I B R.AR.Y OF THL UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS 977.585 Wl5h M.\ V- 1 , HISTORY OF Macoupin County ILLINOIS Biographical and Pictorial HON. CHARLES A. WALKER Supervising Editor VOLUME I ILLUSTRATED CHICAGO THE S. J. CLARKE PUBLISHING COMPANY 191 1 Y.I CONTENTS CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION. Introduction The Northwest Territory Father Marquette and Louis Joliet State of Illinois admitted to the Union and Constitution adopted First events of interest in the State The Black Hawk war The Mexican war 9 CHAPTER II. o GEOLOGY. O Preparation of the earth for man's convenience The rocks and hills as Na- ture left them Coal and other mineral formations in the county Fauna and flora of the county 67 CHAPTER III. ORGANIZATION. Macoupin county organized in 1829 Commissioners named to select a county seat Provisions made for the first election -First county officials First grand and petit jurors First and only legal execution 75 CHAPTER IV. TOPOGRAPHY. ^ it Macoupin is classed as one of the south-central counties The county an ob- long square Originally of prairie and undulating Soil Grasses Tim- ber Mounds, etc 87 CHAPTER V. THE PIONEER. David Coop the first settler A creek and mound named for the pioneer Located on Coop's Creek in 1815 Others soon followed Names of many who came at a later period but opened the county to settlement 90 8 ' ' 3566G 4 CONTEXTS CHAPTER VI. MEMORY'S STORE HOUSE. Recollections of a pioneer Hon. Charles A. Walker here in 1828, three years before the county was organized He was acquainted with many of the pioneers of Macoupin Reminiscences entertainingly related in CHAPTER VII. GOVERNMENT. Commissioners' court of almost unlimited power List of first voters Com- missioners' court abolished and county divided into townships Names of county officials from 1829 to 1911 127 CHAPTER VIII. THE PRIMITIVE. This chapter tells of how the pioneer managed to live Also how the early settler endured many hardships and privations Heroism and fortitude of noble women, their sacrifices and wonderful resourcefulness They were brave, too, in the face of danger 144 CHAPTER IX. PUBLIC BUILDINGS. The first court house a primitive log building Men of note held forth there Second building somewhat more pretentious than its predecessor Here Lincoln, Douglas and many others who became of national note foregath- ered Early criminal record 151 CHAPTER X. A building with a history Money "no object" to its promoters Architect- urally "a thing of beauty" Creates a tax upon the people lasting over forty years Grand jubilee at public burning of last bond by Governor Charles S. Deneen 1 57 CHAPTER XI. CIVIL WAR. Patriotic Macoupin and her splendid record in the war between the States First regiment in Illinois organized at Carlinville in response to Lincoln's first call for troops History of the brave men who went to the front Full roster of those who served from this county 171 CONTENTS 5 CHAPTER XII. RELIGIOUS. The church always comes first in a new community Many handsome houses of worship erected in the county in recent years A list of organizations in the county 1 99 CHAPTER XIII. EDUCATIONAL. Schools follow the settler Macoupin county at a high altitude in her educa- tional institutions History of the schools by County Superintendent Rob- ert C. Moore Blackburn College 234 CHAPTER XIV. PIONEER SCHOOLS. The pedagogue and the schoolhouse of early days The teacher "boarded 'round" and took "pot luck" No "laughing out in school" allowed Schoolhouses without windows simply a "hole in the wall" 260 CHAPTER XV. THE HEALING ART. The pioneer physician and his burdens There were no specialists in those days Made his own pills and used the lance with or without provocation Quick of perception and self reliant Sketches of some pioneers and others Macoupin County Medical Society 267 CHAPTER XVI. BENCH AND BAR. Some mention of the pioneer lawyer Those who shed luster on the legal profession and made a stir in the world General John M. Palmer Gen- eral John I. Rinaker and others Present members of the Macoupin bar. .279 CHAPTER XVII. JOHN M. PALMER. Autobiography of John M. Palmer Lawyer Soldier Statesman Gave prominence to the local bar Served his country in the hour of peril--- Became governor of Illinois and honored the state in the national senate Candidate for President on the gold standard Democratic ticket 289 CHAPTER XVIII. THE PRESS. The printer early in the field and one of the great educational factors of the day A considerable history of Macoupin County's newspapers The statesman pioneer of them all Many well edited journals abreast of the times in news and make-up Papers of by-gone days are here mentioned . .303 6 CONTENTS CHAPTER XIX. VARIOUS THINGS. Transportation Steam and electric railroads County Fair Association- Population of the county Macoupin a wealthy and progressive section . . 308 CHAPTER XX. REMINISCENCES. The pioneer preacher and his bride Log court house used for many purposes Mention of Carlinville's first inhabitants Methodist and Baptist churches organized First child born in the county seat 317 CHAPTER XXI. "JERSEY STREET." Interesting section of the county From Rockbridge to Piasa Creek Lyman L. Palmer writes with a facile pen of early days and their people Sweet singers of Medora Old Tobe Bill Davis' ox team The village dominie The village plow maker A hard nut to crack 328 \ CHAPTER XXII THE TOWNSHIPS. This chapter is a long one and speaks of the twenty-six townships of the county Hamlets, villages, towns and cities First settlers in the various localities Founding and growth of the trading points Hilyard town- ship 358 REMINISCENT. A tale well told by J. B. Andrews of early days in Shipman township He tells of the First Baptist Society The primitive schools Manumitted slaves and the underground railroad Lack of medical attendance 406 CARLINVILLE. Seth Hodges and Ezekiel Good donate land for the county seat Named in honor of Thomas Carlin, member of the Legislature First lot sold Has now a population of three thousand, six hundred and sixty Mayors and public utilities 419 PREFACE. For more than a decade I have been appealed to by a number of old pioneers left in our county to write and have published in book form my recollections of the settlement and organization of the county as well as the characteristics of. the pioneers who settled in the "New Wilderness." That really was the mov- ing cause that induced me to accept the position as supervising editor of this history. The purpose and intent of the publishers were to get facts and publish nothing that was not well substantiated; hence this record of those early times ought to be and will be the standard history of the county appertaining to its organization and settlement, and the events treated of in the history, so far as I have had control, have been recorded in justification of the action of those who aided in building up this great and prosperous county from the time of the early pioneers to the present period. I quote from the writings of one of our own pioneers "The memory of the life of even a pioneer is fleeting. The name written upon the shady shore of time is effaced by the coming wave of the next generation, and unless some effort is made to preserve in permanent form a record of that work it will be lost to future generations. There is no better way to preserve the most valued items in the history of a county and its progressive citizens than by the medium of such a history." In the preparation of this work the editor and publishers have recognized the magnitude of the task undertaken and in getting the material for the same there has been a constant aim to use a just discrimination in regard to the selection of such facts as will interest the reading public. Great labor and ex- pense have been required to collect such facts that will be of benefit to the future generations that will follow in the footsteps of the early pioneers of our county. Some names of families worthy of perpetuation here will not appear in the history, either on account of the apathy of those concerned, or the inability to secure the facts desired from those who are most interested. The publishers of this history at much expense sent agents into every part of the county to glean facts pertaining to the events and history of every citi- zen or his ancestors, who has been active as a worker in the upbuilding of the county, giving to such citizens or family an opportunity to have the leading facts recorded in the history and, if it shall appear that some one's name is omitted it must not be said that they (the publishers) are responsible for that omission, as an opportunity was given to such persons and they failed or re- fused to avail themselves of it, they are thereby estopped from criticizing the work on that account. Thanks are due and hereby given to all who in any man- ner contributed to the completion of this work. CHARLES A. WALKER, Supervising Editor. LIBRARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS History of Macoupin County CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION. INTRODUCTION THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY FATHER MARQUETTE AND LOUIS JOLIET STATE OF ILLINOIS ADMITTED TO THE UNION AND CONSTITUTION ADOPTED FIRST EVENTS OF INTEREST IN THE STATE THE BLACK HAWK WAR THE MEXICAN WAR. Within the last thirty years this fertile portion of the Prairie state has as- sumed a new aspect. In the moral and physical changes that have produced this result, in the improvements of its soil, and the establishment of its political and literary institutions, you, the inhabitants of" the county, have ever been the zeal- ous actors. In the progress of this great change, much is due to the kind and fostering care of a good government in promoting the settlement and eliciting the latent resources of this portion' of the state. But the slightest reflection will make it evident that still more is due to manly enterprise, individual hardihood, and personal exertion of the inhabitants of the county. In this personal devotion, many persons have rendered themselves conspicuous, and their names are en- graved upon the minds of a posterity that has arisen to take their places. The active part that they and their ancestors have taken in the work of subduing this, our common country, their zeal and services in promoting the general wel- fare, is generally known and appreciated by all. The country is now in a most prosperous condition. Its agricultural re- sources have been improved and developed, its natural improvements fostered and encouraged; large manufacturing establishments have been erected; schools and institutions of learning built up and maintained, while its churches and re- ligious institutions have received the support and encouragement of a whole, united people. NORTHWEST TERRITORY EARLY EXPLORATIONS. In writing a history of Macoupin county, some reference must be made to the state of which the county forms so important a part and not only of the state, but also of the great northwest, where the first explorations and discoveries were made and where the pioneers of these many explorations, the Jesuits, first landed to prosecute their journeys through the country. 9 10 HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY The Great Northwest territory, which was ceded by Virginia to the United States, in 1784, embraced what is now five of the larger of the middle western states, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan and Wisconsin, and that portion of Min- nesota lying east of the Mississippi river. It is a mighty empire in itself and now contains many millions of inhabitants. Its great lakes are inland seas of fresh water, while its rivers are among the largest of the North American Continent. When the act of ceding this vast territory was consummated, there were comparatively few white inhabitants included within its borders, while some very extensive portions had not probably a single white inhabitant. FIRST EXPLORATIONS. The first explorations made in that portion of the territory now embraced within the borders of the great state of Illinois was in 1673, when Father Mar- quette and his companion, Louis Joliet, set out from what was then known as the Straits of Mackinac, or Michilimackinac, on a voyage of exploration and dis- covery. Previous to this one Jean Nicolet, a native of Cherbourg, France, came to Canada and dwelt for several years with the natives, learned their language and adopted their mode of living, and to him, it is claimed, belongs the honor of hav- ing discovered Lake Michigan, then generally called the French "Lac des Illi- nois;" that he first saw it July 4, 1634, and that on the same voyage he went into Green Bay, known to the French as "Baye des Puens," and visited the Chippewa tribe of Indians and the Winnebagoes on the lake of that name. But very little is known of Nicolet's voyage at that time, as he kept but few records of his adventures. Nicholas Perrot was another of the daring spirits in those days to brave the dangers in exploring the great western country. He discovered the first lead mines in the west, and was for several years in command of the country around Green Bay. He was a man of learning and intelligence and committed to writ- ing an interesting account of his labors and explorations from 1670 to 1690, a period of twenty years. It was during his journey ings in the west that the notable conference was held between the French and seventeen tribes of na- tions at Sault Ste. Marie, June 14, 1671. It was at this conference that the French gained possession of Lakes Huron and Superior "and all the countries contiguous thereto, and southward to the sea." In 1667, Father Marquette, with that fearless and intrepid man, Claude Al- louez, and a companion, Claude Dablon, both brothers in the same order with himself, went up the river that forms the outlet to Lake Superior, to the falls, and there established a mission, which they named "The Mission of Saint Mary," but now known as Sault Ste. Marie. They named the river "Saint Mary," and then started on a journey up the great lake, with the object of dis- covering, if possible, its western extremity. They coasted the whole southern shore of the lake, passing through some beautiful islands when near the western end, and the islands, being twelve in number, they named them the "Twelve Apostles," and they are now known as the Apostle Islands. They reached the end of the lake to the site of the present city of Duluth. occupying three years HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY 11 in their journey. There the natives informed them of a mighty river far toward the setting sun, and of the savage tribes that lived upon its borders. On their return, Father Marquette established the "Mission of St. Ignace," opposite the Island of Mackinac, near the straits. This was afterward his rallying point when in that vicinity, and there he labored long and faithfully for the conversion to his faith of the natives of that region. It was to him a labor of love. His journeys were made in bark canoes, his bed but the ground and in the open air, and his food often but dry corn, or the moss and lichens from the trees. It was a holy religious enthusiasm that prompted him to undergo these many hardships and privations, and the great hope of a lasting reward when his earthly pilgrimage was ended. FATHER MARQUETTE AND LOUIS JOLIET. Father Jacques Marquette was a native of France, and a son of a wealthy family, who educated and trained him for the priesthood. He was of a quiet disposition, but of strong mind and character also, and just the man to engage in the work of christianizing and civilizing the natives of the Great Northwest. Louis Joliet was American born, being a native of Quebec, his birth being in 1645. He was educated among the Jesuits but declined to enter the priesthood. As. soon as his education was completed, believing that the life of an explorer was better suited to his tastes, he was dispatched by the Canadian authorities in 1669 to explore the copper mines of Lake Superior, and the country to the west of the Great Lakes. Count- Frontenac, who was then governor of the province, confirmed the appointment. Joliet left Quebec in the fall of 1672, and arrived at Mackinac on the 8th of December. Here he remained until spring and it was at that time that he first met Marquette, the missionary then in charge of the mission at St. Ignace, on the north side of the straits. He made known to the good Father his mission and desired his companionship, to which the Father very gladly consented. He was a most valuable acquisition to the party, for. he could speak six of the Indian dialects, and his holy calling proved him to be the peacemaker needed, when trouble with the natives seemed most imminent. The pilgrimage of Marquette and his companions to the west end of Lake Superior was a notable event. The wonderful descriptions of the great river that flowed to the south, the vast valley that bordered it, the roving tribes of natives who lived in the valley, the beauties of scenery, and the endless verdure with which it abounded, was the great incentive to the Father to accompany Joliet in the hazardous enterprise of visiting the country. He desired to view with his own eyes the great river and the many things of which he had heard. It is to that journey that the world is indebted for the discovery of the Missis- sippi and the valley of the Illinois. On the 2Oth of May, 1673, Marquette and Joliet, with five French Can- adians, left St. Ignace in two bark canoes, and coasting along the northern shore of Lake Michigan, entered Green Bay. where they established the Mission of St. Francis Xavier, near the mouth of the Fox river. Father Marquette called 12 HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY together the tribes of Indians in that locality and preached to them of the Chris- tian faith, which was his guiding star in all his wanderings. THE DISCOVERY OF THE MISSISSIPPI. Having finished his work at the mission, Marquette and his companions with two Indians of the Algonquin tribe, as guides, embarked upon the waters of the Fox, and went up that river to near the last Indian village, where there was a most remarkable portage, and where upon the same level and but two miles apart, the stream they had just left pursued its way northeastwardly to the Great Lakes, and thence to the Atlantic, while the other upon which they were about to embark, took a course southwestwardly to some unknown destiny. They crossed the portage with their canoes and baggage and on the loth of June of that year, embarked upon the waters of the Wisconsin river, whose swift current bore them onward to their destination to the great river, and on the 1 7th of that month, their eyes beheld for the first time the large and beau- tiful stream of which they had heard so much, and which the pious Father and his companion had for so long a time desired to see. Launching their canoes upon its broad surface, its rapid current bore them swiftly forward past bold bluffs, which lined the stream upon either hand. Great herds of buffaloes appearing upon its banks, viewed the little flotilla of canoes with evident surprise. The rapids of Rock Island were passed in safety, while they gazed with great delight upon the beautiful landscape that everywhere un- folded itself to their view. Since leaving the Wisconsin, no human foot-print had been seen by them. It was a wilderness which seemed to them to revel in the beauties of nature. But after passing the lower rapids, a footprint was discovered on the western shore and they stopped to examine it. Upon follow- ing it a short distance, it led them to the bank of another river, which was dotted over with cabins. They were kindly received by the natives. A great council was held and Marquette told them of his mission, of the great king across the water, and of his power and willingness to protect them. They re- mained there several days and were treated with the greatest kindness and hos- pitality. The tribes told them of another large river coming in from the north- west, which they called Pekitanoni. On their departure the chief accompanied him with many of his warriors for an escort, and on parting presented him with the mystic Calumet, beautifully decorated, and instructed him of the many virtues it possessed. THEY DISCOVER THE ILLINOIS. Again their canoes were pointed south and they soon passed the mouth of the Illinois, coming from the east, its outlet into the Mississippi being lined with high walls of limestone and the pictured rocks of Piasan, which are such a wonder even to this day. THE MOUTH OF THE MISSOURI SEEN. Soon the swift current of the Missouri is discovered behind some islands upon the west side of the river, and so impetuous was the flood that it drove their light canoes over to the east shore, which was covered with trees and HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY 13 vegetation of such a rank growth that it excited their admiration. Some sixty miles below the Missouri, the Ohio was reached, the river being called by the natives Ouabauskijon, because it comes from the lands of the rising sun. Pass- ing this, they began to see the tall canes, or reeds, that grew in such profusion along the banks of the river. Before reaching these, they had not been troubled with insects to any great extent but now having entered their country, they had to suffer the dire consequences. As a protection against these, the natives built scaffolds on which they slept, with a small fire beneath, the smoke of which kept the troublesome insects away, and Marquette and his companions were compelled to adopt a like method for protection from their attacks. THE END OF THEIR JOURNEY SOUTH. At length they reached the mouth of the Arkansas river, below the thirty- fourth parallel of north latitude. Here the natives are seen with steel axes for weapons, but the pipe of peace given Marquette by the Illinois chief is shown them, and averts all possible danger. They landed, a religious celebration was held, and the faith of the pious Father was told to the savages, which they received with every evidence of satisfaction. Marquette and Joliet being convinced that the river flowed into the Gulf of Mexico, or Florida, as it was then known prepared for their return up the river. To the meek and humble Jesuit, the good Father Marquette and his com- panion, Joliet, is due the honor of being the first white men to float upon the bosom of the majestic river. Their light bark canoe was the first to stem its current, and their paddles the first to disturb its waters by any white men. Set- tlements had been made in many parts of the east for many years but to those then far off inhabitants, no knowledge of the mighty stream had ever been sug- gested to them and hence the discovery when made known was the opening of a new world. The natives of the east had no legend or tradition of the river, nor of the mighty tribes of natives who inhabited its borders. MARQUETTE AND JOLIET ENTER THE ILLINOIS. Marquette and Joliet, with their companions, toiled for many a weary day up against the current of the rapid stream. Annoyed at times with insects and with but scant supplies of food, yet no murmurs of complaint escaped from them and no despondency at any time entered their thoughts, ft was a high and holy mission in which they were engaged and therefore they believed with the utmost faith and confidence that to suffer in a just and virtuous cause was but the will of Him who had sent them. When they again reached the Illinois, they turned their course up that stream, passed through a country of great fertility, with rich prairies and meadows abounding upon either hand. A great variety of animals and birds were seen by them, "stags, buffaloes, deer, wild cats, bustards, swans, ducks, paroquets and even beavers." Their voyage up the Illinois was in great con- trast to that up the Mississippi, for the stream had hardly any perceptible cur- 14 HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY rent and they floated along "luxuriating in peace and plenty." This happy con- dition continued until they had reached the upper end of Peoria lake, when they encountered a strong and rapid current, until they reached the portage opposite the southern shore of Lake Michigan, at the point now known as the Summit, a station on the Chicago & Alton railway. A monument of granite boulders now marks the spot. Transferring their canoes to the waters draining into the Chicago river, they were soon in Lake Michigan. They passed up the west shore to the mission at Green Bay, which they reached the last day of September, 1673. JOLIET RETURNS TO CANADA. Louis Joliet returned at once to Canada and thence to France, to make known to his sovereign, the mighty empire he and his comrades had acquired for his majesty. He had kept a full record of this most important journey, together with a very complete map of the country they had explored but un- fortunately he lost all while on his return to Quebec by the upsetting of his canoe, while attempting to land at Montreal. Father Marquette had kept a very full record of the journey and this was preserved to the world and thus he acquired another trophy to the members of his order in all parts of the civilized globe. This voyage of Marquette and Joliet up the Illinois river was, beyond ques- tion, the first visit of white men within the present borders of this state. It is quite probable, too, that the party when it reached the junction of the Des Plaines with the Kankakee, passed up the former river to a well known portage of the Indians across to Lake Michigan. DEATH OF KATHER MARQUETTE. The fate of the good and pious Father after his return to Green Bay in September, 1673, is thus recorded. After a few weeks' stay there h ereturned to Canada. He had faithfully promised the Illinois Indians at Peoria lake that he would return to them but his health had been sadly shattered and he had some doubts whether he could keep his solemn pledge. He resolved, how- ever, to try and devote the remainder of his life to their service. It was in the year of 1674 that he returned to the mission of St. Louis on Peoria lake, and there he labored with the natives, teaching them his simple faith and exhorting them to lead a better life. In the spring following, he started on his return to Green Bay, going down the east shore of Lake Michigan and on the i8th of May he entered a small stream, and asked to land that he might celebrate mass. Leaving his men, with the canoe, he retired a short distance and began his devotions. As much time passed and he did not return, his men went in search of him and found he was, on his knees, dead. He had thus passed peacefully away while at prayer. He was buried on the spot, and there by the great lake, upon the bosom of which he had journeyed so many miles, in the obscure and forgotten grave, lie the mortal remains of the discoverer of Illinois and the great Mississippi Valley his only dirge being the sad, sullen moan of the waters near which he sleeps his last sleep. HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY v 15 Some writers have asserted that the small stream near which he died bears his name, but we can find no stream on the east shore of the lake bearing his name, nor is it known with any certainty what stream is meant. It is, indeed, a sad fate that a man of such distinction of such piety and zeal, should find at last such a resting place. He had devoted for many years his best energies in the service of his Divine Master, ministering to untamed savages, denying himself every comfort, even enduring cold, hunger and ex- treme fatigue, that he might uplift and improve the condition of the almost uncounted thousands of degraded humanity. LA SALLE AND HENNEPIN. In 1679 Robert de La Salle and Louis Hennepin began a voyage up Lake Erie in a small schooner named the Griffin. The vessel had been built for the purpose assigned and although of but sixty tons burden, yet it was a ''stanch and seaworthy craft." This was the pioneer of all the vessels upon the Great Lakes. In this expedition Chevalier Henry de Tonty, a brave and intrepid soldier, who had lost his right hand in battle, was second in command, and ac- companying them with three "barefooted, gray coated friars" of the mendicant order of St. Francis. They passed up the lake through the straits of Detroit, and thence through the river and Lake St. Clair into Lake Huron. In that lake they encountered heavy storms, so that they had much difficulty in reaching the Straits of Mack- inac. There they remained for some time and La Salle built a fort on the main land, on the south side of the straits, which he named Michilimackinac, and by this name it was known for more than a century. This, undoubtedly, was the first fort ever built by white men in the whole western country. He then sailed to Green Bay, where a large quantity of furs had been col- lected for him by the natives. Loading the Griffin with these and placing her in charge of a careful pilot and fourteen sailors, he started her on her return voy- age. The vessel was never again heard of. Whether she and her crew had been swallowed in the angry waves or captured by hostile Indians and destroyed and the crew murdered, nothing was ever known. He then collected his men, thirty in all, and the three monks and started on his great undertaking of bind- ing the country from the Great Lakes to the Gulf of Mexico by a chain of forts to his sovereign, the King of France. He passed down the shore of Lake Mich- igan to the Chicago river and then by a portage across the country, embarked again upon the waters of the Kankakee. Floating down this by easy stages, they entered the Illinois, and about the last days of December of that year, reached a village of the Illinois Indians. They were greatly in need of food. It was the dead of winter and the only game they had obtained on their voyage down the river was a half famished buffalo, found struggling in the river. This Indian village as described by Father Hennepin contained about five hundred cabins and was situated on the bank of "Illinois lake." It is difficult to determine at this time what body of water was referred to, but it is thought they intended to describe a widening of the river near the present site of the village of Utica. in La Salle county, as there was a large village of the Kas- kaskias, a branch of the Illinois Indians, on a meadow below that village. Upon 16 HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY landing, they found the cabins all deserted, the Indians, at the time, being away on hunt for game farther down the river. La Salle and his companions being in want of food, searched for it and found a large quantity of corn concealed in holes excavated beneath the cabins. Securing a sufficient quantity of this for their use, which they stored securely in their canoes, the party again em- barked on their journey down the river and on the evening of "New Year's day," 1680, entered the Peoria lake. This lake is described by them as being "seven leagues in length by one broad, and the country on the borders is called Primitouri," by the natives, meaning the place where fat beasts abound. On the shores of the lake they found large numbers of the natives but they were gentle and peaceable,, and soon a friendly intercourse was established between them and the white men. The natives rubbed the uncovered feet of the monks with bear's oil and the fat of the buffalo, and fed them with meat, placing with much ceremony the first three morsels in their mouths, as a mark of great civility. LA SALLE BUILDS A FORT. La Salle and his fellow voyagers spent some time with the natives. Some of these Indians at the Lake "Illinois" belonged to the Illinois tribe, and Father Zenabe, one of the monks, desired to remain and return with them to their village, to engage in spiritual labors and "save them from perdition." There was a mission at the lower end of the Peoria lake, established there, it is claimed, by Father Duguerre in 1657, and which remained in his charge for several years, but it was abandoned previous to 1673, when Father Marquette and Joliet passed up the river, for neither of them made any mention of it whatever. La Salle and his hardy followers were much worn out with fatigue from their long and arduous journeys and were in an almost hopeless state of de- spondency. This little band of white men were the only ones in the whole valley of the Mississippi, and surrounded by savages as they were, he resolved to build a fort that should serve to protect them until spring and as a rallying point in the future. This fort was named "Creve Coeur" or "Broken Heart," but its exact location cannot now be definitely determined, whether upon the east or west side of the lake. LA SALLE RETURNS TO CANADA. Winter passed away ere the fort was finished and the broad prairies were again green with verdure. The intrepid leader of the expedition despairing of receiving reinforcements long since promised him, resolved to return to Can- ada for help to prosecute his voyage to the gulf, and also obtain rigging and tackle for a small vessel they had commenced building for their journey down the river. Leaving Tonty, one of his most faithful followers, in charge of the fort, there to await his return, he directed that Father Hennepin, with two men, should proceed down the Illinois to the junction with the Mississippi, thence up that stream to discover, if possible, its source. He then turned his face toward Canada, taking a new route. He pursued his lonely way upon foot over snow- banks and ice, with no provisions but such as his gun could procure. He found HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY 17 his way back to Frontenac, the governor of Canada, and asked for further means to prosecute his desired adventure. While passing Starved Rock, then known as Le Rocher, or the Rock, he was forcibly struck with the spot as a most suitable place for a fort and dis- patching a message back to his faithful Tonty, ordered him to occupy the Rock for a fort. There is probably not in the whole Illinois valley a place more capable of defense than that. It is 160 feet in height, with three sides perpendicular, while the fourth is so steep that a few men could stop a whole army when equipped with the weapons then in use. TONTY OCCUPIES "THE ROCK." Tonty, with a part of his garrison at Creve Coeur, went to the Rock and at once engaged in fortifying it, but while so engaged he was alarmed by a report of the revolt of the men left at Creve Coeur. He returned there with all speed and found that one-half of the men had deserted, taking with them such arms and provisions as they could carry. Tonty had no alternative but to leave the fort at once and return up the river. Taking with him Father Gabriel an.l those of the men that were faithful, he went to the Indian village at "Illinois Lake," where he remained for six months, devoting his time to teaching the natives the use of firearms and the construction of a rude fortification for their village. TONTY RETURNS TO GREEN BAY. Soon after it was announced that a war party of the Iroquois, numbering five hundred warriors, was advancing into their country. Tonty and a com- panion, one Zenabe Membre, acted as ambassador between the town powers, and soon the Calumet was smoked and a peace arranged, but the Illinois war- riors considering that "discretion was the better part of valor," fled, leaving Tonty and his five companions alone. Tonty then had but one recourse and that was to return as best he could to Green Bay. He left the village in an old canoe, without any supplies, and started up the river with all speed. On the way up, Father Gabriel was cruelly murdered by the Kickapoo scouts and his body was left where it fell, a prey to the wild beasts. The remainder of the party passed up the west shore of Lake Michigan to the bay, thence to Mack- inac, there to await the return of their leader. HENNEPIN STARTS FOR THE GREAT RIVER. Meanwhile, Father Hennepin and his companions soon after the return of La Salle to Canada, prepared for their long and tedious voyage to the head waters of the Mississippi. On the morning of the last day of February, 1680, the light bark canoe is pushed from the shore, the provisions and arms having been carefully stored in it, and the three companions leap into it. The light paddles are seized, and as they float down the swift current, the good old Father Gabriel advances to the water's edge and bestows upon the little com- pany his parting benediction. They are once more upon the water, bound for they hardly know where, but this they know, that they have a long and tedious Vol. 12 18 HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY journey before them that untold dangers await them and that perhaps they have looked upon the faces of their comrades for the last time. The canoe moved swiftly down the gentle current, and Father Hennepin, as was Marquette before him, was charmed with the beautiful country through which they were passing, bestowing upon it the title of "The Delight of America." The mouth of the river was reached in safety and they then beheld with dismay the surface of the great river filled with floating ice, a sight at once disheartening in the extreme. They remained there three days in order to pre- pare for that hazardous journey up the mighty river, and on the I2th of March, 1680, commenced the ascent, paddling up the icy stream for a month, reaching the mouth of the Wisconsin, April I2th. Here they were surprised and taken prisoners by a band of Chippewa Indians, who took them up the river through Lake Pepin to the falls, which he named St. Anthony, in honor of his patron saint. They remained in the vicinity of the falls for several weeks, hunting the buffalo and other game. Hennepin, dur- ing their stay, baptizing many of the native children. Their captivity continued until fall, when Hennepin, having obtained permission of the chief to return 16 Canada, provided him with a map, sketched on bark, of the country through which they were to pass, their route being by way of the Wisconsin river. HENNEPIN RETURNS TO CANADA. Once more these hardy adventurers are in their canoe bound for home and civilized life. Entering the Wisconsin, they paddled up that stream to the portage into the Fox, thence down that and across Green Bay to Mackinac, reaching there in November, 1680. He wintered there with Father Pearson, a Jesuit, and on the last day of March, 1681, reembarked on Lake Huron, passed over Lake Erie to the falls, thence by portage to Lake Ontario, and to Frontenac and Montreal, and on the last day of April reached Quebec, having been absent two years and a half. LA SALLE RETURNS TO ILLINOIS. In the meantime La Salle had obtained from the governor of Canada his recruits and supplies and started on his return trip to the Illinois, reaching which, he passed down the river to the Rock, which he found deserted, as was also the fort, Creve Coeur. Almost discouraged at what he there found, he went back to Green Bay, where he soon after met his old companion. Tonty. Once more this intrepid man entered upon his scheme of discovering the mouth of the Mississippi. Gathering together his scanty resources as best he could and with his ever faithful Tonty and a few Frenchmen, started once more on his long and adventurous journey. Tonty and a few of the companions had preceded him and they were to meet at the mouth of the Chicago creek. They met there, and as it was then winter and the rivers frozen over, they prepared sledges and traveled across the country to Peoria lake, which then being open HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY 19 water, they launched their canoes once more and started on their hazardous enterprise. LA SALLE DISCOVERS THE MOUTH OF THE MISSISSIPPI. From Peoria lake they descended to the Mississippi and were then borne upon its swift current, reaching the gulf on the 9th of April, 1682, where the necessary forms were gone through with and the whole country through which they had journeyed was taken possession of in the name of the King of France. Hennepin claimed to have discovered the mouth of the river in 1680, but the claim has since been proven to be a false one. LA SALLE AND TONTY RETURN TO ILLINOIS. In the summer of 1683, La Salle and Tonty returned to the Illinois, and caused the fort on "The Rock" to be completed and occupied, and leaving Tonty in command of it, in the fall of that year returned to Quebec and thence to France to lay before his sovereign his plans for the occupation and settlement of the vast country of which he had taken possession. LA SALLE'S EXPEDITION BY SEA. In 1685 he started from France on another expedition by sea to the mouth of the Mississippi, intending to erect a fort at the mouth and thus possess the country in fact. He met with many accidents and disasters and failed to find the mouth of the river, but landed far west of it in Matagorda Bay. He there erected a fort, naming it Saint Louis and then attempted to return to the Missis- sippi by land. But the whole country was a wilderness, without road or trail to lead them on their journey, and the attempt was a disastrous failure This attempt was repeated several times but without success. DEATH OF LA SALLE. Finally, in 1687, in one of those attempts, he was assassinated in a cowardly manner by one of his own men, who had a few days previously killed with an ax three of his most faithful followers, one of them being his nephew, to whom he was greatly attached. La Salle did not speak after he was shot, but grasping the hand of his only companion, Father Anastasius, he died calmly, and his body was left where it fell to be devoured by beasts, the place of his death being on a small branch of the Trinity river. The spot where this cruel tragedy occurred has forever been unknown, al- though careful search was made for it through many years. After his death the party went forward and in time reached Fort St. Louis on the Rock. There Tonty received them with open arms and informed them that the year previous he had descended to the mouth of the Mississippi with a party of followers, expecting to find La Salle there, but being disappointed he returned up the river 20 HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY and at the mouth of the Arkansas built a fort which the party from the La Salle expedition saw on their way up the river. FORT ST. LOUIS AT "THE ROCK." The friendly Indians of Illinois had gathered around Fort Saint Louis in large numbers and had built their cabins there and under the leadership of Tonty had repelled an attack upon it in 1684, by the warlike Iroquois. This fort was then the seat of the French power in Illinois and it was considered a post of the highest importance. But not long after that time its history became obscure and the Rock was not mentioned in the history of the country until 1770, when the remnants of the Illinois tribes gathered upon it to make their last stand and were almost totally annihilated and thenceforth it was known to the white settlers as well as the Indians as "Starved Rock," and by that name it has become one of the most celebrated of the historic spots in the state. THE NORTHWEST IN 1689. At the time of which we write there was not a single permanent settlement in the whole northwest territory. The forts that had been erected by La Salle and Tonty were soon afterward abandoned and their very sites were lost in the years that followed. Fort Dearborn, the first fort built on the shore of lake Michigan in Illinois, was not built for more than a century later, while many other points that had become familiarly known to the settlers in the east and Canada have long since gone to decay, obliterated and lost. Even Fort Michilimackinac, at the Straits of Mackinac, that had been built with so much care, was abandoned and the mission at St. Ignace on the north side of the straits was the only rallying point for the few religious enthusiasts, who at times visited those shores. THE GREAT LEADERS. The indomitable spirit and energy that pervaded the minds and controlled the actions of Father Marquette and Louis Joliet, of the intrepid La Salle and Father Hennepin, had expired when those great leaders passed from the stage of action, and henceforth it was but the solitary monks and friars, the voyagers and traders, who passively filled the places left vacant by the zealous men, who first beheld these fair prairies and these majestic rivers. The trader had entered the field with his "firewater," and that was dealt out to the natives instead of the religious faith, the glorious example and the earnest love and good will of the father. That deadly poison to the untamed savage he exchanged for their buffalo robes, their beaver skins and other fine peltries, which they had with so much labor gathered. STATE OF ILLINOIS AREA AND BOUNDARIES. The state of Illinois, long known to the world at large as the "Prairie state," is situated between the thirty-seventh and forty-second degrees of north HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY 21 latitude, north and south, and from the Indiana state line to the middle of the Mississippi river, east and west, being 385 miles in extreme length and 218 miles in extreme width, containing 56,000 square miles of land and including its share of Lake Michigan, 56,640 in all, or 35,840,000 acres of land surface. It was admitted into the Union as a state by act of congress, which was passed April 18, 1818, and by that act these boundaries of the state were fixed : From the confluence of the Ohio with the Mississippi river, at Cairo, up the Ohio to the mouth of the Wabash ; thence ascending that river to the meridian of Vincennes, then in a straight line to Lake Michigan, from which point it takes a turn east along the northern line of Indiana to the middle of Lake Michigan, thence north along the middle of the lake to North latitude forty-two degrees and thirty minutes, thence west along said line, which divides it from Wisconsin to the middle of the Mississippi river, thence down that river to place of beginning. CONSTITUTION ADOPTED. Following this, a convention was held in the village of Kaskaskia, then the capital of the territory, on August 26, 1818, when a state constitution was adopted and that constitution was ratified by congress, December 3d of that year. At the time of its admission as a state, it had a population of about 50,000, having 55,211 at the time the census was taken two years later. The state was a part of the great northwest territory, which was ceded to the United States by Virginia in 1784. It was created into a territory, April 24, 1809, by act of congress, and President Madison appointed Ninian Edwards the first governor of the territory. He was a native of Maryland and was born in 1775, studied law, and removed to Kentucky, being a citizen of that state when appointed governor. He died at Belleville, Illinois, July 30, 1833, and the county of Edwards was named in his honor. At the time of its formation into a territory, it extended from the Ohio river to Lake Superior and included within its borders the present state of Wiscon- sin. The year, following its admission as a territory it contained a population of 12,282. AFTER IT BECAME A STATE. When admitted as a state it contained in all sixteen counties and the state capital was located at Kaskaskia, a small village on the river by that name, six miles above its junction with the Mississippi, and about two miles from that stream. At the first election Shadrach Bond was elected governor and Pierre Menard lieutenant governor. They were inaugurated October 6, 1818. The first legislature passed a law removing the capital of the state to Vandalia, a small town near the center of the state in Fayette county, and the government records were removed there in December, 1820. At the session of the legislature at Kaskaskia, four new counties were formed and at the first session at Van- dalia, in January, 1821, six more counties were formed, giving the state at that time twenty-six counties. Among the last counties formed was that of Pike, a most remarkable as well as extensive one, for it included within its borders the whole northern part 22 HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY of the state. Chicago was then "a village of Pike county, situated on Lake Mich- igan at the mouth of the Chicago creek, and contained twelve or fifteen houses, and between fifty and sixty inhabitants." The whole county did not have to exceed 2,000 white settlers. THE STATE BANK. It was at the session of the legislature in January, 1821, that the law was enacted creating a state bank. It was to be located at Vandalia, with four branches, namely, at Brownsville, Edwardsville, Shawneetown and at the seat of justice in Edwards county. The measure met with a very violent opposition from some of the very best men in the state, but owing to the then depressed financial condition of the state and also of the poor settlers who were so heavily in debt for their land and improvements, and aided by the many land sharks, the bill passed successfully and became a law. It proved exceedingly popular for a time and some $300,000 in state paper was issued to the impecunious settlers and security was taken upon most anything offered and to whoever wanted it. But there was no redemption provided for the paper and soon it began to depreciate in value, so that in less than two years from the time of the passage of the act it took three dollars of it to pay one in debts. The property upon which it was loaned was in most instances of very doubtful se- curity, and the borrowers were exceedingly dilatory in discharging their obliga- tions to the state, and the result was in five years the state had lost a quarter of a million dollars. One of the most vigorous of the opponents to the bank was John McLean, then speaker of the house of representatives, and so violent was the fight he made against it, though defeated, yet a grateful people realizing his worth and his eminent ability as a statesman, elected him United States senator and his name is perpetuated in the history of the state, for the great county of McLean was named after him. FIRST EVENTS IN THE HISTORY OF THE STATE. The first county formed in the state was that of St. Clair, in 1790. It occupied the extreme southern point, extending up both the Ohio and Mississippi rivers, the Illinois being its northern boundary. Soon after, the county was divided into St. Clair and Randolph. The first cabin built by a white man within the borders of the state, as it now is, was that built by Father Marquette, early in the winter of 1674, on the site of the present city of Chicago. It was located near the Chicago creek, now known as the south branch of the Chicago river, and was occupied by him until the following spring. That was the first home of any white man in the state. The first fort built in the state was that built by La Salle in the winter of 1679, and which he named Creve Coeur. Father Hennepin in his records at the time says it was built "on the east side of the river on a little mound." And from the best information that can be obtained at the present day, it was located at what is known at the present time as Wesley City, in Tazewell county, some HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY 23 five miles down the river from Peoria lake. A monument has been erected on the spot where it stood by the Peoria Chapter of the Daughters of the Amer- ican Revolution. The first railroad in the state was one built by ex-Governor Reynolds in 1837, from the site of the present city of East St. Louis, eastward across the American bottoms to the bluffs, some six miles distant. These bluffs contained large quantities of coal, and the object of the building of the railroad was to get the coal to the market in St. Louis. It was for a while a horse power road, horses being used to draw the cars, but later iron rails were shipped there from Pittsburg and on their arrival holes were drilled in them. The blacksmiths made the spikes to fasten them down, small engines drew the cars back and forth, and thus the first Illinois railroad became a reality. The first white persons to behold the fair beauties of the state or tread upon its soil were Father Marquette and Louis Joliet, who, on their memorable voyage down the Mississippi river in 1673, landed at the Indian village near the mouth of the Illinois river. There have been statements and surmises of white men having visited the Illinois country previous to that time but there is little or no certainty of their having done so. The first legal execution in the state was in 1821. It was the result of what was intended as a sham duel between Alonzo C. Stuart and Timothy Bennett. It was known to all that it was meant for a hoax on Bennett, and when they met they were placed forty yards apart, with rifles, as supposed, loaded only with powder. But when Bennett fired his rifle, he lodged a ball in the breast of Stuart, killing him instantly. The grand jury of St. Clair county indicted Bennett, but when the sheriff went to arrest him, he could not be found. He had left the state. He remained away two years, when he returned and was arrested. He was tried by the circuit court of the county, found guilty by the jury and sentenced to be hung. On Monday, September 3, 1821, the execution took place. It was shown at the trial that Bennett had secretly placed a ball in his rifle, and he therefore paid the penalty of his crime on the gallows. The first "American schoolmaster" in the state was one John Seeley, who taught a school in 1683 at a place called New Design, near where Cahokia was afterward founded, but it was continued only for a few months. The first newspaper ever published in the state was that begun by Mathew Duncan, at Kaskaskia, September 6, 1814, named the "Illinois Herald." It was not very long lived but it was the beginning of the great newspaper fraternity in Illinois that has since been such a dominant factor in molding and shaping public opinion upon all important events in the history of the state. There are now more than seventeen hundred newspapers and periodicals published in the state, and these have an incalculable effect upon the public and private life of the five million inhabitants of the state. THE ABORIGINES OF ILLINOIS. At the time of the discovery and exploration of Illinois, it was in possession of the natives who had held it from time immemorable. They were savages in every sense of the word, with hardly a good redeeming trait of character. 24 HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY They were cruel, selfish, brutal in the extreme, and never made friends unless it was to their advantage to do so. Their government was tribal and each chief a petty tyrant. Their religion a mere superstition, a blind worship of some, to them, undefined Great Spirit or Manitou, they were without learning or knowl- edge of the great world around them. They had no definite knowledge of property or human rights, nor did they care for any. They lived in tepees or rude cabins, and were clothed only with the skins of beasts they had killed in the chase. Their arms and implements were of the rudest sort, made from stone, wood and the bones of the buffalo. They were ruthless and re- vengeful in the extreme, as well as lazy and horribly dirty. Their only object in life was to procure food, which they devoured like gluttons, and to subdue and scalp their enemies. The tribes inhabiting the Illinois country and who were generally the "Illinois Indians," were the Illinois or "Illini," Miamis and Kickapoos. These all belonged to the Algonquin family, while the Kickapoos, including the Cahokias, Tamaroas, Peorias, and Mitchigamies, from whom lake Michigan was named, were gener- ally classed as Illinois Indians. The Illinois at the time of Father Marquette's and Louis Joliet's entry into the state in 1673, had as their possessions, from Lake Michigan and Des Plaines and Kankakee rivers, down the Illinois to the Mississippi and thence to the con- fluence of that stream with the Ohio. Their principal localities were, how- ever, in the central and northern portions of what afterward became the state, where they had in all, seventeen villages. The largest of these and which was to them their metropolis, was on the Illinois river, at the place heretofore de- scribed as "Illinois Lake." This village was called by the French La Vantum, but by the Indians, Kaskaskia, as that tribe was the chief inhabitants of it. It had in 1680, from the best information that could be obtained, some 8,000 in- habitants. The chief village of the Peorias was located at Peoria lake, while the Tamaroas and Cahokias had their villages below the mouth of the Illinois river, nearly opposite St. Louis. The Illinois Indians claimed that their name meant as implied, "Superior Men." Yet the French missionaries asserted that they were not in any way or manner different from the other tribes; that while they were generally tall and robust, swift runners, good archers, proud, and at times affable, yet they were "idle, revengeful, jealous, cunning, dissolute and thievish." They lived on beans, Indian corn, many kinds of roots, fruits and nuts, fish and game. The Illinois country to its fullest extent was beautiful and productive, abounding in the finest game, and it was not at all surprising that such a country should be coveted by the surrounding tribes. The Sioux from the west, the Pottawatomies from the north, and the warlike Iroquois from the far east, each made hostile excursions and raids into the country and were determined to possess it. Prior to 1673 frequent raids had been made into it and they were generally successful. In one of these raids, however, through the heroism of an Indian woman, they were compelled to acknowledge a most signal defeat. The narra- HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY 25 tive, as told soon after the event) is an interesting chapter on female prowess and bravery worthy of any people, and in any age. A BRAVE SQUAW. The Iroquois had attacked a village upon the banks of a river, and had suc- ceeded in driving out the inhabitants with great slaughter. A young, courageous and patriotic squaw of the tribe, named Watch-e-kee (the orthography of which has been changed to Watseka), learning that their enemies were then exulting over their victory and rioting upon the spoils secured in the village, urged her tribe to take advantage of the situation and attack them in return. But the warriors, smarting under the sense of their recent defeat, refused to respond to her urgent call. She pointed out to them the darkness of the night and the almost certain chances of a successful surprise. The "Braves" still refusing, she called for volunteers from among the squaws, urging upon them that death in battle was preferable to torture and captivity, which might be their fate on the morrow. The squaws came forward in great numbers and offered to follow their brave leader. Seeing the determination of their wives and daughters, the braves became ashamed of their cowardice, and inspired with a valor they had not lately exhibited, rushed to arms. A plan of attack was speedily ar- ranged and the Iroquois being taken unawares in turn, suffered a most over- whelming defeat. The stream near which this sanguinary defeat took place was called the "Iroquois," as has been the county through which it flows, while to the county seat has been given the name of the heroic Indian maiden, who so bravely compassed the overthrow of her enemies. THE INDIANS AND THE FRENCH. When the French came into the country they were received not only with- out opposition but with much friendliness. Their arms and equipments for war they saw with a great advantage and they were not slow in accepting them. The priests were made welcome for the reason that they came in the name of peace, and that was what they desired. The two nations, though so entirely unlike in habits of life, civilization, training and disposition, readily united on a common ground, hunted and traded together and eventually many of them married and lived together. THE IROQUOIS AGAIN RAID THE ILLINOIS. In 1680 the Iroquois and their allies to the number of some six hundred braves, attacked the Indian village at La Vantum, and, it is said, killed twelve hundred of them and then drove the rest beyond the Mississippi river. But in 1684, the French having fortified the rock, since known as "Starved Rock," and placed a strong garrison there, many of the Indians returned and placed them- selves under the protection of the French. The Iroquois attacked them there and with the aid of the French, they were repulsed by the Illinois with great slaughter. That was the last raid the Iroquois ever made into the Illinois coun- 26 HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY try. The fort at the Rock was abandoned in 1700 and from that time until the total annihilation of the Illinois Indians at the Rock, in 1769, no mention is made of it in history. THE FRENCH AT KASKASKIA. The French established a military post at Kaskaskia, near the river, about the year 170x3, and the Kaskaskia Indians learning of the fact removed thither, that being their village and home for many years. They were useful to as well as dependent upon the whites, and therefore they got along very well together. In 1736 a numbering of the scattered tribes of the Illinois was made, and they were found to be about six hundred in all and these were but the remnants of the many thousands that once roamed the prairies and hunted the buffalo and deer, as lords of the soil. THE LAST OF THE ILLINOIS. The Illinois were charged with being concerned in the death of Pontiac at Cahokia, and the friends of that chieftain then rallied to their destruction. They were hunted from place to place about the country until they made their final stand upon the Rock, and then their sun set in eternal darkness. After gaining the Rock, they held out for twelve days, defying hunger and thirst, beset upon all sides by their cruel enemies, until at last rendered desperate by their condition, they made a desperate sortie, resolved to sell their lives as dearly as possible, but only one of the number, a half breed, escaped to tell the tale. And thus perished the large tribe of the Illinois Indians, which, with the exception of the solitary warrior, became extinct. Judge Caton, in his work "Last of the Illinois," fixes the number at eleven that escaped. The Rock has been known since that date as "Starved Rock." ILLINOIS CEDED TO THE UNITED STATES. In 1803 a treaty was made with the few remaining Indians upon the Illinois territory by which they surrendered to the general government all their lands in the territory and they were soon afterward removed to the Indian Territory, where they took the name of "Peorias," and in 1885 numbered one hundred and forty-nine. They are reported by the commissioner of Indian affairs to be "for the most part an active, well-to-do race of farmers, who live in comfortable frame houses." THE NORTHERN INDIANS. In the extreme northern part of the Illinois territory were a few remnants of tribes, once numerous and powerful but their frequent wars with the neigh- boring tribes had reduced their numbers until there remained but a handful of warriors to rally at the call of their chief. The Miamis, a warlike tribe, were located on the southern shore of Lake Michigan and on the St. Joseph river. They were originally allied to the Illinois but separated prior to 1673, and thereafter they were most bitter enemies. HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY 27 The Pottawatomies were scattered. A portion of the tribe were in northern Michigan. Still another portion were in northern Ohio, while still another were located in the Illinois territory, north of the Kankakee and Des Plaines rivers, and west of the territory of the Miami and Sacs and Foxes. The name signifies, "we are making a fire," hence the other natives called them "Firemak- ers." They are described as being tall, fierce and haughty, fond of hunting and war and were, previous to their meeting with the French, the most numerous and powerful of all the northwestern tribes. They were ever friendly with the whites but in the war of 1812 united their fortunes with Tecumseh. After the death of that warrior they ceded their lands to the government and removed beyond the Mississippi. The Kickapoos were first found near the source of the Fox river, in Wis- consin, by Father Allouez in 1670. They afterward fought their way south to the Vermilion and Sangamon rivers, where they remained for more than one hundred years. Their villages were on the Vermilion and other streams in that portion of the territory. They were fierce and warlike, unwilling to mix with other tribes, and ever hostile to the whites, never would have aught to do with them. They would rove over the country in small bands and swoop down upon the unprotected settlements of the whites, murdering or taking captive all who were to be found, kill their cattle and make off with their horses before any alarm could be given. They finally ceded their lands and removed from the country to Texas and Mexico. The Sacs and Foxes, called by the French Outagamies, were first found in 1666 near Green Bay, and numbered some four hundred warriors. They were a restless and discontented tribe, always at war with their neighbors, never ally- ing or holding any trade or barter with them. In truth it was said of them that "they were the Ishmaelites of the lakes, their hands against every man, and every man's hand against them." They often made raids down into the country of the Illinois for the purpose of plunder. They some time afterward established themselves on the Rock river and there they remained until the Black Hawk war, when they removed from the territory with the rest of the Indians that allied themselves with that chieftain in his war upon the white settlers. OTHER TRIBES. There were other small tribes scattered through the northwest but located outside the Illinois territory and hence not of interest in this history. What few are now left of these tribes of natives are now the "Nation's Wards," and so re- moved are they from our doors that but few of the people of the present day ever see one. They have passed from our view. Their ancient hunting grounds are now occupied by the agriculturist, who, with his well tilled farm, can but wonder at the great progress that has been made in the country since these lords of the soil trod these prairies, or paddled their light canoes upon the bosoms of our rivers. A noted orator, in speaking of the fast disappearance of the Indian tribes of the country, said: "Here and there a stricken few remain but how unlike their untamed, untamable progenitors. The Indian of the falcon glance, the 28 HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY lion bearing, the theme of a touching ballad, the hero of the pathetic tale is gone, and his degraded offspring crawl upon the soil, where he once walked in majesty to remind them how miserable is man when the foot of the conqueror is on his neck. As a race, they have withered from the land. Their arrows are broken, their springs are dried up, and their cabins are in the dust. Their council fires have long since gone out on the shores and their war cry is fast dying in the outtrodden west and they will soon hear the roar of the last wave that will settle over them forever." THE FRENCH MISSIONARIES. To the French is due the first permanent settlement in the Illinois country. The French missionary, with the explorer and the trader, entered the field hand in hand, the latter protecting the former, while the former in return aided the latter in making peace with the natives. The Jesuits were all powerful with the government of Canada, and therefore controlled the sale of the "firewater" dealt out so liberally to the natives, fixed the price of peltries, and, in fact, ruled the settlement with a despotic sway. The early history of Illinois is derived wholly from the letters, records and narratives of the missionaries, who first entered this wilderness in search of converts to their faith. The explorers and traders as a rule were wholly in- capable of writing any intelligent account whatever of their discoveries, while the priests were educated, ready with the pen and always used it to their own advantage. To them, therefore, we are indebted for almost everything we know of the early history of Illinois. After the decease of Father Marquette upon the banks of a small stream on the east shore of Lake Michigan, in 1675, Father Claude Jean Allouez was the most distinguished of the early missionaries. He was a native of France and came first to Canada in 1658, where he labored for twelve years establishing missions in that province and various points on the northern lakes, among which was that of St. Ignace, at the Straits of Mackinac. After the demise of Father Marquette, he was selected to complete the mission at Kaskaskia village at "Illinois lake." He arrived there April 27, 1677, and erected a cross of wood, twenty-five feet in height, and preached to the tribes there assembled. He remained there and in that vicinity until 1684, when he returned to Green Bay. He died at Fort Joseph on the southeast shore of Lake Michigan, in 1690. Father Jacques Gravier was the next priest to care for that mission. He labored there and among the Peorias until 1699, when he was recalled to Mack- inac. In 1700 he started on a voyage down the Mississippi. The year follow- ing he returned and for a while labored with the Peorias. Here he was severely injured by an assault made upon him at the instance of the medicine men, and died of his injuries in 1706. Since Marquette, he was one of the most zealous and faithful of the fathers. Not long after this, the mission among the Peorias was discontinued. At least there is no reliable record of its existence. The natives had scattered, many of them going to and joining the mission at Cahokia, then called "Tamaroa." That was about the year 1700, for Father Gravier in the journal of his voyage down the Mississippi in that year, mentions the fact HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY 29 of his stopping there and visiting them. From that time until 1741 many priests were sent into the country and labored long and earnestly, with varied success. Their great obstacle in the work was "firewater," brought into the country by the traders and dealt out by them to the natives with a liberal hand. They would exchange their peltries for that when nothing else would be an inducement to part with them. It was in the year 1741 that the feeling of hostility to the Jesuits was started in Europe, which was carried out with extreme bitterness for many years, so that in 1764 the order was issued banishing them from the country. Illinois had then been ceded to Great Britain but that availed nothing, the vestments and vessels of the Jesuit chapels being seized by the "King's attorney," and the chapels leveled to the earth. The priests were soon sent down the river to New Orleans and from there to France. The order of banishment to the priests was a gross injustice to the priests, as well as a gross violation of the pre- cepts of Christian charity. It was a profanation of the Christian worship and a ruthless and cruel revenge inflicted upon the men who had labored so long and arduously for the improvement of the native races of America. The priests with one exception, were all expelled from the whole northwest territory and he was allowed to remain only on condition that he must not inter- fere in any way in the religious matters of the country. The settlements throughout the entire Illinois country were abandoned, except at Cahokia and at Kaskaskia, and they were only tolerated as trading posts for the few inhabi- tants who had settled in that vicinity. FIRST SETTLEMENTS. The first permanent settlement made in Illinois was at Kaskaskia, about the year 1700. The village was located on the west bank of the river of that name, and between that and the Mississippi, and about two miles from the latter. The present city of Chester, where the southern penitentiary is located, is seven miles below the old site. It flourished with varied fortunes for nearly two hun- dred years until the Father of Waters cut a channel above it across the country into the Kaskaskia, making the site an island. The river then gradually washed away the island, taking the farms and gardens, until but little of it now remains. The village was removed several years ago to a site on higher ground. The vil- lage was for more than a century the capital of the territory and was the first capital of the state, when it was admitted into the Union in 1818. The old ceme- tery, located near the village, in which the pioneer dead had for two centuries been buried, being in danger of being washed away, the legislature in 1891 ap- propriated $10,000 for the removal of the dead buried there. Twenty acres of land on a hill on the east side of the river, was purchased and the bones and re- mains of thirty-eight hundred were gathered into as many boxes, taken to the new cemetery and there reinterred. The most of them were marked "un- known." The present village of Kaskaskia is located on the east side of that river, about two miles from its former site. CAHOKIA FOUNDED. Cahokia claims to have been founded at about the same time as Kaskaskia and some writers have asserted that it was settled in 1695 but there is no au- 30 HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY thority for the assertion. No doubt there were priests and traders there and at times large numbers of the natives but no permanent settlement was made there until about the year 1700. It was located on the Mississippi, some ten miles below the present city of East St. Louis. The place was never else but a small village of some two hundred inhabitants. It was the village visited by Father Gravier when he went on his voyage down the Mississippi in 1700. FORT CHARTRES. In the year 1718 Fort Chartres was built by a French company upon the east bank of the Mississippi, in what is now the county of Randolph. It was located four miles west of the village of Prairie du Rocher and twenty-two miles northwest of Kaskaskia. When first built, it was enclosed with a stockade but later a substantial stone wall, sixteen feet high was built, the wall enclosing about four acres of ground. Within the enclosure were barracks, stables, store houses, etc. It was well supplied with guns and ammunition and was considered at the time as the most impregnable fortress in the whole country. The erection of the fort greatly favored the settlements and particularly Cahokia and Kaskaskia. so that the latter became a very important post and was the headquarters for the whole Illinois country. In 1725 it became an incorporated town and the king of France granted its inhabitants a commons, or pasture grounds for their stock. Fort Chartres was abandoned in 1772, through the encroachment of the river upon its walls and the garrison and property were removed to Kaskaskia. AN INDIAN MASSACRE. The settlements of southern Illinois flourished and large numbers of French immigrants, both from France and Canada, came into the country and estab- lished fine homes, cultivated the rich lands, and peace and prosperity were every- where visible. But a terrible calamity befell the inhabitants upon the 28th of November, 1729. The Natchez and Choctaw tribes at the south became jealous of the whites and the progress they had made, and therefore resolved to wipe out the last vestige of French encroachment in the west. Upon that date they fell upon the peaceful inhabitants with fearful slaughter, murdering some seven hundred males, and taking all the females and children captives. As soon as the massacre became known, dispatches were sent to France for troops and supplies of ammunition to endeavor to recover the captives, if pos- sible. In the meantime the natives that were friendly to the French were in- duced to go upon the war path, and soon some twelve hundred warriors were gathered together and set forward against the murderers. The Natchez were still at their carousals, unaware of the danger that awaited them. The friendly natives, led by the French, attacked the enemy and a great slaughter ensue'd, gaining a great victory. Not long after, the French troops arrived, completing the victory and releasing the prisoners. The larger part of the Natchez and Choctaw Indians fled across the Mississippi but were followed by the troops and large numbers of them killed, four hundred being taken prisoners and sent south to New Orleans and then to Jamaica, where they were sold as slaves. HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY 31 That was the last massacre upon Illinois soil until the massacre at Fort Dear- born in the war of 1812. A GALLANT DEED. It was during the war of the American Revolution that George Rogers Clark, a young Virginian, performed a most gallant deed, which enrolled his name for- ever among the noble heroes who performed such heroic acts of valor in the early settlement of the great west. Young Clark applied to Patrick Henry, then gov- ernor of Virginia, for troops, arms and supplies, with which he intended to ob- tain possession of the British outposts in the Illinois territory and thus strike a blow at the British power in the great northwest. Clark had been active in some military operations against the Indians in Kentucky, just previous to the war and had gained a most splendid reputation in the gallant deeds there per- formed. Governor Henry cordially approved of the enterprise as planned by Clark, and issued orders at once for the necessary troops and equipments. He was commissioned a lieutenant colonel in the Virginia militia and given twelve hundred pounds in the depreciated currency of the state, with which to pur- chase supplies necessary for such an expedition and authorized to enlist three hundred and fifty men. His instructions from the governor were very explicit in every detail. He enjoined upon Colonel Clark generosity and humanity in dealing with the enemy, which was in striking contrast to that adopted by the British, who were then paying bounties to the savages for scalps of the women and children of the rebels, as they called the Americans. Colonel Clark raised but a part of the men necessary for the expedition but rather than wait for more, resolved to proceed with those he had. He proceeded to Fort Pitts and then embarked upon the Ohio; After starting on the voyage down the river, Colonel Clark informed the men that the object of the expedition was to take Kaskaskia, then the only stronghold in the Illinois territory. He landed on a small island in the river, opposite where Louisville now stands, where he erected a fort to protect his base of supplies. Everything being in readiness, on June. 24, 1778, he left the island with but one hundred and fifty- three men and floated down the river to Fort Massac, opposite the mouth of the Tennessee river. Here they landed, and hiding their boats in a small stream near the fort, with but two guides he started overland for Kaskaskia, one hun- dred and twenty miles distant. The country was a wilderness and the little army depended almost wholly for subsistence upon the game found in the country. They arrived in the vicinity of Kaskaskia on the afternoon of July 4th, and having obtained a very good description of the village and fort, divided their forces into three companies, and when darkness had set in, started for the fort. The attack was a complete surprise and the town and fort were taken without the shedding of a drop of blood. The commandant of the place had nicknamed the Virginians "Long Knives," and when the troops entered the town, that was the cry from the inhabitants on every hand. Kaskaskia contained at that time some two hundred and fifty houses, and hence was quite a large village for that part of the country to have. Order having been restored in the town, Colonel Clark then started for Cahokia and reached there before the town had heard of the taking of Kaskaskia. It was then taken without resistance and thus the 32 HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY gallant colonel had become the conqueror of the whole territory, of which he came in possession in the name of his state, and patron in the enterprise. On the 23d of November, 1778, the Virginia house of delegates passed a vote of thanks to Colonel Clark and his brave "little army" for the very important services they had rendered their state. COLONEL CLARK TAKES VINCENNES. After arranging the affairs for the government of the territory, he started across the country to Vincennes to obtain possession of a British post at that place. As it was a surprise to the garrison in the place it was easily taken and held, and thus the last British post in the whole northwest was wrested from British control. Soon after the Virginia house of delegates organized the whole country taken possession of by Colonel Clark, into a county and named it Illi- nois. This included all the country north and west of the Ohio to the Mississippi. DEATH OF COLONEL CLARK. Colonel Clark served in several campaigns in the west with great gallantry and after the attempt at betrayal by the traitor, Arnold, he enlisted in the Con- tinental army and served under Baron Steuben until the close of the war, and independence was gained. His later life was passed in private and as age ad- vanced he suffered from rheumatism contracted from exposure in his many campaigns. He died at Locust Grove, near Louisville, in 1818, and his remains were deposited near the river that forms the southern boundary of the land he was so instrumental in recovering to his state and the nation. The memory of Colonel Clark is perpetuated in the state where his gallant deeds are so well remembered and appreciated, for the year following his death, the legislature of the new state gave his name to a county then formed and a few years later when the infant city by the great lake took form, one of the first streets settled and named was Clark street, now one of the leading business streets in the great metropolis of the west. THE ORDINANCE OF 1787. July 13, 1787, congress passed an act entitled "Ordinance of 1787" for the government of the great northwest territory, ceded by Virginia to the United States three years before. That act was the law of the land and regulated not only the government of the territory but made special provisions regarding in- heritances, descents, wills, conveyances, sales, etc., saving, however, to the French and Canadian inhabitants their laws and customs. The law provided for a gov- ernor, secretary and three judges, and the governor and judges had the power to make the laws for the territory, subject to the approval or disapproval of congress. The governor was all powerful and ruled the territory at will, subject only to the ordinances, and as congress dictated from time to time. Not less than three nor more than five states were to be formed in the territory. The boundaries PROPERTY OF REV. JOHN W. RICE. MEDORA One of the first houses in Medora. built in 1835. The south halt" is of logs and the house is now occupied. LIBRARY OF THE Of ILLINOIS HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY 33 of each st'ate were fixed, though no names were given to them. They were designated, however, as the Eastern, now Ohio, the Western, now Illinois, the Northwestern, now Wisconsin, the Northern, now Michigan, and the Middle State, now Indiana. It provided, further, that there should be ''neither slavery nor involuntary servitude," except as a punishment for crimes but provided for the return of fugitives to the original states when such service or labor could be lawfully claimed. It was that latter provision that in after years led so much to the mak- ing of history upon the subject of slavery and resulted in placing Illinois as a prominent factor in the settlement of the question, as results show. But the most important article in the ordinance and the one that the people of these five great states should be forever grateful to the f ramers for, was as follows : "Re- ligion, morality and knowledge being necessary to good government, and the hap- piness of mankind, schools and the means of education, shall forever be en- couraged." That was the great bulwark of the liberties of the country and upon that the foundation was built, the splendid system of education which has ever been the great leading feature in the settlement of the country, and which has certainly placed Illinois in the van of modern civilization. THE FIRST GOVERNOR. General Arthur St. Clair was the first territorial governor, with his head- quarters or seat of government at Marietta, Ohio. He was born in Scotland and served with distinction in the French and Indian wars, also in the Revolution, and had been in public life so much that he became identified with the interests of the west to that extent, which made his appointment most appropriate and sat- isfactory to the people. PROTESTANTISM IN ILLINOIS. In 1790 the white population of Illinois, in round numbers, was about 2,000. A year or two previous to that, James Smith, a Baptist minister, came to New Design, a small village in Monroe county, and commenced his labors and that is placed by historians as the beginning of Protestantism in the state. In 1793, one Joseph Lillard, Methodist missionary, arrived there and from that time forward, Protestantism became an important factor in the religion of the state. ILLINOIS A PART OF INDIANA. From 1787 to 1809, Illinois was a part of Indiana Territory, but in the latter year it was formed into a territory by itself, as before stated in this work. This territory, which was created to commence its existence on the first day of March in that year, embraced the tract west of the Wabash river and north to Canada. AN EARTHQUAKE. November II, 1811, an earthquake occurred, which caused great fear among the then scattered hamlets of the territory and especially in the American bottom 34 HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY along the Mississippi river, where chimneys were thrown down, houses damaged and bells rung. This was the first earthquake mentioned in the history of the state and pretty much the last, although slight tremblings have since been felt. THE MAMMOTH. There was a time when the mammoth and mastadon roamed these prairies in great numbers and their bones were often to be found in the marshy places where they had become mired, or had gone to drink. At what time this was, is a mystery. The Illinois knew nothing of them, nor had they even a tradition of any such an animal. But there is one thing certain, and that is, that people lived here at the same time those huge animals did. In exhuming the bones of one of them near Beards- town several years ago, an arrow head and the broken point of a copper spear were found among the bones, showing that the animal came to its death by the hand of man. Another skeleton, standing erect, was found in a marsh. A fire had been kindled against its sides, and ashes, pieces of charred wood, arrow heads and stone axes were found with the bones. It is the theory that it became mired in the mud and was then attacked and killed by the natives. A short distance from Peoria lake, numerous bones were found in the early settlement of the county. The place was a salt lick and quite marshy. Some of the bones were of immense size, showing the animal in life, at least fifteen feet in height and twenty-two in length. The largest elephant of the present day would be but a pigmy in comparison with it. THE ILLINOIS RIVER. The Illinois river from its junction with the Des Plaines and Kankakee is two hundred and sixty miles in length, exclusive of its many windings, and two hundred and ten miles of it are navigable 'for steamboats. It is a sluggish stream with only twenty-eight feet fall, nearly all of which is above Peoria lake. The mouth of the river where it enters the Mississippi is twelve miles wide between the bluffs, and when that river is high, it backs up the Illinois seventy-two miles. The bottom lands along the river are very fertile but much of them are overflowed, especially since the drainage canal from Chicago to Joliet was opened. The scenery along the river is beautiful, the stream being dotted along its whole course with innumerable islands, some of which are quite large. The first fort ever built in the Illinois country was upon the banks of the stream, as was also the first Catholic mission. It was a favorite stream with the natives, its sluggish current being just the place for their light bark canoes. At a later period the Mackinaw boat of the American Fur Company, took the place of the canoe and was used until navigation by steam supplanted it. A FARMER MECHANIC. An anecdote is related of an old farmer down in Monroe county by the name of James Lemon. He was one of the old sort of Baptist preachers, but an ex- HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY 35 cellent man and just the right sort to settle up a new country, for he was quite a mechanical genius and made all his tools used on his farm, even his harness for his horses. The collars he made of straw or corn husks, which were plaited and sewed together by himself. Being engaged in plowing a piece of stubble ground and having turned out for dinner, he left the harness on the beam of his plow. His son, a wild youth, who was employed with a pitch fork to clean the plow of the accumulated stubble, stayed behind and hid one of the horse collars. This he did, that he might rest while his father made a new collar. The old man returning, soon missed the collar and after reflecting a few moments, very much to the disappointment of the truant son, pulled off his leather breeches, stuffed the legs of them with the stubble, and then straddled them upon the horse's neck for a collar, proceeding with his plowing as bare legged as when he came into the world. INSTRUCTING A JURY. In some of the trials by jury in southern Illinois at an early day the judges had some very queer experiences. In a certain trial, the judge, when he came to instruct the jury as to the law, gave his instructions to them on the part of the learned judge. The instructions, however, were sound and very much to the point. Still the jury could not agree on a verdict and therefore returned to the court room. The judge asked the jury the reason why they could not agree, when the foreman answered with great apparent honesty and simplicity, "Why judge, this 'ere is the difficulty. The jury want to know whether that 'ar you told us when we first went out was r'al'y the law, or only just your notion." The judge, of course, informed them that it was really the law and they soon found a verdict accordingly. THE WAR OF l8l2. Of course the war of 1812 reached Illinois and was severely felt in several localities. War was declared by President Madison, June i8th, and August i5th following occurred "the massacre at Fort Dearborn, on the Chicago river. The fort had been erected by the government at the mouth of the river, in 1804, and was occupied by a small garrison under Captain Heald, as commandant. The garrison consisted of seventy men and in the fort were quite a number of women and children. Orders were issued for the evacuation of the fort and on that day all marched out, but' they had only gone a short distance when they were attacked by a large body of savages and nearly all murdered. Steps were at once taken to suppress the Indian uprising and avenge the bloody deed and an expedition was planned to attack a considerable number of the savages at Peoria lake. The expedition, however, proved a failure and only some of the native villages were burned. The year following another campaign was undertaken to Peoria, where another fort was built and named "Fort Clark" in honor of Colonel George Rogers Clark. The soldiers scoured the country, driving the Indians before them but no general engagement took place. In 1814 a force was sent te Rock Island under Major Campbell, where an engagement with the Sacs and Foxes took place without any definite result. Later in the same year, Major Zachary Taylor (afterward president of the 36 HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY United States), also went to Rock Island and had an engagement with the Indians and the British. Toward the end of that year hostile operations began to slacken and in the summer of 1815 peace was restored between the United States and the Indian tribes of the northwest, and the settlers of the state enjoyed comparative peace and quiet for many years, there being no further trouble with the natives until 1832, when Black Hawk stirred up the spirit of revenge in the Indian breast and sought to drive the white settlers from the state. The soldiers in the war of 1812 were given bounties in the lands, which are known as the Military tract, which extended between the Mississippi and Illi- nois rivers, from the mouth of the Illinois, northward one hundred and sixty- nine miles. ILLINOIS FROM 1815 TO l8l8. The territory from the close of the war of 1812 to the time of its admission into the Union as a state, continued to improve and increase in population, and the territorial laws were well and faithfully administered. The population in 1815 was estimated at about 16,000 but when admitted as a state, as heretofore stated, it was about 50,000, showing a degree of prosperity seldom equalled in so remote a territory. On the i6th of September, 1805, there were five counties in the territory and the governor, by proclamation ordered an election to be held for six councilmen and six representatives, one of each for each county. Gal- latin was apportioned two of each. They were to meet at Kaskaskia, then the seat of the territorial government, on the loth of November. The election was held as directed and all met at the appointed time, all of the twelve being boarded at one house and lodged in one room. ONE ILLITERATE MEMBER. Among the members assembled was one John Grammar, from Johnson county. This was his first appearance in public life. He had no education, could neither read nor write, and yet he was a man of much natural shrewdness. He knew nothing of legislation or laws and so he adopted a rule to vote against every new measure that came up for passage, whether good or bad, he deeming it easier to conciliate his constituents by voting against a good measure than by voting for a bad one. He wore the most unique and original clothing of any of the members and for that matter, it was probably the most original, as well as odd, suit that any member of a public body has worn since that time. Not hav- ing suitable clothing to wear to the legislature, it is recorded of him that he and his family gathered a quantity of hickory nuts. These he took to the Ohio salines and traded for blue stranding, such as the Indians wore for breech cloth. When the women of the neighborhood got together to make the cloth into garments, they found it very scant and so they decided to make a bob tailed coat and knee pants, with long leggings. Arrayed in this primitive suit, he appeared at the HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY 37 seat of government and attended the daily sessions as though arrayed in broad- cloth and fine linen. THE LAWS PASSED. The most of the laws passed by this legislature were good and beneficial and some of them were so popular that they were reenacted by the new state after it was admitted to the Union. But there were some laws passed that were bar- barous in the extreme. Punishment of crimes and misdemeanors was by whip- ping on the bare back, confinement in the stocks, standing in a pillory and branding with a hot iron. These several punishments were ordered administered by the court that tried the culprit. The number of stripes that could be inflicted was from ten to five hundred. It was not the worst that received the most stripes by any means. For instance, burglary and robbery were punished with not exceeding thirty-nine, while for bigamy three hundred could be inflicted. An- other law was passed, placing a bounty of fifty to one hundred dollars for the killing of an Indian warrior or the taking of a squaw or child captive. TRADE AND COMMERCE. Commerce at that time was in its infancy. All foreign goods and articles not produced in the territory were brought from New Orleans by way of the river in keel boats, pushed up against the current by long poles with the most severe labor, and towed around the points with long ropes. The only other way they had of obtaining goods was by wagons over the Allegheny mountains from Philadel- phia to Pittsburg, thence in flat boats down the Ohio and landed at convenient points, then taken in wagons and carried where wanted. The trip down the Mississippi and back took fully six months, while that- east required at least three. . THE FIRST STEAMBOAT. The first steamboat to ascend the Mississippi to St. Louis was the General Pike, and that was August 2, 1817. Agriculture was the principal pursuit of the people during territorial times but hunting and trapping were followed in win- ter by nearly all. There were few merchants and they only kept such articles as were mostly needed by the settlers. Tea, coffee and sugar were but little used and seldom to be found in the stores. Coarser goods for clothing and articles indispensable to the housekeeper, were usually kept. Cabins were built without glass, nails, locks or hinges, and the furniture was manufactured in the same rude fashion. The settlers all learned to make what was needed for use and that answered all purposes. EDUCATION. We have already alluded to the provision in the ordinance of 1787 regarding free schools and the constitutional convention that met in Kaskaskia in 1818 to form the first constitution. Inserted in that first organic law of the state the very letter as well as the spirit of the provision for free schools and the act of congress that enabled the territory to prepare for statehood, provided that 38 HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY section 16 in every township in the state should be "for the use of schools." It also provided that five per cent of the net proceeds from the sale of public lands in the state should be divided, two-fifths of which should be devoted to the making of roads and three-fifths to the cause of education. Those provisions were accepted by the state and became the basis of our present school system. Thus with every settlement a provision was made for a public school, and al- though funds were low and often hard to obtain, yet the "schoolmaster" was abroad in the land from the very beginning of the state government. STATE SUPERINTENDENT OF SCHOOLS. In 1854 the law was passed creating the office of state superintendent of schools and also for a complete system of free schools. The State Normal University was established by law in 1857, being located some two miles north of Bloomington. The purpose for which it was established was "to qualify teachers for the common schools of the state." The constitu- tion of 1870 gave the legislature power to "provide a thorough and efficient sys- tem of free schools, whereby all the children of this state may receive a good common school education." THE FIRST GOVERNOR. We have already alluded to the election of Shadrach Bond as the first gov- ernor, the act removing the state capital from Kaskaskia to Vandalia, and of that establishing the state bank. The total revenue of the state for the year 1818 was but $7,510.44. It was during his administration that the first steps were taken to construct the Illinois and Michigan canal, though but little was done except the recommendation of Governor Bond that some steps should be taken for the construction of such a waterway. In 1822 Edward Coles was elected governor and held the office until 1826. During his administration the state was seriously embarrassed by its financial conditions brought upon it by the state bank and some attempt was made to remedy the difficulty, but without much success. The governor in his first message also recommended the importance of a great waterway from the Great Lakes to the Mississippi river, and by act of the legislature, January 17, 1825, the Illinois and Michigan canal was incorporated but nothing further was done in the matter. Almost every measure recommended by Governor Coles was so bitterly op- posed even by his own party, that but little benefit accrued to the -state during his administration. December 6, 1826, Ninian Edwards was inaugurated governor and it was dur- ing his administration that an appropriation was made for the erection of a penitentiary at Alton. The act was passed and work begun. January 20, 1826, the act incorporating the Illinois and Michigan canal was repealed and thus the first chapter in the construction of that work was ended. The great objection to the act was that the state should construct the canal instead of it being con- structed by a private company. HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY 39 Educational interests were greatly advanced during Governor Edwards' ad- ministration, by the establishing of several higher institutions of learning. In 1827 John M. Peck, a Baptist minister, built a two-story frame house about half way between Lebanon and O'Fallon, which he named "The Rock Spring Theological Seminary and High School," and that was the beginning of Shurt- leff College, now located at Upper Alton. McKendree College was established three miles east of the Rock Spring institution, in the village of Lebanon where it is still flourishing. Illinois College at Jacksonville is one of the pioneers of that period and has been one of the great institutions of learning of the state. The population of the state in 1830 was 157,445, nearly three times what il was before. December 9, 1830, John Reynolds was inaugurated governor. He favored the construction of the Illinois and Michigan canal and the finishing of the peni- tentiary at Alton. It was during his administration that the county of Cook was formed, January 15, 1831, and that was the beginning of Will county, as it was taken from that county in 1836. Joseph Duncan was inaugurated governor December 3, 1834. In his mes- sage to the legislature he strongly urged the construction of the canal to connect Lake Michigan with the Illinois river, as well as a general system of internal improvements. The charter of the old state bank at Shawneetown was revived and a new one granted. In 1837 the capital stock of the bank was $2,000,000, the whole to be subscribed for the state by the fund commissioners, an execu- tive body of the internal improvement system. The bank had six branches but it was short lived. Like its predecessor it succumbed to the inevitable in 1842 and that was the last of the state banks. DEATH OF LOVEJOY. In 1837 occurred the tragedy at Alton, resulting in the death of "the first martyr to liberty," Elijah P. Lovejoy. He was born in Albion, Kennebec county, Maine, November 9, 1802. At the age of twenty-one he entered Water- ville College, and after graduating removed to St. Louis. 