by  the  Tri-City  Street  Railway  Co.,  then  after  cross- 
ing a  cultivated  field  a  distance  of  about  40  rods,  still  going  northward 
one  finds  another  well  preserved  section  of  this  trail  in  the  woodland. 
To  find  this  last  mentioned  section  of  the  trail,  start  at  the  corner  on 
the  east  side  of  Fourteenth  Street,  at  the  south  side  of  Thirty-seventh 
Avenue,  city  of  Rock  Island,  and  go  south  one  hundred  sixty  feet ; 
thence  east  seven  hundred  sixty  feet,  and  you  will  find  yourself  right 
in  the  trail,  and  it  is  plainest  as  you  travel  northwards  on  it. 

On  the  testimony  of  Edwin  Brashar  and  David  Sears,  both  octo- 
genarians, and  both  of  whom  grew  to  manhood  in  this  locality,  this 
trail  has  always  been  known  as  an  Indian  trail.  Mr.  Brashar  stated 
that  it  led  from  the  Watch  Tower  to  where  the  saw  mill  was  on  the 
Mississippi  at  24th  St.,  Rock  Island,  which  is  opposite  the  island  of 
Rock  Island. 

It  is  interesting  to  note  that  in  1908,  when  the  grandson  of  Black 
Hawk  visited  here,  Mr.  Sears  found  him  at  the  top  of  this  same  ridge 
looking  for  the  trail  back  to  the  Down  Town  of  Rock  Island.  This 
grandson  of  the  old  war  chief  was  born  here  and  was  quite  a  boy  at  the 
time  of  their  expulsion  through  the  Black  Hawk  War,  in  1832.  This 
trail,  since  the  early  white  settlements  here,  has  not  been  used  as  a 
public  highway. 

At  page  26  of  Armstrong's  "The  Sauks  and  the  Blacky  Hawk 
War"  is  to  be  found  an  account  of  a  fence  built  of  post  and  poles, 
extending  from  Rock  river  near  the  Watch  Tower,  northward  for 
four  miles  to  the  Mississippi,  to  opposite  the  foot  of  the  island  of 
Rock  Island.  The  southern  part  of  this  fence  was  kept  up  by  the 
Sauks,  and  the  northern  part  of  it  by  the   Foxes.     Mr.   Armstrong 


flit 

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ii 

The  Indian  Trail  from  Black  Hawk's  Watch  Tower  to  Port  Armstrong, 
37th  Ave.  Rock  Island  projected  east  800  feet  would  intersect  this  Trail. 


The  Section  of  an  Indian  Trail  in  Prospect  Park  Moline,  111.,  as  located 
by  W.  C.  Wilson,  who  is  standing  in  the  trail. 


91 

continues :  "Immediately  west  of,  and  following  the  west  line  of  this 
fence  was  a  well  beaten  and  extensively  travelled  road,  leading  from 
Saukenuk  (the  Sauk  village)  to  the  Mississippi,  or  the  island,  where 
Fort  Armstrong  and  the  trading  house  of  Col.  George  Davenport 
stood".  Beyond  question,  the  trail  or  road  referred  to  by  Armstrong 
is  identical  with  the  one  to  be  seen  today  in  Dixon  Cemetery  and 
northwards.  Mr.  Armstrong  is  believed  to  have  gained  his  knowledge 
of  this  trail  from  Hon.  Bailey  Davenport,  son  of  the  Indian  trader, 
who  came  in  1816  and  who  had  his  post  on  Rock  Island.  (See  page 
8,  "The  Sauks  and  the  Black  Hawk  War",  by  Armstrong.) 

Another  trail  which  should  be  mentioned,  is  one  which  follows 
closely  the  right  bank  of  Rock  river,  from  the  Watch  Tower  to  the 
Mississippi,  a  distance  of  about  two  and  one-half  miles.  Today  it  is 
the  usual  fisherman's  path.  As  you  walk  toward  the  Mississippi,  you 
will  find  at  your  right  hand,  for  more  than  half  the  distance,  a  high 
bank  of,  say  thirty  feet,  while  immediately  at  your,  left  you  pass  the 
row-boats,  canoes  and  fish-boxes  of  the  natives  of  today. 

By  the  side  of  this  trail  one  finds  several  fine  springs  from  which 
the  Sauk  Indians,  whose  village  was  strung  along  these  shores,  got  a 
part  of  their  excellent  water  supply,  as  mentioned  by  Black  Hawk  in 
his  autobiography   (p.  62). 

This  trail  would  be  intimately  associated  with  the  life  of  the 
local  Indian  residents.  In  the  mind's  eye  one  can  see,  on  a  certain 
early  morning  in  September,  1814,  a  throng  of  braves  and  spectators 
hurrying  to  the  battle  at  Credit  Island,  opposite  the  mouth  of  Rock 
river,  which  Maj.  Zachary  Taylor,  afterwards  president,  was  hope- 
lessly waging  against  British  artillery  and  an  allied  force  under 
Black  Hawk  of  1000  to  1500  Indians,  and  again,  a  certain  night  of 
April,  1831,  when  Black  Hawk's  people,  thoroughly  frightened,  fled 
under  cover  of  darkness  to  the  west  of  the  Mississippi.  There  was  a 
large  force  of  U.  S.  Regulars  on  their  right  at  Fort  Armstrong  and 
another  force  of  1500  Illinois  militia  a  few  miles  below  at  their  left. 
The  Indians  numbering  perhaps  a  thousand  all  told,  were  taking  their 
ponies,  dogs,  baggage  and  all  with  them,  and  not  only  the  trail  but 
every  serviceable  canoe  was  no  doubt  crowded. 

Of  the  Indian  trail  up  the  east  bank  of  the  Mississippi  above 
Rock  Island,  Dr.  William  H.  Lyford  of  Port  Byron,  Illinois,  reports 
as  follows :  "The  river  road  up  here  from  Rock  Island  is  the  oldest 
road  in  Rock  Island  County  and  is  on  the  old  Indian  trail  between 
Black  Hawk's  Watch  Tower  and  the  lead  mines  around  Galena. 
Sometimes  the  Indians  went  by  way  of  the  other  side,  but  this  (east) 
side  had  the  main  road.  It  was  the  only  road  through  here,  and 
Archibald  Allen,  who  located  on  this  trail  in  1828,  (in  Section  24, 
Port  Byron  Township),  traded  with  the  Indians  for  their  furs  and 
skins,  and  carried  mail  on  this  road  or  trail  between  Fort  Armstrong 
and  Galena.  December  30,  1833,  he  was  appointed  Post  Master  and 
kept  the  post  office  at  his  house.  It  was  called  Canaan  and  was  the 
first  post  office  in  Rock  Island  County  exclusive  of  the  one  on  the 
island  of  Rock  Island". 


92 

"My  father,  Dr.  Jeremiah  H.  Lyford,  M.  D.,  in  1837  built  his 
log  cabin  along  the  river  right  on  this  trail.  Father  would  be  away 
days  at  a  time,  looking  after  his  patients  in  Iowa  Territory  and  in 
Whiteside  and  other  counties  in  Illinois.  Mother  and  I  would  be 
home  alone  and  the  Indians  would  stop  on  their  way  up  and  down  the 
river.  Later,  the  stage  line,  Rock  Island  to  Galena,  followed  this 
trail  also". 

Of  this  trail  Miss  Mary  Lydia  Kelly,  an  octogenarian  of  Rock 
Island,  had  the  following  to  say:  "My  father  came  to  this  county  in 
1841.  We  lived  on  the  Mississippi  two  and  a  half  miles  above  Cor- 
dova. As  to  Indian  trails  I  know  when  I  was  a  little  girl  I  used  to  go 
from  our  house  to  our  neighbor's  in  an  Indian  trail.  It  was  right  on 
the  bank  of  the  river  and  was  a  well  trodden  trail.  It  was  wide 
enough  for  one  man  to  go  single  file". 

This  trail  for  twenty  miles  from  Rock  Island  was  followed  by  an 
eager  throng  of  Sauk  and  Fox  warriors,  on  the  occasion  of  Maj* 
John  Campbell's  expedition  up  the  Mississippi  in  July,  1814.  "The 
savages  were  seen  on  shore  in  quick  motion ;  canoes  filled  with  Indians 
passed  to  the  (Campbells)  island,  *  *  *  the  Indians  firing  from  the 
island  and  the  shore  under  cover",  (p.  749,  Western  Annals,  1850). 
In  this  engagement  sixteen  Americans  were  killed.  Campbells  Island 
is  about  nine  miles  above  Rock  Island.  The  head  of  the  rapids  is 
about  eight  miles  farther  up-stream,  at  LeClaire,  la. — Port  Byron, 
Ills.,  and  here  the  determined  Indians  overtook  the  Contractor's  and 
the  Sutler's  boats  which  would  have  fallen  to  them  (Niles  Register, 
Vol.  6,  p.  429),  but  for  the  fact  that  to  the  surprise  of  all  concerned, 
they  here  found  the  large  protected  gunboat  the  "Governor  Clark", 
anchored  along  the  shore.  The  Indians  evidently  were  in  hot  pursuit, 
both  in  canoes,  and  along  the  trail,  which  on  this  occasion  was  liter- 
ally a  "War-path". 

"At  the  time  of  the  (Campbells  Island)  battle,  Captain  Yeiser 
in  the  gunboat  (Gov.  Clark)  from  Ft.  Shelby,  had  arrived  at  the  head 
of  the  Rapids,  where  he  met  the  Contractor's  boat,  still  in  advance, 
and  was  fired  on  by  the  Indians,  while  lying  at  anchor  near  the 
shore  in  consequence  of  an  unfavorable  wind.  The  attack  of  the 
Indians  induced  him  to  haul  off,  and  anchor  beyond  the  reach  of  their 
small  arms".   (Page  443,  History  of  the  Late  War,  by  McAfee,  1816.) 

The  two  trails,  the  one  from  Oquawka,  and  the  one  from  the  east, 
joined  on  the  south  bank  of  Rock  river  opposite  Black  Hawk's  village. 
The  place  of  junction  was  somewhere  about  the  line  between  the  east 
and  west  halves  of  the  Northwest  quarter  of  Section  twenty-three, 
Black  Hawk  Township,  Rock  Island  County. 

Mr.  William  O'Neal  of  Milan,  111.,  said:  "The  old  Indian  ford 
is  really  right  in  front  of  the  main  street  of  Milan.  I  could  take  you 
right  across  the  (Ills,  and  Mich.)  canal  bank  and  show  you  where  the 
ford  is.  It  was  right  about  where  the  old  power  dam  was.  There 
was  a  good  rock  bottom  way  across.  I  got  this  from  Mrs.  Ben  Goble. 
Her  father  (Joshua  Vandruff,  after  whom  Vandruff  Island  is  named) 
built  a  cabin  right  beside  the  Indian  trail  (in  1828)  and  the  ford 
across  the  northern  part  (main  channel)  of  the  river  was  between  the 


: 


The  Ford  across  Rock  River  rapids  to  Black  Hawk's  Village  site.    "There 
was  not  a  better  Ford  on  any  River  in  the  World." 


93 

present  wagon  bridge  and  the  railroad  bridge,  about  where  the  Davis 
Power  House  is  now". 

Rock  river  rapids  at  this  point  flow  over  a  bed  of  flat  rock,  which 
provides  a  fordable  bottom  of  a  width  of  a  hundred  yards  or  more. 
Rev.  Peter  Cartwright,  the  "backwoods  preacher",  (in  his  autobiog- 
raphy (1856)  at  page  334)  mentions  this  ford  and  quotes  the  stranger 
who  crossed  just  before  him  as  saying  that  "There  was  no  better  ford 
on  any  river  in  the  world,  and  that  there  was  not  the  least  danger  on 
earth". 

Of  all  the  Indian  trails  mentioned  herein,  the  "Sauk  and  Fox 
Trail"  or  "Great  Sauk  Trail"  is  the  most  widely  known.  The  Chicago 
Historical  Society  has  plats  showing  where  it  crossed  certain  sections 
in  the  State  of  Michigan,  and  also  plats  showing  its  location  in  some 
parts  of  Illinois.  The  Cook  County,  Illinois,  Forest  Reserve  has  at 
Chicago  Heights,  a  wooded  lot  bearing  the  name  "Sauk  Trail  Preserve." 
One  hears  mention  of  this  trail  among  the  residents  of  northern  Indi- 
ana, about  the  sand  dunes ;  Mr.  J.  F.  Steward  has  an  article  entitled 
the  "Sac  and  Fox  Trail"  in  Vol.  IV,  Journal  of  the  Ills.  State  Hist. 
Soc,  and  at  page  158  thereof  he  shows  "Homan's  map  of  1687", 
which  has  a  trail  marked  upon  it,  which  is  believed  to  be  the  same 
trace,  later  known  as  the  "Sac  and  Fox  Trail"  or  the  "Great  Sauk 
Trail". 

When  the  writer  began  his  pursuit  of  Indian  trails,  he  started 
with  the  idea  that  they  were  of  rare  occurrence ;  that  Indians  roamed 
over  the  country  regardless  of  any  beaten  highway.  As  we  had  heard 
of  only  two  trails,  the  one  connecting  old  Yellow  Banks  (Oquawka) 
with  Black  Hawk's  village,  and  "The  Great  Sauk  Trail",  we  began 
by  asking  old  settlers  if  they  knew  anything  about  "the"  Indian  trail. 
We  soon  changed  to  asking  if  they  knew  of  "any"  Indian  trail,  for  we 
learned  that  Indians,  like  white  folks,  prefer  when  travelling,  to  go 
over  courses  which  are  reputed  to  be  the  best,  all  things  considered, 
and  that  there  were  principal  highways,  each  with  its  diverging 
branches  leading  to  other  Indian  villages ;  to  favorite  hunting  grounds, 
or  merely  a  different  route  to  the  same  place  because  of  a  different 
contour  of  the  country.  They  had  many  trails,  many  of  them  perhaps 
but  a  foot  in  width,  threading  their  way  for  miles  upon  miles  through 
the  prairie  grass  and  through  wooded  country,  while  others,  travelled 
probably  for  centuries  and  eroded  by  heavy  rains,  became  wide  and 
deeply  worn,  and  in  places  the  travellers  would  march  beside  the  old, 
washed  out  trail,  until  there  would  be  a  dozen  distinct,  deeply  worn 
traces  side  by  side.  Mrs.  Kinzie,  writing  of  this  type  of  highways  in 
northern  Illinois  in  the  early  days,  says :  "We  were  to  pursue  a  given 
trail  for  a  certain  number  of  miles,  when  we  should  come  to  a  crossing 
into  which  we  were  to  turn,  taking  an  easterly  direction ;  after  a  time, 
this  would  bring  us  to  a  deep  trail  leading  straight  to  Hamilton's. 
In  this  open  country  there  are  no  landmarks.  One  elevation  is  so  ex- 
actly like  another,  that  if  you  lose  your  trail  there  is  almost  as  little 
hope  of  regaining  it  as  of  finding  a  pathway  in  the  midst  of  the  ocean. 
The  trail,  it  must  be  remembered,  is  not  a  broad  highway,  but  a  nar- 
row path,  deeply  indented  by  the  hoofs  of  the  horses  on  which  the 


94 

Indians  travel  in  single  file.  So  deeply  is  it  sunk  in  the  sod  which  cov- 
ers the  prairies,  that  it  is  difficult,  sometimes,  to  distinguish  it  at  a 
distance  of  a  few  rods".     (Waubun,  c.  XIV.) 

The  Sauk  and  Fox  trail  of  which  we  are  writing,  took  its  name 
from  the  Sauk  and  Fox  Indians,  who  had  their  permanent  abode  in 
the  vicinity  where  Rock  River  joins  the  Mississippi.  It  retained  this 
name  at  least  as  far  east  as  to  Fort  Maiden,  at  Amhertsburg,  Ontario. 
One  should  confidently  expect  that  it  joined  with  other  trails  in  an 
unbroken  chain,  reaching  from  the  Atlantic  to  the  Pacific  oceans. 

We  will  start  the  route  of  the  "Sauk  and  Fox  Trail"  at  the 
Mississippi.  From  times  immemorial  these  Indians  had  regarded  the 
island  of  Rock  Island  as  a  bit  of  an  earthly  paradise.  In  the  cave  near 
its  lower  end  dwelt  a  good  spirit  in  the  form  of  a  large  swan  (Black 
Hawk's  autobiography,  p.  61).  From  this  island  we  will  cross  the 
"slough"  probably  by  swimming  part  way,  then  take  one  of  the  trails 
mentioned  above  in  a  southerly  direction  to  the  rapids  of  Rock  river, 
passing  through  the  Indian  villages  on  the  way  there,  ford  Rock 
river  to  the  south  shore,  and  turn  eastwards.  It  is  just  one  mile  to 
Mill  Creek.  Thomas  J.  Murphy  of  Coal  Valley,  111.,  is  authority  for 
the  location  of  the  ford  across  this  stream.  He  says  (Interview  of 
Apr.  9,  1917.  "The  Indian  trail  crossed  right  where  the  present  pub- 
lis  highway  crosses",  i.  e.  on  the  middle  line  of  the  north  half  of  Sec- 
tion twenty-four.  The  creek  bed  here  is  of  flat  rock.  Mr.  Murphy 
says  that  after  crossing  the  creek  here  the  trail  turned  northeasterly 
to  the  shore  of  Rock  river,  which  it  followed  for  about  three  and  a  half 
miles  to  near  Coal  Valley  creek,  where  it  crossed  that  creek  about  the 
center  of  Section  twenty-two,  Coal  Valley  Twp.,  where  it  turned  due 
south  about  a  half  mile  to  the  point  of  the  prominent  bluff  in  the 
southeast  corner  of  the  southwest  quarter  of  Section  twenty-two,  Coal 
Valley  Twp.,  on  the  Charles  Evener  farm. 

We  will  retrace  our  course  to  Mill  Creek.  Two  miles  almost  due 
east  of  the  creek  is  a  rise  of  ground  forming  a  ridge  of  about  one  and 
a  half  miles  in  length,  paralleling  Rock  river,  and  affording  a  fine 
view  of  the  country  on  both  sides.  David  W.  Hunt  of  Moline,  Ills., 
(interview  of  Feb.  3,  1921,)  said:  "I  came  to  this  part  of  the  country 
in  1847,  and  it  was  in  1847  or  '48  that  I  saw  the  Indian  trail  going 
over  the  sand  mound  near  Rock  river,  east  of  what  they  called  Cam- 
den Mills,  now  Milan.  It  was  very  distinct  and  went  east  and  west, 
right  up  over  the  top  of  the  hill,  parallel  with  the  present  public  road, 
but  north  of  it". 

"It  was  very  distinct  and  was  well  worn  and  looked  different  from 
similar  trails  I'd  seen.    Folks  said  it  was  an  Indian  trail". 

"At  the  time  the  Drury  farm,  which  was  at  the  lower  end  of  the 
sand  mound,  was  the  only  house  between  Camden  Mills  and  the 
Glenn's  in  Colona  Township  in  Henry  County  (a  distance  of  nine 
miles)". 

Messrs.  W.  C.  Wilson  and  Alec  Craig,  both  of  Moline,  Ills.,  took 
the  writer  to  Coal  Valley  creek  in  Section  twenty-two.  At  about  forty 
rods  north  of  the  center  line  of  the  section  a  private  bridge  spans  the 
creek.    Here,  said  they,  is  where  the  Frink  &  Walker  Stage  line  ford- 


The  trail  down  the  right  bank  of  Rock  River  between  the  Watch  Tower 
and  where  the  Mississippi  and  Rock  Rivers  join.  Black  Hawk's  village 
bordered  this  trail. 


95 

ed  the  creek  and  Mr.  Wm.  Killing,  who  owned  this  place,  also  forded 
here  until  he  built  this  bridge,  and  we  think  that  in  all  probability  the 
Indian  trail  crossed  the  creek  here,  and  then  turned  south  a  half  mile 
to  the  foot  of  the  bluff,  up  which  it  then  proceeded". 

The  best  vouched-for  part"  of  the  "Great  Sauk  Trail"  in  this 
vicinity,  is  at  the  top  of  the  ridge,  starting  on  the  Charles  Evener 
farm  in  the  south  edge  of  Section  twenty-two.  Our  first  positive  tes- 
timony to  this  location  was  by  John  N.  Huntoon,  of  Rock  Island, 
Ills.,  (Interview  of  June  30,  1916),  who  said,  "Nathaniel  Huntoon, 
my  father,  pointed  out  this  hill  top  to  me  and  said  that  in  1831,  when 
he  came  here  as  advance  agent  for  the  Andover  colony,  to  select  a 
mill-site  on  Edwards  river,  he  followed  the  Indian  trail,  and  slept  in 
the  trail,  at  this  point  one  night,  with  only  a  dog  as  a  companion  to 
keep  the  wolves  off".  Our  next  positive  authority  was  T.  J.  Murphy, 
who  said  he  used  to  be  a  great  lad  for  hunting,  and  had  followed  the 
Indian  trail  all  through  here  as  far  east  as  Sunny  Hill,  in  Henry 
County.  He  came  to  this  vicinity  in  1857.  Mr.  John  Campbell 
Bailey  of  Rural  Township,  Rock  Island  County,  said  he  and  his 
brother  broke  prairie  hereabouts  in  1853-'4  and  '5,  with  six  yoke  of 
oxen  to  a  single  plow,  and  he  knew  the  Indian  trail.  He  said :  "It 
was  on  the  George  Evener  farm.  It  came  up  to  Coal  Valley,  and 
passed  along  about  where  the  public  school  house  is".  Mr.  Austin 
Marshall,  hotel  keeper  at  LeClaire,  la.,  knew  the  trail  at  this  point 
also.  He  came  here  in  1842  when  less  than  a  year  of  age.  He  con- 
tinued :  "We  lived  in  the  Washburne  neighborhood,  two  miles  east 
of  Coal  Valley,  and  a  little  north.  I  used  to  herd  cows  and  I  used  to 
cross  that  Indian  trail  almost  every  day.  This  was  three  miles  east 
of  Coal  Valley.  It  was  washed  out  in  places ;  was  six  or  eight  inches 
deep  and  about  eighteen  inches  wide.  It  was  pretty  near  the  line  of 
the  Rock  Island  &  Peoria  railroad".     (Interview  Feb.  14,  1921.) 

But  best  of  all,  the  old  trail  itself  is  still  there.  For  a  distance  of 
a  quarter  of  a  mile  or  more,  one  may  walk  in  this  very  distinct  trace. 
Approaching  from  the  direction  of  the  village  of  Coal  Valley,  one  finds 
a  fork  in  the  trail.  One  course  of  it  continues  along  the  top  of  the  hill, 
which  it  descends  as  shown  in  the  accompanying  picture.  The  other 
turns  to  the  northward,  leaving  the  hill-top  by  a  more  gradual  descent, 
down  the  first  hollow  east  of  the  western  promontory  of  the  hill.  This 
last  mentioned  fork,  from  the  depth  and  width  of  the  trail,  would  indi- 
cate that  it  was  the  most  used.  From  the  point  where  they  join,  and 
southeasterly  toward  Coal  Valley,  the  old  trail  is  deeply  worn.  This 
ridge  has  never  been  plowed  up. 

From  the  Charles  Evener  hill  the  trail  follows  the  narrow  crest 
of  the  hill,  and  crosses  the  Coal  Valley  school  lot,  according  to  the 
recollections  of  Messrs.  T.  J.  Murphy  and  John  C.  Bailey,  while 
Mr.  John  N.  Huntoon  remembered  it  as  passing  about  seventy-five 
feet  north  of  the  school  lot.  All  of  them  including  W.  C.  Wilson  and 
Austin  Marshall  remembered  it  as  passing  southeasterly  from  the  Coal 
Valley  school. 


96 

Two  trips  were  taken  to  the  northwest  corner  of  Section  five  in 
Western  Township,  Henry  County.  Mr.  W.  C.  Wilson  hoped  to 
find  traces  of  the  old  trail  at  the  very  corner,  while  Mr.  Huntoon,  on 
a  separate  trip  with  the  writer,  pointed  to  its  location  several  rods 
south  of  the  corner,  saying :  "I  was  born  in  our  log  cabin  which  stood 
on  the  east  side  of  the  road  a  quarter  of  a  mile  or  so,  north  of  where 
the  public  school  is  now,  in  Section  twenty-nine,  Colona  township, 
and  lived  there  until  I  was  thirty  years  of  age.  I  used  to  herd  cattle 
on  the  prairies  all  over  this  part  of  the  country  and  so  passed  over  the 
Indian  trail  thousands  of  times,  and  I  can  tell  you  exactly  in  places 
and  in  some  others  I  can  tell  pretty  closely  where  it  was." 

"From  the  top  of  the  Evener  hill,  the  trail  passed  back  on  the  top 
of  the  ridge,  and  passed  just  north  of  the  road  where  it  passes  the  Coal 
Valley  school,  and  continues  in  a  southeasterly  course.  I  can  follow 
as  far  as  Cambridge,  excepting  for  a  couple  of  miles,  where  I  was  not 
so  familiar  with  it". 

"In  the  northwest  quarter  of  Section  five,  Western  township,  is 
the  Wes.  Crampton  place,  on  the  east  side  of  the  road.  One  day  I 
was  hunting  cattle  horseback,  and  was  thrown  from  the  saddle  very 
violently,  right  into  the  old  Indian  trail.  It  was  worn  about  two  feet 
lower  than  the  regular  lay  of  the  land.  This  spot  was  next  south  of 
Crampton's  barnyard". 

Mr.  Huntoon  then  took  us  to  Shaffer  Creek,  near  the  east  edge 
of  Section  five,  Western  township,  a  quarter  of  a  mile  or  so  south  of 
the  north  line  of  the  said  section  and  showed  where  the  Indian  trail 
came  down  the  slope  toward  the  creek.  At  this  point  we  met  two  men 
who  were  leaving  the  adjoining  field  with  their  teams.  We  hailed  them, 
and  one  of  them,  an  employe  on  the  farm,  said,  "Henry  Washburn 
who  just  died  recently,  told  me  the  old  Indian  trail  passed  up  the  hill 
over  there  (pointing  toward  the  east  side  of  the  creek)  and  I  found 
an  arrow-head  there  the  other  day".  Henry  Washburn  came  here  in 
1833". 

The  next  location  to  the  southeastward  was  pointed  out  by  Mr. 
Huntoon.  It  was  at  the  old  Denton  farm,  three  miles  east  of  Orion. 
Mr.  Huntoon  said :  "This  farm  was  laid  out  in  lots  in  the  early  days 
and  was  called  East  LaGrange.  Later,  during  the  stage-coach  days, 
there  was  an  Inn  here  called  the  Buckhorn  Inn..  The  old  Indian  trail 
crossed  this  farm,  and  in  my  judgment  crossed  about  where  the  resi- 
dence stands,  on  the  east  side  of  the  public  road,  and  north  of  the  R. 
I.  &  Peoria  railway  tracks,  near  the  northwest  corner  of  Section  thirty, 
Osco  township. 

Nine  miles  due  east  of  old  East  LaGrange,  at  the  northwest  cor- 
ner of  Section  twenty-seven,  Cornwall  township,  stood  the  "Brown 
church"  of  Presbyterian  faith.  On  June  12th,  1918,  we  were  guided 
to  this  spot  by  a  party  consisting  of  Mrs.  Ella  Hume  Taylor,  Miss 
Lydia  Colby  and  Mrs.  Dr.  J.  E.  West,  all  of  Geneseo,  Ills.  Mrs.  West 
and  Miss  Colby  were  members  of  this  church  during  their  girlhood, 
and  told  of  their  parents  pointing  to  the  Indian  trail  over  which  the 
church  was  built. 


Here  the  great  Sauk  Trail  left  the  level  of  the  high  prairie  country  and 
descended  into  the  valley  of  Rock  River  but  a  few  miles  from  Black  Hawk's 
village.    Messrs.  J.  N.  Huntoon  and  Charles  Evener  on  the  farm  of  the  latter. 


97 

Mrs.  West  said:  "My  father,  Elijah  Benedict,  came  here  in  1855. 
He  gave  this  lot  for  the  church,  and  he  used  to  say,  as  we  would  get 
out  of  the  buggy  at  church,  That's  the  old  Indian  trail',  and  Uncle 
Albert  (A.  J.  Benedict)  used  to  say  the  Pottawatomies  took  this  trail 
going  between  Rock  Island  and  Peoria,  and  that  the  trail  ran  diag- 
onally from  the  Brown  church  to  Spring  Creek,  but  I  cannot  tell  you 
where  the  trail  touched  Spring  creek".  The  brown  church  was  so 
called  because  it  was  painted  brown.  It  has  long  since  been  torn  down. 

Miss  Lydia  Colby  guided  us  to  a  spring,  about  three  miles  south- 
west of  the  Brown  church,  in  Section  four,  Burns  township,  thirty 
rods  or  so  west  of  the  public  highway,  south  of  the  small  creek  which 
flows  easterly  about  midway  of  the  north  and  south  lines  of  the  sec- 
tion. Miss  Colby  said:  "My  knowledge  of  the  Indian  trail  comes 
through  Mrs.  Lucinda  Clark.  She  was  buried  last  week.  She  told 
me  the  trail  passed  by  this  spring,  and  that  the  Indians  stopped  here 
to  refresh  themselves".  The  spring  is  still  flowing,  and  drains  into  the 
nearby  creek  bed. 

Miss  Colby  then  took  us  to  "Hickory  Point",  a  hill  on  the  public 
road,  at  the  east  edge  of  Section  fourteen,  Cornwall  township.  She 
said :  "This  point,  too,  was  pointed  out  to  me  by  Mrs.  Lucinda  Clark 
as  a  place  over  which  ,the  Indian  trail  passed".  Later  Miss  Colby 
wrote  as  follows:  "James  A.  Clark  of  Geneseo,  son  of  Mrs.  Lucinda 
Clark,  remembers  well  seeing  the  Indian  trail  along  the  south  side  of 
Hickory  Point.  The  trail  was  grass-grown  but  was  sunken  a  foot 
and  a  half,  and  perhaps  two  to  three  feet  wide.  From  Hickory  Point 
the  trail  led  northeast  to  the  marshes  north  of  Annawan.  There  in 
the  marshes  the  Indians  used  to  camp  as  late  as  fifty-five  years  ago". 

We  made  more  or  less  diligent  inquiry  at  Cambridge,  Kewanee, 
Atkinson,  Annawan,  Sheffield  and  as  far  east  as  Wyanet,  as  also 
among  the  farmers  who  lived  between  these  points,  for  people  who 
might  be  able  to  locate  the  site  of  the  Sauk  and  Fox  trail  to  the  east 
from  the  old  Brown  church,  mentioned  above,  but  were  unsuccessful. 

Sheffield  is  about  fifteen  miles  east  of  the  Brown  church,  and  at 
this  point  the  trail  may  be  pursued  on  the  authority  of  N.  Matson, 
who  says :  "The  trail  passed  through  Bureau  County  almost  in  an 
east  and  west  direction,  crossing  Coal  creek  immediately  north  of 
Sheffield,  Main  Bureau  east  of  Woodruff's,  passing  near  Maiden  and 
Arlington  in  the  direction  of  Chicago".  (Reminiscences  of  Bureau 
County,  1872,  p.  95.) 

H.  C.  Bradley  says  this  Sauk  and  Fox  trail  was  "Followed  by 
Gen.  Scott's  army  in  1832,  from  Chicago  to  the  Mississippi  river". 
He  also  says:  "The  last  time  Indians  were  seen  on  this  trail  was  in 
1837  when  the  last  of  the  Indians  were  being  removed  from  Michigan 
to  the  Mississippi.  Mrs.  James  G.  Everett  tells  us  she  was  on  the 
occasion  of  the  passing  through  the  (Bureau)  county  of  the  last  large 
body  of  Indians,  teaching  school  just  west  of  Princeton.  She  was 
then  new  in  the  west  and  knew  but  little  of  Indian  character.  She 
was  occupied  with  her  school  duties  when  the  red  men  began  sud- 
denly to  surround  the  building.  She  was  terribly  frightened,  but  some 
of  the  children  had  heard  at  home  of  the  Indians  going  to  pass  that 


98 

day  and  explained  to  their  teacher  that  they  would  not  harm  them, 
and  in  a  little  while  the  cavalcade  passed  along".  (History  of  Bureau 
County,  Bradley  editor,  1885,  p.  271.) 

Jesse  W.  Weik  in  an  interesting  article  in  which  he  speaks  of  the 
work  of  James  M.  Bucklin,  Chief  Engineer  of  the  Illinois  and  Michi- 
gan canal,  quotes  the  latter  as  saying:  "While  we  were  encamped 
on  the  (Calumet)  river,  on  one  occasion  during  our  protracted  stay, 
about  two  hundred  Sac  and  Fox  Indians  on  horseback  passed  on  a 
trail  not  more  than  a  hundred  yards  from  our  camp,  without  turning 
their  faces  to  the  right  or  to  the  left,  on  their  way  to  Fort  Maiden,  for 
arms  and  ammunition.  No  doubt  they  marked  us  for  their  own,  as 
the  Sac  or  Blackhawk  war  was  then  about  due,  but  was  only  post- 
poned for  a  year  by  the  unexpected  arrival  at  Fort  Armstrong,  Rock 
Island,  of  General  Gaines  with  two  or  three  companies  of  artillery", 
(p.  343,  Vol.  VII,  Journal  of  the  111.  State  Hist.  Soc.) 

We  are  not  unmindful  of  A.  M.  Hubbard's  (of  Moline)  descrip- 
tion of  the  Sauk  and  Fox  trail  from  Black  Hawk's  village,  eastward, 
across  Henry  county,  and  on  to  Tiskilwa.  We  found  no  corroboration 
of  his  trace,  except  that  through  the  Townships  of  Western,  Osco, 
Munson  and  Cornwall,  all  in  Flenry  county,  we  are  but  a  mile  apart, 
and  at  one  place,  in  Munson  township,  our  lines  cross,  his  taking  a 
more  southerly  course.  (Hubbards  is  in  Steward's  write-up,  Vol.  IV, 
Journal  111.  State  Hist.  Soc.) 

While  pursuing  the  Sauk  and  Fox  trail  to  the  eastwards,  we  found 
that  several  of  our  Rock  Island  County  men  who  located  the  trails  for 
us,  would  mention  Peoria  as  the  destination  of  Indian  travel  over  the 
trail  past  Coal  Valley.  Mr.  John  N.  Huntoon  believed  it  led  to  Peoria, 
and  took  us  to  the  village  of  Andover,  to  which  place  he  believed  his 
father  to  have  followed  the  trail  in  1831.  Here  we  made  inquiry  and 
were  referred  to  George  H.  Johnson,  as  their  most  dependable  author- 
ity. Mr.  Johnson  said :  "I  was  born  here  in  1849.  The  Indian  trail 
passed  over  that  hill  (pointing  to  it)  and  down  there  was  a  ford  across 
Edwards  river.  Early  settlers  for  many  years  before  bridges  were 
built  here,  used  that  ford.  My  dad  and  other  old  settlers  all  said  this 
ford  was  on  the  old  Indian  trail.  I  remember  it  very  well  as  a  depres- 
sion worn  down  from  travel.     It  passed  on  down  into  Knox  County." 

The  trail  as  indicated  by  Mr.  Johnson  passes  through  the  center  of 
Sections  twenty-four,  twenty-five  and  thirty-six,  in  Lynn  township, 
Henry  county. 

Mr.  Johnson  continued,  "Wash.  Hoyt  was  born  just  south  of  Ed- 
wards river,  and  now  lives  with  his  boys  on  a  farm  near  New  Windsor. 
He  would  know  all  about  this  Indian  trail".     (Interview  Oct.  18,  1916.) 

We  called  on  Mr.  Wash.  Hoyt,  at  his  home  near  New  Windsor, 
and  he  and  his  son  accompanied  us  as  guides.  Mr.  Hoyt  said :  "I  was 
born  in  Connecticut  in  1836.  We  landed  at  Stephenson,  now  Rock 
Island,  July  3d,  1842.  My  father,  Edson  Hoyt,  attended  the  hanging 
of  the  Col.  Davenport  murderers  at  Rock  Island.  Nearly  all  the  people 
from  around  Andover  went.  They  were  neighbors  then.  Anyone  who 
lived  ten  or  fifteen  miles  away  was  a  neighbor  in  those  days". 


99 

"The  Indian  trail  went  just  east  of  Woodhull.  It  might  still  be 
traced  out  where  the  timber  was — the  white  oak  grove". 

"The  trail  used  to  be  very  plain,  I  can  locate  it  nearly  all  the  way 
from  Andover  to  Woodhull,  but  not  south  of  Woodhull.  For  most 
part  it  was  a  single  trail  not  more  than  four  to  six  feet  wide.  In 
some  places  it  was  deeper  than  others,  but  on  the  level  prairies  it  was 
still  a  depression.    We  lived  about  three  quarters  of  a  mile  from  it". 

"I  do  not  know  of  anyone  who  knows  the  trail  now.  There  are 
very  few  of  those  people  left  in  the  country,  I  can  tell  you". 

Mr.  Hoyt  took  us  to  the  southwest  quarter  of  Section  five,  Clover 
township,  Henry  county.  In  the  west  edge  of  this  quarter  section  is  a 
farm  house,  forty  rods  or  more  north  of  the  south  line  of  this  quarter 
section.  Mr.  Hoyt  pointed  to  a  depression  or  trace  running  from  the 
farm  buildings  south  to  the  east  and  west  road  between  Sections  five 
and  eight,  where  we  were,  and  said,  that  was  the  Indian  trail.  He  then 
took  us  northward,  and  in  Section  thirty-two  in  Andover  township  he 
again  pointed  to  the  location  of  the  trail,  but  did  not  show  us  any  trace. 
He  said :  "The  trail  crossed  Edwards  river  where  the  big  willows  are, 
about  thirty  rods  west  of  the  north  and  south  road  which  runs  straight 
into  Andover".  This  places  the  ford  about  one  and  three-quarters 
miles  east  of  the  location  pointed  out  by  George  H.  Johnson. 

In  his  autobiography  Black  Hawk  speaks  of  his  trips  to  Peoria, 
to  which  place  he  doubtless  followed  a  trail. 

In  1780,  during  the  contest  for  possession  of  the  Illinois  country, 
Col.  George  Rogers  Clark  sent  Col.  John  Montgomery  on  a  punitory 
expedition  against  the  Indians  of  the  Upper  Mississippi.  Col.  Mont- 
gomery with  an  allied  force  of  three  hundred  fifty  men  of  Virginia, 
Kentucky,  French  of  the  Illinois  villages,  and  Spanish  subjects  from 
St.  Louis,  moved  up  the  Illinois  river  by  boats,  to  Peoria.  Here  they 
began  their  overland  march  to  the  Sauk  village  located  about  the  mouth 
of  Rock  river — now  within  the  city  limits  of  Rock  Island.  They  burned 
the  Indian  village,  and  then,  because  of  a  desperate  shortage  of  food 
supplies,  they  retraced  their  way  to  Peoria.  (Vol.  VIII,  Ills.  Hist.  Col- 
lection, page  CXXXV.)  It  is  probable  that  they  came  over  the  trail,  via 
Andover,  East  LaGrange,  and  Coal  City.  They  came  in  pursuit  of  a 
defeated  Indian  and  British  force,  and  therefore  could  make  bold  to 
travel  over  the  best  route,  regardless  of  danger. 

For  a  further  study  of  the  Indian  trails  to  the  south  of  Woodhull, 
in  Henry  county,  the  reader  is  referred  to  the  "History  of  Knox  county, 
Ills.",  by  C.  C.  Chapman  &  Co.,  1878,  which  has  a  township  map  of  the 
county  with  the  Indian  trails  traced  on  them. 

The  trail  from  Black  Hawk's  village  to  Oquawka,  in  Henderson 
County,  Illinois,  was  doubtless  the  principal  highway  of  the  Sauk  and 
Fox  to  their  possessions  to  the  southwest,  down  into  Iowa  and  Mis- 
souri. They  owned  all  of  Missouri  north  of  the  Missouri  river.  The 
Mississippi  continues  westerly  from  Rock  Island  for  a  distance  of 
twenty-five  miles ;  then  after  flowing  south  for  a  dozen  miles  it  turns 
southeasterly  toward  Oquawka.  The  trail  under  consideration  was  a 
short  cut,  twelve  to  fifteen  miles  nearer  than  if  they  had  followed  the 
Mississippi.    The  distance  to  Oquawka  by  trail  was  fifty  miles. 


100 

This  trail  has  been  called  the  Indian  and  Military  trail  because 
both  used  it.  It  is  a  part  of  the  route  followed  by  Capt.  Abraham 
Lincoln,  in  1832,  when  the  Illinois  Volunteers  marched  from  Beards- 
town  to  the  mouth  of  Rock  river  in  pursuit  of  Black  Hawk.  The  Illi- 
nois State  Historical  Society  at  its  annual  meeting  in  1909,  appointed  a 
special  committee  "To  mark  the  route  of  Lincoln's  Army  Trail  from 
Beardstown  to  mouth  of  Rock  river",  and  Mr.  William  A.  Meese  re- 
ported that  Hon.  Frank  O.  Lowden  had  offered  a  gift  of  $750.00  to  be 
used  in  marking  the  trail.  The  committee  left  its  task  unfinished — ■ 
probably  left  it  without  having  started  work  on  it,  and  after  a  few  years, 
further  mention  of  the  committee  was  dropped. 

Governor  John  Reynolds  speaking  of  the  march  of  the  Illinois  vol- 
unteers, says :  "In  this  volunteer  army  were  many  of  the  most  distin- 
guished men  of  the  State.  *  *  The  brigade  organized,  and  marching 
in  the  large  prairies  toward  Rock  Island,  made  a  grand  display".  (My 
Own  Times,  p.  214),  and  Gov.  Thomas  Ford,  speaking  of  the  same 
cavalcade,  says:  "This  was  the  largest  military  force  of  Illinoisans 
which  had  ever  been  assembled  in  the  State,  and  made  an  imposing 
appearance  as  it  traversed  the  then  unbroken  wilderness  of  prairie". 
(History  of  Illinois,  Ford,  p.  112.) 

It  was  on  this  trail  also,  directly  south  of  Blackhawk's  village,  on 
the  south  side  of  Rock  river,  that  the  Illinois  Volunteers,  including 
Capt.  Abraham  Lincoln,  were  sworn  into  the  Federal  service,  doubt- 
less Capt.  Lincoln's  first  federal  oath.  It  was  administered  here  by 
General  Henry  Atkinson  of  the  regular  army. 

In  1828  Col.  P.  St.  G.  Cooke  was  ordered  to  take  a  detachment  of 
recruits  to  Fort  Crawford,  at  Prairie  du  Chien,  Wis.  One  of  his  boats 
was  left  on  the  rocks  of  the  Des  Moines  rapids,  and  it  was  necessary 
for  some  of  his  soldiers  to  march  afoot.  He  says:  "At  a  point  fifty 
miles  below  Fort  Armstrong  (Rock  Island)  I  heard  that  there  was  a 
trail  to  Fort  Armstrong,  which  cut  off  much  of  the  distance,  so  I  imme- 
diately ordered  my  adventurous  land  detachment  to  take  it".  (Scenes 
and  Adventures  in  the  Army"  by  Cooke,  1859.     Chapter  III.) 

The  history  of  Mercer  and  Henderson  counties,  Hill  &  Co.,  1883, 
at  p.  25,  speaking  of  the  Black  Hawk  war,  says :  "The  brigade  was  ac- 
companied by  Gov.  Reynolds,  and  Joseph  Duncan  was  Brigadier  Gen- 
eral. On  the  15th  of  June  (1831),  this  the  largest  body  of  military 
that  had  ever  been  seen  in  the  State,  left  their  encampment  at  Rushville 
and  marched  to  within  a  few  miles  of  the  Sac  village.  This  line  of 
march  took  them  directly  through  the  central  part  of  Mercer  county, 
and  the  exact  route  is  still  known  and  pointed  out.  It  being  the  old 
Indian  trail  (which  was  nearly  on  the  Henderson  and  Warren  county 
line)  and  extending  through  Mercer  county  northward  between  Aledo 
and  Joy". 

In  the  history  of  Mercer  and  Henderson  counties,  mentioned  above 
at  p.  300,  history  of  Perryton  township  is  the  following  regarding  this 
trail :  "Besides  their  knives  and  arrowheads  of  which  numbers  are  still 
found,  the  Indians  left  no  mark  save  the  great  trail  their  tribes  followed 
in  cutting  off  the  bend  of  the  Mississippi  to  the  west.  *  *  *  in  1845  there 
were  still  five  or  six  distinct,  deep  worn  paths  throughout  the  entire  dis- 


Another  View  of  the  Camp  Site  of  1832  111.  Vol.  looking  toward  mouth  of 
Rock  River.  All  the  Historians  of  that  day  speak  of  this  Camp  as  being  at 
"the  mouth  of  Rock  River."  It  is  3  Miles  S.  E.  of  the  mouth  of  Rock  River. 
The  Oquawka  to  Rock  Island  Indian  and  Military  trail  passed  through  this 
Camp  Site. 


Camp  site  on  the  open  prairie  of  the  Illinois  Volunteers,  which  included 
Captain  A.  Lincoln  and  his  company  May  7-10,  1832.  They  were  sworn  into 
the  Federal  service  here.  The  hill  in  background  is  Black  Hawk's  Watch 
Tower. 


The  Army  Ford  Across  Edwards  River. 


101 

tance,  and  were  the  guiding  path  to  Rock  Island  and  Oquawka,  the  two 
points  where  it  left  the  river.  This  trail  entered  the  town  (Perryton 
township)  on  the  south  side  of  31 ;  thence  along  the  divide  to  Camp 
Creek,  crossing  at  a  ford  in  19 ;  then  along  the  ridge  through  20  and 
17,  and  nearly  diagonal  through  the  north  half  of  9,  southeast  of  4,  and 
northwest  of  3". 

Attorney  Isaac  Newton  Bassett  of  Aledo,  says:  (Interview 
Feb.  16,  1916.)  "I  came  to  Aledo  in  1852.  The  Indian  trail  crossed 
Edwards  river  on  the  section  line  between  Sections  eleven  and  twelve 
in  Millersburg  township.  That  is  what  they  call  the  Army  Ford.  It  is 
right  at  the  road.  There  is  a  riffle  there,  and  that  is  where  they  crossed. 
This  was  the  Indian  trail  and  is  the  same  trail  on  which  the  military 
crossed  in  1831  and  in  '32  when  Abraham  Lincoln  was  with  them". 

Principal  Norbury  W.  Thornton  of  Geneseo  Collegiate  Institute 
said  (Interview,  Nov.,  1915)  :  "My  father  took  me  to  the  Edwards 
river  ford  when  I  was  seven  years  of  age  and  said  this  was  where 
Lincoln  and  the  army  of  the  Black  Hawk  War  crossed". 

On  our  way  to  see  the  Army  Ford  on  Edwards  river  we  stopped 
at  the  nearest  farm  house  southeast  of  the  ford  and  made  inquiry  to  see 
if  the  local  people  knew  of  its  historic  interest.  Here  we  met  Mr.  John 
Noonan,  who  had  lived  in  the  vicinity  for  seventy  years.  To  our  ques- 
tion as  to  whether  such  a  place  was  anywhere  around,  he  promptly 
replied:  "It's  right  down  there",  pointing  in  its  direction,  "right  by 
the  'Downey  bridge'.  It's  right  below  the  bridge  on  the  west  side  of 
the  road".  Mr.  Daniel  Laughlin  who  was  present  said  Mrs.  Margaret 
McGovern,  now  deceased,  a  sister  of  Mr.  John  Noonan,  told  him  that 
they  used  to  ford  Edwards  river  at  this  old  ford  before  a  bridge  was 
built,  and  that  this  ford  was  on  the  old  Indian  trail".  We  were  referred 
to  Mr.  Joseph  Terry,  at  Millersburg,  Mercer  County,  for  further  infor- 
mation. Mr.  Terry  was  born  in  1841  and  came  to  Millersburg  in  1850. 
They  corroborated  what  the  others  had  said  of  the  ford,  and  said: 
"Go  east  one  mile  from  Millersburg,  then  south  one  and  one-half  miles 
to  the  river.  You  will  see  the  Army  Ford  to  your  right,  just  below  the 
bridge". 

To  reach  this  interesting  spot  from  Aledo,  the  county  seat  of 
Mercer  county,  go  west  two  and  one-half  miles,  then  north  one  and 
one-half  miles.  It  is  in  the  east  edge  of  Section  eleven,  Millersburg 
township. 

John  Montgomery  (formerly  of  Edgington  township,  Rock  Island 
county),  said:  "That  trail  crossed  by  our  farm  and  my  brother  Dan 
and  I  broke  up  a  good  part  of  it  with  a  breaking  plow.  I  can  point  out 
to  you  where  it  was.  The  trail  was  as  plain— there  were  from  four  to 
a  dozen  tracks,  and  in  places  they  were  worn  a  foot  deep.  When  the 
first  settlers  came  here  they  used  that  trail  for  their  first  roads.  There 
was  no  other  road  in  the  country.  It  ran  from  New  Boston  or  Keiths- 
burg  to  Fort  Armstrong". 

"One  time — they  used  to  tell  the  story,  there  were  only  a  few 
whites  anywhere  around  and  they  had  an  Indian  scare.  The  settlers 
gathered  together  at  New  Boston  for  defense,  and  they  wanted  to  send 
to  Ft.  Armstrong  for  help,  but  there  were  so  few  men  they  felt  they 


102 

couldn't  spare  any  of  them.  A  boy  12  or  14  years  old  said  if  he  could 
have  a  certain  pony  he  would  go.  They  got  him  the  pony  and  he  was 
escorted  out  onto  the  prairie  by  the  men,  and  then  he  took  to  the  Indian 
trail  and  headed  for  the  fort.  When  he  got  near  the  Cooper  settlement, 
in  Mercer  county,  he  saw  some  Indians  and,  of  course,  he  was  scared 
and  he  ran  his  pony  all  the  rest  of  the  way  to  Fort  Armstrong". 

Mr.  Montgomery,  in  Nov.,  1916,  took  us  to  see  Mr.  Eli  Perry 
who,  he  said,  would  be  able  to  assist  in  locating  the  trail  in  Mercer 
county. 

Mr.  Eli  Perry  of  Perryton  township,  Mercer  county,  said:  "1 
have  lived  within  a  quarter  to  a  half  mile  of  this  Indian  trail  all  these 
years  since  I  came  here  in  1843,  at  the  age  of  two  years.  I  know  the 
old  Indian  trail  and  can  pretty  nearly  follow  it  all  the  way  from  New 
Boston  to  Taylor  Ridge.  The  trail  was  not  used  as  a  wagon  road,  but 
was  used  as  a  guide  to  go  by.  It  wouldn't  make  a  good  road  unless 
you  were  afoot  or  horseback.  The  trail  led  to  the  Bay  Island  where  the 
hunting  was  excellent". 

Camp  Creek  is  in  Mercer  county  and  is  so  named  because  the  Illi- 
nois soldiers  in  the  Black  Hawk  War  made  their  noon-day  camp  there 
on' the  way  from  Oquawka  to  Black  Hawk's  village.  Mr.  Perry  took  us 
to  Camp  Creek,  in  Section  nineteen,  Perryton  township,  and  taking  us 
to  the  north  side  of  the  creek,  at  one  hundred  paces  west  of  the  public 
highway,  said :  "There  used  to  be  a  walnut  stump  right  here,  and  the 
story  we  got  from  way  back,  was  that  the  walnut  tree  was  cut  down 
by  the  Black  Hawk  war  soldiers,  so  it  fell  across  the  creek  and  they  used 
it  for  a  bridge.  From  the  ford  southwards  and  slightly  southwesterly, 
across  pasture  land,  to  the  crest  of  the  hill,  a  distance  of  perhaps  forty 
rods,  one  can  walk  in  this  historic  old  trail,  for  it  is  from  a  foot  to  two 
feet  deep,  and  from  about  six  feet  to  ten  feet  in  width  at  the  top,  and  as 
plainly  to  be  seen  as  any  natural  object.  It  was  deepest  on  the  hill 
side  where  it  had  doubtless  been  washed  by  the  rains.  Mr.  Perry 
said  this  was  the  Indian  and  military  trail  under  consideration.  It  is 
on  the  Mrs.  William  VanMeter  farm,  in  Sections  nineteen  and  thirty, 
Perryton  township.  To  find  the  trail,  start  at  the  fence,  west  side  of 
the  road,  south  of  the  creek,  and  go  due  west  100  paces.  To  the  north- 
wards Mr.  Perry  pointed  out  the  course  of  the  trail  as  crossing  the  pub- 
lic highway  near  the  foot  of  the  hill  and  passing  diagonally  up  the  hill, 
in  a  northeasterly  direction. 

In  volume  "A"  of  Roads,  of  the  records  of  the  county  clerk's 
office  of  Rock  Island  county,  at  page  40  thereof,  is  a  plat  filed  in  1856 
showing  the  public  road  in  Section  thirty  in  Black  Hawk  township,  on 
which  the  crest  of  the  ridge  in  the  southeast  quarter  of  the  said  section 
is  designated  as  "Army  Ridge  Bluffs",  and  the  creek  below  is  called 
"Army  Trail  Creek".  At  the  present,  however,  the  creek  is  called  Tur- 
key Hollow  creek,  and  the  bluff  is  Turkey  Hollow  hill.  The  public 
road  leads  from  the  high  ridge  down  to  the  bottom  land  and  to  the 
Black  Hawk  village  site,  six  miles  to  the  northeast.  We  were  taken  to 
this  "Army  Ridge  Bluff"  by  Mr.  Almon  A.  Buffum  of  Edgington, 
Illinois,  and  William  H.  Miller  who  resides  two  and  a  half  miles  south 
of  the  spot  under  consideration.     Mr.  Buffum's  account  of  the  trail 


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The  Ford  at  Camp  Creek.  Messrs  John  Montgomery  and  Eli  Perry  are 
standing  where  the  large  Walnut  tree  was  felled  across  the  stream  for  the 
crossing  of  the  111.  Vols,  in  the  Black  Hawk  War. 


The  Indian  and  Military  Trail  immediately  south  of  Camp  Creek.     Mr. 
Montgomery  at  the  left  is  standing  in  the  trail. 


103 

at  this  point  was  as  follows :  'There  was  a  tree  known  as  the  "Lin- 
coln Tree"  just  at  the  edge  of  the  bluff  north  of  the  school  (which 
stands  in  the  southwest  corner  of  the  s.  e.  quarter  of  section  30  in 
Black  Hawk  township).  It  was  an  ill-shaped  tree,  run  over  by 
wagons  and  the  bark  peeled  off.  I  grubbed  this  tree  out  and  planted 
potatoes  there.  It  would  be  just  south  and  a  little  west  of  Vetter's 
house.  There  was  an  old  road  there  which  I  broke  up  and  planted 
to  potatoes.  This  road  or  trail  was  known  as  the  Indian  trail  and  also 
as  the  military  trail,  along  which  the  soldiers  came  during  the  Black 
Hawk  war,  and  the  reason  the  tree  was  called  the  "Lincoln  Tree"  was 
because  Lincoln  had  come  past  there  as  a  soldier  in  that  war.  This 
road  or  trail  came  by  the  "Scotch"  Taylor  place  and  came  on  along 
the  top  of  the  ridge,  sometimes  on  one  side  of  the  present  road  and 
sometimes  on  the  other.  It  passed  down  the  hill  from  where  the  tree 
was  and  on  down  across  where  the  ditch  or  creek  now  is.  There 
wasn't  any  ditch  there  at  the  time  I  knew  it  first ;  only  a  swale  there. 
I  could  locate  the  old  trail  and  location  of  the  tree  and  will  go  with 
you  some  day  and  point  it  out  to  you,"  which  he  did  in  April,  1916." 
This  place  was  the  easiest  way  off  the  ridge. 

Mr.  Miller's  account  was  as  follows :  "I  came  here  in  1847  at 
the  age  of  sixteen  months.  When  I  was  a  boy  I  used  to  go  to  Rock 
Island  over  this  trail  driving  oxen.  *  *  *  Our  road  was  over  this 
trail  all  the  way  down  Turkey  Hollow  and  on  right  across  where  the 
sand  and  gravel  pit  of  the  Peoria  &  Rock  Island  Railway  is  (at  the 
west  end  of  the  line  between  Section  22  and  27,  Black  Hawk  town- 
ship) and  on  east  to  Milan  over  the  ridge  on  the  bottom.  The  road  was 
on  an  east  and  west  line,  at  about  the  middle  of  the  south  half  of  the 
south  half  of  Section  twenty-two  in  Black  Hawk  township,  and  in  the 
southeast  part  of  the  southeast  quarter  of  Section  twenty-two  is 
where  the  military  camp  of  1832  was,  when  Lincoln  and  the  1800 
Illinois  soldiers  came  to  fight  Black  Hawk".  Mr.  Miller's  knowledge 
covered  about  ten  miles  of  the  old  trail,  beginning  at  the  Jahns'  farm 
at  the  northeast  corner  of  Section  fourteen  in  Edgington  township, 
crossing  the  public  road  south  of  the  public  school  which  is  in  Section 
Eleven,  Edgington  township,  and  continuing  northeasterly  passed 
east  of  the  farm  buildings  on  the  "Scotch"  Taylor  place,  in  the  south- 
east quarter  of  Section  twelve,  Edgington  township,  where  the  public 
road  is  now.  From  that  point  the  old  trail  kept  the  top  of  the  ridge, 
sometimes  on  one  side,  and  at  times  on  the  other  side  of  the  present 
public  road  as  it  passes  northward  to  the  "Army  Trail  Bluff".  It  is 
a  narrow  ridge,  some  places  being  only  a  stone's  throw  across. 

Messrs.  Buffum  and  Miller  personally  conducted  us  to  the  "Army 
Ridge  Bluff"  and  showed  us  the  old,  abandoned  public  highway  on 
the  hillside  which  now  is  enclosed  as  pasture  land.  Both  declared 
this  road  was/  originally  the  Indian  and  military  trail;  that  when  the 
pioneers  settled  this  country  they  had  no  roads  other  than  this  trail 
and  therefore  used  it.  The  rains  washed  the  old  highway  considerably, 
and  a  re-location  of  the  public  highway  was  made  a  few  yards  to  the 
north  of  the  old,  and  the  old  trace  is  sodded  over,  an  olden  days  relic 
which  might  well  be  preserved  because  of  its  historic  interest. 


104 

William  S.  Parks  of  Rock  Island,  and  his  brother,  John  Parks  of 
Reynolds,  Illinois,  in  October  and  November,  1915,  took  us  to  where 
the  trail  used  to  be  on  the- "Prairie  Home  Farm"  in  Edgington  town- 
ship. This  was  in  1915,  our  first  trip  to  locate  Indian  trails  here- 
abouts. They  showed  where  it  passed  through  the  northwest  corner 
of  the  southwest  quarter  of  Section  26.  The  country  here  is  rolling 
and  the  trail  had  from  half  a  dozen  to  twelve  or  fifteen  parallel  traces. 
The  rains  undoubtedly  would  wash  a  worn  trail  and  a  new  one  would 
be  made  next  to  it.  Mr.  William  Parks,  giving  his  recollections  of 
the  trail,  said :  "We  broke  prairie  here  sixty  years  ago  when  we  were 
little  tots,  and  the  trail  crossed  here.  Brother  John  drove  the  three 
head  yoke  of  oxen  and  I  drove  the  three  rear  yoke.  We  had  six 
teams  of  oxen  to  the  plow". 

Mr.  Fred  Titterington  of  Rock  Island  took  us  to  the  east  line  of 
the  northeast  quarter  of  Section  twenty-three,  where  the  creek 
crossed  the  public  highway.  He  expected  to  find  some  virgin  sod 
there  with  the  trail  still  visible,  but  was  disappointed.  He  says  he 
saw  the  trail  there  as  late  as  1860,  at  which  time  he,  with  his  parents, 
frequently  crossed  it  and  he  "remembers  it  as  well  as  if  it  were  yes- 
terday". It  was  deep  on  the  side  hill  but  on  the  top  of  the  ridge  it 
wasn't  as  plain".  It  had  about  four  trails  side  by  side,  just  south  of 
the  creek,  which  it  crossed  about  where  is  now  the  public  road.  Mr. 
Titterington  also  remembers  the  location  of  the  Lincoln  camp  as 
related  to  him  by  his  Uncle  George  Crabs  of  Hamlet,  Illinois,  as  being 
in  the  northeast  quarter  of  the  northeast  quarter  of  Section  twenty- 
seven  in  Black  Hawk  township,  Rock  Island  county. 

Mr.  George  Crabs  of  Hamlet,  Illinois,  was  visited  in  company 
with  his  nephew,  Mr.  Fred  Titterington,  in  December,  1915.  Mr. 
Crabs,  a  nonogenarian,  had  a  memory  which  as  to  the  early  times 
seemed  as  clear  as  a  bell.  He  said :  "The  first  time  I  saw  that  Indian 
trail  was  in  August,  1844.  I  was  on  my  way  to  camp  meeting  at 
Sugar  Grove.  There  were  four  paths,  worn  a  foot  deep,  three  feet 
apart,  plain  as  could  be,  like  a  cow  path.  At  that  time  there  was  not 
a  house  on  this  prairie.  I  saw  mounted  soldiers  on  this  trail  once. 
They  were  on  their  way  to  Fort  Armstrong  from  Oquawka  and  were 
traveling  on  a  keen  canter  four  abreast.  About  seventy  years  ago 
John  Edgington  and  Jimmy  Robinson  went  to  mill  where  Quincy, 
(111.),  is  now,  and  they  traveled  down  that  old  army  trail.  They 
drove  four  or  five  yoke  of  cattle  and  would  be  gone  a  week".  Mr. 
Crabs  gave  the  route  of  the  trail  all  the  way  from  Camp  Creek  in 
Mercer  county  to  within  a  mile  of  Black  Hawk's  village  at  Rock 
Island,  including  the  Lincoln  camp  site  in  the  northeast  quarter  of 
the  northeast  quarter  of  Sec.  27.  He  was  hardly  in  a  physical  con- 
dition to  be  taken  over  the  course  in  person,  but  his  testimony  corrob- 
orated, without  any  suggestion  or  question  on  our  part,  the  accounts 
given  by  men  who  personally  conducted  us  to  places  where  the  trail 
was  known  to  them. 

The  reader  will  notice  that  two  different  descriptions  are  given 
for  the  Capt.  Lincoln  Camp  site— the  camp  of  the  Illinois  Volunteers, 
May  7th  to  10th,  1832.     In  reality  the  two  locations  are  just  across 


The  Indian  and  Military  Trail  on  the  hillside  at  Turkey  Hollow,  showing 
that  the  highways  of  the  Indian  suffered  no  less  from  heavy  rains  than  do 
ours  of  today.    Messrs.  Miller  and  Buffum  appear  in  the  picture. 


Traces  of  the  Indian  and  Military  trail  in  Turkey  Hollow, 
used  by  the  early  settlers  as  a  public  highway. 


It  was  also 


105 

the  public  road  from  each  other,  and  the  eighteen  hundred  men  with 
their  mounts  would  probably  more  than  cover  both  tracts. 

Jacob  Harris,  December,  1915,  of  Edgington,  said:  "Speaking 
of  the  Indian  trail,  it  went  down  Turkey  Hollow  on  the  east  side  of 
the  present  road,  the  right  hand  side  as  you  go  down  the  hill.  I  used 
to  play  in  the  Indian  trail  when  I  was  a  boy.  We  didn't  think  any- 
thing about  it  then.  There  used  to  be  lots  of  Indians  come  here  in 
my  time  and  I've  seen  them  traveling  on  the  old  trail.  There  was 
more  than  one  Indian  trail.  The  one  across  Little's  farm,  east  of 
Taylor  Ridge,  was  not  the  main  trail.  The  Indians  would  have  a 
path  and  they'd  follow  the  leader  like  sheep.  If  there  were  five  hun- 
dred of  them  they'd  keep  one  path.  The  trail  passed  right  by  the  old 
Prairie  Union  school  which  at  that  time  was  a  half  mile  north  and  a 
quarter  of  a  mile  west  of  where  it  is  now".  "The  Parks  boys,  John 
and  William,  and  I  used  to  go  to  school  part  way  in  that  trail."  Mr. 
Harris'  description  places  the  old  school  where  the  trail  was,  at  the 
northwest  corner  of  the  east  half  of  the  northwest  quarter  of  Section 
twenty-six     Edgington  township,  Rock  Island  county. 

The  old  "Scotch"  Taylor  farm  is  in  the  southeast  quarter  of  Sec- 
tion twelve,  Edgington  township.  The  public  road  passes  northward 
through  it.  To  this  place  in  December,  1915,  we  were  conducted  by 
Sam  C.  Taylor,  a  son.  Mr.  Taylor  said  he  remembered  the  trail  very 
well,  as  it  passed  through  between  their  farm  buildings  which  are 
located  just  where  the  public  highway  bends  northeastwards.  He 
said :  "There  were  several  tracks  of  the  trail.  One  time  when  I  was 
a  boy  a  lot  of  Indians  came  to  our  house  and  mother  was  trying  to 
drive  them  away  with  a  broom.  She  was  afraid  to  let  them  into  the 
the  house  because  the  men  were  away.  There  had  been  some  fencing 
done  on  the  trail  and  the  Indians  were  asking  about  the  trail.  It 
looked  to  me  as  if  the  trail  between  our  buildings  in  the  hollow  was 
headed  to  the  high  ground  which  led  toward  Fancy  Creek". 

Ex-Senator  William  F.  Crawford,  formerly  of  Edgington  -town- 
ship, Rock  Island  county,  said :  "Yes,  I  saw  the  old  Indian  and  army 
trail  very  often.  I  used  to  see  the  old,  deep  ditch-like  trail  going  off 
the  point  of  Turkey  Hollow  hill  and  I  asked  what  that  was  and  they 
said,  'Why,  that's  the  trail  Lincoln  marched  over  on  the  way  to  fight 
Indians.  I  asked  old  man  Miller,  father  of  William  H.  Miller,  one 
time,  and  he  told  me  this.  'There  was  an  old  tree  on  the  trail  which 
had  been  tramped  down  and  scarred  up  from  being  rode  over.  I've 
been  in  the  cavalry  and  I  know  how  the  brush  is  tramped  down  that 
way.  The  tree  was  at  the  top  of  the  hill,  just  at  the  bend,  or  a  little 
southwest  of  the  bend.  We  called  it  the  Lincoln  tree,  and  the  trail 
was  just  as  plain  as  could  be  and  crossed  where  Turkey  Hollow  creek 
is  now.  Then  it  was  just  a  tiny  bit  of  a  ditch  with  a  couple  of  logs 
in  it  to  drive  over.  Then  we  passed  on  down  to  the  lowlands  toward 
Milan,  not  keeping  the  section  lines  at  all,  but  just  driving  across 
country".     We  interviewed  Mr.  Crawford  in  November,   1916. 

George  Washington  Griffin  of  Milan,  said  (Nov.,  1915)  :  "There 
were  several  Indian  trails.  Father  and  my  uncles  (the  sons  of 
Joshua  Vandruff)    would  go   out   hunting  and   sometimes   they'd   go 


106 

out  to  look  for  cattle,  and  we  would  go  sometimes  in  one  direction 
on  an  Indian  trail  and  sometimes  in  another  direction  on  an  Indian 
trail,  and  Big  Island  had  different  trails  that  were  called  Indian  trails." 

The  village  of  Milan,  Illinois,  is  situated  on  the  south  side  of 
Rock  River,  opposite  Black  Hawk's  village.  We  called  on  Mr.  Ore- 
gon Pinekley,  an  octogenarian  living  at  Milan,  and  an  old  resident 
there.  He  said:  "There  were  two  trails  that  met  here,  one  from  the 
east  and  one  from  the  west,  but  I  can't  tell  you  just  where  they  were. 
I  know  more  about  the  old  army  trail  in  Mercer  county.  When  I  was 
a  boy,  we  boys  used  to  go  swimming  in  Edwards  river  at  the  Army 
Ford.     We  lived  in  Millersburg  at  that  time". 

The  Oquawka-Rock  Island  trail  as  it  came  within  ten  or  twelve 
miles  of  Black  Hawk's  village,  had  a  fork,  somewhere  southwest  of 
where  the  village  of  Taylor  Ridge  stands.  It  is  possible  that  the  loca- 
tion pointed  out  by  Fred  Titterington,  mentioned  above,  is  a  part  of  the 
east  fork.  Another  spot  on  this  fork  was  pointed  out  to  us  by  Deputy 
Sheriff  R.  E.  Little  of  Milan,  located  on  the  farm  of  his  boyhood,  pass- 
ing along  a  line  from  the  southwest  corner  of  the  north  half  of  the 
northeast  quarter  of  Section  eighteen,  Bowling  township,  Rock  Island 
county,  thence  running  diagonally  to  the  northeast  corner  of  Section 
eighteen.  Mr.  Little  said :  "The  old  Indian  trail  here  was  at  least  ten 
feet  wide,  and  there  was  not  a  number  of  them,  but  just  one  path, 
which  went  in  a  straight  line  over  hill  and  hollow,  and  on  the  hillside 
the  water  washed  a  sort  of  ditch,  and  part  of  this,  when  I  saw  it  last, 
was  grown  over  with  grass.  This  trail  could  still  be  seen  twenty-five 
years  ago.  Now  it  is  pretty  well  obliterated".  The  field  here  was 
under  cultivation. 

The  next  point  on  this  fork  was  given  us  by  C.  P.  O'Haver  of 
Rock  Island.  It  is  located  at  the  northwest  corner  of  the  northeast 
quarter  of  Section  ten,  in  Bowling  township,  two  miles  due  south  of 
the  camp  ground  of  the  Illinois  Volunteers  of  1832. 

Both  the  Indians  and  the  soldiers  followed  the  left  bank  of  the 
Rock  river  in  their  ascent  up-stream,  in  the  1832  campaign  of  the 
Black  Hawk  war.  Judge  John  W.  Spencer,  who  was  an  acquaintance 
of  Black  Hawk  and  who  was  one  of  the  pioneers  who  disputed  with 
the  Indians  for  possession  of  their  village  here,  says  that :  "When 
Black  Hawk  and  his  warriors  returned  in  1832,  they  kept  on  the  south 
side  of  Big  Island  (at  the  mouth  of  Rock  river),  which  I  had  never 
known  them  to  do  before".     (Reminiscences,  p.  44.) 

Gen.  Henry  Atkinson,  writing  from  Fort  Armstrong  under  date 
of  April  13,  1832,  says:  "They  (the  band  of  Sauks  under  Black 
Hawk)  crossed  the  (Mississippi)  river  at  Yellow  Banks  *  *  and  are 
now  moving  up  on  the  east  side  of  Rock  river.  *  *  toward  the  Proph- 
et's village".     (Wakefield's  Black  Hawk  War",  p.  35.) 

Lieut.  Albert  Sydney  Johnston's  diary  corroborates  the  above  as 
follows:  "April  13.  Black  Hawk's  band  was  reported  this  morning 
to  be  passing  up  on  the  east  side  of  Rock  river.  Their  course  indicates 
that  their  movement  is  upon  the  Prophet's  village".  (Life  of  Gen. 
Albert  Sydney  Johnston,  p.  34.) 


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THE  FORD  AT  GREEN  RIVER. 


107 

Attorney  William  Allen  of  Erie,  Ills.,  says :  "There  was  an 
Indian  trail  on  the  other  (east)  side  of  Rock  river  to  Prophetstown, 
where  there  was  a  little  city  of  Indians,  and  their  lodges  were  strung 
out,  down  Rock  river  for  a  half  mile.  At  the  time  of  the  Black  Hawk 
War,  Abraham  Lincoln  with  the  crowd  of  his  company  camped  at 
Pink  Prairie  in  the  edge  of  Henry  county  where  he  was  nearly  eaten 
up  by  the  mosquitoes.  Lincoln  told  this  to  Judge  Teets,  of  Erie. 
Teets  was  down  to  do  some  lobbying  regarding  a  ferry  boat  across 
Rock  river,  in  1859,  after  the  Lincoln-Douglas  debates".  (Interview, 
Aug.  10,  1917.)  Nels  Anderson,  who  had  lived  on  an  island  in  Rock 
river,  in  Coal  Valley  township,  for  thirty  years,  said :     "I  came  here  in 

1865,  and  old  man  Porter,  who  came  here  in   1833,  told   me 

Lincoln  came  up  on  the  east  side  of  Rock  river  on  his  way  to  Wiscon- 
sin to  fight  Black  Hawk".     (Interview,  April  9,  1917.) 

The  Illinois  Volunteers  followed  Black  Hawk  up  Rock  river  over 
the  same  trail.  Black  Hawk  and  his  followers  were  a  religious  people 
and  in  the  course  of  their  progress  would  make  sacrifices  to  the  Great 
Spirit.  Gov.  Reynolds,  speaking  of  these  evidences,  says :  "It  made 
us  sorry  to  see  often  at  the  camp  ground  of  Black  Hawk  a  small  dog 
immolated  to  appease  the  Great  Spirit".     (My  Own  Times,  229.) 

Black  Hawk  reached  Prophetstown,  April  26th,  as  told  by  Wake- 
field in  the  following  words :  "On  the  26th  Mr.  Gratiot  saw  at  a  dis- 
tance, about  two  miles  down  Rock  river,  the  army  of  the  celebrated 
Black  Llawk,  consisting  of  about  five  hundred  Sacs,  well  armed  and 
mounted  on  fine  horses,  moving  in  a  line  of  battle — their  appearance 
was  terrible  in  the  extreme.  Their  bodies  were  painted  with  white 
clay,  with  an  occasional  impression  of  !their  hands  about  their  bodies, 
colored  black.  About  their  ankles  and  bodies  they  wore  wreaths  of 
straw,  which  always  indicate  a  disposition  for  blood".  (Wakefield's 
History  of  the  Black  Hawk  War,  p.  38.) 

Prophetstown  is  on  the  east  bank  of  Rock  river,  and  is  so  called 
because  it  was  the  village  of  the  Winnebago  Prophet,  Wa-bo-kie-shiek 
(see  Handbook  American  Indians,  Vol.  I,  p.  886)  who  was  one  of  the 
foremost  of  the  Indian  leaders  in  the  Black  Hawk  War.  This  village 
was  reached  by  the  Illinois  Vols,  on  May  10th,  the  same  day  they 
broke  camp  near  Rock  Island.  The  soldiers  had  made  a  march  of 
forty  miles,  and  "When  they  reached  Prophetstown  they  found  it  de- 
serted, and  at  once  applied  the  torch  to  the  bark  houses  and  reduced 
them  to  ashes".     (Armstrong,  Sauks  and  the  Black  Hawk  War,  p.  309.) 

In  the  march  to  Prophetstown  both  the  Indians  and  the  soldiers 
would  follow  the  beaten  trail ;  in  this  case  the  Sauk  and  Fox  trail  from 
Milan  is  now,  to  the  ford  across  Coal  Valley  creek,  as  located  by 
Messrs.  W.  C.  Wilson  and  Alex  Craig,  and  Thomas  J.  Murphy.  At 
the  east  side  of  this  ford  the  two  trails  would  part  company,  the  one 
up  Rock  river  continuing  due  east. 

