> »: u *+ •* .0 ^6* \o° v-o* ^0* *bf J?**. *° ■ - w **©* iP-^ '* *° *oV* A o v ^> v 4 *o. F *W- • ** ^ * A_> \>. s *6V v. • « sP-i, *^ ♦. « v • • • ° - V" TV" ° aS •JF/fl%&\ \* & . * V / THE GOOD OLD TIMES , McLEAN COUNTY, ILLINOIS, CONTAIN! Mi Two Hundred and Sixty-one Sketches of Old Settlers. A COMPLETE Historical Sketch of the Black Hawk War, And descriptions of all matters of interest relating to McLean County. Written by Dr. E DUIS, LA IE PROFESSOR OF GERMAN IN THE BLOOMINGTON PUBLIC SCHOOLS. BLOOMINGTON : THE LEADER PUBLISHING AND PRINTING HOUSE. 1874. Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1874, by E. DUIS, In the office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington. THIS VOLUME is most respectfully dedicated to the OLD SETTLERS OF McLEAN COUNTY, Whose virtues as citizens, and as pioneers in the cause of civilization and progress, will be remembered with gratitude by all the generations which follow in their footsteps, In the fulfillment of that proud destiny, so happily inaugurated by their BRAVERY, INDUSTRY AXD INTEGRITY. PREFACE. The author of this volume does not wish to impose on the public a narrative of his trials in collecting information and in writing the sketches contained herein, although the difficulties have been very great. Notwithstanding all of his troubles, it has, on the whole, been a pleasant task. It has brought him in contact with the pleasantest and most freehearted men with whom it has been his lot to be acquainted. They are men whose ideas were formed in the days when neighbors were few and friendships were more highly prized than silver and gold. It is possible that some mistakes have been made in this work on account of the great variety of facts to be collected, but the author has taken extraordinary pains to verify the matters herein narrated, and he believes the mistakes are few. He is under many obligations to old settlers for favors ren- dered, and had it not been for the exertions of Judge J. E. Me- Clun and John Magoun, it is doubtful whether the author would have had sufficient courage to have brought the work to comple- tion. He is also under many obligations to Mr. Jesse \V. Fell, President Richard Edwards, W. H. Hodge, J. W. Billings and others. It has been impossible to obtain the sketches of all of the settlers who came to McLean County before the year 1838. The greater number of them are dead ; many have moved away ; some could not be seen, and a few were unwilling to have the incidents of their lives put into print. Nevertheless the sket. of two hundred and sixty-one old settlers, and eight gentlemen of McLean County holding prominent positions are given. Various other short biographical sketches appear in different parts of the VI PREFACE. work. This the reader will find sufficient to set forth McLean County in all its lights and shades. The " good old times" and the new are made plain in the stories of these men. The author intended to have written for this work a complete history of the churches, but, strange to say, the information con- cerning them was quite as difficult to obtain as that of the old settlers, and would have made a large volume by itself. Bloomington, Illinois, June 1st, 1874. TABLE OP CONTENTS. PAGE. McLEAN COUNTY 1 Normal University 19 Soldiers' Orphans' Home 29 The First Newspaper 31 Newspapers of the County 33 BLOOMINGTON 39 Public Schools 57 Wesleyan University 63, Business College 75 German School 75 Female Seminary 76 Library 77 Coal Company 79 Turn-Verein ■ 81 Turn-Gem einde 81 Railroads 83 THE BLACK HAWK WAR 97 Black Hawk. Cause of the War. The troubles of 1831. Burning of the Sac Village. Renewal of trouble in 1832. Call for Volunteers. Stillman's Run. Massacre on Indian Creek. Second call for Volunteers. Fight at Burr Oak Grove. Attack on Apple River Fort. Attack of Captain Stephenson. Fight on the Pecatonica. Rendezvous of Volunteers at Fort Wilburn. Fight at Kellogg's Grove. March to the Four Lakes. Battle of Wisconsin Heights. Pursuit of the Indians. Battle of Bad Axe. VIH TABLE OF CONTENTS. Capture of Black Hawk. Conclusion of Peace. Distinguished soldiers of the Black Hawk War. General Harney. Colonel Baker. John T. Stuart, ■ General Albert .Sidney Johnson. General Zachary Taylor. General Robert Anderson. Jefferson Davis. Abraham Lincoln. General Scott. THE OLD SETTLERS OF McLEAN COUNTY. Allin Township. DATE OF SETTLEMENT. PAGE. Presley T. Brooks Winter of 1830 J25 Greenberry Larison ISol 127 Richard A. Warlow Fall of 1834 13-5 Arkowsmith. John B. Thompson ' October, 1829 136 Jacob Smith 1883 140 Bloomiwgton. John Hendris Spring of 1822 141 John W. Dawson •• " •• 143 John Dawson June, 1822 145 William Orendorff Spring of 1823 149 Thomas Orendortf '« •■ 151 John B. Orendorff « » 157 James K. Orendorff •• " 158 Oliver H. P. Orendorff " '< 163 Rev. Ebenezer Rhodes Spring of 1824 166 John H. S. Rhodes •• •• 168 Jeremiah Rhodes •• •' 173 William H. Hodge " " 177 William R. Goodheart Pall of 1824 182 William Evans, sr, 1824 186 William Dimmitt 1825 18*.) Robert Guthrie 1826 I'M Rev. Robert E.Guthrie <« 193 Adam Guthrie '« 197 David Cox >• 198 William McCullough " 201 Dr. Isaac Baker July. 1827 206 George Hinshaw, jr " •• 208 Dr. William Lindley 1828 211 Hon. James Allin 1829 212 William If. Allin •• 215 Jonathan Maxson September, 1830 216 TABLE OS CONTENTS. US HATE OF SETTLEMENT. PAGE. David Simmons F:l11 "' 1>;:u 22] Hon. John Moore October, 1830 225 Amasa C Washburn 1881 Dr. Stephen Ward Noble Abraham Stansberry l832 James U. Harbord October, 1832 239 Ephraim Platte Spring of is:;:; 242 Hon. James B. Trie October, 1883 245 George Price _ John J. Price " 251 Lewis Bunn 1833 252 William C. Warlow John Lindley Allen With ers Dr. John F. Henry General A. Gridley Fall of 1831 Judge David Davis 1835 Elder William T. Major Chast ine Maj or Dr. Laban S. Major Dr. John M. Major Thomas Fell October, 1835 John Magoun 1835 Dr. C. Wakefield William 0. Viney August, 1837 John T. Gunnel! John W. Billings Hen ry Richardson Joshua Fell Jonathan Glimpse Dr. Henry Conkling Fal1 I838 Chenky\s Grove. 256 258 2G1 288 290 296 298 306 308 312 :!14 318 Thomas Jefferson Karr Hon. James Miller William H. Temple James Depew Matthew H. Hawks Samuel Lander Fal1 1835 William Thomas Spring Thomas Williams Kersey H. Fell William F. Flagg Judge John E. McClun Spring 1837 Abraham Brokaw 326 330 1836 336 348 Andrew W. Scoggin ls::T 354 358 364 369 371 7 Jonathan Cheney 1 S -'"' Hon. William Haines Cheney George Cheney -7 X TABLE OF CONTENTS. DATE OF SETTLEMENT. PAGE. James Vanscoyoc 1829 890 Thomas Cunningham " 393 King Solomon Cunningham " 394 James R. Means March 1830 395 iphraim S. Myers April 1830 399 William Riggs 1830 403 Snowden Ball 1831 407 Hilleary Ball " 408 William K. Stansberry October, 1833 410 Otha Owen " Sept, 1834 413 Joseph Newcom 1835 415 Isaac Stansberry .' 1836 419 Dale. Robert H. Johnson December, 1828 422 William Beeler Fall 1830 424 William Beeler, jr " " 427 Jesse Hill October, 1830 430 Abram Enlow Fall 1835 434 Richard Rowell Cctober, 1836 436 Dan vers. EbenezerB. Mitchel March, 1825 438 Hon. Matthew Robb Spring 1827 344 Thomas McClure Spring 1827 446 Robert McClure " " 449 Jonathan Hodge " " 454 Uriah S. Hodge , " " 457 William F. Hodge " " 457 James O. Barnard March, 1828 460 James G. Reyburn Sept, 1828 462 Levi Danley Feb. 1829 466 The Conger Family 1829 469 Israel W. Hall 1834 471 JeremiahS. Hall " 472 John Hay " 474 George F. Hay - s Jesse Havens December, 1829 629 Hiram Havens " " 631 Benjamin Wheeler 1830 634 John Smith " 137 Albert Y. Phillips " 640 Xll TABLE OF CONTENTS. DATK "F SETTLEMENT. PAGE. Isaac Turnipseed. Spring 1831 643 Elijah Priest July, 1834 644 Samuel Lewis May. 1836 646 Samuel H. Lewis " " 648 James T. Gildersleeve ..Fall 1836 650 Joseph D. Gildersleeve " 1836 654 Jacob H. Burtis Winter 1836 656 Enoch A. Gastman March, 1838 657 Lawn dale. David Henline Fall 1828 660 William B. Henline " " 660 Martin Henline " " 663 Martin Batterton Fall 1833 664 Lexington. Jacob Spawr Fall 1826 665 George Spawr Fall 1827 668 Joseph Brumhead 1828 671 Henson B. Downey " 072 John Haner Fall 1828 673 Benjamin Patton 1828 676 Patrick Hopkins 1830 677 Peter Hefner 1830 G80 John Dawson December, 1832 683 Croghan Dawson " " 685 James Adams Fall 183 ! 687 Shelton Smith " " 689 Milton Smith [ » ]*35 692 Thomas McMackin '• 1838 694 Martin. William Wiley •■ 1835 696 Lytle R. Wiley •• " 698 Curtis Batterton Spring ISoT 699 Money Ckeek. Jesse Trimmer June, 1826 701 Henry Moats Fall 1S2'.> Tic; William Stretch Fall L830 703 Albert Ogden Fall 1831 704 William Wilcox hine. 1832 705 John Ogden Fall 1832 709 James McAferty December, 1832 710 Dr. Ethan McAferty " " 711 Samuel Ogden Fall is:]:; 712 Jonathan Ogden " " 714 Madison Young •• 715 James R. Wiley " 1835 716 Wesley F. Bishop •• 1836 718 William Crose 1837 720 TABLE OF CONTENTS. x'lii date of settlement page. Mount Hope. George M. Stubblefield December, L824 I'll Jesse Stubblefield L825 727 William Hieronymus Fall 1828 728 Enoch Hieronymus " :' 7:]0 John Hougham. " 1831 732 Westley Hougham " " 7:;i John Longworth 1836 7:'..") Old Town. Lewis Case July, 183:; 738 Harvey Bishop 18 7jo F. R. Cowden 1834 741 Padua. William Evans, jr, 1825 743 Daniel Jackson October, 1830 745 Jeremiah Greenman, Fall 1831 74i; John Bishop March, 1832 747 Adolphus Dimmick Fall 1832 749 Josiah Horr October, 1836 750 Randolph. Alfred M. Stringfield Spring 1823 752 Thomas 0. Rutledge Fall 1824 759 Robert H. Rutledge " " 765 Jesse Funk December, 1824 769 George C. Hand " 1825 775 Nathan Low IS - -!'.) 776 Purnel Passwaters Spring 1830 779 Richard Passwaters " " 780 Purnel Passwaters, jr, '• " 7 s - Enoch J. Passwaters " " 783 Clement Passwaters.. " " 7*4 Jacob Bishop September, 1830 784 Matthew Covardale ..Fall 1830 788 Samuel Stewart Fall 1831 700 John H. Stewart " " 792 David Noble " " 795 William C. Noble " " 796 Joseph K. Noble " " 798 Dr. Harrison Noble 1833 800 Walter Karr March, 1834 802 William Rust Fall 1834 805 John F. Rust Spring 1834 806 William M. Rust Fall 1834 809 Harvey J. Rust " •' 810 Campbell Wakefield June, 1835 812 Dr. Thomas Karr October, 1835 814 William Karr " " *17 George Martin li " 819 XIV TABLE OF CONTENTS. DATE OF SETTLEMENT. PAGE. TOWANDA. Jesse Walden Fall 1828 820 White Oak. John Benson, sr., 1823 823 John Benson, jr., " s 27 James Benson " 831 William T.T.Benson " 833 Elisha Dixon 1828 835 Smith Denman September, 1829 837 Abraham Carlock ....Spring 1831 838 Stephen Taylor Fall 1837 841 PERSONS HOLDING POSITIONS OF HONOR OR TRUST. Dr. Thomas P. Rogers 846 Judge Thomas F.Tipton 852 Judge Amasa J. Merriman 853 Judge Reuben M. Benjamin 854 General John McNulta 857 Hou. John L. Routt 858 Henry Honscheidt 863 John Hull, Superintendent of Schools 864 THE OLD SETTLERS. The old settlers of McLean County are one by one passing beyond the shores of the unknown river, and in a few years not one will be left of the noble band of pioneers who made their homes in what was then a wilderness, inhabited only by red men. Their descendants, and those who come after them, will live to enjoy the full measure of happiness and prosperity built upon the solid foundations laid by the old settlers ; and may they ever hold in grateful remembrance those fathers and mothers whose daring and hardihood were the source of our present greatness. May the good actions, the intrepidity, and the daring of the old settlers, remain green in the memory of coming generations, for- ever Since this work has been in preparation, five old settlers have passed away. Their names are : James C. Harbord, of Bloom- ington township ; Alexander P. Craig, of Downs township ; Dr. John F. Henry, late of Burlington, Iowa ; Patrick Hopkins, of Lexington ; and Daniel Crumbaugh, of Empire township. Peace to their ashes ! The present generation of McLean County is so near, in point of time, to the old settlers, that, as a rule, sufficient importance is not attached to their early struggles, their fortitude, and self- sacrifiee, which has resulted in the astonishing progress of the county. While the pioneers are deservedly held in high esteem by all who study the local history of Illinois, it will remain for future generations to bestow upon them the full degree of grati- tude and veneration to which they are entitled. In the same manner we now look back to Revolutionary sires with a pride we do not care to conceal. XVI THE OLD SETTLERS. The old settlers were ardent believers in the future greatness of Illinois, where they had found a rich soil, a beautiful country, anc} everything that could promise a wonderful development. How well their anticipations have been fulfilled need not be told. Doubtless they did not believe that the very next generation after them would reap such golden returns from the original invest- ments, but they knew too well that such returns could not be delayed many years after the first inhabitants should pass away. In a few years the War of Rebellion will be the great dividing line between early and late times in McLean County. Even now it is thirteen years since that bloody storm commenced to sweep over the land, and many who were engaged in its sanguinary encounters have left the scene of action. How important, there- fore, that the incidents connected with the first settlers should be preserved and kept fresh in the recollections of their descendants. The records in old times were few and imperfect, but that which they reveal should be cherished with all the wealth of affection owing to souvenirs and relics handed down from a sturdy ancestry. M'LEAN COUNTY. Illinois was made a State in the Union in the year 1818, when it had a population of about forty-five thousand. At that time the settlements made were in the southern part, and the first legislature met at Kaskaskia. But a new State Capital was selected. The town of Vandalia was laid out for this purpose in the wilderness on the Kaskaskia River. The town received its name by means of a practical joke played upon the commis- sioners who made the location. In Ford's History of Illinois we find : " Tradition says that a wag, who was present, sug- gested to the commissioners that the Vandals were a powerful nation of Indians, who once inhabited the banks of the Kaskas- kia River, and that Vandalia, formed from their name, would perpetuate the memory of that extinct but renowned people !" Vandalia was made the capital of the State and also the seat of justice of the county of Fayette. This county included a large territory, and the present county of McLean was within its boundaries. Before the spring of 1822 not a single white per- son had made a settlement within the boundaries of the present McLean County. For thousands of years the country had be- longed to the Indians, the wolves, the deer and the rattle snakes. The rich soil had each year produced luxuriant crops of prairie grass, which, on the lowlands, grew from six to eight feet in height. In the fall of each year the prairie fires swept over it, leaving it black and bare and desolate. These fires pre- vented the growth of timber, except occasionally on the high- lands or in broken country formed by streams of water. In the fall of 1821 John Ilendrix and John W. Dawson came with their families to Sangamon County from Ohio. In the spring of 1822 they came to what is now called Blooming Grove and made a settlement. At that time not a single house 2 SKETCH OF was to be found between Blooming Grove and Chicago. A lew men were then engaged in making salt at Danville and a few miners were at Galena. After the first settler comes and the country is heard of, others soon follow. In about the year 1822 Gardner Randolph settled at Randolph's. Grove. In the spring of 1823 John Ben- son, the old soldier of 1812, and his family came to Blooming Grove and made a settlement, living first in a linn bark camp. During the same year the String-field family, consisting of the widow Stringfield and her sons Severe and Alfred M., came to Randolph's Grove, where they liveol at first in a half-faced camp. Absalom and Isaac Funk and Mr. Brook came during the same year and settled in Funk's Grove. On the second of May, 1823, the OrendorfFs, William and Thomas, came to Bloom- ing Grove. It was during this year, too, that William II. Hodge, the pioneer schoolmaster, came to Blooming Grove from Sanga- mon County. Blooming Grove was the favorite spot for the new settlers, and the most of them came there ; but the other groves were not long neglected. In about the year 1824 the old Quaker, Ephraim Stout, and his son Ephraim Stout, Jr., made a settlement in Stout's Grove. During this year Robert Stubblefield and family came to Funk's Grove and Thomas 0. Rutledge came with his mother and the Rutledge family to Randolph's Grove. The first sermon preached within the limits of the present McLean County was delivered by Rev. James Stringfield from Kentucky. He was an uncle of Squire String- field of Randolph's Grove. The little congregation was gath- ered at the cabin of John Hendrix and there the services were held. In June, 1824, Rev. Ebenezer Rhodes came with his family to Blooming Grove. He was a member of the Separate Baptist denomination, but afterwards joined the Christian Church. Wherever two or three families could be gathered together, Mr. Rhodes delivered to them a sermon. He was the first regular preacher in McLean County, and for a long while the only one. He often traveled with Rev. Mr. Latta, and they both preached at the same place. When the first settlers came to the country, the Indians were plenty. The Kickapoos ruled the country. They had made a treaty sometime previous, by which the whites acquired M LEAN COUNTY. 6 all their land : but when the whites came in to settle and occupy it the Kickapoos were angry, and some of them felt disposed to insult and annoy the settlers. When John Hendrix came to Blooming Grove the Indians ordered him to leave. Not long afterwards they frightened away a family which settled on the Mackinaw. Old Machina, the chief of the Kickapoos, ordered the Dawson family away, by throwing leaves in the air. This was to let the bootanas (white men) know that they must not he found in the country when the leaves of autumn should fall. In 1823, when the Orendorfi's came, Old Machina had learned to speak a little English. He came to Thomas Orendorff, and with a majestic wave of his hand said, " Too much come back, white man, t'other side Sangamon." The Rhodes family was likewise ordered away. These things appeared a little threat- ening, but the settlers refused to leave and were not molested. It is the almost unanimous expression of the settlers that the Indians were the best of neighbors. They were polite and friendly, and Old Machina was quite popular among the whites, especially with the women. He was particularly fond of child- ren, and this touched their motherly hearts. The year 1825 was marked by some accessions to the little band of settlers. On the third of March, during that year, Rev. Peyton Mitchel came with his family to Stout's Grove. Mr. Mitchel was a member of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church and was a zealous and earnest Christian. In the fall of this year Jonathan Cheney made a settlement with his family at Cheney's Grove. His stock lived during the winter on the twigs of trees and came out in good condition in the spring. This food was liked by the cattle, and the settlers often fed their stock in this way. During this same year the family of William Evans came to Blooming Grove and made a settlement. This year was marked by some few improvements. The settlers were obliged to go long distances to mill and took large loads. They went first to Attica on the Wabash, one hundred and twenty miles distant. Afterwards they went to Green's mill on Fox River, near where Ottawa now stands, about eighty miles distant. But during the year 1825 Ebenezer Rhodes built a mill at Blooming Grove. The stones for grinding were the "nigger heads" or boulders from the prairie. His mill was of the kind which be- 4 SKETCH OF came afterwards ipute common and was called a "corn cracker." The most curious of these mills was the one afterwards built by Major Baker. The stones w r ere "nigger heads" cut in the shape of a coffee mill, and while in motion the lower stone was the one which revolved. In August, 1826, the Trimmer family came to Smith's Grove. Here John Trimmer died and his widow settled with her family during the same year in Money Creek timber. Jacob Spawr came about the same time and lived with the Trimmer family. It is pretty hard to bring clearly before the mind the circum- stances of the early settlers. Everything was different in their surroundings. In those clays the green head flies became very numerous and were almost an Egyptian plague. They became so troublesome that, during about six weeks of the year in fly- time, travelers were obliged to go on their journeys at night ; and even then their horses or oxen were troubled by the flies, if the moon was shining brightly. Their bite was so severe that a horse, if turned loose during that season of the year, was liable to be goaded to death with pain, loss of blood and incessant kicking to become rid of the flies. They were the most numer- ous and troublesome on the routes where travelers usually passed with their teams. The devices used by the settlers were of every kind and description, and a particular account of them would fill a volume. On Greenberry Larison's place, at Brooks' Grove, was for many years a wooden grindstone, made by Josiah Harp. It was a large wooden wheel, and the outer edge or rim was pounded full of sand and fine gravel. This was done while the wood was fresh and green, and when it dried, the sand and gravel were tightlv held. By the revolution of this wheel an ax could be sharpened or scratched, and something of an edge given to it. The settlors were obliged to go long distances to have their tools sharpened. Isaac Funk and Kobert Stubblefield often carried their plough irons on horseback fifty or sixty miles for this purpose. The prairie grass in the early days grew very high, and its roots were tough and fibrous. It was therefore very hard for the settlers to break their prairie. A good breaking team consisted of five or six yoke of oxen, and the plow was an old fashioned Barshear, which cut a furrow twenty-two inches in width. This M'LEAN COUNTY. 5 plow would now be really a curiosity. It had a shear of cold hammered steel and was attached to a wooden mouldboard. It went out of use many years ago. The prairie grass with its tibrous roots has also given way to civilization, and the pretty blue grass has taken its place. The settlers were so far from mar- ket, and the cost of transportation was so great that they could buy but few articles of every day use. They were obliged to make them or do without. They raised their own wool and flax and spun and wove their own cloth. They wore home-made jeans and linsey woolsey. Their shoes were of their own make, and sometimes their leather was of their own tanning. They raised their own sheep, of course. The earliest settlers say that it was easy to raise sheep at first; that the wolves would not molest them. But the wolves soon acquired a taste for mutton and became -the most vicious and troublesome enemies with which the settlers had to contend. It became as much the duty of settlers to chase wolves as to plow, sow and reap. They caught the wolves in traps and in pens, killed them with clubs while chasing them on horseback, made ring hunts for the pur- pose of exterminating them, poisoned them, offered bounties for their scalps and made warfare on them in a thousand different ways. Sometimes when a wolf became very troublesome the settlers offered bounties for its particular scalp. More than a thousand bushels of corn were once offered for the scalp of a single wolf. It was killed by John Price of Downs, but he re- fused to accept the bounty. The legislature at last raised the bounty on wolf scalps. A grandiloquous speaker, named Hub- bard, once expressed the feelings of the settlers, though in ;i laughable style, when he said : " Mr. Speaker, from all sources of information I learn that the wolf is a very noxious animal ; that he goes prowling about, seeking something to devour; that he rises up in the dead and secret hours of the night, when all nature reposes in silent ob- livion, and then commits the most terrible devastations among the rising generation of hogs and sheep." The stock, which the settlers raised, was collected by drovers and taken to market toPekin, Peoria, Galena or Chicago. The Funks were the greatest drovers and did by far the largest busi- ness. They led a hard life, and the difficulties they encountered and overcame seem almost beyond belief. f! SKETCH OF Iii 1826 a man named Smith came to Dry Grove, made a claim and lived for a while in a tent. In October of that year Peter McCullough came from Tennessee, bought Smith's claim and put up the first house in Dry Grove. By this time the settlers in this section of the country thought they ought to have a new county. Everyone was anx- ious ; petitions were circulated, and the legislature of 1826 and '27 formed the county of Tazewell from a part of Fayette. This action of the legislature was ratified at an election held in April, 1827, at the house of William Oreudorff of Blooming Grove. William Orendorff was elected justice of the peace ; William H. Hodge was elected sheriff and Thomas Orendorff was elected coroner. The first court of Tazewell County was held at the house of Ephraim Stout of Stout's Grove. But Mackinawtown was made the seat of justice, and here the pub- lic buildings were to be erected. The jail was built of logs by Matthew Robb and others, and in order to test its strength this gentleman was placed inside and the door locked. But he suc- ceeded in getting out of the little establishment. The season of 1827 was remarkably early. By the middle of March the grass was ankle deep in the marshes, and the prai- rie had a greenish tinge. This season was remarkable, too, for the great storm, which passed through Blooming Grove and Old Town timber. It was the twenty-third of June when it came. Everything fell before it ; the largest trees were uprooted and twisted and broken, and in some places the logs were piled up twenty feet in height. For many years afterwards the track of this terrible storm was plainly seen. During the summer of 1827, which was very wet, Stephen Webb, William McCord and George and Jacob Hinshaw came to the county. Stephen Webb settled in Dry Grove and the Hinshaws settled in Blooming Grove, but afterwards moved to Dry Grove. In March of this year Matthew Robb and Robert McClure settled at Stout's Grove. During the early days the West was thickly inhabited by snakes, and the settlers tell great stories of the number they killed. Nevertheless the settlers often went to the field and did their ploughing barefooted. Mr. Peasley of Down says that while ploughing around a patch of ground, the snakes continu- M LEAN COUNTY. 7 ally crawled away from the furrow to the center of the un- plowed patch, and when it became very small the grass was fairly alive with the wriggling, squirming reptiles, and they would at last break in every direction. The rattlesnakes fre- quently bit the oxen, but the latter seldom died on account of snake bite. The poison of the rattlesnake is most virulent and dangerous in August. One of the greatest difficulties with which the settlers were obliged to contend was the fire on the prairie. In the fall of the year they prot ected their farms by ploughing furrows around them, and sometimes by ploughing furrows wide apart and burning out the grass between them. But in spite of all pre- cautions the settlers often suffered. The fire sometimes came before preparation was made, and sometimes it leaped over the furrows and burned up fences, fields of corn, stacks of hay and stacks of wheat. It moved so rapidly that very little time was given to prepare for it. It drew 7 currents of air in after it to feed the flames, and the wind drove it on faster and faster. A prairie fire moves with the central portion ahead, while the wings hang back on each side, in the shape of a flock of wild geese. Some- times the settlers protected not only their farms from fire but a considerable prairie. The prairie so protected soon became covered with a growth of timber. In March, 1828, the family of Francis Barnard came to Dry Grove. During the same year the Henline family came to Mackinaw timber and settled on the north of the Mackinaw on Henline Creek. In February, 1829, Levi Danley came to Stout's Grove, and in October of the same year entered the farm where he settled and which he still owns. The Conger family also settled at Stout's Grove during the same year. In March of this year the Messer family came to Mackinaw tim- ber. During this year Rev. Ebenezer Rhodes organized the first church in McLean County at his house in Blooming Grove. It may be a matter of curiosity to readers to know how Blooming Grove received its name. It was called Keg Grove and Hendrix Grove and sometimes Dawson's Grove. There is a story that the Indians found a keg of whiskey which had been cached, and that this gave the name which the grove bore for many years. But this story is not well authenticated. The 8 SKETCH OF name was afterwards changed to Blooming, on account of the flowers and foliage of the maple trees in spring-time. This name was suggested by two different parties at about the same time. Mrs. William Orendorff suggested to some ladies, who were visiting her, that the grove should be called Bloom- ing Grove. At nearly the same time John Rhodes and Thomas Orendorff were out in the woods writing letters, and Rhodes asked what name they should write at the head of their letters. Thomas Orendorff looked up at the maple trees and said : "It looks blooming here, I think we had better call it Blooming Grove." At the opening of the year 1830 the country was sparsely settled, indeed it could hardly be said to be settled at all. There were only three houses between Blooming Grove and Mackinawtown ; and between the latter place and the present village of Pleasant Hill were no houses at all. At that time the most hopeful of the old settlers only dared to think that the country would be settled in the edges of the timber, that a cor- don of farms would be made around each grove. In January, 1830, Jesse Havens and family settled in what has since been called Havens' Grove. In the fore part of the same year Benjamin Wheeler also settled there. In the spring of 1830 John Smith settled at Smith's Grove, and two years af- terwards moved to Havens' Grove. During the previous spring of 1829 James Allin came to Blooming Grove from Vandalia for the purpose of merchandising. This was a great accession, for the influence which this man exerted was of the greatest importance to McLean County. In the year 1830 the people of Blooming Grove and many surroundino- settlements determined to have a countv cut off from Tazewell. The idea was not favored by the people of Mackinawtown, the county seat of Tazewell County. But James Allin and many others were active in circulating petitions. These petitions were taken to Vandalia during that same year by Thomas Orendorff and James Latta. The speaker of the house, William Lee D. Ewing, interested himself in the matter, but Orendorff and Latta were obliged to wait several days before their petitions could be attended to. At last Mr. Ewinjj called the two srentlemen to his room and asked what the M LEAN COUNTY. 9 name of the county should be. James Latta wished it called Hendricks County after Mr. Hendricks of Indiana. But Mr- Ewing remarked that it was dangerous to name it after any liv- ing man; for no one's reputation was safe until he had gone to his grave. The man whom they chose to honor might do some- thing mean, and the people would wish the name of the county changed. Mr. Ewing then proposed to call it McLean County after John McLean, who had been speaker of the lower house of the Assembly, had been a representative in Congress and United States Senator. This proposition was agreed to, and the bill passed the low T er house in the forenoon of that day and the Senate in the afternoon. Ford's History of Illinois says of John McLean: " He was very prominent in the politics of Illinois. He was several times elected to the legislature, once elected to the lower house of Congress, and twice to the United States Senate, and died a member of that body in 1830. He was natu- rally a great, magnanimous man and a leader of men. The county of McLean was named in honor of him." McLean County was at that time much larger than at present. It was bounded on the north by the Illinois River; on the east by Range six east of the Third Principal Meridian ; on the south by the south line of Township Twenty-one north, and on the west by Range One west of the Third Principal Meridian. The winter of 1830 and '31 was the celebrated winter of the deep snow. The weather during the fall had been very dry, and continued mild until late in the winter. But at last the snow came during the latter part of December ; and such a snow has never since been known. The settlers were blockaded in their cabins and could do very little except pound their corn, cut their wood and keep their fires blazing. A great deal of stock was frozen to death during this terrible winter. The deer and wild turkeys, which had been very numerous, were almost exterminated. The wolves, on the other hand, had a pleasant time of it. They played around over the snow, caught all the deer they wished, and were bold and impudent. The stories of this deep snow would fill a large volume, and in the sketches of this work are found the experience of many pioneers, who lived during the cold winter in their snow-bound huts. It has been impossible to learn precisely the depth of the snow during 10 SKETCH OF this winter. As the snow fell it drifted, and other snows fell and other drifts were made. Many measurements were taken in the timber, but even here great errors were likely to occur, for the snow after falling soon settled. The settlers vary in their statements, some of them placing the depth at a little less than three feet, and some at more than four feet. In the spring of 1831, when the snow melted, the face of the country was cov- ered with water. The little creeks became great rivers, and all intercourse between the settlers was stopped; for people could have traveled better with steamboats than with ox teams. The spring was backward and the crops were sown late. Neverthe- less a fair crop of wheat was harvested; but the corn, upon which the settlers depended most, was bitten by the early frosts in the fall. In 1881 the seat of justice of McLean County was located at the north end of Blooming Grove, on land given by James Allin for the purpose of founding the town of Bloomington. The location was made by commissioners appointed by the legis- lature. These commissioners also appointed Thomas Orendorff the first assessor. His assessment was made roughly on what each person was worth, without specifying the property particu- larly, and it was completed in thirteen days. The business of McLean County was transacted by a board of three commissioners. The first meeting of the Commissioners' Court was held May 16, 1831. The members present were Jona- than Cheney, Timothy B. Hoblit and Jesse Havens. Isaac Baker was appointed first clerk of Court and held this office for many years. The first tax levied by this Court was one-half of one per cent. But though this tax was small, it was severely felt by the settlers, much more so than heavy taxes at the present day. Thomas Orendorff was appointed the first treasurer of McLean County. It may perhaps interest the curious to know of the first marriage solemnized in McLean County after its or- ganization. It was between Robert Rutledge and Charity Weed- man, and the ceremony was performed on the ninth of June, 1831, by Nathan Brittin, Justice of the Peace. The year 1831 was particularly celebrated for the fever and ague. A great deal of rich soil was turned over for the first time, and the vapors and exhalations made the climate tin- m'lean county. 11 healthy. Mr. Esek Greenman says that out of twenty-four per- sons belonging to three families, twenty-three had the ague. It was as much to be expected as harvest or the changes of the seasons. It was a disease to be dreaded because of its effect upon the mind as well as upon the physical system. It induced a feeling of despondency, and took away that spirit of enter- prise and that strong will, which bore up the settlers under mis- fortune. For many years the fever and ague was the scourge of the West, and was one of the severest hardships. In September, 188 1, the Methodists held their first camp- meeting at Randolph's Grove. Rev. Peter Cartwright, [lev. Mr. Latta and others preached there. Mr. Cartwright was very sensitive to the criticisms of Eastern men, and said : " They represent this country as a vast waste, and people as very ignor- ant; but if I was going to shoot a fool, I would not take aim at a Western man, but would go down by the sea-shore and cock my fusee at the imps who live on oysters." Mr. Latta preached directly at popular vices and was particularly severe on horse- racing. He said : " There is a class of people, who can not go to hell fast enough on foot, so they must get on their poor, mean pony and go to the horse-race. Even professors of religion are not guiltless in this respect, but go under the pretense that they want to see such a man or such a man, but they know in their own hearts that they want to see the horse-race." The year 1832 was the one in which the Black Hawk War occurred, a full account of which is given in this volume. Among the old settlers were to be found some soldiers of the Revolution. The following is taken from the records of the County Commissioners' Court for December, 1832 : "John Scott came into open Court and on his oath made a declaration purporting to prove himself a revolutionary soldier, for the purpose of obtaining the benefit of the act of Congress, passed June the 7th, A. D. 1832. The Court is of opinion, after the investigation of the matter and putting the interroga- tories prescribed by the war department, that the said Scott's declaration is correct and that he is a revolutionary soldier." Eight other revolutionary soldiers were certified by the Court as being such. They were Ebenezer Barnes, William McGhee, Thomas Sloan, Edward F. Patrick, Charles Moore, William Vincent, Edward Da}- and John Tolidav. 12 SKETCH OF The records of the Court also show another peculiar law, which has been done away with. The following is taken from the record of the June Term, 1835 : "This day William T. Major presents a bond of one thou- sand dollars, payable to T. B. Hoblit, Seth Baker and Andrew McMillin, County Commissioners, and their successors in office, conditioned that a negro girl named Rosanna Johnson, late a slave in the state of Kentucky, shall not become a charge on any county in this state, &c. The Court accepts- of the said bond and orders the same to be put on file for the benefit of the said counties and also for the said Rosanna." James Miller also gave his bond for a mulatto boy, Henry Clay, whom Miller had brought from Kentucky. In 1832 the accessions to McLean County, and especially to Bloomington, were so great that a second addition was made to the latter place by James Allin. In 1833 the first race track was laid out. Four horses were ridden in the first race. They were the Bald Hornet, owned by Henry Jacoby and ridden by Esek Greenman; the Gun Fannon, owned by Jake Heald ; Tiger Whip, owned by Peter Hefner and ridden by James Paul, and Ethiopian, owned by a man near Waynesville. The race was won by Tiger Whip. The prices of produce, of wheat, corn, &c, were in early days sometimes very high, and at other times correspondingly low. Corn was sometimes a dollar a bushel, and sometimes only ten cents. In 1833 prices were very low. Corn sold for ten cents a bushel, oats for eight cents, wheat for thirty-one cents, Hour for $1.50 per hundred weight, pork for §1.25, and wood for one dollar per cord. In 1834 the settlement of the country was such that people began to calculate where to lay out the villages, which, with the development of the country, would one day become towns and cities. The village of Clarksville was laid oft' in July, 1834, by Joseph and Marston C. Bartholomew. During this year the census of Bloomington was taken by Allen Withers, and the little town numbered one hundred and eighty inhabitants. In 1835 the influx of settlers continued. The state of Illinois had in 1818 a population of about 45,000 ; in 1830 it had a popula- tion of 157,447; but in 1835 the people of the state numbered m'lean county. 13 about 250,000. In November, 1835, the town of LeKoy was laid out by Covel and Gridley. The year 1836 was marked by a grand rush of settlers to Illinois. Many pamphlets had been circulated among the people of the Eastern States, and the great resources of the West became everywhere known. The settlers came in every possible way. They crowded the steamboats on the rivers; they came on horseback, with ox teams, or on foot; everywhere they were coming. Scarcely any accommodations could be prepared for them, and they lived in their wagons or tents, or crowded into the little log cabins, which were hastily built. They made settlements singly or by companies. It was during this year that the Hudson and Mt. Hope Companies were formed. The Hudson Company was formed at Jacksonville, and the articles of agreement were drawn up in February, 1836. Horatio N. Pettit, John Gregory and George F. Purkitt were chosen a committee to enter and locate the land. Twenty-one sections were entered in the name of Horatio N". Pettit, and through him the colonists trace their title. The land was loca- ted at Haven's Grove, and was surveyed by Major Dickason, the county surveyor, assisted by John Magoun and S. P. Cox. The town of Hudson was laid out, and the choice of lots was made on the fourth of July, 1836. During this year little towns were laid out everywhere. In January the town of Lexington was laid out by A. Gridley and J. Brown, and in December fol- lowing an addition was made by Edgar Conkling. In February, 1836, Concord (now Danvers) was laid out by Isaac W. Hall and Matthew Robb. During the same month the town of Lytle- ville was laid out by John Baldwin, and an addition was made in the following March. Wilkesborough was laid out in June by James 0. Barnard. The growth of Bloomington kept pace with the development of the country and its population increased to four hundred and fifty. During this year additions were laid out, known as White's, Miller and Foster's, Allin, Gridley and Prickett's and Evans'. The Mt. Hope colony was formed by a company chartered b} r the state of Rhode Island, under the name of the Providence Farmers' & Mechanics' Emigrating Society. In December, 1836, the company entered eight thousand acres of land very nearly in the shape of a square, and as it had twenty-five shares, each 14 SKETCH OF share-holder was entitled to three hundred and twenty acres of land. The land entered by the Mt. Hope colony comprises near- ly all of the present township of Mt. Hope. In the summer of 1837 General William Peck, one of the originators of the scheme, came out and surveyed the land and laid out the village of Mt. Hope. The month of December, 1836, was marked by a sudden change in the weather, more remarkable, perhaps, than the great winter of the deep snow. The weather had been mild for some time, and rain had been falling, changing the snow to slush, when suddenly a cold wind-storm came and lowered the temper- ature instantly from about forty degrees above zero to twenty degrees below. The face of the country was changed from water to ice immediately and, as Rev. Mr. Peasley said, appeared like a picture of the Polar regions. Squire Buck, of Empire township, took some notes of this wind-storm, and says that it came from the west to the Mississippi, which it reached at ten o'clock a. m., that it continued eastward and reached Leroy at three o'clock p. m., and Indianapolis at about eleven. It there- fore moved from the Mississippi River to Leroy at the rate of thirty miles an hour, and from Leroy to Indianapolis at the rate of twenty miles an hour. After the year 1836 the great rush of settlers to the West was over. In 1837 the United States' bank suspended, and the spirit of enterprise was checked. The rage for laying out towns was stopped, for the little villages, which were brought into being, refused to grow. In February, 1839, Conkling and Wood laid out an addition to Leroy, and in April, 1840, Pleasant Hill was laid out by Isaac Smalley. The great coon-skin and hard cider campaign, when General Harrison was elected President, was in 1840. The Democratic party was represented by the cock, and the Whigs by the coon. During that campaign the Whigs took an enormous canoe to a mass-meeting at Springfield. The excitement rose to the highest point. The failure of the United States' bank and the closeness of money did not affect the West as soon as the East ; but the com- mercial distress slowly and surely worked westward. In 1842 the condition of things was frightful, worse than has ever since m'lean county. 15 been known. During that year Judge McClun took to the Easl some pork, which be had received in payment for goods, and he says: "If the West was prostrate, the Easl was in oven a worse fix. Commercial distress was everywhere seen. Failures were an hourly occurrence, and the only reliable money, gold and sil- ver, was locked up. Factories had stopped and their goods were thrown on the market at ruinous prices. My pork could not be sold to realize even the cost of transportation." During this year a number of the settlers concluded to collect their pigs in a "bunch" and drive them to Chicago themselves, for they could not believe that the price offered by drovers was really that of the Chicago market. But these misguided settlers received for their pork, after paying expenses, about twenty-five cents per hundred. They were much wiser after this experiment. The settlement of the country was for many years at a stand-still. A great deal of land, which had been entered for a dollar and a quarter per acre, was thrown upon the market and could be bought for seventy -five cents or a dollar per acre. It was not until about the year 1846 or '47 that the condition of things was very greatly improved. Nevertheless the country was still un- settled to a great extent, except around the groves. Prairie land could be entered until the land office closed to allow the com- pany, which was to build the Illinois Central Railroad, to se- lect its land. This was in 1850, when the charter was granted. It was then seen that prairie land would rise in value, and as soon as the land office was re-opened, all the prairie within many miles of the railroad was entered immediately. After the build- ing of the Illinois Central and the Chicago & Alton Railroads the country became rapidly settled. Cars were running on both of these roads in 1852, and soon little towns sprang up and grew rapidly. The town of Towanda was laid off by Peter II. Badeau of St. Louis, and Jesse W. Fell, in December, 1854. The town of Heyworth was laid off in 1855. In June of the same year the town of McLean was laid off by Franklin Price. In March, 1856, the town of Saybrook was laid off by Isaac M. Polk. Some indication of the rapid development of the coun- try is seen in the censuses of Bloomington. In 1850 the city contained sixteen hundred and eleven persons; but in 1855 it 16 SKETCH OF contained five thousand. The growth of the county in numbers and wealth has been continuous and steady. On the third of November, 1857, McLean County voted to adopt township organization by a large majority. The hard times of 1857 gave a temporary check to the growth of the country, but it was only temporary. The presidential campaign of 1860 and the war which fol- lowed are so recent and fresh in the mind of the reader, that it is not necessary to dwell upon them here. The building of the Indianapolis, Bloomington and Western and the Lafayette, Bloomington and Mississippi Railroads as- sisted very greatly in developing the country by bringing the markets nearer to the people along their routes. Since the organization of McLean County in 1830, it has been much reduced in size as other counties have been formed. It now contains about eleven hundred and forty-seven square miles of land. It is bounded on the north by Woodford and Livingston Counties, on the east by Livingston, Ford and Cham- paign Counties, on the south by DeWitt County and a small part of Logan, and on the west by Tazewell County and a little of Woodford. The Toledo, Peoria and Wabash Railroad cuts through the northern edge of the county, forming the enter- prising villages of Gridley, Chenoa and Weston. The first mentioned was named in honor of General Gridley of Bloom- ington. The Gilman, Clinton and Springfield Railroad cuts through the south-eastern corner of McLean County, and the station of Bellefllower has sprung up on the line. The county is now well supplied with railroads, and if it could keep down the pace of transportation the people would indeed be blessed. The " railroad question " is the one upon which the people must exercise their wits for many years to come. The future pros- perity of the people of McLean County is not doubted for a mo- ment. All the opportunities for acquiring wealth are here, and the people are disposed to take advantage of them. As a part of the history of McLean County, the following statistics of the schools are given as furnished bv John Hull, County Superintendent : M LEAN COUNTY. 17 SCHOOL STATISTICS OF McLEAN COUNTY, FOR THE YEAR ENDING SEPTEMBER 30th, 1873. Name of Township. Mt. Hope Funk's Grove.... Randolph Downs Empire West Bellflower Allin Dale Bloomington Old Town Padua Arrowsmith Cheney's Grove. Danvers (24 N.) Dry Grove Normal Towanda Blue Mound Martin Cropsey (24 N.) Danvers (25 N.) White Oak Hudson Money Creek ... Lexington Lawndale Cropsey (25 N.) Gridley (2 E.).„ Gridley (3 E.).„ Chenoa Yates DISTRICTS. Kickapoo Union Hey worth Scho'l City of Normal. CityBloomingt'n u « .OH Sr-S 71 442 250 320 371 536 347 252 434 380 319 206 380 427 444 416 400 173 251 294 167 161 73 116 329 229 550 227 C 182 306 517 324 194 430 ,247 2< ~ o — • o 551 133 481 375 788 407 377 390 341 718 395 486 459 488 542 450 248 388 385 273 252 73 137 427 359 784 284 100 212 365 610 362 * IS H 6,165 2,515 6,898 3,211 6,276 4,898 5,859' 4,436 3,974 5,575 2,483 5,152 3,714 5,595 3,960 5,571 3,485 5,814 4,200 2,180 3,693 848 1,501 2,996 3,409 9,363 4,149 1,513 2,522 3,687 15,386 5,194 96$ 60 1 15 28 75 88 30 j 74] 19 92 63 13 17, 59 40 10 61 33! 62 50 24 22! 91 B 31 06 (id 22 68 64 00 22 11 115 232 843 i 4,981: 729 37 2,200 79 12,685 74 72,290 52 o s — ~ Oft a /. ■r a 4,814 00 6,042 0G 3,462 29 3,700 65 7,767 57 3,643 97 10*078 12 3,834 59 2.762 96 6,090 59 2,683 51 3,685 39 6,281 48 2,380 00 2,904 30 3,140 50 7,074 94 3,168 88 9,252 08 3,478 00 15,340 50 A 2,782 25 3,636 65 3,124 00 3,486 58 3,664 03 C A 6,570 18 9,944 88 9.115 98 1,105 00 D D D 252 13,T86 18,879 $234,141 88 $155,015 93 $22,397 29 l,;;25,.s!i2 4) 0) 643 85 359 45 895 86 443 98 919 56 477 95 402 11 510 34 428 18 726 80 381 57 546 68 410 01 555 37 582 23 562 48 295 46 492 17 478 74 312 05 196 71 91 64 184 86 522 98 424 23 927 46 373 67 187 23 • 304 94 509 55 1,080 72 488 22 150 10 E 812 12 5,718 02 * if 45,890 9,415 23,251 24,112 46,955 23,376 17,449 23,227 24,802 2ft, 202 16,263 25,177 1S,225 23,430 29,144 27,576 11,200 2.1,721 24,281 12,700 7,181 2,989 7.784 25,782 20,034 67,592 11,664 6,837 13,355 20,000 58.289 29,454 6,337 20,148 60 000 487,050 A. Reported to Woodford County. B. Fund of whole Township. C. Reported to Livingston County. D. Receive semi-annually their portion of the interest on the funds of the town- ships of which they form a part. E. Included in amount reported above for Randolph Township. The foregoing statistics are from the records in my office. Bloomington, January 5th, 1874. 2 JNO. HULL, County Superintendent, McLean Courtly, 111 . STATE NORMAL UNIVERSITY. Illinois is a growing State, and its people have from its early settlement been conscious of its great destiny. In order to build up the educational interests of the State it was deter- mined, at an early day, to have a Normal School for the educa- tion of teachers. In accordance with an act of the legislature of February 18, 1857, the State Board of Education proceeded to receive bids from the various towns of the State for the loca- tion of the school. The county of McLean, and various indi- viduals living in it and the city of Bloomington,- offered by far the greatest inducements. Meshach Pike, Joseph Payne, E. W. Bakewell and Judge David Davis, gave one hundred and sixty acres of land, and its public and private subscriptions amounted to one hundred and forty-one thousand dollars. The county itself subscribed seventy thousand dollars, to be obtained from the sale of swamp lands. In May, 1857, the school was located at Normal, on the land donated for that purpose. Plans and drawings for building were immediately called for and fur- nished by Mr. G. P. Randall of Chicago, architect and super- intendent of University buildings. Mr. Charles E. Hovey was elected Principal of the Univer- sity, and immediately issued circulars announcing that it would be opened in Bloomington on the first Monday in October, 1857. The object of the Normal School was clearly seen in the conditions imposed upon the students and published in this circular. The qualifications were : 1. To be, if males, not less than seventeen ; and if females, not less than sixteen years of age. 2. To produce a certificate of good moral character, signed by some responsible person. 20 STATE NORMAL UNIVERSITY. 3. To sign a declaration of their intention to devote them- selves to school-teaching in this State. 4. To pass a satisfactory examination before the proper officers in Reading, Spelling, "Writing, Arithmetic, Geography and the elements of English Grammar. Each county and each representative district was entitled to one student in the school. On the fifth of October, 1857, at the time advertised, the school was opened in Major's Hall, which was fitted up for that purpose. There were at the opening forty-three students. As all of the counties and representative districts did not avail themselves of the privilege of sending students, the principal was authorized to receive candidates on examination and in compliance with the qualifications published in the circular. The Normal School at the very outset showed its value and took a high standing among the educational institutions of the country. Its principal professor, Charles E. Hovey, (afterwards General Hovey), was a man of great energy and the best of judgment. In the year 1860 the splendid University building was completed, and the Normal School entered on its course of uninterrupted prosperity. During this year, in the month of June, the first commencement exercises were held in the new building. Like all the educational establishments of the country, the Normal School was affected by the war to suppress the rebel- lion. Ten of its teachers entered the army, and among them was the honored principal. Their example was followed by nearly all the young men in the University, and the Thirty-third Illinois, of which they formed so large a part, was known through- out the war as the Normal Regiment. President Hovey entered the army in 1861 as Colonel of the Normal Regiment and was afterwards made a general. Leander H. Potter was made a colonel in the army and is now president of the Soldier's Col- lege at Fulton. Dr. E. R. Roe was made a colonel in the army and is now a United States marshal. Ira Moore was a captain in the army and is now principal of the Normal School at St. Cloud, Minnesota. J. H. Burnham was made a captain and Aaron Gove an adjutant. Julian E. Bryant was made a lieuten- ant, and during the war was drowned on the Texan coast. Joseph G. Howell was made a lieutenant in the army, and was STATE NORMAL UNIVERSITY. 21 shot at Fort Donelson and buried in Bloomington Cemetery. Edwin Philbrook was made a sergeant, and Dr. Samuel Willard a surgeon. After President Hovey entered the army, the posi- tion of principal devolved temporarily upon Perkins Bass, Esq., of Chicago, who held it for one year and then yielded it to Richard Edwards, LL.D., who has held it until the present time. The aim of the Normal School, as before stated, is to educate teachers in the duties of their profession. Connected with the University is a Model School, which was started at the opening of the University in Major's Hall. It had a small beginning and was first taught by Miss Mary M. Brooks, a lady of remarkable talent. It has grown from this into the present large Model School, consisting of three depart- ments, in charge of four regular teachers, assisted by many of the Normal students. The range of instruction in the Model School is from the primary department to the course prepara- tory for college. Since the opening of the Model School it has been under the charge of many lady teachers, who have uni- formly given great satisfaction. One difficulty occurs with the employment of lady teachers; they will occasionally get married, and this is the cause of the many changes of instructors in the Model School. Connected with the Normal School is a Museum of Natural History, which is estimated to be worth about one hundred thousand dollars. This is indeed a fine collection of specimens, illustrating the various branches of Natural History. These collections have been made by Professor Wilber, Professor Powell, Dr. Vasey, Richard H. Holder, Esq., and others. The greater part of the stuffed birds were given by Mr. Holder. These gentlemen are enthusiastic workers in the field of Natural History, and, it would seem, have not always received the en- couragement and support they deserve from the State. They have been obliged, in a great measure, to bear their own ex- penses ; and certainly their services, rendered as they have been with the greatest enthusiasm, are out of all proportion to the pay they have received. The Museum is a great benefit, not only to the Normal School but to the entire State, as by means of it every school in the State is encouraged to make collections. 22 STATE NORMAL UNIVERSITY. The following extract from a circular, issued by Professor Forbes, the Curator of the Museum, shows its design and its value : " The recent introduction of the natural sciences into our common school course of study has developed a general demand for specimens in Natural History, which I am trying to supply. It is designed to furnish, in time, to every school in the State which will properly use and care for it, a small collection, so selected as to illustrate in the best possible manner the branches required to be taught. The time and resources at my command are quite insufficient for this ; and, as it is a work undertaken solely for the benefit of the public schools, I make this call upon their officers and members for aid. " The schools will encounter great difficulties in attempting to form good cabinets unaided, each for itself. Among others will be that of getting specimens correctly named, and that of securing, in a single circumscribed locality, a sufficient variety to fully cover the whole field of study. It will be an easy mat- ter, however, for the teachers and pupils of the State to collect and send to this Museum, in one or two seasons, a sufficient number and variety of specimens liberally to supply all our schools; and these I will undertake to name, select, arrange and re-distribute in such a manner as to give to each school partici- pating in the work the benefit of a judicious selection from the whole number sent by all. " Good specimens in all branches of Natural History will be acceptable, and directions for preparing and shipping them will be sent upon application." The cost of the Normal University to the State of Illinois is a matter of interest. President Edwards shows, in his decen- nial address, that all the money ever expended on the institution by the State is, up to the year 1870, $279,740.63, while the pro- perty belonging to it at that time and owned by the State amounted to $312,000, without including the Museum. "When we consider that the Museum is worth one hundred thousand dollars, it will be seen that the investment made by the State is a pretty good one, from a purely financial point of view. When we consider further, that the State has given comparatively little of its own moneyto the institution, but has exercised its gener- STATE NORMAL UNIVERSITY. 23 osity by expending the interest on a fund donated to this State for educational purposes, by Congress, in the year 1818; and when we consider, too, the very moderate salaries paid to the teachers of the institution, it certainly appears to an outsider that the enthusiasm of the friends of education is far in advance of the liberality of the State. We have yet to see an example of a State which has been too liberal in educational matters. When money is expended by a State for educational purposes, it is usually laid out by men who are devoted to the work. We have yet to hear of such a thing as an educational "ring." Vil- lainy has no sympathy with science. When much money is expended for schools, little money is required for penitentiaries. It may seem like a sweeping remark, but we think it is strictly within the bounds of truth, to say that there is no better way for the State to expend money, as a mere financial speculation, than to lay it out for schools. Capital always follows intelli- gence. It seems very singular, sometimes, that our legislators are a little slow to see these things ; but if the truth must be told, the explanation of the matter is, that teachers and friends of education do. not understand the wa} r s of politicians. It is the business of teachers to instruct and improve the students under their charge, and it will readily be seen that the tendency of the profession must be to elevate and improve those who earnestly devote themselves to it. It is not easy to over-estimate the value of the Normal School to the State of Illinois. Its graduates and students go out every- where to teach and to learn. The members of the faculty of the Normal School hold teachers' institutes annually at Normal, fre- quently attend county institutes, and by their example and expe- rience and earnestness in the profession in which they are en- gaged, do a great deal to elevate the tone of the teachers of Illinois, and point them to a higher standard of excellence. President Edwards. The principal of the Normal School is Richard Edwards, LL.D. He was born in Aberystwith, Cardiganshire, Wales, on tne twenty-third of December, 1822. I lis father was a stone and brick-mason, and his mother, whose maiden name was Jones, was the daughter of a small farmer. The family moved 24 STATE NORMAL UNIVERSITY. to the United States and settled in Ohio in the "Western Reserve, when 3'°ung Richard was a little more than ten years old. He was employed on a farm until he was sixteen, and from that time until he was twenty-two he worked as a house carpenter. Up to this time he had received very little education, but his turn of mind was seen in his love of books and his habit of reading in the evening by the light of " hickory bark." He was very anxious to obtain an education, and by some good fortune made the acquaintance of two graduates of Harvard, who advised him to go to that scholastic paradise, Massachusetts. He was told that " the culture which he so much yearned for was the staple in which Massachusetts dealt." He went there and communed for a while with the angels in the heaven of learning. He taught school at Hingham and at Waltham, Mass., and was a member of the Normal School at Bridgewater. In the spring of 1847 he went to Troy, New York, and became a student at the "Rensellaer Polytechnic Institute." Here he was for a short time an assistant teacher. It seems that he kept himself always employed. He was for a while a " roclman " on the Cochituate "Water "Works, which were then being built. In May of that year he became an assistant teacher in Bridgewater Normal School, of which he was a graduate. This school was super- intended by one of the best teachers of Massachusetts, the cele- brated Nicholas Tillinghast. Here Mr. Edwards remained until January, 1853, when he removed to Salem and took charge of the English High School there. Shortly afterwards he be- came the agent of the State Board of Education in visiting schools. For three years, he was principal of the State Normal School in Salem, Massachusetts. In October, 1857, he accepted the position of principal of the city Normal School of St. Louis. In June, 1862, he was made President of the Illinois State Nor- mal University, where he has remained ever since. Of course President Edwards has been obliged to go the way of all the earth and — get married. On the fifth of July, 1849, he married Miss Betsy J. Samson of Pembroke, Massachusetts. Her father, Mr. Thomas Samson, is still living in that town. They have had eleven children, ten of whom are still living. As will be seen from the foregoing sketch, Mr. Edwards has received his education in a very irregular manner, which he does not think is very advantageous. STATE NORMAL UNIVERSITY. 25 He received the degree of A. M. from Harvard College and the degree of LL. D. from " a less illustrious, but still very honest source, viz: ShurtlefF College, Alton, 111." President Edwards is a man of medium stature, and is very intellectual in his appearance. His manner is always pleasant, and he loves the profession in which he is engaged. When he smiles, he shows by the expression of his eyes that he is tickled at something. Profound thought has frightened the hair from the crown of his head. He can endure a great deal of intellec- tual labor; and it seems that he is now occupying the place for which Providence designed him. Members of the Faculty. Edwin C. Hewett, Professor of History, was born in Wor- cester County, Massachusetts, in November, 1828. He gradu- ated at the State Normal School in Bridgewater, Massachusetts, in 1852 ; the school was then in charge of Mr. Tillinghast. In January, 1853, Mr. Hewett became an assistant teacher at Bridgewater, where he remained for nearly four years. In the fall of 1858 he entered upon his duties as teacher in the Normal University, which have since been interrupted only by one year's absence by permission of the Board of Education. In 1863 he received the complimentary degree of A. M. from the Univer- sity of Chicago. His long and useful services as a teacher place him among the first of his most honored profession. Joseph Addison Sewall, M. D., Professor of Natural Science, was born in Scarborough, Maine, in 1830. He graduated from the Medical School of Har- vard University in 1852. In 1854 he came West and taught and practiced his profession in Bureau and LaSalle Counties. He graduated in the Scientific Department of Harvard Univer- sity in the summer of 1860. In the fall of the same year he en- tered upon his duties at Normal, where he has remained until the present time. Professor Sewall has that enthusiastic love of natural science which has recently led to many interesting and useful discoveries. 26 state normal university. Thomas Metcalp. Thomas Metcalf, Professor of Mathematics, was born in Wrentham, Massachusetts, in 1826. He graduated from the Normal School at Bridgewater, Mass., in 1848, under Mr. Til- linghast. After leaving the Normal School he taught in Charles- town and West Roxbury, Mass., for several years. He came to St. Louis in 1857, and entered upon his duties as instructor in the High School. From St. Louis he came to Normal, in the summer of 1862, and has since been constantly at his work of teaching in the University, with the exception of a few months in the spring of 1871, while making a trip to Europe. Like all the other members of the Normal faculty he loves his profes- sion, and it is this which leads him to excel. Albert Stetson. Albert Stetson, Professor of Languages, was born in Kings- ton, Mass., in 1834. He graduated from the Bridgewater Nor- mal School in the spring of 1853. After teaching for three years he entered Harvard University, from which he graduated in 1861. He taught in Provincetown, Mass., until the fall of 1862, when he came to Normal and entered on the duties of the chair which he now fills. He has been very efficient as a teacher and thoroughly understands the duties of his position. John W. Cook. Professor John "W. Cook was born in Woodford County, Illinois, in 1844. He graduated at the Normal University, in 1865, and entered upon his present duties, as member of the Faculty, in 1868. Henry McCormick. Professor Henry McCormick was born in Ireland, in 1837. He graduated at the Normal University, in 1868, and became a member of the Faculty in 1869. Miss Myra Osband. Miss Myra Osband became Preceptress of the University in January, 1871, having previously been engaged in teaching at different places in New York and Illinois. This accomplished lady excels as a teacher and thoroughly understands her delicate and responsible duties. STATE NORMAL UNIVERSITY. 27 The members of the Normal Faculty take the greatest pride in the University which they have helped to so high a standing, among similar establishments, in the United States. It is well known that the majority, and perhaps all of them, could obtain larger salaries elsewhere, and some very tempting otters have been made to them, but they still remain at their posts. E. W. Coy. Professor E. "W. Coy, Principal of the High School in the Model Department, graduated at Brown University in 1858. He took charge of the Peoria High School in the fall of 1858, which position he resigned in 1871, when he came to Normal. But his service in the Peoria High School was not continuous from 1858 to 1871, as during that time he spent some time in practicing law and in superintending the public schools of Peoria. Miss Martha D. L. Haynie. Miss Martha D. L. Haynie, Assistant in High School, is a na- tive of Kentucky, although most of her life has been spent in Illinois. Her experience as a teacher has been long and varied. B. W. Baker. B. W. Baker, Principal of the Grammar School, was born in Coles County, Ills., November 25, 1841. He was raised on a farm. At the age of twenty he entered the army and served from 1861 to 1864 in the 25th Ills. Volunteers. He was wounded at Pea Ridge and afterwards at Perryville. He was at the siege of Corinth, at the battles of Resaca, Dalton, Kenesaw Mountain, Kingston, Noonday Creek, Peach Tree Creek and Atlanta. He was discharged in 1864. He entered the Normal University, from which he graduated in 1870. He then entered upon his duties as principal of the Grammar School, and still holds that position. The little Primary School is a gem ; to many visitors it is the most interesting department of the whole University. It is now in charge of Miss Gertie Case, a graduate of the Model High School. Miss j Case entered upon her present work in the fall of 1872 ; previous to that time she had won an enviable reputation in the public schools of Bloomington and Normal. STATE NORMAL UNIVERSITY THE SOLDIERS' ORPHANS' HOME. The following, taken from the second biennial report of the Soldiers' Orphans' Home, explains and describes the institution and its object very clearly : " The institution was incorporated by an Act of the General Assembly, approved February 16th, 1865, and subsisted entirely upon private charity, until by an Act approved March 5th, 1867, a certain fund in the hands of the Governor, known as the "deserters' fund," was donated to the Home, and farther appropriations made. " The Home is located on a high and commanding tract of land, donated by the Hon. David Davis, Judge of the Supreme Court of the United States, adjoining the thriving village of Normal, at the crossing of the Illinois Central and Chicago & Alton Railroads. A better selection could hardly have been made — beautiful, healthy, with fine railroad and educational advantages, it being the seat of the State Normal University. "The building is a splendid structure, 140 by 80 feet, built in the Romanesque style of architecture, three stories of brick, with a basement of stone, surmounted by a fine dome. It is plain but substantial in finish, more attention being given to such arrangements as would secure the comfort and health of its inmates. " The school building is a new brick structure, a short dis- tance from the Home proper. It contains six large rooms, furnished with the most improved equipments. One of the rooms is devoted to library and reading purposes, where a large number of the best papers and periodicals are kept on file. " The persons entitled to the benefits of the Home are the indigent children (under fourteen years of age) of all soldiers who have served in the armies of the Union during the late rebellion, and have been disabled from disease or wounds therein, or have died or been killed during such service. 30 THE SOLDIERS' ORPHANS' HOME. " Blank forms for admission to the Home will be furnished at any time on application, by letter or otherwise, to Virginia C. Ohr, Superintendent Soldiers' Orphans' Home, at Normal, Mc- Lean County, Illinois. Total number of children admitted to the Home, since its organization 642 Number returned to their friends or good homes provided by "trustees 356 Number of boys who have run away 6 Total number who have died 5 Number remaining in the institution at date of report 275 642 642 Total number of females admitted to the Home since its organization 275 Number of males admitted 367 Total 642 Average daily attendance 290 Expense per capita, per annum $144 63 " " per month 12 05 " " per day 40 " This includes cost of subsistence, salaries of officers, teach- ers and other employes ; in short, all expenses of the Home. " "We have very few special rules for the discipline and gov- ernment of the children, and these are made as emergencies arise ; acting upon the principle that a few rules, well kept, are of far greater value than many broken and trampled on. The law which guides and directs is that of love and kindness, par- taking as much as possible of the parental character. While the most implicit obedience to all rules and regulations is re- quired of each and every child, yet they are constrained to do so by direct appeals to their better natures ; by pointing out to them their social and moral obligations, one to another; by giving them aid and encouragement in their efforts to do right. They are, generally speaking, kind to each other, obedient to those in charge and industrious." NEWSPAPERS. The first newspaper in m'lean county and the first editor. In 1836 Bloomington became a very "lively" little town and some of its citizens became anxious for a newspaper. General Gridley, who was then a merchant in Bloomington, was about to go to the East for his fall supply of goods, and he was instructed by Jesse "W. Fell and James Allin, who, with him, became pro- pi ietors, to lay in a stock of type, printing presses, compositors, editors, &c. He did so, and engaged Mr. William Hill and Mr. W. B. Brittain, of Philadelphia. These parties shipped their printing material during the fore part of October for Blooming- ton by way of New Orleans, St. Louis and Pekin. About a week afterwards Messrs. Hill and Brittain started, coming by way of Pittsburg, down the Ohio river, up the Mississippi and Illinois Rivers to Pekin, and thence across to Bloomington. The latter part of their journey was accomplished on horseback. At that time no bridge had been built across the Mackinaw, and as the stream was high, it was thought they would be obliged to swim their horses. Under this impression Mr. Brittain plunged in. As he was mounted on a small horse he was wet to the waist; but Mr. Hill, being on a large horse, stood on its back and went through dry shod. They arrived in Bloomington about eight o'clock that evening (October 25), Mr. Brittain nearly frozen and not favorably impressed with the unbridged water courses of Illinois. They remained in Bloomington for about two months without hearing anything of their printing material, and Mr. Brittain, becoming discouraged, disposed of his interest to Mr. Hill, and returned to Philadelphia. A few days after he left, word came that the material had reached Pekin. It was brought across to Bloomington by little Benjamin Depew, in a six-horse team, and on the first of January, 1837, it was arranged in an 32 NEWSPAPERS. office which was fitted up in the northeast room of the old (then new) Court House. On the fourteenth of January the first number of the Bloomington Observer and McLean County Advocate was published. After carrying it on through many difficulties and vexations for one year, Mr. Hill sold out to Mr. Jesse W. Fell, who continued it about a year and a half and then disposed of it to other parties, who removed it to Peoria. Mr. Hill re- turned to Philadelphia in the spring of 1839, where he worked at the printing business, and did not return to the West until 1849. At that time he located at St. Louis and there engaged in job printing. He was soon after joined by William Mc Kee, and they together purchased the office and paper of the Missouri Democrat. They afterwards purchased the office and paper of the St. Louis Union, united the two papers and continued them under the title of the Missouri Democrat, a Freesoil paper. After two or three years, politics becoming a good deal mixed, Mr. Hill became disgusted and sold out to F. P. Blair, Jr. and B. Gratz Brown. In 1855 he returned to McLean County, having purchased a small place a short distance northeast of the city. In the spring of 1860 he went with a party from McLean Coun- ty to the newly discovered gold mines in Colorado. After spending six or eight months in the mountains and vicinity and seeing the prairie dogs, jack rabbits, buffaloes, and big Indians, and watching the regular Sunday gladiatorial sports among the miners, in which pistols, bowie knives, &c, were in general use, and after getting a glimpse of the elephant as he passed down the Western slope, Mr. Hill and his party returned to their homes, satisfied that if the same means and exertions were used here, a fortune could be made about as quickly. Mr. Hill has for the last four years lived in Bloomington. He is now upwards of sixty years of age, healthy and active, and though in easy circumstances, continues to follow his business, preferring anything to idleness. Mr. Hill was born Nov. 18, 1811, in Cumberland County, New Jersey, where he received his education. He went into a print- ing office in Philadelphia at the age of fifteen, where he remained until he came West in 1836. Just before coming West he did as a good many other young men do when starting for a new country — was married. His children, two daughters and one NEWSPAPERS. ;>3 son, are all happily married. lie has been, in political matters first a Whig and then a Republican. Mr. Hill is not a Large man, being rather less than the medium height. He has a wry intelligent and pleasing countenance, is a very pleasant writer and has a lively appreciation of the humorous. He is much respected and the first paper in McLean County under his man- agement must have been very popular. Bloomington Pantagraph. The first paper published in Bloomington was the Blooming- ton Observer and Ah-Lean County Advocate, the first number of which was issued January 14th, 1837. William Hill, now em- ployed as a compositor in the Pantagraph job office, was its edi- tor and publisher. It was a small, five column weekly, non- political. Mr. Hill published the Observer about a year, then sold it to Mr. Jesse W. Fell (now a resident of Xormal), who continued it about eighteen months. The paper was then dis- continued for about seven years. In 1846 Mr. C. P. Merriman (now of the Leader) revived the paper as the Western Whig. It was afterwards owned and conducted by Johnson & Underwood, Jesse W. Fell, and Merriman (C. P.) and Morris. Mr. Fell changed its name to the Intelligencer and Mr. Merriman invented for it the name of the Pantograph while he and Morris owned it together. The proprietors of the Pantagraph therefore con- sider it to be the oldest paper in the city, and regularly de- scended from the Bloomington Observer and McLean ( bunty Ad- vocate, which was published in 1837. The early numbers of The Observer speak of meetings called for the purpose of establishing a public library in Bloomington, but very little seems to have been done for such an undertaking. Market houses and water works were also discussed at that early day. The mails were carried to Peoria and Springfield twice a week, to all other points once a week, or not so often. Merriman & Morris issued a daily edition while the paper was in their hands, but this did not pay and it was soon discontinued. In 1855 the Pantagraph office was destroyed by the first great fire Bloomington ever experienced. It was then owned by Merriman A: Morris, who soon after sold it to William E. Foote, C. P. Merriman con- 34 NEWSPAPERS. tinning to edit the paper for six months afterwards, or until June, 1856, when Edward J. Lewis became its editor. Mr. Lewis con- tinued to edit the paper until January, 1860. During this pe- riod the daily was successfully started, the first number being issued February 23, 1857, and was published continuously during Mr. Foote's proprietorship. W. R. McCracken was local editor during the greater portion of the time. Franklin Price and Charles L. Steele also had charge of the local columns succes- sively. During this period (1858) the office was fired by an in- cendiary. But some compositors, who slept in a room below the office, were awakened by the barking of a dog kept by them, and they promptly extinguished the flames. This dog, called '■ Major," was a favorite in the office and remained a great pet until his death. His portrait was painted and kept hung up in the office for a long time (between the pictures of George Wash- ington and Florence Nightingale !) During Mr. Foote's pro- prietorship (1855 to 1860) the Pantagraph office became known throughout the West for the excellence of its job printing. Mr. Foote was a job printer of great skill and fine taste. In 1858 specimens of the Pantagraph job printing took the first premium at the great St. Louis Fair, at the National Fair in Chicago the same year and at the Illinois State Fair. In the early part of 1860 the office was sold to Judge Merri- man, and his brother, C. P. Merriman, was made editor. The daily was discontinued but soon after revived. The paper was purchased early in 1861 by Carpenter & Steele, and E. J. Lew r is was again made editor and remained so until the breaking out of the war, when he entered the army, (August, 1861). It was then successively edited by H. B. Norton, Thomas Moore, Cap- tain J. H. Burnham, and others. The paper afterwards par- tially changed hands and was owned by Messrs. Carpenter, Steele, Briggs & Packard, and one of them, Rev. F. J. Briggs, was editor. The paper afterwards was sold to Scibird & Waters, who, after conducting it rather less than a year, sold it to a com- pany composed of Jesse W. Fell, W. O. Davis and James P. Taylor. Mr. Davis is now the sole proprietor. Under the pro- prietorship of Fell & Company the paper was edited for a while by Mr. B. F. Diggs, who was succeeded by Dr. E. R. Roe, who in turn was succeeded by E. J. Lewis a little more than two NEWSPAPERS. 35 years ago. D. A. Ray has been local editor most of the time for several years. W. II. Whitehead was also assistant editor for a considerable time, and is now in charge of the local columns. Under the management of Mr. E. J. Lewis and Mr. W. H. Whitehead, the Pantagraph is very efficiently conducted in all of its departments. The job office of the Pantograph is one of the best in Illinois, and the job printing is remarkable for its good taste. German printing of all kinds, under the supervision of Mr. Bach, is exe- cuted in the best of style. The Leader [Daily and Weekly.) The Weekly Leader was started by John S. Scibird and Orin Waters, proprietors, and Elias Smith, editor, November 15, 1868, and soon attained to a fair circulation and influence. Its success became so flattering that on the twenty-second of February, 1870, its proprietors began the publication of the Daily Leader, which is ably conducted and well supported. The political de- partment was edited by B. F. Diggs and C. P. Merriman suc- cessively, ind the local department by Thomas Moore, Elias Smith, B. F. Diggs, M. F. Leland and J. W. Nichols. The paper is now published by the Leader Company with Orin Waters as general manager and C. P. Merriman and J. W. Nichols as editors. The paper has always been Republican in politics and so continues. The Leader Company publish, in addition to their daily and weekly, the Alumni Journal, fifteen hundred copies per month ; the Little Watchman, a Sunday-school paper, seven thousand copies per week ; the Peal Estate Journal, two thousand per month. The Job Office of the Leader is large and well conducted under the supervision of Mr. E. P. Penniman, who displays the best of taste in everything pertaining to his department. The Anti-Monopolist ( Weekly). The Bloomington Democrat was started in Bloomington in April, 1868, by S. S. Parke, Esq. Previous to this the Demo- cratic party had attempted to establish a party organ, but failed, showing that with newspapers, as with all other matters, it is 36 NEWSPAPERS. individual enterprise which brings success. This paper was Democratic in politics as its name indicates, but during the last campaign it strongly and effectively advocated the principles of the Liberal party. On the fourteenth of August, 1873, the edi- torial management of this paper went into the hands of Joseph Carter, and the paper became the Anti- Monopolist. This paper, on the 1st of January, was merged with the McLean County Anti- Monopolist, at Saybrook, which office has been moved to Bloom- ington, and the paper adopted the title of the Anti- Monopolist. It is now very ably edited, and its articles are frequently quoted in other papers. The Republican ( Weekly.) The Republican was started in Bloomington in 1866, by S. P. Remington and A. B. Holmes. It was Republican in politics and has remained so ever since. Its first editor was Major S. P. Remington. Its present proprietors are A. B. Holmes & Bro. It is a very pleasant, reliable paper and has the confidence of the community. Illinois Trade Journal. This paper was started in November, 1872, by Goff* & Hewitt, As it has recently been brought into existence, it has not yet made a history. It is a commercial paper, at present owned and edited by A. J. Goff, one of its founders. .Mr. Goff' formerly published the Bloomington Journal, which he started in January, 1868. This paper succeeded the McLean County Journal, which had been published by E. B. Buck. In November, 1868, the Bloomington Journal was sold to Scibird k Waters, in whose hands it was succeeded by the Leader. While Mr. Goff published the Journal he issued an edition of that paper in Normal, called the Review, for which Mr. Ray of the Para- graph acted as local editor. The Banner of Holiness. This paper was started October 5, 1872, b} 7 Homy Reynolds and Rev. John P. Brooks. It is purely a religious paper, and its conductors hope and believe that it is the means of doing much good. NEWSPAPERS. 37 McLean County Deutsche Presse — {German Weekly.) The Presse was started by a company, of which the present editor and proprietor, Johannes Koester, was a member in 1871. He soon afterwards became sole editor and proprietor. During the last campaign the paper favored the Liberal movement. The Weekly Enterprise, of Lexington. The Enterprise was started on the first of January, 1873, by Charles M. King, who is editor and proprietor. It takes no sides in political matters as its editor does not consider it old enough to vote. Saybrook Banner. This paper was for a long time published in Lexington, but on the eighteenth of December, 1872. was removed to Saybrook. It was started by H. II. Parkinson and by him first edited. Mr. Parkinson is the present proprietor of the paper. Messrs. Sabin & Van Voris were for a time connected with this paper. It is independent in politics as well as in name. The paper stands high in point of ability and fairness. One thing connected with it is certainly very marvelous — "it is said that the people take a great interest in it." It must indeed be a very interesting paper. The Banner was changed to the McLean County Anti- Monopolist, and subsequently consolidated with the Anti-3T»nopo- list of Bloomington. Chenoa Times. The Chenoa Times was started in July, 1867, by McMurtrie & Dyer, editors and proprietors, under very flattering circum- stances, with a good subscription list. It was edited successively by McMurtrie & Dyer, Miss L. M. Dyer, Mr. C. M. King, Mr. C. E. Spore and John & Bovard. The latter are now its editors and proprietors. BLOOMINGTON. In the fall of 1829, James Allin came from Vandal ia, Fayette County, Illinois, to the north end of Blooming Grove and here opened a store. In the spring of 1830 he built a double log house, with one room for a dwelling and the other for a store. During that year a number of gentlemen took active measures to secure the location of acountyseatatthe north end of Bloom- ing Grove, and the legislature of 1830 and '31 passed the act for the formation of the county of McLean. A board of three commissioners was appointed to locate the county seat. They were Jonathan Pugh of Macon County, Lemuel Lee of Van- dalia, and a certain Mr. Freeman. They were instructed to look over the county and locate the county seat on the second Mon- day in February or within five days thereafter ; but the winter of the deep snow made it impossible for them to locate it at that time, and they were unable to make their report until the fol- lowing April. The following is the report : "April 21, 1831. We the commissioners appointed to locate a county seat in the county of McLean on the second Monday of February or within five days thereafter, owing to the severity of the weather and the depth of snow it was impossible for us to proceed to lo- cate the same at the time specified by law; but as soon there- after as practicable we proceeded to examine the situation of the county, and have located the same on the land of James Allin, on the north end of the Blooming Grove, for which we have his obligation for a donation of twenty-two acres and a half of land. Lemuel Lbe 3 Jonathan Pugh." 40 BLOOMINGTON. The Fourth of July, 1831, was a great day at Blooming Grove, for on that day the town of Bloomington came into be- ing. The lots of the original town were then sold at auction. The town then contained twelve squares and was bounded by North, Front, East and West streets. On the record of the pro- ceedings of the County Court appears the following : "Fourth of July, 1831. " The Court proceeded to sell the lots of the town of Bloom- ington. James Allin was appointed agent to execute deeds and Isaac Baker to take acknowledgments. (Recorded in Book Z.)" The lots were cried 'off b} T William Orendorff as auctioneer. The bidding was lively and the excitement great. The highest price paid for any lot was fifty-two dollars, which was given by A. Gridley for town lot number sixty, where the McLean County Bank now stands. Bloomington was a lively town from the start, for it numbered among its citizens many men who have since shown the most extraordinary foresight and business sa T gacity. These men were united and earnest and determined that the town should be pushed into prosperity at all hazards. They were sharpened by strange experiences. The first addition to the town of Bloomington was made by James Allin, and the plat was recorded August 1, 1831. It con- sisted of a tier and a half of squares on the south of the original town and two tiers of squares on the west, making twelve squares and six half squares. James Allin worked for the growth and prosperity of the town with the most untiring zeal, and was most enthusiastic in his hopes for its development and future prosperity. He said it was on a direct line between the rapids of the Illinois River and Cairo, on a line between Chicago and St. Louis, and on a line between Columbus, Ohio, and Flint Rock, (Burlington) Iowa. It was situated on the edge of one of the prettiest groves in Illinois. He lived to see his fondest hopes realized, as the town, of which he was the founder, grew to an inland city. But it was not because it was on a line between great points, for other towns, not so fortunate, have quite as good a location; it was not alone because it was situated on the edge of a pretty grove or because the soil was productive ; but it grew and prospered because its citizens were determined that it should grow and BLOOMINGTON. 41 prosper. They worked for it and obtained for it every advan- tage; they had faith in it, and it grew and continues growing- The first court in McLean County was held in James Allin's double log cabin, in that part which he used as a dwelling. But on the fifth of January, 1832, the Commissioners' Court adopted a plan for building a court house as follows : "A building of one story high, eighteen feet by thirty, to be finished as a comfortable dwelling house, and order that the clerk give public notice for selling out the (erection of the) building aforesaid to the lowest and best bidder on the sixth day of March next." At the time appointed, the building of the court house was bid off to A. Gridley for three hundred and thirty-nine dollars and seventy-five cents. It was built by him and accepted in De- cember, 1832. It was situated on the west side of the public square. The jail was built by William Dimmitt for $321. The interests of the little town were watchfully guarded, and in 1834 it numbered one hundred and eighty persons, according to a census taken by Allen Withers. During the next two years the rush of people to Illinois from the East was wonderful, and the town grew in 1836 to number four hundred and fifty souls. The early merchants of Bloomington were liberal, enter- prising men. The following from the pen of John W. Billings places the condition of the town in the early days in a clear light: "James Allin first displayed goods at the place now occupied by Dr. Stipp as a dwelling, but soon moved up street, and about the year 1839 built a brick on the corner of Main and Front streets, the present site of the Livingston clothing house. The mercantile firm of Gridley & Covel stood upon the site of the McLean County Bank. This firm did perhaps more business than any one house at that time and bore the brunt of the hard times. After a while they closed out their mercantile matters and went into a steam mill for carding wool and grinding wheat, doing business for a laige extent of country. Haines & Son were dry goods merchants. More & Crow (not black) kept a mercantile house on the corner of Main and Front streets ; but their establishment passed into the hands of B. F. Wood, who was afterwards drowned in the Missouri River. Mr* Goodcop, 42 BLOOMINGTON. German from Philadelphia, flourished for a while in the mer- cantile line, but returned to the city of broadbrims. A hard- ware firm by the name of Freylies Brothers settled about the year 1835, but soon disappeared, their places being supplied by George Dietrich about the year 1839. Mr. Dietrich was an in- dustrious, enterprising young man, who has accumulated a for- tune and retired from business and lives at Normal, honored and respected by all. The first plastering mason in Blooming- ton was William Goodheart, a Scotchman by birth, a former soldier in the army of the great Napoleon, a Methodist class leader, and one whose life corresponded with his teaching. He died at a ripe old age, leaving sons and daughters, worthy citi- zens. Father Goodheart burned the first brick in this vicinity, and Robert Guthrie was the next in this line of business. In an early day J. M. Caleb kept a public house opposite Paist & Mar- mon's drug store, where we received our daily rations. Some of the lady boarders were so fastidious that they nearly fainted on a hot day, when Postmaster Brown had the audacity to seat himself at the dinner table without a coat. The Big Tavern was kept by F. S. Dean, a New York yankee, near the present McLean County Bank, and was burned in 1855 or '56. " A Mr. Bonesteel was among the first owners of steam mills. His mill was on the water run, then called a slough, between Main and Albert streets, but was burned down at an early day. Another steam mill, built by 0. Covel, was burned down some years after. A steam saw mill, which stood between Centre and Madison streets, and was owned by B. F. Wood, was also burned. An Indian family living near was suspected of setting it on fire, and some young men (mostly of the " baser sort") at- tacked and destroyed their house and drove them off, though they were probably innocent. The people in those days were obliged to have their fun. A long-legged, awkward young man, named Peter Bonesteel, was arrested for some pretended offence and brought into Court; but after a trial was discharged. He was afraid to leave the court house, as he thought the boys would lynch him. At last they became uproarious, pushed him out of the door and shouted, " Run, Pete, run !" He did run, sure enough, and be- ing tall, long-legged, with heavy boots, the mud an inch or two BLOOMINGTON. 43 in depth, with a scare upon his mind and a lot of wolfish boys behind, he made such time as would make a locomotive jealous, leaving the howling hounds far in the rear, stopping not until he crouched on the bottom of his father's cellar in Pone Hollow. But he was a good boy and of a good family and did not deserve such treatment. Many of those who were in business in early days, have suc- ceeded well. Lewis Bunn and Abraham Brokaw were among the first plow and wagon makers in McLean County. Elijah Rockhold, now deceased, was for a long while chief architect and builder in Bloomington. Jesse Fell, a member of the Soci- ety of Friends, father of J. W. Fell of Normal and a large fam- ily of other children, most of them still living in McLean County, came to Bloomington when it was in its swaddling clothes. Mother Fell, as is usual with Friends, often preached to us, as the spirit moved, many good and remembered lessons. Father Fell also had a word for all, well-timed to profit. But their earthly pilgrimage has long since ended ; they have obeyed the mandate : "Come up higher." Mr. Robert Guthrie was also a nurse to the infant Bloomington, settling first on the Flagg farm, but soon selling out and coming down to Front street. Perhaps he was the first regular plastering mason here. William Brewer, the first tanner and currier, died about the year 1844 or '45. About the year 1849 or '50 the California gold excitement was greatest and Bloomington sent out a large delegation of some of her best citizens. Dan. Robinson, since deceased, Ly- man Ferre, at that time of wagon and carriage notoriety, Seth H. Adams, familiarly known as Speedy Adams, and John M. Loving and many others started for the golden El Dorado. Doctor Colburn went some little distance, but returned. Rev. D. J. Perry gave them a parting address, and one of his ideas was particularly note-worthy. He said : "Many of the thou- sands now leaving for the farther West think they are going out of the world, where they may think, do and act as they please, while the truth is, they are going right into the world,*where people from all climes and tongues are now congregating, each peculiarly jealous of his rights and ready to maintain them ; the great I Am watches them with a no less jealous eye than if they remained at home." Sound doctrine. 44 BLOOMINGTON. "Among- the most influential men of Bloomington was Gen- eral Merritt Covel. He was the right man in the right place, and the people respected his judgment. He was honorable in his business transactions and shrewd in his calculations. He was amiable of disposition — a gentleman and a genial com- panion. He died in the year 1847. General Gridley (the old folks called him Colonel) represented McLean County in the legislature for one or more terms in 1840 and '41, and is re- ported as second to none of his illustrious compeers of the State Assembly. His constituents were well pleased with his ability, legislative powers, fine eloquence, keen retort and skillful ma- neuvering in all matters affecting McLean County. He served his constituents in the State Senate in 1851, '52, '53 and '54. About this time the Illinois Central Railroad Company was to be chartered, and Bloomington had vital interests at stake. It was then more of a hamlet than a city, and its future hung in the balance. It was clear that General Gridley was the man to espouse her interests and carry them through, and with hercu- lean labors he was triumphantly successful. The chartered line would have carried the track several miles east of the corporation limits, which would have built up a town there and Blooming- ton would have been left in the cold. General Gridley duly ap- preciated this and nerved himself to the task of getting the charter so amended as to make Bloomington a definite point, the result of which is now before the people. It would be un- generous and unjust to say that he did all this individually, but he was the pioneer spirit linked with Jesse W. Fell, Judge David Davis and others. The Bloomington Gas and Coke Com- pany is the result of the enterprise and thrift of General Grid- ley. Probably the head, trunk and limbs of this company are contained in his person and pocket. When the corporation was in darkness, each person carrying his own lantern and each busi- ness place supplying its own lamp post, a light sprang up to- wards Sugar Creek and, though glimmering at first, it is now magnified and the city shines in its radiance. The McLean County Bank was the first institution of its kind established. Its heart and safe respond to the autograph of General Gridley. Our stock men are under obligations to him for engineering into being the present banking facilities of our city. BLOOMINUTON. 45 "Jesse W. Fell, of Normal, came to Blooniington about the year 1833. He is of good old Pennsylvania Quaker stock. His father as well as himself was naturally a horticulturist and fruit grower. I have often looked at an orchard (perhaps their first planting in McLean County) with much delight. The lines of the trees were seemingly set in a diamond form, but were in straight lines from every point of view. J. W. Fell edited the Bloomington Intelligencer for a while. He was a fine scholar, an able editor and a prolific writer, energetic in character and ready of wit and repartee, sound in judgment and pointed in debate, strong in reasoning powers and a fluent speaker, and flush of right words in the right place. He has never been chosen as a representative of the people in any legislative body, but he has been an active worker in everything pertaining to the interest of McLean County, and has been much more useful than scores of members holding constituent papers. The Illinois Central Railroad required his attention and services throughout its construction. Mr. Fell has always been a friend of educa- tion and temperance. The Illinois public school system is debtor to him for many things. Among the other good things it might be said, "he has education on the brain." He thinks everything of the State Normal University, and was an indefati- gable worker for its establishment in the place it occupies. He has been no less untiring in ornamenting its grounds than in locating its site. Trees, shrubbery and flowers, like education, possess a green and flowery spot in his cranium. "It would be a curiosity, indeed, if the Bloomington of early days was to appear before us. I picture in my mind the Bloom- ington of 1837, with its muddy streets, and I see the lone pedes- trian, with pants in boots, wending his way to the post office, kept in a sixteen by twenty feet room ; or I see the lady, with skirts slightly raised, displaying a shining black bootee, daintily picking her steps along single planks, over chip-piles and around mud-puddles, to some store, where could be found many things between the needle and the anchor, a spool of thread, a bolt of muslin, a pound of tea, and tobacco, coffee, saleratus, curry- combs, molasses, etc., in promiscuous plenty. How different is this from the Bloomington of the present day, with its macad- amized streets and its Nicholson pavement, its huge storehouses 46 BLOOMINGTON. and fine private dwellings, and its monster court house, where all capital criminals are proved to be insane. " Although Bloomington is yet in the first blush of city wo- manhood, her beautiful child, Miss Normal, is yet in her teens. Suitors already come to her, attracted by her building lots and shady streets. Under the protecting care of the Normal Univer- sity and the Soldiers' Orphans' Home she will arrive at her law- ful majority. The elder institution sends out from her desks each year more or less of the sons of the gentlemen yeomanry of the State — some as theologians, to be sent on home or foreign missions; others to take up Blackstone and be prepared to prove every culprit honest or insane, or every honest man a culprit ; others to seek the wisdom of Esculapius, in order that all the ill, which flesh is heir to, may flee as chaff in the tornado track. Others will go out to educate the youth and teach the young idea how to shoot — with impunity ! — while others will analyze mother earth, in order to adapt the proper seeds to the proper soils, a knowledge not possessed by all of the farming commu- nity at present. " Bloomington was a most fortunate town in the early days. It contained few of that idle, vagabond class of people, who are the curse of new places. It was no place tor them, as the ener- getic, hard-working people were too numerous. Water and oil will never mix ; the shiftless and lazy people went to other localities." Such are the ideas given by Mr. J. W. Billings, and the reader will agree with me that such entertaining descriptions seldom appear in print. Mr. Billings should have been a writer, and in neglecting to cultivate his literary taste he has mistaken his calling in life. In about the year 1836 or '37 Bloomington was full of enter- prising young men, who have since made their mark. In 1837 Judge McClun came to the town and started as a merchant. He was little more than a boy and had not much of this world's goods ; but he was full of pluck, hopeful of the future, careful, and above all, honest in business and sagacious in his calcula- tions. Allen Withers was then a young merchant and carried on his business with his father, in Boyce Block. William H. Temple was then an enterprising young man, and in 1838 began BLOOMINGTON. 47 business on his own account. James Miller was a merchant in the early days and afterwards treasurer of the State. Matthew II. Hawks was about this time in the dry goods business, but afterwards thought he saw more money in carding wool and making linseed oil. Judge David Davis and Kersey II. Fell were then young men destined to shine in the legal profession. The former now sits on the Supreme Bench of the United States, and his friends be- lieve that his splendid talents would do honor to a higher position. Wm. II. Hodge and Amasa C. Washburn were then schoolmas- ters, and if all reports are true, "they spared not the rod, as they kept the old rule and beat in the A. B. C." The former is remarka- ble for his great memory, and his word concerning the transac- tions of the early days is gospel, and no one disputes it. Thomas Williams and Thomas, Fell were house builders then, and their services were appreciated, for many of the settlers had only the canopy of heaven as a roof to shelter them. John Moore, the wagon maker, afterwards Lieutenant Governor of the State, made wagons for the settlers to haul their grain to market. Abraham Brokaw, Lewis Bunn and William F. Flagg were hard- handed sons of toil, and all were remarkably successful in their profession. William McCullough, "the bravest of the brave," was sheriff, afterwards recorder, and at last a sacrifice to his own daring on a Southern battlefield. William Evans was then a farmer and lived out of town ; but the town came to him at last and took him in, farm and all. William T. Major was then here, an earnest, active Christian and the founder of the Chris- tian Church in Bloomington. In those days, too, John Magoun, the incorrigible bachelor, flourished. He was a bricklayer, a merchant, a capitalist, a landowner, and in everything he suc- ceeded. He was then, as now, a practical philanthropist. The good deeds which he did in secret, were known only to his Heavenly Father, who has rewarded him openly. He was then, as now, an advocate of temperance. One of the old settlers, who has watched his course from then until the present time, says of him : "He stands the highest of any man in this com- munity. I have my enemies, and this may be said of nearly all men who are pretty well known ; but he has none ; every man is his friend." John Magoun is one of the trustees of the Wes- 48 BLOOMINGTON. leyan University, which stands in the suburbs of Bloomington. This institution has had many hard struggles with fortune, but its friends have been numerous and strong. The present Uni- versit} 7 building is a model of elegance and taste, and its professors are gentlemen of culture. Religious matters in early days received attention. The first Sabbath-school was organized on the 8th and 9th of March, 1832, at a school house, where A. C. Washburn was teaching. The appointment had been given out b} r Rev. Mr. Latta, and on the 8th of March a few people attended. Great opposition was manifested, and a learned doctor was loud in his declaration that it was simply a measure to unite the church and state ! The meeting adjourned until the next day, when the organization was perfected. A. C. Washburn was chosen superintendent, and he worked diligently for the little school of twenty or thirty scholars. He made every effort to induce the scholars at the week-day school to put on their prettiest clothes and come to the Sabbath-school. But two or three children, who belonged to a certain family, refused to attend, and he visited the mother and inquired the reason. She said : "How much do you charge for tuition ?" and he replied that the schools were perfectly free. She said : "I don't understand why you should leave your friends and come away out here to the West, a thousand miles or more, to teach my children for nothing." Then he spoke of benevo- lence and good will, and how anxious he was for the spread of the gospel, and thought her heart was touched ; but she sudden- ly looked up and said : "Ain't you a 'cold water' man ?" He was obliged to acknowledge his principles and said that he was a temperance man. When the woman heard this she boiled over with rage, and said that her children should never go to Sunday-school to any such man, and that ended the interview. In the spring of 1833 Mr. Washburn was away from Blooming- ton, and the Sunday-school was, for a while, under the charge of Rev. Mr. McGeogh, who died soon after, and the school became scattered. But it was revived in the fall on the return of Mr. Washburn. He was superintendent until the spring of 1834, when he was absent for a while, and it was conducted by Rev. Samuel Foster. In 1836 Mr. Washburn returned and was again made superintendent. This year was marked by a great sensa- BLOOMINGTON. 49 lion. A colored family moved into the place, and four or five little Ethiopians made their appearance at the Sunday-school. No one could be found to teach them, except the superintendent, and he was obliged to use a part of his time in doing so. Some of the remaining scholars considered this an outrage and threat- ened to deprive the school of the honor of their presence ; but Mr. Washburn was firm; a few left, but the school continued prosperous. This was a union school until 1838, when a Meth- odist school was formed, and the union school became Presby- terian, and at the present time numbers two hundred and seventy scholars. The Bloomington of to-day is a great improvement on the village, which stood here thirty-five years ago. It is an improve- ment in material wealth, an improvement in culture and knowl- edge, and an improvement in appearance and external polish. But are the people more polite? that is, have they more of po- liteness of the heart ? have they more good feeling and more of the disposition to love their neighbors as themselves ? The truth is, there are too many of them to be all neighbors. When only a few are gathered together in a village, the affection and good feelings of the people can go out after each other ; but when a person is obliged to extend his affections over twenty or twenty- five thousand people, his kind feelings become thin and elastic everywhere. The change in feeling is due to the change in circumstances. People have their friends now as they had in the early days, but their friends do not at present consist of all Bloomington. Bloomington extends over four square miles and contained on the first of July, 1873, a population of twenty thousand one hundred people, and Normal contained two thou- sand eight hundred and twenty, making in all twenty-two thousand nine hundred and twenty. Instead of being a village with a little local traffic, it has become a center for supplies for the towns and villages round about. It has three large wholesale dry goods establishments, two wholesale groceries, and three groceries which do a wholesale and retail trade. It has four com- mission merchants, eight large establishments dealing in lumber and nineteen retail dry goods stores. It has nine clothing stores and twentjr-six dress, and cloak making establishments, from which the descendants of the pioneers buy their clothing, in- 4 50 BLOOMINGTON. stead of using the linsey woolsey, the blue jeans, or the whang sewed buckskin of their fathers. It has seventy-three grocery and provision stores, four wholesale and retail hardware establish- ments, and seven exclusively retail. It has four foundries, four flouring mills, three machine shops (exclusive of those of the Chicago and Alton R. Ii.), two agricultural implement manufac- tories and one chair manufactory. As the city contains many school girls it has been necessary to start a chewing-gum manu- factory. The wax affords the most healthy exercise for the jaws, and when these school girls grow up and go to tea parties, they can talk by the hour and their jaws will never fail. How great are the privileges enjoyed by the children of to-day ! The little pioneer girls had no manufactured chewing gum ; they gathered the wax from the rosin weed and upon this they exercised their jaws. The city contains twelve cigar and tobacco manufacturing establishments, and the youth of Bloomington can chew and smoke with the elegance befitting the cultured gentlemen of America. Bloomington has five banks, which furnish all commercial facilities; thirteen hotels, to accommodate the customers who come to purchase goods ; four fast freight lines; four railroads and one branch road, which make the city a distributing depot. It has two patent medicine factories, which send out medicine warranted to cure the ills which afflict the nations of the earth. It has twelve large drug stores, two of which are wholesale establishments, and they distribute the purest drugs to kill or cure the descendants of the pioneers. It has forty-two physi- cians, who sometimes restore men to health and sometimes make work for the undertakers. It has fifty lawyers, who dis- play their genius b} r tangling up that which is plain and straight, or by throwing a light upon that which is dark and obscure. It has eight photographic galleries, where people go for pictures of their beautiful selves, taken in all kinds of unnatural atti- tudes, with foolish smiles or strange expressions. It has eight book and job printing establishments, which turn out two daily papers, one semi-weekly, five weeklies and four monthlies. It has factories of various kinds — a shoe factory, a spice factory-, an organ factory — and quick-sighted capitalists will doubtless dis- cover many other things which could easily be made by a factory l'-LOO.MINCTON. 51 in Bloomington. The pioneers washed their own clothing by the use of soap and muscle; but their thrice happy descendants were for a while served by pig-tailed Chinamen, sent from the Celestial Empire, twelve thousand miles away. Bloomington exercises a paternal watch-care over the surrounding country ; the streams are spanned by the King Iron Bridge Company, and the bridges are not broken down by heavy weights or carried away by freshets. The second court house in Bloomington was a brick build- ing, forty by forty-five feet and two stories high. It was built in 1836 in the center of the court house square, by Leander Munsell, for six thousand three hundred and seventy-five dol- lars. A little of this was paid in cash, but the greater part remained for many years a debt upon the county, drawing eight per cent, interest. The tax required to pay this interest was severely felt. The old court house served well in its day, and as a usual thing the people obtained substantial justice from the judges and juries within its walls. But the business of the county in- creased with wealth and numbers, and it became necessary to have larger public buildings. On the fifth of December, 1867, Hon. John M. Scott and Robert E. Williams, Esq., addressed the Board of Supervisors upon the subject of erecting a new court house. Investigations were made and reports presented, and in March the matter took definite form. A building com- mittee, of which O. M. Colman was chairman, was appointed, a contract for the present court house was made and the building commenced. It was superintended by Cochran & Piquard, architects from Chicago. The building was contracted for $285,342. It is built of Joliet stone and is a very imposing structure. The first preacher who delivered a sermon at Blooming Grove was Rev. Jarnes Stringfield from Kentucky, who belonged to the Methodist denomination. The exercises were held at the house of John Hendrix, in the year 1823, eight years before Bloomington was laid out. But Mr. Stringfield only came on a visit. Rev. Ebenezer Rhodes came in 1824, and preached when- ever he could collect half a dozen persons together, but had no regular appointments for some time. He belonged first to the 52 BLOOMINGTON. Separate Baptist denomination and afterwards to the Christian. Rev. James Latta came to Blooming Grove in 1824, but did not preach regularly until 1828. The first circuit preacher in Mc- Lean County was Rev. William See, who came in 1826. He was succeeded in 1827 by Rev. Smith L. Robinson, who was succeeded in 1828 by Rev. James Latta. Mr. Latta was quite a noted old settler. He had been connected with the militia in 1827, while the Winnebago Indians were making some trouble up in the mining country, and he was called Col. Latta. He was a very effective preacher and talked to the people directly concerning their errors and short comings. Mr. Latta was suc- ceeded as a circuit preacher by Rev. Stephen Beggs in 1829. The circuit was then called the Salt Creek Circuit, but was afterwards divided. In 1830 Rev. Mr. Shepherd took charge of the circuit. He was an old man and has no doubt long: since passed from the living. He was again, pastor in Bloomington in 1839. In 1831 Rev. Dr. Crissey came. The first sermon preached in Bloomington was delivered by Rev. William Crissey, in November, 1831, in the school house which formerly stood near where the marble works of Halde- man Brothers are located. He was invited by James Allin to preach there. Mr. Crissey had before this preached in what are now the suburbs of Bloomington. Gen. Gridley gives some items with regard to the matter as follows : " I arrived in Bloomington on Saturday, October 8, 1831. The next day (Sunday) I attended Methodist meeting at the log cabin of John Canady, one and a half miles southeast of town, on the farm now owned by the Hon. John E. McClun. The congregation consisted of James Allin and wife, David Trim- mer and wife, M. L. Covel, Samuel Durley, W. H. Hodge and wife, and the family of John Canady. The sermon, which was a very good one, was preached by Rev. Dr. Crissey, late of Decatur. He was a boy about my age at that time, not quite twenty-one." In 1831-2 Rev. Mr. Johnson, a Cumberland Presbyterian, preached here. In 1832 Dr. Crissey, of the Methodist denomi- nation, was succeeded by Rev. Mr. Royal. He was succeeded by a young preacher, whose name cannot be ascertained. Rev. Zadoc Hall was circuit preacher in 1835, and he took the con- BLOOMINGTON. 