'A year or two later he became editor of the St. Louis Times and advocated the election of Henry Clay for the presidency. In 1833 he issued the first number of the St. Louis Observer, a religious newspaper. In his new labors as editor, he incurred the ill will of the Catholic church by some articles he wrote, opposing the laying of the corner stone of a Catholic church on Sunday. From that expression of opinion regarding what he termed the desecration of the Sabbath with "proces- sions, firing of guns and unseemly displays,"- came the persecutions that after- ward followed the man and finally terminated in his death. His opponents char- acterized him as an abolitionist and charged that all his outspoken expressions regarding the Catholics came from his bitter opposition to slavery. So bitter was the feeling against him in St. Louis that he was compelled to remove his paper and printing establishment to Alton, and it arrived there July 21, 1836. It was on Sunday when the press reached its destination, and Mr. Lovejoy pro- posed to leave it on the wharf until Monday. That night a mob went to the 40 HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY wharf, broke the press into pieces and threw it into the river. A new press was obtained and for nearly a year he published his paper with varying fortunes, but a mob entered his office, destroyed the press and threw it, with the type, into the river. He had frequently been warned as to what course he should pursue in the publication of his paper but being a free born citizen, contended "free speech" was his natural free born right and continued in his course without the least swerving from the course he had adopted. A new press was ordered but when it arrived it was broken up by the mob and consigned to the river with its pred- ecessors. A fourth press was then ordered and the mob openly defied. The press arrived and was temporarily stored in a stone warehouse and sixty of the citizens of the town volunteered to defend it. November 7, 1837, a demand was made for the press and the demand denied. One of the mob attempted to climb a ladder with a torch to set the roof of the warehouse on fire but was shot by one of the defenders. Soon after, Lovejoy went out of the building to see that no more such attempts were made and was shot by the mob, five bullets entering his body. The guard having lost their leader then surrendered the press and it soon followed its three predecessors into the bed of the Mississippi river. Thus ended the first tragical fight against the institution of slavery, and the first vic- tim to fall was Elijah P. Lovejoy, but he was not the last to fall in the cause, by many thousands. An act was passed at the same session for a general system of internal im- provements. This was such an extravagant measure that Governor Duncan re- fused to give it his approval but the legislature passed it over his head and it be- came a law. $10,250,000 was appropriated, all of which ultimately proved a total loss to the state, as not one of the works was ever completed. Among the works projected were nine railroads, while nearly every river of any size in the state was included in the bill to be improved. Thomas Carlin was inaugurated governor of Illinois in 1838. His policy was to foster internal improvements in every way possible. Bonds to the amount of $12,000,000 had been issued by the state for the improvements voted at the last legislature but as no interest was paid on them, they were soon of little value and the work ordered had been commenced but it was found im- possible to carry it on and so it was abandoned. Edward Smith, a member of the house from Wabash, was chairman of the committee on internal improve- ments and he portrayed in glowing colors the great benefits that would accrue to the state to carry forward the grand system of improvements as begun and contemplated, and such was the hold his report had upon the members that they were ready to vote for any amount required to carry forward every work asked for in the state. The Illinois and Michigan canal was not included in the mad schemes and the work on that proceeded without delay. Mr. Smith died before the next meeting of the legislature and with him died all the grand improve- ments contemplated by him. THE MORMONS. In the year 1839 a sect settled in Hancock county on the east bank of the Mississippi river and started a town, which they named Nauvoo. They called themselves Mormons, or Latter Day Saints. Their leader, Joseph Smith, claimed MACOUPIN COUNTY OLD SETTLERS' PICNIC. OCTOBER I. 1874 LIBRARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY 41 to have found some golden tablets or plates, with inscriptions upon them; that he was directed by an angel he called Maroni where to find the plates and how to translate the inscriptions. The Mormons first settled in Independence, Iowa, but their conduct there was such that they were driven out by the authorities, when they removed to and settled in Hancock county. Here they soon got into trouble with the Gentiles, as they called all outside of their sect, or church, which soon after culminated in what is known in history as the "Mormon war," and the death of Joseph Smith and his brother Hiram. In 1840 the legislature granted a charter to Nauvoo, with full powers to or- ganize its militia into a Nauvoo legion, establish courts of justice and elect all necessary officers. Under the charter, Joseph Smith was elected mayor in 1842. December 8, 1842, Thomas Ford was duly inaugurated governor and his first duties were to look after the Mormons. They had become exceedingly arrogant and offensive to the rest of the people in the county, so much so as to have the citizens call upon the governor to suppress them or drive them from the state. The city council in Nauvoo passed an ordinance that if any person should try to arrest any of its citizens on foreign writs, the offender should be imprisoned for life and should not be pardoned by the governor unless the mayor of Nauvoo con- sented. The act practically amounted to the setting up of a separate govern- ment within the limits of the state. Other acts equally as notorious and illegal were enacted by the council and mayor and were attempted to be enforced. The governor visited the place, and finding that the affairs of the city were even worse than he had been informed of, he ordered arrests to be made and Joseph Smith and his brother Hiram were arrested and lodged in jail in Carthage, the county seat. After Governor Ford had left, a mob was organized and broke into the jail. Hiram Smith was killed at the first fire and soon after, Joseph, the so-called prophet. Brigham Young was elected as successor to Joseph Smith, and hostilities between the Mormons and Gentiles continued as before. But the governor and the leader of the Mormons entered into an agreement in the win- ter of 1845. by which they made arrangements to leave and about the middle of May following, sixteen thousand Mormons left Nauvoo for the west and finally settled in the valley of the great Salt Lake, where they have since remained. THE CONSTITUTION OF 1848. December 9, 1846, Augustus C. French was elected governor. A proposition had been submitted to the people for a call of a constitutional convention and the vote was largely in favor of such a call. A special. election of delegates was called for the third Monday in April, 1847, and these were to meet at Springfield on the first Monday of June following. The delegates met in convention at the time set by the call and on the 3ist of August of that year, finished its labors. The constitution as made by the convention, was submitted to the people at an election held March 6, 1848, and reinaugurated, January 8, 1849. The popula- tion of the state in 1850 was 851,470. THE ILLINOIS CENTRAL RAILROAD. In 1851 the Illinois Central Railroad was incorporated. Congress had the year previous granted lands for the construction of a railroad from Chicago to 42 HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY Mobile, and the act of the legislature authorized the construction of a road from the southern terminus of the canal at La Salle to a point at the city of Cairo, with branches. The act of congress gave alternate sections of land for six miles in width, upon each side of the road, to aid in the building of it. A company was formed that agreed to build the road within the time limited and agreed to give seven per cent of its gross earnings to the state for the benefit of common schools. The seven hundred miles of road was completed before the close of the year 1856 and thus two and a half million acres of wild land became homes of thousands of actual settlers. Joel A. Matteson was inaugurated governor in January, 1853. It was during his administration that the great political changes took place, not only in the state but in the country at large. The old whig party ceased to exist at the defeat of General Scott in 1852, and in 1856 the great republican party sprang into exist- ence. It was defeated that year but in 1860 it rallied in its strength and won the battle with a good majority. The history of the state under the administration of Governor Matteson was that of unexampled prosperity. The financial depressions that had for years hung over it and greatly hindered its development and progress were swept away and the state came to the front as one of the most favored and prosperous of all the great states of the Union. William H. Bissell succeeded to the office of governor, January 12, 1857. He was a veteran of the Mexican war and a man of integrity and ability. It was during his administration that a new penitentiary was ordered to be built in the northern part of the state. Three commissioners were appointed, one of them being the late Hon. Nelson D. Elwood, of Joliet. These were to select the place for the new prison and take charge of its erection. Joliet was the place selected. Governor Bissell died at Springfield, March 18, 1860, and John Wood, the lieutenant governor, filled out the unexpired term. The population of the state in 1860 was 1,711,951. DOUGLAS AND LINCOLN. In 1854 Stephen A. Douglas, then a United States senator from Illinois, ad- vocated and brought about the repeal of the Missouri compromise. This was an act passed by congress in 1820, and was designed to reconcile the pro-slavery and the anti-slavery parties of that day. By this act it was determined that Missouri should be admitted into the Union as a slaveholding state but that slavery should never be established in any state, to be formed in the future, lying north of lati- tude thirty degrees and thirty minutes. That was the act repealed in 1854, and that left the question open, whether Kansas, which is north of that degree of latitude, should be admitted as a free or slave state. The repeal of that act brought Mr. Lincoln into prominence in the political history of the state. He was an able debater, an ardent republican, who was among the first in the organization of the party in its first campaign in 1856. Mr. Douglas' term as senator in congress expired in 1858 and Mr. Lincoln entered the lists as the opponent of Mr. Douglas in his candidacy for reelection. Each had received the nomination of his party and therefore they stood on equal HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY 43 grounds in their contest for the office. Mr. Lincoln challenged Mr. Douglas for a joint debate of the questions involved. Mr. Douglas accepted, and seven places were selected, one in each congressional district in the state, except in two dis- tricts where speeches had already been made. In that debate, slavery was the main question to be debated, Douglas contending that every new state, whether north or south of the old compromise line that applied for admission to the Union, should determine for itself whether it should be a slave or a free state, while Mr. Lincoln insisted that slavery should be put in a "course of ultimate distinction." Mr. Douglas won the prize and was the nominee of his party in the campaign of 1860 for the presidency, while Mr. Lincoln was the nominee for the republicans. M_r. Douglas lost through the division of his party, the southern wing having put John C. Breckinridge in nomination against him. Mr. Lincoln was inaugurated president, March 4, 1861. The south seceded and then came four years' Civil war, the emancipation of the slaves, and after a most desperate struggle in which many thousands of lives were sacrificed, the south surrendered and the Union was again restored. Richard Yates became governor in 1861. He was the war governor, as dur- ing his administration the Civil war was fought and won. He was a vigilant, active and patriotic governor, who did not shrink from performing his whole duty in aiding the general government in its life and death struggle in maintain- ing the Union from secession. 259,092 soldiers were raised in the state for mili- tary service in suppressing the rebellion. Richard J. Oglesby became governor, January 16, 1865. The war had closed but there were grave matters yet to be settled and Illinois must perform its full share. In January, 1867, the fourteenth amendment to the constitution of the United States, conferring citizenship upon persons without regard to color, was ratified by Illinois. Another measure was passed by the same legislature, which was of great interest to the agricultural community, the establishing of an agri- cultural or industrial college at Urbana, in Iroquois county. Congress had made donations to the several states for the purpose, of which Illinois received nearly half a million acres. A new state house was provided for, to be built at Spring- field, the cost of which was not to exceed $3,000,000. January, i, 1869, John M. Palmer was inaugurated governor. The people of the state had voted to call a constitutional convention to revise the constitution of the state and the delegates met in convention at Springfield, December I3th of that year. The most important change was that making it a fundamental law prohibiting special legislation, that having been the principal business of the legislatures of the state previous to that time. The constitution was ratified by the people, July 2, 1870. The population of the .state that year was 2,539,891. THE GREAT CHICAGO FIRE. It was late on Sunday evening, October 8, 1871, that a fire was discovered burning in a small stable west of the south branch of the river and about a mile southwest of the business portion of the city. A strong wind was blowing from that direction and soon the fire was communicated to the surrounding buildings and spread rapidly toward the very heart of the city. The fire continued to ad- 44 HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY vance and spread until nearly all of the business portion of the city was destroyed and 100,000 people rendered homeless. The loss by fire was $200,000,000, while a large number of citizens lost their lives in the holocaust. The world at large came at once to the aid of the stricken city in its terrible distress. It was a dire calamity to the young and growing city but its enterprising citizens rallied to the work of restoring it and soon it arose from its ashes, a better and more sub- stantial city than before. Mr. Oglesby was reelected for a second term and January 13, 1873, was duly inaugurated as governor. The session of the legislature that met that month elected him United States senator, and John L. Beveridge, the lieutenant gover- nor, then became governor. But little of note was done during his admin- istration. The state continued to grow in population, its agricultural and com- mercial resources were developed and expanded and the people of the state were contented and prosperous. Shelby M. Cullom was duly elected governor at the November election in 1876, and inaugurated January 8, 1877. It was at that session of the legislature that General John A. Logan became involved in a contest for reelection as United States senator. His opponent was Judge David Davis. Logan was the regular republican candidate, while Davis was a democrat. There were enough inde- pendents in the legislature to hold the balance of power and it was not until the fortieth ballot that the long contest was decided in favor of Judge Davis and he became General Logan's successor. It was during Governor Cullom's term of office that the great railroad strike occurred. It began in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, where the center of the various railroad employes was located, with branches all over the country. Illinois, as a great railroad state and mining center, felt the disturbances which reached every part of the state and especially Chicago, where many of the railroads terminated. Troops M ere called out, the rioting quelled and in a few days order was restored and business began to enter its usual channels. The population of the state in 1880 was 3,077,871. Mr. Cullom was reelected in 1880 and duly installed into office, January 10, 1881. In his message to the legislature he favored the cession of the canal to the general government but the legislature failed to act on his recommendation at the regular session. A special session for that purpose was called by the gov- ernor and among other things, of reapportioning the state into congressional and senatorial districts, and at that session an act was passed ceding it to the general government. The government, however, never accepted the gift nor took any steps whatever toward controlling it, and so the ceding came to naught. January 16, 1883, the legislature elected Governor Cullom United States sena- tor and it was at that session of that body the so-called Harper high license law was enacted, making the license for dram shops not less than $500. and $150 for the sale of malt and vinous liquors only. Richard J. Oglesby was elected governor in November, 1884, for the third time and was sworn into office, January 13, 1885. The great riot at Haymarket Square. Chicago, occurred May 4, 1886. A meeting was being held there by the labor element to consider the eight hour question and much noise and confusion took place. The police were called to quell the disturbance and a bomb was HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY 45 thrown among them. Seven of their number were instantly killed and many wounded. Eight of the rioters were arrested for the crime, tried, found guilty, and seven of them sentenced to be hung, while the eighth was sentenced to the penitentiary for fifteen years. One of the prisoners committed suicide while in jail, four were hung, and the sentence of the other two was commuted to im- prisonment for life. January 14, 1889, Joseph W. Fifer was inaugurated as governor and it was at that session of the legislature that the sanitary district of Chicago was created and the construction of the drainage canal ordered. . COLUMBIAN EXPOSITION. The great Columbian Exposition was to be held at Chicago in 1893 and the legislature was convened in the summer of 1890, to grant to the government the authority to hold it there and also to grant such other aid as was deemed neces- sary to hold the celebration and enable it to be devoted to exposition purposes. The population of the state in 1890 was 3,826,351. John P. Altgeld was elected governor in 1892. He was the first foreign born governor of the state, having been born in Germany in 1848. He was the first democratic governor since the election of Governor Matteson in 1852. About his first act after being installed into office was the pardoning of the Haymarket Square prisoners, then confined in the penitentiary. This act provoked a large amount of criticism from all classes all over the state, and even in other states, and so bitter was the feeling for this act of clemency on the part of the gover- nor that it hopelessly divided his party and he was most overwhelmingly defeated for reelection. During his administration, the World's Columbian Exposition, before alluded to, took place in Chicago. It was opened May ist and closed at the end of October. The exposition was a great success in every particular and reflected much credit upon its managers. John R. Tanner was the next governor and was inaugurated in January, 1897. The Cuban war, so called, occurred during his administration. It resulted in wrestling that island from Spanish rule and giving it independence, and also the acquisition of Porto Rico and the Philippine Islands to the American government. THE CUBAN WAR. The destruction of the warship Maine while on a friendly visit in Havana liarbor and the great loss of American seamen, was the direct cause for the declaration of war with Spain. The news of the terrible tragedy as it was flashed across the wires, aroused the nation to activity to avenge the insult to the na- tion's flag, and steps were at once taken to investigate the cause of the destruction of the vessel and the blame was laid upon the Spanish authorities. A demand was made upon Spain for a redress of the wrong. She refused to admit any liability in the catastrophe and the- war was the result. Troops were at once called for by the president and a noble response was made by every state in the Union. Seven regiments was the quota assigned to Illinois and these were quickly 46 HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY raised and sent to the front, where they performed most' excellent service for their country. STATE HISTORICAL SOCIETY. May 23, 1900, the Illinois State Historical Society was incorporated, with the following object: "To excite and stimulate a general interest in the history of Illinois ; to encourage historical research and investigation and secure its promul- gation ; to collect and preserve all forms of historical data in any way connected with Illinois and its people." The population of the state in 1900 was 4,821,550. Richard Yates was inaugurated as governor of the state in January, 1901. He was the first native born governor, his birth having occurred in Jacksonville, Illinois, December 12, 1860. The legislature that met in January, 1901, reappor- tioned the state into twenty-five congressional and fifty-one senatorial districts and appropriated $250,000 for the purpose of erecting a building and presenting exhibits of the state at the Louisiana Purchase Exposition, to be held in St. Louis in 1904. Charles S. Deneen was elected governor in November, 1904, and was duly installed into office in January, 1905. He was the second native born governor, his birth having occurred in Edwardsville, Illinois, May 4, 1863. He is a grad- uate of McKendree College and the Union College of Law. Governor Deneen is the present incumbent of that office. RETROSPECTIVE. In retrospect we will go back to early times and refer to some of the interest- ing incidents and matters that occurred when the state was young. THE VISIT OF LAFAYETTE. It was in 1825 that the Marquis de LaFayette came to Kaskaskia, while on his tour through the western country. That was one of the great events in the monotony of western life and served the pioneers with food for friendly gossip for years thereafter. The general assembly having learned of his arrival in America, addressed a resolution of welcome to him at its session in December, 1824, in glowing terms of admiration for his patriotic services for the country and earnestly invited him to extend his visit to the western country to Illinois. The address with a personal letter from Governor Coles, who became acquainted with LaFayette in France in 1817, was forwarded to LaFayette on the gth of Decem- ber, and on the i6th of January, 1825, he expressed his gratification for the honor done him by Illinois and then added: "It has ever been my eager desire and is now my earnest intention to visit the western states, and particularly the state of Illinois. The feelings which your distant welcome could not fail to excite have increased that patriotic eagerness to admire on that blessed spot the happy and rapid results of republican institutions, public and domestic virtues. I shall, after the celebration of the 22d of February, anniversary day, leave this place for the southern states, going from New Orleans to the western states, so as to HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY 47 return to Boston on the I4th of June, when the corner stone of Bunker Hill monu- ment is to be laid a ceremony sacred to the whole Union, and in which I have been engaged to act a peculiar and honorable part." The General arrived at St. Louis on the steamboat Natchez, April 28. An immense concourse entered the boat at the landing to greet and honor the patriot and hero. The greeting of the General in St. Louis was a most hearty and loyal one, well worthy of the patriot and his hosts. April 3Oth the Natchez took Gen- eral LaFayette and a large concourse of distinguished visitors down the river to Kaskaskia, where the entire population assembled to bid him welcome. A din- ner was prepared at the hotel, kept by Colonel Sweet, and the entire company of distinguished guests was entertained. In the evening a grand ball was given in his honor at the large and commodious house of William Morrison. At the ball was a squaw whose father had served under General LaFayette in the Revo- lutionary war. To identify herself she had brought a letter written by the Gen- eral to her father many years before, and which the father left to the daughter as a precious legacy. General LaFayette after the ball went to Nashville but returned in a few days to Shawneetown, where he was again greeted with enthusiasm on the part of the citizens that brought tears, and his answer to their address of welcome was given with much emotion. At his departure a salute was fired, after which he returned to the east. WHY SOUTHERN ILLINOIS WAS CALLED EGYPT. Charles Robertson in the Chicago Journal, under date of February 8, 1872, says that the southern part of the state was called Egypt from the following: "Fifty years ago, or in the summer of 1821, there was not a bushel of corn to be had in all central Illinois. My father settled in that year twenty-three miles west of Springfield. We lived for a time on venison, blackberries and milk,, while the men were gone to Egypt to harvest and procure breadstuffs. The land we improved was surveyed that summer and afterward bought of the government by sending beeswax down the Illinois river to St. Louis in an Indian canoe. Dressed deerskins and tanned hides were then in use and we made one piece of cloth out of nettles instead of flax, cotton material, well for a decade, until the deep snow of 1830." Thus the southern part of Illinois received the application of "Egypt," as therein indicated, because, being older, better settled and cultivated, it gathered corn as "the salt of the sea," and the settlers in the central part of the state, after the manner of the children of Israel in their wants, "went to Egypt to buy and bring from thence that they might live and not die." THE "SUCKERS" WHY so NAMED. Why all native Illinoisans are called "Suckers" originated at an early date and there are two versions, both of^ which we will give our readers and they can select from the two which to them seems the most probable and correct. In 1804 Governor Harrison bought of the Sac and Fox tribes a tract of land at the mouth of the Fever river, where Galena is now located, fifteen miles 48 HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY square. It was called "lead lands," for upon the tract in many places lead had been found, and several mines opened, and it is said that the origin of the name "Sucker" as applied to the native miners and the Illinoisans was first heard and used in those mines. George Brunk of Sangamon writes : "Late in the fall of 1826 I was on board a steamboat bound down the river, when a man from Mis- souri stepped up and asked, 'Boys, where are you going?' The answer was 'Home.' 'Well,' he replied, 'you put me in mind of suckers ; up in the spring, spawn, and all return in the fall.' ' The name stuck to the Illinoisans and when Judge Sawyer came up to the mines on circuit court duty, he was called the "king of Suckers." Those who stayed at the mines over winter most of them from Wisconsin were called "Badgers." The next spring the Missourians poured fnto the mining region in great numbers and. the state was said to have taken a "puke," and the offensive appellation of "Pukes" was applied to all the miners from that state. JUDGE DOUGLAS TELLS WHERE THEY GOT THE NAME OF "SUCKER." It was on the occasion of a pleasant entertainment of Judge Douglas at Peters- burg, Virginia, that he gave the following humorous account of the term "Suck- ers," as applied to Illinoisans ; the account is valuable further and confers a proud distinction upon Illinois, in that it clears up all doubts regarding the discov- ery of that important and inspiring beverage called "mint julep" a very mo- mentous question that for years has been covered with obscurity and beset with very many doubts, but in the light of the facts then disclosed by the learned judge, happily placed at rest. It is not improbable that a glass of the animating beverage served to quicken the memory of the honorable senator from Illinois on that occasion. Judge Douglas said : "About the year 1777, George Rogers Clark applied to the governor of Virginia and suggested to him that as peace might be declared at any time between the colonies and Great Britain, it would be well for us to be in possession of the northwest territory, so that when the commissioners came to negotiate a treaty, we might act on the well known principle of law that possession was at least nine parts, each party holding all that they had in pos- session. He suggested to the governor to permit him to go out to the northwest, conquer the country and hold it until the treaty of peace, when we would become possessed of it. "The governor consented and sent him across the mountains to Pittsburg. From there he and his companions floated down the Ohio on rafts to the falls, where Louisville now is. After remaining there a short time they again took their new rafts and floated down to the salines, just below the present site of Shawneetown, Illinois. Here they took up their march across the country to Kas- kaskia, where the French had an old settlement and by the aid of a guide they reached Oquaw and encamped near Peter Menard's house, some little distance from the town. You see, I am well acquainted with the locality. (Laughter.) Next morning Clark got his little army of ragamuffins together, for they had no army wagons with supplies, no sutler and no stores, and by this time looked ragged enough, and took up his line of march for the little French town of Commercial Hotel Main Street Gillespie Street Scene Christian Church - Methodist Church VIEWS OF OILLKSIMK LIBRARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY 49 Kaskaskia. It was summer and a very hot day, and as he entered the town and saw the Frenchmen sitting quietly on their little verandas in front of their houses, sucking their juleps through straws, he rushed upon them, crying 'Sur- render, you suckers, you.' (Great laughter.) The Frenchmen surrendered, and from that day to this Illinoisans have been known as 'Suckers.' (Applause.) "That was the origin of our cognomen, and when George Rogers Clark re- turned to Virginia he introduced the julep here. (Laughter.) Now, I want to give you Virginians fair notice that when they claim the honor of a Jefferson, of a Madison, of a Marshall, and of as many other distinguished sages and patriots as the world ever saw, we yield ; when' you claim the credit of a cession of the northwest territory, that out of it sovereign states might be created, we yield ; when you claim the credit o.f never having polled a vote against the democratic party, we yield ; but when you claim the glory of the mint julep, hands off, Illi- nois wants that." (Shouts of laughter and applause.) 111. Reg., September 9, 1860. POLITICS AND POLITICIANS. The manner of conducting political campaigns in the days of yore was similar in some respects to that of more modern times and yet in other respects radically different. Politics entered into some of the campaigns to a great extent and yet in others they were almost entirely ignored. Governor Ford in his history of Illinois says of those days: "Up to the year 1840, I can say with perfect truth that considerations of mere party, men's condescensions, agreeable carriage and professions of friendship had more influence with the great body of the people than the most important public services." These .considerations have always been of more consequence in a majority of cases than any public services ren- dered, no matter how valuable those services may have been to the people or country. There were many adventurers among the old pioneers, with whom govern- mental affairs had but little thought. When aroused to the exercise of the great privilege of a citizen the elective franchise by demagogues interested in some intrigue, no other consideration entered into the act of the voter than to either help a friend or punish an enemy. There were no great political questions to divide the people prior to the early '305. They called themselves whigs and democrats without the least thought or care regarding any of the questions of public policy, tariff or any of the great questions that were brought forward at a later date. The use of whisky for electioneering purposes was almost universal and the custom of "treating," as it was called, during a. political campaign was indis- putable to success. It was a common custom for the candidates to go to the sa- loons and leave orders to treat free all who came on certain days, called "treat- ing days," at their expense. "Treating days" were usually on Saturday and then the voters for miles around would all congregate at the saloons, many of them get drunk and often engage in rough and tumble fights. The candidates would usually be there, too, and in "some shady grove put forth their claims for office. The favorite platform from which their speeches would be made was the stump of some large tree, and hence the phrase of "stump speech." The vital 50 HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY questions "having been discussed," the meeting would break up and the audience disperse to their homes to sober up and get ready for the next "treating day." The real pioneers of that day were the leaders in all such meetings and sports. They were in many instances extremely ignorant, governed by passionate preju- dices and usually opposed to every public policy which looked to the elevation of society. They arrayed themselves in buckskin breeches, leather moccasins, raccoon caps and red shirts, belted at the waist, and with a large knife in the belt, hence they were called "butcher boys." They would proclaim their great bravery upon every occasion and swear that they were "half horse and half alli- gator," meaning that they could not be overcome in combat. Such to a great extent were a large number of the early settlers of southern Illinois. When in liquor they were veritable demons but at home, when away from the influence of drink, were quiet and peaceable and good neighbors. SALT MAKING. The making of salt in the early history of the Illinois country is one of the most interesting subjects of the time. The salt springs, or "salines," as they were called, were located near Equality, in Gallatin county. When dis- covered, there was every indication that they had been worked by a prehistoric race, long before the whites had penetrated the Illinois wilds. The evaporating kettles used by them were found near Equality and near the Negro Salt Springs. The kettles were between three and four feet in diameter, made of clay and pounded shells, and were molded in a kind of basket work, or cloth, which left the impression upon the outside of the kettle and looked like artistic hand work. Nothing is known as to how long the springs had been worked by the Indians but there was every appearance that they had been used in the process of making salt for ages. In 1812 congress assumed control of the springs, and on the i2th of Feb- ruary, that year, an act was passed setting apart six square miles of land to sup- port the Equality salines. They were then leased to work, and slaves were em- ployed to perform the work, they having been brought from Kentucky and Ten- nessee for that purpose. Many of these negroes, by extra work, saved enough money to buy their freedom and from these are descended the large number of those who resided in Gallatin and Saline counties before the Civil war. There was a monopoly in the salt trade after the act of leasing the springs and the common price of it was five dollars a bushel, and even at that price a ready mar- ket was always found in all the adjoining country. People would come hundreds of miles and carry it away in sacks on horseback. When Illinois was admitted into the Union, these salines were ceded to the state and thenceforward they were state property and ceased as such, February 23, 1847. By an act of the general assembly, the saline lands were all sold to the school trustees of the township. They have since been very productive, producing when worked to their fullest capacity, 200 barrels of salt per day. IMPROVEMENTS IN AGRICULTURE. The wonderful improvements made for cultivating the soil are most marvel- ous and are to be seen on every hand. Seventy-five to eighty years ago the plows HISTORY OF MACOUPIX COUNTY 51 were made with moldboards of wood and these were sometimes covered with straps of iron to prevent wearing out too rapidly. In those days plows were about the only implement used in stirring the soil. Harrows with wooden teeth were used for covering the grain after sowing but they were poor affairs and easily broken. Corn was planted wholly by hand, the barefooted boys and girls dropping the seed, which was then covered with a hoe. Sickles were about the only implements used in cutting the grain, although grain cradles were introduced about that time. Grass was always cut with a scythe and raked together with the hand rake. Wheat and all kinds of grain were tramped out with horses. The bundles were laid with the heads inward in a circle, the horses were driven around on it until it was trampled out and then the grain winnowed and cleaned in the wind. But all this has been changed and that, too, for the benefit of the farmer. Gang and sulky plows of steel now turn over the sod and thus increase the capacity for human labor and greatly decrease its severity. Machinery has been utilized to drill in the grain, cut and bind it, thresh and winnow it, and also cut, pitch and load the hay and put it into stacks. The farmers were at first slow in adopting the machinery for farm work but it gradually gained in favor until now it has almost superseded labor by hand. The farmer guides from his seat behind his team and the machinery performs the labor and that, too, much quicker, far better and more satisfactorily than it could possibly be done by hand. PROGRESS IN THE STATE. Illinois has made wonderful progress as a state in internal improvements, agriculture and commerce. In 1837 the first railroad was built in the state. It was but six miles in length, with small cars drawn by horses or mules ; the rails were but wooden joists, laid on .ties, and upon the joists strap iron was spiked with spikes made by the local blacksmiths. From that small beginning the rail- roads in the state have been -extended until 1903, when the last report was made and there were 11,502 miles in operation, permeating every part of the state. The mileage of railroads exceeds that of every other state in the Union, the near- est approach to it being the state of Texas, with 11,256 miles. Pennsylvania has 10,784 miles, the Empire state 8,180, while all New England has but 7,609 miles, or only about two-thirds as much mileage as the state of Illinois. In population it ranks as the third state in the Union, while in 1830 it was the twentieth. In agriculture it has made even greater progress. When the state was ad- mitted into the Union in 1818 it had a population of about 50,000, with some 11,500 farms and 70,000 acres of land under cultivation. In 1820, two years after it was admitted as a state, 260,000 bushels of corn were raised in the whole state, 63,000 bushels of oats, and no broom corn; while by the last census we find there were 398,149,140 bushels of corn, 180,105,630 bushels of oats, and 60,665,560 pounds of broom corn, equalling 3,330 tons. In 1820 there was not a gallon of fermented liquor made in the state, while in 1904 there were 4,632,- 726 barrels of it made, just about a barrel for every man, woman and child in the state. The same year there were 41,787,891 gallons of distilled spirits or liquors 52 HISTORY OF MACOUPIX COUNTY made, or about ten gallons for every man, woman and child in the state. This far exceeds any other state, for even Kentucky, which is said to use up all the surplus corn and rye into whisky, only produces 23,114,735 gallons a little more than one-half of what Illinois produces. There is another thing in which Illinois exceeds all other states, and that is in the number of war pensioners, there being 71,647 in the state, to whom the government annually' pays more than $10,000,000. DISCOVERY OF COAL. The first mention made in the history of the state of coal or finding it here, was by Father Hennepin in his journal. It was in 1679, when on a visit to the Illinois country with La Salle's party. He says: "Having arrived in the Miami country and while they were seeking for a portage by which they could reach the Illinois river, La Salle, while exploring the country, became separated from the rest of the party, and, as he did not return, searching parties were sent out after him. When found, his face and hands were black with the coal and the wood that he had lighted during the night, as it was cold." The Miami country, as then understood, was in the vicinity of the headwaters of the Illinois river, where it is formed by the junction of the Kankakee and Des Plaines. After giving an account of how they reached the Illinois, he says : "There are mines of coal, slate, iron and lumps of pure red copper, which are found in various places, indicating that there are mines and perhaps other metals and minerals, which will one day be discovered." These references clearly indicate the location of extensive coal mines in Will and Grundy counties, which have furnished such vast quantities of coal to the people of the state. In 1720 Father Charlevoix arrived at the junction of the headwaters of the Illinois. Lower down the river, at the junction of the Illinois with a river that flows from the Mascoutens, the place is called Charboniere, "because they find many coals there." That was in what is now La Salle county, the river named being the Fox. In T 773 Kennedy in his journal speaks of being near the site of the old Kaskaskia Indian town at Utica, in La Salle county. He says : "On the north- western side of this river is a coal mine that extends, for half a mile along the middle bank of the river, which is high." Beck, in a book issued by him in 1823, says: "Coal is found in great abun- dance in different parts of the state; it is of good quality and is very valuable on account of the scarcity of timber. Since the time of Father Hennepin's first mention of coal in the state the coal industry has grown and flourished to such extensive proportions that it is now one of our leading industries." From a summary recently furnished by the secretary of the Illinois Bureau of Labor Statistics it appears that there are now more than 1,000 mines in the state and that nearly 40,000,000 tons of coal are mined annually by 59,230 em- ployes. There are 102 counties in .the state and of these fifty-six have coal mines that contribute to the vast amount of coal consumed by the people of the HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY 53 state every year, and of the 56,000 square miles of land in the state, 36,000 contain coal. TEMPERANCE. About the year 1840 a great temperance movement was inaugurated in the east and it soon spread to Illinois. The temperance people called themselves "Washingtonians," and the movement was quite popular in some localities in the east for several years but met with a chilly reception in most places out in southern Illinois among the pioneers. It was all right down there among the women and children but the lords of the soil would have nothing to do with it. A society was organized in the small village of Troy, Madison county, a few miles south of Edwardsville, and a committee was appointed to go out among the farmers and solicit them to join the society. The chairman or spokes- man of the party was the minister of the little church in the village. On one of their trips around the neighboring towns, they came across an old farmer who had taken his whisky straight for many a year. He was informed of the society and its object and very kindly asked to join it. The old fellow was indignant to think they should want him to join such an organization, and would not listen to them but they pleaded with him and told him of the misery and ruin whisky was causing in the country and added that if the men would join the society it would close up the dram shops and then no one could get any liquor. "What," said the old fellow, ''close up the dram shops? I would have you know, sir, that my brother keeps a dram shop up there in Edwardsville, and you want me to help ruin him, do ye? Xo, I'll see you d d first, and that I won't." And with that the old fellow turned on his heel and left them, boiling with indigna- tion to think they should ask him to do an act that would aid in ruining his brother's business. BEE TREES. The characteristics of the old pioneers are very forcibly illustrated in an anecdote related by the late Robert S. Blackwell, the author of "Blackwell on Tax Titles." Mr. Blackwell said that "the old pioneers were great bee hunters, and had the custom of appropriating to the finder all bee trees on whose land soever they happened to be growing. When they discovered a bee tree, without leave or license, they entered upon the land, cut it down and made themselves masters of the honey. The owners seldom ventured to complain and when they did, the juries were sure to punish their presumption with costs of suit. "Well, one of the old settlers to whom I allude came to my office one day and stated that he had felled a bee tree upon his neighbor's land. He alluded to the old custom of conferring title "by discovery, and that suit was threatened, asking my advice in the premises. I replied that he had committed a trespass and advised him to compromise the affair. He left the office in high dungeon, saying as he was departing, 'This country is getting too d d civilized for me. 54 HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY I'll make tracks for Oregon or some other country where an old pioneer can get justice.' ' THE DISAPPEARANCE OF THE BUFFALO. When Illinois was first visited by white men, the prairies were one great pasture for countless herds of buffaloes. Father Marquette and his companion, Louis Joliet, when reaching the Illinois country on their voyage down the Mis- sissippi, saw upon the banks of that stream vast herds of the animals. On their return, and while going up the Illinois, the animals were everywhere to be seen, and as one of the father's records, they were so numerous as to be countless. The flesh of the buffalo furnished the natives with the greater part of their food, their skins with clothing, bedding and tents, their sinews for bows, their bones for implements and ornaments, while their hair they wove into a fabric for dress ; hence, this disappearance of the buffalo from the country. Deprived, then, of the many necessities of life, the exact time when they disappeared or left the country is unknown but from the best accounts that can be obtained it was about 1780 they were seen swimming the Illinois river in vast herds. As late as 1778, but a year or two later, there was a big snow storm that covered the ground to the depth of three feet, and upon the top was a thick crust of ice that would bear a man. The next spring a few buffaloes, poor and emaciated, were seen going westward, but in many places hundreds of carcasses of the dead animals were to be found lying on the prairie. What few were left went across the Mississippi and it was seldom that one was seen east of that river after that time. Forty years afterward the skulls and bones were to be seen in places extending for miles. CHEVALIER HENRY DE TONTY. Few of the writers of the early history of Illinois give much of an account of the life of this most faithful and intrepid companion of La Salle in his early voyages and explorations in the Illinois Territory. When referred to, he is spoken of as the "Faithful Tonty ;" that he was a Frenchman by birth, and had lost a hand in battle. It is our purpose, however, to here give some accounts of his early life and history. Chevalier Henry De Tonty was born in Naples in 1650. He was a son of Lorenzo Tonty, a banker and prominent man of that city. He received an ex- cellent education for those times and when eighteen years of age he entered the French army and served one year. It was an active one, however, for he was in seven campaigns and although he entered the service as a cadet, yet he was successively promoted as captain, and at Messina, Spain, he was placed in charge of 20,000 men. During the battle of Libisso, a grenade shot away his right hand and it is told of him that while awaiting the delayed services of the surgeon, he with admirable nerve, amputated the ragged stump with a knife. The lost hand of flesh was replaced by one of iron, on which he usually wore a glove. There is some dispute among historians as to whether the hand that replaced that of flesh was of iron, copper, or silver, but whatever it was it served his purpose well, and in some instances was better than the one he lost. In his dealings HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY 55 with the Indians, it is said if they became disorderly or unruly he used that hand upon the heads of the contumaceous ones, sometimes breaking or knocking out their teeth. They, not knowing the secret of the efficacy of the blow, re- garded it as a "medicine of the first order." He was taken a prisoner at Libisso by the Spaniards and was confined for six months, and his release was effected by exchanging for him the son of the governor of that place. Upon returning to France the king bestowed three hundred livres upon him in recognition of his services. In 1677 La Salle reached France from Montreal to seek the aid of the court in the prosecution of the vast designs he had formed for exploring the unknown interior of the continent south of the Great Lakes. Upon the recommendation of Prince Conti, whose favor Tonty seems to have won by his valorous conduct in the French wars, La Salle engaged the young man as his lieutenant. They sailed from Rochelle, July 14, 1678, to Quebec, where after a voyage of two months, they arrived and there La Salle learned to appreciate the many good qualities of heart of which his lieutenant was to give him later on such signal proof. It was there that La Salle formed the only intimate friendship of his life and was rewarded by attaching to himself a man whose loyalty and dis- interested devotion ceased only with death. La Salle had formed a plan to follow up the discoveries of Joliet and Father Marquette in their voyage down the Mississippi, and to ascertain by descending that river to its mouth, whether it emptied into the Gulf of California, the Gulf of Mexico, or was indeed the long sought medium of communication with Japan and China, the Cipangang Cathay of Marco Polo. They had brought over with them all necessary ropes, anchors and other material for building a vessel to navigate the lakes, expert artisans also being brought along, who were skilled in the construction of vessels. They at once set about the work of preparing for their long and tedious jour- ney. The marvelous energy and fertility of resources displayed by Tonty aston- ished as well as delighted La Salle. In writing to Prince Conti after landing in Canada, he said : "His honorable character, his amiable disposition, were well known to you but perhaps you would not have thought him capable of doing things for which a strange constitution, an acquaintance with the coun- try, and the full use of both hands seemed absolutely necessary. Nevertheless, his energy and address made him equal to anything and now at a season when everybody is in fear of the ice, he is setting out to begin a new fort two hun- dred leagues from this place." In going from Fort Frontenac to Niagara,' on Lake Ontario, Tonty ex- perienced the first evidence of the secret hostility directed against La Salle. The boat in which they came was wrecked through obstinacy of the pilot, who had doubtless been tampered with by the enemies of La Salle. Niagara, a place above the falls, had been selected as the site for the shipyard. It was the dead of win- ter but the work of building the \essel was begun with great energy. They had brought up the St. Lawrence and along the twelve mile portage trail of the Niagara gorge the anchors and other material necessary for the equipment of the vessel they were to build. La Salle remained long enough to drive the 56 HISTORY OF MACOLTIN COUNTY first bolt and then returned to Fort Frontenac. He left Tonty in command, with full instructions to complete the vessel. It was a heavy task that was thus imposed upon Tonty. If he had an iron hand, he had a will of steel. The Senecas, an Indian tribe that was in the vicinity, were not only enemies of La Salle but they were also suspicious that the ribbed structure growing before their eyes meant menace to their fur trade in the west, which they had heretofore monopolized, and threatened to make a bonfire of the vessel. Provisions were scarce, the wrecked boat having con- tained the needed supply. But two New England Indians that La Salle had attached to the expedition became. his devoted followers and by their prowess saved the thirty men with Tonty and Father Hennepin. It was a long and tedious winter that tried the patience as well as the courage of the ever faithful Tonty to keep the enemies at bay, and at the same time supply his men with food while they pursued their labors on the vessel. It was under these trying circumstances that the first vessel that ever plied the waters of Lakes Erie, Huron and Michigan was constructed. The Indians were wily as well as treacherous and as the vessel neared completion they con- stantly menaced the workmen. They, however, completed it, and in May it was ready to be launched. Amid the roar of cannon and the chorus of the "Te Deum" from the bearded workmen, the vessel slid from her docks into the waters of the Niagara river and it was then safe from all harm or molestation from the hostile natives. It was towed out in mid-stream and there anchored as a precaution from any further interference. The five cannon on board peeped through the port holes upon the Indians on the bank, giving them warning of danger should they attempt to make any hostile visits to the vessel. It was not until summer was well advanced that La Salle joined the party on board the Griffin, as the vessel was christened. It was so named in honor of Count Frontenac, the governor of New France, as Canada was then called, that monster being his heraldic emblem. Tonty went in a bark canoe ahead of the Griffin up Lake Erie, in order to look up some men and supplies that La Salle had ordered at the straits of Detroit. He reached there all right and found his men and the vessel. They were taken on board and the vessel sailed up the straits toward Lake Huron. Their voyage up that lake was a stormy one. The fall gales that prevailed sent the small craft forward, trembling in every part. But they weathered the gale and on the 27th of August they reached Michilimackinac. the Jesuit stronghold for the whole western country. Early in September the Griffin sailed into Green Bay, mooring at one of the islands, which is thought to have been Washington Isle, whose astonished inhab'tants gazed in wonder at the "house that walked on the water." La Salle loaded the vessel with beaver skins which had cost 60,000 livres ($12,000). The vessel was never seen again. Whether she foundered in a gale or wa< destroyed by the crew was never known. La Salle and Tonty then went up Lake Michigan, as before described, and also their going to Peoria lake, erecting the fort, Creve Coeur, fortifying the HISTORY OF MACOUPIX COUNTY 57 Rock, and their return to Green Bay have all been fully given in our history of the northwest. DEATH OF TONTY. Tonty toiled for nearly twenty years to maintain Fort St. Louis on the Rock but was at last compelled to abandon it. It had been the pet scheme of his friend and companion, La Salle, that a fort should be maintained there, as it was known to be impregnable to any assault that then could be made, and so reluc- tantly he obeyed a royal decree and left it forever. As he floated down the beautiful Illinois river with his few followers, he waved back a sad farewell to the bold, high rock upon whose topmost level he had made his home for so many years. That was in the spring of 1699. He was then on his way south to join the Louisiana colonies at old Biloxi, at the mouth of the Mississippi. The colon- ists received him with open arms and for four years he shared their varied fortunes, aiding them in every way with his knowledge of woodcraft and savage lore. Through his efforts the neighboring Indians were pacified and many of them became the allies of the colonists in their troubles with other tribes that were hostile to them. In 1704 a vessel arrived with supplies from Havana, but ere the colonists could rejoice at the acquisition of the stores it was learned that the vessel con- tained the germs of that terrible scourge, yellow fever. The vessel's crew had been nearly exterminated by it. It spread among the colonists and more than one-half of them lay dead. Tonty nursed the living and helped to bury the dead. But soon he, too, was stricken with the dread disease and in the month of September, 1704, a grave was dug in the soil of old Biloxi and therein was laid one of the most unselfish and loyal, as he was one of the most intrepid of the knightly men who first blazed a path whence civilization entered into what has since become the great empire of the northwest. WHERE WAS PONTIAC ASSASSINATED? In our history of Illinois in this work we have stated that the Indian war chieftain, Pontiac, was assassinated at Cahokia, and we have done so upon what we consider the very best of authorities upon the subject. Nearly every writer or historian who has alluded to or written of the death of that celebrated chieftain in the several histories of the state, so far as we can learn, with but one exception, all assert that he was assassinated at Cahokia. In fact, there is no mention in any of them that there was any question but that was the place, and they give in detail all the circumstances attending his death. Moses, in his history of Illinois ; Perrin, in his outlines of Illinois history ; Dres- bach, in his "Young People's History of Illinois;" and Parish, in his "Historic Illinois," all name Cahokia as the place of his assassination. One of the best authorities on the subject, as we view it, is Osmon's "History of Starved Rock." He not only gives a very clear and comprehensive description of the tragedy, but enters into all the details of the Indian feuds and troubles prior to that time with great exactness. It is generally conceded by all writers of Illinois history that the Illinois Indians had all left the northern part of the state at the time of Pontiac's last 58 HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY visit to the territory and had gone to Cahokia or near there ; that they had built villages there and were under the protection of the French who had settled there and that Pontiac, learning of the fact that the Illinois Indians had col- lected at Cahokia, went there, as he said, "to have a big spree," but as it was well thought by the people, to make trouble by inducing the Indians to make war upon the white inhabitants. A barrel of whisky was a big inducement to an Indian and he would doubtless have killed almost any one, even his own squaw or mother, in order to possess it. On the other hand, Matson, in his "History of Illinois," which is a very good authority on most subjects pertaining to the early history of our state, says Pontiac was assassinated at Joliet Mound, by an Indian named Kineboo, for revenge, Pontiac at some time having done Kineboo a great wrong. Now it is for the reader to judge which of the authorities is the most probably correct. To us, the Cahokia story is altogether the most reasonable and plausible. We are aware that Indian revenge will go a long ways in a red man's makeup but not so far as a barrel of whisky. It was a terrible inducement to an Indian and one that no Indian would refuse. BLACK HAWK WAR. When the United States assumed control of the country by reason of its purchase from France, nearly the whole state was in possession of the Sacs and Foxes, a powerful and warlike nation, who were not disposed to submit without a struggle to what they regarded the encroachment on their rights of the pale faces. Among the most noted chiefs and one whose restlessness and hatred of the whites occasioned more trouble to the government than any other of his tribe, was Black Hawk, who was born at the Sac village, on the Rock river, in 1767. He was simply the chief of his own band of Sac warriors; but by his energy and ambition he became the leading spirit of the united nation of the Sacs and Foxes, and one of the prominent figures in the history of the country from 1804 until his death. In early manhood he attained distinction as a fight- ing chief, having led campaigns against the Osages and other neighboring tribes. About the beginning of the nineteenth century he began to appear prominent in affairs on the Mississippi. His life was a marvel. He is said by some to have been the victim of a narrow prejudice and bitter ill will against the Amer- icans. November 3, 1804, a treaty was concluded between William Henry Harri- son, then governor of the Indian Territory, on behalf of the United States, and five chiefs of the Sac and Fox nations by which the latter, in consideration of $2,234 > n goods then delivered, and a yearly annuity of $ 1,000 to be paid in goods at just cost, ceded to the United States all that land on the east side of the Missouri extending from' a point opposite the Jefferson, in Missouri, to the Wisconsin river, embracing an area of fifty-one million acres. To this treaty Black Hawk always objected and always refused to consider it binding upon his people. He asserted that the chiefs and braves who made it had no authority to relinquish the title of the nation to any of the lands they held or occupied and. moreover, to get one of their people released, who had been imprisoned at St. Louis for killing a white man. HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY 59 % In 1805 Lieutenant Pike came up the river for the purpose of holding friendly council with the Indians and selecting sites for forts within the territory recently acquired from France by the United States. Lieutenant Pike seems to have been the first American whom Black Hawk had met or had a personal inter- view with and was very much impressed in his favor. Pike gave a very interest- ing account of his visit to the noted chief. Fort Edwards was erected soon after Pike's expedition, at what is now Warsaw, Illinois, also Fort Madison, on the site of the present town of that name, the latter being the first fort erected in Iowa. These movements occa- sioned great uneasiness among the Indians. When work was commenced on Fort Edwards, a delegation, from the nation, headed by their chiefs, went down to see what the Americans were doing and had an interview with the com- mander, after which they returned home and were apparently satisfied. In like manner, when Fort Madison was being erected, they sent down another delegation from a council of the nation held at Rock river. According to Black Hawk's account, the American chief told them he was building a house for a trader, who was coming to sell them goods cheap, and that the soldiers were coming to keep him company a statement which Black Hawk says they dis- trusted at the time, believing that the fort was an encroachment upon their rights, and designed to aid in getting their lands away from them. It is claimed by good authority that the building of Fort Madison was a violation of the treaty of 1804. By the eleventh article of that treaty the United States had the right to build a fort near the mouth of the Wisconsin river, and by article six they bound themselves "that if any citizen of the United States or any other white person should form a settlement upon their lands such intruder should forthwith be removed." Probably the authorities of the United States did not regard the establishment of military posts as coming properly within the mean- ing of the term "settlement" as used in the treaty. At all events, they erected Fort Madison within the territory reserved to the Indians, who became very indignant. Very soon after the fort was built, a party led by Black Hawk at- tempted its destruction. They sent spies to watch the movements of the garri- son, who ascertained that the soldiers were in the habit of marching out of the fort every morning and evening for parade and the plan of the party was to conceal themselves near the fort and attack and surprise them when they were outside. On the morning of the proposed day of the attack five soldiers came out and were fired upon by the Indians, two of them being killed. The Indians were too hasty in their movements, for the parade had not commenced. How- ever, they kept up the siege several days, attempting the old strategy of setting fire to the fort with blazing arrows, but finding their efforts unavailing, they de- sisted and returned to their wigwams on Rock river. In 1812, when war was declared between this country and Great Britain, Black Hawk and his band allied themselves with the British, partly because he was dazzled by their specious promises but more probably because they were deceived by the Americans. Black Hawk himself declared they were forced into the war by having been deceived. He narrates the circumstances as follows : "Several of the head men and chiefs of the Sacs and Foxes were called upon to go to Washington to see their great father. On their return they related what had been said and done. 60 HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY They said the great father wished them, in the event of war taking place with England, not to interfere on either side but to remain neutral. He did not want our help but wished us to hunt and support our families and live in peace. He said that British traders would not be permitted to come on the Mississippi to furnish us with goods but that we should be supplied by an American trader. Our chiefs then told him that the British traders always gave them credit in the fall for guns, powder and goods, to enable us to hunt and clothe our fam- ilies. He repeated that the traders at Fort Madison would have plenty of goods ; that we should go there in the fall and he would supply us on credit, as the British traders had done." Black Hawk seems to have accepted the proposition and he and his people were very much pleased. Acting in good faith, they fitted out for their winter's hunt and went to Fort Madison in high spirits to receive from the trader their outfit of supplies ; but after waiting some time they were told by the trader that he would not trust them. In vain they pleaded the promise of their great father at Washington ; the trader was inexorable. Disappointed and crestfallen, the Indians turned sadly to their own village. Says Black Hawk: "Few of us slept that night. All was gloom and discontent. In the morning a canoe was seen ascending the river; it soon arrived bearing an express, who brought intelligence that a British trader had landed at Rock Island with two boats filled with goods, and requested us to come up immediately, because he had good news for us and a variety of presents. The express presented us with pipes, tobacco and wampum. The news ran through our camp like fire on the prairie. Our lodges were soon taken down and all started for Rock Island. Here ended all our hopes of remaining at peace, having been forced into the war by being deceived." He joined the Brit- ish, who flattered him and styled him ''General Black Hawk," decked him with medals, excited his jealousy against the Americans and armed his band but he met with defeat and disappointment and soon abandoned the service and returned home. There was a portion of the Sacs and Foxes whom Black Hawk, with all his skill and cunning, could not lead into hostilities against the United States. With Keokuk, the "Watchful Fox," at their head, they were disposed to abide by the treaty of 1804 and to cultivate friendly relations with the American people. So when Black Hawk and his band joined the fortunes of Great Britain, the rest of the nation remained neutral and for protection organized with Keokuk for their chief. Thus the nation was divided into the "war party" and "peace party." Keokuk became one of the nation's great chiefs. In person he was tall and of portly bearing. He has been described as an orator, entitled to rank with the most gifted of his race, and through the eloquence of his tongue he pre- vailed upon a large body of his people to remain friendly to the Americans. As has been said, the treaty of 1804, between the United States and the Sac and Fox nations was never acknowledged by Black Hawk and in 1831 he established him- self with a chosen band of warriors upon the disputed territory, ordering the whites to leave the country at once. The settlers complaining. Governor Rey- nolds of Illinois despatched General Gaines, with a company of regulars and one thousand, five hundred volunteers to the scene of action. Taking the Indians by surprise, the troops burned their village 'and forced them to conclude a HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY 61 treaty, by which they ceded all their lands east of the Mississippi and agreed to remain on the west side of the river. Necessity forced the proud spirit of Black Hawk into submission, which made him more than ever determined to be avenged upon his enemies. Having rallied around him the warlike braves of the Sac and Fox nations, he recrossed the Mississippi in the spring of 1832. This armed array of savages soon alarmed the settlers and a general panic spread through the whole frontier, from the Mississippi to Lake Michigan. Many settlers in terror abandoned their homes and farms and the Governor decided, on the i6th of April, to call out a large number of volunteers to operate in conjunction with General Atkinson, who was in command of the regular forces at Rock Island. The Governor ordered the troops to rendezvous at Beardstown on the 22d of April. Governor Reynolds' circular which he ad- dressed to the citizen soldiers in the crisis then pending, follows : "To the Militia of the Northwestern Section of the State: "FELLOW CITIZENS: Your country requires your services. The Indians have assumed hostile attitude, and have invaded the state in violation of the treaty of last summer. The British band of Sacs and other hostile Indians, headed by Hlack Hawk, are in possession of the Rock river country, to the great terror of the frontier inhabitants. I consider the settlers on the frontiers to be in im- minent danger. I am in possession of the above information from gentlemen of respectable standing, and also from General Atkinson, whose character stands high with all classes. In possession of the above facts I have hesitated not as to the course I should pursue. No citizen ought to remain inactive when his country is invaded and the helpless part of the community are in danger. I have called out a large detachment of militia to rendezvous at Beardstown on the 22d. Provisions for the men and food for the horses will be furnished in abun- dance. I hope my countrymen will realize my expectations and offer their serv- ices, as heretofore, with promptitude and cheerfulness in defense of their country. "JOHN REYNOLDS." To the stirring appeal of the Governor the patriotic citizens of the state and Macoupin county nobly responded. Many of the best and prominent men of the county enlisted to protect the frontier and preserve the honor of the state and did signal service in the memorable events of the Black Hawk war. Among the citizens of Macoupin county who went out were as follows: Officers : Captain Harris, afterward better known to the citizens of this county as General Harris, who organized the first company. Captain Bennett Nolan also organized a company. Lieutenant Colonel Powell H. Sharp, then a resident of what is now Scottville township, ranked as lieutenant colonel in this war and is spoken of as a brave man. William Coop, Jefferson Weather- ford and the late Judge John Yowell were commissioned lieutenants. The two former were lieutenants in Captain Harris' company and the latter a lieutenant in Captain Nolan's company. Aquilla P. Pepperdine was the orderly sergeant in Captain Harris' company. Thomas McVey and John Lewis were also ser- geants in the same company. Captain Harris' company rendezvoused at Beards- town and was mustered at Rock Island under command of Colonel A. B. Du- witt of Jacksonville. William J. Weatherford was lieutenant colonel of the regi- 62 HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY ment. A portion of the Macoupin county men were in the regiment commanded by Colonel James Collins. Lieutenant Colonel Sharp was attached to this regi- ment. Of the private soldiers from this county may be mentioned the follow- ing: George Mathews, Oliver W. Hall, Lewis Solomon, Jr., Theodorus Davis, James Hall, John Bayless, John Coop, Hardin Weatherford, Ransom Coop, a Mr. Powell, Hiram English, Thomas Thurman, Reverdy English, David Rusk, Joshua Martin, Travis Moore, Samuel Cummings, Samuel D. Ray, Wilford Palmer, Larkin Richardson, Samuel McVey, John Chapman, Charles McVey, Mathew Withrow, Aaron Sample, John Ross, Spencer Norville, Charles Lair, William Talkington, James White, Achilles Deatheridge, E. H. Richards, John England, George Sprouse, Harvey McPeters and Zachariah Stewart. Captain Thomas S. Gelder, then a resident of Greene county, served in the campaign of 1831 and immediately after his return settled with his father on a farm in Chesterfield township. Among those who enlisted from Macoupin county in Captain Kinkead's com- pany of Greene county were : John Record, Isham Caudle, Isaac McCollum and Isaac Prewitt. There may have been others but these are all the names that we have been able to gather, as no official record has been preserved at Spring- field. Few of the hardy soldiers of this war remain with us. Many after the war was ended moved to other sections of the country and many others have passed over the river and are now in the embrace of the silent sleep of death. The force marched to the mouth of Rock river, where General Atkinson received the volunteers into the United States service and assumed command. Black Hawk and his warriors were still up on Rock river. The army under Atkinson commenced its march up the river on the gth of May. Governor Reynolds, the gallant "Old Ranger," remained with the army, and the President recognized him as a major general and he was paid accord- ingly. His presence in the army did much toward harmonizing and conciliating those jealousies which generally exist between volunteers and regular troops. Major John A. Wakefield and Colonel Ewing acted as spies for a time in the campaign of 1832, to discover the location of the enemy if possible. A Mr. Kinney acted as guide for them. He understood the Sac dialect. On the i4th of May, 1832, Major Stillman's command had a sort of running battle with the Indians at or near what is now known as Stillman's run, a small, sluggish stream. In this engagement eleven white men and eight Indians were killed. Black Hawk and warriors fought with the spirit born of desperation. Black Hawk says in his book that he tried at Stillman's run to call back his warriors, as he thought the whites were making a sham retreat in order to draw him into an ambuscade of the whole army under General Whiteside. The hasty retreat and rout of Stillman and his army was in a measure demoralizing to the entire forces. Undoubtedly the cause of the defeat was a lack of discipline. When Governor Reynolds learned of the disaster of Major Stillman, he at once ordered out two thousand additional volunteers. With that promptitude characteristic of the old "War Governor," he wrote out by candle light on the evening of Stillman's defeat, the order for additional troops, and by daylight dispatched John Ewing, Robert Blackwell and John A. Wakefield to distribute the order to the various counties. The volunteers again promptly responded. However, the HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY 63 soldiers from this county did but little fighting. On the loth of July the army disbanded for want of provisions. General Scott arrived soon after with a large force at the post of Chicago, to effect, if possible, a treaty with the Indians. Small detachments of Black Hawk's warriors would persistently hang on the outskirts of the main body of the army, thieve and plunder, and pounce upon and kill the lonely sentinel or straggling soldier. On the I5th of July the soldiers were reviewed and those incapable of duty were discharged and returned home. Po- quette, a half breed, and a Winnebago chief, the "White Pawnee," were selected for guides to the camp of Black Hawk and band. Several battles and skirmishes occurred with the enemy, the principal of which was on the banks of the Missis- sippi, where the warriors fought with great desperation. Over one hundred and fifty were killed in the engagement and large numbers drowned in attempt- ing to swim the river. After the battle the volunteers were marched to Dixon, where they were discharged. This ended the campaign and the Black Hawk war. At the battle of Bad Axe, Black Hawk and some of his warriors escaped the Americans and had gone up the Wisconsin river. The Winnebagoes, desirous of securing the friendship of the whites, went in pursuit and captured and delivered them to General Street, the United States Indian agent. Among the prisoners were the son of Black Hawk and the prophet of the tribe. These with Black Hawk were taken to Washington, D. C., and soon consigned as prisoners to Fortress Monroe. At the interview Black Hawk had with the president he closed his speech delivered on the occasion in the fol- lowing words : "We did not expect to conquer the whites. They have too many Rouses, too many men. I took up the hatchet, for my part, to revenge injuries which my people would no longer endure. Had I borne them longer without striking, my people would have said : 'Black Hawk is a woman ; he is too old to be a chief ; he is no Sac.' These reflections caused me to raise the war whoop. I say no more. It is known to you. Keokuk once was here ; yon 'took him by the hand, and when he wished to return to his home, you were willing. Black Hawk expects like Keokuk, he shall be permitted to return, too." By order of the president, Black Hawk and his companions, who were in confinement at Fortress Monroe, were set free on the 4th day of June, 1833. After their release from prison they were conducted in charge of Major Gar- land through some of the principal cities that they might witness the power of the United States and learn their own inability to cope with them in war. Great multitudes nocked to see them wherever they were taken and the attention paid them rendered their progress through the country a triumphal procession instead of prisoners transported by an officer. At Rock Island the prisoners were given their liberty amid great and impressive ceremony. In 1838 Black Hawk built him a dwelling near Des Moines, Iowa, and furnished it after the manner of the whites and engaged in agricultural pursuits, together with hunting and fishing. There, with his wife, to whom he was greatly attached, he passed the few re- maining days of his life. To his credit it may be said that Black Hawk remained true to his wife and served her with "a devotion uncommon among Indians, living with her upwards of forty years. At all times when Black Hawk visited the whites he was received with marked attention. He was an honored guest of the old settlers' reunion in Lee county, 64 HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY Illinois, and received marked tokens of esteem. In September, 1838, while on his way to Rock Island to receive his annuity from the government, he contracted a severe cold, which resulted in an intense attack of bilious fever, and termi- nated his life October 3d. After his death he was dressed in the uniform pre- sented him by the president while in Washington. He was buried in a grave six feet in depth, situated upon a beautiful eminence. The body was placed in the middle of the grave, in a sitting position upon a seat constructed for the occasion. On his left side the cane given him by Henry Clay was placed up- right, with his right hand resting upon it. His remains were afterward stolen and carried away but they were recovered by the governor of Iowa and placed in the museum of the Historical Society, at Burlington, Iowa, where they were finally destroyed by fire. Fort Armstrong, on Rock Island, was the place appointed where a treaty would be made with the Indians but before it was effected that dreadful scourge, the cholera of 1832, visited not only the regular army, depleting its ranks far more rapidly than the balls of the Indians had done, but it also sought out its many victims in the dusky bands of the Black Hawk tribe. On the 1 5th of September, 1832, a treaty was made with the Winnebago Indians. They sold out all their lands in Illinois and all south of the Wisconsin river and west of Green Bay and the government gave them a large district of country west of the Mississippi, and $10,000 a year for seven years, besides pro- viding free schools for their children for twenty years, oxen, agricultural im- plements, etc. September 21, 1832, a treaty was made with all the Sac and Fox tribes, on which they ceded to the United States the tract of country on which a few years afterward the state of Iowa was formed. In consideration of the above cession of lands, the government gave them an annuity of $20,000 for thirty years, forty kegs of tobacco and forty barrels of salt, more gunsmiths, blacksmith shop, etc., six thousand bushels of corn for immediate support, mostly intended for the Black Hawk band. The treaties above mentioned terminated favorably and the security result- ing therefrom gave a new and rapid impetus to the development of the state, and now enterprising towns and villages and beautiful farms adorn the rich and alluvial prairies that before were only desecrated by the wild bands who inhabited them. Agricultural pursuits, commerce and manufactures, churches and schools, are lending their influence to advance an intelligent and prosperous people. THE MEXICAN WAR. In the Mexican war Macoupin county was represented by a number of pa- triotic men and the part taken by them in that controversy at arms is here pre- sented as related in a former history of the county : "In the war with Mexico in 1846-7, Illinois furnished six regiments of men, as follows : First regiment, commanded by Colonel John J. Hardin ; Second regiment, commanded by Colonel William H. Bissell ; Third regiment, commanded by Colonel Ferris Forman ; Fourth regiment, commanded by Colonel Edward D. Baker: Fifth regiment, commanded by Colonel James Collins; Sixth regiment First Christian Church New Christian Church SOME CHURCHES OF VIRDEX LIBRARY OF THE OTEP.5ITY OF ILLINOIS HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY 65 commanded by Colonel Edward W. Newby. This county furnished about one hundred men. "The First regiment, mustered at Alton, Illinois, one thousand strong, was transported to New Orleans by steamboat in July, 1846, crossed the gulf and disembarked from the vessel at Port Levaca, in Texas, thence by forced march to Camp Crockett, at San Antonia De Baxar, where they became a part of the main army, thence to Persido, thence two hundred and fifty miles to Mount Clover, thence to Paris and from that point made a forced march to Aqua Aneva. This regiment fought bravely at the glorious battles of Buena Vista, fhe city of Mexico and Cerro Gordo. In this regiment enlisted, in Company C, James P. Pearson (better known as Captain Pearson), who was wagon master and musician. He was severely wounded in the ankle at Buena Vista; John and Henry Sharp, James Coen, Thomas Joiner, Isaac Hill, Enoch Witt, Richard Mathew, Jefferson Edwards and Thomas Pettyjohn. In Company E, commanded by Captain Newcomb, were John Vincent, who died in the service; William Davis, Snowden Sawyer, S. B. Sawyer, John H. and William C. Purdy, Reuben Skidmore, John Price, James Linton, Andrew Scroggins, Samuel Crowell and James F. Chapman. "Ig the Fifth regiment, Colonel Collins, Company C, there were fourteen as follows : B. J. Dorman, William Brown, John Coudel, John Pomeroy, who died in Mexico ; James Raffurty, James Colyer, Jackson Edwards, Theodorus Moore, who died in Mexico; Albert Clark, who also died in Mexico; William Larri- more, James Morgan and John Burgess, all of whom died in Mexico. James Green and Andrew Shaw were also members of Company C. Captain Lee, of Fayette county, commanded the company. Several men from the neighborhood of Staunton, were also members of this regiment. They were : D. W. Hender- son, Benjamin Henderson, S. W. Bell, Daniel Grant, who died in service; Drury M. Grant, B. F. Cowell, Thomas Howell, who died in Mexico; James Vincent, who died in Mexico; Jackson Scroggins, who also died in Mexico; Harrison Harrington, Ambrose Dickerson and David R. Sparks. "They were mustered at Alton in 1846 and were sworn in for duty during the war. Thence they were transported to New Orleans, and from that place were ordered to Tampico, from which place they were transported by vessel to Vera Cruz. They were in Patterson's Division and under General Scott. This regi- ment participated in several skirmishes but was in no general engagement. They marched to the city of Mexico but after its capture they were mustered out at Alton, Illinois, in August, 1847. "In the Fourth regiment, commanded by Colonel Baker, there were quite a number of boys from Macoupin county. They enlisted in Company B, Cap- tain Elkin, commander, at Carlinville, in the early part of June, 1846, and the next month, at Alton, were sworn into the service. They were : Fuller Smock, Sebum Gilmore, Rush Guy, Lee Graham, Joseph Graham, Elijah Pulliam, Will- iam Dews, Richard Mathews, John Tennis, Marion Wallace, who died at Tampico, Mexico; Jackson Wallace, who enlisted as a private, was promoted to first lieu- tenant and died at Camargo; Sylvanus Seaman, Wilson Mitchell, Felix Hampton, M. Warmack, discharged at Jefferson Barracks soon after being sworn in, on account of sickness; Alfred and Samuel Hall, both discharged at Matamoras on Vol. 15 66 HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY account of sickness; Felix Hall, discharged at Jefferson Barracks; and John Stockton, also discharged on account of sickness. Also in this regiment were Samuel Cowell and Andrew Scroggins. After being mustered at Alton, the regiment was moved to Jefferson Barracks, where they were drilled -for about a month, then sent to New Orleans, thence to Brazos Santiago, near the mouth of the Rio Grande, thence to Camp Belknap, on the same river, from there to Camargo, where they laid six weeks ; here severe drill was resumed ; they then took a steamer to Matamoras and were placed in Patterson's brigade, General Taylor commanding. They were later transferred to the main army under Gen- eral Scott. From Matamoras they went to Tampico, where they embarked for Vera Cruz, to which they laid siege, which, after a heavy bombardment, capitu- lated, surrendering the forts and shipping in the harbor. They then marched to Cerro Gordo, where the Mexicans, under Santa Anna, were defeated. Here General Shields commanded the brigade. They followed the retreating Mexi- cans to Jalapa, where they camped for three weeks. Their term of service had now expired and they were ordered to Vera Cruz, thence to New Orleans, where in August, 1847, they were discharged and paid their own way home. "Other soldiers from this county in that war were a part of Captain Little's cavalry. In Colonel Hays' regiment of Texas cavalry the regiment had two companies from Illinois Little's and Stapp's. Their names were as follows : Thomas Bacon, sergeant, John Murphy, John Guison, Edward Miller, Wyatt R. Hill, William Jones, Josiah Jones, Hiram Wood, James Holley, Peter Kuyken- tiall, John Wood, William Edwards, Hugh Rice, William F. McWain, Charles Cowden, Thomas Stone and William Hamilton. John Murphy and Thomas Stone were killed in action near Robert's Bridge, Mexico, and William Jones died at Rio Frio, Mexico. "Others undoubtedly were in the war but their names cannot now be pro- cured. It is pleasing to know that the general assembly of Illinois made an appropriation, in 1878, for the purpose of transcribing the names of Illinois soldiers who were in the Mexican war from the official register at the war de- partment, the same to be placed in the adjutant general's office at Springfield. Governor Cullom appointed Colonel Ferris Forman, of Vandalia, to perform that duty." CHAPTER II. GEOLOGY. PREPARATION OF THE EARTH FOR MAN'S CONVENIENCE THE ROCKS AND HILLS AS NATURE LEFT THEM COAL AND OTHER MINERAL FORMATIONS IN THE COUNTY FAUNA AND FLORA OF THE COUNTY. Drift Deposits The quatenary beds of the county consist mainly of drift clays, with some interstratified beds of sand and gravel, and some local deposits of loess along the bluffs of the Macoupin. They range in thickness from forty to two hundred feet or more, their greatest development being restricted to the ancient valleys, excavated anterior to, or during the drift epoch, and subsequently filled with drift accumulations. Three miles south of Carlinville a shaft was sunk by T. L. Loomis, to the depth of one hundred and sixty feet, without reaching bed rock, all but a few feet at the top being through a blue hard pan. At this point a stream of water broke through, probably from an underlying bed of quicksand and filled the shaft in a few hours to the depth of about eighty feet, and the work was consequently abandoned. At a coal shaft one mile east of Bunker Hill the superficial deposits were only twenty-eight feet thick, while at a shaft east of Staunton, they were one hundred and ten feet ; at the Virden shaft, twenty, and at Girard, about seventy feet. These figures illustrate the variable thickness of the drift deposits in the county, and indicate the irregularity of the original surface of the bed rock, which seems to have been intersected by valleys of erosion quite as deep, if not as numerous as those which characterize the surface at the present time. Stratified Rock All the stratified rocks of this county belong to the coal measures and include all the strata from the horizon of coal No. 4, which out- crops on Hodges' creek, just on the Greene county line, to coal No. 10, inclusive, embracing an aggregate thickness of about three hundred and fifty feet. The following section of the coal shaft at Virden will give a general idea of the relative thickness and position of the strata, and includes nearly all the different beds that outcrop in the county. VIRDEN SHAFT. Feet Inches Drift clay 20 o No. I Sandstone 5 O No. 2 Bituminous shale o 5 67 68 HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY Feet. Inches. No. 3 Coal o 2 No. 4 Fireclay 5 o No. 5 Bituminous shale 4 6 No. 6 Coal No. 10 , o 6 No. 7 Fireclay or clay shale 6 o No. 8 Hard gray limestone 7 9 No. 9 Bituminous shale i 4 No. 10 Argillaceous shale 5 6 No. ii Compact limestone (Carlinville bed) 7 o No. 12 Bituminous shale, Coal No. 9 i 3 No. 13 Clay shale 6 o No. 14 Limestone o 9 No. 15 Sandy shale and sandstone 63 o No. 16 Soft limestone or calcareous shale i 4 No. 17 Bituminous shale 3 10 No. 18 Coal No. 8 o 10 No. 19 Sandstone and sand shale 72 o No. 20 Shales with ironstone 3 o No. 21 Hard calcareous sandstone 8 o No. 22 Blue clay shale 4 o No. 23 Variegated shales (Horizon of Coal No. 7) 22 6 No. 24 Sandy shales 26 o No. 25 Soft bituminous shale i 6 No. 26 Limestone 3 o No. 27 Bituminous shale 2 6 No. 28 Coal No. 6 2 9 No. 29 Fireclay 2 o i No. 30 Sandstone 4 o No. 31 Coal No. 6 i 6 No. 32 Fireclay 2 o No. 33 Sandstone and shale 10 o No. 34 Limestone 7 o No. 35 Bituminous shale o 6 No. 36 Coal No. 5 7 8 Total depth to the bottom of the coal 320 i ECONOMICAL GEOLOGY. Coal As may be presumed from the perusal of the preceding statements coal is by far the most valuable mineral product of this county. Its entire area is underlaid by coal, and the supply from coal seam Xo. 5 alone is practically inex- haustible ; and its resources from this seam, reckoning its average thickness at six feet, which is believed to be a fair estimate, is not less than 5,184,000,000 tons, and will admit of an annual consumption of one million tons per annum for 5,184 years, before the coal from this seam alone would be exhausted. The underlying beds which have never yet been penetrated in this county may be safely set down HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY 69 as capable of affording an amount equally as great as that of No. 5, and hence the entire coal resources of this county may be estimated in round numbers at more than ten billions of tons. Coal No. 5 may be found anywhere in the county that it may be desirable to inaugurate a coal mining enterprise, as it outcrops at the surface on the principal streams that intersect the western border of the county, and in the central and eastern portions it may be reached in shafts varying from three to four hundred feet in depth. Coal No. 4 usually lies from thirty to forty feet below No. 5, and the three lower seams, Nos. i, 2 and 3, will all be found, if developed at all, within one hundred and fifty feet below No. 4, so that a boring or shaft carried two hun- dred feet below the main coal in this county, would penetrate all the coals to be found here, and determine positively the amount of coal accessible at any given point where the experiment may be made. Coal No. 5 affords'a coal of good average quality, tolerably hard, bright, com- pact and usually free from pyrite ; it has a rather uneven fracture, but inclines to, break into cubic forms, the layers rather thick and separated by partings of car- bonaceous clod or mineral charcoal, and contains vertical seams of white car- bonate of lime. An analysis of this coal from the Hodges' creek mines, made by the late Henry Pratten, former chemist of the geological survey, and published in Dr. Norwood's "Abstract of a Report on Illinois Coals," gave the following result : Specific Gravity i .2797 Loss in coking 43-48 Total weight of coke 56-52 100.00 ANALYSIS. Moisture 6.50 Volatile matter 36.98 Carbon in coke 48.72 Ashes (white) 7.80 100.00 Carbon in coal 53-8 In quality this coal will compare favorably with the average of our western bituminous coals. It is a good steam producing coal, hard enough to bear trans- portation, and when carefully selected this seam will afford a good smith's coal. Building Stone The coal measure strata seldom afford a good building stone, except for foundation walls, culverts and the more ordinary uses to which a coarse and homely material may be used. The Carlinville limestone is the most valuable rock of its kind to be found in this county, and it has been freely used for the ordinary uses above named. In the vicinity of Carlinville,. the beds range from five to six feet in thickness, antl occur in quite regular layers from four inches to a foot or more in thickness. When burned, it slacks freely, and makes a tolerably good but dark colored quick lime. It appears to stand exposure well and has proved to be a durable stone where used for foundation walls, bridge 70 HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY abutments, etc., and is the most valuable limestone in the county for economical purposes. The coarse brownish gray limestone above the Carlinville bed, which is found in the bluffs of the Macoupin, east of Carlinville, is also a durable stone and has been used for abutments and foundation walls in the vicinity of its outcrop, but as the bed is only from two to three feet in thickness the supply from this source is necessarily limited. Among the sandstones of this county there are at least three distinct beds that will furnish building stone of fair quality if carefully selected. Two of these beds outcrop on Apple creek and its tributaries, in the northwestern corner of the county. These beds are twenty-four and thirty feet thick respectively, and are in part composed of a massive brown sandstone that stands exposure well, has an even texture, and can be easily quarried in blocks suitable for ordinary build- ing purposes. There is also a softer micaceous sandstone outcropping on the Macoupin, below the bridge, on the Chicago, Alton & St. Louis railroad, which affords a tolerably good building stone if carefully selected. These sandstones may probably be found outcropping at other points in the western portion of the county, and as a rule, wherever a sandstone is found to present a solid cliff or rock at its outcrop, it may be safely used for all ordinary building purposes. Iron Ore A band o-f very pure carbonate of iron was observed at two or three points on the Macoupin east of Carlinville, intercalated in the shales over- lying the Carlinville limestone, but nowhere in sufficient abundance to be of any economic importance at the present time. Sand and Clay for Brick Making These materials are abundant in all parts of the county and may usually be obtained from the beds immediately beneath the soil on the uplands, and where there seems to be a deficiency of sand in the sub- soil clays it may be easily supplied from the beds of the streams, or from the sandbeds interstratified with the drift clays. REPORT OF J. C. SHANAHAN, COUNTY INSPECTOR OF MINES FOR igiO. "To the Honorable President and Members of the County Board of Super- visors, Macoupin County : "Gentlemen : I have the honor herewith to present to you my annual report as county inspector of mines, for the year ending July i, 1910. "The report will show the number of tons of coal mined, the tons shipped on railroads, the tons supplied to railroad locomotives, tons sold to the local trade and tons used for steam at the mines ; the aggregate value of coal at the mines, the number of tons mined by hand and the number of tons mined by machines ; the number and kind of machines used for mining coal and how operated by electricity or compressed air ; the number of miners, others employed under- ground, boys employed underground and all others employed above ground, with the total number of employes ; the number of kegs of powder used and motors used underground for hauling the coal, the number of accidents both fatal and non-fatal. "The following summary is given which will show the contents of the tables "Number of shipping mines 17, as follows: Superior Coal Company, No. 3, Gillespie ; Superior Coal Company No. 2, Gillespie ; Superior Coal Company No. HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY 71 i, Gillespie; Consolidated Coal Company No. 15, Staunton; Consolidated Coal Company No. 14, Staunton ; Royal Colliery Company, Virden ; Girard Collieries Company, Girard; Madison Coal Corporation No. 5, Mt. Olive; Vivan Colliery Company, Green ridge ; Consolidated Coal Company No. 8, Mt. Olive ; Carlinville Coal Company, Carlinville ; Lukins & Andrews, Virden ; Glenridge Coal Com- pany, Virden; Consolidated Coal Company, Gillespie; Consolidated Coal Com- pany No. 6, Staunton ; Consolidated Coal Company No. 7, Staunton ; Nilwood Coal Company, Nilwood. "Number of local mines, as follows: William Neil & Company, Bunker Hill; Bauser & Truesdale, Bunker Hill; John J. Harbaugh, Chesterfield; G. B. Loper, Chesterfield ; Fritz T. Jardin, Bunker Hill. "Total number of mines, 22; tons shipped on railroads, 3,753,550; tons sup- plied to locomotives, 34,242; tons sold to local trade, 112,564; tons used at mine for steam purposes, 140,080; total number of tons, 4,040,436; tons mined by hand, 794,292; tons mined by machines, 3,246,144; average working days for shipping mines, 152; mining price for hand mining to June i, 1910, 55 cents; mining price for hand mining after June i, 1910, 58 cents; price for machine mining to June i, 1910, 48 cents; mining price for machine mining after June I, 1910, 51 cents; number of mining machines, 278; number of miners, 3,117; others employed underground, 1,043; boys employed underground, 150; employes above ground, 371 ; total number of employes, 4,681 ; number of kegs of powder for blasting coal, 66,552 ; number of kegs used for other purposes, 71 ; number of compressed air locomotives, 4; number of electric locomotives, 17; number of cable rope used, i ; aggregate value of coal sold at mine, $3,508,565 ; number of fatal accidents, 4; number of non-fatal accidents of those who have lost thirty days, 23; number of tons produced to each fatal accident, 1,010,109; num- ber of tons produced to each non-fatal accident, 183,656. "The output of the county shows a falling off of 322,494 tons from last year. This is owing to the suspension of work at all the shipping mines in the county from April i, 1910, to June i, 1910. A number of the mines in the county have signed a scale with United Mine Workers and went to work June i, 1910, namely: Girard Collieries Company, Glenridge Coal Company, Carlin- ville Coal Company, Nilwood Coal Company and Superior Coal Company. "Improvements There have not been many improvements in the mines of the county during the last year, except putting in fire protection at the bottom of the shafts and stables in accordance with the amendments to the mining law passed by the late special session of the legislature. The shipping mines are all finished. Some of the local mines have not been able to secure all material to finish their mines but they will be finished in the near future. "Abandoned Mines The Consolidated Coal Company of St. Louis, Missouri, has abandoned its mine No. 10 at Mt. Olive. "Change of Name The No. i mine of the Illinois Collieries Company, being the north shaft at Virden, will be known from this time on as the Glenridge Coal Company." FAUNA OF THE COUNTY. In presenting a list of the animals of the county that existed here prior to and after the advent of the white man, while the list may not be complete, it will, 72 HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY however, be of interest to the student and scientist. Of the ruminating animals that were indigenous to this territory we had the American elk, and still have the deer of two kinds, the more common, the well known American deer and the white-tailed deer. The latter still affords amusement and sport for the hunter in the more timbered portions of the county, and at a period not very remote, the American buffalo must have found pastures near the alluvial and shaded banks of the Macoupin and plains and prairies of this portion of the state. The heads, horns and bones of the slain animals were still numerous in 1830. The black bear was quite numerous even in the memory of the old settlers. The gray wolf and prairie wolf are not unfrequently found, as is also the gray fox, which still exists by its superior cunning. The panther was occasionally met with in the earlier times, and still later and more common, the wild cat. There were also found the weasel, one or more species ; the mink and American otter, which were quite numerous on Otter creek, in the northern part of the county; the skunk, the badger, the raccoon and the opossum. The two latter species of animals are met with in every portion of the United States and the greater part of North America. The coon skin among the earlier settlers was regarded as a legal tender. The bear and otter are probably now extinct in the county and were valuable for their furs. Of the squirrel family we have the fox, gray, flying, ground and prairie squirrel. The woodchuck and the beaver were common prior to the settlement, as was also the common musk rat. The bats, shrews and moles are common. Of the Muridae we have the introduced species of rats and mice, as well as the meadow mouse and the long-tailed jumping mouse, frequently met with in the clearings. Of the hares, the so-called rabbit is very plentiful. Several species of the native animals have perished, being unable to endure the presence of civilization, or finding the food congenial to their tastes appropriated by stronger races. Many of the pleasures, dangers and excitements of the chase are only known and enjoyed by most of us at the present day through the talk and traditions of the past. The buffalo and the elk have passed the borders of the Mississippi to the westward, never more to return. Of the fish, the most common are the cat, bass and the sun-fish. The perch, pike and buffalo are also occasionally seen. The common carp chub is numerous. The bass is a game fish and affords fine sport. The game birds most sought are the wild turkey and prairie hen, which afford excellent sport for the hunter and are quite plentiful. The gray eagle is also occasionally seen. We also have pinnated grouse, ruffled grouse, ortyx vir- ginianus quail, woodcock, English snipe, red-breasted snipe, telltale snipe, yellow legs, marbled godwit, long-billed curlew, short-billed curlew, Virginia rail, Amer- ican swan, trumpeter swan, snow goose, Canada goose brant, mallard, black duck, pintail duck, green-winged teel, blue-winged teel, shoveler, American widgeon, summer, or wood duck, red-head duck, canvas-back duck, butter ball, rough- billed pelican, loon killdee, plover, bald head, yellow legged and upland plover, wild ibis, white heron, great blue heron, bittern, sand hill crane, wild pigeon, com- mon dove, American raven, common crow, blue jay, bobolink, red winged black, meadow lark, golden oriole, yellow bird, snow bird, chirping sparrow, field spar- row, swamp sparrow, indigo bird, cardinal red bird, cheewink, white bellied nut- HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY 73 hatch, mocking bird, cat bird, brown thrush, house wren, barn swallow, bank swallow, blue martin, cedar bird, scarlet tanager, summer red bird, robin, blue bird, king bird, pewee, belted kingfisher, whippoorwill, night hawk, chimney swallow, ruby throated humming bird, hairy woodpecker, downy woodpecker, red headed woodpecker, golden winged woodpecker, Carolina parrot, great horned owl, barred owl, snowy owl, turkey buzzard, pigeon hawk, swallow tailed hawk, Mississippi kite, red tailed hawk, bald eagle, ring tailed eagle. We give the following classification of birds in three divisions : 1. Those of the greatest value to the fruit growers in destroying noxious insects, and which should be encouraged and fostered in every way : blue birds, tit mice or chickadees, warblers, swallows and all birds known as woodpeckers except sapsuckers. The latter is entirely injurious, as it is not insectivorous but feeds on the inner bark of many species of tree and may be known from other woodpeckers by its belly being yellowish, a large black patch on its breast and the top of its head a dark bright red. The males have also a patch of the same on their throats and with the minor margins of the two central tail feathers white. This bird should not be mistaken for the two other most valuable birds which it nearly resembles, the hairy woodpecker and the downy woodpecker. These two species have the two outer tail feathers white and have only a small patch of red on the back of the head of the males. The yellow hammer or flecker is somewhat colored with yellow and should not be mistaken for the sap- sucker. It is a much larger bird. The red headed woodpecker sometimes pecks into apples and devours cherries and should be placed in the next division (2). The wren, ground robin, meadow lark, all the fly catchers, the king bird or bee catcher, whippoorwill, night hawk or goat sucker, nuthatcher, pewee or pewit, all the blackbirds, bobolinks, white and brown creepers, Maryland warblers, indigo birds, chirping sparrow, black throated bunting and thrushes, except those named m the next class, and all domestic fowls except geese. 