Thomas  J.  Murphy  said:  "An  old  trail  followed  right  on  the 
bank  of  Rock  river  going  up  stream,  then  there  was  another  trail 
which  followed  on  the  high  ground  right  where  the  yellow  barn  on 
the  Killing  estate  is".  This  "yellow  barn'  'is  due  east  of  the  ford,  and 
as  we  walked  over  the  course  of  this  trail  of  the  higher  ground,  the 


108 

writer  found  two  flint  arrow-heads  not  far  from  the  barn,  then  as  we 
proceeded  eastward  he  began  picking  up  chips  of  flint  until  he  had 
thirty-three  pieces;  then  seeing  the  plowed  ground  was  full  of  them, 
the  novelty  of  it  dropped.  Mr.  Murphy  continued:  "The  wider  trail 
kept  this  ridge,  and  the  one  which  followed  the  river  bank  was  a  nar- 
rower one  and  is  still  there  just  as  it  was  when  I  was  a  boy".  (April 
9,  1917.) 

The  next  point  which  we  believed  to  be  on  this  same  trail  up  Rock 
river,  was  about  five  miles  easterly,  namely  the  ford  across  Green 
river.  We  located  it  by  the  process  of  elimination,  under  the  guidance 
of  Messrs.  Craig  and  Wilson,  above  mentioned.  Mr.  Craig  said: 
"Lincoln?  Right  here.  This  is  the  only  place  they  could  cross.  This 
is  the  old  Indian  trail  right  across  here.  There  is  no  ford  between 
here  and  Rock  river.  I've  been"  along  it  hundreds  of  times  hunting 
and  fishing  and  strolling",  to  which  Mr.  Wilson  added:  "We've 
seined  every  foot  of  it  from  Colona  to  the  mouth  of  Green  river,  and 
I  know  there  was  no  other  ford".  Mr.  Craig  mentioned  that  in  places 
the  river  was  twelve  to  sixteen  feet  deep,  to  which  Mr.  Wilson  replied : 
"We  seined  through  all  of  it  just  the  same". 

The  ford  is  being  used  by  the  farmer  today.  On  the  right  bank 
of  Green  river,  a  few  rods  from  the  ford,  is  a  farm  house  and  barns. 
Our  two  guides  said  the  house  was  built  on  top  of  a  large  Indian 
mound  and  when  they  dug  the  cellar  they  found  a  space  walled  in  with 
rock  "round  or  oblong"  and  they  found  skeletons,  "either  sixteen  or 
twenty-three,  I  don't  know  which,  and  lots  of  implements".  Mr.  Craig 
said:  "I  was  told  about  it  by  Gully  (Gulliver)  Adams  and  Sheldon 
Hodge.     They  got  the  rock  out  and  told  me  of  it". 

These  men  also  told  of  a  "Kitchen  heap"  on  the  left  (east)  bank 
of  Rock  river,  a  short  distance  above  this  Green  river  ford,  "A  mile 
below  the  old  Colona  ferry",  which  they  found  thirty-five  or  forty 
years  ago.  They  "found  brown  Indian  pottery,  implements,  needles, 
deer  horns  and  bones,  and,  mostly  clam  shells". 

Green  river  ford  is  not  on  the  public  highway.  To  find  it,  take 
the  "Geneseo  road"  between  Moline  bridge  over  Rock  river,  and 
Brier  Bluff;  when  you  come  to  the  section  line  between  sections  fif- 
teen and  sixteen,  Colona  township,  Henry  county,  follow  this  line 
north  to  Green  river  (a  distance  of  a  little  over  a  half  mile)  then  fol- 
low the  river  down  stream  until  you  come  to  the  ford,  a  distance  of 
perhaps  twenty  rods,  or  thereabouts,  northwest  of  the  section  line 
where  it  strikes  the  river. 

Rock  River  was  a  favorite  among  our  aboriginals.  Continuing 
up  stream,  passing  the  old  Colona  ferry  site  (a  fine  bridge  is  there 
now),  and  about  five  miles  farther  up  stream,  passing  the  primitive 
Cleveland  ferry,  and  five  miles  farther  up  stream,  the  old  Angell's 
ferry,  also  a  relic  of  pioneer  days,  one  finds  just  above  the  last  men- 
tioned ferry  and  on  the  east  side  of  the  river,  other  remains  of  Indian 
occupation.  One  day  on  a  hike  with  our  bands  boys,  we  found  there 
along  a  strip  of  higher  land  beside  the  river,  a  number  of  fragments  of 
Indian  pottery,  a  piece  of  a  broken  iron  tomahawk,  a  stone  celt,  and  ten 
well  formed  flint  arrow-heads,  and  there  are  numerous  pieces  of  chipped 
flints. 


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»&— 


MAP  SHOWING  INDTAN  TRAILS   CENTERING  AT  BLACK  I 


flK'S   VILLAGE.     THE  TRAILS  ARE  SHOWN  IN  RED  INK 


i 


109 

The  writer  makes  no  pretense  of  knowing  the  exact  course  of  the 
Indian  trail  up  Rock  river  beyond  the  part  located  by  Mr.  Murphy, 
and  the  Green  river  ford  located  by  Messrs.  Wilson  and  Craig.  En- 
quiry was  made  for  information,  but  thus  far  without  success.  The 
evidences  of  habitations  above  mentioned,  are  included  here,  because 
they  prove  that  the  land  was  occupied,  and  there  is  no  such  occupation 
without  its  complement  of  highways  or  trails. 

In  addition  to  the  above  one  should  expect  to  find  trails  radiating 
from  Davenport,  Iowa,  to  the  north,  west,  and  probably  southwest, 
for  the  Sauk  and  Fox  United  Nation  held  Iowa  by  right  of  conquest 
(Kan.  Hist.  Coll.  XI,  334),  and  during  the  latter  years  of  their  great- 
ness they  had  their  principal  villages,  opposite  Davenport,  where  Rock 
Island  now  stands.  Presiding  over  the  Fox  village  was  Wapella, 
Principal  Chief  of  the  Foxes,  while  the  adjoining  Sauk  village  had 
such  men  of  note  as  Pash-e-pa-ho,  Keokuk  and  Black  Hawk.  The 
writer  merely  suggests  this  as  a  subject  for  Trails-Hunters,  who 
should  begin  their  quest  at  once,  while  information  can  be  had  at  first 
hand.  One  would  expect  to  find  a  short  cut  northwards  from  Daven- 
port to  the  Dubuque  mines,  approximately  along  the  "Dubuque  Road", 
and  as  to  a  west-bound  trail,  the  following  extract  from  the  reminis- 
cences of  M.  D.  Hauberg  may  prove  of  value:  "The  next  place  we 
broke  (virgin  prairie  in  1850)  was  for  Claus  Vieths,  about  seven  miles 
west  of  Davenport.  The  second  day  we  were  there  an  Indian  came 
along  and  stopped.  When  we  came  to  the  road  he  hailed  us.  The 
boss  was  afraid  but  I  went  up  to  him.  He  was  riding  an  Indian  pony, 
and  he  carried  a  rifle,  a  revolver  and  a  bow  and  arrows.  The  pony's 
bit,  the  stirrups  and  the  rifle  were  silver  plated.  He  asked  me  how  far 
it  was  to  Davenport.  While  he  stood  here  he  would  sometimes  look 
toward  the  west.  Then  he  went  in  that  direction  and  was  gone  about 
ten  minutes,  when  he  returned  with  the  whole  tribe.  There  must 
have  been  two  hundred  of  them.  They  had  ponies  running  loose  with 
baskets  on  each  side,  a  papoose  in  each  basket,  and  some  were  carry- 
ing the  tents". 


110 


THE  UNION  LEAGUE:    ITS  ORIGIN  AND  ACHIEVEMENTS  IN 

THE  CIVIL  WAR. 

By  E.  Bentlet  Hamilton. 

From  the  year  1680,  when  Robert  LaSalle  and  Tonti,  his  military 
aid,  erected  a  palisade  fort  on  a  high  bluff  overlooking  the  Illinois 
river  and  named  it  Fort  Creve  Coeur,  Tazewell  county  has  been  rich  in 
the  history  of  the  upbuilding  of  this  western  empire.  In  historical  im- 
portance, the  event  of  which  I  am  to  speak,  is  almost  without  parallel 
in  any  city  in  Illinois ;  in  its  effect  upon  the  greatest  war  on  American 
soil,  it  will  forever  stand  without  a  peer. 

Reflect  for  a  moment  that  even  in  1860  Illinois  was  the  fourth 
state  in  the  Union  in  population  and  wealth,  in  influence  and  power ; 
no  voice  was  more  potent  than  hers  in  shaping  government  policy  and 
directing  "the  course  of  empire".  Each  of  the  two  political  parties  of 
the  North  had  selected  its  standard  bearer  from  within  the  confines  of 
this  western  commonwealth  and  he  who  had  mounted  their  courthouse 
steps  to  try  his  cases  across  the  street  and  within  a  hundred  feet  from 
the  spot  where  the  Union  League  was  organized,  was  summoned  to 
"the  seats  of  the  mighty".  Later,  after  the  lawyer  had  become  the 
President,  Abraham  Lincoln  extended  his  official  aid  and  sanction  to 
this  organization. 

Following  the  attack  upon  Fort  Sumpter  on  April  12th,  1861,  and 
its  capitulation  on  April  14th,  the  President  issued  his  call  on  April 
15th  for  75,000  volunteers.  The  same  day  Governor  Yates  issued  his 
call  for  the  legislature  to  convene  in  special  session  on  April  23rd. 
Before  the  legislature  convened,  61  companies  had  been  accepted  and 
thus  Illinois  had  exceeded  her  complement  on  the  first  call  of  President 
Lincoln. 

It  is  worthy  of  more  than  passing  comment  that  at  first  there  was 
a  suprising  union  of  sentiment  in  this  state.  Leading  Democratic 
journals  condemned  in  strong  terms  the  act  of  secession  and  urged 
sustaining  the  Government.  The  sum  of  $3,500,000  was  at  once  ap- 
propriated by  the  Legislature  for  war ;  a  bill  was  passed  defining  and 
punishing  treason  to  the  state  and  everything  was  done  that  was 
deemed  necessary  "to  suppress  insurrections,  repel  invasion  and  ren- 
der prompt  assistance  to  the  United  States  Government". 

But  this  condition  was  not  one  which  was  long  destined  to  con- 
tinue. Bull  Run,  with  its  Confederate  victory,  had  demonstrated  to 
a  humiliated  North  that  a  three  months'  war  was  to  become  a  three 
years'  struggle ;  Wilson  Creek,  from  the  death  of  the  brilliant  Lyons, 
had  reversed  the  order  of  victory  in  Missouri  and  crowned  the  Rebels 
with  her  laurels ;  New  Madrid  and  Island  No.  10  under  the  success- 
ful co-operation  of  Pope  and  Commodore  Foote  had  fallen  into  Union 


Ill 

hands ;  the  first  Confederate  line  was  broken  by  the  fall  of  Forts 
Henry  and  Donelson. 

Victory  had  been  snatched  at  Pea  Ridge  in  spite  of  the  employ- 
ment of  Indians  by  the  Confederates,  who  scalped  and  tomahawked  in 
the  exercise  of  their  savage  and  barbarous  methods  ,of  warfare. 
Shiloh,  wrenched  from  defeat,  with  its  bloody  toll  of  15,000  lives,  leav- 
ing the  Union  army  shattered  and  demoralized,  had  been  written  upon 
the  crimson  pages  of  history. 

In  the  meantime  certain  changes  had  been  taking  place  in  the 
sentiment  of  the  North  which  at  first  had  been  unreservedly  and  un- 
qualifiedly in  favor  of  the  suppression  of  the  rebellion.  The  pure 
streams  of  an  undivided  loyalty  were  being  polluted  at  their  source. 
Unseen  hands  were  attempting  to  paralyze  the  efforts  of  those  who 
were  engaged  at  home  in  maintaining  the  armies  in  the  field.  The 
hushed  voice  of  treason  was  whispering  its  venom  for  the  perpetra- 
tion of  abominable  deeds.  Treason,  lurking  in  the  cities  and  the  coun- 
try, by  its  falsehood  and  its  treachery,  was  far  more  monstrous  in  its 
danger  than  an  enemy  fighting  in  the  open.  Treason  in  all  its  deviltry 
was  biting  into  the  vitals  of  this  loyal  state  with  a  tooth  "bare  gnawn 
and  canker-bit".  Through  the  "Knights  of  the  Golden  Circle"  and 
similar  organizations,  it  poured  its  dram  of  poison  into  loyal  blood 
and  sought  to  extinguish  the  sacred  fires  of  Loyalty  that  burned  in 
the  hearts  of  all  true  patriots. 

"Never  land  long  lease  of  empire  won 

Whose  sons  sat  silent  when  base  deeds  were  done." 

Such  were  the  circumstances  when  eleven  men  assembled  on  the 
third  floor  of  the  building  at  331  Court  Street  in  the  City  of  Pekin  to 
organize  the  first  Council  of  the  Union  League  of  America. 

At  that  time  the  Knights  of  the  Golden  Circle  numbered  350,000 
members  in  the  northern  states  alone,,  two-thirds  of  whom  were 
organized  into  military  units  and  drilled.  A  few  of  its  traitorous  prin- 
ciples were  to  harass  the  families  of  the  Union  soldiers  so  as  to  cause 
desertions  from  the  army ;  to  combat  and  resist  all  recruiting  in  the 
north  ;  to  liberate,  by  force  if  necessary,  confederate  prisoners  con- 
fined in  northern  prisons. 

The  source  of  the  origin  was  undoubtedly  attributable  to  the  loyal 
men  of  Tennessee  who,  when  driven  from  their  homes  soon  after  the 
opening  of  the  Civil  War,  sought  refuge  in  inaccessible  places  in  the 
mountains  of  their  state  and  took  an  oath  of  loyalty  to  the  Government 
of  their   forefathers. 

The  first  Council  was  composed  of  leading  Union  men  of  Taze- 
well County,  to-wit :  John  W.  Glasgow,  J.  P. ;  Dr.  D.  A.  Cheever, 
Hart  Montgomery,  Maj.  R.  N.  Cullom,  Alexander  Small,  Rev.  J.  W. 
M.  Vernon,  Geo.  H.  Harlow,  Chas.  Turner,  Jonathan  Merriam,  Henry 
Pratt  and  L.  F.  Garrett.  One  of  the  original  eleven  was  a  Tennessee 
refugee,  who  introduced  the  Union  mountaineer's  oath,  which  was  ac- 
cepted pending  the  reorganization  in  the  North. 


112 

The  first  Illinois  State  Council  met  at  Bloomington  on  September 
25,  1862,  with  representatives  present  from  twelve  counties.  At  this 
meeting  the  organization  was  completed  and  the  following  officers 
chosen : 

Hon.  Mark  Bangs,  of  Marshall  County,  Grand  President;  Prof. 
D.  Wilkins,  of  McLean  County,  Grand  Vice-President ;  Geo.  H.  Har- 
low, of  Tazewell  County,  Grand  Secretary ;  H.  S.  Austin,  of  Peoria 
County,  Grand  Treasurer;  J.  R.  Gorin,  of  Macon  County,  Grand 
Marshal ;  A.  Gould,  of  Henry  County,  Grand  Herald ;  John  E.  Rosette, 
of  Sangamon  County,  Grand  Sentinel. 

The  Executive  Committee  chosen  was  as  follows :  Joseph  Medill, 
of  Cook  County;  Dr.. A.  McFarland,  of  Morgan  County;  J.  K.  War- 
ren, of  Macon  County;  Rev.  J.  C.  Rybolt,  of  LaSalle  County;  Hon. 
Mark  Bangs,  of  Marshall  County;  Enoch  Emery,  of  Peoria  County; 
John  E.  Rosette,  of  Sangamon  County. 

The  obligation  which  the  members  assumed  and  which  was  offi- 
cially adopted  by  the  National  Grand  Council,  might  well  be  made 
today  the  obligation  of  all  who  undertake  to  assume  the  privileges  of 
American  citizenship.    The  following  was  the  solemn  oath : 

OBLIGATION. 
"I  do  solemnly  swear  (or  affirm),  in  the  presence  of  God  and  these 
witnesses,  that  I  have  never  voluntarily  borne  arms  against  the  United  States 
since  I  have  been  a  citizen  thereof;  that  I  will  support,  protect  and  defend 
the  Constitution  and  Government  of  the  United  States  and  the  flag  thereof, 
against  all  enemies,  foreign  and  domestic;  that  I  will  bear  true  faith  and 
allegiance  to  the  same;  and  that  I  will  also  defend  this  State  against  any 
invasion,  insurrection,  or  rebellion,  to  the  extent  of  my  ability.  This  I  freely 
pledge  without  mental  reservation  or  evasion.  Furthermore,  that  I  will  do 
all  in  my  power  to  elect  true  and  reliable  Union  men  and  supporters  of  the 
Government,  and  none  others,  to  all  offices  of  profit  or  trust,  from  the  lowest 
to  the  highest — in  ward,  town,  county,  state  and  General  Government.  And 
should  I  ever  be  called  to  fill  any  office,  I  will  faithfully  carry  out  the  objects 
and  principles  of  this  lodge.  And,  further,  that  I  will  protect,  aid  and  defend 
all  worthy  members  of  the  Union  League.  And,  further,  I  will  never  make 
known,  in  any  way  or  manner,  to  any  person  or  persons  not  members  of  the 
Union  League,  any  of  the  signs,  passwords,  proceedings,  debates  or  plans 
of  this  or  any  other  Coimcil  under  this  organization,  except  when  engaged  in 
admitting  new  members  into  this  lodge.  And  with  my  hand  upon  the  Holy 
Bible,  Declaration  of  Independence,  and  the  Constitution  of  the  United 
States  of  America,  under  the  seal  of  my  sacred  honor,  I  acknowledge  myself 
firmly  bound  and  pledged  to  the  faithful  performance  of  this  my  solemn 
obligation.     So  help  me  God." 

The  proud  boast  of  Boston  is  Faneuil  Hall  where  in  that  "Cradle 
of  Liberty"  the  resolutions  were  adopted  which  proclaimed  the  free- 
dom of  America ;  Philadelphia  has  her  Independence  Hall,  whose 
bricks  are  sacred  because  within  those  walls  the  terms  of  Liberty,  when 
once  it  was  achieved,  were  reduced  to  writing  in  the  Constitution  of 
the  United  States ;  but  the  simple  bronze  tablet  placed  on  December 
7th,  1920,  upon  the  historic  building  in  the  City  of  Pekin,  111.,  will 
forever  commemorate  the  origin  of  that  determined  organization  who 
dedicated  themselves  to  preserving  the  liberty  declared  in  Massachu- 
setts and  to  maintaining  the  Constitution  adopted  in  Pennsylvania. 

It  was  like  the  seed  which  is  borne  on  the  breast  of  the  wind  to 
germinate  on  other  soil.     Its  purpose  was  so  invincible,  its  methods  so 


113 

effective,  its  vigilance  so  much  the  alpha  and  omega  of  Liberty  itself, 
that  Union  League  Clubs  began  to  be  formed  throughout  the  North. 
From  Pekin  the  idea  spread  to  Chicago ;  from  Chicago  to  Philadel- 
phia ;  from  Philadelphia  to  New  York ;  from  New  York  to  New  Eng- 
land, until  the  ripple  became  the  wave  inundating  every  specter  of 
treason  wherever  it  raised  its  ugly  head. 

It  was  not  an  organization  for  the  mere  display  of  patriotic  fer- 
vor ;  it  was  no  chimera  or  emotional  effervescence ;  it  was  as  far  above 
sentimentality  as  "mercy  is  above  the  sceptered  sway".  It  was  as  fear- 
less as  it  was  uncompromising.  It  neither  tolerated  nor  condoned.  It 
poured  every  man's  citizenship  into  the  crucible  and  tested  it  with  the 
acid  of  undivided  loyalty  to  the  Union. 

If  you  would  give  full  credit  to  the  accomplishment  of  the  Union 
League,  consider  the  precarious  condition  which  threatened  even  this 
loyal  state  of  Illinois.  A  strong  secret  band  had  sworn  to  take  her  out 
of  the  Union  and  remove  her  as  a  factor  against  the  Confederacy. 
For  a  while  civil  war  threatened  to  divide  the  state  against  itself.  By 
reason  of  its  geographical  location  and  its  natural  boundaries  it  was 
the  great  dividing  wedge  between  the  East  and  the  West  and  the 
North  and  South.  The  torch  of  the  incendiary  and  the  bullet  of  the 
assassin  threatened  every  true  and  loyal  home.  It  required  no  statis- 
tician in  1862  to  compute  that  all  chances  were  in  favor  of  the  South, 
were  Illinois  lost. 

The  spark  that  was  here  kindled  became  a  flame.  Every  private 
citizen,  every  candidate  for  office,  every  public  servant,  every  man  of 
fighting  age  who  came  under  the  ban  of  suspicion  was  either  prose- 
cuted under  civil  law,  invited  to  leave  for  more  hospitable  climes,  or 
branded  with  the  'scarlet  letter'  of  disloyalty.  The  contagion  of  its 
spirit  spread  until  it  became  a  solid  phalanx,  making  all  of  the  people 
march  in  one  direction,  keeping  step  to  the  music  of  the  Union,  armed 
with  an  irresistible  and  triumphant  faith. 

The  summer  of  1863  marked  the  crest  of  the  Confederacy.  Get- 
tysburg, which  was  fought  with  the  highest  courage  on  both  sides, 
resulted  in  a  loss  approximating  50,000  lives.  Had  the  Army  of  the 
Potomac  failed,  Harrisburg,  Philadelphia  and  New  York  would  have 
been  taken.  Vicksburg,  the  fit  companion  in  victory  to  Gettysburg, 
was  the  crowning  achievement  of  the  Army  of  the  Tennessee  under 
Grant.  It  exhausted  all  known  military  science  and  surpassed  all  cam- 
paigns known  to  history.  It  dismembered  the  Confederacy  and  ranked 
him  as  the  greatest  military  general  of  all  the  ages.  Napoleon  had 
but  72,000  men  at  Waterloo ;  Grant  took  75,000  prisoners  in  Virginia 
alone  and  disposed  of  as  many  more  of  the  enemy  on  the  battlefield. 
Marching  through  a  hostile  country,  he  led  his  men  farther  than 
Napoleon  marched  going  to  Moscow  and  father  than  Hannibal  marched 
in  coming  into  Italy. 

When  sanitary  stores  were  sadly  needed  before  the  fall  of  Vicks- 
burg, the  Grand  Secretary  of  the  League,  Col.  George  H.  Harlow, 
sent  out  the  letters  of  urgent  appeal  that  resulted  in  immediate  sub- 
scriptions of  the  sum  of  $25,000  in  cash,  besides  large  quantities  of 
supplies. 


114 

Another  notable  instance  of  its  efficacy  was  found  at  the  time  that 
Governor  Yates  urged  the  Government  to  permit  organization  of 
negro  regiments  in  the  North.  It  was  in -1862  when  another  call  was 
made  for  300,000  additional  volunteers.  Dispatching  an  open  letter 
to  the  President,  urging  him  to  summon  all  men  to  the  defense  of  the 
Government,  loyalty  alone  being  the  dividing  line  between  the  nation 
and  its  foe,  he  concluded,  "in  any  event  Illinois  will  respond  to  your 
call  but  adopt  this  policy  and  she  will  spring  like  a  flaming  giant  into 
the  fight".  It  was  the  unflinching  course  adopted  by  the  Union 
Leagues  throughout  the  United  States  with  reference  to  the  organ- 
ization of  the  black  regiments  that  made  the  course  possible.  In  New 
York  not  a  single  trumpeter  could  be  found  that  would  for  love  or 
money  lead  the  march  of  these  regiments  through  that  City.  Not  even 
one  would  raise  the  martial  strains  of  the  liberty  l©ving  people  of  this 
country  at  the  head  of  the  colored  men  who  were  going  out  to  fight 
for  it.  But  when  the  government  band  and  an  escort  of  the  Union 
League,  leading*  thousands  of  citizens,  did  march  down  at  the  head  of 
those  black  regiments,  no  triumph  was  ever  greeted  with  louder  ac- 
claim than  swept  throughout  the  length  and  breadth  of  Broadway. 
No  more  distinguished  company  of  ladies  ever  gave  colors  to  a  regi- 
ment than  the  ladies  who  from  the  balcony  of  the  Union  League  Club 
handed  their  colors  to  that  first  negro  regiment. 

This  was  the  factor  then,  that  was  able  to  turn  hatred  into  favor 
and  kindness  into  respect  and  thus  directly  became  the  most  potent 
agency  in  furnishing  these  troops  who  assisted  in  turning  the  tide  of 
battle  for  the  North.  The  Union  League  Club  of  New  York  to  fill  up 
the  strength  of  the  army  put  into  the  field  itself,  with  its  resources,  its 
money,  its  effort,  its  organization  and  its  encouragement,  6,000  men 
as  its  contribution  to  the  tide  of  triumph  in  which  the  cause  of  the  re- 
bellion was  then  finally  to  be  drowned.  And  patriotism  became 
mingled  with  cuisine  when  on  Thanksgiving  Day  on  November  18, 
1864,  it  distributed  luxuries  of  the  market  among  200,000  soldiers  at 
the  front.  Not  in  all  history  is  there  recorded  a  more  gracious  hospi- 
tality, a  more  generous  host  or  a  nobler  company  of  guests  than  par- 
took of  that  generosity. 

In  the  darkest  days  of  the  war  in  1863,  when  England  was  delib- 
erating as  to  whether  she  should  formally  and  openly  recognize  the 
Confederacy,  the  representatives  of  the  Union  League  who  crossed 
the  Atlantic  in  the  cause  of  the  Union,  were  a  potent  influence  in  de- 
terring her  from  an  action  that  would  have  been  disatrous  to  the 
cause  of  the  Union.  These  men  made  it  plain  that  if  the  British  Gov- 
ernment should,  by  any  interference  or  by  oversight  or  by  purpose, 
even  to  the  jostling  of  a  hair,  in  that  struggle,  recognize  the  claims  of 
the  South,  we  should  never  forgive  it  and  when  the  Government  in  all 
its  authority  was  maintained,  would  seek  its  redress. 

By  October,  1862,  the  membership  in  Illinois  had  increased  to  ap- 
proximately 5,000;  a  few  months  later  50,000  were  enrolled  in  its 
ranks,  and  by  1864  there  were  175,000  members  in  this  State. 


115 

Here  then  was  the  full  fruition  of  the  movement  conceived  and 
executed  by  those  eleven  patriots  whose  names  will  be  preserved  "in 
characters  of  brass,  'gainst  the  tooth  of  time  and  razure  of  oblivion". 
From  that  humble  room  in  which  they  gathered  in  that  building  in 
Pekin,  on  the  18th  day  of  June,  1862,  when  Spring  had  hung  her 
infant  blossoms  on  the  trees,  emanated  an  active  principle  of  loyalty 
which 

"Swift  as  a  shadow, 

Brief  as  the  lightning  in  the  collied  night" 

electrified  the  spirit  of  devotion  to  the  Union  and  served  it  nobly  in  the 
common  cause.  It  became  the  strong  right  arm  to  execute  the  mani- 
festo of  Lincoln  that  the  Union  must  be  preserved  at  all  hazards.  It 
sustained  the  unfaltering  faith  of  that  great,  patient  soul  in  the  White 
House  that  no  political  policy  founded  on  the  immorality  of  slavery 
could  endure.  It  tore  the  mask  from  the  face  of  every  citizen  and 
scrutinized  him  in  the  light  of  his  paramount  duty  to  country.  It 
instructed  the  youth,  inspired  the  recruit  and  oft  times  handed  to  him 
the  sword  which  he  was  not  to  sheath  in  its  scabbard  until  the  voice 
of  Rebellion  should  be  forever  silenced.  It  struck  the  knife  from  the 
hands  of  the  Copperheads  who  threatened  to  assassinate  Governor 
Yates  in  1863,  and  by  its  vigilance  preserved  the  life  of  President 
Johnson  when  he  was  acting  as  Provisional  Governor.  At  the  second 
inauguration  of  President  Lincoln,  George  H.  Harlow  and  Dr.  D.  A. 
Cheever  of  Pekin  and  J.  A.  Jones  of  Tremont  represented  the  Tazewell 
County  Union  League  as  a  part  of  the  secret  body-guard  to  prevent 
the  threatened  assassination  of  the  President.  Like  an  angel  of  mercy 
it  succored  the  wounded,  fed  the  hungry  and  ministered  to  the  sick, 
and  thus  maintained  at  high  level  the  morale  of  the  army  in  the  field. 

From  the  time  that  those  eleven  founders  assembled  under  Divine 
Guidance,  until  Appomattox,  "they  slumbered  not  nor  slept"  and  their 
enduring  reward  is  in  the  gratitude  of  a  united  people  toward  them 
who  did  something  to .  leave  the  Union  stronger  than  they  found  it ; 
who  turned  their  gaze  from  the  lowering  clouds  and  angry  rivers  and 
the  ashes  of  plantations  and  cities  to  the  one  bright  gleam  which  was 
the  harbinger  of  a  reunited  nation,  over  which  "the  morning  stars 
might  sing  again  to  swell  the  chorus  of  the  Union". 


116 


PETER  CARTWRIGHT  IN  ILLINOIS  HISTORY. 

By  Wiixlam  W.  Sweet,  DePatjw  University. 

Three  generations  ago  no  name  was  better  known  throughout 
north  central  Illinois  than  Peter  Cartwright.  No  single  individual 
from  1824  to  1870  was  a  greater  factor  in  the  social  and  religious 
life  of  the  State  than  was  this  eccentric  Methodist  circuit  rider,  who 
will  always  remain  the  type  of  the  frontier  preacher.1 

The  son  of  pioneer  parents,  he  was  born  in  Kentucky  in  1785  and 
grew  up  in  the  rudest  and  roughest  region  of  the  frontier,  in  the  bor-. 
derland  between  Kentucky  and  Tennessee.  When  sixteen  years  of 
age  he  was  "converted"  in  the  great  revival  which  swept  over  the 
western  country  from  1795  to  1802  and  united  with  the  Methodist 
Church,  then  weak  and  despised  and  considered  as  little  better  than  an 
"ignorant  and  excitable  rabble."  Immediately  he  developed  such  zeal 
and  power  in  exhortation  that  he  was  soon  licensed  as  an  exhorter 
and  was  thus,  while  yet  a  mere  boy,  employed  by  the  frontier  Church 
in  aiding  the  regular  circuit  preachers.  He  was  ordained  deacon  at 
twenty-one,  an  elder  at  twenty-three,  and  in  1804  was  admitted  to  the 
Western  Conference,2  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  which  then 
embraced  all  the  vast  territory  west  of  the  mountains.  From  1804  to 
1811  he  rode  extensive  circuits  in  Kentucky,  Tennessee,  Ohio  and 
Indiana.  In  1812,  when  twenty-seven  years  of  age,  he  became  a 
Presiding  Elder,  overseeing  a  group  of  circuits  and  from  this  time  to 
the  end  of  his  long,  active  career,  with  the  exception  of  a  very  few 
years,  he  supervised  vast  districts  in  Kentucky,  Tennessee  and  Illinois. 

He  came  to  Illinois  on  horseback  in  1823  to  explore  the  country, 
and  the  next  year  moved  with  his  family  to  Pleasant  Plains,  in  San- 
gamon county.  Here  was  his  home  for  the  remainder  of  his  eventful 
life.  He  had  requested  the  bishop  to  transfer  him  to  Illinois,  because 
as  he  stated :  "I  had  seen  with  painful  emotions  the  increase  of  a  dis- 
position to  justify  slavery,  and  our  preachers,  by  marriage  and  other 
ways,  became  more  and  more  entangled  with  this  dark  question  and 
were  disposed  to  palliate  and  justify  the  traffic  and  ownership  of 
human  beings."  Summarizing  his  reasons  for  his  removal  to  Illinois 
he  says:  "First,  I  would  get  entirely  clear  of  the  evil  of  slavery. 
Second,  I  could  raise  my  children  up  to  work  where  work  was  not 


1  The  chief  sources  of  information  concerning  the  career  of  Peter  Cartwright  is  his 
autobiography,  published  in  1856.  A  brief  biographical  sketch  was  published  after 
his  death,  giving  the  events  of  his  career  from  1856  to  1872,  in  the  Minutes  of  the 
Annual  Conferences  for  the  year  1873,  115-117.  Another  book  giving  biographical 
material  is  Fifty  Years  a  Presiding  Elder,  by  Cartwright,   (Cincinnati,  1871). 

2  For  the  Journal  of  the  Western  Conference,  see  Sweet,  Rise  of  Methodism  in  the 
West,   (New  York,  1920). 


PETER    CARTWRIGHT. 


117 

thought  a  degredation.  Third,  I  believed  I  could  better  my  temporal 
circumstances,  and  procure  land  for  my  children  as  they  grew  up.  And 
fourth,  I  could  carry  the  gospel  to  destitute  souls  that  had  by  their 
removal  into  some  new  country,  been  deprived  of  the  means  of  grace."3 

Sangamon  county,  to  which  he  had  come,  was  but  newly  settled. 
The  condition  of  the  country  we  will  let  Cartwright  describe :  "It  was 
the  most  northern  and  the  only  northern  county  organized  in  the  State. 
It  had  been  settled  by  a  few  hardy  and  enterprising  pioneers  but  a  few 
years  before.  Just  north  of  it  was  an  unbroken  Indian  country,  and  the 
Indians  would  come  in  by  the  scores  and  would  camp  on  the  Sangamon 
river  bottom,  and  hunt  and  live  through  the  winter.  Their  frequent 
visits  to  our  cabins  created  sometimes  great  alarm  among  the  women 
and  children."4 

The  Illinois  conference,  to  which  Cartwright  had  been  transferred 
on  his  removal  to  Illinois,  had  just  been  organized  and  included  all  the 
settled  parts  of  Illinois,  and  southwestern  Indiana.  The  Sangamon 
circuit,  which  was  Cartwright's  first  Illinois  appointment,5  had  been 
organized  but  three  years  before  and  included  all  the  scattered  settle- 
ments in  Sangamon  county,  and  parts  of  Morgan  and  McLean  coun- 
ties.6 The  country  was  destitute  of  ferries,  bridges  or  roads.  After 
traveling  this  circuit  for  two  years,  Cartwright  became  Presiding 
Elder  of  the  Illinois  District  and  Superintendent  of  the  Potawattomie 
mission.  His  district  extended  from  the  Kaskaskia  river  to  the  ex- 
treme northern  settlements  and  included  the  Potawattomie  Indian 
nation  on  Fox  river.7  This  district  he  superintended  for  two  years, 
1826-1828,  when  a  new  district  was  formed  called  the  Sangamon,  over 
which  he  was  appointed  to  preside.  This  district  included  much  of  the 
territory  of  his  previous  district  and  embraced  the  sparsely  settled 
region  in  the  northern  part  of  the  State. 

In  1832  two  new  districts  were  added  to  the  Illinois  conference, 
one  called  the  Chicago  and  the  other  the  Quincy  district.  Over  the 
latter  Cartwright  was  now  appointed.  The  first  mention  of  Chicago8 
in  the  list  of  Methodist  appointments  was  in  1830,  three  years  before 
the  incorporation  of  Chicago.  In  the  above  year  it  appeared  as  a  mis- 
sion in  the  Sangamon  district,  under  the  superintendence  of  Peter 
Cartwright,  although  it  had  formerly  been  a  preaching  place  on  the 
Fox  river  circuit.  The  first  preacher  assigned  to  Chicago  mission  was 
Jesse  Walker,  while  the  second  year  Stephen  R.  Beggs9  was  appointed 

The  Quincy  district  embraced  the  northwest  corner  of  the 
State  and  even  included  a  part  of    Wisconsin.      It    contained    four 


3  Autobiography  of  Peter  Cartwright,  the  backwoods  preacher,  (New  York,  1856) 
244-245. 

4  Conditions  in  Sangamon  County  in  1830,  the  year  Abraham  Lincoln  came  to 
Illinois,  is  described  in  Nicolay  and  Hay,  Abraham  Lincoln,  (New  York,  1890)   I,  47-60. 

^General  Minutes,   I,    (New  York,   1840)    454. 
9  Autobiography,  449-450. 

7  Minutes,  I,  516;  Autobiography,  261. 

8  Minutes,  II,  85;  128.  S.  R.  Beggs,  the  second  circuit  preacher  assigned  to  the 
Chicago  circuit,  has  written  a  book,  Paqes  from  the  Early  History  of  the  West  and 
Northivcst  (Cincinnati,  1868).  When  Chicago  was  incorporated,  In  1833,  there  were 
130  Catholics  in  the  place,  or  ninety  per  cent  of  the  population.  They  were  mostly 
French  or  French  and  Indian.  (Pease,  The  Frontier  State,  1818-1848,  (A.  C.  McClurg 
and  Co.)    422. 

9  Autobiography,  324,  326. 


118 

missions  and  three  circuits.  Cartwright  described  the  boundaries  as 
"Commencing  at  the  mouth  of  the  Illinois  river,  and  running  up  the 
Mississippi  river  to  Galena,  the  northwest  corner  of  the  State,  and  up 
the  Illinois  river  on  its  west  side  to  near  Peoria;  thence  due  north  to 
the  northern  line  of  the  State  and  even  into  what  is  now  Wisconsin." 
Over  this  vast  territory  Cartwright  rode  for  four  years  and  they  were 
years  of  hardship. 

Much  of  the  Quincy  district  consisted  of  new  settlements,  "formed 
or  forming,"  which  meant  long  hard  rides,  "cabin  parlors,,  straw  beds, 
and  bedsteads,  made  out  of  barked  saplings,  and  puncheon  bedcords." 
The  population  he  describes  as  "hardy,  industrious,  enterprising,  game 
catching,  and  Indian-fighting  set  of  men."  The  women  were  also 
hardy  and  they  considered  it  no  hardship  to  turn  out  and  help  their 
husbands  raise  their  cabins,  "they  would  mount  a  horse  and  trot  ten 
or  fifteeen  miles  to  meeting,  or  to  see  the  sick  and  minister  to  them, 
and  home  again  the  same  day."  With  these  hardy  women  of  the 
early  day,  Cartwright  contrasts  the  women  of  the  latter  fifties,  "who 
have  grown  up  in  wealth  and  fashionable  life,  who  would  faint  if  they 
had  to  walk  a  hundred  yards  in  the  sun  without  a  parasol ;  who  are 
braced  and  stayed  at  such  an  intemperate  rate,  that  they  cannot  step 
over  six  or  eight  inches  at  a  step,  and  should  they  by  accident  happen 
to  loose  their  moorings  and  fall,  are  imprisoned  with  so  many  unmen- 
tionables, that  they  could  not  get  up  again."10  The  Presiding  Elder 
of  the  Quincy  district  was  frequently  four  or  five  weeks  from  home 
at  a  time,  and  on  many  a  journey  he  had  difficulty  in  finding  his  way 
across  the  wide,  unsettled  prairies.11 

Again  in  1836  Cartwright  was  appointed  to  the  Sangamon  dis- 
trict, which  he  served  four  years ;  he  was  then  sent  to  the  Jacksonville 
district ;  thence  three  years  on  the  Bloomington  district ;  then  four 
years  on  the  Springfield  district;  then  two  more  years  on  the  Quincy 
district,  when  in  1853  he  was  appointed  to  the  Pleasant  Plains  district. 
After  serving  several  more  terms  on  other  Illinois  districts,  he  was 
relieved  of  the  trials  and  hardships  of  the  presiding  eldership,  at  his 
own  request,  in  September,  1869,  when  eighty-four  years  of  age. 
He  attended  forty-six  sessions  of  the  Illinois  conference,  from  1824  to 
1871,  missing  only  one  session  in  that  long  period.12 

Peter  Cartwright's  career  covered  the  first  two  generations  of 
the  history  of  the  Church  west  of  the  mountains.  He  preached  nearly 
eighteen  thousand  sermons ;  baptised  nearly  fifteen  thousand  persons ; 
and  received  into  the  church  nearly  twelve  thousand  members,  and 
licensed  preachers  enough  to  make  a  whole  annual  conference.  This 
in  brief  represents  the  ministerial  work  of  Peter  Cartwright  in  its  bare 
outline.  For  forty-eight  years  he  lived  and  worked  in  Illinois,  and  in 
the  early  period  of  his  Illinois  residence  his  work  lay  in  the  newer 
sections  of  the  State,  whence  he  followed  the  advancing  population 
as  it  pushed  northward.    He  called  himself  one  of  the  Lord's  breaking 


10  Autobiography,  326-327. 

11  For  an  interesting  account  of  such  a  trip,  see  Autobiography,  327-331. 

12  See  Biographical  sketch,  Minutes  of  Annual  Conferences,  1873,  115. 


119 


plows,  and  in  physique,  training  and  experience,  and  mental  character- 
istics he  was  exceptionally  well  adapted  for  that  task. 

In  person  he  was  about  five  feet  ten  inches  tall  and  had  a  square, 
built,  powerful  physical  frame,  weighing  nearly  two  hundred  pounds. 
His  complexion  was  dark,  his  cheek  bones  high,  with  small  piercing 
black  eyes.  His  hardships  and  exposure  seemed  to  add  to  his  vigor 
and  produced  almost  perfect  health.  The  roughs  and  bruisers,  so 
plentiful  on  the  frontier,  at  camp-meetings  and  elsewhere,  stood  in 
awe  of  his  brawney  arm,  and  the  tales  of  his  courage  and  daring  often 
sent  terror  through  their  ranks.  Added  to  his  physical  strength  and 
courage  was  a  moral  strength,  which  commanded  attention  wherever 
he  went.13 

While  he  had  little  schooling,  in  fact  but  little  more  than  had 
Lincoln,  yet  his  mind  readily  perceived  the  central  points  of  a  subject 
and  he  never  wasted  his  energies  on  side  issues,  and  he  became  a  man 
of  acknowledged  mental  power.  He  understood  politics  and  legislation 
and  at  times  took  a  prominent  part  in  public  affairs.  As  a  preacher 
he  was  a  prince,  of  the  Methodist  frontier  type.  Sometimes  he  was 
full  of  humor  and  mirth,  but  underneath  there  was  always  plenty  of 
good  sense.  At  other  times  he  "was  like  a  fearful  cloud  charged  with 
terror,  thunder  and  lightning."  Everything  about  his  discourse  was 
marked  and  original.  In  his  sermons  he  made  the  truths  of  religion 
plain  to  his  hearers.  There  was  never  anything  misty  or  ambiguous 
in  his   statements. 

.  Not  only  was  Cartwright  an  ardent  Methodist,  but  he  was  also  a 
staunch  Jacksonian  Democrat.  Andrew  Jackson  had  been  a  man 
after  his  own  heart,  while  Jacksonian  political  philosophy  exactly 
suited  his  way  of  thinking.  Soon  after  Cartwright's  removal  to  Illi- 
nois he  became  interested  in  the  politics  of  the  State ;  the  reason  for 
this  interest  we  will  let  him  explain: 

"The  year  before  I  moved  to  the  State  there  had  been  a  strong 
move,  by  a  corrupt  and  demoralized  legislature,  to  call  a  convention 
with  a  view  to  alter  the  Constitution,  so  as  to  admit  slavery  into  the 
State.  I  had  left  Kentucky  on  account  of  slavery,  and  as  I  hoped  had 
bid  farewell  to  all  slave  institutions ;  but  the  subject  was  well  rife 
through  the  country,  for  although  the  friends  of  human  liberty  had 
sustained  themselves  and  carried  the  election  by  more  than  a  thousand 
votes,  yet  it  was  feared  that  the  advocates  of  slavery  would  renew 
the  effort  ,and  yet  cause  this  "abomination  of  desolation  to  stand  where 
it  ought  not."  I  very  freely  entered  the  lists  to  oppose  slavery  in  this 
way,  and  without  any  forethought  of  mind  went  into  the  agitated 
waters  of  political  strife.  I  was  strongly  solicited  to  become  a  candi- 
date for  a  seat  in  the  legislature  of  our  State.  I  consented,  and  was 
twice  elected  as  representative  from  Sangamon  county."14 

Of  his  experience  as  a  state  legislator  he  has  left  us  several 
amusing  incidents.     While  canvassing  in  Sangamon  county,  he  came 


"Minutes,  1873,  116. 

14  Autobiography,    261-262. 


120 

one  day  to  a  ferry  over  the  Sangamon  river.  He  heard  some  one  talk- 
ing in  a  very  loud  voice  and  he  reined  in  his  horse  to  listen,  being  hid 
by  a  thick  undergrowth.  The  ferryman  was  engaged  in  cursing  Cart- 
wright,  calling  him  a  d d  rascal,  finally  ending  up  by  threatening 

to  whip  him  the  first  time  he  saw  him.  Just  then  the  preacher  candi- 
date rode  up,  and  asked  "who  is  it  among  you  that  is  going  to  whip 
Cartwright  the  first  time  you  see  him?"  The  ferryman  answered  by 
saying,  "I  am  the  lark  that's  going  to  thrash  him  well."  At  that 
Cartwright  warned  the  bully  that  the  preacher  was  something  of  a 
man  and  it  would  take  a  man  to  whip  him.  To  this  the  ferryman  re- 
plied, "I  can  whip  any  Methodist  preacher  the  Lord  ever  made." 
"Well,  sir,"  said  Cartwright,  "you  cannot  do  it;  and  now  I  tell  you 
my  name  is  Cartwright  and  I  never  like  to  live  in  dread;  if  you  really 
intend  to  do  it,  come  and  do  it  now."  At  this  the  man  looked  confused, 
but  insisted,  however,  that  it  was  not  Cartwright,  and  kept  on  cursing 
the  preacher.  Finally  Cartwright  asked  one  of  the  bystanders  to  hold 
his  horse  while  he  addressed  the  bully.  "Now  sir,  you  have  to  whip 
me  or  quit  cursing  me,  or  I  will  put  you  in  the  river,  and  baptise  you 
in  the  name  of  the  devil,  for  surely  you  belong  to  him."  This,  in  the 
words  of  Cartwright,  "settled  him  ;  and  strange  to  say,  when  the  elec- 
tion came  off,  he  went  to  the  polls  and  voted  for  me,  and  ever  after- 
ward was  my  warm  and  constant  friend."15 

On  another  occasion  Cartwright  was  asked  to  dine  with  the  Gov- 
ernor and  his  lady,  with  a  "number  of  genteel  people."  He  says,  "We 
sat  down  to  tea,  and  I  found  they  were  going  to  eat  with  graceless  in- 
difference. Said  I,  "Governor,  ask  a  blessing."  The  Governor  at  this 
rebuke  blushed  and  apologized,  and  then  asked  Cartwright  to  say  a 
blessing.  After  the  blessing,  and  before  the  other  guests,  Cartwright 
proceeded  to  reprove  the  Governor  and  said,  "the  Governor  ought  to 
be  a  good  man  and  set  a  better  example."16 

While  Cartwright  served  but  two  terms  in  the  State  legislature, 
yet  he  continued  his  interest  in  politics  and  was  high  in  the  councils 
of  his  party  in  Sangamon  county  and  in  Springfield  for  many  years. 
He  was  accused  by  his  political  opponents  of  belonging  to  a  group  of 
Springfield  politicians  who  were  not  above  attempting  to  control  their 
party.17  The  last  venture  of  Cartwright  into  politics  was  in  1846 
when  he  was  named  by  the  Democrats  to  compete  with  Abraham 
Lincoln  for  a  seat  in  Congress.  Lincoln  and  Cartwright  had  met  be- 
fore in  politics,  for  both  had  run  for  the  state  Legislature  in  1832  from 
Sangamon  county,  and  Cartwright  had  been  elected.  Cartwright 
was  now  over  sixty  years  old  and  was  at  the  height  of  his  popularity. 
He  was  altogther  a  formidable  candidate  because  of  his  large  personal 
acquaintance  throughout  the  district,  where  he  had  continued  to  live 
since  his  coming  to  the  state  in  1824.18     The  result  of  the  election  is 


15  Autobiography,  262-264. 
"Ibid,  26S. 

17  Pease,  The  Frontier   State,   1818-1848,   149  ;  237. 

18  Nicolay  and  Hay,  Abraham  Lincoln,  I,  245-249  ;  also  Herndon  and  Weik,  Lincoln, 
Cartwright,  in  his  biography,  fails  to  mention  the  campaign  of  1846.  The  reason  for 
this  omission  is  doubtless  the  overwhelming  defeat  he  suffered.  Pease,  The  Frontier 
State,  likewise  fails  to  mention   the  candidacy  of  Cartwright  against   Lincoln  in   184b. 


121 

well  known  and  was  an  overwhelming  defeat  for  the  preacher  candi- 
date. A  short  time  before  the  election  Lincoln  said  to  a  Democrat 
friend,  who  had  promised  to  vote  for  him  if  he  needed  his  vote,  "I 
have  got  the  preacher,  and  I  don't  want  your  vote."  Lincoln's  majority 
over  Cartwright  in  the  district  was  1511,  while  his  majority  in  San- 
gamon county  alone  was  914,  certainly  a  testimonial  of  the  popularity 
of  Lincoln.  It  was  the  largest  majority  ever  given  any  candidate  in 
the  county  during  the  entire  period  of  Whig  ascendancy  until  1852. 

One  incident  of  the  campaign  is  worth  relating.  On  one  occasion 
during  the  canvass,  Lincoln  happened  into  a  town  where  Cartwright 
was  engaged  in  a  series  of  revival  meetings.  Lincoln  came  to  the 
Church,  where  the  meeting  was  in  progress,  and  took  his  seat  in  the 
rear  of  the  room.  At  the  close  of  the  preaching  Cartwright  asked  for 
all  those  who  wished  to  be  saved  and  go  to  heaven,  to  stand  up.  All 
stood  except  Lincoln.  Then  Cartwright  tried  again.  He  asked  all 
who  did  not  want  to  go  to  hell  to  stand  up.  Again,  all  stood  except 
Lincoln.  Then  Cartwright  leaned  across  the  pulpit  and  said :  "I  have 
asked  all  those  who  desired  to  go  to  heaven  to  stand,  and  then  I  have 
asked  all  who  do  not  want  to  go  to  hell  to  stand  and  all  have  responded 
on  both  invitations  except  Mr.  Lincoln,  and  now  I  would  like  to  know 
where  Mr:  Lincoln  expects  to  go."  At  this  Lincoln  stood  up,  stating 
that  he  had  not  considered  himself  a  part  of  the  congregation,  but 
since  Mr.  Cartwright  insisted  on  knowing  where  he  expected  to  go 
he  would  be  glad  to  state,  and  then  he  said,  "I  expect  to  go  to  Con- 
gress." 

It  is  a  difficult  and  perhaps  an  impossible  task  to  correctly  esti- 
mate the  influence  of  such  a  career  as  that  of  Peter  Cartwright.  After 
Cartwright  had  served  fifty  years  as  a  Presiding  Elder,  the  Illinois 
Conference  gave  a  Jubilee  in  his  honor,  which  was  held  in  Lincoln, 
Illinois,  in  September,  1869.  The  resolution  passed  by  the  Conference 
at  that  time  stated,  "The  career  of  Dr.  Cartwright  has  been  one  of  the 
most  remarkable  and  eventful  known  in  the  great  west.  No  man  west 
of  the  mountains  has  secured  such  wide-spread  fame.  There  is 
scarcely  a  town,  village,  or  city,  within  the  borders  of  this  great  Re- 
public, where  the  name  of  Peter  Cartwright  is  not  familiar."19  It  is 
undoubtedly  true  that  at  the  time  of  his  prime  he  was  at  least  the 
best  known  preacher  in  Illinois.  He  was  a  familiar  figure  in  the  north 
central  part  of  the  state  for  nearly  a  half  century  and  he  was  always  the 
deadly  enemy  of  slavery,  whiskey  and  immorality  of  all  kinds.  He 
was  particularly  adapted  to  the  conditions  of  the  frontier  and  perhaps 
his  most  effective  work  was  in  the  period  when  settlements  were 
under  way. 

His  preaching  was  the  type  best  suited  to  conditions  under  which 
he  worked.  He  appealed  to  the  emotions  more  than  to  the  reason  of 
his  hearers,  and  he  had  little  patience  with  innovations  either  in 
theology  or  in  Church  organization.  He  has  been  accused  of  opposing 
college  trained  ministers  and  education  generally,  but  such  accusations 
are  neither  just  nor  true,  for  he  himself  established  schools,  and  was 


Peter  Cartwright,  Fifty  Years  a  Presiding  Elder,    (Cincinnati,  1871),  195. 


122 

one  of  the  founders  of  McKendree  College.20  He  had  the  greatest 
contempt  for  eastern  preachers  who  came  out  from  New  England 
especially,  with  their  manuscript  sermons  and  attempted  to  preach  to 
western  congregations.  Such  a  preacher  he  described  on  one  occasion 
as  "a  fresh  green  yankee,  from  down  east"  who  "had  regularly  gradu- 
ated, and  had  his  diploma,  and  was  regularly  called  by  the  Home 
Missionary  Society  to  visit  the  far  west — a  perfect  moral  waste  in 
his  view  of  the  subject."21 

Peter  Cartwright's  theology  was  as  narrow  as  it  was  simple.  It 
consisted  chiefly  of  future  rewards  and  punishments  of  the  most  con- 
crete character,  and  this  formed  the  staple  of  his  sermons.  He  was 
sometimes  accused  of  hating  the  devil  more  than  he  loved  Christ.  He 
delighted  in  theological  controversy  and  since  he  was  a  fluent  and  self- 
confident  speaker  he  generally  came  off  victor,  aided  by  his  fund  of 
mother  wit  and  keen  sarcasm.  On  all  possible  occasions  he  delighted 
to  attack  the  Baptists  for  their  insistence  on  immersion  and  their  prac- 
tice of  close  communion.  On  one  occasion  he  said  of  certain  Baptist 
preachers,  "They  made  so  much  ado  about  baptism  by  immersion  that 
the  uninformed  would  suppose  that  heaven  was  an  island  and  there 
was  no  way  to  get  there  but  by  diving  or  swimming."22  Likewise  he 
delighted  to  attack  the  Presbyterian  and  Congregational  Calvinism. 
He  preached  free  grace  with  a  vengeance  and  had  little  patience  with 
a  gospel  which  did  not  give  every  man  an  equal  chance.  Peter  Cart- 
wright,  with  other  frontier  preachers,  exercised  a  powerful  influence 
in  maintaining  law  and  order.  The  Methodist  system  of  Church  or- 
ganization and  government  was  a  well  ordered  and  efficient  system. 
Designed  by  John  Wesley,  it  had  been  brought  to  America  by  Asbury 
and  his  colaborers.  Bishop  Asbury  was  a  far  better  organizer  than  he 
was  a  preacher,  and  he  stood  always  for  obedience  to  the  laws  of  the 
Church.  Order  was  his  passion,  and  the  introduction  of  such  an 
orderly  system  in  a  more  or  less  disorganized  community  had  a  far 
reaching  influence.23  It  is  generally  thought  that  the  early  Methodists 
welcomed  excitement  in  their  meetings  and  that  the  preachers  desired 
to  work  the  people  up  to  a  state  of  religious  frenzy  at  every  meeting 
and  that  they  took  special  delight  in  such  strange  exercises  as  the 
"jerks",  the  "holy  laugh"  or  the  "barking  exercise",  and  that  they 
encouraged  trances  and  visions,  but  this  is  an  entire  misconception. 
None  of  the  preachers  objected  to  hearty  shouts  during  their  preach- 
ing, indeed  they  encouraged  it,  but  there  were  few  fanatics  among 
them,  and  certain  it  is  that  none  were  more  level  headed,  or  had  a 
greater  fund  of  common  sense  than  had  Peter  Cartwright.  He  says 
concerning  a  certain  camp  meeting  in  Ohio  where  there  was  a  ten- 
dency  to   go   to   an    extreme,    "The    Methodist   preachers    generally 


20  Peter  Cartwright  had  the  following  connections  with  educational  institutions. 
He  served  as  a  trustee,  agent  and  visitor  to  McKendree  College;  three  years  he  was  a 
visitor  to  Illinois  Wesleyan  University  ;  one  year  he  was  a  visitor  to  Garrett  Biblical 
Institute.      (Fifty  Years  a  Presiding  Elder,  199.) 

21  Autobiography,  370.  For  Cartwright's  opposition  to  Presbyterian  and  Congrega- 
tional missionaries,  see  Pease,   The  Frontier  State,  1818-1848,   417  ;   438. 

22  Autobiography,  133-138.    Also  Sweet,  Rise  of  Methodism  in  the  West,  51. 

23  Tipple,  Francis  Asbury,  the  Prophet  of  the  Long  Road,  241,  242. 


123 

preached  against  this  extravagant  wildness,  I  did  it  uniformly  in  my 
ministrations,  and  sometime  gave  great  offense."24 

Western  morality  was  extremely  loose  and  in  many  communities 
there  was  little  attempt  to  preserve  order  or  uphold  decent  morality 
by  the  civil  authorities.25  In  the  face  of  this  general  looseness  the 
preachers  maintained  and  proclaimed  an  unbending  morality.  They 
waged  war  on  vice  of  every  kind ;  not  content  to  denounce  sin  in  gen- 
eral, they  often  came  to  particulars  and  called  out  names  in  meeting 
and  denounced  sinners  to  their  very  face.  In  the  early  day  when 
whisky  was  thought  to  be  one  of  the  necessities,  the  circuit  preachers 
denounced  its  use  and  often  pledged  whole  congregations  to  absti- 
nance.26  Nor  was  there  to  be  found  anywhere  a  more  strenuous  op- 
ponent to  whisky  and  its  immoderate  use  than  was  Cartwright.  In  his 
Autobiography  he  returns  again  and  again  to  the  subject,  and  wher- 
ever he  went  he  was  a  potent  influence  for  temperance  and  sobriety.27 

Besides  his  influence  as  a  preacher  and  a  Church  administrator, 
Cartwright  exercised  a  peculiar  social  influence.  The  average  Meth- 
odist circuit  rider  in  the  early  day  had  no  home,  and  his  only  pos- 
sessions were  his  horse  and  saddle  bags.  As  a  consequence  of  the  vast 
circuits  and  district  over  which  the  early  preachers  traveled,  the 
preachers  and  presiding  elders  were  compelled  to  spend  their  nights 
and  eat  their  meals  in  the  cabins  of  the  settlers.  Few  settlers  would 
turn  away  a  stranger,  and  fewer  still,  would  turn  away  a  preacher. 
For  nearly  fifty  years  Cartwright  traveled  among  the  people  of  Illi- 
nois ;  he  stayed  in  their  homes ;  he  ate  at  their  tables ;  he  sang  and 
prayed  at  their  firesides.  It  is  difficult  to  estimate  the  influence  which 
he  exercised  in  this  way,  but  it  is  safe  to  say  that  he  and  others  like 
him  brought  a  softening  influence  into  the  homes  and  lives  of  the  peo- 
ple when  such  influences  were  most  needed.28 

This  summary  of  the  labors  of  Peter  Cartwright  can  best  be 
ended  in  the  words  of  the  greatest  of  Christian  missionaries,  describing 
his  own  labors,  "in  journeyings  often,  in  perils  of  rivers,  in  perils  of 
robbers,  in  perils  in  the  wilderness,  in  perils  among  false  brethren, 
in  labor  and  travel,  in  watchings  often,  in  hunger  and  thirst,  in  fast- 
ings often,  in  cold  and  nakedness."29  In  the  face  of  such  difficulties 
did  Peter  Cartwright,  even  as  did  Paul,  preach  the  Gospel. 


24  Autobiography,   51,  52. 

^McMaster's  History  of  the  People  of  the  United  States,  II,  152,  578. 
26Finley,  Autobiography,  249,   250.     Finley,   Sketches  of  Western  Methodism,   237, 
2o8. 

27  Cartwright,  Autobiography,  212. 

28  T.   M.    Eddy,    Influence    of  Methodism    upon    Civilization    and    Education    of    the 
West,  Methodist  Review,  1857,  280-296. 

29 II  Corinthians,  11  :26-27. 


124 


WILLIAM  REID  CURRAN,  1854-1921. 

By  Ralph  Dempsey. 

William  Reid  Curran  was  born  in  Hardin  County,  Ohio,  Decem- 
ber 3,  1854,  and  died  at  his  home  in  Pekin,  Illinois,  February  26,  1921. 

One  who  rises  to  distinction  above  his  fellow  men,  does  so  by 
reason  of  his  exceptional  value  as  a  citizen  and  a  public  servant. 
Those  qualities  of  a  man  which,  blended  together,  determine  his  char- 
acter, are  difficult  to  portray.  What  Judge  Curran  achieved  in  his 
various  activities  evidences  best  the  manner  of  man  he  was.  From 
his  works  accomplished  we  may  gain  knowledge  of  his  character  and 
know  why  he  was  honored  by  his  fellows. 

When  one  knows  the  habits  and  environment  of  the  forebears, 
less  difficulty  is  encountered  in  tracing  to  their  origin,  virtues  and 
characteristics  found  in  the  offspring,  than  when  that  knowledge  is 
wanting.  Not  much  is  known  of  the  antecedents  of  William  Reid 
Curran.  His  father,  Thomas  Smith  Curran,  and  mother,  Margaret 
Reid  Curran,  with  their  family,  consisting  of  William  Reid  Curran, 
and  another  son  Charles,  who  died  in  early  manhood,  moved  from 
their  home  in  Hardin  County,  Ohio,  to  a  farm  in  Livingston  County, 
Illinois,  in  1859,  where  they  lived  until  1865,  when  the  family  moved 
to  the  Village  of  Chatsworth,  Illinois.  Here  William  Reid  Curran 
grew  to  manhood,  and  availed  himself  of  the  rather  limited  school 
facilities  which  Chatsworth  offered  at  that  early  period. 

He  had  none  of  the  advantages  that  wealth,  social  position  or 
family  influence  may  offer  and  he  must  have  concluded  in  his  early 
youth  that  such  progress  as  he  was  to  make,  must  come  from  his 
unaided  efforts.  Certain  it  is  that  with  limited  schooling,  he  became 
an  educated  man ;  with  no  assistance  from  his  family,  he  established 
himself  in  the  profession  of  the  law  and  amassed  a  competency ;  with- 
out family  influence  or  prestige,  he  rose  to  distinction  and  honor  in 
his   State. 

Poorly  equipped  as  he  was,  with  knowledge  gained  from  books, 
without  college  or  university  training  and  with  his  education  in  the 
law  such  as  it  was,  gained  by  study  in  the  office  of  Attorney  Samuel 
T.  Fosdick  at  Chatsworth,  Illinois,  over  a  period  of  two  years,  during 
which  he  also  taught  a  country  school  near  Forrest,  Illinois,  on  July 
4,  1876,  at  the  age  of  twenty-one  years,  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar 
of  the  State  of  Illinois.  His  admission  to  practice  in  the  United  States 
District  and  Circuit  Courts  took  place  in  the  month  of  April,  1888, 
and  in  March,  1897,  he  was  admitted  to  practice  before  the  Supreme 
Court  of  the  United  States. 


JUDGE  W.  R.  CURRAN, 
Pekin. 


125 

His  first  effort  to  establish  himself  in  his  profession  was  at  the 
little  town  of  Delavan,  Tazewell  County,  Illinois,  in  the  year  1876, 
immediately  following  his  admission  to  the  bar.  He  remained  at 
Delavan  with  but  indifferent  success  until  the  year  1880,  when  he 
moved  to  Pekin,  the  County  Seat  of  Tazewell  County,  where  he  con- 
tinued in  the  active  practice  of  the  law  until  a  few  days  before  his 
death.  On  December  28,  1876,  not  long-  after  locating  in  Delavan, 
he  was  united  in  marriage  with  Mary  C.  Burgess  and  she  and  one 
daughter,  Bessie  C.  Smith,  survive  him. 

His  strong  will,  tenacity  of  purpose  and  determination  to  advance 
himself  in  the  law,  were  put  to  the  test  when  he  entered  the  field  in 
Tazewell  County.  Here  he  had  to  meet  and  cope  with  practitioners, 
ripe  in  experience  and  skilled  in  the  arts  of  their  profession,  who  were 
the  peers  of  any  of  the  lawyers  of  Central  Illinois.  Among  these  able 
lawyers  he  was  soon  accepted  as  an  equal,  and  in  time  he  was  recog- 
nized as  the  leader  of  the  bar  of  his  County,  a  position  which  he  held 
until  he  gave  up  active  practice  in  the  Courts  two  or  three  years 
prior  to  his  death. 

William  Reid  Curran  was  possessed  of  unusual  strength  of  will, 
a  clear  vision,  confidence  in  his  fellow  men  and  an  abiding  faith  in  the 
Christian  Religion.  He  had  a  logical  and  retentive  mind,  stored  with  a 
mass  of  useful  information  which  he  commanded  with  facility. 

He  was  fearless  in  the  discharge  of  his  duties  and  tireless  and 
ardent  in  his  labors ;  once  having  formed  his  opinion  and  determined 
upon  his  plan  of  action,  nothing  would  change  his  conviction  or  cause 
him  to  waver  in  his  course,  save  proof  that  he  was  in  the  wrong.  His 
influence  in  public  affairs  was  always  toward  the  right ;  his  moraJ 
courage  never  was  questioned. 

No  opponent  ever  concluded  an  engagement  with  him  at  the  bar 
without  respect  for  his  ability  as  a  lawyer.  No  difficult  problem  ever 
discouraged  him.  He  was  quick  to  see  advantages  in  a  situation  which 
to  his  associates  seemed  hopeless.  At  all  time  respectful  to  the  Courts, 
he  maintained  his  dignity  as  a  lawyer  and  a  man,  and  nothing  moved 
him  from  his  chosen  course  in  the  furtherance  justly  of  his  client's 
cause.  Of  commanding  presence,  possessed  of  unusual  oratorical 
ability  and  dramatic  talent,  the  recognition  which  he  ganied  among 
his  fellow  lawyers  of  Central  Illinois  as  a  trial  lawyer  of  unusual  skill 
and  ability,  he  never  lost.  For  a  period  of  more  than  twenty-five 
years  preceding  his  death,  he  appeared  as  counsel  in  every  important 
case  tried  in  the  Tazewell  County  Circuit  Court  and  his  aid  and  coun- 
sel were  often  sought  by  lawyers  and  litigants  in  the  Courts  of  many 
Counties  throughout  the  State.  If  he  was  intemperate  in  anything, 
it  was.  in  work  and  in  times  of  business  stress,  he  drew  heavily  upon 
his  seeming  abundance  of  physical  and  nervous  strength. 

He  was  active  in  the  affairs  of  the  Tazewell  County,  State  and 
American  Bar  Associations.  He  was  president  of  the  Tazewell  County 
Bar  Association  in  1902-03,  and  the  lawyers  of  this  State  honored  him 
by  electing  him  president  of  the  State  Bar  Association  for  the  vear 
1910-1911. 


126 

His  rare  attainments  as  a  lawyer  were  recognized  by  the  judges 
as  well  as  the  lawyers  of  his  circuit,  and  from  1886  until  1894  he 
served  as  Master-in-Chancefy  of  Tazewell  County.  The  voters  of  his 
county  honored  him  by  electing  him  County  Judge  in  1894,  a  position 
which  he  held  until  1898. 

While  he  was  most  widely  known  as  a  lawyer,  and  although  the 
demands  of  his  professional  life  were  most  heavy,  he  applied  himself 
with  diligence  to  many  tasks  in  other  lines,  and  took  time  to  share 
with  his  fellow  men  the  obligations  of  citizenship. 

In  1911  he  oiganized  the  Banner  Special  Drainage  and  Levee 
District  in  the  Counties  of  Peoria  and  Fulton  in  the  State  of  Illinois, 
whereby  thousands  of  acres  of  overflow  land  were  reclaimed  from  the 
waters  of  the  Illinois  River  and  reduced  to  cultivation  in  spite  of  diffi- 
culties which  would  have  disheartened  one  of  more  limited  vision  and 
less   courage. 

As  a  Director  of  the  Lincoln  Circuit  Marking  Association,  and  as 
a  member  of  the  Tazewell  County  Historical  Society,  and  a  Director 
of  the  Illinois  State  Historical  Society,  he  displayed  a  keen  interest  in 
the  furtherance  of  the  objects  of  those  societies,  as  is  so  well  known 
to  members  thereof  with  whom  he  was  associated. 

He  was  instrumental  in  the  organization  of  the  Tazewell  County 
Memorial  Association,  of  which  he  was  president  at  the  time  of  his 
death,  and  during  the  last  two  years  of  his  life,  he  gave  freely  of  his 
time  to  the  end  that  that  association  might  bring  about  the^  erection 
of  a  suitable  memorial  in  commemoration  of  the  soldiers  of  all  wars 
who  had  claimed  Tazewell  County  as  their  home. 

His  faith  in  men  was  constant.  He  was  ever  ready  with  encour- 
agement and  aid  for  those  who  had  failed  or  saw  disaster  confronting 
them.  That  his  efforts  to  aid  his  fellow  men  sometimes  came  to 
naught,  as  seemingly  they  did  at  times,  never  discouraged  him  or 
weakened  his  conviction  that  the  good  in  men  far  outweighed  the  evil 
in  them  and  that  his  helping  hand  might  be  all  that  was  needed  to 
bring  uppermost  the  good  and  turn  them  from  the  path  of  failure  to 
the  highway  of  accomplishment. 

His  admiration  of  Abraham  Lincoln  knew  no  bounds,  and  he 
never  lost  an  opportunity  to  add  to  his  knowledge  of  the  life  of  the 
great  emancipator.  His  address  on  the  life  of  Lincoln  delivered  at 
Pekin  on  the  occasion  of  the  Lincoln  Day  Celebration  February  12, 
1909,  later  printed  in  pamphlet  form,  attracted  favorable  attention 
throughout  the  nation.  This  address  was  an  unusual  literary  produc- 
tion and  proved  that  its  author  had  a  rare  knowledge  of  the  character 
of  the  martyred  President  Lincoln.  - 

The  Congregational  Church,  of  which  he  was  a  member,  knew 
him  as  a  worker  in  the  vineyard  and  as  one  always  ready  to  give 
freely  of  his  time  and  to  aid  financially  in  advancing  the  cause  of  the 
Christian  religion. 

As  one  of  the  founders  of  The  Pekin  Union  Mission,  he  had  the 
satisfaction  of  living  to  see  the  abundant  good  work  of  the  Mission 
bear  fruit.  A  few  years  ago  he  purchased  and  gave  to  the  Pekin 
Union  Mission,  a  building  adjoining  the  property  then  owned  by  the 


127 

Mission,  in  order  that  the  work  of  that  institution  might  not  be  retard- 
ed for  lack  of  proper  space.  Fully  conscious  that  the  gift  without  the 
giver  is  bare,  he  took  an  active  part  in  the  conduct  of  the  affairs  of 
the  Mission  and  continued  as  a  teacher  in  the  Mission  Sunday  School 
long  after  his  physical  strength  had  so  failed  him,  that  he  was  com- 
pelled to  remain  seated  in  conducting  his  class  work.  His  sincere  and 
unselfish  devotion  to  this  work  after  he  had  been  forbidden  by  his 
physician  to  continue  it,  best  evidences  his  keen  desire  to  aid  in  the 
betterment  of  those  in  his  home  city  who  otherwise  would  have  grown 
up  without  the  good  influences  of  the  Pekin  Union  Mission.  Although 
he  reached  a  high  station  in  his  chosen  profession  and  was  honored  for 
his  activities  in  civic  affairs,  he  will  be  as  long  and  favorably  remem- 
bered for  what  he  gave  and  what  he  did  to  help  make  the  poor  boys 
and  girls  of  his  home  city  better  men  and  women  through  his  mission 
work,  as  for  any  other  phase  of  his  activities. 

To  his  memory  can  be  most  fittingly  applied  this  tribute: 

He  never  failed  to  march  breast  forward, 

Never  doubted  clouds  would  break; 

Never  thought  though  right  were  worsted, 

Wrong  would  triumph; 

Held  we  fall  to  rise,  are  beaten  to  fight  harder, 

Sleep  to  wake. 


PART  HI 
Contributions  to  State  History 


MAJOR   JAMES   R.  ZEARING,  M.  D. 


129 


THE  ZEARINGS— EARLIEST   SETTLERS   OF   THE   NAME  IN 

ILLINOIS. 

Compiled  by  Lueilja  Zearing  Gross,  the  Daughter  of  Dr.  James  Roberts 

Zearing. 

The  name  of  Zearing  in  the  State  of  Illinois  stands  among  those 
honored  pioneers  who  made  a  path  for  future  generations  to  follow. 
This  family  bravely  sought  new  homes  in  a  new  country.  Two 
brothers,  John  Zearing,  1792  to  1846,  of  Harrisburg,  Pa.,  and  Martin 
Zearing,  1794  to  1855,  of  Mechanicsville,  Pa.,  sons  of  Henry  Zearing, 
in  the  spring  of  1834  made  a  tour  of  several  months  of  inspection  and 
investment  in  the  far  away  West,  Ohio,  Indiana  and  Illinois.  When 
they  reached  Chicago,  they  were  advised  to  look  at  the  country  about 
a  hundred  miles  southwest,  where  they  were  told  the  best  people  who' 
had  arrived  that  year  had  decided  to  locate.  The  land  was  superior 
and  the  climate  more  healthy  as  there  were  less  swamps  with  which 
to  contend.  What  they  heard  of  New  England  settlers,  who  were  just 
ahead  of  them  quite  decided  them  to  visit  this  location  so  highly  recom- 
mended, and  meet  these  people  who  had  left  a  decided  impression  of 
genuine  worth,  stable  character  and  were  people  of  refinement  and  edu- 
cation. vSo  to  what  was  organized  Feb.  28,  1837,  as  .Bureau  County  they 
went  in  May  of  that  year  and  there  decided  to  invest  in  land  in  Berlin 
township  adjoining  what  is  now  the  town  of  Dover,  laid  out  as  a  village 
July,  1837,  and  later  they  returned  with  their  families  to  make  this 
their  future  home.  These  families  bravely  turned  their  faces  from 
comfortable  homes,  and  the  cities  of  the  East  with  their  many  ad- 
vantages of  wealth,  education  and  civilization  to  invest  their  small  for- 
tunes in  the  western  prairies  in  all  their  barreness  and  their  primi- 
tive modes  of  living.  They  were  willing  to  forego  the  comforts  of  their 
early  homes,  and  endure  the  trials  and  hardships  of  a  new  country  that 
their  children  might  have  greater  opportunities  in  the  future.  Such 
as  these  noble  pioneers  were  many  others  who  chose  Bureau  County  as 
their  new  home. 

In  later  years  the  sons  of  these  Zearing  pioneers  became  large 
land  owners  throughout  the  country  besides  Bureau  County — in  Chi- 
cago, Cook  County,  and  in  the  States  of  Iowa,  Texas  and  Kansas,  and 
the  name  was  staunchly  fixed  as  an  established  family  name  even  be- 
fore the  Chicago,  Burlington  and  Quincy  Railroad  named  its  cross- 
road town  with  the  New  York  Central  Railroad  "ZEARING,"  and 
today,  with  miles  of  railroad  side-tracks,  this  town  has  become  the 
most  active  railroad  center  between  Galesburg  and  Aurora. 