53 tract for building the first Methodist church. He was succeeded by Mr. Chase in 1836. The latter was the first stationary preacher in Bloomington. He was succeeded by Rev. Richard Haney in 1837, who remained two years. The first Presbyterian preacher was Rev. Calvin W. Babbitt, who came in December, 1832, and organized the Presbyterian Church in January, 1833. He was succeeded by Rev. Mr. Mc- Geogh in the spring of 1833. The latter was a Scotchman and a man of great learning. He had a large and well selected library of books in various languages. He died in Blooming- ton. Rev. Lemuel Foster, also Presbyterian, came in the fall of 1833. The Catholic Church, called the Church of the Immaculate Conception, presents the strongest membership of any in Bloom- ington, having about six thousand. The pastors are Rev. James J. McGovern, D. D.; First Assistant, Rev. L. Lightner, D. D.; Second Assistant, Rev. F. A. O'Connor. It has a large and flourishing Sundaj r -school. The number of girls in attendance at the Academy of St. Joseph is two hundred. The church building is situated on Main street, corner of Chestnut. The St. Mary's German Church, Catholic, is on North Water street, corner of Short. The Methodist Church is very strong in numbers and in- fluence. The first Methodist Church has a membership of eight hundred and twenty-five. The pastor is the Rev. R. M. Barns. The building is located on Washington street, corner of East. A new building will shortly be erected on the corner of Grove and East streets. This church has nine local preachers, six ex- horters, six stewards and twenty-six leaders. The Sabbath school is superintended by C. S. Aldrich and numbers four hundred and twenty-five scholars and has thirty-two teachers. The German Methodists, Rev. E. C. Magarat, pastor, have their place of worship at 415 North Centre street. The Sunday- school connected with it has an attendance of one hundred and seventy-five scholars. The University Methodist Church, with a membership of two hundred and eighty-five, Rev. J. G. Little, pastor, holds services in Amie Chapel, in the Wesleyan Univer- sity. The Sunday-school is superintended by II. G. Reeves. Number of scholars two hundred, and teachers, seventeen. The 54 BLOOMINGTON. German Mission is located at 1302 S. Main street. The African M thodist Church is located at 806 N. Centre street, and the African Baptist Church is on Main street, near N. Water. The Baptist Church has a large and influential membership. The first Baptist Church, Rev. C. E. Hewitt, pastor, is located on the northeast corner of Madison and Jefferson streets. It was organized in 1835, numbers five hundred and twenty members, and has a Sabbath-school with an attendance of four hundred scholars and thirty teachers. The Superintendent is D. B. Har- wood. The West Baptist Mission Sunday-school is on the cor- ner of Locust and Cranmer streets. It has seventy-five scholars and nine teachers, superintended byR, G.Lambert. The South Baptist Mission Sunday-school numbers fifty scholars and nine teachers, and is superintended by II. C. Crist. The Mt. Pisgah Baptist Church (colored), Rev. T. Reasoner, pastor, has sixty members. The Sabbath-school, superintended by J. W. Hag- gard, has an attendance of forty-five scholars. The building is located at 504 S. Lee street. The Mission Chapel, (German) Rev. W. Deininger, pastor, is located at 1002 S. Main street. The strength and influence of the Presbyterian Church is due in some measure to the fact that it was the first, or about the first, which became organized in Bloomington. The Lord's Supper was administered in January, 1832, and the church soon became firmly established. The First Presbyterian Church, Rev. J. McLean, pastor, is located on the corner of Grove and East streets, and numbers one hundred and eighty members. The Sunday-school numbers about two hundred and seventy-five scholars, and great interest is manifested in it. The Second Presbyterian Church, Rev. W. Dinsmore, pastor, is on the cor- ner of East and North streets. It numbers four hundred and fifty members. The Sunday-school connected with it is super- intended by B. P. Marsh and numbers three hundred scholars and thirty-five teachers. St. Matthew's Episcopal Church, Rev. T. N. Morrison, pas- tor, is on the corner of Washington and West streets. It was organized July 31, 1853. It now numbers about one hundred and fifty members. The Sunday-school was organized about the same time as the church and numbers about one hundred and forty members. BLOOMINGTON. 55 The Christian Church, Rev. J. II. McCullough, pastor, is lo- cated at 401 West Jefferson street. It is strong and flourishing. The Sunday-school, superintended by M. Svvann, numbers one hundred and sixty scholars and thirteen teachers. The Mission School of the Christian Church meets at the corner of South Grove and Vine streets, and numbers one hundred and ten scholars and ten teachers. The First Congregational Church, Rev. J. M. Baugh, pastor, meets at Schroeder's Opera House. It numbers eighty members. The Sunday-school, superintended by S. D. Gaylord, has thir- teen teachers and one hundred and fifty scholars. The Free Congregational Church, Rev. C. C. Burleigh, pastor, is located on the corner of East and Jefferson streets. It was organized in 1859, and has one hundred members. The Sunday-school, superintended by Thomas Metcalf, has one hun- dred and ten scholars and eleven teachers. The German Evangelical Lutheran Trinity Church, Rev. E. Mangelsdorf, pastor, meets at corner of Madison and Olive streets. The number of voting members is five hundred and seventy-five. The congregation is now building two day school houses, as the number of pupils at the day schools of this de- nomination amounts to one hundred and twenty-five. The Sun- day-school has about one hundred and fifty scholars. m ■ ■ ^1 BLOOMINGTON HIGH SCHOOL. BLOOMINGTON PUBLIC SCHOOLS. The public schools of Bloomington are a matter of just pride to its citizens. The willingness of the people to submit to many sacrifices for their children, and the interest they have taken in the cause of education, have made the schools efficient and given them a high standing. Until the year 1857 the public schools of Bloomington were managed under the common school system ; but during that year a Board of Education was organ- ized under an act of the Legislature. The board consisted of seven members, elected for two years, and possessed very full powers. But after the first of April, 1869, it was continued by electing two members in each of two years and three members every third year. It first met and organized in the office of 0. T. Reeves, on the eighth of April, 1857. The members of the board were C. P. Merriman, 0. T. Reeves, E. R. Roe, Eliel' Barber, Samuel Gallagher, Henry Richardson, and R. 0. War- riner. C. P. Merriman was made President; R. 0. Warriner, Secretary, and 0. T. Reeves, Treasurer. It was soon evident that the Board of Education meant to do something in the way of making the schools efficient and giving them a high stand- ing, for it immediately chose a board of three examiners into the qualifications of teachers, and a committee of three to ex- amine into the wants of the city with regard to school rooms. The latter committee reported it necessary to build school houses costing ten thousand dollars, and their report was adopted by the Board of Education, and measures were taken to carry it out. But some difficulty was experienced, as the City Council refused to levy the tax required for the schools. The Board of Education therefore, at the session in June, 1857, passed the following resolution : 58 PUBLIC SCHOOLS. " Resolved, That the superintendent be instructed to employ lion. A. Lincoln to take the necessary steps to procure from the Circuit Court a writ of mandamus to compel said City Council to levy the tax as required of them by section eight of said school law." But the matter was finally settled without resorting to the courts. In 1857 the board decided to rent school houses in four of the districts, and some idea of the value of property at that time may be obtained from the prices paid as rent for these school houses. They rented houses as follows : District No. 1 $45 per quarter. " 2 30 " 3 20 " " 4 , 30 " The first superintendent of schools elected by the Board of Education was D. Wilkins, Jr., who was chosen in October, 1857. He seems to have acted very efficiently and to have understood his responsibilities. But the " hard times" were felt very severely, and in March, 1858, the wages of teachers in the lower grades were cut down to $35, $30 and $25. In July of the same year the High School was re-organized, with Mr. H. Kellogg as principal, and in the following year Mr. Gilbert Thayer was elected superintendent of schools. The government of the schools was early a subject of* anxiety to the Board of Education, and on the second of March, 1859, it was " Resolved, That this Board of Education disapprove of cor- poral punishment in our free schools." In July following it was " Resolved, That no teacher hereafter shall condemn or cen- sure any pupil until said pupil shall have the opportunity of being heard in his or her own defence, and that the language used by a teacher in administering discipline shall always be respectful and dignified." On the twenty-ninth of June, 1868, Mr. Samuel M. Etter, of Kewanee, was unanimously chosen superintendent of the Bloom- ington schools. He filled his position with marked ability until October, 1872, when he resigned for the purpose of en- PUHLIC SCHOOLS. 59 gaging- in other business. The following is the resolution passed by the Board of Education, accepting Mr. Etter's resig- nation : " Resolved, That the resignation be accepted, to take etFect on or before October 25th, and that we hereby declare our confi- dence in the ability of Mr. Etter as a manager of the man}* per- plexing details of a comprehensive school system ; and that in parting with him we desire hereby to assure him that he has the best wishes of this board for his success in his new field of labor." On the thirty-first of August, Mr. B. P. Marsh, of Galesburg, was elected principal of the High School, which position he has filled with honor to the schools and credit to himself. He re- signed this position at the close of the school year in June, 1873, for the purpose of engaging in the practice of medicine. On the twenty-first of September, 1868, the Board of Edu- cation contracted with Packard & Thomas to put up the High School building for $28,499. This was absolutely necessary, in order to accommodate the growing wants of the scholars. On the twenty-ninth of May, 1871, it was resolved that the superintendent be instructed to report to the Board of Educa- tion a plan for the introduction of the German language as a branch of study in the public schools of the city. On the last of July following Mr. Etter reported that he had visited and corresponded with various parties at Davenport, Iowa ; Rock Island, Chicago, and Beloit, Wis. ; and said that the teaching of German in the schools could be made successful. The com- mittee on teachers and course of instruction was directed to report a definite ,plan, and the superintendent was directed to correspond with a view of procuring a German teacher. On the twenty-fifth of September, 1871, Herr Von Loewenfells was appointed teacher of German in the various schools of the city, at a salary of $900 for eight months' work. On the twenty- seventh of Xovember, 1871, Von Loewenfells resigned, and Rev. Mr. Deininger was appointed in his place, at a salary of §100 per month. On the third of June, 1872, Professor E. Duis was chosen teacher of German, and continued in that capacity until June, 1873. On the nineteenth of October, 1872, S. D. Gaylord was 60 PUBLIC SCHOOLS. elected superintendent of schools, and continues to fill this re- sponsible position with satisfaction to all. In the city of Bloomington are ten school buildings, of which six are brick and four are frame. These buildings with their furniture have cost the city more than one hundred and seventy thousand dollars, and can accommodate more than twenty-seven hundred scholars. At the close of the year 1872 twenty-seven hundred and fifty-one scholars were enrolled in the city, and of these twenty-six hundred and thirty were in actual attendance. The colored school is open to pupils from all parts of Bloom- ington. The city is divided into eight school districts. The departments below the High School have ten separate grades. In the High School are three separate courses of study : the scientific, requiring four years, the' classical, requiring five years and the course preparatory for college, requiring three years. In the scientific course great attention is paid to mathematics ; in the classical course hardly as much attention is given to math- ematics, but more than four years are given to Latin. In the course preparatory for college three years are given to Latin and two years to Greek. German is taught in the High School. English literature receives much attention and one entire year is devoted to it. The natural sciences are not neglected. One term is given to geology and two to physiology, botany and chemistry. The members of the Bloomington Board of Education are : Samuel S. Parke, Jacob Jacoby, Cyreneus Wakefield, J. A. Jackman, K. H. Fell, E. M. Piince and B. P. Marsh. The Superintendent of Schools is S. D. Gaylord. He was chosen Superintendent of the Bloomington Public Schools, Oc- tober 19, 1872. Mr. Gaylord was born of American parentage at Ashford, Conn., in 1833. He was the third in a family of seven boys, all of whom, with their parents, have been school teachers during some part of their lives. He received his edu- cation principally in the public schools and academies of New England. He educated himself, as his father, though in com- fortable circumstances, was notable to educate his large family. Mr. Gaylord graduated at the Connecticut Literary Institute at Suffield. He began to teach in district schools when eighteen years of age. He taught for three years in Mt. Hollis Seminary PUBLIC SCHOOLS. 61 at Ilolliston, Mass., and while there continued his studies under Prof. E. J. Cutter of Harvard College, until he completed the course required in that institution. lie came to the West in the year 1858 in answer to a call from the Board of Education at Oshkosh, Wisconsin, to take charge of the free schools in that city. In 1861 he went to Sheboj'gan, A\ r is., where he became the superintendent of schools. In 1867 he received a call to the Milwaukee High School, which was being re-orgmized, and remained there two years ; but failing health' compelled his resignation. Some time afterwards he accepted a call to organize the public schools of Mineral Point, Wisconsin, but at the end of two years he found that entire rest from school room duties was necessary to restore his health, and therefore resigned his position and spent some time in traveling. On the nineteenth of October, 1872, he accepted the invitation of the Board of Edu- cation of Bloomington to take charge of the public schools in place of Mr. Etter, resigned. Mr. Ga3'lord has had twenty years of experience in teaching, and has always been promi- nently identified with educational movements and institute work. He was a member of the State Board of Examiners for state certificates in Wisconsin, and in 1866 was President of the Wis- consin State Teachers' Association. B. P. Marsh. B. P. Marsh was born 1841 in Nunda, New York; he ob- tained under difficulties an education which prepared him for his favorite study, that of medicine, which he has made his profession. He graduated from Knox College, Galesburg, in 1864. He has been principal of the High School during the past five 3 7 ears, longer than any one before, and has done much for the schools. While engaged here he has several times been offered professorships in educational institutions ; but as it is not his intention to spend his days in teaching, he resigned his position as principal of the High School in June, 1873, and com- menced the practice of medicine. He is now connected witli Dr. H. B. Wright, with whom he has formed a partnership. He still takes an interest in educational matters and is a member of the Bloomington Board of Education. 62 PUBLIC SCHOOLS. Samuel M. Etter. Mr. Etter is not now in any way connected with the schools of Bloomington, but he filled the position of superintendent during a very important period, while nearly all of the school buildings used at present were constructed, and while various changes were made and modern improvements introduced. Something concerning his life is therefore called for by those who have taken an interest in the Bloomington schools. From a sketch published in the Illinois Teacher are taken the items for a short account of his life. Mr. Etter was born May 16, 1830. His father was of Ger- man descent. He lived in Pennsylvania during the first ten years of his life and then went with his father's family to Ohio, where he exercised his youthful muscle on a farm. During the first fourteen or fifteen years of his life he received very little education, but determined to acquire knowledge at all hazards. At the a^e of sixteen he attended a boarding school at Twins- burg, Ohio, and walked fifty miles to get there. He succeeded in his studies of course, for such pluck as he showed was sure to win. "When his money was exhausted he taught school to ob- tain more funds. Mr. Etter attended the High School at Mas- sillon, Ohio, and afterwards the college at Kalamazoo, Michigan. He taught school at Perrysburg, Ohio, at Lacon and at Galva, Illinois. Without discontinuing his school at the latter place, he was in 1861 < elected County Superintendent of Henry County. In 1863 he was chosen President of the State Teachers' Associa- tion, which was held the following year at Joliet. In 1864 he received the degree of Master of Arts from Knox College, and during the same year was chosen Superintendent of Schools at Kewanee. In 1868 he was unanimously elected Superintendent of Public Schools of Bloomington, which position he held until October, 1872. Mr. Etter has been remarkably successful as a teacher wherever he has gone. He has the determination and good judgment which makes him successful and the pleasant manner and kind disposition which make him popular. He has been ever careful never to neglect his duties, and he certainly has the good will of all the old teachers and friends with whom he labored. ILLINOIS WESLEYAN UNIVERSITY. In 1850, a number of the leading citizens of Bloomington agi- tated the subject of founding a university complete in all its departments. Illinois was felt to be a growing State, and these citizens were anxious that its educational advantages should be of the first order. It was decided that the university should be placed under the control of the Methodist Church. This was not done for the purpose of making it a sectarian institution, for science can never be made sectarian. It was felt that it should be placed in careful hands, where it would be likely to have good management ; and as the Methodist Church was then, as now, very large and influential, the care of the new univer- sity was confided to it. It was intended that its influence should be of a Christian character, but the students of all de- nominations should find a home within its halls. This idea lias been faithfully carried out. The first Board of Trustees organized under the general laws of the State on the second of December, 1850. Their names were Hon. Isaac Funk, Silas Waters, Rev. James C. Finley, C. P. Merriman, Rev. W. D. R. Trotter, D. D., David Trimmer, Rev. C. M. Holliday, John Magoun, Wm. II. Holmes, Col. James Miller, Lewis Bunn, Rev. John Van Cleve, D. D., John N". Ewing, Rev. John S. Barger, William Wallace, Rev. Peter Cartwright, D. D., Rev. Calvin W. Lewis, James Allin, Rev. Reuben Anclrus, A. M., W. C. Hobbs, Rev. Wm. J. Rutledge, K. H. Fell, Rev. James Leaton, Rev. J. F. Jaques, A. M., Dr. T. P. Rogers, Linus Graves, Rev. Thomas Magee, Hon. John E. McClun, Dr. Ezekiel Thomas and Wm. H. Allin. In the winter of 1850 and '51 a preparatory school was or- ganized under the charge of Rev. R. Andrus, A. M., in the basement of the Methodist Church. Subscription papers were g4 WESLEYAN UNIVERSITY. at once circulated to obtain funds necessary to put up suitable buildings, but the amount raised fell far short of the necessities of the institution. Nevertheless the work was begun and the foundations of the building were laid. In Jul}', 1851, a second professor, Rev. Wm. Goodfellow, A. M., was elected, and at the opening of the college year in Sep- tember the school was much enlarged. On the sixth of July, 1851, Rev. John Dempster, D. D., of Concord, New Hampshire, was elected president. The first annual commencement was held on the seventh of July, 1853. At this commencement the de- gree of Bachelor of Arts was conferred upon James Hughes Barger, the first graduate. The degree of Master of Arts, in course, was also conferred upon Daniel Wilkins, A. B., a grad- uate of the University of Michigan. Shortly after this President Dempster moved to Evanston. In the meantime the work of raising funds and of putting up the building went on very slowly, and the institution began to be much involved in debt. The members of the faculty would not get even the small sala- ries which belonged to them, and resigned and sought other fields of labor. On the 9th of August, 1855, Rev. Clinton "W. Sears, who had been a professor in the institution, was elected president, and a strong effort was made to establish it on a firm basis. The building was so far advanced that a part of it could be occupied, but the great difficulty in procuring funds caused the failure of all of these plans. The faculty all resigned, the school was discontinued and the building sold under a mechanic's lien. But the friends of the institution did not despair. The}- secured the services of Rev. Charles W. C. Munsell as canvasser to procure the funds necessary for placing the institution once more upon a sound basis. Mr. Munsell went to work enthusi- astically and used his own private means to redeem the building after its sale under the mechanics' lien. A new charter was granted to the institution by the Legislature and a new Board of Trustees was nominated by the two Methodist Conferences. This Board elected Rev. Oliver S. Munsell, A. M., president of the University, and authorized him in connection with the Executive Committee to organize the faculty and decide upon the courses of study and re-open the University. A small loan was effected and the building was completed. On the tenth of WESLEYAN UNIVERSITY. 65 September, 1857, the school was re-opened with three professors and seventeen students. But even this small number of students was not kept up during the term. Some four or five of them began to feel so lonesome in walking through the almost deserted halls that they, too, left the school. During the entire year only sixty students were enrolled, and of these all but seven were in the primary and preparatory departments. The agent of the institution worked hard to secure funds and was successful. But it was not until July, 1860, that the trustees assumed the pecuniary responsibility of the institution. At that time they felt justified in giving the president and professors each a salary of five hundred dollars per annum. During this year there were in the institution ninety-one students, of whom only nineteen were in the collegiate department. The faculty numbered five professors. At the annual commencement of 1861 Harvey C. De Motte, of Metamora, and Peter Warner, of Kappa, received the degree of Bachelor of Science, and were the first graduates under the new organization. Mr. De Motte was immediately elected Professor of Mathematics, a position which he retains with credit to the institution. The institution suffered quite seriously in the autumn and winter of 1862 by the volunteering of the students. In the sum- mer of 1863 upon a sudden and urgent call from the Governor of the State, Professor De Motte and thirty-two out of forty-three students then in attendance volunteered for three months, and were transferred for garrison duty to Alexandria on the Poto- mac. Of the three graduates at this annual commencement one, W. C. Adams, was graduated while absent in the army and died soon after. Another, Henry W. Boyd, enlisted for the war as a private within a week after his graduation ; but having studied medicine, he was by his own merit promoted to the rank of brigade surgeon. The growth of the University during the war was slow but sure, and in 1865 the University became free from debt. In the year 1866 the Methodist Church in America celebrated its first centennial anniversary and the sum of fifty-four thou- sand dollars was subscribed on this occasion by the friends of the institution. Twenty thousand dollars of this was subscribed by the city of Bloomington, and also ten thousand dollars was 5 QQ WESLEYAN UNIVERSITY. given by the Funk family to endow the Isaac Funk Professor- ship of Agriculture. The total endowment of the University was then seventy-nine thousand dollars. In addition to this, the various departments of the University had been provided with apparatus necessary for them, and the museum of Natural His- tory and the libraries had been growing steadily. All of this gave the institution a respectable standing, and one of the results was an increase in the number of students. But the increased number of students made a larger building a necessity, and in March, 1868, an educational convention of the friends of the University met and decided that the trustees should take action in the matter immediately. Before long, thirty thousand dollars were subscribed for the building, and of this twenty thousand dollars were given by the citizens of Bloom- ino-ton. The trustees immediately proceeded with the work in accordance with a beautiful plan drawn by R. Richter, Esq., architect, of Bloomington. The work was steadily pushed and a fine brick building, seventy by one hundred and forty feet, five stories high, with a stone basement and Mansard roof, arose as a monument of their eftorts. When the time came to finish the chapel, Col. W. H. Coler, of Champaign City, stepped forward and pledged five thousand dollars for that purpose on the sole condition that it should be called Amie Chapel in honor of his mother. The Belles Lettresand the Munsellian Literary Societies have fitted up the halls assigned to them with the finest taste, and have expended on them not less than four thousand dollars. Amie Chapel was dedicated on the sixteenth of June, 1872, by the Rev. B. J. Ives, I). D., of Auburn, New York, and the lar^e congregation present celebrated the occasion by subscrib- ing twelve thousand dollars to prosecute the work, and it is hoped that the entire University building will be finished at an early day. In 1870 the trustees were called upon to decide whether or not ladies should be admitted to the privileges of the University. This important question was referred by the trustees to the two conferences (the Illinois and Illinois Central), and by their de- cision the ladies gained the day, and twenty-five of them were immediately enrolled as students. The first lady graduate was WESLE1 AN UNIVERSITY. C7 Hannah I. Slmr, of El Paso, upon whom the degree of Bachelor of Science was conferred on the twentieth of June, 1ST.!. The courses of study for the ladies arc precisely the same as those marked out for the gentlemen. The classical and scientific courses of study, both require four years in the collegiate department, and one and two years re- spectively in the preparatory department. At first the scientific course required only three years to complete, but this was changed to the present extended course, and now the degree of Bachelor of Science means something. The department of agriculture is also well attended to. The Professorship of Agriculture was endowed by the Funk family and is named after Hon. Isaac Funk, of McLean County. It is well filled by Bradford S. Potter, A. M., an enthusiast in the natural sciences. In addition to the regular collegiate course of study, lectures are given on International and Constitutional Law ; on Anatomy, Physiology and Hygiene, and on Music. The lectures on law are delivered by Robert E. Williams, Esq., those on Physiology by J. L. "White, M. P., and those on Music by Prof. F. A. Parker. These lectures are not designed as schools of law and medicine, but it is hoped that they may pre- pare the way for the organization of such departments at some future time. The fact is conceded that the Wesleyan University is yet only a college, but its friends are slowly and surely preparing the way to make it a university of the highest standing, and add to it regular departments of law, medicine and theology. In order to do this, time and, most of all, money is required. There is hardly a college or university of good standing in existence which is self-supporting. The cause of learning everywhere must depend upon the generosity of the people. It is not easy to over-estimate the effect of a university upon the people of a state. It gives them a higher standard by which to judge of themselves. The University of Michigan places that State in the highest rank among those of the Union and the same may be said of the relation of Harvard and Yale to Massachusetts and Connecticut. We are called upon then by every considera- tion of philanthropy and of patriotism to take care of our schools and colleges. It is earnestly hoped that the Weslej^an Univer- (38 WESLEYAN UNIVERSITY. sity may be remembered by its friends in the future as it has been in the past ; that it may grow in numbers, in influence and in usefulness; that it may take a leading position among the universities of America, and place Illinois in the first rank among the States of the Union, in learning and the fine arts. Rev. Samuel Fallows, D. D. The following biographical notice of Rev. Samuel Fallows, the recently chosen President of the Wesleyan University, is taken from the Alumni Journal, which republished it from the Christian Statesman of Milwaukee, Wis. : " Dr. Fallows was born in Manchester, England, December 13th, 1835. He came to Wisconsin in 1848, and first settled at Marshall, Dane County, and has since resided at Galesville, Ap- pleton, Oshkosh, Milwaukee and Madison. He has officiated as assistant professor in the State University, from which institu- tion he graduated in 1859 with the highest honors, being the valedictorian of his class. From 1859 to 18(31 he was Vice Presi- dent of Galesville University, in this State. He was elected Professor in Lawrence University in 1863, and Professor of Rhetoric in the State University in 1867, both of which positions were declined. He was pastor of Summerfield Church from 1865 to 1868, and of the Spring Street Church from 1868 to 1870, in the city of Milwaukee. During his pastorate the latter society built one of the most elegant churches in the State. He has been a regent of the State University for the past eight years. He entered the military service during the late rebellion, and was commissioned chaplain of the 32d Wisconsin Volun- teers, September, 1862; was appointed Lieutenant Colonel of the 40th Wisconsin Volunteers, 1864, and in 1865 was appointed Colonel of the 49th Wisconsin Volunteers, and breveted Briga- dier General in October of the same year for meritorious service. Was appointed State Superintendent, July 5th, 1870, by Gov- ernor Fairchild, to fill the vacancy occasioned by the death of Hon. A. J. Craig. In November he was elected to fill the bal- ance of the unexpired term. Was renominated by the Republi- can State Convention in 1872, and re-elected, and no doubt would have been again nominated this year, for the same position. WESLEYAN UNIVERSITY. 69 "As State Superintendent, Dr. Fallows has won a tine repu- tation, by his indefatigable, zealous and efficient labors in the cause of public education. He has industriously traversed the State, organizing teachers' institutes, and delivering sound and stirring lectures. His grand object has been to harmonize and unify the educational system of the State; and he has assidu- ously labored to bring the graded schools and the State Univer- sity into line. This may be called the distinctive feature of his administration of the office, and, from the progress made, there is no doubt that his efforts would have been crowned with suc- cess. In recognition of his services in the cause of education and religion, Lawrence University last year conferred upon him the honorary degree of Doctor of Divinity. "As a clergyman of the Methodist Episcopal Church, Dr. Fallows has been no less efficient and successful, than as an edu- cator. As a pulpit orator he has but few superiors, and, when announced to speak upon any great question of the day, never fails to attract a large audience. Our friends in Illinois will find in him not only an efficient educator, but an earnest and elo- quent champion of every worthy cause. He will be a valuable accession, not only to the Wesleyan University, but to the State of Illinois. We part with Dr. Fallows with regret, and heartily wish for him a continuance of the abundant success which he has heretofore deserved and achieved." II. C. De Motte, A. M., Professor of Mathematics, and Vice President, was born in Greene County, Illinois, July 17, 1838. After having pursued certain preparatory studies, he entered the Wesleyan University September 1, 1859, was appointed janitor, November 1, in 1860, which office in those days was filled by the most worthy student. He was appointed tutor in mathematics April, 1861, was gradu- ated and elected Professor of Mathematics in June, 1861. He entered the Union army as First Lieutenant of Company G, 68th Regiment Illinois Volunteers, a regiment enlisted for three months. He was appointed Assistant Provost Marshal of Alex- andria, Va., August 23, 1862. Having been duly mustered out of service, he returned to duty as Professor of Mathematics in October, 1862, and in June, 1865, as senior professor, he was 70 WESLEYAN UNIVERSITY. made A'iee President of the University. Professor De Motte, in the absence of the President, has through a period of nearly three years performed the duties of that office with great ef- ficiency. Rev. J. R. Jaques, A. M., Professor of Greek language and Instructor in German, was born in Warwickshire, England, December 8, 1828. He came to the United States in 1838 ; was trained in district school, academy and bookstore from 1840 until 1845 in Palmyra, N". Y. During the next three years he was trained in a printing office. From 1848 until 1850 he prepared for college in Union School, Lyons, N. Y. He was licensed to preach in 1850. Dur- ing the same year he entered as Freshman, Genesee College, (now Syracuse University) N. Y. ; was tutor in Latin and Greek, and graduated as A. B. in 1854. He was for a while principal of an academy in Steuben County, N. Y. In 1856 and 1857 he organized the Mansfield Classical Seminary, Pa., (now State Normal School). Released by the temporary suspension of the school by the burning of the building in 1857, he was pastor of first M. E. Church, Elmira, N. Y., then of the M. E. Church in Hornellsville, N. Y., and lastly of first M. E. Church, Roches- ter, N. Y. Leaving the pulpit in 1862 on account of throat trouble, he taught Latin, Greek and German in the Collegiate Institute, Rochester, N. Y. From thence he was called in 1865 to a chair in the Illinois Wesleyan University for which he had given many years to prepare himself by the philological study of Latin, Greek, Hebrew, German, French, Spanish, Italian, &c, &c. Bradford S. Potter, A. M., Professor of Natural Science, was born in Walworth, Wayne County, New York, June 5, 1836. He attended the Walworth Academy in 1849, and taught district school during the winter of 1853 and '54. He entered as classical Freshman Genesee College (now Syracuse University), August, 1854. He was Prin- cipal of Webster Academy from the winter term of 1856 and '57 until the summer of 1858. He returned to college in the fall of 1858, and in connection with his studies was employed as tutor in Latin in the preparatory department (or Genesee Wes- WESLEYAN UNIVERSITY. 71 Wan Seminary). He was also employed as teacher of the Normal department of Waterloo Academy in the winter of 1859 and '60. lie graduated as A. B. in 1860. During the next six years he taught in New Albany, Indiana, and for a time was Principal of Mexico Academy, New York. From New Albany, Indiana, he was called in 1860 to Baker University in Kansas, as Professor of Mathematics ; but his work as an educator attracted the attention of the Trustees of the Illinois Wesleyan Univer- sity, and in 1867 he was called to his present position, which for six years he has maintained with success. S. S. Hamill, A. M. Professor of Elocution and English Language and Literature was born in Butler County, Ohio, March 19, 1833. Having com- pleted his academic course, he entered the Freshman class of Miami University, Oxford, Ohio, Sept. 10, 1850. He was elected instructor in Elocution in Monmouth College, Illinois, in 1857, and entered as a Junior in the classical course. In 1858 he was elected Instructor in Elocution in Knox College, where he grad- uated iu the classical course, June, 1859. For ten years he taught elocution in nearly every leading college between the Hudson River and the Missouri, including Michigan University, Gettys- burg College, &c. He traveled from one college to another. In 1860 he was elected Professor of Elocution in Monmouth Col- lege and in 1868 he was called to the same chair in the Illinois Wesleyan University, and in 1870 the department of English Language and Literature was added. In 1872 Professor Hamill's text book, entitled "Science of Elocution" was published, and new editions were soon called for. This book has received the favorable notice of the highest authorities in the L T nited States. Professor Hamill, as a dramatic reader, has a wide reputation. Since the above notice of Professor Hamill was written he has accepted a position in the North Missouri Normal School at Kirksville, as Professor of Elocution. Geo. R. Crow, A. M., Professor of Latin, was born in Ohio, Sept. 26, 1832. He graduated in the Ohio Wesleyan University in 1861, with the degree of A. B. He enlisted in the army, July, 1862, and took 72 WESLEYAN UNIVERSITY. part in all the important engagements of the Army of the Cum- berland from the battle at Perry ville, Ky., October, 1862, to the battle of Nashville, December 16, 1864, including the pursuit of Genera] Bragg and the expedition to Atlanta, Ga. For distin- guished services at the battle of Murfreesborough he was com- plimented by his commander and soon after promoted to the rank of Captain. On account of his special qualifications he was assigned to the corps of Engineers. Here he was engaged in making surveys of the country in advance of the army in its southward march, and in superintending the construction of for- tifications and lines of defence. After the close of the war he engaged in agricultural pursuits in Logan County, Illinois, until August, 1870, when he was elected Professor in the Illinois Wes- leyan University, which position he has filled with marked ability. Prof. Jennie Fowler Willing, A. M., Was born in Canada West, January 22, 1834. She removed to New York in 1840, and in 1842 settled in Kendall County, 111. At the age of nineteen she was married to Rev. W. C. Willing of Western New York. After a residence of seven years in New York she returned to Illinois. She began writing for the press at sixteen, which, with teaching and other duties, she has continued till the present time. In 1862, being relieved of other duties, she gave close attention to literature till called to more public duties. Her contributions to the periodical press have been numerous and highly prized. She wrote a serial for the New York Methodist, entitled "Underground;" also a volume of reli- gious fiction, entitled "Through the Dark to the Day." She has a wide reputation as a public speaker, having delivered anniver- sary addresses in the principal cities East and West. In 1869 she was made one of the three corresponding secretaries of the newly formed "Woman's Foreign Missionary Society" of the M. E. Church. Of late years, she has had charge of the North- western branch of this society, with headquarters in Chicago, traveling through all the States of the Northwest, organizing societies, delivering addresses and serving as one of the editors of the Heathen Woman's FrieMd. By the general Conference of 1872, in Brooklyn, N. Y., she was elected a manager of the WKSLEYAN UNIVERSITY. 73 Ladies' and Pastors' Christian Union. She is a secretary of the Evanston Educational Association, Trustee of Northwestern University, &c, &c. She was licensed to preach by the Joliet District Conference in 1873. She has the degree of M. E. L. from Jennings Seminary, and the degree of A. M. from the Northwestern University. In the summer of 1873, she was elected Professor of English language and literature in the Illinois Wesleyan University, Bloomington. PRIVATE SCHOOLS. Bloomington Business College. This institution is under the control of M. De La Brown, proprietor and principal. The object of this business college is to teach penmanship and book-keeping. Penmanship is taught in three departments, the business, the teacher's and the pri- mary. The first is made up of those who desire to become first- class business penmen ; the second is for those who wish to fit themselves for teaching penmanship, and the third is for begin- ners. All branches of book-keeping are taught thoroughly. It is not easy to over-estimate the great advantages of thorough training m business, and the ability to keep books is one of the most important qualifications of a business man. M. De La Brown, the present proprietor of the Business College, took charge of it in January, 1870, and since then it has been in a flourishing: condition. Its location is on the southwest corner of North Centre and Washington streets, over the Peoples' Bank. German School. This school was founded in 1863, for the purpose of giving instruction in all common branches of study. The instruction is given in German, though the rudiments of English are taught. The school numbers from seventy-five to ninety scholars, of all ages and both sexes. The property of the society is valued at fourteen thousand dollars, and is under the control of the Ger- man English Society. The officers of the society are : L. Theis, President; William Schausten, Vice President; F. Volz, Secretary ; Frank Oberkoetter, Treasurer. The Trustees are : Henry Neuburg, Wm. Schausten and C. A. Price. The teacher of the school is F. C. Finkbohner. Mr. Fink- bohner was born July 14, 1833, in Wurtemberg. In early life 76 PRIVATE SCHOOLS. he showed a scholastic turn of mind. In 1850 he went to the University of Tuehingen and for four years studied theology and philosophy. After receiving his degree, he was for six years pastor in "VVurtemberg and Switzerland. But he was very free in his opinions, and this led him to abandon the ministry. He emigrated to America in 1860, and for three years was the pastor of a Lutheran congregation in New Jersey. For a few years afterwards he was a teacher in a German-English school in De- troit, Michigan. In 1866 he came to Bloomington, and from that time until the present has had charge of the German school here. He was first employed on a salary, but now is paid by the scholar. He is a man of fine ability and high attainments. He is conscientious and independent in his opinions, and has been obliged to suffer because of them. " I honor the man, who is willing to sink Half his present repute for the freedom to think ; And when he has thought, be his cause strong or weak, Will risk t'other half for the freedom to speak." Bloomington Female Seminary. This school was established in September, 1856, by Rev. R. Conover, for the education and moral training of young ladies and misses. The principal says that the aim of the Seminary is to secure "thorough scholarship, exemplary morals and lady-like and accomplished manners." The school, which is located at 507 East Grove street, has four teachers connected with it, including the principal. The number of pupils is limited, and each receives very careful attention. The institution has been conducted for seventeen years by its founder, and has ful- filled all expectation. It has prospered with the best free school system in the "West, and with other liberally endowed state and denominational institutions. It is thought that with the growth of the West in numbers and wealth, the demand for this school will be increased by such as desire to educate their daughters thoroughly in a quiet and unpretending manner. Rev. R. Conover, the founder and principal of this Seminary, has nearly all of his life taken an interest in educational and religious matters. He organized the first Presbyterian Church in Towanda township, and of this church he is still the pastor. BLOOMINGTON LIBRARY. The Libraiy of Bloomington is one of the oldest established in- stitutions of the city. It was organized in 1856, and though at tirst small, its growth has been sure. The Libraiy is located on North street, between Main and Centre streets. The Presi- dent of the Library is Richard H. Holder, Esq., who takes the liveliest interest in its success. The Corresponding Secretary is Charles L. Capen and Mrs. H. R. Galliner, Librarian. The Library has now on its shelves five thousand eight hundred and seven volumes. The number of life members is one hundred and seventy-five ; the number of transient subscribers is three hundred and twenty, and the daily attendance of readers is one hundred and twenty-three. The following, taken from the re- port of the Board of Managers for the year closing March, 1873, shows more than anything else the value of the Library, and its influence over the rising generation of Bloomington: "More persons have taken books and more have circulated than ever before. Twenty-six thousand volumes have been drawn by nine hundred and twenty-five subscribers. About thirty thousand persons have visited the Library rooms within the year ; and it is pleasant to note the fact that a large propor- tion of these visitors have been young men and boys, who are thus acquiring and strengthening tastes which can hardly fail to prove valuable safeguards in after life. The gratifying increase in the number of readers and visitors is doubtless due, in a measure, to the attractions furnished by the reading tables." From the Librarian's report for the same date, the following is taken : " Three thousand more books have been given out this year than in any previous one. Twice the amount of money has been expended for books, and more historical and valuable works 78 BLOOMINGTON LIBRARY. have been added. Among the additions were forty-seven old and rare historical works. Twenty-five volumes are worn out and need to be replaced. The increased attendance of readers in the Library over last year has been seven thousand." It is hard to over-estimate the good influence of a popular Library. The books, which are first read, are of the most popu- lar kind, but gradually a taste for better literature is cultivated, and a demand for the best class of books is manifested. It is seen by the report that thirty thousand persons visited the Li- brary in one year, and when we consider that the population of Bloomington is only about twenty thousand it will be seen what a vast influence is exerted by this single institution. The peo- ple of Bloomington have been remarkably liberal in their dona- tions of money and books, which shows how well the Library is appreciated. Their generosity is richly deserved. M'LEAN COUNTY COAL COMPANY. In 1867 four enterprising young men of Bloomington formed a company for the purpose of opening a coal mine in the city. At the same time (or shortly afterwards) another company was or- ganized by 0. Vaughan, M. T. Scott, Dr. T. F. "Worrell, H. A. Ewing, A. E. and J. B. Stevenson under the name of "McLean County Coal Company," both companies immediately sunk their shafts striking coal at the depth of about three hundred feet. After working this vein for a year or more they sunk again to a second vein, which was found about one hundred feet below the first, and proved to be of a better quality, but also very expensive to work. After a period of about three years of discourage- ment and unforeseen difficulties the McLean County Coal Com- pany again prospected and found a third vein of coal about one hundred and forty feet below their second. The shaft was im- mediately lowered and coal struck July 30th, 1870, five hundred and forty feetbelow the surface, being the deepest working shaft in the State. This vein has proved to be of the very best qual- ity, although great expense is incurred in mining it. The first company deciding not to sink farther than their second vein, finally abandoned their enterprise as a failure. The McLean County Coal Company are now raising from three hundred and fifty to four hundred tons of coil per day, and their pay rolls amounting from $16,000 to $19,000 per month, giving employ- ment to about three hundred men, reducing the price of coal to half of its former cost, and saving many thousand dollars to this community. In fact it has been of incalculable benefit to the city and country, and it is hoped will yet prove a success finan- cially to those who have shown such indomitable will and pluck in carrying through that which has proved to be an immense en- terprise. Below is appended a table of the different stratas passed through in reaching the third vein : 80 m'lean county coal company. Feet. In Surface soil, sand and gravel 19 7 Blue clay 61 2 Sand and water 4 Blue clay 76 4 Soapstone 39 Lime rock 1 Blue clay 35 5 Yellow clay 15 10 Soft shelly rock 4 Soft gray sandstone 11 Conglomerate lime stone (bard) 12 6 Soapstone 5 Coal (first vein abandoned) 3 6 Fire clay 9 3 Gray sandstone -4 Soapstone 22 6 Dark shale 8 6 Soapstone , 9 6 Fire clay 10 Gray slate .• 22 Black slate 5 Coal (present vein, 2d) 4 4 Fire clay 10 Slate 3 Fire clay 4 Sand rock 20 6 Soapstone 62 5 Black slate 2 7 Fire clay 1 7 Sulphurous rock 1 2 Gray slate 11 1 Shale 1 2 Hard lime rock 2 1 Gray slate 2 8 Soapstone 6 8 Coal (3d vein) 3 8 Soapstone, coal and slate 25 Total 541 8 GERMAN SOCIETIES. Bloomington Turn-Verein. The aim of the society is to develop the physical system by means of gymnastic exercises, and to cultivate the intellect by literary entertainments. The society also renders assistance to members in sickness or distress. The society was organized in April, 1855. Their business meetings are held on the first and third Friday in each month, in their hall on Madison street. Meetings for gymnastic exercises are held on Tuesday and Thursday of each week. The members of the Turn-Vereiu make great exertions to obtain lecturers. They pay great atten- tion to music, and during the winter mouths have concerts, where the most classical pieces are performed and the finest musical taste is exhibited. They also have theatrical pieces at their exhibitions, which are of the best character. Bloomington Turn-Gemeinde. This society was chartered in January, 1872. It had existed for some years previous, but was not incorporated. Its present charter was obtained by W. B. Carlock, Esq., one of Blooming- ton's enterprising young lawyers. The meetings of the Turn- Gemeinde are held on the first and third Tuesday of each month. Their hall is on the southeast corner of Chestnut and Lumber streets. The objects of the society are physical develop- ment and mental improvement. RAILROADS. Chicago & Alton Railroad. On the seventeenth of February, 1847, an act was passed by the Legislature, granting a charter for the construction of a rail- road from Alton to Springfield, to be known as the Alton & Sangamon road. It was to be built by way of Carlinville and New Berlin, and was to have a capital stock of five hundred thousand dollars, which might be increased to one million. The prime mover in the matter was Benjamin Godfrey, a noted man at Alton. The road was constructed, and on the eleventh of February, 1851, an act was passed authorizing the railroad company to extend the road to Bloomington, and for this pur- pose power was given to increase the stock, not exceeding one million dollars. Six years afterwards, February 17th, an act was passed allowing the Alton and Sangamon Company to con- struct a branch, from some point between Springfield and Bloomington, to Pekin and Peoria, and for this purpose were allowed to increase their capital stock five hundred thousand dollars. The road was completed to Bloomington in 1852, and on June 19th of that year the company was authorized «to ex- tend its road from the latter place to connect with the Chicago & Rock Island Railroad, at a point not west of Ottawa nor east of Joliet; and the company might, at its option, extend its road by way of the latter place to Chicago. The name of the com- pany was changed to one more comprehensive, and it was called the Chicago & Mississippi Railroad Company. The capital stock was not allowed to exceed three and a half millions of dollars. On the eleventh of February, 1863, the company was allowed to increase its capital stock to eight millions of dollars, and was authorized to borrow money and issue "preferred 84 RAILROADS. stock." But it did not stop here; it grew with the growth of the country, and on the 14th of February, 1855, its name was changed to the Chicago, Alton & St. Louis Railroad, and it was authorized to use the road of the Terre Haute & Alton Com- pany from Alton to near Wood River. There it was authorized to unite with the Belleville & Illinoistown Railroad and to make contracts with the Belleville & Illinoistown Company. On the eighteenth of February, 1861, the company was authorized to sell the road to William B. Ogden, Jacob Buun and others, and after such sale the name might be changed to the Chicago 13 194 OLD SETTLERS OF Mr. Guthrie was admitted on trial on the recommendation of the quarterly conference of Bloomington station. He was ap- pointed to travel the Wauponsett mission and his work that year had for its outposts the Mazon settlement, South Ottawa, Ver- milionville, Long Point, Pontiac and Indian Grove, where the town of Fairbury now stands, and all the intermediate territory. He made this circuit every three weeks, with nineteen regular and from two to six extra appointments. This kept Mr. Guth- rie very busy, and he was obliged to read and study in the sad- dle while going from point to point. For his year's salary he received fifty dollars from the missionary fund and twenty-five or thirty dollars collected on his circuit, paid principally in arti- cles of clothing, money being almost out of use at that time. At the close of his pastoral year he was presented with some half a dozen pairs of socks and fifteen pounds of wool. He carried the wool to Ottawa on horseback and sold it for an order on a store for three dollars. The result of his first year's work was the addition of twenty-five or thirty members to the church. The following year was marked by a sweeping revival, which ex- tended over the whole circuit. The next five years Avere spent by Mr. Guthrie in the traveling circuits in the southern part of the State, which was then all within the Illinois Conference. He was many times troubled with regard to his financial matters, as his salary was barely enough to keep him in the necessaries of life. The great flood was in the year 1844, and as his work em- braced the section of the country bounded on the south and east by the Mississippi and Big Muddy Rivers, and on the west by the Kaskaskia, he had great difficulty in traveling from one point to another. He was often obliged to ride through water on the bottom lands for many miles, and sometimes was com- pelled to swim his horse. His salary for this labor was one hun- dred dollars a year, and was paid by the people in calves, pigs, corn, oats, castor-beans, pork, hoop-poles, barrel staves, barrels, and orders on stores ; nevertheless he was happy, knowing that he was engaged in a useful and blessed work. In 1844 he was appointed to the Jonesboro circuit, in Union County, and re- ceived only forty-five dollars for his salary. At the close of the conference year, on the twenty-sixth day of August, 1845, he was married by the Rev. S. W. D. Chase, his presiding elder, to m'lean county. 195 Miss Lucy Kelsall, at the residence of her father, in Randolph County, and she has been his good and helpful wife ever since. At the next conference Mr. Guthrie was elected and ordained an elder. For the next year he was appointed to the Nashville circuit, and during the following year to the Sparta circuit, where he promptly began his labor. But at the second quarterly meet- ing he found his pay so small that he was obliged to resign his charge and work for his support. He rented a small farm, the one formerly owned and occupied by his father-in-law, then re- cently deceased. His worldly goods were then very few, and he and his wife and child were forced to live for some time on corn bread. But he was fortunate enough in February to kill three deer, which greatly assisted him. He worked hard and succeed- ed well, and by the next conference he was free from all finan- cial embarrassments and again went into the work of the minis- try. He was appointed to Rushville station, in Schuyler Coun- ty, but at the end of the year was again in financial difficulty. The year following he was appointed to the Beardstown circuit, but his financial embarrassments became so great that he re- quested to be located, and went to work at his trade, carpenter- ing and plastering. He worked at Beardstown in the winter, during the day, and preached every other evening, as a great revival of religion was in progress there. Rev. Mr. Rucker and himself conducted the exercises, and great good was accom- plished. By the time the conference met during the following summer, he had relieved himself of his financial troubles by his hard labor, and was again ready to work in the ranks of the itinerants. He was appointed to the Springfield station, where he labored with success for two years. After this he was ap- pointed to fill the East Charge in Jacksonville, which he did for one year very pleasantly and successfully. In the following year he was appointed agent to sell scholarships for the Illinois Con- ference Female College. This was done against his better judg- ment, at the request of Rev. J. F. Jacques, the President of the institution, and B. Newman, the financial agent. After this ap- pointment was made, while Mr. Guthrie was returning from Jacksonville, in company with Rev. William Hindall, Dr. J. C. Finley and Samuel Elliott, Dr. Finley said : " Guthrie, I th-th- think the B-Bishop has spoiled a t-t-tolerable good pr-preacher 196 OLD SETTLERS OF to m-make a v-very poor agent," to which Mr. Guthrie replied : " I fear so, Doctor." The appointment was not a success, and that year ended his work as a financial agent. The following year he was appointed presiding elder of the Quincy district, and traveled it for three years in succession. He felt greatly encouraged with the prosperity of the church in most of the pastoral charges. Rushville, Mt. Sterling, Clayton, Columbus, Menden and Plymouth all had special visitations of grace and a large increase in membership. But the salary was small, and after three years he was changed to Decatur station. Here he spent one of the happiest and most successful years of his life. The church enjoyed a revival and paid off a debt on its property of more than four hundred dollars. He says "there is no more warm-hearted people for a minister to labor with in the Illinois Conference than is found in the Methodist church and congregation of Decatur." In the fall of 1858, Mr. Guth- rie was appointed to the charge of the Bloomington district as presiding elder, and was continued at that work for four years. During that period nearly every charge in the district enjoyed revivals. The charge at Bloomington, under Rev. I. C. Kim- ber, and afterwards under Rev. L. C. Pitner, and the charge at Leroy, under Rev. Ira Emerson enjoyed very extensive re- vivals. During those four years Mr. Guthrie laid up enough money on a salary of nine hundred dollars to buy a quarter section of land to which he could retire when age or infirmity should pre- vent him from continuing his labors in the ministry. It is the southwest quarter of section eleven, in Bellefiower township, McLean County, and cost four dollars per acre. In 1868, at the urgent solicitations of his friends, Mr. Guth- rie became a candidate for the office of Circuit Clerk of Mc- Lean County. He was elected and held his office four years. He never held any other public office, and at the expiration of his term did not come forward for re-election. Robert Elton Guthrie is five feet and eleven inches in "height, is well set, well proportioned, and has a broad chest and broad shoulders. His hair was dark when young, but now is rather gray. He has a high forehead, hazel eyes, good countenance, and a healthy constitution. As will be seen in this sketch, he m'lean county. 197 prizes very highly his Christian experience, and wishes to see the power and influence of Christianity extended. Adam Guthrie. Adam Guthrie was born March 10, 1825, in the town of Cir- cleville, Pickaway County, Ohio. His father was Scotch-Irish, and his mother was German. He was one of a family of twelve children, eight boys and four girls. It is worthy of remark that nearly all of our old settlers were members of very large fami- lies, the children usually numbering from eight to twelve, and in One case twenty-one. Adam's father came to McLean Coun- ty with his family in September, 1826. He bought and sold land claims in McLean County until 1832, when he came to Bloomington and invested some money in town lots. After building a house he began to work at plastering, but never ac- cumulated much property. Adam, being only one year old when his father came to McLean County, received the education of a pioneer school boy. Mr. Washburn, of whose life we have written a sketch, was one of his teachers. Young Adam at- tended school in winter and helped his father in the plastering business during the summer. In 1846 his father died, and Adam learned the trade of plastering of a Mr. Lawrence, usually called Squire Lawrence. After two years' service for Lawrence he went to work on his own account, and has continued at this business until the present time, when not interrupted by the duties of public office. From 1865 until 1873 he has held the office of assessor, and has performed his duties carefully. Mr. Guthrie also acted as deputy recorder from 1868 to 1870 for his brother, who was clerk of the Circuit Court, from 1868 to 1872. In 1870 he took the United States census in district number seven. Adam Guthrie married, in 1849, Miss L. L. Butler, of Bloomington. The marriage service was performed by the noted Wesleyan minister, Thomas Magee. He has now an in- teresting family of three children, two boys and one girl. Adam Guthrie has plastered or helped to plaster nearly two hundred houses, and has indeed earned his bread by the sweat ot his brow. The price paid for plastering is now much greater than it was twenty years ago, nevertheless Mr. Guthrie says that 198 OLD SETTLERS OF inore money could be made by the contractor in early times, be- cause the price of labor and material was so much less. In early clays the wages of the best workmen were from $1.00 to $1.50 per day, while they are at present from $3.00 to $3.50. During the late rebellion Adam Guthrie enlisted as a private in the Ninety-fourth Illinois, and was soon made corporal, but after serving eight months he was discharged on account of ill- health. He participated in one engagement, that of Prairie Grove, on the seventh of December, 1802. Adam Guthrie has the feeling of an old settler, and takes pride in the growth and development of the country, and in the fact that he is identified with it. He takes pleasure in recalling the incidents of early life, and any little event awakens this feeling. He even takes satisfaction in having attended the first funeral in the old cemetery, that of Mrs. Pennington. He says she lived in the house now occupied by L. Matern, carriage maker, the same in which Mr. Hill printed the first newspaper published in Bloomington. As to personal appearance, Adam Guthrie is well formed, and nearly six feet in height. His constitution is not very good. His features are strong and his nose a little Boman. He has never been much of a speculator, although he understands the value of property, and knows how to make the assessment. David Cox. David Cox was born January 12, 1811, about four miles from Circleville, in Pickaway County, Ohio. His father's name was Benjamin Cox, and his mother's was Philena Dj^e. He thinks his mother was of Welch descent. He went to school in Ohio, but in this respect differed little from other boys of that time. Edu- cational advantages were not remarkably good. He was a very industrious boy, his father never allowed him to be idle, and the habit of industry became so fixed that it has remained in his old age. In 1825 his father came to McLean County and bought of John W. Dawson an improved claim with a log cabin, a barn and seventy acres under fence, for two hundred dollars. He re- turned to Ohio to bring out his family, but died within two or three weeks afterwards. But Mrs. Cox, the mother of David, brought out the family, which consisted of eight children, four m'lean county. 199 sons, three daughters and one nephew, John Kimler. They left Ohio August 29, 1826, and arrived September 23. The sea- son was pleasant and the roads were good, until they came to the beech woods of Indiana. There they were troubled by mud, but when they came to the prairie they had a pleasant roadonee more. They saw only three houses between the Vermilion Salt Works (twelve miles this side of Danville) and Blooming Grove, then called Keg Grove. This is a distance of about seventy miles. They had no particular adventure or trouble, except that once their horses strayed away, and the Indians took them, and the animals were not recovered for some time. They came back poor from neglect and hard Indian fare. The family settled on the east side of Blooming Grove, where David Cox now lives. It is near the track of the Indianapolis, Bloomington & Western Railway. The Cox family had a hard time during the winter of the deep snow, as all the settlers had, and pounded their corn, of course. Mrs. David Cox (then Miss Walker) says they parched corn and ground it in a coffee mill, and thought it good living. David Cox was more of a worker than a hunter ; he says the deer always saw him first, and he preferred the certainty of the reward of toil to the uncertainty of finding game which could see him first. The falling of the meteors in 1833 was quite an era for the old settlers. The meteors came by millions, and made the night much lighter by their falling. It is said that James Rhodes thought the world was coming to an end, and arose and began reading his Bible. Mr. Cox never lost much by prairie fires, being always care- ful to guard against them. The vegetation of the country has been changed by settling it up. The prairie grass has disap- peared, and the blue grass has taken its place. Air. Cox tells of some peculiar vegetables, called the ramps, which formerly grew in the timber. The} 7 tasted like onions, and were liked by the cattle, but gave a bad flavor to the milk. They flavored everything they touched and were very disagreeable, but are now nowhere to be seen. David Cox married, May 29, 1833, Miss.Sophrona J. Walker, a very amiable and pleasant lady. Mrs. Cox is a good house- 200 OLD SETTLERS OF wife, and takes care of her household goods. She has coverlets which were woven before the Black Hawk war. She has in constant use the table, the stand, the cupboard and the chairs, which were made in the days of the early settlement. She is a very entertaining lady, as may he seen from the following, which she writes of the early settlement : I" Only a few white families were settled in Blooming Grove when we came, but the Indians were plenty. The squaws called on us occasionally for the purpose of trading beads, bead baskets and trinkets of various kinds. I thought it very amusing to be visited by the red ladies of the forest. Though I was but a child I took particular notice of their language. They always wanted something to eat, and would sometimes call for husquel (corn) and for cookcush (meat). When we came here our family was in limited circumstances, and when I wanted a nice dress, something better than father felt able to buy, I would take my basket and hoe and hunt through the woods and dig ginseng, which was dried and sold. Our way of visiting was different from what it is at present. We thought it no trouble to walk seven or eight miles to go to a spinning party. The school- masters in the early days thought it necessary to be more severe in their punishments than at present. I remember well when I was going to school to Mr. H . He left the school house during one noon, and when he returned he made the boys think he had been on the house-top watching their proceedings while they thought him absent, and he called them up one by one, and asked what they had done. He called up one boy and said : ' Henry, what have you done ?' The reply was : ' I took after one of the girls and tried to hug her, and chased her out in the rain.' He was severely whipped. Every boy had to draw his coat for each trifling offense. I wonder if Mr. H. ever thinks of it? My parents were very pious people, and tried to bring up their children in the fear and admonition of the Lord. They often had preaching at their house." Mr. and Mrs. Cox have had six children, of whom five are living. They are : Mrs. Martha M. Rhodes, wife of Aaron Rhodes. William Marcus Cox, born August 9, 1836, lives two miles south of his father's. m'lean county. 201 Mrs. Mary Ellen Sweeney, wife of Dennis Sweeney, lives in Blooraington. Leander Melville Cox was born *\pril 18, 1841, and at pres- ent lives in Bloomington. Mrs. Huldah M. Deems, wife of George Deems, lives with her father. Cora Ellis Cox, born February 17, 1854, died in infancy. Mr. Cox is a man rather less than the medium height, weighs one hundred a'nd thirty-five pounds, is always busy, too busy to ever weigh much. He is always on the move, and is quite noted for his ceaseless activity. He is a pleasant and somewhat humorous man, very kind to everyone, and quite noted among the old settlers. His neighbors are always glad to see him, but they never catch him idle. Mr. Cox has been very temperate in his habits, and never was intoxicated in his life, though he lived in times when it was the custom to use ardent spirits. He has never used tobacco nor made use of profane language. He is a very hardy old settler, and can bear a great deal. In 1854 or '55 he was on board of a railroad train which was snowed up near Mt. Pulaski. The snow came so thick and fast that many peo- ple were lost while at home feeding their stock, and it was so deep that they could not travel with teams. Mr. Cox walked through that snow from near Mt. Pulaski to Funk's Grove, a distance of thirty miles. Mr. Cox was an Old Line Whig and afterwards a Republican; nevertheless, he voted for Jackson, who was certainly the most powerful political man in the United States. William McCullough. William McCullough, son of Peter and Levina McCullough, was born September 11, 1812, in Flemingsburg, Kentucky. Pe- ter McCullough was a noted character. He was a man of re- markable shrewdness. The McCullough family came in the year 182G to what is now McLean County, Illinois, and settled at Dry Grove. Here Peter McCullough kept for a while a house of entertainment. A queer incident is related of him which shows his disposition and character. At one time a stranger stopped with old Peter and used some profane language without any oc- casion. Old Peter paid no attention for some time, but at last 202 OLD SETTLERS OF he said : "Stranger, I generally do what little swearing is neces- sary on these premises!" At another time, some years later, while Peter McCullough was in Bloomington, some merchants insisted on selling him some fine clothes. This happened while the bankrupt law was in force, and while so many men were taking advantage of it to pay their debts. These merchants had themselves been through bankruptcy, and when they asked old Peter to buy some fine clothes he refused, saying that, if he did so, people would think him a miserable bankrupt. In early life William McCullough worked on a farm. He was a boy of remarkable spirit, and his great resolution was plainly seen even in his } 7 outh. In 1882 he enlisted as a private soldier in the company commanded by Merrit Covel, and went to the Black Hawk war. There he was distinguished for his great personal courage. He was so unfortunate as to lose his gun, but made good the deficiency by snatching a gun from the hands of an Indian on the ground of Stillman's Run. This af- fair is a matter of great notoriety ; but to one unacquainted with the matter it seems almost incredible. But it is certainly true that McCullough took a gun from a hostile Indian on the field of Stillman's Run. The gun, however, was not a very good one, as it exploded in his hands after the close of the Black Hawk war, while he was firing on parade. In December, 1833, William McCullough was married to Miss Mary Williams. They had been in their youth schoolmates and were taught by Milton H. Williams, the father of Mrs. Mc- Cullough. In 1840 William McCullough lost his right arm in a thresh- ing machine. After, it was torn off, the stump was amputated. AVhen the amputation of the arm was about to be made, McCul- lough was asked whom he wished to. hold it, and he chose Osborn Barnard. During the operation McCullough sat quietly smoking, but he thought he saw Mr. Barnard tremble a little, and cautioned the latter to be careful and steady. This incident is given by Mr. Barnard himself. In the fall of 1840 Mr. McCullough was elected sheriff of McLean County, and held this office for three successive terms. He was then elected Circuit Clerk of the county, and held this office for four successive terms. He was an exceedingly popular man, and had the warmest of friends. m'lean county. 203 In August, 1861, Mr. McCullougb entered the army and was commissioned lieutenant colonel of the Fourth Illinois Cavalry. With only one arm and a defective eye, he nevertheless, per- formed his duty fearlessly and efficiently. He was at Fort Henry and Fort Donelson, at Shiloh, and at Corinth. On the fifth of December, 1862, Colonel McCullough was killed in the engage- ment with the rebels near Cofteeville, Mississippi. His body was brought home and buried in the Bloomington Cemetery. When the news of the death of Colonel McCullough reached Bloom- ington, the bar of McLean County held a meeting and passed resolutions to his memory, as he continued to hold his office of clerk of the Circuit Court. The following is taken from the report of this meeting : " William McCullough entered the military service of the United States in August, 1861, and was immediately commis- sioned lieutenant colonel of the Fourth Illinois Cavalry. From that time he gave his whole heart to the cause of his country, and put all his energy to the suppression of the foulest rebellion that ever disgraced the pages of history. He was present with his regiment at the operation which resulted in the capture of Fort IIenr3', and in the taking of Fort Donelson he rendered such efficient and valuable service that he attracted the attention of his commanding officer (the lamented General Wallace) whose official report acknowledges and commends his gallant conduct. He was also in the battle of Shiloh and in all the movements of the army that led to the evacuation of Corinth by the rebels un- der General Beauregard, and from that time until his death he was always present where danger was to be met, or laurels won, and was ever a brave, faithful, energetic and accomplished sol- dier. " In consideration of the service he has rendered the country, and inasmuch as he was long officially connected with this Court, the members of this bar in perpetuation of his memory, pray that this paper together with the following resolutions be spread upon the records of this Court : "Resolved, That we, the members of this bar, have heard with the deepest regret of the death of Lieutenant Colonel Wil- liam McCullough, the clerk of this Court, who fell in battle, bravely contending for the liberty and laws of his country, against a causeless and most Kicked rebellion. 204 OLD SETTLERS OF " Resolved, That in the death of Lieutenant Colonel McCul- lough, we feel that we have lost a warm-hearted, faithful friend, but our greatest regret is that the Government has lost a brave, accomplished and patriotic soldier, and liberty a valiant cham- pion. " Resolved, That we take this solemn occasion to renew, with a firmer purpose, our unalterable attachment to the Constitution and laws of the country, and to again pledge to the Govern- ment our unswerving support and warmest sympathy in all its efforts to suppress this infernal rebellion. "Resolved, That the clerk of this Court, furnish to the family of Lieutenant Colonel McCullough a copy of these resolutions. " Colonel Gridley then addressed the meeting, referring to his long acquaintance and intimac}^ with the deceased, touching upon many tender incidents of his life, demonstrating the kind and social feelings, the sterling integrity and true bravery of the man. That he was not ambitious, yet always by the choice of the people filling important positions of trust. He spoke elo- quently arid feelingly of the great cause of our country to which Colonel McCullough had so unhesitatingly given up his life. " His Honor, Judge Scott, also spoke to the same effect, tes- tifying from his long and intimate acquaintance, to his goodness and nobleness of heart, and of the kindness he had received, both from him and his family, when, some years ago, he made his home with them, and of the many endearing reminiscences that crowded upon his mind in this sad hour of bereavement. " Hon. Leonard Swett commencing by saying : 'At a time like this silence seems most eloquent,' referred to our many brave and good citizens that had before fallen by the hands of this terrible rebellion. He spoke particularly and at some length of the history of Colonel McCullough in connection with this war, of his bravery and noble bearing upon the battle-field and of the loss this community and the country have sustained in his death, and that 'those gaps that death makes are not easily filled.' He spoke most feelingly and tenderly of the family of the deceased, of his bearing to them the sad message of death. " The meeting was further addressed most eloquently and ap- propriately by Messrs. W. H. Hanna, Jesse Bishop, David Brier J. H. Wickizer, R. E. Williams, James Ewing and M. W m'lean county. 205 Strayer, all giving some pleasant incidents of kindness which they had received at the hands of the deceased, and all bearing testimony to the uniform urbanity, sociability, kindness, gener- osity, fidelity and integrity of Colonel McCullough in all the walks of social and public life. " Upon motion, the preamble and resolutions were then unan- imously adopted. " Also upon motion, W. H. Hanna, Esq., was appointed a committee on behalf of the bar to present these resolutions to the Court and to ask that they be spread upon the records of the same. W. P. Boyd, President. Jesse Birch, Secretary." William McCullough had eight children, four of whom grew to manhood and womanhood. They are : Mrs. Nannie L. Orme, widow of General William W. Orme, who, during the rebellion, entered the United States service as colonel of the Ninety-fourth Illinois Infantry, and was after- wards made a general. He died September 13, 1866, of sickness contracted while in the army. Mrs. Fannie M. Orme, wife of Frank D. Orme, lives in Washington, D. C. William A. McCullough, died September 2, 1869. He was, during the war, a soldier in the Fifth Illinois Cavalry. Howard M. McCullough died July 1, 1871. He was, during the war, a soldier m the Ninety-fourth Illinois Infantry. Colonel McCullough was of medium height, was very pleas- ant and polite in his manners and warm-hearted and generous in his disposition. His hair in his younger days was dark, afterwards gray, and his eyes were black and expressive. He was one of the most bold and fearless of men, and it may be doubted whether he ever had the feeling of fear or really knew what it was. He was frank and outspoken in his manner and a warm friend. He wasoneof the most popular men in McLean County, for he had those bold and generous qualities which men and women admire. 206 old settlers of Dr. Isaac Baker. Dr. Isaac Baker was born September 13, 1783, in Fairfield County, Connecticut. The ancestry of Dr. Baker was Puritan and is traced to the settlement of the Plymouth colony. He was educated at an early day for a physician and studied seven years. He married in Ohio in the fall of 1803, Susannah M. Dodge. In 1810 or '11 the Baker family moved to Marietta, Ohio. During the war of 1812 he lived at the block house at Marietta, and it was his duty for a part of the time to watch from a tree top for Indians, while the men were at work in the field. He learned surveying in Ohio and became quite skillful in the use of the instruments. He was also an architect and superintended the construction of many buildings. " In 1820 he went from Ohio to New York to aid his brother-in-law in the erection of steam works for a factory, and from there he went to Bath, in Maine, where he built the first steam mill ever erected in that State." On the eleventh of July, 1827, he came to what is now McLean County, Illinois. The journey was made in wet weather over muddy roads and corduroy tracks through the swamps. He settled first at Harley's Grove and there built a house. But after some calculation he concluded that it would never be sufficiently settled to support a school to educate his children and he sold his claim, having lived on it only a few months. He next settled in the southwestern part of Funk's Grove, where he remained two years and sold out to a man named Rankin and bought a claim a little south of William Ollendorff's at Blooming Grove. When the land came into market, he entered his claim of one hundred and sixty acres. In the spring of 1831 Mr. James Allin came to Isaac Baker and said : " Come, get your chain and compass and let's lay out a town." Then Allin and Baker and William OrendorfF laid out the town upon land which James Allin had given to be used for that purpose. Mr. Allin was very enthusiastic about the future of Bloomington and took out a map to convince the gen- tlemen of the favorable situation of the place. He put a hazel- switch across it and said it was on the direct route from Chicago to St. Louis and that it was between Columbus, Ohio, and Flint Bluffs (now Burlington), Iowa, and he was very positive that it m'lean county. 207 would be a great city in the future. The town was finally located and called Bloomington. Isaac Baker surveyed the lots and laid them out. It had been decided before this that the place should be a county seat. When the first Board of Commissioners of McLean County met, Isaac Baker was chosen clerk of the County Commissioners Court, which position he held for fifteen years. He was after- wards postmaster of Bloomington and held this office for some years, and "his old residence still stands on South Centre street, hard by which was the old post-office and which then marked the commercial center of the city." Dr. Baker helped in build- ing the first house put up in Bloomington, after it was laid out. While Dr. Baker was county clerk, some incidents occurred, which show how difficult it was sometimes to procure money. A young man, who wished to get married, made application for a license, but had no money to pay the fee. After some discus- sion Dr. Baker gave him a license, and the man promised to pay the fee in maple sugar in the following spring. It was a sweet transaction for all concerned. Another young man, who expe- rienced the same difficulty, promised to pay for his license in wolf-scalps. Dr. Baker was a liberal-minded man and would not allow anything like persecution or ostracism, if he could help it. At one time, a Mormon preacher wished to deliver a sermon, but the people refused to listen and seemed disposed to use violence. But Dr. Baker took the Mormon home and kindly cared for him and entertained him in the best of style, shod his horse, gave him money and sent him on his way rejoicing. The first Methodist conference was held in Bloominsrton in 1836, and in this Dr. Baker took great interest. In 1853 or '54 he moved to Leroy, where he lived until the time of his death, which occurred April 28, 1872. He was married three times and his domestic life was always very happy. He married, the second time, Mrs. Ruth Green- man; the widow of John Greenman, and the third time, Mrs. ]STancy Miller, a widow. By his first marriage he had eleven children. They are: Seth, Elliot, William, John, Susannah, Charles, Sidney D., Mary Ann, Solomon D., Hiram and Albert, By his second marriage he had two children : Laura W. and Julia A. Baker. 208 OLD SETTLERS OF The following description of Dr. Baker was written at the time of his death by one of his intimate friends, and was pub- lished in the Bloomington Pantograph : Dr. Baker was of medium height, and rather corpulent. Sidney Baker, Esq., of Leroy, is a very good type of what his father was in the days of his prime. Dr. Baker was a quiet, un- pretending man, and the honesty and uprightness of his charac- ter was never called in question. Such was the general conti- dence the people reposed in him while in office that he was consulted as an oracle, and his opinions taken for law. He was a man of literary taste and very extensive reading and informa- tion. Scarce^ any subject within the range of human investi- gation but had to some extent come under the knowledge and observation of Dr. Baker. He was communicative and interest- ing in conversation, and always impressed you with the sincerity of his opinions. He was a friend of peace and a lover of con- cord, and passed through his long life without having any trou- ble with his fellow-men ; and in addition to this he healed up the difficulties of others and poured oil on the troubled waters wherever he went. He was benignant and kind to everybody, but especially to the poor. The fatherless, the widow or the needy were never turned empty away from Dr. Baker's door. He believed in immortality and eternal life, and lived and died in hope through Christ of a brighter and more beautiful world beyond the grave. Thus after a long and eventful life of four score and nine years, the wheels of his mortal life stood still, and Dr. Baker passed over and now lives beyond the river. Peace to his memory here, and glory and immortality here- after. George Hinshaw, Jr. George Hinshaw, Jr., was born December 26, 1820, on a farm two miles from the town of Monroe, the county seat of Overton County, Tennessee. He came from old English Quaker stock, his ancestors having emigrated from England to Ireland at an early day and from there to America. The majority of his rel- atives are still Quakers, though Mr. Hinshaw does not belong to that honored sect. m'lban county. 209 His father's name was George Ilinshaw, and his mother's maiden name was Susannah Johnson. Mr. Ilinshaw, sr., the father of George Hinshaw of whom we are writing, came to Blooming Grove, McLean County, Illinois, in July, 1827. He had visited Illinois during the year previous, in company with Stephen Webb (now living at Twin Grove), and had made a claim of some land on the Kankakee River not far from Joliet. But when the family moved to Illinois the country was very wet, and it was impossible to go up to the Kankakee. More than that, some difficulty had occurred between the whites at the mining country near Galena and the Winnebago Indians, and the settlers feared an Indian war in the northern part of the State. All of these considerations determined Mr. Hinshaw not to go up on the Kankakee. The weather during their journey was terrible, and they were seven weeks in traveling. It rained very hard and the whole face of the country seemed covered with water. They crossed the Sangamon River at Newcom's Ford, this side of Urbana, on a raft, which they were obliged to build. They were delayed there one week. When they came to Cheney's Creek, they had great difficulty in crossing, and stopped to camp, and there a great hurricane came near blowing their horses and wagon away. Mr. Hinshaw, sr., bought a claim of twenty acres with a cabin and growing crop, in the south side of Blooming Grove, and there he built a house. He gave a wagon and yoke of oxen, worth in all about fifty dollars, for his claim. Money was then scarce. The price of a good cow was only five dollars. When he settled in Blooming Grove the gov- ernment had surveyed the land, and shortly afterwards it was brought into market, and he bought two hundred and twenty acres for $1.25 per acre. This was all the money he had and he was thought to be rich ! At that time the Kickapoo and Potta- wotamie Indians were plenty, and both tribes lived together in friendship. But they moved West about the time of the Black Hawk war. The Indians were always ready to trade, and ex- changed buckskin and moccasins for pork, flour, tobacco, &c, «fcc. Mr. Ilinshaw thinks these savages very polite people. When they make a visit, only one talks at a time, and in this respect they differ somewhat from the ladies of a sewing circle or a mite society. But these barbarians resemble the ladies in one respect, * 14 210 OLD SETTLERS OF they are fond of display and love jewelry and trinkets, which they wear in their ears and sometimes in their noses. The In- dians sometimes cultivated the ground and raised what they called squaw corn. This they buried in the ground when they went hunting in the fall, and sometimes did not dig it up until the following spring. They ground their corn by putting it into the hollow of a log and beating it with a pestle, as the settlers were obliged to do during the winter of the deep snow. The early settlers were generous and hospitable. The "latch- string was always out." They kept no locks on their doors, a simple wooden latch was used, but only for the purpose of keep- ing out the wind and storm. They were more sociable than people now, and were always anxious to help their neighbors. There was not so much hunting after money then, for they had little money to hunt after. A word was as good as a bond, and they had no promissory notes, no bills, no banks, no newspapers and very little news. A letter from Tennessee was four or five weeks on the road, and postage was twenty-five cents. Mr. Hinshaw went to school during the winter of the deep snow and spent his Saturdays in gathering corn and pounding it in a mortar. He thinks children learned more in those early da} r s in a given length of time than they do at present, for then the teacher made them fear the rod. Mr. Hinshaw has done his share of hunting, especially after wolves, which were a common pest. He has hunted them to- wards a pole put up in some central locality, when all the settlers would turn out from various parts of the country. Mr. Hinshaw has had his experience, too, with fires on the prairie. He remembers one hard experience when he was going to mill with oxen and was overtaken by a fire. He tried to drive his oxen through it, but they refused to face the flames and turned and ran away in spite of all his efforts. At last he saw a place where a part of the fire had gone faster than the rest, leaving a gap in the road. Into this gap he rushed with his oxen and got through. The year 1844 was the wet season. During that year he drove a herd of cattle from here to Milwaukee, Wiscon- sin. He swam creeks and rivers of all kinds and sizes. He was delayed at the Kankakee and was fifteen days in crossing it. He M LEAN COUNTY. 211 frequently drove his cattle in the river, but when they struck the swift current they turned for the shore from which they started and came back. But at last he found a tall ox, which touched bottom, and went across, and the rest followed. Mr. Hinshaw lias had a varied experience with stock. About three years ago he went to Kansas and invested in Texas cattle with rather bad fortune. lie had one hundred and thirty head of cattle in the fall, and only fifty-three of them were left in the spring. The remainder died. Mr. Hinshaw has lived in Bloomington for about ten years, but he has owned a farm ever since he was twenty-five years of age. He now lives at Sulphur Springs, in the outskirts of Bloomington, on the Chicago &. Alton Railroad. Mr. Hinshaw was married July 1, 1848, to Polly Maria Toli- ver, daughter of James Toliver. He has had ten children, of whom four are now living. As to personal appearance he is tall and portly. When he was twenty-seven years of age he had a severe sickness, was ill for a long time with the typhoid fever and since then he has been very stout in appearance. He has a large head and a large brain; has small sparkling eyes, and a pleasant, genial countenance; he is full of fun and appreciates a joke. He has a firm, resolute character, combined with a mild and pleasant disposition. He is always ready to meet his friends with real English cheer, and indeed he appears a "fine old Eng- lish gentleman, one of the olden time." His children living are : Ida May, born January 1, 1857. Ezra, born July 11, 1862. Toby, born April 16, 1865. Rollo, born August 21, 1867. They are all living at home. Dr. William Lindley. William Lindley, son of John Lindley, was born November 16, 1808, in Christian County, Kentucky. At the age of twelve he was apprenticed to learn the boot and shoe trade and worked at this until 1827. On the 26th of July, 1822, William Lindley married Unity Warren in Christian County, Kentucky. She was then only fifteen years of age. 212 OLD SETTLERS OF 111 the fall of 1827 he moved to Sangamon County, Illinois. There he raised one crop. In the fall of 1828 he came to Bloom- ing Grove in what is now McLean County, Illinois. He settled in the southern edge of the grove and commenced farming. The first divine service he attended here was held at the house of John Hendrix at Blooming Grove. The sermon was preached by James Latta. In November, 1828, he cast his first vote for General Jackson. The voting was then done by word of mouth as they had no tickets. He did his trading at that time in Springfield ; but after Bloomington came into being he bought his store goods there. He worked on his farm using the Carey plow with its iron shear and wooden mould-board. On his first arrival at Blooming Grove he worked for good wages, rather better than people could expect. He worked during twenty days receiving ten bushels of corn per day for his labor. He first entered eighty acres of land and gradually acquired more. Dr. Lindley followed farming until 1862. He then resided for a year in Bloomington. He then sold out his farm and bought another near by and has lived on it ever since. Dr. Lindley has always had a liking for horses, has done a great deal of trading and has studied the diseases to which horses are subject. By this means he has beeome a very skillful veterinary surgeon. He has been very fortunate in his treatment of horses and has acquired a considerable reputation. Dr. Lindley has had eleven children, but only four are liv- ing. They are : John, a physician, who lives at Clinton, Illi- nois; Stewart Lindley, who lives at Blooming Grove; Lucinda, wife of Walter Smith, who lives in Pike County, Illinois, and Robert, who lives at home. Dr. Lindley is about six feet in height, weighs about two hundred and ten pounds, has good eyesight, never wears glasses, has a rather heavy head of hair, which was rather light colored in his younger days, but now is turning gray. His beard is sandy. He is a well-formed, muscular man. He has succeeded in acquiring some property, but has lost a good deal of it, as people sometimes do. Hon. James Allin. James Allin was born January 13th, 1788, in North Caro- lina. When he was ten years of age his parents moved to m'lean COUNTY. 213 Boone County, Kentucky. Young James bore all the hardships of travel manfully, riding over the mountains on horseback and sustaining all the perils of the journey. The family, after re- maining one year in Kentucky, moved across the Ohio River into Dearborn County, Indiana. Here young James lived, and in the year 1817 he did as all active, vigorous young men should do, got married to a kind and affectionate woman. Her name was Catherine Livingston. He has been blessed with seven children, three of whom are now living. Two years after this important event he moved to Edwardsville, Madison County, Illinois, where he remained until 1821, when he removed to Vandalia, which was then the capital of the State. In No- vember, 1829, he came to the present site of Bloomington, and moved his family there in the following spring. Mr. Allin's removal to Bloomington was not the result of accident but of calculation. He saw that a line drawn from the rapids of the Illinois River to Cairo would pass through Blooming Grove. It was also on a direct line from Chicago to Alton and St. Louis. He admired the country for its natural beauty and fertility, and it seemed to him that as the country grew in population and wealth a town situated in Blooming Grove would not fail to have before it a brilliant future. In March, 1830, Mr. Allin built the first house in Bloomington. It was a double log house, one part being used as a dwelling and the other part for a store. In the session of the Legislature of 1830 and '31 Mr. Allin suc- ceeded in getting a bill passed laying off the county of McLean. When the commissioners came to lay off the new county, Mr. Allin offered twenty-two and a half acres of land for a county seat. The offer was accepted and the county seat was named by him Bloomington. The twenty-two and a half acres given by Mr. Allin are bounded by Front and North and East and West streets. The first court held in Bloomington was at Mr. Allin's dwelling, the log house which stood in the edge of the timber, nearly opposite the present location of the First Presbyterian church. Mr. Allin was a man of business. He brought to Blooming- ton the first lot of goods and drove his business as a merchant, with great energy. His public spirit and his energy made him very popular, and in 1836 he was elected to the State Senate. 214 OLD SETTLERS OF This election was afterwards repeated, confirming Mr. Allin's influence and popular strength. He died on the fifth of May, 1869. James Allin was a man of medium stature ; in build he was slim ; his hair was light brown ; his eyes were gray and pene- trating in expression, but his eyesight was not good during the latter portion of his life, and he was obliged to wear spectacles. His complexion was healthy, but this was a deceptive appear- ance, as he was during his whole life a feeble man, and his health was delicate. He had extraordinary business capacity, and the energy and determination with which he followed out his plans were wonderful. The man's strength of will was once shown when his son William Allin was sick and not expected to live. Mr. Allin said to him : " William, I would not die if I were you, I would not give way." His public spirit, his qual- ities of heart as well as of head, will make him remembered as long as the city of Bloomington, which he founded, shall stand. The following is taken from the Bloomington Pantograph of an early date, and relates to an old settlers' dinner where James Allin was present : " Mr. Allin's health is poor, and he has never recovered from a fall on the ice which severely injured him about three years ago. He walks on crutches, and was assisted up stairs by two men. He was complimented by the speakers as the man whose superior foresight pointed out Bloomington as the site of a fu- ture city, when all around was an uncultivated wilderness. Ac- cording to what Governor Moore and Colonel Gridley said, Mr. Allin, in his younger days, was very much such a man as we oc- casionally hear of now in frontier places. " He used every honorable endeavor to induce emigrants to locate in this county. If they wished to settle in the new town, Mr. Allin would sell them lots at a low price, if they had money, and would sell them at a lower figure if they had little money, or would give lots outright if they had no money, always stipu- lating that improvements should be made. It was such unre- mitting care and exertions, which, in the course of a few years, gave this settlement a start that made it out of the question for any neighboring town to compete with it, and made it eventu- ally a point to be aimed at by railroads, which have now made m'lean county. 215 Bloomington one of the thriftiest and best business places in the State. " It must have been a proud day to Mr. Allin to meet so many old friends and neighbors, not one of whom bears the slightest grudge against him, and to listen to such eloquent and appreciative tributes to his life-long; public spirit. With all his opportunities for building up a large fortune, Mr. Allin's valua- ble lands slipped from his hold in one way and another, to par- ties who could not or would not pay much for their lots, and to parties who afterwards speculated upon the rise of town lots, until when property came to be really valuable he had little left to sell. He, however, acquired a comfortable competency, so that his old age is pleasantly passing in the midst of a commu- nity he took such pride in drawing together. A more grasping man would have so hesitated to sell property that settlers would have been driven away, and a less honorable man, if he had made more money, would have had fewer friends in his old age. Bloomington owes a debt to Mr. Allin which it can never re- pay." William H. Allin. William H. Allin was born in 1818, in Indiana. When he was quite small his father removed to Vandalia, Illinois, where he remained until the spring of 1829, when he came to Bloom- ington, Illinois. Mr. Allin was a great favorite with all with whom he was acquainted. He was remarkable for his business talent, and he was pre-eminently remarkable for his honesty. One of his friends has happily described him thus: " Possessing naturally a strong and vigorous intellect, with good discriminating powers both as to men and measures, and with a large development of the moral faculties, he seems to have entered upon the active duties of life with the fixed purpose of hewing his way successfully through by an adher- ence to that great cardinal virtue, honesty, which is the only sure basis of ultimate success, and which was undoubtedly the leading trait of his character." Mr. Allin was remarkable not only for his honesty but for his energy. When he was only ten years of age his father sent him on horseback to Springfield to enter some land. At that 21 6 OLD SETTLERS OF time the roads were scarce and the bridges were scarcer, and young William was sent across the prairie. It was necessary to do this, as his father had heard that a neighbor of his was try- ing to get the start of him, and enter the same land. Young William made the journey successfully, and entered the land. Just as he was coming out of the land office the rival neighbor met him and asked " how he got there?" Young William re- plied that he came across the prairie. The gentleman did not feel pleasant at being outwitted by a child ten years of age. In the year 1850, the Whigs of McLean County nominated Mr. Allin for the office of Circuit Clerk. At their earnest so- licitations he accepted the nomination, as it was impossible for them to agree on any other man, and he was elected. But after one year's service he resigned in favor of his brother, who was deputy. In the winter of 1838 Mr. Allin married Miss Judith A. Major, and his married life was remarkably happy. He was a kind and faithful husband and a loving father. Mr. Allin was a man of medium size, slenderly built, healthy complexion, rather light hair, sharp-pointed nose, and dark, pen- etrating eyes. He was very polite in his manners, and a favor- ite with all with whom he had anything to do. Jonathan Maxson. Jonathan Maxson was born June 11, 1820, on a farm about half a mile from the town of Freeport in Harrison County, Ohio. His ancestors were of Scotch, Irish and French descent. He was one of a family of ten children. His mother, whose maiden name was Sarah Kinsey, was twice married, and he had four brothers, two sisters and four half sisters. Jonathan was in- tended by his father to be a farmer, and while a little lad he learned the duties of that laborious but independent calling. Farmers' boys do not usually pine away for the want of work, and Jonathan could always find plenty to do. His education was not very well attended to, as educational advantages were not to be had where he lived. He went to school only two terms and learned to read and spell. Some time after the death of his father, David Maxson, his mother married a very worthy man named Jesse Hiatt, and moved to Clinton County, Ohio. Short- m'lean county. 217 \y after this the family determined to move to Illinois;, and in the fall of 1830 started on their journey to Tazewell County, (of which McLean was then a part), as they had friends and rela- tives there. They went in two wagons, one under charge of Mr. Hiatt and the other driven by Christopher Kinsey, Jona- than's grandfather. They had also five hundred sheep and four milch cows. Their journey of two hundred and fifty miles oc- cupied twenty-one days, because of the difficulty in taking charge of their large flock of sheep. They camped out every night of their journey, except one, and by day they traveled from point to point without any road to guide them. It was necessary every night to guard the sheep from the wolves, but this was easily done as the frightened sheep huddled closely to- gether. The entire expense of the journey was ten dollars spent for food, which was less than a dollar apiece, as the caravan con- sisted of eleven persons. They had a very easy and pleasant journey, with no remarkable adventures. One of the party caught in the White River, with his hands, an eel about four feet long and weighing six pounds. It made a supper for the whole party. Jonathan says this is not a fish story. The party arrived at Stout's Grove on the twenty-first of September, 1830, but after a few days' of rest proceeded to Dillon's Settlement (now in Tazewell County). After spending two or three weeks in taking- observations of the country, Mr. Hiatt returned to Stout's Grove and bought a farm of one hundred and sixty acres, (twenty acres under fence) with a log cabin, for four hundred dollars. One half of the farm was prairie and the other half timber. Here the family succeeded very well. Mr. Hiatt followed his trade as a blacksmith, and the boys attended to the farm, and they all did well. Jonathan went to school sometimes during winters, for five years. His teacher was Hosea Stout, the nephew of Ephraim Stout, the founder of the settlement at the grove which bears his name. The school was attended by thirty or forty children, who came great distances and boarded with the farmers near by. He also went to school to Richard Rowel! , a most excellent teacher from New England. Jonathan remembers some strange peculiarities concerning Ephraim Stout, the most eccentric man in that part of the coun- try. Ephraim Stout was a great hunter, greater than Nimrod, 218 OLD SETTLERS OF or Esau, or Daniel Boone, indeed the latter had been a com- panion to Ephraim, and many were the stories told by him of their adventures together. When Ephraim was a young man he became married, of course, but no sooner had he done so than he regretted it bitterly; He loved his wife with all the love of a young husband, but he happened to meet with Lewis and Clark, government agents, who were going to explore Oregon Territory, and his marriage prevented him from going with them. Then there was wailing and gnashing of teeth, and he declared lie would give five hundred dollars to be unmarried ! (Some persons would give more than that). Mr. Maxson tells a curious story of the old hunter, showing his ingenuity. The hunter, with a party of men, went out searching for bee trees, and they had such luck that they filled their pots and pails and kettles with honey, and there were not enough to hold it all; and it seemed that they must leave a large part of it to be spoiled. But Ephraim's ingenuity never failed him ; he cut down a butternut tree, cut off a section in the shape of a cylinder, split it through the middle, made a trough of each half, hooped them together and had a water-tight barrel which he filled with honey. All this was done with an axe and a jack-knife. That was ingenuity. Ephraim Stout was a Quaker, and when he settled in Stout's Grove he thought he would make of it a Quaker settlement. He collected Quakers from far and near and everything seemed "merry as a marriage bell'' ; but in an evil hour he allowed Squire Robb, who was a Cumberland Presbyterian, to come in to the settlement. Now Squire Robb had married a daughter of a gentleman named McClure, and when the former settled in Stout's Grove the McClure family insisted on settling there too, and they were followed by some one else, and these by still others until that Quaker settlement was swallowed up, and the sonl of poor old Ephraim Stout was racked within him. He was accustomed to live in the wild woods, and did not like to see so many people around him. "When he was married he had prom- ised his wife that he would always live in the forest where she could pick her own fire-wood, and when so many people came there and broke up his Quaker settlement, he picked up his gun and all his hunter's accoutrements and started for Iowa Territory and then for Oregon. In 1880 he was an old man, leaning on m'lean county. 2l# his staff for support, and when he told the stories of his adven- tures with Indians and with all the wild animals of the forest, it certainly seemed that it was time for him to rest from his la- bors and live the remainder of his life in peace ; but there was no peace for him within the bounds of civilization, so he gath- ered together his worldly goods and went out to the still farther West. Jonathan Maxson never saw any candy until he was eighteen years of age. How terrible this must have been for a boy. People spun and wove their own clothing. A calico dress to wear on Sunday was a piece of unwarrantable extravagance. The family was always quite independent of the market. Their tea was made from roots and herbs, their sugar from maple Bap, and they kept twenty swarms of bees for honey. Jonathan Maxson states that during the winter of the deep snow (1830) he and his brother went out into the woods where it did not drift nor blow away and took a careful measurement of the depth of the snow with a stick and found it four feet deep. During the early part of that terrible winter deer were very numerous, but when the deep snow came they were starved and hunted by famished wolves and by settlers with snow-shoes, until they were almost exterminated. Shortly after the snow fell Mr. Jesse Hiatt killed a very large deer, which he was unable to carry home. He buried it in the snow and covered it with his coat to keep the wolves away. But the snow afterwards fell so deep that he was unable to visit the spot for two weeks. At last he put a harness on one of his horses and went to drag it home. On his return with the deer he killed three others and attached them also to his horse. But the load was so hard to drag that he did not return until late at night, when he found the fright- ened neighbors collected at his house, about to start on a search for him. They had collected on horseback with trumpets and horns and various things with which to make unearthly noises, and were no doubt disappointed to find that there was no occa- sion for their fearful shrieks. The remainder of the night was spent in dressing the deer. Some of their neighbors caught deer alive by putting on snow-shoes and running them down, but towards the latter part of the^winter they were so poor and emaciated that they were hardly worth catching. 220 OLD SETTLERS OF Jonathan's stepfather, Jesse Hiatt, kept for a long time a gun which went through the Black Hawk war. The circumstances were these. At the outbreak of the Black Hawk war a man named William Anient resided near what is now the village of Bureau in La Salle County. He was informed by a friendly Indian that some Indians had determined to kill him and his family and burn his house. He at once took his family and what furniture and provision he could carry, to the house of his father-in-law, Jonathan Hodge, who lived in Stout's Grove. After staying there a fortnight Mr. Anient decided to go back and look at his property. His father-in-law went with him, and on the road they took with them about a dozen men. On ar- riving at the house they found everything untouched. They all had a good supper and discussed what, seemed to them to be the hoax played by the friendly Indian. The next morning the first man who stepped out of doors was shot. The party grasped their guns, and after reconnoitering found that some Indians, who had been concealed among some hazel bushes, had retreated leaving some blankets and two guns in their haste. The party returned, and when the news reached Stout's Grove a company of volunteers was formed under Captain McClure. The latter borrowed Mr. Jesse Hiatt's gun and carried it through the Black Hawk war, and when that exciting and troublesome campaign was finished, returned the gun to its owner. When Jonathan Maxson was eighteen years of age his step- father died and upon the former devolved the duty of overseeing the farm. For five years he was the head of the family, but at the end of that time the responsibilities of the farm fell upon the younger brothers, and Jonathan was married and had re- sponsibilities of his own. He married Amanda Curtis, the daughter of Squire Eber Curtis, on the sixteenth of April, 1843. He moved to Bloomington on the first of January, 1844, where he lived on a farm. Jonathan has been a foreman in a reaper factory for five years; he has been a carpenter, builder, millwright and now has the position of engineer and janitor in the Court House. He has had a family of eight children, two of whom are dead. It is very easy in this country for friends and relatives to be scattered about; some of Jonathan's relatives are here and m'lean county. 221 others there, some are in South Bend, Indiana, some in Kansas and some in California. In personal appearance Jonathan Maxson is healthy and good looking. He is strongly built, is about five feet ten inches in height, has broad shoulders, pale blue penetrating eyes set wide apart showing his mechanical skill, his hair is dark and turning gray, and his head is a little bald on the top. In the evening when he reads and writes he wears spectacles. He enjoys the best of health and is a line specimen of the old pioneers. David Simmons. David Simmons was born July 15, 1802, in Monroe County. Virginia. His father's name was Ephraim Simmons, and his mother's name before her marriage was Elizabeth Calloway. To the best of his knowledge, his father was an American, and his mother was of English descent. When Mr. Simmons was about twelve years old, the family went to Ohio, then back to Nicholas County, Virginia, and from there to Cabell County, where old Mr. Simmons died. David Simmons was then only eighteen years of age, and had only five dollars and a half in his pocket. He moved the family to Decatur County, Indiana, where he re- mained nearly nine years. When he arrived there he had not five cents in his pocket. His mother was afterwards married, and he was at liberty to work for himself. On the 11th of November, 1824, he married Elizabeth Jones. He was not worth a hundred dollars. His wife had a cow. a spinning wheel and a bed. They took some of the feathers from their bed and traded them for three knives and three forks. In the fall of 1830 Mr. Simmons came to Illinois and arrived at the south side of the grove on the 7th of November. He traded his team, two yoke of oxen, his wagon and all of his money, except $2.15, for eighty acres of timber land with a cabin on it. He afterwards sold forty acres of timber for the purpose of entering prairie. But by reason of the Black Hawk war he wasted his money and was obliged to borrow and pay twenty-five per cent, interest in order to enter land. During the Black Hawk war Mr. Simmons was the third sergeant in Captain CovePs company. They went up to Dixon's Ferry, where the troops were for some days drilling and getting 222 OLD SETTLERS OF themselves in order for fight. On the 13th of May, 1832, the troops started on the famous Stillman's Run expedition. Major (afterward general) Stillman had two hundred and six men with him, all told, according to Mr. Simmons. They went about five miles during the first day, to a little grove, and there camped. The next morning they traveled on until noon, when they stopped for dinner. Then the guard in front discovered mocca- sin tracks, and a false alarm was raised. The men jumped on their horses and ran up to the tracks, which were perhaps two or three miles from the place where they stopped for dinner. They rode very excitedly, and some lost their tin cups and other articles. The tracks were fresh and clear on a sand ridge, but no Indians were found. The men waited there until the baggage wagon came up. The baggage master had great difficulty in crossing sloughs with his heavy load in his little two-horse wagon, and it was therefore determined to lighten the wagon by issuing the ammunition and whisky to the men. The men filled their powder horns, and some of them tied up powder in their handkerchiefs. They filled their canteens and coffee pots and bottles with whisky, but were not able to take it all and left some in the barrel. Then they took up their line of march, and during the afternoon while on the route some of them passed along the line offering whisky out of their coffee pots to who- ever would drink, for it was as free as water and more plenty just then. They went into camp in the evening on the north side of Old Man's Creek, and hobbled their horses, and the advanced guard came in. Just then about ten or a dozen Indians ap- peared on a high hill about a quarter or a half a mile distant. The officers and men were inquiring what they were, and some thought it was the advanced guard. David Simmons said to Stillman : " No, the advanced guard came in a while ago. General, it's Indians." Then the men commenced catching their horses, and some started without putting on the saddles, and went at full speed to where the .little squad of Indians appeared. All the Indians retreated except two, who claimed to be Potta- wotamies. Covel then turned to Stillman and said : "It's all nonsense, they are friendly Indians," and said that enough of the boys had gone to take the others, as they were pursued by m'lean county. 223 twenty or thirty men ; the two were then brought into camp, While the Indian prisoners were coming into camp they said : " Me good Pottawotamie," but pointed over the hill and said : " Heap of Sac." The Indians then offered to trade for a gun belonging to David Alexander, from Pekin, who was commis- sary. Then David Simmons brought out his double-barrel gun for the Indians to look at, and while they were poking their fingers first into one barrel and then into another, a man came running back at full speed, calling, " Parade, parade." Then the officers had their men formed into companies. David Sim- mons was ordered to guard the prisoners, but George "Wylie took his place. The men moved forward leaving the prisoners guarded in the rear. Before going far they met a few men com- ing in with an Indian prisoner. The twenty or thirty men had pursued the Indians and killed one and captured another. The captured Indian had fought hard, and Mr. Haekleton had been speared in the hands. The whites moved on, after sending the Indian prisoner to the rear. They went to where twenty or thirty whites were stationed, near a big slough, and there were told of an Indian who came out and offered his hand in friend- ship, and that McCullough extended his hand and snatched the Indian's gun. Mr. Simmons saw the gun, but did not see Mc- Cullough snatch it. McCullough snapped at the Indian, and Vandolah shot but missed. The officer halted and said that if the Indians did not want to fight they would not rush on them, but would see what the Indians did want. The officers then went on across the slough to the top of a bluff beyond. Then Gridley came back with orders to march across the slough, and the men started, and the officers came dashing back. Captain Eades of Peoria came riding up, and said he was not easily fooled, and that there were not less than a thousand of the In- dians. The. officers ordered the men to countermarch, and fall back across the slough. The front of the line obeyed orders, but the rear broke back ahead of those in front and made con- fusion. They went back across the slough to high ground, and there the officers tried to form a line, but the men were in poor order and in bunches, so that they could not shoot without hit- ,ting some one in front of them. The Indians then began to pour out of the timber, and Mr. Simmons said it reminded him of the pigeons in Indiana flying 224 OLD SETTLERS OF over one another and picking up mast. The Indians began firing and the flashes of their guns could be seen, as it was just be- coming dusky in the evening. The whites fired in return, but were so mixed up that some fired in the air, as they could not shoot ahead without hitting some of their own number. They were then ordered to retreat to their camp ground and there form a line. They went back on a gallop. Simmons and Coffey and Murphy agreed to go for Dixon's Ferry, when they arrived at the creek, Captain Covel tried to form the men on the north side of the creek; but an order was given to shoot the prisoners and go back across the creek and form a line on the other side. Mr. Simmons started for the lower crossing and met Jim Paul putting on his saddle and said to him : "What are you about?" He replied with an oath that he would have his saddle. When Mr. Simmons crossed the creek the whites were shooting at the Indians and the latter were shooting at the whites. Simmons went a little above the ford after crossing and stopped when a bullet whistled close to his ear. There was then the greatest confusion and yelling. Some were calling "halt and fight," some said "don't leave us," and some called "murder." But in a mo- ment or two an order was given to retreat to Dixon, and that order was obeyed. They took the trail back at the top of their speed. Some Indians came in on the left and tried to outflank the party, but the whites went too fast, and did not stop until they came to Dixon. The next day the greater part of the army went up to Stillman's Run and buried the dead. On their re- turn horsemen were sent down to meet the boats coming up with provisions, and their baggage wagons came up in a few days. The governor then started up the river with troops to fight the Indians, and left a part of the army to guard the families at Dixon. During that evening an express came from Ottawa asking for men. This express was sent on after the Governor, and he sent back an order for Colonel Johnson to take several companies and go on to Ottawa and build a fort, which was done. Covel and McClure's companies were among those that went to Ottawa. They started and camped within three or four miles of where the three families were murdered on Indian Creek, but knew nothing of the matter at the time. They went on to Ottawa next day and saw a little squad of whites. Each m'lban county. 