2. Birds of doubtful utility are those which have beneficial qualities in the way of destroying fruits and whose habits are not fully determined. The robin, brown thrush and cat bird are very valuable as cut worm eaters but also very obnoxious to the small fruit growers. The blue jay is not only destructive to grain and fruits but very noxious ' in the way of destroying the nest eggs and young of smaller and better birds, robin, brown thrush, cat bird, shrike or butcher bird, red headed woodpecker, jay bird or blue jay, crow and the small owls, pigeons and mocking bird. 3. Birds that should be exterminated are sapsucker, or yellow bellied wood- pecker, Baltimore oriole, or hanging bird, cedar bird, or wax wings, hawks and the larger owls. FLORA. When we gaze out over the landscape the eye is pleased with its chequered beauty and loveliness. Here and there are bright flowers, clinging vines, green verdured hill and dale, majestic forest trees, whose towering heads have with- stood the blasts and storms of many winters, these were created not only to please the eye and beautify the world, but the cereals and grasses were made to furnish food for man and beast. This article will treat particularly of the more 74 HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY valuable woods utilized in the mechanic arts, and the grasses, plants, vegetables and flowers most beneficial to man, and particularly those which are natives of the county. Many species of the native vegetable kingdom have fled. The buffalo grass, which only grew on parts of the prairies, and almost wholly the large pampas grass, have become extinct and given place to blue grass, which, in places where domestic cattle feed, is rapidly and quietly displacing all others. The plants are many and rare, some for beauty and some for medicine. The pink root, the columbo, the ginseng, boneset, pennyroyal and others are used as herbs for medicine. Plants of beauty are the phlox, lily, asclepias, mints, golden rod, eye bright gerardia and hundreds more which adorn the meadows and brook- sides. Besides these there are the climbing vines, trumpet creeper, bitter sweet, woodbine, clematis and the grape, which fill the woods with gay festoons and add grace to many a decaying monarch of the forest. The trees and grasses, one so lordly and permanent, the other so humble and transient, are the true glories of the county. The oak, with at least its twenty varieties ; the hickory, with as many more species ; the thirty kinds of elm, from the soft, which bear leaves as large as a man's hand, to the kind which bear a leaf scarcely larger than a man's thumb nail ; the black walnut, so tall and straight ; the hackberry ; gum tree, black and sweet; the tulip and the giant cottonwoods and hundreds more, attest the fertility of the soil and mildness of the climate, while the blue grass, in its ten varieties, the timothy and red top, with clover so abundant in succulence, affords excellent pasturage and opens a fine field for the dairyman or stock raiser. The following is a partial list of the trees and plants of the county : Cot- tonwood, willow, alder, birch, hazel nut, red oak, water oak, black oak, black jack, laurel oak, chestnut white oak, yellow oak, white oak, post oak, pig nut, hickory, overcup oak, white heart hickory, shellbark hickory, pecan, black walnut, butternut, sycamore, red elm, red mulberry, stinging nettle, white elm, spear grass, blue grass, bulrush, Indian turnip, cat tail, arrow head, yellow lady's slipper, white lady's slipper, hemp, hop, Jamestown weed, milk weed, white ash, black ash, poke weed, pig weed, sour dock, sassafras, fever bush, hoarhound, night shade, ground cherry, horsemint, catnip, pennyroyal, persimmon, plantain, mullein, common thistle, burdock, dandelion, fire we'ed, rag weed, cockle bur, Spanish needle, beggar ticks, May weed, ox eye daisy, thoroughwort, dogwood, elder, wild gooseberry, wild crab, climbing rose, dwarf wild rose, blackberry, paw-paw. May apple, blood root, wild pepper grass, linden, prickly ash, sumach, poison oak, summer grape, frost grape, Virginia creeper, buckeye, sugar maple, white maple, box elder, indigo weed, red bud, coffee tree, honey locust, red plum, Chickasaw plum, wild cherry, wild strawberry, black cap raspberry, dewberry. CHAPTER III. ORGANIZATION. MACOUPIN COUNTY ORGANIZED IN 1829 COMMISSIONERS NAMED TO SELECT A COUNTY SEAT PROVISIONS MADE FOR THE FIRST ELECTION FIRST COUNTY OFFICIALS FIRST GRAND AND PETIT JURORS FIRST AND ONLY LEGAL EX- ECUTION. At the time of the creation of Macoupin county that portion of the state within the confines of the county was a part of Madison; but when part of Madison county was organized and designated as Greene county, the territory comprising the future county of Macoupin was then part and parcel of Greene and was known as the "attached part of "Greene county." In 1829 the legislature, in session at the capital, Vandalia, passed an act entitled "an act creating the county of Macoupin" and appointing five com- missioners to select a seat of justice, whose names appear in the bill which is appended. The county was named Macoupin in the act. This word is of In- dian origin and is abbreviated from "Macoupina," which signifies in their tongue "white potato," for that is the name they gave to the wild artichoke which grew abundantly along the water courses. The name was given to the principal stream of the county long before its organization, and when the new county was created, was conferred upon it. Thomas Carlin, afterwards governor of the state, was at that time a senator from this district, and it was largely through his instrumentality that the passage of the bill was secured. The celebrated and eccentric pioneer preacher, Peter Cartwright, was also a member of the general assembly, and opposed the bill, saying, among other things, that "God had set apart this region as a reservation for the geese and ducks." But the demands of the citizens of the attached part of Greene county were acceded to and the legislature passed the following bill, entitled AN ACT CREATING THE COUNTY OF MACOUPIN. "Be it enacted by the people of the state of Illinois represented in the gen- eral assembly, That all that tract of country within the boundaries, to-wit : Be- ginning at the southwest corner of ^township seven, north of range nine, west of the west principal meridian ; thence east on the line dividing townships six and seven to the southwest corner of Montgomery county ; thence due north to the southern boundary of Sangamon county ; thence west on the southern 75 76 HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY line of Sangamon and Morgan counties, to the range line dividing ranges nine and ten; thence south on said range line to the place of beginning, shall form and constitute a county to be called Macoupin. "Section 2. For the purpose of fixing the permanent seat of justice of said county, the following persons are appointed commissioners, to-wit : Seth Hodges, Joseph Borough, John Harris, Shadrach Reddick and Ephraim Powers, who, or a majority of them being first sworn before some justice of the peace of this state, faithfully to take into consideration the convenience of the people with an eye to the future population and eligibility of the place, shall meet at the house of Joseph Borough, in said county of Macoupin, on the third day of March next, or within six days thereafter, and proceed to examine and determine on a place for the permanent seat of justice of said county ; Provided the com- missioners aforesaid shall locate the seat of Justice on public land, they shall designate the same, and certify to the county commissioners of said county, as soon as they shall be qualified to office, the half quarter or quarter section of ' land so selected for said county seat ; and it shall be the duty of said county commissioners as soon thereafter as they may be enabled, to enter the same in the land office of the district in which the same may be situated, and they shall immediately thereafter lay off the same, or any part thereof, into town lots, and sell the same on such terms and conditions as may be most advantageous to the interests of said county ; and the proceeds of the sale shall be appropriated to the erection of a sufficient court house and jail. But if the said commissioners, appointed to locate said seat of justice, should locate the same on the lands of any person, or persons, and such proprietor, or proprietors, should refuse or neglect to give to the county, for the purpose of erecting public buildings for the use of said county, a quantity of land not less than twenty acres, situated and lying in a square form, to be selected by said commissioners, then, and in that case, the said commissioners shall proceed to select some other situation, as convenient as may be to the place first selected ; Provided, the like quantity, and for the purpose above mentioned. And the said commissioners, after hav- ing made such location, shall designate the same, and certify as aforesaid, to the next county commissioners court, to be held in and for said county ; and it shall be the duty of said county commissioners to demand and receive a title in fee simple, for the use of said county, for the donation of land as above stated, and to lay out the same into town lots, and sell the same, and appropriate the pro- ceeds thereof as before mentioned ; which place, when so fixed upon, shall be the permanent seat of justice of said county; all of which proceedings shall be en- tered of record on the books of the county court. "Section 3. Until public buildings shall be erected for the purpose, the courts shall be held at the house of Joseph Borough, in said county, or at such other places as the county commissioners may appoint. "Section 4. An election shall be held at the house of Joseph Borough, in said county, on the second Monday of April next, for one sheriff, one coroner, and three county commissioners, for said county, who shall hold their offices until the next general election, and until their successors are qualified ; which said election shall be conducted in all respects, agreeably to the provisions of the law regulating elections ; Provided that the qualified voters present may select HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY 77 among themselves three qualified voters to act as judges of said election, who shall appoint two qualified voters to act as clerks. "Section 5. It shall be the duty of the clerk of the circuit court of said county, to give notice, in writing, at least ten days previous to said election, to be held on the second Monday of April next, and in case there shall be no clerk in said county, it shall be the duty of any Justice of the Peace, residing in said county, and commissioned a Justice of the Peace, for the county of Greene, to give notice of the time and place of holding said election. "Section 6. The citizens of said' county of Macoupin are entitled, in all respects, to the same rights and privileges as are allowed to other citizens of other counties of this state. "Section 7. The commissioners appointed to locate the seat of justice of said county, shall receive one dollar and fifty cents per day, for each day neces- sarily spent in discharging the duties imposed on them by this act, to be paid out of the county treasury of said county, and the said commissioners shall give to the said seat of justice some appropriate name. "Section 8. The inhabitants of said county shall vote in all elections for members of the General Assembly, in the same manner as they were authorized to do, before the passage of this act. NINIAN EDWARDS, Governor. ''Approved, January 17, 1829.'' RECORD OF THE MEETING OF THE FIRST BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS. At a special term of court held on the i2th of April, 1829, it was "Ordered that until public buildings shall be erected for the purpose, the courts in future shall be held at the house of John L. Davis, in Macoupin county. "April 18, 1829. Ordered, that Macoupin county be divided into three elec- tion precincts, for the election of justices of the peace and constables for county. "April 18, 1829. Ordered, that all that tract of country lying within the following boundaries, to-wit : beginning at the southwest corner of Macoupin county, and running thence east with the line of said county, to the Bond county line, thence north with said line twelve miles, thence due west to the line of Greene county, thence due south with said line to the place of beginning, shall constitute an election district for justices of the peace, and constables, and be called Cahokia district. "April 18. 1829. Ordered, that all that tract of country lying within the following boundaries, to-wit : beginning at the southwest corner of township nine north, in range nine west, thence due east to the Bond county line, thence due north with said line twelve miles to the southeast corner of township eleven north, range six west, thence due west to Greene county line, 'thence south with said line to the place of beginning, shall constitute an election district for justices of the peace and constables, and be called Macoupin district. "April 1 8. 1829. Ordered, that all that tract of country lying within the following boundaries, to-wit : beginning at the southwest corner of township eleven north, range nine west, thence east to the line of Sangamon county, thence due west with the said lines of Sangamon and Morgan counties to Greene county line, thence due south with said line of Greene county to the place of beginning, 78 HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY shall constitute an election district for justices of the peace and constables, and be called Apple Creek district. "April 18, 1829. Ordered, that elections shall be held in each of the districts in this county for the election of two justices of the peace and two constables for each district, except the district in which the county seat is, in which district there shall be three justices of the peace and three constables elected, on Satur- day, the sixteenth day of May next. "It is ordered that Ephraim Powers, John Chapman and Lewis Cormack be appointed judges of election, for justices of the peace and constables in Cahokia district. "Also, that Theodorus Davis, Samuel M. Harris and Samuel Lear be ap- pointed judges of election, for justices of the peace and constables in Macoupin district. "Also, that Hugh Gibson, John Nevins and James Mabrey be appointed judges of election for justices of the peace and constables in Apple Creek district. "Also, that the elections for justices and constables in Cahokia district shall be held at the house of Ephraim Powers in said district. "Ordered, that the elections for justices of the peace and constables in Macoupin district shall be held at the house of Joseph Borough. "Also, that the elections for justices of the peace and constables in Apple Creek district shall be held at the house of Felix Hoover. "It is ordered by the court that William G. Coop be appointed county treas- urer and assessor of this county." SECOND SESSION. "At a County Commissioners' Court, begun and held at the house of John L. Davis, in and for said county of Macoupin, on Thursday, the seventh day of May, 1829. "President Theodorus Davis, William Wilcox, Commissioners. "On motion of several citizens of Apple Creek district, the line dividing said Apple Creek district and Macoupin district, is changed thus fourteen miles di- rectly east from the western line of said county, the line shall commence and run diagonally across the townships, so as to strike the eastern line of said county, two miles south of the northwest corner of the county aforesaid. "May 27, 1829. Some doubts having arisen with regard to the authority of the clerk of this court, he took the different oaths of office." THE SELECTING OF THE SITE FOR THE COUNTY SEAT. At a meeting of the commissioners court, held on the 2d of June, 1829. "The Court received the report of the commissioners, appointed by law for fixing the seat of justice for this county, which said report read as follows, to-wit : "The commissioners appointed by the General Assembly of the State of Illinois, in the year 1829, to locate the seat of justice for the County of Macoupin, having met at the house of Joseph Borough in said county, and having fixed upon the following site for the seat of justice of said county, etc., being and HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY 79 lying on the S. W. qr. of Sec. 28, Township 10 N., Range 7 West. Donation 30 acres, to be situated in an oblong square, 80 poles in front on the north side, to run 60 poles south. Stake drove on the north side of public square, equi- distant from E. and W. corners on N. side, facing Main St., to run due East and West. "Given under our hands and seals, this first day of June, A. D., 1829. "SETH HODGES. "JOSEPH BOROUGH. "JOHN HARRIS." The court received a title in fee simple for the above described lot, or do- nation of ground, which said bond is ordered to be filed in the clerk's office of this court. The site for the county seat was named Carlinville, in honor of Thomas Carlin; who afterwards became governor of Illinois, and who, as has been seen, secured the passage -of the creating act. COPY OF PROPRIETOR'S BOND TO COUNTY COMMISSIONERS. "Know all men by these presents that we, Seth Hodges and Ezekiel Good, are held and firmly bound unto William Wilcox, Theodorus Davis and Seth Hodges, county commissioners for Macoupin county, and their successors in office, in the penal sum of one thousand dollars, for the true payment whereof we bind ourselves, our heirs, executors and administrators jointly, severally and firmly by these presents. Sealed with our seals, and dated this ist day of June, 1829. "The condition of the above obligation is such that whereas the above named Seth Hodges and Ezekiel Good have agreed to make a good and lawful deed to the above named county commissioners and their successors in office to thirty acres of land situate, and lying and being in the southwest quarter of section of No. 28, 10 N. in W. R. 7, to-wit, situated in an oblong square, 80 poles in front, on the north side to run 60 poles south. Stake drove on the north side of the public square equi-distant from E. and W. on N. side facing Main street, Main street to run due east and west. Now if the said Good and Hodges shall make a good and sufficient deed to the above described lot or parcel of ground as soon as the patent for said ground shall come to their hands, then this obligation to be void, else to remain in full force. "SETH HODGES. (SEAL) "EZEKIEL GOOD. (SEAL)" LAYING OFF THE TOWN OF CARLINVILLE, JUNE TERM OF COURT, 1829 JUNE I "It is ordered by the court that the surveyor of this county proceed to lay off the town of Carlinville into town lots, under the direction of the commis- sioners of this county, and that he return a plot of the same to the office of this court, previous to the 27th day of August next, and it is further ordered by the court that twenty lots of the aforesaid town of Carlinville be offered for sale on the 27th day of August next on the premises, on a credit of six, twelve and eighteen months, the purchaser giving bond with approved security for the pur- 80 HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY chase money, a.nd that the clerk of this court furnish an advertisement convey- ing the intent and meaning of this order, to be published in the Illinois Intelli- gencer, and also advertise the same in such public places in this county as may be deemed expedient. "State of Illinois, Macoupin county, ss. : "On this day personally appeared before me Ezekiel Good and Seth. Hodges, who are personally known to me to be the identical persons who executed thirty acres, as a donation, to Seth Hodges, Theodorus Davis and William Wilcox, county commissioners of said county, and also said county commissioners, all of whom acknowledged the within to be their act and plat to all intents and. pur- poses: Given under my hand and seal this 2/th day of August, A. D. 1829. LEWIS SOLOMON, J. P. "Registered August the 27th, 1829. T. P. HOXEY, Recorder." ASSESSMENT OF PROPERTY. At the same term an order was made by the court for the assessment of the county, and the assessor was furnished a classified list of taxable property. AMOUNT PAID COMMISSIONERS FOR LOCATING SEAT OF JUSTICE. "It was ordered by the commissioners of the county that Joseph Borough be allowed four dollars and fifty cents for three days' services as a commissioner in locating the county seat; also that John Harris and Shadrach Reddick each be allowed the sum of three dollars for two days' services as commissioners to locate the seat of justice." LAYING OFF THE TOWN. To the surveyor, Joseph Borough, for surveying and platting fifty lots in the town of Carlinville, the sum of seventeen dollars and fifty cents was allowed "by the court, and the same ordered to be paid. THE FIRST GRAND JURORS. "At a county commissioners' court begun and held at the house of John L. Davis, in and for the county of Macoupin, on Monday, the first day of June, 1829. "Present : Seth Hodges, William Wilcox, Theodorus Davis, Commissioners." "It is ordered by the court that the following named persons be certified to the sheriff to serve as grand jurors at the first circuit court held in this county, to-wit : "Michael Best, Roger Snell, John Chapman, Joseph Hilyard, Edward Mc- Kinley, John Powell, Isham Dolton, Samuel M. Harris, Daniel Stringer, Daniel Deadrick, Andrew B. Lee, Lewis Solomon, Green Weaver, James Bristow, John MOTEL AT BEX LI) SUPERIOR C'OAL MINE NO. 2. HEXLI) LIBRARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY 81 Nevins, John Cummings, Solomon Davis, James Mabrey, Ezekiel Springer, Hugh Gipson, John Love, Andrew Russell and Edmond C. Vancil." SECOND VENIRE OF GRAND JURORS. APRIL TERM, 1830. "At a term of the Macoupin Circuit Court, begun and held in the town of Carlinville, at the court house thereof, on the first Friday after the second Monday in the month of April, A. D. 1830. Present the Hon. Samuel D. Lockwood, Associate Justice of the Supreme Court and presiding judge of the first judicial circuit. John Harris, sheriff of Macoupin county aforesaid, returned into court the following venire of grand jurors, to wit: "Lewis Solomon, foreman ; John Nevins, Michael Best, John Cummings, Roger Snell, James Mabrey, John Chapman, Ezekiel Springer, Joseph Hilyard, George Matthews, Edward McKinley, Andrew Russell, John Powell, Edmond C. Vancil, Samuel M. Harris, Robert Patton, William Norvel, Bennet Nowlin, An- drew Broxvnlee." THE FIRST PETIT JURORS. "Ordered, that the following persons be selected to serve as petit jurors at the next term of the circuit court for the county of Macoupin : Joseph Best, John Snell. Joseph Vincent, William Cormack, Peyton Seamonds, Alexander B. Miller, Howard Finclley, James Braden, James Hall, Shadrach Reddick, George Nettles, Richard Smith, John Wright, David Cooper, Reuben Harris, Jones Denton, John Blainey, John Record, Russel Taber, James Howard, Jones Thompson, Isaac Massey, Maxey M. Mabrey and Elijah Bristow." SECOND DEED EXECUTED AFTER ORGANIZATION OF THE COUNTY. "This indenture made and entered into this 6th day of November, A. D. 1829, between Theodorus Davis, Sen., of the county of Macoupin in the state of Illinois, for and in behalf of said county of the one part, and Rowland Shepherd in the county and state aforesaid of the other part, witnesseth : That the said Theodorus Davis, Sen., commissioner for and in behalf of the county aforesaid, for the sum of eight dollars to him paid in hand, doth hereby acknowledge, have given, granted, bargained, sold, conveyed and confirmed, and by these presents doth give, grant, bargain, release, convey and confirm unto the said Rowland Shepherd and to his heirs and assigns forever a certain lot piece or parcel of ground situate, lying and being in the town of Carlinville on Main street, and known and desig- nated on the plan of map of said town by lot number seventy-one with the ap- purtenances. To have and to hold the aforenamed and described lot, piece or parcel of ground seventy-one in the town of Carlinville, aforesaid, together with all and singular the appurtenances, privileges, advantages, profits and emoluments belonging to it, or in anywise or degree appertaining to the same, to the said Rowland Shepherd, his heirs and assigns forever. And the said Theodorus Davis, Sen., commissioner for and in behalf of said county, doth covenant, promise and agree to and with the said Rowland Shepherd, his heirs, etc., that he, the said Theodorus Davis. Sen., commissioner as aforesaid for and in behalf of the 82 HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY county aforesaid, will forever warrant and defend the right and title of said above named and described lot, piece and parcel of ground to the said Rowland Shepherd and to his heirs and assigns forever, to his sole and only proper use, benefit and behoof, free and clear of and from the claim or claims of all and every person or persons claiming or to claim the same or any part thereof. In testimony whereof he, the said Theodorus Davis, Sen., commissioner aforesaid for and in behalf of said county, hereunto sets his hand and seal the date above written interlined before signed. THEODORUS DAVIS, Sen. (SEAL). "Attest : JOSEPH BOROUGH, EZEKIEL GOOD." Below are given as of interest to all some of the first papers on record. FIRST DIVORCE CASE, AUGUST TERM, 183!. "Nancy Sweet vs. Henry S. Sweet For Divorce. "This day came the complainant, by James Semple, her attorney, and the de- fendant not appearing according to the order of this Court, the complainant's bill is taken for confessed, and the Court having heard the evidence on the part of the complainant, and being satisfied that the allegation of two years' absence of the said complainant's bill was true, and the Court being now sufficiently advised of and concerning the premises, do order, adjudge, and decree that the bands of matrimony heretofore existing between the said parties be, and the same are hereby dissolved. "It is further ordered that said complainant pay the costs of this suit." FIRST NATURALIZATION. "At the April term of Court A. D., 1834, Thomas S. Gelder makes his writ- ten application to be naturalized, files his declaration, and takes the oath prescribed by law, in open Court, which is ordered to be filed." As will be observed from the above, Captain Gelder was the first person to become a naturalized citizen in the county. FIRST WILL UPON RECORD (1837). James Breden, executor, placed it on file in 1839: "I, John Murphy, of the county of Macoupin, in the State of Illinois, do make and publish this my last will and testament in manner and form following; that is to say: First. It is my will that my funeral expenses and all my just debts be fully paid. Second. I give, devise and bequeath unto my beloved wife, Sally Murphy, in lieu of her dower, the plantation on which we now live, containing about thirty acres, which is bounded as follows : that is to say. beginning on the northwest corner of the north quarter of section No. twenty-nine, in township eleven, north of range eight, west, running east eighty poles, thence north sixty HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY 83 poles to the beignning, and the northeast quarter of the southeast quarter of section No. thirty, township No. seven, north range eight, west of the third principal meridian, and the southeast quarter of the northeast quarter of section No. thirty, township No. seven, with range No. eight, west of the third principal meridian, containing about forty acres each, during her natural life, and all the live stock, horses, cattle, sheep, hogs, by me now owned, or which I may own at the time of my death. And, also, the household furniture and other items not particularly named in this will, during her natural life as aforesaid, she, however, first disposing of a sufficiency thereof to pay my just debts as aforesaid, and at the death of my said wife all the property hereby devised or bequeathed to her aforesaid, or so much thereof as may then remain unexpended, to my grandson, Levi Murphy, and to his heirs and assigns forever. Provided, how- ever, that if my grandson, Levi Murphy, should die without any heirs, then it is my will that so much of the above named property as is not expended of by the said Levi Murphy at his death to go to my a'dopted son, Henry Anderson, and to his heirs and assigns forever. And, lastly, I do hereby constitute and appoint my said wife, Sally Murphy, and James Breden, to be the executors of this my last will and testament. "In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal, this twelfth day of August in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and thirty- seven. "JOHN MURPHY (SEAL.)" "Signed, published and delivered by the above named John Murphy, as and for his last will and testament, in our presence, who, at his request, signed as witnesses to the same. "ISAAC BREDEN, her "LOUISA X BREDEX." mark. FIRST (AND ONLY) LEGAL EXECUTION. Aaron Todd and William Todd were citizens 01 Indiana. On the 26th day of January, 1840, they were traveling toward Indiana from the west, and in their company was their cousin, Larkin Scott. Near Elm Grove, in this county, Larkin Scott was murdered by the brothers for the small sum of money he had with him some $26. He was killed by repeated blows from a bludgeon, dealt by Aaron Todd. The corpse of the victim was a few days thereafter found on the prairie, and the officers of the law set themselves to work to discover and apprehend the murderers. James C. Clack, a constable of Elm Grove, was especially active in ferreting out the perpetrators of this heinous crime, and the brothers, Todd, were apprehended in Indiana, and brought hither for trial. They were tried and convicted. William Thomas presided on the bench. The de- fendants being too poor to employ counsel, the court assigned as their attorneys Francis H. Hereford, Josiah Fish, John A. Chestnut and John M. Palmer. The jurors were: Amos Snook, Achilles "Tongate, Joseph Huddleston, Jeremiah Suiter, Fountain Land, Moses True, Thomas Hughes, Travis Moore, Thomas J. McReynolds, Jacob Kinder, Joseph Phillips and Aquilla P. Pepperdine. 84 HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY The state's attorney being absent, the court appointed David A. Smith as attorney for the people during that term of court. The trial began on the 5th of May. The verdict of the jury was that Aaron Todd was guilty of murder in the first degree, and on the 8th, Judge Brown sentenced him to be hung on the "2d day of June next, and that on that day, between the hours of twelve o'clock M. and four o'clock P. M., the said Aaron Todd be taken and conveyed to some convenient place within one mile of the court house in Carlinville, and then and there he hung by the neck until he be dead, for the offence of the murder whereof he stands convicted by the jury aforesaid; and the court doth further order that the sheriff, by himself or deputy, execute the order." The verdict fixed the punishment of William Todd at two years in the pen- itentiary. On the 8th, an arrest of judgment was entered in the case of William Todd. He finally came clear. The news that a man was to be hung on the 2d of June spread far and wide, and when the day arrived that the sentence of the court was to be executed, not less than 8,000 people had gathered in the county seat. The scaffold was erected south of West Main street, below the depot. Major Burke officiated in person. Dr. John Logan, colonel of the Forty-fourth regiment of militia, had five hundred of his men in line for the preservation of order. The execution was witnessed by an immense concourse of people. Todd met his fate bravely and with resignation. Two weeks before, he made a profession of religion, and died in the hope of a better life. He was buried on the west side of the burying ground, at some distance from the other graves. Some days after his remains were interred, they were exhumed, and his head and one arm were severed from the body and 'taken away. FIRST TAVERN. At the county commissioners' court held at Carlinville, March I, 1830: "On motion of William S. Holton he is allowed to keep a tavern at his own house in the county of Macoupin, for the term of one year from this date, he having executed bond with Tristram P. Hoxey, as required by law, in the sum of one hundred dollars, and the said William S. Holton having also paid a tax. one dollar and fifty cents being the amount of tax assessed on said stand by the court. "It is considered by the court that the following be tavern rates for the year 1830, viz: "Breakfast, dinner or supper for one person 25 Horses for single feed 12^2 Horse per night or day 25 Lodging per night for one person 6% Whiskey per half pint I2y 2 Rum, Wine or French Brandy per half pint 25 Cider or Beer per quart i2 l / 2 HISTORY OF MACOUPIX COUNTY 85 "And the several tavern keepers are authorized to receive the foregoing rates and no more." COPY OF FIRST TAVERN BOND "Know all men by these presents that we, William S. Holton and T. B. Hoxey, are held and firmly bound unto Ninian Edwards, Governor of the State of Illinois, and to his successor in office, in the penal sum of one hundred dollars, lawful money of the United States of America, for the payment of which said sum of money well and truly to be made, we, and each of us, bind ourselves and heirs, executors and administrators jointly, severally and firmly, by these presents. Sealed with our seals, and dated this first day of March, A. D. 1830. "The conditions of the above obligations are such that whereas the above bound William S. Holton hath obtained license and permission from the county commissioners' court of the county of Macoupin, State of Illinois, to keep a tavern or inn, at his own house in the county aforesaid, for the term of one year, from this date : Now if the said William S. Holton shall at all times be of good behaviour, and observe all the laws and ordinances, which are or shall be made, or be in force relating to innkeepers or tavernkeepers within the state, and further that he will at all times keep meat and lodging for at least four persons, over and above his common family, and stabling and provender for their horses. Then this obligation to be void, else to remain in full force and effect. "Attest T. P. HOXEY. W. S. HOLTON (Seal)" T. P. HOXEY. ROADS. At a special meeting of the commissioners' court held at the house of Ezekiel Good in August, 1829, sundry voters petitioned that a road should be laid out from Carlinville towards Jacksonville, as far as the county extended* at the same time other voters petitioned a road should be made from Carlinville toward Car- rollton. Both petitions, it will appear, were successful, from the following: "At a commissioners' court, begun and held at the house of Ezekiel Good, in and for the county of Macoupin, on Monday, the seventh day of December, A. D. 1829. "Present Theodorus Davis, Sr., and William Wilcox, Commissioner. "The viewers appointed by the last term of this court to view and lay out a road from Carlinville (as far as this county extends) in a direction to Jackson- ville on the nearest and best route, made return of their proceedings, to wit: That said road as viewed by them, begins at the north end of Broad street, thence in a northwestern direction through the head timbers of Hurricane creek, thence to the north fork of Macoupin, and crossing the same near Reuben Clevenger's farm, thence pretty much in the same direction to Lewis Solomon's farm, run- ning on the northeast side of the same, and thence to the rock ford on Apple creek in Morgan county, which said report is approved and accepted by the court. 86 HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY and said road is ordered to be opened and kept in repair, and when opened to be a public highway and subject to all the laws and regulations of other highways. "The viewers appointed by the last term of this court to view and lay out a road from Carlinville to this county line, to pass by Bear Creek Point, thence to Daniel Deadrick's house, thence north of Norris Hayes' in a direction to Carroll- ton, made return of their proceeding, to wit : That said road after being viewed by them, was deemed necessary and proper, and that the same begins at the west end of Main street, and is designated by staking the prairies and blazing the timbered land through which it passes agreeably to the order of said court, which said report is approved and accepted by the court and said road ordered to be opened, to be a public highway and subject to all the laws and regulations of other highways. "Viewers for the Jacksonville Road. "Joseph Borough, John Love and Russel Taver. $8,37^ cost of survey. "Viewers for the Carrollton Road. "Samuel Lear, Ezekiel Good and Daniel Deadrick. $6.75^ cost of survey." CHAPTER IV. TOPOGRAPHY. MACOUPIN IS CLASSED AS ONE OF THE SOUTH-CENTRAL COUNTIES THE COUNTY AN OBLONG SQUARE ORIGINALLY OF PRAIRIE AND UNDULATING SOIL GRASSES TIMBER MOUNDS, ETC. Macoupin county lies directly north of the 39th parallel of latitude. It is classed as one of the south-central counties. The meridian of 15 west longi- tude from Washington passes through almost to the center of the county. It is thirty-six miles from north to south, and twenty-four miles from east to west, measured in section lines, and contains an area of 864 square miles or 552,960 acres. It is bounded on the north by Morgan and Sangamon counties, east by Montgomery, south by Madison, west by Greene and Jersey counties. Carlinville, the capital of the county, situated near the center, is distant from Chicago, 223 miles, and from St. Louis, 57 miles. Form In form the county is an oblong square, and is divided into twenty- four congressional townships, and into twenty-five municipal township or voting precincts. Population The population of the county, according to the census of 1910, is 50,685, and is composed of persons of English, Irish and German extraction, with a few colored persons. Land Surface The land surface is divided between timber and prairie, the greater part being prairie. The surface is rather undulating. There are occasion- ally small hills or bluffs adjacent to the streams, principally along the Macoupin creek and its tributaries. The county is a portion of what has been happily termed the "Grand Prairie of the West," which extends to the heavily timbered regions of the sluggish Wabash on the east, to the pine clad Rocky Mountains on th,e west. The greater portion of the county consisted originally of prairie. Concerning the causes that produced the vast tr.eeless plains, various theories have been ad- vanced. The more plausible one is that the prairies were "formed under marsh of conditions unfavorable to the growth of forests, and that these marshes in the course of time became dry, either by the subsidence of the waters or ele- vation of the land." Waters It is watered by several streams; the Macoupin creek is the largest. It rises in Bois de Arc, Montgomery county, and runs in a tortuous and meander- ing southwestern direction through the county, and leaves it on section 6, Ches- 87 88 HISTORY OF MACOUi'IX COUNTY terfield township ; this with its numerous tributaries drains the largest area. The northwestern portion of the county is admirably drained by Hodges', Bear, Lick, Otter, Solomon's, Joe's and Apple creeks. These with their tributaries drain about nine townships or 217,360 acres of land. The south and southeast por- tion of the county are drained by Cahokia, Sweet and Indian creeks, and the streams running into Wood river. Each of these streams possesses its tribu- taries, so that the entire surface of the county is well watered and drained. In portions of the county good water is afforded by copious springs. The surface is higher than adjacent counties, as may be inferred from the fact that so many streams here have their source. The high grounds are the water sheds between the creeks. A few mounds exist, of which Coop's and Brush Mounds are the most noted. The natural and artificial groves, the fringed banks of the water courses, the smiling farms, with their fields of maize and grain and herds of cattle, all go to form a picture of surpassing loveliness. But little of the land is too flat for drainage, or broken for tillage, and hence the greater portion is susceptible of cultivation and affords the widest application of machinery. The climate is healthful and is a happy medium between extremes of heat and cold. The county forms part of the great maize belt of the continent and its soil is unsurpassed in fertility. It is very uniform throughout. Corn, wheat, oats, barley, rye, potatoes, flax or hemp, beans or turnips, or any other farm products yield a bountiful crop. Grasses Blue grass, red and white top clover and timothy grow with great luxuriance. The chief industry of the people is agriculture and stock-raising, which employs a majority of the people of the county, who possess all the ster- ling virtues of the rural freeholder. Directly upon the broad shoulders of the tiller of the soil rests the prosperity of every other class of men. He holds in his hands the destinies of all. His prosperity means universal prosperity ; his failure, universal distress. Soil and Agriculture This county is situated in the heart of the best corn producing region in the state, and its prairie lands, which constitute by far the largest part of its area, are unsurpassed among the uplands in the state in fer- tility, and annually produce large crops of Indian corn, as well as the small grains and grass, without the aid of fertilizers or artificial stimulants of any kind. With a judicious system of rotation of crops, these lands may be thus cultivated for an indefinite period without any serious deterioration in their productive qualities. The soil on the level prairie is of a black, peaty character, becoming of a chocolate brown color on the more rolling surfaces, and degenerating into a light ash-gray color on the oak ridges, which are the poorest lands in the county. But these poorer soils upon the broken lands that border the streams are excellent fruit lands, and also produce good crops of wheat and clover, if properly cultivated. The bottom lands in this county are restricted to a narrow belt along the lower course of the Macoupin, and some portion of this has been cleared of the heavy growth of timber and brought under cultivation, and is equal to the best prairie soils, especially in the growth of corn. HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY 89 Natural Mounds There are some natural mounds in the eastern portion of the county, among the most conspicuous of which is Coop's Mound, eight miles northeast of Carlinville. This mound covers an area of several acres, and is about sixty feet in height above the level of the adjacent prairie. It was originally covered with a heavy growth of oak and hickory, and from its summit a beau- tiful view of the surrounding country may be seen. Timber The native kinds of timber are fully set forth in the chapter on flora of the county. The largest bodies of timber are found along the Macoupin, Otter, Solomon's, Hodges', Coop's and Cahokia creeks and their tributaries, and the head waters of the Wood river. The largest timber districts are in Brushy Mound, Polk, Chesterfield, Western Mound and Barr townships. Artificial groves and belts, consisting chiefly of hard and soft maple, elm, and fruit trees have been planted on the prairies for shade and shelter from winter winds for stock. Fine belts of timber skirt the banks of all the streams in the county, fur- nishing an adequate supply for fencing and for fuel to those who prefer wood to coal. The principal growth upon the uplands is two or three varieties of oak and hickory on the ridges adjacent to the streams, while on the more level lands skirting the prairies there are fine groves, which, in addition to these varieties, contain elm, linden, wild cherry, honey locust, black walnut and hackberry, and indicate a soil of excellent quality. On the creek bottoms the cottonwood, syca- more, white and sugar maple, ash, redbud, dogwood, sassafras, persimmon, paw- paw and white walnut are common. CHAPTER V. THE PIONEER. DAVID COOP THE FIRST SETTLER A CREEK AND MOUND NAMED FOR THE PIONEER LOCATED ON COOP'S CREEK IN l8l5 OTHERS SOON FOLLOWED NAMES OF MANY WHO CAME AT A LATER PERIOD BUT OPENED THE COUNTY TO SETTLEMENT. Macoupin county has had its disputations over the question of who was the first settler within its borders. In this it has nothing on its neighbors. Probably not a county in the state but what has gone through the throes of doubt and inde- cision upon the same subject and if any one of them has ever reached a conclusion satisfactory to each and every disputant, then the old saying is really true that "wonders never cease." In the case of Macoupin county, it is well settled that David Coop was in the county as early as the spring of 1815. John Reynolds, one of the first governors of the state, who wrote profusely and carefully of the early history of Illinois and in a work entitled "My Own Times" had this, among other things, to say of Macoupin's first settler: "Mr. Coop and family, in the spring of 1815, broke through the old Indian frontier of Madison county and settled in the limits of the present county of Macoupin." Governor Reynolds was one of the pioneers of the state, a man of large capacity and opportunity for learning events of importance pertinent to the history of the principal communities making component parts of the state, and by careful research gave to the productions of his pen a character and atmosphere that instilled confidence in his readers. History therefore ac-* credits David Coop and his family, consisting of his wife and four boys, John, David, Jr., William G., who afterwards became the first county treasurer of Ma- coupin, and Ransom, together with several daughters, with being the first settlers here. In the spring of 1815, the Coops set their stakes for a home on what has 1 since been known as Coop's creek, near the center of Hilyard township, and here they remained until about 1825, when they removed to the locality designated as Coop's Mound, six miles northeast of Carlinville. The family remained at Coop's Mound for some years and then, becoming restless and probably cramped for room by incoming settlers, decamped and became the pioneers of an Iowa settle- ment. To the early arrival in this locality of Seth T. Hodges and John Love, both of Alabama, almost at the same time as the Coops, must be attributed the doubts as to whom should be ascribed the title of first settler. Hodges and Love had immigrated from Tennessee to Madison county in 1814 and no doubt has arisen 90 HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY 91 in the minds of former historians as to their coming to Macoupin in 1815. What time of the year first found them here is not recorded, but in the case of David Coop, the spring of 1815 is specifically stated. Another thing, Hodges and Love, even if they were here in 1815 before Coop, they did not take up a permanent set- tlement at that time, but were merely bent on hunting and taking observations with a view towards finding a suitable location. A year later, having returned to their homes, they brought their families and fixed habitations in Palmyra town- ship. Seth Hodges became one of the "big" farmers of those early days and, it is said, produced 800 bushels of corn from a ten-acre tract of land in 1817. He was a "dead shot" with the rifle and became one of the prominent citizens of his day. Mr. Hodges was chosen as a member of the first commissioners' court and died from the effects of an accident by falling into a well. John Love, who accompanied Hodges to this land of promise, was his life long friend. Love married Cynthia Seymore in Tennessee and with his wife and two children traveled from the south on horseback. Samuel Love, long a resident here, was born in the county in 1824, and John Jefferson Love in 1819, in Palmyra township. Abram Fulk also married a Seymore and came to the county later in the year 1815. Richard Wilhelm,. whose wife was a Seymore, arrived in 1817 and settled on Cahokia creek, in Staunton township. John Powell, a son-in-law of David Coop, and Abram Fulk, settled in the northeastern part of Hilyard township in the fall of 1815; John C. Wood and Richard Wilhelm, with their families, settled in the county in 1817, and were the "first comers" that year. Telemachus Camp was one of the arrivals in 1817. He was born in Georgia and later became a resident of Alabama, and thence came to the territory of Illi- nois. On August 18, 1819, he made the first entry of land in Macoupin county. In 1826 Mr. Camp changed his residence to the prairie southeast of Staunton, where he passed the remainder of his days. In the fall of the same year, John Seymore came to Macoupin county and settled on the same section of land on which his son-in-law, Richard Wilhelm, was located, in Staunton township. His death occurred at the home -of his son-in-law, John Love, in Palmyra township, where his wife also died. Smith's creek; in Hilyard township, derived its name from Thomas Smith, who settled near its banks, in the southeastern part of the township, in 1818, the year in which Illinois was admitted as an integral part of the Union. At that time there were only ten families, or forty souls within the borders. Richard Chapman, a native of North Carolina, came to Illinois in 1818 and settled in St. Clair county, where he remained until December, 1819, at which time he settled in Macoupin county, in what is now known as Dorchester township. At that time his own and two other families were the only settlers in this part of the state. Later, in 1821, Mr. Chapman settled in Staunton township and re- mained there until 1857.' His death occurred in 1872 at Carlinville, at the age of ninety. John D. Chapman came at the same time as Richard and the two families occupied one cabin with only one room until another could be built. In 1826 they left the timber and settled just east of what was known as the Sawyer place. In September, 1820, Jesse Chapman, a ship carpenter and sailor by trade, "squatted" near his brothers, where he built a cabin. He remained here but a 92 HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY year and went to Alabama ; his cabin was occupied by a Mr. Castile and later by Mr. Piper. In 1821 several families arrived to swell the settlement and in 1824 Jesse Chap- man returned. Among those who came in 1821 were James B. Cowell, a farmer. Mr. Cowell was a native of North Carolina but before coming to Illinois had lived some time in Tennessee. He first settled in Madison county and from there moved to Macoupin. He only stayed here a year, when he returned to Madison but in another year came back and took up a permanent settlement. Roger Snell, a native of North Carolina, with his wife Mary and family, moved to Macoupin county in 1821 and settled a mile west of the town of Staunton. He died in 1858. He, as well as Archibald Hoxsey, was among the early school teachers in this district. His son, Hosea Snell, attended the first school ever taught in Staunton township, which was held in a little log schoolhouse three- quarters of a mile northwest of Staunton. In 1835 Hosea married Angelica Saw- yer. In 1840 he removed to Bunker Hill prairie, where he entered land. His first wife died in 1836 and in 1838 he married Melinda Parisher, who died in 1847. In the same year John Cormack settled near Telemachus Camp but soon be- came dissatisfied and returned to Edwardsville. He did not remain there any great length of time before he was back in Macoupin cpunty. Another immigrant about this time was Abraham Wyatt, of Tennessee, who built and for a short time occupied what became the first schoolhouse in the county He also became dissatisfied with the country and removed back to Ten- nessee but subsequently returned. From Tennessee, in 1821, came Ephraim Powers and his family, with his sons-in-law, James Caulk and Joshua Perkins. The discomfitures of frontier life and the prevalence of disease caused dissatisfaction and they returned to their old home in the south but in 1824 were back in Macoupin county. Powers first settled on the place improved by Richard Wilhelm. Lewis Cormack and his son William returned from Tennessee with James B. Cowell and at about the same time Abraham and Evan Smith, with their fami- lies, settled on the south side of Macoupin creek, near the line of the Chicago & Alton railroad. To this same locality also came Shadrach Reddick and Daniel Deadrick, with their families, about this time. Reddick was a ranger in the war of 1812. Daniel Deadrick in 1835 moved to Missouri, where he died. His son, the Rev. D. P. Deadrick, "was born in this county in 1829. At about the time these pioneers settled here William Wilcox became one of their number. He taught the first school held in the county in 1822, in Staun- ton township. It was held in a log cabin built by Abraham Wyatt and abandoned by him, as before stated. Mr. Wilcox offered to teach the school, provided he could get fifteen pupils at two dollars per term, which offer was accepted. It was further agreed that he was to teach eight hours a day, five days in the week, for thirteen weeks. The course of study embraced writing, arithmetic, reading and spelling. The house was 14x16 feet, had one door but no window and was pro- vided with a puncheon floor and fire place. The patrons furnished the seats and the teacher "boarded round." In 1823 Mr. Wilcox married Miss Polly Cormack and ceased to "board round." HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY 93 From 1821 immigration increased. The fear of Indians had died away and the chief enemy the settler had to combat was the malarial diseases so prevalent in a new country. As will have been noticed, the settlers came from the Caro- linas, Georgia, Virginia, Tennessee and Kentucky. The following incident relating to William Wilcox may here be retold with interest to the reader. A large gray wolf attacked some chickens. Wilcox heard the commotion among his chickens and opened his cabin door and went out to dis- cover the cause. He found the wolf in or near the coop. This wolf seemed de- termined to have a chicken, and when Wilcox attempted to drive it away, it flew at him and seized him by the leg, holding on until Wilcox choked it loose. From the wound which the wolf inflicted, Wilcox suffered greatly and from that time to his death had to use crutches when he walked. It was supposed that the wolf had hydrophobia, as a dog belonging to Wilcox that had fought the wolf, after- ward died from that disease. James and Matthew Hall were natives of t North Carolina and emigrated to Illinois in 1816, settling in Madison county. Shortly thereafter, James Hall settled in this county with the families of Seth T. Hodges and John Love. In 1823 he located on the creek about seven miles southwest of Carlinville. His brother, Matthew Hall, a blacksmith by trade, came to the county several years later. James Hall was a man of more than ordinary intellect and his muscular strength was beyond that of most men. His wife died in 1835 and he followed her some years later. John Pope also came to the county in 1823 and sold his claim to Charles McVey in 1825, but remained in the county. Theodoras Davis, a native of Kentucky, was one of the early Illinois pioneers. In the spring of 1823 he settled here with his wife and children, Theodoras, Jr., John L.. Belden, William H. H., Morgan, Oliver C., Porter, Polly, who became the wife of David Gregory, Sally, who married John Tomer, and Lavina, who married a Mr. Ward. The boys were noted for their skill as violinists. Theo- doras married a widow, sister of John Burleson. John L. married a sister of Oliver W. Hall and Belden married Mary, a daughter of Seth T. Hodges. Theo- doras Davis became a promihent and prosperous citizen of the county. Oliver died on the plains, while on his way to California. Belden moved to Missouri. Some of the family died here. Theodoras and others of the family moved to Iowa and some of the representatives of the family are still living in the county. Isaac Hall, noted for his great strength, a brother of James and Matthew Hall, while living in Madison county heard of the sickness of his brother James. While visiting his brother, David Gregory, a neighbor, became violently sick and at the same time were his wife and two children upon a sick bed. James Hall sent his brother Isaac over to take care of the stricken family. Mr. Greg- ory died, and leaving the sick wife and children in the house, Isaac Hall, with his ax, went into the'woods and there split out rude puncheons for a coffin. Fit- ting the rude casket into the grave, he returned to the house and taking the corpse on his shoulder, he toiled with it up the hill, laid it in the coffin and covered it with mother earth. Samuel Lair, with his family, consisting of wife and two boys, left his home in Madison county in 1823, or possibly sooner, and settled with his brother, 94 HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY Charles Lair, Sr., on Otter creek. He eventually left Otter creek and built a log cabin west of the city of Carlinville near the Burke farm. Mr. Lair became a member of the second board of county commissioners. He was the father of Charles, Jr., John Austin and William Lair. William reared a large family, John moved to Missouri and Charles died. About this time George Matthews erected a cabin and began to improve a farm near Seth T. Hodges' on Hodges' creek. Here he died. His widow after- ward became the wife of Mr. Hodges. As will have been noticed, John Pope, who came in 1823, sold his claim to Charles McVey. The latter was the first of the family to settle here. Others of the family came in 1826 from Tennessee and settled east of Coop's Mound. The family consisted of seven brothers. William arrived in 1831 ; Charles sold his claim to John Yowell ; the other boys were John, Nathan, Samuel Edley and Thomas. Their home was in what was known as Sherrill's fork, being named for John Sherrill who settled there at an early day. One of the boys served in the Black Hawk war. John and William died here. Edley and Charles moved to Missouri. One of William's sons, John Wesley McVey, became a well known citizen of Nilwood township. Shaw's Point township derived its name from a Mr. Shaw, whose first name is not recorded. He settled in the township in 1824 or 1825, where he built a cabin and cultivated a few acres of land. As soon as other settlers began to come in he became dissatisfied and left for a newer country. His first neighbors in the township were Job Sperry and C. R. Hutton. Andrew Hetrick came to Macoupin county in 1825 from Carrollton and built a small cabin on Negro Lick. With him was a wife and seven children. The same year also came Howard Finley and Mr. Branscomb, who settled in Bunker Hill township. Lewis Solomon was a native of Kentucky, who came to Illinois in 1825 and settled in Morgan county, afterward coming to Macoupin county and locating in North Palmyra township, where he cleared a tract of government land. This he improved and made his home until his death, which occurred in 1849. He served as justice of the peace before the county was organized and was the first justice elected after it became a county. He married Sarah Bawd'en, who was a native of Franklin county. North Carolina. She preceded her husband in death a few months. John Cummings, father of Captain Samuel Cummings, a native of Virginia, came to Macoupin with his wife, Lucinda (Elliott) Cummings, and family in 1825, settling on section 4, North Palmyra township. His wife died in 1838 and he followed her in 1844. They were the parents of ten children. Thomas Judy arrived with his family in 1826 and settled in Western Mound township. He afterward married the widow of John Love. Samuel Judy came several years later and settled at the forks of Hodges' creek. Subsequently, he moved back to Madison county. Oliver Brown, in 1826, came from Carrollton with his nephew, William Cowan and built a cabin ten feet square in Brighton township. Cowan was an Ohioan and was renowned for his giant like strength. It is said he had the ability to do the work of two men. His employer recognized this fact in 1834, when he HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY 95 paid him double wages throughout the year. Mr. Brown held a squatter's claim until 1827, when he entered the land,, a part of which is now the south and busi- ness portion of Brighton. Old settlers were wont to speak in terms of respect and affection of John Harris, a man who became closely connected with the early history and develop- ment of Macoupin county, to which locality he emigrated in 1826, locating in the eastern part of the county, which was afterwards given the name of Harris Point. He was a brigadier general of militia in the Black Hawk war and be- came the first sheriff of Macoupin county. He was a man who was looked up to by his neighbors as having a superior judgment and better education than the majority of the people. For his second wife he married the widow of David Coop, Sr., the first settler of this county, who had removed to Iowa. John Burleson was a stepbrother of Seth T. Hodges and came to this county in 1827. With him was his mother and other members of the family, all of whom were taken into the home of Hodges. . The Rev. James Solomon arrived this same year from North Carolina, also Andrew Hughes and Henrietta, with their families. In the fall of 1827 Ezekiel Ross settled in the county and built a cabin on Apple creek in Scottville township, into which he moved with his family on Christmas day. William Brewer, a Virginian by birth, became a resident of Brighton in 1827 but in 1849 struck out for California to acquire some of the gold thousands of others were seeking. Nathan Scarrett had settled seven miles south of the site of Brighton, on the line of the Chicago & Alton railroad, as early as 1827. This same year Bennett Tilley and family settled on Western Mound. They were natives of North Caro- lina. The same year William Smith and family located in the vicinity of the Tilleys. Another resident of the county who settled here this year, in Bunker Hill township, was Aaron Husong. The time of the advent of Joseph Borough is somewhat in doubt. It is pre- sumed he came to the county in 1827. He was a Virginian and had moved to Madison county, Illinois. Mr. Borough settled east of Carlinville, where he lived and raised his family. He served the people as senator in the general assembly. James Breden was one of the first settlers of Bunker Hill township. He was a native of Virginia. When nineteen years of age he went to Tennessee, where he was married to a Miss Anderson. In March, 1827, he came to Macoupin county arid settled on section 9, of the present Bunker Hill township, locating at the head of Wood river. Along that stream the remains of Indian lodges were still in existence. On this tract he built a log house, in which he lived until 1840. This home was replaced by another, where the old pioneer spent the rest of his days. His first wife having died, he married Mrs. Cynthia Ann Barrow, formerly Cynthia Ann Neaville, in 1836. She was the widow of William Bar- row, a native of Kentucky, who settled on Dry Fork, near the Bunker Hill and Carlinville road, in 1827. William Barrow enlisted in the Black Hawk war and was in the campaign against the Indians in 1831. From the fact that he never returned, it is supposed that he was killed by the Indians. 96 HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY James W. York became well known as a stock-raiser of this county. He settled here in 1828. Peter Akes, Sr., with his four grown sons, Alfred, Isaac, Peter, Jr., and John, and several daughters, were residents of Macoupin county in 1828. Huriah Smith settled in Western Mound in the fall of 1828. His father, Richard Smith, and family, settled on Hodges' creek about that time, as did also Andrew Brownlee, who was one of the first justices of the peace. William and Elizabeth (Sims) Nevins came to Macoupin county from Tennes- see in 1828, and settled in North Palmyra township, where they spent the re- mainder of their days. They were the parents of nine children, among them be- ing James Nevins, who came to the county with them. James Nevins became one of the prosperous and influential farmers of this section, owning at one time over a thousand acres of land in Macoupin and Montgomery counties. Jacob Nifong was a southerner by birth, who married Letcy Sims, a native of Tennessee. After their marriage in 1825, they removed to Illinois and settled on section 7, North Palmyra township, in the year 1828. Here Jacob Nifong died February 2, 1844. His widow afterward married James Patton, and died in 1856. Edmund C. Vancil, a Kentuckian by birth, moved to Sangamon county in 1827 and in 1828 settled in North Palmyra township. He put up the first horse mill in the north part of the county and also the first distillery. He possessed remarkable mechanical genius, manufactured his own boots and shoes, built his own wagons, constructed a superior flat boat and invented an excellent plow for breaking purposes. At the time he erected his dwelling in 1848 it was considered the finest farm residence in the county. In 1852 he erected a steam sawmill. His son, Imri B. Vancil, was born in Union county, Illinois, in 1825, and was raised in North Palmyra township. He became one of the largest landowners in the county. John S. Greathouse, one of the pioneer lawyers of Macoupin county bar was a citizen of the village of Carlinville before the fall of 1829, as the records show he had purchased property of Joseph Borough in the fall of that year. He re- mained in Carlinville until 1846. G. M. McGinnis settled in Bird township in 1829, also James Howard, who taught school that year in a log house in North Palmyra. Samuel Harris, the father of twenty-six children, was also a settler here in 1829, as were also Norris Hayes, a farmer; Jairus Coddle, a farmer of North Carolina; James McFarland, a farmer of Tennessee; Aaron Tilley, brother of Bennett Tilley ; and William Barrett, who sold goods in the first store in the county in 1829. James Bristow, a Virginian, came to Macoupin county from Tennessee in 1829, and settled on land which afterward was included in Scottville township. He brought with him his wife and four children. After purchasing the land from the government, he erected a log cabin, in which no nails were used and the door was hung on wooden hinges. It also had a wooden latch with the traditional latch string which hung outside in those early days. The cabin was furnished with the traditional puncheon floor. STATE STREET, PALMYKA MAINE STREET, PALMYRA LIBRARY OF THE UX!V"S!TY OF ILLINOIS HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY 97 Robert Ross removed from Tennessee to Illinois in 1829, and for a while lived in Morgan county. He came to Macoupin county shortly after and bought a "squatter's" claim to a tract of land in South Palmyra township. John Gray, Thomas and Daniel Marfoot and Mr. and Mrs. Sherrill came to the county in 1829. Ezekiel Good, who was said to have had enough character to mold a whole community, moved to Macoupin county from Greene county in the '203 and built a log house just east of the old plat of Carlinville. He acquired considerable property and died a comparatively young man. A number of representatives of the family are still living in the county. John and Cynthia (Seymour) Love emigrated from Alabama to Illinois in early days. They first located in Madison county, remaining there but a few months, when they came to Macoupin county as early as before the '205 but at just what date cannot be determined. They made their home in what is now South Palmyra township but about the year 1828 removed to Morgan county. These worthy pioneers were parents of Samuel Love, who was born in South Palmyra township in the year 1822 and is given the distinction of being the first white child born in Macoupin county. James and Rhoda (Regan) Husky, natives of Tennessee, were among the early settlers of Bird township, where they lived until their death. They were parents of thirteen children, of whom Mrs. Mary A. Easley was one. This lady became the wife of Isaac N. Edwards in Bird township, October 4, 1838. Mr. Edwards died in December, 1860, and in 1866 his widow married George W. Easley, who passed away in 1872. In 1830, among others, came James Simmons, Arter Taylor, Mrs. Daniel Huddleston, Thomas Kinder, Abraham S. Walker and family, among whom was Hon. C. A. Walker; James B. Pinkard, Michael Brown, William Palmer, Brice Robertson, Susan Adams, Benjamin Adams, Mrs. Permelia Baird, David Holmes and wife, Mrs. Elizabeth Foster, Jarrett Dugger, J. A. Pepperdine, John Mc- Collum and parents, Giles M. Adams and parents, John Andrews, E. B. Clark, David Gimlin, a Baptist minister; and many others. Newton Berry settled in the county in 1831 and was one of the first teachers. Among other settlers this year may be mentioned D. B. Sawyer, J. L. Plain, William McKinney, James B. Gray, Stith M. Otwell, a minister of the Metho- dist Episcopal church, John Gelder, Mrs. Elizabeth Edwards, Mrs. Job Sperry, William Phillips, John, Josiah, Jesse, Henry and C. C. Rhoads, Peter B. Karnes, Samuel Howard, John Kinder, the Huddlestons, Stephen Sawyer, Amos Snock, Rev. Levi Mitchell, a Baptist clergyman, the Weatherfords and Gimlins. Dr. Gideon Blackburn, the founder of Blackburn University, arrived in the county in 1832 ; ako L. P. Stratton, William H. Carson, Richard Skaggs, Thomas Leach, Colonel J. R.- Miles, William Jolty, Mrs. Elizabeth Duckies, F. M. Adams, J. D. Wagner, Daniel Huddleston, Hampton W. Wall, William Hilyard. John Morris, G. B. Carson, William Chism, James M. and Mrs. W. H. Car- son, Thomas E. Carson. Captain James P. Pearson, who married Rebecca Gwin, a settler with her father's family in 1831; W. H. Rhoads, Mrs. Nancy Challa- combe, Thomas Leach, James Raffurty and the Bostons, all came in 1832. Vol. lt V 98 HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY Elsewhere in this volume mention is made of the arrival of many of Macoupin county's pioneers who may be considered the first settlers. This chapter is de- voted to many who took up their residence in the county in the '305. Absalom Kent, a native of Pennsylvania and a pioneer of Ohio, came to Illi- nois about the year 1830 and settling in Macoupin county, bought land west of Carlinville. He was successful in the conduct of his affairs, eventually buying large tracts of land in different parts of the county. Absalom was the grand- father of Perrin Kent, one of the early settlers of Macoupin county, who came with his parents in 1840, settling in Virden township. William C. Anderson was a son of William D. and Elizabeth (Hancock) An- derson, and was born in Carlinville, August 26, 1830. He eventually settled on section 9, Shaw's Point township. Thomas Wood, of Virginia, was a settler in Macoupin county as early as 1830. He settled in Bunker Hill township. He was one of the first of three school trustees of this township and was one of the organizers of the division of the county. Joseph England moved from Virginia to Tennessee and from the latter state to Illinois in 1830, stopping in Macoupin county for a time. With him was his wife and ten children. Mr. English bought a squatter's claim from the govern- ment in the vicinity of what is now known as North Otter township. Samuel Bruce, a native of the Emerald isle, sailed from Belfast with his wife and several children, in 1830. Landing in New York, they came overland by team to Macoupin county, settling in Staunton township, near the village of that name, which then consisted of one store and a few houses. Joseph Andrews was a soldier of the war of 1812, and married Susan Ellis. When their son John was in his third year the family moved to Todd county, Kentucky, and lived there until 1830, when they emigrated to Illinois, settling on the northeast corner of section 6. Brighton township. Here Joseph Andrews en- tered nine hundred and sixty acres of land, a part of it in Jersey county. John Andrews, in 1837, married Martha A. Miles, a daughter of Alexander Miles. William T. and Clementina Duncan were both natives of Kentucky. Follow- ing the year of their marriage, in 1830, they came to Macoupin county and set- tled in Palmyra township. He had served as a soldier in the Black Hawk war. His son, James S. Duncan, was one of the early coroners of the county. William T. Duncan died in 1861 and his wife survived him a number of years. Joseph and Abigail Holmes, natives of Virginia, he a soldier of the war of 1812, emigrated to Indiana in 1828 and thence to Illinois in 1830, when he settled in Carlinville. That year he built a cabin on the ground now occupied by the county jail. Carlinville then contained five families. He died in Indiana in 1834. His wife's death occurred in 1837. One of the sons, David Holmes, settled in Western Mound township in 1837 and there married Elizabeth Hubbard, daugh- ter of Joel Hubbard, one of the early settlers of Macoupin county. Elijah and Jane (Moore) Mitchell came to this county in the spring of 1831. settling in Brushy Mound township. He entered eighty acres of government land on section 24, on which was a cabin that had been abandoned by a squatter. This cabin he shortly afterward tore down and built another, which was eventually superseded by a frame house, where the pioneer lived until August 17, 1877, HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY 99 when his death occurred. Elijah Mitchell was twice married and was the father of twenty-one children, eighteen of whom were reared. Among them were Mil- lie, Levi, Martha A., Elizabeth. Travis, Lucy and Sally (twins), Jane, William T., Phoebe and Elijah. William T. was born in Brushy Mound township, August 25, 1838. Travis M. Mitchell was born in Macoupin county, February 13, 1833, in his father's log cabin on section 24, in Brushy Mound township. David Plain was born in Frederick county, Maryland, and became a settler of Macoupin county in the spring of 1831, taking up his residence in Shaw's Point township, where he at once selected a good tract of land. He cift poles and put the ends in the ground, letting the tops come together and covered them with boards rived by hand and thus made a temporary shelter, which with his family he occupied while he erected a hewed log house. He devoted his time principally to farming and lived in Shaw's Point township until his death in 1873. He left a family of ten children. Robert and Martha (Proffitt) Scott arrived in Macoupin county from Indiana in 1831. Their daughter Mary married Thomas Anderson in Indiana and came with her husband and child, William Anderson, to Macoupin county in 1834, set- tling in what is now Honey Point township, where both died in middle life, Mrs. Anderson in 1838 and her husband in 1843. Samuel Hays was a settler in Macoupin county as early as 1831, locating in South Otter township after his marriage to Rebecca Bond. In 1848 he moved to North Otter township, where his wife died in 1887. Robert and Eliza W. Moore, natives of Kentucky, settled in Carlinville town- ship in 1831. They were the parents of seven children, of whom Thomas G., the sixth in order of birth, was born in Carlinville township in 1838. Henry Rhoads came to Macoupin county from Grayson county, Kentucky, in 1831 and settled in Chesterfield township. His wife died in 1835 and he fol- lowed her in 1854. John Gelder, with his family, emigrated to America from England in 1831, and settled on a farm in Chesterfield township. He built a log cabin, which at the time of its construction was the largest building of its kind in the county, with the exception of the court house. He died in 1851 and his wife Elizabeth died in 1847. Mr. Gelder assisted in organizing the Episcopal church at Chesterfield and was one of its wardens until he died. Captain S. Gelder was a son and one of the pioneers of the county. Daniel B. Sawyer emigrated to Illinois from North Carolina in 1831 and came directly to Dorchester township, this county, where he assisted his brother-in-law in building a log cabin. He married Minerva Scroggins in 1834. John M. Hilyard. a native of Cable county, Virginia, born January 30, 1798, was one of the pioneer settlers of Macoupin county, locating in Hilyard township in 1831. where he entered eighty acres of land on section 22. His father had moved to Gillespie township three or four years previously. When the Hilyards settled in township 8, range 8. there were only two other families living in the township, John M. Hilyard, his father-in-law, James P. Gray and Erred Maxwell. John R. Cundall was a native of Leeds, England, as was also his wife. He came to America in 1832, settling in Chesterfield township, where he engaged in farming. 100 HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY Alexander Miles was a native of North Carolina. He was married in Ten- nessee to Mary Irvin, who was a native of Georgia, and with his wife and family settled in Macoupin county in 1832, becoming pioneers of Brighton township, where they lived and died. They were the parents of Colonel J. R. Miles, who was born in Kentucky in 1820 and came to this county with his parents. Col- onel Miles built the first mill in the section of the county where he lived, and in October, 1867, founded the town of Miles Station, and it was largely through his influence that the Chicago & Alton railroad was built through the place. He became a man of large means and as a soldier deserved great credit. At the beginning of the Civil war he formed a company, which on the Qth of August, 1861, was organized as Company F of the Twenty-seventh Illinois Infantry, which saw much service under his captaincy. In 1862 he was promoted to the rank of colonel and participated in many important battles. Colonel Miles mar- ried Eliza A. Stratton, a native of Kentucky. Samuel B. Clark, a native of Virginia, accompanied by his wife and eight children, came to Illinois in 1828. They first located near Edwardsville, where they resided until 1832. That year they moved to a farm one and a half miles west of Brighton, which Mr. Clark rented for one year. He then bought a tract of wild land in the same locality and built a hewed log cabin, splitting shakes for the roof. In 1835 he sold that and removed to a farm near Carlinville, on which he lived one year, and in 1836 settled in Brushy Mound township. He lived in this township until his death, which occurred in 1840. His wife, whose maiden name was Elizabeth Floyd, survived him but one year. James Wheeler was a Kentuckian, who married Catherine Harland, also a Kentuckian. In the fall of 1832, accompanied by his wife, three children and five of his wife's brothers and sisters, Mr. Wheeler journeyed with teams to Illinois and located in Macoupin county, settling on land which his father-in- law had purchased for him in Gillespie township. He was one of the pioneers of this locality. Where the town of Bunker Hill now stands there was but one building and that was a log cabin. Deer, wolves, wild turkeys and sand hill cranes were plentiful. The family moved into a log house that stood on the place. Mr. Wheeler bought government land near his home and was a resident of Gil- lespie township until his death. Selick B. Sawyer was born in Carroll county, North Carolina, in 1821. He came with his parents, Valentine and Polly (Spence) Sawyer, to Macoupin county in 1832. A location was made by the family in the southern part of the' county at what is now West Prairie, near Williams creek. Daniel Huddleston. a native of Ohio, settled in Gillespie township in 1832. His death occurred in 1865. He built a home on section 3. His wife was Rachel Huddleston, a daughter of William and Juda Huddleston, natives of Virginia and Kentucky, respectively. William and Juda Huddleston settled on govern- ment land in Gillespie township in 1830. Samuel Wood came to Macoupin county with a double yoke of oxen and was thirty-four days upon the road, moving from Kentucky to Bunker Hill. He entered a farm of three hundred and twenty acres in Bunker Hill township in 1832, living there for over a half century. HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY 101 James E. Wood died in 1891. He arrived in Bunker Hill township, June 16, 1832, and became one of its most prosperous residents. David B. Boston was a Virginian by birth. He removed from Indiana in 1832 to Macoupin county, settling on section n, Nilwoocl township, where he entered eighty acres of land. His death occurred in 1853. In his family were five boys and five girls, of whom David B. was the fourth son. Jasper Rice came to Macoupin county in 1832, settling in North Palmyra township. In 1833 he married Mary, daughter of Stephen Jones, who was a settler in Palmyra township as early as 1831. David Henderson came from the Old Dominion in the fall of 1832 and set- tled on section 30, Barr township. His uncle, John Henderson, settled on sec- tion 20 at the same time. These were the first two settlements made in the south- west part of Barr township. J. W. Henderson, a son, was two years old at the time the family arrived here. Thomas Jones emigrated to this country with his wife and family from Eng- land, in 1831, and settled in Dutchess county. New York, where they resided until the spring of 1833. That year found them in Brighton, where eventually a farm of one hundred and twenty acres of government land was secured and de- veloped. He became prosperous and raised a large family of children. Ferdinand Taggart was born April 6, 1812, in Shelby county, Kentucky. At .the age of eighteen he removed to Carrollton, Greene county, and there remained three years, learning the trade of brick making. He then came to Carlinville and opened a brickyard for the gentleman under whom he had learned his trade. This was in 1833, when Carlinville had a population of 20x3 and the buildings were mostly of logs, with mud and stick chimneys. There was not a brick build- ing in the town and but one brick chimney. In 1835 he opened a brickyard for himself. He became a contractor and one of his first contracts was for the brick work on the court house, which was built in 1837. Mr. Taggart eventually en- gaged in merchandising in company with A. S. Walker and William Phelps. This firm also carried on a branch store at Taylorville. The last wife of Mr. Taggart was a sister of Hon. Charles A. Walker of Carlinville. John G. Chiles, a native of Virginia, married Elizabeth F. Wills, of the same state. The family removed to Kentucky, whence they came to Macoupin county in 1833, settling on the line between North and South Palmyra. In 1845 tnev took up their residence in Bird township. L. P. Stratton was born in New Hampshire in 1808 and learned the trade of a carpenter. In 1833 he came to Brown's prairie and entered forty acres of land a mile west of Brighton. William Jones came to Macoupin county in 1833. He was a native of Wales and his birth occurred in 1817. He finally purchased one hundred and sixty acres of land in Brighton township. Joshua Peek was a' native of Virginia, who removed to Kentucky and there married Eliza Scott, a native of Ireland. In 1833 tne Peeks settled in Palmyra township and there entered one hundred and sixty acres of land. Mr. Peek died in 1851 and his wife in 1847. Alexander McKim Dubois was born in Baltimore, Maryland, in 1812, and came to Carlinville on the 4th day of July, 1834. That year he opened a general 102 HISTORY OF MACOUP1N COUNTY store on the east side of the public square. He sold the store in 1836 and the following year was elected justice of the peace. In 1841 he was appointed clerk of the circuit court and in 1848 at the first election he became his own successor. Judge David Davis appointed him trustee of Blackburn College in 1855 and at the meeting of the board following he was made treasurer. In 1866 he was ap- pointed by the county court one of the commissioners for the building of the Macoupin county court house and was made financial agent of the county for the sale of its bonds. Solomon Steidley and wife, Rachel (Barr) Steidley, came from Frederick county, Virginia, to Macoupin county, in 1834, and settled in Barr township, where they lived until their death. Mr. Steidley passed away in 1848 and his wife followed him eight years later. Frederic Steidley, a son, came with his parents in 1834, at which time there were nine children in the family. Colonel James Anderson, a Virginian, first came to Macoupin county from Kentucky, in June, 1834, when he entered a tract of land on section u, Carlin- ville township. He then went back to Kentucky for his family. On the I2th of the following October with his wife and six children he returned, bringing along a pair of oxen and wagon, two horses and a carriage. During the winter of that year he lived in a rented log house and in the meantime built a log cabin on his own land, riving boards for the roof and splitting puncheons for the floor. In the spring of 1835 the new home was occupied and the land opened for cultivation. He became an extensive trader in live stock, and prospered. His death occurred in 1851 from an attack of cholera. Thirteen days thereafter his wife followed him, from the same disease. To Colonel Anderson and his wife were born seven children, Crittenden, H. C, Uriah C., Erasmus S., Augustus E., Malcolm M., Henry C. and Mary A. Crittenden. H. C. Anderson was the founder of the C. H. C. Anderson banking house and died one of the wealthiest men of the county. Thomas Arnett was born in North Carolina in 1804 and became a pioneer of Tennessee. He removed from the latter state in 1829 to Illinois, settling in Morgan county, from which locality he came to Macoupin county in 1834, set- tling in what is now Bird township. On the farm that he developed he spent his remaining days. His death occurred in 1876. Benjamin Wheeler and wife came from Ohio in the fall of 1834 and settled in Bird township. His son, John Wheeler, was a member of the party and even- tually became one of the prosperous and prominent citizens of Macoupin county, at one time possessing over a thousand acres of land. Dudley Saunders came from Kentucky in 1834 on horseback and settled in Honey Point township, where he bought a tract of land on which was a log cabin. This farm he sold at an advance of two hundred dollars and bought another tract in Brushy Mound township, constituting one hundred acres. After two years he sold this land and bought on section 2, Honey Point township. In 1838 he was married to Elizabeth Huddleston, of Kentucky, who died in 1876. By this union there were ten children. Peter Wagner, a native of Virginia, arrived in this county in 1834, when his son, Jacob D., was twenty years of age. With his wife and other children he HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY 103 settled on one hundred and sixty acres of land, which was situated not far from Prairie View. Here he and his wife passed their remaining days. Robert R. Tompkins, whose life ended in 1871, came to Macoupin county from Virginia in 1834, when a young man. Amos Avery Hilyard, a pioneer of the county, died in 1878. He was a native of New Hampshire. He came west in 1832 and in 1834 purchased a farm on sec- tion 17 of the present Brighton township, on which he resided until his death. Edmund Lee Woodrough, a native of Virginia, settled in Macoupin county near where the town of Gillespie now stands, in 1834. In 1858 he" was killed by the kick of a horse. Thomas H. Stratton, whose birth place was in Tennessee, came from his na- tive state to Illinois in 1834, settling in Shipman township. He worked on a farm for some time and then bought land, which he cultivated with success. Thomas Dews, a native of Yorkshire, England, emigrated to America in 1829. In 1834 he made a trip to Illinois and in that year settled in Macoupin county upon eighty acres of land which he entered from the government in Western Mound township, taking up his permanent residence thereon in 1837. That year he was married to Sylvia Morris of this county and raised a family of six children. Samuel V. Rhoads was born in Hardin county, Kentucky, in 1791. He was a soldier of the war of 1812 and one of the Kentucky volunteers under General Harrison, which took part in the battle of the Thames, when Tecumseh, the In- dian chief, was killed. In 1834 he removed from Grayson county, Kentucky, and settled in Chesterfield township, about a mile from Rhoads Point, now known as Medora. About this time he began preaching and was instrumental in organiz- ing several United Baptist churches in this part of Illinois, most of the churches of that denomination in Macoupin county having in fact been founded by him and his brother, the Rev. Jacob Rhoads. He died in 1877. Charles Rhoads, a son, married Nancy Cawood, whose father, Joshua B. Cawood, settled in North Palmyra township in 1838. He moved to Shipman township, south of Medora, and in 1845 to Hilyard township, where his death occurred the same fall. Thomas M. Metcalf was a Kentuckian, his birth occurring on the loth of November, 1828. He came to Macoupin county with his father, William Met- calf, Jr., in the spring of 1835, settling in Western Mound township. There his father engaged in cultivating the soil until 1858, when he removed to Girard town- ship. Later, in 1874, he took up his residence on section i in South Otter town- ship. Thomas M. Metcalf was elected county treasurer in 1869 and reelected in 1873- James A. McClure, a native of Virginia, came to Macoupin county from Kentucky in 1835 and settled on section 36 in Carlinville township, where he en- gaged in farming until 1844, when he was appointed to a position in the land de- partment at Washington by President James K. Polk. He was reappointed by President Taylor and died -in 1849, while in office. Daniel Blodget, a native of New Hampshire, settled in Brighton township in 1835. becoming one of its most successful merchants. He here married Ellen Jones, a native of England, whose parents were early settlers of Brighton town- ship. After her death, Mr. Blodget married Elizabeth, daughter of Rev. Simon 104 HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY Peter, who located in Madison county in 1829 and became a circuit rider. Mr. Blodget died November 27, 1889. Joel York removed from Tennessee with his family to Morgan county in 1828 and from there to Macoupin county in 1835, at which time he entered land near Carlinville. He died in 1847 upon a farm a mile farther east. His wife died two months later. Haskins Trabue, accompanied by his wife and seven children, came to Macou- pin county from Kentucky in 1835, settling in what is now Brushy Mound town- ship, where he entered a tract of government land. Here he erected a small log house. In 1837 Mr. Trabue built a carding mill, the first concern of the kind in the county. He also farmed. His death occurred in 1860, and his wife, Olympia (Wilson) Trabue, also died the same year. Peter Denby, Sr., came from Liverpool, England, in 1834, and first located in Morgan county, Illinois, where he rented land. In 1835 he visited South Palmyra township and entered government land on section 36, which was one of the finest tracts of the county. He lived here until his death, which occurred December 3, 1862. His wife had preceded him in 1847. Joel and Miriam (Haycroft) Parker came from Kentucky in 1835, settling in Shipman township, where he died November 28, 1843. His widow became the .wife of Oliver C. Forwood. Benjamin E. Parker, a son, was born in Shipman township, October 9, 1839, where he grew to manhood. Henry Solomon was born in Franklin county, North Carolina, and came with his father, Lewis Solomon, to Morgan county in 1825. In 1835 Henry sold his property in Morgan county and with the proceeds bought government land in South Palmyra township, this county, where he erected a log house. With the exception of one year he continued to occupy his farm until death closed his ca- reer at the ripe old age of seventy-six. He was twice married, the third child of his first wife being Rebecca Jane. She was the mother of Ariel M. Solomon, who was but four years of age when his father came to Illinois. Ariel continued an inmate of his father's home until he was twenty-four years old. When he was seventeen his father gave him fifty dollars and told him to do whatever he liked with it. The enterprising youth wisely invested it in forty acres of gov- ernment land in South Palmyra township. Two years later his father gave him another fifty dollars, which he judiciously invested in forty acres in Barr township, adjoining his first entry. He never located on the land but eventually sold it at $5.25 per acre. He then bought one hundred and ten acres in Barr township and took up his residence there. In the fall of 1888 he removed to Palmyra. Randall Clark at the age of twenty arrived in Macoupin county from his na- tive state, South Carolina, in 1835. He finally settled on a farm on section 20, Gillespie township, where he lived many years. John and Emily A. Lumpkin settled in Macoupin county in 1835. Mr. Lump- kin purchased a tract of wild land on time and located in Bird township, where he erected a log house, riving the boards to cover the roof, which was held in place by means of poles. The floor and door were made of split puncheons. Here James W. Lumpkin, who was for many years editor and proprietor of the Macoupin County Enquirer, was born November 15, 1836. HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY 105 James P. Pearson located in Macoupin county in 1835. He was a native of England. After his arrival he married Tabitha Gwin, a daughter of Elias and Tabitha (Weather ford) Gwin, natives of South Carolina. and Kentucky, respect- ively. After the death of his wife, Mr. Gwin, with a family of ten sons and daughters, left Tennessee and in 1830 settled in Macoupin county. Isaac B. Johnston was born in Kentucky and came to Macoupin county about the year 1835 from Madison county, this state, where he had previously resided for a short time. He settled in North Palmyra township, where in 1843 ne married Elizabeth Berry. Joseph King was born in Todd county, Kentucky, and after his marriage came to Illinois with his wife and two children, in 1835. He settled in Macoupin county, where for a time he rented land and then entered forty acres of timber and brush land on section 32, North Palmyra township, on which he built a log cabin. William Metcalf, Jr., was a Kentuckian ami arrived in Macoupin county on the 22d of April, 1835. He entered a quarter section of land in Barr township, also a part of a quarter section in Western Mound township. On the latter tract was a log house, which he and his family occupied. George Wagner, a native of Maryland, arrived in Macoupin county in 1835, when his son, James E. Wagner, was but five years of age. He settled in Brighton township. Moses Smith was born in Pennsylvania. He married Parmelia Aiken, a na- tive of North Carolina. After his marriage ne came to Macoupin county from Tennessee in 1835, settling in North Palmyra township, where they spent the remainder of their lives. They were the parents of seven children. His acquaintance with John Cavender, John Tilden and others, who had bought land in the vicinity of Bunker Hill, was the means of bringing Moses True to Macoupin county. He traveled from the east in an ordinary covered wagon and on Christmas day of 1835 arrived at the spot which is now the town site of Bunker Hill, then a wild prairie, inhabited by wolves. In January, 1836, he brought from St. Louis a wagon load of groceries and dry goods and opened the first store in Bunker Hill. His cabin on the west side of Washington street wa the first hotel in' the town. William Duckies, a native of England, arrived in the United States in 1834, and in the month of February, 1835, settled in Macoupin county on section 14, Chesterfield township. Andrew Jackson Rose came with his parents, Enos and Rachel (Stout) Rose, from New Jersey, in 1835. The family settled on forty acres in section 21, Gil- lespie township. Arter Taylor, a native of South Carolina, emigrated to Illinois in 1835 and in the spring of that year-settled in Gillespie township, where his sister Nancy, wife of Giles M. Adams, was then living. He married Sarah Ann Rose in 1836. Howard Clark and his wife, Eliza J., with their children, removed to Illinois from Kentucky in 1831 and settled in Macoupin county, two and a half miles west of Brighton, in 1835. He passed the last years of his life in Brighton, where he died in 1866. His wife had preceded him in 1858. 