On  May  9,  1836,  Martin  Zearing,  his  wife  and  seven  children 
arrived  in  Princeton,  after  a  five  weeks  trip  from  Pennsylvania.  They 
left  Harrisburg  on  a  canal  boat  which  had  been  chartered  to  take  them 
and    their   household    possessions    to    Pittsburg.      They    crossed    the 


130 

Alleghany  Mountains  on  cars  propelled  with  endless  wire  ropes.  As 
these  cars  did  not  run  at  night,  the  travelers  had  to  carry  their  bedding, 
their  cooking  utensils  and  provisions  and  stay  over  night  in  the  stations 
which  were  rude  houses  built  to  accommodate  travelers  and  furnished 
with  rough  beds  and  cook  stoves.  The  trip  over  the  mountains  re- 
quired four  days.  Again  the  steamboat  was  their  only  mode  of  travel 
and  when  they  reached  the  Ohio  River  they  then  traveled  the  Mississ- 
ippi to  the  Illinois  and  up  the  Illinois  to  Hennepin.  The  jour- 
ney had  been  almost  beyond  endurance  in  fatigue  to  the  young  chil- 
dren and  their  mother.  When  they  were  almost  to  St.  Louis,  the  boiler 
on  the  steamboat  burst  and  the  cylinder  head  blew  off.  There  was  no 
way  to  repair  it  but  for  the  engineer  to  take  the  broken  machinery  in 
a  row  boat  to  St.  Louis  and  have  it  repaired.  This  took  two  weeks, 
and  the  passengers  had  to  wait  on  the  boat  that  length  of  time.  The 
men  could  get  off  and  have  exercise  and  bring  provisions  to  their 
families.  A  Mr.  Needham,  located  near  the  landing  heard  of  the  delay 
of  the  boat  and  begged  the  passengers  who  could  do  carpenter  work 
to  help  him  in  building  a  new  home.  The  men,  whether  carpenters  or 
not,  volunteered  to  go.  In  the  two  weeks  they  accomplished  all  that 
Mr.  Needham  wished  done  and  without  a  bargain,  a  contract  or  a 
building  permit,  they  gladly  gave  their  services.  As  each  helper  turned 
over  his  plate  at  the  supper  table  daily,  at  Mr.  Needham's  he  found  a 
two  dollar  bill  under  it,  but  not  a  word  had  been  said  about  pay. 
When  the  boat  men  returned  with  the  boiler  repaired,  the  travelers 
continued  their  journey  and  in  the  course  of  time  completed  that  part 
of  it  and  arrived  at  Hennepin  where  they  crossed  the  river  in  a  ferry 
boat  to  a  cabin  where  they  staid  over  night,  their  first  night  in  Illinois. 
The  dreary  outlook  was  intensified  by  terrible  rains  and  heavy  roads. 
As  soon  as  they  could  secure  a  man  with  team  and  cart  to  take  them, 
they  were  ready  to  start  for  the  long-looked  for  home  at  Princeton. 
When  attempting  to  cross  the  creek,  the  horses  and  wagon  went 
down  in  the  mud  out  of  their  sight.  The  mother  and  girls  were 
put  into  another  cart  that  contained  bags  of  flour  for  them  to 
sit  on.  At  the  Doolittle  place  they  stopped  to  water  the  horses.  Mrs. 
Doolittle  was  baking  bread  which  had  run  over  the  sides  of  the  pan 
and  she  gave  the  children  this  warm  overflow,  which  delighted  the 
hungry  children  and  is  a  lasting  memory  of  the  first  neighborly  act 
to  these  new  comers. 

It  was  evening  when  the  family  reached  the  Princeton  Hotel, 
which  was  a  frame  building  of  one  room  upstairs  and  one  down,  with 
round  windows,  besides  the  kitchen.  In  this  space  was  kept  all  the 
boarders  and  travelers;  the  last  to  arrive  slept  on  the  floor  nearest  the 
door.  The  stage  came  every  day.  This  Zearing  family  of  nine  with 
one  son-in-law  and  a  friend,  who  had  traveled  with  them,  occupied  the 
up-stairs  room.  Mr.  Zearing  and  his  sons  immediately  begun  to  build 
a  home  on  Main  Street  near  what  is  now  the  Clark  Hotel,  that  the 
family  would  not  have  to  long  remain  in  the  crowded  hotel. 

At  this  time  there  were  only  two  frame  houses  in  Princeton.  The 
others  were  log  cabins.  The  Zearing  home  was  the  third  frame  house 
built  and  was  considered  palatial  and  it  was  the  talk  and  admiration 


131 

of  the  whole  country.  In  December  of  the  same  year  the  men  had 
-learned  that  log  houses  were  much  warmer  in  that  severe  climate  and 
they  built  on  the  first  Zearing  farm,  which  still  remains  in  the  family, 
a  house  of  split  logs.  Snow  fell  by  the  time  the  house  was  completed 
and  it  remained  on  the  ground  until  the  next  April,  the  most  intense 
and  severe  winter  this  family  had  ever  encountered  and  caused  great 
destitution  and  suffering  to  all  inhabitants.  The  night  before  the 
family  moved  to  the  farm,  a  forest  fire  swept  away  everything  but 
the  house.  Prairie  grass  was  as  high  as  a  man  on  horse.  The  fire  made 
a  terrible  crackle.  The  light  could  be  seen  the  seven  miles  to  Princeton. 
The  stable  for  the  stock  was  burned,  the  horses  died  of  exposure,  the 
cows  were  so  frightened  they  strayed  to  the  woods  and  fed  on  brush. 
It  was  spring  before  they  were  found,  and  when  they  were  found  each 
cow  had  a  calf.  For  five  months  this  family  was  without  horses,  which 
cut  them  off  from  markets  and  all  social  life,  besides  the  horses  were 
much  needed  to  drag  the  logs  for  the  fire  places,  and  with  the  loss  of 
the  cows,  which  had  been  their  main  investment  for  butter,  milk  and 
food,  they  were  in  a  sorry  plight.  Butter  was  fifty  cents  a  pound. 
Wheat  sold  for  $2.50,  and  corn  $1.00  a  bushel,  and  flour  $16.00  a  barrel. 
The  inventions  of  necessity  brought  them  some  comforts,  the  men 
sawed  a  log  off  at  the  ends  and  made  a  box  for  the  family  to  mix  grain 
and  water  for  food. 

We  remember  one  family  who  traveled  all  night  in  a  circle  on  ac- 
count of'  snow  on  the  ground.  They  nearly  perished.  People 
often  were  lost  in  the  tall  slough  grass. 

Supplies  of  clothing  brought  from  the  East  began  to  wear  out,  and 
the  mother  and  girls  were  kept  busy  supplying  the  needs  of  this  large 
family.  They  made  everything  that  was  worn,  except  shoes,  even  to 
plating  straw  for  hats. 

In  Pennsylvania  Martin  Zearing  was  a  master  builder.  Many 
churches  with  hard  wood  and  carved  pulpits  with  winding  stairs  and 
box  pews,  public  buildings  in  Cumberland  and  adjoining  counties  were 
built  by  him.  He  kept  more  apprentices  than  any  other  builder  in  that 
part  of  Pennsylvania.  When  his  work  became  known  in  the  west  he 
was  very  soon  called  upon  to  build  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church, 
the  New  England  Congregationalist,  the  Baptist  church  and  the  school 
houses  in  Princeton,  the  academy  in  Dover  and  the  public  buildings 
and  best  residences  in  many  nearby  towns. 

Mr.  Zearing  built  the  Bryant  home,  which  was  the  home  of  the 
mother  and  brothers  of  William  Cullen  Bryant.  The  Dover  farm  of 
160  acres  was  bought  of  the  government.  Martin  Zearing  and  his  wife, 
Sarah  Shafer,  of  Cumberland  County,  Pa.,  are  both  buried  in  the 
Dover  cemetery.  Martin  Zearing  was  a  man  of  great  fixedness  of 
purpose,  and  of  an  indomitable  will,  honest  and  never  uttered  a  word 
of  complaint  in  any  trouble.  His  wife  was  as  heroic  and  uncomplaining 
of  the  trials  of  life  as  he.  He  was  class  leader  and  elder  in  the  German 
Reformed  Church  at  Frieden's  Kirch.  He  was  a  justice  of  the  peace 
for  upwards  of  twenty  years  while  living  in  Shirmenstown,  Cumber- 
land County,  Pennsylvania.  His  sixty-one  years  of  active  and  useful 
life  were  proof  of  his  substantial  character  and  noble  endeavors.     He 


132 

was  the  leading  spirit  in  church  and  school  work  on  account  of  his 
earnest  desire  for  the  higher  advantages  for  his  large  family,  which 
advantages  were  at  the  best  meager  enough  in  those  frontier  days. 

John  Zearing,  the  father  of  James  Roberts  Zearing,  on  his  first 
trip  to  Illinois  in  1834,  selected  his  farm  location  on  what  was  known 
as  the  Chicago  Road,  six  miles  northeast  of  Princeton,  and  adjoining 
on  the  southwest  the  town  of  Dover,  but  it  was  not  until  1842  that  he 
succeeded  in  purchasing  this  particular  highly  improved  farm  of  160 
acres,  for  which  his  brother  had  been  negotiating.  It  had  a  well  built 
house  with  forty  acres  broken  and  rail  fenced,  a  grove  of  locust  trees 
much  enjoyed  for  the  comfort  it  gave  as  a  wind  break  and  for  the 
fragrance  it  gave  to  the  air.  This  grove  furnished  material  for  fencing 
as  well  as  fire  wood.  In  the  next  five  years  all  of  the  farm  was  well 
fenced.  The  state  road,  which  divided  this  farm  into  two  parts  of 
eighty  acres  each,  had  a  row  of  trees  set  out  on  each  side,  and  the 
driveway  from  the  house  to  the  road  had  rows  of  these  same  trees, 
which  were  well  cared  for,  and  to  this  day  this  same  driveway  has 
retained  its  rows  of  green.  This  land  was  first  bought  from  the  govern- 
ment by  a  bachelor  from  Vermont,  who  set  out  fruit  orchards  which 
were  the  first  orchards  in  that  part  of  the  country  and  bore  the  best 
fruits.  This  was  the  mother  orchard.  Its  sprouts  and  clippings  started 
most  of  the  orchards  for  miles  about.  Stock  purchased  at  the  John 
Ament  farm  nearer  Princeton  put  horses,  cattle  and  sheep  among  Mr. 
Zearing's  possessions.  In  two  years  his  flock  of  sheep  had  increased 
to  an  enviable  possession,  envied,  too,  by  the  ever  to  be  dreaded  wolves 
and  the  large  dogs.  Martin  Zearing  also,  had  well  stocked  his  farm  and 
these  two  were  for  years  the  largest  stock  farms  in  that  part  of  the 
country. 

John  Zearing  lived  on  Capitol  Street  facing  Market  Square  in 
Harrisburg,  Pa.,  opposite  the  Beuhler  Hotel.  In  1836  they  moved 
to  Walnut  Street  one  mile  east.  The  Colder  family  were  neighbors 
whose  missionary  son  returned  to  start  the  sect  known  as  Colderites. 
John  Zearing  sold  his  wholesale  and  retail  shoe  business,  also  his  many 
private  canal  boats.  He  was  the  first  man  to  own  such  boats,  to 
supply  Harrisburg  with  coal  and  wood.  He  was  well  equipped  for  a 
start  in  a  prairie  country.  He  paid  cash  for  his  entire  farm  and  for  the 
stock  he  put  on  his  farm.  This  was  quite  unusual,  for  few  of  the  early 
settlers  had  money  to  invest,  and  many  of  them  became  discouraged 
before  they  could  pay  for  their  farms.  He  left  plenty  of  money  in  the 
Harrisburg  bank,  not  wishing  to  take  all  west  with  him,  but  loaned  it 
to  Mr.  Stehley,  who  had  been  a  dear  friend.  Mr.  Stehley  never  re- 
turned this  borrowed  money.  Lawyer  Winrick  was  to  settle  Mr. 
Zearing's  accounts,  but  little  could  be  collected. 

Mr.  Zearing's  first  trip  in  1834  gave  him  information  of  the 
scarcity  of  goods  purchasable  in  Illinois.  On  reaching  Pittsburg  in 
1842,  the  family  spent  two  weeks  while  there  making  the  chartered 
boat  sanitarily  clean  and  buying  all  necessary  supplies  for  family  and 
farm.  They  bought  a  supply  of  guns  and  rifles  which  the  older  boys 
made  good  use  of  in  hunting  deer,  which  kept  the  family  well  fed. 


133 

They  also  bought  saddles  and  farm  implements  which  were  wholly 
unknown  in  the  west  at  that  time.  When  they  reached  Cincinnati, 
Louisville  and  St.  Louis  a  few  days  were  spent  in  sight-seeing  and 
more  supplies  were  purchased,  especially  a  large  amount  of  dried 
apples,  peaches  dried  whole  and  wertzle.  So  they  arrived  at  Hennepin 
Landing  on  the  Illinois  River  well  supplied  for  their  store  house  but 
there  was  little  provisions  to  be  had  at  this  place  and  only  the  youngest 
children  had  a  supper  of  cold  potatoes.  This  was  the  first  time  this 
family  had  gone  to  bed  hungry. 

From  Hennepin  the  journey  to  Princeton  was  completed  in  farm 
wagons,  leaving  the  boys  and  household  goods  until  the  next  day. 
The  landing  at  Hennepin  was  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  river  and  no 
canoe  to  cross.  A  long  walk  was  taken  before  the  neighboring  farmers 
were  enlisted  to  go  these  twelve  miles  to  the  Hennepin  river  with  Mr. 
Zearing  to  bring  the  boys  and  the  goods  which  had  been  stored  there. 
These  boys  spent  a  night  of  great  suspense  awaiting  the  return  of  the 
father.  All  Indians  looked  ferocious  to  them  even  if  they  were  told 
that  the  tribes  there  were  peaceable.  Mr.  Zearing  brought  his  house- 
hold furniture  of  splendid  hand-made  mahogany,  many  pieces  of  which 
had  been  in  the  family  years  before  they  were  transported  to  the  west. 
These  pieces,  except  the  old  grandfather  clock,  are  now  in  the  posses- 
sion of  John  Zearing's  grandchildren. 

This  family  accustomed  to  city  ways  and  the  comforts  of  a  pros- 
perous life  were  now  in  Indian  trod  Illinois.  In  relating  their  first  ex- 
periences none  seems  to  bring  to  the  memory  of  the  sisters  now  well 
on  in  their  eighty  years,  such  merriment  as  to  relate  how  their  five 
brothers  were  dressed  for  the  journey.  Each  boy  wore  a  tuxedo  suit 
of  clothes,  a  silk  hat,  boots  and  carried  a  cane.  Such  costumes  were 
not  heard  of  in  the  west,  and  in  the  east  those  who  could  afford  them 
indulged  in  these  suits  only  on  Sunday.  The  copper  toed  boys  in 
Princeton  soon  laughed  at  these  costumes  and  the  Zearing  boys  begged 
to  be  real  Romans  and  dress  as  the  other  Romans  did.  Dr.  Zearing 
had  the  misfortune  to  lose  his  high  hat  in  the  Ohio  River  and  he  was 
thus  obliged  to  make  his  first  bow  to  Illinois  at  the  age  of  fourteen,  hat- 
less.  The  four  girls  had  never  known  any  other  shoes  than  those  hand 
made  to  fit  their  own  feet  and  each  one  had  her  own  last.  Their  hats 
were  made  fancy  and  always  were  called  bonnets.  Their  dresses  were 
of  fine  merino  delaine  and  printed  muslins,  which  were  a  striking  con- 
trast to  the  cheap  calico  and  linsey  woolsey  of  the  other  girls.  Their 
pantalettes  were  ankle  length,  which  was  a  decided  point  of  their  high 
cost  of  living  and  position  in  life,  for  less  fortunate  girls  wore  theirs 
tied  below  the  knees.  To  hang  pantalettes  on  a  clothes  line  with  the 
rest  of  the  washing  was  considered  by  some  of  the  New  England 
neighbors  most  indecent  and  the  Pennsylvania  families  had  done  so 
before  they  realized  they  were  making  themselves  a  matter  of  discus- 
sion by  these  shocked  Yankees. 

One  of  the  cousins  told  me  some  of  her  first  remembrances  of 
prairie  life  and  the  terrors  by  night  and  by  day  of  the  seven  hundred 
Indians  about  Dover,  the  first  year  of  their  home  there.  With  no  locks 
on  the  doors,  the  Indians  would  go  through  the  house  and  pick  up 


134 

everything  and  look  at  it,  but  never  stole  anything,  but  would  always 
eat  the  garden  things,  especially  the  yellow  cucumbers.  They  called 
her  mother  the  white  squaw,  and  would  bring  their  papooses  to 
show  her.  They  were  always  pleased  to  have  their  children  noticed. 
Oft  times  the  papoose  was  strapped  on  a  board  which  the  mother  would 
set  up  against  the  fence,  or  the  chief  and  squaw  would  tie  a  bed  for 
the  child  on  the  side  of  the  horse  with  trinkets  to  play  with.  The 
Indian  children  were  always  sober  looking  babies. 

The  Zearing  boys  learned  to  ride  a  horse  or  pony  like  the  wind. 
Sometimes  the  girls  tried  cross  legged,  as  this  seemed  the  best  way  to 
escape  any  danger.  Mother  would  talk  different  languages  to  the 
Indians  to  try  to  make  them  understand.  They  were  always  disgusted 
at  our  house  not  to  find  "fire-water."  On  one  occasion  when  they 
acted  as  though  they  were  furious  because  there  was  no  drink  for 
them,  while  they  were  going  about  the  house  howling  and  yelling  for 
"fire-water"  mother  and  the  girls  took  a  hatchet,  went  up  the  ladder 
stairs  to  the  second  floor,  and  pulled  the  ladder  up  after  them. 

The  family  had  formed  many  friends  in  the  town  of  their  birth, 
so  on  leaving  Harrisburg,  the  shore  was  filled  with  friends  to  say 
goodbye.  The  Gondoliers,  a  pleasure  boat  club  of  that  city,  escorted 
them  out  of  the  city  and  bade  them  a  tearful  goodbye ;  tearful,  indeed, 
for  those  friends  who  had  not  seen  Illinois  and  who  had  not  foreseen 
its  future,  could  only  picture  a  life  of  starvation,  privation  and  never 
more  to  return,  so  with  a  God-speed,  they  left  this  throng  of  loving 
friends  to  journey  through  canals  and  over  mountains  on  to  Pittsburg, 
where  Mr.  Zearing  had  chartered  a  boat  to  bring  his  family  west. 

In  crossing  the  Alleghany  Mountains  the  endless  wire  chain  was 
used  as  a  propellor  for  the  cars  and  this  family  had  about  the  same 
experiences  in  crossing  that  the  brother's  family  had  undergone,  as 
well  as  all  other  western  families  of  those  times.  The  season  was  late, 
the  ice  would  collect  on  the  wire  rope  so  that  it  was  necessary  to  heat 
water  in  tea  kettles  to  thaw  it. 

John  Zearing's  wife,  Margaretta  Herman,  1793-1859,  was  born 
in  Dauphin  County,  Pa.,  and  was  a  daughter  of  John  Herman,  1767, 
and  Sarah  Bright  Herman,  1770-1821.  A  friend  who  knew  her  inti- 
mately, particularly  speaks  of  her  thus :  "She  was  very  nice  and  quiet 
in  manner.  She  had  pretty  black  eyes  and  hair.  She  spoke  English, 
German  and  Pennsylvania  Dutch  very  fluently  and  played  on  her 
melodium  and  sang  for  her  grandchildren.  She  was  always  regarded 
as  queenly  and  wore  real  lace  caps  and  collars.  Some  of  these 
are  yet  in  the  family,  although  tinged  with  age  and  careful  wearing. 

John  Zearing  had  been  a  power  in  Harrisburg  in  business,  in 
church  and  in  politics.  He  had  taken  an  active  part  in  helping  to  elect 
Van  Buren,  Harrison  and  Governor  Rittenhouse  in  Pennsylvania. 
John  Zearing  was  spared  only  a  few  years  to  his  family  in  the  west. 
His  wife,  unused  to  farm  life,  and  her  sons  preferring  professioal 
lives,  rented  the  farm  and  moved  into  Princeton.  It  was  only  five 
years  after  arriving  from  Pennsylvania  that  John  Zearing  who  was  in 
his  timberlands  where  more  rails  were  being  split  for  fencing  was 
struck  in  the  jaw  with  an  iron  wedge  which  flew  off.  This  resulted  in 
his  death  a  year  later,  1846. 


H 
O 

Q 


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135 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Zearing  went  back  to  Harrisburg  after  three  years 
in  the  west  to  visit  old  time  friends  and  relatives.  They  carrying  many 
letters  back  from  one  friend  to  another.  This  was  a  trip  equally  as 
eventful  as  their  coming  west.  It  was  unusual  for  one  to  return  to 
his  early  home,  as  distance,  lack  of  money,  and  home  cares  usually 
made  traveling  out  of  consideration. 

John  Zearing  belonged  to  the  Masons  in  Harrisburg.  His  apron 
is  beautifully  embroidered  on  white  satin,  with  the  emblems  of  the 
order.  The  only  other  one  that  I  have  seen  which  is  so  elaborate  is 
the  one  in  a  collection  of  Masonic  emblems  at  LeRoy,  Illinois,  said 
to  have  belonged  to  Gen.  George  Washington. 

John  Zearing  resided  in  Harrisburg  for  thirty  years.  He  was  for 
many  years  an  office  bearer  in  Salem,  German  Reformed  Church,  serv- 
ing first  as  deacon,  then  as  elder.  When  his  country  called  them  to 
defend  the  national  honor  of  their  country,  and  to  repel  the  invading 
foe,  he  was  one  of  many  who  in  Captain  Thomas  Walker's  company, 
first  regiment,  commanded  by  Colonel  Kennedy,  of  Harrisburg,  forming 
the  first  brigade,  of  which  John  Foster  was  Brigadier  General — 
marched  to  Baltimore  to  defend  that  city,  when  an  attack  was  made 
upon  it  Sept.  13,  1814,  by  the  British,  commanded  by  Gen.  Ross.  This 
was  of  course  the  second  war  with  Great  Britain,  the  war  of  1812-1814. 
The  Dover  cemetery  has  but  one  marker  of  the  war  of  1812  and  that 
one  is  at  the  head  stone  of  John  Zearing. 

All  the  Zearing  children  before  coming  west  attended  the  William 
Mitchell  School  of  Harrisburg  in  the  Lancastrain  school  house.  Wil- 
liam Mitchell  was  a  cousin  of  the  celebrated  Dr.  Weir  Mitchell,  of 
Philadelphia.  The  school  had  a  large  play  room  with  iron  beams  to 
hold  the  roof.  Many  eminent  statesmen  of  Pennsylvania  attended  this 
school.  As  William  Mitchell's  wife  was  Sally  Herman,  a  sister  of  Mrs. 
Zearing's,  the  children  remember  that  they  were  dealt  very  sternly  with 
on  account  of  relatonship.  Uncle  Mitchell  in  his  home  was  a  most 
gentle  and  sweet  spirit,  but  in  school  he  got  his  athletic  exercise  in 
flogging  the  boys.  On  Saturday  afternoons  he  took  his  pupils  to  the 
banks  of  the  Susquehanna  River  for  learning  and  recreation.  The 
William  Mitchell  home  was  a  three  story  brick  house  across  the  street 
from  the  capitol  and  the  children  loved  to  visit  in  this  home.  William's 
brother  Joseph  married  Elizabeth  Zearing,  a  sister  of  John  Zearing,  so 
the  Zearing  and  Mitchell  families  were  doubly  bound  in  relationship. 
The  early  education  of  the  Zearing  family  was  far  advanced  above  that 
of  the  usual  pioneers,  consequently  they  were  urged  to  become  teachers. 
The  eldest  daughter,  Rebecca,  took  a  school  where  the  man  teacher 
had  been  whipped  out  by  the  pupils.  Her  success  with  unruly  boys 
made  her  services  greatly  sought,  so  she  was  moved  from  one  location 
to  another  for  seven  years,  and  was  one  of  the  first  teachers  in  the 
schools  of  Ohio  township,  LaMoille,  Dover,  Berlin  Center  and  Perkins 
Grove.  Before  their  ages  would  hardly  permit,  the  little  log  school 
house  in  Dover  had  among  its  teachers  Judge  William  Mitchell  Zear- 
ing, and  Dr.  James  Roberts  Zearing,  while  they  were  studying  their 
professions  of  law  and  medicine  respectively.  Later  Dr.  Zearing  was 
interested  in  founding  and  supporting  the  Dover  Academy,  which  was 


136 

built  in  1856  by  contributions  of  the  citizens  and  there  is  still  in  the 
possession  of  the  family  the  certificate  of  shares  of  stock  which  show 
him  to  have  been  one  of  the  first  to  subscribe.  This  school,  before  the 
Princeton  High  School  was  built,  made  Dover  the  educational  center  of 
not  only  Bureau  County,  but  of  the  central  part  of  the  State.  Many  men 
and  women  who  attained  high  position  in  life  taught  in  this  academy, 
and  many  more  who  have  filled  positions  in  life  which  were  worth 
while,  started  their  education  here.  This  school  was  the  outgrowth  of 
the  pioneer  element  who  settled  in  Bureau  County,  well  born  and  well 
bred,  who  begun  at  once  to  lay  the  foundation  of  educational  institu- 
tions in  order  that  their  children  might  have  educational  advantages. 

When  we  think  back  to  the  log  cabin  days  and  the  privations  that 
were  endured,  and  as  we  today  motor  over  the  State,  it  hardly  seems 
possible  that  one  man's  life  has  covered  the  period.  It  is  only  by  asso- 
ciating with  those  few  who  yet  live  that  the  experiences  of  early  times 
may  be  appreciated  by  the  living.  But  a  few  years  more  and  the  gener- 
ations must  turn  to  biographers  and  historians  to  know  of  these  facts. 
To  enumerate  the  hardships  and  trials,  the  privations  and  homesick 
hours,  and  to  describe  the  gradual  climb  to  the  great  and  prosperous 
Bureau  County  as  it  is  today,  is  beyond  a  short  sketch.  These  two 
are  the  points  historians  leave  untold,  yet  they  are  most  interesting. 
The  type  of  neighbors  and  the  stories  of  their  often  tragic  lives  is  no 
better  exemplified  than  by  the  experiences  of  Mrs.  Electa  Smith,  who 
was  the  first  pioneer  widow  in  the  locality.  Her  husband's  death  oc- 
curred before  he  had  selected  a  home  for  her,  and  she  was  left  with 
three  little  ones,  a  stranger  with  very  little  money,  in  a  country  swarm- 
ing with  the  Indians  from  whom  she  fled  many  times  with  her  children 
to  save  their  lives,  yet  she  opened  up  a  farm  in  the  woods  and  reared 
those  little  boys  so  that  they  became  successful  farmers  and  business 
men,  and  aided  greatly  in  the  upbuilding  of  Bureau  County. 

There  was  the  other  family  of  Smiths,  the  Alby  Smith  family. 
Alby  Smith  was  one  of  the  founders  of  the  Congregational  church  of 
which  Owen  Lovejoy  was  the  pastor  for  over  twenty  years.  Then 
came  the  Bryants,  the  Zearings,  the  Coltons  and  the  Love  joys. 

Chicago  was  the  only  market  accessible  to  the  pioneers  of  Bureau 
County,  and  all  the  grain  raised  was  hauled  by  teams,  the  loads  averag- 
ing 40  bushels.  The  Zearing  boys  looked  forward  to  these  annual  trips 
to  the  city  of  Chicago,  as  it  had  been  incorporated  as  a  city  in  1837, 
with  an  area  of  ten  square  miles,  extending  from  North  Avenue  to 
Twenty-second  Street,  and  from  the  lake  west  to  Wood  Street.  _  To  this 
was  added  a  small  stretch  of  ground  on  the  lake  shore,  extending  half 
a  mile  north  of  North  Avenue  and  west  to  Clark  Street,  this  was  the 
old  city  cemetery  afterwards.  The  population  was  at  that  time  less 
than  five  thousand  and  about  half  of  the  people  were  young  men  under 
21  years  of  age.  But  this  was  where  the  business  activity  was  going 
on  in  the  west,  and  the  distance  of  a  hundred  miles  was  of  little  con- 
sequence, although  it  often  took  a  week  to  make  the  trip,  very  much 
depending  on  the  depth  of  Illinois  mud,  The  drivers  slept  on  the  load 
or  by  the  side  of  the  wagon  on  the  ground.  The  exchange  of  grain  for 
lumber  and  other  supplies  was  frequent,  and  not  until  later  years  did 


137 

much  money  change  hands.  The  vicinity  of  Lake,  Clark  and  South 
Water  Streets  during  the  middle  of  the  day  was  completely  filled  with 
teams  and  wagons.  The  nights  spent  in  town  were  usually  on  the  lake 
front  where  the  drivers  would  gather  about  camp  fires  to  cook  their 
meals  and  tell  of  their  experiences  in  the  new  west.  For  many  years 
the  Clark  Street  bridge  was  the  only  bridge  in  the  city  and  was  of  the 
jack-knife  kind,  dividing  in  the  center  and  each  side  was  raised  by  a 
windlass.  In  1840  this  lift  bridge  was  taken  away  and  replaced  by  a 
float  bridge  which  was  fastened  at  one  end  and  floated  on  a  scow  at 
the  other  end,  so  it  could  be  turned  about,  and  the  present  bridge  of 
this  style,  built  by  Mr.  Samuel  L.  Rowe,  is  similar,  yet  with  great  im- 
provements. The  only  outlet  to  the  west  was  the  ferry  across  the 
south  branch  of  the  river,  the  west  and  north  sides  had  so  few  residents 
there  was  little  need  of  bridges.  The  population  had  located  as  near 
as  possible  to  the  main  street  which  was  Lake  Street. 

From  a  tattered  and  stained  newspaper,  but  with  the  print  plainly 
visible,  a  copy  of -the  Bureau  County  Republican,  dated  Dec.  8th,  1864, 
I  take  some  extracts : 

The  most  prominent  items  of  news  deal  with  the  war,  which  also 
dominates  the  editorial  page.  Among  the  leading  advertisers  were 
several  names  prominent  in  the  town  of  Princeton,  and  such  well  known 
professional  firms  as  Farwell  and  Herron,  Stipp  and  Gibbons,  S.  M. 
Knox,  J.  M.  Atwood,  Chas.  Baldwin,  J.  I.  Taylor,  Dr.  E.  S.  Blanch- 
ard,  Dr.  C.  F.  Little,  J.  V.  Thompson  and  W.  M.  Zearing,  which  were 
flourishing  in  Princeton  when  the  paper  was  printed,  as  their  names 
appear  among  the  professional  cards  on  the  front  page. 

The  early  maps  of  South  Chicago  register  the  land  at  the  head 
of  Lake  Calumet  as  the  Zearing  Acres.  In  early  days  of  Chicago 
Judge  William  M.  Zearing  bought  seven  acres  here  of  the  government 
with  riparian  rights.  After  his  death  surveyors'  reports  showed  this 
property  to  be  fifty-three  and  a  fraction  of  acres.  The  Zearing  build- 
ing on  Dearborn  Street,  near  Harrison  was  built  by  Judge  Zearing  in 
1886.  It  was  then  his  intention  to  devote  the  building  to  law  offices 
and  he  named  it  the  Zearing  Law  Building.  Before  the  Chicago  fire,  the 
Judge  was  a  large  owner  of  city  property.  As  the  city  grew  he  grad- 
ually disposed  of  his  holdings.  His  intention  to  carry  out  a  plan  which 
he  had  under  way  before  the  Chicago  fire  for  a  Zearing  Public  Library, 
was  arrested  by  this  calamity  to  the  city,  and  before  he  was  in  a  posi- 
tion to  fulfill  his  desire,  the  Chicago  Public  Library  was  established. 
He  was  a  man  of  great  civic  pride.  He  studied  law  at  Dickinson  Col- 
lege, Carlisle,  Pa.,  and  Harvard  University.  He  traveled  in  Asia, 
Africa,  Europe  and  South  America  for  a  period  of  ten  years  after 
completing  his  education. 

The  town  of  Zearing,  in  Iowa,  was  named  for  Judge  Zearing,  who 
owned  an  adjoining  farm.  The  town  of  Brazos,  Texas,  where  the 
river  of  that  name  and  the  Texas  and  Pacific  Railroad  cross,  was  first 
named  Zearing  by  General  G.  M.  Dodge,  as  Dr.  James  R.  Zearing 
owned  a  sheep  ranch  near.  The  Doctor  asked  that  the  town  be  named 
for  his  pet  goats,  Angora,  but  it  was  found  another  town  of  similar 
name  made  this  confusing,  so  it  was  given  the  name  of  Brazos.    To- 


138 

gether  these  brothers,  both  of  professional  lives  and  literary  tastes,  led 
useful  lives  for  family,  state  and  country. 

Bureau  County  has  erected  at  Princeton  a  monument  to  its  soldiers 
and  sailors  of  the  Civil  War.  This  was  a  worthy  action  and  does  honor 
to  the  county. 

Some  day  Bureau  County  will  see  fit  to  ask  its  tax-payers  to  erect 
another  monument,  a  companion  piece  to  the  one  which  they  have  now 
erected  to  those  heroes  of  the  Civil  War  and  this  one  will  show  their 
gratitude  to  the  pioneers  who  not  only  risked  their  lives  among  the 
barbaric  Indians,  but  some  of  them  sacrificed  their  lives.  These  were 
the  people  who  laid  the  solid  foundation  upon  which  Bureau  County 
is  builded.  The  Indian  was  a  harder  foe  to  combat  than  the  Confed- 
erate soldier.  The  thirty-one  families  who  arrived  before  the  Black 
Hawk  War  should  head  the  list.  Then  on  this  pioneer's  monument 
should  follow  names  of  those  who  first  emblazoned  the  name  and  pre- 
served the  honor  of  the  country.  Illinois  soldiers  of  the  Civil  War 
brought  home  three  hundred  battle  flags.  The  first  United  States  Flag- 
to  fly  over  Richmond  after  its  surrender  was  an  Illinois  flag. 

Illinois  has  dedicated  a  State  memorial  of  white  Georgia  marble, 
a  dome  54  feet  in  diameter  and  62  feet  high,  at  a  cost  of  $200,000  as 
a  memorial  of  the  Vicksburg  engagements.  The  names  (more  than 
35,000)  of  the  soldiers  who  then  belonged  to  the  79  Illinois  commands 
engaged  in  the  operations  commemorated  by  the  Park,  are  inscribed 
in  bronze  on  the  interior  walls  of  this  memorial  temple.  The  State 
has  also  placed  79  monuments  and  85  markers  in  the  Park. 

Bureau  County  furnished  3,626  soldiers,  and  paid  $650,000  in 
bounties  in  the  Civil  War.  When  the  board  of  supervisors,  in  1860, 
appropriated  $18,000  to  remodel  the  court  house,  it  was  looked  upon 
as  a  forerunner  of  bankruptcy  to  put  such  a  debt  upon  the  people,  it 
was  but  a  few  years  later  when  half  a  million  of  dollars  was  appro- 
priated cheerfully  for  soldiers'  bounties. 

This  county  has  done  its  part  in  all  the  wars  of  its  country,  and 
the  sons  of  the  pioneers  gave  a  good  account  of  themselves  in  the  great 
World  War. 

Some  Descendents  of  John  and  Martin  Zearing  of  Illinois,  Who 
Served  in  the  World  War  : 

Brigadier  General  D.  Jack  Foster,  commander  of  the  66th  Infantry 
Brigade. 

Captain  Pierre  Steele,  Physician  and  Surgeon,  Michael  Reese  Hos- 
pital, Chicago. 

Second  Lieutenant  Louis  A.  Zearing,  Attorney,  Princeton,  Illinois. 
Commissioned  at  Fort  Sheridan  Officers'  Training  Reserve  Station. 

Lieut.  Kingsley  Buel  Colton,  3600  Michigan  Ave.,  Chicago,  Com- 
missioned officer  in  the  United  States  Navy. 


139 


A  SKETCH  OF  THE  LIFE  OF  MAJOR  JAMES  ROBERTS 
ZEARING,  M.  D. 

Class  of  1850,  Rush  Medical  College;  Surgeon  of  the  57th  111.  Vol. 
Inf. ;  Surgeon  in  Chief  of  the  4th  Division  of  the  15th  Army- 
Corps  ;  Surgeon  in  Chief  of  the  2nd  Division  of  the 
Army  of  the  Tennessee,  War  of  the  Rebellion. 

Compiled  by  His  Daughter,  Luelja  Zearing  Gross. 

These  pages  were  compiled  for  family  use  and  typewritten 
copies  only  were  intended.  Then  a  request  came  from  Rush  Medical 
College  for  a  sketch  of  the  life  of  Dr.  James  R.  Zearing,  also  asking 
for  his  army  letters,  which  are  considered  a  connecting  link  between 
surgery  of  the  Civil  War  and  surgery  of  the  late  World  War,  and 
also  his  war  and  college  mementoes,  an  album  of  his  army  friends, 
his  few  books  of  early  surgery  and  medicine,  his  graduating  essay, 
which  is  the  Only  graduating  thesis  in  existence,  of  the  first  class 
of  Rush  Medical  College,  which  graduated  in  1850,  also  his  log  book, 
his  instrument  case,  his  medicine  chest,  his  saddle-bag,  his  epaulets 
and  scarf  of  major's  rank,  the  gold  cord  for  his  hat  and  other  interest- 
ing things  might  be  given  to  the  Society  of  Medical  History  of  Chicago 
for  preservation.  Later  a  letter  came  from  the  Illinois  State  Historical 
Society  at  Springfield  making  a  similar  request,  so  in  deep  apprecia- 
tion I  have  collected  the  facts  as  best  I  can  and  gladly  hand  them  over 
to  the  Rush  Medical  College  Historical  Society  and  the  State  His- 
torical Society,  and  later  a  similar  request  from  the  American  College 
of  Surgery  in  Chicago. 

In  preparing  this  sketch  truth  has  been  rigidly  adhered  to.  Letters, 
note  books,  newspaper  articles,  army  letters  and  papers  from  which 
these  accounts  are  taken  are  in  the  possession  of  the  writer. 

I  should  claim  some  fitness  to  write  a  sketch  of  Dr.  Zearing.  As 
I  think  over  and  try  to  recall  his  exact  words  I  find  he  spoke  so  little 
of  his  own  achievements.  A  number  of  calls  were  made  on  those 
remaining  who  were  among  his  early  patients,  or  knew  him  through 
the  war.  One  neighbor  for  over  thirty  years,  Joseph  Donnersberger, 
well  known  Chicago  citizen,  when  asked  what  he  remembered  father 
telling  him  of  his  early  life,  summed  the  whole  matter  into  this  sen- 
tence: "Your  father  was  the  freest  from  self  praise  of  any  man  I 
ever  knew.  He  seldom  referred  to  himself.  It  was  his  modest  retir- 
ing manner  that  made  him  so  beloved  by  every  comrade;  as  well  as 
his  clever  wit  equally  clothed  in  modesty,  as  was  his  whole  life.  If  he 
ever  uttered  a  slang  word  or  an  unkind  expression,  outside  of  his 
estimate  of  the  city  council  of  Chicago,  it  was  not  in  my  presence." 
And  this  is  about  what  other  earlier  friends  said  of  him. 


140 

Once  when  playing  with  my  doll  near  the  window  of  his  office, 
which  was  in  the  corner  of  our  Dover  yard,  I  heard  my  father  laughing 
at  the  conversation  of  a  neighbor  who  had  stepped  into  his  office,  and 
he  ended  his  merriment  by  saying,  "By  George!"  My  astonishment 
was  unubounded  to  hear  such  a  remark  from  him,  and  feeling  that  he 
would  not  wish  me  to  hear  it,  my  dolls  and  I  ran  away  as  softly  as 
possible,  but  filled  with  great  surprise  at  hearing  him  utter  such  words. 
This  was  the  only  time  in  my  hearing  he  ever  uttered  even  a  mild  pro- 
fane expression.  In  this  he  showed  his  natural  instinct  of  a  well-born 
and  well-bred  man.  Such  qualities  are  not  usually  made  in  one  genera- 
tion, but  are  the  result  of  many  generations.  His  ancestors  were  gentle- 
men. If  royalty  was  not  at  this  time  at  such  low  ebb  we  might  with  more 
pride  refer  to  the  fact  that  Doctor  Zearing  had  royal  origin  as  well  as 
valiant  blood  in  his  veins.  His  great-great-grandfather,  Ludwig  Zear- 
ing, came  to  the  United  States  before  1732  and  purchased  land  of 
William  Penn  near  Johnstown,  Pa.  His  great-grandfather,  Henry, 
struggled  for  life,  liberty  and  home  and  was  one  of  those  heroic  pa- 
triots who  sustained  the  colonies  and  assisted  in  their  struggle  for  in- 
dependence. His  grandfather,  Henry,  served  with  General  Washing- 
ton at  Brandywine,  was  an  officer  of  the  American  Revolution;  his 
father,  at  the  age  of  16,  furnished  money  and  teams  in  the  American 
Revolution ;  he  also  served  in  the  War  of  1812  with  honor,  and  Doctor 
Zearing  himself  served  with  distinction  and  unusual  ability  in  the  Civil 
War,  and  his  grandson,  Kingsley  Buel  Colton,  twenty- four  years  of 
age,  of  the  class  of  1915,  Amherst  College,  served  as  a  lieutenant  in 
the  United  States  Navy  during  the  great  World  War.  Doctor  Zearing 
had  in  him  the  qualities  that  were  in  the  Zearing  blood,  the  traditions 
of  this  family  and  the  influence  that  came  into  their  lives,  all  helped  to 
make  them  what  they  represent,  noble-hearted,  large  minded,  honorable 
citizens. 

Doctor  Zearing  was  of  a  tall,  slender  build,  yet  was  a  man  of  great 
bodily  endurance  and  agility  throughout  his  life.  He  had  a  vigorous 
and  well  disciplined  mind,  and  a  remarkable  memory.  He  was  a 
close  observer  of  men  and  their  actions,  an  acute  thinker  and  a  man 
discerning  between  the  genuine  and  the  false.  He  was  a  man  of  large 
intelligence  and  highly  interesting  to  those  who  enjoyed  an  intimacy 
with  him.  As  to  his  moral  qualities,  he  was  strong  and  steadfast  in 
every  good  sense.  He  was  a  staunch  temperance  man  and  was  per- 
fectly willing  to  abolish  whisky,  even  its  use  as  a  medicine.  He  advo- 
cated that  physicians  could  find  a  substitute  for  patients  with  a  snake 
bite  equally  as  effective,  and  he  prescribed  intoxicants  as  a  medicine 
less  than  most  doctors  of  his  period.  A  gentler,  more  considerate, 
and  kinder  man,  beloved  by  family,  friends,  comrades  in  war  and 
patients  in  both  war  and  peace  would  be  hard  to  locate.  His  generous 
sympathies,  his  noble  impulses,  his  delicacy  and  tender  consideration 
in  the  sick  room,  carried  always  in  the  minds  of  those  to  whom  he  had 
administered,  a  loving  memory  of  the  beloved  family  physician. 
Now  he  has  gone  to  the  Great  Physician  whom  he  implicitly  trusted 
and  reverently  worshiped. 


141 

In  the  late  years  of  his  life  Doctor  Zearing  greatly  enjoyed  the 
visits  of  old  friends,  especially  his  comrades  of  the  Civil  War.  One 
little  incident  may  be  of  interest.  In  the  cosy  library  room  of  Doctor 
Zearing's  residence,  four  army  friends  were  asked  to  luncheon  and  to 
meet  Miss  Ada  Sweet,  the  pension  lawyer,  the  daughter  of  a  Civil 
War  friend.  Doctor  Zearing  and  his  four  guests  were  all  hovering 
about  the  80th  year  mile  stone,  but  no  stranger  would  have  rated  any 
of  them  above  70  years.  Miss  Sweet  ran  her  hands  through  the  dark 
hair  of  the  Colonel  to  prove  to  herself  that  it  was  his  own  hair,  so  re- 
markable was  his  youthful  appearance.  The  Chinese  cook,  Chin  Chuey, 
had  prepared  a  chop  suey  luncheon  and  in  his  reverence  for  old  men 
he  served  them  most  solemnly.  When  Miss  Sweet  was  ready  to  depart 
she  said  to  them,  "This  is  one  of  the  best  days  of  my  life,  I  never  had 
more  pleasure  in  my  experience  and  I  never  met  more  interesting  men 
than  you  three  army  physicians  and  you,  Colonel. 

The  war  stories,  the  reviews  of  battles,  of  extreme  experiences 
and  of  what  might  have  been  different  if  the  surgeons  had  had  modern 
medical  appliances  and  the  new  discoveries  of  anesthetics,  of  disin- 
fectants and  the  many  things  deemed  absolutely  necessary  to  hospital 
life  now,  the  better  food  for  soldiers  and  the  faster  transportation  of 
supplies;  all  these  subjects  have  been  discussed  over  and  over  again 
in  this  self-same  room  by  various  groups  of  old  soldiers,  and  with 
deep  regret  I  realize  that  they  were  historical  events  and  instances 
which  should  have  been  chronicled. 

One  of  Doctor  Zearing's  greatest  delights  all  through  life  was 
horse-back  riding.  One  of  the  memories  that  always  comes  to  the  minds 
of  the  men  today  who  were  little  boys  of  long  ago  in  the  village  of 
Dover  is  the  antics  of  Johnnie  Smoker,  the  Mexican  pony,  the  Doctor's 
riding  horse.  This  Johnnie  spent  most  of  his  time  on  his  hind  feet  when 
he  had  an  audience.  When  the  Doctor  was  ready  to  mount  the  small 
boys  were  there  to  see  the  fun  for  Johnnie  and  his  master  would  have 
a  real  frolic  while  the  Doctor  was  trying  to  mount,  and  Johnnie  trying 
and  succeeding  usually  to  dodge  the  mount.  This  play  would  continue 
until  the  Doctor  was  weary  of  the  fun  and  then  shaking  his  whip  and 
sometimes  giving  the  pony  a  taste  of  it,  the  fun  would  be  over  and  off 
they  would  go  on  a  lively  canter  for  several  miles. 

Later  in  life  the  Doctor  greatly  enjoyed  his  handsome  bay  riding 
horse,  and  would  start  out  every  pleasant  morning  for  a  ride  down 
Michigan  Avenue.  One  neighbor  said  to  my  mother,  "'Do  you  know 
how  handsome  your  husband  looks  when  riding?  We  ladies  all  run 
to  the  window  to  see  him  pass  by  on  his  single  footer."  Mrs.  Zearing 
was  a  lover  of  the  saddle,  too,  and  could  equal  her  companion  in  all 
equestrian  feats,  but  did  not  continue  riding  as  long  as  did  the  Doctor. 

Doctor  Zearing  brought  west  with  him  at  the  age  of  fourteen  his 
favorite  book,  voluminous,  heavy  in  its  calf-skin  binding,  "Goldsmith's 
Animated  Nature,"  profusely  illustrated  with  copper-plate  engravings. 
As  a  child  he  poured  over  these  pictures  and  descriptions  of  animals. 
Among  other  family  books  is  a  large  Nurnburg  Bible,  date  of  1765, 
printed  in  German,  bound  in  leather  with  brass  corners  and  clasps. 
To  this  date  some  of  the  pieces  of  dress  braid  'and  tapes  used  for  book 


142 

marks  still  marks  grandmother's  pages.  One  cut  alone,  the  Ausbury 
Confessions,  makes  this  edition  of  especial  value.  Many  smaller  bibles 
and  school  books  and  hymnals  of  the  early  print  are  in  this  same 
collection. 

In  the  years  of  few  books  well  read,  Doctor  Zearing  clung  to  his 
favorite  writers,  Plutarch's  Lives,  Shakespeare,  Milton,  Bobbie  Burns, 
and  Gray's  Elegy,  and  in  the  many  years  of  his  sightless  life,  he  recalled 
from  memory  stanza  after  stanza  of  these  writers,  which  he  had  read 
in  youth,  and  thought  over  many  times  in  making  those  long  rides  to 
see  his  patients  in  Bureau  and  the  adjoining  counties.  One  time  only 
do  I  remember  his  asking  to  have  a  poem  of  Milton's  read  to  him, 
because  he  could  not  recall  two  lines.  He  said,  "I  have  tried  for  two 
months  to  think  this  out  and  it  will  not  come."  '^  keep  his  mind 
active  and  useful  was  as  systematic  a  procedure  Vvx...  him  as  to  keep 
his  body  in  good  condition,  with  proper  food  and  regular  exercise. 
Long  walks  twice  a  day,  and  just  before  retiring,  no  matter  what  the 
weather,  was  his  desire,  and  when  hair  cuts  were  needed,  or  a  call 
upon  uninformed  voters,  he  often  brought  into  service  our  long  time 
houseman,  the  colored  and  faithful  Abraham  Lincoln,  and  later  Chin 
Chuey,  to  escort  him  on  such  errands. 

Doctor  Zearing  was  a  member  of  Thomas  G.  A..R.  post,  Chicago, 
and  a  member  of  the  Army  of  The  Tennessee  and  of  the  Bureau 
County  Soldiers'  Association.  He  belonged  to  the  Masons  in  Prince- 
ton, Illinois,  He  was  frequently  invited  to  become  a  member  of  the 
Loyal  Legion  and  also  the  Pennsylvania  Society,  but  he  was  cut  off 
from  attending  such  meetings  by  loss  of  sight,  so  he  refrained  from 
joining  them.  He  was,  during  the  World's  Fair  of  1893,  in  Chicago, 
a  regular  attendant.  We  have  a  pass  with  his  name  and  photograph 
on  it  which  was  assigned  to  him.  He  spent  many  days  there  in  the  rail- 
road and  transportation  building,  with  too  little  sight  to  recognize  his 
friends,  but  many  saw  him  and  thus  he  was  afforded  much  pleasure, 
as  this  was  the  last  time  he  had  sight  enough  to  be  without  a  leader. 
He  was  always  of  military  carriage  and  he  would  go  about  his  home, 
with  which  he  was  so  familiar,  with  ease  and  exactness.  He  would 
walk  with  his  cane  touching  the  grass  along  the  edge  of  the  stone 
pavement,  not  revealing  loss  of  sight.  On  one  occasion  a  confidence 
man  rushed  up  to  him,  as  he  was  turning  to  go  up  the  steps  to  his 
door,  saying,  "Good  morning,  Doctor,  how  do  you  do.  I  am  delighted 
to  meet  you  again.  I  have  not  forgotten  our  pleasant  meeting  in  Texas. 
What  business  are  you  in  now,  Doctor?"  The  reply  was,  "In  the 
confidence  business,  sir,"  and  walked  on  to  his  door. 

The  biography  of  a  pioneer  is  a  heroic  poem  yet  unset  to  musical 
strains.  It  is  a  long  story,  showing  with  each  new  chapter  a  chronicle 
of  national  progress,  which  is  of  absorbing  interest  if  it  could  be  told 
in  detail,  even  until  the  last  page  is  turned.  As  one  of  the  pioneers 
of  Illinois,  Doctor  Zearing's  life  of  eighty-three  years  covered  the 
eventful  period  of  its  growth  from  scattered  settlements  into  one  of  the 
grand  states  of  our  Union.  He  saw  the  evolution  of  a  commonwealth, 
as  the  school  houses,  churches,  railroads  and  telegraph  came  to  it; 
he  heard  the  celebrated  debates  between  Lincoln  and  Douglas.  He 
attended  the  convention  in   1860  in  the  wigwam  of  Chicago,  which 


f! ! 


ZEARING    RESIDENCE, 
3600  Michigan  Avenue,  Chicago,  111. 


143 

nominated  Mr.  Lincoln  for  President  of  the  United  States,  also  the 
ball  that  evening.  He  attended  the  reception  given  at  the  home  of 
Doctor  Paddock  in  Princeton,  when  Mrs.  Paddock  urged  Mr.  Lincoln 
to  have  his  memorable  picture  taken  by  Masters,  the  Princeton 
photographer. 

The  World's  War  today  has  brought  forth  the  followers  of  the 
blood  and  iron  man — Bismarck — not  the  German  people  in  which  the 
Zearing  family  had  pride  in  and  reverence  for,  those  whom  they  had 
been  taught  throughout  their  lives  to  honor,  as  most  people  have,  to 
believe  in  such  men  as  Martin  Luther,  whose  inspiration  has  been  cast 
over  the  entire  world.  The  German  people  as  represented  by  Goethe 
and  Schiller,  by  Bach  and  Mendelsshon  and  many  others  to  whom  the 
whole  world  gives  honor,  nor  can  we  think  German  affairs  of  today 
represent  the  high  standard  of  the  better  people,  and  we  wonder  how 
amazed  the  older  generations  would  be  were  they  here  to  wit- 
ness the  terrible  downfall  of  the  ideals  of  freedom  and  democracy  for 
which  members  of  the  Zearing  family  have  fought  to  sustain  in  every 
war  since  the  American  Revolution.  A  family  more  staunch  for  liberty 
and  humanity  could  not  be  found  and  which  lives  up  to  its  democratic 
principles  even  in  smaller  matters. 

James  Roberts  Zearing,  M.  D.,  was  born  in  Harrisburg,  Pa., 
June  16th,  1828,  son  of  John  Zearing  and  Sarah  Bright  Harmon  Zear- 
ing. He  was  married  to  Lucinda  Helmer  May  25th,  1854,  and  died 
April  16th,  1911,  at  the  family  residence  3600  Michigan  Avenue,  Chi- 
cago, and  was  buried  in  the  family  lot  in  Oakwood  cemetery.  Doctor 
Zearing  is  the  lineal  descendent  of  Ludwig  Zearing,  of  Baden,  Ger- 
many, who  immigrated  to  this  country  prior  to  1732  and  settled  in 
Johnstown,  Pa.  In  1842  he,  with  his  parents,  and  family  moved  to 
Bureau  County,  Illinois.  The  father  of  John  Zearing,  Henry  Zearing, 
was  too  young  to  take  active  part  in  the  Revolution,  but  was  instrumen- 
tal in  furnishing  money  and  teams  for  the  use  of  the  soldiers  in  the  war. 

John  Zearing  resided  in  Harrisburg  thirty  years.  He  was  for 
many  years  an  office  bearer  in  Salem  German  Reformed  Church,  serv- 
ing first  as  deacon,  then  as  an  elder.  He  was  overseer  of  the  poor 
and  held  other  official  stations.  In  the  war  of  1812  he  was  in  Captain 
Thomas  Walker's  company,  first  regiment  commanded  by  Colonel 
Kennedy,  of  Harrisburg,  forming  part  of  the  first  brigade,  of  which 
John  Foster  was  brigadier  general,  marched  to  Baltimore  to  defend 
that  city  when  an  attack  was  made  upon  it  by  the  British  commanded 
by  General  Ross,  September  13th,  1814. 

Doctor  James  Roberts  Zearing  was  a  graduate  of  the  University 
of  Missouri  , Medical  Department,  1848,  of  St.  Louis,  and  of  Rush 
Medical  College,  of  Chicago,  in  1850.  He  began  the  practice  of  medi- 
cine in  the  village  of  Dover,  Illinois,  where  he  resided  until  the  out- 
break of  the  Civil  War  in  1861.  In  October,  1861,  recruits  to  form  the 
56th  Regiment  of  Illinois  Infantry  were  being  enlisted  in  Camp  Bureau, 
of  Princeton,  Illinois.  Doctor  Zearing  enlisted  and  was  appointed  by 
Governor  Yates,  Oct.  27,  1861,  surgeon  of  said  regiment.  December 
26th  he  was  commissioned  as  first  surgeon  of  the  57th  Illinois,  Colonel 
A.  D.  Baldwin.  January,  1862,  left  Camp  Douglas,  Chicago,  with  the 
regiment  for  Ft.  Henry,  Tenn.,  then  to  Ft.  Donelson  and  engaged  in  the 


144 

battles  of  Ft.  Donelson,  Shiloh  and  Corinth  and  subsequently  with 
the  regiment  through  the  campaign  from  Chattanooga  to  Atlanta. 
In  the  summer  of  1864,  the  regiment  was  transferred  from  the  16th 
Army  Corps,  Gen.  Grenville  M.  Dodge,  commanding  to  the  4th  Di- 
vision of  the  15th  Army  Corps,  Gen.  J.  M.  Corse  commanding.  Doctor 
Zearing  served  as  Surgeon-in-Chief  of  Staff  of  Gen.  J.  M.  Corse  until 
the  army  reached  Savannah,  Ga.,  at  which  place  Doctor  Zearing  was 
ordered  by  General  Sherman  to  prepare  and  take  charge  of  hospitals 
for  the  sick  and  wounded  of  the  15th  Army  Corps. 

On  the  breaking  up  of  said  hospitals,  Doctor  Zearing  joined  the 
advancing  army  under  General  Sherman  at  Raleigh,  N.  C.,  where  he 
again  took  position  as  Surgeon-in-Chief  on  General  Corse's  staff  until 
the  command  was  mustered  out  at  Louisville,  Ky.,  in  1865. 

Doctor  Zearing's  children  treasure  a  war  album  which  was  pre- 
sented to  their  father  during  the  Civil  War  by  his  personal  friends 
whose  photographs  it  contains,  among  which  are  Generals  Grant,  Sher- 
man, Sheridan,  McPherson  and  Logan;  also  a  beautiful  pen  drawing 
of  a  cornucopia  surrounded  with  cards  on  which  are  printed  the  names 
of  some  of  the  battles  and  dates  in  which  Doctor  Zearing  saw  active 
service.  This,  with  other  army  papers  and  relics  of  his  medical  career 
in  the  army  as  surgeon  is  highly  prized  by  the  family  of  Doctor  Zear- 
ing, who  are  asked  to  present  these  relics  to  the  archives  of  the  Rush 
Medical  College. 

After  the  Civil  War  Doctor  Zearing  returned  to  Dover,  Illinois, 
where  he  was  received  with  great  enthusiasm  by  the  citizens  of  the 
entire  county.  He  resumed  the  practice  of  medicine  in  Princeton,  Illi- 
nois, where  his  family  resided  for  many  years  and  his  children  attended 
school. 

In  1872,  on  account  of  ill  health  he  went  to  Texas  where  he  was 
engaged  for  ten  years  with  his  former  army  friend,  General  Grenville 
M.  Dodge  in  the  construction  of  the  Texas  and  Pacific  Railroad.  After 
this  he  moved  to  Chicago,  where  he  resided  until  his  death.  In  1886, 
the  eye  strain  which  had  been  caused  by  operating  so  constantly  at  the 
battle  of  Fort  Donelson,  where  he  was  without  sufficient  aid,  either  in 
assistant  doctors  or  nurses,  developed  into  glaucoma  and  iritis  and  pre- 
vented him  engaging  in  any  business  and  developed  a  total  loss  of  sight 
for  twenty-five  years  before  his  death. 

Doctor  James  R.  Zearing,  who  was  Illinois'  first  noted  Civil  War 
surgeon,  began  the  study  of  medicine,  as  was  the  custom,  in  the  office 
of  a  practicing  physician,  Dr.  William  Robinson,  who  had  moved  to 
Dover  to  be  in  a  more  central  location  of  Bureau,  Lee  and  LaSalle 
Counties,  which  his  practice  covered  in  that  sparsely  settled  territory. 
The  medical  student  became  the  druggist,  that  is,  the  compounder  of 
many  medicines  and  the  maker  of  pills,  those  innocent  little  ones  to 
appease  the  minds  of  the  hysteria  complainer,  and  also  those  robust 
dynamo  blue  mass  concoctions ;  the  mortar  and  pestle  was  ever  on  the 
prescription  desk,  to  be  used  to  mix  by  careful  rubbing  together  of  the 
ingredients  which  were  afterwards  rolled  into  bullet-shaped  pills,  un- 
coated  and  bitter  as  gall.  Then  the  doctor  was  the  dentist 
and  pulled  the  teeth  with  iron  forceps,  sterilizing  only  by  washing  in 


145 

cold  water.  These  were  the  days  when  the  saddle  bags  were  the  useful 
adjunct  to  the  pioneer  physician,  as  they  held  the  medicine,  the  instru- 
ments and  the  various  sized  bandages  which  the  student  physician  had 
to  roll  in  the  office.  Doctor  Zearing  was  among  the  first  doctors  of 
Illinois  to  have  a  physician's  gig  which  was  a  high  two-wheeled  vehicle, 
made  as  light  as  possible  to  stay  on  top  of  the  muddy  road.  There 
were  few  physicians  who  preceded  this  time.  The  first  three  years  of 
settlement  on  Bureau  Creek,  there  were  no  doctors  nearer  than  Peoria. 
In  the  year  of  1831,  Dr.  N.  Chamberlain  came,  and  for  many  years 
he  was, the  only  one  who  could  care  for  the  sick.  His  practice  ex- 
tended to  the  settlement  on  Rock  River,  and  he  continued  these  long 
trips  to  visit  patients  until  1837.  The  next  pioneer  physicians  were 
Dr.  William  O.  Chamberlain  and  Dr.  Swanzy.  Both  of  these  men 
stood  high  in  their  profession  and  did  most  conscientious  work.  In 
1833  the  first  post  office  which  had  been  named  Greenfield,  and  kept 
for  two  years  previous  by  Elijah  Smith,  had  its  name  changed  to 
Princeton,  and  Dr.  N.  Chamberlain  was  appointed  postmaster,  and 
Dr.  William  O.  Chamberlain  was  the  mail  carrier  from  the  first  office, 
which  was  established  and  named  Bureau.  The  rural  people  have 
always  had  the  practice  of  going  to  the  post  office  and  seeing  the 
Doctor  after  the  day's  work  was  done,  and  this  was  a  great  conven- 
ience to  combine  these  two  very  important  commissions. 

There  was  but  one  railroad  in  Illinois  in  1848.  That  was  the 
Northern  Cross  road,  from  Springfield  by  way  of  Jacksonville  to 
Meredosia  on  the  Illinois  River.  The  Galena  Railroad  was  the  next 
built,  and  later  the  Chicago,  Burlington  and  Quincy.  Dover  fully  ex- 
pected the  road  to  come  to  it,  but  it  passed  two  miles  away,  and  Maiden 
was  the  nearest  station.  In  1850,  when  Dr.  Zearing  was  attending 
Rush  Medical  College,  the  only  way  to  get  to  Chicago  was  by  way  of 
LaSalle  and  the  canal.  It  was  the  custom  to  drive  to  the  end  of  the 
railroad,  wherever  that  might  be,  to  take  the  train. 

After  the  war  Doctor  Zearing  was  one  of  the  first  surgeons  to  per- 
form abdominal  surgery  in  private  practice.  His  success  was  phenom- 
enal. He  was  called  to  New  York,  to  Indiana,  to  Iowa,  and  to  Texas  to 
perform  such  operations  in  the  families  of  his  war  friends,  who  had 
more  confidence  in  him  than  any  other  surgeon,  knowing  of  the  great 
success  he  had  during  the  Civil  War.  His  skill  in  straightening  crooked 
limbs  also  brought  him  patients  from  afar.  One  boy  whose  arm  had 
been  broken  and  poorly  set,  and  whose  parents  wished  to  educate  him 
to  be  a  priest,  sent  him  to  the  famed  surgeon,  and  his  arm  was  made 
straight  so  as  to  do  its  ecclesiastical  work.  When  one  of  his  first 
patients  was  asked  what  she  remembered  of  Doctor  Zearing's  early 
life  as  a  physician,  she  replied,  "He  was  one  of  the  most  beloved  men 
in  Bureau  County  and  it  was  always  said  of  him  that  he  had  fifteen 
hundred  confinement  cases  without  a  mother's  life  being  lost.  This  is 
a  record  to  stamp  a  special  Providence  cross  on  early,  and  what  would 
now  be  considered  crude  surgery.  Oh,  yes,  I  remember,  too,  that  every 
farmer's  wife  knew  his  love  for  a  glass  of  cream  and  a  piece  of  cake, 
and  if  one  knew  he  would  pass  her  home,  she  was  always  ready  with 
this  lunch  after  a  cup  of  hot  coffee.  It  was  a  pleasure  to  them  because 
they  all  loved  him." 


146 

My  sister,  Charlotte  Zearing  Colton,  contributed  the  following: 
"My  first  remembrance  of  the  country  doctor's  life  is  of  hearing 
the  clatter  of  horse's  hoofs  coming  across  the  square  at  midnight,  or 
being  awakened  in  the  middle  of  the  night  by  some  one  calling  from 
the  gate  for  'Dr.  Jim' ;  or  the  loud  knocking  on  the  door,  or  the  wrap- 
ping with  the  whip  handle  of  some  excited  person  sent  in  haste  for  the 
doctor.  When  about  ten  years  of  age  it  was  the  ringing  of  the  door- 
bell that  awakened  me,  and  here  may  I  tell  the  story  of  one  of  the  little 
boys  who  had  heard  of  this  door-bell,  and  had  a  great  longing  to  ring  it. 
He  was  not  well  acquainted  with  us,  as  his  people  were  homeopathists. 
His  curiosity  was  so  great  that  one  day  he  ventured  to  the  door,  planning 
to  run  as  soon  as  the  deed  was  done,  but  my  mother,  opening  the  door 
so  quickly,  frightened  this  from  his  mind,  as  well  as  an  excuse  of  an 
errand.  But  she  quickly  understood  the  circumstance,  and  asked  him 
if  he  would  not  like  to  come  in  and  see  her  new  door-bell,  which  he 
did,  and  was  allowed  to  ring  it  several  times.  All  through  life  he  had 
a  vision  of  my  mother  as  an  angel. 

So  eager  were  the  messengers  to  get  the  doctor  started  that  they 
would  offer  to  saddle  Johnnie  Smoker,  or  hitch  up  the  horses  and 
usually  did  it  wrong.  Before  starting  out  father  would  go  to  the  cellar, 
drink  the  cream  from  a  pan  of  milk  and  eat  some  sponge  cake.  These 
two  edibles  were  always  in  place  for  him  on  a  swinging  shelf.  Then 
he  was  ready  for  the  journey,  which  sometimes  lasted  three  or  four 
days,  for  people  hearing  that  the  doctor  was  coming  into  the  neighbor- 
hood would  leave  word  for  him  to  journey  on  to  another  and  another 
place.  Many  times  I  would  not  see  my  father  for  a  week,  as  he  would 
be  sleeping  when  I  went  to  school  and  be  far  out  on  the  prairie  when 
I  went  to  bed.  I  remember  standing  by  the  window,  watching  for  his 
return  when  there  was  a  storm  of  thunder  and  lightning,  and  weeping 
at  thought  of  his  danger,  and  he  would  come  in  and  tell  me  how  much 
he  enjoyed  it.  Then  when  I  knew  the  creeks  were  high,  how  I  grieved 
over  his  danger  of  fording;  then  when  the  snow  drifts  were  over  the 
fences,  I  wondered  and  wondered  how  he  could  ever  make  the  journey. 
He  never  thought  it  possible  to  refuse  making  visits  whether  there  was 
any  pay  from  it  or  not.  I  remember  the  kindness  of  the  people  who 
had  comfortable  clean  homes,  in  making  him  feel  there  was  always 
a  resting  place,  and  a  meal  for  the  doctor  whenever  he  passed,  and  he 
was  not  bashful  in  accepting  this  hospitality,  for  he  knew  the  invita- 
tion came  from  the  heart. 

I  think  one  of  the  most  pleasant  remembrances  of  these  days  was 
in  stealing  into  my  father's  office  when  I  knew  there  was  some  surgical 
operation  to  be  performed.  I  would  hide  until  I  knew  father  was  well 
started  then  I  would  come  forth,  and  soon  be  handing  a  bandage  or 
an  instrument  to  him,  or  holding  a  basin,  and  making  myself  generally 
useful.  There  were  times  when  I  was  sent  out.  I  can  see  a  whole 
family  in  the  office,  the  mother  worn  out,  children  with  tooth-ache, 
cross-eyed,  mumps,  sore  throats  and  itch,  and  the  old  man  stiff  with 
rheumatiz.  Each  one  received  more  love  and  sympathy  than  medicine, 
and  was  sent  home  on  the  mend. 


147 

I  often  wonder  how  father  survived  those  severe  winters,  for  he 
always  rode  in  an  open  buggy  or  sleigh,  and  did  not  have  the  warm 
garments  that  people  have  today  to  protect  themselves  against  rain  and 
snow  and  wind.  He  depended  on  heated  bricks,  a  buffalo  overcoat  and 
robes.  His  great  protection  from  these  relentless  enemies  was  the  love 
and  admiration  and  gratitude  these  people  gave  the  doctor  for  his 
care  and  sympathy  and  help  in  times  of  distress  and  suffering. 

After  an  early  freshet,  when  Bureau  Creek  had  become  high  and 
overflowed  its  banks,  a  farmer  came  into  town  one  day  and  reported 
that  he  saw  Doctor  Zearing  on  horseback  crossing  the  river  and  saw 
him  go  down  and  waited  for  some  time,  but  did  not  see  him  come  out  on 
the  other  side.  This  report  created  great  excitement  to  the  family  and 
friends  of  Doctor  Zearing,  and  it  was  several  days,  when  the  creek  was 
down  enough  to  cross  safely,  before  it  was  known  whether  he  was 
safe  or  not,  when  he  came  riding  into  town  to  be  greeted  with  great 
enthusiasm  by  all. 

When  Gen.  Grenville  M.  Dodge  went  to  Texas  to  build  the  Texas 
and  Pacific  Railroad  he  asked  his  army  friend,  Major  Zearing,  to  go 
with  him.  They  had  bunked  together  in  war  and  there  formed  that 
peculiar  deep  affection  for  each  other  that  only  camp  life  brings  to  men. 
For  more  than  ten  years  they  were  associated  in  railroad  building. 

About  this  time  he  formed  pleasant  acquaintances  with  Col. 
Thomas  Scott  of  Philadelphia,  Col.  George  Noble, Jay  Gould, Gov.  John 
C.  Brown  of  Tennessee,  H.  M.  Hoxie,  Capt.  Grey,  Morgan  Jones, 
Major  D.  W.  Washburn,  long  time  friend,  and  with  the  more  frequent 
association  of  Gen.  Grenville  M.  Dodge,  and  others  prominent  in  the 
building  of  the  Texas  and  Pacific  Railroad,  Doctor  Zearing  counted 
many  life  long  friends. 

The  writer  recalls  the  memorable  occasion  when  Col.  Thomas 
Scott  and  associates  sold  the  Texas  and  Pacific  Railroad  to  the  Jay 
Gould  interests,  and  a  part  of  this  interesting  transaction  took 
place  outside  of  the  New  York  offices  and  culminated  in  Marshall, 
Texas,  in  the  home  of  Col.  George  M.  Noble  and  in  the  presence  of 
Col.  James  Scott,  son  of  Col.  Thomas  Scott,  and  Doctor  Zearing. 

After  the  tragic  death  of  Major  Washburn  in  a  railroad  accident, 
the  railroad  civil  engineer's  work  stood  still.  The  ability  and  com- 
mand of  such  a  man  was  hard  to  replace.  The  New  York  office,  after 
diligent  search  sent  a  Scotchman  to  this  vacant  place.  He  had  the 
usual  stubborn  methods  of  his  kin,  which  was  so  unlike  what  had  been 
given  out  by  Major  Washburn  that  the  Scotchman  soon  had  the  ill 
will  and  hatred  of  every  official  on  the  whole  T.  &  P.  Railroad.  The 
men  realized  the  good  of  the  road  was  interfered  with.  They  appealed 
to  Doctor  Zearing  to  communicate  conditions  to  General  Dodge,  who 
was  in  his  New  York  office,  as  they  deemed  the  General  would  consider 
what  Doctor  Zearing  would  recommend  without  a  question.  Doctor 
Zearing  realized  the  necessity  of  doing  something.  He  went  to  the 
office  of  the  Texas  and  Pacific  Railroad  in  Ft.  Worth,  Texas,  and  stood 
before  the  civil  engineer,  shook  his  fist  in  his  face  and  told  him  he  was 
a  "Damn  nuisance"  and  that  every  man  connected  with  the  railroad 
hated  and  despised  him  for  his  bulldogged  meanness.    He  further  told 


148 

him  of  certain  things  he  could  not  do  and  other  things  he  should  do, 
and  demanded  he  change  his  course  that  minute.  If  not  he  would 
report  him  to  General  Dodge.  Every  man  in  the  office  stood  aghast 
at  Doctor  Zearing' s  courage  and  authority  as  he  plainly  spoke  to  this 
red  headed  tryant,  who  at  first  looked  furious,  but  calmed  and  heeded 
the  advice  given,  which  made  life  pleasant  for  all  concerned.  All  along 
the  telegraph  line  flashed  this  rebuke,  extending  to  the  M.  K.  &  T. 
offices  in  Sedalia  and  St.  Louis.  The  remarkable  and  unusual  words 
used  by  the  Doctor  surprised  all  who  received  them,  for  the  telegram 
read,  "What  do  you  think!  Doctor  Zearing  swore,  he  called  Mac  a 
'Damn  liar'  and  shook  his  fist  in  his  face.  The  T.  &  P.  office  force  is 
happy." 

The  superintendent  of  the  M.  K.  &  T.,  Col.  J.  M.  Eddy,  at  whose 
home  I  was  a  guest,  came  in  to  dinner  very  care-worn.  His  wife  said 
"Forget  the  day  and  cheer  up  for  dinner."  He  replied,  with  a  twinkle 
in  his  eye,  "Forget,  I  cannot.  Read  this  telegram.  It  looks  as  if  the 
T.  &  P.  might  go  to  pieces  when  Doctor  Zearing  has  begun  to  swear." 
This  was  but  one  departure  from  the  method  of  kind  words,  a  manly 
example  and  perfect  deportment,  that  Doctor  Zearing  had  always  used 
in  his  profession  and  business  and  which  was  so  unusual  of  him,  but  he 
felt  that  he  must  adopt  beastly  methods  to  arouse  a  beast,  and  the  word 
flew  among  his  friends,  and  has  been  spoken  of  often  as  "the  one  time 
that  Doctor  Zearing  swore." 

Perhaps  no  instance  we  recall  now  shows  the  skill  that  Dr.  Zear- 
ing possessed  and  which  also  shows  him  as  peculiarly  and  distinctly 
a  man  who  was  cool  and  always  in  command  of  himself  better  than 
the  account  of  an  incident  which  occurred  when  he  was  with  a  party 
of  men  in  a  private  car  going  over  the  T.  &  P.  Railroad.  A  signal  to 
stop  was  waved  to  their  car  as  an  accident  was  reported  nearby.  The 
men  all  went  to  the  scene  and  found  a  man  with  a  crushed  leg  which 
had  to  be  amputated  at  once.  Doctor  Zearing  sent  the  cook  back  to  the 
car  to  bring  him  a  saw  and  any  knives  he  could  find.  With  a  meat  saw 
and  a  carving  knife  the  poor  victim's  life  was  saved.  Another  instance 
which  happened  in  Louisiana  when  the  Doctor  was  on  horseback  in  the 
country,  he  met  a  runaway  horse  and  wagon,  dragging  a  negro,  and  the 
horse  ran  on  into  a  pond  and  pulled  the  man  under  the  water.  The 
Doctor  ran  his  horse  to  the  stream  and  got  the  man's  head  above  the 
water,  then  went  to  a  darkey's  cabin  nearby  for  help,  but  these  super- 
stitious people,  having  seen  what  had  happened,  ran  in  and  locked  their 
doors,  and  the  only  help  that  the  Doctor  found  was  a  young  boy  he  met 
on  the  road. 

Doctor  Zearing  was  sitting  on  his  front  porch  on  Easter  Monday 
morning,  wrapped  in  his  steamer  rugs  "just  out  for  fresh  air  and  more 
sunshine,"  as  he  often  remarked  to  passing  neighbors,  and  while  thus 
resting  and  waiting  the  summons  came.  He  was  stricken  with 
apoplexy.  Doctor  Zearing  carried  his  eighty-three  years  with  the  erect- 
ness  and  grace  of  a  soldier  of  fifty.  So  April  16,  1911  he  closed  his 
sightless  eyes  forever.  As  the  telegraph  and  newspapers  carried  the 
words  of  his  passing  on,  the  responses  to  the  family  came  promptly  in, 
for  the  influence  and  extent  of  his  early  career  had  penetrated  from 


MRS.  J.  R.  ZEARING. 