225 party supposed that the other were Indians, and stopped and formed lines, but discovered their mistake. The party was a squad of men going out to bury the dead at Indian Creek. They went on to Ottawa, where a great many families were gathered for protection. They built a fort there. Mr. Sim- mons and some thirteen others then came home, as they heard that the Kiekapoos in the rear were going to make trouble, and that the people were going into the forts for safety. A few days after this the troops, who had been called out for thirty days, were all discharged, Mr. Simmons among the rest. At Bloomington they had talked of forting, but had not done so, but at Pekin a fort was built. A company of rangers was form- ed for sixty days, to traverse the frontier of McLean County. Mr. Simmons has lived in Bloomington township ever since his first settlement here, living sometimes in town and some- times in the country. He still owns one hundred and eighty acres of land in the county. He also owns some city property. He was for a while supervisor of Bloomington township. Mr. Simmons has had ten children, of whom six are living. They are : , Levi Simmons lives on a part of the old farm. Annie, wife of Isaac Lash, lives in Hudson township. Margaret, wife of James Dozier, lives in Blue Mound town- ship. Benjamin Simmons lives in Missouri. David Simmons, jr., lives on the old homestead. Mary, wife of William H. Fielder, lives at Funk's Grove. Mr. Simmons is about five feet and ten inches in height, has a strong constitution, a sanguine complexion and light blue eyes. He is very muscular and one of the hardest of workers. His clear statement of the fight at Stillman's Bun is perhaps the best ever given of that celebrated affair, and its correctness may be seen at a glance. Hon. John Moore. John Moore was born on the eighth of September, 1793, at Grantham, Lincolnshire, England. He received but little edu- cation at school. Up to his fourteenth year he attended the common school, and all his subsequent education was obtained 15 226 OLD SETTLEKS OF by Btudy without a teacher. He often studied while at work at his trade as a wheelwright, keeping his open book on his bench. His parents, who were not well to do in the world, died when Mr. Moore was quite young, and he was left to take care of him- self. At an early age he moved to Bibsey (England) and was apprenticed to a Mr. Teesdale to learn the trade of wheelwright. The Spalding Free Press (English paper) says of him : " There are some now living in that village who well remember John Moore as an apprentice, and who can bear witness to his sterling good qualities as a young man at that time." In 1817 John Moore concluded to try his fortune in a new country. He came to America in a sailing vessel as our pilgrim fathers did a great many years before. He was three months on the way, but at last the vessel came into port. He settled first in Virginia but remained there only a short time when he removed to Har/ison, Hamilton County, Ohio. Here he began to work at his trade as a wheelwright on his own account. On the ninth of March, 1820, he married a widow, Mrs. Misner. She was a Kentucky lady and had one child, a daugh- ter, with her at the time of her marriage with Mr. Moore. Mr. Moore has had a family of eight children, five sons and three daughters, and of these three sons and one daughter are now living. In October, 1830, Mr. Moore came to McLean County, Illi- nois, and settled on a farm at Randolph Grove. There he en- tered forty acres of land and did some farming and worked at his trade. He often bought land but never owned any large tracts. He was always ready to sell, especially to his old friends who came with him from Ohio. In 1831 William Lindley, one of the old settlers, proposed that Mr. Moore should be elected justice of the peace because he had made himself already quite popular. This was the first office Mr. Moore held. In 1835 he was elected to the legislature, which then held its sessions at Vandalia. In 1839 he was elected to the senate of the State and in 1840 was chosen lieutenant governor of Illinois. This office he held up to 1846 when the Mexican war broke out. As he had strongly favored the war he enlisted as a private in the fourth regiment of Illinois volunteers. He was almost immedi- ately chosen lieutenant colonel, and when the army took the m'lean county. 227 field ho participated with it in several engagements. He was at Rio Grande, Vera Cruz and Cerro Gordo. When he returned from the Mexican war the State of Illinois presented him with a sword to show its appreciation of his distinguished services. This sword is now in the possession of his son Enoch J. Moore, and of course is prized very highly. This sword bears the fol- lowing inscription : " Presented to Lieutenant Colonel John Moore by the State of Illinois for his services during the late war with Mexico and especially for his gallantry at the battle of Cerro Gordo." In 1848, on his return from Mexico, Mr. Moore was appoint- ed treasurer of the State of Illinois by Governor French to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Hon. Milton Carpenter. At the expiration of the term in 1850 Mr. Moore was elected to hold the same office and was re-elected in 1852. In 1854 he was again a candidate but was beaten by James Miller on account of an absurd prejudice, which was felt at that time by many against foreigners. Being an Englishman by birth Mr. Moore was obliged to suffer. It is a matter of pride to his friends to know that his reputation for ability and honesty was as high as ever. In 1853 Mr. Moore was appointed by Governor Matteson to in- vestigate and settle the difficulty between the firm of Thompson & Foreman and the State of Illinois, growing out of a contract by which the English firm was to deliver to Illinois a certain amount of railroad iron. This difficulty was arranged by Mr. Moore to the entire satisfaction of all parties. He was one of the trustees of the Illinois Central Railroad up to the time of his death which occurred on the twenty-third of September, 1866. His death was occasioned by a surgical operation performed upon his eyes for cataract. The operation gave such a shock to his system as to cause his death. Some queer incidents are related of Mr. Moore when he was beginning his public life. When he was first proposed as a candidate for justice of the peace Mr. William Lindley said of him that he was a "pretty piert fellow and guessed he'd do." When Mr. Moore was a candidate for the legislature his oppo- nent was Judge Davis. At one time Davis was asked what his chances for election were. He answered that he expected to be defeated because Mr. Moore could adapt himself to the different 228 OLD SETTLERS OF classes of the people. If he met some Methodists he could pray with them, and if anyone in the neighborhood became sick and died Mr. Moore could make a coffin for him ! During the winter of the deep snow, which was the first of Mr. Moore's settlement in Illinois, he went every day to Mr. Randolph's house and obtained corn which he pounded into hominy on shares (one-half). He endured the privations of the early settlers and was as cheerful as the bravest among them. The first elegant team which he drove to town was a yoke of oxen, but when he attended the legislature he had become wealthy enough to go on horseback ! Mr. Moore was about five feet and ten inches in height and was heavily built; a few years previous to his death he weighed about two hundred and thirty-eight pounds. His shoulders were broad and his carriage erect. His hair was orange color and was turned a little gray; his nose was aquiline and his com- plexion was fresh and healthy. His health was remarkably good which no doubt contributed to his cheerful, happy disposition. A lady friend thus describes him : " He was a large, fleshy man, very refined in his feelings, and especially so in the society of ladies. He was too large to be graceful, but he was above all things a good man." An old friend speaks of him thus : " He was a man of naturally great force of character. He was an honest man, and the State of Illinois never had a more faithful guardian of her interests. His ability to remember and his powers of conversation were wonderful. Although his educa- tion at school had been neglected he read a great deal and could tell what he had read in a pleasant way. He was a fine presid- ing officer and the chair of the senate has never been filled by a more accomplished parliamentarian." Governor Moore made no pretensions to great oratory, never- theless he was an effective public speaker when occasion called him out. At his death his remains were brought from Boston to the old burying-ground at Randolph's Grove. The funeral nervices were conducted by Rev. Dr. Ballard and were attended by Judge Davis, General Gridley and many other old citizens. Amasa C. Washburn. Amasa C. Washburn was born May 25, 1807, on a farm, in Putney township, Vermont, His ancestors came from England. m'lean county. 229 He was the only son, but he was by no means at a loss for play- mates, as he had four sisters. lie was educated in Putney, that is, he attended a common school there until he was eighteen years of age. At that time he started on his career as a school- master, and taught school in various districts in Vermont for twelve dollars a month and boarded around. After having taught for live years in Vermont and New York he determined to come West. He went to Albany, New York, where he met a company of about thirty persons, bound for the West, and joined with them. On the fifth of May, 1831, the party went aboard of a canal boat for Buffalo, and Mr. Wash- burn was fairly started on his way to the Great West. The journey was interesting and full of adventures. Mr. Washburn's trials began at the start. There was very little room on the canal boat for the party to lie down at night, so they took turns in sleeping. They arrived at Buffalo on the fifteenth and the next day started for Detroit in a steam-boat. The steamboat was crowded. Mr. Washburn slept during the first night on some trunks, and the second night on deck on buffalo skins, with some others of the party. About two o'clock in the morning it began to rain, and the party were drowned out. That night they came to Cleveland and the next day started out for Detroit but put back on account of high wind. A second time they started, although the wind blew violently. The boat rolled fear- Fully and the women and children on board were sea-sick. They arrived at Detroit on .the nineteenth. Here a part of the com- pany, among whom was Mr. Washburn, hired three wagons and teamsters and eight horses to carry them to Chicago, but after they had been for some time on their journey the} r changed their minds and went down the St. Joseph River. They started on the twenty-fourth of May. During their journey they fared very hard and their horses fared harder. On the second night the poor brutes ate up a part of the side-board of one of the wagons. The party had many difficulties in passing through sloughs, swamps and creeks, and sometimes they were obliged to lift the wagons out of the mud. When they came to the St. Joseph River, near Montville, they dismissed their teams, bought two log canoes, lashed them together, put their baggage aboard and started down stream. They went down sixty miles 230 OLD SETTLERS OF and then had their canoes and baggage transported by land six miles across to the Kankakee River. This stream was small, crooked and narrow, and after one day's sailing down it they were almost in sight of their starting point. The country was desolate and marshy, and when they touched the banks with their poles they were usually saluted with rattlesnakes. During the evening of the third of June they came to where the river widened into a lake, and as darkness approached they were lost, and clouds of mosquitoes surrounded them, and it seemed as if their troubles all came at once. But they built a fire and drove off the insects, and were made to feel that they had at least some company, for the croaking of bullfrogs on every side was varied by the squealing of wild geese. At last they found where the lake became narrow and the river flowed on. But they could not land because the banks were lined by thick grass, which prevented them from coming near the shore. Soon after- wards the wind arose and the waves rolled hisrh. In the morn- ing the wind became more violent and drove them on with fearful velocity, and it required all their skill to save themselves from upsetting. About noon they were soaked through and through by a thunder storm. Towards night they entered a lake and became lost a second time. The lake was full of trees that grew up out of the water. But after some difficulty they found their way out and came to where the stream was narrow and rapid. Here they ran against breakers (trees in the water) but happily found a shore where they could land. On shore they were saluted by the howling of wolves in all directions, which did not make them at all cheerful. On the sixth of June they killed a deer, and felt very much encouraged. In the after- noon tbey saw half a dozen Indians, the first they had encoun- tered during their journe}^. They sailed nearly all night being aided by an extraordinary light which appeared in the West. Mr. Washburn said it made him think of the pillar of fire which guided the children of Israel. On the eighth of June they came very near being shipwrecked by the high winds and the large waves. At night they tied up to some small bushes by the shore and made their supper of slippery-elm bark, as their provisions were now almost gone. On the next day they mixed a little wheat flour (the last they had) in water and divided it among the party. m'lban county. 231 This they ate at three different times. In addition to this they had only a few roots and some shoots of grapevines and briers. That day they passed several rapids and many dangerous shoals, sand-bars and rocks. At one time they ran against a rock in rapid water and were pressed against it sideways ; they became free from the rock, but had only time to turn their craft straight with the current when they went over some falls a few rods farther down. Soon after this they came to what appeared an inclined plane. The water ran swiftly, and after descending for about a hundred rods, the stream united with the Desplaines River, and formed the Illinois River. In the evening they spread out their buffaloes and tried to get some sleep. But they were wet through again and again by successive showers, and could do nothing but stand around the fire. In the morning they started on and came in sight of some Indian wigwams. They learned from the Indians that there was a white settler five or six miles below and they joyfully started on. About eight o'clock they "heard the lowing of cattle and the crowing of roosters." At a log hut they obtained some milk and hasty pudding. They passed the dangerous rapids of the Illinois River, and came in the evening to a house where they received hospitable enter- tainment. On the tenth of June they passed the Fox River and went to the head of steamboat navigation, a little below the mouth of the Vermilion River. From there they went to Bai- ley's Grove where the company wished to settle. On the eleventh Mr. Washburn started in a wagon for Fort- Clark (Peoria), where he arrived on the evening of the twelfth. The next day was Sunday, and there being no church to attend, Mr. "Washburn listened to the preaching of a man called Live Forever. This old gentleman had made appointments to preach five hundred years in the future. He said it was not God's in- tention that man should die, but, if they would exercise faith in Christ, they might live on the earth during all eternity. On the fourteenth Mr. Washburn walked to Pekin, and there learned that a school teacher was wanted at Blooming Grove. Going back to Fort Clark he expected to take a stage, but being disappointed, started for Blooming Grove on foot, and arrived there on the seventeenth of June, 1831. By the twentieth he had obtained enough scholars at two dollars per quarter to com- 232 OLD SETTLERS OF mence teaching, and on that day he opened school in a log hut with '.'no floor, no door, and a crack all round." In the after- noon he chose his boarding place with Mr. William Lucas, for which he was to pay thirty-seven and a half cents per week. It was the best house in the neighborhood, but it contained only one room, and in it lived Mr. Lucas and his wife, ten children, three clogs, two cats, and the school teacher ! On the twenty- sixth Mr. Washburn opened a Sabbath-school at Mr. Lucas' house ; it being the first ever held in Blooming Grove. He was very much shocked at the ignorance of the children with regard to religious matters ; one little boy declared he had never heard of such a being as God. The crowded condition of Mr. Lucas' house made things ap- pear a little strange, sometimes. He had a daughter about eighteen years of age, who received a great deal of attention from a young man in the neighborhood. He made lengthy visits sometimes, and as the house contained only one room the lovers got their stools together and carried on their conversation in whispers. Sometimes the young man stayed all night and, when he did so, the school teacher was somewhat wakeful ! On one occasion Mr. Washburn heard the Lucas children discussing among themselves as to which they preferred should marry their sister, the young man or the school master, and the school mas- ter received the most votes. But the fates decided that neither of them should have her. The country was wild and game was plenty. There were prairie chickens and deer and wild turkeys. On one occasion Mr. Lucas killed a deer without stepping out of the doorway. In September, 1831, the Methodists held a camp-meeting at Randolph's Grove, which Mr. Washburn attended. The ser- mons preached at this camp-meeting were more remarkable for force than elegance. One of the preachers enumerated the of- fences which they should beware of, and spoke of the liar and said that to "be a liar was to act the part of a poor, mean, black devil, and for any one to be a devil was degrading!" Another preacher wished to have something done for the children and thought he must alarm the parents on the subject; he said : "How sportive they are in vice, and you often laugh instead of weep ; the devil has got your children, the fiend of hell has got m'lean county. 233 them and is leading them captive at his will and you smile !" The next day Mr. Latta preached, and made .some very queer ob- servations. He said : "There is a certain class of people who cannot go to hell fast enough on foot, so they must get on their poor, mean pony and go to the horse-race ! Even professors of religion are not guiltless in this respect, but go under the pre- tense that they want to see such or such a man, but they know in their own hearts that they went to see the horse-race!" But he preached a strong sermon, and when he was through one man jumped up and said he was as light as a feather, another clapped his hands and went around shaking hands with every- one ; some laughed, some cried, and some shouted. Reverend Peter Cartwright then arose and said, he had been requested to preach a funeral sermon but would say what he pleased. He was peculiarly severe on Eastern men because of their low opinion of Western intellect and Western character. He said : "They represent this country as being a vast waste, and people as being very ignorant, but if I was going to shoot a fool I would not take aim at a Western man, but would go down to the sea-shore and cock my fusee at the imps who live on oysters !" But his sermon had a great effect and he concluded by giving a descrip- tion of the glories of heaven. When he finished, some people fell down, some screamed, the children were frightened and Mr. Washburn says that he never before heard such a noise and saw such confusion. The camp-meeting was a great success and, it is to be hoped, did great good. Mr. Washburn continued teaching and charged as quarterly tuition two dollars per scholar. But he was usually obliged to take his pay in chickens or calves, or some kind of "trade." In December, 1831, he began teaching in the town of Bloomington. Here it had been the custom of the scholars to study their les- sons as loudly as they could shout and this was the custom everywhere, for parents thought this the only way children could learn. Mr. Washburn, after teaching in Bloomington for three months in this manner, told the parents he would do so no longer. He convinced them with great difficulty, but had his own way at last. On the fifteenth of April, 1833, Mr. Washburn started for a visit to his native home in Vermont. On the twenty-seventh he 234 OLD SETTLERS OF arrived at Chicago and put up at Beaubien's Tavern. He said that at that time he "considered Chicago a very important sta- tion." On the twenty-eighth, which was Sunday, he w r as shocked to see people go about their common business. A large number were engaged in shooting pigeons in the streets of the town. (Was this their common business ?) On the thirtieth he visited the place where the soldiers of General Scott's army who died of the cholera the year previous, were buried. It is said that one poor fellow, who was detailed to dig graves, cursed and swore a good deal ; he was taken with the cholera that day and died before night, and was buried in one of the graves which he himself had dug. On the first of May Mr. "Washburn went aboard of a sail vessel for Detroit, which place he reached on the evening of the ninth. On the eleventh he started for Buffalo on the boat, Sheldon Thompson. The crew got to racing with another vessel and were much the worse for liquor, but they came safely to Buffalo on the eighteenth. He started for Al- bany by canal but walked the last thirty-three miles of the way. He went by steamboat to Troy, and walked from there to his old home in Vermont, a distance of eighty-six miles and — found that his father had sold out and moved away. On the twenty- seventh he found him and the whole family, all well. On the fifteenth of August he married Miss Paulina Parker. On the twenty-seventh he started for the West. Mr. Washburn was a very religious man, and about this time he read one quite remarkable passage in a book called ''Flavel on Keeping the Heart," which made a serious impres- sion on him. "A man had taken great pains and made great efforts to amass wealth, and had been very successful. He had only one son, and this property was all designed for him. When the old gentleman was laid on his death bed he called his son to him and asked him if he loved his father. The son replied that the bonds of nature, as well as the kind indulgence he had met with obliged him so to do. Then, said the father, manifest it by holding your finger in the candle while I say a Pater Noster. The son made the attempt, but could not endure the pain. The father replied : " I have risked my soul for you and must burn in hell forever, instead of a finger in a candle for a few short moments." m'lban county. 235 Ver}' little of importance occurred on their journey home. At Chicago they found a great many Indians who had come there to make a treaty with the government and get their pay and go to the far West. While coming from Chicago to Bloom- ington Mr. Washburn had very little adventure ; he was once soaked with rain, and the teamster was at one time incautious enough to break a wheel, but these were trifles. At Blooming- ton he began teaching once more. On the thirteenth of July, 1834, r Mrs. Washburn, who seems to have been a very amiable lady, died. In the spring of 1834, Mr. Washburn taught school at Buckles Grove, nearLeroy, but returned to Bloomington in the fall, where he has resided ever since. On the thirtieth of Sep- tember, 1834, he was elected Secretary of the McLean County Bible Society, and agent for the purpose of distributing Bibles. He was very active in the work. In 1835 he was appointed the agent of the American Sunday School Union for Illinois, and worked to establish Sunday-schools all over the State. On the thirtieth of April Mr. Washburn married Ann Packard, who has since shared with him the difficulties and trials of pioneer life. From the year 1835 to 1843, Mr. Wash- burn followed various pursuits. For a while he kept a meat market. He kept the first regular provision store in Blooming- ton, and continued in that business for twenty-five years. In 1868 he retired from business. Mr. Washburn was one of the eight members who organized the First Presbyterian Church. This was in 1832. In the spring of 1833 he organized the first temperance society in Mc- Lean County. In 1833 the first Sabbath-school in connection with this church was organized with from fifteen to twenty-five scholars, but now it has from a hundred to a hundred and fifty. He has always been connected with schools and churches. His seven friends who worked with him to organize the church are now all dead, and the pastor, too, has long since joined the church above. Mr. Washburn is about five feet six or eight inches' in height. He is very muscular, and has all his faculties unimpaired. He has a very honest looking countenance, and is a man of sincere piety. His hair is a little white and the crown 236 OLD SETTLERS OF of his head is rather bald. He never meddled with politics, has always lived very quietly and has " done unto others as he would have others do unto him." Dr. Stephen Ward Noble. Dr. Noble was born at North Bend, Hamilton County, Ohio, March 9, 1826. He came to Illinois with his parents in the fall .of 1831, and settled at Randolph's Grove. He obtained his schooling there, and there began the study of medicine with his uncle, Dr. Noble, under charge of Dr. Colburn, of Blooming- ton. At the age of twenty he took his first course of lectures at the medical institute at Cincinnati. He afterwards attended another course, and in 1849 commenced practice as a physician in Leroy, in partnership with Dr. Cheney. He married February 21, 1854, Miss. Amanda M. Greenman, daughter of John Greenman, of Leroy. It was a very happy marriage. Four children were born, of whom two are living. The}' are : Frank Noble, born December 8, 1854, died in infancy. Mary D. Noble, born December 14, 1859, lives with her mother. Carrie Noble, born June 4, 1864, died in November of the same year. Nellie Ward Noble, born March 27, 1871, lives at home. Dr. Noble died of consumption in 1871, and was buried in Bloomington Cemetery. He had moved to Bloomington in 1865. He was about five feet and ten inches in height, was squarely built, but rather stoop shouldered. He had dark brown hair and almost black blue eyes. He was a very popular man, and very successful in his profession. He was several times President of the McLean County Medical Society, once President of the Medical Society of the State, and frequently a delegate to the Medical Society of the United States. He was a very kind husband and father, and is remembered by the friends who knew him and delighted in his society. Abraham Stansberry. Abraham Stansberry was born June 19, 1807, on a farm about thirteen miles from the town of Greenville, in Greene m'lean county. 237 County, Tennesse. His ancestors were of German and Welch stock. He was one of a family of fifteen children, eleven boys and four girls, all of whom grew up to manhood and woman- hood. Eleven are now living. The youngest son served in the army for three years ; after receiving his discharge, and while on his way home, he visited an old mill, and was there killed by the rebels. Abraham's education was not very extended. He was obliged to work very hard, and attended school very little, and when he did so he had a much more thorough acquaintance with the schoolmaster's rod than with his books. The schoolmaster thought a great deal of his rod, and used what was called leath- er-wood, which grew in the clefts of the rocks. This wood was very tough and pliable and made a barbarous instrument of tor- ture ; but the schoolmaster was obliged to tlog unmercifully in order to keep up his reputation as an excellent teacher. When Abraham was about seven years old his father died, and his mother took charge of the farm. When he was twenty- two years of age he was a strong, healthy man and loved horses better than books. He wished to go West and lead an active life, where his vigorous nature could have play. Although only a young man, he did not wish to live in a slave state, and could plainly see the evils brought about by this system. He said it resulted in forming three distinct classes, those who owned slaves, those who were rich, but owned no slaves, and the pool whites, who had neither negroes nor money. All these causes induced Mr. Stansberry to leave for the West. He had heard a great deal of Illinois through various pamphlets setting forth its fine climate and rich soil. He started as the driver of a live- horse team for a man named Henry Pain, who emigrated with his wife and seven children to the Vermilion and Big Wabash Rivers. Mr. Pain left for Illinois because he was anxious to have his family grow up in a free state. The journey lasted forty- three days, and it rained almost incessantly. They first came to Bear Station, in Tennessee, from there to the Clinch Mountains, crossed the Tennessee River, went to Cumberland Gap, crossed the Cumberland River, went to Crab Orchard in Kentucky, then to Danville, then to Louisville, crossed the Ohio to New Albany and went to Salem, thence to Greencastle, thence to Blooming- 238 OLD SETTLERS OF ton, Ind., and to Rockville. Between those places they crossed Salt Creek by putting their wagon in canoes lashed together, as the creek was high. Although it was rainy, Mr. Stansberry en- joyed the trip, as there were two young ladies in the family, and of course they made matters pleasant for him. They crossed the Big "Wabash about six miles from Rockville and went to New- port on the Little Vermilion, and from there to the town of Eugene, the point of destination. There Mr. Pain expected to find a brother who had lived in the place some time before, but his brother had died a short time previous to Pain's arrival. Abraham celebrated his first year in the West by working on a farm, but from the fall of 1830 to the spring of 1832 he carried the mail between Eugene and Fort Clark (Peoria). He traveled, on an average, fort} r -five miles per day, and could make the trip to Fort Clark and return in seven days. At that time the streams were not provided with either bridges or ferry boats, and Mr. Stansberry was obliged to cross them by tying his clothes and mail bag to his shoulders and swimming over with his horse. He often met Indians on his route, and they were always glad to see him. He had three stations where he stayed over night on his journeys ; these were Ponge Station, Cheney's house and Robert McClure's house. The number of letters carried varied from one to a dozen. Postage was twenty-five cents per letter. Mr. Stansberry received for his services twelve and one-half dollars per month. On the sixth of June, 1832, Mr. Stansberry married Mary Cheney. He had formed her acquaintance while carrying the mail. He lived on a farm in Cheney's Grove until the year 1864, when he moved to Bloomington. He has' had two chil- dren, a son and a daughter, who both grew up to years of dis- cretion, but both are now dead. But he has three grandchil- dren who will inherit his property. His son died while fighting in the army. His wife died of consumption on the ninth of August, 1866. When Mr. Stansberry commenced farming at Cheney's Grove, he entered thirteen hundred acres of land, a part of which he sold for twenty-three dollars per acre, a part for thirty dollars and his timber land for fifty dollars. He afterwards bought three hundred and twenty-four acres, which he has di- vided into three farms. m'lean county. 239 On the twenty-seventh of April, 1869, Mr. Stansberry mar- ried Mrs. Matthews, a widow lady, a daughter of Esquire Robb. She is one of the most agreeable of women, and has that polite- ness of the heart, which comes from wishing well to others. Mr. Stansberry never held a public office, and never sought one ; he was an " old line Whig," and is now a Republican. He is a man of medium stature, strong and well proportioned, his hair is light brown, turning gray. His eyes are gray and he wears spectacles when he reads or writes. He was always very fond of horses and greatly enjoyed riding. During the fall of 1827 he rode to Tennessee on horseback, and returning brought his mother and niece to Illinois in a carriage. Afterwards three brothers and three sisters came to the West, and one brother and three sisters are still living at Cheney's Grove. James 0. Harbord. James C. Harbord was born in Wayne County, Kentucky, December 16, 1803. His ancestors were of English and Irish stock. When James was about six years of age his father emi- grated to Indiana, where he lived until October, 1832. His education was limited. He went to school in Indiana, but the educational advantages were poor and he received very little benefit from his schooling. He remembers clearly the war of 1812 and some of the incidents connected with it. The Indians took advantage of the unsettled condition of affairs to make their stealthy attacks upon the isolated settlers on the frontier, ami he remembers clearly the terror inspired by their ravages. .Many of the settlers fled across the Ohio River into Kentucky. During the war a company of soldiers were forted near the house of Mr. Harbord (the father of James). This company visited different parts of the eountry at different times, and did its utmost to protect as large a district as possible. In 1824 Mr. Harbord came to Illinois to look at it, and see what its prospects were. He found one house about six miles this side of the pres- ent city of Danville, but with that exception the country bound- ed by Danville, Blooming Grove and Peoria was a wild and dreary wilderness without any settlement to relieve the monoto- ny or cheer the traveler. The powers of nature were wasted. The rich soil sustained only the prairie grass, which afforded a 240 OLD SETTLERS OF cover for rattlesnakes, and in the fall the fire swept over it and made desolation more desolate. He visited Blooming Grove, Stout's Grove, Twin and Dry Groves, but no settlement was found in any of these places. He laid a claim in Twin Grove on what is now known as the old Dan Munsell farm. Some time afterwards his uncle came on and took up this claim. Mr. Harbord also bought a farm of Major Baker. Upon this land was a mill for grinding wheat, built by Major Baker in the fall of 1830. It is still a great curiosity and shows what can be done in case of necessity. The stones in this mill were made of the hard "nigger heads," that are found on the prairies. They were made into the shape of a coffee-mill, and while in motion the lower stone was the one that revolved. It ground wheat very slowly, but the settlers came to it from twenty-five miles around, as the nearest mill besides this one was at Springfield. The mill was not long in use, but soon was superseded by others with more modern improvements. The farm on which the old mill stands lies about four miles south of Bloomington and still belongs to the Harbord family. After visiting various points in his tour of 1824 Mr. Harbord returned to Indiana, and being a sensible man, got married. This event occurred on the twenty-seventh of January, 1825. In October, 1832, he came to McLean County, Illinois, and settled on the south side of Twin Grove on a place now known as the Johnson place. Every old settler has something to say of the schools in early days. The first school-house at Twin Grove was in the middle of the grove. It was a round-log house with a door cut through it, greased paper for windows, and a fire-place which extended across one entire end of the building. It had a puncheon floor and seats made of hewed logs with legs to them. The court house is described b} 7 Mr. Harbord as a little, old, struck-by-lightning looking building (it really was struck by lightning), but the justice administered within its walls was very substantial, and many of our modern communities would be glad to take that old court house, if they could have the justice which was obtained within it. In 1832 the State was Democratic, but Mr. Harbord was an uncompromising Whig. He voted, for the first time, for Johti m'lean county. 241 Quincy Adams and for every Whig afterwards nominated, and since the demise of the Whig party, for every Republican candi- date for president until 1872, when he was too unwell to attend the polls. His sympathies were for the re-election of President Grant. After coming to the country in 1832 Mr. Harbord lived for seven years at Twin Grove and then moved to a farm which he purchased in the southeast part of Blooming Grove. There he lived for twenty-nine years when he removed to Bloomington where he resided until his death, which occurred on the eighth of March, 1873. Mr. Harbord related some strange experiences with regard to the prices paid for produce during the early settlement. Everything the farmers produced was sold cheap, and for every- thing they bought they were obliged to pay dear. During the year &1840 or '42 (Mr. Harbord cannot remember precisely which) the farmers of Blooming Grove became much dissatisfied with the prices paid for pork by Depew & Foster, who were dealing in that line and who bought and shipped farm produce. So dissatisfied were the farmers, that they clubbed together and took their pigs to Chicago and obtained for them one dollar a head ! Mr. Hiram Harbert sold seven hogs for three dollars ! They had better have dealt with Depew & Foster. The latter firm broke up in their attempt to give the farmers good prices. Every old settler has a particular experience to relate con- cerning the sndden change in the weather, which occurred in 1836. One day, during the latter part of December, it had been raining, and the good house- wives were anxious to catch as much water from the eaves of the house as possible. Their tubs were full when a gust of wind came from the North, and Mr. Harbord says it was so intensely cold that the water in the tubs froze almost immediately ; the change took place instantly. Such a phenomenon has never been known before or since. During the winter of 1842 and '43 scarcely any snow fell and the ground became so deeply frozen that winter weather did not break up until in April. Farmers often struck frost while ploughing on the north sides of fences in the early part of May. Mr. Harbord has had eleven children, of whom four are living : 16 242 OLD SETTLERS OF Martha A. Harbord was born January 21, 1827, and was married to John Wesley Walker, August 17, 1848. Mr. Walker was born in Sangamon County, January 9th, 1819, and while }^et a boy moved to McLean County with his father. He died Jan- uary 1, 1858. He never was out of the State of Illinois. Moses G. Harbord was born July 3, 1837. He lives near Portland, Oregon. He married Jane Price, the daughter of George Price, and has four living children. George W. Harbord was born October 22, 1840, lives in Pettis County, Missouri ; he has a wife and three children. Manila Cassandra Helen Harbord was born September 22, 1846. She was married to James A. Hunt, and died July 8, 1873. One may read the foregoing sketch of Mr. Harbord without obtaining much of an idea of his character. He was very de- cided in his opinions and had that fine feeling and sense of honor for which so many of our early settlers were distinguished. He was tall and somewhat slenderly made, and his appearance and expression showed his honesty and uprightness. The orthography of Mr. Harbord's name has been the sub- ject of some discussion, and he has near relatives who spell their name "Harbert." It seems that one of the ancestors of the fam- ily unfortunately was obliged to sign his name by making his mark, and as other parties wrote the name as it happened to sound, it became signed to various documents in different ways. His descendants did not agree upon any one signature and con- sequently spell their names differently. The greater part of the items of this sketch of Mr. Harbord were given by him a short time before his death, which occurred March 8, 1873. He was then so sick as to talk with difficulty, but the spirit of the man was as firm and honest as ever. It seemed to afford him great satisfaction to know that he was to be remembered, and indeed he well deserved to be, for this world is made better by the examples of men, who by honest labor have triumphed over all of their difficulties. Ephraim Platte. Ephraim Platte was born in Monmouth County, Xew Jersey, September 22, 1804, near Barnegat Inlet. His father, Jonathan m'lean county. 243 Platte, was of French descent and his mother, whose maiden name was Emilia Brindley, was of English. Jonathan Flatte was a sailor and owned a small trading vessel. At the opening of the war of 1812 his vessel was three times intercepted by the British and once was stopped, while he had a cargo of pig-iron covered with lumber. The iron was afterwards melted into cannon balls. Mr. Platte's vessel was at last burnt by the British, bu1 he was allowed to go. Nearly all of his property was invested in this vessel, and when it was burnt he went into the service of the United States. He was a lieutenant under the command of Col. John Fieldenhousen and was stationed at Paulus Hook, near New York. At the close of the war he bought a vessel, with which to engage in the coasting trade, as before. When Ephraim Platte was ten years of age he was ap- pointed a cabin boy. But Mrs. Platte did not wish the family brought up in that way, as she did not believe the morals of the children would be improved by a life on the Avater. She in- sisted that the family should try their fortunes in the West, and her influence prevailed. In 1816 the family went to Green Coun- ty, Pennsylvania, and there worked a farm for two years. Then they moved to Licking County, Ohio. Ephraim Platte married on the 15th of December, 1824, Susan Platte, a distant relative, in Licking County, Ohio. In the spring of 1833 he came with his family to McLean County, Illinois. During that year he traveled from Bloomington to Fox River and made a claim ou Indian Creek. There he intended to settle. On his travels nearly every family he saw was stricken down with fever and ague. Mr. Platte's wife died December 11, 1838, and his youngest child died a few weeks previous. Mrs. Platte was a remarkably good woman, very amiable in her dis- position and anxious to please. She died on Money Creek and was buried at Haven's Grove. Her death changed the plans of Mr. Platte. His two children were sent back to Ohio. In the fell of 1836 he came to Bloomington and worked at the carpen- ter's trade. This has been his business principally ever since. Ephraim Platte married Mrs. Sarah Woodson, March 7, 1837. She was a widow and had four children. She is still living and the marriage has been a very happy one. Jonathau Platte, the father of Ephraim Platte, died in about 244 OLD SETTLERS OF the year 1849 in Washington, Tazewell County. After his death his wife received a pension. This continued until her death, which occurred in 1860. She had then reached the age of nearly eighty-four years. Of her family of ten children, four boys and two girls grew to manhood and womanhood. At present only two are living, one besides Mr. Platte. Ephraim Platte had six children by his first marriage, but only one is living. This is Calvin W. Platte who now resides in California. He was a soldier in the Mexican war. By his second marriage Ephraim Platte has had seven children, of whom five are living. They are : Susan, wife of John R. Stone, lives in Bloomington. Charles D. Platte lives in Bloomington and is foreman of the establishment of Gillett & Case, jewelers. He was a soldier in the army during the rebellion, served first under the call for three months. He enlisted in the Thirty-ninth Illinois and served during the war, was wounded in the left shoulder and yet carries the ball. He was in many of the great battles on the James River. William H. Platte was a soldier in the Fiftieth Illinois Vol- unteers and was discharged on account of disability. Pie died in Arkansas near Little Rock. Albert L. Platte lives in Bloomington. Maria, wife of Louis A. Burk, lives in Bloomington. George D. Platte lives at home. Ephraim Platte is about five feet and seven and one-half inches in height and weighs about one hundred and ninety-eight pounds. He has a sanguine complexion and white hair and beard. He was never much of a speculator, has had property, which is now very valuable, but he did not keep it, as he had no idea that Bloomington would grow to its present proportions. He was a warm supporter of the Union cause during the rebel- lion and wished to enter the army, but age prevented. Mr, Platte possesses a great deal of mechanical talent, and his son, Charles D. Platte, is very much like him in this respect. The latter is a skilled workman in Gillett & Case's establishment and his skill really amounts to genius. Ephraim Platte is very libe- ral in his religious belief, but insists on strict morality. In poli- tical matters he was originally a Jackson Democrat, afterwards m'lean county. 245 a Free Soiler, and was a member of the Republican party when it was organized. Hon. James B. Pkice. James B. Price was born July 24, 1792, on a farm in Meck- lenburg County, North Carolina, about fifteen miles from the town of Charlotte. His father was Welch and his mother Irish. In 1804 his father emigrated to Kentucky. Mr. Price's life has been the life of a hard-working farmer, with plenty of work, and otherwise not very eventful. He heard a great deal of the beauty and fertility of Illinois, and obtained a book which particularly set forth the advantages of this territory. It told what reliable people and good neighbors the Indians were, &c, &c, and when Mr. Price read this book he at once decided to come to Illinois. He visited Illinois every year from 1829 to 1833, when he moved here with his family. During his visit in 1829 he bought a claim consisting of a log house and a few acres of land, and on his road home he stopped at Vandalia and entered one hun- dred and sixty acres. He came to Illinois to settle in 1833, with his brother-in-law. Mr. Price entered a good deal of land at various times, worked hard, raised stock, and throve well. Mr. Price assisted in organizing McLean County, and has fulfilled his duties as a citizen in a public capacity as well as in private. He has been School Commissioner and School Treas- urer for many years. He served one term in the Legislature, at Springfield, in 1849 and '50. He was then fifty-seven years of age. During that session he assisted in getting the Illinois Central Railroad bill passed. Stephen A. Douglas made two great speeches in favor of it. It was during this session that General Shields and Sidney Breese had their great contest for the United States Senate, which resulted in the election of Shields. Mr. Price lives two miles southeast of Bloomington, on the Indianapolis, Bloomington & Western Railway. When he came there he found only a few families, the Rhodes family, the Oren- dorff, the Hendrix and the Baker families. He was always on good terms with the Indians, and sympathized with them very much. He says that when they were paid oifaud moved West, 246 OLD SETTLERS OF many of them passed his house and wept bitterly at the thought of leaving. This was before Mr. Price settled in Illinois in 1833. Mr. Price received his little schooling in North Carolina and Kentucky, and it was little enough. His study and application certainly did not drive him into consumption. He appears like a man southern born, is about six feet in height, and walks erect. He is somewhat hard of hearing, but all his other senses are good. He has always been very honest in his dealings, is very kind-hearted, and would not knowingly injure the smallest crea- ture. He looks as if he would live another ten years. He is much respected, and is almost worshipped by his grand- daughter and her husband, who keep house for him. He married, February 10, 1814, Mary H. Wall. It was a remarkably happy marriage, and both parties possessed always the confidence and respect of each other. They had five chil- dren : George Price, whose sketch appears in this work, lives, on his farm, next adjoining that of his father. Eobert D. Price was born April 5, 1818, and died September 27, 1842. John Price, whose sketch is in this volume, now lives in Bloomington. Rachel C. Price was born October 25, 1825. She was mar- ried first to Dr. Short, of Bloomington, and after she became a widow she was married to Mr. Dent Young, who lives now on the plains near Cheyenne. She is now dead. Charles Luther, who is unmarried, lives with his father. George W. Price. George W. Price was born October 3, 1816, on a farm in Warren County, Kentucky, ten miles east of Bowling Green. His ancestry was Welch and Irish. He received the usual edu- cation of those days, that is, was sent to school three months in the year until he arrived at the age of seventeen. In the year 1829 his father, James B. Price, moved three families from Kentucky to Missouri, in a four-horse wagon. On his return he visited the country around the present city of Bloomington, as a sister of his wife lived there. The soil pleas- « m'lean county. 247 ed him so well that he bought a claim consisting of a log house, log stable, and one hundred and sixty acres of laud. He re- turned to Kentucky, and on his way he entered the land at the office at Vandalia. In 1833 he sold out in Kentucky and came to Illinois. He now lives, at the age of eighty-one, on the land he first entered. He has bought much land since that time, principally timber. He brought with him from Kentucky two whipsaws, which were put to good use by George Trice and his brother Robert. These young men sawed by hand from two to three hundred feet of lumber per day. At one time, in a race, George Price and a negro sawed two hundred feet of white walnut lumber in five hours and seventeen minutes. From No- vember, 1833, to November, 1835, he helped to saw thirty-two thousand feet of lumber ; but by this time the steam-mill was built, and the whip-saws were hung up to be kept as relics of early days. After the building of the steam mill, Mr. Price went into partnership with Mr. Platte in making chairs and other furniture. On the sixth of April, 1836, before George Price was twenty years of age, he started on horseback for Warren County, Ken- tucky, to attend to that most important matter, his marriage. The horse he used had never been ridden before without throw- ing the rider, and when he mounted the animal it made power- ful efforts to unseat him by jumping stiff-legged and kicking and springing, but at last became subdued. During the evening of the first day he came to Salt Creek, and found it overflowed, but crossed in a canoe, swimming his horse. He then attempted to replace the saddle, which he had taken off, but the horse was cold and frisky, and sprang in every direction. At last he tied the horse between the forks of a tree which had fallen, and sad- dled and mounted the animal. Then it commenced bouncing and jumping stiff-legged, but at last became quiet and he pro- ceeded. The next day he crossed the Sangamon River. On the night of the eighth occurred a great rain storm; the sloughs became creeks and the creeks rivers. In the morning he started, and at one place he traveled six miles with the water from six inches to a foot and a half in depth. He kept the road by the dead weeds, which stood high on each side. He swam two creeks that day, becoming w r et to the waist. In the afternoon the weather be- 248 OLD SETTLERS OF came very cold and snow fell fast and thick, and Mr. Price lost his way in the blinding storm. But at night he came to the house of a " down-east " Yankee, who took care of him in the kindest manner. He received the best in the house, a brandy stew and some dry clothes. During that night a man died of cold near Farmer City. In the morning the ground was frozen hard and Mr. Price went on to the Wabash, over which he was fer- ried by a woman, Mrs. Taylor. The boat was leaky, but Mr. Price bailed for life, and for the handsome young lady in Ken- tucky. Towards evening Mr. Taylor came home, and Mr. Price stayed there overnight. The latter climbed up a ladder, and made his bed in the loft of the house. Soon after he retired he was awakened by the fall of his saddle stirrup on the floor of the room below. He looked through a crack and by the dim light of the fire place he saw Taylor trying to pick the lock of his saddle bags. He sprang up, and Taylor immediately hung up the saddle and jumped into bed. Mr. Price kept a sharp look- out during the remainder of the night, as he had fifty dollars in silver money in his saddle bags. In the morning Taylor acted as though nothing had happened, and charged only thirty-seven and one-half cents for entertainment. He directed Mr. Price to William's Ferry, on the Big Wabash. Mr. Price was told to take the right hand road ; but when he came to the forks he con- cluded to take the one on the left. After going twelve miles he made inquiry at a house, and was told that the right hand road led far from the true direction, and was simply a wood road. He learned, too, that Taylor was a dangerous character, and probably had his own purposes in view in attempting to mislead the traveler. Mr. Price went on to Williams' Ferry, which he crossed with great difficulty in a ferry-boat. As the boat left the shore the overhanging branches of a sycamore came near brushing his horse into the water ; but the intelligent ani- mal laid down in the boat and went under the limbs of the tree. After crossing he went to the Ohio River at Mt. Vernon, In- diana. The river was overflowing and large trees were carried down by the current. He went up twelve miles to find a ferry, and came to a little village, where the people were all on a spree. But eight men were hired to take him across. They had a boat which they worked with four oars and four pike poles. After m'lean county. 249 drifting down the stream four miles the boat was landed on the Kentucky shore. There they found the bank twelve feet high, very difficult for the horse to climb ; but it was taken up by passing a rope around it and pulling, while the horse scratched and scrambled. The eight ferrymen received a dollar in silver, with which they could enjoy themselves on a spree for some time ; for a little money in those days would buy a great deal of whisky. He went from there to Bowling Green, Kentucky, and on the road met his intended father and mother-in-law, Jesse Adams, F. R. Cowden, and John Price, who were travel- ing to Illinois. He stayed with them over night and went on the next morning bright and early. He " steered for the object of his visit, about fifteen miles away, and at about ten o'clock his object saw him alight at the gate and walk to the front door." This was on the twenty-third of April, 1836. On the fifth of June his intended father and mother-in-law returned, and on the fourteenth of that month he married Matilda B. Prunty, an old schoolmate. On the thirteenth of September following he started back to McLean County, in a two-horse wagon. He crossed Mud River, Kentucky, by swimming his horses and taking the provisions and wagon in a ferry-boat. The boat sank when it reached the western shore, but the wagon was drawn out after great exertions. At Shawneetown he had great difficulty in crossing the Ohio River on a horse ferry-boat, but at last suc- ceeded. He went on to Saline River, near Equality, and found the stream very high and no ferry. He took off his goods, tied the wagon box down firmly to the running gear, tied some of his goods to the top of the box, and went across, swimming the horses. He made five trips, and on the last one brought over his wife. He then went to the Sangamon River. A heavy rain- storm came up during the night before he crossed it, and it was very high. He unloaded his goods and swam back and forth with one horse, carrying a bundle of goods above the water each time. The most difficult bundle to transport was a feather bed with fifty-four pounds of feathers. When his goods were across he hitched up his wagon, put in his wife, and came across. On the third of October, 1836, he arrived safely home. He was occasionally serenaded on his journey by the howling of wolves, but did not mind them much. 250 OLD SETTLERS OF George Price worked for his father for two years after his marriage, and then built himself a house, where he now lives. On the twenty-sixth of December, 1836, occurred the sudden change in the weather, when, Mr. Price thinks, the mercury must have fallen from forty degrees above zero to twenty de- grees below in less than fifteen minutes. The ground was cov- ered with a slush of water and snow, and suddenly a wind came from the west, a fine flour of snow fell to the ground and the cold became most intense. By the time Mr. Price could run two hundred yards to his house, the slush was so frozen that it bore his weight. The change was so sudden and severe that some geese, which had been playing in a lot near by; had the points of their wings frozen in the ice and it was necessary to cut them loose. The first tax paid by Mr. Price was in the spring of 1839, and it amounted to $1.57. He paid, up to the year 1861, in the aggregate, $885.49, but during the last twelve years he has paid $3,741.19, and he thinks this has been due, in some measure, to the Republican administration. Mr. Price has been a life-long Democrat. He voted for Martin Van Buren, James K. Polk, General Cass, Franklin Pierce and for James Buchanan under protest (Douglas was en- titled to the nomination). Mr. Price voted for Douglas in 1860, with a good will, in 1864 for McClellan under protest, and in 1868 for Seymour under protest. Mr. Price thinks the Demo- cratic party has been sold out by August Belmont on two dis- tinct occasions, and that it is now time for the latter gentleman to retire from politics altogether. Mr. Price has had fourteen children, of whom ten are living, five boys and five girls. They are : Ann, born February 22, 1840, wife of Stephen Triplet, lives in Normal. Hetta, born September 22, 1841, wife of George Horine, lives in Bloomington. Jane, wife of Moses G. Harbord, born February 8, 1845, lives in Oregon. Chase Price, born September 24, 1846, lives at home. Belle, born September 13, 1848, wife of John M. Payne, lives in Oregon. m'lean county. 251 Scott, born March 23, 1854 ; Ada, born January 12, 1856 ; Perry, born May 25, 1858 ; Minor, born March 12, 1861, and Frank Price, born August 6, 1863, live at home. George Price is of medium height, is strongly and squarely built, has black hair and beard, though slightly sprinkled with gray. He seems to enjoy the best of health, and the physicians' bills he has paid on his own account cannot have been many. He has been very upright in his dealings and careful in the man- agement of his property, and as a result has succeeded remark- ably well in life. "Fortune favors the brave," and Mr. Price's success has undoubtedly been greatly due to his pluck. Not many men would face the storms and swim the creeks and rivers as he did, though his accomplished lady was in every way worthy of his exertions. His lady, Mrs. Price, who came on the ro- mantic wedding journey from Kentucky, is a woman of fine taste and quick perceptions. John J. Price. John J. Price was born April 13, 1823, ten miles east of Bowl- ing Green, in Warren County, Kentucky. His parents were of Welch and Irish stock. He had three brothers and one sister, and of these, two brothers, George and Charles Luther are living. John J. Price was brought up to be a farmer. His father's fam- ily came to Illinois, October 15, 1833, and his father still resides where he then settled, about one and a half miles southeast of Bloomington. John J. Price worked for his father until the former was twenty-one years of age. He then began life on his own ac- count. He traded in stock and horses and drove them to Chi- cago. For the last eighteen years he has been engaged in buying and shipping grain, principally for the Eastern markets. During 1852 and '53 he was engaged in the boot and shoe busi- ness, but with that exception has been engaged as before stated. He served one term as Sheriff of McLean County, being elected to that office in 1854. On the 15th of January, 1857, he married Miss Henrietta Oluey, a very amiable lady from Joliet. While he served aa sheriff no very remarkable circumstance happened. The people of the West were at that time more free-hearted and credulous than at present ; and if the sharpers and confidence men, who 252 OLD SETTLERS OF are so numerous now, had operated in the early days they would have secured a harvest. Occasionally they did appear. It became Mr. Price's duty to arrest one such gentleman on a requisition from the Governor of New York, and the young swindler, who appeared so handsome and gay, was obliged to serve a term in Sing Sing. While Mr. Price was sheriff he was also collector of taxes in the county. The taxes amounted to a little more than $100,000 per annum. The collector visited the various pre- cincts of the county, giving notice of his coming by advertise- ments. In each precinct he remained one day to receive the taxes due. His pay for collection was nearly four per cent., and the office was worth about three thousand dollars per annum. Mr. Price is a shipper of stock, and has had a great deal of experience with railroads. He thinks the farmers who are con- tending against the railroads should do the work thoroughly or not at all ; for if it is only half done the railroad officials become more extortionate than before. They allow no accommodations to shippers, and when special rates are asked for, the officials say: "Go to the Grangers." Mr. Price has had a pleasant life. His early days were marked by the incidents usual to early settlers, but he did not have so hard a time in finding a wife as his brother George ex- perienced. The latter was obliged to brave many storms and hair breadth escapes and swim many rivers to obtain his bride. J. J. Price did nothing of the kind, but his wife thinks it would have been very beneficial to him to have had such an experience. It would have called out his resolution, and he would have ap- preciated his lady much more. John J. Price is of medium stature, has broad shoulders, is verj- active and has never been sick. He has an aquiline nose and sharp, penetrating eyes. He is a good business man, leads an active life, and is on the trains every day. All his senses are good and he bids fair to lead a long and busy life. Lewis Bunn. Lewis Bunn was born September 16, 1806, on a farm in Wal- nut Creek Township in Boss County, Ohio, about four miles from the town of Delphi. His father, Peter Bunn, was a farmer and land speculator; he was a Pennsylvania German, while his m'lean county. 253 mother was an English lady. Lewis Bunn was one of twenty- one children ! His father was twice married. From his first marriage sprang eight children, and from his second, thirteen. Lewis was the youngest but three. Lewis received his scanty education in a school formed by the farmers who clubbed together and hired a teacher, to whom they paid three or four dollars per quarter and board. Such a schoolmaster usually taught during the winter months and worked a farm in summer. The school-houses were simply log cabins. When Lewis was seventeen years old his school days ended. He had then acquired very little knowledge, indeed the chance for acquiring knowledge was very limited. At the age of eighteen he was sent to Chillicothe, and apprenticed for four years, to learn the trade of blacksmith. He learned his trade rapidly and well, but he was not satisfied with his education, and took private lessons in his leisure moments. When his ap- prenticeship was ended he moved to Clark County, Ohio, where he stayed three years. In 1831 he was married to Margery Haines, of Xenia, Ohio. His marriage was a happy one, and was blessed by the birth of five children, three boys and two girls, four of whom are now living. His wife afterwards died. In 1833 he moved to Bloomington, Illinois. Here, in 1846, he married Lucinda Blewins. By this marriage he has had five children, all of whom are dead. When he came to Bloomington he followed his trade and continued at it until 1859, when he retired from business. Immediately upon his arrival at Bloom- ington he connected with his trade the manufacture of agricul- tural implements, and in those days he was enabled to make this quite a profitable business. Oliver Ellsworth, who died about a year ago, was for eighteen years Mr. Buun's partner. Their ploughs, which they made by hand, were in great demand and were called for even from Texas. They bore the trademark of Bunn & Ellsworth, and are still well spoken of. The price of one of their ploughs at that time was eleven or twelve dollars, while a plough made by machinery at the present time costs from twenty-two to twenty-four dollars. Mr. Bunn thinks this remarkable difference is due partly to the high price of labor, and partly to the high price of steel. A carpenter earned in 254 OLD SETTLERS OF those days one dollar per day ; at present he earns from three to four dollars. The steel used by Bunn & Ellsworth was Ger- man and American, while that used at the present time is cast- steel. They formerly obtained their steel from St. Louis whence it was shipped to Pekin by water, and from there it was brought overland to Bloomington ; but when the Illinois River was low it was hauled here from St. Louis, a distance of one hundred and seventy miles. It cost for hauling this distance from seven- ty-five cents to one dollar per hundred pounds, and after all of this trouble and expense the ploughs were sold for eleven or twelve dollars apiece. Mr. Bunn came to Bloomington with his brother-in-law, Dr. Haines. The town was then two years old. At first he did uot like the country, it seemed so wild and naked, and in nearly every log cabin some one was shaking with the ague. The popu- lation was very sparse and the conveniences of life were want- ing. If a farmer lost a screw from his plough he was obliged to travel sixty miles (from Bloomington to Springfield) to get the little matter fixed. Lewis Bunn did all the blacksmithing for forty miles around, with three fires. He was quite skillful in mending the little breaks and doing the job work, and could make any thing from a horse shoe nail to a mill spindle. Although Mr. Bunn was not a man of much speculation, he saw many ups and downs. Fortunes in the West were some- times easily made and much more easily lost, but Mr. Bunn preserved his independence and usually stuck to his trade ; al- though it was rather black business it brought shining dollars. In 1833 Bloomington had about one hundred and fifty in- habitants. The best business lots were then selling for fifty dollars. He bought one where the hardware store of Harwood Bros, stands for fifty dollars and sold it for one hundred. It is now worth three hundred dollars per foot without any improve- ments. But the changes in value in Bloomington are scarcely to be noticed compared with Chicago. On the west side of the river in Chicago some lots were traded for a horse worth fifty dollars. The same lots are now worth one million two hundred and fifty thousand dollars. In 1833 corn sold for ten cents per bushel, oats for eight cents and wheat for thirty-one cents. Flour was $1.50 per hundred and pork $1.25. Wood was one dollar m'lean county. 255 per cord and coal 12} to 16 cents per bushel. In early days everything was unsettled. Prices were sometimes very high and sometimes very low; people became suddenly rich and sud- denly poor. Everything was changing. The spirit of enter- prise was great and people would be willing to do a great deal to accomplish a very little. Sometimes the early settlers went to law. People will do so occasionally, though they do not as a usual thing, get rich by it. I have heard of a couple of worthy citizens who spent two or three hundred dollars a piece in a suit for the' possession of a calf not worth five dollars. Lawyers are not generally very modest in charging their fees. But Mr. Bunn tells some queer things of the fees charged by Lincoln and Douglas. Abraham Lincoln received the highest fee known to have been paid to a lawyer in Illinois. The Illinois Central Railroad Company thought their lands should be exempt from taxation. Lincoln was employed for the company and won the battle and received five thousand dollars as his fee. This was pretty large, but on the other hand lawyers' fees were sometimes correspondingly small. Mr. Bunn once employed Stephen A. Douglas in a case against Col. Gridley. Douglas came all the way from Spring- field, made a first-class speech, won the case and charged for his services five dollars ! As to personal appearance Lewis Bunn is five feet ten inches in height. He is well formed and of good muscular develop- ment. The latter is due to his occupation. He has a very peaceable disposition, a very even temperament and does not easily get excited. He is fond of fun and practical jokes. He has a genial, healthy countenance, though his eyes are rather weak, probably made so by working at the forge. He is natur- ally a peacemaker and is glad to say that he never struck a man in his life and never ran away from one. William C. Warlow. William C. Warlow, son of Benjamin Warlow, was born June 8, 1817, in Oneida County, New York. The family came to Bloomington on the 10th of October, 1833. During the first night of their arrival they went to see a prairie fire, where the postoffice now stands. From Bloomington they went to Diy 256 OLD SETTLERS OF Grove, where his uncle, Jonathan Bond, entered land. Mr. "War- low lived with his father on the farm working faithfully. Mr. Warlow, sr., entered land at Brown's Grove and moved there. On the 31st of October, 1844, W. C. Warlow married Nancy Garr, daughter of Joseph and Margaret Garr, of Old Town. After his marriage Mr. Warlow bought out John Stout at Brown's Grove, paying five hundred dollars for one hundred and twenty acres of land. On this he lived for thirteen years adding to it continually until he acquired about six hundred acres. In the fall of 1857 he moved to Bloomington and went into the dry goods business with his brother, B. W. Warlow. They had two sleeping partners by the name of Fleming, who were the cause of much trouble and at last of great financial difficulties. Mr. Warlow did some hunting and often killed deer and wolves. Once while living on his farm he stood on his door step and killed a deer, which was standing near by. He several times killed two deer before breakfast. At the outbreak of the war, Mr. Warlow went to Camp But- ler, and was for some time a clerk for a sutler there, and for a while did quite well. On the 1st of February, 1867, he became a hotel keeper at Peoria. On the 10th of May of the same year he was burnt out and lost everything. He had been insured for five thousand dollars in two bogus insurance companies, which could not pay one cent of his losses. He has lived in Bloomington ever since. Mr. Warlow has a family of three children. They are : Benjamin W., Belle and Maggie. The last named is mar- ried to Nelson Sweeney, of Bloomington. Miss Belle Warlow lives at home. Benjamin W. Warlow lives in Hiawatha, Brown County, Kansas. Mr. Warlow's domestic life has been very pleasant. His wife has been a remarkably good woman, and a supporter of her husband during their eventful life. Mr. Warlow is six feet six inches in height, is well propor- tioned, has black hair, hazel eyes and a beard, which is turning gray. He is a man of great strength. He used the first reaper which worked with success in this section of country. John Lindley. John Lindley was born February 9, 1806, in Christian Coun- ty, Kentucky. His father's name was John Lindley, and his m'lban county. 257 mother's name was Elizabeth Gray. In 1827 he moved his brother William to Illinois and stayed a few months. In March, 1831, he came again, moving his father's family. The deep snow was then melting away, and the country was a sea of water from one to three feet in depth. This was the case more partic- ularly in Macoupin and Sangamon Counties. Nevertheless he came through, driving his six-horse team with a single line. His father's family settled on the south side of Blooming Grove. John Lindley entered some land about a mile from the southern edge of Blooming Grove. One tier of farms had al- ready been entered around the grove, and he was obliged to take to the prairie or go to some other timber. After entering his land John Lindley returned to Kentucky. On the twentieth of November, 1831, he married Melinda Jones, in Kentucky. In 1833 he came to the West and settled on the land which he entered in 1831. His wife, Melinda, died in 1837. Two children were born of this marriage. They are : Mary Jane, wife of Isaac Pemberfon, and William Lindley. Mr. Pemberton lives on the edge of Blooming Grove, and Mr. Wil- liam Lindley lives at Long Point, in DeWitt County. On the first of March, 1840, Mr. Lindley married Jane Wil- liams. Nine children were born of this marriage, and seven are living. They are : Gabriel Lindley lives in Christian County, Kentucky. John W. Lindley lives about a quarter of a mile from his father' 8. Sarah, wife of Frederick Barnes, lives near her father's. Elizabeth, Daniel, Emma and Ella live at home. Mr. Lindley is five feet and eleven inches in height, and weighs about two hundred pounds. He is a man of some reso- lution, is very pleasant in his manner, is a strong opponent of the railroads, and thinks these monopolies eat up a great deal of his substance with their high freights. He cast his first vote for Andrew Jackson, and has since voted the Democratic ticket. He gave an acre of ground to build a school house in district number eight, where he now lives. He is a director, and takes great interest in the cause of education. He thinks a great deal of McLean County, as he has traveled all over the State and found nothing equal to it for a farming country. He lives about 17 258 OLD SETTLERS OF five miles south and a little west of Bloomington. Mr. Lindley is ver} 7 decided in his views, and is bitterly opposed to salary grabbers, and does not like President Grant for signing the bill which doubled his own salary. Allen Withers. Allen Withers was born January 21, 1807, on a farm in Jessamine County, Kentucky, about seven miles from Nicholas- ville. His ancestors were of Welch and Irish stock. The father of Allen Withers was twice married. Allen was one of a fam- ily of twenty-one children ; seventeen of these, including Allen, reached manhood and womanhood. His opportunities for ac- quiring knowledge were not very good, but such as they were he improved them, and obtained a pretty good English education. At an early age he showed much taste for commercial pursuits, and a great love of travel. At the age of eighteen he began traveling through the states of Missouri and Indiana. He trans- acted some little business on bis journey, but not much. His object was to obtain amusement and information, as well as to visit bis friends and relatives in these states. In his travels he learned the ways of the world and particularly the commercial world, he could buy and sell. He then began business. He bought horses and mules in Missouri and took them to Mexico, though he was yet very young. He spent two years in Mexico in trading with the Mexicans and Indians. He understood Span- ish as well as the Indian dialect, and could converse very fluent- ly in either. He was a great favorite among the Indians, and understood their character and mode of life thoroughly. His experience among the Indians was no doubt richly worth pre- serving. He was obliged frequently to live for some weeks upon sugar. But, after all his hardships, he made but little mone} r , as many of his horses and mules would go astray in the wild Mexican territory. Allen Withers came to Illinois in August, 1834, his father having removed to this State two years previous. He came at once to McLean County. In the spring of 1835 he entered the dry goods establishment of M. L. Covel as a clerk. Not long afterwards his father bought out this establishment and carried it on with the assistance of his son. The business was con- ducted in Royce Block, which became the Withers property. m'lean county. 259 On the second of May, 1835, he married Miss Sarah 13. Rice, of Kentucky. He had known her in early youth, and in his later years she became his devoted, affectionate wife, his com- panion and supporter in the vicissitudes of a very eventful life. His wedding trip to Bloomington lasted two weeks; indeed, it required one week to go from St. Louis to Pekin. In the spring of 1834 Allen Withers took the census of Bloomington, and the population amounted to one hundred and eighty persons. In the fall of 1837, Mr. Withers' brother-in-law came to make him a visit, from Kentucky, and Allen wished to make everything as pleasant as possible. So he tried to furnish some of the luxuries of civilization, and hunted over the country for two days to rind some butter. He succeeded in getting one pound. In 1837 and '38 Mr. Withers was unfortunate in business and moved to Waterloo, Clark County, Missouri, in the spring of 1839. Shortly afterwards he moved to Alexandria, on the Mississippi River. This place was laid out bj^ Dr. Mitchell, the brother-in-law of Mr. Withers, and by Dr. Mitchell's brother. Here Mr. Withers acted as a clerk in his brother-in-law's gro- cery. He built a two-story log house on some land given him by his brother-in-law, and his wife kept boarders, sometimes ten boarders at once. There was but one hotel at the mouth of the Des Moines River, and when it was too full the landlord sent some of his guests to Mrs. Withers. Mrs. Withers frequently was obliged to do her cooking outside of the house, but she persevered and fairly earned the prosperity which she and her husband afterwards enjoyed. After eighteen months of working and saving in Alexandria Mr. Withers succeeded in making a little money and bought eighty acres of land in Waterloo at twenty cents per acre. After building a home on it he sold house and land for six hundred dollars. In 1847, at his father's earnest desire, Allen Withers re- turned to Bloomington, and commenced business with William H. Temple, in the dry goods line. But he soon sold out and went into the hardware business, and shortly afterwards sold out the hardware business and came back to Mr. Temple. But after a while he left the dry goods business and began trading in 260 OLD SETTLERS OF stock and working a farm which he owned about three miles south of Bloomington. This farm, which contained three hun- dred and twenty acres, is now owned by Mrs. Withers. Allen Withers died very suddenly of congestive chills on the third of March, 1864. He was at the time possessed of a vig- orous constitution, and bid fair to live for many years. Mr. Withers was a man of fine personal appearance. He was six feet and two inches in height, and was possessed of more than ordinary intellect. He was the soul of honor and his candor was seen in his clear, honest, blue eyes, and in every line of his countenance. He was very muscular and could endure a great deal. He was a kind, warm-hearted man and one who would naturally have a great many friends. In his political sympathies he was a warm partizan, but his dignity and kind- ness and good feeling preserved for him the friendship of mem- bers of all parties. His popularity was shown very clearly when he was nominated against his will as a candidate for the legisla- ture. He came within nine votes of being elected in a county which gave six hundred majority for the Republican ticket. He was a good business man for, though he had many misfortunes, he became wiser from experience, and at the time of his death he had accumulated a great deal of property and all of it by his own exertions. Mr. Withers left no children. His only child had died many years before. But he and his generous wife adopted several children who needed friends. One of their adopted children, Mrs. Winter, has grown to womanhood and is now married ; and she is indeed worthy of the kindness and affection bestowed upon her. Mr. Withers many years ago made free a colored boy and brought him up as a servant in his family. The colored man still remains with the family and would not be induced to leave it for any consideration. The generosity and kindness of heart shown by Mr. Withers will make him long remembered. " The pitcher at the fountain is broken ; The silver chord is in twain ; But he leaves behind him a token That he'll jrreet his dear loved ones again." m'lean county. 261 Dr. J. F. Henry. John Flournoy Henry was born at Henry's Mills, in Scott County, Kentucky, on the 17th of January, 1793. He was of Huguenot ancestry. He was the fourth son of William Henry, who was the son of Eeverend Robert Henry, pastor of Cub Creek church, of Charlotte County, Virginia. The father of Dr. Henry fought under General Greene at the battle of Guil- ford Court House in March, 1781, where the victorious career of Lord Cornwallis was arrested and a retrograde movement of the British troops compelled, which resulted in the surrender of Cornwallis at Yorktown. In the autumn of 1781 William Henry moved to Lincoln County, Kentucky, and on the 12th of October of that year was married to Elizabeth Julia, second daughter of Matthias Flour- noy, who had been killed by the Indians at Cumberland Gap. Matthias Flournoy was of Huguenot ancestry on both sides. After completing his early education, Dr. Henry entered upon the study of medicine, and for a time, during the war of 1812, he served as surgeon's mate. In October, 1813, he was at the battle of Thames, where his father, as a major general under General Harrison, commanded a wing of the United States forces. It may be mentioned here that Dr. Henry, in common with many of the old soldiers of 1812, availed himself of the act of congress giving a pension to the surviving soldiers of that war, and at the time of his death his name was on the pension rolls of the country, where he had it placed as a matter of pride rather than for the small pecuniary consideration connected with it. Dr. Henry graduated at the College of Physicians and Sur- geons in New York City, in 1818, and soon after went to Mis- souri, where he spent some time, but afterwards returned to Ken- tucky. Some time after this he was engaged as a professor in the Ohio Medical College at Cincinnati, with the late Dr. Daniel Drake, between whom and himself there existed a warm per- sonal friendship. Previous to this, in 1826, Dr. Henry was chosen to fill a vacancy in Congress, made by the death of his brother. In 1833 Dr. Henry settled in Bloomington, McLean County, Illinois, where he pursued the practice of medicine for twelve 262 OLD SETTLERS OF years. He came to this State in an Illinois River steamboat, landing at Pekin. In 1843 he purchased property in Burlington, Iowa, and two years later moved to that city with his family. He had by that time secured a competence, and soon after mov- ing to Burlington he retired from the active practice of his pro- fession. He died in Burlington on the 13th of November, 1873. He was twice married. His first wife was a daughter of Dr. Basil Duke of Mason County, Kentucky, who, with an infant child, died a year or two after their marriage. His second wife, who survived him, was a daughter of Dr. Ridgely of Lexington, Kentucky. The surviving children of the second marriage are Dr. G. R. Henry of Burlington, Iowa; John Flournoy Henry of Louisville, Kentucky, and Mrs. Mary Belle Robertson of Bur- lington, Iowa. His youngest daughter, Flora, died in Burling- ton in 1862. Dr. Henry was for the greater part of his life an honored member of the Presbyterian church. One, who knew him well, says of him : " He was one of nature's noblemen. Tall, straight as an arrow, with a splendid presence and a physical vigor, which is rare in these latter days of fast habits and rapid living; he enjoyed a robust health, which gave way at last from sheer old age. Upright, honorable, temperate, sagacious, and a thorough man and a gentleman, his course can be emulated with profit. He was a fine specimen of the Kentucky gentleman of the old school, of elegant and dignified manners, kindly sentiments and genial disposition." General Asahel Gridley. A very important part of the history of McLean County con- sists of the acts and doings of General Gridley. While collect- ing information and statistics for this work the author has been questioned more concerning the sketch of General Gridley than of any other old settler in McLean County. He is a man of positive character, and even his enemies are interested in him and anxious to read his sketch. General Gridley was born April 21, 1810, in Cazenovia, New York, and received his education at Pompey Academy, same State. At the age of twenty-one he determined to " go "West," and on the 8th of October, 1831, he located in Bloomington. m'lean county. 263 He immediately commenced selling goods of all kinds and es- tablished a large trade. The business of a merchant in those days is described by General Gridley, who says : " At that time a vender of goods was required to keep for sale every kind of merchandise wanted by the settlers, to-wit : dry goods, groceries, hardware, queensware, drugs, medicines, liquors, saddles, har- nesses, leather, salt, iron nails, hollovvvvare, in fact anything which the wants of the settlers required." General Gridley's place of business was on the lot where the McLean County Bank now stands. This lot he purchased for fifty-one dollars. When he settled here the only inhabitants were James Allin and fami'y, Robert E. Guthrie and family, John Kinder and wife, Rev. James Latta and wife, David Trim- mer and wife, Dr. Isaac Baker and family, Dr. David Wheeler and daughters, William Evans and family, William Dimmitt, Samuel Durley, William Durley, General Merritt L. Covel and Amasa C. Washburn. Of these there now remain James Allin, jr. and Dr. Lee Allin, sons of James Allin, deceased, Adam Guthrie, son of Robert Guthrie, deceased, William Dimmitt and Amasa C. Washburn. The condition of the country in those early days is shown by the following from General Gridley : " In the fall of 1831, Col. James Latta commenced enclosing with a rail fence the one hundred acres now known as the Dur- ley addition to Bloomington, the land then being open prairie and in a state of nature. In 1832 he broke the ground and planted sod corn, and the settlers expressed surprise that Col. Latta should attempt to make a farm so far from timber. No one then supposed that the prairie would ever be cultivated more than a mile distant from the timber, and the only farms were those skirting the groves." General Gridley carried on the business of merchandising with Ortogrul Covel, his brother-in-law, now deceased, from 1831 until 1838. Their business was milling, merchandising and manufacturing. The life and services of General Gridley are told by Jesse W. Fell, Esq., so clearly and so perfectly that it is impossible to add anything to it. " Dr. Duis : " My long delay in responding to your request to write some- 264 OLD SETTLERS OF tiling about my old friend and comrade, General Gridley, pro- ceeds not from a want of interest in the subject, but from the press of business engagements. With no man, outside of our immediate family circle, have I been so long and so intimately acquainted, and it affords me great pleasure to say, with no man have my relations personally been more agreeable, notwithstand- ing we have differed widely in our views and feelings on many topics. Though, in common with every one who has cut any figure in our local or general affairs, I am fully aware that I have been the subject of sharp, and at times undeserved, criti- cisms at his hands, yet knowing the constitutional temper of the man I have scarcely ever seen the day when I could not take him cordially by the hand, and I have abundant reason to know the same is true on his part. As our intimacy and friendship, therefore, reaches over a period of more than two score years, it is a work of pleasure to say a few words as to his general char- acter and the services he has rendered this city and neighbor- hood. " The salient or leading facts connected with his life, I find presented in the paper you have just placed in my hands, and I need not repeat them. You ask for some general additional in- formation relating to him as derived from my long personal ac- quaintance. In giving this I beg you to bear in mind that I do it in precisely the same way I did in the case of another old and cherished personal friend, Judge Davis. Without any attempt at system, order, or chronological arrangement, and with no at- tention whatever to style of composition, I wrote what came uppermost, on very slight reflection, aiming to give facts only. "I came to Illinois in the fall of 1882, and in November of that year arrived at Bloomington, then a village of perhaps one hundred inhabitants. The persons then composing the town are nearly all embraced in the paper alluded to, and among them certainly no one occupied so prominent a place as General Grid- ley. That prominence he has maintained from that day to this. Whilst other of our citizens have reached higher official posi- tions, and are consequently more widely known, no man has occupied so large a place in the public mind since the day he arrived here, in the general business operations of the neighbor- hood, whether as a merchant, lawyer, legislator or banker. m'lean county. 265 " No history, however brief, can ever be written of McLean County, without frequent reference to his name, as identified with almost everything connected with our development and prosperity. To omit it would be impossible. As well might you attempt to write the history of our country and omit that name that stands at the head of all American history. " In what little I have to say I will consider him — as above indicated — as a merchant, lawyer, legislator and banker. " Previous to my arrival in Bloomington I heard of him in connection with the Black Hawk war. General M. L. Covel and he raised a cavalry company in this county, and of this General Gridley was made first lieutenant. That he creditably acquitted himself in that war was practically attested by the result of a military election which soon after took place, at which he was elected a brigadier general. This conferred upon him a title which he has since borne. " The war in question occupied quite a space in the general and striking news of the day throughout the country, having be- gun in 1831 and closed about the time I reached the State. " On my arrival at Bloomington, in the autumn of 1832, I found the General had just returned from the war, and was do- ing a general mercantile business, dealing in almost everything that the wants of the country demanded, in a one-story frame building, occupying the place where his bank now stands. For some years he purchased his goods largely in St. Louis, of the then celebrated house of Warburton & King, and others, and not unfrequently rode to St. Louis on horseback to make his purchases, and occasionally wagoned his goods from that city to Bloomington. The ordinary conveyance, however, was by steamboat to Pekin, and thence to this place by wagons. Sub- sequently his principal purchases were made in the cities of New York and Philadelphia, whither he repaired twice a year to keep up his supply of goods. It was during one of these semi- annual visits that he became acquainted with the accomplished lady, Miss Mary Ann Enos, whom he afterwards married, and who has since shared his fortunes through life. It was also dur- ing a visit of this kind that he became acquainted with Mr. Hill, one of our oldest and most reputable men, still living among us, whom he, aided by his friends, James Allin and J. W. Fell, 266 OLD SETTLEKS OF prevailed upon to remove to Bloomington and establish the first newepaper here published, the Bloomington Observer. This paper was well conducted, and had much to do at that early period (1836 and '37) in attracting attention to McLean County of emigrants and others seeking locations in the West. Though there was a period of several years after the discontinuance of this journal, during which no paper was here published, the Bloomington Observer may not inappropriately be considered as the beginning of one of our leading papers, which, under the various names of Western Whig, Intelligencer, and Pantograph, is still published in our midst. " The ordinary way of travel to and from the East at that time was by steamboats on the Illinois, Mississippi and Ohio Rivers to Pittsburgh, and thence by stage across the mountains to Philadelphia and New York. JSTot unfrequently the whole trip there and back, particularly in the winter season, was per- formed by stage. It was my good fortune to accompany the General during one of these winter trips by stage, and I shall never forget the hilarity and sport of that memorable trip. We had in company a Missourian as distinguished for his geniality, mirthfullness and fund of anecdotes as the General himself, pos- sibly even more so, and we were never at a loss for something to relieve what would otherwise have been not only a cold but tedious, monotonous trip. " General Gridley's customers, at this time, extended over the whole county, then embracing nearly double the territory it now does ; and it is not too much to say that he was not only known by all the people of the county, but that a very large share of the goods here sold were over his counter. The ordi- nary mode of doing business at this time was on credit, the peo- ple paying their store bills annually on Christmas, or the first of January. This being the case, it is not surprising that a man of his superior business qualifications should have so far extended his line of credit, that when the financial crash, commencing in '37 with the removal of the public deposits from the old United States Bank came, he was carried down in common with almost every man at that time, who did business on that basis. So entirely prostrated was the credit and business of the country that credit was not only gone, but property of every description was almost m'lean county. 267 valueless. As an illustration in point, property in which I was interested, and for which $200 per acre had been offered and re- fused, was sacrificed by selling- at less than $10 per acre. It re- flects, therefore, no discredit on the business capacity of General Gridley, which then, as now, was considered of the very highest order, to state that, failing in collecting of those who justly owed him, he shared the common lot, and had to begin anew at the foot of the financial ladder. In its results, this failure, how- ever, looking at it from a financial stand-point, I have always looked upon as fortunate, as it developed his powers in other directions, and thereby secured a higher measure of success than he could reasonably have hoped for, had he continued in his old business. And this brings me to consider him in another re- lation. " About this time the whole country was stirred by the mem- orable contest of 1840, the chief basis of the contest being the financial blunders, as viewed from the Whig stand-point, of the then dominant party. This, aggravated by the disclosure of an alarming amount of official corruption in high places, gave to the "Whig party an opportunity to make a contest with reasonable prospects of success, and to make the matter doubly sure, that party laid aside their old and tried statesman, Henry Clay, and placed in nomination a successful military man, General Harri- son. The whole country, from center to circumference, was deeply excited ; monster mass meetings and immense proces- sions consisting not only of men and women, bands of music, &c, but canoes on wheels, drawn by horses, and filled with men going through all the motions of boatmen; log cabins drawn in the same way, conveying coons perched in conspicuous places, bar- rels of hard cider, . Price, who lives in Downs township; Mr. B. R. Price, who lives in Old Town ; Mrs. Polly O. Cowden, who liyes at Gillem Station, and Mrs. Nancy Weaver, who lives in Miami County, Kansas. Those children which are dead are -lames William, Sarah Frances, Matilda B. and John Rives Price. Mr. Price is tall, straight, and somewhat slim. His counte- nance expresses decision of character, good judgment and good feeling. Self command is shown in every movement ; he is a man of fine feeling, and a gentleman in the noblest sense of the word. His neighbors think everything of him, and he is, indeed, ;i splendid American citizens. Mr. and Mrs. Price are both in good health, and a happier, pleasanter or more sociable husband and wife never lived. Time has dealt with them tenderly, and it will be many years before they will be called to pass over the river. They are very religious. Mr. Price's house was built large and roomy below tor the purpose of being used as a church, and divine service was held in it more or less regularly for eight or nine years. m'lean county. 497 Rev. Sylvester Peasley. Sylvester Peasley was bora in Grayson County, Virginia, Au- gust, 31, 1823. His father's name was Isaac Peasley, and his mother's name, before her niarriage, was Rachel Bolsey. Eis father was of Scotch descent. Hisgreat grandfather came from Paisley, in Scotland, and this was the family name, but the spell- ing was changed to Peasley. This great grandfather Paisley was a general in the Revolutionary war, and served with distinction in the Continental army. Sylvester Peasley's grandfather, John Peasley, was also a soldier in the Revolutionary war, and fought in seven general engagements. He was at the battle of Guilford Court House, and his home was near the battle-ground. When the battle opened, Mrs. 1 'easier, Sylvester's grandmother, was told by some British officers to go into her house and wrap some beds around her to protect her from being shot. They milked her cows, but honestly paid for the milk. Those who know any- thing of army life will consider the latter a very extraordinary circumstance. In the fall of 1834, Mr. Isaac Peasley's family came to McLean County, Illinois, and arrived November 3. On their journey they saw in Kentucky many drovers taking large droves of swine to the south. He saw thousands of turkeys driven on foot to Louis- ville, where they were shipped on steamboats down the river. When the family arrived in McLean County, they had a hard time to find a house to live in through the winter, but finally ob- tained a cabin of Jesse Funk. It was built of logs, with a chim- ney of sticks on the outside. This chimney was built of sticks with clay between them, and was plastered on the inside with soft clay. The fire-place was built of clay pressed against a rack of puncheons; the hearth was of pounded clay, and the mantle- piece was made of clay and sticks. They used a goods-box for a table and goods-boxes or three-legged stools for chairs. The doors were made of clapboards split and shaved with a drawing- knife. The floors were made of puncheons, which had been first split and then hewed with a broad-axe. The cradle was made of shaved clapboards ; but sometimes the baby was rocked in the sugar trough, which was hewed out of a trunk of a tree. The pioneer bedstead has been so often described that anything further is superfluous here. 29 498 OLD SETTLERS OF The Peasley family lived for two years as renters in Jesse Funk's cabin, and then built one of their own. Mr. Peasley obtained a prairie team of four yoke of oxen which drew a plow with a shear of cold-hammered iron, which cut a farrow two feet wide. The wooden mould-board was from four to six feet long. This laid down the sod much better than any modern plow. Mr. Peasley could plow twenty acres before going to the shop to sharpen the shear. The routine of the day was to rise at daybreak and hunt the oxen which had been turned out the night previous to graze. This was the greatest hardship, as the dew was on the high grass, and whoever walked through it be- came soaking wet to the waist. After breakfast, began the work i if ploughing. At noon the oxen were allowed to graze for two hours, and at night they were turned loose until morning. The >nakes were sometimes very thick, and they continually retreated from the furrow as the sod was turned over, and collected together in the unplowed center. When the latter part of the patch was plowed the snakes became so thick that the grass would fairly wriggle with them. The rattlesnakes were very thick. Mr. Peasley has killed fifteen in one day. The oxen were sometimes bitten by rattlesnakes, and were made lame for sometime. Mr. Peasley never knew an ox to die of snakebite. The oxen dreaded the rattlesnakes, and when the rattle sounded the oxen sprang up taster than they ever would because of the whip. The danger of the rattlesnake's bite depends much on the season of the year. They are most dangerous in August, for then the poison is most virulent. Mr. Peasley's brother was bitten by rattlesnakes three times in one season, and still feels the effect in August. Mr. Peasley lived with his father in a log cabin on the prairie during the winter of 1836 and '37. lie speaks of the sudden change of the weather in December of that winter, so often de- scribed in this volume, and says that the sun rose on the follow- ing morning accompanied by two sundogs, which glistened on the ice-bound prairie, and the country was like some picture of the polar regions. The longest winter known among the early settlers was the one of 1842 and '43. Winter weather com- menced on the tenth of November, and did not break up until between the tenth and twentieth of April. No ploughing could be done in April. Nevertheless, the settlers raised tine crops of wheat sowed in May, and good crops of corn planted in June. m'lean county. 499 Sylvester Peasley speaks warmly of the social feeling which existed among the early settlers, and how glad they were to see every new comer. When meeting was held in the neighborhood everyone attended. The Methodists were the first in the field', then the Cumberland Presbyterians, then the Baptists and then the Christians. At a camp-meeting the whole country had a re- union, and families frequently went fifteen miles to meeting with their ox-teams. In warm weather preaching was held in the open air. Mr. Peasley was a Democrat until the formation of the Re- publican party, when he joined the latter because of his opposi- tion to slavery. The political excitement of that period is well remembered, and when the Republican and Democratic parties first fairly tried their strength in 1856, the excitement was intense. Mr. 1'easley remembers a practical joke played upon the sup- porters of Buchanan by the friends of Fremont. The Demo- crats had raised a hickory pole, and on it was a pair of buck's horns; but some Republicans came and secretly bored the pole at the bottom until it fell, and then stole the buck's horns. Mr. Peasley was elected one of the first Supervisors under the township organization, which was effected in 1858. Mr. Peasley has endured the privations to which the early set- tlers were subjected. He has made the usual trips to Chicago, has been out twenty-six days in succession exposed to the coldest of winter weather, has waded the Kankakee River when his clothes were frozen as soon as he came out, and he has slept on the ground in wet weather by cutting brush and laying it down to protect him from the mud. He has given away the better por- tion of his life to itinerant work when the salary was little or nothing, and has attended to five churches. He never had the advantages of an education, and the information he possesses has been gained in a great measure by study near a fire at night. He is a very humorous man, and loves his joke. His eyes sparkle when he tells some funny anecdote, and he enjoys it over again as well as at first. He is generous, kind and hospitable, and wishes to live in peace with all men. He is very conscientious, but does not wish to be a fanatic in anything. He has been an ardent worker in Sabbath-school enterprises and still takes great interest in the cause. He is six feet and one inch in height; 500 OLD SETTLERS OF his appearance and manner suggest the old settler, and he takes comfort in sitting by the old fashioned tire-place. Mr. Peasley, November 3, 1842, married Miss Mary Stillman, who died October 2, 1863. He had six children born by this marriage, of whom live are living. He married, April 6, 1864, Mrs. Susan Crosby, and by this marriage had one child which died when very young. Mr. Peasley's children are : Granville Peasley, born October 14, 1845, lives in Kendall County, Illinois. Rachel Susan, born October 29, 1848, wife of Eli Barton, lives in Downs township. Isaac Peasley, born October 24, 1851, and John Peasley, born July 16, 1854, live at home. Bissell Peasley (named after Governor Bissell) born January 19, 1857, died in infancy. Esther Corneliette Peasley, born October 13, 1859, lives at home. Sarah Elvira Peasley, daughter by Mr. Peasley's second mar- riage, was born July 25, 1866, and died November 8, 1869. Alexander Porter Craig. Alexander P. Craig was born June 30, 1817, in the territory of Illinois, in what is at present White County. His father was of Scotch descent, and his mother of Irish. They were both born and reared in Abbeyville District, South Carolina. Mrs. Craig died in 1853, and her husband died the following year. The Craig family moved from Illinois to Alabama in about the year 1822. No very important event occurred there. Porter Craig there received his early education, which was somewhat limited. In the fall of 1830 the family went to Craves County, Kentucky, where they remained four years. In the fall of 1834 they came to Illinois and settled in Old Town timber, McLean County, a ittle south of the present dividing line between Downs and Old Town, near the present residence of A. P. Craig. There they opened a farm. Mr. Craig has done his share of hunting and has chased wolves, deer and turkeys, but had no dangerous adventure. In 1836 the family moved to about three miles north of Leroy, but in the spring of 1840 returned near his present re- sidence. He made his home for three or four years on the m'lean county. 501 farm of his mother-in-law, Mrs. Weaver. Id 10, Mr. Welch began to go pretty deeply into the business of raising sheep, but abandoned it because of the danger of having them killed by dogs. He bad one hundred and eleven sheep killed by dogs in one night, and one hundred and sixty during the week. This made the raising of sheep uncertain and a source of constant anxiety, and he put his time and trouble into other kinds of stock, which, perhaps, might not pay so well, but be more safe and certain. Mr. Welch's experience in raising pork has been varied. The price has ranged from one dollar per hundred to ten dollars and fifty cents; but when it reached the latter figure the price of gold was $2.50. He made it pay very well to raise horses, but more capital was required for this business. Mr. Welch has been very successful as a farmer and stock- raiser. When he came to the West he was a poor boy, but he exercised discretion in his business, looked ahead and guarded against danger, took no unnecessary risks, and now finds himself in very independent circumstances. He was at first a farmer and teamster. In 1836 he hauled a load of goods from Pekin to Bloomington, and from there to Dixon. He had two wagons, each hauled by four yoke of cattle. One wagon carried a ton and the other a ton and a half. He went through very success- fully, but when he came to the inlet Swamp he found it impos- sible to pull through even by putting all the oxen on a single wau'on ; so he put his coffee sacks and other articles on the backs of the oxen and made them go through in that way. The goods belonged to William Covel, and were the first ever brought to Dixon. He went to Rockrord in 1837, and on his way from 504 OLD SETTLERS OF Dixon to that place passed over the famous battle-ground of Stillman's linn. The graves of the dead were then plain to be Been. Mr. Welch has done as many fanners in the early days were obliged to do, driven his hogs to Chicago on foot, camping out and herding them at night. He says this was sometimes lively work, and was like standing picket. He has hauled wheat to Chicago and received forty-eight cents per bushel. For some time after his arrival in the West, Mr. Welch fol- lowed the prairie plow, which was pulled by live yoke of oxen, and cut a sod of twenty or twenty-two inches. He did this in Illinois and Wisconsin; at one time he broke three hundred acres of land near Beloit, Wisconsin, for a company settled there. Henry Welch is live feet and ten inches in height, measured that since he was nineteen years of age. He weighs over two hundred pounds and is muscular and healthy. 80 far as his countenance is concerned, some people say he looks like Horace Greeley. He does not like to he told this, but would greatly prefer to resemble Abraham Lincoln, whom he so much admires. Mr. Welch is highly esteemed by his neighbors by whom he is known as a man strictly honest, correct in his judgment and kind in his manner. He has that hospitality which the old settlers Avere accustomed to show, and his friends are always welcome under his roof. Henry Welch married, November 24, 1842, Miss Minerva Colwell, daughter of James Colwell of Gibbon County, Indiana. Neither of her parents are now living. Mr. and Mrs. Welch have had eight children. They are : Sarah Jane, born April 12, 1845, died September 10, 1847. William Lee Welch, born February 11, 1847, died January 9, 1871. James Adams, born January 6, 1849, lives in Randolph town- ship. Susan Ann, born September 24, 1850, wife of George Bishop, lives in Downs township. Eliza Matilda, born October 8, 1852; Alfred J. Welch, born July 5, 1855; George Henry Welch, born June 13, 1858; Mi- nerva Elizabeth, born June 6, 1866, live at home. m'lean county. 505 Hon. John Cusey, John Cusey was born April 9, 1822, in what is now Ashland County, Ohio. His father's name was John Cusey, and his mother's maiden name was Sarah Ford. John Cusey, the grand- father of the John Cusey of whom we are writing, was the young- er son of an aristocratic family in England. Being the younger son he was not allowed to inherit any portion of his father's es- tate, and this completely disgusted him with English laws and customs. He was put into the English army against his will, and when the American colonies rebelled against the mother country he was among the number sent to whip them into sub- mission. But his sharp experience with English customs and his enlistment in the army contrary to his will had made him a strong Republican. As soon as he found an opportunity, he, with sixty-two others, deserted from the British army and joined the American forces. He fought gallantly for the American cause for six years and seven months, was in many battles, and in one of them was wounded in the right lung. He lived many years afterwards, but never entirely recovered from his wound. He died from its effect in 1796. He left one son son, Job Cusey. The latter was horn in 1704, near Ellicott's Mills in Maryland. As his father died two years after his birth, Job Cusey was placed in charge of Ezekiel Weeks, a Revolutionary soldier, and a former messmate of John Cusey. During the war of 1812 the Weeks' hoys enlisted in the army, and Job Cusey went with them, but not as a soldier, f< >r he was small for his age. But he was a lively hoy and acted as teamster or hostler or did anything and every- thing to make himself useful. At the close of the war he emi- grated to the Western Reserve in Ohio, and there raised a family. In 1836 he prepared to come to Illinois, and told his boys that they could have a few weeks' time to visit their relations. But Nathan Brooks, a soldier of the Revolution and of 1812, told the boys that it would be more profitable for them to spend their time in clearing three acres of timber land for him, and if they would do so, he would give them one of Smith's best rifles, with which to shoot game in Illinois. The boys cleared the land and earned the rifle. The family came to McLean County, Illinois, in the fall of 1836, and John and Thomas Cusey used the gun to kill prairie chickens. At one time, while after prairie chickens, they 500 OLD SETTLERS OF found a herd of deer, and Thomas Cusey shot a large buck through the nose. It was stunned at first and fell, and Thomas grabbed it by the jaw and ear. But it soon arose and threshed Thomas around, though he hung to it closely. John tkisey came to the help of his brother and grasped the deer by the legs, but was kicked off instantly. The deer had shed its horns and could not fight advantageously, but it was very plucky and would not let the boys get away. It knocked down first one and then another, and as each fell the other came to the rescue. Thomas attempted to load the gun, but before he could do so the deer came on him, and with its fore-feet jumped on the gun and broke off the stock. The boys fought desperately, and at last killed the deer with a knife; but they were cut in many places by the deer's sharp hoofs; their clothes were torn off, and they were covered with blood from head to foot. This was the first deer they killed. Reference has been made in the sketch of John Price to a wolf, which was a terror to the settlers from Mackinaw to Salt Creek. Mr. Cusey once heard this wolf howling and knew that it was in pursuit of game, and supposed that it would soon get a good meal of venison and be unable to run. He mounted his horse and went after it, and sure enough it was eating a deer. He came up with it after a short chase of a mile, but it snapped its large jaws together as quick as a steel-trap, and its appearance was so ferocious that Mr. Cusey could not urge his horse near to it and returned home disappointed. John Price shot the wolf some time afterwards. Mr. Cusey was for twenty-five years a clerk for Jesse Funk, while the latter bought cattle and traded in stock. They carried around large steel-yards to weigh the hogs, which were suspended in the air. After they were weighed, one-fifth was deducted in order to arrive at their weight after being dressed. Mr. Cusey multiplied the gross weight by eight and struck off one figure, and the quotient was the neat weight. This process was discov- ered by Jesse Funk, who could not write a cypher. Of course it is easy for any one at all familiar with the arithmetic to under- stand the process, but is quite remarkable for one who never wrote a figure. Mr. Funk remembered everything without the aid of memoranda. Atone time he said : "Cusey, I have lost twenty dollars and can not tell where it has gone." Then he reviewed m'lban county. 507 the purchase of one thousand and eighty-four hogs, which he had bought singly and in small lots, and every purchase was correct; but still the twenty dollars was unaccounted for. At last he remembered thai he had lent twenty dollars to a friend. Jesse Funk had a habit of giving people various nick-names. At one time when Funk was going with Cusey down in Piatt County to purchase stock, Mr. Funk said: "Now, Cusey, we are going down among the Baptist brethren in Piatt County, and I must call you deacon, and then I shall have no trouble in dealing with them." Cusey objected to no purpose, and whenever Funk had a misun- derstanding it was settled by Deacon Cusey to the satisfaction of all. Mr. Cusey was an administrator for Jesse Funk's estate, and saw the first tax-receipt the latter ever paid. It .was given by Martin Scott, Sheriff and Collector, and was for the sum of thirty-five cents. But the last tax paid by Mr. Funk amounted to two thousand three hundred dollars. Mr. Cusey was a cabinet maker, which was an easy trade for him to learn, as his father had been a carpenter. Job Cusey, the father of John Cusey, was an old-time aboli- tionist. He was made so by a scene which he witnessed in Mary- land, before he came to the West, There was a negro preacher, a most excellent man, who held meetings among the negroes of the neighborhood. But after awhile his master became involved in debt and was obliged to sell his slaves, and the negro preacher was sold with the rest. He was chained to a slave-gang, which started on its journey to the farther south. As it was moving off, he looked up and saw his master and the crowd, which lined the road, and said : •'My suffering time will soon be o'er, When I shall sigh and weep no more." Just then a person passed along the crowd with a hat in which he received contributions. Enough money was raised on the spot to buy the negro preacher from the slave driver. The slave owners of the neighborhood contributed, because the preacher kept their slaves quiet. This incident so impressed Mr. Cusey that he became an Abolitionist forthwith, and remained so during his life. When Mr. Lovejoy came to speak at Bloomington, a great many years ago, many citizens thought that he should not be allowed to use the court house. Tt was then that Job Cuse\ 508 . OLD SETTLERS OF and George Dietrich stood by him and insisted that the court house should be open to him. They walked with him through the streets, while the excited crowd threw eggs at them, but the two men continued at their post. John Cusey was elected to the State Senate during the cam- paign of 1872. His attendance at the Legislature was marked by some happy hits. During the session of 1873 one Senator pro- posed a great reform in the choosing of School Superintendents in the various counties of the State, and insisted upon civil ser- vice reform, and that School Superintendents should pass an examination to find whether they were qualified to perform the duties of their office. Mr. Cusey observed that in the election of County Superintendents the people passed on their qualifications, and he asked if the persons chosen b} T the people were to be ex- amined as to their qualifications for their positions, what would become of the Senator who introduced the bill ! The proposition was defeated. In the Daily Leader of April 1, 1874, we find the following: "In the Illinois State Senate there are two men whose names are so nearly alike — Casey and Cusey — that the telegraph and newspapers, during the recent session, got them badly confused occasionally. Casey is a Democratic Senator from 'away down in Egypt,' and Cusey is a Republican Senator from McLean County. Just before the final adjournment on Saturday, Mr. Casey intro- duced the following bill : ' A Bill for an act to change the name of John Cusey to George Washington McLean. Section 1. Be it enacted by the people of the State of Illinois, represented in the General Assembly, That the name of John Cusey, of McLean County, Illinois, is hereby changed to George Wash- ington McLean, and by said last mentioned name he shall be hereafter known, designated and respected ; and that all the rights, privileges and hereditaments, whether corporeal or incorpo- real, that appertained to the said Cusey, be and are hereby rested in the said George Washington McLean ; and in the said latter cognomen he may sue and be sued, the same as if was single and unmaaried. ' Sec. 2. Whereas, the interests of another respectable gentle- man have been jeopardized by the name of Cusey, therefore an m'lean county. 