106 HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY Beatty T. Burke was a native of Jefferson county, Virginia, and was born in 1806. He arrived in Macoupin county in 1836 and purchased the grocery store of Jefferson Weatherford, at Carlinville. In 1837 he became major of militia and was always designated by that title. He was elected sheriff in 1838 and held the office twelve years. In 1852 he was elected to the state legislature and was defeated for the senate in 1854 by John M. Palmer. He was returned to the legislature in 1856, and in 1871 became senator, which office he held four years. He represented Carlinville on the first board of supervisors and held the office until his death, which occurred in 1876. Major Burke took first rank as one of the county's able and most trustworthy men. Charles Holliday was a Methodist preacher of his day. He was a native of Pennsylvania and came to Macoupin county from Kentucky in 1836, at which time he entered land in Chesterfield township, where he acquired considerable property. While on his way to conference at Quincy, Illinois, in the fall of 1849, he was taken sick, and never recovered. He died the following year. Henry Etter, Sr., was a native of Tennessee and came from, that state to Il- linois in 1826, first locating in Greene county. In 1836 he disposed of his posses- sions there and settled in Macoupin county, buying a tract of land in Western Mound township. A log cabin stood on the place and a few acres of land had been tilled. In a short time he erected good frame buildings and had a valuable farm, upon which he spent his days in prosperity and contentment, departing this life in 1853. John Keller, a native of Maryland, removed to Kentucky with his parents and there married. He found his way to Macoupin county in 1836 and became one of the pioneers of Chesterfield township, where he entered a tract of land. He spent the remainder of his days in the village of Chesterfield. Joshua Ragan was a Virginian but went to Tennessee when a young man and was there married. In 1831 he removed to Missouri, where he lived until his re- moval to Illinois in 1836. In June of that year he came to Macoupin county and bought a claim in what is now Bird township. Joseph B. Steidley was born in the Old Dominion, near Fredericksburg. In 1836 he came to Illinois with his wife and six children and bought a tract of land four miles from the present site of the village of Palmyra. On this land was a log house, in which Samuel R. Steidley was born, March 25, 1838. Joseph B. Steidley died in 1861, his first wife having preceded him in 1849. George Caldwell, a native of Ireland, came from Philadelphia with his family to Macoupin county in 1836, and located on land in Staunton township. His death occurred at the home of his son Henry J. Caldwell, July 6, 1887, when he was eighty-five years of age. Solomon and Elizabeth Groves were natives of Kentucky. They came to Macoupin county in the spring of 1836 and took up their residence in the then sparsely settled village of Carlinville, where Mr. Groves worked at his trade of carpentry. Nathan D. Barber, who died in 1878, was a native of New Hampshire and came to Alton, Illinois, in 1836. In the winter of that year he removed to a farm a mile and a half north of Brighton, where he made his home until his death. In 1841 he married Emeline Moore, daughter of Captain James and Arethusa Moore, HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY 107 who settled a mile north of Brighton, in the fall of 1837. Mr. Barber's wife died in 1879. Thomas Jefferson McReynolds was born in Kentucky- in 1803, and came to Illinois in 1832. The year 1836 found him in Macoupin county, where he en- tered the south half of section 31 in Honey Point township and also a tract in Brushy Mound township. On the latter tract of land he lived until his death, which occurred in 1869. Robert Meatyard's birth place was in Dorcestershire, England. He came to the United States in the fall of 1835 and in the spring of 1836 settled in Shipman township, Macoupin county, where he entered land and commenced farming. The town of Piasa was afterward laid out and built upon a portion of the land origi- nally entered by him. Samuel Trible emigrated from England to this country in 1836. He came di- rect to Illinois and settled in Shipman township. J. W. Gilson, a native of Pennsylvania, married Miss M. Merrewether, a na- tive of Louisville, Kentucky. In 1836, with his wife, he settled in Macoupin county, near Brighton, where he engaged in general merchandising, real estate and stock-raising. Mr. Gilson died in 1864 and his wife in 1873. Francis G. Brown came to Macoupin county in 1837 from West Virginia and entered a tract of land on section 23, in what is now Western Mound township. Having removed to Tennessee, he brought his family from that state in 1838 to their new home, the journey being made on a flat boat on the waters of the Hoi- ton, Tennessee, Ohio and Mississippi rivers to within fifty miles of Paducah, Kentucky, thence by steamer to Alton and from there by team to their destina- tion. Mr. Brown rented a log house on section 4, Bird township, in which the family lived until November. In 1851 he sold his farm and removed to Chester- field, where he engaged in merchandising and kept a hotel. He died in 1878 at a ripe old age. His wife Mary preceded him in death in July, 1864. Achilles Tongate, a native of Virginia, after having lived in Kentucky and Mis- souri, removed to Illinois in 1836. After spending a year in Morgan county he located near Palmyra with his wjfe and children. He was a good farmer and was amply rewarded for his industry and frugality. He reached the venerable age of ninety-three before answering the last call, surviving his wife but a few years. Joseph and Candace Penn, both natives of North Carolina, arrived in Ma- coupin county in 1837 an d settled in Shaw's Point township, where Mr. Penn died in 1840. His wife survived him seventeen years. Joseph Montgomery came to Macoupin county from West Virginia in 1837 and settled on a farm which he purchased near Scottville. Lewis L. O'Neal, with his young bride, Elizabeth (Cram) O'Neal, came to Macoupin county from Morgan county in 1837, and in the spring of that year settled in North Palmyra township, on section 34, where Mr. O'Neal died in 1854. Samuel Welton came from Connecticut in 1837 and settled on a tract of land six miles from Carlinville. Hugh Caldwell came to the United States from Derry, Ireland, in 1837. After a short stay in Philadelphia, he continued his journey west and settled in Staunton township, where his brother George had previously taken up a claim. 108 HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY He began improving a tract of land and his house at that time was the only one between Staunton and Silver Creek. John A. Pettingill was born in New Hampshire. He came to Illinois in the fall of 1837, when twenty years of age. After visiting Bunker Hill, he went to Peoria and clerked in his brother's store until the spring of 1839, when he re- turned to Bunker Hill and began improving a farm one mile north of the village the first farm ever opened on the prairie north of the town. Jackson Sisson, of Culpeper county, Virginia, arrived in Macoupin county in 1837. In November of that year he settled on a farm on which was after- ward built the principal part of the town of Gillespie. Taylor G. Chase was a native of New Hampshire and in 1837 journeyed from that state by wagon to Macoupin county. He had previously, in 1833, entered one hundred and sixty acres of land on section 18 of the present Brighton township. In 1837 he brought with him his family and lived in a rented cabin on land on section 20, until the fall of 1839, when he settled on a quarter section he had entered. Richard Bacon, a native of England, arrived in this country in 1835 and in the fall of 1837 settled in Carlinville. Shortly thereafter, he moved with his fam- ily to the Dr. Blackburn farm near Carlinville and lived there one year. He then moved to Chesterfield township and died there in 1839. In the spring of 1840, Mary K. Bacon, his wife, entered forty acres of land on section 19, South Otter township, where she lived for some years. Joseph Listen came to Macoupin county from Marion county, Kentucky, set- tling near Eagle's Point, in North Palmyra township, where he remained until his death, which occurred January 31, 1877. Joseph B. Listen, a son, was born in Macoupin county, August 19, 1838. In 1866 he was elected sheriff of the county and fulfilled the duties of his office faithfully and well. He was a demo- crat, casting his first vote for Stephen A. Douglas in 1860. Gottlob Rumbolz was a native of Stuttgart, Germany. He came to the United States in 1838 and entered land in Bunker Hill township. Henry F. Martin became a resident of Brighton township, Macoupin county, in 1838. He was a native of Rhode Island. His father died about 1836 and the mother married Samuel Avis, who owned land in Brighton township, which was the occasion of Mr. Martin settling in Macoupin county. Joseph Loomis, the father of Thaddeus L. William and Horace J. Loomis, came to Illinois with his family in 1838, settling on section i, Chesterfield town- ship, where he engaged in farming quite extensively. He was the first man in the county to engage in the dairy business and made large quantities of cheese. He was mainly instrumental in founding the Chesterfield cemetery in 1848. He died in 1850. Sargeant Gobble was born in Virginia in 1811. He arrived in the vicinity of Carrollton in 1832, where he married Amelia Johnson. In the fall of 1838 he settled in Scottville, which had been laid out three years previously. In 1844 and 1864 he was elected to the legislature from this district. Edward H. Davis came to Macoupin county in 1839 and settled in Bunker Hill township. In 1840 he married Jane H. Cavender, daughter of Charles Cavender, who settled on an unbroken farm of one hundred and sixty acres just HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY 109 west of Bunker Hill in 1838. Here he spent the remainder of his life, dying at the age of eighty-three years. Peter Edwards, a Virginian, removed from his native state to Kentucky and resided there until 1825, when he came to Illinois and settled in Morgan county. In 1839 he came to Macoupin county, entering eighty acres of land in Scottville township, where he resided until his death in 1847. John Maze, a native of Tennessee, married Sarah Morrow, also a native of that state, and they emigrated to Greene county in the early '305. Shortly after- ward they removed to Barr township in Macoupin county. Mr. Maze's death occurred some time after his removal here, while on a business trip to Kentucky. His daughter, Martha, married William J. Bates, a native of Tennessee, who was one of the pioneers of Macoupin county. Mr. Bates' death occurred September 16. 1890. Henry J. Ferguson, a native of Ireland, arri.vecl in this country in the sum- mer of 1839. Striking west from Philadelphia, he continued across the country until he arrived at Staunton, Macoupin county, which was then a small hamlet. Here he purchased a partially improved farm of forty acres and eventually be- came prosperous. He died in 1883 at the age of eighty years. Horatio Adams emigrated from Kentucky to Illinois in 1828, and after a resi- dence in Clay and Greene counties of some five or six years, came to Macoupin county, settling in Bird township. Here he continued to live until his death, which occurred in 1874. Martin Dickerman, a native of Kentucky, was born in 1816 and came to Macoupin county with his widowed mother and six other children, when a young man. John 'England and wife Linnie came from Tennessee to Macoupin county in the '305, having spent a year previous in Morgan county. They settled in North Otter township, where they lived until their death. Samuel Smalley, of New Jersey, settled in Bunker Hill township in the '305, when the city of that name was a mere hamlet. Here he and his wife both died at an advanced age. On this farm their children and grandchildren were born, among the latter being. James H. Smalley, whose birth occurred in 1840. Richard Wall was in Macoupin county before 1832. This is apparent from the records, as his son, Hampton W. Wall, was born on West prairie in Dor- chester township, November 10, 1832. The latter, when four years of age, went to live with his maternal grandfather Telemachus Camp, who was one of the earliest settlers of Staunton township. Elijah Mills, a native of North Carolina, emigrated to Illinois in 1829 and settled in Morgan county. Some time in the early '305 he came to Macoupin county and entered, land on section 6, South Palmyra township. After several changes he removed to Missouri and died there in 1869. Samuel T. Mayo can hardly be placed in the category of those who settled in Macoupin county in the '305. He did not locate here until in 1843, but in 1835 spent a short time at a hotel of which Samuel Keller was the host. Mr. Mayo had stopped over in Carlinville to relieve the tedium of a horse-back journey from Carrollton back to his old home in Albermarle county, Virginia, where he re- mained until 1841, at which time he returned to Carrollton and entered the em- 110 HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY ploy of a merchant. While on his way there the coach, in which he was riding, stopped at a point in Jersey county to let off a lady passenger, and it was there Mr. Mayo met Elizabeth Palmer, his future wife. In 1843 S. T. Mayo formed a partnership with the mercantile firm of Wright & Lynn of Carrollton and took charge of a branch of the concern, which he es- tablished here in 1843, in the building now occupied by the Sonneman shoe con- cern, on the east side of the public square. Taking into the store with him Nicholas (Nick) Boice, business increased from day to day and Mr. Mayo and those associated with him prospered. His biography, written by Professor [. D. Conley, from which these excerpts are made, speaks of him in a kindly and rever- ential spirit voicing the opinion of its author and the estimate of those who knew him well in that Mr. Mayo was an upright, honest man, and true as steel to friends and principles. His reputation for honesty and faithfulness reached the superlative degree and these characteristics of the man were given generous recognition by the many who placed the administration of their estates within his keeping. He retired from active business pursuits in 1857 and enjoyed the income from a competency until his death, which occurred on the eighty-eighth anniversary of his birth, November 24, 1906. General John I. Rinaker is authority for the story that upon a certain occasion a great, strapping big fellow entered Mr. Mayo's store. The man was noted for his physical strength and prowess at wrestling and boasted before "Uncle Sam" of what he was capable of doing. This did not strike Mayo's fancy and grabbing the man he threw him sprawling upon the counter, very much to the surprise and evident satisfaction of all who saw the test of strength and agility of the unassum- ing storekeeper. This incident goes a long way in proving the assertion that S. T. Mayo was entitled to being credited with a goodly stock of courage. When he accompanied John M. Palmer on one of his campaigning tours, he fully expected to get into trouble. It was in the '505, and William T. Harris was running for congress. Palmer was billed to speak in opposition to Harris' election at Plain- view. Harris was noted for his hotheadedness and the Plainview meeting was looked forward to with no little anxiety by the opposition. In part, as a means of protection to the speaker in case of trouble, B. T. Burke, James Fishback, James (or John) McWain, and Sam T. Mayo accompanied Palmer to the place of anticipated hostilities. There had been threats thrown out by Harris' partisans, but Palmer was fearless and amply able to care for himself and the fears of his henchmen were not realized. Mr. Mayo's birthplace was in Albermarle county, Virginia, and he knew Thomas Jefferson, philosopher and "Sage of Monticello," who lived in the same county. CHAPTER VI. MEMORY'S STORE HOUSE. RECOLLECTIONS OF A PIONEER HON. CHARLES A. WALKER HERE IN 1828, THREE YEARS BEFORE THE COUNTY WAS ORGANIZED HE WAS ACQUAINTED WITH MANY OF THE PIONEERS OF MACOUPIN REMINISCENCES ENTERTAININGLY RELATED. The present generation cannot have a very definite idea of the grandeur and beauty of Illinois at the time of coming into the state of the first pioneers. My first recollection of life finds me in a new, wild, unsettled, and beautiful region. I rejoice that my young eyes were permitted to view nature before the vandal man had marred its beauty and destroyed its virgin loveliness. When my father, with his young family, landed in Macoupin county (1828), the for- ests were fresh and unscarred by the ax of the coming thousands. The millions of acres of prairie grass were waving on our lovely prairies. The land was unplowed and no barbed wire fence destroyed its grand appearance. It was a beautiful land, looking as though it had just emerged from the hands of the Builder of the Universe. The pioneers, where are they? They have performed their labors on this earth, and we feel that they are worthy of being enrolled in this history. There are many historical monuments in our county, of former generations. When my father moved to Carlinville, he found on what is now Sunny Home Stock Farm, in asssisting in the building of John Harris' water mill, two smelt- ing crucibles, which induced him to believe that there were lead mines some- where in our county. So much did the early inhabitants of the county believe that, that "little" Johnny Hull concluded to sink a shaft within a few yards of where were found the smelting crucibles. He dug down one hundred and seventy-five feet and found nothing except natural gas which drove him out of the, shaft. Another place of interest was an Indian cemetery, situated eight miles south- west of Carlinville, near what was then known as the Holliday ford of Ma- coupin creek. The Indians who had lived here buried their dead by sinking a square hole about three feet deep, placing lai*ge, flat rocks in the bottom and thin slabs of rock at the sides, head and foot. They then put the dead body in the grave in a sitting, upright position, facing the east. Then they placed in the tomb all the valuables that the Indian possessed at the time of his death, except, perhaps, his live animals. I have, on many an occasion, aided in the opening of those tombs, finding the Indian bones just as they were placed by 111 112 HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY those who buried the bodies. I still possess many warlike and domestic im- plements taken from these Indian graves. In the south part of our county there was a beautiful mound of considerable dimensions, perhaps thirty or forty feet in height above the level of the prairie. There ran at the east edge of that mound a beautiful specimen of a mountain stream; clear, pure water, that did not dry up during the summer. This place was a great resort, not only for Indians, but for wild animals that roamed the forests and prairies at that time, especially wolves that denned on the mound and brought forth their young in great numbers. From that fact it took its name. "Wolf Mound," and on Wolf Mound stands today the beautiful town of Bunker Hill. Coop's Mound, eight miles east of Carlinville, was another noted place, as it rose in height to about forty feet above the surface of the adjoin- ing land. It was covered by a magnificent forest, one tree of which became so noted that persons would travel several miles to examine it. It was a large, branching elm, and many and many a time have George Holliday and myself visited it to enjoy its magnificent shade and beauty. Along the west side of the mound ran the old Indian trail, from the head waters of the Wabash river to Cahokia, which was then the Indian trading post for all of the Illini tribe of Indians, who formerly resided in the territory that finally became the state of Illinois. At one time, after my father had moved to Carlinville and erected his cabin, there came following that trail down the Macoupin creek, twelve Indian "bucks," wearing their war garb, and were painted, as they painted themselves when going to war. They came to my father's cabin where my mother was with her small children, and as the pioneers in that day feared the Indians more than they did the wild beasts of the wilderness, of course she was greatly frightened, as were the other pioneer women and children of the town. The men, also, felt as though it became their duty to notify all the pioneers within reach of them, of the Indians being in that neighborhood. I had forgotten to say that at Wolf Mound there was a large spring of pure, cold water, that I presume still gives forth that beverage to the thirsty Bunker Hillites. There were many other noted places of interest to the early pioneers of our county that space will not permit me to name. In regard to our early hotels, the first one that I remember was a log cabin just across the street from Walker & Woods' law office, in the old Dubois building on the corner where Meyer's music store is located. This hostelry was kept by Lev. English, who had a fam- ily of boys that were never backward in any of the little broils coming up among the pioneers. One of them especially, High English, was a rough speci- men of the backwoodsman. I remember on one occasion there was to be a puppet show in the hotel that I attended. And it being the first place of the kind that I had ever visited or heard of, I was greatly amused by the move- ments of the little men and women and animals that were made to act by wires, under control of the operator who was hidden from view. The most noted hotel keeper of those early days was a man from New Jersey Robert Hankins. He kept not only the City Hotel, but a number METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH, STAUNTON PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH. PALMYRA LIBRARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS - HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY 113 of others for many years during his life in Carlinville, and died regarded by the citizens of the county as one of the best landlords that ever engaged in the hotel business in the city. There were many other noted hotel keepers during the days of stage stands, and one of them was Dan Anderson, a Yankee, who kept the Green Tree Hotel. It was located in the south part of the village and was a stage stand for many years. A part of that old frame building yet remains on the lot where it was erected. There has been but one judicial hanging in our county. Aaron Todd was hung on the 2d day of June, 1840, for the killing of his cousin, Larkin Scott. As the details of that murder, trial and hanging, is given in another place in this history, I refer to that for information in regard thereto. During the fall of 1831 it commenced snowing in December and continued up to about the middle of March, 1832, covering the ground with from four to five feet of snow on a level. So great was the depth of the snow that very few of the wild animals, or feathered tribe, escaped, but starved to death for the want of food. Deer were killed by the pioneers, supposedly for food. They could not move with any speed, unless they were in a beaten path. Up to that time there had been thousands and thousands of wild turkeys in the forests of our state which perished during that deep snow, and, since then that grand bird has been very, very scarce in Macoupin county. During the early '305 there resided in Carlinville a man by the name of Holton, who had a wife that had a voice she used on all occasions. My father lived just across the street from Helton's. One night during the fall of 1833 everybody in town was awakened by the loud prayers of Mrs. Holton, in which she beseeched the Lord to forgive her all her sins (and she had many), and shouting that the world was coming to an end. I was but a small boy at that time but being awakened by my father (or mother), I got up, went to the door and saw the grandest sight that was ever viewed by mankind in this world. It so impressed itself upon my memory that at this moment, in my mind's eye, I can see the heavens and the earth lit up by the falling or shooting of meteors, or stars, as we called them at that day. They created a light which was brighter than that ever made by the sun on a clear day and lasted for about four 'hours. The heavens were being bombarded, seemingly, by great streams of fire, follow- ing the shooting stars, and the sky, in all parts, was literally covered with those shooting meteors. There was no space in the heavens that was not being filled by what looked like great streams of fire, that followed the rapidly moving me- teor. They were moving in all directions ' and seemingly, to the onlooker, would come in contact with each other. We were awakened about two o'clock in the morning and of course, there was no more sleep that night for any one who had witnessed that wonderful panorama in the heavens. During the first part of January, 1836, we had been having a very warm, open spell of weather. During the morning the sun shone bright and clear, with- out any indication that a storm was brewing. So pleasant was the morning that many of the pioneers who lived in the country came into town on business, and among them was Colonel William C. Anderson. The colonel lived four miles northeast of our town and when coming to town would always ride a bay, bald- faeed pony. He was a large, strong healthy man and usually upon 114 HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY visiting the county seat would remain until the middle of the afternoon or later. About two o'clock in the afternoon a cloud came up that was not apparently, dangerous ; but it rapidly grew black and threatening. The air then commenced turning cold and it commenced raining and continued until the streams and low places were filled with water. Colonel Anderson was fixing to start home. His road would be over an open prairie. His friends in the village tried to persuade him not to venture on his journey until the storm passed away, but he refused to listen to their solicitations and started for his home. It grew so rapidly cold that within less than one-half hour the streams and prairies, which had been filled with water, froze over, and a heavy sleet was falling. . Col- onel Anderson had not proceeded more than a mile from the village until his road was obliterated, he found his pony refusing to go in the face of the wind and discovered that he was lost on the prairie. He became chilled and at one time, before the darkness set in, had discussed in his own mind whether or not he had better get off his pony, cut its throat, open its body and crawl in to keep himself from freezing. But finally, he came across a place in the prairie that he thought he recognized, and taking new courage, rode less than a hundred yards toward where he thought his house was located and in a few minutes saw a light that he knew was shining from his home. He rode up to the gate, tried to dismount, but utterly failed to do so, as he was tightly frozen to the saddle. As best he could he called for help. Some of the family came out, helped him off the horse and into the house, where he found that his feet had been frozen and that he was very nearly chilled to death. He recovered from the injury and died during the cholera epidemic in our county in 1851. Another excitement that occurred in Macoupin county was that of the kill- ing of a Mr. Lockerman by Andrew J. Nash. This occurred at Zanesville dur- ing the early '505. . Nash escaped and kepf himself hidden from the officers for about one year, when he was arrested, brought back and placed in jail. At the first term of court following he was indicted for murder, and placed in the lower cell of the old log jail, to await his sentence after having been convicted. John M. Palmer, then a practicing lawyer of our county, defended him and being a friend of Nash, sought every means within his skill as a lawyer and an influ- ential citizen to prevent the hanging. Failing to get a new trial, Pahner cir- culated petitions asking the governor to reprieve or commute Nash's sentence, but they were not acted upon until the afternoon of the day before he was to be hung. During the morning of the day that he was to mount the scaffold a mes- senger from Springfield landed in'Carlinville about daylight, bringing a reprieve to Nash reducing his sentence to imprisonment in the penitentiary for life. Xash was a vindictive, bad-tempered man, who had declared that Lockerman's broth- ers and other relatives should never see him hung. A great crowd of persons, not only from this county but from the surrounding counties, flocked to our town to see the hanging, and as it was not known to them that Nash's sentence had been commuted, when informed of the fact, the crowd became very boister- ous and threatening. David McDaniel was then deputy sheriff and jailer. The citizens of the town became excited and raised a body of about sixty men to guard the jail to prevent the Lockermans and their friends from breaking in and taking Nash out and hanging him. During the excitement around the jail HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY 115 the prisoner had torn up some of the bedclothing and had hung himself until he was dead, but this was not known to anyone while the excitement was going on, nor was the suicide discovered until the crowd had dispersed from the town. On opening the jail door Sheriff McDaniel on looking down into the dungeon after the crowd had dispersed, discovered Nash hanging to a beam of the upper floor of that part of the prison. These items would not be complete without giving the history of some of the leading men and women that were living in and organizing the county, which occurred in 1829. The greater number of the persons to whom I shall refer had emigrated to the county, were pioneers previous to that time and aided in its organization. Robert Wallace, with a large family of boys and girls, had 'emigrated, I think, from Tennessee, and as he was a man of some capital that he had brought with him, entered the land on which the northern part of our city is located. He was a man of great industry, prudent in his dealings, and soon accumulated money sufficient, aside from that which he had brought with him, to "enter up" many acres of the then virgin soil surrounding the vil- lage. And as he had much help in his boys Mr. Wallace's farming interests were pushed and from that source he accumulated property faster than did most of the pioneers. He built a log cabin on the land that he had first entered that is now within the city limits, on North Broad street, where John Brown's residence is located. Soon after Wallace's coming, T think, in 1829 or 1830, David McDaniels, a young man, landed here, and was very soon on social terms with the Wallace family, and within a short time married the eldest daughter, Rebecca. From that day until the day of his death, which occurred some time in the '705, he was a very active, energetic, good citizen, and reared a family of boys and girls that have taken their places in our county as worthy citizens and who greatly aided in the building up of the county to its present high position. McDaniel was often elected to positions of trust ; was deputy sheriff and jailer during the terms of Sheriffs John Harris, Jeff Weatherforcl, Beatty T. Burke, Sr., and others. He was also elected justice of the peace, acting in that capac- ity for more than thirty years and giving perfect satisfaction to persons who had business in connection with that office. At his death his funeral was largely attended and the death of no man who ever resided in our county was more deeply regretted. In regard to Robert Wallace, one of his occupations was the raising of hogs. He entered many acres of timber land south of our city in the Macoupin bot- tom, and as there were always a great amount of mast, consisting of acorns, hickorynuts, walnuts, and other growths, that gave food for the wild animals before the pioneers had taken possession, those lands afforded an abundance of mast and Wallace, taking advantage of this fact, bought all the hogs that lie could find in the county and turned them loose in that bottom. Of course the "porkers" accumulated very fast and well do I remember of often being "treed" by them on hunting and fishing trips in that part of the county when I had taken a dog with me. On one occasion my father had bought up and driven to Alton a bunch of fat cattle, and I had gone along to help drive them to that market. My father had secured a very fine bay horse for me to ride, from Mr. Wallace. After selling the cattle he started me for home on the horse. 116 HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY It was during the fall of the year and the roads were good. I was a boy anxious to get home before some furious (?) wild beast or robber should stop me on the road. That is what I thought then. There were not very many wild beasts and but few robbers that would stop a boy at that early day for the purpose of rob- bing him. I started from middle Alton at ten o'clock in the morning and landed in Carlinville, thirty-five miles distant, at one o'clock in the afternoon, having made the trip in three hours, by putting the horse to his best gait when on level ground. That was regarded as a feat that only a thoroughbred horse could ac- complish. Another man of note was Major P. H. Winchester, who came here with his family from Edwardsville during the year 1829 or 1830. He was a lawyer of much repute at that time, but had killed a man in Edwardsville, tor which he was acquitted by the eloquence of Felix Grundy, the celebrated criminal law- yer of Tennessee. The Major brought with him a family of intelligent and edu- cated persons, who took high rank at once with our people. Soon after his arrival Major Ben Stevenson came to Carlinville, for the purpose of settling, bringing with him some of his family. He took an active part in the affairs of the pioneers in aiding to build up and secure immigration into the county. Soon after Stevenson's coming, a very worthy man, Nicholas Boice, came to our village and opened a store. He was here but a few months when lie married the eldest daughter of Major Winchester, and their home became the mecca of all the social gatherings that frequently occurred in the town. The Winchester and Stevenson families were always regarded and esteemed as worthy and .good citizens. The name of John Harris is so indelibly fixed as a benefactor in the records of our county that no lapse of memory will ever cause the coming generations to forget him. He came here and discovered that those who had preceded him needed a mill to grind the grain that was being pounded into meal in Indian mortars, and at once (1830) built a water mill on the Macoupin creek, one and one half miles east of Carlinville, on what is now known as Sunny Home Stock Farm. A portion of the logs that formed the dam now remain on the rocks at the bottom of the creek where it was built. He was the first sheriff of the county, was state senator and honorably filled those and other positions of trust and responsibility. Judge Thomas B. Rice, who settled at what was afterwards Icnown as Rice's Point, in the western part of the county, filled satisfactorily the office of assist- ant county judge and other positions of trust, and died leaving a family, who have followed in his footsteps, in making the county one of the very best in the state. Joseph Phelps and Sallie Ainslee, his wife, my maternal grandparents, came to the county in 1826,. from Tennessee. They settled on what was afterwards known as the Phelps Hill, bringing with them a family of boys and girls, who married and settled in and near Staunton. Nathan Phelps, a son, soon after his majority, became well-to-do and left quite a fortune for lhat day to be distributed between his parents and four sisters, namely : Clarissa, who married Robert Weeks ; Cassie, who married Robert Page ; Charlotte, who married Abram Smith ; and my mother, who had married Abram S. Walker. The latter couple had followed the Phelpses to the new country in the year 1828, HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY 117 and all of those to whom I here refer, except my mother and father, now lie buried at the Phelps cemetery, three miles south and west of Staunton. My mother and father on their arrival built a temporary cabin near the Phelps Hill, remaining there until the spring of 1830, when they removed to Carlinville. At that time there were but two dwelling houses (log cabins) in the young village. They reared a family of two boys and two girls : Caroline, who married William Phelps; myself, who married Permelia A. Dick; Tennessee, who married Fer- dinand Taggart ; and a son, James L., who died in August, 185!, during the epidemic of cholera, in his twentieth year. All except my wife, Permelia A., and I, have passed away, and lie buried in the Carlinville cemetery. Telemachus Camp was a very early settler in our county. He located two miles south of Staunton, and the first thing that he did was to plant an apple and peach orchard. It was the first orchard planted on what afterwards be- came the soil of Macoupin county. Soon after my father arrived in the new country my mother took me on a visit to Mrs. Camp, the wife of Telemachus Camp. They were friends in Tennessee before moving to the new Eldorado. Of course, the apple orchard was the attraction to me. Peter Camp, a son, now owns and lives on the old farm. He is a worthy son of a worthy father. Judge Alva Cloud, a resident of what is now North Otter township, was an early pioneer and was frequently elected to the position of assistant county judge and justice of the peace. He died without blot or stain on his name. Thomas D. Moore, an early pioneer, settled on a farm four miles east of Carlinville. He reared an honorable family, the members of which have done their part in the making of Macoupin county one of the richest of the state. Daniel Anderson was "mine host" of the Green Tree "tavern" in Carlinville, it being the stage stand. His name will ever remain fresh in my memory, from the fact that when a boy, he paid my way into the first circus that I ever at- tended. The Weatherfords emigrated to the county before its organization and soon became leaders in politics and 'the bettering of the condition of the pioneers. Jeff Weatherford succeeded John Harris as sheriff in 1834, but was defeated by lieatty T. Burke, Sr., 1 for that office in 1836, Burke having been deputy under Weatherford for the two previous years. Harbird Weatherford was the work- ing man of all the Weatherfords that I ever knew. He erected an ox mill at an early day, three miles southeast of Carlinville. The Tennis family, John, "Bill" and Alex were pioneers and were worthy citizens. Dr. Levi J. Woods came from Morgan county, Illinois, and located in Car- linville when a young man for the practice of his profession. Soon after his arrival he married Miss Martha McClure, a sister of James A. McClure, Sr., of our county. He was a very promising young man and soon became the leading physician of the county. He belonged to a popular family, pioneers of Morgan county, Illinois. Joseph and George, his brothers, soon after followed him to Carlinville and became leading merchants and honorable citizens of the town. I have always claimed, and had a right to claim, the Doctor as a firm friend of mine. He was cut off in early life during the cholera epidemic here, in July. 1851. He was but thirty-four years of age at the time of his death, and at tint 118 HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY early period of his life had secured a large and paying practice in his profession. He was of a genial disposition, had gained the confidence and esteem of our people and was greatly missed by the community. At an early day there came into the county, about 1827, a large, portly man, known as "King" Solomon, with his wife and a large family of boys. He set- tled on a creek in the northern part of the county, near where Scottville now stands. That creek is now and ever has been since that time, known as Solo- mon's creek. No family in our county has exerted a greater influence for good, or has made itself felt to a greater extent in all the affairs of the county, than "King" Solomon and his seven boys. They took a leading position in the county and maintained it up to the time of their death, having all lived and died in Ma- coupin. The Rev. Stith M. Otwell, a Methodist minister, settled in Carlinville during the early '305 and was the first minister of that church who preached a sermon in our town. He was an able man and left a family of intelligent and cultured boys and girls, having occupied an honorable position in the history of our county. (A more extended sketch of Mr. Otwell will be found on another prge of this volume.) Colonel James C. Anderson emigrated to this county from Kentucky during the year 1834, bringing a family of girls and boys with him. He was a large, portly, fine looking man, that attracted attention wherever he went and, being of bold and independent disposition, soon became a leading force in all the move- ments of the pioneers to induce a good class of emigration to this county. And as he was a typical Kentuckian his influence and efforts brought from that and other southern states many of the better class of emigrants who were then seek- ing homes for themselves and descendants in the free states. His name will always be honored by the old pioneers of our county. He was the father of a family of boys and girls that inherited his open, generous disposition, and they have well maintained and kept to the front this man's great and generous qual- ities of mind and business ability. His grandson, John C. Anderson, owns and is the president of the oldest bank in the city and is regarded as one of the wealthiest men in the county of Macoupin. A goodly number of other descend- ants of this broad-minded man are now living in the county, honorable, upright and intelligent men and women. One of his sons, C. H. C. Anderson, was the husband of Mrs. Mary C. Anderson, who was a daughter of Marshall H. Strat- ton. Having survived her husband, she is now living in Carlinville, occupying a social position that gives her much prominence. Uncle "Dickey" Chapman, one of the early pioneers, settled on Cahokia Creek, during the year 1817 or 1818. He died leaving a family of boys and girls, among whom was our old friend, Major Fletcher H. Chapman of Carlinville, whom we knew as one of the very best of our citizens. He often held positions of re- sponsibility and, having served in the Union army during the rebellion, came home with a record for bravery and efficiency that was not excelled by any other officer of that army. He died but a few years ago, leaving a small family, who have since resided in Chicago. Seth T. Hodges settled in the western part of the county on what has since been known as Hodges' creek, before the organization of the county. He was HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY 119 one of the commissioners that assisted in the organization of the county in 1829. He did his duty in life as he saw it and gained from the -pioneers the encomium of "well done, good and faithful servant." The people of our county will not forget his well performed services in their behalf. He died many years ago, leaving a large family of girls and boys. One of the best known families of early days was that of Uncle "Jimmy" Hall, who emigrated from North Carolina. He came during the year 1817. He was a small, slim-made, active, energetic, quick-spoken man, with courage enough for that early day. He settled on the "ridge," near where Hurricane creek emp- ties into the Macoupin, near the C. & A. railroad station, known as "Macoupin station." Uncle "Jimmy" and all his family were splendid musicians and often enlivened the cabins of other pioneers with sweet strains of the violin". Oliver W., a son, was peculiarly gifted in that most entertaining accomplishment. Ter- rell Hall, another son, I have often thought was the most active man I ever met. He was not a large or robust man ; on the contrary he was slim in his make-up, but well-muscled. On one occasion a stranger came into the town, who proved to be an expert wrestler from St. Louis, boasting of his ability to throw down any man in the village, and especially, Terrell Hall. It did not require many hours until Terrell's friends were on hand, jibing the St. Louis man, telling him that he was too big and "beefy" to throw anybody down and that Terrell Hall could wipe the earth with him. A wager of fifty dollars on the side was made and the contest was to take place the next day. When the time arrived the parties met and arranged "holds" to be taken in each one of three falls. The first was to be "catch-as-catch-can," the second "arm-and-elbow" hold, and the third "back-holds." The contestants selected judges and stripped to pantaloons for the test of skill. The first "catch-as-catch-can" was ended in quicker time than it has taken me to write the above sentence, as Terrell, although the smaller man, was as active as a cat. He caught Davidson and with one effort landed him upon his back, it was said, before Davidson got a hold on Hall. There was to be a half-hour intermission between the falls. The second fall was to be arm-and- elbow holds. This was Hall's favorite and, as he had never been thrown when wrestling this hold, his friends thought that he would end the contest with ease, as the rule was, two best in three of the falls. On coming together for this fall, Terrell tried his favorite "trip" to throw Davidson ; but it failed, as Davidson was too heavy to be handled by the smaller man, with sufficient strength to throw him. But Hall's wind enabled him to wear down Davidson until, in a lucky moment, he got a twist on Davidson and with a '.'trip" threw him and won the fifty dollars. The next day the boys made up a "pony" purse for Davidson to pay his way back to St. Louis on the stage. Another feat that I witnessed when a' small boy,, of Terrell Hall's gave me a lesson in hunting large game that has been of great advantage to me in my outings. A number of men were helping a little "Yankee" to build a store house on the west side of the square, where Steinmeyer's drug store is now located. One of them, who was on the top log of the building, discovered three deer feeding on the prairie, a quar- ter of a mile from the store house, and notified the men below him that there were three deer feeding on the prairie west of where they were at work. Terrell Hall was noted as a skilful hunter of that animal. Some one in the crowd of- 120 HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY fered to wager a small sum that he could not creep on the deer close enough to kill one of them. Having his rifle with him he accepted the wager. No one in the crowd thought he would succeed, as there was nothing between the men and the game to prevent the deer from seeing Hall's approach. He exacted a promise from the men at work that they would continue their work on the building and make no unusual moves, commenced his approach towards his quarry, in a stooping position, for sixty or seventy yards. Then he dropped to his hands and knees and at intervals continued his approach by jumping to his feet and running towards the deer as fast as he could, for twenty-five or thirty yards. Suddenly, he again fell to his hands and knees and lay motionless for a few minutes and again as suddenly jumped to his feet and ran about the same distance as he had done in the first instance toward the deer. When he had per- formed these feats a number of times, the deer still feeding, seemingly without notice of Hall, we saw him raise his rifle to his face, rest his arm that upheld his rifle on his knee, and after taking deliberate aim, fired, and as we heard the report of the gun one of the deer went down, killed by a rifle ball which entered its body just behind the fore shoulder. We had observed that when any one of the deer had its head up looking around, Hall remained motionless ; but when all three of them had their heads down feeding, he would jump to his feet and run towards the deer until he saw *ne of them shake its tail and commence to raise its head. Then again he was down, motionless. It is not generally known that a deer will feed but a few seconds before it raises its head and looks all around for danger, and then resume its feeding if it sees nothing that looks suspicious, and always before it raises its head for another look, it invariably shakes its tail. In order to show the great quantity of game that then roamed over the forests and prairies in this part of the state, I will repeat what Oliver Hall frequently told me of the manner in which meat was obtained during several years that the Halls lived near the junction of the Hurricane and Macoupin creeks. He told me that his father owned an old United States yaeger, flint lock, with the main spring of the lock broken, so that it made the lock useless. He would load up the old gun with powder and ball and would prime the same in the pan of the lock with powder and then taking a torch, made of knots of dry timber, would light the torch and with it in one hand and the yaeger in the other, go slowly through the woods until he spied a deer. He would then creep onto his quarry until he got within thirty or forty yards of it, when he would place the muzzle of the gun in the forks of a bush, or on a log, and take deliberate aim ; then plac- ing the fired torch in contact with the priming in the pan, kill the deer. In this way he furnished the meat for his father's family for several years. On another occasion, he was sent on an errand to a neighbor's cabin and was riding an old mare. When he had got but a short distance from his destination he saw a large black bear jump from an old treetop and start to inn. He started after it and soon overtook the bear, but could not make the old mare jump on it. As he had noth- ing with him that he could kill the animal with he was at a loss to know what to do. The bear kept running and he after it, trying to push the old mare on it, until they got out into the prairie. He then thought of the iron stirrup on his saddle and as soon as possible, keeping the bear in sight, took the stirrup off the saddle and was soon up with it again. As the bear by this time was about fagged HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY 121 he would run up by its side and pound it on the head with the iron stirrup until he finally brought it down. He then jumped off the mare and finished the bear with his improvised weapon. On looking around Hall found himself within a few hundred yards of "bear rough." It had grown to be nearly dark; therefore, he left the bear where he had killed it until the next morning, when he and Terrell went after it and brought it in. Dr. Gideon Blackburn has been so fully discussed in this history that I re- fer to those chapters for his, biography. One thing that I must say of him is, that of all the men that have ever lived and labored for the benefit of our county, Dr. Blackburn, in my estimation, stands in the foreground. Elijah Wills settled in the north part of the county during the early '303. He died many years ago, leaving an intelligent family. One of the boys, Meridea A., was afterwards elected sheriff of the county. William Bird, the father of Joseph Bird, settled in what is now known as Bird township at an early day. The township took its name from him. Jesse Peebles, the father of Judge L. P. Peebles, came to the county some time about its organization. He soon became strongly imbued with the great worth of our prairie and timberland, and realized the real value of these lands for agricultural purposes. He invested his earnings in them and by that means secured many acres of the best land in the county before his death. He left a family that has followed his example, by securing many acres of Macoupin county's rich farm lands. Judge L. P. Peebles, his son, was elected county judge for many terms and always discharged his duties with so much satisfaction that I never heard his action while judge criticised. He was, and is, a lawyer prac- ticing in our courts, having as a partner his son, Jesse Peebles. They have one of the largest clienteles of any law firm in the city, and have the respect and confidence of our people. Joseph Listen, Sr., the father of our townsman, Joseph Listen, Jr., entered and improved a farm in the northeastern part of the county. He came from Kentucky and was noted for his genial and urbane manners. The old farm is still in possession of the family. Colonel James A..McClure was the head of all the McClure family now liv- ing in the county and other portions of our country. As a family the McClures have always been leading men and women, not only of this county but of the state. He emigrated from Kentucky to Macoupin county during the early '308 and located on a farm about three miles east of Carlinville. He was highly edu- cated and was a large, fine-looking gentleman, with a hospitality and manner of the old Virginia planter. The colonel was scrupulously neat about his appear- ance and dressed well. He became a very useful member of the pioneers in the forming and settling of the county. Finally he became connected with one of the departments of the' government at Washington, D. C., and died while in that service, leaving many descendants, who have been noted in our state and county for their ability, honesty and integrity, in all the official and business affairs to which they have been called. Especially have they taken a leading part in build- ing up^our churches and public schools. Alfred S. Mayfield. whose family settled in the county prior to its organiza- tion, was circuit clerk for a number of terms. He was popular with all classes 122 HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY of our citizens. A peculiar feature about Mr. Mayfield was unrealized height, he being six feet and six inches high. One, judging from appearances when seeing him in his office or walking on the streets, would not have estimated him to be over five feet, eight or ten inches in height. This occurred from his being stoop-shouldered. About one year before his death Mrs. Walker and I had the pleasure of a summer's outing with him. among the lakes and forests of Minne- .sota. This outing was taken in the hope that it would be of benefit to his health. He, however, did not realize this hope. He came home without benefit from the trip and bravely fought the disease that was pulling him down until the next summer, when, with the knowledge of his approaching end, he admonished his children to be true and kind to their mother, aiding and comforting her in the great affliction that would soon weigh her down. And thus this loving father passed away, leaving his wife and a young family of boys and girls to be looked after by her. Barney Rhodes belonged to a large family that came into the county, some of them, before its organization. It would be impossible for me to single out each member of this family and do justice to those that have passe/1 away, per- haps unknown to me, and those that are now living. Space would not permit of my doing so, as the members of this family would fill the historical book that we are now assisting in preparing. But to return to Uncle Barney, no man in his community stood higher for truth, honesty and integrity. His promise was accepted by all, without hesitation or doubt. He was a farmer, living in what is now Plainview township. He entered land, he struggled with the wilderness un- til he subdued it. He died respected and loved by all who knew him. His chil- dren, well started in life from his earnings and their own, have made good. So rest, Uncle Barney, your good name will never suffer by the conduct of your children. Barr's Store in the northwest part of our county, took its name from Hugh C. Barr, who settled there about the year 1830. Thomas Davis came to Carlinville about the year 1828 and settled on a farm that he entered about one mile west of Carlinville. He was a good man, true to all the duties in which he was trusted. Dr. Edmond C. Vancil was a man of more than ordinary ability. He came to this county about the year 1826 and settled in what is now North Otter town- ship. He was a successful physician, a model farmer and commenced in early life to acquire all the land in the northern part of our county, and came near doing so before his death. As his name will appear in another part of this his- tory, I refer thereto for the details of his life. Pinkney Hughes, the father of our T. P. Hughes, came to this county about the time of its organization, and soon took a leading position in all the affairs of the pioneers who were then laboring to build up the county and people it with a good class from the emigration which was then generally flowing from the south. I have always rejoiced that Daniel Dick, a resident of Kentucky, emigrated to Illinois for when I became of age I visited his house, found a most beautiful girl and, within a very few months afterwards, she became my wife. Mr. Dick was the nephew of the Donners, who went from Sangamon county to California, many of them perishing during the winter of 1846-7 in the Nevada mountains HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY 123 from starvation, as they were caught before they had crossed the Nevada moun- tains by the fall of a heavy snow that obscured all traces and covered the ground to the depth of thirty or forty feet. Some of them escaped to Captain Suiter's ranch on the Sacramento, during the spring following. He first settled in San- gamon county, Illinois, but soon afterwards moved to Macoupin and bought a farm in what is now North Otter township. He acquired many acres of those now valuable lands in that township. His wife died in 1853, when he moved with his children to Carlinville, and lived there up to the' time of his death which occurred in 1878. Colonel Isaac Greathouse, warden of the Alton penitentiary during the '305, with his family, moved to Carlinville about the year 1840 and bought four or five hundred acres of land adjoining and including the home place of Bertie M. Burke, where he, Burke, now resides. He erected on the land adjoining that residence a deer park of one hundred and sixty acres, by building a stake-and- rider fence about twelve feet high, and placed therein about three hundred deer, that made a great resort for all the pioneers of the county. Hugh Rice, a Scotchman, came to the county at an early day, settling in what is now Gillespie township, and in 1849, he and I started for California, joining the Alton company that went from that city to the new Eldorado. To learn the characteristics of a man nothing is of more aid than trav- eling and camping with him on a trip of this kind. He had become possessed of a number of acres of land and when starting on this trip left a young family behind him. By his industry and economy he accumulated quite a fortune, leaving it to his children, who have proved worthy of being the sons and daughters of as good a man as was Uncle "Hughey" Rice. Beatty T. Burke, Sr., came to the county of Macoupin in 1830, from Virginia. His history is given in detail in this work, hence I refer the reader to another ar- ticle which relates to his successful efforts in aiding the building up of our county. Ferdinand Taggart came to Carlinville at an early day and erected the first brick building in the city. He married a sister of the writer and for years was one of the firm of Walker, Phelps & Company, engaged in the mercantile business in this city, Alton and Taylorville. H. W. Wall's father came to Macoupin county before its organization, Wall being born in the county and raised by Telemachus Camp. He was a successful business man and acquired a very considerable fortune before his death, which occurred a few years ago in Staunton, Illinois. He occupied positions of trust, both state and county, always with credit to himself and benefit to his consti- tuency and earned a reputation for honesty and integrity not surpassed by any citizen of the county. Sargeant Gobble settled in what is now Scottville township before the town of that name was laid out, 'and became one of the leading men in that part of the county. He was frequently elected to positions of trust by the people of the county, as well as of his own township. John Lumpkin settled in what is now Chesterfield township, about the time of the county's organization. He soon acquired a large farm and other prop- erty and was and continued to the time of his death, a respected citizen of that 124 HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY locality. C. J. Lumpkin, now the owner and editor of the Enquirer of our city, is a descendant from that respected pioneer. Thos. B. Ross, who with his father's family settled in what is now Palmyra township in an early day, became sheriff of the county and died of the cholera in 1851. He filled the office with satisfaction and credit to himself as well as to his constituency. Moore's branch, three miles east of Carlinville, took its name from Robert W. Moore, who was a Revolutionary soldier, and moved to this county at about the time of its organization. (See another chapter giving his history.) Dr. John W. Hankins came to Carlinville when it was but a small village. 1 think he began the practice of medicine in 1843 and became before his death one of the most successful physicians that ever practiced medicine in Carlinville, having during his later years the most of the best families of the town as his patients. He became quite well-to-do and left his property to his children who reside here and in other states. General John I. Rinaker came to Carlinville in December, 1852, and com- menced the study of law under John M. Palmer, who was then a very successful lawyer. He obtained license to practice law in 1854. He afterwards married in October, 1855, Miss Clarissa Keplinger, who resided in Franklin, Morgan county, Illinois, and has from that time until the present, been a permanent resident of our city. General Rinaker is a successful lawyer, a brave soldier, who enlisted in the Union army in 1862. went through the entire war, coming out as a briga- dier general with a record of bravery and efficiency. The writer of this sketch got the knowledge that he has of the law as a student in the office of General Rinaker. I have found him to be an upright, fearless lawyer, ready to defend the interests of his clients with great skill and ability. We went through the entire courthouse controversy, associated together in the fight against the bond- holders until we finally succeeded in relieving the taxpayers of our county of one million dollars. I think the records of that controversy will justify the above assertion. The General and Mrs. Rinaker have raised a family of boys, who are lawyers and one a skilled architect. They inherited from their father the prin- ciples of the law and have proven themselves able, worthy and successful de- fenders of the rights of their clients. Two of them have succeeded as repre- sentatives of the people in the legislature of our state, and the General was elected and served a term in the lower house of congress but declined to become a can- didate again. Henry W. Burton was a native of Connecticut and emigrated from that state to Illinois in 1841, having become strongly imbued with the idea, as ex- pressed by Stephen A. Douglas, "It is no crime to be born in one of the eastern states, provided you emigrate early." Following out this idea Mr. Burton, when a young man, started for the West to cast his lot with the pioneers of Illinois. Here the farms had no rocks to be moved off, that the land might be plowed, but on the contrary the land produced in great abundance without the hard labor required on a farm in the eastern states. His first stop- ping place was Woodburn, in the south part of the county. His brother, James came with him and there he married a Miss Cornelia Rider, who proved a de- voted and helpful wife. They had two children, Etta and Frank W. Etta HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY 125 married judge Robert B. Shirley, who is the son of William C. Shirley, whose family settled in Illinois at an early date and became connected with the Hoxey family. They, too, were pioneers of Illinois. Frank W. Burton was admitted to the bar after a course of reading in the office of the writer and is now one of the leading lawyers of the state. He married Miss Anna Robertson, the daughter of Dr. William A. Robertson. He was first elected as states attorney for the county. He is now serving his second term as state senator. The writer of this sketch first became acquainted with Henry W. Burton during an outing we had together in 1844 over the beautiful prairie of Illinois. In going from Carlinville to our destination in a spring wagon we travelled the road that led from Carlinville to Springfield, there being no house or habitation between Carlinville and John Virden's stage stand, situated near the timber of Sugar Creek in the southern part of Sangamon County. From that time until his death, a few years ago, that outing was repeated in different parts of the United States, annually, until we both became convinced that we had passed the age of the camp life of the hunter. In 1868 Mr. Burton was elected circuit clerk of our county and held that office for twelve years, being elected for three terms. He moved to our city soon after his first election and resided here until his death. He was of genial disposition and made friends wherever his lot was cast. No man in this county stood higher in the estimation of our people for honesty, integrity and upright- ness in all his dealings. During the gold excitement of 1849 Mr. Burton crossed the plains to the "new Eldorado," California, and return home during the year 1851 and soon afterwards commenced a mercantile business in Woodburn and Bunker Hill, which was continued until he was elected to the office of circuit clerk in 1868. Josiah Burrough settled on a hill one-half mile east of Carlinville. The stream nearby afterwards and up to the present day has been called "Burrough's Branch.'' Mr. Burrough was one of the commissioners who assisted in the or- ganization of the county and diecl leaving a large family to mourn his loss. Dr. William A. Robertson was a son of a Methodist minister who came to our county about the time of its organization. In many respects, Dr. Robertson had many traits that the pioneers thought strange, one of which was that while merchandising in Carlinville he invariably walked to Alton, 35 miles distant, to purchase his goods for the store. Another was that becoming subject to dys- pepsia he tried to cure it by the use of crackers and water alone, without other food for one year. He, too, soon became conscious that the purchase of lands in this county would repay him better than merchandising and became a trader in real estate and the loaning of money, at which he succeeded to the extent that when he died he was quite wealthy for that day. He reared a family of boys and girls who have aided greatly in the building up of the county. I neg- lected to say that Dr. Robertson became a Methodist preacher and died in that faith. Ezekiel Good settled in what is now Carlinville and built the first log cabin that was erected, across the street east from the courthouse. He was one of the commissioners that laid off the county. He did his duty to the full satisfaction of the pioneers of this county and died in 1834 greatly lamented 126 HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY by those whose acquaintance he had formed. He was buried in the Carlinville cemetery and was one of the first to be interred in that now populous burying ground. In preparing the above sketches I have tried to confine myself to the pioneers who came to the county prior to and about the time of its organization, in 1829. I feel conscious that I have made mistakes and have omitted the names of many pioneers whose names ought to be recorded in this sketch. Memory fails in the attempt to single out incidents and men when the corroding effects of time have intervened between the long ago and today. CHAPTER VII. GOVERNMENT. COMMISSIONERS' COURT OF ALMOST UNLIMITED POWER LIST OF FIRST VOTERS COMMISSIONERS' COURT ABOLISHED AND COUNTY DIVIDED INTO TOWNSHIPS NAMES OF COUNTY OFFICIALS FROM 1829 TO 19! I. Under the act of the legislature passed in 1829, creating the county of Ma- coupin, provision was made for a governing body to be known as the county commissioners' court, and at the first election, held at the home of Joseph Bor- ough on the I3th day of April, 1829, a majority of the votes cast resulted in the choice of Theodorus Davis, William Wilcox and Seth Hodges as members of said court. Tristram P. Hoxey was appointed county clerk. His duties included the offices of county recorder and circuit clerk. Joseph Borough, at whose home the first election was held, was appointed county surveyor by the governor in 1829, and it was he who laid out the county seat. At the election referred to, seventy-eight votes were cast. NAMES OF VOTERS. John Hope, Edward McKinley, Reuben Harris, Isom Dalton, Charles Mc- Vey, Lewis Stiller, Peter Akes, Jr., William Smith, Howard Finley, Alfred Akes, Robert Patton, Jesse Cox, Isaac Akes, Robert Palmer, Robert Harris, Shadrach Reddick, David Coop, Henry Weeks, John Chandler, Joseph Carter, John D. Chapman, Joseph Vincent, Charles Lear, Jr., Levi Day, George Shelly, William Lovel, Thomas Loveless, Daniel Stringer, Samuel Jackson, Aaron Jack- son, William Cormack, Reuben Jackson, John G. Wright, David T. Taylor, Sam- uel Lear, Joseph Borough, John Snell, Theodorus Davis, Sr., William Wilcox, Richard Chapman, William G. Coop, John Davis, Larken Richison, William Cummings, James B. Cowell, Andrew Russell, Isaac Massey, Hiram Russell, Abel Russell, Isaac Bristow, Reuben Clevenger, Morris Hilyard, John Gray, Newton Vance, Hugh Gibson, Charles Lear, Sr., Joseph Hilyard, Michael Best, David Coop, Sr., John Harris, John W. Cox, Joshua Simmons, Samuel M. Har- ris, Peter Akes, Sr., Elijah Bristow, Seth T. Hodges, George Mathis, Solomon Davis, Roger Snell, Tristram P. Hoxey, John Powell, Abraham Wyatt, Lewis Solomon, Alexander Carson, John Lee, Sr., John Lee, Jr., Theodorus Davis, Jr., John Coop (78 votes). "I certify that John Powell, Abraham Wyatt, judges, and T. P. Hoxey and Theodorus Davis, clerks of the election, were severally sworn before me as the 127 128 HISTORY OF MACOUPIX COUNTY law directs, and that I was sworn agreeably to law by John Powell, he being one of the judges of the election, previous to our entering upon the duties of our respective offices dated at the house of Joseph Borough, this I3th day of April, one thousand eight hundred and twenty-nine. "LEWIS SOLOMON, J. P." A poll of an election held at the house of Felix Hoover, in the third precinct in Macoupin county, on the i6th of May, 1829. NAMES OF VOTERS. Levi Day, Isaac Prewitt, David Faulkner, Felix Hoover, T. N. Vance, I. Lee, Jr., I. McGinnis, G. Mathis, J. Nevins, I. Massey, Thomas Morris, S. Hodges, Russell Tabor. William U. Vance, I. Bristow, E. Wells, I. Howard, Charles Lear, Andrew Russell, Wyatt Wardup, Green Weaver, David Taylor, Edmond C. Vancil, William Cummings, E. Bristow, James Bristow, T. C. Mabry, T. Nev- ins, Hugh Gibson, Henry Quyle, Solomon Davis, John Cummings, Lewis Solo- mon (35 votes). A poll book of an election held at the house of Joseph Borough, Macoupin county, state of Illinois, for Macoupin district, to elect three magistrates and two constables in and for said district, this i6th of May, 1829. NAMES OF VOTERS. David Stringer, Andrew Brownlee, John Harris, Robert Palmer, Samuel M. Harris, Samuel Lear, Theodorus Davis, Bennett Tilley, Abraham Smith, Tris- tram P. Hoxsey, David Coop, Sr., Daniel Deadrick, Richard Smith, Shadrach Reddick, Norris Hays, Nathan Mabry, Aaron Tilley, John L. Davis, John Pow- ell, Joseph Borough, Peter Akes, William G. Coop (23 votes). At an election held this i6th day of May, 1829, agreeably to an order received from the county clerk of Macoupin county, we the undernamed judges and clerks do return the following list of names to be acknowledged as sufficient votes at said election : NAMES OF VOTERS. Lewis Cormack, Joseph Vinson, Henry Weeks, John Vinson, james Grant, Abraham Wyatt, Peyton Samands, William Wilcox, Joseph Hilyard, Alexan- der B. Miller, Joshua Samands, Cornelius Wood, Edward McKinley, James B. Cowell, William G. Cormack, John W. Cox, Samuel Jackson, Roger Snell, John Chapman. Joseph Best, Michael Best, John Snell (22 votes). To the commissioners' court was given almost unlimited power in the matter of local government and its jurisdiction covered almost every conceivable sub- ject relating to the business affairs of the bailiwick. In fact, the record makes it appear that on more than one occasion the court assumed dignities not intended by the law which called it into being, and for that reason it finally became a tar- get for many adverse criticisms. The county commissioners' court continued in existence until 1849, when it was abolished by an act of the legislature, approved February I2th of that year. Citv Park Xortli Tliird Street. Looking; North C. & A. Depot I. T. S. High School West Madison Street VIEWS OF GIRARD LIBRARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY 129 Under this act provision was made for a county court to consist of a j udge, and two associate justices, whose duties should be "to sit with the county judge, as members of the court, for the transaction of all county business." The county court remained in existence until 1870, when it was superseded by the board of supervisors, the present governing board of the county. Dissatisfaction throughout the county was made manifest by many of the taxpayers, with the manner in which the affairs of the county had been con- ducted, and hence it was that in 1870 the citizens of Macoupins by a decided majority, adopted the township form of government, which has since been adhered to. THE COUNTY DIVIDED INTO TOWNSHIPS. Following the expressed determination of the people to adopt the township form of government, the county court, then composed of Philander C. Huggins, Andrew A. Atkins and Martin Olmstead, appointed John I. Rinaker, E. H. Davis and John T. Henderson commissioners, to divide the county into towns, agree- ably to the statute made and provided to provide for township organization. In relation thereto the following appears in the records : "At a meeting of the board of commissioners appointed by the county court of Macoupin county, state of Illinois, at the December term, A. D., 1870, of said court to divide said county into townships and name the same under the town- ship organization laws of the state of Illinois, held at the court house in Carlin- ville on this day in pursuance of agreement, the board organized by the ap- pointment of John I. Rinaker as chairman and John P. Henderson secretary. "The said board as such commissioners proceeded to divide the county into towns, making as many towns as there are townships according to government survey, there being twenty-four in number. The board not being fully advised in regard to the wishes of the people in the several towns, or some of them, in regard to names for the said towns, and wishing to further consult the wishes of the people, it was moved and carried that the board adjourn to meet again on Thursday, February 2, 1871, at the county clerk's office in Carlinville, Ma- coupin county, Illinois. "JOHN I. RINAKER, "Chairman Board Commissioners. "JOHN P. HENDERSON, "Secretary of the Board. "February 23, 1871. "The board met pursuant to adjournment, present John I. Rinaker, E. H. Davis and John P. Henderson. After due consideration of reports from differ- ent parts of the county, the board proceeded to make changes in the names of towns in accordance with .the expressed will of the people and agreed and finally adopted the names as set forth in the report this day, agreed upon and filed with the county clerk, which report was duly signed by the several commissioners and the board adjourned. "JOHN I. RINAKER, Chairman. "JOHN P. HENDERSON, Secretary." Vol. I I 130 HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY In 1872 township 12 N. R. 6 W. was divided into two townships, namely, Virden and Girard, which made the number of townships in the county twenty- five. In 1884 Staunton township was divided into two halves and the north half was named Mt. Olive, which made the number of townships in the county twenty-six, which at present prevails. COUNTY COMMISSIONERS. Theodorus Davis, William Wilcox, Seth Hodges, 1829; Lewis Solomon, Roger Snell, Samuel Lair, 1832; Samuel Lair, Ezekiel Ross, Jesse Rhoads, 1834; Ezekiel Ross, Jesse Rhoads, Thomas Corr, 1836; Lewis Solomon, Samuel Lair, Frederick A. Olds, 1838; Lewis Solomon, Andrew S. Opdyke, Samuel Lair, 1839; Lewis Solomon, Andrew S. Opdyke, Seburn Gilmore, 1840; David Mc- Shee, A. S. Opdyke, S. Gilmore, 1841 ; John S. Foster, S. Gilmore, David Mc- Shee, 1842; David McShee, J. S. Foster, Jarrett Dugger, 1843; David McShee, J. S. Foster, Jarrett Dugger, 1844; Jarrett Dugger, David McShee, John M. Hilyard, 1845; David McShee, John M. Hilyard, Bird Peebles. 1846; John M. Hilyard, Bird Peebles, David McShee, 1847; J orin M. Hilyard, David McShee, Bird Peebles, 1848; Bird Peebles, David McShee, John M. Hilyard. 1849. PROBATE JUDGES. J. P. Smith, 1831; P. W. Winchester, 1832; Charles Stover, 1837; Thomas Jayne, 1839; John M. Palmer, 1843; Seburn Gilmore, 1847; John M. Palmer, 1848; William Weer, Jr., 1851 ; S. S. Gilbert, 1853; Lewis Solomon, 1857; T. L. Loomis, 1861, reelected in 1865; P. C. Huggins, 1869; Lewis P. Peebles, 1873, reelected in 1877. COUNTY JUDGES. John M. Palmer, James Breden, G. A. W. Cloud, 1849; William Weer, G. A. W. Cloud, 1852; Samuel S. Gilbert, James Breden, 1852; G. A. W. Cloud, George Judd, 1854; S. S. Gilbert, G. A. W. Cloud, George Judd, 1856; L. Solomon, T. B. Rice, G. A. W. Cloud, 1857; Thaddeus L. Loomis, G. A. W. Cloud, Thomas B. Rice, 1861 ; T. L. Loomis, John Yowell, Isham J. Peebles, 1865; Philander C. Huggins, Andrew A. Atkins, Martin Olmstead. 1869; Lewis P. Peebles, 1873, reelected 1877, 1882 and 1886; Archilaus Yancey, 1890; Bal- four Cowen, 1894; David E. Keefe, 1898; J. B. Vaughan, 1902, reelected, 1906; Truman A. Snell, 1908. COUNTY CLERKS. T. P. Hoxey, 1829; John Wilson, 1837, removed the same year and A. Mc- Kim Dubois elected to fill the position; J. A. Chestnut, 1838; Enoch Wall, 1851 ; George H. Holliday, 1858; Thomas M. Metcalf, 1869; Casper Westermeier, Jr., 1873, reelected, 1882; William R. Dugan, 1886; John B. Vaughn, 1890; Fred G. HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY 131 Oeltgen, 1894; O. C. Hartley, 1898; W. C. Seehausen, 1902, reelected, 1906 and 1908. STATES ATTORNEYS. George Farquer, 1830; John J. Hardin, 1833; Stephen A. Douglas, 1835; Jesse B. Thomas, 1837; D. M. Woodson, 1839; John S. Greathouse, 1841; John Evans, 1843; C. H. Goodrich, 1845; Henry Dusenberry, 1847; C..H. Goodrich, 1849; Cyrus Epler, 1853; James B. White, 1857; C. M. Morrison, 1865; Horace Gwin, 1870; S. T. Corn, 1873; Alexander H. Bell, 1880; Frank W. Burton, 1884, reelected, 1888; J. B. Vaughn, 1896, reelected, 1904; James M. Mahoney, 1900; A. S. Cuthbertson, 1904; James H. Murphy, 1910. CIRCUIT CLERKS. Tristram P. Hoxey, 1829; A. McKim Dubois, 1841; A. S. Mayfield, 1860. He died after his reelection in 1864 and the term was filled out by M. Mayfield; Henry W. Burton, 1868; George R. Hughes, 1876; Thomas R. McKee, 1880, reelected, 1884; Ben B. Olbert, 1888; John Homer, 1896, reelected, 1900; George L. Tipton, 1904; Thomas Cain, 1908. SHERIFFS. John Harris, 1829; Jefferson Weatherford, 1834; B. T. Burke; 1838; William M. Snow, 1851; J. L. Plain, 1854; M. McClure, 1856; J. L. Plain, 1858; M. N. Wills, 1860; H. Tappan, 1862; M. N. Wills, 1864; Joseph B. Listen, 1866; S. B. Wilcox, 1868; William H. Fishback, 1870. He died in office and the term was filled out by Peter Schaffer; James T. Pennington, 1872; Isaac Heaton, 1876; John F. Sunderland, 1878, reelected, 1880; Abraham C. Hulse, 1882; Lawrence C. Murphy, 1886; Henry D. O'Neil, 1890; P. C. Davenport, 1894; W. J. H. Fahrenkrog, 1898; Ed H. Dickerson, 1902; Robert L. Jones, 1906; Elmo Etter, 1908. TREASURERS. William G. Coop, 1829; Henry H. Havron, 1831 ; Travis Moore, 1832; Archer B. Beauchamp, 1832; Travis Moore, 1833; John Lewis, 1834; James McLarning, 1839; Thomas P. Ross, 1847; William M. Maddox. 1850; L. F. Palmer, 1850; William M. Snow, 1853; Thomas Hart, 1854; Mark Crowder, 1855; Dempsey Sawyer, 1857; Frank Steward, 1865; Randolph J. Haley, 1869; John W. Ayers, 1871; John W. Wills, 1873; Lucius B. Corbin, 1875; Zachariah Harris, 1879; George Siegel, 1882;' Peter Heinz, 1886; Abraham Frey, 1890; Thomas Z. Glea- son, 1894; Thomas P. Hughes, 1898; Emmet T. Rice, 1902; Elmo Etter, 1906; S. T. Carmody, 1908. CORONERS. David Coop, Sr., 1829; Robert Wallace, 1832; William S. Raymond, 1840; William S. Dugger, 1842; Josiah Borough, 1844; William S. Dugger, 1846; John Graham, 1847; Josiah Borough, 1853; William F. Dugger, 1856; William B. 132 HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY Brink, 1856; David McDaniel, 1858; J. D. Kerr, 1860; - - Wright, 1864; John Cromwell, 1866; M. R. Judd, 1868; Charles A. Herb, 1870; Peter Schaffer, 1871 ; David Deeds, 1872; Peter Heinz, 1874; Andrew Rathgeber, 1876; James S. Duncan, 1878; Franklin B. Simpson, 1882; Robert A. Hoxey, 1888; C. C. Robin- son, 1900; Henry Winter, 1904; Dorris Karns, 1908. SUPERINTENDENTS OF SCHOOLS. William Miller, 1833; Daniel Anderson, 1839; Enoch Wall, 1846; G. W. Wal- lace, 1847; William Weer, 1849; George B. Hicks, 1851 ; Lewis Judd, 1855; Hor- ace Givin, 1859; Charles E. Foote, 1861 ; Fletcher W. Chapman, 1869; John S. Kenyon, 1873; F. W. Crouch, 1877; George W. Grubb, 1881 ; George W. Bower- sox, 1883; George Harrington, 1886; Thomas E. Moore, 1890; J-ames E. Mc- Clure, 1894; M. M. Kessinger, 1898; Robert C. Moore, 1906; reelected in 1908. SURVEYORS. Philip Deatherage, 1829; he died the same year and Ezekiel Good was ap- pointed to fill the office; Benjamin V. Stephenson, 1837; Isaac Whitaker, 1841; George H. Holliday, 1851; F. H. Chapman, 1853; Thomas R. McKee, 1859; A. W. Edwards, 1861 ; G. W. Farrar, 1863; T. G. Capps, 1865; James Woodul, 1867; E. C. Winchester, 1869; Jacob R. Muhleman, 1875; E. C. Winchester, 1878; Thomas. Bacon, 1884; H. M. Minton, 1896; S. T. Morse, 1904; G. E. Mc- Kean, 1908. He resigned and S. T. Morse was appointed to fill the office. SUPERVISORS. 1871. Staunton Thomas Funderburk; Cahokia Edward S. Holmes; Honey Point James W. York ; Shaw's Point John Lewis ; Nilwood J. D. Williamson ; Vir- den J. D. Metcalf; Dorchester Thomas J. Lukens; Gillespie Randal Clark; Brushy Mound Levi Mitchell; Carlinville B. T. Burke; South Otter Will- iam H. Johnson ; North Otter Andrew A. Atkins ; Bunker Hill J. T. Penning- ton; Hilyard William N. Thomas; Polk Moses S. Eldred; Bird Samuel L. Loveless; South Palymra Dempsey N. Solomon; North Palymra J. B. Van- cil; Brighton Henry F. Martin; Shipman R. F. Rambo; Chesterfield Nicho- las Challacombe; Western Mound W. C. Edwards; Barr John M. Bates; Scottville John H. Rohrer. 1872. Staunton Henry A. Best ; Cahokia Edward S. Holmes ; Honey Point John Cromwell ; Shaw's Point John Lewis ; Nilwood J. D. Williamson ; Girard J. D. Metcalf ; Virden Jonathan Plowman ; Dorchester Thomas J. Lukens ; Gillespie Francis M. Adams ; Brushy Mound F. Trabue ; Carlinville B. T. Burke; South Otter Robert Bacon; North Otter Andrew A. Atkins; Bunker Hill William Love; Hilyard R. Cromwell; Polk Moses S. Eldred; HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY 133 Bird Samuel L. Loveless; South Palmyra Dempsey N. Solomon; North Palymra J. B. Vancil; Brighton Henry F. Martin; Shipman Edward C. Wales; Chesterfield Nicholas Challacombe; Western Mound W. C. Edwards; Barr Richard J. Metcalf ; Scottville James H. Rohrer. 1873- Staunton William Panhorst; Cahokia Edward S. Holmes; Honey Point John Brown; Shaw's Point G. W. Barnett; Nilwood A. F. Hamilton; Girard J. P. Wiley ; Virden Jonathan Plowman ; Dorchester Thomas J. Lukens ; Gillespie Alexander Sinclair; Brushy Mound F. Trabue; Carlinville B. T. Burke; South Otter Robert Bacon; North Otter Andrew A. Atkins; Bunker Hill F. W. Cross; Hilyard R. Cromwell; Polk Moses S. Eldred; Bird- John Craggs; South Palmyra Dempsey N. Solomon; North Palymra J. B. Vancil ; Brighton Henry F. Martin ; Shipman Edward C. Wales ; Chesterfield Nicholas Challacombe ; Western Mound W. C. Edwards ; Barr Edward Henderson ; Scottville James H. Rohrer. 1874. Staunton F. M. Anderson ; Cahokia Allen Bayless ; Honey Point * ; Shaw's Point G. W. Barnett; Nilwood, John H. Ballinger; Girard Michael Brown; Virden *; Dorchester John R. Sawyer; Gillespie P. H. Pentzer; Brushy Mound George Cowell ; Carlinville B. T. Burke ; South Otter Moses Yowell ; North Otter Andrew A. Atkins ; Bunker Hill F. W. Cross ; Hilyard Peter Coriell ; Polk Moses S. Eldred ; Bird** ; South Palmyra* ; North Palmyra J. B. Vancil ; Brighton George A. Brown ; Shipman Samuel Will- iams ; Chesterfield Amos Goodsell ; Western Mound P. R. Cook ; Barr Rich- ard J. Metcalf; Scottville James B. Angelo. Staunton F. M. Henderson ; Cahokia William M. Baldwin ; Honey Point J. B. Masters; Shaw's Point *; Nilwood S. H. Taylor; Girard Michael Brown; Virden J. G. Smith; Dorchester John R. Sawyer; Gillespie P. H. Pentzer; Brushy Mound George Cowell, Jr.; Carlinville; B. T. Burke; South Otter Moses Yowell; North Otter Andrew A. Atkins; Bunker Hill F. W. Cross; Hilyard Joseph Waggoner; Polk Moses S. Eldred; Bird J. F. Gulp; South Palmyra Dempsey N. Solomon; North Palmyra J. B. Vancil; Brighton George A. Brown ; Shipman J. W. Darlington ; Chesterfield Amos Goodsell ; Western Mound P. R. Cook ; Barr J. W. Henderson ; Scottville James B. Angelo. 1876. Staunton F. M. Henderson; Cahokia L. W. Link; Honey Point Isaac G. Colton; Shaw's Point E. W. Johnson; Nilwood S. H. Taylor; Girard Michael *Not represented. **Not recorded. 134 HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY Brown; Virden J. G. Smith; Dorchester John R. Sawyer; Gillespie P. H. Pentzer ; Brushy Mound George Cowell ; Carlinville B. T. Burke, George Hunter, assistant ; South Otter Moses Yowell ; North Otter William A. Gard- ner; Bunker Hill F. W. Cross; Hilyard R. Cromwell; Polk Moses S. El- dred; Bird J. H. Arnett; South Palmyra Dempsey N. Solomon; North Pal- myra J. B. Vancil ; Brighton George A. Brown ; Shipman T. N. Marsh ; Chesterfield Amos Goodsell; Western Mound P. R. Cook; Barr J. W. Dalby: Scottville David Elder. 1877. Staunton F. M. Henderson ; Cahokia L. W. Link ; Honey Point J. B. Masters; Shaw's Point David Gooch; Nilwood S. H. Taylor; Girard William E. Eastham ; Virden J. G. Smith ; Dorchester John R. Sawyer ; Gillespie P. H. Pentzer; Brushy Mound D. P. Deadrick; Carlinville Thaddeus Phillips; W. E. P. Anderson, assistant ; South Otter Moses Yowell ; North Otter Wil- liam A. Gardner ; Bunker Hill F. W. Cross ; Hilyard Alexander Shultz ; Polk Moses S. Eldred ; Bird Henry Craggs ; South Palmyra Dempsey N. Solo- mon ; North Palmyra- J. B. Vancil ; Brighton George A Brown ; Shipman T. N. Marsh; Chesterfield Amos Goodsell; Western Mound Gus Etter; Barr J. W. Dalby ; Scottville James B. Angelo. 1878. Staunton William Panhorst ; Cahokia L. W. Link ; Honey Point John F. Sunderland; Shaw's Point J. J. Womack; Nilwood James H. Wolfe; Girard William E. Eastham ; Virden J. G. Smith ; Dorchester John R. Sawyer ; Gil- lespie P. H. Pentzer; Brushy Mound Joseph F. Clark; Carlinville J. W. Hankins ; T. G. Moore, assistant ; South Otter Thomas Mahan ; North Otter D. W. Solomon ; Bunker Hill F. W. Cross ; Hilyard Newell H. Brown ; Polk Henry Bradford; Bird Samuel L. Loveless; South Palmyra William G. Ross ; North Palmyra George W. Bullock ; Brighton George A. Brown ; Ship- man C. E. Wales ; Chesterfield Amos Goodsell ; Western Mound Philip R. Cook; Barr J. W. Dalby; Scottville James H. Rohrer. 1879. Staunton Thomas Funderburk; Cahokia L. M. Link; Honey Point Wil- liam N. Gulp; Shaw's Point John J. Womack; Nilwood James H. Wolfe; Girard C. C. Armstrong ; Virden John G. Smith ; Dorchester Josiah Sawyei , Gillespie P. H. Pentzer ; Brushy Mound William H. Perrine ; Carlinville John W. Hankins; T. G. Moore; South Otter Moses Yowell; North Otter Enoch Hill; Bunker Hill P. C. Muggins; Hilyard James Hackney; Polk John M. Yowell ; Bird George W. Arnett ; South Palmyra William G. Ross ; North Palmyra James Nevins ; Brighton E. T. Dain ; Shipman C. E. Wales ; Ches- terfield Amos Goodsell; Western Mound Elisha Dawson; Barr Edwin Hen- derson ; Scottville James H. Rohrer. 1880. Staunton Thomas Funderburk, Cahokia L. W. Link ; Honey Point Wil- liam N. Gulp; Shaw's Point John J. Womack; Nilwood A. F. Hamilton; HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY 135 Girard C. C. Armstrong; Virden John G. Smith; Dorchester Josiah Saw- yer; Gillespie P. H. Pentzer; Brushy Mound Joseph - F. Clark; Carlinville J. W. Hankins, T. G. Moore; South Otter Moses Yowell ; North Otter Enoch Hall; Bunker Hill P. C. Huggins ; Hilyard James Hack- ney; Polk John M. Yowell; Bird John H. Brown; South Palmyra William M. Esisex ; North Palmyra James Nevins ; Brighton E. T. Dain ; Shipman John Fischer; Chesterfield Amos Goodsell ; Western Mound William C. Ed- wards ; Barr J. W. Dalby ; Scottville William Carling. 1881. Staunton Thomas Funderburk ; Cahokia Lewis W. Link ; Honey Point William N. Gulp; Shaw's Point John J. Womack; Nilwood George W. Bower- sox ; Girard William E. Eastham ; Virden John G. Smith ; Dorchester Josiah Sawyer; Gillespie P. H. Pentzer; Brushy Mound William H. Perrine; Carlin- ville John W. Hankins, T. G. Moore ; South Otter Moses Yowell ; North Ot- ter Enoch Hall ; Bunker Hill P. C. Huggins ; Hilyard Henry Morrison, Jr. ; Polk John M. Yowell ; Bird George W. Arnett ; South Palmyra William M. Esisex; North Palmyra John N. Pinkerton ; Brighton E. T. Dain; Ship- man C. E. Wales; Chesterfield Amos Goodsell; Western Mound William C. Edwards; Barr John W. Dalby; Scottville William Carling, Sr. 1882. Staunton Thomas Funderburk; Cahokia L. W. Link; Honey Point Marion Ruyle; Shaw's Point John J. Womack; Nilwood George W. Bower- sox; Girard Wilson T. Huff; Virden John G. Smith; Dorchester Josiah Sawyer; Gillespie P. H. Pentzer; Brushy Mound August Hacke; Carlinville John W. Hankins, E. Widaman; South Otter Moses Yowell; North Otter- Enoch Hall ; Bunker Hill P. C. Huggins ; Hilyard Henry Morrison, Jr. ; Folk- John M. Yowell; Bird George W. Arnett; South Palmyra Charles E. Crumj North Palmyra John N. Pinkerton; Brighton E. T. Dain; Shipman William James ; Chesterfield Amos Goodsell ; Western Mound William C. Edwards ; Barr John W. Dalby; Scottville William Carling, Sr. 1883. Staunton Cornelius Godfrey ; Cahokia H. R. Blevins ; Honey Point Marion Ruyle; Shaw's Point John J. Womack; Nilwood Oscar Smithson; Girard William E. Eastham ; Virden John G. Smith ; Dorchester Josiah Sawyer ; Gillespie P. H. Pentzer ; Brushy Mound August Hacke ; Carlinville James M. Pruitt, E. Widaman; South Otter William Price; North Otter- Enoch Hall; Bunker Hill P. C. Huggins; Hilyard Henry Morrison, Jr.; Polk John M. Yowell; Bird George W. Arnett; South Palmyra -William Esisex; North Palmyra John N. Pinkerton ; Shipman William James ; Chesterfield Ed F. Corey ; Western Mound William C. Edwards ; Barr John W. Dalby ; Scottville S. D. Eades. 136 HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY In 1884 Staunton township was divided in halves by drawing a line through the township from east to west. The north half was named Mount Olive town- ship and has since been known and designated as such. 1884. Staunton Cornelius Godfrey; Mt. Olive C. J. Keiser; Cahokia H. B. Blevins ; Honey Point Marion Ruyle; Shaw's Point John J. Womack; Nil- wood D. C. Enslow ; Girard Chris C. Armstrong ; Virden John G. Smith ; Dorchester Josiah Sawyer ; Gillespie P. H. Pentzer ; Brushy Mound William H. Perrine; Carlinville William B. Dugger, E. Widaman; South Otter P. L. Arnett; North Otter John G. Hugler; Bunker Hill P. C. Huggins; Hilyard Henry Morrison, Jr.; Polk E. B. Edwards; Bird George M. Arnett; South Palmyra James W. Duncan; North Palmyra John H. Landreth; Brighton D. D. Goodell; Shipman Meshach Shultz; Chesterfield E. F. Corey; Western Mound Elisha Dawson ; Barr John W. Dalby ; Scottville William Carling, Sr. 1885. Staunton Cornelius Godfrey ; Mt. Olive C. J. Keiser ; Cahokia E. S. Holmes ; Honey Point Marion Ruyle ; Shaw's Point L. N. English ; Nilwood David C. Enslow ; Girard John Ball ; Virden Thomas G. Duckels ; Dorchester Josiah Sawyer; Gillespie B. P. McDaniels; Brushy Mound William H. Per- rine; Carlinville William B. Dugger, John E. Parrottet; South Otter P. L. Arnett; North Otter Enoch Hall; Bunker Hill P. C. Huggins; Hilyard Har- ris Thomas; Polk W. A. Towse; Bird George W. Arnett; South Palmyra Thomas W. Conlee ; North Palmyra John H. Landreth ; Brighton D. D. Goodell ; Shipman Mashach Shultz ; Chesterfield E. F. Corey ; Western Mound Elisha Dawson : Barr John W. Dalby ; Scottville Dred Dugger. 1886. Staunton Archibald Burns; Mt. Olive C. J. Keiser; Cahokia- C. Drennan ; Honey Point W. J. Fuller; Shaw's Point Joseph Howard; Nilwood D. C. Enslow ; Girard Fountain L. Thompson ; Virden John G. Smith ; Dorchester J. H. Bauer; Gillespie P. H. Pentzer; Brushy Mound William H. Perrine; Car- linville J. M. Cohlepp, Charles S. Patchen; South Otter P. L. Arnett; North Otter D. W. Solomon; Bunker Hill F. C. Zimmerman; Hilyard Harris Thomas; Polk W. A. Towse; Bird Samuel E. Killam; South Palmyra- Thomas W. Conlee; North Palmyra R. D. Humphrey; Brighton D. D. Good- ell ; Shipman William James ; Chesterfield M. J. Huffman ; Western Mound John Hagaman ; Barr J. W. Dalby ; Scottville Dred Dugger. 1887. Staunton Archibald Burns; Mt. Olive C. J. Keiser; Cahokia Calvin Dren- nan; Honey Point Robert Wilson; Shaw's Point, Zeph Howard; Nilwood HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY 137 D. C. Enslow ; Girard C. C Armstrong ; V irden John G. Smith ; Dorchester J. H. Bauer; Gillespie William J. Steidley; Brushy Mound August Hacke; Carlinville John Lancaster, W. F. Meiher ; South Otter Thomas Mahan ; North Otter W. B. Chapman; Bunker Hill W. O. Jenks; Hilyard Henry Morrison; Polk W. A. Towse; Bird S. E. Killam; South Palmyra G. F. Fanning; North Palmyra Daniel Chapman; Brighton D. D. Goodell; Ship- man William James; Chesterfield M. J. Huffman; Western Mound John Hagaman ; Barr J. W. Dalby ; Scottville Dred Dugger. 1888. Staunton Archibald Burns; Mt. Olive C. J. Keiser; Cahokia C. Dren- nan ; Honey Point Robert Wilson ; Shaw's Point A. H. McAlister ; Nilwood J. H. Bailey; Girard George W. Bowersox; Virden John Gelder; Dorchester J. H. Bauer ; Gillespie W. A. Steidley ; Brushy Mound W. E. Taylor ; Car- linville C. S. Patchen, Henry Leifers ; South Otter William T. Conlee ; North Otter J. A. Wallace; Bunker Hill W. O. Jenks; Hilyard Gill S. Brown; Polk W. D. Reader ; Bird John H. Arnett ; South Palmyra George F. Fan- ning; North Palmyra A. J. Drum; Brighton D. D. Goodell; Shipman J. B. Andrews ; Chesterfield David T. Hall ; Western Mound George Etter ; Barr J. W. Dalby : Scottville Dred Drugger. 1889. Staunton Cornelius Godfrey; Mt. Olive C. J. Keiser; Cahokia Calvin Drennan ; Honey Point M. E. Hart; Shaw's Point George Dooley; Nilwood J. H. Bailey ; Girard S. McKnight ; Virden John Gelder ; Dorchester Nathan Smith; Gillespie W. A. Steidley; Brushy Mound W. E. Taylor; Carlinville C. W. Gray, J. E. Parrottet ; South Otter W. T. Conlee ; North Otter John G. Hugler; Bunker Hill James Rumbolz; Hilyard J. F. Schultz; Polk W. E. Sanders; Bird John H. Arnett; South Palmyra George F. Fanning; North Palmyra A. J. Drum ; Brighton D. D. Goodell ; Shipman M. Schultz ; Ches- terfield D. T. Hall; Western Mound George Etter; Barr J. W. Dalby; Scott- ville Dred Dugger. 1890. Staunton H. W. Wall; Mt. Olive Frank Friede; Cahokia C. Drennan; Honey Point R. D. Wilson; Shaw's Point A. H. McAlister; Nilwood J. H. Bailey; Girard George W! Bowersox; Virden Richard Ball; Dorchester Na- than Smith ; Gillespie W. A. Steidley ; Brushy Mound August Hacke ; Carlin- ville C. W. Gray, J. E. Parrottet; South Otter W. T. Conlee; North Otter- William M. Drennan; Bunker Hill James Rumbolz; Hilyard J. F. Schultz; Polk Daniel E. Witt ; Bird Robert Whiteley ; South Palmyra T. W. Conlee ; North Palmyra J. B. Vancil ; Brighton Dr. J. T. Dickerson ; Shipman Steven 138 HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY Candler ; Chesterfield D. T. Hall ; Western Mound George Etter ; Barr J. W. Dalby ; Scottville Dred Dugger. 1891. Staunton H. W. Wall; Mt. Olive Frank Friede; Cahokia C. Drennan; Honey Point W. C. Dey; Shaw's Point A. H. McAlister; Nilwood J. H. Bailey; Girard George W. Bowersox; Virden Richard Ball; Dorchester Nathan Smith; Gillespie W. A. Steidley; Brushy Mound W. H. Perrine; Carlinville C. W. Gray, J. E. Parrottet; South Otter W. T. Conlee; North Otter William M. Drennan; Bunker Hill R. H. Wood; Hilyard J. F. Schultz; Polk W. E. Sanders; Bird Robert Whiteley; South Palmyra John W. Duncan; North Palmyra J. B. Vancil; Brighton J. T. Dickerson; Ship- man M. Schultz; Chesterfield D. T. Hall; Western Mound John Hagaman; Barr John W. Dalby; Scottville Dred Dugger. 1892. Staunton H. W. Wall; Mt. Olive A. J. Keiser; Cahokia Calvin Drennan; Honey Point W. C. Dey ; Shaw's Point J. P. Enslow ; Nilwood J. H. Bailey ; Girard George W. Bowersox ; Virden Walter Kirkpatrick ; Dorchester Nathan Smith ; Gillespie W. A. Steidley ; Brushy Mound W. H. Perrine ; Carlinville B. M. Burke, J. E. Parrottet; South Otter W. T. Conlee; North Otter William M. Drennan; Bunker Hill R. H. Wood; Hilyard William Meehan ; Polk W. E. Sanders ; Bird Cicero J. Solomon ; South Palmyra John W. Duncan ; North Palmyra J. B. Vancil ; Brighton J. T. Dickerson ; Shipman M. Schultz ; Chesterfield Samuel Barnstable ; Western Mound John Hagaman; Barr John W. Dalby; Scottville James A. Sims. 1893. Staunton R. A. Hoxey; Mt. Olive A. J. Keiser; Cahokia Calvin Dren- nan; Honey Point W. N. Gulp; Shaw's Point W. C. Dey; Nilwood J. H. Bailey ; Girard George W. Bowersox ; Virden Walter Kirkpatrick ; Dorchester Nathan Smith; Gillespie W. H. Whitefield; Brushy Mound August Hacke; Carlinville John E. Parrottet, B. M. Burke ; South Otter W. T. Conlee ; North Otter William M. Drennan ; Bunker Hill A. D. Wood ; Hilyard William Mee- han; Polk W. E. Sanders; Bird Cicero J. Solomon; South Palmyra E. C. Crouch; North Palmyra Charles S. Steidley; Brighton John E. Andrews; Shipman M. Schultz ; Chesterfield Samuel Barnstable ; Western Mound Will- iam Davis; Barr John W. Dalby; Scottville James A. Sims. 1894- Staunton R. A. Hoxey ; Mt. Olive Frank Helmbold ; Cahokia H. W. Rice ; Honey Point W. N. Gulp ; Shaw's Point S. B. Dugger ; Nilwood J. H. Bailey; Girard Isaac F. Gibson; Virden W. Kirkpatrick; Dorchester Nathan Smith ; Gillespie W. H. Whitefield ; Brushy Mound August Hacke ; Carlin- HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY 139 ville John F. Kasten, B. M. Burke ; South Otter W. T. Conlee ; North Otter- John A. Wallace; Bunker Hill A. D. Wood; Hilyard. Daniel H. Combes; Polk W. E. Sanders; Bird C. J. Solomon; South Palmyra E. C. Crouch; North Palmyra Charles S. Steidley; Brighton John E. Andrews; Shipman M. Schultz ; Chesterfield Samuel Barnstable ; Western Mound William Davis ; Barr John W. Dalby; Scottville S. E. Ruyle. Staunton A. Burns ; Mt. Olive Frank Helmbold ; Cahokia H. W. Rice ; Honey Point Guy A. Snell; Shaw's Point S. B. Dugger; Nilwood J. H. Bailey; Girard Isaac F. Gibson; Virden W. Kirkpatrick; Dorchester Nathan Smith ; Gillespie William Fuess ; Brushy Mound August Hacke ; Carlinville J. F. Kasten, B. M. Burke ; South Otter William T. Conlee ; North Otter John A. Wallace; Bunker Hill R. H. Wood; Gillespie Daniel H. Combes ; Polk ; W. Sanders ; Bird C. J. Solomon ; South Palmyra J. M. Dun- can ; North Palmyra C. L. Steidley ; Brighton John E. Andrews ; Shipman J. T. Darnielle; Chesterfield Samuel Barnstable; Western Mound John Haga- man ; Barr J. W. Dalby ; Scottville S. E. Ruyle. 