149 

Bureau  County  to  every  state  in  the  Union,  and  these  letters  seem  to 
call  for  something  of  a  memorial  to  be  preserved  by  family  and  State 
to  show  how  he  was  regarded  by  his  generation. 

The  Rush  Alumni  Association  bulletin  published  the  following 
notice : 

Necrology. 

James  Roberts  Zearing,  Chicago.  Graduated  1850.  Surgeon  of 
the  Fifty-seventh  Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry  and  later  Chief  Surgeon 
of  the  Fourth  Division,  Fifteenth  Army  Corps,  serving  throughout  the 
Civil  War ;  said  to  have  been  the  oldest  alumnus  of  Rush  Medical  Col- 
lege. He  had  been  blind  for  the  last  twenty-five  years.  Died  at  his 
home,  April  16,  1911,  from  cerebral  hemorrhage,  aged  83. 


LUCINDA  HELMER,  WIFE  OF  JAMES  ROBERTS  ZEARING. 

Lucinda  Helmer,  who  was  always  called  by  her  nick-name, 
"Puss,"  was  born  January  30,  1833,  and  married  to  James  Roberts 
Zearing,  of  Dover,  Bureau  County,  Illinois,  May  25,  1854.  Mrs.  Zear- 
ing  took  an  active  part  in  club,  social  and  progressive  movements.  She 
was  one  of  the  original  subscribers  to  the  first  woman's  suffrage  paper, 
and  one  of  the  first  members  of  the  "Friends  in  Council,"  a  literary  club, 
of  Princeton.  She  was  educated  in  the  boarding  schools  of  Green- 
castle  and  Bloomington,  Indiana,  at  the  time  her  father,  Melchert 
Helmer  was  in  the  legislature  of  that  state.  Three  children  survive, 
Charlotte  (Mrs.  Buel  P.  Colton),  Luelja  (Mrs.  J.  Ellsworth  Gross), 
and  James  Helmer  Zearing,  and  two  grandsons,  James  Zearing  Colton 
and  Kingsley  Buel  Colton. 

A  friend  of  mother's  said  recently  of  her,  "Your  mother  was  the 
handsomest  girl  I  have  ever  seen.  When  she  came  to  Illinois  to  visit 
her  sister  in  Dover,  many  of  us  who  had  seen  the  attractive  daugerro- 
type  of  her  that  always  stood  on  the  parlor  table  and  admired  it  very 
much  did  not  realize  that  any  one  could  be  so  beautiful  in  feature  and 
coloring  as  she.  The  first  time  I  saw  her,  she  came  into  church  wear- 
ing an  attractive  straw  poke  bonnet.  Her  dresses  were  all  low  neck 
and  short  sleeve  and  her  neck  and  arms  were  perfect.  As  she  walked 
down  the  aisle  every  eye  was  upon  her,  but  she,  too,  wanted  to  see. 
She  carried  the  first  gold  framed  monocle  that  Dover  folks  had  ever 
seen.  She  was  near  sighted  and  during  the  singing  she  put  the  monocle 
to  her  eye  and  turned  around  to  see  the  audience,  who  at  the  same 
time  saw  her  face  and  every  one  was  astonished  that  any  human  crea- 
ture could  be  so  beautiful."  Her  father  was  with  her.  They  had  driven 
through  from  Bedford,  with  horse  and  buggy.  He  was  just  as  hand- 
some a  man  as  she  was  a  girl,  and  his  prominence  in  his  own  state 
added  to  his  reception  and  warm  welcome  in  Bureau  County.  The 
Hon.  Melchert  Helmer  was  of  the  Holland  Dutch  of  New  York,  and 
as  early  as  1815  had  gone  with  his  family  to  Indiana,  north  of  Louis- 
ville, Ky.  At  the  age  of  twenty-two  years  he  married  Lucinda  Burf ord 
Haggerty,  of  Kentucky,  who  was  a  cousin  of  President  Polk.  The 
inheritance  of  the  combined  New  York  and  Kentucky  ancestry  was 


150 

dominant  in  the  Helmer  daughters.  Their  father  was  a  staunch  Abo- 
litionist, and  he  would  not  live  as  he  had  intended,  in  Kentucky,  but 
moved  to  southern  Indiana,  where  he  was  in  the  Indiana  legislature, 
and  was  one  of  the  members  of  the  convention  in  October,  1850  to 
"Revise  the  Constitution  of  Indiana."  He  was  a  great  man,  always 
standing  most  firmly  for  the  truth  and  right.  Four  daughters  lived  to 
womanhood,  but  two  sons  died  in  infancy,  which  was  a  source  of  great 
regret  that  the  name  of  this  family  should  die  in  the  state  of  Indiana  in 
which  the  father  and  grandfather  had  helped  to  pave  the  way  to 
greatness. 

Mrs.  Zearing  was  very  much  like  her  father  and  took  part  in 
Dover,  Princeton  and  Chicago  in  all  activities  in  which  women  were 
interested,  especially  during  the  World's  Fair  of  Chicago,  when  women 
awoke  to  their  usefulness,  but  when  loss  of  sight  overtook  her  husband, 
Mrs.  Zearing  devoted  her  life  to  him.  She  read,  walked,  traveled  and 
was  his  strong  arm,  so  other  duties  dropped  from  her  life.  A  life  of 
devotion  is  seldom  so  remarkably  faithful  as  was  that  of  Doctor  and 
Mrs.  Zearing.  They  had  twin  bicycles  on  which  they  rode  out  Michigan 
Avenue  to  the  south  parks,  taking  the  morning  papers  along  and  enjoy- 
ing the  fresh  air  and  the  exercise.  The  Doctor  loved  a  slow,  quiet 
smoke,  while  he  listened  to  the  daily  news.  His  alertness  in  regard 
to  history  and  events  was  remarkable.  His  mind  was  keen,  his  hearing 
the  best,  as  was  Mrs.  Zearing's.  In  fact,  age  seemed  to  forget  them 
until  the  end  came.    Mrs.  Zearing  died  December  28,  1912. 


LETTERS  WRITTEN  BY  DR.  JAMES  R.  ZEARING  TO  HIS 

WIFE  LUCINDA  HELMER  ZEARING  DURING  THE 

CIVIL  WAR,  1861-1865. 

Camp  Douglas,  Dec.  3,  1861. 
Dear  Puss  : 

I  have  neglected  writing  you  for  several  days,  although  during 
that  time  I  have  received  two  letters  from  you  for  which  I  am  very 
thankful.  I  have  not,  for  the  last  week,  been  really  able  to  write  a 
letter,  and  if  I  had  been,  I  would  scarcely  have  had  the  time.  About 
ten  days  ago  I  took  a  very  bad  cold,  which  settled  on  my  lungs  and 
leaves  a  severe  cough,  such  as  I  had  last  winter.  This  has  hardly  left 
me  fit  for  duty.  As  yet,  however,  I  have  been  able  to  go  through  with 
it,  but  with  the  greatest  effort,  and  all  the  time,  too,  through  the  in- 
crease of  sickness,  my  labor  has  been  largely  increased.  Unless  I  get 
rapidly  better  I  will  have  to  give  up  my  position  in  the  hospital,  which 
will  make  my  labor  much  less.  The  service  in  the  regiment,  I  can  get 
along  with  very  easily.  I  have  not  determined  positively  whether  I 
shall  remain  permanently  or  not.  'It  will  depend  on  this,  if  the  regiment 
goes  into  service  soon,  or  if  there  is  a  prospect  of  it  going  soon,  I  think 
I  shall  go  with  them,  but  if  the  prospect  is  to  stay  here  all  winter,  I  will 
probably  come  home,  as  I  do  not  think  I  would  like  staying  here  so 
long,  although  I  am  well  situated.  I  cannot  tell  you  what  will  be  the 
result  of  the  filling  up  of  the  regiment.  We  are  getting  more  recruits 
than  any  other  regiment  in  camp,  and  we  have  offers  of  full  companies 


151 

to  join  us.  I  wish  I  could  tell  you  when  I  would  be  down  to  see  you, 
but  as  yet,  I  do  not  see  any  chance  for  it.  I  was  glad  to  learn  by  your 
letters  that  you  were  doing  well,  and  that  the  little  chips  were  thriving. 
You  did  not  state  whether  you  were  weaning  the  baby  or  not.  I  hope 
you  will  immediately,  as  it  would  be  much  better  for  you.  In  regard  to 
those  safes  that  William  sent,  you  had  better  have  Joseph  take  care 
of  them  if  they  come.  He  says  he  shipped  one  by  railroad  and  two  by 
water ;  the  two  by  water  will  be  frozen  up  on  the  way,  as  navigation  is 
already  closed.  I  enclose  you  a  letter  from  Mat  and  Eliza,  as  it  may  be 
later  than  when  you  heard  from  them  last.  I  will  try  and  write  them 
soon.    Write  me  as  often  as  you  can.    I  will  write  you  soon  again. 

Yours, 

J.  R.  Zearing. 

Camp  Douglas,  Dec.  20th,  1861. 
Dear  Puss  : 

I  just  write  you  a  few  lines  to  inform  you  that  I  will  not  be  home 
this  week,  but  will  certainly  be  at  home  on  Monday  next.  My  reason 
for  not  being  able  to  fill  my  promise  is  that  the  regiment  has  been  en- 
gaged in  important  matters  this  week  that  was  necessary  that  I  should 
be  here.  We  have  this  day  completed  a  consolidation  of  our  regiment 
with  that  of  the  57th  regiment  under  Col.  Baldwin.  We  have  about 
an  equal  number  of  men  and  the  offices  have  been  equally  divided.  I 
have  today  selected  an  assistant  surgeon,  Dr.  Blood,  of  this  city. 
He  appears  to  be  a  very  fine  man.  This  will  be  of  much  relief  to  me, 
as  I  can  better  feel  that  the  regiment  is  provided  for  while  I  am  gone. 
So  goodbye  till  Monday,  then  I  will  see  you. 

Yours, 

J.  R.  Zearing. 

Tennessee  River,  March  9th,  1862. 
Dear  Puss: 

I  left  Cairo  Friday  evening.  We  had  to  lay  over  at  Paducah  all 
day,  so  that  we  did  not  reach  Fort  Henry  until  this  afternoon.  I  found 
when  we  arrived  at  the  Fort  that  our  regiment  had  already  got  on 
board  a  boat  and  proceeded  up  the  river.  We  run  up  six  miles  and 
found  them  in  company  with  a  large  fleet.  I  soon  got  on  board  and 
was  warmly  received  by  the  regiment.  There  are  about  a  hundred  of 
the  boys  sick,  so  that  I  will  have  work  on  hand  immediately.  We  are 
on  board  the  steamer  Argyle.  We  will  probably  remain  here  over 
night.  There  are  still  more  regiments  coming  up  the  river.  There  are 
now  about  sixty  steamers  loaded  with  troops  here  and  more  coming. 
Gen.  Grant  and  Gen.  Wallace  are  with  us.  Where  we  are  going  is  all 
a  matter  of  conjecture  with  us.  Undoubtedly  there  is  some  well  ma- 
tured plan  arranged  which  we  will  be  made  aware  of  when  the  time 
comes  for  action.  Some  think  we  are  bound  for  Memphis,  some  that 
we  are  to  go  as  far  into  Alabama  as  we  can  get,  but  by  looking  up  the 
map,  and  comparing  our  location  with  the  position  of  the  enemy,  you 
can  judge  of  our  destination  as  well  as  we  can.  There  were  three  of 
our  men  taken  prisoners  today  while  out  foraging.  They  had  got 
several  miles  back  from  the  river  when  a  body    of    secesh    cavalry 


152 

pounced  on  them,  one  of  the  body  managed  to  escape  and  brought  the 
news  to  the  boat.  We  sent  out  three  companies  in  pursuit,  but  they 
had  retreated  back  to  a  place  called  Paris,  some  twenty  or  thirty  miles. 
Our  men  did  not  see  proper  to  pursue  them  so  far.  They  brought  with 
them  thirteen  prisoners  that  were  known  to  be  hot  secesh,  although 
they  were  at  their  homes  when  taken.  The  officers  thought  they  would 
have  a  chance  to  exchange  them  for  their  own  men.  They  brought 
with  them  a  fine  lot  of  chickens  and  turkeys.  One  of  the  latter  we 
purchased  for  our  officers'  mess,  which  will  grace  our  table  tomorrow. 
I  am  still  getting  better  but  feel  "powerful"  weak,  but  a  few  days  will 
stiffen  up  my  muscles  so  I  can  move  about  as  lively  as  ever.  I  will 
write  you  as  often  as  opportunity  offers.  You  will  still  write  to  Cairo. 
The  letters  will  be  forwarded  some  time.  Write  often  so  that  I  need 
not  be  uneasy.  We  have  seen  no  paymaster  yet.  Perhaps  will  not  until 
the  war  is  over.    Kiss  the  babies  for  me,  and  one  for  yourself. 

Yours, 

J.  R.  Zearing. 

Tenn.,  March  15,  1862. 
Dear  Wife  : 

I  wrote  you  several  letters  while  on  the  way  up,  I  do  not  suppose, 
however,  that  you  will  get  them  very  soon  as  I  presume  the  government 
will  delay  them  so  as  to  prevent  the  object  of  the  expedition  to  become 
known.  After  I  wrote  you  last  we  continued  up  the  river,  in  passing 
a  town  on  the  river  by  the  name  of  Clifton,  by  a  few  cavalry  that  were 
prowling  around,  they  fired  into  us  after  we  passed  the  village,  one 
man  was  badly  wounded,  the  ball  passing  through  the  elbow  joint, 
fracturing  the  elbow  joint;  during  the  excitement  one  of  our  men  dis- 
charged his  gun  and  shot  another  of  our  men  through  the  head,  killing 
him  instantly.  We  fired  back  at  the  rebels,  and  then  backed  the  boat 
down  to  the  village  and  landed  but  could  not  catch  the  cavalry,  the 
citizens  represented  that  they  used  their  best  endeavors  to  prevent  the 
rebels  firing,  they  all  professed  to  be  willing  to  come  into  the  Union. 
We  took  two  of  the  citizens  prisoners  for  the  good  behavior  of  the  rest. 
We  arrived  at  a  place  called  Savannah  on  Thurs.  morning,  we  layed 
there  until  night  when  that  part  of  the  fleet  consisting  of  our  brigade 
went  three  miles  up  the  river,  where  we  were  ordered  to  land;  we 
did  so,  and  marched  4  miles  into  the  country,  the  darkest  and  rainiest 
night  you  ever  saw.  We  reached  a  place  called  Adamsville  and 
camped.  A  large  force  of  cavalry  were  sent  out  to  scout,  the  object 
of  the  expedition  was  to  attack  a  body  of  the  enemy  supposed  to  be  at 
Purdy,  the  county  seat  of  McNary  Co.,  about  10  miles  distant  from 
where  we  were.  This  is  an  important  point,  as  near  there  all  the 
important  railroads  of  the  south  converge.  The  enemy  could  not  be 
found;  in  the  night  we  marched  back  to  the  boats  where  we  still  are, 
awaiting  the  plans  of  our  generals.  It  is  reported  that  the  rebels  are 
in  large  force  somewhere  near  this  point,  we  will  have  to  be  shrewd 
or  they  will  destroy  our  transports  and  cut  off  our  chance  for  advance 
or  retreat.  Whether  we  will  succeed  in  cutting  off  more  than  their 
railroad  communication  is  doubtful.     They  have  by  so  many  roads 


153 

converging  at  this  point  an  opportunity  of  throwing  a  large  force 
upon  us  here,  if  they  have  them  to  spare,  and  as  they  have  evacuated 
Columbus,  Bowling  Green  and  perhaps  other  points  where  they  had 
other  troops,  they  will  probably  make  a  desperate  attempt  to  cut  us 
off  here.  I  have  been  delighted  at  the  appearance  of  the  country  here. 
It  looks  fertile  and  is  well  cultivated.  We  are  now  in  the  land  of 
cotton  and  on  our  expedition  we  saw  some  valuable  piles  already 
pressed  and  sacked  on  fire,  and  the  owners  fled.  The  most  of  the  in- 
habitants, however,  stayed  at  home  with  their  "niggers,"  and  thereby 
saved  them.  We  did  not  take  any  cotton,  though  we  might  have  taken 
a  large  quantity  of  it. 

I  am  getting  along  very  well,  though  we  have  a  great  deal  of  sick- 
ness, and  consequently  we  have  to  work  very  hard.  Puss,  I  am  pretty 
near  tired  of  war,  it  is  hard  work  and  the  most  extreme  kind  of  priva- 
tion. Just  to  think  of  a  man  of  your  husband's  pretentions  trotted  out 
of  bed  at  three  o'clock  in  the  morning  and  marched  through  the  woods 
and  then  breakfasted  on  black  coffee  and  pilot  bread.  Well,  no  matter, 
I  can  stand  it  if  others  can.  Puss — we  have  just  received  a  mail  from 
up  the  river  and  no  letter  from  you  yet.  I  should  be  glad  to  hear  from 
you.    I  received  one  from  Dr.  Isaacs  dated  March  6. 

Goodbye, 

J.  R.  Zearing. 
Tenn.,  March  18,  1862. 
Dear  Puss  : 

I  will  write  you  a  few  lines  again  today.  I  nearly  forgot  where 
it  was  I  wrote  you  last,  but  we  are  now  at  a  point  4  miles  below 
Savannah,  a  pretty  village  of  some  size  and  considerable  wealth.  I 
went  up  yesterday  to  see  it.  I  was  invited  into  dinner  at  one  of  the 
plantations  adjoining  the  village.  The  owner  has  80  "niggers"  and 
lives  in  princely  style.  We  had  all  the  luxuries  that  a  well  ordered 
farm  can  produce.  I  shall  enjoy  it  for  month  or  two,  just  thinking  of 
it.  We  find  a  great  many  true  Union  men  in  this  vicinity.  I  think  a 
majority  of  them  are.  They  have  suffered  a  great  deal  from  the  rebels 
by  the  way  of  foraging  and  stealing  and  they  are  heartily  tired  of  it. 
We  are  still  on  the  boat.  Tomorrow  we  will  go  on  the  shore  and 
camp.  It  will  be  far  more  pleasant,  as  the  men  will  all  have  tents,  and 
the  weather  is  superb.  For  a  few  days  it  has  been  clear  and  a-:  mild 
as  May,  the  surface  is  being  covered  with  grass  and  some  of  the  trees 
of  the  earlier  varieties  are  showing  their  leaves  quite  plainly.  We  are 
still  waiting  here  for  orders  to  move.  The  designs  of  the  commanding 
officers  are  still  a  mystery,  though  it  is  evidently  indicated  by  the 
magnitude  of  the  operations  that  there  will  be  movements  of  great 
importance.  Besides  the  force  already  here  which  must  be  50,000 
troops  are  still  coming  up  from  below  in  large  numbers.  They  are 
now  bringing  up  the  forces  that  have  been  operating  against  Price  in 
Missouri.  We  have  news  that  General  Buel  is  only  about  40  miles 
from  us  with  his  army,  so  you  see  that  the  forces  concentrated  here 
are  immense.  The  rebels  are  said  to  be  concentrating  theirs  to  meet 
us.  If  so,  it  will  be  the  most  decisive  battle  of  the  war,  and  if  we  are 
victorious  it  will  probably  settle  secesh. 


154 

We  lost  another  man  today,  who  was  shot  accidently  three  nights 
ago  while  on  picket  duty.  He  was  shot  through  the  upper  part  of  the 
left  lung. 

I  have  got  perfectly  strong  again  and  feel  sound.  I  can  digest 
salt  pork  and  hard  biscuit  and  drink  Tenn.  water  thick  with  mud,  and 
that  requires  a  pretty  strong  stomach.  I  would  feel  better  if  I  could 
hear  from  you.  We  have  had  several  mails  up  the  river,  but  I  have 
received  no  letter  since  I  saw  you.  Write  often.  Kiss  the  babies  for 
me. 

Yours, 

J.  R.  Zearing. 

Savannah,  Tenn.,  March  21st,  1862. 
Dear  Puss: 

I  have  nothing  particular  to  write,  but  as  there  is  a  mail  to  leave 
this  evening,  I  thought  I  would  drop  you  a  line.  I  was  sent  down  from 
our  brigade  yesterday  with  a  boat  load  of  sick  to  put  in  hospital  here, 
and  leave  them.  Major  General  Grant  ordered  me  to  stop  here  and 
take  charge  of  the  hospital  until  further  orders.  How  long  it  will  be 
until  those  further  orders  come  I  cannot  tell.  Our  regiment  was  or- 
dered to  prepare  ten  days  rations  when  I  left  and  if  I  am  compelled 
to  stay  here  a  few  days  I  shall  get  separated  from  the  regiment.  Puss, 
I  am  tired  out  again.  I  have  taken  cold  and  have  a  pretty  bad  cough, 
but  presume  I  shall  get  over  it  again  in  a  few  days.  There  is  an  im- 
mense amount  of  sickness  in  the  army.  I  believe  that  one-third  are 
unfit  for  duty.  In  some  regiments  a  good  many  are  dying.  Dr.  Brown, 
of  the  11th  Indiana,  died  day  before  yesterday.  We  need  physicians. 
If  Orlando  Helmer  was  here  I  could  get  him  a  contract  immediately 
at  seventy-five  or  a  hundred  dollars  per  month.  If  he  can  come  on  soon, 
you  had  better  send  him.  Puss  I  have  received  no  letter  from  you  yet. 
I  presume  some  day  I  will  get  a  whole  batch,  and  then  I  shall  enjoy 
them.  I  still  write  you  every  few  days.  I  presume  you  get  some  of 
them. 

Goodbye, 

J.  R.  Zearing. 

Pittsburg,  Tenn.,  April  8,  1862. 

Tuesday  Evening. 
Dear  Puss : 

I  snatch  a  few  moments  this  evening  to  inform  you  that  we  have 
just  gone  through  two  days  of  the  bloodiest  fight  that  ever  occurred 
on  this  continent.  I  wrote  you  a  letter  on  Saturday  last,  stating  that  the 
night  before  we  were  attacked  by  a  few  regiments  of  the  rebels  on  our 
extreme  right,  that  in  a  short  time  they  were  driven  back  and  we  re- 
mained quiet  the  rest  of  the  night.  Saturday  everything  was  quiet 
and  we  presumed  that  it  was  merely  a  reconnoitering  party,  but  it 
proved  to  be  the  advance  of  the- main  body  of  the  enemy.  On  Sunday 
morning  at  six  o'clock  the  rebels  advanced  with  their  whole  force, 
very  rapidly  and  with  great  energy.  Their  whole  force  was  thrown 
upon  our  right  wing,  General  Sherman's  division.  It  was  but  a  short 
time  before  his  division  was  forced  to  retire.     Our  whole  force  was 


155 

immediately  thrown  forward  and  we  formed  a  line  of  battle  about  two 
miles  back  from  the  river.  The  fighting  was  furious  on  the  line  for 
about  two  hours,  but  for  want  of  complete  organization  and  the  time 
consumed  in  getting  our  artillery  into  proper  position,  we  were  forced 
to  retire  and  form  a  new  line,  about  half  a  mile  in  our  rear.  Upon  this 
line  our  men  fought  for  four  hours  with  great  determination.  The 
ground  was  covered  with  the  dead  and  wounded.  No  advantage 
seemed  to  be  gained  on  either  side.  We  had  lost  a  large  proportion  of 
our  field  and  line  officers.  The  enemy  moved  up  all  their  reserve  and 
made  a  desperate  onset.  They  were  so  far  superior  in  numbers  as  to 
out-flank.  At  every  gap  in  our  line  they  would  wedge  in  fresh  regi- 
ments. After  severe  loss  on  both  sides,  we  gradually  retired  fighting 
every  inch  of  the  way,  holding  the  enemy  at  bay  for  a  considerable 
length  of  time,  and  retiring  so  slowly  was  the  only  thing  that  saved 
our  entire  army  from  being  captured.  As  soon  as  it  was  determined  to 
retire  from  our  second  line,  our  general  in  command,  Grant,  had  put 
in  position  on  a  new  line,  within  a  half  mile  of  the  river,  a  number  of 
large  siege  cannon.  Our  troops  retreated  upon  this  line  about  five 
o'clock.  The  enemy  rushed  upon  this  line  with  great  confidence.  They 
knew  if  they  drove  us  from  this  they  would  gain  everything.  Our 
men  stood  firm.  The  rebels  came  up  apparently  with  undiminished 
numbers.  Our  large  cannon  opened  upon  them  and  mowed  them  down 
by  hundreds.  Our  rifles  poured  a  hail  storm  into  them  that  completely 
checked  them.  They  hesitated  and  fell  back.  It  was  growing  dark 
and  we  were  not  in  position  to  follow  them.  We  remained  behind  our 
artillery.  The  rebels  slept  in  our  tents.  We  slept  in  the  open  air. 
So  far  they  had  the  advantage  of  us.  I  must  confess  we  were  nearly 
whipped  and  feared  the  morrow.  Twelve  hours  hard  fighting  and  no 
time  to  eat.  Just  as  dark  set  in  we  saw  the  most  pleasant  sight  I  think 
I  ever  saw  in  my  life,  the  advance  of  Buel's  army  were  seen  marching 
down  the  bluff  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  river.  Never  were  friends 
more  welcome.  Our  men  sent  three  hearty  cheers  across  the  river  to 
them,  to  which  they  replied.  The  steamboats  were  all  put  in  motion 
and  by  daylight  Generals  Nelson's  and  Cook's  divisions,  consisting  of 
about  twenty  thousand  fresh  troops  were  landed  within  our  lines. 
The  rebels  undoubtedly  expected  easy  work  in  capturing,  as  the  next 
day  we  got  up  in  the  morning  ahead  of  them.  General  Nelson's  and 
Cook's  divisions  were  formed  on  the  right.  Our  troops  on  the  left. 
We  made  the  attack  and  with  such  vigor  that  the  rebels  fell  back  a 
short  distance.  They  rallied  and  fought  desperately,  well  knowing  that 
they  were  about  to  lose  a  prize  that  was  almost  within  their  grasp. 
Fresh  troops  arrived  across  the  river  all  the  forenoon,  which  were  con- 
stantly thrown  against  the  enemy.  We  drove  them  back  slowly  and 
steadily.  About  noon  General  L.  Wallace's  division  arrived  from 
Adamsville,  four  miles  below  and  fell  upon  their  left  flank.  This 
was  too  much  for  them.  They  now  commenced  retreating  rapidly  but 
in  good  order.  We  recovered  all  the  artillery  that  we  lost  the  day  be- 
fore, and  captured  part  of  theirs.  We  drove  them  about  six  miles 
when  night  put  a  stop  to  the  pursuit.  This  morning  part  of  the  army 
started  again  in  pursuit.    What  the  result  of  today's  pursuit  has  been 


156 

I  do  not  yet  know,  but  you  can  depend  upon  it,  we  are  going  to  have 
a  complete  victory,  though  dearly  purchased.  From  Sunday  morn- 
ing until  tonight  we  have  worked  constantly  and  I  can  assure  you  I 
am  tired.  The  wounded  of  the  whole  army  were  brought  to  the  land- 
ing at  the  river,  where  we  erected  tents  and  used  steamboats  for 
putting  them  in.  You  may  imagine  the  scene  of  from  two  to  three 
thousand  wounded  men  at  one  point  calling  to  have  their  wounds 
dressed.  We  worked  to  the  best  advantage  we  could,  but  the  crowded 
state  of  everything  and  the  absence  of  extensive  preparations  for  such 
an  event  caused  a  great  deal  of  suffering,  that  might  have  been  pre- 
vented. I  think  there  is  a  much  larger  proportion  of  wounded  in  this 
battle  that  will  prove  fatal  than  at  Donelson.  It  is  impossible  yet  to 
give  anything  near  the  correct  figure  of  our  losses,  especially  of  killed 
and  wounded,  as  in  the  fight  on  Sunday  we  perhaps  lost  nearly  two  thou- 
sand prisoners,  probably  a  good  many  of  them  wounded.  Our  regiment 
suffered  severely.  We  have  to  report  a  loss  of  about  two  hundred 
killed,  wounded  and  missing.  We  buried  this  morning  twenty-three, 
all  we  could  find,  and  have  found  about  fifty  wounded.  Among  the 
missing  a  good  many  will  yet  straggle  in.  Harrison  Wood,  of  Dover, 
is  seriously  wounded,  also  George  Cheney.  Capt.  Manzer  is  slightly 
wounded  in  the  head,  but  the  worst  I  have  to  tell  you  is  the  death  of 
my  warm  friend,  Major  Page.  He  was  shot  in  the  groin  on  Sunday 
about  one  o'clock.  The  regiment  was  in  the  act  of  charging  on  the 
enemy  when  he  fell.  His  men  picked  him  up  and  carried  him  to  the 
rear,  but  he  died  in  about  two  hours.  The  regiment  are  unanimous  in 
deploring  his  loss.  He  was  as  gallant  and  skillful  an  officer  as  there 
was  in  the  regiment.  We  are  going  to  send  his  body  home.  It  will 
about  end  the  days  of  his  wife.  We  have  also  lost  the  commander  of 
our  division,  General  Wallace  of  Illinois.  He  was  shot  through  the 
head  on  Sunday  and  died  the  next  day.  The  general  of  our  brigade, 
General  Sweeney,  of  Illinois,  was  wounded  in  his  left  arm.  He  had 
lost  his  right  arm  in  Mexico.  The  command  of  the  brigade  then  de- 
volved on  Col.  Baldwin  of  our  regiment.  Captain  of  the  12th  regiment 
from  Princeton  is  shot  through  the  chest.  He  will  probably  die.  Lieut. 
Seaman,  of  Princeton,  was  killed  immediately.  Bureau  County  has 
suffered  severely.  As  far  as  I  can  see,  I  have  not  been  hurt.  I  heard 
a  good  many  balls  whistle  as  if  they  were  pretty  close.  I  was  sitting 
on  my  horse  talking  with  another  surgeon,  when  a  cannon  ball  passed 
through  his  horse  just  behind  the  surgeon's  legs.  The  horse  and  sur- 
geon dropped  immediately,  the  horse  killed  and  the  surgeon  badly 
frightened.  Puss,  I  have  no  more  time  to  write  tonight.  I  will  write 
soon  again. 

Yours, 

J.  R.  Zearing. 

P.  S.  In  the  letter  I  wrote  you  on  Saturday  I  enclosed  twenty 
dollars.  I  hope  you  will  get  it.  Friday  morning — all  well.  Had  a 
heavy  frost  this  morning.     Nothing  by  mail. 


157 

Pittsburg,  Tenn.,  April  30th,  1862. 
Dear  Puss: 

The  last  letter  I  received  from  you  was  post  marked  Bedford, 
Ind.,  April  13th.  The  letter  was  without  date.  I  presume  it  was 
written  a  day  or  two  before  that  date.  I  have  written  you  so  many 
letters  since  the  battle  that  it  is  not  strange  you  did  not  receive  some 
of  them  before  that  date.  I  wrote  you  one  also  about  a  week  before  the 
battle  in  which  I  enclosed  you  twenty  dollars.  As  your  last  letter 
makes  no  mention  of  receiving  it,  I  presume  of  course,  you  did  not 
receive  it.  I  regret  very  much  that  you  did  not  receive  the  letters  in 
due  time,  as  they  would  have  set  your  mind  at  rest  in  regard  to  my 
condition.  I  have  no  doubt,  however,  that  before  this  time  you  have 
received  several  of  my  late  letters  and  you  will  then  know  that  I  have 
gone  through  the  battle  all  safe  and  that  I  am  in  most  excellent  health. 
You  must  not  worry  about  me  at  all.  Keep  yourself  cheerful  as  pos- 
sible. I,  of  course,  will  take  good  care  of  myself.  We  all  expect  to 
get  through  the  war  safe,  but  if  I  should  never  see  you  again,  you  must 
remember  that  there  will  be  thousands  of  families  in  the  same  con- 
dition. There  is  some  fighting  on  the  front  line  every  day  now.  Our 
army  is  steadily  advancing  toward  Corinth.  Our  cavalry  went  out- 
yesterday  and  burned  two  bridges  on  the  railroad  running  north  from 
Corinth.  This  was  the  purpose  of  cutting  off  their  supplies  from 
Tennessee.  Our  regiment  broke  camp  yesterday  and  moved  forward 
six  miles.  I  remained  in  camp  to  attend  to  the  removal  of  the  sick. 
I  must  follow  the  brigade  this  afternoon.  I  must  forward  this  line 
to  the  river  and  to  do  so  must  close  briefly.    Write  often. 

Yours  affectionately, 

J.  R.  Zearing. 

Pittsburg,  Tenn.,  April  27th,  1862. 
Dear  Wife: 

It  has  been  several  days  since  I  wrote  you  and  about  a  week  since 
I  heard  from  you.  I  presume  I  do  not  receive  all  the  letters  that  you 
write  or  I  would  hear  from  you  more  often.  It  is  Sunday  today.  At 
eleven  o'clock  we  had  preaching  by  the  chaplain,  but  I  was  too  busy 
at  that  hour  to  attend.  All  the  forenoon  of  each  day  we  are  busy 
making  prescriptions,  visiting  the  sick,  etc.  The  afternoon  we  devote 
to  writing  reports,  making  our  requisitions  and  letter  writing.  We 
have  had  a  few  days  of  fine  weather.  The  roads  are  improving  rapidly. 
It  has  been  so  very  wet  and  the  roads  so  bad  that  no  advance  of  much 
importance  has  been  made.  Still  we  are  advancing.  Our  most  ad- 
vanced troops  are  eight  miles  on  the  road  to  Corinth.  The  rebels  are 
scattered  all  the  way  on  the  road.  We  do  not  know  where  their  main 
body  is.  It  is  presumed  to  be  at  a  point  two  miles  this  side  of  Corinth. 
We  are  pushing  forward  very  cautiously.  We  do  not  intend  to  fall 
into  any  trap  that  Beauegard  may  be  setting  for  us.  The  day  before 
yesterday  our  cavalry  surprised  one  of  their  camps  nearest  our  lines. 
We  captured  about  twenty  prisoners,  most  of  their  equipments,  burned 
all  their  tents  and  then  retreated  without  losing  a  man.  The  probability 
is  that  we  will  have  skirmishing  every  day  now  as  our  army  advances 


158 

until  we  meet  their  main  forces  and  then  another  such  a  battle  as 
Pittsburg  or  worse,  and  the  war  will  be  pretty  much  ended.     I  hope 
it  will.     Many  here  are  of  the  opinion  that  they  will  not  risk  a  great 
battle  at  Corinth,  but  will  retreat  further  south,  for  the  purpose  of 
breaking  our  army  by  the  diseases  of  the  south,  to  which  their  own 
army  are  acclimated.     If  this  should  be  their  plan,  they  will  fail  in  it, 
as  we  could  march  to  the  Gulf  of  Mexico  before  the  yellow  fever  would 
prevail  much,   and  their  army  will   become   so   greatly   demoralized 
by  retreat  that  we  could  gain  an  easy  victory,  but  in  my  opinion  they 
have  no  idea  of  falling  back  except  at  the  point  of  the  bayonette.     A 
very  few  days  will  decide  the  matter.     We  have  but  to  march  ten 
miles  farther  to  prove  the  matter.     Our  army  is  twice  as  large  as  at 
the  late  battle,  beside  all  of  Bud's  army  nearly  all  of  General  Pope's 
army  have  arrived  from  the  Mississippi.     The  51st  Illinois  regiment 
is  here.     That  is  the  one  that  Jonas  Zearing  and  the  Cochran  boys 
are  in.    They  are  camped  about  six  miles  from  our  camp.    I  have  not 
had  an  opportunity  of  seeing  them  yet.    We  hear  of  a  great  many  of 
the  wounded  that  have  died  since  the  battle.     Captain  Swain,  of  Tis- 
kilwa,  Capt.  Ferris,  of  Princeton,  and  I  have  heard  that  Harrison  died 
in  one  of  the  hospitals  below.     We  can  expect  to  hear  of  as  many 
dying  from  their  wounds  as  were  killed  in  battle.    Captain  Manzer  has 
gone  home  on  a  furlough  for  twenty  days.     I  would  like  to  do  the 
same.     I  was  riding  by  the  landing  yesterday  and  saw  a  tent  erected 
with  a  sign  out,  "pictures,"  so  I  went  in  and  had  one  "tuck."  You  can 
judge  if  it  is  a  good  one,  as  I  shall  enclose  it  with  this  letter  and  send 
it  to  you.     You  will  observe  I  have  overcome  my  prejudices  against 
mustachios  and  have  concluded  to  sprout  some.     By  the  aid  of  your 
glasses  you  can  discover  my- first  attempt.    It  is  folly  to  try  to  be  civi- 
lized in  the  army.     We  live  as  near  a  natural  life  as  possible.     I  am 
getting  along  finely.     Can  eat  anything  that  I  can  get,  and  could  eat 
many  things  that  I  can't  get,  such  as  fresh  butter  and  eggs.    The  sut- 
lers bring  them  up  the  river,  but  they  are  so  strong  that  nobody  can 
eat  them.     I  wish  you  would  send  me  some.     The  best  thing  we  have 
is  a  fresh  milk  cow.     I  sent  the  boys  out  a  few  days  ago  and  they 
captured  a  nice  one  for  the  hospital.    I  think  we  can  make  butter  from 
her  after  we  kill  the  calf.    I  have  quite  an  extensive  cooking  establish- 
ment.   About  forty  boarders  usually,  sick  and  nurses.    You  would  be 
pleased  to  see  how  neat  we  are.     I  send  you  an  invitation  to  call  and 
take  tea  with  us.     I  promised  to  ride  to  the  lines  this  afternoon  with 
the  Colonel,  so  goodbye. 

J.  R.  Zearing. 

Corinth,  July  27th,  1862. 
Dear  Puss : 

I  received  yours  of  July  23rd  today,  the  day  you  were  to  leave 
for  home.  It  seems  from  your  not  mentioning  it,  that  they  have  not 
heard  yet  of  Dr.  Isaac's  sickness.  He  was  taken  sick  on  Friday,  the 
18th,  and  I  wrote  several  letters  shortly  after  to  Dr.  Robinson  inform- 
ing him  of  the  case,  and  requesting  him  to  inform  his  friends.  I  also 
telegraphed  to  his  father  that  he  was  dangerously  sick  and  desired 


159 

him  or  his  brother  William  to  come  immediately  here.  I  have  as  yet 
heard  nothing  from  them,  but  still  expect  some  of  them  down.  Well, 
Puss,  you  will  feel  sorry,  very  sorry,  when  I  tell  you  that  yesterday  we 
buried  the  poor  boy.  It  seemed  to  me  like  burying  a  brother.  He 
was  always  like  one  of  the  family.  He  was  so  kind,  so  cheerful,  so 
good,  but  we  had  to  part  with  him.  He  was  attacked  very  violently 
with  typhoid  dysentery.  The  disease  ran  very  rapidly  and  he  died  on 
last  Friday  night,  just  one  week  from  the  time  he  was  taken  sick.  You 
may  well  suppose  that  we  did  all  we  could  for  him,  watched  him  night 
and  day,  afforded  him  all  the  comforts  we  could,  and  yet  we  had  to 
see  him  die.  He  had  worked  hard  for  the  regiment — too  hard  for  his 
own  good.  He  was  entirely  exhausted  so  that  when  disease  came  on 
he  had  but  little  power  to  rally  on.  The  regiment  esteemed  him  highly, 
and  yesterday  we  buried  him  with  military  honors.  There  was  a  large 
turnout  and  all  seemed  to  regret  his  loss.  He  was  conscious  nearly  to 
the  last  and  was  impressed  with  the  belief  from  the  first  that  he  would 
not  recover.  He  expressed  great  anxiety  to  have  his  body  sent  home. 
We  could  not  keep  him  long  enough  to  get  a  metallic  coffin  from  Cairo, 
so  I  concluded  it  was  best  to  bury  him  and  await  the  arrival  of  his 
friends.  It  will  be  a  sad  blow  to  them  and  the  community  around 
Dover.  Well,  Puss,  I  suppose  you  are  now  safely  at  your  own  home. 
I  hope  you  have  found  the  friends  all  well.  How  did  Lizzie  and  Lula 
endure  their  orphanage?  I  presume  they  jumped  to  see  you.  I  would 
like  to  see  them  every  day.  You  state  in  your  letter  that  you  are  dis- 
appointed in  not  hearing  from  me.  Did  you  not  get  a  letter  by  Captain 
Manzer  ?  He  resigned  and  went  home  a  few  days  after  I  arrived  here 
and  I  sent  a  letter  by  him  to  you.  I  will  try  and  write  oftener.  You 
must  do  the  same.  I  have  been  very  busy  and  tired,  but  I  am  well  and 
think  I  can  stand  this  climate,  if  not  worked  too  hard.    A  kiss  for  you. 

Yours, 

J.  R.  Zearing. 

Corinth,  Miss.,  Aug.  10,  1862. 
Dear  Wife  : 

This  is  Sunday  evening,  very  calm  and  brilliant  moonlight,  the 
night  is  very  pleasant,  comfortably  cool,  succeeding  a  very  hot  day. 
It  is  pleasant  to  sit  in  a  quiet  tent  and  enjoy  these  nights.  The  enjoy- 
ment would  be  complete  if  I  could  have  you  by  my  side  to  participate 
in  the  pleasure. 

Well,  Puss — you  did  feel  sad  at  the  news  of  Dr.  Isaac's  death.  I 
knew  you  would,  it  could  not  be  otherwise.  He  spoke  of  you  and  the 
children  before  he  died,  very  affectionately.  His  death  will  be  re- 
gretted by  all  that  knew  him.  I  have  not  heard  from  Dover  for  some 
time.  I  wrote  Joseph  a  letter  last  week,  as  you  suggested  for  the  pur- 
pose of  encouraging  him.  He  did  much  better  with  the  farm  than  I 
supposed  he  would,  but  the  season  has  been  very  discouraging  and  I 
am  afraid  he  will  relax  his  efforts.  If  he  perseveres  he  will  do  pretty 
well  as  grain  will  bring  a  large  price.  The  extensive  issue  of  paper 
money  will  inflate  prices  and  people  will  live  fast  for  awhile.  It  will 
be  a  most  excellent  time  for  prudent  people  to  get  out  of  debt,  and  as 


160 

we  are  among  the  prudent  ones  we  will  improve  the  good  opportunity. 
I  did  not  mean  this  as  a  lecture  to  you  on  economy,  but  just  an  acci- 
dental observation  upon  the  times.  I  was  notified  this  afternoon  to 
send  an  ambulance  to  Corinth  tomorrow  to  bring  out  the  paymaster, 
as  he  is  to  pay  our  brigade  tomorrow,  so  you  see  there  is  a  prospect 
of  having  some  money.  We  will  receive  pay  up  to  the  first  of  July, 
two  months  from  the  previous  pay  day.  As  soon  as  I  get  mine  I  will 
express  it  to  you,  so  that  you  will  have  something  to  make  you  com- 
fortable. 

I  see  by  your  letter  that  occasionally  when  you  get  the  blues  you 
still  want  me  to  resign.  Well,  Puss,  that  is  very  pretty  to  talk  about, 
but  when  it  comes  to  resigning  the  game  is  all  up.  I  could  not  on  any 
pretext  whatever  get  my  resignation  accepted.  The  government  is 
now  going  to  throw  its  whole  strength  into  the  war,  and  they  will  not 
listen  to  an  offer  of  resignation  from  an  officer  that  has  been  serving  in 
the  army ;  they  will  need  a  great  many  new  ones  and  they  think  the  old 
ones  are  the  best.  When  the  600,000  new  recruits  come  into  the  field 
we  will  form  a  line  from  the  Mississippi  to  Richmond  and  march 
right  down  to  the  Gulf  of  Mexico  and  close  the  thing  up.  That  will 
be  in  the  fall,  then  I  can  get  a  chance  to  come  Ihome.  We  are  having 
some  cavalry  skirmishes  every  few  days  in  front  of  our  lines,  the  boys 
bring  in  some  secesh  prisoners  frequently.  The  health  of  the  army 
is  good  and  every  thing  is  ready  for  the  secesh  if  they  choose  to  come. 

I  am  going  to  give  John  the  position  of  hospital  steward,  Goodell 
is  a  nuisance.  I  will  offer  him  John's  position.  If  he  does  not  accept 
I  will  put  him  in  the  ranks  or  send  him  home.  John  received  a  letter 
from  his  father  today.  They  are  all  well.  Goodbye;  a  kiss  for  you 
and  the  babies. 

J.  R.  Zearing, 

Corinth,  Miss.,  Sunday,  Sept.  21,  1862. 
Dear  Wife: 

We  have  had  some  excitement  this  week.  For  the  last  three  days 
we  have  been  under  marching  orders,  rations  cooked  and  all  the  usual 
preparations  complete  for  a  march.  It  has  been  rumored  for  some 
time  that  Price  was  meditating  an  attack  upon  this  place  or  somewhere 
upon  the  forces  in  this  vicinity.  On  last  Thurs.  it  was  ascertained 
that  he  had  marched  past  this  place  with  a  large  army  going  east,  this 
would  bring  him  in  contact  with  Rosecrans'  division  which  were  en- 
camped about  20  miles  east  of  this  place  near  Iuka.  On  Friday  all 
the  troops  from  this  place,  comprising  the  2nd  and  6th  divisions,  except 
our  brigade,  were  sent  out  to  meet  them.  General  Grant  taking  com- 
mand in  person,  in  all  about  8,000.  They  met  Price's  army  three  miles 
this  side  of  Iuka.  The  battle  commenced  about  nine  o'clock  Saturday 
morning.  At  noon  we  received  a  telegraphic  dispatch  from  General 
Grant  stating  that  he  had  engaged  the  enemy  and  defeated  them  and 
was  in  active  pursuit.  In  the  middle  of  the  afternoon  we  received 
another  dispatch  that  the  rebels  had  made  another  stand  and  the  fight- 
ing was  severe.  We  had  lost  a  good  many  men  and  one  battery  of 
artillery,  before  night  the  news  was  received  that  the  enemy  was  again 


161 

retreating,  we  had  retaken  the  artillery  and  captured  all  the  wounded 
of  the  enemy.  This  morning  Rosecrans'  troops  have  continued  in  pur- 
suit of  Price,  and  the  troops  from  this  place  are  returning.  It  all 
amounts  to  considerable  of  a  victory.  The  killed  and  wounded  on 
both  sides  are  estimated  at  1,000.  We  have  not  yet  received  the  par- 
ticulars of  the  battle.  I  cannot  give  the  loss  on  either  side.  Yesterday 
and  today  we  expected  an  attack  on  this  place,  as  it  was  supposed  that 
Price  would  endeavor  to  draw  our  troops  off  by  an  attack  on  Iuka, 
and  in  their  absence  make  an  attack  here.  We  would  have  had  but 
a  small  force  to  have  resisted  him,  the  prize  would  have  been  valuable 
as  there  is  an  immense  amount  of  munitions  of  war  and  army  stores 
here.  Our  regiment  has  been  encamped  about  a  mile  outside  the 
breastworks.  Yesterday  we  moved  inside  to  garrison  the  town  while 
the  main  body  of  the  troops  were  absent.  Tomorrow  we  will  move 
out  again.  We  expect  that  Price  will  concentrate  his  forces  and  make 
another  attack.  It  is  getting  to  be  good  weather  for  army  operations. 
It  is  only  two  or  three  hours  in  the  middle  of  the  day  that  it  is  uncom- 
fortably warm.  The  army  is  in  good  health  and  condition,  the  late 
news  from  the  Potomac  enlivens  their  spirit.  I  see  by  the  papers  that 
a  large  force  of  "hoosiers"  have  been  captured  at  Mumfordsville,  Ky., 
after  some  good  fighting.  Puss — I  received  your  letter  containing  the 
stamps  yesterday.  You  must  have  had  the  blues  awfully  when  you 
wrote  that  letter.  I  have  a  great  mind  to  scold  you.  You  must  be  an 
awful  eater  to  have  so  many  women  entertaining  you.  What  fruits 
have  you  been  putting  up?  I  will  have  to  come  home  and  enjoy  them. 
I  thought  I  had  instructed  you  so  much  on  canning  that  you  would 
know  perfectly  well  how  to  ship  it.  My  plan  is  to  let  them  alone 
and  they  will  grow  better.  And  be  careful  that  you  don't  suspect 
that  people  are  begging  from  you  when  they  are  not,  or  don't  magnify 
little  things  into  mountains.  Some  people  do  that.  However,  I  will 
not  make  you  feel  worse  by  scolding  you.  The  sentiments  in  your 
last  letter  were  so  good  that  I  will  forgive  you.  You  say  that  you  have 
had  no  Sabbath  school  in  Springville.  How  much  have  you  done  di- 
rectly towards  supporting  one  since  you  have  been  there?  I  wrote 
you  in  one  of  my  letters  about  educating  Lottie  and  in  another  about 
coming  down  here.  As  you  have  alluded  to  neither  of  the  subjects  in 
your  letters,  I  presume  you  did  not  receive  them.  Perhaps  you  will 
receive  them  yet.  I  am  in  the  best  of  health  and  would  like  to  see 
you.  I  am  glad  to  hear  that  you  are  canning  peaches.  I  think  I  shall 
taste  a  few  of  them. 

Good  night, 

J.  R.  Zearing. 

Corinth,  Miss.,  Oct.  6,  1862. 
Dear  Wife  : 

I  will  write  you  a  few  lines  today  amid  the  excitement  of  war  in 
its  bloodiest  character,  to  let  you  know  that  I  am  all  sound.  We  had 
been  anticipating  a  heavy  attack  on  this  place  for  some  time,  especially 
since  the  battle  of  Iuka.  But  presuming  that  we  could  keep  open  our 
communication  with  Jackson,  there  was  not  as  large  a  force  here  as 


162 

should  have  been  to  have  made  it  secure  against  the  heavy  force.  The 
first  positive  indication  we  had  of  the  approach  of  the  enemy  in  force 
was  on  Thursday.  The  regular  train  from  Columbus  failed  to  come 
in  on  Thursday  night  and  we  soon  learned  that  the  rebels  had  torn 
up  the  track  for  the  distance  of  several  miles  at  a  point  seven  miles 
from  here  and  broken  the  road  at  other  points  above.  Thursday  night 
our  army  was  all  ordered  to  have  rations  in  haversacks  and  be  ready 
to  move  at  a  moment's  warning.  At  four  o'clock  on  Friday  morning 
the  rebels  attacked  our  outposts  on  the  west  side  of  the  place  on  the 
line  of  the  Memphis  road.  We  had  been  encamped  on  the  east  side 
of  the  town.  Our  brigade  was  immediately  ordered  to  the  point  of 
attack,  which  was  some  four  miles  distant,  in  company  with  the  bal- 
ance of  the  division.  They  got  into  position  on  the  extreme  left  of 
the  line  about  eight  o'clock,  and  had  not  been  formed  in  battle  line 
over  half  an  hour  before  they  were  attacked  by  a  largely  superior  force 
in  a  most  desperate  manner.  Our  men  stood  the  shock  nobly,  deliver- 
ing the  most  steady  and  effective  fire  that  I  have  seen  during  the  war. 
It  told  fearfully  on  the  enemy  as  a  view  of  the  field  shows  at  present, 
but  it  had  no  effect  in  checking  their  march.  They  advanced  on  the 
double  quick  in  the  utmost  disregard  of  human  life.  At  this  point 
the  rebels  overpowered  us,  taking  some  of  our  men  prisoners  and  tak- 
ing from  our  brigade  two  Parrot  guns.  The  country  at  this  locality 
is  heavily  timbered  and  quite  undulating,  a  bad  condition  for  making 
an  orderly  retreat.  Our  division  was  ordered  to  fall  back,  which  they 
accomplished  in  pretty  good  order,  leaving  our  dead  and  badly  wounded 
upon  the  field.  They  rallied  in  good  condition  and  formed  a  line  on  a 
ridge  about  three-fourths  of  a  mile  in  the  rear.  They  had  not  to  wait 
long  for  the  approach  of  the  enemy.  They  were  soon  seen  advancing  in 
solid  column  and  again  the  firing  became  terrific,  very  destructive  on 
both  sides.  Our  artillery,  which  had  chosen  good  positions,  poured 
grape  and  cannister  into  their  ranks  with  terrible  effect,  but  they  soon 
threw  a  large  force  around  on  our  right,  endeavoring  to  cut  us  off  from 
the  right  of  our  army  and  get  between  us  and  the  town.  To  avoid 
this  we  were  again  moved  rapidly  to  the  rear,  and  secured  a  position 
defeating  their  plan.  The  whole  army  had  been  retreating  at  differ- 
ent points  through  the  day  and  were  all  equally  towards  the  rear. 
The  rebels  attacked  us  in  the  last  positions  along  our  whole  line,  throw- 
ing the  most  of  their  force  on  our  center.  They  were  met  with  most 
determined  energy.  During  the  fight  on  this  line  our  brigade,  consist- 
ing of  the  57th,  7th  and  50th  Illinois,  made  a  charge  on  the  run  at 
their  extreme  right  and  drove  them  back  a  half  mile,  capturing  some 
prisoners.  From  this  time  their  onward  progress  was  checked  and  as 
they  did  not  advance  our  army  held  its  position.  It  was  now  about  five 
o'clock  and  the  battle  for  the  day  ended,  except  some  skirmishing  to 
watch  each  others  movements.  Our  army  during  the  night  was  drawn 
in  within  a  line  of  batteries  or  small  forts  which  have  been  built  by  us 
since  the  occupation  of  Corinth.  The  works  built  by  the  rebels  pre- 
vious to  our  taking  the  place  were  too  extensive  to  hold  with  a  small 
army,  being  about  five  miles  in  diameter.  We  had  built  a  fortification 
within  theirs  enclosing  the  town,  about  two  miles  in  diameter.     The 


163 

soldiers  here  slept  on  their  arms  awaiting  an  attack  in  the  morning, 
which  we  would  conclude  must  take  place,  as  the  rebels  had  the  moral 
effect  of  a  victory  on  their  side,  although  dearly  bought,  and  their  object 
was  not  attained.  We  had  not  long  to  sleep;  as  early  as  four  in  the 
morning  they  commenced  shelling  our  works  and  the  town.  At  sun- 
rise they  commenced  an  attack  with  their  whole  force.  There  seemed 
to  be  no  end  to  their  numbers  as  they  swarmed  out  of  the  woods  on 
the  west  and  north  sides  of  the  town.  It  certainly  did  not  seem  that 
our  small  force  could  resist  them  an  hour.  Our  batteries  opened  upon 
them  terribly,  but  on  they  came  as  if  on  parade,  closing  up  their  ranks 
as  fast  as  their  men  fell.  We  held  them  at  a  distance  for  several  hours 
with  artillery,  they,  in  the  meantime,  making  different  points  of  attack 
without  success,  but  with  heavy  loss.  At  one  o'clock  they  tired  of 
delay.  They  ceased  firing  seemingly  bent  upon  some  new  movement. 
In  a  short  time  our  army  was  put  in  the  most  favorable  position  and 
everything  ready  for  whatever  might  occur.  We  knew  their  intent  to 
sacrifice  everything  to  gain  their  object.  The  prize  lay  in  plain  view 
before  them,  large  storehouses  filled  with  army  stores,  munitions  of 
war  and  everything  needed  for  a  destitute  army.  They  advanced  upon 
it,  certain  of  obtaining  it.  They  yet  had  a  force  largely  superior  to 
ours  in  numbers.  The  whole  line  was  engaged,  the  rebels  rushed  for- 
ward, and  here  occurred  one  of  the  most  desperate  affairs  of  the  whole 
war.  They  charged  on  our  whole  battery,  which  consisted  of  two 
30  lb.  siege,  two  rifled  Parrot  guns  and  one  large  howitzer.  The 
battery  mowed  them  down  with  grape  and  cannister,  while  the  in- 
fantry that  was  supporting  it  poured  in  rapid  volleys  of  Minnie  balls, 
but  they  took  it,  many  of  them  being  shot  in  the  ditch  and  embrassures 
of  the  fort.  They  could  only  hold  it  for  a  few  minutes.  Our  men 
charged  upon  them  and  drove  them  out.  The  dead  in  front  of  this 
battery  were  far  more  numerous  than  I  have  ever  seen  on  the  same 
space  of  ground.  Defeated  at  this  point,  they  still  fought  with  courage 
at  others.  On  the  north  side  of  town  they  succeeded  in  driving  our 
men  partly  through  the  town  and  effected  an  entrance  into  it.  My 
hospital,  which  was  about  half  a  mile  on  the  east  side  was  in  great 
danger  from  the  fire  of  both  armies,  the  rebels  approached  within  a  half 
mile  of  it  about  three  o'clock  in  the  afternoon.  It  looked  as  if  the  day 
and  the  town  was  lost,  but  our  men  rallied  for  another  desperate  effort, 
and  it  succeeded.  The  rebels  commenced  giving  away  and  soon  they 
commenced  a  retreat  along  their  whole  line,  which  resulted  in  a  panic. 
We  drove  them  that  night  two  miles  and  night  was  welcomed  by  every- 
body. The  day  following,  Sunday,  we  started  in  pursuit  in  conjunction 
with  part  of  the  army  from  Jackson,  which  arrived  Saturday  night. 
We  overtook  them  Sunday  afternoon  and  captured  their  whole  train 
and  many  thousand  small  arms  and  prisoners.  Their  whole  army  is 
broken  up  and  scattered.  The  rebels  were  commanded  by  General 
Price,  Villepigue  and  Lovel.  Price  had  his  old  troops  with  him,  prin- 
cipally from  Missouri  and  Arkansas.  Our  forces  were  commanded 
by  Rosecrans.  Our  loss  in  killed  was  not  very  large.  We  had  a  great 
many  wounded.  I  will  not  give  figures  as  we  have  not  had  time  to 
count.    We  lost  one  general  officer,  Hackelman,  from  Indiana.     Gen- 


164 

eral  Oglesby,  from  Illinois,  is  wounded  in  the  chest  and  will  probably 
die.  I  think  the  rebels  have  lost  in  killed  six  to  our  one.  We  have 
an  immense  number  of  their  wounded.  We  have  had  already  four 
times  as  many  amputations  as  we  had  at  Shiloh.  I  am  in  a  good  posi- 
tion for  performing  them.  The  loss  in  our  regiment  is  forty-two 
wounded  and  twenty-eight  killed  and  missing.  How  many  of  the 
missing  are  killed  we  do  not  yet  know.  We  think,  however,  the  most 
of  them. 

In  haste,  yours, 

J.  R.  Zearing. 

Corinth,  Oct.  11th,  1862. 
Dear  Wife  : 

Sunday  has  arrived  again  and  I  will  steal  time  enough  to  write 
you  a  few  lines.  I  have  the  rheumatism  so  bad  in  my  right  shoulder 
that  I  can  hardly  write,  it  was  probably  brought  on  by  the  storm,  as 
we  have  had  a  real  cold  fall  of  the  year  rain  storm.  Such  a  change 
from  the  extreme  heat  and  dust  of  the  days  of  the  battle  is  quite 
welcome.  We  are  getting  things  in  good  order  again.  A  fight  musses 
up  things  in  the  army  like  wash  day  at  home,  though  the  soldiers  are 
more  cheerful  than  the  women  on  such  occasions.  We  have  had  an 
immense  amount  of  labor  to  perform  during  the  past  week  taking  care 
of  the  wounded.  Besides  our  own  we  have  had  about  a  thousand  of 
the  rebel  wounded  to  take  care  of.  The  most  of  the  latter  have  been 
removed  to  Iuka  and  left  in  charge  of  their  own  surgeons,  a  number 
of  whom  were  captured.  Our  wounded  are  well  provided  for,  and 
we  are  now  sending  them  to  hospitals  in  the  north.  I  have  not  sent 
any  of  mine  yet,  but  will  probably  in  a  few  days.  I  would  rather  keep 
them  with  me  until  they  recover,  but  we  will  have  to  dispose  of  them 
so  as  to  be  ready  to  march  or  to  receive  more  wounded  should  another 
battle  occur.  The  smoke  of  the  battle  has  pretty  well  blown  away 
and  now  we  can  get  a  pretty  good  view  of  the  results.  It  has  certainly 
been  a  severe  defeat  to  the  rebels.  They  have  failed  in  their  attack, 
been  defeated  and  pursued  with  a  loss  to  them  of  eight  thousand  killed, 
wounded  and  prisoners,  a  heavy  loss  of  the  munitions  of  war  and 
transportation,  and  the  moral  effect  upon  their  mind  that  the  army 
of  the  southwest  Qannot  be  beaten.  They  were  pursued  on  Sunday 
and  Monday  as  far  as  the  Hatchie  River  where  they  rallied  for  a 
fight.  They  had  a  severe  but  short  fight  at  this  point.  They  were 
defeated  again.  They  then  retreated  in  a  panic,  throwing  away  their 
arms  and  baggage  in  immense  quantities.  The  woods  were  full  of 
stragglers  along  the  route.  Our  force  pursued  them  as  far  as  Ripley, 
where  they  stopped  pursuit  in  consequence  of  the  rebels  dividing  into 
so  many  small  divisions  as  to  make  the  pursuit  useless.  The  rebel 
force,  as  near  as  we  can  learn  was  forty  thousand.  Our  force  on 
Friday  and  Saturday  was  about  fifteen  thousand,  which  were  rein- 
forced on  Saturday  evening  by  troops  from  Jackson.  The  rebel  pris- 
oners, as  usual,  are  of  all  shades  of  uniform,  the  gray  and  butternut 
prevailing.  We  have  been  a  part  of  Gen.  Lovell's  guard,  a  French 
company  of  Zouaves  from  New  Orleans.    They  are  very  dashy  in  their 


165 

dress.  Our  troops  are  now  returning  to  Corinth.  It  is  expected  that 
the  rebels  will  try  it  again  as  soon  as  they  can  get  reinforcements  from 
the  south.  I  think  the  probability  is  that  we  will  be  marched  farther 
south  to  meet  them.  Puss — I  am  afraid  you  will  disappoint  the  chil- 
dren by  telling  them  that  they  could  expect  me  home,  as  you  said  you 
did  in  your  last  letter.  Just  at  present  I  cannot  see  an  opening  to  slip 
.out.  However,  I  shall  watch  the  cracks  closely  and  if  any  open  I  shall 
slip  through.  Part  of  our  regiment  started  for  St.  Louis  last  Thurs- 
day as  a  guard  with  six  hundred  of  the  prisoners.  We  have  another 
lot  on  hand  which  I  presume  will  be  sent  to  the  same  destination,  and 
it  is  probable  that  the  balance  of  the  regiment  will  be  sent  with  them. 
If  it  does  the  Colonel  and  staff  will,  I  presume,  go  along  and  then  I 
will  try  and  slip  across  the  country  to  see  my  wife  and  babies.  If  you 
are  anxious  to  see  me,  don't  raise  your  anticipations  too  high,  as  they 
may  not  be  realized.  I  should  indeed  be  anxious  to  see  Ned  before  he 
goes  to  his  long  home,  as  I  have  no  doubt  from  your  description  of  him 
that  he  is  tending  that  way  rapidly,  and  I  will  not  probably  have  the 
satisfaction  of  seeing  him  again.  I  presume  you  have  by  the  time  this 
reaches  you  stirring  events  in  Kty.  If  the  rebels  are  well  whipped  there 
the  west  will  be  quiet  through  the  winter.  Give  my  love  to  all  and  a 
kiss  for  yourself. 

J.  R.  Zearing. 

Corinth,  Miss.,  Dec.  7th,  1862. 
Dear  Wife  : 

I  received  another  letter  from  you  this  week  in  which  you  inform 
me  that  you  are  improving  in  health,  which  I  was  extremely  glad  to 
hear.  I  judge  from  the  general  tenor  of  your  letter,  although  you  have 
expressed  no  definite  opinion,  that,  you  are  well  contented  with  your 
temporary  residence  in  Thorntown.  How  would  you  like  it  as  a 
permanent  one?  Or  is  your  experience  too  limited  as  yet  to  reply? 
My  reason  for  asking  you  the  question  is  this,  I  received  a  letter  from 
Joseph  yesterday  stating  that  he  thought  it,  the  Dover  home,  could  be 
sold  to  a  good  advantage.  That  Dr.  Grow,  Dr.  Robinston's  partner, 
and  also  Dr.  Conants  wished  to  buy  the  place.  It  is  probable  that  the 
place  might  be  sold  for  more  than  it  is  intrinsically  worth  to  us,  as  it 
would  really  be  necessary  for  us  to  build  a  new  house.  Yet  it  seems 
pleasant  to  me  as  a  home.  We  have  spent  many  happy  hours  there, 
and  it  is  a  pleasant  village  to  live  in,  though  a  very  expensive  one,  as 
it  requires  large  expenditures  every  year  to  keep  up  the  place.  I  wish 
in  your  next  letter  you  would  get  an  opinion  from  Matt,  as  to  the 
propriety  and  probable  success  of  a  good  drug  store  in  Thorntown. 
It  is  probable  that  I  may  leave  the  army  in  the  spring  and  indeed  it  is 
possible  that  I  may  leave  before  that  time,  on  account  of  difficulties  ex- 
isting in  the  regiment,  although  there  are  none  in  which  I  am  directly 
interested.  There  has  been  ever  since  the  consolidation  of  the  two 
regiments  in  Chicago  a  jealousy  existing  between  the  two.  Lately  it 
has  grown  to  such  proportions  as  to  induce  very  open  enmity.  The 
cause  most  prominent  is  the  superior  military  knowledge  of  our  Lieut. 
Col.  over  that  of  the  Col.  and  the  greater  esteem  which  the  mass  of 


166 

the  regiment  had  for  the  former.  This  jealousy  induced  the  Colonel  to 
prefer  charge  against  the  Lieut.  Col.  and  also  against  a  number  of  the 
line  officers.  They  in  return  have  preferred  charges  against  him,  so 
you  will  preceive  that  court  martial  will  occupy  our  attention  for  the 
next  few  weeks,  and  may  result  in  destroying  the  regiment.  I  have 
some  feeling  in  the  matter  and  my  sympathy  is  with  the  Lieut.  Col. 
If  he  should  leave  the  regiment  I  should  desire  to  do  so  also,  and  as 
my  anxieties  are  to  be  at  home  it  would  not  require  any  remarkable 
pressure  to  induce  me  to  leave.  I  shall,  however,  be  calm  and  wait  the 
result  of  events.  Mrs.  Crossley  started  for  home  yesterday  on  a  visit. 
She  intends  to  return  in  a  couple  of  weeks.  You  can  imagine  how 
lonesome  I  will  be  during  her  absence.  Capt.  Mills  was  married  when 
he  was  at  home.  He  told  Mrs.  Crossley  to  bring  Alice  down  with  her. 
If  she  comes  you  may  presume  it  will  relieve  the  monotony  of  camp 
life.  Mrs.  Linton  and  Mrs.  Barr  are  still  here  enjoying  themselves 
very  well.  We  have  no  war  news  of  any  importance.  I  presume  you 
get  the  news  of  Grant's  advance  sooner  that  we  get  it  here.  Wish  we 
were  with  him  in  the  field.  It  would  keep  us  in  better  discipline. 
Being  in  garrison  we  have  nothing  to  do  but  to  keep  up  the  memory  of 
old  causes  of  quarrel,  and  agitation  of  them  begets  more  ill  feelings. 
We  are  all  in  good  health,  and  the  weather  is  the  most  delightful  I 
ever  saw.  We  have  the  hospital  in  very  comfortable  condition.  We 
have  just  received  a  box  of  delicacies  from  the  ladies  of  Peru.  We 
have  also  a  box  on  the  way  from  the  ladies  of  Princeton.  We  will  now 
have  full  supplies  for  the  winter.  Write  soon  and  let  me  know  how  you 
feel.    Accept  a  good  night  kiss. 

Yours, 

J.  R.  Zearing. 

Corinth,  Miss.,  Dec.  14th,  1862. 
Dear  Wife  : 

I  write  you  again  to  inform  you  that  I  am  in  good  health  and  en- 
joying myself  very  well.  This  is  perhaps  the  most  important  news  that 
I  have  to  communicate.  We  are  still  having  a  pretty  quiet  time,  though 
the  last  week  has  been  a  little  more  exciting  than  usual.  The  guerillas 
having  become  pretty  bold  of  late,  an  expedition  was  started  out  to 
drive  them  or  capture  them.  The  were  found  about  forty  miles  south- 
east of  this  place  and  were  attacked.  There  was  a  pretty  sharp  fight 
for  a  short  time,  resulting  in  the  capture,  wounding,  and  killing  of 
about  fifty  of  them  and  the  destruction  of  their  camp.  We  had  about 
a  dozen  wounded.  There  is  another  expedition  out  which  we  have 
not  heard  from  yet.  We  had  a  very  serious  accident  happen  to  one 
of  our  Bureau  County  boys  last  week,  Jacob  Butts.  He,  in  company 
with  a  number  of  soldiers  from  the  12th  regiment,  went  out  with  a 
train  to  LaGrange  as  guard.  On  their  return  by  R.  R.  a  gun  was 
discharged  accidently,  which  shot  him  through  both  legs  above  the 
knees  shattering  the  bones.  We  amputated  both  legs,  he  nearly  di>:d 
during  the  operation,  but  has  since  rallied  and  there  seems  to  be  some 
chance  for  his  recovery.  Such  fearful  mutilations  hardly  offers  a 
chance  to  hope  for  his  recovery,  and  if  he  does  it  will  be  a  rare  case. 
Capt.   Mills  immediately  telegraphed  to  Alice  to  come   down      She 


167 

arrived  last  night.  I  have  given  her  and  the  Capt.  one  of  my  rooms  to 
stay  in  for  the  present.  It  looked  really  like  home  in  Dover  to  see  Alice's 
face  here.  She  is  the  same  frank,  forward  girl  she  was  before  her 
marriage.  I  fancied  I  could  see  her  trooping  across  the  street  towards 
our  gate  as  she  used  to  do.  She  expressed  a  regret  that  you  had  not 
written  to  her.  She  sends  her  compliments  to  you.  Her  time  will  be 
closely  occupied  in  attending  on  her  brother  as  he  will  need  the  closest 
watching. 

Yours, 

J.  R.  Zearing. 

Corinth,  Miss.,  Jany.  6,  1863. 
Dear  Wife: 

I  take  the  earliest  opportunity  of  opening  communication  with 
you  to  inform  you  that  I  am  still  alive  and  well,  and  very  happy  to  have 
received  two  letters  from  you  last  night  after  long  anxiety  to  hear  from 
you.  I  received  last  night  two  letters,  the  last  dated  December  28th. 
Was  very  happy  to  hear  that  you  were  all  well  and  enjoying  yourselves. 
I  wrote  you  a  letter  three  days  after  the  rebels  cut  the  railroad  and 
put  it  in  the  post  office  so  that  it  would  start  as  soon  as  the  road  opened, 
but  it  was  a  long  time  starting.  The  rebels  destroyed  the  road  very 
extensively,  burning  bridges  and  trestle  work,  so  as  to  require  nearly 
weeks  to  repair.  They  crossed  the  Tennessee  River  and  made 
their  first  attack  on  the  railroad  at  Trenton.  They  captured  the  garri- 
son at  that  place,  consisting  of  one  Illinois  regiment.  They  then  com- 
menced destroying  the  road  for  several  miles  on  either  side  of  that 
place.  As  soon  as  we  heard  of  their  attack  the  force  here  was  marched 
north  between  the  railroad  and  river  to  intercept  them  on  their  return, 
but  instead  of  returning  they  crossed  the  road  and  marched  south  to 
Holly  Springs,  destroying  the  road  in  the  rear  of  Gen.  Grant's  army. 
They  captured  Holly  Springs.  This  had  been  the  general  depot  for 
stores  for  Grant's  army.  Large  quantities  of  military  clothing  and 
munitions  of  war  were  there,  estimated  in  value  at  three  millions  of 
dollars.  The  rebels  attacked  the  place,  captured  the  garrison  and  car- 
ried off  and  burned  all  the  property.  Their  force  was  all  mounted  and 
moved  very  rapidly,  so  it  was  impossible  to  catch  them  with  the  in- 
fantry. It  is  going  to  be  very  difficult  to  keep  these  roads  open,  and 
you  must  make  up  your  mind  that  occasionally  you  will  not  hear  from 
me  very  regularly.  We  have  become  very  short  of  food  here — on  half 
rations  for  two  weeks,  but  have  not  suffered.  Now  that  the  road  is 
open  we  expect  to  be  more  liberally  supplied.  Puss,  we  still  have  lively 
times  in  our  regiment  quarreling.  Our  Colonel  and  Lieutenant  Colonel 
and  several  company  officers  have  been  under  arrest.  I  think,  however, 
the  matter  will  quiet  down  bye  and  bye.  It  is,  however,  a  good  time 
for  me  to  get  out  of  the  service,  and  if  circumstances  permit  I  shall 
certainly  improve  the  opportunity.  I  will  watch  events  closely  and  see 
what  I  can  do.  Puss,  I  will  write  you  again  very  soon,  and  I  just 
write  this  to  send  by  the  first  mail. 

Yours  with  a  kiss, 

J.  R.  Zearing. 


168 

Corinth,  Jany.  27th,  1863. 
My  Dear  Puss  : 

I  write  you  a  few  lines  this  evening  to  let  you  know  that  I  have 
arrived  safe  at  home.  I  got  through  yesterday  after  a  slow  and  tedious 
journey.  I  came  through  by  Columbus  and  had  to  walk  five  miles 
through  mud  and  water,  through  the  swamps  where  the  rebels  had 
burned  the  trestle  work.  The  water  has  been  so  high  for  three  weeks 
past  that  the  workmen  have  been  unable  to  continue  the  work  of  repair- 
ing. I  think  they  will  leave  it  unfinished  and  repair  and  use  the  road 
running  direct  to  Memphis. 

Puss,  you  will  be  astonished  when  I  tell  you  that  I  met  Mrs. 
Crossley  and  Stephen  Studevant  at  Cairo.  I  accidently  learned  that 
there  were  some  ladies  aboard  a  boat  that  were  acquainted  with  me, 
and  going  to  see  who  they  might  be,  I  found  the  whole  party  ready  to 
start  for  Corinth  by  way  of  Memphis.  As  they  were  well  provided 
with  company,  I  concluded  to  take  the  direct  route  to  Columbus.  They 
arrived  all  well,  and  it  seemed  to  be  a  happy  meeting  with  their  hus- 
bands. A  baby  in  the  party  is  a  very  fine  one  and  very  quiet.  The 
latter  quality  will  recommend  it  to  all  the  household.  In  a  few  days 
we  will  be  well  situated.  We  will  have  three  good  rooms  for  our  own 
use,  Mary,  John  and  I  will  keep  house,  so  you  can  imagine  we  will 
live  very  comfortably.  Mary  brought  with  her  a  trunk  full  of  luxuries, 
which,  while  they  last,  will  be  a  great  addition  to  our  table.  Mary  has 
no  definite  idea  as  to  the  time  she  will  stay  here.  I  presume  it  will  be 
governed  by  the  convenience  of  staying.  I  find  things  here  pretty  much 
as  when  I  left.  A  division  of  troops  had  arrived  here,  but  were  im- 
mediately ordered  to  Memphis.  Col.  Baldwin's  trial  will  commence 
this  week.  It  will  excite  a  good  deal  of  interest,  as  there  has  been 
a  great  deal  of  talk  about  it.  The  paymaster  will  commence  paying 
off  in  a  few  days,  when  I  hope  to  have  some  money.  He  will  only  pay 
for  two  months.    I  will  write  you  soon  again.    Write  me  immediately. 