509 emergency exists, and this act shall take effect and be in force from and after its passage. A roar of laughter greeted this effort. Its point will be un- derstood when the tart is stated that the types have almost daily intermixed Cusey and Casay to such an extent that was exasper- ating to both. Air. Cusey is a very entertaining man in conversation, and nearly everything he says lias point to it or humor in it. Pie says that at one time, while Jesse Funk was taking a drove of swine along the road to market, he pointed to a pig in the rear of the drove, and said : "See there, Deacon Cusey, that pig is going to break."' Mr. Cusey watched it closely and noticed that it was restless, and was gradually passing the other pigs in the drove. When it came pretty well towards the head of the drove, sure enough, it broke. "Now," said Mr. Cusey, "when professional politicians see a man, whom they are unable to manage, going- ahead, they say, 'Watch him, watch him,' and they try to hold him back, long before the people see what is going on." Mr. Cusey is about five feet and ten inches in height, His hair is dark and thick, and sprinkled with gray. His face is broad and humorous. His conversation is very entertaining, and every- thing he says displays his shrewdness and his correct ideas. His pleasantry is of the best kind. He is not a man who loves his enemies, though he would not do them injustice if he kneAV it. He is a pretty quick judge of men, and it requires only a short time for him to understand them pretty well. He has not had the advantages of a good education, but his vigorous intel- lect and his shrewdness bring success without the training of the schools. On the 23d of November, 1843, Mr. Cusey married Miss Hannah Bishop. They have had nine children, seven of whom are living. One child died in infancy, and one, Sarah Elizabeth, died in her sixteenth year. Those living are Charity E., Thomas H., John A., James C, Joseph M., Mary J., and Hannah E. Cusey. The first two are married. 510 OLD SETTLERS OF Samuel Troop Richardson. Troop Richardson was born July 14, 1809, in Cayuga County, New York, near Auburn. His father, Samuel L. Richardson, and his mother, whose maiden name was Ann Wright, were both of English descent. The ancestors of his mother came from England with William Penn. In October, 1818, the Richardson family started to Fort Har- rison, three miles from Terre Haute, Indiana. They had an all winter's journey of it, and came to their destination in March, 1819. The journey was made by water on a flat-boat and was full of adventure. At Rising Sun, about thirty miles above Jef- fersonville, on the Ohio River, they were crushed into the ice which was running. The ice above came down and crushed them into the ice below. Their boat was raked fore and aft, and raised up out of the water, but by good management they released themselves from their dangerous situation. They crossed the ( >hio Falls while the water was low, and had great difficulty in avoiding rocks and going through. In Indiana they followed tanning, and when Troop Richardson became about eighteen years of age he went to flatboating. He left Fort Harrison, Indiana, December 27, 1827, on a flatboat with Solomon Welch, the father of Henry Welch of Downs township. They started for New Orleans. They floated out into the Wabash, ran through cut-offs, storms and cold winds down into the Ohio. The first day on the Ohio was calm, and they decided to run at night. But during the night they had a stern storm, that is, one that blew down stream. The night was perfectly black, and they learned their position in the stream by hallooing and listening to the echo from the bank. They went at tremendous speed, at steamboat rates, and any little accident would have thrown them all into the water. They came down the Ohio into the Mississippi. When they left New Madrid they went through a second storm. Mr. Richardson was cableman, that is, it was his duty to throw the cable around a stump or post to stop the boat. This storm blew them down so swiftly that they were unable to stop before reach- ing Vicksburg, and when Mr. Richardson threw the seagrass table around a stump, it was drawn so tight, that when struck, it would hum like a fiddle-string. The seagrass cables were very strong and elastic, and if broken by the strain of the flatboat the m'lean county. .-)11 cableman was in a dangerous situation, for the elastic cable might recoil and strike him. They also landed at Natchez, which was then noted as the hardest place on the Mississippi River. Many murders were committed there every day and human life was held very cheap. In the South Mississippi River they heard every night the voices of panthers and alligators. The latter makes a noise which sounds much like that of a yearling calf. Their voices were sometimes as numerous as the croakings of frogs in a pond. But no alligators were seen during that time of the year as they were back in the swamps and bayous, and would not come out until warm weather. The flatboat went down to New Or- leans, and when the cargo was disposed of the party return e< 1 home. Mr. Richardson on his return went by steamboat up to Port Gibson, then rowed in a skiff down to Natchez, and there went on a steamboat which took him up to Evansville, within one hundred and twenty miles of home. He w r as obliged to row back to Natchez, because he could not land there while coming up the river. Steamboats in those days landed at very few points, as they were in constant danger of being captured on shore by bands of thieves. Mr. Richardson carried several hundred dollars in money with him, which he could not have done, had it been known. He walked from Evansville, one hundred and twenty miles, home. The boatmen on the river were a hard set of customers, but would fight for each other until death. Mr. Richardson tells of a very unpleasant predicament in which he was caught in 1836, while at New Orleans. He had two rlatboats lashed together by seagrass inch chords, and was so unfortunate as to get into the wake of a steamboat. The swell struck his rlatboats sideways, and the seagrass chords snapped in two. The bottom of one boat could be seen as it rolled up in the swell. In 1835, Mr. Richardson moved the widow of Solomon "Welch and her family to Rlinois. There the former entered land, hauled out logs for a cabin and returned to Indiana. In the summer of 1838, he again came out to Illinois. The season was not very Avx and he mired down nearly half a dozen times between Mt. Pleas- ant (Farmer City) and the present town of Leroy. He went on his farm and commenced February 1, 1839, with three yoke of cattle, to improve it. He hauled all his lumber and timber three miles to make a five board fence on three sides of a thirty acre 512 OLD SETTLERS OF lot; the fence on the fourth side lie built with, rails. He broke his land, put it into corn, wheat and oats, broke ten acres for Mr. Kinder, completed all this by the first of May, and his only help was a teamster hired for one month. Then he went to Ottawa and broke prairie for Mr. Welch. He did a great deal of team- ing, slept in his wagon, cooked his own victuals, always took his own half of the road, and always gave the other half when he passed a team. In 1841 Mr. Richardson made two trips to Chicago and one to Rockford with a load of apples. The country there was in great excitement over the lynching of two men, named Driscoll, father and son, who lived in Ogle County. They had been shot over their own graves and it was known that the entire country was infested with thieves. Mr. Richardson was therefore very cau- tious, and on his return during the Rockford trip he remained up all night to watch Ins money and horses. Mr. Richardson has never clone much hunting:. He has killed ] irairie chickens and Avild geese occasionally, and has chased prairie wolves. He says the wolves in Illinois were numerous enough, but never so thick as in Indiana. While he was in the Wabash country in Indiana the wolves came to the house and peeped in at the window. It was impossible to get the pig-pen close enough to the house to protect the pigs from the wolves. The great amount of timber in Indiana afforded cover to the wolves and they were therefore more numerous and saucy than in Illinois. Mr. Richardson has had much experience with fires on the prairie. He says that when they sweep over the prairie they run in currents or veins, that is, one part shoots far ahead of the rest and the fire on each side moves mbre slowly. He has often fought fire, 'out learned to manage the matter without becoming excited. One of his houses occupied by a tenant came near destruction by a prairie lire, but Mr. Richardson hastened out and made a back tire which saved it. The tire had a large sweep over the prairie as scarcely anything interposed to check it between Diamond and Randolph's Grove on the west and Buckle's Grove on the cast. Mr. Richardson followed up teaming until the railroads began to come through. He hauled wheat to Chicago, Peoria and Re- kin. He worked harder than he should have done: nevertheless m'lean county. 513 he lias enjoyed good health, and never had a doctor called on his account since lie was eleven of age. His habits have been re- markably temperate. He never chewed or smoked tobacco, or drank liquor enough to affect him. He has lived since the year 1841 on the place where he now resides, south of Diamond Grove, in Downs Township. On the fourth of September, 1863, Mr. Richardson took a trip to ]STew Orleans to visit his son, John W. Richardson, who was sick in the hospital there. He went to Cairo and there took the steamboat Champion, loaded with government supplies, and went to Memphis. From that place the steamboat was escorted by a gunboat as it was liable, if unprotected, to be fired into by the rebels. He went down to a convalescent hospital, seven miles this side of !New Orleans, and there found his son, who was better than expected. While returning, Mr. Richardson took a deck passage with twenty-two sick soldiers. He waited on the soldiers as well as he could and tried to make them comfortable. When they arrived at Memphis the boat was pressed to go on the Red River expedition with General Banks, and Mr. Richardson was obliged to reship. The boat which he left was manned by a creW of rebel sympathizers and it caught fire and was burnt up, and it was thought that the crew set it on fire. At Vicksburg Mr. Rich- ardson went to see Whistling Dick, a famous gun near there, which shot a long distance. As he was rather curious to see the inventions which are made for the destruction of life, he exam- ined some percussion shell which he saAv lying in a pile, and, without knowing the dangerous material he was handling, care- lessly tossed one of them back into the pile ! By good fortune it did not explode. He returned home without further adventure. He was well treated by the soldiers on this trip and always felt himself safe with them. Mr. Richardson married, January 17, 1833, at Fort Harrison, Indiana, Mary Welch, a sister of Henry Welch, of Downs town- ship. She died March 6, 1870, aged fifty-seven years and six months. Mr. Richardson has had eight children, seven of whom are living. They are : Elizabeth, wife of Duncan M. Funk, lives in Bloomington. Caroline, widow of Charles Barker, lives in Bloomington. 33 514 OLD SETTLERS OF Susan, wife of Daniel Mason, lives in Downs township. Misses Sarah and Ann Richardson live at home with their father. The eldest son, Samuel L. Richardson, lives in Downs town- ship. The second son is John W. Richardson. Mr. Richardson is of medium height, rather slim, hut well formed, wiry and tough. He has a good-natured Roman nose, and his face wears a pleasant, kind expression. He is a very plucky and determined man, and he has a lively sense of justice. His dispo- sition is well shown by his remark that while passing a stranger he always took one-half of the road and gave the other half. In other words, he is willing and anxious to give men their due, hut insists that they shall give up what belongs to him. He is a man of honor, and never deserted the post of danger. His neighbors speak highly of him, and say that while that most dreaded pesti- lence, the cholera, was carrying off its victims in 1853, Mr. Rich- ardson never hesitated a moment about visiting the sick, and affording all the relief in his power. He has grandchildren around him, and leads a happy life, and his friends hope that his days may yet be long and that he may enjoy the competence he has worked so hard to obtain. DRY GROVE. Henry Vansickles. The following items of Mr. Vansickles were furnished by his son-in-law, Charles J. McClure, of Eldora, Iowa : Henry Vansickles was born in Green County, Pennsylvania, March 4, 1793. At the age of seven years he emigrated to West- ern Virginia with his parents, Anthony and Rebecca Vansickles. A t the age of nineteen he enlisted under his father, Captain An- thony Vansickles, and served six months in the war of 1812, enduring many hardships and privations. In about the year 1815 he married Miss Elizabeth Gilston, of Louisburg, Virginia, and shortly afterwards moved in a flat-boat to White County, Illinois, near the present village of Carmi. There they lived in a log cabin, with a bed quilt for a door. One m'lean goukty. 515 day a large panther came in front of the house, while Mrs. Van- sickles was there alone. The animal raised itself up, placing its fore-feet on a log, and took a good view of the premises. Mrs. Yansickles picked up an axe and stood at the door ready for fight, hut the panther walked oft*. The Vansickles family came to McLean County in the fall of 182(3, and commenced improving land at the west end of Bloom- ing Grove on Sugar Creek. There he made an improvement on the creek bottom, and in the following spring he planted a crop. But the rains descended and the floods came, and a June freshet destroyed a portion of his crop and washed away his fence. Before this he had due out some logs to use as vats in tanning deer skins, and he lashed these vats together and used them as a boat to save his rails. He left Sugar Creek after this wet experience, went to Dry Grove, built a cabin and took possession of it in January, 1828. The nearest market then was Springfield, which was eighty miles distant. He supplied the family with venison and honey by his skill in hunting. He raised corn, pounded it in a mortar, or took it to some little "corn cracker"' mill to get it ground. He raised wheat, cut it with a sickle, threshed it out with a flail or tramped it out with his horses, took it one hundred and sixty miles distant, to Chicago, sold it for thirty-five cents per bushel, and took one-half of his pay in store goods, when coffee was fifty cents per pound and calico was from twen- ty-five to fifty cents per yard. He then drove a four-horse team, managing it with a single line and riding the wheel-horse. He raised sheep, and his daughters learned to card wool and spin. He made a loom, and his active, industrious daughters made cloth enough for family use and some to sell. He was very suc- cessful, notwithstanding all of liis difficulties, and he owed his success in a great measure to his daughters, who always made themselves useful. They were a blessing to their father and mother, and those who were afterwards married, were a blessing to their husbands. The eldest daughter, Clarinda, was never married, hut still lives with her mother, and tenderly cares for her. The second daughter, Sarepta, was married in 1845 to Charles J. McClure, second son of Colonel Robert McClure, of Stout's Grove, and now lives near Eldora, Iowa. 516 OLD SETTLERS OF The third daughter, Rebecca, was married in 185-t to John Peters, and now also lives near Eldora, Iowa. The fourth daughter, Maria Louise, was married in the year 1845 to James M. Buckner, son of Henry Buckner, of Stout's Grove, and now lives near Salem, Nebraska. James G. Vansickles, the eldest son, married in 1845 Miss Mary Green, daughter of Reilley Green. He lives at the present time in Hardin County, Iowa, near Steamboat Rock. John H. Vansickles went to Bourbon Count}", Kansas, and there married Miss Martha Stevenson. During the war he served two years as Captain of a company of home guards, and was tinally killed while charging on a rebel camp. After all of Mr. Vansickles' children were married, except Clarinda, he sold his farm to a Mr. Otto, and his residence in Concord (now Danvers) to Levi Danley, and in the fall of 1864 moved to Eldora, Iowa. There he bought a fine residence and a tine farm, and lived in the enjoyment of reasonable health and plenty until the tenth of September, 1867, when he died from a stroke of apoplexy. Mrs. Vansickles and her daughter Clarinda still reside at the homestead at Eldora. A beautiful marble mon- ument, three miles east of Eldora in the Cumberland Presbyte- rian Cemetery, marks the spot where sleeps all that is earthly of Henry Vansickles. Stephen Webb. Stephen Webb was born May 8, 1797, in Burke County, North Carolina. His father's name was William Webb, and his mother's name, before her marriage, was Nancy Humphreys. His father was of English descent and a little of Irish. His mother's an- cestors came from Ireland, but were probably originally from England. Mr. Webb lived in Burke County, North Carolina, until he was seven years of age, when he came to Barron County, Kentucky, where he lived twelve years. In about the year 1815, he moved with his father's family to Overton County, Tennessee, where he went to farming. He was a sharp sportsman, and hunted turkeys, deer and wolves. About three miles from where he lived was a cave, which made a den for a pair of large gray wolves, which had raised eight cubs. One of the old wolves was caught in a steel-trap, and the settlers m'lean county. 517 turned out to catch the rest in the den. The dogs were sent into the don and they killed and brought out the eight cubs, but the old wolf was protected by a crevice, where only her head, ap- peared, and the dogs could not get hold of her to bring her out. Mr. Webb volunteered to go in and shoot her. He crawled into the den with his knife at his side and his gun in his hand, and was lighted by a candle, fastened to the muzzle of his gun. His brother James followed after him. Stephen Webb crawled in until he saw the wolf, tired at it, handed his gun back to his brother, and dragged the animal out. It was shot between the eyes, but a little too low. It revived after being brought out and showed fight, but was easily killed. Stephen and James Webb received ten dollars for their exploit. Mr. Webb says that when the gun was fired in the cave it sounded no louder than a pop- gun. The Webb family had a farm in Tennessee, and they also kept a tavern on the Cumberland Mountains on the turnpike road between Nashville and Khoxville. Their tavern was about midway between these places. Stephen Webb hauled corn with a four horse team from a plantation at the foot of the mountains up to the top to supply the hotel. lie drove the team by riding one of the wheel horses, and driving with a single line. At one time, while driving; down the mountain, bis horses took fright at some pigs that came suddenly out of the brush, and team and wagon went sailing down the mountain side. Mr. Webb stuck to Ins horses but unfortunately broke his line in trying to stop them. At the foot of the mountain was a sharp turn, but the horses went straight ahead overan enormous log three feet thick. Mr. Webb tried to leap from his horse, when he came within twenty feet of the log, but landed on the other side of it. When the wagon struck the log, the box went sailing over the helpless driver. Mr. Webb laid where he fell, for his knee was dislocated and also his ancle. He feels in his knee, at the present time, the effect of that fall. On the 10th of December, 1824, Mr. Webb married Penina Hinshaw. They lived in Tennessee until they came to Illinois in 1826. During 1 that year be made a visit to Illinois with old George Hinshaw. They traveled in a little two-horse wagon over Central Illinois, and started for Chicago, but lost their way 518 OLD SETTLERS OF and could find nothing but Indians, who wore unable to direct them. They came down the Desplains River to where Ottawa iioav is, and there found three families. From this place they re- turned to Tennessee. In June, 1827, the families of Stephen Webb, William McCord and George and Jacob Hinshaw, started for Illinois with teams. They had a pleasant journey until they readied the Ohio River. While there the wet season set in, and the streams were all overflowing. The travelers were frequently water-bound. They crossed the streams by taking their goods over in canoes and swimming their horses across with the wagons. At the Sangamon River they determined to make a raft and were obliged to swim the stream and push their clothes across in wash- tubs. They made their raft and brought over their teams and wagons. When they arrived at Cheney's Grove, old George Hinshaw said he would go no farther, as he was sick of unpacking his goods at every little stream in order to get across. The Hin- shaws remained there for a time, and Mr. Webb and Mr. Mc- Cord went on. They were water-bound for a while at Money Creek, but after crossing it they came to Twin Grove. Here the}' stopped, intending in the fall to go up to the Kankakee River, where Mr. Webb had made a claim during the previous year. But in the fall many rumors came concerning the diffi- culties with the Winnebago Indians in the mining country around Galena, and Mr. Webb thought it hardly safe to go any farther north; so he made a claim at Twin Grove in the southwestern corner. When the land came into market he traded his improve- ment for eighty acres of entered land on the northwestern corner of the grove. During the third winter after their arrival, Mr. Webb, George Hinshaw and William McCord started north to the Kankakee. They each furnished a horse which they hitched to Mr. Webb's wagon and started. When they arrived near Ottawa, two of their horses strayed off during the night. Mr. Webb and Mr. Hinshaw went to hunt for them while Mr. McCord remained with the wagon. The two men followed the trail of the lost horses one day and slept in some brush at night. They had nothing to eat but an ear of corn. Mr. Hinshaw came near freez- ing to death, but was warmed by a fire which they succeeded in kindling. They came to the Mackinaw and found it waist deep with drift ice running;. They waded it and came out on the m'lean county. 519 prairie, and there they found a road which Mr. Webb recog- nized. But he was so confused by cold and the suffering they en- dured that lie could not decide which end of the road led towards home. After traveling on the road some distance they came to some holes where Indians had formerly buried corn, and there Mr. "Webb saw that they had been going the wrong way. Mr. Hinshaw suffered so much with cold that he said "Let's crawl into these holes and die." But Mr. Webb insisted on making another trial for life. They turned towards home and came to a creek, which was frozen over with ice too thin to bear them while walking; so they laid down and scratched and wriggled across. While Hinshaw was scratching and working himself over, the ice cracked under him, but he was suffering so severely that he was almost anxious to die, and said: "Let it break, let it break;"' but he succeeded in dragging himself over. They went down to Lewis Soward's house, stayed there all night and went home. As soon as possible Mr. Webb took two horses and went to Otta- wa and brought back McCord and the wagon. On their return, during one foggy day, their heads became " turned around," and they thought that north w T as south and east was west, and the first intimation they had of their mistake was finding themselves traveling back on their own track. Mr. W r ebb did not suffer much during the winter of the deep snow, as he had previously gathered his corn and was ready for any emergency. On the day when the heavy fall of snow T came, he w^as on the prairie returning from Ollendorff's mill. He was obliged to leave his wagon and come home with the horses. He has a very lively recollection of the sudden change which took place in December, 1836. He says that some cocks which were standing in the slush at that time had their tails frozen fast and in getting loose left their feathers in the ice. In about the year 1848 Mr. Webb went to Texas to pay his brother-in-law a sum of money, and on his return w r as ice-bound at the mouth of the Ohio River by a gorge in the Mississippi. He was obliged to walk through the sloughs to Springfield and from there went home by stage. Mr. Webb has six living children. They are : John Webb, who was born in Tennessee and lives in Indian- ola, Warren Couutv, Iowa. 520 OLD SETTLERS OF Kelly Webb lives three miles north of his father's. William Webb lives three miles south of his father's. Benjamin Webb lives near Kelly Webb, three miles north of his father's. Thomas Webb lives in Dale County, Missouri. Milton Webb lives a quarter of a mile north of his father's. Stephen Webb is six feet and two inches in height. His hair and beard are full and white. He is very strong and courageous, hut his modesty and good nature are greater than his courage. He has a humorous disposition and a hopeful temperament. It is clearly seen that heisavery honest man, for not many people in this world would travel to Texas to pay a debt. He says, however, that he was curious on that trip to see the country and that this was one of his reasons for going. The old gentleman's modesty and good nature make him peculiarly pleasant and companionable. George M. Hinshaw. George M. Hinshaw was born April 25, 1820, in Overton County, Tennessee. His father's name was Jacob Hinshaw, and his mother's maiden name was Marietta Johnson. Jacob Hin- shaw was horn in North Carolina, but was of Irish descent. When twenty-one or two years of age, he came to Tennessee, and there was married. He had a common school education and taught school in Tennessee for two terms. In 1827 he came to McLean County with his brother George Hinshaw, William Mc- Cord and Stephen Webb. They came with teams, and were often water-bound, because of the heavy rains, but arrived at Blooming Grove on the last of July, 1827. There the Hinshaws farmed for three years, and then moved to Dry Grove. When Jacob Hinshaw came to the latter place, he sold all of his stock, except a cow and a horse, in order to enter eighty acres of land. During the winter of the deep snow he and young George gathered corn in sacks and brought it in from the field on horse- back. Jacob Hinshaw was deformed in his feet, and while chopping in the timber stood on his knees and often walked in this way after the plow. He could never bear the taste or even the smell of whisky, and he ate no meat except fish. He died in 1845 in easy circumstances, lie had eight children, of whom six arc living. They are : m'lean county. 521 Susannah, widow of Amasa Stout, lives in Dry Grove Nancy, widow of Jesse Benson, lives at White Oak Grove. George M. Ilinsliaw lives in Dale township. Mary, wife of Solomon Mason, lives in Linn County, Kansas. Jane G., widow of Amos Mason, lives in Iowa. Benjamin Ilinsliaw lives in Linn County, Kansas. George M. Ilinsliaw was only seven years of age when his parents came to the West in 1827. He was not much exposed to the terrible rain storms, but remained in the covered wagon. He saw the hardships common to the early pioneers. In 1842 he joined the Christian Church. In 1848 he was chosen elder, and holds this office at the present time. The Twin Grove Christian Church is strong in numbers and spirit, and its members enjoy good religious feeling. In the spring of 1845, Mr. Hinshaw moved to the place where he now lives, just south of Dry Grove and west of Twin Grove. He lives in Dry Grove township, but belongs to the Twin Grove church, and his children attend the Twin Grove school. On the twentieth of November, 1844, Mr. Hinshaw married Martha Ann Ward. He has had twelve children, of whom six are living. They are : Emma, wife of John Wyatt, lives at Stephen Webb's. Laura, wife of Eli Johnson, lives just south of her father's. Orlando, Fernando, Ernest and Vitula, live at home. Mr. Hinshaw is six feet in height, is slim in build, has rather a long face, with fine regular features. His hair is partly gray, and is full on his head. He wears spectacles while reading. He is considerate with regard to other men's rights and feelings, and is absolutely honest in all things. His countenance wears the pleasant expression of honesty and content. He has been suc- cessful in his dealings, and is an example of the care of an over- ruling Providence. Benjamin Sanders Beeler. Benjamin S. Beeler was born October 18, 1825, in Butler County, Ohio. His father's name was George Beeler, and his mother's maiden name was Delila Sheeley. He is of English and German descent. His grandfather Beeler was a soldier of the Revolutionary war. Benjamin Beeler came to Twin Grove in 522 OLD SETTLERS OF Tazewell, now McLean, County in October, 1830. Tie had a rough time, and was three weeks on his journey. He came through in Indiana, where the roads were in a great measure blockaded by timber, which had been blown down by a hurri- cane. His father, George Beeler, bought a claim and lived du- ring the rirst year in a little log cabin. It was for a while very difficult to get something to eat, and the family was obliged to pay fifty cents per bushel for corn and gather it themselves. They were much troubled by wolves, and could not get their stock near enough to the house for protection. The wolves were im- pudent during the day time, and came up within fifty yards of the house. The wild-cats were very dangerous and troublesome in Twin Grove when the early settlers came, and people often had very exciting sport in chasing them. They sometimes started out on ring hunts after all kinds of game. This was exciting and dangerous sport; it was not particularly dangerous on account of the ferocious character of the game, but it was dangerous because the excited hunters would sometimes run into ant-hills or badger's holes and break their horses' necks. Benjamin Beeler remembers the sudden change in the weather in December, 1836, when everything was so suddenly frozen up, and he also remembers another sudden change since then, which was very severe. He was going to Bloomington, and was cross- ing Sugar Creek, when his horse broke the ice very easily, but on his return, without delay, the ice on the creek bore his horse's weight without cracking. Nevertheless, this sudden change was not so severe as the one in 1836, which was the worst ever known in the West. Benjamin Beeler married, February 25, 1849, Sarilda Robin- son. He has had ten children, of whom eight are living. He is five feet and ten or eleven inches in height, has a good head, has brown hair which inclines to curl, is rather slow of speech, is straightforward in his transactions, wishes to do by his neighbors fairly, and is much respected in the community where he re- sides. Mr. Beeler has eight living children. They are : Benjamin F., who is a carpenter, Mary Delila, George L., Huldah Ellen, Alpharetta, Owen, Warren and Rosa. All live at home. m'lean county. 523 < >rmond robison. Ormond Robison was born in Tennessee, January 23, 1805. He was married, February 17, 14. He brought the first threshing machine to the country from Indi- ana. It was a machine which only threshed the wheat, tt was necessary after threshing the wheat to rake off the straw and run the mixed wheat and chaff through a fanning mill and a sepa- rator. Eleazer Munsell has often driven stock to Chicago. He re- members one very exciting adventure with a drove of cattle and sheep, which he was taking to Chicago. When he arrived near Pontiac they became frightened one night at about eleven o'clock, by wolves, and stampeded. The cattle ran over the sheep and killed some thirty of them. The men in charge of the cattle did everything possible for two hours to quiet them, but notwith- standing all exertions, about fifty head of cattle broke away. Their trail was followed the next day, and they were found near Lexington and brought back. Mr. Munsell says that the excite- ment during a stampede is intense, and he never wishes to see another. The prices of cattle formerly varied very much and sometimes were so low as to seem almost to be given away. Mr. Munsell bought good cows for six dollars apiece, and good yokes of oxen for twenty-five dollars. He has bought sheep for fifty cents per head. He has sold number one fall wheat for twenty-five cents per bushel, and oats for five cents. Mr. Munsell married, October 24, 1850, Zerilda Perry, and has seven children living. Mrs. Munsell is a very kind lady, and thinks everything of her children. She likes to see them do well at school, and takes a great interest in the progress the}* make in their studies. Eleazer Munsell is six feet in height. His hair begins to show the effect of time, and a few gray hairs make their appearance in his beard. He is very clever, loves a joke as well as Abraham Lincoln ever did : is very kind to his family; is careful in the management of his farm; has been successful in life, and is much respected by his neighbors. His face is broad and good- natured, and it indicates good feeling and good sense. 528 OLD SETTLERS OF Mr. Munsell's children are : Milon, who attends school at Eureka; Stephen Alpheus, Zerilda, John Roswell, Josephine, Minnie Warren, and Austin Eleazer, who all live at home. EMPIRE. Robert Franklin Dickerson. As Mr. Dickerson is known to be quite lively with his quill, the author requested him to write a sketch of his life, and he has given the following, which is very interesting : I was born in Hamilton County, Illinois, October 30, 1822. My father, Michael Dickerson, died in 1836. My mother is yet living and is seventy-one years old past. We emigrated to this county, then Fayette, in 1825, and settled near Sugar Creek, near the western line of the county. In 1826 my parents moved to Randolph's Grove, to the place where Martin L. Bishop now lives. My father built a small water mill on Kickapoo, where the early settlers came to get their grinding done. Many a day I have sat and fed in the flour to be bolted. On the 23rd of June, 1827, the great storm came, which rooted up and blew down the trees in its course through Old Town tim- ber. In the fall of 1828 my father sold his claim and his mill to William Hampton, a Tennesseean, who is remembered by many who are yet living. My father then settled at Long Point, now in De Witt County, and lived there until the fall of 1830. He then sold his claim to Frederick Troxwell and purchased the claim of Mr. Bennett, where Henry C. Dickerson now lives, near the present town of Leroy. He moved on this place November 2, 1830. The famous deep snow began falling I )ecember 3 of the following winter, and continued nearly every day through the fore part of January, 1831. I well remember the events of those days and could give the names of all old settlers around the groves of McLean County. The hydrophobia broke out among the canine race domestica- ted, in 1832, and two persons were said to have been bitten ; hut the only suffering they endured resulted from distress of mind. I am no great lover of dogs. The great fall of meteors occurred November 14, 1833. They seemed to be showers of fiery rain falling to the ground. m'lean county. 529 At the first school I ever attended I was allowed to do pretty much as I pleased. I went out of the school-room and came back when I pleased, and no one dared to molest me or make me afraid. But at the next school I attended, in 1832,1 was obliged to do a little as others said. I went to school for a while to lame William Johnson, now of Kansas and learned to spell as far as " baker," " brier," etc. I next went to Amasa C. Washburn, now of your city. He once chastised me for fighting, but the boys had to be dealt with severely then, though not more so than some boys should be dealt with now. A larger boy kicked my dog and I gave the vicious lad a blow in the eye. Mr. Washburn caught us at this interesting performance and at evening after prayer he said: "Reuben, 'I will have to chastise you," and Reuben re- ceived five gentle strokes with a switch, and was dismissed. I and Mr. Washburn then remained about half an hour enjoying, each other's society. That licking hurt me. Mr. Washburn and his lady taught the first Sabbath school I ever attended. I am sorry to say that in my youthful days I played some rather practical jokes. Old Uncle Thomas Tovery, M. E. preach- er, once held church at the school-house, and during the progress of the services I and another boy outside arranged a cat and dog fight, and the terrible scrimmage, the howls of the cat and the barking of the dog, broke up the services. The people ran out and said : "Kill the cat, it's mad ; take up the dog, run ;" etc. We were obliged to tell what we did, in order to save the cat's life. Uncle Tom's text was : " I am the bright and the morning star, the first and the last." Old Uncle Tom is dead ; he departed this life at Oskaloosa, Iowa. This grove was settled by John Buckles, sr., in 1828. He was a heavy man, weighing three hundred and eighty pounds. The Buckles family were Virginians, but part of them are Suck- ers, being born in this State. Some of them live among us yet. They are kind-hearted, generous and hospitable people, and love to hunt and fish. James Merrifield, sr., now deceased, with his family, settled here in the spring of 1830. Daniel and Henry Crumbaugh and Otho Merrifield, are early settlers, now living. Ambrose Hall, now of Atlanta, Logan County, Illinois, was an early settler. Thomas O. Rutledge, sr., was about to remove to 34 530 OLD SETTLERS OF this grove, but he sickened and died, August 20, 1830, and was buried in the cemetery east of Leroy. We have one soldier of the war of 1812; it is Daniel Crumbaugh, who fought under General Harrison. I grew up to manhood very much as other hoys have done. I have worked hard, have plowed for twenty-five cents per day, chopped wood for thirty, reaped wheat for fifty cents per day and cradled for fifty. I carried from Salt Creek the stone which was placed at the northeast corner of Leroy, and for this I received from A. Gridley the sum of twenty-five cents. I have had many dealings with Gridley and Covel, and always found them gentle- men. I paid my first tax of sixty-six cents to William McCul- lough, and received a receipt from his deputy, B. H. Coffey. It reads : " Rec'd of Robert F. Dickerson 66 cts in full of his State k County Tax for the year 1844. " ¥m. McCullough, Col. By B. H. Coffey." I was married, January 1, 1845, to Miss Harriet R. Ivarr. We kept house for three months on rented lands, without bedstead, chair or table. I had one pony, but no cow, hog, sheep or money. My wife, Harriet, was the only daughter of her father, Jacob Ivarr, by his first marriage. We have raised nine children, all of whom are living. When the rebellion broke out I sent two of my sons into the army. In political matters I have voted for men, when I knew them, regardless of party, but if I was unac- quainted with the candidates I voted the Democratic ticket. I voted for Stephen A. Douglas. I took the stump for the Indian- apolis, Bloomington and Western Railroad. I have considered it a privilege to help the soldiers and their widows and orphans. My children are nine in number. They are : Merrit M. Dickerson, who lives in Monticello, Illinois. He was in the army for a short time during the rebellion. He en- listed, February 15, 18(35, in the Ninety-fourth Illinois, and was present at the battles of Spanish Fort and Fort Blakeley. He was afterwards transferred to the Thirty-seventh Illinois, became clerk at headquarters at Galveston, Texas, and was discharged in February, 1806, at Houston, Texas. James L. Dickerson lives one mile northeast of Leroy. m'lean county. 531 Martha E., wife of George Pray, lives at Smithland, Johnson County, Kansas. Emma E. Dickerson was, during the last year, a school-teacher at Heyworth. Clara C, Eda May, Franklin jr., Mary and Hattie, (the pet,) live at home. Henry Caleb Dickekson. Henry I 1 . Dickerson was born August 30, 1825, in Hamilton County, Illinois. His father's name was Michael Dickerson, and his mother's name before her marriage was Jane Rutledge. She still lives near Leroy with her youngest son Wesley. The Dick- erson family emigrated to that part of Fayette County, which now forms the county of McLean, in 1825, and settled near Sugar Creek, not far from the western boundary of the present McLean County. In 1826 the family moved to Randolph's Grove, and afterwards to Buckles' Grove. Mr. Dickerson attended school during three months in the year, until he was twenty years of age. He first attended a school kept by William Johnson, usually called "lame Billy." His plan of teaching was the one common to the time, that is, to re- quire the scholars to study their lessons aloud. Sometimes ■■ lame Billy"' would come to the school-room in bad humor, and, in- deed, he was very changeable in his disposition. He usually made a profession of religion about once a month. At one time while coming home from meeting, where he had made a profes- sion of religion, a prairie chicken flew up near the head of his horse, and the animal took fright and threw him to the ground. Under the excitement of the moment he used profane language and swore at his luck. Since that time all kinds of misfortune have been called Johnson's luck. Mr. Dickerson also attended school kept by A. C. Washburn. In the year 1845, Mr. Dickerson commenced farming on his own account, and soon afterwards began stock-raising. He bought stock first for other people and afterwards for himself. He first bought forty acres near Leroy, but afterwards bought the home- stead farm, containing one hundred and sixty acres, and known as the Michael Dickerson place. On this place is a large apple tree, which was planted by Michael Dickerson. The trunk of the 532 OLD SETTLERS OF tree is nine feet and nine inches in circumference. It is of the variety called "Lady-finger." It bears fruit every year, and du- ring one season bore forty-five bushels of apples. Henry C. Dickerson has now nearly one thousand acres of land in McLean County, and between five and six hundred in Kansas. He is quick to see what will pay. He and his son-in-law, Hobart, built the large flouring-mill at Leroy, at a cost of $35,000. It is one of the best in the State. Mr. Dickerson is not now interested in it. In the year 1849 he bought a great deal of stock in the West- ern States for Crawford & Miller in Champaign County, Ohio. During this time he traveled on horseback, from Fort Des Moines to Oskaloosa, Iowa. He had with him fifteen thousand dollars. On his journey he came to the hollow or bank of a creek, and there found a band of thieves, belonging to the celebrated Red- don, Long and Fox gang. They gave him a sharp chase, but his good horse saved him. The next morning from fifty to one hun- dred men went out to hunt the gang, and found one of the Longs, a boy of nineteen. He was tied to a tree and whipped in order to compel him to tell where the remainder of the gang were con- cealed. Mr. Dickerson could not bear the sight of the whipping and went away. The gang was not captured. Mr. Dickerson was very successful during this trip, though at one time his cattle gave him some trouble by stampeding. In 1871 Mr. Dickerson took a pleasure excursion to Califor- nia. He started in April of that year, in company with two friends, Mr. McKenny and Rev. J. B. Seymour. On their route they stopped at Salt Lake City and called on Brighanl Young. They were introduced to the Mormon Prophet by Mr. Wickizer, who performed the ceremony in a peculiar manner. He said : "This is Mr. Dickerson, an enlightened heathen." The remainder of the company were introduced in the same manner. Brigham Young is a pleasant, unassuming man, lives in a ten-acre spot surrounded by a stone wall. In this enclosure is his large dwell- ing and various houses for his many wives. The tabernacle is a large edifice, and accommodates about fifteen thousand worship- pers. The organ in the tabernacle cost an immense sum of money, and is remarkable for its fine tone. Mr. Dickerson was favorably impressed with Salt Lake City, its theatre, beautiful m'lean county. 53-3 shops, and streams of water flowing down from the mountain and forming rivulets on both sides of the streets. He listened to the preaching of Orson Pratt, and was much pleased with the elo- quence of this Mormon divine. On the twenty-seventh of October, 1850, Mr. Dickerson mar- ried Miss Leodicy Maxwell, only daughter of William Maxwell, of Old Town. He has had five children. They are : Elizabeth Jane, wife of Gilbert J. Hobart. She lives one and .a half miles^southwest of her father's. Cordelia, wife of Joseph Patterson, lives in Leroy. Adalaide, Rosaline and Georgie Belle live at home. Mr. Dickerson is five feet and ten inches in height, is well proportioned, has blue eyes, which do not require spectacles, is very quiet in his manner and is a first-class business man. His memory^is remarkably good. During his western trip in 1849, he bought three hundred and fifty-seven head of cattle, and he can call'to mind the price paid for each one of them. The father of Henry C. Dickerson was Michael Dickerson. The following are the names of his children, seven in number : James W. Dickerson lives in California. Sarah Ann, wife of Roley Williams, lives near Leroy. Robert Franklin Dickerson, whose sketch appears in this volume. Henry C. Dickerson, whose sketch appears above. Caleb C. Dickerson lives about three miles southwest of Leroy. Matilda, widow of John M. Downing, lives near Leroy. Wesley Dickerson lives three and one-half miles southwest of Leroy. Thomas Buckles. Thomas Buckles was born January 18, 1812, in White County. Illinois, His father's house was burnt while the old gentleman was serving with the rangers and protecting the frontier. His father moved to Edwards County at an early day, from there to Sangamon County, and in 1824 he went to Lake Fork, Logan County. He traveled with an ox-team, and was exposed to the weather. He camped one night near Horse Creek, and was sleeping under the wagon when it rained so hard that they were 534 OLD SETTLERS OF overflowed, and the water came down the hillside and ran over their hed on which they were sleeping. They crossed Lick Creek by making a raft and bringing over their stock with it. Mr. Buckles, sr., was received by his son Robert in Logan County and built a house there. In this work he was helped by the Indians, who were good neighbors. They gave a dance when the house- raising was ended. One of the Indians became drunk, but was carried awaj- and tied down until he could sober off. Thomas Buckles' experience with the Indians began at an early date. When he was a very little boy he was chased by some Indians, who seemed anxious to take him prisoner, but his heels and his cunning saved him. He hid in the grass and wil- lows of a creek so that even the Indians did not find him. After the Indians left him he heard a mournful noise and found a coon with its hair burnt off by a prairie fire which had passed over the country a short time previous. The Buckles boys were accus- tomed to run races with the Indians and wrestle with them and engage with them in all kinds of athletic sports. At one time a party of Indians came to run races. They bet their buckskins against whatever was put up. They called on Andrew Buckles, a brother of Thomas, and put up their buckskins against some watermelons. Andrew ran with an Indian named Little Turkey, and allowed the latter to come out ahead in the first race. Then both parties put up larger bets for a second race, and this time Andrew came out ahead. Andrew was indeed a swift runner. He returned to Tennessee, and while there once saw some dogs after a deer ; he immediately ran after it himself, intending to catch it before it reached the Cumberland River. But the deer reached the river a little ahead and plunged in and Andrew fol- lowed it. He out-swam the deer and killed it by drowning. In 1827 the Buckles family left Logan County and came to Buckles' Grove. Here they devoted themselves to farming and hunting. Thomas Buckles' experience with the deep snow was interest- ing. A few days before the heavy fall of snow came, Thomas and Peter Buckles and Alvin Barnett started out to hunt for wild hogs. They killed several pigs and three or four deer. They stopped, during the night before the heavy snowfall, with a man named Mulkie. It was clear and beautiful and the stars were m'lean county. 535 bright and thick in the sky. The morning opened clear and Mnlkie started to accompany Thomas Buckles home. Soon a hank of snow arose and it began to fall. "When they had gone four miles they abandoned their wagon and followed the oxen. The snow fell so fast that they could not see ten feet ahead of them, and the snow and icicles collected and froze two or three inches thick on their cheeks. Mr. Buckles says it came as fast as if it were thrown with a scoop-shovel. When within two miles of home they were almost broken down, but they took hold of the tails of their steers and were pulled safely through. The snow was then more than three feet deep. Mulkie was com- pletely exhausted, and could do nothing but sleep. Mr. Buckles says that when he arrived home he stayed there during the re- mainder of the snow storm, and had no ambition for travel. Mr. Buckles speaks of the sudden change in the weather in December, 1836, and says that the water froze in ridges as it was blown by the wind. His brother Robert was then taking a drove of hogs to Alton, and when the wind-storm struck him he was obliged to go a quarter of a mile for shelter. When his men arrived there they could scarcely stand. The hogs demanded the most constant attention, for if left to themselves they would pile on top of each other as high as a hog could climb, and those at the bottom of the pile would be smothered and crushed to death. The Buckles family were great hunters, and made a specialty of killing wolves. Thomas Buckles has, perhaps, killed more wolves than any other man in McLean County. He ran them down, shot them and caught them in traps and pens. A pen for catching wolves is made of logs and is so heavy that a wolf can not raise it. The bottom is made of logs or poles so that a wolf cannot escape by digging under. He usually took a wolf hunt every spring, and generally killed five or six. He chased one wolf tifteen miles before catching it, and, when caught, it could not have been made to live fifteen minutes. It was run to death. It was chased from Buckles' Grove to near the west end of Old Town timber, then down to Long Point, then back to Buckles' Grove, then down into DeWitt County where it was caught. One wolf, after being chased many miles, jumped into a well and there was killed. 536 OLD SETTLERS OF Mr. Buckles has liad an interesting experience in hunting deer. He once wounded a deer in the fore leg and it turned for fight with its hair all standing up. When one of the dogs took hold of it, it turned so fiercely and quickly and made so sudden a dart that it ran its horns in the ground and turned over on its back. Another shot ended its life. William and Thomas Buckles once chased a fawn until it was tired out and, when Wil- liam approached, it made a spring from him into Thomas Buckles' arms. But it died shortly after, because of the length and se- verity of the chase. During the winter of the deep snow two of the Buckles brothers caught a deer and hoppled it, and tried to drive it home. It was very docile until Thomas Buckles tapped it on the nose with a weed, when it sprang up and knocked him down and jumped away. The next morning it was found frozen to death. As it was hoppled it could not exercise and the circu- lation of blood was checked. Mr. Buckles is a skillful woodman and seldom deceived as to his position. He could always find his camp, even at night when it was so dark that he could hardly see his hand before him. He often hunted bees in the timber and had a sharp eye to detect their holes in the trees. He once went with a party of bee hunters down on the Kankakee River, and was gone five weeks. They found from fifty to sixty bee trees. Mr. Buckles has never had any very dangerous experience with fire on the prairie. He once was overtaken by a prairie fire and jumped into a creek to save himself and the flames leaped over him. When a prairie fire moves, the heat goes a hundred feet or more in front of the blaze, and this sometimes makes the fire jump enormous gaps when it is under full headway. The game on the prairie will seldom turn and face a fire, though Mr. Buckles once saw a buck turn and charge directly through the flame. He once made a ring of fire around a piece of bottom land, leaving a gap, where the frightened deer were shot, as they came out, by two hunters stationed there. Mr. Buckles has seen the vexations to which the old settlers were subjected. He was obliged to pound his corn before the deep snow, for one entire summer. He made a mortar out of an ash stump. The stump was burnt out and could hold three pecks of corn, which was beaten with an enormous pestle. He after- m'lean county. 537 wards made a little horse mill out of nigger-heads, and with this ground five bushels of corn per day. He has often gone to Peoria to mill and far above there. Mr. Buckles went down to Logan County about seven years ago, but moved back to near Buckles' Grove during the middle of March, 1873, and there he now resides. He is a little more than six feet in height, is muscular and active, and is an accurate marksman. But that which is most remarkable is his quickness of sight. He usually sees the game before the game sees him. He is a good-natured man, and, like all of the old settlers, is hos- pitable and kind. He has done his fair proportion of hard work, and has split more rails than Abraham Lincoln ever did. He married, February 2, 1837, Elizabeth Jane Kinder. He has five children living. They are : William •Marion, who lives in Leroy, Elinois. Robert Franklin lives now with his father, as he is a widower. Amanda B., wife of George Lucas, lives in Davis County, Missouri. Mary Ann and Peter Leander live at home. James Harvey Conaway. James H. Conaway was born July 14, 1819, in Bourbon County, Kentcky, within three miles of Millersburg. His fath- er's name was Aquilla Conaway, and his mother's name was Ra- chel Barnett. His father and mother were American born citi- zens. Aquilla Conaway came to Kentucky from Maryland at a very early day. The Conaway family left Kentucky when James was only eight years of age, and he does not remember much of that State. The only thing, which impressed his boyish imagina- tion, was a little incident which happened while a negro woman was " toting " water from a spring. Her bucket of water was on her head, and as she passed under a tree, a squirrel, which was jumping from one branch to another, missed its hold and fell on the edge of the bucket and was killed. In the fall of 1827 Aquilla Conaway brought his family to Illi- nois. He came very near becoming swamped in the quicksands of White River. His wagon was driven by an obstinate negro, named Moses. When the journey was ended, Moses was sent back to Kentucky with the wagon and team, and instructed to 538 OLD SETTLERS OF take care of everything and not to steal from the people on the route. Moses faithfully obeyed all instructions except those with regard to stealing. Mr. Conaway came first to Vermilion County, where he re- mained for a few monthe, and then came to Buckles' Grove, Mc- Lean County, Illinois, where he arrived February 8, 1828. The first notable event, which .James Conaway remembers, was that some of the Buckles boys caught a large black wolf in a trap and fastened the wolf to the middle of a pole and showed it alive to the new-comers. He has often seen the black wolves play on the snow where Leroy now stands. This was during the winter of the deep snow. During that winter he saw several deer frozen to death standing in their tracks. The deer lived during that winter on the bark of the sumach, and in the following spring the groves of sumach were completely skinned of bark. Mr. Conaway has often chased wolves and deer and has sometimes run down two or three in a day. He remembers when a party chased a deer until it was so exhausted that one of their number, John Knott, jumped on its back and cut its throat. James H. Conaway is about five feet and five inches high. His head is a little bald and his eyes are dark and bright. He has a pleasant, smiling countenance, and seems a very straight- forward man. He is a very hardy, active man, and enjoys the West of health. He married, December 6, 1849, Axey Deften- baugh, and has six children. He has never lost any of his chil- dren by sickness and never callled a doctor on their account. Esek Eddy Greenman. Esek Eddy Greenman was born January 23, 1616, in Wash- ington County, Ohio, about twenty-three miles from Marietta, the county seat. Three miles from his birth-place was the little town of Waterford with its block-house, which afforded protection to the people during the war of 1812. Mr. Greenman's father was John Greenman, of Welch descent. His mother's name was Ruth White, before her marrirge. She was the daughter of Deacon David White, who came from Vermont to the Muskingum River, Ohio. He was of the fourth generation from Elder White, of Revolutionary fame. Mr. Greenman's grandfather, Jeremiah Greenman, was a lieutenant in the Revolutionary war, and parti- m'lean county. 539 cipated in many of the contests of that seven-years' struggle. He was twice captured, once on board of a ship and once by the Indians, and his life was one of suffering and adventure. At the close of the war he became a member of the Order of the Cincin- nati, which admitted to its membership all who had been com- missioned officers during the Revolutionary war. But the order was short lived, as General Washington and many others were afraid it might be the beginning of a titled aristocracy. The old gentleman kept a journal for a long time, but would never allow it to be published. John Greenman, the father of Esek, was a farmer in summer and a school teacher in winter. The last winter of his school teaching was the one of the memorable one of the deep snow, when he kept school at Blooming Grove. While living in Ohio, John Greenman was for a while deputy sheriff, and it required a good deal of nerve sometimes to serve in that capacity. During those early days, as well as at the present time, medical gentle- men were very anxious to obtain subjects for dissection and were willing to pay quite a sum- of money for them. The love of money, which is occasionally the root of some evil, induced a person named Dow, to decoy a crazy man into the woods for the purpose of killing him and selling him to the medical institute ; but the crazy man escaped. Dow afterwards stole a corpse from the grave where it was buried and dragged it through the fields and bid it in a barn and covered it with corn-stalks. There it was found by Constable Greenman who arrested Dow and his ac- complice. When Esek Greenman was nine years of age his father moved to Waterford, where he kept a hotel ; and one year later Esek be- came a little water-rat and could run a ferry, across the Muskin- gum River. In about the year 1826 the Greenman family moved on a farm about three miles up the river and there Esek could work to his heart's content. His associates were some very bad little boys who loved trickery better than they loved their mush and milk; nevertheless he worked faithfully at grubbing trees and stumps. In July, 1829, the Greenman family started for Illinois, where they arrived on the twenty-ninth of August. They came with Major Seth Baker's family to Blooming Grove. The roads were 540 OLD SETTLERS OF very muddy and at one time they passed through a place where the wheels sank to the axletree, and were obliged to put all their horses on each wagon separately in order to get through. It was called the Devil's Mush-pot. There were two roads leading through it, and they were told to take their choice, with the warning that whichever road they went they would wish they had taken the other ! Upon their arrival they rented a house of Squire Orendorff, and in October, Mr. Greenman, sr., began teaching school. Esek went to work for Thomas Orendorff; he husked corn and took the " down row," and worked hard until winter set in. In 1830 he cut logs for the double log cabin built by James Allin, it being the first house in Bloomington. It is the one now occupied by Dr. Stipp. In the spring of 1830, Mr. James Allin offered Mr. John Greenman some money to enter the W. half of the S. W. quarter of section four, township twenty-three, range two east, on condition that Greenman would deed to Allin a part of the east side of said land, amounting to about twenty acres, for the purpose of being used to lay out a town. The offer was accepted. Mr. Greenman entered the land, deeded a part of it to Allin, who gave it to the town of Bloomington. When his school was ended, J ohn Greenman cut logs, built a cabin between Washington and Front streets, broke five acres of land, sowed it in wheat and fenced it ; but before being fenced it was rooted up by pigs and sowed over again. The following winter was the one of the deep snow ; but the wheat was un- injured, and was pronounced the finest west of Maryland. M r. Esek Greenman had very little to do with the Indians. He remembers that a great crowd of them once came to a spring near the north shaft, to see his sisters wash clothes, for this ope- ration was a novelty to the savages. During the winter of the deep snow, John Greenman was teaching school on the old Jim Cannaday place. Esek remem- bers that the great storm of snow, which really commenced the period of the deep snow, fell on Friday. That day his father let out school early, as he had a little " chore" to attend to, which Mas to transport to his house a hog which he had obtained in the neighborhood. He carried it on horseback and young Esek fol- lowed on foot, But the snow fell so deep that Esek stayed over m'lean county. 541 night at old Johnny Maxwell's house, while Mr. Greenman, sr., proceeded. He reached home with the porker, but was two hours in traveling the last quarter of a mile. The day before the deep snow, Moses Baker and William Oney went to Orendorff's mill on Sugar Creek, about twenty-five miles from Bloomington, and on their return, at Murphy's Grove, "William Oney wanted to lay down and sleep ; but Baker whip- ped him and abused him, and at last he was ready to fight; but Baker insisted that he should arouse himself or he would cer- tainly freeze. Then they scuffled and wrestled, and ran about and climbed trees to keep from freezing, until morning broke, when they heard roosters crowing, and found themselves within three hundred yards of a house ! People caught deer and wolves very easily until a slippery crust formed on the snow, after which they could catch the deer, but not the wolves. The crust was slippery and the wintry winds whistled over it and had the whole matter to themselves. Occa- sionally a man would lose his hat and see it scud away out of sight. In 1830 the doctors were not so numerous as at present. Young Esek remembers some horseback exercise when he rode to Pekin, a distance of thirty- three miles, without saddle or stir- rups, for the doctor. On his return with the doctor he forded the Mackinaw on the upper side, so that, if swept from his horse by the current, the doctor could catch him. In the spring of 1830 there were three houses between the spot where Bloomington now stands and Mackinawtown, and fourteen houses at the latter place, including barns. Between the latter place and Pleasant Hill w T ere no houses at all, and Pekin only contained fourteen or fifteen houses, including barns. In July, 1831, Mr. Greenman, sr., sold his land in Blooming- ton and moved three miles below Waynesville. But he found it a sickly spot. Out of three families, numbering in all twenty- four persons, twenty-two had the ague. After a long sickness, John Greenman died there, and was buried at Pilot Grove, and his family returned to Blooming Grove and entered the last re- maining eighty acres there. It was the eighty adjoining the Nathan Low, sr., place at the old camp-ground. They lived in the Isaac Murphy house during the winter. In the summer fol- 542 OLD SETTLERS OF lowing, Esek Greenman had his last shake with the ague. This memorable event occurred on his sixteenth birthday. For three days previous, he had taken each morning a teacupful of whisky and ginger, and the ague departed forever. In the summer of 1832, Esek Greenman worked in a brick- yard tor Peter Whipp. During the hot summer days he arose early every morning and went to work. Then he had a rest while eating breakfast and while Mr. Whipp gave them a season of prayer. But Mr. Whipp finally concluded to dispense with the prayer as it delayed the men too long from their work. During 1832 and '33, the Greenman family lived north of Old Town, but in the latter year they went to Bloomington, and there Mrs. Greenman was married to Dr. Isaac Baker. In 1833 the sporting fraternity began to make their appear- ance. It was then that the first race-track in McLean County -was prepared. The first purse ran for amounted to, Mr. Green- man thinks, one hundred and fifty dollars. Four horses were entered for it : the Bald Hornet, owned by Henry Jacoby, was ridden by Esek Greenman; the Gun Fannon, owned by Jake Herald (Mr. Greenman thinks) ; the Tiger Whip, owned by Pete Hefner and ridden by James Paul, and Ethiopian, owned by a man near Waynesville. Mr. Greenman put Bald Hornet in training sometime before the race. He kept the horse in a stable on the Leroy road ; but one morning he found that his horse had been turned loose to green corn in afield near by. It *was sup- posed that Bald Hornet's racing days were over, but care restored him. After this, Esek slept with the owner of the horses in the haymow, and watched the animal every night. "When the race came on, the owner of Gun Fannon hinted to Esek that he could make something by holding up his horse; but Esek neglected to take the hint. When the race came off the Bald Hornet was coming in finely, but the Tiger Whip came up behind and trod on its heels, and the Bald Hornet was beaten. (See Peter Hef- ner's sketch !) He was badly crippled, and beaten on a second race. Some time before the race a Mr. Yesey was struck by lightning while putting a horse in training for the course. This was not considered a visitation of God, for the horse was ridden on the course by T. J. Barnett. Bad luck seemed to attend it. for it fell in the midst of the track. But the horse started up, M'LEAN COUNTY. . 548 followed tin.' other horses, and saved its distance; nevertheless, il was beaten a second time worse than ever. " It never rains, but itpours." This ended Mr. Greenman's career on the turf. He had ridden horses, but never staked his money on the result of a race. When Mrs. Greenman was married to Dr. Baker a load of responsibility was taken from the shoulders of Esek and he was no longer obliged to look after the welfare of the family. Nev- ertheless he worked at whatever his hands could tind to do. He helped Father Baker to lay out the school section into five and ten acre lots ; he worked in a brick-yard at Chatham's Spring ; he broke prairie for Wilson Lindley south of Blooming Grove, started at daylight and hunted his oxen, had a little shed of prai- rie grass in the field to protect him from the storm, and worked fourteen hours a day. He drove up calves for General Gridley from where Leroy now stands ; indeed he did anything and every- thing in the line of honorable employment. In 1834 he began to learn the carpenter's trade of Wilson Allen and G. D. McEl- hiney. He had a very good opinion of McElhiney, and of him learned to be a Democrat. The workshop where he labored belonged to the widow Vesey, but in some way it came into the possession of Allen who incautiously allowed himself to be drawn into some litigation with Mrs. Yesey. He learned to his cost to lk bevare of the vidders," for Mrs. Vesey took forcible possession of the shop while the hands were at dinner, and Allen brought suit to recover it. The widow's case was pleaded by 'Squire C. C. Cory (an uncle of Mr. Greenman). The jury of Western men always sympathised with a woman in distress and were nat- urally inclined in her favor ; in addition to this they were great lovers of humor, and 'Squire Cory succeeded in winning the case by telling the pig and puppy story. It was as follows : A child wished to present his aunt, on Christmas day, with a little pig, and started to her with one in a basket. But, having incautious- ly set down his basket, the pig was stolen from him and a puppy inserted in its place. When he came to his aunt he opened the basket and found the puppy, and returned home disappointed. But in the meantime the puppy was stolen and the pig returned to its place. So when the innocent child opened the basket again and saw the pig, he exclaimed : " It can be a pig when it's a 544 OLD SETTLERS OF mind to and puppy when i^' 8 a mm( l to." "Now, gentlemen of the jury," said 'Squire Cory, " that is the way with the plaintiff in this case, who would steal the property of a widow. He can be a pig when he has a mind to and a puppy when he has a mind to." Mr. Allen was unable to bear up against the combined in- fluence of 'Squire Cory, the widow, the pig and the puppy, and lost the case. From 1833 to 1835 the fine gentlemen of Bloomington seemed to think it necessary to take their occasional sprees, and Mr. Greenman remembers one famous spree which perhaps some old settlers of Bloomington can now call to mind, for some of them were in it. Perhaps they can remember when one of the party became weary and went home and crawled into a garret and went to sleep on a board plank, and how the crowd followed him and brought him back; how they weighed out liquor in scales and drank it ; how they weighed out oysters and ate them ; how they stood across the room and threw oysters at each others' mouths, and how, in order to vary the amusement, they marched around the stove and at last pitched it out of the window, and did many other things which must be nameless. In the fall of 1835 Mr. Greenman started for Northern Illinois with a man named Jim Paul. The latter was "on his muscle," and occasionally indulged in a match fight. They went to Dixon's Ferry, and while there made an excursion to the battle ground of Stillman's Pun. They worked hard and built cabins for persons making claims. After spending a few weeks there, Mr. Green- man and a man named James Durley started for Platteville, Wis- consin, and on their way, not far from Dixon, he saw the grave of Joe Draper, who had been killed in the Black Hawk war. After some delays he went to Platteville and clerked for John Lytle who kept a grocery store. After a while he went to Galena and there, it is to be regretted, fell into evil ways. He learned to play cards and led rather a hard life. In the spring he started to dig for mineral and found very good signs, but stopped digging to play euchre and attend to other duties equally important, and lost his claim. Shortly after this he met an impecunious "dead broke" miner and bought his claim for one dollar, but the con- ditions were that if he struck mineral he should pay the miner five dollars. But Mr. Greenman played euchre and neglected m'lean county. 545 the claim and lost it altogether. It afterwards turned out to be worth twelve thousand dollars. His first claim, where he had found signs of mineral, was pushed by other parties and one-half of it was sold for thirty thousand dollars. He had better have burnt his cards. But after a while he determined to reform, so he took a good game of euchre, drank some ale, went to a revival and walked forward to the anxious seat and reformed. In the spring of 1837 he went to Savannah, with Deacon George Davidson. He carried the mail from Galena to Cleve- land on Rock River, fifteen or twenty miles from Rock Island. He carried it regularly twice a week for a month or two. He returned to Bloomington and worked as a carpenter du- ring the following winter. He went to McHenry County and there worked for a Mr. Foster, for a dollar a day and his board, and was dunned by Mrs. Foster for his Sunday board. The next summer he went to Cedar County, Iowa, on foot, and had various adventures, made a claim at Onion Grove where a town was after- wards laid out, and after various travels and adventures he found himself in Leroy, McLean County, Illinois, with one hundred and fifty dollars in his pocket. He borrowed a hundred and fifty dollars more and went to Chicago for goods and there was offered two lots in the heart of the city for a horse and buggy. He spent fourteen years in the dry goods business, and has been a very successful merchant. He was for four years in the grocery business, and in everything has prospered well. He married, February 14, 1848, Miss Martha Pierce. Mrs. Greenman died July 14, 1864, and since then he has remained unmarried. He has had eight children, of whom three are living, two boys and one girl. In 1844 or 1845 he was postmaster at Leroy, and this is all the public office he ever held. In politics he was a Democrat until 1856 when he became a Republican and has remained so ever since. Mr. Greenman's character is pretty well shown by his life. He is very plucky and adventurous, but very kind and polite. After he really settled down to business he succeeded well and acquired property. He is obliged to look at a thing several times to understand it, but is pretty sure to see through it in the end. He is a self-made man, and his success in later life was due to himself, for certainly his early experience and training would not 35 546 OLD SETTLERS OF be recommended as conducive to moral elevation. His judgment is the very best, and lie is possessed of a great deal of natural shrewdness. He loves fun and a good store, and enjoys a practi- cal joke. He is of medium size and is finely proportioned. His hair is very white, and his cheeks have a healthy, pleasant glow. In his youth he must have been quite a favorite with ladies. He takes a great interest in matters pertaining to the earl} 7 settlement of the country, for he has seen the adventurous side of it, which is pretty sure to be the humorous side, and is very pleasant to remember though not always pleasant to endure. Mr. Greenman has three children living. They are : Mary Belle, wife of Gideon Scott Crumbaugh, born October 18, 1853, lives at Leroy. .John Emmet, born September 6, 1855, and Charles Emery Greenman, born March 1, 1861, live at home. Otho Merrifield. Otho Merrifield was born November 4, 1814, near Xenia. Green County, Ohio. His father's name was James Merrifield. and his mother's maiden name was Hannah Haines. In the fall of 1829 he came to Illinois with his father's family of nine chil- dren. They traveled with a four-horse team, and had no particu- lar trouble except with the green-head flies, which bit the horses and made them nearly crazy. They first stopped at Cheney's Grove, but stayed during the first winter over on Kickapoo, about ten miles west of Leroy. In the spring, Mr. Merrifield, sr., took a claim on the east side of Buckles' Grove, and moved there April 2, 1830. It was the business of Otho Merrifield and his brother to take care of the stock, and when they had a little extra time they went on a deer or wolf chase. They hunted wolves with hounds, and kept for this purpose three bloodhounds and two or three greyhounds. The latter will run faster and fight better than bloodhounds, but cannot run so long. Mr. Merrifield is proud to say that his dogs were always game and never were whipped. Mr. Merrifield thinks the wolf is sometimes the most impudent and daring of wild animals. It will drive the chickens into the yard, and it will steal pigs in the daytime so close to the house, that they can be heard to squeal. During the deep snow, the Merrifield family pounded their corn, as all the settlers of that m'lean county. 547 period did. During that winter Otlio and his brother ran down eleven deer, which \\;is pretty fair work for boys. Mr. Merrifield saw plenty of Indians when he came to the country, but never lost anything by them thai he knows of, nor had any difficulty with them. The Indians usually weni on their limits in companies. They started from Indian Grove and went to Old Town timber, then down Salt Creek as far as the Lake Fork near Mt. Pulaski, and then returned to Indian Grove. Their hunting companies varied in size from one hundred to three hun- dred. They walked in single file, and Mr. Merrifield has seen a string of Indians five miles in length. Mr. Merrifield lived in Empire township from 1829 to 1856, and then went to Missouri, where he stayed four years, and then came back to his old home. He liked the country in Missouri very much. On the 7th of April, i860, lie had his leg broken. He then went back to his farm, where he lived until the fall of 1864. Up to this time he succeeded pretty fairly with the world, and made enough money to enable him to live comfortably. He was a man of the strictest integrity, but perhaps a little too un- suspecting. In 1866 he sold his farm and went into the drue' business, but was so unfortunate as to lose the results of years of toil. He is now left with little property, and in the decline of life must still earn his bread by the sweat of his brow. Mr. Merrifield is six feet in height, and, though he. has passed through many hardships, is still a man of good personal appear- ance. His eyes are dark and expressive, and Ids countenance shows his good faith and his honesty. He married Mrs. Prudence Conaway, December 8, 1842. He has had a family of nine children, all of whom are living. Henry Chumbaugh. Henry Crumbaugh was born April 26, 1789, in Frederick County, Maryland. There he received his schooling very much as other boys did, nothing of special importance occurring. He was very skillful in boxing and wrestling, and while between the ages of twenty-one and thirty-one, he never found his match. In the year 1810 lie moved to Kentucky, where he remained eight or nine years. In April, 1820, he married Sarah Baldock and has had twelve children, of whom five are living. He moved to Elk- 548 OLD SETTLERS OF hart Grove, in Sangamon County, Illinois, in 1828, and to Buckles'* drove, McLean County, in March, 1830, and settled on the land where he has lived ever since. He had a hard time to find some- thing to eat, and was forced to go a long distance to a horse-mill to have his corn ground. It required a week to go to Springfield, get his corn ground, do his trading and return. He was ohliged to work under many disadvantages, and exercise great ingenuity to supply the want of articles common to civilization. When he broke prairie he attached the oxen to the plough by hickory bark. During the winter of the deep snow he beat his meal in kettles and obtained his water by melting snow. This winter as is well known was very severe for the deer. He has seen deer caught by wolves, for the sharp feet of the former broke through the crust, while the latter could run over the snow with ease. At one time he saw from his house three wolves catch a deer. He jumped on a horse and took the deer from them and gave it to his pigs to eat, as it was too poor for use at home. Mr. Crumbaugh had his experience in the sudden change in the weather which occurred in December, 1836. The day was mild, and the ground was covered with water and snow, when suddenly the cold west wind came with a roar, and froze up every- thing immediately. On that day John Dawson was going to Leroy to mill, but when the wind struck him he turned to go to Henry Crumbaugh's farm. He was unable to cross Salt Creek, and after getting into it cut his oxen loose and tried to drive them over, but they refused to go. He himself became wet to the waist, and, letting the oxen go, crossed the creek and started for Mr. Crum- baugh's house, a few rods distant; but when he reached the fence, his clothes were frozen so stiff that he could not climb over without Mr. Crumbaugh's assistance. Mr. Crumbaugh drove the oxen across the creek and up to his stable. They were covered with a double coating of ice an inch thick. Mr. Crumbaugh thought it fun to go to Chicago. He hauled from there the first lumber brought to this section of country, bringing it one hundred and forty miles with an ox team. Mr. Crumbaugh has had much difficulty with prairie fires. At one time he came from Springfield with Maria Dawson, then a girl of fifteen, when he saw ahead of him a prairie fire ; he m'lean county. 549 escaped by driving his horses into a pond until the fire passed on. Mr. Crumbaugh was accustomed to hunt wolves and kept hounds particularly for this sport. He was, for a long time, the only per- son in the country who had hounds trained for this purpose. At one time a wolf came up to the house and caught a chicken, and when pursued by the dogs did not give it up until caught. One wolf held to a pig, which it had captured, and ran with it for a mile before dropping it, though hotly pursued by the dogs. It gave them a race of eight miles before they caught it. Mr. Crumbaugh often set wolf-traps and caught many wolves. He was accustomed to set the trap and tie a chicken or a leg of mut- ton near it to decoy the wolves ; but when they were caught they seldom ate the bait. He caught five wolves with a rooster for bait, and four with a leg of mutton ; but one old wolf ate the bait after being caught, and showed fight when taken from the trap. Mr. Crumbaugh has also hunted other game occasionally. He caught eleven turkeys with his hounds in about twenty minutes, on a wet winter's day. He once caught two lynxs in the edge of Old Town timber. These animals are of the wildcat species and very large. Hunters have sometimes mistaken them for dogs. They have spots and stripes on them, and are quite pretty. They are not considered dangerous to human beings, but are strong, and would be very unpleasant animals to fight with. Henry Crumbaugh is about six feet in height. In his younger •days he was very strong. He sometimes liked to attend a horse- race, but never was carried away by such sport. Although very old he is still possessed of a great deal of shrewdness and good sense. He was, in his younger days, a man of steady nerve, a good hunter and an accurate shot. He appears to be a pleasant, oheerful gentleman, wears spectacles, is quick-witted, and observes what is going on around him. Henry Crumbaugh has been a hard worker and a shrewd manager. During the winter of 1819 he started from Frankfort. Kentucky, to Xew Orleans, with four flatboats, with freight be- longing to Col. Johnson. He made the trip down the river in ten days, but was made very sick by drinking the river water. He received for his pay two hundred dollars for each boat. He returned on horseback through the Indian territory, and passed 550 OLD SETTLERS OF over the land belonging to the Chocktaws and Chickasaws. They treated him with the greatest kindness. Mr. Crumbaugh has been very kind to his children, and has given them each six thousand dollars to start in life. His chil- dren are : Emily, born November 15, 1821, died in September, 1826. ISTarcissie, born January 7, 1824, is married to Simpson E. Thompson, and lives three miles south of her parents. James H. L. Crumbaugh, born May 1, 1826, lives six miles south of his parents. Emily Crumbaugh, born August 2, 1828, died in 1^38. Nancy H., born August 12, 1830, died in 1833. Louisiana C, was born March 10, 1834, and died May 12, 1866. John Edgar Howard Crumbaugh, born August 3, 1837, lives a half a mile south of his parents. Andrew Jackson Crumbaugh, born September 5, 1840, lives a quarter of a mile south of his father. Allen Montgomery Crumbaugh, born December 12, 1842, died in 1844. Lewis Cass Crumbaugh, born March 19, 1845, lives at the homestead. Daniel Crumbauoh. Daniel Crumbaugh was born December 7, 1791, in Frederick County, Maryland. His father and mother were Germans, his father having come to America from Germany when very young. Daniel received a little schooling there, but not enough to hurt him. He used to assist the scholars in barring out the schoolmaster on Christmas days. At one time they compelled the teacher to give them two weeks' vacation, but he compelled the parents to pay him for these two Aveeks as if school had been in session, and some of the scholars came pretty near " catching it" from their angry fathers in consequence. In 1812 Mr. Crumbaugh came west to Cincinnati, and from there went to Scott County, Ken- tucky. In 1813 he enlisted in the army under the command of Colonel Richard M. Johnson to fight against the British and In- dians. He went first to Fort Meigs on the Miami Rapids above where Toledo now stands, where General Harrison had a garri- m'lean county. 551 son. From there they went to Lower Sandusky on Lake Erie, then back home to recruit their horses. They were then sent to Kaskaskia, Illinois. This town was threatened by Indians, and it seemed that the place which was af- terwards to be the first capital of the Sucker State was to be blot- ted out entirely. But the Indians were headed off, and the regi- ment to which Mr. Crumbaugh belonged was sent back to Fort Meigs. "While there they heard the roar of the guns during the battle "when Commodore Perry gained his celebrated victory over the British on Lake Erie. Shortly after this they went to De- troit, crossed over to Windsor (then called Sandwich) and followed the British and Indians under the Command of General Proctor and the chief Tecumseh. At the River Thames the enemy made a stand and here was fought the battle which practically closed the contest in the north. The enemy was completely defeated, with the loss of baggage and eight hundred prisoners and a large number of killed and wounded. Tecumseh was among the slain. It has been a matter of speculation as to who killed him. Mr. Crumbaugh can shed no light upon it. Col. R. M. Johnson, the commander of their regiment, was wounded five times. The muskets used by the Americans in this battle were the old flint- locks, and the cartridges contained a ball and two buck-shot. The regiment opposed to the one in which Mr. Crumbaugh served was the Forty-fourth Irish regiment, commanded by Colonel Baubee. When the battle was over, the company to which Mr. Crumbaugh belonged was sent as a guard for General Harrison and the captured British officers, down to Lake St. Clair where they took shipping and came to Detroit. There they remained until Harrison made a treaty with some tribes of Indians, and then returned home to Georgetown, Kentucky. There Mr. Crumbaugh lived a rough-and-tumble life for some years. In 1828 he moved to Elkhart Grove in Sangamon County, and on the sixth of March, 1830, he came to Buckles' Grove, McLean County, Illinois, where he has lived ever since. He was obliged to accustom himself to the western climate by a course of fever and ague, but it came at an unfortunate time. During the win- ter of 1830 and 31, which was the winter of the deep snow, he had fever and ague every third day and could not take care of his stock. He had eighty pigs at home and one hundred and fifty 552 OLD SETTLEKS OF bushels of corn at the Elkhart, but could not drive his pigs there nor bring his corn home, and many of his pigs died. But he succeeded in keeping his other stock on corn-fodder. Of course every settler has an individual experience to relate of the cold snap in the winter of 1836. When the ground was covered with a slush of water and snow, and the air was warm, the freezing wind came from the west and everything was made solid immediately. Mr. Crumbaugh says that Salt Creek was frozen across in one place where the willows were thick. The cold was so intense that the creek was frozen to the bottom, stopping the flow of water underneath. It then dammed up and began to flow over, but froze as it ran, and the dam of ice grew higher and higher, until it was five feet above the level of the creek. Air. Crumbaugh has had great difficulty with fire, as every old settler has. Tlfe grass grew taller than a man's head, and in the fall when it was dry the fires were terrible. Mr. Crumbaugh had a litte grove of cherry trees burned up by the fire. Daniel Crumbaugh is six feet and four inches in height. He has worked hard during his life-time and has fairly earned the home, which he has provided for his family. He is straightfor- ward and honest in his dealings in every particular, and expects other men to be straightforward and honest with him. He has paid close attention to his business and acquired a fair compe- tence. He has been twice married and has had fourteen children, ten of whom are now living. He is now too old to work, but lives a contented and happy life. He has a kind heart and good judgment. Daniel Crumbaugh married, in 1816, Miss Susan Winters, daughter of Jacob "Winters, of Scott County, Kentucky. By this marriage he had four children, two of whom are living. His children are : William Henry Crumbaugh, born May 30, 1817, lives in John- son County, Missouri. John Jacob Crumbaugh, born January 19, 1819, died in the Mexican war in 1847. He was in John Moore's regiment. Ann Margaret Crumbaugh, born December 2, 1820, is mar- ried to Thomas Wiley and lives in Moultrie County, Illinois, Susan Jane Crumbaugh, born July 19, 1823, died July 1, 1824. m'lean county. 553 Mrs. Crumbaugh died during the fall of 1828. In January, 1825, Mr. Crumbaugh married Miss Martha M. Robinson, of North Carolina. IShe died June 4, 1857. The chil- dren of this marriage are : Sarah E., born April 6, 1826, was married to "William Craig, and died April 6, 1857. Mary Catharine, born October 3, 1827, is married to Charles Cope and lives two miles south of her father's. Leonard Alexander Crumbaugh, born November 13, 1829, lives two miles east of his father's. James T. Crumbaugh, born January 24, 1832, lives three miles miles east of his father's. Daniel T. Crumbaugh, born January 24, 1832, (twin brother of James), lives two miles east of his father's. Emily Maria Crumbaugh, born May 1, 1834, lives in Johnson County, Missouri. Francis Marion Crumbaugh, born January 6, 1837, married Rebecca Riddle, daughter of Elijah and Mary Riddle. He lives at the homestead. Caroline T. Crumbaugh, born July 14, 1839, was married to Anthony Rogers, of Johnson County, Missouri. She died Feb- ruary 11, 1873. Martha Cary Crumbaugh, wife of George ~W. Bartlett, of Johnson County, Missouri, was born November 3, 1841. Nancy Turner Crumbaugh, wife of Anderson McConnell, lives one-half of a mile south of her father's. Sinah Guilford Crumbaugh was born June 4, 1848, was mar- ried to William Bartlett, and died March 11, 1869. James Henry Lyon Crumbaugh. James H. L. Crumbaugh was born May 1, 1826, in Hender- son County, Kentucky. His father was Henry Crumbaugh, whose sketch is given above, and his mother was Sarah Bal- dock. His father was of German descent, and his mother was of French and Irish stock. When James Crumbaugh was two years old his father moved to Springfield, Illinois, and afterwards to Elkhart Grove. There the family remained two years and then came to Buckles' Grove, where they have lived ever since. James Crumbaugh received his early education at the Claywater school, 554 OLD SETTLERS OF which was kept about one mile south of the present town of Leroy. He went four miles to school to receive instruction from William Johnson, who, when barred out, treated his scholars to whisky and made them intoxicated. Mr. Crumbaugh afterwards went to the first school in Leroy, and his wife attended the same. His teacher was 'Squire Lincoln, now living in Leroy. Mr. Crumbauffh tells an incident which occurred during the school days of Thomas Buckles, when they were both boys together. Buckles and some of his companions caught a blue-racer, tied a strip of bark around its neck, and proposed to lead it. At first the snake held back ; but soon it took a start and went after young Buckles. The latter ran at the top of his speed to get rid of the snake, and was clear out of breath before it occurred to him to let loose of the bark. In 1840 Mr. Crumbaugh had an opportunity to go to Chicago, which was then a town of thirty-five hundred people. Old Fort Dearborn, the block house and the palisades were still standing. Mr. Crumbaugh went on his first wolf hunt when he was only nine years of age. His father caught wolves in a pen with a lid to it. "When the wolf came to eat the bait placed there for him, it touched the trigger, which let down the log and held him in the pen. Mr. Crumbaugh has often chased wolves and caught them. When they are chased in the winter time, they take to the ice on the creeks and sloughs. Mr. Crumbaugh lias seen a wolf follow a slough in all its angles and turns and get quite away from the dogs, for it had longer claws and was lighter built. Mr. Crumbaugh married Amanda Melcena Buck, September 28, 1851. She is a daughter of 'Squire Hiram Buck, whose sketch appears in this volume. She was a school-mate of her husband in the days when they were young. After their mar- riage the} 7 lived with Henry Crumbaugh until 18-37, when they moved to the farm where they now reside, about three miles southwest of Leroy in Empire township. Mr. Crumbaugh is five feet and ten inches high. He is a man of great energy and gets up bright and early in the morning to attend to his business. He has been remarkably successful in life. He has had three children, all of whom are living. They are : M LEAN COUNTY. 555 Laura Elizabeth, born August 26, 1852, is married to William Scott Lafferty, and lives in Downs township. Edith May, born May 8, 1856, and Hiram Henry, born June 29, 1861, live at home. Silas Waters. Silas Waters was horn November 19, 1808, in Stafford Coun- ty, Virginia. His father, whose name was also Silas Waters, was of Scotch-Irish descent, and was born in Virginia. The maiden name of the mother of Silas Waters, jr., was Margaret Duffy. She was born in Maryland and was probably of Irish descent. En 1814 the family moved to Bourbon County, Kentucky. They went to Winchester, then came down the river in a fiat-boat to a place called Maceville, and from there went by team to Bourbon County, Kentucky. Here young Silas passed his days pleasantly. He had great sport in catching shad, herring and other fish, with which the waters of Kentucky abound. On the 12th of February, 1824, Silas Waters married Chris- tiana Conaway. He worked hard to support his family and lived for three years as a renter under slave-holding landlords ; but at last determined to come west. He went first to Rush County, Indiana, where he remained a year. In June, 1828, he came on horseback to Illinois and settled near Judgetown in Vermilion County. But, being still unsatisfied, he sold out in 1830, and on November 7th of that year came to Empire township, in what is now McLean County, Illinois. At that time the house of Wil- liam Bishop was the only one between Mr. Waters' and Bloom- ing Grove ; and on the road to Danville were only four houses. Deer, wolves and Indians were plenty. But the deep snow sent all of them away, except the wolves. The deer were frozen to death, and the Indians left because of the scarcity of game ; but the wolves remained. They lived through the winter on the frozen deer; but when the deer were no more, the wolves ac- quired a taste for mutton and seemed to relish it well. On the day before the heavy fall of snow in December, 1830, Mr. "Waters went to the old Murphy mill on theKickapoo, about fifteen miles from home, stayed there all night and started home the following morning by daybreak. When he passed the house of Jesse Funk, about sunrise, the snow began to fall. When he 556 OLD SETTLERS OF had gone about a mile and a half farther, he thought he would turn back, but was astonished to find that the heavy snow covered up the track behind him. He had no road or compass and was obliged to direct his course by the wind. He faced the storm and struck Buckles' Grove only a quarter of a mile from where he wished, and arrived home in safety. The snow fell thirty-three inches, while his oxen went ten miles as fast as they could be driven. The tall weeds were covered up, and as the eye was di- rected over the prairie, absolutely nothing could be seen, except the white snow. Mr. "Waters had no particular experience during the Black Hawk war. He went to Bloomington to see if he was drafted, but found that volunteers sufficient had gone. Mr. Waters has lived in Empire township ever since his set- tlement there, with the exception of two years (1852-3) which he spent in Farmer City as a merchant. Mr. "Waters first married Christiana Conaway, and by this marriage had six children, of whom four are living. They are : Chalton Differ Waters, born June 2, 1826, lives on the home- stead farm, one mile west of Leroy. John Thomas Waters, born August 22, 1827, lives one and a quarter miles northwest of Leroy. America Waters, born November 9, 1828, married Andrew Cummings of Farmer City. Nancy Waters, born January 30, 1831, married first Jeremiah Greenman, and sometime after his death was married to Hamp- ton Roach. She lives in Normal, and is a second time a widow. Sometime after the death of Mrs. Waters, Mr. Waters mar- ried Mrs. Mary Jane Karr, an English lady. Mr. Waters is five feet and ten inches in height, and rather stout in appearance. He seems Avell-formed, and walks erect. His hair is gray and thick on his head. His eyes are blue, and his complexion healthy and rather sanguine. He is very much respected by his neighbors. He thinks much of the old settlers, and would now prefer to live in a new country, or, at all events, would like the manners and good feeling of a new country. Mr. Waters has inherited a healthy constitution, as may be inferred from the fact that all of his eight brothers and sisters, who crossed the Allegheny Mountains in 1814, are living. He was Associate m"lean county. 557 Judge of McLean County, while Judge McChui was in office. Mr. Waters has been a member of the Methodist Church since 1825, and has held nearly every position in the church which is given to a layman. James Bishop. James Bishop was born in Fauquier County, Virginia, April 3, 1806. The Bishops, from whom he was descended, came to the American colonies from England with William Penn. They were members of the Society of Friends. In the fall of 1809 the Bishop family moved to that part of the territory of Ohio, which is now called Clark County. During the war of 1812, a part of General Shelby's army camped near where the Bishops lived. All of the boys and young men above the age of fifteen were taken into the army. Only a few children and women and Revolutionary soldiers were left to protect the neighborhood. When the war broke out, many persons were suspicious and fearful of the Indians and mistrusted them. A council of the Indians was called, to which the whites were in- vited, but many" were afraid to attend. Tecumseh, the great chief, contemptuously called those who were afraid, " big babies," and the name clung to them for many years. Tecumseh was a remarkably fine-looking man, a splendid chief, and was possessed of a great deal of natural dignity. He had a lively sense of honor and the whites had great confidence in his word. Some of the Indians favored the whites and were spies for them. Among these were Logan, Captain John, and another whose name Mr. Bishop does not recall. But some of the whites were afraid that these Indians were not really acting in good faith, so the latter determined to show their good faith by bringing in some scalps of their enemies. They went out on an expedition for this pur- pose, but unluckily were themselves surprised and captured. But when captured, they pretended friendship to the opposite party, and were allowed the use of their weapons. When the three captive Indians found a favorable opportunity, they each shot down one of their captors, and grasped their knives and rushed upon three others. They succeeded in killing their captors, but Logan was so badly injured that after his return he died of his wounds. Just before his death he burst out laughing, and, when 558 OLD SETTLERS OF asked the reason, said he remembered the fight and laughed to see Captain John ride that big Indian. • lames Bishop went to school in Ohio. There he assisted in barring out the schoolmaster on Christmas days, as this was the common practice. At one time they barred out the schoolmaster and, after a long and severe contest, baptized him in a spring. The schoolmaster afterwards brought suit and recovered ten dol- lars apiece from four of the hoys, who took a prominent part in this transaction. At one time they had a schoolmaster named Peleg Whitridge, who rather got the start of them. He climbed < in the roof, covered the chimney and smoked out the scholars. After that they provided themselves with poles to push off the obstruction, when the schoolmaster covered the chimney. James Bishop came West in May, 1831, the spring after the deep snow. He came first to Lafayette, Indiana, then went to Fort Clark (now Peoria) and to Pekin, then down to the Missis- sippi bottom, where he bought cattle, and finally returned to Ohio. He came back every year until 1837, when he was mar- ried, and that, of course, settled him. Mr. Bishop has often had wolf hunts. At t>ne time he ran down a wolf and tried to capture it alive as it held down its head so piteously ; but when he tried to take hold of it the treacherous animal sprang at him and attempted to bite. Mr. Bishop killed it with his stirrup, and never again felt merciful towards a wolf. The fountains of his sympathy ran completely dry. He had great difficulty in protecting his little pigs from the wolves. The latter would come up and steal the pigs, even though the pen was fairly against the house. One morning, when about to rise, he heard an ominous squeal, and he knew what it meant, He ran out without waging to dress, and saw a vicious wolf dragging off one of his darling- pigs by the ear. He prided himself on his speed as a foot-racer, and he went after that wolf across the field, through the corn- stalks and over a fence. When the wolf came to the second fence, it saw that Mr. Bishop, scantily dressed as he was, traveled rather too swiftly, and it dropped the pig, which Mr. Bishop car- ried home in triumph. When the race was ended Mr. Bishop noticed for the first time that the rough cornstalks had bruised the cuticle on his legs so much that the blood was streaming m'lean county. 559 down ; but bis joy at the recovery of the pig was s<» greal thai he cared little for bruises. Tbe settlers all over the country were annoyed very much by ibis same troublesome wolf, and were anxious to catch him. Joshua Hale bad a large dog, called Rover, big enough to pick up a wolf and run off withit. Joshua was always bragging of bis dog, and said if only Rover could get bold of that wolf, it would be tbe last of him. Tbe settlers all turned out o.n horseback to bunt the troublesome wolf, and finally cornered him in a fence and sent one of their number for Joshua Kale and Rover. Tbe dog came up on tbe opposite side ; tbe settlers let out tbe wolf and Hale said : "Seek him, Rover!" and it -would be supposed that Rover killed that wolf in fine style. Nothing of tbe kind; tbe big dog put bis tail be- tween bis legs and ran for home with the little wolf after him, and the disappointed settlers after them both ; tbe big dog- ran into tbe bouse and upset tbe baby's cradle, but tbe wolf ran past the door into the brush and escaped. Then those settlers were "wrathy," and were going to kill the dog then and there; but Joshua Hale turned towards them, and his eyes were tilled with tears as he puckered up bis mouth and said : "Boys, Rover never saw a wolf before. ISTow, 'spose you was in an Injin country and bad never seen an Injin before, and should suddenly see an Injin coming at you for tbe first time, wouldn't you run to a place of safety, wher' you know'd you'd be safe?" It was impossible to resist such a plea, and the hunters agreed that under such cir- cumstances they would "run to a place of safety, wher' they know'd they'd be safe." Tbe settlers often had difficulty with prairie tires. At one time James Bishop and bis brother Malon were obliged to get into a creek to escape from a fire that came rolling over the prairie. At another time he was driving some cattle across the prairie when a fire overtook him. He drove his horse directly through it, and came out safe, though somewhat burnt. His cat- tle tried to run away from the fire, but it swept over them and left them scattered and crazy, with their eyebrows and hair and the brushes of their tails burnt off. He collected them together, and none were lost. The town of Leroy was laid out by Samuel Durley and Mer- ritt Covel. Tbev wished to lay it out at Buckles' Grove on land 560 OLD SETTLERS OF belonging to James Bishop, but Malon Bishop opposed it, and said he did not wish to live in a town, and it was finally located about half a mile from the grove. A great many funny stories are told of James Bishop, and one of the best is a story relating to a vicious bull. While taking items for the sketches in this volume, the author was repeatedly asked if he had heard this famous story, and it was told with many variations. It seems that* Mr. Bishop once purchased a fine bull and put it in his pasture. It was a very tame, inoffen- sive animal ; but some ill-disposed persons were accustomed to tease it, and it became vicious and^dangerous, and Mr. Bishop's men were afraid to enter the pasture and bring up his cows. This made Mr. Bishop angry, and he protested that the animal was perfectly inoffensive. His men told him to try the animal himself, and he said: "come on." He walked into the pasture, while the men stood outside to see the fun. He walked up to the animal boldly and confidently, but, contrary to his expectations, when it saw him it elevated its tail, put down its head, uttered a bellow and started for him. He was too close to retreat, so he set up a bellow, which perfectly astonished the bull. It stopped,, looked around, pawed the ground and appeared bewildered. At last, by a sudden flank movement, Bishop managed to get the animal by the tail, and it started to run. They went back and forth across the pasture, crosswise, lengthwise and cornerwise, while the men outside gave both parties encouraging words. The fierce animal at last became exhausted and gave up ; and that is the story of Bishop and the bull. James Bishop is a little less than the medium stature. His eyes are small, dark and expressive of fun. Humorous ideas come to him as naturally as his breath. He is slightly bent with age, but tough and hardy. He is lightly built, but very sinewy, and wonderfully quick. He seems at times careless and uncon- scious of danger, but whenever he gets into difficulty his resolu- tion and his marvelously quick motions bring him safely out. He has accumulated a fortune by farming and buying and selling cattle, and is reputed the wealthiest man in Empire township. James Bishop married Margaret Cannaday, March 9, 1837. He has had five children, all of whom are living. They are : Caroline, born June 26, 1838, Avife of Thomas Campbell, of Old Town timber. m'lean cor nt v. 561 John Allen Bishop, born May 3, 1840, lives one half a mile west of his father's. Emily, born August 30, 1843, is the widow of William Evans. Rachel, wife of Nathaniel Beckman, was born Mny 23, 1846, and lives four miles southeast of her father's. James Quitman Bishop is married and lives at home. He was born November 24, 1848, the day when General Scott took the City of Mexico and made General Quitman the Governor therof. Thomas Jefferson Barnett. T. J. Barnett was born January 22, 1818, in Bourbon County, Kentucky. His father's name was Moses Barnett, and his moth- er's name before her marriage was Catherine Ellis. His parents were of English and German descent. In April, 1832, the family came to Illinois. They came by steamboat from Maysville down the Ohio River and up the Wa- bash to Filson's, near the town of Newport, Indiana. There the family were met by an elder brother of T. J. Barnett, and were transported by an ox-team to McLean County, Illinois, to the present township of Empire, within two miles of where Leroy now stands. Mr. Barnett there worked as a farmer, at which he continued until 1852, when he went into mercantile business. He has been a merchant ever since and has succeeded well. Mr. Barnett drove stock to Chicago, when that city was sim- ply a trading post of French and Indians. He has also driven stock to Wisconsin. He was in Chicago when the Indians were paid off, and there saw great quantities of hard money. The Indi- ans seemed to be very careless with their money, and one of them carried around a pail-full as indifferently as if it were molasses. Mr. Barnett found quite a number of coins in the sand. The Indians were many of them intoxicated, as the} 7 usually are, when they can obtain " fire water." One of the party, with whom Mr. Barnett was walking, placed a barrel over an intoxicated squaw, who was sitting in the sand. She appreciated the favor and said "good chemokoman" (good whiteman). She wanted to enjoy her goodnatos (whisky) in peace. Mr. Barnett went out on Fox River and broke prairie for the emigrants as they came in. There 36 5(32 OLD SETTLERS OF he saw many Indians, and his opinion of them was not favorable. He did not feel the charm of romance coming over him, as he gazed upon the "children of the forest;" on the contrary, he considered them a "dirty, nasty set," who never invested money in boot-blacking or toilet soap. They are incorrigibly lazy, but can hunt and fish and have some very pretty ponies. But that which provoked Mr. Barnett most particularly was the disposi- tion of the Indians to steal. When Mr. Barnett went up to Fox River, the party, in whose company he traveled, crossed the Illi- nois River on a ferry-boat. When a part of their teams were across, the remainder stood unprotected on the southern hank waiting for the return of the boat. While the teams were stand- ing unprotected, the Indians came up and took out of the wagons a lot of bacon and provisions, before the eyes of the angry drivers on the opposite bank. The redskins ran off with their plunder, and it was of no use to chase them. He remembers one other provoking incident. While he was ploughing on Fox River, some Indians came to him, riding their ponies on the keen run, and whooping with their loudest voices. They frightened his oxen out of the furrow, and this so angered him that he hit one of them on the bare back with his ox- whip, with such force that it brought the blood, and they left him. Mr. Barnett often visited the Indians and saw their curious performances. Their wigwams were thick on Fox River, after the Indians had left the other parts of the State. lie saw one tribe (the Ivickapoos, he thinks) bury a corpse and go through the ceremony of whipping a ball in various directions. This was called whipping the devil away. Mr. Barnett sometimes ran races with the Indians, but was un- fortunately beaten. This, however, was not the cause of his aversion to the redskins. Mr. Barnett remembers clearly the first deer he ever killed, as most hunters do. He borrowed a gun of his uncle and walked five miles to get it. His uncle directed him to shoot the deer just behind the shoulders. While hunting through the woods a large, fine buck jumped up and stood within fifty or sixty steps in front of him. He carefully took a rest on a large log, took aim behind the shoulder and fired. The deer went tearing through the brush with the blood flowing on both sides. After running a short distance it fell, and the youthful hunter took out his m'lean county. 563 butcher-knife to bleed it, when he saw that the bullet had cut the deer's throat, passing through both veins. In taking aim lie had been affected with the "buck ague," bu1 his wild aim was better than the one he intended. He never again had the " buck ague." Mr. Barnett has had great sport in chasing Wolves and hunting turkeys. lie chased one wolf twenty miles. He hunted deer with ahorse, sharp shod, upon the ice, after the sudden change, which occurred in December, 1836. When the deer sprang upon the ice, their feet slipped from under them and stretched out in all directions. Mr. Barnett took some observations concerning the price of land, and says that before the land came into market the claims would frequently sell for more than the land would bring after it was pre-empted. Mr. Barnett appreciates a joke, and particularly enjoys one on James Bishop. He says that Mr. Bishop was occasionally a little absent minded. The latter once attended a dance and neglected to remove the enormous spurs, which he had worn while driving cattle, and they created much merriment as he went hopping over the floor. He says that Mr. Bishop was afflicted with a slight impediment in his speech, and that he once met a stranger, simi- larly affected, who was riding on a load of corn. Mr. Bishop wished to buy cattle, and, in their conversation, each thought himself mimicked by the other and they came to blows ! Mr. Barnett is rather above the average stature and somewhat slim. His countenance is rather pale, but is full of intelligence. His features are prominent, and his general appearance is that of a successful merchant. He has the reputation of being a most excellent man of business, and seems to understand it thoroughly. He is a man, who prefers not to interfere in the affairs of his neighbors, thinking his own business sufficient to occupy his attention. In politics he was an " old line" Whig, and after- wards a Republican, and has always taken a lively interest in Buch matters, though he has never held an office or been a seeker for one. Mr. Barnett married, February 18, 1845, Miss Emeline Gibhs. This lady is a graduate from Oberlin College. They have had six children, five of whom are living. They are : 564 OLD SETTLERS OF Alice, wife of John S. Young, born August 19, 1846, lives at Leroy. Emma, wife of Denton Young, born July 1, 1848, lives at Leroy. Orwin Barnett, born June 21, 1851, died December, 30, 1852. Orrin Barnett, born October 13, 1853, lives at home. He is a remarkably fine musician. Lewra Barnett, born May 16, 1856, is married to William Brown, and lives at Leroy. George Barnett, born July 17, 1858, lives at home. Abram Buckles. Abram Buckles was born June 28, 1800, in Holston County, Virginia. He was one of eleven children, having seven brothers and three sisters. His father was raised in Virginia. They moved to White County, Illinois, in about the year 1810. When they started on their journey, they went first to the Clinch River fifty or sixty miles distant, and there took a keel-boat, Mr. Buckles, sr., who was an old boatman, acting as his own pilot. They came down the Tennessee, into which the Clinch River flows, and over the Muscle Shoals. It was the custom to employ the Indians as pilots over these shoals, but Mr. Buckles employed himself. They came up the Ohio River and the Wabash to what is now White County. Here they found a pretty good country for farming ; but the fever and ague lurked behind every stump, and it required three years to become seasoned to the climate. Mr. Buckles was so discouraged that he sold out everything and started to return to Virginia, but after going fifteen miles through Indiana he stopped, changed his mind, went to work for a man named Livingston, raised a crop, and in the fall returned to White County, Illinois. During the war of 1812, the settlers felt themselves in a dan- gerous situation on the frontier, and much of the time were col- lected in forts. Abram Buckles helped to build a fort in White County, and the family sometimes lived in it when signs of Indi- ans became alarming. Mr. Buckles, sr., belonged to the rangers. From sixty to a hundred scouts were kept out all the time. Abram Buckles, then a lad, clearly remembers the gathering of the Indians as they passed by on their way to Tippecanoe. They m'lean county. 565 then professed warm friendship for the whites, and did not attempt to molest the settlers. One of the squaws cured Mr. Buckles, sr., of rheumatism in the arm, and it was, indeed, a very remarkable cure, though it required six days to bring it about. The Indians passed on to Tippecanoe, and there their professions of friendship were changed into active hostilities. The battle began at daybreak, and was fought with the greatest fury: but the Indians were at last defeated, and this broke their power during the remainder of the contest. It was the successful management of the forces of the whites in this battle, which made General Harrison president of the United States. In 18l9, Mr. Buckles married Miss Mary Williams. He has five sons and five daughters living. In 1832 he came with his family to Buckles' Grove. His experience in the West has been somewhat varied. He has occa- sionally done a little hunting, as all the old settlers have. He has had some fun while chasing wolves and running them down. This sport is not at all dangerous on account of the wolves, but in the excitement the horses were sometimes liable to stumble and fall. The wolves, when caught, were usually killed with a stirrup. He chased one wolf fifteen miles before catching it. Abram Buckles may almost be said to have inherited a love for hunting wolves. His father Jmnted them in Virginia. At one time the old gentleman caught a wolf in a pen and put a bell around its neck, in order that people might know when wolves were around. The wolf cautiously kept still, in the daytime, but at night his bell was often heard. Nevertheless, this did not pre- vent the ravages of the wolves among the sheep and pigs; the latter disappeared quite as often as before, and the next time the wolf fell into the trap he was killed. Mr. Buckles has often had trouble with prairie fires which burned stacks and fences. His brother Peter once had a lively time while crossing the prairie with an ox-team and wagon, in which was his wife. He saw the blaze coining at a great distance, and immediately jumped from his wagon and fired his gun through the dry grass. It blazed up quickly and soon a burnt place was made upon which he drove his oxen, and he managed to hold them until the fire passed on. The heat was terrible, and seemed almost unbearable, for the hot air passes ahead of the fire 566 OLD SETTLERS OF for some distance. His wife covered herself up in the blankets and suffered little. Abram Buckles tells of a party of bee-lmnters who came up from Sangamon County in search of honey. They were quite successful and started on their return. When they had gone a few miles south of where Bloomington now stands, one of the hunters started a tire for the fun of seeing it burn. It came on them closer and closer, until they started up their team ; then it went faster and faster, until they jumped from the wagon into the creek to save themselves. Their wagon and load of honey were burnt; and this was the result of building a fire "for the run of it," Mr. Buckles' experience with the sudden change in the weather in December, 1836, is this. He was husking corn about a mile from the house on that mild winter's day, when the ground was covered with water and snow. The west wind came, and he hastened home, but long' before he arrived there the frozen slush bore his weight, He tells of a terrible event connected with this sudden change. A man, whose name, he thinks, was McHildreth, and his companion, were returning on horseback from the East, where they had been selling cattle, and were within a few miles of the Little Vermilion (-reek, when the west wind struck them. They hastened to the creek, but it was high and filled with moving ice. The nearest dwelling on their side of the creek was twelve miles distant, and they had their choice to wait for the creek to freeze over or ride twelve miles. On the opposite side they asked a man to cut down a tree to let them across, but he refused, because of the cold, or in order to get their money when they should freeze. He directed them to a grove about four miles distant, where he said they would find a house, but no house was there. At last they determined to kill their horses, cut them open, crawl into them and keep warm. Mr. McHildreth struck at his horse's throat with his knife, but the animal drew up quickly, jerked away and disappeared. His companion killed the other horse, cut it Open and crawled in, but instead of keeping warm was frozen to death. Mr. McHildreth remained by the creek until it was frozen over, when he crossed it and found assistance, but his hands and feet were frozen, and his fingers and toes afterwards dropped off. We have heard this incident related by several other settlers. m"li:\x county. 567 Tlie stories and incidents related of this sudden change are never ending, and are more curious and strange even than those of the deep snow. Mr. Buckles attended the land sales in 1835, at Vandalia. At these sales no speculator was allowed to come near, until the settlers had attended to their claims and bid off their lands. The first camp-rmeeting in Empire township was held in 1835 or '36, on Dickerson's farm, about a mile from where Leroy now is. Mr. Buckles was absent at the time, but his recollection of the matter is made lively by the fact that his oxen were taken to haul wood, and in felling a tree one of them was killed. Mr. Buckles has taken some interest in politics, has always been a Democrat, and kept himself informed on the current topics of the day. He says that one of the most exciting questions of old days was the one relating to the Mormons. The excitement was highest in 1841, '42 and '43. The Mormons sent out preachers to make converts, and the people could examine into the beauties of the Mormon faith. Mr. Buckles listened to one preacher, who told of a terrible contest which would one day come, but was very indefinite as to the nature of the grand affair, or who the parties to it were ; nevertheless, he was successful in making an impression on some ignorant people. Abrain Buckles is rather a tall man and quite fleshy. He always wears a smile, and is ever ready with an old-fashioned welcome. He is a very quiet man, but decided in his views. His disposition is pretty well shown by a circumstance which hap- pened during the late campaign, when Horace Greeley and Gene- ral Grant were candidates for the presidency. Mr. Buckles' friends wished him to go for Mr. Greeley, and reasoned the mat- ter again and again. At one time two gentlemen, who were particularly enthusiastic, talked to Mr. Buckles for an hour or more, and explained to him the 'whole situation. He listened to them without a word of opposition, and with a kind smile on his countenance, and finally they asked him if the matter was not plain. "Yes," said Mr. Buckles, " it is plain that he is the same old Horace !" 