1896. Staunton A. Burns; Mt. Olive W. H. Whitehouse; Cahokia H. W. Rice; Honey Point Guy Snell; Shaw's Point C. W. Switzer; Nilwood G. W. Denby; Girard C. E. Burnett; Virden G. M. Chidester; Dorchester L. S. Mize; Gillespie W. J. Fuess; Brushy Mound August Hacke; Carlinville J. F. Kasten, B. M. Burke; South Otter W. T. Conlee; North Otter R. E. Alford; Bunker Hill R. H. Wood; Hilyard W. J. Donahue; Polk W. E. Sanders; Bird W. A. Craggs; South Palmyra J. M. Duncan; North Pal- myra C. :L. Steidley ; Brighton John E. Andrews ; Shipman J. T. Darnielle ; Chesterfield J. H. Duckies ; Western Mound John Hagaman ; Barr J. W. Dalby ; Scottville J. A. Turner. 1897. Staunton W. C. Seehausen; Mt. Olive W. H. Whitehouse; Cahokia H. W. Rice: Honey Point H. I. Masters; Shaw's Point C. W. Switzer; Nil- wood G. W. Denby ; Girard C. E. Burnett ; Virden G. M. Chidester ; Dor- chester L. S. Mize ; Gillespie William J. Fuess ; Brushy Mound Clinton Da- vis ; Carlinville John F. Kasten, B. M. Burke; South Otter W. T. Conlee; North Otter R. E. Alford; Bunker Hill R. H. Wood; Hilyard W. J. Don- ahue ; Polk W. E. Sanders ; Bird W. A. Craggs ; South Palmyra J. W. Dun- can ; North Palmyra J. J. Sims ; Brighton Spencer Brown ; Shipman J. T. Darnielle; Chesterfield J. S. Duckies; Western Mound John Hagaman; Barr J. W. Dalby; Scottville J. A. Turner. Staunton W. C. Seehausen ; Mt. Olive Frank Friede ; Cahokia H. W. Rice ; Honey Point H. I. Masters ; Shaw's Point A. H. McAlister ; Nilwood 140 HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY John H. Bailey; Girard George L. Tipton ; Virden George H. Westlake; Dor- chester David Thompson; Gillespie W. J. Fuess; Brushy Mound Clinton Davis ; Carlinville B. M. Burke, John F. Kasten ; South Otter S. T. Carmody ; North Otter R. E. Alford ; Bunker Hill R. H. Wood ; Hilyard H. M. Cof- fee; Polk W. E. Sanders; Bird G. W. Rhoades; South Palmyra J. W. Dun- can; North Palmyra J. J. Sims; Brighton M. S. Brown; Shipman H. S. Eaton ; Chesterfield James Sawtelle ; Western Mound John Hagaman ; Barr J. W. Dalby ; Scottville J. A. Turner. 1899. Staunton A. Burns ; Mt. Olive Frank Friede ; Cahokia H. W. Rice ; Honey Point H. I. Masters ; Shaw's Point A. H. McAlister ; Nilwood John H. Bailey ; Girard George L. Tipton ; Virden George H. Westlake ; Dorches- ter David Thompson ; Gillespie W. J. Fuess ; Brushy Mound George C. Walton; Carlinville B. M. Burke, J. F. Kasten; South Otter S. F. Carmody; North Otter R. E. Alford; Bunker Hill R. H. Wood; Hilyard H. M. Coffee; Polk L. B. Corbin; Bird G. W. Rhoades; South Palmyra R. E. Crum; North Palmyra J. J. Sims; Brighton James J. Kelsey; Shipman H. S. Eaton; Chesterfield James Sawtelle ; Western Mound H. C. Duckies ; Barr J. W. Dalby ; Scottville J. A. Turner. 1900. Staunton A. Burns; Mt. Olive A. H. Fuchs ; Cahokia H. W. Rice; Honey Point H. I. Masters; Shaw's Point C. B. Crabtree; Nilwood James D. Stead; Girard S. S. Huber ; Virden Walter Kirkpatrick ; Dorchester D. M. Thomp- son; Gillespie W. J. Fuess; Brushy Mound George C. Walton; Carlinville Robert S. Hemphill, J. F. Kasten ; -South Otter S. F. Carmody ; North Otter R. E. Alford ; Bunker Hill R. H. Wood ; Hilyard H. M. Coffee ; Polk L. B. Corbin ; Bird J. M. Sacre ; South Palmyra R. E. Crum ; North Palmyra J. J. Sims ; Brighton James J. Kelsey ; Shipman H. S. Eaton ; Chesterfield J. R. Duckies; Western Mound H. C. Duckies; Barr J. W. Dalby; Scott- ville J. A. Turner. 1901. Staunton Henry Burns; Mt. Olive A. H. Fuchs; Cahokia H. W. Rice; Honey Point Charles York ; Shaw's Point C. B. Crabtree ; Nilwood James D. Stead; Girard S. S. Huber; Virden Walter Kirkpatrick; Dorchester D. M. Thompson ; Gillespie W. J. Fuess ; Brushy Mound Clinton Davis ; Carlin- ville Robert S. Hemphill, J. F. Kasten ; South Otter S. T. Carmody ; North Otter R. E. Alford; Bunker Hill R. H. Wood; Hilyard H. M. Coffee: Polk J. W. Anderson ; Bird J. M. Sacre ; South Palmyra R. T. Ross ; North Palmyra V. E. King ; Brighton J. E. Andrews ; Shipman M. B. Thompson ; Chesterfield J. R. Duckies ; Western Mound Elmo Etter ; Barr J. W. Dalby : Scottville J. A. Turner. 1902. Staunton Henry Burns ; Mt. Olive Jacob Klein ; Cahokia H. W. Rice ; Honey Point Charles York ; Shaw's Point C. B. Crabtree ; Nilwood James HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY 141 D. Stead ; Girard John J. Stowe ; Virden Henry Noll ; Dorchester David Thompson ; Gillespie George G. Enslow ; Brushy Mound Clinton Davis ; Car- linville Robert S. Hemphill, D. M. Bates; South Otter S. T. Carmody; North Otter R. E. Alford ; Bunker Hill R. H. Wood ; Hilyard Samuel Drew ; Polk J. W. Anderson; Bird J. M. Sacre; South Palmyra R. T. Ross; North Pal- myra V. E. King ; Brighton J. E. Andrews ; Shipman M. B. Thompson ; Chesterfield Elmer Day; Western Mound Elmo Etter; Barr J. W. Dalby; Scottville J. A. Turner. 1903. Staunton George Luker; Mt. Olive Jacob Klein; Cahokia H. W. Rice; Honey Point Charles York; Shaw's Point C. B. Crabtree; Nilwood James D. Stead ; Girard John J. Stowe ; Virden Henry Noll ; Dorchester David Thompson; Gillespie P. H. Dorsey; Brushy Mound August Hacke; Carlin- ville Robert S. Hemphill, D. M. Bates; South Otter S. T. Carmody; North Otter R. E. Alford; Bunker Hill Joseph Welch; Hilyard Samuel Drew; Polk J. W. Anderson ; Bird J. M. Sacre ; South Palmyra R. T. Ross ; North Palmyra V. E. King; Brighton D. D. Goodell; Shipman Fred H. Kohl; Chesterfield Elmer Day; Western Mound Elmo Etter; Barr J. W. Dalby; Scottville J. A. Turner. 1904. Staunton George Luker; Mt. Olive Henry Engleman; Cahokia H. W. Rice; Honey Point Charles York; Shaw's Point C. B. Crabtree; Nilwood Frank B. Huber; Girard J. J. Stowe; Virden Walter Kirkpatrick; Dorches- ter D. M. Thompson ; Gillespie P. H. Dorsey ; Brushy Mound August Hacke ; Carlinville Robert S. Hemphill, D. M. Bates ; South Otter S. T. Car- mody; North Otter William A. Gardner; Bunker Hill Joseph Welch; Hil- yard Samuel Drew; Polk J. W. Anderson; Bird George Duckies; South Palmyra R. T. Ross; North Palmyra V. E. King; Brighton D. D. Goodell; Shipman Fred H. Kohl ; Chesterfield E. E. Day ; Western Mound Elmo Et- ter ; Barr J. W. Dalby ; Scottville J. 'A'. Turner. 1905. Staunton P. H. Carroll; Mt. Olive Henry Engleman; Cahokia H. W. Rice; Honey Point W. E. Sharp; Shaw's Point C. B. Crabtree; Nilwood Frank B. Huber; Girard J. J. Stowe; Virden Walter Kirkpatrick; Dorches- ter D. M. Thompson; Gillespie M. W. Clark; Brushy Mound Louis Miller; Carlinville Robert S. Hemphill, D. M. Bates; South Otter S. T. Carmody; North Otter William A. Gardner ; Bunker Hill J. H. Welch ; Hilyard Sam- uel Drew ; Polk F. L. Rhoades ; Bird George Duckies ; South Palmyra R. T. Ross ; North Palmyra R. L. Conlee ; Brighton W. W. Rhoades ; Shipman 142 HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY F. H. Kohl ; Chesterfield E. E. Day ; Western Mound Elmo Etter ; Barr J. W. Dalby; Scottville J. A. Turner. 1906. Staunton P. H. Carroll ; Mt. Olive Henry Engleman ; Cahokia H. W. Rice ; Honey Point E. D. Nantz ; Shaw's Point C. B. Crabtree ; Nilwood F. B. Huber ; Girard T. W. Brendle ; Virden Charles Muhlenbeck ; Dorches- ter D. M. Thompson; Gillespie W. N. Clark; Brushy Mound Louis Miller; Carlinville R. S. Hemphill, D. M. Bates; South Otter S. T. Carmody; North Otter R. E. Alford ; Bunker Hill J. H. Welch ; Hilyard D. M. Wadsworth ; Polk F. L. Rhoades ; Bird Q. H. Bates ; South Palmyra R. T. Ross ; North Palmyra R. L. Conlee; Brighton W. W. Rhoades; Shipman F. H. Kohl; Chesterfield James W. Hall ; Western Mound Elmo Etter ; Barr J. W. Dalby ; Scottville J. A. Turner. 1907. Staunton P. H. Carroll; Mt. Olive Henry Engleman; Cahokia H. W. Rice; Honey Point W. E. Sharp; Shaw's Point C. B. Crabtree; Nilwood F. B. Huber; Girard T. W. Brendle; Virden Charles Muhlenbeck; Dorches- ter D. M. Thompson; Gillespie M. W. Clark; Brushy Mound John T. Glower; Carlinville D. M. Bates, R. S. Hemphill; South Otter S. T. Car- mody; North Otter R. E. Alford; Bunker Hill J. H. Welch; Hilyard D. M. Wadsworth; Polk Benjamin Woods; Bird Q. H. Bates; South Palmyra R. T. Ross ; North Palmyra August Zelmer ; Brighton John W. Darlington ; Shipman F. H. Kohl ; Chesterfield James W. Hall ; Western Mound William Killam ; Barr W. C. Huson ; Scottville J. A. Turner. 1908. Staunton P. H. Carroll; Mt. Olive L. C. Reilly; Cahokia H. W. Rice; Honey Point W. E. Sharp ; Shaw's Point E. D. Nantz ; Nilwood F. B. Huber; Girard T. W. Brendle; Virden Charles Muhlenbeck; Dorchester D. M. Thompson; Gillespie M. W. Clark; Brushy Mound John T. Glower; Carlinville R. S. Hemphill, D. M. Bates; South Otter S. T. Carmody; North Otter R. E. Alford ; Bunker Hill J. H. Welch ; Hilyard R. D. Roach ; Polk Benjamin Woods ; Bird Q. H. Bates ; South Palmyra R. T. Ross ; North Palmyra August Zelmer ; Brighton John W. Darlington ; Shipman F. H. Kohl; Chesterfield E. E. Day; Western Mound William Killam; Barr W. C. Huson ; Scottville J. A. Turner. 1909. Staunton Charles W. Soapes ; Mt. Olive L. C. Reilly; Cahokia H. W. Rice ; Honey Point Charles Bruce ; Shaw's Point E. D. Nantz ; Nilwood F. B. Huber ; Girard T. W. Brendle ; Virden Charles Muhlenbeck ; Dorchester D. M. Thompson; Gillespie M. W. Clark; Brushy Mound W. P. Kaleher; Carlinville D. M. Bates, R. S. Hemphill ; South Otter S. T. Carmody ; North HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY 143 Otter R. E. Alford; Bunker Hill Charles Schoeneman ; Hilyard R. D. Rhoades; Polk William H. Robinson; Bird Q. H. Bates; South Palmyra R. T. Ross; North Palmyra George W. Stults; Brighton W. W. Rhoades; Shipman Samuel French; Chesterfield E. E. Day; Western Mound George Bauer; Barr W. D. Huson; Scottville J. A. Turner. 1910. i Staunton Charles W. Soapes; Mt. Olive A. R. Scheiler; Cahokia H. W. Rice; Honey Point Charles Bruce; Shaw's Point C. B. Crabtree; Nilwood . F. B. Huber; Girard T. W. Brendle; Virden Charles Muhlenbeck ; Dorches- ter D. M. Thompson; Gillespie M. W. Clark; Brushy Mound W. P. Kale- her; Carlinville R. S. Hemphill, D. M. Bates; South Otter S. T. Carmody; North Otter R. E. Alford ; Bunker Hill Charles Schoeneman ; Hilyard C. M. Bullman ; Polk William H. Robinson ; Bird A. H. Bates ; South Palmyra R. T. Ross; North Palmyra George W. Stults; Brighton W. W. Rhoades; Shipman Samuel French; Chesterfield John H. Duckies; Western Mound George Bauer ; Barr W. D. Huson ; Scottville John A. Turner. 1911. Staunton C. W. Soapes, C. Godfrey; Mt. Olive Arno Scheiter; Cahokia H. W. Rice; Honey Point Charles Bruce; Shaw's Point C. B. Crabtree; Nil- wood F. B. Huber; Girard T. W. Brendle; Virden C. Muhlenbeck; Dor- chester D. M. Thompson; Gillespie George W. Behrens; Brushy Mound William P. Kaleher; Carlinville R. S. Hemphill, D. M. Bates; South Otter T. B. Weller; North Otter R. E. Alford; Bunker Hill C. Schoeneman; Hil- yard Charles Bullman; Polk W. H. Robinson; Bird Q. H. Bates; South Palymra R. T. Ross; North Palmyra George W. Stults; Brighton W. W. Rhoades ; Shipman G. G. Reno ; Chesterfield J. H. Duckies ; Western Mound George Rauer; Barr S. M. Hicks; Scottville J. A. Turner. CHAPTER VIII. THE PRIMITIVE. THIS CHAPTER TELLS OF HOW THE PIONEER MANAGED TO LIVE ALSO HOW THE EARLY SETTLER ENDURED MANY HARDSHIPS AND PRIVATIONS HEROISM AND FORTITUDE OF NOBLE WOMEN, THEIR SACRIFICES AND WONDERFUL RESOURCE- FULNESS THEY WERE BRAVE, TOO, IN THE FACE OF DANGER. So rapid has been the improvement in machinery, and the progress in the arts and their application to the needs of man, that a study of the manner in which people lived and worked only three-fourths of a century ago seems like the study of a remote age. It is important to remember that while a majority of settlers were poor, that poverty carried with it no crushing sense of degradation like that felt by the very poor of our age. They lived in a cabin, it is true, but it was their own and had been reared by their hands. Their house, too, while inconvenient and far from water proof, was built in the prevailing style of architecture and would compare favorably with the homes of their neighbors. They were destitute of many of the conveniences of life, and of some things that are now considered necessaries, but they patiently endured their lot and hopefully looked forward to better. They had plenty to wear as protection against the weather, and an abundance of wholesome food. They sat down to a rude table to eat from tin or pewter dishes, but the meat thereon the flesh of the deer or bear, of the wild duck or turkey, of the quail or squirrel was superior to that we eat, and had been won by the skill of the head of the house or of that of his vigorous sons. The bread they ate was made from corn or wheat of their own raising. They walked the green carpet of the grand prairie or forest that sur- rounded them, not with the air of a beggar, but with the elastic step of a self- respected freeman. The settler brought with him the keen ax, which was indispensable, and the equally necessary rifle the first his weapon of offence against the forests that skirted the water courses, and near which he made his home ; the second that of defence from the attacks of his foe, the cunning child of the forest and prairie. His first labor was to fell trees and erect his unpretentious cabin, which was rudely made of logs, and in the raising of which he had the cheerful aid of his neighbors. It was usually from fourteen to sixteen feet square, and never larger than twenty feet, and was frequently built entirely without glass, nails, hinges or locks. 144 METHODIST CHURCH. MEDORA BAPTIST CHURCH. MEDORA LIBRARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY 145 The manner of building was as follows : First large logs were laid in position as sills; on these were placed strong sleepers, and on the sleepers were laid the rough hewed puncheons, which were to serve as floors. The logs were then built up till the proper height for the eaves was reached ; then on the ends of the build- ing were placed poles, longer than the other end logs, which projected some eigh- teen or more inches over the sides, and were called "butting pole sleepers ;" on the projecting ends of these was placed the "butting pole," which served to give the line to the first row of clapboards. These were, as a matter of cpurse, split, and as the gables of the cabin were built up, were so laid on as to lap a third of their length. They were often kept in place by the weight of a heavy pole, which was laid' across the roof parallel to the ridge pole. The house was then chinked and daubed with a coarse mortar. A huge fire place was built in at one end of the house, in which fire was kindled for cooking purposes, for the settlers generally were without stoves, and which furnished warmth in winter. The ceiling above was sometimes covered with the pelts of the raccoon, opossum, and of the wolf, to aid to the warmth of the dwelling. Sometimes the soft inner bark of the bass wood was used for the same purpose. The cabin was lighted by means of greased paper windows. A log would be left out along one side and sheets of strong paper, well greased with coon grease or bear oil, would be carefully tacked in. The above description only applies to the very earliest times, before the rattle of the sawmill was heard within our borders. The furniture comported admirably with the house itself, and hence, if not elegant, was in most perfect taste. The tables had four legs and were rudely made from a puncheon. Their seats were stools, having three or four legs. The bedstead was in keeping with the rest, and was often so contrived as to permit it to be drawn up and fastened to the wall during the day, thus affording more room to the family. The entire furniture was simple and was framed with no other tools than the ax and auger. Each was his own carpenter, and some dis- played considerable ingenuity in the construction of implements of agriculture and utensils, and furniture for the house. Sometimes they had knives and forks and sometimes they had not. The common table knife was the pack knife or butcher knife. Horse collars were sometimes made of the plaited husk of the maize sewed together. They were easy on the neck of the horse, and if tug traces were used, would last a long time. Horses were not used much, how- ever, and oxen were almost exclusively used. In some instances carts and wagons were constructed or repaired by the self-reliant settler, and the woeful creakings of the untarred axles could be heard at a great distance. The women corresponded well with the description of the virtuous woman in the last chapter of Proverbs, for they "sought wool and flax, and worked willingly with their hands." They did not, it is true, make for themselves "coverings of tapestry," nor could it be' said of them that their "clothing was silk and purple;" but they "rose while it was yet night, and gave meat to their household," and they "girded their loins with strength and strengthened their arms." They "looked well to the ways of their household and ate not the bread of idleness." They laid "their hands to the spindle and to the distaff," and "strength and honor were in their clothing." Vol. i :o 146 HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY In these days of furbelows and flounces, it is refreshing to know that the ladies of that ancient time considered eight yards an extravagant amount to put in a dress. The dress was usually made plain with four widths in the skirt, the two front ones cut gored. The waist was made very short, and across the shoulders behind was a draw string. The sleeves were enormously large and tapered from shoulder to wrist, and the most fashionable for fashion, like love, rules alike the "court and grove" were padded so as to resemble a bolster at the upper part and were known as "mutton legs," or "sheep shank" sleeves. The sleeve was often kept in place by a heavily starched lining. Those who could afford it used feathers, which gave the sleeve the appearance of an inflated balloon from elbow up, and were known as "pillow" sleeves. Many bows and some ribbons were worn, but scarcely any jewelry. The tow dress was superseded by the cotton gown. Around the neck, instead of a lace collar or elegant ribbon, there was disposed a copperas colored neckkerchief. In going to church or other public gatherings in summer weather, they some- times walked barefoot till near their destination, when they would put on their shoes or moccasins. They were contented and even happy without any of the elegant articles of apparel now used by the ladies and considered necessary arti- cles of dress. Ruffles, fine laces, silk hats, kid gloves, false curls, rings, combs and jewels were almost unknown, nor did the lack of them vex their souls. Many of them were grown before they ever saw the interior of a well supplied dry- goods store. They were reared in simplicity, lived in simplicity and were happy in simplicity. It may be interesting to speak more specifically regarding cookery and diet. Wild meat was plentiful. The settlers generally brought some food with them to last till a crop could be raised. Small patches of Indian corn were raised, which, in the earliest days of the settlements, was beaten in a mortar. The meal was made into a coarse but wholesome bread, on which the teeth could not be very tightly shut on account of the grit it contained. Johnny cake and pones were served at dinner, while mush and milk was the favorite dish for supper. In the fireplace hung the crane, and the dutch oven was used in baking. The streams abounded in fish, which formed a healthful article of food. Many kinds of greens, such as dock and polk, were eaten. The "truck patch" furnished roast- ing ears, pumpkins, beans, squashes and potatoes, and these were used by all. For reaping bees, log rollings and house raisings, the standard dish was pot pie. Coffee and tea were used sparingly, as they were very dear, and the hardy pioneer thought them a drink fit only for women and children. They said it would not "stick to the ribs." Maple sugar was much used and honey was only five cents a pound. Butter was the same price, while eggs were three cents. The utmost good feeling prevailed. If one killed hogs, all shared. Chickens were to be seen around every doorway in great numbers and the gabble of the turkey and quack of the duck were heard in the land. Nature contributed of her fruits. Wild grapes and plums were to be found in their season, along the streams. The women manufactured nearly all of the clothing worn by the family. In cool weather gowns made of "linsey woolsey" were worn by the ladies. The chain was of cotton and the filling of wool. The fabric was usually plaid or HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY 147 striped, and the differing colors were blended according to the taste and fancy of the fair maker. Colors were blue, copperas, turkey red, light blue, etc. Every house contained a card loom and spinning wheels, 'which were considered by the women as necessary for them as the rifle was for the men. Several dif- ferent kinds of cloth were made. Cloth was woven from cotton. The rolls were bought and spun on little and big wheels, into kinds of thread; one the "chain" and the other the "filling." The more experienced only spun the chain; the younger the filling. Two kinds of loom were in use. The most primitive in construction was called the "side loom." The frame of it consisted of two pieces of scantling running obliquely from the floor to the wall. Later, the frame loom, which was a great improvement over the other, came into use. The men and boys wore "jeans" and linsey woolsey hunting shirts. The "jeans" were colored either light blue or butternut. Many times when the men gathered to a log rolling or barn raising, the women would assemble, bringing their spinning wheels with them. In this way some- times as many as ten or twelve would gather in one room, and the pleasant voices of the fair spinners were mingled with the low hum of the spinning wheels. Such articles of apparel as could not be manufactured were brought to them from the nearest store by the mail carrier. These were few, however. The men and boys, in many instances, wore pantaloons made of the dressed skin of the deer, which then swarmed the prairies in large herds. The young man who desired to look captivating to the eye of the maiden whom he loved, had his "bucks" fringed, which lent them a not unpleasing effect. Meal sacks were also made of buckskin. Caps were made of the skins of the wolf, fox, wild cat and muskrat, tanned with the fur on. The tail of the fox or wolf often hung down the top of the cap, lending the wearer a jaunty air. Both sexes wore moccasins, which in dry weather were an excellent substitute for shoes. There were no shoemakers and each family made its own shoes. The settlers were separated from their neighbors often by miles. There were no churches or regular services of any kind to call them together, hence, no doubt, the cheerfulness with which they accepted invitations to a house raising or a log rolling or a corn shucking, or a bee of any kind. To attend these gath- erings sometimes they would go ten miles or more. Generally with the invitation to the men went one to the women to come to a quilting. The good woman of the house where the festivities were to take place would be busily engaged for a day or more in preparation for the coming guests. Great quantities of provisions were to be prepared, for dyspepsia was unknown to the pioneer and good appetites were the rule and not the exception. The bread used at these frolics was generally baked on Johnny or Journey cake boards, and was the best corn bread ever made. The board was made smooth, about two feet long and -eight inches wide. The ends were generally rounded. The dough was spread out on this board and placed leaning before the fire. One side was baked and then the dough was changed on the board, so the other side was presented to the fire. This was Johnny cake and was good if the proper materials were put in the dough and it was properly baked. At all log rollings and house raisings, it was customary to provide liquor. Excesses were not indulged in, however. The fiddler was never forgotten. After 148 HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY the day's work had been accomplished, out doors and in, by men and women, the floor was cleared and the merry dance began. The handsome, stalwart young men, whose fine forms were the result of their manly, outdoor life, clad in fringed buckskin breeches and gaudily colored hunting shirts, led forth the bright eyed, buxom damsels, attired in neatly fitting linsey woolsey garments, to the dance, their cheeks glowing with health and eyes speaking of enjoyment, and perhaps of a tenderer emotion. In pioneer times the corn was never husked on the stalk, as is done at this day, but was hauled home in the husk and thrown in a heap, generally by the side of the crib, so that the ears, when husked, could be thrown direct into the crib. The whole neighborhood, male and female, were invited to the shucking, as it was called. The girls, and many of the married women, engaged in this amusing work. In the first place two leading expert huskers were chosen as captains, and the heap of corn divided as nearly equal as possible. Rails were laid across the pile so as to designate the division ; and then each captain chose, alternately, his corps of huskers, male and female. The whole number of working hands present were selected, on one side or the other, and then each party commenced a contest to beat the other, which was in many cases truly exciting. One other rule was that whenever a male husked a red ear of corn, he was entitled to a kiss from the girls. This frequently excited much fuss and scuffling, which was intended by both parties to end in a kiss. It was a universal practice that tafna or Monon- gahela whisky was used at these husking frolics, which they drank out of a bottle, each one, male and female, taking the bottle and drinking out of it, and then handing it to his next neighbor, without using any glass or cup whatever. This custom was common and was not considered rude. Almost always these corn shuckings ended in a dance. To prepare for this amusement fiddles and fiddlers were in great demand, and it often required much fast riding to obtain them. One violin and a performer were all that was contemplated at these innocent rural games. Toward dark and the supper half over, then it was that a bustle and con- fusion commenced. The confusion of tongues at Babel would have been ashamed at the corn shuckings, the young ones hurrying off the table, and the old ones contending for time and order. It was the case, in nine times out of ten, that but one dwelling house was on the premises, and that used for eating as well as dancing. But when the fiddler commenced tuning his instrument the music always gained the victory for the young side. Then the dishes, victuals, table and all, disappeared in a few minutes, and the room was cleared, the dogs driven out, and the floor swept off ready for action. The floors of these houses were some- times the natural earth, beat solid, sometimes the earth, with puncheons in the middle over the potato hole, and at times the whole floor was made of puncheons. The music at these country dances made the young folks almost frantic, and sometimes much excitement was displayed to get on the floor first. Generally the fiddler on these occasions assumed an important bearing, and ordered in true professional style, so and so to be done, as that was the way in North Carolina, where he was raised. The decision ended the contest for the floor. In those HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY 149 days they danced jigs and four handed reels, as they were called. Sometimes three handed reels were also danced. In these dances there was no standing still ; all were moving at a rapid pace from the beginning to the end. In the jigs the bystanders cut one another out, as it was called, so that this dance would last for hours. Sometimes the parties in a jig tried to tire one another down in the dance, and then it would also last a long time before one or the other gave up. The cotillion or stand still dances were not then known. The bottle went round at these parties as it did at the shuckings, and male and female took a dram out of it as it passed around. No sitting was indulged in, and the folks either stood or danced all night, as generally daylight ended the frolic. The dress of these hardy pioneers was generally in plain homespun. The hunting shirt was much worn at that time, which was a convenient working or (lancing dress. Sometimes dressed deerskin pantaloons were used on these occasions, and moccasins, rarely shoes, and at times barefeet were indulged in. In the morning all went home on horseback or on foot. No carriages, wagons or other vehicles were used on these occasions, for the best of reasons because they had none. Dancing was a favorite amusement and was indulged in by all. The amusements of those days were more athletic and rude than those of to- day. Among settlers in a new country, from the nature of the case, a higher value was set upon physical than mental endowments. Skill in woodcraft, supe- riority of muscular development, accuracy in shooting with the rifle, activity, swiftness of foot, were qualifications that brought their possessors fame. Foot racing was often practiced, and often the boys and young men engaged in friendly contests with the Indians. Every man had a rifle, and always kept it in good order. His flints, bullet molds, screwdriver, awl, butcher knife and tomahawk were fastened to the shot pouch trap or to the belt around the waist. Target shooting was much practiced and shots were made by the hunters and settlers, with flint lock rifles, that cannot be excelled by their descendants with the im- proved breech loaders of the present day. At all gatherings jumping and wrestling was indulged in, and those who ex- celled were thenceforward men of notoriety. Cards, dice and other gambling implements were unknown. Dancing was a favorite amusement. It was par- ticipated in by all. At their shooting matches, which were usually for the prize of a turkey, or a gallon of whisky, good feeling generally prevailed. If disputes arose, they were often settled by a square stand-up fight, and no one thought of using other weapons than fists. They held no grudge after their fights, for this was consid- ered unmanly. It was the rule, that if a fight occurred between two persons, the victor should pour water for the defeated as he washed away the traces of the fray, after which the latter was to perform the same service for the former. Among the first of the pioneer mills were the "band mills." The plan was cheap. The horse power consisted of a large upright shaft, some ten or twelve feet in height, with some eight or ten long arms let into the main 'shaft and ex- tending out from it fifteen feet. Auger holes were bored into the arms on the upper side at the end, into which wooden pins were driven. This was called the "big wheel" and was, as has been seen, about twenty feet in diameter. The raw hide belt or tug was made of skins taken off of beef cattle, which were cut into 150 HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY strips three inches in width ; these were twisted into a round cord or tug, which was long enough to encircle the circumference of the big wheel. There it was held in place by the wooden pins, then crossed and passed under a shed and run around a drum, or what is called a "trunnel head," which was attached to the grinding apparatus. The horses or oxen were hitched to the arms by means of raw hide tugs. Then walking in a circle the machinery would be set in motion. To grind twelve bushels of corn was considered a good day's work on a band mill. The most rude and primitive method of manufacturing meal was by the use of a grater. A plate of tin was pierced with many holes, so that one side was very rough. The tin was made oval and then nailed to a board. An ear of corn was rubbed hard on this grater, whereby the meal was forced through the holes, and fell down into a vessel prepared to receive it. An improvement on this was the hand mill. The stones were smaller than those of the band mill and were pro- pelled by man or woman power. A hole was made in the upper stone and a staff of wood was put in it, and the other end of the staff was put through a hole in a plank above, so that the whole was free to act. One or two persons took hold of this staff and turned the upper stone as rapidly as possible. An eye was made in the upper stone, through which the corn was put into the mill with the hand in small quantities to suit the mill, instead of a hopper. A mortar, wherein corn was beaten into meal, was made out of a large round log, three or four feet long. One end was cut or burned out so as to hold a peck of corn, more or less, according to circumstances. This mortar was set one end on the ground, and the other up, to hold the corn. A sweep was prepared over the mortar so that the spring of the pole raised the piston and the hands at it forced it down on the corn so hard that after much beating, meal was manufactured. CHAPTER IX. I : ; ,'j PUBLIC BUILDINGS. THE FIRST COURT HOUSE A PRIMITIVE LOG BUILDING MEN OF NOTE HELD FORTH THERE SECOND BUILDING SOMEWHAT MORE PRETENTIOUS THAN ITS PREDE- CESSOR HERE LINCOLN, DOUGLAS AND MANY OTHERS WHO BECAME OF NA- TIONAL NOTE FOREGATHERED EARLY CRIMINAL RECORD. FIRST COURT HOUSE. The county, being organized and electing officials to look after its business affairs, needed a place of its own, wherein the county officers might perform their duties. Or, in other words, a place was needed in which to hold court, of- fices for the board of commissioners and other officers, and a safe repository for public documents. The commissioners' and district courts had been held at the homes of certain of the settlers, but the business of the county was growing and the necessity of a courthouse became more and more apparent. Hence it was "at a county commissioners' court begun and held at the house of Ezekiel Good, in and for the county of Macoupin, on Monday, the seventh day of September, A. D., 1829." "Present: Theodorus Davis, Sr., Seth Hodges, Commissioners. "It is ordered by the court that the building of a courthouse for said county of the following description, namely : to be built of hewn logs, 18x24 f eet - The logs to face one foot on an average ; the house to be two stories high. The lower story to be eight feet between floors and the second story to be six feet below the roof; to have one door below, with one window below and one above; door to be cased and to have a good strong plank shutter ; the windows to contain twelve lights or panes of glass, eight by ten ; two good plank floors, to be jointed and laid down rough ; roof to be double covered with boards ; weight poles to be shaven ; craqks to be lined on the inside with shaven boards and crammed on the outside with mud and. straw or grass, well mixed together ; all to be completed in a strong manner by the first Friday after the second Monday in April next, will be let on a credit of six, twelve, and eighteen months, to the lowest bidder on the igth inst; the undertaker to give bond with approved security for the per- formance of his contract, and that the clerk of this court advertise the same." Seth Hodges received the contract for the building of the courthouse, and filed the necessary bond required by the commissioners. The building was duly completed according to contract, and the commissioners held their first court in the new courthouse on the ijth day of July, 1830. 151 152 HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY The courthouse was accepted by the commissioners, and at the September term, 1830, Seth Hodges was allowed the sum of $48.33 1/3, and at a subsequent term of the court he was allowed $57.33 1/3. Among the items inckided in the building and furnishing the courthouse were benches and bar $23, which fur- nishes an interesting comparison with the furniture of the court room and judges' chair of the present magnificent structure. The commissioners on the 25th of March, 1835, appointed James C. Ander- son, Isaac Greathouse, Stith M. Otwell, John R. Lewis, and John Wilson agents for the county of Macoupin, to borrow a sum of money not under five or ex- ceeding seven thousand dollars, at a rate of interest not exceeding eight per cent per annum, for a term of years not under six nor over ten to be applied to the erection of a brick courthouse. The commissioners approved the bond, June i, 1835. THE SECOND COURTHOUSE. The second building erected as a courthouse had an atmosphere about it never attained by its successor. It was build on ground dedicated by its donor for that purpose and its walls echoed and reechoed many times the eloquence of a Lin- coln, a Douglas and other great legal lights that have long ceased to shed their radiance upon an admiring public. Men of national renown, in the days of "rid- ing the circuit" attended court in this historic old building. The court adopted the following as the plan of a courthouse in the town of Carlinville and county of Macoupin : "The square of the house fifty feet ; wall to be of stone, four feet, two feet under ground, of rough stone, and the other of two feet hewn stone, all to be laid with good lime mortar, two feet, six inches thick ; the balance of good hard burnt stock brick, laid with good lime mortar, in workmanlike manner, two and a half bricks thick first story, and two the second, each story to be fourteen feet in the clear ; the lower floor to be even with the top of the stone wall, to have four posts with a door, and two windows in the lower story and three windows in each front in the upper story, each window to be twenty-four light, 10x14, and the door to be made in accordance with a plan given by Dr. J. R. Lewis ; the first door in the east to be made permanent and the judge's seat to be placed against the same. The lower part to be divided into a court room and lobby, separated by a bannister four feet high, passing through the house from north to south, parallel or nearly so with the near side of the north and south doors, to the judge's seat, two flights of stairs running from the court room over each door to the center space of upper story, and to be one chimney. "December term, 1836. It is ordered by the court that Harbird Weatherford and Jefferson Weatherford, two of the undertakers to build the courthouse for this county be allowed the sum of $1,500 to be due and payable on the 1st of March, 1839, and if not punctually paid when due to draw interest at the rate of eight per cent per annum from the time the same becomes due and payable until paid. "June term, 1837. It is ordered by the court that in the plan of the court- house in this county that the stone caps be dispensed with and that brick arches be turned, and also that the sills for the windows of stone be dispensed with and OLD COURTHOUSE OX PUBLIC' SQUARE. 1869 LIBRARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY 153 A walnut sills be received in their place, and also that $175 be deducted from the price of building said house. Two of the undertakers of the house being present and giving their consent to this order by J. Greathouse and J. Weatherford. "March, 1840. The court house officially received. $550 deducted from pay- ment thereof for defalcations in completing of the work. "1838. A fence costing $230, built round the courthouse to each corner, and each chimney to have two fire places, one above and one below, the upper part to be laid off with a passage in the center, corresponding with the center win- dows, ten feet wide ; the east side of said passage to be entry room and the west to be laid off in three rooms of equal size. The roof and cupola to be built in ac- cordance with the said plan of Dr. J. R. Lewis, James C. Anderson and Thomas Corr as commissioners to let out the said building to the lowest bidder, payable out of the county in the following payments: $2,000 payable the ist of March, 1839; $4,000 payable the ist of March, 1840; $4,000 payable the ist of March, 1841 ; and the balance provided the amount does not exceed the sum of two thousand dollars, payable the ist of March, 1842. County orders to be issued to the order of said commissioners, and said orders to bear eight per cent interest v per annum, from the time due until paid, if not punctually paid, and said court house to be built in the center of the public square, of the said town of Carlin- ville, and the same to be finished according to the said plan, against the ist of January, 1838. Ordered publication of said building be published in the Alton Telegraph four weeks." On the completion of the third and present courthouse, the old building was sold at public auction by the authorities, and brought a little over $700. JURISTS OF EARLY RENOWN. Here sat upon the bench with dignity and impartiality Stephen T. Logan, a man who won lasting renown as a learned lawyer and unapproachable jurist. He was preceded, however, by Judge Samuel D. Lockwood, whose character was stainless. It was said of Judge Lockwood that as a jurist he was the peer of the ablest of his contemporary associates on the bench. There was also William Brown, who was appointed by Governor Duncan as judge pro tem. of the first judicial district, upon the resignation of Judge Logan in 1837. He was a native of Kentucky, a man of culture and agreeable manners and at the time of his elevation to the bench but twenty-five years of age. He was followed on the bench by Jesse B. Thomas, John Pearson, William Thomas, of Jacksonville, David M. Woodson, of Carrollton, in 1848; Edward Y. Rice, who studied law under General John M. Palmer and was elected to the bench in 1857; H. M. Vandeveer, of Taylorville, in 1870; and Charles S. Zane, of Spring- field, in 1873; William R. Welch, in 1877; Jesse D. Phillips, of Hillsboro; Judge Phillips resigned in 1893 and was succeeded by Robert B. Shirley, of Carlinville, the number of the districts having been changed and Macoupin placed in the fifth. In the apportionment of 1897 the number of judicial districts was increased from thirteen to seventeen and Macoupin county was assigned to the seventh. Judge Shirley succeeded himself on the bench and is the present resident judge. 154 HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY LINCOLN AND DOUGLAS. IWhen southern Illinois formed one vast judicial district many able lawyers appeared at this court as' the state or prosecuting attorney. Among them may be mentioned George Farquer, a half brother of Governor Ford, in the early '305; John J. Harclin, within the same period; Stephen A Douglas, the "little giant," in 1835 and 1836; Jesse B. Thomas, who afterward was elevated to the bench, likewise D. M. Woodson; John S. Greathouse, in 1841-2, the pioneer lawyer of Carlinville; John Evans, in 1843-4; C. H. Goodrich, 1845-6; William Weer for short time as an appointee; Henry Dusenburg, 1847-8; C. H. Goodrich, 1849-52; Cyrus Epler, 1853-6; James B. White, 1857-64; C. M. Morrison, 1865-69; Horace Gwin, 1870-72; S. T. Corn, 1873-80. At this bar appeared members of the legal profession who eventually became of world-wide reputation. Abraham Lincoln, in "riding the circuit" was fre- quently called to the Macoupin sittings of court and there are men still living in Carlinville, who can remember seeing him upon his visits. He was considered a good lawyer and a shrewd one. In his cases he was uniformly successful. As is well known by the student of history, Douglas and Lincoln's rivalry did not be- gin at the opening of their political career. They rarely appeared on the same side of a case ; the rule was to find them opposing each other in the courts in the interest of contending clients. The fact that such men as Lincoln and Douglas practiced at the Macoupin bar, if only as itinerant lawyers, gives to the local history of the profession a flavor all its own. The eloquent and heroic E. D. Baker, of Springfield, also appeared here, as did also U. F. Linder, John J. Hardin and many others who made great reputa- tions and thereby honored the profession of their adoption ; but to enumerate them all would be tedious and, most likely, profitless to the general reader ., COUNTY JAILS. It was, of course, even though the county was new and sparsely settled, nec- essary to have a place in which to confine the unruly and criminal class. Carlin- ville was the county seat and the building of a county jail could not be avoided. Consequently, at the March term of the commissioners' court, in the year 1832, it was ordered that a county jail be built of the following description : FIRST JAIL. "To be built of hewed timbers, the outside wall to be started one foot under ground, to be eighteen feet square, built of logs, hewed to square ten inches ; the floor to be laid with hewed timbers, to square twelve inches, two thicknesses and crosswise, the whole to be only twelve inches above the surface of the ground ; the inside wall to be built of hewed timbers, to square eight inches, and started on the floor the middle wall to be started at the same place as the inside one, and built of hewed timbers, to square six inches, to be let down outwise, the inside and middle wall to be raised seven feet high ; the second, floor to be laid with timbers to square ten inches, to be laid on said walls, and said floor to be laid with two- HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY 155 inch plank crosswise, to be jointed and laid down rough ; then the middle wall will be discontinued, and the other two to be continued seven feet higher, leaving an open space between them of six inches ; third floor to be seven feet from the second, and laid with hewed timbers, to square twelve inches, said timbers to ex- tend outside of the wall nine inches at each end ; roof to be shingled with walnut shingles, to be made five-eighths of an inch thick and four inches wide, on an average; rafters to be three by five inches at the plate and thfee square at the top, to show four inches to the weather ; to be sawed and to be set two feet from the center ; two center plates framed on the top to be eight by twelve inches, where- on to set the rafters, with conduits or eave troughs, to be black walnut ; one out- side door in the upper story, to have two shutters, one to open on the outside and the other on the inside, to be two feet six inches wide and five feet high, to be made of two thicknesses of plank, plank to be one and a half inches thick, nailed on crosswise, to be strapped with iron, straps to be half-inch thick and three inches wide, to be riveted on the door not exceeding six inches apart, the spaces between to be filled up with nails with large heads, to be driven in and clinched on the inside ; hinges to be strong and suitable to the door ; hatchway two and a half feet square, to be made as the outside door, and put in the middle of the second floor, hung on strong hinges, to be fastened with a large hasp and pad- lock; platform four feet square, bannistered round, with a stepladder extending from the ground up to it; two windows below, one foot square each, with iron bars one inch square, to be two inches from center to center, and let in the mid- dle wall, bars to be crossed in the windows, and two windows above, to be the same size as the lower ones, and made with bars as below, only single instead of crossed ; all the timbers to be of white oak and over cap ; to be completed in a strong and workmanlike manner, on or before the 1st of September, 1833. One payment of two hundred dollars to be made at the March term, 1833, to the un- dertaker, the same amount to be paid in annual installments, until the full amount shall be discharged ; be sold on the first Monday in June next, to the lowest bid- der, the undertaker to give bond, with approved security for the performance of his contract, to the county commissioners of this county and to their succes- sors in office, conditioned for the faithful performance of his contract, on or before the first day of September, 1833 ; also that the clerk of this court adver- tise the same in three public places in this county. "December, 1832. It is ordered by the court that the jail about to be erected for this county be erected on the northeast corner of lot numbered eighty, being the same lot on which the stray pen is put in the town of Carlinville. "March, 1834. Total cost of jail, $686.70." SECOND JAIL. This was a much more pretentious structure than the former and was erected near the southeast corner of the public square in the year 1854. It was a two- story building, the outer walls being constructed of brick and the cells and parti- tions of wood. The upper floor contained the cells for prisoners, while the lower 166 HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY was used for a residence by the jailer and family. This building was burned to the ground in 1860. THE THIRD JAIL. This was built in 1860, on the site of the burned building. The walls were of brick ; the cells of iron. Upon the completion of the building the cells were re- moved to Alton and used for jail purposes. The building was used as a dwelling. THE FOURTH JAIL. The fourth and present jail is built of stone and is a handsome and durable structure. It stands south of the courthouse and was built at the time of the erection of its grander neighbor. A view of this edifice is given, from which a good idea of the plan may be gained. CHAPTER X. MACOUPIN'S "WHITE ELEPHANT." A BUILDING WITH A HISTORY MONEY "NO OBJECT" TO ITS PROMOTERS ARCHI- TECTURALLY "A THING OF BEAUTY" CREATES A TAX UPON THE PEOPLE LAST- ING OVER FORTY YEARS GRAND JUBILEE AT PUBLIC BURNING OF LAST BOND BY GOVERNOR CHARLES S. DENEEN. On the 2 ist day of July, 1910, closed that part of the history of the present courthouse relating to the men who were instrumental in paving the way to its erection, the methods devised and carried out for financing the great structure, the issuing of bonds and the difficulties experienced in finding for them a market ; also the dissatisfaction engendered in taxpayers, their futile but persistent efforts to stop what they deemed a wantonly extravagant expenditure of money and the final adjustment, through the able and patriotic efforts of General Johq I. Rinaker and Hon. Charles A. Walker as attorneys for the county, of the monster debt, by which over a million dollars was saved. The history of the "State of Macoupin's" courthouse has been written both in prose and poetry. The country and metropolitan press had been furnished copy, by reason of its .unique character, for generations, and the magazine writer has contributed his dot to spread broadcast the many interesting and remarkable details connected with the building and cost of this temple of justice, that has not its counterpart in the whole length and breadth of this great country. A building that should have cost not exceeding $600,000, held up the Ma- coupin county taxpayers to the tune of one and one-third million dollars and took them forty-three years to clear the debt. A magnificent structure it is, how- ever, and in its proportions and architectural lines, spacious enough for a state house and pleasing to the most critical eye. On the day and year above mentioned, Macoupin county threw off the last shackle of debt and to commemorate the event set apart the day for one of general rejoicing and thanksgiving. The last of the hated bonds was publicly burned by Charles S. Deneen, governor of the state, before an immense con- course of men and women, who had become wearied and worn throughout the years of their thraldom in meeting the demands of the great brood of its fellows, which was brought into being by a too liberal and plastic authority. And in the flames consuming that bond was extinguished all bitterness, animosity and re- 157 158 HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY crimination; but not so remembrance. The courthouse bids fair to last and be serviceable for at least another half century, and probably by that time it will have ceased to remind the people of Macoupin county how near, and yet how dear, it has been to them. The following details pertinent to the subject at hand were gathered with care and precision by C. J. Lumpkin, the courteous and efficient editor of the Daily Enquirer, and published in that excellent paper as a prelude to the jollifi- cation festivities succeeding the destruction of the final evidence of debt con- nected with the courthouse. The essential facts are given and all data relative to the subject have been abstracted from the minute books of the commissioners' court and the board of supervisors. The compiler of this history has been well assured of the correctness of Mr. Lumpkin's researches and the results of his labors are here placed before the reader : THE INITIAL MOVE. It is a fact known not only in Carlinville and Macoupin county, but through- out Illinois and, in fact, the surrounding states, that we have the finest court- house ever erected by any county in this country. It is also generally known that the beautiful structure came into existence only after long and serious trouble and litigation had contested every inch of its construction and the people who at first anticipated with some misgivings a debt of $50,000 for a new courthouse, finally found themselves loaded down with a debt of $1,380,500. This was at a time when the population was comparatively small, and the great natural wealth of field and forest and mine was as yet hardly dreamed of and certainly developed only in the smallest way. But Macoupin had the wealth then, as now, and perhaps those who caused the debt to be contracted and the fine building to be erected were gifted with a farther insight into the future than others. Perhaps they realized the great nat- ural wealth lying dormant here and there, and in the mind's eye foresaw the time when the debt, which seemed so fearful then, would be small compared to the wealth of the county. In charity to them, for they were trusted men in their day, let us now conclude this to be true, and with the burning of the last bond destroy any traces of bitterness yet remaining from other days. An act passed by the state legislature in February, 1867, was the first step toward the courthouse bonds. It was passed on the application of the county court, composed of Judges T. L. Loomis, John Yowell and Isham J. Peebles, with George H. Holliday as clerk, and authorized the county to expend $50,000, and no more. Although this amount at that time seemed large, if the members of the county court had built a courthouse for that sum, the people would have cheerfully paid for it and there would have been no long history of trouble nor any fine courthouse for the present generation to be proud of, nor any last bond to burn on the 2ist day of July, 1910. FIFTY THOUSAND DOLLARS ONLY A STARTER. The $50,000 was only a starter. At the March term of the county court, 1867, it was ordered that A. McKim Dubois and George H. Holliday be asso- HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY 159 ciated with T. L. Loomis and Isham J. Peebles, as commissioners, to erect a new courthouse in the city of Carlinville. These four men fought out the battle and back of them was a small, but strong, faction headed by that master mind, John M. Palmer. They set their heads and hands to the work and rode over every legal or civil act opposed to their plan, with a determination worthy of fatalists. Very soon, in fact at the June term following, it was ordered that county orders to the sum of $200,000 be issued and a tax levy of fifty cents on each $100 valuation on all property of all kinds be made, and Judge Loomis was ap- pointed agent for the court, with absolute and arbitrary powers. At a special term of the county court, held August 2, 1867, it was ordered that bonds to the amount of $50,000, authorized by the legislature, be issued for the purpose of constructing the courthouse. The bonds were to draw ten per cent interest, payable semi-annually, and were to mature at stated periods covering ten years' time. TAXPAYERS APPLY FOR AN INJUNCTION. An injunction, preventing the county court from proceeding, was refused and the commission proceeded with their plans until January i, 1869, when the special agent reported amounts paid on contracts aggregating $313,044.25. These payments were made with county orders in the sum of $1,000 each, payable ten years from January i, 1868, with interest at the rate of ten per cent per annum. Then the opposition to the building of the courthouse grew more intense and outspoken. Indignation meetings were held in all parts of the county, condemn- ing the actions of the commissioners. Threats were made, protests entered d 1850 was a stu- dent at Philadelphia College of Medicine, from which he graduated in 1850. He began the practice of his profession in Philadelphia, removing to Scott county, Iowa, in 1855, to Rock Island, Illinois, in 1858, Monroe county, . nois, in 1859, and to Staunton. Macoupin county, in October, 1861, where in 1869 he opened a drug store. Dr. Bley was known as a skilled physician and a good citizen. He married Elizabeth W. Lav : s in 1846, by whom he had six children. 4 METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH. CHESTERFIELD EPISCOPAL CHURCH. CHESTEREIEU) LIBrtAHY OF IH UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY 273 David L. Bley and Robert E. Bley, the two sons, graduated at Jefferson Medical College, Philadelphia, the former in 1875 and the latter in 1877, and began prac- ticing medicine at Staunton. Dr. Robert J. Hornsby was born in Shelby county, Kentucky, in 1819. His father sent him to school in Jefferson county, Kentucky, and then to Danville College, from which he entered the college at Shelbyville, Shelby county. Leav- ing college, he entered the office of Dr. Benjamin W. Dudley, of Lexington, Kentucky, one of the prominent physicians of that city, with a wide reputation as a surgeon. Here he studied for two years, and graduating, began the prac- tice of medicine in Kentucky, where he remained for three years. He then came to Illinois and entered land in Madison county. From November, 1849, until 1862 Dr. Hornsby practiced medicine near Jefferson Barracks, St. Louis. In 1854 he laid out and founded the town of Clyde, Macoupin county, and four years later, in connection with L. L. Dorsey laid out the village of Prairie City. Dr. Hornsby married Frances Cordelia Dorsey, a native of Kentucky, born in 1825. Dr. Hornsby located in Gillespie in 1862, where he became quite suc- cessful and then removed to Bunker Hill. Robert S. Cowan, a native of Tennessee, was born March 9, 1833. He ar- rived in Macoupin county in 1865 and began the practice of medicine at Nil wood, where he remained until 1869, when he removed to Girard and practiced there for many years. Dr. Cowan was a member of the Macoupin County Medical Society and also of the State Medical Society. Dr. William A. Shriver was a native of Ohio and began the study of med- icine with Dr. Pitzer of St. Louis. He attended lectures at the Eclectic Medical Institute at Cincinnati, Ohio, and received a diploma. He began practice at Virden in 1866 and soon gained a reputation as a successful physician. Dr. Albert Campbell Corr specialized on diseases of the eye, ear and throat and associated with him his wife, Dr. L. H. Corr, both of whom became prom- inent in the profession. Dr. Albert Corr was a native of Macoupin county, his birth occurring in Honey Point township, February 10, 1840. He received his early education in the pioneer schools and in 1863 entered Blackburn University. In 1864 he enlisted in Company F, One Hundred and Thirty-third Illinois Volunteers, in which he served four months. He then returned to the farm and at intervals began the study of medicine. The year 1865 found him at Chicago Medical College, where he remained a student two years. During the vacation of his last year he studied in the office of Drs. J. P. and L. Matthews, of Car- linville. March 4, 1868, was the date of his graduation, soon after which he began the practice of his profession in Chesterfield, remaining there seven years, when he took up the practice in Carlinville. He was one of the charter members of the Macoupin County Medical Society, which was organzed in 1873. He became its president in 1880. In 1886 Dr. Corr relinquished his general prac- tice to devote himself to specializing on diseases of the eye, ear and throat. April 20, 1865, the marriage of Dr. Corr and Miss Lucinda Hall occurred. She also become his associate professionally. Dr. Corr was the first delegate from the County Medical Society to the State Medical Society and the third physician in Macoupin county admitted to membership in that organization, Dr. John A. Halderman, one of its charter members, being the first and Dr. J. P. Matthews 274 HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY the second. He was also a charter member and surgeon of Dan Messick Post, No. 339, G. A. R. A complete sketch of the Doctor will be found in the bio- graphical volume of this work. Dr. C. T. Buffington was born in Jersey county, Illinois, in 1856. He was the son of a physician, one of the oldest in Jersey county. Dr. Buffington being a natural student and of an investigating mind, gave his early attention to the study of his profession. After reading medicine with his father he took up the study under the direction of Drs. Hadway and Lyon of Jerseyville, and after- ward practiced with them until he located in Shaw's Point township in 1869, soon acquiring a lucrative and extensive clientele. Dr. Buffington married Miss Jennie Masters, daughter of John B. Masters, in 1875. Dr. William Dwight Graham was a son of Milo and Hannah (Dugger) Graham, natives of Pennsylvania. Dr. Graham was an early physician of Carlinville and for forty-two years engaged in the drug business in this city. He was a veteran of the Civil war and died in 1906, at the age of fifty-eight years. His widow survives him and is a resident of Carlinville. A more ex- tended sketch will be found in Volume II. Dr. A. R. Sawyer was one of the early physicians of Bunker Hill. In 1867 he became proprietor of the Union Gazette at that place. He died in 1868. Dr. Levi Hutchinson, for many years deceased, was also one of the early physicians of Bunker Hill. Dr. Isaac R. Lane located for practice in Chesterfield in 1868 and there re- mained until 1883, when he removed to Mountain Grove, Missouri, and there died May 19, 1911. Robert J. Mitchell became one of the leading physicians of Girard. He was a native of Pennsylvania. In the fall of 1869 he entered Rush Medical College at Chicago and graduated with the class of 1871. A few weeks thereafter Dr. Mitchell located in Girard, where he soon gained the esteem of a large clientele for his professional knowledge and practical ability. Dr. Joseph Hunter was born in Virginia, September 2, 1837. He was raised and obtained his education at Bath and began the study of medicine under Dr. Joseph Brown, later attending medical college in Cincinnati. In 1858 he was a resident of Greenfield, Illinois. Dr. Hunter became a surgeon in the Civil war and had charge of the refugee hospital at Jackson under General R. J. Oglesby. By reason of disability he left the service and returned to Illinois, settling in Medora in the spring of 1872. Here he established a drug store, which he carried on in connection with his practice. Dr. Charles H. Black began the practice of medicine at Dorchester in 1873. He had read medicine in 1870 in the office of Dr. William A. Allen, of Green- ville, and in the fall of 1871 entered the Chicago Medical College, from which he graduated in the spring of 1873. He soon thereafter began his medical career at Woodburn, in Macoupin county, and in November of the same year estab- lished himself as a physician at Dorchester. He made a good professional record. Dr. William A. Allen was born in Green county, Illinois, October 28, 1848. He received his elementary schooling at his native place and then entered Black- burn College in Carlinville, where he remained two years, after which he HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY 275 taught two terms and at the same time read medicine. He entered the office of Dr. R. M. Wilson, at Palmyra, at the age of twenty-three as a student, where he remained a year and a half. He then entered Rush Medical College of Chicago, graduating from that institution in the spring of 1874. Immediately thereafter Dr. Wilson began practice in Palmyra, where he remained until the following spring. Dr. Allen bought the practice of Dr. Wilson in 1876 and located permanently in Palmyra, at once entering upon a lucrative prac- tice. He was married to Anna Corn, daughter of A. M. Corn, near Decatur. Dr. George Herbert Gilson was born in the village of Brighton, Macoupin county, September 15, 1853, and is a son of James W. Gilson. The young man attended the common schools until his seventeenth year, when he entered Black- burn University, at Carlinville, and took a scientific course. After remaining there three years he commenced reading medicine and in 1874 entered the St. Louis Medical College, graduating therefrom in the spring of 1876. He immediately commenced the practice of his profession at Shipman, this county where he succeeded in building up a lucrative and extensive practice. Dr. Charles J. C. Fischer is a native of Illinois, born in Madison county, January 28, 1854. When sixteen years old he began the study of Latin and German under a private tutor. Soon after completing these branches he be- gan reading medicine under the' guidance of Dr. A. M. Powell, after which he attended lectures in St. Louis Medical College, graduating therefrom in 1877. He was married in 1879 to Sofie Schuricht, whose birth place was St. Louis, Missouri. The Doctor is a member of the Macoupin County Medical Society, Illinois Medical Society and Mississippi Valley Medical Association. Robert E. Bley became a practitioner at Bunker Hill in 1877. He was a son of Dr. George Bley, one of the pioneer physicians of the county. Dr. Marvel Thomas is a native of Macoupin county, born in Gillespie town- ship, October 8, 1855. He entered Blackburn University in the fall of 1873, graduating with the degree of B. S. He then entered Missouri Medical Col- lege at St. Louis, from which he was graduated in 1884. He at once entered upon the practice of his profession in Palmyra, where he remained until 1890. MEDICAL SOCIETIES. The first effort toward organizing a medical society in Macoupin county was the result of a resolution offered before the State Medical Society, by Dr. John A. Halderman, in 1856. But when the society came into being cannot now be determined definitely. The year here mentioned must suffice for the purposes of this article. There is still extant a pamphlet, published in that year, in which is given the constitution and by-laws of the society, the names of its members and officers ; also a code of ethics governing the profession and an established fee bill. This pamphlet was printed at the office of the Spectator. The official list of names of the Macoupin County Medical Society for the year 1856 was as follows : President, John A. Halderman ; vice president, John Logan ; secretary, Alex- ander P. Bettersworth ; treasurer, John W. Hankins; board of censors, John A. Halderman, John Logan, M. Morton; publishing committee, Alexander P. 276 HISTORY OF MACOUPIX COUNTY Bettersworth, John Logan, M. Morton. Members, J. A. Halderman, A. P. Bettersworth, J. W. Trabue, W. B. Brink, E. E. Webster, J. D. Marshall, C. H. Holliday, E. Howell, Bunker Hill; J. Logan, J. W. Hankins, Charles E. Smith, Palmyra; F. Jones, A. Miller, J. Ash, Brighton; E. C. Ellet, M. W. Seaman, Shipman; A. Hildreth, Chesterfield. Among other things mentioned in the "code" were paragraphs relating to "the duties of the profession to the public, and the obligations of the public to the profession," which are deemed worthy of reproduction and follow below : DUTIES OF THE PROFESSION TO THE PUBLIC. Section i. As good citizens, it is the duty of physicians to be ever vigilant for the welfare of the community, and to bear their part in sustaining its institu- tions and burdens ; they should also be ever ready to give counsel to the public in relation to matters especially appertaining to their profession, as on subjects of medical police, public hygiene and legal medicine. It is their province to en- lighten the public in regard to quarantine regulations, the location, anangement and dietaries of hospitals, asylums, schools, prisons and similar institutions; in relation to the medical police of towns, as drainage, ventilation, etc. and in regard to measures for the prevention of epidemic and contagious diseases ; and when pestilence prevails, it is their duty to face the danger, and to continue their labors for the alleviation of the suffering, even at the jeopardy of their own lives. Section 2. Medical men should also be always ready when called upon by the legally constituted authorities, to enlighten coroners' inquests and courts of justice, on subjects strictly medical, such as involve questions relating to sanity, legitimacy, murder by poisons or other violent means ; and in regard to the other various subjects embraced in the science of medical jurisprudence. But in these cases, and especially where they are required to make postmortem ex- amination, it is just, in consequence of the time, labor and skill required, and the responsibility and the risk they incur, that the public should award them a proper honorarium. Section 3. There is no profession, by the members of which eleemosynary services are more liberally dispensed than the medical ; but justice requires that some limits should be placed to the performance of such good offices. Pov- erty, professional brotherhood, and certain public duties referred to in section one of this chapter, should always be recognized as presenting claims for gratu- itous services ; but neither institutions endowed by the public, or by rich in- dividuals, societies for mutual benefit, for the insurance of lives, or for an- alogous purposes, nor any profession or occupation, can be admitted to possess such privilege. Nor can it be justly expected of physicians to furnish certifi- cates of inability to serve on juries, to perform militia duty, or to testify to the state of health of persons wishing to insure their lives, obtain pensions, or the like, without a pecuniary acknowledgement. But to individuals in indigent circumstances, such professional services should always be cheerfully and freely accorded. HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY 277 Section 4. It is the duty of physicians, who are frequent witnesses of the enormities committed by quackery, and the injury to health and even destruction of life, caused by the use of quack medicines, to enlighten the public on these subiects, to expose the injuries sustained by the unwary from the devices and pretentions of artful empirics and impostors. Physicians ought to use all the influence which they possess, as professors in colleges of pharmacy, and by exercising their option in regard to the shops to which their prescriptions shall be sent, to discourage druggists and apothecaries from vending quack or secret medicines, or from being in any way engaged in their manufacture or sale. OBLIGATIONS OF THE PUBLIC TO PHYSICIANS. Section i. The benefits accruing to the public directly and indirectly from the active and unwearied beneficence of the profession, are so numerous and important that physicians are justly entitled to the utmost consideration and respect from the community. The public ought likewise to entertain a just appreciation of medical qualifications, to make a proper discrimination between true science and the assumption of ignorance and empiricism ; to afford every encouragement and facility for the acquisition of medical education. This society lived how long? Xo one exactly knows. But its life was a short one and several years elapsed before its successor came into being. In the summer of 1873, through the efforts of Drs. R. M. Wilson and A. C. Corr, then of Chesterfield, after securing the endorsement of Drs. J. P. Mat- thews, John Logan and E. H. Head, the society was reorganized. The first preliminary meeting was held in July, of which Dr. Corr was chosen as chair- man. But a small number of the fraternity was present. Those now recalled were R. M. Wilson, Reuben J. Allmond, W. C. Day, R. S. W. Cowan, R. J. Mitchell, J. R. Lane and C. E. Smith. For reasons then important, an adjournment was taken to September 16, 1873, and on that day another meeting was held, at Shipman. There were present then Drs. Seaman, chairman ; Trabue, Butler, Penniman, Black and Dickerson. The organization was perfected by the election of M. W. Seaman, president ; F. Brother, vice president ; R. M. Wilson and W. C. Day, secretaries ; A. C. Corr. treasurer. Carlinville was chosen as the first meeting place, but owing to the non-appear- ance of any physicians of the county seat at the organization meeting, the place was changed to Girard. Drs. Wilson, Mitchell, Corr and Day were appointed a committee to draft a constitution and by-laws ; Penniman, Cowan and Brother were appointed as a board of censors. At the Girard meeting, on the third Tuesday in October, 1873, the commit- tee on constitution and by-laws reported and this important measure, chiefly the work of Dr. Corr, was adopted. From this time up to the present the society has held its regular meetings, where papers pertinent to medicine and surgery have been read by men from various sections of the country, eminent in the profession, and discussed by members of the society. 278 HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY There were thirteen charter members, to wit: M. W. Seaman, A. B. Penni- man, Ferd Brother, R. S. Cowan, J. R. Lane, R. M. Wilson, A. C. Corr, W. C. Day, R. J. Mitchell, C. H. Black, J. W. Trabue, C. E. Smith, J. P. Matthews. This number grew to forty-seven within a short time and below is given the present membership, as it appears by the records of the secretary, J. P. Matthews. Carlinville]. P. Denby, J. H. Davis, C. J. C. Fischer, J. S. Collins, J. P. Matthews, J. Palmer Matthews, L. H. Corr, E. S. Head, Robert Bell, F. M. Wood. GillespieC. D. King, E. B. Hobson, William Gross, Thomas H. Hall, J. N. English. Virden E. K. Lockwood, M. H. Farmer, T. W. Morgan, E. R. Motley, E. G. Motley. Girard R. S. Cowan, G. E. Hill, W. W. Van Wormier, A. H. Simmons, J. H. Riffey, R. J. Mitchell. Staunton D. L. Bley, A. H. Hunter, U. G. Auer, J. S. Patterson. Mount Olive G. A. Floreth, C. S. Ambrose, O. F. Allen, Maximillian Leon. Bunker HillS. D. Rockefeller, H. C. Kibbie, Robert E. Bley, E. S. Milton. Nilwood D. A. Morgan. Brighton J. R. Ash, T. A. Horine. ScottvilleW. B. Dalton, Dr. Doan. Plainview M. J. Donahue. Palmyra Ben Hudson, Martin McMahan. Atwater W. A. Trout. Chesterfield W. A. Knoop. Shipman]. P. Hale, R. R. Bobzin, J. L. Kerrell, J. B. Listen. Greenfield A.. G. Kinkead, H. W. Gobble. BenldH. A. Pattison, F. A. Renner, H. B. Beeson. Dorchester F. B. Bushni. MedoraJ. E. Walton, O. P. Irwin. Modesto J. A. Kennedy. The present officers are: President, C. D. King, Gillespie; vice president, T. W. Morgan, Virden; secretary-treasurer, John Palmer Matthews, Carlinville. CHAPTER XVI. BENCH AND BAR. SOME MENTION OF THE PIONEER LAWYER THOSE WHO SHED LUSTER ON THE LEGAL PROFESSION AND MADE A STIR IN THE WORLD GENERAL JOHN M. PAL- MER GENERAL JOHN I. RINAKER AND OTHERS PRESENT MEMBERS OF THE MA- COUPIN BAR. Perhaps no body of men, not excepting the clergy, may exercise a greater influence for good in a community than those who follow the profession of the law, and it must be admitted that to no other body, not even to the so-called criminal classes, are committed greater possibilities for an influence for evil. What that influence shall be depends upon the character of the men who con- stitute the bar of the community not merely on their ability or learning but on their character. If the standard of morality among the members of the bar is high, the whole community learns to look at questions of right and wrong from a higher plane. If the bar consciously or unconsciously adopts a low standard of morality, it almost inevitably contaminates the conscience of the community. And this is true not only in the practice of the profession itself, not only because of the influence of members of the bar as men rather than lawyers, but in the effect upon other professions and occupations to which the bar acts as a feeder. The members of the legislature are recruited largely from the legal profession. How can legislation, designed solely for the welfare of the public, be expected from one whose honor as a lawyer has not been above suspicion? And since lawyers, outside of the legislature, have a great influence in shaping the law, how can the people expect that influence to be exerted in their behalf when the bar itself is unworthy? Still more does the character of the bar affect the judiciary, which is supplied from its ranks. It is not always, perhaps not generally, the case that members of the bench are chosen from those lawyers who have attained the highest rank in their profession. If a judge be industrious and honest, but not of great ability, or if he be able and honest, though lacking industry, the rights of the litigants are not likely to suffer seri- ously at his hands. But there have been instances where judicial office was be- stowed solely as a reward for political service ; and while it is sometimes realized that one who has been a strenuous and not too scrupulous politician up to the moment of his elevation to the bench, has thereafter forgotten that there was such a trade as politics and has administered justice without fear or favor, the experiment is a dangerous one. No one need be surprised if in such a case the 279 - 280 HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY old maxim holds true : "He who buys the office of judge must of necessity sell justice." Let our judges be men who are subject to other influences than those of the facts submitted to them and the law applicable to those facts, let them lack that independence which is an imperative requisite toi one who holds the scale of justice, let a well founded suspicion arise that their decisions are dic- tated by something outside of their own minds and consciences, and the con- fidence of the people in the maintenance of their rights through the agency of the courts is destroyed. It has been the good fortune of the city of Carlinville and the county of Macoupin that the members of the bar here have been, for the most part, men of high character as well as of ability and learning, so that its bar has won a high and honorable reputation throughout the rest of the state and because of the high character of the bar it has followed that those of its members who have been elevated to the bench have enjoyed the confidence and respect of the public and have been honored not only in their own locality but in many cases throughout the state and in other states. Yet the preparation of a history of the bar, so far at least as that part of it which lies back of one's own generation is concerned, is attended with consid- erable difficulty. Probably few men who in their time play important parts in the community or even in the state or nation, leave so transient a reputation as lawyers do. A writer on this subject who took for his text the Lawyers of Fifty Years Ago, said: "In thinking over the names of these distinguished men of whom I have been speaking, the thought has come to me how evanescent and limited is the lawyer's reputation, both in time and space. I doubt very much if a lawyer, whatever his standing, is much known to the profession out- side of his own state." Those who attain high rank in the profession must realize that with rare exceptions their names are "writ in water." One may turn over the leaves of old reports and find repeated again and again as counsel in different cases the name of some lawyer who must have been in his time a power in the courts, only to wonder if he has ever seen that name outside of the covers of the dusty reports in which it appears. Hamilton, in the conventions, in the Federalist and in the treasury, and Webster, in the senate and in public ora- tions, have perpetuated and increased the fame of lawyers Hamilton and Web- ster; but were it not for their services outside the strict limits of their profes- sion one might come upon their names at this date with much the same lack of recognition as that with which one finds in a reported case the names of some counsel, great perhaps in his own time, but long since forgotten. And there is another difficulty in preparing such a history as this, brief and therefore necessarily limited to a few names, and that is that some may be omitted who are quite as worthy of mention as those whose names appear. It is not often that any one man stands as a lawyer head and shoulders above the other members of the profession; and the same may be said of any half dozen men. In many cases the most careful measurement would fail to dis- close a difference of more than a fraction of an inch, if any. Lives of eminent men who have at some period been practicing lawyers have contained the as- sertion that while they were engaged in the practice of their profession they were the "leaders of the bar;" but there is almost always room for doubt as HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY 281 to whether the title is now a brevet bestowed by the biographer alone. There- fore the mention in this article of certain lawyers must not be taken as any dis- paragement of those who are not mentioned, and, finally, it is to be observed that this article, so far as the bar is concerned, will treat not only of those mem- bers who are past and gone but will make mention of some of those now in the flesh. General John M. Palmer was one of the early members of the Macoupin county bar and about a year before his death, or in 1899, wrote a history of the bench and bar of Illinois, in which he devoted considerable space to members of the bar of his day and generation and those who came before him, who prac- ticed in the courts of this county. He wrote understandingly and entertainingly. He, himself, became famous in his profession and in other walks 'of public life and anything coming from his pen, relating to the men who followed the profes- sion of the law at this bar, is deemed of more than ordinary importance and worthy of preservation. Hence, his remembrances upon the subject are tran- scribed to these pages and appear below : WHO WAS THE FIRST LAWYER? "Macoupin county was organized under an act of the legislature approved January 17, 1829. Thomas Carlin was then a state senator from Greene county, and was active in procuring the passage of the act, and the county seat of the* new county was named in his honor, Carlinville. "Senator Carlin afterward became governor of the state, elected in 1838. It is not certain whether Palemon H. Winchester or John S. Greathouse was the first lawyer to settle in Carlinville; they were both residents here in 1831. Judge Scott, in his volume 'Supreme Court of Illinois, 1818,' refers to him as 'Winchester, named as counsel for appellee in same case (Coleen and Claypole versus Figgins), was evidently P. H. Winchester, a teritorial lawyer.' "Palemon H. Winchester, who was referred to by Judge Scott, was a native of Tennessee and was reputed to have been a nephew of General James Win- chester, who commanded the American forces at Frenchtown, or Raisin river, and surrendered them to the British commander, Procter. Major Winchester, as he was called, came to Illinois in 1817, and settled in Edwardsville, where later he married a daughter of Colonel Benjamin Stevenson, who was then one of the leading citizens of Madison county. Colonel Stevenson was so intimate with Governor Edwards that the late Judge Benjamin Stevenson Edwards was named for him. "In 1822 Winchester was indicted for the murder of one Smith, and Felix Grundy defended him. Judge Scott speaks of him as 'Solomon' H. Winchester, and says, 'The trial created a good deal of local excitement ; defendant be- longed to a highly respectable family and had many influential friends.' Win- chester was acquitted and after Macoupin county was established, he removed to Carlinville, where he died. He was regarded by the people of the county as a good lawyer but later he became intemperate and unreasonable. He died many years ago. 282 HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY "John S. Greathouse also came to Carlinville before 1831. He was born in Shelby county, Kentucky. It has been impossible to obtain the date of his birth. He lived and practiced law a short time in Anderson county, Kentucky, at Lawrenceburg, and then removed to Illinois, and settled in Carlinville, or near the town, upon a tract of land of sixty acres. He built a good house and kept an office in town. Mr. Palmer entered the law office of Mr. Greathouse in March, 1839, and found what was then regarded as an excellent law library Breese's Reports, published in 1831. He also found Coke on Littleton, with Hargrave and Butler's Notes, Blackstone's Commentaries, Coke and Raymond's Reports, Chitty's Pleadings then a new work Starkie and McNally on Evi- dence, Buller's Nisi Prius, and the lawyer's Vade Mecum. "When the writer came to Carlinville on the 26th of March, 1839, he found here Palemon H. Winchester and John S. Greathouse, of whom mention has been made, John A. Chestnut, John W. Bainbridge and John Wilson, practicing lawyers. Mr. Wilson had been clerk of what was then called the county commissioners' court. He was removed from office for what I always regarded as insufficient reasons, and Mr. Chesnut was appointed in his place. He re- mained in Carlinville for a short time afterward, and then removed to Carroll county, where he died many years ago. "John W. Bainbridge had emigrated to Illinois from Lincoln county, Ken- tucky. He was master in chancery for some time and was a whig in politics, having been appointed master by Judge William Thomas. He died in Cali- fornia. "Samuel S. Gilbert was born in Salem, Massachusetts. His father first settled in Pike county, in or near Griggsville. Mr. Gilbert studied law with John A. Chesnut, and after his admission to the bar formed a partnership with his preceptor, under the firm name of Chesnut & Gilbert. The partnership was dissolved by the removal of Mr. Chesnut to Springfield. Mr. Gilbert re- mained in Carlinville and was afterward elected county judge. He died many years ago. He married a Miss McClure, who died prior to his death. He left several sons, among whom was Edward Gilbert, a practicing lawyer of York, Nebraska. "John S. Lauderdale remained in Macoupin county only a short time. He came from Tennesee, went south, and became a captain in the Confederate service. "Horace Gwin came to Carlinville from Tennessee in 1859. The first time the writer ever saw Mr. Gwin, although he had heard of him as a young lawyer from Tennessee, he had occasion to go to the court house in the evening, court being in session, and there listened to the most abusive and vindictive attack upon himself personally that he had ever heard. Mr. Gwin was the speaker and after he was through with his speech the writer took the stand, and while he declared that he did not know Mr. Gwin, but hoped to know him better and that he would, when he knew him better, think better of him, and said no more. He did get to know Mr. Gwin better and they became warm friends. Mr. Gwin was state's attorney under the constitution of 1848, and was the author of that fine definition of a qui tarn action, 'one half to the county and one half to the lawyer, and nothing to the plaintiff.' Mr. Gwin HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY 283 married Miss Laura Berry and died several years ago, leaving a number of children." Isaac Hendershot was another early lawyer of Carlinville. He had lived in Staunton before coming to this place. In 1836 he was a candidate for the legislature. He went to Iowa from Carlinville. Samuel Pitman began the practice of law in Carlinville in 1854. During the succeeding ten years he was associated in business as a partner of John M. Palmer. From 1865 until 1870 he was not engaged in practice but in 1872 formed a partnership with John Mayo Palmer, thus continuing for many years. He is now deceased. Asa Potter was born in New York, in 1829. His education was obtained at Aurora Academy and at Springfield Academy, both in Erie county, New York. In 1857 he came to Brighton, Macoupin county, and took charge of the school as principal. He was admitted to the bar in 1862 and practiced at Brighton for a number of years. He is now deceased. Balfour Cowan began the practice of law at Virden, in the spring of 1867. He was a native of New Hampshire and moved with his parents to Illinois in 1835. In 1858 he became a citizen of Virden, where he embarked in the mer- cantile business with a brother. In 1867 he was admitted to the bar and gained a leading position among the members of the fraternity in Macoupin county. He is now deceased. Mahlon Ross was born in Mercer county, Pennsylvania, in 1821, and attended the public schools of his native place. Leaving school, he taught for a while, in the meantime reading law. He was admitted to practice in 1850. In 1854 he came to Virden, where he rose to prominence in his profession. He is now deceased. William Weer was one of the early lawyers of Carlinville. He was educated in McKendree College at Lebanon, Illinois. At one time he ably filled the office of prosecuting attorney and also filled the office of county judge. After leav- ing Carlinville he practiced his profession in St. Louis. He has been dead many years. Thomas Jayne, after serving as probate justice for some years, read law and practiced his profession in Carlinville. He was a good lawyer but he began too late in life to attain to an eminent position among the members of the bar. He is now deceased. In 1843 Edward L. Rice became a student of law and after being admitted to the bar practiced his profession in Carlinville. George W. Hamilton practiced law in Carlinville from 1860 until the time of his death, in 1876. George Hunter opened a law office in Carlinville in 1861. He died in the fall of 1878, mourned by a host of friends. In 1866 John N. McMillan opened a law office in Carlinville and built up a large and lucrative practice. He died in the winter of 1874-5. R. C. Smalley became a member of the Macoupin county bar in 1867, and continued his profession here until the time of his death in 1876. Judge J. R. Welch was born in Jessamine county, Kentucky, January 22, 1828. He received a good education in the common schools and academy of 284 HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY the state, and in 1845 matriculated at Transylvania University at Lexington, graduating therefrom with the degree of A. B. In 1849 he entered the law department of the same university and graduated with the degree of Bachelor of Laws and immediately thereafter entered upon the practice of his profession in Nicholasville, Kentucky, where he remained until 1864. In that year he came to Carlinville and soon secured a large clientele. While in Kentucky he was elected state's attorney and served in that capacity four years. In 1877 ne was elected judge of the fifth judicial district and succeeded himself in 1879. Judge Welch had an astute legal mind, was a clear, forceful and con- vincing speaker, incisive in style and always logical. In politics he was a dem- ocrat. On the 6th of April, 1854, Judge Welch married Miss Ann Mary Corn, a native of Kentucky. John Mayo Palmer, the eldest son of John M. Palmer, was born in Carlin- ville, March 10, 1848. He was educated in the common schools and was one of the first students of Blackburn University. In 1861 at the age of thirteen, he went with his father, who was the colonel of the Fourteenth Regiment, to Jacksonville, and remained with him during the whole war. In 1866-67 he attended Shurtleff College at Upper Alton. Returning home, he studied law with his father and a portion of the time with General John I. Rinaker and was soon after admitted to the bar. He then entered the law department of Har- vard University and graduated therefrom with the degree of LL. B. Imme- diately after his graduation at Harvard he returned to Carlinville and took up practice of law, first in partnership with John A. Harris, who had been reared in Carlinville. Later Mr. Palmer formed a partnership with Samuel Pitman, who had been a former partner of his father. In 1869 John Mayo Palmer married Miss Helen Robertson, daughter of Dr. W. A. Robertson. In the spring of 1870 he was elected city attorney on the republican ticket. In the spring of 1872 he removed to Springfield to take up the practice of law with his father. In 1875 he was elected a member of the city council at Spring- field and in 1876 was returned a member of the general assembly from Macoupin county. Mr. Palmer died in 1903. F. H. Chapman, who was born in Staunton township in 1828, was a son of Richard Chapman, who came to the county in 1819. In 1858 the son became county surveyor and later read law. He had a splendid military record and came out of the Civil war after four years' service with the brevet of major, which he received for meritorious service. From 1869 until 1873 Major Chapman filled the office of county superintendent of schools. Previously, in 1869, he was admitted to the bar and in 1873 opened a law office in Carlin- ville. In 1878 he formed a partnership with General John M. Palmer, who in 1896 became governor of the state, United States senator and candidate for the presidency on the gold standard democratic ticket. As a lawyer F. H. Chapman won honors at the local bar. He was a clear, logical thinker, good pleader and faithful to his clients. Up to the war Major Chapman was a democrat. He then joined the ranks of the Lincoln party and remained true to its tenets throughout the remainder of his life. Archelaus N. Yancey was born March 24, 1844, in Montpeher, Virginia. When he was twelve years of age his father removed from Virginia to Oldham HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY 285 county, Kentucky, where the young man attended an academy at Middletown in preparation for college. He entered Dartmouth College, New Hampshire, in January, 1864, but previous to this time had pursued preparatory studies in the law office of Nathaniel Wolf, a prominent lawyer 'of Louisville, Kentucky. He left Dartmouth College in 1864 and entered the University of Michigan, grad- uating from the law department of that institution in the spring of 1867. He then took up the practice of his chosen profession in Oldham county, Kentucky, and that same fall settled at Bunker Hill. Here he resided many years and in the practice of his profession acquired an excellent reputation as a lawyer. He was a man of sound legal learning, successful in the management of his cases. For several years he was attorney for the Indianapolis and St. Louis railway. Daniel D. Goodell was a native of New York and removed with his widowed mother to Michigan, where he began the study of law. He entered the practice of his profession at Brighton in 1879, where he soon built up a lucrative business. John M. Brown, a native of Glasgow, Scotland, came to Carlinville in an early day. He began the study of law in the office of Palmer & Harris and con- tinued with Palmer & Pitman. He was admitted to practice in 1870 and for three years served as city attorney of Carlinville. He is now deceased. A. J. Plowman began the study of law in the office of Balfour Cowan and was graduated from the Union College of Law at Chicago in 1876. He located for practice in Virden and for three years served as city attorney of that place. He is now deceased. A. L. Mayfield began the study of law in Carlinville under the direction of William R. Welch and was graduated from the Transylvania Law School of Kentucky, being admitted to practice in 1877. He is now deceased. George A. Eastham read law in Carlinville and after his graduation located for practice in Girard. He is now deceased. LAWYERS OF NOTE NOW LIVING. Hon. Charles A. Walker, one of the oldest members of the Illinois bar, in years of actual practice, is a citizen of Carlinville. Fifty-two years ago he passed the required examinations and was duly admitted to the bar, since which time he has been an active worker in the profession. While the Civil war was in progress he was elected to the lower house of the Illinois legislature on the democratic ticket. To that party he has always given his allegiance, and has been recognized as an influential factor in local state campaigns. When he was a member of the state assembly he took an active part in opposing the building of the new court house in this county and was prominently connected with many important measures which received the consideration of our statesmen of the early war period. Mr. Walker is a native of Tennessee, his birth having occurred in Nashville, August 21, 1826. He is a son of Abraham S. and Rosina (Phelps) Walker, who were natives of Kentucky and North Carolina, respectively. The father was a man of prominence in his community and was respected and admired by all who 286 HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY knew him. In 1844, at a special election, he ran as a whig candidate against John M. Palmer, democrat, for the county judgeship of Macoupin county. At the age of two years Charles A. Walker became a resident of Illinois and in this state he received his education. Having finished the curriculum of the common schools, he entered Shurtleff College and was still a student there at the time that the gold fever of 1849 swept the country. Like thousands of others, he decided to try his fortune in the far west, and before the summer of 1849 was ushered in, he was starting on the long journey, accompanied by Charles Palmer (brother of John M.) and John F. Kellar, son of Samuel Kellar, an old citizen of Macoupin county. Mr. Walker remained on the Pacific coast about two years and then returned to Illinois, settling in Carlinville. In 1852 he wedded Miss Permelia A. Dick, a daughter of Daniel and Susan Dick, re- spected citizens of Sangamon county, Illinois. In 1856 Mr. Walker took up the study of law under Messrs. Gilbert & Rin- aker, of Carlinville, and two years later, having been admitted to the bar, he opened an office and began a lucrative practice, which has extended to the present time. In 1862 he became associated in partnership with John N. Woodson, son of Judge D. M. Woodson, of Carrollton. When Mr. Woodson removed to St. Louis six years later, their business connection was dissolved by mutual consent. Early in his professional life Mr. Walker gained an enviable position as a trial lawyer and in the esteem of his legal brethren and by strict application and energy became thoroughly posted in the intricacies of the law. For years his practice has been extensive and remunerative and his standing as a lawyer is above question. In 1871 Mr. Walker was honored by his fellow citizens in being elected to the mayoralty of Carlinville. Seven years later he was elcted to the state senate. During his senatorial career he succeeded in introducing and getting passed the first compulsory educational bill enacted in this state. From his early man- hood he has taken a great interest in the cause of education and for a number of years served as president of the Carlinville school board. For some time Mr. Walker's business associate was James B. Searcy, the firm name being Walker & Searcy. Today the junior member of the firm of Walker & Woods is Charles H. Woods, a grandson. (See second volume). General John I. Rinaker was born in Baltimore, Maryland, in 1830, and by the death of his parents was early thrown upon his own resources. In 1837 he became a resident of Illinois and lived in Sangamon county until 1840, after which he worked on a farm in Morgan county until he was nineteen years of age, attending the common school during a part of each winter. Earning the money for his tuition and board by farm labor, he entered Illinois College at Jacksonville and during his attendance there taught school at intervals. He became a student of McKendree College, at Lebanon. Illinois, in 1850, and graduated from that institution in 1851. He became a resident of Carlinville in 1852, when he entered the law office of John M. Palmer and was admitted to the bar in 1854. He at once began the practice of his profession, in which he continued until the outbreak of the Civil war. Through his efforts in 1862 the One Hundred and Twentieth Regiment of Illinois Volunteer Infantry was organized and he became its colonel. The regiment was mustered into the HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY 287 service September 4, 1862, and reported for duty at Columbus, Kentucky, when it was ordered to Trenton, Tennessee. During his career in the army, which continued until hostilities ceased in the spring of 1865, he made for himself an honorable record. At the close of the war General Rinaker returned to Carlinville and resumed the practice of law. He attained prominence at the bar and during the years of his activity was recognized by members of the profes- sion as a good lawyer, a man of ability and an effective speaker both before court and jury. (See second volume.) Lewis P. Peebles was born in Chesterfield, Macoupin county, July 13, 1836. His father, Jesse Peebles, was a native of Camden, South Carolina, and emi- grated to Illinois in 1834, taking up his residence in Chesterfield township, where he remained until his death, which occurred in 1864. Judge Peebles worked upon a farm and attended country schools, receiving such an education as the school room of those days afforded. He remained at home until 1861, when he spent the succeeding winter in the office of William A. Grimshaw, at Pitts- field, Illinois, reading law with a view of adopting that profession. He remained there until the summer of 1862, when he raised a company of soldiers in Ches- terfield and Brighton townships and tendered them to the government. After his return from the battlefields in 1865 the subject of this sketch entered Judge Welch's law office and resumed his studies. In December, 1867, he was admitted to the bar. In 1868 he was appointed deputy sheriff. He afterward formed a law partnership with R. C. Smalley and continued the practice until 1872. In his profession Judge Peebles has attained distinction at the local bar and is today still in the harness, being the senior member of the firm of Peebles & Peebles, the junior member being Jesse, a son. (See second volume.) W. E. P. Anderson is a son of Erasmus S. and Mary E. Anderson, who were among the pioneer settlers of Macoupin county. His parents died when he was fifteen months old and he was taken in charge by his uncle, C. H. C. Anderson, who reared him. After obtaining a common-school education he became a student at Blackburn University and at the age of seventeen entered Wesleyan University at Bloomington. After two years spent in the latter college he entered the law office of John Mayo Palmer, and after an interval read law in the office of Judge William R. Welch and was admitted to the bar in the fall of 1871. In the summer of 1872 he opened an office in Carlinville, where he has practiced his profession with success and distinction to the present time. (See second volume.) WHEN THEY CAME OR THEREABOUTS. Lawyers who were here at the organization of the county : John S. Great- house, Palemon H. Winchester, John W. Bainbridge, Colonel Ben Stevenson. Those who came during the '305 : John M. Palmer, Thomas Jayne, John A. Chesnut, Robert Foster, Edward Y. Rice, C. D. Hodges, David A. Smith, known as "Bully" Smith. Those who came during the '405 : William Weer, Thad L. Loomis, George H. F. Works, George W. Hamilton. Those who came in the '505 : James Lee, Horace Gwin, John A. Lauderale, John McMillan, C. M. Morrison, J. B. White, John S. Wolf, David B. Haider- 288 HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY man, H. W. Kerr, J. G. Custer, George Hunter, John I. Rinaker, Lewis P. Peebles, Balfour Cowen, Daniel Goodell, Mahlon Ross, S. S. Gilbert, Samuel Pitman, S. Thompson Corn, Fletcher H. Chapman. Those who came during the '6os : W. R. Welch, Archelaus F. Yancey, E. W. Hayes, Asa Potter, M. Duncan, John M. Brown, A. J. Plowman, George A. Eastham, John Moran, F. Zimmerman, Tevis Greathouse, John M. Wood- son, W. L. Mounts. Those who came after the '6os : John Mayo Palmer, long since deceased ; William H. Steward, Martin Keplinger, W. E. P. Anderson, Judge Robert B. Shirley. PRESENT MEMBERS OF THE BAR. There are now practicing at the Macoupin county bar: Gen. John I. Rin- aker, Thomas Rinaker, C. A. Walker, A. H. Bell, F. W. Burton, James B. Searcy, John Moran, L. P. Peebles, Jesse Peebles, Charles H. Woods, Martin L. Keplinger, William H. Steward, Edward C. Knotts, John M. Anderson, William E. P. Anderson, A. J. Duggan, Victor H. Hemphill, James B. Vaughn, Robert B. Shirley, circuit judge; J. Stuart Clarke, Truman A. Snell, county judge; H. H. Willoughby, L. M. Harlan, Bruno Arkabauer, Alfred A. Isaacs, A. C. Cuthberton, H. R. Budd, E. W. Hayes, S. G. Brown, William H. Good- ell, Frank Crum, J. H. Murphy, Alva Ross, H. H. Cowen, C. C. Terry, Frank Wood, Floyd Barnett, Scott Etter. 