Yours, 

J.  R.  Zearing. 

Corinth,  Miss.  Feb.  14,  1863. 
Dear  Wife  : 

I  have  received  one  letter  from  you  of  Feb.  1  and  am  anxiously  ex- 
pecting another.  I  was  very  glad  to  hear  that  you  were  all  remaining 
well.  You  say  that  the  children  were  disappointed  at  my  departure  in 
the  night.  It  has  been  a  source  of  regret  to  me  since  that  I  could  not 
have  bid  them  goodbye  when  they  were  awake,  as  a  person  always  likes 
to  reflect  upon  the  last  look  and  expression 'of  the  friends  we  bid  good 
bye  to.  But  in  this  life  we  often  have  to  sacrifice  our  feelings  to  the 
circumstances  by  which  we  are  surrounded. 

I  have  written  you  three  letters  since  I  returned,  in  the  last  one 
I  informed  you  that  we  had  received  two  months'  pay  and  I  enclosed 
in  that  letter  twenty  dollars  which  I  hope  you  have  received  in  good 
time.  I  could  spare  you  one  hundred  more  which  I  would  express  to 
you,  but  we  are  expecting  to  be  paid  again  in  a  few  days.  If  we  do 
I  will  express  the  whole  to  father  Helmer  to  keep  for  us.  If  we  are 
not  paid  soon  I  will  send  you  some  more  for  your  own  use  and  to  buy 


169 

the  baby  a  dress.  I  wrote  father  a  long  letter  this  week  which  I  pre- 
sume will  please  him,  as  he  has  not  heard  directly  from  me  for  some 
time. 

Puss,  we  are  getting  along  here  about  as  usual.  Mary  is  keep- 
ing house  for  us  and  we  are  living  very  comfortably.  We  have  ladies 
call  on  us  frequently  and  have  social  times  taking  tea  and  playing  cards. 
Nearly  everybody  plays  cards  here.  They  think  it  a  very  innocent 
amusement.  I  presume,  however,  if  the  ladies'  friends  at  home  knew 
of  it  they  would  be  shocked  at  the  knowledge  of  it.  I  hope  they  will 
not  become  so  addicted  to  the  practice  as  to  retain  their  taste  for  it 
when  they  return  home.  I  find  there  are  a  great  many  things  practiced 
in  the  army  that  would  not  be  considered  strictly  correct  at  home. 
I  suppose  it  is  because  we  are  seldom  instructed  by  our  chaplains. 
They  grow  as  lazy  in  their  habits  as  the  rest  of  us,  and  you  know  it 
would  hardly  be  proper  to  excell  our  instructors.  But  then  you  need 
not  fear  that  I  will  acquire  any  very  bad  habits  for  you  know  that  I 
have  always  been  very  strict.  Our  army  here  is  still  very  quiet ;  more 
troubles  about  their  northern  peace-makers  than  the  southern  rebels. 
It  is  strange  that  the  people  would  favor  an  armistice  at  this  juncture 
of  affairs  and  throw  away  all  the  lives  that  have  been  lost  and  the 
treasure  expended  and  the  Union  with  it.  There  is  nothing  more 
certain  in  my  mind  that  if  the  people  of  the  north  would  remain  united 
and  push  the  war  vigorously  for  six  months  longer  the  rebels  must 
return  to  their  allegiance.  Their  resources  are  greatly  exhausted,  they 
have  to  resort  to  the  most  severe  laws  to  fill  up  their  armies,  the  mass 
of  their  people  are  discouraged  and  are  becoming  mutinous.  This  is 
shown  by  the  numbers  from  this  vicinity  who  are  claiming  protection 
or  enlisting  in  our  ranks.  Since  we  have  been  here  we  have  enlisted 
hundreds  of  able  bodied  good  soldiers,  and  for  the  last  two  months 
they  have  been  increasing  rapidly,  so  much  so  that  they  are  making 
for  forming  a  full  regiment.  Those  that  have  come  in  from  a  distance 
south  represent  that  an  immense  number  would  enlist  if  they  could  get 
here.  The  army  is  as  determined  as  ever  to  fight  until  the  rebellion 
is  crushed.  There  is  scarcely  a  symptom  of  disaffection.  The  officers 
of  the  Illinois  regiments  here  met  a  few  weeks  ago  and  passed  reso- 
lutions in  favor  of  sustaining  the  war,  approving  of  the  course  pursued 
by  the  Governor  of  the  State,  and  condemning  the  acts  of  the  recent 
legislature  of  that  State.  They  have  been  published  in  the  Chicago 
papers.  Perhaps  you  have  had  an  opportunity  of  reading  them.  I 
think  there  will  be  a  strong  reaction  in  the  present  sentiment  of  the 
majority  of  those  who  are  advocating  peace,  and  they  will  contend  for 
a  more  vigorous  prosecution  of  the  war  than  ever.     Write  soon. 

Yours, 

J.  R.  Zearing. 

Corinth,  Miss.,  March  8,  1863. 
Dear  Puss : 

I  last  wrote  you  from  Burnsville,  to  which  place  our  regiment  had 
gone  on  an  expedition.  We  returned  day  before  yesterday  and  are 
now  in  our  old  quarters.  We  got  through  the  trip  nicely  feeling  re- 
freshed by  the  country  air.     There  is  nothing  special  in  news  here,  all 


170 

is  very  quiet.  We  are  anxiously  expecting  important  news  from  Vicks- 
burg  or  some  other  point.  Last  week  all  the  troops  at  Memphis  passed 
down  to  Vicksburg,  among  them  the  93rd  Illinois,  the  regiment  that 
was  partially  raised  in  Bureau  County.  I  understand  the  boys  are  in 
good  spirits.  They  will  see  some  rough  soldiering  down  the  Mississippi. 
This  movement  of  the  troops  down,  I  think,  indicates  an  immediate 
attack  on  Vicksburg.  If  the  rebels  take  a  few  more  of  our  rams  they 
will  drive  us  out  of  the  river,  but  hereafter  they  will  have  to  take  them 
all  together  if  they  take  them  at  all. 

The  weather  at  present  is  very  mild.  Peach  trees  are  in  bloom 
and  the  small  shrubbery  will  soon  have  leaves  on,  but  it  is  almost  rain- 
ing continuously.  April  showers  with  scarcely  perceptible  intervals 
between  them.  Yet  with  it  all,  it  is  not  very  muddy.  The  soil  is  not 
broken  up  by  freezing,  so  that  it  is  settled  and  firm.  The  ladies  are 
cultivating  flowers  to  some  extent.  They  gather  roots  from  gardens 
around  town  where  they  have  escaped  destruction,  and  transplant  them 
in  boxes.  Mary  has  a  few  started,  but  John  has  not  much  taste  for 
the  cultivation  of  them,  so  that  I  fear  they  will  suffer  for  want  of  care. 
I  will,  however,  pay  some  attention  to  it  myself,  so  as  to  have  some 
for  your  pleasure  when  you  come  down.  In  my  last  letter  I  gave  you 
an  invitation  to  come  down  and  visit  me,  presuming  that  you  would 
like  to.  I  presume  by  this  time  you  have  received  the  letter  and  are 
arguing  the  subject  over  pro  and  con.  I  hope  the  affirmative  will 
prevail,  as  I  would  like  very  much  to  see  you.  I  wrote  you  that  Mrs. 
Linton  had  gone  home  and  that  if  you  would  like  to  visit  Dover,  you 
might  go  around  that  way  and  start  from  there  with  her.  Perhaps 
that  would  be  the  most  agreeable  way.  I  learned  from  Linton  that  she 
will .  start  toward  the  last  of  this  month,  or  if  you  wish  to  come  more 
direct,  you  can  come  on  to  Cairo  direct  from  where  you  are.  With 
your  experience  in  traveling  I  think  you  would  not  have  any  difficulty. 
The  cars  arrive  at  Cairo  about  daylight ;  the  boat  leaves  for  Columbus 
immediately.  You  take  breakfast  on  the  boat,  and  arrive  in  Columbus 
in  two  hours,  when  you  will  immediately  take  the  cars  and  come  through 
to  Corinth,  the  same  day.  I  will  be  at  the  depot  ready  to  receive  you. 
You  can  bring  one  large  trunk  full  of  clothes.  You  will  find  men  at 
the  cars  and  boats  to  carry  it  for  pay.  I  wrote  you  that  if  you  thought 
best  you  could  bring  one  of  the  children,  either  Lottie  or  Lizzie;  not 
that  I  have  any  preference,  but  if  you  brought  Lottie  she  would  take 
care  of  herself,  and  if  Lizzie,  you  would  have  the  one  that  needs  you 
most.  Lula  is  half  way  between.  Puss,  I  have  just  learned  that  there 
will  be  no  more  trains  run  to  Columbus.  That  part  of  the  road  from 
Jackson  to  Columbus  will  be  vacated,  so  you  will  have  to  keep  the 
boat  to  Memphis.  Thi's  will  be  a  more  pleasant  route  for  you.  Mr. 
Linton  wrote  his  wife  that  you  would  come  down  with  her.  She  will 
start  in  about  two  weeks,  so  you  had  better  get  ready  as  soon  as  possible. 

Yours, 

J.  R.  Zearing. 


171 

The  Other  Side  of  Corinth,  June  6,  '63. 
Dear  Puss  : 

I  write  you  a  few  lines  in  great  haste  this  morning  just  to  inform 
you  that  I  have  this  day  expressed  to  Father  .Hdmer,  at  Bedford, 
Ind.,  seven  hundred  dollars,  which  you  will  please  inform  him  so  that 
he  can  send  for  it. 

I  suppose  you  have  read  all  about  the  evacuation  of  Corinth  in  the 
papers.  I  have  not  time  to  say  anything,  as  we  just  received  orders 
to  march  in  haste.  I  have  an  opportunity  of  sending  the  express  pack- 
age to  the  river  this  morning  and  hastily  send  this  also.  I  am  trying 
to  get  home  soon  when  I  will  tell  you  all  about  it.  It  is  my  opinion 
a  great  victory  at  a  small  cost  to  us.  I  have  no  idea  where  we  are 
going  to,  but  if  we  ever  reach  the  Mississippi,  I  will  take  boat  and  come 
up  and  see  you.  I  have  been  somewhat  unwell  for  a  few  days,  but  shall 
feel  better  soon. 

Yours  affectionately, 

J.  R.  Zearing. 

Corinth,  July  1st,  '63. 
Dear  Wife: 

I  arrived  at  home  yesterday  and  found  the  folks  as  we  left  them — 
all  pretty  well.  It  seems  very  lonesome  to  me  since  my  return.  I  sat 
upon  the  porch  last  night,  it  was  a  beautiful  calm  moonlight,  well 
adapted  to  thoughts  of  absent  friends  and  I  anxiously  thought  of  jour 
trip  homeward.  Today  I  received  a  Memphis  paper,  and  as  there  is  no 
reports  of  boats  having  been  fired  upon  since  your  leaving  Memphis,  I 
consoled  myself  with  the  belief  that  you  had  made  the  trip  to  Cairo  in 
safety. 

Today,  or  tomorrow,  I  presume,  will  find  you  receiving  the  wel- 
come of  your  friends  at  home.  I  fancy  you  had  no  difficulty  in  the 
transit  over  the  railroad,  .as  we  learned  by  the  papers  that  the  raiders 
from  Kentucky  were  all  captured  in  Indiana.  I  am  very  anxious  about 
your  health,  and  almost  regret  I  did  not  keep  you  here  two  weeks 
longer,  that  you  might  have  fully  recovered.  I  trust  that  you  are  rap- 
idly recovering.    I  shall  await  your  first  letter  with  interest. 

Baldwin  was  here  when  I  arrived  and  has  been  actively  engaged 
trying  to  get  in  command  of  the  regiment.  He  called  on  General 
Dodge.  The  General  would  not  see  him  personally,  but  sent  him  word 
that  if  he  had  any  papers  he  could  send  them  for  his  examination. 
Baldwin  sent  the  papers.  After  examing  them  Dodge  sent  him  word 
that  there  was  nothing  about  them  that  made  him  anything  but  a  civil- 
ian. Baldwin  was  non-plussed,  but  endeavored  to  excite  sympathy. 
This  morning  the  provost  guard  arrested  him,  took  him  to  the  cars  and 
started  him  for  Memphis.  This,  I  think,  will  be  the  last  of  him  in  mili- 
tary circles.  There  is  nothing  new  in  military  affairs  since  you  left 
except  increasing  of  an  approaching  attack  on  Memphis,  Corinth,  or 
both.  Our  cavalry  is  constantly  out  watching.  We  are  now  having 
all  we  want  of  blackberries.  The  boys  get  two  or  three  pails  full  a  day. 
I  presume  you  will  soon  have  them  at  home.  Give  my  love  to  all  the 
friends.    A  kiss  for  you. 

J.  R.  Zearing. 


172 

Blynnville,  Tenn.,  December  15,  1863. 
Dear  Wife  :  , 

I  was  very  glad  to  receive  your  letter  of  December  6th,  through 
in  six  days,  quite  an  improvement  in  time.  I  was  glad  to  hear  of  the 
continuous  good  health  of  all  the  family  and  friends.  My  own  health 
is  of  the  best  kind,  which  is  very  satisfactory  to  my  feelings,  but 
severe  on  beef  and  corn.  I  eat  very  largely  now  of  beef  and  corn 
bread  for  breakfast  and  dinner  and  invariably  mush  and  milk  for 
supper,  good  rich  milk  from  our  own  cow.  I  am  very  fond  of  the 
mush  and  milk,  and  next  to  yourself  and  the  babies,  I  love  it  better 
than  anything  else.  Dunton,  the  old  nurse  in  the  hospital  at  Corinth, 
is  cook,  and  a  good  one  he  is.  He  is  as  clean  as  a  woman,  and  as  sen- 
sitive as  an  old  maid.  So  far  as  comfort  is  concerned  I  am  well  situ- 
ated, and  if  your  good  looking  was  here,  I  should  be  happy.  We 
are  still  quietly  situated  as  when  I  last  wrote.  Every  few  days  detach- 
ments of  our  mounted  infantry  are  sent  out  to  scour  the  country  along 
the  Tennessee  River  for  the  purpose  of  preventing  the  rebels  from 
getting  supplies  out  of  this  state.  Some  of  our  forces  came  in  this 
morning  from  a  scout.  They  brought  in  a  rebel  major  and  five  pri- 
vates. They  were  surprised  in  their  camps,  and  besides  the  prisoners, 
our  men  captured  twenty  horses  and  a  number  of  small  arms.  This 
is  represented  to  be  part  of  the  advance  of  Johnson's  army  from  Mis- 
sissippi, who  are  crossing  the  Tennessee  near  Florence.  They  either 
designed  making  an  attack  somewhere  in  Grant's  rear  and  cut  off*  the 
railroads,  or  have  come  over  for  the  purpose  of  gathering  supplies. 
Since  they  have  been  prevented  getting  supplies  of  meat  from  across 
the  Mississippi,  they  have  received  large  amounts  from  Tennessee, 
especially  this  portion  of  the  state,  and  they  are  undoubtedly  in  great 
need  of  it.  It  is  very  important  to  the  rebels  at  this  time  that  they 
keep  up  a  show  of  power  in  Tennessee.  The  people  of  this  state  are 
rapidly  becoming  loyal.  They  seem  to  be  generally  impressed  with  the 
belief  that  the  rebel  cause  is  hopeless,  and  they  are  tired  of  spoliations. 
Since  the  late  battles  they  are  free  in  expressing  a  desire  to  have  the 
Union  restored.  They  still  cling  with  tenacity  to  the  negro,  but  in  two 
months  from  now,  if  no  serious  reverses  to  our  arms  take  place,  they 
will  go,  nigger  and  all.  They  are  daily  becoming  convinced  that  they 
would  be  better  off  without  the  negro.  They  are  continually  losing 
their  best  negroes  by  their  joining  the  army.  Last  week  I  inspected  a 
hundred  and  twenty,  fine,  sleek  negroes  for  mustering  in,  all  collected 
in  this  vicinity.  Their  masters  feel  relieved  by  having  them  join  the 
army,  as  then  they  feel  secure  from  any  injury  being  done.  The  ne- 
groes that  stay  at  home  are  worthless — even  the  females  are  impudent 
and  saucy.  The  people  generally  are  in  a  state  of  terror.  They  lock 
and  bar  their  doors  at  night  with  as  much  feeling  of  fear  as  our  fore- 
fathers did  in  the  time  of  the  Indian  wars.  In  some  instances  resi- 
dents here  have  applied  for  guards  to  protect  them  from  their  own 
negroes. 

Puss,  I  was  glad  to  hear  in  your  last  letter  that  you  had  received 
the  money  from  Memphis.  We  have  been  paid  again.  I  can  send  you 
six  hundred  dollars  this  time.     Five  hundred  and  fifty  dollars  in  an 


173 

order  on  the  treasury  at  Louisville,  which  can  be  cashed  any  time,  and 
a  fifty  dollar  bill.  I  will  enclose  them  in  this  letter.  The  only  risk 
will  be  the  fifty  dollar  bill,  as  the  order,  if  lost  will  be  replaced.  Puss, 
I  am  still  inclined  to  think  that  investment  of  those  bonds  will  be  a 
good  thing.  They  can  be  had  in  sums  of  fifty  dollars  and  upwards. 
Those  from  fifty  up  to  five  hundred  will  be  used  as  bank  notes  in  circu- 
lation. Do,  however,  as  father  thinks  best.  You  can  start  him  on  a 
pleasure  trip  to  Louisville,  and  he  can  there  get  the  bonds  if  he  thinks 
best.  *  *  *  Are  you  getting  ready  to  come  ?  Give  my  respects  to 
all.    A  kiss  for  you. 

Yours, 

J.  R.  Zearing. 

Sunday,  March  20th,  1864. 

Athens,  Alabama. 
Dear  Wife  : 

One  week  ago  today  we  arrived  in  this  place;  we  are  still  here, 
not  knowing  how  long  we  will  remain.  The  opinion  of  the  officers  are 
quite  various,  some  thinking  that  we  will  remain  for  a  long  time, 
others  presuming  that  as  soon  as  the  pontoon  bridge  at  Decatur  is 
finished,  which  will  be  in  one  week,  that  we  will  be  ordered  to  march 
south  of  the  Tennessee  River.  I  think  we  will  remain;  perhaps  "the 
wish  is  father  to  the  thought,"  as  this  is  a  desirable  place  to  spend  the 
summer.  We  are  fixing  up  as  if  to  remain  permanently.  The  men 
are  building  barracks  and  will  soon  be  comfortable. 

I  am  fixed  comfortable  beyond  description,  real  luxury.  In  the 
first  place,  I  have  for  a  hospital  a  large  two  story  brick  house  with 
basement  for  kitchen.  The  house  is  situated  in  a  large  enclosure  con- 
taining shade  trees,  paved  walks  and  a  large  variety  of  shrubs  and 
flowers.  In  the  same  yard  embowered  in  shade  trees  stands  a  small 
brick  office,  which  is  my  offices,  containing  sofa,  mahogany  bedstead, 
table,  chairs,  etc.  A  large  library  of  choice  books  here  awaits  my 
leisure  hours.  In  the  yard  is  a  large  green  house  filled  with  choice 
flowers  in  pots,  growing  well  and  awaiting  the  season's  advance  to  be 
set  upon  the  porch  and  along  the  walks  to  add  fragrance  and  beauty 
to  the  scene.  I  have  a  variety  of  roses,  geraniums,  camelias,  rhodo- 
dendrons, mosses,  oleanders,  cactuses,  etc.  Some  of  the  more  tender 
plants  have  been  winter  killed,  the  winter  has  been  more  severe  than 
usual  and  some  of  the  glass  has  been  broken.  I  will,  however,  have 
a  fine  variety.  Besides  all  of  these  luxuries  I  have  been  invited  to 
board  with  one  of  the  first  families  of  the  place.  The  house  is  a 
palatial  residence  and  all  things  to  correspond.  I  have  a  fine  room 
to  myself  and  plenty  of  servants  at  my  command.  The  board  is  ex- 
cellent and  the  ladies  of  the  house  very  pleasant.  They  desired  my 
company  as  the  gentleman  of  the  house  is  absent  a  considerable  por- 
tion of  the  time  attending  to  his  plantation.  All  this  is  free;  will  not 
take  a  cent  of  pay.  So  you  will  perceive  that  I  am  doing  well.  I 
sympathize  very  much  with  you  in  your  little  eight  by  ten  domicile 
and  hope  you  are  contented,  but  I  don't  think  I  will  be  able  to  relish 
such  living  in  the  future.  But  it  is  not  all  play  with  us  at  present. 
The  same  recruits  are  giving  us  a  great  deal  to  do.    I  have  about  twenty 


174 

in  hospital  and  increasing  rapidly.    The  measles  has  broken  out  among 
them,  we  have  about  a  dozen  cases  of  that  disease,  some  cases  of  lung 
fever  and  other  diseases  consequent  upon  exposure.    But  I  think  this 
sickness  will  not  last  long.    They  will  soon  become  inured  to  exposure. 
Your  letter  of  13th  instant  was  received  and  was  eagerly  perused. 
You  should  have  received  my  letter  from  Louisville  before  that  time. 
I  am  sorry  you  feel  so  lonely.    I  wish  I  could  be  with  you  to  cheer  you. 
You  must  not  think  too  much  about  our  separation.     The  time  will 
soon  pass  by  when  we  will  be  together  again.  I  was  very  glad  to  hear 
that  Lottie  has  recovered  and  that  the  other  ones  were  well.     Take 
good  care  of  them.    Did  Lew  say  anything  about  paying  on  that  note  ? 
He  enlisted  while  in  Chicago  and  received  a  hundred  dollars  bounty. 
I  saw  him  the  day  we  left.    He  spoke  of  the  note,  expressing  his  great 
regret  about,  etc.,  and  said  before  he  left  he  would  pay  part  of  it. 
I  presume  that  he  had  not  much  intention  of  doing  so.     I  gave  Will 
an  order  on  you  for  forty  dollars  and  money  to  pay  a  note  which  he 
said  he  had  against  me.    I  do  not  remember  the  note,  but  he  said  he 
had  it  among  his  papers  at  Princeton.    If  he  produces  the  note  it  will  be 
all  right.     You  can  pay  it  when  Taylor  pays  that  note.     Have  you 
money  enough  to  live  on?    Don't  stint  yourself  too  closely.    I  am  en- 
tirely destitute.    We  as  yet  hear  nothing  of  paymasters.    I  hope  they 
will  come  along  soon.     I  am  very  fortunate,  however,  in  not  having 
any  expenses  as  I  am  situated  now.     Mrs.  Linton  and  Mrs.  Bane  are 
living  in   the  same  house.    They  are  very  pleasantly  situated.    I  intend 
calling  on  them  soon.    I  have  received  a  call  from  them.    I  have  called 
on  Mrs.  Dodge,  they  are  very  agreeable.     I  am  glad  to  hear  that  Re- 
becca and  Elizabeth  are  well  situated.    Give  them  my  love.    Has  Mary 
heard  again  from  John?    I  wish  he  was  here.    Good  bye. 

Yours, 

J.  R.  Zearing. 

Athens,  Ala.,  April,  1864. 
Dear  Wife  : 

Your  letter  of  the  10th  instant  came  duly  to  hand,  with  the  con- 
tents, $10.00.  I  had  no  especial  use  for  the  money,  but  now  that  I 
have  it  I  presume  that  I  shall  spend  it.  If  we  do  not  get  paid  before 
we  are  ordered  to  march  I  shall  need  it.  We  have  indications  that 
military  operations  are  coming  on,  and  that  the  usual  amount  of 
alarms  and  marching  will  take  place  this  summer  as  last.  Last  Sat. 
we  were  ordered  to  be  ready  to  march  with  five  days'  rations.  Sat. 
and  Sun.  we  were  held  in  readiness.  Mon.  things  quieted  and  we  are 
now  in  our  usual  condition.  The  cause  of  the  disturbance  was  a 
threatened  attack  by  the  rebels  on  Decatur.  They  hovered  around 
the  place,  but  finally  retired  without  making  an  attack.  They  are  still 
in  front  of  Decatur  in  considerable  force  watching  our  movements. 
I  think  if  we  move  forward  that  there  will  be  a  fight  in  front  of  De- 
catur. I  see  from  the  papers  that  there  is  some  fighting  in  a  small 
way  in  all  the  departments,  the  prelude  to  heavier  battles.  The  rebels 
are  having  their  own  way  in  west  Tenn.  since  we  left  Corinth.  For- 
rest's command  is  doing  a  large  amount  of  injury  by  attacking  and 


175 

capturing  small  bodies  of  our  forces,  the  capture  and  massacre  at 
Ft.  Pillow  has  excited  a  great  deal  of  indignation  throughout  the 
army  and  they  are  anxious  for  retaliation.  There  will  undoubtedly 
be  some  severe  battles  this  spring  and  some  probability  that  we  will 
participate  in  some  of  them.  We  are  still  of  the  opinion  that  we  will 
be  moved  from  here  in  a  short  time.  Sickness  is  lessening  very  fast 
and  our  men  will  be  in  a  good  condition  for  a  march.  We  will  soon 
have  easy  times  again.  I  found  a  little  leisure  in  the  first  of  the  week 
and  improved  it  by  taking  a  visit  to  Huntsville,  which  is  about  forty 
miles  by  R.  R.  from  here.  I  had  heard  so  much  of  the  beauties  of  the 
place  that  I  had  a  great  deal  of  curiosity  to  see  it.  It  was  called  the 
gem  of  the  south,  and  I  think  it  is  deserving  of  the  name.  It  is  situ- 
ated close  to  a  range  of  the  Cumberland  range  of  mountains  and  sur- 
rounded by  a  very  fertile  country.  The  scenery  is  very  beautiful  and 
the  inhabitants  having  been  very  wealthy  and  possessed  of  good  taste 
have  ornamented  the  village  in  fine  style.  There  are  many  magnificent 
residences,  and  the  yards  and  gardens  are  ornamented  by  flowers  and 
shrubbery  on  a  very  extensive  scale.  While  there  I  visited  the  camp 
of  the  93rd  111.,  had  a  very  pleasant  visit.  Saw  a  good  many  Bureau 
County  men,  but  failed  to  see  many  that  I  would  liked  to  have  seen. 
Lieutenant  Lee's  company  are  away  from  the  regiment  several  miles 
guarding  the  regiment,  consequently  I  did  not  see  any  of  them.  Lee  is 
promoted  to  captain,  a  promotion  I  presume  well  deserved.  I  saw 
my  old  friend  Dr.  Hopkins.  I  was  very  glad  to  see  him.  He  is  doing 
very  well  and  I  think  is  pretty  well  liked  by  the  regiment.  Mr.  Taylor 
was  with  the  regiment.  He  was  looking  very  healthy  and  seemed 
well  contented.  The  money  that  Mr.  Taylor  paid  you  I  wish  you 
could  loan  out  at  interest.  I  think  Dr.  Robinson  could  loan  it  to  good 
advantage  if  he  would  feel  interested  in  it,  but  I  don't  think  you  can 
depend  upon  him  too  much  in  that  way.  I  presume  you  can  lend  it 
safely  at  a  low  rate  of  interest,  it  would  be  better  to  put  it  out  at  six 
per  cent  than  to  have  it  lie  idle.  I  saw  a  notice  in  the  papers  that  the 
government  was  commencing  to  pay  the  interest  on  the  5-20  bonds. 
I  presume  that  they  will  be  paid  at  Chicago,  or  the  brokers  there  will 
buy  them  at  a  small  discount.  I  would  cut  off  those  coupons  that  are 
due  the  first  of  May  and  send  them  to  Chicago,  they  are  payable  in 
gold,  and  as  the  gold  is  as  high  now  probably  as  it  will  be,  I  would  sell 
the  gold  for  greenbacks.  I  am  sorry  that  you  had  the  difficulty  about 
your  letters.  It  is  very  unpleasant  to  have  one's  private  affairs  so 
extensively  read. 

Good  bye  and  a  kiss  for  the  babies. 

Yours, 

J.  R.  Zearing. 

Letter  of  W.  M.  Zearing  to  Mrs.  James  R.  Zearing. 

Chicago,  III.,  5th  May,  1864. 
Mrs.  J.  R.  Zearing: 

Dear  Madam  :  Your  kind  letter  of  date  26th A  pril,  ult,  enclos- 
ing forty-five  dollars  coupons  on  bonds,  duly  reached  me.  I  was  anx- 
ious to  realize  every  cent  on  them  and  therefore  did  not  dispose  of 


176 

them  on  the  first  day  of  May  as  I  expected  gold  would  advance  some. 
It  has  advanced  some,  but  there  is  some  probability  it  will  advance 
more,  still  if  you  insist  on  it  being  sold  I  will  do  so  forthwith.  On  the 
first  Monday  of  May  the  brokers  would  not  offer  over  seventy-four 
on  account  of  the  fears  that  gold  would  fluctuate  or  fall,  and  I  did  not 
like  to  sell  it  below  their  usual  paying  rates  which  is  within  one  and 
two  cents  of  the  price  gold  brings  in  New  York.  Today  I  was  offered 
seventy-seven  cents,  but  gold  sold  today  in  New  York  seventy-nine  and 
a  half  and  during  a  part  of  today  it  reached  as  high  as  one  dollar  and 
eighty-one  cents  in  New  York.  If  it  does  not  soon  take  arise  I  will 
sell  it  in  a  few  days  as  I  think  it  safest  not  to  wait  long.  Still  I  am 
certain  it  cannot  fall  much  and  may  go  up  higher,  but  if  you  write  to 
sell  it  I  will  do  the  best  I  can  and  let  it  slide  immediately.  I  will  send 
the  amount  it  brings  in  a  draft.  In  reference  to  the  note  I  will  look- 
over  my  papers  here  as  soon  as  I  get  leisure,  but  I  think  it  is  with  my 
papers  down  there.  I  saw  it  a  few  months  ago  in  my  large  pocket 
book,  but  I  changed  some  of  the  papers  from  there.  In  excellent 
health.    Hoping  you  and  your  friends  are  all  well. 

Yours, 

W.  M.  Zearinc. 

In  Maj.  Zearing's  letters  to  his  wife  he  repeatedly  speaks  of  his 
anxiety  of  keeping  his  family  in  money  and  the  danger  of  sending 
money  home. 

Snake  Gap,  Ga.,  May  12,  1864. 
Dear  Wife: 

I  last  wrote  you  from  Chicamauga  on  Wed.  last.  I  am  informed 
that  no  mails  are  allowed  to  pass  north  of  Chattanooga  until  this  ex- 
pedition has  been  brought  to  some  conclusion,  so  I  fear  that  you  will 
have  some  time  of  anxious  suspense  until  the  mail  embargo  is  removed. 
General  Dodge's  and  General  Logan's  commands  under  McPherson, 
moved  from  Chickamauga  in  a  southwest  direction  until  we  arrived 
at  this  gap  in  the  mountains  which  is  18  miles  directly  south  of  Dalton 
and  57  miles  of  Chattanooga.  Thomas'  army  still  lies  at  Tunnel  Hill  im- 
mediately north  of  Dalton,  and  Hooker's  command  is  about  half  way  be- 
tween the  two.  We  arrived  at  this  gap  yesterday,  the  rebels  attacked  our 
front  with  cavalry  at  this  point,  but  we  drove  them  from  our  front 
as  we  proceeded  until  we  arrived  within  one  mile  of  the  R.  R.  near 
Resaca.  At  that  place  is  a  large  R.  R.  bridge.  The  rebels  are  in 
large  force  at  that  place  and  have  strong  fortifications.  We  were  not 
ordered  to  attack  the  place  so  at  night  we  fell  back  to  this  gap,  which 
is  naturally  a  very  strong  position.  Our  division  lost  in  the  skirmishing 
throughout  the  day  four  killed  and  twenty-three  wounded.  The  rebels 
lost  eight  killed  and  near  forty  wounded,  which  fell  into  our  posses- 
sion. We  also  captured  a"bout  fifty  prisoners.  When  I  last  wrote  you 
I  supposed  that  the  whole  force  would  immediately  march  on  Dalton 
and  bring  on  a  general  engagement,  but  it  seems  that  our  generals  are 
adopting  some  strategic  measures  which  I  do  not  understand,  but  which 
I  hope  will  result  in  something  important.  The  army  mjay  lay  in  their 
present  position  for  some  days  or  we  may  move  any  moment.     It  will 


177 

perhaps  depend  on  the  movements  of  the  rebels.  The  present  position 
of  our  part  of  the  army  is  rather  hazardous,  one  being  so  far  in  the 
rear  of  so  large  an  army  as  the  rebels  have  at  Dalton.  They  might, 
unless  Thomas  in  their  front,  watches  them  very  closely,  throw  the 
larger  part  of  their  army  against  us,  but  I  do  not  fear  it  as  we  are 
watching  them  very  closely.  We  are  living  very  rough  here  in  the 
woods.  We  are  all  on  short  rations  on  account  of  the  difficulty  of 
transporting  them.  However,  our  appetites  are  in  a  condition  to  con- 
sume all  and  everything  we  can  get  in  the  way  of  eatables.  I  never 
felt  better  in  my  life,  perfectly  well,  though  exposed  to  hot  sun  and 
cold  rains.    I  think  we  shall  get  far  worse  before  we  fare  better. 

We  hear  of  important  victories  for  the  army  of  the  Potomac  and 
an  opinion  prevails  that  they  will  take  Richmond.  I  have  not  received 
a  letter  from  you  since  I  left  Huntsville.  Am  anxious  to  hear  from 
you.    I  hope  you  are  doing  well. 

Good  bye,  yours, 

J.  R.  Zearing. 

May  17,  1864. 

I  have  had  no  opportunity  of  sending  the  within.  We  have  been 
fighting  for  the  last  three  days.  Today  the  whole  of  Johnson-s  army 
are  on  the  retreat.  Our  army  is  pursuing  in  haste.  We  have  been 
busy  night  and  day  with  the  wounded.  Our  division  has  suffered  con- 
siderable. The  57th  has  not  had  any  casualties.  We  are  now  in  he 
advance  of  the  pursuit. 

Yours  well,  in  haste, 

J.  R.  Zearing. 
Lays  Ford,  Ga. 

Rome,  Ga.,  May  24th,  1864. 
Dear  Wife  : 

I  believe  I  last  wrote  you  from  Kingston  while  in  pursuit  of  the 
enemy.  At  that  place  the  whole  army  rested  for  three  days.  We 
had  then  marched  night  and  day  in  the  pursuit  and  were  completely 
tired  out.  The  rebs  had  the  advantage  of  us  in  the  retreat  as  they 
had  the  bridges  to  pass  over  the  streams  and  would  burn  them  in  their 
rear,  and  they  were  retreating  on  their  supplies  while  we  had  to  bring 
our  forward.  At  Kingston  our  brigade  was  sent  to  occupy  this  place 
until  the  17th  Army  Corps  came  up  to  relieve  us.  Gen.  Dodge  assured 
us  we  would  not  have  to  remain  here  over  ten  days.  I  hope  we  will 
not  as  I  would  much  prefer  being  in  the  front  where  the  fighting  is. 
We  have  now  been  here  one  week  and  we  learn  that  the  troops  that 
are  to  relieve  us  are  within  fifteen  miles  of  the  place,  so  I  expect  in 
two  days  we  will  be  marching  towards  Atlanta.  It  was  expected  that 
Johnson  would  make  a  stand  at  the  Altona  Mountains  on  the  Chata- 
hoochie  River,  fifteen  miles  south  of  Kingston.  Sherman,  it  seemes, 
stopped  his  army  at  Kingston  a  purpose  to  give  the  rebels  a  chance 
to  stop  and  fortify  that  place.  It  being  on  the  railroad  Johnson  sup- 
posed we  would  necessarily  come  that  way.  When  Sherman  ascer- 
tained they  had  stopped  at  that  place,  he  left  the  railroad  and  marched 


178 

around  them  on  the  right  to  get  between  them  and  Atlanta.  He  suc- 
ceeded in  getting  equally  near  Atlanta  as  the  rebels  were.  When  find- 
ing out  his  intentions  they  commenced  retreating  again.  The  two 
armies  are  now  racing  for  Atlanta,  fighting  as  they  go,  side  by  side. 
It  is  confidently  hoped  that  Sherman  will  get  there  soon  enough  to 
prevent  Johnson  from  taking  advantage  of  the  strong  works  that  have 
been  built  there.  Two  days  longer  will  determine,  as  the  armies  were 
within  a  few  miles  of  Atlanta  yesterday.  I  hope  we  will  be  in  at  the 
taking  of  the  place.  Sherman  will  destroy  Johnson's  army  before  he 
quits  it,  and  if  Grant  succeeds  equally  as  well  with  Lee's  army,  I  shall 
expect  to  be  home  at  the  doings  you  are  going  to  have  next  fall.  I 
have  not  determined  yet  whether  to  call  the  boy  Grant  or  Sherman. 
We  are  very  pleasantly  situated  here  in  Rome.  Quite  a  number  of 
families  moved  away  on  the  approach  of  our  troops  so  we  have  plenty 
of  vacant  houses  to  occupy  for  our  quarters.  It  is  a  town  of  about 
three  thousand  inhabitants,  with  all  the  appurtenances  of  a  city,  as 
gas  works,  town  hall,  churches,  etc.  There  was  a  foundry  for  the 
casting  of  cannon  and  a  large  rolling  mill  had  just  been  completed. 
There  was  also  a  dry  dock  for  the  building  and  repair  of  boats.  It 
is  a  very  beautiful  city.  Next  to  Huntsville  it  is  the  handsomest  I 
have  seen.  The  streets  are  shaded  with  magnificent  shade  trees.  It  is 
like  walking  in  a  continuous  bower.  The  houses  are  on  such  large 
lots  that  ample  space  is  given  for  trees  and  flowers.  And  such  flowers ! 
The  rose  is  now  in  its  perfection.  The  whole  town  seems  to  be  one 
vast  rose  bed,  every  variety  of  size  and  color.  I  never  before  saw 
such  magnificence.  In  riding  through  the  streets  the  perfume  is  per- 
ceptible at  all  times.  This  town  was  a  place  of  a  good  deal  of  busi- 
ness. It  has  direct  communication  with  Mobile  by  steamboat  and  by 
railroad  communication  with  all  parts  of  the  south.  The  inhabitants 
at  present  seem  very  peaceable  and  talk  very  mildly.  But  every  man 
in  the  place  belonged  to  some  military  organization.  We  find  arms 
in  every  house.  In  one  of  the  town  wells  we  found  three  pieces  of 
cannon.  It  was  near  this  place  that  Col.  Streight  was  captured.  The 
citizens  all  turned  out  to  assist  in  his  capture.  We  have  just  learned 
that  the  15th  and  16th  Army  Corps  have  had  a  severe  fight  near  Dallas. 
Our  division  suffered  considerably.  The  rebels  were  whipped  with  a 
very  heavy  loss.  It  makes  me  feel  anxious  to  be  with  them.  We  lost 
a  very  fine  young  man  yesterday  by  drowning  in  the  river.  He  was 
attempting  to  swim  across  the  river  but  became  exhausted  and  sank 
His  name  was  John  Van  Law,  of  Arlington.  I  received  your  letter 
of  May  18th  today ;  was  very  sorry  to  learn  that  your  health  was  uncom- 
fortable. I  hope  you  will  soon  grow  better.  I  am  surprised  that  Mary 
does  not  hear  from  John  again.  I  see  by  the  papers  that  they  have 
been  removing  the  prisons  more  into  the  interior  from  Richmond, 
which  will  make  it  more  difficult  for  him  to  communicate.  In  regard 
to  the  amount  of  pay  for  the  tombstones  for  father's  and  mother's 
graves,  I  would  leave  that  to  you.  Whatever  you  think  is  right  will 
suit  me.  It  seems  that  you  do  not  find  a  very  ready  market  for  money. 
If  you  cannot  loan  it,  it  will  do  to  keep.  lam  sorry  that  Joseph  is 
still  borrowing  money.     I  don't  believe  there  is  any  real  need  of  it. 


179 

At  what  period  in  his  life  does  he  expect  to  get  out  of  debt?  I  think 
the  less  chances  he  has  to  bonow  money  the  better  it  will  be  for  him. 
If  he  wants  to  borrow  of  you  it  would  be  better  to  discourage  him. 
If  Will  has  not  already  sold  the  coupons  he  had  better  do  so  at  once. 
I  think  gold  will  tumble  down  rapidly  soon.    A  kiss  for  you. 

Yours, 

J.  R.  Zearing. 

Kingston,  Georgia,  May  20th,  1864. 
Dear  Wife  : 

I  last  wrote  you  from  Lays  Ford  on  the  Eustenow  River,  which 
was  last  Tuesday.  The  day  after  we  crossed  the  river  in  pursuit  of 
the  enemy.  They  resisted  our  crossing  with  a  good  deal  of  earnest- 
ness. We  had  some  severe  skirmishing  and  artillery  firing.  We  drove 
them  off  during  the  day.  Our  division  lost  over  a  hundred  men  killed 
and  wounded.  The  57th  lost  two  killed  and  ten  wounded,  also  two 
missing,  none,  I  presume  that  you  were  acquainted  with,  the  nearest 
living  to  Dover  was  a  man  by  the  name  of  Irwin  who  lived  at  Lamoille. 
He  was  killed,.  After  dressing  the  wounded  we  sent  them  back  to 
Resaca,  from  which  place  they  will  be  sent  to  Chattanooga  by  railroad. 
We  are  still  marching  in  pursuit  of  the  enemy,  not  giving  them  a  mo- 
ment's rest.  As  we  have  to  skirmish  with  them  continually  it  makes 
our  progress  slow  but  very  tiresome.  We  frequently  have  to  march 
half  the  night,  and  under  orders  to  move  at  a  moment's  notice  at  all 
times.  You  may  well  suppose  that  we  are  all  tired,  but  all  en- 
thusiastic. We  still  hope  to  capture  a  good  many  of  them  and  also 
their  supply  trains.  We  expected  they  would  make  a  stand  at  this 
place,  so  we  marched  here  in  the  night,  but  this  morning  we  find  they 
are  still  retreating.  We  expect  to  move  after  them  immediately,  it  is 
still  expected  that  they  will  resist  us  at  some  point  this  side  of  Atlanta, 
which  is  about  fifty  miles  from  here.  The  country  so  far  has  furnished 
us  but  small  quantities  of  supplies,  so  that  we  have  been  compelled  to 
live  exclusively  on  army  rations  and  of  those  we  have  had  very  short 
supply,  but  we  learn  that  after  we  proceed  fifteen  miles  further  the 
country  is  more  fertile  and  better  cultivated  and  we  will  have  more 
variety  of  food,  which  will  be  duly  gathered  and  appreciated.  We 
will  also  receive  some  supplies  by  the  R.  R.,  which  is  repaired  as  fast 
as  we  move.  The  rebels  burned  the  large  bridge  at  Resaca  when  they 
evacuated,  but  in  three  days  the  bridge  was  rebuilt  and  our  cars  are 
now  running  to  this  place.  It  was  considered  certain  that  the  bridge 
would  be  burned  so  that  before  the  fight  our  authorities  had  the  bridge 
framed  and  loaded  on  cars  at  Chattanooga  and  ready  to  put  up. 

The  result  of  the  battles  around  Dalton  and  Resaca  from  official 
sources  show  that  the  enemy  lost  in  all  about  2,500  killed  and  wounded 
and  near  2,000  prisoners.  We  also  captured  14  pieces  of  cannon.  Our 
loss  is  very  considerable,  amounting  to  2,000  killed  and  wounded.  We 
also  captured  some  supplies  at  Resaca.  Well,  the  troops  are  beginning 
to  move,  where  I  will  write  you  from  next  I  do  not  know,  but  shall 
improve  the  first  opportunity.  I  presume  that  you  will  find  the  letters 
to  be  long  on  the  way  to  you  as  yours  are  now  to  me.   I  have  received 


180 

none  since  the  one  dated  May  1  and  am  very  anxious  to  hear  from 
you.  I  take  it  for  granted  that  you  are  all  well.  You  will  find  that  by 
taking  a  great  deal  of  outdoor  exercise  and  letting  plenty  of  fresh  air 
into  your  bedroom  at  night  you  will  be  much  more  comfortable.  My 
health  is  so  good  that  it  is  perfect  luxury.  I  never  was  better  in  my 
life.  I  think  Joseph  would  hardly  stand  the  exposure  of  camp  life. 
If  he  could  I  would  not  object  to  his  going  in.  He  should  not  read 
the  Chicago  Times  as  it  undoubtedly  poisons  his  mind  with  false  prin- 
ciples. There  is  danger  in  time  of  war  in  adhering  to  party  at  the  ex- 
pense of  our  patriotism.    Good  bye.    A  kiss  for  you  and  the  babies. 

Yours, 

J.  R.  Zearing. 

Rome,  Ga.,  June  28,  1864. 
Dear  Wife: 

You  will  find  a  long  interval  between  this  and  my  last  letter  to 
you,  I  think  nearly  two  weeks.     The  cause  of  it  is  that  I  have  been 
away  from  Rome  and  no  opportunity  for  writing.     Last  week  I  went 
down  to  the  front  to  see  about  some  business  and  curious  to  know 
the  positions  of  the  armies.    The  rebels  were  occupying  the  Kennesaw 
Mountains  which  lay  around  Marrietta,  about  15  miles  this  side  of 
Atlanta.    They  have  a  strong  natural  position  and  are  strongly  forti- 
fied.    Their  rear  extends  to  the  Chattahoochie  River.     Our  army  is 
laying  inside  of  breastworks,  which  are  within  rifle  shot  of  the  enemy 
along  the  whole  front.    There  is  continual  firing  from  one  side  to  the 
other  by  the  sharp  shooters  and  every  day  a  good  many  on  either  side 
are  killed   and  wounded.     This   skirmishing   scarcely   attracts   much 
attention  but  will  foot  up  largely  in  the  aggregate  losses  of  our  army. 
The  position  now  gained  by  Sherman  has  required  a  good  deal  of 
fighting  to  secure  and  his  advance  has  been  very  slow  for  the  last  ten 
days.    The  general  belief  was  that  Johnson  could  not  retreat  from  his 
position  without  heavy  losses,  and  I  think  he  intends  to  make  a  stand 
where  he  is  and  give  a  severe  fight.    When  I  left  day  before  yesterday 
it  was  expected  that  Sherman  would  make  a  general  attack  on  that 
day,  but  there  was  nothing  unusual  occurred.     Yesterday  it  was  re- 
ported here  that  the  whole  army  was  engaged  and  that  a  desperate  fight 
was  going  on.    I  think  it  is  the  case  as  we  could  hear  heavy  firing  here 
yesterday  and  last  night.     I  should  liked  very  much  to  have  stayed 
down  if  a  battle  had  taken  place.  I  expect  to  be  at  the  taking  of  Atlanta 
as  Gen.  Dodge  issued  an  order  for  me  to  report  to  the  2nd  Division. 
I  probably  will  leave  here  day  after  tomorrow.     When  I  get  down 
there  I  can  give  a  better  account  of  affairs  in  general.     I  can  assure 
there  will  be  but  little  comfort  or  leisure  at  the  front.     If  I  were  to 
consult  my  own  comfort  I  should  much  prefer  remaining  at  Rome. 
I  have  everything  here  in  nice  order.     I  have  established  a  very  fine 
post  hospital  as  comfortable  as  a  hospital  can  be  made.     But  I  think 
I  can  be  of  more  service  in  the  field.    There  will  soon  be  a  great  deal 
of  sickness  among  the  troops  in  the  field.    The  weather  is  getting  very 
hot.     Dr.  Kendall  is  sick  and  unfit  for  duty  for  the  last  three  weeks. 
Dr.  Wood  is  useless  with  rheumatism.     He  has  just  received  a  leave 


181 

of  absence  and  will  go  home  as  soon  as  he  gets  a  little  better,  so  you 
perceive  we  are  getting  short  of  medical  officers. 

Your  last  letter  arrived  while  I  was  absent,  dated  June  14th.  I 
hope  Lula  enjoyed  her  birthday.  I  should  be  very  glad  to  see  the  girls 
all  together  again.  Give  them  all  a  kiss  for  me.  I  am  afraid  Mary 
will  not  enjoy  herself  very  well  in  her  little  cabin.  It  will  do  no  harm 
to  try  it.  As  soon  as  I  can  see  a  paymaster  I  will  enquire  as  to  the 
mode  of  getting  John's  pay  for  her.  I  do  not  presume  we  will  get  paid 
very  soon.  You  are  not  suffering  for  money  I  presume.  I  think  it 
would  be  safe  to  lend  the  $200.00  to  Kellogg,  as  he  is  a  money  making 
man.  You  will  have  no  trouble  loaning  money  soon,  as  I  see  that  an 
act  of  Congress  has  passed  to  lesson  the  amount  of  money  in  circula- 
tion. This  will  make  a  demand  for  money.  I  am  glad  that  you  are 
having  tolerable  health  at  this  time.  I  am  afraid  you  will  melt  some 
during  these  hot  days.    Take  good  care  of  yourself. 

Yours, 

J.  R.  Zearing. 

Which  of  the  hundred  day  regiments  did  John  go  in,  and  does  he 
remain  in  ? 

July  6th,  1864. 
Three  miles  north  of  Chattanooga,  Tenn. 
Dear  Wife  : 

I  wrote  you  on  the  "Fourth"  from  a  point  four  miles  north  of  this. 
I  do  not  know  how  it  will  be  in  regard  to  your  receiving  my  letters, 
but  I  think  that  they  will  be  very  irregular.  I  shall  write  you  occasion- 
ally, but  hope  that  you  will  receive  them  sometime.  Our  communica- 
tions with  the  rear  are  liable  to  be  interrupted  any  day,  as  Sherman 
left  the  R.  R.  with  twenty  days'  rations  and  seems  determined  to  ad- 
vance without  much  regard  for  his  rear.  The  rebel  cavalry  may  cut 
the  R.  R.  and  perhaps  capture  the  mails.  I  am  afraid  that  I  shall  not 
receive  your  letters  for  some  time,  as  they  will  go  to  Rome,  and  it  will 
be  very  doubtful  if  I  can  get  a  chance  to  send  for  them  very  soon. 
I  shall  regret  this  very  much  as  my  chief  pleasure  is  to  receive  a  letter 
from  you.  When  I  last  wrote  you  I  was  anticipating  a  quiet  fourth, 
but  was  disappointed.  In  the  afternoon  our  corps  was  moved  forward 
two  miles  and  soon  came  upon  the  rebs,  every  move  of  a  corps  or  a 
division  brings  on  fight  of  greater  or  less  magnitude. 

At  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  we  came  upon  a  line  of  breast- 
works of  the  enemy  and  the  skirmishing  commenced.  At  sundown  in 
the  evening  the  2nd  and  4th  divisions  charged  the  breastworks  and 
captured  the  first  line  which  they  held.  In  the  night  the  rebels  evacu- 
ated all  their  works  and  retreated,  so  we  will  have  another  march  and 
another  fight.  So  it  continues  from  day  to  day.  We  feel  now  as  if 
we  would  soon  be  at  the  end  of  our  journey — Atlanta.  The  late  at- 
tack on  the  fourth  kept  us  busy  all  night  dressing  the  wounded,  so 
I  think  I  shall  remember  this  fourth. 

This  morning  we  are  marching  for  the  river.  What  will  happen 
there  I  cannot  tell.  It  is  expected  that  we  will  have  a  heavy  fight. 
I  must  saddle  up  and  start.     I  saw  Charlie  Pool  this  morning.     He  is 


182 

looking  very  well.  His  time  will  be  out  the  middle  of  the  month.  He 
then  intends  going  home.  I  shall  write  to  you  as  soon  as  we  get  to  a 
stopping  place.    Good  bye. 

Yours, 

J.  R.  Zearing. 

Roswell,  Chattahoochie  River,  Georgia,  July  11th,  1864. 
Dear  Wife  : 

I  believe  I  last  wrote  you  on  the  6th,  since  which  time  we  have 
nothing  of  unusual  importance  occur.  On  the  8th  we  moved  down  to 
Chattahoochie  River  at  Baker's  Ferry  to  attract  the  attention  of  the 
enemy.  While  Gen.  Stoneman  crossed  the  river  several  miles  below 
with  four  thousand  cavalry  for  a  raid  south  of  Atlanta.  We  have 
not  heard  from  him  since  he  left.  On  the  9th  our  corps  ^as  ordered 
to  march  from  where  we  were  on  the  extreme  right  to  this  point  on  the 
extreme  left.  We  started  at  noon  of  that  day  and  arrived  here  at  noon 
yesterday,  a  distance  of  thirty  miles.  We  marched  nearly  all  night. 
It  was  very  dusty  and  tiresome.  We  marched  through  Marietta,  a 
beautiful  place  of  about  two  thousand  inhabitants,  the  most  of  whom 
are  gone  farther  south.  Roswell  has  been  a  considerable  manufactur- 
ing place.  There  are  two  cotton  factories  and  one  woolen.  They  were 
in  full  operation  until  a  few  days  ago  when  our  cavalry  came  and 
burned  them.  The  operatives  were  still  here,  all  very  short  of  pro- 
visions. We  have  had  to  provide  for  them.  To  do  so  we  sent  them 
to  Marietta.  It  was  a  very  fine  sight  to  see  four  hundred  girls  all  at 
once,  a  sight  we  do  not  often  see  in  the  army.  The  river  is  fordable 
at  this  point.  We  crossed  over  to  the  south  side  and  are  now  in  camp 
here.  I  think  it  is  the  intention  to  move  the  whole  army  in  this  direc- 
tion and  cross  the  river.  We  will  probably  stay  here  until  the  whole 
army  has  crossed  to  protect  the  ford.  This  point  is  fifteen  miles  from 
Atlanta  and  less  than  that  to  the  principal  railroad  connecting  Atlanta 
with  Richmond.  We  will  probably  cut  the  road  very  soon.  I  think 
the  question  of  taking  Atlanta  will  soon  be  settled.  We  are  certainly 
getting  affairs  so  arranged  that  Atlanta  will  soon  fall.  We  may  have 
a  very  heavy  battle  first.  It  is  expected  that  we  will.  I  hope  the 
campaign  will  soon  end.  It  is  getting  late  in  the  season  and  the  army 
is  getting  to  be  terribly  exhausted.  It  has  been  a  very  long  campaign. 
The  troops  have  been  on  the  watch  or  march  night  and  day.  Sickness 
is  increasing  rapidly.  The  army  is  seriously  affected  with  scurvy, 
caused  by  living  exclusively  on  salt  pork  and  hard  tack.  We  send  the 
sick  to  general  hospital  in  the  rear  as  fast  as  they  accumulate.  I 
sent  Lute  Fish  to  Marietta  yesterday,  sick.  Dr.  Marsh  was  left  at 
Marrietta,  sick.  I  take  his  place  as  surgeon  in  chief  of  division.  I 
have  as  yet  received  no  letter  from  you  since  I  left  Rome.  I  will  direct 
Dr.  Crosby  to  send  them  to  me  here.  I  am  in  first  rate  health  and  hope 
you  and  the  babies  are  the  same. 

Yours, 

J.  R.  Zearing. 


183 

Near  Peachtree  Creek,  Georgia,  July  18,  1864. 
Dear  Wife: 

The  last  I  wrote  you  was  from  Roswell.  We  lay  at  that  point  on 
the  Chattahoochie  River  just  one  week.  The  army  was  occupied  in 
getting  forward  supplies  and  making  repairs  in  general.  It  was  neces- 
sary to  have  a  good  supply  of  rations  on  hand  before  the  army  was 
moved  any  further.  As  the  railroad  is  not  being  carried  any  farther 
than  Marietta,  it  would  be  unsafe  to  move  until  a  quantity  of  rations 
had  been  accumulated,  as  our  communications  with  supplies  could  be 
very  easily  cut  off.  Yesterday  we  moved  forward  again.  Today  we 
are  at  a  point  nearly  due  east  of  Atlanta,  about  twelve  miles  from  the 
place  and  about  eight  miles  north  of  Decatur,  a  place  on  the  railroad 
from  Atlanta  to  Richmond.  The  rebel  position,  as  near  as  we  can 
learn,  is  a  semi-circle  on  the  north  side  of  Atlanta.  It  seems  now  to  be 
the  intention  of  Sherman  to  move  his  army  down  on  the  east  side  of 
Atlanta;  again  flanking  him;  to  prevent  it  Johnson  will  have  to  come 
out  of  his  fortifications  and  fight,  or  again  retreat  and  give  up  Atlanta 
without  a  severe  fight,  and  as  we  have  rations  enough  on  hand  to  sup- 
ply us  until  we  march  to  such  a  point  as  will  determine  the  matter. 
A  very  few  days  will  bring  the  campaign  to  a  crisis.  We  are  getting 
along  about  as  well  as  usual.  I  think  the  health  of  the  army  is  im- 
proving. I  attribute  this  to  the  rest  we  have  had  on  the  river,  and 
to  the  large  supply  of  black  berries  the  men  are  getting.  They  are 
also  getting  apples  in  any  quantity,  some  ripe  and  all  good  for  cooking. 
In  a  few  days  we  will  have  roasting  corn,  then  we  will  live  just  as  if 
we  were  at  home,  except  the  butter.  You  know  how  well  I  like  butter. 
I  would  like  to  sit  at  your  tea  table  this  evening  and  eat  some  of  your 
nice  butter  and  biscuit.  I  think  many  times  of  the  comforts  of  home 
down  in  this  wilderness,  and  I  cannot  think  of  asking  for  the  oppor- 
tunity of  enjoying  them  for  a  long  time  yet.  I  hope  you  are  living 
so  snug  and  comfortable  that  you  do  not  often  think  of  the  miserable 
in  this  life.  How  do  you  manage  your  household  affairs?  How  are 
the  girls  prospering?  Are  they  getting  well  instructed?  How  many 
of  them  go  to  school?  I  presume  you  are  taking  a  good  deal  of  care 
in  their  training.  Teach  them  to  read  carefully  and  think  systemati- 
cally. I  received  Mary's  letter  of  June  24th  this  week.  I  hope  she 
will  succeed  well  in  her  enterprise.  I  will  do  all  I  can  to  carry  out  her 
wishes  in  regard  to  John's  pay.  I  do  wish  we  could  hear  from  John 
again.  It  would  be  so  satisfactory.  The  letter  was  brought  to  me  from 
Rome.  I  was  much  disappointed  in  not  getting  a  letter  from  you  at 
the  same  time.  I  have  not  heard  from  you  since  I  left  Rome.  I  feel 
very  anxious  to  hear  from  you.  They  will  send  my  letters  to  me  as 
often  as  opportunity  offers,  but  the  chances  are  very  few. 

Yours, 

J.  R.  Zearing. 

Utoy  Creek,  West  of  Atlanta,  Ga.,  August  26,  1864. 
Dear  Wife: 

Yesterday  we  moved  our  camp  from  the  north  side  of  Atlanta 
and  are  now  on  the  west  side.  We  moved  our  hospital  and  trains 
today  several  miles  in  advance  of  the  troops.     We  are  giving  up  our 


184 

lines  around  Atlanta  and  will  probably  move  entirely  away  from  it. 
We  have  to  move  our  trains  by  day  and  the  troops  leave  their  en- 
trenchments at  night,  one  corps  at  a  time,  commencing  on  the  left. 
This  is  necessary  to  prevent  a  heavy  attack  on  our  column  while  we  are 
moving.  So  far  the  movement  is  going  on  very  favorably.  The  enemy 
threatened  an  attack  this  morning,  but  were  easily  checked.  Tomorrow 
we  will  move  again  and  as  the  rebels  have  learned  by  this  time  that 
we  are  making  a  general  move,  we  may  have  some  fighting,  but  the 
whole  movement  seems  so  well  managed  that  I  think  we  will  let  go  of 
Atlanta  without  any  disaster. 

I  presume  you  would  like  to  know  where  we  were  going.  I  would 
like  to  know  positively  myself.  I  heard  General  Sherman  tell  General 
Dodge  a  few  days  ago  that  he  was  going  to  move  the  army  south' of 
Atlanta  and  take  permanent  possession  of  their  railroads  and  cut  off 
all  their  communications.  He  thought  that  would  draw  them  out  of 
their  works  and  he  could  attack  them  at  his  own  option.  The  rebels 
cannot  afford  to  let  him  do  this,  and  I  think  the  attempt  will  bring  on 
a  fight  of  large  proportions.  The  whole  army  joins  in  the  movement 
except  the  20th  corps,  which  will  be  thrown  back  across. 

Near  Atlanta,  Ga.,  Aug.  1,  1864. 
Dear  Wife: 

I  received  your  letter  of  July  24th,  today.  I  also  received  this 
week  yours  of  June  26th  and  July  23rd.  I  have  been  so  very  busy  since 
the  battle  of  the  22nd  that  I  have  only  written  you  once.  I  hope  to 
have  time  to  write  you  more  frequently  soon,  but  fear  that  we  shall 
be  kept  continually  busy  until  Atlanta  falls.  We  are  just  now  getting 
through  operating  upon  the  wounded  of  the  late  battle.  There  has 
been  so  many  amputations,  exsections,  setting  of  fractures  and  cutting 
generally  that  I  have  become  almost  sick  of  it.  The  poor  fellows  en- 
dure it  bravely,  and  it  is  really  a  pleasure  to  do  all  that  we  can  for 
them.  We  have  not  sent  away  any  of  our  wounded  yet.  In  a  few 
days  we  will  send  to  their  homes  all  the  slightly  wounded,  those  that 
are  able  to  travel  alone.  The  severely  wounded  will  be  retained  here 
until  there  is  better  accommodations  for  sending  them  to  the  northern 
hospitals.  We  have  our  hospital  in  a  beautiful  pine  forest,  which 
furnishes  a  very  fine  shade.  The  wounded  are  as  comfortable  as  it 
is  possible  to  make  them  in  the  woods  so  far  away  from  supplies. 
We  have  the  most  of  them  on  bunks  with  branches  of  trees  for  bed- 
ding. You  would  call  it  a  cheerless  bed  at  home,  but  the  boys  seem 
well  satisfied.  A  good  soldier  is  always  content  with  the  best  on 
hand.  We  sent  to  Marietta  a  few  days  ago  and  received  a  good  sup- 
ply of  sanitary  stores;  without  them  our  wounded  would  have  suf- 
fered much  more  than  they  are  now  doing.  The  rebel  wounded  we 
have  are  much  more  difficult  to  treat  than  those  of  our  own.  They  do 
not  have  the  nerve  to  bear  up  under  their  suffering  and  consequently  die 
more  rapidly  from  the  same  character  of  wounds.  They  seem  very 
grateful  for  attentions  and  seem  glad  that  they  fell  into  our  hands. 
Since  the  battle  of  the  22nd  our  corps  with  the  rest  of  the  army  of 
the  Tenn.  have  moved  around  on  the  right  flank,  so  that  they  are 


185 

now  on  the  west  side  of  Atlanta.  Tonight  Burnside's  army,  the  army 
of  the  Ohio,  will  move  on  their  right,  which  will  extend  the  army  on 
the  south  side  of  the  city.  The  rebels  will  then  have  to  come  out  and 
fight  or  fall  back.  I  think  tonight's  movement  will  bring  on  a  fight 
tomorrow.  The  enemy  have  such  very  strong  fortifications  around 
the  city  that  it  would  be  imprudent  to  make  a  direct  attack  upon  them. 
We  have  skirmishing  and  cannonading  day  and  night  and  more  or  less 
wounded.  General  Howard  is  now  in  command  of  the  army  of  the 
Tenn.  in  place  of  General  McPherson. 

I  was  really  rejoiced  that  you  have  received  such  favorable  news 
about  Jonas.  He  is  such  a  worthy  man  that  it  gives  me  great  pleasure 
to  hear  that  there  is  a  possibility  that  he  is  yet  alive.  I  am  in  first  rate 
health  but  very  tired.  We  are  all  waiting  anxiously  to  get  into  Atlanta, 
as  we  expect  no  rest  until  we  get  there.  You  say  you  are  getting  short 
of  money.  I  hope  that  you  will  not  suffer.  It  is  uncertain  when  we 
will  get  paid,  so  you  will  have  to  engineer  yourself  through.  Kiss  all 
the  children  for  me.    I  hope  they  are  all  good  girls. 

Yours, 

J.  R.  Zearing. 

Near  Atlanta,  Ga.,  Aug.  7th,  1864. 
Dear  Wife: 

This  is  Sunday  evening  and  we  have  pretty  much  finished  hospital 
work  and  are  taking  a  quiet  sit-down  in  our  tent.  The  surgeons  are 
principally  engaged  in  writing  to  their  wives  or  sweethearts.  You 
may  suppose  that  after  a  hard  day's  work  we  would  be  getting  off  to 
bed  to  rest  our  weary  bodies.  This  we  would  do  but  it  is  the  only  time 
we  have  to  attend  to  our  correspondence,  write  our  reports  and  all 
business  that  requires  a  little  retirement.  And  then  going  to  bed  does 
not  always  secure  a  night's  rest.  There  is  so  many  changes  take  place 
through  the  night  in  the  symptoms  of  the  wounded,  that  we  are  fre- 
quently awakened  to  give  advice  or  visit  them  and  now  is  the  time 
for  secondary  hemorrhages.  For  the  last  four  nights  we  have  been 
called  up  every  night  to  attend  to  some  bleeding  vessels.  This  is  one 
of  the  most  serious  complications  that  arises  in  the  treatment  of 
wounds.  A  stump  or  wound  in  the  body  may  seem  to  be  doing  finely, 
and  suddenly  a  large  vessel  will  break  loose  and  endanger  a  man's 
life  in  a  very  short  time  by  bleeding.  Then  we  have  to  go  to  work, 
night  as  it  is,  and  ligature  the  vessel.  All  this  is  very  disagreeable,  but 
it  must  be  gone  through  with.  Sunday,  as  usual,  is  a  very  quiet  day 
along  the  lines.  There  seems  to  be  a  mutual  disposition  to  suspend 
firing  through  respect  for  the  Sabbath.  But  I  notice  they  make  the 
Sabbath  as  short  as  possible,  for  they  scarcely  wait  for  the  sun  to  set 
when  the  firing  commences  as  lively  as  usual.  They  are  at  it  now  and 
the  woods  resound  with  the  sharp  crack  of  the  rifle.  This  night  firing 
is  usually  quite  harmless  as  the  pickets  are  safely  stowed  away  behind 
trees  or  pits  dug  in  the  ground.  Sometimes,  however,  it  wounds  a  man 
and  he  comes  into  hospital.  The  object  of  this  continuous  night  firing 
is  to  prevent  a  night  surprise,  which  is  always  to  be  apprehended, 
when  the  lines  are  so  close  together,  as  it  would  be  but  a  short  run 


186 

from  one  line  of  breastworks  to  the  other.    It  requires  constant  watch- 
fulness to  prevent  disaster  and  it  cannot  for  a  moment  be  relaxed. 

We  are  very  much  in  the  same  position  as  when  I  last  wrote  you, 
except  that  our  army  has  swung  around  more  to  the  right.  This 
places  our  left  flank  in  a  position  on  the  north  of  Atlanta,  the  main 
body  encircling  it  on  the  west  side  and  our  right  flank  extending  to  a 
point  south  of  the  city  and  across  the  Macon  R.  R.  This  cuts  off  all 
communication  by  R.  R.  that  the  enemy  have  had  outside  their  lines. 
It  is  a  very  great  advantage,  as  it  will  compel  them  to  live  exclusively 
on  the  supplies  now  in  the  city.  I  presume  they  have  supplies  to  last 
them  a  month  or  six  weeks,  but  I  think  Sherman  will  not  give  them 
time  to  eat  them  all  up,  as  he  is  constantly  advancing  his  lines  and  will 
dig  into  them  before  very  long.  Our  lines  are  not  farther  than  three 
miles  from  the  city  at  the  most  distant  point,  and  some  places  do  not  ex- 
ceed two.  Several  of  our  batteries  can  easily  throw  shell  into  the  city, 
which  they  do  occasionally.  Every  inch  we  advance  now  occasions 
pretty  severe  fighting,  but  we  are  daily  gaining  ground  and  in  a  few 
days  will  reach  their  works.  While  the  infantry  are  thus  busy,  the 
cavalry  are  actively  engaged  in  inflicting  damage  upon  the 

(Unfinished.) 

J.  R.  Zearing. 

Near  Atlanta,  Ga.,  August  12th,  1864. 
Dear  Wife  : 

I  was  just  sitting  outside  my  tent  looking  at  the  brilliant  moon 
shining  through  the  tops  of  the  tall, 'straight  pine  trees,  and  fell  into  a 
reverie,  and  my  thoughts  all  centered  upon  the  loved  ones  at  home. 
I  fancy  I  saw  you  sitting  upon  the  front  door  step  or  over  on  Sarah's 
porch  gossiping  about  village  affairs  or  war  matters,  the  children 
playing  and  scampering  around  as  in  olden  times,  when  we  were  all 
at  home  together.  I  can  assure  you  that  it  reminded  me  of  many 
pleasant  days  gone  by.  I  would  like  very  much  to  be  with  you  this 
moonlight  evening  and  talk  over  the  events  of  the  last  three  years. 
It  would  be  real  happiness,  if  the  same  time  we  could  be  assured  that 
I  could  remain  with  you  at  home.  I  would  much  prefer  the  quiet  of 
our  home  to  this  noise,  confusion  and  suffering  of  war.  I  should  like 
to  go  out  in  the  morning  to  feed  the  horses  and  pigs  while  you  and 
Lottie  are  getting  breakfast.  Lula  would  assist  me  and  Lizzie  is  now 
large  enough  to  throw  an  ear  of  corn  to  the  pigs.  I  would  like  to 
visit  your  garden  and  hoe  out  some  of  the  weeds.  I  presume  there  are 
some  in  it,  and  then  walk  down  to  the  orchard  and  prune  off  some 
of  the  surplus  branches.  Are  you  going  to  have  any  fruit  this  year? 
I  presume,  as  usual,  you  will  have  a  good  supply  of  apples.  Reports 
all  seem  to  concur  that  you  have  had  a  summer  of  very  little  rain 
and  that  vegetation  of  all  kinds  has  suffered  to  a  disastrous  extent  by 
drought.  If  as  bad  as  reported,  I  fear  it  has  so  affected  the  crops  as 
to  make  rather  hard  times  in  Illinois  next  winter.  I  have  no  fears  that 
any  of  you  will  starve,  but  it  compels  poor  people  to  live  hard.  How 
does  Libbie  and  Rebecca  get  through  in  a  financial  way?  I  have 
most  apprehension  for  Rebecca  as  Libbie  has  more  property  and  is  a 


187 

better  manager.  I  am  afraid  Mary  will  find  it  hard  to  keep  house  with 
so  small  an  income.  The  Colonel  wrote  me  that  the  regiment  would 
be  paid  off  this  week.  If  I  was  there  I  could  find  out  by  inquiring  of 
the  paymaster  how  she  could  get  her  pay.  I  will  not  get  my  pay  until 
the  paymasters  come  down  here,  and  I  presume  they  will  not  be  here 
until  we  take  Atlanta.  I  have  not  had  a  dollar  in  my  pocket  for  two 
weeks,  which  is  just  as  well  as  I  have  no  expenses.  I  will  get  all  the 
information  for  Mary  as  soon  as  I  can  and  write  her.  Does  Isaac 
collect  any  money  on  the  old  debts?  If  he  does  he  can  pay  you  my 
share,  if  you  need  it  and  you  can  receipt  to  him  for  it. 

I  received  your  last  letter  of  July  31st  in  eight  days.  That  is 
very  quick  time.  And  Will  is  really  married?  Well,  that  is  a  sur- 
prise. I  really  have  a  curiosity  to  see  the  woman  that  would  have 
him.  I  decline  to  believe  that  he  has  caught  a  Tartar.  It  would  be 
almost  a  pity  that  a  clever  girl  should  be  tied  to  such  an  old  weed.  I 
hope  she  may  have  a  good  influence  over  him.  I  wrote  another  letter 
to  father  this  week.  I  wonder  if  he  gets  my  letters.  I  have  received 
but  one  reply  from  him  and  that  was  before  we  left  Athens. 

Army  matters  are  about  the  same  as  when  I  last  wrote  you.  We 
every  day  get  closer  to  the  city.  Sherman  is  getting  some  heavy  seige 
guns.  When  he  gets  them  in  position  we  will  probably  have  something 
exciting.  Stoneman's  raid  has  proved  a  failure.  He  has  been  taken 
prisoner  with  most  of  his  command.  So  we  need  not  look  for  John 
so  soon. 


Yours, 


J.  R.  Zearing. 


Hospital,  Second  Division,  16th  Army  Corps, 

Jonesboro,  Ga.,  September  4th,  1864. 
Dear  Wife  : 

The  last  time  I  wrote  you  was  about  the  25th  of  August.  Since 
that  time  we  have  been  entirely  cut  off  from  communications,  receiving 
or  sending  no  mail.  We  have  been  through  such  eventful  scenes  since 
that  time  that  have  much  diminished  our  anxiety  to  hear  from  home, 
though  I  have  no  doubt  the  same  circumstances  would  increase  your 
anxiety  to  hear  from  us.  At  the  time  I  last  wrote  you  we  were  about 
moving  to  the  right  of  Atlanta.  The  whole  army  moved  suddenly 
from  our  works  in  front  of  Atlanta  and  on  the  28th  we  were  on  the 
Montgomery  and  Alabama  Railroad.  We  here  stopped  one  day  and 
entirely  destroyed  fifteen  miles  of  the  road,  burning  the  ties  and  heat- 
ing and  bending  the  rails.  On  the  30th  the  army  moved  in  three  columns 
for  this  place,  one  column  marching  on  the  open  road,  the  other  two 
making  roads  parallel  with  it,  all  within  view  of  each  other.  We  marched 
by  extraordinary  labor,  thirteen  miles  on  this  day,  bringing  us  within 
two  miles  of  this  point  on  the  Macon  R.  R.  We  there  stopped  for  the 
night,  working  all  night  throwing  up  breastworks.  The  enemy  were 
busy  through  the  night  bringing  up  troops  from  Atlanta  to  our  front 
to  oppose  our  reaching  the  railroad.  They  were  permitted  to  go  on 
undisturbed  until  they  had  as  many  troops  as  we  thought  proper,  when 
in  the  middle  of  the  day  a  portion  of  the  army  swung  around  between 


188 

them  and  Atlanta,  thus  cutting  their  army  in  two.  The  rebels  finding 
this  to  be  the  case,  attempted  to  cut  their  way  back.  To  do  this  they 
were  compelled  to  attack  us  in  our  works.  Three  times  on  the  after- 
noon of  the  thirty-first  they  charged  our  lines,  each  time  being  re- 
pulsed with  heavy  loss.  The  next  day  they  repeated  the  attempt,  but 
with  worse  defeat  than  before.  On  the  afternoon  of  the  third  they 
commenced  retreating  in  confusion,  taking  a  course  south.  We  pur- 
sued them  to  a  point  seven  miles  south  of  this.  The  balance  of  their 
army  in  Atlanta  hearing  of  the  defeat  of  this  portion  of  it,  and  fearing 
to  be  attacked,  hastily  evacuated  the  place,  and  fled  to  the  southeast. 
They  destroyed  in  Atlanta  large  quantities  of  ammunition  and  other 
material  of  war  and  much  railroad  machinery.  This  is  a  glorious  result 
of  the  campaign  and  we  feel  as  if  we  had  got  through  and  would  find 
a  resting  place.  In  these  battles  we  have  captured  three  thousand 
prisoners,  killed  and  wounded  as  many  more  and  captured  ten  pieces 
of  artillery,  and  disorganized  their  army  generally.  Our  losses  have 
been  remarkably  small,  yet  we  have  had  plenty  to  do  in  our  line,  and  I 
begin  to  feel  worked  down.  My  position  as  Surgeon  in  Chief  of  the 
Division  imposes  a  great  deal  of  labor  during  and  subsequent  to  an 
engagement,  in  collecting  the  wounded  and  providing  for  their  treat- 
ment and  all  pertaining  to  their  welfare.  Tomorrow  we  fall  back 
toward  Atlanta.  The  army  will  encamp  in  and  around  Atlanta.  The 
army  of  the  Tennessee  will,  I  understand,  encamp  at  last  point  eight 
miles  south  of  the  city.  We  will  probably  have  our  hospitals  in  the 
city.  We  will  probably  have  a  short  rest  there,  not  very  long,  however, 
as  I  think  Sherman  will  soon  be  after  them  again.  The  army  will  be 
paid  off  and  be  reclothed  and  fed.  I  will  then  have  some  money  for 
you  which  I  presume  you  are  in  need  of.  I  presume  when  we  get 
to  Atlanta  I  shall  receive  some  letters  from  you  which  I  shall  be  very 
glad  to  receive. 