568 old settlers of James Kimler. James Kimler was born August 16, 1811, in Loudon County, Virginia. He is of German and Welch descent. In 1813 the family went to Kentucky, and in 1823 they came to Crawfords- ville, Montgomery County, Indiana. During the year previous he went with his father on a visit to Indiana, and in 1823 the family moved there to settle. In those days the militia were obliged to turn out to muster. James Kimler remembers one circumstance, which happened when his brother Richard was riding to muster on a fractious horse. Just before reaching a creek, the party with whom he was riding began to beat the drum and make music, and Richard's horse took fright and pitched the young man into the creek. At that time a wild root, called ginseng, was in great de- mand, and people hunted for it through the woods, and many made their living by digging it. It was very useful for medical purposes. On Deer Creek, about fifty miles from Crawfords- ville, was a ginseng factory for drying and preparing this root for use. It was bought at the factory for six cents per pound. At one time Mr. Kimler went on an expedition for hunting gin- seng. The party went up to nearly the mouth of Eel River, which was then a wild Indian country. Many curious incidents occurred on their journey. They started about the first of Sep- tember, and went to Wildcat Creek. There they found a fish trap, where a wagon-load of fish was caught in a single night. This trap was arranged at the fall of the stream, and when the fish went over the fall they could not return ; neither could they go forward, for some stakes were placed below to stop them, though the water flowed through. The party went up to the Wabash. One evening when they went to water their horses, they began to sink in quicksand. All turned around and went out except an uncle of James'. The old gentleman was deeply in the quicksand, and saw that an attempt to turn around would sink his horse so deep as to make it impossible to get out. He therefore went ahead into the river, and his horse swam around in the water and came back safely. The old gentleman could not swim, but said he knew "Old Charley" would bring him out. The party went up near the battle grouud of Tippecanoe m'lban county. 569 and visited the graves of the dead, and then came home with very little ginseng, but with some experience. The Kimler family came to Bloomington, McLean County, Illinois, during the winter of 1832. In 1833 James was advised by his uncle to enter the little grove where Thomas Orendorff now lives, but James had an idea that all the fine land and pretty spots had been entered before, and he therefore started with James K., Benjamin and Alfred Orendorff to Milwaukee, Wis- consin. There he did pretty well, and took up some valuable claims. They started on this trip in January, 1836, when the weather was extremely cold. Towards evening of the second day's travel they sent James Orendorff ahead with their only horse to a house to order supper. When they came to the house they found Orendorff fencing up the road. He said nobody lived there and no road should lead there ! When they reached Chicago they tried to buy each of them a blanket, but not one was to be found. The place was too poor to afford even a blanket. They suffered much with cold, but went on to Milwaukee and there lived through the remainder of the winter with the brother of Alfred Orendorff. In the spring they found half a dozen bee- trees, out of which they obtained a barrel of strained honey, and lived sweetly during the remainder of their stay in Wisconsin. In May of that spring a man named Finch was burning lime near Milwaukee. It was made of blue limestone, which cracks when burnt and makes reports, which sound like the firing of guns. About this time a certain Mr. Scott killed an Indian in the streets in Milwaukee, and great fear was apprehended lest the Indians should attack the place. The three bachelors were waked up on one Sunday morning by a loud popping and thought the Indians were making the attack, but the sounds proved to be the explosions at Finch's lime-kiln. In the summer William Orendorff came up from Blooming- ton to make his sons a visit and to look at the country. The whole party then started on an excursion westward, intending to go as far as Rock River. They camped one night on the Mc- Quonego River, not far from where a certain Mr. Cox lived. During one moonlight night they were awakened by a great upr roar under the wagon, and found it was a gray wolf fighting Cox's dog. They chased the wolf over a precipice and one of 570 OLD SETTLERS OF them excitedly went over with it. They surrounded it with cluhs and killed it. Mr. Kimler returned after four or five years. On the 28th of January, 1838, he married Miss Cassandra Jane Clearwater, of Leroy. In February of that year he went back to Milwaukee with two ox-teams, but returned in 1840 for the health of his wife. He has lived near Leroy ever since, and has been a very successful farmer. James Kimler is somewhat less than the usual stature. He is strongly and solidly made, and can bear a great deal of hard work. He is a very safe man in the disposition and control of his property. His neighbors have great confidence in his word and judgment. He has had seven children. They are ; Mary Jane Kimler was born November 10, 1838. She was first married to William Ross. During the war he enlisted in the Second Illinois Cavalry and was killed at the battle of Boli- var in Tennessee. Two sons were born by this marriage and live with their grandparents. They are : James Leander and John Orlando Ross. Mrs. Ross afterwards married Louis Stout, and now lives at Downer's Grove, near Chicago. Elizabeth Ann Kimler, born May 18, 1840, died in October, 1843. Martha Ellen, wife of Joseph Neal, born August 24, 1842, lives in Farmer City. Harriet Barthena, wife of James L. Silvers, born February 13, 1845, lives in Farmer City. Sarah Cassandra, wife of Preston Bishop, born December 17, 1847, lives four miles southeast of her parents. Elizabeth Ann, wife of John Lore, born March 23, 1850, lives at the head of Old Town timber. Caroline Kimler, born May 20, 1853, lives with her parents. Hiram Buck. Hiram Buck, usually known as 'Squire Buck, was born March 20, 1801, in Seneca County, New York. His father, William S. Buck, was a soldier of the Revolution. He volun- teered at the age of fifteen, and aasisted at the capture of Gen- eral Cornwallis at Yorktown. Hiram Buck received his common school education in Seneca County, where he was born. He re- m'lean county. f>71 members very clearly the war-of 1812, as three of his brothers were soldiers in it. One of his brothers, Sherman Buck, was captured at Queenstown Heights, where our army wns com- manded by General Van Renssellaer. General Winfield Scott, then a lieutenant, was captured there. The raw recruits were frightened at the sight of the wounded at the opening of the battle and were afraid to cross the river to the support of those who had captured the heights. Another brother, James Buck, helped to bury tho dead after the burning of Buffalo. The third brother, William Buck, helped to demolish Fort Erie before its evacuation by our troops. In 1818 the Buck family moved to North Bend, Hamilton County, Ohio. The journey was made from Seneca County to the head waters of the Allegheny River on sleds. At Olean Point they took a covered flat-boat about ten feet long and thirty feet wide, and started down the river. They began their journey on the water on the 13th of April, and floated nine hundred miles down to Cincinnati, where they landed on the 1st of May. During a part of their journey they lashed their boat to a raft, but at a place called Dead Man's Island the raft was staved to pieces and the boat cut loose from it. They landed at Cincin- nati and went from there to North Bend, where General Harrison lived. The General was a very popular man and was almost worshipped by his neighbors. He was a very wealthy man and kind-hearted and benevolent, but had a high temper, and was sharp spoken when provoked. Mr. Buck taught school for five winters in the southern part of the county at the mouth of the Miami River. When he went there he expected a hard time in managing the scholars, for their previous teachers had been driven out of school for two winters. But fortunately Mr. Buck attended a corn-husking previous to entering the school and wrestled with the leader of the insur- gent scholars and threw him. The young man's arm was unfor- tunately broken in the fall, and Mr. Buck regretted this very much, but the school was at peace that winter. This was in 1823. He kept the school for six months. In 1825-6 Mr. Buck was a flatboatman on the Ohio and Mis- sissippi Rivers. His flat-boat was loaded with cattle, pork and corn, which he took down to. New Orleans. This life on the 572 OLD SETTLERS OF water was hard and adventurous.- In the latter part of January, 1825, his flat-boat was jammed into the ice about eighteen miles above Louisville, and remained there twenty-six days, being left high and dry by the falling water. But during the latter part of February the water rose and took them off. In 1826 Mr. Buck moved to Switzerland County, Indiana. Mr. Buck married, April 4, 1827, in Hamilton County, Ohio, Mercy Karr, the j-oungest child in the family of Captain John Karr. John Karr had served in the Revolutionary war as a captain in Wayne's Legion, and had fought in many battles. In accordance with a queer statute of Ohio, Mr. Buck was ob- liged to give security for his wife's maintenance. His brother- in-law was married about the same time, and the two happy bridegrooms went security for each other. In 1833 Mr. Buck came to McLean County, Illinois, to Ran- dolph's Grove, just east of the present town of Heyworth. The journey was quite interesting. He went from Cincinnati to St. Louis and there changed boat for Pekin, but could only go up as far as Beardstown, for there they grounded on a bar. He left his family there and came to Bloomington on horseback to find teams to bring them across the prairie. During the latter part of his journey he made the acquaintance of Isaac Funk, who showed the road, and traveled more than a quarter of a mile out on the prairie to point the way. He went back to Beardstown with two teams and brought his family. This was in the fore part of April, when the country was so dry that the horses could hardly wet their feet in traveling the whole distance. The season was dry until June, when a freshet came, and everything was flooded. The people on the way seldom thought of charging anything for their trouble in entertaining the travelers, and Mr. Buck's bills for meals and lodging during their journey from Beardstown to Randolph's Grove amounted to only three bits. The people said : "We were strangers once, and we ourselves once needed accommodation." Mr. Buck's family lived for a while in a cabin just east of 'Squire Campbell Wakefield's house. Mr. Buck tells some curious things connected with the sud- den change of the weather in December, 1836. He had been to the house of a neighbor, and when the cold wind came threw a m'lean county. 573 wet overcoat on his shoulders and started for home. ' When the cold wind struck him, it blew out his overcoat and froze it im- mediately in the shape it took when extended. "When he arrived home, he had difficulty in pulling his coat through the door. This great wind-storm came from the west to the Mississippi River at about ten o'clock a. m., came to Leroy about three p. M., and reached Indianapolis at about eleven p. m. It will thus be seen that it moved from the Mississippi River to Leroy at about the rate of thirty miles an hour, and from Leroy to Indi- anapolis at about the rate of twenty miles an hour. In 1837 Mr. Buck went to Leroy and there opened a hotel. The usual price for supper, lodging and breakfast, for man and horse, was half a dollar, but this came near breaking the land- lord. In 1835 Mr. Buck was County Surveyor and helped to lay out Waynesville, Lytleville, Mt. Pleasant (now Farmer City) and an addition to Leroy. He was busy surveying for two or three years. He was postmaster at Leroy from 1838 to 1844 under Postmaster General Amos Kendall. In 1839 he was elected justice of the peace, which office he held for eighteen years al- most continuously. He was elected County Commissioner in 1851 and held his office until the township organization in 1858. Mr. Buck is rather less than the medium stature. His coun- tenance shows the effect of age, though he is still strong and in good health. The lines on his face seem to show resolution, hon- esty and sound judgment. He is a humorous man and sometimes slightly eccentric. He says he has been a subscriber to the Star of the West for forty-six years and always paid his subscription. He has received two presents for being one of the oldest subscri- bers. He has lived all this time with one woman, without a divorce ! He says he has never laid a claim against a deceased person's estate. For fifty-six successive years he has been a hand in the harvest field, and can work again quite as well. He takes a great interest in educational matters, and last winter was commissioned by the Governor of the State as Trustee from the Eighth Congressional District, of Lombard University. He has had six children, five of whom are living. They are : Amanda Melcina, wife of James H. L. Crumbaugh, lives three-quarters of a mile south of her father's. She was born July 10, 1828. 574 OLD SETTLERS OF Thomas* Lee Buck, born October 23, 1831, lives a half mile south of his parents. Elizabeth Rebecca, born February 21, 1834, died February 13, 1837. Martha Ellen, wife of John McConnell, born December 14, 1838, lives two miles west of her parents. Nancy Joanna, born February 19, 1843, wife of Isaac Frank- lin Dawson, lives at home. Charles Albert Buck, born August 19, 1849, lives at home. He attends Lombard University and intends to study law. He is a young man of good promise. Hon. Malon Bishop. Malon Bishop was born December 25, 1810, in Clark County, Ohio. His ancestors were Virginians. His father was a well educated and plain-spoken man, and insisted in spelling his son's name Malon, leaving out the "h." Malon Bishop was raised a farmer, and early accustomed himself to work. He ob- tained his early education at a common school. He was a good scholar and behaved himself well. It was the custom in those days in Ohio to bar out the teacher on Christmas days ; this was the fashion, and of course Malon Bishop used to follow the fashion. On the twenty-third of March, 1831, Mr. Bishop married Catharine J. Foley. He has had a family of eight children, four of whom are living, two boys and two girls. After living for a while in Clark County, and afterwards in Champaign, Mr. Bishop started for the Far West. He came to Old Town timber in the fall of 1834, and in the following spring moved to Buckles' Grove, now Empire township. His land had been entered during the previous Januarj\ In September, 1835, Mr. Bishop attended the land sales ; there the settlers formed lines to keep every one from coming near until they had bought what land they] wished ; the remainder was left for specu- lators. In June, 1835, Mr. Bishop had the roof of his house carried away by a hurricane, at midnight, and the rain came pouring in. His wife was sick at the time and delirious, and it was not until the next morning that reason returned to her. Then she looked m'lean county. 575 -up from her bed and saw the blue sky above her and everything wet with the rain and she almost questioned whether reason had indeed returned. The roof was soon replaced and Mr. Bishop, who had been somewhat depressed, again took courage. Mr. Bishop has occasionally held office. In 1837 he was elect- ed justice of the peace, and in 1842 he was sent to the legisla- ture. During the latter year the Whigs first nominated Matthew Robb and afterwards James Miller, and the Democratic central committee put up Malon Bishop. The latter was very active in the work of electioneering and was voted for by many Whigs and elected as an honest farmer rather than as the nominee of a party. The country was then in a desperate condition; the banks had failed and many thought the legislature responsible for the sad situation. Mr. Bishop, when elected, felt himself in a very trying position ; everything was expected of him and he was supposed to be able to accomplish impossibilities. Political mat- ters were still further confused by the Mormon question and the Mormon war. The country was infested with horse-thieves, counterfeiters, burglars and murderers, and they made their headquarters at Nauvoo, the Mormon capital. The people were terribly excited and thought the Mormons should be driven out of the country. Great depredations were committed by the Danite band and it is supposed that Governor Boggs of Missouri 'was shot and severely wounded by them. A requisition was made upon Governor Ford for Joe Smith and Hiram Smith, but these leaders of the Mormon church could not he found until Ford offered a reward for them. When this was done they im- mediately gave themselves up and claimed the reward of their own capture. They were finally examined, but it appeared that they had not been out of the State of Illinois and certainly did not personally assist in the shooting. The Mormons were so ter- rified by the threats of the settlers that they began arming for defense ; but this only stirred up the settlers the more. Gov- ernor Ford called out the militia to keep the people quiet, and to one company was assigned the duty of guarding Joe Smith and Hiram Smith; but instead of guarding them, the company allowed them to be killed at Carthage by a lot of desperate men who wished to exterminate them all. At last the Mormons agreed to leave the country and prepared to do so; but the set- 576 OLD SETTLERS OF tiers became impatient and arose in arms and drove them off. All of these troubles increased the difficulties of the legislature; and the responsibilities which Malon Bishop felt resting upon him were indeed hard to bear. At that important session the State Bank of Illinois at Springfield and the Bank of the State of Illinois at Shawneetown were put in liquidation, and these two rotten corporations, which issued so much worthless money and assisted so much to bring financial ruin, were forever closed. The Illinois and Michigan canal also gave much troubleto this overburdened legislature. The canal required $1,600,000 to com- plete it, but this amount was finally raised and the work done. It was this legislature, which should live in history, that pre- vented the State of Illinois from repudiating its bonds, and gave them ever afterwards a firm standing in the money markets of the world. Never before in the history of the State was so much expected of a legislature, and never before were expecta- tions so perfectly realized. It may be indeed a matter of pride to Mr. Bishop to have belonged to this public body which did itself and the State so much honor. Mr. Bishop tells of a queer incident which happened while he was in Springfield during the session. The State of Illinois received three per cent, of all the sales of public lands, and its money, which was kept at St. Louis, increased to thirty-seven thousand dollars. The legislature au- thorized James Shields, the state auditor, to go to St. Louis, buy a safe, and bring the money to Springfield. He took a two-horse covered wagon and an Irishman as a guard, went to St. Louis, bought a safe, locked the money in it, put it in his wagon and came to Springfield. The legislature adjourned to meet him. He and his Irishman came following the wagon and carrying their muskets through the mud until they arrived at the portico of the State House. Here Shields gave the order to "ground arms," and he and his Irishman "grounded arms," while the members of the legislature unloaded the wagon. Shields was very tired and did not become rested for several days. The members of this legislature received for their pay three hundred and ninety-two dollars in depreciated money, certificates of bank indebtedness and auditor's warrants. They used their auditor's warrants for taxes and sold their certificates of bank indebtedness to be used by those who were indebted to the banks. m'lean county. 577 Mr. Bishop has been a hard worker all his life. He has held many township offices, was supervisor in 1863 and '64. Mr. Bishop remembers an incident of the Mexican war. When volunteers were called for in 1846 the whole community was very naturally excited and notice was given at a camp-meet- ing that volunteers would be called for. But when the volun- teering commenced the government could not accept half of the men who were anxious to go. Mr. Bishop has, of course, a very lively recollection of the sudden change in the weather which occurred in December, 1836. When the freezing west wind came after a thaw and warm rain, the weather became immediately most intensely cold. He saw a short distance from his house John C. Bradley and Aaron S. Williams with teams bringing loads of live hogs, and when the storm struck them, they went to Mr. Bishop's house for shelter. Their clothes, which were wet, froze on them instantly, and when they came to the house, Williams' overcoat, when pulled off, would stand on the floor. The harness on the horses were froz- en so stiff that, when the traces were unhitched, they stood out straight. A bridle rein was thrown over a post, but it stood out from the post without falling down. The cold was so severe that the harness could not be removed from the horses for two days. John Bradley succeeded in reaching home with his sled and one yoke of oxen, the other oxen he turned loose in the timber and did not recover them for two days. Like all the early settlers, Mr. Bishop speaks warmly of the good feeling which formerly prevailed among all Western people. When they met a stranger they were always anxious to take care of him and assist him and his family, if he had one. Malon Bishop is the picture of good humor. He is of me- dium stature and not heavily built; his face has on it all the good-natured lines, and his voice has a pleasant ring to it, and even his Roman nose may be described as a good-natured nose. He has a great deal of shrewdness and is quick to see both sides of a question. He is always on the alert, and gets up at five o'clock in the morning to see that everything is moving right- He has never been troubled with any of the diseases of the coun- try, but has always enjoyed the best of health. He has always 37 578 OLD SETTLERS OF been on the most friendly terms with his neighbors and no man ever complained of him for want of a warm welcome. His children are: Nancy Jane, born in Clark County, Ohio, May 1, 1832, mar- ried Mark M. Craig, October 13, 1853, and resides in West town- ship. Stephen Lewis, born January 14, 1835, was twice married, but is now a widower. He resides in Leroy. James F. was born December 6, 1836, and died August 6, 1862. Elias was born January 12, 1839, and died March 11, 1864. Catherine, born April 4, 1842, married William Hammond, December 12, 1861, and resides in West township. Elizabeth, born June 22, 1845, died August 24, 1869. Sarah Ann, born April 1, 1848, died in infancy. Malon, born June 13, 1649, lives at home. Thomas Davidson Gilmore. Thomas D. Gilmore was born November 18, 1814, in Warren County, Kentucky. His father's name was Andrew H. Gilmore, and his mother's name, before her marriage, was Margaret Price. The former was of Irish descent, and the latter was probably of Scotch. Mr. Gilmore, sr., lived to the advanced age of ninety- eight, and died in 1870, in Old Town timber. He possessed a strong mind, and was active and a worker to the last. He worked a little too hard, or he would have lived longer. His son made great efforts to preserve the old gentleman's life for two years longer, to make him a century old, but this was not to be. Mr. T. D. Gilmore lived in Warren County, Kentucky, until October, 1836, when he came to Old Town timber, McLean County, Illinois. Here he put up a log house with a puncheon floor, a clapboard door, a bedstead with one leg, in a corner of the room, and the other furniture to match. He had moved into this little cabin with his family only a short time before the sud- den change of December came. It seemed for a while as if the Gilmore family w r ould be frozen out, and they wished themselves back to old Kentucky ; but they stood the storm and protected their stock, so that nothing froze. After Leroy was laid out, Mr. Gilmore moved there, and followed for some years his pro- fession as a blacksmith. m'lean county. 579 He did not make the trips to Chicago as the other settlers did, but sent his wheat and corn by other parties and paid them in blacksmithing. Mr. Gilmore never was a hunter. He once took his gun and went after deer, shot six times and missed continually. He returned home and laid his ill luck to his gun, but never hunted more. In 1846, Mr. Gilmore went to Kentucky on a visit, but be- came interested in business and stayed until 1850, when he returned to Old Town timber, near the northern boundary of Empire township, where he has lived ever since. On the second of January, 1834, he married Matilda Saw- age, in Kentucky. She died October 5, 1839. By this marriage he had three children. They are : Martha Francis, wife of James W. Wright, lives in Leroy. Mary Matilda, wife of John Swan, died about eight years ago. Joseph P. Gilmore has a furniture store in Streator. On the eleventh of December, 1840, Mr. Gilmore married Mar} 7 Jane Brannaman. They have had six children, of whom five are living. They are : Andrew D. Gilmore died in infancy. Ira F. Gilmore lives in Streator. Lucinda Margaret, wife of Richard C. Charleston, lives in Streator. Kentucky, Elizabeth Ada and Augusta Maud, all live at home. Mr. Gilmore is nearly six feet in height, weighs about one hundred and seventy pounds, is very muscular, and must have made a good blacksmith. He has a bald head, with a good development of brain, has dark eyes, a nose slightly Roman, and whiskers nearly white. He is a humorous man, very accom- modating, very honest and fair-minded. He has been quite successful ; has a good home and enjoys life. He likes his resi- dence in Old Town timber, but has warm feelings for old Ken- tucky, and for this reason named one of his children after that dear old State. 580 OLD SETTLERS OF FUNK'S GROVE. Hon. Isaac Funk. Isaac Funk was born November 17, 1797, in Clark County, Kentucky. His ancestors were of German extraction, his grand- father, Adam Funk, having emigrated from Germany at an early day. His mother, whose maiden name was Sarah Moore, was also of German descent. Adam Funk, jr., the father of Isaac, was raised in Virginia, and was, at one time, quite wealthy ; but misfortunes came and he lost his property and died poor. Isaac Funk was one of nine children, six boys and three girls. He had very little schooling, but was prepared for the struggle of life by the roughest out-door education, where his muscles were developed, and his practical good sense was brought into ex- ercise. In 1807 his father moved to Fayette County, Ohio; but when Isaac was twenty-three years of age he went back to Virginia to the Kanawha Salt Works, where he remained one year. He then returned to Ohio, where, for the next two years, he worked on a farm for eight or ten dollars per month. In the year 1823, Mr. Funk set out for Illinois, but did not arrive there until the following April, as he was detained by high water in the Wabash River. He first went to Sangamon County, but on the third of May he settled in Funk's Grove, in the present McLean County. Here he and his brother Absalom, who had accompanied him from Ohio, and Mr. William Brock, built a little pole shanty, twelve by fourteen feet, at the south- east side of the grove, a short distance from the homestead of the Funk family. This little shanty is described as "a small pole cabin, twelve by fourteen feet, covered by riven four feet clapboards, with a roof put on with weight poles instead of nails, floor laid with peeled elm bark, Indian fashion, no win- dow, and one door made of clapboards." The Funks then went to breaking prairie and buying and selling cattle. Mr. Stubble- field and Mrs. Stubblelield, their sister, came out from Ohio and kept their house for them for one year, and after this they hired various families to keep the shanty for another year. m'lean county. 581 In June, 18'26, Isaac Funk married Miss Cassandra Sharp of Fort Clark (Peoria). This lady was born in Baltimore, Mary- land. When she was only three years of age her father emi- grated to Ohio, and sixteen years afterwards to Fort Clark, Ills., where, at the age of twenty-four, she became Mrs. Funk. The dowry which Mr. Funk obtained with his wife was a cow, a spinning-wheel and a bed. But he obtained with his wife some- thing better than money; he found in her a noble-minded woman. She was an active, stirring woman, and possessed of the best of sense and discretion ; and perhaps it was in some measure due to her influence that Mr. Funk was afterwards so remarkably successful. Absalom Funk was ten years older than Isaac, and was not married until 1840. At his death he left no children. Absalom and Isaac continued their business, farming, raising stock and buying and selling cattle, horses, mules, hogs, etc., etc., until 1838, when they dissolved partnership. They had many hard times and were often in difficult situations, but their good judg- ment and determined wills always carried them triumphantly through. At one time they met with a very severe loss. In 1837 they considered themselves worth about eighteen thousand dollars. During this year, Archibald Clybourne, the oldest set- tler in Chicago, failed, and the Funks lost seven thousand dol- lars by him. ISTot long after this, a man named Doyle absconded from Chicago without paying his debts, and took with him two thousand dollars belonging to the Funks. This loss seemed to affect Absalom very much. He had remained in Chicago to settle with Doyle after selling him two thousand dollars worth of hogs, while Isaac had returned to his home. But Doyle gave Absalom the slip and got away, and as the latter had not money enough to follow, he came to Isaac Funk's to relate the misfor- tune. He came in, and, after sitting uneasily by the fire, ex- claimed : " Well, Ike, that Doyle has run away with every cent of money he owed us. I'd have followed him to — (a very warm place) if I had have had money enough to have traveled." Absalom regretted the loss, not so much on his own account, as on account of Isaac, who had a wife and children growing up around him. But Isaac took the matter coolly and hopefully, and went to work with all his energy to repair the misfortune. 582 OLD SETTLERS OF Not long after this they dissolved partnership, dividing their goods by the lump rule. Isaac obtained rather the best of the bargain, as he had a family to support. While the Funks were in partnership they drove cattle and horses and other stock to Galena, Chicago, Ohio and wherever they could find a market. They traveled in all kinds of weather and took their provisions with them from home. In the winter of 1841-2 Isaac started for Chicago with a drove of five hun- dred hogs, and, while in Livingston County, was overtaken by a sleet-storm. The ground became so slippery that it seemed impossible to proceed. After waiting a few days he determined to go on and was obliged to cut the ice in many places with an axe in order to give the hogs a foothold. He was obliged to exercise a great deal of ingenuity and use many new devices. He tied the legs of some of the hogs together to prevent them from slipping too much. But notwithstanding all his exertions he could only go a short distance, and was detained eighteen days. At the end of that time a heavy fall of snow covered the ground and made it easy for his hogs to travel, and he succeeded in reaching Chicago without further trouble. The season of 1844 was the one known as the wet season. It commenced to rain in May and continued all summer until August. The creeks and rivers were all overflowed, and a large part of the country was under water. The crops raised that year were very poor, as the excessive rain almost ruined them. During that season Mr. Funk went to Missouri to buy cattle. He started in May and was gone about five months, and his family almost despaired of ever hearing of him again. But in October he returned with seven hundred head of cattle. He had, while gone, traveled over a large extent of country; he had crossed creeks and rivers and by his great exertions had overcome all difficulties. Although he could not swim he crossed streams of water every day by hanging to the mane of his horse and allowing the animal to carry him over. But the speculation was not a fortunate one. Owing to the wet season many of his cattle took the foot-evil and the sore tongue and became poor and died. During this season he lost about eleven hundred dollars. It is not easy for us to take our mind back to early days and to place the condition of things correctly in our imagination. m'lean county. 583 We can only obtain some small idea by making comparisons and looking at particular things. It is said of Mr. Funk that he "did not own a wagon for seven years ; went to mill near Sprinfield, fifty miles, with oxen ; took from ten to fourteen bushels of corn (no wheat then) part of the way with a cart and sled ; carried a plough thirty miles on a horse to get it sharp- ened, and carried a barrel for Sauerkraut ten miles home on horseback." The result of all this energy and industry was that Mr. Funk became worth, at the time of his death, a large fortune, perhaps not far from two millions of dollars. Perhaps some one will think that Mr. Funk must have kept a corps of clerks and book- keepers to know where all his property was, and to keep the matter clearly in mind. But on the contrary he never kept a diary or memorandum book or a regular account book. In politics Mr. Funk was positive and decided in his views. He was a staunch Whig up to the year 1854, when the Republi- can party was formed, and then he joined it and remained an honored member of that organization until the day of his death. In 1840 he was elected to the Legislature of the State, but no particular note is made of his connection with politics at that time. In 1862 he was elected to the State Senate to fill the un- expired term of General Oglesby, and at the expiration of his term was re-elected and remained a member until his death. It was in February, 1863, while he was in the State Senate that he made his celebrated speech in favor of an appropriation for the Sanitary Commission. The circumstances under which the speech was made were these : The opponents of the war had a majority in the Legislature and were determined to prevent the passage of an appropriation in aid of the Sanitary Commission. They tried to prevent the matter from coming to a vote by making all kinds of dilatory motions, and they also discussed the propriety of sending commissioners to a peace convention which was to meet at Louisville. All of this aroused Mr. Funk's temper, and he made his knock-down speech, which was pub- lished immediately all over the country. The following is the speech as reported : "Mr. Speaker : I can sit in my seat no longer and see such boy's play going on. These men are trifling with the best in- 584 OLD SETTLERS OF terests of the country. They should have asses' ears to set off their heads, or they are secessionists and traitors at heart. " I say that there are traitors and secessionists at heart in this Senate. Their actions prove it. Their speeches prove it. Their gibes and laughter and cheers here nightly, when their speakers get up in this hall and denounce the war and the ad- ministration, prove it. " I can sit here no longer, and not tell these traitors what I think of them. And while so telling them, I am responsible myself for what I say. I stand upon my own bottom. I am ready to meet any man on this floor, in any manner, from a pin's point to the mouth of a cannon, upon this charge against these traitors. [Tremendous applause from the galleries]. I am an old man of sixty-live. I came to Illinois a poor boy. I have made a little something for myself and family. I pay $3,000 a year in taxes. I am willing to pay $6,000, aye, $12,000. [Great cheering, the old gentleman bringing down his fist upon his desk with a blow that would knock down a bullock, and causing the inkstand to bound a half dozen inches in the air]; aye, I am willing to pay my whole fortune, and then give my life to save my country from these traitors that are seeking to destroy it. [Tremendous cheers and applause, which the speaker could not subdue]. "Mr. Speaker, you must please excuse me. I could not sit longer in ray seat and calmly listen to these traitors. My heart, that feels for my poor country, would not let me. My heart that cries out for the lives of our brave volunteers in the field, that these traitors at home are destroying by thousands, would not let me. My heart that bleeds for the widows and orphans at home, would not let me. Yes, these villains and traitors and secessionists in this Senate [striking his clenched fist on the desk with a blow that raade the house ring again] are killing my neigh- bors' boys, now fighting in the field. I dare to tell this to these traitors, to their faces, and that I am responsible for what I say to one or all of them. [Cheers.] Let them come on, right here. I am sixty-five years old, and I have made up my mind to risk my life right here, on this floor, for my country. " These men sneered at Col. Mack, a day or two ago. He is a little man ; but I am a large man. I am ready to meet any of m'lean county. 585 them in place of Col. Muck. I am large enough for them, and I hold myself ready for them now, and at any time. [Cheers from the galleries.] " Mr. Speaker, these traitors on this floor should he provided with hempen collars. They deserve them. They deserve them. They deserve hanging, I say. [Raising his voice and violently striking the desk.] The country would be better off to swing them up. I go for hanging them, and I dare to tell them so, right here, to their traitors' faces. Traitors should be hung. It would be the salvation of the country, to hang them. For that reason I would rejoice at it. [Tremendous cheering.] "Mr. Speaker: I beg pardon of the gentlemen in the Senate who are not traitors, but true, loyal men, for what I have said. I only intend it and mean it for secessionists at heart. They are here, in this Senate. I see them joke, and smirk, and grin at a true Union man. But I defy them. I stand here ready for them and dare them to come on. [Great cheering.] What man with the heart of a patriot could stand this treason any longer ? I have stood it long enough. I will stand it no longer. [Cheers.] I denounce these men and their aiders and abettors as rank trai- tors and secessionists. Hell itself could not spew out a more traitorous crew than some of the men who disgrace this legisla- ture, this state and this country. For myself, I protest against and denounce their treasonable acts. I have voted against their measures. I will do so to the end. I will denounce them as long as God gives me breath. And I am ready to meet the trai- tors themselves here or anywhere, and fight them to the death. [Prolonged cheers and shouts.] " I said I paid three thousand dollars a year taxes. I do not say it to brag of it. It is my duty — yes, Mr. Speaker, my privi- lege to do it. But some of the traitors here, who are working night and day to get their miserable little bills and claims through the legislature, to take money out of the pockets of the people, are talking about high taxes. They are hypocrites, as well as traitors. I heard some of them talking about high taxes in this way, who do not pay five dollars to support the govern- ment. I denounce them as hypocrites as well as traitors. [Cheers.] 586 OLD SETTLERS OF " The reason that they pretend to be afraid of high taxes is, that they do not want to vote money for the relief of the soldiers. They want also to embarrass the government and stop the war. They want to aid the secessionists to conquer our boys in the field. They care about taxes ? They are picayune men any how. They pay no taxes at all, and never did, and never hope to, unless they can manage to plunder the government. [Cheers.] This is an excuse of traitors. •' Mr. Speaker : Excuse me. I feel for my country in this her hour of danger ; I feel for her from the tips of my toes to the ends of my hair. That is the reason that I speak as I do. I cannot help it. I am bound to tell these men to their teeth what they are, and what the people, the true loyal people, think of them. " Mr. Speaker : I have said my say. I am no speaker. This is the only speech I have made ; and I do not know that it de- serves to be called a speech. I could not sit still any longer, and see these scoundrels and traitors work out their selfish schemes to destroy the Union. They have my sentiments. Let them one and all make the most of them. I am ready to back up all I say, and I repeat it, to meet these traitors in any manner they may choose, from a pin's point to the mouth of a cannon." The legislature was sometimes a little more sharp than honest, and it is refreshing to hear the opinion of an honest farmer spoken boldly and fearlessly, with regard to some of its acts and doings. The following is "Senator Funk's protest against the bill providing for the payment of the salaries of officers in gold, delivered in the Senate of the State, January 14th, 1865" : Mr. Funk said : I would like to have an opportunity to make an inquiry, and then to explain my position. Leave being given, the Honorable Senator proceeded as fol- lows : Was there a bill passed on Thursday last, respecting the pay of members of the legislature being made in gold ? The speaker : Yes sir. Mr. Funk : Those lawyers understand these awkward words, and can sift them out, and arrange them, and comprehend them better than I can. But I want to inquire whether it has ever been the practice for a member who does not have his vote re- M*LEAN COUNTY. 587 corded either for or against a measure, in consequence of his absence, to have that vote recorded, when it does not alter the result ? The Speaker : The Senator cannot alter the vote, but he can have it recorded on the journal, if another member will join him in requesting it, Mr. Funk : I would like to have mine entered on the journal. Mr. Ward : I second the request of the senator, and will join him, so that there may be two names. Mr. Funk : I am opposed to that measure. I oppose it on principle. I think that we were sent here to legislate ; to set good examples ; to correct errors and wrongs ; to do justice to the community, and to ourselves also. Now, if a law had been passed to pay all debts in gold, I would not say much about it ; but when this honorable body passed a law to pay itself in gold, I think it is setting a very poor example. Xot but what they de- serve more pay than they get, but what they get is no object to any member here, I am sure. The little, pitiful sum that any man gets who represents the State of Illinois in the General Assembly, every one of us ought to disdain to stoop down and pick up in the road. Now, for my own part, I am willing to re- ceive my pay as a senator, just as they pay me at home for my cattle and my hogs, my wheat and my corn. My hired men I pay in common currency, and I do not think we are any better than the laboring man. I think that the labor of ourselves should be paid in the same kind of money that pays for other things. Now, if this becomes a law, it will come up from the ostler and the hired men in this State, and will they will say to us, "Why, my dear sir, you voted yourselves pay in gold, won't you give it to us ?" What kind of a position will that be ? I would rather go without a cent than have my pay in that way. I object to it on principle. I do not mean to insinuate anything against any man, but I do think that men have voted without thinking upon the evil consequences. Xot but that there are men here who can tell as much in a few minutes as I expect to speak in all my life, but when I say "yes," I mean "yes," and when I say "no," I mean "no." It is the most outrageous thing I ever heard of, and I want it branded upon my forehead in letters as big as the moon, that I am against it, and shall ever be against it." 588 OLD SETTLERS OF R was not until 1864, when Mr. Funk had become very wealthy, that he built his large house, the homestead of the fam- ily at Funk's Grove. He did not live long to enjoy it, and only slept in it twice previous to his death. The circumstances of his death are as follows : He came from his attendance at the legis- lature at Springfield on Saturday, January 21, 1865, to his residence at Funk's Grove. On the following day his health seemed poor- ly, and on Monday he came to Bloomington, where he was taken sick abed at the residence of his son Duncan. His disease was erysipelas, and he was also affected with diptheria. On Wednes- day his wife came to see him and was taken sick the following day, because of anxiety for her husband. They both had all the care and attention which medical skill could give ; but all was unavailing. Mr. Funk died at five o'clock on Sunday morning the twenty-ninth day of January, 1865, and Mrs. Funk died at about nine o'clock. They were both buried at Funk's Grove in a burying ground selected by Mr. Funk's father. Mr. Funk was about five feet ten and one-half inches in height and weighed about two hundred pounds. He had keen, black eyes, which were very expressive, especially when aroused. His hair was jet black and curly, but had become gray at the time of his death. His nose was rather prominent and somewhat Roman. His forehead was full but retreating, showing a very practical turn of mind. He was very quick and loud spoken and was ex- ceedingly independent. He had a great deal of push and drive about him ; indeed, his energy was wonderful. He was very quick tempered, but his anger did not last long. He was good-humored and appreciated a joke as well as any one. He was very accom- modating as a neighbor, but would stand no imposition from any- one. He loved his brothers and his family, all of his relatives ; and indeed the family has always been remarkable for the entire absence of any quarrelsome disposition. The tender affection existing between Isaac Funk and his brother Absalom was in- deed remarkable. The latter never had any children, and all of his fatherly feeling seemed lavished upon the children of his brother. Isaac Funk never made any will. At his death his property was divided by his children among themselves, without any difficulty, and without any administration, or the interven- tion of any outside parties. « m'lean county. 589 Since the death of Mr. Funk his family have subscribed ten thousand dollars to endow the Isaac Funk Professorship of Agri- culture at the Wesleyan University, which is a fine testimonial to the worth of their father. There are in the Funk family nine children living and one dead. George W. Funk, the eldest, was born on the fourteenth of May, 1827. He is about five feet ten and a half inches high, heavy set, broad-shouldered, weighs about two hundred pounds, rather full, though slightly retreating forehead, gray eyes, coal black hair, well-formed nose, rather prominent and a little Roman (all the Funk noses are alike), an active man, good business ca- pacity, very cautious, perhaps a little too much so, and not very talkative. He was married, but his wife is now dead; he has one child living. He resides at Funk's Grove, about fifteen miles from Bloomington. He lived at home until the death of his father, and for ten years before that time attended to his father's business. Adam Funk was born on the twenty-seventh of August, 1828, and died at the age of nineteen in 1847. He was full six feet high, a little round-shouldered, and had black hair and dark eyes. He was a remarkably promising young man. Jacob Funk was born on the seventh of April, 1830. He is about five feet and ten or ten and a half inches high ; his hair is dark, and his eyes are grayish; he is a little round-shouldered, weighs one hundred and eighty pounds, is a good business man, a stock-raiser and farmer, lives at Funk's Grove, is married, and has a family of three promising children. Duncan McArthur Funk was born on the first of June, 1832. He is five feet and nine and a half inches high, weighs one hun- dred and sixty pounds, has black hair, the Funk nose, gray eyes, prominent cheek-bones, has first-rate business capacity, (this is characteristic of all the Funks,) is a farmer and stock-raiser, lives in Bloomington, is married and has a family of two fine chil- dren . Marcpiis De Lafayette Funk was born on the twentieth of January, 1834. He is six feet in height, has dark hair and dark eyes, is straight built, weighs from one hundred and eighty-five to one hundred and ninety pounds, has the best improved farm 590 OLD SETTLERS OF for the size in McLean County, and raises some of the finest stock. lie is married and has had two children, one of whom is living. Francis Marion Funk was born on the thirteenth of August, 1836. He is about five feet eight and a half inches high, small bones, weighs one hundred and forty pounds, has dark hair and dark eyes, has all the marks and traits of character for which the Funks are distinguished, including good business capacity and the Funk nose ! He is married and has two children. Benjamin Franklin Funk was born on the seventeenth of October, 1837. He is six feet in height, has dark hair and eyes, is straight and well proportioned, is a man of good judgment, served for a while in the army, has been four times chosen mayor of Bloomington, the three last times without opposition, and fills the position with credit to the city. He is married and has one child. Absalom Funk was born on the third of March, 1842. He is about five feet and ten inches high, weighs one hundred and sixty pounds, is straight built, served for a while in the army, is a good business man, of course, is married and lives in Bloom- ington. Isaac Funk, jr., was born on the thirteenth of May, 1844. He is the youngest son. He is five feet ten and one half inches in height, is straight built, has dark hair and eyes, served for a while in the army, is married and has two children, is a farmer, and lives on the homestead at Funk's Grove. Sarah Funk, now Mrs. Kerrick, was born on the fourteenth of May, 1846. She is the only daughter. She is married to Hon. L. H. Kerrick, lately a member of the legislature. The family of Isaac Funk is, indeed, a happy one ; happy in the affection which each of its members have for the others ; and the}* form a monument to the worth of their father more beauti- ful and more enduring than can be chiseled from marble. Robert Peoples Funk. Robert P. Funk was born November 14, 1805, in Clark Coun- ty, Kentucky. When he was two years old the family moved to Fayette County, Ohio. Two of his brothers, John and Jacob Funk, were soldiers in the war of 1812. The Funk family farmed and raised stock in Ohio and hunted bear, deer, panthers, wolves, m'lean county. 591 coons and foxes. They often had great fun with bears, when the latter were tackled by dogs. The unfortunate dog, that fell into the clutches of a wounded bear, was squeezed to death. The dogs worried the bears by taking hold of their hindquarters, and when the bears turned, the dogs let loose. Mr. Funk has often hunted deer and greatly enjoyed the sport, He has seen deer with their antlers locked together and unable to loosen themselves. The first deer he killed were fastened together in this way. He has had some lively adventures with deer. He once caught a wounded buck in a creek, and partly cut its throat with his knife, when the lively animal knocked the knife from his hand and tore the clothes nearly off from him; but he succeeded in drowning it in the creek. This incident happened after he came to Funk's Grove. Mr. Funk has often chased wolves with hounds, but the wolves were so large and strong that the dogs could make no fight, The hunters killed the wolves after the dogs ran them down. Mr. Funk chased the first wolf he killed about twenty-five miles. He has often hunted coons, going after them in the night-time, during summer, and in the day-time during winter. They keep pretty close in their quarters during winter, but occasionally come out to look around. The foxes were hunted with hounds and would play the most cunning tricks to elude pursuit. They would walk out on a fallen tree and jump from a limb and the hounds would be puzzled for a long time in finding the trail, and the foxes in the mean while would be running at the top of their speed. When foxes are pressed very hard in the race, they take refuge in holes and, when caught, make a hard fight. It requires a very good dog to master one of them. Foxes are proverbially cunning in their depredations. Mr. Funk once watched a fox, as it stole a goose. It came up a short distance very styly, then stopped and looked around, then came closer and made another halt, and in this way approached and at last jumped up quickly, grabbed a goose and ran without looking to the right or left, Mr. Funk came to what is now McLean County, Illinois, in the fall of 1824 with his brother Jesse and their father Adam Funk. Robert lived three years with his brother Isaac and then went with a team to the mining country, where he hauled mine- ral. There he succeeded well. The mining country was the abode of the hardest characters, and sometimes the party to which 592 OLD SETTLERS OF Mr. Funk belonged had trouble. The miners would fight with any thing they could lay their hands on, clubs, stones, guns, fry- ing pans, skillets, in fact anything, which could be handled. But it was very seldom, that any shooting was done. At one time Jacob Funk sold beef to some miners on credit and they refused to pay. After a little talk he threatened to whip a few of them. They said that was what they wanted, and they grasped their clubs and skillets and attacked him and his party and tried to clear the room. But the ceiling of the house, where they were having the difficulty, was low, and when they attempted to strike with their skillets, they hit the wall above and soon found them- selves badly whipped. On the following day they asked for a pitched battle, but at last concluded to pay the bill and let the matter drop. Robert Funk often went back and forth from Funk's Grove to Galena with droves of swine for his brothers Isaac, Absalom and Jesse. In December, 1830, Robert Funk went with Jesse Funk, James Burlinson and two others to take a drove of swine belonging to Jesse Funk, to Galena. When they crossed the Illinois River, some of the pigs collected together in a huddle and broke through the ice and were drowned. They went on past Crow Creek timber to Smith's Grove, thence on to Inlet Creek and a mile beyond. But it was now intensely cold and the snow was deep, as this was the celebrated winter of the deep snow. The party had no shelter and left the pigs in some slough grass and started back to Smith's Grove. They had diffi- culty in finding the road, and on account of the hitter cold some proposed to kill a horse and put their feet into it to keep from freezing, and it was suggested that they draw lots to decide whose horse should be killed. But this idea was abandoned. Late at night they found a home at Smith's Grove. The next day they went to Rock River and crossed at Ogee's Ferry, where Dixon now stands, and remained there two days. Then they went to what was called "White Oak Grove and stayed three days. While there, a man came to them with an ox-load of corn from Ogee's Ferry, and after delivering the corn started back; but he became so cold that he unyoked his oxen and went to the ferry on foot. His feet were severely frozen and his oxen were frozen to death. When Jesse Funk and his party started out from White Oak Grove to go to Burr Oak, he hired a man, named m'lean county. 593 Gratiot, to go ahead and break the road with his wagon. The latter did so for a short distance, but lie hecamesocold, that he put the whip to Ins horses and went on in a hurry. The snow drifted in the track and covered it up, and the party did not arrive at Burr Oak Grove until late. While on this day's journey, one of the men in the party was about to freeze to death, when Jesse Funk threatened to thrash him and made him run around and get warm. This was a terrible day's journey and many of the hogs were frozen to death. They would put their long snouts in the snow and squeal and freeze and fall over dead; and before the party could go fifty steps from them the wolves would be on them eating them up. Sometimes the wolves would begin eating the hogs before the latter were fairly dead. About fifty hogs were left eight miles south of Burr Oak Grove, as they had their eyes frozen up. At Burr Oak Grove the swine received a feed of blue Indian corn, for which Jesse Funk paid one dollar and a half per bushel. They started away from Burr Oak Grove to Apple River, and again Mr. Gratiot was hired to break the way with his wagon. He started out and again ran away from the party, leaving them with the cold wind and the snow drifts on the prairie. They went to Apple River and there found a man severely frozen, who said his partner was out in the snow frozen to death. Search was made for the missing man and he was found dead and stiff. The party went on to "Wildcat Creek and sold forty of the pigs and then traveled to Galena. Here the hogs were butchered and sold out. At the commencement of the journey they weighed from two hundred and fifty to three hun- dred pounds, but on their arrival at Galena, after a journey of forty- five days, they weighed from one hundred and fifty to one hun- dred and eighty pounds each. Jesse and Robert Funk started home. When they arrived at Crow Creek they found a party, who were going through from Peoria to Galena in four sleighs, but who had broken dowm, while about two miles from Crow Creek. All of the party had walked in, except two women, and help was sent out for them. One was carried in for about half a mile on a sheet and Robert Funk carried her the remainder of the way on his horse ; he also carried the other woman some distance on his horse. They were both severely frozen, and the first one was not able to speak for 38 594 OLD SETTLERS OF eight hours. It was during this severe winter that Mr. Gratiot, the Indian agent, had a party of five men with twenty-one yoke of oxen drawing goods from Peoria to near Galena. Four of the men and all but three of the oxen were frozen to death. The goods remained for two or three weeks on the prairie before they could be brought in. During this same winter two men, who were traveling, came within two miles of Smith's Grove, which is south of Inlet Creek. There they became very cold and crawled under the snow to get warm. Soon they became very warm and comfortable, but the snow melted down on them and made them wet, and when they started for Smith's Grove, one of them froze to death. Jesse and Robert Funk came home without further adventure. The settlers were, in the early days, much troubled by wolves, which killed the sheep and little pigs ; but Robert Funk had a plucky merino ram, which would drive off the wolves and protect the flock. It was a very fine one, which had been brought from Ohio. Mr. Funk remembers particularly how this ram managed the fight, when the flock was attacked by a wolf. It ran out boldly at the wolf and kept it back until the flock retreated three or four hundred yards, when the ram also retreated and again faced about towards the wolf. This process was repeated until the flock was clear out of danger. But the ram kept up the fight until the wolf was worried out and panted for breath, and then the victorious ram frisked his heels and shook his tail triumphant- ly and went to the flock. It was a great source of amusement for the settlers to chase wolves. The settlers around Funk's Grove were particularly troubled by a large gray wolf, which they chased many times, but could never catch. At last they got up a great chase and went after it. They started it near Funk's Grove and chased it to Kickapoo timber, thence to Randolph's Grove, thence to south end of Blooming Grove, thence down to Atlanta, thence up eighteen miles to Twin Grove, thence back to Short Point on the Kicka- poo, thence down below the present village of McLean, thence up towards Blooming Grove, where the long-winded wolf was caught. During this long chase the wolf kept the sloughs as much as possible, and when it did so, it gained on its pursuers. It ran on that day fully fifty miles, but was utterly broken down and could run no more. m'lean county. 595 The settlers, while riding around the country, always expected to chase wolves. At one time, when Robert Funk went to make a visit, he caught a wolf and brought it in for the admiration of the good looking young lady, who afterwards became Mrs. Funk. The large gray wolves sometimes collected in packs and were dangerous. At one time a daughter of flames Murphy, about fiiteen years of age, when about two miles from home, was chased by a pack of eleven large gray wolves. She ran towards home ; but when within half a mile of the house, she was com- pelled to climb a tree. She hallooed to her father and the old gentleman came with his gun to her assistance. But the wolves refused to retreat, until he had shot down two or three of them. This happened about the year 1838. Robert Funk married, May 13, 1830, Virginia Springfield. He. has had eight children, of whom six are living. They are : Mrs. Nancy M. Ward, widow of Levi Ward, lives in Bloom- ington. Mrs. Sarah Jane Ward, wife of Xoah Ward, lives four miles northeast of Chene3 T 's Grove. William Funk lives about five miles northwest of Funk's Grove. Fanny Euphenia Funk lives at home with her father. Mrs. Elizabeth Temperance*Finner, wife of William Finner, lives about a mile northwest of her father's house. Tabitha Garmen Funk lives at home with her father at Funk's Grove. Robert Funk is about five feet and ten inches in height, is very muscular and tough, can endure heat, cold and fatigue, has an enormous head of hair, which shows his great vitality. He is kind-hearted, generous and hospitable, and has that quality, which is so marked a characteristic of the family, of which he is a member, that is — courage. He has seen some of the rougher phases of frontier life, but lives quietly and contentedly at his home in Funk's Grove. 596 old settlers of Robert Stubblefield. The greater part of this sketch of Robert Stubblefield is taken from a memoir, written by the Rev. John Barger. "Robert Stubblefield was born November 23, 1793, in the county of Halifax, Virginia. He was the son of Edward Stubble- field, sen., who was the son of John Stubblefied, who, with two brothers, Edward and William, came from England. Edward Stubblefield, sen., the father of Robert Stubblefield, married Miss Lightfoot Munford, daughter of William Green Munford. His wife's maiden name was Ann Stanhope; their daughter, Mary Lightfoot, in the Revolutionary war, acted as private secretary to her father. Mr. Robert Stubblefield, the subject of this memoir, was therefore a grandson of Mr. William Green and Ann Munford. Mr. Munford was from England and served his adopted country as a colonel in the Revolutionary war. The colonel not only de- voted his personal energies, but loaned the government a large amount of his means (and he was wealthy) towards freeing his country from the Brittanic yoke. " This loan, in consequence of the loss of the papers by fire, was never recovered; but in virtue of a provision made by Con- gress for the compensation of the Revolutionary soldiers and offi- cers, Mrs. Mary Lightfoot Stubblefield, after the death of her father, Col. Munford, and being at the time his only surviving child, applied for and obtained a land warrant from the govern- ment for 6,666* acres of land. This warrant was laid on land in Ohio, which is now worth, perhaps, more than half a million of dollars, (the writer's supposition,) to which the heirs of Mr. Rob- ert Stubblefield, and those of his brother John Stubblefield, who have never received any portion thereof, are entitled, to say the least of it, to a pro rata interest therein with the other heirs of Col. Munford, who have, at least a part of them, shared the whole of it. "In his nineteenth year, at the first call for volunteers, Robert Stubblefield entered the service of his country, in the war of 1812. His company, consisting of ninety-six men, exclusive of officers, was stationed at Norfolk, Virginia, and all, except himself and one other soldier, soon died of the yellow fever, and he himself came very near dying of that fearful malady. He was regularly dis- m'lban county. 597 charged, though by the death of his captain he failed to obtain his discharge papers; and by the authorities was conveyed to the place of his enlistment to die, as it was supposed, among his friends. By this removal and the attention of his friends, with the blessing of God, his life was preserved. His friends again removed him to the home of his brother Edward Stubbletield ; here he soon recovered his health, and his brother, having located land in Ohio, and wishing to see after it, and Robert desiring to see the country, accompanied him in 1812. lie married Miss Sarah Funk the 14th da}* of April, 1814, who died December 13, 1821. She was the daughter of Adam Funk, and sister to Isaac, Jesse and Robert Funk, whose sketches appear in this volume. She died in Ohio. By this first marriage Mr. Stubbletield had four children : Absalom, Ann, Mary and John. On the 29th day of July, 1822, he married Miss Dorothy Funk, sister of his former wife. By this latter marriage Mr. Stubble- field had nine other children. They are : George Maley, Jesse, Francis, Adam, Eve, Edward, Isaac, William Royal Chase and Charles Wesley, in all, thirteen children. Jesse, the sixth child of Mr. Stubbletield, was the first white child born in Funk's Grove. Adam died, returning from Memphis, whither he had gone to visit Isaac, his sick soldier brother, and to seek for him a furlough and bring him home." Robert Stubbletield came to Funk's Grove in December, 1824, and settled first in the north end. In 1825 he settled in the place, where he lived until his death. He went to farming immediately. He was a man of great powers of endurance and thought little of the very severe hardships to which the early settlers were sub- jected. In the spring of 1825 he went to Springfield for iron to make a plow and carried it home on horseback. His wheat was ground at Blooming Grove, on Ebenezer Rhodes' hand-mill,which was made in 1824. During the winter of the deep snow Robert Stubbletield and his brother John went to mill, and on their return were caught in the first great heavy snow fall and were unable to bring home their grist, but forced to throw their sacks of meal out in the snow and bury them for a few days; but they afterwards returned and brought the sacks home. 598 OLD SETTLERS OF During the winter of 1831-32, Robert Stubblefield, with a number of others, were taking some pigs to Galena and were lost in the snow. The stage, which carried the mail, passed the party and went on to Gratiot's Grove and gave news of their coming to a man named Chambers. The latter tired guns as sig- nals and late at night the party came in. They went on to Galena after some delay and made beds in the snow to camp out at night. On their return from Galena they became lost once more, when Mr. Stubblefield gave the reins to his horse and the intelligent animal brought out his rider safely to Mr. Chambers' house. Mr. Stubblefield often drove stock of various kind to Chicago, Peo- ria and other points. During one winter, while driving a load of pork across Peoria Lake, the ice began to crack beneath. He hurried up his team and arrived at the shore just as the ice broke up. During the sudden change of the weather in December, 1836, Mr. Stubblefield was coming home from Peoria. "When the cold wind struck him he drove to a mill about three miles distant, but came near freezing to death before arriving there. He came home the next day, but could not cross Sugar Creek with his team, for the stream had overflowed and was half a mile wide and was a glare of ice, on which his horses could not stand. He went home on foot and returned with help, ran his wagon over on the ice, cut the ice and made it rough for his horses to walk and brought them across. His stock suffered severely and many of his pigs were frozen to death. Robert Stubblefield raised a large family of children, who, like their father, have all been remarkably successful in life. They are : Absalom Stubblefield, who lives in the north end of Funk's Grove. Mrs. Ann Lightner, who lives in Randolph's Grove. Mrs. Mary Ann Groves, wife of Esau Groves, lives three miles west of Funk's Grove in Mt. Hope. John Stubblefield lives in the northern edge of Funk's Grove. George Maley Stubblefield lives about two miles west of Funk's Grove in Mt. Hope township. Jesse Stubblefield lives a mile and a half west of Funk's Grove in Mt. Hope township. s m'lean county. 599 Mrs. Frances Murphy, wife of William Murphy, lives about two miles west of Funk's Grove in Mt. Hope township. Adam Stubblefield died while on a visit to Isaac Stubblefield, when the latter was sick in the army. Eve Stubblefield lives at home with her mother. Edwasd Stubblefield lives three miles west of Funk's Grove in Mt. Hope township. Isaac Stubblefield lives two miles and a half west of Funk's Grove in Mt. Hope township. He was a soldier during the re- bellion. William Royal Chase Stubblefield lives two and one-half miles west of Funk's Grove in Mt. Hope township. Charles Wesley Stubblefield takes care of his mother at the old homestead. Robert Stubblefield died June 8, 1870, while talking to his son Jesse, sitting on the porch of his new house at Funk's Grove. He was full}' six feet in height, and was heavy in build', weighing about two hundred pounds. He was a very muscular and determined man and not afraid of anything. He was very successful in life, was one of the best and kindest of neighbors, and stood high in the confidence of the community. He was a very conscientious man, and decided in his religious opinions. He was scrupulously honest in all his transactions and had a thor- ough contempt for meanness and dishonesty in others. Absalom Stubblefield. Absalom Stubblefield, eldest son of Robert Stubblefield, was born November 27, 1815, in Fayette County, Ohio. In 1824 he came with the Stubblefield family to Funk's Grove, in what is now McLean County, Illinois. The family traveled with an ox- team, as w T as usual in those days. They came first to Randolph and afterwards to Blooming Grove, by mistake, then went to Funk's Grove. Mr. Stubblefield's first experience was a hard wrestle with a little Indian boy, a son of Jim Buck, one of the chiefs of the Kickapoos. The boys were of about the same age and size, but Absalom had the muscle and brought the little In- dian to the ground. This was at Blooming Grove, whither the family had gone, when it first came to McLean County, thinking it Funk's Grove, being misled by their directions. When they 600 OLD SETTLERS OF saw their mistake they came to Funk's Grove. The only family then living at the latter grove was that of William Brock. Isaac and Absalom Funk were then living with Brock. The Stubble- field family arrived there December 18, 1824, and immediately began farming. When Absalom Stubblefield became old enough he hunted wolves, which he killed with a hickory club. The Ivicka- poo Indians were then plentier than game. Old Machina, the chief, was very friendly. During the war of 1812 he fought against the United States, as he was promised a great many ponies by the British, if he would whip the whites. In the war of 1812 he led on his warriors to the fight, but saw them fearfully cut to pieces at Tippecanoe, and he received no compensation for his trouble or his losses, and he declared that he would never again fight against the whites. During the winter of the deep snow, Absalom Stubblefield went to mill ten miles distant on the Kicka- poo. He was obliged to break the way with horses, and as the horses on the lead became tired, those in the rear were put ahead to break the way. During this winter the horses and cattle were fed on a piece of ground, which was tramped over and over again, and the ice, where they stood, was not thawed until in June and Jul}-. In December, 1836, when the sudden change in the weather came, Mr. Stubblefield was at the house of Robert Funk, where had been snowballing. Suddenly the wind came cold from the west. Mr. Stubblefield mounted his horse and rode home, and on his arrival there, was frozen fast to his saddle, and was obliged to give himself a hard wrench to get loose. When Absalom Stubblefield was only nine or ten years old, he selected the place, where he determined to have his farm, and was advised by his grandfather to deal in stock, to raise calves and sell them, and when they became large, to buy his land. He made some money by splitting rails, then bought calves, raised and sold them, and earned fifty dollars, with which he entered forty acres of land. Mr. Stubblefield has had some experience with fires on the prairie, though he has always been well protected by Sugar Creek, as the forks are on the east and west. But he has often been called on to fio-ht fire for his neighbors. At the south end of Funk's Grove the settlers were unprotected, and those across the prairie on the Ivickapoo were also exposed to fire, and the settlers m'lean county. 601 on each side were anxious to have it tired in the fall, when the wind was blowing away towards the other side of the prairie. When the wind blow from the south, the settlers on Kickapoo were likely to take advantage of it, and send the tire rolling up to Funk's Grove; but if it blew from the north, some one at Funk's Grove was likely to tire the prairie and send the fire over to " those fellows on Kickapoo. " The old settlers loved their practical jokes, and Mr. Stubble- field tells a good one, which was played upon a " fresh" young man, who wished to steal watermelons. James Biggs told the young man of the sight, and so aroused his imagination, that he determined to go after them. They were on the premises near where Mr. Delavan now lives. The young man went for them, and Biggs, who was secreted near by, watching the performance, fired a charge at him. The " fresh" young gentleman ran for home, but in his fright fell into a pond of water and lost his watch, but found his way out and reached home covered with mud. Mr. Stubblefield has led a hardy out-of-door life, and has be- come very well developed. He is six feet and one inch in height, and weighs two hundred and seventy-six pounds. He is very muscular, and in his youth practised wrestling, which was con- sidered by the early settlers the best of sport. He is exceedingly humorous, and never likes to see a joke spoiled for relation's sake. He has been a successful farmer, is very prompt to meet his obligations, and his word is as good as the best security. He has been married three times, and has always been happy in his domestic life. He married Miss Eliza Pearson, February 23, 1840. By this marriage he had six children, of whom four are living. They are : Mifflin H. Stubblefield lives in DeWitt County. Thomas T. Stubblefield lives five miles northwest of his father's. Jesse P. Stubblefield lives in Dale township. Robert W. Stubblefield lives at home. Mrs. Stubblefield died October 11, 1851. On the second of September, 1852, Mr. Stubblefield married Miss Alley Wilson, 602 OLD SETTLERS OF of DeWitt County. By this marriage lie had six children, of whom five are living. They are : Asa, William J., Lafayette, Charlotte and Mary A. Stubble- field, all of whom live at home. Mrs. Alley Stubblefield died April 18, 1869. On the twenty-fourth of January, 1870, Mr. Stubblefield married Mrs. Campbell, widow of Mark Campbell of Franklin County, Pennsylvania. No children have been born by the latter marriage. She has three children : David, Mary Bell and William Wilson Campbell. John "Stubblefield. John Stubblefield, second son of Robert Stubblefield, was born June 4, 1820, in Fayette County, Ohio. The family came to Funk's Grove in December, 1824, as stated in other sketches. He remembers very clearly the Indians, and particularly recol- lects seeing the squaws dry the venison on sticks over coals of fire, in order to preserve it. He remembers many curious mat- ters of the early days, which are very uncommon with the changed condition of the country. He remembers the wild pea-vines, which once grew in the timber and bore a fruit, which he liked to eat, and which furnished food for horses and cattle in early spring time. The nettles were then thick, the grass on the prairie was high and its roots were strong and fibrous, making it very hard work indeed to break the ground. This difficultv was then far greater than it would be now, as the settlers were then obliged to use the old bar-shear plow, which was not a convenient imple- ment to turn the sod. The vegetation has changed with the com- ing of civilization, even where the ground has been left uncul- tivated. The horseweed, which the horses liked so well, is now never seen. The prairie grass is gone, and the fine blue grass takes its place. He remembers the deep snow, and how the people beat their corn in a mortar and sifted out the finest for bread and kept the coarsest for hominy. The settlers raised their own cotton and flax ; they pulled the flax, rotted it, broke it, worked off the shives with a wooden knife over a scutcheon board, and passed it through a coarse and a fine hackle. The flax was spun and woven, and the tow, which was hackled out was used for filling, and the fine flax was used for the warp. The fine flax made the best of thread; it was spun on a little wheel. The shirts made of flax were very m'lean county. 603 strong. Sometimes shirts were made of cotton and flax mixed. Cotton could never be raised with advantage. The jeans was made of wool for tilling and cotton for warp. The pioneer chil- dren did not wear overcoats; but when they became large enough to go to mill, from ten to fifty or perhaps even a hundred miles distant, they had overcoats sometimes. The first overcoat was made in Buckles' Grove, and was all of w r ool. The cloth for overcoats was first woven, then fulled, then pressed, then colored drab or London "brown. These fulled overcoats would turn water almost as well as water proof. Mr. Stubblefield says, women Avorked hard in the early days, and he thinks it almost unaccountable, that they are unable now to do as much as formerly. They do no spinning, nor milking, nor weaving now, but they have a great many little notions and trinkets, which occupy their minds. Sugar Creek had more water in it forty years ago than now, and fish would run up. He lias often seen suckers and redhorse three feet long in the creek. He used to fish for them with a hook and line and with a gig, which is a little spear with three tines to it. It was great fun to spear them, particularly on the shoals, where they could be plainly seen. During the sudden change in December, 1836, much of the stock of the Stubblefields was out in the timber, and was frozen. The chickens froze on their perches, and many of the hogs, which were kept in the timber, died partly because of their piling up one on top of another, and partly because of the intense cold. Many of the hogs, which were not frozen to death, had their ears and tails frozen, and these useful and ornamental appendages afterwards dropped off. Mr. Stubblefield went to Pekin to do his trading, hauled his corn there, and there bought his pine lumber. He occasionally went to Chicago with wheat, bringing back salt. As Mr. George Stubblefield has told so many jokes in his sketch about others, Mr. John Stubblefield thinks it only fair that one or two «of George's peculiarities should be published. John Stubblefield says that George was a cunning youngster, and in his youthful days liked fishing much better than study. His health was subject to the most remarkable changes. In the morning, when it was time for children to go to school, young 604 OLD SETTLERS OF George would become desperately sick with the headache, and would be obliged to stay at home, but in the evening he would be- come so well that he could take his pole and line and go fishing. In the morning at about nine o'clock the headache would return again with its usual intensity. Young George was a very inge- nious boy, and at one time taught a pet calf to act as a riding- horse. At one time, while displaying his horsemanship on the back of the calf, Absalom Stubblefield (the mischievous Ab.) twisted its tail. It jumped around, and George was thrown for- ward. He grasped the horns of the calf in terror, crying: "Oh, Lord, I'm killed ! I'm killed !" But no serious results followed. John Stubblefield is six feet in height, is rather slim, and likes fun as well as the rest of the Stubblefield family. He enjoys a practical joke and loves to tell it. He is a hard working man, has been remarkably successful as a farmer, and is very well to do in the world. He is pretty cautious in the management of his property, but exercises good judgment. He married, December 1, 1842, Ellisannah Houser. He lias had nine children, of whom eight are living. They are : Sarah Elizabeth, wife of William H. Rayburn, lives in Cass County, Illinois. David Robert Stubblefield, lives three miles north of his father's in Dale township. George "Washington, Francis Marion, Mary Frances, Henry Bascom, Simon Peter and John Wesley Stubblefield, all live at home. GRIDLEY. William Martin McCord. William Martin McCord, usually called Martin McCord, was born July 3, 1815, in Overton County, Tennessee. His father's name was William McCord, and his mother's name before her marriage was Jane McMurtrie. William McCord was* one-fourth Scotch and three-fourths Irish, and his wife Jane was one-fourth English and three-fourths Irish, and consequently Martin is one- eighth English, one-eighth Scotch and three-fourths Irish. This is going rather deeply into fractions, but there is nothing like precision ! m'lean county. 605 William McCord was born in Iredell County, North Carolina, and was a farmer and blacksmith. During the war of 1812 he enlisted to tight against the Creeks, but was sick with the measles and participated in no active engagement. In 1827 he came to McLean County with Stephen Webb and George and Jacob Hin- shaw. The weather was wet and they were often water-bound, and sometimes obliged to cross rivers on rafts. Near Eel River they traveled twelve miles in water, which varied from six inches to three feet in depth. At last Webb and McCord came to Twin Grove, where they bought claims ; the Hinshaws having become separated and remaining for a while at Cheney's Grove. Martin McCord speaks particularly of the winter of the deep snow, as it was an era in the life of every settler, who experi- enced its severity. The season previous was a late one and frost was not severe enough to kill the tobacco sprouts until the second of December. On that day it rained and after the fall of a great deal of water the rain gave place to snow and at last it froze. The winter of the deep snow has been so often described, that it is not necessary to repeat the description here. In 1831 the McCord family moved to Panther Grove, in what is now Woodford County, about three and one half miles north of Secor, and there lived until the death of William Mc- Cord, which occurred June 13, 1852. William McCord was a man widely known and greatly respected, and was called by many of the settlers "Uncle Billy McCord." All of them speak of him in very high terms of praise. Martin McCord lived with his father until the age of twenty- two, when he worked, sometimes as a millwright and carpenter, but generally as a farmer. He married, October 29, 1840, Elizabeth Hinthorn. He lived, after his marriage, in various places, indeed was quite a traveler. At last, in the fall of 1870, he moved with his family to Newton County, Missouri, and bought railroad land and raised a crop, a very good one for that country. But the country was not blessed with a soil as rich as that of old McLean County. It had plenty of gravel, stone and clay, but the vegetable mould was wanting. The soil was open and porous, and a hard rain washed through it and would scarcely raise the water in a river. A moderate drouth would have destroyed the crops. Some of the land was 606 OLD SETTLERS OF "spotted," that is, it had, scattered over it, alkali spots, varying in size from twenty feet square to ten acres. The spots were water-tight, and no moisture could go down or come up, and they caught the rain in puddles, and the cattle and pigs wallowed in them. For some reason these animals preferred the water on these alkali spots to the purest water in the river. Mr. McCord went down to Arkansas, but the prospect seemed as bad as in Missouri. The hills on both sides were white tlint rock, and in the distance appeared like snow. He found the people of Ar- kansas very pleasant and cordial in their greeting ; but they carried revolvers and held many old grudges, which came down from the war, and it was a word and a shot. They were hospita- ble, but ignorant. They never saw a corn-planter or a railroad, or a reaper. He saw one man, who was taking his boys up to see the "kyars" (cars). They speak of "kerrying" (carrying) the horse to water, and they "tote" water for themselves. When a stranger takes dinner with them they say very hospitably : "Retch out and hope yourself, stranger." Mr. Robinson McCord says he saw two men talking about a reaper, which they were viewing for the first time. One of them inquired what the reel was for. The other contemplated the machine for a while and then said, he "guessed that must be to knock the rust from the wheat !" The pigs of Arkansas were worse than the old Illinois "wind- splitters." Their noses seemed as long as their bodies, and Mr. Robinson McCord says that a person was obliged to look at them sideways to see them ! They could spring through a rail fence between the rails ! In the fall of 1871 Mr. McCord came back to old McLean County, and thinks he will now stay here. He has had nine children, of whom six are now living. They are : Mrs. Hannah Jane Farmer, wife of David T. Farmer, lives in Newton County, Missouri. William Isaac McCord lives in Jasper County, Missouri. James T., Henry Gaius, Washington Robinson and Mary Ellen McCord live at home with their father. Mr. McCord is five feet and eleven inches in height, has good health, is beginning to show the effect of age in the gray hairs, which make their appearance. He is a very straight and well- m'lean county. 607 formed man, is intelligent in conversation, is humorous and good natured. John Boyd Messer. This is the sketch of a noted hunter, one whose life has been devoted to the business, and who has met with great success. John B. Messer was born August 4, 1807, in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. His father's name was Isaac Messer, and his mother's maiden name was Sidney Ann Forbes. His father was of Pennsylvania Dutch descent, and his mother was of Irish. In the year 1811 the Messer family moved to Franklin County, Ohio. In the war of 1812 Isaac Messer was a soldier in the cav- alry during three campaigns. In about the year 1816 the family moved to Pickaway County, where the}- lived twelve years. It was here that young John Messer began to show that disposition for hunting, for which he was afterwards noted. When he was only fourteen years old, he was allowed to take his father's gun and cro hunting, as a reward for doing some work which had been assigned him. By good fortune he found a deer and fired at it. The deer sprang up, almost turned a somersault and fell with its head towards him. He came up to it cautiously and gave it another shot for safety, then crawled around in the rear of it and shook its lee; and was at last convinced that its soul had really gone to the green pastures never more to be troubled by hunters. He obtained help and had the deer brought home, and during the evening was the hero of a corn-husking, and told his story over and over again. In the year 1828 the Messer family came to Sugar Grove, Illinois. This was during the Jackson and Adams campaign. Jackson was very popular, indeed it seemed almost impossible to find an Adams man. He says that a crowd of men once divided by drawing a line. The Jackson men stepped on one side and the Adams men on the other. Only one man stood for Adams, and he said he took that course because his own name was Adams ! On the sixth of March, 1829, the Messer family came to near where Lexington now stands, and in what is now McLean Coun- ty. While he lived there the ruling passion came on him strong- ly, and he went to hunting. The two creeks down the Mackinaw 608 OLD SETTLERS OF below Lexington were named by him. While out hunting he found some turkey tracks near the first creek and called it Turkey Creek, the name it bears to-day. He went two miles farther on and wounded a buck by another creek, to which he gave the name of Buck Creek, a name it still retains. He lived near the present village of Lexington about five years and then moved to the north of the Mackinaw, in the present township of Gridley, where he has resided ever since. Mr. Messer has had some lively adventures while hunting. At one time he went with a man, named Smith, up to the Blue Mound. There they followed the track of a deer out from a spring, where it had been drinking, and when coming to the prairie they saw it sitting on its haunches some distance away and looking around. After a while it laid down, and Messer and Smith walked to within sixteen steps of it, before it sprang up. Messer shot it and Smith shot another, which sprang up imme- diately afterwards. Messer made haste to cut his deer's throat, as he said it did not kick to suit him. He put his foot on one horn and his hand on the other and cut the throat. The deer sprang up instantly, and caught its antlers in the knees of Mes- ser's breeches and made two or three jumps with Messer dang- ling head downwards ; but it stumbled and fell and bled to death, Smith was so astonished, that he could only stand and look. The two deer had ten and nine prongs, respectively, on the beams of their antlers, showing them to be ten and nine years of age. At one time Mr. Messer discovered the antlers of a deer in a pond and saw the nose. He fired, and the ball went up the nose and out at the eye ; but he was obliged to chase it ten miles, when it stopped at a spring to cool. He shot it several times from behind ; at last he came in front of it, but, instead of changing its course, it charged directly at him. A shot through the head ended its career. Hunters seem to be subject to queer freaks of fortune, which they always express by the word "luck," and Mr. Messer's was oc- casionally hard luck. He was once walking in the snow towards a deer, near Wolf Creek, and he pulled off his boots and walked through the snow in his stocking feet, in order to move silently. He killed a deer and hung it on a bush, and that was his good luck ; but his boots became so frozen that he could not put them m'lean county. 609 on, and that was his hard luck. Ho saw more deer and had a fine opporiimity to kill them, and this was his good luck; but the stopper had fallen out of his powder horn, spilling all of his powder, and that was his hard luck. He killed no more and was qbliged to walk home through the snow in his stocking feet. The deer seem to have a good understanding, and, when chased by dogs and hunters, they know very well that the dogs are sent by the men behind. While Mr. Messer was once hunt- ing on Wolf Creek his dog brought down a wounded deer, but both dog and deer were nearly tired out, and they laid down and watched each other. Mr. Messer was incautiously coming up with his unloaded rifle, when the deer left the dog and sprang towards him. He dodged behind a sapling, and his dog grabbed the deer and held it until Messer could load and fire. Young hunters sometimes make very ludicrous blunders, and people are familiar with the story of a young man, who killed his neighbor's calf instead of a deer from the prairie. A youthful hunter once mistook Mr. Messer for a deer, as the latter was bending over a buck, which he had lately shot. The first intima- tion Messer received of this was the whizzing of a bullet. When the young hunter learned his mistake he was more frightened than Messer. About fourteen years ago Mr. Messer met with a misfortune, which came near terminating his adventurous career. While chasing a deer between Rook's Creek and the Mackinaw, his horse stepped into a badger's hole and Messer was violently thrown over its head, and lay stunned and senseless for perhaps two or three hours. When sense returned his horse and dogs were around him. He put on his saddle and rode to the nearest house, but was so sick, that he frequently became blind, and it was with the greatest difficulty that he clung to his horse. He received every attention at the house, and was rubbed with cayenne pepper and brandy, but was given up to die, as his pulse scarcely beat for three-quarters of an hour. But in order to receive the greatest benefit from brandy, this most delicious article should be taken internally ! Mr. Messer did so and revived. He feels the effect of the fall to-day, though it happened fourteen years ago. Mr. Messer made it a rule to kill his fifty deer in the fall of the year and during the fore part of the winter. After Christ- 39 610 OLD SETTLERS OF mas he only hunted occasionally, as the deer were not worth so much. During the Black Hawk war the settlers were subject to con- tinual fright, on account of the Indians, and Mr. Messer was sent out through Mackinaw timber to investigate matters, but could find no sign of redskins. It is to be feared that he some- times gave a few nervous gentlemen unnecessary fright. Old Johnny Patton made a yoke for his horses to prevent them from jumping the fence, and Messer persuaded a few soft gentlemen that the shavings were made by the Indians, who had been whittling ramrods for their guns. Mr. Messer married, July 5, 1832, Susannah Espy Patton. Their children are : Maria Jane Messer, who was born April 4, 1833, is married to Jasper Loving and lives about eighteen miles southeast of Decatur. Sidney Ann Messer was born September 27, 1834, is married to Aaron Misner and lives about a half mile southeast of her father's. John P. Messer was born March 11, 1836, and lives about a quarter of a mile west of his father's. Margaret Espy Messer was born December 3, 1837, is mar- ried to Lane Stewart and lives about eighteen miles southeast of Decatur. Isaac Messer was born November 30, 1839, and lives about a quarter of a mile south of his father's. Mary Messer was born October 8, 1841, is married to Thomas Bounds and lives a half mile west of her father's. James T. Messer was born July 16, 1843, and died of the cholera a few years since. Elizabeth Ellen Messer was born March 24, 1848, is married to William Stagner and lives four or five miles southeast of her father's in Money Creek township. Rebecca Adeline Messer was born June 30, 1851, is married to John Drake and lives about a mile south of Kappa in McLean County. John B. Messer is about five feet and nine inches high, has a clear, grayish blue eye, is good natured aud pleasant, has seen a great deal of hunting and can tell about it, is plucky and m'lean county. 611 quick-sighted, is free and unconstrained, and loves to talk of old times. Phrenologists would say that he has large perceptions, has a full head of grayish hair. He is rather heavy set and is pretty strong. He is generous and hospitable, and whoever talks to him is immediately made to feel at home. John Sloan. John Sloan was born March 7, 1810, near Somerset, Pulaski County, Kentucky. His father's name was William Sloan and his mother's name before her marriage was Margaret Kinkaid. William Sloan was of Scotch-Irish descent. He was brought with his parents from Antrim County, Ireland, to Bath County, Virginia, when he was six weeks old. His wife Margaret was born in Pennsylvania, but was of German descent. In 1804 or '5 William Sloan emigrated to Kentucky, where John Sloan was born. Young John there grew up and went to school to his father, and assisted every Christmas day in turning the old gen- tleman out of the school-house, as was the custom in those davs. John Sloan also went to school to other teachers and always as- sisted in compelling the teacher to "stand treat" on Christmas day. But one of their teachers came near being too smart for them. They drew up a paper and signed it, insisting that the teacher should "stand treat" and the teacher signed it, "Attest: William Talford," and the meaning of the document then was that the scholars should pay for the treat, and the teacher was a witness to it! The scholars were very angry at the sell, and took possession of the school-room and compelled the teacher to "come to time," Mr. Sloan was raised a strict Presbyterian and was required to attend to all the religious exercises of the day. He often went to camp-meeting, and there saw those strange phenomena, the jerks. They were usually the result of religious excitement. He remembers particularly the excitement of one woman, whom he saw under the influence of the jerks. She threw her head back and forth until her hair cracked like a whip. She said she knew when the jerks were coming, and could prevent them only by leaving the congregation. Mr. Sloan has never known the jerks to be produced by anything but religious excitement at religious gatherings. 612 OLD SETTLERS OF In those days it was the custom to drink whisky, but Mr. Sloan never did so except on one occasion. When he was a child ten years of age he went to see a militia company elect their captain, and the men gave him whisky and made him drunk for the fun of the thing. He was carried home insensible, and his mother watched over him all night until he became conscious. He has been a teetotaler ever since. At the age of eighteen Mr. Sloan joined the Methodist church, and has continued an active member ever since. He attended Sabbath-school regularly and was greatly interested in the cause. Sickness was the only cause for his absence from'Sabbath-school, class-meeting or prayer-meeting. In 1880 he went to Owen County, Indiana, on White River, and there went to farming. January 5, 1832, he married Polly Hart. In 1835 he came to Mackinaw timber, McLean County, Illinois, where he arrived November 25. The journey was a hard one, as the roads were muddy and no bridges were built across the streams. He often mired down, and once got into a pond where he stuck fast for a while and was obliged to take all of his things out on horseback. When he and his family arrived at the head of Mackinaw timber, they were cold and wet and the snow fell and everything was frozen. Then old Squire Thomp- son took them in and built up fires and dried their clothes and gave them a good supper, a warm bed and a nice breakfast and refused to accept pay for his services. When Mr. Sloan arrived, he possessed very little of this world's goods. He put up a house of poles, and he worked at whatever his hands could find to do. He was acquainted with everybody in that section of country, as he had a social disposition. In 1843 he was chosen constable and served four years. He often had some unpleasant and dan- gerous duties to perform, but succeeded well in his office. When his term of service as constable expired, he was chosen justice of the peace, but served only one year, as he determined to move to Wisconsin, where he lived four years and then moved to the northwestern part of Iowa. There he had no very remarkable adventure. Game was plenty, particularly elk. During the win- ter of 1853-4 the elk came down into the cornfields at night and went out before morning. He once went out hunting elk with a party of six besides himself, taking dogs and horses. Three m'lean county. 613 of the company had three guns and the rest were armed with clubs, corn cutters and hatchets. They had a horse and sleigh to bring home their game. They found a drove of about fifty elk and immediately one of their party went around on the op- posite side of the drove, while the hunting party scattered out. The elk were frightened and ran in all directions. The hunters rode after the elk, shooting them, knocking them on the head with clubs and striking them on the back with corn-cutters and hatchets. The corn-cutter was the most effective weapon, as two or three strokes over the back of an elk, cutting the tendons, seldom failed to bring it down. Seven elk were killed, six by the men and one by the dogs. One of the elk, which had been struck by a corn-cutter, turned at bay. Mr. Sloan shot it, but it only shook its head, another shot was fired, when it again shook its head in a threatening manner. The sleigh soon came up and the elk made a charge at it. Three men in the sleigh beat it over the head with seat-boards and one man on horseback rode up and struck it over the back with his corn-cutter. The elk turned on the horseman and gave him a rake with its antlers, which tore his pants from the knee to the thigh; but before it could do further damage it was shot and killed. An elk is not a fast running animal. It can trot fast and keep up the gait all day; but, when pressed into a run, it soon tires out. It never fights until wounded, but then it sometimes fights most fiercely. Mr. Sloan remained in Iowa only one winter and then moved back to Wisconsin, where he lived one or two years. But at last he concluded that Mackinaw timber, McLean County, Illi- nois, was the best place for a human being to spend his days and he returned to his old abiding place. In 1858 the township of Gridley was organized and Mr. Sloan and Upton Cooms were chosen the first justices of the peace. The former has been jus- tice of the peace ever since. He has performed all the duties of his office with fidelity. He has during that time had only two cases appealed and two writs of certiorari. His decision was sus- tained in one of the cases appealed, and the other was dismissed for want of prosecution. The justice's decision was sustained relating to the two writs of certiorari During all the time he has been justice of the peace no one ever called for money, due him from the 'Squire, without receiving it. He has married a 614 OLD SETTLERS OF good many of his neighbors. In 1848 or '49 he married James "Wilson to Margaret Ogden and has since married two of their children. On the 27th of August, 1862, Mr. Sloan enlisted in the Nine- ty-fourth Illinois Volunteers, Company E., commanded by Capt. John L. Routt. The regiment was commanded by Colonel Orme. Mr. Sloan was chosen orderly sergeant in Bloomington on the twenty-seventh day of August, 1862, when they were mustered into service. He became sick at Springfield, Missouri, and was utterly prostrated and on this account was discharged at New Orleans, February 7, 1864. Mr. Sloan has had five children. They are: William Henry Sloan lives in Mackinaw timber, about three miles south of his father's. Sarah Ann, wife of Darwin Phiuney, lives in southwestern Minnesota. James Milton Sloan lives about four miles northwest of his father's, and is teaching school. He was a soldier in the Thirty- third Illinois, Company E., commanded Iry Captain E. R. Roe, and afterwards by Captain E. J. Lewis. He was in many bat- tles, was at Cache, Champion Hills, Black River Bridge, Spanish Fort, Fredericktown, Port Gibson, siege of Vicksburg, siege of Jackson and Fort Esperanza. John Nelson and Albert Owen Sloan live in Spencer, Owen County, Indiana. Mrs. Sloan died, and on the 14th of February, , John Sloan married Mrs. Susan Smith from Iowa. No children were born of this marriage. John Sloan is five feet and eight inches high, has blue eyes; his hair was once dark, but is now somewhat gray. He is full faced, has a sanguine complexion, long whiskers nearly white, weighs one hundred and eighty-five pounds, likes fun, is a good man, talkative, pleasant and hospitable. He is generous and has helped to build four Methodist churches and a great many school houses. m'lean county. 615 Jonathan Coon. Jonathan Coon was born April 4, 1815, in Madison County, Ohio. His parentage is given in the succeeding sketch of his brother Isaiah. He tells an incident of his mother, which gives an idea of the condition of things in a new country. While a girl, living in New Virginia, she and her sister went out in the evening to hunt the cows, taking for protection a dog, belonging to the family. They remained until after dark in the moun- tains, and after a while their dog began barking in a hollow. They went there and found a panther in a tree top. After throwing stones at it for some time, one of the girls went for help to kill it, while the other remained to watch the game. Their father came to their assistance and shot the panther down. During the winter of 1823-24, the Coon family moved to Crawfordsville, Indiana, and settled within half a mile of the town. They lived there and in that vicinity until July 4, 1837, when they came to McLean County, Illinois. Crawfordsville was a small place, when the Coon family came to it. It had a store, a land office, a little hotel, a few dwellings and a little corn-cracker mill. For two years the breadstuffs, on which the people lived, were brought up Sugar Creek near by in a perogue or large poplar canoe about forty feet in length and three feet in width. At the end of that time the people had cleared enough timber to raise their own wheat for flour. The town grew, and in 1837 became a flourishing little place. Mr. Coon speaks of the animals of the early days and par- ticularly of the hedgehog, which was protected by quills, which bristled out on every side. These quills easily pierced whatever touched them, and they did not come out easily, but had a ten- dency to work in deeper and deeper. The domestic animals of those days were very different from those at the present time. The Poland-China hog could not have been raised with profit in the early days, as it could not have been driven to market. The settlers were obliged to raise the long-nosed, long-legged hogs, which could travel to market. They were called " prairie rooters" and " wind splitters," and various other names, which were suggested by the appearance of the animal. In Ohio and 616 OLD SETTLERS OF Indiana they were collected by drovers and taken to Cincinnati, Baltimore and Philadelphia. Mr. Coon tells some wonderful snake stories of Indiana. He says, that two great dens of rattlesnakes, near Crawfordsville, were attacked and cleaned out, and that about a thousand snakes of different varieties were taken out of one den, and about thir- teen hundred were taken from another. It was considered a pretty good day for snakes. When Mr. Coon lived in Indiana he had many opportunities for exercising his muscle. People were obliged to clear the timber there to make their farms, and had " log rollings." The young men came from all parts of the country to roll together and burn the logs of trees, which had been chopped down for a clearing. The log rollers were divided into two parties, each with a captain, and the logs were also divided, and the two par- ties engaged in a race to see which could accomplish their work first. Mr. Coon says, " that was work such as young bucks now know nothing of." They also had husking bees when they gathered the corn, and at night would go coon hunting. The Coons were successful in catching coons, and in one fall slew eighty of their namesakes. The clothing in the early days was buckskin jeans and linsey-woolsey for winter, and flax and tow linen for summer. The most elegant suit, which a young pioneer could wear, was of buckskin dyed green. Mr. Coon relates an incident of a young gentleman, who started forth, arrayed in a suit of green buckskin, to visit a much admired young lady. He sat up with her pretty late, as was the custom in those days, and she gave him a place to sleep in the end of an unfinished log house, which had no door. While the young man was dreaming of the hand- some young woman, whom he so much admired, some hungry hounds came into the log house and captured the new buckskin pants and ate them up. He was obliged to borrow a pair next morning to return home. Mr. Coon describes the arrangements for ploughing in the early days. The plough was the barshear; the horse was at- tached to it by ropes, which looped over the single-tree and passed from there to the hames, to which they were fastened by being tied through auger holes. The hames were tied over a m'lean county. 617 collar of corn husks. The backhand was leather or coarse tow- cloth, and the line was a single rope. While the Coon family lived in Indiana game was plenty and bears were sometimes found. Once while the Coons were out with a party after ginseng, they discovered a bear. They chased it until it was completely exhausted and laid down. One of the party then came up and killed it by striking it on the head with a mattock. In 1837 the Coon family came to Illinois and settled in Money Creek township, near Towanda. Jonathan Coon was a farmer and a mechanic. At that time the country began to be a little settled around the timber, but the wild animals were numerous and seemed to thrive well in the neighborhood of approaching civilization, and the settlers were obliged to be active in defend- ing their crops and stock. The wolves were easily killed, though not always easily caught. Mr. Coon speaks of killing one by striking it on the head with his boot, as he had no club or gun. He tells a strange incident of Major Dickason, while out making a survey. The Major in walking to set a stake took sight on a thistle, butin walking towards it was carried out of the true course. Mr. Coon called to him to make him notice his error. A close observation showed that the thistle, which he took for a sight, was moving off. It was the head of a wolf! The wild animals seemed to be very free, and often came near the dwellings of the settlers. The wolves were the most impudent and saucy in this respect, though some of the other wild animals were not at all bashful. At one time, while Mr. Coon was away from home, a panther passed his dwelling, and Mrs. Coon had an opportu- nity to study natural history all alone. She was not at all afraid, and afterwards described the doings of the animal very clearly. This was in 1843, when Mr. Coon lived between Mackinaw and Money Creek. Many animals, which are now found only in the extreme west, lived in this part of the country in the very early days. Mr. Coon has found the bones of buffalo and the horns of elk on the Mackinaw, but these animals seemed to scent the coming of civilized men from a long distance, and no living settler has ever seen buffalo or elk in McLean County, so far as the author can learn. "When the Coon family first came to McLean County the set- 618 OLD SETTLERS OF tiers " neighbored from grove to grove," that is, the people liv- ing in adjoining groves, five, ten or twenty miles distant, were neighbors. The} 7 met together, whenever a preacher came to the neighborhood to give them a good old backwoods sermon. Rev. Ebenezer Rhodes preached about twice every summer in Dickason's dwelling on Money Creek, near Towanda. Mr. Coon sometimes went to hear preaching at "White Oak Grove, and formed the acquaintance of many valued friends, as the Bensons and Browns. It was an interesting question in the early days as to where the thriving towns would be located. Lexington, Pleasant Hill and Clarksville, were then little places rivaling each other in growth and importance. A store was once started in Lexington, afterwards moved to Clarksville and then to Pleasant Hill. But the Chicago and Alton Railroad settled the matter by passing through Lexington, the other places could not keep pace with a railroad town. The greater part of Lexington belonged to A. Gridley. Clarksville belonged to Samuel Clark and George and Marston Bartholomew, and Pleasant Hill belonged to Isaac Smalley. The earliest settlers came to McLean County from a wooded country, and did not understand the value of prairie land. It will scarcely be believed, but it is a fact, that many of them made their first farms by clearing timber in the groves, while the prairie was before them and needed no clearing ! Of course it was not easy work to break prairie, and it required usually six yoke of oxen, which drew a plow, which cut a furrow of eighteen inches, and sometimes two feet; but it was very easy compared with the labor of clearing timber. Mr. Coon was a farmer and mechanic. In 1840 he and Joe Benson built the first court-house in Pontiac, but Benson died before it was finished. In 1844, Mr. Coon commenced improving the place where he now lives. This place had first been selected by Squire Sloan, who was attracted by the fine spring of water, which never runs dry ; but Mr. Sloan thought the country would never be settled, and he moved away, but came back, and now lives near his old place. In 1862, Mr. Coon built the house where he now lives, and no one could wish for anj-thing more convenient and pleasant. m'lean county. 619 Mr. Coon married, October 28, 1841, Nancy Mouser. She was born March 9, 1822, in Fayette County, Ohio. She died May 11, 1852. Mr. Coon married, July 27, 1854, Celina Bil- brey, daughter of Young and Amanda Bilbrey. She was born October 14, 1829, in McLean County, and died August 8, 1855. He has never had any children of his own, but he has taken care of two children, Mary E. and Nancy J. Young, who were placed by their mother, on her death-bed, under the charge of himself and his sister. Mr. Young, the father of the children, died the year after the decease of his wife, and Mr. Coon is now the guardian of the children. The parents of Mr. Coon lived with him from 1854 until their death. His sister Ruth keeps house for him. He is a member of the Christian Church, was baptized near Crawfordsville, Indiana, by Rev. Michael Combs. The Christian Church was organized on Money Creek, at the house of Young Bilbrey. The first elders were Isaac Hinthorn and Adam Coon, and, on the resignation of the latter, Jonathan Coon was elected to fill the vacancy. In 1860 he united with the Buck Creek congregation, as that was nearer to his house, and was chosen elder by them, and still holds that position. The present church on Buck Creek was built in 1858. Mr. Coon is about five feet and eight inches in height, is a very careful and honest man, and no doubt made a most excel- lent mechanic. He is a man who attends carefully and well to whatever is put under his charge, and as elder in the church he no doubt shows a great deal of watchcare. His health has been, for some time, very poor, and he has not been able to do much work since December, 1871. Isaiah Coon. Isaiah Coon was born July 21, 1813, in Madison County, Ohio. His father's name was Adam Coon, a Pennsylvania Dutchman, born December 1, 1782, and his mother's name before her mar- riage was Ellen Dickason, of English and Irish descent, born April 14, 1790. Adam Coon moved to Virginia at an early day, and from there to Ohio, where he was married in 1811 or '12. About that time he moved to Madison County, where Isaiah Coon was born. On Christmas day, 1823, the Coon family started for Indiana, and arrived near Crawfordsville in January, 620 OLD SETTLERS OF 1824. In 1836, Isaiah Coon came to McLean County, Illinois, and in April settled near where Towanda now is. The family came during the following year, starting July 4, and arriving July 12. They lived for two years near where Towanda now is, then two years near Clarksville, on the Mackinaw, in Money Creek township, and then moved to what is now Gridley town- ship, north of the Mackinaw. Here Adam Coon passed the remainder of his days, and died July 9, 1863, and his wife fol- lowed him on the 18th of November of the same year. Their home, for some time preceding their decease, was with Jonathan Coon. When Isaiah Coon came to the country his occupation was farming and splitting rails. For the latter he received fifty cents per hundred, and could split two hundred per day. He married, October 30, 1844, Maria Ogden, daughter of Jonathan Ogden, whose sketch appears in this volume. Mr. Coon has kept a record of the weather since his arrival and speaks of several notable phenomena. On the 13th of May, 1858, occurred a great wind storm, which tore down timber along the Mackinaw, and unroofed and tore down many houses. It was not a whirling tornado, which passes along in a mo- ment, but a steady blow, which lasted for two hours and had a track seven miles wide. It blew in a northeasterly direction. The Coons lived in about the middle of the track of the storm, and the rain was so great that the creek by their house rose to their door-step, and the mud from the field above was washed down over their door-yard, covering it in some places six inches in depth. The cloud was green in color, and while the storm was raging, everything appeared green. Such a storm as this is very rare, and the author never before heard of one in the West, although the whirling tornadoes have been often spoken of. Mr. Coon also speaks of the great sleet storm of January 13, 1871, which weighed down the timber with ice, and broke down many trees. Mackinaw timber still shows the effect very plainly. It was very common for the early settlers to go on regular bee hunts, and they would frequently bring home large quanti- ties of honey. Mr. Coon went bee hunting during the fall after he came to the country, with Major Dickason and Richard Mc- m'lean county. 621 Aferty. They went to Iowa, beyond the range of civilization, and at the end of six weeks returned with four barrels of the finest strained honey, and one hundred and fifty pounds of bees- wax. During the fall of the year following, he went with Jacob and Albert Dickason and Lewis Sowards to the sand ridges of the Kankakee, and at the end of five weeks returned with six barrels of strained honey and two hundred and forty pounds of beeswax. Mr. Coon has had six children altogether, of whom three are living. They are : Mrs. Isabel Robinson Tarman, wife of A. B. Tarraan, lives in Gridley township, about three and a half miles northeast of her father's. Mrs. Sarah Ellen Kearfott, wife of William Kearfott, lives about three and a half miles southeast of her father's, in Money Creek township. Clara Estelle, the pet, lives at home. Mr. Coon is five feet and ten inches in height, is strongly and squarely built, has a sanguine, hopeful disposition, gray eyes, a good head with what appears to be a good development of brain. He seems a very honest, kind and pleasant man. The following are the children of Adam and Eleanor Coon, the father of Isaiah : Isaiah, born July 21, 1813. Jonathan, born April 4, 1815. Ruth, born January 8, 1817. Michael, born April 5, 1819. Albert and Henry died in infancy. James S., born March 21, 1825. Nancy J. R., born February 22, 1827. Margaret W., born June 20, 1831. James Smith Coon. James S. Coon was born March 21, 1825, in Montgomery County, Indiana. (For his ancestry see sketch of Isaiah Coon). He lived there near Crawfordsville until the fourth of July, 1837, when he came to Illinois with the family, and lived for a while on Major Dickason's farm, near Towanda, McLean County. Afterwards they moved to Clarksville and then to Taylor Lov- 622 OLD SETTLERS OF ing's place in Gridley township. There James began to do some of the hunting for which he afterwards became quite famous. He and his brother Michael set large steel traps for wolves, and in one season caught seventeen of these animals (the eighteenth left his toes), two or three badgers, one gray eagle and one white owl. A steel trap set for a wolf was never fastened immovably to the ground, but was tied to a heavy pole, which the wolf could usually drag for some distance. It would be likely to pull itself loose and leave only its toes, if the trap was immovable. Mr. Coon once caught a lively wolf, which pulled the trap loose from the pole and when he came up with it and tried to strike it with his horse's bridle, the lively animal grabbed the bridle in its teeth every time. He was obliged to bring on his dogs. Mr. Coon never considered the wolves dangerous, though they sometimes came very close to him while traveling in the night time, so close that he could hear the patter of their feet. In about the year 1843 Mr. Coon took claims north of the Mackinaw and James set out apple and peach trees. The latter began to bear fruit before the land was entered. He experienced great difficulty in protecting his first trees from the deer, during the latter part of October, when the velvet was shedding from their antlers. For the deer would rub their antlers against the trees to get rid of the velvet. Mr. Coon often hunted deer with horses and hounds, and thinks it the most exciting of sport. He once remembers a most exciting chase, which he and his brother Michael had after a buck. They started with two grayhounds, a black dog named Peter Logan (after a negro), and several other dogs of various kinds. They found a herd of deer about half a mile distant, and the grayhounds started on low ground. The deer did not observe the hounds until the latter were very close. The dogs singled out the leader, a large buck. The latter ran a short distance, when he turned for fight. It was a large and powerful buck and fought the hounds most savagely. It gored first one and then the other with its long antlers. The hunters came up but had no guns or clubs and could only look on. The buck would pin one dog to the ground, when the other would grab it; then it would pin the other to the ground, when the first one would take hold of it. At last Peter Logan, the black dog, m'lean county. 