5 c > > o LIBRARY OF TH UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS CHAPTER XVII. AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF JOHN M. PALMER. LAWYER SOLDIER STATESMAN GAVE PROMINENCE TO THE LOCAL BAR SERVED HIS COUNTRY IN THE HOUR OF PERIL BECAME GOVERNOR OF ILLINOIS AND HONORED THE STATE IN THE NATIONAL SENATEi CANDIDATE -FOR PRESIDENT ON THE GOLD STANDARD DEMO- CRATIC TICKET. In the following personal sketch prepared for the history of the Bench and Bar of Illinois, my original intention was to offer to the readers of that work only such facts as relate to my professional and judicial history, but I have found it impossible to make my life story connected without brief allusions to circumstances growing out of my political, military and executive employments. With these brief prefatory observations, I begin the sketch of my life. I was born in Scott county, Kentucky, on the I3th day of September, 1817, and was removed by my parents to Christian county, in the same state, in 1818. My earliest recollections go back to a new and then sparsely settled portion of southern Kentucky. My father, Louis D. Palmer, was born in Northumber- land county, Virginia, on the 3d day of June, 1781, and was the third son of Isaac and Ann (McAuley) Palmer, who were both born in that county, the former on the ist day of November, and the latter in April, in the year 1747; they died in Christian county, Kentucky, within a few months of each other, the oldest persons in that part of the state. My mother, Ann Hansford Tutt, was born in Culpeper county, Virginia, where her father. Louis Tutt, and her mother, Isabella Yancey, were born about the year 1750. Their ancestors were early settlers in Virginia, the Tutts from England and the Yanceys from Wales. My grandfather Palmer, in his quiet, stubborn way, took part in the Revor lutionary contest. He appears upon the roll of Revolutionary soldiers as a "minute-man," and received a pension for his services. The settlers of southern Kentucky established schools that met the demands for instruction in the essential branches of education as they were then under- stood, reading, writing and arithmetic as far as the "rule of three ;" later, Eng- lish grammar, according to Lindley Murray, was introduced, but grammar was for many years treated as one of the optional studies, being considered rather ornamental than useful. My teachers, Isaiah Boone, a relative or a descendant of the famous Daniel Boone, and Hezekiah Woodward, a professional teacher, were competent instructors, and used the rod, of good sound hazel or hickory, Vol. 119 289 290 HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY with great energy. I received my share of instruction and punishment and do not distinctly recollect when I could not read. The time of our residence in Christian county, from 1818 to 1831, was filled with important political and social discussions and changes. I have a very dis- tinct recollection of the great contest between what were known as the "old and the new court" parties, which commenced by certain rulings of the court of appeals, supreme court of the state. The lands in Kentucky were generally held under titles derived from the state of Virginia, of which Kentucky had been a part, and the negligence of the land officers and the careless manner in which surveys had been made, led to a confusion of boundaries in Kentucky. The courts of the state were crowded with suits which involved conflicting sur- veys or imperfect transfers and other questions of like character, to the ruin of hundreds who had bought lands in good faith and had made improvements on them. In order to relieve the unfortunate settlers the legislature of the state passed laws for the protection of occupying claimants, which, had they been enforced by the courts, would have made the recovery of lands against occu- pants practically impossible ; at the same time the people were poor and in debt. ' The legislature, in its efforts to relieve them, had created banks and at- tempted to make the paper issues of these institutions a practical tender in the payment of debts. The method of relief was by what were known as replevin laws. These gave to the debtor, after a tender of payment in bank paper, the right to a stay of execution upon judgments, on a tender of bond and security. The exact details of the methods provided by the statutes, by which the stay of execution was intended to be secured, are not important, for, whatever they were, the court of appeals (which consisted of John Boyle, chief justice, and William Owsley and Benjamin Mills, associate justices) held them to be un- constitutional, and upon that ground refused to enforce them. In 1824 an at- tempt was made by the legislature to remove the chief justice and his associates by an address to the governor, but in order to remove them the concurrence of two-thirds of each branch of the legislature was necessary. The requisite "two-thirds" could not be obtained to the address, so the ex- pedient was adopted of repealing the law creating the court, and in that way getting rid of the judges. The repealing bill also provided for the appointment of other judges of the court ; the governor approved the repealing act, and ap- pointed other judges, who, it was expected, would support the validity of the "relief laws." Chief Justice Boyle and his associates, Owsley and Mills, refused to recognize the validity of the repealing act or to surrender their records to the "new" court. The state had for a time two courts of appeals, and the people were divided into two parties, which, with great heat, supported the rival tribunals. My father was a "new" court man, but Mr. Clay, who was then strong in the confidence of the people of Kentucky, and most of the other conservative men of the state supported the "old" court, and after a contest, characterized by great excitement, the "new-court" party was defeated. A majority of the legislature was elected favorable to the old court; this legislature repealed the law under which the new court was created. I have no doubt but that the new- HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY 291 court party was wrong, but the names of Boyle, Owsley and Mills, sometimes sarcastically called the "three kings," were for a long time odious to me. In 1831 my father and family left Kentucky for Illinois, leaving me, with my venerable grandparents, to -follow them in October. My father settled on Pad- dock's prairie, about ten miles from Alton, and an equal distance from Edwards- ville, where he built a log house, which he occupied in the spring of 1832. I cannot forbear quoting from my own memoirs, "The Recollections of an Earnest Life," an account of my own journey from our residence in Kentucky to Illinois : "After passing Hopkinsville, the seat of justice of Christian county, Kentucky, we took the route from that place by way of Princeton, in CaWwell county, Kentucky, to Ford's ferry, on the Ohio river, and thence, after crossing the river, proceeded by Equality, Mount Vernon and Carlyle to Edwardsville. This road, which was then, as far as Carlyle, the great route from southern Ken- tucky, middle Tennessee and North Carolina to central Illinois and Missouri, was crowded with 'movers,' who were making their way, by all the then known methods of travel, from the handsome family carriage to the humblest ox cart. Many families traveled on foot, with a pack horse to carry their heavier mov- ables, or to provide for the transportation of the smaller children. Such modes of travel are never noticed now to any extent; the railroads of modern life make scenes such as are here described impossible. "After passing along the road which still runs some three miles west of Mc- Leansboro, in Hamilton county, for a few miles, we came to Moore's prairie, the first we had ever seen, and as we advanced toward Edwardsville the prai- ries grew more extensive. The prairies then were scarcely marked by improve- ments, except very near the timber borders, for the early settlers dared not go out on the far-stretching plains. Many persons told us that the prairies would never be settled, and for years I believed that prairie land more than two or three miles from the timber was practically valueless. "But the prairie in its natural state, was indeed 'a thing of beauty ;' some- times we would travel miles without seeing a habitation, or if houses could be discerned they would be situated at points of timber and at a greater or less distance from the roads ; deer would be seen in herds, as if they had not learned to be startled by human presence. Nothing was more animating than the scenes to be witnessed as we journeyed over these long stretches. "Perhaps the imagination had much to do in finding objects of interest on the prairies, but to me they were enchanting, and after years of familiarity with the magnificent, undulating acres of the great prairies of Illinois and other west- ern and northwestern states, now that they are all inhabited, dotted with cities, towns, villages and highly cultivated farms, they linger in my memory like a grand, restful dream." The period to which I refer was one of great prosperity in Illinois; lands were entered, purchased from the United States at $1.25 per acre; popula- tion poured into the state and employment was abundant on every hand. I re- member that one winter, with a younger brother, we cut sawlogs on government land, and by that means earned forty-eight dollars. My father added the bal- ance needed, two dollars, and the amount of expenses at the land office, and I 292 HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY entered forty acres of land in my own name, which, after attaining my majority, I conveyed to my father. The next spring and early summer I drove a prairie team, four yoke of oxen attached to a twenty- four-inch plow; I worked at home when needed, and finally, in the summer of 1834, my father "gave me my time." This expression may have an amusing sound to the boys of this day, who will hardly consent to give their fathers their time. One evening, while my father and self and younger brothers were discus- sing the subject of education and matters of that kind, my father said to me, in reply to some expression of a wish to obtain a good education : "Very well, sir, you owe me four years of service yet ; I will give you that ; go and get an edu- cation." I looked at him with an expression of surprise, no doubt, and asked in an excited, trembling voice, "When may I go, sir?" He seemed amused, and said, "Tomorrow morning, if you like." I remember that I left the room to conceal my feelings. After recovering my composure I returned to the room where my father was seated, and sat for some time in silence, when he said, with sighs of emotion, "I have no money to expend for your education, but a healthy boy as you are needs no help ; you may go tomorrow morning. I give you your time. Do not disgrace me. May God bless you." This scene still lingers in my memory. I had looked forward to the independ- ence of manhood with the eagerness of hope ; I had reveled in dreams of results to be accomplished ; I had imagined myself a successful farmer, or lawyer or a soldier successful in every employment ; I meant when I got to be a man to be "rich, learned and happy." My brothers were to be happy and successful ; and even then there would come into the picture a girlish face that was to figure in the successes which I imagined were to attend my entry upon the sphere of manhood. Here was an offer made by my father to anticipate the day of my emancipa- tion, to "give me my time." I accepted his offer, and as he had said it, I knew lie would not mention it again. That evening I talked to Roy and Frank, my brothers, who seemed to be as much elated with the prospect before me as I was. Next morning, after an early breakfast, I left home on foot, without money or additional clothes. Both seemed to me unnecessary, for was I not going out into the world a free man, where clothes and money were abundant and to be had by any one who would earn them? The boys started with me, and they called the dogs, three of them, our con- stant companions ; they were to go with me to the top of the hill, a mile prob- ably from the house. We had crossed the creek when the dogs started a rabbit ; we waited for the dogs and then moved on. My father was not at the house when I left, but he, too, had followed to a bluff we had passed, and from that point watched us. I did not then know why he stood watching, but I know now. When I reached the top of the hill, there we stood, reluctant to separate. After a while Roy said he knew where he could start a rabbit on his way home. He called the dogs and, without saying a word to me, ran off at his utmost speed, followed by Frank, and I was left alone with my newly acquired fortune, "my time," with all of its hopes and possibilities. HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY 293 The boys ran until out of sight. I very well understood the reason why they ran, and would have been glad to follow and overtake them, but my destina- tion was Upper Alton, where there was a school recently established. It was understood to be a "manual labor school," and it was my purpose to enter that institution and pay my expenses by labor. I reached Upper Alton about one o'clock in the afternoon and had made up my mind before arriving there that it would be necessary at once to find work. I had no doubt but that I oould do so without difficulty.. I needed no dinner; my dreams were more than food, but as I passed along the principal street, soon after entering the town, I saw a man named Haney plastering a new frame house for Dr. George Haskell and turned off to where he was superintending or making a bed of mortar. I asked him if he wished to hire some one to make and carry mortar. He said he did. I had never made mortar for a plasterer. He put a shovel into my hand and; told me how to manage the sand, the lime and other ingredients, watched me work a while, offered me seventy-five cents a day,' told me where I could get board at $1.25 a week, went with me to the boarding house and agreed to be responsible for me. I worked that afternoon and continued to work until the job was done. I do not remember the exact number of days this required, but I do remember that when I was paid and had settled my board, bought a shirt and a pair of socks, I had all of five dollars left, which was, I thought, clothes and money enough for anybody. I then entered the college, and for a while paid my board by my earnings on Saturdays. I also, with my elder brother, Elihu, took a contract to remove the trees from a street leading from Upper Alton to Middletown. The trees were large white oaks ; we grubbed them up and were well paid for doing so. I remained at school in a desultory way until the spring of 1835, when the country was filled with rumors of the "Texas revolution," as it was called. My failure to carry out my intention to unite with the volunteers, organized at St. Louis to join the "Revolutionists," was caused by an incident that seems now very ludicrous, but was at the time a crushing blow. I had volunteered, and my arrangements were made to join a few friends at Alton, take the steamboat, which it was expected would take us to St. Louis, where another boat was wait-- ing to start for New Orleans on our arrival. I spent the night before the morning fixed for my departure at my uncles, two miles east of Upper Alton. I took -leave of my relatives and left the house filled with anticipations of the battlefields in Texas, and started on foot, with a small pack of clothing, to reach the boat and then off for the field of glory. I had gone a mile, perhaps, after leaving Upper Alton when I was overtaken by John Maxcy, whom I knew to be a constable of Upper Alton. He spoke to me kindly, inquired where I was going. I told him to Lower Alton to take a boat for St. Louis, and from thence to Texas, to take part in the revolution. He handed me a paper, and said, "Here is something you have forgotten." To my astonishment the paper read : "The people of the State of Illinois, to any constable of said county, greet- ing: We command you to take the body of John M. Palmer, if he be found: in your county, and bring him forthwith before me, to answer the complaint of, etc." I had never seen such a paper before ; it commanded the constable to 294 HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY arrest me, and to take me before the justice of the peace. The constable told me I could discharge myself by paying to him $4.50 and about $1.25 costs. I assured him that I had not forgotten the debt, but had arranged with my cousin, Isaac Palmer, to pay it for me. He said that might be all right but he must have the money or I must go back. Unfortunately, my whole stock of money did not exceed two dollars, so I went back, humiliated beyond measure. I arranged the matter during the day but to get the money I had to promise to go to work ; the steamboat lost a passenger and the cause of Texas an enthu- siastic supporter. I then went to work again, did not at once return to school but paid the money I had borrowed, and then, in the May following, occurred one of those incidents which so much resemble fiction that I cannot forbear re- lating it. Many persons now living remember Enoch Moore, whose remarkable form so often attracted attention. In 1836 he kept a tailor's shop in Upper Alton. One day I stepped into his shop and saw hanging up a suit of clothes. The coat and pants were of some cotton goods, which I cannot describe, and the vest was figured like calico. Mr. Moore saw that I needed clothes and that I looked at the suit with in- terest. He told me that he had made it for a person who failed to take it and offered it to me for $12. I had no money and told him so. He asked my name and when I told him, said he knew my father and added that he thought I could earn the money and pay for the clothes. I finally, with great hesitation, agreed to take them, and for the first time contracted a debt deliberately. I have told the story of my arrest, which, I supposed was applicable to all debts. During May and early June I paid most of the amount and on the evening of July 3d I went to my father's with more than enough to pay the bal- ance due Mr. Moore. My father, who saw the amount I had, and which the "boys" were counting with great satisfaction, said: "Go tomorrow and pay Mr. Moore and then you will be a free man ; now you are a servant." On the next day I went, accompanied by my brother Roy, to Upper Alton on foot, paid Mr. Moore, and had money left; went on to Lower Alton, spent freely (twenty-five cents) for cake and beer of the old kind and reached my father's about sundown, a proud and happy boy. In 1869, after I was inaugurated governor, I reminded Mr. Moore of the fact that he had sold me the clothes on credit and reappointed him secretary of ^ the governor, ex-officio fund commissioner, to which a salary of $1,500 was attached. In August, 1836, I was living in the south part of Macoupin county and at- tended house-raisings and other amusements of like character, and witnessed, and had opportunity for familiarizing myself with, the habits of the people, which were to me always interesting and amusing. The elections were then held on the first Monday in August, and although not a voter, I attended an election held at the house of a Mr. Wood, south of where Wooclburn now is. There were three judges and two clerks of the election, and the method of voting was viva voce. One of the qualifications required of a voter was resi- dence in the state for six months previous to an election. I remember that a man named Hoskins, whom I had not seen before, offered to vote, and when HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY 295 asked how long he had lived in the state said he came here in the month of April previous; the senior judge, after telling him he had not been in the state long enough, hesitated a moment, then asked him if he had "had the chills?" He answered, "Yes, I had one yesterday, and feel one coming on me now." The judge said, "Put him down and let him go home ; the chills are as good as a six months' residence." His vote was recorded. It may be well enough to say by way of apology for the judges, that there was a large bottle of whiskey on the table, of which they had partaken liberally. Accepting the rule adopted by the judges, I supposed, for several years after- wards, that having the "chills" was equivalent to six months' residence in the state. In September I returned to Upper Alton, where I spent most of the win- ter in school, working, in payment of my board, in the family of Rev. Ebenezer Rodgers, a Baptist minister, who had lately come into the state from Missouri. Mr. Rodgers was an Englishman by birth and the father of my friend, Colonel Andrew Fuller Rodgers, formerly of the Eightieth Illinois Infantry. In December, 1838, I took a school for three months, east of Canton, Ful- ton county, and while engaged in that school I determined to study law. I read Blackstone's Commentaries and McNally on Evidence. My school ending about the middle of March, I decided to visit my father, who lived in Madison county, and my eldest brother, who lived at Carlinville, Macoupin county. I took passage on a steamboat from Utica to St. Louis, crossed the river on a ferry, and walked to Carlinville, which I reached on the 26th of March, 1839. I then entered the office of John S. Greathouse as a student. Mr. Great- house was one of the leading lawyers of the town and I had Coke on Littleton, with Hargrave and Butler's Notes placed in my hands for a beginning. I had read Blackstone's Commentaries much as every law student reads that excellent and learned work for the first time. It will be interesting to students of the present clay, when law books are so multiplied that general treatises on any subject are to be found in the book- stores, as special works on all important subdivisions of the law and reports are found in law libraries by the thousands, to know that the Reports of the Supreme Court of Illinois at that time were contained in one volume Breese. My preceptor, Mr. Greathouse, who was a well read lawyer, had in his office a few volumes of English Reports, Coke, Raymond and Buller's Nisi Prius, Starkie and McNally on Evidence, and Chitty's Pleadings, then a com- paratively new work. I have a few of these old books left still, but some of the most ancient and rare have fallen into the hands of the "filchers" of rare books who have always looted the careless collectors. It may be useful to students to state for their benefit my methods of study. I read carefully, with a glossary of law terms, and made full notes ; I did not, in my notes, as a rule, merely quote the language of the authors, but my effort was to grasp the subject and state it in my own language. My conceptions of the meaning of what I read were often inaccurate, but I think, on the whole, the method was preferable to any other. It promoted brevity and terseness and aided in systematizing the knowledge acquired, and I think my experience justi- fies me in saying that knowledge of the law, acquired by the method I refer to, 296 HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY is much longer retained and more easily and intelligently applied to practical use than it can be when the student merely masters the words of his author, or instructor. I may add here for I will not return to the subject that it is es- sential to a successful study of the law that a student should master the history of the people with whom laws originate. Laws are but expressions of the feel- ings, habits and necessities of mankind and can only be understood by a thor- ough familiarity with their history and with their applications and uses. I was aided in my studies by the great promoter of diligence, poverty; I was compelled to earn something and as there were some sales of land and the volumes of the record were few, I examined titles and prepared deeds, and soon found some employment before justices of the peace. It was not long before I found myself able to meet my expenses, which, with board at $i or $1.25 per week, did not exceed $100 a year. The only interruption to my studies was that my friends insisted that I should become candidate for county clerk, and I know that the leaders of my party, when they insisted upon my candidacy, had no expectation that I would succeed. After the election I pursued my studies with great industry and made great progress in the acquisition of the mysteries of the law, so that in December, 1839, I borrowed five dollars from a friend to pay my expenses, and, as Mr. Greathouse was going to Springfield in his own carriage, he invited me to ride with him, which I did. I met Stephen A. Douglas soon after reaching the city and told him my business was to obtain a license to practice law. He, with that cheerful kind- ness which always characterized him and made him so popular particularly with young men made my application for admission, had himself and the late J. Young Scammon appointed a committee to examine me touching my qualifi- cations to practice law. He Invited me to his room for examination, where I met Mr. Scammon. The committee treated me with great kindness, and made a favorable report. Mr. Douglas drew the license, made the motion for my ad- mission, and the license was signed by two justices of the supreme court, Lock- wood and Browne. I took the prescribed oath and signed the roll, and was then a lawyer, lacking nothing but learning, experience and clients. I had money .enough to pay my hotel bills before leaving Springfield, and I "took no thought for the morrow." After about two weeks I tried a case before a justice of the peace in Car- linville and got two dollars and half, and, as I had no wants, I paid two dollars of this to my poor landlord, Allison. During the first week in January I trav- eled about twelve miles to the head of Cahokia and tried a suit, for which I received five dollars, and after paying Allison four dollars of this, and fifty cents for my horse, saddle and bridle for the trip, I recovered my courage and in February started on foot to Edwardsville to attend the circuit court of Madi- son county, which was then in session, Judge Sidney Breese, afterward so dis- tinguished in the judicial and political history of the state, presiding. I had known Judge Breese when I was a boy, and the first law speech I ever heard was made by him. He met, and remembered me kindly, and soon after assigned me to the defense of a poor fellow who was indicted for larceny. I have often repeated the incidents of this trial and the conduct of Judge Breese toward me, to illustrate the wisdom of judges who treat young members of the bar with RESIDENCE OF ATTORNEY KNOTT. CARUNY1LLE RESIDEXC K OF GEORliK M'XEIL IN THE FIFTIES LIBRARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY L>97 kindness. Any lawyer may easily guess the character of the defense 1 made for this, my first client. I had never before appeared in the circuit court; my client was unquestionably guilty, and the jury so found after very brief hesitation. After the jury had found him guilty, -I remembered that according to "the books," after a verdict against a client it was the duty of a lawyer to make a motion for a new trial, and if that motion failed, to then move in arrest of judgment. Accordingly, I made a motion for a new trial for the usual for- mal reasons ; I know I attempted to argue the motion, and although at the time I was so embarrassed by the surroundings that I then scarcely understood what I said, I was satisfied soon afterward when I heard the judge remark that I had made a most learned and forcible argument. When I concluded my speech, what- ever it was, I was confused enough but when Attorney General Kitchell finished his caustic and almost contemptuous reply, I was overwhelmed with confusion. The judge, however, rescued me; he noticed in succession the reasons I had assigned in writing for a new trial, and said that "the learned counsel had sup- ported these reasons with great force of argument." He stated what he said were the arguments I had used, confessed he was impressed with their force, and then proceeded to answer them with great deliberation, and concluded by saying that "the defendant had been ably defended by learned counsel and tried by an intelligent and impartial jury, and that he therefore felt constrained to overrule the motion for a new trial and render a judgment on the verdict." I did not make a motion in arrest of judgment but I will confess that for a while after the judge concluded, I believed I had really used the arguments that he attributed to me and then repeated and answered, and though I afterward realized that both the arguments and the answers to them were the work of the judge, he made an impression upon me that still remains, and secured for himself my best personal services as long as he had occasion for them ; and he left upon my mind an impression which I still retain. At the May term of the Macoupin circuit court, after my admission to the bar, I was assigned to the defense of Aaron and William Todd, in conjunc- tion with others. William Todd was acquitted and Aaron Todd was convicted of the murder of Larkin Scott, their cousin, and was hanged at Carlinville. By this time my business had so increased that it afforded me a comfortable sup- port, according to the simple habits of the times, and I think I may say that, from that time to the present I have never seen a day when I was without em- ployment. I do not mean to say that I have worked every day but if idle, it was not because I had not something to do. I pass over the election of 1840, in which I took an interest and supported Mr. Van Buren. After the election of 1840 I continued the practice of my pro- fession with great industry, and during this time won a fair share of legal business that reached the court. On the first Monday in August, 1843, I was elected to the office of probate justice of the peace. That officer had jurisdiction of the probate business and also that of an ordinary justice of the peace. I held that office until 1847, when I was elected to be a member of the constitutional convention which assembled in Springfield on the 7th day of June, 1847. I was placed, at my own request, on the committee of education, and made a report from that committee which 298 HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY provided that "It shall be the duty of the general assembly to provide for a system of common schools which shall be as nearly uniform as may be through- out the state, and such common schools shall be equally free to all the children in the state, and no sectarian instruction shall be permitted in any of them." It was too early for the adoption of free schools, and the convention paid no further attention to the subject. On the first Monday in August. 1847, I was defeated for reelection to the office of probate justice of the peace. In May, 1848, I was again elected to that office, my successor having resigned, and at the election in the November fol- lowing I was elected county judge of Macoupin county. In 1852, at a special election held to fill the vacancy occasioned by the death of Hon. Franklin Witt, I was elected state senator from a district com- posed of the counties of Greene, Jersey and Macoupin without opposition, and was reelected a member of the state senate in 1854 from the same district as an anti-Nebraska democrat. In 1856 I resigned my seat in the state senate, and afterwards was president of the first republican convention which assembled in Illinois. After that time I continued the practice of my profession, and supposed I had abandoned poli- tics forever. In 1859, much against my will, I became a candidate for the seat in the lower house of congress and was defeated by General John A. McCler- nand. In 1860 I was one of the electors at large, pledged to vote for Mr. Lincoln. In 1861 I was a member of the peace conference which assembled in Wash- ington on the 4th of February of that year, and took part in its deliberations, and on the 9th of May of the same year I was elected colonel of the Fourteenth Regiment of Illinois Infantry at Jacksonville by the unanimous vote of the men composing the regiment. On the 25th of May, 1861, I was mustered, with my regiment into the service of the United States for three years, or during the war. When I left home, in May, 1861, I told my clients that the war would soon be over and that I would return at the September term of court and would attend to their business; but I was mistaken, for my resignation as major gen- eral of volunteers was accepted on the ist day of September, 1866. In February, 1865, I was assigned to the command of the department of Kentucky by Mr. Lincoln himself, where many legal questions of a most em- barrassing character arose which the department commander was compelled to decide promptly. Kentucky was excepted from the Proclamation of Emancipa- tion, and it was never known whether it furnished more troops to the Confed- eracy or the Union. My first report was made to the adjutant general on the 24th of February, 1865. On the 22d of February, 1865, Colonel Robert J. Breckenridge, of the rebel army, was arrested inside of our lines as a spy. The secretary of war happily relieved me of any responsibility for him by ordering him to be taken to Columbus, Ohio, as a prisoner of war. On the 3d of March, 1865, congress passed a joint resolution which declared the families of soldiers to be free, and then my troubles commenced. It is perhaps known that the marriages of slaves were not recognized by any of the laws of the states HISTORY OF MACOUPIX COUNTY 299 in which slavery existed; this made the enforcement of the joint resolution de- claring the families of soldiers to be free, particularly difficult in Kentucky and in other states and parts of states not embraced in the Emancipation Proclama- tion. Another fact tended to still further complicate the question : When I took command of the department of Kentucky a draft was impending; I do not re- member what the quota of the city of Louisville was, but the masters of able bodied slaves were selling them to the government for enlistment as soldiers, and in case the slave exhibited any reluctance to enlistment he was confined in either the jail or the slave pens that were conveniently situated for that pur- pose, so that I was compelled to appoint an officer to inquire 'into the case of all colored persons held in confinement by the civil or military authorities, with directions to report to me the causes for their detention. I ordered the dis- charge of all persons confined in slave pens by private authority, and in like manner from the jails, unless held for some criminal charge. It will be remem- bered that Kentucky was under martial law at that time. There was at that time, and subsequently, a statute of the state which pro- hibited slaves to go at large and hire themselves out as free persons, and as the fact of the freedom of almost all colored persons was disputed it was sought to enforce the laws prohibiting vagrancy and the statute before adverted to. Perhaps I can condense the whole matter by giving extracts from my com- munication to the mayor and a committee of the common council of the city of Louisville, dated May u, 1865: "I have the honor to acknowledge the re- ceipt of your communication of yesterday's date in reference to the presence and condition of the large number of colored people in the city of Louisville, in which you express apprehension of pestilence from their crowded state and ask my cooperation in ridding the city of the evil. . . . Before replying to the general facts and views you express, allow me to correct the error found in your statement, that 'no arrangement was or has been made by the military authorities for the protection and support of colored persons coming into the city ;' on the contrary, the wives and children of colored soldiers coming- here, and those residing in the city, have been fed by the government, and all who could be induced to do so have been transported to Camp Nelson and there provided for, at the national expense, and the military authorities are still will- ing to provide in the same way for all of that class. But there are difficulties in the problem you present that cannot be solved by the enforcement of the laws against vagrancy, or by restricting the rights of the owners of slaves to allow them the small measure of freedom implied in permitting them to hire their own time and go at large as free persons. "These people and their ancestors, for generations, are and have been natives of the state of Kentucky, and have all as strong local attachments as other na- tives of the state. Recent events, which need not be particularized, have dis- turbed, if not changed, their former relations toward those- once their masters. What is now required is that their relations to the state be defined with reference to existing and not past facts. When that is done confidence between the races will be restored, each will again become useful to the other, and order and pros- 300 HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY perity will take the place of the confusion and vagrancy which is now seen on every hand, to the alarm of all. "As preliminary to this, and as a preventive to vagrancy, these people must be allowed to migrate at their pleasure and seek employment where it is to be found. Now, under the operation of laws obsolete for all useful purposes, and alive only for evil, colored men and women in Kentucky who might and would find employment elsewhere are forbidden to cross the Ohio river, except on almost impossible conditions. "Capitalists who own and operate the boats that navigate the river (which has already led some minds to inquire whether the ownership of large property is not a disqualification rather than a proper qualification for the manly exer- cise of the rights of citizenship), terrified by these grim shadows of the past, throw unjust and oppressive difficulties in the way of the transit of even free persons, while those whose right to freedom is questioned by any one, upon grounds however slight, are denied the right of escaping from idleness and enforced vagrancy to where industry is possible and employment within reach. This difficulty, however, can be partially obviated by military authority. "Deeply impressed by the dangers to public health, which you so truthfully and forcibly depict, and anxious that the laboring poor of the city shall be saved the terrible consequences of the 'disastrous pestilence' of which you as- sure me great fears are entertained, I have caused to be issued the General Order No. 32, from the headquarters of this department, a copy of which is herewith laid before you, and will, I hope, meet your approval." The General Order No. 32 required all carriers of passengers, whether by the river or by the railroads, to transport colored persons, on the tender of a reasonable fare, to their destinations. On the first Monday in August, 1865, Judge George W. Johnston was elected judge of the circuit court, and at the September term of the circuit court he charged the grand jury that my order, No. 32, was contrary to the statutes of Kentucky. The grand jury found many indictments against me, alleging the illegality of that order, under which, as was charged, many slaves had escaped from Kentucky. Bench warrants were issued for my apprehension and placed in the hands of the sheriff. He waited upon me politely with the writs, and I told him that I would certainly appear at the next term of court and answer the indictments. I told him at the same time that I would submit to an arrest, if he desired it. but also informed him that I could not command an army through the grates of a jail, and that I had already issued orders to General Watkins, second in com- mand at Louisville, if I was arrested and confined to capture the jail and im- prison all who were concerned in finding the indictments, including the sheriff. He did not arrest me ! .At the November term of court I appeared, and the judge accepted my promise to appear and answer the indictments. At the December term of the court, after Alabama, which completed the requisite number of states, had adopted the constitutional amendment, with the Hon. Milton Hay, now deceased, while I was engaged in a trial of a suit in the circuit court of the United States, I received a peremptory order to come to Washington and from thence proceed to Raleigh, North Carolina, and pre- HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY 301 side over a court martial to be convened at that place for the trial of certain officers connected with the Freedmen's Bureau.. I proceeded to Washington, received my orders from the secretary of war, spent part of the Fourth of July, 1866, in Richmond, Virginia, and arriving at Raleigh on the 5th, remained there until the i2th of August and then returned to Washington, where I met General Grant. The General kindly offered to recommend me for the appointment of briga- dier general in the regular army, which I declined, and in return offered him ten thousand dollars for his first year's salary as president of the United States, which he declined. On my return to Illinois I resumed the practice of the law with Mr. Hay, and in April, 1867, removed my family to Springfield, where I have resided ever since. In November, 1868, I was elected governor of Illinois, which dis- solved the partnership with Mr. Hay. My partnership with him was a most agreeable and profitable one. He was a great lawyer and an honest man ; his logical power was unsurpassed by any one with whom I have ever been as- sociated ; we tried many causes of great importance. I was inaugurated as governor on the I2th day of January, 1869, but on the 3Oth day of the same month I was compelled to veto an "act to incorporate the La Salle Ice and Transportation Company," upon the ground that it disregarded the registry laws ; and on the first day of February, 1869, I vetoed an act en- titled "an act to repeal an act entitled an act to establish a court of common pleas in the city of Cairo," upon the ground that it allowed extra compensation for services already rendered by the marshal and ex-marshal of the city of Cairo. On the 6th day of February, 1869, I vetoed a bill which organized a district for taxation, including the town of Greenville, in Bond county, in which I said, "Indeed, it seems to me that we are rapidly reaching a point where other taxation will be impossible ; the people are now taxed by counties, cities, towns, townships and school districts, and it is by this bill proposed to lay off special districts, strips and sections, so that excuses may be found for levying new taxes for new objects, and thus eat up the substance of the people." I was compelled to veto a bill which required the city of Bloomington to issue bonds and levy a tax for the purpose of paying for the grounds recently purchased in said city by the Chicago & Alton Railroad Company for their machine shops. I also vetoed a bill for an "act to fund and provide for paying the railroad debts of counties, townships, cities and towns" upon the ground that it required the taxes of one municipal corporation to be devoted to another. I vetoed many other bills, upon the grounds that they were unjust or in vio- lation of the constitution. In all I vetoed one hundred and twelve bills passed by the legislature. In many of the vetoes I was sustained by the supreme court. In 1888 I was nominated as a candidate for governor by the democratic state convention, which met in Springfield. In 1890 I was .nominated as a can- didate for United States senator for a term of six years, beginning on the 4th of March, 1891, and was elected on the one hundred and fifty-fourth ballot, March n, 1891. September 3, 1896, I was nominated by the national demo- cratic party as a candidate for the presidency. On the 3d of March, 1897, my 302 HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY term as senator expired, and since that time I have devoted myself to the prac- tice of the law, as a member of the firm of Palmer, Shutt, Hamill & Lester." General Palmer was the candidate for the gold standard democratic party in 1896, in opposition to William Jennings Bryan, who had been nominated at the Chicago convention of that year by the "free silver" wing of the party. His death occurred September 25, 1900, Mrs. Palmer having preceded him to the grave, May 9, 1885. Both are interred in Carlinville's beautiful "city of the dead." CHAPTER XV 111. THE PRESS. THE PRINTER EARLY IN THE FIELD AND ONE OF THE GREAT EDUCATIONAL FACTORS OF THE DAY A CONSIDERABLE HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY'S NEWSPAPERS THE STATESMAN PIONEER OF THEM ALL MANY WELL EDITED JOURNALS ABREAST OF THE TIMES IN NEWS AND MAKE-UP PAPERS OF BY-CONK DAYS ARE HERE MENTIONED. CARLINVILLE. Macoupin Statesman, March 4, 1852-55 ; edited by Jefferson L. Dugger, 1852-55. It was an advocate of whig principles. Changed to Macoupin County Spectator, 1855-68; edited by George H. Holliday, who made it a democratic paper, 1855-57; Charles E. Foote, 1857-58; John F. Megin- ness, 1858-61; Messrs. Shinkel and Gray, 1861-62; Horace Gwin, 1862; J. R. Flynn and P. B. Vanderen, 1862. The last named soon became the responsible proprietor and editor and he continued it until 1868, when the Merritjs of Springfield and J. A. I. Birdsell became possessed of it. Pending the negotia- tions between Foote and Meginness the Spectator was suspended from Decem- ber 21. 1858, to January 15, 1859. The Merritts were connected with the paper for only a short time. Birdsell changed its name to Macoupin Times, 1868-71; he remained its editor, 1868-70; H. R. Whipple, 1870-71. In 1871 the leading men of the democratic party of Carlinville con- cluded to form a joint stock company and publish a more thoroughly demo- cratic paper. The work of canvassing for the stock was assigned to Restores C. Smalley. When the stock was sold and the money raised, the company bought the Times printing office. The name of the paper was changed to Macoupin County Enquirer, 1871 to date; edited by E. A. Snively, 1871-77; Samuel Reed, 1877-79. In l &73 the company leased the institution to Mr. Snively and he published it until 1877, when W. H. Reed leased it. In January, 1879, Reed was succeeded by E. A. Snively and L. C. Glessner, and in March, 1883, Mr. Glessner sold out to Mr. Snively, who soon sold the paper to E. B. Buck. In August, 1886, W. J. and C. J. Lumpkin took charge of the paper and eventually bought it. Since the death of W. J. Lumpkin a few years ago, C. J. Lumpkin has been owner, editor and publisher. When Messrs. Snively and Glessner succeeded Mr. Reed, they discontinued the Herald. The paper was semi-weekly until 1879. A daily was started in 1896 and ib democratic. Free Democrat, September 6, 1856-67; edited by William C. Phillips ,for 303 304 HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY the first month; Mr. Phillips and Henry M. Kimball, 1856-59. Phillips an- nounced in the first number that the paper was republican, would support Fre- mont and stand by the ticket of the Bloomington convention. In 1859 Mr. Kimball purchased Mr. Phillips' interest and remained sole proprietor for eight years. When Mr. Kimball assumed proprietorship John M. Palmer took charge of the editorial department as political editor and continued so till near the end of the year, when he was nominated for congress. From that date till 1867, Mr. Kimball was sole editor and proprietor. In March. 1867, the name was changed to Democrat, March, 1867, to date; edited and managed by A. W. Edwards and H. M. Kimball, 1867-72; H. M. Kimball, 1872-79. A. G. David was man- ager 1879-81. Since 1882 it was published and edited by A. G. David until Octo- ber i, 1901, when James E. McClure bought A. G. David's stock and became publisher. From 1856 to 1868 the Democrat was issued weekly, then weekly and semi-weekly until October, 1898, daily then until May 24, 1902. The paper has always been Republican. There is a complete file in the office. Conservative, March 24-June 2, 1868; a campaign paper edited by George H. Holliday and published by the Macoupin Printing Company. File owned by A. G. David and by the Macoupin Printing Company. Volksblatt, May-November, 1870; a German campaign organ, with Theodore Fischer as editor. Blackburn Gazette, October, 1871-73; a monthly quarto published at Black- burn University. Edited by students. Maeowpin County Herald, March, 1879 ; a democratic paper established by L. C. Glessner, with E. A. Snively as editor. After a short time it was merged in the Enquirer. Macoupin Anzeiger, 1879; established by H. Schlange. German. STAUNTON. Staunton Times was established in August, 1878, by Showman and Lamb, who sold after two months to W. F. Bently. It was published and edited by F. L. Blome from 1885 to 1898; T. H. Edwards, 1898 to 1904; T. H. and J. J. Edwards, 1904 to 1908; M. W. Meyers, 1909. Bound files dated from 1885 to 1908 in possession of T. H. Edwards. The Times was the first paper con- ducted in Staunton after the lapse of time between 1861 until 1878. In 1858 the Staunton Banner was established by Parsons Percy, a practical printer, who brought the office outfit from Monroe county. The existence of the Banner was a precarious one and in 1861 the plant was purchased and moved to Gillespie. In 1905 John Camp came into possession of the Star and in November, 1910, bought the Times. He then hyphenated the name of the paper and it is now 'known as the Star-Times. It is an excellent sheet, well patronized, and the only paper published at Staunton. LIBRARY OF TH UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY 305 MT. OLIVE. Teutonia, established in 1892, by Julius Schnell, who is the present editor and manager. It is the only German newspaper in the county and has good support. It is published every Friday. Herald, This paper was established in 1880. H. F. Troeger is the pres- ent editor. PALMYRA. Transcript, This paper was established in 1890. Editor and publisher, Ross Etter. VIRDEN. Record, August, 1866 to date; established by Reynolds and Milton. After six months of intermittent solvency they sold to a Mr. Johnson, who in October sold one half interest to W. F. Thompson, and in November sold the other half to E. L. Rich. Thompson bought out Rich in 1870, and in 1879 was still owner and publisher. In August, 1885, Thompson sold a half interest to E. P. Kim- ball, and in 1887 Kimball became and has continued sole owner and editor. Neutral, then democratic. News, April, 1872, established by R. H. Ballinger and John Frank. Publica- tion ceased after a year. Revived by A. M. Barker, April, 1873, and continued till August, 1874. A republican paper. Conservative, established March, 1868 ; edited and owned by George H. Holliday and published by the Macoupin Printing Company. It was discontinued in June of the same year. A democratic paper. Reporter, 1879; established by A. M. Barker, who published it one year; then A. G. David & Company, one year ; E. P. Kimball, one year ; B. Brown, one year; then George H. Sewall until 1897, when he sold to John R. Under- wood, who is still editor and publisher. A republican paper. GIRARD. Enterprise, November, 1857-58; edited by Dr. Critchfield, 1857-58; W. A. Solomon, 1858; neutral in politics. Changed to Guide, 1858-59; the first editor was W. A. Solomon, who was succeeded by Mr. McChesney, who took a Mr. Canfield as associate. Changed to News, 1860-61 ; edited by McChesney and William E. Milton. Enterprise, April, 1865-67; begun by a Mr. McChesney and William E. Milton. McChesney retired in October, 1865. In March, 1865, citizens bought the paper and turned it over to H. H. Keebler, with William Shook as local editor. After eight months it was turned over to Thomas Organ, who changed its political tone from neutral ^o republican. It was soon discontinued. Review, 1872-74; begun by William E. Milton. Sold to Charles E. Fish, who changed the name to Democratic Chief, 1874, under which name it continued for four months. Three months later it was revived by William R. Crenshaw and J. H. Power, who soon resumed the name. Vol. 120 306 HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY Review, 1874-78. J. H. Power was editor and publisher in 1878. It con- tinued, under many brief ownerships, until November, 1878. It was democratic, favorable to greenback ideas for a time. Gazette, January, 1879 to date; Tipton and Stuve, proprietors, William Stuve, editor. It was suspended in April but publication was resumed after a few weeks. A. H. Simmons purchased Stuve's part and edited the Gazette four months, when he sold to Tipton. George L. Tipton published the Gazette until December, 1904, when he presented the office to his son, Fred L. Tipton. Neu- tral in politics. Files are in the office. GILLESPIE. Union and Gazette, November, 1860, established by A. W. Edwards, who edited it until 1863. Alonzo James conducted it for a time after Edwards left. It was extremely democratic. Edwards revived the paper in Bunker Hill in 1866. Gillespie News. This paper was established November 22, 1905, by the Gillespie News Publishing Company, the members of which are S. P. Preston and Clinton Bliss, of the Hillsboro News. The first few issues of the paper were of a five column quarto, all home print. That was the size of the paper until 1908, when it was enlarged to a six column quarto, all home print. In 1911 a linotype was installed. The plant has a splendid two-story brick building, re- cently erected and the outfit consists of modern machinery, new body and dis- play type and everything that goes to make the up-to-date newspaper and job printing establishment. The patronage is very gratifying. S. P. Preston is the resident managing editor. BUNKER HILL. Journal, December, 1859 May, 1860; edited by E. J. Bronson. Union Gazette, January, 1866-69; established by A. W. Edwards and con- ducted by him as a republican paper until January, 1867, when he sold to A. R. Sawyer and F. Y. Hedley, who made it independent in politics. Sawyer died in 1868 and the paper again became republican under Hedley. The name was changed to Gazette, 1869; F. Y. Hedley continued as editor and proprietor until Jan- uary, 1878, when W. S. Silence became publisher. Said and Poorman leased the paper in January, 1879. Later Phil C. Hansen edited the paper for a stock company of local merchants, who bought it about 1895. Hansen bought the stock later and sold in 1903 to W. B. Powell, then running the news (estab- lished 1900), who combined the two as Gazette-News, an independent paper. He sold to Edward Wilson in 1904, who a year later sold to T. H. Truesdale, the present editor and publisher. Independent republican. BRIGHTON. Advance, April, 1871-80. A. G. Meacham was editor and proprietor until 1875, when A. M. Parker bought in the Shipman True Flag and the firm be- HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY 307 came Meacham & Parker. R. D. Suddeth leased Meacham's interest in 1876 and was succeeded in 1877 by L. H. Chapin. Parker bought Meacham's share in the next year and continued the paper. Neutral in politics till 1876, then republican. News, 1879 to date; established with Holly Glenny as editor; Snively and Kessner, publishers. After a year L. H. Chapin succeeded Glenny. Later a Mr. Robertson bought the paper; then Frank Merrill, succeeded by William C. Mer- rill. A. William and George Amass bought the paper from Merrill, and in 1907 sold to iW. D. and Roscoe Franklin. They sold January i, 1909, to W. B. Tiet- sort, and he, July i, 1909, to Frank W. Lauck. MEDORA. Enterprise, August, 1876-78; J. H. Williams was editor, and Parker & Sud- deth of the Brighton Advance were publishers. Ensign, September 12, 1878. One number was issued, printed at the office of the Brighton Advance, and bearing the name of Herbert Lawson Durr as editor. Messenger, established January i, 1895, after numerous attempts had been made in the village to maintain a newspaper. The first owners were C. W. Tiet- sort, cashier of the Bank of Medora, and Elmer B. Ritchie, of Abingdon, Illi- nois. They published the paper for one year, when Mr. Tietsort bought Mr. Ritchie's interest in the plant. He then admitted his son, Walter B. Tietsort, to a partnership in the business and under the firm name of C. W. Tietsort & Son they have published the Medora Messenger continuously since 1896. Their entire plant was destroyed by fire, October 6, 1897, when the business section of Me- dora was burned. They immediately bought equipment and issued a paper the following week. The paper has always been an important factor in the civic affairs of Medora, is progressive and well patronized. It has a circulation of 1,100 copies per week, although published in a town of only /\.\/\ inhabitants. CHAPTER XIX. VARIOUS THINGS. TRANSPORTATION STEAM AND ELECTRIC RAILROADS COUNTY FAIR ASSOCIATION POPULATION OF THE COUNTY MACOUPIN A WEALTHY AND PROGRESSIVE SECTION. CHICAGO & ALTON. Several railroads enter and cross Macoupin county. The Chicago & Alton enters the county on section 4, in Virden township and traverses the county in a southwestern direction, leaving it at Brighton, on section 19. The most im- portant stations are Carlinville, Girard, Nilwood, Shipman and Brighton. In 1852 the road was completed between Alton and Springfield and in 1864 trains were running to East St. Louis. Later, the road entered the city of St. Louis. The Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago & St. Louis has for its main stations in the county, Bunker Hill, Dorchester and Gillespie; the Wabash, Staunton and Mt. Olive ; The Jacksonville & St. Louis, Virden and Girard ; St. Louis, Rock Island & Chicago, Brighton and Medora; Quincy, Carrollton & St. Louis, Car- linville ; Chicago, Peoria & St. Louis, Medora, Hettick, Modesto and Chester- field ; Litchfield & Madison, Mt. Olive and Staunton ; Illinois Central, Mt. Olive ; Macoupin County, under management of the Chicago & Northwestern, Saw- yerville and Benld; St. Louis, Springfield & Peoria, Staunton, Mt. Olive, Saw- yerville, Benld, Gillespie, Carlinville, Nilwood, Girard and Virden ; Chicago & Eastern Illinois, track at Staunton. Most of these roads are coal feeders to other lines. THE FIRST COUNTY FAIR ASSOCIATION. The Agricultural, Horticultural and Mechanical Association was the first organization in Macoupin county established for the holding of annual meetings for the exhibition of farm products and live stock. This society was organized in 1854 in Carlinville. Major Lofton was the first president and Mr. Dews was the first secretary. At this meet all that was exhibited were a few horses, oxen, cows and some butter. No other farm products were entered. Wesley Dugger and Samuel Welton exhibited oxen and the latter took first premium. The same Mr. Welton had as his competitor as an exhibitor of milch cows, Henry Fish-* back and Mr. Fishback took first premium. Dr. Delano, afterward a resident of Bunker Hill, exhibited what was considered to be one of the finest calves ever shown in Macoupin county. 308 HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY 309 Among those who presented butter for the inspection of visitors and the test experts were Peter L. Denby and Robert Purviance. This first exhibition of Macoupin county product was held on the public square in Carlinville. The next two fairs were held in Captain Welton's pasture west of the city and the fourth annual meet took place near the residence of Major B. T. Burke. After this a movement took place to secure a permanent exhibition ground, which resulted in grounds being purchased of Jarrett Dugger. To these grounds subsequently more land was added. With the exception of one year, 1862, annual fairs were held in this county. In the year especially mentioned the grounds were devoted to the county as a camp ground for soldiers then being recruited and the place was given the name of Camp Palmer, at which time the One Hundred and Twenty-second regiment, organized by General John I. Rinaker, was rendezvoused prior to being called to the front. In 1879 tne Fair Association was organized under a new charter which it received in 1880. It then took the title of the Macoupin Agricultural Society. Its president was Joseph Bird, and secretary, F. W. Crouch. The stock sub- scribed at that time was $6,000 and the ground consisting of twenty-two acres, three-quarters of a mile northwest of town, was purchased, where fairs were held until 1896. At that time the association went into liquidation and the grounds were sold at master's sale to George J. Castle for $4,500, which paid all outstanding debts. In 1898 a new association was formed, consisting of citizens of the county and under the auspices and direction of the new owner from time to time fairs were held on the old grounds, owned by Captain Castle, until in 1908, when the Macoupin County Fair & Agricultural Association was incorporated, with a capital stock of $6,000. This corporation purchased the old grounds and has been continuing to hold meets ever since, with gratifying success. The officials of the present fair association are : President, Addison Bates ; secretary, C. W. York; treasurer, C. T. Carmody. COUNTY INFIRMARY. Those persons having the poor and indigent of the county early in its history and previous to the purchase of land, or the erection of an infirmary building, were remunerated by the county issuing orders from the commissioners' court. At the September term of court in 1851, Judge John M. Palmer was instructed to ascertain and report to the court the cost of a suitable farm for the poor and indigent. Also the improvements required and such information as he could obtain relative to the infirmary system in other counties. It transpired that in the following December a habitation was secured ready for the reception of the poor, with two hundred and two acres of land upon sections 26 and 35 in Nilwood township. In March, 1855, Enoch Wall was appointed a commissioner to sell the above, which it appears he succeeded in doing, for in May of the same year, forty acres were purchased by the county on section 16, Carlinville township, which in 1870, was increased by the further purchase of eighty acres. Upon this land a building was erected in 1856. and in 1902 it was remodeled to the 310 HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY extent of adding a wing at a cost of $12,000. In 1911 an electric lighting plant was installed at a cost of $2,500. For the past six years John O'Neil has been superintendent of the county infirmary. His wife, Mrs. O'Neil, is the present matron. CENSUS. Population of Macoupin county from 1830 to 1911, as shown by the United States census reports for each decade: 1830 1,990; 1840 7,836; 1850 12,- 355; 186024,602; 187032,726; 188037,705. For the past three decades the following table will show the growth of the county, especially of the ten years just closed, which was greater than in any equal period in the history of the community. The table gives the population of every city, village and town- ship in the county and is complete : 1910 1900 1890 Macoupin County 50,685 42,256 40,380 Barr township, including part of Hettick village 1,046 1,186 1,088 Hettick village (part of) 117 116 Total for Hettick village in Barr and South Palmyra townships 306 259 Bird township 775 808 873 Brighton township, including part of Brighton village. . . . 1,388 i,555 J >749 Brighton village (part of) 554 606 697 Brushy Mound township 746 845 849 Bunker Hill township, including Bunker Hill city and Woodburn town 2,126 2,516 2,748 Bunker Hill city .- . 1,046 1,279 1,269 North ward 562 South ward 484 Woodburn town 175 236 Cahokia township, including Benld village and part of ward 2 of Gillespie city 3>978 1,108 1,171 Benld village 1,912 Gillespie city (part of) 693 Total for Gillespie city in Cahokia and Gillespie town- ships 2,241 873 948 Ward i 639 Ward 2 914 Ward 3 688 Carlinville township, including Carlinville city 4,443 4,389 4> 22 6 Carlinville city 3,616 3,502 3,293 Ward i 1,061 Ward 2 798 Ward 3 998 Ward 4 759 Chesterfield township, including Chesterfield and part of Medora village i ,386 1,433 M9 8 Chesterfield village 3 6 4 377 374 HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY 311 1910 1900 1890 Medora village (part of) 294 299 337 Total for Medora village in Chesterfield and Shipman townships , \^\ 449 470 Dorchester township, including part of Dorchester vil- lage 918 913 1,049 Dorchester villege (part of) 50 42 Total for Dorchester village in Dorchester and Gilles- pie townships 102 104 Gillespie township, including part of Dorchester village and wards i and 3 and part of ward 2 of Gillespie city 3.075 i,7i6 i,775 Dorchester village (part of) 52 62 Gillespie city (part of) 1,548 873 948 Girard township, including Girard city 2,580 2,223 2,139 Girard city 1,891 1,661 1,524 Ward i 847 Ward 2 445 Ward 3 599 Hilyard township 908 1,025 1,020 Honey Point township 874 837 895 Mount Olive township, including Mount Olive, Sawyer- ville and White City villages 5,058 3,481 Mount Olive village 3,501 2,935 r >986 Sawyerville village 445 White City village 421 Nilwood township, including part of Nilwood village. . 1,396 1,341 1,247 Nilwood village (part of) 399 420 Total for Nilwood village in Nilwood and South Otter townships 401 424 North Otter township 783 846 961 North Palmyra township, including Modesto village and part of Palmyra village 1,524 1,606 1,446 Modesto village 298 299 Palmyra village (part of) 408 375 298 Total for Palmyra village in North and South Palmyra townships 873 813 505 Polk township 722 867 890 Scottville township, including Scottville village 1,113 1,293 J >365 Scottville village 301 3 6 4 3 6 3 Shaw's Point township 881 950 995 Shipman township, including Shipman village and part of Medora village i,334 1,484 l ,S 21 Medora village (part of) 150 150 133 Shipman village 392 396 410 South Otter township, including part of Nilwood village. . 910 1,104 1,104 Nilwood village (part of) 2 4 South Palmyra township, including parts of Hettick and Palmyra villages 1,536 1,519 1,527 312 HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY 1910 1900 1890 Hettick village (part of) 189 143 Palmyra village (part of) 465 438 207 Staunton township, including Staunton city 5,837 3,385 5,285 Staunton city 5,048 2,786 2,209 Ward i 1,650 Ward 2 1,263 Ward 3 1,332 Ward 4 803 Virden township, including Virden city 4,573 2,909 2,038 Virden city 4,000 2,280 i ,610 Ward i 994 Ward 2 1,038 Ward 3 889 Ward 4 1,079 Western Mound township 775 917 921 REAL PROPERTY. One-Third Real or Acres Value Assessed Value Staunton 7,931 $ 675,585 $ 225,195 Mt. Olive 7,860 469,814 156,605 Cahokia 19,852 1,193,175 397,725 Honey Point 21,733 98i,345 3 2 7-"4 Shaw's Point 17-998 887,495 295,831 Nalwood 12,973 1,293,43 43M44 Girard 7,266 859,755 286,585 Virden 9,980 702,655 234,218 Dorchester 23,135 727> 2 55 242,418 Gillespie 21,768 1,321,099 440,366 Brushy Mound 18,576 652,570 217,524 Carlinville 21,684 1,261,665 420,553 South Otter 22,915 795,i3O 265,043 North Otter 22,697 1,231,251 410417 Bunker Hill 22,183 825,805 275,268 Hilyard 20,239 681,410 227,137 Polk 15,323 563,739 187,913 Bird 20,192 987>995 329,332 South Palmyra 22,716 77>42O 235,807 North Palmyra 22,686 1,267,390 422,463 Brighton 22,698 738,325 246,108 Shipman 22,408 755,i6o 251,720 Chesterfield 13,962 754,941 251,647 Western Mound 21,961 667,695 222,564 Barr 23,218 830,675 276,892 Scottville 23,090 834,415 278,138 Total 487,044 $22,667,194 $7,555.7 2 8 HISTORY OF MACOUP1N COUNTY 313 vO tx, Tt Tt N ON" votx ^ vo Os Tt tx, PO o POPOON tx tx n" PO PO M 00 vC gs O 00 tx ~ g, O ON vO O VO Tt PO PO VO 00 .H Tt O !"1 ON tX, Tt PO IO -tX POOO tx 1-1 PO q w ON ro O N 00 vo PO ," PO PO o"s PO 1-1 PO 00 vO Tt VO * ON M O vo IN i- N ON O *O w H. ^O Tt N vO O .f. 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PO PO O ro IX VO Jo CO Tt J V O W- -VO VO VO N PO PO ^- PO N 5 ^ ^ (5" ^S. f ^ *^ o 53 ,S PO 00 vo tx vo q oo vo tx ro i- vO CV) tx vO x ON tx 0) O O\ O tx oo 10 vo ON O 00 00 vo u rt rt C s 2 >< >-i ' * ' ; '5 : u ' o u o *5 S E * . V OH Sc 3 PQ Carlinville South Ott 6 X ' U *0 "s PQ ^ | rt rt Pn P"i t|| 3 t/j 12; V ' -4-t '"? ?2 u t; r^ 8 CQ CA. 314 HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY PERSONALITY. One-Third Total or Value Assessed Value Staunton $ 373.995 $ 124,665 Mt - Olive 322,089 107,363 Cahokia 264,144 88,048 Honey Point 265,125 88,375 Shaw's Point 234,204 78,068 Nilwood 196,674 65,558 Girard 388,707 129,569 Virden 61 1,071 203,690 Dorchester . . 119,733 39,9" Gillespie 290,037 96,679 Brushy Mound 166,647 55,549 Carlinville 1,061,111 353,704 South Otter 164,655 54,885 North Otter 210,357 70,1 19 Bunker Hill 353,946 1 17,982 Hilyard 144,888 48,296 Polk 1 17,108 39,036 Bird 213,669 71,223 South Palmyra 210,183 70,061 North Palmyra 476,808 158,936 Brighton 297,360 99,120 Shipman 245,139 81,713 Chesterfield 296,475 98,825 Western Mound 133,605 44,535 Barr 216,165 72,055 Scottville 205,626 68,542 Total $7,579,521 DRAINAGE DISTRICTS IN MACOUPIN. $2,526,507 A number have been organized in this county, which increases the value and productiveness of the soil. It has been only a few years since, that the organ- ization of drainage districts for the purpose of reclaiming or improving large tracts of land, was hardly given serious consideration. There were possibly many reasons for this condition, chief of which was the cost. This, however, has been largely done away with owing to the great increase in value of farm lands in this county as well as the entire state and country. When good land rose in price from something like $40 to $125 and higher, in a period of about ten or twelve years, the mind of the land owner who had any considerable acreage of waste or overflow land began to turn in the direction of making this land more valuable by protecting it and making it more productive. The cost of the work was easily made up by the increased value of the land benefited, and the added certainty of larger and better crops. HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY 315 Working conditions of good land well situated and with plenty of surface drainage, are vastly more favorable even in seasons which are considered good, if properly underlaid with tile of the correct size. A well tile-drained soil is readily freed from excess water which, as far as possible, enters the soil where it falls, thus preventing to a large extent the surface washing which is so inju- rious to the fertility of the soil. A well underdrained soil is open and friable, readily absorbing the fertilizers, that may be applied to it; easily prepared, requiring less labor to put it into condition for seed, which will germinate more quickly and the plant will grow more rapidly. A field well drained will be ready for the plow a week in advance of a like soil not under-drained, may be planted several days sooner and is from eight to ten degrees warmer. Drainage not only serves as an exit for excessive mois- ture, but affords a means of preventing drouth. Crops may be harvested in better condition, with an increase of from twenty-five to one hundred per cent. Money invested in tile drainage pays a large interest annually and is a sort of bank which never fails. In this connection it can be truly said that generations may come and go but a well drained soil continues to honor demands made upon it. One of the largest districts organized in this county is along the Macoupin Creek bottom. The loss caused almost annually by the overflow of Macoupin and other creeks in this county is very large. What makes this usually more discouraging to the land owner or renter is, that it nearly always comes at a time when the crop is ready to harvest. Not infrequently it comes after har- vest and the farmer has to stand and watch his crop go floating away and with it of course the results of a hard summer or year's work. The levee will pre- vent this, and at the same time make the crops sure and the land worth much more. A. J. Duggan, of Carlinville, has been prominent in handling the legal side of the drainage propositions in this county, and is in a certain sense a pioneer attorney in this work. There being no previous cases which could be used as a guide, he has had to blaze the way and solve many difficult legal problems along these lines. The law governing drainage and levees is complicated and the matter requires a great deal of careful study. There are many questions which come up in the organization of the different districts and all have to stand the scrutiny and test of the courts. Mr. Duggan has organized these drainage dis- tricts in such a very successful manner that he may at this time be properly considered a specialist in the law on this question. In a recent conversation with him he gave us some information in regard to the districts now organized and being organized in this county. Drainage district No. I was organized in South Otter township and was one of the first to be formed. It was commenced about four years ago. The contract has been let and the work is fully under way. The district covers about 1,600 acres and the cost to those interested will be $8,000. The Coyne-Nail district, No. i, is small, and lies south of Barnett, on the Montgomery county line. The petition in this case was filed in April, 1910, and the work was completed in December, 1910. It reclaimed a tract heretofore worthless swamp land, of moderate size. 316 HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY Honey Point district No. 5 as mentioned previously in this article was begun two years ago. Delay was caused by the fact that the commissioners con- sidered the first bid to be too high. In the second bid made the contractor failed to file the necessary bond. This district is composed of 1,300 acres and the cost will amount to about $7,000. The law provides that bonds for drainage districts may draw 6 per cent interest, but the bonds of Honey Point district found a ready sale at 5 per cent. The Chesterfield-Ruyle is a levee and drainage district and is now in process of organization, and is at present in court. This district will involve the con- struction of 33,000 feet of levee and several thousand feet of open ditches. It is hoped to get the matter in shape to let the contract by the middle of the summer. Huddleston-Meiners Union district No. i, is located on the north line of Honey Point township and the south line of Shaws Point. This was organized last fall. The contract will be let shortly and covers about one thousand acres. District No. 2, South Otter township, is now in process of formation. The number of acres to be drained will be 1,800. The preliminary surveys have been made and the engineer and attorney are ready to put together the plans and specifications for the work. This is all of the organized work now being done in Macoupin county. Of course there is much private work being done. The object in organizing a drainage district is for the purpose of enabling the work to be done cheaper and in a much more satisfactory manner than if done privately. This is especially so where the acreage is large and several land owners are concerned. It has frequently been found that one string of large tile can be laid that will drain a body of land much better than if two strings were laid and at much less cost and with little or no conflict of interests. The Chesterfield-Ruyle district was organized under a law especially pro- vided for levees. The commissioners for a district of this kind are appointed by the county court. Those districts must be formed by petition to the court and can not be formed otherwise. This law is known as the levee act. Where no levees are required the districts are usually organized under what is commonly known as the farm drainage act. It is much less expensive to organize under this law than the levee act. Under the farm drainage act the commissioners of highways of the different townships are ex officio the drainage commissioners in their respective towns, until the district has been regularly organized. The law provides for the election of drainage commissioners in each district to take the place of the highway commissioners, after that district has been duly organized. In most cases the people usually have the commissioners of highways to carry the work along to the point where the district becomes legally organized. After this they elect from the land owners three commissioners to formulate plans and carry out the work. All districts, whether under the levee act or the farm drainage act, are organized on petition of interested adult land owners. In the work of the districts in this county the surveying has been done by S. T. Morse and the Morse- Warren Engineering company. CHAPTER XX. REMINISCENCES. THE PIONEER PREACHER AND HIS BRIDE LOG COURT HOUSE USED FOR MANY PURPOSES MENTION OF CARLINVILLE's FIRST INHABITANTS METHODIST AND BAPTIST CHURCHES ORGANIZED FIRST CHILD BORN IN THE COUNTY SEAT. The writer of the following interesting and valuable article on the early history of this community was the wife of Rev. Stith M. Otwell, who came to Macoupin county in 1831 and founded the Methodist church at Carlinville. Some time after the death of her husband she became the wife of Ruel Wright. By her first husband she had six children and by the latter four and at the time of her death, which was many years ago, her grandchildren numbered at least forty. "Grandma" Wright, as she was familiarly called, survived both her husbands and at the time of her death was over eighty years of age. The exact time this worthy pioneer Christian woman wrote her reminiscences cannot be determined, but the reader will be governed in reckoning dates and occur- rences by allowing the passage of at least a quarter of a century from the time the words were written and the present (1911) : A great many persons, since the organization of the Old Settlers' Society have essayed, orally and otherwise, to furnish sketches of the early settlement of this county and Carlinville. Many of these narratives have been very inter- esting, especially to the older residents. The writer of this sketch, known to have been among the very first to cast their lot in this "border of civilization," has often been importuned to add her mite to the "early recollections" of the place and times, and reluctantly makes this effort. Many incidents worthy of being chronicled have passed away, but it is to be hoped that the following may aid in filling up the gaps left by preceding historians. SENT BY PETER CARTWRIGHT. It was in the summer of 1831 that Stith M. Otwell, who was in charge of Lebanon circuit, Madison county, Illinois, was informed by his presiding elder, Rev. Peter Cartwright, that in the tract of country called Macoupin there had been a town laid out called Carlinville. The families who settled in the county had mostly chosen the edge of the timber where it joined the prairie. 317 318 HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY PLANS A MISSION. In the midst of this "wilderness" was the site of Carlinville. Mr. Otwell made a plan of a mission, including this town, with some of his appointments on Lebanon circuit, and laid it before the Illinois conference. They accepted it and gave to him the appointment. Returning home he made arrangements to come on to Carlinville, to see if a home could be had in which to place his family while attending to the circuit. None could be found, but Ezekiel Good told him to bring them to his house until some other arrangement could be made. So, with that understanding, he returned and made ready to move his family to his new field of labor. With a hired wagon to transport our few belongings, and Father William Otwell with a covered buggy for the family, including Amzi Day, a ten year old brother of the writer, we set forth. There had been much rain and the roads were terrible. We were compelled to stop the first night at a farm house, fifteen miles from our destination. Starting next morning, we thought soon to be at the end of our journey, but upon arriving at the Macoupin creek we found it had overflowed its banks, and not until our goods could be ferried over in a canoe could we proceed. About sunset we came in sight of the town and immediately went to the home of Mr. Good. We got our supper, spread our beds upon the floor and went to sleep. Next day Mr. Otwell was obliged to look again for a home. Nothing but the schoolhouse offered and in it we found a temporary shelter. A TOWN OF SIX DWELLINGS. Carlinville had not many houses in those days. There were but six dwelling houses in the place, besides one blacksmith shop, one store, one dramshop, and the courthouse, schoolhouse and tavern all of them built of logs or clapboards. The tavern stood just opposite to where the Dubois bank building now stands and was kept by Lewis English. It contained three rooms, one large one in front for a bar room, and two smaller ones back for kitchen, dining room, bed room, etc. There were two buildings occupied by a Mr. Plant one as a dwelling house and the other as a store. They were on the west side of the square and another cabin tenanted by Mr. Smith, who had made a few bricks the year before. Two small cabins stood on the southeast corner of the square, in one of which A. S. Walker lived, and in the other kept a gunsmith shop. These were all of the buildings around the square, in the center of which stood the courthouse. Then, as now, East Main street was a desirable locality for building, and upon it were three cabins one built about where Hugh Win- ton's house now stands ; another upon what was called the Boice, now known as the Daley property, and one just opposite, upon what is now the northwest corner of the courthouse yard. CARLINVILLE'S FIRST SCHOOLHOUSE. The schoolhouse into which we moved was near where Dr. Matthews' res- idence now stands. It was built by Harbird Weatherford, costing the sum of HISTORY OF MACOUPIN CpUNTY 319 forty dollars. It was, of course, built of logs, and, I should think, about 18x20 feet in dimensions. In it was a large fire place with stick and clay chim- ney and rock hearth. There was one door and one window the door made of clapboards nailed upon cross pieces, was hung upon wooden hinges and fas- tened by the old fashioned latch and string. The window was similar to the door. Wide planks were thrown down loose for flooring, they only half way covering the sleepers upon which they rested. As the building was set upon logs laid under the corners, I used to be afraid lest the wolves that we heard howling around the house should crawl under and come up between the sleepers and try to make our acquaintance. I dared not let Mr. Otwell leave me alone with the little one, and so we were not sorry when, after staying, there a week, Asher Beauchamp, just from Kentucky, was employed to teach the school and we had to leave the first parsonage of Carlinville. Mr. and Mrs. Good kindly invited us to come and live with them until a house could be built for himself, which took six weeks. While there we in- quired whose was the first family in the town, and learned that it was their own. Seth Hodges entered the land and employed Mr. Good to lay off the town. Then Mr. Good entered an eighty just east of it, and, returning to his family in Greene county, made ready to move, and with two young men to assist in driving the team and stock, he with his wife and three children wended their way to this land of promise. At night Mrs. Good and the children slept in the wagon and the men under it, until they could erect a small house in which to put their beds. Afterwards, when they had built a good, substantial one, twenty feet square, this small one became their smokehouse. It was in this large house that they were living when they extended to us a "shelter in a weary land." It was a wonderful room, too, for it held two families in great comfort, besides being the county surveyor's office, the postoffice, and before we left a small stock of dry goods was offered for sale. THE POSTOFFICE A CANDLE BOX. A common candle box served as postoffice, it being set upon a high shelf to be out of the way of the children. Once a week a man on horseback passed through the town, carrying the mail bags. Very few letters, though, were left here, for I think the box was never quite full. It was not always a pleasure, either, to know there were letters in the office for you, for there were charges to be paid, varying from ten to twenty-five cents, according to the distance it had come. And it was very trying to have paid out your last cent and, upon opening the letter, find it only an inquiry about some sections of land, etc., the writer thereof not having grace enough to prepay the postage. That was before the days of the wonderful three cent stamp that now carries a letter to any part of the United States, and as for the convenient postal card, our wildest dreams had never soared so high. Often has Mr. Otwell paid out fifty cents per week for those business letters, and when I expostulated with him for it he would reply, "O, it is for the good of the town ; help build it up." But it did seem hard, when we remembered that there was our home to build, our clothing to buy, as well as provisions for the year, and being allowed by the 320 HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY Missionary Society but $100 a year, it behooved us to spend the money care- fully. In a new country, that way, it was not often that one could eke out a small salary by working for others, for most all were alike in that respect too poor to hire work done. One evening while we were making our home at Mr. Good's, he returned from a surveying expedition, somewhere further up north. On his rounds he had procured a quarter of beef and was bringing it home, when the wolves, which roamed upon the prairies over which he was passing, scented it and gave chase. It was a pretty close run the oxen that drew the wagon being pro- verbially slow, although doing their best, were surely being overtaken. Com- ing to close quarters he threw at them his remaining stakes (not steaks), shout- ing and hallooing to frighten them as well as to urge on his panting oxen. And so he rode into the town in triumph, bringing the beef with him. The Goods were worthy pioneers and to be honored and remembered. He was one of the kindest hearted, most unselfish men in the world. Mrs. Good was a good manager, smart and neat. "Have things comfortable," was her favorite expression. They are all gone now but "little Minerva," who is the honored wife of Lewis Johnson, of Buford. BUYS A LOT FOR FIFTEEN DOLLARS. Mr. Otwell bought the lot on which Dr. John W. Hankins residence now stands, for $15, then cut and hauled logs from the timber south of town, hired men to hew them, and then with the assistance of a few neighbors, raised his cabin. This was covered with clapboards. A stick and clay chimney half way to the roof completed the fire place. The cracks were then chinked, but the weather turning bitter cold, they could not be daubed until the next summer. We took possession of our house between Christmas and New Year's. Mr. Plant was our nearest neighbor, and if I ever envied anybody, it was them. They had -a tight puncheon floor, clapboards on the joints, a chimney quite to the top of the roof, the cracks closed up with mud, outside and in, and crowning glory of all a window with six panes of glass, the only glass then in Carlinville. Still, we did not need the window to give us light, for that came to us through the roof, the floor, down the wide mantled chimney, and between the logs on every side of the room. The winter was unusually cold and the snow that fell in quantities, drifted in upon us often covering everything and deadening the coals in the fire place. It was nothing strange in the mornings to waken and find that nature had pro- vided our bed with a beautiful white blanket of snow, more beautiful, however, to the sight than to the touch. Sometimes when the wind came from the east, the room would soon be filled with smoke. When I could bear it no longer, the door would be thrown open, the burning sticks be pitched out of doors upon the snow, and the room allowed to clear of smoke. Soon the stinging cold would drive us to gather up the blackened chunks and seek to rekindle the fire. I used to wrap our little baby boy in a shawl and sit with him for hours by the fire to keep him comfortable. It was a great deal that winter to do the neces- sary work for the family, our great effort being to get warm, for I can't remem- O -6 LIBRAHY OF IHt UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY 321 her ever being really warm the winter through, except when at one of the neighbor's. CORN BREAD AND VENISON. Our bill of fare that winter was corn bread and venison, with, some sugar and coffee that we had brought with us. The flour that we had brought had been used before we moved into the new house. As for butter, milk or veg- etables, we had none, and fruit was not seen in the place for years after we came. When a girl, I had listened to missionary sermons, and my heart was stirred with thoughts of the poetry of self sacrifice, the delights of such a life, and I thought that being a missionary one would necessarily be very good. But come to try the reality, and the goodness settled down into endurance, while the poetry vanished, leaving nothing but the saddest of prose. Things were never so bad with us after that first year, for Mr. Otwell, al- though not believing in a minister engaging in secular calling, felt that something must be done to keep his family from starving. So in the spring he bought a stock of goods from Alton, and in company with S. C. Kendall, his brother-in- law, opened a store in the cabin on what is now the Boice property. t THE FIRST COURT HOUSE. The first court house in Carlinville was a hewed log building about 20x24 feet, situated in the center of the square. It had one door on the north and a window on the south. By the window was a platform made of logs covered by unplaned white plank. The judge's chair of today would hardly recognize its predecessor in the poor little bench then used. And yet it was occupied by some as truly good and noble as the present incumbent. Just in front of this bench stood the desk to hold the books and candle when necessary. It was formed of two short upright planks with another one laid across the top. In summer time the window was left open but in winter clapboards were nailed across it. The room was seated with slab benches and fully accommodated all who wished admittance. Simplicity of style in the house and furnishings marked the court house of those days, even as grandeur does the present. But then the people could not afford to do better, but they pajd the $45.00 which the building cost and at that time the people were not much troubled on the sub- ject of taxation. The court house served as preaching place for the different denominations untU such time as they could build houses for themselves. There was no en- closure, and upon the hillocks surrounding the house strawberries were gath- ered the following spring. Hazel bushes, too, were plentiful on the square, yes, and used sometimes, for I once saw a woman whose child troubled her during preaching, rise from her place among the worshippers and taking him without, gave heed unto Solomon's advice, "chasten thy son while there is hope, and let not thy soul spare for his crying." That child is a resident of this county and has held many positions of trust in the county thus showing that, for once at least, the lesson was not thrown away. 322 HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY There was so little business done in the county that one man could attend to that of several offices. Tristram P. Hoxey was recorder, county clerk, and I believe also treasurer. Jefferson Weatherford was sheriff. The county court was composed of Lewis Solomon, Seth Hodges and Roger Snell. Many of their descendants are now living in the county and are highly respected mem- bers of society. Ezekiel Good was county surveyor. Macoupin county was then represented in the legislature by Joseph Borough, of Carlinville. A. S. Walker must have been justice of the peace, for from the time of our first acquaintance with him he was called squire. He was a good hunter in those days, supplying not only his own but several other families with game, with which the prairies abounded. Prairie chickens, deer, quail, rabbits, etc. could be had at any time for the shooting, and occasionally a bear would be found. THE FIRST JAIL. . The first county jail was built upon West Main street, tolerably near the square. It was built of squared logs three double, the floors also of squared logs. There were two rooms, one above and one below, the lower one having no door and only one small grated window. This was the cell for the worst kind of criminals. The upper room was reached by means of an outside stairway. In the floor of this room was a trap door through which the prisoners descended to the one below; the ladder being then withdrawn and the door closed. It was in this cell that Aaron Todd with Larkin Scott was confined and awaited execu- tion for having murdered his cousin. There, in later years, Andrew I. Nash was placed until the day of his execution should arrive, he having been convicted of murder for the killing of Nick Lockerman. Upon that day people had gath- ered from all quarters to witness the hanging, some families coming a distance of sixty miles in ox wagons. Hearing that a reprieve had been granted, the crowd was greatly disappointed and soon became an angry, turbulent mob. They gathered about the jail, cursing and swearing at the helpless wretch, and finally became so threatening that a strong guard was placed about the jail to prevent lynching. After a while, some of the authorities, upon going to the cell, found that the poor fellow had become so terrified that he had drawn the cord from his bedstead, with it had hung himself, and was dead. THE OLD SEMINARY. It was about the year 1834 that the school building known as the "old semi- nary" was built. The first teachers were Mr. and Mrs. Orin Cooley and after- wards Miss 'Almira Packard, and Mrs. Whipple. They were pretty good teach- ers and gave good satisfaction. They were from the east and were well educated. THE FIRST SERMON. The first sermon preached in Carlinville of which I have any knowledge, was one by Mr. Otwell soon after our arrival. The meeting was held at the tavern HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY 323 kept by Lewis English, the congregation consisting of four women and two or three, children. Outside the company was much larger. Mr. Otwell did not continue to hold services there, but appointed prayer meetings at Mr. Good's, meantime searching throughout the county for preaching places. Carlinville being the only town then laid out, of course all was new, but he succeeded so well that at the close of the conference year he had twenty-eight or thirty appoint- ments. These he reported to the conference as a circuit, to which he was re- turned. During that year his health failed so from the effects of exposures the previous winter that often, while traveling the circuit, he would be -compelled to alight from his horse and lie down upon the ground to rest. The next fall he was not able to do effective work and Rev. Elihu Springer was sent to the place. Since then the Methodist church has not been without a pastor. At one of his appointments, Sulphur Springs, he met an English lady who has since been one of the well known and honored characters among us '"Grandma" Dumville; she who was "grandma" to everyone, both old and young. She was ever a faithful attendant at the place of worship. . When the time for preaching came around, nothing but sickness could keep her from the meetings, and the four miles between her home and the place for gathering was cheerfully walked, that she might have the pleasure of listening to the preacher's words. And often, while there, the joy of the Lord so filled her heart that shouts of praise and thanksgiving to God would burst forth from her lips, electrifying the whole con- gregation. I think no one ever doubted Grandma Dumville's religion, and some- times her simple but earnest inquiry "do you love the Lord Jesus?" would find lodgment in the heart, a thought they could not get away from until at last that soul found rest in His love. Hers was a bright, joyful, Christian life, not but that she had sorrow, for of that a full cup, even to the bitter dregs, was wrung out to her. As "sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich," has truly been her experience. But 'tis not necessary to tell of her life, for she was well known among us. She has now gone home to glory, and has proved by sweet experience that as for the joys and pleasures of earth, "one mo- ment of heaven outweighs them all." It was the spring after our arrival, that, the weather being warm enough to sit without fire, meetings were held in the court house. Prayer and class meet- ings were held at our house and it was after one of these that Mr. Otwell opened the doors of the Methodist church and Mother Tennis, Thomas C. Kendall, Will- iam Brown and Nancy Reader Brown, his wife, and Mary B. Otwell gave their hands, and thus the first Methodist society of Carlinville was formed. From that small beginning it has increased in numbers, and has never been without the usual church ordinances. BAPTIST SOCIETY ORGANIZED. Afterwards, in 1833, Rev. Elihu Palmer, brother of ex-Governor Palmer, also preached in the court house and organized a Baptist society, which has ever since been in existence. His good wife was president of the Maternal As- sociation. Their daughter, Fannie Kimball, is now a member of the society her father formed. 