Headquarters,  Fourth  Division,  15th  Army  Corps, 

Rome,  Ga.,  Oct.  13,  1864. 
Dear  Wife: 

It  has  been  a  long  time  since  I  wrote  you  for  the  reason  that 
there  has  been  no  communication  by  mail,  the  rebels  having  destroyed 
the  road,  nor  have  I  received  any  letters  from  you  for  some  time  until 
yesterday  our  mail  came  through,  but  this  will  be  the  last  for  some 
time,  as  the  rebels  under  Beauregard,  with  all  their  forces  are  on  the 
railroad  above  and  are  destroying  extensively  at  Dalton.  Since  I 
last  wrote  you  we  have  been  just  as  busy  as  during  the  summer  cam- 
paign. The  design  of  the  rebel's  is  to  destroy  the  railroad,  and 
compel  Sherman  to  evacuate  Atlanta,  which  they  may  yet  succeed 
in  doing.  In  their  moving  around  Atlanta  they  first  struck  the  rail- 
road at  Big  Shanty,  the  first  station  above  Marrietta.  They  cap- 
tured the  small  garrison  there  and  at  Ackworth.  They  then  sent  a 
strong  force  against  Alatoona.  Our  division  was  ordered  down  to 
defend  the  place.  On  account  of  a  break  in  the  railroad,  only  one 
train  load  containing  the  seventh  Illinois,  the  thirty-ninth  Iowa  and 
the  twelfth  Illinois  and  two  companies  of  the  57th  reached  the  place 


189 

in  time  for  the  fight.  The  whole  force  of  the  garrison  numbered  about 
fifteen  hundred.  They  were  attacked  by  French's  division  of  Hardee's 
corps,  amounting  to  3,000  men,  on  the  morning  of  the  5th  of  October 
and  continued  fighting  for  six  hours  without  intermission.  It  was 
perhaps  the  severest  battle  of  the  war  for  the  number  of  men  engaged. 
The  depot  contained  a  million  rations  of  provisions  which  the  rebels 
needed  for  their  campaign  and  they  fought  desperately.  The  loss 
was  very  heavy  on  both  sides.  General  Corse  was  wounded  and  many 
other  officers  killed  and  wounded.  Major  Fisher  was  severely 
wounded.  He  is  here  with  me  and  is  doing  well.  Oscar  Webb,  I  am 
sorry  to  say,  was  killed.  He  died  instantly.  This  will  be  sad  news 
to  the  family.  Some  others  from  the  93rd  from  near  Dover  were 
killed.  I  brought  all  the  wounded  here  to  Rome.  Martin  Taylor  was 
wounded,  but  not  very  severe.  Abel  Hansel  is  very  severely  wounded. 
For  the  last  few  days  the  rebels  have  been  crossing  the  Coosa 
River,  ten  miles  from  here  going  north.  Yesterday  we  moved  out  from 
here  and  attacked  them,  capturing  two  cannon  and  a  number  of  pris- 
oners. Colonel  Sherman  has  started  his  whole  army  in  pursuit.  They 
will,  however,  do  great  damage  to  the  railroad  before  he  can  reach 
them,  so  you  need  not  worry  if  you  do  not  hear  from  me  for  some 
time.  I  send  this  by  Colonel  Cummings  who  is  going  through  by  some 
means  and  will  probably  be  not  long  delayed.  The  two  letters  I  re- 
ceived from  you  in  last  mail  were  dates — September  25th  and  October 
2nd.  I  was  very  glad  to  receive  them,  and  glad  to  know  that  you 
were  getting  along  so  well.  I  received  a  letter  from  Commissary  of 
Prisoners  at  Washington.  He  says  he  has  received  no  notice  yet  of 
the  death  of  John  Garvin.  I  would  write  you  more  but  the  Colonel 
is  waiting.     A  kiss  for  you. 

J.  R.  Zearing. 

My  health  is  pretty  good.  I  have  enjoyed  this  trip- very  much,  as 
it  has  been  one  of  continual  excitement.  The  weather  has  been  very 
pleasant,  comfortably  cool  all  the  time.  We  are  now  in  the  midst 
of  splendid  corn  fields  which  affords  plenty  of  food  for  our  stock  and 
the  men  enjoy  the  eating  of  it  by  roasting  it  on  the  coals.  It  has  im- 
proved their  health  very  much.  I  will  write  you  again  when  I  arrive 
in  the  city  of  Atlanta.  Till  then,  goodbye.  Take  good  care  of  your- 
self. 

Yours, 

J.  R.  Zearing. 

Headquarters  4th  Division,  15th  Army  Corps, 

Surgeon-in-Chief's  Office, 
Rome,  Ga.,  November  4th,  1864. 
Dear  Wife  : 

I  have  been  anxiously  waiting  a  letter  from  you  this  week,  but 
so  far  have  been  disappointed.  I  did  not  write  you  last  Sunday  as 
I  usually  do  when  Sunday  comes,  as  I  was  so  very  busy  with  a  variety 
of  duties  and  have  had  no  time  since  until  this  evening.  Tonight  I 
feel  a  good  deal  relieved  as  today  I  succeeded  in  clearing  out  the  hos- 
pitals and  sending  the  sick  and  wounded   north.     Now  I  will  have 


190 

nothing  to  do  but  get  everything  ready  for  our  Grand  March  and  yet 
this  is  no  small  work,  as  we  have  large  preparations  to  make.  Here- 
tofore on  our  campaigns  we  had  opportunities  of  replenishing  our 
supplies  by  having  communication  with  the  north,  but  on  this  we  will 
be  entirely  cut  loose  for  some  considerable  length  of  time.  How  long 
will  depend  a  good  deal  upon  the  weather  and  state  of  the  road.  Every- 
thing is  being  hurried  through  to  get  ready  to  leave  Rome.  We  are 
destroying  all  property  of  a  military  character  that  we  cannot  send 
to  the  rear  or  carry  with  us.  Today  we  burst  some  fine  cannon  that 
were  captured  here.  On  the  day  we  leave  we  will  burn  the  foundry 
in  which  they  were  cast,  also  machine  shops,  mills,  etc.  The  people 
are  much  alarmed,  as  they  have  an  impression  that  we  will  burn  the 
town,  but  no  private  property  will  be  destroyed.  They  will  be  miser- 
able enough  without  burning  their  house,  for  they  will  be  in  a  starv- 
ing condition.  I  sent  you  my  last  letter  by  Lieut.  Jackson,  who  re- 
turned home.  Major  Fisher  started  for  home  this  week.  He  was 
recovering  fast  from  his  wound.  He  will  probably  call  and  see  you. 
This  will  be  some  satisfaction,  perhaps,  to  you,  to  see  some  one  who 
has  seen  me  and  will  do  much  to  console  you  for  my  not  being  able 
to  be  at  home.  Puss,  the  chances  for  my  coming  home  the  last  of  this 
month  grow  less  every  day.  How  it  will  be  possible  for  me  to  be  at 
home  I  cannot  see.  It  is  hardly  probable  that  we  will  get  through  in 
time  for  me  to  get  home  and  after  we  start  there  will  be  no  chance  of 
getting  home  until  we  do  get  through.  I  want  you  to  write  regularly 
and  let  me  know  each  week  how  you  feel.  I  shall  get  the  letters  some 
time,  and  it  will  do  me  good  to  get  several  at  once.  I  do  not  know 
yet  the  day  we  will  start,  but  certainly  in  four  days.  If  I  have  a  chance 
I  will  write  you  again.     Goodbye. 

Yours, 

J.  R.  Zearing. 

Headquarters  Fourth  Division,  15th  Army  Corps, 

Surgeon-in-Chief's  Office, 
Little  Ogeechee  River,  Gav  Dec.  15,  1864. 
Dear  Wife  : 

We  have  at  last  arrived  at  a  point  from  which  I  am  addressing 
you  and  I  am  happy  to  inform  you  that  I  am  in  the  best  of  health  and 
have  been  all  through  the  expedition.  We  left  Rome  on  th  11th  of 
November,  at  which  time  I  wrote  you  informing  you  of  our  probable 
destination  and  that  I  would  not  be  able  to  get  home  to  see  you  as 
I  had  anticipated.  We  arrived  in  Atlanta  on  the  15th.  We  there 
remained  one  day  loading  with  supplies  and  destroying  the  city.  All 
public  buildings  and  many  of  the  best  private  houses  were  burned. 
As  we  left  it  its  appearance  was  a  melancholy  contrast  with  the  day 
we  first  entered  it,  but  such  is  war  and  such  is  the  destiny  of  the  whole 
south,  unless  they  rapidly  become  loyal.  Leaving  Atlanta  was  like 
the  jumping  off  place.  We  then  started  for  an  unknown  country  and 
an  unknown  destination,  with  apprehensions  of  having  to  meet  with 
many  difficulties.  We,  however,  started  off  with  a  good  deal  of 
hilarity,  excited  by  the  novelty  of  the  enterprise.    We  proceeded  south 


191 

from  Atlanta,  keeping  close  to  the  Atlanta  and  Macon  R.  R.  We  eat 
up  and  destroyed  everything  on  the  route  that  would  tend  to  keep  a 
man  or  beast  alive.  As  we  approached  Macon,  we  marched  slowly 
for  the  purpose  of  enducing  the  rebels  to  concentrate  their  forces  at 
that  point.  When  within  ten  miles  of  it  we  sent  a  large  cavalry  force 
towards  the  city,  threatening  an  attack  and  covering  our  movements. 
The  army  then  marched  east  along  the  Macon  and  Savannah  Railroad 
in  the  direction  of  Milan,  the  junction  of  this  road  with  the  road  to 
Augusta.  These  railroads  were  torn  up  and  burned  in  such  a  manner 
that  they  cannot  be  repaired  in  less  than  a  year,  thus  cutting  off  the 
main  transportation  for  supplies  to  their  army  at  Richmond.  As  our 
cavalry  withdrew  from  Macon  the  enemy  marched  out  and  gave  them 
battle  at  Griswold.  The  cavalry  defeated  them  with  heavy  loss.  We 
marched  on  eastward  without  any  resistance  until  we  reached  the 
Oconee  River.  The  rebels  had  collected  a  force  at  that  point  to  pre- 
vent our  crossing.  We  soon  dispersed  them  and  crossed  on  our  pon- 
toons without  much  difficulty.  Our  cavalry  in  the  meantime  was  sent 
around  to  Milledgeville,  the  capital  of  the  state,  capturing  it  and  de- 
stroying a  good  deal  of  munitions  of  war.  We  enjoyed  the  march 
through  the  country  well.  We  have  not  lived  so  well  before  while 
in  the  army.  Sweet  potatoes,  corn,  turnips,  etc.,  with  all  kinds  of  meat, 
more  than  the  army  could  use.  We  moved  on  leisurely  until  we 
reached  the  big  Ogeechee  River.  Here  the  enemy  again  had  a  force 
to  oppose  us.  We  skirmished  awhile  with  them  and  drove  them  away. 
By  this  time  the  enemy  had  collected  together  a  considerable  number 
of  militia  and  some  regular  troops  and  skirmishing  took  place  every 
day.  Consequently  we  had  some  wounded  to  take  care  of,  but  com- 
paratively few.  I  believe  the  whole  number  of  the  wounded  of  our 
division  does  not  exceed  twenty-five  and  four  killed.  We  arrived 
at  our  present  position  on  the  twelfth,  a  march  of  thirty-one  days. 
We  are  now  on  the  Little  Ogeechee,  which  runs  southeast  from  here 
and  empties  into  the  Big  Ogeechee  near  its  mouth.  Our  camp  is  nine 
miles  from  Savannah.  The  lines  of  our  army  extend  from  the  Sa- 
vannah River  to  the  Big  Ogeechee.  The  nearest  part  of  our  lines 
is  only  three  miles  from  the  city.  The  enemy  have  strong  works  along 
our  front,  which  would  be  difficult  to  take  on  account  of  swamps  and 
rivers  in  their  front.  Sherman  will  give  them  their  own  time.  He  has 
them  completely  surrounded  and  as  the  population  of  Savannah  has 
been  doubled  by  refugees  from  our  army,  they  will  be  ready  to  sur- 
render by  the  time  our  army  gets  its  supplies  from  the  fleet.  The 
capture  of  Fort  McAllister,  at  the  mouth  of  the  Ogeechee  gives  ships 
a  chance  to  come  up  to  our  army  at  high  tide.  The  fleet  will  be  up 
today,  when  I  expect  to  receive  some  letters  from  you  and  send  this 
out.  It  would  make  me  very  happy  to  know  that  you  were  well  today 
and  that  you  had  a  fine  boy  and  a  nice  recovery.  I  shall  try  and  be- 
lieve that  you  are  well.  As  to  the  boy,  it  may  be  doubtful.  I  have 
anxiously  thought  of  you  and  regretted  that  I  could  not  be  with  you, 
but  now  I  hope  it  is  all  over  and  you  are. well.  I  am  anticipating  the 
pleasure  of  seeing  you  soon.  I  expect  to  leave  for  home  the  last  of  the 
month  and  will  expect  to  see  you  in  a  few  days  thereafter,  and  will 
stay  with  you  a  whole  month.     It  is  possible  that  I  will  return  and 


192 

stay  until  spring.  I  shall  be  very  glad  to  see  the  girls.  Kiss  them  for 
me.  I  do  wish  I  had  this  moment  a  letter  from  you  to  know  that 
you  were  all  well.  Tomorrow  I  may  get  one.  You  have  certainly 
written.    Goodbye.. 

Yours, 

J.  R.  Zearing. 

Headquarters  Fourth  Division,  15th  Army  Corps, 

Surgeon-in-Chief's  Office, 
Savannah,  Ga.,  January  2nd,  1865. 
Dear  Puss: 

I  am  a  very  happy  man  today.  I  received  your  letter  yesterday 
with  Rebecca's  endorsement  on  the  back  of  it,  of  December  10th,  an- 
nouncing that  you  were  allright,  and  with  a  bouncing  boy  lying  by  your 
side.  Well  I  cannot  say  that  I  was  disappointed,  but  although  I  ex- 
pected it,  yet  I  can  assure  you  that  I  was  unusually  happy  to  know  that 
it  was  so.  I  would  like  enormously  well  to  see  you  and  the  boy.  How 
tickled  you  must  feel  over  the  event.  It  is  decidedly  a  new  thing  in  the 
house,  and  the  novelty  of  the  thing  will  be  interesting  if  the  boy  is  not 
so  smart.  I  regret  that  Rebecca  did  not  write  more  particulars  of  the 
occurence,  how  much  you  suffered,  what  the  boy  looks  like  how  much 
he  weighs,  etc.  etc.  Does  she  suppose  this  is  a  common  event?  I  shall 
be  very  anxious  until  I  hear  from  you  again  to  know  that  you  are  hav- 
ing a  good  recovery.  I  hope  the  girls  will  take  the  best  of  care  of  you 
and  be  sure  and  care  for  yourself.  See  that  your  rooms  are  well  aired 
and  your  bed  kept  dry.  You  must  remember  that  your  rooms  are  very 
small  and  therefore  you  are  more  liable  to  take  cold.  To  avoid  it  venti- 
late your  rooms  well ;  if  the  weather  is  not  excessively  cold,  keep  a  win- 
dow open  where  the  air  will  not  blow  directly  upon  you.  Do  not  get  up 
too  soon,  and  when  you  begin  to  sit  up,  keep  a  firm  bandage  around  you 
all  the  time.  I  hope  you  have  secured  plenty  of  good  fire  wood  so  that 
your  girl  will  not  get  cross  and  you  will  have  no  smoke  in  the  house. 

How  do  the  little  girls  like  to  have  a  boy  in  the  house  ?  I  suppose 
they  rather  enjoy  it.  As  to  a  name  for  the  boy,  that  will  be  a  matter 
for  profound  consideration,  and  will  take  some  time  to  determine  what 
it  shall  be.  Be  sure  and  write  me  often,  as  I  shall  be  concerned  about 
you  for  some  time.  I  should  be  very  glad  to  start  home  immediately  to 
see  you,  but  cannot  leave  at  present.  I  shall  settle  up  all  my  business  so 
as  to  have  everything  ready  to  leave  at  any  time.  I  could  come  home 
now,  but  the  medical  director  presses  me  to  stay  awhile  longer.  It  is 
expected  that  the  whole  army  will  soon  move  on  Charleston  and  they 
are  desirous  to  have  me  stay  until  it  is  taken.  Some  move  will  be  made 
as  soon  as  the  fleet  supplies  the  army  with  clothing  and  rations.  As  yet 
it  comes  very  slow.  We  have  just  finished  removing  all  the  obstruc- 
tions from  the  harbor  such  as  torpedoes  and  spiles  so  that  supplies  will 
probably  come  in  rapidly.  Since  we  arrived  here  we  have  been  com- 
pelled to  feed  our  horses  exclusively  on  rice  and  it  has  also  been  the 
principal  article  of  food  for  the  army.  The  soldiers  are,  however,  get- 
ting a  good  rest  and  enjoying  themselves  well.  The  people  of  Savan- 
nah are  exceedingly  kind  to  them  and  seem  well  pleased  with  their  pres- 
ence.   I  have  very  comfortable  rooms  in  a  private  house  and  can't  say 


193 

but  what  I  am  in  every  way  comfortable,  and  then  the  weather  is  so 
delicious.  It  is  really  a  luxury.  Bright  sunny  days  with  a  nice  frost  in 
the  morning,  just  enough  to  keep  up  an  appetite.  It  makes  me  shudder 
to  think  of  the  cold  winds  of  Illinois.  If  I  could  know  that  this  evening 
you  and  the  boy  are  feeling  well,  I  would  be  well  content.  I  wish  you 
you  a  happy  new  year  and  send  you  much  love. 

Yours, 

J.  R.  Zearing. 

Savannah,  Gav  Feb'y.  5th,  1865. 
Dear  Wife  : 

This  beautiful  Sunday  evening,  so  calm,  so  moonlight  and  pleas- 
ant, my  thoughts  instinctively  revert  to  home  and  you.  Today  I  had 
a  delightful  walk  in  the  park.  The  weather  was  so  bland,  so  perfectly 
agreeable,  it  was  difficult  to  imagine  that  I  was  not  enjoying  a  stroll  in 
June.  The  parks  are  the  prominent  beauties  of  this  city.  There  are 
numerous  small  parks  throughout  the  city  and  adjoining  my  hospitals 
is  the  principal  park  of  the  city.  It  is  a  magnificent  ground  well  laid 
out  and  beautifully  ornamented.  The  trees  are  the  natural  pine  forest 
trees  of  large  growth  and  always  of  a  rich  green  verdure.  Here  and 
there  stands  a  beautiful  live  oak,  the  most  magnificent  shade  tree  in  the 
world.  Scattered  among  the  forest  trees  are  the  magnolia  and  small 
shrubs.  Here  of  afternoons  the  band  disperses  sweet  music  and  the 
gay  promenaders  scattered  over  the  ground  make  a  scene  of  unusual 
splendor.  You  don't  fancy  that  you  see  your  humble  servant  walking 
with  one  of  the  fair  sex  amidst  this  pleasant  scene?  Oh !  no.  I  just  walk 
around  the  outside,  musing  to  myself  while  the  curling  smoke  of  my 
cigar  ascends  lazily  to  the  clouds.  How  nice  it  would  be  if  I  could 
have  you  by  my  side  to  talk  to  while  Lottie  would  draw  the  boy  in  his 
carriage  over  the  nicely  graveled  walks  and  Lula  and  Lizzie  would  be 
scampering  around  full  of  glee  and  merriment.    It  would  be  delightful. 

My  casual  observation  leads  to  me  to  conclude  that  there  are 
more  beautiful  women  and  children  in  this  city  than  any  city  I  was 
ever  in.  They  have  also,  a  large  degree  of  intelligence  and  refinement. 
Were  it  not  for  the  epidemics  of  yellow  fever,  which  so  frequently 
visit  this  place,  and  which  are  so  fatal  to  northern  natives,  I  should 
be  strongly  tempted  to  make  arrangements  for  a  permanent  settlement 
here.  But  as  the  chances  for  shaking  off  this  mortal  coil  are  sufficiently 
great  where  only  ordinary  diseases  prevail,  I  think  I  shall  not  increase 
them  by  migrating  to  these  unhealthy  climes.  The  people  here,  how- 
ever, contend  that  the  city  is  a  healthy  one  and  indeed  they  have  the 
appearance  of  living  in  a  healthy  climate,  but  the  extensive  rice  fields 
in  close  proximity  to  the  city  indicate  that  disease  in  the  summer  and 
fall  must  prevail  to  a  large  extent.  Last  week  I  had  my  first  sea  voy- 
age. I  took  a  trip  to  Port  Royal,  the  headquarters  of  the  department 
of  the  South  about  fifty  miles  up  the  coast.  It  was  a  very  interesting 
little  trip.  The  boat  surged  about  and  the  waves  rolled  very  much 
like  out  at  sea.  However,  it  was  a  short  voyage  and  I  had  not  the 
pleasure  of  being  sea-sick.  Port  Royal  is  a  beautiful  harbor.  It  is 
at  the  mouth  of  Broad  River  which  runs  up  to  Beaufort,  S.  C.     The 


194 

harbor  was  well  filled  with  ships  that  had  brought  supplies  to  the  army. 
Since  Sherman's  army  arrived  on  the  coast  this  harbor  has  become 
an  important  point,  as  all  the  vessels  stop  here.  Capt.  Page  went  up 
with  me  to  take  the  steamer  for  New  York.  He  left  in  the  Fulton  on 
Wednesday  last.  He  proposed  going  up  into  New  York  state  to  spend 
the  balance  of  the  winter  and  send  for  his  family.  Our  division  is  still 
laying  at  Sister's  Ferry,  up  the  Savannah  River,  though  I  learn  that 
it  will  move  forward  tomorrow.  It  has  been  occupied  in  building 
roads  and  bridges  in  its  front.  The  whole  army  moves  slowly  on  ac- 
count of  numerous  swamps  and  rivers  in  that  part  of  South  Carolina. 
They  will  soon,  however,  get  to  that  point  where  the  rebels  will  have 
to  fight  or  evacuate  Charleston  and  Wilmington.  I  think  you  can  look 
anxiously  for  news  from  them.  I  am  kept  pretty  busy  here;  to  run  a 
general  hospital  requires  a  good  deal  of  labor,  as  everything  must  be 
very  exact.  I  wrote  you  in  my  last  to  continue  to  address  your  letters  to 
the  division.  I  want  you  now  to  address  me  here,  as  I  will  get  them. 
Write  as  soon  as  you  get  this  so  that  I  may  get  one  as  soon  as  possible. 
Address  Surgeon  J.  R.  Zearing,  U.  S.  General  Hospital,  Savannah,  Ga. 

Hilton  Head,  South  Carolina,  March  29,  1865. 
Dear  Wife  : 

I  have  to  acknowledge  the  receipt  of  a  letter  from  you  of  date 
Feb'y  26th,  addressed  to  me  at  Savannah.  I  had  left  orders  to  have 
them  forwarded  to  me  at  Blair's  Landing  as  soon  as  I  had  determined 
to  go  to  that  place.  It  is  possible  that  I  may  yet  receive  another  of  the 
letters  you  sent  to  Savannah  before  I  leave  for  the  army.  You  con- 
jecture in  your  letter  that  I  might  be  growing  gray.  I  do  not  think 
that  I  have  any  more  gray  hairs  than  when  I  was  last  at  home,  and 
when,  as  you  say,  I  have  no  one  to  pick  them  out,  it  shows  that  they 
are  not  increasing.  Probably  this  is  owing  to  my  long  absence  from 
domestic,  but  of  course  I  would  not  attribute  it  to  this.  You  speak 
of  Lula  having  improved  from  sickness  as  if  you  had  mentioned  her 
sickness  in  a  former  letter.  If  so  I  have  not  received  the  letter.  I  hope 
she  really  has  improved  and  by  this  time  quite  well  again.  You  speak 
of  the  boy  having  a  cold.  This  is  quite  common  to  persons  of  his  sex. 
It  sometimes  makes  them  very  cross  and  troublesome.  He  will,  un- 
doubtedly, often  try  your  patience,  especially  if  you  try  to  do  your  own 
housework.  You  must  be  careful  and  not  let  him  worry  you  into  the 
blues  too  often,  as  I  expect  to  come  home  before  long  and  I  should 
like  to  find  you  in  one  of  your  most  amiable  moods.  Lottie  seems 
very  anxious  about  her  piano.  I  should  hardly  think  she  was  advanced 
enough  to  have  one.  Perhaps  she  has  not  given  sufficient  indication 
that  she  would  use  one  if  she  had  it,  unless  she  has  made  up  her  mind 
fully  to  persevere  in  her  studies  she  might  tire  of  it  as  of  a  toy.  How 
are  the  children  progressing  in  their  studies?  You  will  have  to  watch 
them  continually  and  encourage  them. 

Since  I  last  wrote  you  I  have  been  on  duty  with  troops  at  Blair's 
Landing,  S.  C,  an  encampment  formed  for  the  purpose  of  collecting 
scattering  men  and  detachments  from  Sherman's  army.  It  is  about 
thirty  miles  from  here  up  Broad  River.  We  have  now  about  eight 
thousand  troops  there  that  have  been  awaiting  an  opportunity  to  reach 


195 

the  army  in  the  field.  Communication  is  now  open  with  Sherman  up 
the  Neuse  River  and  as  fast  as  transportation  can  be  procured  these 
troops  will  be  sent  forward  and  the  camp  broken  up.  A  few  days 
ago  we  sent  forward  one  thousand.  In  four  or  five  days  more  they 
will  all  be  gone  and  me  with  them.  I  think  the  campaign  will  be  very 
fatiguing,  but  I  want  to  go  that  way  to  Richmond.  When  we  get 
there  I  promise  you  I  will  come  directly  home.  I  think  that  will  suit 
you  very  well,  as  it  will  be  just  in  time  to  help  you  make  garden,  and 
you  will  then  begin  to  have  some  tolerably  decent  weather.  I  should 
like  to  sit  out  on  the  porch  with  you  on  a  plenty  of  sunshine  days,  or 
walk  out  and  see  the  garden  towards  evening,  when  it  is  calm  and  delic- 
iously  soft  and  pleasant,  but  your  cold,  stormy  March  days  would  chill 
out  love  itself.  We  might  perhaps  keep  warm  by  the  fireside,  by  sitting 
close  together.  If  you  were  down  here  now,  you  would  be  enjoying 
the  brightest  quality  of  sunshine  and  the  most  gentle  breezes,  birds 
and  flowers  in  profusion.  But  they  will  come  bye  and  bye  with  you  up 
north.  Perhaps  you  will  enjoy  them  more  exquisitely  on  account  of 
the  long  dreary  winter.  The  last  letter  I  wrote  you  was  from  this 
place,  as  I  have  not  much  to  do  at  Blair's  Landing  and  we  have  a 
boat  making  daily  trips  between  there  and  this  point.  I  run  down 
frequently  just  for  the  ride.  In  my  last  letter  I  sent  you  a  check  for 
$200.00,  which  I  presume  you  will  receive  in  due  time.  Today  I  put 
a  box  in  the  express  office  which  I  directed  to  you  at  Maiden.  I  had 
spent  some  time  while  here  in  picking  up  some  shells  so  I  put  them 
in  a  box  for  you.  They  are  not  near  so  nice  as  I  would  like  to  have 
secured,  but  it  requires  considerable  effort  and  a  systematic  plan 
We  have  to  go  considerably  away  up  the  coast  from  here  where  the 
main  sea  beats  directly  on  the  beach  and  then  it  is  only  at  low  tide 
that  they  can  be  found,  nor  are  they  prepared  as  nice  as  they  should  be. 
Of  the  conch  shells  I  would  only  select  the  best  for  the  house.  The 
others  you  can  lay  on  the  border  of  the  walk  or  garden  bed.  Those 
that  you  wish  for  the  house  should  be  rubbed  with  sweet  oil  and  then 
polished.  It  adds  much  to  their  beauty.  They  may  perhaps  need 
washing  again  in  hot  water  to  remove  the  remaining  smell  of  the 
animal.  I  also  send  you  some  paintings  which  you  can  lay  away  until 
I  come  home,  and  I  will  help  you  put  them  up.  Also  some  cotton 
cloth  which  I  presume  you  can  find  use  for  in  the  house 

Yours  with  a  kiss, 

J.  R.  Zearing. 

Wilmington,  N.  C,  April  13,  1865. 
Dear  Wife  : 

I  have  to  announce  to  you  my  safe  arrival  at  this  place.  We  left 
Hilton  Head,  S.  C,  three  days  ago  and  I  arrived  at  this  point  last 
evening.  We  had  three  ships  loaded  with  troops  for  Sherman's  army. 
The  voyage  was  very  pleasant,  the  weather  was  unusually  calm,  con- 
sequently there  was  but  little  of  the  usual  misery  of  a  sea  voyage, 
sea  sickness.  For  myself  I  had  not  the  least  symptom  of  it.  I  was 
very  much  interested  in  the  trip  as  it  is  my  first  experience  to  any 
considerable  extent  at  sea.    I  fancied  if  you  had  been  along  providing 


196 

you  could  have  kept  your  stomach  down.  The  most  interesting  part 
of  the  trip  was  our  entrance  into  the  mouth  of  Fear  River,  where 
we  had  a  good  view  of  Ft.  Fisher  and  the  numerous  fortifications  that 
the  rebels  built  to  defend  the  entrance  into  Wilmington  harbor.  The 
attack  on  these  works  by  the  navy  must  have  been  terrific  judging 
from  the  effect  of  the  shot  upon  the  works.  This  you  know  was  the 
most  important  harbor  for  blockade  running.  The  coast  near  the 
entrance  is  strewn  with  wrecks  of  ships  destroyed  by  our  fleet  as 
they  tried  to  run  the  blockade.  Wilmington  is  up  the  river  about  30 
miles  from  the  mouth.  It  has  been  during  the  war  probably  the  most 
prosperous  city  in  the  south  as  its  trade  was  extensively  with  all  parts 
of  the  south  on  account  of  the  facility  of  the  entrance  of  foreign  goods 
by  blockade  running.  It  is  a  city  of  about  6,000  population  and  very 
well  situated,  tolerably  well  built  and  the  streets  beautifully  adorned 
with  shade  trees.  The  splendid  flower  gardens  and  shrubbery  prevail 
here  as  in  other  southern  cities.  The  inhabitants  have  generaly  re- 
mained at  home  and  seem  pretty  well  pleased  with  the  new  order  of 
rule.  It  is  said  that  there  existed  a  powerful  Union  sentiment  in  the 
city  during  the  war.  I  judge  from  the  appearance  and  action  of  the 
people  that  it  was  correct.  It  was  our  expectation  upon  arrival  here 
to  proceed  immediately  to  Sherman's  army  at  Goldsborough.  In  this 
we  are  sadly  disappointed.  The  day  before  we  arrived  was  the  last 
of  communication  with  the  army.  It  is  not  definitely  known  here  what 
is  the  condition  of  affairs  at  the  front.  Yesterday  the  R.  R.  and  tele- 
graph wires  were  cut  between  here  and  Goldsborough.  It  is  supposed 
that  Sherman  has  withdrawn  his  forces  from  the  protection  of  the 
road,  abandoned  it  and  moved  on.  If  this  is  the  case  there  is  no 
certainty  of  our  reaching  the  army  for  a  long  time.  If  it  is  only  a 
temporary  interruption  of  communication  by  the  enemy  it  will  be  re- 
paired in  a  few  days  and  we  will  move  forward.  I  hope  we  will  suc- 
ceed in  getting  there.  But  I  am  afraid  it  will  be  a  failure.  I  think 
Sherman  has  moved  forward  in  a  hurry  to  act  in  combination  with 
Grant's  army  in  the  pursuit  of  Lee.  I  regret  very  much  that  I  am  not 
with  them,  for  I  am  certain  that  the  present  movements  of  our  armies 
will  close  out  the  rebellion.  We  received  the  news  of  the  fall  of  Rich- 
mond while  at  Hilton  Head  on  the  seventh  through  rebel  papers,  They 
called  it  an  evacuation.  On  the  eighth  we  received  news  from  the 
north  that  the  place  was  captured  by  fighting  with  considerable  loss. 
Salutes  were  fired  by  the  forts  and  navy  at  Port  Royal  and  a  jubilant 
time  prevailed  generally.  We  have  received  later  news  that  Grant's 
troops  are  pursuing  Lee  and  inflicting  heavy  losses  on  his  army.  Be- 
sides losses  by  capture  Lee's  army  will  undoubtedly  desert  rapidly  so 
we  reasonably  expect  that  his  army  cannot  again  make  an  effective 
stand.  I  am  still  receiving  no  letters  from  you  nor  do  I  expect  any 
until  I  rejoin  the  division.  So  you  may  well  suppose  that  I  am  in  no 
very  contented  mood.  I  saw  Martin  Taylor.  He  is  with  these  troops. 
He  informs  me  that  he  left  home  in  Feb.  and  that  everything  was 
going  on  well  as  far  as  he  knew.  He  has  been  sick  in  hospital  here  at 
Hilton  Head.  Seems  very  well  now  and  is  anxious  to  get  to  his  regi- 
ment.    I  presume  you  are  still  expecting  me  home.     I  think  I  wrote 


197 

you  in  a  letter  from  Hilton  Head  that  I  would  come  home  as  soon 
as  Richmond  was  taken.  I  presume  you  will  be  inclined  to  hold  me  to 
the  bargain.  Well,  as  soon  as  I  can  get  to  the  division  I  will  settle 
up  affairs  and  perhaps  come  home  immediately.  I  will  be  home  in 
time  to  help  you  make  garden.  I  can  determine  better  when  I  get  your 
letters.  Perhaps  you  are  getting  so  exquisitely  fine  that  you  can  do 
just  as  well  without  me.  Kiss  all  the  babies  for  me  and  take  one  for 
yourself. 

Yours, 

J.  R.  Zearing. 

Goldsborough,  N.  C,  April  22nd,  1865. 
Dear  Wife  : 

I  have  the  pleasure  of  addressing  you  from  another  strange  place. 
I  wrote  you  last  from  Wilmington.  We  left  that  place  on  the  17th 
and  arrived  here  last  evening,  a  march  of  five  days.  I  enjoyed  the 
march  very  well.  Good  weather  and  good  roads,  all  of  which  go 
very  far  toward  making  the  trip  pleasant.  The  country  between  this 
and  the  sea  over  which  we  passed  is  flat  and  sandy,  covered  with 
dense  pine  forest  and  but  thinly  inhabited,  a  very  poor  country  to 
forage  in.  We  consequently  could  get  no  milk  nor  chickens  so  for  our 
table  we  had  to  go  back  to  first  principles,  hard  tack  and  bacon.  1 
think  I  fell  away  on  the  diet  some  as  I  find  by  weighing  today  that  I 
only  weigh  132  pounds.  I  weighed  in  Savannah  140  pounds,  the 
highest  that  I  ever  attained  to.  I  was  compensated,  however,  by  seeing 
the  great  turpentine  regions  of  the  south.  The  immense  forests  of 
the  pitch  pine  through  which  we  passed  are  all  scarred  with  the  tap- 
pings of  former  years  for  the  purpose  of  procuring  the  gum  from  the 
trees  out  of  which  the  turpentine  and  resin  is  made.  Goldsboro  is  a 
very  pretty  railroad  town  of  about  fifteen  hundred  inhabitants.  It  is 
the  crossing  of  two  important  railroads  connecting  with  all  the  roads 
in  the  south  and  was  a  great  thoroughfare  for  supplies  for  the  Rich- 
mond army.  Its  capture  by  Sherman  was  a  cause  for  the  evacuation 
of  Richmond.  On  our  march  we  received  the  glorious  news  of  the 
capture  of  Lee's  army.  It  was  received  with  great  cheers  by  our  troops. 
We  saw  at  once  that  it  was  the  prelude  to  the  capture  of  all  the  armies 
in  the  south.  On  arriving  we  received  Sherman's  order  for  the  suspen- 
sion of  hostilities,  as  he  was  negotiating  with  Johnson  for  the  sur- 
render of  his  forces,  which  would  lead  to  peace  in  a  few  days,  and  now 
we  hear  of  the  capture  of  Roddy's  forces  in  Alabama  and  the  capture 
of  Mobile  with  its  garrison,  so  that  it  does  not  leave  a  doubt  but  that 
peace  must  follow.  Well,  we  are  all  glad  of  it.  We  feel  now  as  if  we 
were  all  marching  home.  We  find  by  conversing  with  the  people  that 
they  are  all  glad  of  the  prospect  of  peace.  So  pleasant  is  it  to  them 
that  they  almost  seem  to  enjoy  the  capture  of  the  whole  army.  We 
met  on  the  road  a  great  many  of  Lee's  soldiers  returning  home  on  their 
pay  rolls.  They  were  glad  to  get  home.  I  presume  our  soldiers  will 
be  equally  glad,  but  they  will  go  home  with  lighter  hearts,  feeling  the 
gratification  of  having  succeeded  in  a  good  cause.  I  fancied  upon 
looking  at  the  returning  soldiers  army  worn  and  tired  of  Lee's  army, 
with  the  depressing  feeling  of  defeat,  that  their  hearts  must  be  dreary 


198 

beyond  conception,  realizing  that  many  of  their  homes  are  in  ashes, 
their  property  all  destroyed  and  nothing  but  hard  labor  and  a  toilsome 
life  for  the  future.  Puss,  tomorrow  we  march  for  Raleigh,  where 
we  will  join  our  division.  It  will  feel  almost  like  getting  home.  They 
are  in  camp  near  Raleigh.  The  rumor  here  is  that  the  army  is  to  move 
immediately  through  Virginia  to  Fredericksburg  and  from  there  to 
their  respective  states  to  be  disbanded.  This  will  be  a  joyful  time.  The 
assassination  of  the  President  was  a  shocking  affair.  The  army  feels 
much  enraged  and  it  required  some  restraint  to  keep  them  from  im- 
mediate retaliation  on  the  people.  It  is  a  great  loss  to  the  country. 
No  man  was  better  qualified  to  bring  the  country  to  a  settled  condition. 
I  will  write  you  from  Raleigh.    I  hope  to  get  home  letters  here. 

Yours, 

J.  R.  Zearing. 

Raleigh,  N.  C,  April  28,  1865. 
Dear  Wife  : 

I  have  at  last  reached  the  Grand  Army  after  an  absence  from 
it  of  about  three  months.  I  can  assure  you  that  it  afforded  me  much 
pleasure  to  see  my  old  army  acquaintances.  Some  of  the  officers  of 
the  regiment  have  been  mustered  out  and  gone  home.  Colonel  Hul- 
burt  is  home  on  leave  of  absence.  I  have  met  some  of  the  soldiers 
from  Dover,  Taylor,  Stoner,  Streator,  Charles  Pool  and  others  who 
are  all  in  good  health.  I  arrived  here  on  the  26th  after  a  three  days 
march  from  Goldsboro,  from  which  place  I  last  wrote  you.  I  was 
severely  disappointed  on  my  arrival  here.  I  had  expected,  of  course, 
to  find  a  number  of  letters  from  you  awaiting  my  arrival.  You  can 
conceive  my  regret  when  I  was  informed  that  two  days  before  my 
arrival  my  letters  were  remailed  to  me  at  Savannah.  I  then  at  once 
concluded  that  I  would  have  to  trust  to  fancy  and  flatter  myself  that 
I  could  see  you  at  home,  enjoying  yourself  and  contented  and  the  little 
ones  around  you  all  lively  and  happy.  But-  yesterday  I  was  rejoiced 
to  find  that  the  mail  brought  me  two  letters  from  you  of  dates  March 
29th  and  April  6th,  so  I  am  at  once  relieved  of  my  despondency.  I 
was  glad  to  hear  that  matters  are  prospering  so  well.  I  will  be  glad 
to  be  at  home  this  month  to  make  arrangements  with  you  for  the 
summer.  I  think  if  I  were  there  I  would  sell  out  to  the  new  doctor, 
but  of  this  I  am  not  certain  that  I  would  desire  to  do  so,  as  circum- 
stances for  remaining  there  may  appear  more  attractive  when  I  re- 
turn. I  wiill  be  home  so  soon  that  we  had  better  leave  such  mat- 
ters in  abeyance  until  I  arrive.  I  perceive  by  your  letters  that  you 
have  not  named  the  boy  yet.  I  presume  you  have  your  head  full  of 
names,  but  puzzled  to  select  from  among  the  number.  I  think  you 
had  better  decide  before  you  have  another  one  or  you  will  be  more 
puzzled  still.  I  will  try  and  help  you  out  of  the  difficulty  when  I  come 
home.  The  first  day  we  arrived  here  we  expected  to  have  received 
orders  to  march  home  immediately.  As  Sherman  and  Johnson  were  then 
negotiating  for  terms  of  surrender  of  the  whole  of  Johnson's  army. 
The  terms  had  already  been  agreed  upon  between  the  military  com- 
manders and  had  been  sent  to  Washington  for  approval.  On  the  26th 
they  were  returned  from  Washington  disapproved.    The  terms  agreed 


199 

upon  were  the  pay  roll  of  all  the  army  with  the  privilege  of  marching 
to  the  capital  of  the  several  states  to  which  the  troops  belonged  and 
turning  over  the  arms  and  military  property  to  the  state  governments, 
and  further  that  Jeff  Davis  and  his  cabinet  should  be  permitted  to 
leave  the  country.  It  is  well  that  civil  authorities  at  Washington  would 
not  consent  to  these  terms,  as  Johnson's  army  could  be  captured  with 
but  little  loss  to  us  and  then  we  could  make  our  own  terms. 

On  the  afternoon  of  the  26th  it  was  announced  that  the  armistice 
was  suspended  and  the  whole  army  was  immediately  ordered  to  pre- 
pare to  march.  Johnson's  army  lay  thirty  miles  from  here  and  we 
commenced  moving  in  that  direction.  On  the  morning  of  the  27th 
Johnson  sent  in  for  another  suspension  of  hostilities,  which  was 
granted  and  negotiations  commenced  immediately  which  resulted  in 
the  surrender  of  Johnson's  army  on  the  same  condition  as  that  of 
Lee's.  This  completes  the  downfall  of  the  rebellion  and  we  have 
reason  to  rejoice  that  it  is  ended  so  favorably.  The  only  rebel  force 
now  existing  is  that  of  Kirby  Smith's  on  the  other  side  of  the  Miss- 
issippi. That  will  soon  be  disposed  of.  Today  we  are  all  getting 
ready  to  march  to  Richmond.  We  move  tomorrow  morning  and  then 
I  expect  soon  to  be  at  home.    Good  bye. 

Yours, 

J.  R.  Zearing. 

Richmond,  Va.,  May  12th,  1865. 
Dear  Wife  : 

I  am  happy  to  announce  to  you  that  I  have  at  last  arrived  in  this 
memorable  city  for  which  large  armies  have  been  contending  for  the 
the  last  three  years.  I  last  wrote  you  from  Raleigh,  N.  C.  We 
marched  from  that  place  to  Petersburgh,  arriving  there  in  eight  days. 
We  lay  at  Petersburgh  two  days  and  then  started  for  this  city,  dis- 
tant twenty-two  miles,  arriving  here  yesterday.  I  was  much  interested 
in  the  march  from  Raleigh  to  Petersburgh.  It  lay  in  a  country  that 
had  escaped  the  ravages  of  war  so  that  we  had  an  opportunity  of 
seeing  it  in  its  natural  condition,  both  in  respect  to  its  people  and  its 
improvements.  Everything  considered,  that  portion  of  North  Caro- 
lina between  Raleigh  and  the  Virginia  line  is  unsurpassed  by  any  part 
of  the  south  in  which  we  have  been.  The  soil  is  fertile  and  well  culti- 
vated. The  people  are  intelligent  and  enterprising.  I  was  especially 
delighted  with  the  great  fruit  crops  that  were  maturing  on  the  trees- 
fruit  of  every  variety  in  profusion.  This  is  said  to  be  the  best  locality 
for  the  raising  of  fruit  in  the  United  States.  The  same  is  true  of  that 
portion  of  Virginia  between  North  Carolina  and  Petersburgh  until 
we  arrive  within  ten  miles  of  the  city;  for  that  distance  out  from  the 
city  the  country  is  utterly  desolated  by  the  operations  of  Grant's  army 
during  the  last  year.  Petersburgh  was  a  quaint  old  city.  Some  por- 
tion of  it  is  in  the  old  European  style.  Houses  built  with  the  eaves 
toward  the  street.  The  old  houses  are  built  of  brick  imported  from 
Europe  before  the  Revolution.  The  inhabitants  seem  to  be  as  ancient 
and  unprogressive  as  the  houses.  They  of  the  F.  F.  V.'s  are  generally 
wealthy  and  well  educated.  In  all  it  is  a  city  well  worth  a  visit. 
Our  stopping  here  two  days  gave  me  a  fine  opportunity  of  visiting 


200 

the  various  localities  in  which  battles  have  been  fought  and  you  remem- 
ber that  during  the  last  year  the  principal  operations  of  the  Potomac 
army  have  been  against  the  rebel  lines  around  Petersburgh  and  some 
heavy  battles  took  place.  The  whole  country  for  miles  around  is  com- 
pletely dug  up  and  formed  into  mines,  rifle  pits,  forts,  etc.  I  never 
before  saw  as  extensive  digging  operations.  The  armies  lay  at  some 
points  within  a  hundred  yards  of  each  other,  and  every  device  of  mili- 
tary engineering  was  used  to  so  form  their  works  as  to  protect  them- 
selves and  destroy  the  other.  I  visited  the  notable  point  of  the  Peters- 
burgh mine  explosion  in  which  one  of  the  rebel  forts  was  blown  up 
and  our  forces  made  a  charge  and  were  repulsed.  The  ground  is  yet 
strewn  with  the  debris  of  the  battle.  These  lines  of  works  extend 
from  Petersburgh  in  a  continuous  line  to  Richmond,  extending  across 
the  Appomatox  and  James  Rivers,  a  distance  of  not  less  than  thirty 
miles.  We  are  now  in  Richmond  and  I  have  been  busy  visiting  the 
various  points  in  and  around  it.  It  is  in  a  bad  condition  for  showing 
well  as  a*  city.  Before  the  rebels  evacuated  it  they  burned  nearly  all 
the  best  business  portions.  I  have  never  seen  so  extensive  result  of 
fire.  Dozens  of  blocks  in  succession  of  large  structures  were  burned. 
Nothing  left  but  partially  broken  down  walls  and  chimney  stacks. 
These  buildings  contained  an  immense  amount  of  property,  principally 
cotton  and  tobacco.  The  remaining  portion  of  the  city  is  very  beauti- 
ful. The  houses  are  uniformly  well  built  and  many  of  them  very 
handsome.  The  city  is  delightfully  situated  on  the  north  bank  of  the 
James.  The  river  is  navigable  by  ships  of  considerable  size  to  this 
point.  Here  the  river  is  dammed  and  furnishes  as  good  water  power 
as  can  be  found  anywhere.  Richmond  had  already  become  an  im- 
portant manufacturing  place.  There  are  extensive  mills  of  flour, 
woolen  and  cotton.  Now  that  slavery  is  abolished,  new  capital  and 
new  labor  will  so  develop  the  resources  of  the  state  as  will  make  a 
great  city  of  Richmond.  The  people  are  taking  the  capture  of  their 
city  with  a  good  deal  of  composure,  the  only  sign  of  disaffection  is 
the  scornful  expression  on  the  face  of  the  ladies.  They,  however, 
will  soon  get  over  it.  The  most  interesting  object  of  curiosity  in  the 
city  is  an  equestrian  statue  of  Washington.  It  is  a  wonderful  work  of 
art.  On  pedestals  surrounding  the  statue  are  other  statues  of  Patrick 
Henry,  Mason  and  Jefferson,  all  of  life  size  in  bronze.  Puss,  tomor- 
row we  start  for  Washington.  We  will  arrive  there  on  Friday  or 
Saturday.  We  cannot  determine  how  soon  we  will  be  mustered  out 
after  arriving  there,  or  if  at  all.  It  is  presumed  by  some  that  the 
veteran  regiments  will  be  retained  in  service.  We  are  to  have  a  grand 
review  at  Washington  of  the  whole  army.  I  presume  there  will  be 
a  great  many  persons  to  witness  it.  I  think  you  had  better  come  down 
and  see  it,  and  if  you  desire,  you  can  see  me  at  the  same  time.  Shall 
I  look  for  you?    You  can  expect  to  see  me  in  a  short  time  anyhow. 

Yours, 

J.  R.  Zearing. 


201 

Washington,  D.  C,  May  26,  1865. 
Dear  Wife  : 

I  last  wrote  you  from  Alexandria  promising  then  to  write  yMi 
again  immediately  after  the  review.  Well,  the  grand  review  is  past 
and  it  will  be  impossible  for  me  to  describe  fully  the  brilliancy  and 
success  of  the  affair.  As  a  military  display  I  presume  it  has  never 
been  excelled  in  ancient  or  modern  times.  The  two  days  of  the  review 
in  point  of  weather  was  all  that  could  be  desired.  The  rain  of  the 
day  previous  had  laid  the  dust  and  the  days,  though  of  brilliant  sun- 
shine, were  cool  and  pleasant.  The  street  on  which  the  review  took 
place  was  Pennsylvania  Avenue,  a  broad  well  paved  street.  We 
marched  on  this  street  for  about  three  fourths  of  a  mile,  half  way 
was  situated  the  principal  stand,  on  which  were  Generals  Grant,  Sher- 
man, Mead,  Hancock,  the  President,  members  of  the  cabinet  and  for- 
eign ministers.  On  other  stands  were  the  governors  of  states  and 
other  prominent  dignitaries.  These  stands  were  festooned  with  flowers, 
flags  and  mottoes  of  the  most  brilliant  description.  Across  the  street 
throughout  the  whole  distance  were  flags  of  every  variety  of  beautiful 
erriblems.  While  on  either  side  was  a  dense  mass  of  anxious  spec- 
tators, and  from  every  window  and  housetop  waved  the  little  flags 
and  white  handkerchiefs  of  the  ladies.  I  never  before  saw  such  en- 
thusiasm manifested.  The  color  bearers  of  the  regiments  and  the 
mounted  officers  were  presented  with  numerous  bouquets  by  the  ladies 
as  they  marched  along.  The  whole  procession,  indeed,  seemed  to  be 
covered  with  roses.  As  we  rode  along  slowly  there  was  so  much  to 
be  seen  that  it  was  vexatious  that  we  could  see  so  little.  So  many 
beautiful  ladies  to  admire.  We  should  have  had  eyes  on  both  sides 
of  our  heads,  so  that  we  could  see  without  turning  our  heads.  Perhaps 
you  will  think  that  we  saw  enough  of  the  ladies  with  the  eyes  we  had. 
We  can't  help  seeing  all  we  can  of  the  dear  creatures.  The  army  of 
the  Potomac  was  reviewed  the  first  day,  the  23rd,  Sherman's  army  on 
the  24th.  The  comparison  between  the  two  armies  in  point  of  march- 
ing is  said  to  be  much  in  our  favor.  However,  all  did  well  and  every- 
thing passed  off  in  perfect  order.  I  only  regret  that  you  were  not 
here  to  see  it.  I  have  always  desired  to  visit  Washington  and  now 
that  I  am  here,  I  should  be  glad  to  have  you  see  the  curiosities  of  the 
capital,  too.  If  I  am  compelled  to  stay  here  some  time,  I  shall  expect 
you  to  come  down.  Up  to  the  present  time  I  have  not  visited  any  of 
the  public  buildings  for  the  want  of  time.  Washington  is  a  beautiful 
city  and  has  a  very  fine  class  of  inhabitants.  We  can  here  get  vege- 
tables and  other  articles  of  diet  in  abundance  and  at  remarkable  prices, 
and  as  we  have  been  so  long  without  such  luxuries  I  am  indulging 
pretty  freely.  I  have  ventured  on  some  strawberries  and  cream.  Puss, 
I  had  hoped  to  be  able  by  this  time  to  inform  you  positively  when  I 
should  be  at  home,  but  nothing  can  yet  be  ascertained.  All  we  know 
is  that  all  troops  whose  term  of  service  expires  before  the  first  of 
October  next  are  to  be  mustered  out  immediately.  This,  of  course, 
does  not  include  the  veterans.  It  is  rumored  that  the  veterans  will 
receive  a  furlough  and  be  held  in  service  for  some  time  yet. 


202 

Washington,  D.  C,  June  2nd,  1865. 
Dear  Wife  : 

I  wrote  you  day  before  yesterday  and  as  we  have  received  orders 
late  this  evening  to  move  at  five  o'clock  in  the  morning  I  thought  best 
to  write  you  a  line  to  inform  you  that  we  should  be  soon  on  our  way 
to-  Louisville.  In  my  last  letter  I  requested  you  if  it  would  conform 
to  your  convenience,  to  proceed  immediately  to  father's  and  I  would 
meet  you  there.  I  presume  that  you  would  like  to  visit  home  at  this 
time  and  I  presume  that  Mary,  Libby  or  Rebecca  would  keep  house 
for  you  during  your  absence.  We  will  probably  arrive  in  Louisville 
next  Wednesday  and  go  into  camp  somewhere  in  that  vicinity.  How 
long  we  will  remain  there  we  cannot  yet  determine,  probably  three 
weeks.  Write  me  as  soon  as  you  determine  to  start  and  the  time  you 
will  probably  reach  father's.  We  expect  to  go  by  rail  from  here  to 
Parkersburgh  on  the  Ohio  River  and  from  thence  by  boat  to  Louis- 
ville. Today  I  visited  Mt.  Vernon.  'Twas  an  interesting  visit.  To 
walk  over  the  same  walks  that  Washington  walked  over,  and  sit  in 
the  same  chair,  etc.,  was  indeed  of  interest.  The  old  house  is  yet  in 
pretty  good  repair.  It  is  romantically  situated  on  the  banks  of  the 
Potomac,  surrounded  by  beautiful  forest.  I  could  spend  a  week  yet 
with  much  enjoyment  in  examining  the  places  and  objects  of  interest 
in  this  vicinity.  Capt.  Page  is  still  here,  settling  Col.  Hurlbut's  affairs. 
He  expects  to  leave  in  four  days.    Good  bye. 

Yours, 

J.  R.  Zearing. 

Note — Mrs.  Luelja  Zearing  Gross  has  deposited  in  the  Illinois 
State  Historical  Library  a  large  collection  of  material  relating  to  the 
Zearing  and  allied  families.  The  collection  consists  of  land  warrants, 
and  patents,  deeds,  appointments,  commissions,  letters,  newspaper  clip- 
pings, pictures  and  other  interesting  material.  It  has  been  filed  and  will 
be  carefully  preserved. 


203 


INDEX. 


Ackworth,    George    188 

Adams  &  Westlake   Co 68 

Adams,  Gulliver   108 

Adams,    J.    McGregor.     Member   of   firm    of 

Grerar,  Adams  &  Go 68 

Adamsville,  Term 152,  155 

Akron,    Mass 63 

Alatoona,  Ga   188 

Albany,   N,   Y.      Foot-note 52 

Albany,  N.  Y.,  Journal  (Newspaper) 45 

Albion,     111 23 

Aledo,    (Mercer  Co.,)   Ill 100,  101 

Aledo,  111.     County  seat  of  Mercer  Co....  101 

Alexandria,    Tenn 201 

Alleghany   Mts 19,    69,    130,  134 

Alleghany    Mts. — Crossing    the    Alleghanies 

Zearing     Family 130,  134 

Allen,    Archibald,    Indian    trader 91 

Allen,    (Rev.)    Ira    M 18,    21,  23 

Allen,  William.     Quoted  on  Indian  Trail..  107 
Alton,     111.       Archaeological    finds    in     the 

American   bottom  near  Alton 21 

Alton,    111.      Census    figures    on    population 

and   manufacturing   interests 73 

Alton,   111.     Manufacturies 61 

Altona    Mountains 177 

Alvord,    (Prof.)    Clarence  Walworth 16,  30 

Alvord,  (Prof.)  Clarence  Walworth.  Mem- 
ber of  Committee  Illinois  State  Histori- 
cal  Society  to  mark  site  of   Fort   Creve 

Coeur     16,  30 

Ament,     John 132 

America     112,  122 

American  Bottoms.     Archaeological  finds  in  21 
American    Meat    Packers.      T.    E.    Wilson, 

President    71 

American    State    Papers.       Indian    Affairs. 

Foot-note    <73 

American     State     Papers.       Miscellaneous. 

Quoted.       Foot-note 79 

American     State     Papers.      Public     Lands. 

Foot-note    77 

American    Steel   and   Wire   Company 59 

Amherst   College,   Amherst,   Mass 33 

Amherstburg,    Ontario    88,  94 

Andersonville  Prison    64 

Andover  Colony    95 

Andover,    (Henry    Co.)    Ill 98,  99 

Andover  Township,  Henry  Co.,  Ill 99 

Angell's   Ferry    108 

Annawan,    (Henry  Co.,)   Ill 97 

Appeal  for  historical  material  for  the  Illi- 
nois State  Historical  Library  and  So- 
ciety     11,  12 

Appomattox  River    200 

Appomattox,     Va 115 

Archaeology.      Cahokia    Mound,    efforts    to 

preserve     29 

Archives — Bureau  of  Indexes  and  Archives. 

Domestic    Letters.      Foot-note 77 

Archives.        Bureau      of      Indian      Affairs. 

Ricker   Files.      Foot-note 86 

Archives.      Bureau    of    Rolls    and    Library 
Papers    and    Records    of    the    Territories. 
L.  C.  Quoted.  Foot-notes ..  76,  78,  79,  82,  86 
Argo,    111.      Listed   among  the   manufactur- 
ing towns  in  Illinois 62 


"Argyle"     (Steamer) 151 

Arlington  Heights.     Listed  among  the  man- 
ufacturing towns   in   Illinois 62 

Arlington,    111.    (Bureau    Co.) 97 

Armour     &     Company.       Packers,     Chicago 

58,     65,      66 

Armour   Philip   Danforth.      Founder   of  the 

Armour  Packing  Industry  in  Chicago. 65,     66 
Armstrong,   Perry  A.      The   Sauks  and  the 

Black   Hawk   War.' 90,    91,  107 

Army     Ford     on     Edwards     River.       Black 

Hawk    War     101,  106 

Army  of  the  Ohio  War  of  the  Rebellion.  .  .    185 
Army    of    the    Potomac.      War    of    the    Re- 
bellion     113,   200,  201 

Army  of  the  Tennessee.     War  of  the  Rebel- 
lion  113,    142,    184,   185,   188 

Army   Ridge    Bluffs.      Rock   Island    County 

Illinois      102 

Army    Trail    Creek.      Rock    Island    County 

Illinois    102 

Arnold,  Isaac  N.  Life  of  Abraham  Lincoln. 

Quoted 32,    33,    42,     43 

Foot-note     32 

Arnold,   Isaac   N.      Quoted   on  Lincoln   and 

his  home  in  Illinois 32,     33 

Foot-note      32 

Art  Extension  Committee  of  the  University 

of   Illinois    54 

Asbury,       (Bishop)       Francis.        Methodist 

Church      122 

Foot-note     122 

Asbury,     (Bishop)     Francis.       Ezra    Squire 
Tipple.       Francis    Asbury,    The    Prophet 

of  The  Long  Road.     Foot-note 122 

Atchison,  David  R.     Credited  with  the  au- 
thorship   of   the   Repeal   of   the   Missouri 

Compromise     47 

Athens,    Ala 173,  174 

Athens,   Greece 34 

Atkinson,     (Gen.)     Henrv.       Black     Hawk 

War     100,  106 

Atkinson,    (Henry  Co.)    Ill 97 

Atlanta,    Ga 

144,    177,    178,    179,    181, 

182,   183,   184,   185,   186,   187,   188,   190,   191 

Atlanta  &  Macon  R.  R 191 

Atlanta,    Ga.      Evacuation   of 187-188 

Atlantic  Ocean 33,  94,  114 

Attig,     Chester     J.        Some     Governmental 
Problems     in    the    Northwest    Territorv, 

1787-1803 25,     75-86 

Atwood,  J.  M.  Princeton,  111 137 

Augusta,    Ga 191 

Augusta,    Maine 24 

Aurora,   III.      Census  figures   on   population 

and   manufacturing  interests 73 

Aurora,  111.     Manufacturies 61 

Ausburg  Confession    142 

Austin,   H.   S.   Member  of  Union  League   of 

America     112 

Autobiography    of    Black    Hawk.    Reference 

89,    91,     94 

Autobiography       of       Peter       Cartwright. 

Quoted    93 

Foot-notes    

116,  117,  118,  119,  120,  122,   123 


204 


INDEX— Continued. 


Autobiography    of    Rev.    James    B.    Finley. 

Quoted.      Foot-note    123 

Avery,    C.    M.      Member   of   the  Avery   firm 

of   Manufacturers,   Peoria,    Illinois 65 

Avery,    Eobert    H.      Founder   of    the   Avery 

Agricultural    Implements     64,     65 


Bach,      Johann      Sebastian,      composer      of 

church    music 143 

Bailey,    John    0 95 

Bailey    vs.    Cromwell.       Case    in    Supreme 

Court    46 

Baker's  Ferry,    (Ga.) 182 

Baldwin,  (Col.)  A.  D.     Union  Colonel  War 

of  the  Rebellion 143,  156,   168,  171 

Baldwin,  Chas.     Princeton,  111 137 

Baltimore,     Md 135,   143 

Foot-note   52 

Baltimore,    Md.      Defense    of,    War    of    the 

Rebellion     135,   143 

Bane,    (Mrs.)   Mentioned  in  Zearing  letter.    174 
Bangs,    (Hon.)    Mark.      Member    of    Union 

League  of   America 112 

Banner    Special,    Drainage    and    Levee    Dis- 
tricts.    In  Peoria  and  Fulton  Counties..    126 

Barnstable,    Mass 65 

Barr,   (Mrs.)   Mentioned  in  Zearing  letter..    166 
Barton,     (Rev.)     William     E.       Illinois,     a 

rhymed  sermon  on 53 

Barton,    William    E.,   D.    D.,    LL.    D.      The 
Influence  of  Illinois  in  the  Development 

of  Abraham  Lincoln 25,   32-53 

Bassett,   Isaac  Newton.      Quoted   on  Indian 

Trail     101 

Bates,  Edward,  of  Missouri.     Presiding  offi- 
cer   River    and     Harbor    Convention    of 

1847,   held  in  Chicago 43 

Bates,   W.   H.      Report  from   Tazewell   Co., 

Illinois,    Historical    Society 21 

Battery.     New  York  City 37 

Beardstown,    111 100 

Beaufort,    S.     C 193 

Beauregard,     (Pierre)     Gustave     Toutant. 
Confederate   General,   War  of  the  Rebel- 
lion     157,  188 

Bedford,  Ind   149,  157,  171 

Beecher,    Henry    Ward 33 

Beggs,    Stephen    R.    Pages    from   the    early 
History    of    the    West    and     Northwest. 

Quoted.       Foot-note 117 

Beggs,  Stephen  R.     Pioneer  Preacher  Meth- 
odist    Church 117 

Foot-note     117 

Belleville,  111.     Census  figures  on  population 

and   manufacturing  interests 73 

Belleville,   111.      Early  records   of  St.    Clair 

County    in,    Reference.       Footnote 81 

Belleville,  111.     Manufactories 61 

Beloit,     Wis 66 

Belvidere,    111 23 

Benedict,  A.   J 97 

Benedict,     Elijah 97 

Benton.     Abridgment.      Quoted.      Foot-note     77 

Benton,    Thomas   Hart 44,     47 

Berlin  Township,  Bureau  Co.,  Ill 129 

Berry,   William   F.,     Lincoln  &   Berry  store 

at   New    Salem 37 

Better  Community  Conference  of  the  Uni- 
versity    of     Illinois 54 

Big  Island  at  the  mouth  of  Rock  River.  ..    106 

Big   Ogeechee   River 191 

Bismarck,  Otto  Edward  Leopold  Prince  Von  143 
Black    Hawk    and    his    followers    religious 
people  Governor  Reynolds,   Quoted  on, .  .   107 


Black     Hawk.       Autobiography     of     Black 

Hawk.   Reference    89,   91,     94 

Black  Hawk.      Fox  &  Sac  Chief 87-109 

Black    Hawk.      Hauberg,    John    H.    Indian 
Trails,   Centering  at  Black  Hawk's  Village 

25,     87-109 

Black   Hawk    Township.      Rock    Island   Co. 

Ill 92,   103,  104 

Black    Hawk's    Village 

93,   98,   99,   100,   102,   104,  106 

Black    Hawk's    Watch    Tower 

20,   22,   87,   89,   90,     91 

Black  Hawk's  Watch  Tower,   Poem  on,  by 
Mrs.    Mary   Brackett   Durham,    Extract 

from      89 

Black  Hawk  War,   1832 

37     50     88     90 

91,'  *98,"  "l66,"  "lOl,"  "102','  104,    105,  '  106,'  107 
Black    Hawk    War.      Armstrong,    Perry   A. 

The  Sauks  and  the  Black  Hawk  War.  .90,     91 
Black  Hawk  War.     Army  Ford  on  Edwards 

River      101 

Black     Hawk     War.        Atkinson,      (Gen.) 

Henry,   in  the  Black  Hawk  War 106 

Black  Hawk  War.     Duncan,  Joseph,  Briga- 
dier-General,   Black   Hawk   War 100 

Black  Hawk  War.      Ford,    (Gov.)    Thomas, 

Illinois     Volunteers     Black     Hawk     War. 

Governor   Ford    quoted    on 104 

Black     Hawk     War.       Johnston,      (Lieut.) 

Albert  Sydney,  in  the  Black  Hawk  War .  .   106 
Black     Hawk     War.       Lincoln,     Abraham, 

Captain  in  the  Black  Hawk  War 

88,   100,   104,  105 

Black     Hawk     War.        Lincoln,     Abraham, 

Captain  in,  Camp  site,  Reference.  .  .104,  105 

Black  Hawk  War.     Prophet's  Village 106 

Black  Hawk  War.     Reynolds,   (Gov.)   John, 

Illinois    Volunteers,    Black    Hawk    War. 

Governor  Reynolds  quoted  on 100 

Black  Hawk  War.     Wakefield,   John  Allen. 

History  of  the  Black  Hawk  War 106,  107 

Blair's    Landing,    South    Carolina 194 

Blanchard,    (Dr.)    E.   S.,  Princeton,   111 137 

Blatchford,   Eliphalet  Wickes.      Founder  of 

the  E.   W.  Blatchford  Co 69 

Blatchford,    E.    W.    Co 69 

Blackstock  Ira  B 30 

Blackstone's     Commentaries 36 

Blood,    (Dr.)    Henry   S.,   Assistant   Surgeon 
Fiftv-seventh      111.      Vols.,      War      of     the 

Rebellion      157 

Bloomington,   111 23,   61,   73,   112,   118 

Bloomington,   111.      Census  figures  on  popu- 
lation  and   manufacturing   interests 73 

Bloomington,      111  Illinois      Conference 

district,  M.   E.   Church 118 

Bloomington,    111.      Manufacturies 61 

Bloomington,       111.         Union      League      of 

America.      Illinois    First    State    Council 

held  in  Bloomington,   Sept.    5,   1862 112 

Bloomington,     Ind 149 

Blossomberg,     111 88 

Blynnville,    Tenn 172 

Boggess,    Arthur    Clinton.       Settlement    of 

Illinois,    1778-1830.       Foot-note 76 

Bonaparte,  Napoleon.     Napoleon  at  Water- 
loo.      Reference 113 

Boone,     Daniel 35 

Boston,  Mass 17,  24,  31,  37,  65,  68,  70,  112 

Boston,    Mass.       Faneuil    Hall 112 

Boston,   Mass.     Long  Wharf,   Boston 37 

Boston,    Mass.      Transcript    (Newspaper) .  .      24 

Bowling    Green,    Ky 153 

Bowling    Township.      Rock    Island    County, 

Illinois 106 

Boyd,    William     68 


205 


INDEX— Continued. 


Boyes,  W.  F •  •  •      19 

Bradley,  H.   C.     Quoted  on  Indian  Trail..      97 

Bradley,    111.,    Manufactures 62 

Bradley,     Thomas    L.     History    of    Bureau 

County,     Illinois.       Quoted 98 

Brandywine,  Battle  of,  War  of  the  Revolu- 
tion         l^O 

Brashar,  Edwin.     Quoted  on  Indian  Trail.  .      90 

Brazoo,  Texas    137 

Bremen,    Germany 67 

Brighton,  Mass 65 

Brisson,    Pierre.      Pierre    Brisson    Plaintiff 

vs.  Charles  Germain,  case  of.     Reference..      85 

Bristol    Center,    N.    Y 68 

Broad     River     193,  194 

Brown,    (Dr.)    11th    Indiana,    War 

of     the     Rebellion 174 

Brown,  George  W.,  Corn  planter,  works  of, 

Galesburg,   111 70 

Brown,  John.     Anti-slavery  leader 46 

Brown,  John  C,  Governor  of  Tennessee...    147 

Brown,     Stuart 23,     25 

Brown,     Stuart.       Poets     and     Poetry     of 

Illinois      25 

Bryant  Family,  Princeton,  111 131 

Bryant   Home,    Princeton,    111 131 

Bryant,    William    Cullen 131 

Buckhorn  Inn.  Early  days  in  Illinois ....  96 
Buckle,  Henry  Thomas.  English  writer .  .  33 
Bucklin,  James  M.     Chief  engineer  of  the 

Illinois    and    Michigan    Canal 98 

Buel,    (Gen.)    Don  Carlos.     Union  General, 

War  of  the  Rebellion 153,    154  158 

Buffalo,  N.   Y 44 

Foot-note    52 

Buffalo,    N.    Y.      Harbor    at,    appropriation 

River  and   Harbor  Bill,   1846 44 

Buffum,     Almon     A.       Quoted     on     Indian 

Trail    102,  103 

Bufort  County,   Cork,   Ireland 70 

Bull  Run,  Battle  of,  War  of  the  Rebellion  110 
Bunn,    Jacob.       Watch    Company,    Spring- 
field,  111 70 

Bunn,  John   W.,   Watch   Company,   Spring- 
field,  111 70 

Bunyan's  Pilgrims  Progress 36 

Bureau,    Camp,    Princeton,    111 143 

Bureau     Co.,     Ill 

97,  98,  129,  142,  143,  144,  170,   175 

Bureau   Co.,   Bradley,    Thomas   L.      History 

of  Bureau  County,   Illinois.     Quoted....      98 
Bureau  Co.,  111.     Matson  N.     Reminiscences 

of  Bureau   County 97 

Bureau  Co.,   111.      Republican    (Newspaper)    137 

Bureau  Co.,  111.  Soldiers  Association 142 

Bureau  Co.,  111.   Soldiers  in  the  Civil  War 

170,    175 

Bureau    Co.,    111.      Zearings.    Early   settlers 

in     129,  143 

Bureau    Creek,    111 147 

Burgess,  Mary  C.     Wife  of  Judge  William 

Reid   Curran 125 

Burlingame,   Anson,    at    River   and    Harbor 

Convention,  1847 44 

Burnet,  Jacob.     Notes  on  the  Early  Settle- 
ment    of     the     Northwestern     Territory, 

1770-1853.     Foot-note 82 

Burnham,    (Capt.)    J.    H 30 

Burns,   Robert    (Bobbie  Burns) 33,  142 

Burnside,    (Gen.)   Ambrose  E.     Union  Gen- 
eral, War  of  the  Rebellion 185 

Burnsville,   Miss 169 

Burson  Knitting  Machine.     William  Worth 

Burson,  inventor 66,     67 

Burson,   William   Worth.      Inventor   of   the 

Burson  Knitting  Machine 66 

Burson,    William   Worth.      Patents   granted 
to,    on    inventions 67 


Burton  Collection.      Foot-notes. 78,    79,    85,  86 
Burton   Collection.      Sibley  Papers.   Quoted. 

Foot-notes     78,  79 

Busey,     (Mrs.)    George 30 

Butterfield,    Justin    42,  43 

Biographical   sketch.      Foot-note 43 

Butterworth,  William    72 

Butts,  Jacob,  Bureau  Co.,  Ill .  166 


Cahokia     76,  83 

Foot-note    85 

Cahokia   Mound 20,  29 

Cahokia  Mound.    Efforts  to  preserve 29 

Cahokia  Records,  1778-1790.    Illinois  State 

Historical  Collections.  Vol.  2.     Foot-note.  85 

Cairo,  111    57,  61,  73,  151,  168,  170 

Cairo,    111.      Census    figures    on    population 

and   manufacturing  interests 73 

Cairo,     111.       Manufacturies 61 

Cairo,  111.     Railroad  from  Galena  to  Cairo, 
referred   to    as   the   first    Illinois   Central 

R.   R 57 

Calhoun,  John  C,  of  North  Carolina 49 

California   State    46,    64,   65,   66,  69 

California    State,    Enters    the    Union    as    a 

free  state   46 

California   State.      Gold   seekers   of   1849..  66 

Calumet    River     98 

Cambridge,    (Henry  Co.)    Ill 97 

Cambridge,  Mass   17,  31 

Camden  Mills,  now  Milan,  111 94 

Camp  Bureau,  War  of  the  Rebellion,  Prince- 
ton,   111    143 

Camp  Creek,  Mercer  County,  111.  .101,  102,  104 

Camp   Douglas,   Chicago,    111 143,    150,  151 

Camp    Meeting,    Sugar    Grove   Camp    Meet- 
ing      104 

Campbell,     (Maj.)     John 92,  95 

Campbell,   (Maj.)  John.     Quoted  on  Indian 

Trail     95 

Campbell's   Island.      War   of    1812 92 

Canaan.     First    post   office    in    Rock    Island 

County,   Illinois    91 

Canada     24,  59 

Canada.     New  Hamborough,   Upper  Canada  59 

Canal  Boats,  Private 132 

Canton,    111.     Census   figures   on   population 

and   manufacturing   interests 73 

Canton,    111      Manufacturies 63 

Canton,  111.    Parlin  &  Orendorff  Plow  Co .  .  63 
Capron,    Charles    L.     Vice    President    Illi- 
nois   State    Historical    Society 23 

Carbondale,    111    23 

Carlyle,    Thomas.     Heroes    and    Hero    Wor- 
ship.    Quoted.     Foot-note 23 

Carlyle,    Thomas.      Quoted    on    great    men, 

theory    of.     Foot-note 33 

Carolinas,  (The)    56 

Carpenter,    Richard    V 23 

Carroll    Co.,    Ill 64 

Carter,    (Hon.)   Orrin  N 23 

Cartwright,    (Rev.)    Peter.     Autobiograplry. 