623 came up and all three of them mastered the buck, and the hunt- ers finished it. One of the grayhounds was so terribly gored, that it had to be wrapped up, and carried home in a wagon. The other was gashed in the shoulder clear to the bone, but eould walk home. It was a plucky dog, and caught another deer on its return. The buck would have undoubtedly whipped the grayhounds and perhaps killed them both, if old P«Ster Lo- gan had not come to their assistance. When the Coon family lived near Clarksville, Adam Coon found the track of an unusual animal. It was a track as large as a man's fist and almost perfectly round. A party of men fol- lowed it up and found a lynx. The animal did not seem afraid, but trotted around carelessly, though it seemed a little anxious to keep out of the way of the hunter who carried the rifle. The men wished to see some fun and sent for a couple of dogs, and when the latter arrived, Michael Coon shot the lynx in the leg and breast, thinking to give the dogs an easier fight, but it died in a few moments and they missed the fun. While it was dying, one of the dogs grabbed it, but received a terrific blow from the paw of the lynx and was sent rolling. The paws of the lynx were round and fully as large as a good sized fist; its nails re- sembled the claws of a timber hawk, and were an inch and a half in length ; its legs were enormous in size, large, and with the heavy fur seemed fully as large as the leg of a stout man. Mr. Coon married, February 14, 1850, Maria Young, who came to Illinois while only a small child. In 1852 he and his wife moved to the place where they now live, north of the Mackinaw They have had three children, of whom two are living. They are : Ambrose Whitlock and Sarah Eleanor Coon, who both live at home. Mr. Coon is five feet and nine inches in height, is strong and possessed of a great deal of pluck. He is not very heavy, but muscular. He has brown hair and reddish whiskers. He seems born to succeed in the world, and has that leading characteristic of the family, straightforwardness in his transactions. He and his brother Michael were the two coon hunters. 624 old settlers of George Washington Cox. George TV. Cox was born October 28, 1815, in Oxford Coun- ty, Maine, in the little town of Norway. His father, William Cox, was of Welch descent and his mother, whose maiden name was Elizabeth Phipps, was of English, but both were born in New Ifampshire. George W. Cox received his common school education in Maine. He served his apprenticeship at carding and cloth-making and followed his trade for awhile after coming to the West. He came to Illinois in 1837. He traveled by steamboat a greater part of the way, until he landed at Pekin, and there he continued his journey on foot to Bloomingtou. As he was unaccustomed to walking he was an invalid for a week afterwards. For five years he worked part of the time near Hudson on a farm, which he and his brother, Samuel Cox, opened up, and a part of the time at Bloomington as a cloth-dresser in Ort CovePs carding and cloth-dressing factor} 7 . Cloth was dressed by putting it on a cylinder and running the cards over it, and it was finely dressed by teasels or burrs, which were strung on a cylinder, or between slats running across the cyl- inder. Mr. Cox married, March 24, 1842, in Bloomington, Nancy Jane Loving, daughter of Taylor Loving, of Gridley township. She was born in Indiana, and was brought to Illinois at an early day. Mr. Cox lived on Taylor Loving's farm in Mackinaw tim- ber for two years, and in 1844 broke prairie at the place where he now lives, north of the Mackinaw in Gridley township. He has succeeded very well in raising stock, has had no particular ad- ventures, never was a hunter because hunting was not a paying business. He could buy meat cheaper than he could kill it. If he wanted venison he could purchase it of John Messer for a little more than the cost of the ammunition required to kill it. He is a man highly respected in his township ; he has been twice supervisor, indeed has held every township office, except justice of the peace and town clerk. Mary Jane Cox died February 16, 1863. Mr. Cox married, August 12, 1863, Mrs. Nancy Potter, widow of Joseph Potter, of Kappa. Her maiden name was Nancy Hall, and her birthplace is in Indiana. m'lean county. 625 Mr. Cox has had five children in all, of whom four are now living. They are: James W. Cox, who lives a half mile east of his father's. He served in the army in the Normal regiment and was dis- charged, after two years' service, on account of sickness. Mrs. Mary Z. Bowers, wife of Wesley Bowers, lives in Ben- ton County, Indiana. Henry W. Cox lives in Benton County, Indiana, within half a mile of his sister, Mrs. Bowers. Charles Sumner Cox is deaf and dumb, and has for some time been an inmate of the asylum at Jacksonville. Mr. Cox is about five feet and nine inches in height, has a full head of hair, which was originally dark, has grayish blue eyes, a full beard, rather a thin face, is rather spare and has been much afflicted with rheumatism. He is good natured, hard working, hospitable and kind : a man of good business qualifi- cations, has succeeded well, takes care of what he possesses, has a fine farm and a fine house and everything appears neat and tidy, as the place of a New Englander should. The family, of which George W. Cox is a member, has been much scattered. There were fourteen children of them in the little town of Norway, where their father kept store, about forty miles from Portland. Two of the daughters are in Massachu- setts, one in New Hampshire and one in Bloomington, Illinois ; one son is at Troy, New York, two are in Maine, one at Hudson, Illinois, merchant and postmaster, one in Bloomington, and one, the subject of this sketch, in Gridley township, north of the Mackinaw. HUDSON. Young Bilbrey. Young Bilbrey was born May 21, 1801, in North Carolina. His father's name was Isam Bilbrey and his mother's maiden name was Rath Sellers. When Young was about seven years of age, the family moved to Matthew's Creek and there he lived until he came to Illinois. He married, August 12, 1826, Amanda Patrick, and Jauuarv 12, 1827, he started for Illinois 40 626 OLD SETTLERS OF with horses and oxen, with his wife, three brothers-in-law and one sister-in-law. They came first to Twin Grove, where they arrived February 12, and remained until April 16, when they moved to Panther Creek, in what is now Woodford County. At the latter place Mr. Bilbrey built a rail pen to live in. It was a ten-foot rail pen, with rails on three sides and the other side open. The roof was of clapboards. In this they lived three weeks and while there Mr. Bilbrey and his three brothers- in-law cleared ten acres of heavy timber and planted it in corn, and it yielded fifty bushels to the acre. After this clearing was made they moved to a log house near by, and the following year moved to another log house, which they had built in the mean- time on the north side of the east fork of Panther Creek. "While building that house, Mr. Bilbrey's brother-in-law, Winslow Patrick, was killed by a fall, and this was the first sad event they experienced. The fever and ague was a regular visitor in the West. Mrs. Bilbrey says that Stephen Webb, of Twin Grove, declared that no one but a lazy man could have the ague. But before long he took it himself, while splitting rails. He had a good shake, but insisted that it would be driven off" the next time by splitting rails. Again the ague came, harder than before, and Stephen mauled rails with all his might ; he shook and mauled and shook and mauled, but the fever and chills were at last so severe, that he stopped work, and he was forced to acknowledge that the ague was no respecter of persons. Some time afterwards he was out haying, and while coming home on the load he had the ague, and while crossing a creek his load upset and he was in- voluntarily baptized, and, strange to say, never had the ague again. Mrs. Bilbrey thinks the wagon was upset for the purpose of throwing Mr. Webb into the creek. During the winter of the deep snow the Bilbreys pounded their corn as everybody did. When the heavy snow-fall came, some men, who had come to mill from Pontiac, and were re- turning, were caught in the snow and stayed at Mr. Bilbrey's over night. They left their corn meal there and went home and afterwards returned with sleds and snow-shoes. One of them was near freezing to death, and gave up and wished to stop and die. His companion gave him encouraging words, but these m'lean county. 627 seemed to be of little use and be was determined to die. At last his companion aroused him by saying: "I don't care if you die. You are of no account to your family anyhow, or to any one, and the best thing you can do is to freeze." The man thus addressed became very angry and aroused himself and walked through. The house of Mr. Bilbrey was used as a preaching place for many years, for the Christians and United Brethren. The clothing worn in the early days was jeans and linsey woolsey, and Mrs. Bilbrey thinks it would do no harm if this clothing was worn at the present day. She thinks the fashions of the present day are scandalous, and that it is an outrage for women to wear humps on their backs, and that they had better dress naturally, even if they wore linsey woolsey. She wishes this idea preserved with care in the hope that it may be a benefit to the rising generation. In 1836 the Bilbrey family moved to the east side of Money Creek, where they lived twenty-five years and then moved to the west side, where they lived until the death of Mr. Bilbrey, which occurred June 13, 1873, Mr. Bilbrey belonged to the Christian Church for about thirty-five years. He died without fear, and was conscious to the last. His business was all arranged and "his house set in order." Ten dollars would have paid every debt he owed. Mr. and Mrs. Bilbrey have had nine children, of whom six are living. The children are : •Jane, born October 14, 1829, married to Jonathan Coon, died August 8, 1856. Mary Ann, born January 8, 1832, married Rankin Armstrong and lives near Secor, Woodford County. Melinda, born December 17, 1833, married Lewis Smith, died August 9, 1861. William, born March 29, 1836, lives in Gibson, Ford County, Illinois. Ellen, born October 25, 1837, married Jacob Hinthorn and lives on the west side of Money Creek timber. Margaret was born March 16, 1839, and died May 3, 1864. Almira was born September 28, 1840, married William Hin- thorn, March 24, 1861, lives in Shelbina, Missouri. C28 OLD SETTLERS OF Allen, born October 28, 1841, lives on the south end of his father's farm. Eli, born October 5, 1845, lives on the southwest side of Money Creek timber. Mr. Bilbrey was rather a large man, weighed about two hun- dred and thirty pounds, was very muscular, worked hard, had an iron constitution, was a good man and strictly honest. He was very cool and fearless, when difficulties appeared in his way, and worked steadily and carefully to overcome them. He was sick for three weeks previous to his death with inflammation of the bowels and bilious fever. His funeral was a large one, the peo- ple coming from long distances to see the old pioneer laid in his last resting place. The funeral sermon was preached by Thomas D. Lyons, at the house of the deceased. Joseph Messer. Joseph Messer was the son of Isaac Messer, whose children are given at the close of this sketch. It has not been possible to obtain information sufficient to write a sketch of the old gentle- man, who was one of the earliest and most noted pioneers of McLean County. Joseph Messer was born September 5, 1825, in Pickaway County, Ohio, and came with the family to Mackinaw timber, in what is now McLean County, Illinois, where he arrived in March, 1829. He has led quite an active life, and has done some hunt- ino- "off and on" for fifteen or sixteen years, and indeed 'this disposition to hunt is one of the leading characteristics of the fam- ily. He studied particularly into the nature of that most cunning and most interesting animal, the deer. He says that frequently they have their regular places to live and sometimes select them with great care and discretion. He remembers a large buck, which had a place to stay on the north of the Mackinaw, where it was protected in some measure by two ponds of w^ater. It could there see a long distance and had timely notice of the approach of hunters or wild animals. Mr. Messer determined to kill this deer, and crawled to it from a long distance and was obliged to crawl through a pond of water, which came over his back. But he held up his gun and went through, and was rewarded for his trouble by killing the deer. As the country became well settled, m'lban county. 629 the game grew scarce and was not easily killed. The old hunters then practiced shooting deer on the run. Mr. Messer, while on horseback, once chased a deer, and as it was about to run into a thicket he shot it through the heart without slacking the pace of his horse. In one fall he killed eighteen deer, and only one was shot while standing. Mr. Messer married, March 17, 1853, Martha Locke. He has had eight children, all of whom are living. They are fine, healthy boys and girls, and he works hard to support them. He is live feet and ten inches in height, is not heavy set, has a nose with a good natured turn to it, and gray eyes with a very clear expression in them. He is a very pleasant man. The following are the children of Isaac Messer, the father of Joseph : John Messer, born August 4, 1807, lives north of the Macki- naw in Gridley township. His sketch appears in this work. Mary Messer, born January 4, 1811, married Joseph D. Gild- ersleeve and lives in Hudson township in the edge of Money Creek timber. Elizabeth Messer, born September 4, 1813, married Peter Spore and lives at Neosho Falls, Kansas. s Jane Messer, born September 9, 1815, married Isaac Turnip- seed and lives in Hudson township in the edge of Money Creek timber. Sidney Ann Messer, born April 19, 1819, married Madison Young, lived in Mackinaw timber and died many years since. Rebecca Messer, born October 30, 1821, married Calvin Doughty. She and her husband are both dead. Isaac Messer died in infancy. Joseph Messer, born September 5, 1825, lives in Hudson township in the edge of Money Creek timber. James K. Messer, born April 19 1828, died when eight years of age. Isaac Messer, born December 28, 1831, lives in Hudson town- ship in the edge of Money Creek timber. Jesse Havens. Jesse Havens was born June 23, 1781, near the mouth of Squawn River in New Jersey. His father came from Wales when 630 OLD SETTLERS OF quite young. He was a sea captain and was shipwrecked and lost his life on the ocean by shipwreck. Jesse Havens came to Virginia, when only a boy and lived with a brother-in-law, named Newman. There he went bear-hunting and killed a great number. Mr. Newman made bear-hunting a business and Jesse Havens often went out with a company of hunters under Newman and stayed for three months at a time without seeing any human be- ings, except members of the company. -Jesse JIavens was an excellent marksman, and as the bear were thick, had every chance to exercise his skill. He sometimes took the dogs and went out hunting himself and occasionally had some unexpected adventures. At one time, while alone watching a deer-lick, he heard an ani- mal approaching, which proved to be a panther. It ran up a tree and seemed also to be on the watch for deer. Jesse took careful aim at it, fired and ran for home. The hunters returned with him to the spot and found the panther dead. At one time he had a dangerous adventure with a bear. He shot a bear which had been treed and it fell wounded, and hugged the dog, which had treed it. When Jesse came up, the bear and dog went rolling down a hill, but Jesse succeeded in killing the bear with his knife and tomahawk. Pie considered this a narrow escape. He went in 1801 to where Newark, Ohio, now is, and built several log cabins for a company which settled there. He mar- ried and moved eight miles north of that place and cleared out a small farm and ran a shop in which he made furniture, chairs, etc. Jesse Havens enlisted in the war of 1812 and was at the des- perate defence made by Major Croghan and his band of one hun- dred and sixty men, of Fort Stephenson on the Lower Sandusky. In the fall of 1829 Jesse Havens came to Illinois. He came first to Big Grove, near where Urbana now is, and from there went in search of a house and found one on the North Fork of the Sangamon, south of where Leroy now is. When he moved his family there, which was in December, 1829, the sleet troubled him very much, and he was obliged to walk many miles to obtain corn for food. He left the Sangamon and came to Buckles' Grove and from there he came to where Hudson now is, in January, 1830. There he bought some claims, made improvements and went to farming, as did all the settlers in that section. In 1850 Jesse Havens sold out and went to Iowa, but after a few years returned to Havens' Grove. Here he lived two years m'lean county. C31 with his son Hiram and tlien went back to Iowa, where he re- mained until the time of his death, which occurred December 2, 1862. Just previous to his death he requested his son William to bury him in Havens' Grove, and this request was carried out. He was, at the time of his death, eighty-one years, five months and nine days old. He was married to Rebecca Hinthorn in Licking County, Ohio. He had eleven children, all of whom lived to become men and women. They are : Mrs. Elizabeth Piatt, wife of Hezekiah Piatt, died in North- ern Iowa. Mrs. Anna Smith, wife of John Smith, lives at Havens' Grove. Mrs. Dorcas Wheeler, wife of Benjamin Wheeler, lives at Havens' Grove. Mrs. Margaret Trimmer, wife of David Trimmer, died at Havens' Grove. John Havens lives at Ford County, Illinois, not far from Paxton. Hiram Havens lives at Havens' Grove. Jesse D. Havens lives in Lincoln, Illinois, on the Chicago & Alton Railroad. Rev. James Havens lives in Wisconsin. He is a Methodist minister and belongs to the Wisconsin Conference. Rev. Enoch Stephen Havens also is a Methodist minister be- longing to the Wisconsin Conference. Ired M. Havens died at Kappa, January 8, 1852, aged twenty- six } 7 ears, seven months and twenty-one days. He was buried at Havens' Grove. W. W. Havens lives in Xorthern Iowa. Jesse Havens was six feet in height, had heavy hair and eye- brows, and was very muscular. He was a good man and quite successful in life. He gave the name to Havens' Grove. He was one of the first Commissioners elected in McLean County after its organization. Hiram Havens. Hiram Havens was born March 29, 1817, in Licking County, Ohio. He worked for his father, Jesse Havens, in his younger days and broke prairie with an ox-team. He and his brother 632 OLD SETTLERS OF John broke prairie together and together kept bachelor's hall. John usually brought up the oxen in the morning, while Hiram pounded the cornmeal for breakfast. They often killed deer, sometimes early enough in the morning to have venison for breakfast. In March, 1833, Hiram Havens went to More's mill on Panther Creek, in company with a man named Piatt. But on his return he found it impossible to cross the Mackinew. His companion, Piatt, managed to cross on the ice with a pole, in- tending to go home and return with something for Havens to eat, but on his return it was impossible to re-cross the Mackinaw, as it had risen to an enormous height. Havens was left to lay all night on an open sled, on the bank of the Mackinaw in a sleeting storm. But he fortunately had his feet protected by a big dog, which kept them warm. The wolves came unpleasantly near and seemed very anxious to make mutton of him. The next morning he rode eight miles in the storm on one of his horses, leading the other. He obtained some parched corn for breakfast, of a man named More, then rode two miles farther to a house where he was given some boiled corn and venison. He lived there sixteen days before he could re-cross the Mackinaw. He found that the crows and mice had eaten much of his flour, and possibly the wolves might have assisted in the matter. Hiram Havens was a good shot and pretty certain to bring- down his game. His father once treed a lynx, which is an im- mensely long-bodied animal, with spots or short stripes, and with legs which are short, thick and powerful. Hiram was called to shoot the animal, and put a bullet into its brain. It fell to the ground and an incautious dog came rather close, when the lynx gave it a blow with its paw, which sent the dog rolling senseless. The lynx died in a few moments. It measured six feet from tip to tip, but its tail was short. Its nails were two inches in length. The lynxes, as may be seen by the description, are ferocious animals, and have given rise to many stories. One of these Mas the story of the once celebrated Clem Oatman. It was said that Clem Oatman was once coming home from mill, when he saw one of these lynxes and killed it with a club and carried it on his horse, which was a very tall one. And it was said that this lynx dragged its head in the snow on one side and its hindquarters in the snow on the other, and in this manner the wonderful lynx m'lean county. 633 was carried home. The news of Clem Oatman's lynx was car- ried over the country, and was told in every school house, church and grocery. So far as the truth of this story is concerned, the reader can believe as much or as little as he chooses. If he wishes to cultivate his faith, this story is a good one to practice on. Mr. Havens takes delight in stories, and tells one on a certain man named Wood, an English sailor, who came to the neighbor- hood with Mr. Samuel Lewis. Wood went hunting, with a fine gun, which Lewis had brought from England. The gun was scoured up brightly, and was of beautiful workmanship. Wood wounded a deer, which turned for fight, and came with its hair all bristling forward, though it was much worried by the dogs. Wood turned to the deer and said : "Don't you come 'ookin' at me, Mr. Deer, or I'll knock 'ee in the 'ead with the gun." But the deer was not familiar with broad English dialect and did not heed the warning. The old sailor managed the gun as he would a handspike and broke the deer's horns and mashed its head and laid it out dead. But the pretty gun, which had been brought from England, with pretty mountings and fancy trappings, was broken and battered and useless for further service. Hiram Havens commenced work for the Illinois Central Rail- road Company in 1851, when that great undertaking was put under contract. He worked two years and a half, furnishing ties, bridge lumber, etc., and could have remained in the service of the company, but was afraid of the uncertainty of a life on the road. Mr. Havens has been pretty successful in life, and has made his money by the hardest of labor. Wlien he married and com- menced life for himself, lie was on sixty acres of land, which was given to him by his father. He lived in a cabin twelve feet square, made of split logs. It had only one window, and was a hard looking affair. He and his wife had two cows, one pony, two chairs, one bed and one blue chest, which they used as a table. During the first year he did his ploughing with a bor- rowed horse, but succeeded well and bought more land and in about three years was able to build a house. He continued farm- ing and raising stock and accumulating property, until he became pretty independent. In 1850 he bought the farm of Enoch S. (334 OLD SETTLERS OF Havens, and since that time built the house where lie now lives. His property is not tied up with trust deeds or mortgages, but belongs to him in fee simple. He married Sarah A. Trimmer, April 5, 1838. She is still living. He has bad five children, of whom three are living. They are : Mrs. Martha E. Johnson, wife of John S. Johnson, lives in White Oak Grove. Alice Havens and Etta B. Havens, the pet, live at home. Mr. Havens is nearly six feet in height, and has a fair amount of muscle. His hair was once what is politely called intensely auburn, that is, it bad a reddish cast, but now it is sprinkled with gray. He has been a hard and industrious worker, and has the respect and confidence of the community where he resides, as is seen by the fact that he has been justice of the pe*?ce for sixteen years. Benjamin Wheeler. Benjamin Wheeler was born February 14, 1803, in Hardy County, Virginia, (now West Virginia,) about two and one-half miles from the town of Morfield. His father's name was Benja- min Wheeler, and his mother's maiden name was Rachel Har- ris. He is of English and German descent. Mr. Wheeler was, of course, very young during the war of 1812, but he remembers that about that time his mother died, leaving seven children for the father to look after. As strange luck would have it, Mr. Wheeler, sr., was drafted during that war in what was called the Whisky Company, while he had all these seven children to sup- port. But the case was one of such hardship that the town generously paid for a substitute, and Mr. Wheeler remained at home. The war of 1812 had a great effect on the price of various articles, which were imported into the country. When it was nearly closed, a merchant brought some salt from Baltimore to Morfield on packhorses, and sold it for fifty cents per quart; but soon the war was ended, salt was brought in cheap, and the mer- chant was obliged to sell out at a loss. When Benjamin Wheeler, jr., was about thirteen years of age, the family came to Licking County, Ohio. Xo incident of im- m'lean county. G35 portance occurred during his youth. He married, April 10, 1828, Dorcas Havens, and during the fall of 1829 started for the West with his father-in-law, Jesse Havens. He came to Big Grove, where Champaign City, Ills., now is, and in 1830 came to Mc- Lean County. He began farming with very little to work with and no money. His first plow was partly of his own manufac- ture. He had a land side and a shear, and he made a wooden mould-board himself. The appearance of this plow was not pre- possessing. It seemed more like an A harrow than a plow ; but it was serviceable, and he was obliged to use it for two years be- fore he could make enough money to buy another. In 1839-40 he experienced the celebrated hard times, and sold pork in Lacon for one dollar and a quarter per hundred, took one-fourth of his pay in store goods, and the remainder in Cairo money, which the merchants tried to shave twelve and a half cents on the dollar ; but he refused to submit to it, He hauled shelled corn to Peoria and sold it for twelve and a half cents per bushel. But in 1843 prices rose, and farmers could make money. The fluctuations in currency at home made many a man's for- tune. Many men, who owed the State Bank, bought up its notes at a large discount and paid their debts. But with all of these vexations, Mr. Wheeler thinks he enjoyed himself better then, than he has done during the last fifteen or eighteen years. Mr. Wheeler was very little of a hunter. He killed two or three deer, but was more successful with turkeys, for when he shot one out of a flock, the rest fluttered around and huddled together, and would not run until they saw the hunter. He only killed three deer, and two of these were during the winter of the deep snow. Only six or seven deer lived during that winter in Havens' Grove ; wdiole droves of them perished in the snow. During the famous sudden change of December, 1836, Mr. Wheeler was out feeding his stock, and when he came into the house and pulled oft' his overcoat it was frozen so stiff that it stood upright on the floor. He speaks of a man and his daugh- ter, who were frozen to death in this sudden change, before they could go to their home, a few miles away. This incident has been related by several other settlers, but none seem to know the names of the unfortunate persons. Mr. Wheeler says that 636 OLD SETTLERS OF two hours after the sudden change took place, the Six Mile Creek could be crossed on the ice. Mr. Wheeler speaks of other phenomena. In 1844, the year of the great rains, he was at one time entirely hemmed in. The Six Mile Creek overflowed the bottom lands, and Mr. Wheeler's house stood on an island. The creek was higher than ever be- fore, except the spring of 1831, when the deep snow went off. Mr. "Wheeler has suffered much by fire. During the fall of 1830 a fire came up from Twin Grove, and everyone turned out to fight it; but' it burned up all his rails, his wheat and. his hay, and during the succeeding winter he was forced to depend on his corn, which he dug out of the deep snow. In about the year 1838 or '40, a fire came rolling over the prairie, and Mr. Wheeler and his boys tore down the rail fences as fast as possible to save them, but nine hundred, of his rails went up in smoke. In 1840 or '41, the fire came so swiftly, that it jumped a piece of plowed and burnt ground two rods wide. At another time it jumped the big road, which is more than two rods wide. He saw a dry fence, belonging to Samuel Lewis, burnt down so quickly that the stakes and riders were still standing, while the fence was burnt out underneath. Mr. Lewis was away from home at the time, and Mrs. Lewis came out with her mopstick to do something, but she might as well have thrown it at the Chicago fire. Mr. Wheeler has seen fire going faster than a horse could run and taking fear- ful leaps. It would suck in the air behind it, and move like a flock of wild geese with the center ahead and the wings on each side hanging back. The old settlers, of course, have a lively recollection of those animals, which destroyed their property. Mr. Wheeler remem- bers a particularly destructive lynx, for which a reward of thirty dollars was offered. An Indian succeeded in killing it and claimed tlie reward, which was refused; but the settlers took the Indian's part and insisted that the reward should be paid, and the Indian at last received it. The rattlesnakes, in early days, were numerous, and Mr. Wheeler says that the poison strikes into the system almost in- stantly. A Mrs. Rook was bitten by a rattlesnake on the hand, and her husband thought he would show great presence of mind by cutting out a piece of flesh, where she had been bitten; but m'lean county. G37 she came near dying and was only saved by an Indian, who rub- bed her with China snakeroot. This was the great remedy. Mr. Wheeler lias seen all phases of pioneer life, and, notwith- standing all the hardships, he enjoyed himself very much in the " good old times." He has had fourteen children, ten of whom are living. They are : Valentine Wheeler, who lives in Hudson. Jesse Wheeler, who lives three miles west of Hudson. William L. Wheeler lives in Ford County, near Gibson City. Mrs. Rebecca Miller, wife of John G. Miller, lives in Bloom- ington. John T. Wheeler lives in Clay Centre, Clay County, Kansas. James A. Wheeler lives in Farmer City, DeWitt County. Rachel, Elizabeth, Mary and Henry Wheeler, live at home. Benjamin Wheeler is almost six feet in height, is a very kind gentleman, can tell what he knows, and fortunately knows some- thing to tell. His hair is srav, and his whiskers arc of mixed red ~ Of? and gray. He has a hopeful disposition and a pleasant temper. He suffers with the asthma, which, he thinks, he brought on by contending with fires and becoming suddenly warm and breath- ing the smoke and heated air. Mrs. Wheeler, his lady, was born June 9, 1810, in Licking County, Ohio. She is a woman offen- der sympathy, has a kind heart and a pleasant word for all. John Smith. John Smith was born December 11, 1804, in Randolph Coun- ty, North Carolina. His father's name was David Smith, and his mother's name was Polly McLaughlin. His grandfather, Zachariah Smith, was a German, who came to America when a boy. He was a Baptist preacher during the Revolutionary war. Polly McLaughlin was of Scotch descent. David Smith moved to Georgia in 1811, and returned the following year to North Carolina. Many soldiers were seen on the way. He volunteered to go to the war in 1812, but was never called out. Shortly afterwards the Smith family went to Kentucky, where they re- mained a year, and then went to Centreville, Indiana, on the Whitewater River. They farmed and cleared forty acres of land on the beach. They hauled their corn on a sled, as the settle- ment did not have a wagon for two years. After four years of 638 OLD SETTLERS OF farming there, they went to Strawtown. The health of this place may be inferred from the fact that only one man in it failed to take the fever and ague. A little difficulty occurred there with the Miami Indians. Some of them came to the house of a pio- neer, named Shintaffer, and insisted on having whisky, which was refused. One of them in his anger struck Shintaffer's wife on the cheek, and it hurt her severely, as she was suffering with the toothache. Mr. Shintaffer picked up the Indian and threw him on the fire, while Mrs. Shintaffer took the butt end of the whip to him. The Indian was severely burnt, and would have •been roasted alive, had not the squaws made an outcry. This was in the fall of the year. During the following spring, Mr. Shintaffer went with John Smith to blaze a road to the Wabash River, and a party of twelve Miami Indians attempted in his ab- sence to murder his family ; but he returned just as they were about to commence, and was assisted in defending his family by some whites, who were watching the Indians. After a severe scuffle, one Indian and one white man were killed. The Shin- taffer and the Smith families moved down to the mouth of Eel River. There the Smiths lived two years, then moved to Honey Creek prairie on the W abash, where they remained one year, then went to the Grand Prairie near the State line, between Illi- nois and Indiana, The Grand Prairie was a name given to the whole prairie of the Mississippi valley. On the line, where the Grand Prairie commenced, the beech and yellow poplar stopped. In 1824, John Smith moved a family to Peoria, which then contained only two or three houses. While on this trip, he saw, about twenty miles above Peoria, a large log in a tree, and on climbing up he found it contained the bones of an Indian, who must have been six feet and five inches tall. On Mr. Smith's return home he moved to Big Grove, Illinois, near where Urbana now is. While he was there, a man went to Peoria on foot to perfect his title to some land, and it was necessary to see the per- son whom John Smith moved there. On the man's return he walked himself to death, and was found lying between the San- gamon and the head of the Vermilion. The Indian trading-house was at the east end of Big Grove. In the timber were two Indian sugar camps. They had all the apparatus for making sugar. They had immense troughs, which would hold six or eight barrels of sap. m'lean county. 639 Ln the spring of 1830, the Smith family moved to what was afterwards called Smith's Grove. John Smith immediately en- tered the land, whore the Jones family now live. The winter of the deep snow was a hard one for the Smith family. When the first heavy snowfall came, John Smith was at White Oak timher, and during- that night stayed at More's mill with several others. Ho was watching the mill as it ground his corn, but it broke during the night, and he could grind no more. The mill was built of logs, and was not chinked, and the snow drifted on the inside about eight feet high. It required the whole of the next day for Mr. Smith to go to Havens' Grove, and the whole of the following da} 7 to reach home at Smith's Grove. A few days afterwards, when the snow became settled and packed, it was impossible to go an} T where. John Smith married, March 30, 1831, Anna Havens. In the spring of 1832 he settled at Havens' Grove, about three-quarters of a mile north of his present residence. In 1849 he settled about half a mile from Hudson, in the edge of Havens' Grove, and has lived there ever since. John Smith relates an incident, which occurred in December, 1836, during the sudden change in the weather. On the day of the sudden change, a man, named Lapham, was crossing the Mackinaw. He came over the ice on horsebaok; but just as his horse was stepping from the ice, which had been raised by the thaw, it went into the mud and water between the ice and the steep bank. AVhile Lapham was trying to get out his horse, the sudden change came on, and the intensely cold wind stupefied the horse, and Lapham left it and walked two miles and a half to John Smith's house. On the following day ho and Smith went back for the saddle, bridle and blankets. The horse was frozen solidly in the ice. The water and mud had not reached to its flanks, but it was so chilled by the sudden change, that it was powerless to loosen itself. John Smith has raised quite a family of childreu. He has had eight altogether, of whom six grew up. They are : Dr. Lee Smith, who was born May 8, 1832, and lives in Bloomington. Mrs. Irena Lewis, wife of Samuel H. Lewis, lives in Hudson. 640 OLD SETTLERS OF Jesse and David Smith, twins, wore born December 31, 1836. Rev. Jesse Smith lives at Hamilton on the Mississippi River, is a Methodist minister, and belongs to the Central Illinois Confer- ence. David Smith lives at home and. attends to the farm. Christiana Smith lives at the homestead. John Smith is rive feet and nine inches in height, and is rather slenderly built. In his younger days he was pretty muscular and was a hard worker. He is very industrious and strictly honest. His hair is heavy and stands high on his head. Old age leaves its effects on him, and his eyesight is poor and his hearing has partially failed. He is a good man and wishes to perform all of his duties honestly and religiously. He has been very successful in life, and is one of the earliest and most honored pioneers in the grove where he lives. The following incident may throw some light on Mr. Smith's character and disposition. In an early day an old Quaker, named Joseph Wilson, attempted to build a mill on the Mackinaw, but his undertaking was not fortunate, as the Mackinaw is rather an uncertain stream. He afterwards went to the northern part of the State and built a mill on Elk- horn Creek, and became quite well to do in the world. He came to McLean County in search of grafts for fruit-trees, and while on this excursion, called on "his old friend, John Smith." The two old pioneers talked over their matters together. Friend "Wilson said, he wished to have plenty of apple trees, so that he could sit down with a basket of apples beside him, and when they were gone, he could say : " Boys, bring another basket of apples." The friends discussed their financial matters, too, and John Smith told how by his care and labor he had money at interest. Friend Wilson asked Smith, if the latter did not think he should have given his money to the poor. " No," said John Smith, " I have worked hard for it, and think I have earned it, and if I should give it to others they might not appreciate it". John Smith was right. Albert Young Phillips. Albert Y. Phillips was born April 14, 1812, at Huntsville, Alabama. His father's name was Glenn Phillips and his moth- er's name before her marriage was Leah McCord. Albert Y. Phillips is of Scotch and Irish descent. Glenn Phillips was a m'lean county. 641 soldier in the war of 1812 and fought at the battle of Eorse Shoe Bend under Andrew Jackson against the Creek Indians, and died of hardship, exposure and want of food. When Albert Y. Phillips was about fourteen years of age the family moved to Overton County, Tennessee, and there Albert resided until the fall of 1830, when he came to Illinois. He ar- rived at Twin Grove, in what is now McLean County, November 8, 1830. He did very little during the succeeding winter, which was the one of the deep snow, but kept his toes warm in the house as well as possible. In April, 1832, the Phillips family went to Indian Grove, which is now in Livingston County, but were alarmed for fear of Indian troubles during the Black Hawk war, and went to White Oak Grove. The Kickapoo Indians at Indian Grove were quiet during the Black Hawk war, but, the whites w r ere suspicious and fearful of them. This anxiety was increased by the freaks of an Indian, named Turkey, who alarmed the whites by appearing among them with his face painted a blood-red color. But the Kickapoos were friendly, polite and well behaved. They con- ducted themselves as gentlemen should. They attended church and listened to the preaching. At one time they listened to the exhortations of a Methodist preacher, named Walker, whose ser- mon was interpreted to them by Peter Cudjoe, who had married an Indian woman. Mrs. Phillips says she was glad to have the Indian women come to see her, and thought them quite good looking. They had regular features and would have been con- sidered remarkably fine women, if the copper-colored tan could have been removed from their cheeks. In September, 1832, Albert Phillips and his brother, Calvin Marion, and a man named Andrew Barnard, moved to Indian Grove to the old Indian town, which the Kickapoos had aban- doned during that fall. The men started with little to eat. as they expected to be joined by their families and by others on the following day. But the families were detained and did not come for a week, and the three men were obliged to live during that time on honey and hog potatoes. These potatoes grew wild on the creek bottoms and along the sloughs. They were little black things about the size of an egg, and could be boiled or roasted, but had a flavor very different from Irish potatoes. They were 41 642 OLD SETTLERS OF tubers, grew from three to six inches apart, and had two or three potatoes to a stem. The deer, which had been killed off during the winter of the deep snow, became numerous a few years later, and had a bad habit of eating- up the settlers' corn. They would eat the corn from the cob without tearing off the husk or breaking down the stalks, and the patch would appear a fine field of corn, when scarcely a kernel was left. The settlers limited the deer not only to obtain venison, but to protect the corn, They usually, or at least very often, hunted on horseback, and when a deer was killed, it was very common to tie it to a horse's tail and in this manner have it dragged home. In the fall of the year the necks of the bucks became as large as their bodies and very hard and gristly. Mr. Phillips tells of a man, named William Popejoy, who fired at the neck of a deer, which was lying in the grass. The deer jumped up, looked around and laid down, and Popejoy shot it in the eye and killed it. He tied it to the tail of his horse, and brought it home, and when it was dressed, the hall was cut from the neck, in which it had only penetrated two inches and was flattened in the gristle. Mr. Phillips saw this himself. The following story, which Mr. Phillips tells of Nicholas Jones, is a very remarkable one, but is confirmed by nearly all the settlers in Money Creek timber. It seems that Nicholas Jones once shot a deer in the neck and stunned it. He went up to it, and not having a butcher knife, neglected to cut its throat, but tied it to his mare's tail and started home. When he had gone only a few steps across Money Creek, his mare stopped and Jones felt a decided jerk. Looking around, he saw that the buck had come to life and was trying to gore the mare with its antlers. He whipped his horse into a run and went home, but could not stop running for a moment for fear of the deer. He ran his horse around the wagon, all the time calling to his wife: "Oh, Jane! fetch the butcher knife, the butcher knife, Jane, quick, the butcher knife!"' At last the deer's antlers be- came tangled in the wagon wheel and it was killed. Albert Phillips is five feet and ten inches in height, is rather sparely built, is a very industrious man, loves humorous stories and is very hospitable and kind. He married Margaret Moats, m'lean county. 643 February 17, 18-30. She is the daughter of Jacob and Sarah Moats, of Money Creek timber. They have had no children. They married late in life, nevertheless their wedded life has been verv happy. But they advise young men and women to get married early. Isaac Turnipseed. Isaac Turnipseed was born July 1(3, 1809, in Fayette County, Ohio. His father's name was Christopher Turnipseed, and his mother's name was Mary McMullen. His father was of Penn- sylvania Dutch descent and his mother's ancestors were from Scotland. He came to what is now McLean County, Illinois, on horseback, in the spring of 1881. Here he worked during the first serson for Jaeob Haner, and in the fall bought cattle and fed them through the winter. In the spring he went back to Ohio, stayed two years, and then returned to McLean County, where he lived until his death. He bought a claim on Mackinaw, near Haner's mill, and made a settlement. He married, July 30, 1834, Jane Messer, who is yet living. He sueceeded pretty well, and was pretty sharp to see the value of things. He had nine children, seven of whom grew up and were married. They are : John M. Turnipseed lives on Buck Creek, north of the Mack- inaw. Mary Jane, wife of Matthias Carter, is dead. Sidney Ann, wife of John Neubarger, died in Kansas. Sarah Elizabeth, wife of J. D. Viles, lives in Jasper County. Illinois. Anderson Y. Turnipseed lives in Kansas. Isaac Turnipseed, jr., lives at Mr. Hinthorn's. G. W. Turnipseed lives at home. The two latter are not mar- ried. Mr. Turnipseed was a man of medium height, and very healthy, and took very little medicine. He was one of the best known settlers in Mackinaw timber. He lived in the edge of Money Creek timber at the time of his death. His widow, Mrs. Turnipseed, still lives on the homestead place. She is a kind and hospitable old lady, whom it is a pleasure to be acquainted with. 644 old settlers of Elijah Priest. Elijah Priest was born September 10, 1812, in Muskingum County, Ohio. His father's name was James Priest, and his mother's maiden name was Hannah Anderson. James Priest was a great hunter after deer and bear. On one of his hunting excursions the old gentleman cornered a bear by the root of a tree. It began hugging his hunting dog, and he killed it by striking it on the head with an axe. The fat on the ribs was nearly four inches thick, the fattest bear he ever killed. Elijah Priest worked in the summer at the business of making charcoal, and in the winter he worked in a furnace for melting ore into pig-iron. This was, indeed, warm work, so warm, that the sweat ran down into his shoes and squirted out at every step he took ; indeed, it was so hot, that water was poured on his clothes to prevent them from catching lire. ItVas Mr. Priest's duty to clear out the hole in order to draw the melted ore from the furnace into the sand-bed to cool into pig metal. The hole was stopped with clay, and when the furnace was heated and the iron melted, this clay became as hard as iron, and had to be drilled out. Mr. Priest drilled it out while from two to four tons of melted iron were in the furnace. If he allowed a particle to fall into the liquid metal, it would boil up and spit out melted iron, and a piece of clay as large as an egg would blow up the whole mass of metal. The hands, who worked at the furnace, wore linen, and persons stood near and poured water over them. Mr. Priest worked first in the Mary Ann furnace in Licking County, Ohio, and next in the town of Zoar, in Tuscarawa County. The town of Zoar, as well as the furnace, was owned by a German, named Beimoner. This man provided for the entire town. He employed men to herd the cattle, and women to herd the sheep and geese. Mr. Priest never saw any children in the place. On the eleventh of September, 1833, the day after he became of age, Mr. Priest married Rebecca Hinthorn, and in June, 1834, he started for the West. He arrived at Money Creek timber on the west side, where he now lives, on the eighth day of July. The journey was a warm and dry one, and he suffered greatly for want of water and food. He ran out of provisions near Big m'lka.n county. 645 Grove, then called Pin Hook, now called CJrbana. IFe made many enquiries, and heard that a certain man had recently two sacks of meal ground at mill. Mr. Priest wished to buy some, and sent a little boy, named Henry Moats, to get it. Henry came back empty-handed, but reported that the man had a big corn pone on the fire. Mr. Priest then went with the boy, and the latter was instructed to open the door, whenever Priest stood by the fire. Mr. Priest oft'ered to buy some meal, but was refused ; then he stood by the fire, where the pone was cooking, and Henry immediately opened the door. Priest was then about to walk ort" with the pone ; but the man of the house saw that he must give way, and he allowed Priest a peck of meal. When Mr. Priest arrived at Money Creek timber, he would have given all he possessed to have been back in Ohio ; but it was impossible to get away. He immediately began farming and Avorked very hard. He never bought a sack of flour after his arrival here, as he always raised his own. He was a man of great strength, and made sometimes three hundred rails in one day. Mr. Priest has done some hunting, for deer were plenty and easy to kill. He once found a little fawn as he was out in the timber cutting a tree. When the tree fell the fawn started from its hiding place and jumped into Mr. Priest's arms. It was a pretty, spotted little creature, about two weeks old, and he took it home, and it became very tame, and ran all over the neighbor- hood. It was distinguished from the wild deer by a tassel around its neck. It was a doe, and when it grew up, he raised • seven deer : but when game grew scarce, they were all killed by hun- ters. The doe was killed by Samuel Ogden, who immediately informed Priest that it was done by accident. But the parties, who killed the other seven, were never discovered. Mr. Priest came to the West a poor man in a borrowed wagon, but has been very industrious, and has succeeded well. Four years ago he was offered forty-five thousand dollars for his prop- erty, but did not consider it for a moment. His property has been earned by his strong muscle and his good judgment. Mrs. Priest died some years ago, and on the eleventh of Sep- tember, 1870, Mr. Priest married Mrs. Minerva McCurdy. Her maiden name was Minerva Johnson. 646 OLD SETTLERS OF Mr. Priest has had seven children, but four died in infancy, and three are now living. They are : Sarah Priest, James Saulsbury Priest and George Washing- ton Priest. Mr. Priest is about five feet and nine inches in height, and weighs two hundred and thirty pounds. He is a man of extra- ordinary strength, and, in his younger days, scarcely knew what it was to be tired. He has worked during his life without the benefit of an education, for an education could not be obtained where he lived in Ohio. But in spite of these disadvantages he has been very successful, and owes nothing to anyone, except good will. He is a very clever man to anyone who is disposed to deal fairly and do right with him ; but to anyone who is disposed to cut up shines, Mr. Priest is a very unpleasant customer. His memory seems remarkably good, and in conversation he tells of many curious and strange incidents. He is a man with a very strong constitution, and his temperate habits have preserved it unim- paired. With his great strength and good health, he ought to live to be a centenarian and celebrate one hundred Fourths of July. Samuel Lewis. Samuel Lewis was born in the fall of 1800, in England. He was a plumber, glazier and painter by trade. He married, in England, Sarah Seeley. He emigrated to the United States in November, 1835. The Lewis family came over to JSTew York in the sail vessel Virginia, and were twenty-six days on the journey. At that time the Hudson colony was talked of, and the three agents of the company, Pettit, Purkit and Gregory, induced Lewis to join it and buy a section of land. The land was bought by the agents at Havens' Grove, and in May, 1836, Samuel Lewis went there with his family by way of New Orleans. They went to the latter place on a sail vessel, which brought up a Chinese junk from the mouth of the Mississippi to Xew Orleans. From Xe\v Orleans they came up the river by steamboat, and on the route the passengers amused themselves by shooting at alliga- tors. The Lewis family stayed two or three months at Hennepin, and then came through to Havens' Grove with ox-teams. Mr. Lewis settled during the first winter in the south end of the grove m'lean county. G47 in a rented log cabin. He immediately began fanning, setting out fruit trees and grafting them. He hunted once in a while, though seldom. At one time while hunting he saw a deer come bounding up with blood pouring from its side. He fired and the animal fell. Mr. Havens came up and claimed the deer, and as but one bullet hole was found, Mr. Lewis gave it up, for it had certainly been shot before he fired. Havens took home the deer, but in dressing, he found two bullets, and it was evident, that both had entered the deer at the same spot, and that the shot of Lewis had taken effect. The deer was, therefore, divided. Mr. Lewis hauled pork to Pekin, and during one trip carried a whisky bottle and put it into a hog, and as it was cold weather the hog froze up. On the way he met a preacher, and the two men had a very difficult undertaking to get out the whisky. People were all neighborly in the early days. Mr. Lewis' daughter Jane was once bitten by a rattlesnake, and old John Pennel, who lived six miles distant, left his wheat stacks, where lie was at work, and dug China snakeroot and cured her. He would accept no pay for this, as he " never charged neighbors anything." A horse belonging to Mr. Lewis went astray, and was taken up and kept by Peter McCullough, who lived nine or ten miles away at Dry Grove, and when Mr. Lewis asked the bill, old Peter said he " never charged neighbors anything." In- deed, the people considered all men neighbors whom they met within eighty miles or more. The dress, which the Lewis family wore, was somewhat dif- ferent from that worn by them in England. The English goods gave way to blue jeans and buckskin. When Mr. Lewis had an opportunity he worked at his trade. He made the first vats in St. Louis for pressing stearine candles out of lard. Mr. Lewis died December 29, 1871. He had six children, of whom four grew up to years of discretion. They are : William Lewis, who was a bugler in the regular army. He died at Fort Gibson, which is now in the Indian Territory, in 1844. Mrs. Sarah Ann Burtis, wife of Edwin E. Burtis, lived in Hudson. She died about twelve years ago. Samuel H. Lewis lives in Hudson. 648 OLD SETTLERS OF Mrs. Jane Wheeler, wife of Valentine Wheeler, lives in Hudson. Mr. Lewis was five feet ten and one-half inches in height- He walked erect, was a hard worker, was very successful in busi- ness, was a kind neighbor and an honest man. Samuel Henry Lewis. Samuel H. Lewis was born April 14, 1828, in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England. His father was Samuel Lewis, whose sketch is given above. When he came to Hudson he early learned to cultivate his muscle by hard work on a farm. Nevertheless, he did not allow the work of the farm to prevent him from mak- ing sharp work with the deer and turkeys, and at one time killed three deer within a space of a few rods. One of them was not immediately killed, and Mr. Lewis ran up to finish the work with his knife, when the animal uttered a bawl, threw up its hind legs and tore Mr. Lewis' pants frightfully ; but he killed it at last. At one time he shot a deer and wounded it severely, when it turned on him with its hair bristled up and pointing forward. Mr. Lewis made quick time to the rear, and his father came to Lis assistance and shot the pugnacious buck. The most serious trouble the settlers encountered was the dif- ficulty in getting their grain ground. Samuel Lewis and his brother once went to Crocker's mill and found three weeks grind- ing to be done before their turn would come. Fred Trimmer wished to have the business done for the boys first, so that they could go, but this was not allowed, as it was said that, if this was done, people would always send their boys to mill. Sometimes when he was delayed at the mill he worked for his board, for he was an industrious boy. He went to Green's mill, above Ottawa, sixty miles distant, and found this easier than going to the mills nearer home, as he could get his grinding done at Ottawa with- out waiting. Mr. Lewis traveled in the West occasionally, and saw some- thing of the country. Some twenty years ago he made an excur- sion to Texas, and found the people hospitable and kind, and everyone was ready and willing to entertain him, when he wished to stop. He made a trip down there after the war, but no one m'lean county. 649 was willing to entertain him, for all looked upon him with sus- picion. Such are the results of the war. His first excursion was full of life. While crossing the Trinity River on horseback, the swift current carried him down stream, and pressed him and his horse against a sapling, and tore off one of his saddle-bags. He sprang from his horse and saved the missing bag, and by good luck, as well as good conduct, came out of the river in safety. Mr. Lewis' partner, on this excursion, a man named Mason, rode an active little pony, which some- times raised its rider in the air. Mr. Mason was thrown three times in one day. His pony once dodged a greenbriar thicket on one side, while the rider thought it would go the other, and he was compelled himself to take a middle course and go head first into the thicket. On their return, Lewis and Mason came through the Indiin territory with a drove of cattle. The Indians were partly civilized, and were up to a great deal of civilized rascality. While the drovers were crossing the Canadian River, in the Chocktaw country, the Indians drove the cattle, which cross- ed first, up on a mountain, and when the drovers came over, the Indians offered to get the cattle down for a dollar a head. But the drovers hired a negro tp bring down the cattle for fifty cents a head, so that the Indians made nothing by their sharpness after all. The Indians, at that time, lived a civilized life and owned slaves, and some of them were quite wealthy. There were among the Chocktaws some half-breed Indians and negroes, but this was a bad cross, as the half-breeds were treacherous and cowardly. Lewis and Mason had their cattle twice stampeded, once from a corral, but had little difficulty in finding them. The Texas cattle are a strange breed. It is dangerous to approach them on foot ; but they are very easily driven by men on horseback. The Texas drovers are bold riders, and when seated on a horse it is impos- sible to shake them off. They would ride any bull for five dol- lars. . They would lassoo the bull, strap on a saddle tightly, and ride the ferocious animal until it sulked and laid down, and then they would take off the saddle. Mr. Lewis was with the Indians in the Indian territory long enough to form an opinion of some of the tribes. He was much impressed with the civilization of the Chocktaws and Cherokees, but the Creeks were not so intel- ligent. The various Indian nations had their territory set off to 650 OLD SETTLERS OF them, and were divided from eaeli other by iron posts set up on the prairie, which showed the division lines. The life of a drover does not improve a man's personal appearance, and Mr. Lewis, on his return, was not the handsome man, who went away- His beard was grown, his coat was lost, his clothing torn, his face 1 aimed, and in his general appearance he bore a closer resemblance to a shaggy buffalo on the plains than to a human being. Mr. Lewis made an excursion to Texas since the war, and while there, was in danger of the Comanches, who came down the night before his arrival, killed several men, and took several children prisoners. The children would be traded back for a pony or a horse. The Comanches are fierce and vicious. When they find a man on the prairie, they circle around bin on horse- back, and lay on the sides of their horses and shoot from un- derneath while on the run. A good double-barrelled shot gun is the most effective weapon of defence, and more feared by them than a rifle. Mr. Lewis did not buy cattle on that excursion, as he could not see that it would pay. Mr. Lewis married, January 1, 1868, Irene Smith, and has two children. He is six feet in height, is squarely built, has broad shoulders, a heavy head of sandy hair, and heavy red whiskers. He has blue eyes, and a broad, square, English face. He has had as good an education as the child of a pioneer could get. He went to old Dr. Hobbs, of Bloomington, When Mr. Lewis was twenty-one years of age, he was made a constable, and served under William McCullough. Mr. Lewis has assessed the town of Hudson for eight years, and the experience he ob- tained under McCullough has been of great advantage to him in making his assessments. He is a jolly man, full of fun and jokes, enjoys a good story, and can tell one himself very easily. He " never charges neighbors anything." James Turner Gildersleeve. James T. Gildersleeve was born April 10, 1803, in Hempstead, Queens County, New York. His father's name was James Gil- dersleeve, and his mother's name before her marriage was Cath- erine Dorlon. Hempstead was settled in 1648 by a few emigrants from New Englaud, who came originally from Hernel Hemp- stead, twenty-three miles from the city of London. They re- m'lban county. 651 ceived a patent of ground-brief from Governor Kieft, the Dutch governor of what was called New Netherlands. This patent was granted November 16, 1644, and was confirmed by the Indians July 4, 1657. This confirmation was obtained for the purpose of preventing any disturbances, which might otherwise occur between the whites and their Indian neighbors. Among the first colonists were Richard Gildersleeve and Richard Gildersleeve, j^r., ancestors of James T. Gildersleeve. They received three hundred and sixty acres of land. In those days the colonists were obliged to pay tithes to the Dutch gov- ernor, and it was resolved in town meeting of July 10, 1658, to depute Richard Gildersleeve to go down to the Manhattans to agree with the governor concerning the tithes, which the}- re- solved should not exceed one hundred sheeples of wheat, to be delivered at the town harbor. At the same town meeting they agreed to pay the herdsman twelve shillings sterling per week in butter, corn and oats, at fixed prices, as follows : butter, six pence per pound ; corn, two shillings and six pence per bushel. The prices of other things were also fixed. Wheat was to be four shillings per bushel ; pork, three pence per pound ; lodg- ing, two pence per night; board, five shillings per week; victuals, six pence per meal, and labor, two shillings and six pence per day. It was further agreed, that the people should all be ready at the sounding of the horn to turn out their cows and the keeper was required to be ready, when the sun was half an hour high, to take them to the pasture. He was to bring them back every evening a half an hour before sunset, and to drive them one day in each week to Cow Neck, where they could eat the vegetation, which was salted by the tide. James T. Gildersleeve lived on his father's farm near Hemp- stead nearly all the time until he came West. He spent a short time in New York studying law. He married in Hempstead, August 23, 1828, Mary Ann Eckford Rhodes, who died in Bloomington, August 9, 1846. In the winter of 1835-6, in the town of Jacksonville, Mor- gan County, Illinois, certain parties drew up articles of agree- ment, associating themselves together to form a colony. This association was formed February 6, 1836, and it was known as the Illinois Land Association. The business of the association 652 OLD SETTLERS OF was conducted by an executive committee of three. These were George F. Purkitt, Horatio N. Pettit and John Gregory. In the spring of 1836 Horatio N. Pettit came to Mr. Gildersleeve in Hempstead, and wished him to join the colony. James T. and Joseph D. Gildersleeve subscribed for four colony interests, which gave them the right to nearly seven hundred acres of land, consisting of prairie and timber land, and town lots in Hudson. Mr. Gildersleeve started Wes{ in September, 1836, from New York with his wife and child. They went to Philadelphia, thence to Pittsburg, and thence by steam- boat to St. Louis. From Louisville to St. Louis they enjoyed the society of a circus troupe. From the latter place they went by steamboat to Pekin, and from there started to Bloomington in a three-horse wagon. There was then a perfect rush of peo- ple to Illinois, and wherever they went on their journey, every place and all means of transportation were crowded. When it drew towards night on their journey from Pekin it was almost impossible to get a place to stay one night. Each one referred them to the next house. His first hotel bill was $2.50, for which he wished to give a gold quarter-eagle, but the man wanted it in silver. At Dry Grove Mr. Gildersleeve learned that Bloom- ington was full of people, so he came across to Havens' Grove. Mr. Gildersleeve's family lived very uncomfortably and in close quarters until he could build a house, which he occupied on the fourth of December. This forms a part of the house where he now lives. Jacob H. Burtis, of Jacksonville, stayed that winter in one-half of his house, and was ready to build in the spring. During that winter Mr. Gildersleeve's family had no flour and was obliged to boil corn as a substitute for bread. The rattlesnakes in early days were plenty, and they took up quarters wherever they could find it convenient. Mr. Gilder- sleeve remembers that on one occasion, when he went to the hearth to light his pipe, he heard a sharp rattle and found a snake coiled up on the hearth. It had crawled through the weather-boarding between the outside of the house and the wall and there, seeing a hole in the plastering, had crawled through to the hearth. The difficulties of travel, before the roads were worked and the bridges built, were of course much greater than at present. m'lean county. 653 Mr. Gildersleeve had once a very intelligent horse, and in March, 1837, wished to cross the Six Mile Creek near Havens' Grove, while the ice was runuing. His horse, full of courage and intelligence, sprang upon a thick cake of ice as it floated down, walked across and stepped off on the other side. Mr. Gildersleeve was once riding this horse across a bridge on Sugar Creek, when the stream was high and running like a mill-race. Several planks were floated oft' and others were raised up ; but the horse stepped cautiously over the holes, and when the planks were raised up, it carefully pressed them down to the beams on which they rested, before it trusted its weight. After the coun- try became a little settled, the ducks and geese and sandhill cranes became very numerous. At one time, while Mr. and Mrs. Gildersleeve were riding over the country, which had late- ly been burnt by a fire, they saw what appeared to be a new fence, which extended a long distance ; but as they approached, it proved to be some thousands of sandhill cranes. In about the year 1843 or '44 a great hail storm visited the West. It was the severest ever known. A green cloud came up from the south, and when the storm burst the hail stones came down with terrific force. They split the shingles on the roofs of houses, killed the prairie chickens and snipe on the prairie, and broke the back of a hog in Havens' Grove, a half a mile west of Hudson. These hail stones were of great size ; one of them measured seven inches in circumference. When the storm was over, a Mr. Binehart took a basket and collected it full of prairie chickens and snipe, which had been killed by the hail stones. In the spring of 1845 Mr. Gildersleeve was appointed Clerk of the Circuit Court by Judge Treat. Some time after this the new constitution was adopted, making the office elective. In November, 1848, the time for election came, and Mr. Gilder- sleeve and William H. Allin were candidates, the former a Dem- ocrat and the latter a Whig. The contest was very sharp indeed, and Mr. Gildersleeve's friends worked very hard. Even Abra- ham Brokaw, who never before or since took an interest in politics, worked for Mr. Gildersleeve enthusiastically. The Whig majority was about six hundred, bnt Mr. Gildersleeve was only beaten by eighty or ninety votes. 654 OLD SETTLERS OF In March, 1849, Mr. Gilclersleeve moved back to Hudson, where he has resided ever since. Mr. Gildersleeve has had three children, but only one is living. This is Charles Turner Gildersleeve, who was brought to this country when only six years old. It was at that time supposed that every one who came to the West would have the ague, and though the infant Gildersleeve was a fine, healthy boy, it was thought that he too must endure the shakes. An old lady, who saw young Charles, said: "You poor little boy, to think how soon the color must come out of those cheeks !" But the old lady was wrong, for Charles has borne the climate well and is a healthy man. Mr. Gildersleeve is six feet in height, and is generously formed ; his hair is white and flowing, and this, with his full white beard, gives him the appearance of a patriarch. His eyes are black, and his features are large. He seems to be a man of large mind, and would naturally be popular and command the support of friends. He is full of humor and loves to tell funny stories almost as well as Abraham Lincoln ; and they are good ones, and have point and fun in them. He married, October 14, 1847, Elizabeth S. Conkling, at Leroy. The ceremony was performed by Rev. Dr. Perry. She is a pleasant lady and loves a joke as well as her husband. She has very quick percep- tions and greatly enjoys the society of her friends. Joseph Darling Gildersleeve. Joseph D. Gildersleeve was born November 30, 1805, in Hempstead, Queens County, New York, on Long Island. (For his ancestors see sketch of his brother James). Mr. Gildersleeve remembers some of the queer customs among the farmers of Hempstead, and particularly what was called "sheep parting." They all had their sheep marked and turned out on the commons on the first of April of every year ; and on the first of November the sheep were put in a large pen, around which were several smaller pens, and here the sheep were divided. All were driven up together and each farmer hunted up his sheep, which were recognized by their marks and put in separate pens. This was always a great day and a large crowd attended. They drank wine and cider and beer and varied the exercises with uorse-racin°;. m'lean county. 655 Mr. Gildersleevewent to school in Hempstead and received his common school education there. He was not remarkably different from other boys, but occasionally had his fun. He once went down to explore a well on a boyish frolic and the well caved partly in. lie was rescued, but shortly afterwards it all caved in. He and a companion once rescued a man, who was caught in a well, which had caved in and covered up the unfortunate person, so that only his hair was visible. They dug away the dirt around his head, put a barrel over it to protect him and suc- ceeded at last in getting him out. Mr. Gildersleeve chose the profession of carriage maker and painter, and worked on Long Island and also for a year or two in Dutchess County. In the fall of 1836 he came with his brother, James T. Gildersleeve, to Hudson, McLean County, Illinois, and began farming and raising stock. He has ever since resided in Hudson township. He was something of a sportsman, and oc- casionally hunted wolves, deer and turkeys. Mr. Gildersleeve frequently chased wolves, and at one time, while riding eagerly after one on horseback with a gun, he tried to shoot, but every time he stopped, the wolf gained so fast and went so far that he was obliged to renew the chase. At last he fired, but the exer- tion was too much for his gravity, and he pitched headlong from the horse, which went after the wolf on its own account. Mr. Gildersleeve was not always so unfortunate in hunting, for occa- sionally luck seemed to decide in his favor. He at one time killed three deer with two bullets. The first bullet killed two deer standing together, and the second killed a third deer near by- Mr. Gildersleeve married, May 23, 1844, Mary Messer. He has had four children, two of whom are dead and two are living. They are : James Gildersleeve, born March 29, 1845, died February 14, 1847. Elizabeth Hellen Gildersleeve, born May 17, 1849, died No- vember 28, 1865. Catherine J. Gildersleeve, born June 30, 1851, married Robert Mavis, and lives one mile east of Hudson. Isaac M. Gildersleeve, born April 7, 1854, lives at home. 656 OLD SETTLERS OF Mr. Gildersleeve is about five feet and ten inches in height. His hair and whiskers are perfectly gray with age. He has rather a strong face, has black eyes, is a kind man and has plenty of courage. He has been temperate in his habits, never smoked or chewed tobacco, and never played a game of cards, in which respect he differs from many young men of the present day. Jacob Hicks Burtis. Jacob Hicks Burtis was born November 18, 1796, in Queens County, on Long Island, within a few miles of Hampstead. When eighteen or twenty years of age he went to New York and learned the carving business of the cabinet makers' trade. During the war of 1812, he enlisted in a company in New York city and was chosen captain, but was never called into active service. He married, February 5, 1821, Eliza Carman, who died in 1832. Mr. Burtis was a merchant for two years in Brooklyn. In May, 1835, he married Mary Weeks, and in Sep- tember of that year he started for the west. His family stopped for a while in Jacksonville, and at Alton, Illinois, and did not arrive at Hudson township until December 1, 1836. His family lived during the first winter with James T. Gildersleeve. Mr. Burtis had bought a share in the Hudson colony, and this gave him a right to one hundred and sixty acres of prairie and some wood land. He settled, in the spring of 1837, about two miles north of the village of Hudson, and there remained until the time of his death, which occurred June 16, 1873. He first built a small house of lumber, sawed with a whip saw, but, with im- proving circumstances, he was enabled to build larger. His health, previous to his death, had not been good for some time, but the sickness, which immediately preceded his death, lasted only two days. Mr. Burtis was a Christian man, though not a member of any church. He received the rite of baptism in the Episcopal church ; but as his parents died when he was very young, he was never confirmed. He was very quiet, patient and hopeful, in his last illness, as long as consciousness remained. Mr. Burtis had four children by his first marriage, and five by his second. The children by the first marriage are : Edwin Elias, who died in March, 1869. m'lean county. 657 Phoebe Eliza, wife of Alfred T. Weeks, lives just north of the homestead. Jacob Hicks Burtis, jr., lives at El Paso. Hannah Alma, wife of John Carl, died in 1859. The children by the second marriage are : Catherine Augusta, who died in infancy. Alfred S. Burtis was a soldier during the rebellion in the Fourth Illinois Cavalry, and died January 9, 1862, of sickness in the hospital at Mound City. Catherine Augusta, wife of William M. Collins, lives at Moline. Rachel R., wife of Francis B.. Johnston, lives at the home- stead. James H. Burtis enlisted in the Fourth Illinois Cavalry, and died at Camp Butler, near Springfield, February 3, 1864. Enoch A. Gastman. Enoch A. Gastman was born June 5, 1801, in West Fries- land, Holland. His father's name was Eilt A. Gastman. He never came to America, nor did any of his relatives, except his son, Enoch, whose sketch we are writing. In 1808 young Enoch went on board of a French man-of-war, when Napoleon Bona- parte was at the head of affairs in France. It was young Enoch's business to brush coats and black boots. The discipline was very strict, as Enoch found by sad experience. In 1812-13, Napoleon made his celebrated march to Moscow and his disastrous retreat. After his defeat and capture, the soldiers and sailors under him were discharged, and Enoch was told to go. He went back to Holland, where he remained^ until spring, and then went coasting on board of a Dutch schooner. After coasting about a great deal and visiting many ports, he came on land for a while, and was bound out to learn the trade of carpenter and joiner. After working for two years he took French leave of his master. He worked at other places and stayed for one winter with his father. When he became seven- teen years of age, he fell in with an East India captain and ship- ped as carpenter's mate forBatavia, on the island of Java. There he saw many Chinamen with their brimmed hats. But the crew were seldom allowed to go ashore, as the place was very sickly. 42 658 OLD SETTLERS OP An intoxicating drink, called arrack, is made there out of the juice of the cocoanut tree. This juice is allowed to ferment, and when it works it makes the intoxicating drink. All persons, who go to Java, must exercise the greatest caution in their diet or they sicken and die. While Mr. Gastman was there, an American ship came to port, and as the sailors had been with- out grog for a long time, they were given their back rations in arrack, and they drank themselves to death and were buried on the island of Unrest. Mr. Gastman made three trips to Java. In 1824 he and three others chartered a vessel to carry a cargo of powder and gin to the Mexicans, who were then fighting for independence against Spain. They started through the British channel, but a southwest wind blew them to the North Sea. They attempted to go around the British Isles to the Atlantic Ocean, but were dismasted and waterlogged, and would have gone to the bottom, had not the cargo of gin kept the vessel afloat. Seven of the crew were drowned, and seven were picked up by an American vessel. Of these, two died from the effects of their hardships, and the remaining five were carried to New York. There he shipped on board of a vessel for Norfolk, thence to Grenada, South America, thence to Turk's Island, and thence to Portland, Maine. He made a great many voyages to all parts of the world, and had a great many adventures, but thought he would settle down at work in New York as a rigger. But soon he was off on a voyage to London, then came back to New York. Here he married, July 11, 1830, Margaret Hiegans. After many voyages and adventures, he had a wife, and seventy- five cents in his pocket. He again became a rigger for a while, but soon was a public porter, and remained such for six years. For six years also, he was a night watchman, and a part of this time a porter. He had many lively adventures in New York, while making arrests, as thieves and smugglers were plenty. In the winter of 1837-8, he started for Illinois, and arrived at Hudson, McLean County, in March. Everything was then sell- ing at high prices. He boarded for a while with Horatio N. Pettit, then traded his land for the place of R. G. Marion, and moved on the latter farm in June. In 1840 the prices of pro- duce of all kinds came down, aud it seemed as if everything was given away. Mr. Gastman contracted to sell a load of m'lean county. 659 potatoes to Mr. Barnett, of the Eagle Hotel, but when the former went to deliver them he could get only four cents per bushel. Rather than sell them at such a figure he carried them down to Sugar Creek, took out the tail-board of his wagon and emptied them into the stream. In the spring of 1857, Mrs. Gastman died, and in April, Mr. Gastman moved to Hudson and sent his children to Eureka Col- lege. In 1858 he married Ann Hitch. She died in 1862. He then moved to his son's farm. In 1863, Mr. Gastman married Lavinia Randalls, who is yet living. Mr. Gastman has had five children, of whom two are living. They are : Enoch A. Gastman, jr., who was born June 15, 1834, in New York city, No. 54 Mulberry street. He went to Eureka College for three months, then to the Normal school, where he graduated. He has been for twelve years superintendent of schools at Deca- tur, Illinois. George Washington Gastman was born July 12, 1837, in New York city. He went one year and three months to Eureka College, when his health failed him, and he returned to his farm. He is married, and lives on his farm near Hudson. Francis Marion Gastman was born in August, 1842, in Hud- son township. He was two years at Eureka College, and two years at the Normal. He enlisted in the army in 1861, in the Normal regiment, (Thirty-third Illinois,) commanded by Colonel Hovey. He died at Black River, March 22, 1862. These are all of Mr. Gastman's children, who grew up to manhood. He named the last two after Revolutionary patriots and is sorry that Enoch was not also named after some Revolu- tionary soldier. If he had another child he would name it Andrew Jackson, (regardless of sex,) on account of the services rendered by Jackson during the Revolution. (?) Mr. Gastman is a Democrat, dyed in the wool, a real, genuine, uncompromising Democrat, and would vote for no man of any other party. He is five feet and ten inches in height, and is enormously muscular. He treats a rough man roughly, but when he talks to gentlemen he is a gentleman himself. He is a humorous man, and takes life pleasantly. He delights in telling 660 OLD SETTLERS OF of his adventures, and will sit and talk by the hour, when he has an appreciative listener. He is proud of his boys, and has a right to be, for they are an honor to him. LAWKDALE. David Henline and "William B. Henline. David and William B. Henline, brothers, live near each other in Lawndale township. They own their large property together, consisting of large nocks of cattle and stock of all kinds, and about four thousand acres of land. As they are united in all things, their sketches are written together and so placed in this volume. David was born March 6, 1822, and William B. was born December 20, 1823, in Boone county, Kentucky. Their father's name was John Henline, of German descent, and their mother's name, before her marriage, was Mary Darnell. John Henline was a successful farmer and kept his business very straight. In the fall of 1828, the Henline family came to the West. On the first day of the journey, John Henline broke his leg, and it was set by quack doctors and bound with straight splints. He suf- fered with it severely, and during the first winter after his arrival in the West, he chopped in the timber by kneeling down. The, family came first to Hittle's Grove, in Tazewell county, near the present line between Tazewell and McLean. There they re- mained a few weeks, while John Henline went to Mackinaw timber and built a cabin. When it was finished, he returned and brought the family. The three brothers, John, George and William Henline, all settled near each other. The little Henline boys were often visited by the little Indians. The latter were usually the victors in the races they ran ; but the former showed more muscle and came out first best in the childish quarrels. Such things always excited the anger of the squaws, and they would chastise the little pappooses severely, and bring up the little Henlines to their mother and clap their hands together and say, ." whip pappoose, whip pap- poose." The old lady would go through the motions of whip- ping her boys, and the little Henlines would yell, and the squaws would laugh, and all parties would be satisfied. m'lean county. 661 In the fall of 1880, the Henlines went back to Kentucky to get a stock of farming implements. While there, Mrs. Henline took up a lot of little apple sprouts in a stocking, put earth around them and brought them out to Illinois. The orchard raised from these sprouts is yet standing on the Henline place. At Cincinnati, the Henlines bought large kettles in which to boil maple sap, and some of these kettles they still have. The winter of 1830-81, of the deep snow, is an era in the life of all who experienced its severity. When the snow began falling, Martin Darnell, from Indian Grove, was at the house of the Henlines. He started home, ten miles distant, after the snow began falling, in company with John Henline and Squire Thomp- son. The two latter went about three miles, and Darnell went the rest of the way alone. He was short of meat, but captured a few wild hogs, and by this means his family was saved from great suffering. They saw no living person outside of their own family for six weeks or more. During that fearful winter, the Henline boys obtained plenty of healthy exercise by gathering corn. John Henline, jr., fed wild hogs out in the snow, and they made a track as they came up. One morning, he told the folks to look out for deer, as he would drive some up. Soon he was heard to halloo and sure enough up came the deer. Three of them were killed, but were hardly worth it, as they were very poor. During the Black Hawk war the people were much alarmed, and the settlers made a fort on the land of John Henline, and during their occasional frights would collect there from all parts of the country. The slightest thing would cause an alarm, and the people would gather in. At one time an Indian came to the house of a woman named Shelton, and obtained some bread and milk; but she was so scared that she took her children to a schoolhouse, where her husband was teaching, and the school was dismissed immediately and the people were aroused. At another time some boys were out in the woods at play, when one of them caught sight of a stump and said, " I see an Injin," and ran for home digging up dirt with his little toes at every leap. The rest of the boys laughed at him and called him back, and at last sat the dog on him; but he reached home, told his story and the credulous neighborhood was aroused again, and women ran 662 OLD SETTLERS OF with their babies for the fort. Men were sent out to investigate the matter and at last learned the mistake. During all of this excitement the rangers moved from one fort to another, and when they camped at night they usually helped themselves to whatever they could find to eat, and the settlers were very will- ing they should. One of these rangers had a fondness for milk and would pick up a panful and say, " boys, this is what I was raised on," and drink it. During one dark evening he happened to pick up a pan of dish water ! The rest may be imagined. When Mr. John Henline came to this country he was lame, in consequence of a severe injury to his leg, and could not walk fast. He had a couple of rams which the boys had taught to be vicious, though the latter could always manage them. One morning the old gentleman came out in the yard and the vicious rams charged on him, and as he could not run he was obliged to* take refuge on a stump, and there called to his boys to take away the rams. But it is sad to record that these youngters were so neglectful of their duty and enjoyed so keenly the sport, that they allowed the old gentleman to remain on the stump until he said, " boys, I would n't serve you so," when they took away the rams. The Henline boys amused themselves in their youthful days by trapping turkeys. These foolish birds would walk into the traps with their heads down, eating corn, and would not know enough to put down their heads and walk out. Out of a flock of about thirty turkeys, only three knew enough to escape. The Henline boys went to school, of course, when a school was taught in the neighborhood, and they traveled through snow and rain and slush. During the sudden change in December, 1836, they started from the school house, wading in slush knee deep, and before going far they " scooted over the ice like a top." In writing of the experience of David and William B. Hen- line, the things they saw in childhood are particularly given, because they were children in the early days. But many things of a very important nature are impressed on the minds of chil- dren, and from childish recollections we obtain actual, life-like impressions. The Henlines remember the wagons of the men who came over the country to speculate and buy land. The par- ties looking up land used the rudest but most iugeuious ways to m'lean county. 663 learn its description. They hunted up the corners of sections, then traveled by compass, tied a rag to a wagon wheel, counted the revolutions, and by this means measured the distance. John Henline, the father of David and William, was born November 7, 1787, and died July 26, 1869. His wife Mary, was born January 22, 1791, and died November 28, 1865. David and William Henline are of about the same height, five feet and four or five inches. They have heavy whiskers and are very muscular. William is rather stouter in build. They are both good natured, kind hearted and hospitable, and love fun and humor. David Henline was married in the winter of 1855, but his wife is now dead. William B. Henline married in June, 1853, Jane Wright, who died in 1861. Two children born of this marriage, John D. and Elmira A. Henline, live at home. On the 25th of February, 1866, W. B. Henline married Jane Moon, a woman who is kind in her manner and sensible in her conversation. Martin Henline. Martin Henline, brother of David and W. B. Henline, was born October 25, 1819, in Boone County, Kentucky. He lived there until the fall of 1828, when he came with the Henline family to Illinois. The family immediately began farming on their arrival, on what has since been called Henline Creek, in the northern edge of Mackinaw timber. Martin Henline, of course, remembers the deep snow of 1830-1, and being then a little boy, he could run around on top of it. He remembers how his elder brother John drove up three deer from the pasture, when he went out to feed the pigs; for the wild nature of the deer was tamed by cold and starvation. It was no easy matter to obtain fuel to burn during that winter, and in order to get it the Henlines cut down trees and hauled them in by dragging them over the snow with oxen. During the Black Hawk war the Henline fort was the place where all the frightened settlers congregated, whenever they thought it worth while to take a scare. The Henlines had a large gun, which they called the " old yawger;" this gun made a loud report, and was known by the sound. At one time, while Martin was out in the woods with others at play, some parties 664 OLD SETTLERS OF attempted to play a trick on him by firing the gun to bring him in for fear of Indians ; but Martin was too sharp, for he knew the report of the " old yawger." Martin Henline married, May 16, 1841, Feraby Cunningham. He has had ten children, of whom eight are living. They are : David and Seth Henline, who live about three miles east of their father's. Lucretia, wife of Harvey Harris, lives near David. Pierce, William, Joseph, Martha and Ella, live at home. Mr. Henline is somewhat below the medium height, is rather fleshy, has a round head, thick, black hair and heavy whiskers. He is a pleasant, humorous man, takes life easily, and does not trouble himself unnecessarily about the future. Martin Batterton. Martin Batterton was born September 29, 1807, in Madison County, Kentucky. His father, Abraham Batterton, was of English descent, and his mother, whose maiden name was Su- sannah Henline, was of Dutch. Abraham Batterton was, for, a short time, a soldier in the war of 1812, and served under Gene- ral Hopkins against the Indians. Martin Batterton lived in Kentucky, where he was born, until the fall of 1833, when he came to Illinois. He went to school in Kentucky, was a fair scholar, and paid strict attention to his book. In the fall of 1833 he came out on horseback with a friend to Mackinaw timber, where his relatives, the Henlines, lived. In August, 1834, he went back to Kentucky, and brought out some carpenter's tools and other articles necessary in a new country. He became a jack-of-all-trades, and could make anything out of wood. He was farmer, carpenter, cooper, cabinetmaker, shoemaker, and, indeed, was handy at all things. He made his own chairs when he first came to the country and has them yet. In 1835 he entered the land where he now lives, having bought the improve- ment made on it by Nickolas Darnell, and on this land built the house in which he now resides. Mr. Batterton married America Taylor on the 10th of Octo- ber, 1836. They have had three children : Ira Abbott Batterton, who was a soldier during the rebellion in the Eighth Illinois Infantry, and afterwards editor of the m'lean county. 665 Vicksburg Herald. He was accidentally shot in Vicksburg, in July, 1865. Mary Ellen, wife of Thomas B. Kilgour, lives about three miles east of her father's. Surrilda J., wife of Almaron J. Moon, lives in Lexington. Mr. Moon is of the mercantile firm of Smith & Moon. Mr. Batterton is rather less than the medium height. His hair, once dark, is now becoming gray. His eyes are dark, with a clear, intelligent expression, and his nose is a little Roman. He is a remarkably careful, accurate man in his business, and none of his property suiters for want of attention. His crops are always gathered in season ; his stock is seldom caught in a dangerous storm ; everything about the place is very neat. In other words, he is a careful, thrifty farmer, with a large farm and a big barn to shelter his stock. LEXINGTON. Jacob Spawr.. Jacob Spawr was born January 24, 1802, in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania. His father's name was Valentine Spawr, and his mother's maiden name was Anna Margaret Richer. Val- entine Spawr was American born, but of German descent, and his wife, Anna Margaret, was born in Germany, but came to the United States when only two years of age. Valentine Spawr was a soldier and served under General Anthony "Wayne against the Indians, and was once wounded through the body. In the fall of 1826 Jacob Spawr came to Illinois, in company with the Cox family and Robert Guthrie. His father's family came the following year. The journey was pleasant and Mr. Spawr was active in driving the sheep and cattle. He went to Money Creek timber and there commenced working for Mrs. Trimmer, who had a large family of children. Her husband had died a short time previous. Jacob Spawr married, December 3, 1826, Eliza Ann Trimmer, one of the old lady's daughters. He had no license, as he would have been obliged to go to Vandalia to get one, so he posted 666 OLD SETTLERS OF up notices and the justice of the peace, William Orendorff, who married him, made return of the marriage to the Clerk of the Court at Vandalia. Six or seven years afterwards Mr. Orendorff married a second wife, and Jacob Spawr, who had been elected a justice of the peace in the meantime, performed the ceremony. After Mr. Spawr's marriage he began farming on his own ac- count. In 1827 the settlers were much excited by the Winnebago war, which was threatened in the mining country by Reel Bird, the chief of the Winnebagoes. While the excitement continued old Machina, the chief of the Kickapoos, came down to Mr. Spawr to inquire the condition of affairs, whenever the latter re- turned from Bloomiiigton, where he went to militia training. Machina declared that in case of war the Kickapoos would cer- tainly help the whites. After a while an order came to send fifteen men, and Mr. Spawr, being first lieutenant of the com- pany, was ordered to go with them. But the Rev. Mr. Latta in- sisted on taking Mr. Spawr's place, and at last was allowed to do so. The fifteen men were taken to Peoria, but the Indian trou- bles were soon quieted, and the men came home. During the winter of the deep snow Mr. Spawr pounded corn of course. For nearly sixty days the sun did not shine warm enough to make a wet spot in front of his south door. During that winter a man named Rook came down from Rook's Creek (Little Vermilion) with a hanclsled, walking with snow-shoes, and obtained corn for his family of Conrad Flesher, who lived where Lexington now stands. During the Black Hawk war the people of Mackinaw and Money creek timber were excited and apprehensive, and many of them moved away to Sangamon County. Many men at Eppard's Point, on the Little Vermilion, moved their families to Money Creek and went back themselves to attend to their Crops. The volunteers from Indiana, about six hundred in number, camped within twenty or thirty rods of Mr. Spawr's house, and during the night had two false alarms. At one time a lightning bug showed its phosphorus, and one of the guards fired at the harmless insect, and the camp was in an uproar. But after a while matters were quieted. Soon another gun was discharged, and on inquiry it was found that a soldier, who had a pique m'lean county. 667 against two others, had fired into their tent. The excitement among the soldiers was very great for a while, and one of them, while loading his gun, mistook a can of buttermilk for a powder horn, and loaded his gun accordingly. The soldiers wished Mr. Spawr to issue a warrant for the arrest of the man, who attempted to shoot his comrades, but Mr. Spawr told them that their own martial law should settle such matters. The town of Lexington was laid off in 18-35 ; and in 1836 Mr. Spawr moved there from Money Creek timber. It was during December of that year that the great sudden change of the weather occurred. Mr. Spawr then saw the water blown into waves and frozen in that way. He speaks of another sudden change almost as severe. In November, 1842, he started for Chi- cago with a party to drive stock. The weather had been mild, but it snowed and melted and by the seventh of November it froze up. On the return of the party from Chicago they crossed the Kankakee on the ice at the rapids, where the water runs as swiftly as a mill race. A thaw came in January, but the cold weather as;ain returned and winter continued until March. Mr. Spawr has had eight children, of whom six are living, all daughters: Ann Margaret, wife of Benjamin Fitzgerald, lives in Lexing- ton. Elizabeth, wife of Perceval Champlin, who lives in Lexing- ton. Mary Jane, wife of Abiud Sweet, lives at Eppard's Point in Livingston County. Sarah Catherine, wife of Noah Franklin, lives a mile and a half west of Lexington. Emily, wife of S. S. Shade, lives in Lexington. Lowisa Isabel, wife of C. 11. Preble, lives in Lexington. Mr. Spawr has twenty-one grandchildren and one great grand child — enough to eat up his surplus apples. Mr. Spawr is of medium height, is rather solidly built, and seems to be enjoying good health in his old age. He is a quiet man, is very kindly disposed, and much looked up to^among the old settlers. He leads a very quiet, contented life, though he works enough to keep himself healthy. He is a man universally respected for his integrity and correct judgment. 668 OLD SETTLERS OF George Spawr. George Spawr, son of Valentine Spawr, was born December 26, 1806, in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania. In the fall of 1827, he came to Illinois with the Spawr family, except two sisters, who never came, and also except Jacob and his sister, Mrs. Cath- erine Guthrie, who came the year before. When they came to the Indiana wilderness of heavy timber, they met with a lot of teams, and all joined and went through the wilderness together, in order to be protected against a band of robbers, by whom it was infested. The travellers camped one night in the wilderness and were visited by a suspicious character, but they detailed seven men to watch the camp and were not molested. In the morning their unwelcome visitor left. After they crossed the Wabash liiver and came to the prairie they mired down in the first slough ; but they soon learned the nature of the sloughs and drove through them quickly without stopping long enough to become fast in the mire. They found the worst slough at Cheney's Grove. But by good management and quick driving the Spawr family came safely through without assistance. The Cheneys took care of them that night and showed the greatest hospitality, and made no charge for favors rendered. The next day the Spawr family took the Indian trail and went on to Money Creek timber, where they settled. The next year Mr. Spawr began to raise a crop of corn, but sold out and went with Jonathan Cheney to the lead mines to make a fortune, but returned the next fall without the fortune. Then he started with Isaac Funk, who was taking a drove of cattle to Ohio, but the cattle were stampeded by wolves, and the trip to Ohio was spoiled. He then helped to take care of the Cheneys, who were sick with the measles, and became sick him- self and lived on milk-punch. (Who wouldn't have the measles!) Mr. Spawr married, March 19, 1831, Ehoda Walden. In the spring of 1832 occurred the Black Hawk war. Mr. Spawr enlisted in a company of rangers commanded by Merrit Covel, after the fight at Stillman's Run. .It was the business of the rangers to guard the country from the Mackinaw to Ottawa. The people were much disturbed by false alarms and regular frights. At one time two men, Isaac T and Mat F , went m'lean county. 669 to Bloomington, the former mounted on his fleet horse and the latter on an Endian pony, which he found hoppled near by. On their return they passed where the town of Normal now stands. There they saw some blood on the ground. It was where Isaac Funk had bled his horse on account of some sickness, which the animal had contracted. But Isaac and Mat knew nothing of the real cause, but supposed immediately that sonic one had there been murdered by Indians, and that the savages had already com- menced the work of slaughter and destruction. The men whipped up their horses and went across the prairie, and saw the tall rosin weeds waving in the wind and thought each one was an Indian after them. Isaac, being better mounted, ran far ahead, and Mat, who was behind, called out, ""Wait for me, Isaac !" and the reply came back, "Whip the pony, Mat!" At last they ar- rived home, and Mat mounted one of his own fleet horses and said : " Father and mother, I respect you, I respect you above every- body else, but I must leave you, I must go to Ohio, and must be at Cheney's Grove to. night!*' When he arrived at Cheney's Grove, he was laughed out of his fright. At one time the neigh- borhood took a great scare ; some thought they saw Indian signs, and others imagined that they saw in the distance the smoke arising from Indian camps. The rangers were called out, and they hunted through the timber, displaying the most excellent training, and at last found the* track of a pig ! During that even- ing the settlers collected at the house of John Henline near the head of Mackinaw timber. The rangers also came there, and during the night George Spawr and Henry Davis were instructed to raise a false alarm in order to test the pluck of the men. Spawr and Davis were placed on picket. Spawr says : "Just be- fore we were relieved, I called out, '"Who's there, who's there, who's there V and fired my gun and ran to the house, yelling 'Injins' at every jump !" The men at the house turned out, some with guns and some not, and all were in disorder. Captain Covel was SAvearing and the women were making a great ado. A squad of men were placed in charge of the guard and they went out, and the wicked Spawr slipped off his shoe and made a track, which was pronounced "Injin sign," and the panic was greater than ever. One of the men at the house was so stricken with fear that he gave up his gun and jumped into bed behind his 670 OLD SETTLERS OF wife. Tlie guards who were posted were relieved, and one of them was found trying- to catch his horse to get away, another was found lying flat on his face, hoping that in the darkness of the night he would escape the general massacre ! . The next morning a voice was heard calling : "Who jumped in bed behind his wife?" An answering voice replied: "T F." It was indeed true that the frightened man had run to the house, and old Mrs. Henline had kept him out. At last old Joseph Brum- head said : "I wish I had a gun, I wish I hud a gun !" "Here, uncle Joe," said the frightened man, "here's a gun." Mr. Brum- head, who was a very religious man, took it, saying : "I am not afraid to fight, and die, if need be, so help me Lord, for Christ's sake !" The man, having given up his gun, was allowed to come into the house where he jumped into bed behind his wife. A fort was built at the house of the Henlines, and another at the Little Vermilion. JSTot long afterwards, while some of the rangers were picking strawberries, George Spawr and William Dimmitt fired off their guns to give the men a scare. The joke was successful, for the frightened rangers ran plashing through the Vermilion, and on three miles to the fort. The neighborhood was again alarmed, men were hurrying to and fro, and women were riding with their infants in their arms, in every direction. The rangers continned reconnoitering until the Black Hawk war was ended. In the summer of 1837 George Spawr went to Franklin County, Illinois, where he lived until the fall of 1863. Franklin County had been settled by men from the south ; and during the rebellion they were so much in favor of the rebel cause, and made so many threats against Union men, that in the fall of 1863 George Spawr went back to his old home in Mackinaw tim- ber, and now lives in Lexington. Mr. Spawr has had ten children, of whom six are living. They are : Charles Wesley Spawr, who lives about two miles from Belle- flower. He was in the 110th Illinois Volunteers during the war and served under Sherman. Mary Jane, widow of Terry Scarlock, lives at Pleasant Hill. Mr. Scarlock had been a soldier. Dr. Braxton Benton Spawr lives in Franklin County, where he practices medicine and dentistry. m'lean county. 671 Dr. Elijah Valentine Spawr lives in Mackinawtown, in Taze- well County. He was a soldier in the Eighteenth Illinois Vol- unteers. William Walker Spawr lives in Farmer City. He was in the three months' service during the rebellion, and in 1865 he re-en- listed. Margaret Malinda was married to Charley Kemp and lives in Bloomington. Mr. Spawr is about five feet and ten inches in height, and weighs one hundred and eighty-four pounds. He has a round, healthy face, and his eyes have an honest, open expression, but one can see the love of practical jokes in them. His hair stands up decidedly on his head. He has been a mechanic for thirty years, and still works at his trade. He gets up early in the morning and goes to work on time. He is very jovial and loves to talk over the adventures of other days. It does him good to laugh at the funny scenes which happened when the people in Mackinaw timber took their periodical frights. Joseph Brumhead. Joseph Brumhead came to the West with the Haner family, in 1828. Before coming to the West he married Catherine Haner in Ohio. He settled, on his arrival from Ohio, in Mackinaw timber, near old John Haner's place, a little west of where John Haner, jr., now lives. Mr. Brumhead was a very religious man, and was, for many years, a member of the Methodist Church. He belonged to this denomination when he came to Mackinaw timber, and was one of the eight members who organized the first Methodist Church in McLean County north of Bloomington. This was in 1830. He was a class-leader for nearly a year after its organization. He was then made a licensed exhorter, and went to the different groves and held meetings. He was not an edu- cated man, but was possessed of great natural ability. The Indians were cmite numerous before the winter of the deep snow. At one time Mr. Brumhead had a horse, which was bitten by an Indian pony, and was much annoyed. Mr. Brum- head tied the pony to a tree with a log chain. After a while its Indian owner came for it, and when he found it fastened with the 672 OLD SETTLERS OF log chain he walked around it carefully, and at last came to the conclusion that "he no get loose." Mr. Brumhead at last gave the Indian the pony. Mr. Brumhead was a very courageous man. During the Black Hawk war, while the settlers were collected at the house of John Henline, for fear of trouble with the Indians, Mr. Brum- head was one of the coolest and most collected among them. His religious feeling bore him up always, and during the Indian troubles he seemed to feel no fear, for he trusted his life to the keeping of Divine Providence. He died in the year 1838, and his wife died a week after him. Their death resulted from eating unhealthy meat. Two of their children are living. The eldest son, John Wesley Brumhead, was the first white child born on the Mackinaw. His birth was in 1829. He now lives on the north of the Mackinaw, and is an incorrigible bachelor. The second son, Anderson S. Brumhead, lives in Blue Mound town- ship. He does not believe in a bachelor's life, and has married a very amiable and attractive lady. Hensox B. Doavxey. Henson B. DoAvney Avas born August 2(3, 1817, in Frederick County, Maryland. His father was Alexander DoAvney, and his mother's name before her marriage Avas Mary Tucker. He Avas partly of Scotch and Welch descent. In about the A'ear 1828 he came with the family to Illinois. He grew up in the West, and Patrick Hopkins says of him during his youth and early man- hood : " He Avas about as high a chicken as you could scare up." On the 7th of April, 1839, he married Phebe Brumhead, youngest daughter of Joseph Brumhead. She died March 16, 1852. The children by this marriage Avere James ~N. DoAvney, who lives in the northern part of Blue Mound township ; Emily, wife of Henry Walden, lives in the northern part of Blue Mound ; J. Henson DoAvney also lives in Blue Mound, and his brother, Allen T. DoAvney, lives with him. On the 24th of July, 1852, Mr. DoAvney married Lowisa Ellen Hand. The children by this marriage are Merritt R., William A., Mary, Ann Elizabeth, John W., Frank E., Lu Elle, Henry Benjamin and Harvey E. DoAvney. Of these, William A., Mary m'lean county. 673 and John "W". Downey, are dead. The living children are with their mother on the homestead place, in Lexington township, on the south of the Mackinaw. Henson B. Downey died dune 29, 1871. He was a member of the Methodist Church for fifteen or twenty years previous to his death, and held the positions of steward, class-leader, exhorter and all the stations on the official hoard. He was a very high- spirited man, and had a quick temper, which frequently was the cause of difficulty with his friends. But he would always apolo- gize for his anger and try to make amends. John Haner. John Haner was born July 3, 1819, in Fayette County, Ohio. His father's name was William Haner, and his mother's name was Jane Steel. His father was of Dutch descent and his mother of Irish. John Haner lived in Fayette County, Ohio, until he was eight years of age, when the family came to Sangamon County, Illinois. After living here one year they came to Macki- naw timber, in the present township of Lexington, in the present county of McLean. This was in the fall of 1828. They went to farming immediately, and had the usual hard times, which the old settlers experienced. In December, 1830, the day before the deep snow, they obtained a large quantity of corn-meal and fiour from Cunningham's mill, and it was supposed to be sufficient to last all winter ; but it was only enough for a short time, as they supplied the neighbors, who could not go to mill. After it was gone the} 7 pounded corn, and sometimes took it over to old John Patton's hand-mill and ground it there. Many of the families in the neighborhood suffered severely during the deep snow. Not long before the deep snow, Mr. Harrison Foster sold his claim, went to a new piece of ground and built a cabin. The clapboard roof was put on, but the cabin was only partly chinked, and the chimney was built no higher than the mantle-piece. When the deep snow came it nearly covered the cabin on the outside, and nearly filled it on the inside. The bed in which Foster slept had upon it a foot of snow. He arose in the morning and could not put on his moccasins, but drew on his socks and walked nearly a mile and a half down the Mackinaw, on the ice, to his brother's house. The two brothers then went back to brine; away the 43 674 OLD SETTLERS OF family. Sarah Foster was carried on the back of her Uncle William. She clutched hold of his coat, and when they arrived at the hitter's house she could not loosen her hold, as her fingers were frozen stiff, and had to be pulled open. The skin on the ends of her fingers and the nails afterwards came off. During the fall before the deep snow, Charles and John Cox came to Mackinaw timber and put up a log cabin, but as they had no out-buildings, they kept their pigs in one part of the cabin during the winter, while the family lived in the other, a slab par- tition separating them. William Haner, quite as careful, kept his chickens and sheep in the cellar. During that severe winter the Haners had a six-acre patch of shocked corn, and the wind whistled around the shocks, sometimes leaving bare places. When the snow came, a calf was caught in it near one of these shocks, and lived there all winter, the Haners bringing it water; but its ears were frozen off. During that winter the deer came up among the stock and ate with them. The wolves became saucy, impudent and troublesome, and often came to the house and snatched and ran off with what the}' could find. One of these animals made its home in a shock of corn, but Haner's dog brought it out of those quarters and killed it. At one time a rather awkward mistake occurred. A wolf came up to Joseph Brumhead's house, and he chased it with a shoe-hammer along a path leading to William Haner's, and called to the latter to come out. Haner did so, and hissed on his dog ; but the dog mistook the object of the excitement and grabbed an ox by the nose, and the astonished animal whirled around and sent the dog against Haner, and the two went rolling into the snow. But Haner re- covered himself in a moment and pointed out the wolf, which was soon brought down. In the fall of 1831, William Haner built a horse-mill on the Mackinaw. A few years later, John Haner, sr., the father of the former, built a water-mill, and for many years Haner's mills ground the wheat and corn for a* large section of country around. John Haner, jr., of whom we are writing, tells some interest- ing matters concerning the Black Hawk war. During that ex- citing time the settlers collected at the house of John Henline. While there a great scare occurred, and it was thought that the Indians had come. The people in the house were ordered away m'lean county. 675 from the walls to let the soldiers Lave a chance to shoot, and the children were pitched into the middle of the floor. John Haner, then a child, was one of the youngsters who were so roughly hand- led. But at last the men with their guns took the outside of the house. The excitement lasted until nearly morning. The Iianer family remained at the Henllne house for nearly a week, then came home, remained two weeks, then took another alarm and went to Bloomington, and stayed at the house of Mr. Goodheart. Many practical jokes were played by the settlers during the Bhuk Hawk troubles. George Spawr played a wicked trick upon his father, Valentine Spawr. Whhile the old gentleman was ab- sent, George tied strings around his feet and walked around the house, leaving tracks resembling those made by Indian mocca- sins ; then he shot a few bullet-holes through the door and left. The old gentleman came home, saw the bullet-holes and tracks, and the more he looked at them the more his hair began to rise. At last he started on the run for the Henline fort, and as he was rather fleshy his movements were by no means graceful. While he was crossing a creek near by on a high log, the wicked George tired a gun. This caused the old gentleman to make a misstep, and he fell into the water. But he scrambled out and went to the fort. Notwithstanding his scare, the cheery old gentleman did not lose heart, but congratulated himself that, though in his fall he had " got his lower body wet, he had kept his upper body dry." The youthful sons and daughters of the early settlers of course had their affairs of the heart ; but as they worked very hard they had little time to think of such matters, and did not attend to them in the way their sons and daughters have learned to do since. It is said that Moses Patton once traveled twelve miles to visit the daughter of Mr. Allen, in Old Town timber. He sat up with her until midnight, but could scarcely master courage to say a word. At last he turned to her and said in a scarey way ; " I s'pose you think I'm a long time a com-men-cin !" She made some evasive answer, and after a while he retired for the night. The next morning he asked if he might call again, and she re- plied, that " if he had no more to say the next time, she hardly thought it would be worth while for him to come twelve miles to tell it !" 676 OLD SETTLERS OF John Haner married, May 28, 1839, Miss Caroline Bull, who was born in Indiana, and came to Illinois in the fall of 1837. They have had eight children, of whom seven are living, and three are married. They are : Esther Jane, wife of Herbert Cool, lives in Keelsville, Chero- kee County, Kansas. Mary Ellen, wife of Thomas Davis, lives in Blue Mound township. William Haner lives in Cherokee County, Kansas. Merritt Steel, Jessie Edwin, Charles Luther and Maggie May (the pet), all live at home. John Haner is six feet in height, has rather a broad face and bluish-gray eyes. He seems a very modest man, has a peaceable disposition, and is, no doubt, on the best terms with his neigh- bors. The humorous stories which he has related show that the love of fun is strong within him, and his amiable and accom- plished lady is not far behind him in this respect. He is a man of good development of muscle, and has never been afraid to work. He has been very successful in life and manages his prop- erty well. Benjamin Wiley Patton. Benjamin Patton was born June 18, 1817, in Kentucky, in Garret County (he thinks). His father's name was John Patton, and his mother's maiden name was Margaret Wiley. John Pat- ton was of Irish descent, and his wife was probably of English and Welch. He was quite a genius, and master of a number of trades and professions. He was a farmer, mechanic, gunsmith and blacksmith. He made ploughs, both the iron work and the wood work, and made household furniture, all that was necessary for the family. He was a professor of religion and a member of the Methodist Church, and his house at Mackinaw timber was a preaching place for many years. When Benjamin Patton was less than a year old, his parents left Kentucky, where he was born, and came to Switzerland County, Indiana, and ffl there remained until they came to Illinois, which was in the fall of 1828. They came with two teams (two yoke of oxen and four horses). Benjamin was obliged to walk and drive the cattle, and as he wore light shoes, the exercise m'lean county. 677 chafed Ms feet so severely that his two great toe-nails came off. The family arrived at Old Town timber in November, and went into an old round log house, without chinking or chimney, and there remained during the winter. Mr. Patton, sr., cut logs to build a house at Buckles' Grove, but changed his mind as to his location, and went to Mackinaw timber. There the Patton family lived for a while in a deserted wigwam of the old Indian town. It was a queer structure, built up on all sides, with a hole in the top for the smoke of a fire inside to pass out. Benjamin Patton has experienced the hardships common to the old settlers. He married, October 13, 1839, Mary Ann Con- over. He has had no children. He is full six feet in height, is rather spare in build. He appears to have succeeded very well in life. Patrick Hopkins. Patrick Hopkins was born June 11, 1799, in Sussex County, Delaware. His father's name was Robert Hopkins, and his mother's maiden name was Nancy Spence. His father was of "Welch descent and his mother of Scotch. His father was a farmer, plain and unassuming in his manner, though rather im- posing in appearance, as he weighed about two hundred and twenty pounds. Mrs. Hopkins, the mother of Patrick, was a smart, energetic, little woman. So far as her person was con- cerned, she would hardly bear down the scales against her hus- band, as she only weighed ninety-four pounds. But what she lacked in size she made up in spirit and energy. She was a good deal of a theologian and would discuss religious matters with any one who chose to test her argumentative powers. She and her husband were both members of the Methodist Church. There were nine children of the Hopkins family, five boys and four girls ; they all lived to be grown and, like their parents, have led an unassuming and retired life. In 1806, the Hopkins family went to Woodford County, Ken- tucky. There Robert Hopkins bought a farm and lived on it until 1814. Patrick Hopkins had few opportunities of obtaining an educa- tion, and he has been obliged to make his way in the world with the benefit of only forty days schooling. 