324 HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY It was not very long after Elihu Palmer's arrival that Dr. Gideon Blackburn came to Carlinville to look for a site upon which to build his college, preaching to the people in the court house. Among the first converts admitted to the Presby- terian church then formed were T. P. Hoxey and Daniel Anderson. Dr. Black- burn was one of giant intellect and with wide reaching plans for the good of his fellow creatures. It was our pleasure to entertain him a few times at our home, and we always found him entertaining, genial company, so that he was indeed a welcome guest. The members of those churches can, however, furnish a far better account of those early days than could be given by an outsider . The people of Carlinville in the year 1832 were truly social and did not care to keep all their nice things to themselves. It was the good fortune of a num- ber of families in the town to be invited to the tavern to partake of a New Year's dinner, which for the times was very good. The dinner consisted of corn bread made light and baked the day before, and roasted backbones and ribs, with gravy. This, with homemade coffee was the entire bill of fare, but there being an abundance of it all were fully satisfied. Soon after dinner the twang- ing of the fiddle warned those who did not wish to "trip the light fantastic toe" that the time for leaving had come. The dancing continued until a late hour. FIRST WEDDING IN CARLINVILLE. In April, 1832, we were invited to attend what was the first wedding in Carlinville. Mr. Wallace, whose house then stood facing what is now North Broad street, was about to lose his fair and comely daughter Rebecca, and to see this ceremony a large company of friends and relatives had been invited. The house was a large one for those times, as good as any in the place. Of course it was built of logs, one room doing duty as kitchen, dining room, parlor, etc. Mrs. Wallace always kept these rooms in perfect order, but upon this particular evening everything fairly shone and all had a bright, cheerful appearance. One thing that greatly added to its pleasantness was the wide mouthed fire place, covering almost one end of the house, the wood in it being as long as a wagon could hold. The company were all present when \ve arrived and the bride and groom-to-be were awaiting the preacher's coming. An expectant hush fell upon all as he entered, and then the young couple arose, the ceremony was performed and Miss Rebecca became Mrs. David McDaniel. The bride was dressed in pure white, and with her fair and fresh complexion looked the perfect picture of health and beauty. Her granddaughter, Miss Addie Miller, of our city, very much resembles her. I have forgotten how the groom was dressed but know that he was a fine, noble looking young man, and as they stood there receiving the congratulations and good wishes of their friends their future seemed quite promising. The supper that followed was a bountiful one and all present seemed to enjoy the evening. Like sensible people, they went directly to house- keeping and until the time of their death were citizens of the place, well known and respected. The husband afterwards filled many offices of trust and was always highly respected and became one of the foremost citizens in building up our city and county. HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY 325 At the time of the Black Hawk war, in the spring of 1832, our community was startled by rumors that the Indians north and west of us were threatening a raid into the southern counties. As they had formerly roamed and hunted over these prairies, and had (so alleged) dug and melted lead on the Macoupin, now ''Sunny Home Stock Farm," some credence was given to the report. Sol- diers were needed to drive them back and the men not readily volunteering, a draft was ordered for the county. Thirty or forty men gathered upon the square to take their chance, and among the number was Mr. Plant, against whom some of our citizens were slightly prejudiced on account of his being 'a "Yankee," and hoped that he would be drafted. Mrs. Plant and a friend stood in her doorway watching the way things went, and when it was ascertained that he had been drawn, there was such shouting among the men as was seldom wit- nessed. Mrs. Plant, with a mortified air, said "I declare for it, I won't stay in such a place, I'll go back to Connecticut." And back she went the following- summer, her husband with her, he having hired a substitute. The men who were drafted from Carlinville joined a company that was passing through from Madison county. They were a fine body of men, being un- uniformed ; but then they could fight the Indians and they did it so successfully that we were never troubled by their depredations. NEW ARRIVALS. It was in those early days that B. T. Burke, a Virginian, made his appear- ance in our midst, and his name has ever since been familiar to almost every one. He was sheriff for twelve years and in that time laid the foundation of his collossal fortune. About the same time Braxton Eastham came from Kentucky and settled in Carlinville, living for several years in a house southeast of the public square. Afterwards they removed to a cabin near where they now live. This cabin was in later days used for a schoolhouse and called "Good Intent." Later it was used as a chicken house. Mr. Eastham was, and is, a truly honest man, ever faithful to any engagement he may have undertaken or promise made. I never knew him to fail. Finding the temptations of the town too much for his strength, he finally decided that the better way to resist them was to keep out of the way of temptation. According to the resolution then made "never again to enter the town," he, although living at its very edge, has not (so far as my knowledge extends) for over twenty years been beyond the railroad. His hair is now very white with the winter of old age. Another of our white haired men is Dr. Robertson, who also came from Kentucky. It was long ago, near about the same time as the other, that he came, and even then his hair was heavily streaked with silver. His wife was a sister of Mrs. John S. Greithouse, who lived where T. L. Loomis now does. After her death, he married Miss Nancy Holliday, daughter of "Father" Hol- liday, so well known in the early days of Carlinville. He made his fortune in merchandising and in dealing in real estate. I think it was about the year 1834 that Colonel Anderson, also from Kentucky, came to the county, and after entering several thousand acres of land made his 326 HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY home four or five miles' northeast of Carlinville. Some of his children set- tled near the old homestead. His son Crittenden and grandson, W. E. P., son of Erasmus Anderson, are living in Carlinville, while Hal is settled upon a farm near the fair grounds the old Dugger farm as the place is called where Uncle Jarrett lived. Uncle Jarrett assisted in organizing the first Sunday school in the place and afterwards to carry it on, filling, I believe, the office of superintendent. His sons, Joseph, Wesley and Ferguson, were old enough to teach classes, while of the other children there were enough to form a little school. At least there was a beginning around which to gather in the other children of the town. Jarrett Dugger was a great Sunday school man and his grandson, George W. Dugger, present superintendent of the Methodist Episcopal Sunday school, is following in his footsteps. FIRST CHILD BORN IN THE COUNTY SEAT. The first child born in Carlinville was Thomas, son of Ezekiel and Alice Good. A while before the arrival of the writer, Mrs. Williamson Brown died at the home of Mr. Good, of a fever, and hers was, I believe, the first death in the place. The people in those early days found it very difficult to get their corn and wheat ground, having to go to adjoining counties for that purpose. About 1830 John Harris built a water saw and grist mill on the Macoupin creek one and a half miles east of town at and on the farm now owned by C. A. Walker. After a few years, Mr. Weatherford built an ox mill east of town for grinding corn, but it was not at all certain to be in running order. As for flourishing mills in the county, there were none for many years afterwards, until, I believe, the old red mill was built where W'eer's now stands. There were times in those days when the flour being gone and the ox mill not running, and it not being convenient to send the corn away, people had to subsist for a while on lye hom- iny, and that is a thing at which a person may eat continually and never have their hunger satisfied. The citizens of Carlinville were always respectful listeners when they had respectable men to talk to them, but sometimes there were curious cases that called forth all the latent mischief in their natures and then they were ready for anything. One morning when Mr. Otwell was working in his garden near the square, a half witted looking man came and asked him to go with him to the court house and help hold a meeting. He said he had been holding meet- ings in a certain place he mentioned and had a " Vival of 'ligion" there. Mr. Otwell told the man he was hurried and could not go, so the fellow went away and held the meeting himself, having the wild fellows for his hearers. When he got through with his talk they asked if he had a license to preach. When he could not show one, they told him he had broken the law and they should try his case. Organizing themselves into a court they tried and sentenced him to death hanging. He threw himself upon his knees, crying, "O ! for the Lord's sake let me go home to my wife and children." He wept and wrung his hands HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY 827 but they were obdurate and told him he would "pull hemp" in less than an hour. When all hope seemed gone, the men, but one (according to agreement) looked another way and he whispered "run for your life." And he did run if ever any one did. Soon the court seeming to discover his absence, came pouring out of the house and raised a terrific yell. They put a boy upon horseback with an unloaded gun over his shoulder to pursue him, but of course he was never overtaken. FIRST TF.MPERANCE MEETING. It was some time before this that the first temperance meeting had been held at Mr. Good's. That meeting was the "day of small things" compared with the recent great movement. Those meetings, the Sons of Temperance, the Good Templars and other kindred societies since then were but as the clearing away of underbrush, the cutting away of larger trees, preparing, digging deep for the foundation of our temperance building. For years Carlinville was without any church building, each society being too poor to erect one. The first addition to the Methodist society was about the year 1834, when Jarrett Dugger and his large family moved to this place and decided to build a church and the little company built the frame house where bought a farm of A. Pepperdine (now Hal Anderson's farm). Soon after, it was John Keeler now lives. It seemed very good to have a house to worship in after having so much trouble. Not long after, the hearts of the little company were made glad by the arrival among them of Dr. John Logan, who for over forty years has been a true and faithful member. Afterward many were converted and added to the church but of the original five members all are long since gone to the good world but one, who still lingers on the shores of time, patiently wait- ing the Master's call. CHAPTER XXI. "JERSEY STREET." INTERESTING SECTION OF THE COUNTY FROM ROCKBRIDGE TO PIASA CREEK LY- MAN L. PALMER WRITES WITH A FACILE PEN OF EARLY DAYS AND THEIR PEOPLE SWEET SINGERS OF MEDORA OLD TOBE BILL DAVIS' OX TEAM fHE VILLAGE DOMINIE THE VILLAGE PLOW MAKER A HARD NUT TO CRACK. In 1909, early in the spring, there began to appear in the Medora Mes- senger, a series of reminiscent articles from the facile pen of Lyman Palmer, that at once attracted the interested notice of the local readers of that excel- lent sheet and its exchanges throughout the county. Being a man of large mental calibre, broad experience and superior journalistic training, coupled to a retentive and reliable memory, these pen pictures of Mr. Palmer lent such a charm to his narratives and so clear an atmosphere of historic truth as to make for each article a value and importance all its own. Eventually, they came under the notice of the present historian and at a glance their value to the work in hand by him was apparent and quickly recognized. Hence, a condensation of Lyman Palmer's recollections of the early history and peoples of Chesterfield township and vicinity is here produced, with only one regret that the manu- script could not have been published in full in these pages. A word or two as to Lyman Palmer : He tells us he was the firstborn of Luther Bateman Palmer and Louisa A. Brainard, daughter of Samuel D. Brain- ard, and that his parents were married in 1847 by Rev. Elihu Palmer, brother of General John M. Palmer, but of no immediate relation to Luther. That he grew to manhood in the vicinity of Medora and "stuck type" on the Carlin- ville Democrat. Moved to California, where he taught school and was con- nected with San Francisco papers. Returned to Macoupin county, then took up his residence in Chicago and, in 1911, finally settled in Florida. The initial article starts with the following: FOREWORD. This series of sketches is not intended to be history in any true sense of the word but simply personal reminiscences of days long since gone by and of people most of whom have "joined that innumerable throng" in "that bourne whence no traveler hath yet returned." It is true that much which is of histor- 328 HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY 329 ical nature and interest will, perforce, creep into these sketches, and because of that fact it is hoped that possibly they may prove of sufficient value to be preserved by many in scrap bock form at least. The places which knew our pioneer ancestry can know them no more for- ever, and it is also true that the people who knew them are becoming fewer and fewer in number, and very soon "taps" will sound for the last one, hence it behooves some one who stands as a bridge, as it were, between the pioneers of "lang syne" and the whirling mazes of the living present, to gather together the threads of romance and tragedy, the prose and poetry of those early days and denizens, and weave it all into a tapestry of beautiful design. As far as I am able, that is what I hope to do in these sketches. On the stage of life, as on the mimic stage, there is always the hero that I shall call forth to play the parts in the life dramas which I shall depict. It is true that some clouds flitted across the social skies in those days just as they do now. Some failed of reaching the high mark of perfect living in the '505 just as they are now doing in the early days of the new century. But of none of these shall I speak. The mantle of charity shall be drawn over it all and truly "the dead past shall bury its dead." "With malice toward none and charity for all" is this work, which is really a labor of love, begun, and so it will be prosecuted to the end. It is more than probable that inaccuracies will creep into these sketches as I am writing entirely from memory, and am not so situated that I can even refer to an old timer either for the purpose of refreshing my memory or verifying my statements. Therefore I trust that the readers of the Messenger will be charitable towards me for it is truly "a far cry" from the days of which I am to write, some fifty years ago, to the present time. My life has been divided into three eras, each superimposed upon the other like great geological stratas. They are ( i ) . The years of which I am to write coming up to my departure for California in 1873. (2). My life in California extending to 1890. (3). My iife in Chicago to the present. Hence it is that I am compelled to look far down the vista of time and view the things of which I am to write across the ever widening chasm of years which lie between the then and the now. It may seem at times that I am showing a little partiality in that I shall write more fully or make more frequent mention of some than of others. I want to. say at the outset that I shall endeavor to treat all with perfect fairness, and if I mention some more frequently than others or give more full sketches of some than others it will simply be because of my closer personal relations with the one so mentioned. I have one request to make and that is, should I make any misstatements I trust that some one, in a spirit of good fellowship and love, and for the sake of truth, may correct the same by a short letter to the editor. I do not want any errors to go down into time unchallenged and uncorrected, and now is as good an opportunity as we will all have to get things right once for all. IN THE BEGINNING. As the veil of years is drawn down closer and ever closer the past becomes more and yet more dim and misty until the commonplace events are lost to 330 HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY view entirely, and the greater ones are wrapped about with a haze of mystery and romance. As vessels which meet in mid-ocean and then drift farther and farther apart until, at the close of day, the sheen of the crimson light of the setting sun gilds into a blaze of glory only the top gallants of the stately masts, so it is with the events and the people of whom I am to write. They have drifted on and still further on and out upon the limitless sea of the past till now only a halo of loving remembrance enwraps them. If this were real history I would search the records, look into the archives, and consult with the oldest residents now living and thus be able to give a de- tailed list of the names of the pioneer settlers of Palmer's Prairie, Rhoads' Point and Delaware and also the exact date of their arrival, whence they came, etc. Should these sketches stir to action some one who is in a position to do this "history act" for the Messenger in proper manner then will they not have been written in vain. EARLY SETTLERS. That whole section of country from Piasa to Rockbridge, and from Kemper to the Blackburn bridge was as fully settled as far back as I can remember as it is today, or nearly so. Some of the old homes and homesteads have disap- peared but those which are of more recent date will not much more than offset I shall mention some who were gone even before my time. I do not know who the first settler in that section was, but among the very earliest pioneers may be named the Rhoads, Easthams, Loves, Chiltons, Carsons, Chisms, Fitzjarrels, Twitchels and Palmers. My own immediate ancestry comprising my grand- father, Daniel Palmer, and a large family of sons and daughters, arrived at Delaware in October, 1843. They came overland from Knox county, Ohio, and were originally from Vermont. They had been preceded by my grand- father's brothers, William and Elias, and their families. "JERSEY STREET" IN 1842. ,1 am just in receipt of a letter from my father, Luther B. Palmer, in which he says: "I will give you Jersey street as it was in 1842. (By "Jersey street" he means that section of the country lying between Rockbridge on the north and Piasa creek on the south and along the road through that section.) I will com- mence at Rockbridge. A man by the name of Barnett owned the mill then. The rock bridge was there, from which the place took its name. William Palmer had built it and it was a good bridge. The first house as you went south was that of Daniel Fitzgerald, the Baptist preacher. The next was Henry Saun- der's, then Benjamin Saunder's and then the widow Twitchell. Then Elias Palmer and next came Leonard Brown, and then William Palmer. Next came the home-made schoolhouse, built of logs with puncheon floor and seats. "I now come to the town of Delaware, the present site of Kemper. First was a log house, then came the frame house which a man by the name of Smith had put up, but just then the Mormons came along and he joined them and never finished his house. Next came Elfrith Johnson. Then there were improve- ments and a house which they called the Swallow place and then came the Cov- HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY 331 entry place. Over on the west side of the road were the homes of William Tompkins, E. Barnes and the Goacher place. Then following along up the edge of the brush there were the homes of James Rhoads, Benjamin Cleaver, who was then justice of the peace, and Josiah Rhoads. That was all there was of that immediate settlement. "Going on farther south through the brush we come to Elder Mound, a very fine tract of land upon which the town of Fidelity was afterwards located. John Sullivan was the first settler and he was a blacksmith. South of that was the Simmons prairie, which was a fine belt of land. The Rhine people were liv- ing somewhere on west of the road, and Samuel Rich was living up near Fidelity." I will add to the above a note stating that Orville Hayward spent a summer some twenty-five years ago up in the foothills of California back of Stockton, and while there met John Sullivan, who then had a fine stock ranch up there in the mountains. He told Orville all about the old days at Fidelity and how he used to have to get up before daylight to sharpen the plows for the settlers in Palmer's prairie. According to his story they were a hustling lot in those early pioneer days. A BIRD'S EYE VIEW. In these sketches I shall write from the view point of my old home, lately the residence of Gilbert Palmer, some two miles north of Medora. The time of this bird's eye view of the neighborhood is 1860. Beginning at the southeast corner of the neighborhood some mile and a half southeast of Summerville, there stood in those days the home of James Carson. Farther east toward Cook's creek, somewhere in the woods, lived the Cooks and Burns, though just where I am unable to say as I was never at the home of either. To the northward was the home of Harvey Carson, and still farther north the home of Thomas Carson. Turning eastward in the road running east from Summerville we come first to the home of William Searles, and somewhere beyond him down in the woods lived a German by the name of William Bramen- kamp. North of William Searles lived Allen Searles, and probably the Parker family, at least Silas Parker always came to school with the Searles boys. Then right in there somewhere lived "Raash" Burns and family and also families by the name of Howorton, Swafford and Hudspeth. Just where any of them lived I never knew. Then still farther north was the old Dr. Blackburn place, and away on to the northward was the old Cove Spring, about which in those early days before I can remember, there must have been quite a settlement, as the present Pres- byterian church at Summerville had its initiative among the people in that vicinity. Possibly its official name is yet the Spring Cove Presbyterian church. It was in my day. Coming westward, and back south on the road from Piasa to Summerville, away down in the ravine about midway between the two towns was the cabin occupied by the Overton brothers. Then north of them and some west of the road was the home of Benjamin Rhoads. Then still farther north and about at the point where the present road east from Medora intersects that road, lived a brother-in-law of William Rhoads. but the name is just a mist to me. Pos- 332 HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY sibly it was Caywood, as a young woman by that name once attended school and came from out that way. Just north of that on a little hill on the west side of the road lived Elder Jacob Rhoads, and still farther north of him was the home of William Rhoads, and eastward on the road to James Carson's was the home of Edward Brewer. Then on farther north came the village of Summerville. Its first house was erected on the site of the present residence of Silas Parker (the southwest corner) by Lester Hoisington. Approaching the village from the south as far back as I can remember one came first, on the west side of the road, to the home of George Loper, and then, on the corner above referred to, was the home of Mr. Kenworthy. On the east side of the road were the homes of John Simp- son, Stroud Keller, "Boss" Wheat, his blacksmith shop, the residence of John F. Roach, and lately the store. There might have been another house near Kel- ler's but I do not seem to be able to locate it or to recall any one who ever lived in it. Turning eastward, the first house on the south side of the street was Gideon Carson's, then came Enoch Keele's place, then the home of David Hartwell, and then the Presbyterian church. Across the street north of the store was the home and hall of Edward Corey, then east of him was the place now occupied by Mar- tin Haynes. I do not know who lived in it in the olden days, but Leonard Tra- bue occupied it during the war. East of that there was nothing but Searles' cornfield in those days. At that time there was a road leading north just east of the Trabue place which led to Blackburn bridge. Taking that road north from Summerville one came first to the home of John Haynes, and just to the west of that, and back in the field was the home of Elias Haynes. Going on eastward one came next to the home of "Pit" Burns, and farther on to the right out toward the Searles place lived Lewis Haynes. To the north of this road and some distance back were two or three houses but I cannot recall who lived in them. Later on one of them was known as the Chris Morris place and possibly Philip Odell, the Gleasons, and the Wiltons lived in the other later on. Coming back to the store in Summerville again and starting west we come at once, on the northwest corner, to a store building erected by John Farrow, and next to it westerly was his residence, later known as the Joseph Haynes place. Then next came the Albert Eastham place, and then, on the south side of the road, the Baptist church and schoolhouse. Crossing the branch and the road we come to the home of Lewis Love. On the south side of the road and some farther west lived a man way back there by the name of Runion Willet. Going back to the Baptist church and taking the road northward toward Harmony schoolhouse the first place we come to is the old Albert Eastham farm house. At the time of my earliest recollection Thomas Derr lived there and later on Andrew Farrow and James Eggleson. The Easthams had a shin- gle mill there. Passing on farther north there stood a house back from the road a quarter of a mile east, in which lived William Lee, and a little later, John Derr. Across the road and a little farther to the north lived George Palmer on the site of his present farm house. Going still farther north, and on the west side of the road was a house probably built by Thomas Derr and occupied by him long before HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY 333 my day. As far back as I can remember the Shadrach brothers lived there. Across the road and to the east stood a carpenter shop and George Garret was in charge of it when I was 'a wee lad going to my first school. Down a little lane some distance east was the home of Cyrus Hayward. A short distance north of the carpenter shop was the home of Ansel Hayward, and still a little farther north was the old Harmony schoolhouse. North of that, as now the road ended in an east and west road, and some distance north of that junction, out in the field, long before my day, was the home of the Thurstons. Taking the road eastward, back in the field on the north side, was the home of James Hartwell. Farther east and on the south side of the road, lived Robert Carter, Sr. Farther east, and at the bend in the road, where Horace Warner now resides, lived George Jenks, and still on north of that was the home of Charles Goodsell. Thence the road ran on down through the bottom, much as the railroad does now to Loper's ford. On the top of a ridge there was a house, but George Newberry is the only occupant of it that I recall. East of Jenks' and on the top of the mound was the Challacombe homestead. Passing again westward to the road leading from Brighton to Rockbridge, and beginning a couple of miles south of Rhoads Point, we come to the home 6f Charles Wales and sons, William and Edward. Thence going north, back in the field to the east, was the residence of John L. Rhoads. Across the road and farther north at the corner of the Fidelity road lived William Bowker. Proceed- ing northward, on the west side of the road was the home of Thomas Rice, and west of that, back in the fields, was the home of the Artmans. Across the road from Rice's and farther north on the top of the hill there was a log house but I have no remembrance of any one living in it. Across the road and just north Thomas Payne had built a house I think as early as 1860, at least it was there during the war. As far back as I can remember there was a little cabin in among the trees right about where the former school building stood, which was occupied by a family by the name of Bell. Farther to the northwest stood another log house occupied by George Blackburn and family. North of that some distance, and a little nearer the road, stood another log cabin. It was not straight with the compass, and I can see it now basking in the sun, but I am unable to link up any family in connection with it. I know some one lived there for I can see the children playing about the yard as I think of it. Close by this, on the west side of the road and just to the north stood "Old Tobe's" "department store." Then farther north and on the west side of the road stood the original Mt. Pleasant Baptist church. Next to that on the north was the home of the Perrys. Adjacent to it and a part of the building was a harness shop, and just north of that was a wagonmaker's and a blacksmith shop combined in one long build- ing, and as I remember, both conducted by the Perrys, though about 1860 a man by the name of Coonrod came to the "Point" and did wagon making. Still farther north and across the little branch was the old house of "Doc" (Frank- lin B.) Simpson, and across the road to the east, and across the present rail- road right of way stood a small house occupied by the Calverd family. Farther north on the west side of the road and back in the field was the home of George Eastham, and way down in the woods to the west of that was a little cabin occupied by Dr. Nathaniel Jayne. 334 HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY Then came the "Cross Roads," a very prominent land mark in those days, and half a mile west, on the load leading to Hawkins prairie, was the home of Elder Hezekiah Chilton. To the north of him and across the road lived Elder Albert Farrow. Coming back to the cross roads and proceeding northward, on the west side of the road, was the home of John Chism, Sr. Across the road, and away back in the field east, long before my day, "Grandpa" Eastham had a home. It was probably one of the oldest settled places in that whole section. Still farther north and on the east side of the road stood a little cabin in which Daniel Palmer had his first home, and where Solomon Palmer lived in 1859. Half a mile west of that and way back in the field stood the one time home of "Ed" Rhoads. Coming back to the main road and going on across the "big" bridge, up on the hill to the east of the road, was the home of Luther B. Palmer, the house in which the writer was born. REMEMBRANCES OF FIRST COMERS. In those early days came people from sunny southland, the Easthams, the Rices, the Loves, Chiltons, and others. Also people from the rock-ribbed New England coast, the Haywards, Hartwells, Palmers, and others. Among those who arrived in the neighborhood were the Hartwells, Davids and James. As far back as I can remember, David Hartwell lived on the south side of the street in Summerville, just east of Keele's place. As I recall, David Hartwell was a sturdy Puritan, a man with ways and ideas of his own, and with a strong determination to live out his life in his own way. I do not recall Mrs. Hart- well at all. The eldest daughter, Harriet, married "Alf" Ketchum, way back in the early '505. There was a boy, a splendid fellow, Samuel, and a younger girl, Maria. James Hartwell and family settled on the tract of land northeast of Har- mony schoolhouse. He died before the war. I recall that he was held in the very highest esteem by his neighbors and considered as the very soul of honor. About this time also died Anson Hayward. The widow of James Hartwell married Lewis Loomis, father of Medora's druggist, Thad A. Loomis. Her eldest boy was Arthur, who enlisted with many other young men of the neigh- borhood, in Company F, Twelfth Illinois Cavalry and served throughout the Civil war. After the war he married Mary Challacombe and settled down on the old homestead. He had a brother, Justin, and three sisters, Mary, Corinna and Rosa. Joseph and John Haynes, brothers, emigrated to this locality from Pennsyl- vania, and about the breaking out of the war, Joseph moved into Summerville from his farm, which was afterward occupied by Elias Haynes, and was just north of Summerville. Joseph bought the John Farrow place, on the site of the present Haynes homestead. His wife, Elizabeth Haynes, died in March, 1868. Elias, the eldest son, married a sister of Peter Muntz, a man who was well known in the community after the war. After the war, Elias and Jake Shoe- make conducted a blacksmith shop on the north side of the street between the Corey house and where Martin Haynes now lives. HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY 335 About 1870 the family moved to Minnesota and that was the last I ever saw of any of them. There were five other sons of Joseph Haynes: Lewis; Martin, who married Phoebe Loper; Moses, who was a member of the Twelfth Illinois Cavalry, Company F; Aaron and John. There were two girls, Sarah and Bar- bara. Sarah married Haines Rhoads, from over Waggoner's Prairie way Barbara became the wife of Albert Young and took up her home in Medora. John Haynes and family always lived about a half mile east of Elias' place, on the road from Summerville to Blackburn bridge. John was a typical pion- eer, a giant in stature. Abner, one of the boys, enlisted in Company F, Twelfth Illinois Cavalry. Some time after the war, he married Louisa Coonrod, who lost her life in a cyclone that visited the neighborhood some time afterward. The other boy's name was Michael. Mary and Nancy were the daughters of the household. Mary married William Chism. I stated in a recent article that I was under the impression that John Farrow was interested with John Rhoads in the store which was in the old Sons of Tem- perance hall building in Summerville. I am not sure of my ground in that statement but I do know that later on he erected a building on the corner diag- onally across from the Sons of Temperance building and that he conducted a store in it for some time. I do not know in what year he and his family left Summerville but it was some time before the war. When I was a bit of a lad there was a Dr. Bunn who had his office in the Farrow residence, which, by the way, was located on the present site of the Haynes property. LIVED IN A BEAUTIFUL HICKORY GROVE. Across the road to the north of Eldred Chilton's, west of the cross roads and back in the heart of a most beautiful hickory grove, lived Elder Albert Farrow. I remember him very distinctly. He was spare built and active, and as a preacher he. had but few equals in that section of the country. There was one peculiarity about him that I never met with in any other man. He would be- gin his talk in measured tones and deliberate enunciation, but as he got into his subject his tongue would fly faster and faster and the pitch of his voice would keep the ascendent until in rapid and evermore rapid spirals he would reach the climax, when, just as one would expect a triumphant shout of exultation and victory won, he would, in a word, drop his voice to "double bass G" and enun- ciate the climax. The effect of this sort of vocal gymnastics was startling at times, for this was done over and over in the course of a long sermon. But he was both a good man and a good preacher and so he left a lasting impress upon the community. GALLOWAY AND ANDREW FARROW. Galloway Farrow lived farther west, possibly in Hawkins prairie. I do not know where Andrew Farrow lived most of the time but at one time the family lived at the old Eastham place, just north of Summerville. I cannot remember much back of the time that "Dutch" (Leonard) and "Dutch" (Fred) Trabue did not work for my father on the farm. Fred was a big, jovial, typical Ger- 336 HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY man, whom we all liked the best in the world. Leonard remained with us for several years, off and on, and finally married a Miss Swafford. They were living where Martin Haynes now lives during the war, and at the time the Crowder store was robbed. West of the Love place and on the south side of the road lived Runion Willet. , THE DERRS. Among the earliest pioneer families to settle on the east side of the prairie and on the road north from Summerville, was that of Thomas Derr. He had settled on the place across the road west from the Cyrus Hayward farm, while his son John was yet a young man. When I knew the' family they were resid- ing at the old Eastham farm north of Summerville. Mrs. Derr was a very kindly woman and the mother of a large family of children. The oldest son was John, to whom I became greatly attached as a teacher. He married Susan, daughter of Albert Eastham, and lived in the field east of George Palmer's old home when I knew them. There were two other boys, William and Horace. The five daughters answered to the names of Jane, Irene, Nellie, Alice and Dora. Jane married Wilson Silsby. THE HAYWARDS. I do not know that it is so but I have always been under the impression that the Hartwell and Hayward families came from the same section of the east and were probably friends and neighbors there. At any rate, the Haywards were of the same sturdy, thrifty, New England stock. The family, as I recall far back into the '$os, comprised "Grandpa" Hayward and his four sons, Cyrus, Ansel, Daniel and William. The next place north of George Palmer's old home farm and down a "little lane to the east, was the home of Cyrus Hayward, from the days of my earliest recollection. He was one of the men whom my father held in highest esteem, for he was something of a radical himself, hence, it was, that in early life I came to hold the man in high regard also. In those early days the Jacksonian movement at Danville, New York, then simply called the "water cure," but later on classified among the remedial methods of the age as hydro- pathy, was just coming into prominence. Cyrus Hayward was perhaps the first one in the community to fall in with the teaching and began to practice its methods. Some people laughed at him, but that did not deter him one moment, nor shake his faith in it. "Packs" for colds and "packs" for fevers, and "com- presses" for ills and ailments without number and no pork eating, and "graham flour" and "brown bread" and all the other "fads" as the neighbors called them, which were in vogue in the "home on the hillside" at Danville were indulged in. But nothing moved the iron will of this convert and time has proved that he was right and the things that were then called "fads" have long since become the fashion. There is now scarcely a home in the land where graham bread is not a favorite diet and eaten because of its health giving qualities. And so this pioneer Jacksonian has been vindicated. His first wife died before the war, and later he married Mrs. Johnson, who lived near Carrollton, related to the Perry family, living at Rhoads' Point before the war. She had a boy named Charlie. Cyrus Hayward had six children by his first marriage Cyrus, Jr., William, Caroline, GERMAX BAPTIST BRETHREN HOME, (iTRARD HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY 337 Jane, Lucinda and Josephine. Lucinda became the wife of Leonard Ketchum and Josephine married Emmons Loper. Cyrus served through the Civil war in Company F, Twelfth Illinois Cavalry, and after his return home married Mary Odell. William married Almeda Waggoner. On an eighty acre tract north of Cyrus Hayward's place, lived his brother Ansel. His wife was a sister of Frank Silsby. They both died early in life. Their four children were Rotheus, Morillus. Orville and Frank. Rotheus enlisted in the One Hundred and Forty-fourth Infantry at Alton and soon thereafter died from measles. Morillus married a Miss Robinson near Carlinville. ONE OF NATURE'S NOBLEMEN. The present farm home of James Chism was called the "Caleb" Handlin place in the old days, but as far back as I can remember Daniel Hayward and family occupied it. He was one of nature's noblemen, and his wife, a sister of Caleb Handlin, was one of the finest women that ever graced that section of the country. Ella Handlin married Professor Thomas Moore, of Blackburn College. At or about the close of the Civil war, Daniel Hayward sold his place and moved to a farm some distance east of Chesterfield, now the home of Ira Ketchum. Later, in the early '703, Daniel Hayward went out to Sioux Falls and amassed quite a fortune. IDEAL YOUNG MAN OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD. The old Hayward homestead was situated way back in the field to the north- west of where Daniel lived. William was the youngest son and remaining with the old folks, finally came into possession of the homestead. He married Lo- dusta Loper, a daughter of "Ad" Loper. William was considered the one ideal young man of the whole neighborhood, his only competitor in the estimation of the neighbors being Frank Silsby. William finally disposed of his farm and went to Minneapolis. Near the Harmony schoolhouse lived a family by the name of Thurston. If I am right in my recollection, Mrs. Thurston was a sister of the Hay wards. There were three girls of the Thurston family Amanda, Irene and Ella, and one boy, William. Amanda became the wife of Samuel Garrett. Irene married Daniel Ketchum. AN ENGLISHMAN OF A STURDY TYPE. Robert Carter lived east of the Harmony schoolhouse, half a mile. He was an Englishman of that sturdy type, with which almost the whole of the Chesterfield neighborhood was filled in those pioneer days. They made the best of farmers, were most honorable and industrious citizens and most oblig- ing and accommodating neighbors. Mrs. Carter well deserved the cognomen she bore for many years "Aunty." Their oldest boy was John. He died but recently. John married Miss Rhoda Kelsey, whose family lived near Miles Station. There were three other boys, Joe, Robert, Jr., and William. 338 HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY THE SHATTUCK BOYS. When I used to go to school at Harmony, there were two brothers living across the road just west of Cyrus Hayward's place by the name of Shattuck. They were carpenters. And back there before the war there lived where Horace Warner now has his home, a man by the name of George Jenks. He married a Mrs. Davidson, who had a son, George, who, like his mother, was large of frame and a fellow of iron nerve. He enlisted in Company F, Twelfth Illinois Cav- alry. He chanced to be home on furlough at the time that Henderson, the bushwhacker, was captured. Henderson lay wounded upstairs and it was a se- rious question as to who would take his life in his hands and ascend those stairs and face the wounded desperado. But the delay was only for a moment, when John stepped to the front and said, "I will go first." CHARLES GOODSELL. The next place to the north of George Jenks on the west side of the road and where John Carter made his home for several years, lived Charles Good- sell, as far back as I can remember. He had two sons, George and Wallace. Before the war the family moved to Minnesota. THE CHALLACOMBES. Nicholas Challacombe and Nancy G. Carson, eldest daughter of Harvey Car- son, were married before I was born, and they have lived on the "Mound" time out of mind so far as I am concerned. He was a sturdy Englishman and came into the neighborhood some time in the '405. The oldest daughter was Belle. There was a little coterie of we youngsters who formed a social club, as it were. There were in it Belle Challacombe, Maggie Carson, Sena Carson, Etta Cross, the teacher at Summerville who boarded at Harvey Carson's, Dora Challacombe, Addie Carr, Allen Eastham, John Carson, John Butler, myself and others whose names I cannot recall. Belle married Horace Warner. Another daughter, Mary, married Arthur Hartwell. Dora married John Butler. The other children were William, Fannie and Nicholas ("Nickie.") The latter mar- ried my kinswoman, Annie Dannells. THE EASTHAM FAMILY. Away back yonder long before I was born, the Eastham family moved into the neighborhood, and Lawson Eastham built a house a half mile east of the Chism home and planted two poplar trees, which later became landmarks. "Grandpa" Eastham was a man of slight stature and always wore an old fashioned "stovepipe" hat of the style of that day. He died, I think, about the breaking out of the war. In those early days there drifted into the community from Virginia a number of families who were destined to form a very essential element in its future history. These families were the Easthams, Loves, Chiltons, Rices, Farrows and others not now remembered. Albert Eastham was a son of Law- HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY 339 son, and was as true a man as ever lived. He was called " 'Squire." His first home, now owned by the Goodwin family, was north of Summerville, 'Squire Eastham was considered a model man by all. So far as I know, he was the pioneer threshing machine man of the community. A way back yonder when there were only two kinds of machines in the country, the "Alton" and the "Whitehall," he was the operator and owner of a little Whitehall. They used to set it flat on the ground and really it would look more like a toy than a real machine, in these days of steamers. They used to place a horse power lever through the cross sills in front and all the men on the job would climb on to it and "kick up" the rear end, and thus enable them to run out the back wheel, after which it was allowed to settle to the ground with more or less abruptness according to the spirit and mood of those on the lever. Down at the old Eastham place there was a shingle mill up in the loft of the barn. Many a walnut "bolt" I have seen them saw into the finest shingles that were ever nailed on to a building. Albert Eastham established a syrup plant just across the road from the old Baptist church. Mrs. Eastham was Miss Mary Love, sister of Deacon Lewis Love. She spent the declining years of her life at Medora and there died. Of the children there were Susan, Eliza, Nancy, Jane, Isaac, Lewis and Allan. As has been mentioned elsewhere, Susan married John Derr; Eliza became the wife of Andrew Farrow ; and Nancy married Dr. Joseph Hunter. Jane died early in life. Isaac married Miss Minnie Chapin and Allan married Emeline Loper. In the Eastham family resided the Prosser girls. Louisa mar- ried Mr. Ward, who resided near Brighton; Susan married John Hart, also a resident of Brighton. Just north of the "Point" stood the home of George Eastham, whose daughter Emily married Thomas Wheat, a nephew of the Sum- merville blacksmith. Lewis L. Love was a deacon in the Summerville Baptist church. He was a true southern gentleman and was imbued with the fine instincts of chivalry which mark a true gentleman from the south. His wife was Emily Eastham and the family consisted of Virginia, who married James R. Glenn. The next daughter was Betty, the first woman I ever heard play an organ and sing to her own accompaniment. The next daughter was Minnie, and the youngest, Emma. There were four boys: John, Julius, Bailey and Bird. ELDER CHILTON AN EXHORTER. In those old days before the war there were three men who stand out most vividly in my mind because of the fact that they were so prominently in the public eye at that time. In those days the man of God was revered for his office, and, if he had the right qualities, and most of them did, he was beloved for himself. The three men alluded to above were Elder Jacob Rhoads, the nestor of them all, Elder Albert Farrow and Elder Hezekiah Chilton. Elder Chilton and family lived just west of the cross roads north of Rhoads' Point. I am not quite sure about it, but I think he was the first minister I ever heard preach a sermon. It was at the time of the Morton revival in 1865 that he comes to my mind most vividly in his work in the church. While Rev. Morton did the 340 HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY preaching, mostly, the whole matter of exhortation and the after service was thrown on to the shoulders of Elder Chilton. A FL.U; EPISODE. Elder Chilton had come from the south many years before the war and was linked up with southern families both by marriage and kinship, hence it was the most natural thing in the world that his sympathies should have gone out to the south when the war came on. Yet, as pastor of a mixed flock, he endeavored to steer clear of all difficulties growing out of differences in politics and to preach just as earnestly among the northern sympathizers as among his own people. He had an appointment at the Delaware schoolhouse, which he was in the habit of meeting once a month. Politics was running high and the feeling was growing stronger and stronger all the time against those who were sympathizing with the south. One Sunday afternoon my father and I started to walk down through the Coventry brush to the meeting. Somewhere along the Elm branch we met Orin Palmer in the little open prairie on the bank of the stream. He was in a re- markable state of excitement and from him we learned that a Union flag had been placed over the schoolhouse and if the Elder filled his appointment he would have to preach under the folds of the stars and stripes. We all three hastened back to the schoolhouse to see what would happen. We did not have long to wait. The day was bright and "old glory" was certainly deserving of the name as it floated in the afternoon breeze. Presently we espied the Elder coming along the road on horseback, up beyond Gaston Twitchell's place. Some thought he would face about as soon as he discovered the flag and saw the num- ber of men who were there watching to see what he would do, but not he. He knew there was nothing to fear in the way of physical violence and had there been I am sure he was not the kind of a man who would have "turned tail and run." On he came till we could see his face. It was as white as a cloth, but we could not know whether it was anger or sorrow. He dismounted, tied his horse, and came boldly up to the crowd of men. If they expected him to fly into a passion of rage, they were doomed to disappointment. He extended his hand to them as usual, and not one refused it. Thus, they were disarmed at the start. He went inside and the crowd followed him. The pallor did not leave his face and when he announced the hymn there was a palpable tremor in his voice. Then he prayed and such a prayer as it was ! I only wish that I had it verba- tim to reproduce at this time. As he prayed, the men who had been his life-long neighbors and friends felt their love and sympathies go out to the man who stood by them, alone. Then came the sermon, which was simply a talk, in which he called them friends and in which he made very clear why his sympa- thies were with the south in the great struggle that was then in its fury. But he was so moderate in his language and so earnest in his statements that there was sorrow instead of anger in the hearts of all his listeners. He never referred HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY 341 in a single word to what might have been deemed an insult in the matter of placing the flag where he would have to preach under it. Then came the ben- ediction, which was delivered amidst sobs that almost precluded the speech. He then said, "This will be my last appearance here to hold divine service, but I want to part with you as personal friends, no matter what may be our political differences." And then he shook hands with them all, myself included, mounted his horse and rode away. Mrs. Chilton was Mary Eastham, a daughter of Lawson Eastham. Their eldest son was Robert. There were other children, as follows : Albert, Ste- phen, Warren, Betty, Susan, Fannie, Lanta and Maria. THE PARKER FAMILY. About three miles southeast of Medora is the old Parker homestead. Like all the pioneers of those early days, who settled in and around Rhoads' Point, the Parkers were southerners. Joel Parker was born and reared in the old Dominion but while yet a young man emigrated to Kentucky, where he met and married Miriam Haycraft. To this union, previous to 1835, four daughters were born : Elizabeth, Mary, Sarah and Frances. In that year the family came to Illinois and settled at this place. Shortly thereafter, the fifth daughter Palmyra, was born, and tradition has it that she was the first child born in Shipman township. Later on, a son, D. E.. and a daughter, Luvenia, were born. About this time the father died. And after ten years of widowhood Mrs. Parker was united in marriage with Henry Jolly, and to this union one daughter, Emma, was born. Mr. Jolly only lived a couple of years. Elizabeth married John L. Rhoads and for many years resided on the present John Wilton farm south of Medora, where she reared a large family of children. She is now residing in Medora, at the age of eighty-two. Mary married F. B. Simpson ; Sarah, W. J. Calverd; Frances, William Simpson; and Palmyra, J. L. Sherman. Luvenia became the wife of Thomas B. Forwood, and Emma Jolly married Oliver C. Forwood. As a widow, she later married H. W. Denny and now re L sides at Piasa. B. E. (Doc) Parker married Margaret Cain and resided on the old homestead for sixty years, where he reared a family of children. His home is now in Medora. It is remarkable that all of the Parker children are still alive and ranging in age from sixty-seven to eighty-two years. CHARI.KS WALES AND FAMILY. The Wales family came into the county in an early day and settled two miles south of the "Point," where they had a highly cultivated farm. They purchased some of their land from the Blackburn Seminary, as it was then known, and through some transfer of interest, it is said they were compelled to pay for the land a second time. This was always deemed very unjust by the 342 HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY friends of the family, as I used to hear it discussed when I was a lad. Charles Wales was the head of the house. He had two sons, William and Edward, and three daughters, Abigail, who married Benjamin Roodhouse; Elizabeth, the wife of Marcus North ; and Harriet, who became the wife of William Hays. THE SALT OF THE EARTH. As I have frequently mentioned, the pioneers of Rhoads' Point, Summer- ville and Delaware sections of the county, were the very salt of the earth, and as I pass from one to another of them and the pages of their lives unfold before my gaze, recalling the incidents with which as a boy I was familiar, I am more and more convinced that but few sections of the county really had a finer, grander lot of pioneers, both men and women, than did this part of Macoupin. In many ways, Judge Thomas Rice stands preeminently in the fore front of the brave and noble men whom I knew in my boyhood days. He was a true southern gentleman. He was rather large, well built, with a full beard, which gave him, to me, a very patriarchial appearance. He was a man in whom the neighbors had unbounded confidences and even when the stress of the war was upon us we all felt that Judge Rice stood true and faithful to his old time friends and neighbors and that he was the real bulwark between us and northern sentiments and those bands of guerilla marauders which infested the country during the latter days of the war. The Rices lived at the old homestead just south of the "Point." Away back before the war the postoffice was kept by Judge Rice. There were five boys: John, Washington, Stephen, Charles and George. It was during the war period that the boys concluded to put in a milling outfit and of course, a water supply was the first thing to be considered. So they sunk a great square hole in the ground, in the ravine just north of the Westbrook home and on the east side of the road. From some cause, it was abandoned, after it was sunk some forty or fifty feet deep and at quite a cost of labor and money. Later on, toward the close of the war, the boys sunk another square hole in the ground just south of the old Baptist church in what is now the north end of Medora, and evidently got what they were looking for, as in time a nice building was erected on the site and an excellent mill plant installed. Many a bushel of grain I have hauled to that mill, for our big force of hired men used to eat not a few biscuits in; those days. At first the people were a little afraid that the flour would not be O. K., but it was not long till the Rice boys had Rockbridge and Fidelity "skinned to death" when it came to good flour. There were five girls as well as five boys in the Rice family : Susan, who married John Cleaver ; Betty, who became the wife of Imri Vancil ; Jennie, who married Harry Westbrook ; Amanda, who married John Payne ; and Emma, who married Ferd Vanhorbeke. AARON ARTMAN. Somewhere out west of Judge Rice's home, when I was a boy, lived the Artman family. I do not recall ever having seen any of them except the two boys, Aaron and Andrew. I remember when Andy Steed opened his harness HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY 343 shop about the year 1859 and when Aaron became an apprentice in the shop. Aaron went to the war and served with Colonel Palmer in Company C, Four- teenth Illinois Cavalry. He then returned home, completed his apprenticeship with Andy Steed and then opened a shop of his own. He married Henrietta Calverd and both are now sleeping the sleep of the just. In this connection it might be well to make some mention of Andrew Steed. He came to the "Point" before the war and I think he erected the first two-story building in the present business section of the place. I am sure it was the first painted building. It was somewhere just north of Loomis' drug store corner and was destroyed by fire a few years ago. After the railroad was completed Andy went into merchan- dising, which he continued until he retired from business. The name of the place was now changed to Medora, other business houses opened and things began to assume quite a metropolitan air. The postoffice was brought back from Summerville and Andy was appointed postmaster. During the war he served bravely in the Second Missouri Cavalry. After returning home, he married Celia Simpson. SWEET SINGERS OF MEDORA. "Though we may forget the singer, we will not forget the song," so sang the minstrel long years ago, and it is true. Back there when I was a wee bit of a lad just old enough to trust to send up to the postoffice at Judge Rice's long enough be- fore the war, there used to be a log cabin standing out in the woods just west of the road and south of the present Main street corner, that is across from Lax & Gruhn's store. I knew nothing of the family except that their name was Bell and that they were two "slashing, good looking" girls. I do not recall the name of either of them. I used to see a lot of them, for they came to our house, more or less, and I liked them the best in the world because they always made life brighter wherever they went with their gift of song. Of course they did not sing anything in the operatic line, but, like Peter of old, such as they had they gave, gave it so freely, willingly and sweetly, that it won its way into the pioneer hearts of those days much more readily than would have the Anvil Chorus, Lohengrin, Faust, or anything of the kind. A couple of their songs have remained with me all these years. Here is one : "O, it's every Sunday morning With my darling by my side Awaiting for the wagon And we'll all take a ride. "O, wait for the wagon Wait for the wagon O, wait for the wagon And we'll all take a ride." 344 HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY The second song was not particularly poetic or elegant, but it was immensely popular in those days. Here is just a taste of it : "Shanghai roosters grow so tall In a few days, a few days, That you scarce can hear them crow at all, In a few days, a few clays." THE PAYNE FAMILY. If my memory serves me right, the Paynes were not among the original pioneers of Rhoads Point, though the family must have come there about the beginning of the war. I can remember when they did not live there, or at least, when there was no house where they afterward resided. I can remember when their building was erected and at the time it was thought to be a great acquisition to the village. It was the largest house in the place and was painted a matter that always brought forth favorable comment in those days of log houses. Thomas Payne was the head of the family and met a tragic death. The children were : John : Elizabeth, who married David Hall ; and Sarah, who married Joseph Hall. Both were residents of the Keller schoolhotise neighborhood over north of the Macoupin creek. TIIK lil.Al'KIU'KXS. In those far away days there were two families of Ulackburns living in the community : Dr. Blackburn, who resided near the bridge spanning the Macoupin, and which still bears his name; and two cousins, (ieorge and James, who were from the south and lived at the "Point." It is of this family that 1 am now writ- ing. I have no personal remembrance of Dr. Blackburn. There is a little stream running northwesterly through Medora out near where Allan Eastham used to live. In the old days there was a clearing and a small field extending from that brooklet in a wedge shape northerly to "Old Tobe's" store. South of the stream the timber spread out in a fringe from the road westward to the Mississippi river so far as 1 ever knew and right in the shadow of that fringe, about one hundred yards west of the main road, was a log cabin, which was occupied by the Blackburn people. George was married and had a daughter named Alice, who used to attend the Keller school in the old Baptist church. Jim Blackburn was a bachelor and a genial sort of fellow in a way. Both the boys were ardent southern sympathizers and common report during the war was that they were linked up in very close relationship with the bands of bushwhackers which infested Jersey and Macoupin counties. At least the whole family disappeared during those times and have never been seen about Medora since. Another character of those days was Coonrod, the wagon maker. After part of the Perry family had gone away there came a man to the "Point" who did wagon making and the wood working end of the Perry shops. His name was Conrad Wickenhauser Coonrod, and a right good workman he was. He built for himself a tiny bit of a house just north of the building occupied by Andy Steed Presbyterian Church 1'aptist Clnircli Universalist Church Christian Church Bretliern Church CHURCHES OF GIKAHI) LIBRARY OF THE DIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY 345 and it was a painted house. He was a sturdy, quiet citizen, and like most Ger- mans, was very thrifty. "OLD TOBE." Just south of the old Baptist church stood a little store conducted in those early days by Tobias Barklow, commonly known far and wide as "Old Tobe." His store was surely not more than twelve feet square but it was packed with things such as the people of that day had need of. As I remarked, the store was only about a dozen feet square, and yet Tobe "lived and moved and had his being" in that store. He had a little stove back in the corner on which he did his cooking. There was a small hole in the ceiling, which led to a little chamber under the rafters. He had a ladder which he used as a means of reach- ing this room. He would draw it up after him and so slept securely from danger from burglars or other intruders. After a while Tobe disposed of his store and goods in some fashion and purchased a small farm north of the old Chism place and near Hodges' creek. BILL DAVIS* OX TEAM RUNS AWAY. On the farm "Old Tobe" had as a neighbor a man by the name of Davis. In the days about the close of the war there was a big bridge across the Elm branch just south of the Luther Palmer place. One hazy, dreamy, sultry autumn day just in the midst of all the glory and beauty 'of Indian summer, I heard the rumble of a wagon coming down the hill. I look up and there I saw a sight never to be forgotten. Down that hill Bill Davis' ox team was coming, "lickety- split" with heads down and tails high in air, their speed accelerating at every revolution of the big hind wheels. I looked in vain for Bill and concluded that the oxen had gotten away from him, somewhere along the road from Alton, where I knew he had been with a load of wheat, as I had seen him go down a day or so before. But the fact was that the "sultry summer sun" had been too drowsy for him and he had gone to sleep in the bottom of the wagon and was letting the oxen do their own driving. They were doing it now with a vengeance. Just before the outfit reached the bridge Davis drew his drowsy length up, getting as far along in the process as his knees just when the forward wheel struck the incline to the bridge. The reader can guess what happened. The front end of the wagon seemed to spring ten feet into the air and Bill shot up like a "jack in the box" so far that when he struck the bottom of the wagon again he was near the rear end of it. In the back of the wagon was a brand new cook- stove and when the hind wheel struck the incline, up went the wagon again, and up, up, went the stove, and on went the oxen, and with them the wagon, of course. When the stove came down out of the clouds (of dust) there was no wagon in sight and the stove was spread all over the bridge in pieces about a foot in size. Davis never came back after it at all. THE VILLAGE BLACKSMITH. Out in the open, a little to the northeast of "Old Tobe's" store, stood the first Mt. Pleasant Baptist church building. It was really nothing more than a cheap 346 HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY wooden structure and I am sure that no paint ever adorned a single square foot of its weather-boarding. And just around the corner to the east and north of the church stood the residence of James Perry. He was the "village blacksmith," and one of his sons conducted a wagon making shop in connection therewith. In a little addition built on to the north end of his residence two more of the boys had a harness shop. Those were the days when the wagon maker "got out" most of his own material. They used to have a big "frame saw," with which they sawed out felloes, hounds and all other curved stuff. They used in those days steam seasoned oak and hickory for wagon material and of a real hot day it was a "man killer" to get out a set of felloes for a wheel. The names of the two Perry boys who conducted the harness shop were John and Andy. The whole family, about the breaking out of the Civil war, went over to Carrollton. The younger boy was named "Bun." The next thing I heard of him after the family went to Carollton was that he had enlisted in the One Hundred and Forty-fifth Illinois Volunteer Infantry to do guard duty at Alton. That was the same regiment of which Rotheus Hayward was a member, and like him, "Bun" died of measles shortly after he was mustered in. Not far away from Perry's shop was a house occupied by "Doc" Simpson and family. In the early days before the postoffice passed into the hands of Judge Rice, it was kept by Mr. Simpson. One time I went to Medora and as I missed his familiar figure on the street, I made inquiries and they told me he had joined that innumerable host over on the other shore. There were three daughters: Celia, Hattie and Nellie; and one son, Dick. Celia married Andy Steed. MEDORA'S BONIFACE. After the railroad was completed through Medora in 1869, there was a field for a hotel, and William Simpson opened one in a large building, which he erected on the south side of the street leading to the depot and about op- posite the present Loper store. Mrs. Simpson was one of the famous Parker sisters, of whom I have mentioned. Becoming a widow, she is now the wife of Rev. John W. Rice. The children of William Simpson consisted of three boys, Gideon, James and William, by his first wife. The children by the second marriage were Reuben, Stella and Lucella. John Simpson, in the early days, lived in a little cabin that was on the comer just north and west of the present residence of Francis Metcalf. Later on he moved over to Summerville and lived in a little house next to the residence of the "parish pedagogue," Stroud Keller. The family then consisted of the parents and two boys, William and Chester. Near the close of the war John got the contract for carrying the mail from Brighton to Greenfield. Of course that was before the days of the railroad. Mrs. Simpson was Lottie Sherman, daughter of Barney Sherman, and sister of Lem Sherman, so well known in Summerville some forty years ago. She was a dear good woman, and a model mother. To the east of "Doc" Simpson's and out in the field a short distance, was the house in which lived "Jack" Calverd and family, consisting of the father, mother, "Billie" and Henrietta. Mrs. Calverd was another member of the HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY 347 Parker family. She reared a large family. There were William; Henrietta, who married Aaron Artman ; and others I cannot now recall. THE CHISM FAMILY. 1 do not recall when John Chism and family did not live at the present homestead north of Medora, for, without doubt, they were there before I was born. John Chism was the son of William Chism and the family originally came from Kentucky to Illinois in 1829 and settled on the "old place" in 1848. In 1844 John and Ellen Skeen were united in marriage and settled on a farm west of Chesterfield, now known as the John Dews farm, where they remained four years and then on the Chism homestead north of Medora in 1848. He was a sturdy, heavy built man, with muscles of iron and was always in the best of health. It was never too early for him to be out in the field at work and never too late if the busy season was on. In those early days there wa3 great competition between three men as to who should be first in the field all work in the morning. They were John Chism, Lawrence Johnson and Luther Palmer, my father. Of the children, I remember William and James and the two older girls, Adelaide and Celia. OVERTON'S "ULIND PIG." South of Summerville about half way to Piasa, there stood a little cabin, or "shack," and in it resided Tom Overton. The place was known far and wide because of the fact that the thirsty wayfarer could always get a "wee dhrap fer to wet 'is wissel," on the sly ; that is what people used to allege and I always thought they knew, some of them, from personal experience. Tom was always in the meshes of the law and his oft repeated slogan "there's law till Cairlinveele," either in jest or greater seriousness, men who had a griev- ance of any kind, real or fancied, would console themselves with Tom's slogan, "there's law till Cairlinveele." I think that eventually the Overton "blind pig" was fenced out. At least, the family moved away in early war days. THE RHOADS FAMILY. The patriarch of the Rhoads family was Elder Jacob Rhoads, familiarly called "Uncle Jakey." Of the Swaffords I recall nothing, except that one of the women of the family married Leonard Trabue about war times. Between Summerville and Piasa and southeast of the "Point" lived Ben- jamin Rhoads and family, as far back as I can remember. He kept quite a stock of patent medicines that were popular in those days, such as cologogue, chenoidon, I am not vouching for the right spelling, but I can vouch for its abominable odor and taste; Fahnestock's vermifuge, Landreth's pills, Perry Davis' pain killer, Whitfield's ague cure, etc., etc. aclnauseum. That was be- fore the day of sugar-coated pills. All the medicine of those days was most horrid stuff to take. It seems to me now that the chief virtues of materia 348 HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY medica of fifty years ago was its distressing awfulness. The whole family, except William, moved to Minnesota about the close of the war. To the south of Medora, and where John Wilton now lives, was the home of John L. Rhoads, as far back as I can remember. South of Summerville about a mile lived William Rhoads. He was a hustling, busy man of affairs, and a good farmer. He was married four times, I think, and raised quite a large family. A mile or more west of the Luther Palmer home, over on the Kemper road, lived John G. Rhoads. There were several other members of the Rhoads family. I only recall the names Doran, Worthum, Edward, Newton and Charles. Emily, daughter of William Rhoads. married William Brewer. THE LOPER FAMILY. The Loper family is certainly one of the old school. I presume the stock originated back among the Pennsylvania Germans. As far back as I can re- member, George and Sarah Loper, and a house full of children were living at the old homestead in Summerville. Some nine or ten children grew to ma- turity. George Loper was energetic and prospered in material affairs, accord- ingly. His wheat stacks were the largest, his corn yield the greatest and his stock the fattest of anybody's in the community. He could neither read nor write but it used to be said that he could transact and keep track of more business in his head than most men could in a dozen day books. I remember to have seen him at Alton one time about the beginning of the war, delivering hogs to a slaughter house. They were killing the hogs and weighing them one at a time, just before they slaughtered them. The weights were called out and the oldest boy, John T., stood there entering the numbers in the book. When the weight of the last hog, was called out, Mr. Loper announced the total weight, but John T. had the long column to add up before he was able to give the total. The oldest girl, Lucinda, married William Brewer before the war. John T. died when a young man. The other boys were Melvin, Emmons and Thaddeus. SUMMERVILLE'S FIRST SETTLER. Without doubt, Lester Hoisington was the first settler within the precincts of Summerville. He was my mother's half brother, and was married to my father's sister Roxanna. After moving to Montgomery county, he prospered and reared a large family of children. ANOTHER PIONEER SUMMERVILL1AX. As far back as my memory carries me, the Kenworthy family lived at the southeast corner in Summerville. They were sturdy, English people. The head of the house was, Edward Kenworthy, and there were three girls, Lizzie, Ellen and Etta. In time Lizzie became the wife of Martin Haynes. Ellen married John Richardson. Edward finally died and the widow became the wife HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY 349 of Christ. Morris. They moved to the Morris homestead out toward Black- burn bridge, and reared quite a family of girls. THE VILLAGE DOMINIE. I do not remember the time when Stroucl V. Keller did not live in the little cottage just across the road east of -George Loper's, and "the memory of man runneth not to the contrary," as he used to be so fond of quoting, when he was not the teacher in the Summerville school. Mrs. Keller was the daughter of Elder Jacob V. Rhoads. I remember Stroud Keller as a schoolteacher, a shorthand teacher, a writing teacher, a lawyer, a preacher, a justice of the peace, a political speaker, a candidate for county clerk, a newspaper corres- pondent, in fact, a general, all-around good fellow, worthy citizen, active partisan, able debater and an earnest exhorter to righteousness. As it was, I am sure there was never a district schoolteacher in Macoupin county, no, nor in the whole state of Illinois, who could touch the hem of his blue jeans coat. He was unique and effective in his methods ; he was sui generis he trotted in a class all by himself in his summary dealings with the lazy and refractory. Under these circum- stances, he would rather whip a boy than eat his dinner. I have seen him remain at noon to lick a boy, while his dinner was getting cold at home. One of the "old boys" wrote that Stroud never whipped a boy while he was angry ; no, I am sure he did not, for there was such supreme happiness in his soul the moment he grabbed the hazel rod in his hand that all his anger was instantly transmitted into ecstacies of delight. When I first started to school, there was a quarter of an acre of splendid hazel brush growing wild just back of the schoolhouse. What wonderful astute acumen that old time board of trustees displayed in locating the schoolhouse on that particular site; especially with Stroud Keller as prospective teacher. I can remember even now just how it felt when Stroud would send a fellow out to get a rod for his own castigation. That was not what Stroud called it, but it was a case where a licking hurt just as badly by any other name. Long years before I was through the grammar grade Stroud had exhausted the supply of hazel brush in that patch. With the boys of Company C, One Hundred and Thirty-third Illinois Vol- unteer Infantry, Stroud Keller marched away to Rock Island and served his country for one hundred days, guarding prisoners. He was a good teacher and the uniformly high grade of men and women who grew up in that neighborhood and have gone out to all points of the compass was made possible only through the early training of this same man, Stroud V. Keller. THE VILLAGE PLOW MAKER. Who that lived within forty miles of Summerville in those old days did not know "Boss" Wheat. If he had any "front" name I do not .remember ever to have heard it. Wheat lived in a modest little cottage just across the road and a little north of George Loper's house, and north of his house was the blacksmith shop. He was master of his trade and was well named, for he certainly was a "boss workman." He was a man who knew how to do things. He was not only 350 HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY a natural mechanic, but a real genius as well. He made a specialty of a two- horse plow, with a high wooden stock, nearly straight beam, long pointed shire and long curling mold board. His only competitor in those days was the Moline plow, which had a low mold board, with the "dish" in it turned the wrong way, and it would not "scour" if it were paid for it. But the Wheat plow would lie awake of nights, so to speak, to scour. The Wheat plow was a general favorite with most farmers, though of course, some preferred the Moline. I am sure, however, that "Boss" Wheat's best product was the "double plows" he used to make way back fifty years ago. They were used for the cultivation of corn and were great labor savers, as one man could easily do two men's work with them. They were so adjusted by a double set of cross bars that the plows would throw the dirt from the younger corn, then by reversing the plows, throw the dirt up to the hill at "laying-by" time. And then there were harrows, coulters and a host of other things he could make. I have seen him temper steel till it was as hard as glass and as tough as the best Bessemer of today. He finally passed to the beyond and his widow married John Wilson, and moved' up near Carlinville, just west of Hurricane creek. Of the children there were Charles, Wesley, George, Samuel and Hannah. JOHN ROACH. Just north of "Boss" Wheat's smithy, on the east side of the street stood a cottage occupied by John Roach. If my memory serves me rightly, John Roach conducted the Summerville store with John Farrow. Mrs. Roach was a sister of Joseph and David Hall and she was the mother of a large family of children. The boys were David, Thomas, Henry and John ; and the girls, Adelaide, Lucy, Alma, Jennie and Betty. Adelaide married young Mr. Beebe, south of Medora. EDWARD COREY. Across the street and north from the Roach store was the home of Edward F. Corey. He was a brother of Mrs. Hartwell-Loomis and Mrs. Corey was a Miss Deacon. One winter her two brothers, Henry and Ira, lived with the Coreys and went to school. Edward Corey one winter taught in the old school- house. ENOCH KEELE. East of the store in Summerville, and back from the road to the south in the heart of a great orchard, lived Enoch Keele and family as early as I can remember. Mrs. Keele was Miss Margaret Loper. Her daughter Lucetta married Stephen Rice, and Mary became the wife of John Barnstable, now of Medora. The only boy was Alonzo. The family subsequently moved over east of Chesterfield, while I was still in the district school. ELFRETH JOHNSON. As noted heretofore there were people from almost every section of the east and south among the pioneer settlers of this section of the county. El- HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY 351 freth Johnson came from New Jersey. When I was a boy one of the popular songs of the day ran something like this : "Come from every station, Come from every way, Come along, come along, And make no delay. Come along, come along, And don't you be alarm' For Uncle Sam is rich enough To give us all a farm." And so the people acting along the lines suggested in the song literally came from every nation and every way. In those days, more so than now, the settler from Jersey was a marked man wherever he went. The flavor of the sea marsh, called by them salt meadows, was always present with them, and the tales they told of big mosquitoes and tall "sparrow grass" (asparagus) made them marked people. And old Mr. Johnson was no exception to the rule. He seems to have come into the country in an early day, for my father mentions him as residing on "Jersey street" as far back as 1843. As long as I can remember, he lived in the eastern end of the double house which stood up in the -field directly west of the old Harmony schoolhouse. Mr. Johnson was an inveterate Mason and always wore a "plug" hat when he went to lodge. LAWRENCE JOHNSON. Among the most active of the men of the neighborhood in those early days, Lawrence Johnson stands in the fore front. His wife was Amanda Pruitt, a member of that well known pioneer family, most of whom lived farther west. During the war Lawrence and his good wife were stanch Unionists and any one who wore the blue found a hearty welcome at their home. I well remember the occasion of Leonard Ketchum's and Jane Hayward's marriage. A number of the boys of Company F, Twelfth Illinois Cavalry were home on furlough just at that time. Mr. and Mrs. Johnson embraced the occasion of the wedding to give the couple an "infare" and at the same time give the other soldier boys a dinner. Those who were present on this occasion were the bride and groom ; Daniel, David and Edward Ketchum, Arthur and Mary Hartwell, Samuel Gar- rett, Cyrus Hayward, Jr., Charles Hebron, Henry George, Wallace Clark, Sarah Bister, Rebecca Ketchum, Daniel Palmer and family, William Armstrong, of Alton, Mrs. Thomas Ruyle, William and James Chism, Polly Ann Barnard, Elfreth and Mrs. Johnson, Thomas Lambert and wife, Smith Pruitt and Ly- man L. Palmer. To me, a soldier was next to divine, and as Wallace Clark dis- played his old gray campaign hat, with a real rebel bullet hole through it, it seemed to me that he was next to General Grant himself. And then Dave Ketchum, the genuine hero of the neighborhood, who had stood "on the heights of Shiloh" and had a real rebel bullet hole through his arm! I recall that Henry George related how the fellows in the very next tent to his at the time 352 HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY the rebels captured Harper's Ferry were blown to atoms by a shell which dropped between them. Then he told how he had put his saddle on wrong end to and had ridden to safety, with one boot on and the other in his hand. And] so the day went by and it was the grandest day of my life. THE HALCYON DAYS OF YOUTH. In the early days the road meandered northeasterly across the open prairie north of our house till it came to a lane which was between the farms of Law- rence Johnson and Robert Fitzjarrell. At the north end of this lane and a quarter of a mile east of the present home of Leonard Ketchum, on the south side of the present road from Kemper to Challacombe, was the home of the Fitzjarrells. Strange as it may seem, these are men whom I knew in the real "halcyon days of youth," before I was four years of age. As far back as I can remember and on through my boyhood days there lived in the community Rob- ert, William and Daniel Fitzjarrell. And they were always spoken of as "Bob," "Bill" and "Dan Jerels." They had one sister, Phoebe Ketchum-Cooper. The Baptist year book is my authority for spelling the name as I have it in this article. Robert Fitzjarrell lived in a little log house and owned eighty acres, lying east of the lane. It is now the property of James Chism. After the war he sold his farm to Lawrence Johnson and moved over to Greene county. Rev. Carey Fitzjarrell, a son, is a minister of the Baptist denomination. William Fitzjarrell lived down a little lane just east of Eli Palmer's house. iWhen Will- iam moved away I do not know, and my memory regarding Daniel is just as frail. THE KETCHUM FAMILY. Ira Ketchum was a son of my grandfather's sister, Rebecca, and his wife was Phoebe Fitzjarrell. Some years after the death of her husband, she mar- ried Henry Cooper, and one son, Eli, was born to this union. By her marriage with Ira Ketchum, there were nine children: Alfred, Leonard, Daniel, David, Edward, Frank, Rebecca, Charles and Ira. Alfred married a daughter of David Hartwell. Leonard enlisted in Company F, Twelfth Illinois Cavalry, and mar- ried Jane Hayward. Daniel married Irene Thurston, and during the war served in the Thirty-second Illinois Volunteer Infantry. David also enlisted in Col- onel John Logan's regiment, the Thirty-second, which was recruited largely in Macoupin county, and was wounded at the battle of Shiloh. and died soon after a furlough home and re-enlistment. Edward Ketchum entered the army, en- listing in the One Hundred and Thirty-third Illinois Volunteer Infantry. He afterward married Jennie Haynes. Of the other children there was one girl, Rebecca, who married James Chism, and raised a large family of children. A HARD NUT TO CRACK. Xow, here is about as hard a nut to crack as ever a biographer ran across. To tell the exact truth about John Coventry will be to do his memory an in- justice, and yet the reader cannot get an adequate conception of his erratic SOUTH SIDE SQUARE. OIRARD LIBRARY OF 1H UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY 353 character without entering into details. But "with malice toward none and with charity for all" I shall set out on my difficult task. Away back in the days when deer and Indians held full sway over all the Illinois prairies, a lone white man built his fire and broiled his venison, one night on the site of the now beautiful city, Jacksonville. So far as he knew, there was not another white man within a hundred miles of him. That man was John Coventry. Whither he traveled after that or how he came at last to drift into this community and settle on the land he held so long, adjoining the present town site of Kemper on the southeast, is more than I ever Knew. I cannot remember when "old Coventry" did not reside in the little dingy house, which was surrounded by acres and acres of apple trees. He must have been actuated by the same motive which governed "Johnnie Appleseed," the great orchard planting, Ohio pioneer. The Coventry orchard was certainly the most extensive, if not the earliest planted in that whole section. He was erratic. For long years he had lived alone in the wilderness, hence, he did not take kindly to the people, as the encroachment of settlement brought his neighbors closer and closer to him. That he not only hoarded his gold but buried it about his premises, was demonstrated at the time the guerrillas made their raid on him and compelled him to exhume his buried treasures for them. In his dress and living he was not only simple and economic but often unique and original. His clothing often comprised merely grain sacks, fastened about his limbs and body with hickory withes. He was the first man in the community to use the new, popular whole-wheat floor. He antedated Dr. James Jackson in his home on the hillside at Danville, New York. He had an old coffee mill in which he ground the wheat and made biscuit out of the product. When the boys of Company F, Twelfth Cavalry were enlisting he liberally dug up a ten dollar gold piece for each of them, and thus he displayed a far greater spirit of patriotism than he was ever given credit for, as it must have meant much for him to part with two or three hundred dollars in gold in one day. I suspect that while he was digging in the trenches to find his buried treasure for the bushwhackers, he wished that he had given it all to the boys in blue. Eventually he moved to a little house in the east end of Summerville, where he died. THE SILSBYS. The Silsby family, as a whole, is associated in my mind with the John Cov- entry place. During those years whert the Haywards and Silsbys lived together, Ansel Hayward kept busy at carpentry about the neighborhood and Frank Silsby conducted the farm. After the death of Ansel Hayward and his wife, the Silsbys rented the Coventry place. This was during the war. The family then consisted of "Grandma" Silsby and her two boys, Frank and Albartus. The oldest Silsby boy was Wilson but long before I can remember, he had married Jane Derr and moved out of the community. Losing his wife, Wilson afterward married Fannie Chilton. Frank married Rebecca Palmer and with her lived for some time on a farm west of Carlinville. Rebecca's death was sudden and untimely but in the course of time Frank married Mrs. Caroline Garrett, the widowed daughter of his old time friend and neighbor, Cyrus Hay- B54 HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY ward. Albartus enlisted in the Twelfth Illinois Cavalry, becoming a inejnber of Company F and went to the front. His constitution was frail and he soon gave up his young life to the cause. A DISCIPLE OF HENRY CLAY. It is probable that no individual family in the whole neighborhood has made and left a more lasting impress upon the community than has the Kemper fam- ily. In most of the other cases, the families were in groups, as the Carsons, Haynes, Haywards and others, but here is a family that stands alone. Single handed, they came up somewhere from the southland. I always thought from Kentucky, into that section of Illinois in those far away pioneer days. During the campaign of 1860 W. H. H. Kemper, being a Kentuckian, was naturally a disciple of Henry Clay, hence, a whig, and, as I now recall, a relative of the then famous Colliers of Kentucky. Mr. Kemper was perforce an ardent sup- porter of the Bell-Everett ticket. And so, in his enthusiasm, Mr. Kemper placed a big bell on the end of a fifteen or twenty foot pole and planted it in the ground beside his front gate. When he would see any of his neighbors going by he would run out and shout, "Hurrah for Bell and Everett" and be- gin to shake the pole vigorously. The big bell at the top would join in the huzza in no uncertain accents. The other members of this family were Mrs. Kemper and her children, Georgiana, Kittie, Mary, Lucy, Laura, Poly, Thomas, Henry, Zachariah and William. To these should be added Peachy, who I think died young, and Allie and Tina. The latter married Charles Dannells. Georg- iana Kemper married William Haven of String Prairie, and Kittie married Gideon Carson. Mary Kemper became the wife of Orin Palmer, and Lucy married Joseph Carter. Charles Ruyle secured the heart and hand of Laura. Xapoleon and Thomas Kemper enlisted in Company F. Twelfth Illi- nois Cavalry. Shortly after the battle at Gettysburg the ladies of the local Union League sent a letter of congratulation and encouragement to the brave boys of Company F. and it was Napoleon (Poly) Kemper who replied to it. This letter was dated: "In Camp on Cedar Run, August 19, 1863." Within a month from the writing of this letter both boys were wounded unto death while on skirmish duty. Sad was the day when the swift wings of the lightning brought to us the direful message that the two Kemper boys had been wounded and that "Poly" was dead. How shocked the whole community was ! And every family in it mourned almost as it would have done had a member of its own house- hold been taken. After "Poly's" death Tom was removed to the hospital at Alexandria, Virginia, where the best of care was afforded him and improved rapidly for about a month then a turn for the worst rapidly developed and almost without warning he had gone to join his brother in that sleep which knows no waking. During the winter of 1863-4 Henry Kemper, with a man by the name of Joseph Hooper, James Simpson and Dr. N. Jayne and family, struck out for California. He subsequently returned and married Melissa, daughter of James Haycraft. Zach Kemper became the operator and agent HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY 355 of Medora and married the daughter of Elder Platt. Will Kemper married a daughter of George B. Harlan. THERE WERE MANY PALMERS. The first of the Palmer family to emigrate to Illinois was the youngest of them, William, who with his family arrived in Greene county in 1830. He was born June 20, 1799, at Sudbury, Addison county, Vermont. William Palmer married Mary Barton back in Vermont in 1823. In the fall of 1832 he and his family moved into the domain of what has since been known as Palmer's Prairie. Down in the vicinity of Rockbridge on the south side of Macoupin creek was a section which was known at that time as "Gopher Hole." Some time before this George Loper's father had settled there. He set out the first peach trees that were ever in that section, on that place. A man by the name of Jack Stubbins owned the farm when the Palmers came into the neighborhood and from him William purchased the place, and made it his home for a year or so. He constructed the first bridge across the Macoupin at Rockbridge. A man by the name of Teegard owned and conducted the water power grist mill there at that time. A couple of years later William erected a double log house just across the road east of the present Delaware schoolhouse, in which he and the family re- sided a number of years. Early in 1845 he began the erection of the house which still stands to the south of the Delaware schoolhouse. It was while getting out the rock for this house in February, 1845, that an accident occurred by which he almost entirely lost his eyesight. Tlje eldest child of William and Mary Barton Palmer was William George, who was a resident of Kemper at the time of his death, which occurred January 16, 1911. He was born November 4, 1823, in Addison county, Vermont, and came to Illinois in 1830 with his parents. The second son of William and Mary Palmer was Henry Robley. He was born in August, 1833, an d died November i, 1891. There were three daughters born to William and Mary Palmer : Mary, Harriet and Martha. Mary married John Dannell; Harriet became the wife of Milo Stowe, and died in 1888; Martha never married and is still living. The second one of the Palmer brothers who emigrated to Illinois was Elias, who was born in Sudbury, Vermont, in 1797. He married Thirza Stowe. They came to Illinois in 1836 and settled a short time after their arrived on the site of the present home of Vilas Dodge, a mile or so northwest of Kemper. The whole family remained as guests of William and family during the time the new house was being erected. Elias died February 23, 1863, and his wife, Thirza, died June 15, 1858. Their chil- dren were: Sarah Ann. Elias, Olive, Orin, Rebecca, Abigail and Dennis. The eldest son of Elias was Elias. Jr. He was born in 1826 and came to Illinois with his parents in 1836. He married Lovena, a sister of Luther Palmer. The second son of Elias and Thirza Palmer was Orin. who was born in Addison county, Vermont, in 1832, and came to Illinois with his parents. He married' Mary E. Kemper in 1858 and to them were born three children : Ida, Mignon and Elmer. The two younger daughters of Elias and Thirza Palmer were Olive and Rebecca. Olive never married and is making her home in Kemper. Re- 356 HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY becca married Frank Silsby, as heretofore mentioned. Daniel Cunningham Palmer was the last of the Palmer brothers to come to Illinois. He was born in 1785 and grew up in Vermont, and while still a young man married Roxanna Welch. He served a short time in the war of 1812. In 1816 he emigrated to Knox county, Ohio. He was the father of Luther Palmer, sire of the writer of this article. During the month of November, 1843, Daniel Cunningham and family set out in a covered wagon to make the long journey from Ohio to Illinois. They arrived at Delaware, or "Jersey," as it was most generally called, by all the Yankee emigrants and their relatives back east, during the month of December, 1843. The family took up their abode with William Palmer, but did not re- main there long, however, for a log house was speedily constructed west of William's place, a half mile or more, in which the family soon made their home. It was while sinking a well on this place that a very unusual thing occurred. Some twenty feet or more deep in all that section of Illinois, there is an under- lying strata known as "hard pan." It is a conglomeration and is about as hard as rock itself. In the midst of this bed of hard pan the workmen came upon a frog snugly nestled in a little narrow space. He was seemingly as dead as any- thing in this world and so they laid him on a rock expecting to take him to the house as a great curiosity when they went to dinner. But, lo ! what was their surprise when they went to look for the frog to find that it had come to life under the revivifying influences of the midday sun and hopped off into the brush and was forever lost to them. I saw the exact counterpart of that in Chicago a few years ago when they were driving a great water main ninety feet below the surface. There a frog was found imbedded in the solid limestone. I saw him and he was alive. In 1846 Daniel Palmer and his family moved to a farm east of Carlinville, in what was then known as the Corr neighborhood, or more generally, as Honey Point. While living there and during the fall of the year, a daughter, Wealthy Lucinda, died. This practically broke up the home and he moved back to Jersey county. He soon thereafter died at the home of his grandson, William, in 1847, at tne a e of sixty-one years and lies buried in the Palmer graveyard. The children of Daniel Cunningham Palmer were : William, David, Sarah, Rox- anna, Abigail, Daniel David, Lydia, Luther Bateman, Wealthy Lucinda, Lovena and Loretta. The only daughter of William Palmer, the New Yorker, and Abigail Cun- ningham, the Quakeress, who resided in Illinois, was Rebecca. She was born in 1794 and at about the close of the war of 1812 was married to Ira Ketchum. The fruit of this union was one son, Ira, who, with his mother, came to Illi- nois with her brother William in 1830. Later on when William moved into the Rockbridge section, they came with him. Ira married Phoebe Fitzjarrell, from .which union sprang the large family of Ketchums. He died in 1853 at the age of fifty-seven Martha J. Larew, daughter of William and Elizabeth Larew, with her younger brother arid sister were left orphans at an early age and made their home with their uncle, Johnson Dannels, until grown. While in school at Ches- terfield she united with the Congregational church in 1861 and afterwards be- HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY 357 came one of the charter members of the Delaware Congregational church. She was married in 1862 to Jacob Hoffnagle, who died in 1864. In 1868 she was united in marriage to Dennis Palmer, who died in 1893. To this union were born four children: Stella, wife of Percy Cookson; Earl L., Ernest D. and Harriet Elizabeth. She died December 20, 1910, at the residence of her son-in- law, Percy Cookson, at Carlinville, and was buried at Kemper, in the Delaware cemetery. LUTHER BATEMAN PALMER. Luther Bateman Palmer was my father and was born in Knox county, Ohio, in 1826. He was seventeen years of age when the family landed in Illinois, where he grew to manhood and lived for many years. The entire time that he ever attended school did not exceed six weeks, but he was not handicapped very much on that account. He was perfect master of the three R's and could read and 'rite and cipher with the best of them. In fact, I am sure there have been but few men in all that whole section who excelled him in reading and 'rithmetic, and as for 'riting, his letters to me now, at the age of eighty-five, are marvels of composition in every respect. It was not long until he set out to do business on his own account, working by the month for Benjamin Sanders, and for the whole of a year he was paid the stupendous sum of $120. Strange to say, out of this small wage, he was able to save enough to make the first payment on his half of the quarter section which he and his brother Daniel bought, lying south of the old house, and so it was that he got his start in life. In 1846 he farmed the Samuel D. Brainerd place, just at the turn of the road north of L. B. Palmer's house, and evidently cultivated the acquaintance of the eldest daughter, as well as the corn crop he had in, for we find it re- corded that he and Louisa A. Brainerd were married on the 29th day of Oc- tober, the year following. The marriage ceremony was performed by the Rev. Elihu Palmer, a brother of the late Senator John M. Palmer. Once I had oc- casion to go down from Chicago to Springfield to get a letter of introduction from General Palmer and he began it thus : "Dear Sir : This will introduce to you Mr. Lyman L. Palmer, whose father I have known for the past fifty years." My mother died in 1853 ar) d a year later father paid a visit to his old home in Ohio and there met and married Anna Rebecca Smith. To this union there were born six children : Vesta, Clarence, Walter, Lucius, Annie and Sabin. As the years sped on he prospered and other acres were added to the original quarter section until at the last he owned six hundred and forty acres, all told, when he went to California in 1869. At that time his health failed him, and renting his farm, he took up his residence at Reo Vista with his family. In a short time thereafter he allied his business interests with a man by the name of Charles Pine, who was proprietor of a general store, the name of the firm being Pine & Palmer. This man Pine subsequently decamped with all the available funds of the concern, leaving my father with a large shortage of $84,000, to meet. Most of it represented Pine's speculations. CHAPTER XXII. THE TOWNSHIPS. THIS CHAPTER IS A LONG ONE AND SPEAKS OF THE TWENTY-SIX TOWNSHIPS OP THE COUNTY HAMLETS, VILLAGES, TOWNS AND CITIES FIRST SETTLERS IN THE VARIOUS LOCALITIES FOUNDING AND GROWTH OF THE TRADING POINTS HILYARD TOWNSHIP. Hilyard township derived its name from the Hilyard family who settled here about 1832. The township is located in the southwestern part of the county and is bounded on the north by Polk township, on the west by Shipman, on the south by Bunker Hill and on the east by Gillespie township. The surface is beautiful undulating prairie and is partially drained by small tributaries of Ma- coupin creek. The Chicago & Alton railroad enters the township on section 3, and crossing the northwestern portion, passes out on section 19. David Coop claimed the distinction of being not only the first settler in this township but also the first in the county. He erected a log cabin on a stream near the central part of the township and the creek, now known as Coop's creek, was named in his honor. In 1817 John Powell and Abram Fulk came here with their families, settling in the northeastern part of the township. In 1818 Thomas Smith located in the southwest part of the township near a small stream, which took his name. In 1832 William Jolley and Richard Skaggs located in the northwest part of the township. In 1834 fifteen families, or seventy-five persons came here, among whom were Gray, Pruitt, Hilyard, Maxwell, Leyarley, Jolley, Ray, Skagg, Lemey, Miller and Thomas. Most of the early settlers were Methodists and old school Baptists and as early as 1820 a church of the latter denomination was organized by John Powell. Rev. William Jones was the first preacher. Until 1854 services were held in the homes of the settlers and at that time a church was built. A Methodist society was organized at the home of William Jolley in 1833 and Rev. Meldrum became the first pastor. In 1851 the Presbyterians formed a society and Rev. Platt became the pastor. In this same year the Missionary Baptists also formed a society with Rev. Hopper as the pastor, while in March, 1853, the United Baptists organized, with Rev. Jacob Rhoads as pastor. In 1854 the latter society built a church at a cost of $1,000. In 1855 the Missionary Baptists built a church at a cost of $800; in 1856 a Presbyterian church was 358 HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY 359 erected at a cost of $1,50x3, while in 1858 the Methodist church was built at a cost of $1,500. The first schoolhouse was built in 1837, near the place of the first settle- ment, at a cost of $10. The first teacher was Aaron Leyarley. The first postoffice was established in 1846 with Alfred Ellet as the first postmaster. Dr. C. Murphy, who located here in 1854, was the first practicing physician. The first mill was built by David Coop. It was run with horse power and it was capable of grinding but eight or ten bushels of corn per day.. The first entries of land were as follows : Pleasant Lauray, eighty acres on section 12, December 15, 1830; Henry D. Rhea, eighty acres on section 12, Au- gust 2O, 1831; Benjamin F. Edwards,' eighty acres on section i, October 18, 1831. PLAINVIEW. The village of Plainview is located on the line of the Chicago & Alton rail- road and lies on a portion of sections 4 and 9, Hilyard township. It took its name from the fact that it stands on an eminence, commanding a good view of the surrounding district. It was laid out in 1853. BUNKER HILL TOWNSHIP. The site on which the present town of Bunker Hill is located was once a prairie, known as Wolf ridge, from the fact that it was frequented by wolves. The earliest inhabitants of this section were the Peoria, Kickapoo and Win- nebago Indians, who had a camping ground northeast of the present town of Bunker Hill. In 1826 the last of these tribes left here and moved farther west. The first entry of land of which we have any record was made by William Jones. He secured eighty acres on section 33, on the 3ist of July, 1827. How- ard Finley entered eighty acres on section 21, January 25, 1830, and Alexander Conley entered one hundred and sixty acres on section 29, March 17, 1830. Among the earliest settlers here was John Cooper, a native of Tennessee, who built a house on section 28, and here developed a farm. In the year 1825 Howard Finley and Daniel Branscomb settled on the east side of the east fork of Wood river, and as above stated, the former entered land here in 1830. Mr. Finley was a native of Tennessee. He built a cabin on his land and later erected a more modern dwelling on the southeast quarter of section 21, in which he made his home for many years. His death occurred in Greene county, this state. The year 1827 witnessed the arrival of James Breden, who was the first justice of the peace in the township, holding the office for more than twenty years. Simeon Jones may also be classed among the first settlers in this township. He was born and reared in Madison county, this state, and after coming to Bunker Hill township, served for many years as school treasurer. In 1830 Jonathan L. Wood also settled here, as did also Benjamin Davis, and his sons, Jefferson, Isaac, Alfred and David. They came to this state from Tennessee but had formerly lived in North Carolina. 