Quoted.     Foot-notes    

93,   116,   117,   118,   119,   120,   122,  123 

Cartwright,     (Rev.)     Peter.      Defeated    for 

Congress  by  Abraham  Lincoln 120,  121 

Cartwright,    Peter.     Description    of 119 

Cartwright,   Peter.     Fifty  Years  as  Presid- 
ing  Elder.     Foot-notes 116,    121,  122 

Cartwright.      Peter.      Member     of     Illinois 

State    Legislature    119,  120 

Cartwright,  Peter.    Ministerial  work 118 

Cartwright,   Peter.     One  of  the  founders  of 

McKendree  College,  Lebanon,   111 122 

Foot-note      122 


206 


INDEX— Continued. 


Cartwright,  Peter.  Opposed  to  slavery 
116, 

Cartwright,  Peter.  Pioneer  preacher  Meth- 
odist church.  Autobiography.  Quoted. 
93,   116,   117,   118,   119,  120,   122, 

Cartwright,  Peter.  Sweet,  William  W. 
Peter  Cartwright  in  Illinois  History .  . 
25,  116 

Cartwright,    Peter.     Theology   of,    simple.. 

Cass,   Lewis    44, 

Centennial  Memorial  Building,  State  of 
Illinois     26, 

Centralia,  111.  Census  figures  on  popula- 
tion  and   manufacturing   interests.  .  .  .73, 

Chalmers,   Thomas    

Chamberlain,    (Dr.)    N 

Chamberlain,    (Dr.)    William    0 

Champaign,  111.  Census  figures  on  popula- 
tion   and    manufacturing    interests 

Champaign,   111.     Manufacturies  in 

Chandlerville,   (Cass  Co.)  Ill 

Chapman,  C.  C.  &  Co.,  Pubs.,  History  of 
Knox  County,   111 

Charleston,   S.   C 192, 

Chase,  Salmon  P.  Statutes  of  Ohio.  Foot- 
notes     76,    79,    80, 

Chatahoochie  River   177,  180,  182, 

Chatsworth,    111    

Chattanooga,   Tenn    144,   176,  179, 

Cheever,  (Dr.)  D.  A.  Member  of  the 
Union  League  of  America,  Tazewell  Co. . 

Cheever,  (Dr.)  D.  A.  Member  of  Union 
League,  Tazewell  Co.,  one  of  the  secret 
body  guard  to  protect  Lincoln  at  second 
inaugural      

Cheney,    George    

Chicago   Heights,   111 62,   73,   74, 

Chicago  Heights,  111.  Census  figures  on 
population  and  manufacturing  inter- 
ests     73, 

Chicago    Heights,    111.     Manufacturies    in.. 

Chicago,  111.  .28,  40,  41,  43,  44,  51,  56,  57, 
59,  68,  69,  71,  73,  93,  97,  113,  117,  129, 

136,   137,   142,  145,  150,  175, 

Foot-notes 43,  45,  52, 

Chicago,  111.  Burlington  and  Quincy  Rail- 
road    129, 

Chicago,  111.  Census  figures  on  population 
and   manufacturing  interests 

Chicago,  111.    Chicago  &  Alton  R.  R 

Chicago,  111.    Chicago  and  Joliet  R.  R 

Chicago,  111.  Chicago  Journal.  (News- 
paper)      

Foot-note    

Chicago,  111.  Chicago  Journal,  July  6, 
1847.     Quoted.     Foot-note 

Chicago,  111.  Directory,  first  one  printed 
in  1843.     By  Robert  Fergus 

Chicago,  111.  Galena  and  Chicago  Union 
Railroad     

Chicago,    111.     Harbor 

Chicago,    111.     Historical    Society 28, 

Chicago,  111.  Historical  Society.  Gunther 
collection   purchased   by 

Chicago,  111.  Illinois  Conference  Metho- 
dist Church,   1832.     Chicago  added  to.. 

Chicago,  111.  Iron  Company  builds  the  first 
furnace    in    1868 

Chicago,  111.  Lincoln's  visits  to  Chicago. 
Foot-note    

Chicago,   111.     Manual  Training  School .... 

Chicago,  111.  National  Republican  Con- 
vention,   May,    1860,    held    in    Chicago.. 

Chicago,  111.  North  Chicago  Rolling  Mill 
Company    

Chicago,  111.  River  and  Harbor  Convention 
of,    1847,   held   in 


119 

123 


123 
122 

45 

31 

74 

69 

145 

145 

74 
62 

24 

99 
194 

81 
183 
124 
181 

111 


115 

156 

93 


74 


180 
117 


145 
73 


43 


28 

117 

59 

45 
69 

51 

59 

43 


Chicago,    111.     Theological    Seminary 69 

Chicago,  111.    Thomas  Grand  Army  Republic 

Post     142 

Chicago,    111.      Times.      (Newspaper) 180 

Chicago,  111.    Union,  League  Club  formed  in 

1862      113 

Chicago,    111.     Union   Stock   Yards 71 

Chicago,    111.     Wigwam    located    in    where 

Republican  National  Convention  of  1860 

was  held    142 

Chicago,   111.     Zearing  Building  in 137 

Chicago    River    57,    59,    69,     70 

Chickamauga,    Ga    176 

Chillicothe,   Ohio    85 

Chin  Chuey.  Dr.  J.  R.  Zearing's  cook.  141,  142 
Chubbuck,  (Mrs.)  H.  Eugene.    State  Regent, 

Illinois  D.  A.   R 22,   24,   27,     30 

Churches.      Congregational    Church 122 

Churches.     German    Reformed   at   Frieden's 

Kirch    131 

Churches,  Presbyterian  Church 96,  97,  122 

Churches,    Princeton,    111.      Martin   Zearing 

builder  of  churches  in 131 

Churches.     Salem   German  Reformed.     Har- 

risburg,    Pa     143 

Cicero,   111.     Manufacturing  center 62 

Cincinnati,   Ohio    64,    83,     84 

Civil  War.  See  War  of  the  Rebellion.  .58,  64 
Civil    War.     Great    demand    for    food    and 

clothing  in    58 

Clark,    (Gen.)    George  Rogers...: 99 

Foot-note    78 

Clark,      (Gen.)      George     Rogers.       George 

Rogers  Clark  Papers  1771-1781.     Illinois 

Historical    Collections,    Vol.    VIII 99 

Clark,   (Gen.)   George  Rogers.    Manuscripts, 

Draper  Collection.     Reference.     Foot-note     78 

Clark,   James  A 97 

Clark,    (Mrs.)    Lucinda 97 

Clary  Grove  near  New  Salem,  111 37 

Clay,  Henry   38,     44 

Clav,   Henry.     Lincoln   a   disciple  of   Henry 

Clav    38 

Clend'enin,    H.    W 15,     23 

Cleveland   Ferry    108 

Cleveland,  Ohio   44 

Foot-note    52 

Cleveland,   Ohio.     Harbor  at,   appropriation 

River  and  Harbor  Bill,  1846 44 

Clifton,    Tenn    152 

Clover  Township,  Henry  County,  111 99 

Clybourn,   Archibald.      Slaughter   House  on 

the    Chicago    River    70 

Clybourn,   Jonas.     Slaughter  House  on   the 

Chicago    River    70 

Coal  Creek,  Henry  Co.,  Ill 97 

Coal.      Illinois   area,   counties   in   which    it 

is  found 57 

Coal    Valley    Creek 94,  107 

Coal  Valley,  111 94,  95,  96,  98,     99 

Coal  Valley,  111.,  School 95,     96 

Coal    Valley    Township,    Rock    Island    Co., 

Ill 94,  107 

Colby,     (Miss)    Lydia.     Quoted    on    Indian 

Trail    96,       97 

Colder    Family    132 

Colderites     132 

Cole,  A.  S.  Flour  manufacturer  and  dis- 
tiller   of,    Peoria,    111 70 

Colona  Ferry,   Henry  Co.,   Ill 108 

Colona,  Henry  Co.,  Ill 108 

Colona    Township,    Henry    Co 94,    96,  108 

Colton,  (Mrs.)  Buel  P.   (Charlotte  Zearing)   149 

Colton,   Charlotte  Zearing 146,   149 

Colton   Family,   Bureau   Co.,    Ill 136 

Colton,     James    Zearing 149 

Colton,     (Lieut.)     Kingsley    Buel.      U.     S. 

Navy,  World  War 138,   140,  149 


207 


INDEX— Continued. 


Columbus,     Christopher     

Columbus,   Mississippi 153,   162,   168, 

Columbus,   Ohio.     Foot-note 

Colyer,  Walter    15,   21, 

Comptometer.  Dorr  E.  Felt  inventor  of  the 
Comptometer     

Conants,    (Dr.)    (Bureau  Co.) 

Congregational    Church    122, 

Congregational  Church,  Pekin,  111 

Conkey,  William  B.  First  president  of  the 
Illinois    Manufacturers'    Association    .... 

Conkey,  William  B.  Manufacturer.  Organ- 
ized the  Illinois  Manufacturers'  Associa- 
tion     

Conkling,    (Miss)    Alice , 

Conkling,    Clinton    L 17, 

Conkling,  Clinton  L  Director  of  the  Illinois 
State   Historical   Society.     Deceased 

Conkling   Family    

Connecticut   State    24,    44,    69, 

Connecticut  State.  Biver  and  Harbor  Con- 
vention at  Chicago,  1847.  Seven  dele- 
gates  to,   from   Connecticut 

Constitution  of  the  Illinois  State  Historical 
Society    8, 

Constitution  of  the  United  States 

Continental  Congress.  Ordinance  of  1784- 
1785    

Continental  Congress.  Papers  of  the  Con- 
tinental  Congress.      Quoted     Foot-note .  . 

Cook,    (Gen.)     

Cook  Co.,  Ill 93, 

Cook    Co.,    111.      Forest    Reserve 

Cooke,  (Col.)  P.  St.  G.  Scenes  and  Adven- 
tures in  the  Army,  1859.     Quoted 

Cooper   Settlement,   Mercer  County,   111. .  . . 

Coosa  River,  Georgia 

Cordovia,  111    

Corinth,  Mississippi.  .144,  157,  158,  159, 
160,  161,  162,  163,  164,  165,  166,  167 
168,    170,    171,    172, 

Corinth,  Mississippi,  Battle  of.... 144,   161 

Corinth,   Mississippi,   Evacuation  of 

Cork,  Ireland,  Buford,  Co 

Cornwall  Township,  Henry  Co.,  111.. 96,  97, 

Corse,  (Gen.)  John  M.  Union  General  War 
of  the  Rebellion 144, 

Corwin,    Thomas 

Crabs,   George.     Quoted  on  Indian  Trails.  . 

Craig,  Alex    88,   94,   107, 

Crampton,    Wisconsin    

Crane  Co.,   Chicago,   111 

Crane,  Richard  Teller.  Founder  of  the 
Crane  Company,  Chicago 

Crawford,  William  F.  Quoted  on  Indian 
Trail      

Credit  Island.     Battle  of  1814 

Crerar,  John.  Founder  of  the  Crerar  Li- 
brary, Chicago,  111 

Crerar  Library,    Chicago,    111 68, 

Crerar  Library,  Chicago,  III  Gift  of  John 
Crerar    

Crosby,  (Dr)  Mentioned  in  Zearing  letters.  . 

Crossley,  (Mrs.)  Mentioned  in  Zearing 
letters    166, 

Crusoe,   Robinson    

Cudahy  Brothers.     Meat  Packers  of  Chicago 

Cudahy  Company.    Meat  Packers,  Chicago. 

Cudahy,  John.  Member  of  the  packing 
firm  of   Cudahy  Brothers,   Chicago.  ..20, 

Cudahy,  Patrick.  Member  of  the  packing 
firm  of  Cudahy  Brothers 

Cullom,  (Major)  R.  N.  Member  of  the 
Union  League  of  America 

Cumberland   Co.,   Pa 

Cumberland   Gap    


33 
170 

52 
23 


165 
126 
126 

72 


44 

10 
112 

75 

76 
155 
112 

93 


100 
102 

189 
92 


174 

164 

171 

70 


189 

44 

104 

108 


68 


105 
91 


182 


168 
36 


58 


111 

131 

56 


PAGE. 

Cummings,    (Col.)    Alfred.      Union    Colonel 

War  of  the  Rebellion 189 

Curran,   Charles    124 

Curran,    Margaret    Reid 124 

Curran,  Thomas  Smith 124 

Curran,   (Judge)  William  Reid 

17,   21,   23,   25,   124-127 

Curran,    (Judge)    William    Reid.      Address 

on  Abraham  Lincoln.      Reference 126 

Curran,    (Judge)    William    Reid.      Director 

of   the    Illinois   State   Historical   Society, 

Deceased     31 

Curran,    (Judge)   William  Reid.      Memorial 

address   on,   by   Ralph   Dempsev 

23,     25,     124-127 

Curran,    (Judge)    William  Reid.     President 

of  the  Lincoln  Marking  Association....  30 
Currey,   J.    Seymour.      Quoted  on  Lincoln's 

visits  to   Chicago.      Foot-note 45 


Dahlberg,     (Hon.)     Gotthard.      Speaker    of 

the  House   of   Representatives 22 

Dallas,    Ga    178 

Dalton,  Ga   175,  177,  179,  188 

Danville,  111.     Census  figures  on  population 

and  manufacturing  interests 73 

Danville,  111.     Manufacturies 61 

Danville,    Pa     64 

Daughters  of  the  American  Revolution. 
Work     in     preserving     historical     spots, 

documents    and    relics 22 

Davenport,  Bailey   89,  91 

Davenport,    (Col.)   George 88,  89,  91,  98 

Davenport,    Iowa    ....62,    87,    88,  109 

Davenport,    Iowa.      Manufacturies   in 62 

Davis,    Jefferson    199 

Davis  Power  House,  Rock  Island  Co.,  111..  93 

Decatur,  Ala   173,  174,  183 

Decatur,   111     Census  figures  on  population 

and   manufacturing  interests 73 

Decatur,  111.     Grand  Army  of  the  Republic, 

organized  in  Decatur 20 

Decatur,   111.     Lincoln's  Illinois  home  near 

Decatur     37 

Decatur,   111.      Manufacturies 61 

Decatur,    111.      Republican    Convention   May 

9,  10,   1860,  held  in  Decatur,  111 43,  51 

Deere  and  Mansur.     Manufacturers  of  corn 

planters,   etc    64 

Deere,  Charles  H 64,  72 

Deere,  Charles  H.  Member  of  firm  of  Deere 
and     Mansur,      manufacturers     of      corn 

planters    64 

Deere,   John.      Founder  of  the  John   Deere 

Plow  Company,  Moline,   111 63 

Deere,  John.  Made  his  first  two  plows  by 
hand  in  blacksmith  shop  in  Grand  De- 
tour,   Ogle    Co.,    Ill 63 

DeKalb,  111 23,  62 

DeKalb,  111.  Listed  among  the  manufactur- 
ing towns  of  Illinois 62 

Delavan,    (Tazewell   Co.)    Ill 125 

Delaware   State    24,  70 

Delaware   State.      Delaware  Archives 24 

Democratic  Party   38 

Dempsey,    Ralph.       William    Reid    Curran. 

In    Memoriam 23,    25,    30,    124-127 

Denton  Farm.     Henry  County,  Illinois....  96 

Desplaines   River    57 

Detroit,   Mich    59,    70,   79,    80,  83 

Foot-note    78 

Devon   Carys    24 

Diary  of  Manasseh  Minor.  Stonington,  Con- 
necticut,  1696-1720    24 


208 


INDEX— Continued. 


24 


Diary  of  William  Sewall,  Sept.   1,  1819,  to 

1845    

Ditson,    Oliver.      Member    of    music    firm, 

Ditson  &  Haynes,  Boston 70 

Dixon  Cemetery,  Rock  Island,  111 90,     91 

Dixon,  111.     Reaper  Trial  in  1862 67 

Doctors.     Pioneer  Doctors  in  Illinois.  .144,  145 
Dodge,    (Gen.)    Grenville    M.      Union   Gen- 
eral War   of   the   Rebellion 

137,  144,  147,  171,  176,  177,  180 

Dodge,      (Mrs.).       Mentioned     in     Zearing 

letters     174 

Donelson,    Fort    143,   156 

Doolittle,    (Mrs.)    130 

Douglas,  Camp.     Chicago,  111 143 

Douglas,   Stephen  Arnold    

21,    39,    47,    48,    49,     50 

Doug-las,   Stephen  Arnold.      Dominant  force 

in  national  politics 48 

Douglas,    Stephen    Arnold.      Leader    in   the 

Repeal  of  the  Missouri   Compromise.  ...     47 
Douglas,   Stephen  Arnold.     Lincoln-Douglas 

Debates,    1858    21,    48,    49,107 

Douglas,  Stephen  Arnold.  Speech  at  Chi- 
cago,   July    9,    1858.      Reference 49,     50 

Dover,  111 129,  131,  132,  133,  135,  141 

143,   144,   145,   149,   150,   156,   159,   165, 

167,   170,   179,  198 

Dover,   111.      Academy 135 

Dover,  111.      Soldiers 'in  Civil  War 198 

Downey    Bridge    101 

Doyle,  (Capt.)  78 

Drake,  Daniel.     Draper  Collection.     Daniel 

Drake  Papers.     Quoted.     Foot-note 84 

Draper,     Lyman     C.       Collection.       George 

Rogers  Clark  Mss.     Foot-note 78 

Draper,     Lyman     C.       Collection.       Daniel 

Drake  Papers.     Foot-note 84 

Drinkwater,  John   34 

Drury  Farm,  Henry  County,  Illinois.  .....      94 

Dubuque  Mines 109 

Duncan,  Joseph.     Brigadier  General,  Black 

Hawk  War 100 

Dunton.      Nurse    in    hospital    at    Corinth, 

Mississippi   172 

Durham,   (Col.)  C.  W 89 

Durham,  (Mrs.)  Mary  Brackett.  Poem  on 
"Black  Hawk's  Watch  Tower,"  extract 
from    89 


East   Chicago    62 

East   La   Grange,    111 96,     99 

East  St.  Louis,  111 60,  61,  62,     73 

East  St.  Louis,  111.     Census  figures  on  popu- 
lation and  manufacturing  interests 73 

East  St.  Louis,  111.     Flour  and  grist  mills, 
chemical  works,  etc.,  shows  the  greatest 

growth  of  any  city  in   Illinois 60,     61 

Eckhart,    B.    A 72 

Eddy,  T.  M.     Influence  of  Methodism  upon 
civilization    and    education   of   the   West, 

Foot-note    123 

Eddy,    (Col.)    J.    M 148 

Edgington,  111 102 

Edgington,    John    104 

Edgington  Township,   Rock   Island   County, 

Illinois    101,    103,    104,   105 

Education.        Amherst     College,     Amherst, 


Education.     Dover,  Illinois,  Academy 

Education.  Geneseo,  Illinois,  Collegiate 
Institute    

Education.  Illinois  College,  Jacksonville, 
Illinois    37, 

Education.     Illinois,  early  education  in. 135, 

Education.  Illinois.  Northern  Illinois 
State    Normal    School 

Education.  Illinois.  Northwestern  Uni- 
versity,   Evanston,    111 23, 

Education.  Illinois.  Princeton  High 
School   

Education.  Illinois.  Southern  Illinois 
State  Normal  School 

Education.  Illinois.  University  of  Illi- 
nois  23,    30, 

Education.  Illinois.  Wesieyan  University, 
Bloomington,     111.      Foot-note 

Education.      McKendree    College,    Lebanon, 

Illinois   

Foot-note    

Education.  Northwestern  College,  Naper- 
ville,    111    

Education.  Prague  University  of,  in  Bo- 
hemia     

Education.  Prairie  Union  School,  Rock 
Island    County,    111 

Education.     University  of  Prague 

Education.  Williams  College,  Williams- 
town,  Mass.     Foot-note   

Education.  Wisconsin  State  University, 
Foot-note 

Edwards,    (Judge)   Benjamin  S 

Edwards,  (Gov.)  Ninian 

Edwards,   Ninian   Wirt 

Edwards  River    95,    98,   99,   101, 

Edwardsville,  111.  Illinois  Advocate.  News- 
paper,   1832-33,   published   in 

Elgin,  111    56,   57,  61 

Elgin,  111.  Census  figures  on  population 
and    manufacturing    interests 

Elgin,   111.     Manufacturies 

Ellis,  William.     Early  printer  in  Chicago. 

Elwood,  I.  L 

Emergency  Fleet  Corporation,  World  War. 

Emerson  &  Co.  Contractor  on  twine 
binders      

Emerson,  Ralph  Waldo 

Emery,     Enoch.       Member     of     the    Union 

League   of   America 

"Empire"    Steamer    

England.  Deliberating  whether  she  should 
openly  recognize  the  Confederacy.  War 
of    the    Rebellion 

English,  William  Hayden.  St.  Clair 
Papers.      Quoted.      Foot-notes.  ..  .77,   78, 

Eustenow  River 

Evanston,  111.  Census  figures  on  population 
and    manufacturing    interests 

Evanston,  111.  Northwestern  University 
located    in    23, 

Evener,  Charles .' 94, 

Everett,   (Mrs.)   James  G 

Ewing  Family 

Ewing,    (Judge)    Presley    K 


135 

101 

69 
136 

23 

30 

136 
23 
54 

122 

122 
122 

25 

17 

105- 
31 

43 

45 
17 
17 
39 
106 

27 


59 

72 


112 
45 


82 
179 

73 

30 
95 
97 


Education.        Chicago      Manual      Training 

School   

Education.      Chicago   Theological   Seminary 

Education.      Coal   Valley   School 95, 

Education.        Garrett      Biblical      Institute, 
Evanston,    111    


83 


122 


Factory    Employes,    United    States    Census 
figures  for  Illinois  and   Thirtv-two  of  its 

cities      73,     74 

Faneuil  Hall,  Boston,  Mass 112 

Farquier     County,     Va 24 

Farwell    &    Herron,    Princeton,    111 137 

Fay,  Herbert  W.,  Custodian  of  the  Lincoln 

Monument,  Springfield,  111 27 

Fear   River    196 


209 


INDEX— Continued. 


72 


Federal   Steel   Corporation 

Felt,    Dorr    E  . 66, 

Felt,  Dorr  E.,  Inventor  of  the  Comptometer     66 
Fence    Rails    made    by    Abraham    Lincoln 
carried  into  the  Republican   Convention, 

May,  1860,  at  Decatur,   Illinois 51 

Fenner,   N.   Y 68 

FergTis,    Robert.     First    Chicago    Directory 

1843,    printed    by 69 

Fergus,  Robert.  Head  of  the  Fergus  Pub- 
lishing   Co.,    Chicago 69 

Ferguson,  (Mrs.)  Alice  Edwards 17 

Ferries.     Angell's  Ferry 108 

Ferries.      Baker's  Ferry,   Georgia 182 

Ferries.      Cleveland   Ferry 108 

Ferries.     Colona  Ferry 108 

Ferries,    Sisters    Ferry    Georgia 194 

Ferris,   (Capt.)   Princeton,  111.,  War  of  the 

Rebellion      158 

Field,  David  Dudley 45 

Finley,    (Rev.)    James    B.      Autobiography 

of,   Quoted.      Foot-note 123 

Finley,    (Rev.)    James   B.     Life   among  the 

Indians.      Quoted.      Foot-note 85 

Finley,  (Rev.)  James  B.  Sketches  of  West- 
ern Methodism.     Quoted.     Foot-note.  .  .  .   123 

Fire,  Forest  Fire 131 

Fisher,  (Major)  James  M.  Ninety-third 
111.   Vol.   Infantry,  War  of  the  Rebellion 

189,    190 

Fisk,     Lute 182 

Florence,     (Ala.) 172 

Florida  State,  River  and  Harbor  Conven- 
tion at  Chicago,   1847,  one  delegate  to, 

from     Florida 44 

Food  Commission.      World  War 72 

Foote,    (Commodore)    Andrew    Hull,   Union 

Rear- Admiral,  War  of  the  Rebellion....    110 
Ford,    (Gov.)    Thomas.     History  of  Illinois 

Quoted     39,    40,    41,100 

Ford,  (Gov.)  Thomas,  Illinois  Volunteers 
Black      Hawk      War.      Governor      Ford. 

Quoted  on 100 

Ford,  (Gov.)  Thomas.  Quoted  on  the 
"Long  Nine"  and  their  influence  in 
removing   the    State    Capital    from    Van- 

dalia    to    Springfield 39 

Forest  Reserve,  Cook  Co.,  Ill 93 

Forrest,    111 124 

Forrest,     (Gen.)     Nathan    B.       Confederate 

General,  War  of  the  Rebellion 74 

Fort  Armstrong.  .88,  91,  98,  100,  101,  102,  104 

Fort  Clark.     Wabash  Trail,  marked 21 

Fort  Crawford  at  Prairie  du  Chien,  Wis- 
consin         100 

Fort   Creve  Coeur 16,    30,     110 

Fort  Creve  Coeur,  Illinois  State  Historical 

Society  appoints  committee  on, 16 

Fort  Creve  Coeur.  Marking  of  site,  appro- 
priation   for,    etc 30 

Fort    Donelson,    Tenn Ill,    143,    144,  156 

Fort  Donelson.     War  of  the  Rebellion,  fall 

of Ill,  144 

Fort  Fisher,  N.  C 196 

Fort    Henry,    Tenn.,    Fall    of,    War    of    the 

Rebellion     Ill,  143 

Fort   McAllister,    Ga 191 

Fort   Maiden    88,    94,    98 

Fort  Pillow,  Tenn 175 

Fort    Shelby 92 

Fort  Sumpter.     Attack  on  April  12,   1861. 

Capitulation  on  the  fourteenth 110 

Fort    Worth,     Texas 147 

Fosdick,    Samuel   T 124 

Foster,     (Brig-Gen.)    D.    Jack.    Sixty-sixth 

Inf.  World  War 138 

Foster,  (Brig-Gen.)  John.  War  of  1812. 
135,  143 


Fox    Indians     87,  109 

Fox    River     117 

Franklin    Co.,    Ill 57 

Fraser,    Andrew 69 

Fredericksburg,    Va 198 

Freeport,   111.   Census  figures  on  population 

and   manufacturing   interests 74 

Freeport,    111.,    Manufacturies 62 

Freeport,   111.      Stover  Manufacturing  Com- 
pany   located    in 64 

Freese,  L.  J 20,   21,  22 

Freese,  L.  J.  President  of  the  Woodford  Co. 

Historical    Society 20 

French's  division.     Confederate  War  of  the 

Rebellion 189 

Friberg,    Andre.      Member    of    the    firm    of 

the  Moline  Plow  Co 64 

Frieden's  Kirch.     German  Reformed  Church  131 
"Friends    in    Council"    Club    of    Princeton, 

Illinois  '    149 

Frink  &  Walker  Stage  Line 94 

Fuel  Commission.     World  War 72 

Fulton   Co.,    Ill 66,  126 

"Fulton"      (Steamer) 194 

Fyffe,  Colin   C.   H 72 


Gabuniere,    to    Congress    ,    July    17,    1786. 

Foot-note    76 

Gaines,  (Gen.)  Edmond  P.  At  Fort  Arm- 
strong           98 

Galena,   111 57,   61,   91,   92,    118,  145 

Galena,    111.      Galena    and    Chicago    Union 

Railroad     57 

Galena,  111.     Lead  mines  in, 57,  61,     91 

Galena,    111.      Lead    mining    industry,    and 

iron    works    61 

Galena,    111.      Railroads 57,  145 

Galena,  111.  Railroad  from  Galena  to 
Cairo,    111.,    referred    to    as    the    Illinois 

Central   R.    R 57 

Galena,    111.      Stage    line,    Rock    Island    to 

Galena  92 

Galesburg,  'ill .' .' .' .' .'  .19,  2B,  '48,'  6l',  '65,'  70,     74 
Galesburg,    111.      Brown,    George    W.    Corn 

planter  works   of,   in   Galesburg 70 

Galesburg,  111.  Census  figures  on  popula- 
tion   and    manufacturing   interests 74 

Galesburg,     111.       Lincoln-Douglas     Debate 

held    in    1858 48 

Galesburg,    111.      Manufacturies 61 

Galesburg,  111.,  Republican-Register  (News- 
paper)           19 

Garrett    Biblical    Institute,     Evanston,     111 

Foot-note      122 

Garrett,  L.  F.  Member  of  the  Union  Lea- 
gue of  American Ill 

Garrison   Hill,   Randolph    Co.,    Ill 15,     22 

Garrison  Hill  Tract.  An  Act  making  an 
appropriation  for  the  purpose  of  creating 
and  establishing  a  State  Park  on  what 
is  called  the  "Garrison  Hill  Tract"....      22 

Garvin,    John 189 

Gary,  (Judge)  Elbert  H.,  Chairman  of  the 
board  of   directors   of  the   United   States 

Steel     Company 60 

Gary,  Elbert  H.  Head  of  the  United  Steel 

Corporation     71 

Garj',  Indiana   62 

Gates,  John  W.  Striking  figure  in  the  iron 

and  steel  industry  of  Illinois 59 

Gates,   Philetus  Woodworth.      Manufacturer 

and  Inventor    68,     69 

Gates   Rock    Breaker 69 


210 


INDEX— Continued. 


PAGE. 

Genealogical      Department      Illinois      State 

Historical    Library     27 

Geneseo,    111 96,    97,  101 

Geneseo,  111.,  Collegiate  Institute 101 

Georgia   State    49,     69 

Georgia  State.      River  and  Harbor  Conven- 
tion at  Chicago,  1847,  two  delegates  to, 

from     Georgia     44 

Germain,  Chai'les.     Pierre  Brisson  vs.  Char- 
les Germain  case  of,  Reference 85 

German     Reformed     Church     at     Frieden's 

Kirch    131 

Germany    65,    66,    67,    69,  70 

Germany.     Black  Forest  of  Germany 65 

Germany.       Bremen,    Germany 67 

Germany.      Neidersletter,    Germany 69 

Germany.       Wurttemberg,     Germany 69 

Gettysburg,     Pa.       Battle     of     Gettysburg. 

War    of    the    Rebellion 113 

Glasgow,   John  W.     Member  of  the  Union 

League  of  America Ill 

Glenn,    John    M.      The    Industrial    Develop- 
ment of  Illinois 25,  55-74 

Goble,    (Mrs.)   Benjamin 92 

Godell,    (Miss)    Helen.  , 24 

Goethe  or  Gothe,   Johann  Wolfgang.      Ger- 
man   Poet 143 

Gold.      Value   of,    during    Civil    War..  174,  175 

Goldsborough,   N.   C 196,   197,  198 

Gondoliers.      Club    of    Harrisburg,    Pa....  134 
Goodell.      Hospital    Steward,    War    of    the 

Rebellion 160 

Gorin,  J.   R.     Member  of  Union  League  of 

America     112 

Gould,    A.      Member    of    Union    League    of 

America     112 

Gould,    Jay    147 

"Governor  Clark"  Gunboat.     War  of  1812.  92 

Graham,  James  M 23 

Graham,  Mentor.     Schoolmaster  of  Lincoln 

in   New    Salem 36 

Grand  Army  of  the  Republic 20,  142 

Grand  Army  of  the  Republic,  organization 

of,     20 

Grand  Detour,   Ogle   Co.,   111.      John  Deere 
made    his    first    two    plows    by    hand    in 

blacksmith  shop  in  Grand  Detour 63 

Grand  Tower.     Iron  and  Steel  company  near  59 
Granite  City,  111.     Census  figures  on  popu- 
lation and  manufacturing  interests 74 

Granite    City,    111.      Manuf acturies   in 62 

Grant,    (Gen.)    Ulysses   S.      Union  General, 

War    of    the    Rebellion 

113,    151 

154,   155,   160,   166,   167,   172,   178,   196,  201 

Gratiot,    (Col.)    Henry 107 

Gray,     Thomas.       English     Poet.       Gray's 

Elegy     34,  142 

Great  Men.     Two  theories  on  the  origin  of 

33,  34 

Great  Sauk  Trail 93 

Greeley,  Horace    43,  44,  45 

Greeley,  Horace.  Attends  River  and  Harbor 
Convention,     Chicago,     1847,     writes    an 

account  in  New  York  Tribune 43,  44 

Green  Bay,  Wis 55 

Greencastle,     Ind 149 

Greencastle,  Pa 64 

Greene,   (Dr.)   Evarts  Boutell.  .  .16,   17,  23,  31 

Greenfield,    (111.)    Later  named  Princeton.  .  145 

Green  River,   Ky .  .  .  35 

Green  River,   Rock  Island  Co.,   Ill 89,  108 

Grey,  Capt 147 

Griffin,     George    Washington.       Quoted    on 

Indian  Trail    105 

Griswold,  Ga 191 

Gross,    (Mrs.)   J.   Ellsworth.      (Luelja  Zear- 

ing)      139,  149 


PAGE. 

Gross,  Luelja  Zearing.  "A  sketch  of  the 
life  of  Major  James  Roberts  Zearing, 
M.   D."    139-149 

Gross,  Luelja  Zearing.  Zearings  earliest 
settlers  of  the  name  in  Illinois 129,-138 

Grow,    (Dr.),    Dover,    111 165 

Gunther,  Charles  F.  Chicago  Historical 
Society,  purchases  the  Gunther  Collection     28 


H 

Hackelman,     (Gen.)     Pleasant     A.,     Union 

General  ,  War  of  the  Rebellion 163 

Haggerty    ,Lucinda,    Bur  ford 149 

Hall,  Life  and  Letters.     Samuel  H.  Parsons. 

Quoted.      Foot-note    77 

Hamilton  E.  Bentley.  The  Union  League 
■its  Organization  and  Achievements  dur- 
ing the  Civil  War 25,  110-115 

Hamlet,  Ills 104 

Hamlin,    John.      Flour    mill    on    Red    Bud 

Creek  near  Peoria,   111 70 

Hammond,    Ind 62 

Hampton   Township,   Moline,   111 88 

Hamtramck,  Major  John  Francis 83 

Hannibal,    Son    of    the    Carthaginian    com- 
mander,  Hamilcar  Barca.     His  march  into 

Italy.     Reference    113 

Hancock,    (Gen.)    Winfield  S.      Union   Gen- 

al,  War  of  the  Rebellion 201 

Hanks,   Dennis    38 

Hanks,  John,  at  the  Republican  State  Con- 
vention in  Decatur,  May  9,  10,  1860.  ...      51 
Hanks,    John,    cousin    of   Abraham   Lincoln 

34,   38,   43,     51 

Hansel,    Abel.      Ninety-third   111.    Vol.    Inf. 

War  of  the  Rebellion 189 

Hardee's    corps,    Confederate,    War    of    the 

Rebellion •. 189 

Hardin    Co.,    Ill 59 

Hardin    Co.,    Ky 34,     35 

Hardin  Co.,  Ohio 124 

Harlow,   (Col.)  George  H 112,  113,  115 

Harlow,   George  H.,  member  of  the  Union 

League  of  America Ill,  112 

Harlow,  George  H.,  member  of  Union  Lea- 
gue, Tazewell  Co.,  one  of  the  secret  body- 
guard at  Lincoln's  second  inaugural....   115 

Harmer's   Trial,    1790.      Reference 78 

Harris,  Jacob.     Quoted  on  Indian  Trail...   105 

Harrisburg,  Pa. 113,  129,  132 

Foot-note    52 

Harrison,    (Pres.)    Benjamin 134 

Harrison   Fairfax 24 

Harrison,    (Pres.)   William  Henry 38,     43 

Harvey,  111.  Listed  among  the  manufactur- 
ing towns  in  Illinois 62 

Hastings,    S.    M 72 

Hatchie    River     164 

Hathaway  &   Swift,    cattle  buyers 65 

Hauberg,  John  H 15,  18,  22,  23,  25,     87 

Hauberg,  John  H.  Indian  Trails  center- 
ing at  Black  Hawk's  Village 25,   87-109 

Hauberg,  M.  D.     Quoted  on  Indian  Trail .  .   109 
Hay,   John.      Nicolay  &   Hay,  Life  of  Lin- 
coln,   Quoted 38,     43 

Foot-notes     117,  120 

Haynes,    John    C,    Member    of    music    firm 

of    Ditson    and    Havnes,    Boston 70 

Haynie,    William    Duff 72 

Healy,     Patrick    Joseph,     Founder    of    the 

Healy   Music   House,    Chicago 70 

Hegeler,  Edward  C,  Zinc  manufacturer  and 

publisher    of    scientific   periodicals 67 

Helmer,    Lucinda     143,  149 

Helmer,    Melchert    149 

Helmer,    Orlando    154 


211 


INDEX— Continued. 


Henderson  Co.,  Ills 99,  100 

Henderson  County.  History  of  Mercer  and 
Henderson   Counties,   Pub.    1883   by  Hill 

&   Co.,    Quoted 100 

Hennepin,     111 130,  133 

Henry  Co.,  Ills 94,  95-98,  99,  107,  108,  112 

Henry  Co.,  Ill,  Andover  Township 99 

Henry  Co.,  111.,  Clover  Township 99 

Henry  Co.,  111.,   Colona  Township.  .94,   96,  108 

Henry  Co.,  111.,  Cornwall  Township 96-98 

Henry   Co.,    111.,   Lynn   Township 98 

Henry  Co.,  111.,  Osco  Township 96,     98 

Henry    Co.,    111.,    Pink   Prairie 107 

Henry  Co.,  111.,  Sunny  Hill 95 

Henry  Co.,  111.,  Western  Township 96,     98 

Henry,  Patrick,  Statue  in  Richmond,  Vir- 
ginia     200 

Herget,   H.    G 72 

Herman,    John    134 

Herman,  Margaretta,  wife  of  John  Zearing  134 
Herman,  Sally,  sister  of  Mrs.  John  Zearing  135 

Herman,   Sarah  Bright 134 

Herndon  and  Weik,  Life  of  Lincoln,  Quoted 

Foot-note     120 

Heroes    and     Hero    Worship,     by    Carlyle. 

Quoted.      Foot-note 33 

Hickory  Point,  Henry  Co.,  Ill 97 

Hieronymus,  R.  E.  Art  in  Historic  Com- 
munities       25,      54 

Hill   &    Co,    Pubs,    History   of   Mercer    and 

Henderson   Counties.      Pub.   1883 100 

Hilton  Head,  S.  C 194,  195,  196,  197 

Hodge,    Sheldon    108 

Holden,  W.  F.,  Member  of  first  board  of 
directors,  Illinois  Manufacturers  Asso- 
ciation          71 

Holly    Springs,    Miss 167 

Holmes,   Oliver  Wendell 36 

Homan's  Map  of  1687 93 

Home    Missionary    Society 122 

Hooker,  (Gen.)  Joseph.  Confederate  Gen- 
eral, War  of  the  Rebellion 176 

Houston,    Texas    24 

Howe,    Henry,    Ohio   Historical   Collections, 

Quoted.     Foot-notes 77,   78     85 

Hoxie,    H.    M 147 

Hoyt.   Edson    98 

Hoyt,  Wash.  Quoted  on  Indian  Trail.  .98,  99 
Hubbard,  A.  M.  Quoted  on  Indian  Trail  98 
Huidekoper,  (Col.)  Frederic  L.  History 
of  the  Thirty-third  Division,  World  War  16,  29 
Hunt,  David  W.  Quoted  on  Indian  Trail .  .  94 
Huntoon,  John  N.     Quoted  on  IndianTrail. 

„ 95,    96,     98 

Huntoon,   Jonathan    64 

Huntoon,  Nathaniel    95 

Huntsville,    Ala 175,    177    178 

Hurlbut,   (Col.)   Frederick  J.,  Fifty-seventh 

111.  Vol.  Inf.,  War  of  the  Rebellion.  198,  202 
Hurley,  Edward  N 72 


Illinois  and  Michigan  Canal 56,  68,  92,  98 

Illinois    and    Michigan    Canal.     James    M. 

Bucklin,     chief     engineer 98 

Illinois  and  Michigan  Canal.     Statistics '  on  56 

Illinois   Central   Railroad 57 

Illinois  College.      Jacksonville,  111.. 23,   37*,  69 

Illinois    Conference,    Methodist    Church ....  117 
Illinois  Conference,  Methodist  Church,  1832, 
two    new    districts    added,    Chicago    and 

Quincy H7f  118 

Illinois  Country    99 

Illinois  River.. 55,   56,   99,   118,   126,    130,  145 

Illinois  State.     Archaeological  finds  in.  .20,  21 


Illinois  State.  Archives  of  the  State  Di- 
vision of,   to  be  organized 15,     28 

Illinois  State.  Art  in  Historic  communi- 
ties, plea  for    54 

Illinois   State.      Bar  Association 125 

Illinois  State.     Barton,  William  E.,  D.  D., 
LL.D.      The   Influence   of   Illinois   in  the 
Development  of  Abraham  Lincoln.  .25,   32-53 
Illinois  State.     Barton,  William  E.,  D.  D., 

LL.D.      Rhymed    Sermon   on   Illinois 53 

Illinois  State.  Boggess,  Arthur  Clinton. 
Settlement  of  Illinois,  1778-1830.  Foot- 
note           7q 

Illinois  State.      Brown,   Stuart.      Poets  and 

Poetry     of     Illinois 25 

Illinois    State      Cahokia    Mound,    efforts   to 

preserve    29 

Illinois  State.  Centennial  Memorial  Build- 
ing     16,   26,     31 

Illinois  State.      Coal  in,  Area,   Counties  in 

which    it    is    found 57 

Illinois  State.     Coal,  production  in  1918..      57 
Illinois  State.     Could  have  been  called  the 
Keystone    State,    from    her    geographical 

position,   etc    42 

Illinois  State.     Council  of  Defense,  records 
of,     World     War,     turned     over    to     the 
Illinois    State    Historical    Library.  ..  .16,     28 
Illinois    State.      Department    of    Education 

and   Registration    30 

Illinois  State.     Department  of  Public  Works 

and    Buildings     29 

Illinois     State.       Early    settlers     used     the 

waterways    56 

Illinois  State.  Factories  in  1850.  Num- 
ber of  employees,  etc.,   etc 57 

Illinois  State.  Factory  Employees.  United 
States     Census     for     Thirty-two     of     its 

cities    73,     74 

Illinois    State.      Federal    Industrial    returns 

for    1870    58 

Illinois     State.        Ford,      (Gov.)      Thomas. 

History  of  Illinois.     Quoted.  .39,  40,  41,  100 
Illinois  State.     Fourth  State  in  the  Union 

in  population  and  wealth  in  1860 110 

Illinois  State.     General  Assembly,   1863...    169 
Illinois   State.      General  Assembly  proposal 
in    to    separate    northern    Illinois    from 
southern    Illinois.      Reference.     Foot-note     41 
Illinois  State.     Glenn,  John  M.     The  Indus- 
trial Development  of  Illinois 23,  55-74 

Illinois  State.  Hamilton  E.  Bentley.  The 
Union  League.  Its  Organization  and 
Achievements  during  the  Civil  War .... 

25,  110-115 

Illinois  State.  Hauberg,  John.  Indian 
Trails  centering  at  Black  Hawk's  Village 

87-109 

Illinois       State.         Historical       Collections 

See  list,  end  of  this  volume. 
Illinois  State.      Historical  Collections,   Vol, 
II.  Cahokia        Records,        1778-1790. 

Quoted.      Foot-note 85 

Illinois  State.  Historical  Collections,  Vol. 
VIII.       George     Rogers     Clark     Papers, 

1771-1781.     Quoted   99 

Illinois  State.  Historical  Collections.  Kas- 
kaskia     Records,      1778-1790.        Quoted. 

Foot-notes     76,     77 

Illinois  State.     Historical  Library 

6,    11,    12,    16,    27,     29 

Illinois    State.      Historical   Library    Appeal 

for    historical    material 11,     12 

Illinois  State.  Historical  Library.  Coun- 
cil   of   Defense,    records    of,    turned    over 

to    the    library 16 

Illinois  State.  Historical  Library.  Genea- 
ological   Department    27 


212 


INDEX— Continued. 


PAGE. 

Illinois  State.  Historical  Library,  News- 
paper   files     27 

Illinois  State.  Historical  Library  Publica- 
tions.    See  end  of  this  volume. 

Illinois  State.  Historical  Library.  World 
War,  Illinois  in,  history  to  be  published 
by  the  Library 29 

Illinois  State  Historical  Society 

5,  8,  9,  10,  15-31,  100,   126 

Foot-note    45 

Illinois  State  Historical  Society  Appeal  for 
historical   material    11,     12 

Illinois  State  Historical  Society,  appointed 
special  committee  to  mark  Lincoln's  Army 
Trail    Black    Hawk    War 100 

Illinois  State  Historical  Society  Constitu- 
tion     8-10 

Illinois  State  Historical  Society.  Fort 
Creve  Coeur,  Illinois  State  Historical 
Society  appoints  committee  on,  to  mark 
site     16,     30 

Illinois    State    Historical    Society.      Genea- 
logical   report 23,     2* 

Illinois    State    Historical    Society    Journal. 

Quoted     6,    28,    93,     98 

Foot-note    45 

Illinois  State  Historical  Society  Member- 
ship           31 

Illinois  State  Historical  Society.  Officers 
5,     22,     23 

Illinois  State  Historical  Society  Publica- 
tions          31 

See  list  end  of  this  volume. 

Illinois  State  Historical  Society.  Record  of 
Official  Proceedings 15-31 

Illinois  State  Historical  Society.  Report  of 
the   Secretary,   Jesse   Palmer  Weber.  ..  .26-31 

Illinois  State  Historical  Society.  Resolu- 
tions on  the  preservation  of  historic 
sites   21,     22 

Illinois  State.  Illinois  and  the  Unification 
of   the   Nation    40 

Illinois  State.     Illinois  Steel  Company.  .58,     59 

Illinois  State.     Indian  Mounds  in 20,     21 

Illinois    State.      Indians 

20,   21,   87,    109,   133,    134,   136 

Illinois  State.  Industrial  Capital  invested 
in   1850    57 

Illinois  State.  Internal  Improvement  craze 
of    1837     39 

Illinois  State  Interurban  traction  lines, 
telephone  and  other  influences  in  the  in- 
dustrial   development    of    Illinois 58 

Illinois    State.      Iron    and    Steel   industry.  .      59 

Illinois  State.  Is  Illinois  capable  of  pro- 
ducing   more    Lincoln's? 53 

Illinois  State.  Lake  and  River  Transporta- 
tion           40 

Illinois  State.     Lead  mines  at  Galena,  111.  .      57 

Illinois  State.  Lead  mines  in  northwestern 
Illinois    88 

Illinois    State   Library 15,     26 

Illinois  State.  Lincoln,  Abraham.  Illinois 
counts  in  the  development  of  Lincoln. 41,     42 

Illinois  State.  Lincoln,  Abraham.  Illinois 
gave  Lincoln  most  of  his  offices 50,     51 

Illinois  State.  Lincoln,  Abraham.  Illinois 
the  Forum  for  Lincoln's  greatest  speeches     50 

Illinois  State.  Lincoln,  Abraham.  Lin- 
coln's   farewell    to    Illinois .51,     52 

Illinois  State.  "Long  Nine,"  their  influence 
in  the  removal  of  the  Capital  from  Van- 
dalia    to    Springfield 39 

Illinois  State.  Manufactured  products 
value  of  1914 60 

Illinois  State.  Manufactured  products  value 
of    1919.      Foot-note 60 


PAGE. 

Illinois  State.  Manufacturers'  Association 
55,     71,     72 

Illinois  State.  Manufacturers'  Association. 
First  board  of  directors 71 

Illinois  State.  Manufacturers'  Association. 
List   of   presidents 72 

Illinois  State.  Manufacturers'  Association. 
Members  of,  prominent  in  World  War 
Work     72 

Illinois  State  Manufacturing  industry  be- 
ginnings         57 

Illinois  State.  Manufacturing  number  of 
people  employed  in  the  State 74 

Illinois  State.  Meat  Packing  Industry, 
beginnings,    data   on   present    statistics..      58 

Illinois  State.  Meat  Packing  Industry, 
leads  the   world 74 

Illinois   State.      Park   Commission 15,     29 

Illinois  State  Park.  Commission  bill, 
Reference    15 

Illinois  State.  Parks  and  Preserves.  An 
Act  in  relation  to,  House  Bill  No.  310.  .      21 

Illinois  State.  Patents  granted  to  Illi- 
noisans   in   1881 58 

Illinois    State.       Pease,     Theodore     Calvin, 

Editor  Vol.  2,  Centennial  History  of  Illi- 
nois. The  Frontier  State,  1818-1848. 
Quoted.      Foot-notes    117,  120 

Illinois  State.  Pope,  Nathaniel.  His  work 
in  extending  the  northern  boundary  of 
the  State 40,     41 

Illinois   State.      Prairies  of  Illinois 

32,   54,   56,   95,   99,   100,   102,   104,  109 

Illinois  State.  Rail  mill,  first  one  estab- 
lished  in  1857    57 

Illinois  State.  Railroads.  First  one  North- 
ern   Cross    R.    R 56 

Foot-note    56 

Illinois  State.     Railroads  in  1848 145 

Illinois  State.  Railroads  number  of  miles 
in    57 

Illinois  State.  Resources  and  transporta- 
tion     56,     57 

Illinois  State.  Reynolds,  (Gov.)  John, 
"My    Own    Times."      Quoted 100 

Illinois  State.  Reynolds,  (Gov.)  John, 
Pioneer  History  of  Illinois.  Quoted. 
Foot-note    79- 

Illinois  State.  Salt  mining,  early  industry 
in    57 

Illinois  State.  Slavery.  Illinois  and 
Slavery    46,     47 

Illinois  State.  Supreme  Court  case  of 
Bailey   vs.    Cromwell 46 

Illinois  State.  Sweet,  William  W.  Peter 
Cartwright  in  the  History  of  Illinois.  . 
25,     116-123 

Illinois  State.  Taft,  Lorado.  Illinois  His- 
tory  and   Ideals   of   Beauty 25 

Illinois    State.      Transportation    in 56,     57 

Illinois  State.  Union  Car  Works  begun  in 
1852      58 

Illinois  State.  Union  League  of  America, 
Illinois  first  State  Council  held  in  Bloom- 
ington,   Sept.   5,  1862 112 

Illinois  State.  Union  League  membership 
in    the    State 114 

Illinois  State.  Union  League  Oath.  Offi- 
cers,   etc    H21 

Illinois  State.     University  of  Illinois 

23,  30,     54 

Illinois  State.  University,  Art  extension 
committee    54 

Illinois  State.  University.  Better  com- 
munity conference    54 

Illinois  State.  Wesleyan  University,  Bloom- 
ington,    111.      Foot-note 122 


213 


INDEX— Continued. 


Illinois  State.     War  of  the  Rebellion.    Legis- 
lature   of    Illinois    appropriates    money.  .    110 
Illinois  State.    War  of  the  Rebellion.     Sev- 
enth Reg.   111.   Vols 162,  188 

Illinois     State.       War     of     the     Rebellion. 

Twelfth   Reg.    111.    Vols 166,  188 

Illinois  State.     War  of  the  Rebellion.   Fif- 
tieth  Reg.    111.    Vols 162 

Illinois     State.       War     of     the     Rebellion. 

Fifty-first   Reg.    111.    Vols 158 

Illinois      State.         War      of       the      Rebellion. 

Fifty-seventh  Reg.  111.  Vols 151,  162,  188 

Illinois       State.        War       of      the       Rebellion. 

Ninety-third   Reg.    111.    Vols 170,  175 

Illinois  State.     World  War.     History  of  the 
33rd  Division.      By  Lieut.    Col.   Frederic 

L.    Huidekoper    16 

Illinois    State.      Zearing   family,    early   set- 
tlers    in     Illinois 129,  138 

Illinois    Territory 50 

Illinois  Territory,  Pope,  Nathaniel,  delegate 

in    Congress    from    40 

Independence     Hall,     Philadelphia 112 

Indian    Lovers'    Spring 89 

Indian    Mounds    88,     89 

Indian  Relics    18,   20,     21 

Indian    Trails    24,    25,    87-109 

Indian    Trails    Centering   at   Black    Hawk's 

Village.     By  John  H.  Hauberg 25,  87-109 

Indian   Harbor    62 

Indiana  State    '. 

32,  34,  35,  36,  44,  47,  55,  116,   117 

Indiana     State.      In     the     development     of 

Lincoln     34 

Indiana    State    Legislature 150 

Indiana  State.     Spencer  Co.,  Ind 35,     36 

Indianapolis,    Ind.     Foot-note 52 

Indians 11,  12,  20,  21,  55,  75,  76,  77, 

78,   79,    87-109,    117,    133,    134,  136 

Indians.     Armstrong,   Perry  A.     The    Sauks 
and  the  Black  Hawk  War.    Reference .... 

90,     91,  107 

Indians.     Black  Hawk,  Fox  and  Sac  Chief 

87,    99,    106,    107,   109 

Indians.     Black  Hawk's  Village 

93,    99,    100,    102,    104,  106 

Indians.     Black  Hawk  War,  1832 

88,    90,    98,    106,   107 

Indians.      Black  Hawk's  Watch   Tower .... 

20,    22,    87,    89,    90,     91 

Indians.     Durham,    (Mrs.)    Mary    Brackett. 
Poem    on    Black    Hawk's    Watch    Tower. 

Extract    from    89 

Indians.      Finley,     (Rev.)    James    B.     Life 
Among  the  Indians.     Quoted.     Foot-note     85 

Indians.      Fox    Indians 87-109 

Indians.     Fox  Village 87,     88 

Indians.      Great   Sauk   Trail... 88,    93-109 

Indians.        Handbook     American      Indians, 

Vol.    I.      Quoted 107 

Indians.        Hauberg,      John      H.        Indian 
Trails      Centering      at      Black      Hawk's 

Village    25,    87-109 

Indians.     Illinois    

20,    21,    87-109,    117,    133,    134,   136 

Indians.      Illinois   State   Indian   Mounds   in 

20,     21 

Indians.      Keokuk    Indian    Chief 109 

Indians.     Mesquaki  Indians 87 

Indians.       Pash-e-pa-ho     109 

Indians.       Pottawatomie     Indians 97,  117 

Indians.      Saukenuk    (The   Sauk   Village) .  .      91 
Indians.      Sauk    and    Fox    Trail    or    Great 

Sauk  Trail    88,    93-109 

Indians.     Sauk  Indians    87-109 

Indians.     Sauk  Village 87 

Indians.      Steward,   John  F.      Sac  and  Fox 
Trail.      Reference     83 


PAGE. 

Indians.  Wa-bo-kie-shiek.         Winnebago 

Prophet     107 

Indians.     Winnebago  Indians 88,  107 

Industrial    Development     of     Illinois.       By 

John    M.    Glenn 25,    55-74 

Iowa  State    44,    99,  188 

Iowa  State.     River  and  Harbor  Convention 
at    Chicago,    1847,    twelve    delegates    to, 

from  Iowa   44 

Iowa      State.        War      of      the      Rebellion. 

Thirty-ninth    Reg.    111.    Vols 188 

Iowa   Territory    92 

Ireland,  Kilkenny,  Ireland 66 

Iron  and  Steel  Industry  in  Illinois 59 

Irwin,  Mr.,  Lamoille,   111 179 

Isaacs,    (Dr.)    M.    A 153,    158,  159 

Island  of   Rock   Island 89,   90,     91 

Island  No.    10.     War  of  the  Rebellion 110 

Italy     H3 

Iuka,   Mississippi    160,   161,  164 


Jackson,    (Pres.)    Andrew    38,119 

Jackson,    Lieut 190 

Jackson,    Miss 161,    163,    164,  170 

Jacksonville,  111 18,   23,   74,   118,  145 

Jacksonville,  111.  Census  figures  on  popula- 
tion   and    manufacturing    interests 74 

Jacksonville,  111.  Illinois  Conference  dis- 
trict-, M.  E.  Church 118 

Jacksonville,  111.  Northern  Cross  Rail- 
road completed  to  Jan.  1,  1840.  Foot- 
note          55 

Jahns'  Farm,  Rock  Island  Co.,  Ill 103 

James,    Edmund    J 23 

James,  (Prof.)  James,  Alton  16,  17,  23,  30,     31 
James,    (Prof.)    James,   Alton.      Invited   to 
deliver  a  course  of  lectures  at  the  Uni- 
versity  of    Prague   in   Bohemia 17,     31 

James,  (Prof.)  James,  Alton.  Member  of 
committee  Illinois  State  Historical  So- 
ciety   on    marking    site    of    Fort    Creve 

Coeur     16,     30 

James,  (Prof)  James,  Alton.  To  deliver 
lectures  at  the  University  of  Prague   in 

Bohemia    17,     31 

James,    (Mrs.)    James,  Alton 17 

James   River,    Virginia 200 

Jamison    (Mrs.)    Isabel 22 

Jefferson  County,  Deed  Record  A.  Foot- 
note           86 

Jefferson,  Thomas,  Statue  of  in  Richmond, 

Virginia     200 

Jellif ,    Fred    R 19 

Jenison,  (Miss)  Marguerite.  In  charge  of 
the   War    History   section,    Illinois    State 

Historical    Library    28 

Jessup,  Morris  K.   and  Co 68 

Jessup,    William,    Member    of    English    firm 

of   William    Jessup   &    Sons 68 

Johnnie    Smoker,     (Dr.)     J.     R.     Zearing's 

horse     141,  146 

Johnson,     (Pres.)     Andrew 115,201 

Johnson,    (Major)    E.    S.,    Custodian  of  the 

Lincoln  monument.     Death  of 27 

Johnson,     George    H.       Quoted    on    Indian 

Trail    98,     99 

Johnston,  (Gen.)  Albert  Sidney,  Confeder- 
ate General,  War  of  the  Rebellion 

106,  172,  177,  178,  183,  198 

Johnston,    (Lieut.)   Albert  Sidnev.     Life  of 

Reference 106 

Johnstown,    Pa 140,  143 

Joliet,  111  Census  figures  on  population 
and   manufacturing  interests 73 


214 


INDEX— Continued. 


Joliet,   111.     Chicago  and  Joliet  R.  R 68 

Joliet,  111.     Iron  and  steel  company 59 

Joliet,   111.      Steel  and  rolling  mills 60 

Joliet,    Louis 55,     56 

Jones,  J.  A.  Member  of  Union  League, 
Tazewell  Co.,  one  of  the  secret  body- 
guard  to   protect   Lincoln   at   his   second 

inaugural     115 

Jones,    (Miss)    Lotte   E 22,     30 

Jones,   Morgan    147 

Jonesboro,     Ga 187 

Joy,   (Mercer  Co.)  Ill 100 

K 

Kankakee,   111 19,    61,     74 

Kankakee,  111.    Census  figures  on  population 

and    manufacturing    interests 74 

Kankakee  Co.,  111.     Historical  Society.  ...      19 

Kankakee,   111.      Manufacturies    61 

Kansas  State 46,  47,  48,  49,  64,  109 

Kansas  State  Historical  Society  Collections 

XII     Quoted    109 

Kansas  State.  Kansas-Nebraska  Bill.  Par- 
ker, (Col.)  John  A.     "The  Secret  History 

of    the    Kansas-Nebraska    Bill" 47 

Kansas  State.  Kansas-Nebraska  Bill.  Prac- 
tically  nationalized   slavery 49 

Kansas  State.  Kansas-Nebraska  Bill.  Re- 
pealed  the   Missouri   Compromise 46 

Kaskaskia   21,     76 

Foot-notes    76,     77 

Kaskaskia.      Center  of   French  influence  in 

the   upper   Mississippi   Valley 21 

Kaskaskia  Records.  Illinois  Historical  Col- 
lections, Vol.  V.     Quoted.     Foot-note. 76,     77 

Kaufman,   (Rep.)  Harlan  B 29 

Keene,  N.   H. .  .Foot-note    43 

Keithsburg,    Ills 101 

Kelly,  (Miss)  Mary  Lydia.  Quoted  on  In- 
dian   Trail 92 

Kendall,    (Dr.)    180 

Kennedy,     Col.,     of     Harrisburg.     War     of 

1812     135,  143 

Kennesaw    Mts 180 

Kentucky  State  

32,   34,   35,   42,   44,   99,   116,   119,  171 

Kentucky  State.     Influence  of  in  the  life  of 

Lincoln     34 

Kentucky    State    Raiders 171 

Kentucky  State.  River  and  Harbor  Conven- 
tion   at    Chicago,    1847,    two    delegates 

from    Kentucky    44 

Keokuk,    Indian   Chief 87,  109 

Kewanee,  111 74,     97 

Kewanee,  111.    Census  figures  on  population 

and    manufacturing    interests 74 

Kilkenny,    Ireland 66 

Killing  Estate 107 

Killing,     William     95 

Kingston,    Ga 177,  179 

Kinzie,  (Mrs.)  John  K.  (Juliette  A.)  Wau- 
bun.      The  Early  Day  in  the  Northwest. 

Quoted      93,     94 

Kirkham's   Grammar.      Studied  by  Lincoln     36 
Knapp,      (Mrs.)      Charles     E.        Historian, 

Springfield   Chapter   D.    A.    R 24 

Knights   of   the    Golden   Circle.      Source   of 

the  origin  of Ill 

Knights  of  the  Golden  Circle.     War  of  the 

Rebellion      Ill 

Knob  Creek,  Ky 35 

Foot-note     35 

Knott,  Proctor    34 

Knox  Co.,  Ill 19,  98,     99 

Knox  Co.,  111.  Chapman,  C.  C.  &  Co.  His- 
tory of  Knox  Co.,  Pub.  1878 99 

Knox  Co.,  Ill  Historical  Society  Officers.  ...      19 
Knox,   S.    M.,   Princeton,   111 137 


PAGE. 

L 

Lacey,    James    H 19' 

LaGrange,  111 21 

Lake  Michigan    40,   41,   55,     5& 

Lake  Superior    58,     59 

Lamon,  Ward.     Life  of  Lincoln.  Quoted.  ...      38 
Lamont,    111.    Listed    among   the    manufac- 
turing towns  in  Illinois 62 

Lanark,   (Carroll  Co.)  Ill 64 

LaRue    Co.,    Ky 34 

LaSalle    Co.,    Ill 57,    112,144 

LaSalle,  111 62,  67,  68,  74,   145 

LaSalle,   111.     Census  figures  on  population 

and  manufacturing   interests 74 

LaSalle,    111.      Manufacturies 62 

LaSalle,     111.       Western     Clock     Company 

located  in    68 

LaSalle,    111.      Zinc    works 67,     68 

LaSalle  Rene  Robert  Sieur  de 110> 

LaSalle  Rene  Robert  Sieur  de.  Fort  Creve 
Coeur  site  of,  to  be  marked  by  Illinois 

State  Historical  Society 30 

Laughlin,  Daniel    101 

Lawrence,  George  A.,  Vice  president  Illinois 

State    Historical    Society 23 

Lays    Ford,    Ga 177,  179* 

Lead  Mines  at  Galena,  111 91 

Lead  Mines  in  northwestern  Illinois 88 

Lead  Mines  in  Wisconsin 88 

LeCare,     Iowa 92,     95 

Lee,    Charles 83 

Lee    County,    111 144 

Lee,    (Lieut.)    James   W 175 

Lee,    (Mrs.)    Mary 30 

Lee,  (Gen.)  Robert  E.,  Confederate  General 

War  of  the  Rebellion 178,  196,  197,  199- 

Letters  of  Dr.  James  Roberts  Zearing  to  his 

wife  during  the  Civil  War 150-202" 

Letters.      W.    M.    Zearing    to    Mrs.    James 

Roberts  Zearing 175,  17& 

Lewis,    (Mrs.)   Member  of  Col.  Davenport's 

household  on  the  Island  of  Rock  Island .  .      89> 
Library    of    Congress    Archives,    Bureau    of 
Rolls  and  Library.     Papers  and  Records 
of  the   Territories.      Quoted.      Foot-notes 

76,  78,  79,  82,     86 

Library  of  Congress.  Papers  of  the  Con- 
tinental  Congress.      Foot-note 76 

Lincoln,  Abraham 15,  16,  20,  21,  25, 

30,   32-53,    88,   100,    101,   103,   104,   105, 
107,   108,   110,   115,   120,   121,   126,   142,  143 

Foot-notes   32,  45,  52,  117,   120 

Lincoln,  Abraham.     Arnold,  Isaac  N.,  Life 

of  Lincoln.     Reference    32,   33,  42,     43 

Foot-note    32 

Lincoln,  Abraham.  Arnold,  Isaac  N. 
Quoted  on  Lincoln  and  his  home  in  Illi- 
nois     32,     33 . 

Foot-note    32 

Lincoln,  Abraham,  Assassinated  April  14, 
1865.  Funeral  and  journey  of  body  from 
Washington  to  Springfield,  Illinois.  Foot- 
note         52 

Lincoln,  Abraham.  Attends  the  River  and 
Harbor  Convention  of  1847  held  in  Chi- 
cago      43,     44 

Lincoln,  Abraham.  Barton,  William  E. 
D.  D.,  LL.  D.  The  Influence  of  Illinois 
in  the  Development  of  Abraham  Lincoln 

25,     32-53 

Lincoln,  Abraham.  Black  Hawk  War.  Lin- 
coln  Captain   in   the   War 

88,    100,    104,    105,  107 

Lincoln,  Abraham.  Black  Hawk  War,  Cap- 
tain in,  Camp  site.     Reference 104,  105 

Lincoln,  Abraham.  Black  Hawk  War. 
Camped  at  Pink  Prairie,  Henry  County, 
Illinois 107 


215 


INDEX— Continued. 


Lincoln,  Abraham.  Black  Hawk  War.  Lin- 
coln's   Army    Trail 

Lincoln,  Abraham.  Books  read  by,  in  early 
days  in  Indiana    

Lincoln,  Abraham,  Candidate  for  the  Legis- 
lature,  defeat    

Lincoln,  Abraham.  Clay,  Henry,  Lincoln 
a  disciple  of  Henry  Clay 

Lincoln,  Abraham,  Cooper  Institute  speech. 
Reference     

Lincoln,  Abraham.  Curran,  (Judge)  Will- 
iam Reid,  Address  on  Lincoln.     Reference 

Lincoln,  Abraham.  Defeats  Peter  Cart- 
wright  for  Member  of  Congress 120, 

Lincoln,    Abraham.      Early    Education.  .36, 

Lincoln,  Abraham.  A  factor  in  Illinois 
life  during  early  transportation 

Lincoln,  Abraham.  Fence-rails  made  by 
Lincoln  carried  into  the  Republican  Con- 
vention of  1860  at  Decatur,  111 

Lincoln,  Abraham.  Gives  aid  and  sanction 
to  the  Union  League 

Lincoln,  Abraham.  Herndon  and  Weik. 
Life    of    Lincoln.      Quoted.      Foot-note.  . 

Lincoln,  Abraham.  House  divided  against 
itself.  Speech  June  17,  1858.  Refer- 
ence      

Lincoln,  Abraham.  House  divided  against 
itself.  Speech  June  17,  1858.  Extract 
from     

Lincoln,  Abraham,  Illinois  counts  in  the 
development    of    Lincoln 41, 

Lincoln,  Abraham.  Illinois  favored  Lin- 
coln's   political    ambition 37, 

Lincoln,  Abraham.  Illinois  gave  Lincoln 
most  of  his  offices 50, 

Lincoln,  Abraham.  Illinois  stimulated 
Lincoln's  love  of  learning 

Lincoln,  Abraham.  Illinois  the  Forum  for 
Lincoln's    greatest   speeches 

Lincoln,  Abraham.  Illinois  the  scene  of  the 
Convention  that  nominated  Lincoln,  1860 

Lincoln,  Abraham.  Indiana  State  in  the 
development    of   Lincoln 

Lincoln,  Abraham.  Lamon,  Ward.  Life  of 
Lincoln.      Quoted    

Lincoln,  Abraham.  Lincoln  &  Berry  store 
in   New   Salem 

Lincoln,  Abraham,  Lincoln  Circuit  Marking 
Association    15,    21,    30, 

Lincoln,  Abraham.  Lincoln-Douglas  De- 
bates,  1858    21,    48,    49,    107, 

Lincoln,  Abraham.  Lincoln  Tree  in  Black 
Hawk    Township,    Rock    Island    Co.,    111. 

_    • 103, 

Lincoln,  Abraham.  Lost  speech  at  Bloom- 
ington,  111.,  May  20,  1856.     Reference.. 

Lincoln,  Abraham.  Lowden,  (Hon.)  Frank 
Orren,  offers  fund  to  mark  Lincoln's 
Army  Trail,  Black  Hawk  War 

Lincoln,  Abraham.  Marking  the  sites  con- 
nected with  Mr.  Lincoln's  life  in  Spring- 
field, Illinois 

Lincoln,  Abraham.  Member  House  of  Rep- 
resentatives,   State   of   Illinois,    1837 

Lincoln,  Abraham.  Missouri  Compromise 
recalled   him   to   political   activity 

Lincoln,  Abraham,  Morse,  John  T.,  Jr. 
Abraham  Lincoln,  Statesman.     Quoted  38, 

Lincoln,   Abraham.      Nicolay  &  Hay.      Life 

of    Lincoln.     Quoted 38, 

Foot-notes     117, 

Lincoln,  Abraham.  Nominated  by  the  State 
Republican  Convention,  June  17,  1858, 
for  United   States  Senator 

Lincoln,  Abraham.  Nominated  for  the 
presidency  at  the  National  Republican 
Convention  held  in   Chicago,   May,    1860 


Lincoln,    Abraham.      Offered    the   governor- 

100  ship  of  Oregon.      Reference 42 

Lincoln,   Abraham.      Peoria  speech  of  Oct. 

36  16,    1854.      Reference -     50 

Lincoln,    Abraham.       Post-master    at    New 

50  Salem      50 

Lincoln,    Abraham.      Proctor,    Edna    Dean. 

38  Poem  on  Lincoln,   extract  from 53 

Lincoln,    Abraham.       Second     inauguration 

50  Reference     115 

Lincoln,    Abraham.      Slavery    case,    in    the 

126  Supreme  Court  of  Illinois 46,     47 

Lincoln,  Abraham.     Slavery  opposition  to  46-50 
121        Lincoln,     Abraham.       Springfield,     Illinois. 

37  Marking  of  places  connected  with  the  life 
of  Lincoln   in  Springfield 16 

40        Lincoln,  Abraham.     Tarbell,  (Miss)   Ida  M. 

Life   of   Lincoln,    Reference 43 

Lincoln,  Abraham  Visits  Chicago.  Foot-note     45 

51  Lincoln,   Abraham.      War   of   the   Rebellion 
Call    for    Volunteers 110 

110        Lincoln,  Abraham.      Whitman,  Walt,  Poem- 

on   Lincoln    52 

120        Lincoln,  Abraham.     Colored  servant  of  Dr. 

J.  R.  Zearing 142 

Lincoln  Circuit  Marking  Association 

48,      50  15,   21,   30,   126 

Lincoln-Douglas  Debates,    1858 

21,    48,    49,    107,   142 

48  Lincoln  Family,  notable  influence  of  a  short 
migration    35 

42  Lincoln   Home,  Springfield,   111.      Efforts  to 
preserve    against  fire,    plans   to    purchase 

38  adjacent  property 15,    29,     30 

Lincoln,   111.     Census  figures  on  population 

51  and   manufacturing   interests 74 

Lincoln  Monument.     Fay,  Herbert  W.     Cus- 

36  todian    of    the    Lincoln    Monument 27 

Lincoln,  Robert  T.,  Son  of  Abraham  Lincoln     30 

50  Lincoln,   Thomas,   Father  of  Abraham  Lin- 
coln     35,    36,     38 

51  Foot-note      35 

Lincoln,     Thomas.        Migration     of,     from 

34  Kentucky   to   Indiana    35 

Foot-note    35 

38        Lincoln    Tree    in    Black    Hawk    Township, 

Rock  Island  -County,   Illinois 103,  105 

37  Lincoln's  Army  Trail,  Black  Hawk  War.  .  .    100 
Linton,    (Mr.)  Mentioned  in  Zearing  letters  170 

126        Linton,  (Mrs.)  Mentioned  in  Zearing  letters 

166,     170,  174 

142        Little,   (Dr.)  C.  F.  Princeton,  111 137 

Little   Ogeechee   River,    Ga 190,  191 

Little,   R.    E.    Quoted   on   Indian   Trail 106 

105        Little's  Farm,  Rock  Island  County,  Illinois  105 
Livingston    Co.,    Ill 124 

50  Lodge,    William    F 21,     22 

Logan,     (Gen.)     John    A.      Union    General 

War  of  the  Rebellion 144,  176 

100        Long   Island,    N.    Y 24 

"Long   Nine"   Members   of   Illinois   Legisla- 
ture their  influence  in  the  removal  of  the 

30  Capital  from  Vandalia  to  Springfield 39 

Long  Wharf,   Boston 37 

46  Louisiana   Purchase    46 

Louisiana   State    148 

47  Louisville,    Ky 144,   149,   173,   174,   202 

Lovejoy,   Owen .  .    136 

43  Lovel,    (Gen.)    Mansfield.     Confederate  Gen- 
eral War  of  the   Rebellion 163,  164 

43        Lowden,  (Hon.)  Frank  Orren  offers  fund  to 
120  mark   route    of   Lincoln's   Army   Trail   in 

Black    Hawk    War 100 

Lowell,    Mass 64 

49  Luther,  Martin    143 

Lyford,   (Dr.)   Jeremiah  M.  D 1  .  .      92 

Lyford,  (Dr.)  William  H.  Quoted  on  Indian 

51  Trail    91,     92 


216 


INDEX— Continued. 


PAGE. 


Lyon,    George   W.    Member    of   the    firm   of 

~Lyon  &  Healy,  Music  House  Chicago.  ...  70 
Lyon,     (Gen.)     Nathaniel,    Union    General, 

War  of  the  Rebellion 110 

Lusitania,  Ship  Torpedoed,  World  War....  72 

Lyles,     (Dr.)     A.    L 31 

Lynn  Township,  Henry  Co.,  Ill 98 


M 

McAfee,  Robert  B.  History  of  the  late 
war     in     the     western     country,      1816. 

Quoted    92 

McAllister,    Fort,    Ga 191 

MacArthur,     Petet     M.      Secretary    of    the 

Manlius-Rutland     Historical     Society 20 

McClernand,       (Gov.)       John      A.       Union 

General.     War  of  the  Rebellion 39 

McCormick,   Cyrus  H 63,     65 

McCormick,     Cyrus     H.       Founder    of    the 

Harvester   organization    63 

McCoy,    (Judge),   of    (Macon  Co.) 20 

McFarland,      (Dr.)      Andrew,     Member     of 

Union    League    of    America 112 

McGovern,      (Mrs.)      Margaret 101 

Mcllvaine,    (Miss)    Caroline    M.      Librarian 

of  the  Chicago  Historical   Society 28 

McKendree    College,    Lebanon,    111 122 

Foot-note    122 

McLean    Co.,    Ill 112,  117 

McMaster,  John  Bach.  History  of  the 
People    of    the    United    States.      Quoted. 