678 OLD SETTLERS OF In the fall of 1814, the Hopkins family moved to Clark County, Indiana, among the deer, bear and Indians. In 1817, Patrick went to Georgetown, Kentucky, to learn the bricklaying trade. In 1820, he came back to Clark county and married Mary Bartholomew. During the following year, he moved to Owen County, where he laid brick and worked a small farm. In 1830, he came with his wife and four children to the head waters of the Mackinaw, in what was then Tazewell County, Illinois. He raised a cabin and in the following year broke prairie for a farm. He lived very quietly until 1832, when the Black Hawk war broke out. In those days, the settlers were liable to take a scare at any moment, as it was very hard to obtain correct news from the seat of war. One of the neighbors, named Bartholomew, an old Indian fighter and formerlj' a soldier in Wayne's army, ad- vised the settlers to build a fort, which they did on the place where John B. Dawson now lives. On the day before the settlers collected in the fort, Mr. Hopkins was alarmed b}~ the barking of dogs and thought the Indian's had certainly come, but concluded to tight not only for his family but also for his horses, and took his gun and went to the barn ; but the alarm was false. On the following day, the families of the settlers went to the fort, and Mr. Hopkins went with a company collected by Mr. Bartholomew to Indian Grove, where the Kickapoos were encamped, to see whether the latter were disposed to be hostile. The Indians had just returned from their winter quarters and were very friendly. They were, when the whites arrived, collecting food, and in the evening came to camp with all kinds of game, from a snipe to a raccoon. They treated the whites with great courtesy, took charge of their horses, put strong halters on them, and set two men to guard them through the night. The party that evening witnessed some religious ceremonies, which were carried on by Indians who were converted to Christianity. All were seated on the ground, except the leader, and they sang and exhorted for a long time. At last the leader took his seat, and then occurred a singular ceremony. An Indian stepped forward and asked to be whipped for the sins he had committed during the week, and drew his garment over his head, exposing his bare back. Four- teen stripes were given him by three Indians nearby, with smooth hickory rods about three feet long. The stripes were received m'lean county. 679 without a movement to indicate pain. This example was fol- lowed by fifty others, who received fourteen or twenty-eight stripes laid on with such force thai any one of them left a mark. The stripes were administered by three Indians. When fourteen stripes were called for, the first Indian gave seven, the second four and the last three. When twenty-eighl stripes were called for, the first Indian gave fourteen, the second seven and the last seven. When each applicant for stripes had been whipped, he turned around and shook hands with the men who bore the rods. The interpreter told the whites, who were looking on, that these stripes were given because of disobedience to the commands of the Great Spirit during the week. In the spring of 1833 he put up a log cabin in Lexington township, on the farm now known as the Lemuel Biggs place. When he first moved into it, his chickens roosted on the partly built wooden chimney. One evening, while he was holding fam- ily worship, an owl took a chicken from the chimney ; but as the fowl was heavy, both birds came down in the yard. Mr. Hopkins says : "I won't say how long I continued the prayer, but it was short. I reached for my gun, glanced along the sights, shot the owl by good luck and released the chicken." The settlers went sometimes long distances to get their mill- ing done, and were frequently gone eight or ten days. Mr. Hop- kins went to Cheney's Grove, and afterwards to Fox River above Ottawa. At one time he went to mill at Ottawa with William Pope- joy. The latter was a very fair-minded man, but it stirred up liis anger if he was imposed on in any way. Mr. Hopkins, on the contrary, would "rather suffer evil than do evil." They were obliged to stay over night at the mill, while waiting for their grist. During the night Mr. Popejoy waked up Mr. Hopkins, saying : "Hopkins, Hopkins, get up, get up, that other man has given the miller fifty cents to grind his grist before ours, and we will miss our connections to-morrow if that is done." Mr. Hopkins aroused himself reluctantly, and Fopejoy brought up their corn to put into the hopper as soon as it became empty. "You can't put in that corn," said the miller. "Yes I will." "Xo you won't, unless you are a better man than I am." When Popejoy heard this, his coat dropped from his shoulders as he stepped up, say- ing: "I never vet failed to whip a mean man." The miller 680 OLD SETTLERS OF stepped around on the other side of the hopper ! The corn was ground on time, and Popejoy and Hopkins made their connec- tions. Mr. Hopkins' wife died August 29, 1839. She was a very kind lady and their marriage was a happy one. They had five children, one of whom was born in Illinois. They are two sons and three daughters, and are all married. Mr. Hopkins married, November 15, 1847, near Pleasant Hill, Matilda Smith, daughter of William and Obedience Smith. They have had no children. The} r have lived together very happily. In 1867 Air. Hopkins moved to Lexington, where he has resided ever since. Patrick Hopkins is five feet and eleven and a half inches in height. He has a full head of hair, which is now nearly white. He wears glasses while reading, though the sight of his right eye is very good. He lost the use of his left eye in 1842, when it was struck by a branch of a tree while he was going through the timber. His health is now pretty good, though he has suffered a great deal from the bilious fevers common to the western coun- try in early days. He has not had extraordinary success finan- cially, as the goodness of his heart has too often induced him to become security for men whose obligations he has been obliged to pay. Nevertheless he has plenty to make him comfortable, and is in the happy condition of the man who has neither poverty nor riches. Mr. Hopkins died February 21st, 1874. Peter Hefner. Peter Hefner, known as "Uncle Peter," was born April 20, 1813, in what was called Pendleton County, Virginia, but is now called Highland County. His father's name was Michael Hefner and his mother's name before her marriage was Barbara Flesher. The Hefner family moved to Fayette County, Ohio, when Peter was between two and three years of age. As soon as the latter became five or six years of age he showed a disposition for rais- ing stock, and attended to the feeding of the animals, and took notice of all the transactions in stock. This little five-year old infant knew of every cow, pig or sheep bought or sold in the neighborhood and the prices paid. In 1830 the Hefner family moved to Mackinaw timber, Illinois. m'lean county. 681 When the family came to this country Mr. Hefner received a tine colt as a present from his father. It was carefully raised and trained, and became the celebrated Tiger Whip, one of the fastest horses in the country. This horse onee ran a race, in which were a number of line racers, and among- them was Bald Hornet, rid- den by E. E. Greenman, now of Leroy. Tiger "Whip won the race triumphantly. Greenman thought that if fair play could have been had, the Bald Hornet would have come out first best ; but the trouble was that Tiger Whip ran faster. Mr. Hefner once rode Tiger Whip on a queer race. While coming home from Bloomington he chased a prairie chicken, and notwith- standing its long flights he tired it out and caught it. After Mr. Hefner had won some money by the speed of his horse, his uncle Flesher said he considered it a misfortune, for the money obtained in that way would never do any good, and Providence would be sure to bring some misfortune upon Peter, and the lat- ter would learn to drink whisky and to gamble, and would fall into evil ways generally. But nothing of the kind occurred ; the latter never drank the intoxicating fluid nor gambled nor fell into evil ways. Mr. Hefner went to mill occasionally. He once went to Che- ney's Grove with a load of twenty-five bushels of wheat. There he succeeded in getting two or three bushels ground, but no more for want of water. Then he went to a new steam mill, which was then just in operation in Bloomington, and there two or three bushels more were ground. Then he went to a mill on the Mackinaw, but could get nothing ground at all. Then he went to Ottawa with a full load, and after waiting a week or more, his •wheat was ground. The author is sorry to relate that Mr. Hefner has been occa- sionally "up to his capers." John Messer was once going to mill and was asleep in his wagon, as his slowly moving oxen were plodding along. Peter Hefner and a few other sports made mo- tions at the oxen and gradually turned them around and started them in the opposite direction. They went a mile or more on the back track before Messer discovered the error. He never forgave Peter for this prank. The settlers were many times in want of the necessaries of life. The Hefner family once thought themselves in luck when 682 OLD SETTLERS OF they obtained the half of a wild hog by active hunting, but they had no salt for cooking it, and Peter started for some. He went to Dry Grove, failed there, went to John Benson's at White Oak Grove, and there found salt and came home, and the Hefner fam- ily had a few "square meals." The pigs that were raised by the early settlers were " prairie rooters." They could root up anything with their long noses, climb anything and run anywhere. The Hefner family were once short of meat in harvest time, and the old gentleman decided to kill the only pig they possessed. He said : "Boys ,you shall have some meat for supper," and sharpened his knife for the bloody work, and started for the pen. The intelligent pig saw what was coming, and as the old gentleman climbed into the pen on one side the pig climbed out on the other and ran off switching de- fiance with its tail ! The old gentleman was left to meditate on the uncertainties of life, and the pig was not found for six months. Mr. Hefner had his experience in the deep snow. When the heavy snow fell in December of the celebrated winter of 1830-1 he was coming with two others from the house of Louis Sowards on Money Creek, with a load of corn and a hog on a sled, drawn by four horses. They were so blinded by the falling snow that they could not see the lead horses, and they unhitched and rode back to Sowards. There they kept warm during the night by building a great fire, though the weather was intensely cold, and the cabin was unchinked. In the morning they returned home safely. Traveling in the early days was not always safe, as may be supposed. Air. Hefner tells of a trip to Danville, to show the' difference between the old days and the new. He went first to Newcom's Ford, where he was followed by a pack of wolves. There he stayed over night, and the wolves were so ferocious and bold that they drove the dogs into the house. The next day he crossed two sloughs, and in each case was obliged to wade waist deep in freezing water and break the ice for his horse. On his return he swam the Sangamon at Newcom's Ford, and as the weather was bitterly cold and a west wind was blowing, he thought he had a good chance of freezing to death ; but he reached a settler's cabin, thawed himself out and went home. m'lean county. 683 At one place where Mr. Hefner stopped, about sixteen miles this side of Danville, was a clever, good-natured gentlemen, old General Bartholomew. Peter Hefner, being an active lad, brought up the general's horse, and the latter was so pleased by the little favor that he paid Hefner's bill. When Hef- ner inquired the bill the landlord said nothing. The old general, who was looking on, said: "Well, sir, now I learn the custom of this road; the man who eats thirteen buckwheat cakes for break- fast, has his bill free !" Peter Hefner married, March 27, 1833, Betsy Flesher. He has had nine children, of whom five are living. They are : Harmon, who lives on the old place on Mackinaw, in Money Creek township. Mary, wife of J. P. Curry, lives in Lexington. Adeline, wife of John Campbell, lives in Lexington township. John A. and George M. Hefner live in Money Creek town- ship. Mr. Hefner is about six feet in height, weighs two hundred and thirty-five or forty pounds, has black hair and dark eyes, is plain spoken and fond of humor and practical jokes. In Janu- ary, 1870, he moved from Mone} T Creek to Lexington. He was always a hospitable man and never charged travelers anything. But afterwards he varied a little from this rule and made peddlers "come down with their stamps." Mr. Hefner is a man of great strength and nerve, and the exposure of a frontier life has not injured his constitution in the least. He is a straightforward man in his dealings and prompt to meet his engagements. John Dawson, (of Lexington.) There are two John Dawsons in McLean County; the one lives in Bloomington and the other in Lexington. They are not related to each other, because they happen to be John Dawsons, any more than if they happened to be John Smiths; though the relationship of either would be an honor, for they are both gen- tlemen. John Dawson was born December 4, 1820, in Madison County, Ohio. His father's name was James R. Dawson and was of English and Welch descent. The great, great grandfather of John Dawson was one James Dawson, who came from Wales, and settled on the north fork of the Potomac in Virginia. This 684 OLD SETTLERS OF gentleman was married twice and had sixteen children by each marriage, making thirty-two in all. At the time of his death, his youngest child was twenty-four years of age, and the old gentleman was himself one hundred and twenty-eight years old. His thirty-two children were all living at the time of his death. His death occurred while he was moving about, carrying corn to his horses, in which he took great pride. This liking for horses has ever been a characteristic of the Dawson family. The grandfather of John Dawson was born in Virginia, moved to Kentucky at an early day, and was there killed by Indians. The father of John Dawson was James R. Dawson, who was born October 10, 1794, in Bourbon County, Kentucky. At the age of fifteen he left Kentucky and went to Ohio, and there mar- ried Mary Ogden in the year 1816. She was a lady of English and Irish descent. On the 26th of September, 1832, the Dawson family came to Mackinaw timber, McLean County, Illinois. There the old gentleman bought three eighties of land and began farming. During the fall after their arrival the Dawsons, senior and junior, made a visit to Chicago and there saw General Scott and the troops and cannon brought on account of the Black Hawk war. John Dawson was particularly skillful in killing wolves, and pretty sure to finish one at a single stroke of his club. He describes the manner in which a dog catches a wolf in the chase. The dog takes the wolf by the hind legs, while both are running at full speed; this throws the wolf from its feet, and the dog catches it by the throat before it can recover from the fall. Some- times dog and wolf will turn a complete somersault in the air. The vicious wolves were put to death in the most convenient way. Mr. Dawson killed one by thrashing it on the ground. John Ogden once came up to a wolf, which was whipping his dog, threw a blanket over the wolf and pounded it to death with his fist. John Dawson married, February 25, 1844, Araminta Adams. He has had eight children, four boys and four girls, but only two are living. These are: Thomas A. Dawson, who lives on a farm on the northeast corner of Lexington. m'lean county. 685 Orlando Francis Dawson lives at home with his father. John Dawson is six feet and an inch and a-half in height and weighs one hundred and ninety-live pounds. He is very mus- cular and is good natured and kind in his manner. He is a man of steady nerve and understands what he is doing, no matter how much excitement is raised. He is a most conscientious man, both in his religious opinions and in his dealings with his fellow men. The following are the children of James R. Dawson, the father of John Dawson : Albert Dawson, who lives on the south side of the Mackinaw, about two miles from Lexington. John, whose sketch appears above. Croghan and Samuel, live in Lexington. Cynthia, wife of Shadrach Kemp, lives in Kansas, near Fort Scott. Margaret, wife of William Roe, lives in Lexington. "Washington and James Marion Dawson are twins and live in Chenoa township. The children by J. R. Dawson's second marriage, with Mrs. Sarah Robbins, are : Lafayette Dawson, who lives in Missouri. Philander and Mary, wife of Daniel Underwood, live in Lexington. Croghan Dawson. Croghan Dawson, son of James R. Dawson, was born October 10, 1822. When he was ten years of age, the family started for the West, and arrived at Money Creek timber, September 26, 1832. They went to Mackinaw timber about the first of Decem- ber, 1832. He there worked for his father until the age of twenty, when he began the work of farming and catching wolves. In the latter occupation he went into partnership with his brother John. They had great sport and were pretty sure to bring down their game. If a dozen men were after a wolf, either John or Croghan was pretty sure to get the scalp. He has killed wolves with steel traps and with strychnine. The latter was most effec- tual. In one winter he killed twenty-six wolves with this poison. 686 OLD SETTLERS OF Croghan Dawson has also had his sport in chasing deer, and par- ticularly the fawns which run faster than full grown deer. He remembers a particularly lively chase after a fawn, near Patton's Creek. The parties to the sport chased it far and fast enough to catch a deer. At last it hid in the high grass, and two of the hunters, Isaac Haner and Valentine Spawr, were thrown from their horses in the slough, while trying to catch it. Mr. Dawson at last caught it with his hands, holding its fore and hind legs, stretching it out helpless. He has caught quite a number of fawns, by springing from his horse and holding them in this way. Mr. Dawson has occasionally chased wild hogs, and they have occasionally chased him. He once went after two of his father's hogs which by neglect had become wild, and they turned on him savagely. He tried to climb a tree, but the tree was simply a little bush and broke down, and his situation seemed a bad one; but his dogs came to his rescue and occupied the attention of the ferocious hogs. The Dawson family are great lovers of stock, and it seems natural for them to manage cattle and horses well ; but Mr. Daw- son once had great difficulty with an ox belonging to his father. Good management and kind treatment had no effect upon it. It would not be broken or trained, but would hook and kick and even bite. If it had lived in the days of the Jews, it would have been supposed that the evil spirits, which were then so numerous, had entered into it. Croghan Dawson married, February 2, 1847, Elizabeth Haner. He has had nine children, of whom eight are living. They are : Merritt Dawson, lives in Chenoa township. James B., Ellen, Ezra, Azor, Dolly and Captain J. Dawson, live at home. Emma died in infancy. Mr. Dawson is about live feet and ten inches in height, and nearly all that is said of his brother John's disposition and char- acter will apply equally well to Croghan. He is a kind man and talks in a homelike manner, and he is blessed with a family of very intelligent children. m'lean county. 687 James Adams. James Adams was born February 3, 1826, in Boone County, Kentucky. His father's name was Matthew Adams, and his mother's maiden name was Jane Black. ITis father's descenl was Irish, and his mother's was English. Matthew Adams was raised in Pennsylvania, and was a soldier in the war of 1812, just after Hull's surrender at Detroit, lie was a man somewhat peculiar in his ideas. If he had money he would sometimes lend it, but would never charge a cent of interest. He raised corn, but would never sell it for less than twenty-five cents per bushel, as he thought that a fair price, and if he could not get this price imme- diately, he kept his corn until it rose in the market. On the other hand, he never charged more than twenty-five cents per bushel, no matter how high it rose in the market, as he thought the acceptance of a larger price would be extortion. During the year 1844, the year of the great flood, when all the crops failed, Matthew Adams had on hand about a thousand bushels of old corn. He could have sold it for a very large price, but would accept only twenty-five cents per bushel, and would never sell to anyone more than that person needed for his family. No specu- lator was allowed to buy his corn. People came from Old Town, Cheney's Grove, Buckles' Grove, and from all over the country, to get some of Adams' corn. James Adams lived in Kentucky until October, 1834, when the family came to Illinois. The journey was pleasant until they came to the black swamps of Indiana. There it rained four days, and they traveled over the corduroy roads slowly, going fifteen miles in two days. After twenty-six days of travel they arrived at the house of John B. Thompson, who then lived in what is now Lexington township, on the north of the Mackinaw. There Matthew Adams bought a claim of Harrison Foster, entered it two years afterwards, and it still belongs to the family. When James Adams arrived at the age of fifteen, he took great interest in hunting, and made a specialty of shooting tur- keys. At one time he killed fifteen in a single day. He also hunted deer. The first he killed was a little spike-horn buck, which he creased on the neck, so that it was stunned and fell, and- he killed it with his knife before it could recover. He was a 688 OLD SETTLERS OF tireless hunter, and once chased a deer all day after breaking into the Mackinaw and having his wet clothes frozen. He experienced some of the dangers as well as the excitements of the chase. At one time while chasing a deer his horse stepped into a badger's hole, turned a somersault, and sent the rider rolling. At one time James Adams and his brother Thomas were chasing deer on horseback. The horse which the former rode was shod as to its fore feet, but the horse ridden by the latter had no shoes at all. Unexpectedly they came to a slough overflowed and covered with ice. The horses were on the keen run and could not be reined up, and they crossed the slough of ice without slipping. James Adams speaks of a strange circumstance which hap- pened while one of his neighbors, John Spawr, was chasing a wolf. The horse which Mr. Spawr rode had been accustomed to step on the wolves, when it overtook them, but was once bitten and refused to step on them afterwards. While Spawr was chas- ing the wolf, he became so anxious that he shouted, and at last eagerly pitched headlong from his horse on the wolf, crushed it to the ground, tied its mouth with a suspender and brought the wild creature home. The early settlers were toughened and made hardy by their exposures. Mr. Adams speaks of the Foster family particularly. During the winter of the deep snow the family of Harrison Fos- ter had their cabin nearly covered with snow on the outside, and nearly filled on the inside, and they were obliged to leave it and go to the cabin of William Foster, a mile and a half distant, and were all more or less frost-bitten. But the Fosters became very tough and could endure much cold. Mr. Adams has seen the children sliding barefooted on the ice. Little Aaron Foster often ran about in the snow, with no garment to protect him but a shirt. He was once lost and was found curled up in a snow-drift fast asleep, with nothing but his shirt and the snow to keep him warm. Mackinaw Creek, where Mr. Adams lives, is nearly always difficult and dangerous to cross in the spring of the year or during a thaw in the winter. The following incident shows what risks young men will sometimes take under peculiar circum- stances. In January, 1846, Mr. Adams had an engagement with a young lady, who afterwards became Mrs. Adams. The Macki- m'lean county. 689 naw was full of water and ice from bank to bank; nevertheless, lie crossed it by stepping on a cake of ice, then pushing it over to another and stepping upon that. On his return, at four o'clock in the morning, he re-crossed it in the same way. Mr. Adams says that the Mackinaw was never so high as to prevent him from crossing, though he was once stopped for a short time. He at- tempted to cross it on horseback, and his horse begun plunging and kept it up for half an hour. He was obliged at last to build a raft. He sometimes took passengers over on it, and at one time ferried over a certain Mr. Samuel Shurtleff. The logs rolled a little and Mr. Shurtleff was much frightened, and sat in the middle, calling out, " Oh, Lord ! Oh, Lord !" but was safely landed. About six years ago, while the Mackinaw was high, in February, Mr. Adams had a raft with which he ferried people over. He made several successful trips, but once came very near being carried under the ice, for it was piled up six feet high along the banks. If the West has been troubled with wet seasons, so it has also been troubled with dry. Mr. Adams speaks of a dry fall when he went to Chicago, and his oxen gave out on the prairie on ac- count of thirst and refused to travel for some time. At last went forward to the Mazon River, but found it dry, with the exception of a puddle of water, in which about two hundred of Isaac Funk's cattle had been wallowing. Church-going was, in early days, quite a journe} 7 . The Adams family went to church to Indian Grove, twelve miles distant, and to Money Creek, nine miles distant. They were obliged to be at church bv nine o'clock in the morning for love-feast, and found the congregation more punctual than at the present time. Mr. Adams married, February 9, 1847, Margaret Foster, a woman who bore the trials of a pioneer life bravely. She died in 1855. Three children were born of this marriage. They are : Lee Adams, who lives just east of his father's. Thomas B. and William W. Adams live at home. Mr. Adams married, February 28, 1856, Miss Annie Ransom, one of the most agreeable and accomplished of women. She is a lady who commands the respect and admiration of all who are so fortunate as to be numbered among her acquaintances. James Adams is five feet and ten or eleven inches in height, 44 690 OLD SETTLERS OF is somewhat slim, has clear, blue eyes, and a rather prominent nose. He is a very companionable gentleman, and loves to talk of the good old days. He is very courteous to all with whom he converses, and is widely known and respected. Shelton Smith. Shelton Smith was born February 27, 1825, in Switzerland County, Indiana. His father's name was John Smith, and his mother's name was Cassandra Wiley. John Smith was of Scotch descent, and his wife Cassandra was of English, and, perhaps, partly of Welch. In 1834 the Smith family came to theHenline settlement in Mackinaw timber, Illinois. They made their jour- ney in the fall of the year, and had a pleasant time. When the}* came to the prairie they followed the Indian trail ; but at one time lost it and wandered out of sight of timber. ' They returned on their own track for some distance, and employed a guide to take them through. When they came to Mackinaw timber they bought a claim of George Henline and commenced farming. During the winter of 1830 Shelton Smith commenced going to school. His first teacher was an Irishman, who made the scholars study at the top of their voices. As they shouted their lessons he stood in the middle, of the floor slapping his hands and saying : "Whoop ! boys, I'll take ye through the arithraa^'c in four weeks !" This Irishman taught school until the day after Christmas, and then suddenly disappeared and Was never seen again. It was supposed that he left because the scholars gave him to understand that they would bar him out and make him treat, between Christmas and Xew Year's. The last day of school that season was in December, 1836, on the day of the great ?' sudden change." When school was dismissed, the water and snow had just commenced freezing. While he and some larger boys were on their way home, they came to low ground covered with running water a foot or more in depth, and fifty or sixt}* yards wide. The tall boys started across it while a thin scale of ice was freezing. When they were coining out of the water on the opposite side, they had some difficulty in breaking the ice, as it partially bore their weight. Shelton stood watching them and they hallooed to him to come across, and if he could not wade through they would pull him out. He started, and the ice bore him up all the way over. m'lean county. 691 In the winter of 1834-5, when the Smiths came to this coun- try, Shelton Smith and his younger brother John set traps for the prairie chickens. These traps were set near the house, where some flax, belonging to George Henline, was rotting. Thechick- ens came there in great flocks to eat the flaxseed, and the little Smith boys watched them as they filled up the traps. The chickens were taken out, and the traps were filled again and again. During that winter these boys caught seven hundred and fifty chickens. The breasts of the chickens were salted away in barrels, and the other parts were eaten. The family obtained enough meat from these chickens to last during the following summer. When Shelton Smith was fourteen years of age he often took his father's gun and went out to hunt. On his first hunt he dis- covered a deer, which came close to him, but instead of shooting, he climbed a tree from fear, and the deer ran off. Little Shelton determined to be more brave the next time, and not long after- wards, on another hunt, he saw a deer and laid his gun on a log, took deliberate aim and fired. The deer fell, and with boyish excitement little Smith dropped his gun and ran up. But when he approached the deer it rose to its feet, threw its hair forward and sprang towards him. He went up a tree in a mo- ment, and the deer came near and laid down. Little Shelton re- mained in the tree for several hour3, shivering with fear and cold, and throwing down branches to frighten away the animal below. At last, being fearful of freezing to death, he descended and found the deer cold and stiff. The deer were very plenty. At another time little Smith shot a very large buck on the side of a hill, and was much excited and jumped on it with his knife to cut its throat. But as he caught hold of the large antler he thought he would first count the prongs, and he counted seven ; just then the deer doubled up and gave little Smith a kick, which sent him rolling down the hill, and as he looked up, the deer was running away. It was never seen again by little Smith. When Shelton Smith became large enough to chase wolves on horseback he had great sport. He once tired out a wolf after a long chase, and his horse stumbled ov£r it, and Smith was thrown. In the struggle he succeeded in getting hold of the wolf, choked it down, tied its mouth with a suspender and 692 OLD SETTLERS OF brought it home alive. Mr. Smith tells a story on Samuel Og- den, which has often been related by political speakers to illus- trate their points. Samuel Ogden had a fine greyhound, called Sharp, which was fleet after deer. Once, while Sharp was coming up to a buck, which was running with all its might, the latter became frightened and confused and ran in a zigzag course. Then Samuel Ogden exclaimed : "Oh, you may gee and you may haw, but Sharp will take you at last." This incident has often been told by political speakers to illustrate the zigzag courses of their adversaries, and that justice will overtake them at last. Shelton Smith married, November 16, 1851, Melinda Powell. He has had seven children, of whom five are living. They are : Emma, Lucinda, Charlotte, Shelton, jr., and Albert. Those who are dead, are : Harper and Cassandra. Mr. Smith is five feet and ten inches in height. He is straight in build, and pleasant in his manner. He loves fun, though he is somewhat slow of speech. He appears to have suc- ceeded well in life, and has an interesting family. He is a very reliable man and much respected in the community where he resides. He likes to play croquet, which is a favorite game in Lexington. Milton Smith. Milton Smith was born Februaiy 19, 1808, in Franklin Coun- ty, Kentucky. His father's name was William Smith, and his mother's name was Obedience Brown. He thinks he is of Irish, Welch and English descent. The father of Milton Smith died when the latter was eight years of age. Milton grew up in Franklin County, where he was born. He had many lively ex- periences, as he was a lively boy. There was a species of insect called the yellow jacket, which was quite common in Kentucky. This insect was long, with yellow stripes or bars running around its body, and was something between the bee and the wasp. It had a fearful sting in its tail ; and when it was angry this insect would take hold, with its bill, of the object of its wrath, curl up its body and sting again and again. It was dangerous business to disturb a yellow jacket's, nest. But the troublesome insects often made their nests in the pastures and the cattle were some- times made crazy by their stings. It was often an interesting m'lean county. 693 problem how to destroy these nests of yellow jackets ; but Mil- ton Smith was a bright boy and his ingenuity never failed him. He would shell a few quarts of corn, come up slyly to the nest, and pour the corn into it and around it. Then he would call the pigs ! The swine would come running up, giving satisfactory grunts, and would at once begin eating the corn and tear- ing up the nest to get more. The yellow jackets would come out, of course, and sting the pigs, and the latter would flap their ears, shake their tails and squeal ; but they were pretty sure to eat up the corn and tear up the nest until they found the last kernel. In the fall of 1835 Milton Smith came to where Pleasant Hill now stands, in the township of Lexington, McLean County, Illi- nois, and he has lived there ever since. He helped to build the first house in Lexington, which was put up by Gridley & Covel. Thomas Fell had the building contract. Mr. Smith succeeded well in the new country, as his motto was "keep striking." He bought land, exercised good judgment, and has become very well to do in life. He bought some land after the Illinois Cen- tral Railroad was built, when the last unentered land was taken up. He would have bought more, but he had a lively recollec- tion of the unfortunate speculations of men who entered land, and after holding it for many years, sold it for less than the gov ernment price. Mr. Smith married, November 23, 1837, Lydia Ann Goddard. She is a woman of ready wit, and is a good judge of character. They have had eleven children, of whom nine are living. Mr. and Mrs. Smith both appreciate practical jokes, and their chil- dren are not far behind them in this respect, and occasionally put their love of fun into practice. It is said that during one morning, when Mr. Smith called his children to the house to at- tend devotional exercises, they all came except Fletcher. This young man had an idea which he wished to develop. He waited until the exercises commenced, when he took his father's dog by the neck and pitched the unfortunate animal between two bee hives, which were standing close together. The bees were en- raged and swarmed out everywhere, and the poor dog ran off howling. Fletcher took good care to keep out of the way. The devotional exercises were carried on under difficulties, and it is said were suspended for the time being. 694 OLD SETTLERS OF Mr. Smith's living children are : Ann Mary, wife of George B. Ogeson, lives in Lexington. Sarah Francis, widow of Marinus "W. Strayer, lives in Lex- ington. "William A. Smith lives in Lexington township, south of the Mackinaw. Fletcher M. Smith is married and lives in Lexington. Carrie, Kate, Louis, George and Estelle (the pet) live at home. Mr. Smith is about five feet and eight inches in height, is strongly and squarely built. His hair and whiskers are white and his eyes are gray. His mouth has a firm expression, and his eyes twinkle when he sees anything funny. He is a very religious man and belongs to the Presbyterian church. He is very con- scientious in his dealings, and is widely known and respected. He is always anxious to speak well of his neighbors, and char- itably conceals their faults. Thomas McMackin. Thomas McMackin was born March 15, 1823, in Green Coun- ty, Tennessee. His father, Thomas McMackin, was a native American, and his mother, whose maiden name was Rachel Monteith, was partly Irish and partly American. In the fall of 1838, Thomas McMackin and his widowed mother came to McLean County, Illinois. They came with an- other family and two young men; and during a part of the jour- ney they had with them an old Quaker as a guide. This old gentleman was exceedingly honest, and was pained at sight of any immoral act. When the young men stole a couple of gourds, the old gentleman was so shocked and so angry that he broke the gourds over the young men's heads. The journey was, on the whole, a pleasant one, but a few incidents occurred which are perhaps worth relating. Mr. McMackin says that just before the party came to the Kentucky shore he saw the meanest man he ever knew. He was a Baptist preacher, named Rush. This man compelled his slaves to work until ten o'clock at night and made them go four miles after dark for potatoes, and sent them off to work the next morning by sunrise. This preacher had two large orchards, but forbade any of the party to go near m'lean county. 695 them. Nevertheless, this order was not obeyed, and the party went through the orchards, but found no apples lit for eating. Mr. McMackin does not wish it thought that he has any feeling of disrespect for preachers as a general thing, but he certainly did have a lively sense of the meanness of this Baptist preacher, Mr. Rush. During the latter part of November, the party arrived at Cheney's Grove. There the McMackin family lived for two years on the place belonging to the heirs of Benjamin Thomas. In 1843, Thomas McMackin was a boatman on the Illinois and Wabash Rivers. He also flatboated for awhile on the Vermilion River. He had evil fortune, as people sometimes do, and lost his health and used up all his earnings in regaining it. Mr. McMackin married, February 13, 1848, Elizabeth Dow- ney, eldest daughter of Benjamin Downey. He has lived since that time in Lexington township, with the exception of one year. He made the usual trips to Chicago, when prices seemed little or nothing compared with the present, and went long dis- tances to mill. For some unexplained reason he seemed to live easier and better then than at the present time, and took more pleasure in life. He has carried his axe fifteen miles to help a neighbor raise a log cabin, going one day and returning the next. Mr. McMackin thought the land in the West would never be settled, and neglected to buy land until it was all taken up and could not be had, except at high prices. He now lives on twenty-five acres of land, which he has bought with hard earned money. He was offered a square of land in Bloomington, near the Wesleyan University, for eightj- dollars, and it is now worth twenty thousand. Mr. McMackin has three children, James, Eliza and Joseph Grant McMackin, all of whom live at home. Mr. McMackin is five feet and eight inches high, has brown hair and whiskers and gray eyes. He is a good man and has a kind expression in his face. His nose is good natured and Roman. He is very peaceable and quiet, but sensible in conver- sation. He seems very conscientious and honorable in his deal- ings. He has been pathmaster for some time, but insists that he shall not be compelled to serve again. Notwithstanding the 696 OLD SETTLERS OF quietness of his manner, Mr. McMackin is bold when boldness is required, and has great presence of mind during an exciting moment. He once rescued a lady, who had fallen into the San- gamon river, after she had sunk for the third time. He was on horseback at the time, and when apprised of her danger rode into the water, jumped from his horse and succeeded in bringing her out. She was insensible, but was revived after some exertion. MARTIN. William Wiley. William Wiley was born August 24, 1813, in Garrett County, Kentucky. His father's name was John Wiley, and his mother's name before her marriage was Hannah Sampson. Both were of English descent. When William was three or four 3~ears of age his lather's family moved to Switzerland County, Indiana. When Mr. Wiley was eighteen years of age, he went with his father during the winter season on a flatboat down the Ohio and Mis- sissippi. In the Ohio River their boat grounded on a sand bar, and by the falling of the water was left twenty or thirty feet in the air ; but the water rose and they floated on their way. They often made landings on the shore of the Mississippi, and the negroes would come on board to trade sugar for meat. They said that all the meat they could get was obtained in that way. Their only allowance (he thinks) was a peck of meal per week. They were poor, and lacked the energy of the negroes of Kentucky. The latter were fatter, sleeker and greasier. In the fall of 1835 the Wiley family came to Mackinaw tim- ber, in the present township of Lawndale. The weather during the journey was cold and rainy, and the Wile} T s were often mired d< >\vn in the sloughs. They reached the Sangamon in November. Their sheep refused to cross until William Wiley took one by force and dragged it over. At Mackinaw timber, William Wiley helped his father make a farm, and then made one for himself, where he now lives. Mr. Wiley speaks most eloquently of the sudden change of m'lean county. 697 December, 1836, and of the great difficulty in driving his cattle from the creek bottom to prevent them from freezing fast in the water. The deer, in an early day, were very thiek in the Upper Mackinaw timber, and in the fall of the year would make bad work in the cornfields. Mr. Wiley has counted eighty deer in a line coming from the prairie into his cornfield at the edge of the timber, during the evening of a cold day. John Messer, the great hunter on the Mackinaw, frequently came to Mr. Wiley's, and they went out hunting together. The two men once went to Burr Oak Grove, where they killed several coons, and became much excited in the sport. Mr. Messer put his hand into a hole to feel for coons, and unexpectedly got a bite, for a vicious coon grabbed his thumb. He said nothing, but kept his hand perfectly still until the coon let loose. He told Wiley that the coon was very strong, and induced that gentleman to try his skill ; but Wiley first put on his buckskin mittens, and when he heard the coon snarl, withdrew his hand. That little joke could not be passed around. Mr. Wiley speaks of old Milton Smith, and says, that when he came to the country, he brought with him 'from Kentucky an old negro woman, whom he had hired in order to hold her in a free State. But she was a high-tempered woman, and when she learned to use the ox-whip, she occasionally mistook old Milton for the steers she drove. The old settlers particularly enjoyed practical jokes. Mr. Wiley speaks of a yellow jacket's nest, with an advertisement or notice posted over it to draw people there. Those who were victimized appreciated the joke so highly that they allowed the notice to stand, and called the attention of others to it. On the 30th of September, 1841, William Wiley married Nancy Hopkins. They have had eight children, six of whom are living. They are : John Wiley, who lives just east of his father's. He enlisted in the Eighth Illinois Infantry, and was in the battles of Fort Donelson, Shiloh, siege of Yicksburg, and many others. Robert Wiley, who enlisted in the regiment some time after its organization, died of the measles about six months after his enlistment. 698 OLD SETTLERS OF Joseph Wiley served in the same regiment during the last eighteen months of the war. He lives at home with his father. William R., James, Amelia and Xancy E. Wiley, live at home. Mr. Wiley is about five feet and ten inches in height. His eyes are dark, his hair is black, but his whiskers are white with age. He is a good man, and is blessed with a family of intelli- gent and happy children. Lytle Royston Wiley. Lytle R. Wiley was born November 7, 1815, in Garrard County, Kentucky. When he was about two years old his parents left Kentucky and came to Switzerland County, Indiana, and there lived until November, 1835, when they came to Illinois. Here he found matters very unhandily arranged, for there was no village near by, where even the necessaries of life could be pur- chased. The mill was fifty or sixty miles distant, and wheat was hauled to Chicago for fifty or seventy cents per bushel. The pork was so cheap that it was almost given away. Mr. Wiley was never a hunter, but occasionally took amusement by chasing wolves. He attended carefully to his farm, and found always plenty to do. Although he has been an active, hardworking pioneer, his life has had in it very little of adventure. The only "lively time," which he particularly calls to mind, was his chase after his cattle on the creek bottom of the Mackinaw, to prevent them from freezing into the slush during the sudden change in December, 1836. On the 13th of June, 1843, Mr. Wile}' married his relative, Miss Sarah Wiley. They have had nine children, of whom eight are living. They are : Thomas, who intends to be a physician ; Khoda Margaret, John James, Hannah Elizabeth, William Sampson, Sarah Lucin- da, Lytle Richard and Mary Cassandra Wiley, all live at home with their parents. Mr. Wiley is five feet and eleven and one-half inches in height, is rather slim in build, has brown hair, and whiskers partly gray. He has attended closely to his business and succeeded well. He has hunted very little, but has employed all of his time in farm- ing and caring for his stock, and by this means has accumulated m'lean county. 699 a fair amount of property. He seems to have looked after his affairs carefully, and has not allowed anything to go to waste for want of attention. He is a thrifty fanner and a good American citizen. Curtis Batterton. Curtis Batterton, brother of Martin Batterton, of Lawndale township, was born. January 11, 1810, in Madison County, Ken- tucky. He lived in his native State until he grew to manhood. Xo very important or remarkable event occurred during his early life. He received the education which could he obtained at that early day. In the fall of 1831, Curtis Batterton went with two men, Martin and Linsey, to South Carolina, with a drove of swine. They stopped at certain places, where notices had been posted that on certain days swine would be sold, and in this manner dis- posed of the drove. The negroes there had very queer ideas. Their thoughts seemed to be confined to their bodily wants. They nearly all wished to go to Kentucky, for they knew that swine were driven from there, and they supposed that negroes in Ken- tucky could have all the pork they wished to eat. The negroes hated the cotton-fields, and w r ere willing to do almost anything rather than pick cotton. They were well clothed, indeed he saw only one ragged negro. In the fall of 1836, Mr. Batterton came through Illinois to Missouri. He took a careful observation, and decided that it was hardly worth while to settle there as long as he could enter land in McLean County, Illinois. During the fall of 1836, on his way back to Kentucky, he bought eighty acres of land in Macki- naw 7 timber, and came to it in the spring of 1837, and made a farm and broke prairie. The wolves were exceedingly trouble- some. He had a flock of twenty-five sheep, and made every ex- ertion to protect them ; but they went one by one, and during a single night five of them became missing. At one time he awoke at night and found a sheep running around the house, a wolf after the sheep, and his dog after the wolf. He only saved one sheep out of the twenty-five. Mr. Batterton was never much of a hunter. He pursued the wolves and caught a great many of them to protect his stock, but 700 OLD SETTLERS OF Iil- never hunted as a business. His time was spent in raising stock and cultivating* liis farm. He tells of a lively hunter, who killed two deer, skinned one of them, and as it was cold, threw the skin over his shoulders, and began skinning the other. A youthful hunter mistook the man for a deer and fired at him. But the young man missed his mark, as youthful hunters some- times will, and no damage resulted. In the fall of the year the settlers went to. Chicago, and great strings of wagons, indeed almost caravans, were seen on the road. Xo one mourned for want of company. Going to mill in the early days was a task, and usually re- quired some time. Mr. Batterton tells a joke on an early settler, who required twenty-seven years to go to mill. A few of the settlers became seriously indebted to various merchants, and the laws for collections were then very stringent, and parties could oftentimes be taken on a capias. One person, who was about to make a settlement elsewhere, and had a few little dues outstand- ing, loaded up his slight worldly possessions as if going to mill, and left. Twenty-seven years afterwards he returned, and was asked if his grist was yet ground ! On the 10th of August, 1837, Mr. Batterton married Melinda Henline. He has had seven children, of whom four are living. They are : Tilitha, who is a milliner, and lives at Lexington. John Batterton enlisted at the outbreak of the war in the Eighth Illinois Infantry. He died of sickness at Jackson, Tenn. He was a brave boy and did his duty. Franklin, William and Albert, all live at home. Mr. Batterton is five feet and ten inches in height, is straight and rather spare. He is careful, thrifty and honest, has worked well, and has seen the fruits of his labor in the plenty which sur- rounds him, and makes his life pleasant. He is a kind, good man, and likes a chat with his neighbors and friends. m'lean county. 701 MONEY CREEK. Jesse Trimmer. Jesse Trimmer was born March 14, 1818, in Huntington County, New Jersey. His father's name was John Trimmer, and his mother's name before her marriage was Elizabeth Lan- terman. John Trimmer was an active business man, and his worldly circumstances were very fair. In August, 1826, the Trimmer family came to Smith's Grove, McLean County, Illi- nois. After they crossed the Wabash, on their road to the West, they saw no white person until they reached Smith's Grove. They traveled on an Indian trail and found no wagon track this side of the Wabash. No white person was to be found at that time in Mackinaw timber. Jonathan Cheney was at Cheney's Grove, John Dawson lived at Old Town timber, and about fif- teen families lived in Blooming Grove. In October of that year, before the family had built a house and while they were yet living in a camp, John Trimmer died, leaving Mrs. Trimmer with a family of eight children to oversee and provide for. Mr. Trimmer was buried in a coffin made of walnut lumber, which had been made by splitting thin pieces from a log and dressing them down with an axe and a jack plane. Jacob Spawr, W. H. Hodge, William Orendorff and John Hendryx helped to make the coffin and assisted at the funeral. The family settled first on Money Creek, about one mile north of where Towanda now stands, and lived there about ten years. When Mr. Trimmer came to the country he was a child, and his playmates were the Indian boys, with whom he- often ran races. The clothing of the pioneer children consisted of a shirt, but nothing else to speak of. Mr. Trimmer once witnessed a race between George Harness and an Indian boy, in which the latter came out ahead. George was beaten but not discouraged, and declared that if he could pull oft' his shirt he could beat the little savage. He drew off his shirt, and on a second race came out ahead. The Indians were very friendly and stole water- melons in a sociable way. They sometimes raised corn, and 702 OLD SETTLERS OF when they moved away the white folks were asked to take care of it in the lofts of their cabins. The Indians were always glad to get a night's lodging, and Mr. Trimmer remembers when two of them stayed at his mother's house over night. She gave them mush and milk for supper, but they did not know how to eat it until the little Trimmers commenced. During the deep snow the Trimmers had the experience com- mon to all of the old settlers. In the fore part of the winter, Frederick Trimmer and one other went to St. Louis to bring goods for James Allin. They returned as far as Springfield, when they were caught in the deep snow. They left their loads and came home with four horses, riding two and driving two ahead in a single file to break the road. As soon as the horse on the lead gave out, it was put in the rear and another took its place. The goods were not brought to Blooming Grove until the April afterwards. Mr. Trimmer married, March 7, 1839, Amanda Grilmore, who was born and reared in Fayette County, Ohio. She came to Money Creek timber in 1837. Her family was four weeks on their journey to the West, and Amanda walked all the way and drove cattle. Mr. Trimmer has had ten children, of whom seven grew up, and six are living. William Trimmer enlisted in the Thirty-third Illinois Volun- teers in August, 1861, was discharged from the hospital at St. Louis, on account of continued sickness, and died three months afterwards of sickness contracted in the army. Eliza Ann was married to John T. McISTott, and lives at Normal. John F. Trimmer was a soldier in the Ninety-fourth Illinois, and afterwards in the Twenty-seventh, and served nearly three years. He lives in Money Creek timber. Sarah E. Trimmer married Joseph A. Scott, and lives in Hudson township. Frank, Mary and Enos Trimmer live at home. Mr. Trimmer is rather less than the medium height ; his hair is dark and turning a little gray and his face is broad. He seems in good health, is in comfortable circumstances, and appears to be a man of responsibility and standing. He is m'lean county. 703 friendly in manner and modest in appearance. Very few men have too little self assertion, but this certainly seems to be the case with Mr. Trimmer. Henry Moats. Henry Moats was born November 26, 1810, in Licking County, Ohio. His ancestors were of German and Irish descent. In the fall of 1829, the Moats family came to Buckles' Grove, where they remained six weeks, then went to where Hudson now stands and remained a month ; then came to Money Creek timber and made a permanent settlement. They did some farm- ing, hunted " right smart," pounded their corn during the " hominy session," which was the winter of the deep snow, and hauled fall wheat to Chicago for forty cents per bushel. Mr. Moats married, November 2, 1837, Elsie Van Buskirk. He has had four children, of whom two are living. They are : Francis Marion Moats, who lives west near by his father. Mary Jane Moats, who is married to John Rankin, and lives a mile and a-quarter northeast of her father's. Mr. Moats is fully six feet in height, has broad shoulders, is strong, is good natured, accommodating and pleasant. He works hard, and has done fairly well since his arrival in the West. He has a full head of rather bushy hair, which is turn- ing gray, and his whiskers are grayish black. He always enjoys himself in the society of the frank spoken old settlers, and thinks they are much more social than at the present time. William Stretch. William Stretch was born March 24, 1817, in Fayette Coun- ty, Ohio. He is of English, Scotch and Dutch descent. His father was Jesse Stretch, and his mother was Elizabeth Vando- lah. The Stretch family came to McLean County in the fall of 1830. They had a very pleasant journey, were nineteen days on the road ; but William shook with the ague during the most of the time and was not in a situation to appreciate the grandeur of the West. The family settled on the east side of Money Creek timber, where William Stretch now lives, and there built a cabin and began farming. During the first winter of their residence in this country they pounded their meal, and the Stretch boys had great sport in chasing the deer. 704 OLD SETTLERS OF During the summer of 1832 the Stretch family lived in their own cabin, and did not run for protection on account of the wars and rumors of wars, which were flying around. William Stretch has led a quiet life, and has not had it di- versified by many adventures. At one time, when he killed a deer in Mackinaw timber, he became lost. The day was cloudy and it was impossible to see the sun. He dragged his deer du- ring the greater part of the day over the snow, and at nearly nightfall discovered the house of Samuel Bigger, and then un- derstood his position. Mr. Stretch married in 1850, Elizabeth Ann White, who died in 1854. He has had two children : Almeda Josephine, who is married to Samuel Nichols, and lives with her father. Samantha Jane, who is married to William Stretch, her cousin, and lives on a part of the homestead place. Mr. Stretch is five feet and ten and one-half inches in height; his hair is dark, and his eyes are a light hazel. His form is large, and he weighs from one hundred and ninety to two hun- dred pounds. He has great muscle, and his features are massive and heavy. He seems to be a man very independent in manner and feeling, though quiet and modest. He is a good neighbor and a kind father, and a man whose word can always be relied upon. Albert Ogden. Albert Ogden was born in 1798 in New York, and was of English descent. He came to Ohio at an early day and there worked at his trade as a cooper. He married Margaret Riddle, who was born in Pennsylvania. Her descent was rather mixed, as her ancestors were Scotch, Irish, Welch and Dutch. Albert Ogden lived in Madison County, Ohio, for a long while, and was a famous hunter there. He often hunted deer by torchlight on Deer Creek. This creek in some places spread out into ponds, and here the deer came in the night time to feed on moss. Mr. Ogden hunted with a canoe at night. He placed a torch in the canoe, and in front of the torch was a board with a hole in it, giving the torch the appearance of a dark lantern. Behind the board was the hunter. He could come up within a m'lean county. 705 few rods of the deer, as they were feeding on the moss, for they would gaze at the light with astonishment. Mr. Ogden under- stood the nature of deer, and hunted them accordingly. In Madison Couuty were many barrens, and on these were knolls of ground. "When the deer were scared they were sure to run up on a knoll and look around. Mr. Ogden, understanding this, would take his position near a knoll, and send his boy around to scare up the deer, which would run to the knoll, and there Mr. Ogden's unerring rifle would bring them down. Albert Ogden came to Money Creek timber, McLean Coun- ty, Illinois, in the fall of 1831, and there helped his son Benja- min to make his farm. He did very little hunting after his arrival in the West, but worked hard and faithfully. He died August 13, 1845. He had ten children, of whom eight grew up. They are : Mrs. Polly Dawson, wife of James K. Dawson, lives in Money Creek township. Abner Ogden died in Ohio, never came West. Jonathan Ogden lives in Money Creek township. Benjamin Ogden died in September, 1873, at his home in Money Creek timber. Deborah Ogden was first married to Hiram Tipton, and after his death she was married to Elder Henry Stump. John Ogden lives in Money Creek township. Susannah Ogden was married to William Orendorff. She and her husband are both dead. Samuel Ogden lives on Buck Creek in Money Creek town- ship. William Wilcox. William Wilcox was born December 26, 1813, in Fayette County, Ohio. His father's name was Edward Wilcox, and his mother's name before her marriage was Sarah Richardson. Ed- ward Wilcox was born in Pennsylvania and moved to Kentucky at an early day. He was a soldier in the war of 1812. He was one of the party sent down to bury the dead at Fort Stephenson on the Lower Sandusky, after the attack made upon it by the British and Indians. The fort was defended by Major Croghan, who commanded a little band of one hundred and sixty young 45 706 OLD SETTLERS OF men, and Edward Wilcox says that this little garrison was dis- proportioned to the number of men, that lay dead in the ditch in front of the fort. Many of those in the ditch lay dead with- out a scar of any kind, and seemed smothered in dead bodies and blood. After this battle General Harrison censured Major Croghan,a8 the former had sent the latter orders to retreat; but it afterwards appeared that the orders were never received. The ladies of Chillicothe presented to Major Croghan a fine sword as a reward for his bravery, and a red petticoat as a sar- casm upon General Harrison. William Wilcox lived in Fayette County, from the time he was born until he came to Illinois, which was in the spring of 1832. On the fourth of May of that year the Wilcox family started. They came through heavy timbered country in Ohio, where scarcely any grass could be had to feed their horses, and were obliged to pay a dollar and a quarter per bushel for corn. When they arrived at the Wabash, they found many peaceable Indians with their squaws, who had come there to be as far as possible away from the scenes of the Black Hawk war. When the party arrived on the open prairie, they were much troubled by wolves, which hung around them every night. These animals were always on the watch, and during one night attacked a colt belonging to Mr. Wilcox, and injured it so severely that it after- wards died. On the 30th of June, the family arrived at Macki- naw timber and settled where William Wilcox now lives. Their first care was to obtain provisions, and Mr. Wilcox, jr., was sent one hundred and ten miles to Perrysville, on the Wabash, for flour. But this was simply a prelude to the travels, which he afterwards made to mill. He once went to Green's mill, at Ot- tawa, and broke down his wagon with sixty bushels of wheat in the Illinois River. Three other teams were in company with him and the teamsters waded into the water and carried the sixty bushels of wheat ashore, sack by sack. This was in 1836. During the following year, he went to the Kankakee River to mill, in company with a friend, who also had a wagon load of wheat and a team. They mired down very often and were obliged to double teams and pull out. At last the friend mired down completely to the wagon bed, and even the double team would not pull the wagon out. The teamsters then took off the load and carried m'lean county. 707 out the wheat sack by sack, but even the double team could not stir the wagon, and the only result of pulling was to break off the tongue. The teamsters then lifted oit* the wagon bed and pried up the wheels, two at a time, and brought them out. The wagon was put together, the load replaced, the two wagous fas- tened together and the teams doubled, and in this way they pro- ceeded on their journey. They were a complete mass of black mud from head to foot, but took a good wash at the Kankakee. While the miller was grinding their wheat, they made a tongue to replace the one which had been broken, and returned safely home. Mr. Wilcox often went hunting after bees. In 1835, he went with a friend to Indiana after honey. On the road their horses ran away and broke the spokes out of a wheel ; but they mended this little breakage and went on. When they came to timber, they hunted bees and found a very old swarm, and among the comb they found a black snake dead and carefully sealed up with wax. Its skin was finely preserved. Mr. Wilcox has done his share of wolf hunting, and has caught these cunning and treacherous animals in pens, with dogs and horses, and in' every way that ingenuity could suggest. He once went with a party after some gray wolves, and killed the mother of the pack and twelve wolves two-thirds grown. This was an unusual litter; the greater number of them were killed as they came out of a hollow log, from which they were driven by fire. One of these wolves was caught by Mr. Wilcox on foot. He chased wolves on horseback, and once caught one after a run of nine miles; but it was so stiff, when killed, that he placed it on its feet upright and left it. Mrs. Wilcox has had he,r expe- rience with these animals and one fine morning saw two of them near the barn. They did not appear at all afraid, but seemed to know that women are not usually dangerous. The dogs attacked them, but they escaped. The wolves still trouble the settlers on the Mackinaw. Mr. Wilcox has often hunted deer and had many interesting adventures. His wrists at the present time show the scars made by the prongs of a wounded deer, with which he had a severe struggle. He once had a struggle with a deer on the smooth ice of the Mackinaw. The deer kicked hi* 708 OLD SETTLERS OF knife out of his hand and sent it skipping over the ice; but he clung to the deer by one antler and one hind leg, and struggled up and down, on top and under, over and around, until another hunter came to his assistance. Mr. Wilcox went hunting deer shortly after the sudden change Of December, 1836. The coun- try was an absolute glare of ice, and he hunted on foot with his dog. He started a drove of deer, which increased to more than a hundred, and they went slipping over the ice, with his dog slipping and scratching after them. They went down hill very fast, as they would spring and slide, but while going up hill they would spring and slip and slide back. The dog would frequently get hold of a deer, but as the former could not keep its foothold it would be kicked loose. Sometimes, while going up a hill, the deer in front would fall and slide back, throwing down those behind, until the whole drove would become a mass of sliding, kicking and springing animals. Mr. Wilcox became very much excited and fired at the mass without taking aim at a single one. But this was not a very effective way, for after a long day's hunt he only killed one deer. Mr. Wilcox has often hunted turkeys and killed as many as twelve in a day. He once chased a turkey to the bank of the Mackinaw and struck at it with his whip, as it was about to iiy across, and the lash coiled around its neck and held it fast. Mr. Wilcox has led the life of a farmer, and has been very successful in his calling. In common with many farmers, he is no great lover of railroads, particularly of high freights. In 1867, he made a visit to Iowa, and as he had no baggage he took a box with seven bushels of apples and enjoyed himself by lis- tening to the railroad officials as they used improper expressions while lifting it. It was twice broken open by rough handling, but taken through at last. In Iowa, he saw snow as deep as that spoken of by the " deep snow" settlers of McLean County. He rode over snow drifts twenty feet in depth, and at one time went over an orchard without knowing it until afterwards, as not a tree was visible above the snow. Mr. Wilcox was married, June 12, 1845, to Mary Young. He has had two children, one of whom is living. She is Mary Ellen, wife of Andrew Steward, and lives in Gridley township. Mr. Wilcox is about five feet and eight inches in height and m'lean county. 709 is rather slim. His head is bald, but well shaped, and shows a good development of brain. His eyes are gray, his whiskers of a reddish cast, intermixed with gray. He is a remarkable man among the old settlers — remarkable for his humor and kindness of heart and his boundless hospitality. His friends are welcome under his roof, and if they visit him he will tell them the inci- dents of his early settlement, the fun and humor of other days, when all people were neighbors. John Ogden. John Ogden was born May 23, 1807, in Madison County, Ohio. He was, in his youth, an active young man, and accus- tomed to work, and had little taste for hunting. His brother Samuel, who now lives north of the Mackinaw, was the hunter of the family. John Ogden went to school in Ohio, but was not a very forward scholar, as it required six months for him to go far enough in the spelling book to come to the word "baker." He was married in April, 1826, when not quite nineteen years of age, to Esther Stretch. In 1832, the year of the Black Hawk war, he moved to Illinois, and his journey was a hard one through the mud and rain. He was often deep in the mud and water, but says he always felt safe as long as he could see the oxen's horns ! He was more than a month on the road, but arrived at last at Mackinaw timber, where he bought out a man named Carlin, and settled down as a farmer. He worked hard, broke up a few acres of prairie and planted it in corn. A variety was given to frontier life in 1832 by the panics, to which the settlers were lia- ble during the Black Hawk war. When the soldiers returned, shooting squirrels on their way through the timber, the people were universally frightened. Mr. Ogden made the usual trips to various parts of the coun- try to mill, and went often to Chicago to market. At one time, on his return from Chicago, he attempted to ride one of his oxen across the Illinois River, while the ice was running ; but the ice struck his ox and made it plunge, and Mr. Ogden was thrown into the water. Mr. Ogden had six children by his first marriage. They are : Benjamin, who died at the age of sixteen years, six months and twenty-six days. 710 OLD SETTLERS OF Hiram, who died in California, when nearly twenty-one. Elizabeth, wife of Frank Johnson, of Money Creek, died June 22, 1873. Sarah Adeline, wife of Hugh Hineman, died about nine years ago. Lafayette lives in Mackinaw timber, near his father's. Helen, wife of William Orendorff, lives at Blooming Grove. Mrs. Ogden died October 14, 1858, and on the fifth of March, 1861, Mr. Ogden married Mary Abbott. By this marriage he has two children, Arnettie and Hattie Eleanor, who both live at home. Mr. Ogden is about five feet and a half in height. His hair is curly and black, and is becoming slightly gray. He weighs about one hundred and eighty-five pounds, and is healthy, with the exception of poor eyesight, which prevents him from work- ing much. James McAferty. James McAferty was born November 24th, 1779, in Ken- tucky, but settled in Fayette County, ( )hio, at a very early day. He was there during the war of 1812, and was then a soldier, but did not participate in any engagement. He married, Elizabeth Kichardson on the 26th of January, 1804. In December, 1832, he came to McLean County, Illinois, and settled on the east side of Money Creek timber. He lived during the first winter at the house of William Wilcox, but his sons, Ethan and Jonathan, lived in a small shanty about a mile distant in the woods, and there took care of the horses, cattle and sheep. James McAferty died November 30th, 1853. He had six children, all of whom lived to be grown. They are : John, James and William McAferty died many years ago, the first named in California. Sarah McAferty, who was never married, lives at Normal. Dr. Ethan McAferty lives between Money Creek and Mack- inaw timber. Jonathan McAferty died about eight years ago. Mr. McAferty was about six feet in height, and somewhat portly. He was a very kind, accommodating gentleman, too m'lean county. 711 much so for his own good. He was always anxious to help his neighbors. He had a large orchard in Ohio, but never sold a bushel of apples. WheneveT his neighbors came for apples, the old gentleman made his boys stop work and gather them. He was a man who meddled with nobody's business but his own, and not much with his own. Dr. Ethan McAferty. Dr. Ethan McAferty, son of James McAferty, was born De- cember 11, 1816, in Fayette County, Ohio. There he had a pleas- ant life on a farm, but sometimes had his temper aroused, when his father made him gather apples to give away to other folks. In December, 1832, he came with the family to Money Creek timber. During the first winter Ethan and his brother Jonathan attended to the stock. Ethan McAferty occasionally did some hunting, and one ad- venture is told of him which was considered quite interesting at the time. He was out hunting with two hound puppies, and shot a deer. But it was only slightly injured, and when he took hold of it, it made a most active struggle. It was an enormous buck, and when he took hold of its antlers it started to run, and made the most astonishing leaps, dragging and jerking Mr. McAferty, and making his legs fly like whip-crackers. But he held on to the antlers, and as he was on one side of the deer he compelled it to run in a circle, and his puppies in the meantime kept up their attack, and at last it was thrown from its feet and killed. Ethan McAferty married, February 15, 1844, Maria Ogden, who is still living. They have never had any children. Dr. McAferty began to study medicine in 1850 with Dr. Rogers in Bloomington. The former had read medicine before ; but during this year he made it a special study. He studied until 1852, then went to Iroquois County, there practiced until 1854 and then came back to Lexington. Here he purchased a stock of dry goods, in company with Mr. Claggett, who managed the store while Dr. McAferty attended medical lectures at Rush Col- lege in Chicago. In 1865 Dr. McAferty began the practice of medicine, still continuing his attendance upon medical lectures. Dr. McAferty is six feet in height, and has light hazel eyes. He is tall and slim, has a pleasant expression on his countenance 712 OLD SETTLERS OF and a peculiar humor acquired by the attendance upon lectures and the practice of medicine. He seems to be a man who would cheer a patient by the kindness of his manner and the pleasant- ness of his speech. He laughs at a good joke on himself, and ap- preciates it better than if it were at the expense of some one else. Samuel Ogden. Samuel Ogden, son of Albert Ogden, was born August 1, 1809, in Madison County, Ohio. He was early taught to work, for when he was only four or five years old his father gave him and his brother John each a hoe, and set them at work hoeing corn. Samuel made clean work of it, and hoed up weeds and corn in- discriminately. He was often taken to church by his mother, while he was small, and she tried to cultivate in him the love of orthodoxy. He never joined a church, as he could not decide which was the best. He very much preferred to attend horse-races, and went to see horses run before he was old enough to ride on a race-course himself. At the first race he ever saw, a number of horses ran for a corn purse, that is, every man, who ran his horse, put up some corn, and the winner took the pile. The race-course be- longed to old John Funk, who had cut up the corn around his field and made a track. Two or three years afterwards little Samuel became old enough to ride races himself. He became a good judge of horses, and in after years bought a fine mare called " Clear the Kitchen," which could, indeed, clear the kitchen or race-track either. The first time he put her on the track she beat a fine mare belonging to Colonel Gridley. He traded Clear the Kitchen for his Juliet mare, with which he won every race. Mr. Ogden began to hunt when he was big enough to ride a horse, and would chase turkeys and pheasants, and was sure to catch them the second time they flew up. He would chase deer across the level, open ground, near Deer Creek. He found a great difference in the speed of deer, as much as in the speed of horses. The long-legged bucks could run very fast, while the short-legged ones were easily caught. He hunted with dogs and kept them well in front, in order to give them a fair start, and they always brought down the game. Samuel Ogden hunted m'lean COUNTY. 713 wolves, and on his first wolf chase jumped from his horse and caught a wolf by the throat and killed it. He never considered it a sin to kill a wolf on Sunday or any other day. These wolf hunts were taken after Mr. Ogden came to Illinois. In 1830 he married Nancy Vandolah, in Fayette County, Ohio. In the fall of 1833 he came to Money Creek timber, McLean County, Illinois. He had a muddy journey, but the oxen pulled the wagon through, and it was not very unpleasant. He bought a claim in Money Creek township, on the Mackinaw side, and commenced life as a farmer, but not under the best of circum- stances. He had a mare and colt, and an Indian pony. His mare died, and he was obliged to work his farm by hitching up a couple of calves in front of his Indian pony. He succeeded well and moved to Buck Creek north of the Mackinaw, where he entered the most of his land. He also bought some land, and for a part he paid six dollars per acre. He bought the Daily place of two hundred and sixty-five acres for ten thousand dollars. In buying land he was always careful to see that it was well watered. In 1845 he began to deal in cattle, and before long had two hundred head. He is now in comfortable circumstances, and everything he owns is paid for. His health is very good, though he suffers occasionally from a fall from a horse, which he was riding on a race-course at Peoria, some years ago. • The horse plunged, that is, jumped stiff-legged with its head down. Mr. Ogden takes his brandy occasionally, but does not believe in drinking much. He loves the good old times, when men would fight, not because they were angry, but in order to know who was the better man ; and when the contest would close they would "be friends and take a drink." Those were the days when mat- ters were conducted honorabl} T , and whoever was detected in foul play was sure to be counted out, and was not tolerated. Mr. Oo'den takes the best of care of his stock and feeds his horses well, for he says that the man, who neglects his horses, never be- comes rich. He has had eleven children, of whom eight grew up and five are living. They are : Obadiah Ogden, who lives about half a mile east of his father's. Mrs. Sarah Jane Coon, wife of James Coon, is now dead. 714 OLD SETTLERS OF Albert Ogden lives about three-quarters of a mile southwest of his father's. Mrs. Angela Pirtle, wife of James Pirtle, lives a mile and a half north of her father's. Alexander Ogden lives at home. George Ogden (named after George Washington, with the Washington left out !) lives about five miles west of his father's, in the Coon settlement. Mr. Offden is about five feet and four inches in heiarht, is strongly set and muscular, has a broad face, black eyes, and short black whiskers. lie is very active, and few are equal to him in a foot-race. He is fond of good jokes and tells a great many of them. He is exceedingly tough, and will live to be ninety or a hundred years of age. Jonathan Ogden. Jonathan Ogden was born February 6, 1801, in Pickaway County, Ohio, on the Pickaway Plains, on the southeastern bank of the Ohio River. When he was two years of age the family moved to Madison County. There Jonathan grew up as most other boys did, with a fair development of fun and humor. The Ogden family farmed and raised stock and raced horses, and the latter was very agreeable to Jonathan. He did not wish to make a business of horse-racing, but wished to see what good horses could be raised. He often tested the speed of his horse by chasing turkeys and deer. He once chased a deer into a man's door-yard, and the latter killed it for Ogden, by the time he came up. Everybody chased deer in those days. Once, while gather- ing hickory nuts with his brothers and sisters, they heard tl^e baying of hounds, and hid until a deer came bounding along. Then they all rose with yells, and the frightened deer stopped until the hounds came up and took it. In 1833, Mr. Ogden came to Money Creek timber, McLean County, Illinois, where he arrived September 22nd. After living here a year, he moved to the Little Vermilion, where he spent another year, and then returned to Money Creek timber, where he has remained ever since. Mr. Ogden has had some little experience with the animals of the West, and speaks particularly of that vicious little creature, m'lean county. 715 the badger, which makes the hardest fight for its "size of any wild animal in the West. The hack of its neck is covered by a skin so thick and tough, that nothing can hurt it there. This is the very place where a dog is likely to take hold of it; but the bad- ger scarcely minds it and tights harder than ever. It can never be whipped, until it is seized by the throat. Jonathan Ogden married, between Christmas and New Years, in 1824, Andria Rutan. He has had eleven children, all of whom are grown up. They are : Maria, wife of Isaac Coon, lives in Gridley township. Margaret died in her seventeenth year. Mary, wife of Adam Hinthorn, lives in Money Creek timber. Delilah, wife of Jacob Coon, is dead. Sarah, wife of Kelson Manning, lives at her father's house. Deborah, wife of Hiram Stretch, lives on the east side of Money Creek. Susan, wife of Joshua Busick, lives in Gridley township. Creighton Ogden lives at the head of the Mackinaw. Elizabeth, wife of Marion Busick, lives near Towanda. James H. and Daniel E. Ogden live at home. Mr. Ogden is less than the medium height, weighs not quite a hundred and forty pounds, has black e} 7 es and hair. His beard, once black, is now becoming gray. He feels the effects of age, but his temper is as kind and pleasant as ever. Madison Young. Madison Young was born November 18, 1812, in Fayette County, Ohio. His father's name was William Young, and his mother's name before her marriage was Mary Smith. William Young was born in Virginia and came to Ohio at an early day, where Madison was born. In 1832 William Young came to Mackinaw timber, but Madison Young could not make up his mind to leave Ohio so soon. He had hunted there, and liked the country and the game ; but in the year 1833 he followed up the family and came to Mackinaw timber. He traveled on horse- back, and came through without remarkable difficulty. He im- mediately began trying the quality of western venison, and brought down the deer in great numbers, indeed he almost made hunting his business. 716 OLD SETTLERS OF Mr. Young |;ave an eloquent description of the sudden freeze of December, 1836, and told how the chickens froze fast in the slush. But he laughed so hard and so good-naturedly while tell- ing it, that it was impossible to remember what he said. Mr. Young married in March, 1836, Sidney Ann Messer, who died in April, 1850. He married again in June, 1852, Catherine Caroline Young. Although she bore the same family name she was not related to him before her marriage. Mr. Young has had six children, three by his first marriage, and three by the second. They are : William Young, who lives in Gridley township. Isaac Young, who lives in Lexington township. Sarah Almira, married to George Kemp, lives in Chenoa township. Mary Jane, married to George Glaze, lives in Money Creek township. Andrew and Thomas Young live at home. Mr. Young is about five feet and nine inches in height, has a sanguine complexion and white hair. He is very healthy and exceedingly jolly. He loves to talk, when he can stop laughing long enough to do so, and the man who speaks to him is made to feel at home immediately. He has many queer ideas, and when he hears or tells a good joke he is not afraid to laugh at it heart- ily and strongly. He has a queer philosophy, and takes the world easy. He was once asked by a neighbor why he did not put a new roof on his house, " Oh," said Mr. Young in reply, "when it don't rain I don't need it, and when it does rain I can't do it ! haw, haw, haw !" James Roysten Wiley. James R. Wiley was born November 21, 1820, in Switzerland County, Indiana. His father's name was John R. Wiley, and his mother's maiden name was Hannah Sampson ; both were Amer- icans, and born in Maryland. John R. Wiley was taken to Ken- tucky when very young, and afterwards moved to Switzerland County, Indiana, where James was born. In the fall of 1835 the Wiley family came to the West. They had a cold, wet journey, and did not arrive until November, after traveling twenty-two days. Young James exercised himself by m'lean county. 717 driving the cattle and sheep. The family was often stopped by high water, and the sheep gave great trouble, for they were ob- liged to swim rivers so often that they dreaded the water, and it was frequently necessary to take them by the horns and drag them across. When they arrived at the head of the Mackinaw, their troubles were, by no means, ended, as they could not go to mill and were obliged to pound hominy for six weeks. They afterwards made the usual trips to mill in all directions, sometimes to Ottawa, sometimes to Cheney's Grove, and elsewhere. Mr. Wiley has done some hunting, as the old settlers would, but had no very remarkable adventure. He has had the usual experience with prairie fires, has had a great deal of fencing and many stacks burned up. Mr. Wiley married, October 12, 1843, Sarah R. Lineback. He has sometimes taken his family back to visit their friends in Indiana, and occasionally had some lively adventures by the way. At one time, while crossing Sugar Creek with his wife and child, when it w T as high, the wagon sank so low that they went into the water to their waists, and the horses could scarcely get footing. The wagon was carried down stream by the current, and things appeared scarey for a moment, but at last the horses scrambled out. Mr. Wiley made up his mind never to swim his horses again, but he did ; he crossed the Kankakee, and swam the Des- plaines with a four-horse team. Eleven men out of thirteen had been drowned in the Desplaines the day before he crossed. Mr. Wiley has had only two children, one of whom is living. They are : Mrs. Hannah Ogden, wife of Obadiah Ogden, lives with her father at the homestead. John E. Wiley was killed when sixteen years of age by the fall of a horse. Mr. Wiley is about five feet and six inches in height ; he is rather lightly built, is active and industrious, and does not like to see w T eeds in his corn. He has a kind expression on his counte- nance, but is very determined, has a great deal of courage, is very active and quick-sighted, and it would be an active deer or wolf that would escape him. . He is a gentleman in manners and feeling. He is a model farmer, looks after everything, and does not put in any more corn than he can attend to. He plows eight 718 OLD SETTLERS OF acres of corn a clay, and attends to forty acres himself very con- veniently. He has three hundred and sixteen acres of land in his farm, and it is all well taken care of. It is all under fence, and what is not under cultivation is in pasture. He keeps good graded stock, and has from fifty to seventy-five head of cattle. The cattle, which he sent to market last spring, averaged sixteen hundred and sixty pounds ; they were the best "bunch" of cattle that had been to the Lexington yards for twelve months. The farm, where he lives, is in the edge of the Mackinaw timber, where he has his pasture shaded by trees, and his land under cultivation is the rich prairie. Wesley Fletcher Bishop. Wesley F. Bishop was born January 15, 1817, in Madison County, Alabama. His father's name was William G. Bishop, and his mother's maiden name was Rebecca Briggs; both were of English descent. William Bishop was a cabinet maker, and made cotton gins and household furniture, but during the latter part of his life was a farmer. When Wesley Bishop was five years of age, the family moved to Wayne County, Indiana, near Centerville. Here he went to school with a young man, named Fox, who afterwards became the great leader of a band of rob- bers in the northwest. He was the man who murdered Colonel Davenport at Rock Island. The father of the Foxes was con- sidered an honest, upright citizen. In 1829 or 30, the family moved to the Wabash, near the present town of Delphi. It was laborious work for the Bishops to raise corn, for the wild animals were numerous and troublesome. When it was planted, the coons would come at night, move along the rows, smell out the corn and eat up every kernel, unless they were watched and driven off, until the corn started and the kernel was rotted. In the latter part of the summer, and in the fall, the black birds came in swarms and ate the corn, and the deer came in great numbers at night, so that it seemed almost impossible to protect the corn and gather it. The great curiosity or object of interest in Indiana, was, for many years, the battle ground of Tippecanoe. In about the year 1834, (Mr. Bishop thinks,) the bones of the soldiers were collected and buried with great honor. The people came from m'lean county. 719 several counties and States around and collected them. A man, named Tipton, from Logansport, delivered an address, and the people had a great barbecue. They roasted an ox and made indeed a grand celebration. In the spring of 1836, the Bishop family came to McLean County, Illinois, but Wesley Bishop stayed in Indiana for a while to attend to some unfinished business, and came out in the fall with a drove of cattle. The family settled on the Jacob Spawr farm, on the edge of Money Creek timber, on the main State road from Springfield to Chicago. In the winter of 1836-7, Wesley Bishop taught school in Money Creek township. In December of that winter, occurred the sudden change in the weather, so often described. On that day a man, named Popejoy, was on the road to Bloomington for a petition for a new county, and passed Bishop's school house. Not long afterwards the sudden change came on and Bishop dis- missed his school. Pretty soon Popejoy came riding back, but was frozen to his saddle and required assistance to dismount. Mr. Bishop received as his wages, while teacher, twenty dollars per month and boarded himself. He was the first school treasu- rer for Money Creek township, and the first money he drew for school purposes from the county was twenty-five dollars and eighteen cents. "When the people wanted a school house they were obliged to build it out of their own pockets. Mr. Bishop is a universal genius. He needed some brick, and straightway he started a brickyard and made them. The rats troubled him very much around his barn, and he immedi- ately exercised his genius and made a barn which was rat-proof. These are only a few of the forms in which his genius continu- ally sprouts. In the spring of 1864, Mr. Bishop enlisted in Company E, of the One Hundred and Thirty-third Illinois Volunteers, as a hundred day man. He was too old to be "drafted, but he wanted to render some assistance to the govern- ment in the great struggle. He left his brick yard and his busi- ness in other hands and started. He sought for no office, but served as a private. The regiment was stationed at Rock Island and they had a very pleasant time indeed. Mr. Bishop married, August 10, 1837, Prudence Barrack- man, whose family lived on the Vermilion River. He has had 720 OLD SETTLERS OF three children, who are living and settled around him. They are : Francis Bishop, who lives about a mile northeast of his father's. Mary Ann Bishop is married to Samuel Carey and lives at the homestead. Daniel J. Bishop, lives just east of his father's. He enlisted in the Ninety-fourth Illinois Volunteers and served three years to a day. He saw some hard campaigning, was at Prairie Grove, Vicksburg and Fort Morgan. Mr. Bishop is about five feet and eight inches in height, is muscular and tough, has rather a broad face and is good natured and honest. He lives up to his agreements, is very industrious and quick to see a chance to make a short turn. He is a man who thinks a great deal of principle. He believes in developing the resources of the country, and thinks that America has mines of every kind, which should be developed to their utmost capa- city. He is an ardent protectionist and believes that if the policy of Henry Clay had been pursued, the country would have been far better developed, and in a much more flourishing condition. He is very decided in his opinions, and thinks the children of to-day should receive a practical education, which they do not receive in schools. William Crose. William Crose was born September 12, 1814, in Pickaway County, Ohio. His father's name was Philip Crose, and his mother's maiden name was Priscilla Becks. Philip Crose was a soldier of the Revolutionary war, being old enough to go into the army during the last six months of the struggle. He drew a pension until his death, which occurred in about the year 1837. When William Crose was about three years old, the family came to Shawneetown, Illinois, but after a few years moved to Eet River, Indiana, then after a few years went to where Crawfords- ville, Ind., now stands. When William Crose was thirteen years of age, he was bound out to Elijah Funk, a farmer, in Warren County, Indiana, but at the age of twenty, became his own man. He went to Pickaway County, where he was a farm laborer and drover. He drove one hundred and forty cattle five hundred and m'lban county. 721 thirty-three miles, to Philadelphia. He was forty-seven days on the road, and when he had disposed of his cattle he returned in eleven days and a half. He married, November 13, 1833, Eliza Ann Busick. He lived there nearly a year, then in Indiana three years, and in 1837 came to Randolph Grove, McLean County, Illinois. After working hard for eight or nine years he accumulated some little property, began to think himself rich, and wished to take the world easy. He took a great interest in sporting, and kept the finest and fleetest hounds for running wolves and deer. Mr. Crose says that deer, when chased by dogs, will actually run themselves to death. He knows this by actual experiment ; he once chased a buck until it laid down and died before being touched. He has had great sport with wolves, and once tried to tame one of these vicious animals, but could not even break it to be led. He tied a chain to its neck and fastened the other end of the chain to his wagon, but the wolf would allow itself to be dragged for miles without walking. He has hunted the otter, and found it an ex- ceedingly cunning animal, which goes into its hole under water and works up under the bank above the water's mark. He once broke into an otter's hole when twenty feet from the pond, where it lived. The routine of the year then was — in the winter time hunting wolves and deer, in the spring ploughing and planting, and in the fall going to Chicago and selling oats for twelve and a half cents per bushel. After hunting for a few years, Mr. Crose saw that he must let his gun and dogs alone, and pay more attention to business. Eighteen years ago he sold out and went to Iowa, but there his health failed him, and he returned to Illinois, and bought the land where he now lives, midway between Lexington and To- wanda, and has since succeeded pretty well. He has had eleven children altogether, of whom ten are living. They are : Harriet, wife of John Padgett, lives in the Upper Mackinaw timber. Lowisa, wife of Peter Janes, lives in Money Creek township. Elijah Crose lives in Towanda. Termin Crose is a farmer, and lives in Money Creek. Eliza Ann, wife of George Janes, lives in Lexington town- ship. 46 722 OLD SETTLERS OF William Crose lives at home with his father. Emma, wife of David Turnipseed, lives in the Upper Macki- naw timber. George Crose lives in Towanda. Sarah Jane, wife of David Wisner, lives in Indiana. Philip Crose lives at home with his father. Mr. Crose is about five feet and nine inches in height, has reddish-brown hair and whiskers, a slightly Roman nose, and rather small eves. He seems pretty muscular, and is a man of good temper. If he has difficulty with anyone, it is pretty cer- tain that he has good cause for it, for his disposition is peaceable and he wishes to be on good terms with his neighbors. He is a very fair-minded man, is open to argument, and has none of that obstinacy of opinion, which induces men to shut their ears to new ideas. MOUNT HOPE. George Maley Stubblefield. George M. Stubblefield, son of Robert Stubblefield, was named after a noted Methodist preacher in Ohio, named George Maley. George was born August 29, 1823, in Fayette County, Ohio. In December, 1824, the Stubblefield family came to Illinois, and George was carried in the arms of his mother, who rode on horse- back. They settled in Funk's Grove, in what is now McLean County. George Stubblefield remembers many things concerning the early settlement of the country, notwithstanding his extreme youth, when the family came to Illinois. He remembers the building of the first school-house in Funk's Grove, which was done by Robert Guthrie. Young George carried water for the men, while they were at work. The school-house was eighteen by twenty feet long, was made of logs hewed on one side, had a clapboard roof and a puncheon floor. On the north and west sides were windows which extended the whole length and width of the room. They were made by hewing off one-half of two logs, which joined each other. The lights were formed by placing sticks upright and putting over them paper greased with lard. m'lean county. 723 On the east side of the building was a tire-place, which was large enough to receive a log eight feet long. It was in this house, that George Stubblefield received what education he obtained. During the winter of the deep snow the teacher in this school-house, Andrew Biggs, was obliged to move up to it and live there. The Stubblefields lived about a mile from the school-house, and Mr. Stubblefield was obliged to go back and forth once a day until it stopped snowing, in order to keep the road broken. This old school-house has long since been torn down, and has gone with the old settlers, who built it. A tine church has been erected on the spot, and Funk's Grove Cemetery is near by. When George Stubblefield became old enough to be " of some account," it was his business to go to mill. He was accustomed to go to Knapp's mill, near Waynesville. In 1836 he went with his father to Chicago with a load of sweet potatoes and a barrel of eggs. There he saw his uncle, Absalom Funk, who was so well known to the early settlers. Chicago then had no houses north of the river. The latter was simply a large muddy slough full of flags and bullrushes. The United States still kept a gar- rison at Fort Dearborn. The Indians were plenty, as during that fall a payment was to be made to them by the government. On the road to Chicago, George Stubblefield passed through Joliet, which then contained only two houses. The sudden change in the weather in December, 1836, is often described. Mr. Stubblefield remembers another change, which seemed nearly as severe. In about the year 1848, as he and his brother Absalom and three others were going to Pekin with a drove of swine, the weather turned cold at about nine o'clock at night, after a rain or heavy mist. The next morning they crossed Mosquito Creek on the ice, which had frozen during the night. The prairie was a sheet of ice, and though they traveled with their swine from sunrise to sunset, their entire day's journey was only three miles. Mr. Stubblefield has seen prairie fires, of course, but they were protected by Sugar Creek, which the fires never jumped but once. At the early age of fifteen, George Stubblefield was quite a lady's man, and often went to see the girlish friend, who after- wards became Mrs. Stubblefield. The first deer he killed was 724 OLD SETTLERS OF within a few rods of her father's door. It will be noticed, that the young men in those da} T s won the favor of women by manly exercises. He chased this deer with hounds, which brought it down near the door of the house of Samuel Murphy, and George killed it with his pocket-knife. George Stubblefield was a gal- lant young man, and was always moved by beauty in distress. He was once delighted at the opportunity of rescuing a lady, Avho had fallen from a log into Sugar Creek, into eight feet of water. This, however, cannot be made the subject of a romance, for he never married her, and never will. The western country was never too new for peddlers, and Mr. Stubblefield remembers when they came round with their tin- ware, teapots and pewter spoons, which they traded for deer skins, wolf skins, and ginseng. He has spent many a day in digging ginseng, in order to purchase some little trinket. The settlers from Funk's Grove often did their trading in Springfield, and it was customary for them to do trading for their neighbors, and take their neighbors' produce to market. Mr. Stubblefield remembers a certain Mr. Alloway, who took some butter, which belonged to a neighbor, to Springfield to sell. The butter was rather old, and when the merchant, who was to buy it, tried it with his knife, the butter crumbled to pieces. Allo- way looked on with astonishment, and exclaimed with his lisping tongue : "My God, Mither, that's not my butter !" The old settlers were usually full of energy and nearly all things related of them show their industry and activity ; but Mr. Stubblefield relates an incident of David Stout, which shows quite a contrary disposition. The latter was once returning home from Springfield with a blanket wrapped around him and tied to his neck with a string. By some accident it fell to the ground. He did not stop to pick it up, but went home and sent back his son for it, a distance of several miles. Mr. Stubblefield remembers a great many interesting inci- dents concerning the old settlers, and particularly those which were humorous. He tells one of his uncle, Isaac Funk, which shows the disposition of that energetic man quite plainly. When Mr. Isaac Funk went to call on Miss Cassandra Sharp, of Peoria, who afterwards became his wife, he was obliged to cross the Illi- nois River in a boat. Several others were with him, and they m'lean county. 725 determined to upset the boat and make him call on Ids lady in wet clothes.* They knew he could not swim, but supposed he would cling to the boat. Near the middle of the river the boal was capsized, hut floated out of Isaac's reach. But he fortunate- ly grasped a paddle, and whenever he went down, he struck the paddle on the bottom of the river and pressed himself near shore and at last came out in safety. George Stubblefield tells an incident, which shows something of the disposition of his father, old Robert Stubblefield. Two young men once came to Robert Stubblefield's house and re- mained over night. They were not at all respectful, and in the morning Mrs. Stubblefield gave them some good advice, and a motherly lecture on the subject of good breeding. One of the young men, as he was leaving the house, disputed her word — told her she lied ! Mr. Stubblefield, who was coming in, heard the remark. He stepped into a shed near by, picked up his horse- whip and caught the young men, as they mounted their horses in a lane, where they could not get out. He was left-handed, but he dusted their jackets fearfully, and almost split their coats from their baeks. This whipping made up for what the young men failed to receive in their younger days. Several persons wit- nessed the performance, and a man, named Mulky, laughed so hard that he was obliged to hold himself up by the fence. Among the funny stories told by Mr. Stubblefield is one re- lating to a widow, who lived at Funk's Grove. A doctor in Bloomington occasionally paid his respects to this charming widow, and called twice to see her on the important subject of matrimony. Shortly afterwards, one of her family was sick, and she sent for the doctor on professional services, and when he had given her child some medicine, she inquired his bill, and lie said. "two dollars." "Well," said the widow, "Dr. Wheeler, you have called on me twice and stayed two evenings, and your bill is two dollars; I guess we will call it settled !" Dr. Wheeler went back to Bloomington with a number of large fleas hopping around his ears. The young men in the early days were " sometimes up to their capers." Mr. Stubblefield tells of two young men from near Wayncsville, who were in the habit of coming to Funk's Grove to steal apples from Robert Funk. These young men wished 726 OLD SETTLERS OF James Biggs and John Vesey to assist them, and the assistance was promised'. But the latter gentlemen made arrangements with other parties to he in the orchard and fire when the apple thieves should come. In the night the party came and filled a couple of sacks with apples, and Biggs proposed to whistle up "Old Bobhy," as they called Mr. Funk. When he whistled a gun was fired, and Biggs fell, saying: "Run for your lives !" The parties ran, leaving sacks and apples, and as they mounted their horses a second shot was fired, and Vesey fell, saying: "Run, boys, run !" The apple thieves obeyed the injunction. They stopped at the widow Brock's, about four miles distant, and reported Biggs and Vesey killed, but the latter appeared in good spirits the next morning- The young men from "Waynesville neglected to call at "Old Bobby's" to cret their sacks. Mr. Stubblefield tells a good story on his brother Absalom. Absalom, John and George once went to bathe in the east fork of Sugar Creek. Absalom went in and was carried .down by the current, to where the water was deep ; and as he could not swim he floundered and plashed, until he reached the opposite shore. He came out puffing, and soon the troublesome question arose, how to return. He dared not go into the creek again, and it was a mile or more to the nearest crossing. In the meantime the flies and mosquitoes swarmed around and almost covered him. He slapped them right and left, and in his anguish exclaimed : "I never will go into the water again until I learn to swim !" He was obliged to walk a mile or more up the creek to the crossing, and then back to the place of bathing. George Stubblefield is about five feet and ten inches in height, and weighs about two hundred and forty pounds. He is a great lover of fun, as this sketch clearly shows. He is very muscular, and has the magnanimity which such men frequently possess. He dislikes to see any one imposed upon or oppressed by persons of superior muscle. He has been very successful in life, and so far as property is concerned is very comfortably situated. He married, March 15, 1850, Eliza Jane Murphy, the daughter of Samuel Murphy. She was born in July, 1832, the year of the Black HaAvk war. She is a lady of quick perception and a good deal of tact, and appreciates wit and humor quite as well as Mr. Stubblefield. They have six children, five boys and one girl. They are : m'lean county. 727 Charles Wesley Stubblefield, who is a student at the Wesl cyan University. Mary Elizabeth, Samuel W., Joseph W., Isaac and Taddy, live at home. The latter is the pet, of course. Jesse Stubblefield. Jesse Stubblefield, fourth son of Robert Stubblefield, was born July 30, 1825, at Funk's Grove. He received such an edu- cation as could be obtained by the son of a pioneer. His youth was not at all extraordinary, but was spent in life on a farm. In 1851, he began farming and stock raising on his own account on the farm where he now resides in the township of Mount Hope. His land, one hundred and sixty acres, was entered by him in 1851. In 1852, he received one hundred and sixty acres of land from Thomas Cuppy, his father-in-law. The last named gentle- man had entered the land and paid for it with a warrant, obtained originally from a soldier who had served in the Mexican war. Mr. Stubblefield has continually added to his land, and now has about one thousand acres. Mr. Stubblefield has a lively recollection of the incidents of the early settlement of the country, and remembers particularly the sudden change of December, 1836, and how his father's pigs were frozen by the intense cold. Mr. Stubblefield's first sight of Chicago was in 1845, when he and his father and Absalom and George, made a trip to the place. They camped out along the way in the primitive style, and their slumbers were soothed by the howling of wolves. They sold their wheat for thirty-seven and one-half cents per bushel and returned. Mr. Stubblefield tells a few lively hunting stories, for he fre- quently indulged in the sport of catching wolves and deer. At one time, while hunting, a deer was brought to bay by the hounds, and Lamon Hougham, who came up with a party of others, attempted to kill the deer with a spear. But his horse became restive and threw him on the horns of the buck. He held fast to the antlers, and James Funk attempted to shoot it, but stopped for fear of killing men or dogs. At last, George Stubblefield ended the exciting contest by killing the deer with his pocket knife. 728 OLD SETTLERS OF George and Adam Stubblefield ouce had an exciting wolf chase on the ice of the creek, and Adam succeeded in catching the wolf by the hind legs, but let it loose to see it fight the dogs. The result was another chase of half a mile, to get possession of the wolf. Mr. Jesse Stubblefield did not begin to pay his addresses to the ladies as early as his brother George. Mr. Jesse Stubblefield married Miss Rebecca Cuppy, August 14, 1851. By this mar- riage he had five children, of whom four are living. They are : Thomas, Robert, John C. and Sarah Rebecca, and all live at home. Mrs. Stubblefield died March 25, 1862". She was a most excellent wife and mother. On the seventh of September, 1863, Mr. Stubblefield married Mary C. Showdy, daughter of George W. Showdy, deceased, of Logan County. She is a most amiable and accomplished lady, very kind in her manner and entertaining in her conversation. By this marriage Mr. Stubblefield has had six children, of whom five are living. They are : Ida May, James W., Dorothy, George Showdy and William Martin. They all live at home. Mr. Stubblefield is six feet and two and a-half inches in height and weighs two hundred and twenty pounds. His hair was formerly brown, but now is becoming gray. His eyes are gray and have a pleasant, humorous expression. He is a first chiss business man, which appears to be a characteristic of the Stubblefield family. He is a man of public spirit and was twice commissioner of highways of Mt. Hope township. He takes an interest in education, and for twelve years has been a school director. He has met with great success as a stock raiser. William Hieronymus. A\ 7 illiam Hieronymus was born February 13, 1788, at the foot of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Virginia. His parents were of English and Dutch descent. He was raised on a farm and led a farmer's life. When he was a young man, he and his father went to Madison County, Kentucky, to look at the country, and were so well pleased with it, that William remained to raise a crop, while his father returned for the family, which came out in the fall. William Hieronymus married, August 14, 1811, m'lean county. 729 Alvira Darnell, probably in Madison County. During the war of 1812, he was drafted, but the situation of his family made it impossible for him to leave, so he hired a substitute. He fol- lowed boat-building for a while, as business of building flatboats was one which grew with the growth of commerce. He was a skillful workman witl} a broadaxe, and could handle it to per- fection. In the year 1818, he went to Boone County, Missouri, and settled on the Missouri River. The place is now washed awa}' and forms the channel of the stream. He lived three years in Missouri, then went back to Kentucky to his old home, then, after a few years, went to the Big Bone Lick. This lick is a deep lake of mud and water, the water being very shallow. The mud has apparently no bottom. The animals, which in former years went there to drink, sank down and died. Their bones are so numerous that the place is called the Big Bone Lick. The bones of many curious animals have been found there ; and par- ticularly curious were the bones of the large mammoth, which was placed in Barnum's museum. Enoch Hieronymus has seen a bone from this lake, large enough for nine men to sit on. The water of the lake was impregnated with sulphur, and people from the surrounding country came there to drink it for their health. In the fall of 1828, William Hieronymus started for Illinois. His family moved with several other families, number- ing in all forty-two persons. The oldest man in the company was George Henline, whose sons John, George, Henry, William and David, all had families. They camped the last night of their journey in Blooming Grove, at what is now called the Nathan Low farm, then owned by a Mr. Latta, and the next day went to Hittle's Grove in Tazewell County, where they made arrangements for locations. Old George Henline and Plenry and David remained at Hittle's Grove; but John, George, jr. and William, settled on the head waters of the Mackinaw, where they made a permanent location. William Hieronymus went from Hittle's Grove to Hieronymus Grove, in October, 1828, and there threw up a half faced camp. During the winter, he built a small cabin, in which he lived for some years. In the following spring he opened up a small farm, which was carried on by his sons, while he made looms, barrels, stocks of ploughs, etc. He was very skillful in the use of tools. He worked at 730 OLD SETTLERS OF this business more or less until his death, which occurred March 12, 1848. William Hieronymus was a tall man, standing six feet and two and one-half inches. His bones were large and his features prominent. Hieronymus Grove received its name from him. He had nine children, of whom only three, are living. They are : Enoch Hieronymus, who lives in Alt. Hope township, in McLean County, in the edge of Hieronymus Grove. Benjamin Hieronymus, who lives at the head of Indian Grove, in Livingston County, and William Hieronymous, jr., who lives on the homestead place. Enoch Hieronymus. Enoch Hieronymus was born March 7, 1816, in Aladison County, Kentucky. He accompanied the family wherever it went, as stated in the preceding sketch of his father. In his younger days he worked a great deal in the tobacco patch, but acquired a distaste for tobacco and never used it. He thinks young men should all have an opportunity to work in a tobacco patch. In the fall of 1828, the family came to Illinois. Here Enoch worked hard ; nevertheless, he was fond of hunting. He hunted deer and turkeys, and trapped mink and otter. He once came close to a panther while hunting, but did not succeed in killing it. He was watching a deer lick, and heard a deer come plash- ing through the water, and while watching for it, a panther came up on its trail. The panther stopped within two or three rods of Enoch and sat down. He attempted to shoot it, but the flint- lock flashed in the pan, and as he had no more powder in the horn, he stood still, and man and beast watched each other in- tently. The panther was motionless, except a gentle waving of its tail. Enoch called for his dog, and the moment the bull-dog came in sight, the panther fled. Enoch went home for powder, and wished to hunt the panther, but his bull-dog, which never had flinched before, could not be induced to take the lead. Enoch was then only fourteen or fifteen years of age. During the winter of the deep snow the Hieronymus family pounded corn, of course, as it was exceedingly difficult to go to mill, and when they did go, they were obliged to travel on horse- m'lean county. 731 l>ack. He made snow-shoes that winter out of boards ten indies square, which were lashed to his feet, and with these he could chase the deer. He could travel over the snow with them very well, though sometimes they would go down with him. The settlers went to Bloomington for doctors. Enoch Hier- onymus once went to Bloomington during the night, for a doctor, and returned the same night. Enoch was a great rail splitter, and made six thousand four hundred and twenty rails in one lot. He commenced between Christmas and New Years, and worked until the middle of March. During the winter and spring of 1838-9, he made and hauled rails enough to enclose fifty acres of land. He married, August 22, 1839, Elizabeth A. Thompson, who was born April 14, 1819, in Dixon County, Tennessee. Her parents came to Illinois in 1829, and lived six months in Sanga- mon County; then they moved to the Forks of the Creek settle- ment, in what is now Logan County. There Elizabeth lived until her marriage. Mr. and Mrs. Hieronymus have never had any children of their own, but raised the orphan children of James Hieronymus, who died in 1848. The wife of James died a few months before her husband. Enoch and his wife took to their house one girl, two boys, and one infant child. Another infant child, twin to the first, was raised by the sister of Mrs. Hierony- mus. The infant taken b} 7 Mrs. Hieronymus soon died. The two boys and the girl have grown up, and are happily married and settled in life. They are : Mrs. Alvira McAtee, wife of Benjamin McAtee, lives in Wasco County, Oregon. Benjamin R. Hieronymus now lives in Tazewell County, within a half a mile of the homestead. Thomas H. Hieroirymus lives within three-quarters of a mile of the homestead, in Tazewell County. Both Benjamin and Thomas served about three years in the army. They enlisted under Captain Kinsey, and served in Com- pany E, One Hundred and Seventeenth Illinois. Benjamin was elected a lieutenant, and served for a while as captain. Mr. and Mrs. Hieronymus thought as much of these children as their own parents could, and now are anxious for their welfare and proud of their success. 732 OLD SETTLERS OF Mr. Hieronymus has done some hard work. He and his wife, after their marriage, determined " to buy first what they needed worst, and only what they could, and afterwards what they would." They lived seven years in a log cabin, which Enoch Hieronymus built. The material for their present substantial house was brought from many quarters. Mr. Hieronymus cut some of the timber and hauled it to be sawed. He hauled the rest of the lumber from Chicago. Mr. Hieronymus has done very well in worldly matters. He has had about a thousand acres of land, and has now about four hundred and sixty acres. In 1869 he built a Christian Church at Hieronymus Grove, and it is called the Hieronymus Grove Church. He is about five feet and nine inches in height, and is rather slim. The lines on his face would indicate decision of character and kindness of heart. He is perfectly straightforward in his dealings, and is remarkable for his peculiar tenderness of feeling. In this respect his wife is very much like him. John Hougham. John Hougham was born November 19, 1810, in Highland County, Ohio. His father's name was Runyon Hougham, and his mother's name before her marriage was Sarah Lamon. His father was of English descent, and his mother of Dutch. John Hougham never cut up many capers in Ohio, but was always a moral young man. He came with the family to the State of Illi- nois, to Funk's Grove, McLean County, in the fall of 1831. They had a hard time coming through the sloughs, and were once two days in going ten miles. They were sometimes water-bound, and were obliged to make bridges. When they came to the Wabash prairie they found the sloughs without bottom. When he arrived here, he worked on his father's farm. He has never traveled much, and has had very few adventures. He intended to see a great deal of the world, before he settled down, but failed to carry out this resolution. He remembers the sudden change of weather in December, 183t>, and says it was the " awfullest, quickest change he ever saw." He was then out hunting turkeys, but came home suddenly. He never hunted much, except after turkeys, and he " reckons he has killed right smart of them."' m'lban county. 733 He used to wrestle a great deal, as all the early settlers did, and was thrown only once in his life, " best two out of three." Mr. Hougham is not much of a traveler, though he once drove hogs to Galena. But he said it hurt his feet terribly, and that "if God would forgive him for going that time, he would never go again." In the year 1840, Mr. Hougham found the woman of his choice. He married Miss Eliza Ann Brock, on the 4th of April of that year. She is yet living. He says he was only married once, that was enough for him ; it was necessary to have some woman to take care of him. In politics, Mr. Hougham is an old time Democrat. In answer to the question as to how he came to be a Democrat, he said that his father was a Democrat and all the family likewise, and that he came to be a Democrat as a matter of course. He voted first for General Jackson, and continued to vote for him three times, and has ever since voted for Jackson's friends. He says he never pulled wires in his life, or wrote a political document, or made a stump speech. He does not approve of stump speaking, and will not patronize it, as he thinks it does more injury than good. His opinion of Petroleum V. ISTasby is, that the latter has done more harm than good to the Democratic party. He thinks the Chicago Times is the best paper printed, and the only objection to it is its fine type. He now takes the Bloomington Democrat, because it costs $1.50 per annum, and he wishes to patronize " home con- sumption." Mr. Hougham did not vote for Horace Greeley du- ring the last campaign, though he considered Greeley a very smart man. But his objection was, that the latter brought on the war of the rebellion. He was the disturbing cause and responsible for it, though the South did not do altogether right. It was Mr. Houghain's opinion, after considering the matter carefully, that Greeley was nominated for the purpose of " running in Grant," so he determined to vote for " nary a one of 'em." Mr. Hougham has taken very little interest in religious mat- ters, though he once contributed ten cents to the TTniversalists. In personal appearance Mr. Hougham is six feet and one inch in height, and weighs two hundred and fifty-six pounds. He very much resembles Horace Greeley, though the latter did not have the winning smile which Mr. Hougham's countenance wears, and 734 OLD SETTLERS OF an acute observer might detect several points of difference in their intellectual development. Mr. Hougham is a kind man, and a pleasant neighbor. He is anxious that his name shall be spelled correctly, and is annoyed to think that a "heap of people spell it Huffam." The author would have been glad to have written a sketch of Lamon Hougham also, but the latter refused to give any items of his life, as he " did not wish to encourage speculation in books." Westley Houoham. Westley Hougham, the brother of John Hougham, was born March 3, 1820, in Highland County, Ohio. He was always a moral boy, and never cut up capers or shines. He came to Funk's Grove in November, 1831. He had no particular adven- ture on the way, except difficulties with the mud, which delayed the family for some time, as they were obliged to make a great many bridges. On his arrival he immediately commenced farm- ing and shaking with the fever and ague. Sometimes he farmed for his mother and sometimes for himself. When he became a "chunk of a boy" he ran wolves and deer and turkeys, and sometimes was successful in catching them and sometimes they won the race. When the sudden change in the weather in De- cember, 1836, came, he was chasing turkeys about four miles from home, but made good time back, as may be supposed. He was obliged to swim Sugar Creek. He married, September 5, 1845, Miss Ellen Smith, and by this marriage has had four children, of whom three are living. His wife died in 1854. He married, February 18, 1857, Mar- garet Ross, and by this marriage has had four children, of whom three are living. Two of Mr. Hougham's children are married. They are : James Thomas Hougham, who lives within half a mile of his father's house. Mrs. America Ann Boler lives within a mile of her father's house. Mr. Hougham lacks half an inch of being six feet in height, when measured in his stocking feet. That was his measurement m'lean county. 