360 HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY James Wood settled here in 1831, establishing his home on section 30. His sons, Samuel, David B. and James E., eventually became prominent residents of this section of the county. William McPike, a Tennesseean by birth, came here in 1831 and became a prominent citizen. His death occurred after a residence here of many years. Mrs. Millie Bayless and her sons, Reese, John, George arid Daniel, came here in 1831. Reese and John were prominently connected with the old militia, the former holding the position of colonel, while the latter attained the rank of adjutant. Both served in the Black Hawk war. In that locality known as Corneilson mound, or sometimes called "Tickey" mound, on section 29, the first settlers were Daniel Littrel, Alexander Conley, John Murphy, Charles Collyer and Finley and Moses Jones. In the vicinity of the Springfield road the first settlements were made by William, Isaac, Alfred, James and Ephraim Wood, Anthony Linder, George Rowland, Elijah Lincoln, Dr. Budden, Samuel Buell and Charles Goodnight. Dr. Budden was the first man to practice medicine in the township. In 1833 Messrs. Tuttle and Lincoln laid out a town two miles south of the present site of Bunker Hill and named the place Lincoln. However, a log cabin and a frame house marked the farthest progress to which the town ever attained. This was later converted into a farm by J. V. Hopper. In 1833 a postoffice was established and called Lincoln, the first postmaster being Anthony Linder. He was succeeded by a Mr. Cook, while in 1837 Samuel Buell took charge of the office. In November of the latter year the postoffice was transferred to Bunker Hill. Nathaniel Phillips was the first postmaster appointed after the removal of the office to Bunker Hill. Josiah Richards acted as assistant. In 1837 a postoffice was also established in Woodburn. Moses Jones built the first mill in the township on section 33, on the east side of Wood river. It was operated by ox power. Dr. Budden shortly after- ward erected the second mill on the prairie, a mile southwest of Bunker Hill. The first schoolhouse was erected on section 21 but it was later moved to section 22. A Mr. Richardson was the first teacher and he was succeeded by Josiah B. Harris. In 1831 a schoolhouse was erected on section 20, on land belonging to John T. Wood, John Wilson, Jesse Wood and Aaron Leyerley were among the earliest teachers of the township. .: ' Elder William Jones, a Baptist, preached the first sermon in the schoolhouse which stood on section 21. Alexander Conley was the first resident minister in the township. Rev. Gimlin was also a pioneer minister here. He was also of the Baptist faith. The first church was erected by the "hard shell" Baptists on section 33, while the second in the township was built by the Congregational people at Woodburn. The first couple to be married in the township was Finley Jones and Mary Conley and the second was Daniel Branscomb and a Miss Gregg. John Finley was the first child born in Bunker Hill township. BUNKER HILL. The city of Bunker Hill lies in th eastern part of Bunker Hill township, which is one of the southern tier of townships. In March, 1836, Messrs. True EVANGELICAL Ll'THKlUX CHURCH MT. OLIVE LIBRARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY 361 and Tilden employed Luke Knowlton to lay out and plat the town. This was only seven years after the first settlement was made in the township. Mr. True set out the first tree, a locust, in the town, and he, with Mr. Tilden at once commenced the erection of a hotel, which later became a part of the Richards' block. In the summer of 1837 Mr. True enlarged his hotel and in the succeeding fall Josiah Richards, who had come here from Boston, purchased the goods in the store that had been opened by Mr. True. In 1838 Mr. True retired from the hotel business and N. H. Flanagan, from New Jersey, became proprietor. Dr. Ebenezer Howell settled in the town in the spring of 1837 and for many years was the only physician practicing here. His son George was the first child born in the town. In the spring of 1839 J. W. Cummings, G. Parmenter, Charles Burnham, R. Califf, Nathaniel Burnham, D. E. Pettingill and Joseph and Edward Burton set- tled in the town and vicinity. John A. Pettingill arrived in April, 1839, and conducted the first nursery in the township. He also became one of the early schoolteachers of this district. Charles Johnson, came here in May, 1839, from Medford, Massachusetts. S. H. Davis, A. B. Davis, R. Ridgeley, James Hamil- ton, I. Southworth and Charles Cavender were early settlers here. Francis N. Burnham settled northeast of the town and taught the first school in the town of Bunker Hill. His marriage to Miss Harriet Phillips was the first con- summated in Bunker Hill. In 1840 Judge P. C. Huggins moved here from Woodburn, where he had conducted a mercantile establishment, and purchased the store here from Josiah Richards. For many years he was the only merchant in the town. In Novem- ber, 1847, John A. Pettingill opened the second store. SOME FIRST THINGS IN BUNKER HILL. The nearest sawmill to Bunker Hill was on the Cahokia, north of Edwards- ville. The first flour used in the new hotel came from Carlinville. The first sermon preached at Bunker Hill was by Elder Kimball from Upper Alton. ft CENTENNIAL HISTORY. John A. Pettingill, who established the second store in Bunker Hill, in his Centennial History wrote the following: "The 4th of July, 1839, was the first anniversary of 'the day we celebrate' ever observed in due and ancient form in this township. The day preceding was all bustle in securing and raising a liberty pole and making a leafy bower to cover the extended tables. The glorious fourth ushered in a terribly hot day, but despite the heat, the whole community turned out, some sixty souls. F. Burnham was master of ceremonies and M. H. Flanagan orator of the day. Dr. Ebenezer Howell read the Declaration of Independence, and H. B. A. Tap- pen made some cogent remarks. After dinner J. W. Cummings called the as- semblage to order and read the toasts. The ground upon which the gathering assembled was that south of Huggins block, now covered with stores. The political campaign of 1840 brought the democrats to Bunker Hill and the whigs 362 HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY assembled at Woodburn, and each celebrated the 4th of July. The former were presided over by M. H. Flanagan, and Rev. Arnold, of Alton, orator. The whigs listened to Abraham Lincoln, John Hogan and Judge Davis. "As early as 1834 a military company was organized with John Wilson as captain, succeeded by Washington Bilt and afterwards by Wiley Breden. The first muster in this township occurred on the 2jth of September, 1839. A regi- mental organization existed in southern Macoupin, with R. Bayless as colonel, and P. C. Huggins as major. The muster in question was the stated parade of the batallion which made its headquarters at Bunker Hill. The Bunker Hill company mustered forty men. Captain Van Tyle was in command." THE PRESENT BUNKER HILL. The little city of Bunker Hill is picturesque in its beauty and nicely located upon elevated grounds, some 300 feet above St. Louis, and distant therefrom about forty miles. It is reached by the Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago & St. Louis (Big Four) railroad. As a place of residence Bunker Hill has always been an attractive and fa- vorite place on account of its beauty, enterprise, intelligence of its people, and the school and church advantages it affords. It has many churches and a public library supported by the city, containing between four and five thousand books and periodicals. There are a number of lodges and societies, chief among them being Charter Oak Lodge, No. 258, I. O. O. F.; Bunker Hill Lodge, No. 151, A. F. & A. M.; Macoupin Lodge, No. 230, Ancient Order United Workmen; Bunker Hill Camp, No. 185, Modern Woodmen of America; Maple Camp, No. 1727, Royal Neighbors; Bunker Hill Court of Honor, No. 261; Hubbard Post, No. 721, Grand Army of the Republic. There is also the Nellie Custis Chapter, Daughters of the American Revolution. The Bunker Hill Fire Company No. i has a large membership and holds a leading place among the volunteer fire companies of the state of Illinois. IMPROVEMENTS. About 1901 the city built an electric light plant, which furnishes light to its people in their homes and on the public thoroughfares. Its newspaper, the Gazette-News, is ably edited by J. H. Truesdale. There are two banks, many excellent stores, an opera house, fine halls, well-kept hotels, a coal mine, a flour- ing mill, wagon works, and other industries in this energetic and flourishing community. DIMINISHED POPULATION. While Bunker Hill has held its own in a business sense, has erected new and modern buildings for mercantile purposes and residences, yet it has not kept pace with some of its neighbors in the matter of growth and population, for it HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY 363 appears that in 1890 the town of Bunker Hill had 1,269 inhabitants, while the census of 1910 gives the place only 1,046. LINCOLN MONUMENT. \ One of the chief and attractive adornments of Bunker Hill which imme- diately catches the eye of the visitor as he enters the business portion of the town is the Lincoln monument. At the intersection of its two principal streets, in the center thereof, was erected in 1904, and unveiled with fitting ceremonies, a magnificent statue of Abraham Lincoln, the great emancipator, by Company B, First Missouri Cavalry. The statue of the martyred president is life size and cast in bronze. The pose is that of the orator addressing an assembly, with one hand extended. It stands upon a granite pedestal, about six feet in height, and with the known physical proportions of Mr. Lincoln, this would make the object of art and its support about twelve feet high. MILITARY ACADEMY. On December 22d, 1857, a meeting was held ''to take measures looking to the establishment of an academic school.'' E. Harlan was chairman and H. M. Hutchinson, secretary. The following committees were appointed: To solicit subscriptions, A. W. Ellet, P. C. Huggins, James Weller, T. J. Van Dorn; on building, E. Howell, G. C. Mack, G. Parmentei', J. A. Delano. Subsequently Dr. Hopper was substituted for Mr. Delano and E. H. Davis was added to the committee. Subscriptions to stock at $25 per share were at once solicited and in January, 1858, the subscriptions amounted to $7,075, whereupon, J. W. Cum- mings, A. J. Coates and J. F. Vandeventer were appointed a committee to secure plans, etc. The amount of capital stock was fixed at $25. It was provided that the academy "should not be sectarian or denominational, and to promote this object not more than one-third of the trustees shall at any time be members of any one religious denomination." Following officers were then elected: Presi- dent, A. W. Ellet ; trustees, P. C. Huggins, W. Gill, Charles Parmenter, E. How- ell, J. S. Flanagan and J. A. Pettingill. In the following January, Mr. Pet- tingill resigned and H. W. Burton was elected to fill the vacancy. J. W. Cum- mings became the treasurer. P. C. Huggins donated a lot for the building, which was constructed of brick, three stories high and very attractive in its details. The cost was $19,000. The school opened in 1859 anc ' tne success of the innova- tion became evident when the enrollment of pupils showed the number to be 193. Then on came the Civil war, when Professor Smith and thirty-nine pupils entered the army at the first call. Others soon followed and it became necessary to close the institution. The building was then leased to the district as a public school and was occupied for that purpose until 1870. In the year last above mentioned, improvements were made upon the building and it was again put to use for its legitimate purpose. S. L. Stiver succeeded A. W. Ellet as head master of the school and remained in that position until July, 1910, his death occurring 364 HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY at that time. He was succeeded by the present incumbent, Rev. William D. Marburger. ADVANTAGES OF THE SCHOOL. The select character of this school, the limited number of cadets, its home- like features, the attention given to the prevention of bad habits, and to the for- mation of good character and the special care taken for the safety, health and happiness of all, render the academy an unexcelled institution for' smaller, as well as larger boys. The smaller boys have the special care of the superintend- ent and an assistant teacher is always on the same floor in the dormitory with them. CHARACTER OF THE SCHOOL. This is a home school. No vicious boys are enrolled, only boys of known good character are admitted. The design of the academy is to meet the wants of the parents who wish for their sons the benefit of careful and systematic instruction and training in everything necessary to their success and welfare as men. It provides a good home in which cadets receive all the attention and care that are given boys in any enlightened and well regulated households. It prepares for business, for college or university, and for government schools. It provides for the physical, social and moral development of all its students, gives training in gymnastics, athletics and military drills. It affords its grad- uates a sufficient training in military science to enable them to perform official duty as leaders of the militia in time of peace and to organize and train recruits in time of war. This includes, bayonet and sabre drill, the new Butts' United States army rifle drill and some artillery drills. SCHOOL GROUNDS. The academy has a campus rarely equaled and seldom surpassed. The cen- tral building is three stories high, heated by steam and lighted by electricity. Stiver Hall is a similar, but smaller, building on the campus. Belt Hall, a beau- tiful colonial residence, was opened in the fall of 1911. There is a gymnasium and main dormitory, school rooms, reading rooms and library. Plans have been completed for extensive new buildings, the ground for which was broken August i, 1911. It is anticipated these improvements will cost about $100,000 and be completed within two years. In the year 1910 this school gave instruction to 56 pupils. There are already enrolled for 1911, 75. The ages of the boys range from twelve to eighteen years and they come from eighteen states and territories. BUNKER HILL CEMETERY. Bunker Hill has a beautiful cemetery, laid out on high, rolling ground, with- in the corporate limits of the town. The records show that at about 1840 Moses True donated a half acre of ground for cemetery purposes. In June, 1852, a committee was organized for the formation of a constitution and by-laws and HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY 365 a cemetery association was established, with C. D. Marsh, J. A. Pettingill and J. Pierson as trustees. J. A. Delano was elected as secretary and treasurer. A subscription paper was circulated, with unanticipated success and three acres of land were purchased and added to that donated by Mr. True. This ground was fenced and platted the same year. March 4, 1861, the association was or- ganized under the state law, and the following officers elected : J. A. Pettingill, president; J. F. Cummings, T. J. Van Dorn, Richard Ridgely, directors, and J. A. Delano, secretary and treasurer. From time to time other additions have been made to the ground. Among the many handsome ornaments attracting the eye of the visitor in this "silent city of the dead" is THE SOLDIERS' MONUMENT. This memorial shaft is of hard, gray sandstone, and stands 29.4 feet high. It was unveiled, February 14, 1867. The cost of the monument was $1,773. Of this sum, $1,215 was subscribed by individuals, $200 donated by the ceme- tery association, and the remainder was made up by sociables, literary exhibi- tions and donations by secret societies and the like. BANKS. Belt Brothers & Company's bank was founded in 1881. Its declared capital is $10,000, deposits $126,000, resources, $120,000. J. H. Belt, Jr., is president and cashier. Bumann & Drew's private bank was founded in 1892. Its deposits are $124,000, resources, $120,000. WOODBURN. Woodburn, which is located in the western part of Bunker Hill township, was named in honor of the Wood family, who were early settlers of this locality. It was laid out in 1834 by B. F. Edwards, Benjamin Stephenson acting as the surveyor. The first dwelling in the town was erected by Rev. Elijah Dodson, a pioneer minister of the Baptist church. He came to Macoupin county in 1835 and on the 5th of April, of that year, moved into his new dwelling. His wife, Mrs. Nancy Dodson, was the first woman to live in the town. She died in 1877, while his death occurred in 1859. E. J. Miner erected the first store building in the town. Daniel Luttrel and Enos Grandy also built dwellings in 1835, and in the same year Dr. Ed- wards put up a hotel, for the accommodation of the traveling public. James and William Hamilton were the first proprietors of the hotel. Some of the first buildings in the town were erected by James and Robert R. Tompkins who came here in 1835 from Virginia. In 1836 Dr. Edwards and John Adams commenced building the first steam mill in the county but before it was completed sold their interests to Moses 366 HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY Jones, who later sold it to a Mr. Mudge, who finished the sawmill. In 1841 T. J. Van Dorn purchased the mill, put in a large engine and two run of burrs. In 1840 Daniel Luttrel had built a mill for grinding corn, the motive power being horses, mules, oxen or anything that could be hitched to it. This served the people of this section until Mr. Van Dorn erected his steam mill. In 1837 the Perry brothers erected a blacksmith shop but it is not known whether they or Alfred Davis operated the first blacksmith shop. The first church was organized by the Baptist denomination on the 24th of June, 1835, with eleven charter members. The pulpit was supplied by Elders Starkweather and Dodson for about one year, when the latter was made the regular pastor of the church. In 1842 plans were laid for the erection of a church, which was completed and occupied the following year. In 1867 an addi- tion was built to the church. The Congregational church was organized in 1838, with forty members. Rev. Robert Blake served as its pastor until his death in 1842. In 1838 the congrega- tion built a house of worship which served not only for this congregation but for congregations of various denominations, as well as for school purposes and as a public hall. In 1843 the Baptist people built a house of worship and the Methodists were organized into a society and erected a church about that time. The first schoolhouse in the town was built in 1852. In 1836 Messrs. Moore and Kellum laid off eighty acres in town lots as an addition to the town of Woodburn, and devoted a large block to a public square. The mail route between Alton and Carlinville passed through Woodburn, the first contractors for carrying the mail being William and James Hamilton. The contract was turned over to George Gordon, who carried the first mail in 1837. About that time the first postoffice was established here with a Mr. Corey as postmaster. In 1837 William West manufactured the first kiln of brick, and he also es- tablished the first grocery store in the town. Deacon I. Long came here in 1837. In 1846 the steam mill of T. J. Van Dorn burned and and in 1848 Tompkins Brothers built a mill, starting it as a saw- mill and also ground corn. In 1852 they put in the burrs and bolts necessary for the manufacture of flour. Jonathan Huggins established his residence here in 1839 and in 1845 estab- lished the Woodburn Nursery, which furnished the trees which have beautified the town of Woodburn and this vicinity. As above stated, E. J. Miner was the first merchant here but he eventually sold his stock to L. L. Brown, but in 1838 he sold to P. C. Huggins, who con- ducted the establishment until his removal to Bunker Hill in 1840. The town was incorporated in 1867 and in 1869 it was granted a special charter by the legislature. Woodburn now has a population of 175. Twenty years ago there were 276 people in the village. SHAW'S POINT TOWNSHIP. This township is situated on the east side of the county and is bounded on the north by Nilwood, on the west by Carlinville, on the south by Honey Point HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY 367 townships, and on the east by Montgomery county. The surface is a gently rolling prairie, of rich, alluvial soil. Fine belts of timber border the creeks. It is well drained by Macoupin creek and its affluents which flows southwesterly through the northwest part of the township. Cottonwood creek and Shaw's Point branch are the Macoupin's principal tributaries. A man by the name of Shaw made the first settlement in this township. He located on section 35, in the year 1825, and his name was given to the town- ship, namely Shaw's Point. Mr. Shaw built a small log cabin and improved a few acres of land, which he abandoned before any more settlements -were made in the township. Probably the next to settle in the township was John Lewis, who came with his family in 1827. Soon after followed Job Sperry, C. K. Hut- ton, the Powells, the Cooks, George W. Barnett, and others. The Yowells ar- rived about 1829 and a Mr. Fullerton settled here in 1833. The following year came the Davis family and in 1837 George W. Barnett, Sr., settled in this town- ship. He was elected justice of the peace when a young man and held the office fifteen years. Other prominent settlers here were : John J. Womac, a Ken- tuckian by birth, who came to the county in 1835 ; W. C. Anderson, who was born in the county in 1820; James W. Yowell, a native of Kentucky, and Strouder Yowell, from the same state, came in 1829; E. L. Owen, of Tennessee, in 1835 ; and L. W. Bugger, in 1834. R. B. Black was a resident of the county in 1830; L. M. English, in 1837; and Hardin T. Richardson, in 1839. Captain Samuel Cummings came with his parents and first settled in North Palmyra township near Vancil's Point, in 1825. On the breaking out of the Black Hawk war Captain Cummings, then a young man, enlisted as a private. He also bore an honorable part in the war of the late rebellion. The first preacher was B. F. Castaine, and the second was R. G. Allen. They both belonged to the Christian church and preached in the only house of wor- ship, in "Hickory Wall" church near the site of Bethel Chapel. There is some contention of opinion as to who was the first schoolteacher. Some maintain that Cyrus Harris was the first, while others give the distinction to F. McClernand. They were, however, both early teachers, as was also James Johnson, who was known as "Jimmy" Johnson. All three taught in the "Hickory Wall" church and schoolhouse. A grist mill was built on Macoupin creek in 1840 by William Nichols. It was propelled by water power. He subsequently sold the mill and it was changed to steam power. There was prior to this a small horse mill built by a Mr. Pow- ell. Two others of the same kind were also built by Peter Akes and David Plain. The first store in the township was kept by G. W. Barnett. The first land entries were by David Cook, May 4, 1829, eighty acres in section 9; William G. Cook, May 4, 1829, forty acres in section 17 ; John Yowell, July 25, 1830, eighty acres in section 3. On the line of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy railroad, in the northeast part of the township, is located the village of Atwater. Here are probably about a half dozen stores, a church, and near by, a school. 368 HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY The Bank of Atwater was established in 1904 and has a cash capital of $10,500. Deposits show $50,000. The bank is incorporated and the president is O. B. Cain; cashier, J. P. Enslow. GIRARD TOWNSHIP. Girard township is formed from the southern half of township 12, north range 6. The land, which is very fertile, is drained by branches of Otter and Ma- coupin creeks. From the fact that there was a scarcity of timber in this dis- trict, this township was not settled as early as many of the other townships in the county. However, a few families settled as early as 1830 in the southwest corner, among whom were Daniel Black, William and Charles Cox, Jesse Ash- lock, a Mr. Mathews and Harlam and Thomas Warren. In 1835 John Hender- son located at the cross roads, a mile and a half north of the present site of Girard and conducted a tavern, as it was on the stage line running from Spring- field to 'Alton. The place was for many years known as Henderson's and later as Virden's stage stand. About 1834 Dr. Edwards and Coe Mather laid out a town at the edge of the timber, a part of which was located on the present site of Girard. They named the place Girard but the only improvement that was there made was a brick kiln. Until the year 1840 there were few settlements made but after that time this locality became the permanent home of many settlers. Eventually, in 1852, the Chicago & Alton railroad was built through the township, which furnished ship- ping facilities for produce, but prior to the building of this road the farmers had to haul their grain and produce to the St. Louis and Alton markets, where wheat sold at from twenty-five to fifty cents per bushel. The first death in the township was that of Mrs. Thomas Warren, in 1833. The first couples to be married were Elisha Smith and Susan Evans and a Mr. Duff and Juliet Henderson. The first sermon preached in the township was by a traveling minister of the Methodist denomination and the services were held at the home of one of the settlers. For some time the residents of this locality went to North Otter township to attend religious services in the homes of the settlers. John Steward and Bird England were local preachers and P. Lamay, of the Baptist faith, also held religious services here occasionally. The first mill erected in the township was run by horse power and was built by a Mr. Sprouse. Steam mills were soon built on Waverly and Lick creeks and there was also a water mill on Sugar creek. In 1846 B. Boggess built a steam saw and grist mill in North Otter and this proved a great convenience for the people of Girard township. GIRARD. The town of Girard was laid out in the spring of 1853 by C. H. Fink and B. Boggess, and the survey was made by Nathan Savage. It covered a portion of the land on which Edwards and Mathers had contemplated laying out a town many years previously. It is surrounded by a beautiful prairie country and in WEST SIDE SQUARE. GIRARD. BEFORE FIRE OF 1909 WEST SIDE SQUARE. GIRARD LIBHAHY OF IH UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY 369 the center of the town is a public square, set out with trees, which adds not only to the beauty of the place but affords comfort to the residents. The first addition to the town was made in the year 1855 by Thomas Lewis and John Way. A sale of lots was made on the 21 st of August that year, which sold at from $20 to $60 each. The second addition was made by B. Boggess on the north and east sides of the town in 1866, when he added a tract of sixty acres. The first building in the town was one which was moved from the country by B. Boggess and occupied by Dr. Abraham Miller and family. In the fall of 1853 Dr. Miller, N. Branham and C. H. Fink built dwelling houses and B. Bog- gess built a store and J. S. Warfield a blacksmith shop. A. S. Mayfield opened the first store in the town in the summer of 1853. The first school was taught by a Miss Purdy in an unfinished dwelling in the fall of 1853. Later a one-story frame schoolhouse was erected on the site where the present public school stands. In the spring of 1855 a church was erected, which was used as a union church by Baptists, Methodists, Presbyterians, Christians and Universalists. In 1864 the Presbyterian congregation purchased the building and eventually the other denominations each built for themselves a house of worship. In 1854 a postoffice was established at Girard and James Mitchell was ap- pointed the first postmaster. Prior to this time the people had received their mail from the Pleasant Grove office in North Otter township. The first warehouse was built by J. W. Woodroof in the fall of 1854 and he bought and shipped the first carload of wheat from this place. H. Hall built the first flour mill in 1855. Later J. W. Woodroof, Walker & Miner and Lancaster & Erwin built flour mills here. A coal shaft was sunk in 1869-70, when a seven foot vein of coal was reached three hundred and fifty feet below the surface. This shaft is now owned by the Girard Coal Company. From this time on the town of Girard began to grow and improve. OBTAINS A CITY CHARTER. In 1880 a petition was presented to the board of trustees praying that an election be called to determine the question of organizing under the city charter under the general law. An election was called for and met September 14, 1880, and resulted in an overwhelming victory for city organization. The city officers were elected at the regular annual election in April, 1881. The outgoing board of trustees refused to receive the election returns for such election, claiming such organization had not been made within the time required by law, refusing to vacate their seats for the newly elected officers and continued to hold regular meetings to elect and commission officers elected by them. The newly elected city council met for the first time in July, 1881. Legal proceedings were instituted in the circuit court of Macoupin county to determine the legality of the town board's action. That court decided against the town board and an appeal was taken to the appellate court, which early in the year 1882 also decided adversely to the town board. It was not until Feb- 370 HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY ruary 7, 1882, that the town board made its laws. Thus for nearly two years there was maintained in Girard two sets of officers, each striving to maintain its supremacy and to secure the other's overthrow. In the fall of 1880 the second railroad (the present J. & St. L.) was finished through Girard from Jacksonville to Litchfield. This gave additional passenger and shipping facilities to the city and doubtless has contributed much to its sub- sequent growth and development. In 1881 there was prepared and published a complete set of ordinances for the then new city. Aldermen were elected at large and not until in January, 1882, was the city divided into wards. In September, 1885, the petition of R. S. Cowan and others was presented to the city council praying that an election be called "to determine the question whether the city of Girard shall be changed from city and become village." Pursuant thereto an election was called, result- ing in a decided majority against such change. In 1886, a complete revision of the city ordinances was made and published. This revision remained the code of the city until 1892, when a new revision was made and published. A BUSY TRADING POINT. Girard is now a city of 1,891, having gained 230 in population since the census of 1900. Its mines employ many people and are among the largest in the state. On three sides of the public square are business emporiums of a char- acter not often found in a place as small as Girard. The buildings are modern and the stocks of various descriptions, equal in quantity and quality to many cities of much more importance. ELECTRIC LIGHTS. For the past several years Girard has owned its lighting plant. In 1892 the city council granted a seven year license to George A. Eastham and Charles Evans to place electric light poles in the streets of Girard, contracting with them for lights for such streets. On the expiration of their franchise, which was by vote in 1900, it was determined that the city should own its own electric light plant. About that time the city issued bonds to the amount of $6,000 and bought the plant, which had been built by George L. Tipton and E. M. Burnett. The city then built a substantial brick power house in another locality, installed new machinery, and today has a modern lighting plant more than sufficient to meet the demands upon it. The streets are lighted on a "moon" schedule and at the present has in service twenty-six arc lights. A GOOD PLACE IN WHICH TO LIVE. Girard is a desirable place in which to locate and take up a residence. It has a splendid school and several churches, the Methodist, Episcopal, Presbyterian, Catholic, German Baptist, Lutheran Baptist, Universalist and Christian. Most. if not all, of these organizations have new, substantial and handsome church buildings, ranging in cost from four to five thousand dollars each. HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY 371 The city has seven miles of cement walks. Five miles of these walks have been laid within the past four years. There is a good brick city hall building, which was erected many years ago and an excellent volunteer fire company, to whose paraphernalia a Howe gasoline fire engine was added in April, 1911, at a cost of $2,000. Prior to 1907 saloons had existed in Girard for a period of twenty-six years. In the spring of the year mentioned, under Mayor C. H. Metcalf's administra- tion, the saloons were ''turned into the discard" and when he retired from office the treasury contained $2,200. There is in this stirring little city a splendid opera house building, erected by T. C. Dodson, about 1893, at a cost of $15,000. There is also a woman's club here, which is now about three years old. The presiding officer is Mrs. Ella Toland. There are several fraternal orders, among them being Girard Lodge, A. F. & A. M., the Eastern Star, Girard Lodge of Odd Fellows and Rebekahs, Knights of Pythias and Rathbone Sisters, Knights of Labor, Modern Woodmen of America, Hibernians, Court of Honor and others. Luke Mayfield Post, Grand Army of the Republic, was organized soon after the war, with a large mem- bership, which has dwindled down to a few old veterans, the others having answered the last roll call. In the fall of 1909 Girard was visited by quite a disastrous fire, which de- stroyed about $35,000 worth of property, consisting of business buildings on the west side of the square. New buildings at once took their place, which added materially to the fine appearance of the square. During the holidays of 1910 the O'Neil block burned to the ground, entailing a loss of from $10,000 to $12,000. CHIEF EXECUTIVES OF THE CITY. Below is given a list of the men who have served Girard as president or as mayor of the village and city of Girard since the year 1865 : 1865-6, William S. Littlepage; 1867-69, Joseph McKinney; 1870, Barnabus Boggess; 1871-2, Daniel S. Macknett; 1873, R. S. Cowan; 1874-5, William E. Eastham; 1876-7, William S. Littlepage; 1878, Henry D. Lowe; 1879, William S. Littlepage; 1880, Henry D. Lowe; 1881-2, Thomas C. Cherry; 1883-4, L. C. Murphy; 1885-6, William S. Garretson; 1887-8, R. S. Cowan; 1889-90, Lewis C. Deck; 1891-2, R. S. Cowan; 1893-4, Edward C. Knotts; 1895-6, R. S. Cowan; 1897-8, William N. Drennan; 1899-1900, Frank G. Wood; 1901-03, Alexander W. Crawford; 1903-5, Philip Flood; 1905-7, Alexander W. Crawford; 1907-11, C. H. Metcalf ; 1911, A. H. Miller, who is the present incumbent. BANK OF GIRARD. The Bank of Girard was organized December 10, 1873, by James D. Metcalf, B. P. Andrews, J. W. Woodroof and John F. Roche. The officers were: James D. Metcalf, president ; B. P. Andrews, cashier ; H. C. Hamilton, assistant cashier. In 1908 the institution changed its character to the extent of securing a charter as a state bank, assuming the name of the State Bank of Girard, the first officers of which were : H. C. Hamilton, president ; J. D. Metcalf, vice presi- 372 HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY dent; J. M. Metcalf, cashier; E. E. Littlepage, assistant cashier. This list of officers prevails at the present time. The directors are H. C. Hamilton, J. D. Metcalf, J. M. Metcalf, E. E. Littlepage, John F. Roche, B. P. Andrews and J. W. Woodroof. The paid up capital of this financial institution is $50,000, with a surplus and undivided profits of $12,500. It does a general banking business and is considereJ one of the most substantial concerns of the kind in the county. PEOPLES BANK OF GIRARD. This bank was organized February i, 1893. Its first officials were: J. N. McElvain, president; W. S. Garretson, vice president; J. O. Burton, cashier; Jason N. McElvain, W. S. Garretson, S. O. Smith, J. Coy Roach, J. O. Burton, F. G. Storz, T. H. Cherry, directors. The bank is capitalized at $40,000 and has a surplus of $20,000. Its present officials are : S. A. Smith, president ; T. H. Cherry, vice president; J. H. Tietsort, cashier; S. O. Smith, T. H. Cherry, J. H. Tietsort, J. O, Burton, M. H. Tietsort, G. G. Garretson, T Coy Roach, directors. BRUSHY MOUND TOWNSHIP. Brushy Mound township is bounded on the north by Carlinville, on the east by Honey Point township, south by Gillespie and on the west by Polk township. It took its name from the large mound, situated near the center of the township. In the year 1828 Theodorus Davis, Jr., became the first settler of the town- ship. In July, 1829, John Moore, with his family, consisting of wife and three children, settled in the township. He located on a tract of land about three miles southwest of Carlinville. In 1830 David Gimlin settled on land about three miles southwest of Carlin- ville, in Brushy Mound township. He was a Baptist minister and preached the first sermon ever delivered in the township. In 1831 several settlers cam*:, among them the Weatherfords, Jefferson Har- din and others, who located in the northeast corner of the township on what was later known as Weatherford's prairie. Soon afterward came Elijah Mitchell and Thomas rfughes and settled on Brushy Mound prairie. About this same time Henry and Thomas Beauford and Willis and William Whitworth, with their families, also settled here. In 1832 William Kettner and family located on what v/as known as Spanish Needle prairie. In 1833 or 1834 Jefferson Weatherford built a mill which was operated by ox power. In 1837 Haskins Trabue built a carding factory, which for many years sup- plied the settlers with woolen yarn. In the spring of 1851 Thomas Carr and Elijah Mitchell built a grist mill on Honey creek and in 1853 B. F. Clark and J. R. Mitchell built a mill on Spanish Needle prairie. Some time later Braley's mill on Honey <~reek, and Borough's mill at Borough station, were erected. HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY 373 The first couple married in this township was William Flinan and Miss Edith Gimlin, daughter of David Gimlin, their wedding being celebrated on the 1 7th of January, 1833. The first child born in the township was Theodorus, son of John and Ann Moore, on the i6th of September, 1830. When seventeen years of age he en- listed for service in the war with Mexico and died of yellow fever at Tampico, Mexico, September 30, 1847. The first house of worship in the township was erected by the Baptists, on section 12, in the northeast part of the township. It was 20x30 feet, built of hewn logs, covered with oak shingles, while the floor was made of undressed oak plank. In 1852 this structure was replaced by a frame building, which was erected on the south side of Honey creek timber. In 1873 a third building was erected. The first school district in the township was organized in 1834. The build- ing was made of logs and the school was conducted by Thomas P. Low. The first entries of land in the township were made as follows : October 19, 1829, eighty acres on section 5, by Travis Moore ; October 8, 1830, eighty acres on the same section by David Gimlin; October 16, 1830, eighty acres on section 12, by Harding Weatherford. VIRDEN TOWNSHIP. Virden township lies in the extreme northeastern corner of the county and is bounded on the north by Sangamon county, on the east by Montgomery county, on the south by Girard township, and on the west by North Otter township. The land is mostly prairie. As the years have passed the farms have been well improved and highly cultivated, being settled by a thrifty and energetic class of farmers. The land is afforded good drainage by Sugar and Brush creeks. The first settlers in the township were Robert Smith and Joseph Davidson, who with their families came from Ohio in the fall of 1829, locating on Sugar creek in the northwest part of the township. The first land entry was made November 9, 1829, by M. Davidson and Robert Smith on the northeast quarter of section 6. Among the early settlers here were John Gelder, Thomas G. Duckies, who settled here in 1838; John G. Smith, who made a permanent loca- tion here in 1852 ; and Abner Kent, William Gibson, Noble Walters, Samuel Hullet, and Preston Wright. Rev. Edward Rutledge preached the first sermon in one of the private homes. He was of the Methodist faith. That denomination built the first church in 1853. Subsequently it gave way to a new church edifice and the old structure was used for a blacksmith shop. The first child born in the township was Robert Davidson, whose birth oc- curred in 1831. Greene B. Haggard and Eliza Smith were the first couple married in the town- ship, the wedding being celebrated on the 22(1 of April, 1846. 374 HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY The first schoolhouse was built of logs in 1841, and was located on section 18. The first teacher was Mrs. Rebecca Kent, who taught for three months, receiv- ing as her compensation fifteen dollars. VIRDEN. The town of Virden was named in honor of John Virden, who for some years was proprietor of a hotel and kept a popular stage stand two miles south of the village. The town was laid out in 1852 by Messrs. Heaton, Dubois, Chesnut, Hickox and Keiting, and the first lots were sold in October of that year. It was surveyed by John L. Morrell. The first building in the town was the hotel erected and conducted by John Virden. The first residence in the town was erected and occupied by Alexander Hord and his family. The first store in the town was opened by Henry Fishback, in November, 1852. After four months he sold to John I. Beattie, who took possession Feb- ruary I, 1853. Page Heaton opened the first dry goods and grocery store in the town. In January, 1853, the first postoffice was opened in his store. In the summer of 1853 Joseph E. Walker built a blacksmith shop. The first mill was built by John Williams, and was known as North mill. It was destroyed by fire a few years after it began operations. A second mill was erected by Matthew Cowens and called South mill. In the spring of 1853 the first school was taught by Mrs. James Hall in a private home. In 1853 the first marriage occurred in the town, the contracting parties being Miss Hannah Stead and a Mr. Lloyd. The first death was that of John Dryr in 1855. The first child born in the town was Mary, daughter of John Dohoney, later of Carlinville. Her birth occurred December 4, 1852. The first sermon was delivered by Edward Rutledge, a Methodist minister, in the hotel of John Virden. The first regular preacher was Rev. Baker. Dr. Charles Holliday located here for practice in 1854. In 1870 the village voted $30,000 for the building of the Jacksonville & South- eastern railway. It was finished about the close of 1871 and was thirty-one miles long. J. W. Lathrop was appointed the first station agent. The first freight received was January 25, 1872. It was two rolls of leather from Jacksonville and consigned to Battise & Huntly, of Carlinville. The first freight shipped was a carload of coal from the Virden Coal Company and consigned to J. I. Cochran, of Jacksonville, on the loth of January, 1872. The Chicago & Alton railroad also passes through the town. In 1869 a coal shaft was sunk by a stock company in Virden. AS THE YEARS HAVE PASSED. / In 1890 the census gave Virden a population of 1,160. Today it has, by the United States census an even 4,000, and is still growing, not only in the number HISTORY OF MACOUPIN. COUNTY 375 of its citizens, but in a business way. Virden is a first class little city and its mining interests made for it one of the principal coal centers of the county. Its mercantile houses compare very favorably with places of more consequence and the buildings, which surround the public square, are, many of them, new and at- tractive in appearance. In 1910 Jackson street, considered the main thorough- fare of the city, was paved with brick from Dye street to Madison. Within the past seven years about twenty miles of cement sidewalks have been laid and a project is now on foot by the citizens for the building of waterworks. For some years an electric light plant has been in operation, built by corporate in- terests, and it is one of the most complete establishments in this section of the state. NEW CITY HALL. In 1910, a substantial and attractive city hall was built on the east side of the public square, at a cost of $4,000. Here are the council chambers, city officials' offices and room for the volunteer fire department, the paraphernalia of which consists of a Watrous fire engine, costing $1,400, and purchased in 1909. Hose carts and sufficient hose complete the outfit. The city is economically governed and well policed. Its streets, surrounding the public square, are kept free from dust by sprinkling them with oil. Virden, of course, has her societies of various descriptions. Chief among them are the Masons, Eastern Star, Odd Fellows, Rebekahs, Modern Woodmen, Knights of Pythias, Red Men, Foresters and others. John Baird Post, Grand Army of the Republic, was at one time a strong organization. Disease and death have crept into the ranks of the members and today but a corporal's guard is left to answer the roll call. STATE BANK. About 1866 this bank was organized by Chesnut & Dubois, bankers of Car- linville, and the firm was composed of C. P. Heaton, A. McKim Dubois and John R. Chesnut. The concern then passed into the hands of Frank Heaton, a son of C. P. Heaton, and C. M. Walworth, the latter now connected with the First National Bank of Chicago. Later Benjamin F. Caldwell, Edward Keys and Lewis, of Springfield, and J. P. Henderson and George J. Pattison, of Virden, bought the concern and run it as a private bank for about six years, when the Springfield interests were purchased by Henderson and Pattison and the banking firm took the name of Henderson, Pattison & Company, the com- pany being George H. Hill. This condition obtained until about 1900, when Mr. Pattison died and soon thereafter the State Bank was organized by J. P. Hender- son, Henry Kable, George H. Hill, John Gelder, and others. Capitalization, $50,- ooo. Officials : J. P. Henderson, president ; John Gelder and Howard T. Wilson, vice presidents ; J. W. Everts, cashier ; Harry G. Hill, assistant. The last state- 376 HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY ment of the bank issued in June, 1911, showed total resources of $352,000; de- posits, $300,000. THE FARMERS AND MERCHANTS STATE BANK. In 1893 the Farmers & Merchants Bank was established by O. R. Rohrer and others, which eventually, about three years ago, was sold to C. D. Brown & Company. Most, if not all of this time, O. R. Rohrer was the cashier. In the winter of 1910 Mr. Brown died and on December 19, 1910, the bank received its charter as a state bank and assumed the title of the Farmers & Merchants State Bank. It was capitalized at $55,000. B. R. Hieronymus, president ; O. R. Rohrer, cashier. NILWOOD TOWNSHIP. Nilwood township is a rich agricultural region and is bounded on the north by Girard, on the west by South Otter, on the south by Shaw's Point township, and on the east by Montgomery county, and lies in the northeastern part of the county in the eastern tier of townships. It is well drained by Macoupin creek and its tributaries. The first man to settle in the township was General John Harris, who came in 1829 and located in the northeast part of the township near the point of timber which is now known as Harris' point. He was a colonel in the Black Hawk war and later served as brigadier general of militia. He also represented the county in the state legislature. At his death he was buried in the woods a short dis- tance north of Sulphur Springs. In the year 1829 other settlers who came were David Steele, John, Samuel and Edley McVey, all of whom settled on what is known as Sherrill's branch, a tributary of Macoupin creek. Judge Yowell and his son, James H. Yowell, also came in 1829. William S. Street came here in 1831 from Kentucky and after farming for some time, en- gaged in merchandising in Xilwood. D. B. Boston, a native of Indiana, became a settler here in 1833. The first birth in the county was that of John Harris, a son of General John Harris, who met his death at the age of twelve years by drowning. The first death was that of John L. Harris, a nephew of General Harris, who was accidentally killed while assisting in the erection of a log house. In 1829 the first couple was married in the township, the contracting parties being Nathan McVey and Susan Akins. A Methodist and Baptist society were organized in 1829, the latter by David Gimlin. The following year, 1830, Thomas Chasteen organized a Christian so- ciety. In 1830 a church was erected at Sulphur Springs and was used as a union church. In 1846 the Methodists erected a church of their own. The first school was conducted in the union church and was taught by a Mr. Harris. This was used for school purposes until 1838, when a log schoolhouse was built near Macoupin creek. Enoch Hall was one of the pioneer teachers. The first mill was built by Lewis Pitman. In 1838 he built a grist mill which was run by horse power. He also put up the first blacksmith shop. A tannery was built by John McVey in 1837. -J VIEWS OF VIRDEN LIBRABY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY 377 The first settlers to enter land were as follows: John Harris, January 2, 1829, eighty acres on section 12; Robert Palmer, January 20, 1829, eighty acres on section 2; Samuel M. Harris, October 31, 1829, eighty acres on section 33. The first furrow was turned by Andrew Bigham. NILWOOD. The town of Nilwood is located on section 18, on the line of the Chicago & Alton railroad and is about eight miles northeast of Carlinville, the county seat. It was laid out by Samuel Mayo and Philander Bayly and surveyed in 1855 by F. H. Chapman. The first buildings in the town were erected by J. Benneyworth and H. Cooper, the latter building a dwelling house, which was completed July 9, 1852. The first child born in the town was Charles Cooper, son of H. Cooper, Octo- ber 10, 1853. Rev. Bardrick and Jane Benneyworth were the first couple married in the town. A store was established in 1857 by a Mr. Bristow. The first school was taught by a Mr. McKee. In 1857 five dwellings and two stores were erected and from that time on the village began to grow. In 1862 the Methodist denomination built a church and Rev. McDougal was the first minister. The Baptist people put up a church in 1869. In 1857 J. Benneyworth built the first grist mill and in 1873 he opened and operated a coal mine. Most of Nilwood lies within Nilwood township. In 1900 there were 420 in- habitants. The population now numbers but 399. The chief industry of the vil- lage is from the contiguous mines. There are but one or two business houses, a church and schoolhouse. The Illinois Traction System's interurban electric road runs through the town and parallels the Chicago & Alton. THE NILWOOD STATE BANK. This bank is a comparatively new concern, being incorporated August 12, 1908. The organizers of the institution were F. W. Cooper, Ferdinand Winter, Charles Klaus, and B. F. Darneille. Its first officers were as follows : President, W. C. Ledferd; vice president, Ferdinand Winter; secretary and cashier, F. W. Cooper. These gentlemen with the following names constituted the first board of direc- tors : Charles Klaus, R. C. Adams, C. R. Welton and S. M. Welton. The present officials are : President, Ferdinand Winter ; vice president, John C. Anderson; secretary, F. W. Cooper; cashier, F. D. Huber; assistant cashier, Otto L. Klaus. The directors are : Ferdinand Winter, F. W. Cooper, John C. 378 HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY Anderson, Charles Klaus, R. C. Adams, C. R. Welton and S. M. Welton. The institution is capitalized at $25,000. HONEY POINT TOWNSHIP. Honey Point is one of the eastern tier of townships and is bounded on the north by Shaw's Point township, on the east by Montgomery county, on the south by Cahokia and on the west by Brushy Mound townships. The first entry of land was made by Aaron Hammer, August 19, 1819, which was a tract of eighty acres on section 32. The second entry was made by Har- din Hall, May 24, 1831, which was eighty acres on section 17, and two days later, on the 26th of May of the same year, Thomas Carr entered eighty acres on section 18. The earliest settlers who came sought the edge of the timber but eventually settlements were made on the prairie land. In 1832 Elijah Mitchell came, and in 1833 he was followed by Thomas D. Moore, Robert Scott and a Mr. Rucker. Other early settlers were Judge Olds, John Perkins, James Sinclair, M. J. W. Hart, James Mounce and Thomas I. Williams. J. W. York came here in 1828. Peter Keplinger, John McReynolds, W. N. Gulp, J. D. Sanders and James Hunt were also among the earliest arrivals. This township received its appellation from the following incident : Near the center of the township, on the banks of Honey creek is found a grove about three quarters of a mile wide, extending westward almost three miles, and sur- rounded on all sides by prairie. It is said that during the Black Hawk war a company of soldiers under Colonel Whiteside, in marching from St. Louis to Springfield, camped in the east end of the timber for the night. In the morning their attention was attracted to a large number of bees and they later discovered a number of bee trees filled with honey, and ever after this section of the county was known as Honey Point township. The first school was conducted in a building near the center of the township in the Honey Point timber. The first resident ministers were Elders Mitchell and Brown and others who came to preach were Isaac Haycraft, J. B. Rhoads and Messrs. Carr and Williams. The township contains no village or postoffice but the village of Clyde is located near the southern border just across the line in Cahokia township. CAHOKIA TOWNSHIP. Cahokia township constitutes what is known as town 7, range 6 west, and is bounded on the north by Honey Point township, on the west by Gillespie, on the south by Staunton township, and on the east by Montgomery county. It lies in the southeastern portion of the county and the land is rolling prairie, well drained by Cahokia creek and its tributaries. There is also some timber to be found. Ephraim Powers settled near the southeastern corner of the township about 1828. and in 1830 Thomas Kinder and his family located on section n. In 1831 HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY 379 Peter B. Karnes and family settled here. Soon afterward others who came were John Kinder, Amos Snook, B. L. Dorsey, John Blevins, Tolton Blevins, Lodwick Jones and Nathan Duncan. All these settlers at once made improvements and developed good farms. The first birth in the township was that of William S. Karnes, son of Peter B. and Sarah Ann Karnes, whose birth occurred May 30, 1832. The first death was that of Mrs. Kinder in May, 1832. The first marriage also occurred in the spring of 1832, the contracting parties being Christopher Kinder and Miss Mary Ann Cook. The first religious services were held in 1834 at the home of James Caulk, by William Burg, a United Baptist minister. Larkin Craig was also a pioneer minister of this locality. The United Baptist people erected the first church here about 1840. It was located on section 2, on land belonging to Thomas Kinder. It was built of logs and served as well for school purposes. A man by the name of Arnold was the first teacher here. This building was finally destroyed by fire. The first schoolhouse was built of logs, on section 10, about the year 1835. The first teachers in this school were Evan Hazzard and John Wilton. John Blevins built the first blacksmith shop in 1833 anc ^ was the first black- smith in this district. Eaton & English put up the first grist mill, which was operated by horse power. The first entries of land were made as follows : John Blevins, eighty acres on section 10, April 22, 1831 ; Peter Kinder, eighty acres on section 10, May 9, 1831 ; George A. and John Kinder, the same amount on the same section on that date, while Jacob and William Kinder entered at the same time eighty acres on section 14. Others of the early settlers were Nancy Snook, Larkin Craig, Nancy Keel, George Bayless, Hugh Rice, William Anderson, William Eickmeyer, E. S. Holme and J. M. Rhoads. CLYDE. i The village of Clyde lies on section 3, in the northeastern part of the town- ship and is located on the Indianapolis & St. Louis railroad. Robert J. Hornsby was proprietor of the village and it was surveyed and platted by F. H. Chap- man in 1854. BENLD. Benld is one of the growing mining towns of Macoupin county. In the cen- sus of 1900, it was not mentioned, but the census of 1910 gives it a population of 1,912. Most of this population is made up of foreigners who gain a liveli- hood from the large mines located there. The village is substantially built, with probably a half dozen brick business structures in the center of the place. 380 HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY The Macoupin County railroad passes through the town and the Illinois Trac- tion System's electric road passes on its western border, giving its people easy access to the outside world. FIRST NATIONAL BANK. The First National Bank of Benld was chartered in 1905, with a capital stock of $25,000. Its president is F. W. Edwards and cashier, C. R. Eagle. The last published report of this national institution showed deposits to the amount of $65,000. STAUNTON TOWNSHIP. Staunton township is situated in the extreme southeast corner of Macoupin county, and is bounded on the north by Cahokia township, on the west by Dor- chester township, on the south by Madison county and on the east by Mont- gomery county. The township is mostly rolling prairie, well adapted for all kinds of agriculture. Several creeks run through the township, the principal one of which is Cahokia, which enters in the north part of section 5 and flow- ing in a southwesterly direction, passes out on the west of section 19. The streams are bordered by belts of timber, which include various kinds of oak, ash, sugar maple, walnut and hickory. John Wood claimed the distinction of being the first settler in the township, coming in the year 1817. He was a blacksmith and millwright by trade and came here from Virginia, settling on the southeast half of section 36. In the same year Richard Wilhelm and Cennith Seymore, both natives of Pennsylvania, came to Staunton township from Alabama, and settled on section 24. In the spring of 1819 Telemachus Camp, who was a native of Georgia, also came here from Alabama and located on section 19. In November of the same year John D. and Richard Chapman, who were natives of North Carolina, came here from Tennessee, the former settling on section 18, while the latter established his home on section 24. In 1820 several families were added to this section, these being Jesse Chapman, who came from North Carolina and settled on section 1 7 : James B. Cowell, who came from Tennessee and settled on section 30, while Lewis and William Cormack settled in the same neighborhood. The following year, 1821, Rodger Snell, a native of North Carolina, came from Tennessee and settled on section 31. From this time on many came and settled in Staunton township and during the succeeding seven years this district became quite thickly settled, the people coming from North and South Carolina, Virginia, Georg : a, Tennessee, Kentucky and some from Pennsylvania. The first religious service was held here in the fall of 1820, at the home of Richard Chapman, the minister being Rev. Parham Ranclle, of the Methodist faith. Rev. James Lemon, a nr'nister of the Baptist faith, preached in the home of Telemachus Camp, in the fall of 1821. The first church was built and dedi- cated in 1828 and was not only used by all denominations for religious services, but served as well for school purposes and public meetings of all kinds. It stooil on the land where the city cemetery is now located. HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY 381 The first school was conducted on the subscription plan and was taught in the summer of 1822 by William Wilcox. He taught eight hours a day, five days in the week, for two dollars a scholar. In 1825 tRe first school house was built. It was constructed of split hickory logs, with clapboard roof and dirt floor. The second building for school pur- poses was made of hewn logs, with a shingle roof and oak plank floor. It was 18x20 feet in size and one story in height. The first teachers were Rodger Snell, Tristram P. Hoxey, Philip Denham and Archibald Hoxey. The first couple to be married in the township was Jesse Chapman and Com- fort Alexander. The ceremony was performed on the 29th of May, 1820, by John Y. Sawyer, a justice of the peace, at Edwardsville, which was the only place a license could be secured. The second couple married in the township was William Wilcox and Polly Cormack, in 1823. The first white child born in the township was Benjamin, son of John D. and Sarah Chapman, in the spring of 1820. On the 23d of October of the same year a son was born to Mr. and Mrs. Telemachus Camp. He died on the i5th of December following, this being the first death in the township. The first store was opened by Stephen G. Hicks in 1831 and in 1834 John Cormack also opened a mercantile establishment. Dr. Luke S. Coons came in 1835 and was the first physician here. In the fall of 1820 Richard Chapman purchased a pair of millstones and fitted up a band mill. Up until 1823 the settlers were dependent upon this mill for their bread stuffs. In the latter year John Wood built a horse mill on Sil- ver creek, a few miles distant, and soon thereafter Stephen Wilcox erected a mill on section 25. In due course of time these gave way to tread mills, water mills and steam mills in their order, which furnished excellent facilities for the manu- facture of flour. Telemachus Camp made the first entry of land, August 18, 1819, on section 19, his place comprising one hundred and sixty-three acres. On the 2d of April, 1825, he entered eighty acres on section 31. December 22, 1828, Nathaniel Buckmaster entered eighty acres on section 29, and Rodger Snell entered eighty acres on section 31. STAUNTON. The town of Staunton is located on the northwest part of section 32 and a small portion extends into section 29 and section 31. The Wabash railroad runs along the east side of the town, and running northeast passes through the whole length of the township. The town seems to have been started by the opening of a store by Stephen G. Hicks in 1831. The town was laid out in l &35> by David Hendershot, the streets running north and south. It was not in- corporated, however, until the 23d of February, 1859. CHARTERED AS A CITY. In 1891 Staunton received its charter as a city. At that time it had a popu- lation of 2,209. It has now 5,048 people within its corporate limits, is growing steadily and is at this time the largest city in Macoupin county. E. E. Godfrey was the first mayor under the city charter and served in that capacity from 382 HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY 1891 until 1899. In the latter year he was succeeded by John Coerver, who died in August of that year. R. M. Purdy was acting mayor until the following No- vember, when E. E. Godfrey was appointed to fill the position. His successor, J. H. Harding, was elected in the spring of 1901 and served until 1903. C. F. Hackman was mayor from 1903 until 1906, when George H. Luker was elected and is the present incumbent. CITY HALL. In 1884, what was then considered a large and substantial city hall, was erected. It is a two-story brick building and stands on the corner of Main and Wood streets, occupying part of the public park. It has outgrown its usefulness, has been condemned as being unsafe, and it is only a question of a short time when a more modern structure will take its place. In this building are the council chamber, city offices, and fire department. The city is well policed and the civil government is run economically, but in a manner which shows a very progres- sive spirit on the part of the citizens. ELECTRIC LIGHT PLANT. In 1896 the city constructed an electric light plant, at an original cost of about $10,000. It was built near the water works plant, outside the corporate limits, about one mile from the city. Subsequently, it was removed into the city and housed in a well built brick structure, and at various times improvements have been added to the plant. In 1911, $9,000 was spent upon this utility. Staunton citizens take a great pride in their electric light establishment and claim to have one of the best plants of its kind in this section of the state. The service is con- tinuous and the patronage so generous that the city is enabled to light the streets practically free of cost, or in other words, the electric light plant is self-sustaining. CITY WATER WORKS. Staunton also owns its water works, which were built in 1888, and in oper- ation the latter part of that year. This improvement is built upon a tract of land consisting of twenty-seven acres. Here a dam was constructed at a cost of some $12,000. There is a brick power house, wherein are installed powerful pumps, which give sufficient pressure for any emergency. The water is whole- some and is piped throughout the city to many consumers. This is also a self- sustaining city utility and the plant itself is fully worth $50,000. A WELL BUILT CITY. The city of Staunton is not only the largest place in Macoupin county, but its business center is also the most substantially and more modernly built than any other town in the county. On its main street are some splendid buildings, devoted to mercantile purposes and its streets and sidewalks are of the best. There are now about eighteen blocks of brick paving and many miles of cement sidewalk. HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY 383 The city also owns a beautiful cemetery in the northwest part of the place, with- in the corporate limits. MINING AND OTHER INDUSTRIES OF THE CITY. The chief industry of Staunton consists in the mining of coal. Mines Nos. i and 2 of the Mt. Olive & Staunton Coal Company are located on the Litchfield & Madison railway which runs through the city near the north line of Madi- son county, Illinois, about one and a half miles from Staunton. These mines rank high among the important producers of the state of Illinois.' The com- pany is an Illinois corporation, having its offices in Staunton. This coal is largely used for domestic purposes and is a very superior steam product. It is also a famous coal in the large clay burning districts near St. Louis. Staunton also has an artificial ice plant, which was built by Paul Walters and Charles Becker, in 1896. POSTAL SAVINGS BANK. H. A. Fischer is the postmaster at this place. Under the direction of the de- partment at Washington he opened a postal savings bank on June 27, 1911, one of the first to be established by the government in the state of Illinois. The first deposit made at this office was for $100, by a farmer, on the day that the innovation was started, and at the time the office closed for receiving deposits on that first day, $1,100 had been taken in by the postmaster. Since the open- ing of the system at Staunton, the average daily deposits have amounted to $800. This clearly demonstrates the virtue of the government's postal savings banks. The first postmaster here was Dr. Coons. His successors were : Hugh Cald- well, Thomas Blair, C. Godfrey, C. Panhorst, W. F. Hackman and D. G. William- son. The present incumbent, H. A. Fischer, was appointed by President Roose- velt, April 10, 1906, and by President Taft on the 23d of April, 1910. WALL & COMPANY, BANKERS. The banking house of Wall & Company was established in 1893 by Hampton W. Wall and J. C. Panhorst. This financial concern continued in business until 1898, when Mr. Wall died and at his death Mr. Panhorst retired. The institu- tion then passed into the hands of the sons of Mr. Wall, William P. and Charles R., who conducted the business under the name of Wall Brothers. In 1901 Will- iam P. Wall secured full control of the business of Wall Brothers, and on March I, 1902, Cornelius Godfrey secured an interest in the concern and since that time the business has been conducted under the firm name of Wall & Company, Bankers, William- P. Wall, president; and C. Godfrey, cashier. The bank's re- sponsibilities are $100,000. WALL & QUADE, BANKERS. In 1902, after retiring from the Wall Brothers bank, Charles R. Wall and Otto E. Quade. under the firm name of Wall & Quade, established a banking 384 HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY institution. It is located in the corner of the Quade-Miller-Hackman block. Here are well appointed banking rooms, in which is a beautiful vault, the outer walls of which are covered with onyx and the inner walls steel lined. In this vault is a Mosler safe and safety deposit boxes. Both these banks are among the strong financial institutions of Staunton. LIBRARY AND LODGES. Staunton has a library of several hundred volumes and an active commercial club, the members of which have an eye single toward the interests of the city. There are numerous lodges, a few of which are here mentioned : Staunton Camp, No. 572, M. W. A.; Parnassus Lodge, No. 581, K. P.; Staunton Lodge, No. 177, A. F. & A. M. ; Royal Neighbors; Musicians Protective Union Local No. 219; St. Michael's Branch, No. 32; Western Catholic Union; Eastern Star; Red Men, Odd Fellows, Ben Hurs and others. NORTH OTTER TOWNSHIP. North Otter is situated in the northern tier of townships and comprises town- ship 12 north, range 7 west. The township is bounded on the north by Sanga- mon county, on the west by North Palmyra, on the south by South Otter and on the east by Virden and Girard townships. It took its name from Otter creek, which flows through the eastern part of the township, and it was so called from the fact that in early times large numbers of otters were found on the banks of this creek. In 1829 the following settlers came to this locality: Hugh Gibson, John Pope, John Chandler, Jesse Cox, John Stewart and G. L. McGinnis. All brought their families with them. William C. Crump came in 1833, while the year 1834 witnessed the arrival of W. C. Alderson. The first birth in the township was that of William H. Cox, on the 1 22d of November, 1829. The first preacher in the locality was "Uncle Johnny" Stewart, a local preacher of the Methodist church. The Methodist denomination erected the first church here about 1866. The first school was taught by George Boggess. The" first mill was erected by Thomas Sprouse. It was operated by horse power. Dr. Goode located here in the '303 and began the practice of medicine. He was the only practitioner here until the arrival of Dr. Chapman in 1876. The first two entries of land were made in 1828 by Owen T. Merry and Har- din Lodsdew, each entering eighty acres on section 19, in the month of Novem- ber. In February, 1829, James McGinnis entered a like amount on section 19. SOUTH OTTER TOWNSHIP. This township is located in what is geographically known as township n, range 7 west, and is bounded on the north by North Otter township, on the west by ST. 1'AU/S KVAN'CKUCAL ClirUCH LIBRARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY 385 South Palmyra, on the south by Carlinville and on the east by Nilwood town- ship. In the eastern and southern portions the land is mostly prairie and is a rich, black soil, while in the northwestern portion some timber is to be found, including oak, hickory and cottomvood. The general surface is undulating but near the creeks the bluffs are quite abrupt and the soil is mostly clay. The land is afforded good drainage by Otter creek and its tributaries. A portion of the village of Nilwood is located in the eastern part of this township. The first settler in the township was a man by name of Days, who moved a log house across Otter creek from South Palmyra township. The first new buildings were erected by Samuel and Henry Miller. Other of the early settlers were Irvin and Martin Ptillam, Joel Bond, Alvey Graves, William Etter, Comfort Smith, Samuel Clark, David Davidson, J. Adams, T. S. Barrow, M. M. Ross, Robert and Thomas Bacon, G. D. Crawford and others. M. P. Pullam entered the first land in the township, November 8, 1831, ninety- two acres on section 2. Peter Lair entered forty acres on section 6, December 5. 1833, while Casper Rowland entered forty acres on section 10, in May, 1834. The first physician to locate here was Dr. Vance. William M. Clark, son of Samuel and Mary Clark, was the first child born in the township, his birth occurring March 14, 1838. The first death was in September, 1838, that of Mrs. Elizabeth Miller, at the home of her son, on section 30. In 1837 Samuel Raffurty and a Mrs. Hoover were married, which was the first in the township. At an early day a schoolhouse was erected on section 30 and Mrs. Mary Bacon was the first teacher. She was succeeded by Annie Dorman. In 1839 Mrs. Mary Bacon organized the first Sunday school in the town- ship at her home on section 19. Rev. William Vance, a Methodist, and a Rev. Williams, a Presbyterian, conducted services in the schoolhouse on section 30. at an early day. The Bap- tist church at Hickory Point, erected in 1869, was the first in this district. Daniel Snyder was the first carpenter in the township. A horse power mill on section 30, built by Henry Miller, was the first in the township. It was a sawmill, and was abandoned about the year 1850. There is no village in this township. r.II.LESPIE TOWNSHIP. Gillespie township is bounded on the north by Brushy Mound, on the east by Cahokia, on the south by Dorchester and on the west by Hilyard townships. It was named in honor of Judge Joseph Gillespie by the managers of the In- ' dianapolis & St. Louis railroad. The soil is of yellow clay, mixed with sand near the streams but back from the streams the soil is a deep black loam and very productive. The township is drained by the Dry fork and its branches and along the streams in early times was found a heavy growth of timber, mostly oak. The southern and eastern portions are mostly prairie, which are laid out in finely cultivated farms. The southeastern portion of the township is drained by the Little Cahokia creek. 386 HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY The first land entry was made October 28, 1825. by Michael Dodd, when he became the possessor of eighty acres on section 15. Three years later, Septem- ber 15, 1828, Dennis Davis entered eighty acres in the northwest quarter of sec- tion 2. September 29, 1829, B. Nowlin and J. G. White each entered a tract of eighty acres on section 14. The first house was built by John Wright on section 2. This was in 1828. The year 1829 witnessed the arrival of several families, among whom were Alexander Miller and Abraham Huddleston, Jr., who settled on section 3 ; and a widow by the name of McCafee, also Dennis Davis, both of whom settled on section 2. In 1830 Aaron Maxwell settled on section 22. while Gabriel Maxwell settled on section 21. In 1831 James Robinson settled on section 29, Arter Taylor on section 5, and Giles Adams on section 17. Daniel Huddleston arrived here in 1832 and made a permanent location on section 5. In 1833 A. Jackson Rose settled on section 21 and Andrew Clark settled on the same section, while George Harlan entered land on section 2. Soon after coining here in 1833, George Harlan built a horse mill on section 2, which was the first in the township. It is not known who was the first child born but it is known that in the fall of 1830 a child was born in each of the homes of John Wright and Gabriel McKinzie. In the year 1831 or 1832 Louisa Huddleston, daughter of Abraham and Judah Huddleston, aged eighteen months died and was buried on section 3. This was the first death in the township. The first schoolhouse was constructed of logs in the fall of 1835 and was located on section 3. Alexander Walls and a Mr. Moore taught here in early times but it is not known which was the first teacher. The first sermon in the township was preached in the home of Daniel Hud- dleston, on section 5, by Pleasant Lamay, a Baptist clergyman. He preached in the different homes and in the schoolhouse until a church was erected, which was in 1834, and was located on section 5. Rev. Lamay was the first to preach in the new church and continued to hold religious services here until the time of his death. In 1854 a larger and more modern building was erected, Alva Huddleston and Nicholas Grimes doing the carpenter work. Rev. William Fitz- gerald delivered the first sermon in the new building. The first Sunday school was organized in 1848 and the superintendent was Henry Fishback. Giles Adams was the first postmaster and the mail was kept in his home on sec- tion 17. This office was established in 1854 and prior to that time the mail was carried by stage on the line running between Carlinville and Bunker Hill. The first election was also held in Mr. Adams' home in 1835. The settlers considered this, a great convenience as they had formerly gone to Carlinville to vote. The first blacksmith shop was erected by Daniel Adams, father of Giles Adams, in 1834. HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY 387 The first store was opened in the summer of 1834 on section 3, by John Foster. The first tavern was conducted by a Mr. Abrahams at Dry Point, on section 15, and was opened in 1833. GILLESPIE. The town of Gillespie is located on section 24. The original proprietor was Philander C. Huggins and it was surveyed by J. B. Meads in the spring of 1853. In 1855 an addition known as Huggins' first addition was made on the north side and in the following year, 1856, S. H. Burton made an addition on the south side. The first building in the town was erected in 1853 by B. F. Clark, the lower floor being used as a store room, while the upper story was used as a dwelling. In 1854 the postoffice was moved from Giles Adams' residence to the store of B. F. Clark and the first postmaster here was Thomas Chandler. The first hotel, a frame building, was put up by S. D. Martin in the spring of 1856 and was known as the National Hotel. The first mill was built by Settlemire, Rankin & Holmes in 1859. O Janu- ary 14, 1864, William Robinson, engineer, and Lewis Zinzer, miller, were killed by the explosion of the engine. The first blacksmith shop was built and conducted by McGoern & Berning. Dr. Isaac Osborn came here in 1855 an d began the practice of medicine. In 1855 Jacob Querbach built a wagon shop and in the same year a school- house was erected and a Mr. Williams became the first teacher. The schoolhouse also served as a place of worship until 1863, when the Epis- copalians built a church and Rev. Dresser served as pastor for a time. He was succeeded by Rev. Mitchell. The same year the Methodist denomination built a house of worship and Rev. Morrison served as their first pastor. The German Lutheran church was erected in the fall of 1869. The first Sunday school was organized in the schoolhouse in 1856. This church now has a beautiful pressed brick house of worship and a comfortable parsonage. The present pastor is Rev. L. Krekler. The records of the Methodist church, now at hand, would show that the church was organized about 1850. Abram Isaacs and wife Mary, D. K. Camp- bell and a number of others were charter members. At the time mentioned it was a mission in the Alton district, with an appropriation of $100 of missionary money. Rev. R. Randall was the first pastor. Five years later the church numbered about ninety members, and its property was valued at about $500. In 1857 J. D. Gilham was pastor and the church numbered one hundred and ten members. Rev. Gilham was succeeded by T. M. Boyle in 1858. He had in- creased the membership to one hundred and ninety. That same year the church was transferred to the Litchfield district and T. W. Jones was the pastor. Among the early pastors of this church may be mentioned Asa Snell, J. S. Morrison, W. F. Davis, George T. Weaver, C. J. Tolle, A. Bliss, S. Walker, N. D. Shack- elford, T. A. Eaton, S. T. English, S. P. Grove and R. H. Massey. In 1864 a new church was built on the corner of Macoupin and Spruce streets, which was used until 1910. The building, which was a frame, was then moved off its 38b HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY foundation to its present location, a block east on the corner of Spruce and Madison, and now forms a part of a new building of frame, constructed in the year last above mentioned, at a cost of about $8,000. The membership of this church now numbers about 125. The attendance at the Sabbath school is 275. The present pastor, C. H. Spragg, succeeded Rev. Samuel Thero, in 1911. St. Catherine's and Gude's Catholic church has long been established at this place. In 1879 a commodious frame building was erected to accommodate its members, which at that time numbered about one hundred. The church was en- larged and improved in 1902 and in 1910 a rectory was built for the pastor. The value of the entire property amounts to about $16,000. Rev. Thomas Cros- son is the pastor. There are a Christian and Baptist organization in Gillespie, both long estab- lished, but now weak in numbers. Services are held at the Baptist church every other Sunday by J. M. Gwinn, -of Staunton. The Christians have no regular minister. THE CITY DESTROYED BY FIRE. January 29, 1905, Gillespie was visited by a destructive fire, which entirely wiped out the business section. Nothing daunted, the citizens at once began to rebuild and today the main street of this pretty little city has on each side of it modern and tastefully built brick structures that would be an adornment to any place. This main thoroughfare, named Macoupin, is 100 feet wide. In the center is the track of the Illinois Traction System, one of the greatest interurban rail- roads in the world. Early in the summer seasons for the past three years the main street has been sprinkled with oil. The citizens have found this method to be preferable to sprinkling with water and much less expensive. POPULATION INCREASES. In 1904 the population of Gillespie was 1,716. The federal census of 1910 gave it 3,075. Shortly after this census was made public, a school census was taken, which increased the number to 3,160. LARGEST MINES IN THE WORLD. The chief industry of Gillespie and the section surrounding it is the mining of coal, and it is said that three of the largest mines in the world are located at this point. They are owned and operated by the Chicago & Northwestern Rail- road Company which places none of its product on the market. It is therefore presumed that this great railroad system uses the coal in the operation of its own rolling stock. PROPOSED CITY HALL. In the spring of 1911 the citizens of Gillespie voted on the proposition of is- suing bonds to the extent of $8,000. for the purpose of building a city hall. The proposition carried and bids were made on the structure, but rejected. New plans HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY 389 for the improvement are now being made. The hall will be constructed of brick and two stories in height. Provisions will be made for a council chamber, jail, fire department, and other public conveniences. The city has a volunteer fire de- partment. The paraphernalia consists of a chemical engine and hose carts. Of the police force, there is a marshal and two night patrolmen. ELECTRIC LIGHT PLANT. The city is well lighted by an electric plant, built in 1890, by private parties. Frank Edwards of Benld is president of the concern and C. W. Smith, of Gilles- pie, manager. The city has a continuous service. OTHER FEATURES. Gillespie is without a water works, or sewerage system but the city is so pros- perous and its people are so energetic and enterprising that it is only a question of a short' time before these necessary utilities will be installed. However, the citizens here take great pride in their sidewalks. Within the last three years there have been laid twenty miles of granitoid walks. Five years ago there were but two blocks of them. In 1897 a commodious and tastefully built two-story frame opera house was erected, with a seating capacity of 350, by H. F. Mein- ecke and others. MINERS HOMES. Gillespie can well pride herself on the appearance and construction of the company homes for miners. One does not see here long, forbidding looking rows of shacks, without any shade trees or other comforts surrounding them. On the contrary, there is a diversity in the appearance of the buildings. Each take on the cottage design, are painted, and really look home like, as they should. In 1910 the Northwestern established repair yards at Gillespie for its coal cars. Here 2,000 cars are used each day in handling coal. That means that many need re- pairs and seventy-five men are employed in the shops on that work. SOCIETIES. Like all other progressive little cities, Gillespie has her societies, chief among which may be mentioned the Masons, Odd Fellows, Knights of Pythias, Wood- men, Red Men, Owls, Hibernians, and Foresters. There is a post here of the Grand Army of the Republic, which was once quite strong in its membership, but at this time only five of them answer to the roll call at its meetings. FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS. The city of Gillespie has two strong financial concerns in the Gillespie Na- tional Bank and the Bank of Gillespie. The first was organized October i, 1905, by H. H. Behrens, H. W. Rice, J. K. McDavid, Marvel Thomas, J. M. Rodiner, G. W. Smith, Sr., P. H. Dorsey, Sr., Thomas Elliman, Edward Lane and others. 390 HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY H.'H. Behrens was the first president; M. Thomas, vice president; and W. J. Joyce, cashier. The bank was capitalized at $50,000. The present officials are : President, J. M. Rodiner; vice president, Thomas E. Elliman; cashier, H. W. Rice ; assistant cashier, W. E. Cavanaugh. Directors, J. E. Barringer, Joe Quer- bach, J. P. Querbach, P. H. Dorsey, H. F. Bycroft, Sr., H. W. Rice, J. M. Rodi- ner, Thomas Elliman, J. K. McDavid. The Bank of Gillespie was established in 1894 by S. M. Grubbs and E. R. Davis, of Litchfield, under the firm name of Grubbs, Davis & Company. About 1900 Mr. Davis retired and E. I. Miller of the First National Bank of Litch- field assumed his interest in the concern, which then took the title of the Bank of Gillespie. It took the firm name of Grubbs, Miller & Isaacs, the latter gentle- man having entered the firm in 1897. In 1906 this company erected its bank building, which was the first new structure put up after the coal industry was established. DORCHESTER TOWNSHIP. Dorchester township is bounded on the north by Gillespie, on the east by Staunton, on the south by Madison county and on the west by Bunker Hill town- ship. The district is drained by Cahokia creek and the west fork of Cahokia and its tributaries, which runs through the central portion from north to south. In former years the land along these streams was heavily timbered but much of it has been cut off for fencing and for other purposes. It is a rich farming district. The first settler in this township was a Mr. Williams, who came here in the latter part of the year 1818. He was a "squatter" and it is not certain that he ever owned any land here. He removed to Missouri in 1833. The first land entries were: October 9, 1820, eighty acres on section 24, by Richard Wilhelm; March n, 1829, forty acres on section n, by Charles G. Spence; January 25. 1830, Telemachus Camp. At first the settlers sought land in the edge of the timber but after a time they began to push, out on the prairies. In 1829 the following people came to the township : William McKenney, who settled on section 1 1 ; Thomas Grant, sec- tion 35 ; John Funderburk, section 23. In 1830 came Valentine Sawyer, who located on section 13; William Davis, section 22; Abraham Smith, section 34. The year 1831 witnessed the arrival here of Daniel B. Sawyer, who located on section 10, while in 1832 he was followed by Thomas Hart, who settled on section 23. In 1833, Abraham Isaacs, made a permanent settlement on section i ; in 1834, John Walker, located on section 16; in 1835, Joseph Walker on sec- tion 35; Cleveland Walker on section 5; in 1836, David Bentley on section 27; and in 1837 Dana R. Hayden located on section 4, while William Purdy settled on section 23. The first birth was a child born to Mr. and Mrs. Telemachus Camp, in 1820. John A. Funderburk performed the first marriage ceremony, when he united Daniel B. Sawyer and Miss Minerva Scroggins. The first deaths in the township were two children of Telemachus Camp from the years 1824 to 1826. They were buried on his farm, which was the begin- HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY 391 ning of the first cemetery in the township. Later others were buried on his farm, twelve or fourteen in all. The first sermon was preached in Mr. Camp's home in 1829 by a traveling missionary of the Baptist denomination. Peter Long was instrumental in or- ganizing the first Baptist church here in 1836. The first church to be erected was by the Christian denomination at Round prairie, on section 32, in the year 1852. The first ministers were Robert Foster and Jonathan G. Wood. The first Sun- day school was organized in 1870 and was held in a schoolhouse. The first mill in the township was operated by horse power and erected on section 7 by Valentine Sawyer. Every one who came to mill did his own grind- ing, giving in payment one-eighth of the grain. The first schoolhouse was built in 1839 on the southeast quarter of section n. It was built of logs. The first teacher was Jeremiah Wilcox. The first postoffice was kept at Dorchester by William T. Keas. The first steam sawmill was erected in 1850 on section 24. The first blooded cattle brought into the township was by Henry Bowers. In 1855-56 the Indianapolis & St. Louis railroad built their line through the northwest portion of the township, thereby furnishing facilities for the shipment of grain and produce. DORCHESTER. The village of Dorchester is located on sections 4 and 5 of Dorchester town- ship, and sections 32 and 33, Gillespie township. It took its name from Dor- chester Heights and the township later took the same name. Alonzo Cutler was the original proprietor of the village and it was through his efforts that a railroad station was established at this place. In 1859 Fletcher H. Chapman made the survey. In the spring of 1861 was laid out P. R. Hay- den's addition on the southeast side of the village. In 1866 Hayden's second addition was laid out. A depot was built in the spring of 1861 and about the same time William Whitfield erected a building which he used for a dwelling and a store. In the summer of 1860 Mr. Hayden built a side track on the south side of the railroad and put up a small warehouse for grain. He rented this building to B. F. Williamson but in the spring of 1861 took possession of it himself. The first hotel in the town was built in 1866 by Thomas Potts. The first marriage was that of a Mr. Duncan and Miss S. Grant. A Methodist church was erected in 1868, and the first preacher was Rev. Morris. A Christian church was erected in 1874 and the first minister was Rev. David Davis. Prior to the erection of these houses of worship union services were held in a hall owned by P. R. Hayden. The first schoolhouse was built in 1869 and the first teacher was James Ayres. Dorchester is now a village of 102 inhabitants. The town is situated on the line between Dorchester and Gillespie townships and the people are equally divided between the two of them. 392 HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY NORTH PALMYRA TOWNSHIP. This township lies in the extreme northern portion of the county. It is geographically known as township 12, range 8 west, and contains 23,040 acres of land. It is bounded on the north by Morgan county, on the east by North Otter township, on the south by South Palmyra and on the west by Scottville town- ships. There is some timber to be found here but the land is mostly a fertile prairie, under a high state of cultivation. Apple creek drains the northern por- tion, while the east side is drained by Massey creek, the central and southern portions by Solomon's creek and the western portion by Joe's creek. The first man to settle in this township was John Cummings, who came with his family in August, 1824. He was followed by Jonas Thompson and family who came in the same year. In 1825 Mrs. Woodring and family came and in the fall of 1826 Elijah Wills and his family made a permanent location in the township. On the 2jih of March, 1827, Judge Lewis Solomon, Sr., came here from Morgan county and located on section 20. Solomon's creek was named in his honor. The district in which he located was afterward known as Eagle's point and received its name from the following circumstance : When Judge Solomon came to the county to look for a location, he burned off several patches of prairie and as the fire neared the timber a large number of spotted eagles flew around. These eagles are found only in new and unsettled country. Here Judge Solomon, assisted by his sons James and Lewis, erected a log cabin, which had no windows, the only light in the building being received through the door and chimney. In the fall of 1828 William Norvill and family came from Sumner county, Tennessee, and settled on section 23. The first man to enter land was Jonathan Thompson, February 17, 1827. He entered eighty acres on the southeast quarter of section 4. Ezekiel Springer en- tered eighty acres on the northwest quarter of section 3, on the I2th of Novem- ber, 1827. The third entry was made by E. C. Vancil, January 19, 1828, which comprised eighty acres of the southeast quarter of section 4. After this time settlers came in quite rapidly. John Nevins, Sr., came from Madison county in 1827 and bought the improvements of Elijah Wills. In the same year John Nevins, Jr. and John Scott, with their families, arrived and set- tled on section 7. William Nevins, the father of John, came and settled on the same section. Jacob Nifong came here in 1828 and bought the improvements of John Nevins. James Howard came from Morgan county in 1828. He married a daughter of Judge Solomon and became the first schoolteacher in the township. Alexander Carson came from Kentucky and settled on section 28. This was in the spring of 1828. The same year I. B. Vancil and Spencer Norvill came and settled in the township. Aaron Turner and Larkin Richardson arrived in 1829. In 1830 John Cherry and Russell, William, Henry and John Taber arrived in the township. All settled just north of the present site of Palmyra. Robert Ross came in 1829 or 1830 and settled on section 27. Joseph King came in 1829. locating on section 28. His brother David joined him here in 1835. James Pocklington, an Englishman, came with his family in August, 1830. Isham Gib- son was an early settler. GIRARD COAL MIN 7 E 0- w ,^5 . .;:>:;;:: .... . . . . . . . . , W$i>< . . . : xh'jCCC(l( ( w ' . . t m