Foot-note   123 

McNiff,    Patrick    \  \ .      79 

Macon    Co.,    Ill 20,   112 

Macon   Co.   Historical   Society 20 

Macon,  Ga   186,  187,   191 

Macon,    Ga.     R.    R 186,   187 

Macoupin    Co.,    Ill 57,     qq 

McPherson,  (Gen.)  James  B.  Union  Gen- 
eral  War   of   the   Rebellion 144,    176,    185 

Madden,    Martin    B 72 

Maguire,  Terence.  Partner  with  Ludwig 
Wolff  in  general  plumbing  and  copper- 
smithing     66 

Maine  State.  River  and  Harbor  Conven- 
tion,   Chicago,    1847,    two    delegates    to, 

from    Maine     44 

Maiden,    (Bureau   Co.)    Ill 97,    145,   195 

Manlius-Rutland,    111.,    Historical    Society.  .      20 
Mansur,    Alvah.      Pioneer    manufacturer    of 

agricultural    implements    in    Illinois ....      64 
Manzer,     (Capt.)     A.     H.       Co.     B.     Fifty- 
seventh    111.    Vol.    Inf.     War    of    the    Re- 
bellion      156,     158,  159 

Maps.      Homan's  map  of  1687.      Reference.      93 

Marietta,   Ohio    82 

Marion  Co.,  Ill 57 

Marquette,     (Father)     James 55 

Marietta,   Ga 180,    182,    184,   188 

Marseilles,    111     20 

Marsh,    (Dr.)   ■ — — — .     (Surgeon-in-chief  of 

division.)      War    of   the   Rebellion 182 

Marshall,  Austin   95 

Marshall   Co.,    Ill    112 

Marshall,    Texas    147 

Maryland    State    46 

Mason    and    Dixon's    Line 4,     46 

Mason,    George,    Statue    of,    in    Richmond 

Va      200 

Masons,     Fraternal     organization 135,  142 

Massachusetts  State    

24,   44,   45,   63,   64,   65,  112 

Massachusetts    State.      Akron,    Mass 63 

Massachusetts    State.      Barnstable,    Mass...      65 

Massachusetts  State.     Boston,  Mass 65 

Massachusetts    State.      Brighton,    Mass....      65 


Massachusetts    State.      Lowell,    Mass 64 

Massachusetts  State.  River  and  Harbor 
Convention  at  Chicago,  1847,  twelve  dele- 
gates  to,    from    Massachusetts 44 

Masters.      Princeton,    111.,    photographer...    145 

Matson,  N.     Quoted  on  Indian  Trail 97 

Matson,    N.      Reminiscences   of   Bureau   Co. 

Quoted    97 

Matthiessen,    Frederick    W 67,     68 

Mattoon,  111.     Census  figures  on  population 

and   manufacturing   interests 74 

May   William.      Northwest  Territory 82 

Mayer    Levy    72 

Mayflower  Celebrations.     Ter-Centenary.23,     24 

Mayflower  Descendant.     Periodical 24 

Maywood,  111.  Listed  among  the  manu- 
facturing towns  in  Illinois 62 

Mead,     (Gen.)     George.       Union     General. 

War    of    the    Rebellion 201 

Mechanicsville,    Pa     129 

Medill,   Joseph.      Member  of  Union  League 

of    America     H2 

Meese,    William    A 16,    30,100 

Memphis,  Tenn 151,  162,  168,  170,  171 

Menard   Co.,    Ill •  •      40 

Mendelssohn-  Bartholdy,        Jakob        Ludwig 

Felix   I43 

Mercer  and  Henderson  Counties,  Illinois. 
History    of,    Hill    &    Co.,    Pubs.,     1883. 

Quoted    1$9 

Mercer  Co.,   Ill 87,   100,   101,   102,  104 

Mercer  Co.,  111.     Camp  Creek  in 104 

Mercer   Co.,    111.      Millersburg    Township..    101 

Mercer  Co.,  111.     Perryton  Township 

100,     101,  102 

Me'redosia,  *  111.     56>  i4^ 


Foot-note 


Meredosia,    111.      Northern    Cross    Railroad 
extended    to     


Foot-note 


56 


50 


Merriam,  Jonathan.     Member  of  the  Union 

League   of   America Ill 

Mesquaki  Indians    •  •.•  •  ■  ■  •      8 ' 

Methodist      Church.         Asbury,       (Bishop) 

Francis,    of    the    Methodist    Church 122 

Methodist     Church.       Beggs,     Stephen     R- 

Pioneer  Preacher    J1 ' 

Foot-note    •  •  •  •  •  •  •  • iX ' 

Methodist    Church.      Finley,    (Rev.)    James 

B.       Sketches     of     Western     Methodism. 

Quoted.      Foot-note    •  •  •  • \l* 

Methodist  Church.  Illinois  Conference...  117 
Methodist      Church.        Methodist      Review. 


Quoted.      Foot-note . 


123 


Methodist     Church.        Minutes     of     Annual 

Conferences,       1873.         Quoted  Foot- 

notes 117,  11°>    iiy 

Methodist" 'Church.  ,    Sweet,     William     W 

Peter  Cartwright  in  Illinois  History.  .116-123 
Methodist     Church.       Sweet      William     W. 

Rise  of  Methodism  in  the  West.    Quoted. 

Foot-note      ■ ■ •'  ' 

Methodist    Church.      Walker,    Jesse.      P10- 

neer    preacher     •  •  •  ■  •  •  •  y  ' 

Methodist   Church.     Wesley,   John,  founder 

of   Methodism    *■" 

Methodist  Church.     Western  Conferences..   116 

Foot-note    116 

Metropolis,    111.      Manufactures 62 

Mexico    

Meyercord,  George  R 72 

Michigan  State 22,  44,  45,   57,  59,     93 

Foot-note    4? 

Michigan  State.     Detroit,  Mich 59 

Michigan    State.      Historical    Commission..      22 
Michigan   State.      Wyandotte,    Mich 59 


217 


INDEX— Continued. 


47 


47 


47 


Milan,    (Rock  Island  Co.)    Ill 

92,    94,    103,    105,   107 

Milan,    Ga 191 

Mill  Greek   94 

Milledgeville,    Ga     191 

Miller,    (Mrs.)    I.    G 21,      22 

Miller,    William    H 102,    103,   105 

Miller,     William     H.       Quoted    on     Indian 

Trail    102,   103 

Millersburg,   (Mercer  Co.)   Ill 101,   106 

Millersburg   Township,   Mercer  Co.,   111....    101 

Mills,    (Capt. )    John    M 166 

Milton,   Poet    142 

Milwaukee,    Wis    59,    65,     66 

Miner,    (Miss)    Hannah 24 

Miner,    (Mrs.)    Lewis   H 24 

Minor    Family     24 

Minor,  Manasseh.  The  Diary  of  Manasseh 
Minor,    Stonington,    Conn.,    1697-1720...      24 

Mississippi   River    35,   40,    45, 

46,  55,  56,  61,  75,  76,  77,  87,  88,  90,  91, 

92,  97,  99,  100,  106,  118,  130,  158,  160,  171 

Mississippi    State 172 

Mississippi   Valley    21 

Missouri  Compromise.  Atchison,  David  R. 
Credited  with  the  authorship  of  the  Re- 
peal  of   the   Missouri   Compromise 

Missouri  Compromise.  Douglas,  Stephen 
Arnold,     leader     in     the     repeal     of     the 

Missouri    Compromise    

Missouri  Compromise.  Price,  (Judge) 
William    C.      His   part   in  the   repeal   of 

the    Missouri    Compromise 

Missouri  Compromise.  Ray,  (Prof.)  P. 
Orman.       The    Repeal    of    the     Missouri 

Compromise      47 

Missouri      Compromise.        Repeal      of     the 

Missouri  Compromise    46,  47,  48,     49 

Missouri   River    99 

Missouri  State 

35,   42,   44,   46,   47,   48,  49,   59,   99,   110,   153 

Foot-note     35 

Missouri    State.      Admitted    to    the    Union 

as  a  slave  state 46 

Missouri    State.      Iron    Mountain    district .  .      59 
Missouri      State.        Missouri      Compromise, 

Repeal  of 46,47,48,     49 

Missouri  State.  River  and  Harbor  Con- 
vention at  Chica~o,  1847,  forty-five  dele- 
gates to,   from   Missouri 44 

Missouri       State.         Universitv,       Medical 

Dept     * 143 

Missouri  State.     War  of  the  Rebellion.  110,  153 

Mitchell,    Joseph     135 

Mitchell,    Phil.      Quoted    on    Indian   Trails. 

Rock  Island    89,      90 

Mitchell,     (Dr.)     Weir 135 

Mitchell,     (William)      School,     Harrisburg, 

Pa     135 

Mobile,  Alabama    37,   178,  187 

Moline,   111 61,   62,  63,   64,   73,   88,      94 

Moline,    111.      Census   figures   on   population 

and    manufacturing    interests     73 

Moline,   111.      Indian  Trails  about   Moline..      88 
Moline,    111.      John    Deere    Plow    Company 

located   in    63 

Moline,  111.     Manufacturies 61,     62 

Moline,    111.      Plow   Company 63, 

Moline,    111.      Plow    factory    second    largest 

in  the  world  located   in  Moline 

Moline,    111.      Sechler    Carriage   Company.  . 

Montgomery  &  Alabama  R.    R 

Montgomery  Co.,   Tenn 64 

Montgomery,    Dan     101 

Montgomery,   Hart.     Member  of  the  Union 

League   of   America Ill 

Montgomery,    (Col.)    John 99,    101,  102 

Montgomery,  John.  Quoted  on  Indian 
Trail    101,   102 


64 

64 
64 

187 


PAGE. 

Moore,     Ensley.       Vice    President,     Illinois 

State    Historical    Society 18,    21,     23 

Morgan    Co.,    Ill 18,    112,117 

Morgan  Co.,  111.     Historical  Society 18 

Morgan    Family    24 

Morgan,   Francis.     An  early  Virginia   Bur- 
gess       24 

Mormons.      Exodus  to    Salt   Lake,   Utah   in 

1855      66 

Morris   Co.      Chicago    Meat   Packers.  ..  .58,     6o 
Morris,     Nelson.       Founder    of    the    Morris 

Packing  Co.,   Chicago 65 

Morse,    John    T.,    Jr.       Abraham    Lincoln. 

Quoted   38,     43 

Moscow,    Russia    113 

Mt.   Vernon    202 

Muldraugh's  Hill,   Ky 35 

Mumfordsville,    Ky     161 

Murphy,    Thomas    J.       Quoted    on    Indian 

Trail    94,    95,    107,   108 

"My  Own  Times."    By  Gov.  John  Reynolds. 
Quoted   100,  107 


N 

Nancy.     Negro  girl.      Sale  of,   case  carried 

to  the  Supreme  Court  of  Illinois 46 

Naperville,       111.         Northwestern       College 

located    in     25 

National  Council  of   Defense.      World   War     72 
National      Republican      Convention,      May, 

1860.     Lincoln  nominated    51 

Needham,   Mr.,   St.  Louis,   Mo 130 

Negroes.      Nancy.      Negro   girl,   case   of,   in 

Supreme  Court  of  Illinois 46 

Negroes.  Union  League  support  of  the 
black  regiments.     War  of  the  Rebellion.    114 

Neiderstetten,     Wurtemberg,     Germany 69 

Nelson,  John.  Associated  with  William 
Worth  l^urson  in  manufacturing  knitting 

machines     16 

Nelson,     (Gen.)    William.      Union    General. 

War  of  the  Rebellion loo 

Newark,    N.    J 64 

Newberry  Library,  Chicago 27 

New    Boston,    111 101,   102 

New   England    •  •  •  •  •  •  •  •  •      4o 

New  England.     Union  League  clubs  formed 

in,  1862    H3 

New   Hamborough,    Upper   Canada o9 

New  Hampshire  State.  River  and  Harbor 
Convention,  Chicago,  1847,  two  dele- 
gates to,   from  New   Hampshire 44 

New  Jersey  State.     Newark,  N.   J 64 

New   Jersev   State.      Passaic   Falls 68 

New  Jersey  State.  River  and  Harbor  Con- 
vention,   Chicago,    1847,    eight    delegates 

to,    from    New    Hampshire 4=4 

New    Madrid.      War    of    the    Rebellion 110 

New    Orleans,    La 34,    37,    40,     45 

New  Orleans,  La.     Slave  market <s4 

New  Salem,  Sangamon  County,  111.  .  .  .  .  •  •  • 

36,    37,    50,     51 

New  '  Saiem!  '  '  Lincoln    &    Berry    store    in. 

Reference   •  •  •  ; fj 

New   Salem.     Lincoln  postmaster   in 5U 

Newspapers.      Albany,    N.    Y.,    Journal....      45 

Newspapers.     Boston  Transcript ^ 

Newspapers.     Bureau  County  Republican..    137 

Newspapers.      Chicago   Journal 44 

Foot-note    *3 

Newspapers.       Chicago     Journal,     July     6, 

1847.      Foot-note 43 

Newspapers.       Chicago     Journal.       Quoted 

on   the   River    and    Harbor    Bill 44 

Newspapers.  Galesburg  Republican-Regis- 
ter         19 


218 


INDEX— Continued. 


Newspapers.      Illinois  Advocate.      Edwards- 

ville,    1832-1833     27 

Newspapers.      Illinois    State    Bibliography. 
Newspapers    and    Periodicals    of    Illinois, 
1814-1879.     See  end  of  this  volume. 
Newspapers.      Illinois    State    Historical   Li- 
brary.    Newspaper  files 27 

Newspapers.     New  York  Tribune 44 

Newspapers.       Northwest     Centinel.      Foot- 
notes     78,     86 

Newspapers.      Quid    Nunc,    first    one    cent 

daily  west  of  the  Alleghanies 69 

Newspapers.       Quincy    Whig-,     1838-1850..      27 
Newspapers.     Western  Spy.     Quoted.    Foot- 
notes     75,    83,     84 

New  Windsor,    (Mercer  Co.)    Ill 98 

New  York  City 15,  40,  55,     69 

Foot-note    117 

New  York  City.  New  York  Tribune 44 

New     York     City.       Union     League     Club, 
1864,    its   patriotism    and   loyalty.      War 

of   the    Rebellion    114 

New  York  City.     Union  League  Club  sup- 
port  of   the    Black   Regiments.      War   of 

the   Rebellion    114 

New  York  City.     Union  League  formed  in 

1862      113 

New  York   State 44,   45,   59,   68,    70,  129 

Foot-note    43 

New  York  State.     Bristol  Center,  N.  Y.  . .      68 

New   York   State.      Fenner,   N.   Y 68 

New  York  State.     New  York  Central  R.  R.  129 

New    York    State.      Oswego 70 

New   York   State.      Rochester,   N.    Y 59 

Nicolay  and  Hay.     Life  of  Lincoln.  Quoted. 

38,     43 

Foot-notes   117,  120 

Niles   Register.      Quoted 92 

Noble,     (Col.)     George 147 

Nolin    Creek,    Ky 35 

Nolin  River,   Ky.      Foot-note 35 

Noonan,  John    101 

North    Carolina    State 49,  199 

North  Chicago,   111.      Manufacturies  in ...  .      62 
North     Chicago     Rolling     Mill     Co.       First 
Bessemer    steel    in    this    country    said    to 
have  been  rolled  at  the  North  Chicago 

Mill   Co    59 

North     Chicago     Rolling     Mill     Company. 
Rolled     the     first     steel     ever    made     in 

America    59 

Northern   Cross   Railroad,    Illinois 56,   145 

Foot-note    56 

Northwest  Centinel.     Quoted    78 

Foot-notes     78,     86 

Northwest     Territory.       Attig,     Chester     J. 
Some     Governmental     Problems     in     the 

Northwest    Territory     25,    75-86 

Northwest     Territory.       Character     of     the 

early  settlers  in    77,     78 

Northwest  Territory.      Courts,   organization 

of  the  system  of  courts 81 

Northwest       Territory.         Criminal       code 
adopted  by  the  Governor  and  Judges.  ...      80 

Northwest   Territory.      Extent   of 77 

Northwest    Territory.      Five    states    carved 

out  of.     Reference.     Foot-note 47 

Northwest  Territory.     Governor  and  Judges 

appointed  by   Congress 76 

Northwest   Territory.      Illinois   a  part   of..      46 
Northwest   Territory.      Law   passed   Nov.    6, 
1790,      providing     for      appointment      of 

overseers  of  the  poor   81 

Northwest     Territory.       Laws    adopted     by 

the  first  territorial  legislature  in   1799.      80 
Northwest  Territory.     Ordinance  of  1787.. 
46,  76,     79 


Northwest  Territory.  St.  Clair  (Gov.) 
Arthur.  Governor  of  the  Northwest 
Territory     81,     82 

Northwest  Territory.  St.  Clair  Co.  first 
county    organized    in :,v  •  ;     1& 

Northwest  Territory.  Slavery  prohibited 
in  by  the  Ordinance  of   1787 46 

Northwestern    University,     Evanston,    111 .  .     30 

Noyes,  LeVerne  W ' 2 

O 

Oak   Park,   111 ,-:25'     7S 

Oak  Park,  111.,  Census  figures  on  population 
and  manufacturing   interests ....  ...  •  • :  •      <•* 

Oak   Ridge   Cemetery,    Springfield,    Illinois. 

Burial  place  of  Abraham  Lincoln j>£ 

Foot-note    •  • °* 

Oakwood   Cemetery,    Chicago,    111 1« 

Oconee   River    *-"± 

Offutt,   Denton    j? ' 

Ogeechee   River    •  •  •  •  •  •  •  •  •  •  •  •    LZ± 

Oele  Co.,  HI.,  Grand  Detour,  Ogle  Co.,  111.     bd 
Oglesby,    Richard    J.      At    the    Republican 

State  Convention,  Decatur,  111.,  May  1860     51 
Oglesby,    (Gen.)   Richard  J.  Union  General 
War    of    the    Rebellion.    .............  •    164 

O'Haver    C.  P.  Quoted  on  Indian  Trail 10b 

Oh?o  River. 34,  35,  40,  41,  45,  56,  82,  130    202 

Foot-notes     6i>>      i(> 

Ohio    State,     -g;  ^5/64^16,42^124,  185 
'  'Foot-notes    ...  .76,  77,  78,  79,  80,  81,     85 
Ohio    State.      Archaeological    Collection...      20 
Ohio  State.     Army  of. the  Ohio,  War  of  the 

Rebellion      :"Au" 

Ohio     State.        Chase     Statutes     of     Ohio. 

Quoted.      Foot-notes 76,    79,    80,     81 

Ohio  State,  Cincinnati,  Ohio °* 

Ohio  State.     Hardin  Co.,  Ohio............    124 

Ohio  State.  Howe,  Henry.  Ohio  Histori- 
cal    Collections.        Quoted.        Foot-notes 

77,     78,     85 

Old'  Northwest'.'     Genealogical     Quarterly. 

Quoted.      Foot-note • •  •  •  ■      7S 

Olson,    (Prof.)    Julius   E.      Quoted   on  Lin- 

coin's   visits  to   Chicago.      Foot-note....      4o 
O'Neal,   William.      Quoted  on   Indian  Trail     92 

Ontario,   Canada    88>     9i 

Oquawka   (Henderson  Co.)   m- ••■•■■•  ■■•■    -nr. 
.  .  .88,  92,  93,  99,  101,  102,  104,   106 
Oquawka,  ill.,  Rock  Island  Indian  Trail...   106 
Oquawka,  111.,  Yellow  Banks,  Oquawka,  111. 

formerly     called     •  •  •  •  •  •     jjj* 

Ordinance  of  1787 46,76,     79 

Ordinance  of  1787.  Powers  given  the 
Governor  and  Judges  under  the  Ordi- 
nance     , :  ■      * & 

Ordinance  of   1787.      Prohibited  slavery  in 

the  Northwest  Territory 46 

Oregon,  111 £2 

Orendorff ,    U.    G •  •  •  •      ?2 

Orendorff,  William  T.  Member  of  the  firm 
of  Parlin  and  Orendorff  makers  of  agri- 
cultural   and    plow    implements,    Canton, 

Illinois      63 

Orion,   111 •  •  •  ■      96 

Osborne,    Georgia    L.      Assistant    Secretary 

Illinois   State  Historical  Society 18,     23 

Osborne,  Georgia  L.  Chairman  of  the 
Genealogical     Committee,     Illinois     State 

Historical    Society     18 

Osborne,  Georgia  L  Report  of  the  Genea- 
logical Committee,  Illinois  State  Histori- 
cal   Society    23,     24 

Osco  Township,  Henry  Co,  111. 96,     98 

Oswego,    N.    Y 70 

Ottawa,   111.,  Manufacturies 63 

Ottawa,  111.,  Starch  Co 70 


219 


INDEX— Continued. 


PAGE. 


Pacific     Ocean     75,     94 

Paddock    (Dr.)    Princeton,   111 143 

Paddock,    (Mrs.)    Princeton,    111 143 

Paducah,    Ky 151 

Page,    Edward   0 23 

Page    (Major)    Norman    B.      Union    officer, 

War  of  the  Rebellion 156,  194,  202 

Palmer,  Mr.  Associated  with  Am- 
brose Plamondon,   manufacturer 70 

Palmer,  Percival  B.  Member  of  Board  of 
Directors,  Illinois  Manufacturers'  asso- 
ciation       71 

Papers  of  the  Continental  Congress.  Quoted 

Foot-note     76 

Paris,    Ky 152 

Parker   (Col.)   John  A.  The  Secret  History 

of  the  Kansas-Nebraska  Bill 47 

Parkersburg,   W.    Va 202 

Parks,  John    104,  105 

Parks,  John.     Quoted  on  Indian  Trails,..    104. 

Parks,  William  S 104,  105 

Parlin  and  Orendorff.  Agricultural  and 
plow     implements     establishment     of     at 

Canton,  111 63 

Parlin,  William.  Agricultural  and  plow 
implements,    manufacturer   of   at    Canton 

Illinois     63 

Parrot  guns    162,  163 

Parsons,  Samuel  H.     Life  and  Letters  of,  by 

Hall.      Foot-note    77 

Pash-e-pa-ho,  Sac  Indian  Chief 109 

Passaic  Falls,  N.  J 68 

Peabody,   Frank  S .  .      57 

Peachtree    Creek,    Ga 183 

Pea  Ridge,  Battle  of,  War  of  the  Rebellion  111 
Pease,    Theodore    Calvin.      Editor    Vol.    2, 
Centennial     History     of     Illinois.        The 
Frontier  State,  1818-1848.  Quoted.  Foot- 

rt  ?otes    " 117,  120 

Pekin,    Tazewell    Co.,    Ill 

25,  62,  74,  111,  112,  125,  126,   127 

Pekin,    111.      Census    figures    on    population 

and  manufacturing   interests 74 

Pekin,   111.     Congregational  Church 126 

Pekm,  111.   Council  of  the  Union  League  of 

America,    Organized    in Ill 

Pekin,    111      Manufacturies    in 62 

Pekin,  111  Union  League,  tablet  marks 
site     of     spot     where     organization     was 

formed    112 

Pekin,    111.      Union   mission 126,  127 

Pelouze,  William  Nelson   72 

Penn,   William    140 

Pennsylvania  State. 42,   44,  45,   64,   66,  70,  112 

Pennsylvania  State     Danville,  Pa 64 

Pennsylvania    State.       Greencastle,    Pa 64 

Pennsylvania  State.     The  Keystone  State.  .      42 
Pennsylvania     State.       River     and     Harbor 
Convention,     Chicago       1847.        Twenty- 
seven    delegates   to   from   Pennsylvania..      44 

Peoria     Co.,     Ill 112,  126 

Peoria,  111 25,  56,   58,  70,  73,  98,   99,  103 

Peoria,    111.      Census   figures   on   population 

and   manufacturing   interests 73 

Peoria,    111.      Industries 60 

Peoria,     111.       Meat    packing    industry    in'. 


Reference 


58 


Peoria,  111.     Pepria  and  Rock  Island  R.  R.  103 

Periodicals.    (The)    Mayflower    Descendant.  24 

Periodicals.      Methodist  Review.     Foot-note  123 

Periodicals.      Niles   Register.     Quoted 92 

Periodicals.       Old    Northwest    Genealogical 

Quarterly.      Quoted.      Foot-note 78 

Periodicals.  Western  Annals,  1850.  Quoted  92 
Perrin,  J.  Nick.     President  of  the  St.  Clair 

Co.,  111.,  Historical  Society 19 


Perry,  Eli.     Quoted  on  Indian  Trail 102 

Perryton  Township,  Mercer  Co.,  Ill 

100,     101,  102 

Peru,    111 62,  166 

Peru,  111.     Manufacturies    62 

Petersburg,     Va 199,  20O 

Peterson,    P.    A 67,     72 

Peterson,  P.  A.,  One  of  the  founders  of  the 

Union    Furniture   Co.,    Rockford,    111 67 

Philadelphia,  Pa 40,  112,  113 

Foot-notes     52,     78 

Philadelphia,  Pa.   General  Advertiser,   Nov. 

26,    1792.      Quoted.      Foot-note 78 

Philadelphia,  Pa.   Independence  Hall 112 

Philadelphia,     Pa.       Union     League     Club 

formed   in    1862 113 

Piatt  Co.,  111.     Historical  Society 21 

Pierce,    John   H 72 

Piez,    C.    H 72 

Pillow  Fort,   Tenn 175 

Pinekley,  Oregon.     Quoted  on  Indian  Trail  106 

Pink  Prairie,  Henry  Co.,  Ill 107 

Pittsburg  Landing,    Battle  of,    War  of  the 

Rebellion     154-156 

Pittsburgh,    Pa 59 

Pittsburg,  Tenn 154,  157 

Plamondon,  Ambrose,  Manufacturer,  Chi- 
cago          70 

Plamondon,    Charles    A.      President   of   the 

Illinois  Manufacturers'  Association ....  72 
Plamondon,     Charles    A.       Victim    of    the 

Lusitania,   torpedoed  World  War 72 

Plamondon    (Mrs.)    Charles   A.      Victim   of 

the  Lusitania,  torpedoed  World  War....  72 
Plankington  &  Armour  Packing  company.  .  66 
Plankington,     John.       Packing     house     at 

Milwaukee,    Wis 66 

Piano,    111.      Manufacturies    63 

Pleasant  Plains,    (Sangamon   Co.)    Ill,   Illi- 
nois Conference  district,  M.  E.  Church..    118 
Pleasant  Plains,   (Sangamon  Co.)  111.  Home 

of  Peter  Cartwright 116 

Plutarch's  Lives    142 

Political  Parties.     Democratic  Party.  .....      38 

Political    Parties.      Republican    Party.. 43,     49 

Political  Parties.      Whig  Party 38,     43 

Foot-note     43 

Polk,    (Pres.)    James  K 44,  149 

Pool,    Charlie,    Dover,    111 181,  198 

Pope,    (Gen.)    John.      Union    Maj. -General, 

War    of    the    Rebellion 110,  158 

Pope,  (Judge)  Nathaniel   40,     41 

Pope,     (Judge)    Nathaniel.      His    work    in    ex- 
tending  the   northern   boundaries    of   the 

State      40,     41 

Port  Byron,  111 91,     92 

Port   Royal,    Va 193,   196 

Porter,    .    Early    resident    of    Henry 

Co.,    Illinois 107 

Potomac,   Army  of  the  Potomac.      War  of 

the  Rebellion    200 

Potomac  River    53,   161,   177 

Pottawatomie   Indians    97,  117 

Potter,  Orrin  W.  Had  much  to  do  with  the 
development  of  the  State's  iron  and  steel 

industry      59 

Prague,    Bohemia.      University    of    Prague 

in   Bohemia    17,     31 

Prague,  Bohemia.  University  of.  James 
(Prof.)  James,  Alton,  invited  to  deliver 
a  course  of  lectures  at  the  University  of 

Prague      * .  .  .      31 

Prairie    du    Chien,    Wisconsin 100 

Prairie   Home  Farm,   Edgington   Township, 

Rock  Island  Co.,   Ill 104 

Prairie  Union  School,  Rock  Island  Co.,  111.    105 

Prairies    of    Illinois 

32,   54,   56,   95,   99,   100,   102,   104,   109 


220 


INDEX— Continued. 


PAGE. 


Pratt,  Henry,  Member  of  the  Union  League 

of   America Ill 

Presbyterian   Church    96,   97,  122 

Presbyterian  Church,  Brown  church,  Henry 

Co.,    Ill 96,  97 

Price,    (Gen.)    Sterling.      Confederate   Gen- 
eral, War  of  the  Rebellion.  153,  160,  161,  163 
Price  (Judge)  William  C.     His  part  in  the 
Repeal  of  the  Missouri   Compromise....  47 

Princeton,    111 

97,   130,   136,  137,  144,   150,   166,  174 

Princeton,    111.      Business    and    professional 

firms      137 

Princeton,    111.      Civil   War  Monument.  .  .  .  138 

Princeton,    111.      High    School 136 

Princeton,    111.      Masons,    Fraternal   Society  142 
Princeton,   111.     Zearing,  Martin,   early  set- 
tler of    129,   130,  132 

Pringle,   Mr.   23 

Proctor,    Edna    Dean.      Poem    on    Lincoln. 

Extract   from    53 

Prophet's    Village.      Black   Hawk   War 106 

Prophetstown,  on  east  bank  of  Rock  River 

88,  107 

Prospect  Park,   Moline,   111 88,  89 

Pullman,  George  M.  Builder  of  the  town  of 

Pullman,    111 70 

Pullman,   George   M.    Head  of  the   Pullman 

Car  Company    70 

Pullman,  111.     Built  by  George  M.  Pullman  70 
Pullman,  111.     Listed  among  the  manufact- 
uring  towns    in    Illinois 62 

Pullman    Palace    Car    Company 68,  70 

Purdy,    McNairy   Co.,   Tenn 152 

"Puss"    (Lucinda    Helmer   Zearing)  ...  .150-202 

Putnam,  Rufus.     Northwest  Territory 77 


Quebec,   Canada    70 

Quid    Nunc    First    one-cent    daily    west    of 

the   Alleghenies    69 

Quincy,   Illinois    27,   49,   61,   104,   117,   118 

Quincy,   111.      Census   figures  on  population 

and    manufacturing    interests 73 

Quincy,   111.      Illinois  Conference  Methodist 

Church,  1832,  Quincy  added  to 117,  118 

Quincy,   111.      Lincoln-Douglas   Debate  held 

in   1858    49 

Quincy,    111.      Manufacturies    61 

Quincy,   111.      Quincy  Whig,    1838-1850 27 


R 

Railroads.     Atlanta  &  Macon  R.  R 191 

Railroads.      Chicago    &   Alton 68 

Railroads.     Chicago,  Burlington  and  Quincy 

R-    R 129,  145 

Railroads.      Chicago  &  Joliet  R.   R 68 

Railroads.      Galena  &   Cairo   referred  to  as 

the   Illinois   Central   R.    R 57 

Railroads.       Galena     and     Chicago     Union 

R.   R 57 

Railroads.     Galena  R.  R 57,  145 

Railroads.     Illinois  Central  Railroad      ....  57 

Railroads.      Illinois  Railroads  in   1848 ....  145 

Railroads.     Macon,  Ga 186,  187 

Railroads.        Montgomery      and      Alabama 

R.   R 187 

Railroads.      New    York    Central    R.    R....  129 

Railroads.      Northern    Cross    Railroad.  .56,  145 

Foot-note    56 

Railroads.     Peoria  and  Rock  Island  R.   R. .  103 

Railroads.    Rock  Island  and  Peoria  R.  R.95,  96 
Railroads.     Steel   rails,    manufacture  of,   in 

1867    58 


Railroads.      Texas  and  Pacific  R.   R 

137,  144,  147 

Raleigh,  N.  C 198,  199 

Ramey  Family.      Owners  of  the  Great   Ca- 

hokia    Mound     29 

Ramey,   Thomas    29 

Rammelkamp,    (Dr.)    Charles    H.  .  .15,    18,     23 

Randolph    Co.,    Ill 15 

Ray,    (Prof.)    P.    Orman.      The    Repeal    of 

the    Missouri    Compromise 47 

Red  Bud  Creek  near  Peoria,  Illinois 70 

Reminiscences   of   Bureau   County.      By   N. 

Matson 97 

Republican     Convention,     Illinois,     May     9, 

10,   1860,   held   in   Decatur 43,     51 

Republican   Party    43,    49,     51 

Republican  Party.  Illinois  State  Conven- 
tion of  May  9,  10,  1860,  held  in  Decatur, 

Illinois     43,     51 

Republican     Party.      National     Convention, 

May,    1860,    held    in    Chicago 51 

Resaca,    Ga    175,  179 

Reynolds,    111    104 

Reynolds,  (Gov.)  John.  Illinois  Volun- 
teers     Black     Hawk     War.        Reynolds. 

Quoted  on    100 

Revnolds,  (Gov.)  John.     "My  Own  Times." 

Quoted     100,  107 

Reynolds,     (Gov.)    John.      Pioneer    History 

of  Illinois.      Quoted.     Foot-note 79 

Rhode    Island    State.      Civil    and    Military 

Lists   24 

Rhode  Island  State.  River  and  Harbor 
Convention,  Chicago,  1847.  Three  dele- 
gates  to,    from   Rhode   Island 44 

Richmond,   Va    160, 

177,   178,   182,   191,   195,   196,   197,   199,   200 

Richmond,   Va.,   Fall  of 196 

Ridgely,  Nicholas.     Purchases  the  Northern 

Cross    Railroad     56 

Ripley,    Mississippi    164 

Rittenhouse 134 

River    and    Harbor    Bill,    U.    S.    Congress, 

1846    44 

River     and     Harbor     Convention     held     in 

Chicago,   1847    43,     44 

River  and  Harbor  Convention,  1847.  Dele- 
gates to    44 

River  and  Harbor  Convention,  held  in  Chi- 
cago,  1847.    Delegates  to,  by  states....      44 

Roberts,    (Rep.)    Adelbert  H 15 

Robinson,    James    104 

Robinson,   Spencer    90 

Robinson,   (Dr.)   William 144,  158,  165,   175 

Rochester,    N.    Y •.  •  •      59 

Rockford,  111.    Census  figures  on  population 

and  manufacturing   interests 73 

Rockford,      111.        Manufactured      products, 

ranks  fifth  in  the  State 61 

Rockford,    111.      Manufacturies 67,     73 

Rock  Island  Co.,  Ill 18,  87,  88,  91, 

92,    95,    101,    102,    103,    104,    105,    106,    107 
Rock  Island  Co.,   111.     Black   Hawk  Town- 

ship    92,    102,    103,  104 

Rock  Island  Co.,  111.     Bowling  Township..    106 
Rock  Island  Co.,  111.    Canaan  first  post  office 

in    the    county    91 

Rock  Island  Co.,  111.  Coal  Valley  Town- 
ship         107 

Rock  Island  Co.,  111.     Edgingtoh  Township 

101,     103,     104,   105 

Rock  Island  Co.,  111.     Historical  Society..      18 

Rock  Island  Co.,  111.     Rural  Township 95 

Rock  Island,  111.  .15,  23,  25,  62,  73,  87,  88,      .  . 
..89,    90,    91,    92,    95,    96,    98,    100,    101,  104 
Rock  Island,   111.     Census  figures  on  popu- 
lation   and    manufacturing    interests ....      73 


221 


INDEX— Continued. 


PAGE. 

Rock    Island,    111.      Historic    sites    in    and 

about.      Reference    15 

Rock     Island,     111.       Indian     Trails     about 

Rock    Island     87-109 

Rock  Island,  111.     Rock  Island  and  Peoria 

Railroad     95,  96 

Rock  Island,  111.    Stage  line,  Rock  Island  to 

Galena,    Illinois    92 

Rock    Island,    111.     United    States    Govern- 
ment arsenal,  located  in 62 

Rock   River 87,    88,    89,    90,    91, 

92,   93,   94,  99,   100,  106,   107,   108,  109,  145 
Roddey,     (Gen.)     Philip     D.       Confederate 

General.      War    of   the   Rebellion 197 

Rolling  Fork,  Ky.     Foot-note 35 

Rome,  Ga...l77,  178,  180,  181,  183,  188,  189 
Rosecrans,   (Gen.)   Wm,  S.     Union  General. 

War   of   the   Rebellion 160,    161,  163 

Rosette,     John     E.        Member     of     Union 

League  of  America    112 

Ross,    Gen.      (War   of    1812) 135,  143 

Roswell,    Chattahoochee   River,    Ga 182,  183 

Rowe,  Samuel  L.     Bridge  builder,  Chicago  137 
Rudd,    Edward   H.      Early  painter   in   Chi- 
cago      "9 

Rush    Medical    College,    Chicago,    111 

139,     143,     144,  145 

Rush'  Medical  College  Alumni  Association.  149 

Russel,    Andrew     •  •  15,  23 

Rutledge,  Ann.     Lincoln's  early  sweetheart  37 

Rutledge's    Dam,    New    Salem 37 

Rutledge's    Mill    at    New    Salem 37 

Rybolt,     (Rev.)     J.     C.       Member    of     the 

Union    League    of    America 112 

Ryerson,    Martin     6° 


93 


S 

Sac  and  Fox  Trail.     By  John  F.   Steward. 

Reference     

St.   Clair    (Gov.)   Arthur.     Governor  of  the 

Northwest  Territory   79,  81,  82,     83 

St.  Clair  Co.,  Ill 19,     57 

Foot-note      81 

St.  Clair  Co.,  111.     First  County  organized. 

in  the  Northwest  Territory 19 

St.  Clair  Co.,  111.  Historical  Society 19 

St.    Clair    Co.,    111.      Records   at   Belleville, 

111.      Foot-note    81 

St.    Clair   Flates.      Harbor   at.      Appropria- 
tion River  and  Harbor  Bill,   1846 44 

St.  Clair  Papers,  Vol.   II.     By  William  H. 
English.      Quoted.      Foot-notes.  .  .77,    78,     82 

St.  Louis,  Mo 40,  59,  69,  70,  143,   148,  165 

St.    Louis,    Mo.  Iron    and    Steel    Company 

established    near     59 

St.  Louis,  Mo.     University  of  Missouri....   143 
Salem    German   Reformed    Church,    Harris- 
burg,    Pa 143 

Saline   Co.,    Ill 57 

Salt    Lake,    Utah.      Mormon    exodus    to    in 

1855      66 

Salt  Mining  early  industry  in  the  State..      57 

Salt   River,    Ky.      Foot-note    35 

San  Francisco,  Cal 55 

Sangamon    Co. ,    111 

24,   40,   46,   53,   56,   57,   112,   116,   117 

Foot-note     117 

Sangamon    Co.,    111.      Described    by    Peter 

Cartwright     117 

Sangamon    River     117,  120 

Sargent,  Winthrop.     Foot-notes 78,     79 

Sargent,  Winthrop.     Proclamation  of  Win- 
throp   Sargent    dated    March    26,    1792. 

Foot-note      79 

Sauk  and  Fox  Trail  or  "Great  Sauk  Trail" 
88,     93-109 


Sauk  Indians    87-109 

Sauk  Trail  Preserve.     Forest  Reserve,  Cook 

Co.,  Ill 93 

Saukenuk    (Sauk    Village) 91 

Savannah,    Ga 24,    144, 

152,   153,   154,   191,   192,   193,   194,   197,   198 

Savannah  River    194 

Schiller,  Johann  Christoph  Frederich  von .  .    143 
Schmidt    (Dr.)    Otto    L.    President    of    the 

Illinois  State  Historical  Society 

15,   16,   18,   20,   21,   22,   23,   28,      30 

Schuttler,    Peter.      Founder    of    the    Peter 

Schuttler  Wagon  Co.,  Chicago 66 

Scotch  Taylor  Farm.     Rock  Island  Co.,  111.   105 
Scott,  Dred.     Dred  Scott  decision,  practic- 
ally  nationalized    slavery 49 

Scott    (Col.)    James 147 

Scott,    Owen    20 

Scott  (Col.)   Thomas,  Philadelphia 147 

Scott,   William   Owen   Nixon 24 

Scott  (Gen.)   Winfield    97 

Seaman,    (Lieut.)   Wright  of  Princeton,  111.   156 
Sears,  David.     Quoted  on  Indian  Trail....      90 

Sears,  D.   B.   Flour  Mill,  Moline,  111 64 

Sechler  Carriage  Company  of  Moline,  111.  .      64 
Sechler,  Daniel  M.   Founder  of  the  Sechler 

Carriage  Co.,  Moline,  111 64 

Sedalia,     Mo 148 

Selz,   Morris.      Shoe  manufacturer,   Chicago     69 

Seward,  William  H 43,     51 

Seward,  William  H.  Candidate  for  the  pres- 
idency of  the  United  States,  1860 51 

Sewall   Family    24 

Sewall,   (Gen.)  Henry.     Officer  in  the  Revo- 
lutionary Army  and  War  of  1812 24 

Sewall,  William.     Dairy  of.     Sept.   1,  1819 

to    1845.      Reference 24 

Shafer,    Sarah.     Wife  of  Martin   Zearing.  .    131 

Shaffer    Creek,    Henry    Co.,    Ill 96 

Shakespeare,   William    142 

Sharp,     John.       Flour    Mill    on    Red    Bud 

Creek,  near  Peoria,  111 70 

Shaw,   James,   of  Aurora,   111.      Foot-note.  .      44 

Sheffield,  Bureau  Co.,   Ill 97 

Shelf,   Halifax,   Yorkshire,   England 24 

Sheridan,  (Gen.)  Philip  H.     Union  General, 

War  of  the  Rebellion 144 

Sherman,   Lawrence   Y.    Vice-president   Illi- 
nois State  Historical  Society 23 

Sherman,     (Gen.)     Wm.    Tecumseh,    Union 

General  War  of  the  Rebellion 

144,   154,   177,   178,   180,   181,   183,   184, 
186,   187,   188,   189,   191,   194,   195,   196,   201 

Shields,    (Gen.)    James 39 

Shiloh,    Battle    of.      War   of   the    Rebellion 

Ill,     144,   164 

Shirmenstown,    Pa 131 

Sibley   Papers.      Burton    Collection.      Foot- 
notes     78,     79 

Sims,  Anna  Noble    24 

Sims,    (Mrs.)    William  Irwin 24 

Sister's    Ferry,    Ga 194 

Slavery    34,  38,  44,  46,  47,     49 

Slavery.     "Black  Code"  of  Illinois 46 

Slavery.      Cartwright,    Peter.      Opposed    to 

slavery     116,  119 

Slavery.      Dred    Scott    decision,    practically 

nationalized    slavery    49 

Slavery.     Illinois  and  slavery 46,     47 

Slavery.     Issue,  an  issue  for  each  state  to 

determine  in  its  own  way 49 

Slavery.     Kansas-Nebraska  Bill,  practically 

nationalized    slavery    49 

Slavery.     Lincoln,  Abraham.     Extract  from 
"House    divided    against    itself"    speech, 

June    17,    1858 48 

Slavery.     New  Orleans  slave  market 34 


222 


INDEX— Continued. 


Slavery     Ordinance     of     1787     prohibited 

slavery    in   the    Northwest   Territory 46 

Small,    Alexander.      Member   of   the   Union 

League    of    America HI 

Small,    (Gov.)    Len.   Governor  of  Illinois..  22 

Smith,   Alby    136 

Smith,    Bessie    0 125 

Smith,     C.     H 72 

Smith,     (Mrs.)     Electa 136 

Smith,    Elijah,   Princeton,    111 145 

Smith,     George    W 23 

Smith,   Kirby 199 

Smith,   (Maj.)   Robert 39 

Smith,   Samuel    g& 

Snake   Gap.   Ga •  •  176 

Snyder,    (Dr.)   John  F 17,  31 

Snyder,  (Dr.)  John  F.  One  of  the  founders 
of  the   Illinois    State   Historical   Society. 

Deceased     31 

Socrates.    The  product  of  the  life  and  spirit 

of  Athens,  Greece   34 

Some  Governmental  Problems  in  the  North- 
west  Territory,    1787-1803.      By   Chester 

J.    Attig 25,    75-86 

South  Carolina  State 44,  194 

South  Carolina  State.  River  and  Harbor 
Convention,  Chicago,  1847.  One  dele- 
gate  to  from   South   Carolina 44 

Spencer    Co.,    Indiana    35,  36 

Foot-note     35 

Spencer,    (Judge)    John  W 90,  106 

Spoor,   John  A.      A   factor   in  the  Chicago 

Union   Stock  Yards 71 

Springfield,  111.,  Art  Association 25 

Springfield,  111.  Census  figures  on  popula- 
tion   and   manufacturing    interests 73 

Springfield,   111.      Coal,  first  coal  mined  in 

1840.      Output    57 

Springfield,  111.     Illinois  conference  district, 

M.    E.    Church 118 

Springfield,  111.  Lincoln,  Abraham.  Mark- 
ing of  places  connected  with  the  life  of 

Lincoln  in   Springfield,   111 16,  30 

Springfield,    111.      Manufacturies 61 

Springfield,  111.  Oak  Ridge  Cemetery,  bur- 
ial place   of  Abraham  Lincoln 52 

Foot-note      52 

Springfield,  111.     Watch  factory.     Jacob  and 

John   W.    Bunn,   head   of 70 

Springfield,    111 

16,   25,  30,   52,  57,   61,  70,   73,  118,  145 

Foot-note     52 

Springville 161 

"Squatter  Sovereignty."  Stephen  A.  Doug- 
las, advocate  of 50 

Stage   Line,   Rock   Island   to    Galena 92 

Standish,    (Dr.)    J.    P 19 

Steamer    "Empire"     45 

Steele   (Capt.)   Pierre,  World  War 138 

Steel  Rails,  Manufacture  of,   1867 58 

Steger,    111.    Manufacturies    in 62 

Stehley.      Of    Harrisburg,    Pa 132 

Stephens,    George.       Pioneer    manufacturer 

of    Moline,    111 64 

Stephenson    (now  Rock  Island,   111.) 98 

Sterling,    Fred.       Lieutenant    Governor    of 

Illinois     22 

Sterling,   111.     Manufacturies  in 62 

Stevens,    Wayne   E.,    Secretary  of  the  War 

History    Department,    Historical    Library  28 
Steward,  John  F.  Sac  and  Fox  Trail.     Ref- 
erence       93,  98 

Stipp  &  Gibbons,  Princeton,  111 137 

Stone,  Dan.  Member  of  House  of  Represen- 
tatives,   State   of   Illinois,    1837 46 

Stoneman,   (Gen.)   George.     Union  General, 

War    of    the    Rebellion 182 

Stonington,   Conn 24 


Stover,  Daniel  C.     Head  of  the  Stover  Man- 
ufacturing  Co.,    Freeport,    111 64 

Stover    Manufacturing    Company,    Freeport, 

111 64 

Streator,  111.     Census  figures  on  population 

and   manufacturing   interests 74 

Streator,   111.     Manufacturies  in 62 

Streight,    Col 178 

Studevant,    Stephen    168 

Sugar   Grove   Camp   Meeting.      Reference..   104 

Sunny  Hill,   Henry  Co.,   Ill 95 

Supreme   Court,    State   of   Illinois.      Bailey 

vs.    Cromwell,    slavery   case 46 

Supreme   Court,   U.    S 124 

Swain,     (Capt.)    William    T.    Tiskilwa 158 

Swan,   R.   R.,  Member  of  the  Moline  Plow 

Company    64 

Swanzy,    (Dr.)    James    145 

Sweden     . 67 

Sweeney,    (Gen.)    Thomas.     Union  General, 

War    of    the    Rebellion 156 

Sweet,    (Miss)    Ada 141 

Sweet,    William   W.      Peter    Cartwright    in 

the   History  of   Illinois 25,    116,-123 

Sweet,  William  W.     Rise  of  Methodism  in 

the    West.      Quoted.      Foot-note 116 

Swift   &   Co.,    Chicago.      Meat  Packers 58 

Swift,    Gustavus.      Founder    of    the    Swift 

Packing    Co.,    Chicago 65 

Sycamore,    111.      Listed    among   the    manu- 
facturing towns  in   Illinois 62 

Symnes,  John  Cleves 78 


Tablet   placed    on   building   in   Pekin,    Illi- 
nois to  mark  Union  League  organization  112 
Taft,    Lorado.      Illinois   history   and    ideals 

of    beauty    25 

Tarbell,    (Miss)    Ida   M.      Life   of   Lincoln. 

Reference     43 

Taylor,    (Mrs.)    Ella   Hume 96 

Taylor,    J.    I.,    Princeton,    111 137,  175 

Taylor,    Martin,   Dover,   111 189,  196 

Taylor    Ridge    Village 106 

Taylor,  Sam  C.     Quoted  on  Indian  Trail.  .   105 

Taylor,    (Maj.)    Zachary 91 

Taylor,    (Pres.)    Zachary    42 

Foot-note     43 

Tazewell  Co.,   111.. 21,   110,   112,   115,   125,  126 

Tazewell    Co.,    111.      Bar   Association 125 

Tazewell   Co.,    111.      Circuit   Court 125 

Tazewell    Co.,    111.      Historical    Society....    126 
Tazewell  Co.,   111.      Memorial  Association..   126 
Tazewell  Co.,  111.     Union  League.  .111,  112,  115 
Tazewell  Co.,  111.     Union  League,  members 
of  part  of  the  secret  body-guard  to  pro- 
tect Lincoln  at  second  inaugural 115 

Teets  ,  (Judge)  107 

Tennessee,    Army    of   the 184,    185,  188 

Tennessee  River    151,   167,   172,  173 

Tennessee  State. 64,  111,  116,  153,  154,  157,  172 
Tennessee    State.      Knights    of    the    Golden 
Circle.       Source     of     the     origin     of     in 

Tennessee     Ill 

Tennessee  State.     Montgomery  Co.,  Tenn.  .     64 

Terry,   Joseph    101 

Texas    State    59,    137,    144,  147 

Texas  State.     Texas  and  Pacific  R.  R.  .  .  . . . 

137,  144,  147 

Thomas,  (Gen.)  George  H.     Union  General. 

War  of  the   Rebellion 176,  177 

Thomas  Grand  Army  Republic  Post,  Chi- 
cago,    111 142 

Thompson,  Jacob  C.  Member  of  commit- 
tee Illinois  State  Historical  Society  on 
marking  site  of  Fort  Creve  Coeur.  ...16,     30 


223 


INDEX— Continued. 


Thompson,  J.  V.,  Princeton,  111 137 

Thornton,     Norbury     W 101 

Thorntown,    111    165 

Tilt,  Joseph  E.  Member  of  first  board  of 
directors,  Illinois  Manufacturers  Asso- 
ciation          71 

Tipple,  Ezra  Squire.  Francis  Asbury,  the 
Prophet  of  the  Long  Road.     Foot-note..   122 

Tiskilwa,    Bureau    Co.,    Ill 98 

Titterington,    Fred    104,   106 

Titterington,     Fred.        Quoted     on     Indian 

Trail 104 

Tonti,  Henry   110 

Travel.      Early  modes  of  travel 

130,    132,    133,    136,  137 

Treaty  of  1783,  at  the  close  of  the  Ameri- 
can Revolution    75 

Trenton,    Tenn    167 

Tunnel    Hill,    Ga 176 

Turkey  Hollow,  Rock  Island  Co.,  111..  103,  105 
Turkey    Hollow    Creek,    Rock    Island    Co., 

Ill    102 

Turkey  Hollow   Hill,   Rock  Island   Co.,   111. 

102,   105 

Turner,    Charles.       Member    of    the    Union 

League   of   America Ill 

Turner,  George.  One  of  the  judges,  North- 
west   Territory    83 

Twain,    Mark    (Samuel   L.    Clemens) 56 


U 


Union     Car     Works,     Chicago,     begun     in 

1852      58 

Union     Furniture    Company    of     Rockford, 

111    67 

Union      League :        Its     Organization      and 
Achievements  during  the  Civil  War.     By 

E.    Bentley    Hamilton 25,    110-115 

Union  League  of  America  Clubs  formed  in 

the    United    States,    1862 113 

Union    -League     of     America,     Council     of. 

First  organized  in  Pekin,   111 Ill 

Union   League   of   America.      First   Council 

of.      Reference    21 

Union   League   of   America.      Illinois    State 

Council,   first   meeting   Sept.    5,    1862...    112 
Union      League      of      America.        Lincoln, 
Abraham.     Gives  aid  and  sanction  to  the 

Union  League    110 

Union   League  of  America.      Oath...' 112 

Union    League    of    New    York    City,    1864. 
Its  loyalty  and  patriotism.     War  of  the 

Rebellion      114 

Union  League  of  the  United  States.      Sup- 
port  of    the    Black.  Regiments.      War    of 

the   Rebellion    114 

United  States    46,   60,   68,     72 

Foot-notes     35,     76 

United  States.     Capital,  removal  of,  to  the 

District  of  Columbia 46 

United    States.      Constitution.      Reference.    112 
United    States.      Geological    Survey.     Foot- 
note           35 

United  States.  Navy  in  the  World  War.  .  140 
United  States.  Shipping  Board.  World  War  72 
United  States.     Statutes  at  Large.     Quoted. 

Foot-note    76 

United   States.      Steel  Corporation 60 

United    States.      Supreme    Court 124 

United      Steel      Corporation.        Elbert      H. 

Gary,  head  of    71 

Upham,  Fred  W 72 

Uran,     Benjamin     F.       President     of     the 
Kankakee   County  Historical  Societv  .  .  .  .      19 

Urbana,     111     23,     62 

Urbana,    111.      Manufactures    in 62 

Utoy  Creek,  Ga 183 


V 

Van    Buren    ,(Pres.)     James 134 

Vandruff   Island.      Named   for  Joshua   Van- 

druff    92 

Vandruff,    Joshua ..... .92  105 

Vandruff,   Joshua.      Vandruff   Island 'named 

for     92 

Van  Law,  John,  of  Arlington .........  178 

Van   Meter    ,(Mrs.)    William 102 

Varnum,  (Judge)  James  Mitchell.  One 
of  the  Judges  of  the  Northwest  Terri- 
tory       82 

Vermilion  Co.,  Ill    57 

Vernon,    (Rev.)    J.   W.    M.      Member  of'  the 

Union    League    of    America m 

Vicksburg,    Miss    113,  170 

Vicksburg,    Miss.      Siege   of.      War   of   the 

Rebellion      1^3 

Vieths,  Claus "  '.  ] 109 

Villepigue,  (Gen.)  J.  B.  Confederate' Gen- 
eral.     War    of   the   Rebellion 163 

Virginia  State    46,   56,   99,   198,  199 


W 

Wabash    River     49      45 

Wa-bo-kie-shiek.       Winnebago     Prophet.  .  .'  107 
Wakefield,     John    Allen.       History    of    the 

Black    Hawk    War infi    107 

Waldo,    (Mrs.)    E.    H 30 

Walker,    Jesse.      Pioneer    Preacher    Metho- 
dist   Church    217 

Walker,     (Capt.)     Thomas.      Wa'r"of  'isii 

Wallace,    (Gen.)    Lew.....'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'...'  155 
Wallace,   (Gen.)  William  Henry  Lamb.  151,  156 

Wapella,    Chief   of   the   Foxes 109 

War   of  the   Revolution 24,    75,  140 

War  of  the  Revolution.     Treaty  of   1783    '     75 

War  of  1812 24    88,  92,   135,   140,   143 

War  of  1812.     Battle  of  Campbell's  Island     92 
War   of    1812.      Defense   of   Baltimore.  135,  143 
War  of  1812.     McAfee,  Robert  B.     History 
of      the      late     War      in      the      Western 

Country.      Quoted    92 

War  of  the  Rebellion 25,  58, 

64,  110-115,  138,  139-150,  151,  154,  155, 
156,   158,   161,   162,   163,    164,   166,   170, 
175,   177,   178,   184,   185,   188,   189,   200,   201 
War  of  the  Rebellion.     Appomattox.      Sur- 
render  of    General  Lee 115 

War  of  the  Rebellion.     Army  of  the  Ohio.    185 
War   of   the   Rebellion.      Army   of   the   Po- 
tomac     113,    200,  201 

War     of     the     Rebellion.       Army     of     the 

Tennessee    113,    142,    184,    185,  188 

War  of  the  Rebellion.     Bull  Run,  Battle  of  110 
War  of  the  Rebellion.     Bureau  Co.,  Ill,  in 

138,     170,  175 

War  of  the  Rebellion.      Corinth,  Battle  of 

144,     161-164 

War    of   the    Rebellion.      Demand    for   food 

and   clothing  in 58 

War  of  the  Rebellion.      England  deliberat- 
ing whether  she  should  openly  recognize 

the    Confederacy     114 

War     of     the     Rebellion.       Fifteenth     and 

Sixteenth    Army   Corps 178 

War   of   the   Rebellion.      Fluctuating   value 

of     gold     175 

War    of    the    Rebellion.       Fort    Donelson, 

Battle    of     Ill,  144 

War  of  the  Rebellion.     Fort  Henry,  fall  of  111 
War  of  the  Rebellion.      Fort  Sumpter,   at- 
tack   and    capitulation,    April,    1861...    110 
War  of  the  Rebellion.     French's  division.  .    189 


224 


INDEX— Continued. 


PAGE. 


War  of  the  Rebellion.  Gettysburg,  Battle 
of    113 

War  of  the  Rebellion.  Hamilton  E.  Bent- 
ley.  The  Union  League.  Its  Organiza- 
tion and  Achievements  during  the  Civil 
War     25,     110-115 

War    of    the    Rebellion.      Hardee's    Corps.  .   189 

War  of  the  Rebellion.  Illinois.  Seventh 
Reg.   111.  Vol.   Inf 162,  188 

War  of  the  Rebellion.  Illinois  Twelfth 
Reg.    111.    Vols     166,  188 

War  of  the  Rebellion.  Illinois  Fiftieth 
Reg.    111.    Vols 162 

War  of  the  Rebellion.  Illinois  Fifty- 
seventh    Reg.    111.    Vols..  151,    158,    162,  188 

War  of  the  Rebellion.  Illinois  Ninety- 
third  Reg.   111.  Vols 170,  175 

War  of  the  Rebellion.  Iowa  State.  Thirty- 
ninth    Iowa    Reg 188 

War  of  the  Rebellion.     Island  No.   10 110 

War   of  the   Rebellion.      Iuka,   Battle   of..   161 

War  of  the  Rebellion.  Knights  of  the 
Golden    Circle     Ill 

War  of  the  Rebellion.  Letters  of  Dr. 
Jas.  Roberts  Zearing,  during  the  War 
of    the    Rebellion 150-202 

War  of  the  Rebellion.  Lincoln,  Abraham, 
call     for     volunteers 110 

War  of  the  Rebellion.  Monument  to  Sol- 
diers   and    Sailors,    Princeton,    111 138 

War  of  the   Rebellion.      New   Madrid 110 

War  of  the  Rebellion.  Pea  Ridge,  Battle 
of      Ill 

War  of  the  Rebellion.  Pittsburg  Landing, 
Battle     of     154-156 

War  of  the  Rebellion.  Seventeenth  Army 
Corps    177 

War  of  the  Rebellion.  Shiloh,  Battle  of 
Ill,     144,  164 

War  of  the  Rebellion.  Vicksburg,  siege 
of     113 

War  of  the  Rebellion.  Wilson  Creek, 
Battle  of    110 

War  of  the  Rebellion.  Yates,  (Gov.) 
Richard,  War  Governor,  call  for  special 
session  of  the  legislature,    1861 110 

War  of  the  Rebellion.  Zearing,  (Maj.) 
James    Roberts.      Letters    150-202 

War  of  the  Rebellion.  Zearing,  (Maj.) 
James   Roberts.      Record 139-149 

War  with  Mexico 39,     46 

War  Trade  Board.     World  War 72 

War,     World     War 

12,   28,   29,   58,   72,   138,   140 

See  World  War. 

Ward,   (Capt.)   Eber  Brock 57,     59 

Ward,  (Capt.)  Eber  Brock.  Pioneer  in 
the  iron  and  steel  industry  of  Illinois.  .      59 

Ward,  (Capt.)  Eber  Brock.  Rolling-mill 
established    by    59 

Warner  Co.,   Ill    100 

Warner,   E.    S 69 

Warner,  J.  K.  Member  of  the  Union 
League    of    America 112 

Washburn,    Henry    96 

Washington,   D.   C.  .28,  55,   147,   200,   201,  202 

Washington,  D.  C.  Grand  review  of  re- 
turned   troops    in    Washington.      War    of 

the   Rebellion    201 

Washington,    (Gen.)    George    

135,   140,   200,  202 

Washington,  George.  Statue  of  in  Rich- 
mond,    Va      200,   202 

Waterloo.  Napoleon  at  Waterloo.  Refer- 
ence         113 

Watertown,  N.  Y.     Foot-note 43 

Waukegan,  111.  Census  figures  on  popula- 
tion   and    manufacturing    interests 74 


Waukegan,   111.      Manufacturies   in 62 

Wayne,     (Mad)     Anthony 78 

Webb,    Oscar     189 

Weber,    Jessie   Palmer.      Librarian,    Illinois 

State    Historical    Library     12 

Weber,    Jessie   Palmer.      Secretary,    Illinois 

Historical    Society    

15,    19,    22,    23.    26-31 

Weber,    Jessie    Palmer.      Secretary,    Illinois 

State    Historical     Society.       Report.  ..  .26-31 
Webster,    (Mrs.)    Charles  Ashley.      (Martha 

Farnham    Webster)     19 

Webster,    Daniel    44,     45 

Foot-note      43 

Webster,   Martha  Farnham.      (Mrs.   Charles 

Ashley    Webster) 19 

Weed,  Thurlow    44 

Weems,  Mason  Locke.     Life  of  Washington     36 

Weik,   Jesse   W 98 

Wesley,    John.       Founder    of    Methodism.  .    122 
West    Chicago.      Listed    among    the    manu- 
facturing towns   in   Illinois 62 

West,     (Mrs.)     J.     E.      Quoted    on    Indian 

Trail    96,     97 

Western  Annals,   1850.      Quoted 92 

Western    Clock    Company,    LaSalle,    111 68 

Western     Spy,     Aug.     27,     1799.       Quoted. 

Foot-note    : 83 

Western    Spy,    Sept.     30,     1799.       Quoted. 

Foot-notes     75,     84 

Western  Township,  Henry  County,  111.. 96,     98 
Weyerhaeuser,    Frederick.      Known    as    the 

"Lumber   King"    70,     71 

Wheaton,    Illinois     60 

Whig    Party     38,     43 

Foot-note   43 

Whiteside   Co.,   Ill 92 

Whitman,  Walt.     Poem,  "When  Lilacs  Last 

in    the    Door-yard    Bloomed" 52 

Wigwam.      Chicago.      Where    Lincoln    was 

nominated   for   the   presidency,    I860....    142 

Wilder,   John   E 72 

Wilkins,   (Prof.)   D.     Member  of  the  Union 

League   of   America 112 

Williams      College,      Williamstown,      Mass. 

Foot-note    43 

Williamson  Co.,  Ill 57 

Wilmington,   N..0 194,    195,    196,   197 

Wilson    Creek.       Battle    of.      War    of    the 

Rebellion    HO 

Wilson,    T,   E.      President  of   the   Institute 

of  American   Meat   Packers 71 

Wilson,  W.   C 88,   89,   94,    95,   96,   107,  108 

Wilson,   W.    C.      Quoted   on   Indian   Trail.. 

94    95,     96 

Wilson,   W.    C.      Quoted   on    Indian   Trails, 

Moline,   Illinois    88,     89 

Winnebago    Co.,    Ill 21,     67 

Winnebago    Co.,    111.      Indian    Mound    in.  .      21 

Winnebago  Indians   88,  107 

Winrick,    Lawyer,    of    Harrisburg,    Pa ...  .    132 
Wisconsin   State.... 40,    41,    44,    107,    117,  118 

Foot-notes     45,     47 

Wisconsin  State.     Archaeological  Collection     29 

Wisconsin   State.      Beloit,   Wisconsin 66 

Wisconsin    State.      Fight    for    the    fourteen 

northern    counties    of    Illinois    including 

the  port   of  Chicago 41 

Foot-note    ' 

Wisconsin  State.     Historical  Society.    Foot- 


note 


45 


Wisconsin  State.     Lead  mines  in 88 

Wisconsin    State.      Milwaukee,    Wis ....  59,  65 
Wisconsin    State   University.      Foot-note...  45 
Wolff,  Charles  F.  Member  of  first  board  of 
directors,    Illinois    Manufacturers    Associ- 
ation       71 


225 


INDEX— Concluded. 


PAGE. 

Wolff,   Ludwig.      Founder   of   the   L.    Wolff 

Manufacturing    Company    66 

Wolff,    Ludwig   Manufacturing    Co bO 

Wood,    (Dr.)    Casey   A 24 

Wood,   (Dr.)    (U.  S.  Army) 180 

Wood    Family     l* 

Wood,   Harrison.      Dover,   111 l«>o 

Wood,     Timothy      64 

Woodford   Co.,   111.      Historical   Society 20 

Woodford    Co.,    111.    Indian   Mounds    in....      21 

Woodhull,    (Henry  Co.)    Ill 99 

Woodstock,  111.     Listed  among  the  manufac- 
turing   towns    in    Illinois 62 

World  War.  12,  28,  29,  58,  72,  138,  140,  143 
World  War.  Demand  for  food,  etc.,  in.  .  .  .  58 
World  War.      Emergency  Fleet  Corporation     72 

World  War.     Food  Commission 72 

World   War.      Fuel   Commission 72 

World    War.      Germans   in 143 

World    War.       Huidekoper,     (Col.)     F.     L. 
History     of     the     Thirty-third     Division, 

World    War     29 

World     War.       Illinois     State     Council     of 

Defense    Records     28 

World   War.      Illinois   Manufacturer's   Asso- 
ciation.    Members  of,  prominent   in  war 

work     72 

World     War,     Lusitania,     Ship     torpedoed 

World  War    72 

World  War.  National  Council  of  Defense  72 
World  War.     United  States  Shipping  Board     72 

World    War.      War    Trade    Board 72 

World  War.      Zearings   in 138,   140 

World's    Fair,    Chicago 142,  150 

Wurttenberg,   Germany    69 

Wyandotte,  Michigan,  a  suburb  of  Detroit  59 
Wyanet,  (Bureau  County)  111 97 


Yankee       Settlement         Twenty -five      miles 

southwest   of   Chicago 6S 

Yates,    (Gov.)    Richard,    War    Governor    of 

the    State    of    Illinois 

15,    110,    114,    115,    143,   169 

Yates,    (Gov.)    Richard.     War   Governor  of 

Illinois,    call    for    special    session    of    the 


legislature,    1861 HO 

Yates,    (Gov.)    Richard.      War   Governor   of 

Illinois.      Copperheads    threaten    his    life 

during   War   of   the   Rebellion 115 

Yates,  (Gov.)  Richard,  The  Younger.  .15,  23 
Yates,  (Gov.)  Richard  (The  Younger)   Yice 

President  Illinois  State  Historical  Society  23 
Yeiser,    (Capt.)    Gunboat  "Governor  Clark" 

Battle    of    Campbell"' s    Island 92 

Yellow  Banks.      Oquawka,  Illinois  formerly 

called    93,    106 


Zearing    Building,    Chicago 

Zearing   Descendants    in    World    War..  138, 

Zearing,    Elizabeth     

Zearing,  Family.  By  Luelja  Zearing  Gross 
129 

Zearing,  Henry,  Great-grandfather  of  Dr. 
James  R.  Zearing 129,   140 

Zearing,  Henry,  Grandfather  of  Dr.  James 
R.    Zearing     140, 

Zearing,  Illinois,  named  for  Zearing  Family 

Zearing,     (Dr.)     James    Roberts 

.129,  135,  137,  139 

Zearing,    (Dr.)    James   Roberts.      Necrology 

Zearing,  (Dr.)  James  Roberts.  Civil  War 
Letters     150 

Zearing,    (Mrs.)    James   Roberts.  .  149,    150, 

Zearing,    James    Helmer     

Zearing,    Jonas     

Zearing,  Lucinda  Helmer  (Mrs.  J.  R.  Zear- 
ing)  Biography    149 

Zearing,    Ludwig     140, 

Zearing,  Martin    129,   131, 

Zearing-,    Ohio     

Zearing,  Rebecca    

Zearing,    Sarah   Bright    Harmon 

Zearing,     (Judge)    William    Mitchell 

135,     137, 

Zearing,  (Judge)  William  Mitchell.  Let- 
ters to  Mrs.   James  Roberts  Zearing  175, 

Zearing,  Acres,  South  Chicago,  111 

Zearing,  John 129,   132,  134,   135, 

Zearing,    (2d  Lieut.)   Louis  A 

Zorger,   (Dr. )  Anna 

Zouaves  from  New  Orleans 


137 
140 
135 

138 

143 

143 
129 

149 
149 

■202 
175 
149 

158 

150 
143 
132 
137 
135 
143 


175 

176 
137 
143 
138 
30 
164 


PUBLICATIONS    OF    THE    ILLINOIS    STATE    HISTORICAL    LIBRARY 
AND  SOCIETY. 

No.l.  *  A  Bibliography  of  Newspapers  published  in  Illinois  prior  to"  I860  Pre- 
pared  by  Edmund  J.   James,   Ph.   D.,  and  Milo   J.   Loveless.     94   pp.   8   vo.      Springfield, 

No.  2.  *  Information  relating  to  the  Territorial  Laws  of  Illinois  passed  from 
1809  to  1812.     Prepared  by  Edmund  J.  James,  Ph.  D.,  15  pp.  8  vo.     Springfield    1899 

No. 3.  *  The  Territorial  Records  of  Illinois.  Edited  by  Edmund  J.  James,  Ph  D  ' 
170  pp.  8  vo.     Springfield,  1901.  '  ' 

No.  4.  *  Transactions  of  the  Illinois  State  Historical  Society  for  the  year  1900 
Edited  by  E.  B.  Greene,  Ph.  D.,  55  pp.  8  vo.     Springfield,  1900. 

No.  5.  *  Alphabetical  Catalog  of  the  Books,  Manuscripts.  Pictures  and  Curios 
of  the  Illinois  State  Historical  Library.  Authors,  Titles  and  Subjects.  Compiled  bv 
Jessie  Palmer  Weber.     363  pp.   8  vo.      Springfield,   1900. 

Nos.  6  to  28.  *  Transactions  of  the  Illinois  State  Historical  Society  for  the  vears 
1901-1921.      (Nos.  6  to  IS  out  of  print.) 

*  Illinois  Historical  Collections,  Vol.  I.  Edited  by  II.  W.  Beckwith,  President  of 
the  Board  of  Trustees  of  the  Illinois  State  Historical  Library.  642  pp.  8  vo.  Springfield, 
1903. 

*  Illinois  Historical  Collections,  Vol.  II.  Virginia  Series,  Vol.  I.  Edited  by 
Clarence  Walworth  Alvord.      CLVI   and  063  pp.   8   vo.      Springfield.    1907. 

*  Illinois  Historical  Collections,  Vol.  III.  LincOln-Douglas  Debates  of  1858, 
Lincoln  Series,  Vol.  I.  Edited  bv  Edwin  Erie  Sparks,  Ph.  D.,  627  pp.  8  vo.  Springfield. 
1908. 

*  Illinois  Historical  Collections,  Vol.  IV.  Executive  Series,  Vol.  I.  The  Governor's 
Letter  Books,  1818-1834.  Edited  by  Evarts  Boutell  Greene  and  Clarence  Walworth 
Alvord.     XXXII  and  317  pp.  8  vo.     Springfield,  1909. 

^Illinois  Historical  Collections,  Vol.  V.  Virginia  Series.  Vol.  II,  Kaskaskia 
Records,  1778-1790.  Edited  by  Clarence  Walworth  Alvord.  L.  and  681  pp.  8  vo. 
Springfield,   1909. 

*  Illinois  Historical  Collections,  Vol.  VI.  Bibliographical  Series.  Vol.  VI.  News- 
papers and  Periodicals  of  Illinois,  1814-1879.  Revised  and  enlarged  edition.  Edited 
by  Franklin  William  Scott.     CIV  and  610  pp.  8  vo.     Springfield,  1910. 

*  Illinois  Historical  Collections,  Vol.  VII,  Executive  Series,  Vol.  II.  Governor's 
Letter  Books,  1840-1853.  Edited  by  Evarts  Boutell  Greene  and  Charles  Manfred 
Thompson.     CXVII1  and  469  pp.   8  vo.      Springfield,   1911. 

*  Illinois  Historical  Collections.  Vol.  VIII.  Virginia  Series,  Vol.  III.  George 
Rogers  Clark  Papers,  1771-1781.  Edited  with  introduction  and  notes  by  James  Alton 
James.     CLXVII  and  715  pp.  8  vo.      Springfield.   1912. 

*  Illinois  Historical  Collections,  Vol.  IX.  Bibliographical  Series,  Vol.  II.  Travel 
and  Description,  1765-1865.     By  Solon  Justus  Buck.     514  pp.   8   vo.     Springfield,   1914. 

*  Illinois  Historical  Collections,  Vol.  X.  British  Series,  Vol.  I.  The  Critical 
Period,  1763-1765.  Edited  with  introduction  and  notes  bv  Clarence  Walworth  Alvord 
and  Clarence  Edwin  Carter.     LVII  and  597  pp.  8  vo.     Springfield,  1915. 

*  Illinois  Historical  Collections,  Vol.  XL  British  Series  Vol.  IT.  The  New 
Regime  1765-1767.  Edited  with  introduction  and  notes  by  Clarence  Walworth  Alvord 
and  Clarence  Edwin  Carter.     XXVIII  and  700  pp.  8  vo.     Snringfield,  1916. 

Illinois  Historical  Collections,  Vol.  XII.  Bibliographical  Series,  Vol.  III.  The 
County  Archives  of  the  State  of  Illinois.  By  Theodore  Calvin  Pease.  CXLI  and 
730  pp.   8  vo.      Springfield.   1915. 

Illinois  Historical  Collections,  Vol.  XIII.  Constitutional  Series.  Vol.  I,  Illinois 
Constitutions.     Edited  by  Emil  Joseph  Verlie.     231  pp.   8  vo.     Springfield,   1919. 

Illinois  Historical  Collections.  Vol.  XIV.  Constitutional  Series,  Vol.  II.  The 
Constitutional  Debates  of  1847.  Edited  with  introduction  and  notes  by  Arthur  Charles 
Cole.     XV  and  1018  pp.  8  vo.     Springfield,  1919. 

Illinois  Historical  Collections,  Vol.  XV.  Bibliographical  Series,  Vol.  I.  Governor 
Edward  Coles.  By  Elihu  B.  Washburne.  Reprint  with  introduction  and  notes  by 
Clarence  Walworth' Alvord.  435  pp.  S  vo.     Springfield,  1920. 

*  Bulletin  of  the  Illinois  State  Historical  Library,  Vol.  I,  No.  1  September,  1905. 
Illinois  in  the  Eighteenth  Century.     By  Clarence  Walworth  Alvord    38  pp.  S  vo.  Spring- 

'*  Bulletin  of  the  Illinois  State  Historical  Library,  Vol.  I,  No.  2,  June  1,  1906. 
Laws  of  the  Territory  of  Illinois,  1809-1811.  Edited  by  Clarence  Walworth  Alvord, 
34  dp    8  vo.      Springfield,   1906. 

*  Circular  Illinois  State  Historical  Library,  Vol.  I,  No.  1.  November,  1905. 
An  Outline  for  the  Study  of  Illinois  State  History.  Compiled  by  Jessie  Palmer  Weber 
and  Georgia  L.  Osborne.     94  pp.  8  vo.     Springfield.  1905. 

*  Publication  No.  IS.  List  of  Genealogical  Works  in  the  Illinois  State  Historical 
Librarv.     Compiled  by  Georgia  L.  Osborne.     8  vo.     Springfield,  1914.  _ 

*  Publication  No.  25.  List  of  Genealogical  Works  m  the  Illinois  State  Historical 
Library.     Supplement  to  Publication  No.  IS.     Compiled  by  Georgia  L.  Osborne.     S   vo. 

Pn  Journal   of  the   Illinois   State    Historical    Society,  Vol.   I,   No.    1.      April     190S,    to 

V0L  J^ommahT'out  of  "print ,'  Vols.'  I,  II.  Ill,   IV,  V,  VI,  VII  VIII,   No.   1   of  Vol.   IX,  No. 
2  of  Vol.  X. 


Out  of  print.