735 at Springfield, when he went to see if he would do for a soldier. He weighs three or four hundred pounds, he does not know pre- cisely which. He is stout and pretty active. John Longworth. John Longworth was born September 2, 1809, in Marietta, Washington County, Ohio. His father's name was Robert Long- worth, and his mother's name before her marriage was Nancy Reilly. Robert Longworth was of English descent and his wife Nancy was of English and Irish. Her father died a soldier in the Continental army, when she was only a child. When John Longworth was three years of age, his parents moved to Muskingum County, Ohio. He was not old enough to remember anything of the war of 1812. He only recollects hearing of a young woman who was captured by Indians. When they were about to kill her, she called on the Great Spirit, by the name which the Indians knew it, and this so astonished them and so awakened their superstition that they released her. Du- ring the war of 1812, Robert Longworth was stationed on the river, and it was his duty to hail all boats that passed, especially all that came down. He stayed about seven years in Muskin- gum County, and there worked very hard, and made money enough to enter one hundred and sixty acres of land in Morgan County, to which place he moved. John Longworth grew to manhood in Ohio, and received there the common school education, which the country afforded. When he was old enough to be of service, as a workman, he went to the Muskingum River and there engaged in the salt business, and sent the salt up and down the river in flatboats. He married, February 24, 1831, Prudence P. Edwards. In March, 1832, the Muskingum River was very high, and inundated everything along its banks. Houses and fences were floated oft". At one time during this flood, two men found float- ing down the Ohio River, a cradle with a baby in it. They had considerable strife to decide who should have this little Moses from the bullrushes. In the spring of 1836 he came to Johnson's Grove, McLean County, Illinois. He came by steamboat to Pekin and across by team to Johnson's Grove in the present township of Mt. Hope. 736 OLD SETTLERS OF Robert Longworth, the father of John, had come out the year before, had bought a hundred and sixty acres of land, which Johnson had entered, and the latter's claim on eighty acres of timber. When John Longworth came, he made a claim on one hundred and sixty acres of land, and settled on eighty acres more. In December, 1836, a company came on from the east, and entered eight thousand acres of land, very nearly in the shape of a square ; and as the company had twenty-five shares, this left three hundred and twenty acres of land apiece. They also en- tered other land and gave the earliest settlers each a premium of forty acres. This land comprised the greater part of the town- ship of Mt. Hope. This land was surveyed in the summer of 1837. Mr. Longworth assisted in the survey. They tried to find the corners, which had been laid out by the governmental sur- vey. These were marked by stakes, holes and pits of charcoal. On the up-land, these corners could usually be found, but on the low-land they were sometimes wanting. This Mt. Hope com- pany entered the land which Mr. Longworth claimed. It was the custom among the settlers never to enter a piece of land on which one of them had made a settlement, but the company en- tered all of its land together, and knew nothing of Mr. Long- worth's settlement. But he succeeded in making terms with the company, by paying about what it cost to enter and survey the land. In December, 1836, the sudden change in the weather occur- red. Mr. Longworth was then at his father's house, about a quarter of a mile distant, and when the windstorm came, he went home, and was sheltered by timber on the way, but thought he did well to get to his house. His brother had been riding that afternoon and was wet by the rain. When the sudden change occurred his boots were frozen into his stirrups, and when he arrived at his father-in-law's house, the stirrups were knocked loose before he could dismount. All of Mr. Longworth's chickens were frozen to death, except one tough old rooster. Much of his stock was frozen. He saw one cow, which seemed to have been frozen as she stood in her tracks. This terrible change seemed to frighten all animals, and take away their original natures, for they all huddled together, their fear of each m'lean county. 737 other being overcome by their greater fear of the elements around them. A man named Houser had just come to the country with horses, cattle, sheep, and other stock, and they all huddled together in a log stable, and the next morning were covered with a white frost, which was the frozen moisture of their breath. Mr. Longworth has experienced nearly all of the hardships to which the early settlers were subjected. He broke prairie and raised sod corn for the first crop. The corn was dropped just ahead of the plough as the sod was turned over. The dropper rode on the plough. The corn was planted in every third furrow. Mr. Longworth has raised a family of intelligent, happy chil- dren, three sons and three daughters. They are full of humor and pleasant, practical jokes. They are : Mrs. Sarah Ann Farnsworth, wife of E. H. Farnsworth, lives three quarters of a mile west of McLean. Mrs. Belinda McCormick, wife of Marion McCormick, lives two miles and a quarter west of McLean. Augustus Longworth lives a mile and a half east of McLean. David Newton Longworth (called Newt !) and Albert Long- worth, live at home, though both have farms. Newton is con- nected with the drug store in McLean, which is carried on by Longworth & Palmer. Mattie J. Longworth lives at home. Her name is not changed yet. Mr. Longworth lacks one inch of being six feet in height. He is a man of very good humor, appears to be very fair-minded, and has the perfect confidence of the community where he re- sides. He has been school treasurer, and has assessed the township more than all of the other assessors put together. He has been elected constable, and re-elected against his will, and at last refused to qualify. 47 738 OLD SETTLERS OF OLD TOWN. Lewis Case. Lewis Case was born, February 27, 1809, in Ontario County, New York. His father's name was Abner Case, and his mother's name before her marriage was Olive Rolland. Both were full blooded Connecticut Yankees. Abner Case was a soldier in the war of 1812. He was a private and served under Generals Scott and Harrison. He saw the burning of Buffalo, the blowing up of Fort Erie, and was at the battle of Lundy's Lane. During the latter fight he was stationed in an orchard. During his ser- vice under General Harrison he was slightly wounded, having three fingers of his left hand shot off. Mr. Case drew a pension until his death, which occurred January 6, 1854. His wife died on the day following, and both were buried in the same grave in "Wisconsin, near Madison. Lewis Case lived in Ontario County until he was sixteen years of age. There he received his education, which was that of the common school. The scholars in that section of country complied with the custom of those days, which was to bar out the schoolmaster on Christmas day. At one time they barred out the master and the contest lasted three days. They fortified themselves in the schoolhouse and stood the siege. The people near by gave the scholars plenty to eat, lots of cake and cider and fuel to burn in the fireplace. The schoolmaster tried to smoke them out by covering the chimney, and for a while it seemed that he would succeed ; but the scholars put out the fire by pouring on cider, and stopped the smoke. After three days the contest ended in breaking up the school. In the year 1824, the family moved to Huron County, Ohio. They lived in the woods among the large timber wolves, which were very plenty. At one time a timber wolf was caught by the fore leg in a trap, and the dogs were collected from all over the country to fight it, but it whipped them all. In July, 1833, Lewis Case came with his wife and child to McLean County, Illinois, and settled on Kickapoo Creek, on the north side of Old Town timber. When they first came, they went to Bloomington, and the first man to welcome them and m'lean county. 739 give them their dinner was General Gridley, who then boarded at James Allin's. During the following winter, the families of Lew T is Case, Abner Case, Charles Lewis and Thaddeus Case, fifteen persons in all, wintered in a little house fourteen feet square. Their household goods were put up around the sides of the room on pins. They had two bedsteads and two trundle beds. A part of the folks were obliged to retire at night before the remainder could make their beds on the floor. During" that winter Mr. Case cut, split and hauled logs for a house. In the spring the house was built, and in April they moved into it. It was a small cabin, but Mrs. Case had room in it for a spinning wheel and a loom. She spun and wove the clothing for the family, and when her girls were large enough they also were taught to spin and weave. She made linsey, jeans and linen, and the family lived happily in the rude cabin with their home- spun attire. For three years they remained in the little cabin and then moved to where they now live. For thirteen years, the house of Mr. Case was used as a preaching place by the Methodists. This was the first denomi- nation here. After a while the Cumberland Presbyterians came in and joined with the Methodists and built the Union Church. But the old church having served its time, the Methodists built a new one called the Hopewell Church. The old building was sold for eighty dollars in money, which was divided between the two denominations that built it. George Gar now uses the old church for a barn. The people seemed to enjoy themselves very well at the meetings held at private houses. The congregation often filled the house, and sometimes the bedding and furniture were carried out to make room. The early settlers were always anxious to have their children educated, and were willing to make all sacrifices. School was kept during one summer in Mr. Case's barn. Mrs. Case was careful to see that her children attended punctually and regu- larly, and says that one of her children missed only two or three days in the year. Mrs. Case was an industrious woman. She made clothes tor people and took her pay in work. She made coats for the men, and they in return made hay or ploughed for Mr. Case. She made a coat for Senator John Cusey, and he made hay for a 740 OLD SETTLERS OF week to pay for it, and worked well. Mr. Case was also indus- trious and made shoes and cobbled for the neighborhood. On the 13th of October, 1831, Mr. Case married Sarah Hen- dryx, in Huron County, Ohio. He has had five children, oi whom four are living. They are : Mary Ann, wife of Peter B. Price, lives at Downs Station. Olive, wife of J. W. Savage, lives near Downs. Sarah Elizabeth, wife of Wesley Savage, lives in Downs township, near the eastern boundary. Hannah Emeline, wife of Sylvanus Michael, lives in Old Town, near the western boundary. Mr. Case is five feet and nine or ten inches in height. His head is partially bald, and his nose is Roman. He is a worthy man and thinks much of his family and friends. He is hospita- ble and kind to all. He has succeeded well and has accumulated enough property to make him comfortable; but his industrious habits cling to him, and he continues to carry on his farm as in the days of the early settlement. Harvey Bishop. Harvey Bishop, eldest son of William Bishop, was born Au- gust 2, 1821, in Virginia. In the year 1833 the Bishop family came to Illinois. William Bishop wished to obtain land for his children, and it cost too much in Ohio. Mr. Bishop obtained his education in a log school house du- ring the winters, as all the pioneer children did. The school teachers in those days were severe ; and Mr. Bishop remembers an instance where the courts interfered, and a teacher was fined for the severity and brutality of his punishment. He went to school for one winter to John Magoun in Old Town and found him a most excellent teacher. He never punished his scholars, and they all liked him, and he had great success. It was then very evident that Mr. Magoun would remain an old bachelor, as he did not pay his addresses to the ladies of Old Town. He was a very conscientious teacher, and his scholars had confidence in him. Mr. Bishop was never a hunter, and only killed one deer in his life. This was when he was sixteen or seventeen years of age. A light snow had fallen on the ground, and he asked his m'lean county. 741 father for his gun to go hunting. The old gentleman allowed Harvey Bishop to take the gun, and promised him a dollar for every deer he killed. Harvey Bishop succeeded in killing one, and received his money. He frequently hunted wolves, and ran them down or caught them in traps. Mr. Bishop entered apart of the land where he now lives in Old Town, and a part was given him by his father. He entered one hundred and seventy acres of prairie and forty acres of timber, and he has been very successful in its management. On the 25th of February, 1850, he married Mrs. Mary Ann Depew, a widow, who died November 26, 1856. One child, born of this marriage, is now dead. On the first of January, 1861, Mr. Bishop married Miss Mary Ann Hart, of Old Town. Their only child, William Henry Bishop, lives at home. Mr. Bishop is five feet and eight inches in height, is rather spare in build, has blue eyes, uses spectacles occasionally, has hair light colored and rather thin. He is good-natured and very kind in his manner. He has served in various positions in the township. He has always been very independent in his political affiliations and has usually voted for the best men, regardless of party. He does not belong to any church, but is a man of in- tegrity and correct principle. Mrs. Bishop takes a great deal of pride in her husband, and she is in every respect worthy of him. Frederick Rives Cowden. Frederick R. Cowden was born November 30, 1811, in Allen County, Kentucky. His father's name was James Cowden, and his mother's name before her marriage was Lucy Rives. He is partly of Irish descent. He was raised on a farm and worked in a tobacco field, but had no particular adventure. When he be- came twenty years of age he went to Warren County, Kentucky. There he became acquainted with Mr. John Price, whose sketch appears in this volume. They often hunted together, and killed a great deal of game. They frequently shot at game, both at once, and tramped on each other's toes to know when to pull the trigger. If only one shot took effect it was supposed that Price had missed ! 742 OLD SETTLERS OF In the fall of 1833 Mr. Cowden came to Greene County, Illi- nois, where he lived until 1834, when he came to McLean County. He started with Elias "Wall and dames B. Price, but left them at Ranellville, Kentucky. After traveling two days, he met two of his cousins going to Illinois, and he went in company with them. When he arrived in McLean County, he went to work sawing lumber with a whip saw. This lumber, sawed by hand, was sold to John Rhodes for two dollars per hundred, and is now a part of his barn. Mr. Cowden sawed finishing lumber of white wal- nut for parties in Bloomington, and also for the first hotel at Mt. Pleasant (Farmer City). He hunted occasionally with John Price, and killed a great many deer and turkeys. Mr. Cowden tells some jokes on John Price, which caused great amusement. Price was a good hunter, but for some unexplained reason he, at times, could scarcely kill anything. Mr. Cowden says, that Price once shot some thirty times in one day at deer without hitting a single one. The latter complained of a flaw in the gun, but Mr. Cowden killed three deer in one day with it, and said that the flaw was now s;one. Mr. Price could kill rame afterwards. Mr. Cowden says that Price was very cautious about approaching a wounded deer, and once killed a buck, which ran into a clump of brush and died ; but as Mr. Price had some suspicion as to whether the buck was really dead, he rode around the thicket and fired at it seven or eight times ! Mr. Cowden once wounded a deer, but would not shoot again, for fear of being laughed at, and grappled it. The struggle which followed was so severe that Cowden wished he had given the deer another shot. He has had great difficulty with the fires on the prairie, which came so swiftly and were so hot that the danger from them was very great. Mr. Cowden has a lively recollection of the sudden change in the weather in December, 1836, and says that at the time when the ice suddenly formed on tlje Kickapoo, three travelers came along and attempted to cross, but one of them lost his horse under the ice, as the creek was very high and the water flowed rapidly. Mr. Cowden broke the ice during the following day and assisted the travelers over. Mr. Cowden married, August 17, 1842, Miss Polly G. Price. He has seven children, all of whom have grown to years of dis- cretion. They are : m'lean county. 743 John James Cowden lives half a mile .south of his father's. Mrs. Amanda Jane Dooley, wife of Obadiah G. Dooley, lives two miles northeast of her parents. William Rives Cowden lives about four miles southeast of his father's, in Downs township. Mrs. Eliza Ann Downs, wife of John D. Downs, live two miles and a half southwest of her father's. Matilda Burrell Cowden, Frank Cowden and Elizabeth Gil- lem Cowden, live at home with their father. Mr. Cowden is about six feet in height, is rather solidly built, has blue eyes, and hair and whiskers perfectly white. His head is becoming a little bald. In his younger days he was very strong, and a good hunter. He is a man of good business qualifications. He is rather humorous, and particularly enjoys a good joke on his respected father-in-law, John Price. Mr. Cowden was for two years supervisor. He has been in poor health for some time, and thinks this is due to the exposure and fatigue which he en- dured in his younger days. While hunting he seldom stopped for any obstacle, but waded or swam creeks and bore every form of hardship, and now he thinks he is paying the penalty. PADUA. William Evans, Jr. William Evans, jr., son of William Evans, sen., whose sketch appears in this volume, was born June 3, 1815, in Huron County, Ohio. In the year 1825, the family started for Illinois, intending to make a settlement on the Illinois River. But when they ar- rived at Keg Grove (now Blooming Grove) they thought the country so hue that they settled there. They made their settle- ment about four miles south of Bloomington, where the Oren- dorffs had built their cabins. Nothing of unusual importance occurred until 1827, when a storm came through Blooming Grove, tearing down the timber and scattering the trunks and limbs in every direction. Just after this storm Cheney Thomas wished to sell a claim to Mr. Evans, sen., where Bloomington now stands, for a hundred bushels of corn. But it so happened that the corn which Mr. Evans, sen., had planted, was covered up by 744 OLD SETTLERS OF broken limbs of trees, and was thought to be ruined. He there- fore hesitated about making the bargain. But William Orendorff, who was standing near, said : "Take it, Evans, if you haven't enough corn, I have." Mr. Evans made the bargain, and in order to help him fulfill it, Mr. Orendorff gave Evans five acres of growing corn. The claim now forms a part of Bloomington, and is worth a large amount of money. Mr. Evans, jr., says : "Wil- liam Orendorff was one of the best men that ever lived on the green earth." About nineteen days after the storm, William Evans, jr., James Orendorff, and others, found a hog which had been pinned to the ground by limbs of trees. They cut it loose and drew the exhausted animal home on a sledge. It recovered, and showed its gratitude to its deliverers by making a fine porker. The Evans family were obliged to go for many years to mill to Attica, on the Wabash, one hundred and twenty miles distant. Afterwards the}'- went to Fox River, eighty miles distant. They frequently went to mill at Peoria and Pekin. Orendorff 's mill was put up some time afterwards, on Sugar Creek, about twenty- five miles distant. They could get a little corn cracked nearer home, but not well done. During the winter of the deep snow they ground corn in a coffee-mill, and sometimes pounded it. Before the snow became packed, they went four miles to Baile} T Harbert's mill, breaking the road both going and returning, for the drifting snow soon filled up their tracks. William Evans, jr., and his brother, took great pleasure in catching wolves. During one winter they trapped forty-five of these troublesome pests. The education of William Evans, jr., was attended to as well as possible in the West. He went to school to old Billy Hodge, and says that this gentleman was a very good teacher, though a little severe with the scholars. On the 8th of April, 1836, Mr. Evans married Mary Jane Murphy, daughter of Thomas Murphy. He has had ten children, of whom seven are living. They are : Oliver Perry Evans lives on his father's place. William Evans, jr., also lives on his father's place. -James Evans lives on the ed planetary world is a type of the spiritual world. He thinks that men will be different in intellect in the world to come, and that no one will be kept back in order that another may catch up with him in intellectual or moral develop- ment. Smith Denman. Smith Denman was born September 6, 1799, in Essex County, !New Jersey. His father was Mathias Denman, and his mother's name before marriage was Rhoda Elston. Mr. Denman is, as far as he knows, of English descent. In 1804 the Denman family moved to Washington County, . Pennsylvania, where they re- mained two years, and then went to Licking County, Ohio. There they began farming. Smith Denman married, June 27, 1821, Elizabeth Dixon, and set up for himself in life by leasing land. By hard work he made money enough to come to Illinois, which 838 OLD SETTLERS OF he did in September, 1829. He had a pleasant journey, and set- tled at White Oak Grove, McLean County, Illinois. He lived quite comfortably during the winter of the deep snow. He worked well and carefully, though he was not a large farmer. Mr. Denman has had eleven children, of whom four are living. They are : Jabez Harris Denman, who lives in Bolinger County, Mis- souri. Mrs. Drusilla Buck, wife of Daniel W. Buck, lives in Pales- tine township, Woodford County, Illinois. Smith Denman, jr., lives in Montgomery County, Illinois. Mrs. Mary Benson lives in McLean County, about ten miles east of Lexington. Mr. Denman is six feet in height, is slenderly built, is a pleas- ant, accommodating gentleman, and a straightforward, honest man. Abraham W. Carlock. Abraham W. Carlock was born April 7, 1800, in Hampshire County, West Virginia, near the west branch of the Potomac River. His paternal grandfather emigrated to this country from Germany, and settled in Virginia shortly before the outbreak of the Revolutionary war. During the war he was a soldier in the Continental army. Shortly after Abraham's birth his father moved to Overton County, Tennessee, about fifteen miles from Livingston, the county seat, on the Obey River. Here he began farming on a small scale, and hunting on a large scale. Young Abraham was then quite a rambler. His son, W. B. Carlock, says of him: "He busied himself in rambling over the moun- tains, hills and valleys, gathering chestnuts, chincapins, black- berries and whortleberries, and chasing squirrels and ground hogs (woodchucks)." If he did all of that in one day, it cer- tainly must have kept him quite busy. But it seems that the big game was left for Abraham's father, for the same good au- thority says; "There were a great many bear in the country at that time, but that sort of game was left for the old gentleman to attend to, and it is safe to say that bear meat was no rarity in the old man's family." Abraham Carlock was a good, indus- trious boy, and did not neglect his "chores." He "tended" the m'lean county. 839 farm well, and raised corn, tobacco and sweet potatoes. He raised pork, too, for the Southern market, though his pigs had a bad habit of running wild and becoming, as his son says, "as wild as the wildest deer." At the age of twenty-four Abraham was married to Mary Goodpasture, and in his subsequent pros- perity he might exclaim : " She has my faithful shepherd been, In pastures good hath led me." In the spring of 1827 Abraham Carlock, with his "wife and two children moved to Morgan County, Illinois. They walked nearly the whole distance. After remaining there three or four years he moved to Dry Grove, McLean County, and in 1836 he moved to White Oak Grove. At White Oak Grove his boys caught many prairie chickens close to his house, even within thirty yards of his door. Sometimes they would catch twenty or thirty in a trap. They were dried and hung on strings to be pre- served. Shortly after the Black Hawk war he traveled over the northern part of the State, and especially over the Fox River country, to find land to purchase. While on his travels he met the old Indian chief, Shabbona, who lived on Fox River at the grove which bears his name. This chief had been a warm friend to the whites through good and evil report, and saved many lives during the Indian troubles in early days, by warning settlers of approaching danger. In the fall of 1833 occurred the celebrated phenomena called the falling of the meteors. Mr. Carlock was at that time in the Fox River country, and the meteors fell at all points of the com- pass, and lit up the whole heavens. Of course this phenomena alarmed the superstitious, as such things always do, and many people thought the millenium was surely at hand. In 1836 he sold his property at Dry Grove, and moved to White Oak Grove. His land at White Oak Grove lies partly in McLean and partly in Woodford County. His house stands about one hundred yards outside of the line of McLean County. Nevertheless he considers himself a McLean County man, as nearly all his interests are connected with it. Mr. Carlock and his careful wife have been blessed with twelve children. Ten of these grew to manhood and womanhood, and eight are now living. 840 OLD SETTLERS OF Old Mr. Carlock will be seventy-five years of age on the seventh of April next. He is nearly six feet in height, has round shoulders, a fair complexion and a strong constitution. His hair is perfectly white. He is very active, full of life and humor, and does as much work as any hand on the farm. He is a great hunter, and has been known to kill three or four deer in a single day. He is now worth about one hundred thousand dollars, and has fairly earned it by patient toil and strict economy. He has about one thousand acres of choice land, finely improved and under good cultivation. The old gentleman is jovial, kind- hearted and hospitable by nature, and has a great many friends. In politics he is an uncompromising Democrat, one of the strict- est kind. There is no milk and sugar about it; he takes his Democracy clear. He cast his first vote for Andrew Jackson, and his last for Horace Greeley, because Mr. Greeley was nom- inated at Baltimore. He is such a staunch, uncompromising Democrat that many people who are unacquainted with his name know him as the "Old Democrat," and his son says his paper would pass current if signed with that soubriquet. In religion Mr. Carlock is a ITniversalist. His son says he has "read the scriptures strenuously " and believes in the salvation of all mankind. If a traveling minister of any denomination comes along, Mr. Carlock will entertain him most hospitably, but will probably make him sit up until two o'clock in the morning to discuss doctrinal points. He is full of eccentricities. In the presence of his children he pleads great poverty, in order to in- duce them to study economy. He was never known to make a visit, in the strict sense of the word. He is very much attached to his home, and never gets into debt, and it would be well if people generally had these eccentricities. He has never ridden in a railroad car, a steamboat or even an omnibus. Mr. Carlock is one of the most hospitable of men, indeed this seems to be the case with nearly all of the early pioneers ; his "latch-string is always out;" in his home there is good cheer, and in his welcome, good feeling. m'lean county. 841 Stephen Taylor. Stephen Taylor was born in Washington County, Ohio, Feb- ruary 28, 1814. His father's name was Stephen Taylor, and his mother's, before marriage, was Lovisa Rathbone. His parents were Americans, as were their ancestors, so far as he knows. His father was born in New York, and his mother in Maine. Stephen Taylor, sr., enlisted during the war of 1812, at the last call for volunteers, and died at Detroit, Michigan, of sickness. There were four children in the Taylor family, and they had left to them four hundred dollars each. Their money was put into the hands of Squire John Brown, who put it into the hands of some one else, and it went the way of all money. When Stephen Taylor was sixteen years of age, he started out in life for himself without asking leave of any one, as his mother had married a second time and was provided for. He went to Morgan County, on the Muskingum River, and began chopping wood for twenty cents per cord. It was there that he, with two others, cut and corded in one job thirty-three hundred cords of wood. For the last wood he cut, on the Muskingum River, he received sixteen and two-thirds cents per cord ; but it was nearly all tree tops. He remained there for some time, and ran down about three times a year with salt to Cincinnati. He had only one accident, that he remembers particularly. He once had a boat containing salt staved in on some rocks. It was taken near shore immediately, but all except a few barrels of salt were spoiled. Stephen Taylor worked hard, and by his in- dustry earned enough money to come to Illinois and enter eighty acres of land and buy ten acres of timber. In 1836, he came by steamboat to Pekin, and walked from there to Bloomington, then back to Madison, Indiana. On the Sangamon River, he stopped at a hotel, where he was obliged to sleep in a room with fourteen others, and one of them, unfortunately, had some gold taken from his person. All of the company were searched, but the missing gold was not found. Mr. Taylor wore, at the begin- ning of this journey on foot, a pair of calf boots, which, becom- ing alternately wet and dry, shrank and blistered his feet, and he was somtimes obliged to walk in his socks. At Danville, he bought a pair of shoes and cut up his boots, as they could not 842 OLD SETTLERS OF be sold. At Perrysville, on the Wabash, he went to a saloon and called for a pint of whisky. The barkeeper asked for his bottle, as a pint of whisky was considered rather a " stiff" drink. But Mr. Taylor used the fluid in a proper way, and poured it into his shoes to cure his blistered feet. He went on to Craw- fordsville, sometimes wading through water for long distances; but as the country was new, he could not stand upon trifles. At Madison, Indiana, he went on board of the General Pike, one of the fastest steamboats on the river. At Cincinnati, he ran out of funds, but found a friend, old Robert Fulton, who furnished the stamps required for his journey home. Stephen Taylor married, March 8, 1837, Betsey Dearborn, and in the fall came to White Oak Grove, McLean County, Illi- nois. He started, October 16, and arrived November 3. He went first to Pekin by steamboat and there paid ten dollars to be transported to his new home. He bought a little split log cabin, about ten by twelve feet in size, with a puncheon floor, and in this he wintered. During that winter, he did some hard work. He made rails, stakes and ground chunks for a fence, and hauled them two miles. He cut out the framing for a build- ing twenty feet by eighteen; he hauled the flooring, siding and sheeting from Bloomington, hewed the framing timber in the grove, and fenced twenty acres of land, that is, made three-quar- ters of a mile of fence. This is usually considered a great deal of work for one winter; but Mr. Taylor was a practised wood cutter and understood how to wield his tools to advantage. In about the year 1839, the farmers all over the country became disgusted with the low prices which they were receiving for pork, and all put their hogs together and sent some of their number to take them to Chicago. Mr. Taylor had eleven hogs in the "bunch," and helped to drive them. On the journey, it snowed and thawed and froze and sleeted, so that the party, which had just passed Big Sulphur Springs, returned to that place. It was so slippery that some of the hogs were carried back to that place. Here they remained twenty-one days, and here, too, Isaac Funk was weatherbound with a lot of hogs. He tried to harrow the ice and make it rough for the pigs to walk, but the experiment was a failure, they slipped on the ice in spite of him. Then he tied the hind legs of some of the pigs together m'lean county. 843 to keep them from slipping, but all his experiments failed. The entire party stopped with a man named Fuller, and in order to pass away the time, held a lyceum and debated all the questions of the day. Mr. Fuller took part and, as he evidently thought a great deal of himself, Mr. Taylor and John Benson, jr., always decided in his favor, whenever they happened to be judges. The old fellow's vanity was so tickled that he always refused to debate, unless Taylor and Benson were to decide the question. The party was detained at the springs for twenty-one days, and bought all the corn they could find in the country to feed their swine. They went out hunting, and at one time found sixty- three deer in a drove. Mr. Taylor says, also, that it was a great place for bee trees, and that he saw from a single spot thirteen trees which had been cut down and the honey taken out. After waiting twenty-one days at the springs, a thaw came and the pigs were enabled to travel. They were taken to Chi- cago and sold, and when the expenses were paid, the money was divided among those who had contributed to make up the lot. Mr. Taylor had eleven fine hogs, averaging in weight two hun- dred and twenty-five pounds each, and he received for them in all six dollars and fifteen cents, which is about twenty-five cents per hundred ! The remainder received pay for their hogs in the same proportion. The early settlers went often to Pekin, to do their trading and sell their pork. Mr. Taylor tells of an incident that hap- pened while he was once on the road to Pekin with a drove of swine. He stopped at the house of a man named Prowty. The latter had a wife, who was indeed humorous to look upon. She had a long nose with a bunch on the end of it as large as a sweet potato, and her eyes might be mistaken for buckshot. She was addicted to alcoholic drinks, and while under the influence of a gentle stimulant her Yankee pride swelled in her bosom. Said she: "Do you know what Yankee means? Yankee means enterprise. Mr. Prowty and I are Yankees." Mr. Taylor was charged twenty-five cents for the privilege of sleeping on the puncheon floor, with nothing to eat. He wauted to buy the puncheon, to be used on some other occasion. Mr. Taylor took his hogs to Pekin, and sold them for little or nothing. Louis Stephens also took some there, and, when asked what he sold them for, replied : " Six bits a cord." 844 OLD SETTLERS OF Mr. Taylor remembers a great many pleasant incidents of early days. He says that when he first came to the country, he saw Hon. John Moore, who was out electioneering. The latter asked for Taylor's vote ; but when Taylor learned Moore's poli- tics, and that he supported Mr. VanBuren, the vote asked for was refused. Seven years afterwards, when Taylor was hunting a stray horse, he met Moore. That gentleman recognized Taylor instantly, stopped him, called him into the house and treated him politely in every respect, and, speaking of the electioneering in- cidents, said : "You're the man that wouldn't vote for me." Mr. Taylor says that if he had known Moore at first as well as he did afterwards, he would have voted for him, regardless of party. Mr. Taylor has done some hunting, but never had any very dangerous adventures. He once killed an enormous lynx, after shooting it four times ; nothing was effectual except a shot through the head. Very many hunters have had contests with wounded deer, and Mr. Taylor once shot a deer which turned on him, with its hair all bristling up and pointing forward ; but the animal was so badly wounded that it made very little of a fight. In 1851 Stephen Taylor killed thirty-one wild turkeys, some of which he shot while standing in his door. Mrs. Taylor also shot at wild turkeys, but never killed any. Mr. Taylor tells a circumstance, showing the honest simplicity of John Magoun. In about the year 1835, while Mr. Taylor was riding on a steamboat from Cincinnati to Pittsburg, a man came on board, who was eloping with a young lady. For the purpose of amusement a mock court was organized to try the man. The witnesses were examined, and they gave contradictory testimony, as some of them thought the girl was running away with the man. But at last the man was convicted and sentenced to be hung, and his anxious lady set up a succession of shrieks. But the convicted man took the matter coolly, and was hung, the rope passing around the body. Stephen Taylor and Palmer Storey saw this performance. Thirty years afterwards, when they met in Bloomington, in company with John Magoun, Mr. Storey alluded to the hanging, but Taylor spoke in a mysterious way, and said they had better keep quiet about that. Then honest Magoun wished to know whether Taylor and Storey had really committed murder. m'lean county. * 845 Mr. Taylor has had ten children, of whom seven are living. They are : Otis L. Taylor was a soldier in the Thirty-third Illinois Vol- unteers. He was at Cache, Black River Bridge, Champion Hills, Vicksburg, Jackson, Spanish Fort, Fredericktown, Port Gibson and Fort Esperanza. He now lives in Hardin County, Iowa, near Steamboat Rock. Mrs. Anna Leys, wife of John Leys, lives two miles and a half north of her father's, in "Woodford County. Zach "W". Taylor is teaching school about three and a half miles from his father's, in Woodford County. Mrs. Elsina Morgan, wife of Dr. Morgan, lives in Lawndale. Laura L. Taylor, I. D. Taylor (a girl) and John Taylor live at home. The eldest son, Isaac Taylor, is now dead. He was born Jan- uary 27, 1839, and served in the Ninety-fourth Illinois Volun- teers, and died September, 1863. His regiment was stationed at New Orleans ; but as he became sick he was allowed a furlough, and on the way home died in a hospital at Memphis. His father went down to him and brought his body home and buried it at White Oak Grove. Stephen Taylor is six feet and one and a half inches in height. He is slenderly built, has a sharp eye and a Roman nose. He loves humor, as the stories in this sketch indicate. He is a plucky man, and is not likely to be frightened by nonsense. He is perfectly straightford in all of his dealings, and wishes to meet all of his neighbors upon the level and part upon the square. He thinks he has the best of neighbors, and that no other place is so peculiarly blessed in this respect as White Oak Grove. He has been a justice of the peace, but has had little or nothing to do, as scarcely anybody there meddles with the law. PERSONS HOLDING POSITIONS OF HONOR OR TRUST. Thomas Pierce Rogers, M. D. Dr. Thomas Pierce Rogers was born December 4, 1812, in Columbiana County, Ohio. His ancestors came from the north of Ireland. His grandfather, George Augustus Rogers, was born about the year 1735, in the north of Ireland, was educated at Oxford for the ministry, but after much thought he decided not to contend against sin in general, but to fight against the enemies of England in particular, and accepted a commission in the British army. He came to this country as a Colonel in the army under General Braddoek, and was at the battle of Bloody Run, (or Braddock's defeat,) where the army was drawn into an am- buscade by the Indians, and the greater part of the soldiers were killed, General Braddoek himself being mortally wounded. This was the battle in which Colonel George Washington first tried his mettle, and where he showed the skill and daring which were so conspicuous in his management of armies in later life. The career of Colonel Rogers was quite full of adventures. He was with General "Wolfe when his army climbed the Heights of Abra- ham and stormed Quebec, and was in various fights and skirmishes of the French war. After peace was declared he returned to England, resigned his commission, and came to the United States in about the year 1774. His son, Alexander Rogers, the father of Dr. Rogers, whose sketch we are writing, was born in 1773, the year previous to the emigration of his father to America. The family first settled in Frederick County, Maryland, where it stayed until the year 1786, when it moved to Fayette County, Pennsylvania, on the extreme frontier. In order to reach their new home, they were obliged to travel across the Allegheny Mountains on pack horses. Such a journey would now be con- sidered more picturesque than agreeable. There Mr. Alexander m'lean county. 847 Rogers married Catherine Waliahan, who was born in the town of Carlisle, Pa. Her parents came from the north of Ireland, and thus it is that Dr. Rogers has sprung from the genuine old North Irish stock. In the year 1798, his grandfather, his father, and all of their connection, moved on the extreme frontier, which was then the wilderness of Ohio, called the Northwestern Terri- tory. There his father settled on a farm, where he remained thirty-six years, and raised a family of eleven children, eight sons and three daughters. All of these children, except four, are now living. The farm consisted of four hundred acres, and lay in a heavily timbered country. The four youngest of the children, including the subject of this sketch, chose the practice of medi- cine for their profession in life. Nothing of importance occurred during the childhood of Dr. Rogers worthy of being celebrated in poetry or song, except that when about four years old he fell from a split plank bridge into a creek. This was infant baptism. The doctor received such an education as could be obtained in a new country. He was obliged to go two or three miles to school, which was kept in a little round-log school-house during the win- ter. At the age of seventeen he went to a select school at New Lisbon, and finished his education at a Quaker institution at Salem. He then returned home where he worked one or two years, continuing his course of study. He chose the profession of medicine, and began his study in Tuscarora County, Ohio. He taught school winters and studied summers. He finished his course of study in Philadelphia, and returned to Tuscarora Coun- ty, where he practiced medicine in company with Dr. Lewis. After practicing one year he earned enough to pay the expenses of his previous course of study, and to bring him West, and leave one hundred dollars in his pocket for working capital. In the spring of 1838, he started for Illinois on horseback, and came to Marshall. County. He examined the country from La Salle to the Sangamon River, passing through Bloomington on his way south ; the latter place contained about four hundred inhabitants, living principally south and west of the court-house. At that time he made the acquaintance of James Allin, General Gridley, Jesse W. Fell, Dr. Charles and Dr. Anderson. In the month of March he located at Decatur, Macon County. Dr. Rogers has a very large bump of what the phrenologists call locality. He likes 848 OLD SETTLERS OF to look over the country and see what it amounts to and what it contains. He traveled over the greater part of Central Illinois, and made the acquaintance of the distinguished men who then were political lights in the State, such as Stephen A. Douglas, Abraham Lincoln, Judge Jesse B. Thomas, Judge Treat of the United States District Court for the southern district of Illinois, Edward Baker, afterwards Senator Baker, who, while Colonel of a regiment, was killed at Ball's Bluff during the early part of the rebellion, John J. Hardin, who fell at Buena Vista, Hon. David Campbell, Lyman Trumbull and Hon. John Moore, afterwards lieutenant governor of the State. The friendships he then formed were life long, and indeed these gentlemen were all men of warm feeling and ever ready to greet their friends. Soon after coming to Decatur, Dr. Rogers formed a partner- ship with Dr. Thomas H. Reed, from Nashville, Tennessee, a very estimable gentleman, who is yet living. The practice of these young men became very lucrative indeed. Dr. Rogers soon made the acquaintance of many young men in Decatur, and among them was Richard J. Oglesby, a genial young man, with a manner as hearty and kind as at present. Dr. Rogers moved from Decatur to Washington, Tazewell County, and formed a co- parnership with Dr. Gr. P. Wood. They never had any written agreement or special understanding for seven years. Dr. Wood was a Christian gentleman, and one of the purest men living. He had the confidence of the entire community and was a very successful practitioner. He died about one year since. In June, 1840, Dr. Rogers married Harriet Wilcox, of North Bergen, Genesee County, New York. This lady had been principal of a seminary, and her graces of person were equal to her intellectual acquirements. Her death occurred four years after her marriage. One child, Harriet Julia, born of this happy marriage — died at the age of nine months. . Dr. Rogers continued his practice with his usual success. In May, 1846, he made the acquaintance of the amiable and accomplished woman,, who became his wife. She was Mrs. Minerva Burhance, a widow lady with one daughter. Her fine sense and cultivated mind have had much to do with Dr. Rogers' subsequent success. In 1848, Dr. Rogers learned from Stephen A. Douglas, in Peoria, that the Illinois Central Railroad would surely be built, m'lban county. 849 and this decided him to move to Bloomington for a permanenl location. As the building of the Illinois Central Railroad was a matter of national importance, and was the object of much scheming, a little bit of history may not be out of place in this connection. It was in 1848 that the conversation between Dr. Rogers and Senator Douglas occurred in the parlor of a hotel in Peoria. For twelve years various parties had been working to get a bill through congress donating lands to build the Illinois Central Railroad, but were unable to accomplish their purpose, as it was contended that the matter was one of only local import- ance. In the conversation alluded to, Judge Douglas spoke of this, and told his plan to effect his object. He said : " I am going to introduce a bill o-ivino- the alternate sections of land to the State of Illinois to build a railroad, and allowing the general government to charge $2.50 per acre for the remaining sec- tions, instead of $1.25, and by this means it will not only lose no money, but, on account of the railroad, will sell its land faster and help to build up the State and develop its resources. I am going to make it a national question, and introduce an amendment extending the road from Cairo to Mobile ; also an amendment extending it from opposite Cairo by Little Rock to Texas by way of the Red River Raft; also an amendment extending it from Galena to a point opposite Du- buque, Iowa, (Dunleith), a branch will also be proposed to Chicago and a branch to Mineral Point, Wisconsin. By so doing I secure the support of the senators from Kentucky, Henry Clay and Sen- ator Underwood, the t*vo senators, Bell and Jones, from Ten- nessee, Clay and Clements, of Alabama, the two senators, Soule and Slidell, from Louisiana, Senators Johnson and Sevier from Arkansas, and also the senators from Texas. By an appropria- tion to the Hannibal & St. Joe Railroad, I secure the support of senators Atkinson and Benton, of Missouri; by extending the road to a point opposite Dubuque, Iowa, I secure the friendship of senators Jones and Dodge of that State ; by means of the branch to Mineral Point, Wisconsin, I secure the co-operation of the senators from that State ; by an understanding that something shall be done for a road in Michigan, extending from Detroit up to the lumber regions, I obtain the support of senators Cass and Stewart from that State." Mr. Douglas was sure that his plan 54 850 OLD SETTLERS OF would be successful. At that time he was serving- his first term in the Senate, and Mr. Lincoln was serving his first term in the House of Representatives, and by their united exertions the bill was carried triumphantly through. The United States gave the required land to Illinois, and Illinois gave it to the Illinois Central Railroad, on condition that the latter should always pay into the State treasury seven per cent, of its gross earnings. Ground was first broke in 1852, and cars were running from LaSalle to Bloomington in 1853. In Dr. Rogers' travels over the State he had found no land equal to McLean County, and had always wished to make it his home. He moved to Bloomington in March, 1849, and continued the practice of medicine up to 1867, when he retired from his profession, having been a successful practitioner for thirty years. He then engaged in agricultural pursuits. "While in the practice of his profession, Dr. Rogers was three times chosen a delegate to National Medical Conventions, which were held at St. Louis, Philadelphia and San Francisco, and was in attendance at the two former. He was twice chosen a delegate to State Medical Conventions. Dr. Rogers has been more or less connected with politics since coming to the West. "While at Decatur he held the office of postmaster for two years, one year under Yan Buren and one year under Harrison and Tyler. He resigned his office, partly because his medical duties gave him very little time to look after it, and partly because, being a Democrat, he did not wish to continue to hold office under a "Whig administration.' The situation was not very lucrative, and the business was done in the office of the cir- cuit clerk. In 1848 the doctor was selected by his party friends at the convention at the village of "Waynesville, to be their can- didate for State Senator, and Edward 0. Smith, of Macon Coun- ty, was selected in the same village as his opponent. The district then embraced Tazewell, McLean, Logan, DeWitt and Macon Counties. The Whig majority for General Taylor was about eleven hundred, but the doctor was only beaten by one hundred and sixty-three votes. In 1862 he again received the nomination of his party for State Senator, the district embracing McLean, DeWitt, Macon, Piatt and Moultrie Counties. His opponent was the Hon. Isaac Funk. The majority for Mr. Lincoln in 1860 was m'lean county. 851 about seventeen hundred in this district, but the majority against Dr. Rogers was only two hundred and sixty. The doctor has been honored by his party by being made a member of every Democratic. State Convention, except one, since 1844 ; he bus been chairman of the Democratic Central Committee of McLean County for eighteen years out of twenty-four ; was appointed a delegate from Illinois to the convention at Baltimore which nom- inated Franklin Tierce; he was an alternate delegate to the Charleston convention ; he was a delegate to the Baltimore con- vention, when Douglas was nominated, saw the division in the party, saw Caleb Cushing leave the chair, saw Ben Butler secede from the convention with the Massachusetts delegation, and saw that break in the Democratic party, which resulted in the elec- tion of Abraham Lincoln, and precipitated the great rebellion. The seceders organized their convention in the city of Baltimore, and nominated Mr. Breckenridge. The doctor had free inter- course with the Southern delegates, and saw that a civil war was inevitable, unless a compromise was agreed upon. When the war came the doctor took strong ground for the Union, of course, and did much work in getting volunteers ; and in the early days of the rebellion, when many were hesitating and doubting, he took the stump and advocated crushing the rebellion out by the power of arms. In 1864 the doctor was a delegate to the con- vention which nominated McClellan for president ; he was on the committee of organization, and during the campaign took an ac- tive part in the canvass. This wound up his political career until the Liberal movement was inaugurated. Dr. Rogers then moved actively and efficiently in the matter, and by his influence pre- served harmony and strength in the movement. So efficient was he, and so alive to the issues of the hour, that the Liberal party placed him in nomination as its candidate for the legislature un- der the minority representation system. He was elected a member of the lower house of the Assembly, and is at present serving in that capacity. He has been made a member of the committee on finance, the committee on education, and the committee on coun- ty and town organization, which shows the high regard in which he is held by the members of the house. He is recognized in the legislature 'as one of the most active and far-sighted of the members ; in the heat of debate he never loses his self-command. 852 OLD SETTLERS OF He understands parliamentary law and practice, and in the hurry of business his mind is ever clear. It is well known that in the hurry and confusion many members cannot keep track of what is going on, and sometimes become very much confused, and it thus becomes necessary to have some persons who shall be rec- ognized as leaders, who are able to guide and direct the forces »>f the party efficiently. In this capacity Dr. Rogers does excel- lent service, and indeed his presence and influence have on many i x-asions turned the tide of victory in favor of the Liberals in the Assembly. Dr. Rogers is a man of commanding presence, and every line of his countenance, every motion, shows him to be a cultivated gentleman ; his hair is whitened by many years of labor. In political matters he is certainly possessed of those qualities which bring success ; he has great energy and resolution, and is a tine speaker. He possesses great tact and skill in the manage- ment of men, and has a happy faculty of uniting all forces effect- ively and carrying his point. He has many friends among all political parties, and it is to be hoped that he may live yet many years to enjoy their friendship and regard. Judge Thomas F. Tipton. Thomas F. Tipton was born August 29, 1833, in Franklin County, Ohio. His father's name was Hiram Tipton, and his mother was Deborah Ogden. Both of English descent. Hiram Tipton was a farmer. In 1844 the Tipton family moved to Money Creek township, McLean County, Illinois, and settled down near where Towanda now stands. Hiram Tipton died within a year after his arrival in Illinois, leaving three children, John Tipton, who is a farmer, living in Money Creek township ; Jane, wife of William S. Tuttle, living in Saybrook, and Thomas F. Tipton, the subject of this sketch. At the age of sixteen, Thomas at- tended school at Lexington, taught at that time by Colonel Coler. The latter, who was a fine teacher, is the same gentleman who afterwards made a donation of five thousand dollars to the Wes- leyan University, on condition that the chapel of that institution should be called " Amie," after his mother. After studying for a year at Lexington, Thomas F. Tipton commenced reading law in the mornings and evenings. At the age of eighteen he read m'lban county. 853 law for a short time in the office of a Mr. Keightley, ai Knox- ville, Illinois. Shortly after this lie returned t<> Bloomington, where he was admitted to the bar. On the 23rd of October, 1856, he married, in Bloomington, Miss Mary J. Stray er, daughter of Nicholas and Esther Strayer. He commenced the practice of the law at Lexington, in the spring of 1854; in January of 1862, he moved to Bloomington : and in April, 1863, formed a law partnership with li. M. Benja- min, the present judge of the county court. This partnership lasted until 1870, when Mr. Tipton was elected judge of the Mc- Lean circuit court, to fill a vacancy caused by the election of Judge Scott to the supreme court. In June, 1873, Judge Tipton was re-elected judge of the McLean circuit court, for the full term of six years. Since his accession to the bench, even more than before that time, he has been a close student and a laborious worker. Having the administration of the most important judi- cial circuit in the State, he is called upon at every term of court to decide a numberless variety of intricate legal questions, re- quiring diligent study and accurate reasoning. He meets all such questions with a ripe mind, and a breadth of thought, that have made him the most prominent circuit judge in the State, and a man who is personally admired and beloved. In personal appearance, Judge Tipton is five feet ten inches in height, strongly built, with broad shoulders, and weighs some- what over two hundred pounds. He has light hair, fair com- plexion, and a face strongly indicative of intelligence, virtue and justice. Amasa J. Merriman. Amasa J. .Merriman was born December 1, 1818, in Stanstead, Canada East, about seventy-five miles from Montreal. His an- cestors were English. His father, Isaac H. Merriman, was a farmer. Amasa J. Merriman was one of a family of nine chil- dren, of whom six lived to be grown. He received his education at a common, subscription school, which he attended during the winter months until he was seventeen years of age. Mr. Merriman taught school at the age of eighteen, and con- tinued for two years, with a compensation of twelve dollars a month and board. He " boarded around," according to the cus- 854 OLD SETTLERS OF torn in those days. During the summer months he worked on a farm. "While he taught school he was also a clerk in a store hefore and after school hours, showing that he was an industrious young man. In 1839, when he was twenty years of age, he started for the West. From Chicago he went to Peoria by steam- boat to St. Louis. At the. latter place he heard of Bloomington, and on coming here, (in November, 1839,) found a place as clerk in the store of B. C. Haines. In 1842, Mr. Merriman bought out Owen Cheney, and commenced business on his own account. He continued until 1856, when he sold out to a man named Augustus. During that year Mr. Merriman was chosen county judge, and this office he still holds. He was chosen first to fill a vacancy by the resignation of B. H. Coffey. When the office became elective, he was elected first without opposition, and was afterwards elected four times by the Republican party. Shortly after Judge Merriman was appointed to office, the question came up as to the location of the Normal school, which the State pro- posed to build. It was to be located where the greatest induce- ments were held out. Mr. Jesse W. Fell was anxioijs to have it located in or near Bloomington, and worked for this object un- ceasingly. The county judges or commissioners then did all the business of the county, and had the authority now possessed by the board of supervisors. They appropriated seventy thousand dollars to be raised from the proceeds of the sale of the swamp lands, as an inducement to locate the Normal here. In addition to this, many private contributions were made, and the effort to obtain the institution was successful. Since the year 1857, Judge Merriman has been special commissioner for the sale of swamp lands. During his term of office, he paid $70,000 to the formal school, and $53,000 to the school fund for the different town- ships. On the first of November, 1842, Judge Merriman married Miss Clara C. I. Bullock, in Stanstead, Canada East. He has had a family of four children, of whom two are living. Judge Reuben M. Benjamin. Judge R. M. Benjamin was born June 29th, 1833, at Chatham Centre, in the County of Columbia, and State of New York. His father and maternal grandfather were both of English descent,. m'lean county. 855 but his maternal grandmother was of Welch descent. His grand- father, Ebenezer Benjamin, was a Captain in the Revolutionary war, and removed from Norwich, Connecticut, to the town of Chatham, New York, where he died December 22, 1789, aged 55 years. His father, Darius Benjamin, was a private in the war of 1812, and died at Chatham Centre, New York, April 24, 1850, aged 69 years. His maternal grandfather, Timothy Rogers, was born at Middletown, Connecticut, and moved in early life to the town of Chatham, New York, where he died June 24th, 1850, aged 84 years. His mother, Martha Benjamin, is living at Ben- jaminville, in this county, and is in her 80th year. The subject of this sketch, Judge R. M. Benjamin, was brought up on a farm, attending the district school in the winter time, until he was about fourteen years of age. He was prepared for college at Kinderhook Academy, New York, and was grad- uated at Amherst College, Massachusetts, in 1853. For the ensuing year he was principal of Hopkins Academy, Hadley, Mass. He next attended the lectures of Parker, Parsons and "Washburn, at the Law Institution in Harvard University, two terms, and then in 1855-6, was tutor in Amherst College. Judge Benjamin came to Bloomington in the spring of 1856, was admitted to the practice of the law upon the examination and certificate of Abraham Lincoln, on September 5, 1856. He was married at Chatham Village, New York, September 15, 1856, to Miss Laura E. Woodin, the daughter of David G. Woodin, who for many years was county superintendent of schools of Columbia County, New York. In the fall of 1856, he entered into partnership w 7 ith Messrs. Gridley and Wickizer, and remained with them until the former retired from the practice of the law, and the latter entered the army. In the spring of 1863, he formed a partnership with Thomas F. Tipton, now circuit judge. In January, 1867, Cap- tain J. H. Rowell became a member of their firm, and remained such until he was elected State's Attorney in 1868. In May, 1869, Hon. Lawrence Weldon became a member of the firm, and since the election of Mr. Tipton to the office of circuit judge, in 1870, the firm has consisted of Messrs. Weldon & Benjamin. In Nov- ember, 1869, Mr. Benjamin was elected a delegate to the Consti- tutional Convention of this State, and was appointed a member 856 OLD SETTLERS OF of the Committee on Bill of Rights, Municipal Corporations, State Institutions and Public Buildings, Accounts and Expendi- tures, and Schedule. He took an active part in the preparation and discussion of some of the most important articles of the Constitution of 1870. Referring to his speech on the Railroad article, Mr. Ross, the member from Fulton County, remarked : " I cheerfully subscribe to the views of the gentleman from Mc- Lean. I think the Convention and the people of the State owe him a debt of gratitude. It has the true ring of the doctrine that should be inculcated by all our statesmen." And Mr. Brom- well, the member from Coles County, remarked: " I agree with the gentleman from Fulton that the community at large owe the gentleman from McLean thanks for the masterly manner in which he has demonstrated the right and the power of the people, in- hering in, ever living, and ever present, to command in the name of and for the people, the creatures which they have put on foot, the corporations which they have organized, in respect to the terms upon which they shall enjoy those invaluable franchises which they are lawfully permitted to enjoy." — Debates of Con- stitutional Convention, vol. 2, p. 1643. Judge Benjamin was one of the counsel for the people in the celebrated Chicago & Alton Railroad case, involving the question as to the right of railroad corporations to charge more for a less than a greater distance, and since then he has been employed as special counsel for the Railroad and Warehouse Commission. In November, 1873, he was elected without opposition to the office of County Judge of McLean County, which shows the great popularity among the people and the great confidence the people of McLean County have in him. He ranks among the first law- yers of the State. His term of office is for the period of four years from the first of December last. In his personal appearance, Judge Benjamin bears the impress of the student. His demeanor, countenance, language and pose, are those of a delver into the mines of knowledge that are accu- mulated in libraries and law offices. Of medium stature and light build; with hair, eyes and complexion, darker than those of a blonde, yet lighter than those of the swarthy Southern type ; his presence is one that indicates a man accustomed to coolly and carefully consider all the bearings of a case, and from an m'lean county. 857 impartial standpoint to decide it fairly on its merits, regardless of its pecuniary results on contending claimants. During his brief career as judge of the County Court, he has won the admi- ration of the bar and the people, by reason of the rapidity and accuracy with which he dispatches business. The recent import- ant increase in the jurisdiction of the County Court, has more than quadrupled its work, but it is a satisfaction to the people that they have an able jurist at the head of that tribunal — one who is thoroughly competent to administer its affairs with honor to himself and to the county. General John MoNulta. The following sketch of General John MclSTulta is taken from the Bloomington Pantograph, of May 31, 1872: " General John McXulta was born in November, 1837, in New York city. His father was of Irish birth, and was of that extraction known as Scotch-Irish. His mother was of French descent. He resided in New York and the immediate vicinity until about the year 1850. At that time, having an inclination for travel, although quite young, under the patronage of relatives, he visited the Southern States and the West India Islands, and made one voyage to England. In 1853 he came to Attica, Indi- ana, and, placing himself under the care of General George F. Dick, (now of this city) he learned the trade of cigar maker. In May, 1859, he located in Bloomington, and commenced the same business, under the firm of Dick & Co. Having an inclination for the law, he was permitted to use the library of the late Gene- ral W. W. Orme, and devoted his time in the intervals of business to reading law. This continued until April, 1861. At this time he enlisted in the army, and was made captain, May 3, 1861, of company A. of the First Illinois Cavalry, or the first company of the first regiment of cavalry from the State of Illinois. This regiment was assigned for duty in Missouri, where, after a suc- cession of fights and skirmishes, they participated in the memor- able nine days battle at Lexington, in September, 1861, which terminated in the surrender of the Union forces to General Price. He, with the other troops of the command, were paroled and re. turned home. He was exchanged in November for Captain J. Thomas Whitfield, a confederate officer, who was one of our 858 OLD SETTLERS OF prisoners. Captain McNulta then reorganized his company and was assigned for duty in Southwestern Missouri. But as the regiment had so many of its members captured, it was mustered out of service July 17, 1862. Captain McNulta was tendered, by Governor Yates, a commission as lieutenant colonel, of what afterwards became the 91st Illinois Infantry. This he declined. About the same time President Lincoln issued authority to him to raise a regiment of cavalry. Just prior to the receipt of this authority he had, however, enlisted as a private in Company D, 94th Illinois Infantry, and was mustered into service. He was soon elected lieutenant colonel, and on the promotion of Colonel Orme, McNulta was commissioned as colonel of the 94th, and much of the time during the remainder of the war he was in command of the Second Brigade, Second Division, Thirteenth Army Corps. On the 9th of April, 1865, he was commissioned brevet brigadier general 'for gallant and meritorious services in the field.' He returned home August 9th, 1865, was soon after admitted to the bar and commenced the practice of law. "In 1868 he received the Republican nomination for the State Senate, and was elected by a majority of about 2,700. He rep- resented the district with marked ability for four years. "In 1870 he was a candidate in the triangular contest for Congress in the Republican convention, which resulted in the nomination of Colonel Merriam." In 1872 he was successful in receiving the unanimous nomina- tion for Congress at the hands of the Republicans of the new Thirteenth District, and was triumphantly elected. General MclSTulta is of medium stature, is well formed, has broad shoulders, has great courage and resolution, is very quick- sighted, understands human nature, and sees a person's thoughts instantly. He is very polite to all, and particularly agreeable to ladies. He is exceedingly humorous, and it appears perfectly natural for him to interest people by his manner and canversa- tion. He lias many friends, and himself has warm attachments. Hon. John L. Routt. John L. Routt was born April 25, 1827, in Eddyville, the county seat of Lyon County, Kentucky. AVhile he was an in- fant, his father, who was a farmer, died, leaving Mrs. Routt with m'lean county. 859 tour children, in rather straightened circumstances. Mrs. Routl moved to Trigg County, Kentucky, where she lived a widow until 1884, when she was again married. In 1840 John Routt was ap- prenticed to his cousin, Samuel B. Haggard, of Bloomington, Illinois, to learn the carpenter's trade. The lad applied himself industriously to his trade for two years and a half. But at this time Mr. Haggard wished to become a farmer, and young Routt was left free to work on his own account. He was very success- ful, and soon received the highest wages paid, which were seventy-five cents per day, and board himself. He worked for Mr. O. Covel in building a mill, for carding and cloth dressing. The latter became interested in the lad and induced him to learn the carding and cloth-dressing business. Mr. Covel's establish- ment consisted of a grist mill, a saw mill and complete cloth dressing machinery. At the end of one year Routt could, in the absence of the proprietors, take charge of the establishment in all its details. The mill was in a great measure the center of local, political and social interest, and young Routt soon became familiar with the ways of the world. But he soon saw the necessity of an education. He went to school during three months in the year, and in addition to this employed all his leis- ure time in study. At the age of nineteen he married Hester A. Woodson, one of the noblest and gentlest of women, who died two years since. The stock of worldly goods belonging to these juvenile "old folks" consisted of twenty dollars in money and a few clothes suited to their station. They married because they thought themselves suited to each other, an old fashioned reason somewhat fallen into disuse. Mr. Covel's mill was de- stroyed by fire, and Routt returned to his trade as carpenter and machine worker. In 1854 he was elected alderman of Bloom- ington. About this time he borrowed twenty-five dollars from his friend, Lyman Ferre, and purchased a quarter of a block of ground and built on it a small house. He tried the life of a farmer for a short time, but returned to his trade. He took a lively interest in politics, was originally a Whig, but upon a re- arrangement of parties in 1856, became a Republican, and has remained so ever since. In 1856 Mr. Routt had accumulated a little money, and in common with man} T others began to speculate in Western lands. 860 OLD SETTLERS OF In 1856 and '57 the great financial crash came. But a more serious disaster resulted to Mr. Routt. He had purchased land on the bank of the Missouri River, but the shifting current changed its course and all of Mr. Routt's domain became the bed of the river, and his rich soil was washed away to be added to the accretions at the mouth of the Mississippi. In 1858, when township organization was effected in McLean County, Mr. Routt was elected collector, and as the office was entirely new, the work required much skill. He was re-elected without opposition. In 1860, Mr. Routt thought of being a can- didate for sheriff, and while he was hesitating, it came to his knowledge, that one of his opponents had said : "It would be folly for little Routt to run," and he immediately determined to make the canvass. He was materially assisted by William Mc- Cullough, who was candidate for circuit clerk. The convention met, and while it was in session, Judge Davis, then circuit judge, and now associate justice of the United States supreme court, said to Routt in his peculiar way : " Look here, John, McCullough tells me that you are going to get this , nomination. How is it, John ? You are going to get it, ain't you ? Of course you are going to get it; McCullough says so and that is enough." Mr. Routt was nominated on the second ballot and elected. In 1862, when the second call for volunteers was made, John Routt decided to go to the war. He assisted in recruiting and organizing the Ninety-fourth Illinois, and was chosen captain by acclamation. Judge Davis presided at the organization of the company in the old Phoenix Hall, and it was made the color com- pany of the Ninety-fourth. Captain Routt left the sheriff's office in charge of a deputy, and went to the war. In the fall of 1862, the regiment made the most wonderful march on record, from Wilson's Creek battle-ground to the battle-ground of Prairie Grove, a distance of one hundred and twenty miles, in a little more than three days. There the army of General Herron, to which the regiment belonged, fought the battle of Prairie Grove, one of the sharpest contests of the war. After this, Captain Routt and many others were sent home to recruit soldiers for the regi- ments. In the spring of 1863, he went back to the army. In the meantime, Colonel W. W. Orme had been made a brigadier general for his services at the battle of Praire Grove, and the m'lean county. 861 army went into camp at Lake Spring. Here Captain Routt was detailed to act as quartermaster, and held the position until after the capitulation of Vicksburg. After this he was commissioned as quartermaster, and served as chief quartermaster in the army of the Rio Grande, commanded by General TIerron. After the disastrous Red River expedition of General Banks, Colonel Routt was assigned as post quartermaster at Baton Rouge, and continued in this position until he left the army in 1865. On arriving home he was made treasurer of McLean County, and immediately began the payment of the county bonds and interest as they became due, and in a short time they rose to par in the market and re- mained so. At the expiration of two years he was nominated by a decided majority and re-elected. At the commencement of President Grant's administration, General Giles A. Smith, of Bloomington, was appointed second assistant postmaster general, and Colonel Routt was selected as chief clerk of this bureau, but did not accept the position until his term of office as treasurer had expired. He filled the place with credit until he was appointed IT. S. Marshal for the southern district of Illinois. The duties of the office during that year were especially difficult as the census Avas then taken. This work was one of great difficulty, and required the best judgment; but his returns were accurately and speedily made out, and he re- ceived a well merited compliment from the Commissioner of the census. In the fall of 1871, General Giles A. Smith was obliged to resign his position on account of failing health, and Postmaster General Cresswell immediately selected Colonel Routt as Smith's successor. Col. Routt resigned his office as marshal, and entered upon the duties of his office as second assistant postmaster gene- ral, October 17, 1871. To his office belongs the charge of all the mails throughout the country, and he has performed his duties with marked ability. He comes in immediate contact with all the great corporations, and in dealing with them he is firm and decided. "When the railroads threatened to throw off the mails. if the former did not receive increased compensation, Col. Routt was determined that the postffice department should not be in- timidated by these giant monopolies. Col. John L. Routt tells the following anecdote of our citizen, John E. McClun. He says that he recently met a Col. McCleave 862 OLD SETTLERS OF in his office in Washington City, who, as soon as he learned that Col. Routt was from Bloomington, Illinois, enquired after his former schoolmate, John E. McClun, saying that they had been I ii »ys together, and without any further ado related to him the following anecdote. He said : " Young John was often sent to Winchester market by his energetic and excellent mother, with the products of her dairy, garden and poultry -yard, and he opened out his butter, eggs, chickens, etc., generally with tine success, and became very expert in selling. One day, however, the young marketer was at his wit's end, for among other articles in his stock was a pair of dressed geese, which remained on his hand long after everything else was disposed of. At length, when he almost despaired of getting rid of this remnant of his cargo — for the geese were evidently old and tough — an old lady offered him a certain price for one of them; but John, after making her a polite bow, and thanking her for the offer, assured her that he was opposed upon principle to selling one without the other, for, said he, with seeming earnestness : ' My dear madam, these poor old geese have been united together in life in the most amicable relationship for twenty years, and it would be sad to part them now.' This shrewd statement — which linked a financial effect with a humanitarian thought — had the desired result on the old lady, for she at once bought both geese ; but how much boiling and roasting she afterwards bestowed upon the venerable pair, John never learned." Col. Routt, after having related this incident to me, added, in a humorous way : " As Judge McClun for many years sold goods in Bloomington, in early times, I have no doubt many old set- tlers here could be found to testify that he was as successful in many instances in disposing of ancient articles of merchandize in McLean County, as he was in the sale of the tough old geese at Winchester." In personal appearance Col. Routt is slightly below the me- dium height, stoutly built, has a large, well-shaped head with prominent forehead, black hair, dark hazel eyes, and strongly marked features. He is courteous and affable, though firm and decided, and has a pleasing address, which wins him friends wherever he goes. His political common sense enables him to grasp a subject and comprehend it at once in all its bearings, and m'lean county. 863 his decisions always promptly made, are, nevertheless, more than usually safe and correct. He reads human nature with remark- able accuracy, and seldom has occasion to revise his first estimates of character. He is ever ready to lend a helping hand to the worthy and deserving, but has a thorough contempt for all pre- tenders and shams, whether the shams be men or measures. There is not in Illinois, perhaps, among our active politicians, a more outspoken man or sincere friend, than John L. Routt. Col. J. L. Routt married, May 21, 1874, Miss Lila Pickerell, of Decatur, Illinois. Henry Honscheidt. Henry Honscheidt was born in Cologne, on the Rhine, in Germany, and there received his early education. When he was nineteen years of age he emigrated to America, having been drawn here by the attraction of a new country and a free and generous government, and the opportunity of growing up with a new community. He was then a cabinet maker by trade. In the fall of 1854 he landed at ]STew York city, and there worked at his trade for three years. In 1857 he started for Indiana, be- cause of the great financial crisis of that year. He came to Bloomington in May, 1861, and in August of the following year he enlisted to fight in the service of his adopted country. He served in the Ninety-fourth Illinois Volunteers, entering the ser- vice as a private, and being mustered out as a first lieutenant and was afterwards breveted a captain. He was at the battle of Prairie Grove, at the siege of Vicksburg, at the capture of Brownsville, Texas, and at the siege of Fort Morgan and Span- ish Fort. He served under General McNulta, and at the close of the war was discharged with his regiment, after which he worked for a while at his trade. In the fall of 1868 he was ap- pointed assistant assessor of internal revenue. He was elected sheriff of McLean County November 5, 1872, by the Republican party, and has filled his position most acceptably. On the 5th of April, 1874, Colonel E. R. Roe, United States Marshal for the Southern District of Illinois, appointed Captain Honscheidt deputy marshal, which position he also fills with credit to him- self and to the satisfaction of those with whom he has business relations. 864 OLD SETTLERS OF Captain Honscheidt is a man of good muscular development, and is heavily built. Added to this is a certain genial and win- ning good humor, that is a part of his nature, making him per- sonally popular with everybody who meets him. He has brought to the office of sheriff such efficiency and industry, that the in- terests of the county have been admirably cared for during his management of this important trust. While he has the tenderest feelings for the land of his birth, he has shown his love for the country of his adoption by fighting for three years in her ser- vice. John Hull. The author is under obligations for many of his statistics relating to the schools to Mr. John Hull, the present superin- tendent of schools in McLean County, and a personal sketch of the suberintendent may be desired by those interested in the schools. John Hull was born February 6, 1839, in Marion County, Illinois. His father, Mr. Samuel Hull, was a native of Ken- tucky, but has been a citizen of Illinois for more than fifty years. Mr. John Hull is a graduate of the Normal School. He seems to have faith in the sufficiency of the public schools, as he has attended no other. He carefully educated himself for a teacher and caught the spirit of the profession. He entered the Normal school in 1857, and graduated from it with the first class, in 1860. He was principal of the school of Salem for the year 1860-61; teacher of mathematics in the Illi- nois Normal University, 1861-62 ; and principal of the High School in Bloomington, 1862-64. The following year was oc- cupied among the schools of this and adjoining States. During the greater part of the time from 1865 until 1869 he has been a member of the Board of Education, of Bloomington, and of the committee of school examiners for the city schools. In 1869 Mr. Hull was elected Superintendent of Schools of McLean County ; indeed it seems that his entire attention has been directed to the interests of education. In 1862 he was married to Mary Frances Washburn, the daughter of A. C. Washburn, Esq., an old school teacher, and it is expected that his two promising children will, in the course of time, follow in .m'i.kan county. 865 the footsteps of their father and become school teachers too! Mr. Hull found the schools of McLean County in pretty good condition, and he lias worked faithfully not only to keep them up to their old standard, but improve them ; and has succeeded in arousing among the teachers a feeling of enthusiasm for the profession in which they are engaged. This leads to thorough preparation and fitness for their work. Mr. Hull is an active young man, with the greater part of his life before him, and it is to be hoped that he will continue to devote himself as heretofore to the cause of education. His labors seem to be appreciated by his fellow-teachers. At the County Teachers' Institute, in 1873, the members took occasion to present him with a fine cane, upon which was the inscription " John Hull, by Institute, August 8, 1873." The State Teachers' Association honored him with the chairmanship of its executive committee in 1872, and with the presidency in 1873. 55 APPENDIX. APPENDIX. J. CAMPBELL, D. D. S., 208 N. CENTRE ST., WEST OF SQUARE, BLOOMINGTON, ILLINOIS. Dr. Campbell has had great experience in dentistry and is thoroughly educated for the profession. His workmanship is of^the best, and his skill has already gained for him great notoriety. His instruments are of the best kind and he is always on the alert to obtain the latest improvements. Dr. Campbell makes the treating andj filling of decaying teeth a spe- cialty, and practices the profession in all its branches. His work stands the test of time perfectly, and we judge this to be the cause of the great business activity at the Doctor's office. To those who are troubled with their teeth, we consciensciously recom- mend the office of Dr. Campbell, No. 208 Centre St., "West of the Square, as the place of their immediate relief. A. B. GILLETT. M. F. CASE. GILLETT & CASE, WHOLESALE DEALERS IN WATCHBS. FINB JEWELRY AND 8ILVRRWARB, Next Door South of Post Office, No, 219 Main St. The firm of Gillett & Case commenced business in Bloomington in the winter of 1857-58. JNIr. A. B. Gillett had previously to this time been engaged for about eight years in Warren, Ohio, in the retail trade. And in the winter of 1857-58 he w T as attracted by the situation of our " Evergreen City," and especially by its enterprising people, and com- menced business here with Mr. E. B. Steere, under the style of Gillett & Steere. In 1869 Mr. M. F. Case purchased the interest of Mr. Steere, and the firm was changed to Gillett & Case. The wholesale business was add- ed in 1872. By strict attention to business and straightforwardness in all their dealings, the firm has gained an enviable reputation, and is looked upon as No. 1 throughout Illinois. At their storeroom may be seen the finest display of diamonds, gold and silver watches, gold chains, bracelets, silver table sets and silver ware of every description ; also heavy plated goods and every other article belonging to a first-class jewelry store. They also keep a good assortment of clocks and watch material for the whole- sale trade. They have traveling salesmen for this branch of their trade, who call on customers far and wide in the interests of the house. Messrs. Gillett & Case are both practical business men of long experience, and employ Mr. Piatt for repairing and engraving, who is considered to be the first mechanic in that line in the country. Mr. A. Froehlich, their German salesman, has been with them sometime. The prices of Gillett & Case are uniform, and they offer goods at such low prices that we strongly advise every purchaser to call at their establishment, No. 219 Main Street, next door south of the Post Office, Bloomington, 111. APPENDIX. HAYES & EVANS. The firm of Haves & Evans, contractors and builders, is widely known. Their establishment is situated on Centre Street, third block north of the Court House, Blooming ton, Illinois. The firm has gained unenviable reputation. Good work, straightfor- wardness in all transactions, and the fulfillment of any work contracted for, has beeu its motto ; and when such principles are the guide to busi- ness, success is sure to follow. The firm commenced the business of contracting and building in the spring of 185(j with a united capital of about $500. The first contractthey undertook was the building of what was known as the Landon House, which, (with the exception of the residence of Jesse W. Fell, Esq.,) was the first dwelling house of any considerable worth erected within the limits of Normal. In the same year, Hayes & Evans built Major's Col- lege, and the second PresbyterianChurch;* the latter building was finished in the early part of 1857. In 1857, as is well known, a financial panic broke out, but Hayes & Evans prospered in business in '57 and '58, for all that. In the spring of 1859 Mr. S. S. Parke entered the firm as partner, and a new planing mill (a frame building) was put up on the site of the present mill, and a general planing-mill business, and the manufacture of doors, sash and blinds, was added to the former business of contracting and building. In 18.59 the firm had the contract for building the fine residence of General Gridley, which is an ornament to the city of Bloomington ; and also a number of other contracts for stores and residences. In April, 18.60, the planing-mill was destroyed by fire, after having been occupied one week less than a year, and by this fire were swept away, in a few minutes, all the earnings accumulated by four years of previous hard work, including a large amount of costly work prepared during the winter for buildings under contract. Notwithstanding all these discour- agements and misfortunes, the firm soon commenced building their pres- ent planing-mill, a larger and much better structure of brick, and had it all completed and in running order before the summer was over. Since then, the business of this establishment has prospered and increased grad- ually and steadily until it has become the leading firm of Bloomington in this branch of industry. En 1805 Mr. Parke sold out his interest to the original firm of Hayes A.- Evans, and the business has been conducted by these gentlemen from that time till now. In 1&66 a general assortment of building lumber was added to the busi- ness for the purpose of supplying all those who might feel inclined to give their patronage in that department. A survey of the stock will con- vince any one at once what the firm has done in this respect. Every loot of lumber is of the best quality, and well se soned. Besides the residences heretofore mentioned, Hayes and Evans have been the contractors for a large number of the finest dwellings in Bloom- ington and in the neighboring towns, including many public buildings We will refer only to the residences of Messrs Chas.AV. Holder, J V. M li- ner, Dr. T. P. Rogers, Dwight Harwood, R. E. Williams and Mrs. Julia Allen. Of business houses, we may mention Royce's Block, Schroder s Opera House, four out of the five stores in Minerva Block, and a host oi others, too numerous to be particularly mentioned. Of public buildings they have erected two of the school buildings of Bloomington. also a very tine school building in Atlanta, Logan County, and one in Delavan, Taze- well County, a tine court house for Warren County, Indiana, and the Wesleyan University, which is an ornament to the city of Bloomington. They have contracted for the new Catholic Church, Gothic in architecture. It will be seen that these gentlemen have enjoyed in the highest degree the confidence and good will of the public, and still continue so to do. B APPENDIX. INSURANCE-LIFE AND FIRE After many years of experience people now see clearly the importance of insuring their property. A leading newspaper while commenting on the business of insurance says: "Insurance distributes over the multi- tude a loss that would crush the individual. Many who read these lines will be able to recall the time when men argued that if it was a profitable business for companies, it might be the same for individuals, forgetting that the companies' risks are widely scattered, that the average could be predicted with tolerable certainty, and that the individual had no means of calculating chances, while his loss would in all probability prove his utter ruin." Persons engaged in the business of insurance calculate the losses by fire with the greatest accuracy and govern their rates for premi- ums accordingly. An active competition keeps the premiums as low as safety allows. GREAT CARE should be taken never to take a policy from a company which insures too cheaply, for exceeding low rates indicate either, that a first-class swindle is intended or that the company taking such policies is not doing business on a safe basis. J. A. Guernsey & Co., Insurance and Loan Agents, represent relia- ble and well established companies, and the rates of insurance are as low as they can be placed on a sound basis They represent The Northwestern Life Insurance Company of Milwaukee. The cash assets of this company are fifteen million dollars, and its respons- ibility and standing are unquestioned. Every lather of a family, every man who cares for the welfare of his wife and children should be insured. Every young man who wishes to make a profitable investment of his earnings and who wishes to look out for the future, should be insured. The man who is in moderate circumstances should be insured, and the man of wealth should be insured, for he cannot know how soon the wheel of fortune may turn and leave him penniless. J. A. Guernsey & Co. represent the Lycoming Fire Insurance Company of Muncy, Pa., whose cash assets are six millions. The Ly- coming has been in existence for thirty-four years and has always been noted for its prompt and honorable settlement of losses. Just after the Chicago fire the Pittsburg Real Estate Register said : "Although the Eastern States contain splendid examines of strong companies, yet in the whole country a prouder and more consummate strength was never shown in a national financial strain than Pennsylvania gave in the golden soundness of that company, the Lycoming of Muncy." J. A. Guernsey & Co. represent the Farmers' Fire Insurance Com- pany of York, Pa. Its cash assets are $900,000. It was organized twenty-one years ago and by the most careful and safe management it has obtained its present standing. While many others have gone down and sunk beneath financial disaster it has stood firm and strong. J. A. Guernsey & Co. are agents for the Lancaster Fire Insurance Company of Lancaster, Pa. This company was organized thirty-six years ago. Its age and prosperity tell the story of its careful management and perfect soundness. Its cash assets are $350,000. J. A. Guernsey & Co. represent the Penn Fire Insurance Com- pany of Philadelphia, a strong company, having capital and assets amounting to over $450,000. J. A. Guernsey & Co. represent the People's Fire Insurance Com- pany, and the Planters' Fire Insurance Company, of Memphis, Tennessee, the leading companies in the Mississippi Valley. These are all reliable companies. Persons dealing with us may be sure of honor- able treatment, J. A. GUERNSEY & Co., No. 18, P. O. Building, Bloomington, 111. c APPENDIX. J. A GUERNSEY. CHAS. HENNECKE. J. A. GUERNSEY & CO., GENERAL pfe n\\i\ fm fammtt, ami ^n\\ j^te» Money to loan in sums of $2000 and upwards at 10 per cent, interest on common Bonds and Mortgages. REPRESENT The Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company of Milwaukee, Cash Assets, $15,000,000,00. The largest life company west of the seaboard cities. Seventh in financial standing on the continent. ESTABLISHED 1840. LYCOMING FIEE INS. CO., MUNC Y, PA. Capital and assets, Jan, 1st, '74. ..$5,770,154.54 Surplus 5,365,011.54 Liabilities, including reinsur- ance at 50 per cent 405,143.00 Losses paid up to Jan. 1st, '74.... 5,022,143.38 ESTABLISHED 1838. LANCASTER FIRE INS. CO. LANCASTER PA. Capital and assets, Jan. 1st, '74*... $337,197.94 Surplus 232,905.26 Liabilities, including reinsur- ance at 50 per cent 104,292.68 Income during the year 199,654.00 Expenditures during the year.. 115,447.00 ESTABLISHED 1853. FARMERS' FIRE INS. CO., YORK, PA. Capital and assets, Jan. 1st, '74... $831,394.91 Surplus 675,939.91 Liabilities, including reinsur- ance at 50 per cent 155,455.00 Losses paid up to Jan. 1st, '74.... 980,289.95 ESTABLISHED 1872. PENN FIRE INS. COMP'Y, PHILADELPHIA, PA. Capital and assets, Jan. 1st, '74.. $413,298.97 Surplus 226,153.97 Liabilities, including reinsur- ance at 50 per cent 187,145.00 Income during the year 373.933.00 Expenditures during the year.. 268,265.00 ESTABLISHED 1867. PEOPLE'S FIRE INS. CO., MEMPHIS, TENN. Capital and assets, Jan. 1st, '74... $408,760.43 Surplus 362,495.71 Liabilities, including reinsur- ance at 50 per cent 46,264.72 Income during the year 122,318.40 Expenditures during the year.. 67,444.00 ESTABLISHED 1869. PLANTERS' FIRE INS. CO., MEMPHIS, TENN. Capital and assets, Jan. lst,'74... $307,250.28 Surplus -. 227,209.83 Liabilities, including reinsur- ance at 50 per cent 3 ™- - ™ Income during the year 212,297.00 Expenditures during the year.. 133,726.62 CAPITAL REPRESENTED, $23,078,067.07. > ♦ » Insurance placed at reasonable rates and losses paid promptly. Facilities for placing Larp Liues at Short Notice. a APPENDIX. THE HALDEMAN MARBLE WORKS, S. W. COR, MAIN AND OLIVE STS. Bloomington, - - Illinois. This old and reliable house was established in Bloomington, Illinois, by the Haldeman Bros, in the spring of 18-51, in a little one-story frame building on the southwest corner of the Court House Square, but was re- moved in '52 to northeast corner of Front and East Streets, and in '53 to 223 E. Front St., but owing to the steady increase of business were soon outgrown and another removal became necessary, and it was decided to purchase the old Catholic Church and grounds on the southwest corner of Main and Olive Streets, to which the works were removed in June, 1873, after having been fitted up in fine style with office, two mantle rooms, monumental rooms, cutting and polishing rooms, together with a large show yard, completing one of the finest and most extensive factories in the Northwest. The work from this establishment is unsurpassed in elegance and beau- ty of design, symmetry of proportion, and excellence of finish. The McLean County Soldiers' Monument, the finest county monument in the Union, is from these works, together with many of the finest in the Bloomington Cemetery, among which might be mentioned those of Col. Gridley, Judge.1. E. McClun and Messrs. Dance, Townsend, McLean, Lowry, Smith, and Miss Jennie Bice and many others. Many fine monuments from this house and to the beauty of the Cath- olic Cemetery near Bloomington, perhaps the one foremost in beauty of finish and design, is erected to the Lady Superior, M. Regina Farrell. At Funk's Grove stand two massive monuments, one to the memory of the late Isaac Funk and wife, the other to Robert Stubblefield. At Delavan stands a fine soldiers' monument; at Eureka, one at the grave of Caleb Davidson; in Leroy, one erected by Bonnett Bros. ; in the Catholic Cem- etery one to John Toohey, and one to J. "W. Hayes, in the Bloomington Cemetery. In fact, fine monuments and gravestones from these works beautify nearly every cemetery and graveyard in Central Illinois. In the celebrated Scotch granite an extensive business is done, import- ing direct from the factories in Scotland, having facilities unsurpassed. A fine monument of the red Scotch granite from this house stands in the Bloomington Cemetery to the memory of Mrs. M. Travis Also, one in Hudson to Mr. and Mrs. Samuel Lewis, deceased. And in White Oak Grove one to the daughters of Mr. M E. Denmann. In marble mantles these works are justly celebrated, having furnished some of the finest residences in Bloomington, among which are those of Col. Routt, Mr. Dodson, M. Swann, R. Krum and others. , From the above sketch it will be seen that no further commendation is necessarv. E APPENDIX. GERHARD FREESE, II5 N - Centre Street, two Doors South of tne People's Bank, SADDLE & HARNESS STORE. BLOOMINGTON, ILL. The house of G. Freese, harness and saddle store, has never undergone any change, Mr. Freese came to America in the year 1850, having previously finished his apprenl Ice- ship as harness maker, in ( ddenburg, Germany. In 1853 he established himself In busi- ness in Bloomington. The lirst shop he occupied was at the corner where the People's Bank now stands, in 1870 the People's Bank Block was erected, and Mr. Freese situ red one of the lots of thai 1 dock, cm which in- built his store in symmel ry with the edifice called the People's Bank. Mr. Freese, like most men twenty years ago, commenced his business on a small scale, and to what degree lie has worked up his trade every citizeh of Bloomington and every tanner in McLean County know, it is not necessa- ry to count up the many good qualities which Mr. Freese possesses, as they have been tiie means of his success, strict integrity, straightforwardness, and the supply of a No. 1 article, have gained the confidence of his numerous customers. Mi-. Freest turned out on an average two hundred and fifty spans of harness per annum. He has constantly on hand the greatest variety of harness, saddles, bridles, collars, whips, e, 103 N. Main Street, opposite Gridley's Bank. The Brothers Schlegel, although not long established in the city of Bloomington, have already gained an enviable reputation in their line of business. This they fully deserve, because they are honest and straight- forward in all their dealings with their customers, use the very best material and sell at prices which defy competition. Their motto is : " Small Profits and Quick Sales." They have constantly on hand the greatest variety of Jitt(flu% 3H&W*f*, Ipviilles, Collars, Trunks, Traveling Bags, Whips, &c, AU kinds of repairing done at the shortest notice neatly and promptly. Do not forget the place! No. 103 North Main Street, opposite Gridley's Bank, Bloomington, Illinois. APPENDIX. Blooiiiigoi Bindery ana 1 Blank Book Manufactory. AMOS KEMP, Proprietor, 2Hi \. Outre St., West of Square, BLOOMINGTON, ILLINOIS, The Bloomington Book Bindery wasstarted in Jan., L854, by Hanee & Taylor. In December, L857, these gentlemen sold out to R. O.Warinner, who transferred the business in April, 1858, to W. E. Foote, of the Bloomington Pantograph. In. January, I860, Mr. Foote sold out to A. J. Merriman, who, on the same day, transferred the business to Amos Kemp, the pres- ent proprietor, who had come to Bloomington in 1855, to work for Hanee & Taylor. Mr. Kemp has carried on the business ever since, increasing it until it is now one the besl bind- eries in the West. Mr. Kemp commenced business under difficulties, hav- only a small capital at his command, but he gradually gained the good will and confidence of the public, as gentlemanly conduct, honesty, straight- forwardness in all his transactions and good work were, and are still, the rules and motto of his life. His establishment is furnished with all the machinery of modern invention In manufacturing blank books for our banks and mercantile houses, the business enjoys an enviable reputation. A specimen of the book-binding of Mr. Kemp is this work, " The Good Old Times in McLean County." Any job entrusted to this establishment will be executed with neatness and dispatch. Mr. Kemp stands high in the esteem of the citizens of Bloomington, and his word is reliable. His prices are uniform and as low as any of his competitors in the .State. Patronize him ! MAEBLE WORKS. J. K. Moore & Co , Marble, Stone and Granite Workers, importers of Scotch Granite, and dealers in American Granite. All things fashioned from these materials, such as mantels, grates, cabinet work, gravestones and monuments. The firm of J. K. Moore & Co. was established in 1859 under the name of Moore Brothers. Since the year 1860 their place of business has been at No. 215, and now, 311 W. Washington Street, second block west from the Court House. The business of this firm had a small beginning, as has been the case with many of the most successful firms • but by fine workmanship and fair dealing it has obtained its present envi- able reputation. This firm did the stone work for the Wesleyan Univer- sity in 1869 and '70; the Livingston Block, south of the Public Square; Phoenix Bank and Block ; the stone work for McClun Block, on Main Street, and as sub-contractors for Hayes & Evans, they furnished the stone for the new court house at Williamsport, Indiana. J. K. Moore & Co. have the contract for building the new Methodist Church in Bloom- ington, with the exception of the brick work. This firm has made many monuments and has shown in this line the finest taste and the most skili- ful workmanship. They built the Dietrich monument; also, the monu- ment of John Geltmacher, George Bohrer. the late William Hanna, Dr. Noble, John Greenman, Dr. Martin, Alfred Bozarth, at Brown's Grove. The mantels made by this firm are seen in some of the finest residences in Bloomington, viz: those of Dwight and Daniel Harwood, William Flagg, Hon. W. C. Watkins, Judge McClun, James Hayes of the firm of Hayes & Evans ; and many others. They also made a granite monument for Oliver Ellsworth ; one for Darwin Haines, and a fine family monu- ment for Hon. John L. Routt. All persons dealing with them may be assured of the most honorable treatment and the most skillful workmanship. 311 West Washington Street, second block west from the Court House. J APPENDIX. Eagle Machine Works. R. LOUDON, Proprietor. NOS. 610 AND 612 NORTH MAIN STREET, BLOOMINGTON, ILLINOIS. Mr. Loudon has over twenty years' experience as a practical engineer and mechanist. In 1864 he came to Bloomington, and took charge, as foreman, of the machinery department of the Chicago & Alton Railroad shops, which position he relinquished for the superintendency of the Bloomington Foundry, of which J. Ollis is proprietor. Whilst here, there were built under his supervision among other work the following : The engine in the Hudson Mills ; the engine in the North coal shaft; and the engine in the woolen mill of Jacob Mayer, lately destroyed by fire ; the engine in connection with Ellsworth Station, belonging to A. B. Ives. In 1870 he commenced business for himself at the above mentioned stand, where he has machinery and facilities for doing all kinds of machine work. He employs a number of experienced workmen, and he is prepared at all times to undertake any kind of work. In 1870, immediately after he commenced business, he fitted up the iron work at the coal shaft in Minonk, Woodford County. In 1871 he had the contract for the fire-proof addition, and all the iron work of the Pon- tiac Court House ; also that of the Wesleyan University, under contract of Hayes & Evans, In 1872 he built all the machinery in the Blooming- ton Shoe Factory ; also the iron work in connection with the elevator of E. H. Rood, at the I., B. & W. Depot, Bloomington ; and also the sheet- iron and wrought-iron work in the roundhouse of the L., B. & M. R. R., in Bloomington ; the iron work in connection with the elevator at Arrow- smith Station, belonging to A. B. Ives. In 1873 he had a large contract for furnishing iron work for the Illinois Soldiers' Orphans' Home, at Normal ; the iron work in the oil mill of Waddle & Moore, opposite the L., B. & M. Depot ; the sheet-iron work of the Ciinton Bank, at Clinton, De Witt County ; additional iron work at Schroder's Opera House; work for the building occupied by Norris & Howard, in Minerva Block ; and for the store-house occupied by Maxwell, Batehelder & Co., on the west side of the Square ; also, for the Catholic Church, as far as it has been built, under the contract of Hayes & Evans. In 1874 he put up a veranda at the new residence of Mrs. Allin Withers of Bloomington. At the request of many friends he has been induced to start, in connec- tion with his machine shop, the business of Plumbing and Steam Fitting, and is prepared to put water into private residsnees and attend to all job work and repairing. Will have on hand and make to order, Copper and Zinc Baths, Cast Iron Sinks, Wash Bowls, Copper Boilers, Water Closets, Lead Pipe, Iron Pipe, House Pumps — Force and Lift, Sheet Lead, and everything pertaining to Plumbing and Steam Fitting. All work warranted and all orders by mail promptly attended to. He also owns the right for the County, for Van Tassell's Patent Piston Packing. He keeps Babbitt metal, and iron fencing of every description ; and does sheet-iron of all kinds. Tne various contracts which Mr. Loudon has executed have invariably given satisfaction, and as he guarantees all work to be first-class, and at the very lowest prices, we commend his establishment to the public for their patronage. K APPENDIX. The Buckeye Grocery 508 N. Main St., J. Ml. J^ONGr, PROPRIETOR. Mk. M. J. Long is one of those young men who combines with excellent business qualifications, principles which must lead to success. Although he has not been established as long as many other firms of this kind, still his store has become already the stopping place uf the farming community. By keeping only the best goods in his line of business, and by dealing honorably with eyery customer, he has secured the patronage of a large number of customers. If a good cup of tea is wanted and light biscuits, Mr. Long is the man who can accommodate, as he makes Teas aspecialty. If ladies desire Long's " Favor- ite Baking Powder," Mr. Long is at hand to supply. If it is wished to replenish the supply of Family Groceries, Mr. Long will sell the best article at a small margin of profit. The ladies of the city will also find in his store choice No. 1 Country Butter. Farmers' produce bought at all times at the highest market value. Goods delivered to all parts of the city. Give him a call ! NOT TO BE OVERLOOKED. The American Submerged Pump, made upon honor and sold upon its merits. It has been tested for ten years in wells from 10 to 160 feet deep. It never freezes; has no leather valves or packing — all metal — works easi- er and will last longer than any other pump. The smallest size will throw a stream 60 to 75 feet from the end of fifty feet of hose, and it is valuable in case of fire or for watering gardens, &c. In proportion to its capacity or durability, it surpasses all others in economy by at least one-half. Each pump is guaranteed to do all that is claimed for it. Call and examine this valuable pump before purchasing elsewhere, or address, 318 NORTH CENTRE STREET, BL00MINGT0N, ILLINOIS. T. P. POWERS, PROPRIETOR OF City Livery, Sale & Feed Stable, ON EAST, NEAR NORTH STREET, ONE BLOCK SOUTH OF NOVELTY MILLS, BLOOMIMGTON, ILLINOIS. First-class turnouts and buggies. This fine brick stable, which will accommodate forty head of horses, was rebuilt by Dr. Stevenson and Mr. Fisher, in 1871, after it had been destroyed by fire. In August last Mr. Powers bought the interests of these gen- tlemen and leased the premises. The stable could not have found a better successor. Mr, Powers is well known to the public and, therefore, no further commendation is needed. For evening parties, weddings, picnics, festivals, balls, and entertainments of all kinds we recommend Mr. Powers' conveyances, Mr. Powers will pay the highest market prices for hay and straw, corn and oats. Farmers will find this stable* convenient place to feed their horses, when in the city. Al'PKXDIX. C. E. DALTON, DEALER IN- ENGLISH, French and fterman Fauci Goods, ■VQ'S'S, Children's Oarriages and Rockiu«* Horses, Etc, Traveling Baskets a Specialty. 216 Outre St., Bloomiiigtoii, III. W. D. Hunter. W. II. Wright. Go to R. FELL'S HE STAtTHA^T For a Good Square Meal. Also, Oysters in every style. Remember the place, 405 N. Main, Bloomington, 111. J4untee^& Wright, ™ lill Lip AND CIGARS, ll<; ('<>iiier of Front and Center Streets, BLOOMINGTON, ILLINOIS. CHAS. H. GMEHLIN, CSiin Mamifsicliirer and Healer in All Kinds of FIRE ARMS, AMMUNITION, And Sporting Apparatus. Stencil Cutting, Locksmithing, Key and Baggage Checks made to order. Stencil Paste and Brushes always on hand. 309 VV. Washington St., BLOOMINGTON, ILLINOIS. P. S. Mr. Ginehlin, having purchased a new lathe and steam engine, he is prepared to do all kinds ol machine work with dispatch. OTTO KAMM& SON, Woftlpri (rftOfk .Successors to R. P. Smith & Son.) V/V/l.V'Ax \J! l/l/UOl (Successors to R. P. Smith & Son.) Wholesale and Retail Dealers in W.&C. D. PERRY, Dealers in m Centre St., Next BLOOMINGTON, People's Bank, ILLINOIS. Established, January, 1854. WOOL, HIDES AND PELTS, Also, Woolen Goods, Flannels, Jeans, Blankets, Yarns, Cassimeres, Tweeds, etc. Their Goods are of fine quality and sat- isfaction is given to all customers. Their place of business is 207 S. Centre Street, Bloomington, III. Louis Matern, Manufacturer of Superior CARRIAGES AND BUGGIES. Manufactory and Repository : Nos. 306 and 303 West Front St. BLOOMINGTON, ILLINOIS. M LlM/EIC. the well known blacksmith is to be found on the Corner of Market and Main Streets, Near the Novelty Mills, where he has been located during the last seven years. His work is done with the greatest care, and satisfaction is guaran- teed. APPENDIX. THE LEADER The success of the Leader newspaper is almost unparalelled in the history of western journalism. From the publication of its first number it lias been awarded a place in the front rank of newspapers, and hasgrad- ually worked its way more and more into the confidence of the people until it has become a leader in fact as well as in name. The daily is a Uvely, newsy sheet, with a large city and country circulation, and the weekly is the largest paper printed in the West, brim full of interesting reading— a paper for all. The Leader was established in 1868 by J. S. Scibird and Orin Waters ; afterwards it passed into the hands of the " Leader Company," of which Mr. Scibird was Secretary, Mr. Waters, Manager and Treasurer, and Mr. C. P. Merriman, editor. A few months ago Mr. Waters bought out the entire business and became publisher and proprietor. Mr. Merriman re- tired from the chair editorial, May 9th, 1874. Under the present proprietorship of Mr. Waters, we find Mr. Charles P. Hunter occupying his old position as cashier and book-keeper ; Mr. J. W. Nichols is editor, and Mr. M. F. Leland controls the local columns. In the printing rooms the author of this work has found that in Mr. Hen- ry Sturges, manager of the book and job department, the firm has gained a valuable acquisition. Mr. Sturges is a gentleman by education and in manners, and is extensively known as a man of ability and taste in job work, to say nothing of his business qualifications, which are of the high- est order, and he is ably assisted by a corps of first-class book and job printers. Mr. Waters is a public spirited man, and his paper is alwaj s ready to help along matters of public interest. He carries this spirit into his bus- iness to the extent of buying new material required for any work, thus enabling him to turn out anything in the line of printing, from a small card to the largest volume The 'Old Settlers of McLean County" have all passed through the hands of the Leader printers, and received their impressions from the Leader presses, and we suggest that if any there are who do not patron- ize the Leader office, they should do so from this time henceforth. Taking the establishment as a whole and in its various departments, the public will find a genial lot of gentlemen, with whom it is a pleasure to transact business. H APPENDIX. F. J HOFFMAN, Upholsterer and Manufacturer of all Kinds of Fancy aid Plain Willow Dress, Lambrequins and Long Draperies. MATTRESSES AND LOUNGES Hanging Laces and Shades, Putting up Cornices, Making and laying Carpets All Kinds of Upholstering done to Order on short notice. All work warranted. CHURCH CUSHIONS A SPECIALTY. Over Perrigo A Coblentz, N. Side Square, Bloomington, Illinois. CHAS. HENNECKE, 18, P. 0. Building, Bloomington, 111. Exchange, Passage, Collection and Fire and Life Insurance, Notary Public. Agent for European Steameis and Sailing Vessels. Excbaugs drawn upon all the commercial cities of Europe. Tne most leasonalde emigration con- tracts executed. Money sent without extracharge to the house of the consignee, eveu in the smallest villages in Germany. Powers of attorney for the collection of estates in Germany. Parcels and packages sent to any part of Europe. Passports quickly obtained. Letters promptly answered. Zi. M. TEMPLE, Commission Merchant AND DEALER IN Staple and Fancy Li' MAJOR'S BLOCK, BLOOMINGTON, ILLINOIS. Highest Price paid for Produce. ESTABLISHED 1856. H. JETER, Dealer in Metallic and Wood Cases & Caskets Satin. Merino and Lawn Shrouds of the handsomest designs. Hearses and Carriages furnished when desired. Charges reason- able. 403 N. Main St.. Bloomington, III. CEO. B. TIARKS, )I rtAlIlllClCIIAll MVDl For the purchase and sale of Grain, Flour, Seeds, Hops. Broom Corn, Potatoes, Beans, Peas, Green and Dried Fruits, Live and Dressed Poultry, Game, Butter, Cheese, Eggs, Hides, Pelts, Furs, Tallow, Beeswax, Feathers, Wool, &c. A house of first-class standing. 186 West Randolph Street, CHICAGO, - ILLINOIS. J. & M. FRANK, Dealers in Nos. 107 and 109 N. Centre St., BLOOMINTON, - ILLINOIS. Special attention given to handling fruits and berries, etc. Choice No. 1 country but- ter always on hand. Farmers* produce bought at all times at the highest market value. We will not be undersold by any- one. Gillet's Pure Flavors and Soap Pow- ders, used in every family, always kept. F. NlEr\GARTH, Dealer in and Manufacturer of Boots & Shoes, 409 North Main Street, BLOOMINGTON, ILLINOIS. A full line of the Best Goods at Lowest prices. PETE JACOBY, Dealer in GROCERIES & PROVISIONS, 113 Soul li Main Street, BLOOMINGTON, - ILLINOIS. Choice No. 1 Country Butter always on hand. Farmers' Produce bought at all times at the highest market value. special attention given to the handling of fruits, berries, etc. Pete Jacoby is the man who always keeps a stock of potatoes. Established 1863. o APPENDIX. THE REMINGTON J SEWING Have left all Rivals behind them. COUNTY SIPfCE n o H © S!ZJIZ»3V»I S£I Represented in Bloomington by :e. s. "YOTJisra-. ROOMS : McClun's Block, 410 N. Mai n st., ! Bloomington, 111. It is now an established fact that of all the Sewing Machines at present In the mar ket, the "Remington" is the one which stands without a rival. It lias stood all the crit- icisms, brunts and tests, and has come out as victor.' The demand of the ladies now is : the "Remington " and no other.; pairs of old machines promptly done. Needles, Oils and Thread for all the different kinds of Sewing Machines. APPENDIX. Aarcn G. Earr. Henry L. Zarr, Notary Public. KARR & KARR, Attorneys at Law, N. W. Cor. Washington and Centre Sts., Bloomington, - Illinois. C. S. HOHMANN, Proprietor of Tie Ashley House Earner Stop, AND BATHING ROOMS, One Door South of the East Entrance to AsMey House. Fine Brands of Cigars and Gents' Furnishing Goods. BLOOMINGTON, - ILLINOIS. Established isi3, where now. LYIAN MBE, Manufacturer of Carriages & Wagons, Blacksmithing, Repairing, Re-irimming and Repainting Dont to Order, 106 & m Centre St.. BLOOMINGTON, ILL. First-class work h Specialty! Cheapest House in I lie West ! SWICK'S &RT eALLBBYI Our Home Hank, 8. of Court House, BLOOMINGTON, - ILLS. Pictures Copied I" uuj size. Painting oi all kinds. WM. W. MARMON, Late Paist A Harmon, Wholesale and Retail illQiliTi 115 North Main Street, BLOOMINGTON, : ILLINOIS. Eight Years in Bloomington. D Wholesale and Retail Dealers in ry Goods, j ) Carpetings, Ready-made Suits. FITZWILLIAM&SONS. The Old and Reliable Firm of J, W. & G, TROTTER, Dealers in Lumber, Lath, Shingles Doors, Sash, Blinds, Grain, Etc., Etc., Market St., West of C. & A. R. R. Bridge, BLOOMINGTON, ILLINOIS. H. S. HERR, Conveyancer & Rotary Public. i ■ •■■■ Office, South Easl room Court House Basement. Makes Collections a Specialty. Q APPENDIX. JNO.R WINTER, Attorney & Counselor at Law, N. K. (<»r. Court House Basement, BLOOM I N( JTON, ILLINOIS. ESTABLISHED 18H6, Loans negotiated ou real estate security Collections promptly made. Herr Winter hat viele deutsche Clienten .mil ist des allgemeinen Zutrauens werth. KirkenclalL Pierpoat & Co., The only exclusively Jobbing DRY GOODS, NOTION" A1STI3 CLOTHING HOUSE IN THE CITY. No. no Front Street, BLOOMINGTON, - - ILLINOIS. JDJL.1 . « • * 'Site* ^ ,<£ I ;♦ ^ ^ ". ^ A v I Deacidified using the Bookkeeper proce Neutralizing Agent: Magnesium Oxide Treatment Date: , Q£ _■& AUG MEEEEI PRESERVATION TECHNOLOGIES, I Park Driva w ^°* '-l| Jr.- iPv #• ,40. *^^k